Baptize California Prepares for Statewide Water Baptism Event, Aims for Largest Synchronized Baptism in History Hundreds of churches will partner with Baptize California to host baptisms across the state, the largest of which will be held at the beach in Huntington Beach, California.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Bennett Unlimited PR

April 5, 2024



HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., April 5, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Baptize California gears up for its 2024 event, aiming to host the largest synchronized water baptism in history. Following last year's resounding success with Baptize SoCal, which saw over 4,100 individuals baptized at Pirate's Cove, the organization again unites churches statewide for this monumental event on Sunday, May 19th, 2024.



Building on the previous year's momentum, Baptize California is embarking on a mission to bring together churches from all corners of the state. The goal is to create a unified front, demonstrating the power of faith and community in a collective act of worship and devotion.



Churches across California are being rallied to participate in this significant event. Each church will hold its own baptism ceremony following its last service on May 19th, contributing valuable data and media to the central organizing team. This collaborative effort ensures that the event's impact is not confined to a single location but resonates across the entire state.



The main event in Huntington Beach promises to demonstrate spiritual unity and celebration. Attendees will witness a sea of believers converging on the shore to publicly profess their faith through baptism. Against the backdrop of worship and prayer, the waters of the Pacific Ocean will become a symbol of renewal and commitment to a shared spiritual journey.



Pastor Mark Francey, the visionary behind the event, emphasizes the significance of this gathering in the context of California's spiritual landscape. He speaks of a growing hunger for spiritual connection and a renewed sense of purpose among individuals and churches alike. For Pastor Mark, this event represents an opportunity for the Church to unite in solidarity and embrace a collective vision of spiritual revival.



Pastor Mark is extending an open invitation to churches across California, emphasizing the movement's inclusivity and accessibility. Any church interested in participating can do so free of charge by hosting its own Baptize California event on May 19th.



For additional information about Baptize California and its upcoming events or to sign up to host a Baptize California baptism at your church, please visit Baptize California or contact them via email at hello@baptizeamerica.com.



Follow Baptize California on social media on Instagram and Facebook @baptize.california. For media inquiries and interviews, please contact Kelly Bennett at kelly@bennettunlimitedpr.com.



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An anonymous website for computer enthusiasts and Japanese animation gave birth to the hacker collective known as Anonymous. Bob Edme/ASSOCIATED PRESS In 2017, an 8chan troll gave birth to QAnon, perhaps one of the most remarkable Internet hoaxes of the last decade. Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Thousands of Rwandan refugees were lining up for corn-soy flour in the shadow of Congos Virunga Volcano in 1995 when a senior Red Cross official explained that information is as vital for the human species as food, shelter and water, making radio news so important.

Corrupted information can be as poisonous as spoiled food, he added. Many of the men and women standing before us had committed genocide against their neighbors in 1994 after listening to hate-filled propaganda on government-backed stations. Some of the same murderous leaders were still spreading misinformation in the camps to fuel a cross-border insurgency.

The lesson stuck with me, even if Ive forgotten the name of the International Committee of the Red Cross official. He helped me understand why the Voice of America had hired me to provide accurate and independent reporting from Central Africa and the importance of journalism more generally.

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Almost 30 years later, were no better at sorting quality journalism from misinformation and disinformation. Three documentaries provide essential insights.

When most Americans imagine genocidal regimes, they think of the Nazi Party that orchestrated the murders of 6 million Jews during World War II. A new series on Netflix, Hitlers Circle of Evil, examines how propaganda and marketing facilitated Adolf Hitlers election and transition to totalitarian dictator.

Hitler turned his trial for a failed 1923 coup detat into a spectacle that attracted supporters, including a young journalist named Joseph Goebbels. He became the Nazis master propagandist, giving speeches, overseeing radio broadcasts and supervising filmmaking. He ordered party members to plaster stirring propaganda posters across the country.

Yesteryears propaganda posters are todays memes. These digital images, which typically contrast a photo or cartoon character against sardonic text, were perfected on the website 4chan. The site, founded in 2003, is the subject of The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem, a film co-directed by former Houston Chronicle intern Giorgio Angelini and premiered at the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals.

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The film, now available on Netflix, shows how an anonymous website for computer enthusiasts and Japanese animation gave birth to the hacker collective known as Anonymous. However, the site also gave users a sense of impunity, leading some to engage genuinely in the name of freedom of expression.

Antisocial Network explains how we ended up with the social media sites today that are either commercial data vacuums or money-losing free-for-alls like Twitter, now known as X.

What drives user-base numbers and revenue is anger, explained Fredrick Brennan, who in 2013 established 8chan as an alternative to 4chan after it cracked down on misogyny and violent threats against women.

Brennan cut ties with 8chan in 2016 after it became even more toxic. The following year, an 8chan troll gave birth to QAnon, perhaps one of the most remarkable internet hoaxes of the last decade.

The film demonstrates the reality-bending effects of falling into an echo chamber. True believers can whip casual visitors into a frenzy while keeping skeptics out. Clever panderers of disinformation secretly laugh at the fools who believe the poppycock they pump out for pay.

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The imperfect antidote to misinformation and disinformation is supposed to be journalism. After 30 years in the business, I know we are far from perfect, and I acknowledge we need watchdogs, too, but at least we try to serve our customers, not some other dubious purpose.

For the Record begins a run on PBS next month. Director Heather Courtney tells the story of the Canadian Record, a small Panhandle newspaper since 1893. In the opening montage, you see legendary publisher/editor/reporter Laurie Ezzell Brown heading out to cover a wildfire in 2019.

Ive done a lot of this in the past few years, she says, foreshadowing the largest wildfire in Texas history this year.

Brown was looking for someone to take over the Record as advertising was drying up. A quarter of small-town papers have closed since 2005, and more than 20% of Americans live in areas without a local news source. They feel the loss when theres a disaster, such as a wildfire, or when online trolls want to sow chaos.

For the Record captures the ethos of professional journalism by showing how Brown is a reliable, if at times controversial, source of information valued by her community. Her readers may not have always agreed with her editorials, but they know her intentions are good.

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Saudi oil giant Aramco, the worlds top crude oil exporter, hiked on Friday the prices of most of its crude grades for May, as Middle Eastern benchmarks are strengthening in a market that looks increasingly tight.

For a second consecutive month, Saudi Arabia raised the price of Arab Light, its flagship grade selling in Asia, by more than expected.

Aramco set the official selling price (OSP) of Arab Light for Asia for May by $0.30 per barrel to a premium of $2.00 over the Oman/Dubai average, the benchmark off which Middle Eastern crude going to Asia is priced.

This is the second consecutive increase in the price of Saudi oil selling in Asia, after Aramco had raised in March the OSPs for Asian buyers for April, following the extension of the OPEC+ production cut agreement until the end of the first half of the year. The price for the countrys flagship Arab Light grade was raised by $0.20 per barrel over the Oman/Dubai average for April.

Now the increase for May is $0.30 per barrel, the upper end of refining sources expectations polled by Reuters earlier this week. The Reuters survey of five refining sources showed that they expected Arab Light crude prices for May to be hiked by between $0.20 and $0.30 per barrel over the Middle Eastern benchmark. A Bloomberg survey of traders and refiners expected an increase of $0.10 per barrel.

Middle Eastern crude benchmarks have rallied in recent days, along with the increase in the entire crude complex as Brent prices topped $90 per barrel this week amid a tightening market and geopolitical concerns in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia typically announces around the fifth of each month its crude pricing for the following month and doesnt comment on price changes. This week, the OSPs came after the OPEC+ groups Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) did not recommend any changes to output policy at its meeting on Wednesday.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. grids vulnerability to cyberattacks has grown, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation has warned.

According to the regulator, the number of vulnerability points in the grid had grown from between 21,000 and 22,000 at the end of 2022 to 23,000-24,000 at the end of 2023.

"It's very hard to keep pace with addressing all those vulnerabilities," NERC senior vice president Manny Cancel said, as quoted by Reuters.

Geopolitical events such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza tend to lead to an increase in cyberattacks on the U.S. grid, the NERC also said, and so do elections. The regulator warned that there will probably be a further jump in attempts on the grid, with Cancel saying "We're going to be very vigilant during this current election cycle."

Cyber threats are one of the risks that the U.S. grid has seen increase substantially in recent years. The other is blackouts as more so-called distributed generation capacity comes online. Thats wind and solar installations that only operate when there is sunshine or wind, and that need backup from dispatchable capacity to avoid blackouts.

Last year in May, the NERC warned that as much as two-thirds of the American grid was at risk of electricity shortfalls as a result of the combination of extreme weather expectations and the too-fast replacement of baseload generation with intermittent sources.

Increased, rapid deployment of wind, solar, and batteries have made a positive impact, Mark Olson, NERCs manager of Reliability Assessments, said at the time.

However, generator retirements continue to increase the risks associated with extreme summer temperatures, which factors into potential supply shortages in the western two-thirds of North America if summer temperatures spike.

Wind and solar installations, besides intermittent, are also hackable, representing more new vulnerability points on the grid.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has been sending medium sour grade Upper Zakum for processing at a local refinery since the end of 2023, releasing more volumes of the sweeter, lighter, and more expensive, Murban crude for exports, a source familiar with the plan has told Argus.

The Upper Zakum grade is now being used at the refurbished Ruwais refinery, which has a capacity to process 837,000 bpd of crude.

Back in 2018, ADNOC said it would invest $3.1 billion to introduce crude processing flexibility at its Ruwais oil refinery. Since then, the refinery has been modified to enable ADNOCs Ruwais Refinery-West complex to process up to 420,000 bpd of Upper Zakum crude or similar crude types. This has freed more volumes of the UAEs Murban crude, which fetches a higher price on the global oil markets, for export sales.

Commenting on the refinery modification at the time, ADNOC said that we can maximise the benefit of price differentials to enhance refinery margins, improve the middle distillate products and release valuable Murban crude into the market.

According to Arguss source, This is the crude flexibility project, to process medium grades, for economical reasons.

Customers generally prefer more Murban and the grade is more profitable [for Adnoc], the Argus source added.

The UAE is slashing exports of Upper Zakum as it is diverting more volumes of the medium sour crude to the huge Ruwais refinery, traders and analysts told Reuters earlier this week.

ADNOC, the state oil and gas firm of one of OPECs top producers and exporters, is estimated to have shipped around 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Upper Zakum crude in March, compared to a monthly average of around 940,000 bpd throughout 2023, according to Rystad Energy data cited by Reuters.

At the same time, ADNOC has exported more volumes of the lighter and sweeter grade Murban to replace lower volumes of Upper Zakum, according to traders and analysts.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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As he launched his campaign for Omaha mayor Thursday, Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing Jr. said that hes a nuts and bolts guy who will make government work efficiently and that hell treat everyone with dignity and respect.

I am a proven leader you can trust, said Ewing, noting he has been county treasurer for 17 years after nearly 25 years in the Omaha Police Department. If successful, he would be the first elected Black mayor of Omaha.

I have 42 years of demonstrated performance, demonstrated leadership, honest leadership, done with integrity to make this a better community, and I will continue to do that as your mayor. Leadership and integrity matter, he said.

Ewing, a Democrat who had indicated in March he intended to enter the race, formally announced his candidacy at the Omaha Press Club with about 50 people in attendance.

Ewing will challenge three-term incumbent Mayor Jean Stothert.

City Council President Pete Festersen and State Sen. Mike McDonnell are also considering mayoral bids.

Ewing said he was motivated to run for mayor in part because of the divisiveness in American politics. He said he would restore civility in government.

I will always treat everyone with dignity and respect inside government, outside government, wherever you are, whoever you are, I will treat you with dignity and respect, he said.

Ewing was first elected as county treasurer in 2006, when he defeated incumbent Republican Julie Haney. Ewing has been reelected four times. He ran unopposed in 2010, 2018 and 2022. In 2014, the only time he has faced a general election opponent since 2006, Ewing won 60% of the vote over Republican Wayne Hohndorf.

Ewing worked for more than 24 years in the Omaha Police Department, attaining the rank of deputy chief. He retired from the department after he was elected county treasurer in 2006.

Ewing ran for the U.S. Congress in 2012. He won the Democratic Party primary before losing to then-U.S. Rep. Lee Terry by less than 2% of the vote in the general election.

Ewing touted his record Thursday. He said he had kept his campaign promises to restore public trust in the Douglas County Treasurers Office, use technology to serve people better, and restore fiscal integrity.

When I entered the Treasurers Office, 95% of our customers stood in line for up to an hour to register a vehicle, to pay property tax, to even get drivers licenses through the State of Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, Ewing said.

He led the Treasurers Office to greatly expand online, telephone, drop-off and other services.

Ewing said he worked with the State of Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles to get them to provide a more robust and updated vehicle registration system, replacing a 35-year-old system that frequently broke down.

Im a nuts and bolts guy that works hard to deliver the services that we are responsible for to the citizens of Douglas County, Ewing said. Thats what Im going to do as your next mayor, work and get the nuts and bolts right so you have great police services, great public works services, your trash is picked up and your streets are repaired.

He said the County Treasurers Office collects $1.5 to $1.7 billion a year  and we balance to the penny each and every month.

I remind you of these promises because the best indicator of future performance is recent past performance, Ewing said.

He criticized Stothert on the citys planned streetcar line and on her changed stand on the citys restaurant tax.

As your next mayor, I promise that I will be transparent, that I will restore public trust to that office as well, because that is what I do, Ewing said.

Asked how he believed Stothert had lost public trust, Ewing said, When you make promises on the campaign trail, you should keep them. And there are some promises that were made in 2013 about eliminating the restaurant tax, and in 2017 about the streetcar being on the ballot for the citizens of Omaha.

But those claims are not as stark as he portrayed.

Stothert had promised in 2017 and 2018 to put the streetcar to a public vote if city funds were involved. She later said a public vote wasnt required because the streetcars financing plan would not require a tax increase.

Stothert had made her opposition to the restaurant tax a point of emphasis in her first run for mayor in 2012, but she stopped short of promising to repeal it. She had said her goal was to roll it back. In 2012, Stothert said she would try to repeal the restaurant tax, but added at the time, To repeal it, youre going to have to fill a $25 million hole.

Ewing said Omaha needs to look at its use of tax-increment financing, or TIF. TIF is an incentive that allows real estate developers to, essentially, use increased property taxes generated on new projects to repay their loans for certain development costs.

We are spending an awful lot of money mortgaging our future by going with TIF and then taking those property taxes and using it to pay off debt instead of providing services, Ewing said.

He said he would look for alternatives to TIF and that we need to slow down and make sure were investing in the best projects.

Making the jump from county elected office is not the typical path to the Mayors Office. The last time that had been done was 1989, when PJ Morgan was elected, 12 years after his first stint on the Douglas County Board.

Asked Thursday about facing that challenge, Ewing said, Being someone from the housing development at 30th and Parker and leading an organization that manages $1.5 to $1.7 billion is not a typical path either. Being someone who rises to the rank of deputy chief when I did, being only the third African-American at the time to reach that level is not a typical path.

Being the first African-American in the history of this state to win a countywide election is not a typical path. So I guess what I will say is that Im not typical.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of March 2024
LINCOLN  An Omaha lawmaker gave up Thursday on his plan to subsidize child care costs for providers own children as a way of easing the states child care shortage.

State Sen. John Fredrickson had proposed the subsidies in Legislative Bill 856 as a way to boost the number of child care workers, which he said would make care more available for other Nebraska parents. The bill cleared first-round debate in February.

But on Thursday, he said the states fiscal situation made his original goal unreachable. The bill would have cost an estimated $10 million a year. The state budget left lawmakers with $20 million a year to use for additional state spending or tax cuts.

Fredrickson instead settled for a stripped-down version of LB 856 that would make it easier for child care workers to make use of child care subsidies if they qualified under current eligibility rules.

The amendment would allow the subsidies to be used even if children are enrolled in the same program where their parent works, if no other options are available. Current state regulations prohibit child care subsidies from being used in the same program where a parent works.

Fredrickson said the change would help low-income child care workers, particularly in rural areas where there are fewer alternatives.

His original bill would have offered subsidized child care assistance to certified child care professionals regardless of their family income level. The program would be open to those who were self-employed, employed at a child care home or center, or working for Head Start or Early Head Start.

Fredrickson estimated the program could have brought 2,175 people into the child care workforce. In turn, they could have provided care for an estimated 16,000 more Nebraska children, based on research showing that every additional child care worker cares for eight children.

He said he plans to try again next year.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of March 2024
Muhammed Mahmood, chairman Universal Basic Education Commission, and his daughter have been released by their abductors. Their release was confirmed by Hussain Danladi, one of his aides.

Mahmood and his daughter were abducted along KadunaAbuja road on Monday afternoon while travelling from Kaduna to the federal capital territory (FCT).

His driver was shot dead when armed bandits opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in.

Danladi reportedly said no ransom was paid to secure their release. However, according to The Cable, there is no information on the the other travellers who were kidnapped alongside the duo.

Several cases of kidnappings have been recorded along the route in the past months. Many commuters have abandoned the route for the train station as a result of insecurity.

Efforts by security to end the activities of kidnappers and bandits have not yielded the desired result.

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Two Uniqlo stores are expected to open in the Houston area this fall. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo is looking to plant its flag in Texas, opening five locations in the state this year, including in First Colony Mall in Sugar Land and Memorial City Mall in west Houston.

Although the retailer doesnt have any stores in Texas, its e-commerce sales in the state rank third after those in New York and California, Uniqlo USA CEO Yoshihide Shindo says.

This is something weve been thinking about for a while, Shindo said through an interpreter. Ive done research many times in regard to this, in regards to wanting to open stores in Texas. And now the planning came together, so its something that Im very happy that it came to fruition.

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The move is part of Uniqlos quest to have 200 stores in North America by 2027. It plans to open more than 20 new stores across North America in 2024; it opened 11 last year, according to the company. The Houston-area stores are expected to open this fall, Shindo said.

The pandemic forced Uniqlo to abandon earlier plans to open at the Galleria, Shindo said.

Uniqlo said it hopes to bring to Houston a service allowing customers to choose a design and print T-shirts. Shindo also said he would like to collaborate with local Houston artists to create products specifically for the Houston market.

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Staff of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) are threatening a showdown with the Managing Director of the agency, Mr. Dennis Oloriegbe, over the assault of one of them by the lawmaker representing Orhionmwon South constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Roland Asoro.

The angst of the staff is that their boss stood helpless as the lawmaker beat up their staff identified as Osaretin Osazuwa and still drove the apprehended vehicle away without any fine.

Also, members of the Edo State Civil Society Organisation (EDOSCO) have demanded arrest and prosecution of the lawmaker and his wife for beating EDSTMA staff after violating traffic rules.

A viral video showed the lawmakers wife being apprehended by traffic officers but she refused to step out of the car and caused heavy vehicular traffic

She apparently made a call to her husband and gave the phone to the traffic officers at the scene but they refused to answer the call.

After an argument, she zoomed off with the traffic officer, Osaretin Osazuwa.

A source at EDSTMA office said they were stunned when Hon Asoro stormed their office and demanded to see the officer that apprehended his wife for violating traffic rules.

The source said Osazuwa stepped out and in the presence of their boss, the lawmaker slapped him twice and kicked him in his groin.

He said the action of their boss saying he does not want to annoy anybody in power made all of them angry.

We would have descended on Asoro and dealt with him and his wife. What he did was beastly. This is not the first time his wife will be violating traffic rules. We used to leave her but on that day our boys said it was enough of her.

He gave the guy two slaps and kicked him. He came with a policeman and two other guys. He beat the boy in the presence of our MD and tore his uniform. His wife used her teach to bite the boy on his hand and face.

Another staff said they have resolved to protest against the MD for not protecting one of them.

Spokesman for EDOSCO, Osaze Edigin, said wife of Hon Asoro was not a government official to be driving a vehicle with a government official number plate affixed to it.

Edigin said the body has a 48-House ultimatum to the MD of EDSTMA, to publicly show to Edo people receipt of payment in government coffers by the offender or they would begin resistance of further apprehension of Edo people who violates traffic rules by officials of EDSTMA.

He said, Nobody is above the law, more so, this is coming from the wife of a lawmaker.

We want to sound it loud and clear to the MD of EDSTMA that, if he fails to fine and prosecute the duo that broke the traffic law and assauted the agencys official, he should resign from that position as Edo Civil Society Organisations will be approaching the court to compel the agency to enforce the enabling law.

Citizens are being taken to EDSTMA offices helplessly and made to pay fines when they flout traffic laws and regulations, we see no reason the wife of a lawmaker whose husband made same law should be allowed to disobey the law and being aided by her husband with impunity.

As at press time, Hon Asoro and Oloriegbe could not be reached for comments.
By Izunna Okafor, Awka

Uncommon shouts of joy rent the air at the St. Francis Catholic Church Parish, Umuezeagu, Nnewi, in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra over the week, as the congregation trooped out en masse to receive and embrace a brand new fully-furnished ultra modern church building singlehandedly built for them by a concerned parishioner and patriotic son of the soil, Chief Arch. Onyedika Anosike.

Balmed with milk-coloured paint with creative design that further dignifies its pulchritude, the church, which has a well-balanced magnificent tower that gazes up to the heavens above, is also equiped with ultra modern facilities that make it stand out as the church of the moment in the entire Catholic Diocese of Nnewi and its environs. It also has a professionally designed marble altar, as well as a semi-circular gallery that serves both the general and specific needs of the users in case of population explosion.

Standing on the left and right sides of the church building are two brand new ultra modern grottos individually built by two other members of the Parish, Mr. Hyacinth Anaeto; and Mr. Uzo Okoye  (the Founder of the Seitac Initiative) who built his in memory of his mother, Late Mrs. Augustina Morah  and both of whom were also prayed for at the event, alongside the brand new grottos.

Presided over by His Excellency, Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi; the glorious and historic dedication ceremony of the new gigantic church building, also pulled countless number personalities from different walks of life who came to felicitate with the parishioners, including the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial Zone, Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah (represented by Dr. Ndubuisi George); the Member representing Nnewi North Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Augustine Ikedoji; among others.

In his homily at the occasion, Bishop Okoye, whose joy knew no bounds, described such gesture of the church builder (Chief Anosike) as uncommon and the type of challenge that provokes Gods uncommon blessings. While noting that God deserves the best of anything that is offered to him, the Bishop extolled the beauty and significance of the new church, while also commending the benefactor for personally undertaking the project and serving God with his resources, even as a youth.

He further called on parents to always bring up their children in the way of the Lord and to start early to teach them about giving, both to God and to humanity.

According to him, it takes only the grace of God and a person who understands the secret of giving to do such a thing the benefactor did, even as he further assured that both him and his generations to come would continue to reap the blessings that comes from the act, as such gestures come with endless and generational blessings.

Speaking at the event, the sole benefactor, Architect Anosike went memory lane to narrate how he was invited to by the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Agina, for discussion on designing a church building plan for the them, given the deplorable condition of the old church building.

According to him, it was in the process of that discussion that he began to enquire the Parish Priest about the source of income to be used for the proposed building, which he was meant to understand that it (the money) was not available anywhere, as the parishioners were only trying to undertake a step and journey of faith since the old church building was no longer befitting in appearance to be called the House of God.

He said, upon hearing that, he himself began to have a personal recount of the numerous ways God had shown him mercy in past, recalling how became the only person that came out alive when a fully-loaded bus he was traveling with somersaulted and fell into a ditch few years back, resulting to the death of all the passengers and the driver in the vehicle, except him.

With tears in his eyes, Architect Anosike also recounted how he died sometime in 2005 and was deposited to a mortuary for embalmment, only to miraculously resurrect many hours later inside the mortuary where he was being prepared for embalmment, with a corpse number tag on his leg.

While noting that he didnt believe in God before, he also recounted how he miraculously graduated from a university abroad after he was already pegged and prepared for deportation for having stayed beyond the expected number of years he was supposed to stay for his studies. This, he said, would have made all his stay in the country and his studies years over there a waste and make him to start afresh to reapply from the scratch, as is usually the case with any student deported for not graduating in the highest expected number of years.

Although, I didnt know or believe in God then; but in the midst of that challenge, I ran to Him in tears, requesting for his intervention in my case. It was that time that I also made a promise to Him that if he solved that problem for me, that I would serve him with everything I have, including my education, my resources, my talent and everything, throughout the days of my life.

And my brothers and sisters, God miraculously did that for me. Before you know it, the concerned Dean was removed and another one was brought, who came in with another different policy, mindset and approach to the issue. And before you know it, the entire school Senate had a sitting just on my issue. Imagine a whole University Senate having a sitting just on my case and just for my sake. And before you know it, they took a very positive and favourable decision on the case; and my brothers and sisters, that year, to the glory of God and in his infinite mercies, I graduated, and nothing like deportation anymore, he recounted.

Architect Anosike said recalling all these and that promise he made to God moved him to tell the Parish Priest that he will singlehandedly build the church from start to finish, and even in a more gigantic and standard ultra modern pattern than the one earlier being proposed.

He added that he had only a total of N300,000 in all his bank accounts as at the time he made the pledge to build the church, believing that God who put the zeal and motivation in his heart would also provide the resources to fulfill the promise; and which, he said, miraculously happened, as he began to get unimaginable number of contracts from different east, west, north and south, immediately after he made the pledge and embarked on the project. He further commended the parishioners for their prayers, which, he said, contributed in very significant measure, to the successful and timely completion and delivery of the project.

The 46-year-old philanthropist said he shares his money into three every year, use two for philanthropy and charity and keep one part for himself. He also pledged to build healthcare center, old peoples home, a mill, and other facilities, which he will all donate to the community to manage and make money and drive better welfare from them; even as he also promised to declare free education for the youths of the community.

My investment is to make life easy and meaningful for people, he said.

Contributing, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Agina, who attested to the miraculous process of and the circumstances surrounding the construction of the church building, joined voice to appreciate the benefactor for his dedication to the progress of the church, as he has manifested over the years.

In their separate remarks, the Chairman of the Occasion, Chief Chukwunonso Calistus Okafor; and the Dedication Committee Chairman, Mr. Columbus Ezenta, further commended the benefactor for his kind gesture, praying for greater blessings for him. They also urged other youths to emulate his giving heart, as there is gain in giving.

Others, who spoke at the event include the sponsors of the construction of the two grottos, Chief Okoye and Chief Anaeto; Anambra Youth Commander, Mr. Gabriel Chukwunwendu, among others, who all advised the youths to desist from idolatry and fetish lifestyles which is currently destroying many youths these days, and to embrace God and use their resources, initiatives and God-given talents to serve God.

Official dedication of the new building and other facilities by the Bishop, as well as special performances from the parishioners and other attendees formed the highpoint of the event.

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By Chuks Eke

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday presented a cheque of N10million as a token of his personal donation to the College of Nursing Sciences, St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital, Onitsha, Anambra State.

The College is owned by Onitsha Catholic Archdiocese with its Proprietor as Archbishop Valerian Maduka Okeke, the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province.

Obi, during the cheque presentation at the schools premises, said the gesture was his annual way of supporting and impacting towards strengthening the critical sectors, especially, health, education, environment, etc.

The former Anambra State governor noted that the donation was meant for 2023, but he could not visit the school in 2023 to present the cheque because of electoral activities and other issues that did not allow him do so.

While presenting the Fidelity Bank cheque to the College management, Obi explained that it was part of his own way of giving back to the society, what God has giving to him, adding that Nurses play critical role in moulding a healthy and virile nation.

He said, When people say things that you did and what you did not do while in office, it is because there were people there. I remembered that as a primary school boy, I was thought that the first nurse produced in Nigeria was by the Iyi-Enu School of Nursing here in Anambra.

We need to start contributing our quota to the development of critical institutions like this. I am sure that in time to come, this school will move to greater heights. The Nurses are very critical as they are the ones who direct the doctor on what to do. The Nurse owns the patient, their job is critical and it is needed globally. Nursing is one profession that the world needs.

Ours is to continue to support. I will continue to offer my annual yearly support. Last year, I did not come because of activities that took my time. All we are doing today is giving back what God has giving to us, it is not by our own power. I came to support the college, the students, the health workers and the management team and we will continue to pray for your success.

Speaking to journalists after the presentation of the cheque, Obi said it is important for relevant authorities at all levels to start prioritising the key sectors of human development like the health, education and pulling people out of poverty.

It is for us to prioritise in clear terms, the key developmental sectors which are health, education and pulling people out of poverty. If we prioritise these and put our resources towards it, it will be very critical. When you talk about health, you talk about primary health care and the health workers.

We need to support the health workers to train them to be able to have enough manpower to handle that sector and that is what I have come here to do, to support them in the way I can. Public service is a continuous process, even when you have left, we must continue to support because we are not doing them a favour, by doing this, we are helping ourselves by impacting on the healthcare professionals because we dont know who is going to be sick. That is why I do this very often.

If we train our health workers by supporting college of nursing, there wont be any need for people to go abroad for medical treatment. Medical tourism with public resources is what we must stop.

Nurses travelling abroad after training here is not a problem. That is why we need to train enough, if we train enough of them, we will export enough and keep some here, because we also need them to be exported to be part of foreign remittances which we need now.

I go to hospitals and say, start a school of nursing and we support them with funding. That is what government should be doing, because the nurses are critical to the nation development. They help in maintaining a healthy and virile nation, Obi added.

While receiving the cheque on behalf of the college management, the Proprietor, College of Nursing Sciences, St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, commended Obi for his continuous support of the college.

Okeke said, Mine is to thank God and thank our former governor. He has continued to support the college even when he left office. We also thanked others for their goodwill and continuous support and the trust repose on the college. This place was first a school, but was upgraded to a college by the Federal Government trusting that the students who would come will justify it.

We are here today, because of Peter Obi. This place is a college because of the students and we urge them to keep the flag flying, they should maintain and surpass the record of their predecessors and justify the confidence repose on them.

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By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye, has expressed heartfelt appreciation to the government of Anambra State and, specifically, the Awka South Local Government for the historic honour done to him by naming a street after him in the State.

It would be recalled that the Awka South Local Government, over the week, approved and declared the naming of a street after CP Adeoye, known as the CP Adeoye Close at the choicest area in Amawbia Town, which is the Local Governments seat of power and community that plays host to many other federal/state government structures and institutions, including the Governors Lodge, the States Police Command Headquarters, among others key institutions.

The honour to the CP, which is the first of its kind in the history of the State and the States Police Command, has not come without accolades from the residents of the State, who described same as well-deserved and befitting, given the numerous feats recorded by the States Police Command under CP Adeoye who is barely 9 months in office as the States Police Chief, having assumed office on July 10, 2023.

When contacted by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, for his reaction on the development, CP Adeoye, who commended the government, said he felt highly elated and motivated by the honour, which he also attributed to the tireless efforts of the gallant security officers in the State under his watch, in securing lives and properties of Ndi Anambra.

Sincerely, I am highly motivated that the government recognizes and finds our modest efforts worthy of appreciation. And I am thankful to Mr. Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, for his magnanimity and large heart, and also to the Chairman of the Awka South Local Government Area (Hon. ThankGod Anagor) for this kind gesture.

Indeed, I really appreciate this; and it will remain indelible in my memory as long as I live, he said

Fielding questions from this reporter on the recent security happenings in the State, the Police Commissioner recounted some of the recent achievements of the Command, especially in areas of rescues of kidnap victims, raiding of insurgents/gunmen camps and their dislodgement, arrest of criminal elements, and recoveries of snatched vehicles, arms and ammunitions and other incriminating items from the hoodlums.

The CP, however, regretted that amidst this progress that has restored normalcy in the State, some influential persons and enemies of progress are working tirelessly to sabotage the efforts of the security operatives in securing the State, which, he said, resulted to the few security breaches the occured in the State in recent time, which are the attacks on police stations and the cult-related killings that recently surged in Awka.

When those things that have happened over a period of time begin to happen again, the question people should ask is Why?

Could you imagine that the cultists we arrested, charged to court, and got remanded in prison custody that some powerful locals are going to the judiciary to lobby to get them released? And some have been released. And they are the ones unleashing this mayhem again! That is number one.

Two, you must have heard of the AK-47 we recently recovered from a suspect in Awada. What the suspect told us was that they procured it for him to engage in a showdown with a rival cult group. Now, if that AK-47 was not recovered or had joined the recent cult-related clash, could you imagine what the casualty level would have been? he wondered.

The Police Commissioner also revealed that three Beretta pistols were also recently recovered from cultists in Ogidi and Ekwulobia within a space of few hours, which, he said, would have also aggravated the cult-related clash if the police had not recovered them.

On the recent gunmen attack on Police Station in the State, the CP said the security operatives went after the hoodlums immediately and have continued to take the battle to them in their camps, which has resulted to the raiding and destruction of many of the insurgents hideouts in different parts of the State, including inside forests at Achalla, Ogbunka Aguluezechukwu, and Ogboji communities.

While noting that just one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) can be used to burn down an entire police station, CP Adeoye said the States Joint Security Force recovered six IEDs at the Ogbunka insurgents camp alone few days ago, also stressing that attacks on police stations in the state would have aggravated, if not for their efforts in battling, defeating and incapacitating the hoodlums. He also revealed that three of the insurgents were killed during the Ogbunka raid, the bodies of whom were later discovered in the same forest few hours after they escaped with bullet wounds during the exchange of gunfire with the police.

We are not relenting at all and we will never. We are sustaining the battle and the manhunt, and we taking the battle to them. They are on the run, he said.

He also wondered what people aim to achieve by sabotaging security efforts and sponsoring crimes in society, but, however, reassured that the police would not relent in battling and taking the fight to the criminal elements in the State.

We are already going after the cultists; and if we find that anybody is subverting justice, or is subverting due process, to get the cultists off the hook, they will face the music, notwithstanding whether the person is in the judiciary or civil populace, he said.

The Police Commissioner, who also graced the April Congress of the Dr. Odogwu Emeka-led Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ (Anambra State Council) in Awka on Thursday, also recounted other various proactive policing strategies and initiatives newly introduced to further strengthen the security of the State.

Represented at the Congress by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Akin Fakorede; the CP further reassured Ndi Anambra of the Commands commitment to sustained security of lives and properties in the State, while also assuring of sustained synergy and good-working relationship between the Command and the media towards building the safest Anambra State.

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By Chuks Eke

A High Court sitting at Mgbidi in Oru Judiicial Division of Imo state, prrsided over by His Lordship, Justice Onyedikachi has dismissed a N500 million land suit instituted by an indigenes of Awo-Omamma, Chijioke. Nwadika against the Nigerian Breweries Plc..

The claiimant, Chijioke Nwadika, through his counsel, Uneze Esq. had dragged the Nigerian Breweries Plc to the court asking it to declare that the entire Oma Ogbejelem farm land situate at Awo-Omamma, Imo state where Nigeriian Breweries constructed its drainage for waste disposal at its Awo-Omamma Breweries Plant belong to him and his family.

The claimant also prayed the court to order Nigerian Breweries Plc to remove the drainage system from the land and pay the sum of N500 million as damages for unpaid royalty, and destruction of the familys economic trees as a result of the disposal of wastes through the drainage system that runs through the claimants farm land as claimed.

The claimant therefore urged the court through his submission to grant him the reliefs.

But in his own submission, counsel to the defendant, Nigerian Breweries Plc. Orunkoya Esq. vehemently challenged the claims of the claimant and urged the court to dismiss the suit on grounds that the claimant failed to prove with emperical evidence the ownership of the land where the Nigerian Breweries is situate or any part of it where the drainage system of the Nigerian Breweries passed.

Orunkoya contended that the claim of Mr. Chijioje Nwadika is predicated on title, hence the onus lies on him to prove ownership of the land before he can be entitled to any other relief or claim to the damages connected to the land.

Orunkoya further informed the court that besides Nwadikas claim was statute barred as the entire suit was centered on a contract he purported his father had with Nigerian Breweries in 1983, whereas this action was instituted in 2019 in fragrant breach of limitation of Action Laws that requires actions founded on breach of contract to be instituted within six years.

In his judgement shortly after considering the arguments of Damian Uneze Esq. for Nwadika, the claimant and Dr. A.A. Orunkoya Esq. for Nigerian Breweries, the defendant, Justice Onyedikachi dismissed the suit in favour of the Nigerian Breweries Plc on the ground that the claimant does not have the right of possession of the land.

Describing the court decision as an erudite judgement, Orunkoya told newsmen within the court premises that the judgement has further rekindled the hope of investors and corporate organizations to invest in rural communities.

Orunkoya further stated that private companies are usually sued by unscrupulous persons in their host communities thereby discouraging investors.

He noted that the likes of Nwadikas suit was capable of frustrating the continuous existence of the Nigerian Breweries Plc in Awo-Omamma but because the claims lack merit, the court appreciated the issues of law that were canvassed as a defence and entered judgement in favour of Nigerian Breweries by dismissing this suit.

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In a swift and successful operation by the Troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army have demolished a kidnappers den, rescued a victim, and apprehended three suspected kidnappers in Taraba State.

In a statement by the Nigerian Army The operation, took place at Kofa Adamu village of Takum Local Government Area, resulted in the safe release of a victim held captive by the criminals.

It added that Acting on credible intelligence regarding the activities and hideout of suspected kidnappers who abducted Mr. Hussein Adamu on March 26, 2024, in Kofa Adamu village and demanded a ransom of 2 million Naira, troops from the 93 Battalion/Sub-Sect 3A OPWS swiftly moved in and cordoned off the area and eventually rescued the victim.

Furthermore, three suspected kidnappers involved in the abduction were arrested during the operation.

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President Bola Tinubu has called on ECOWAS member states to unite, strengthen bonds, and resist divisive forces aiming to sow discord within the community.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on Thursday, in Abuja, Tinubu, in his capacity as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, emphasized the significance of regional solidarity in bolstering the resilience and effectiveness of the bloc.

He said in part, We stand united against such forces and are committed to ensuring that our unity remains unshaken. We must ensure that cooperation amongst us is strengthened, with a view to building a sense of common destiny and purpose. No one can do this for us. We must come together.

To this extent, reinforcing the legitimacy of the decisions taken by the Authority of Heads of State is key in sending a message that ECOWAS is one indivisible body.

It is also very important that the executives, on the other hand, show similar confidence in the parliament, which would indeed deepen democracy in our region.

Meanwhile, in the midst of ongoing challenges, our partnership can be a driving force for stability, growth, and prosperity in our region.
Formula One four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has called for more transparency at Red Bull over Christian Horner scandal.

Though the Red Bulls team principial, Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour towards a female employee in February after an internal probe but the saga rages on.

Horner, married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has always denied any wrongdoing. Halliwell was however reported in March to be considering a divorce.

The woman who accused Horner of inappropriate behaviour has meanwhile, appealed the outcome of Red Bulls internal probe.

She is said to be very upset, angry, scared, intimidated and lonely. And its thought that details of the Horner scandal could go public if her appeal fails.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Formula 1 set to lose one of its iconic drivers

Former Red Bull driver Vettel now calls for transparency. This comes as the scandal has continued to overshadow the 2024 F1 season ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Obviously theres been a lot of talk since the beginning of the year, the German told Sky News.

I think with these things, its always difficult to know everything and it would be nice if there was simply more transparency so that you really could have more of an opinion.

Vettel continued: I think that its always difficult if you read one thing, then another thing and then the opposite. I think now things are going round in circles.

The shame is that obviously Max [Verstappen] is doing a great job. The team  [including] a lot of individuals I remember from my time there, are doing a great job in the background and thats sort of forgotten when the subject hovers around something else.

Vettel, who also previously raced for Ferrari and Aston Martin before retiring in 2022, was quizzed about the treatment of women in the sport and added: F1 is changing, but its an old fashioned business in many ways.

So first of all, there werent many [women working in F1 during his time] but, you know, the numbers were going up.

So when I started and when I left, there were a lot more women in the paddock and a lot more women not just following the sport, but also working in the sport.
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has launched two judicial commissions of inquiry to investigate cases of misappropriation of public property, political violence, and missing persons between 2015 and 2023, during the tenure of his predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

During the inauguration of the panels on Thursday, Yusuf urged its members to ensure that anyone found culpable faces the consequences of their actions.

The governor emphasized that investigating the misappropriation of public assets was part of his promise to uncover and prosecute those responsible for political violence in the state.

Political violence is a major setback to democracy worldwide. It leads to loss of lives and property as well as mistrust on the part of the people and those in power.

The disturbing cases of political killings especially in 2023 must not be swept under the carpet, this is to ensure we prevent future occurrences.

The first commission under Justice Zuwaira Yusuf will look into cases of political violence and missing persons from 2015-2023.

We expect them to unravel the criminal network involved and unmask the sponsors to face justice, find its causes and find out where violence is associated with 2015, 2019, and 2013.

Inaugurating the second commission of inquiry under Justice Faruk Lawan, the governor tasked the commission with investigating cases of misappropriation of public property and assets.

He urged Justice Lawan and his team not to relent in identifying instances of misappropriation of public property and assets, especially by the previous administration within and outside the state.

However, he clarified that the initiative is neither political nor targeted at any individual but is driven by the mandate of the people of the state.

Yusuf urged commission members to uphold their integrity and remain true to their oath and the people of Kano, ensuring justice for the state.

Alhassan Doguwa, a senior member of the House of Representatives, was arrested during the last general election over alleged arson and murder. He was later granted bail.
By Umar Adam, Sokoto

The Kebbi state branch, of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), distributed bags of rice and cash to no fewer than 18 families of deceased journalists in Kebbi state.

Presenting the donation, the representative of Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary, stated that, the donation seeks to show the families of the late veterans that the state councils is still with them even in their absence, he prayed for the repose of their souls saying their services didnt go in vain and unnoticed.

He added that, the governor upon return from lesser hajj will announce his donation to the families.

The State Chairman of NUJ, Garba Sani Yeldu tasked journalists in the state to contribute to the growth of the council by paying necessary dues and rise up to the challenge of social media which is on the verge of swallowing professional journalists in the state and country.

He explained that, those unable to send representatives theirs would be delivered to their doorstep by the officials of NUJ.

The distribution held at Kebbi State Television in Birnin Kebbi and was attended by the NUJ Financial Secretary, Malam Junaid Sani from Equity FM and a host of NUJ excos in the state.

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Fort Bend County court building Google Earth Sugar Land father Vijay Cheruvu who said his 11-year-old son was branded with hot metal during a religious initiation ritual is now suing the Hindu temple and its parent company. Andrew M. Williams & Associates

A Sugar Land father who said his 11-year-old son was branded with hot metal during a religious ritual is now suing a Hindu temple and its parent organization.

Vijay Cheruvu alleges the child was burned as part of a ceremony at the Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, according to the lawsuit filed April 1. The incident allegedly occurred Aug. 5.

Cheruvu, who has joint custody of his son, said he discovered infected burns on both of the boys shoulders a week after hed visited the temple.

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(That day) my son came back to me and said we had a ceremony, I got stickers Cheruvu said.

Around a week later, the boy said his shoulders hurt, and Cheruvu said he discovered burn marks. By then the injuries were infected, the lawsuit alleges.

He was almost crying, but hes at that age when he doesnt want us to know hed been crying, Cheruvu said.

According to Harris County court records, the child told police his mother had taken him to the temple for a dedication ceremony for a new statue.

He told police they were there to listen to a speech by a religious leader.

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At one point, the child said, men and women were divided into two lines. He said he did not know what was happening at the front of the line until he got there, when the leader picked up a metal brand that had been in charcoal, placed it onto a leaf before applying it to one shoulder, then repeating the process for the other shoulder, according to court records.

The lawsuit claims employees of the temple were negligent and should have stopped the boy from participating. Medical care was also not provided, the suit states.

A spokesperson at the temple did not immediately comment, but said they are preparing a response.

It is illegal under the Texas Health and Safety Code to even tattoo a child, Cheruvus attorney, Andrew Williams, said in a phone interview.

Its not a decision that any adult should be making for a child, to be burned, Williams said. These were third-degree burns.

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Cheruvu, who himself is a Hindu, said he had never heard of such a ritual.

He said the child is undergoing therapy and expressed deep anger and depression about his injuries.

When Cheruvu booked an appointment with the childs pediatrician, the doctor insisted that the injuries be reported to police, he said.

Charges of injury to a child were brought against the childs mother. A grand jury declined to indict her in January, Harris County court records show.

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My client never had any idea that her child would be harmed in any way, said Ed McClees, the attorney for the childs mother.
The Honourable Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Abdullahi Tijjani Muhammad Gwarzo has said that Nigeria remains committed to fulfilling her obligations to United Nations Habitat as contained in the extant MoU and contribution agreement.

The Minister made the remarks when he received the Portfolio Manager for West Africa in UN-Habitat Mr. Mathias Spaliviero, who paid him a courtesy visit to the ministry on Thursday.

The Minister, who expressed delight for the notable milestone achievements in the Human Settlement sector in Nigeria since establishment of the UN-Habitat Programme Support Office (UNHAPSO) in 2023 explained that Nigeria found a veritable ally in countrys quest to provide adequate and affordable housing in both urban and rural areas.

He reiterated the commitment of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in securing, healthy, and decent environments for all Nigerians as one of the cardinal focuses of the administration.

Minister Gwarzo, therefore, seeks more collaboration between the ministry and UN-Habitat as critical partners realising the vision of President Bola Ahmad Tinubus Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development in Nigeria.

He assured the portfolio manager that the ministry is making concerted effort towards ensuring that the arrears of 2022 and 2023 contributions amounting to USD500,000 is paid as soon as possible.

Earlier, the team leader and Portfolio Manager for West in UN-Habitat, Mr. Mathias Spaliviero has told the minister that they were at the ministry to strengthen the relationship between the ministry and UN-Habitat.

Mr. Spaliviero informed the minister that UN-Habitat has a long tradition of collaboration with Nigeria, saying it was involved in water and sanitation programmes in different parts of the country.

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FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has appealed to religious leaders to pray for the growth of the nation.

Wike said this in Abuja on Thursday, April 4, when he received the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr Oliver Ali Aba, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

Wike said: We will continue to ask religious leaders to continue to pray for the salvation and growth of Nigeria. Prayer is key. We can do what we think but without God, there is nothing we can achieve.

He stated that the countrys leaders require the help of God to succeed and called on the religious leaders to also pray for the government of President Tinubu to actualise his vision and dream of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the country.

He added: I urge you not to relent. Continue to pray for this administration. Satan is always at work, in the daytime, at night, and even at odd hours. But we do know that with your prayers, we will defeat him.

The FCT Minister also pledged the support of the FCT Administration for religious organisations in the country and assured that the request for land allocation by the Methodist Church for the construction of a media outfit and liaison office would be granted.


Mr John Otobo, the manager of Union Bank, Igueben branch in Edo State, has been reportedly killed by kidnappers after they allegedly collected N8m ransom.

Details of the incident are still sketchy at the time of filing this report but it was gathered that his body was found in the bush after ransom payment.

According to one, the deceased was kidnapped a few days ago between Ugbegun and Uromi, while on his way home from work.

A member of the community, Odion Humphrey, confirmed the sad news in a Facebook post on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.



The entire Udo community say goodbye to you, Mr. John Otobo, the Branch Manager Union Bank Igueben. You will forever remain in our heart. As for your killer, may they never know peace all the days of their lives. May Almighty God grant u eternal rest, and may ur soul and the souls of every other faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace, Amen, he wrote.




Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has cautioned against alteration of list of representatives from Rivers State for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee in Abuja.

The governor was said to have warned that conceding to the peace agreement on the rift in the state should not be taken as weakness.

The governor was, thus, cited to have stated: I am doing it because of the respect I have for Mr President. But, let me say here, if that action that I have accepted to take would be seen as a weakness, I will surprise them. I want this message to go to them.

I am doing it because of the respect I have for Mr President. But, let me say here, if that action that I have accepted to take would be seen as a weakness, I will surprise them. I want this message to go to them.  Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara pic.twitter.com/AoPmXfP5BQ  Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) April 3, 2024

The governor, accordingly raised alarm over plot to alter the Rivers State list for the PDP Caretaker Committee.
President Bola Tinubu recently signed the 2024 newly revised Student Loan Bill into law, thus repealing the earlier 2023 Student Loan legislation with immediate effect.

The new Student Loan Act also known as Access to Higher Education Act, 2024, aimed to address some of the loopholes of the previous Student Loan law while introducing new and comprehensive coverage for those seeking tertiary education or technical and vocational skills development.

Below are ten things to know about the 2024 Student Loan Act

READ ALSO: All you need to know about Tinubus new Student Loan Bill

1) Establishment of NELFUND: First and foremost, the Act stipulates the establishment of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a corporate body that can sue and be sued in its name and has the power to acquire, hold, and dispose of movable and immovable property for the purpose of its functions.

2) NELFUND to provide loans to qualified Nigerians for tuition, fees, charges, and upkeep: The fund is designed to offer loans to eligible Nigerians, covering tuition, fees, charges, and living expenses for their education in recognized higher education and vocational training institutions within Nigeria.

3) Set Up Structure for Funding NELFUND: The Act also stipulates the process and structure through which NELFUND will be funded. According to the 2024 Student Loan Act, the student loan program will be financed by allocating 1% of all taxes, levies, and duties that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) collects and that go to the Federal Government, directing these funds to a General Reserve Fund.

4) Removal of Family Income Barrier: Prior to the enactment of the 2024 Student Loan Act, the family income of an applicant was a determining factor for loan approval. The applicants family income must not exceed N500,000 per annum. Under the revised law, however, this requirement has been removed, and family income will no longer be a prerequisite for eligibility for the student loan.

5) Removal of Guarantor Barrier: The 2023 Student Loan Act stipulated that an applicant must provide a minimum of two guarantors. The guarantors must fall into one of the following categories: (i) Civil servants of at least level 12 in the service, (ii) Lawyers with a minimum of 10 years of post-call experience, (iii) Judicial officers, or (iv) Justices of the peace. The 2024 legislation has no such requirement.

READ ALSO: Tinubu announces date for commencement of student loans programme

6) Loan to include Skill-development Programs: According to the 2024 Student Loan Act, application is not restricted to students in tertiary institutions alone, but also those seeking skill-development programs. The 2024 Act is inclusive to those who want to learn vocational or technical skill in a government-owned institution, but do not have the resources to do so.

7) Removal of Parents Loan History as a Prerequisite: The Act also stipulates the removal of parents loan history as a prerequisite for securing the loan for eligible candidates.

8) Beneficiaries to begin repayment 2 years after NYSC: The revised law also stipulates that the recovery process from beneficiaries of the loan scheme would commence two years after the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC).

9) Punishment for filing false Statement to NELFUND: The newly revised Student Loan Act also stipulates punishment for those who provide false Statements to the Fund. Such a person under this section is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.

10) Debt Forgiveness: Lastly, the Act offers a Debt Forgiveness clause in the event of death or acts of God causing inability to repay. In sum, the presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that the updated Act addressed the hindrances in the initial version, setting the stage for safeguarding Nigerias prospects. According to him, it makes it possible for citizens to fund their studies, learn vital skills, and play a role in national growth.
President Bola Tinubu, at Ramadan dinner at the State House, Abuja, with the Organized Private Sector, reaffirmed that he has no reason to under perform as an elected President of Nigeria, noting that he campaigned for it.

According to the President, @NGRPresident l have no reason to under perform as the elected President of the country because I campaigned for the job.

I cannot complain about the job. I appreciate the gesture, and what you have told me this evening is very inspiring.

The President at the Iftar stated that Nigerias economy is at a turning point and will require the steadfast support of the private sector for sustained growth and prosperity.

President Tinubu expressed gratitude to members of the Nigerian business community, for their support and pledged to engage with them more frequently.

The President declared: I would have summoned you before now, not during Ramadan, because you are a very valuable part of my constituency.

There is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the private sector. If the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth, no prosperity, no employment or development. No matter how flowery the speeches are, not even a mushroom will grow.

Thank you for persevering. We are at a turning point in our economy. I do not have to do a quadratic equation to illustrate all of that to you. I just want to appreciate you for your endurance and perseverance.

Sharing insights from his visit to the New York Stock Exchange in 2023, President Tinubu noted Nigerias self-belief and determination to drive economic transformation from within.

President Tinubu highlighted: At the New York Stock Exchange, I appealed to foreign investors to consider Nigeria as a prime investment destination.

At the end of my remarks, I told them we only want them to show their face and diversify Nigerias economy not as if we cannot do it ourselves.

Tony Elumelu walked up to me and thanked me for making that statement. We can do it.

Nigeria is a self-believer and can always deliver on its own. We know our first name and our last name. Our first name is Spirit, and our last name is: Can do.

President Tinubu, reiterating his commitment to fulfilling his mandate, reemphasized that he cannot afford to under perform, given the trust placed in him by the electorate.

Cut the costs. Fix the bends. Summon courage. Save the money, but push the economy. We will be there.

There are some countries that have failed. There are some countries that have succeeded. In our time, in my time, all of us must work together to succeed, he stated.

In separate remarks at the Ramadan dinner, industrialists, bank executives, and entrepreneurs pledged their support towards the success of the administrations economic programmes.

Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, assured the President that the Organized Private Sector (OPS) in the country is solidly behind him.

According to Elumelu, Your transformation journey to turn around the economy and businesses are very appropriate for the country.

We appreciate what you are doing. We know the journey will not be smooth, but given the will, we will get to the Promised Land.

We admire your decisiveness, and we appreciate what you are doing. You are extremely passionate about taking Nigeria to the Promised Land.

On behalf of the OPS, we want to assure you that we are 100 per cent with you.

We have engaged with your ministers and associates; we share ideas, and we support them. We know that under your leadership, you have the ability to heal Nigeria permanently.

Allen Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, Air Peace, charged business owners and manufacturers to work towards bringing down the cost of products and services.

Citing the example of Air Peace in reducing the cost of air tickets to London, Onyema thanked President Tinubu for approving the ease of doing business in the country.

Onyema declared: President Tinubu is thinking of the Nigeria of the future. The ease of doing business is coming back gradually. I can attest to that in the aviation sector because of the people you appointed to head that sector.

I can also attest to what our High Commission in the United Kingdom did in making Air Peace flights into Gatwick Airport as possibility.
Dr. Faruk Abubakar, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), has advised nurses to refrain from engaging in religious controversies while at work in order to prevent complications.

Some Nigerian nurses practicing abroad were recently queried for encouraging patients to pray during their treatments in some hospital.

Speaking with newsmen at the 5th and 6th induction and oath taking ceremony 108 registered nurses of Osun State University in Osogbo, he said the ethics of the profession does not recognize religion as a basis for practice.

Represented by the Councils Project Manager, Mr Olaniyi Filade, he encouraged the new inductees to be patriotic and contribute to the development of the health sector in the country rather running abroad for greener pasture.



Well, religion is a personal expression and it has nothing to do with the profession but one thing that is clear is that as a professional, one of the ethics the profession made clear, is that you are to take care of your patients irrespective of their ethnic background, their belief and their faith, whatever theyre disposed to shouldnt be the basis for caring for them. Doing that could lead one to trouble.

A nurses duty is to make sure that irrespective of their patients status even gender, you care for them as is expected of you as a professional, that is what is expected of every nurse and that is what their training and even ethics of the profession stated.

In addition, I urged these sets of inductees to remain resilient in supporting the growth of the health sector in the country. They should ensure that Nigerians enjoyed their services as the country needs them more than other developed nations, he said.

Similarly, the Vice Chancellor, Osun State University, Professor Clement Adebooye urged the inductees to overlook the temptation of seeking opportunities abroad in favour of serving the country, saying all its 108 nursing students made a 100% success rate at council examination.

To our esteemed inductees, I urge you to pause and reflect on your aspirations. While it may be tempting to seek opportunities abroad, I implore you to consider the profound impact you can make right here at home. Nigeria needs more nurses and medical professionals, and our University is committed to filling this crucial gap. It will require a personal commitment to national service and a steadfast belief in the potential of our nation for us to collectively transform this country. I therefore encourage you to have faith in Nigeria and prioritize the opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of fellow citizens. By staying and serving local and urban communities, you have the power to make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need, he added
An earlier statement issued in the wake of the fire, which started a few minutes after 1am, described the incident as an alleged assassination attempt with Abure being the prime target.

Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, and his brother have been discharged from the private health facility where they received treatment after the fire that engulfed his residence in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to The PUNCH, this was disclosed by the National Youth Leader of the party, Kennedy Ahanotu.

Yes, the national chairman has been discharged and asked to come back tomorrow for further check-up. He is hale and hearty and looked far better than when he was rushed to the hospital yesterday, Ahanotu told our correspondent on the phone.

A fire was said to have been recorded in Abures Abuja home on Wednesday.

An earlier statement issued in the wake of the fire, which started a few minutes after 1am, described the incident as an alleged assassination attempt with Abure being the prime target.

Members of the National Working Committee of LP who spoke to our reporter agreed that though his orderlies have done the needful, it is believed that Abure may have to report the incident himself to the police once he is discharged.

Before Abure was discharged from the hospital, Ahanotu told our reporter on Thursday morning that the chairman and his brother were in stable condition.
The Edo State Police Command has emphasized the prohibition on officers searching citizens phones during routine patrols and other operations, denouncing the practice as unprofessional conduct.

The commands Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor disclosed this in a statement posted on the commands Facebook page on Friday.

In the statement, the states Commissioner of Police, CP Funsho Adegboye, warned officers to desist from this act, as the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, had directed the punishment of erring officers.

The statement read, This press release is to inform the general public especially the law abiding citizens of Edo State of the state police commands position regarding searching of citizens phones by operatives while on routine patrol, stop and search duties in the state.

The Commissioner of Police Edo State, CP Funsho Adegboye, during a meeting with the commands strategic security managers, re-echoed the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, on the ban on seaching of citizens phones while on patrol, raid operations, stop and search duties or other essential duties.

He warned that on no account should police officers/operatives engage in searching citizens phones in line of duties.



The statement added that CP Adegboye stated that officers can only be allowed to search citizens phones when executing court order from the court of competent jurisdiction as it empowers them to carry out such duties therein in the course of investigation.

He warned the officers and men to desist from this unprofessional conduct of searching phones, stating that any officer caught doing so will face severe sanctions.

The CP also urged the public to be patient with the police and report any officer who indulges in the unprofessional conduct.

PUNCH reported in January that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fayoade Adegoke, said that no police officer is permitted to search the phones of any Nigerian.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 Governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP in Lagos State, has said that as long as the All Progressives Congress, APC, remains in power, the culture of impunity will worsen because they have no plans to build an economy that works for all Nigerians.

GRV stated this while reacting to news of touts seizing peoples phones and demanding ransom on the streets of Lagos.

He stated that the political elite use touts to commit impunity and cause violence in the community.

Filmmaker, Biodun Stephen, released a video on social media on Thursday, April 4, raising alarm over the presence of touts in Lagos state who boldly seize the phones of residents and then release them after their victims pay a ransom.

Reacting to the video, GRV wrote;

This is a creation of the political elite in Lagos that have enshrined a culture of violence and impunity. These thugs are armed by politicians and used to win elections, after which the citizens are left at their mercy.

What is worse is that the extractive and discriminatory policy of the APC has worsened youth unemployment and poverty, forcing many into drugs and criminality.

As long as this party remains in power, this culture of impunity will worsen. They have no intention to build a modern economy that works for everyone but a feudal system where they can share palliatives to communities who kiss the ring.

There must be collective action in rooting out these parasitic politicians who leave behind chaos instead of prosperity.
Hana Ikramuddin is a Hearst Fellow in Connecticut. She spent the first part of her fellowship at the Houston Chronicle.

Raised in the Twin Cities, Hana majored in journalism and political science at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

She has held internships with the Star Tribune, APM Reports and Sahan Journal. In her free time, she loves to cook, make chai and take care of her houseplants.
Hoodlums on Friday, blocked Kuta Road in Minna, the Niger State capital. They reportedly attacked people going for Tahajud prayers.

The incident according to reports happened around 1am.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed more offences allegedly committed by the controversial cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, famously known as Bobrisky

The commission also arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of alleged money laundering.

On Thursday, the EFCC filed six counts against Bobrisky, focusing on money laundering and abuse of the naira.

Bobrisky will appear before the vacation judge, Justice Abimbola Awogboro, for arraignment.

According to the charge sheet filed by EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) and seven other lawyers, Bobrisky is accused of tampering with the sum of N400,000 by spraying it while dancing at a social event at the IMAX Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos, on March 24, 2024.

Additionally, Bobrisky allegedly tampered with another sum of N50,000 by spraying it at a social event at Aja Junction, Ikorodu, between July and August 2023, and another sum of N20,000 at White Steve Event Hall, Ikeja, in December 2023, and at Oniru, Victoria Island, during another event.

The EFCC also accuses Bobrisky, trading under the name Bob Express, of failing to submit a declaration of the companys activities to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering. During the period between September 1, 2021, and April 4, 2024, a total sum of N127.7 million was paid into the companys Ecobank account, and an additional N53 million during the same period.

The charges against Bobrisky contravene Sections 6 (1)(a) and 19(1) (f) of the Money Laundering (Prevention And Prohibition) Act and are punishable under Section 19 (2) (b) of the same Act.

Bobrisky has been in EFCC detention since Wednesday night but failed to meet the conditions for the administrative bail offered to him on Thursday.

Dele Oyewale, the spokesperson for the EFCC, confirmed Bobriskys bail and failure to meet the conditions in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday evening.
Residents of Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have staged a peaceful protest to the Lagos State House of Assembly to call for the removal of Chairman Eti-Osa LCDA, Mr. John Campos Ogundare, over allegation of embezzling N1.9 billion.

The protesters, led by Mr. Segun Williams, emphasized the urgent need for the Chairmans removal to prevent worse scenario even as the federal allocation gets jerked and by extension accruals coming to the LCDA increases.

Williams stated that Ogundare had been indicted in an investigative report by the legislative council for misappropriating the Councils 2023 budget, warranting his removal from office.

In a bid to drive home their demand,the protesters were seen wielding placards with various inscriptions like; Eti Osa East Concerned Youths say John Ogundare must go now. No to Yahoo Chairman.

Ogundare threatened Councillors for observing legislative oversight,Remove John Campos Ogundare now.

Save Eti Osa East LCDA from further corruption, Lagos Assembly save Eti Osa LCDA legislative council from executive rascality.

We seek his suspension pending the conclusion of the Lagos State House of Assemblys investigation into the matter. The allegations against the Chairman were outlined in a report sent to your distinguished selves on 19th December 2023, Williams said.

The report, signed by the majority leader of Eti-Osa LCDA, revealed that the Chairman had diverted funds designated for critical sectors such as health and education. Further allegations raised by the protesters included failure to pay running costs to various Council departments in accordance with the 2023 budget, neglecting balance payments to past political office holders against governmental advice, unauthorized project execution, and contract awards without legislative approval.

The Chairman was also accused of non-adherence to the 2023 budget for school and primary healthcare construction/renovation, as well as failure to comply with legislative requests for income and expenditure records. He was found to have consistently approved contracts exceeding his limit of N35 million.

The Councilors also accused the LCDA treasurer and auditor of dereliction of duty for withholding financial details and comprehensive activity reports.

Addressing the press, Hon. Adebola Shabi (Lagos Mainland 2) was accompanied by Hon. Abiodun Orekoya (Somolu 1) and Hon. Solomon Boonu from Badagry constituency 1, he assured the protesters of the Houses intervention and urged them to peacefully return to their homes.

Hon. Shabi expressed appreciation for the peaceful manner the protest was carried out and assured the residents of justice on behalf of Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa. He confirmed that their own investigation was ongoing to address the allegations.

I assure you that you will get justice, I was part of the committee and we are doing our investigation and I am sure once we are done yo
NIGERIANS are peculiar people, people unique in every sense. They are simple and easy to satisfy. All you need is to earn their trust and you are good to go.

In their simplicity, they could occasionally scramble for everything  even the mundane and not so useful.

The outsider would easily see political life as exciting and alluring, hence the average Nigerian politician is seen as a tax-eating parasite  under-worked and over-paid. But in reality, particularly with the introduction of grassroots politics, it has not been a walk in the park.

Rather, politics in Nigeria has been one long string of struggles, only punctuated by static moments of delight.

Elsewhere, certain things are taken for granted but in Nigeria, the politician must struggle for everything, including some innocuous party offices for which there are no remunerations.

Nigeria is one place where the political party is particularly important only for its symbolic value: it gives members something to call their own, while at the palm-wine bar; and something to identify with, and vote for, on election day.

Fast track to the current democratic experimentation. I have mentioned elsewhere that it has not always been bread and butter. In the beginning, what looked like the National Convention weekends of the political party were spent in the middle of nowhere, with all the attendant hazards.

There were Delegates from all parts of the country. In the particular case of those of us from Edo State, we were sandwiched into three Edo City Municipal buses that set off around 9:00pm on the eve of the Convention. We drove all night and arrived Abuja or Kaduna in the wee hours of the Convention Day.

Occasionally, we were lucky to have a place to freshen up before moving to the Convention Centre. On other occasions, we were there just in time to move straight to the Convention Centre in our raw form.

Essentially, it was a journey from the bus to the Convention Centre on Saturday morning; and as soon as the Convention ended in the evening, we hopped into the buses back to Benin City. We arrived in Benin City on Sunday morning.

Call it starvation, fasting, or what you will, the truth is that we undertook those journeys on empty stomachs because they were undertaken at most unholy hours when food vendors, including the roasted yam sellers in Auchi, were fast asleep! Yet, at the end of it all, the politician is seen as the Manager of Enjoyment.

We have been looking at the formation stage of the political party. The real struggles set in as soon as the party is formed. That is when the various positions loosely called the Executive Committees at every level  from the Village to the Ward, to the Local Government, to the State, to the Zone and to the National  are constituted.

The major question at the center of all this is the allocation of scarce resources  who gets what, when not everybody can get everything?

As interests multiply, water begins to find its level. Very soon, people who used to be friends begin to identify different points at which they can fulfill their aspirations. And too soon, you find that even within one political party, there are many political parties. Factions have now been born in the political parties.

These factions start very small, but with time, they metamorphose into big networks. As long as you want to remain relevant in politics, the foot soldiers at the home base must be constantly nurtured. It does not cost a bundle. Mere recognition does it most of the time. The leader that does not remember his home support base soon fades away.

At the inception of the Two-Party contraptions of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida years, this writer found himself on the NRC side. Midway, things fell apart and the center could no longer hold on that side.

I took my supporters, some of whom had positions in the NRC, to the SDP. We got to SDP at a time when all positions had been filled. And in politics, it is a capital error to ask an elected official to step down to make room for a newcomer. I needed the new party, and the new party did not need me any less. Meanwhile, I was sitting on the floor; and they pitied me. So, what do they do?

I devised a master stroke, and they bought it. Since all substantive positions were already filled, I talked them into creating the positions of Assistants, where none existed, at least as an interim measure till the next elections. At the end of the day, I had a hamper full of Assistant this and Assistant that, which I distributed among my supporters. It was a coup! We had taken over the party. At Ward meetings, the votes of each of the Assistants bore the same weight as that of the Chairman. At meetings, they sat at the high table; and in some cases, they were smarter than the person they were assisting.

I took the same idea to the Local Government, and it worked to an extent. From the smallest things, the greatest often grow. Before the next elections, some of these people had branched off to other areas: some had become Local Government functionaries (Chairman, Councilor, Supervisor, etc.). I could travel anywhere, assured that the home base was secured.

The Primary Election has become the Qualifying Test for election into any position. It has gained such importance lately to the extent that Nigeria is happening to it. It has assumed a very disturbing dimension  enough to worry any right-thinking person.

In the beginning, there was the Direct Primary. Adherents to this mode of Primary believed that even when their party was organizing the Primary, its product ruled over everybody, not just members of the Party. It, therefore, made sense that everybody in the area should participate in the Primary.

Yes, that was a sound judgement, but it was susceptible to abuse. Political opponents soon moved in massively and invaded the Primary. They voted for a weak candidate that their own Partys candidate could easily beat at the general election. It was discontinued!

What we have in Nigeria are Closed Primaries.

As mentioned earlier, Nigeria has happened to these ones, and they have become totally bastardized. In the Primaries of the various Parties for the forth-coming gubernatorial elections in Edo State, each of the major Political Parties came up with many aspirants claiming victory at their Primary election.

How did we get here? First, we see commercialization breeding corruption. Why should an intra-party exercise of picking the person to represent your Party at an event cost N50million, the amount of bashing received by the Naira lately, notwithstanding? Thats just the beginning.

A man who spends N50million to buy a plant must be prepared to spend N500million to water that plant to fruition. Thats how the exercise eliminates the good ones and springs up only the strong as the fittest. It is anti-democratic.

The evil practice of camping Delegates on the eve of Primaries must stop.

And every Nigerian politician should have a second address, thus making politics a pastime.
Niger Delta militants (File photo)

A group of Niger Delta militants have issued a Stern warning to the Northern Coalition Group over a statement they made concerning the suspension of Ruga settlement.

Recall that shortly after the suspension of Ruga settlement was announced by the Federal Government, the Northern youths issued a 30-day ultimatum for its implementation. They also warned that if southerns dont warm Fulanis to do business in their region, then they shouldnt expect to do business in the north as southerners.

Reacting to the threat, the Niger Delta militants under the aegis of Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, wondered why the northern youths would be calling for the implementation of a plan that has been suspended.

A statement issued by its leader John Dukku reads:

The attention of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators has been drawn to the recent second round of 30 days ultimatum issued by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) to the Federal Government to forcefully implement the suspended RUGA settlement for Fulani herdsmen across the country or they will resort to self help and destruction of lives and property of Southerners resident in the North.

The Coalition of Northern Groups further issued an ultimatum to Southerners living in the North to vacate if their various state governments refused to donate lands to federal government for the implementation of its suspended Ruga settlement within the said 30 days.

We are surprised that in a time like this when killings of innocent citizens is the order of the day by CNG brothers, we thought CNG and Arewa youths would have risen above ethnic sentiments to condemn the unprovoked killings and the high rate of poverty in the land, rather they are bent on worsening the already tensed situation by issuing unwarranted threat.

While we see the recent RUGA settlement plan by the Federal Government as its plot to Fulanise and Islamise the entire country by proxy. We also want the CNG to note that there is no settlement in the entire Northern part of Nigeria allocated to any tribe or ethnic group of Southern origin by the federal government under any name or guise.

Therefore the recent threat by CNG is ill-conceived and foolishly advised by their sponsors/war mongers who feel they are super humans.

We therefore also want to re-echo that the entire South-South and Niger Delta would never part with any of its land to Fulani terrorists no matter the amount of threat.

We advise the Northern youths and the Presidency to build their planned Fulani settlements in Sambisa forest and stop chasing shadows as forceful implementation of such ethnic plan would only spell doom for the country.

The Coalition of Northern Groups, Arewa Youths, MACBAN, Northern Elders, the Security Agencies and the Presidency should note that any Niger Deltan or Southerner killed by Northern youths as a result of this threat shall receive severe and adequate response from us.
The former senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye has sent out condolences to the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello who lost his mother recently.

The condolence is coming as a surprise to everyone who knows the political history between the two politicians.

Last year was heated up during the Kogi State elections that saw Yahaya Bello return as the Governor of the state for a second term.

Dino Melaye accused the governor of sending thugs to disrupt the elections and to help Smart Adeyemi win the Senatorial seat for Kogi West.

Notwithstanding, Dino Melaye seems to have buried the hatchet as he sent this condolence to Yahaya Bello via his Twitter handle

May the soul of the mother of Governor Yahaya Bello rest in peace. May God grant the governor and the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. No mother is old enough to die. My condolences.

It is, however, uncertain if Yahaya Bello will respond to the condolence.

Post Views: 6




Dornier Aviation Nigeria AIEP (DANA), on Thursday reached out to Kaduna State Government seeking for cooperation in the area of security.





The DANA Managing Director, Mr Mark Snoxell, gave the indication when he paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai in Kaduna.





Snoxell said the company is seeking cooperation in the area of reconnaissance aircraft to support the states security architecture.





He said the cooperation would focus on the deployment of remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) and drones into operational support for the ongoing fight against criminal activities in the state.





The managing director explained that the company has a history in Nigeria and has qualified and licensed engineers and operational personnel to support its own fleet, several government agencies, companies and sister aviation companies.





We have trained Nigerian staff to professional levels; commercial pilots, engineers, technicians, licensed aircraft operators and dispatchers and other supporting staff, he stressed.





Dornier Aviation currently has a staff strength of over 250 and is arguably one of the leading employer of labour in the country as per the aviation sector of the Nigerian economy is concerned, he added.





Snoxell appreciated El-Rufais investment drive, transformation and development of the state.





In his response, Gov. El-Rufai appreciated the company for adding value not only to the Nigerian Aviation sector but to the states local economy.





We thank you for the visit. Our job is to attract businesses to Kaduna, protect investors and also enable them to expand.





We will support you so that you can increase your staff strength from 250-1000 so long it is within our resources and power, the governor assured.





DANA was founded in 1979 as AIEP with 60:40 ratio of foreign to Nigeria shareholders.





It has established a well-equipped base in Kaduna.
Fourth grade students work on a lesson in Vianca Maldonados bilingual class at Highland Heights Elementary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

As Houston ISD students prepare to take the STAAR in less than two weeks, appointed Superintendent Mike Miles is instructing schools to avoid direct test preparation, instead telling principals to have their teachers focus on daily lessons as usual.

The directive is a departure from the norm at many HISD schools, according to multiple district teachers and administrators, who say the weeks leading up to the exam usually included reviews of key concepts, mock tests and sometimes even "STAAR Olympics," which included educational games to make test prep more engaging.

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Miles laid out his instructions last Wednesday in his weekly email to principals, the information in which applies to all schools in HISD "unless specifically called out."

"Neither the STAAR exams nor the NWEA and EOY assessments should be overemphasized for teachers and students," Miles wrote in the email, which was obtained by the Houston Chronicle. "Teachers should focus on the curriculum and the quality of instruction. Students should focus on the (Demonstrations of Learning) and learning the objective for the day every day."

"Direct instruction and a reasonable amount of (differentiated instruction) spent reviewing key concepts is OK. However, there should be little test prep  whereby students take a series of assessments to prepare for STAAR or NWEA," he wrote.

Erin Baumgartner, the director of the Houston Education Research Consortium at Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research, said that the legacy of No Child Left Behind, the federal legislation signed in 2002 that required states to implement standardized tests, has made test prep standard practice at schools nationwide.

While mock exams and other strategies can help familiarize students with the format and presentation of a standardized test, she said, there is no evidence that explicit test prep necessarily leads to greater outcomes on the assessment itself.

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"If test prep isn't something that necessarily is shown to work, then it shouldn't matter too much whether schools are doing a lot of it or not, but it's become the norm," Baumgartner said.

Though the value of standardized tests has been the subject of intense debate across the country, the importance typically placed on training reflects the practical ramifications of the STAAR exam  test scores are a major factor in determining schools' statewide accountability ratings, and will account for a significant portion of administrators' and teachers' evaluations under Miles' leadership, directly affecting administrators' pay next year.

Those accountability ratings are among the factors that allowed the Texas Education Agency to appoint Miles and a board of managers to lead the district last year. One of the criteria to return HISD to local control is that no campus receive a D or F on its state rating for multiple years.

HISD officials said the "expectation is that every HISD student receives high-quality grade level instruction in every classroom every day," and that "as a result, schools should not need to do anything differently to prepare for assessments." They noted that campuses can provide additional preparation time, such as Saturday clinics, at their own discretion, but that HISD has not issued formal guidance on the subject.

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"The guidance for all campuses leading up to STAAR and the end of year NWEA assessments is to continue with that quality, grade-level instruction on their campus," the district said in a statement.

Some teachers and administrators expressed frustration with the directive and fear it could unfairly impact their evaluations, arguing it limits their ability to prepare students for a unique assessment they only take once a year. Even staunch opponents of standardized testing, such as Community Voices for Public Education co-founder Ruth Kravetz, said the lack of direct preparation could harm students and schools, given the high stakes associated with the results.

Kravetz, a former HISD teacher and administrator, said that the online-only format of the recently redesigned STAAR makes it necessary to familiarize students with the assessment before its administered, pointing to a Houston Public Media report that revealed 46% of fourth graders scored a zero out of 10 on the writing portion of the STAAR in 2023, the first year the new test was implemented.

"I can't believe I have to argue for letting students review so they don't go in cold. The fix is in at the front end and the back end, and that's not the way we're supposed to treat schoolchildren," Kravetz said.

HISD PRINCIPAL TRACKER: Schools with leadership turnover since Mike Miles became superintendent

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Though Miles has discouraged direct test preparation, another email obtained by the Houston Chronicle suggests that HISD's curriculum writers are incorporating preparation strategies into the district's daily lesson plans, which some principals were encouraged to explore leading up to STAAR. The developments come as schools undergo a third round of formal instructional reviews during the first three weeks of April, the data from which will be used in employees' year-end evaluations.

HISD officials said that "non-NES campus administrators were provided the scope and sequence of the NES curriculum as an optional resource" and are not mandated to use it.

In the email to principals in one high school feeder pattern, an executive director said that HISD's curriculum team would be incorporating reviews of key concepts into daily lessons, which include mini-assessments at the end of each class known as Demonstrations of Learning. Those DOLs will now include an increase in the kinds of writing prompts that students will see on the STAAR, according to the email, and will be available online on certain days.

That email notes, however, that mock tests and STAAR questions from previous years are still not allowed.

SUMMER SCHOOL UPDATES: Houston ISD plans changes to summer school length, eligibility

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Critics of Miles' administration have long decried the district's centrally developed curriculum as "endless test prep" and have pushed district leaders for years to de-emphasize the STAAR test. They believe, however, that flaws in HISD's materials  which can range from grammatical errors to misalignments between questions and their subject matter  make them ill-equipped to prepare students for a test with such important consequences.

"It does function like year-round test prep, so it's the worst of both possible worlds," Kravetz said. "Even assuming that test prep all year was reasonable, it has to align with what the child is being tested on."

STAAR End-of-Course assessments for high schoolers begin Thursday, and the reading and language arts portion of STAAR begins for elementary and middle school students the following week. Testing in other subjects continues intermittently throughout the rest of the month, and ends with the math portions of the exams on April 30 and May 1.
The COVID pandemic may be over and schools open, but the harm done to our children will be permanent, particularly when it comes to education. A major new study by researchers at Stanford University provides a needed reminder of why we must never make the same mistakes again.

During the pandemic, about 17 million students left the K-12 system with significant learning deficits. This group on average has little chance of recovering, says the study.

Sadly, the study also says, we have few means of reversing the damage. This means that long-term plans, no matter how useful for future school improvement, cannot deal with the learning losses of the pandemic cohort of students, say the authors.

The study puts hard numbers on the financial loss to be suffered by the students and society as a whole, and its broken down by state. The primary author of the study, Eric Alan Hanushek, is a leading authority on the economic effects of education.

The conclusions are harsh. The average student in the United States will have 5% to 6% lower lifetime earnings compared to expected earnings had there been no pandemic. For America as a whole, because a lower-skilled workforce leads to lower economic growth, the nation will lose some $31 trillion during the 21st century.

The personal consequences for Illinoisans are just about as harsh. The average pandemic-era student here will lose a bit over 5% percent in lifetime earnings, the study found.

Cold numbers, however, dont capture everything. Sadder still may be the emotional and social impact. Closed schools meant key developmental years were lost, for which cost cant be measured. The kid who missed his one chance to star in a school play, or go to prom, or play on a varsity team  those stories are endless.

If you had a child in high school at the time, as I did, youve no doubt heard what so many of them say: Its like I lost a year or two of my childhood.

Not all educational harm from COVID resulted from closed schools, but most of it certainly did, and closing was the big mistake. Very early in the pandemic  spring of 2020, when fear and uncertainty were rampant -- closing schools may have seemed sensible. But it rapidly became clear that those fears were unfounded.

Over the course of summer 2020, as the New York Times put it, evidence increasingly suggested that schools could reopen without accelerating the spread of COVID, And that the costs of keeping them closed were steep. Despite this evidence, many schools remained closed for months on end, even after vaccines became available.

By January 2021, even the Centers for Disease Control said schools were safe to open, but most remained closed in Illinois and many other states.

Teachers unions unquestionably played a major role in keeping schools closed, both here and nationally. Their insistence on closings persisted long after they had successfully lobbied the state to let them jump the line on getting vaccinated. Even perfectly healthy teachers, who faced no material risk, were prioritized before the elderly, which we knew to be the primary group at genuine risk from the virus.

The long shadow of school closures, as the New York Times described it, should haunt us. We mustnt make the same mistakes again.
The flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has told the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana of his plans to make Ghana a pharmaceutical hub in the West African sub -region next year under his government.



As part of his engagements with key stakeholders to throw more light on his vision for Ghana, Dr. Bawumia met the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana in Accra on Monday and touted the advantages of the pharmaceutical hub saying "the gains will be huge for Ghana and we have to do it because we have a comparative advantage...But first we need to support it with financial resources".



In his quest to transform the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Bawumia identified the development of human resource as a key tool.



"There are many aspects if we want to be the best and human capital is one. Without that, we cannot be the best, so we also have to invest in the training of pharmacists in Ghana", Dr. Bawumia said.



He continued; "It should be possible for us to establish a pharmaceutical training centre to focus on training more pharmacists which will impact positively on our quest to be the best in West Africa."



To train pharmacists, Dr. Bawumia said scholarships will be awarded to students pursuing pharmacy.



The Vice President also spoke of the need for a pharmaceutical park in Ghana to boost the industry and highlighted his e-pharmacy initiative, a nationwide online-platform for pharmacies in Ghana.



He disclosed that about 2500 pharmacies are aboard this e-pharmacy platform and assured that the digitalisation of the pharmaceutical industry will be further strengthened if elected President.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Amidst criticisms from Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong asserts that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will not reconsider the recently adjusted passport fees.



In response to Ablakwa's pledge to demand a review of the fees upon resumption of Parliament, Ampratwum-Sarpong maintains the Ministry's stance, asserting that the revised fees are here to stay.



"If he wants us to come to the committee, we will respect the committee, we will appear before the committee, we will repeat the reasons behind the request and the approval given by parliament for the passport fees," he said in an April 3 interview with JoyNews.



"These figures, with the support of the majority of Ghanaians, have come to stay. There is nothing he can do about it. He can make his noise out there. If he wants to bring it to the committee; to Parliament, we will meet him on the floor of Parliament. We will discuss it, we will debate it, and at the end of the day, he will fall flat on his face," the deputy minister stressed.



He defended the fee hike, stating that the increased charges are essential for generating revenue to enhance service delivery at passport offices nationwide.



"We would have money to be able to invest to buy the equipment, the printers, and whatever other stuff that we need to be able to give excellent service.



"With the cash revenue flow, it will become possible for us to approach the suppliers of this equipment and materials and whatever that we need in our work.



"So once we get more computers, once we get more laminating machines, once we get more capturing machines, we will be able to capture more biometrics and therefore the six months, seven months, or eight months appointment days would be reduced.



"At the moment, it is out of control because we don't have the capturing machines. We do have some, but it is not enough," he added.



The adjustment, effective April 1, raised fees for passport applications from GH100 to GH500 for the 32-page booklet and to GH644 for the 48-page booklet under the standard service.



Amidst public outcry over the new price, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who is the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has suggested that the fees be reviewed as it adds on to the already excruciating burden of Ghanaians.



"It is a matter we will revisit. We will summon the Ministers and officials from the Ministry to see what can be done because this is really terrible. It is going to add to the already excruciating hardship and anguish that Ghanaians are going through," he said.









Source: ghanaweb.com









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The police have found the PRESEC student who was reportedly kidnapped by some unknown individuals.



According to sources familiar with the development, the Police are now on the heels of the suspects who were holding the male student.



The family of the boy has confirmed the development.



Background



A 17-year-old student from the prestigious Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC), Legon was kidnapped and held for ransom by unknown assailants.



The student, whose name has been withheld, was abducted on 28th March 2024 while on his way from campus to home during the Easter school break.



Disturbing photos sent to the family indicated the student had been harmed.



The kidnappers who initially demanded a staggering 34 million naira (approximately GHc 340,000) ransom from the family threatened to sell the body parts of the kidnapped PRESEC boy should the family refuse to send the money.



With threats of harvesting their son's organs if they didn't comply, the desperate family negotiated the ransom down to 20,000 cedis - all they could afford.



They sent the money via mobile money, but the kidnappers refused to release the boy unless an extra 300,000 cedis was paid in full.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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An 80-year-old US woman has been killed by an "aggressive" elephant, after it charged at a vehicle during a safari drive in Zambia, local officials said.



The attack occurred on Saturday at Kafue National Park in the west of the country.



In a video circulating online the large elephant could be seen flipping the car carrying six people over several times.



Keith Vincent, CEO of the safari group, said the vehicle was "blocked" by the terrain and couldn't move out.



The 80-year-old woman, who has not been named, died of her injuries. Officials said her remains will be repatriated to the US in the coming days.



Four other guests sustained minor injuries and are receiving trauma counselling. One woman was taken to a hospital in South Africa for treatment.



Police and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife are investigating the incident.



"This is a tragic and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died," Mr Vincent said. "We are also, naturally, supporting those guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident."



Mr Vincent said the vehicle had stopped because it had become trapped by "terrain and vegetation" and couldn't manoeuvre its way out of the elephant's path.



Zambia's neighbours Zimbabwe and Botswana have raised concern about increasing elephant populations in their respective countries.



Zimbabwe has recorded deadly elephant attacks in recent years.

Source: BBC









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In a bid to enhance effective governance and foster development across the country, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced changes to the regional composition of his government.



With immediate effect, Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, will be assuming the role of Upper West Regional Minister. Likewise, Hafiz Bin Salih, who previously held the position of Upper West Regional Minister, will now serve as the new Upper East Regional Minister.



These changes come as part of the Presidents ongoing efforts to ensure optimum governance and prioritize the welfare and development of the people in both the Upper West and Upper East regions.



President Akufo-Addo has tasked the newly appointed ministers with working tirelessly to promote the welfare and advancement of their respective regions.



The personnel changes were announced by Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Office of the President. The President believes these adjustments will bring fresh perspectives and expertise to the regions, further driving progress and prosperity.



The appointments are expected to bolster collaboration between the regional authorities and the central government in addressing the unique challenges and needs of each region.



President Akufo-Addo remains committed to fostering effective governance throughout the country and ensuring the well-being of all citizens.



These changes in ministerial roles demonstrate the Presidents dedication to sustaining a responsive and inclusive government that remains focused on the development and betterment of all regions in Ghana.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The flagbearer of the National democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has descended heavily on the government for the decision to allocate funds to provide free tablets to senior high school students.



According to former President John Mahama, it a tactics adopted by the government to induce the students into voting for the party come December 7, 2024 when the general elections will be held.



Addressing his concerns during a special public lecture at the Wisconsin International University College, Ghana, John Mahama underscored the neglect of essential ongoing educational projects due to the governments focus on distributing tablets.



The former President stressed the importance of prioritizing the allocation of state resources to address more pressing needs within the education sector. Former President John Mahama added that, since the assumption of office, the government has not done much as far as relevant educational policies is concerned.



You bring a new curriculum, the children have no textbooks in basic school for the last four years and you think that giving pre-tertiary students tablets is more important. Of course, everybody knows the political expediency.



The pre-tertiary students are going to register in May because some of them will be turning 18 years and above, some are 18 already and they are going to be the ones voting. So this is a gift to entice them to vote for the current government.



Former President Mahama said, Otherwise, if you are using GH1.3 billion to give pre-tertiary students laptops, our priority would have been different. Other things are begging for funding in our educational system than those laptops. But it is a bribe for them to vote for this government.

Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com









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The Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye, has as part of his working visit to the Bono East region visited the Asueyi Chief Palace in the Techiman North constituency where he assured the Chief, Nana Oti Panin, and his people of governments commitment to upgrading their road network.



Prior to the visit of the Minister, there had been concerns of agitation by section of youth of the community who had threatened to boycott this years elections if the road wasnt fixed.



In his address, the chief highlighted the dire state of the Asueyi and Buoyem road project that has been left incomplete. He underscored the impact of the inadequate road infrastructure on the community's daily life and the urgent need for action.



Furthermore, Nana Oti Panin drew attention to the lack of access to portable water, compounding the challenges faced by residents. He lamented the political repercussions of neglected roads, citing the loss of the Techiman North seat by the NPP party in the previous elections as a consequence.



In his response, the Road Minister, Mr. Asenso-Boakye reiterated the government's commitment to development, particularly in the newly created regions like Bono East.



He emphasized the purpose of establishing the new regions to bring development closer to the people, assuring Nana Oti Panin that the NPP government has the region's best interests at heart.



"Nana, it is only the one who gave birth to a child who can properly take care of him or her," the Minister remarked.



"The NPP government birthed this region and therefore has the responsibility to ensure its complete development."



Despite the challenges, Nana Oti Panin commended the Nana Addo administration for its achievements in health and education, including the establishment of chip compounds and classrooms.



However, he urged the Road Minister to prioritize the repair of their roads to prevent further electoral losses and improve the quality of life for residents.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has expressed grave concerns about the Akufo-Addo governments prioritization of the construction of a national cathedral over crucial educational and infrastructural needs in the country.



Mr Mahama expressed scepticism over the actions of the government, stating that even God would not prioritize a cathedral over investments in education.



He highlighted the importance of addressing pressing educational and infrastructural challenges before embarking on projects like the national cathedral.



During a public lecture at Wisconsin University, Mahama responded to inquiries about his stance on completing the national cathedral if elected president.



He clarified that the commitment to build the cathedral stemmed from a personal commitment made by President Akufo-Addo to God, rather than a divine directive.



The former President argued that if given the opportunity to allocate $400 million, investing in textbooks for students or upgrading vital infrastructure such as the single road from Accra to Cape Coast to a dual carriageway would likely yield greater benefits for the nation.



Mahama said, For me, the national cathedral was a covenant somebody made with God, an individual. He said he swore to God that if he became president, he would build a cathedral for him. From my perspective, it is his promise to build a house for God.



I am sure that if he really had asked God what he wanted him to do with $400 million; I dont think God would have chosen a cathedral when $400 million could have provided textbooks for all our students. I dont think God would have asked you for a cathedral when we could have used the money to dualise the road from Accra to Cape Coast. People die every day on that road because its a single road.



So, God didnt ask for it, somebody promised it to God, it was a personal promise and if I have $400 million God will be angry with me if I use it to build that cathedral. I am not going to take taxpayers money or borrow $400 million from any source to build this cathedral, he said.

Source: Kobina Darlington/peacefmonline.com









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Ghanaian Afro soul artist Josh Blakk has been honored with two prestigious nominations at the upcoming Telecel Ghana Music Awards. The nominations include Best Male Vocal Performance (Hankipanki) and Record of the Year (Iyawo) solidifying Josh Blakks position as one of the countrys most talented and versatile musicians.



In the highly competitive categories, Josh Blakk finds himself in esteemed company, competing alongside other renowned Ghanaian artists such as Kidi, Stonebwoy, Camidoh, and Efya. These nominations not only recognize Josh Blakks exceptional vocal prowess but also acknowledge the impact and quality of his musical creations.



With a career spanning several years, Josh Blakk has carved a niche for himself in the Ghanaian music industry with his distinctive blend of Afro soul. His soul-stirring melodies and heartfelt lyrics resonate deeply with audiences, earning him a dedicated fan base both locally and internationally.



Born and raised in Ghana, Josh Blakks musical journey began at a young age, influenced by the rich cultural heritage and vibrant music scene of his homeland. Over the years, he has honed his craft and garnered acclaim for his soulful performances, captivating audiences with his raw talent and authenticity.



Among his notable works is his acclaimed debut album, (O.N.E) which received widespread acclaim upon its release. Tracks such as Number One and Iyawo  and have become anthems for fans, showcasing Josh Blakks ability to blend traditional Ghanaian sounds with contemporary influences seamlessly.



Commenting on his nominations, Josh Blakk expressed gratitude for the recognition and thanked his fans for their unwavering support throughout his musical journey. He remains committed to creating music that inspires, uplifts, and resonates with audiences worldwide.



The Telecel Ghana Music Awards ceremony promises to be a celebration of Ghanaian musical excellence, and Josh Blakk is poised to make his mark with his soulful performances and undeniable talent.









Source: Peacefmonline.com









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In teacher Dina Adams AP Chemistry class at DeBakey High School for Health Professions, students Cherish Amby-Okola, Amira Regala, Promise Okpah, and Jasmine Sidhu review the notes from their lab experimenton November 11, 2022, in Houston, Texas. Leanora Benkato/Contributor

Houston ISD plans to require all comprehensive high schools to offer at least two new Career and Technical Education programs in certain subjects during the 2024-25 academic year.

HISD high schools currently offer a variety of programs of study, where students can opt to take a series of courses in a certain subject and work to earn an industry-based certification. Each campus can offer different CTE programs in topics like hospitality, marketing or STEM, but programs of study are not uniformly offered at every school, according to the district.

One of the problems that this was causing is you might take a ninth grade course at one high school and move to another and not be able to continue in that focused area as you move around, said Kristen Hole, HISDs chief academic officer. We wanted to ensure there was a common set of offerings across all of our high schools that students could be able to access.

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Starting next year, all HISD campus with zoned students will now be required to offer between two to four of the same programs of study based on their size. The list of required programs  known as foundational programs of study  will be entrepreneurship, networking systems, distribution and logistics, and health informatics.

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Schools with the entrepreneurship program of study, for example, would offer classes such as business information management, statistics and business decision making, mobile application development or marketing, and then students in the program could take an exam to potentially earn an industry-based certification in entrepreneurship and small business.

Separate and unique campuses  or schools with no zoned students where everyone must apply to attend like HSPVA and Carnegie Vanguard High  have the option to add the foundational programs of study next year but they will not be required to do so, according to district documents. Hole said during a district presentation Wednesday that all campuses can continue to offer their current programs of study.

HISD wrote in February that it will begin rolling out the uniform programs of study over four years, starting with offering the foundational programs to freshmen next year. The district will also work with campuses to sunset programs that are not leading to outcomes, meaning that schools would stop offering certain programs to ninth graders but continue to offer them to 10th to 12th graders.

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To choose the foundational programs of study, HISD said that it identified options that met a minimum threshold for job growth, volume and wages, and then picked four that would allow students to incorporate artificial intelligence into the classroom and develop transferable skills.

How can we really modernize our work and our guidance and our instruction around our Career and Technical Education courses so that we can prepare students for jobs of the future? Hole said. That's a really big focus on what we're doing, and how we're doing it is really envisioning what we are preparing students to be able to do when they graduate.

According to the district, the lack of centralized options in previous years meant there was little standardization of curriculum, equipment and training or support from HISDs Central Office to ensure courses complied with federal and state requirements.

We'll ensure there's high quality curriculum and experiences designed into that coursework that will ensure it's aligned to the future of work, Hole said. We're centrally funding all of the CTE teachers that will teach in those particular programs of study just to support our campuses and ... add these to their existing offerings.

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The Texas Education Agency lists the descriptions of all the programs of study that districts can offer during the upcoming school year, along with the approved courses, aligned industry-based certifications and degrees, jobs and wages that are aligned with the program.

According to the TEA, the entrepreneurship program teaches students how to launch businesses, manage daily operations and analyze management structures, while the health informatics program focuses on exposing students to the management of patient information in the health care field, including writing and interpreting medical reports.

In the networking systems program of study, students will work on designing information networks, analyzing data processing challenges and improving computer systems. The distribution, logistics and warehousing program teaches students how to manage daily warehousing operations and logistics personnel, according to the TEA.
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:

Artist impression of glory on exoplanet WASP-76b. Credit: European Space Agency

Potential signs of the rainbow-like "glory effect" have been detected on a planet outside our solar system. Glory are colorful concentric rings of light that occur only under peculiar conditions.

Data from ESA's sensitive Characterizing ExOplanet Satellite, Cheops, along with several other ESA and NASA missions, suggest this delicate phenomenon is beaming straight at Earth from the hellish atmosphere of ultra-hot gas giant WASP-76b, 637 light-years away.

Seen often on Earth, the effect has only been found once on another planet, Venus. If confirmed, this first extrasolar glory will reveal more about the nature of this puzzling exoplanet, with exciting lessons for how to better understand strange, distant worlds.

Data from Cheops and its friends suggest that between the unbearable heat and light of exoplanet WASP-76b's sunlit face, and the endless night of its dark side, may be the first extrasolar "glory." The effect, similar to a rainbow, occurs when light is reflected off clouds made up of a perfectly uniform but so far unknown substance.

"There's a reason no glory has been seen before outside our solar systemit requires very peculiar conditions," explains Olivier Demangeon, astronomer at the Instituto de Astrofisica e Ciencias do Espaco (Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences) in Portugal and lead author of the study.

"First, you need atmospheric particles that are close-to-perfectly spherical, completely uniform and stable enough to be observed over a long time. The planet's nearby star needs to shine directly at it, with the observerhere Cheopsat just the right orientation."

If confirmed, this first exoplanetary glory would provide a beautiful tool to understand more about the planet and star that formed it.

"What's important to keep in mind is the incredible scale of what we're witnessing," explains Matthew Standing, an ESA Research Fellow studying exoplanets.

"WASP-76b is several hundred light-years awayan intensely hot gas giant planet where it likely rains molten iron. Despite the chaos, it looks like we've detected the potential signs of a glory. It's an incredibly faint signal."

This result demonstrates the power of ESA's Cheops mission to detect subtle, never-seen-before phenomena on faraway worlds.

Simulated views of the glory phenomena on Venus (left) and Earth (right), without considering any effects of haze or background cloud brightness. Credit: C. Wilson/P. Laven, European Space Agency

A hellish planet with lopsided limbs

WASP-76b is an ultra-hot Jupiter-like planet. While it is 10% less massive than our striped cousin, it is almost double its size. Tightly orbiting its host star twelve times closer than scorched Mercury orbits our sun, the exoplanet is "puffed up" by intense radiation.

Since its discovery in 2013, WASP-76b has come under intense scrutiny and a bizarrely hellish picture has emerged. One side of the planet always faces the sun, reaching temperatures of 2,400C. Here, elements that would form rocks on Earth melt and evaporate, only to condense on the slightly cooler night side, creating iron clouds that drip molten iron rain.

But scientists have been puzzled by an apparent asymmetry, or wonkiness, in WASP-76b's "limbs"its outermost regions seen as it passes in front of its host star.

Data from different ESA and NASA missions including TESS, Hubble and Spitzer, were also analyzed in this revealing study, but it was when ESA's Cheops and NASA's TESS worked together that hints of the glory phenomenon began to appear.

Cheops intensively monitored WASP-76b as it passed in front of and around its sun-like star. After 23 observations over three years, the data showed a surprising increase in the amount of light coming from the planet's eastern "terminator"the boundary where night meets day. This allowed scientists to disentangle and constrain the origin of the signal.

"This is the first time that such a sharp change has been detected in the brightness of an exoplanet, its 'phase curve,'" explains Olivier.

"This discovery leads us to hypothesize that this unexpected glow could be caused by a strong, localized and anisotropic (directionally dependent) reflectionthe glory effect."

False color composite of a 'glory' seen on Venus on 24 July 2011. The image is composed of three images at ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths from the Venus Monitoring Camera. The images were taken 10 seconds apart and, due to the motion of the spacecraft, do not overlap perfectly. The glory is 1,200 km across, as seen from the spacecraft, 6,000 km away. Credit: ESA/MPS/DLR/IDA

Basking in WASP-76b's reflected glory

While the glory effect creates rainbow-like patterns, the two aren't the same. Rainbows form as sunlight passes through one medium with a certain density to a medium with a different densityfor example from air to waterwhich causes its path to bend (refract). Different wavelengths are bent by different amounts, causing white light to split into its various colors and creating the familiar round arc of a rainbow.

Glory, however, are formed when light passes between a narrow opening, for example between water droplets in clouds or fog. Again, light's path is bent (in this case diffracted), most often creating concentric rings of color, with interference between light waves creating patterns of bright and dark rings.

What the first far-flung glory would mean

Confirmation of the glory effect would mean the presence of clouds made up of perfectly spherical droplets, that have lasted at least three years or are being constantly replenished. For such clouds to persist, the temperature of the atmosphere would also need to be stable over timea fascinating and detailed insight into what could be going on at WASP-76b.

Importantly, being able to detect such minute wonders so far away will teach scientists and engineers how to detect other hard-to-see but critical phenomena. For example, sunlight reflecting off liquid lakes and oceansa requirement for habitability.

Glorious proof on the horizon

"Further proof is needed to say conclusively that this intriguing 'extra light' is a rare glory," explains Theresa Luftinger, Project Scientist for ESA's upcoming Ariel mission.

"Follow-up observations from the NIRSPEC instrument onboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope could do just the job. Or ESA's upcoming Ariel mission could prove its presence. We could even find more gloriously revealing colors shining from other exoplanets."

Olivier concludes, "I was involved in the first detection of asymmetrical light coming from this weird planetand ever since I have been so curious about the cause. It has taken some time to get here, with moments where I asked myself'Why are you insisting on this? It might be better to do something else with your time.' But when this feature appeared out of the data, it was such a special feelinga particular satisfaction that doesn't happen every day."

The research is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

More information: O. D. S. Demangeon et al, Asymmetry in the upper atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76 b, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2024). doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202348270 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics
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The Pasterze glacier shrank by nearly 204 metres in 2023, the Austrian Alpine Club says.

Austria is set to become largely "ice-free" within 45 years, the country's Alpine Club warned Friday, as two of its glaciers last year melted by more than 100 meters (330 feet).

Amid growing concerns over the effects of extreme warming on glaciers around the world, the latest report by the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) showed that rapid glacial retreat over the past seven years had accelerated.

The study found that 93 Austrian glaciers observed by the organization retreated by 23.9 meters (78.4 feet) on average last year, marking the third-biggest glacier melt since measurements began in 1891.

Two of the glaciers showed especially drastic declines, with the Pasterze shrinking by 203.5 meters and the Rettenbachferner by 127 meters.

The 2023 readings came after the worst year on record for glacier melt in Austria, with glaciers shrinking by 28.7 meters (94.2 feet) on average in 2022.

Faced with extreme warming in the Alps, glacial ice in Austria could largely disappear within 45 years, the Alpine Club warned, adding that restrictive climate protection measures were introduced too late.

"In 40 to 45 years, all of Austria will be pretty much ice-free," Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, head of the Alpine Club's glacier measurement service, told reporters on Friday.

The OeAV urged increased protection of glaciers as part of overall efforts to sustain biodiversity, noting that expansions of ski resorts had put Alpine regions "under constant pressure".

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), major glaciers worldwide suffered the largest loss of ice since records began in 1950, "driven by extreme melt in both western North America and Europe".

In Switzerland, where the WMO is based, Alpine glaciers have lost 10 percent of their volume in the past two years alone.

 2024 AFP
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Noise and constant human presence do not prevent blackbirds from nesting in urban environments. Blackbird nests under a pedestrian bridge in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. Credit: Andrea Santangeli

Currently 14% of the world's 11,000 bird species are threatened with extinction. A new study assessed the populations of bird species across a spectrum of landscapes from pristine habitats to human-dominated environments.

The study is published in Global Ecology and Biogeography, and was a joint effort of researchers from the University of Helsinki (Finland), Aarhus University (Denmark), University of St Andrews (UK), and the Institute for Mediterranean Studies (Spain). "Threatened species, and species with declining populations, are less tolerant to breeding in human-dominated habitats. For example, the Fern Wren, a species occurring only in tropical forests of northeastern Australia, is endangered, has a declining population and a very low tolerance to any human pressure," says Ph.D. Emma-Liina Marjakangas, leader of the study affiliated at both University of Helsinki in Finland and Aarhus University in Denmark.

However, not all species are as sensitive to living alongside humans. "Some species can tolerate even the most intense human pressures on all continents. Common Swifts are an example of such species that can be found breeding in urban areas all around the world," explains Marjakangas.

Following the UN's KunmingMontreal Global Biodiversity Framework, goals have been set to protect 30% of the Earth's land for conservation, but not much of that percentage will be pristine habitat.

"This study enables us to identify species that are particularly sensitive to human activity and need more protected habitats to thrive, for example the Great Snipe in Europe, the Nkulengu Rail in Africa and the Hume's Lark in Asia. Conservation action to protect or restore habitat can then be targeted towards the species and locations that need it most," explains senior curator Aleksi Lehikoinen from the Finnish Museum of Natural History at the University of Helsinki in Finland.

Europe and North America had higher proportions of human-tolerant bird species than Latin America and Africa did. Europe has a long history of environmental impacts spanning millennia, which, according to the researchers, may have resulted in historical disappearances of sensitive species and also in a long time frame for the remaining species to adapt to the gradually changing landscapes.

The researchers quantified tolerance to breeding in human-dominated environments for 6,000 bird species. The data on birds originated from citizen science observations from the eBird project from 20132021. The data on the extent of human impact was the Human Footprint Index that summarizes the combined pressures of built environments, human population density, night-time lights, agriculture and roads.

More information: EmmaLiina Marjakangas et al, Bird species' tolerance to human pressures and associations with population change, Global Ecology and Biogeography (2024). DOI: 10.1111/geb.13816 Journal information: Global Ecology and Biogeography
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A collaboration between two research teams with opposing perspectives found that, despite claims to the contrary, simply reminding people about the concept of accuracy improves the quality of information-sharing on both sides of the political aisle.

Both groupsone of which included Gordon Pennycook, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciencesconducted exhaustive analyses of 21 surveys of more than 27,000 people on liberal versus conservative ideology, including whether they voted for Donald Trump in previous presidential elections.

They found that "nudges" regarding the importance of accuracy reduced the sharing of misinformation, regardless of political affiliation. But half of the 70 models they employed suggested that the prompts were slightly less effective on those identifying as Republican and having voted for Trump (relative to Democrats and Clinton/Biden voters).

"Still, the one thing we found across all 70 analyses was that the effect is present among Republicans," said Pennycook, a co-author of "On the Efficacy of Accuracy Prompts Across Partisan Lines: An Adversarial Collaboration," which published March 20 in Psychological Science.

The research was spurred by a 2022 letter written to the editors of Psychological Science in response to earlier work by Pennycook. The letter was sent by a group led by Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology in society at the University of Cambridge and a co-author of the current work.

"Our primary concern was that their letter said 'little to no effect' among Republicans," Pennycook said. "People may take that to mean that it doesn't work for Republicans. But we found, in every single analysis, that it does."

Co-senior authors are van der Linden and David G. Rand, the Erwin H. Schell Professor and Professor of Management Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Pennycook said the idea for the "adversarial collaboration"typically research involving two groups with a theoretical disagreement, where that theory is tested by bothwas important given the other group's claim that accuracy prompts have little impact on Republicans.

"Most of the research looking at misinformation-sharing in the U.S. is about Republicansa lot of it is right-wing stuff," Pennycook said. "And so if accuracy-prompting doesn't work among Republicans, that really calls into question whether this intervention would actually be feasible to roll out at a large scale."

Other prior work has shown that reminding people of the importance of accuracy increases the quality of their news-sharing decisions, so the two groups agreed to analyze the same datasets in a multitude of ways.

The research teams were: Rand, Pennycook and lead author Cameron Martel, a doctoral student at MIT; and van der Linden, psychology professor Jay Van Bavel of New York University and Steve Rathje, postdoctoral researcher in psychology at NYU.

Study participants were presented with a set of actual true and false current news headlines, taken from social media and presented in the format of a Facebook post, and asked whether they would share the information online. All false headlines were from fact-checking sites such as snopes.com and factcheck.org; all true headlines came from mainstream news sources.

In 17 of the 21 experiments, participants were asked how socially and economically conservative or liberal they were. In two experiments, participants were asked how ideologically liberal or conservative they were; in the remaining two, participants were asked for their views on income equality and government's role in individuals' everyday lives.

Across 70 different modeling types and five accuracy-prompt treatments, the groups found that promptseven just subtle, unrelated reminders of the importance of the truthdid have an effect on information-sharing for both left- and right-leaning individuals. More specifically, they found that nudges decreased the sharing of falsehoods among Republicans by 3.3% to 14.6%. This was compared to a decrease in falsehood-sharing of 7.6% to 19.1% among Democrats.

Pennycook said the opposing group, based on the pre-analysis specifications they stated as being most central, mostly confirmed their original hypothesis: Accuracy prompts were less effective for Republicans than for Democrats. But overall, Pennycook said, the study showed that prompts improved the quality of information-sharing for both.

"We took the implication of their previous paper to be, essentially, that nudges don't work for Republicans; on this, at least, we agree that there is, in fact, a clear effect," Pennycook said. "However, it is pretty ambiguous whether the effect is genuinely smaller for Republicans than Democrats. On this, we did not really come to an agreement. In any case, if it is smaller, it's not to such a degree that it would be easy to detect."

More information: Cameron Martel et al, On the Efficacy of Accuracy Prompts Across Partisan Lines: An Adversarial Collaboration, Psychological Science (2024). DOI: 10.1177/09567976241232905 Journal information: Psychological Science
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Divers undertaking surveys at Scott Reef. Credit: Nick Thake

With marine heat waves of varying severity identified in Australian waters over the summer, a new study of a remote coral reef in the north-west has found that they can recover from bleaching events caused by heat waves, and other disturbances, as long as there is enough time.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)-led research was based on data gathered over the course of 30 years at the remote Scott Reefs, located between north-west WA and Indonesia.

It covered periods of disturbances including intense cyclones and mass bleaching in 2016 and 2017 caused by warm ocean temperatures.

The study found cycles of collapse and recovery, during which coral numbers crashed and then slowly regenerated.

AIMS coral scientist Dr. Luke Thomas said the finding offers a glimmer of hope for reefs.

"It speaks to the resilience of these ecosystems that there's this inherent ability to recover from disturbances," he said.

"The catch is that enough time needs to pass for them to recover.

"When bleaching events happen every year, as is forecast for the future, that's another story.

"If there are recurrent disturbances and the corals can't recoverthese ecosystems will collapse."

The research focused on reef-building Acropora corals, and included genetic studies that showed coral diversity was maintained over time, a key component of their resilience to climate change.

Dr. Thomas said the research is one of the most detailed coral monitoring studies in the world.

"It's one of the few datasets where we're not just looking at a single snapshot but at how disturbances impact coral populations over time," he said.

"Genetic diversity is the fuel for adaptation and of extreme importance to coral reefs, especially on remote systems like the Scott Reefs where populations are isolated from neighboring reefs and reliant on local larval sources to maintain healthy populations.

"The Scott Reefs allow us to understand fundamental processes in ecology and evolution in isolation. These lessons can then to applied to larger systems like the Great Barrier Reef."

Marine scientists have been preparing for a hot summer, with some ocean heat waves detected in northern Australian waters, driven by El Nino conditions, a positive Indian Ocean Dipole and climate change.

Dr. Thomas said Western Australia is home to some of the healthiest coral reefs in the world.

The health of places like the Scott Reefs are assisted by their isolation, benefiting from good water quality and relatively low levels of fishing, he explained.

But Dr. Thomas said the long-term prognosis for coral reefs is difficult with climate change-related disturbances predicted to increase.

"Our research speaks to the current resilience of these reef systems," he said.

"They're remarkablethey can handle a lot of pressure and a lot of disturbance. But climate change is approaching those tipping points where the corals won't be able to recover."

The paper is released as aerial surveys undertaken by AIMS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority have confirmed a fifth mass bleaching event since 2016 unfolding across the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The study was published in the journal Communications Biology.

More information: L. Thomas et al, Resilience to periodic disturbances and the long-term genetic stability in Acropora coral, Communications Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06100-0 Journal information: Communications Biology
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People tend to make more impulsive decisions if they think about time delays first, UCLA researchers have found. Changing how information is presented could lead to better choices. Credit: Susan Q. Yin/Unsplash

If you had to decide whether to receive $40 in seven days or $60 in 30 days, which would you choose? Your answer could have less to do with whether you are a patient or impatient person than with how the choice is presented, according to a new paper published in Nature Communications.

The research found that first revealing the time delayseven to 30 daysmade people tend to prefer the shorter-term, "impatient" option, while first revealing the greater reward of the 30-day option encouraged people to choose the "patient" option of waiting to receive more money. The amount of time allotted to decide also influences their choices, but not always in the way you might expect. In some cases, people were more patient when they had less time to decide.

"The takeaway message is that people can be impatient or exhibit a lack of self-control for many reasons," said corresponding author Ian Krajbich, an associate professor of psychology at UCLA. "It may in part reflect their true patience but it may also be due to attentional biases, like how prominently delay information is presented. Immediately focusing on the benefits of waiting might help people improve their self-control."

Krajbich, who studies the cognitive process by which people make choices, and colleagues at Zhejiang University and Hangzhou Normal University, led by Fadong Chen, asked a total of 353 college student volunteers to choose between patient and impatient alternatives, for example to receive $40 in seven days or $60 in 30 days, by clicking their choice on a computer screen while software tracked and recorded the movements of their mouse.

In some cases, participants had to make their decisions in two seconds, in others they had unlimited time or had to wait 10 seconds before choosing. At the end of the study, participants earned money based on one decision.

Whether the mouse shot straight to one of the options or wandered a little as the participant considered their options revealed the order in which they were considering dimensions of the task, and at what point in time their mouse movements were first influenced by either the delays or rewards.

More than half the participants patiently chose the "larger later" option regardless of time constraint:

Surprisingly, when given the least time to think about it, they made the most patient decisions. With just two seconds to choose, 65% opted for the "larger later" option.

With unlimited time, 59% chose the "larger later" option, as did only 54% of those who had to wait 10 seconds before choosing.

But participants who generally favored the "smaller sooner" options showed the opposite pattern, tending to prefer the "larger later" option when they had more time to think about it.

"If you're somebody who focuses on the rewards first, time pressure accentuates that and makes you more patient," Krajbich said. "And if you're a little impatient by nature and focus on delays first, time pressure magnifies that impatience. Time pressure has different effects for different people. It enhances inherent bias."

But the researchers found that they could manipulate that bias by changing how they presented information about the choices.

The researchers then repeated the experiments, but altered how the information was presented, sometimes revealing the delay first and sometimes revealing the rewards first. In these experiments, participants were allowed to make choices at various times, such as after seeing just one piece of information or after seeing them all.

These experiments revealed that when shown the rewards first, participants made more "larger later" choices. When the time delay was presented first, they made more "smaller sooner" choices. People were more patient when they saw rewards before delays.

Research on decision-making has shown that when people are making decisions, they have to evaluate their options over time because they often don't immediately know what to do. Because people have limited attention, they tend to focus on one dimension of the choice at a time.

In the experiments, these two dimensions were delay or reward, and participants tended to consider the amounts first and then the delays, but this varied across people. Those who were less patient in their choices were more likely to consider the delays first.

"If people consider amounts first, they're more likely to choose the patient option, and if they consider the delays first, they're more likely to choose the impatient option. If you're trying to get people to be more patient by getting them to slow down or speed up their decisions, you need to know which dimension they're going to focus on first. That will determine the appropriate intervention," Krajbich said.

The findings could be applied where people are being encouraged to make life choices that will benefit them in the long run, such as eating healthier, exercising or saving for retirement.

"You want to emphasize those future large rewards and try to deemphasize how long it's going to take," Krajbich said. "Try to have the reward information come first."

More information: Fadong Chen et al, Attribute latencies causally shape intertemporal decisions, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46657-2 Journal information: Nature Communications
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

When Americans mark their presidential election ballots later this year, immigration will be top of mindit's the nation's number one issue, according to pollster Gallup. And one of the toughest talkers on the topic is former president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. He's built his political career on calls to secure the border and defend America against what he says are immigration's dangers, warning of shrinking wages and stretched benefits programs. "When you have millions of people coming in," he recently told a crowd in Michigan, "they're going to take your jobs."

Immigrants stealing work from existing residents is a well-worn contentionwith a history stretching back at least 100 years right up to present-day accusations that Tyson Foods is replacing American workers with immigrant labor. But it's also a false one, according to Boston University economist Tarek Hassan, whose recent studies have shown that immigrants actually help fuel local economies by sparking innovation and driving up wages.

The effects of a migrant influx can last for decades, too, enhancing a region's attractiveness to foreign investors and opening long-term export opportunities, even 100 years later. Oftentimes, when immigrants move into an area, so do native workers, drawn by the promise of an invigorated economy.

In one recent paper, Hassan, a BU College of Arts & Sciences professor of economics, also showed that living near people from other countries can shift native views on people of foreign descent, decreasing hostility and prejudice, while boosting empathy and knowledge. Residents who live alongside those people may also be less likely to vote for political candidates who demonize them.

But there are important details that complicate the pictureat least from an economics perspective. Hassan's research has shown that not everyone benefits the same way from a rush of migration, and that may strike a chord with some of the millions of voters who want to stem the tide. Despite the overall positive effects to a community, the flow of new residents does nothing to boost the wages of existing workers who don't have a high school diploma. And the education and skill level of migrants matters, too: more education equals a more positive economic effect.

"The headline finding is that immigrants are good for local economic growth, and in particular, educated migrants are doing a lot of that," says Hassan. "At the same time, the data point to why some people might have problems with this. It's a lopsided story where the immigration we've experienced in the last 40 years has been disproportionately benefiting the more educated local population. We're trying to add some facts to the debate."

Immigration's impact on economic growth

Hassan's family story is one of migrationof crossing borders and navigating shifting national boundaries. "I come from a family with a rather complex migration history," says Hassan. His father was an immigrant to Germany from Egypt, his mother a refugee from East to West Germany. Hassan was raised in Germany, but moved to the United States for graduate school and has now lived here for nearly 20 years.

"You have to go back many generations to find somebody who was actually born in the same country they died in," he says of his family. "But I think that's true for a large chunk of the population."

He admits he finds the national debate on immigration frustrating. "There's very little interest in nuanced informationon both sides of the debate. There's this view among some people that all immigration is good and should be encouraged, and there's this other view that all immigration is terrible. There's not much interest in listening to each other."

With his research, he hopes to foster a more informed conversation.

In a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Hassan and his colleagues examined decades of US migration data to look at the impact of new arrivals on economic growth, wage levels, and innovation, which they measured through the number of new patents filed in a particular area. More new ideas, he says, generally means more new businesses and products.

"We find that when you have 10,000 extra immigrants arriving in a given US county, the number of patents filed per capita in that county dramatically increases, by something like 25 percent," he says. It was an effect that rippled out as far as 150 miles. The research team also estimated that since 1965, migration of foreign nationals to the US may have contributed to an additional 5% growth in wages. They're currently preparing the findings for journal publication.

"More immigrants creates more economic growth," says Hassan. "And because it creates more economic growth locally, it raises the wages of the people who are already there."

In an earlier paper, Hassan had looked at migration's impact over an even longer term: 100 years or more. With an international research team, he studied how the pull of one area for migrants from the same country could help attract foreign investment to that region for years afterward.

"You can still see today that places where Germans settled within the Midwest 100 years ago are much better at attracting foreign investment from Germany than places that didn't see that migration," says Hassan. The same is true for communities that had a concentration of Chinese or Polish migration, for example. "Ethnic diversity in that sense is really good for the ability of local firms to conduct business abroad, to both receive and make foreign investments."

Immigration fears

But what about those whose wages aren't getting an upgrade or whoto quote Trumpfear a wave of immigrants may threaten their way of life, bringing in "languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of" or "poisoning the blood of our country"?

"On average, the people who are most scared of immigration are typically the people who don't actually live in very ethnically diverse places," says Hassan.

In a study published in the American Economic Review, Hassan and his fellow researchers investigated how having neighbors of foreign descent, specifically Arab Muslims, shaped prejudices and attitudes. They surveyed more than 5,000 Americans about their contact with Arab Muslims and knowledge of Islam, and sifted through data on migration, charitable donations, implicit prejudice, and support for Trump and the so-called "Muslim ban."

Hassan and his colleagues found that living among a large Arab Muslim population decreased prejudice, reduced support for policies targeting Arab Muslims, and increased knowledge of Islam and Arab Muslimsit even resulted in people making more donations to charities supporting their neighbors' ancestral countries.

"Long-term exposure to people with a given ethnic background makes you more informed about them, maybe makes you like them more," says Hassan. "It also increases political support for concerns these minorities might have. It traces a lot of xenophobia to people who don't interact with people with foreign ancestry."

But he says his findings on which immigrants spark the biggest economic impact, and which domestic workers benefit from that boost, should perhaps prompt a discussion about where to focus immigration policies. President Joe Biden has suggested expanding access to family-based immigration, for example, but that might not be the best economic choice, according to Hassan.

"One thing to think about, particularly given our findings about the effects of high- versus low-skilled migration," he says, "is whether it's worth having a debate about how much of migration should be family-based versus skill-based."

More information: Leonardo Bursztyn et al, The Immigrant Next Door, American Economic Review (2024). DOI: 10.1257/aer.20220376 Journal information: American Economic Review
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This artists concept depicts the NEOWISE spacecraft in orbit around Earth. Launched in 2009 to survey the entire sky in infrared, the spacecraft took on a more specialized role in 2014 when it was reactivated to study near-Earth asteroids and comets. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

As the infrared space telescope continues its long-duration survey of the universe, it is creating a unique resource for future astronomers to make new discoveries.

NASA's NEOWISE mission has released its 10th year of infrared datathe latest in a unique long-duration (or "time-domain") survey that captures how celestial objects change over long periods. Time-domain astronomy can help scientists see how distant variable stars change in brightness and observe faraway black holes flaring as they consume matter. But NEOWISE has a special focus on our planet's local cosmic neighborhood, producing a time-domain infrared survey used for planetary science, with a particular emphasis on asteroids and comets.

Short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, NEOWISE is a key component of NASA's planetary defense strategy, helping the agency refine the orbits of asteroids and comets while also estimating their size. One such example is the potentially hazardous asteroid Apophis, which will make a close approach of our planet in 2029.

By repeatedly observing the sky from its location in low-Earth orbit, NEOWISE has made 1.45 million infrared measurements of over 44,000 solar system objects. That includes more than 3,000 NEOs, 215 of which the space telescope discovered. Twenty-five of those are comets, including the famous comet NEOWISE.

"The space telescope has been a workhorse for characterizing NEOs that may pose a hazard to Earth in the future," said Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE's principal investigator at the University of Arizona and University of California, Los Angeles. "The data that NEOWISE has generated for free use by the scientific community will pay dividends for generations."

From data to discovery

Managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the mission sends data three times a day to the U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) network, which then delivers it to IPAC, an astronomical data research center at Caltech in Pasadena, California. IPAC processes the raw data into fully calibrated images that are accessible online.

It also generates NEO detections, sending them to the Minor Planet Centerthe internationally recognized clearinghouse for the position measurements of solar system bodies. By searching multiple images of the same patch of sky at different times, scientists capture the motions of individual asteroids and comets.

This top-down animated view of the solar system shows the positions of all the asteroids and comets detected by NEOWISE in the decade since its reactivation in 2014. Credit: IPAC/Caltech/University of Arizona

"The science products we generate identify specific infrared sources in the sky with precisely determined positions and brightnesses that enable discoveries to be made," said Roc Cutri, lead scientist for the NEOWISE Science Data System at IPAC. "The most fun thing when I look at the data for the first time is knowing that no one has seen this before. It puts you in a unique position of doing real exploration."

IPAC will also produce data products for NASA's NEO Surveyor, which is targeting a launch no earlier than 2027. Managed by JPL, with Mainzer serving as principal investigator, the next-generation space survey telescope will seek out some of the hardest-to-find near-Earth objects, such as dark asteroids and comets that don't reflect much visible light but shine brighter in infrared light.

Two missions, one spacecraft

The NEOWISE spacecraft launched in 2009, but as a different mission and with a different name: the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, which set out to survey the entire sky. As an infrared telescope, WISE studied distant galaxies, comparatively cool red dwarf stars, exploding white dwarfs, and outgassing comets, as well as NEOs.

An infrared telescope requires cryogenic coolant to prevent the spacecraft's heat from disrupting its observations. After the WISE telescope's ran out of coolant and was no longer able to observe the universe's coldest objects, NASA put the spacecraft into hibernation in 2011.

But because the telescope could still detect the infrared glow of comets and asteroids as they are heated by the sun, Mainzer proposed to restart the spacecraft to keep an eye on them. The mission was reactivated in 2014 and renamed NEOWISE, extending the life of a spacecraft that was initially planned for less than a year of operation.

"We are 14 years into a seven-month mission," said Joseph Masiero, NEOWISE's deputy principal investigator and a scientist at IPAC. He started at JPL as a postdoctoral researcher working on WISE just two months before the spacecraft launched on Dec. 14, 2009. "This little mission has been with me my entire careerit just kept going, making new discoveries, helping us better understand the universe," Masiero added. "And if it wasn't for the tyranny of orbital dynamics, I'm sure the spacecraft would continue to operate for years to come."

Solar activity is causing NEOWISE to fall out of orbit, and the spacecraft is expected to drop low enough into Earth's atmosphere that it will eventually become unusable.

"NEOWISE has lasted way past its original spacecraft design lifetime," said Joseph Hunt, NEOWISE project manager at JPL. "But as we didn't build it with a way to reach higher orbits, the spacecraft will naturally drop so low in the atmosphere that it will become unusable and entirely burn up in the months following decommissioning. Exactly when depends on the sun's activity."

Provided by NASA
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Royal Research Ship (RSS) Discovery stopped at Azores, Portugal, for supplies during the 29th Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT29). The cruise departed from Southampton in the UK on October 13, 2019 and arrived at Punta Arenas in Chile on November 26, 2019, covering a meridional transect from approximately 50N to 50S. Credit: Bo Sha, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University

A new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, published in Science Advances, reveals that PFAS re-emit into the air from crashing ocean waves at levels comparable to or greater than other sources, establishing a cyclical transport process for these "forever chemicals" between land and sea.

"The common belief is that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, drain from the land into the oceans where they stay to be diluted into the deep oceans over the timescale of decades," said Ian Cousins, Professor at the Department of Environmental Science and co-author of the study. "But we've now demonstrated in multiple studies that there's a boomerang effect, and some of the toxic PFAS are re-emitted to air, transported long distances and then deposited back onto land."

Field experiments across the Atlantic Ocean conducted by co-authors Bo Sha, Post-doc at the Department of Environmental Science and Jana Johansson, former Researcher at the Department of Environmental Science, currently at Linkoping University, showed PFAS concentrations in air particles surpassing seawater concentrations by over 100,000 times. Subsequent global modeling estimated the re-emission, atmospheric transport, and deposition of PFAS to land.

"Jana (Johansson) and I worked intensively for two months on a ship conducting multiple field experiments with our custom-built sea spray simulator," explained Bo Sha, the main author of the study. "While our results are scientifically impactful, they are disconcerting, creating a lot of interest among scientists, regulators, and the public."

Bo Sha and Jana Johansson taking ocean water samples. At each of the 28 sampling stations, samples were taken from seven varying depths ranging from the surface down to 5 km. Credit: Bo Sha, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University

Jana Johansson operating the sea spray simulator onboard the RSS Discovery. Seawater was pumped onboard from the surrounding sea and through the sea spray simulator where sea spray aerosol was generated and sampled. Credit: Bo Sha, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University

PFAS impacting health in coastal regions

PFAS, characterized by their extreme persistence leading to their colloquial designation as "forever chemicals, "are associated with a variety of serious health conditions, including cancer, fertility issues, and compromised immune system function.

"In Denmark, scientists have compiled compelling evidence indicating that the sea serves as the primary source of PFAS along their west coast," explained Matthew Salter, Researcher at the Department of Environmental Science and co-author of the study. "This aligns with our expectations, as our study predicts that coastal regions bear the greatest impact."

More information: Bo Sha, Constraining global transport of perfluoroalkyl acids on sea spray aerosol using field measurements, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl1026. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl1026 Journal information: Science Advances
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

For Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time of increased personal spirituality and introspection. The hope is to draw closer to God.

The sacred month is also a time when Muslims in non-majority Muslim spaces become more visible to the wider public through collective activity such as fasting, communal prayer and breaking the fast together.

For a long time, discussions about these Ramadan practices in the UK were largely confined to mosques and community gatherings in person. They were also confined to Muslim online spaces, such as what people refer to as "Muslim Twitter".

Increasingly though, Ramadan content online has shifted towards the mainstream. This increased visibility allows Muslim ideas around faith, worship and community to be heard and more widely engaged with.

Everyday interactions

Research suggests that during Ramadan, Muslims are more frequently questioned about their religion and practices. Non-Muslims asking those who are fasting if it means "not even water" is such a common trope that the phrase has been satirized into a meme.

But the question speaks profoundly to the curiosity that Ramadan practices often elicit in everyday interactions that people who are not Muslim have with those who are. For the past three years, the BBC has run an eponymous podcast, Not Even Water, which explores experiences of Ramadan and debunks misconceptions. The 2024 season has covered people's first time fasting and their journey to faith as well as the many ways in which Eid festivities can vary.

Increased focus on equality and diversity in UK public institutions suggests this curiosity is to be expected. It is also spurred by local residents noting the heightened buzz of activity in mosques on Ramadan evenings and on social media.

Individual Muslims and organizations alike might welcome Ramadan by posting duas (words of prayer). The Welsh organization, Now in a Minute Media, devises a short video each year. Its 2024 offering, titled "The Son and the Moon", tells a story of intergenerational values through the theme of moonsighting and the Welsh countryside.

Mainstream venues and retail outlets are also, increasingly, developing sophisticated social media campaigns. They are eager to tap into the business potential Ramadan provides.

In 2024, the It's Not Ramadan Without campaign, led by Muslim media outlet Amaliah in partnership with Sainsbury's, has centered Muslim women foodies and content-creators. The fact that the retailer has chosen to financially support such a campaign suggests it sees value in the content Amaliah is producing and indeed value in promoting Ramadan to its customer base.

Many non-Muslim public figures, particularly politicians, now routinely share Ramadan greetings. This is often taken as an opportunity to showcase good relations with Muslim communities or to acknowledge their "contributions."

Digital tools

In some cases, as the evolution of the Ramadan Tent Project shows, online activity has been instrumental in bringing a project into the mainstream. Founded in 2013, this grassroots campaign has grown from a student-organized evening meal in central London to a nationwide bridge-building community project with an international presence.

During COVID lockdowns, social media users introduced the hashtag #myopeniftar to connect people breaking fast in isolation. This hashtag has continued to be used, even as the Ramadan Tent Project has shifted towards high-profile iftar events at landmark locations across the UK. Digital advertising, documentation and online streaming have allowed it to maintain its momentum and reach wider audiences. This, in turn, has fueled attendance and engagement with in-person activities.

The Ramadan Lights display in central London, which was introduced in 2023, is another salient example of how digital tools have been central to a project's growth, despite the tension and contestation it has also triggered.

Several right-wing commentators have expressed disquiet. Some have seen the lights as representing formal recognition of Islam from the London Mayor. Tim Dieppe, the head of public policy at the non-profit organization, Christian Concern, has said they disrespect Christianity. As such, the project has been subjected to populist scaremongering and Islamophobic sentiment.

Ramadan prioritizes personal spirituality and connection with God. It also inspires outreach to the wider community. Muslim-led platformssuch as Amaliah, Now in a Minute Media and the Ramadan Tent Projectfunction as what feminist sociologist Nancy Fraser calls "subaltern counterpublics". These are spaces in which marginalized groups organize in order to increase their voice in the wider public sphere.

Digital tools and social media in particular have allowed these counterpublics to promote their Ramadan messages to a broader audience including non-Muslims. They have granted Muslim voices greater visibility and greater agency, enabling believers to speak for themselves and on their own terms.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A student works on a lesson in a third grade class at Highland Heights Elementary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 in Houston. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

As the end of the school year approaches, Houston ISD students will begin to take a series of state standardized tests and other end-of-year assessments starting next week.

Unlike previous years, many of the districts students wont just be taking the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. HISD is also requiring thousands of students to take certain additional progress-monitoring exams this spring for the first time, such as the Measures of Academic Progress Growth assessment.

Heres what you need to know about some of the upcoming assessments that the districts K-12 students are scheduled to take before the school year ends:

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THE REPORT CARD: Subscribe to the Houston Chronicles weekly newsletter recapping HISD news

STAAR

The STAAR is a set of state-mandated, online exams that students take annually that are based on the state curriculum standards. High school students must pass five End-of-Course exams  Algebra I, English I, English II, biology, and U.S. history  to graduate.

Students test results contribute to campus A-F accountability ratings from the state, which the district must improve to end the state takeover. Houston ISD will also be evaluating teachers and school leaders based on student performance on the STAAR, with principals getting higher pay for better test scores.

High school students will take the English I exam on Thursday and the English II exam on April 16. Middle school students will take the reading test on April 16, while elementary school students will take the exam on April 17.

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Eighth graders will take the science STAAR on April 18, while high schoolers will take the U.S. history exam. On April 24, fifth graders will take the science STAAR, eighth graders will take the social studies exam, and high school students will take the biology exam.

Several students will take math assessments during the following week. Students in third through fifth grade will take the math STAAR on April 30, while middle school students will take it on May 1. The Algebra exam will also be held on May 1.

LESS STAAR PREP: Superintendent Miles discourages teachers from focusing on test preperation

NWEA MAP Growth

HISD introduced the Northwest Evaluation Associations Measures of Academic Progress Growth assessment for the first time this academic year to monitor student performance throughout the year. Students will take the national, adaptive exams in math, reading, language usage, and science three times during this academic year.

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The tests measure both academic achievement and growth using a RIT, or Rasch Unit, score ranging from 100 to 350. It also assigned students an achievement percentile that shows how they did compared with a norm group, which is a separate large group of diverse students who have also taken the test.

Students will take the math exam on May 14, the reading exam on May 15 and the science exam on May 16. All students in elementary and middle school will take the math assessment, while only students in second through eighth grade will take the reading and science assessments.

The upcoming assessments come after students took the beginning-of-year MAP exams in September and the middle-of-year exams in January.

DIBELS / Lectura

Along with the MAP Growth exams, the district also began implementing Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, or DIBELS, and mCLASS Lectura assessments in all elementary schools this year. The DIBELS is a brief literacy and dyslexia screening taken in English, while the mCLASS Lectura is taken in Spanish.

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The assessment measures students fluency with several topics, including letter naming, word reading, phonemic segmentation and basic comprehension. HISD uses the exam to collect early childhood data, monitor progress, (and) group students for interventions and support, according to its testing calendar.

All students in kindergarten and first grade will take the literacy screening from April 22 to May 10, in addition to students in second through fourth grade at schools outside the New Education System.

CIRCLE

The CIRCLE Assessment System is a series of online tests given to pre-kindergarten students throughout the year to track their progress on several topics such as rapid letter and vocabulary naming, early writing, mathematics, social and emotional development and phonological awareness.

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Caption:The flow of electrical current in the bottom crystalline slab (representing WTe2) breaks a mirror symmetry (shattered glass), while the material itself breaks the other mirror symmetry (cracked glass). The resulting spin current has vertical polarization that switches the magnetic state of the top 2D ferromagnet. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Globally, computation is booming at an unprecedented rate, fueled by the boons of artificial intelligence. With this, the staggering energy demand of the world's computing infrastructure has become a major concern, and the development of computing devices that are far more energy-efficient is a leading challenge for the scientific community.

Use of magnetic materials to build computing devices like memories and processors has emerged as a promising avenue for creating "beyond-CMOS" computers, which would use far less energy compared to traditional computers. Magnetization switching in magnets can be used in computation the same way that a transistor switches from open or closed to represent the 0s and 1s of binary code.

While much of the research along this direction has focused on using bulk magnetic materials, a new class of magnetic materialscalled two-dimensional van der Waals magnetsprovides superior properties that can improve the scalability and energy efficiency of magnetic devices to make them commercially viable.

Although the benefits of shifting to 2D magnetic materials are evident, their practical induction into computers has been hindered by some fundamental challenges. Until recently, 2D magnetic materials could operate only at very low temperatures, much like superconductors. So bringing their operating temperatures above room temperature has remained a primary goal. Additionally, for use in computers, it is important that they can be controlled electrically, without the need for magnetic fields.

Bridging this fundamental gap, where 2D magnetic materials can be electrically switched above room temperature without any magnetic fields, could potentially catapult the translation of 2D magnets into the next generation of "green" computers.

A team of MIT researchers has now achieved this critical milestone by designing a "van der Waals atomically layered heterostructure" device where a 2D van der Waals magnet, iron gallium telluride, is interfaced with another 2D material, tungsten ditelluride. In an open-access paper published in Science Advances, the team shows that the magnet can be toggled between the 0 and 1 states simply by applying pulses of electrical current across their two-layer device.

"Our device enables robust magnetization switching without the need for an external magnetic field, opening up unprecedented opportunities for ultra-low power and environmentally sustainable computing technology for big data and AI," says lead author Deblina Sarkar, the AT&T Career Development Assistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab and Center for Neurobiological Engineering, and head of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research group. "Moreover, the atomically layered structure of our device provides unique capabilities including improved interface and possibilities of gate voltage tunability, as well as flexible and transparent spintronic technologies."

Sarkar is joined on the paper by first author Shivam Kajale, a graduate student in Sarkar's research group at the Media Lab; Thanh Nguyen, a graduate student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE); Nguyen Tuan Hung, an MIT visiting scholar in NSE and an assistant professor at Tohoku University in Japan; and Mingda Li, associate professor of NSE.

The Future of Spintronics: Manipulating Spins in Atomic Layers without External Magnetic Fields Credit: Deblina Sarkar

Breaking the mirror symmetries

When electric current flows through heavy metals like platinum or tantalum, the electrons get segregated in the materials based on their spin component, a phenomenon called the spin Hall effect, says Kajale. The way this segregation happens depends on the material, and particularly its symmetries.

"The conversion of electric current to spin currents in heavy metals lies at the heart of controlling magnets electrically," Kajale notes. "The microscopic structure of conventionally used materials, like platinum, have a kind of mirror symmetry, which restricts the spin currents only to in-plane spin polarization."

Kajale explains that two mirror symmetries must be broken to produce an "out-of-plane" spin component that can be transferred to a magnetic layer to induce field-free switching. "Electrical current can 'break' the mirror symmetry along one plane in platinum, but its crystal structure prevents the mirror symmetry from being broken in a second plane."

In their earlier experiments, the researchers used a small magnetic field to break the second mirror plane. To get rid of the need for a magnetic nudge, Kajale and Sarkar and colleagues looked instead for a material with a structure that could break the second mirror plane without outside help. This led them to another 2D material, tungsten ditelluride.

The tungsten ditelluride that the researchers used has an orthorhombic crystal structure. The material itself has one broken mirror plane. Thus, by applying current along its low-symmetry axis (parallel to the broken mirror plane), the resulting spin current has an out-of-plane spin component that can directly induce switching in the ultra-thin magnet interfaced with the tungsten ditelluride.

"Because it's also a 2D van der Waals material, it can also ensure that when we stack the two materials together, we get pristine interfaces and a good flow of electron spins between the materials," says Kajale.

Becoming more energy-efficient

Computer memory and processors built from magnetic materials use less energy than traditional silicon-based devices. And the van der Waals magnets can offer higher energy efficiency and better scalability compared to bulk magnetic material, the researchers note.

The electrical current density used for switching the magnet translates to how much energy is dissipated during switching. A lower density means a much more energy-efficient material.

"The new design has one of the lowest current densities in van der Waals magnetic materials," Kajale says. "This new design has an order of magnitude lower in terms of the switching current required in bulk materials. This translates to something like two orders of magnitude improvement in energy efficiency."

The research team is now looking at similar low-symmetry van der Waals materials to see if they can reduce current density even further. They are also hoping to collaborate with other researchers to find ways to manufacture the 2D magnetic switch devices at commercial scale.

More information: Shivam N. Kajale et al, Field-free deterministic switching of allvan der Waals spin-orbit torque system above room temperature, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk8669 Journal information: Science Advances

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
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: Google LLC

The rapid progress of quantum simulators is now enabling them to study problems that before have been limited to the domain of theoretical physics and numerical simulation. A team of researchers at Google Quantum AI and their collaborators showed this novel capability by studying dynamics in 1D quantum magnets, specifically chains of spin-12 particles.

They investigated a statistical mechanics problem that has been the focus of attention in recent years: Could such a 1D quantum magnet be described by the same equations as snow falling and clumping together?

It seems strange that the two systems would be connected, but in 2019, researchers at the University of Ljubljana found striking numerical evidence that led them to conjecture that the spin dynamics in the spin-12 Heisenberg model are in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class, based on the scaling of the infinite-temperature spin-spin correlation function.

The KPZ equation was originally introduced to describe the stochastic, nonlinear dynamics of driven interfaces and has proven to apply to a wide range of classical systems, such as growing fronts of forest fires, that belong to the KPZ universality class. It would be surprising if the spin-12 Heisenberg model were in this universality class, as conjectured by the researchers at Ljubljana, because it is linear and non-stochastic, unlike the other systems in this class.

In 2022, quantum simulations started shedding light on this question with cold atoms experiments carried out by researchers at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Quantenoptik. By studying the relaxation of an initial imbalance of the magnetic spins, they found experimental evidence in support of this conjecture, which was published in Science in 2022.

To further explore spin dynamics in this model, the Google collaboration leveraged the ability of their superconducting quantum processor to quickly acquire large amounts of experimental data, allowing for a detailed study of the underlying statistics.

Specifically, using a chain of 46 superconducting qubits, they measured the probability distribution of how many spins crossed the center of the chain, a quantity known as the transferred magnetization. The mean and variance of this distribution showed behavior consistent with being in the KPZ universality class, in full agreement with the findings of the Max-Planck-Institut group.

Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain. Credit: Google LLC

It was only when they carefully examined the third (skewness) and fourth (kurtosis) moments of the transferred magnetization that they found clear deviations from the predictions for the KPZ universality class, indicating that the conjecture does not hold on the timescales probed in the experiment.

Generally, measuring the distribution of a stochastic variable with sufficient precision such that the higher moments can be resolved with sufficient signal to noise is extremely challenging; it needs rapid sampling, high level of control, and, for quantum processors, quantum coherence. This work, published in Science on April 5 2024, excellently represents the current exciting era of quantum simulation, in which quantum processors allow for deepening our understanding of novel physical phenomena.

More information: E. Rosenberg et al, Dynamics of magnetization at infinite temperature in a Heisenberg spin chain, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adi7877 Journal information: Science

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A true colour image from Himawari-8 geostationary satellite showing the study area and an example of closed and open honeycomb-like MCC clouds (mesoscale cellular convection) over the Southern Ocean. Credit: Tahereh Alinejadtabrizi / npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

The Southern Ocean is renowned for having the cleanest air on Earth. But the precise reasons why have remained a mystery, until now.

There's more to it than just a lack of human activity. Yes, there are fewer people down there using industrial chemicals and burning fossil fuels. But there are natural sources of fine particles too, such as salt from sea spray or dust whipped up by the wind.

Regardless of origin, fine solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in air are known as "aerosols". We consider clean air to have low levels of aerosols, without discriminating between natural or industrial sources.

Our recent research, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, has discovered clouds and rain play a crucial role in scrubbing the atmosphere clean.

Understanding the role of clouds and rain

Aerosol levels over the Southern Ocean are influenced by a range of factors. These include the amount of salt spray and seasonal variation in the growth of tiny plant-like organisms called phytoplankton, which are a source of airborne sulfate particles.

Fewer sulfates are produced during winter, which is when the air over the Southern Ocean is most pristine.

But that's not the full story. The Southern Ocean is also the cloudiest place on Earth. It experiences short-lived, sporadic showers like nowhere else. We wanted to understand the role of clouds and rain in cleaning the air.

The biggest barrier to understanding these processes has always been the lack of high-quality observations of clouds, rainfall and aerosols in this poorly observed region of the world.

Thankfully, a new generation of satellites allows us to study images of clouds in unprecedented detail. We developed a computer program to recognize different cloud patterns over a vast area of the Southern Ocean.

In particular we were on the lookout for distinctive honeycomb-shaped patterns in the cloud field. These honeycomb-like clouds are of great interest because they have a major role in regulating the climate.

When the honeycomb cell is filled with cloud or "closed" it is whiter and brighter, reflecting more sunlight back to space. So these clouds help keep the Earth cool.

Empty or "open" honeycomb cells, on the other hand, let more sunlight in.

These intricacies remain a source of error in modeling the Earth's climate because they are not being properly included. It's important to get the balance of open and closed cells right, or the results can be way off.

Whether the honeycomb cells are open or closed also relates to the amount of rainfall they can produce.

The world-famous atmospheric gas monitoring station at Kennaook/Cape Grim on the north-west tip of Tasmania. Credit: CSIRO

The cells are big enough to be seen from space, around 40-60km in diameter. So we can study them using satellite images.

Our research is particularly timely given this month's launch of a cloud and precipitation experiment at Kennaook/Cape Grim in Tasmania. It aims to get higher resolution data on clouds, rain and sunlight.

Scrubbing aerosols out of the sky

We compared the honeycomb cloud patterns with measurements of aerosols from the Kennaook/Cape Grim observatory and also with the Bureau of Meteorology's rainfall observations from a nearby rain gauge.

Our results showed days with the cleanest air were associated with the presence of open honeycomb cloud. We think this is because these clouds generate sporadic but intense rain showers, which seem to "wash" the aerosol particles out of the air.

It's somewhat counter-intuitive, but it turns out the open cells contain more moisture and produce more rain than the fluffy white closed cells filled with cloud. We found the open honeycomb clouds produce six times as much rain as the closed ones.

So what looks like less cloudy weather by satellite actually triggers the most effective rain showers for washing the aerosols out. Whereas the filled or closed honeycomb pattern, which looks cloudier, is less effective. That was one of the more surprising aspects of our findings.

We found the empty honeycombs to be far more common during the winter months, when the air is cleanest.

We also wanted to know what makes cloud fields look the way they do. Our analysis suggests large-scale weather systems control the pattern of the cloud field. As unruly storms track across the Southern Ocean, they produce these open and closed cells.

Fresh air and better climate models

Our research has added a new piece to the puzzle of why the Southern Ocean has the world's cleanest air. Rainfall is the key, especially rain from these clear, open honeycomb cell-type clouds. We were first to discover they are truly responsible for cleaning up all the air flowing over the Southern Ocean.

These honeycomb patterns are also found in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific regions during winter. So our work will also help explain how these clouds remove aerosols including dust and pollution in these locations. And our findings will help improve climate models, enabling more accurate predictions.

Rain scrubs the aerosols out of the sky in much the same way as a washing machine acts to clean clothes.

After the cold front comes through, the air is clean. If you're wintering on the south coast of Australia, you can breathe in the benefits as this fresh air comes in off the Southern Ocean.

We would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of CSIRO, ANSTO and the Bureau of Meteorology to this research.

More information: T. Alinejadtabrizi et al, Wet deposition in shallow convection over the Southern Ocean, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41612-024-00625-1 Journal information: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c17113

Scientists at NPL worked with Diamond Light Source to publish a study that shows how the chemistry of human cells changes, depending on the structure of their extracellular niche, are major determinants of cell responses and development pathways. The paper is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The human body undergoes renewal by specializing "blank" cellstermed stem cellsinto primary cells organized into tissues according to their environment. The environment is created by extracellular matrices or scaffolds on which cells build up tissues and organs.

Cell responses to these matrices provide performance metrics that are critical for the development of cell-based diagnostics and therapies. Some of the important metrics are obtained using microscopy and biological assays, which, however, fail to capture the chemistry of cells and how it changes at different cell-matrix interfaces.

This shortcoming continues to hamper progress in health care and technology innovation, as chemistry is the direct reflection of cellular processes responsible for tissue growth and repair.

Scientists at NPL set out to address this gap by recording InfraRed maps of human primary and stem cells grown on native and synthetic matrices.

InfraRed spectroscopy can access virtually all chemical information available in the cell but cannot tell the cell from its matrix or recognize different parts of the same cell. Therefore, a correlative approach involving the use of physical imaging, provided by light and atomic force microscopy, to guide chemical spectra was necessary.

To achieve this, NPL collaborated with beamline scientists at Diamond Light Source, biologists from Sheffield and London Colleges and data expertise from Cambridge. Together, they developed a spectral imaging approach which not only allowed them to obtain chemical maps of single cells but also to cross-compare their chemistry signatures in response to matrices exhibiting distinct physical properties.

Their study also demonstrates the efficiency of correlative measurements to explain cell behavior at cell-matrix interfaces in 2D, as well as the need to develop analogous and more advanced methodologies to measure cell-matrix interfaces in 3D, pathing a way to impact for health care and solutions towards human tissue regeneration.

Max Ryadnov, NPL Fellow, said, "The study was an exciting collaboration which provided us with important insights into how the chemical make-up of human cells correlates with the physical changes of the molecular scaffolds that support their growth and development. The study also informed next steps in our developments focusing on correlative measurements of living biological systems."

More information: Emiliana De Santis et al, Hyperspectral Mapping of Human Primary and Stem Cells at CellMatrix Interfaces, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c17113 Journal information: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
New York State Police are investigating the death of an infant in the Village of South Glens Falls.

Emergency Services responded to a South Glens Falls home on April 2, at about 11:30 a.m., after a 911 call reported an unresponsive infant, Trooper Stephanie ONeil told The Post-Star.

The child was rushed to Glens Falls Hospital where all life-saving measures were taken, but were unsuccessful, ONeil said.

The state police are investigating, first to determine the cause of death. Once that is confirmed the investigation will continue if needed, ONeil said.

Neither the name nor address is being released as the investigation is ongoing and involves a minor, ONeil said.

This is a developing story, and we will have more as events warrant.
Lindsey Hanes, a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics teacher at Dr. George Blackman School of Excellence, wanted to see if the five elementary students huddled around her had been listening.

She began: "The biggest takeaway from the eclipse is the moon is passing in front of ... "

"The sun!" the young "engineers" finished in unison.

The cluster of students in George Blackman's STEAM Lab last week worked together to mimic an eclipse. Their setup was clever: two flashlights shined behind a large orange Styrofoam ball that students dubbed "the Cheeto Bowl"  or the sun  whose rays were blocked from reaching Earth, a small globe perched on a mason jar, by the moon  an ornament-like bulb dangling from a string.

Teachers across Western New York have already explained to students the basics of the solar eclipse that will take place Monday. Their work in the classroom has laid the foundation for parents or other family members to guide kids through a once-in-a-lifetime event. The most exciting four minutes for Western New Yorkers will begin with the onset of totality at 3:18 p.m., but the spectacle, as a whole, will last more than two hours.

Charles Fulco, NASA outreach coordinator for the solar eclipse and a University at Buffalo alum, said enjoyment of the event doesn't begin and end with grownups. His mission as unofficial eclipse hype man has homed in on educating schoolchildren on eclipse science and how to properly take in the marvel.

NASA's motto is: "No child left inside."

Parents and guardians are key. Their responsibility will be to help kids adhere to safety rules as the eclipse unfolds, and create a memorable environment  with a clear view of the eclipse  that might take a little preparation.

This is a special and rare natural occurrence, Hanes stressed repeatedly to her students.

"Are we going to be alive and in Buffalo the next time there's a total solar eclipse?" she asked her students at George Blackman. Her question was met with murmurs of "no," sprinkled in with a few cautious "maybes."

"Unless something magical happens with science, probably not," she said. The next total solar eclipse in the region will take place in 2144.

Safety first

The permanent damage the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause to retinas is a real concern, a medical expert from the University at Buffalo told The Buffalo News, which Fulco said is a fear he has heard from parents.

For those without eclipse glasses or those looking to exercise caution, he suggested projecting the eclipse, with the sun shining over the viewer's shoulder, through the holes of a colander and onto a blank sheet of paper. Instructions to create a pinhole camera out of an empty oatmeal box are available under the education tab on NASA's website at nasa.gov.

For those with special glasses, there's no reason for fear, as long as children keep them on as the eclipse unfolds and recedes, the expert said.

It is possible during the few minutes of totality to watch without them.

"It's perfectly safe to look at the eclipse for all grade levels, if you do it right," Fulco said.

The entire Buffalo Public Schools' population took home certified eclipse glasses, courtesy of SUNY Buffalo State University, before spring break started this week. The Buffalo Museum of Science and the Erie County public library system, among others, have given out glasses for free.

NASA recommends wearing them until the sun is totally blocked by the moon. Seeing a diamond ring shape on the edge of the moon is a cue that totality is mere seconds away. It's impossible, agency experts say, to appreciate full totality with the glasses still on.

For kids who have not yet started kindergarten, parents will know best the risk that they will remove their eclipse glasses and look directly at the sun. They should plan accordingly.

Smart preparation

Visiting an eclipse-watching site in advance is wise, can reduce day-of stress and be done as a family, Fulco said. Perhaps on Sunday, the sunnier forecast of the weekend, walk or bike to a nearby open field at about 3 p.m. and look toward the sun. It will be in roughly the same position during the eclipse.

It is an ideal dress rehearsal for kids, who can practice proper safety measures. Check to make sure your eclipse glasses are not damaged, then put them on and look at the sun. Can it be seen easily? If it is crowded Monday, are there alternative areas nearby that would be strong backup plans? An "unobscured horizon" to the southwest is ideal, Fulco said.

For families attending eclipse-watching events or visiting city or state parks, the billboards on Buffalo's highways lend sage advice: "Arrive early, stay late."

As an eclipse-chaser, Fulco knows from experience why regions close schools for Eclipse Day. He urges employees to work from home. He also holds doubts with those approaches.

"I have mixed feelings about schools closing," Fulco said. "I wish science teachers could be with the kids."

Eclipse Day advice for families

Fulco discouraged kids and adults from getting consumed with trying to take the perfect picture of the eclipse with their smartphones. Without expensive equipment and advanced photography skills, photos of totality will not turn out well.

Instead, he suggested spending the four minutes listening to the emotional reactions of the people nearby, reacting to the immediate changes in temperature, feeling the sudden breeze and paying attention to how birds and other creatures respond to the unexpected darkness. Those memories will last a lifetime, he said, not an out-of-focus, over-exposed moon.

"It's an unforgettable experience," Fulco said.

Even before spring break, Buffalo students were eager to share their eclipse experience with loved ones.

"I'm excited because I'm going to be with my family members, and some of my family members I haven't seen in a long time," said Lanay Williams, a third grader at George Blackman.

Childlike exuberance

Buffalo students were fully engaged with the eclipse props in the STEAM Lab. They were staggeringly fast in reciting the basics. Zunaed Affan, a second grader at George Blackman, didn't want to concede his role of holding the flashlight.

When was the last eclipse? "1925," said Jayvynn Haynes, a fourth grader.

When Hanes, the STEAM instructor, mulled out loud whether she had forgotten to recap any major points, Williams said, "Are you forgetting about the solar eclipse corona?" The elementary student knew the corona was the crown of illuminated plasma, the sun's outer atmosphere, that will peek out from behind the moon at full totality.

Balancing their sharp handle on facts were more tangential questions  which will not come as a surprise to teachers.

"If we were on a different planet, would we still be able to see the solar eclipse?"

"Can you see the Milky Way?"

"So you're trying to say Mercury and Venus are smaller than us?"

Hanes welcomed that curiosity.

"When they're starting to generate all these questions that may or may not be relevant to the eclipse itself, it is still giving them the opportunity to learn more about outer space, our planet and how these systems work together," she said.

Judging by students' answers to what excited them about the eclipse, a simple message had been grasped: This is a special occasion.
Only two things stand between the Kinkaid School and its future: 450,000 Old Texas bricks in color Rosio Buff and $42 million more in funding.

The private school nestled on 34.5 acres in Piney Point Village is in the midst of a historic $180 million fundraising campaign, the largest of any private school in this region of the United States, according to the school's Director of Advancement, Tom Moore.

Essentially, this is our final master plan for Kinkaid campus. Literally every division and every department of the school is going to be impacted by this project, said Head of School Jonathan Eades, with construction on the new upper school well underway outside his office window.

Children walk between classes as construction continues on a campus expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

The "All In" campaign is being called a legacy project for the school, which was founded in 1904 by Margaret Kinkaid. It should carry the school up to 100 years into the future, leadership has said. Their last campaign, which totaled $47 million, finished in 2003.

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The four-year campaign that began in October 2022 is already three-quarters to its goal. Kinkaid joined an elite group of less than three dozen independent schools in the National Association of Independent Schools who have ever raised at least $100 million in a single fundraising campaign.

Moore said he and the volunteer committee are confident that they will reach the $180 million goal by fall 2026, meeting almost every day with families and potential donors (whom he stipulated must already have some connection to Kinkaid, as is protocol for private school fundraisers).

Kinkaid already has a considerable endowment of $130 million, allowing nearly $4.5 million to be budgeted for financial aid this fiscal year, including support for tuition, computers, books, meals, uniforms and school supplies. Applications are need-blind at the school, meaning deserving students are admitted regardless of if their families can afford full tuition, which will increase 5% to $35,340 for 2024-25.

About 10% of Kinkaid's 1,469 students receive financial aid.

A model shows a planned campus expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Men work as construction continues on a campus expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Students work Monday, April 1, 2024, in the Katz Center for the Performing Arts at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Portraits of former teachers line the walls in a library Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A cabin is seen Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. School administrators explained that the cabin was on the land when it was purchased in the 1950s. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Adding new programs

The bulk of the campaign, $143 million, will build a new upper school, an administration building and a field house, and $8 million will be divided among several new programs, including the Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Finance; the Center for Wellbeing and Success; and the Center for STEM. An additional $8 million will be used to expand financial aid and endow faculty positions and $21 million will go toward long-term economic sustainability.

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The new upper school will be double the size of the previous one that was torn down in September. That building, constructed in 1957, had exceeded its useful life, Eades said. Alumni, students and teachers surveyed felt the classrooms were built for an outdated educational model, not with collaboration, movement and creativity in mind.

The day of the teacher is the sage on the stage up front with pupils in neat little rows is a little bit dated, Eades said.

Tom Moore, director of advancement, talks about a campus expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

The two-story half-circle high school will be connected by skyways to other buildings on campus and will feature natural light, private study rooms and larger, more flexible classrooms, Eades said, all to maximize learning potential.

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With a project this size, the leadership has to think far into the future and ensure they maximize the current footprint of campus. After this campaign is complete, any new expansion or development would mean additional acreage or a new plot altogether.

In a school thats already forward-thinking (they are proud owners of an anatomage table for virtual dissection that they use in the lower, middle and upper school curriculum), they have to think even farther into an educational world with more virtual reality, artificial intelligence and other advanced learning technologies.

We're designing science labs for the future, and making sure that we're visionary, and we're forward thinking, so that five to 10 years from now we're not going to say, Oh, we were kind of short-sighted, Eades said.

Construction continues on an expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

This has involved looking at private schools and universities across Texas and even the U.S. to see what long-lasting educational construction should look like on their campus. The new two-story STEM center will house a makerspace to support their new Shark Tank-like experience for students, which could involve a $20,000 commitment from investors brought in from outside the school to support entrepreneurial projects. The Shark Tank experience will be part of the Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Finance, an idea borne from alumni who felt like Kinkaid prepared them for college (100% of their students are accepted to a four-year institution), but didn't provide adequate business acumen.

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Part of this program that began this year, which is optional but highly encouraged for students, consists of a project where students have to pitch investments to the endowment board, and if they are accepted, they will have the opportunity to create and manage a specialized investment portfolio for $100,000 of Kinkaids endowment, providing quarterly progress reports.

There are not a lot of schools that are doing that. It's not the old stock market game its a real life application, Eades said.

Students move between classes Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Beyond preparing students for STEM and business careers, leadership is doubling down on the commitment to mental health and students' wellbeing.

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The center will increase the counseling and other services already offered on campus, and will also seek to make the connection between wellbeing and success, and how in some ways, wellbeing is success, Eades said. The center was originally going to be for wellbeing and "student success," but leadership decided to drop the word "student" so they can commit to providing programming for parents. They are planning lessons on how to approach raising children in the modern day, with topics like online safety and social media. Plus, the center will also provide programming and mental health support for staff.

It's hard being a teacher these days in a charged environment, and a lot is asked of them, Eades said. We want to make sure we're taking care of our faculty."

Jonathan Eades, head of school, poses for a portrait as construction continues behind him on a campus expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Growing Pains

With construction of this scope, there were bound to be some growing pains, although the administration has worked to reduce them. Upper school students moved out of the previous building after the 2022-2023 school year, and relocated to a temporary upper school (referred to as TUS). Once the new upper school is finished, TUS will be used for lower school classrooms, a greenhouse, outdoor art space and administrative offices.

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And for two years, there won't be a senior center on campus, which upset some upperclassmen, according to current sophomore Jack Susman, 16. He said the senior center was a perk that many Kinkaid students, including his older siblings, looked forward to.

Throughout high school, everyone's pretty split apart but like, once you have that common ground to meet with everyone, I guess it just brings your grade together. I mean, that's what I've heard, he said.

Jack will luckily have access to the new senior center when the upper school is complete, he said, so he's personally more saddened about losing the former upper school library. He recently wrote an opinion piece for the school newspaper about his peers missing the library, saying it had an "old vibe" to it and everyone pretty much loved the space. He hopes to get some of these "hangout spaces" back when the new building is complete, he said.

Students signatures adorn a metal beam as construction continues on a campus expansion Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Jack said that despite this, the new upper school will be much nicer than the previous building, and hes excited to be the first class that graduates after its complete.

I'm going to feel special being a part of that, Jack said. It'll be like a full-circle moment, like starting in lower school and being a part of something that big will be nice.

Another student journalist, Zoe An, 15, who joined for the Rory Gilmore experience, said she is excited for the new building, too, but she was sad that as a current freshman she didnt get to experience the old upper school building.

The former Kinkaid Upper School pictured before it was torn down in September 2023. Courtesy of Kinkaid School The former Kinkaid Upper School pictured before it was torn down in September 2023. Courtesy of Kinkaid School Harrison House at Kinkaid School pictured here before it was torn down as part of the "All-In" construction campaign. David Shutts Photography, Courtesy of Kinkaid School

In middle school, every time wed get a small chance to walk by the upper school, we did and thought it was super cool, Zoe said. It was a loss  or an "L," as she put it  that they tore the building down before she and her peers were able to go there, she said.

In the meantime, students must walk a lot more, and the temporary upper school, while nice and new, doesnt have as much personality, she said. In anticipation of the new campus, Zoe looks at the 3D model of the new school in the student life building anytime she gets a chance.

Shes also hopeful that the school will support increased diversity. She said she's the only Asian girl in her grade, and she hopes that the new center for wellbeing will provide increased support for diverse students.

A woman walks down a hallway Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Moderate enrollment increase

The scope of construction may be large, but the school isn't planning a huge enrollment increase as a result. The current figures project a 7-8% increase over 14 years, officials said. This is somewhat on purpose to ensure that the classes remain small and that students can continue to get the academic and extracurricular experiences the school currently offers.

This moderate increase doesn't match the growing demand, though. Between last year and this year, applications are up 6%, and in the past couple years, theyre up 8%, according to director of admissions Iris Bonet.

We have a very large theater, and just even for me the eyeball test when we do open houses, I mean, it's filled with people who are eager to learn about the school, which is exciting, Eades said.

This is in part due to the historical moment of the campaign, Eades said. But it may have to do with surrounding factors, too.

Jackie Ciconte, a physical education coach and field hockey program head, teaches her students Monday, April 1, 2024, at the Kinkaid School in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

In Houstons largest public school district, HISD, 6,000 students left after the state takeover, creating a ripple effect of increased enrollment to charters, suburban ISDs and both religious and non-religious private schools across the city.

Then theres the issue of state public school funding, which has not seen an increase in daily student allotment since 2019, and is currently $4,000 below the nationwide funding per student average.

Kinkaids next-door neighbor, Spring Branch ISD, recently announced plans to cut $35 million from its operating budget, which resulted in a mass-firing of librarians, school closures and eliminating beloved programs. Parents are now pitching in their own funds to keep some of these programs alive.

Eades is aware of the pitfalls facing the educational system outside Kinkaids Old Texas Rosio Buff brick walls, but it reminds him to be grateful for the resources the school has at its disposal.

It's a commentary on how fortunate we are at Kinkaid and the passion that our students and alumni feel for this place, Eades said. (This campaign) is one of the more humbling and thrilling things I've been a part of in my professional career.
Authorities say theyve dismantled the largest dog fighting ring in New Jersey history in Cumberland County, seizing more than 100 dogs and charging eight people.

The rings alleged leader had a reputation as one of the top dog-fighters in the country, authorities said, and he and his trainers regularly tortured and abused the dogs to prepare them to fight to their deaths for profit.

The dogs found on the property this week tell their own story, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Friday morning during a news conference. We know that on multiple instances, dogs were strapped to an ATV and forced to run at speeds as high as 14 mph for as long as an hour. All of this was done so the perpetrators of these acts can line their profits.

Bruce Low Jr., 44, of the Milmay section of Buena Vista Township, was charged with racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering, corporate misconduct, leading a dog fighting network, promoting organized crime, dog fighting, animal cruelty, falsifying records and identity theft.

Lows mother, Terri, 67, and son, Bryce Low, 20, both of Maurice River Township, were each charged with racketeering.

Roosevelt Hart, 29, of Milmay, identified as Low Jr.s son-in-law; Coy Glenn Dickenson, 58, of Maurice River; Travis J. Garron, 38, of Port Elizabeth in Maurice River; Mark A. Runkle, 42, of Maurice River; and William McClinton, 68, of Maurice River, were also charged with racketeering.

The state Division of Criminal Justice, State Police and the U.S. Department of Agriculture searched two properties Wednesday on Route 49 in Cumberland County and one in Atlantic County as part of a two-year investigation into the dog fighting network.

It is a cruel and barbaric practice that must never be tolerated, Platkin said. Make no mistake, our agencies are committed to investigating dog fighting and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Leader of alleged Galloway cockfighting ring ordered held A Galloway Township man who allegedly ran a cockfighting operation out of his home was ordered held in jail Tuesday until trial.

Stephen Freketic, director of the Division of Criminal Justice, said Low Jr. was the ringleader and used the businesses Royal Bull Kennels and a construction company, Kisdir Group, to buy and sell fighting dogs, train other breeders dogs and launder money.

Low Jr.s dogs were highly sought after in the dogfighting world, and he was ranked as one of the top five dog-fighters in the country, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Court documents allege Low Jr. told an undercover officer in February that he did 61 fights in 2023 and mentioned the numerous employees he hired to care for and train the dogs.

Some of his employees, including Dickenson, were well-known trainers. Suspected blood and wood used to construct pits for dog fights were found in and around the trailer Dickenson had on the property, records show.

The Royal Bull Kennels website, which is still active, lists various dogs and equipment for sale, including a dog treadmill. A disclaimer on the site states that no dogs from the company were purchased, nor are bred, raised, or sold for any illegal purposes.

The seized dogs are being housed at an undisclosed location and are undergoing exams to treat new and past injuries, said Adam Parascandola, vice president of the Animal Rescue Team for the Humane Society of the United States.

They are all in a warm place, have comfortable bedding and getting enrichment, Parascandola said. Its very rewarding to see them start to come out of their shell and get excited to spend time with people and get the attention they need. The amount of cruelty fighting dogs go through is shocking, so were grateful we were able to assist and get these dogs to a safe place.

Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, praised all of the agencies for working together to take down the ring. However, he said, there is still work that needs to be done.

52 arrested in Galloway cockfighting ring More than 50 people were arrested Saturday for their alleged involvement in a large cockfighting ring, Galloway Township police said.

Animal fighting is cruelty to animals that is tied up with many other crimes that are dangerous and deadly to humans, Pacelle said in a statement. The fact that anyone would treat animals in such a remorseless manner and subject them to deathmatches for the amusement of the handlers and spectators shocks the conscience.

Pacelle urged passage of Sen. Cory Bookers FIGHT Act in Congress. Only stronger laws and better enforcement of them will help prevent cruelty to animals like authorities discovered in Monmouth, Cumberland, and Atlantic counties, he said, referring among other things to a recent cockfighting operation found at a home in the Germania section of Galloway Township.

The investigation is ongoing.

This is not the first run-in Low Jr. has had with law enforcement. He previously served nearly 12 years in federal prison following a 2006 raid in which authorities discovered not only evidence of dogfighting but also a significant drug operation involving cocaine and crack manufacturing.
Space sky background with a solar eclipse design. Raziqul Islam/Getty Images

The highly anticipated total solar eclipse will spread over Texas next week with scientists ready to use the opportunity to study the sun's atmosphere.

However, scientists arent the only ones excited to study Mondays total solar eclipse. Astrologers have also been anticipating the event as some believe it signals changes on the horizon.

READY FOR THE ECLIPSE?: 11 solar eclipse viewing events around Houston

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What are astrologers saying about the total solar eclipse?

Gandhari Bouligny, president of the Houston Astrological Society, said the sun, moon and Mercury will be aligned in the same astrological sign, Aries, during the eclipse. The astrologer is expecting a perfect alignment between the north and south nodes of the eclipse to help people balance what theyre learning, integrating and allowing into their relationship circle, she added.

"The moon and the sun are in Aries, the initiator, the starter, the catalyst. So, this is a time, as we get ready for this eclipse that's kind of going across the U.S., of new beginnings," Bouligny said. "But, in order to have new beginnings, we have to let go of old patterns."

The path of the total solar eclipse spreading over some Texas cities may usher in some "difficult changes," according to Bouligny. The asteroid Chiron will also be in Aries, she said, which is astrologically significant. Chiron is described as the "wounded healer," representing the emotional and spiritual wounds.

"I don't know what those changes are going to look like, but I do know because of the way the eclipses land in those charts, there's going to be some birthing pains that happen with the newness coming in," Bouligny said.

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Along with Mercury's retrograde that started earlier this month, the astrologers said people should rest and not push their bodies too much, especially during the solar eclipse.

"The fact that Mercury, the sun and the moon are all lining up for this eclipse, it's a time to pause. It's not a time to shoot ahead," she said.

What is the scientific importance of the total solar eclipse?

While astrologers examine what the eclipse might signal about future events, astronomers are studying the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere  the corona.

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NASA uses a spacecraft called the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory that has a large angle and spectrometric coronagraph to create an artificial eclipse, according to Mark Matney, planetary scientist and modeling lead for the Orbital Debris Program Office at the Johnson Space Center. The tool allows scientists to see features of the outer atmosphere that arent normally visible, NASAs website details.

"It's very difficult to study the inner Corona ... so, it's really only during these eclipses that we can study very carefully the inner corona," Matney said.

Scientists study the sun to better understand how its ever-changing conditions can influence Earth, other worlds, and even space itself, according to NASA. Matney explained the research helps them investigate space weather, such as solar storms, or how it affects the Earth's magnetosphere.

There are other observations NASA scientists will be studying during the eclipse, but the corona is on top of the list, he said.

What happens with the sun (also) affects our climate, electrical grids and things, so anything we can learn about the sun is always good," Matney said.

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The potential for scientific observation during the eclipse extends beyond the field of astronomy. Matney said biologists are preparing to study the behaviors of the animals during the event.

During the eclipse, some people may be able to see comets close to the sun, he added.

University of Houston physics professor Eric Bittner said the eclipse is significant for today's society, but also for those who studied the stars, moons and planets years ago before advanced technology.

"I just think these are just cool, special events," he said. "Even more, lunar eclipses happen all the time, but solar eclipses are sort of special especially totality."

USE PROTECTION: Don't look at the total solar eclipse without protection

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Are astronomy and astrology connected?

Astronomists and astrologers have different focuses, but some may wonder: is there an overlap between the two when discussing the eclipse?

In the past centuries, astrology and astronomy were widely connected but the disciplines separated with the development of technology that allowed scientists to see farther into space, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Matney said astronomers of today are more interested in science and the mechanism of the eclipse in the physical processes that occur.

However, Bouligny believes astronomy can assist astrology.

"You can't do astrology without knowing where the planets and how they line up geometrically, right?" she said. "They line up just like the constellations and you have to know where they are and mathematically how they relate to where we are as a planet."

BE PREPARED: Everything to know about eclipse glasses, check for safety certification

The experts from both fields agreed that the upcoming total solar eclipse was an important event for Texas and the nation. This will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States for the next 20 years.
WHAT WE KNOW: Over the past 10 years, the village of Orion has built up a $1 million reserve in its general fund.

WHAT'S NEW: Orion trustees learned the pending 5th Street project, with a cost estimate of $900,000, will bite deeply into the village's $1 million reserve and may require cuts in the next fiscal year's budget, to be worked out soon. A significant chunk of the 5th Street cost will be paid for using federal COVID money.

Village president Jim Cooper said it will be the first time in his 20 years that the village has ever gone below six months worth of operating expenses in the general fund budget. He also said it should not be cause for alarm.

"We do have plans to build that up fairly aggressively," he said. "We're not going to go into the red, trust me."

WHAT'S NEXT: Trustees unanimously approved creating a raffle/poker run license for an annual fee of $250 and a maximum pot of $50,000. The American Legion is planning weekly Tuesday raffles including a 50-50 raffle and a Queen of Hearts raffle. Seventy percent of the proceeds go to the raffle winner and 30% goes to the Legion for facility upkeep and other purposes.
The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a case involving medication abortion that could change the way some South Dakota women access abortion services by crossing the border into neighboring states.

Watching closely is South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who has joined other state AGs in saying that relaxed federal regulation of abortion pills makes it tougher for states to enforce their own laws.

The Supreme Court's first abortion-related case since overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022 involves the Food and Drug Administrations oversight of mifepristone, the primary drug used for medication abortions.

A consortium of anti-abortion doctors and groups sued the FDA over policy changes that removed the requirement that women visit doctors in person to obtain mifepristone. The policy shifts, expanded during the pandemic and made permanent in 2021, allowed patients to obtain a prescription through telemedicine and receive the pills in the mail.

Thats how Julie Amaon, M.D., medical director of Just the Pill, a Twin Cities telemedicine provider, has assisted nearly 170 South Dakota residents with online consultations and prescriptions to terminate pregnancies since the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision overturned Roe and left abortion up to the states.

South Dakotas near-total abortion ban makes it one of the states Just the Pill has focused upon. The organization has provided service to more than 7,500 patients overall since starting as a nonprofit in 2020.

The states with the most patients served by Just the Pill in Minnesota in 2023 were Wisconsin (143), Iowa (105) and South Dakota (86).

Just the Pill also has a mobile clinic that can be used to dispense pills in person or perform abortion procedures, potentially expanding options for patients if the Supreme Court shuts down mail-order mifepristone.

The mobile clinic has been used in Minnesota and Colorado but has occasionally been the target of threats from anti-abortion groups, according to Amaon.

"Our main concern with the mobile clinic is the safety and security of our patients and staff," she said. "We have had a really hard time finding places where it is safe to park, so we are still in the process of evaluating that."

Jackley: 'Lawbreaking on a mass scale'

South Dakotas abortion law makes it a Class 6 felony for anyone who administers to any pregnant female or prescribes or procures for any pregnant female a means for an abortion, except to save the life of the mother. The crime is punishable by two years in prison, a $4,000 fine or both.

South Dakota joined 21 other states in supporting the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court's mifepristone case, with Jackley signing an amicus brief outlining how the relaxed FDA policies are "encouraging lawbreaking on a mass scale."

"The whole point of the Administrations recent actions is to encourage and achieve evasion of (abortion-related) state laws," the brief read. "States are thus entitled to enforce their laws ... against persons and businesses involved in distributing or receiving abortion drugs by mail."

Without the Supreme Court overturning the FDA's policies, it's not clear what authority Jackley would have to prosecute actions that occur in a state where abortion is legal but still involves South Dakota citizens.

Minnesota passed a law in 2023 to strengthen abortion rights, establishing that every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individuals own reproductive health.

Jackley told News Watch in 2023 that his office considers it a violation of South Dakota law if abortion medications are mailed to a South Dakota address. That means Just the Pills practice of dispensing pills in the state where they were prescribed would not be deemed illegal under current state and federal mandates.

Still, the interstate peddling of reproductive health services is an evolving and contentious issue, with enough legal gray area to keep everyone on their toes.

When asked April 2 if his office has had any interactions with Just the Pill concerning its practice of providing prescriptions and mailed delivery of abortion pills to South Dakota residents, Jackley responded: "It is generally the policy of this office to not comment regarding any potential or ongoing investigations/prosecutions."

Amaon told News Watch that her organization has not been contacted by the South Dakota Attorney General's office.

Just the Pill uses online pharmacies

Amaon grew up in Texas and took early notice of the volatility surrounding abortion access in the heavily Republican state.

After managing a Planned Parenthood clinic in the early 2000s, she decided she could make more of an impact as a doctor, so she started medical school at age 35 and earned her degree in 2017 from American University of Antigua.

Amaons residency was in reproductive health education at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, which led to a role as Just the Pills medical director in July 2020.

The plan was to use mobile clinics to provide in-person services to rural patients or those from states that heavily restrict abortion. But when the FDA allowed the mailing of abortion pills due to the pandemic, the group pivoted to providing telemedicine and mail-order services.

Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health organization.

Charging $350 per patient, Just the Pill utilizes online pharmacies such as American Mail Order out of Michigan and Honeybee Health out of California.

"To access services, a patient from South Dakota would drive to Minnesota and have a phone visit with a clinician that lasts about 15 to 20 minutes," said Amaon, adding that some states require video calls. "Then we would mail their medications to either a FedEx pickup spot or general delivery at the post office, whatever works best for them."

A telehealth follow-up occurs within two weeks to check on the patient and make sure everything went as expected," Amaon said. "We also reach out at four to five weeks for a pregnancy test at home, to make sure the process is complete.

Two-pill regimen more effective

Amaon said that if mifepristone access is restricted, Just the Pill could use a one-pill regimen to terminate pregnancies.

Medication abortion typically involves two pills. The first drug, mifepristone, works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which the body needs to continue a pregnancy. That process causes the uterine lining to stop thickening and break down, detaching the embryo. The second drug, misoprostol, taken 24 to 48 hours later, causes the uterus to contract and dilates the cervix, which expels the embryo.

A misoprostol-only regimen involves taking the drug with the same dosage as typically used, then taking it again three hours later, causing the uterus to contract. This process is repeated for three separate doses, three hours apart, until the pregnancy is terminated, Amaon said.

Because you have to take it more times, the side effects are not fun, she added. You might feel like you have the flu, there are some fever and chills, sometimes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Other than that, its very safe and effective. There are no greater risk factors or complications because youre only taking misoprostol.

There is a slight difference in effectiveness, with 95%-98% of abortions successful with the two-drug regimen compared with 85% with misoprostol only, according to Just the Pill's website. The two-pill regimen is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Safety of abortion pills debated

The Supreme Courts ruling in the mifepristone case is not expected until at least June. Most of the analysis after the March 26 hearing focused on skepticism even from conservative justices on the need for sweeping reversals of FDA policy and the lack of legal standing among the group of doctors who brought the suit.

"This case seems like a prime example of turning what could be a small lawsuit into a nationwide, legislative assembly on an FDA rule or any other government action," Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by Donald Trump, said during the hearing.

Jackley and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem have been outspoken about safety concerns with medication abortion. They point out that, if something goes wrong, such as excess bleeding or infection, there wont be emergency medical care available if a woman is taking the pills at home.

Criminal charges against the person who helped procure the pills could be much more serious than a Class 6 felony if a woman suffers harm from taking the medication to end a pregnancy, Jackley said.

He joined 19 other attorneys general in signing a letter last year from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey that raised the possibility of coerced abortions occurring with less oversight. The letter also cited a 2015 study that found medication abortions were 5.96 times as likely to result in a complication as first-trimester aspiration abortions.

But Amaon pointed to a study published in the Lancet Regional Health medical journal in 2022 that found a 98% success rate in ending pregnancy for women who accessed abortion pills through a telehealth provider, with the same percentage of patients saying they were satisfied with the experience.

CVS, Walgreens to sell abortion pills

In early March, the nation's two largest pharmacy chains  CVS and Walgreens  announced that they have received certification to begin dispensing mifepristone in states where abortion is legal, in stores rather than by mail order.

The move came after Jackley and the other attorneys general signed the Missouri AG's letter to CVS and Walgreens citing the Comstock Act of 1873, which the letter said prohibits using the mail to send or receive any drug that will be used or applied for producing abortion.

President Joe Biden called the pharmacies' announcement "an important milestone in ensuring access to mifepristone" and encouraged "all pharmacies that want to pursue this option to seek certification."

Amanda Bacon, executive director of the South Dakota Pharmacists Association, told News Watch that retail chains have stated they will only participate in the federal program where it doesnt conflict with state law, which means none of them will be procuring or dispensing the drug in South Dakota.

For South Dakota pharmacies, its pretty clear, Bacon said. Its a felony to dispense the medication for that purpose. But its also a felony to prescribe it for that purpose, so therefore, its just not something were even dealing with at the pharmacy counter.

The abortion issue could be left up to South Dakota voters this November. A proposed 2024 ballot amendment would enshrine abortion rights in the South Dakota Constitution by following the trimester framework of Roe v. Wade.

Even if the abortion measure passes, it's not clear how soon or how widespread reproductive services would be offered in the state, said Amaon.

"Just because their ban is gone (with passage) doesn't mean that South Dakotans don't still need help," said Amaon. "There are no clinics in South Dakota, and people will need access to services. So, yes, it would still be a priority for us to provide assistance."
A federal jury in Rapid City found a former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe guilty Thursday of stealing money from the tribe during his presidency.

Julian Bear Runner was convicted on six counts of wire fraud, one count of larceny, and one count of embezzlement. Bear Runner served one term as president from December 2018 to December 2020. The government claimed he took $80,000 between January 2019 and January 2020.

The wire fraud counts stemmed from six checks the tribe issued to Bear Runner for travel funds. Instead of using the money for travel, Bear Runner cashed the checks and spent the money primarily at the Prairie Winds Casino in Pine Ridge.

The six checks listed in the indictment were cashed between March 2019 and October 2019. At around $1,000 to $2,000, the total amounted to over $11,000. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen said during closing arguments the $11,000 was just part of a total $80,000 Bear Runner stole from the tribe.

In order to prove the larceny and embezzlement counts, the government had to provide evidence Bear Runner intentionally defrauded the tribe of more than $1,000 and used the funds for his own benefit.

During the three-day trial before Senior District Judge Linda Reade, the government presented travel authorization forms, bank statements, casino receipts, and hotel registration forms that showed Bear Runner was not traveling during the dates for which he received funds.

Under the tribe's travel funding system, a check is issued to the employee or elected official ahead of travel after their travel authorization form is approved. Bear Runner's travel forms included supposed trips to Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, North Carolina and other locations. Some of the travel dates conflicted with one another and he never returned the funds.

"He left a very lengthy paper trail," Poppen told the jury on Thursday.

Poppen said Bear Runner took advantage of the tribe's "unfortunate, archaic, old" travel authorization system. The case, however, was not about the system, she said.

"This case is absolutely about one person alone, and that's the defendant, Julian Bear Runner," she said.

Thomas Diggins, Bear Runner's defense attorney, argued the government did not prove his client had any intent to defraud the tribe.

"This was not a knowing act," Diggins said.

The defense attorney pointed to the difference between signatures on travel authorizations, and highlighted there were authorized people who could submit forms for Bear Runner. He said the former president relied too much on others to submit requests on his behalf and let him know if there were issues.

"I urge you to consider who Julian Bear Runner is," Diggins said.

He emphasized his connection to the reservation and the tribe.

In rebuttal, Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson said, "We're not here to tell you Julian Bear Runner is a bad person, we're here to tell you he committed the crimes."

The judge ordered Bear Runner be taken into custody by U.S. Marshals after she read the jury's verdict. Diggins asked the judge if she would instruct the marshals to allow Bear Runner's family to take his war bonnet and regalia he wore during the trial.

The judge said she couldn't tell the marshals how to conduct their role, but she supported the request. The marshals granted the request, but Bear Runner did not want to give the items up.

"I'm a prisoner of war now," he said.

Current Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out attended the trial on Tuesday and Wednesday. He told the Journal he came to observe.

Star Comes Out said Bear Runner was young when he took office. He was elected at the age of 33, the second-youngest in the tribe's history. In 1970, 32-year-old Gerald One Feather was elected.

"Was he prepared for it? I don't know. That's just something that's unfortunate, and I can't judge him," Star Comes Out said. "It's like I said, he's a young man who took on those responsibilities, and it didn't turn out too well for him."

In response to questions about the current travel authorization system, Star Comes Out said he's not sure exactly how the system operated when Bear Runner was in office, but it appears to be "pretty much the same."

"I think maybe we need to take another look at that and upgrade, obviously," he said.

Star Comes Out said the tribe will move forward from the situation.

"The tribe is a huge organization, and I think we can all learn from this in the future," he said.

Bear Runner's trial started the week after Howard Rooks, a tribal council member representing the Medicine Root District on the reservation, appeared at the same federal courthouse on rape charges.

Rooks was indicted on March 21. Star Comes Out said the tribe doesn't have the evidence in the case. All they know are the charges. He confirmed Rooks was suspended from his position without pay on March 26.

"That's all we can do," he said. "And that was a shock for us again because it's our leadership."
Here's how the skies over Texas looked on Thursday afternoon from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. This image will feature more clouds across the state during Monday's total solar eclipse. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Houston gets to soak up one more day of blue skies and sunshine before changes arrive this weekend. Those changes, coming in the form of clouds and rain chances, are likely to have major implications for Mondays solar eclipse that will appear over Texas.

Lets start with the good news: Fridays weather, on a scale of 1 to 10, would probably score a 9. The day will be picture-perfect with abundant sunshine after a cool start to the morning with temperatures in the upper 50s.

Areas in blue will have clear skies Friday afternoon, according to this forecast map based on the National Blend of Models. Friday will feature abundant sunshine whether youre in Amarillo or Houston or Brownsville. Clouds will build up across the state on Saturday. WeatherBELL

Temperatures will warm up into the lower 80s north of Houston, with mid-80s likely closer to the city. Clouds then will roll in after sunset, leading to partly cloudy skies. A shift toward southeasterly winds off the Gulf of Mexico through Saturday morning will result in lows near 60 degrees.

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Clouds, showers soon return

Clouds stream into Southeast Texas late Friday, resulting in partly to mostly cloudy skies Saturday. It may be a day where you lay by the pool and get annoyed by how often the sun hides behind clouds, but Saturday should be dry for most. Clouds thicken up a bit more by the evening, with a few light sprinkles possible if youre planning to have a night out on the town.

More numerous showers arrive into Southeast Texas through the day Sunday, with all eyes glued to a cold front that is expected to stall along the upper Texas Gulf Coast.

A stalled front has never been accused of delivering terrific weather, and Sunday will be no excecption. Mostly cloudy skies are expected with spotty showers and even embedded thunderstorms during the day.

Despite having gray weather to get your yard work done in, the day should still feature plenty of time when rain isnt falling.

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STORM SAFETY: Use our interactive radar to track showers and be sure to head inside if you hear thunder rumble.

Temperatures on both days this weekend will top out near 80 degrees, with Saturdays lows only falling to near 70 degrees.

Latest eclipse forecast

This is the difficult part of the forecast, especially if youre preparing to head toward Hill Country to see the total solar eclipse on Monday. The same stalled front introducing shower chances to the Houston area this weekend will serve as a focal point for the development of a coastal low by Monday.

Areas in white are covered by clouds on Monday afternoon, according to a forecast based on the American GFS model. Much of Texas is expected to be under a blanket of clouds during a total solar eclipse as a slow-moving system of low atmospheric pressure moves through. WeatherBELL

This feature will spread a dense cloud deck across the Lone Star State, which will likely limit how much of the total solar eclipse we see. In Houston, the moon will cover 94% of the sun, so it was only going to appear as a partial solar eclipse. But if clouds are overhead, it wont really matter how much of the sun is covered because we wont see it anyway.

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Monday features not just clouds, but also shower and thunderstorm chances as well. Specific timing of those storms this far out isnt reliable, so youre encouraged to keep close tabs on the forecast over the weekend. If you are planning a trip toward the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, be aware of the potential Monday for a few strong storms, according to the National Weather Services Storm Prediction Center.

Staying safe while viewing the eclipse

Even though the forecast doesnt look terribly optimistic, its still important to have proper eclipse viewing materials handy just in case breaks in cloud cover appear.

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Never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. Wear certified eclipse glasses or use solar viewing filters to directly observe the event. You can also create a pinhole projector by punching a hole in cardboard and projecting the suns image onto a surface.
The University of Richmond has discovered nails and discolored blocks of soil on campus believed to be gravesites. The school plans to excavate the graves and rebury any human remains at a nearby memorial, according to a permit application filed by the school.

Since 2020, the university has known its campus is home to a cemetery for enslaved workers who lived about 180 years ago on a plantation that is now UR.

The newly found graves, discovered near the cemetery, are the universitys latest effort to respectfully tend to human remains neglected by past generations of school leaders.

Last month, while working on the schools storm water pipes, school representatives found artifacts and features consistent with grave shafts from the 1700s and 1800s. They found stains in the ground, arranged in rows and oriented from east to west, about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide.

The color of the soil near the intersection of Richmond Way, Gateway Road and Westhampton Way was visibly distinct from other excavated areas.

On March 22, university officials met with people previously identified as descendants or possible descendants of those who worked and died on the plantation. The descendants asked UR to rebury the remains within the footprint of a nearby memorial the university plans to build.

UR has applied for a permit with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to excavate the graves, which UR wants to perform on April 29. The work would be done using shovels, trowels and picks  not heavy machinery. Workers would photograph and map any bones, coffin remains or other items before moving them. Bones would be wrapped in foil and plastic wrap. If bones are not found, all the soil would be excavated as a block and retained.

As part of the permit, UR has committed to ensure a respectful and honorable treatment of all human remains and artifacts from discovery to reburial. The Department of Historic Resources would examine everything found before the items are reinterred.

Before the permit is approved, UR will hold a public hearing on April 15 at 5 p.m. at the Jepson Alumni Center.

A detailed analysis of the bones is not planned unless descendants request it, according to the application.

At Virginia Commonwealth University, professors and students have spent years analyzing the remains of 44 adults and nine children found in a well under the Kontos Medical Sciences Building in 1994, in an effort to determine the peoples ancestry, hair color, eye color and birthplace.

UR plans to build a memorial to commemorate the cemetery. Work began last month and is expected to finish in 2025.

To complete the excavation and memorial construction, UR hired Timothy Roberts, a Henrico County-based archaeologist, and Team Henry Enterprises, which removed Confederate statues in the city of Richmond. Team Henry served as general contractor for the University of Virginias memorial to the enslaved. UR also hired design firm Baskervill & Sons. The companys principal, Burt Pinnock, also conceptualized a similar memorial at the College of William & Mary.

A map drawn in 1901 marked the existence of a cemetery on a grassy, hilly triangle of land now in between URs Puryear Hall and Richmond Hall.

URs founders knew about the cemetery when they bought the land in 1910, and school leaders discovered more graves nearby while widening a campus road in 1947. The remains were exhumed and reinterred in locations never discovered. The cemetery became known as the burying ground.

Its existence was forgotten until a university researcher, Shelby Driskill, rediscovered it and published her findings in 2020.

Since 2020, the university has continued making discoveries. Roberts conducted archaeological testing around the burying ground in 2022 and identified mortuary artifacts and intact buried surfaces, according to URs application.

In 2023, Martin Archaeology Consulting LLC used ground-penetrating radar to identify subsurface anomalies and horizontal time slices consistent with collapsed caskets arranged in rows.

During that time, UR delayed work on the memorial, which was originally planned to open last year. UR is moving utility lines away from the burying ground, which led to the discovery.

A spokesperson for the university said school officials were not available to comment on Thursday.

Today in history: April 5 1887: Helen Keller 1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg 1976: Howard Hughes 1987: The Tracey Ullman Show 1991:John Tower 2008: Charlton Heston 2016: UCONN 2017: YouTube TV 2018: Donald Trump & Stormy Daniels
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, on Friday rattled the East Coast and diverted flights to Richmond and other airports.

Richmonder Charlotte Whelan, 24, who lives in Brooklyn, said, We were really confused. We thought our washing machine was shaking the apartment.

People from Baltimore to Boston and beyond reported feeling the ground shake. Pictures and decorative plates tumbled off the wall in Christiann Thompsons house in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.

The dogs lost their minds and got very terrified and ran around, she said.

While there were no immediate reports of serious damage, officials were checking bridges and other major infrastructure. Some flights were diverted or delayed, Amtrak slowed trains throughout the busy Northeast Corridor, and a Philadelphia-area commuter rail line suspended service out of what it said was an abundance of caution.

The U.S. Geological Survey said more than 42 million people might have felt the earthquake, which started at 10:23 a.m. A magnitude 2 aftershock occurred about an hour later.

Kirsten Lang, a meteorologist for Lee Enterprises, said about 10,000 magnitude 4.8 earthquakes occur each year.

Said Lang: 4.8 is on the lighter side of the scale, but still something you feel.

In Richmond, the quake brought back memories of 2011. That was the year a magnitude 5.8 quake centered in Louisa County was felt up and down the East Coast.

The Aug. 23, 2011, quake caused damage to homes in Louisa and the surrounding area, and it also caused significant damage farther north in the D.C. area. The Washington Monument was cracked, and the National Cathedral sustained damage.

According to Times-Dispatch coverage from 2011, people reported feeling the quake from Alabama to Chicago to northeastern Canada.

Although not the strongest earthquake to have occurred in the eastern U.S., let alone the western U.S., the Virginia earthquake was likely felt by more people than any earthquake in North Americas history, the USGS said in a news release at the time.

The USGS said the 2011 quake caused an estimated $200 million to $300 million in damage.

Flight diverted to Richmond

Marcy Arnold, of South Carolina, on Friday morning was on an American Airlines flight from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Baltimore, where she planned to visit family this weekend, when the quake struck.

We were in the air (on the way) to Baltimore, she said, and the flight attendant came over and said, Were sorry to say, were going to be diverting to Richmond because of an earthquake.

We were all just in shock, Arnold told The Times-Dispatch from the tarmac at Richmond International Airport, where she and her fellow passengers sat in the plane awaiting clearance to resume their journey.

Theyre saying they shut down the airports in Baltimore and Philly, Arnold said.

Arriving flights into Baltimore-Washington International Airport were delayed up to 30 minutes on Friday morning, according to the New York Times.

The earthquake-related delay came after Arnolds flight had already been set back by maintenance issues, she said. But all is well  theyre giving us drinks and snacks, she reported.

A medium, or moderate quake

Martin Chapman, a research professor of geophysics at Virginia Tech, described the earthquake as medium, or moderate and said it was on the verge of where it can potentially cause a little bit of damage close to its epicenter.

The quake was too far away to cause damage in Virginia, Chapman said, but it could be felt as far south as Richmond due to the geological makeup of the East Coast.

Thats a characteristic of earthquakes in the middle part of the Eastern Seaboard, Chapman said. Theyre felt over large areas because the rocks in this area are very strong, and the seismic waves travel through the earth in this part of the country with very little loss of energy.

Chapman said Fridays quake was about 10 times weaker than the 2011 quake that rocked Louisa County.

Jeff Webber, an associate professor of geology at Stockton University in New Jersey, said the difference in the underlying geology in the East Coast, coupled with higher population areas, mean earthquakes here tend to be felt by more people than on the West Coast.

A magnitude earthquake of this scale in New Jersey is fairly rare, but in terms of earthquakes in the eastern United States, there have been a number of events, including the 2011 Virginia earthquake, he said.

Quakes in Virginia

The epicenter of the Louisa quake sits in the Virginia Seismic Zone.

Besides the jolt in 2011, there was a magnitude 4.5 quake centered in Powhatan County that shook the region in 2003. According to reports to the USGS at the time, that quake was detected in at least 12 states and felt as far as 450 miles away.

In Times-Dispatch coverage at the time, Milton Silvert, who lived near the University of Richmond in Henrico County, said he was still shaking a few minutes after the tremor. The house shook, the dog went crazy, he said. The walls were shaking, the floor shook, the ceiling shook.

The first earthquake recorded in Virginia was on Feb. 21, 1774, in the Petersburg area.

More than 100 years later, newspaper accounts of a Dec. 22, 1875, quake centered in Chesterfield Countys coal-mining area said windows were shattered, chimneys cracked and Richmonders ran from their homes in night clothes.

Reporters for the Richmond Daily Dispatch wrote: Never before, even in the darkest days of the war, when the almost countless hosts of the enemy were thundering at our gates, and bombshells were bursting in the sight of our women and children, was there such a fright.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week signed a bill that will allow closed hearings for the decertification of law officers and for related records to not be disclosed to the public.

This is troubling to Virginia watchdog Alice Minium. As the director of OpenOversightVA, she collects data on Virginias police and sheriffs departments and says watching decertification proceedings is helpful to her work in maintaining the organizations databases.

When officers have been found to have engaged in misconduct and are under consideration for decertification, they go through a process overseen by Virginias Department of Criminal Justice Services. The process will not always be open to the public when Senate Bill 88, sponsored by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, takes effect.

Minium said cases of officer misconduct that rise to the level of pending decertification are in the public interest and that people should have access to the proceedings.

This isnt about information that makes a police officer look bad  its information about a case that has gotten to such a far extent that its usually stemming from criminal charges or dereliction of duty in a very problematic way, Minium said. That is of the public interest.

For instance, a former officer with Virginia Commonwealth University Police was decertified in 2022 following an incident that led VCU to recommend a misdemeanor assault and battery charge to city prosecutors. According to records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, during the 2021 incident, the VCU officer, Polly Griffin, told a handcuffed emergency room patient youre lucky I dont kill you. She went on to disobey orders to stop when she had dug her fist into a patients arm, causing the patient to scream in pain.

She now works for the Petersburg Bureau of Police. After completing community service for Richmond City Circuit Court, Griffins misdemeanor assault charge was dropped. Griffin also successfully appealed her decertification.

Proponents of Senate Bill 88 believe the ability to close meetings and withhold details from the Freedom of Information Act will stop bottlenecks in the decertification process and perhaps allow fewer appeals to be successful.

Locke previously told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that proceedings would only get to a certain point and some of the people that (DCJS) had to interview didnt want to disclose information publicly.

That is because Virginia law gives departments broad exemptions for many records. When an officer faces decertification, investigations for misconduct typically originate within departments through internal affairs investigations  it is these records or details that are not required to be public. Senate Bill 88 would give discretion to keep details that way as a decertification proceeding is underway through DCJS.

The bill also outlines that records provided for decertification shall not be disclosed by the Board or the Department pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

A key supporter of the bill was the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. One of the organizations former presidents, Maggie DeBoard  police chief in the Fairfax County town of Herndon  is also a board member at DCJS. She spoke in support of the bill when lawmakers reviewed the legislation.

The organizations executive director, Dana Schrad, echoed what Locke said about departments incentive for participation and said some decertification appeals had been getting overturned for lack of evidence.

She added that the ability to close proceedings might lead to fewer appeals and ensure the decertification of officers who do not belong in the profession.

Meanwhile, Minium is concerned about the lessened transparency.

To her, it feels like a backward move from the accountability measures that lawmakers pushed for several years ago at the height of national outcry around police brutality.

Amid a spate of deaths of Black people at the hands of law enforcement and the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, legislators around the country pressed for more police accountability. Locke carried the law to allow for decertification for misconduct in Virginia. Now, her bill allows the ability to close the hearings her law allowed for in the first place.

I understand many who voted to pass that bill in its current form may be people I know have good intentions, but good intentions arent enough, she said. We have got to start paying closer attention to the police. I know that deep down we all get why  but it is urgent.

From the archives: Byrd Field
BALTIMORE  President Joe Biden got a firsthand look Friday at efforts to clear away the mangled mess of remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one of the nations main shipping lanes.

Aboard Marine One, circling the warped metal remains and the mass of construction and salvage equipment trying to clear the wreckage of last weeks collapse, Biden got his first up-close view of the devastation.

On the ground, he received a briefing from local officials, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers on the situation in the water and its impacts on the region.

Biden also greeted police officers who helped block traffic to the bridge in the moments before it was hit by the ship, which helped avert an even larger loss of life.

Im here to say your nation has your back and I mean it, Biden said from the shoreline overlooking the collapsed bridge. Your nation has your back.

Eight workers  immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador  were filling potholes on the bridge when it was hit by a huge cargo ship and collapsed at around 1:30 a.m. on March 26. Two men were rescued, but the bodies of only two of the six who died have been recovered. The president met Friday with the families of the victims near the bridge, the White House said.

The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking, Biden said.

Cargo being directed to Virginia port

Officials have established a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps hopes to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of this month and to restore normal capacity to Baltimores port by May 31, the White House says.

Thats important since longer delays in reopening shipping lanes could send shockwaves through the economy. As much as $200 million in cargo normally moves through Baltimores port per day, and it is the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.

The collapse is expected to drive additional cargo traffic to the Port of Virginia, the sprawling complex in Norfolk. Virginia Port Authority Chairman Aubrey Layne told the Richmond Times-Dispatch last week that it is expected the port will handle cargo for Baltimore for 10 to 12 months until the channel there is cleared.

The Dali was at the port on March 22 before leaving for Baltimore. The operation and departure from the Norfolk Harbor were without incident, the port said.

Cruise ships that would have stopped in Baltimore have also been rerouted to Norfolk.

More than 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes are on site to help cut out sections of the bridge and remove them from the key waterway. Officials told Biden they had all the resources they need to meet the targets for opening the channel into the Baltimore port.

Biden also announced some of the largest employers affected by the collapse, including Amazon, Home Depot and Domino Sugar, have committed to keeping their employees on payroll until the port is reopened. That news followed days of outreach by state and federal officials to try to mitigate the economic impact of the incident.

From the air I saw the bridge that has been ripped apart, Biden said, but here on the ground I see a community thats pulled together.

But it is still unclear how the costs of cleanup and building a new bridge will be covered.

The Federal Highway Administration has provided $60 million in quick release emergency relief funds to get started. Exactly how much the collapse will cost is unclear, though some experts estimate recovery will take at least $400 million and 18 months.

Biden said within hours of the collapse that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell likened the bridge collapse to assistance that flows after natural disasters and saying the federal government will step up and do the lions share of funding. But authorization is likely no slam-dunk in Congress.

The White House announced Friday that it is asking Congress to authorize the federal government to cover 100% of the collapsed bridge cleanup and reconstruction costs, rather than seeking funding through a separate, emergency supplemental funding request.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young noted similar techniques were used for recovery and rebuilding efforts that received bipartisan congressional support in 2007 when a highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed during evening rush hour, killing 13 people.

We are asking the Congress to join us in demonstrating our commitment to aid in recovery efforts, Young wrote, though it is still unclear exactly how much money the administration will need to cover the costs.

Opposition pushes back on funding plan

But some hard-line congressional Republicans are already lining up to demand politically controversial offsets for the funding. The conservative House Freedom Caucus issued a Friday statement saying, If it proves necessary to appropriate taxpayer money to get one of Americas busiest ports back online, Congress should ensure it is fully offset and that burdensome regulations are waived.

It was referring to potential federal spending cuts elsewhere and to regulations like the Endangered Species Act.

The caucus letter also suggested that approval for bridge recovery funds be tied to the Biden administration agreeing to lift a pause it has imposed on exportation of liquified natural gas.

The funding questions only serve to heighten the collapses political implications as Biden squares off with former President Donald Trump in Novembers election.

It is the second major disaster along the countrys busy northeastern hub in as many years. Last summer, an overpass along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia caught fire and collapsed after a tanker truck slammed into it. Federal and state officials moved quickly on temporary repairs and ultimately reopened that section of the highway faster than expected.

But the cleanup and repairs in Baltimore will take far longer and be far more costly, making the chances it is a net political positive for Biden  especially in time for Election Day  far murkier.

That has not stopped the Biden administration from championing anew a $1 trillion-plus public works package that cleared Congress in 2021.

The bridge collapse has also thrust into the national spotlight Marylands Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, 45, a leading voice in Bidens reelection campaigns effort to energize young voters on the 81-year-old presidents behalf. Moore, who accompanied Biden on the helicopter tour and during his briefings, introduced the president before his speech.

The president himself has traveled the country showcasing construction projects on highways, bridges and tunnels. In 2022, he arrived for an event in Pittsburgh just hours after a bridge nearby collapsed. Promoting the public works package has also allowed the president to lean into his love of train travel and many years commuting to and from Washington on Amtrak as a Delaware senator.

Biden himself noted he had been over the bridge about a thousand times commuting from Washington to his home in Delaware, prompting the state Department of Transportation chief to quip, Thank you for the tolls, sir.

UPDATE: 50 images of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore
AMLO: U.S. funding request for migrant issues not blackmail

Mexico City, Mexico  The request for resources from the United States to address the causes of migration is not blackmail, clarified Mexicos President AMLO.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that contrary to what was reported in some U.S. media, the request made by the Government of Mexico to allocate 20 billion dollars annually to address the causes is not blackmail.

His comment was made Thursday morning regarding the request for U.S. funding for the migration issues in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

I have been suggesting to the President of the United States that people be helped because migration does not happen out of pleasure, but out of necessity. People have to make a living and they go to the United States with that purpose, but if in their places of origin they had job opportunities and there was well-being, then they would not want to leave, he explained.

Lopez Obrador reiterated that the budget would help reduce the migratory flow and the risks to which people are exposed during their transit.

There (in the U.S.) they say  I have already heard it not only during President Trumps government but also with President Biden  that this does not solve the problem because the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean are very corrupt and it is a waste of money, but it is as an excuse as a pretext to not help, he said.

The president recalled that Mexico has made other proposals to the United States that would contribute to improving the living conditions of migrants such as the regularization of Mexicans who have been living and working honestly in the United States for more than five years and of the DACA youth, known as dreamers, in addition to the non-repression against fellow citizens.
Canadian fugitive wanted in Saskatchewan extradited from Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico  A Canadian fugitive wanted in the province of Saskatchewan has been extradited from Mexico. On Wednesday, Peter D was handed over to Canadian authorities from the Mexico City International Airport from where he was returned to Canada to face sexual assault charges.

Peter D, who was considered a fugutive, was extradited to Canada after being arrested by Mexican authorities in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua in October of 2023.

According to a report by the State Attorney of the Republic (FGR) of Mexico, Peter N had been wanted in Rosetown, Saskatchewan since 2022 for the sexual assault of a minor.

In compliance with the Extradition Treaty signed between Mexico and Canada, the Attorney Generals Office (FGR) extradited a fugitive of Canadian nationality required by the Saskatchewan Provincial Court of Canada for the crimes of sexual abuse, they reported in a statement.

Between 2021 and 2022, Peter D sexually assaulted a minor while they lived in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, Canada, the reported said.

Peter D is also accused of vehicle theft for which he was arrested, but fled after being granted provisional release.

Likewise, the defendant is accused of having sold a stolen truck. He was arrested and subsequently granted provisional release, however, he violated the conditions imposed by the judicial authorities to remain free.

In October 2023, the defendant was located in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua and detained. The Government of Mexico granted the extradition of the defendant to the Canadian Government, the FGR said.
Federal inspectors seize over 1,100 kilos of illegal seafood from Isla Mujeres restaurant

Isla Mujeres, Q.R.  More than 1,100 kilos of illegally captured seafood has been seized from an Isla Mujeres restaurant. During an inspection Thursday, authorities seized a total of 1,160 kilos of seafood they found in the restaurant freezer.

The seizure was made by inspectors from the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca). The seafood is alleged to have come from a supplier in Cancun.

Inspectors from the Comision Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca (Conapesca) found approximately 550 kilograms of shrimp, 200 kilograms of basa fillet, 80 kilograms of whole snapper, 180 kilograms of crab and 150 kilograms of dogfish shark.

Federal inspectors made the inspection Thursday. Photo: April 4, 2024.

In a statement issued by the Mexican Navy Secretariat, they reported locating the illegal products during a joint federal inspection between Conapesca and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

More than 1,100 kilos of illegal seafood was seized from the freezer of the Isla Mujeres restaurant.

Photo: April 4, 2024.

According to the Secretariat, the seafood was seized and made available to the corresponding authorities. The statement did not say if the finding was due to a tip or a routine inspection.

Last week, Cozumel authorities towed a car and seized its contents after finding 37 kilos of illegally caught white snail. Cozumel police stopped the car for an inspection after being tipped off by an anonymous report.
CHONGQING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A China International Import Expo (CIIE) serial event was held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Monday to Wednesday, highlighting foreign investors' confidence in the Chinese market. The event, with the theme of "To Boost Dual Circulation by Introducing More Foreign Investment," attracted over 100 exhibitors from the CIIE's previous and coming editions, including renowned companies such as Metro, Samsung Electronics, and Medtronic, along with representatives from multinationals and investment promotion agencies. Embracing the immense opportunities brought by 5G and terminal-side artificial intelligence, Qualcomm aims to further strengthen its collaboration with Chongqing in the domains of intelligent terminals and networked vehicles, Qian Kun, senior vice president of Qualcomm, said during the event. Qualcomm's optimism serves as a microcosm of foreign companies' unrelenting exploration of western China's market in recent years. Since the onset of 2024, the Chinese government has encouraged collaboration between the central and local governments to stabilize foreign investment and enhance the business environment. According to statistics, Chongqing witnessed a surge of 30.49 percent in the establishment of new foreign-invested enterprises in 2023. Similarly, Shaanxi Province in northwest China experienced a year-on-year increase of about 30 percent in the number of new foreign-invested enterprises. "China's vast market scale provides a distinct advantage and serves as a critical market for Sumitomo's electrical industry," affirmed Takeo Keizo, managing director of Sumitomo Electric Trading (Shenzhen). Having already made strategic investments in the automobile industry in Chongqing and other regions, Sumitomo Electric eagerly anticipates exploring collaboration opportunities in fields such as sewage treatment. Tino Zeiske, president of Metro China, stressed that the substantial population of the western region translates into immense consumption potential, enabling Metro supermarkets in this area to consistently thrive. The continuous pursuit of developing new quality productive forces in the western region has given birth to more new investment opportunities for foreign enterprises. As a prominent manufacturing hub, Chongqing is actively promoting the sophisticated and intelligent upgrading of traditional industries. Neighboring Sichuan Province is witnessing robust developments in industries such as new displays, power batteries, and new energy vehicles. "Chongqing, as a new economic engine in the inland region, has a strong industrial base. In recent years, Chongqing and other places have reshaped the industrial landscape with intelligence and expanded emerging industries with 'clusters and innovation,'" said Qian Kun. To continue attracting foreign investment, provinces and municipalities in the western region are striving to optimize the business environment for foreign companies looking to establish a presence. Chongqing alone has implemented a roundtable system for foreign enterprises and introduced a series of policies to encourage foreign investment. It has also established an online platform for accepting and addressing complaints from foreign-funded enterprises. Since its launch, the platform has facilitated the updating of over 1,700 pieces of relevant information including new policies, effectively helping foreign investors gain a foothold in the Chinese market.
About 90 migrants exit Las Tecas migrant camp early in the morning to enter the Darien Gap jungle on their way north led by guides on Nov. 6, 2021, in Acandi. Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle Migrants cross the Rio Muerto as they and other migrants enter the Darien Gap jungle on their way north guided by guides, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, in Acandi. Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

Alfredo, 33, used to love living in Chiapas, near Mexicos southern border. But that was before the cartel turf battle thats raging there. The violence has scared away the tourists he used to guide through the jungle. When I spoke with him a few weeks ago, he told me he felt ready to leave it all if it meant a better future for his young family. And the United States, all of a sudden, looked tempting.

Like many, Alfredo is convinced that asylum is the easiest and cheapest option for him and his family to reach and remain in the United States. Thats what he heard from his wife, who told him that her family members had made the crossing and gotten asylum within a few days.

Except, itd be a migration marvel if that were true. Out of the many dozens of nationalities represented in U.S. asylum cases, Mexico has one of the lowest grant rates, second only to the Philippines. Its far more likely that Alfredo didnt get all the details of his wifes familys story. Most likely, they didnt actually get asylum; they only applied for it and were allowed to stay in the U.S. while they await a ruling.

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If thats whats happening, they can expect a long wait. The U.S. immigration court backlog has topped 3 million, while the number of immigration judges actually decreased between 2023 and 2024 to a measly 725. With almost 4,000 cases on each judges docket, the wait time for asylum-seekers is at least four to six years.

Once 180 days have passed, asylum-seekers become eligible to apply for a permit to work in the United States. So its easy to see how, when passed through word of mouth, people back home could get the wrong idea.

In truth, actually getting asylum here is anything but easy and cheap. But there doesnt seem to be any other realistic legal pathway. As American Immigration Council policy director Aaron Reichlin-Melnick put it, legal immigration to the U.S. is now all but impossible for most people. According to the Cato Institute, fewer than 1% of people who want to move permanently to the United States can do so legally. For that, we can blame an immigration system that hasnt been meaningfully updated since 1996  a few years after the worlds first website went online.

That difficulty is especially true for someone like Alfredo. Under a cap set in 1990, no country can receive more than 7% of the available green cards for both family-based and employment-based immigrants. If a person from a high-demand place such as Mexico, India and China were to get in line for residency today, they might be waiting anywhere from two to eight decades.

Our asylum system is even more outdated. Its a Cold War-era relic that envisioned a world that doesnt exist, Reichlin-Melnick said. Under U.S. law, anybody fleeing persecution can request asylum, regardless of how they arrived on U.S. soil.

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Not surprisingly, that law didnt anticipate the way social media and technology have made would-be immigrants dreams of moving to a new country seem within reach.

In 2016, after a trip to Chiapas when my family hired Alfredo as our guide, I proudly posted photos on Facebook of me, deep in the Lacandon Jungle, triumphant and sweaty after an hourslong odyssey through mud and dense rainforest. So, too, do some migrants. Like me, some dont show the feet swollen by ant bites, or the quarreling sparked by hunger and thirst. They probably dont mention their close call with human traffickers. Others make an effort to show it all, the good and the bad, providing a blueprint for pitfalls to avoid on the journey north. Whether intentionally or not, many paint a picture of glamor, of bravery and adventure. Of hope.

Through messaging apps like WhatsApp and on platforms such as TikTok, X, Instagram and Facebook, millions of people all over the world watch migrants trials and successes as they cross the Darien Gap, the perilous jungle between South and North America. That captive audience has catapulted some migrants to influencer status  sometimes earning them more cash than they made at home  and provided smugglers with a bigger platform to reach potential clients.

One migrant from India documented his journey to the U.S. in a multipart YouTube series that has racked up nearly 7 million views. This looks so much fun, wrote one commenter. I want to do this too.

Eagerly awaiting part 16 of this video, wrote another. Love and blessings from Gujarat.

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Scrolling through TikTok, Alfredo has stumbled upon video after video with step-by-step instructions for reaching the United States. They make it look so easy, he told me this week.

Easter used to be the peak season for Alfredos tour guide business. But this past weekend he had zero tours. As his savings dwindle, the options laid out by influencers online are looking more and more attractive. Dont pay a smuggler the typical $10,000 to cross from Mexico into the U.S., one TikToker advised. For half the price, you can legally fly to Canada with a travel visa and illegally cross that U.S. border, which gets less attention, and then request asylum.

How could someone like Alfredo resist?

Next week: What the U.S. can do.

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Former RTE Midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly will run for Independent Ireland as one of its candidates in this summers European elections, the party officially confirmed to the Roscommon Herald this evening.

Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice confirmed that Mr Mullooly would be standing as the party's candidate in the Midlands Northwest constituency.

Deputy Fitzmaurice and Ciaran Mullooly made the official announcement during their visit today to Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon, a flood-prone lake which is threatening local peoples homes.

Speaking to the Roscommon Herald at Lough Funshinagh about the new candidate, Deputy Fitzmaurice said: Ciaran is a straight shooter and has a good knowledge of rural Ireland. He is going in fresh, as a straight shooter to try and change things. Second of all, he has a lot done in tourism, and he has an awful lot done around the country, such as agriculture, and has a good knowledge of how the European union works.

What we want is people with common sense. Where we are today, there is an elderly person living in hell, her house is in danger, her life is in danger, along with all the other people around here.

"Common sense must prevail. The political system has failed this community; this issue has gone legal and you cannot touch it. If thats what Europe is about, then we need to change it and we need people to go to Europe to change it, he said.

Mr Mullooly said that when Independent Ireland approached him, he wanted to know what it envisaged in terms of the European parliament work that could be taken on, and the Lough Funshinagh issue came into our conversation straight away.

In 2021, work on installing a 2.9km flood relief pipeline at Lough Funshinagh was halted on foot of a successful High Court challenge brought by Friends of the Irish Environment group.

This is a classic example of an area that has been devastated by flooding and not the fault of the local people. Yet we have a situation whereby European guidelines, regulations and rules are coming first and local people are coming last, said Mr Mullooly.

Instead of people, their safety, their livelihoods coming first, regulations are coming first. We have to change that situation.

One of the reasons I joined this party is because Michael Fitzmaurice has shown in the past his ability to work on projects based on common sense, cutting through the red tape, and getting work done for people, he said.

The Lanesboro native said he would not be putting his name forward if he didnt think he could win a seat. Almost every piece of legislation in our parliament in Dublin comes from Europe. So it is our job to get in there, scrutinise it, change it if we can, work with people, groups and farmers to make sure they come first.

I have worked in tourism and community development for over thirty years. I have worked in many areas that I am going to focus on during the campaign such as suicide prevention and disability.

He said he had no ambitions to run for the Dail at any stage and made that clear to Independent Ireland.

A well-known community activist, Mr Mullooly retired from RTE in 2021 after 27 years of service.

(See more in next Tuesdays edition of the Roscommon Herald).
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The High Court has dismissed interim injunctions that prevented a former MoneySmart employee from working for a competitor firm. (IMAGE: Getty) (hofred via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  The High Court has dismissed two interim injunctions granted to financial comparison platform MoneySmart that prevented one of its former employees from working for a competing firm.

Senior Judge Tan Siong Thye ruled in favour of the former employee, Artem Musienko. Justice Tan said in a judgement dated Tuesday (2 April) that the non-complete clause in Musienko's employment contract "neither protects a legitimate proprietary interest of the claimant nor is reasonable and fair".

The judge also found that the non-complete cause was "against the interests of the public" and, therefore, is not valid and enforceable, with no good arguable case that the clause has been breached.

The non-compete clause, typically found in an employment contract, restricts an employee from working for rival entities for a specific duration after the employment ends.

Quit MoneySmart before working for MoneyHero subsidiary

Musienko, a Russian national, was employed from 26 May 2022 to 12 January 2024 as the Head of Technology at MoneySmart's Bubblegum division, which is the company's in-house digital insurance brand.

The former employee then resigned and commenced employment at CAG Regional Singapore Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of MoneyHero Limited, on 15 January 2024 as the Head of Engineering, Insurance. MoneyHero's insurance brand, Seedly Travel Insurance, is distributed in Singapore by a subsidiary.

Subsequently, MoneySmart  represented by law firm Shook Lin & Bok  sought two interim injunctions to effectively stop Musienko from working for CAG Regional Singapore based on two clauses  the non-compete clause and confidentiality clause  in the employment agreement between them.

MoneySmart also sought damages arising from loss it suffered from the breaches of both clauses.

Justice Tan had granted the interim injunctions on 29 January 2024, with the caveat that they must not be enforced until the judge has heard the defendant (Musienko). Musienko was represented by law firm Rajah & Tann and had applied to set aside the injunctions.

MoneySmart's claims

MoneySmart argued that its non-compete clause protected proprietary interests, and was reasonable. The company also that it helped Musienko  whom it claimed had no prior experience in the fintech field prior to his employment with MoneySmart  build up his expertise in the fintech arena through training.

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Musienko countered that the non-compete clause was "plainly unreasonable" as he had been involved in limited aspects of MoneySmart's business. He also said that his experience before joining MoneySmart was not rightfully represented  in his remarks, Justice Tan pointed out Musienko had relevant experience the fintech industry before he went to work for MoneySmart.

On MoneySmart's claim that the confidentiality clause of its employment contract with Musienko was breached, Justice Tan concluded that MoneySmart had "failed to specifically identify the information that it alleges to be confidential".

"There is no evidence that the claimant had informed the defendant of the confidentiality or that information disclosed to the defendant was clearly classified as confidential," the judge said.

Justice Tan added that the manner in which the alleged confidential information was handled and disseminated did not suggest that it was confidential. Hence, the judge concluded that MoneySmart had failed to establish a good arguable case that the alleged information was confidential and that the defendant had breached or would breach the confidentiality clause.

"I shall hear parties on the issue of costs to the defendant," Justice Tan concluded.

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He was also disqualified from holding all classes of licences for 3 years and and ordered to compensate shophouse about S$2,000

Clement Chia Tian Xiang, aged 44, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving without due care or reasonable consideration and received a three-week jail sentence.(PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  A 44-year-old man pleaded guilty to one charge of driving without due care or reasonable consideration, after he aggressively changed lanes without checking for other cars, leading to a collision with a police car that crashed into a shophouse.

Clement Chia Tian Xiang was sentenced to three weeks' jail, reported The Straits Times on Thursday (4 April). He was also disqualified from holding all classes of licences for three years and was instructed to compensate the shophouse with $1,962.40.

Two other charges were considered in the sentencing, one for failing to drive within road markers and another for crossing a double white line.

How did the collision happen?

Prosecution said that past midnight on 11 November 2022, Chia was driving along Jalan Besar Road towards Bencoolen Street. Footage from his in-car camera was played in court, showing his vehicle initially in the first lane out of four.

He then aggressively drove across two lanes, failing to notice a police car slowing down in front of him. The collision between Chia's car and the police vehicle was forceful enough to dislodge the in-car camera.

Court-produced photographs of the aftermath revealed that the police car was thrusted into a shophouse. The front and rear bumpers of the police car were dislodged or damaged in the collision.

A 25-year-old police officer who was driving the police vehicle was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and diagnosed with a back sprain. It was uncertain whether Chia suffered any injuries from the impact.

Chia's history of careless driving

The court heard that Chia had multiple similar charges previously, including careless driving, failing to stop after an accident, failing to give assistance after an accident, and being incapable of controlling his vehicle. In Chia's mitigation, he apologised and said he would be more careful in future.

Chia, who requested a four-week deferment, was chided by District Judge Salina Ishak for driving to court alone despite pleading guilty.

Offenders facing imprisonment who plead guilty could be required to begin serving their jail term immediately upon sentencing. The judge told Chia he should not assume the court would grant his deferment application.

He will start serving his sentence on 3 May.

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Ng Guan Hao, 34, had also cheated a man of over S$17,000, and harassed another over a traffic dispute in 2021

Ng Guan Hao, 34, sentenced to 11 months and four weeks in jail on 4 April, after being caught using another person's identity to enter Marina Bay Sands casino. (PHOTO: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

SINGAPORE  A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to 11 months and four weeks in jail on Thursday (4 April) after being caught using another person's identity to enter the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino.

The Straits Times reported that Ng Guan Hao had his cover blown when a former schoolmate, employed at the casino, spotted him at a gambling table in the Ruby VIP room in May 2021. Upon checking Ng's name in the casino's system, the employee discovered that he had multiple exclusion orders prohibiting him from entering the casino.

The employee alerted the police, and investigations later revealed that Ng had unlawfully entered the MBS casino using Melvin Tan Yong Ann's identity on over 22 occasions between 17 March and 2 May 2021.

According to court documents, Ng had not learnt his lesson and tried again to enter the casino in February 2022, posing as Yeo De Rong - only to be recognised by the same former schoolmate.

Ng pleaded guilty to two charges under the Casino Control Act and also admitted to one count each of harassment and cheating. Court documents did not disclose if Tan and Yeo had been charged in court.

How did Ng continuously evade casino exclusion orders?

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Claire Poh told the court that despite Ng's exclusion order being in force from 21 March 2018 to 20 March 2023, he still sought to enter the MBS casino.

Ng had approached Tan for his identity card and promised to pay him S$200 each time he entered the casino. Tan agreed to the arrangement, and Ng repeatedly entered the casino until his former schoolmate caught him on 2 May 2021.

He later reoffended by using Yeo De Rong's identity card to enter the premises. DPP Poh said that Ng agreed to share half of his winnings with Yeo if he won, and Ng would bear his own losses if he lost. Yeo also received S$700 from Ng for the use of his identity card.

Ng used Yeo's card to enter the MBS five times between 6 and 9 February 2022, but was finally caught on 10 February 2022.

Further cases of cheating and harassment

In an unrelated case, Ng also cheated a man of over $17,000 in March 2021. He lied to the victim that he had a friend who purportedly traded in foreign currencies and could yield a 100-per-cent profit return.

Ng then told the victim to transfer cash to a bank account, claiming that the monies would be used for trading and promising profits. Instead, he squandered the monies on gambling and made no restitution.

In another separate incident on 20 November 2021, Ng was involved in a confrontation with a 25-year-old man, after the younger man felt Ng's vehicle was tailing too closely behind his along Tampines Avenue 2.

The man flashed an obscene hand gesture at Ng, who pursued the man's vehicle around the neighbourhood in anger, and even threw a water bottle at the car. When they were in Tampines Avenue 9, Ng blocked the younger man's vehicle, got out with a pair of scissors and challenged him to a fight.

According to the DPP, Ng scolded the victim with Hokkien vulgarities and made an obscene hand gesture at the victim. The victim felt harassed by the accused's behaviour, and his girlfriend called for the police. The court heard that she also filmed part of Ng's tirade on her mobile phone.

Ng will start serving his jail term on 2 May, with his bail set at S$15,000 as of 4 April.

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MFA officials in contact with their next of kin; 8 other Singaporeans among 71 foreigners rescued by Taiwanese authorities

SINGAPORE  Two Singaporeans are still missing in Taiwan following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday (3 April), with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) saying on Friday that the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei is in close touch with the local authorities on the matter.

The ministry told The Straits Times that its officials have been in contact with the next of kin of the two missing persons, and are giving consular assistance, as well as monitoring the situation closely.

As of Thursday, eight Singaporeans were among 71 foreigners rescued by Taiwanese authorities after being trapped in Hualien, the epicentre of the quake. MFA said that two of the eight Singaporeans had light injuries and have been helped by the local authorities.

MFA is aware of the eight Singaporeans rescued by Taiwanese authorities and is extending consular assistance to them. We express our appreciation to the Taiwanese authorities for the quick assistance and support they have extended, the ministry told ST.

Apart from the Singaporeans, those foreigners rescued included 25 people from Germany, seven from Switzerland, seven from the United States, six from Britain, four from Israel, four from the Netherlands, three from Canada, three from France, two from Australia and two from Hungary.

Death toll from quake stands at 12

Reuters have reported that the death toll from the earthquake stands at 12, with more than 1,000 injured. Taiwans fire department has put the number of missing people at 18.

About 50 aftershocks continued to rattle the island, with some being felt as far away as Taipei. Rescuers said about 400 people were safe despite being cut off in a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park, which is situated near Hualien. Helicopters have been ferrying out the injured and bringing supplies.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a 2016 quake in its south, while a 7.3-magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 in 1999.

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Republican District 21 candidate David Covey, who's looking to unseat Speaker of the House Dade Phelan in the upcoming election, held a rally Monday in Beaumont which got a support stop from Attorney General Ken Paxton. Photo made Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise Kim Brent David Covey greets Shilo Platts during an election night watch party at Palms Event Center. Photo made Tuesday, March 5, 2024 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise Kim Brent David Covey announced his run for Texas State Representative District 21 on June 8. Photo Courtesy of David Covey fo

When David Covey decided to run against House Speaker Dade Phelan last summer, he called his friend and colleague, Waller County GOP Chair David Luther, who told him it was a terrible idea.

Covey and Luther had worked together on the Texas GOPs executive committee, and Luther was honest. Running against Phelan  a five-term representative and prominent businessman in his Beaumont-area House district  was a bad political move, he remembers telling him, even though he believed Covey could make a good representative.

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But Covey, a 34-year-old oil and gas consultant and former policy adviser to a far-right state senator, saw the race as a way back to statewide politics, Luther said. Phelan was vulnerable in a way he had never been before, facing fierce criticism from fellow Republicans for his chambers impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, and this could be the only real chance to unseat him in an otherwise deep-red district.

Its the perfect time for him to make this move," Luther said. "He had the support of the company that he worked for.  He has a young family. I dont fault him for taking this leap.

Covey sent shockwaves across the state when he bested Phelan in the three-candidate March primary, forcing the speaker into a runoff election set for May 28 and positioning Phelan to become the first House speaker to lose his seat in more than 50 years.

The high-dollar, much-watched and often nasty contest is widely viewed as a referendum on Phelan, who has faced attacks from his partys right flank for more than a year. The race has garnered national attention, and even former President Donald Trump has weighed in.

While Coveys supporters have sometimes mentioned his experience as the Orange County GOP chairman or fire commissioner, his main appeal is simple: Hes not Phelan.

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The speakers critics say Phelan is the face of the establishment that has ceded too much power to Democrats in Austin and has unfairly targeted Paxton, the embattled attorney general whom many Republicans praise for battling the Biden administration.

"Dade Phelan has failed to represent our party and our community, Covey said in a statement. I will be Southeast Texas representative in Austin, not Austins representative in Southeast Texas.

Hes getting a boost from big-name Republicans rallying around him, including Trump, Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi. A national political action committee backed by conservative donors recently announced it would spend nearly $1 million against Phelan in the final stretch.

Phelan has pushed back on the attacks, saying his record as the most conservative speaker in Texas history speaks for itself. Lining up behind him are former Gov. Rick Perry and a majority of House Republicans, who see Phelan as a principled leader of the Legislature and a key player in its efforts to ban abortion, beef up border security and eliminate gun restrictions.

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Gov. Greg Abbott, who has spent millions trying to oust House Republicans who oppose his private school voucher plan, has yet to weigh in on the race.

We often talk about state elections becoming nationalized, but in this situation, we're talking about a local election with strong statewide overtones, said Joshua Blank, the research director at the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. That's pretty unusual, given how small the electorate actually is.

Primaries are typically low-turnout elections, where the most motivated and, often, extreme voters decide who will be the party nominee in November. Last month, about 34,000 people in Jasper, Jefferson and Orange counties turned out to cast a ballot, and 46% of them voted for Covey. Phelan trailed at 43%.

The runoff may have an even lower turnout rate but with higher stakes.

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If we wont do it, who will?

Covey said he has lived in Texas his entire life and for the last 28 years has been in Orange, the easternmost city in the state that borders Louisiana. At work, he advises oil refineries on fluid distribution; at home, he showcases his family life in YouTube videos, offering affordable date night tips and parenting advice with his wife, Esther.

He said his conservative beliefs stem from his Christian faith and the ideals on which our nation was founded  freedom, liberty and personal responsibility. Growing up in a family of 10, Covey said, he and his siblings tagged along with his parents to local conventions.

Now, politics is a bit of a family affair: One of Coveys seven siblings, Jonathan Covey, works as the director of policy for Texas Values, an influential right-wing nonprofit that lobbies the Legislature to preserve and advance a culture of family values in the state of Texas.

Covey became increasingly active in local politics as he aged, working his way up to the executive committee of the Texas GOP. He even launched a bid to lead the state party in 2021, after then-Chair Allen West resigned to challenge Abbott. Rinaldi ultimately won, but Covey came in second and nearly forced a runoff.

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READ MORE: Donald Trump makes first Texas endorsement, backing GOP challenger to House Speaker Dade Phelan

The defeat didnt push him out of politics. He continued to head the Texas Republican County Chairmens Association, which just last year gave Phelan the inaugural 254 Award for his commitment to supporting down-ballot candidates.

Covey also published a book in 2021 called Hometown Politics, which makes the case that conservatives should focus on local races first if they want to change national politics and that God should be central to that effort.

Coveys campaign declined to make him available for an interview. In a written statement, he said he ultimately decided to run against Phelan after talking to residents, and the resounding sentiment around the district was frustration with Dade Phelans inaccessibility and his failure to prioritize conservative legislation.

These were feelings that my family and I had been experiencing as well, Covey said. After a lot of discussion and prayer with my family, we decided I should run. My wife put it perfectly  If we wont do it, who will?

Coveys campaign platform emphasizes border and election security as top concerns, but he has provided few specifics on legislative priorities.

Since Covey joined the race, his campaign has been bankrolled almost entirely by West Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, whose far-right political action committees  at first Defend Texas Liberty and now Texans United for a Conservative Majority  have donated about half a million dollars.

Phelan has outraised Covey, with much of his $5.8 million haul coming from the Republican State Leadership Committee and a PAC that Las Vegas Sands launched in 2022 to help its efforts to legalize casino gambling in Texas.

Campaign attacks

On the campaign trail, Phelan has painted Covey as a liar and a pawn of Dunn and Wilks. In February, Phelan released an ad called Reject Coveys Lies, which included the accusation that Covey had falsely presented himself as an attorney on Texas Ethics Commission filings.

Covey said he has not personally claimed he is an attorney. He said he earned his juris doctor from a virtual California school for the knowledge and experience and did not take the bar exam.

Phelans campaign announced Wednesday that the speaker had accepted an invitation from a local TV station to debate May 7, but Covey had not yet committed.

David Covey is a handpicked puppet of West Texas billionaires hellbent on buying Southeast Texas for themselves, Phelan said in an email. Voters deserve to know who the candidates truly are, but my opponent refuses to debate the issues and sticks to empty rhetoric.

Covey accused Phelan of refusing to debate up until now and trying to keep the May 7 debate closed to the public. His campaign said it received the invitation to debate on Monday, and we are reviewing our schedule and the terms to ensure it is open to the public.

But Phelan is not the only person who has taken issue with Covey. Morgan Cisneros Graham, a member of the state Republican Partys executive committee who has worked with Covey, said the candidate goes whichever direction the wind blows.

BACKGROUND: Texas GOP censures House Speaker Dade Phelan over Paxton impeachment

She said Covey used to tell her he believed in former President Ronald Reagans so-called 11th commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.

He has aligned himself with the same people he claimed to be his antithesis for years, Graham said.

Covey declined to address her comments directly but said Phelan has lost the right to call himself a Republican. In February, the state Republican Party censured Phelan, a snub that will allow the organization to campaign against him.

Luther, the current president of the Texas Republican County Chairmens Association, said many of Phelans critics are spreading baseless lies or just dont understand how the Legislature works. The TRCCA is not taking a position in the race, and Luther made clear he is speaking on behalf of only himself, but he noted that Phelan has been a supporter of his organization personally and financially.

As much as he dislikes the mudslinging, Luther said he doesnt blame Covey for running a campaign attacking Phelan. He said it may very well be the only way to take down the speaker, who holds the most powerful position in the lower chamber.
SIOUX CITY  A new substantial completion date of June 7 has been proposed for the new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center by the project's Lincoln, Nebraska-based general contractor.

In a document submitted to the Law Enforcement Center Authority this week, Hausmann Construction proposed the June date, an update from a May 23 date previously proposed by Hausmann in documents submitted to the Authority starting on Nov. 20, 2023.

"That completion date isn't anything official yet. They're reserving the right for the completion date to be that," said Shane Albrecht of the Baker Group, project manager for the jail when asked about the May 23 date. Albrecht confirmed this is the same situation.

The substantial completion date was previously set for April 9, but the LEC Authority said in March that date will not be achieved. They are now proposing a completion date of mid-May.

"The Authority now believes that, due to events outside of the Authoritys control, the LEC will not be substantially complete by the current substantial completion date of April 9," according to an Authority news release in March. "This is due, in part, to additional mechanical work ... that will now have to be completed pertaining to the testing and balancing of the mechanical system."

The Authority states this delay is due to "actions, inactions and errors" by Introba, Inc., an engineering consultant hired by Goldberg Group Architects.

"The Authority and its counsel continue to assess its additional costs and damages on the Project caused by the actions, inactions, and delays by Hausmann, GGA, and GGAs mechanical engineering subconsultant, Introba, and are taking the proper steps to ultimately hold the responsible parties liable for such additional costs and damages to be incurred by the Authority," according to a release.

The new jail was originally expected to be completed in March 2023 when it was bid in 2021. It was later pushed back to August 2023, and then to Sept. 14, 2023.

Two days before the Sept. 14 deadline for contractors to finish their work, LEC leaders announced the completion date had been pushed back to a proposed April 9 due to 37 missing fire dampers.
Government boards and commissions in Iowa are no longer required to have an equal number of men and women members, thanks to legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

A Sioux City woman who went to court to argue the state's gender balance requirement was unconstitutional is celebrating its repeal.

"Obviously, I'm very pleased with it because I strongly believe these positions should be based on experience and not sex!" Rachel Raak said in a text Thursday.

Raak, a local Realtor, was one of three plaintiffs in a lawsuit the California-based Pacific Legal Foundation filed against the state of Iowa. The suit challenged the gender balancing law related to the State Judicial Nominating Commission.

The commission sends the governor recommendations for judges to serve on Iowas appellate courts. Under the law, the governor appoints nine of the commissions members, while the remaining eight are elected by the members of the Iowa Bar Association. The law requires the bar to elect two commissioners "of different genders" from each of Iowas four congressional districts.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of former state legislator Chuck Hurley, Micah Broeckmeier and Raak challenged the gender balance requirement, arguing it was unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

As a former member of the District Judicial Nominating Commission, Raak had interviewed candidates for Iowa's district courts, according to the lawsuit. She was seeking to use that experience to interview candidates for the state appellate courts as a member of the State Judicial Nominating Commission. The Fourth District, where Raak lives, was set to elect a new commissioner in January 2023. But because the gender quota required that commissioner be a man, she was excluded from consideration.

At one point, Raak said officials suggested she move to a different district if she wanted to run.

"For real? My kids are in school here. I'm established here in Woodbury County," she texted Thursday. "No one would know me anywhere else. And as a real estate agent? How could I do that in an area I don't know?"

In January, a federal judge ruled the gender balance requirement for the Judicial Nominating Commission was unconstitutional. A review committee adopted as a result of Reynolds 2023 government reorganization legislation called for eliminating the gender-balance requirement for all boards and commissions.

Reynolds proposed the change at the start of this year's session.

Raak said the bill signing in the governor's formal office at the Iowa Capitol Wednesday represented a culmination of a "long process with many set backs."

"To see this finally get signed is an amazing accomplishment by an amazing legal team," she texted. "My kids can now know that their mom was part of this and will hopefully be proud of what we accomplished as a team."

The bill, Senate File 2096, passed both chambers of the state Legislature with only Republican support.

Reynolds, the states first female governor, said as a state senator in 2009 she voted against an extension of the gender balance requirement for government boards and commissions because she believed it was unnecessary.

I believed then, as I still do now, that our focus should always be on appointing the most qualified people, Reynolds said at the bill-signing ceremony. And that includes engaged citizens with a genuine interest in serving their state or local government, as well as individuals with valuable experience that directly relates to that position.

The gender balance requirement, adopted in 1988, was proposed by then-Iowa Sen. Jean Lloyd-Jones, an Iowa City Democrat who went on to co-found the organization 50-50 in 2020, which sought to create gender balance in the state Legislature by encouraging and helping more women seek election to the Statehouse. That original proposal had broad, bipartisan support in the Legislature and was signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican.

Karen Kedrowski, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University, said research shows the states gender balance requirement did not produce a significant increase in the overall percentage of women serving on government boards, but did correlate with more widespread distribution of women on government boards.

More boards are gender balanced, even as the total number of women serving has remained pretty much the same, Kedrowski said during a recent appearance on Iowa PBS Iowa Press.

This demonstrates that the gender balance law really did work and that it incentivized local governments to make the effort to find women to serve on boards that might have been overwhelmingly male, and to find men who would serve on boards that were traditionally overwhelmingly female.

Erin Murphy of the Journal's Des Moines Bureau contributed to this story.
Samuel Shindler wanted to find his family and return to the home that he loved so much.

That was what the 14-year-old Jewish boy was thinking when he, his cousin Motl, his sister Bela and her fiance narrowly escaped Nazi soldiers who had invaded their hometown of Ludmir, Poland in 1938.

Sam's dad Eliyahu was too sickly to flee the village on the horse-drawn buggy, his sisters Mindel and Rachel were too young for such a treacherous trek, and mom Doba had to care for all of them.

For the remainder of World War II, Sam suffered from illness, malnutrition, inhumane living conditions while working in a Russian cotton mill, served an unjust prison term for stealing a burlap bag, and experienced antisemitism from nearly everyone he encountered.

"If you were a Jew, you were automatically the 'other,'" Sam's daughter Elyn Shindler Moldow explained. "If you were gay, you were the 'other' and if you were too Christian in your beliefs, you were also the 'other.'"

"During the Holocaust, to be one of the 'others' was something that was punishable by death," Moldow continued.

Sam's parents and younger sisters perished at the hands of the Nazis. However, he and Bela survived, sailing on the U.S.S. General H.W. Buttner for a new life in America in 1951.

"My dad was told the streets in America were paved in gold and he took it literally," Moldow said with a chuckle. "When the Jewish Federation brought him to Sioux City, my dad didn't see streets made of gold, but he did receive a new lease on life."

Samuel Shindler was allowed to start a family of his own in a country that was far removed from his homeland.

Yet the man -- born Schmuel Szynder -- never forgot the family that he lost nor the land that he was forced to flee.

Moldow, a Sioux City native now living in Denver, Colorado, has written about her father in "Samuel in the Quantum Field: How One Boy's Holocaust Story Can Help Us Bridge Space, Time and Everything in Between," a book which chronicled Shindler's upbringing in a Poland village and through a maze of hardships before sailing to America, moving to Sioux City when, years later, he became the owner of Shindler Iron & Metal, Inc.

Moldow will also talk about her father  who died in 2008 at age 84  to approximately 1,800 area students who will learn about the Holocaust at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre, 528 Pierce St., which is one of several scheduled Tolerance Week events.

Sioux City's Tolerance Week was created in 2005 by Jerry and Kathy Weiner after the couple saw "Paper Clips," a critically-acclaimed documentary film featuring middle school kids in Tennessee who collected 6 million paper clips to represent the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II.

Since then, the Holocaust has become a part of the curriculum for many Siouxland middle schools, with eighth graders taking part in Tolerance Week activities, including an essay competition as well as the Ella Holtzen Memorial Art Contest, named after a Hinton, Iowa student and past art contest winner who died in a 2020 car accident.

Special ceremonies will be held at the Sioux City Railroad Museum, 3400 Sioux River Road, which is home to a permanent exhibit called "Holocaust Rails: Desperate Passage," which opened in 2023.

"Holocaust Rails features a replica railroad boxcar, similar to the ones used to transport victims of the Holocaust during World War II," explained Lou Ann Lindblade, one of the event's organizers.

Inge Auerbacher, a German-born author, Terezin Concentration Camp survivor and frequent Tolerance Week speaker is slated to tour Holocaust Rails for the first time.

"Inge, who just turned 89, was too ill to attend the ceremonies last year," Lindblade said. "This year, she seems to be in much better shape."

Moldow was able to tour Holocaust Rails last year. She was impressed by the exhibit and taken aback by a multimedia component which included the voice of Samuel Shindler.

"My dad's been gone for 15 years," she said. "Hearing him talk about his Holocaust experience was quite special."

Unlike other Holocaust survivors, Sam was never in a concentration camp. Instead, he worked long hours in a cotton mill where his only payment was a cup of flour, which he shared with three other people.

"Dad saw humanity at its worst during World Wat II," Moldow said. "It definitely left a mark on him."

sam with wife Sam with his wife Dorothy Edith Shindler (nee Sterling) in Sioux City. Probably from around 1975-80 era.

Sadly, the recent and ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in and around the Gaza Strip continue to make headlines.

So too are reports of the increased instances of antisemitic hate crimes in the United States and around the world.

"Too many people see things only in black or white terms," Moldow said. "If we can listen to one another, we can learn and grow."

When Elyn Shindler Moldow thinks about her dad, she remembers a man who didn't always trust someone who didn't share the same Jewish faith as he did.

He was also wary of answering the door when someone rang.

"You never knew who would be on the other side," she said.

Still, Moldow can't help but smile at the memory of a man, whom she said had "movie star looks" and loved to play practical jokes on his favorite waitresses at the old Bishop's Cafeteria in downtown Sioux City.

He spent his final days on Earth listening to both Jewish spirituals and, surprisingly, the music of Pink Floyd.

"You'd never take my dad, an elderly Holocaust survivor, to be a fan of 'The Dark Side of the Moon,' but he was," Moldow said.

Mainly, she remembered her dad as a man who came to America with no money and knowing very little English.

He subsequently fell in love and married his English tutor, the former Dorothy Edith Sterling.

Together, Sam and Dorothy Shindler raised two daughters Debi and Elyn as well as Eliot, a son.

Speaking of her dad, Elyn Shindler Moldow said he never forgot what he lost or the hardships he experienced.

Instead, it made him strive harder and embrace life with a greater passion.
The streets are slowly killing themselves.

As if extreme temperatures and liberal use of road salt werent hard enough on highways and byways, the sand and gravel aggregate used to make concrete carries in it the seeds of its own destruction.

Silica in the gravel reacts badly with the alkali in Portland cement after they are combined to make concrete for paving. The chemical reaction creates a gel underneath the surface, which expands when it gets wet in summer thunderstorms or winter snows.

The mushrooming gel squeezes the pavement from inside and causes it to crack, especially at the joints. The telltale signs are gray or black splotches emanating from those joints.

They call it cancer inside concrete, said Jiong Hu, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineering professor who studies the composition of concrete. Eventually, the whole slab crumbles.

Alkali-silica reaction (known in the industry as ASR) has been documented in a majority of states. Nebraska seems to be ASRs ground zero.

Thats because the Platte River gravel used for concrete in the most populated parts of the state, from Omaha to Scottsbluff, is especially high in silica, which is one of the most common minerals in the Earths crust. Glass, beach sand, silicone and granite are all silica materials.

Along the Platte River basin, the silica level gets higher as you move east toward the Missouri River, said Bruce Grupe, executive director of the Nebraska Concrete Paving Association, an industry group.

ASR has contributed significantly to the deterioration of Omaha's streets, said Austin Rowser, the city's deputy public works director. It can worsen seasonal potholes and lead to the collapse of entire sections of roadway.

The most notorious example happened in 2019  which could be remembered as Omahas Pothole Year from Hell. A snowy and frigid February followed by a sudden March thaw (and the states worst-ever flood) led to the complete failure of one road. The city closed the street completely and rebuilt it  only 13 years after it had last been paved.

Cutting fly ash out of road mix? Big mistake

Rowser said the problem appears to be worse in roads paved between 2000 and 2015, for reasons that arent completely clear  though it roughly coincides with the time Omaha quit adding fly ash to its standard concrete mix.

Fly ash is the residue left over after coal is burned in coal-fired power plants. Since the 1980s, the federal government has encouraged its use in paving concrete in what seemed like a win-win: adding fly ash slowed the progress of ASR in finished pavement, and it disposed of a messy byproduct of coal-burning that otherwise would be buried in landfills.

We really kind of used that stuff pretty heavily with the understanding that it would mitigate (ASR), said Grupe, formerly the city engineer in Kearney. It helped in the short term.

But over time, some forms of fly ash seemed to actually make ASR worse. That prompted Omaha to eliminate fly ash from its concrete in 1996.

Big mistake.

We saw (ASR) accelerated after we quit using fly ash, Rowser said.

Douglas County Engineer Todd Pfitzer said much of the newer concrete is in worse shape than pavement poured decades earlier.

Our concrete now is arguably worse than it was 50 years ago, he said. Concrete should last 25 to 50 years. Weve got concrete thats 10 years old that looks terrible already.

Omaha brought fly ash back in 2015, Rowser said, using a different kind (called Class F fly ash) that seems to work better.

The concrete cancer is a headache for us all

Coming up with the right concrete formula is a tricky process, one Omaha and the Nebraska Department of Transportation have wrestled with for years.

Broadly speaking, Grupe said, concrete is made up of roughly equal parts aggregate (sand and gravel), powdery Portland cement and limestone  which, along with fly ash, lessens the effects of ASR.

After several years of working with the Nebraska Concrete Paving Association, the road construction industry and sand and gravel suppliers, the City of Omaha recently approved a new concrete formula that officials believe will boost the durability.

Grupe said the new formula uses less cement and aggregate while increasing limestone.

We have very high hopes that this is going to perform better, Pfitzer said.

Omahas problem is that, even with a new concrete formula, it is still stuck with at least 20 years worth of cancerous roads that will inevitably self-destruct.

The only way to prevent ASR completely is to use sand and gravel that is low in silica. Unfortunately, that is hard to find, because high silica levels are common in states surrounding Nebraska.

It becomes cost-prohibitive to truck it from someplace else, Hu said.

The right maintenance can stretch the life of concrete. That means regularly sealing joints in the road. They are the weak link where water is most likely to penetrate  and the place where potholes generally form first.

Its awfully important to keep the joints sealed, Grupe said.

Overlaying affected roads with asphalt smooths things over, but only for a while. The reaction still continues below the surface and ultimately undermines the road.

The solution remains elusive. Scientists and engineers are likely to keep tweaking their formulas, grappling with self-destructive concrete far into the future.

The silica stuff has been a headache for all of us, Pfitzer said. I wish I knew how to make it go away forever.

States where roads are in the worst condition States where roads are in the worst condition #15. Missouri #14. Massachusetts #13. Louisiana #12. New York #11. Mississippi #10. Pennsylvania #9. Maryland #8. Washington #7. West Virginia #6. New Mexico #5. Connecticut #4. California #3. Hawaii #2. New Jersey #1. Rhode Island
Microsoft, in partnership with Quantinuum, announced on Wednesday of making the first "historic" breakthrough in realizing advanced quantum computing machines.

The tech giant claimed that it has recorded the "most reliable logical qubits" performance made, at least 800 times more accurate than previous prototypes tested.

Qubits refer to the unit of information being processed by quantum computers at the same time.

Lower "quantum errors" and higher "fault tolerance" means the advanced computing machines are able to handle more problem processing without consuming much energy.

Microsoft Powers Hybrid Quantum Computer with AI Advancements

At its current phase, the quantum computer has already reached "Level 2 Resilient" quantum computing, enabling it to solve "meaningful problems" in research, science, and even society.

The company said it has used a collaborative application from its Azure Quantum hardware, AI systems, and "state-of-the-art hybrid technologies."

For now, Microsoft aims to reduce the quantum errors in its computing machines by up to at least a thousand times before considering moving the technology to become commercial.

Also Read : AI-Powered Quantum Computers Inches Closer to Mass Production

Security Concerns Raised Over Microsoft's Quantum Computing Machines

Amid Microsoft's feat in quantum computing, concerns for more rampant cyberattacks are being raised as the promised technology inches closer to realization.

IBM earlier warned world leaders and tech companies that the advent of quantum computers put current cybersecurity systems at risk of being obsolete if hackers ever get their hands on the technology, a problem Microsoft has yet to provide a concrete solution to.

Microsoft was recently blasted by the US Department of Home Security for "inadequate" security measures against hackers that allowed state emails to be compromised last year.

The company also suffered a cyberattack just this year that resulted in hackers accessing the company's source code after stealing some of its executives' corporate emails.

State-sponsored threat actors have also been repeatedly reported as using Microsoft and OpenAI's, whose technology Microsoft uses for Azure, AI chatbots for their operations.

If Microsoft intends to release the hybrid quantum computing without much safety measures, more companies are at risk of further cyberattacks once the technology becomes compromised.
As HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm nears the end of its much-celebrated 12-season run, capping a quarter-century of creator Larry Davids fictionalized self-portrayal as a quick-to-anger misanthrope, a curious derangement seems to have gripped a certain subset of the shows viewers. Many of themin between whining about wokeness and evading questioning about where they were on Jan. 6appear to be discovering for the first time that the real Larry David is not, in fact, on their side. Thats right: The Hollywood mainstay behind Seinfeld and Curb is a liberal. And those whove uncovered this newfound knowledge are not taking it well.

The conservative freakout over Davids politics has been brewing for a while now. Back in September, after HBO officially announced Curbs impending return, the white supremacistfriendly host of the popular No Jumper podcast tweeted that David was now doing the Howard Stern thing where you spend your whole life being genuinely funny and then in your final decade or two of life you become an annoying woke scold. What prompted this lash-out? A New York Post item about a snippet from Walter Isaacsons Elon Musk biography, detailing an incident where David confronted the Tesla CEO over his recent alignment with the GOP. Such complaints only escalated after the new season premiered in February, with a core plot line pegged to the notorious Georgia voter-suppression law that, among other things, prohibits anyone from handing water to citizens standing in line near a polling place. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, always happy to defend the worst legislation from her home state, tweeted that the episode lied and painted GA conservatives and Trump supporters as racists and red necks and made fun of our good new law that stops the Stacey Abrams vote pandering machine and prevents voter fraud. (Incidentally, Stacey Abrams herself has a Curb cameo praising Larry for his attempt to defy said law, and in real life, executive producer Jeff Schaffer told the Hollywood Reporter he was thrilled that Greene was so bitter.) The conspiratorial congresswoman wasnt alone in responding: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger penned a snarky response to David after a Curb-loving aide asked his boss to defend the law.

Most notorious, perhaps, was Davids recent appearance on Chris Wallaces talk show, where he denounced Donald Trump as a sociopath and a sick man. Far-right pundit Charlie Kirk commented that ever since Donald Trump came on the scene, Larry David is not as happy of a person as he once was. If that incoherent take proved anything, its that Kirk may finally be catching up to how right-leaning fans of Davids have felt ever since Trump hosted Saturday Night Live and earned a Trumps a racist! jab from the comedian. After all, Larry premiered Curb Season 10 with an episode in which he dons a MAGA cap to stave off an angry bikers road rage and, in a separate instance, merely to keep restaurantgoers from sitting next to him. The then-president shared the biker clip as an endorsement of TOUGH GUYS FOR TRUMP!, even though the episodes message was something of the oppositeas David himself elaborated during a 2020 panel discussion when asked about possibly alienating Trump-loving Curb fans: Alienate yourselves! I could give a fuck. Happy to put this into practice in his personal life, David went on to disavow the politics of his longtime pal Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and blow up at Alan Dershowitz over the lawyers coziness with the Trump administration: I saw you with your arm around Pompeo! Its disgusting! Youre disgusting!

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Dershowitzs reply, offered as a quote to Page Six, was revealing: He referred to David as a knee-jerk radical who takes his politics from Hollywood and doesnt read a lot. Such comments, coupled with those by Kirk and by No Jumpers Adam22, almost convey a sense of betrayalthat the man who created two of the most successful sitcoms of all time is not on their side. But they also betray deep historical ignorance and cultural illiteracy: Neither Curb nor its creator have ever made a secret of their hot-blooded liberalism, even before the era of Trump and the #resistance.

Related From Slate The Problem With Curb Your Enthusiasms Final Season Read More

Just look back to Curbs second season, which debuted just weeks after 9/11 and displays Larry conspicuously reading a copy of Closed Chambers, a 1998 book that blamed conservative Chief Justice William Rehnquist for overseeing a Supreme Court that discard[ed] judicial philosophy and consistent interpretation in favor of bottom-line results. Or to Season 4s The Surrogate, where Larry refers to famed progressive outlet the Nation as a fabulous magazine. Or to that seasons finale, where Larry turns down the opportunity to have sex with a Producers castmate (actress Cady Huffman, likewise portraying a fictionalized version of herself) because shes a Republican with a massive framed photo of George W. Bush in her dressing room. Another instance when David mocked the younger Bush? Season 5s The Seder, which pokes fun at a blowhard neoconservative (played by Stephen Tobolowsky) who ranks George W. Bush on par with presidential icons like Abe Lincoln and FDR. Yet another occasion: the entirety of Season 6, when Larrys environmentalist wife, Cheryl (played, of course, by RFK Jr.s partner, Cheryl Hines), persuades him to take in a Black family displaced by Hurricane Edna, the Curb universes counterpart to Hurricane Katrina.

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All of which is to say: If the shows conservative fans somehow think Curb wasnt so woke during its Bush-era heightsa time when both the fictional and real Larry David proudly drove a Prius and talked up the special club to which he and his fellow hybrid enthusiasts belongedwell, Im not sure they were watching the same show I was. They definitely werent paying attention to the many other liberal stalwarts who made laudatory appearances throughout the shows run: Wanda Sykes, former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, Michael Bloomberg, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Laverne Cox. In more recent seasons, David has granted Trump admin whistleblower Alexander Vindman a cameo appearance, incorporated such liberal-media figureheads as Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist, and cast longtime lib Bruce Springsteenwho, in this past Sundays episode, took Larry to task for giving him a nasty case of COVID and for deadnaming a transgender character.

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Of course, literal signposting in any work of art is one thing, and vibes and feelings are another. Its not surprising conservative viewers would take to a show about a filthy rich entertainer whos suspicious of and often gets into spats with lower-class workers: receptionists, parking lot attendants, delivery guys, waiters, housekeepers, you name it. Its also not surprising they would enjoy Curbs consistent (and legitimately daring) willingness to flout the boundaries imposed by polite society and elitist pieties, especially in touchy situations regarding race and class and religion and sex and sexuality and disability and celebrity. Theres perhaps no better or timelier example than Palestinian Chicken, the infamous 2011 episode where Larry frequents a restaurant specializing in the titular dish and romances one of its servers, to the horror of religious friends appalled that said restaurant opened up near a Jewish-owned deli. (Ironically enough, Alan Dershowitz himself thought Palestinian Chicken could bring peace to the Middle East and once sent Netanyahu a copy. Im not joking.)

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Related From Slate This Curb Your Enthusiasm Episode Encapsulates What Makes the Show So Much Fun Read More

It was perhaps easier for right-wingers to brush aside Curbs liberal markers when they could ignore Davids anti-Bush op-eds and otherwise appreciate moments when Larry pretended to be conservative to get into a country club (Season 4s The 5 Wood), tried to categorize anti-bald prejudice as a hate crime (Season 2s Trick or Treat), or got accused of racism because he fired a Black repairman who was actually rather incompetent (Season 3s The Benadryl Brownie). Add that to later Curb narratives where Larry appears unsure of how to proposition women in the #MeToo era (Season 9s The Shucker), persuades a Jewish dry cleaner to clear the stain off a Klansmans robe (Season 11s The Watermelon), and faces disaster after his fully electric BMW runs out of juice (this years The Colostomy Bag), and you can see how a certain type of Curb fan can project their neuroses and prejudices onto a cranky old man who feels the times have passed him by. Or even onto the IRL Larry David, who in real life has defended his onetime collaborator Woody Allen.

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Still, such has always been the magic of Curb Your Enthusiasmits ability to display the cloud-yelling old man, Larry Davids fictional alter ego, as a complex figure worthy of both admiration and frustration, a social pariah neither just good nor bad, but both well-intentioned and heavily flawed. Curbs Larry says and does a lot of truly despicable things, but the show never goes easy on him for it; theres always a foil, whether that is a stranger, a friend, a moralistic celebrity, or a spurned sex partner, willing to scold him for it. At the same time, there are several occasions where Larry is in the right, or is guilty only of an innocent mistake or mix-up or miscommunication, yet still catches grief for it. Thats less political or woke than it is just a reflection of the human experience.

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Still, the point stands that Larry Davidwho was once married to An Inconvenient Truths producer, who formerly referred to himself in a HuffPost blog as a liberal insomniac, who stated hed willingly choose Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump any day, who donated to Pete Buttigieg during the 2020 primaryhas never hidden his political leanings, in his everyday life or on Curb Your Enthusiasm. That clearly hasnt let up as the show itself finally wraps. Its also not going to let up at any point in Davids post-Curb career. So if you encounter anyone who tries to claim that David has traded in real humor for unfunny virtue-signaling, you should ask them whether theyve actually ever watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, and give them a good interrogatory stare while youre at it.
Mary and Georgea dramatization of the stratospheric rise of the Villiers family to power and influence during the reign of Elizabeth Is successor James Iis one of the new breed of period dramas like The Great or The Favourite, where, apparently unconstrained by the rigid social mores, constricting formality of dress, or religious edicts of their time, characters behave like contemporary privileged libertines, indulging in ripe swearing and over-the-top sexual activities. At least in this case, the shows creators can legitimately argue that the series baroque sex and graphic violence is in keeping with what Jacobean dramatists like John Webster put on the stage.

The ambition, superb strategic thinking, and ruthlessness demonstrated by the central figure, Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore at her most chilly), might seem anachronistic, but she really was that much of a girlboss, climbing from relative obscurity via advantageous marriages (the usual and indeed only way for a woman to better her social position in 17th-century England) to become a countess and one of the most powerful women in the country. So along the way, her rise might have included pimping out her son to the king, kidnapping her future daughter-in-law to force her into an unwanted marriage, and committing another son to an asylum, but heythe path to power is never easy. Mary did in fact do all these things, as shown in the series, but there is scant evidence for the murders the show also attributes to her.

That said, there was a lot of room for dramatic license because, as Benjamin Woolley, the author of the nonfiction book that served as the shows source material, observed, We dont know a great deal about her. We dont even know when she was born. The life of her son George, known as handsomest-bodied man in England (Nicholas Galitzine, who doesnt disappoint), is much better documented. Though as you might expect, there were any number of contemporaneous sources ready to repeat scurrilous gossip about a man who rapidly rose from the minor gentry to being the first person not of royal blood to be created a dukedom (the first Duke of Buckingham)not to mention becoming the most important nonroyal person in Britain, influencing royal marriages, foreign policy, and taking the country to war, all the while amassing a huge personal fortunebased almost entirely on his ability to beguile the king. Here, we explore whats gossip, whats invention, and whats fact in Mary and George.

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Was Mary Originally a Servant?

When, thanks to Georges ascendancy, Mary is finally presented at court, the assembled aristocrats whisper that she started out as a ladys maid and escaped this lowly position by seducing and marrying her first husband, George Villiers, an abusive country squire. We later learn that although George Villiers paid for papers ostensibly attesting to his wifes being part of the Beaumonts, an old established family of landed gentry, Mary is being blackmailed by an official who has found papers proving her actual antecedents were undistinguished and that she was originally a servant. (The blackmailer meets a sticky end.)

In truth, Mary was never a ladys maid, which would have made her a servant, but she was, said Woolley, a waiting woman to one of her relatives, a waiting woman being sort of between service and gentry, so she occupied this rather ambiguous social rank. A good analogy might be the Victorian companion, usually a somewhat impoverished spinster or widow who had no household of her own and was taken in by a more affluent relative to be a sort of personal assistant/dogsbody to the mistress of the house. She would not have dined in the servants hall but would not have dined with the family either, inhabiting, like a governess, a social gray zone.

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In actuality, Mary was genuinely a Beaumont, and Villiers, her first husband, was a cousin of her mothers. But although they had a pedigree, the Beaumonts had no real money, so she started out as, if not a servant, a poor relation.

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Did James I Attend Orgies?

Following Marys clever strategic advice, George comes to James Is attention and takes up residence at court after being appointed a royal cupbearer. Robert Carr, James current favorite (despite his being very happily married to Lady Carr), senses competition and seeks to humiliate the newcomer. The relatively naive George finds himself relegated to playing the cello with a veil over his head in the kings private apartments as a mostly male orgy is in progress.

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No one can say for certain what went on behind closed doors, but from what we know of James, such libertinism seems unlikely. Certainly James was known for a roving eye for beautiful young men, or Ganymedes, named after the beautiful youth of Greek mythology who stole the rampantly heterosexual Zeus heart. But this might have been fake news circulated to stir up anti-Scottish prejudice (James I of England, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, was simultaneously James VI of Scotland) or resentment toward the favorites. The received view of James was summed up by historian Lawrence Stone, who wrote, As a hated Scot, James was suspect to the English from the beginning.  Reports of his blatantly homosexual attachments and his alcoholic excesses were diligently spread back to a horrified countryside, especially since Henry VIII, that model of morality, had made consensual sex between men illegal in 1533.

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Much of this reputation for licentiousness was based on diplomatic gossip. In 1618, the Venetian ambassador reported home that the King honoured [the Duke of Buckingham] with marks of extraordinary affection, patting his face, while the French ambassador, quoted in Michael Youngs King James and the History of Homosexuality, asserted that he had too much modesty to report everything he saw in graphic detail, comparing James retreats to the English town of Newmarket with his coterie of Ganymedes to the dissolute Emperor Tiberiuss notorious sojourns on Capri.

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While the orgies are dubious, James definitely had intense romantic attachments to three men (of whom Villiers was the last) in his life. There is no doubt that he was deeply in love with Villiers. Another letter from the Venetian ambassador observed that the King has given [Villiers] all his heart, who will not eat, sup or remain an hour without him and considers him his whole joy, while a member of Parliament named John Oglander noted he never yet saw any fond husband make so much or so great dalliance over his beautiful spouse as I have seen King James over his favorites, especially the Duke of Buckingham.

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Moreover, when Villiers was made a privy councillor in 1617 at age 24, James made a speech saying, You may be sure that I love the Earl of Buckingham more than anyone else, and later that year sent Villiers a portrait of himself with his heart in his hand along with passionate letters addressing Villiers as his sweet heart.

While no definitive proof exists that the relationship was fully sexual, a restoration of Jamess residence, Apethorpe Palace, in 2008 revealed a previously unknown passage linking the kings and Villiers bedchambers.

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On the other hand, James also wrote a book of advice for his young son in which he condemned sodomy as an unforgivable crime on par with witchcraft and murder. In James day, sodomy was seen as a vice that accompanied or grew out of other sins; there was no sense of homosexuality as a component of identity (the term homosexuality wasnt even introduced until the end of the Victorian era). In the prevailing medical theory of the time, male and female bodies were considered to be fundamentally the same, with sex differences determined by the way bodily humours (special fluids, like bile and phlegm) flowed through them. A man wanting sex with another man was thought to have an imbalance in his humours. As for Villiers, his homosexual behavior seems to have been at least in part strategic, since after James death he reinvented himself as robustly straight.

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In fact, the series presentation of James as something of a rough diamond interested mostly in hunting, drinking, and ogling young men, while not exactly wrong, is limited. Besides the aforementioned book of advice, James wrote books on subjects as diverse as the divine right of kings, the evils of witchcraft, and a prescient warning about the harms of tobacco use. He commissioned and sponsored the translation of the Bible into English that is still known as the King James Version and is remarkable for being a work of literature as well as scripture. He was also the patron of the theater company known as the Kings Men, whose resident playwright was one William Shakespeare. No fool, the Bard wrote a play about a Scottish king troubled by the supernatural, with many of the quotes and rituals used by the plays three witches lifted directly from his patrons book on the subject.

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Was Queen Anne Really So Relaxed About Her Husbands Favorites?

In the series, James queen, Anne of Denmark, is very understanding about the kings homosexual inclinations and often offers him advice and a shoulder to cry on about his extramarital relationships, seeming more like a big sister than a wife.

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This sounds too good to be true, and it is. Initially the royal couple was happy, but a rift opened in 1594 when James, then just King of Scotland, insisted the newborn longed-for heir, Prince Henry, be raised apart from his mother at Stirling Castle. After this, James and Anne led increasingly separate lives at court, where she had to put up with the kings blatant infatuations with his favorites. The rift was further widened by Anne continuing to worship as a Catholic and surrounding herself with Catholic ladies-in-waiting, despite Jamesand most of Scotlandsstaunch Protestantism.

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Nevertheless, the couple managed to have seven children, three of whom lived to adulthood. However, after the birth and death of her daughter Sophia in 1607, and resulting gynecological issues, Anne declared she didnt want any more children and the couple rarely lived together, with Anne preferring to stay in London and the king in more rural residences where he could hunt. However, although James visited Anne only three times during her final illness, he was, as the show suggests, deeply affected by her death.

Did Prince Charles Woo the Infanta of Spain by Singing to Her?

As his star rises, George gets caught up in the courts byzantine geopolitics and jostling for power. Originally George is mentored by the scholar and Attorney General Sir Francis Bacon, who wants peace with Spain, but then falls afoul of Bacons rival and his brothers father-in-law Sir Edward Coke, parliamentary leader and cheerleader for war with Spain. Mary advises her son to tell Coke he will testify against Bacon, so George visits the Spanish ambassador and asks for proof that Bacon has been working in Spains employ. In return, he offers to persuade James son and heir, Charles (Prince Henry having died), to marry the Spanish infanta.

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Parliament refuses to agree to this alliance with a Catholic kingdom, so Charles and George decide the best thing to do is go on a surprise unofficial visit to Spain, where the less-than-prepossessing Charles can sweep the infanta off her feet. At a very formal audience at the Spanish court, Charles decides to woo the infanta by singing a sad song to her, and amazingly, it works. The infanta is captivated.

This is not what happened in reality. But you can see why the shows writers found it easier than the real story, which would have gotten bogged down in the ever-shifting complicated alliances of European royal families, the feuds between different branches of the Habsburg dynasty, the causes of the Thirty Years War, and similar weighty matters that would take 40 episodes to explain and lose viewers in droves.

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In actuality, Prince Charles and Villiers did travel on their own in 1623 and just turned up uninvited at the Spanish Court, which was a distinct break from protocol. But the chances of a Spanish infanta being allowed to meet a man outside her immediate family was exactly zero and Charles was told he could not pay court to her in person, singing or no. The best he could manage was to catch a glimpse of her while a carriage he and Villiers were traveling in passed by a carriage the infanta and the queen, her sister-in-law, were in. That was it.

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Did Sir Francis Bacon Die of Syphilis?

Sir Francis Bacon loses his power struggle with Sir Edward Coke after Mary threatens to expose him as a traitor in the pay of Spain. Coke banishes him from court and strips him of his titles. Things get even worse for the former attorney general when his syphilis deteriorates, and shortly before his death he is forced to wear a metal nose to hide the disappearance of his natural onea consequence of late-stage syphilis attacking cartilage.

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In reality, Bacon did not die of syphilis and there is no proof that he had it. His actual cause of death was far more interesting. Together with the kings physician, he conducted an experiment on whether freezing meat would preserve it as effectively as salting it, and to this end the two men stuffed a chicken with snow. This reportedly resulted in his catching a chill and he died of pneumonia a couple of days later.

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As with James, the show presents a not inaccurate but flattened view of Bacon. More than just a political wheeler-dealer, he was one of the preeminent intellectual figures of the English Renaissance. His writings on natural philosophy stressing the importance of closely observing events in nature led to his being considered the father of empiricism and a major influence on the development of the scientific method.

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As well as being a member of Parliament, he was a practicing barrister (at one point becoming legal advisor to Elizabeth I and thus the first designated Queens Counsel), and his legal writings are thought to have influenced the drafting of the Napoleonic Code, the basis for Frances legal system. He also played a major part in establishing Britains colonies in North America, especially Virginia and the Carolinas, and Newfoundland in Canada.

If Mary and Georges creators wanted to inject a note of unexpected scandal into this life of accomplishment, there was no need to invent a fatal dose of a venereal disease. At the age of 45, Bacon married his wife Alice and wrote two sonnets declaring his love for her. She was 13.
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here.

Dear Care and Feeding,

I am the youngest person in my family who is not dating anyone. During every single family reunion, I always get interrogated about my love life, and it always makes me feel bad about the fact that Ive never dated. Just this Easter, one of my relatives told me that at my university, I should be looking to get my Mrs degree, despite the fact that I am only 18. Theres also the fact that Im bisexual, so even if I do get a partner, theres a pretty good chance they will not be the nice boy they imagine for me. How do I get my family off my case about my love life?

In the Hot Seat

Dear Hot Seat,

Instead of entertaining their questions, shut the conversation down as soon as it begins. Let your family know that while you appreciate their concern, you dont want to discuss your love life with them at this point and that you will let them know if that changes. If someone again approaches you with the ridiculous Mrs. concept, explain that you are focused on your studies and exploring yourself, and that you went to college to get an education, not a partner. You may not be able to prevent your family from inquiring about your dating habits, unfortunately, but hopefully after being refused the space for them to interrogate you or make you feel something is wrong because you arent seeing anyone, they will get the message and bring the topic up less frequently.

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Do your best not to internalize their comments; it is completely normal for an 18-year-old to be romantically inexperienced. When you feel that you are ready to date, its totally fine to be proactive about making that happen. The dating apps, while they can be very challenging, are a great way to connect with other people who are interested in making romantic connections and can allow you to be intentional about pursuing a relationship. Another great way to meet people is by being active on campus; participate in activities and events that suit your interest, and you may find that you meet someone with whom you have things in common. If you dont want to go out of your way to find a potential partner, thats okay too! Youre on your own schedule, and you have plenty of time to make love a priority if that is something you choose to do in the future. But let it be based on your own desires and not pressure from your family.

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Dear Care and Feeding,

Im a junior in high school and have had basically the same friend group since freshman year. Baylee is one of my best friends. Shes one of the kindest and funniest people I know. Back in January, she broke up with her girlfriend, Ruby. After that, Baylee downloaded an app, Wizz, thats now been banned and is talking to a ton of guys on it. She mentioned over 10 different guys who have sent her shirtless pics and shes even told one her address! Im scared that she will do something stupid and put herself in danger. Baylee brushes me off, and her other friend Grace told me she would just get over it, but Im still nervous. I dont know how to talk about it with her or my counselor and dont know if I should tell an adult. I dont want to ruin my friendship. She was my first friend in high school and I just want her to be ok.

Tangled Up

Dear Tangled Up,

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This may be difficult for you to do, but if Baylee is sharing her address with strangers shes met online, I think you should tell one of her parents. The people behind social media accounts and apps are not always who they represent themselves to be, and its possible that your friend is communicating with adults. If you dont feel comfortable taking that step now, at least consider it if you find out that Baylee has shared her address again or if she starts sending out racy pics of her own. It may feel like a betrayal of your friends trust, but this situation could absolutely end up badly. You would feel terrible if she got hurt by someone she met from an app and you didnt say anything about it. You can ask Baylees parents not to tell her that they got this information from you, though theres no guarantee that theyll honor your wishes.

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If you cant bring yourself to tell Baylees parents (or a counselor at school, which would likely get traced back to you more easily than telling her parents, who can simply tell her that they chose to search her phone on their own), then at the very least, continue being a voice of reason in her ear encouraging her not to meet up with guys from the app and to refrain from sending them her own pictures. Talk about how many girls go missing after meeting someone online and how easily a picture that she sends to one person can be circulated to others without her permission. Remind her how many predators use these apps and sites to attract underaged girls and that she may not be talking to the person in the profile pictures after all.

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Dear Care and Feeding,

I am a stay-at-home mom of two and regularly watch my sisters two children since she has an irregular work schedule. My in-laws are raising their 2-year-old granddaughter because their daughter is more interested in partying than being a parent. I have kept my distance from their situation because my advice that my sister-in-law be made to get on regular birth control was ignored after it became apparent she was sexually active. They also didnt go after the father for child support or look into pushing charges against him (he was 10 years older than my sister-in-law, and she was a minor when she got pregnant). I was told to mind my own business, even by my husband.

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The problem is that my in-laws cant find good quality childcare, and the home daycare they use is shutting down. My SIL cant be trusted to watch her own baby properly and has been caught before leaving the baby in dirty diapers for hours or leaving the baby alone in the house. My in-laws want me to start taking the baby every day now. I cant. I have my hands full as it is. I am lucky my sisters kids are a little older and can help a little. She pays me. My husband and I are arguing about this. He doesnt see how adding just one more kid will change anything.

For one, I would be housebound because I couldnt fit another car seat into my little car. My husband accused me of favoring my side and wanting to punish his parents. I dont, but it isnt like the writing wasnt on the wall. My sister-in-law has never faced any sort of consequences because her parents always pick up the slack. She refuses to get her GED or a job. Her parents let her come and go as she pleases. I dont see any of this working out favorably for our family. I am tired of the fights.

Too Much in Michigan

Dear Too Much,

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Simply refuse to take care of this additional child. Remind your husband and his parents that you literally cant fit another childs seat in your car and that it would be unfair for you and the other children to be stuck in the house as a result. Talk about the challenges of caring for a 2-year-old and how going from four children to five would make a difficult situation untenable. Stick to your guns, even if your husband is upset with you. His parents refusal to make their daughter be a responsible mother is not your burden to carry. Let him know that his issue is not with you, but with his sister, and you shouldnt be expected to care for her child when she wont even do it herself. Sleep well knowing that youre already doing a good thing for your sister and that you are simply at capacity when it comes to child care.

Jamilah

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Some find it tellingand disturbingthat it took the killing of seven World Central Kitchen workers, including one American citizen, for President Joe Biden to declare that further U.S. support for Israels war in Gaza will depend on how carefully Israel protects Palestinian civilians caught up in the crossfire.

Biden has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to minimize civilian casualties ever since the war began six months ago and has continued to do so as estimated deaths in Gaza climbed to more than 30,000, with hunger and sickness among refugees nearing catastrophic levels.

But the WCK incident prodded Biden, for the first time, to tie U.S. policy to Israels behavior. As White House spokesman John Kirby put it at a news conference Thursday, speaking about Israel, If we dont see changes from their side, therell have to be changes from our side. This is new. Until now, Biden, Kirby, and other officials have said U.S. policy would not change, regardless of Israeli excesses.

Kirby was summarizing a half-hour phone conversation that Biden held with Netanyahu, in which the president also told the prime minister to push for an immediate cease-fire, though aides later emphasized his point that the cease-fire still needed to be tied to the release of some 135 hostages held by Hamas.

It is important to note that this shift did not come entirely as a result of the WCK attack. Biden and his top advisers have felt a growing frustration with Netanyahus lax attitude toward civilian casualties. Even more, they have increasingly realized that Israel has no real strategy for winning the warin which case it is all the more urgent to wrap it up, especially given the growing misery and chaos in Gaza, as well as the looming signs that the conflict may soon widen to inflame the entire region.

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WCKs founder and CEO have charged that the bombing of their convoy was a targeted attack, a deliberate attempt to starve Gazans and thus use food as a weapon. The Israel Defense Forces strongly deny this and on Friday released video footage purporting to prove its case that the attack was a mistake. The WCK convoy had informed military commanders of its route and schedule, as it always does, following a process called deconfliction. But the notice wasnt passed down to officers in the field. Also, the IDF spokesman said, air crews thought they saw a man entering one of the vehicles with a gunwhen, in fact, he was carrying a backpack.

Whether or not you accept the IDFs explanation (and I find it plausible), it does not excuse what happenedand the reason why is crucial to understanding Bidens shift. In a written statement on Wednesday, condemning the attack, Biden said, Even more tragically, this is not a stand-alone incident. (Emphasis added.) A major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult is that Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers.

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This is the point: The field officers failed to observe the deconfliction notice because they dont put a high priority on doing so. They dont put a high priority on doing so because their superiors havent punished them for not doing so.

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In his statement on Wednesday, Biden said he had repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties. But (though he didnt say this) he had never punished Israel for failing to follow his directives either.

This is the significance of Thursdays shift: Biden has now told Netanyahu that things must changedeconfliction has to be a top priorityor else. Biden didnt spell out the precise consequences, or at least the official summary of his phone call didnt spell them out. But the conversation has had some effect.

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First, the IDF fired two top officers and reprimanded two more as a result of the mistakea disciplinary act it has very rarely taken before. (The U.S. military has rarely done this either.) One can hope this sends a signal up and down the ranks that deconfliction notices are important.

More important, Netanyahu opened up three more corridors where aid can pass through the Israel-Gaza border. And, reversing an earlier decision, he sent David Barnea, the director of Mossad, Israels spy agency, back to Cairo for another round of talks on a hostages-for-prisoners exchange with Hamas. (CIA Director William Burns and the intelligence chiefs of Egypt and Qatar, who have been heading up these talks for months, are also heading back.)

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The broader context for this growing pressure is the worry, if not panic, about the future course of the war itselfon not only humanitarian but also strategic grounds.

This worry hit a new peak this past Monday, during a virtual meeting between senior U.S. and Israeli officials. The point of the meeting was to discuss ways that Israel could rout Hamas leaders from the southern Gazan town of Rafah. Biden and his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, have said they support this aim but dont see how Israels army could mount a major offensive on the townwhich is what Netanyahu wants to dowithout killing a lot more civilians. There are 1.4 million people crammed in and around Rafah, most of them people who were displaced from northern Gaza in the early part of the war, now living in dire conditions. Long before the WCK incident, Biden warned Netanyahu not to go into Rafah without a plan for protecting all those people.

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At Mondays meeting, according to a report by NBC News, the Israelis presented a plan to move these 1.4 million civilians into tents north of Rafah. The U.S. officialswho included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sullivan, and five others from the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Departmentnoted that the plan failed to indicate how to acquire and bring in so many tents or even to assess how much food, water, and sanitation equipment would be needed. In reaction, Ron Dermer, Israels minister of strategic affairs, began yelling and waving his arms around as he defended the plan.

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NBC quoted an Israeli official who denied the drama, saying, The meeting was constructive and respectful.  There was no yelling at any point. But this denial skirted the main issuewhich is that the Israeli plan is nonsense. There is no way to launch a major ground offensive into Rafah without killing a lot more civilianswhich, Biden has told Netanyahu, would be unacceptable, not just on moral grounds but also for strategic reasons. Israels reputationwhich is already reeling, even among Americans and among its Arab neighbors, who have wanted to normalize relations but cant, for their own domestic reasons, as long as it continues killing Palestinian civilianswould sink to a catastrophic nadir.

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Related From Slate The World Central Kitchen Killings Are a Tragedyand an Important Sign Read More

For some time now, many analysts, here and in Israel, have doubted the realism of Netanyahus aim in the warwhich he has called total victory over Hamas. It is worth noting that the prime minister is not alone in proclaiming this as the wars aim. Even Benny Gantz, a member of Israels emergency war Cabinet but also a political rival to Netanyahu, has said that failing to conquer Rafah would be like firefighters extinguishing just 80 percent of a blaze.

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Bidens shift is seen by some, in Israel and here, as a betrayal. But from these skeptics perspective, it is a necessary, long-overdue correctiveto spur Israels leaders to take steps that are in their countrys long-term interest.

Now the other powers in the regionEgypt, Saudi Arabia, and especially Qatar, which has been the main supplier and mediator for Hamasneed to step up as well. Even at his most critical, Biden acknowledged that a cease-fire can work only if there is also a deal to exchange Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel has agreed to major elements of such a deal. Hamas has rejected it. Biden is doing his part to push Israel. Now the neighboring Arab states have to do their part too.
On Monday, Israel killed seven aid workers in Gaza. An Israel Defense Forces drone fired three missiles on their convoy, though the cars roofs were clearly marked. These aid workers werent the first to die in this war. According to the Aid Worker Security Database, at least 203 aid workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.

These seven workers, however, were employed by World Central Kitchen, a food relief nonprofit founded by Spanish celebrity chef Jose Andres. Their deaths, unlike those of other aid workersand many of the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed since Oct. 7have become international news and received not only thoughts and prayers but condemnation.

U.S. President Joe Biden put out a statement in which he said he was outraged and heartbroken, that the aid workers were brave and selfless, and that Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.  The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties. On Thursday, during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as tense and challenging, Biden for the first time called for an immediate cease-fire and stressed that the humanitarian situation is unacceptable; at a press conference the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, If we dont see the changes we need to see, there will be a change in our policy. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was appalled and, like Biden, said he expected a thorough investigation. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their deaths were beyond any reasonable circumstances and that Israels excuses were not good enough.

The Israeli government itself seemed to have realized how badly its armed forces had erred. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi issued a rare apology. I want to be very clearthe strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers, he said Wednesday. It was a mistake that followed a misidentificationat night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldnt have happened. (In a statement Tuesday, WCK said that the workers had been traveling in a deconflicted zone and that they had coordinated movements with the IDF; as Fred Kaplan wrote in Slate, The significance of the WCK killings, besides the tragedy itself, is that it shows that the Israeli military is not paying as much attention as it should to its deconfliction arrangements.) And anti-government protests in Israelwhich were growing before the attack on the WCK workersmay well be bolstered not only by the idea that those in power have failed to bring back more than 100 hostages for six months and counting, but also by a growing sense that they cannot manage to fight the war competently and achieve something besides mass death. That sense could be particularly acute now because, although Israel has a contentious relationship with UNRWAthe U.N. agency charged with providing relief to Palestinians, which Israel has accused of being infiltrated by HamasWCK has a different reputation. It has also provided meals to evacuated Israelis.

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Why have these seven deaths gotten public outrage from the U.S. president and an apology from the IDF when tens of thousands of other deaths have not?

Related From Slate The World Central Kitchen Killings Are a Tragedyand an Important Sign Read More

There are several reasons. The first is, to put it very plainly, racism, or at least internalized prejudice. Though one of the seven WCK workers, Saif Issam Abu Taha, the driver and translator, was Palestinian, the other six were British, Australian, Polish, and U.S.Canadian. Some deaths are expected and, worse, accepted by many in the Western and wider world who perhaps understand them as tragic but unavoidable, or who say: War is destructive by nature. Other deaths are not. Other deaths are shocking. They are understood, in Washington and Jerusalem alike, as something that was not supposed to happen. (Israel has since found that the strikes resulted from a series of mistakes that could have been avoided; one might ask whether Israel, or any country, is capable of an impartial investigation into its own military.) As Haaretzs Amira Hass put it: Its hard to overstate the gravity of the decision to open fire and the headache the drone operators have caused the IDF and Israels PR efforts. This headache wouldnt have happened if the seven dead had been Palestinians, not Westerners, as six of them were.

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The second is that Jose Andres is a celebrity. More particularly, he is a celebrity not just globally, but in Washington specifically, which hosts several of his restaurantsincluding The Bazaar, a go-to spot for the Democratic Partys elite in the Biden era. It is one thing to watch the news or read an article about a wars dead civilians. It is another to have the proprietor of the restaurant you frequent give an interview in which he says that his employees providing humanitarian aid were systematically targeted by the military that the administration you work for is arming.

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And the third is, to my mind, the most grim: These seven people were killed because they were trying to keep Palestinians from starving to death. They were doing something there should have been no need to do in the first place, and they died for it. Their deaths make clear that not only are all Palestinians in Gaza at risk, but so is anyone who tries to keep them from starving to death. After the strikes, WCK suspended its operations in Gaza; two other nongovernmental organizations, American Near East Refugee Aid and Project HOPE, did too. Its a horrible thing to try to wrap ones mind around: that there is no person famous enough or cause fundamental enough to protect those who would help Palestinians in Gaza, let alone Palestinians themselves, from being killed by Israel in this war.

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But ultimately, whether everyone is especially stunned by the killing of seven World Central Kitchen workers matters less than whether policyin Israel, the United States, and around the worldwill meaningfully change. The Washington Post reported that the U.S. approved the transfer of thousands of bombs to Israel on the day of the WCK strikes. The strikes have now been carried out. No statement, however apologetic or strongly worded, can bring those they killed back to life. And if the politics and policy around the war remain the same, those statements, however apologetic or strongly worded, wont have said much of anything.
A selection of short feel-good stories from Slovakia.

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Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent.

British tourist films himself trying Slovak snack food

Matthew Haywood, a British tourist and 'influencer', recently visited Bratislava  and showed how even the most mundane observations can catch the attention of hundreds of thousands of online viewers.

Simply by walking into a small shop, amateurishly recording his experience buying and then consuming a handful of items, and then posting the video to TikTok, Haywood attracted more than 400,000 views, the Dobrenoviny.sk website reported.

In the video, Haywood spends the equivalent of 5 (about 6). Clearly a gourmand, he buys a packet of crisps, two chocolate bars and an open sandwich (chlebicek). He expresses dismay at getting much less for his money than he had in Poland, a previous destination.

He is impressed by the barbecue-flavoured crisps, commenting We need these in the UK. The other items attract only his disdain, and he casts them aside uneaten.

Slovakia is home to the best quality honey

Illustrative stock photo (Source: SME)

Slovak beekeepers produce some of the best quality honeys in the world.

That's the verdict from comprehensive testing conducted on the wide range of honeys that competed in the Apimondia Honey Competition held during the 48th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress, held in Chile back in September 2023.

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Related article Slovakia: Where the bees buzz and the honey flows Read more

The results were published only in mid March, as the experts had to carry out long and precise lab tests to check the authenticity and determine the quality of the competing honeys.

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Related article Honey expert: Slovakia has world-leading expertise Read more

Slovak beekeepers received nine medals in total for various honeys, from flower to forest ones, the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK) reported. Slovakia was evaluated as the most successful country at Apimondia in the honey competition.

Political drama about the Kuciak murder wins award in France

Director Tereza Nvotova (centre), screenwriter Miro Sifra (right) and producer Tomas Hruby at the festival in Lille. (Source: nutprodukcia/Chloe Leclercq)

A planned political drama series, Our People, exploring the story of the 2018 murder of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, won the Best Pitch Award at the SeriesMania television festival held in Lille, France in mid March.

We thought it impossible, said director Tereza Nvotova, as quoted by US film magazine Variety, as she claimed the Series Mania prize. We thought it was dead, because the government in Slovakia really doesnt want this story told. And we think this story is so important not just because of what is happening in Slovakia, and not just because Jan and Martina were murdered.

Variety reported that the eight-episode series will draw on over 50,000 pages of case files and personal interviews with those close to the victims, tracking the tragedy with a vein of dark humour that the filmmakers liken to the work of directors Adam McKay and the Coen Brothers. Nutprodukcias Jakub Viktorin and Tomas Hruby are slated to produce, while Miro Sifra will write.

It is not clear, though, whether the series will be broadcast in Slovakia, since for now Slovak TV stations have refused to enter the project, the Sme daily reported.

It is certain that we will make the series, the only question is when and how, Nvotova said, as quoted by Sme. We all believe that it will happen.

Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read:

Political meme of the week

(Source: Hej, ty!  Gyore)

This Hej,Ty caricature alludes to Slovakias presidential run-off between ex-diplomat Ivan Korcok and Speaker of Parliament and Hlas party chair Peter Pellegrini, which will take place tomorrow, Saturday, April 6. Unless the outcome is very close, the result should be known by the early hours of Sunday morning.

You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: radka.minarechova@spectator.sk. Thank you!
The deal should keep the project, which originated in Slovakia, airborne.

AirCar on its way from Nitra to Bratislava (Source: Courtesy of Klein Vision)

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The Slovak company Klein Vision, which is developing the AirCar flying car has sold the licence to produce it to Chinese investor Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology. Stefan Klein, founder and CEO of Klein Vision, announced the news on Thursday, April 4, at a press conference in Bratislava in the presence of representatives from the Chinese investor. They did not specify the value of the contract.

This deal creates preconditions for completing the development of a pre-production prototype and building a flying car factory in China, said Klein, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/a2tDOYkFCYo

The price of the model could be somewhere around that of a four-seater aircraft, i.e. 500,000-600,000, Klein told the Pravda daily.

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This breakthrough deal for Slovak developers was made possible thanks to a longstanding relationship between the co-investor in the transaction, United Industries  particularly its president Eduard Sebo  and its Chinese partners.

The main player on the Chinese side is Zhu Shouchen, who as an aviation enthusiast owns and operates an airport and aviation school in Cangzhou. His portfolio also includes a plant for the production of the Shark ultra-light aircraft for the Chinese market, which, like AirCar, also has roots in Slovakia.

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Related article Visionary designer believed in his flying car from the very beginning Read more

The Chinese aviation industry is experiencing rapid growth, according to Jozef Jankovic, who flew the Slovak flying car in China. The market is expected to become the largest in the world in the next few years, he said, adding that the Chinese government is investing in the development of aviation infrastructure and supporting the growth of domestic airlines. It is also expected to simplify administration and licensing for general aviation. This should create space for the use of the AirCar in Chinese airspace.

The shareholders in Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology are Jianxin Aviation Technology, Hebei Jianxin Chemical, Zhongjie City Investment Group, Cangzhou City Transportation Group and China CEE SME Cooperation, a Slovak company.

The AirCar is a two-seat vehicle that can be converted from a car to a plane in less than three minutes. It has a range of 1,000 kilometres and can fly at 300 km/h.

The AirCar has successfully completed a full testing programme and received a certificate of airworthiness from the Slovak authorities in 2023.

Klein started to develop AirCar after selling his share in AeroMobil, where he had developed his first flying car model. AeroMobil went bust last year, after 12 years in existence, after investors refused to put any more money into the project.
Is the plight of an endangered species now regarded as a political issue?

The Western Capercaillie has become a symbol of the need to protect Slovakia's forests. (Source: Pexels)

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A new film by Erik Balaz, the Slovak ecologist, activist and director, is struggling to get a release. This is despite the fact that it's not about an obviously political subject, or a thriller revealing the underworld connections of politicians.

Rather, it's an educational movie from a well-known conservationist about Slovakia's largest woodland bird, the Western Capercaillie. Currently, this species is seriously endangered in Slovakia due to widespread deforestation and habitat destruction.

The film, titled "The Vanishing World of the Western Capercaillie ," was produced for the State Nature Conservancy. It provides a comprehensive view of the bird's life, environmental requirements and conservation methods, and is intended to serve as a lesson in nature preservation by using a specific species as an example.

Filmmakers Karol Kalisky and Adam Bastek collected material for years, intending to educate nature conservation workers and officials. However, shortly after completing the film, they encountered obstacles. The premiere, scheduled for December 6, 2023, had to be cancelled after the State Nature Conservancy's refused to grant permission for its screening. Even attempts to broadcast it on public television were unsuccessful.

The film highlights the destruction of Slovak forests and the plundering of natural heritage. The Western Capercaillie, being an umbrella species, symbolises the protection of entire ecosystems.

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Related article: Slovakia failed to protect the capercaillie, EU court rules Read more

Nature is beyond politics

The new leadership of the Environment Ministry and the State Nature Conservancy, under Minister Tomas Taraba from the Slovak National Party (SNS), has been criticised for its approach, which seemingly contradicts nature conservation efforts. The film's publication was initially authorised but later withdrawn, raising questions about censorship.

Despite the setbacks, director Balaz remains determined to share the film, emphasising its importance for public awareness and the protection of natural resources. "It is a comprehensive look at the Western Capercaillie, its life, environmental requirements, and possibilities for its protection. Essentially, it provides lessons in nature conservation using a specific species as an example. And it also serves as a guide on how to save the [species]," the environmentalist commented to the Sme daily. He views it as a public interest initiative, especially since it was partly funded by European grants, which require it to be freely disseminated.

The decline of the Western Capercaillie population by over 70 percent in recent decades is alarming, reflecting broader issues of habitat destruction and inadequate conservation measures. Slovakia's failure to uphold its commitments to protect the species has even led to legal repercussions from the European Union.

Balaz's film aims to explain the ecological significance of what is one of Slovakia's largest birds, and the necessity of preserving its habitat for the survival of entire ecosystems. Despite the challenges, the director hopes to reach a wide audience and inspire action on nature conservation.
Villages like Blatna Polianka lack reliable acccess drinking water, despite ongoing efforts.

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Over half a million people in Slovakia still live without access to mains drinking water. Nearly 450 villages are not connected to a public water supply, and their residents rely on water from wells that often doesn't meet the required quality standards, reports Slovak public broadcaster RTVS.

These issues have persisted for decades. In the village of Blatna Polianka, in Sobrance district, Kosice Region, 167 residents lack access to drinking water.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1Q8ZN6NQDvxt0YNd8HFyLrlOe9kiyrpI&ehbc=2E312F&noprof=1

"Through cooperation with a company, we transport drinking water to residents using manual and electric pumps. Some fetch water in containers from the city. We live in this century, yet it feels like Africa," said Jozef Komarik, the mayor of Blatna Polianka, speaking to RTVS.

RTVS also interviewed residents of the eastern Slovak village. One said: "We here in the east are cut off from the world. We deal with water by using a 120-year-old stone well. We fetch water from it."

Last year, the Environmental Fund approved 98 out of 308 applications for construction of municipal water supply systems, with the projects valued at nearly 75 million.

"We started last year with the connection of 230 metres [of piping], which helped us to connect to approximately 350 metres in the village, where the processed part is currently awaiting approval. After this approval, 20 families could connect. The next phase is approved for this year, where three more villages could be connected," informed Zdenek Gombos, the mayor of nearby Porostov.

The Environment Ministry is launching a new call for grants to build public water supply systems for small villages in 2025. Details and grant amounts will be announced by the ministry soon.
Slovakia's flying car goes to China, a Slovak scientist on Everest, and how to think about rumours and hoaxes.

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Good evening. Here is the Friday, April 5 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Slovakia will elect its next president on Saturday, April 6. You can follow live updates on our website on Saturday night.

Some Slovak villages still struggle to get water

The well in Mala Lehota, Banska Bystrica Region, pictured in 2017. (Source: Jan Kroslak)

In Slovakia, the lack of access to mains drinking water remains a pressing concern for over 500,000 individuals residing in nearly 450 villages.

This enduring challenge underscores significant disparities in access to basic necessities across the country, with many communities relying on inadequate well water for their daily needs. Initiatives such as those underway in Blatna Polianka, a village in eastern Slovakia, highlight the urgent need for infrastructure development to ensure equitable access to clean drinking water for all citizens.

Last year, the government-backed Environmental Fund approved projects totalling 75 million that were intended to improve water infrastructure and address the longstanding issue of water access in under-served areas. The Environment Ministry says it plans to launch new grant calls in 2025.

More stories from The Slovak Spectator website

Business: A Slovak company has sold a licence to produce its AirCar flying car to a Chinese investor, paving the way for manufacturing and expansion into the rapidly growing Chinese aviation market.

A Slovak company has sold a licence to produce its AirCar flying car to a Chinese investor, paving the way for manufacturing and expansion into the rapidly growing Chinese aviation market. Culture: A new film about an endangered bird species, the Western Capercaillie, is struggling to get a release amidst bureaucratic  and possibly political  tussles over the conservation challenges facing Slovakia.

A new film about an endangered bird species, the Western Capercaillie, is struggling to get a release amidst bureaucratic  and possibly political  tussles over the conservation challenges facing Slovakia. Good news: This week's good news reports on a British tourist's casual snack tasting in Bratislava. Read other inspiring and quirky stories on The Slovak Spectator website.

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FEATURE STORY FOR THE WEEKEND

Slovak scientist to climb Mount Everest

Lucia Janicova (Source: Courtesy of Lucia Janicova)

Slovak scientist Lucia Janicova, who lives in Great Britain with her daughter, is planning to become the first Slovak woman to conquer Mount Everest. She aims to inspire and motivate women to trust themselves more by embarking on the historic ascent  she herself only started mountaineering eight years ago, with little prior experience.

EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND

Unravelling rumours, hoaxes and conspiracy theories

SAVinci Scientific Cafe (Source: SAV)

Zuzana Panczova from the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Science (SAV) will discuss the origins, impact and cultural resonance of rumours, hoaxes and conspiracy theories throughout history at Kacecko on Kamenne Namestie in Bratislava on Monday, April 8, at 19:00. Entrance is free!

In other news

Anti-Semite Daniel Bombic, with whom government politicians like to debate, used to heil and meet with leading neo-Nazis. The Sme newspaper obtained photos in which Bombic, for example, undresses and puts a rainbow flag on his genitals and buttocks.

The Sme newspaper obtained photos in which Bombic, for example, undresses and puts a rainbow flag on his genitals and buttocks. Kia Slovakia has manufactured nearly five million cars and over seven million engines in its 18 years of operation near Zilina. The factory in Teplicka nad Vahom, which has an annual capacity of 350,000 cars, started production in 2004 and has since produced four models. Employing 3,800 people directly and around 6,000 when suppliers are included, the average monthly wage for production workers exceeded 2,400 last year. (TASR)

The factory in Teplicka nad Vahom, which has an annual capacity of 350,000 cars, started production in 2004 and has since produced four models. Employing 3,800 people directly and around 6,000 when suppliers are included, the average monthly wage for production workers exceeded 2,400 last year. (TASR) The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) opposes adding a provision on abortion rights to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, citing the paramount importance of the right to life and member states' exclusive competencies. They plan to propose an amendment in the European Parliament to reject the initiative, emphasising the need to protect life at all stages. (TASR)

They plan to propose an amendment in the European Parliament to reject the initiative, emphasising the need to protect life at all stages. (TASR) Slovakia's Foreign Ministry is advising travellers to reconsider travel to southern provinces of Thailand due to security risks, citing incidents like arson and bombings that have targeted various establishments. (TASR)

(TASR) The Zastavme Korupciu (Let's Stop Corruption) foundation has criticised the government's decision to pay unscheduled 500 blanket bonuses to police, firefighters and rescuers, hinting at potential voter influence tactics. MP and paramedic Frantisek Majersky of KDH stressed the necessity for systematic salary increases over populist gestures, calling for fair compensation for deserving professions. (SITA)

The reopening of the revitalised presidential garden in downtown Bratislava on April 5, 2024. (Source: TASR)

WEEKEND WEATHER

The weather on Saturday will be partly cloudy in the afternoon in the western half of the country, with occasional showers or drizzle in some places, mainly in the north and east. Isolated thunderstorms are possible during the day, but overall it should be very warm. Daytime temperatures of between 17C and 22C could rise to as high as 27C on Sunday. (SHMU)

NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Saturday - Irena, Sunday - Zoltan, Monday - Albert.

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P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

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AI is becoming more familiar with students from business schools in the US as the tech industry continues to push the technology into commerce, according to The Wall Street Journal.

According to the report, courses dedicated to AI and generated content are part of business administration and undergraduate courses to teach young entrepreneurs to use AI as their "second brain."

The apparent cause is preparing future industry leaders to gain better leverage on the AI boom with positions like text mining, predictive analytics, and AI-powered marketing.

Students are also being encouraged to integrate chatbots and generative AIs into their studies.

The report coincides with an earlier study from the Pew Research Center noting that at least 23% of the US population is starting to use chatbots more often now, up from the 18% acceptance in July 2023.

AI use is noticeably more common in adults currently or have finished higher education, particularly in postgraduate studies at 37%.

Also Read : AIs are Blocking People from Job Applications in More Ways Than One

AI Feared to Impact More Jobs in the Future

The shift towards more AI-oriented jobs even in academic institutions signals ongoing concerns about the technology impacting more roles in the world.

The International Monetary Fund earlier reported that at least 40% of the total jobs all over the world could be "exposed" to the AI change as the technology becomes more prioritized by companies jumping into the trend.

The impact is much higher in developed countries like the US and the United Kingdom where most development and distribution of AI is being made. The IMF predicted that over 60% of the jobs could be impacted.

AI Integration Remains an Expensive Venture

Despite the touting of tech leaders that AI will soon take over operations to boost profits, the current situation remains far from the promise.

A recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology indicates that the integration of AI into more roles is far more costly than just hiring regular workers.

AI, as it is now, remains vulnerable to making mistakes a human employee could not do. Developing the technology and constantly improving it also hinder AI from being fully sustainable for businesses serving a large number of customers.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/houthis-say-37-killed-30-wounded-in-3-months-of-us-and-uk-strikes-on-yemen-1117749335.html

Houthis Say 37 Killed, 30 Wounded in 3 Months of US and UK Strikes on Yemen

Houthis Say 37 Killed, 30 Wounded in 3 Months of US and UK Strikes on Yemen

Sputnik International

As many as 37 people have been killed and another 30 have been wounded in three months of strikes by the United States and the United Kingdom on Yemen, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, has said.

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united kingdom (uk)

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ansar allah

us

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"American and British aggressors have carried out 424 airstrikes and shelling from the sea in three months. As a result of the American-British aggression, 37 people have been killed and 30 have been wounded," the Houthi leader said in a televised appearance on the Al Masirah broadcaster. He added that the US and the UK have demonstrated their "inability to prevent or limit operations, and the Yemeni armed forces have achieved very important results." The Houthi leader further said Yemen's armed forces have carried out 34 operations against the US, the UK and Israel in one month alone, having fired 125 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, and the total number of ships attacked in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden has amounted to 90 since the beginning of Houthi operations in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Al-Houthi said last week the movement had attacked 86 ships affiliated with Israel, the US and the UK since last November in support of the Palestinians. The Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the besieged Gaza Strip. This in turn led the US, the UK and the European Union to announce a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces have launched numerous strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade their ability to target commercial vessels.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240322/houthis-use-mystery-improved-missile-to-pierce-israels-powerful-air-defenses-1117490582.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240327/humbling-a-goliath-us-led-no-fail-mission-against-the-houthis-is-failing-1117586684.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/lawmaker-says-us-must-leave-nato-if-ukraine-ever-gains-admittance-1117747563.html

Lawmaker Says US Must Leave NATO if Ukraine Ever Gains Admittance

Lawmaker Says US Must Leave NATO if Ukraine Ever Gains Admittance

Sputnik International

US Senator Mike Lee suggested in an X post that the United States should leave NATO if Ukraine is admitted into the military bloc as a 33rd member.

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us

ukraine

nato

nato expansion

russia

mike lee

antony blinken

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/08/1117208049_0:0:3073:1730_1920x0_80_0_0_308e1a260fdb3a4afc9266d6ee055645.jpg

NATO can have Ukraine. Or the US. But not both, the post said on Thursday. Earlier Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. He said later in the day that the NATO summit in Washington in July will unveil the role the military bloc should play in supporting Ukraine in the longer term. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that NATO's expansion to include Ukraine would create a direct national security threat to Russia and that Moscow considers the non-aligned status of Ukraine to be extremely important to put an end to the years-long conflict. Kiev's plans to join the bloc were among the reasons why Russia launched its special military operation in February 2022.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240403/why-natos-bid-to-take-control-of-ukraine-defense-group-looks-unfeasible-1117713790.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/nato-has-no-plans-to-send-combat-units-to-ukraine---stoltenberg-1117749854.html

NATO Has No Plans to Send Combat Units to Ukraine - Stoltenberg

NATO Has No Plans to Send Combat Units to Ukraine - Stoltenberg

Sputnik International

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance has no plans to send combat units to Ukraine but called on member states to intensify the supply of weapons to Kiev.

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2024-04-04T23:28+0000

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russia's special operation in ukraine

jens stoltenberg

sergey lavrov

ukraine

kiev

russia

nato

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On Thursday, American security and defense consultant Edward Luttwak wrote in an article for the UnHerd website that NATO countries "will soon have to send soldiers to Ukraine, or else accept catastrophic defeat" since Kiev lacks military personnel. He added that the United Kingdom, France and the Nordic countries "are already quietly preparing to send troops  both small elite units and logistics and support personnel." "We do not intend to send any combat units to Ukraine," Stoltenberg told Polish broadcaster TVP Thursday. However, the NATO chief called for an increase in the supply of arms to Ukraine. Western countries have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240328/could-ethnic-strife-in-the-baltic-states-fuel-the-next-war-1117594742.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/somalia-expels-ethiopian-ambassador-orders-closure-of-consulates-amid-tensions---reports-1117748831.html

Somalia Expels Ethiopian Ambassador, Orders Closure of Consulates Amid Tensions - Reports

Somalia Expels Ethiopian Ambassador, Orders Closure of Consulates Amid Tensions - Reports

Sputnik International

Somalia has ordered the expulsion of Ethiopian Ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware and the closure of two Ethiopian consulates and is recalling its ambassador back to Mogadishu for comprehensive consultations, Somali National News Agency (SONNA) has reported.

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newsfeed

hassan sheikh mohamud

somalia

ethiopia

somaliland

intergovernmental authority on development

addis ababa

africa

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/07/1109246128_0:0:3077:1731_1920x0_80_0_0_cbc2f4d874f3cba9ea1d40c9735a7cab.jpg

The development occurred against the background of escalation of diplomatic tensions between the two countries.SONNA reported on Thursday that Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation had ordered the Ethiopian ambassador to Somalia to depart the country within 72 hours, adding that such action follows a resolution by Somalia's Council of Ministers and is a direct response to Ethiopias recent actions. Somalia has also ordered the closure of Ethiopian consulates located in the city of Hargeisa in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland and the city of Garowe in the country's autonomous state of Puntland within seven days, SONNA reported.In addition, Somalia has summoned its ambassador to Addis Ababa back to Somalia for comprehensive consultations, the report said. The report cited a Somali official as saying that these measures are crucial to safeguarding Somalias independence, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and send a clear signal against foreign interference in the country's affairs.Somali news portal Garowe Online reported Thursday that both Somaliland and Puntland have refused to comply with Mogadishu's order to close Ethiopian consulates.The report cited Somaliland's deputy foreign minister Rhoda Elmisaid and the Puntland government's information minister Mohamud Aydid Dirir as saying in separate statements that Mogadishu's order would be ignored.Somalia collapsed as a unified nation in 1991 with the downfall of Siad Barre's dictatorship. The international community has recognized the Mogadishu-based federal government as the only legitimate authority in Somalia, while chunks of the country in the north and east remain under the control of self-proclaimed and unrecognized Somaliland and Puntland.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240103/african-nations-up-in-arms-over-ethiopia-somaliland-pact-1115958079.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230109/breakaway-somaliland-discovers-oil--ministry-1106159628.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/us-very-concerned-about-possible-full-scale-war-between-israel-iran---white-house-1117749082.html

US Very Concerned About Possible Full-Scale War Between Israel, Iran - White House

US Very Concerned About Possible Full-Scale War Between Israel, Iran - White House

Sputnik International

The United States is very concerned about a potential full-scale war between Israel and Iran following an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said during an interview with Fox News.

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iran

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"Yeah, we're very concerned," Kirby said on Thursday regarding Iranian threats of retaliation against Israel. "In fact, one of the things that the [Israeli] prime minister and the President [Joe Biden] talked about today was this very public, very real threat by Iran to the state of Israel."Biden has publicly expressed anger over Israel's recent attack on a convoy of World Central Kitchen volunteers that killed seven, although the White House has clarified they will continue providing the ally with lethal aid. The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza stands at some 33,494 as Israel has continued its military operation in the enclave after a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 last year.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/how-israel-iran-conflict-could-shatter-world-economy-1117742951.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/blinken-rattles-cages-with-support-for-ukraine-nato-bid-israel-on-edge-amid-iranian-threat-1117749497.html

Blinken Rattles Cages with Support for Ukraine NATO Bid; Israel on Edge Amid Iranian Threat

Blinken Rattles Cages with Support for Ukraine NATO Bid; Israel on Edge Amid Iranian Threat

Sputnik International

On this episode of The Backstory, host Rachel Blevins and her panelists delved into the geopolitical tensions surrounding Blinken's support for Ukraine's NATO bid and Israel's concerns amidst the Iranian threat.

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2024-04-05T04:09+0000

2024-04-05T08:30+0000

the backstory

donald trump

nato

ukraine

wikileaks

joe biden

iran

israel

antony blinken

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Blinken Rattles Cages with Support for Ukraine NATO Bid; Israel on Edge Amid Iranian Threat Sputnik International On this episode of The Backstory, host Rachel Blevins and her panelists delved into the geopolitical tensions surrounding Blinken's support for Ukraine's NATO bid and Israel's concerns amidst the Iranian threat.

Syndicated cartoonist and co-host of The Final Countdown Ted Rall discussed the Biden administration's preparation for a potential return to a Trump presidency, analyzing the political dynamics and policy implications. Radio Host and political commentator Misty Winston examined the legal fate of Julian Assange, exploring the legal proceedings and broader implications for press freedom and government accountability. Independent journalist Julia Kassem analyzed the tense situation in Israel as the nation awaits Iran's response, examining the regional dynamics and potential escalation of conflict. Geopolitical analyst George Szamuely provided commentary on the outcome of the NATO meeting, which saw member states prepare for a Trump presidency.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 in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/curious-timing-whats-behind-us-security-council-resolution-proposing-ban-on-nukes-in-space-1117767963.html

Curious Timing: Whats Behind US Security Council Resolution Proposing Ban on Nukes in Space?

Curious Timing: Whats Behind US Security Council Resolution Proposing Ban on Nukes in Space?

Sputnik International

Russia has promised to form a position on a US-sponsored Security Council resolution proposing a ban nuclear weapons in space in due course. Why is Washington suddenly so interested in the idea? What kinds of things could the resolution contain? Sputnik asked one of Americas top independent military and foreign affairs observers to comment.

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analysis

earl rasmussen

vladimir putin

russia

moscow

washington

dmitry peskov

kremlin

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space race

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Matters of strategic security are one of the few areas where potential for dialogue between Russia and the US exists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.The main potential area for dialogue between the United States and Russia is issues related to strategic security, which includes the space issue, the spokesman told reporters on Friday, commenting on plans by the US and Japan to put forward a resolution before the United Nations Security Council next week proposing a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.Peskovs comments were preceded by remarks by White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday outlining Washingtons expectations for Moscow as far as the as yet untabled draft resolution is concerned.We have heard President Putin say that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space, Kirby said. So we look forward to Russia voting in favor of this resolution. There should be no reason why not to. And if they do [sic], then I think that should open up some really legitimate questions to Mr. Putin about what his intentions really are, Kirby added, with his comments coming off as an attempt to force Moscows hand on the issue.Our position is quite clear and transparent, Putin said in a meeting in the Kremlin with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu back in February, commenting on claims by US officials that Russia had obtained some kind of troubling new anti-satellite weapon capability that might become operational soon.Russia has many times suggested to strengthen joint cooperation in the area but for some reason, in the West, this topic has not come up again, Putin said.We havent deployed any nuclear weapons in space or any elements of them to use against satellites or to create fields where satellites cant work efficiently, Shoigu said during the meeting, accusing Washington of talking up a Russian space threat to pressure Congress into approving more aid to Kiev, and to try to maneuver Russia into nuclear arms control negotiations suspended amid the crisis in Ukraine.Whats in the Resolution?The US-Japanese joint resolution reportedly urges countries to commit not to develop nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction designed to be placed in orbit, reaffirming the expectation that nations fully comply with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibiting nuclear arms in space.Further details on the draft resolution have not been publicized, but Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky commented on the proposal last month, calling it divorced from reality and accusing the US of yet another propaganda stunt via a very politicized draft document.Curious TimingItd be interesting to know the details of this proposed treaty by the United States, Earl Rasmussen, a veteran independent military and foreign affairs commentator and retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service under his belt, told Sputnik.Saying the Outer Space Treaty could use an update after nearly 60 years, Rasmussen said he found the timing of the US proposal both interesting and curious, and the undisclosed details crucial to know, because a treaty dealing with the deployment of nuclear weapons in space already exists.Im just curious what the intent behind this is, the analyst pondered, wondering whether the resolution could be meant to reign in not just the deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space, but their development as well.I also think that the US probably has concerns over EMP, the observer said, referring to electromagnetic pulse weapons which can knock out satellite electronics. Nuclear weapons obviously can do that, but you dont need a nuclear weapon. The US even admits that theyre not sure that Russia is developing a nuclear weapon for outer space, but I think theyre concerned about it.Whatever the case may be, theres got to be a benefit to Washington to field the resolution now, or they wouldnt be proposing it, the observer stressed.The US has repeatedly accused Russia of developing space-based superweapons capable of tilting the global strategic balance, most recently via the creation of nuclear-powered satellite killer technology.At the same time that it has accused Russia of militarizing space, the Pentagon has gradually ramped up its own space warfare capabilities, formally establishing Space Force as a separate branch of the US military in 2019, taking steps to ramp up its space-based military activities with new satellite constellations, and openly discussing plans to turn space into a new warfighting domain. Last December, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy emphasized that the US must win the space domain to win wars.In 2008, Russia and China introduced the Proposed Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) Treaty  a comprehensive draft arms control agreement designed to ban the deployment of weaponry, anti-satellite systems and other advanced technology used for military purposes in space.Moscow and Beijing have returned to the treaty again and again in negotiations with Washington and its allies, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasizing as recently as 2021 that generally accepted, legally binding measures which can prevent a military confrontation in outer space can be created, with PAROS serving as a jumping off point for talks. Successive US administrations have rejected PAROS as a diplomatic ploy by Russian and China to somehow give the countries a military edge over the US.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240331/soyuz-21b-rocket-with-high-resolution-imaging-satellite-launched-from-baikonur--1117671466.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220128/us-systematically-removed-trust-transparency-safeguards-preventing-nuclear-war-ignores-remainder-1092595388.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240320/shamelessness-and-double-standards-china-criticizes-us-spy-satellite-program-1117437671.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240215/us-militarizes-space-while-using-russia-threat-as-smokescreen-1116805840.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/eu-declines-comment-on-reports-about-territories-for-security-option-for-ukraine-1117761888.html

EU Declines Comment on Reports About 'Territories for Security' Option for Ukraine

EU Declines Comment on Reports About 'Territories for Security' Option for Ukraine

Sputnik International

The European Commission on Friday declined to comment on media reports about negotiations allegedly being held within NATO on Ukraine's possible territorial concessions in exchange for accelerated NATO accession, but pledged to stand with Kiev whatever its decision may be.

2024-04-05T14:36+0000

2024-04-05T14:36+0000

2024-04-05T14:36+0000

world

peter stano

donald trump

ukraine

kiev

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nato

european union (eu)

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Earlier in the day, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that NATO members were unofficially discussing the possibility of Kiev making territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for its accelerated accession to the alliance. The "territories in exchange for security" option includes Kiev's relinquishing Russia's new regions for a guarantee of Ukraine's immediate entry into NATO, La Repubblica reported, adding that although it has not been discussed at the latest NATO summit in Brussels, it has certainly been circulating in all informal conversations among member states, even in the last few days. The option is reportedly viewed by many Western experts as a legitimate way to end the Ukraine conflict, although it is not being discussed at the political level. Another argument for this option is the potential return to power of former US President Donald Trump, which has been raising concerns among European leaders and high-ranking US officials alike, the report said. Trump vowed to end the Ukraine conflict quickly if he was elected as US president, which makes EU politicians wonder what his plans may be, La Repubblica reported. Furthermore, his reelection may mean more weapons supplies to Kiev, as the "territories in exchange for security" scenario also includes Ukraine reclaiming at least some territories in a military way until the beginning of 2025, according to the report.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/lavrov-calls-zelenskys-idea-of-talks-starting-without-kiev-getting-1991-borders-absurd-1117734102.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/europe-being-forced-to-self-harm-in-pursuit-of-us-interests---analyst-1117751971.html

Europe Being Forced to 'Self-Harm' in Pursuit of US Interests

Europe Being Forced to 'Self-Harm' in Pursuit of US Interests

Sputnik International

As NATO marked the 75th anniversary of its foundation, the alliance gathered Wednesday to discuss a proposal by chief Jans Stoltenberg for a 100 billion ($108 billion) five-year fund for Ukraine. The proposal is in preparation for a possible future without US support should former President Trump return to the Oval Office.

2024-04-05T03:21+0000

2024-04-05T03:21+0000

2024-04-05T04:20+0000

analysis

us

nato

donald trump

viktor orban

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the critical hour

europe

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In a recent article for Consortium News, journalist Patrick Lawrence writes that as European leaders continue to import a version of US militarism, rearmament will cost the continent its postwar social contract. Lawrence claims Europe has found itself in a crisis as a consequence of US imports including irrational Russophobia, a proxy war in Ukraine, and support of Israels siege in Gaza.The journalist adds that since the mid-Cold War years, Europe has wavered between two contradictory impulses  asserting its sovereignty and succumbing to an undignified dependence on American power.Dr. Radhika Desai, author and professor at the University of Manitoba, Canada, spoke with Sputniks The Critical Hour program on the subject Thursday. Desai said Lawrences article exposes the tension between the US and Europe  specifically between what the US wants and what the European public wants.The self-harm creates tension because anything that requires the other party to do things that are contrary to their own interests is going to be an unstable arrangement, she continued.And that means that while at the moment the incumbent governments seem to be playing by the US rulebook, it is not guaranteed. It is quite possible that the ordinary people of Europe, because they want welfare states, because they don't want war, because most of them would rather have decent relations with Russia, will vote in governments that will put this matter into question.Desai added that there is a myth that Europe has been able to afford a welfare state because it did not have to spend money on military concerns in the past. But there is no contradiction between security and welfare, she explains.This is a false [idea] which is being set up because what the Americans want is for Europe to persist on its neoliberal path to follow the US. And that means spending more on the military and using that as an excuse to reduce the welfare state, she claimed.Not only are Europeans going to lose their welfare state by following the US down a path of neoliberalism, but they are also going to lose it at a very great rate, she added.Sputniks Garland Nixon noted that in order for a country, or a nation, to maintain a balance between national security and economic interests, a competent diplomacy is requiredespecially one which acts in good faith. And right now, he explains, the US empire is not allowing that.You can have security by arming yourself to the teeth or you can have security by building good relations with your neighbors, Desai explained. But the US has now found itself in this sweet spot where most governments in Europe are willing to do its ludicrous bidding, even though it harms their own interests in a whole multitude of ways."The US itself is spinning out of control. And a lot of what's going on in terms of the pursuit of policies in all conflicts, whether it is in Israel, or Ukraine, or China or what have you, the decisions are being made by people who do not have an overall plan, she added.Because the US is demanding that European countries spend more on their defense and military, the direct result will be of a greater European power in NATO. And the greater the power that Europe has, the more likely they will disagree with the US, the scholar suggested.Members of NATO will assist the party or parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other parties, such action as it deems necessary. So, if I decide if I'm the ruler of one of the countries of NATO and one of my fellow NATO members has been attacked, and in fact, if I decide that I want to send just 100 helmets as Germany did in the early phase of the Ukraine war, that is considered okay, that's all I'm going to contribute, Desai explained.And I might, I may even decide that I do not wish to do anything. So this is the structure of NATO. The incoherence is continuously growing... The more members there will be, the more there will be dissension, she added. And the more self-harm the US demands from the Europeans, the more forces will arise, whether on the street or from the capitalist classes themselves which say, 'no, this is not working for us.'On Wednesday, NATO foreign ministers met to discuss a proposal for a $108 billion five-year fund for Ukraine. The proposal is in preparation for a future without US support should former President Donald Trump win the 2024 US presidential election. In early March, former President Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. According to Orban, Trump will not give a penny to the Ukraine-Russia war and therefore the war will end as its obvious that Ukraine on its own cannot stand on its feet.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240308/european-vassal-states-mull-arms-production-as-biden-leads-continent-to-destruction-1117198145.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240228/we-have-become-our-own-enemy-polish-farmers-remarkable-protest-against-europes-self-destruction-1117028033.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231026/radhika-desai-western-press-uses-ankle-biting-yappy-dog-pseudo-academics-to-silence-critics-1114506850.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/germany-unveils-most-sweeping-military-reforms-since-cold-war---reports-1117755915.html

Germany Unveils 'Most Sweeping Military Reforms' Since Cold War - Reports

Germany Unveils 'Most Sweeping Military Reforms' Since Cold War - Reports

Sputnik International

Berlin has unveiled the "most sweeping military reforms" since the Cold War, including a possible revival of Cold War, in efforts to better prepare the country's armed forces to defend NATO territory, The Financial Times has reported.

2024-04-05T07:30+0000

2024-04-05T07:30+0000

2024-04-05T07:30+0000

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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Thursday that the Bundeswehr, the country's armed forces, will be supplemented with a fourth type of armed forces as part of the structural reform, which will be in charge of activities in the cyber and information space, and with a new operation command. He added that the reform, in general, is designed to ensure that the German armed forces are prepared for emergencies, including a war. Pistorius had signed an order to reorganize the Bundeswehr "from top to bottom" to reestablish the Bundeswehr "for a new, old challenge" and enable the German military to make "quick decisions," the report said. The measures are part of a huge shift in Berlin's attitude toward the armed forces, the report said, adding that it reflects what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was a turning point in security policy after the launch of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. German military officials have been given six months to implement the plans, the report said, adding that a key demand for the German Defense Ministry is that the Bundeswehr will be made ready for compulsory national service if it is reintroduced. He added that the ministry will propose a model of national service for young adults in the coming weeks, the report said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240302/bundeswehr-believes-rec-of-german-conversation-about-strike-on-russia-authentic---reports-1117083588.html

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Video game enthusiasts keep a close eye on events to make sure they have the latest news on updates and releases, which is why it came as good news when Ubisoft finally announced the official date for its annual event. This June, we might finally hear about anticipated titles and what we can expect.

Ubisoft Forward 2024

Initially expected to take place on June 12th, the event will happen two days earlier than expected on June 10th. Ubisoft said on X that the livestream will come with announcements about updates and upcoming releases.

During the event, the company is expected to reveal details about its upcoming Assassin's Creed video game, which has been codenamed Red. The trailer already confirms that it will be centered around feudal Japan, so we will be seeing samurais and shinobis in the next title.

Hopefully, Ubisoft will also shed light on other upcoming titles from the franchise, which is possible since the company announced that it will put more resources into it. Some of the upcoming Assassin's Creed titles include Hexe, Jade, Invictus, and more.

There might also be news about Assassin's Creed Infinity, as per Engadget, which fans have been anticipating for quite some time. It is said to be a portal where players can go through various Assassin's Creed experiences across different periods established in the franchise.

Other than that, it could potentially come with news about Star Wars Outlaws as well, given that it was given a release window for 2024. As for the FPS multiplayer XDefiant, Ubisoft could finally announce a release window after going through several delays.

Read Also : Ubisoft Foward 2024 Might Bring Big News for the Assassin's Creed Franchise

Apple's WWDC

Ubisoft is not the only company set to host its annual event on June 10th. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference will also begin on the same day, and just like the video game company, it has a lot of announcements for the future of Apple.

The event will go on between June 10th to June 14th. While it will be streamed live, there will be an in-person event at Apple Park on opening day. All developers are welcome to join to hear about the upcoming updates for Apple's systems and devices.

For starters, the iPhone maker said that the spotlight will shine on the latest iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS advancements, wherein developers will have access to Apple experts to learn more about new tools, frameworks, and features.

Apple Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott says that they are " excited to connect with developers from around the world for an extraordinary week of technology and community at WWDC24."

For those who want to watch the event live, they may do so throughout the week via the Apple Developer app, the Apple Developer website, and YouTube. There will even be video sessions where viewers can engage with Apple designers and engineers.

"WWDC is all about sharing new ideas and providing our amazing developers with innovative tools and resources to help them make something even more wonderful," Prescott expressed. The event might even release new information or upgrades about the Apple Vision Pro hardware.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/iran-vs-israel-military-comparison-whos-tougher-1117759486.html

Iran vs. Israel Military Comparison: Whos Tougher?

Iran vs. Israel Military Comparison: Whos Tougher?

Sputnik International

The escalation in tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv following Israels missile strike on the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus on Monday has revived fears of an all-out conflict between the Middle Eastern powers. But which nations military is better equipped for a large-scale conflagration?

2024-04-05T14:34+0000

2024-04-05T14:34+0000

2024-04-13T12:06+0000

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iran

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Israel is bracing for retaliation to its deadly attack on the Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital, with officials fearing Iran's response may include the use of "long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drones." Experts have warned that a direct tit-for-tat response may be exactly what Israel is looking for, suggesting Iran could achieve equally effective results using asymmetric means.While the two countries do not share a common border, each has missile, aerial and naval tools to cause one another serious harm if tensions turn hot. Here's a breakdown of their respective capabilities: TroopsIn early 2023, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the Israel Defense Forces total strength at 169,500 troops, plus 465,000 reservists (the majority of whom have been called up after October 7).Iran's Armed Forces have about 420,000 troops. This includesThe Islamic Republic also has a 230,000 troop-strong force of elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops  150,000 in the Ground Forces, 40,000 paramilitaries, 20,000 in the IRGC Navy and 15,000 in the IRGC Air and Air Defense Forces. Iran also has at least 350,000 trained reserve personnel to call up in the event of a crisis.BudgetsIn 2022, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute calculated Israels defense budget at about $23.4 billion (including $3.18 billion in annual US military aid).Iran had a defense budget equivalent to about $6.8 billion the same year. The Islamic Republic makes up for its smaller budget by lower operating and arms procurement costs, plus a strategy focused on asymmetric solutions  such as converting old oil tankers into floating forward base ships, and the creation of vast, low cost fleets of gunboats for coastal defense.WeaponsBoth countries have large domestic defense industries allowing for the production of everything from small arms and tanks to drones and missiles. Israel has built up its defense sector in cooperation with the US, while Iran  subject to decades of sanctions, looking inward to produce as much of its defense needs as possible domestically.Israel is likely to have an important trump card: nuclear weapons. While neither confirming nor denying its possession of such arms (in a policy known as deliberate ambiguity) Israel is suspected of having up to 80 air and missile-deliverable nukes.Iran, by comparison, has rejected nuclear weapons  and all other weapons of mass destruction, in favor of a vast conventional missile arsenal  but has a trump card of a different sort: the ability to close the Hormuz Strait, essentially giving it the power to collapse Western economies in case of aggression by starving them of up to 30 percent of all maritime crude oil deliveries.Combat ExperienceFighting over a dozen wars and insurgencies both with neighboring countries and with the Palestinians from 1948 onward, Israel is by far the most battle-hardened military in the Middle East. However, the ongoing conflict in Gaza has demonstrated that combat prowess is not something passed on between generations, with the IDF experiencing considerable problems fighting Hamas and other militias in Gaza, with the pace of operations against the 25,000-40,000 troop force much slower than expected, and casualties already the heaviest among any 21st century conflict involving Israel to date.Iran also has considerable combat experience. The 1979 Islamic Revolution was forged in the fires of a brutal conflict with Iraq which lasted through most of the 1980s, in which up to 600,000 Iranian and 500,000 Iraqi troops and over 100,000 mostly Iranian civilians were killed. In the decades since, Irans military gained combat experience in multiple other conflicts  from domestic insurgencies to IRGC advisory assistance provided to Hezbollah against Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War, and to the Syrian and Iraqi governments during the fight against an array of foreign-backed jihadists in the 2010s.AlliesIf the crisis between Iran and Israel turned hot, both sides' allies would be unlikely to sit on the sidelines.Israel's top ally and sponsor is the United States - which has over half-a-dozen major military bases ringing Iran in the Persian Gulf and Arabia, and additional facilities in nations including Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Turkiye. The US presence in the region includes the mighty Fifth Fleet, include a forward deployed carrier strike group, expeditionary, logistics, mining/demining, submarine, and reconnaissance forces. The US has used the Fifth Fleet extensively for wars of aggression in the Middle East and Afghanistan throughout the past two decades.Iran, for its part, has an array of state and non-state allies of its own across the region known as the 'Axis of Resistance', which includes Syria, Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces militias (which are formally a part of Iraq's security forces), Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militias, and, by some accounts - Yemen's battle-hardened Houthis.The Islamic Republic has also got some powerful global actors in its corner, with Russia and China - even if they don't take part in hostilities directly, likely to do their best at venues like the UN, and at the regional and bilateral level within the BRICS+ bloc and with their Shanghai Cooperation Organization partners, to try to resolve a conflict as soon as possible, and punish aggressors using economic, diplomatic and other means.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231028/iran-holds-massive-missile-and-drone-drills-warns-army-has-finger-on-trigger-as-tensions-surge-1114559463.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240218/iran-vows-to-expand-naval-reach-bursts-bubble-of-us-maritime-exceptionalism-1116864269.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/israel-claims-intel-shows-possible-iran-attack-using-long-range-missiles-or-drones-1117754620.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240313/brics-powers-russia-iran-and-china-flex-military-muscle-in-massive-naval-drills-1117308975.html

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who would win in a war between israel and iran, who would win iran or israel
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/israel-claims-intel-shows-possible-iran-attack-using-long-range-missiles-or-drones-1117754620.html

Israel Claims Intel Shows Possible Iran Attack Using 'Long-Range Missiles or Drones'

Israel Claims Intel Shows Possible Iran Attack Using 'Long-Range Missiles or Drones'

Sputnik International

Israeli officials claim they have in their possession intelligence indicating that Iran could attack the country from its territory using long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drones, reported Axios.

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2024-04-05T05:49+0000

2024-06-24T11:17+0000

world

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iran

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Israeli officials claim they have in their possession intelligence indicating that Iran could attack the country from its territory using long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drones, Axios reported.The anticipated escalation scenario would be retaliation for the recent Israeli targeting of the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus in a missile strike, claimed officials in Tel Aviv claimed, as cited by the outlet.The purported threat is believed to have been discussed in detail during a phone conversation between Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday. The two sides reportedly deliberated over how best to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation.If Iran were to launch such an attack from its soil against Israel, it would "draw a strong response from Israel and take the current conflict to another level," Israeli officials were cited as saying.Currently, the Israel Defense Forces are on high alert, officials added, with all weekend leave suspended for combat soldiers."In accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat units. The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under continuous assessment according to requirements, the military said in a statement.To date, there has not been any official comment on the Axios report from either US officials, or the Israeli sideZahedi was the most senior IRGC officer to be killed since the US assassinated Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The Israeli-targeted consulate building, which includes the ambassadors residence and is located next to Tehran's Embassy, is considered sovereign Iranian territory.In the wake of the strike, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that "the Zionist regime [Israel] must bear in mind that it wont be able to achieve its sinister objectives with such inhumane measures" and that Tehran will respond in kind.Iran has the right to take action in response to the Israeli attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, the Iranian mission to the UN said.The aggressor Zionist regime bears full responsibility for its consequences and the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right under international law and the United Nations Charter to take a decisive response to such reprehensible acts, its statement read.Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the aggression "violated all diplomatic norms and international treaties."Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel of impending retaliation for the aggression against the Iranian Embassy compound in Syria, indicating in a post on X that with Gods help we will make the Zionists repent of their crime of aggression against the Iranian consulate.For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow "strongly" condemns the attack on the Iranian consular mission in Syria, calling it absolutely "unacceptable."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240402/israeli-attack-on-irans-consulate-in-syria-what-consequences-could-lie-on-the-horizon--1117698845.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/how-israel-iran-conflict-could-shatter-world-economy-1117742951.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/israeli-strikes-in-gaza-proving-part-of-concerted-effort-to-industrialize-genocide-1117770696.html

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Proving Part of 'Concerted Effort to Industrialize Genocide'

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Proving Part of 'Concerted Effort to Industrialize Genocide'

Sputnik International

The system that is being used is called Lavender and has played a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians, especially during the early stages of the war.

2024-04-05T22:32+0000

2024-04-05T22:32+0000

2024-04-05T22:32+0000

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According to a report published in +972 magazine, the Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using artificial intelligence (AI) targeting systems and little human oversight. The system being used is called Lavender and has played a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians, especially during the early stages of the war, the report notes, underscoring that Israeli officials treated outputs as if they were human decision.Esteban Carrillo, a Beirut-based Ecuadorian journalist and current editor for The Cradle, joined Sputniks Fault Lines on Friday to discuss the current events unfolding in the Gaza Strip.Asked about Lavender, which is designed to mark all suspected operatives in Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as potential threats, Carrillo noted that genocide is a time-consuming endeavor and the technology used most likely came from the West. Sputniks Jamarl Thomas pointed out the technology is acting as a form of industrialized killing.If you were killed in Gaza, you are a terrorist. This is what an Israeli reserve officer told Haaretz last week, he added. He said that a terrorist is anybody who gets killed in the field. They use these facial recognition cameras, they use AI to arrest, to kidnap Palestinian men, Palestinian women, I'm sure as well, children, to torture them, to keep them in detention.Seven employees with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed on Monday by Israeli airstrikes. Chef Jose Andres, the organizations founder, said his WCK team was deliberately targeted by the Israeli military, adding that his staff were in a deconfliction zone controlled by Israeli forces who had been given prior notice of their presence.Following the fatal strike, US President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that any future support from the US is dependent on the protection of civilians and aid workers in Gaza. It proved the first time the US threatened to pull support from Israel.Joe Biden, according to all of these reports, he gave Netanyahu an ultimatum, said Carrillo. Israel, today, said they would temporarily open another land crossing into Gaza, which is something we have been talking about for months. If you want more humanitarian aid into Gaza, open more crossings because hundreds of trucks are waiting to enter and protect humanitarian workers. So, yes, there's large condemnation about the deaths of these seven people, he continued.But, because they are not Palestinian, because they are not Arab, all of a sudden their lives matter more? That, to me, is what is the biggest story here in the end.US media reported that the Biden administration recently authorized a thousand MK-82 bombs in the latest arms shipment to Israel. Though it's reported the shipment was approved before the Israeli strike on the aid convoy, Carrillo noted politicians are simply clutching their pearls and saying all the right things" as weapons continue to flow.Following the attack, said Carrillo. There was a shipment of aid that was coming from Cyprus that was turned around in the Mediterranean Sea. Because this is the Israeli policy, it's like when they were laying siege to Al-Shifa hospital. You know, the question was, why Al-Shifa hospital? Why hospitals?

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/they-want-famine-israeli-strike-against-wck-workers-intended-as-message-to-deter-aid-for-gaza-1117747189.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240403/israels-army-calls-world-central-kitchens-aid-workers-deaths-in-gaza-grave-mistake-1117708759.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/us-attempted-to-manipulate-un-security-council-about-israel-gaza-resolutions---russian-envoy-1117764553.html

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lavender, ai, gaza strip, violence
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/nato-chief-says-f-16-deliveries-to-ukraine-no-silver-bullet-1117762396.html

NATO Chief Says F-16 Deliveries to Ukraine No Silver Bullet

NATO Chief Says F-16 Deliveries to Ukraine No Silver Bullet

Sputnik International

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the incoming deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will not turn the tide of the conflict.

2024-04-05T14:52+0000

2024-04-05T14:52+0000

2024-04-05T14:52+0000

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Speaking in an interview to German daily Bild, he said that the allies were going to send F-16s and ammunition to Ukraine and were already training Ukrainian pilots. Stoltenberg welcomed the upcoming delivery of warplanes as another sign of allied support for Kiev that he expected to bolster Ukrainian defenses, but he admitted there was no "silver bullet" weapon that could ultimately help Ukraine win the conflict. Senior Ukrainian officials told Politico this week that F-16s would have been of more help to Ukraine a year ago. The warplanes were initially expected to arrive by the end of 2023 but the rollout was reportedly pushed back to late spring. The White House said the handover of US-made planes from third countries would begin once pilots training was complete.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240328/ukraine-may-use-f-16s-as-kamikazes-to-rev-up-rockets-but-russia-has-means-to-counter-threat-1117614782.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/no-common-ground-found-as-un-envoy-seeks-restart-of-cyprus-reunification-talks-1117770025.html

No Common Ground Found as UN Envoy Seeks Restart of Cyprus Reunification Talks

No Common Ground Found as UN Envoy Seeks Restart of Cyprus Reunification Talks

Sputnik International

The UN Secretary-Generals personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar is trying to restart reunification talks for Cyprus but has not yet found common ground, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar told Sputnik.

2024-04-05T20:25+0000

2024-04-05T20:25+0000

2024-04-05T20:25+0000

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To date, the UN envoy has made two visits to the island since she took office in January, and will mark her third visit in May, according to Tatar. "The UN Secretary-General has a personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar who has just completed her three-months-long assignment. She's got another three months, she's trying to find out whether there's common ground or not for negotiations to start," Tatar said. "However, up to now, there is no common ground." Tatar noted that Northern Cyprus is sovereign and demands that its equal status is re-acknowledged by the international community and the United Nations. Tatar emphasized that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus seeks a practical solution that is fair and sustainable. "This is very important. It should be fair, lasting, sustainable and practical, because at the moment, we have two states in Cyprus. We have two peoples, two democracies, two authorities and this has been the case for 60 years," Tatar said. "Therefore, there is no way that you can switch the clock back." Tatar's Friday scheduled additionally included a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during which the Cypriot leader indicated he would be raising the matter of the ill-treatment of Turkish Cypriots by the international community.Tatar noted that an embargo had been imposed on Northern Cyprus that restricts its economic growth. "It's so unfair on Turkey Cypriots," Tatar said. "Greek Cypriots have hijacked the state and the Republic of Cyprus is basically a pure Greek republic."Tatar further noted that Turkish Cypriots established a state in 1963 out of necessity and demand that their right to be sovereign is respected. "After sixty years, we demand that our sovereignty be re-acknowledged. Our sovereignty is in the constitution. Therefore, it's our right," Tatar said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230926/turkish-cypriot-leader-says-northern-cyprus-in-talks-to-open-trade-representations-1113666898.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/ohchr-calls-israeli-attacks-on-humanitarian-workers-in-gaza-war-crime-1117758423.html

OHCHR Calls Israeli Attacks on Humanitarian Workers in Gaza War Crime

OHCHR Calls Israeli Attacks on Humanitarian Workers in Gaza War Crime

Sputnik International

The attacks of Israel against humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip are a war crime, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Friday.

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On Monday, seven World Central Kitchen's aid workers from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Palestine, as well as a dual citizen of the United States and Canada have been killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. The organization suspended its operations in the region after the deadly incident. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States wants to see an independent, thorough and full investigation into the deaths of foreign World Central Kitchen staff in the Gaza Strip. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz demanded an international investigation with Warsaw's participation to be held into the death of a Polish national. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference on Thursday that the IDF had completed its investigation into the Israeli strike and the results will soon be made public.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/austin-expresses-his-outrage-at-israels-strike-on-wck-aid-convoy-to-gallant---pentagon-1117728112.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/poland-demands-international-probe-into-death-of-its-citizen-in-israeli-strike-1117752570.html

Poland Demands International Probe Into Death of Its Citizen in Israeli Strike

Poland Demands International Probe Into Death of Its Citizen in Israeli Strike

Sputnik International

Poland demands that an international investigation with Warsaw's participation be held into the death of a Polish national in an Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen's (WCK) aid workers, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

2024-04-05T03:41+0000

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On Monday seven aid workers, including a Polish national, died in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne said in an interview with Polish broadcaster Kanal Zero that the volunteers had died as a result of an accident and called the attack a "big mistake" due to misidentification amid military actions. Later, the ambassador apologized for the deadly strike on Polish TV. "We demand Poland's participation in investigating the truth about this incident, which resulted in the death of our national," Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists Thursday, adding that Poland demands an "international investigation into the incident." Poland also demands that Israel pay compensation to the family of the deceased volunteer, he said. Earlier on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Israel to pay compensation to the families of the aid workers killed in the Israeli strike. WCK said that its staff were traveling "in a deconflicted zone" in two armored cars branded with the organization's logo. The humanitarian convoy was attacked as it left the city of Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food aid. The organization said its convoy had coordinated its movements with the Israel Defense Forces. The Israeli strike against the staff of WCK killed seven employees from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Palestine, as well as a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. The organization suspended its operations in the Gaza Strip after the deadly incident.The Polish Foreign Ministry issued an advisory to nationals against travel to Lebanon and parts of Israel and Palestine Thursday due to a "dynamically changing security situation." The ministry warned the situation in the Middle East "can suddenly escalate at any moment" and that "staying in the area carries a particularly high risk.""When traveling despite warnings from the foreign ministry in the area of ongoing or potential hostilities, one should bear in mind that the assistance a consul can provide on the spot in an emergency situation tends to be very limited. Most standard insurance policies do not cover damage resulting from hostilities or terrorist attacks," the advisory read.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240402/four-world-central-kitchen-employees-killed-in-gaza-due-to-israeli-strike---reports-1117690616.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/russian-air-defenses-destroyed-53-drones-over-five-regions-overnight---mod-1117753919.html

Russian Air Defenses Destroyed 53 Drones Over Five Regions Overnight - MoD

Russian Air Defenses Destroyed 53 Drones Over Five Regions Overnight - MoD

Sputnik International

Russian air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones in five Russian regions overnight to Friday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

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2024-04-05T05:02+0000

2024-04-05T05:02+0000

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During the past night and early morning of April 5, attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were stopped. Air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed over the Rostov (44 UAVs), Saratov (1 UAV), Kursk (1 UAV) and Belgorod regions (1 UAV), as well as over the Krasnodar Territory (6 UAVs), the ministry said.Earlier, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian territory, emphasized that Kiev continues terrorist activities, but that the Russian military is on alert and doing everything necessary.Ukraine has been sending drones and missiles into Russia almost daily since it launched its counteroffensive in early June 2023. The United Nations said in August last year, following a botched drone strike on Moscow, that it did not want to see any targeting of civilian infrastructure.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240402/ukraines-allies-may-be-involved-in-drone-strikes-against-russian-civilians-1117695805.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/south-korea-eyes-holding-trilateral-summit-with-china-japan-in-may---reports-1117752438.html

South Korea Eyes Holding Trilateral Summit With China, Japan in May - Reports

South Korea Eyes Holding Trilateral Summit With China, Japan in May - Reports

Sputnik International

South Korea is planning to hold a trilateral summit with China and Japan in May to resume talks, which have not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strained relations between Tokyo and Seoul.

2024-04-05T03:32+0000

2024-04-05T03:32+0000

2024-04-05T03:32+0000

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north korea

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Japanese news agency Kyodo cited diplomatic sources Thursday as saying that leaders of South Korea, China and Japan are likely to discuss economic cooperation and regional issues, including North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Seoul and Tokyo are reportedly hoping that China will use its influence over Pyongyang to address concerns over these issues. South Korea, the current rotating chair of the dialogue, has been seeking to host the summit in 2023 and April 2024, the report cited sources as saying. The countries' foreign ministers met in November 2023 to agree on the date of the next summit. South Korean media then reported that the ministers had failed to agree on the date but expressed willingness to accelerate the preparation for the summit and continue efforts to make sure that the summit is held "in the near future." The first China-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit was held in the Japanese city of Fukuoka in December 2008. Since then leaders of the three countries have met eight times, with the latest summit taking place in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Chengdu. By tradition, the next meeting is to be held in South Korea. However, 2020's summit was prevented by the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulties in relations between Seoul and Tokyo over a South Korean court's decision to demand compensation to victims of Japan's forced labor mobilization during World War II. Following a compromise decision by the new South Korean government to bear the cost of the compensation, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol in March 2023 that he shared Seoul's view of the need to resume trilateral summits as soon as possible.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240305/south-korea-still-seeking-compensation-from-japan-for-world-war-ii-era-atrocities-1117150698.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/strengthened-russia-dprk-relations-signal-new-world-beyond-us-hegemony-1117771381.html

Strengthened Russia-DPRK Relations Signal New World Beyond US Hegemony

Strengthened Russia-DPRK Relations Signal New World Beyond US Hegemony

Sputnik International

The two countries cooperation is yet another sign of an emerging multipolar world order, says one analyst.

2024-04-05T22:08+0000

2024-04-05T22:08+0000

2024-04-06T09:25+0000

analysis

scott ritter

garland nixon

joe biden

north korea

russia

china

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Russia and North Korea will develop mutually beneficial cooperation that will not be subject to illegal pressure from the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last September. During his visit to Pyongyang in October, Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart decided to intensify cooperation, particularly in turnover volume. The foreign ministers also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia and reaffirmed their determination to resist the hegemonic aspirations of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the Vostochny cosmodrome to discuss possible joint space projects, options for cooperation in the space sector, namely in satellite construction. Korean state media reported that Putin and Kim Jong Un "outlined points of further cooperation to jointly protect sovereignty and develop interests of both countries, regional and global peace and security, and international justice."The Biden administration is starting to come to grips with the fact that the rules-based international order that they had been using to control what was a singularity, the American hegemony, is collapsing around them, said former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter this week, claiming the enhanced relations between the two countries are yet another sign of an emerging multipolar world order. Ritter appeared on Sputnik's The Critical Hour program to discuss the development with host Garland Nixon.This goes beyond simply bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea, said the former US Marine Corps intelligence officer. Russia together with China, they're putting down a marker that says that which was normal in the past is no longer normal today. That the rules-based international order that was used to constrain North Korea, to punish North Korea, to weaken North Korea is not a viable system and that Russia is not going to play that game anymore.Ritter claimed one indication of this new reality is Russias refusal to help enforce economic pressure against the DPRK. Moscow recently vetoed an extension of a UN enforcement body set up to monitor Pyongyangs compliance with US-backed sanctions.Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the mechanism at the time, claiming it was subject to US political pressure. Its work is increasingly being reduced to playing into the hands of Western approaches, reprinting biased information and analyzing newspaper headlines and poor quality photos, said Nebenzia.Member states could still pursue individual efforts to enforce the sanctions, said Ritter, but such action could be more easily blocked, leading to the death of sanctions.This represents the end of North Korea's isolation, the expert concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240402/kim-jong-un-guides-test-fire-of-north-korean-hypersonic-ballistic-missile-1117707588.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240331/moscow-says-activities-of-un-group-of-experts-on-north-korea-not-impartial-1117665542.html

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Indiana may soon be able to ban the use of cellphones inside schools with a new bipartisan bill pushing to reduce student's distractions while inside classrooms.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb ratified the proposed Senate Bill 185 last Monday that will effectively ban students from the use of "any portable wireless device" inside schools with a few exceptions.

The new legislation will start implementation on July 1, but will be fully felt this coming Fall as students return to schools after the Summer break.

Under the new law, students will only be able to use their phones if they require an immediate need for healthcare, an emergency, or if it is included in the learner's Individualized Education Program.

Otherwise, the phones will be collected and stored in designated locker areas inside the classroom.

It is also worth noting that the law does not specify what necessitates an event of emergency to access the phone.

Also Read : TikTok's Court Victories Prove Difficulty to Ban App

School Cellphone Ban Not Popular Among Students

While lawmakers have been touting the legislation as a big step in helping students away from "attention-grabbing apps," students themselves have a different reaction towards the decision.

A whole crowd of students in Texas recently protested outside of their school after the administration implemented a similar ban on the devices.

Students condemned the policy to be "unconstitutional" and threatened to continue the walkouts if no amendment was made.

It is worth noting, however, that several schools in Indiana have already implemented the ban but no huge backlash so far has been reported.

Safety Concerns for Students Raised from Phone Ban

A primary concern from the detractors of the law is the safety implications of the law for students.

The increasing number of school shootings in the US continues to take the lives of students and teachers every year.

Oftentimes, students use their phones to contact authorities or their parents during these incidents.

Similar legislation in other states has previously been rejected over safety concerns. So far, only Florida has been successful in implementing a state-wide on phones inside schools.

Kentucky, Tennessee, and Kansas have been reported to be also considering the same legislations to improve students' mental health.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/swedens-plans-to-create-nato-base-on-gotland-island-provocative---moscow--1117753391.html

Sweden's Plans to Create NATO Base on Gotland Island Provocative - Moscow

Sweden's Plans to Create NATO Base on Gotland Island Provocative - Moscow

Sputnik International

Sweden's plans to create a NATO base on the island of Gotland are provocative, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.

2024-04-05T04:26+0000

2024-04-05T04:26+0000

2024-04-05T04:26+0000

world

nato

sweden

stockholm

gotland island

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The Russian side has repeatedly warned about the risks arising in connection with the military development by the alliance of the territories of the new member countries in the north of Europe. NATO is seeking to increase its military potential in the Baltic. In this context, Stockholm intends to strengthen the 'strategically important' island of Gotland in order to improve defense against the imaginary 'Russian threat,'" the ministry said. It said Stockholm restored its military presence on Gotland in 2015, and in April 2023, before joining NATO, Swedish troops practiced efforts to counter an armed attack during military exercises on the island. It said Russia is carefully monitoring the developments and assessing potential risks. To stop threats in the northern direction, the Leningrad Military District has been re-established... Further decisions to ensure Russias security will be made depending on the development of the situation, the ministry said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/from-founding-to-expansion-reflecting-on-75-years-of-nato-1117736866.html

sweden

stockholm

gotland island

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nato base, gotland island, russian foreign ministry
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/the-trump-proofing-checklist--1117750293.html

The Trump-Proofing Checklist

The Trump-Proofing Checklist

Sputnik International

NATO foreign ministers met Wednesday to discuss a proposal by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg for a 100 billion ($108 billion) five-year fund for Ukraine. The move comes as Europe fears the return of a Donald Trump presidency. The former US president has said he will not aid Ukraine in their conflict with Russia if he is elected, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

2024-04-05T00:43+0000

2024-04-05T00:43+0000

2024-04-05T00:43+0000

political cartoons

donald trump

us politics

ukraine

nato

nato summit

americas

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NATO foreign ministers met Wednesday to discuss a proposal by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg for a 100 billion ($108 billion) five-year fund for Ukraine. The move comes as Europe fears the return of a Donald Trump presidency. The former US president has said he will not aid Ukraine in their conflict with Russia if he is elected, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was first created in the early weeks of the conflict by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and then-Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark Milley. The US has used the group to funnel tens of billions of dollars in weapons and other equipment to Ukraine. But NATO may bring the group under its control should Ukraine lose US support. But foreign ministers have reportedly warned that putting together such a fund would not be easy. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto firmly stated Hungary will not back any [NATO] proposals that might draw the alliance closer to war or shift it from a defensive to an offensive coalition," government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said on X. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he and others warned against duplicating efforts between bilateral, European Union and NATO aid.In early March, former President Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. According to Orban, Trump will not give a penny into the Ukraine-Russia war and therefore the war will end as its obvious that Ukraine on its own cannot stand on its feet.Stoltenberg concluded at the end of the summit that NATO will make its final decision in July. A consensus between its 32 members will be required before they can move forward with such a decision. As NATO marks its 75th anniversary this week, Russia has accused the military alliance of returning to a Cold War mindset.Late last year, US legislators passed a law requiring congressional approval should any US president attempt to pull the country out of NATO.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/75th-anniversary-nato-exists-to-respond-to-conflicts-it-caused-1117734976.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/lawmaker-says-us-must-leave-nato-if-ukraine-ever-gains-admittance-1117747563.html

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trump, nato, ukraine, ukraine summit
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/total-of-201-civilians-killed-in-ukrainian-strikes-on-russia-since-early-2024---russian-envoy-1117756460.html

Total of 201 Civilians Killed in Ukrainian Strikes on Russia Since Early 2024 - Russian Envoy

Total of 201 Civilians Killed in Ukrainian Strikes on Russia Since Early 2024 - Russian Envoy

Sputnik International

A total of 201 civilians have been killed as a result of Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory since the beginning of 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Rodion Miroshnik said on Friday.

2024-04-05T08:41+0000

2024-04-05T08:41+0000

2024-04-05T08:41+0000

russia

ukraine

russia

kiev

russian foreign ministry

foreign ministry

attacks

strikes

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"Based on the data collected by the service of the Ambassador at Large on the crimes of the Kiev regime of the Foreign Ministry, from January 1 to March 31, 2024, 922 civilians in Russian regions suffered from attacks by Ukrainian militants. Of these, 721 people were injured, and 201 civilians were killed," Miroshnik told reporters. Ukraine continues to use banned high explosive anti-personnel land PFM-1 mines, throwing them at frontline cities, the envoy added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240324/russian-air-defenses-down-22-vampire-missiles-over-belgorod-region-1117531591.html

ukraine

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/trump-says-he-would-have-called-putin-personally-to-warn-about-crocus-terror-attack-1117750785.html

Trump Says He Would Have Called Putin Personally to Warn About Crocus Terror Attack

Trump Says He Would Have Called Putin Personally to Warn About Crocus Terror Attack

Sputnik International

Former US President Donald Trump said during a recent interview he would have called Russian President Vladimir Putin personally to warn him about the Islamic State terrorist group plotting to carry out a terrorist attack in Russia.

2024-04-05T00:12+0000

2024-04-05T00:12+0000

2024-04-05T01:49+0000

russia

newsfeed

donald trump

vladimir putin

hugh hewitt

russia

tajikistan

sputnik

white house

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"I would have called him, I would have let him know," Trump said Thursday during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. The White House said the United States had warned Russian authorities about the attack. Russian authorities confirmed they received the warning but said the information was too vague. A US official told Sputnik after the attack that President Joe Biden had no plans to talk with Putin on the matter. On March 22, several armed men broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting at people. They also started a fire in one of the auditoriums, which was full of people ahead of a concert. The attack left 144 people dead, according to the latest data from the Russian Emergencies Ministry.The four main suspects in the case  all of them citizens of Tajikistan  tried to flee the scene by car but were detained and charged with terrorism. Russian authorities believe their plan was to flee to Ukraine, where the masterminds of the attack had arranged a safe haven for them. An investigation is underway.*The Islamic State (also known as ISIL/ISIS/ISIS-K/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240404/lavrov-says-obvious-that-ukraine-involved-in-terrorist-attack-in-crocus-1117731002.html

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crocus city hall attack foreknowledge, russia terrorist attack warning, trump call putin warn terrorism attack, trump putin relationship, trump putin terrorism
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/ukraine-approaches-critical-moment-in-military-terms-zelenskys-office-chief-admits-1117755002.html

Ukraine Approaches Critical Moment in Military Terms, Zelensky's Office Chief Admits

Ukraine Approaches Critical Moment in Military Terms, Zelensky's Office Chief Admits

Sputnik International

Ukraine is entering a critical moment in terms of military capacity, Ukrainian Chief of Staff and the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak, has told Politico, urging US lawmakers to act as soon as possible on the new aid package to support the Ukrainian armed forces.

2024-04-05T06:14+0000

2024-04-05T06:14+0000

2024-04-05T06:14+0000

world

volodymyr zelensky

joe biden

ukraine

washington

kiev

us congress

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"In the meantime it is costing us lives and I very much hope that it is passed this month because Ukraine is approaching a critical moment  We still critically need additional air-defense systems because without them it is impossible for us to defend our cities  But once again, the problem for us is of the time  I'd like to emphasize that it's a critical moment now. It's very important the package is approved this month," Yermak told the news outlet on Thursday. Earlier this week, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he intended to advance Ukraine aid legislation when the House of Representatives returned to Washington on April 9 from a district work period. The legislation could include measures to fund Ukraine with loans or seized Russian assets, Johnson said. The push in the US Congress to pass Ukraine aid comes amid warnings from US President Joe Biden's administration and Kiev that Ukrainian troops could be forced to retreat without further foreign assistance. In February, the Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes some $60 billion for Ukraine, but it is currently stuck in the House as Republicans look into other options for providing aid to Ukraine while also addressing the crisis on the US southern border. House Speaker Johnson so far has rejected calls from Democrats and Biden to put the supplemental bill to a vote. Russia has consistently warned against the continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict. Moscow also sees the Ukraine conflict as a hybrid war led by the United States.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240402/west-to-use-hypothetical-russia-ukraine-talks-to-supply-arms-to-zelensky--diplomat--1117691782.html

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ukraine approaches critical moment, us lawmakers, zelensky's office chief, military capacity
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/ukraines-military-has-collapsed-as-nato-marks-75th-anniversary--1117752717.html

Ukraine's Military Has 'Collapsed' as NATO Marks 75th Anniversary

Ukraine's Military Has 'Collapsed' as NATO Marks 75th Anniversary

Sputnik International

The US reaffirmed its commitment that Ukraine will eventually join NATO Thursday. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has voiced frustration that a timeline for Kiev to join the military alliance has not been set.

2024-04-05T04:13+0000

2024-04-05T04:13+0000

2024-04-05T04:13+0000

analysis

nato

ukraine

dan kovalik

john kiriakou

donald trump

france

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/11/1116851729_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_5966c699ef8e4e7159cf73ef97515fe4.jpg

Sputniks John Kiriakou reported the Ukrainian military dropped their draft age from 27 to 25 as the government announced a draft registration for 17 to 24-year-olds. The report comes about a month after French lawmakers voted to support a 10-year security accord with Ukraine. Speaking to labor lawyer and human rights activist Dan Kovalik on Sputnik's Political Misfits this week, Kiriakou asked if this could mark the beginning of the end of Ukraines resistance.I think we're past the beginning of the end, said Kovalik. NATO foreign ministers met to discuss a proposal by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday for a 100 billion euro ($108 billion) five-year fund for Ukraine. The move comes as Europe fears the return of a Donald Trump presidency. The former president has said he will not aid Ukraine in their fight against Russia if he is elected, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.The Ukrainian military is done. It's over. And, frankly, without the French, they probably would surrender at this point, added Kovalik. Yes, I think it is a sign that it's over.The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was first created in the early weeks of the conflict by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and then-Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark Milley. The US has used the group to funnel tens of billions of dollars in weapons and other equipment to Ukraine. But NATO may bring the group under its own control should Ukraine lose US support.Kiriakou asked Kovalik if US President Joe Biden would agree to such a decision in preparation of a Trump victory in November.He might, said the author. "I think the question is: can Biden maintain support for Ukraine, support for Israel in Gaza, and double down on provoking China over Taiwan, which it appears he wants to do all at the same time? I don't think he can. So, I think Ukraine may be the thing that he's going to have to let loose.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240214/trump-almost-withdrew-us-from-nato-in-2018---former-national-security-adviser-1116773227.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/europe-being-forced-to-self-harm-in-pursuit-of-us-interests---analyst-1117751971.html

ukraine

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ukraine, nato, france, military
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/us-attempted-to-manipulate-un-security-council-about-israel-gaza-resolutions---russian-envoy-1117764553.html

US Attempted to Manipulate UN Security Council About Israel-Gaza Resolutions - Russian Envoy

US Attempted to Manipulate UN Security Council About Israel-Gaza Resolutions - Russian Envoy

Sputnik International

The United States representative to the UN Security Council attempted to manipulate the group by making misleading statements about resolutions regarding Israels conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said on Friday.

2024-04-05T16:34+0000

2024-04-05T16:34+0000

2024-04-05T16:34+0000

world

palestine-israel conflict

un security council (unsc)

russia

israel

gaza strip

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Just a few minutes ago, we bore witness to a cynical attempt  an inexcusable attempt  at manipulation on the part of our US colleagues, Nebenzia said during a UN Security Council meeting. The US representative to the UN mentioned that a call to protect humanitarian aid workers was included in a draft resolution vetoed by Russia and China, Nebenzia said. However, the US failed to mention that a ceasefire resolution ultimately passed by the council included a similar demand, he noted. Russia believes that such low standards have no place in the UN Security Council, Nebenzia said. The US should instead focus on ending arms supplies to Israel, which are being used to kill Palestinians, he also added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240326/united-states-mocking-international-law-creating-world-of-the-jungle-1117569610.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/us-diplomacy-utterly-failed-in-ukraine-washington-should-seek-negotiations---sachs-1117751141.html

US Diplomacy Utterly Failed' in Ukraine, Washington Should Seek Negotiations - Sachs

US Diplomacy Utterly Failed' in Ukraine, Washington Should Seek Negotiations - Sachs

Sputnik International

US policy in Ukraine has failed and instead of encouraging the countrys NATO membership bid Washington should seek peace negotiations with Russia, world-renowned economics professor Jeffrey Sachs told Sputnik.

2024-04-05T00:53+0000

2024-04-05T00:53+0000

2024-04-05T19:31+0000

antony blinken

jeffrey sachs

ukraine

washington

russia

nato

americas

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/08/1117207260_0:0:2863:1611_1920x0_80_0_0_90bde6365986f8f5beec9776482f9e03.jpg

While in Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukraine would become a member of NATO but did not specify a timeline. He added that the 2024 NATO summit in Washington will help build a bridge for Ukraine to join the alliance. Secretary Blinkens statement is another disaster for Ukraine American diplomacy has utterly failed and indeed collapsed, said Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Secretary Blinken should be sitting down in negotiations with his counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov rather than reiterating the utterly failed foreign policy that has brought on this war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that NATO's expansion to include Ukraine would create a direct national security threat to Russia and that Moscow considers the non-aligned status of Ukraine to be extremely important to put an end to the years-long conflict.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230917/jeffrey-sachs-western-neocolonialism-cannot-stop-africas-rise-1113428229.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/watch-russian-helicopters-strike-ukrainian-stronghold-and-personnel-1117753523.html

Watch Russian Helicopters Strike Ukrainian Stronghold and Personnel

Watch Russian Helicopters Strike Ukrainian Stronghold and Personnel

Sputnik International

The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage showing the Russian Aerospace Forces helicopters striking Ukrainian military positions and personnel in the Kupyansk region.

2024-04-05T05:04+0000

2024-04-05T05:04+0000

2024-04-05T05:04+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

video

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russian defense ministry

mi-35m

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The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage showing Russian Aerospace Forces helicopters striking Ukrainian military positions and personnel in the Kupyansk area."A strike group of the Army Aviation of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation consisting of Ka-52 Alligator helicopters, Mi-35M transport and combat helicopters, and Mi-8 multi-purpose helicopters struck a position and an accumulation of enemy forces in the Kupyansk area in the zone of the special military operation," the ministry said.It is noted that the crews of the helicopters carried out the strike with unguided C-8 air-to-air missiles, then carried out an anti-missile maneuver with the help of an onboard defense complex and successfully returned to the takeoff site.

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Russian air force aircraft hit Ukrainian forces' stronghold and manpower near Kupyansk Sputnik International Russian air force aircraft hit Ukrainian forces' stronghold and manpower near Kupyansk 2024-04-05T05:04+0000 true PT1M21S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240405/watch-ukrainian-soldiers-shoot-comrades-attempt-to-conceal-corpses-1117756791.html

Watch Ukrainian Soldiers Shoot Comrades, Attempt to Conceal Corpses

Watch Ukrainian Soldiers Shoot Comrades, Attempt to Conceal Corpses

Sputnik International

Ukrainian soldiers shot fellow servicemen before getting into a landing boat on the right bank of the river Dnepr, according to footage filmed by a Russian reconnaissance drone and obtained by Sputnik.

2024-04-05T10:49+0000

2024-04-05T10:49+0000

2024-04-05T10:49+0000

world

ukraine

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volodymyr zelensky

russia

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Two Ukrainian soldiers shot two fellow their servicemen before getting into a landing boat on the right bank of the river Dnepr, according to footage filmed by a Russian reconnaissance drone and later acquired by Sputnik.Then the soldiers hid the corpses in the boat, pushed it away from the shore, and vanished.After the failure of last years much-heralded Ukrainian counteroffensive and mounting lack of ammunition and manpower, more and more Ukrainian troops are refusing to perform combat missions. Others are even risking being shot in the back by units stationed behind them in an effort to prevent them from retreating.In mid-October, Governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said that Ukrainian barrier troops had opened fire on their own servicemen for refusing to cross the Dnepr River.Video footage taken by a drone and obtained by Sputnik last December showed one such Ukrainian barrier unit shooting at a group of retreating Ukrainian army fighters."The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using the tactics of anti-retreat forces, and with them, they are trying to hold back mobilized and territorial defense forces unwilling to die at the positions," a source told the agency.Sputnik also obtained audio of a radio intercept of communications between Ukrainian servicemen, revealing that some Ukrainian units are outright refusing to go into battle against Russian forces.Replenishing the ranks depleted by last year's botched counteroffensive is presenting a challenge for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as Russian troops continue to advance. Shortly after Russia started its special military operation, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced martial law and a general draft in Ukraine. Under martial law, men aged between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country, and men aged 27 and older are eligible to be drafted, with some exceptions. As the issue of draft dodgers continues to persist, with draft cards being handed out not only at recruitment offices, but also on streets, gas stations, and cafes, Zelensky approved new mobilization measures on April 2. The new law in Ukraine lowers the conscription age from 27 to 25, eliminates the "limited fitness" category for recruits, and requires individuals previously deemed limitedly fit for military service to undergo a medical examination within nine months.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231231/watch-group-of-retreating-ukrainian-soldiers-shot-by-barrier-troops-1115907212.html

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Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60

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Svetlana Ekimenko

Svetlana Ekimenko

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Two Ukrainian soldiers on the right bank of the Dnepr shot two fellow servicemen before getting into a landing boat. Sputnik International Two Ukrainian soldiers on the right bank of the Dnepr shot two fellow servicemen before getting into a landing boat. 2024-04-05T10:49+0000 true PT3M14S

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Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60

Svetlana Ekimenko

ukrainian soldiers shoot their own, retreating ukrainian soldiers, barrier troops in ukraine, ukrainian armed forces, insubordination and desertion in ukraine's army, draft dodgers in ukraine, ukraine's failed counteroffensive,
Social media has been a hub for many things from content creation to advertising. With the wide reach that platforms have, a lot of small to medium businesses have taken to social networking sites to promote and conduct business. Among others, TikTok has become a popular site for it.

TikTok Generating Billions for Businessess

It's a good strategy to maximize a brand's exposure through social media, especially now that some have certain features that allow them to sell those products directly. TikTok made it possible for sellers to arrange transactions within the app for easier purchases.

Based on the numbers that the company released, one can say that it has been a successful venture so far, with the site generating about $14.7 billion for small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) last year, as reported by Tech Crunch.

That's besides the overall $24.2 billion in total economic activity. The company also claims that around seven million US businesses rely on TikTok, and that 224,000 jobs were supported by small business activity on the site.

While most simply took advantage of the app's wide reach, about 98,000 jobs were said to be directly supported in SMBs within the site. In an economic report, it was shown that the company made $5.3 billion in tax revenue last year, further stressing the success it has brought in the US.

It's no secret that the right marketing strategies in social media can make a huge impact on how a business goes. There are even instances when businesses took off because of its popularity through the short-form video site.

Read Also : TikTok Rallies Users to Urge Senators Against the TikTok Ban

Losing Business Through the US TikTok Ban

With a ban looming, some business owners who operate within TikTok are starting to get nervous. The app's restriction will make a bigger impact on SMBs that rely on advertising practices that cost less, particularly ads on social media.

It's not just small businesses selling their products as well. A lot of content creators make a living by posting content and relying on ad sales. With TikTok gone, they might have to rely on other social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and more.

In a way, this could encourage small business owners to join the fight against the ban. We already know that TikTok is not above asking its users to rally by their side, as it released a push notification asking users to contact their senators about the ban.

The House of Representatives has already approved the bill, which means that the decision will fall to the Senate next. Once the Senate approves, it's almost a guarantee that the ban will be enforced, especially with a national leader voting to ban the app as well.

US President Joe Biden already said that he would sign the bill when it falls to his lap, as per Reuters. Once that happens, the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" will come into effect and TikTok will have no choice but to sell or stop its operations in the US.
An Orange County man wanted by state police for not re-registering as a sex offender turned himself in a week after an alert was broadcast.

Sheldon Locke Davis, 63, surrendered to Virginia State Police on April 4 following a news release sent out March 27 seeking the publics help in locating him. Registered with police as living in Orange County, Davis was wanted on four counts of failing to re-register as a sex offender, as required by Virginia law.
Attorneys for a Kimball woman accused of shooting a man at a motel in the community will argue that the woman is not responsible by reason of insanity.

Attorneys for Leota Kant, 86, filed notice of their intent to rely on an insanity defense on March 29, according to Kimball County District Court filings. Kant faces trial on charges of attempted murder, a Class II felony, and use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class IC felony. She appeared on Tuesday, April 2, in Kimball County District Court for arraignment, entering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Authorities arrested Kant on Oct. 31, 2023, in connection with a shooting at the Finer Motel in Kimball. Kant allegedly shot Jeffrey Barborak, who is identified in court documents as having been staying at the motel at the time of the shooting. In a civil suit against Kant, he says the woman fired at him without provocation and that he suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

In February, an attorney representing Kant in the criminal case filed a motion for a competency evaluation, asking that the woman be examined immediately by a licensed psychiatrist or clinical psychologist to determine her mental competency to stand trial. The competency examination determines if the woman is able to understand the allegations and proceedings in the case, as well as be able to consult with her attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.

According to filings, state prosecutor has requested an evaluation to examine Kant for both competency and insanity.

In a probate case filed in Seward County involving the woman, listed now as living in Lincoln, she has currently been put under guardianship, with her care and other matters being overseen by her daughter, Mary Hamlton. In the probate case, her daughter said a doctor evaluated her mother and found Kant to be impaired in her ability to make, communicate and carry out responsible decisions regarding person and property. Her daughter says in probate court filings that her mother suffers from dementia as the result of Alzheimers.

Kant is next scheduled to appear in the criminal case for a hearing on May 7, 9:30 a.m. with a status hearing on the competency evaluation planned. Judge Derek Weimer is presiding over the case.

Kant is now being represented by Omaha attorney Stuart Dorman. The Nebraska Attorney Generals Office is prosecuting the case.

If Kant is convicted of the charges, the Class II felony carries a possible sentence of one to 50 years imprisonment. The Class IC felony charge has a mandatory minimum of five years imprisonment and a maximum of 50 years imprisonment.
GERING  Chadron rancher Sharon Hagihara Bartlett walked the nearly empty, grass-covered grounds of the Amache National Historic Site in southeast Colorado and thought about her mother, her aunt, her grandmother.

Id never been there, she said about Amache, one of 10 relocation centers where the U.S. government imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II. They had torn down or sold all the buildings because it was an embarrassment to the U.S. government and what they had done.

As Bartlett wandered by concrete foundations and a few reconstructed structures last May, her thoughts flowed like a conversation with her ancestors.

Oh my God, here were all these people in this one building with one potbelly stove. And going outside in the cold to the dining hall and showers, she said. It hurts to think you put up with so much. You had to leave your home and all your stuff in California. And there was nothing to go back to.

Bartletts story is one of many family stories told in the Japanese Hall building, formerly in Scottsbluff, thats opening soon at Gerings Legacy of the Plains Museum campus.

Most of these stories start with bachelor grandfathers coming to America in the early 1900s for railroad and farm jobs. They married, had children and formed community ties at work and in places like Japanese Hall. They built relationships with their neighbors.

Living in the High Plains with such ties made a big difference after Japans Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed a February 1942 order to incarcerate more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans. Nearly 75,000 were second-generation American-born citizens and 45,000 were Japanese nationals living in the U.S., mostly first-generation immigrants forbidden by state laws from owning land or applying for citizenship.

Many Nebraska families who farmed or had other local jobs were permitted to stay home, although some boys joined the military.

Their relatives on the West Coast  where the federal government was especially concerned about the security risk despite a lack of evidence  were less fortunate. Many ended up at relocation centers. Some were separated from family members in the process. When the government ended their imprisonment, all of these Japanese-Americans were left to rebuild their lives.

Sharon Hagihara Bartlett, Chadron

Bartletts paternal grandpa came to the U.S. in 1902 for a railroad job. He farmed in several Nebraska Panhandle communities before settling near Alliance in 1944.

Her maternal grandpa, a California fruit grower, died in 1931, leaving his wife to raise their children: Annie (Bartletts mother), Grace, Ben and Erlene.

As ordered in early 1942, the family went to an assembly center where people were sorted into groups of 50 for transport to relocation centers. Bartlett said the process separated her family. Annie, Erlene and their mother were taken to Amache, while Grace, Ben, his wife and toddler went to Tule Lake, California.

During the final months of the war, Annie and her sister received permission to work at the Sioux Army Depot near Sidney, where they moved military ammunitions and general supplies onto railcars. Their mother went along.

After the war ended, the trio moved to Denver. Annies mother repaired carpets and returned to her pre-war activities: teaching the Japanese language, flower arranging and cultural ceremonies.

Annie worked at a dentists office, where she met an Alliance farmer who would become her husband. Bartlett grew up in Alliance.

I dont think Mom ever held a grudge about her time at Amache, but she knew it wasnt right or fair, Bartlett said.

Her parents attended reunions there.

The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 signed by President Ronald Reagan included an apology to incarcerated Japanese-Americans and reparation offers of up to $20,000.

I remember Mom saying the money was nice, but it doesnt take away the humiliation and having to leave everything behind, Bartlett said.

Sakurada family

Nick Sakurada remembers Pearl Harbor attack day as the 11-year-old son of Japanese immigrants in Scottsbluff.

The sheriff and two deputies came and picked up my dad ... He was gone overnight, said Sakurada, now 93. I dont recall him ever saying anything about it.

His dad was a railroad worker and then a farmer who moved to Scottsbluff in the early 1920s. His role as a local Japanese Americanization Society officer may have drawn the sheriffs visit.

We werent really treated badly, Sakurada said. For me, nothing really changed. Nobody ever said anything to us in school.

Most of the 11 second-generation siblings farmed or had related careers, including Sakurada. No third-generation Sakurada continued the tradition.

The first land purchased by the Sakuradas and other Japanese farmers was registered with names of U.S.-born sons. Laws in several states, including Nebraska, prevented Japanese immigrants from seeking citizenship or buying land.

Court rulings and the federal Immigration and Nationality Act changed that in 1952. Sakuradas father died before he could seek citizenship, but his mother became a U.S. citizen in 1953.

Mom was a picture bride  a term that grew from a 1907 agreement that limited Japanese immigrants to wives, children and parents of men already in the U.S.

Picture brides had proxy weddings in Japan, with the grooms picture, to qualify for passports. There were traditional Japanese weddings after the brides arrived in the U.S. Sakuradas parents knew each other, but other couples were strangers.

Sakuradas older brothers, Shogi and Shizuo, served with the U.S. Armys 442nd regimental combat team of all Japanese-Americans in Italy during World War II.

We felt the same as any of our friends (after Pearl Harbor). We were attacked and felt we should do something about it, Shizuo told the Kearney Hub in 1989.

Shogi was drafted in 1941 and was aboard a transport ship headed to the Pacific on Dec. 7. Japanese-American servicemen were dropped off in Hawaii. They joined the Hawaiian Provisional Guard and eventually the 442nd.

Shizuo farmed after WWII, before using his Army training as a cook to work at and eventually co-own Scottsbluffs Eagle Cafe. After it closed in 1967, he owned Kearneys Corral Cafe until retiring in 1984.

He remained hopeful that the U.S. government had learned a lesson from its fear-based incarceration of Japanese-Americans.

I dont think theyll ever pinpoint a racial group to be in a detention camp anymore, he said in 1989.

Cindy Yamamoto, Scottsbluff

Railroad jobs were simply a starting point for many Japanese immigrants. Harry Ono turned working for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in Wyoming into a 37-year career.

His familys life didnt change much during WWII, granddaughter Cindy Yamamoto said.

Life was harder for her Yamamoto ancestors. Grandfather Shigeichi, seen standing next to a locomotive in a floor-to-ceiling photo at Japanese Hall, struggled at short-term railroad, restaurant and farm jobs. After starting a small Colorado farm, he sent for his Japanese picture bride, Moto.

They started a family and moved to Nebraskas North Platte Valley. After Moto died in a 1936 farm fire, Shigeichi sold the farm, and took his wifes ashes and their nine children to Japan to start a new life.

He and three children went to California after a few months; four more children arrived a year later. Two young daughters stayed with a grandmother in Japan throughout the war.

When notices were posted requiring Californias Japanese-Americans to report for relocation, most members of the dirt poor Yamamoto family moved to Lyman, Nebraska. One daughter chose to stay with her Japanese husband, whose family was sent to a California internment camp.

Cindys dad became a western Nebraska farmer and cattle feeder. Her mom graduated from Army cadet nurses training soon after the war ended.

I have the utmost respect for my ancestors, Yamamoto said. They are the strongest people.

Gayle Hashimoto Rojas, Scottsbluff

All of Gayle Rojas grandparents immigrated to Honolulu in the early 1900s.

Paternal grandpa Manzuchi Hashimoto managed a store and was Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu president until the Pearl Harbor attack.

He was a leader in the Japanese community so they thought his ties were too close, Rojas said.

Hashimoto was incarcerated in at least two of the four high security U.S. Justice Department internment camps. His family didnt know where he was.

His wife and children stayed in Honolulu. Son Akira joined the 442nd regiment.

Rojas maternal Hidaka family of fishermen were considered a security risk because they knew the waters around Hawaii.

When her grandpa and his two sons were being relocated to the Tule Lake camp, her grandma insisted on going. Three young daughters, including Rojas mother, remained in Honolulu.

One of Rojas uncles, Eiji, was allowed to join the 442nd regiment in Italy. He was killed in action.

They had lost everything, Rojas said.

When the Hidakas returned to Honolulu after the war, the men had to rebuild the fishing business. Grandma opened a noodle stand, where she also sold corsages made of tiny shells, a craft learned at Tule Lake.

Grandpa Hashimoto returned to store management for 20 years and then started a company that imported Japanese language newspapers and magazines.

Rojas journey to Nebraska began when she met and married the late Richard Rojas, a Creighton University Medical School grad who came to Honolulu for more education. In 1983, they moved to Scottsbluff, where he was the hospitals emergency medicine specialist.

Dennis Morimoto, Scottsbluff

Dennis Morimoto, a retired University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center agronomy technician, followed his ancestors into agriculture.

His Morimoto grandparents farmed in Colorado and Wyoming before settling near Mitchell. They continued farming throughout WWII.

His Shiotani grandparents farmed in California. Most family members, including Dennis mom, were sent to the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona.

His grandfather was at a Justice Department internment camp in Texas.

They arrested all older men who were in the (Japanese community) clubs, Dennis said.

An uncle joined the 442nd regiment; some family members worked at Sidneys Sioux Army Depot; and others left Poston to work for a Colorado farmer.

Morimoto said the Shiotanis moved to Mitchell after the war, maybe for moral support. They soon returned to California, where a landlady had kept some of their possessions and helped them rebuild their lives.

Morimoto, a Vietnam veteran, said he isnt so sure that this sad chapter of American history wont repeat itself.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, some talked about rounding up Arab-Americans, he noted.

The Japanese American Citizens League took a stand against that, he said. They didnt want what had happened to the Japanese to happen to others.

Grand opening set for Japanese Hall museum exhibit The transformation of the Japanese Hall from a gathering place to a museum involved a long, bumpy journey  literally.
On April 3, 2024, Damascus witnessed a solemn military funeral for the Iranian military advisors who lost their lives during the Israeli assault on the Iranian Consulate. The ceremony, held at the Military Hospital in Damascus and attended by Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Abbas, paid tribute to the deceased with full military honours before their repatriation to Tehran.

General Abbas, in his eulogy, honoured the fallen as allies in Syrias battle against terrorism, emphasizing their role in striving to rid Syrian territory of terroristic threats from various states, groups, and organizations. Expressing his and the Syrian militarys condolences, Abbas highlighted the martyrdom of these individuals as a significant loss to Iran, lauding their heroism and dedication.

The Iranian Ambassador to Syria, Hussain Akbari, condemned the attack as a gross violation of international norms and an affront to the United Nations principles, framing it as emblematic of the foundational violence and illegitimacy of the Zionist entity. Ambassador Akbari asserted Irans right to a proportional response to this aggression, signalling the possibility of further escalations in the already tense regional dynamics.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Roblox CEO and co-founder David Baszucki may soon head to Capitol Hill to discuss potential safety measures to protect underage users on the gaming platform.

In an interview with The Verge's Alex Heath, Baszcuki to discuss how the upcoming legislations will also affect platforms like Roblox that are popular among children.

Baszucki has been noticeably absent during the previous Senate hearing with social media CEOs to address concerns of sexual harassment, child exploitation, and cyberbullying on their platforms.

Roblox CEO Raises Issue Over KOSA Bill

Among the notable topics raised on the hearing was Congress' push for the proposed Kids Online Safety Act that will give power to the government to push litigations against social media companies for platforming content deemed harmful to children.

Roblox, like Meta and TikTok, clarified that it could not support the bill as it is now, claiming that "a lot of what the bill may be trying to achieve we've already achieved."

Roblox, which hosts millions of underage players every month, has been involved in several lawsuits from parents and concerned groups accusing the platform of exposing children to online predators and sexual content.

Latest statistics indicate that over 60% of its monthly player base are aged 16 years old or younger.

Also Read : Roblox is Being Sued by Parents Over Alleged Child Grooming, Sexual Content

KOSA Moves Closer to Passing

Despite protests from many social media companies and even younger generations that will be affected by the bill, the proposed law is slowly gaining momentum in Congress following several revisions.

As of writing, the bipartisan legislation is estimated to have collected enough support to pass the Senate and later the White House.

Several states have already implemented their own versions of KOSA to limit minors' access to social media platforms.

Florida became the latest state to adopt similar actions with the bill effectively banning users under the age of 14 from all social media .

Minors that are aged 14 to 15, on the other hand, will need their parents' consent before they can access the sites.
The United States, Britain and France on Wednesday opposed a Russian-drafted U.N. Security Council statement that would have condemned an attack on Irans embassy compound in Syria, which Tehran has blamed on Washingtons ally Israel, Reuters reported.

Press statements by the 15-member council have to be agreed by consensus. Diplomats said the U.S., backed by France and Britain, told council colleagues that many of the facts of what happened on Monday in Damascus remained unclear and there was no consensus among council members during a meeting on Tuesday.

This serves as a clear illustration of the double standards employed by the Western troika and their actual, rather than declarative, approach to legality and order in the international context, Russias deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said in a post on X.

The U.N. Security Council has issued statements in the past condemning attacks on diplomatic premises. The European Union on Wednesday condemned the strike  saying the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected  and called on countries to show restraint.

The U.S. says it has not confirmed the status of the building struck in Damascus, but that it would be concerned if it was a diplomatic facility.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, which destroyed a consular building adjacent to the main embassy complex, killing seven members of Irans Revolutionary Guards.

Iran has accused Israel of violating the founding U.N. Charter, international law, and also cited several conventions.

UN launches probe for finding disappeared people in Syria

The United Nations has launched a mechanism to uncover the fates and whereabouts of tens of thousands of missing Syrians since war broke out in 2011, New Arab reported.

The UN General Assembly created an Independent Institution for Missing persons in June 2023, overriding objections from the Syrian regime with at least 155,604 people disappeared between the start of the war in March 2011 to August 2023.

The body began operations on Wednesday, with the Syrian Campaign saying it will clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in the country and provide adequate support to victims, survivors and the families of those missing.

The Syrian regime had detained an estimated 135,638 individuals, including 3,693 children and 8,478 women, while the Islamic State group, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, and rebel groups are thought to be responsible for the other disappeared.

Syria has been reeling from its ongoing conflict since 2011 when protests erupted against Bashar Al-Assad and were brutally suppressed with tens of thousands of suspected activists and protesters detained.

It is estimated that the fate of 100,000 Syrians is still unknown since the brutal crackdown on the anti-regime protests, according to the UN, including family members who were forcibly disappeared, abducted, tortured, and arbitrarily detained.

There have been harrowing accounts of mass executions and medieval conditions in Syrias jails, with fears about the safety of the disappeared.

Bodies of slain Iran Guards repatriated from Syria: media

AFP reported that Iran has repatriated the bodies of seven Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on the countrys consular annex in Damascus, which Tehran blamed on Israel, local media reported.

The Guards, including two generals, were killed in the air strike on Monday which levelled the Iranian embassys consular annex. Analysts saw the move as part of stepped-up Israeli actions against Iranian and pro-Iran commanders in Syria and Lebanon, which they said could spiral into wider war.

The bodies of the Iran embassy martyrs arrived at Mehrabad airport in Tehran, the ISNA news agency reported overnight Wednesday-Thursday.

It broadcast a short video of their coffins being carried by a vehicle.

Iran has said that among the dead were two brigadier generals from the Guards foreign operations arm, the Quds Force, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi and Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Zahedi was the Quds Force commander for Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

His death came nearly six months into Israels war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian movement.

State media said the Guards funeral will take place on Friday, coinciding with the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day, when Iranians plan to march in support of Palestinians and against Israel.

How will Europe respond to Israeli strike on Irans consulate in Syria?

Responsiblestatecraft.com published a long report on how the EU might respond to the recent escalation in the Middle East, marked by an Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which resulted in the deaths of six Iranians including a high-ranking commander of Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The report says that the incifenet has intensified fears in Europe of a wider regional conflict. This incident represents a significant escalation, considering the consulates status as Iranian territory under international law, prompting serious concerns over a possible direct retaliation from Iran. In response to increasing domestic and regional pressures, Irans President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge against Israel, highlighting the tense atmosphere and the potential for a broader conflict.

The situation has prompted an extraordinary meeting of the U.N. Security Council, sought by Iran, which condemned the attack and asserted its right to a decisive response within international law. The discourse in Iran, from both government officials and media, indicates a readiness to retaliate against Israeli interests globally, further complicating the situation.

Europe is particularly concerned about the repercussions of an expanded conflict, which could destabilize the region, lead to mass migration, increase terrorist threats, and potentially impact European interests in the Middle East. European intelligence services, noting the recent ISIS attack in Moscow, have raised alarms about the heightened risk of terrorism.

The European Union (EU) and Britain are urged to engage diplomatically to prevent the escalation of the war, leveraging their direct relations with Iran, unlike the U.S. The EUs foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has been in contact with Irans foreign minister to encourage de-escalation, particularly among Irans regional allies. However, Europes influence is limited by its members reluctance to condemn the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate, contrasting with the broader international condemnation.

The article suggests that the EU could use its economic ties with Israel to push for a political resolution in Gaza and caution against further regional escalations. Yet, there is skepticism about the EUs willingness or ability to exert such influence effectively. The potential for Iran to pursue nuclear capabilities as a deterrent, amid ongoing regional tensions and Israeli attacks, poses a significant concern, particularly with the possibility of a leadership transition in Iran that might not adhere to the current stance against nuclear weaponization.

This complex situation underscores the challenges facing Europe in navigating the intricacies of Middle Eastern politics and the urgent need for a concerted effort to prevent further escalation and work towards sustainable peace in the region.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
A convoy of vehicles owned by the US forces, laden with military and logistical reinforcements, departed from the American base in Kharab al-Jir, located on the outskirts of al-Yarubiyah, towards the silos of Tal Alou within the Yarubiyah district.

A source confirmed to Athr Press that the convoy comprised vehicles transporting logistical military reinforcements to bolster the support of US forces in their operational zones within the Syrian territory. It was noted that the convoy consisted of 56 vehicles, including two military vehicles, closed refrigerated trucks, and tankers transporting wooden crates.

The same source indicated that the convoy proceeded from the silos of Tal Alou towards the route leading to the al-Hol district, situated east of the city of Hasakeh. It is anticipated that a portion of the convoy will head towards the American base in al-Shaddadi, while another segment will continue its journey towards the outskirts of Deir ez-Zor, where American bases such as Omar and Conoco are located.

The Kharab al-Jir base serves as a hub for assembling military reinforcements and vehicle convoys before their deployment to various sites occupied by U.S. forces. This strategic positioning is attributed to its close proximity to the Syrian-Iraqi border.

In recent months, there has been a noticeable escalation in the dispatch of military reinforcements by US forces to their bases in eastern Syria, alongside joint military exercises conducted in collaboration with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). On March 31, US forces initiated military drills, inclusive of helicopter participation, at the Rubariya base situated in the outskirts of Malikiyah, located in the far eastern region of the country.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
On April 4th, 2024, the White Helmets continue their pursuit of justice for the families of victims, advocating for the establishment of an exceptional court to hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes. These crimes notably include the use of internationally banned chemical weapons against civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, Douma, Ghouta, and other areas affected by the regimes brutality.

Seven years have passed since the massacre perpetrated by the Assad regime and its allies, employing chemical weapons against unarmed civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, Idleb. This atrocity remains etched in memory, serving as a stark reminder of the regimes actions. Despite the passage of time, justice remains elusive, with the perpetrators evading accountability.

The morning of April 4th, 2017, witnessed the suffocation of innocent civilians due to the use of sarin gas, resulting in the loss of over 90 lives and exposing more than 500 others to toxic gas symptoms. Each passing day serves as a painful reminder of the unresolved injustice endured by the victims and their families.

While the Joint Investigative Mechanisms report to the Security Council in October 26, 2017, unequivocally attributed responsibility to the Assad regime for the Khan Sheikhoun massacre, there has been a glaring lack of meaningful action by the United Nations and the Security Council to enforce accountability. The regimes actions constitute clear violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and Resolution 2118 of 2013, which unequivocally condemn the use, development, production, possession, or stockpiling of chemical weapons.

In collaboration with the Do Not Suffocate the Truth campaign, the White Helmets extends an invitation to commemorate the massacres perpetrated by the Assad regime with chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhoun (April 4, 2017) and Douma (April 7, 2018). This solemn event serves as a testament to the resilience of the victims and a call for justice in the face of impunity.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The assassination of the director of the Military Construction institutions branch within the Syrian regimes Ministry of Defense has raised concerns regarding internal conflicts within the institution and the diverse allegiances among its members, as reported by confidential sources to Syria TV. Bassel Abdel Qader was killed by an explosive device that detonated in his car outside his residence in the al-Qusour neighbourhood of Hama. This incident occurred mere hours after a similar explosion in Homs, which fortunately did not cause any injuries.

Conflict between wings

Sources within the military construction branch in Hama informed Syria TV that Basil Abdul Qadir was aligned with Major General Suhail al-Hassan. However, there were ongoing efforts to replace him with another official from the village of al-Rabia, located 15 kilometres west of Hama. Abdul Qadir had reportedly expressed concern to a colleague about threatening messages he had received from unknown individuals recently, prompting him to relocate from Qamhana to the city of Hama for safety. Notably, Rabia has gained notoriety due to the presence of militias associated with numerous massacres perpetrated by regime forces in recent years, with a proliferation of light and medium weapons among its inhabitants.

The regime forces: Previous killings

In 2020, local media outlets reported a series of high-profile assassinations within the Syrian regime. Brigadier General Ali Jamblat, a close confidant and special assistant to Maher al-Assad, commander of the Fourth Division and brother of the Syrian president, was reportedly killed by snipers in the Yafour area of Damascus.

During the same year, Brigadier General Thaer Khair Bek of the Air Force Intelligence was shot dead in front of his house in the al-Zahera area of Damascus by unidentified assailants. This incident coincided with the killing of Brigadier General Jihad Zaal, head of the Air Force Intelligence branch in the Eastern governorate, along with several of his associates, under mysterious circumstances on the Deir-ez-Zor-Damascus road.

Additionally, news networks reported the deaths of several other regime figures. Nizar Zeidan, a leader in the Fourth Division, was killed when an explosive device detonated in his car in the Wadi Barada area of Damascus countryside. Brigadier General Maan Idris, also a leader in the Fourth Division, was shot dead in front of his house in the Project Dummar area of Damascus, just a day after the killing of Brigadier General Haitham Othman from the Qardaha area in the countryside of Latakia. Both individuals had records filled with crimes in service of the regime.

Amidst the increasing frequency of such assassinations, media sources reported the killing of Colonel Somar Deeb, an investigator at the notorious Sednaya prison, dubbed the human slaughterhouse, in front of his residence in the commercial neighbourhood of Damascus, alongside other officers who met similar fates under mysterious circumstances.

On June 23, pro-Assad regime pages mourned the deaths of Major General Suleiman Muhammad Khalouf, director of the Homs Military Academy, and First Lieutenant Bashar Wafiq Alama, without specifying the time and location of their killings.

In 2018, Brigadier General Mahmoud Ahmed Maatouk, the director of Sednaya prison, passed away amidst regime secrecy, with his death officially attributed to unknown traffic accidents and heart attacks. Major General Ahmed Khader Tarraf, Chief of Staff of the Vehicles Department in Harasta, Colonel Muhannad Kaadi, responsible for securing the protection of T4 Military Airport east of Homs, Major General Staff Ahmed Mahmoud Ghanem, and Director of Scientific Research in the Masyaf area of Hama countryside Aziz Esber, the mastermind behind the use of explosive barrels, were among many officers who met similar fates under ambiguous circumstances.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Israeli military forces have reportedly conducted a second round of shelling on positions in Quneitra, southern Syria, within less than 24 hours. This action was purportedly in response to three rockets launched from the countryside of Daraa governorate towards the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

According to the local website Daraa 24, the Israeli shelling targeted the vicinity of the city of Nawa in the western countryside of Daraa governorate, resulting in the landing of three shells.

The local Ahrar Houran website also confirmed the launch of three Katyusha rockets from government military sites near the city of Nawa towards the occupied Golan Heights.

Additionally, the Israeli military announced early Thursday that sirens had sounded in the area of Keshet in the southern occupied Golan Heights.

Recently, a senior IRGC commander, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed, and Iranian diplomats lost their lives in an Israeli raid that demolished the Iranian consulate in the Mezzeh area of Damascus.

Pro-regime media sources have further reported that Israeli planes carried out an air attack, allegedly deploying F-35 jets from the direction of the Syrian Golan Heights, targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. The attack resulted in the complete destruction of the building and casualties among those present.

Efforts are underway to recover the deceased, rescue the wounded, and clear the rubble, as stated by official sources.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
AI roundup: Nvidia and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison are in talks to build an artificial intelligence centre in Central Java in 2024. The companies may invest $200 million for the development. In other news, Microsoft warns countries such as the US, South Korea and India about China's intention to disrupt elections with the help of AI. Know more about what AI news is in our roundup.

Nvidia and Indosat to build AI centre in Indonesia

Nvidia and Indosat to open AI centre in Indonesia worth $200 million. The centre will consist of telecommunication infrastructure or a human resource centre in Surakarta city. Steve Saerang from Indosat said, Now, our main focus is to develop a centre of excellence related to AI in Surakarta. Steve also talked about how the collaboration with Nvidia will drive technology infrastructure in Indonesia, according to a Reuters report.

Also read: Government to make new AI law' to protect media and content creators

Also read Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

2. Microsoft warns countries of AI threat from China during elections

As elections in several parts of the world are around the corner, Microsoft shares a statement on how China can disrupt elections with the use of AI. The AI misuse is expected to affect countries such as the US, South Korea and India. Microsoft said, As populations in India, South Korea and the United States head to the polls, we are likely to see Chinese cyber and influence actors, and to some extent North Korean cyber actors, work toward targeting these elections, according to The Guardian report.

Also read: Gmail to get Gemini AI features

3. India to develop AI laws for news publishers

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India will be developing AI laws to protect the rights of news publishers, content creators, and others. Vaishnaw said that the laws would be strong on securing the rights and sharing the proceeds, while keeping good space for innovation, according to an Economic Times report.

4. Companies may have smaller workforces due to AI

A study published by Adecco Group highlighted that companies are expected to hire fewer employees due to the increasing use of AI in the next five years. The use of generative AI tools can conduct several complex tasks, which may eliminate human intervention. Adecco CEO Denis Machuel said, Almost all jobs are going to be impacted by AI one way or another. Denis also said, We already engaged in training and up-skilling people on behalf of our clients, according to a Reuters report.

Also read: OnePlus introduces AI Eraser

5. Samsung to announce AI-powered TV

Samsung will be announcing a new Artificial Intelligence-powered television on April 17. Samsung its Neo QLED 8K series, Neo QLED 4K series and OLED series will powered by AI. The company has already started taking early orders and pre-order bookings for their upcoming AI TV. Additionally, buyers who pre-order the TV can enjoy a discount worth Rs.15000 during the purchase, according to the press release.

One more thing! We are now on WhatsApp Channels! Follow us there so you never miss any updates from the world of technology. To follow the HT Tech channel on WhatsApp, click here to join now!
Kim Yong-man shares journey from New York's East Village to cultural icon status

By Park Jin-hai

Korean American Kim Yong-man and his video rental store, Kim's Video and Music, served as a cultural cornerstone in New York City's East Village during the 1980s and '90s.

It was an iconic destination for cinephiles due to its extensive collection of rare and eclectic movies, and it became a favored spot for renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Todd Phillips, and the Coen Brothers.

Kim's store, which began as a small section of his laundry in 1985, expanded into a chain of 11 stores with 300 employees and 250,000 members at its peak.

Following its premiere in Korea last September, the documentary "Kim's Video," released Friday in New York and Los Angeles, delves into the story of the legendary "video king" and the peculiar destiny of his collection of 55,000 video tapes. It is also scheduled to debut in China on April 19 and in Japan on May 1.

As an immigrant who settled in New York City in 1979, Kim did not hestitate to come to U.S. and was immediately captivated by the city's cultural openness, which led him to open a video rental shop.

Kim revealed that uniqueness has been his guiding principle in selecting which films will grace his store shelves.

From the beginning, when I allocated half of the dry cleaning shop to the film section, I established a policy that prohibited the space from being filled with ordinary Hollywood videos. Instead, I sought out special and unique movies, he said during a video interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.

Back then, major distributors in the United States were not so interested in independent films, cult classics and films, like, from the Soviet Union, China and Eastern European countries. In New York, the worlds cultural capital, even if all those great films gained accolades in international film festivals, people couldnt watch them, he said, explaining why he started to visit cultural centers of various countries, rent their videos, copy them and fill his new acquisitions section, instead of new releases.

Playground for film enthusiasts

His stores were frequently raided by the police over piracy allegations, yet Kim's steadfast belief and passion for film kept the store operating. He didn't distribute pirated films for profit; instead, his priority was to make films available to the public that would otherwise languish in warehouses due to a lack of commercial interest from distributors. In fact, many directors, students, and professors from film schools supported Kim.

The university professors were thrilled to find that Kim's Video had films that were not even available in their university libraries. They started sending their students to my store. We had so many great films from Slovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland and the Soviet Union and it became a paradise for film students and movie lovers, he recalled.

As he became enamored with New York's vibrant diversity, the shop evolved into a hub for indie cinema and underground music.

In hindsight, I doubt I could have achieved as much success in other cities as I did in New York. There were many young filmmakers who could only afford to shoot 10 to 20 minute films due to budget constraints. I would then compile these films into a collection. At other times, I would offer my space to indie musicians and turn it into an impromptu concert hall, recording the live concerts with the onsite noise and selling CDs of the performances at the store, he said, adding that those efforts were met with positive reactions, which allowed his store to grow into a giant platform for indie films and the underground music scene.

All of his businesses, however, faced with the advent of the digital age, eventually closed their doors in 2014. As each store closed, Kim donated most of his tapes to universities in the U.S. and Korea.

But he had a different idea for Mondo Kim's, a branch at St. Mark's Place, which had the biggest collection. As part of his wish for his priceless archives to live on after the closure, Kim posted an advertisement three months prior to the shutdown in 2008 seeking someone with over 3,000 square feet of space to house his collection. The individual would also be responsible for keeping the collection updated with new titles and allowing free access to Kim's Video members. The small town of Salemi, on the Italian island of Sicily, successfully bid for the collection, becoming the new home for Kim's beloved collection.

Tapes return to New York

The documentary, Kims Video, directed by former video store members David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, tracks down the truth behind the VHS tapes sitting in a storage unit in Salemi for years, gathering dust.

According to Kim, the film project has been the result of a six-year effort.

When they first they contacted me to show the part they shot, I was mostly in doubt. After I saw what they have done over the past three years, researching and interviewing all those former clerks, I couldnt say no to their requests for help, he said. Kim joined them and together they took another three years to finally give the titles a safe return to New York in 2022.

He recalled the moment he saw his videos neglected, exposed to rain and dust in a warehouse in Salemi.

It was akin to the feelings of parents who send their children for adoption. I had imagined they would be in happy homes, receiving love and proper care. However, upon visiting, I found them wearing tattered clothes, appearing unkempt, with dirty faces and hands. It was a truly heart-wrenching sight, Kim said.

After the return, Kim's Video and Music was relaunched as Kim's Video Underground with the help of the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain in March 2022. Alamo has made 30,000 tapes available to consumers to borrow and continues to digitalize them in order to offer streaming services.

Kim's Video has a huge collection and it needed a lot of space. Finding a large enough space in New York City was not easy. Tim League, founder of Alamo and a big fan of independent and art films, came to the rescue by offering a space in the lobby of a theater in lower Manhattan. Alamo is also subsidizing the losses from Kim's Video, helping the iconic video store live on, Kim said, thanking the theater chain.
Mphasis announced a multi-year global Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The collaboration marks a significant milestone as Mphasis establishes the Gen AI Foundry, led by Mphasis.AI, a dedicated business unit focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, AI use case assessments, consulting, and business transformation.

The Gen AI Foundry will serve as a dynamic platform for modeling industry use cases and developing proof of concepts (POCs)initially within the financial services Industry, with plans to expand across other sectors. This virtual forum will offer clients the opportunity to experience demos and POCs either at the Mphasis Experience Centre in NYC or AWS Executive Briefing Center (EBC) in NYC, providing a showcase of generative AI solutions tailored to the clients needs and objectives.

With the rise of generative AI as a powerful tool, the Foundry is dedicated to facilitating its adoption in financial services firms, aiding in accelerating efficiencies and fostering business transformation. Solutions such as Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) automates data extraction and analysis, minimizing errors and streamlining workflows, leading to substantial time and cost savings. Additionally, utilizing generative AI for contact center transformation enhances customer engagement and operational efficiency through automated processes and personalized interactions.

Nitin Rakesh, Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Director of Mphasis, said, Our collaboration with AWS marks a significant leap forward in Mphasiss journey towards delivering cutting-edge solutions in the area of cloud and cognitive services. The Gen AI Foundry for Financial Services, led by Mphasis.AI, is our commitment to accelerating AI adoption and business modernization for our clients. By harnessing the power of AWSs generative AI and data services, we are poised to set new benchmarks in the financial services industry. This initiative reinforces our vision to be the driver of innovation for global enterprises, providing scalable and sustainable technology solutions.

The Gen AI Foundry aligns with Mphasis vision to fully integrate as a trusted provider to the financial services space, with targeted offerings for banks ranking among the Fortune 100, brokerage, and insurance firms. The use cases will focus on applications critical industry applications, such as generative AI for core platform modernization, contract management for banks, intelligent document processing for new banking accounts, mortgage processing, and in claims processing for insurance carriers, and for investigating financial crime.

Scott Mullins, Managing Director & General Manager, AWS Worldwide Financial Services, said, AWS is pleased to collaborate with Mphasis to enable the introduction of the Gen AI Foundry for the financial services industry. Mphasis expertise in AWS services and AI/ML capabilities, combined with their dedication to industry-specific solutions, aligns seamlessly with our mission to enable business transformation with cloud computing and the transformative capabilities of generative AI. We anticipate the Gen AI Foundry enabling businesses to leverage AWSs advanced AI and machine learning services for enhanced experience and greater efficiency in todays competitive landscape.

As part of the relationship, Mphasis is pioneering an intelligent data processing platform in collaboration with Alight, a leading provider of cloud-based digital business and human capital service solutions, particularly within wealth, health, and human resources domains. We at Alight, have partnered with Mphasis on building the Claims automation project using AWS services and AI solutions. We are excited about this newly formed collaboration and the value we expect to deliver for our shared customers, said Rahul Patet, Automation CoE Leader Alight Solutions.
IBM Consulting and Microsoft announced the opening of the IBM-Microsoft Experience Zone in Bangalore, India  a first of its kind for the collaboration. The Experience Zone provides a dedicated space for clients to explore how generative AI, hybrid cloud and other Microsoft products and technologies can accelerate their business transformation journeys and help them gain a strategic advantage.

At the Experience Zone, clients from around the globe and across industries can work with IBM Consulting, in various technology zones, to co-ideate and co-create generative AI powered solutions that leverage Azure OpenAI Service, Copilot and other Microsoft technologies. Within the technology stations, clients can explore business solutions for cloud modernization, data, analytics and advanced AI, customer relationship management, employee experience, finance and operations, IoT and edge, and emerging technology including augmented reality and virtual reality. The Experience Zone also highlights industry solutions for the government, retail and energy sectors.

The IBM-Microsoft Experience Zone will provide clients with access to learn more about how to elevate employees talents with next-generation skills and access best-in-class case studies. Clients will have opportunities to connect with peers who are harnessing the power of generative AI in todays competitive marketplace.

Amit Sharma, Managing Partner  Global Delivery, IBM Consulting, said, The Experience Zone represents the shared commitment of IBM Consulting and Microsoft to the co-investment, co-creation and co-delivery of joint solutions for our clients. It brings our better together philosophy to life, serving as a hub to foster collaboration and creativity. We are excited to present our clients with the opportunity to leverage the joint capabilities of IBM Consulting and Microsoft under a single roof and help them unlock the full potential of AI and hybrid cloud across the enterprise.

Dinis Couto, General Manager of Global Partner Solutions for Microsoft, said, We are excited to launch the new Experience Zone in collaboration with IBM, bringing together IBM Consultings expertise and Microsoft Cloud technologies and services to deliver value for clients. Partners like IBM are key to helping businesses deploy AI and hybrid cloud solutions at scale. This brings us closer to clients and underscores our progress as partners.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Connecting cheap, clean energy from renewables comes with a hidden cost and challenge: building 5,000 kilometers of new transmission lines this decade, and another 5,000km after that. This sounds like a lot, but 5,000km is only around 10% of the existing grid network, and unlocks more than 32 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity by 2030.

The problem is, communities are often not sold on having to host new transmission lines. As the recent review of community engagement by renewable and transmission companies demonstrates, this is because it wasn't explained well to these communities as to why it's needed and how they can benefit.

We already know uncertainty undermines the social license for big projects. And we know public engagement is vital in translating national policies into local impacts.

In my research, I work with RE-Alliance, a community organization working to help local communities actually benefit from the energy transition. In the course of this research, rural residents often say they would like to host wind turbines on their property. But we have seen those same residents oppose new transmission line projectswithout realizing the wind farm will not be viable without this infrastructure.

When these projects succeed, it's because developers engage early and often with communities, showing them why the project matters to societyand to them.

Projects are much more likely to succeed when communities feel the project is theirs or includes them.

Community pushback could scupper the green transition

Community skepticism is not unique to Australia.

More than two-thirds of Americans favor renewables over fossil fuels. But when it comes to actually building them, opposition is common. Around 300 wind, solar and transmission projects are being delayed by local opposition, stalling A$132 billion of investments and 74,000 jobs.

In some respects this is understandable. Communities can bristle if they feel a project is imposed on themespecially if it feels like a cost without benefits.

Developers who engage with communities from the beginning and work to tackle concerns and issues collectively have a better chance of success. Equitable sharing of benefits can help.

Focus on local benefits

Almost 20 new renewable projects are planned in Victoria's Wimmera Southern Mallee region near the Grampians. Until now, solar farms in this flat, sunny region have been hamstrung by a lack of transmission lines. But some local residents are strongly skeptical of transmission projects, which means some renewable projects can't proceed.

Even so, progress is being made, due in part to the efforts of regional development organization, Wimmera Southern Mallee Development, to broker between community and developers. As the organization's CEO Chris Souness told me, "Renewable energy will thrive [in this region] if developers and communities collaborate, the interests of the farming communities and rural towns are supported, and the benefits flow to communities."

The region is in need of jobs, more diverse industries, workforce reskilling, and better housing stock. These are all things renewable and transmission projects can help provide.

It's a similar story in the South West Renewable Energy Zone in New South Wales, one of several laid out by the state government to boost efficiency by grouping big solar and wind projects with existing or new transmission lines.

The zone has led to a renewable gold rush, as developers scout for good locations. But what does it mean for people? The Hay Shire Council last year asked its 3,000 residents what they thought.

The council took the lead on consultation to increase community influence and make clear to renewable developers what the community does and does not want. The alternative was to have many developers running their own consultation efforts.

The consultation revealed some residents felt overwhelmed by the interest from developers. Others worried wind and solar farms could damage the local environment. Would there be enough housing for workers, given the existing housing crisis? And what about the visual impact of large transmission lines? In the consultation document, council staff note:

"It is very important that the development of renewable energy projects in Hay Shire happens 'with' our community, not 'to' our community."

How do we do better when time is so short?

The conundrum we face is we know we need to do better, but we have only a narrow window of time to green the grid.

One avenue is to focus on the long-term prosperity of these projects, both for landowners hosting them and for the broader community. Local leadership here is essential, as are First Nations voices and leadership in clean energy.

For farmers battling increasingly volatile growing and grazing conditions due to climate change, renewables offer new income streams. Typical payments by wind companies are now more than A$40,000 per turbine per year.

Many farmers host dozens of turbines while still farming sheep or cattle. For solar projects, farmers can earn around $1,500 per hectare per year in rent and can keep running sheep under the panels. Landowners willing to host new high voltage transmission lines can get payments from $200,000 to $300,000 a kilometer depending on the state.

But we will also need national action.

The federal government must find ways of better communicating their plans at local level. Explain why we need to do this, what the benefits are to communities, and why transmission is key.

The government could consider a CSIRO-based research center focused on environment, technology and social outcomes in the energy transition.

And the government could invest in local energy hubs where people can ask questions, get information, and find out ways of sharing benefits. These hubs could work alongside existing project shopfronts, such as the ENGIE hub in Hay.

As James Joyce wrote, mistakes are the portals of discovery. We need to learn quickly from the early opposition so we can avoid repeating our mistakes.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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From Hashes to Ashes  A Comparison of Transcription Services. Credit: CISPA

A research team from the Empirical Research Support (ERS) at CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security has conducted a systematic comparison of the most popular transcription services. The comparison involved 11 providers of manual as well as AI-based transcriptions.

It shows that, good quality notwithstanding, the latter still have problems with speaker attribution and that there are discrepancies between recording and transcription that distort meaning. Whisper AI from OpenAI delivered the best results among the AI providers.

Interviews are a popular method for collecting scientific data. There is a basic distinction between quantitative and qualitative interviews. While the former is designed to obtain statistically usable information from a large number of participants with the help of standardized questionnaires, the latter is aimed at obtaining interview data that allow for interpretation by the researchers.

A special type is the guided interview, in which there is a prepared list of questions, which can, however, be deviated from during the interview. "In cybersecurity research, these interviews are utilized when exploring the patterns of action and interpretation of actors who operate through digital means," explains sociologist Dr. Rafael Mrowczynski from CISPA's Empirical Research Support (ERS) team. The ERS team advises the Center's researchers on methodological issues.

Converting an audio file into text

Transcription is a crucial step in qualitative data analysis. "The standard procedure is to convert the audio recordings of the interviews into text. It is important for the quality of the data that the transcriptions are adequate," Mrowczynski explains. Depending on the scientific field, there are different standards for transcription.

"In cybersecurity research, we usually work with transcripts that precisely reproduce the content of the conversation," says Mrowczynski. An adequate transcript, therefore, only contains the relevant spoken words. The researchers can obtain the transcript in two ways: Either it is created by the research team itself, or the task is outsourced to third-party providers.

Among the third-party providers, besides manual transcription, there has recently been real hype about automated, AI-based transcription. This is due to the exponential leaps in development and quality that AI applications have experienced in many areas over the last two years.

The researchers from CISPA's ERS team wanted to know which provider on the market achieves the best results and how automated, AI-based transcription performs in comparison with manual transcription. The goal was to be able to provide the researchers at CISPA and the cybersecurity community with a recommendation for working with qualitative interviews.

The approach of the ERS team

For their research project, Mrowczynski and his colleagues Dr. Maria Hellenthal, Dr. Rudolf Siegel, and Dr. Michael Schilling created a test dataset. This consisted of individual interviews lasting about ten minutes and group discussions with CISPA researchers in German and English. The content focused on the research field of cybersecurity.

"It was important that technical terms from the community were included so that the precision of the transcription could be assessed," Mrowczynski explains. Some of the interviews were additionally enhanced with background noise in order to reflect real settings in everyday research better.

The data were sent to eleven providers in December 2022. Among those were the transcription services Amberscript, GoTranscript, QualTranscribe, Rev, and Scribbl, as well as the AI-based transcription providers Amazon Transcribe, AssemblyAI, Audiotranskription.de, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Whisper by OpenAI.

For the assessment of the obtained transcripts, Mrowczynski and his colleagues created a reference transcript that served as the basis for the comparative analysis. The analysis itself then focused on two central criteria. First, the researchers assessed the word error rate, which indicates by how many words a transcript differs from the reference transcript. Second, the qualitative deviation from the reference transcript was coded manually.

Manual transcription services beat AI

In their paper, Mrowczynski and his colleagues conclude that, in general, "most of the manual transcription services achieve a commendable level of performance, while AI-based services often show meaning-distorting discrepancies between recording and transcription."

The distortion of meaning can be clearly seen in technical terms; Mrowczynski explains, "In the transcript, for example, the term 'hashes' became 'ashes." That is how we came up with the title of the paper."

OpenAI's Whisper achieved the best results among the AI-based providers. Most providers handled English better than German. Three providers did not offer transcription for German at all. Background noise generally had a negative effect on the result. The AI-based providers particularly had problems with speaker assignments.

In addition, the transcripts created by an AI had to be reformatted before it was possible to further process them in software for qualitative data analysis. However, the researchers point out that their analysis reflects the state of the art as of December 2022 and that current developments could not be taken into account.

The research was presented at the 2023 CCS ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security.

More information: Rudolf Siegel et al, Poster: From Hashes to Ashes - A Comparison of Transcription Services, Proceedings of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security (2023). DOI: 10.1145/3576915.3624380

Provided by CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
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:

Metas new "Made with AI" labels will identify content created or altered with AI, including video, audio, and images.

Facebook and Instagram giant Meta on Friday said it will begin labeling AI-generated media beginning in May, as it tries to reassure users and governments over the risks of deepfakes.

The social media juggernaut added that it will no longer remove manipulated images and audio that don't otherwise break its rules, relying instead on labeling and contextualization, so as to not infringe on freedom of speech.

The changes come as a response to criticism from the tech giant's oversight board, which independently reviews Meta's content moderation decisions.

The board in February requested that Meta urgently overhaul its approach to manipulated media given the huge advances in AI and the ease of manipulating media into highly convincing deepfakes.

The board's warning came amid fears of rampant misuse of artificial intelligence-powered applications for disinformation on platforms in a pivotal election year not only in the United States but worldwide.

Meta's new "Made with AI" labels will identify content created or altered with AI, including video, audio, and images. Additionally, a more prominent label will be used for content deemed at high risk of misleading the public.

"We agree that providing transparency and additional context is now the better way to address this content," Monika Bickert, Meta's Vice President of Content Policy, said in a blog post.

"The labels will cover a broader range of content in addition to the manipulated content that the Oversight Board recommended labeling," she added.

These new labeling techniques are linked to an agreement made in February among major tech giants and AI players to cooperate on ways to crack down on manipulated content intended to deceive voters.

Meta, Google and OpenAI had already agreed to use a common watermarking standard that would invisibly tag images generated by their AI applications.

Identifying AI content "is better than nothing, but there are bound to be holes," Nicolas Gaudemet, AI Director at Onepoint, told AFP.

He took the example of some open source software, which doesn't always use this type of watermarking adopted by AI's big players.

Biden deepfakes

Meta said its rollout will occur in two phases with AI-generated content labeling beginning in May 2024, while the removal of manipulated media solely based on the old policy will cease in July.

According to the new standard, content, even if manipulated with AI, will remain on the platform unless it violates other rules, such as those prohibiting hate speech or voter interference.

Recent examples of convincing AI deepfakes have only heightened worries about the easily accessible technology.

The board's list of requests was part of its review of Meta's decision to leave a manipulated video of US President Joe Biden online last year.

The video showed Biden voting with his adult granddaughter, but was manipulated to falsely appear that he inappropriately touched her chest.

In a separate incident not linked to Meta, a robocall impersonation of Biden pushed out to tens of thousands of voters urged people to not cast ballots in the New Hampshire primary.

In Pakistan, the party of former prime minister Imran Khan has used AI to generate speeches from their jailed leader.

 2024 AFP
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An OVERFLOW modeling image from the manufacturer Joby Aviation. Credit: Joby Aviation

Several air taxi companies are using a NASA-developed computer software tool to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers working in fields related to NASA's Advanced Air Mobility mission to see early in the aircraft development process how design elements like propellors or wings would perform. This saves the industry time and money when making potential design modifications.

This NASA computer code, called OVERFLOW, performs calculations to predict fluid flows such as air, and the pressures, forces, moments, and power requirements that come from the aircraft. Since these fluid flows contribute to aircraft noise, improved predictions can help engineers design quieter models.

Manufacturers can integrate the code with their own aircraft modeling programs to run different scenarios, quantifying performance and efficiency, and visually interpreting how the airflow behaves on and around the vehicle. These interpretations can come forward in a variety of colors representing these behaviors.

An OVERFLOW modeling image from the manufacturer Wisk. Credit: Wisk

An OVERFLOW modeling image from the manufacturer Archer Aviation. Credit: Archer Aviation

More information: The computer program is available to industry for U.S. release via the software.nasa.gov website.
The Galleries Association of Korea said Friday it plans to send an official letter to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) concerning the authenticity of four Korean paintings currently on display, the association said Friday.

The paintings under suspicion of being forgeries include Park Soo-keun's "Waikiki" and Lee Jung-seob's "A Bull and a Child," both works by two of Korea's most iconic and prominent painters, who were born in the 1910s.

The association convened an appraisal committee the previous day, during which they decided to request information from LACMA, regarding the authenticity and background of the exhibition.

Youn Bum-mo, a former director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), who has seen the paintings in question and is a member of the appraisal committee, and family members of the late artists participated in the discussions, according to the association.

LACMA is currently holding an exhibition, titled "Korean Treasures from the Chester and Cameron Chang Collection," presenting 35 artworks donated by Dr. Chester Chang, also known as Chang Jung Ki in Korean, who was born in Seoul in 1939 and first moved to the United States as a child with his family in 1949.

The association represents approximately 170 major galleries in Korea, which organize art fairs and operate an art appraisal committee. (Yonhap)
China and the United States are expected to exert more joint efforts to improve bilateral economic and trade ties, make positive contributions to economic globalization and address common challenges  as hoped for by businesses from both sides  experts said on Wednesday. They also said the two sides could deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas, from responding to climate change to coordinating macroeconomic policy. Their comments came as the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will visit China from April 4 to 9, as agreed by the two countries. She will arrive in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Thursday. During her stay in China, Yellen will meet with representatives of the US business community in China, students and professors at Peking University, economists and high-ranking Chinese officials, the US Department of the Treasury said. "Compared with many other US officials, Yellen knows China better, with direct experiences, and she must have seen the huge cooperation potential between the two countries amid China's continuous economic development," said Zhou Mi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. "Businesses from both countries are very eager to see more cooperation between the two countries, because that will reduce uncertainties for investment and trade activities as well as promote innovation and coordination to jointly address common issues globally, such as climate change. "We hope both China and the US will respond positively to such market expectations and push forward cooperation." Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said: "Strengthening communication to seek more consensus, instead of decoupling, underpins the interests of both countries. "Stable and healthy China-US economic and trade relations will help address common global issues and stabilize global economic growth." Cui said the two countries could strengthen communication to better deal with challenges and pressures from issues such as climate change, the debt risks of some developing countries, and taxation reforms against the background of the development of the digital economy. He said the smooth operation of the communication mechanisms between the two countries will help address their respective concerns. Zhou, from CAITEC, said there is broad space for China and the US to deepen cooperation and coordinate policies. "The two countries can seek more cooperation in fields including global debt relief and government procurement, and reduce the impact on the market from information asymmetry," he said. Zhou said the US should expand access to US government-backed projects for Chinese enterprises and reduce development costs for enterprises based on the principle of nondiscrimination to strengthen the resilience of supply chains.
By Dong Sun-hwa

Tiny TAN, the animated characters inspired by K-pop juggernaut BTS, has met Walt Disney's "Toy Story."

BTS' management company HYBE announced Thursday that their characters  which resemble the appearances of the seven BTS members  got a new look in the outfits of Toy Story's main characters: Woody, Alien, Hamm, Rex, Buzz Lightyear, Forky and Lotso.

"Leader RM's character dons a cowboy hat and outfit, while Jin's character wears Alien's spacesuit," the company explained in a statement.

Last month, HYBE took to X  formerly Twitter  to unveil a cartoon hinting at the official collaboration.

HYBE and Walt Disney Korea began selling the merchandise featuring the newly made characters on April 3, which ranges from figurines to pens to blankets. The goods will also be available at Shinsegae department stores in Seoul and Busan from May. Shinsegae also plans to hold pop-ups on May 2, May 17 and June 7.

"Thanks to the collaboration with 'Toy Story,' we could realize the increased value and status of Tiny TAN's IP," said Rhee Seung-suk, president of HYBE's subsidiary HYBE IPX that created Tiny TAN in 2020.

"We have prepared our own official products, various collaboration products and pop-ups with our partners, so we hope a lot of people can enjoy the characters created by the collaboration of two globally loved IPs."
By Lee Yeon-woo

Wemade is struggling to pacify its coin investors, as its price, which once peaked at 5,000 won ($3.70) during the crypto bull market, continues to plunge following the resignation of Jang Hyun-kook, the blockchain game developer who created Wemix.

According to industry sources, Jang, the former CEO and the current vice chairman of Wemade, was reinstated as a "shareholder with a special relationship" on Thursday, just two days after being removed from the list on Monday.

Korean legislation requires that relatives by blood, executives and individuals exerting significant influence on management should be designated as specially related persons.

The removal of Jang has sparked criticisms, as it appears to contradict his previous promises of unwavering support for Wemix, despite stepping down from the CEO position in March.

Individual shareholders of Wemade and investors in Wemix have also raised the alarm, pointing out that the removal of Jang from the special relationship shareholder list would obscure any information regarding him selling his shares.

The price of Wemix has seen significant fluctuations following a series of events involving Jang, known as the father of Wemix. After his removal from the list was announced, the value of the coin dropped by over 8 percent, but it managed to recover approximately 5 percent upon news of his quick reinstatement.

This volatility was also demonstrated in March, when Wemix's price, having soared to 5,012 won on March 12, plunged to 3,548 won right after Jang announced his resignation on March 14. Since then, the price has struggled to rebound, currently hovering around the 3,000 range.

These shifts underscore Jang's profound influence on Wemix's market performance.

In response to the volatility and investors' anger, the company, alongside Jang's return, has introduced measures designed to induce a supply shock. These include token burning and halving of implementation, effectively reducing the number of tokens in circulation to increase their value.

The company also that confirmed Jang's ongoing involvement in the project during his tenure as a vice chairman of Wemade.

The commitment to the Wemix project has also been reaffirmed by Wemade chairman Park Kwan-ho.

"The development of the Wemix blockchain ecosystem is integral to Wemade's growth," Park said during the regular shareholder meeting on March 29. "We are committed to formulating a visionary plan for our blockchain business in the latter half of this year, preparing for the future of Wemix."
South Korea welcomed Friday the adoption of a United Nations resolution denouncing North Korea's egregious human rights violations and called on the North to take measures to resolve the issue of detainees, abductees and prisoners of war.

The call came a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted by consensus the resolution denouncing North Korea's widespread and systematic human rights violations at the 55th regular session of the UNHRC in Geneva. It marked the 22nd consecutive year the resolution was adopted.

"The government is deeply concerned over systemic, widespread and grave violation of human rights that continues in North Korea and urges the North to take measures to enhance human rights according to the resolution, including resolving the issue of abductees, detainees and prisoners of war as well as ensuring access to information to North Korean residents," Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, told reporters in a regular press briefing.

Kim said the government has actively taken part in drawing up the resolution and vowed to closely work with the international community to resolve the issue as well as enhance overall rights conditions in the North.

The ministry has stepped up efforts to resolve the rights issue and muster international support for the repatriation of victims. In March, ministry officials visited Geneva with the son of Choi Chun-gil, a South Korean missionary detained in the North.

Choi is one of six South Koreans currently detained in the North for years, including two other missionaries  Kim Jung-wook and Kim Kook-kie  with their whereabouts or fates unknown. (Yonhap)
A 400-percent increase in his annual business license fee is extreme, David Cantley told the Holly Hill Town Council during their monthly meeting on Monday, April 1.

In April 2023, the Holly Hill Farm Center paid $4,248 in business licenses. My bill as it stands right now is up over $16,000 because of the actions of the town council, he continued.

He said the business is paying over $18,000 in taxes and fees just to be in Holly Hill, and this does not count water, sewer, or garbage pickup.

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Thats $1,000 per employee more (than last year) that Im going to be paying. Thats coming out of their pockets, he said.

I have to compete with companies that are not in Holly Hill, that are out in the county, and thus giving them a competitive edge over myself because of the amount of taxes that Im having to pay in Holly Hill.

It could not be immediately determined how much more or less Orangeburg County would have charged the company for a business license if it was outside the Holly Hill town limits.

A 400% increase in one year is more than it needs to be; its more than it should be, in my opinion. We need to let businesses prosper, not taxed into leaving the town, he said.

HOLLY HILL COUNCIL: After public hearing ends, officials reverse course, allow more new homes During a typical public hearing, leaders explain the details and reasons of their intended course of action and then invite citizens to offer comments and suggestions.Thats not what occurred at the Holly Hill Town Councils monthly meeting on Monday, March 4.

I know it takes money to run a town, but this much money at one time is bad for businesses. This might force us to look at alternatives to downtown Holly Hill. Cantley said his father bought the farm center nearly 50 years ago.

Our (gross revenue) numbers are big, but our margins are not, Cantley said. Im being penalized.

Mayor Billy Chavis responded that state law requires towns to base their business license rates on gross revenues, not profits.

HOLLY HILL COUNCIL: Town gets $15 million for new sewer plant Four residential developers have signed letters of intent to give the Town of Holly Hill a total of $15,625,963.80 to build a new wastewater treatment facility.

He asked Cantley if he could recall the last time the town increased the business license rates. Cantley said he could not.

Chavis said it was about 30 years ago, and since then, the cost of just about everything has gone up, so you have to look for ways to get creative on raising the money that is needed to operate a town in the 21st century.

He said he noticed the town collected only $260,000 in business license revenues in the year before he became mayor.

A more aggressive collection effort generated $459,000 last year  and that was before the new rates became effective.

Raising the rates was not taken lightly, the mayor said. There will never, as long as Im here, there will never be another spike like this.

Also during the council meeting:

Chavis said the utility employees will check to see which water meters, if any, are connected to lead or copper pipes. Its another way to ensure that your drinking water is safe, he said.

The council voted to enter into an agreement with TextMyGov for $2,000 per year. Details will be announced in the coming weeks, when the service becomes available to the public.

The council approved a resolution recognizing April as Fair Housing Month and other matters relating thereto.

The council gave second and final reading to an ordinance authorizing a non-exclusive franchise agreement with Brightspeed of South Carolina and other matters related thereto. Instead of buying an annual business license, the Internet service provider will pay a percentage of its revenues from its Holly Hill customers.

The council gave first reading to an ordinance requiring certain water customers to have backflow preventers and check valves to eliminate the possibility of contaminating the public water system.

Chavis thanked the owner of a vacant downtown building for having it boarded up within hours after a car struck it on March 23. Four years ago, two people died in a car crash that left the building and one next door unfit to occupy.

The Holly Hill Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Monday, April 8, at 5 p.m. in the small conference room at the governmental complex, 8423 Old State Road.

The Holly Hill Board of Zoning Appeals will meet on Tuesday, April 9, at 5 p.m. in the Dantzler Building in Gilmore Park.

The Holly Hill Town Councils next monthly meeting is set for Monday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the courtroom of the governmental complex. Contact Town Clerk Shelia Williams at 803-496-3330 for details.
SouthState Bank has informed bank customers about a cybersecurity breach that occurred about two months ago that resulted in the compromise of account data.

SouthState sent out a letter March 29 to customers informing them the bank "recently detected and took measures to address an incident that involved unauthorized access to our network."

"A cybersecurity firm was engaged to assist in an investigation," the letter states. "That investigation determined that there was unauthorized access to certain folders in our network on February 7,2024."

"We reviewed the files in those folders and on March 13, 2024, determined that one or more files contained your name, financial account number and Social Security number," according to the letter.

The bank did not disclose how many customers were impacted by the cyber attack.

The bank filed the breach on Feb. 9 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, "noting that it initiated its incident response and business continuity protocols and began taking measures to disrupt the unauthorized activity."

"As part of its process to address the incident, the company proactively took measures to isolate parts of its network, which resulted in some disruption to the companys business processes," the filing states. "The companys operations have continued throughout this process in all material respects."

The filing notes the bank notified its banking regulators and law enforcement.

"As a result of these and other measures, SouthState has contained the impact of the cybersecurity incident," the filing said.

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In a March 29 amended filing with the SEC, the bank noted the incident had "a significant impact on certain" business operations. It added that the breach has not and is not likely to have a "material" effect on its financial condition or results of operations.

A part of the letter informing customers of the security breach also notes customers are being offered a free one-year membership with an identity-theft service -- Identity Defense Total.

The letter urges customers to be "vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity."

Individuals are asked to report any suspicious activity to the bank.

SouthState also said it's taking steps to strengthen its existing data security network.

SouthState Bank, N.A., is a financial institution based in Winter Haven, Florida.

The bank operates more than 240 branches and locations in South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. SouthState Bank employs more than 5,162 people and generates approximately $1.7 billion in annual revenue.

SouthState Bank was founded in Orangeburg as First National Bank in January 1934.

The bank called Orangeburg its headquarters for nearly 70 years before moving to Columbia in 2002 and becoming South Carolina Bank and Trust. In July 2014, SCBT became South State Bank.
(TBTCO) - Hien luong huu cua nguoi lam trong khu vuc nha nuoc ang uoc tinh muc binh quan cua cac nam cuoi theo tung giai oan. Tuy nhien, nhung nguoi bat au tham gia bao hiem xa hoi (BHXH) tu ngay 1/1/2025 tro i, se huong luong huu tren nen tien luong cua toan bo qua trinh, tuong tu nhu khu vuc doanh nghiep.
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Korea is in talks with China and Japan to set a specific date to host a long-stalled trilateral summit next month, a foreign ministry official said Friday.

"We are currently discussing the date of the summit in Seoul, and we will let you know the specific date as soon as it is decided," the official added.

The three countries have decided to hold the summit at the "earliest time convenient" for all sides, according to the official.

On Thursday, Japan's Kyodo News reported the three countries' leaders will likely discuss economic cooperation and regional issues, such as North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, if the summit takes place, citing multiple diplomatic sources.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be visiting Seoul to meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol as Korea is the current rotating chair.

The Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo summit has not been held since the last one took place in China's southwestern city of Chengdu in December 2019.

The summit has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and deterioration in Seoul-Tokyo relations over the issue of compensating Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Talks of reviving the summit gathered momentum amid a dramatic warming of the Seoul-Tokyo relations after South Korea said in March last year it will compensate the Korean victims on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese companies. (Yonhap)
CASPER  Bureaucratic momentum overcame public opposition Thursday as Wyomings State Land and Investment Board met in Casper to discuss a potential gravel pit on state-owned land at the base of Casper Mountain.

Residents, who were largely in opposition of the plan and brought with them a petition with 5,000 signatures, filled not only the hearing room but also overflowed from a second room where the meeting was being simulcast and into a hallway.

At issue is a lease of 3,200 acres of state land at roughly $1 per acre that the board unanimously granted Prism Logistics and its manager Kyle True. At the time of the lease, the Office of State Lands contends it received no objections to the lease and placed it on a consent agenda  as it does regularly for batches of 70 to 80 leases that could represent hundreds of state parcels.

Throughout the conversation, members of the board, apart from Secretary of State Chuck Gray, expressed doubts that there was any action they could take outside the established process.

What you would rather do, I think, said Gov. Gordon in response to a testifier opposed to the project, is to say lets just cancel this thing right now. Mr. Trues rights dont count.

With a lease in place, If Prism Logistics goes forward and seeks to create a Limited Mining Operation  which would be limited to 15 acres  it would bypass many of the environmental checks and balances larger mines face, an issue that worried testifiers and some of the state board members alike.

While Prism Logistics representatives would not comment on whether or not they have made a final decision on the property, True rejected efforts to cancel or amend his lease or shift from established practices.

Just from preliminary results, I can tell you there is a substantial gravel reserve there that we think is going to be appropriate for the Casper market, True said. Thats encouraging to us and should be encouraging to the state, that there is a substantial reserve ... I believe can be responsibly developed locally.

Late in the meeting, Secretary Gray made four motions seeking to terminate or modify the Casper Mountain leases with a goal to avoid litigation and possibly recompense Prism Logistics.

Gov. Mark Gordon and treasurer Curtis Meier Jr. questioned the financial ability of the board to terminate the lease as there is no money appropriated to the board to take any such action.

Im not sure the door cant be cracked, but Im not sure we should open it all the way, Meier said as Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder cautioned against the precedent the move would make.

Meier also noted that as Prism Logistics has already completed its exploration, there would be little point to terminate the lease as removing material is subject to future regulatory actions.

Ultimately, Grays motion failed without a second member of the board backing him. Although Gordon offered an olive branch suggesting the office of state lands explore what cancelling a lease might look like. Even that initially met with skepticism from board members who suggested there was no statutory authorization or rules to follow.

Lets figure out how to get the toothpaste back in the tube if we can and then see what is going forward, suggested Meier, who thought the issue could be taken up again in June if there are any possible paths for the board to follow.

A second motion by Gray to send a letter to Natrona County commissioners to express that the board believes a conditional use permit would be needed also fell without a second.

Gordon, as others in the meeting before him, expressed that litigation in Teton County could remove Natrona Countys ability to dictate action on the state-owned lands.

A third motion to request Prism Logistics agree to an amended lease requiring the company seek a conditional use permit from the county also fell without a second.

Encouraged by the earlier discussion, Gray made a fourth and and final motion to ask the Office of State Lands to explore how the state could break a lease and earned support from state auditor Kristi Racines and ultimately the board. The approved motion, however, carries no requirement that the board take further action on the Prism Logistics lease.

While no action was taken Thursday, Gordon repeatedly made it clear that the mine is not a done deal and that many steps still need to be taken  possibly by the board itself.

There is still a lot of water to cover before we have a permit, before we have an LMO, Gordon said at the end of the meeting. There is still quite a bit of time.
GILLETTE (WNE)  A 62-year-old man who was arrested on a drug charge Wednesday afternoon was pronounced dead at Campbell County Health a few hours after he said he felt sick while being taken to jail.

At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, a Gillette police officer stopped a 1993 Harley Davidson for a traffic violation near the intersection of North Garner Lake Road and Kluver Road.

A Sheriffs deputy drug dog indicated on the motorcycle, and a used meth pipe was found in the saddle bag, said Sheriff Scott Matheny.

A search of the 62-year-old turned up another used meth pipe and a small baggie with suspected meth, Matheny said.

Police arrested the man, Clayton Westover, for possession of a controlled substance and took him to the Campbell County Jail at 2:40 p.m., according to a press release from the Gillette Police Department.

During the ride to the jail, Westover told officers he felt sick.

They got to the jail at 2:51 p.m., and officers asked for an ambulance.

EMS arrived six minutes later and took Westover to the emergency room. Westover was pronounced dead at 6:51 p.m.

An investigation into Westovers death has been opened by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
By Kim Hyun-bin

Chilean Ambassador to Korea Mathias Francke has commemorated the significant milestone of the 20th anniversary of the free trade agreement (FTA) between Korea and Chile that has yielded mutual benefits for both nations.

"First and foremost, my congratulations for the successful path that Korea took 20 years ago, starting with Chile," Francke said during the Korea Customs FTA 2.0 Seminar held at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.

Embarking on a journey through history, Francke outlined three pivotal points underscoring Chile's trajectory towards trade liberalization and its enduring partnership with Korea. He recounted Chile's proactive steps in the 1980s toward liberalizing trade, which laid the foundation for subsequent bilateral and regional efforts aimed at enhancing economic integration. Notably, Chile's accession to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 1994 marked a significant milestone, positioning the nation as a key player in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region.

Before the FTA, trade between both countries was already significant, reaching $1.5 billion in 2003. Twenty months after the entry into force of the agreement, trade had more than doubled and by the end of 2007, it exceeded $7 billion. In these 20 years, bilateral trade has grown on average around 6 percent per year, consolidating Korea as our fifth trading partner and fourth destination of Chilean exports to the world, Francke said.

Trade liberalization has helped to boost our economy, diversifying our production matrix, lifting people from poverty and increasing Chileans wellbeing. It has also been decisive to foster Chilean competitiveness.

The ambassador highlighted the important increase in the exports of Chilean lithium, pork meat particularly samgyeopsal (pork belly), wine and grapes and Korean exports to Chile of vehicles, mechanical machinery and iron and steel products, among others.

Looking ahead with optimism, Francke outlined Chile's aspirations for the future trajectory of the FTA. He highlighted ongoing negotiations aimed at modernizing the agreement to address emerging economic realities and enhance market access, underscoring Chile's commitment to fostering continued economic cooperation with Korea.

"We are looking forward to finalizing the negotiations this year as a commemoration of the past 20 years, setting the framework for another two decades of economic cooperation," he said.

In conclusion, the ambassador reiterated Chile's eagerness to collaborate with Korea on regional and global platforms, while also encouraging greater Korean investment in critical sectors such as infrastructure, green hydrogen and lithium.

"Despite the impressive results of the FTA, we still don't see a corresponding flow of Korean investment in Chile, compared to other trading partners. We shall continue promoting and supporting Korean companies who want to invest in sectors such as infrastructure, green hydrogen and lithium, critical for our countries economic security and for Korea's transition to a carbon-free economy," he said.
More than 1 million tourists are expected to gather along the path of Mondays total solar eclipse, but Jenna Samra will have one of the best seats in the house.

That morning, the astrophysicist will fly from Tucson to Texas on board a Gulfstream V jet loaded with scientific equipment to chase the moons shadow from a vantage point high above the clouds.

Too bad she wont get to see much of the celestial show. Samra will be too busy leading what she called a mission of opportunity to study the solar corona while the rest of the sun is blocked by the moon.

Weve got a lot riding on six minutes, she said.

Thats how long the total eclipse is expected to last for the eight crew members on board the aircraft, which is operated by the National Science Foundations National Center for Atmospheric Research or NCAR.

If everything goes according to plan, the Gulfstream will arrive over Texas about 45 minutes before the shadow of the moon does. Then, Samra said, we will get on the track (of totality) and let the eclipse run us over.

Bo LeMay, chief pilot for NCAR, said they will be flying in the same direction as the eclipse at about 500 mph, which will give them roughly two more minutes of totality than what people on the ground will experience.

The aircraft would need to be traveling at roughly 1,500 mph  more than twice the speed of sound, far faster than a Gulfstream V can go  to keep pace with the moons shadow.

If they can get us a Concorde, Id be happy to get checked out on it, LeMay said with a smile.

Tucson departure

NCARs flying research platform is based in Broomfield, Colorado, north of Denver, but team members chose the Million Air hangar at Tucson International Airport as their base of operations for Mondays flight because they originally planned to catch the eclipse as it passes over Mexico.

That idea was scrapped because they couldnt be sure Mexican aviation officials would grant them permission to fly there.

Instead, the team will intercept the moons shadow between San Antonio and Dallas.

They will use their six minutes of totality to commission a new piece of scientific equipment called ACES, which is short for Airborne Coronal Emission Surveyor.

Samra said the best time to observe the suns outer atmosphere is when the moon is covering the rest of it, since the corona is about a million times dimmer than the blinding photosphere it surrounds.

She and her team spent the past two and a half years building their telescope and spectrometer at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The purpose of ACES  and Mondays flight  is to study the infrared light emitted by the corona in hopes of figuring out a way to measure the elusive and volatile magnetic field surrounding the sun.

Its a pathfinder for future instruments, Samra said.

The suns magnetic field stores enough energy to heat the corona to more than 1 million degrees Fahrenheit.

A better understanding of the field could one day allow scientists to forecast space weather events such as solar flares that can damage Earths orbiting satellites and ground-based electronics, including the electrical grid, said ACES scientist Chad Madsen.

The more we know, the better we can predict specific structures that can lead to solar storms, he said.

They will make their observations on Monday from an altitude of about 47,000 feet, high enough to avoid any clouds and most of the infrared-absorbing water vapor found lower in Earths atmosphere.

To collect the data they need, the aircraft must be oriented so the eclipse-dimmed light from the sun shines down onto ACES through an expensive, 9-inch window in the roof of the fuselage made from two panes of pure sapphire that were fabricated in a lab.

Regular airplane glass would actually block a lot of the infrared light were looking for, Madsen explained.

Samra said ACES is equipped with an electronically controlled mirror that can make up to 1,000 movements a second to compensate for the movement of the aircraft and keep the light from the corona directed into the telescope.

You cant see it, because the movements are so small, but theyre very important, she said.

Practice time

The team tested the ACES system during three practice flights over Colorado before arriving in Tucson late last week.

To make sure they are ready for Monday, Samra said they would be conducting two full dress rehearsals this week in the sky over Texas, where they will make the exact run at the exact time they will be doing it on April 8.

Theres a lot of precision involved in being in the right place at the right time, Madsen added.

If previous eclipses are any indication, the researchers wont be the only ones chasing totality above the clouds on Monday.

During the 2017 eclipse that crossed the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina, LeMay said, they had to abort their science flight sooner than expected over Chattanooga, Tennessee, to avoid a rented Learjet that strayed into the path of the research plane.

Everybody was trying to see the eclipse, Samra said.

Luckily, they were able to collect all the data they needed before their unexpected flight deviation.

Mondays eclipse will be the third Samra has experienced from NCARs research aircraft, though she has never gotten to really soak one in the way casual spectators get to.

I think Ive only seen about three seconds of a total eclipse so far, she said with a laugh.

Two years after her 2017 flight, she was back on the Gulfstream as it chased the moons shadow across the South Pacific, then landed on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island.

The ACES team hopes to build on Mondays mission by flying their instrument through another total eclipse in 2026, this one over the North Atlantic near Iceland.

Theres simply no better time to study the outer reaches of the sun.

Its such a unique opportunity, Samra said. Youre bound to learn something.
Four Cienega High School students and their teacher are part of a North American network of citizen scientists collecting data about a rarely-studied part of the sun during Mondays total solar eclipse. The project was started by Tucson solar astronomist Matt Penn.

Using telescopes, computers and specialized software, the group  under the tutelage of Cienega science teacher Jack Erickson  will gather data about the suns inner corona in an effort to help scientists better understand a rarely-seen part of the sun.

Matt Penn, an electro-optical engineer and 33-year veteran solar astronomer based in Tucson, founded the project in 2015.

I thought, how cool would it be to get a network of telescopes set up and take real imaging data during the eclipse?

NASA studies have looked at the corona  the atmosphere of the sun  but the inner region of the corona has gone largely unstudied, Penn said.

They dont look at the inner region of the corona for technical reasons, Penn explained. The eclipse opens that window for the inner corona, something from the surface of the sun, up to about one solar radius above the surface.

Thats where all the exciting stuff happens.

The corona is host to solar storms that are accelerated off the sun and travel through space. The storms can cause havoc with our magnetic field and our power systems, Penn said.

We dont know how those are accelerated. All that acceleration happens in the region where NASA cant observe currently.

An eclipse lasts about four minutes  not much time to collect data.

But with dozens of teams studying across the path of totality?

If we can get eclipse data for the whole time that the moons shadow is on the earth, then theres a lot more robust science that can be done with that, said Erickson, the Cienega teacher.

A group of Cienega students traveled to record observations about the 2017 total solar eclipse.

Erickson said his students received a lot of scholarship money from that experience. A few gave an eclipse presentation at Comic Con, Erickson said.

This is a whole new level of nerdy right here, he said, laughing.

As a result of the 2017 endeavor, in 2020 a 283-co-author white paper was published using the combined data.

It was the first of its kind, and only the third to make a similar measurement, Penn said.

Dozens of teams are taking part in Mondays eclipse study, including college students, retired astronomers, Girl Scouts  and high school students.

The project has groups like ours, going all the way from the Gulf of Mexico along the path of totality of the eclipse  and we have telescopes all the way up to where it leaves land and goes out to sea in Canada, Erickson said.

Four Cienega students, a chaperone and Erickson arrived in Oklahoma on Thursday. The group will contribute to the project, dubbed DEBI (Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative) from Idabel, Oklahoma.

The group had a practice run at Tucsons Brandi Fenton Memorial Park last Saturday.

There were a few hiccups  students had to reconfigure some software code to make sure the telescope remained focused on its target.

If were not precise in our setup, when we try and automatically have it look at the sun, itll be off, and then then well have to manually set it, said Hayden Tanksley, a senior at Cienega. Thats pretty difficult.

Cienegas efforts are being funded by Cienegas astronomy club, the Vail Unified School District and tax credit donations, totaling a bit less than $10,000 Erickson said. That includes equipment and travel.

Because we have to make the science more valid, all of the groups have the same telescope, the same camera running the same computer with the same software, the same filters  everything has to be the same, he said.

Some of the equipment has been donated and will be kept by participants after the eclipse, Penn said.

Penn said that whether the students go on to pursue careers in science or otherwise, what is important is that they can make an educated decision about their futures.

Some of the best students that weve had decided that science just isnt for them. At least theyve made that decision based on facts.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Re: the March 30 article Keep Antisemitism out of Tucson.

This guest opinion in the Daily Star is a distorted message from Jewish leaders. As a Jewish person, I am embarrassed for them. Beginning in December 2023, many members of the Tucson community  Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and non-religious  have spoken out in despair for and sympathy with the people of Gaza. We have acknowledged the horrendous acts of Oct. 7, called for both the hostages to be returned and permanent ceasefire by the Israeli government. The recent guest opinion by Tucson rabbis would have us believe that those in favor of this ceasefire are filled with hate, whereas we only demand respect for all human life created btzelem Elohim  in the image of God.

The people forming this coalition reflect all races and religions and span many sectors of the Tucson political community. Some of us have supported Israel in the past. We all understand that the murder of some 1,200 people on Oct. 7 was horrific, and the massacre of some 32,000 in Gaza will not bring them justice. Most of the dead in Gaza are people like us: regular people, leading regular lives, living with a government that many never had the opportunity to vote for and many never agreed with.

Israel does not have the right to defend itself by massacring innocent civilians. That is against both International and U.S. law. The United States has continued to provide Israel with weapons, using our tax dollars, although we have laws that stipulate that military aid cannot be used to violate human rights, or be sent to governments that prevent humanitarian aid from reaching war zones. Over 100 city councils around the country have called for our national representatives to stop enabling this slaughter. The Tucson City Council has not joined them.

What the City Council members know is that we have requested individual meetings and met with four of them. They have encouraged us to work with them to develop wording for a ceasefire resolution that would not be divisive. The South Tucson City Council passed such a resolution. In January, the Arizona Democratic Party passed such a resolution, and there are hundreds of other examples around the country. Our elected representatives in Tucson are the closest government officials we have. It is not outside their purview to represent us to the federal government.

Since December, we have had peaceful demonstrations and made meaningful comments during the Call to the Audience portion of the council meetings. We have been respectful of the council and tried our hardest at all times to be respectful of the process. Disruptions began 6 weeks later when those opposed to a ceasefire began harassing our coalition members, name-calling, interrupting our peaceful protests  and declaring us antisemitic for disagreeing with them.

Jews have different political beliefs, there are Jewish Republicans and Jewish Democrats. There are Jews who support the state of Israel, and others who do not. It is a sad day when the Jewish community, as small as it is in this world, cannot converse about our political differences. And that day is today.

I would agree that we need to keep HATE out of Tucson. Many Palestinians, like many people of color, would agree that there is hate in Tucson toward marginalized groups. However, I can attest, as a Jewish woman in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious coalition, that we are not an antisemitic group. There is nothing but empathy and respect for those of us who have friends and family suffering in Gaza and Israel today. Ceasefire Now!
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has met with his counterparts of Belgium and the European Union in Brussels to discuss bilateral cooperation on the sidelines of a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers, his office said Friday.

Cho held talks with Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib on Thursday (local time) and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties in education, semiconductors and other high-tech industries, according to the ministry.

During their talks, Lahbib also stressed that "stability and prosperity in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region are linked together."

Separately, Cho met with EU High Representative Josep Borrell on Thursday and discussed ways to step up cooperation in a wide range of areas, including security and defense.

The two sides agreed to work closely together to sign a security partnership and hold the first strategic dialogue between their foreign ministers as agreed at the bilateral summit last year.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Borrell wrote that he discussed with Cho the burgeoning military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, saying the two sides are "concerned by the DPRK-Russia military cooperation and Russia's use of DPRK ballistic missiles against Ukraine."

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Cho departed for Belgium late Tuesday for a three-day trip to attend the NATO meeting. Korea was invited to the ministerial meeting for the third year as one of the non-NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region. (Yonhap)
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

A solar eclipse is due to arrive April 8. A swath of Oklahoma is in the path of totality.

Tens of thousands of eclipse-watchers are expected to gravitate to southeastern Oklahoma to soak up the full eclipse experience.

Miss this one and youll have to wait a while for another opportunity. The next total solar eclipse visible to people in the U.S. isnt scheduled to occur for another 20 years.

Here are upcoming eclipse-related events and activities locally and in the region:

In the Tulsa area

Solar Spectacle at Guthrie Green

A free solar eclipse watch party (glasses will be provided while supplies last) will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at Guthrie Green. Guests can listen to beats by DJ Doc Free, check out Comida Sol Y Vida food truck and learn from various space-themed vendors. Vendors include the Tulsa Air & Space Museum, Exploration Station, the Astronomy Club of Tulsa, Black Space Girl, Magic City Books, Spiritually Boujee Astrology and 92.9 The River KRQV.

Marshall Brewing Co. Eclipse Party

Marshall Brewing Co. in Tulsa is opening the Tap Room at 1 p.m. in advance of the eclipse. A promo said Marshall Brewing will have about 15 glasses for viewing, but feel free to bring your own.

Dark Side of the Moon

Tee Pee Drive-In on Route 66 in Sapulpa is hosting an eclipse event from noon until 3 p.m. Dark Side of the Moon will be played as part of a viewing party.

Watch Party at Discovery Lab

Visit the Discovery Lab childrens science museum, 3123 S. Riverside Drive, to experience the partial eclipse of the Sun 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Chuys celebrates eclipse

Chuys, the Austin-based Tex-Mex chain, will be celebrating the total solar eclipse with a three-day Tex-Mex Totality Party, Saturday-Monday, April 6-8.

The event will feature the debut of a new Eclipse Rita made with LALO Blanco tequila, Gran Gala, fresh lime juice and agave nectar with a float of red wine. The restaurants Chips N Dips, which include Lil Chuy Gooey, a take on the traditional seven-layer dip, and Boom-Boom Pow, a vegetarian option, will be available for $5.

Also available for a limited time will be Dark Side of the Spoon T-shirts for $15. For more, go to chuys.com.

Gypsy Coffee House and Cyber Cafe

Grab a 16-ounce hot or cold Shot In The Dark, which is drip coffee and two shots of espresso. Available for $3 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, April 8 at Gypsy Coffee House, 303 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Raising Canes

Visit raisingcanes.com/solareclipse on April 8 to enter for a chance to win free Canes for 20 years. Plus, every entry earns a mobile code for a free toast, valid April 8-14. Entries close at 10:59 p.m. April 8. Receive a complimentary Texas toast with every combo purchased at any of the nearly 200 restaurants along the eclipses path.

In Oklahoma

1840s Eclipse Watch Party

Go retro and experience an eclipse the way folks did in the 19th century at Fort Towsons 1840s Eclipse Watch Party. Visitors can explore the Fort Towson historic site and watch demonstrations by reenactors before witnessing the eclipse in the afternoon.

Tenkiller State Park Solar Eclipse Party

Watch the eclipse from the shores of Lake Tenkiller near Vian. Hosted by Tenkiller State Park, the event features crafting activities, refreshments and more. Guests should gather around before 1:40 p.m. to see the eclipse in the sky over the lake.

OAIRE/Choctaw event

Researchers from the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education are partnering with the Choctaw Nation and NASA for an open-to-the-public total solar eclipse event (eclipse glasses provided) at Choctaw Nation Community Center, 1346 E. Martin Luther King Drive in Broken Bow.

Attendees can engage in STEM activities. NASA scientists from Goddard Space Flight Center will join OAIRE researchers to observe the eclipse.

The eclipses totality is expected to last from 1:45-1:50 p.m. within the broader range of 12:25-3 p.m.

Science Museum Oklahoma

Oklahoma City is not in the direct path of the eclipse, but coverage is expected to be at about 93.9% percent at 1:45 p.m. on the day.

Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City is hosting eclipse events from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. In front of the museum (no admission required), telescopes with special filters will be set up for safe viewing.

Activity tables are open from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. inside the museum, where, at 11:30 a.m., Storytime Science will be held on the Science Floor Side Stage. It will be a special eclipse-themed story and corona art activity for the museums youngest astronomers. Live feeds from the path of totality also will be available.

Solar Eclipse at Cherokee Landing

Cherokee Landing in Park Hill is revving up for the eclipse with a week of activities prior to April 8. An eclipse viewing party will include refreshments, eclipse glasses and family-friendly activities.

Eclipse Watch Party at Greenleaf State Park

Watch the eclipse from the vantage point of Greenleaf State Park in Braggs. A 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. event will include eclipse crafting activities led by park staff before a gathering to watch the eclipse and refreshments.

Eclipse Watch Party at Lake Texoma

A watch party is scheduled at Lake Texoma State Park in Kingston. Bring your own lawn chairs, blankets and eclipse glasses  or purchase a pair from the park office.

Nearby states

Total Eclipse of the Hearts Music Festival

Oklahoma music artists Kylie Morgan and Jordan Rainer (fresh off her appearance on NBCs The Voice) will perform Sunday, April 7, the day before the eclipse, in Greenville, Texas, at the Total Eclipse of the Hearts Music Festival. The bill includes Shayne Porter, All-4-One, the Brad Davis Trio, the Rocket Summer, the Gin Blossoms and Sara Evans. For information about the festival and other pre-eclipse events in Greenville, go to greenvilleeclipse.com.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

A three-day celestial celebration in Russellville, Arkansas, Total Eclipse of the Heart will include a Saturday, April 6, kickoff event with national blues performers, tethered rides in hot air balloons and other activities. Live music and a Q&A session with NASA scientists are on the docket for Sunday, April 7. The celebration wraps on eclipse day with a mass wedding and more music.

For information, go to totaleclipserussellville.com.

Siloam Springs Eclipse Viewing Party

Food trucks, music and games will be part of an eclipse viewing party at Memorial Park in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. RedBeard Sound will kick off the three-hour event with classic tunes at 11 a.m.

Grapevine, Texas

Because of a prime location within the path of totality, Grapevine, Texas is going all in on the eclipse.

Themed music will play throughout the historic Main Street District, and guests can take photos with costumed galactic characters, according to a news release. Many Grapevine businesses and eateries are taking part. Several are offering galactic-themed food and drink items.

VIP watch party experiences can be purchased at grapevinetexasusa.com/eclipse, and Grapevine Vintage Railroad is offering two one-hour excursions on the day of the eclipse. Plan your visit at grapevinetexasusa.com.

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When a new Episcopal minister arrived in Pawhuska from England in 1909, he brought with him a bag full of Boy Scout literature along with his Bible, derby hat and umbrella.

Believing that all boys were the same regardless of nationality, the Rev. John Forbes Mitchell set about organizing the first Boy Scout troop in the United States, in addition to taking the reins of his new pulpit.

The residents of the frontier town where blanketed Indians and cowboys were still an every-day sight probably were startled when they heard the strains of "God Save the King" coming from boyish voices inside St. Thomas Church.

Mitchell, a friend of Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the father of scouting, had served as chaplain for the world's first Boy Scout troop that had been organized in England a year earlier. He organized the Pawhuska troop according to British rules, which included singing the British national anthem, causing consterna tion among some of the parents. But they couldn't find anything wrong with the song in spite of strong patriotic feelings in the new state of Oklahoma.

That first troop included 19 boys, a third of whom were Osage Indians, and Postmaster W.E. McGuire, the father of the two of the boys, serving as assistant scoutmaster. Mitchell ordered uniforms for the boys from England and while awaiting their delivery taught two to play a bugle and two to play drums.

By the time the uniforms arrived, Mitchell thought the troop was ready to be unveiled to residents of Pawhuska. "We paraded down Main Street, led by the Paw huska band," one of the original Scouts recalled years later. "I will never forget the line of boys marching so much like little soldiers."

To spread the word about Scouting, the troop hiked 24 miles to Bartlesville the first weekend of March 1910, accompanied by a supply wagon. "It was a long trip in those days," one said years later. "There real ly wasn't any road, just a hard rocky trail uphill and down."

Dog-tired by the time they reached Bartlesville, the boys reformed their lines of march and swung down the main street with a smart, arm-swinging British hiking gait, to the blare of bugles and the cadence of drums, the brims of their campaign hats flattened against the crowns in snappy fashion.

They aroused the envy of boys in Bartlesville, where a troop was formed shortly thereafter.

The boys began their hike back to Pawhuska but couldn't make it that night and camped out along the way. But they recalled that they didn't have enough food for either supper or breakfast and all they had was divided equally among horses, boys and men.

When the official Boy Scouts of America was organized in Philadelphia in 1910, the Paw huska troop immediately affiliated with it, casting aside their British handbooks and uniforms.

That changed the troop's designation from Troop 1. When the Cherokee Council of Scouts was organized, Troop 1 became Troop 33, the number that still designates the group today.

A bronze Boy Scout statue stands in the Osage County Historical Museum as a testament to the country's first Scout troop. The museum also has on display a picture of the troop's 19 charter members with their names written under the picture and the certificate identifying Troop 1.

Like this column? Read all the columns in the Only in Oklahoma series from the Tulsa World Archive.
Andrea Eger Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Andrea Eger 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

Related content The case against Devin Fletcher: A Tulsa World investigation

The Tulsa Worlds recent report on hundreds of thousands in local donor funds being directed to Tulsa Public Schools administrators as bonuses in recent years has drawn strong reactions from local teachers and a former school board president, and even a new revelation from the nonprofit foundation that handled the payments.

The Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association issued a call for current school district leadership to take immediate steps to bolster all staff and to take swift and immediate action to ensure these malfeasances never happen again. We also thank our current leadership for the steps they are taking in the right direction.

TCTA added that it was disheartened to learn that such a large amount of money was spent to retain district-level administrators at a time when all district employees were working tirelessly and strategically to support the students of Tulsa Public Schools.

This money could have purchased materials for classrooms, provided tutoring, or countless other enriching activities and services. In times where public schools are under constant attack, our leadership cannot afford to risk eroding trust from the public and demoralizing education professionals. In a state where public education resources are precious, our students cannot afford for leadership to waste a single cent.

Revelations from the March 18 report:

At least $341,000 in donor funds was paid directly to 26 Tulsa Public Schools administrative employees in increments ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 with memo lines indicating they were a form of compensation in addition to their taxpayer-funded salaries between June 30, 2018, and Feb. 28, 2022. The time period spans Deborah Gists last five years or so as superintendent.

Among the 26 administrators who received payments from the Foundation were some of the highest-salaried Gist Cabinet members. All but six of the administrators had six-figure, taxpayer-funded salaries, and two were shy of that six-figure threshold by less than $5,000.

In one instance, one of Gists right-hand employees received college tuition reimbursements over the course of three years while pursuing a graduate degree.

Email records show awareness about some bonus payments in 2021 on the part of one philanthropic donor organization. But the elected Tulsa school board, which is charged with approving the hiring or firing and salaries of all public school employees in TPS, was apparently kept in the dark.

The Foundations accounting records came into possession of the Tulsa school district because of an

.

Mixing public and private dollars for public employees

Gist, who has since moved on to a new role with the University of Tulsa, acknowledged she was aware of some but not all of the foundations payments to TPS employees but insisted no state laws or school board policies were broken. She conceded greater transparency for how foundation resources are used by TPS is appropriate moving forward.

There were millions and millions of dollars of grants, and Im guessing it would be a tiny fraction that would be used for these, Gist told the Tulsa World. It was not out of the norm for me to have a private foundation to provide support for this type of work, particularly given that it was a conversation we had with donors. ... The benefit of having a Foundation is you are able to do things you wouldnt do with taxpayer dollars.

State Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, is a former Tulsa school board president who served as the boards District 7 representative from 2014-2022.

She was simultaneously a senior program officer for one of the sources of the donor funds used for the bonuses  the George Kaiser Family Foundation  but said she had no knowledge then that any TPS employees were being compensated with donor funds.

I did not know when I was on the school board; all knowledge of this entire thing was gained post my last term. I had no special knowledge because of GKFF, Schreiber told the Tulsa World. Its not necessarily criminal, but I understand the concerns around transparency. It isnt acceptable, especially when you are mixing public and private dollars for public employees. Its concerning when you see that theres no standard for the distribution of it and who gets what. That isnt what a public system is about. We have to have processes in place because these processes protect people getting left out of those bonuses. It has to be transparent.

Moving forward, Schreiber, who is now a lawmaker, doesnt believe new laws are needed to prevent a repeat in the future.

I support local control, and I would rather Tulsa school board policies be forthright and known to the community and the same thing with the Foundation  having those rules in place and shared with the community, Schreiber said. Im waiting for the (states investigative) audit to see what else comes forward. I have a lot of faith in the Tulsa school board and the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. In the face of what has been learned, they will and already have put in place very strong controls.

Transitional period for Foundation leadership

Some readers wondered what former leaders of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools had to say for themselves, but neither of the previous two would talk.

Brian Paschal served as president and CEO of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools from July 2016 through January 2021, which coincides with all of the Foundations side payments to TPS employees on record, except for the final three in May 2021.

Since January 2021, he has been CEO at Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, which was co-founded by former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor.

Paschal declined the Tulsa Worlds request to comment about the lack of involvement of the Tulsa school board in the payment of bonuses to public employees, saying, Given its been a number of years since Ive worked with FTS and havent been a part of these conversations, Im not in a position to speak on this.

Anhna Vuong, who served as president and CEO of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools from May 2021 to July 2022, is now vice president of system initiatives at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and did not respond to phone messages or an email seeking comment.

Moises Echeverria, who came on as president and CEO of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools in September 2022  in the immediate aftermath of the launch of internal and law enforcement investigations into Fletchers actions  said previously no such payments have occurred under his watch.

Public records obtained by the Tulsa World through request from TPS raise questions about the sequence of events involving three of the largest bonus payments recorded in the foundation accounting ledgers  which were also the final three.

Obtained by the World were copies of checks cut by the foundation to TPS administrators Paula Shannon and Andrea Castaneda for $35,000 each and Jill Hendricks for $25,000, all dated May 3, 2021.

But the email seeking approval by Fletcher from a representative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation to repurpose partial salaries from three other employees to cover the retention of three critical senior leadership positions, and the email response of approval from GKFF, are dated the following day, May 4, 2021.

Added scrutiny seemed to stop bonus requests

Asked for further reflections on the halt of any additional bonus payments after that time frame, Echeverria went to foundation board members who were already serving the organization in spring 2021.

Echeverria said those board members told him this week that because the foundation was in a period of transition from Paschal departing in January and Vuong starting in May, that the foundations board leaders were more intimately involved in the day-to-day operations, and a red flag went off in someones mind and they started asking more questions.

That added scrutiny seemed to stop Fletchers bonus requests in their tracks, Echeverria said.

After speaking with board members, it was the new president and CEOs (referring to Vuong) instinct and the boards scrutiny of the process of issuing these bonuses to Tulsa Public Schools employees that triggered procedural changes for requesting funds and processing invoices and payments, he said. Our board members recall that she (Vuong) questioned Devin Fletcher about these particular bonuses, including how Devin selected the TPS employees who received bonuses, how he determined the bonus amount and, as the chief talent officer, what records he kept to ensure those receiving bonuses adhered to the retention requirements.

After this increased scrutiny, Devin did not request additional bonuses from our foundation.

Echeverria reiterated that new controls are already in place  the foundation is soliciting inspection and approval of payment requests from TPSs CFO and superintendent.

Under new leadership, increased oversight was added to the process of requesting funding and processing invoices for all programs and initiatives. Updated request forms were implemented requiring additional district leadership review and approval before being processed.

Nancy Leonard, president of the TPS school support workers bargaining unit, American Federation of Teachers Tulsa Local 6049, also did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Steve Metzer Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer Follow Steve Metzer 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

Related content Bill offering poultry producers protection from lawsuits passes Senate committee

OKLAHOMA CITY  A bill making headway in the Oklahoma Legislature would provide municipalities with a layer of state protection in their handling of water and waste tainted with so-called forever chemicals.

PFAS chemicals have become pervasive in the environment and are a growing concern at all levels of government  local, state and federal.

Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, the Senate author of House Bill 2305, said the measure isnt intended to protect bad actors from consequences if they dont follow laws in their handling of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. However, he said towns and cities in the state and other entities that provide landfill, water and sewer treatment and other services in accordance with the law need some assurance as the federal government and Environmental Protection Agency may move forward with strict new standards addressing PFAS liabilities.

What were trying to do with this bill is a first step. It focuses on just having a general way to accept this type of waste. To try to set some guidelines, Rader told members of the Senate Energy and Communications Committee on Thursday. We would rather have our hands on the rules as a state rather than having to wait on the EPA.

Under the measure, which passed through the committee on a 9-2 vote, passive receivers of PFAS waste wouldnt be liable to the state or any political subdivision within the state for costs arising from a release into the environment of a PFAS substance. For example, an airport that stores or uses firefighting foam in accordance with current Federal Aviation Administration standards would have a state layer of protection from liability.

It clarifies, however, that the exemption from liability would apply only if operations are conducted in accordance with current federal, state or local permit requirements and accepted engineering standards.

Nothing  precludes liability for damages or costs associated with the release of a PFAS substance  if the protected passive receiver acted with gross negligence, it states.

Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, who voted against the bill, said he would like to see its language strengthened and clarified, especially regarding the handling of sewer sludge by larger cities. He said such sludge has often been rebranded as fertilizer and pushed onto farmland in Oklahoma.

We need to act now, because my fear is the federal government is going to promulgate rules knowing that we are degenerating our own farmland, and theyre coming with rules (and are) going to test our farmland that we have been contaminating and are going to take that farmland away, he said.

Jett added that he also fears that the EPA has targeted the oil and gas industry to take the fall for pollution problems that may result from PFAS.

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HANOI -- Vietnam's trade ministry said on Thursday that automaker Chery had signed a joint venture agreement with a local company to set up an $800 million plant, becoming the first Chinese electric vehicle maker to set up a facility in Vietnam.

The manufacturing plant, which will be jointly established by Chery's Omoda&Jaecoo unit and Vietnamese company Geleximco, will be in the costal province of Thai Binh, the ministry said in a statement following a signing ceremony.

With a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year, the factory will produce Chery's OMODA and JAECOO electric models. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, the statement added.

In the meantime, Chery, which is also selling cars in Europe and weighing a plant in Italy, will import two electric models into Vietnam that will make their debut by the end of this year, the ministry said.

China's BYD the world's largest EV maker, has also sought to set up a factory in Vietnam, although Reuters reported last week it may slow down the plan.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has granted approval for the organization of the IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR), an option enabling IELTS candidates to improve specific skill scores without retaking the entire test.

The ministry urged the British Council and IDP Education, the two IELTS exam organizers in Vietnam, to publicly disclose details about the OSR option.

OSR was introduced globally at the end of 2022, allowing IELTS examinees to enhance scores in listening, reading, speaking, or writing in 30 countries and territories.

Examinees can opt for a retest in one skill within 60 days of their original test date.

While the fee ranges from VND3.5 million (US$140) to VND5.5 million ($220), the rate for Vietnam has yet to be announced by the British Council and IDP Education.

The average IELTS score for Vietnamese stands at 6.2 out of 9.0, placing them 23rd globally, according to last years report.

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Chairman of Vietnam's lawmaking National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue will pay an official visit to China from April 7 to 12, according to an announcement made by the legislature's external affairs commission on Thursday.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji.

The Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has grown positively with many important achievements over the past several years.

The leaders of both nations' Party and government have consistently engaged in exchanges, thereby bolstering their political confidence in each other.

After Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's historic visit to the northern neighbor in October 2022, Chinese General Secretary and President Xi Jinping reciprocated with a state visit to Vietnam in December 2023.

During Xi's visit, the two nations released a joint statement emphasizing their commitment to furthering and enhancing their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, as well as constructing a Vietnam-China community with a shared future, marking a significant strategic milestone and heralding a new era in their partnership.

The two sides cooperation in economy, trade, investment, and tourism continues to show success.

Vietnam-China trade reached US$175.56 billion in 2022 and $171.9 billion last year.

Chinese investors channeled $4.47 billion into over 700 projects in Vietnam in 2023.

Currently, China ranks as Vietnam's fourth-largest investor in terms of registered capital and holds the top position in terms of the number of projects undertaken.

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A large number of walls and embankments along Son Thuy Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam have been disfigured by vandalistic graffiti, thereby causing annoyance to not only local inhabitants but tourists as well.

Nguyen Thanh Vu, a 43-year-old resident in Ngu hanh Sons Hoa Hai Ward, voiced disappointment over this act of vandalism, saying that ugly graffiti has spoiled the beach landscape.

The manager of a resort adjacent to the beach reported that the boundary walls, previously adorned with beautiful paintings by professional graffiti artists, are now defaced with unsightly illegal graffiti.

Graffiti has resurfaced on the walls lining the pathways to Son Thuy Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

At another affected resort in the area, its owner had to hire several people to repaint the graffiti-marred walls amid a dramatic rise in vandalistic tagging.

Commenting on the issue, Nguyen Thi Hong Thuy, vice-chairwoman of the Hoa Hai Ward administration, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that most vandals sprayed graffiti at night, making authorities unable to thoroughly combat it.

Aside from the walls and embankments along the beach, lots of houses in the neighborhood fell victim to graffiti vandalism, the local official elaborated.

Ta Tu Binh, vice-chairman of the Ngu Hanh Son District administration, said that graffiti vandalism remains a thorny issue for local authorities to cope with.

Graffiti reappeared shortly after local authorities, hotel and resort operators in the vicinity removed them, Binh added.

Walls are defaced by graffiti at Son Thuy Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man is seen repainting a graffiti-covered boundary wall of a resort next to Son Thuy Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An embankment is full of graffiti at Son Thuy Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vandalistic tagging mars the wall of a house in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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The Vietnam 2023 Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) published on Tuesday positioned Ho Chi Minh City as the prime residential choice in Vietnam.

PAPI was a research project jointly carried out by the United Nations Development Program, the Center for Community Support Development Studies, and Real Time Analytics from August to November 2023.

Its core purpose was to assess and compare public opinions regarding the effectiveness and capabilities of the 63 provincial governments of Vietnam in implementing policies and providing services in order to promote efficient and responsive governance.

Some 19,536 individuals aged 18 and older from different levels of administrative divisions were surveyed using the methods of stratification sampling and probability proportional to size sampling.

4 out of 5 municipalities considered 'ideal'

According to the findings, the most popular destination for internal migration among the participants was Ho Chi Minh City, with over 20 percent of them holding a favorable view of the southern city.

Following Ho Chi Minh City on the table were Hanoi, Da Nang, and Can Tho.

Hai Phong was the sole city among Vietnam's five municipalities that did not appear on the list.

The study found that the northern provinces of Lai Chau and Dien Bien ranked highest and second-highest, respectively, in terms of the percentage of people who wished to migrate.

The average proportion of people wanting to migrate across the country is only 0.95 percent, which is 0.65 percent lower than in 2021 and 2022.

The provinces with the highest proportion of people preferring internal migration, like Lai Chau Province and Dien Bien Province, along with Quang Binh Province in north-central Vietnam, are particularly susceptible to flooding and natural disasters.

Individuals in Vietnams northern provinces who opted for relocation said they would prefer to move to Hanoi.

Meanwhile, Mekong Delta provinces like Dong Thap and Ca Mau, as well as south-central provinces such as Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan, recorded over two percent of the participants expressing a desire to relocate.

Of these, about 40 percent indicated that they would like to move to Ho Chi Minh City in the long term, while 20 percent said they would prefer to come to Can Tho.

Migration for the sake of family

Family reunions emerged as the most prevalent reason for internal migration, with 40.68 percent of the participants selecting it, while seeking safety from natural disasters was the least cited reason, with only 1.39 percent.

Despite being the most popular reason, migration for family reunions decreased compared to 2020 and 2021 and increased only slightly against 2022.

The second- and third-most popular reasons were better career prospects, which accounted for 21.8 percent, and a better natural environment, which represented about 17.4 percent.

Other reasons like better public services and no natural disasters saw a climb compared to 2022.

Different cities have different charms

For approximately 49 percent of the people who wanted to move to Hanoi and 35.4 percent of those who liked to relocate to Ho Chi Minh City, family reunions were the primary driving force.

That number was slightly lower  30 percent  for those who wanted to migrate to Can Tho, though it remained the most popular answer.

About 35.1 of the respondents wished to migrate for better career prospects.

A large proportion of the participants, around 38.8 percent and 70 percent, respectively, indicated that they wanted to move to Da Nang and Lam Dong due to their better natural environments.

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is planning to travel to South Korea to discuss pending issues, a foreign ministry official said Friday.

Earlier, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that Thomas-Greenfield is making arrangements to travel to South Korea and Japan in mid-April for possible meetings with government officials, citing diplomatic sources.

"We are in talks with the U.S. on the ambassador to the U.N.'s visit to South Korea," the official said.

Thomas-Greenfield is expected to meet with high-level officials in Seoul to discuss cooperation on various pending issues on the U.N. Security Council, including the North Korean nuclear issue.

South Korea and Japan currently serve as two of 10 nonpermanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The United States is one of the five permanent members of the council. (Yonhap)
Hundreds of residents at an apartment building in Thu Duc City, an administrative district under Ho Chi Minh City, lined up waiting to collect water from water tankers on Wednesday night due to an unannounced water outage.

Water had yet to return at Ehome S Apartment Building in Phu Huu Ward on Thursday morning, turning dwellers lives upside down.

At 10:00 pm on Wednesday, residents of the apartment building gathered containers and buckets to collect water from a tanker stationed outside, as the water supply had been disrupted since noon.

Residents at Ehome S Apartment Building in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City use buckets and pots to collect water due to an unannounced water outage, April 3, 2024. Photo: Supplied

Pham Thanh Quang, 24, stated that residents from all four blocks had to rely on water trucks to collect water for their daily activities.

An unannounced water outage hampered our daily activities such as cooking and washing," Quang complained.

I hope that the water supply will be restored as soon as possible."

A division of Ho Chi Minh City's water supplier, Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco), clarified that the company suspended water supply to the pipe on Mai Chi Tho Boulevard from 10:00 pm on Tuesday until 4:00 am on Wednesday in order to connect it with another pipe.

The move was aimed at facilitating the construction of a tunnel at An Phu Intersection in Thu Duc City.

Despite the resumption of water supply on Wednesday morning, Ehome S, situated at the end of the pipeline, experienced a delay in regaining access to water.

The water supplier dispatched 10 water tankers to the apartment building to provide residents with water.

The company also offered an apology to the affected households.

Residents at Ehome S Apartment Building in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City collect water from a water tanker at night, April 3, 2024. Photo: H. G. / Tuoi Tre

Water supply at Ehome S Apartment Building in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City yet to return, April 4, 2024. Photo: H. G. / Tuoi Tre

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The dream of snapping the perfect vacation photo can be a major hurdle for both the dreamer and the trip companion they have tasked with manning the camera.

In fact, curating a top-notch photo can drive a wedge through even the strongest relationships.

Are we vacationing or doing a Facebook photoshoot? one man complained to his female companion on a recent afternoon in Quang Ngai City, central Vietnam as the sun set behind the moss-covered jetty in their background.

A man takes a photo of a woman while visiting a moss-covered reef at a beach in Nhon Hai Commune, Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province, south-central Vietnam. Photo: Lam Thien / Tuoi Tre

Around them, other couples appeared to be engrossed in similar arguments.

Much to the chagrin of many travel companions, the hunt for the perfect photo has become an indispensable activity for many holiday-goers.

"I'd rather stay at home than go on a vacation where I dont take pretty photos for Facebook, said Khanh Ngoc, a resident of Quang Ngai City.

You have to photograph and post as many beautiful photos as you can on Facebook in order to boost tourism.

Those who find themselves traveling alongside people like Ngoc, however, do not share the sentiment.

My wife was obsessed with taking photos, one recently shared during a trip with his wife to Mang Den, a small town in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

We had to stop so many times for her to take pictures.

"It was exhausting.

A woman checks photos a man took for her. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Mixed opinions

The battle between a relaxing vacation and a photo-frenzy has become a hot topic for online debate.

When we women travel without someone who knows how to take [good] pictures, the trip is ruined, one woman commented on a recent story on the issue published by Tuoi Tre.

I travel for photos, I have no intention of sightseeing, another said. I can go sightseeing whenever I like, it's my personal life.

When I get home, I look at the photos and enjoy the scenery again, and the scene even has me in it! another shared.

A tourist poses for a photo while visiting a moss-covered reef at a beach in Nhon Hai Commune, Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province, south-central Vietnam. Photo: Lam Thien / Tuoi Tre

There are those who believe a destination is best enjoyed without having to peer through a lens or a smartphone screen.

We don't need to take a bunch of pictures to remember the moment because our eyes and brains are the best lenses and processors themselves, one commenter remarked.

Look at the scenery with your eyes and keep it in your mind. Believe me, those images will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Don't just worry about taking photos for Facebook. What youll see is not the landscape but just the lens and screen.

Of course we should still take photos, just don't make it an obligation for every trip.

You should take a trip for yourself, not for other people to admire.

In one comment, a user stated that vacations are meant for rest and relaxation, thus focusing solely on taking photos can make a trip suffocating and uncomfortable.

Another commenter even called it a 'tragedy.'

Capturing a few hundred photos entails considering many logistical aspects, including footwear, attire, hats, various accessories, and cosmetics, he commented.

It is normal to carry six or seven pairs of shoes for a three-to-four-day trip.

And then, instead of considering the place for its natural beauty, people just think about whether it is a good background for their photos.

It's tiring, not to mention that you get compared with other Insta husbands.

Foreign tourists take photos on the trackside cafe street in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre

Meanwhile, other commenters refused to pick a side.

Every person has a purpose for traveling, one comment pointed out. There are people who enjoy the scenery or food. Others like filming and taking photos.

Respecting everyone's preferences is essential. As long as they do not contravene regulations prohibiting photography or filming, there should be no issue," another commented.

It is a hobby and a choice, don't be so serious.

When I travel, I enjoy capturing a few photos for memories, and I'm perfectly at ease with others taking pictures frequently as well.

Tourists take photos while visiting a moss-covered reef at Nam O Beach, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre

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As part of the ELLE Beauty Awards 2024 program, the 'Her Story: Women in Art' exhibition, featuring 16 artworks by diverse female artists, was showcased at the residence of the French consul general in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

Leaning even further into the theme of womens artistic feats, this exhibition was curated by Mani Foundation, a private art organization founded and run by three women.

Seven artists participated in the expo, producing a total of 12 multimedia paintings and four sculptures inspired by womens beauty.

These seven artists are Mai Minh Hang, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Nguyen Thi Thanh Luu, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Thi Chau Giang, Alix Ayme, and Cristina Gonzalez Martin.

Paintings and sculptures from the Her Story: Women in Art' exhibition are on display at the residence of the French consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, April 4, 2024. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

Artist Mai Minh Hang was once a lawyer but she turned to pursuing art at the age of 47.

Even without the advantage of an early start, Hang fell in love with art and created many works in a short time.

For the exhibition, Hang contributed two portrait paintings of women called Xin Dung (Please Dont) and Trang Diem (Make Up).

When Hang started painting, she wanted to capture the beauty of life and her surroundings while also including elements of the contemporary world.

I am currently focusing on painting portraits and landscapes, Hang said.

Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Luu stands next to her painting of a child, part of the 'Her Story: Women in Art exhibition, on display at the residence of the French consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, April 4, 2024. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre

Before this, I never thought that I would be able to paint portraits.

The hardest part about painting portraits is always the hands and face.

Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Luu began painting eight years ago.

Through her art, Luu wants to put emphasis on humans as a subject, women in particular.

I enjoy painting portraits on silk, Luu told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The most beautiful subjects in my eyes are women and children.

For me, there is never enough time to paint.

Previously, artist Luu held many exhibitions solo and in collaboration with other artists.

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Lego Masters Australia is back for its sixth season with a world first global showdown.

Australia vs The World sees four new teams from Australia taking on four teams from Denmark, Germany, France and USA.

Hamish Blake returns as host, alongside judge Ryan Brickman McNaught with Sophie Monk as special guest in challenges. Also featuring are radios Michael Wippa Wipfli and Jordy Hocking from Lego Masters Season 1.

This year the challenges are more demanding than ever. They include Lego go kart racing, a spectacular window display challenge, fan favourite Is It Fake? with a Parisian twist and celebrating 85 years of Batman.

Lego Masters: Australia vs The World is produced by Endemol Shine Australia adapted from an original UK format from Tuesdays Child Productions and The Lego Group.

Australia:

Ben (24) & Eric (21)

These friends from Newcastle bonded over their love for bricks whilst working at the Lego store together. Spending 20 hours a week building, they have a particular interest in custom vignettes. They are ready to take their skills out of the Lego retail space and into the Masters arena.

Dianne (59) & Shane (38)

Mother and son Dianne and Shane are ready to showcase their unique building skills on the Lego Masters Australia stage. They are more than just family  these two are an inseparable team. With a connection forged through a shared love of creativity, competition and enchantment, this Disney princess and mathematics whizz spark joy not just in their builds, but in everything they do.

Charlie (19) & Haley (25)

Solo builders Charlie and Haley will be a force to be reckoned with when paired for the first time in this seasons battle of the best. Having achieved fabulous success in both their Lego accomplishments and personal careers, this young female duo are ready to front up against some of the toughest competition Lego Masters Australia has ever seen.

Sam (38) & Emilio (38)

This quirky Victorian duo are high-energy, ultra-competitive and ready to attack every challenge with gusto. Bricks play an important part in their relationship, with the loveable couple meeting years ago at a Lego themed adult scavenger hunt. With Sam specialising in digital Lego artwork and Emilio having a keen eye for aesthetics and colour coordination, this is a duo to watch out for.

International:

Krystle (36) & Michelle (44)

Lego building superstars Krystle and Michelle represent America in this seasons intercontinental competition. Both hailing from Texas, the pair are teaming up for the first time. Krystle competed in Season One of Lego Masters USA and Michelle appeared in Season Two and won the 2023 Celebrity Lego Masters Holiday Bricktacular Special.

Felix (21) & Annalena (27)

Representing Germany, these fitness fanatics and winners of LegoMasters Germany Season One are ready to put on a show for Australia. Unsurprisingly, they met 10 years ago at a track and field training day. With both thriving in their personal lives and Lego approaches, they are ready to take their building capabilities to the next level on Lego Masters Australia.

Camille (34) & Caroline (22)

To celebrate the Olympic games in France, semi-finalists in Season 3 of Lego Masters France, siblings Camille and Caroline are back for another crack at Lego glory  on the other side of the world. After placing third in 2022, they are hoping that with an extra year of building under their belts, 2024 might see them inching higher up the brick totem pole and into the winning position.

Peter (41) & Ida (33)

Hailing from the original home of Lego, Danish team Peter and Ida have one strategy when it comes to tackling the Australian competition: have fun. Quirky, bright, playful friends, the duo were runners up on Season 2 of Lego Masters Denmark. Arriving in Australia for the first time, Ida and Peter are excited to have another opportunity at taking out the Lego Masters title.

7pm Sunday April 14 on Nine
An all-staff meeting on Wednesday led to some staff unrest according to one media report.

Crikey claims staff were given the opportunity to submit anonymous questions and highlighted a selection.

One employee asked: After failing to pay us on time, how does the company intend to show its employees that it cares about us? We feel betrayed and need to be shown care, not told.

Another asked: How can Nine expect to retain employees when they pay well under minimum wage?

One complainant working on the upcoming Olympics, for which Nine holds the broadcast rights, grumbled: We are told the work we are doing is the most important in the business for the Olympics, but [we] arent even provided with Macs that can handle the development! It received 19 likes from other staff  as did another question asking that employment opportunities be made more transparent.

There is very little room for growth and I feel like I have no choice but to leave and I dont want to, the employee wrote.

Nine declined to comment.
Events which played out this week in the Federal Court have already drawn international headlines.

Salacious testimony by former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach, many of which remain allegations, have created damaging press for Seven both locally and abroad.

BBC: Australias Seven Network denies buying interviewee sex and drugs.

Variety: Drugs and Prostitutes Alleged at Australias Seven Network in Bruce Lehrmann Defamation Trial; Broadcaster Appalled by Claims.

Independent (UK): Australian TV network denies accusations it paid for sex and drugs to secure interview.

But it remains to be seen how much impact they will have on the central defamation case between Bruce Lehrmann vs Network 10 / Lisa Wilkinson.

Seven has denied all allegations made by its former employee.

A Seven spokesperson said,:

Seven shares Justice Lees concerns about allegations being thrown around like a gatling gun with no opportunity for them to be met.

Seven again confirms that Mr Auerbach was never offered a promotion or a pay rise in late 2022 or afterwards. As the court heard today, there is nothing to suggest otherwise.

Seven also wishes to make clear that it never reimbursed Bruce Lehrmann for expenditure that had allegedly been used to pay for illegal drugs or prostitutes. Again, the invoice referred to in court does not suggest this is the case.

On Thursday an earlier statement said:

Seven is appalled by the allegations made in recent days. We do not condone the behaviours described in these allegations. They do not reflect the culture of Seven.

Seven did not offer a promotion or pay rise to Mr Auerbach in November 2022, nor did it do so at any time after that. Seven did not reimburse Bruce Lehrmann for expenditure that has allegedly been used to pay for illegal drugs or prostitutes, and has never done so. Seven notes the matter remains before the courts.

Seven also takes issue with the allegations recently made about its conduct. Contrary to the claims reported in the media, Seven complied with all of its obligations in relation to producing documents in response to subpoenas issued to it. Seven has at no point asked anyone to delete or destroy any evidence. As previously stated, Seven did not condone or authorise the alleged payments to Mr Lehrmann referred to in the affidavits recently made public. The person involved admitted to the misuse of a Seven corporate card and all unauthorised expenses were immediately reimbursed. Seven has acted appropriately at all times.

Justice Lee has now adjourned proceedings and hopes to tell parties next week when he will be able to deliver his judgment.
Three-way meeting expected in May

By Kim Hyun-bin

China's readiness to participate in the upcoming trilateral summit between South Korea and Japan is based on strategic motives, which are aimed at safeguarding its regional interests amid escalating pressure on Beijing from the U.S.-led alliance with Seoul and Tokyo, according to diplomatic observers.

According to the South Korean foreign ministry, the three nations are in talks to set a specific date to host a long-stalled trilateral summit next month. The trilateral summit has been on hold since 2019 and Korea is the current rotating chair.

"In recent years, China has been seeking to pull South Korea from the South Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance. However, despite their efforts, they have not yielded significant results," said Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese Studies at the Graduate School of International Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Beijing has made efforts to have Seoul distance itself from Washington as it perceives Korea as the weakest link in the U.S. alliance network.

In addition, given that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration was inaugurated (two years ago) and South Korea is scheduled to hold general elections next week, China seems to be actively trying to participate in the talks to explore relations with South Korea, according to Kang.

"China believes that a clear enhancement should take place even on a bilateral level with South Korea," Kang said.

Along with the goal, Kang said the envisaged meeting is less burdensome for China because it usually deals with economic, social and cultural issues rather than political and diplomatic ones.

"China will seek to minimize political and diplomatic discussions that could potentially align South Korea and Japan against China. South Korea should assert its interests while refraining from engaging in joint agendas with China and Japan during the trilateral summit talks," he said.

The agenda for the trilateral summit is expected to include North Korea's acceleration of its nuclear and missile development.

During this summit, South Korea and Japan may seek to utilize China's influence to exert pressure on North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile development programs  although it is unlikely to pay off.

"It's not like Xi Jinping is coming; the Chinese prime minister is coming. It won't have much impact on the Korean Peninsula. I think the meeting of the three countries' leaders is meaningful, but it's unlikely to create a turning point that will dramatically change the situation on the Korean Peninsula," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

"It would probably just be about confirming the existing differences in positions. In the current situation, trying to turn this confrontation on the Korean Peninsula into dialogue would be insufficient."

The South Korea-China-Japan summit, which has been convened since 2008 with South Korea, Japan and China alternating as the chair, last convened in December 2019 in Chengdu, China.
In this article, we will look at the 40 least visited countries in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Least Visited Countries in the World.

The tourism industry is multifaceted. It is contingent on several other industries, including transport, accommodation, and more. According to a report by the United Nations Tourism, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a 2.6 billion decrease in international arrivals all over the globe between 2020 and 2022 combined. The travel restrictions posed to control the spread of the pandemic also resulted in a 62% dip in export revenues generated by international tourism in 2020, which was the highest number ever recorded. 2021 saw another 59% decrease in international tourism export revenues as compared to the 2019 statistics. Although these numbers bounced back in 2022, they still remained 34% lower than the pre-pandemic statistics. The three-year timeline between 2020 and 2022 saw a $2.6 trillion total loss in export revenues from tourism. However, the tourism industry is recovering from the shocks of the pandemic. International tourist arrivals have bounced back to 88% of their pre-pandemic levels between January and December, 2023. To learn more about tourism, you can look at the Top 15 Countries for Dental Tourism and the 35 Best Destinations in the World for Cultural Tourism.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Travel

The COVID-19 pandemic had adverse effects on the global travel and tourism industry. The World Tourism Barometer put together by the United Nations World Travel Organization, showed that international tourist arrivals worldwide decreased over 80% between March and December, 2022.

Another report by the World Tourism and Travel Council showed that the share of travel and tourisms total contribution to GDP went from 10.4% in 2019 to 7.6% in 2020. It eventually went up to 9.2% in 2023 amidst more flexible travel restrictions and is anticipated to touch the 11.6% mark by 2033. The restrictions set in place to counter the spread of COVID-19 also affected the number of travel and tourism jobs around the world. The numbers fell to 271 million in 2020, as opposed to 334 million in 2019. Despite a gradual annual increase, the total number of jobs was still 13% lower in 2021, as compared to 2019.

Is the Travel and Tourism Industry Bouncing Back in 2024?

The travel and tourism industry experienced major setbacks due to the pandemic but is set to make a complete recovery in 2024. According to statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals are highly likely to increase by 2% in 2024, as compared to 2019. The first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of 2024 reported that international tourism made an 88% recovery to its pre-pandemic levels in 2023, with around 1.3 billion international travelers leading this change. The performance in Asia and the Pacific was mixed. South Asia already went back to 87% of its pre-pandemic international tourism levels in 2023, while North-East Asia went to about 55%. The Asian markets coming out of hibernation and resuming their tourism-related activities are a primary cause of this recovery, as well as improved air connectivity between countries.

Story continues

Tourism recovery in Africa increased to around 96% of its pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Europe and the Americas recovered 94% and 90% of their tourism rates in 2023, respectively. However, recovery in the Middle East was the most promising, leading its pre-pandemic levels by 22% in 2023. You can also look at 35 Most Visited Countries in the World: 2024 Rankings.

Key Players in the Travel and Tourism Industry

The travel and tourism industry is driven by several key players that ensure the provision of adequate travel, accommodation, and other services to travelers. The most prominent of these include Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB), Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR), and Qatar Airways.

Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) has ushered in a new age of short-term rentals in competition with hotels and lodges. The company released its fourth-quarter and complete-year results for 2023 on February 13, reporting $2.22 billion in revenue, up 16.61% year over year and ahead of market estimates by $53.47 million. The results also marked the companys highest Q4 ever, with the total revenue increasing by 17% year-over-year. These results exceeded the companys expectations by totaling 99 million in Nights and Experiences Booked, with a 12% increase year-over-year. Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in the company's Q4 2023 earnings call:

"I am excited to share our results with you. We wrapped 2023 with another strong quarter. We had 99 million Nights and Experiences Booked in Q4, marking our highest fourth quarter ever. Revenue of $2.2 billion grew 70% year-over-year. Net loss was $249 million. But when excluding nonrecurring tax items, adjusted net income was $489 million, representing an adjusted net income margin of 22%. For the full year, our free cash flow was $3.8 billion, our highest ever. Because of our strong cash flow and balance sheet, we repurchased $2.25 billion of our shares during 2023. And Im excited to announce that today, our Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase authorization of up to $6 billion of our Class A common stock."

Another prominent player in the travel and tourism industry is Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR), offering tourists its hospitality services. On March 26, Bloomberg reported that the company is planning to expand its footprint into Africa. The continent has seen an increase in the demand of luxury hotel rooms and suites over the past years, leading Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) to double its operations in the region. A majority of the planned constructions will be luxurious and upscale. The decision also came after a positive output from JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge that the company built in Kenya last year. Even though individual rooms in this lodge average more than $3,000 a night in costs, there are about 138 hotels in the Marriott chain under construction in Africa.

A key industry driving global tourism is transportation, and Qatar Airways is one of the most notable airlines in the world. On March 15, Zawya reported that the company announced its codeshare partnership with Aer Lingus, providing travelers with increased access to destinations across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The partnership will also improve connectivity and facilitate air travel for travelers to destinations in Africa, Australia, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and New Zealand. On March 26, Nasdaq reported that Qatar Airways has become the first airline in the world to announce an AI assistant on its airport premises. This digital human in aviation, is named Sama 2.0. The AI assistant will help clear passenger queries and allow them to book flights seamlessly. It would also assist the airline in providing essential travel information about on-board series and other airline-related topics. Sama 2.0 is a second generation AI, and is relatively more human-like than its first version. Not only does it have realistic expressions, but it also imitates human breathing.

Now that we have taken an overview of the travel and tourism industry, lets look at the 40 least visited countries in the world. You can also look at 20 Most Visited Countries In Africa and 15 Most Visited Countries in Europe.

40 Least Visited Countries in the World

40 Least Visited Countries in the World

40 Least Visited Countries in the World

Our Methodology

In order to compile a list of the 40 least visited countries in the world, we have taken data from the United Nations World Travel Organization. The data taken is from 2019, primarily because global travel statistics after the year have been atypical due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. The countries in this list are ranked in descending order of the number of total visitors they had in 2019.

40 Least Visited Countries in the World

40. Grenada

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 526

Grenada ranks 40th on our list of the 40 least visited countries in the world, with 526 visitors in 2019.

39. Madagascar

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 486

Madagascar is a pear-shaped island country located in Africas southeastern coast. Madagascar received 486 visitors in 2019, its highest-ever number since 1994.

38. Trinidad and Tobago

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 482

482 individuals arrived in Trinidad and Tobago in 2019, down from 508 in 2018.

37. The Democratic Republic of Congo

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 479

The Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 37th on our list of 40 least visited countries in the world. The country is located in Central Africa, and is the second-largest country in the region by area.

36. New Caledonia

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 474

New Caledonia hosted 474 total arrivals in 2019, down from 576 in 2018.

35. Seychelles

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 428

428 people visited Seychelles in 2019, putting it at the 35th spot on our list.

34. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 399

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hosted 399 total arrivals, of which 84 were overnight visitors.

33. Monaco

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 363

Known for its low taxes and wealthy people, Monaco hosted 363 total arrivals in 2019.

32. Benin

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 337

337 people visited Benin in 2019, putting it at the 32nd place on our list of the 40 least visited countries in the world.

31. Bangladesh

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 323

Bangladesh received 323 visitors in 2019, up from 267 in 2018.

30. Dominica

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 322

Dominica is a mountainous Caribbean island nation. The country had 322 total visitors in 2019, and 90 of them were overnight visitors.

29. Bhutan

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 316

Bhutans trajectory for the total number of visitors began going up after 2010, touching its highest point in 2019 at 316 visitors.

28. Guyana

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 315

Guyana is a country in South America but is much more connected to the Caribbean in its cultural roots. It received its highest-ever number of visitors since 1994 in 2019: 315.

27. French Polynesia

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 282

The total arrivals in French Polynesia in 2019 was 282, its highest-ever count since 1994.

26. Vanuatu

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 256

Vanuatu is located in the South Pacific Ocean, and comprises about 80 islands stretching over 1,300 kilometers. 256 individuals visited the country in 2019, down from 350 in 2018.

25. Angola

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 218

Angola had 218 visitors in 2019, which is the exact number it received in 2018 as well.

24. Mali

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 217

217 people visited Mali in 2019, putting it 24th on our list of 40 least visited countries in the world.

23. Papua New Guinea

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 211

211 people visited Papua New Guinea in 2019, up from 195 in 2018.

22. Niger

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 192

Niger ranks 22nd on our list with 192 visitors. It is a landlocked country located in West Africa, and has a population of about 25.25 million as of 2021, according to estimates by the World Bank.

21. Samoa

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 181

Samoa had 181 total arrivals in 2019, of which 172 were overnight visitors.

20. Moldova

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 174

Moldovas visitors dropped to 29 in 2020 after touching the 174 mark in 2019 and is yet to reach it again.

19. Cook Islands

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 172

Located in the South Pacific, the Cook Islands hosted 172 visitors in 2019.

18. Djibouti

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 167

Djibouti is located in East Africa, on what is called the Horn of Africa. It ranks 18th on our list with 167 visitors in 2019.

17. Burkina Faso

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 143

143 people visited Burkina Faso in 2019, ranking it 17th on our list of 40 least visited countries in the world.

16. Liechtenstein

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 98

Liechtenstein hosted 98 visitors in 2019, up from 85 in 2018.

15. Palau

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 94

Palau ties with Tonga, hosting 94 visitors before COVID-19 reduced it to 12 in 2020.

14. Tonga

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 94

Tonga is a tiny Polynesian kingdom made up of more than 170 South Pacific islands, most of which lay uninhabited. 94 people visited Tonga in 2019, ranking it 14th on our list.

13. Central African Republic

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 87

The Central African Republic had 87 visitors in 2019, down from 109 in 2018.

12. Timor Leste

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 81

With 81 visitors in 2019, Timor Leste ranks 12th on our list of 40 least visited countries in the world.

11. Chad

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 79

Chad had 79 visitors in 2019, up from 81 in 2018. The country ranks 11th on our list of the 40 least visited countries in the world.

10. Sierra Leone

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 71

Out of 71 total arrivals, Sierra Leone had 63 overnight visitors in 2019.

9. American Samoa

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 59

American Samoa is located in the South Pacific Ocean. As the name indicates, the region is the unincorporated territory of the United States. It had 59 total arrivals in 2019, seven more than 2018.

8. Guinea Bissau

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 52

The number of visitors to Guinea Bissau in 2019 was 52, down from 55 in 2018.

7. Comoros

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 45

Comoros had 45 visitors in 2019, its highest number since 1994.

6. Sao Tome and Principe

Number of Total Arrivals in 2019: 35

Sao Tome and Principe ranks sixth on our list of 40 least visited countries in the world, with 35 visitors in 2019.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Least Visited Countries in the World.

Suggested articles:

Disclosure: None. 40 Least Visited Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
For his Canadian citizenship, Quebec resident had to pass a Parisian French test. He wonders why

Christian Schreiner passed his French test last month but is questioning why an exam for Canadian citizenship is being based on French-from-France standards and sent to a Parisian office for final evaluation. (Rachel Watts/CBC - image credit)

When Rev. Christian Schreiner first looked into taking a mandatory French language test to obtain his Canadian citizenship, he was shocked to find out his exam would be sent to France for final evaluation.

Schreiner, dean of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Quebec City, started his application when he heard that his country of birth, Germany, had approved legislation to end a ban on holding dual citizenship.

The longtime permanent resident of Canada had been waiting for this moment for 16 years.

When Schreiner logged onto Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada to start the process of pursuing a language exam and clicked on the link for the Test d'evaluation de francais, TEF Canada, he was brought to a website run by a Parisian organization, the Paris Ile-de-France Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"I thought I had maybe clicked on the wrong link, so I went back but everything checks out. So that is the one that is authorized," said Schreiner.

Schreiner completed his French exam on March 15 at Edu-inter  a French immersion school in Quebec City  where an employee informed him during the oral evaluation section that he wouldn't be the one evaluating Schreiner's performance.

"He had an iPad and he recorded the whole thing," said Schreiner.

"I asked him: 'what is that for?' He said  'I'm only doing the test with you, but I'm not evaluating anything. I can only send this in and then basically it gets sent to Paris and they decide whether or not your French is sufficient.'"

Although Schreiner passed the exam, completing one of several steps toward gaining his citizenship, he's now speaking out about how the exam is based on French from France and he is questioning why Canada has to outsource evaluations abroad.

"I think this is still kind of a leftover, like a colonial leftover," said Schreiner.

"If I want to become a Canadian citizen, it's France that decides whether or not I'm good enough. There's something wrong there."

In-person citizenship ceremonies have also been suspended since March, though virtual ceremonies are being offered.

As part of the documentation needed to apply for Canadian citizenship, applicants need to show proof that they have met an English- or French-language standard. (Stephen Lubig/CBC)

Meeting French or English language requirement

CCI Paris Ile-de-France (CCIP-IDF), the organization with the Paris office, says it represents the interests of more than 840,000 French companies.

According to its website, the TEF was officially certified by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 2004 as the "only test officially approved by Canadian authorities."

The location of the evaluation does not have any impact on the applicant, said the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, in an emailed statement.

"All language proficiency assessment tests approved for Canadian immigration purposes are administered by third-party organizations independent of IRCC," read the statement.

"Organizations must demonstrate that they meet the criteria ... including matching test results to the Canadian language benchmarks."

In its statement, the department said the TEF test was put in place by the Quebec government for new French-speakers moving or immigrating to the province. They said while the TEF is not a federal requirement for citizenship, it is one of several "acceptable proofs" that can be submitted to the government to apply for citizenship and meet the language requirement  as immigrants need to prove their abilities in either English or French.

Besides French diplomas previously submitted for immigration purposes, the ministry says on its website that it won't accept any other third-party test results other than those listed for citizenship, even if they're similar to the approved exams.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada offices in Montreal.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says the location of a testing company has no impact on applicants. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

Rethinking the language test

"I don't think there's anything wrong with the outsourcing of the test," said Taylor Ireland, president and owner of ACA-Formation Linguistique, a French language school in Quebec City.

"But there's more than enough organizations in Canada that could develop a test."

He says while there are benefits to having private organizations test candidates because of accessibility, it is feasible to develop other options.

"It would take some time to do  There's always a tendency to go back to a test that's already known," said Ireland.

"But we have more than enough capacity and knowledge in order to have our own Canadian-made test."

Ireland says generally, there are not going to be huge differences between an international French or French from France compared to the French spoken in Quebec, but there might be slight "regionalisms."

He says this is not the first time questions relating to the French exam have been raised.

"To have the test itself be designed and then corrected by a company in France is somewhat confusing," said Ireland.

Following his exam in March, Schreiner says he looked into the English testing options to see if the evaluation was similar to the French equivalent.

"I wanted to know, had I done the English test, would they send it to London, England? No, they don't. They send it to the offices in Toronto," said Schreiner. "Why can't Canada evaluate whether or not people speak French?"

Prometric, a test administration company headquartered in the U.S., develops and delivers along with other organizations the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Test, one of three options used for immigration and citizenship. The CELPIP offices are located in Toronto, according to its website.

Test from France had its challenges, says Schreiner

Schreiner says the test itself had its challenges. In one part, he had to listen to 40 different sound bites.

The audio, which was in a French-from-France accent, became more and more challenging near the end of the exam, said Schreiner. He said the topic of the radio interview he had to listen was climate change and the extinction of species.

"It was really more vocabulary. There were words that I did not know and quite a few of them, which is something that doesn't happen that often to me here in Quebec," said Schreiner.

Schreiner, whose father was a French teacher, speaks French at home with his kids and wife  who is Quebecoise.

Although he passed the exam, he says he should be considered an "ideal guinea pig"  someone who shouldn't really struggle with an exam that is meant to test "basic competence."

Christophe Fernandez, director general of the Edu-Inter language school where Schreiner took his test, confirmed in a statement that the centre is one of several in the province officially allowed to offer the test.

He confirmed the team does not give the final scores but does do some evaluations. Fernandez says the Paris office collects and double-checks the examinations to give a final grade.
Sitting down for this review I wasnt quite prepared for the realization that itd been six years since my previous review in 2018. And then, I wasnt ready for the shock that it had been that long since I sat down to this childhood favorite. To say I was overdue for a revisit is an understatement! All these years later I still have a lot of love for Frank Henenlotters low-budget creature feature. That first opening kill sets the tone for the rest film and it's a hoot. Not one I expected to see in 4K, but now that its here I loved being able to soak in all the details in the makeup and gore effects - Belial has never looked better!

Since my thoughts havent changed Ill refer you to my 2018 Basket Case Blu-ray Review







Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Wicker has never looked so good now that Arrow Video brings Basket Case to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. For this review we were issued only a check disc, not a full retail edition. Fans can expect to enjoy a standard black case with slipcover and reversible insert art. What appears to be the same booklet as before (albeit updated with new information about the transfer), and a reproduction poster. When we get hands on a full retail version well circle back and update these details. A single-disc release, the 4K is pressed on a BD-100 disc. The disc loads to the same animated main menu as the previous Blu-ray with standard navigation options.

NOTE - as of this writing we havent been able to pull 4K disc-sourced images. All images are from the 2018 Blu-ray. When we can well try to update with new pics and/or video sample.
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Eid 2024 Moon Sighting in Saudi Arabia Monday April 08

Eid al Fitr 2024 celebrations in Saudi Arabia will commence on Tuesday April 09, 2024 if the new moon is spotted in the Kingdom on Monday.

Saturday April 6, 2024 0:42 AM , ummid.com News Network

Makkah: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and neighbouring Arab states are set to spot the New Moon of the month of Shawwal  which marks the beginning of Eid al Fitr and end of the Holy Month of fasting, on Monday 29th of Ramadan 1445 AH corresponding to April 08, 2024.

The Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Moon Sighting Committee and Religious Authorities in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and other Arab countries every year issue appeal to citizens and residents to search for the crescent of Shawwal 1445 H on the evening of Monday, 29th Ramadan 1445 AH according to Umm Al Qura Calendar corresponding to April 08, 2024 and report accordingly.

As per the normal practice, Saudi Supreme Courts special session will sit and deliberate on Monday evening the results of the crescent search and will issue a decision shortly after Maghrib Prayers.

Saudi Arabia's Moon observations are made from Sudair and Tumair, and sightings from these cities are part of the official decision.

How Eid Moon is confirmed

Islamic Calendar is based on lunar system. Under this system, a new month begins with sighting of moon on 29th of every month. If the crescent is spotted on 29th, the prevailing month ends and the new month begin on the next day.

However, if the moon is not spotted on 29th, the next day is counted as the 30th day of the prevailing month and the new month starts a day later.

Accordingly, Eid al Fitr celebrations in Saudi Arabia will commence on Tuesday April 09, 2024 if the New Moon is spotted in the Kingdom on Monday April 08, 2024. Else, the first day of Eid will be Wednesday April 10, 2024.

As for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, also for Turkey, Egypt and Palestine, Eid al Fitr is normally celebrated along with Saudi Arabia.

Though these countries have their own observatories and moon committees, they normally go with the announcement made by Saudi Arabia.

Eid al Fitr 2024 Moon Sighting in other countries

Muslims in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries will spot the Eid Moon on Tuesday April 09, 2024.

Similarly, Muslims in the United States (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, France, Germany and other countries too will celebrate Eid al Fitr either on Tuesday April 09 or Wednesday April 10, 2024.

The final decision will be taken on Monday April 08, 2024 by the moon sighting committee operating in these countries.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine and other Arab countries have announced Eid holidays that start from this Sunday.

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Relief for thousands of students as SC stays HC crackdown on Madrasa Education



In a major relief for thousands of students currently enrolled in different Madrasa or Islamic seminaries in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court of India Friday stayed the Allahabad High Court order quashing the UP Board of Madrasa Education Act.

Friday April 5, 2024 11:48 PM , ummid.com with inputs from Agencies

New Delhi: In a major relief for thousands of students currently enrolled in different Madrasa or Islamic seminaries in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court of India Friday stayed the Allahabad High Court order quashing the UP Board of Madrasa Education Act.

The Allahabad High Court had on March 22, 2024 termed the UP Madrasa board unconstitutional. The High Court also asked the state government to shift all Madrasa students to state or CBSE affiliated schools.

The Allahabad HC verdict had left some 16,500 Madrasas running in different parts of Uttar Pradesh with no option but to shut down operations.

The Supreme Court order Friday however brought a timely relief for the Madrasa students in UP.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.
South Korea's top diplomat has discussed support to Ukraine and the ongoing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting, his ministry said Friday.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul pledged to continue support to Ukraine at a session involving representatives of NATO's Indo-Pacific partner countries, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand, in Brussels on Thursday (local time), according to the ministry.

Cho said Seoul plans to provide a US$2.3 billion mid- to long-term aid package to Ukraine starting this year and offer $12 million for rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers through a NATO trust fund for assistance to Ukraine.

Cho also said North Korea's weapons support to Russia impacts not only Europe's security but also that of the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region, adding that Moscow's military technology transfers and supply of refined oil to Pyongyang will threaten the global nonproliferation regime.

Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened military ties since the summit between their leaders at a Russian space port last September. The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of delivering arms to Russia to fuel its war on Ukraine.

Cho criticized Russia's recent veto at the U.N. Security Council against extending the mandate of a panel to monitor sanctions on North Korea, likening it to destroying a surveillance camera to prevent a criminal from being arrested, according to the ministry.

The minister vowed to strengthen the partnership with NATO, and the alliance's members shared the view on the importance of cooperation with Indo-Pacific partner countries to effectively deal with transnational security threats, it said. (Yonhap)
Dear Interested Parties,

Vietnam Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Project (IPS-C) intends to award a subcontract to consult and assist Tien Thinh to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and improve overall performance by systematically redesigning the existing business management process system. Tien Thinh will also utilize the outcomes as input for the implementation of a Manufacturing Executive System (MES).

Background

Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC) is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) technical assistance project, and the Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is the project owner. The project is implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP (Deloitte) and runs from 2020 to 2025.

The purpose of the USAID IPSC Activity is to remove constraints and build the competitiveness of small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Vietnam, including those led by vulnerable populations. With this activity, USAID/Vietnam is supporting Vietnams competitiveness: vertically at the policy, market, and firm level; and horizontally by working along the entire spectrum of enterprise growth models, from household businesses transforming into registered firms to small firms on the cusp of scaling up.

Summary of Activities

IPSC collaborates closely with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) counterparts, including the project owner, AED, under MPI. IPSC and AED develop strategies for sector selection, geographic focus, and SGB engagement, and engage a broad range of market actors across the economy that make up the SGB ecosystem, including SGBs, cooperatives, and household businesses (HBs); business chambers, associations, and business development service providers (BDSPs); GVN Ministries and Agencies, provincial and local administrations; and private sector consultants, training institutions, and financial institutions. Using incentives and cost-sharing with SGBs, pioneering enterprises (PEs), and other partners, IPSC builds both greater demand and supply of business development services (BDS), while improving providers capacity to understand and offer services desired in the marketplace.

One of IPSCs main objectives is supporting Vietnamese enterprises to receive customized technical assistance under the overall support package Pioneering Enterprise (PE) Program to create products with added value and Vietnamese intellectual property, nurturing them to become sustainable models for other SGBs to emulate and scale up proven examples. A PE is a growing Vietnamese enterprise with Vietnamese-branded products, sufficient competitiveness, the ability to lead and expand in the industry, sector, and locality, strong management capacity, and willingness to innovate and produce products with high added value, with the vision and objective to build a Vietnamese brand in international markets. Positioning the Made by Vietnam product brand successfully in regional and international markets is a priority for PEs.

Each support package will be customized for the individual PE, depending on their situation, needs, development capacity, commitment to participate, and willingness to co-invest. The support packages will focus on facilitating BDSPs and technical experts to deliver consulting services and specialized training to help enterprises strengthen their governance, management capability, and strategies (including strategy development, business model refinement, brand positioning, marketing, innovation, communications, and human resource development). IPSC will develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each supporting package so PEs can quantify the results achieved and evaluate the effectiveness of the results.

Tien Thinh Co., Ltd (TTH) was established in 1986 and has more than 30 years of experience in the production of copper and aluminum electric wires, LITZ wires, and USTC wires with the highest quality certified by ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, UL, and ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive). The enterprise possesses a contemporary factory equipped with cutting-edge production lines and facilities adhering to international standards. It stands as the sole entity in Southeast Asia capable of manufacturing remarkably fine aluminum wire, ranging from 0.15 to 3.5 mm in diameter. TTH is supplying electric wires to prominent multinational electronics and telecommunications conglomerates like Sumitomo, Bosch, GE, Samsung, Toyota, etc. The company also directly exports to markets such as India and Taiwan. With an eye on expansion, TTH consistently explores opportunities to broaden its presence in Asia, Africa, and South America.

Tien Thinh aims to become the largest enterprise in Southeast Asia specializing in manufacturing wires for the electrical equipment sector by the year 2025. In line with this vision, IPSC will support Tien Thinh in executing an initiative within the framework of IPSC's technical assistance, as outlined in the approved MoU  Optimize business management process system.

Eligibility Requirements

Qualified firms must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

Vietnamese registered firm.

Possess over 05 years of experience in consulting aimed at enhancing and establishing standardized production processes for businesses.

Have strong experience in working with large scale manufacturing company. In-depth understanding of the manufacturing and electrical equipment sectors, with specific insights into wire production processes is preferred.

Has a team of experts, each with a minimum of 10 years of proficiency in various facets of production and manufacturing, profound continuous improvement, consulting and practical management experience.

Familiarity with Manufacturing Executive Systems (MES) or similar technologies is preferred.

Have a proven track record of successfully assisting other companies in optimizing and standardizing their business administration processes. Two (2) references that can verify past successes are required.

Possess excellent communication skills to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among all stakeholders.

Interested vendors should provide an Intent to Bid, expressing the intent of the vendor to submit a proposal for this requirement, by 9:00 pm Hanoi time on April 15, 2024, to Amanda Mays at ammays@deloitte.com and Tuan Tran Anh tuantran@ipsc.vn

IPS-C intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to interested vendors by April 22, 2024.
BAC LIEU  With available potential and advantages, the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu has been developing many shrimp farming models applying high technology, being environmentally friendly, enhancing the value chain and becoming a leading locality in the country in this field.

To aim for sustainable development and environmental protection, the provincial government always raises awareness of the importance of protecting the environment among businesses and shrimp farmers.

Pham Minh Sang, a shrimp farmer in Bac Lieu, said since 2010, he has invested in switching to a super-intensive shrimp farming model applying technology that generates electricity via biogas and deals with sludge effectively.

The closed-cycle shrimp farm model, in which sludge and other organic waste from shrimp ponds are mixed and fed into a methane fermenter to produce biogas, which is desulfurised to generate electricity.

This model can help farming households ensure good farming environment and limit emissions into the environment.

The amount of emissions during shrimp breeding is very high, so farming households need to have a Biogas digester. When the water environment in the farming area is effectively treated, productivity will increase, Sang said.

Truong Kieu Diem, a shrimp farmer in ong Hai District, said the Biogas model also takes advantage of the gas source from Biogas to generate electricity.

Currently, the provincial government is promoting the development of many super-intensive shrimp farming models that apply high technology.

Super-intensive shrimp farming is considered to have many outstanding advantages. This is a model with a success rate of over 70 per cent, an average yield of more than 22 tonnes per hectare per year, short farming time and guaranteed shrimp quality.

This model thrives in coastal areas such as Bac Lieu City, Hoa Binh, ong Hai and Gia Rai districts.

Although there are many outstanding advantages, super-intensive shrimp farming requires high investment capital. Therefore, not many shrimp farmers can pursue it.

Environmental issues are also a significant obstacle. Because super-intensive shrimp farming uses a large amount of water and food sources, large amounts of untreated waste discharged into the environment will cause serious pollution.

Ta Hoang Nhiem, chairman of the Bac Lieu Province Shrimp Association, said currently, the super-intensive shrimp farming model applying high technology is very effective. But the amount of waste released into the environment is huge.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop and apply shrimp farming according to the water circulation process, both ensuring the environment and bringing economic benefits to farmers.

Nguyen Trong Han, Deputy Chairman of the People's Committee of ong Hai District, said Biogas digesters have been built for 248 super-intensive shrimp farming places in the district, with the support of ActionAid Viet Nam and Bread for the World (BfdW). Thereby, it is contributing to solving environmental problems.

Nguyen Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that to achieve sustainability goals, aquaculture activities need to be strictly managed to minimise negative impacts on the environment.

In addition to developing intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming models, Bac Lieu is also focusing on developing types of shrimp farming that reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as shrimp-rice and shrimp-forest farming models.

According to the provincial People's Committee, in 2023, its export turnover is estimated to reach US$1 billion for the first time, an increase of 17.21 per cent over the same period. Of which, shrimp exports reached US$973.6 million, an increase of 17.26 per cent over 2022.

According to Chairman of Bac Lieu Provincial People's Committee Pham Van Thieu, the locality has three main export products, which are shrimp, rice and salt.

Among them, the main export product is shrimp, accounting for over 95 per cent of the province's export turnover.

The province's goal is to reach $1.3 billion in shrimp exports by 2025 and $1.7 billion by 2030.

Currently, there are 48 export seafood processing factories in the province, with modern equipment lines and a designed processing capacity of about 294,000 tonnes per year. Shrimp products have been processed to meet standards and penetrated demanding markets such as the US, Japan, EU, China and South Korea.

With the goal of building Bac Lieu to soon become "The shrimp industry hub of the country", the province is aiming to create the brand "Bac Lieu clean shrimp" and develop the value chain of its shrimp industry in the future.

In the coming time, Bac Lieu has identified high-tech shrimp farming models as its main development direction.

Accordingly, Bac Lieu will promote the application of science and technology in seafood production linked with environmental protection to increase productivity, quality and sustainable development. VNS
HA NOI  Import turnover of completely built-up (CBU) cars in March increased by 55.4 per cent in volume and 41.4 per cent in value compared to the previous month.

A preliminary report from the General Statistics Office (GSO) said that Viet Nam imported about 15,000 CBU cars in March with a value of US$287 million.

However, this import decreased slightly by 1.7 per cent in volume and 18.8 per cent in value compared to the figures in March 2023.

The strong recovery in CBU car import in March was due to the car import in February falling sharply when businesses stopped all import-export activities during the seven-day Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Those numbers in February reached 9,650 units in volume and $203 million in value.

Thus, CBU car import turnover in March had a strong recovery despite the market situation not showing clear positive signals.

Positive signals from the economic recovery are bringing back higher expectations of domestic car demand.

The CBU car import is expected to continuously recover in the second quarter of 2024.

After the Tet holiday, the Vietnamese auto market welcomed many new car models, mainly imported cars.

GSO also reported that the total import of CBU cars in the first three months of 2024 was estimated at 31,452 units worth $632 million, down 25.1 per cent in volume and 31.7 per cent in value year on year.

This was still a very low turnover compared to 2023, before the market fell into a period of deep decline in demand.  VNS
HA NOI  Current rallies in the global oil market, which are likely to push prices to higher levels than expected, are seen as a positive driver for domestic oil and gas stocks.

The Mercantile Exchange of Vietnam (MXV) reported that natural gas rose over 4 per cent in the first trading day of April, making it the top-performing commodity in the market.

Meanwhile, oil prices maintained their upward momentum, reaching the highest level in the past five months, as signals pointed to tighter supplies.

On Thursday, Brent futures for June hovered at a five-month high, trading at US$89.19 a barrel.

According to a survey conducted by Reuters, the oil production of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decreased by 50,000 barrels per day in March compared to February, resulting in a daily output of 26.42 million barrels.

The largest reduction in production came from Iraq and Nigeria. Nigeria saw a substantial decline in exports to meet the domestic demand for the Dangote oil refinery.

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia may also raise the official selling price (OSP) for flagship Arab Light crude in May, Reuters reported. This reflects the shortage of supply in the market.

On the other hand, several positive macroeconomic signals are driving purchasing momentum in the crude oil market.

The National Bureau of Statistics of China recently said that Chinas manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was 50.8 in March, bouncing back to the expansion zone from 49.1 in February. This marked the first expansion in factory operations in China in the past five months.

Similarly, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) report showed that the US Manufacturing PMI for March unexpectedly reached 50.3, surpassing the forecasted level of 48.5 and the February reading of 47.8.

These developments contribute to positive expectations regarding energy consumption in the world's two largest economies.

Yuanta Securities Vietnam said that oil prices are likely to continue expanding to higher levels, with a midterm expectation of $95.35 per barrel, as OPEC and its allies, including Russia, also known as OPEC+, kept oil supply policy unchanged on Wednesday amid political tensions in Ukraine.

Based on the monthly chart, Yuanta Vietnam reported that the Oil and Gas Services group index is currently in the third wave of a robust and prolonged upward trend.

The securities firm told investors to prioritise buying and holding positions.

Given their supportive factors and the strong performance of oil and gas companies, analysts see PVDrilling (PVD) and PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PVS) as two noteworthy stocks in the industry.

Particularly, PVS stock has emerged as a promising name after surpassing a remarkable peak on April 1 and continuing its ascent to a new milestone of VN43,700 per share on April 2, following positive oil price news.

The gain also helped PVS's market capitalisation reach a new record of nearly VN20 trillion, up 63 per cent in just one year, making it the most valuable stock on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HoSE). The company ended Thursday at VN42,900 a share.

Its strong rallies were driven by the companys impressive business performance last year.

PVSs audited consolidated financial statements showed that the companys net profit increased by 12 per cent year-on-year in 2023 to VN1.06 trillion, the highest since 2016. This marked the first time since the period of 2014-2015 that PVSs profit has exceeded VN1 trillion.

The long-term focus is on the mega-project Lot B - O Mon with a scale of $12 billion. The project is expected to significantly boost the domestic oil and gas industry as well as PVS.

In a recent report, Vietcap Securities (VCSC) increased the target price for PVS shares by an additional 12 per cent to VN47,800 per share.

For PVDrilling, VCBS forecasts a 15 per cent growth in revenue to VN6.75 trillion in 2024 compared to 2023. The net profit after tax is expected to be VN559 billion, reflecting a 3.5 per cent increase.  VNS
AN GIANG  After nearly 10 years of negotiating, dozens of tonnes of Vietnamese mangos farmed in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have been exported to Australia, the US and the Republic of Korea, which is a stepping stone for the product to enter more choosy markets.

With 70% of its area being alluvial land, An Giang has favourable conditions to promote agricultural industry, which is a key pillar in the local economic development.

Among major local agricultural products, mango has made great contributions to the growth of the provinces agricultural sector.

Currently, An Giang has 19,700 hectares of fruit farms, with nearly 12,633 hectares of mangos with an output of 225,000 tonnes per year. Major mango farming hubs of An Giang are Cho Moi district, with 6,400 hectares, and An Phu 1,800 hectares.

Nguyen Si Lam, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the provinces agricultural sector pledges to assist local businesses, organisations and farmers in building a stable material region and developing a sustainable value chain to serve exports.

The province will speed up the granting of codes for mango farming areas to increase export volume, according to Lam.

An Giang will call on businesses to link up together in producing and selling mangos, while encouraging farmers to engage in collective economy, enhancing the efficiency of mango farming cooperatives, especially those meeting GlobalGAP standards and operating effectively, he said.

The official underlined that the province will increase coordination between export processing facilities with cooperatives and cooperative groups to ship more processed products to choosy markets such as the US and Europe.

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy said that the province will strengthen the application of science and technology in mango production, while renovating the production process towards safe, VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, using biological, organic and microbial fertilisers.

Meanwhile, An Giang authorities will increase supervision and inspection to control pesticide residue on mangos, and develop more planting area codes, the official underscored, adding that the efforts aim to ensure quantity, quality, safety and traceability of mango products for export.  VNS
HA NOI  The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has proposed the creation of a shared database by local governments for the number of foreign homeowners of independent houses under their jurisdiction.

The 2023 Housing Law stipulates that foreign owners cannot exceed more than 30 per cent of the total number of units in an apartment complex and not more than 250 independent houses in an area of 10,000 residents.

Once the limit is reached in an area, all subsequent property projects must be informed that no more independent houses can be sold to foreigners. In order to strictly enforce this rule, a comprehensive database is required to keep developers and buyers updated on the number of available houses in the area.

The chamber said developers, before executing any sales, lease, or gift contracts to foreigners, must verify first with the local governments database to see if they can be authorised. Following contract signings, developers must promptly notify the local housing management agency of the transactions so that the database can be updated.

Regarding apartments, the chamber said it is not necessary to keep a database because developers already know the 30 per cent cap for their projects.  VNS
WASHINGTON  Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai on Thursday held separate meetings with some US officials and businesspeople following the 2024 Vietnam Executive Leadership Programme (VELP) held in Boston, the US.

The Deputy PM met with Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden for International Climate Policy John Podesta, head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Nisha Biswal.

Meeting Podesta, Khai affirmed that Viet Nam wishes to cooperate with the US to realise its climate commitments within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and its net-zero emission target by 2050.

Podesta pledged that the US will further support Viet Nam's climate efforts, especially in clean energy development and the transfer of renewable energy technology.

The US will also continue its financial and technological assistance to Viet Nam through multilateral mechanisms, including the JETP.

At the meeting with Bernstein, the Deputy PM held that the Viet Nam-US comprehensive strategic partnership, established in September 2023, has created more room and momentum for the two countries to enhance their cooperation in various fields, and suggested they continue implementing the partnership effectively.

Expressing his pleasure at the development of Viet Nam-US ties, especially in economy, trade and investment, Bernstein stressed that the US will facilitate the enhancement of bilateral cooperation in the time ahead.

Receiving DFC Deputy Chief Executive Officer Biswal, the Vietnamese official said the DFCs priorities match Viet Nam's, and suggested it maintain its support for the Southeast Asian nation in infrastructure, renewable energy, science-technology and innovation.

Biswal said the DFC is working to expand its operation in Viet Nam, as recommended by President Joe Biden, adding Viet Nam is one of the leading partners of the corporation in the region and the DFC has increased its investment in the country from US$15 million to $750 million over the past time.

She emphasised that many cooperation projects between DFC and Viet Nam have been implemented effectively, and promised to promote private investment in Viet Nam.

At the roundtable, co-chaired by the US Chamber of Commerce (USCC) and the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) with the participation of nearly 30 leading US enterprises, Khai stressed that the comprehensive strategic partnership will facilitate US investment in Viet Nam.

USABC President & CEO Ted Osius said US businesses are excited at the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. He appreciated the Vietnamese Governments management and called on Viet Nam to continue improving policies and institutions to attract more US enterprises, especially those in technology, renewable energy, health care and aviation.

Meeting John Neuffer, President and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), Khai highly valued the SIAs efforts to boost cooperation with Viet Nam in semiconductor development, saying the country is building legal corridors to facilitate collaboration in the field with other countries, including the US.

Neuffer, for his part, commended the Vietnamese Governments work to facilitate the semiconductor industry, as well as the countrys attention to high-quality personnel training and transition towards renewable energy.

He hoped that Viet Nam will create more optimal conditions for the SIAs member companies, and committed to supporting the country in the sector in the time ahead.

Representatives from such US businesses as Intel, Dell, Apple and Boeing shared the view that Viet Nam is among the highest potential markets in the region, saying US enterprises are increasingly interested in the country and plan long-term operation there.  VNS
HA NOI  A conference on promoting commerce, investment and trade connectivity between Vietnam and Chinas Sichuan province was held in Ha Noi on April 5, providing an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation and import-export of farm produce, aquatic products, and pharmaceutical materials.

Attending the conference were representatives from 15 Chinese enterprises and 60 Vietnamese firms operating in various sectors such as manufacturing, import-export, agriculture, pharmaceutical materials, food processing, logistics, construction, and investment.

In his opening speech, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Le Hoang Tai described the event as one of the concrete activities to implement Vietnamese and Chinese high-ranking leaders' directions on deepening practical cooperation.

Tai noted economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and the Chinese province of Sichuan has yet to fully reflect the potential of both sides.

Official statistics showed that last year, trade between the two sides only reached 11 billion USD, accounting for a very modest proportion of the two countries total value.

Lei Xuejie, Vice President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Sichuan Council, said the provincial delegation's current visit to Vietnam mainly aims to participate in an international trade fair held in Hanoi, which features over 30 professionally organised sessions covering such fields as electronics, healthcare, food, and biotechnological infrastructure.

Sichuan will continue to enhance related promotion, connectivity, and cooperation based on the two sides mutual needs, she said.

Lei noted the conference was an opportunity for both sides to achieve their economic goals.  VNS
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Thursday that Seoul's financial contributions to the stationing of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) represent a "powerful investment" in the bilateral alliance and more than 90 percent of them are spent in Korea's economy.

The remarks came as Seoul and Washington are gearing up for negotiations on a new cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), to determine how much Korea will pay for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong USFK.

Seoul officials have said that the two countries will likely hold talks on the 12th SMA in the near future as the current six-year SMA is set to expire at the end of next year.

"More than 90 percent of these contributions are expended in the ROK's domestic economy, and they represent a powerful investment in the U.S.-ROK alliance," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. ROK stands for Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The official noted that since 1991, SMAs have "reflected our shared commitment to a stable stationing environment for U.S. forces in the Republic of Korea and a robust combined defense posture."

"Our consultations renewing the SMA underlines the enduring vitality of the U.S.-ROK alliance," the spokesperson said, casting the alliance as the "linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity for Northeast Asia, the broader Indo-Pacific, and beyond."

Asked about when the negotiations will commence, the official said that Korean and U.S. lead negotiators will jointly determine the timing of the meetings.

Last month, Seoul and Washington announced their chief SMA negotiators  Lee Tae-woo, a senior diplomat and former consul general in Sydney, and Linda Specht, a senior adviser and lead negotiator for security agreements at the State Department, respectively.

"The Department of Defense has requested that the Department of State begin the consultation process. We are currently preparing for consultations," the official said.

Observers have said that Seoul and Washington have sought to resume SMA talks earlier than usual amid concerns that should former President Donald Trump be reelected, he could drive a hard bargain over a new SMA in a way that could cause friction in the alliance.

During Trump's presidency, the SMA negotiation was a major bone of contention as he demanded a hefty rise in Korea's share of the cost for USFK. He reportedly called for a fivefold increase to $5 billion.

Since 1991, Seoul has partially shouldered costs under the SMA for Korean USFK workers; the construction of military installations, such as barracks, and training, educational, operational and communications facilities; and other logistical support. (Yonhap)
HA NOI  The Institute of South Asian, West Asian and African Studies (ISAWAAS) under the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) hosted a Happy Iftar Day in Ha Noi on April 3, bringing together representatives of Muslim countries embassies in Viet Nam.

The event aimed to promote mutual understanding between Viet Nam and Muslim countries.

Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan month  the holiest time for Muslims, which falls on the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, or between March and June each year. During this month, Muslims observe two main meals each day, including Suhoor and Iftar.

This is the third consecutive year ISAWAAS has organised the Iftar event, helping to popularise humanitarian values of Muslims, strengthen cultural exchange and raise public awareness of Islamic culture, Iftar, and Halal practices.

According to ISAWAAS Director Prof. Le Phuoc Minh, in the context of extensive international economic integration and development, it is necessary to foster cultural exchanges between countries to promote understanding and friendliness, towards positive outcomes in multilateral cooperation.

The Islamic culture, with its distinctive features, especially Iftar or Ramadan, is not only about the beauty of love, compassion, sharing, forgiveness, and no distinction between the rich and the poor, but also reflects the strong determination of Muslims, he stressed.

Minh underlined the need for Vietnamese people to understand more about the Islamic culture in general, and Iftar and Ramadan practices in particular, thus enhancing relations with Muslim countries and opening up a promising Halal market.

Moroccan Ambassador to Viet Nam Jamale Chouaibi highly valued the initiative to organise the Iftar Day, saying that this demonstrates Viet Nam's adherence to the principles of tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and mutual respect among religious communities as well as the Southeast Asian countrys determination to strengthen and preserve social cohesion. VNA/VNS
HA NOI  As the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) commemorates its 100th anniversary in 2030, a mammoth publication project is underway to compile and release a complete collection of Party documents spanning nearly a century.

This ambitious undertaking was detailed at a working session in Ha Noi on April 4, chaired by Truong Thi Mai, permanent member of the CPV Central Committees Secretariat and Head of the Committees Organisation Commission.

The colossal collection will comprise 80 volumes, with 70 volumes restructuring and re-publishing nearly 1,800 documents between 1924 and 2010.

The remaining 10 volumes will unveil previously unpublished materials from 2011 to 2020, including resolutions, directives, speeches, and correspondence from top Party leadership.

This comprehensive compendium aims to chronicle the Party's formation, evolution, guiding principles, and policy decisions across all spheres of governance.

According to officials, the collection will serve as an invaluable resource for scholarly research and analysis of the Party's historical trajectory.

Mai commended the efforts of the Party's Office, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, and the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House in undertaking this monumental project.  VNS
BEIJING  The coming official visit to China by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong inh Hue is crucial to maintaining high-level exchanges, upholding the strategic orientations for bilateral relations, and realising the common perceptions shared by the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, said Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai.

The visit from April 7 to 12, to be made at the invitation of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China (NPC) Zhao Leji, will be the first trip to China by Hue as the top legislator of Viet Nam.

It will also be the first in-person meeting between the leaders of the legislative bodies since the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The trip follows a state visit to Viet Nam by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in December 2023 during which the two sides issued a joint statement on continuing to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a Viet Nam - China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, Mai told the media.

Stressing the importance of this visit, he said it affirms that Viet Nam considers relations with China as the top priority and a strategic choice in its foreign policy.

The visit also aims to carry out the six major cooperation orientations of the two countries, especially promoting higher political trust and consolidating a more solid social foundation for bilateral relations, thereby helping elevate the Viet Nam - China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for the sake of the two peoples as well as for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

As the relations between the Vietnamese NA and the Chinese NPC have been unceasingly reinforced and developing, the visit will help intensify and boost the effectiveness of cooperation between the countries legislative bodies while affirming the critical importance of parliamentary diplomacy to the development of Viet Nam, he went on.

Talking about bilateral ties over the recent past, the ambassador noted thanks to common efforts, relations between the two Parties and the two countries have continued growing well and obtaining many important achievements in all spheres.

Mai highlighted increased exchanges at all levels, and continuously deepened economic, trade, and investment links that have become a bright spot in the two countries' relationship, along with tangible results in other fields like culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people interaction, helping strengthen the social foundation for relations.

In addition, Viet Nam and China have harvested numerous accomplishments in the building of a land border of peace, friendship, and cooperation, contributing to socio-economic development in border localities.

They have made efforts to sustain discussion and control sea-related differences in conformity with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The two sides have also actively carried out the negotiation mechanisms on sea-related issues, stepped up the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and strived to build a substantive, efficient, and effective code of conduct (COC) in the waters to help ensure peace and stability in the East Sea and the region, according to the diplomat.

He expressed his hope that through Chairman Hues visit, relations between the two Parties, countries, and parliaments will continue developing to help produce tangible outcomes and new contents of the Viet Nam - China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Sharing of legislative experiences will be also increased while the social foundation consolidated and mutual understanding between the two peoples fostered.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam places great importance on the long-term relations of unity and mutual support with Cambodia, said the Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue during phone talks with Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday.

Viet Nam and its National Assembly (NA) applaud the achievements of the Cambodian Peoples Party, State and people, and give priority to improving the sustainable and comprehensive cooperation with the neighbouring country, he said.

On behalf of Viet Nams Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and high-level leaders, the Vietnamese top legislator extended his congratulations on Cambodias recent senate election resulting in a landslide victory for the Cambodian Peoples Party and Samdech Techo Hun Sen as the president of the senate.

He hoped that in this position, the Cambodian leader would guide the country to more achievements in growth and development, successfully execute the Political Platform of the Cambodian Peoples Party for the 2023-28 period and the Pentagonal Strategy-Phase 1.

These measures aim to turn Cambodia into an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.

History has proved that unity, solidarity, cooperation and mutual support are the most important factors for each countrys security and development, NA Chairman Hue said.

In a high-level meeting in September last year, the Party leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam also emphasised continuing these long-standing ties to the next generations, he added.

Expressing his gratitude for the congratulations from the Vietnamese leaders, Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed high regard for the relationship between the two countries legislative bodies.

He added that following the successful visit of NA Chairman Hue in 2022, the two countries have organised multiple delegation exchanges at all levels, notably the first Cambodia-Laos-Viet Nam Parliamentary Summit chaired by their top legislators in December 2023.

Reiterating the progress in Viet Nam-Cambodia relations, Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen believed that in the current regional and global contexts, the two countries need to strengthen their cooperation in which their legislative bodies play an exceptionally important role.

NA Chairman Hue requested that the Cambodian leader continue directing the legislative bodys committees in working with their counterparts in the Vietnamese NA to establish legal frameworks allowing for better cooperation across all sectors.

In addition to Cambodias priority policies towards Viet Nam, Hue expressed his wish that the Cambodian Senate will also supervise and facilitate the implementation of high-level agreements between the two countries, as well as promoting economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The two countries will also support each other in regional and international issues of mutual interest, especially in interparliamentary forums such as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum and Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Viet Nam also looks forward to collaborating with the Cambodian government in border demarcation, particularly in regard to the 16 per cent of the borderline between the two countries not yet demarcated.

Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen said Cambodia will also encourage effective and comprehensive cooperation between border localities for strengthening security and addressing law violations, especially in preventing the illegal drug trade.

NA Chairman Hue extends his invitation to the Cambodian leader to visit Viet Nam in his capacity as Senate President in 2024, alongside other high-level leaders of the Cambodian legislative body.  VNS
HA NOI  On the occasion of the Bunpimay Festival of Laos and the Chol Chnam Thmay Festival of Cambodia, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong has sent letters and flowers of greetings to General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, and President of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and President of the Cambodian Senate Hun Sen.

In the letter sent to Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary Trong wished the Party and State leaders and people of Laos a new year of good health, happiness, peace, prosperity, as well as new successes.

He wrote that the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam wish to congratulate Laos on its significant achievements gained over the recent past, and firmly believe that under the LPRPs leadership, the Governments governance, and the National Assemblys supervision, Laos will surmount difficulties to continue obtain new and greater achievements in reforms, properly implement the resolution of the 11th National LPRP Congress, and successfully organise all-level congresses towards the 12th National LPRP Congress.

Viet Nam supports Laoss fulfillment of the chairmanship of ASEAN and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2024 to help raise the stature of Laos in the region and the world, he noted.

The CPV chief added the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam are extremely pleased that the two countries great friendship and special solidarity have been growing in an increasingly result-oriented and effective manner in various fields, thereby generating tangible benefits for people in each country and helping to firmly maintain peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

In his greeting letter sent to CPP President and President of the Cambodian Senate Hun Sen, Party General Secretary Trong wished Hun Sen and leaders of the CPP, the State and people of Cambodia a new year of good health, happiness, peace, prosperity, as well as new successes.

The CPV leader congratulated Hun Sen on his election as the President of the Cambodian Senate in the 2024-2030 tenure, expressing his belief that Hun Sen will excellently complete all of his noble tasks.

The Party, State and people of Viet Nam congratulate Cambodia on great and important achievements across all fields over the years, he stated.

He underlined his belief that under the wise reign of King Norodom Sihamoni, the leadership of the Senate, the National Assembly and the governance of the Government of Cambodia with the CPP as the core, Cambodian people will continue to gain many new and enormous achievements during the cause of national defence, construction and development. They will successfully implement the CPP Platform for the 2023-2028 period, and successfully organise the election of the 4-tenure capital, provincial, municipal and district council election.

The Party, State and people of Viet Nam are very delighted at the growing Viet Nam-Cambodia relations. Viet Nam will do its best together with Cambodia to protect, maintain and reinforce the sound relationship between the two Parties, States and peoples, making it deeper, more substantial and effective across all fields for the prosperity and happiness of the people of the two countries, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, read the letter.

On the occasion, Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, standing member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat and head of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission, sent her greeting flowers to Bounthong Chitmany, Politburo member, permanent member of the LPRP Central Committees Secretariat and Vice President of Laos, and Sisay Leudetmounsone, Politburo member, Secretary of the LPRP Central Committee and head of its Organisation Commission, as well as to Say Chhum, CPP Vice President and Chairman of the Standing Board of the CPP Central Committee.

At the same time, head of the Party Central Committees Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung extended his greetings to his respective Lao and Cambodian counterparts, Thongsavanh Phomvihane and Prak Sokhonn.  VNS
BEIJING  The coming official visit to China by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong inh Hue holds great importance for outlining orientations of the relations between the two countries, said Wei Wei, head of the Vietnamese-language department under Chinas central TV and radio station.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the significance of the Vietnamese top legislators visit, Wei said that after the success of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of China Xi Jinpings state visit to Viet Nam in December last year, the bilateral relationship has entered its best period.

The new positioning of relations between the two parties as well as between the two countries announced in the Chinese leaders visit is not only consistent with the common interests of the two parties, governments, and peoples of the two countries, but also benefits peace and development of the region and the world, Wei said.

Amidst increasingly complex and unstable international and regional situations with growing negative impacts on global politics and economy, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Viet Nam and China has developed stably, achieving many important and comprehensive outcomes, he noted.

Cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese localities has experienced a strong resurgence and recorded positive advancements after the reciprocal visits of the two countries high-level leaders and exchanges across various channels, he added.

Wei stressed that the continuous deepening and upgrading of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries will significantly contribute to the happiness of their peoples, and peace and progress of the mankind, he said.

Both countries are at a crucial stage in reform and development, so implementing win-win cooperation based on existing advantages is also a practical demand, Wei said.

The two sides should further strengthen cooperation in areas such as connecting industrial chains and supply chains, and green economy, he said, showing his belief that the visit will contribute to promoting win-win cooperation between the two countries in terms of economics, trade, investment, and railway.

Wei emphasised that the relationship between the National People's Congress (NPC) of China and the National Assembly of Viet Nam is an integral part of the Viet Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, that is why the Vietnamese top legislators visit will have a crucial role to play in maintaining good exchanges between the two legislative bodies, as well as promoting exchanges and cooperation at all levels.

According to the expert, the visit will prompt the two countries to jointly study and discuss the improvement and building of the socialist democratic rule of law, and enhance exchanges and cooperation in aspects of democracy, rule of law, and anti-corruption, among others.

It will also help gather common perceptions of circles, consolidate the traditional friendship and strategic trust between the two countries, and solidify the foundation of the people's will in building a Viet Nam-China community with a shared future, Wei went on.  VNS
HA NOI  With the emergence of university-level courses focusing solely on the gaming industry in recent years, Viet Nam is looking forward to a growth boost in the industry for digital economy development in the near future.

According to the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information director general Le Quang Tu Do, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) aims to increase the industrys revenue to US$1 billion in its 2022-27 game development strategy.

Key areas of focus in this plan include expanding the number of businesses in the industry and joint training programmes with educational institutions.

While game design courses have been offered at more than 100 colleges across the world, the major is relatively novel to most universities in Viet Nam.

A majority of the Vietnamese gaming industrys workforce was trained in information technology (IT), software development or graphic design.

In January this year, tech company Sconnect opened its Sconnect Academy of Media Arts (SAMA) which specialises in animation and game design.

Meanwhile, FPT Polytechnic College announced that its two-year game programming course will be open for enrollment starting this admission season.

The Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) is also offering an undergraduate degree in game design this September and is expected to receive 200 students in the first cohort.

Speaking to Kinh te Sai Gon (The Saigon Times) online newspaper, the institute director ang Hoai Bac said educational games are a focus of this programme, which has been designed to keep up with market trends.

It will also provide training in creative thinking and knowledge so that students can enter the global gaming industry workforce.

PTIT is the second higher education institution in the country to offer an undergraduate degree in game design, the first being RMIT University Viet Nam in 2022.

Designed based on a similar course offered at RMIT University in Australia, the programme follows a project-based approach to equip students with skills in various aspects of design and production, including digital project management, programming and scriptwriting.

A survey conducted by RMIT also showed Viet Nams gaming industry is witnessing exponential growth, but significant investment in human resources is required for sustainable industry development.

According to the study, the industry in Viet Nam reached VN12 trillion (US$482 million) in revenue in 2020, more the twice the figure in 2015.

By number of downloads, Viet Nam is among the top 10 game distributors in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, according to a report by the data platform App Annie.

Viet Nam is also considered a major gaming centre in the region with approximately 430,000 game programmers working in local and multinational companies, but there are few designers.

Most of the studios in Viet Nam are operating in a software outsourcing model, carrying out tasks related to graphic design, programming or cloning.

This approach brings back large profits in the short term but does not allow these companies to make a breakthrough in the global market. There is also a lack of designers capable of creating an entire game title on their own from start to finish.

According to an RMIT University Viet Nam representative, many of the locally made games were created without innovative thinking, leading to lacklustre products.

Viet Nam needs to invest and develop a game industry workforce that is capable of identifying and solving problems, elevating the sector to become a pillar of the future digital economy.

Training for designers must equip them with the necessary skills and ability to adapt to the ever-evolving technologies.

Sharing the same perspectives, director of Aptech Computer Education in Viet Nam Chu Tuan Anh said that a thorough game design course must be based on three factors, which are insights into the Vietnamese and international market; industry experts among the teaching staff; and professional opportunities and support for students.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Bao, director general of VTC - a major game distributor in Viet Nam, there is a large demand for human resources in the countrys IT sector, including the gaming industry.

Meanwhile, a gap remains between the capacity of programmers and industry demands, with only 30 per cent of IT students meeting the skill requirements of companies, he added.

With more universities offering degree courses in this field, it is expect that the negative social prejudices on games will change and the workforce demand for the gaming industry will be met.  VNS
HA NOI  An Indian motorcyclist is to be prosecuted for his involvement in a hit-and-run in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The police of Quang Ninh have finished investigating the case and transferred it to the Provincial People's Procuracy for prosecution.

The suspect, Sharma Rohit, a 26-year-old Indian national, was allegedly driving a motorcycle on Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Ha Long City, when he lost control and struck a pedestrian, Chou Man Luan, a Taiwanese woman crossing the street on December 7, 2023.

Tragically, Chou lost her life as a result of the collision. Rather than stopping to assist the victim, Rohit left the scene, leaving Chou unattended.

During the inquiry, Rohit admitted to driving without a valid license.

The police have recommended that Rohit be charged with violating road traffic regulations under Article 260 of the Criminal Code.  VNS
CAN THO  A pilot model of high-quality, low-emission rice production was launched in Thanh An Commune, Vinh Thanh District, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on Friday, opening a project aiming to expand this model to one million hectares across the Mekong Delta by 2030.

The launching ceremony saw the attendance of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the 12 Mekong Delta localities participating in the project, and international organisations, as well as farmers and experts.

The 50-hectare model will apply sustainable farming techniques at Thuan Tien Cooperative in Thanh An Commune.

Director of Thuan Tien Cooperative Nguyen Cao Khai said once the model proves successful, it will be replicated in all of the cooperatives 512 hectares, and other localities.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thai Nghiem said farmers and the local agricultural sector share the hope that cutting-edge farming methods will soon be put in place in Can Tho, contributing to raising rice quality and cutting emissions from cultivation.

Rice output in the Mekong Delta, dubbed the nation's rice granary, has remained stable at 24-25 million tonnes per year, accounting for more than half of the countrys total amount and 90 per cent of its rice exports.

The same day, the MARD launched five demonstration sites on high-quality, low-carbon rice cultivation to train local farmers.

The project has received support from many international organisations and businesses such as the World Bank and the International Rice Research Institute.

IRRI Deputy Director General Joanna Kane-Potaka expressed her hope that through the pilot model, farmers can learn from the experience of experts and partners in low-carbon rice cultivation.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam has much potential to convert production systems from high emission fuels like coal to wood pellets, reducing emissions on a national scale, heard a seminar in Ha Noi on Friday.

Organised by the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association, Vietnam Thermal Science and Technology Association and Forest Trends, the seminar aims to encourage small production facilities that use steam turbines to convert their systems from high-emission fuel sources like coal and oil to low-emission wood pellets.

Steam turbines are used in Viet Nam's industrial production to provide heat, steam and hot water for both light and heavy industries. Meanwhile, biomass (rice husks, wood chips, sawdust and wood pellets) and electricity, gas, oil or coal can be utilised to produce steam.

According to Tran Van Luong, chairman of the Vietnam Thermal Science and Technology Association, about 9,000 industrial boilers are currently in use in Viet Nam.

Coal is used in many establishments to run boiler systems. Converting the coal input of these facilities to cleaner fuel sources has great potential to reduce emissions on a national scale, he said.

In recent years, there has been significant growth in the pellet business in Viet Nam, particularly wood pellets. The pellets are manufactured using waste byproducts from the wood industry, including firewood branches, tree tops, sawdust and shavings.

Approximately five million tonnes, or 95 per cent of the pellets produced in Viet Nam, are exported, mostly to the Korean and Japanese markets. In those countries, coal is mostly replaced by imported pellets as an input fuel for electricity production.

Currently, Viet Nams usage accounts for around 5 per cent of domestic pellet production, primarily in small-scale production facilities' boiler systems.

Luong stated that despites advantages of using pellets, there are still obstacles that enterprises must overcome in order to convert their boilers to biomass. These hurdles include a lack of standards and investment funds for the transformation.

One of the other challenges is that the domestic carbon market has not yet been formed, so it has not created a driving force for businesses to transition, he told the seminar.

To Xuan Phuc, from Forest Trends, said the Vietnamese Government has made a strong commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. There is much potential room for pellet use in the domestic market.

Some companies that export wood claim that when demand in Viet Nam starts to rise quickly, the wood pellet industry will have a chance to grow its market.

Specifically, in 2024 and 2025, the need for pellets in Japan is expected to rise and could triple. In the next two to three years, the supply and demand for this commodity will be balanced if Viet Nam's production capacity is kept at its current level.

In spite of export potential, the manufacture of wood pellets confronts difficulties in controlling product output and quality, as well as future raw material shortages.

Viet Nam exported 4.6 million tonnes of wood pellets in 2023, valued at around US$680 million.  VNS
WASHINGTON - The concerns of the United States and Europe that China's overcapacity in electrical vehicles (EVs) and solar panels could wipe out overseas industries are not backed by data, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

For EVs, the real issue for advanced economies is that Chinese carmakers are more efficient and competitive, thanks to technology, local supply chains, brand-new transport infrastructure, and lower energy and land costs, said the report.

"From the rest of the world's perspective, overcapacity can be felt through lower prices. China's automobile exports, which surged last year as the country overtook Japan as the world's top car exporter, actually became more expensive. That suggests their rising attractiveness isn't due to price cuts," it said.

Chinese companies aren't dumping electric vehicles on global markets at a lower cost either as leading Chinese EVs fetch roughly double on average in Europe than domestically, said the report.

For solar panels, it said there is a possibility that future demand growth could surpass expectations. This potential for underestimation is particularly significant for green goods, as carbon reduction targets may be raised in the years ahead.

It noted that new capacity can often replace older capacity, rather than sitting alongside it when an industry is developing new techniques.

"The old factories are obsolete and any firm that doesn't replace them will likely fail. This is one argument for the sheer levels of planned over-investment," Antoine Vagneur-Jones, an analyst with BloombergNEF, a research organization, told Bloomberg.
South Korea will launch its second military spy satellite next week from a U.S. space center, the defense ministry said Friday, in the latest move to bolster its surveillance on North Korea.

The satellite is scheduled to lift off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, at 7:17 p.m. on April 7 (local time), or 08:17 a.m. on April 8 (South Korean time), on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

It is the second military satellite to be launched under South Korea's plan to acquire five spy satellites by 2025 to better monitor North Korea with a space-based platform.

The first satellite was placed into orbit, equipped with an electro-optical and infrared sensor satellite that can capture detailed images of the Earth's surface. It has sent high-resolution images of central Pyongyang and is expected to enter its full mission phases as early as June.

The four other satellites to be launched are equipped with synthetic aperture radar sensors capable of collecting data regardless of the weather using remote sensing systems.

When operated together, the five satellites are expected to provide regular coverage at about two-hour intervals, according to analysts.

The planned launch comes as North Korea is also making its own efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance capabilities.

Pyongyang successfully launched its first military spy satellite last November and has vowed to launch three more spy satellites this year.

Seoul officials said the North's satellite has been orbiting the Earth but questioned its capability of sending high-resolution images back to the ground station.

The South Korean military said it has been closely monitoring Pyongyang's preparations for a satellite launch at its Tongchang-ri site in the northwestern tip, but no imminent signs have been detected yet. (Yonhap)
HA NOI  Hundreds of thousands of people will be screened for cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases through AI platforms this year, and over 20,000 patients will be advised to undergo testing to assess chronic kidney disease.

This is the aim of the "CAREME" - Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Metabolic Health Care Programme, which was launched by the Viet Nam Young Physicians Association at the National Hospital of Endocrinology in Ha Noi on Friday, to commemorate World Health Day (April 7) and World Kidney Day (March 14).

Ha Anh uc, head of the Office of the Ministry of Health and chairman of the Viet Nam Young Physicians Association (VYPA), said: Among non-communicable diseases, chronic kidney disease is a progressive condition with a high prevalence rate, often undiagnosed and insufficiently addressed."

According to uc, this imposed a burden on patients, families, society, as well as the national healthcare system.

However, the rate of missed diagnosis of chronic kidney disease remained very high, especially in the early stages due to atypical symptoms, with only about 4.5-15.5 per cent of stage 3 chronic kidney disease patients being diagnosed.

The missed diagnosis rate was particularly high among high-risk groups such as those with hypertension and diabetes.

Thus, the "CAREME" programme aims to strengthen and sustain the system of cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic health care through early disease detection, improving quality standards in disease management, enhancing clinical outcomes, and reducing healthcare burdens in Viet Nam.

The programme supported screening platforms and organised health check-ups and disease screening for 1,000 people at risk of cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases at the event.

Additionally, it provided healthcare software installation and chronic disease management for hundreds of people.

The programme of the Young Vietnamese Physicians' Association and its partners will focus on mobilising community participation, specialised units, and organisations to collectively enhance diagnostic capabilities, improve treatment quality, and manage non-communicable chronic diseases through the deployment of digital tools.

It is estimated that there are over 8.7 million adults suffering from chronic kidney disease, accounting for 12.8 per cent of the population in Viet Nam.

Alongside this, the economic cost related to the treatment of chronic kidney disease could amount to billions of dollars each year, accounting for 2.4 - 7.5 per cent of the nation's annual healthcare expenditure, with particularly high costs for dialysis.

In Viet Nam, in 2019, the management costs of chronic kidney disease exceeded the average GDP per capita, with dialysis costs being four times the costs of treating early-stage chronic kidney disease. Early diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease, as well as slowing down the progression of kidney function decline, will bring significant long-term economic benefits while also reducing the burden on the healthcare sector.

Currently, there are over 400 artificial kidney units in the country, providing dialysis services to around 30,000 end-stage kidney disease patients each year, yet only meeting 30 per cent of the nationwide demand for dialysis services.  VNS
The new commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in Korea took office Friday, with a pledge to support the "ironclad" commitment to the alliance between Korea and the U.S.

Lt. Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve replaced Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson as the commander of the Eighth Army and chief of staff of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command during a ceremony at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul.

Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command, as well as senior U.S. and Korean military officials attended the change-of-command ceremony.

"I welcome this opportunity to serve with our ROK allies and will give my full effort in support of the ironclad commitment to the alliance between our nations," LaNeve said at the ceremony, referring to Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

LaNeve previously served as the former commander of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division.

On Monday, Burleson received the Gukseon Medal, the second-highest class in the Order of National Security Merit, from the Korean government in recognition of his service in the country. He is set to retire after 36 years of military service next month. (Yonhap)
What are the critical skills and competencies required for an independent director (ID) to perform effectively on a board?

Having relevant skills and competencies is important, but it is just as important that IDs have personal attributes such as integrity, courage, professionalism, and commitment.

They should accept directorships only for the right reasons and should ask themselves if they would be able to add value to the board and company.

As for skills and competencies, all IDs should have basic financial literacy so that they have at least a basic understanding of financial statements. They need to have or develop a good understanding of the company and business, and keep abreast of trends that may affect the business.

Each ID may bring general or specialised skills to the board, and a good board will strike a balance between generalists and specialists. Among the IDs, it is important that there be someone who has significant experience in that particular industry. Other relevant skills and competencies include traditional ones such as business, accounting, and finance, but other experiences and skills are increasingly useful, such as human capital, sustainability, technology, and innovation.

Boards need to prioritise what are 'must have' skills and competencies versus those that are 'good to have'.

One challenge IDs face is a lack of access to information, independent advice, and resources to do their jobs effectively. They may only be told what management want them to know. They will often be outnumbered by executives and major shareholders on the board. Another challenge is that if they push too hard, they may be removed by major shareholders.

What are the emerging global trends affecting the role of independent directors?

Businesses today navigate through a sea of risks that could disrupt their flow and affect their growth. These risks are diverse, ranging from the rapid advancements in digital and emerging technologies, like AI, to the ever-present threats of cybersecurity breaches and personal data privacy concerns. The impact of climate change and the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations add another layer of complexity. Moreover, geopolitical tensions, such as protectionism, sanctions, and wars, along with supply chain disruptions, changing consumer attitudes, industry shifts, and pandemics, are all potential hurdles that need vigilant oversight.

Therefore, IDs should keep abreast of developments and ensure that the board has regular conversations on how these developments may affect the company.

Advances in AI can disrupt the business, but they can also be helpful for independent directors in discharging their roles, as they can provide quick access to a vast amount of information in digestible form. AI can provide useful information to aid decision-making, but directors should not over-rely on it.

What lessons can Vietnam learn from Singapore's experience in ensuring the effectiveness of independent directors?

In Singapore, listing requirements mandate at least two IDs or one-third of IDs, whichever is higher. Where the chairman is not independent, the Code of Corporate Governance recommends that the majority of the board be made up of IDs. This is based on 'comply or explain' so it is not mandatory.

Singapore has been too focused on the number or proportion of IDs, and not enough on ensuring that IDs are truly independent, or that they have the appropriate competencies and personal attributes.

My recommendation for Vietnam is to not focus solely on increasing the number of IDs that each company has to appoint and neglect the quality of the directors. I would suggest keeping it at a minimum of two IDs and at least one third of independent directors for the foreseeable future. Look into improving the quality of IDs instead.

On the supply side, Vietnam can focus on developing a pool of competent IDs. Make training for first-time directors and a certain amount of continuous education mandatory. Consider making it compulsory for IDs to be certified through a robust process. IDs should be required to comply with a code of conduct, and there should be a process of decertifying or suspending those who breach the code.

On the demand side, regulators can introduce rules or guidelines for companies to apply robust search and nomination processes for independent directors. For example, companies can be asked to explain how they identified an independent director candidate and what the director would bring to the board.

What steps would you suggest taking to ensure companies are installing independent directors to improve the company's governance and performance, instead of just a box-ticking exercise?

Business owners and major shareholders have to be convinced of the value of having truly independent directors who have the right personal attributes and competencies.

IDs need to understand that while they have to monitor management and operations, and ensure that minority shareholders interests are protected, they are also there to help improve the value and performance of companies. They need to bring more than just a 'compliance' mindset when they join a board.

Imposing 'fit and proper' requirements, training and certification, and pushing companies to have proper search and nomination processes can also help address the issue of appointing IDs for cosmetic reasons.

What guidance would you offer to IDs to help them maintain their autonomy?

An experienced director I spoke with mentioned his litmus test for joining a board involves asking the chairman if decisions not made by consensus, such as a 6-1 vote, would be accepted. If the answer is no, he declines the offer.

Of course, IDs should not dissent just for the sake of it. They should listen to other views and be prepared to change their position. However, if they genuinely disagree, then they must be prepared to say so.

Unless a director believes a decision is illegal or unethical, they should accept the boards decision after it has been thoroughly discussed, even if they disagree. IDs shouldnt undermine decisions that the board has made. If the ID really feels strongly, then they should resign.

A good board chairman along with board culture and dynamics are crucial in ensuring healthy debate and effective decision-making on the board.

What recommendations would you propose to the Vietnam Independent Directors Association (VNIDA) to improve the effectiveness of independent directors?

The VNIDA has already undertaken a number of excellent initiatives that promote the role of independent directors and ensure that they have the right qualities. For example, it has developed a superb code of conduct for its members.

I also really like the competency framework for independent directors developed by the VNIDA and its plans to start an academy. This can be the basis for developing a very robust professional development scheme for independent directors, ultimately leading to some kind of certification.

The VNIDA can also help companies that are looking for IDs, through offering some kind of board search service. This may be particularly useful for small and medium-sized enterprises that may find it difficult to search for good IDs or may not be able to afford the services of professional search firms.
The Indian Trade Promotion Organisation under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India is coordinating the Indian pavilion with 14 booths exhibiting various Indian products in sectors like communications, electronics, automobile components, waste-water treatment, banking and financing services, agro-processing, consumer goods, and infrastructure such as ports and logistics.

Indian companies are eyeing the Vietnamese market, which is looking quite attractive to them, said Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya. India wants to expand its trade and investment ties with Vietnam.

As we activate efforts in India at the level of government and businesses, we look forward to the support of the Vietnamese government, agencies, businesses, and the media in expanding bilateral trade, investment, and collaboration among our enterprises, he added.

Indian companies such as M/s Adani Ports & Special Economic Zones Limited, Bank of India, Bharat Electronics Limited, Spark Minda Corporation Limited, Ion Exchange India Limited, Allanasons Private Limited, Marhaba Frozen Foods, Fair Exports (India) Private Limited, KCP Limited, Marico South East Asia Corporation, and Tata Coffee Vietnam Company Limited look forward to engaging with Vietnamese businesses to explore further collaboration and opportunities.

Apart from efforts at government level, enhancing business exchanges, particularly in areas of strength for both economies, could help unleash potential business opportunities between the two countries, the embassy said. In this context, the presence of Indian companies at the expo will help bridge the information gap, facilitate business to business contacts, and further promote business cooperation between the two countries.

According to the embassy, bilateral trade between India and Vietnam has been growing over the last few years and stood at $14.36 billion in 2023 when India was Vietnams seventh largest trading partner, seventh largest export market, and tenth largest import source.

Indias major exports to Vietnam included machinery and equipment, auto components, pharmaceuticals, maize, marine products, metals, animal feed ingredients, and chemicals. Indias major imports from Vietnam were electronic items, mobile phones and accessories, machinery and equipment, steel, and other metals.

At present, India and Vietnam are among the fastest growing economies in the world. India has become the fifth largest economy in the world with a GDP of $4.1 trillion and estimated 7 per cent GDP growth in the next four years.

Indias foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow increased to $84.84 billion during 2021-2022 and maintains a healthy trend.

To date, India is home to 113 unicorns with a combined valuation of $350 billion, and has over 124,000 government-recognised startups.
The private medical system has improved with funding in resources, facilities, and people, photo Le Toan

Vietlife Group on March 18 marked a new milestone in its operation when it opened a new clinic in Hanoi, thus increasing its number of facilities to five.

The new facility is part of our effort to bring the best possible healthcare services to the locals. We will expand our operation in the future, said Nguyen Anh Van, chairwoman of Vietlife.

In 2023, Vietlife continued its development journey with the ground-breaking of Vietlife International Hospital with a scale of 300 beds, reaching 5-star international standards. It is expected to open in mid-2025.

The company also opened two more clinics in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City during the year, increasing its total number of MRI machines to seven, ranking first in the number of MRI machines in the private clinic system in Vietnam.

Like Vietlife, other private-owned players are making more efforts in the race. Also in March, Phuong Chau Healthcare Group opened Phuong Nam Hospital, making it the fourth facility, providing international standard medical care services. The new 120-bed hospital has nine floors, built over more than 20,000sq.m.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ho, general director of Phuong Chau Healthcare Group, said, We have more than 13 years of experience and a strong team when moving to Ho Chi Minh City. The systems three other hospitals in the Mekong Delta provinces of Can Tho, Soc Trang and Dong Thap have welcomed more than 33,000 healthy newborn babies, of which nearly 4,000 babies were born from assisted reproductive techniques and infertility treatment with a clinical pregnancy success rate of up to 66.6 per cent.

To bring medical advancements to the locals, Phuong Chau now partners with Japanese medical group Kishokai. It is planning to boost cooperation to strongly develop in the future. It visions to lead and pioneer in creating outstanding advances in comprehensive reproductive healthcare in Vietnam.

According to the Vietnam Private Hospital Association, in recent years, the private medical system has grown strongly with investment in resources, facilities, equipment, people, and specialised techniques, attracting a large number of patients.

Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said that at present, the city is home to more than 65 private hospitals housing nearly 4,700 beds, accounting for 12 per cent of the total in Vietnam. The number of hospital beds in the private healthcare system needs to continue to increase because in developed countries, the number of private-run hospital beds accounts for 40-50 per cent of the total, he said.

Other names in the south include Hanh Phuc International Hospital and City International Hospital, among others. In the north, Thu Cuc, Tam Anh, and Hong Ngoc are becoming popular. In the central region, Quang Khoi General Hospital and Hop Luc Group are growing.

To build a standardised healthcare ecosystem, we are building an international-standard hospital and expected to put it into operation in 2025, said Nguyen Van Khoi, chairman of Quang Khoi General Hospital. We will continue to make investments in modernising facilities in the months to come.

Hop Luc Group now operates two hospitals in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, and is waiting for procedure approval to build an international Childrens Hospital there.

According to medical experts, together with the moves by local private players, the trend of pumping money via mergers and acquisitions among international groups and investment funds is heating up the market not only in products, services or customers, but also competing in the workforce and high-quality personnel.

For instance, last year saw Thomson Medical Group spend $381.4 million buying FV Hospital in 2023; while Singapore billionaire Raffles Medical Group acquired American International Hospital; and Dongwha Pharm Group (South Korea) bought the Trung Son Pharmaceutical chain.

Elsewhere, foreign-backed enterprises in the pharma industry are eying more opportunities. Daiichi Sankyo Vietnam and multinational corporations like Novartis, Sanofi, GSK, Pfizer, MSD, and others are seeking more enabling policies to bring more new innovative medicines and vaccines to the local market in 2024 and beyond.

The signs into 2024 show that the level of competition tends to be fiercer as these enterprises continue to see the market as a lucrative piece of cake to jump, even though the international outlook remains extremely uncertain, said Van of Vietlife.

Dr. Le Van Truyen, former Deputy Minister of Health The pharma market is forecast by 2026 to reach $16.1 billion, according to Business Monitor International. There are 228 factories meeting GMP-WHO standards, and many studies on medicinal herbs are applied to produce drugs and healthy foods. The domestic health protection food market has developed sharply in recent years. However, domestically produced pharmaceuticals are not highly competitive compared to foreign-made ones. Research and development capacity in Vietnam is weak. The goals are to have 80 per cent of drugs domestically-made by 2030, having invented drugs from endemic medicinal resources by 2045; and increasing contribution of the pharmaceutical industry to $20 billion to GDP. To do this, it is necessary to have the states prioritised policies to apply sci-tech and improve capacity to absorb new technology. We must also increase investment, improve international competitiveness, and participate in the value chain. Trinh Van Lau, chairman, Vietnam Pharmaceutical Companies Association In recent times the state has focused on prioritising the development of the pharmaceutical industry and domestic production of ingredients with supporting policies support at a high level according to the laws. It has also looked at attracting foreign investment in the production of brand-name drugs, specialised drugs, and drugs with high-tech dosage forms, as well as vaccines, medical biological products, and biosimilars. However, the state needs to prioritise further investment in scientific research, production of new drugs, and have special policies to develop domestic sources of medicinal herbs, especially precious herbs with high economic value. It is also necessary to strengthen cooperation among scientists in research, application, tech transfer, and production of brand-name and patented drugs. Currently, 95 per cent of active pharmaceutical ingredients and high-quality excipients used in the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry must be imported, although there have been many projects synthesising active pharmaceutical compounds on a laboratory or pilot scale (the second phase in researching and developing new drug production processes) but there is no basis to deploy on an industrial scale. There are also no clear regulations on public-private investment in scientific research and technology transfer. Nguyen Van De, chairman, Vietnam Private Hospital Association The private hospital community is developing rapidly in scale and quality. Our member hospitals are planning to expand operations to contribute more to the healthcare sectors development. To date, the association has more than 2,500 members, including 250 hospitals, more than 2,000 private clinics and affiliated members operating in provinces and cities nationwide. Epidemics not only threaten and reverse medical achievements, but also have a profound and comprehensive impact on all aspects of the economy and society. The pandemic also revealed many hidden problems of the health system. Current practice shows that laws, decrees, and circulars guiding investment in the health sector still have many shortcomings and are inconsistent or confusing. The difference in understanding among localities makes it impossible for businesses and investors to access projects, especially initiatives in private hospitals. We expect the government, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Health to have solutions and continue reforming, innovating, and adjusting new development strategies, thus caring for and improving peoples health.
Samsung Electronics expects 10-fold rise in Q1 profit, photo: samsung.com

The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The tech giant said in a regulatory filing that January-March operating profits were expected to rise 931.3 percent to 6.6 trillion won ($4.89 billion). Operating profits in the same period last year totalled around 640 billion won.

The expectation exceeded the average estimate by 20.5 percent, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which referenced its financial data firm.

Sales, meanwhile, are expected to rise 11.4 percent to 71 trillion won, Samsung said.

South Korean chipmakers, led by Samsung, enjoyed record profits in recent years as prices for their products soared, but a global economic slowdown dealt a blow to memory chip sales.

However, the semiconductor market had been predicted to recover this year and grow 11.8 percent, according to industry monitor World Semiconductor Trade Statistics.

The news from Samsung comes after South Korea's SK Hynix -- the world's second-largest memory chip maker -- announced in January that it had returned to profit after four consecutive quarters of losses.

Samsung's overall outlook is "fortified by a resurgence in the smartphone market, escalating DRAM (memory chip) prices", Neil Shah, vice president of Counterpoint Research, told AFP.

Samsung is expected to release its final earnings report at the end of this month.

Samsung to invest additional $1 billion per year in Vietnam Samsung has poured another $1.2 billion into Vietnam in 2023, raising its total investment capital to $22.4 billion.
Sanofi says to reach settlement on Zantac lawsuits in US, illustration photo/ Source: youtube.com

A spokesman said that all bodily injury claims except for those before courts in the US state of Delaware were covered under the preliminary deal reached last month.

"This agreement will resolve up to around 4,000 claims" but would take some time to finalise as each claimant would need to agree to the proposed settlement, he added.

Sanofi pulled the over-the-counter heartburn medication Zantac from shelves in the United States and Canada in 2019 after a possible carcinogen was detected.

The Sanofi spokesman said the company was settling not because it believes the cancer claims to be founded "but more to avoid the expense and continual distraction of lawsuits".

British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline, which also marketed Zantac in the United States, also reached a settlement last year without admitting liability.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but the Sanofi spokesman said it reflected the limited period the company marketed Zantac as well as its strong legal defence arguments.

The company said the settlement would not have a significant financial impact.

Sanofi shares rose 0.4 percent in afternoon trading in Paris, while the blue-chip CAC 40 index was up less than 0.1 percent.

Sanofi and GSK to seek regulatory authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine Sanofi and GSK on February 23 announced that they intend to submit data from both their booster and Phase 3 efficacy trials as the basis for regulatory applications for a COVID-19 vaccines.

Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam joins efforts to reduce plastic waste Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam on June 17 entered a cooperation agreement with FPT Long Chau to implement the Insulin Pen Sustainability Pilot Project, aiming at reducing plastic waste and creating a solution to properly dispose of used insulin pens in Vietnam.
Some models have had to cease operating for complex engine inspections, Photo: Le Toan

We continue to ramp up across all our commercial aircraft programmes and are aiming for around 800 deliveries worldwide in 2024, up from 735 in 2023 and 661 in 2022, said an Airbus spokesperson after being asked about the shortfall of aircraft globally.

We continue to invest, modernise and adapt our global industrial system to support a ramp up. Vietnam is an important market for Airbus, and we will seek to minimise any impact caused by supply chain issues.

To date, Airbus has sold more than 250 civil passenger aircraft to airlines in Vietnam, including the best-selling single-aisle A320 Family, the popular and versatile A330 wide body, and the long-range leader A350.

Today, there are more than 200 Airbus aircraft operating in the fleets of Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, Vietjet, Vietnam Airlines, and Vietravel.

According to the Ministry of Transport (MoT), the shortfall is blamed for the fact that a number of Vietnamese airlines, such as Pacific Airlines and Bamboo Airways, have implemented restructuring so they returned aircraft, and cut back on the operation of some flight routes.

According to the announcement of engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, a number of Airbus aircraft equipped with NEO engines of airlines must be recalled to carry out in-depth inspection and repair of the PW 1100 engine. Since January 2024, about half of the 42 A321 NEO aircraft of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet had to stop operating for engine inspection according to the instructions of Pratt & Whitney.

The above factors have directly been affecting the supply of aircraft on domestic and international routes, causing certain difficulties for passengers, the MoT said in the document sent to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

We ask the CAAV to guide airlines to urgently research and develop plans to operate and supplement aircraft to ensure operation, especially during the upcoming holiday on April 30 and peak periods, as well as strictly abiding by the law.

According to Boeings 2023 Commercial Market Outlook, Southeast Asias commercial aircraft fleet will reach more than 4,000 jets by 2042, nearly quadrupling the current number of commercial aircraft in the region.

Vietnam is among Southeast Asias fastest-growing markets. Expanded connectivity, tourism, and low fares will continue to stoke new and increased travel, especially among a growing middle class across the country and region. The role of low-cost carriers will continue to rise to fill that demand for air travel, a Boeing spokesperson told VIR.

In Vietnam, Boeing in 2023 signed contracts with Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet to deliver hundreds of Boeing 737 Max. The company has been mired in a slew of negative stories since a door panel blew out on a Boeing 737 Max plane flown by Alaska Airlines in January. Three senior Boeing executives including its CEO are stepping down, the company said on March 25, as it continues to deal with a federal investigation into safety.

Boeing is now limiting production while it tries to resolve the quality problem. In a Bank of America conference on March 20, Boeing CFO Brian West predicted that in the first quarter, it could lose $3-4 billion in cash.

Boeings incident let orders flow to Airbus, their main competitor. Last week, the French group ordered 65 aircraft from Boeings two traditional customers in Asia, Japan Airlines and Korean Air.

Phan Hoang Phuong, head of Urban Transport at the Transport Development and Strategy Institute under the Ministry of Transport, said that this is another blow to Vietnamese air carriers which have been seriously suffering since 2020.

Airlines in Vietnam need to learn lessons from the incident and should enhance risk prevention capacity to possibly deal with global risks in the future, he said.

The local aviation market is not fertile land for every player involved. The take-off of low-cost carrier Bamboo in 2019 was once seen as fresh air for the market and brought about competitive service quality to customers. However, Bamboo is now mired in losses and is restructuring its business strategy.

Meanwhile, Pacific Airlines faces hardship after more than three decades of operation. According to the CAAV, Pacific Airlines temporarily stopped operating flights from March 18, after returning all leased aircraft from partners.

The airline is restructuring its flight routes and will look for new partners to lease aircraft. Once hired, the airline will continue to operate the registered routes.

Pacific Airlines was established in 1991 as Vietnams first low-cost airline. The airline has lost more than $84 million every year since 2020.

Vietnam Airlines reschedules flights to Germany due to air strikes The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has temporarily suspended flights to Frankfurt due to air strikes at German airports.

Vietnam Airlines signs global communications deal with T&A Ogilvy Vietnam Airlines has signed an agreement with T&A Ogilvy as its global communication partners for 2024-2025 period to run advertising campaigns in the Vietnamese and international markets.
The move means Sun Life Vietnam is now among the top three life insurance companies for size of charter capital currently operating in Vietnam.

The development in terms of operational scale, human resources, office systems, and service centres is a result of Sun Lifes commitment to long-term investment in Vietnam, where the company has operated since 2013. The increased financial strength, along with the solid development foundation built over 160 years, reinforces the assurance of outstanding capabilities to meet the ever-growing needs of Vietnamese clients in the years to come.

Luc Nhon Ly, CEO of Sun Life Vietnam said, "We are confident in our ability to create high-quality products and services, and help our clients and the community achieve their health and wealth goals and live brighter lives."

With solutions focusing on experiences, values, and authentic touchpoints, tailored to the diverse needs of each individual, Sun Life Vietnam is providing financial security and health protection for over 300,000 clients, including both individuals and companies in Vietnam.

Sun Life Vietnam is a member of Sun Life - a top international financial services organisation providing asset management and wealth, insurance, and health solutions to clients. Sun Life has operations in 28 markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bermuda.

As of the end of 2023, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.4 trillion.

Sun Life Vietnam awarded as 'Great Place to Work' Sun Life Vietnam has officially been certified as a "Great Place to Work" in 2023 for the second year by the Great Place to Work Institute.

Igniting creativity: inside Sun Life Vietnam's innovative workspaces In its mission alongside embracing cultural and artistic expressions, Sun Life Vietnam pays special attention to cultivating creative workspaces to enhance the experiences of its staff, advisor and clients.
Kang Shin-wook, former head of Statistics Korea, has been cleared of suspicion that he was involved in the alleged manipulation of income data during the preceding Moon Jae-in government, police said Friday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it has decided not to refer Kang to the prosecution after failing to find charges against Kang, who served as the nation's top statistics official from 2018 to 2020.

The police probe began after a civic group filed a complaint in late 2022 alleging that Kang distorted household income data by intentionally reducing the proportion of low-income households in a 2018 survey to make it seem like the Moon administration improved the income bipolarization. The group accused Kang of violating the statistics law, abusing his authority and producing false official documents.

Clearing Kang of all the charges, however, the police agency said that it is reasonable to say that the household income statistics in question were prepared and distributed in accordance with scientific methods to ensure statistical accuracy and consistency.

Kang has been separately on trial after being indicted without detention by the prosecution last month on charges of writing a false press release related to a 2019 survey on non-regular employment statistics. (Yonhap)
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CRRC American Fiction screening

The Community Race Relations Coalition will hold Dinner and a Movie from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the parish hall at St. Albans Episcopal Church, 305 N. 30th St.

The film shown will be American Fiction, and dinner will be provided. The event is free, with donations accepted. Attendees must be 13 or older. Reservations are required and can be made by going to crrcwaco.net/events or by calling or texting 254-717-7903.

MCC career fair

McLennan Community Colleges Career Services will host its annual career fair from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Michaelis Academic Center at MCC. The fair is free and open to the public.

Nearly 50 Waco-area employers will be offering internships as well as long-term employment, and job seekers are encouraged to dress to impress and have copies of their resume.

For more information, contact MCC Career Services at 254-299-8614 or careers@mclennan.edu.

Sci-Fi Spectacular

The final performance in the Waco Symphony Orchestras 2023-24 season, Sci-Fi Spectacular: Sun, Moon & Superstars, will start at 3 p.m. Sunday in Waco Hall at Baylor University.

The music selection for the performance on the eve of Mondays solar eclipse will include fan-favorite pieces from Star Wars, Star Trek, Interstellar and Holsts The Planets. The orchestra encourages attendees to come dressed as their favorite sci-fi character to celebrate the eclipse.

In addition to the music score, Emmy Award-winning journalist and film critic Gary Cogill will share film insights behind the music. Tickets start at $19 and are available at wacosymphony.com.

Bugs, Blues & Bikes

Karem Shrine, 400 Karem Cicle, will hold Bugs, Blues & Bikes from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The event will feature a crawfish boil and barbecue, bike show and live music by Los Roachez and John Epperson.

Admission is $5. Bike show entry is $25.

Family center grand opening

The city of Woodway host a grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday for the new Woodway Family Center building, 1100 Estates Drive.

The ceremony will be followed by an open house with refreshments.

Stillwell book sale

Stilwell Retirement Residence, 5400 Laurel Lake Drive, will hold its annual book sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Books to be sold come from Stilwells own library, but many others come from donations. Proceeds will benefit Stilwells large-print library.

Admission to the book sale is free.

For more information, call 254-772-4644.

Troy Farmers Market

The Troy Farmers Market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 201 E. Main St. in Troy, and on the first Saturday of each month through August.

The market will feature a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, nuts, pastured poultry, free-range eggs, wildflower honey, jams, jellies, baked goods, pickled vegetables, kimchi, sauerkraut, gourmet oils and sauces, natural beauty products, drink mixes, elderberry syrup starter, and natural dog treats.

The city of Troy allows producers and small-businesses to participate fee-free.

For more information, email lbailey@cityoftroy.us.

Newcomers and Neighbors

Newcomers and Neighbors of Waco will meet at 11:30 a.m. April 17 at The Baylor Club in McLane Stadium, 1001 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Reservations must be received before 5:30 p.m. Monday at reservationsnnn@gmail.com.

Professional organizer Jennifer Snyder, owner of Neat as a Pin Organizing and Cleaning, will speak.

Youth equine camps

McLennan Community Colleges Highlander Ranch, 223 Cobbs Lane, will offer summer equine camps for children ages 7-13.

Each weeklong camp will give participants an opportunity to have fun safely learning basic skills in riding and handling horses.

The dates are June 3-7, 10-14 and 17-21; and July 8-12, 15-19 and 22-26.

The cost is $259. For more information, go to cereg.mclennan.edu, or call 254-299-8553 or 254-299-8751.

Celebrating the Sun

The McLennan Community College Chorale, conducted by Bonnie Borshay Sneed, will present a free Celebrating the Sun concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Albans Episcopal Church, 305 N. 30th St.

Fun with Food and Family

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will hold a Fun with Food and Family,  class from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 16 at the local Extension office, 4224 Cobbs Drive.

Instructor Rachel Esquivel will lead the family night with cooking, learning and food sampling.

The registration deadline is April 12, and the cost is $30.

To register, call 254-757-5180.

Kennys Funland

Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd., will continue to host Kennys Funland carnival through April 14.

The Midway will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. weekdays and 3 to 11 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Costs are $30 for armbands and $2 per ticket with 2-4 tickets per ride.

For more information, go to www.extracoeventscenter.com/events.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel's Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Biden and Netanyahu's roughly 30-minute call just days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven food aid workers in Gaza added a new layer of complication to the leaders' increasingly strained relationship. Biden's message marked a sharp change in his administration's support for Israel's war efforts, with Biden for the first time threatening to rethink his backing if Israel doesn't change its tactics and allow much more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The White House would not specify what could change about U.S. policy, but it could include altering military sales to Israel and America's diplomatic backup on the world stage.

Netanyahu's office said early Friday that his Security Cabinet approved "immediate steps" to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including reopening a key crossing destroyed Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel. About 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were killed that day and militants took about 250 hostages.

Administration officials said before that announcement that the U.S. would assess whether the Israeli moves go far enough.

Biden "made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," the White House said following the call. "He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."

Biden also told Netanyahu that reaching an immediate cease-fire" in exchange for the estimated 100 hostages still being held in Gaza was essential" and urged Israel to reach such an accord "without delay," according to the White House. Administration officials said the conversation was direct and honest."

Netanyahu's office said the Erez crossing, which for years served as the only passenger terminal for people to move in and out of Gaza, would be temporarily reopened. It also said Israel would allow its Ashdod port to be used to process aid shipments bound for Gaza and allow increased Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson welcomed those moves, adding that the plan "must now be fully and rapidly implemented."

"As the President said today on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers," Watson said.

The World Central Kitchen, founded by restauranteur Jose Andres to provide food relief to disaster-stricken areas, called for an independent investigation into the Israeli strikes that killed seven of the group's staff members, including an American citizen. The White House said the U.S. had no plans to conduct its own investigation.

Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels that U.S. support would be curtailed if Israel doesn't make significant adjustments to how it's carrying out the war against Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed the call for "tangible" and "concrete" changes to be taken by the Israelis beyond reiterating long stated calls for allowing additional aid to get into Gaza.

"If there's no changes to their policy in their approaches, then there's going to have to be changes to ours," Kirby said. "There are things that need to be done. There are too many civilians being killed."

The demands for Israel to bring the conflict to a swift close were increasing across the political spectrum, with former President Donald Trump, the Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee, saying Thursday that Israel is "absolutely losing the PR war" and calling for a resolution to the bloodshed.

Biden and Netanyahu also discussed Iranian threats against Israel, Kirby said. Earlier this week, Iranian leaders vowed retaliation after an airstrike widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran's Consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.

Biden also renewed his concerns about Netanyahu's plan to carry out an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas. Vice President Kamala Harris, Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan also joined the call.

Still, the Biden administration has proceeded with arms transfers and deliveries to Israel, many of which were approved years ago.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Thursday said plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said the pier will be on line by the end of the month or early May.

Ryder said Israel agreed to provide security on the shore as aid is transferred and distributed, but details are being worked out.

Israel acknowledged responsibility for the strikes on the World Central Kitchen workers but said the convoy was not targeted and their deaths were not intentional. The country continues to investigate.

Andres criticized the Israeli military for the strike, and his organization paused its work in Gaza.

"The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon," he wrote on X. "No more innocent lives lost."

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President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the opening ceremony for a new automated terminal at Busan New Port on Friday, pledging to turn the port into a global logistics hub and extend full support to the shipping industry.

The seventh container terminal, located in Changwon, 298 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is the first fully automated terminal in the country, with automated transfers of cargo from ships to containers, raising productivity by up to 20 percent compared with other ports and lowering the risk of safety-related accidents, according to the presidential office.

The New Port sits on land straddling both Busan and Changwon.

"I promise you here that I will push the port and shipping industries to a new level," Yoon said during the ceremony. "I will turn Busan Port into a world-class smart port and make our port and shipping industries the best in the world."

In particular, Yoon promised to extend the tonnage taxation system, under which shipping companies pay taxes based on the net tonnage of their fleet, rather than their profits, making the tax burden lighter than when paying corporate taxes.

The shipping industry has called for extending the tonnage system ahead of its scheduled expiry at the end of the year.

Additionally, Yoon pledged 5.5 trillion won ($4.06 billion) in government funding for national shipping companies to help them expand their fleet and make them environment-friendly. (Yonhap)
Updated at 21:05

Former RTE Midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly will run for Independent Ireland as one of its candidates in this summers European elections, the party officially confirmed to the Roscommon Herald this evening.

Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice confirmed that Mr Mullooly would be standing as the party's candidate in the Midlands Northwest constituency.

Deputy Fitzmaurice and Ciaran Mullooly made the official announcement during their visit today to Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon, a flood-prone lake which is threatening local peoples homes.

Speaking to the Roscommon Herald at Lough Funshinagh about the new candidate, Deputy Fitzmaurice said: Ciaran is a straight shooter and has a good knowledge of rural Ireland.

"He is going in fresh, as a straight shooter to try and change things. Second of all, he has a lot done in tourism, and he has an awful lot done around the country, such as agriculture, and has a good knowledge of how the European union works.

What we want is people with common sense. Where we are today, there is an elderly person living in hell, her house is in danger, her life is in danger, along with all the other people around here.

"Common sense must prevail. The political system has failed this community; this issue has gone legal and you cannot touch it. If thats what Europe is about, then we need to change it and we need people to go to Europe to change it, he said.

Mr Mullooly said that when Independent Ireland approached him, he wanted to know what it envisaged in terms of the European parliament work that could be taken on, and the Lough Funshinagh issue came into our conversation straight away.

Mr Mullooly retired from RTE in 2021 after 27 years. From Lansborough, Co Longford, he is a well-known community activist and currently the Just Transition tourism activator with Longford County Council.

Formed last November, the Independent Ireland party comprises three deputies, Roscommon-Galway Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice, Michael Collins from Cork and Limericks Richard O'Donoghue.

Commenting to the increasing media reports about his potential candidacy, Mr Mulloly posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he would be making a statement on the matter later.

I am aware of media reports today on my possible candidacy for the European parliament . I have been attending a funeral in my own community with my family today and will issue a response later at an appropriate time. Thank you  Ciaran Mullooly (@ciaranmullooly) April 5, 2024

The Midlands-North-West constituency will elect five MEPs in elections scheduled for June 7th. There are currently 15 candidates running for the five Euro seats.
 Interview with Russian Ambassador to Japan N.S. Nozdrev TASS (April 3, 2024)

Main points:

 [Russian-Japanese relations] are still under strong negative pressure from the hostile course currently being pursued by the administration of [Japanese Prime Minister] F. Kishida.

 It was considered here that the costs of the virtually complete dismantling of relations with one of the main neighbors, the Russian Federation, will be less than the benefits that Japan will receive from opportunistic joining the anti-Russian campaign launched by the West due to the situation in Ukraine.

 As for practical blocks, they are still preserved, we work on them, and in some cases quite effectively. We encounter a very conscious desire to interact on the part of some Japanese departments.

 There are not many figures in the Japanese political establishment who truly understand the error of Tokyos current line and are interested in maintaining strong, stable relations with Russia in the long term. But nevertheless, they exist, just like in expert, business circles, and in the cultural sphere.

 Currently, the administration of F. Kishida is pursuing a line to build up the countrys military power and, most importantly, to dismantle the pacifist restrictions that are embedded in the Japanese constitution.

 Our main concern is the intensification of military activities in the format of various types of maneuvers and training events with the participation of units of the United States and other countries, including NATO, directly near the Russian borders.

 We consider such events as a real direct threat to the security of our Far Eastern borders and overall stability in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

***

Japan betterbe worried about NK and stop poking the Bear

WtR
The pattern that has become how many Nazi (Mercenaries/Ukrainians) die to One Russian killed in action

Ukraine was being slaughtered from the beginning and you all listened in the west to the lies. The lies at how it started, why it started and how Ukraine was winning

You are still lying, Russia is still winning and Ukraine is still being sacrificed by NATO and Ukraine wanted it and attacked Donbass to get it, just the way it is right now

But

They die and NATO groupies die very well indeed

NATO now has gotten a price upon thy head

WtR
Bounties should be offered for the killing of NATO soldiers if they are deployed to Ukraine to fight against Russian troops, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

https://www.rt.com/russia/595440-no-nato-soldier-prisoners-medvedev/

Off to work go the Russians and they will hunt NATO intentionally

Nothing better than the hunt

Except let us do one better, allow the Ukrainian also to collect the bounty if they kill a NATO or as well known, Nazi and make it real interesting

Off to work hunt we go

WtR
Experts concerned proposals can lead to discrimination in labor market

By Jung Da-hyun

Proposals regarding varying applications of minimum wage, particularly concerning specific groups such as foreigners or seniors, have sparked controversy as the process to determine next year's minimum wage officially began.

Due to repeated proposals for varying minimum wages, experts are voicing concerns about the potential long-term negative impact on the entire labor market.

During a meeting to review recent discussions on public welfare held on Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol proposed a plan to employ foreign students and marriage immigrants in household roles, offering wages lower than the legal minimum wage.

Yoon argued that this strategy could potentially create job opportunities for approximately 163,000 foreign students and 39,000 married immigrants currently living in Korea, specifically within the household and childcare sectors.

He also anticipated that a flexible market, unrestricted by minimum wage regulations, could develop within these employment sectors.

A lack of time for childcare and household chores is often cited as a contributing factor to Korea's declining birthrate. As an initiative to tackle housework and child care, employing foreign workers is continuously being mentioned.

This is not the first time such differentiated wage proposals have surfaced.

The Bank of Korea suggested paying foreign caregivers wages below the legal minimum of 9,860 won ($7.29) per hour in a report on March 5.

Labor groups strongly opposed this proposal, fearing it would worsen the situation of low-wage caregivers, which is already precarious.

Meanwhile, differentiated minimum wage proposals extend beyond foreign workers in housework and caregiver roles.

It has come to light recently that 38 members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council introduced a proposal in February to provide wages lower than the minimum wage to people aged 65 and older. This proposal is aimed at revitalizing job opportunities for senior citizens within the context of an aging society.

Yun Ki-sup, a Seoul City councilor affiliated with the PPP, explained that considering the trend where employers tend to favor younger individuals under the uniform minimum wage, it is challenging for seniors to secure jobs.

Given the challenges, Yun and other city council members agreed to suggest a proposal to exclude seniors from the minimum wage requirement.

Experts warn that these proposals could have adverse effects on the labor market. They argue that minimum wage laws exist to protect workers.

The minimum wage itself was introduced to ensure basic working conditions for all. However, differentiating it based on age and nationality goes against its original purpose, said Shin Kwang-yeong, a professor of the Department of Sociology at Chung-Ang University.

Shin also warned that the difference in minimum wage can deepen discrimination, especially in the labor market.

Implementing varying minimum wage rates could result in discrimination against seniors and foreigners, presenting a conflict with anti-discrimination laws, he said.

Lee Joo-hee, a professor of the Department of Sociology at Ewha Womans University, also expressed concerns about the potential for these proposals to fuel a vicious cycle in the labor market. She stressed that the creation of low-wage jobs is not a viable strategy for revitalizing specific job sectors or employment of seniors.

Persistently hiring low-wage workers can lead to encroachment of other groups of people who are not foreigners or seniors, she said.

It can also be used as a rationale that legitimizes wage discrimination in a range of ways without proper protection for the workers.

She also emphasized the critical role of education and training in revitalizing job opportunities for seniors, pointing out that there is a significant disparity between the skills possessed by the elderly and those demanded by contemporary society.

Rather than pushing for employers to hire seniors at reduced wages, the focus should be on enhancing the competitiveness of seniors in the job market through digital education, Lee said.
With few female candidates, 22nd National Assembly expected to remain male-dominated

By Lee Hyo-jin

Discussions concerning women's rights and gender equality are expected to be limited in the upcoming National Assembly, as few political parties  none of them major  have included campaign pledges to address these agendas.

Women's rights activists are concerned that the absence of such dialogue, coupled with a significantly low number of female candidates, would result in a diminished representation of women in the 22nd National Assembly.

Out of a total of 59 political parties competing in the April 10 general elections, 33 have uploaded their list of campaign pledges on the National Election Commission (NEC) website.

Upon reviewing the pledges of the 33 parties, The Korea Times found that only four minor progressive parties  the Green Justice Party, the New Jinbo Party, the Labor Party and the Women's Party  have prominently included the enhancement of gender equality as their main agendas.

Major parties such as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have categorized women-related agendas under pledges to address demographic challenges, protect labor rights, or enhance social protection against crimes.

Some parties appear to be backtracking on their support for gender equality.

The Jayu Party, an ultra right-wing party, vowed to amend relevant laws to ensure that "education on gender equality aligns with biblical values that uphold the sanctity of life, not toward gender freedom, in order to protect family values and childbirth." This would entail reducing budgets currently allocated for gender equality and women's rights policies, the party said.

The virtual absence of campaign pledges on women's rights is noteworthy, considering that out of a total of 44.25 million eligible voters in the upcoming election, slightly over half, or 50.7 percent, are women, according to NEC data.

Women's rights groups expressed deep disappointment at the lack of attention to these issues.

"It's difficult for me to evaluate which party would perform well and which would not in terms of women's rights because, technically, none of the parties have prioritized gender-related issues in their election campaigns," said Do Gyeong-eun, an activist at Korea Women's Hotline.

Do criticized the major parties' inclusion of women policies in the category of measures to tackle demographic challenges, stating that such a tendency reflects "the outdated narrative that women bear a greater responsibility for the nation's low birthrate."

She also voiced concerns about the lack of female candidates.

Out of a total 696 candidates running in 254 constituencies nationwide, only 98 are women, accounting for just 14 percent of the total. This falls far below the Public Election Law's recommended level of 30 percent.

Even if all 98 female candidates were to win, which is highly unlikely, the representation of women in the 22nd Assembly would still be below the 19 percent of the current one.

"The figure is particularly concerning given that the nation needs more female members in the next Assembly to counteract the incumbent administration's policies that retrogress on women's rights," Do said. "This election overall highlights that Korea still has a long way to go to change the male-dominated political arena."

Fear of feminism controversy

The lack of interest among political parties in addressing women's rights may be attributed to the politicization of the term "feminism" in Korea in recent years. Gender issues have become excessively sensitive in politics, particularly following the 2022 presidential election, analysts said, leading candidates to tread carefully to avoid making it a hot-button election issue.

During the previous presidential campaign, then-PPP candidate Yoon Suk Yeol's pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family gained popularity among many young males who felt disadvantaged by women-centric policies. Former DPK candidate Lee Jae-myung, who is the current leader of the party, secured a significant number of young women's votes, capitalizing on Yoon's unpopularity among female voters who were turned off by the PPP's anti-feminist pledges.

The gender divide has only deepened since then, making it risky for politicians to prioritize gender-related agendas in the lead-up to the election, according to political commentator Park Sang-byeong.

"Traditionally, liberal parties have been more inclined to gender equality issues than conservative ones. However, the DPK appears cautious about emphasizing gender issues in their campaign, as it may trigger backlash from young male voters. It wants to avoid unnecessary risks," Park said.

However, some critics point out that it's not just gender equality that is absent from the election agendas.

"Not only gender-related issues, but others such as welfare policies for the elderly, support measures for young people or the marginalized, have been put on the backburner in the parties' campaign pledges," said Cho Jin-man, a professor of politics at Duksung Women's University.

"It appears that the focus of candidates' campaigns is not on the commitments they are going to make if they are elected, but rather on criticizing how their rivals have been doing a terrible job," he added.

In the escalating campaign rallies, the primary slogan of the DPK is to claim victory over what it terms the "incompetent" Yoon administration and to put an end to prosecutorial tyranny. Meanwhile, the ruling PPP has branded the DPK leader as a "criminal suspect" deserving imprisonment.

Cho said, "The absence of discourse and rational debate on how to improve people's livelihood is concerning. The purpose of the election should be to select lawmakers who can truly represent people's voices for the next four years."
The Muthoot Group has launched its latest marketing campaign, featuring veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, advocating for its leisure and hospitality properties, Xandari Resorts & Spa. Underlining The Muthoot Groups commitment towards the 3 Cs - community, collaboration, and conservation, the film is anchored by Mr. Bachchan, who has been The Muthoot Groups brand ambassador for the past six years.

Recognizing the shift in consumers holiday experiences over the past few years, The Muthoot Groups Xandari Resorts is a genuine reflection of going beyond the conventional and providing consumers with an experience of a lifetime. In the film, Mr. Bachchan plays a wise family elder guiding his family a perfect getaway with Xandari Resorts & Spa, ensuring every family member experiences a dream holiday of their choice.

Part of The Muthoot Groups 20 diversified business divisions, Xandari Resorts is the hospitality brand of Muthoot Leisure & Hospitality Services. Based on its belief that hospitality can not only improve quality of life but also be good for natural and cultural environments, The Muthoot Group acquired Xandari Resorts & Spa, one of Costa Rica's most successful properties in 2013 to partner with local communities to conserve, protect and replenish the environment.

The promotional film is a mix of cinematic storytelling highlighting the luxurious Xandari chain of boutique resorts including Xandari Pearl in Mararikulam that offers luxurious private pool villas and the best of white sand beaches, Xandari Riverscapes Houseboats in Alleppey to enjoy Keralas backwaters, Xandari Cardamom County adjoining the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady for a forest reserve experience, and the Xandari Costa Rica to experience rainforest, natural waterfalls, nature treks, orchards, as well as farms, all within the resort.

George M George, Managing Director, Xandari Resorts & Spa said, We are excited to feature Amitabh Bachchan in The Muthoot Groups new film because it brilliantly showcases our Xandari Resorts and captivates our audience with sustainable and luxury hospitality. Consumers today seek out holiday experiences that transcend the ordinary and we are dedicated to provide each of our guests with experiences and memories that last a lifetime. At Xandari, we also want to pioneer a sustainable chapter in tourism, by upholding our core principles - community, conservation and collaboration. The idea was to capture the essence of responsible tourism with Xandaris unparalleled fusion of luxury and a unique farm to table experience. I also feel that Mr. Bachchans presence has elevated the Xandari brand to a whole new level and I am sure this content will get us tremendous interest worldover. At Xandari Resorts & Spa, we invite travelers to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature while indulging in world-class hospitality.

Abhinav Iyer, Senior General Manager - Marketing at The Muthoot Group said, Mr. Bachchan has been The Muthoot Group's brand ambassador for many years now and with a legend like him, we have been keen to create tailor-made content for our leisure & hospitality division for quite some time now. Xandari Resorts is a jewel in the Groups crown and hence with this film, we have attempted to create a strong desire for Xandari Resorts leveraging a cinematic approach. We plan to promote this film widely across digital and other mainstream mediums in addition to national & international events, exhibitions and travel & tourism meets.
Cannes Lions has announced the participants for the 2024 See It Be It talent acceleration programme for women. 19 creatives, from 14 markets have been selected to take part in this unique learning and development programme at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place from 17-21 June 2024. The cohort will attend an exclusive four-day programme that includes mentorship opportunities, private masterclasses with industry leaders, as well as backstage access and session invitations tailored to each participants career goals.

The programme will celebrate its 10th anniversary of aiming to achieve equal gender representation among creative directors and leaders across the global industry. Since its inception, See It Be It has brought together over 120 women and non-binary people, from 33 markets. This years cohort will include participants from Kazakhstan, Kenya and Thailand for the first time.

This years Alumni Tutor, Daniela Varela, Creative Director, TBWAChiatDay, selected from last year's cohort, will support the 2024 participants to elevate their experience at the Festival and work closely with programme Ambassador, Madonna Badger, to further the impact See It Be It has on the industry well beyond the Festival week. On her appointment, Varela said: Joining the journey of this years cohort is an incredible joy and a huge responsibility. They represent the programmes 10 year legacy: a global collective of talent, inspiration and leadership that fosters and enables the change we still need to nurture in our industry. I cant wait to see what these new 19 stellar minds will unleash.

The 2024 cohort are named as follows:



Arwa Al Jundi, Associate Creative Director, United Arab Emirates

Carina Toma, Digital Creative Director, McCann Worldgroup Romania, Romania

Diana Moldagulova, Art Director, GForce CCAR, Kazakhstan

Estefania Lopez, Strategy Lead, Sancho BBDO, Colombia

Jessica Stahl, Cartoonist & Freelance Creative Director, The Netherlands

Johana Martinez, Creative Director, Majority, Colombia

Joy Richu, Illustrator, Joy Richu, Kenya

Julia Spencer, Freelance Creative Director, Australia

Kopal Naithani, Founder & Director, Superfly Films, India

Maria Carrillo Lopez, Senior Art Director, DAVID Madrid, Spain

Mayara Ribeiro, Associate Creative Director, Galeria.ag, Brazil

Meritxell Ruiz, Creative Director, VML, Spain

Michelle Marais, Senior Conceptual Copywriter, Dentsu Creative, South Africa

Nicky Lorenzo, SVP, Executive Creative Director, 305 Worldwide, USA

Pulp (Nonthaporn) Ketmanee, Creative Director, The Leo Burnett Group, Thailand

Palak Kapadia, Copywriter, Amazon Brand Innovation Lab New York, India

Pooja Manek, Founding Member & Creative, Talented Agency, India

Stephanie Rumierk Briceno, Associate Creative Director, TBWAColombia, Colombia

Winona Wee, Senior Creative, Wieden+Kennedy London, Singapore



Commenting on the 2024 cohort, Madonna Badger, See It Be It Chairperson and Ambassador, Founder/CEO/COO, BADGER AGENCY, said: "Witnessing the collective courage, optimism and purpose of the 2024 Cannes See It Be It cohort fills me with immense pride and excitement. These exceptional creative women are reshaping the future of our industry and redefining what is possible. Their shared resolve to pursue excellence, break barriers and drive positive change is awe-inspiring and I absolutely love seeing each of them step into their power. It is an honour to connect with such a vibrant network of talent paving the way for others to flourish in our industry and beyond.

Frank Starling, Chief DEI Officer, LIONS, added: See It Be It brings together the best and brightest leaders from around the world and we are proud to continue our mission to challenge the creative sectors gender imbalance and empower women and non-binary creatives to excel in their careers. Our impressive alumni are Lion-winners, changemakers, disruptors and challengers in their disciplines, paving the way forward for future participants to flourish and challenge the status quo. Congratulations to all those selected, and we look forward to welcoming you at the Festival this June.
The government is planning to formulate a new AI law to protect the rights of news publishers and content creators, as well as reducing harm to users, as per a media report.

Speaking to a news publication, Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the new AI law will be very balanced and strong on securing the rights. He further said that there will be provision for sharing the proceeds among news publishers, content creators and AI-enabled technologies such as large language models (LLMs), while ensuring space for innovation.

The Minister added that the new AI law could either be an independent legislation or part of the Digital India Bill, which is set to replace the 24-year-old Information Technology Act, 2000.

Vaishnaw also assured that the transition would not disrupt livelihood of the people. He also stressed on keeping in mind the intellectual property and financial and commercial implications of creativity.

The minister told the news publication that the governments views had been shared with tech players, who more or less agreed in principle.

Globally, the use of artificial intelligence in the European Union will be regulated by the AI Act, the worlds first comprehensive AI law. In April 2021, the European Commission had proposed the first EU regulatory framework for AI. The European Union Parliament in March 2024 approved the Artificial Intelligence Act that ensures safety and compliance with fundamental rights, while boosting innovation.

Also read:

EU approves worlds first AI law
Mivi, a leader in accessible audio technology, launches its new flagship line of products under the name SuperPods. The first entrant in this line is SuperPods Dueto which comes with cutting-edge technology of Dual Drivers from their R&D center, Mivi Design Studios. SuperPods Dueto, true to its name also has Mivis most popular and celebrated technology of 3D Soundstage which makes the product superior. This premium collection signifies a bold step forward, offering superior technology, an immersive 3D Soundstage, and unbelievable value thereby showing Mivi's commitment to pushing boundaries and delivering superior sound experiences.

"The SuperPods Dueto shatters expectations for what earbuds can achieve," says Midhula Devabhaktuni, Co-founder and CMO at Mivi.

"We've meticulously crafted a product thatll prove to be a disruptor in the audio devices industry. The introduction of dual drivers is a vital step towards superior audio experience; a step beyond the industry standard, with a prime focus on precision and clarity in audio.

SuperPods Dueto features Hi-lo Dual Drivers to enhance sound quality across all sound frequencies.

13mm Woofer: Dueto comes with a dedicated 13mm Woofer that focuses on improving overall bass output by enhancing low frequencies, offering a deep, rich audio experience.

Dueto comes with a dedicated 13mm Woofer that focuses on improving overall bass output by enhancing low frequencies, offering a deep, rich audio experience. 6mm Tweeter: The 6mm Tweeter is added in this TWS earbuds to enhance mid to high frequency ranges thus reproducing balanced treble and clean vocals.

SuperPods Dueto also comes with a 3D Soundstage that lets you step into the 3rd dimension of sound with advanced instrument separation. Hear every instrument clearly across all sound frequencies in incredible detail.

Mivi is renowned for offering exceptional audio experiences at unbelievable prices. The SuperPods Dueto exemplifies this commitment. This feature-packed earbud boasts:

Hi-lo Dual Drivers: Offering 13mm Woofer and 6mm tweeter for rich, deep and balanced bass and treble reproduction

Offering 13mm Woofer and 6mm tweeter for rich, deep and balanced bass and treble reproduction 3D Soundstage: With advanced instrument separation for a new sound dimension

Multi-device Connectivity: To connect with 2 devices in parallel for seamless multi-tasking.

Bluetooth v5.3: For uninterrupted connectivity up to 10 metres.

For uninterrupted connectivity up to 10 metres. IPX4 Water Resistance: For intense non-stop workout sessions.

For intense non-stop workout sessions. AI Voice Assistant Integration: For easy access to your favourite voice assistant with ease.

For easy access to your favourite voice assistant with ease. AI-Enabled Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC): For HD Call clarity with minimal ambient noise at the receiving end.

For HD Call clarity with minimal ambient noise at the receiving end. Unmatched Playtime: With 50 hours of combined playtime and 8.5 hours on-buds playtime.

With 50 hours of combined playtime and 8.5 hours on-buds playtime. Dedicated Gaming Mode: For lag-free, ultra-low latency gaming.

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Mivi is renowned for offering exceptional audio experiences at prices that wont break the bank and this newly launched flagship series exemplifies this commitment. This feature-packed earbud, boasting superior technology and a premium design, comes at an unbelievable price point of only 1,999. This achievement is a testament to Mivi's core mission of crafting a 100% Made-in-India portfolio of high-quality audio products accessible to everyone.
Mrunal Thakur, the talented actress who captured hearts with her breakout performance in her south debut film, the 2022 hit "Sita Ramam" alongside Dulquer Salman, followed by the success of Hi Nanna with Nani steadily establishing herself as the Queen of Romance in Indian cinema.

The success of Sita Ramam & Hi Nanna catapulted Mrunal into a truly national star, making it one of the most talked-about and successful films pan India in 2022-23. Paired opposite Dulquer Salman and Nani, the chemistry between both the actors resonated with audiences, setting the stage for Mrunal's journey as a leading lady in romantic tales.

In her upcoming release, Family Star, where she is paired opposite Vijay Deverekonda, Mrunal continues to shine in the quintessential love story and family drama. With these two releases, Mrunal Thakur has swiftly become the poster girl of romance in celluloid, a title often reserved for male actors.

Elated by the opportunities she's receiving, Mrunal expressed her joy, stating, "I am thrilled that filmmakers are envisioning me in roles that are not only soft and gentle but also layered, allowing me to hone my craft as an actor. Romance as a genre is so beloved and something over time we have somewhere lost the touch of quintessential love stories, say what the 90s Bollywood films were about. But its amazing to see that not only are such films coming back, but I defiantly feel lucky that Im getting to work with such varied filmmakers and their vision of how romance is played out on the screen. I have enjoyed playing both "Sita Mahalakshmi" and Yashna,", two quintessential romantic heroines but so diversely different and can't wait more for "Indu" from Family Star to cast her magic on the silver screen."

Filmmakers at large recognize Mrunal Thakur's ability to embody the quintessential romantic heroine, showcasing her versatility as an actor. As she gracefully takes on these roles, Mrunal is undoubtedly on the path to becoming the reigning Queen of Romance in the ever-evolving landscape of Indian cinema.
The NDTV Network has announced the launch of The Election Carnival, an initiative aimed at fostering civic engagement and awareness ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024. NDTV Election Carnival is a travelling studio that aims to travel to 34 cities across New Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, covering a total distance of 4000 kms. This platform is designed to move around and engage with citizens, helping them deepen their understanding of local leaders and issues relevant to their communities. Backed with an NDTV anchor accompanying a politician from each area, it promises meaningful discussions and interactions, providing voters with valuable insights into the electoral landscape.

The first leg of the NDTV Election Carnival will kick off from the heart of the nation, New Delhi, on April 5, 2024, in the presence of Manoj Tiwari, MP from North-East Delhi, setting the tone for an engaging and informative journey ahead. Today, the inaugural ceremony scheduled to take place in New Delhi will feature a performance by a Punjabi folk artist. The campaign will commemorate the vibrant culture of every region by featuring performances from local folk artists, highlighting the rich diversity that characterizes India's political and social landscape.

This drive underscores NDTVs commitment to fostering informed citizenship and facilitating meaningful dialogue between citizens and leaders. Through this campaign, the network hopes to empower voters and strengthen the democratic process.

NDTV Election Carnival will make stops at prominent cities such as Ayodhya, Dehradun, Jamshedpur, Lucknow, Amritsar, Srinagar, and Nashik, among others. During these stops, it will provide citizens across the country with the opportunity to participate in discussions, learn about local issues, and interact with their elected representatives.
Early voting began Friday ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, with turnout reaching a record high amid high interest in the vote seen as a midterm referendum on the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Voters began casting ballots at 3,565 polling stations nationwide at 6 a.m. in the two-day early voting taking place ahead of Wednesday's main vote to elect a new 300-member National Assembly. Voting hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

As of 1 p.m., more than 3.54 million people out of some 44.28 million eligible voters had cast their votes, recording a turnout of 8 percent, compared with 5.98 percent in the 2020 general elections. It marks the highest turnout for parliamentary elections since the early voting system was adopted in 2012.

The turnout, however, is slightly lower than 8.75 percent in the 2022 presidential election.

The quadrennial race holds significant importance for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which had secured a landslide victory in the previous elections, aims to retain its parliamentary majority.

After calling on the nation to exercise their voting rights, Yoon cast an early vote in the southeastern port city of Busan.

Rival parties have also stepped up calls for voters to cast their ballots in the early voting, recognizing the potential impact of the advance voting turnout on determining the final election outcome.

Leaders of both parties visited polling stations, urging voters to exercise their rights.

"If you go to the polling station, (we) win, and if you don't go to the polling station, the Republic of Korea will fail," PPP leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters after casting a ballot at a polling station in Seoul.

Citing the high turnout rate, DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung said it shows the public's interest in politics.

"I ask that people actively participate in the voting today and tomorrow," Lee said after voting in the central city of Daejeon while on the campaign trail.

The early voting turnout was 26.7 percent and 36.8 percent in the previous elections in 2020 and 2016, respectively.

The DPK has said it aims to achieve an early voting turnout of 31.3 percent and a total turnout of 71.3 percent for this year, assuming that a high turnout will lead to victory for the party.

In the previous election, the total turnout reached 66.2 percent, and the DPK won 180 out of 300 seats.

The PPP, however, has refuted the assumption, arguing that high turnout does not necessarily favor the DPK.

According to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV earlier this week, 80 percent of respondents expressed a definite intention to cast their votes.

Among those intending to vote, 39 percent plan to visit polling stations during the early voting period, while 58 percent intend to vote on Election Day next Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Publicis New York has appointed Joe Mongognia as its new Chief Creative Officer. Joe will spearhead creative endeavours across Publicis New York, reporting directly to Carla Serrano, CEO of Publicis New York and Global Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Groupe. With a career spanning over a decade at Grey New York, most recently as Executive Creative Director, Joe brings a wealth of experience overseeing creative campaigns for renowned brands including NFL, Gillette, Pfizer, Pringles, MassMutual, National Parks, and Procter & Gamble. Over the past two decades, he has played pivotal roles in shaping leading agencies such as Ogilvy, McCann, and JWT. Joe's creative brilliance has been lauded with numerous international accolades, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Effies, The ANDYs, and One Show, and his work is proudly showcased in MoMA's permanent advertising collection.

Renowned for its innovative approach, Publicis New York stands as a cornerstone of creative excellence within the industry and serves as the driving force behind Publicis Groupe's cutting-edge Power of One models. This innovative approach has garnered the trust of leading brands such as Citi, Pfizer, and Walmart, consolidating top-tier capabilities, talent, and agencies across various disciplines including data, media, technology, creative, and production into seamlessly integrated, client-centric teams.

Carla Serrano said: The Power of One requires a different leadership mindset from the typical chief creative gig. Its less about making ads and more about nurturing the best ideas from the Groupes full arsenal of data, talent and creativity. Joe immediately grasped the assignment and Publicis New Yorks ambition to put creative at the centre of driving brands into the future.

"The industry has long admired the Power of One for its ability to seamlessly unite brands with top-tier talent and integrated capabilities, all while maintaining an unwavering commitment to creativity," said Joe. "What drew me to Publicis New York is its transformative evolution beyond the traditional creative agency model. It embodies a dynamic philosophy adaptable to the evolving needs of brands and the industry, presenting the ultimate canvas for creative exploration."
YouTube has come under scrutiny for approving dozens of ads promoting voter suppression and incitement to violence ahead of India's upcoming election, according to a new investigation by rights groups Global Witness and Access Now, shared exclusively with TIME.

India is gearing up for its election, scheduled in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a third term, the stakes are high, making this election a pivotal moment. However, concerns about the spread of misinformation and hate speech have surfaced, raising questions about the role of platforms like YouTube in tackling such issues.

The investigation conducted by Global Witness and Access Now revealed alarming results. Despite YouTube's rules prohibiting election-related content containing disinformation, the platform approved 100% of the 48 submitted ads within a 24-hour review period. These ads, written in Hindi, Telugu, and English, contained false information aimed at suppressing votes and inciting violence, potentially influencing millions of voters.

Namrata Maheshwari, senior policy counsel at Access Now, expressed dismay at the findings, highlighting YouTube's failure to prevent the spread of disinformation. She emphasized the need for YouTube to prioritize the global majority's well-being and address the underlying issues contributing to this alarming trend.

Responding to the allegations, a Google spokesperson defended the company's policies, stating that ads are subject to multiple layers of review and enforcement. However, the spokesperson acknowledged that the ads in question were withdrawn before undergoing routine enforcement reviews.

With over 450 million users in India, YouTube holds significant influence, offering targeted advertising tools to businesses and political parties. The platform's lucrative ad revenue underscores its importance in reaching voters, making it imperative for YouTube to ensure the integrity of its content.

The report's authors highlighted disparities in YouTube's enforcement practices across different regions, pointing to a growing digital divide between the global north and south. They called for urgent action from YouTube to address these concerns and enhance efforts to combat election disinformation.

As India's election draws nearer, calls for YouTube to bolster its counter-disinformation measures have intensified. The report urges YouTube to undertake a thorough evaluation of its ad approval process and allocate sufficient resources to tackle content in local languages.

In the final weeks before the Indian election, the spotlight is on YouTube to take decisive action to safeguard the democratic process and prevent the spread of harmful misinformation.
The 8th edition of Swiggy Dineout's Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) has been a remarkable success, with over 3.5 million diners collectively saving a staggering 100+ Crores on dining out. This year, the festival featured 8,000+ eateries across 37 cities, offering FLAT 50% OFF, with an additional 15% savings when using HDFC Bank Credit Cards. The festival witnessed more than 22 lakh deals being availed and an impressive 576 table reservations per hour.

Commenting on the success, Swapnil Bajpai, Head at Swiggy Dineout, said, "With over 3.5 million diners participating, this year's Swiggy Dineout GIRF has been a great success, establishing itself as an eagerly anticipated event for food enthusiasts nationwide. We're thrilled to see more people from Tier 2 cities joining in, showing a growing trend of exploring new cuisines and dining experiences. The festival has introduced a wide range of new restaurants, offering diners exciting culinary adventures while enjoying savings worth a whopping Rs 100+ Crores."

GIRF 2024 sets new records.

The highest single bill during the festival was recorded in Delhi, where a diner paid Rs. 2,48,929.

during the festival was recorded in Delhi, where a diner paid Another avid diner from Delhi pocketed substantial savings of Rs. 122,433 on a single order .

. A passionate foodie from Bangalore seized the opportunity to purchase an impressive 101 deals, relishing a feast fit for a king daily!

deals, relishing a feast fit for a king daily! A user from Hyderabad amazed us by indulging in a dining extravaganza throughout the entire GIRF season, spending a hefty sum of Rs. 3,68,889 , making it the highest amount paid by a diner throughout the festival.

, making it the by a diner throughout the festival. On Valentine's Day, a user from Pune saved a whopping Rs. 41,041, turning the day of romance into a celebration of savings!

Valentine's Week emerged as the pinnacle of dining experiences during the festival, with a staggering 39,599 deals availed and Rs. 1.96 crores saved .

. Pop Tate's Restaurant from Mumbai has seen 549 diners on 25th March , making it the restaurant with the highest number of diners on a single day.

, making it the restaurant with the highest number of diners on a single day. During the Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF), BLR Brewing Co. in Bangalore, Cafe Delhi Heights in Delhi, Pop Tate's in Mumbai, Coal Barbecues in Chennai, and Oudh 1590 in Kolkata emerged as the most preferred restaurants, reflecting their widespread popularity and culinary appeal across in the respective cities.

Swiggy Dineout has gone above and beyond to ensure that food enthusiasts can indulge in more delicious meals, enjoy greater savings, and experiment with newer restaurants through the most enticing restaurant promotions and bank offers during the Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF).
Embracing the anime-fandom among Gen Z, McDonalds India (West & South), owned and operated by Westlife Foodworld Limited, steps into the anime world with the exciting launch of WcDonalds in the country. In anime culture, McDonalds has been referenced as WcDonald's by anime fans and creators alike. The WcDonalds identity is a hat tip to the love for this culture and fandom. From the launch of a limited-time savoury sauce, exciting new collectable manga-themed packaging and an anime-themed restaurant to the release of four anime films, each of these elements is an ode to anime fandom to create unforgettable dining moments.

One of the star attractions at WcDonalds is the limited-time Savory Chili WcDonalds Sauce meticulously crafted to enliven taste buds with a symphony of flavours. Infused with an enticing blend of ginger, garlic, soy, and a hint of chili flakes, this sauce guarantees an explosion of energy with each delectable bite. This menu innovation echoes the fearless and dynamic personas of beloved anime heroes, offering an enticing experience for Anime fans. It perfectly pairs with an order of 10-piece WcNuggets (the fan-favourite Chicken McNuggets) or any of your go-to menu items. For a limited time, fans will also receive manga-inspired packaging featuring WcDonalds Crew characters, sketched by iconic Japanese manga artist/illustrator Acky Bright.

McDonalds India has also unveiled a ground-breaking transformation of its iconic restaurant at Linking Road in Bandra, Mumbai. Inspired by the vibrant world of Anime, this WcDonalds restaurant aims to transport diners into a realm where fantasy meets fandom. Conceptualised and brought to life by DDB Mudra Group, the restaurant's decor and ambience has undergone a complete makeover, capturing the essence of the much-loved Anime aesthetics.

Arvind R. P., Chief Marketing Officer, McDonalds India (W&S) said, Anime culture is booming in India, particularly among the Gen Z. For years, anime fans have been bringing their favourite brand to life in many ways within the Anime universe. The McDonald s-inspired WcDonalds is a case in point. Now, WcDonald's transcends fantasy, becoming a reality. We honour our fans' imagination by authentically manifesting the WcDonalds universe in our restaurants while inviting them to be part of our story like never before. WcDonalds embodies our dedication to integrating our brand with popular culture, offering unique experiences that wow customers. We invite everyone, particularly manga enthusiasts, to step into this immersive anime world.

Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group said, Youll be surprised how big the anime community is in India. And we realised that the anime universe has been tipping its hat to McDonalds through its many avatars. We felt the best way to acknowledge and celebrate this community was to bring one of the avatars from the anime world to the real world.

McDonalds India complements its unique initiative with four captivating anime-themed brand films, enriching the fans' immersion in the enchanting world of WcDonalds. Produced by renowned animation house Studio Pierrot, the first official WcDonalds anime will unveil episodic shorts exploring the flavourful WcDonalds Sauce and Chicken WcNuggets. These films will be available on McDonalds Indias owned social channels.

Experience the Savory Chili WcDonalds Sauce at your nearest McDonalds store in West & South India. It is also available for delivery via the McDelivery platform.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 05.04.2024 - The 55th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva focused on the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine. The session began on 26 February, with Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and around 100 high-level dignitaries in attendance. It ended on Friday 5 April.

On 26 February, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, opened the High-level Segment of this 55th session, welcoming some 130 state representatives to Geneva. Mr Cassis stressed that protecting human rights is absolutely crucial for containing today's many crises, particularly in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Those two particular contexts were discussed at length during the final days of the session.



In its statements, Switzerland reiterated its position on the current conflict in the Middle East. It called for a humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held in Gaza. It also called and calls on all parties to respect international law, in particular international humanitarian law, and human rights. Switzerland reasserted this during the dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the occupied Palestinian territory.



Regarding Ukraine, Switzerland reiterated its concerns regarding the continuing violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in the regions occupied by Russia. It stressed the need to take a holistic approach to accountability in efforts to address the social and political consequences of the occupation. Furthermore, Switzerland co-sponsored a resolution to extend the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine by one year.



Switzerland introduces a joint statement on the Philippines



Switzerland also presented a joint statement with the donor countries of the UN human rights programme in the Philippines (Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States). In the statement, it expressed its support for the active inclusion of civil society in promoting and protecting human rights.



Switzerland takes a stance on human rights in Syria, Iran, the DRC and Venezuela



Switzerland took part in the dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic on the human rights situation there. This commission is responsible for investigating all the human rights violations and abuses that have occurred since the conflict broke out. In particular, Switzerland voiced alarm at the continuation of hostilities on several fronts and the worsening humanitarian situation, at a time when the funds available are dwindling. In addition, it supported the renewal of the commission's mandate.



Switzerland also endorsed a joint statement on Iran, supported by a total of 54 states. In particular, the statement calls on the Iranian authorities to open civic space to allow for journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders to carry out their work freely. Switzerland took part in the interactive dialogue with the Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. It condemned the alarming rise in executions and the discrimination against women and girls in the country. Switzerland also supported the renewal of the mandate of the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran and that of the fact-finding mission.



Finally, Switzerland expressed its position on the human rights situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Venezuela. Concerning the DRC, Switzerland called on the authorities to reverse the decision to lift the moratorium on executions  a decision that runs contrary to the country's international obligations. Regarding Venezuela, Switzerland deplored the suspension of the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and encouraged the authorities to guarantee a free, fair and transparent electoral process for the forthcoming presidential elections.



Promoting work to better protect human rights and the environment



For more than a decade, Switzerland has been working within the Human Rights Council to promote multilateral solutions to the global environmental challenges that obstruct the realisation of human rights. At this session, together with a cross-regional group made up of Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco and Slovenia, it presented a resolution aimed at renewing the mandate of the special rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The rapporteur promotes best practice for guiding the formulation of environmental policies that respect human rights. The resolution was adopted by consensus.



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DIO helps underpin NATOs largest exercise in decades

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has been enabling and supporting Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, NATOs largest military exercise since the Cold War.

Enabling Group Souths Chief of Staff, Major Laurence Lee outlined (above) how DIO are supporting Ex Steadfast Defender in Sennelager.

The five months exercise, which coincides with the NATO Alliances 75th anniversary, started in January this year and involves over 90,000 troops from all 32 NATO allies. The exercise has two stages, with the first focusing on securing the Atlantic and a second phase moving forces eastward into central and eastern Europe. Ex Steadfast Defender demonstrates NATOs ability to defend every inch of its territory and the NATO allies commitment to protect each other from any threat.

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Above: DIOs Primary Bulk Fuel Installation provides combat vehicles used in Ex Steadfast Defender 2024 with the fuel needed to complete exercises.

Crown Copyright: MoD 2024

One of the many ways DIO is supporting Ex Steadfast Defender is at NATO Holding Base Sennelager, in Germany. Sennelager is being used to receive and stage a huge number of military personnel and their equipment as part of the exercise. Staging sees arriving personnel provided with accommodation, food and kit whilst ensuring logistics are in place so the required military vehicles are all simultaneously ready to deploy east on the exercise.

DIO provides the required facilities and infrastructure needed as part of the exercise including meals, accommodation, storage, vehicle workshops and all manner of building requirements.

Enabling Group Souths Chief of Staff, Major Laurence Lee explained more about how DIO are supporting Ex Steadfast Defender in Sennelager.

One example of the unique infrastructure required for large scale exercises like Steadfast Defender is a Primary Bulk Fuel Installation (PBFI) which stores large amounts of fuel. For a modern exercise like Steadfast Defender which involves more than 1,100 combat vehicles including tanks, Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Armoured Personnel carriers, fuel is a valuable commodity.

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DIO worked closely with the British Army to find a suitable location for the PBFI in Sennelager with safety considerations being a priority when dealing with fuel. DIO liaised with host nation, Germany to ensure there are no environmental impacts and we are compliant with local legislation.

DIOs support to NATO takes place on British soil too, for example facilitating NATO exercises like Joint Warrior, or hosting NATO Allied countries for their training in the UK. DIO's Defence Training Estate (DTE) colleagues enable our Armed Forces to train and prepare for NATO exercises. Before deploying on large scale NATO exercises like Steadfast Defender, participating personnel need to ensure their skills and relevant training is up to date. The DTE team manages the diverse training areas around the UK and overseas, ensuring they are both safe and fit for purpose. This enables our Armed Forces to focus on their important training, practice their combat skills and be ready to deploy on exercises and operations around the world.

B Company 4SCOTS, Section Commander Cpl Sheppard explained how DIOs work helps his company prepare to deploy on NATO exercises.


Some lucky kids will get the chance to see the day turn to night on April 8, when a total solar eclipse will be seen from several parts of the U.S.

From building your own safety glasses to taking scientific data, researchers say there are plenty of ways to make the upcoming solar eclipse a fun learning experience for children.

In some areas of the country, including 13 states, the Earths sky will go completely dark for up to four minutes.

AL.com put together a toolkit that parents and educators can use to help students learn more about the science behind eclipses and other rare natural events. Do you have other resources to recommend? Let us know!

1. Safety first: Solar glasses and sun prints

For starters, its important to teach children of all ages about the danger of the suns rays. Make sure kids know not to stare directly at the sun without protection, except for the brief moments of the total eclipse. Never look at the sun through a magnifying lens. And if youre outside the path of totality, use glasses through all phases of the eclipse.

NASAs safety guide breaks down the science behind solar viewers, and even has some ideas for making your own solar glasses. (If youd rather order eclipse glasses for your family or classroom, here are some options.)

This sun print activity from Scholastic is a smart way to help kids see for themselves the power of UV rays  and make a piece of art in the process. All youll need is some construction paper, plastic wrap, and some leaves or flowers to make a decorative print.

2. Check classroom guides for every age

The National Science Teaching Association has several free, online eclipse guides that cover everything from solar vocabulary to safety tips to creative lesson plans, like pinhole projectors and tinfoil solar glasses.

Students can model the earth and moon system with just a few materials. Simple concepts, like shadows, can help really young children understand whats happening in a solar eclipse.

Need more ideas? Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi and a group of astronomy educators compiled a list of dozens of other eclipse activities that can be done in the classroom or at home.

3. Learn about eclipses in art and fiction

You dont have to teach science to talk about the beauty of our solar system.

Eclipses are also reflected in fiction books, classical music and art. Check out your school library for some of these titles, or take a look at NASAs list of eclipse-themed art projects.

And youre never too far away to throw a party. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has a guide with plenty of other fun things to do at home or in school, including a Partial Eclipse Party Planner.

4. What time will the sky go dark? How to monitor the eclipse from your classroom

Viewing times will depend on how close you are to the eclipses path. Alabama cities are expected to see anywhere from 79% to 90% of the sun covered by early afternoon on Monday  likely before the end of the school day.

On the day of the eclipse, students can keep an eye on its path with NASAs viewing guide.

Cant leave the classroom, or clouded out? Thats OK. NASA is also broadcasting the eclipse on YouTube.
Kidnapping charges have been filed against two Alabama men accused in the abduction of two women who were bound and driven to Guntersville where the suspects allegedly tried to rob a jewelry store.

Jonathan Banks, 41, of Guntersville, and Andre Burgin, 42, of Midfield, are charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection with the March 28 incident that began in Brighton.

Additionally, Burgin is charged with theft of property in connection with womens stolen van.

Both men were captured one week ago today after an hours-long standoff at a Birmingham apartment complex.

The charges were announced Friday by Brighton police Lt. Kenneth Hooten, who is also the citys assistant fire chief. Burgins bond is set at $90,000 and Banks bond is set at $60,000.

The ordeal began shortly before 5:30 a.m. that Thursday when 33-year-old Alma Nestor and 29-year-old Rosaneli Castro were parked in the 4500 block of Bessemer Super Highway. They sell water and tamales there to workers headed out to jobs in the early-morning hours.

Two men approached the van, forced the women inside and left with them. The abduction was captured on surveillance cameras.

Hooten said the victims did not know their abductors.

The assailants used zip ties to bind the womens hands and shackled their legs with chains, Hooten said.

Guntersville police investigate a robbery with shots fired at Griffin Jewelers on March 28, 2024.(Guntersville Police Department)

With the women held captive in the back of their own van, the suspects drove them to Guntersville where they allegedly tried to rob a jewelry store.

About 30 minutes before the women were released unharmed, Guntersville police responded to an armed robbery call at Giffins Jewelers.

Three people entered the store in a holdup attempt. The manager fired shots at them, and they fled in the white van.

Authorities have not identified the third suspect.

A short time later, Guntersville police said they received a call of two missing women who were at Lowes.

The van - a 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan with Alabama license plate A0BUUP - was at Lowes with the women. It matched the van used in the jewelry store robbery.

Hooten said the suspects left the women and their van in a wooded area. They were able to cut the zip ties with a sharp object in the van, and then cut the chains on their legs.

They then drove themselves to Lowes to seek help.

Authorities have not said how they identified Banks and Burgin as suspects, but both have previously been arrested in Marshall County.

The were taken into custody a day after the abduction and the robbery after Guntersville police contacted the FBI in Birmingham after learning the suspects could be in that area.

Late Friday afternoon, March 29, FBI agents and Guntersville police descended at an apartment complex in southwest Birmingham across from Wenonah High School and a standoff ensued. Multiple other law enforcement agencies assisted during the standoff, including SWAT teams from several Birmingham area agencies.

More than four hours later, about 10:30 p.m., Banks and Burgin were found hiding in the attic of one of the apartments.

They were removed by tactical officers and turned over to Guntersville police.

Both men remain held in the Marshall County Jail. At some point, they will be returned to Jefferson County to face the kidnapping charges here.
Workers at Alabamas first auto plant have filed a petition to vote on whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers union.

The UAW announced today that a supermajority of workers at Mercedes-Benzs plant in Tuscaloosa County have signed union cards. The union had set a goal of 70% of the plants 6,000 employees signing up.

That number comes little more than three months since the UAW began a whirlwind drive to unionize the plant as part of a move in the Deep South among right-to-work states.

It's time for change at Mercedes.



It's time for justice in Alabama.



It's time for Mercedes workers to Stand Up.



That's why Mercedes workers have filed for their vote to join the UAW, and to win a better life.#StandUpMercedes pic.twitter.com/LHgbm0sKNI  UAW (@UAW) April 5, 2024

Mercedes-Benz is the second Southern domino to fall in the unions strategy of organizing plants one at a time by garnering supermajorities of workers to sign union cards. Employees at Volkswagens Chattanooga factory are scheduled to vote in two weeks on joining the UAW.

Its also a potentially historic development in a state where unionization efforts at auto plants have fizzled over the last two decades, even as Alabama rose to lead the nation in passenger vehicle exports last year, shipping out more than $11 billion in cars.

Mercedes employees in Germany are covered by a union contract, have representatives on the companys board, and elect members to a works council. But the German automaker located in Alabama in 1993 away from union heavy states with historic associations with the American auto industry.

The union campaign at Vance has also seen the UAW announce charges against Mercedes-Benz Group AG, saying the automakers moves against union organizing in Alabama have violated a sweeping German law governing international supply chain practices.

Mercedes has said it has not attempted to interfere with any worker wanting to join a union.

MBUSI fully respects our Team Members choice whether to unionize and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure every Team Member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice, Mercedes said in a statement Friday morning.

Our primary focus at MBUSI is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our Team Members, so they can continue to build safe and superior vehicles for the world. We believe open and direct communication with our Team Members is the best path forward to ensure continued success.

At the same time as UAW works to organize in Vance, the union is organizing a union drive at Montgomerys Hyundai factory, where 30% of the workers have signed union cards.

Since Mercedes Benz announced they were making our state home to their first U.S. manufacturing facility in 1993, tens of thousands of Alabama families have been positively impacted, Gov. Kay Ivey said.

Let me be crystal clear that Joe Bidens UAW has no interest in seeing Alabamians succeed. Instead, their interest here is ensuring money from hardworking Alabama families ends up in the UAW bank account. That is why they are willing to spend $40 million to gain a foothold in the Southeasts automotive powerhouse.

About 6,000 people work at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), which was the first auto plant to locate in Alabama. The plant produces the Mercedes GLE, GLE coupe and GLS model series. After investing more than $1 billion into its Alabama operations since 2017, Mercedes also produces the all-electric EQS SUV and EQE.

In a video released by the union to coincide with the announcement, workers with Mercedes-Benz gave several reasons why they support the UAW.

Jacob Ryan, a team member, said the vote will make Mercedes better.

Right now, the company keeps losing good people because they force them to work Saturdays at the last second, to take shifts that mess with their family lives, Ryan said. And the only choice people have is to take it or quit. With the union, well have a voice for fair schedules that keep workers at Mercedes.

Jeremy Kimbrell, a measurement machine operator at Mercedes, said the union fight is standing up for every worker in Alabama.

At Mercedes, at Hyundai and at hundreds of other companies, Alabama workers have made billions of dollars for executives and shareholders, but we havent gotten our fair share. Were going to turn things around with this vote. Were going to end the Alabama discount, Kimbrell said.

We are voting for safer jobs at Mercedes, Moesha Chandler, an assembly team member, said. Im still young, but Im already having serious problems with my shoulders and hands. When youre still in your twenties and your body is breaking down, thats not right. By winning our union, well have the power to make the work safer and more sustainable.

If a majority of workers vote in favor of unionization, the employer is required to bargain over terms and conditions of employment with union representatives.
New restrictions on what books children can look at in the library could soon become law in Alabama, as lawmakers debate adding libraries to an old law targeting adult video stores.

On top of that, Alabama is also considering the unusual step of policing professional membership, with specific rules against joining the American Library Association.

Thats under a pair of new bills working their way through the Alabama Legislature.

The first bill, HB385, targets library books by stretching the states existing obscenity law to cover school and public libraries. It also creates a new definition of sexual conduct and states that it is harmful to distribute to minors any obscene material that meets the new definition.

Under existing law, the use of any premises to distribute obscene material to minors is a public nuisance, reads the bill.

Filed by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, the bill already passed a House committee last week and is slated to go before the full House for a vote. It compares libraries to adult-only bookstores and prohibits nudity or content that the average person using contemporary community standards would find appeals to the prurient interest of minors.

This bill would prohibit the state or any library from supplying any minor with material containing sexual content unless the minors parent or guardian consents, Mooney said at a committee hearing on Wednesday.

Matthew Layne, head of the Alabama Library Association said the bill is an overreach by the state.

Librarians are very, very much in support of parental rights in choosing what is appropriate for their children to read. What we are not in support of is one parent choosing what another familys child may read, he said. Its creating a nanny state.

The bill prohibits materials including sexual intercourse, bestiality, masturbation, defecation and lewd exhibition of the genitals. It also includes language focusing on drag performances around minors, including: Persons who are dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, or are stripping, or engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing, presentations, or activities.

In addition to books, the bill lists a range of library materials, including digital materials, audio and visual materials. The bill excludes college and university libraries.

But a second bill, HB425, just filed in the state legislature would extend library restrictions to university libraries and would also prevent libraries in the state from joining the American Library Association.

That bill prohibits libraries from supplying minors with sexual content and gender ideology, which the bill defines as the theory that there are more than two genders and that gender is a construct. It authorizes the attorney general and parents to take legal action if a violation occurs.

This bill would also authorize a parent or guardian to seek an injunction against a library that purchases or accepts a donation of sexual content in violation of this act, it states.

The bill prohibits libraries taking state funds from affiliating with the American Library Association.

Jessica Hayes, a librarian from Prattville, said it will be very difficult for libraries to prevent minors from accessing books that contain sexual content and it will create great pressure on librarians.

That will be very, very difficult for libraries in higher education institutions because they do work with freshmen who are 17, who are considered minors, but theyre freshmen who are probably living on their own for the first time, she said, adding that enforcing such a standard would be especially hard because libraries have publicly available computers.

The second bill, filed by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, has yet to be discussed in a public hearing. Yarbough did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Frustrated by empty promises and mudslinging, young voters face tough choice

By Lee Hyo-jin

As the April 10 general election day looms just around the corner, political parties are engaging in a last-minute sprint to woo voters, with a particular focus on young people who are anticipated to play a decisive role in the outcome.

Both the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) appealed to young voters on the first day of the two-day early voting period, which kicked off on Friday.

The PPP's interim leader Han Dong-hoon cast his ballot at a polling station in Sinchon, Seodaemun District in Seoul, a big college town where major universities are located. DPK Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung voted in Daejeon, alongside students from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

The political inclination of young Koreans in their 20s and 30s, once categorized as progressives, has become unpredictable in recent years. Frustrated by the lack of representation of diverse voices in politics and a deepening distrust following empty promises made by politicians, many have not yet decided whom to vote for in the upcoming elections  or whether to head to the polls at all.

A 31-year-old programmer surnamed Choi, who lives in Seoul's Seodaemun District, expressed discontent with the fading presence of minor parties in the election landscape, which is largely dominated by the two major parties.

"I will cast my ballot during the early voting period, but I haven't decided who to vote for. There isn't anyone I particularly want to support ... I don't like how the two biggest parties are getting the majority of the votes, so I'm thinking of supporting an alternative one," he told The Korea Times.

A college student surnamed Lee, 25, said that campaign mudslinging is diminishing her interest in the elections.

"I guess l will vote next Wednesday, but I haven't decided whom to vote for," she said, adding that the candidates' campaign trails have made her more skeptical about the election.

Lee said, "In every election cycle, politicians who seemingly haven't made any improvements to our district over the past four years suddenly show up at subway stations or on the streets during the campaign period, seeking votes. Without presenting pledges to improve our lives, their tactic for garnering support is accusing the opposition camp."

Choi and Lee represent a growing number of young voters who have yet to make up their minds on who to vote for.

According to a survey conducted by Metrics announced on Wednesday, 40 percent of 1,000 respondents aged 18 and 29, and 33 percent of those in their 30s said they had not yet decided on which candidate to vote for.

This suggests that a significant portion of eligible voters in their 20s and 30s, who comprise one third of the total 42.75 million electorate, could wield considerable influence on the election outcome.

However, it remains uncertain how many of these young voters will turn out at the polls on election day. Many of them may opt to stay home, as they do not appear to be interested in the upcoming elections.

According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea in March, 56.8 percent of 1,500 respondents aged 18 to 29 expressed interest in the upcoming general elections. This represents the lowest level of interest among all age groups, whereas over 90 percent of older age groups showed interest in the elections.

Kim Che-jin, a 25-year-old student at Ewha Womans University, who voted for the DPK in the previous parliamentary elections in 2020, said it is difficult to choose a particular candidate in her constituency this time because their pledges sound similar.

"Politicians are simply busy attacking their rivals without proposing sincere pledges and measures to actually improve people's lives," Kim said, criticizing their lack of focus on real-life issues such as housing and the increase in violence against women.

A 33-year-old freelancer surnamed Cho living in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said he will skip the upcoming elections, lamenting that his previous support for politicians resulted in disappointing outcomes.

He voted for the DPK in the 2020 general elections, during which the liberal party clinched a landslide victory, and voted for then-conservative candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election, where he won by a close margin.

"Both the DPK and the Yoon government have been doing a terrible job. I regret supporting them. I guess politicians will always be that way. Once they win the elections, they forget the promises they made to the public," he said.

The aforementioned survey conducted by Metrics on March 30 and 31 was commissioned by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, with a credibility rate of 95 percent. The survey conducted by Gallup Korea was commissioned by the National Election Commission and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, with a credibility rate of 95 percent. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commissions website.
This is an opinion column.

Theres some steamy stuff in Alabamas bill to turn librarians into pornographers.

Stuff I dont want to say out loud. So Ill let those Alabama lawmakers speak of the acts on their minds.

Theres sexual intercourse, masturbation, urination, defecation, lewd exhibition of the genitals, sadomasochistic abuse, bestiality, or the fondling of the sex organs of animals. Theres any other physical contact with a persons unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or the breast or breasts of a female, whether alone or between members of the same or opposite sex or between a human and an animal, in an act of sexual stimulation, gratification, or perversion.

Kinky. Whew. Dont Google that when you get home, kids.

And whatever you do, dont bring a copy of this bill  HB385  into a school library. If this thing passes, that would very likely be a crime.

Because under the bill  brought to you by a whole Upright Citizens Brigade of 31 Alabama legislators  a school or public librarian who allowed such pages into a library might well be charged for turning the library into a public nuisance.

Not unlike the Legislature itself.

The bill, modifying an existing law designed to suppress the proliferation of adult-only video stores and adult book stores, would make school librarians liable for any of sexual content appearing in any book, magazine, newspaper, printed or written matter, writing, description, picture, drawing, animation, photograph, motion picture, film, video tape, pictorial representation, depiction, image, electrical or electronic reproduction, broadcast, transmission, telephone communication, sound recording, article, device, equipment, matter, oral communication, live performance, or dance.

So this column might be considered obscene, too. It appears as written matter. And it quotes legislators about sex with animals, and their oddly colorful discussion of binding or physical restraining of a person who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a revealing or bizarre costume in an act of sexual stimulation.

So specific. And yet so very broad.

It would be hard to take this bill seriously if it werent such a serious attack on thought, and expression, if it did not seek to criminalize an important, service-oriented profession. If it did not seek to stop people from acknowledging alternative views. If it were not designed to manufacture fear, and use that fear to silence other people.

The bill, which passed a House committee Wednesday, also uses this so-called war on obscenity to shut down drag shows in libraries or other public places.

It would ban any sexual or gender oriented material that knowingly exposes minors to persons who are dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, or are stripping, or engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing, presentations, or activities in K-12 public schools, public libraries, and other public places where minors are expected and are known to be present without parental consent.

Im not sure what exaggerated clothing is, but dont wear it in a library. Or you will be likened to an adult video store.

The bill assumes so much. It would declare stuff obscene if a reasonable person would find that the material, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

By that measure it would be reasonable to declare half the Alabama Code obscene.

The Alabama Library Association and librarians across the state have argued that the bill reaches too far, is an affront to free speech and parental rights, and threatens everything from sex education books to the Bible itself.

But of course lawmakers are not concerned with sex education in a state that remains among the top 10 for both teen birth rate and sexually transmitted diseases. Whats a real health threat when you can foment your own?

As for the Bible, well, it certainly violates a lot of the standards laid out in this bill. Theres more about prostitutes and rape and incest in the Book of Genesis than anything youre likely to read in a school library.

Like when Lots daughters got him drunk and slept with him.

Like Genesis 38:8-10, where a dude named Onan is told to sleep with his brothers wife. But Onan was condemned to die because whenever he slept with his brothers wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother.

Or the lady in Ezekiel who lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

Could a librarian be arrested for shelving the Bible where minors can find it? Those are pretty vivid descriptions of the workings of sex, on paper, in violation of the law.

You might argue that its all out of context. That the passages dont represent the whole of the work.

And thats the point.

Thats the problem.

Because context plays no role in determining the value of any of these works. This bill, this purge, lets the most fearful parents and the most fear-mongering legislators control what other families can read, or see, or decide. It misrepresents what is being read in libraries in the first place and demeans librarians.

It assumes the censors have the moral high ground. Even when their minds are the ones in the gutter.

John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and will likely soon be banned in Alabama libraries.
Complaints about what many are calling predatory towing continue to crop up on social media in Birmingham as attorneys hit a roadblock in a class-action lawsuit against downtown towing company Parking Enforcement Systems (PES).

In the wake of the suit, Birmingham area legislators are also discussing a possible solution to the citys persisting towing issues, but it is still in early stages, according to Alabamas District 57 Rep. Patrick Sellers, D- Pleasant Grove.
Authorities are asking for the publics help in identifying two suspects in an armed Birmingham robbery.

The holdup happened Tuesday, April 2, in the 1100 block of Sixth Avenue West, according to Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

Birmingham police are trying to identify two suspects in an armed robbery of a woman.(BPD)

The female victim was not injured, but police say she was robbed of personal items.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Forty-six years after a Missouri hunter found a body in the Mississippi River, the victim has been identified as a 15-year-old girl from Iowa.

Authorities in Lincoln County, Missouri, announced Tuesday that DNA evidence and other scientific investigation were key in determining the body was that of Helen Renee Groomes, who disappeared from Ottumwa, Iowa. Her body was found in the river near Elsberry, Missouri, in March 1978.

An autopsy performed at the time determined the body was likely that of a woman age 30 to 40. Investigators had little to go on except a cats eye ring on a finger and a tattoo with a hard-to-read name on her left arm. The manner of death was classified as undetermined. Coroners believed she had been dead for about four months before the body was found.

The remains were buried in the Troy, Missouri, City Cemetery with the gravestone reading, Lincoln County Jane Doe.

Coroner Dan Heavin had the body exhumed in October and turned to anthropology students and faculty at Southeast Missouri State University, a news release from the Lincoln County Sheriffs Department said. Bone and dental analysis was performed, and samples of DNA were submitted to a private lab for forensic genome sequencing.

The lab, Othram Inc., built a genealogical profile that helped generate new leads in the investigation, the sheriffs department said. The new evidence led the coroners office to track down Kevin Groomes, Helens brother.

Kevin Groomes told KSDK-TV that his sister went missing in 1977. He said he was the one who put the tattoo on her arm, which read Del, a nickname for her boyfriend at the time.

The Wapello County Sheriffs Office in Iowa has opened a new investigation into the death, the agency said.
Authorities have released the name of a woman found dead in her Jefferson County home in an apparent domestic shooting.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as Lakechia Rena Bryant. The 46-year-old mother and grandmother was affectionately known as Keedy.

The suspect in her slaying  her boyfriend  was shot hours later following a police chase with shots fired that ended in Graysville. His identity and condition have not yet been released, but authorities said he was alert and talking.

Bryants body was discovered about 10:30 a.m. Thursday after family became concerned because they had not heard from her since at least Wednesday. The victim lived in the 200 block of Second Avenue.

Jefferson County Sheriffs Office spokesman Henry Irby said forced entry was made into the home and Bryant as found unresponsive inside.

She was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:18 a.m. from a gunshot wound. Authorities said it wasnt immediately clear when the deadly shooting took place.

Jefferson County sheriff's deputies investigate the shooting death of a 46-year-old woman at her Mulga home.(Carol Robinson)

A lookout bulletin for a potential suspect in a white Cadillac was quickly broadcast on area law enforcement police radios.

Adamsville Police Chief Chris Robinson said his office was notified about 1 p.m. to assist in located the suspect who was believed to be in Adamsville.

Officers spotted the suspects vehicle and tried to stop him, but he fled.

After a short chase, officers deployed spike strips, which deflated the suspects tires.

He continued fleeing at low speeds and began firing at Adamsville officers. Police returned fire.

Police and firefighters at the scene where a suspect in a woman's death in Mulga was shot by police in Graysville on April 4, 2024.Carol Robinson

The suspect crashed his car at the corner of Cherry Avenue and Glasgow Hollow Road in Graysville, just off Interstate 22.

Officers rendered aid until Adamsville fire medics arrived on the scene. RPS transported him to UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office is investigating Bryants homicide.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the officer-involved shooting at the request of Robinson.
The Alabama House passed a bill Thursday that would require smart phones, tablets and other internet-enabled devices to automatically shield minors from explicit content, and establishes significant civil penalties for manufacturers were they to not comply with the new law.

House Bill 167, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, would require smart phones and tablets to verify the age of the user, and were the user to be under 18, automatically enable an adult content filter. Manufacturers could face civil penalties as high as $50,000 per violation under the bill, and could also face additional consequences from the Alabama attorney general, such as having licenses or certificates to do business in the state being revoked.

Its as simple as when (a minor) sets up their Apple ID, they put their age in and it automatically turns the filter on, Sells said on the House floor. Theyre actually doing it now for ages 12 and under, and this just moves it up to the age of 18.
Those who happened to visit medicaid.gov to learn about qualifying for coverage before Thursday may have caught an apparent website mishap.

When rolling over Alabama on a U.S. map, what appeared was Alabama boogie woogie. No other state had a similar mistake.

The boogie woogie map had been live on the medicaid.gov page where state Medicaid agencies can be searched at least since Oct. 15, 2022, according to archives from the Wayback Machine.

At about 3 p.m. on Thursday, the mistake was corrected after AL.com reached out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for comment. CMS responded to that request for information Friday morning by confirming they removed it from the site, but provided no reason for the mistake.

However, that didnt keep people from having their fun. After an AL.com reporter discovered the blip and posted it on Twitter and Reddit, folks online shared their bewilderment at the screenshot.

Its a warning about the rocking pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu, @David_Jorgonson replied on Twitter, referencing the 1957 Huey Piano Smith song.

Boogie woogie for all, said a comment from Reddit user u/Capable_Ad8953.

Some hypothesized that the error was due to developers testing a function on the site but failed to remove it after testing.

As a developer leaving embarrassing placeholder text in a project is one of my biggest fears, Twitter user @deLessuno commented.

Others used the opportunity to make a statement on healthcare access in the state.

Theyre saying to boogie woogie on outta here because this state has some really backward medical policies, wrote Reddit user u/shimmer_bee.

The level of care, the kinds of things they cover, how desperate you have to be to qualify, etc., varies from State to State, said Redditor u/greed-man. This could be some programmer taking a shot at a State that intentionally is harming their own populace.

In 2023, AL.com reported that Alabama is the only state where Medicaid wont cover some breast cancer screening. Since the COVID-19 continuous coverage period that ended in June 2023, tens of thousands of Alabamians have lost Medicaid coverage.

In February, the Alabama Hospital Association proposed a plan in which Alabamians making up to 138% of the federal poverty level  $20,783 a year for an individual as of January  would be eligible for full Medicaid benefits but would receive coverage through a private insurer. Current eligibility in Alabama is among the most strict in the country, with parents and caretaker relatives only eligible for the program with incomes of up to $370 a month for a family of three.
A teen has been arrested in the March shooting death of a 43-year-old man in a Birmingham field.

Jaiden Joel Davis, 19, is charged with murder in the slaying of Jerry Edward Lewis Jr.

The shots rang out just before 5 p.m. Monday, March 11, in the 100 block of First Avenue S.W. in the Titusville community.

Sgt. LaQuitta Wade said officers arrived on the scene to find Lewis unresponsive outside a shed in a small field where people are known to gather.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene. No one else was injured.

Lewis was talking with other people when the shooter, wearing a ski mask, approached them on foot and fired multiple shots.

At least a handful of shell casings were marked as evidence.

The shooter then fled the scene.

Birmingham police Chief Scott Thurmond previously said Lewis was most likely at that location to buy drugs.

Detectives believe the location was targeted by the suspects due to the narcotics sales at this location, Thurmond said.

The Birmingham Police Departments Crime Reduction Team arrested Davis at a residence in Center Point. Detectives recovered a Glock Switch fixed to a firearm during the arrest.

Davis was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 12:35 p.m. Thursday. He remains held without bond.
Derrick Dearman is guilty. Its a fact he admits openly, not shying behind how he killed five people with an ax and a gun eight years ago on a dark road in south Alabama.

It happened. He remembers it all.

And now, he said, hes ready to face his punishment.

Dearman, who was sent to Alabama Death Row in 2018 for the brutal slayings of the family members of his then-girlfriend in Citronelle in 2016, said he fired his attorney on Thursday. He wants to stop all appeals of his conviction and death sentence, he said.

I am guilty, plain and simple, he said in a phone interview with AL.com.

Everybodys trying to talk me out of it, he said. But, I feel in my heart this is the right thing to do.

Dearmans attorneys from the Equal Justice Initiative didnt respond to comment for this story.

Ive decided to drop my appeals and have my sentence carried out I was fairly tried and convicted. I agreed with the courts decision.

So now its time to try to do whats right by the victims and their families to try to give them the closure and justice they deserve.

The Alabama Attorney Generals Office has not yet filed a request to the Alabama Supreme Court to set an execution date for Dearman.

Whether I was in my right mind or not, innocent lives were lost and the crime was committed.

The killings happened in the early-morning hours of Aug. 20, 2016. Dearman was dating a woman at the time whose brother, Joseph Adam Turner, owned a home in a remote area of Mobile County near Citronelle.

According to court records, Dearman was abusive to his girlfriend, and the day before the murders, Turner picked her up and brought her to his home. Dearman showed up multiple times to the Citronelle home that night, but no one would allow Dearman inside the house.

Early the next morning, Dearman returned. Court records state that he picked up an ax from the yard, broke into the home and attacked.

The victims were Turner, 26; Robert Lee Brown, 26; Chelsea Marie Reed, 22; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; and Shannon Melissa Randall, 35. Chelsea Reed was pregnant with her and Justin Reeds first child. Turner and Randall had a 3-month-old son in the bed with them when they were attacked, but he was unharmed.

After attacking his victims with an ax and then fatally shooting them, Dearman forced his unharmed girlfriend into a car, along with the 3-month-old boy, and drove them to Mississippi.

Dearman turned himself into authorities the following day. The girlfriend and baby returned to south Alabama unharmed.

Dearmans now-fired attorney argued in court records he was severely mentally ill at the time of the crime, and Dearman said that his mind wasnt right at the time. But that doesnt mean he doesnt know what happened.

I remember every bit of it, Dearman said through the fuzzy audio at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Its the prison where the majority of Alabama Death Row inmates are housed, and the only prison in the state with an execution chamber.

And it was like someone else had the steering wheel. It was like being at the movie theater or watching a movie and you want to turn your head or close your eyes because you didnt want to see that part or that scene because it was that scary or horrible and not being able to. Its like something else had the wheel.

He was on drugs at the time of the slaying, calling himself strung out and mentally unstable from his drug use.

If I was sober, that would have never happened.

A photo of Derrick Dearman provided by the Greene County Sheriff's Department. (George County Sheriff's Department via AP)AP

Dearman, now 36, said he hopes his acceptance of the death penalty will help those still affected by his crimes.

Now I owe it to the victims family to try and make sure they get the closure, the justice that they deserve because whether I was, whats the word, in my right mind because of drugs, any other mental problems made worse by drugs, the fact remains that they were innocent people that lost their lives and didnt deserve that. I cant go back and change it and make it right, but what I can do is try to do the right thing by the victims and their families.

When asked if drugs were the root cause of the murders, this is what Dearman said from his prison cell on death row:

Well, for something like this, this horrible, to happen, it takes a lot of different factors over a long period of time to come together at the right moment, time and place for a person for something like that to happen. Yes, my drug use over the years progressively got worse so my mind got further and further gone to where I barely remembered how to spell my name sometimes. That and emotional stress of not being able to provide for myself or my family and its just a lot of different factors.

He added, Whether I was in my right mind or not, innocent lives were lost and the crime was committed.

Words have no weight in a situation like this

Dearman pleaded guilty to the murders and, in 2018, a jury unanimously recommended the death penalty. Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court declined to review Dearmans case, upholding his direct appeal of his convictions and sentence.

But his lawyers from EJI in August 2020 had already filed a separate appeal  one focusing on claims he was mentally ill at the time of the murders and had ineffective assistance of counsel.

Those are the lawyers he fired Thursday.

He said his attorney and his father tried to persuade him not to drop the appeals, but it didnt matter. I knew in my heart I was always going to make this decision, Dearman told AL.com.

Dearman stressed that he liked his attorneys and didnt have any issues with EJIs representation. He just decided he wanted to accept his punishment.

Its not something that Ive recently just been thinking on and decided, you know, come to the decision on.

He said he only agreed to let EJI represent him during the appeal process because that was my familys right to try to fight for my life.

Thats the only reason that I even began the appeal process. But after six years, theyve had a chance to do so, Dearman said.

According to a court filing by the Alabama Attorney Generals Office in 2020, Dearman had made claims about not wanting to appeal his convictions and sentence since it was first handed down in 2018.

Dearman was also emphatic when asked if anyone encouraged him to give up his appeals. No one whatsoever has tried to influence me, guide me, coerce me. This is my own decision.

Nobody wants to die

Dearman thinks he should die. But he doesnt necessarily want it to be anytime soon.

I mean, who wants to say, you know what, just come on and kill me? Nobody wants to die.

He also said he believes some of the men on Alabama Death Row are innocent, and he doesnt think the death penalty should be widely used. He made it clear that his decision doesnt mean he supports executions.

Earlier this week, Dearman said he mailed letters explaining his decision to drop his appeal to Gov. Kay Ivey, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, the judge on his case and others. He is hoping hell have at least another year before the state seeks an execution date and doesnt want people to think he is trying to commit suicide legally.

He read AL.com the letter. Part of what he wrote to the state officials was delivering justice to the surviving victims and their families.

Now its time to give the victims and their families what they deserve, justice for their loved ones and themselves, he wrote.It is not right in my opinion, going on to continue to delay the justice they deserve. Not only that, but is a waste of the courts time, resources and taxpayers dollars to continue to appeal my sentence when Im guilty and believe I was fairly sentenced.

When asked if he thought he deserved the death penalty, he struggled to answer.

No, in one sense. But in my heart, that is the right thing and the only punishment I know that me being executed, its not going to fix things for the victims family. Its not going to bring their loved ones back. Its the only thing that I could ever do or give to show that... I dont want to use the words Im sorry Its the only way for not only them, but my family and anybody else witnessing that, that this person is truly remorseful and regrets actions, crimes hes committed.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said the Alabama Supreme Court made the morally right decision finding frozen embryos are children while admonishing the state Legislatures law shielding in vitro fertilization clinics as ill-considered.

The controversy over the Alabama Supreme Courts decision on in vitro fertilization obscured the rulings importance and spurred the Alabama Legislature to enact an ill-considered law that will harm families seeking treatment for infertility, Pence said in an op-ed published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal and co-written by John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life.

Pence, a former 2024 GOP presidential nominee who founded the policy organization Advancing American Freedom, said the key takeaway of the ruling was that the Alabama Supreme Court gave the IVF couples involved in the case recourse when a wandering patient destroyed the frozen embryos , not that the embryos are children.

The Alabama case exposed a culture of IVF industry negligence, Pence and Mize wrote. A lack of safeguards, combined with reckless disregard for the facilitys clients, resulted in the destruction of human embryos. The Alabama Supreme Court held that parents and embryonic children alike are owed basic legal protection from such negligence.

Pence and Mize, who worked at biobanking IVF storage facilities in Indiana, said the events that led to the frozen embryos being destroyed at a Mobile clinic should have never been able to occur.

The couples who ... sued showed that there were massive gaps in oversight. A random patient should never have come close to the liquid-nitrogen tank containing frozen human embryos, let alone opened a completely unsecured tank and mishandled the embryos of strangers, destroying them in the process, Pence and Mize wrote.

Meanwhile, Azenta Life Sciences, an IVF facility where Mize worked, according to the op-ed, has several layers of protocols kept the biorepository space secure, with even further layers of security before opening a freezer or liquid-nitrogen tank.

The situation at the facility in the Alabama case couldnt have been more different, the op-ed stated.

No couple, whatever their views about when legal personhood begins, would be happy to find their biological embryos treated with utter carelessness. Those experiencing infertility deserve the protection of the law as consumers and as parents, Pence and Mize went on to say. Embryonic children in an IVF facility deserve the same sort of wrongful-death protection that children in the womb enjoy from fetal homicide laws. The string of negligence and failures at the Alabama facility shows no such sign of respect for human lifeor for the rights of those seeking to become parents.

Amid the political backlash created by the ruling, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill giving legal protection to in vitro fertilization clinics after the ruling caused some clinics to pause services.

Several high-profile Republicans, including President Donald Trump, called on Alabama to protect IVF.

But Pence and Mize urged other states not to follow Alabama by making IVF clinics accountable if embryos are destroyed.

Our organizations stand by the principle of basic protections for IVF parents and children. We call on elected officials to regulate IVF facilities by applying the basic standards of care for embryos that Alabamas Supreme Court rightly called for, they said.

That doesnt require a state to recognize legally that an embryo is a person, as Alabama does. It does require that lawmakers act with greater clarity and confidence than they did in Montgomery in the wake of the court decision, Pence and Mize continued. In the rush to preserve access to fertility services, the state Legislature created blanket immunity for IVF clinicsencompassing even criminal acts like the intentional destruction of embryos against the wishes of parents.
By Lee Hyo-jin

Voters are prohibited from bringing spring onions into polling stations during the general elections, as the nation's election watchdog perceived the act as politically motivated and may constitute a violation of the Public Official Election Act.

The decision has sparked criticism from opposition parties, which have been using the green vegetable to mock President Yoon Suk Yeol's apparent inability to tame soaring agricultural product prices.

The National Election Commission (NEC) distributed guidelines to its staff at polling stations nationwide as early voting kicked off on Friday, instructing them on how to handle potential complaints from voters. Early voting continued through Saturday, with elections slated for Wednesday.

Included in the guidelines was voters bringing spring onions, which the opposition has used in criticizing the president's failure to grasp the reality of inflation, to polling booths.

During a March 18 visit to a grocery store in Seoul to inspect food prices, Yoon commented that a bundle of spring onions priced at 875 won ($0.65) seemed reasonable. Subsequently, it was discovered that the green onions were being offered at an unusually low price as part of a super discount promotion. This was particularly notable considering that the average price of spring onions stood at around 3,000 won, amid a 20 percent year-on-year increase in agricultural product prices.

"Since spring onions can be regarded as a form of political expression, if an individual tries to bring them into the polling station, they will be advised to store them at a suitable location outside," the instructions read.

The election watchdog added that carrying spring onions could potentially influence other voters' decisions and also violate the principle of secret voting, as the vegetable is considered to be a form of protest against specific parties or candidates.

The NEC also explained that the instruction was included to avoid possible confusion after receiving inquiries from several voters asking if they could bring green onions into polling stations as a show of protest against the Yoon government.

Following the decision, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized the election watchdog for turning the elections into a comedy show.

The Rebuilding Korea Party, a liberal party led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, issued a statement with a touch of sarcasm.

"Please leave spring onions outside the polling station. Whether you can carry other vegetables such as onions requires further inquiry," it said.




















































Donald Trumps America First doctrine encountered stormy weather in the community of American globalists who characterize it as a mix of nationalism, unilateralism, and xenophobia. The substantive disagreements could not be more explicit: globalists see American commitments as implicitly limitless and irreversible, and Trump, driven by effectiveness, not ideology, believes the existing commitments are not eternal and are limited by resources. Therefore, we must define our national interests to shape our commitments, not allow existing commitments to define our interests.

The my country first concept is not a new approach to international order. It originated in the 17th century with a Frenchman, Armand-Jean du Plessis, known as Cardinal de Richelieu. Historically, authority was personal and reflected the rulers will, which was often capricious, unpredictable, and counterproductive. To create stability in the international system, Richelieu offered a revolutionary concept, the guiding principle of which was national interest as perceived by objective political and security necessities. This principle became later known as raison detat or national interests, the indispensable element of a successful foreign policy for most of the world. Richelieus design had been practiced by the United States pretty much till the ascendance of President Woodrow Wilson.

Image: Donald Trump. YouTube screen grab.

Wilson sought to impose American virtues upon the world. His vision was to hold every nation to our social justice and human rights standards and to end tyranny worldwide. Speaking to the graduating class at West Point in 1916, Wilson told the graduates,

In the providence of God a continent had been kept unused and waiting for a peaceful people who loved liberty and the rights of men more than they loved anything else to come and set up an unselfish commonwealth.

Since then, every American president has been advocating policies that became globalists rallying cry for imposing democracies around the globe and building the economies of other nations. With each president, the policy was growing progressively toward helping others until the interests of Americans were nearly forgotten.

President Eisenhower described Americas foreign policy as an extension of Americas moral responsibilities. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid, he said in his January 20, 1953, inaugural address.

On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered his inaugural address in which he announced that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.

Lyndon Johnson echoed Kennedy in his Inaugural address on January 20, 1965: If American lives must end and American treasure be spilled, in countries we barely know, then that is the price that change has demanded of conviction and our enduring covenant.

In 1821, when John Quincy Adams warned Americans against the distant monsters, he could not have imagined the sheer number and magnitude of monsters his presidential descendants would discover.

Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemenjust to name a few countries we barely know where heavy burdens have been borne, prices paid, and treasure spilled. Americans shed blood for causes that they barely grasped. In fact, every time America attempted to replace stability with democracy by removing autocratic governments, it accomplished chaos and destruction. The fundamental flaw of this policy was that American leaders have taken their values so much for granted that they rarely recognize how repugnant and unsettling these values can appear to others.

In 2024, though, we have approached the point of ideological and financial bankruptcy and can no longer maintain our commitments to protect scores of nations from Central and South America to the Baltics and the Balkans, from the Middle East to the Far East, and the immoral commitment to NATO. NATO, which is called an alliance, is a horde of dependents. The European Union, with a population of 500 million and a combined GDP akin to the United States, continues to rely on American taxpayers to maintain its security. There is an old sayingGod made sheep to shear themand the NATO members have been shamelessly exploiting the USA.

During his tenure, Trump had also addressed the economic consequences of globalization. Contrary to what globalists promulgate, globalism is not a theory of economic expansion and wealth creation in the developing world. It is an economic model emanating from the decidedly pro-Marxist ideology of redistribution of wealth on a global scale, and it has been accomplishing exactly what was intended.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were all built with American oil money. Chinas economy has become a manufacturing plant for American corporations. Profits from the manufactured goods sold on the American market have built Chinas economy, making China capable of economically, militarily, and politically challenging US dominance. Over the past three decades, it has led to the de-industrialization of the United States and the loss of millions of well-paying jobs. Indeed, while building and protecting other countries, we lost ours.

It is not known whether Trump was familiar with Richelieus writings on the politics of power. He, indeed, has practiced Richelieus essential principles with extraordinary consistency and relevance. His powerful analytical skills and exceptional geopolitical intuition had focused on American interests. During his first term, Trump overrode conventional wisdom and marked the formal end of the period of globalism. He was elected to make America great again and was true to his word.

Alexander G. Markovsky is a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, a conservative think tank that examines national security, energy, risk analysis, and other public policy issues. He is the author of Anatomy of a Bolshevik and Liberal Bolshevism: America Did Not Defeat Communism, She Adopted It. Mr. Markovsky is the owner and CEO of Litwin Management Services, LLC. He can be reached at alex.g.markovsky@gmail.com.
When you say the word 'asylum,' in the era of Joe Biden's open borders, you not only get to stay in the states while your phony claims are adjudicated at taxpayer expense, you also get a free work permit to work in the states, for six months.

But what's six months, when it could be two years? That's what Biden handed to these illegal border crossers and others claiming "asylum" in a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services "rule" change that went out Thursday and will be published in the Federal Register on April 8.

According to The Hill:

The Biden administration on Thursday is announcing an extension of work permits for certain categories of immigrants, potentially preventing hundreds of thousands of people from losing their jobs overnight. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is publishing a temporary final rule in the Federal Register to automatically extend the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from 180 to 540 days.

Processing times were cited as reason for the move since so many of these applications from illegal border crossers (which cost them nothing) have been taken.

Rather than cut processing times by telling the fake asylees 'no,' or better yet, just not taking asylum applications without limit from more than 100 countries, the huge numbers now generate their own logic for extension, and extension, and extension. Receipt of each application comes with a stapled-on work permit that releases the foreign workers into the U.S. jobs market. Supposedly, it was just for six months, but now it's extending for two years.

According to Law360, it's a lot of people:

According to USCIS, roughly 800,000 renewal applicants were at risk of losing their work authorization this time around without the new measure, including asylees and asylum applicants, along with temporary protected status holders and applicants, and green card applicants.

Naturally, special interests were involved.

According to the Times of San Diego/City News Service:

Just two days after 70 legislators signed a letter urging the White House to prevent a work-permit lapse for immigrants, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Thursday responded. The agency tripled the automatic extension period after San Diego-area Reps. Juan Vargas and Sara Jacobs joined 68 of their Democratic congressional colleagues in submitting a letter to President Biden, the Department of Homeland Security and the USCIS. The missive imploring BIdens administration to lengthen the current automatic extension period for work permits, also known as employment authorization documents. The USCIS action extended the period from 180 to 540 days, moving the expiration far ahead, to April 19, 2025. It had been less than three weeks away. Im glad to see the Biden Administration take this step to extend work permits for immigrants and asylum seekers whose permits were at risk of expiring soon. This will help give workers and their families more of the certainty they deserve, Vargas told City News Service.

Two years to "process" migrants, but two days to do what special interests want, that's Joe Biden in a nutshell.

Seventy of the loudest and most radical Democrats signed the letter, after leftwing lawyers with an interest in expanding their industry called for it, though my own leftist congresswoman, Sara Jacobs, didn't advertise that she did on her Twitter account.

Her fellow San Diego Democrat pol, Juan Vargas, who represents the border region in the far south of San Diego County, did brag about his signature.

Some more famous names include Elizabeth Warren, Jim McGovern, Jamaal Bowman, Chuy Garcia, Kristen Gillibrand, Mazie Hirono, Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin ... curiously, I don't see the squad represented. But I do see representatives from New York, Illinois and California, all of which have big bills to pay for the welfare the migrants will expect if they can't be permitted to work, which was what New York's mayor, Eric Adams, had been explicitly calling for.

Ostensibly, the argument is that migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally must either work or go on welfare while they await their asylum claims to be adjudicated and already too many of them are going on welfare, collecting public benefits of all kinds.

The problem, though, is that every job handed out in the states to an illegal border crosser is a job an American doesn't get. Already migrants are taking up most of the new jobs created, leaving American workers in the lurch. And in California, which Vargas represents, already has the highest unemployment in the nation.

With unlimited asylum applications taken, unlimited work permits are being issued, driving down the wages of American workers if not shutting them out of the job market altogether.

As one black construction worker in Murrieta, California, once told me during a protest against migrant dumping several years ago, jobs for him are now off limits because so many jobs now require knowledge of the Spanish language, and that's just one way -- there are other things going on that also take jobs from Americans.

Is there any planning for these hundreds of thousands of extended work permits from the Biden administration? The Biden administration has bragged about 300,000 new jobs created this month in the U.S., (a figure sure to be revised downward as they all are) but explain how adding 800,000 job hunters to the workforce is going to work out for American workers with only 300,000 new jobs to compete for.

Just as there is not enough available housing for all of Biden's "newcomers," jobs to support the economy are going to be fought over because there is no move to expand the economy under the regulation-heavy, tax-heavy Biden administration.

It's a surefire way of shutting more Americans out of jobs and handing them to illegals. Who needs outsourcing now that Biden is importing workers?

The bad thing here is that this sends a message to all potential illegal migrants that the jobs are waiting and any effort to make them temporary is always going to be extended. Once extended, again and again, the next argument becomes that the migrants have put down "roots" in their jobs and the employers who hire them have grown attached to them, so they can't possibly be not extended in their supposedly temporary permits, or for that matter, residency.

It's creeping amnesty.

Instead of cutting down on the processing time, which was the basis for the extension, Biden is extending the stays and job times of these illegal border crossers making them harder than ever to deport. It's telling that he made that extension two years which is well into the coming Trump administration. Like everything he does, he's attempting to place poison pills onto the next administration, keeping his status quo well past his miserable presidency.

He's also taking away jobs from Americans and handing them to lawbreaking foreigners. That's setting the stage for amnesty as these groups become richer and more empowered special interest groups.

How do you like that latest middle finger thrown at Americans in their own country by this unworthy administration?

Image: RawPixel // CC0 1.0 DEED public domain
Import the tribes of the third world, get the tribe mentality of the third world.

According to the findings of a new study, sub-Saharan migrants in Franche are sucking up a majority of the social housing resources, by a hugely disproportionate degree.

Heres the scoop, from Thomas Brooke via Remix News:

Exclusive data from a joint study into those occupying social housing in France has revealed that sub-Saharan African migrants are benefiting from taxpayer-subsidized living more than any other migrant background or French national to a hugely disproportionate degree.

So what is that hugely disproportionate degree you ask? Well, per Brooke:

The report conducted by the Immigration and Demography Observatory in collaboration with the Foundation for Political Innovation (Fondapol) think tank found that 57 percent of those originating from the African region are living in social housing across France. Even more concerning is the fact that 63 percent of descendants of these immigrants also occupy social housing, suggesting a generational trend of sub-Saharan migrant communities continuing to live off the state.

And, lastly:

The percentage of French citizens living in social housing is 11 percent, the report adds.

So that means 89% of the people living in social housing are not French citizens. Yet, its French citizens who foot the bill for all this social housing.

So weird, right? Who would have ever anticipated such a revelation? I mean, these people just walked straight out of the third world with no money and no job skills, and no desire to assimilate to the culture and moral precepts of the Judeo-Christian Westbecause as the narrative goes, the West is evil, having colonized and exploited its way across the world, and it is the non-Westerners who are the true innovators and world-builders, which is why theyre now marketed as cultural enrichers.

Now if you disobey the final, most essential command to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears then youre living in reality, and you could have easily predicted these results; everywhere in Europe that these African migrants settle, an absolute hellhole of filth, crime, and anarchy shortly emerges. Heres a little sample, via X user @RadioGenoa:

"French natives work for me, they are my slaves! I receive 600 from RSA, 300 from local mission, 300 from APL and social workers pay me for electricity and gas, says African immigrant. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/D2xgEaqnp1  RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) April 2, 2024

And:

Asylum seeker in Germany is very angry perhaps because he didn't receive his pocket money. https://t.co/IJCJ9eINOG pic.twitter.com/QrM61m0qrn  RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) April 2, 2024

And:

North African asylum seeker devastates 56 cars parked in Rome. A week later he takes the head off statue of Madonna in a church with a machete, devastates a telephone booth and sows chaos among citizens. Some call this cultural enrichment. pic.twitter.com/V49iGWfM4u  RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) April 2, 2024

And:

Asylum seekers" have just arrived illegally in Spain and show us their intentions. Soon in your neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/ht6TucXiN6  RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) March 31, 2024

You mean to tell me that people like this are mooching off of the French taxpayers instead of contributing to make a stronger and more prosperous France? What a shock.

The third world isnt dirty, impoverished, unstable, violent, etc., for any other reason but one: the moral foundations of third world cultures are not rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethics of the West, but in the paganism of the old world, or the political doctrine that is Islam. There are no ideals of Golden Rules, no imperatives to turn the other cheek, and no calls to die to self so that others might live in peace and liberty.

Europe, wake up.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
The recent airstrike error on a food aid vehicle in Gaza highlighted a certain narrative going around claiming that Israel's plan is to create a famine, starving the Gaza residents into submission, so the food aid is the only thing out there saving their lives.

Here's how bad it's gotten out there, from a sampling of the headlines:

Gaza is going hungry. Its children could face a lifetime of harm. -Washington Post Road to Famine: Israeli Law Prof. Neve Gordon on Israels History of Weaponizing Food Access in Gaza -Democracy Now! Breaking the fast in the shadow of famine -The National Jose Andres: the chef behind Gaza food aid charity that moves towards disaster -The Guardian

Let's also not forget the eurotrash and their top ally, Joe Biden, who are also promoting this "narrative":

The European Unions high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, blamed Israel, saying, Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israel is provoking famine. And U.S. officials unveiled a United Nations ceasefire resolution that cited "famine" conditions after the IPC report came out.

But that's not what's going on at all, according to a study by two Columbia University scholars, one a professor and the other a logistics expert, in a piece featured on today's RealClearPolitics in a piece that focused on actual data:

According to this United Nations chart, at least half the farms in Gaza are still going, their farm exports are still reaching their foreign customers, three quarters of the greenhouses are still producing, the bakeries are still baking, yet somehow, everyone in Gaza is starving to death.

That is one funny way of running a man-made famine.

The Columbia scholars didn't deny that there was hardship in some areas, but they did point out what was happening in areas where people really didn't have enough to eat and needed to rely on food aid:

Hamas is stealing all the food.

According to Columbia's Awi Federgruen and Ran Kivetz:

Hamas, which has been hoarding food and stealing from Gazans, is the root cause of Gazans suffering. As Congressman Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, stated in a CNN interview: Hamas has a long history of stealing aid, and needs to stop that in the interest of the people that they purport to represent.

How do you starve when you're still exporting food?

There's also this aid as well on top of what the Gazans already have:

Despite the recent tragedy, the IDF tries to ensure that Gazans dont starve throughout the war. COGAT data show that 290,000 tons of food and beverages have been delivered to Gaza since October  recently as many as 200 truckloads a day. Full distribution of these supplies would deliver about 1.82 pounds of food daily for each of the 2 million people in Gaza (145 kg per person, during 175 days of war). Based on FAO estimates of the average daily consumption in Asia and Africa (where Gaza is situated), this alone would be enough to supply 50% of Gazans daily consumption needs  on top of the food they continue to produce themselves.

That's a lot of free food -- and hungry Gazans don't get enough of it, because Hamas takes first dibs, ripping the aid from the hands and mouths of the people they impoverished like a parasite on a host.

We had some indicators of it, in recent photos of captured Hamas fighters taken in by the Israeli Defense forces. Forced to strip naked as surrendered combatants, the beer guts were there for all to see. None of those guys ever missed a meal.

In addition, last March, Gaza residents complained about the food delivered by Joe Biden and his minions as not good enough, some of them feeding the aid to cats. That's not what people in famine do. I wrote about that here.

Now we have the data from these scholars, showing that much of the Gaza agricultural establishment has been left intact by Israeli Defense Forces, which are only looking to destroy Hamas, not every last person in Gaza. Being on a farm, of course, is hard work, so this might explain why Hamas chose to place its tunnels and hideouts elsewhere. Gotta maintain the old beer belly which must be some kind of status symbol over there.

It's wretched stuff. Obviously, food is getting there if Hamas would let them. There are ways of killing off famines, incidentally, all done through free markets. That would necessarily mean that Hamas and its reign of terror would need to be gone so that food markets can flourish. That's one more reason to destroy Hamas in addition to its heinous crimes against innocents.

Image: ProIsraeli, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED
Almost 31 years ago, Richard Allen Davis, a career criminal, murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas in a crime that, in a more innocent time, had the ability to shock the nation. It was so shocking that, even in California, Davis got the death penalty. Now, though, after 28 years of hanging out on death row, Davis thinks that Californias crazy leftist laws are the lifeline he needs.

In 1993, Petaluma, California, was a peaceful, very low-crime, rural community 35 miles north of San Francisco. On October 1, Polly was playing hostess to two friends for a slumber party. In the middle of the night, Davis broke into the house, tied up Pollys friends, and abducted Polly. Later that night, he strangled her to death.

Looking back at 1993, it feels like a very different time. Pollys kidnapping and the discovery that shed been murdered truly shocked the nation. There were no racial or class politics swirling about it. It simply horrified people to know that, even in the most peaceful communities, monsters existed and that they killed children.

And it turned out that Davis really was a monster. Thanks to the increasingly lax criminal justice laws California had introduced beginning in the 1960s, Davis was a long-time repeat offender. Beginning when he was a teenager, he was repeatedly arrested for theft, burglary, being AWOL in the military, public drunkenness, illegal drug use, kidnapping and attempted sexual assault, regular assault, and assault with a deadly weapon.

Image by Andrea Widburg.

As Davis got older, it became a pattern for him to kidnap and sexually assault women. In 1984, he violently attacked his then-girlfriends sister and forced her to withdraw money from the bank. He received a 16-year prison sentence for that crime, only to be paroled a mere 8 years later.

Three months after his very early parole, Davis kidnapped and murdered Polly. Police caught up with him two months later, at which time they learned that, after hed driven his car into a ditch, the police had helped him with the car, even as a terrified Polly was still alive but to afraid to call out.

Typically for child abduction cases, Davis murdered Polly within hours of kidnapping her. However, it would be two months before Pollys body was found. During those months, the nation was riveted on the search for Polly, hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Her funeral was a nationally televised event. I still tear up when I hear the song Somewhere Out There.

In the early 1990s, although Californias criminal justice laws were getting increasingly lenient and the state was obviously failing to keep monsters off the street, California was still a conservative enough state that it had elected two Republican governors in a row: George Deukmejian, who was governor from 1983 to 1991, and Pete Wilson, who was governor from 1991 to 1999. In that long ago and far away California, it was still possible for Davis to get the death penalty, a verdict handed down in 1996. That judgment was made possible not just because Davis murdered someone but also because of his long, long criminal record.

Most people, myself included, assumed that Davis was duly executed sometime after 1996. We probably assumed it took a while, as the various appeals worked their way through the system, but surely he was dead by now. Except Davis isnt dead. Hes been living at taxpayer expense in San Quentin, roughly 30 miles from where he killed Polly, for the last 28 years.

Now, Davis sees a chance to seize the life he denied Polly:

Davis lawyers argue that a recent criminal justice reform law that invalidated certain sentencing enhancements entitles Davis to have his sentence reconsidered. Sonoma County prosecutors and Pollys father, Marc Klaas, who became a crime victim advocate after her murder, disagree. We had every expectation that the sentence of death recommended by the jury and imposed by Judge Thomas Hastings would keep him segregated from society for the rest of his life, Klaas said in a statement. We could not have been more wrong!

Did you catch that Marc Klaas never believed that Davis would actually die for his crimes? He just hoped that it would prevent parole and Daviss return to the streets.

Daviss theory is that the death penalty he received was a sentencing enhancement because of his prior convictions. A 2021 bill eliminating sentencing enhancements applied retroactively specifically to get more criminals out of prison and onto the streets. California, of course, would never build more prisons. Better to make law-abiding citizens prisoners in their own homesunarmed, of coursein a world knee-deep in violent, sociopathic people.

California was once the Golden State, leading the way in American modernity. However, Californias abandonment of core justice (Anyone who becomes merciful upon the cruel one will end by being cruel to the merciful) has turned it into a parody of good governance. There are elections, there is a working legislature, and the state has a Supreme Leaderer, governor, but its actually an anarchic, despotic place in which evil walks and the innocent tremble.
According to a Fox News report out yesterday, a Virginia county criminal justice training academy recently cut ties with a local municipality after its police chief pushed back on the academys director signing graduate certificates with Chinese language characters.

The county is Fairfax, one of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the U.S., and nestled right in the belly of the Washington D.C. beast; here are the details:

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard complained that the academy director, Maj. Wilson Lee, used Chinese characters to sign the certificates that graduates receive when they complete training at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy. In an email sent last month and obtained by The Associated Press, DeBoard told Lee, I just found out that the academy graduation certificates were signed by you in some other language, not in English. This is unacceptable for my agency. I dont want our Herndon officers to receive these and I am requesting that they are issued certificates signed in English, the language that they are expected to use as an officer.

If youre wondering what Lee looks like, here you go:

Why is this Virginia police academy director signing officer graduate certificates with Chinese characters? pic.twitter.com/5VTOgcXtWF  Olivia Murray (@americaliv1) April 5, 2024

In response to DeBoards complaint, and her request that Director Lee reissue the graduation certificates using only the official language of the United States, the county academy terminated its relationship with the town of Herndon, banning the DeBoards recruits from participating in future classes; and, heres what the Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in an email to his department in the wake of the debacle:

For 16 years of an impeccable career, memorializing a legal name given at birth with a signature that exudes heritage pride has not garnered a single criticism. Nor should it.

It was a veiled refutation of DeBoards complaint and request for remedy, and a defense of Lees actions.

So whats going on? Is this just a case of wokism? This is America after all, but apparently thats extremely controversial for the leftists who hate the moral foundations of the West, and nowadays, anything goes for government documents.

Or, is it plausible deniability for something more sinister?

Allow me to draw your attention to a big story from last year, which was covered by ATs Monica Showalter. In an April 2023 essay, Showalter wrote on the disturbing revelations that the Chinese Communist Party had been quietly establishing police stations and networks within the U.S., to force political dissidents back to the motherland to face the wrath of the CCP. In Showalters words:

They [CCP operatives] set up what were essentially NKVD operations to hunt down Chinese dissidents here on legitimate asylum in the U.S. in order to force them back to the communist hellhole theyd fled, apparently with quite a bit of success.

(News had recently broken that the FBI had raided and shuttered a station that had been operating in south Manhattan.)

So, heres what stood out to me about this Virginia story: police chief Davis, a presumed ally of Lee, alleged that Lees signature was an ode to a legal name given at birth  therefore, I can only assume that Lee was, at birth, a Chinese citizen. (For all I know, maybe he still is?) A number of states (at least half), Virginia included, have laws on the books that established English as the official language, which means foreign characters and diacritical marks cant be used on official government identification documents issued by those states.

Now maybe Lee is just a typical narcissist leftist, thinking hes entitled to usurp someones professional achievement and use it to promote his cultural heritagebut I mean, Chinese communist flags did line American streets to welcome Xi Jinping to San Francisco (while the American flag was conspicuously absent); high-profile New York Democrats were caught sporting Chinese communist garb (on more than one occasion), while also waving the CCPs flag in New York; and, Mayor Eric Adams has taken luxury political trips to China, and one of his top aides is embroiled in a corruption scandal involving CCP cash....

I cant help but wonder, is Lee just another piece of the puzzle?

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
Over the past few weeks, Jordan has witnessed anti-Israel protests  a little below 3,000 protesters at best, chanting Islamic slogans and support for the Palestinian terror group Hamas. In this article, I will prove that the protests are staged by Jordans regime.

Abdullah II, the king of Jordan, known by Jordanians as Ali Baba, is fully allied with the Muslim Brotherhood. He inherited this defiled marriage from his late father, so it is nothing new. The Brotherhood is the Hashemite regimes party just as much as the Baath party is Assads. Abdullah has already acknowledged this in more than one interview with Western media  for example, with The Atlantic, to whom he said, The Muslim Brotherhood is part of the system. The kings shameless support of the Muslim Brotherhood is not a secret even to the English-speaking reader. One does not need to look beyond the American Thinker to see the abundant evidence.

In a police state like Abdullahs kingdom, the demonstrations in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman could never take place without permission from the kings intelligence. The anti-Israeli rhetoric and calls for knocking down the Israeli embassy are promoted by the king-controlled media. The protests are led on the ground by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who would never do this without coordinating with Abdullahs security forces.

The police have even opened roads for the demonstrators to reach the Israeli embassy. Considering that they had previously closed off the entire area, why open those roads now?

Some of the kings officials have sounded off complaints against the protests, claiming they are compromising Jordans stability, just to be shut down on April 3, 2023 by an official Jordanian statement: The protesters stance is identical to the Jordanian states. Nonetheless, some American media outlets and American Middle East experts have picked up the rhetoric that Jordans kings position was being threatened by the Muslim Brotherhood.

This fiasco is the oldest trick in the book. What Abdullah is doing is simply crying wolf and intimidating the West by claiming that there is no alternative to him to rule Jordan, as everyone else is crazy and that he is Israels only option to protect her borders.

What Abdullah is failing to recognize here is that the world has changed since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, in which more than 1,400 Israeli civilians perished. Neither the Israelis nor the Americans bit this time; they are not buying the kings shenanigans, and they now acknowledge the kings public ties to Hamas. An example of this is Hamas leader Khaled Meshals statement in Turkey in 2016: We coordinate with our brothers in the Jordanian government daily, as Hamas officially remains the Palestine Chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

These narrischkeit (that is, foolish) moves, directed by Jordans king and his ruling partner, Queen Rania, are no longer getting ticket-buyers from the Jordanian people. Most of the protesters are known Muslim Brotherhood members, agents of Jordans kings intelligence desk, and officers from the Preventive Security Bureau  Jordans copy of the Stasi. In fact, the demonstrators, knowing that they are protected by the kinglet and his wife, have even threatened police officers (those wearing uniforms, not the intelligence agents) with retaliation from Queen Rania. This has been documented with videos. One female protester can be seen yelling at police officers: By God, if only our mistress Rania knew, you would all be roughed up.

The kings behavior should not come as a surprise to anyone. He is used to getting away with such scare tactics, and they have worked for him thus far. But he is also acting mindlessly, because now he is in trouble: the last fig leaf has fell off the Hashemite regime when a Jordanian parliament member was caught red-handed smuggling weapons to terrorists in Israel. That member was too close to the king and his son Hussein.

I can authoritatively confirm that there is an abundance of evidence of the kings involvement with Hamas, from both before and after the October 7 terrorist attacks, with evidence about this matter shared among Washington, D.C.; London; and Jerusalem. The kings and his wifes smoke-and-mirror tactics are no longer working.

Simply put, Abdullah has been causing chaos and unrest in his country  a risky gamble, which we, Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis are most likely to end up paying for. At the same time, Abdullah and his wife have been leading a hate campaign against Israel. An example of this is his demonization of Israel right from the White House podium. This man has become a threat to both Israelis and Arabs.

At the same time, nobody has a plan B for the day after aside from the Jordanian Opposition, which we have been preparing for a decade. We look for the coming decisive moment as we seek a republic whose identity will be Islamic and whose constitution will be secular. Our relationship with Israel will be a true partnership based on securing rights and fairness for all. Having Israel as our staunchest partner is way better than the humiliation, extortion, and arrogance the Jordanian people have suffered at the hands of the Hashemites and other Arab regimes for so long.

Yes, the hearts of our people are mostly in the wrong place now when it comes to peace, but this could be changed through the decisive will of peace-seeking leadership. Right now, Jordan does not have this.

Image: Patrik Neckman via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
For many of us, the ebook reader was the next best thing to happen since Gutenbergs printing press. The printing press made books widely available, and the ebook reader conveniently shrunk the same to such compactness that we can carry a thousand of them around wherever we go without discomfort. Such a concept would have been fantastic for someone born in the 16th century, but nevertheless, the idea did cross their mindsespecially the mind of Agostino Ramelli.

Agostino Ramelli was an Italian military engineer. As a young man he served under the famous Italian warlord, the Marquis of Marignano, and became trained in mathematics and military engineering. Ramelli had a knack for solving mechanical problems, and as his reputation grew he left for France to serve under the Duke of Anjou, who later became King Henry III. When Ramelli successfully engineered a mine under a bastion and helped breach a fortification during the Siege of La Rochelle, he became very popular with the commander, the Duke.

Agostino Ramelli didnt build a lot of machines, but he had a storehouse of ideas aimed at solving everyday problems, such as how to mill grains, or haul heavy objects, excavate a ditch, or defend a city. All his solutions involved some kind of a mechanical device. In 1588, he collected nearly two hundred of his best ideas and published a book entitled Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli, or The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli. The book contained 195 full-page engravings accompanied by detailed descriptions of each mechanism in both Italian and French. Ramelli devoted half the book to various methods to raise water, such as water pumps, water wheels and wells. Other designs included cranes, bridges, fountains, cofferdams, screw jacks, hurling engines, and so on. One of the most famous designs from this book was the bookwheel.

The bookwheel was Ramellis attempt to solve the problem of reading or referencing several books at once. In those times printed works were typically large and heavy which made cross-referencing between them nearly impossible unless you laid them out in a large table and used your foot to consult different pages, which Ramelli remarked was very inconvenient for those who are indisposed and tormented by gout.

The bookwheel resembled a Ferris wheel typically found in amusement parks, with the riders replaced by slanted reading desks. A complicated arrangement of gears called epicyclic gearing, that had only previously been used in astronomical clocks, ensured the lecturns over which the books were laid open remain at the same angle no matter the wheel's position. The seated reader used either hand or foot controls to rotate the wheels and bring the desired book into position. According to Witold Rybczynski, gravity would have worked just as fine in keeping the lecturns level, as it does with a Ferris wheel, but Ramelli wanted to show-off his mathematical prowess resulting in an unnecessarily elaborate design.

Ramelli deliberately made his designs complicated in order to show the application and importance of mathematics and geometry in the field of engineering. In the preface of his book, Ramelli made no attempt to hide this fact. He wrote, On the excellence of mathematics in which is shown how necessary mathematics are for learning all the liberal arts.

Below are two examples of his overtly complicated machines. Both are devices for the simple task of drawing water from a well.

Ramelli never actually built any of the machine, but his illustrations had a great influence on future mechanical engineering. In the 1661 book Theatrum machinarum novum, German architect and engineer Georg Andreas Bockler copied eighteen of Ramelli's plates. Ramelli's influence can also be seen in the well-known works of Grollier de Serviere (Recueil d'ouvrages curieux de mathematique et de mecanique, 1719) and Jacob Leupold (Theatrum machinarum, 1724-1739).

One machine that actually got built was the bookwheel, but generations later in the 17th and 18th centuries. Dozens of bookwheels based on Ramellis design were built across Europe. At least fourteen of these survive till today.

A bookwheel manufactured in 1625 in the Herzog August Library, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Photo credit: Kerstin Namuth/Wikimedia
Nearly 7 million voters on Friday headed to polling stations on the first day of early voting for next week's parliamentary election, with the preliminary turnout reaching a fresh high in the elections considered a midterm referendum on the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

According to the National Election Commission, a total of 6,910,510 out of 44,280,011 eligible voters cast their votes on the first day of the two-day early voting held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The turnout for the first day stood at 15.61 percent. It marked the highest rate for the first day of all early voting among previous general elections since 2014, when the nation first introduced the early voting system.

Voters cast ballots at 3,565 polling stations nationwide ahead of Wednesday's main vote to elect a new 300-member National Assembly for the next four years.

In the 2016 general election, the voter turnout on the first day stood at 5.45 percent. In the following 2020 election, it rose to 12.14 percent.

Friday's turnout, however was slightly lower than the first-day turnout of 17.57 percent for the 2022 presidential election, recorded as the all-time highest turnout among all types of national elections.

On the first day of early voting, turnout exceeded 10 percent in all 17 major cities and provinces nationwide.

The region with the highest voter turnout was South Jeolla Province, at 23.6 percent, followed by North Jeolla Province, Gwangju city, Gangwon Province and Sejong city, with 21.36 percent, 19.96 percent, 17.69 percent and 16.99 percent, respectively.

The turnout for Seoul was recorded at 15.83 percent.

Early voting ends Saturday.

The quadrennial race holds significant importance for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DPK), which had secured a landslide victory in the previous elections, aims to retain its parliamentary majority.

After calling on the nation to exercise their voting rights, Yoon cast an early vote in the southeastern port city of Busan.

Rival parties have also stepped up calls for voters to cast their ballots in the early voting, recognizing the potential impact of the advance voting turnout on determining the final election outcome.

Leaders of both parties visited polling stations, urging voters to exercise their rights.

"If you go to the polling station, (we) win, and if you don't go to the polling station, the Republic of Korea will fail," PPP leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters after casting a ballot at a polling station in Seoul.

Citing the high turnout rate, DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung said it shows the public's interest in politics.

"I ask that people actively participate in the voting today and tomorrow," Lee said after voting in the central city of Daejeon while on the campaign trail.

The voter turnout for the two-day early voting was 26.7 percent and 36.8 percent in the previous elections in 2020 and 2016, respectively.

The DPK has said it aims to achieve an early voting turnout of 31.3 percent and a total turnout of 71.3 percent for this year, assuming that a high turnout will lead to victory for the party.

In the previous election, the total turnout reached 66.2 percent, and the DPK won 180 out of 300 seats.

The PPP, however, has refuted the assumption, arguing that high turnout does not necessarily favor the DPK.

According to a survey conducted jointly by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV earlier this week, 80 percent of respondents expressed a definite intention to cast their votes.

Among those intending to vote, 39 percent said they plan to visit polling stations during the early voting period, while 58 percent responded they plan to vote on Election Day next Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Nestled within the textiles collection at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra lies a gem of historical significance and artistic prowessthe Rajah Quilt. Revered as one of the nation's most cherished textiles, the Rajah Quilt was produced in 1841 by female convicts as they were being transported to Australia on the British convict ship, the Rajah. What makes the Rajah Quilt truly extraordinary is not only its documentary importance and sheer artistic brilliance, but the story woven into its very fabric. It tells the story of a small group of women who, despite facing dire circumstances, united to create something enduringly beautiful.

The Rajah Quilt was made possible due to the pioneering works of Elizabeth Fry, a prominent prison reformer in the 19th century, whose tireless advocacy for penal reform led to the implementation of numerous reforms and legislation aimed at improving the treatment of prisoners, particularly women. Central to her approach was the establishment of ladies' committeessmall groups of women who visited prisons regularly to provide direct support and guidance to inmates.

In 1821, Fry founded the British Ladies Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners, formalizing the role of women outside prison walls in offering aid and instruction to incarcerated women. The women of the Ladies Society donated sewing supplies such as fabric, sewing thread, needles, scissors and other necessary supplies.

Elizabeth Fry

In those harsh times, where even minor offenses could lead to the gallows, Elizabeth Fry's humanitarian efforts shone brightly. Initially offering solace to those condemned to death, Fry tirelessly advocated for the commutation of death sentences to transportation to Australia. Fry and her workers visited convict ships, providing the female convicts much-needed comforts for the tragic journey, and promoting measures aimed at offering meaningful occupation and education to the women and their children. She visited prison ships and persuaded captains to implement fair distribution systems for food and water, ensuring that no woman or child would suffer deprivation during the long journey. Recognizing the potential for skill development and economic empowerment, she arranged for each woman to receive packages of sewing materials and tools. These provisions not only offered the women a creative outlet during the voyage but also equipped them with valuable skills and resources upon arrival in Australia.

Among the convict ships touched by Fry's benevolence was the Rajah, carrying 180 women mostly from Millbank Penitentiary, and a few from Newgate. Accompanying them was another dedicated reformer, Kezia Hayter, appointed by the British Ladies' Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners to serve as matron. She was given free passage on the understanding that she would dedicate her time to the improvement of the prisoners.

It was Kezia Hayter who inspired the convicted women to weave a quilt that would come to symbolize their resilience and collective spirit. The quilt was made in the style of a medallion quilt, a popular design style in the British Isles in the mid 1800's, with a central field of white cotton decorated with appliqued chintz birds and floral motifs. Surrounding this central tableau are twelve bands or strips of patchwork printed cotton, each a testament to the diverse talents and backgrounds of the women who contributed to its creation. The quilt's perimeter is adorned with delicate appliqued daisies on three sides, while the fourth side features an inscription in cross stitch, encased by floral chintz attached with broderie perse.

The following inscription is stitched in silk thread on the quilt:

To the Ladies of the Convict ship committee. This quilt worked by the Convicts of the ship Rajah during their voyage to van Diemans Land is presented as a testimony to the gratitude with which they remember their exertions for their welfare while in England and during their passage and also as proof that they have not neglected the Ladies kind admonition of being industrious. June 1841.

Upon its arrival in Hobart on July 19, 1841, the Rajah Quilt was presented to Lady Jane Franklin, wife of the Lieutenant-Governor. Recognizing its significance, the quilt was dispatched back to Britain as a token of gratitude, symbolizing the safe passage of the female convicts and Elizabeth Fry's enduring message of compassion and reform. Its not known whether Fry had the opportunity to lay eyes upon the quilt herself, as she passed away four years later. For decades, the Rajah Quilt was forgotten until it was rediscovered in a Scottish attic. In 1989, the quilt was returned to the Australian shores.

It is important to note that there are other examples of patchwork created by convicts during transportation, but the Rajah Quilt is the only known example in a public collection. For example, a convict on board the ship Brother (1823) sent Fry a calabash as a gift and recorded that she used the patchwork quilt she had made on her bed, while Surgeon Wilson on the Princess Royal reported that many of the women made patchwork quilts and some of them were left behind on the ship. Each surviving artifact serves as a vessel for its own narrative, bearing witness to the trials and triumphs of those who endured the perilous journey to Australia.

References:

# Doing Time: Patchwork as a tool of social rehabilitiation in British prisons, Victoria and Albert Museum

# The Rajah Quilt  1841, NGA

# The Rajah Quilt, National Quilt Register
Oh, Netflix, look what youve done! For several months, weve known that Disney+ was looking to implement a password-sharing crackdown. Weve seen Hulu bring its own password crackdown, and Disney owns Hulu. Well, according to a new report, Disney+ will bring its password crackdown in June.

To catch you up, companies like Disney, Hulu, and Netflix have been looking for a way to stave off password sharing. This is when an account holder gives another person theyre login credentials to watch content on a streaming service without paying. This is something that all streaming services hate.

Last year, Netflix cracked down on password sharing. Netflix accounts are geo-locked, so, if any person tries to watch Netflix while outside of the designated household, it will be blocked and the potential watcher would be prompted to buy their own subscription. Obviously, many people were infuriated with this. However, it actually worked. After the crackdown, Netflixs subscriber count rose- were sure that many people chose the Netflix with ads tier. So, naturally, we expect all major streaming services to bring policies such as these.

The Disney+ password crackdown is coming in June

If you like sharing your Disney+ account with your friend from across town, it looks like your days are numbered. In an interview with CNBC, Disneys CEO Bob Iger stated that the company will be cracking down on password sharing in just a few countries in a few markets, starting in June. This will be just like Netflixs password crackdown where the company tested it extensively in a few markets. However, Disney plans on expanding this to all users starting in September.

So, if you enjoy sharing your password, you have, at the very most, about five months to keep doing so. After that, you may be prompted to buy your own service. This is a massive bummer for people who really enjoy sharing passwords. However, this is something that should not come as a surprise. With a struggling global economy, several companies around the world are making tough decisions that users are not a fan of. The question remains whether this will hold the same results for Disney+ as it did for Netflix. Only time will tell.
Large companies are no strangers to throwing their money around and buying other large companies. Well, according to recent rumors and leaks, it appears that one of the largest tech companies might be gearing up to make one of its largest purchases ever. Rumors state that Googles parent company Alphabet could buy HubSpot, a massive online marketing software company.

Right now, details about this purchase are still very scarce. So, theres no telling if this deal will even go through. Neither HubSpot nor Alphabet have commented on the matter. So, is anyones guess at the moment. We will keep you updated on any new developments that arise from this potential deal.

What is HubSpot?

HubSpot is a large and flourishing marketing company that specializes in offering customer relationship management (CRM) software to companies. This company usually provides tools to firms with up to 2,000 employees. HubSpot offers a free demo on its website, so if this is something that you think youll be interested in, you can check it out.

Alphabet may offer to buy HubSpot for a massive amount of money

Again, details are pretty scarce. However, according to people close to the matter, HubSpot has a market value of $35 billion. So, if Alphabet does move to buy HubSpot, we expect Alphabets wallet to be much lighter.

Regardless of the actual price, this will be an extremely expensive purchase on Alphabets part. In fact, if the company does buy HubSpot, it will be the largest purchase in its history. While this is true, its still half of the $68.7 billion that Microsoft spent on Activision-Blizzard.

This has antitrust lawsuit written all over it

In any case, Alphabet reportedly met with Morgan Stanley investment bankers recently. The meeting was about putting forth an offer for HubSpot. Several sources say that the meeting was also about whether antitrust regulators would stamp out this deal before it could come to fruition.

Alphabet is one of the most valuable companies in the world, and making a purchase such as this will definitely catch the attention of the American government. HubSpot is a very large company; it generated $2.2 billion in revenue at the end of 2023. Its a very large and far-reaching company, so you can bet that it has a palpable effect on the business software market. Even the news of Alphabet possibly putting an offer on it boosted its shares by 11% to $693.

So, if Alphabet is to buy this company, that may be seen as anti-competitive behavior. Google is already facing a massive-scale tipping antitrust lawsuit from the American DOJ (Department of Justice) over its search dominance. Its very likely that antitrust regulators could step in and put a halt to this acquisition. However, if that were to happen, we are sure that Google will defend itself.

In any case, we dont know whether Alphabet will put an offer on HubSpot. Since neither company has officially commented, we cant say for sure. Well have to wait for further updates
Last month, Googles Phone app for Pixels in Japan gained a shortcut to search for unknown phone numbers online directly from the call history. The tool may soon roll out globally, helping you identify unknown callers. Called Lookup, the new feature is currently in development and available with some flags in the latest beta version of the app.

Google Phone is readying a number lookup tool

Google Phone is a phone app for Pixels and other Android devices. It offers features like caller ID and spam protection, letting you identify whether an unknown caller is a scammer or a genuine business even before you pick up the call. It cannot accurately detect all scammers and businesses but works fairly well. With Lookup, the company is giving users an option to run a web search for numbers that it didnt identify.

Spotted by code sleuth AssembleDebug, the Lookup button appears when you tap on an unknown number in the call history. It sits next to the existing options to save the number, send a message, or check its call history. Tapping the button lets you select an app to run a web search, including Google. You will then get a result from the web. It helps you determine whether the number belongs to a business.

Like the Japanese version, Lookup on Google Phone cant identify individual callers but only businesses that have their contact details on the web. So, it cannot replace Truecaller or similar caller ID apps, most of which use crowdsourcing to identify individual callers. Googles new tool only offers a shortcut to search for phone numbers online. You can already do that by copying the number and pasting it on a search engine.

However, the company may be looking to integrate apps like Truecaller into Lookup later on. This would make it a lot more useful. We may get to know more about it in the coming weeks as Google continues with its development. Pixel users in Japan got the tool with the March feature drop. Maybe a global rollout will come with the next feature drop in June. We will keep you posted.

The app may also get a minor UI tweak

Lookup was spotted in beta version 127.0.620688474 of Google Phone. The source also noticed a minor UI tweak of the Emergency number dialer. Google moved the keypad and speaker buttons a little higher. There is no change to the functionality. If you want to try out the new tool and UI tweak early, you can enable the following on a rooted phone. You can also join the Google Phone beta program to test new features.

Package: com.google.android.dialer.directboot#com.google.android.dialer

Flags: 45531185, 45428163
It looks like Google might be leaking the Pixel 8a in a Google Fi wireless ad, intentionally or unintentionally. The Pixel 8a hasnt officially been announced yet but its almost a sure bet that Google plans to launch one later this year. As there have been numerous leaks of the device so far. From renders to supposedly live images of the phone. Including multiple colorway options. In short, the Pixel 8a isnt a total surprise anymore. So long as all the leaks are accurate.

Leaks dont often happen from the company thats making the product, however. And thats what makes this potential leak more interesting. A new report from GSM Arena has pointed out the possibility that Google may have shown what the Pixel 8a looks like in an ad. The ad was seen on YouTube by a user named Frutejuise. Who pointed out a few key details about the phone.

Pixel 8a potentially seen in Google Fi ad on YouTube

One notable detail about the Pixel 8a is that it will supposedly come without a mic next to the LED flash. On the regular Pixel 8, there is a little mic that can be seen next to the flash module. In all of the Pixel 8a leaks, however, this mic is missing. In the Fi ad, what appears to be a Pixel 8 series device can be seen without this mic on the back. Whats more, is that both phones can be seen in colorways that are only offered on the Pixel 8 Pro  Bay and Porcelain.

These are also most certainly not Pixel 8 Pro phones for two key reasons. There are only two camera sensors, and the frames have matte finishes. The Pixel 8 Pro has three camera sensors and its frame has a glossy finish.

It goes without saying that none of this is ironclad proof. So take the potential leak with a grain of salt. However, the image in the ad does very much look like a Pixel 8a when compared to already leaked images. And that paired with the colors that arent available on the standard Pixel 8 suggests this is Googles latest upcoming A series device.
Google Search could soon get a redesign based on the Material You design language. The company seems to be busy lately tweaking the UI of its core app and site. For example, it was recently discovered that Google is working on a card carousel redesign. The next change to make seems to be in the search filters, which will now be chips.

Material You arrived with Android 12 as the latest design language that would dominate Google apps and services. The dev team also provided tools for third-party developers to adapt their apps to the new look. However, at this point, there are still services from Google itself that have maintained the previous design. Such is the case of Google Search, which one would think would be one of the first to renew its entire UI. Ironically, this was not the case, but this could change soon.

Google Search filters would get Material You chips

As spotted by Android Police, Google Search is getting more touches of Material You design. More specifically, the company is tweaking the way search filters are located under the search box highlight, turning them into chips. In the previous design, the only thing that made the filter section stand out was a small white or black line. Now, the filter will be highlighted by a color chip, more in line with the latest Material You guidelines.

The new design gives the filters a more modern look and makes it clear where you are at a glance. According to the source, the UI tweak is reaching some devices as a test in the latest Google app 15.13.43.29 update. It is not yet known when Google will start rolling out the new design, or if it will even do so. After all, it wouldnt be the first time the company backtracked on a tweak during the testing stage.
Microsoft Windows 10 will receive Extended Security Updates (ESU) just like Windows 7. However, getting these security updates will be expensive.

Most of the Windows 10 editions will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025. This may seem a little far off, but the date is approaching fast, especially for Windows 10 loyalists. Microsoft has indicated that it will offer paid security updates for Windows 10 after the OS hits its end of life.

Getting Windows 10 Security Updates after the OS hits its end of life will be costly

Microsoft has published a detailed blog post reminding Windows 10 users they have limited time with a fully supported and regularly updated Operating System.

End of life for an OS essentially means it wont receive new features, updates, or security patches. However, Microsoft has supported Windows 7 with Extended Security Updates for quite a long time after the company replaced it with Windows 10.

Microsoft released Windows 11 in October 2021. The OS is now more than two years old. It succeeds Windows 10. However, millions of PC users refuse to ditch Windows 10 and upgrade to Windows 11 even though the latter is still free for legitimate users.

However, Microsoft will not offer free support for Windows 10 after October 14, 2025. The company will, however, offer paid support. Needless to say, Microsoft will only offer security updates.

Windows 10 security updates will become paid Microsoft will offer Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 starting at $61 for the first year.https://t.co/pveGjmqB3g pic.twitter.com/Ns3TCaBLkw  Enderman (@endermanch) April 3, 2024

Microsoft is reportedly offering three paid options for businesses looking to continue using Windows 10. Theres the traditional 5-by-5 activation key method, a cloud-based activation method, and activation that comes bundled with a Windows 365 subscription.

The 5-by-5 activation key method will need users to purchase and download an activation key. They would have to enter this key into their Windows 10 PC. This key will be valid for a year. The base license package for Windows 10 ESU will cost $61 per device per year.

Businesses that have been using a Microsoft cloud-based update management solution such as Microsoft Intune or Windows Autopatch, can get a hefty discount. A Windows 10 ESU license, activated through Microsofts cloud solutions, will cost $45 per user, and it will be valid for up to five devices for one year.

Should businesses opt for a Windows 10 ESU subscription?

Theres no doubt Windows 10 ESU subscriptions are quite expensive, especially for businesses that have hundreds of PCs that will need security updates.

Windows 11 does have a stringent hardware requirement. In other words, businesses will have to upgrade hardware to ensure Windows 11 compatibility or acquire a Windows 10 ESU subscription.

Either way, Windows 10 wont get any feature updates after October 2025. Moreover, it is not clear how long Microsoft will release security updates for Windows 10. If thats not scary enough, Microsoft may increase the price of the Windows 10 ESU subscription for each additional year.

As for non-commercial Windows 10 users, upgrading to Windows 11 would essentially be mandatory. Incidentally, Microsoft hasnt yet offered any ESU subscription for Windows 10 intended for personal or educational use.
In response to reports indicating that MyCity may be providing wrong, incorrect, and misleading information, NYC Mayor Eric Adams has come out to defend it. For those unaware, the New York government recently introduced the MyCity AI chatbot to assist business owners with their queries.

NYC Mayor defends controversial AI Chatbot amid accusations of misleading guidance

Its aim is to help business owners who require non-stop access to information and guidance. Nevertheless, an investigation by The Markup, with support from Documented and The City local newsrooms found several instances where it gave incorrect legal advice.

For example, the bot wrongly claimed that landlords could discriminate against tenants on grounds of income and that employers can pocket some of their service providers tips; both practices are illegal in New York City.

Like other AI models driven by Microsofts Azure AI large language models, MyCity is prone to giving inaccurate or misleading pieces of information. Accordingly, Mayor Adams admitted wrongs about this tool by saying Its off in certain areas, but he defended its general aim.

He said that by nature, this kind of technology has to prove itself in real-life settings to highlight problems and solutions thereof. However, subsequent investigations revealed that the attempts failed since it was still feeding false claims such as businesses no longer taking cash payments which contradicts NY law.

MyCity AI could prove inefficient requiring more dialogues with lawyers

Andrew Rigie who serves as a director at the NYC Hospitality Alliance praised the citys attempt at using AI-powered technology while emphasizing accuracy. Rigie claimed that following erroneous suggestions from bots like this could ruin its goal and require more dialogues with lawyers.

Due to this controversy, the MyCity chatbot now includes a disclaimer warning users that replies may be unreliable or incomplete; hence they should not rely on them for legal or professional purposes.

This incident exemplifies how difficult it is to bring artificial intelligence into public services while also stressing the need for accuracy and dependability when guiding on a legal basis. As the efforts continue toward improving the MyCity chatbot, various stakeholders are still on the lookout for any challenges that may need addressing.
Samsung has launched its 2024 lineup of Bespoke AI home appliances. The company hosted media events in South Korea (Seoul), France (Paris), and the US (New York City) to introduce a wide range of products. The Welcome to BESPOKE AI event featured refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, robot vacuum cleaners, and many other products, all equipped with advanced artificial intelligence and SmartThings capabilities.

Samsung added a smart display to its AI-powered home appliances

In 2019, Samsung introduced Bespoke home appliances to let customers customize the products to best fit their home and lifestyle. Over the past five years, the company has gradually improved its offerings with the latest technologies and design evolution. This year, it has focused on making the devices smarter with AI. Samsung says enhanced connectivity and AI capabilities will take the consumer experience to the next level.

The Korean giant has added AI Home to several products. It is a 7-inch display that provides intuitive access and control over your connected ecosystem of Samsung devices. The display offers a 3D view of the house, so you can locate your appliances and control them accordingly. For example, if you are cooking in the kitchen and feel that the temperature is too hot, you can use AI Home on your induction to turn on the AC in other rooms.

Likewise, you can start the robot vacuum cleaner from the AI Home on the washing machine while doing laundry. AI Home also lets you answer incoming calls on your phone from anywhere in the house. Whether you are in the kitchen or doing laundry, you wont miss a call. On top of this, the smart display can be used to watch videos (recipes, guides, or anything else), play your favorite songs, and more.

With Mobile Smart Connect, you get a pop-up alert on your phone when you are near registered appliances. The notification includes a quick control menu that allows you to execute certain functions directly from the phone. You dont have to search around for the remote control for that specific device. While this ability was already available from the SmarThings app, a pop-up alert makes your everyday experience more intuitive.

The devices are secure with Samsung Knox

According to Samsung, its Welcome to BESPOKE AI event is more than just a launch event for its next-gen home appliances. It showcases the companys vision for the future of these products. The Korean firm believes its offerings can change users lives through innovations in efficiency, connectivity, and personalization. Its Knox security platform ensures the safety of user data in the era of hyper-connected home appliances.

Samsung unveiled over a dozen new products across the three events. These include the Bespoke French Door Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+, Bespoke Infinite Induction Line, Bespoke AI Laundry Combo, Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI, Bespoke Jet AI, Bespoke Cube Air Infinite Line, and the new 2024 4-Door refrigerator incorporating Peltier technology. These products will be available from the companys official website in the US and many other global markets. Some of the devices are already on sale, while others are up for pre-order.
Crypto scams are not new, and many unsuspecting people new to the crypto scene have become victims of them. According to the FBIs internet crime data, crypto scams cost Americans $2.3 billion in 2022. The FBI also warned Americans of crypto frauds being rampant on LinkedIn in the same year.

Recently, Google investigated and caught two scammers who fraudulently took money in the guise of crypto apps through the Play Store. Since the Play Store is developed and owned by Google, the scams hurt the tech giants integrity. Fortunately, the company has since identified the scammers and filed a civil lawsuit in New York federal court against them.

Scammers trick Google into hosting fake crypto apps

Google tries to safeguard users from harmful apps by implementing measures to check apps and confirm they are safe to download. Even then, some possibility exists of certain nefarious apps making their way onto the Play Store and user devices. However, even if such an app is on the app store, Google continues checking and removes them as soon as possible.

While Google did the same with this fake crypto apps scam, the company faced an off dilemma. Every time Google removed one app, another would take its place. The cycle continued until Google had to remove 87 fake crypto apps and waste $75,000 investigating the scams. The $75,000, however, enabled Google to recognize the guilty parties and take action against them.

The apps looked like legitimate cryptocurrency exchanges and investment platforms but were created to steal cryptocurrency. The two app developers who developed the apps were based in Shenzhen, China, and Hong Kong. According to Google, the duo used YouTube and text messages to market their app and lure unsuspecting victims.

Over 100,000 people fell victim to the scam

In their civil lawsuit, Google alleged that the two scammers managed to con over 100,000 people worldwide. Google further claimed that each victim lost anywhere from $100 to tens of thousands of dollars.

On the other hand, this incident has put a question mark on the integrity of Google. There was a mention of integrity dozens of times in the filing, as Google understandably values how it looks to consumers.

In Googles defense, crypto app scams arent new or unique. Apple has faced similar issues. A recent example is when a fake Leather Wallet app on the App Store stole over $120K from users. With how important crypto wallets and apps are for those who trade digital currency, users must take every step possible to protect their digital assets.
By Ko Dong-hwan

The government is considering expanding the number of restaurants that will be allowed to hire foreign nationals who possess a non-professional working visa (E-9)  from Korean restaurants to other cuisines  as a worker shortage is starting to occur within the industry, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Friday.

Last November, the ministry expanded the list of workplaces where migrant workers are permitted to work to include Korean restaurants. However, operators of non-Korean restaurants are advocating for a broader extension of this policy to encompass all types of eateries.

On Friday, the ministry issued a tender for a research project aimed at enhancing employment opportunities for E-9 visa holders within the hospitality industry. This initiative follows the ministry's previous actions from last November, where Korean food restaurants were urged to consider hiring E-9 visa holders specifically for kitchen positions.

Through the research, the ministry aims to assess the outcomes of the initial round of employment placements for E-9 visa holders. It seeks to evaluate the severity of labor shortages in various restaurant types, understand the pressing needs of restaurant operators, and strategize on how to increase the supply of foreign workers to establishments experiencing a shortage of workers.

"Whether to allow the placement of E-9 visa holders across all types of restaurants is under consideration at this point," a ministry official said. "As we've just begun allowing foreign nationals to work at local restaurants, we had first decided that the new labor law might as well take root gradually. So, we initially allowed only Korean food restaurants to receive a workforce boost."

Out of approximately 800,000 registered restaurants in the country, those serving Korean food account for the most at 42 percent. Korean cuisine, compared to other types of food, is known to require more time and preparation, according to the ministry. That's why the ministry first allowed only Korean food restaurants to apply for foreign workers.

On Tuesday, the food ministry said it will accept a second round of applications from local Korean restaurants that need foreign workers for their kitchen operations, from April 22 until May 3. Similar to the initial round, eligibility for the second-round application is restricted to restaurants situated in 100 designated districts. These include 25 in Seoul, 16 in Busan, 10 in Incheon, and a limited number across various provinces. Qualified establishments must demonstrate a minimum of five years of operating history. Restaurants with five or more employees are eligible to apply for up to two foreign nationals, whereas those with fewer than five employees can only apply for one foreign national.

The ministry plans to host a third round in July and a fourth round in October.

Before last November, workplaces in the country that welcomed E-9 visa holders had been limited to agriculture, livestock, fisheries, manufacturing and construction.
Googles flagship Pixel series has often troubled users despite being praised as one of the best Android smartphones. More recently, the Google Pixel series is again in the news for some wrong reasons as users around the globe complained of network issues on several models.

Googles March 2024 update is seemingly causing network issues restricting users from receiving texts and calls

In a recent report, Android Authority mentioned the March 2024 update is causing this issue. It seems that the network issue is not limited to just one flagship model, but many. Users have complained about issues with receiving calls and texts on the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, as well as the top-end model Pixel 8 Pro.

A Reddit user (@ShadoutMapes87), pointed out the issue and claimed that all the calls they receive straight go to the voicemail on their Pixel 7 Pro on Verizon. The user further said that texts are coming in batches throughout the day. Pointing in the same direction, several users commented and confirmed that they are also facing similar issues on their Pixel 7 on Verizon.

Android Authority also spotted a long thread on Google Support forums that features complaints relating to network issues on Pixel flagships. Users have talked about how their phones screen will not display incoming calls. Additionally, users mentioned that their device neither notifies nor rings for an incoming call. It is worth noting that not only users on a specific carrier or model are facing this issue. Users on other carriers and devices have reported the same problem.

No troubleshooting or April 2024 update seems to be fixing the network issues on flagship Google Pixel phones

Users have tried and tested different troubleshooting methods to fix network issues on the Google Pixel flagship. But, they mentioned all the efforts to fix the issue seemed worthless. The network issue is seemingly affecting users from receiving incoming calls and texts, mostly when they arent around their phones. Thats not all, the worst part is that the April 2024 update for Pixel phones also didnt fix this annoying issue.

All that said, its not the first time we have heard of issues on Googles flagship Pixel series phones. There have been numerous occasions when these devices were criticized in the past for storage issues, scrolling issues, and more.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has said it is shameful to call for the UK to end arms sales to Israel.

Three Britons were among the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers who died in airstrikes in Gaza carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday.

Israeli officials have dismissed two officers over the strikes, which were described as a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure.

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said the UK will carefully review findings of the initial IDF report into the incident released on Friday.

Britons John Chapman, James Jim Henderson and James Kirby (World Central Kitchen)

The incident has led to widespread calls from MPs from all major parties to end UK arms sales to Israel, as well as a letter signed by more than 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices.

In his column for The Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said those supporting the end of arms sales were clamouring for us to turn our backs on the only democracy in the Middle East.

He stated that if the UK stopped arms sales, it would encourage the UK to also end their military support of Israel, therefore willing the military defeat of Israel and the victory of Hamas.

He wrote: Remember that in order to win this conflict, Hamas only has to survive. All they need at the end is to hang on, rebuild, and go again. Thats victory for Hamas; and that is what these legal experts seem to be asking for.

He further asserted that Lord Cameron had been silent on the issue, saying the Foreign Secretary had gone into a kind of purdah on arms sales.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson (Aaron Chown/PA)

Mr Johnson said it was shattering to see deaths of three British aid workers, but that Israel was sending warnings of their attacks and trying to use precision munitions.

He said: If the West continues to crumble  and especially if Britain and the U.S. crumble  then the Israelis will be prevented from getting into Rafah. They will be prevented from achieving their objective: of finishing Hamas as a military force in Gaza.

He added: Is that really what you want, all you legal experts who say that Israels actions now necessitate an arms embargo? Do you want to hand victory to a bunch of murderers and rapists?

Mr Johnson concluded that the banning of arms sales would be insane and shameful.

He added: The sooner the Government formally denounces the idea, the better.
Calls to halt arms sales to Israel in the aftermath of the death of three British aid workers have been called shallow gesture politics by a Tory MP.

Conservative MP Bob Seely, who sits on the Foreign Affairs committee, also said the UK should double down on its relationship with Israel.

The Government has faced increasing calls to halt arms sales to Israel after three British aid workers were killed in an attack by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

Seven workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in Gaza on Monday evening, with Britons John Chapman, 57; James Jim Henderson, 33; and James Kirby, 47; among those who died in the attack.

Left to right, Britons John Chapman, James Jim Henderson and James Kirby, three of the World Central Kitchen aid workers who were killed in Gaza (World Central Kitchen/PA)

WCK founder Jose Andres claimed the Israeli military knew of his aid workers movements and targeted them systematically, car by car.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that future US support for Israels Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Mr Netanyahus office has said immediate steps have been approved by the security cabinet to help aid reach Gaza, including the temporary opening of the Erez crossing at the northern end of the territory and allowing the use of the Israeli port of Ashdod for aid shipments.

US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the nation welcomes Israels decision and called on the steps to be fully and rapidly implemented.

As the President said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, she said.

Aid from Jordan through another land journey will also be allowed to increase.

A letter calling for the UK to suspend arms sales to Israel has been signed by more than 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices.

The Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, told the Daily Mail newspaper that Israel would be held to account for the attack on aid workers and said he and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were entirely on the same page on the war in Gaza.

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron (James Manning/PA)

But Tory members appear divided on the issue of arms sales, as Suella Braverman argued that Israel is absolutely not in breach of international humanitarian law, while party colleague Sir Alan Duncan said Ms Braverman should have the whip withdrawn for her extreme views.

Isle of Wight MP Mr Seely said those calling on the Government to end arms sales were engaging in shallow gesture politics.

He told BBC Newsnight: The reality is that we supply 0.02% of Israels arms imports, which is a meaninglessly small figure, and actually by blocking it, effectively, this is shallow gesture politics and nothing but.

And its symptomatic of the way that gesture politics is driving out rigorous thought from public debate. So, lets have a rigorous public debate, lets talk about the issues, but please, lets just drop the gesture politics because its pretty pointless.

Mr Seely also called for the UK to double down on its relationship with Israel.

If you want to have a strategy, and if you want to have influence over people, you have to stay close to them. So actually, we have to double down on our relationship with Israel, but also Arab states that are involved in the same way.

Tory MP Bob Seely (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA)

The Government is also under pressure to publish legal advice after civil servants within the Department of Business and Trade involved with arms exports have raised concerns over their own degree of legal liability if Israel is found to be violating international humanitarian law.

Members of the PCS union have threatened legal action to prevent their members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.

Mr Seely said: Governments dont publish legal advice and I suspect thats going to be the same in future for any government and its certainly the case now.

Mentioning other countries the Government has faced pressure in the past to sever ties with, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Mr Seely said it was in the national interest to maintain relationships.

He said: We should have substance to our principles, but we also need to tread carefully when it comes to military and intelligence relationships, because we spend a lot of time developing these relationships and they are significantly in our national interest and we have to think a little bit strategically.
By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electronics emerges from a prolonged slump with a first quarter operating profit of 6.6 trillion won ($4.88 billion), surpassing market expectations, driven by chip market recovery and strong sales of AI-powered smartphones, according to the company and analysts, Friday.

Samsungs operating profit of 6.6 trillion won, announced in its preliminary earnings report on Friday, shows an increase of 931.25 percent compared to the same period in 2023. The company also reported sales of 71 trillion won, up 11.37 percent year-on-year.

While Samsung did not disclose detailed performance by business unit, industry experts estimate that the semiconductor business generated an operating profit of over 1.2 trillion won, marking a turnaround after five consecutive quarters of losses. This is attributed to the reduction in memory semiconductor production and the stronger-than-expected rise in chip prices.

In particular, sales of high-priced chips such as DDR5 DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips significantly increased, and NAND Flash memory semiconductors also saw an increase in prices, leading to improved profitability, they estimated.

"In the first quarter, DRAM and NAND flash prices are expected to rise by 15 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Foundry, which confirmed the bottom of the operating rate in the first quarter, is expected to reduce the scale of the deficit by 30 percent compared to the previous quarter," Kim Dong-won, a researcher at KB Securities, said.

The smartphone business is estimated to have generated close to 4 trillion won in operating profit, with the Galaxy S24 series selling well in the market with AI features and estimated shipments of around 60 million in the first quarter. The display business, on the other hand, is expected to see a decline in sales due to a decrease in shipments to its main customer Apple and reduced demand for smartphone OLED panels.

Samsung is expected to keep riding on the upward trend in the following quarters this year, with increasing sales of DRAM memory chips for servers as U.S.-based big tech companies are resuming data center investments. AI memory chip HBM3E is also expected to be supplied in the second half of the year.

"The pace of earnings estimates is expected to be steeper than expected in the second half of the year, as HBM supplies and the demand for legacy products increase," Shin Seok-hwan, a researcher at Daishin Securities, said. "It is expected to start supplying HBM3E to NVIDIA from the second half of the year."

The positive future prospects from the industry analysts is in line with the companys view as Samsungs chip CEO Kyung Kye-hyun told shareholders during the annual meeting last month that "semiconductors have turned a profit since January and we will be able to see the business getting back on track."

Samsung will give its official earnings of the first quarter and more details about business performance by division on April 30.
Have you ever dreamed of picking up with your pet and hitting the open road? That's what Austin Wolff of Boulder, Colorado had been doing with his cat Link, until things took a scary turn during a recent rock climbing trip.

Wolff recently recounted the entire experience, which seemed downright scary.

Speaking with WHTM, Wolff explained that he adopted the rescue two years ago and hoped that she would be an "adventure cat." You know, the kind of animal he could bring on hikes and mountain climbs. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Related: Determined Special Needs Cat Climbs Big Hill to Enjoy Springtime Sunshine

The plan was going along swimmingly until March 28, when one moment of bad judgement put the two of them in a precarious position.

Wolff explained that he'd decided to bring Link with him and a friend as they climb the Flatirons in Colorado. The Flatirons are slanted, reddish-brown sandstone formations at the foothills of the Boulder mountains. The first and third Flatirons are some of the most popular climbing destinations in the area, Colorado.com states. But a small decision really changed the experience Wolff and company had that day.

Wolff and his climbing partner decided to get started on their climb at 3:30 on the afternoon, believing they had enough daylight left in the day to complete it. But sadly that wasn't the case. WHTM reports that it was soon pitch black outside and because he was with a less-experienced climber, he was afraid to continue without a headlight. They decided to call for help.

"It took a little bit of a hit on my pride to have to call someone. However, it definitely was the right call, Wolff told the news outlet. There was no point in staying up there and risking our safety, my cats safety. It was just smarter to take one to the teeth and call someone.

The two ultimately turned to the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group for help. The rescue group was surprised to find not just two humans in their party, but that there was a cat involved as well. Wolff admitted that he might've left out the fact that there was a cat with them when he made the call.

Thankfully Wolff and his group were able to be rescued. Rocky Mountain gave them headlamps and managed to lower them all to safety.

Some might worry about Link's safety during the incident, but Wolff assured the news outlet that his cat was pretty much napping through the whole thing. Cats! Nothing ever phases them does it?

The cat dad confirmed that the two have done many climbs together before, including in eight national parks. He said they hope to eventually hit all 63 and will head to Utah and Arizona. Here's hoping next time they'll start bright and early.

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It's every pet owner's worst nightmare. Jason Whatnall of Australia was heading off to the United Kingdom to start a new life. But his plans had a major wrench thrown in them when he learned that his Jack Russell Terrier had evaded being boarded on his plane at the Tullamarine Airport.

Whatnall had total trust when he handed off his dog Milo to pet transport company, AeroPets.

But when he landed he learned the terrible truth. "I got a phone call saying that Milo had escaped and taken off and was now missing somewhere in the Tullamarine industrial estate about 5 km from Melbourne Airport," 10 Play reports he said.

Related: Jack Russell Terrier's Confusion Over Why Family's House Guest Is Still in Bed Is Precious

"My partner and I turned around and searched around Tullamarine, but we couldnt find Milo," he recalled.

Whatnall was understandably shocked. He was that when he asked what happened to his Jack Russell Terrier, the answer he was given was "vague."

"Its not clear exactly what happened. But it was done in an open area without closed gates. I think there werent real processes in place," he said. "Im hoping the company will come up with another plan, but honestly, its been very frustrating," he admitted.

A spokesperson for AeroPets later said that Milo had bitten the employee who was bringing him from the travel container to the warehouse.

"We advised the owners what happened immediately who came in and helped with the search for a few hours. The owners of Milo then took a flight out of Australia before finding Milo," they said.

AeroPets told 7 News that they've since hired animal rescuers and flown in staff from Brisbane to help find the pup.

"We have handed out hundreds of flyers in the area to neighborhoods and businesses to assist and put food and cameras out at night to help, and have engaged social media groups," the company said in a statement.

Nigel Williamson, who has been tasked with rescuing the Jack Russell, said that because Whatnall isn't in the country, he's been playing a recording of his voice over a loudspeaker.

On April 2 there was a small victory. Milo was caught on motion sensing cameras for the first time close to a paddock near the airport. It was in an area where the rescuers hadn't been looking so they missed him.

Milo is still missing and Whatnall is hoping the airline will find him soon.

"Our pets are like our babies, and we really expect that theyre going to be looked after and safely transported when were passing on our pets into care, he said, before sending his sincerest thanks to the many people who have been out looking for Milo too.

"Thats been amazing, and its kept me hopeful that hes going to be all right," he added.

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
Extinction Rebellions co-founder has been spared jail after plotting with others to fly drones near Heathrow in order to close the airport until the Government reversed plans for a third runway there.

Roger Hallam and other eco-activists wanted backing for the protest, launched under the name Heathrow Pause, to go viral and shut down the airport while also triggering arrests and lots of publicity, Londons Isleworth Crown Court was told during the trial.

Hallam and co-defendant Larch Maxey said in their defence they had no intent to cause a public nuisance or to close Heathrow, it was merely a publicity exercise, which was rejected by the jury, James Curtis KC, prosecuting, said.

(left to right) Michael Lynch-White, Valerie Brown, Dr Larch Maxey and Roger Hallam outside Isleworth Crown Court (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

A number of arrests were made during the protest in September 2019, but instead of hundreds of people attending to fly drones, the movement died where it was, Mr Curtis said.

Hallam, 57, of Wandsworth, south London, and Maxey, 51, of no fixed abode, were found guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance on December 15 last year after a four-week trial.

Michael Lynch-White, 33, of Lewes, Sussex, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Valerie Milner-Brown, 71, of Islington, north London, was found not guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

Hallam, Maxey and Lynch-White conspired with others on or before September 14 2019 to close the transport hub to air traffic by the unlawful flying of drones within Heathrows flight restriction zone, the court heard.

Mr Curtis said the intention was not to close it for a day, but some documents say a week, two weeks and he said there are documents which show the intention was to close Heathrow indefinitely until the Government would agree publicly to reverse a national policy permitting the third runway extension at Heathrow.

Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam arrives at Isleworth Crown Court (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

There was no intention to cause any crash or to harm or endanger lives of individuals, but with the intention of causing inevitable chaos to the public, Mr Curtis said.

Mr Curtis said documents show the intention was to cause massive disruption to the public, to flights in and out of this country.

Heathrow Airport and the police had to go to inordinate lengths to prepare for the worst, Mr Curtis said.

The policing cost to the public was in excess of 1 million, and 1,600 officer shifts had to be moved, the court was told.

Hallam and Maxey were instrumental in either the creation or carrying through of this plan and Lynch-White also was closely involved, the prosecution said.

Dr Larch Maxey arrives at Isleworth Crown Court (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Hallam, representing himself, said the public nuisance was insignificant to non-existent in my case and there was no evidence he played a leadership role in this offence.

He added: The public nuisance was simply to create publicity for the criminality of creating a third runway.

Michael Goold, defending Maxey, said the defendant was motivated by the sincere heartfelt concern, and justified concern, about the climate emergency.

Raj Chada, defending Lynch-White, said: During the course of his work, he becomes aware of the dangers of the climate crisis.

Judge Martin Edmunds KC said the plan was developed under the banner of Heathrow Pause and there was evidence Extinction Rebellion members chose not to become involved as they valued plans to be too extreme.

He added that the small number of drones flown did not cause any disruption to flights.

Michael Lynch-White arrives at Isleworth Crown Court (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Hallam and Maxey were each sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Lynch-White was handed 17 months, suspended for 18 months.

Hallam was told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, Maxey has to complete 300 hours and Lynch-White will have to complete 262 hours. All three defendants will have to complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Lynch-White said after the sentencing: That was very close to an immediate custodial sentence for a protest that caused no disruption whatsoever and at a time where anyone in the UK right now will know its not stopped raining and it is awful.

So the courts are still trying to punish, even though we got a suspended sentence, we still got lots of unpaid work.

Maxey told the PA news agency: Im feeling deeply upset and frustrated by the criminal injustice system thats failing to address the climate emergency and like the judge saying hes not allowed to consider climate collapse when hes sentencing us.

This action was about trying to stop societal collapse from climate breakdown, which is happening now in real time.

Four years ago, when we did this action, it was nowhere near as bad as it is now.

Now, scientists are talking about going over 1.5C, in that context, Im terrified. Im gutted. I feel like Ive been punched in the stomach.

However, on a human personal level, I can see my son now, I can see my family, I can see my friends and I can carry on with the campaigning work that Im doing.
Katie Everett's brain tumour was discovered during a routine eye test. (Katie Everett/SWNS) (Katie Everett/SWNS)

A woman has explained how an eye test "saved her life" after her optician spotted a brain tumour during a routine examination.

Katie Everett, 31, a beautician from Romsey, Hampshire, was referred to hospital for an MRI scan after her optician noticed an abnormality in both of her eyes.

Doctors there diagnosed her with meningioma - the most common type of primary brain tumour - in July 2021.

She underwent two operations to have the mass removed in July 2021 and went on to have radiotherapy in November 2022.

The surgery was a success, though not all the tumour could be removed, meaning Everett has to have regular check ups for the next 10 years.

Everett feels grateful she went to the optician when she did as the tumour would have been otherwise undetected.

A scan of Everett's brain tumour. (Katie Everett/SWNS) (Katie Everett/SWNS)

"I feel like the eye test saved my life and eyesight," she explains. "If it was left any longer, I could have lost my vision completely due to it pressing on my optic nerve."

The type of tumour Katie had is classed a benign as it is slow-growing, however, had it been left undetected it could have caused life-changing or life-limiting problems.

"The thought of that is quite upsetting and shocking," she continues. "Its hard to believe, I really didnt think something like this could happen."

The tumour was pressing on Katies pituitary gland which caused her menstrual cycles to stop while also severely impacting her vision.

She says it also strangely made colours appear "more vivid".

"I almost needed to wear sunglasses because everything felt brighter," she adds.

Everett had surgery followed by radiotherapy as treatment for a brain tumour. (Katie Everett/SWNS) (Katie Everett/SWNS)

Everett has now had two surgeries to remove the tumour and in October 2022 underwent fertility preservation as she hopes to have kids in the future with husband, James Everett, 33.

Following her surgery and fertility preservation she began radiotherapy to prevent the tumour from growing, a measure which is successful in 90% of cases.

"Ive had some hair loss where the radiotherapy was targeting the mass and my nose and throat are still recovering from the second surgery as they cut away what they could of the tumour via my nose," she says of the side effects.

"Other than that, I feel fortunate to be able to share my story to help raise awareness."

Everett believes the routine eye test 'saved her life' as the tumour would have been otherwise undetected. (Katie Everett/SWNS) (Katie Everett/SWNS)

Describing how she coped with the shock news Everett says: "It's made me realise that even when you dont feel that youre strong enough to deal with something like this, when it comes to it you somehow find the strength within you."

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, adds: "Were grateful to Katie for sharing her story with us as well as fundraising an incredible amount and we wish her well with her ongoing scans."

Everett whilst undergoing treatment for a brain tumour. (Katie Everett/SWNS) (Katie Everett/SWNS)

What is meningioma?

According to the Brain Tumour Charity a meningioma is a type of brain tumour that begins in the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain.

These tumours differ in grade and type, but are usually low grade. They are also relatively common with around 27% of all brain tumours diagnosed being meningiomas.

Theyre also more common in women than men and are rare in children.

Meningioma symptoms usually begin gradually, as they gently push and compress brain tissue, rather than invading it.

As with many brain tumours symptoms vary depending on he exact part of the brain affected but can include headaches, vision changes and hearing loss.

Meningioma symptoms might include:

Headaches

Change in vision, like partial loss of vision or double vision

Cognitive difficulties like memory loss

Hearing loss or ringing in the ears

Loss of smell

Seizures (epilepsy)

Feeling weak in your limbs

Treatment often depends on the grade and behaviour of the tumour, but can range from active monitoring to surgery and radiotherapy.

Additional reporting SWNS.

Brain tumours read more:

Watch: 'I thought I had a brain tumour - but I have early-onset dementia'
British author Lynne Reid Banks has died at the age of 94, her literary agent has said.

The novelist, known for writing books including childrens story, The Indian In The Cupboard, died of cancer peacefully with her family around her on Thursday afternoon, her agent James Wills told the PA news agency.

Her son Gillon Stephenson said that she leaves a massive legacy of wonderful work and added that everyday he receives messages from people saying what a difference she has made.

Lynne Reid Banks said she interviewed Charlie Chaplin during her time as an ITN news reporter (PA)

The author was born in Barnes, West London, in 1929 and was evacuated with her mother and cousin, Christopher, in 1940 during World War Two to Saskatoon in the Canadian prairies for five years.

Upon her return to England, Reid Banks attended Rada drama school before becoming a secretary and a freelance journalist.

In 1955, she became one of the first two female news reporters on British TV, appearing on ITN for six years where she interviewed stars including Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Louis Armstrong and Agatha Christie, she said on her website.

She said during her down-time from journalism she wrote a novel titled The L-Shaped Room which was an unexpected hit and was later turned into a film, landing star Leslie Caron an Oscar nomination for best actress, as well as a Bafta and Golden Globe award.

Actress Leslie Caron won a Golden Globe and a Bafta award for her role in The L-Shaped Room (Myung Jung Kim/PA)

Caron played a young unmarried French woman planning a pregnancy termination, but later rejected the idea and instead rented an odd room in a boarding house where she falls in love with an aspiring actor.

In 1962, Reid Banks emigrated to Israel after meeting Liverpool-born sculptor Chaim Stephenson, whom she later married and shared three sons.

Returning to England in 1971, Reid Banks said she stumbled upon the idea of bringing a toy plastic American Indian to life in a magic cupboard for a childrens book.

The first book from her The Indian In The Cupboard series was released in 1980 and the fantasy story, about a boy whose toy has magically come to life, was turned into a film in 1995 starring actor and comedian, Steve Coogan and Richard Jenkins.

She wrote many childrens stories during her career, including The Red Red Dragon, Tiger Tiger, Angela And Diabola and picture book, The Spice Rack.
Majestic has completed a rescue deal to buy wine bar chain Vagabond from administration.

The UKs largest specialist wine retailer confirmed talks over a potential move last month after Vagabond Wines went into insolvency.

On Friday, Majestic confirmed it has completed the acquisition, which will secure the future of nine Vagabond venues and 171 workers.

The bar firms underperforming site in Canary Wharf has not been bought and will be closed.

Majestic has taken over nine Vagabond bars (Majestic/PA)

Vagabonds two sites at Gatwick Airport are also not included in the deal.

Bosses at Majestic said they plan to invest in Vagabond for the long-term, with ambitions to open more wine bars under the brand.

The chain, which allows customers to order a variety of wines from self-pouring machines, was founded in 2010 by Stephen Finch.

John Colley, chief executive of Majestic, said: We are delighted to have secured this partnership with Vagabond Wines and are looking forward to working with the team to share our collective passion, expertise and love of wine.

The completion of this deal marks the start of a long-term partnership and we are committed to investing in the Vagabond business, with the potential to open new wine bars across the UK when the right opportunities arise.

The combination of the two businesses presents exciting new opportunities for us to grow our customer base, take the Majestic brand to a younger audience and further elevate Vagabonds product proposition by working alongside our fast-growing on-trade supply division, Majestic Commercial.

Majestic, which has over 200 stores across the UK, was bought by private equity firm Fortress in 2019.

Vagabond managing director Matt Fleming said: In Majestic, we believe we have found the perfect partner to enhance the unique strengths of the Vagabond business and drive a new phase of profitable growth.

Vagabonds bars help our customers discover unique, quality wines in a highly experiential setting  values that align perfectly with what Majestics colleagues do every single day in their stores.
Second practice for Sundays Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a damp squib as McLarens Oscar Piastri set the fastest time on a weather-affected session.

Local favourite Yuki Tsunoda and his RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo were the only drivers to set lap times early on in changeable conditions, but set their times on the intermediate tyre.

The hour-long session began in rain and, although it later stopped, the track was not deemed sufficiently dry enough for most teams to send out their cars.

An unusual FP2. Very limited running due to on-track conditions, but Oscar put together the quickest lap time of them all. #JapaneseGP  pic.twitter.com/96NmaXLayY  McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 5, 2024

Piastri was one of them and his time of one minute 34.725 seconds proved fast enough to top the timesheets, with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclercs Ferrari the only others to set representative times.

Earlier, Max Verstappen set the pace in first practice as Willams endured another Friday to forget.

Reigning champion Verstappen retired in Melbourne a fortnight ago but was back at it here, his time of one minute 20.056 seconds was enough to see him go quickest at Suzuka, with team-mate Sergio Perez his closest challenger 0.181 seconds back.

Bit rainy out on track isn't it?  #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/SQGdFV6g8B  Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 5, 2024

A red flag halfway through the session stopped running for 11 minutes as Logan Sargeant crashed off at turn two  further adding to the Williams woes.

Sargeant sat out the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago as team-mate Alex Albon took his car after destroying his own in a practice crash and the team currently have no spare chassis.

Williams team principal James Vowles confirmed the car had suffered extensive damage and Sargeant was forced to sit out of second practice  although the lack of running meant there was little that would have been gained from taking part.

It is pretty significant (damage). So the chassis is OK, fortunately, but I would say pretty much everything else isnt  so the suspension around, the gearbox is cracked, big damage.

At the top of the brow of the hill there, he struggled to see where his positioning was on track. So it fundamentally looks like he didnt quite realise where he was with where the grass was on the outside and put a wheel on the grass.

Albon went 12th fastest after the action restarted, while Verstappen assumed his usual position as the car to beat.

Carlos Sainz, who won in Australia last time out, was third-fastest for Ferrari ahead of the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Hamilton, while the second Ferrari of Leclerc was sixth.
Anthony Barnes was director of the Churches Conservation Trust from 1984 to 1992 Photograph: from family/none

My friend Anthony Barnes, who has died aged 92, was an executive in the soft drinks and chemicals industry until he changed tack to become director of the Redundant Churches Fund, now the Churches Conservation Trust. Later he joined the Norfolk Churches Trust as its secretary, helping to care for and conserve a number of ecclesiastical buildings across the county.

Both with the Trust and later as a volunteer, Anthony rescued a number of Norfolk churches and prevented St Peter Hungate in Norwich from becoming a wine bar. He also wrote dozens of church guides. Although he was a devout Anglican, his work was driven by a fierce conviction that church buildings were as important for non-Christians as for those who attended every Sunday.

Anthony was born in Marylebone in London, the only child of Anne (nee Bond) and her husband, Sir George Barnes, who, as director of BBC Television in 1953, was knighted for his part in the broadcast of Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation.

After Eton college and national service in the Royal Navy, Anthony went to Cambridge University, where he gained a degree in English in 1954. The following year he began working for Schweppes as a factory manager, first at a bottling plant in the Brighton area and then in Hendon, north west London, where he liked to say he had briefly employed Julie Christie as a bottle-washer before she became a star.

He joined ICI in 1965 as an assistant personnel manager, rising to be personnel manager in the paints division and then at company HQ in London. In that role he was later responsible for implementing a major redundancy programme that eliminated many middle management positions  including his own.

He became director of the Redundant Churches Fund in 1984. It was the perfect job for him, as he had nurtured a passion for ecclesiastical buildings since his youth, when he had toured Romanesque churches in France with his parents and their friend John Betjeman.

However, Anthonys ability to fulfil the role came to a sudden end in 1992 when he had a stroke. Following a gradual recovery and a move to Norwich, he was asked by Billa Harrod, founder of the Norfolk Churches Trust, to become the trusts secretary. Within a couple of years he had visited all 650 of Norfolks churches in order to prioritise where repairs and funding were most needed.

Despite his upbringing, or perhaps because of it, Anthony was a socialist, and for a time served as vice-chair of Norwich Labour party, before leaving the party over its support for the Iraq war.

An attentive friend, excellent cook, generous supporter of local music and food banks, he threw himself into everything he did, and paid his hairdresser with bottles of decent wine.

Anthony was married twice, first to Susan Dempsey, and secondly to Jenny Carey. Both predeceased him, as did a son, Sebastian, from his first marriage. He is survived by two children, Brendan and Sophie, from his first marriage.
The discovery at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North (pictured) came as Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood was closed due to asbestos being found in mulch. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Victorias environment watchdog says it suspects an illegal dumping of construction waste was behind the discovery of asbestos in mulch in Melbournes west this week.

But the spread of asbestos could be broader than first suspected, with Hobsons Bay city council, in the citys west, confirming late on Friday that three further sites have been identified.

Asbestos-containing material was initially found in mulch next to a playground in Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood on Monday.

Asbestos was then also discovered in soil at a second park in the citys north, with Merri-bek city council on Friday confirming the detection at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North, after an earlier discovery in late January.

On Friday, the Victorian Environment Protection Authority said it had identified other parks in the citys west that received mulch from the same source as that used in Spotswood.

Testing results have confirmed the only site with traces of asbestos is Donald McLean Reserve. Material from all other sites tested negative for asbestos, the EPA said in a statement.

The EPA said the issue was localised to the one site and believed illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste that occurred after the mulch was delivered was the source of the contamination.

However, late on Friday, a statement from Hobsons Bay Council contradicted the EPAs findings, saying it had detected asbsetos at three more public parks.

Hobsons Bay City Council is closing areas at three additional reserves after testing confirmed the presence of asbestos-containing material, the council said in a statement.

Sections of Crofts Reserve, Hosken Reserve and Lynch Reserve, all in Altona North, will be closed until further notice. Recycled mulch from these reserves was sent for testing, following the recent findings at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood.

The statement said the council would work with a material hygienist and the EPA to undertake remediation works on all of the sites.



It said the materials discovered at the reserve were bonded asbestos, which is considered low-risk for people in contact with it unless it is damaged or badly weathered.

In a statement earlier on Friday, Merri-bek council said the majority of the site at Hosken Reserve had been closed to the public since asbestos was first discovered there in January.

Related: Asbestos found in recycled mulch next to playground in Melbournes west

Following this discovery, appropriate measures were taken to ensure the contaminated soil was removed, the site was safe and local residents were notified, they said.

During more recent landscaping works, further asbestos-contaminated soil was discovered. This contaminated soil is now being removed by competent and qualified asbestos removalists and is expected to be completed by Friday 31 May.

Throughout the removal works, air monitoring will be conducted to ensure the safety of workers and nearby residents, the spokesperson said. Workers on site will also be required to wear personal protective equipment.

They said any soil that contains asbestos is also sealed, under cover and is inaccessible to the public.

The council said in both instances, the asbestos found at the reserve has been localised to soil only.

All asbestos found on the site was considered non-friable, which means it is solid and cannot be crumbled or released into the air, the spokesperson said.

They said there was no evidence it was linked to any other asbestos contamination cases across the state or nationally.

It is a frequent occurrence in inner Melbourne that construction projects will involve discovery of centuries-old or decades-old contamination, which can then be appropriately dealt with under standards and guidelines, they said.

On Wednesday, the Hobsons Bay city council in Melbourne confirmed two pieces of building material found by a resident on Monday contained asbestos.

The council said the asbestos material was discovered in a recycled mulch product around mature tree-planting. A virgin soft mulch was also used around the playground.

Related: NSW to double penalties for worst environmental crimes in wake of asbestos crisis

It said it has identified the supplier of the mulch but has not made this information public.

The Victorian opposition said the state government must do more to ensure the states parks were safe for children to play in.

This shouldnt happen. The government needs to come clean and tell us: are there any other playgrounds that have the same kind of risk [and] what is the government doing to mitigate the risk? the deputy Liberal leader, David Southwick, said.

Guardian Australia has approached the government for comment.

There is heightened community concern around asbestos contamination after the discovery of bonded asbestos at more than 75 sites, including parks and schools, in New South Wales.

Queensland authorities have also identified at least 90 sites for investigation after contaminated mulch was taken from two stockpiles.

EPA Victoria has conducted precautionary inspections of 59 commercial mulch producers and said on Wednesday no traces of asbestos were found in their products.
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu had a tense 30-minute phone call on Thursday evening - Getty Images

It was a sharp shift change that signalled one thing: Joe Biden has had enough.

Still reeling from the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza by Israeli strikes, the US president told Benjamin Netanyahu there will be consequences if he does not start protecting civilians.

During a tense 30-minute phone call, a frustrated Mr Biden told the Israeli leader he needs to to take immediate action to implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to stop harming innocent lives.

US policy, he said, will be determined by how Israel acts.

If Mr Netanyahu refuses to heed Mr Bidens warning and change his tactics, the world will be watching to see how America responds.

As Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser to Mr Obama has warned: Bibi obviously doesnt care what the US says, its about what the US does.

So what tools does Mr Biden have when it comes to getting a bullish leader like Mr Netanyahu to act?

Halting or restricting arms sales

The White House stopped short of directly saying Mr Biden would halt arms supplies to Israel or impose conditions on their use, but this is the most obvious - and likely most effective - weapon in Mr Bidens arsenal.

Despite pleas from some corners of his own party, the Democrat leader has long resisted curbing the flow of artillery and weapons to Israel, which is reliant on everything from US-made F-35 aircrafts to precision-guided bombs and artillery shells.

When they say therell be consequences, I think this is kind of the most, this is the most critical one, said Dan Arbell, a scholar-in-residence at the Center for Israeli Studies at American University.

They havent reached it [yet], but I wouldnt rule it out in the near future if the situation continues as it does, he told The Telegraph.

Steven A Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council of Foreign Relations, said there really (was) no other point of leverage for the United States other than restricting military aid.

Now that he [Biden] has essentially threatened action, he would be weak not to follow through if the Israelis do not perform, he said.

Subtle but powerful messaging

Rather than making overt, public moves to cut off arms deals, Mr Biden could also make subtle changes to hold-up contracts and frustrate Tel Aviv.

Sometimes the strongest signals are actually very quiet ones, said Natan Sachs, the director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Washington-based non-profit the Brookings Institution.

This could include snowballing the provision of munitions or the approval of mundane contracts for spare parts.

At the working level thats often where you see the most powerful messaging and its one the security establishment the government take very seriously, he told The Telegraph.

While it might seem incremental, this would be a ratcheting up by the Americans and something the Israelis would take to heart.

Ramp up public attacks

Mr Biden and his cabinets remarks on Mr Netanyahu have become increasingly spikey in recent weeks.

The US president called this weeks killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers outrageous while Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the horrific attack.

Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer last month branded Mr Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and called for elections in Israel.

Mr Abell expects critical statements and damning terminology to be used more frequently in the coming weeks.

However, he adds, this tactic only has so much mileage as people quickly get used to verbal attacks.

Stop protecting Israel

The US has been a staunch supporter and protector of Israel.

In February it vetoed its third UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

When the US did not veto a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip last month, Mr Netanyahu retaliated by cancelling a Washington meeting between his delegation and the Biden administration.

Continuing to abstain from future votes is potentially a valuable tool for Mr Biden.

If the Democrat leader shows waning US support for Israel, it could also influence other countries treatment of the Jewish state.

Some nations, for example, may stop short of condemning Israel for fear of upsetting its American allies.

If countries have less of a sense that America has Israels back, we better play nice it could make things harder for Mr Netanyahu, Mr Sachs adds.

Palestinian statehood

Palestinian statehood recognition, which is highly sensitive both internationally and domestically, is one of the least likely options Mr Biden could take.

While White House officials have said they are exploring policy options with regards to recognising a Palestinian state, such a move would have huge consequences.

Mr Abell warned such drastic action could end up playing into Mr Netanyahus hands.

Hes at the lowest point in terms of Israeli public opinion and such a public confrontation could help him, he said.

The Israeli leader will be able to say its us against the world, he added.

While you cant rule it out, acknowledging a Palestinian state would be a major move with legal ramifications.

Such a drastic action is more likely to be carried out in very calculated way rather than as simply a means of ratcheting up pressure, Mr Sachs said.

I dont know which way theyll go, he told The Telegraph.

I think the anger towards Netanyahu, the exasperation towards Netanyahu is very genuine... Its brought even Biden to this moment.
Hur Young-in, the chairman of bakery giant SPC Group, was formally arrested Friday on charges of coercing bakers to quit their labor union.

The Seoul Central District Court issued the arrest warrant for the 74-year-old chairman on charges of violating the trade union act, citing concerns about him attempting to destroy evidence.

Hur is accused of instructing the group's workforce training affiliate to force bakers at Paris Baguette, a popular SPC bakery chain, to switch their union membership from the more militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, deemed friendlier, between 2019 and 2022.

Prosecutors suspect that the bakery group attempted to break up the bakers' union as unionized bakers held protest rallies in 2021 near Hur's residence, demanding wage hikes and other welfare benefits.

Suspicions against the chairman also include involvement in a prosecution investigator's leak of internal investigation information involving him to SPC executives between 2020 and 2023, allegedly in return for monetary and other forms of gifts.

On Tuesday, prosecutors detained Hur at a hospital in Seoul for questioning, a day after he ignored a prosecution summons for the fourth time.

The latest court warrant allows for Hur's custody to be extended for questioning for a maximum of 20 days.

The chairman is denying the charges. (Yonhap)
Pictures from local television after the earthquake was felt across New York and surrounding areas - Unpixs

New Yorkers were told to stay away from high-rise buildings after a rare earthquake struck Manhattan on Friday morning.

The 4.8-magnitude tremor shook the city at 10:23am, with rumbling felt as far along the east coast as Boston and Baltimore.

The epicentre of the quake was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, about 45 miles west of New York City, and around 42 million people are expected to have felt the ground move.

Joe Biden, the US president, spoke with Phil Murphy, the New Jersey governor, shortly after the quake hit and the White House said it will provide assistance if needed.

A beeping text alert went out to some New Yorkers nearly 40 minutes after the earthquake struck.

While no major damage was reported, New York governor Kathy Hochul warned of the possibility of aftershocks and urged residents to take the threat seriously.

This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in the last century, she said, adding that people should stay away from buildings, especially our high rises if there are further tremors.

As many as a dozen aftershocks were reported in following hours in the region, including a 4.0-magnitude quake early in New York City on Friday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The Empire State Building social media team had posted earlier in the day on X: I AM FINE. Later it added NOT AGAIN followed by I AM STILL FINE.

New York is home to hundreds of skyscrapers measuring over 150m tall.

Later, in a news conference, Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, urged residents to go about their normal day.

He said no major injuries or damage had been reported but urged city residents to take cover if they feel any further shaking.

Mr Adams also said that everyone in the city had felt the earthquake, before going on to say he hadnt noticed anything.

All of us felt, in some way or another, the earthquake hit our city at around 10:23am, he told reporters.

Asked where he was when the quake struck, Mr Adams said: I was at [a] youth gun summit and I didnt feel it, my security detail brought it to my attention.

Others didnt notice the tremors amid the chaos of Manhattan traffic, with some people initially thinking claims it had happened were a practical joke.

Jessica Anne, 30, who works in finance, was buying an iced coffee near Madison Square Park when the tremor struck.

I was getting loads of messages about the earthquake but I felt nothing, she said.

I asked my friend if claiming thered been a natural disaster was a new TikTok trend because I didnt believe anyone.

A digital ticker-tape board on Times Square displays news of the earthquake - Getty/David Dee Delgado

But many people did report seeing their walls shake and books fall off the shelves.

Miranda Levy, a writer in Queens, said the quake lasted about 30 seconds. I was upstairs in the attic bedroom when the noise happened again, she added.

But this was more than just a faint rattle. It started getting louder and louder, and the walls and floor started to shake. At first I thought I was imagining it, but it soon became clear I wasnt.

Meanwhile, Emma Powell, 32, was in her office in lower Manhattan when her desk started to shake.

We have a furious typer on the team so initially I thought it might be that, she said, adding: but it kept going and everyone started looking around and asking if it was an earthquake and if we should get under a desk.

Celebrities across New York also posted on social media about feeling the ground rumbling.

Jessica Chastain, the actress and producer, wrote.Did we just have an earthquake?! NYC, while Lily Allen said: Was that an earthquake in Brooklyn? That was insane.

Fridays earthquake was the largest felt in the city since the 2011 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia that prompted evacuations of City Hall and other buildings and caused damage in Washington.

Most earthquakes in the north east of the US go undetected. A much smaller, 1.7-magnitude earthquake was also felt on Jan 2 in parts of New York.
Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had made crafting a new constitution a key election pledge. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters

An overhaul of Somalias constitution, scrapping its power-sharing system and handing the president increased control, is threatening to destabilise the fragile country, as its wealthiest and most stable state refuses to recognise the changes.

The amendments risk worsening violence, the information minister from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland has warned. Mohamud Aidid Dirir told the Guardian that almost a totally new constitution had been introduced without input from the states leaders. He accused the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, of using parliament to gather authority into his hands.

Somali lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last weekend to adopt a slew of amendments to the constitution, which will reshape the political and electoral system and hand more power to the president. The parliamentary speaker, Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe, called the move historic.

The amendments give the president the authority to appoint and dismiss prime ministers, transferring that power from lawmakers, and grant him increased control over appointments to the electoral commission, taking away input from federal states. The current power-sharing model of government, a system that ensures the countrys four main clans get equal representation in parliament, will be also scrapped in place of universal suffrage.

We are a fragile country still recovering from a civil war, which doesnt have stable politics. If power is concentrated in one persons hands, there is a risk we could go back to civil war. We have always warned that this could happen, said Dirir.

[Hassan] has taken power from parliament, the prime minister isnt working. He is the foreign minister, the prime minister, the president, he is all the ministers. And now hes taking power from the states.

Dirir claimed Puntland was stonewalled by central government when it tried to participate in consultations. He said the region would not recognise the changes.

We are not declaring independence, but Puntland will stand alone until it is consulted.

In a sign of escalating tensions, the Somali government on Thursday ordered the closure of Ethiopias consulate in Puntland in apparent retaliation for a visit by representatives of the semi-autonomous state to Addis Ababa this week. The government also expelled the Ethiopian ambassador, citing interference in Somalias internal affairs.

Puntland, one of Somalias five federal states, was established as a separate self-governing entity in 1998, and is the countrys most powerful regional administration.

Dirir said concentrating authority in Mogadishu threatens national unity. Our government is federal, which means powers are divided, he said.

Somalias central government collapsed in 1991, plunging the country into civil war, made worse with the emergence of the jihadist group al-Shabaab in the mid-2000s. Millions of people have been displaced by fighting between militants and the army, and years of drought caused by failed rains. About 6.9 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.

Afyare A Elmi, a research professor at the City University of Mogadishu, said Puntlands withdrawal from the federal system could further imperil the viability of a unified Somali state.

If a large chunk of the country is missing in this process we are simply building a constitution for south-west Somalia.

The other federal states, Jubbaland, South West state, Hirshabelle and Galmudug have yet to comment on the amendments. Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, said: Somalias recent constitutional development is an internal matter.

The former presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Sharif Ahmed warned the changes would upset Somalias delicate power balance, while the former prime ministers Omar Sharmarke and Hassan Ali Khaire denounced the changes in an open letter also signed by the veteran MP Abdirahman Abdishakur.

Related: Somalia has 99% of $2bn debt cancelled in major boost to fragile recovery

Somalias current constitution was introduced in 2012, but was intended to be a provisional document and has long been under review. Crafting a new constitution was one of President Mohamuds key election pledges in 2022. Last month he said further delays were not an option. We are not a provisional government, but we have a provisional constitution, he added.

Afyare Elmi said the 2012 constitution was based upon a political settlement with broad input from Somalis. It had four key elements: federalism, clan power-sharing, regular elections and a spirit of inclusiveness to build consensus. What the government is doing now is moving away from this settlement, he said.

Omar Mahmoud, an east Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group, wrote that there are fundamental issues about the nature of the federal model that must be sorted out between Mogadishu and Garowe [Puntlands capital] in order for Somalias governance system to function more effectively and get over the hump of recurrent on-and-off relations.

But without the sides talking, it is impossible to get there, allowing the status quo to continue indefinitely.
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong has said it appears the gravity of the deaths of Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues was yet to be appreciated by Israel. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Australia has demanded that Israel preserve all evidence surrounding the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza and it also plans to appoint an independent adviser to scrutinise the official investigation.

The Australian government said on Friday that the information provided by Israel on its investigation into the killing of Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues hasnt yet satisfied our expectations.

The comments come after Australia received a briefing on the initial findings of Israels investigation on Friday morning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said later on Friday that it had dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the armys rules of engagement.



The findings of a retired generals investigation into the Monday killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the US, of not doing enough to protect Gazas civilians from its war with Hamas, AP reports.



The findings are likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli militarys decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict  a charge Israel denies.

Related: Penny Wong says Netanyahu trying to brush aside death of Zomi Frankcom deeply insensitive

The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said official responses to the incident suggest the gravity of the death of seven humanitarian workers is yet to be appreciated by the Israeli government.

Australia is concerned by initial advice from the [Israeli] ministry for foreign affairs that those responsible for commissioning and implementing the operation that killed Ms Frankcom and her colleagues have not been stood down while the investigation is undertaken, Wong said in a statement on Friday, prior to the IDF announcement.

Wong and the defence minister, Richard Marles, were expected to write to their Israeli counterparts to outline Australias demands for the remainder of the investigation and its push for accountability of those found to be responsible.

These demands include that all evidence is preserved. This comes after the charity WCK said it had asked the Israeli government to immediately preserve all documents, communications, video and/or audio recordings, and any other materials potentially relevant to the 1 April strikes.

Three WCK vehicles were struck by Israeli drones on Monday when they travelled along a route south of Deir al-Balah pre-approved and coordinated with the IDF.

Wong and Marles were also expected to tell their counterparts that any findings that IDF targeting policies and practices contributed to the fatal incident should trigger urgent adjustments and announced openly.

The Australian government also plans to appoint a special adviser to help scrutinise the Israeli investigation.

This person, who has yet to be named, would likely be an Australian figure with expertise in military matters and international humanitarian law.

The advisers role would be to ensure the investigation has been conducted in a manner consistent with the Australian governments expectations.

Marles said the deaths were utterly inexcusable and clear practical action is needed to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated.

The IDF has described the strikes as a grave mistake that followed a misidentification.

It said on Friday that the findings of its investigation had been presented to the ambassadors of countries whose citizens were killed.

WCK said on Thursday it had asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the US, Poland and the UK to join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks.

The charity said such an investigation should examine whether the attacks were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law.

The deputy leader of the Australian Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, called for an independent war crimes investigation into the deaths of Zomi and other aid workers, by an agency like the international criminal court.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the incident, with Joe Biden telling Benjamin Netanyahu that future US support for Israels war against Hamas in Gaza would depend on it taking concrete action to protect civilians and aid workers.

The US president also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, the White House said.

Soon after the call, Netanyahus office announced that Israel would open the Erez crossing in northern Gaza, arguing that increased aid was necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jamie McGoldrick, said the WCK deaths were not an isolated incident as at least 196 humanitarians had been killed in the OPT since October 2023.
The industrial era may long predate the early steam locomotives now found in places such as the Beamish Museum, County Durham. Photograph: Vivienne Crow/Alamy

The Industrial Revolution started more than 100 years earlier than previously thought, new research suggests, with Britons already shifting from agricultural work to manufacturing in the 1600s.

Seventeenth century Britain can be understood as the start of the Industrial Revolution, laying down the foundations for a shift from an agricultural and crafts-based society to a manufacturing-dominated economy, in which networks of home-based artisans worked with merchants, functioning similarly to factories.

The period saw a steep decline in agricultural peasantry and a surge in people who manufactured goods, such as local artisans like blacksmiths, shoemakers and wheelwrights, alongside a burgeoning network of home-based weavers producing cloth for wholesale, according to University of Cambridge research.

Textbooks typically mark the Industrial Revolution as beginning around 1760, when mills and steam engines proliferated and technologies such as the spinning jenny were created, yet according to the most detailed occupational history of a nation ever created  built from more than 160m records and spanning over three centuries  the UK was emerging as the worlds first industrial powerhouse during the reign of the Stuarts.

Related: Industrial Revolution iron method was taken from Jamaica by Briton

The University of Cambridges Economies Past website uses census data, parish registers, probate records and more to track changes to the British labour force from the Elizabethan era to the eve of the first world war.

Prof Leigh Shaw-Taylor, the economic historian who led the project, said: A hundred years has been spent studying the Industrial Revolution based on a misconception of what it entailed.

By cataloguing and mapping centuries of employment data, we can see that the story we tell ourselves about the history of Britain needs to be rewritten.

We have discovered a shift towards employment in the making of goods that suggests Britain was already industrialising over a century before the Industrial Revolution.

In fact, by the early 1800s, when William Blake was writing of dark satanic mills, many parts of Britain were even deindustrialising as manufacturing declined in favour of coal mining, the researchers discovered.

In the 19th century the service sector almost doubled in size  a boom often thought to have begun closer to the 1950s  which spurred growth that has continued for nearly 300 years. These included sales clerks, domestic staff, professionals such as lawyers and teachers, as well as a huge increase in transport workers on the canals and railways.

The question of why the industrial age dawned in Britain is a much-debated one, with coal, technology and empire all major factors, said Shaw-Taylor.

Our database shows that a groundswell of enterprise and productivity transformed the economy in the 17th century, laying the foundations for the worlds first industrial economy. Britain was already a nation of makers by the year 1700.

The website sheds light on changes in the workforce. It observes that as much of Europe languished in subsistence farming, male agricultural workers in Britain fell by over a third (64% to 42%) from 1600 to 1740. At the same time, from 1600 to 1700, the share of the male labour force involved in goods production rose by 50% to reach 42% of all men.

This means that the share of the British labour force working in manufacturing rather than agriculture was three times that of France by 1700, Shaw-Taylor calculated. The English economy of the time was more liberal, with fewer tariffs and restrictions, unlike on the continent, he noted.

Adding pre-19th century data for female workers is a major next step for the project, though the researchers estimate that labour force participation for adult women was between 60% and 80% in 1760, and went back down to 43% by 1851, only returning to mid-18th century levels in the 1980s.

The website also allows users to track rates of child labour after 1851. For example, the booming textile mills of Bradford saw huge numbers of young girls put to work, with over 70% of girls aged 13 and 14 working in 1851. Sixty years later, this figure was still over 60%.

Over 40% of girls in Bradford aged 11-12 were also working in 1851, but this had fallen to nearer 10% by 1911, by which time education had been made compulsory for young children.
Lord Cameron says Britain is recognising its responsibilities by increasing its defence budget but admits more needs to be done - Anadolu/Dursun Aydemir

The UK must boost its defence budget in response to the threat posed by Russia, Lord Cameron has said.

The Foreign Secretary said that although Britain had increased its budget in recent times faster than other Nato countries, he recognised the need for more defence spending.

Lord Cameron told the Daily Mail: Between 2020 and 2025 we will have increased the defence budget by 24 billion, the largest increase since the Cold War and we have a rising defence budget.

But as the PM, the Defence Secretary and the Chancellor have all said, we will be spending more and we recognise the need for more defence spending.

The Foreign Secretary said that he would not give a date for when the pledged 2.5 per cent target for defence will be hit, adding that these things should be decided round the Cabinet table in a collective and confidential way.

He added: But you have got a rising defence budget, you have got Britain recognising its responsibilities and a leading member of the two per cent club.

Nato allies must stump up more cash

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said earlier this week that we must give urgent thought once again to the Alliances future, as the West faces threats from Russia, China and Iran.

He wrote in The Telegraph: Alliance members must do more to pay their way. US taxpayers are not wrong to expect Nato allies to stump up more cash.

He said that the bloc must look beyond the 2 per cent Nato target, which the UK already exceeds, adding: We cant afford to play Russian roulette with our future.

Lord Camerons remarks come after he told allies at a Nato summit in Brussels that spending two per cent on defence, which 19 nations failed to do last year, was the best way to prepare for the American elections in the autumn.

The words were widely seen as a reference to a possible Donald Trump victory in the US election in November.

Whoever the new president is, if they can see Nato is strong and growing and spending at 2 per cent plus and Sweden and Finland  highly capable countries  are members, the new president will want to invest in that success and be part of that success, he said.

And ditto with Ukraine. If by the end of this year Putin has lost another few hundred thousand troops, has not gained dramatic amounts of territory, has lost even more of his Black Sea fleet and you can see Russia is buckling under the strain, then a new or re-elected president will see Ukraine is an issue worth investing in, Lord Cameron added.

NATO's 75th  a Foreign Ministers' meeting  and what needs to happen next pic.twitter.com/bvat4wu84C  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 4, 2024

Future US funding would make a huge difference

Republicans in the US are split on the issue of aid for Ukraine and there are concerns about the future of funding to Kyiv if Mr Trump were to return to the White House.

Lord Cameron is expected to fly to Washington next week in a bid to persuade Congress to unlock $60 billion of military aid, saying that it was on a knife edge at the moment.

There is a chance that could go through and that would make a huge difference.

Currently, around 2.3 per cent of GDP is spent on defence. Three former Tory defence secretaries  Sir Michael Fallon, Sir Gavin Williamson and Ben Wallace  told the Telegraph last month that they want a three per cent election manifesto pledge.
Artist Maggi Hambling photographed for her exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery in London in 2020. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

The Marlborough Gallery is to close in June, shutting locations in London, New York, Barcelona and Madrid and bringing to an end one of the most influential blue chip galleries in the world.

The decision to close after almost 80 years came after long and careful consideration, according to the board of trustees at the gallery, which was once on the bleeding edge of the global art market but in recent years had failed to keep up with the evolution of the sector and was riven by internal power struggles.

On Thursday, the board member Franz Plutschow announced the decision to sunset the business, which had once had Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Henry Moore, Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth and Paula Rego on its books.

The Marlborough was opened in 1946 by Frank Lloyd and Harry Fischer, who were later joined by David Somerset and Lloyds son Gilbert. For the first two decades of its life the gallery established a reputation for incredibly shrewd deals and timely, agenda-setting shows.

In the 1950s, well-received exhibitions of Juan Gris positioned the Marlborough as an exciting new space in London, while its relationship with Francis Bacon and its decision to open an outpost in New York in 1963 made it one of the first mega galleries.

The Guardian described Lloyd and Fischer as two partners [who] supply the eyes and ears of the business at home, while Lord Somerset was called a sort of eminence grise continually roving the continent.

It was on one of those tours that the gallery secured the kind of astounding deal it was initially known for. In 1960, the Marlborough bought part of the collection of the Norwegian shipping magnate Ragnar Moltzau, before selling on the pieces  including Cezannes Quarry at Bibemus  for huge profit.

But by the 1970s the gallerys reputation began to suffer after a scandal involving Mark Rothkos estate, which had sold paintings to the gallery for under market value; leading to a legal case and Lloyd being found to have tampered with evidence.

More recently there had been a protracted power struggle at the top of the organisation after Gilbert Lloyd allegedly pushed out Lloyds nephew Pierre Levai, who had served as chair.

That led to a lawsuit brought by Levais son Max that eventually revealed the gallery, which owns an estimated 15,000 works that are thought to be valued at about $250m, reportedly lost $18.7m between 2013 and 2019.

A spokesperson for the gallery told the Art Newspaper that the family issues were resolved and had nothing to do with this decision to wind down the business.

In 2022, three directors left and were followed by Rego who departed for the Victoria Miro gallery in the same year. In the last few years the gallerys turnover dropped sharply, although it or its parent company reportedly still owns the properties in London, New York, and Madrid, plus warehouses in Spain and New York which it plans to sell.
Nigel Farage with fellow Eurosceptics Arron Banks and Richard Tice

Nigel Farage has criticised Rishi Sunak for hinting he could take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights if it blocks his Rwanda migrant deportation flights, saying he doesnt believe a single word of it.

The Prime Minister said earlier this week that controlling immigration is more important than membership of a foreign court.

The comment was seen as Mr Sunaks strongest hint yet that he could back leaving the ECHR, in the face of pressure from Tory MPs to leave the convention.

But Mr Farage told GB News that he was absolutely certain as soon as I heard about this, that what he [Mr Sunak] was doing was telling an audience what they wanted to hear, that he didnt mean it one little bit.

Mr Sunak told The Suns Never Mind the Ballots show on Wednesday: I believe that our scheme, including the Rwanda part of it, all our plans to tackle illegal migration, are compliant with all of our international obligations, including the ECHR.

But I do believe that border security and making sure that we can control illegal migration is more important than membership of a foreign court because its fundamental to our sovereignty as a country.

Rishi Sunak on Border Agency cutter HMC Seeker in the Channel - WPA Pool/Getty

Earlier this year, the ECHRs most senior judge suggested that the Rwanda plan could fall foul of the convention.

Many Tory MPs from the Right of the party want to see Britain come out of the ECHR to allow an independent immigration policy.

Responding to the Prime Ministers latest comments, Mr Farage, who is the honorary president of Reform UK, said: Is he saying he just wants to look at it, or is he saying he really intends to do something?

Hes saying if it came to it, and the ECHR was the block on the Rwanda scheme, we would consider leaving, yes.

So, we would consider leaving. Not - we will leave. Not - we will give the British people a referendum.

He added: I dont believe a single word of it. I havent believed a single word Sunak or any of his predecessors have said on stopping illegal immigration.

Mr Sunak said that there would be a clear choice on the issue at the election, adding: Ive got a plan that Im working towards, and the alternative is  I know you had Keir Starmer on here the other day  I have not seen an alternative to our plan.

The Government has said that flights to Rwanda will take off in the spring.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says Australia does not accept that the Israeli drone strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers can be lessened or diminished in any way. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, has rebuked Benjamin Netanyahu for trying to brush aside the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues in an Israeli missile attack in Gaza, labelling his remark that these things happen in war as deeply insensitive.

Wongs direct personal condemnation of Netanyahu comes as the Israeli military reveals it has completed its investigation into the incident and briefed ambassadors from the countries whose citizens died in the attack.

Related: Albanese demands full accountability for Zomi Frankcoms death as IDF calls strike a misidentification

I find that statement  frankly, for the family in particular, a pretty insensitive  deeply insensitive  thing to say, Wong said of the Israeli prime ministers initial response.

And what Id say as the Australian foreign minister is we do not accept that explanation. We do not accept any suggestion that this is just something that can be brushed aside as just something that happens in war.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also stepped up his criticism on Thursday, calling Netanyahus initial explanation not good enough.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the incident, with Joe Biden telling Netanyahu in a phone call that future US support for the war in Gaza will depend on it taking concrete action to protect civilians and aid workers.

Three vehicles, marked as belonging to the charity World Central Kitchen, were struck by Israeli drones on Monday when they travelled along a route south of Deir al-Balah pre-approved and coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces.

In an interview with Guardian Australias Australian Politics podcast to be released on Saturday, Wong suggested the remarks amounted to an attempt to justify an action that was outside the rules of war. The podcast was recorded on Thursday.

Even in war, there are rules and they include the principles of distinction between a military target and a civilian target, Wong said.

She also condemned the suggestion from an Israeli government spokesperson that darkness and confusion were also reasons for what Israel has called a grave mistake.

We do not accept that these events  this attack on an aid convoy  can be dismissed or lessened or diminished in any way at all, Wong said.

The foreign minister said both Israeli commanders and individual military personnel in the field had obligations under international and humanitarian law.

Wong emphasised that this was not the first Israeli attack on aid convoys, citing UN figures that 196 aid workers had been killed prior to the WCK incident.

Wong did not specifically endorse the Frankcom familys calls for a war crimes investigation, but also did not rule it out. She would not be drawn on possible future sanctions against Israel, but said consequences would be considered once the full facts were known.

I think accountability means we find out what happened and that whatever steps are necessary as a consequence are taken, Wong said.

The IDF said the findings of its investigation had been presented to the ambassadors of countries whose citizens were killed, and would be released to the public within 24 hours.

Guardian Australia understands Australia has been briefed on Israels investigation into the killing of WCK workers, but is still awaiting a full and transparent report.

The Australian government plans to engage with other affected countries to ensure they could all have confidence in the process and its outcomes.

Col Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesperson, told ABC Radio National on Friday that the IDF liaison officer who had worked closely with WCK was devastated from this because he was part of that coordination process.

Pressed to justify the claim that the investigation was independent, Lerner said this was because it was carried out by former military professionals who were independent of the chain of command.

They are not under the control of the IDF  they are not dependent on promotion or anything like that, they are completely independent of the system, Lerner said.

Asked whether individual members of the IDF would be named and have action taken against them if they were found to be responsible for the attack, Lerner said: I dont know the outcome but if that is the situation I would expect nothing less.

Lerner echoed Netanyahus initial remarks. The nature of warfare is that it is always full of tragedies, Lerner said. Since the dawn of war, civilians have been caught up in warfare. We have to be better than that, we have to do better.

Lerner pushed back at a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz earlier this week that there was poor discipline among IDF field commanders.

Related: Food charity demands independent inquiry into Israeli killing of aid staff

The newspaper quoted an Israeli intelligence source as saying that in Gaza everyone does as he pleases and interprets the rules of engagement individually.

Lerner said generally that we would expect that the rules are upheld to the highest standards.

If there is a breach of them, then they need to be dealt with by disciplinary and command level capabilities and perhaps even criminal [charges] if theres been a very dire mistake, Lerner said.

As a very broad observation I dont accept Haaretzs report, but it doesnt mean that there cant be mistakes or individual initiatives.
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that three forces are averaging more than 20 hours before officers arrive at the scene of a burglary - BRIAN A JACKSON/ISTOCKPHOTO

Police forces in some areas are taking up to 28 hours to attend burglaries, official figures show.

Data obtained through Freedom of Information requests reveal that three forces are averaging more than 20 hours before officers arrive at the scene of a burglary.

The longest waits by victims are in Northamptonshire, where the average burglary response time is 28 hours, followed by Durham at 25 hours and 46 minutes, and Devon and Cornwall at 22 hours and 11 minutes, according to the data obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

By contrast, the highest-performing force, Bedfordshire, attended burglaries within 15 minutes. Overall the 26 police forces that provided figures averaged nine hours and eight minutes before officers arrived at the scene of a burglary in 2022-23, double the time in 2020-21 when the average was four hours and 53 minutes.

The longer waits follow a pledge in October 2022 by all 43 police force chiefs to attend every domestic burglary regardless of the location and what had been stolen.

However, The Telegraph revealed last month how police have failed to solve a single burglary in nearly half (48 per cent) of all England and Wales neighbourhoods  areas covering between 1,000 and 3,000 people  in the past three years.

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: When someone has been the victim of a burglary, they deserve a swift response from the police. Yet thanks to the Conservatives, this is increasingly out of reach.

The fact that traumatised burglary victims are being left waiting for hours, wondering if the police will even arrive, is unacceptable. To think that crucial evidence may be lost in the process too is unforgivable.

The British public deserves so much better than this. Its time to finally restore proper community policing, so people can be confident that if they do fall victim to crime, the police will turn up and investigate properly.

Burglaries are often considered as Grade 2 priority incidents, which most police forces aim to respond to within one hour. The College of Policing defines these as incidents where a witness or other evidence is likely to be lost, and a degree of urgency is still associated with immediate police action.

Eleven forces saw their burglary response times more than double between 2020-21 and 2022-23. South Yorkshire experienced the largest deterioration in waiting times, which increased by 443 per cent - up from 2 hours and 21 minutes in 2020-21, to 12 hours and 47 minutes in 2022-23.

Seven forces had response times for burglary of between 10 and 20 hours including Staffordshire (17 hours four minutes), the Metropolitan Police (16 hrs 49 minutes), Greater Manchester (15 hours 56 minutes), Cambridgeshire (15 hours nine minutes), Gloucestershire (14 hours 26 minutes), South Yorkshire (12 hours 47 minutes) and West Yorkshire (12 hours two minutes).

Must assess the threat

Dept Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith is National Police Chiefs Council lead for burglary. He said the pledge to attend every residential burglary was one important step in seeking to improve detection rates and bringing more offenders to justice. He said new police guidance aimed to provide a comprehensive toolkit to prevent as well as detect burglaries.

Not every burglary report is the same and like every effective emergency service, police control rooms across England and Wales must assess the threat, harm and risk associated with every call they receive to ensure attendance is effectively prioritised, he said.

The focus of initial attendance at residential burglaries is about capturing best evidence and supporting victims of crime.
Various women's groups protesting as the new Hate Crime Bill comes into force across Scotland - JAMES CHAPELARD

Police Scotlands sub-standard training for their officers on Humza Yousafs new hate crime laws flip-flops over the threshold required for someone to be charged, it has been alleged.

Some parts of the two-hour online course for officers, seen by the Telegraph, correctly inform them that someone commits an offence if they behave in a threatening or abusive manner.

But another part wrongly changes the legislations wording to threatening and abusive, a higher standard as any offensive comment would have to meet both criteria rather than just one.

For Women Scotland (FWS), a womens rights campaign group said the flip-flopping on this basic point...only exacerbates our concerns over clarity and shows the impossibility for police officers to be able to enforce the law.

The disclosure comes after Siobhian Brown, the SNPs community safety minister, was criticised this week for getting key details wrong about the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, which came into effect on Monday.

In media interviews, Ms Brown also incorrectly stated the threshold for criminality was threatening and abusive and introduced a new test, that the comments had to cause fear and alarm. However, there is no reference to the latter phrase in the legislation.

Victims and Community Safety Minister, Siobhian Brown - KEN JACK/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Humza Yousaf oversaw the passage of the hate crime law at Holyrood in 2021 when he was justice secretary in Nicola Sturgeons government. However, it did not come into force until Monday, as Police Scotland said it needed time for training.

It creates a criminal offence of stirring up of hatred, expanding on a similar offence based on racist abuse that has been on the statute book for decades.

The legislation extends this to other grounds based on age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

Concerns have been expressed that the legislations definition of a hate crime is too ambiguous, and the force has been inundated with thousands of complaints since Monday.

The Scottish Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, has criticised the level of training for its members and warned the legislation was confusing and fraught with difficulty to enforce.

Humza Yousaf oversaw the passage of the hate crime law at Holyrood in 2021 - LESLEY MARTIN/PA

Trina Budge, the FWS director, said: Having only yesterday called on the minister responsible for this shambles of a law to stop misrepresenting its basic terms, it is hardly surprising to find the police training materials equally confusing and inadequate.

Inevitably, it will lead to crimes not being investigated properly or, worse, people being charged unjustly. If neither the Scottish government nor Police Scotland has been able to understand this law in the three years since it was passed, what hope has the general public?

She added: Its very worrying, and surely its disintegration into an utter pile of incomprehensible and unenforceable nonsense in just a few days seals its fate.

The training materials covering Section 4 (1) of the new legislation correctly tell officers that it includes the terms threatening, abusive or insulting.

However, the same slide for Section 4 (2) said this is different as it only includes the words threatening and abusive, rather than the correct test of threatening or abusive. Other parts of the training refer to threatening and/or abusive material.

Police Scotland was approached for comment.
LG Electronics said Friday its operating profit for the first quarter of this year fell more than 10 percent from a year earlier due to rising costs and intensifying competition.

Its first-quarter operating profit came to 1.33 trillion won ($984.9 million), down 11 percent from 1.5 trillion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Sales increased 3.3 percent on-year to 21.09 trillion won, marking the highest for any first-quarter results. The company did not provide the data for net income.

The operating profit was in line with the average estimate, according to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.

LG Electronics said the first-quarter operating profit fell due to increased market competition, but it exceeded 1 trillion won for the fifth consecutive year since the first quarter of 2020.

Korea's home appliance giant said it has introduced new business methods, such as subscriptions, and expanded its business-to-business models, regarded as one of its key future growth drivers, to overcome uncertainties, such as the delayed recovery in market demand.

The company said it has benefited from diversifying its home appliance product lineups to strengthen its overall sales, while its premium OLED TVs have also contributed to the strong sales for the January-March period.

LG Electronics will release its final first-quarter earnings report later this month, with detailed numbers for each business. (Yonhap)
Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks at an event at Union Station on 30 March 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

A spokesperson for the independent US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr said a passage in a fundraising email that called January 6 prisoners activists  stripped of their constitutional liberties was the result of an error by an outside contractor.

That statement was an error that does not reflect Mr Kennedys views, the spokesperson, Stefanie Spear, told NBC News, which first reported the fundraising email. It was inserted by a new marketing contractor and slipped through the normal approval process.

Related: Robert F Kennedy Jr claims he qualifies for ballot in swing state North Carolina

The email, sent by Team Kennedy, asked for help  call[ing] out the illiberal actions of our very own government.

It also said: This is the reality that every American citizen faces  from Ed Snowden to Julian Assange to the J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their constitutional liberties.

Snowden, who leaked information about National Security Agency surveillance to outlets including the Guardian, has lived in Russia for 10 years. Assange founded WikiLeaks, which leaked US national security information, also to outlets including the Guardian. Jailed in the UK since April 2019, he is fighting extradition to the US.

On 6 January 2021, Congress was attacked by a mob Donald Trump told to fight like hell to block certification of his election defeat by Joe Biden, in support of Trumps electoral fraud lie. Nine deaths are now linked to the riot, including law enforcement suicides. More than 1,300 arrests have been made and nearly a thousand convictions secured, some for seditious conspiracy.

Trump was impeached for inciting an insurrection, but acquitted when enough Senate Republicans stayed loyal. As the presumptive GOP nominee for president this year, he has called January 6 prisoners hostages and unbelievable patriots and featured at rallies a rendition of the national anthem by some held in a Washington jail.

Trump has said that if re-elected, he will free the January 6 hostages being wrongfully imprisoned.

An attorney by training, Kennedy, 70, is the son of a US attorney general, Robert F Kennedy, and nephew of a former president, John F Kennedy. Though his independent campaign is unlikely to win the White House, he has polled strongly. If elected, he has said, he will pardon Snowden and Assange and look at individual cases regarding January 6.

Kennedy has also said Biden presents a much worse threat to democracy than Trump, because of supposed suppression of free speech regarding the coronavirus pandemic  a comment Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic and Covid conspiracy theorist, then claimed was deceptively edited.

On Thursday, reporting the Team Kennedy email that called January 6 prisoners activists, NBC detailed how just 15 such Trump supporters are being held without having been convicted.

Most of them are credibly accused of violence against law enforcement officials, NBC said.

Examples included two prisoners who have killed people, one charged with setting off an explosive in a tunnel full of police officers during the Capitol attack and one charged with conspiring to kill the FBI employees who worked on his case, a plot that allegedly unfolded after his initial pretrial release.
Heres a guide on some VCTs you should keep on your radar and three last minute funds for your ISA. < (ACORN 1)

It only hours to go before the end of the tax year, many investors will be scrambling to make sure they are not missing out on any tax relief like ISA allowances or venture capital relief.

Many of these allowances are use it or lose it  which means you cant carry over unused allowances into future years. So, to help investors navigate that last minute rush, heres a guide on some venture capital trusts (VCTs) you should keep on your radar and three last minute funds for your ISA.

Three last minute funds for your ISA

Jonathan Moyes, head of investment strategy at Wealth Club shares his views on three funds he is holding in the Wealth Club Portfolio Service.

Comgest Growth Europe Ex UK

Growth Europe Ex UK fund ranks 36th largest in its Investment Association sector, so it wont be a well know name with most investors. But for Moyes, thats exactly what makes it attractive.

A hidden gem investing in high quality European businesses, the Paris based Comgest has been running the same quality growth investment philosophy since 1985. During that time, it has built a long term track record within its flagship European mandates.

The firm has around 30bn under management and an investment team of 49 investment professionals. Over 90% of staff have equity in the business, helping it to retain its best staff and plan for the long term.

Over the five years to March 2024, Comgest Growth Europe ex UK returned 90.3% versus the peer group average of 59.7%.

Twentyfour Monument Bond Fund

An alternative to run of the mill fixed income funds offering an attractive yield, the Twentyfour Monument Bond Fund invests in investment grade asset backed securities (ABS) and is managed by the specialist ABS team at Twentyfour Asset Management.

Read more: Trending tickers: AMD, Shell, AstraZeneca, HubSpot

It primarily invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (52.1%) and collateralised loan obligations (31.0%). Over half (52%) of the portfolio is held in AAA rated issues or cash, a further 21% is held in AA rated issues.

Despite the underlying quality of these assets, with historically low levels of capital losses and defaults, the market still appears to be affected by recent stresses in the banking sector (Silicon Valley Bank/Credit Suisse) and the forced redemptions from pension funds in the wake of the Truss mini-budget. The result, according to Moyes, is an unusually high yield compared to conventional investment grade bonds.

The fund should therefore offer investors an attractive yield (7.0% as at 29 February 2024), is sensibly priced (0.38% OCF), and comes with a specialist ABS team which is essential in this market.

T. Rowe Price US Smaller Companies Equity

A US small companies fund that helps you invest beyond the magnificent seven, T. Rowe Price US Smaller Companies Equity boasts a pool of smaller, but no less dynamic, companies.

Its largest holding, Teledyne Technology would place it within the top half of the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) with its $20bn (15.83bn) market cap.

The fund provides exposure to small and mid-sized companies in the US, covering many that are missed by a simple S&P 500 index tracker. T Rowe Price manages just under $100bn in the space, and the funds are supported by one of the largest analyst teams in the world.

T. Rowes US mandate  US Small Cap Core  a similar mandate to the one available in the UK, hasnt underperformed the Russell 2000 over a rolling 10-year period since 1995.

Over five years to March 2024, the T Rowe Price US Smaller Companies Equity fund (C Acc) has returned 85.7% in sterling versus 52.3% for the Russell 2000 index.

Three VCTs to keep your eye on

Wealth Club alone saw 1.7m of VCT investments in the last three days of the tax year in 2023 and this time shouldnt be any different. Here are three to consider, according to Nicholas Hyett, investment manager at Wealth Club.

Maven VCTs

Venture capital investing is risky, and Maven actively looks to manage that risk. It does that through investments in more mature companies operating in defensive or counter-cyclical sectors, as well as deal structuring and portfolio diversification. The VCTs have an average of more than 100 underlying holdings.

Molten Ventures VCT

Managed by one of Europes most established venture capital firms, the VCT usually invests alongside parent Molten Ventures Plc. That pedigree has given the VCT access to some of Europe fastest growing businesses, notably Thought Machine which was valued at more than $1bn at its last investment round.

Pembroke VCT

Pembrokes portfolio includes a mixture of tech and business services, but it has particular expertise in consumer exposed businesses. Its largest holding, LYMA recently saw its medical-grade beauty laser voted one of the best inventions of 2023.

Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: European stocks head lower as oil prices push to highest since October

Hyett said: The tax year end always leads to a bit of a last minute rush as investors look to make the most of tax reliefs with annual allowances  things like ISAs, Pensions and Venture Capital Relief. Many of these allowances are use it or lose it  which means you cant carry over unused allowances into future years (or the carry over is limited).

Watch: Chancellor confirms new British ISA to boost investment in the City

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Donald Trump arrives at 40 Wall Street after a court in his hush-money case in New York City last month. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump faced mounting trouble this week in his legal universe, with judges overseeing two of Trumps legal cases refusing to accept his attempts to delay and toss the prosecution  and the former president doubling down on efforts to discredit his opponents.

Related: Judge rejects Trump attempt to toss classified documents case with caveats

The judge overseeing Trumps criminal trial in New York expanded a gag order on Monday, which had originally banned Donald Trump from making public statements about court staff, trial witnesses or the families of any counsel or staff member on the case. The narrower gag order did not prohibit Trump from making statements about family members of the judge, and after Judge Juan Merchan issued it, the former president took to social media to attack the judges daughter.

His Daughter, wrote Trump on the social media platform Truth Social, is a Rabid Trump Hater, identifying her by name.

The new gag order would now prevent him from making statements like that  but Trumps abusive commentary about her, and others involved with his trial has probably already prompted threats and harassment.

In a court filing revealed on Tuesday, Trump also motioned for Merchan to recuse himself from the case, alleging his daughters consulting work for Democratic clients was a conflict of interest.

It can no longer be ignored that Authentics commercial interests are benefited by developments in this case, wrote Trumps lawyers in the filing.

This is the second time Trump has attempted to oust the judge over his daughters work; last year, an ethics panel reviewed a similar argument by Trumps legal team but found Merchans daughter and her firm did not pose a conflict of interest.

Merchan denied on 3 April Trumps last-minute attempt to delay the trial until the supreme court rules on presidential immunity claims that arising out of a separate case.

The trial  over Trumps efforts to suppress a sex scandal ahead of the 2016 election by allegedly falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments to the former stripper and adult film star Stormy Daniels  is set to begin on 15 April. It will be the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president.

Meanwhile, the US district judge Aileen Cannon rejected Trumps attempt to throw out the case alleging he mishandled and illegally retained classified documents. Trump had argued he was entitled to retain the documents under the Presidential Records Act; Cannon rejected his bid to toss the case on grounds the charges make no reference to the Presidential Records Act, nor do they rely on that statute for purposes of stating an offense, she wrote.

Her finding nonetheless leaves open the possibility for Trump to use the theory that he had legitimately retained the documents under the Presidential Records Act, setting her on a collision course with the Department of Justices special counsel Jack Smith, who has called the Presidential Records Act theory a fundamentally flawed legal premise and said he would appeal to a higher court if the judge recognizes the theory.

Cannon has slow-walked the case over Trumps alleged illegal retention of classified documents, which FBI agents uncovered at Mar-a-Lago in August 2022. Prosecutors hoped to begin the trial in July, but Cannon has not yet set a trial date, allowing Trump to postpone filing pre-trial motions required for it to commence.

Thats a win for Trump, who has sought to delay his numerous prosecutions ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
A yellow weather warning is in place until Saturday night - GEORGE CRACKNELL WRIGHT

Britain will be split in two this weekend with the west coast bracing for 70mph winds while other parts of the country could see the hottest day of the year.

Storm Kathleen will hit the UK with gusts of 50mph expected across Cornwall, much of Wales and the north west of the country with some coastal areas experiencing wind speeds of 60-70mph.

A yellow weather warning is in place from 8am until 10pm on Saturday.

But East Anglia and the south east of England could see temperatures as high as 22C, the hottest day of the year so far.

The previous highest temperature was 19.9C, recorded at the end of January at Achfary in north-west Scotland.

In stark contrast, torrential downpours and snow on Saturday are forecast in Scotland and the north east of England, according to the Met Office.

Wind speeds of 60-70mph may sweep across some areas - George Cracknell Wright

Alex Burkill, a Met Office meteorologist, said: This would be the first time we have seen 20C this year.

It is worth noting that across parts of the south-east actually were not going to see a huge amount of rain on Saturday and were going to drag in some very warm air.

He added: There will be some wet weather around, could be quite heavy at times, but there are also some signs of something a little bit drier coming up later on.

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: Away from that warning area on Saturday, we could get up to 22C in isolated spots of East Anglia, which would make it the hottest day of the year so far in that area.

One of the residual effects from Storm Kathleen is helping to draw up that warmer air as well.

Its not unusual for these storm systems to bring warmer air with them.

The highest temperature of the year so far was 19.9C, recorded at the end of January at Achfary in north-west Scotland.

The 11th named storm is expected to batter the west of England, Scotland and Ireland on Saturday, with large waves expected in coastal areas.

It is then expected to move to other parts of the country.

The Met Office also warned that heavy rain could cause travel disruption and flooding.

The Environment Agency has 11 flood warnings in place where flooding is expected, and there are 130 alerts for possible flooding.

The Met Office has warned of power cuts and loss of mobile phone coverage in some areas - George Cracknell Wright

Rod Dennis, an RAC spokesperson, said: This intense period of stormy weather is going to prove extremely challenging for anyone driving on the western side of the UK.

We strongly urge drivers to avoid exposed coasts and higher routes where the impact of the very strong winds is most likely to be felt.

The Met Office said in an update on Friday: Stronger gusts are now expected across some parts of the warning area, with likelihood also increased.

It warned of injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties, adding road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible.

There could also be power cuts and mobile phone coverage could be affected.

Greg Dewhurst, another Met Office meteorologist, said: Winds pick up further through Friday evening, overnight into Saturday, where as we start Saturday morning well see widely across the country gusts of 30-40mph.

In western parts of the UK, inland, we could see gusts of 40 to 50mph and then around the western coast of the UK we could see gusts of 60-70mph.

Mr Dixon added: The outlook for Sunday for much of the UK is for showery conditions to continue particularly in northern and western areas again.

It will generally feel a touch drier the further south-east you go through the day on Sunday as Kathleen gradually moves away northwards.

He added that the start of next week would see unsettled weather conditions with rain continuing for many.
Stephanie Cosme in an undated photo. Photograph: Legacy.com

A US air force civilian contractor had become disoriented recording data at an airport in California last year when she walked into a jets rotating propeller and was killed, officials said Friday.

In a statement outlining the findings of a report into the contractors death, the air force materiel command said that 32-year-old Stephanie Cosme was mortally injured on 7 September when she inadvertently walked into the rotating propeller of an MQ-9A that was parked at Gray Butte airfield.

Related: US military names five marines killed in California helicopter crash

The report described the MQ-9A as an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily against dynamic execution targets and secondarily as an intelligence collection asset.

At the time she was killed, Cosme was employed by Sumaria Systems and was providing test support services for the air forces Life Cycle Management center, one of six centers reporting to the air force materiel command.

In its findings, the air force materiel command accident investigation board said it found two causes for the incident.

First, the board said, the test engineer was incorrectly instructed or trained on how to take telemetry readings when approaching the MQ-9A while the engine was running. Second, she lost situational awareness while walking around the mishap aircraft taking telemetry readings with a hand-held measurement device.

The report said that Cosme was looking down at the testing device the whole time, and appeared to be pressing buttons, possibly to keep the backlight on. It added that someone began walking towards Cosme, shouting and waving his arms in an attempt to get [her] attention.

Others began shouting and waving to get [Cosmes] attention as well, the report said. It added: Without looking up to determine her position relative to the aircraft, [Cosme] proceeded to walk directly into the propeller  sustaining fatal injuries.

In its statement, the air force materiel command revealed two factors that substantially contributed to Cosmes death, including a clear lack of communication among the contractor test team and ground support personnel, as well as rushed tests that were conducted on that day due to previous delays and cancellations.

It also said the investigation board conducted a simulation recreating Cosmes deadly mishap, and that the spinning propeller was not visible when looking at the rear of the aircraft from where she approached.

Cosmes survivors include her parents, two siblings, a fiance and a stepdaughter.

Her Legacy.com obituary says family was the center of Stephanies world.

She was known for her passion for crafting, baking, aviation and all things strange and unusual, the obituary said. Whether she was planning a party or working on an art project, she approached everything she did with dedication and enthusiasm, leaving a lasting impact on those she encountered.
Legally Blonde will return to screens as a spin-off TV series inspired by the film, it has been announced.

Reese Witherspoon, who starred as pink-obsessed sorority girl Elle Woods in the original 2001 film, is revisiting the story as her production company Hello Sunshine confirmed it was behind the TV remake.

While the plot remains under wraps, it is being written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who created TV series Gossip Girl starring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley and Ed Westwick.

The duo also created teen drama The OC, starring Mischa Barton, Adam Brody and Olivia Wilde.

Were bringing #LegallyBlonde back to your screens in a spin-off TV series inspired by the film, production company Hello Sunshine posted on Instagram.

Currently in development with Amazon MGM Studios, the project has tapped Gossip Girl and The OC vets Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to write.

Stay tuned for more details as we have them.

Legally Blonde, starring Witherspoon, Matthew Davis, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Coolidge and Selma Blair, became a pop culture classic after its 2001 release.

In the film, sorority girl Elle (Witherspoon) attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Davis) by studying at Harvard Law School, in the process overcoming stereotypes and triumphs as a successful lawyer.

The majority of the cast returned for the 2003 sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, where postgraduate Elle travels to Washington DC with the intention of persuading politicians to ban animal testing.

The second film ended with Elle setting her sights on the White House.

In 2020, Witherspoon confirmed a third Legally Blonde film was in the works, with The Office star Mindy Kaling and Brooklyn Nine-Nine creator Dan Goor set to co-write the script, after she initially announced the sequel in 2018.

A Legally Blonde musical based on the hit film opened in 2007 in San Francisco before transferring to Broadway at the Palace Theatre, while a West End production of the show opened in 2010 at the Savoy Theatre, closing in 2012.
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced they have filed for divorce after two decades together.

The actors, who married in 2010 and share three children together, announced the joint separation in a social media post.

Sharing a picture of the pair wearing tennis outfits, the statement said: After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher in 2016 (Ian West/PA)

In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage.

We have always prioritised our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change.

We forever share in our devotion and love for our children.

British star Baron Cohen, famed for his Borat and Ali G films, met Confessions Of A Shopaholic actress Fisher in 2001 and the pair got engaged in 2004.

The announcement comes in the week allegations were made against Baron Cohen in a memoir from Australian actress Rebel Wilson, which a representative for the star described as demonstrably false.
Netflix drama Scoop has been likened to political sitcom The Thick Of It by critics who have commended its inescapably absurd scenes and flashes of black comic horror.

The Holiday actor Rufus Sewell stars as the Duke of York while Gillian Anderson portrays Emily Maitlis in the film, which delves into the story behind the infamous Newsnight interview about Andrews friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Daily Telegraph film critic Tim Robey awarded it five stars out of five, hailing the layers of drama which he feels sets it apart from previous royal dramas like The Queen and The Crown.

Sam McAlister and Billie Piper attend the world premiere of Scoop (Ian West/PA)

Robey said: Its no laughing matter, obviously, but aspects of the whole saga are still inescapably absurd, and maximally milked in a borderline-The-Thick-of-It fashion without going overboard.

The director, Philip Martin, plays everything right to the cusp  where you clamp hand to mouth, aghast at remembering that this train wreck actually happened, and irresistibly compelled to relive it.

The film, also starring Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes, has received mixed reviews and while BBC critic Nicholas Barber praised the acting, The Guardians Peter Bradshaw described the performances as laborious.

Bradshaw offered the film two stars out of five, describing it as laboriously acted and distinctly self-admiring, self-mythologising drama about the media, the royals and the media royals.

The critic said there was one spark in the moment Andrew is shown humiliating a female staff member for mishandling his collection of soft toys.

Its a flash of black-comic horror and Sewell has something to get his teeth into as an actor, he said.

Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis in the Netflix drama about her explosive interview with the Duke of York (Peter Mountain/Netflix)

Otherwise, the drama is smothered by its own overwhelming sense of importance.

Barber said the film lacked a bit of boldness, irreverence, imagination and depth.

Its a brisk, well-acted and solidly built newsroom drama, but there is plenty of scope for the Amazon series (A Very Royal Scandal) to be better, he said.

Among those hailing Pipers performance as Sam McAlister, the Newsnight producer who sealed the interview, was The Independents Clarisse Loughrey who said the actress offered an excellent performance.

Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter film critic Leslie Felperin said: Scoop feels more like another example of Netflix feasting on the British royal familys dirty laundry now that The Crown has gone as far into the present as it can go (or dares to go).

Following the Newsnight broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrews friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life.

Gillian Anderson attends the world premiere of Scoop (Ian West/PA)

The interview was dubbed a car crash, with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with the sex offender Epstein.

Maitlis has already served as an executive producer of a Channel 4 documentary about the interview.

Another drama about the interview, an Amazon series called A Very Royal Scandal starring Michael Sheen as Andrew and Ruth Wilson as Maitlis, is also in the works.

Scoop will air on Netflix on Friday April 5.
The Metropolitan Police is assessing reports of a parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam, as a Conservative MP said he was blackmailed into sharing his colleagues phone numbers for fear of intimate images of him being leaked.

Conservative MP William Wragg said on Thursday he was manipulated into giving the personal phone numbers of colleagues to a man he met on a gay dating app.

The MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester told the Times he was scared because the man had compromising information on him.

On Friday, Scotland Yard confirmed it was in contact with Leicestershire Police and Parliamentary Security following reporting of unsolicited messages to members of Parliament, amid concerns other MPs and their staff could be victims of blackmail.

We will assess any reports made to us accordingly, the Met added.

Mr Wragg said he was sorry for his weakness, which has caused hurt for other people.

He said: They had compromising things on me. They wouldnt leave me alone. They would ask for people.

I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. Hes manipulated me and now Ive hurt other people.

I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didnt.

Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesnt work now.

Ive hurt people by being weak. I was scared. Im mortified.

Im so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.

Earlier this week it was disclosed that a number of politicians had been contacted by a person who would allege that they had previously met.

Politico reported that these political figures had received the unsolicited messages from two numbers calling themselves Abi or Charlie.

The messages would include details of the MPs career and campaigns they had worked on.

The honeytrap sexting scam has been described as spear phishing, a type of cyber attack that targets specific groups.

Spear phishing involves scammers pretending to be trusted senders in order to steal personal or sensitive information.

The honeytrap sexting scam has been described as spear phishing, a type of cyber attack that targets specific groups (PA)

Leicestershire Police has confirmed it is investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.

A spokesperson for the force said: They were reported to police on Tuesday March 19. Inquiries are currently ongoing.

Andrew Bridgen, the Independent MP for North West Leicestershire, told the PA news agency he was not responsible for the report.

I am baffled by anyone who thinks that it is a good idea to send pictures of your genitalia to people you barely know, he added.

Mr Wragg received support from senior Government figures following his claim, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt describing his apology as courageous and fulsome.

Mr Hunt told broadcasters the emerging scandal was a great cause for concern, adding: But the lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cybersecurity, and indeed it is the lesson for members of the public as well, because this is something that we are all having to face in our daily lives.

Labour former minister Ben Bradshaw was also sympathetic to Mr Wraggs situation, also telling the BBC: I think it is the responsibility of all of us to be careful and cautious and act with common sense and responsibility when we are getting these unsolicited messages.
A trainee anaesthetist who stole drugs from the NHS hospital he worked at to inject his girlfriend with during sex has been jailed for two years and one month.

Jonathon Dean, who worked at Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London, wrote to the woman: Could have done anything to you  fine line between you not breathing and being unconscious.

The 32-year-old continued: Good thing Im a decent anaesthetist. Would f*** you senseless.

Doctor Jonathon Dean, 32, of Poplar, east London, is pictured at an earlier hearing (Joe Giddens/ PA)

Judge Philip Grey read some of Deans messages toc as he sentenced him on Friday.

He told Dean: You stole anaesthetic drugs to get your sexual kicks. That was entirely clear from your messages at the time.

He said the offending was about wanting chemically enhanced sex and being in a position of dominance and power.

The judge described Dean, of Poplar, east London, as looking forward to playing God with those drugs.

He said that the offending struck at the heart of the trust thats placed in the medical profession.

Duncan ODonnell, prosecuting, said that Dean had formed a consensual sexual relationship with a young woman  I dont see it necessary to name her in open court.

Deans defence barrister said that he had apologised unreservedly in a letter to the judge, some of which was read out in court (Joe Giddens/PA)

That relationship involved high risk sexual intercourse using painkillers and other items, Mr ODonnell said.

The case begins with the events of December 14, 2018 when the defendant drove to Cambridge from his home address in Epping (in Essex).

He took with him an assortment of drugs commonly used in anaesthesia including morphine.

These are drugs to which he had access to at his job at Whipps Cross.

He took the drugs so he could inject them into the young woman as part of an agreed activity.

It seems concerns were raised within days to the medical director of Whipps Cross Hospital as the young woman had presented herself to another hospital.

The barrister said that, in messages seen by police, Dean had written could have done anything to you, and could put a canula on you and do whatever I want.

Dean admitted at an earlier hearing to nine counts of the theft of drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital.

Five of the counts, concerning the theft of the drugs cyclizine, ondansetron, propofol, midazolam and morphine, were said to have happened on or before December 14, 2018.

Three of the counts, involving cyclizine, ondansetron and morphine, were said to have happened on or before January 28, 2019.

The ninth count of theft, of propofol, was said to have happened between January 21 and March 21 2023, and the judge said he accepted this was for self-medication.

He said that Dean had been placed on administrative duties following an investigation, but he was still able to use his swipe card in 2023  which was finally deactivated after it was identified that he had taken the drugs.

The judge noted that Dean had suffered from severe depression and anxiety and chose to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs.

He added: You knew full well where to go for help and you did not do so.

Dean also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

One count was of the class A drug morphine on January 28, 2019 and the other was of the class C midazolam on December 14, 2018.

Aisha Khan, for Dean, said: The ultimate punishment is him not being able to work in this profession.

She said that he was intoxicated by the fantasy and excitement that was being offered by his relationship with the woman.

The barrister described Dean as a man who has suffered from addiction, and said that he was ashamed for what has occurred.

She said that he had apologised unreservedly in a letter to the judge, and she read some of this out.

In one part, he wrote that he cannot undo what I have done what I can do is apologise  I do so unreservedly.

In the letter, Dean continued: I let a lot of people down and brought shame on myself and my profession.

The judge jailed Dean for 25 months and ordered that needles and other medical items from his home be confiscated.

Dean, who wore glasses and was smartly dressed in suit trousers and a shirt, was led from the secure dock to the cells after the judge had passed his sentence.
By Baek Byung-yeul

Kia is accelerating its shift to the electric vehicle (EV) business, which is facing concerns of slowing demand, by expanding the lineup and variety of EVs through the introduction of customizable vehicles based on the platform beyond vehicle (PBV) concept, the automaker's CEO said Friday.

At the CEO Investor Day event, the carmaker unveiled plans to sell 3.2 million EVs in the global market this year, and boosting the number to 4 million by 2027 and 4.3 million by 2030.

In particular, eco-friendly vehicles that include EVs and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), are expected to sell 761,000 units this year, accounting for 24 percent of total sales, and by 2030, it plans to sell 2.48 million units, filling 58 percent of total sales, the company said. It also aims to sell 307,000 EVs this year and 1.6 million by 2030.

Kia CEO Song Ho-sung said that the carmaker plans to flexibly respond to market changes and actively manage risks amid intensifying competition and expanding geopolitical difficulties.

"Since the brand relaunch in 2021, Kia has undergone various changes across the business, including the establishment of a groundbreaking EV lineup and presenting a customer-centered mobility future," the Kia CEO said during the CEO Investor Day in Seoul.

"We aim to become a brand that effectively responds to the market changes and implement a tangible mid- to long-term strategy so that we can contribute to customers, communities and further to global society and the environment."

The Hyundai Motor Group affiliate anticipates a slowdown in the growth pace of the global EV market until 2026 due to a sluggish economy, reduction in EV subsidies and lack of charging infrastructure.

In a bid to seek a breakthrough, the company will offset the slowdown in EV demand by strengthening the HEV model lineup and introducing cheaper EV models. The company also plans to tackle the global expansion of Chinese brands through enhancing product competitiveness, launching PBV models and creating new demand using its factories in China.

In details, Kia plans to operate HEV models in most of its key models, including its popular minivan Carnivals HEV version launched last year, with six models in 2024, eight models in 2026 and nine models in 2028.

In key markets such as Korea, North America and Europe, the company plans to introduce a total of six affordable models, starting with the EV3, followed by the EV2, the EV4 and the EV5.

The carmaker is also enhancing its Highway Driving Assist (HDA) and plans to expand its supply of autonomous driving software fit for urban driving by around 2026.

From a governance perspective, Kia said that it will continue to implement its shareholder return policy to maximize shareholder value, adding it will maintain its dividend payout ratio at 20 percent to 35 percent of net income.

Additionally, Kia plans to buy back 500 billion won ($370 million) worth of its shares annually over the next five years to enhance capital efficiency.
A legal entitlement to unpaid leave for carers has been hailed as a huge step forward for millions as it comes into effect.

Carers UK said the new law will apply to more than two million workers in England, Wales and Scotland who have unpaid caring responsibilities.

The charity said its past research had found that around 600 people a day give up work so they can care due to a lack of flexibility and support.

Under the Carers Leave Act, which comes into force on Saturday, employees who are carers can take up to a week of unpaid leave every 12 months  equating to five days for most people.

Workers are entitled to such leave to give or arrange care for a dependant  not necessarily a family member  who has a physical or mental illness or injury meaning they will need care for more than three months, who has a disability, or who needs care due to old age.

Wendy Chamberlain, who introduced the Bill to Parliament in 2022, described the new entitlement as vital progress in improving carers employment rights and something which will give people more flexibility to balance work and caring.

The Liberal Democrat MP said: Caring or being cared for is something that almost everyone will experience at some point in their life.

The work unpaid carers do is so vital yet is it extremely underappreciated. This hard work should be better recognised which is a key reason why I led the Carers Leave Act through Parliament.

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: The Carers Leave Act coming into force is a huge step forward for millions of carers, which recognises the vital importance of their caring role and empowers them to ask for support in the workplace  in the form of unpaid Carers Leave  knowing that they have a legal entitlement to this.

I am over the moon to see my Carers Leave Bill pass its final hurdle. It will become law and take effect next year, with millions of unpaid carers across the country gaining a new employment right for the first time. https://t.co/NZzlTb2CFV  Wendy Chamberlain MP (@wendychambLD) May 19, 2023

She said too many skilled and valued workers are leaving employment due to the stress of balancing work and unpaid care but now the Act means every employer in the country must recognise carers in the workplace.

She said employees can be confident speaking about their caring role  kickstarting a crucial conversation about the support they need to stay in work, which matters not just for carers, but for employers and the economy, too.

Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said: The role of a carer effectively means some have to work two jobs with the stress of juggling work with caring for a disabled or elderly relative.

These new laws will enable a better balance of caring responsibilities with work commitments, supporting people to remain in employment and building on the UKs flexible and dynamic labour market.

Meanwhile, polling has suggested only around one in 10 unpaid carers surveyed across England feel they have a good understanding of the Act.

Of 1,000 unpaid carers, just over half (56%) said they believed the current Government was supporting unpaid carers ineffectively, while 65% of those polled said that they would be likely to switch their vote to a party which would bring in more measures to support their needs.

The polling, commissioned by GoodOaks Homecare, is not a cheerful and optimistic read, and there are findings which will make politicians of all parties uneasy, said Conservative MP Damian Green in his role as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on adult social care.

In a foreword for a report accompanying the polling, he highlighted conclusions that carers are not happy with the level of the Carers Allowance, and they want the entitlement to some respite leave, as well as more support for their own health and wellbeing, which are too often sacrificed in the interests of those who need the care.

Wendy Chamberlain introduced a Private Members Bill for carers leave in 2022 (UK Parliament/PA)

The February polling, for the companys You Are Not Alone campaign, found that 62% of unpaid carers described themselves as having felt stressed, while unpaid carers were more than twice as likely as members of the general public to have said they felt lonely.

Campaign founder Ben Ashton said the findings shed light on the immense challenges faced by those dedicating their lives to care for others, often at great personal cost and should serve as a wake-up call to our nations leaders.

He added: The Carers Leave Act is a step forward, but our research underscores a significant gap in awareness and support.

Under the Act, a week means the length of time someone usually works over seven days, so if someone works a five-day week they can take five days of carers leave either in one go, as individual days or half days throughout the year.

Carers NI said carers in Northern Ireland were being left behind.

Craig Harrison, public affairs manager at the organisation, said: Having no government in Stormont for two years has meant that local carers are now being left behind and missing out on a crucial new employment right thats coming into force in GB.
US composer Charles Fox says artificial intelligence scares the hell out of me

US composer and songwriter Charles Fox said artificial intelligence could never duplicate the masters of music because it came from their hearts.

The musician, who wrote 1973 Grammy-winning track Killing Me Softly With His Song, appeared at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles where he was honoured with a star in the recording category  alongside music stars Paul Williams and Diane Warren.

During his career, two-time Oscar nominee Fox composed the music for more than 100 films including Barbarella, Nine To Five and Goodbye Columbus, and the theme songs for TV series including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Wonder Woman.

Artificial intelligence scares the hell out of me, I dont like it at all, Fox told the PA news agency, after the ceremony.

As a trained musician, I could write music to sound like Bach, or Beethoven, or Mozart, or Stravinsky, thats just training, you learn the craft.

Diane Warren was among the guests speaking at the ceremony (Ian West/PA)

But theres never going to be a duplicate of any of those masters because it came originally from them, from their hearts, and then the world moves on.

And so if artificial can produce music that sounds like something else, who cares, who needs it.

Give me someone who has a real heart, who writes what hasnt been done. Thats my feeling.

Fox said he doesnt know where artificial intelligence will go  none of us do.

Paul Williams attended the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony to honour Fox (Felix De Jesus/Alamy)

People ask me, would I go to a concert of only artificial intelligence  I have no interest in that, the 83-year-old said.

During his onstage speech, Fox became unexpectedly emotional as he reminisced on his journey into Hollywood.

He told PA: Ive been coming by here for years looking at these wonderful stars representing peoples life work, what I didnt expect is to look out and see so many people I love and know, my family.

And to think this is here forever, I didnt expect to get that emotional about it.

Fox also gave a shout out to his granddaughter Ava who couldnt make it to the ceremony because she is studying in London as a ballet dancer expecting to go on to a career in ballet.

Fox, who won an Emmy award in 1973 for his work on TV series Love, American Style, said he requested his star be placed next to his late friends Jerry Goldsmith  who composed the score to the Star Trek franchise  and songwriter Hal David, best known for his collaborations with US composer Burt Bacharach.
A convicted killer on death row in Alabama told NBC News he no longer wants to delay justice for the families of the five people he murdered eight years ago and is ready to pay the ultimate price for his crimes.

In his first-ever interview with a reporter, Derrick Dearman said he mailed nine letters earlier this week to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall, as well as the judges and others involved in the horrific case, informing them he is dropping his appeals and wants to be executed.

Dearman, 36, said he is at peace with his decision.

Now its time for the victims and their families to get the justice they rightly deserve to start the closure, he said during a telephone interview from William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.

Dearman said he has not yet told the victims kin of his decision, but he intends to write them letters as well.

I have laid many nights thinking, what would I say to any of them if I ever had the chance, the opportunity to say something? he said. Thats part of the reason Ive made my decision to have my sentence carried out. Words dont have any weight in this situation. The only thing I would say is that everyone that was hurt by the actions to forgive me, not for myself, but for them. That way, they will free their heart up to be able to truly heal.

Dearman made his announcement two months after the Alabama Supreme Court denied an application to appeal his sentence and upheld his six murder convictions. He was charged with six homicides because one of the victims, 22-year-old Chelsea Marie Reed, was five months pregnant.

Alabama has a fetal homicide law that applies to any stage of pregnancy.

Dearman, who is from Leakesville, Mississippi, said he went through the appeals process for the sake of his family  not for himself.

They said, Derrick just give us a few years in this appeal process, he said. We deserve that, its our right as your family to fight for your life, and I said, OK. That was almost six years ago, and I feel like Ive given them the fair chance.

NBC News has reached out for comment to Reeds family and the families of Dearmans other victims: Shannon Melissa Randall, 35; Robert Lee Brown, 26; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; and Joseph Adam Turner, 26.

From left: Murder victims Chelsea Marie Reed, who was five months pregnant; Shannon Melissa Randall; Robert Lee Brown; Justin Kaleb Reed; and Joseph Adam. (Mobile County Sheriff's Office)

Dearman has already been forgiven by Browns father.

I cant bring my son back, Robert F. Brown said in September 2016 at Dearmans arraignment at circuit court in Mobile, Alabama. I forgive this guy because he dont know no better. I feel for his family.

The tragic chain of events began on Aug. 20, 2016, when Dearman, armed with an ax and firearms, burst into a bungalow outside rural Citronelle, Alabama.

High on methamphetamine and enraged that his estranged girlfriend Laneta Lester had taken shelter in her brothers home, Dearman attacked the victims while they were sleeping. Then he kidnapped Lester and Turners 3-month-old son, Darren, and fled to his fathers home across the border in Leakesville.

The first inkling that something horrible had happened on Jim Platt Road was when Lester and the infant, who had been released by Dearman, turned up at the Citronelle police station and told officers what happened.

Dearman said he surrendered to the Leakesville police when he had come down from his high and realized what hed done.

I am guilty plain and simple, I turned myself in and I pled guilty, said Dearman. Once I got moved over to county and spent a week down there, sleeping every day, my mind coming back to me a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more, I was just in shock. I couldnt comprehend the magnitude of what had happened because those people were good people.

Dearman, who struggled with addiction since he was a teenager, said the drugs turned him into a monster.

Drugs turned me into a very unpredictable, unstable and violent person, he said. Thats not who I am. The person that committed these crimes and the person who I truly am is two different people.

But, Dearman added, that was no excuse for what he did.

It doesnt change the fact that the crimes were committed, he said.

Still, when he went before a judge, Dearman pleaded not guilty at first  for his family  to six counts of capital murder and two counts of kidnapping.

They knew that I wasnt in my right mind, they knew that the sober me would have never done those horrible things, he said. I wasnt even going to litigate my conviction. But I allowed my family to get up there and plead the courts, you know for, not to seek the death penalty.

Two weeks after the killings, the crime scene  the Turner house  burned down. But not before detectives collected the evidence they needed against Dearman.

Then in September 2018, Dearman fired his two court-appointed attorneys and pleaded guilty.

Under Alabama law, even a suspect who has pleaded guilty to capital murder must be tried by a jury.

And in October 2018, a jury convicted Dearman.

It wasnt immediately clear what the protocols are in Alabama for a prisoner who wants to be put to death.

But Dearman already knows how he wants to die  and has opted for lethal injection. Currently, the state has scheduled an execution for Jamie Mills for May 30 and is seeking to execute a second inmate, Alan Miller, via nitrogen gas later this year. Miller, who survived a 2022 lethal injection attempt, filed a lawsuit this week to block the nitrogen execution, arguing the first execution under the new method caused cruel and prolonged suffering. Alabama performed the first-ever execution via nitrogen earlier this year on Kenneth Eugene Smith, who had also previously survived a lethal injection attempt.

The execution ... I mean, does it scare me? Yes, and no, Dearman said when asked about those failed executions. On one side, you have, you know, worse complications, for whatever reason, you know, its very agonizing and painful. I mean, there is that chance, Alabama has been known to have trouble with their execution process.

Actually going through with it, I think about that least of all. My mind is so focused on trying to make sure to do the right thing, he says.

Dearman has also already chosen a spiritual adviser  the Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood.

Though Im vehemently opposed to the state of Alabama having the right to kill him, Derrick Dearman is competent to make his own decisions and Ill continue prayerfully standing beside him as he proceeds, Hood said.

Dearman says his decision does not mean he agrees with the death penalty for the men he lives with in Holman.

Theres guys in general population that committed way worse crimes than half the guys on death row, he said. Theres some guys here on death row, if you would let them go today, they would never commit a crime and be productive members of society.

Dearman said dying is preferable to spending the rest of his life in Alabamas brutal prison system. But thats not why he is seeking to be executed.

Am I doing this because I cant live with myself? No, he said. I made this decision for different reasons. One of those reasons is so that all parties involved, not just the victims and their families but my family as well, can kind of get some closure and begin healing and moving forward.
President Joe Biden on Friday traveled to Baltimore to visit the site of the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, which left six presumed dead and is expected to have a major impact on the port's economy.

Biden took an aerial tour of the wreckage, and he will "deliver remarks reaffirming his commitment to the people of Baltimore," the White House said. The president will also receive an operational update on response efforts, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a Thursday briefing.

Leaders from the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers will share the status of their efforts to remove the wreckage and reopen the port of Baltimore.

The Army Corps of Engineers expects "to open a limited access channel for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment by the end of April" and "restore the port to normal capacity by the end of May," the White House said.

Biden will appear alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other Maryland and Baltimore officials, Jean-Pierre said.

As the president said within hours of the collapse, this administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way, she said, reiterating a statement she gave at a press briefing Monday.

The president will also meet with bridge collapse victims loved ones, the White House said.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early on the morning of March 26 when a cargo ship collided with a support pillar. The remains of two people who were killed have been recovered, and four others are presumed dead.

Crews working to remove the wreckage have opened two temporary channels to allow limited traffic to pass by the bridge. They are working to open a third channel for larger ships as well.

Biden addressed the disaster during remarks in the hours following the collapse, saying that the White House would send all the federal resources they need and that they would rebuild the port. He also said that he intended for the federal government to pay the entire cost of reconstructing the bridge.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young sent a letter to congressional leaders on Friday asking them to authorize "a 100 percent Federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge."

To the people of Baltimore, I want to say: Were with you. Were going to stay with you as long as takes. And like [Moore] said, youre Maryland tough, youre Baltimore strong, and were going to get through this together, Biden said during his remarks last week. And I promise: Were not leaving.

The National Economic Council has also convened the administration's Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to coordinate federal efforts to support affected industries in the aftermath of the collapse, the White House announced last week.

We are much better equipped to mitigate supply chain disruptions than we were just a few years ago, thanks to increased coordination across the supply chain and new efforts to strengthen both our physical and digital infrastructure, Buttigieg said in a statement.

Also last week, the Department of Transportation announced $60 million in emergency relief funds to go toward rebuilding the bridge. The White House said it would serve as a "down payment" for initial costs.

In 2023, the Baltimore port near the bridge, a key shipping hub and source of jobs, handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo, worth $80 billion, Moore announced in February. The port also generated more than 15,000 direct jobs, with nearly 140,000 jobs linked to port activities, he said in the statement.
While shareholder activist Nelson Peltz tried to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in his proxy fight with Disney, CEO Bob Iger secured a resounding win at Wednesdays annual general meeting. Shareholders support for Disneys slate of directorsand their rejection of Peltz and former Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutters effort to secure board seats for Peltz and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulois also a win for impact investors and those who believe companies must answer to multiple stakeholders.

From the start, Peltz and Perlmutter portrayed this proxy fight as an epic battle in the culture wars, an underdog tale of two billionaire Davids taking on a woke Goliath. Peltz played a curmudgeon, complaining about movies with too many women and Black people. Perlmutter walked that walk, having tried to veto such projects at Marvel before being ousted last year.

Together, they cast themselves as shareholder champions who measured good governance by stock price alone. (Additional credit to Elon Musk for his last-minute endorsement of Peltz and pledge to buy Disney stock if he won, a potentially hair-raising prospect given his strategy at Twitter/X. Shareholder activist Bill Ackman also played a walk-on role, accusing Disney of dirty tricks.)

Iger is not above reproach when it comes to governancesuccession planning being Exhibit Abut he does understand that Disney must answer to its employees, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders too. With more than a third of its stock held by retail investors, according to Disney filings, a lot of those people may have a financial stake in the company, too. That means being diverse, inclusive, and a good citizen are table stakes for achieving long-term growth. As Yales Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian note, Peltzs knack for pumping up a share price during a proxy battle has not historically increased a stocks long-term value.

What does increase value is the kind of transformational leadership that Iger has demonstrated throughout his career. That means getting ahead of technology and consumption trends and being the kind of company where employees want to work. It's tricky to speak up on issues like abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in this polarized climate. As a major employer in Florida and a company that has targeted its products to a diverse range of customers, Disney was forced to take a public stance when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Dont Say Gay billspawning a two-year battle that was finally settled last week.

As an $89 billion-a-year giant, Disney can also afford to take on well-funded warriors like Peltz and DeSantis in a way that most companies cant. The company said it spent almost $40 million just to defend its shareholder slate against Peltz.

To leadership consultant Bill Schaninger, thats money well spent. They have to be on the right side of history for Disneys brand and employees, says Schaninger, who led the global talent practice at McKinsey before becoming senior partner at Modern Executive Solutions. In the long game, you win out as an employer and a company when youre committed to diversity.

Schaninger advises leaders at large public companies to double down on defending their commitment to ESG practices. In a polarizing political environment, the key is to do it in a different way. Syndicate the risk with your board, he says, Engage your lead outside director in a conversation about What do we stand for? Have those conversations with employees and large investors, reiterating core values in an arena where you dont have to shout them at someone whos weaponizing politicsleft or rightto defeat you. And accept that being one of the biggest kids on the playground gives you a responsibility to stand up for those who cant.

More news below.

Diane Brady

diane.brady@fortune.com

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Cypress Hills 10 Greatest Live Performances

Name Sen Dog

More from Spin:

Best known for I think what Im best known for is for the role I play in Cypress Hill, what we like to call the psycho beta voice, which is the deep voice thats the call and response thing. When people think about me, they think about my parts on Insane in the Brainand Im constantly getting people that when they see me, thats the first thing they say. They dont say, Hey, Sen Dog. They say, Insane in the brain!

Thinking about it more deeply, I guess Im known for being the guy that loves hip-hop and does rock n roll and metal. Im constantly in between both worlds there.

Current city Las Vegas. Its where Ive made home at for about six years.

Really want to be in What I really think about, at some point, is to visit my homeland, where I come from in Cuba. Ive never been back there since I left when I was very young. I always had a desire to return at some point and see my place of birth and the house where I was born, my grandmothers house. Shes passed away, but its still there. My family still lives in it, and Ive always wanted to re-see those things and just to understand more of where I come from.

Excited about Definitely excited about this years tour dates. I feel blessed to still be able to be doing music  and being able to perform is a big deal.

Also, I have another band that I play in called Powerflo, and we have a new album thats going to be coming up this year as well. All that stuff does a lot for me. It got me itching, ready to go for it.

My current music collection has a lot of My sisters think Im diverse, but theres a lot of rock n roll from earlier ages, and theres a lot of heavy metal stuff on there. Hip-hop. Theres salsa music, us being Cuban, salsa is a very important part of it. I like to listen to classical music as well. Theres some jazz stuff when I feel jazzy. Thats just some of it. Im just into music, so it could be anything, really.

When I was young, my sister was big into disco, and she used to make me her practice dummy so that she could be ready for her high school dances. I would be the guy that she would get to dance with her. I used to listen to a lot of disco at that point when I was younger.

Its just all over the place, really. It just depends on what Im feeling that particular day.

Preferred format I like to play a lot of vinyl. I have a very large vinyl collection. Almost every record that I could imagine is back.

Or the simplest way is to have the Alexa machinejust ask it to play something and then let it go and see what comes on.

5 Albums I Cant Live Without:

1

We Sold Our Soul for Rock n Roll, Black Sabbath

The reason I like that record is because of the song, The Wizard. When I first heard it, I was blown away and I still get those feelings of being just taken backto where I was the first time that I heard it.

2

Around the Fur, Deftones

That album immediately made me a Deftones fan and eventually I got to know all those guys and meet them and hang with them and talk with them. Theyre a great group of dudes.

I got to give Deftones a lot of respect because theyve been at it for a long time.

3

Nevermind, Nirvana

When I first heard that record, I wasnt exactly blown away by it. I liked, though, that Smells Like Teen Spirit was a big song. When I first heard it, I thought, Thats the only song on there that really kicks ass, but then I saw myself listening to it more and more, and its a complete masterpiece A to Z. Of course, we were fortunate to perform with them and become friends with those guys, as well.

4

Zapp, Zapp

Then also I would add Zapp, the funk band, from their self-titled album Zapp and the songs More Bounce to the Ounceand Be Alright and Funky Bounce and all that stuff. That was first [introduced] to me by some older friends that I had at the time and they were just going on and on about this new sound that had come out and when I first heard the song More Bounce, I was like, Oh, wow, this is too much. It was all based around the pop-locking scene that I was into in those days as a youngster and before long, everybody had a routine to More Bounce to The Ounce.

Zapp had become one of my favorite artists at that point and I just kept listening. I remember my brother Mellow Man actually went on tour opening for Zapp and I went with him and I actually got to meet Roger Troutman and everybody there. His musicianship and how he performed was out of this world. He was so diverse and musically driven, it definitely left a stamp in my mind like, Wow, this guy is really, really good. Its just always there. Its funk music. Im a funkateer because of Zapp, and other people of course.

5

Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin

Of course, I got to add one of my favorite bands of all time, Led Zeppelin. Every one of their albums was really good, but I think the one that stands out to me is Houses of the Holy: The Song Remains the Same, Over the Hills and Far Away, The Crunge, Dancing Days, No Quarter. Incredible music to listen to today still. If it came out today, it would still be as great as it was when it first came out.

Ive actually never seen Led Zeppelin play live, because that was before I was old enough to go to concerts or whatever, but later on, I was able to see Page and Plant perform. It was really good, for what it was. But I got to see that part of the legacy anyways, and I was blown away.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Courtesy of Kristin Cavallari/Instagram

Kristin Cavallari has no qualms clapping back at the critics of her relationship with Mark Estes.

Cavallari, 37, quipped that shes paying Estes, 24, a lot to be with her while answering fan questions via Instagram on Thursday, April 4.

When a second follower wondered how Cavallari handles the hate surrounding her current relationship, the former reality star offered an honest answer.

By knowing that everyones opinion on it actually has nothing to do with me, she said. Its for PR! Im paying him! Hes using me! Hes gonna leave you! Seeing everyone get so worked up makes me laugh.

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Estes Relationship Timeline

Cavallari has been making headlines for her love life since hard-launching her relationship with Estes during a February vacation in Mexico. Since then, the duo have been fielding criticism about their age gap. (Estes is 13 years Cavallaris junior.)

Back in like September, Im scrolling and I come across this boy group, I guess you could call them, The Montana Boyz, Cavallari said on her Lets Be Honest podcast last month, revealing how she met Estes. So I go, Holy st, who are these guys? Because theyre so hot. Specifically, this one, who Im gonna refer to as Montana.

Courtesy of Mark Estes/Instagram

She invited The Montana Boyz on her podcast after one of them  later revealed as Estes  DMed her, I love you.

During the same podcast episode, Cavallari offered further insight into the relationship.

Me dating a 24-year-old is not something that I was searching out. Its not something that I at all ever thought would ever happen, the Uncommon James founder admitted. I understand what it looks like to the outside world. I really do. I get that. He is not a typical 24-year-old.

While she agreed that it was a little early to hard launch someone, she also explained that her decision was thought out.

A Complete Guide to Kristin Cavallari's Dating History

However, what weve been talking about, I feel very different with this man, she continued. But also, I got a call from my publicist that TMZ was going to write an article about us.  Ive been in this business for 20 years. The media has always controlled the narrative to a large degree. And part of me was like, I want to take it in my own hands.

Those close to Cavallari are also fully on board with the relationship.

After seeing them together, they realize Kristin and Mark have a genuine connection, and they see how happy he makes her, a source told Us Weekly last month of Cavallaris friend group.

A second insider made it clear that Cavallari doesnt care what people think when it comes to his age.

Cavallari was married to ex-husband Jay Cutler for seven years before they split in 2020. The former couple  who share kids Camden, 11, Jaxon, 9, and Saylor, 8  finalized their divorce two years later.
Sasidis Sasisakulporn/Netflix

Romantic comedies are making a comeback this year and  one Brooke Shields Mother of the Bride is sure to set your summer on fire.

The Netflix film follows Lana (Shields), a mother who travels abroad to attend her daughter Emmas (Miranda Cosgrove) wedding. As the pair start to plan everything for Emmas big day, things suddenly take a surprising turn when someone Lana never thought shed see again ends up showing up for the wedding festivities. Youre invited to the mother of all destination weddings



, Shields, 58, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, April 4, alongside a cute on-set photo, adding, Save the date.

Keep scrolling for everything to know about Mother of the Bride.

When Is Mother of the Bride Going to Be Released?

The film will come out on Thursday, May 9, on Netflix.

Breaking Down Us' Most Anticipated Romantic Comedies of 2024

What Is the Plot of Mother of the Bride?

Mother of the Bride tells the story of Lana , a woman whose daughter comes home and drops a bombshell: shes getting married in one month in Thailand. While Lanas trying to wrap her head around the big news, she learns that her daughters fiance, RJ (Sean Teale), is the son of her college sweetheart Will (Benjamin Bratt).

Who Is in the Mother of the Bride Cast?

In addition to Shields, Cosgrove, Bratt and Teale, Mother of the Bride also includes Chad Michael Murray, Rachael Harris, Michael McDonald, Wilson Cruz, Tasneem Roc and Dalip Sondh.

Is Mother of the Bride a Spinoff of Father of the Bride?

While the movies title is similar to the 2022 romantic comedy based on Edward Streeters 1949 novel of the same name, Mother of the Bride is not related to either property. Its also not a sequel to the 1991 Steve Martin film.

24 Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2024: From 'Mean Girls' to 'Dune'

Was Mother of the Bride Filmed on Location?

The cast and crew shot the movie in Thailand. Cosgrove revealed that being overseas as a cast helped them all bond.

We spent pretty much every day together for the six weeks we were in Thailand filming, she told People in an April interview. And one of the special things about making the movie was  since we were so far away from home, all of us, and in a new place  I really feel like we all got to know each other pretty fast.

Who Directed Mother of the Bride ?

The romantic comedy was directed by Mark Waters, who is known for Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Mr. Poppers Penguins and more.
Asiana Airlines' unionized pilots said Friday they have brought a wage dispute with the air carrier to the state labor relations commission for arbitration after failing to reach an agreement.

"We declared the breakdown of talks as of noon," an official from the labor union of Asiana Airlines pilots told Yonhap News Agency.

The union had pushed for an 8.5 percent increase in basic salary with additional bonuses, while the management countered with a 7.5 percent increase in basic salary, along with a rise in flight allowance.

The latest development came after the pilot union previously engaged in a work-to-rule protest last year amid prolonged wage negotiations with management.

Asiana Airlines, Korea's second-largest full-service air carrier, said it will keep talking with the labor union and make constant efforts to reach an agreement. (Yonhap)
All the buzz surrounding the British royal family of late has been about the medical trials facing King Charles III and Princess Kate, both dealing with undisclosed cancers.

Their private battles have forced other royals to step up their public duties. But not Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's so-dubbed favorite son, who stepped back from royal life several years ago after being enmeshed in the sordid life of his onetime friend, convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

If you don't remember the details of that fall from grace, "Scoop" is here to remind you. The new Netflix film (streaming now) is based on the book "Scoops: The BBC's Most Shocking Interviews, from Steven Seagal to Prince Andrew," by BBC producer Sam McAlister. The movie stars Billie Piper as McAlister, Gillian Anderson ("The Crown") as BBC interviewer Emily Maitlis and Rufus Sewell ("The Diplomat") as Prince Andrew.

Gillian Anderson plays BBC interviewer Emily Maitlis in "Scoop," a new Netflix movie based on the book by BBC producer Sam McAlister, which tells the story of how the network landed its blockbuster interview with Prince Andrew.

"Scoop" focuses on the prince's decision to speak to the media about his past association with Epstein and allegations that he was connected to one of the teens being trafficked by the financier. Andrew was sure the frank talk would clear his name, but the opposite ensued.

McAlister explains to USA TODAY which parts of her infamous scoop were spot on and where "Scoop" had to take creative liberties to keep the story moving.

From 'Poor Things' to 'Damsel': Here are 15 movies you need to stream right now

Did Prince Andrew agree to the BBC interview as quickly as the movie suggests?

In "Scoop," McAlister indefatigably works the phone to secure her famous subject in what seems like a matter of weeks. But in truth, "we're talking about 13 months of work to land that interview," she says.

It all started with an email McAlister received in fall 2018 from publicists working with the prince, who asked if "BBC Newsnight," the "60 Minutes"-type program she worked for, might want to speak to Andrew about his charitable work. McAlister declined but said the BBC would be interested if the prince  who by then was known to have been a friend of Epstein's for more than a decade  wanted to have a broader conversation.

"Most people never call back," says McAlister. But seven months later, McAlister was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Andrew's chief of staff, Amanda Thirsk (Keeley Hawes).

Billie Piper (Sam McAlister) gets set to meet Prince Andrew just before he is interviewed by the BBC in "Scoop." The Netflix movie focuses on how McAlister got the infamous interview scheduled.

Did BBC producer Sam McAlister actually suggest to Prince Andrew's chief of staff that they go for a drink?

McAlister comes across in "Scoop," and in real life, as a brash straight shooter who doesn't mince words, as evidenced in a scene where she insists that Thirsk dispense with the formal tea and hit a local bar for a martini. There, the two women develop a mutual respect that will shape the delicate negotiations to land the prince for the interview.

"We didn't go for a martini, we just had tea at the palace," says McAlister with a laugh. "I don't know if she drinks, but I do."

The real Prince Andrew leaves Easter service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2023.

McAlister says that throughout their parlay, Thirsk remained a "woman of integrity. She was cool, calm, clever and direct." It is Thirsk who ultimately overrules a hired consultant who is advising against Andrew going on TV.

Did Princess Beatrice participate in negotiations to get Prince Andrew on the BBC?

In a watershed moment in "Scoop," three representatives of the BBC, including McAlister and anchor Maitlis, are invited by Thirsk to meet with Andrew to discuss the parameters for a possible interview. But there was an unexpected guest: Princess Beatrice, his grown daughter with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

McAlister tells the prince he is known as "Randy Andy," a nod to his womanizing, and far worse on social media. Andrew replies that he pays no attention to social media, but Beatrice pipes up to confirm McAlister's point, which makes Andrew stiffen.

Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) reacts to a question from BBC interviewer Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) in "Scoop," the story of how BBC producer Sam McAlister landed an interview of a lifetime.

"I don't recollect exactly what she said, but it was absolutely pivotal to have her in the room," says McAlister. Andrew then announced he would be speaking to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. "At first I thought, you're 59, why are you checking with your mum? But if you imagine him doing so, that is quite amazing."

Did Prince Andrew really think the BBC interview that sealed his fate had gone well?

The ensuing one-hour interview at Buckingham Palace resulted in a number of shocking statements: Andrew saying he didn't sweat, he didn't know where the bar was at a nightclub he frequented, he couldn't have been with a trafficked minor because he was at a pizza parlor with his daughter. The world turned on the royal and days later, Andrew announced he would step away from public duties.

But when the interview ended, Andrew thought things had gone swimmingly. "He looked pleased, and offered (interviewer) Emily a tour," says McAlister. "But I was shocked. He'd told us some of these things in a meeting days before the interview, but I never thought he'd say these things for the camera."

Previously: Prince Andrew to 'step back from public duties' after Jeffrey Epstein fallout

Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell, center with his back to the camera) meets a team from the BBC in "Scoop," the story of how the network secured an interview that ultimately took Andrew out of public life.

McAlister intuitively knew she'd helped the BBC get the scoop of a lifetime. "I was 15 feet behind him during that interview, and the two parts of my brain reacted immediately," she says. "The former criminal defense attorney thought, although he's denying the allegations (of sex with minors), it's a prosecutor's dream. And the journalist in me is thinking, 'Oh, my God, every answer of his is a fresh news line.' My brain was exploding."

Will Prince Andrew ever be able to live down the BBC interview that is retold in 'Scoop'?

In the BBC interview, which took place in November 2019, Prince Andrew is confronted with not only his ill-judged friendship with Epstein, but by his choice to continue their association, despite Epstein's sex-trafficking convictions and sordid connections.

Andrew also denied ever knowing one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, despite photographic evidence that he was in a room with his then-teenage accuser and Epstein's girlfriend and facilitator, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is imprisoned in the U.S.

"Scoop" features an avalanche of tweeted comments that followed the BBC interview, all suggesting forgiveness won't be forthcoming.

"It doesn't surprise me that Andrew isn't back doing public duties, despite the current hardships for the royal family," says McAlister. "There's the royal court and there's the court of public opinion, and while he may deny all the allegations, the court of public opinion drew its conclusions the day of that interview. His return is not conceivable to the British public."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Scoop' fact check: How accurate is the Prince Andrew interview movie?
The families of American citizens kidnapped by Hamas in Israel nearly six months ago told NBC News Lester Holt on Thursday that they decry the killings of innocent civilians in Gaza but pleaded with the international community to remain focused on the plight of their loved ones still in captivity.

Theres not a single person here who does not want to make sure that the people that are living in Gaza are safe [and] that they are taken care of, said Liz Hirsh-Naftali, the great-aunt of Abigail Mor Idan, a 4-year-old girl who was released from Hamas captivity in late November.

For the full interview, watch NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT.

But where we are now is that we are a humanitarian group that is looking out, because we have to, for these hostages.  We have no choice, Hirsh-Naftali added. She was referring to herself and the 11 other people who had assembled in New York for a group interview nearly half a year after Hamas militants stormed their homes and kibbutzim.

Hirsh-Naftali and others strongly condemned an Israeli military strike earlier this week that killed seven people working for a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza. (Israel said the killings were a "grave mistake.") The families gathered Thursday shortly after President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was unacceptable, according to the White House.

Liz Hirsh-Naftali (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

Gillian Kaye, the stepmother of Israeli American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, denounced the horrific loss of life in the Gaza Strip since the start of Israels retaliatory military campaign, saying in part: How can you not look at [Gaza] and not feel unbelievable sympathy for the suffering thats going on there?

But amid the brutal toll of the Israel-Hamas war, Kaye said she is concerned the world is starting to forget about the people who were violently captured in southern Israel on Oct. 7, igniting a brutal conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip, jeopardized the stability of the Middle East and provoked intense political divides around the world.

Gillian Kaye and Jonathan Dekel-Chen (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

Here we are, with our innocent loved ones hostage for 181 days, hidden in tunnels.  They kind of disappear in this horror thats going on, and theres no question that it feels like the world is moving on, Kaye said. Its hard to struggle with that.

Hirsh-Naftali implored Netanyahu and Hamas leadership to reach a deal to stop the bloodshed and free the hostages. Hes been talking for many months about how important hostage release is, she said, referring to the Israeli prime minister. We dont have any more time for talking.

The families said they appreciated the Biden administrations commitment to securing the release of their loved ones. Kaye said they have all had an extraordinary amount of access to key figures in the U.S. government, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns.

Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer Neutra was kidnapped by Hamas militants, said he nonetheless believes both the U.S. and Israeli governments should be doing more to free the hostages.

Ronen Neutra (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

They need to pull every lever, Neutra said, and it hasnt been done, or else we would have had our dear ones back home.

Rachel Goldberg, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was recorded on video being loaded onto a pickup truck with one of his arms blown off, said she believes many people do not realize that the 134 people believed to remain in Hamas captivity come from all backgrounds and faith traditions.

You very rarely hear about the eight Muslim Arabs being held with our eight American citizens as hostages. You very rarely hear about the seven young men from Thailand who are Buddhist [and] who are still being held with our hostages, Goldberg said.

I think theres been a lot of noise, Goldberg added, and you dont hear about all the different people from 25 different nations who are Christian, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus.

The families are anguished over the fates of their loved ones, starved for news about their condition and left fearing the worst. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Sagui, said he has grown increasingly scared that dozens of the hostages are already dead, describing the issue as a national crisis.

Rachel Goldberg (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

I live my life in agony, in sadness, said Yael Alexander, mother of hostage Edan Alexander.

In some cases, the worst has already happened. Joel Napchan is mourning the death of his cousin's son Itay Chen, a 19-year-old who was believed to have been kidnapped on Oct. 7 but was actually killed that day, with his body abducted, according to his parents. Andrea Weinstein lost a sister, Judith Weinstein, and a brother-in-law, Gad Haggai.

The people who are still waiting for the safe return of their loved ones said they cannot afford to lose hope. Emily Wesolowski, whose uncle Keith Siegel remains in captivity, said there is no alternative to hope.

Yael Alexander (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

I have seen these families, Hirsh-Naftali said. If they did not have hope, I dont know how they could get up every morning.
Hunter Howell, 22 years old and freshly graduated with a degree in business administration from Elmhurst University in the Chicago suburbs, has submitted over 1,700 job applications. But in his 10 months of job hunting, hes gotten only one offer.

The initial feeling was like, What the hell is going on? What the hell is wrong with me? What am I doing wrong? Howell told Fortune.

Howell aired his frustrations on TikTok, where a video of him explaining his job hunting woes racked up over 700,000 views.

https://www.tiktok.com/@hunter.howell9/video/7349265809107176746

If you live in the United States right now, you understand that were going through a job market disaster, Howell says.

Howell explains that as of mid-March, he had sent in 1,600 applications but only received three offers for contractor positions and only one full-time offer: a salaried position selling phones at Costco, which would pay out $41,000 per year.

Howell says hes applied to jobs across the board, from marketing and management to retail and fast food. Since posting his viral TikTok on March 22, hes applied to over a hundred more jobsnorth of 1,700 in totaland still has had no luck.

Howell says he feels employers are playing games with him and other young applicants. After scoring an initial interview with a prospective employer, he says, he will often spend weeks in various interview processes. He has received rejections after four interviewsor simply never heard back from hiring managers at all.

A self-admitted potty mouth, Howell had some choice words for companies he felt were stringing him along.

If youre a hiring manager or youre in hiring practices, f-ck you, Howell says in his TikTok, holding up his middle finger.

Underneath Howells frustration is real confusion. He said he wondered if there was something wrong with him or his approach to applying to jobs, despite starting his job search months before his December graduation and taking advice from friends and family.

I have a degree, no criminal records, work experience, references, a tailored resume, Howell told Fortune. It is so baffling. It's a mystery.

But even stranger to Howell than his inability to land a good job was the response he received from his post: The TikTok meant to explicitly scorn hiring managers across industries actually drew them to Howell.

I've gotten a ton of [direct messages] from people like, Hey, like, I'm so-and-so with this company. We're hiring for this role. We want to onboard you, Howell said. And I'm like, Wait, what?

Howell says he followed up with the hiring managers in his DMs, but hes still had little luck finding reliable job leads. He chalks the attention up to the virality of the videoor just companies just trying to get good PR or save face. While the popularity of his TikTok hasnt landed Howell a job yet, he has found solace in his comments section, where dozens of young people shared his distress.

A lot of people my comments are saying, Yeah, this has happened to me. You're not alone. Keep going, Howell said.

A bleak job market is disincentivizing to Gen Z

Howell is one of many members of Gen Z using TikTok to share their job-hunting dejection and rejections. Among other frustrated Zoomers is Lohanny Santos, a 26-year-old with two degrees and able to speak three languages who still couldnt land a job after going door-to-door handing out resumes to find work.

Its honestly a little bit embarrassing because Im literally applying for, like, minimum-wage jobs, Santos said in a January TikTok viewed over 25.6 million times. And some of them are being like, Were not hiring and its like, What? This is not what I expected.

These stories of frustration paint a picture of young peoples attitudes toward trying to enter the workforce. Rates of positive outlooks on the job market among entry-level workers dropped to 46.1%, the lowes since 2016, according to Glassdoors Employee Confidence Index released on Tuesday. According to a May 2023 McKinsey & Company survey of 1,952 respondents, 74% of Gen Zers worried about job security even after finding a job.

It's very disincentivizing to Gen Z as a total, as a young generation, Howell said. It's very demoralizing.

Gen Zs pessimism toward finding work is justifiable: The job hunt has become ruthless, according to ZipRecruiters most recent quarterly Survey of New Hires. Across 1,500 respondents, 46% said they found a job in under a month, down 60% from the previous quarter. Only a little over half said they viewed the job-search experience as positive, a 10% month-over-month dip.

But the collective difficulty of looking for a job doesnt tell the full story. The number of job openings in the U.S. has remained historically high, according to the Labor Departments Tuesday report, which indicated there were 8.76 million job vacancies in February, a slight uptick from 8.75 million in January. However, the unemployment rate of 3.8% has also reached its highest level in about two years, with young people usually bearing the brunt of any bad job-market news.

Until he lands that still elusive job, Howell says, he still finds comfort in knowing that if he still cant jump-start his career, at least its maybe not entirely his fault.

Selfishly, it feels good to know that I'm not the only one, I guess, going through this crisis, he said.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Oils steady climb has prompted speculation that prices could reach $100 per barrel should current market conditions persist.

West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) futures were trading above $86 while Brent (BZ=F) rose above $91 per barrel, their highest levels since October. The international benchmark futures rose more than 1% in the prior session, closing above the key level of $90 amid signs of an escalation in the Middle East.

There are a lot of geopolitical reasons to be concerned about supply risks," Claudio Galimberti, senior vice president at Rystad Energy, told Yahoo Finance this week of oil's upward price trend.

"Therefore, I would say triple-digit oil prices are not that far at this point. And this is where we could end up in the next couple of months for sure, he added.

Galimberti points to continued production cuts from oil alliance OPEC+ and Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries as the major catalysts pushing prices toward $100 in the next few months.

Russia is a major oil producer. So the moment you have potentially 500,000, [or] a million barrels a day temporarily impacted  this is when you can see oil prices notch up potentially another $5, $10, and then you are in triple digits, said Galimberti.

To be sure, the analyst notes that ample spare capacity, or the ability to pump more oil in the Middle East, could help keep a lid on prices.

Last month, Russia said it would deepen its output reduction, prompting JPMorgan analyst Natasha Kaneva to contemplate Brent crude oil reaching $100 per barrel by September.

"At face value, and assuming no policy, supply or demand response, Russia's actions could push Brent oil price to $90 already in April, reach mid-$90 by May and close to $100 by September," Kaneva and her team wrote in a note last week.

Oil rig and pump of H&P Rig 488 in Stanton, Texas, on June 8, 2023. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images) (SUZANNE CORDEIRO via Getty Images)

Still, Kaneva expects to see Brent prices trade at $90 by May and $85 in the second half of the year as countermeasures would kick in if prices got too high. For example, the US could choose to release supply from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Russia could choose to maintain its exports at current levels, or demand destruction could kick in.

"The lesson from the 2022 energy crisis taught us that there are multiple levers that can quite effectively mitigate the impact of the high prices," JPMorgan's team wrote. "Our view remains that given the US dollar strength and high borrowing costs, oil prices substantially above $90 can cause severe disruptions in the global oil demand  as was the case in March-June 2022 and in September-October 2023  in turn resulting in lower prices."

WTI has rallied 23% year to date while Brent gained nearly 20% during the same period.

Ines Ferre is a senior business reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @ines_ferre.
The 'Z Nation' star claims an "obsessed fan" faked social media conversations that led to his April 2022 arrest, which has since left his career "in shambles"

Leon Bennett/Getty Joseph Gatt at 2019 Comic-Con in San Diego

Game of Thrones actor Joseph Gatt believes a 2022 arrest in connection with an alleged contact with a minor for a sexual offense ruined his career.

On Thursday, April 4, Gatt, 52, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking $40 million in damages following what the court documents refer to as a botched criminal investigation that allegedly caused intentional destruction to his career and personal reputation after being publicly branded as a pedophile.

Related: Game of Thrones: All the Spinoffs in the Works and What We Know So Far

Two years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Gatt, who played Thenn Warg in Game of Thrones, after receiving a tip that he had been engaging in online sexually explicit communication with a minor across state lines." Gott was released on the same day of his arrest after posting a $5,000 bail, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Inmate Information Center.

The Z Nation star denied the charges at the time, writing on Instagram that they are 100% categorically wrong and reckless and that he believed he found confirmed errors and misleading information in the statement put out by the LAPD.

Joe Gatt/Instagram Joseph Gatt on 'Game of Thrones'

The suit claims that the arrest stemmed from the uncorroborated word of a then-16-year-old, admittedly obsessed fan of Gatt and caused Gatt to be arrested and prosecuted based solely on unauthenticated pictures of social media conversations that were obviously fake. The teen, referred to in the court papers as Jane Doe, contacted Gatt via Instagram after receiving a Cameo video from him for her birthday in October 2020 and he supposedly responded in a manner that was wholly appropriate and consistent with typical celebrity-fan exchanges. The complaint alleges that the teen faked social media conversations to trick and impress friends.

Unbeknownst to Gatt, throughout this time Jane Doe was an admittedly obsessed fan who was already using a naked picture of Gatt  a still image from his appearance on the television show Banshee that Jane Doe herself had apparently sought out and downloaded from the internet  as her phones lock screen even before Gatt had ever had any interaction with her, the court docs state. Gatt also learned much later that Jane Doe had professed that she had sexual dreams involving Gatt, and had also apparently downloaded from the internet pictures of Gatt from his appearance on the television show Z Nation and photoshopped a fake tattoo of her own name onto Gatts right bicep.



Gatt believes, per the complaint, that Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson held personal biases and animosity toward him because her boyfriend worked at a tuning shop Gatt frequented and, therefore, she ignored the glaring red flags present in the supposed evidence against him. As a result, Gatt feels like his career took a hit.

Joe Gatt/Instagram Joseph Gatt (left) with 'Game of Thrones' costar Kristofer Hivju

Gatt was immediately cancelled and what had previously been a burgeoning acting career was destroyed, the complaint reads. Gatts agent and PR representatives dropped him immediately, he was fired from two different movies in which he had already been cast, and he was also recast in a third movie in which he had been hired to play the lead role.

Moreover, at least two other movies he had already filmed almost totally cut his scenes or reshot them with different actors, and he was not invited to attend the premieres. Gatt immediately stopped receiving any further role offers or audition opportunities, and instead received numerous death threats and was stalked and chased by a Daily Mail reporter.

Gatt now seeks to recover the more than $40 million in damages that he has suffered.

The complaint lay out that Gatt hired a personal investigator who he wanted to present his own findings in court, only for the case to be voluntarily dismissed in February. It alleges that the L.A. District Attorneys office threatened Gatt and his personal investigator with jail time if they made their findings public.

Related: House of the Dragon Season 2 to Debut in June

According to the complaint, Gatt had to sell his Ford Shelby GT 500 car in order pay for his legal fees because he has not worked since his arrest. Gatt believes his career is now in shambles based on nothing more than facially untrustworthy pictures of a phone screen and the unverified word of an obsessed fan and claims he has suffered immeasurable mental anguish and emotional distress that made him physically ill as a result of this situation.

A representative for Gatt did not respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

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.

Gatt appeared as Thenn Warg in three episodes of Game of Thrones. Some of his many other credits include TV roles on Teen Wolf and The Dark Path Chronicles as well as in films like Dumbo and Black Adam.

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Read the original article on People.
An 11-year-old who has written her fourth book said she has enjoyed seeing her sketches come to life and hopes to inspire others to develop a love for writing.

Sarah Kittoes book called Ama And The Lost Key follows main character Ama, who finds a glowing key in Ghana and sets out to uncover the secrets it holds.

The book contains mystery and adventure, and also those key values of family, friendship and following your dreams, the student at The Laurels School, who lives in Croydon, south London, told the PA news agency.

Conscious Dreams Publishing  the books publisher  has given the young author the freedom to shape her ideas into reality, which Sarah said is a really nice feeling.

Sarah with her latest book (Nozipho Kittoe/Albert Kittoe/PA)

I have been mentored by Danni (Daniella Blechner), the founder of Conscious Dreams Publishing since August 2023.

The good thing is that shes worked with lots of other young authors  even some that are younger than me  and you can tell she knows how to connect with young authors.

She really helped me to understand my book thoroughly and allowed me to choose the font and where all the images go.

I sketched out most of the images and the illustrator (Jason Lee) would sketch it out in his interpretation and animate it, and I really enjoyed seeing my sketches come to life.

The youngster said she developed an interest in writing when she was seven, with Alesha Dixons Lightning Girl book series inspiring her to become an author, since the main character actually looked like me.

Sarah started writing at a young age (Nozipho Kittoe/Albert Kittoe/PA)

I have always had a love for writing, but those books made me want to write stories which would inspire future generations, she added.

Despite her age, this will be her fourth published book with the company, with previous work including Linsey And The Blue Fox, Sarah Kittoes Stories Colouring Book, and The Friendship Club And Other Stories.

She said all three books were launched on the same day (August 13 2022), and she started working on The Friendship Club at the age of seven.

I had to plan how to approach my dad (Albert Kittoe, 41) to show him my stories because knowing and seeing how he plans everything as a project manager, I wanted to get it right, she added.

The author has earned roughly 2,000 from all her books, which she has donated to various charities over the years.

This year, proceeds from her latest book will be given to Centrepoint and West Croydon Methodist Church Wednesday Club, which support vulnerable people in Croydon, as well as a library refurbishment project at St Paul Methodist Basic School in Tema, Ghana, where her father attended school.

Sarahs charitable nature began from the age of six, when she would spend every Christmas creating packs of food and essentials, including socks and toiletries, to give to homeless people in Croydon.

I really liked that feeling, so I try to raise and give money to different charities when I make a new book, she said.

I am helping to refurbish a library in Ghana for a school and I really enjoy seeing the before and after photos.

It should be ready by the end of summer and work was started on it not even a year ago, which I am really proud about.

Last April, she visited Ghana to see the work and donate some books to the library.

After the donation, I was taken to the school library, which made my heart sink because of the state of the library, she said.

I told my parents I want to do something about it and that birthed the library project in Ghana.

I made it my mission to make the library look better and now it has nice seating areas, different types of books and computers.

The book launch takes place on Saturday at Croydon Library.
WASHINGTON  Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is going after House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and broader investigation into the presidents family, alleging his GOP colleagues are "gullible" after raising accusations about the CIA.

Raskin in a letter first shared with USA TODAY asked Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., to allow Democrats to review allegations from a new whistleblower. The person claims the CIA obstructed the governments investigation into the presidents son, Hunter Biden.

Democrats must assess whether you are ... making our Committee a party to efforts by malign foreign interests to influence American elections, Raskin wrote, referencing Alexander Smirnov, an indicted FBI source.

Smirnov was charged in February for lying to federal investigators about Joe Biden and Hunter Bidens involvement with a Ukrainian energy company. Up until his arrest, Republicans regularly promoted his allegations. Smirnov claimed he had extensive foreign ties with Russian intelligence agencies, according to prosecutors.

Raskin in his letter on Friday said Comers accusations against the CIA mirror in striking ways your earlier impassioned claims, about Smirnovs allegations.

Comer, along with House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to CIA director William Burns in March saying a whistleblower informed them the CIA blocked the Justice Department and IRS from interviewing Kevin Morris, Hunter Bidens financial benefactor and one of his lawyers.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., walks outside of the U.S. Capitol Building during a vote on legislation pertaining to TikTok on March 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.

But Raskin noted that an IRS agent testified to investigators he was allowed to interview Morris. Morris also testified himself in January that he cooperated with law enforcement.

Comers letter, Raskin said, looks like yet another episode in the Committees gullible campaign to amplify the vacuous claims of shadowy Trump World figures and foreign disinformation and propaganda operators.

Former President Donald Trump's allies have testified in the impeachment investigation against Biden, and the former president himself has escalated calls for Congress to impeach Joe Biden.

A spokesperson for the GOP-led House Oversight Committee told USA TODAY in a statement Raskin's letter "could have been one sentence" and that "the bottom line is that the whistleblower doesn't feel comfortable talking to the Democrats because the Democrats continue to attack whistleblowers."

Raskin added that Gal Luft, another person who claimed to have evidence the president and his family engaged in corruption and was touted by GOP officials, was indicted last year for arms trafficking and acting as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of China.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., right, and Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, interacts as the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability holds a hearing entitled Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Bidens Abuse of Public Office.

House Republicans have pursued an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden over allegations he personally benefited from his familys foreign business dealings. The probe, however, has yet to turn up evidence directly implicating the president, and GOP lawmakers have become increasingly cold about impeaching Joe Biden.

In recent weeks, Comer has signaled other off-ramps for the impeachment investigation into the president, suggesting his committee could instead make criminal referrals to the Justice Department. If Trump wins the 2024 presidential election, his administration could potentially go after those accusations, though the path opens up a host of procedural and legal questions.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gullible: Top Democrat hits GOP on CIA allegations and Hunter Biden
Casey Lamont, an Indiana University grad, is performing in "Shrek -- The Musical," which will be at the IU Auditorium on April 9-10, 2024.

When performers and auditionees in New York hear the words "I was in the BFA program at Indiana University," IU bachelor of fine arts graduate Casey Lamont says they flinch. She believes they might be thinking: "Uh oh, now I'd better up my game."

"IU has made a name for itself in New York City in the last 10 years," she said over the phone. Lamont, who graduated in May 2020, returns to Bloomington with "Shrek  The Musical," one of the most performed musicals in the U.S. It runs April 9-10 at the IU Auditorium.

Lamont, who lives in Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, said, "People in New York definitely recognize when I say I'm from IU. Our IU training has supported our careers, and it's clear now, as I see all the IU alums here."

Tony Award-winner "Shrek  The Musical," which uses popular fairy tale characters, sparkles with songs by Jeanine Tesori and a book by David Lindsay-Abaire, who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play "Rabbit Hole."

"Shrek -- The Musical" will be performed April 9-10, 2024, at the Indiana University Auditorium.

"High School Musical" (2006) might be what propelled youth to the stage

Lamont wonders if "High School Musical" (2006) is the engine that sent so many middle schoolers to the Broadway musical route. Kenny Ortega directed "High School Musical," an American TV movie written by Peter Barsocchini. Suddenly, Lamont said, came an influx of kids age 11-14 aspiring to sing and moonwalk on stage.

Those youth included Lamont, who used to stand in her neighborhood cul-de-sac and belt out tunes.

While plenty of those youngsters are now trying out, Lamont is a triple threat with her finely honed dancing giving her an advantage. In fact, she is the dance captain and female swing in the IU Auditorium's "Shrek."

That's another thing with which she credits IU's BFA classes. "IU's not a cookie-cutter program." She said her instructors observe students, looking for ways they might stand out in the field and then focus on that.

"Let's find your niche," she said her teachers would advise. When Lamont's dancing skills became apparent, she said, IU instructors fostered her ability to become not just a dancer but a leader: a dance captain. "They saw that I was detail oriented."

What's happening off campus: IU Auditorium reaches out to community to spread its music, artful programming

Last year Lamont performed in Anna Miriam Brown's "His Story" in a fully realized Eamon Foley choreographed production. The musical took place in the Broadway Tent at Grandscape, a new (2023) 1,300-seat, 75,000-square-foot venue in The Colony, a city north of Dallas, Texas. His Story: The Musical is a new hip-hop and pop musical based on the life of Jesus.

In 2023, Lamont served as the assistant choreographer on "An American in Paris" at Indy's Phoenix Theatre; IU musical theatre dance instructor DJ Gray was the show's choreographer.

More about "Shrek  The Musical"

Shrek is a modern folkloric fantasy about things both good and wicked, with themes of attachment and love. One song in particular, "Freak Flag," Lamont said, represents the musical's message:

"Let your freak flag wave/Let your freak flag fly/Never take it down, never take it down/Raise it way up high/Let your freak flag fly ..."

Often, she said, "what makes someone special is what makes that person strong."

"Shrek -- The Musical" will be performed April 9-10, 2024, at the Indiana University Auditorium.

If you go

WHAT: "Shrek  The Musical," based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks animated film. Songs are by Jeanine Tesori, book by David Lindsay-Abaire.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. April 9-10

WHERE: Indiana University Auditorium, 1211 E. Seventh St.

TICKETS: Start at $17 for students, $30 for general public. Go online to https://am.ticketmaster.com/iuarts/buy.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana University grad returns as dance captain, female swing in 'Shrek'
If there's one animal that many people fear, it's the snake. But if you live in certain places, snakes may just be an animal that you have to learn to deal with. Australia is known for having huge snakes that people find in and around their homes, and ABC News shared a video on Wednesday, April 3rd of a snake wrangler who was dispatched to a family home to remove a python that was hiding under a toy scooter.

The snake can be seen poking out from underneath the toy car. When the man removes the car from on top of the snake, he's pleasantly surprised to see the python sleeping in a ball beneath it, and remarks on what a beautiful snake it is. Make sure your sound is on to hear the snake wrangler's commentary.

Australia has been on my bucket list for years, but the more I write about snakes being an unwelcome visitor in many homes, I'm beginning to change my mind about visiting! ABC News commenters all had very similar reactions. @Mark Jackson3455 said, "Reason #1,950,278 why Im never going to Australia." @Karrie Jean pointed out, "He is beautiful. I still don't want to find him hiding!" @Liz added, "He was so grumpy and sleepy being woken up too LOL!" And my favorite comment came from the commenter who laughed and said, "Australia is not for beginners!"

Related: Highly-Venomous Snake Caught Lurking in Closet of Australia Familys Home

Facts About Carpet Pythons

Whether you are a fan of pythons and other snakes or not, they are fascinating creatures. A commenter asked a well-known snake wrangler in the comments section if this kind of python was found in Southern California. I'm glad he responded because I wasn't sure what kind of python it was, "I wish. Beautiful Carpet Python. Jealous."

I did some research to learn more about these snakes. An article here on Pet Helpful shared some facts about them, including that they can reach a length of up to thirteen feet and weigh up to 33 pounds. "Carpet pythons are found mostly in Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea. Like Ball Pythons, this snake is bred into many different colored morphs. Carpet pythons are usually nocturnal but often warm themselves in the sun."

These snakes seek shelter in hollow tree limbs, rock crevices, and abandoned burrows of other animals. They are solitary animals, and only come together to breed. Females lay 30-50 eggs at a time, and once the snakes hatch, they do not care for them at all.

Carpet Pythons are docile as adults, but extremely aggressive as hatchlings. Though non-venomous, they have a powerful bite that may cause pain and discomfort.

While a python isn't on the top 100 choices of pets for me, many people enjoy keeping them in their homes. These guys make great pets and are relatively easy to care for. In the wild they eat small mammals, bats, lizards, and rodents, and as pets you can feed them rodents like live mice and rats or even links. Worth considering if you are looking for a new slithering sidekick.

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday America's "sacred" commitment to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies makes the United States safer and gives it a bulwark of "unrivaled" security, as he marked the 75th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance.

His paean for the 32-member alliance came amid lingering speculation that should former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, return to the White House, NATO could face difficulties due to what is viewed as his transactional foreign policy approach.

"We must remember that the sacred commitment we make to our Allies  to defend every inch of NATO territory  makes us safer too, and gives the United States a bulwark of security unrivaled by any other nation in the world," Biden said in a statement.

"And like our predecessors, we must ask ourselves what can we do  what must we do  to create a more peaceful future," he added.

Biden touted the alliance as being "larger, stronger, and more determined than ever before" today, stressing that the United States must "choose to protect this progress and build on it."

"We've added Finland and Sweden to the Alliance  two democracies, with two highly capable militaries. Over the past three years, our NATO Allies have increased their own annual defense spending by almost $80 billion," he said.

"As our adversaries have plotted to break our remarkable unity, our democracies have stood unwavering."

He also noted that in July, the U.S. will host a NATO summit that will bring together allies to "modernize" their defense and deterrence.

In a separate statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that America's commitment to NATO remains a "sacred trust" as he took a swipe at Russian President Vladimir Putin for his country's war against Ukraine.

"Putin's reckless and lawless invasion of Ukraine has brought war back to Europe on a scale that NATO's founders had hoped to consign to history. Today, the world needs NATO as much as ever," the secretary said.

"When our leaders meet in Washington in July for NATO's 75th anniversary summit, we will strengthen our resilience, accelerate the development of advanced technologies, advance the implementation of NATO's most robust defense plans since the Cold War, and strengthen our collective deterrence and defense," he added.

The anniversary follows Trump's controversial campaign remarks in February.

Out on the stump, Trump said that if reelected, he would "encourage" Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to "delinquent" NATO members that fail to meet their defense spending commitments.

Biden later called the remarks "outrageous" and "dangerous" while his administration stressed that the first time the NATO has invoked its Article 5 is when America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Article 5 stipulates the collective defense principle that an attack against one NATO ally is an attack against all. (Yonhap)
Former President Donald Trump with his wife, Melania, during a rare joint appearance as they arrived to vote in Florida's primary election. Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images

Melania Trump, the former first lady, is set to return to the 2024 campaign.

Her appearance will conveniently take place at her home base, Mar-a-Lago.

It remains to be seen how extensively she will campaign for Trump ahead of the election.

The former first lady Melania Trump is reportedly set to return to politics after a prolonged absence from the 2024 campaign trail.

She's set to speak later this month at a Log Cabin Republicans fundraiser held at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Policito reported. Both Trumps currently live at the club.

The former first lady has largely avoided the campaign trail since her husband launched his comeback bid in 2022.

She told a reporter last month to "stay tuned" when asked about her role in the campaign going forward. The Trumps appeared together to vote in the Florida GOP primary.

Her absence from the trail hasn't gone unnoticed. It remains to be seen how extensively she will campaign for her husband ahead of the election. CNN previously reported that her role in the Republican National Convention had yet to be finalized.

"She's introspective and she's confident  she doesn't need to be interviewed by you to get ripped apart for no reason," Donald Trump previously told Megyn Kelly when asked about his wife. "She doesn't need to be out there. She's got confidence, she has a lot of self-confidence."

Melania Trump's absence was noted during the GOP primary

In September, someone paid for a "Where's Melania?" banner to fly over a football stadium in Iowa before a game Trump was set to attend. Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee after easily besting his two biggest primary foes, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the former UN Ambassador under Trump and the former governor of South Carolina. Before Haley dropped out of the race, the former president took shots at her husband, Michael, who's deployed overseas as a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard and thus absent from the campaign trail ahead of the pivotal South Carolina Republican primary.

Political spouses are typically in demand as campaign-trail surrogates, though historically some have preferred to stay away from day-to-day politics as much as possible. Michelle Obama has been so in demand in the Democratic Party that her office had to put out a statement dispelling a rumor that she would replace President Joe Biden on the ballot.

Both Trumps have worked to establish ties to the Log Cabin Republicans, the leading conservative LGBTQ+ organization  which remains ostracized by crucial parts of the Republican Party. The organization presented Melania Trump with an award in 2021, and the former president spoke at a 2022 gala for the group that was also held at Mar-a-Lago.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Joe Biden grieved with family members of the six immigrant workers killed in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse during a trip Friday to Baltimore, urging Congress to take swift action to approve funding to rebuild the bridge.

Biden, who has clamped down on unauthorized border crossings, steered clear of mentioning the victims' status in the country, instead focusing on their contribution to their community.

"Most were immigrants, all were Marylanders  hardworking, strong and selfless," Biden said, during the visit 10 days after the devastating bridge collapse.

Biden told the reeling Baltimore community that "your nation has your back" and vowed to "move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible." He said his administration is committed to ensuring the parties responsible for the bridge collapse are "held accountable to the fullest extent the law will allow."

"But I also want to be clear: We we will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that's here now," Biden said, announcing federal grants available to workers who relocate to Baltimore to assist in recovery efforts.

On Marine One along with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Biden toured by air what remains of the bridge on the Patapsco River before receiving a briefing on recovery efforts from first responders and local and state officials at the Maryland Transportation Authority in Dundalk, Maryland.

"As I stand here, I call on Congress to authorize this effort as soon as possible," Biden said of the massive bridge reconstruction project.

After his remarks, Biden met with loved ones of the six deceased workers, who were immigrants from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. Two other workers were rescued.

"After pulling a night shift working potholes, they were on a break when the ship struck," Biden said, recounting how one of the victims, Carlos Hernandez, 24, left a message for his girlfriend seconds before the bridge collapsed saying that he and his crew had just poured cement and were waiting for it to dry.

"To all the families of loved ones who are grieving, I've come here to grieve with you. We all are. It's not the same, but I know a little bit about what it's like to lose a piece of our soul," Biden said, adding the time will come when the thought of their loved one "brings a smile to your face instead of a tear."

"My vow is that we will not rest, as Carlos said, until the cement has dried of the entirety of a new bridge," Biden said.

President Joe Biden participates in an operational briefing on the response and recovery efforts for the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge and the container ship Dali in Baltimore on April 5, 2024.

House Freedom Caucus demands conditions for bridge funding

The absence of the bridge has major economic ramifications for the region and for shipping out of the Port of Baltimore. The collapse occurred around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, when the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali slammed into one of the bridge's piers as it left the Port of Baltimore.

The Biden administration last week authorized $60 million in federal emergency relief funds for Maryland's initial costs but significantly more funding will be needed to rebuild the bridge. Biden has vowed the federal government will cover the entire tab for reconstruction.

Some House Republicans are seeking conditions for any federal bridge funding. The hardline House Freedom Caucus, which has balked at previous spending measures in Congress, demanded in a statement Friday that the Biden administration lift its pause on approvals for liquified natural gas export projects as part of any funding package to reconstruct the bridge.

Freedom Caucus members also said all funding for the bridge's reconstruction must be "fully offset" for them to sign off on bridge funding.

President Joe Biden speaks about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse at the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Headquarters. The bridge collapsed on March 26 after a massive cargo ship rammed into it, causing the structure to crumble into the Patapsco River and kill six workers who were patching potholes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday announced an ambitious timeline to partially reopen the Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore by the end of April and fully reopen it by the end of May. The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977 after a five-year construction. But officials say it could be rebuilt in less than five years, depending on funding, design plans and the state of the wreckage under the water.

Brigadier General John Lloyd of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers described a "mangled mess" below the water. He said one major task is removing a large section of the bridge  that weighs 5,000 tons and is 125 feet tall  sitting on the ship. He said workers are trying to cut that piece off the ship and remove it so they can move the ship.

Bridge collapse brings awareness to immigrant labor

Moore announced the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Alliance, composed of more than 50 businesses and other partners, agreed not to lay off employees affected by the bridge collapse.

"Now I know our state's largest city is being tested right now," Moore said. "But Baltimore has been tested before. We get knocked down, we stand back up and we dust ourselves off, and we move forward. That is what we do. And the people of Maryland are grateful to have a full partner in this work like President Biden."

A fleet of helicopters, including Marine One carrying U.S. President Joe Biden, circles the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The deaths of the six workers rattled Baltimores Latino immigrant community, which has grown swiftly in recent years, with offices established in the city, county and state providing immigrant services. But gaps in resources for the community have been cast into sharper focus with the collapse.

Its tragic that it has to take this to bring attention to this population, said Monica Guerrero Vazquez, executive director of Centro SOL, a Johns Hopkins University-affiliated organization that helps local Latino communities with health access. However, it's very important to use this as an opportunity to build momentum on the importance of immigrant labor in the state and in cities like Baltimore, to promote equity and social justice in our communities.

Susana Barrios, a volunteer for Comite Latino de Baltimore, said the impact of the collapse is still being absorbed in immigrant communities. She compared it with the COVID-19 pandemic, in the sense that it exposed a deficit of support for some residents. Comite started distributing food Salem United Methodist Church in Highlandtown, a popular neighborhood for immigrants, because people there didnt qualify for unemployment insurance or food stamps because of their immigration status.

The same may come to pass with the bridge collapse, it's an economic blow and a heavy weight on the mental health of people coping with the tragedy. Even smaller issues such as longer commutes will effect people's daily lives, Barrios added.

Its going to affect us way more than we even think because it has such a huge ripple effect, she said.

CASA, the community's nonprofit day worker center, said its executive director, Gustavo Torres, met with Biden. In a statement, Torres stressed the importance of providing immediate immigration relief to impacted families, including temporary protected status, a designation for countries including El Salvador and Honduras, and advanced parole, a form of protection for those with work permits.

The Key Bridge collapse sent shivers down the spine of every immigrant who heads out to a dangerous workplace every day: they know what it is like because immigrant workers often swallow the perils of their job in order to put food on their familys table, Torres said. We have done so for decades without thanks and without recognition.

Some community members hoped the president would delve into the reality the bridge collapse revealed: that immigrants often do the toughest and most essential jobs in the U.S., and risk their lives doing so.

The Rev. Mark Parker, pastor of Breath of God Lutheran Church, said he would have liked it if the president  in addition to rallying Americans with pride about rebuilding the bridge  had spoken about the way people treat and care for each other, and how immigrants build their own American dreams alongside people who have been in this country longer.

"It would it would be great if the President would not shy away from the immigrant identity, and in some of these cases, the undocumented nature of some of the men that died," he said before the speech.

I think that would be a lost opportunity, Parker said, adding, I understand that might make it politically risky.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Biden urges Congress to act to rebuild Baltimore bridge
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Three migrants died in a highway accident in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, authorities said Thursday.

At least two of the dead  a man and a woman  are from the African nation of Cameroon, and the identity of the third is being checked. Five more migrants were injured and are being treated at local hospitals.

The country's National Immigration Institute did not immediately identify the cause of the crash, or provide information on the condition of those injured.

Oaxaca is a key route for migrants seeking to cross Mexico to reach the U.S. border, and accidents involving migrants there are common.

In March, the bodies of eight Asian migrants were found after a boat accident along Oaxaca's Pacific coast.

One survivor, an Asian man, was located. The bodies were found near a beach in the town of Playa Vicente, which is about 250 miles (400 kilometers) east of Mexicos border with Guatemala.

In 2023, at least 16 migrants from Venezuela and Haiti died in a bus crash in Oaxaca.

There has been a series of migrant deaths in Mexico amid a surge in migrants traveling toward the U.S. border. Because migration agents often raid regular buses, migrants and smugglers often seek out risky forms of transportation, like unregulated buses, trains or freight trucks.

Last year, 10 Cuban migrants died and 17 others were seriously injured after a freight truck they were riding in crashed on a highway in the neighboring state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala.

The National Immigration Institute said all of the dead Cuban migrants were women, and one of them was under 18.

The Institute said the driver of the vehicle had apparently been speeding and lost control of the truck, which was carrying 27 migrants at the time. The driver fled the scene.

Mexican authorities generally prohibit migrants without proper documents from buying tickets for regular buses, so those without the money to hire smugglers often hire poorly-driven, poorly-maintained buses that speed to avoid being stopped. Or they walk along the side of highways, hitching rides aboard passing trucks.

Last week, a truck flipped over on a highway in Chiapas, killing two Central American migrants and injuring another 27. And two Central American migrants died last week after trying to board a moving train in the state of Coahuila near the Texas border.

___

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
WASHINGTON  Biden administration officials are concerned that Iran may be planning to hit targets inside Israel in retaliation for the Israeli airstrikes in Syria this week that killed several senior Iranian officials, according to two U.S. officials.

The officials said any retaliation inside Israel is expected to focus on military or intelligence targets, rather than civilians. They also said the administration has begun considering options for how to respond to various possible retaliatory moves by Iran.

Iran has threatened to retaliate, saying the building destroyed was a consular building and therefore was an attack on Iran itself.

A U.S. intelligence assessment warns that Iran could carry out an attack using a swarm of drones or land-attack cruise missiles, and that Iran could target an Israeli diplomatic or consular facility in the region in retaliation for the strike in Damascus, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the assessment. Iran is likely to respond before the end of Ramadan next week, the officials said.

On Friday a top aide to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran sent a message warning the U.S. not to get involved in the fight between Israel and Iran. In a written message, the islamic republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in Netanyahus trap for US: Stay away so you wont get hurt, Mohammad Jamshidi posted on X. He wrote that, in response, the U.S. asked Iran not to target American facilities.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said reports that the U.S. had asked Iran not to target American facilities were simply wrong" and Iranian spin.

We received a message from Iran following the strike in Damascus. In response, we made clear that we were not behind the strike. We also warned Iran to not use the strike as a pretext to further escalate in the region or attack U.S. facilities or personnel, a senior administration official told NBC News.

On Monday, Israeli warplanes struck a building next to the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The strike killed Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior military commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force who ran ground operations in Syria and Lebanon, according to Iran. Several other people were killed but U.S. officials have not confirmed who they were other than to characterize them as IRGC officials.

In the hours after the strike, the Biden administration reached out to Iran directly to assure Tehran that the U.S. was not involved and did not have advance knowledge of the strikes.

Iran's slain Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi appears on a billboard on April 3, 2024 in Palestine Square in Tehran. A slogan in Hebrew reads,

While the U.S. has firmly denied any involvement, U.S. officials are concerned retaliation could affect U.S. troops in the region.

The U.S. military has this week shot down two one-way attack drones near the al Tanf garrison in southern Syria, according to U.S. defense officials. The drones were not targeting U.S. forces at al Tanf directly, they said, but were close enough that the military assessed they could be a threat to the U.S. or to Israel.

There have not been any attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria for nearly two months. That pause followed an attack by Iranian-backed militants that killed three American service members in Syria that was met with a series of retaliatory strikes from the U.S.

The al-Tanf military outpost in Syria (Lolita Baldor / AP file)

The officials say the U.S. military is already at a heightened state of alert in the region.

According to a White House readout of a call Thursday, President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Iranian threats of retaliation. A senior administration official said the U.S. and Israel have been in regular and continuous contact since the call. The United States fully supports the defense of Israel against threats from Iran. I will not go beyond that given the sensitivity of the topic and information based on intelligence sources, the official said.
Aviation giant Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines $160 million in compensation for the grounding of its 737 Max 9 planes after a door panel blew off an aircraft in early January.

According to a recent filing from the airline, Boeing paid the sum because the airlines first quarter performance was significantly impacted when the door panel fell off the aircraft after taking off from a Portland, Ore., airport. The incident resulted in a grounding of its Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet.

The airline said it expects Boeing to provide additional compensation, beyond the first quarter sum.

Despite the door incident and the grounding, Alaska Airlines said it experienced strong demand within the quarter, and continued recovery of West Coast business travel.

Although we did experience some book away following the accident and 737-9 MAX grounding, February and March both finished above our original pre-grounding expectations due to these core improvements, the filing said.

The filing is a first look at what Boeing is doing to make up for several months of issues and increased scrutiny from customers and government agencies.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a criminal investigation into Boeing in early March after the midair blowout. The DOJ has conducted interviews with pilots and flight attendants on the flight after the company admitted that it couldnt find records for work performed on the door panel, which the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) requested.

The NTSB launched an investigation into the incident shortly after it happened. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also investigating overall safety at Boeing. FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said there are issues at Boeing around the safety culture.

Congress has also eyed more government oversight for Boeing after the blowout and other high-profile accidents in recent months. Lawmakers have made it clear they want to see changes soon, with possible legislation on the way to make sure it happens.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Nationwide calls for stricter gun control laws keep growing.

In the wake of last months tragic shooting at a private school in Tennessee, some companies arent waiting for lawmakers. Instead, they are turning to technology in hopes of avoiding more mass shootings, especially in schools.

KT Security Solutions, an Alabama-based security firm, has developed a collapsible bulletproof shelter that can be installed inside classrooms.

Kevin Thomas came up with the design after last years tragedy at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed.

"We heard the parents in Uvalde, you know, and they were like, 'please don't let this be for nothing; don't forget us in six months.' And that day, when we heard that from one of the parents, we went into action," said Thomas.

The rapid-deployment safe room is set up in the corner of a classroom. In as few as 10 seconds, it can be expanded, providing shelter against bullets in an active shooter situation.

SEE MORE: After a Scripps News guns investigation, Congress takes note

"There's no protection like real-life protection in the classroom that can protect you on all four sides, so to speak. Our product is not really gonna be a one-size-fits-all fix because we're just treating a symptom right now until we fix the problem," said Thomas.

The city of Cullman, Alabama, is the first school system in the country to use the shelters. They installed two of the systems in two elementary school classrooms.

The shelters cost more than $50,000 each, but Thomas asks, 'What price do you put on the life of a child?

"We do this everywhere else for everybody else, and nobody thinks about it. Whether it's an actor or a government official or whatever, we protect them, you know, with everything we have, and our kids have nothing, and that's just not fair," said Thomas.

The Gun Violence Archives reports there have been more mass shootings than days so far this year. GVA categorizes mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are shot  not including the shooter.

The Covenant School massacre in Nashville marked the 13th school shooting in 2023.

Despite the innovation, Thomas says he understands that his design is not the answer to whats becoming a gun epidemic in America.

"This is not going to fix the problem. This is not meant to fix the problem. We want to just protect our kids and our educators and give them a chance to go home," said Thomas.
TOKYO (AP)  Crowds gathered Friday to enjoy Japan's famed cherry blossoms in Tokyo, where cold weather has delayed their bloom.

Cherry blossoms, known as sakura in Japanese, are the nation's favorite flower. People often have sakura viewing parties beneath the falling petals, where there are also picnics and sake drinking.

Vidyuth Lakshman, 36, a tourist from Canada, said shed seen cherry blossoms in her homeland but not on this scale. The scale here is crazy."

The trees usually are at peak bloom in late March to early April, at the same time the country begins a new school and business year.

Theyre really breathtaking, said Silver Shea, 47, a tourist from the United States, who was visiting Japan for a month with her 11-year-old daughter. We leave in about a week, and we were getting nervous that we werent going to get to see them blooming.

Others were also worried about missing the blooms.

"Every day we kept waiting for the cherry blossoms," said Satya Kandula, 30, another tourist from Canada. We are leaving tomorrow so were so happy that on the last day we got to see the full bloom.
WASHINGTON  Three Democratic congressmen unveiled legislation Friday to rename a federal prison in Miami after former President Donald Trump.

The bill  offered by Reps. Gerry Connolly, of Virginia; Jared Moskowitz, of Florida; and John Garamendi, of California  comes in response to a measure introduced by a group of House Republicans to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after Trump.

The Democrats' bill would rename the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida the "Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution."

When our Republican colleagues introduced their bill to rename Dulles after Donald Trump, I said the more fitting option would be to rename a federal prison, Connolly said in a statement. I hope our Republican friends will join us in bestowing upon Donald J. Trump the only honor he truly deserves.

Trump is facing multiple federal criminal charges in Florida for allegedly mishandling sensitive government, including willful retention of national defense information, false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record and corruptly concealing a document. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a new trial date in that case.

Trump is also facing state criminal charges in New York, where he's been accused of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential election. He's pleaded not guilty in that case, which is scheduled to begin jury selection on April 15.

The former president has been charged with illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia state court and in federal court in Washington, D.C. Trial dates have not been set in either case, and the D.C. case is on hold pending resolution of Trump's appeal that he's protected by presidential immunity. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on that appeal on April 25. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings, Moskowitz said. But hes never had his name on a federal building before and as a public servant I just want to help the former president. Help us make that dream a reality.

The bill to rename Dulles after Trump was filed last Friday. It was sponsored by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., the chief deputy majority whip, and co-sponsored by six other Republicans: Reps. Michael Waltz, of Florida; Andrew Ogles, of Tennessee; Chuck Fleischmann, of Tennessee; Paul Gosar, of Arizona; Barry Moore, of Alabama; and Troy Nehls, of Texas.

Reschenthaler tweeted about the effort earlier this week. Freedom. Prosperity. Strength. Thats what America stood for under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump  the best president of my lifetime, Reschenthaler wrote in a post on X. And thats why Im introducing legislation to rename Dulles as the Donald J. Trump International Airport."

The airport, opened in 1962, is named after John Foster Dulles, who served as secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959.
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is aiming to get back on the bench, this time as a visiting judge on a federal appeals court.

Breyer, who retired from the high court in 2022, said on a podcast this week that he's looking at a potential start date in the fall with the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

"I'm a judge. If you take senior status, you remain a judge, and not only you remain a judge in terms of status, but probably next fall I will go over and sit with the First Circuit," he said on the Thursday release of "Politics War Room" with journalist Al Hunt and Democratic strategist James Carville. "So I'm still an active judge."

In an email Friday, an official with the appeals court confirmed Breyer's plans.

"Justice Breyer has expressed interest in sitting with the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the Court is thrilled to have him," Circuit Executive Susan Goldberg said. "Precise dates have not been set yet."

The court encompasses the districts of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.

Breyer, 85, would not be the first former justice to hear cases after leaving the Supreme Court.

David Souter, who retired from the high court in 2009, has served as a visiting judge on the First Circuit, while the late Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired in 2006, was a visiting judge with the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Breyer, a liberal justice, served more than 27 years on the high court. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

After retiring, President Joe Biden nominated Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed him. Breyer recently authored a new book titled, "Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism."

In a March interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Breyer talked about one of the biggest rulings by the Supreme Court, which came at the end of his tenure as a justice. He called the leak of the court's draft decision in the Dobbs abortion case "unfortunate," while adding that that he would be "amazed" if the source of the leak was one of the justices.

Breyer also said in the interview that it was possible Dobbs could be overturned. He was one of the three justices who dissented in the Dobbs case, which led to Roe v. Wade being overturned.
A prominent U.S. scholar on Thursday criticized China's abstention in a recent U.N. vote on the mandate of an expert panel monitoring the enforcement of anti-North Korea sanctions as a sign of Beijing's "incompetence" and "cowardice."

Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), made the remarks, referring to last week's failure by a divided U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to adopt a resolution to extend the panel's mandate due to Russia's veto.

Absent the resolution's passage, the panel's mandate is set to end on April 30, a termination that observers say could chip away at international efforts to implement the sanctions regime designed to curb Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats.

"That, to me, is either incompetence in the sense that they couldn't make a decision ... It shows no guts because if they are going to go with the Russians on this, then just go with the Russians on it," Cha said during an online CSIS forum.

"They abstained, which is just to me a sign of either incompetence or cowardice," he added.

Russia's veto, though expected, added to growing concerns that deepening disunity at the UNSC could weaken the global sanctions regime against Pyongyang, while an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry might shrink room for cooperation between the two superpowers in reining in North Korean threats.

Cha underscored China's role in addressing Pyongyang's nuclear quandary.

"Everybody points to the so-called failure of U.S. policy to stop North Korea from going nuclear," he said. "This will be written about as the biggest failure in Chinese foreign policy history.

The scholar warned that by the end of the decade, North Korea is going to have a nuclear force, the size of Britain or France.

"This is China's mess and they really need to start getting serious about cleaning it up," he said.

"On the part of China, this is the height of either incompetence or cowardice. They either can't make a decision or they don't want to say which side they are on on this, and they really need to."

Cha, in addition, noted that America's policy priority at this point appears to lie on addressing the North's proliferation activities rather than on its denuclearization, though its denuclearization continues to remain the U.S.' "goal."

"The priority right now is to try to stop any proliferation behavior on the part of North Korea, and then also to do what we can to stop this DPRK-Russia thing," Cha said, referring to burgeoning military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Yonhap)
In the weeks after she fatally shot an elite cyclist in Texas, Kaitlin Armstrong led authorities on a manhunt that spanned thousands of miles, crossed international borders and nearly ended with authorities deflated and empty-handed.

Eventually, Armstrong was caught and, in November, she was found guilty of shooting Moriah Mo Wilson, 25, three times in a jealousy-fueled rage and sentenced to 90 years in prison.

This is the account of Armstrongs escape  and capture  as told by the investigators who tracked her from Austin to the Costa Rican beach town where an unusual mix of deception and yoga finally led to her apprehension.

May 12: The murder of a rising athlete

One day after Wilson, a rising star in the increasingly popular sport of gravel racing, was found with gunshot wounds in the Austin apartment where she had been staying for a competition, investigators questioned Colin Strickland, the pro cyclist with whom Wilson had previously been involved.

Strickland told authorities hed spent time with Wilson the day before: Theyd shared a meal and gone for a swim before he dropped her off, according to a transcript of the interview obtained by Dateline.

Colin Strickland rides in West Texas in 2021. (Ross Morales / Red Bull via AP Images)

Strickland told investigators that hed been with Armstrong, 36, for three years, but hed gotten together with Wilson after he and Armstrong briefly ended their relationship in fall 2021, according to the transcript. Wilson, he said, was now listed under a different name in his phone  a fact he attributed to his right to have a friendship with this person without having, like, constant strife.

He did that because he knew his girlfriend Kaitlin had gone through his phone in the past, Richard Spitler, the Austin homicide detective who led the investigation into Wilsons killing, told Dateline. He didnt wanna start any issues, any drama.

Security video reviewed by Austin police showed a black SUV near the apartment where Wilson was killed around the time of her death, and Spitler saw what appeared to be the same vehicle parked in Stricklands driveway.

When Spitler asked Strickland about it, he said the vehicle belonged to Armstrong. Strickland refused to drive it, Spitler recalled him saying, because it was a girly car.

Anna Moriah

At the time, Spitler wasnt sure what to make of the claim, though authorities later concluded Strickland was not involved in Wilsons murder, and he has not been accused of any crime. (Strickland declined to speak to Dateline, but in a statement released days after the killing, he said there was no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime.)

Believing she was a potential person of interest in the killing, authorities arrested Armstrong on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant, another Austin detective, Jonathan Riley, told Dateline. She wasnt in custody long before authorities mistakenly concluded there was a discrepancy in her warrant, Riley said, and told her she wasnt under arrest after all.

Armstrong remained at the department, however, and in an interview with a detective, denied knowing that Strickland had seen Wilson while she was in town. When the detective asked if there were issues between her and Wilson, Armstrong responded: Im not sure exactly what you mean or what information youd like, according to a transcript of the interview.

When the detective bluffed, telling Armstrong falsely that Strickland had described her as upset over the matter, she responded: That is not accurate.

When the detective asked Armstrong why her SUV had been near the apartment where Wilson was staying, Armstrong didnt deny that the vehicle was hers, according to the transcript. Nor did she offer any explanation as to why it was there.

When the detective pressed her, Armstrong said: I would like to leave, if Im free to leave.

May 17: Shes gone

In the days after Wilsons killing, tipsters alerted authorities to what Spitler described as a potential motive: Armstrong had been furious over Stricklands relationship with Wilson.

One said that Armstrong called Wilson so many times that she had blocked her number, according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Armstrong. On the last call, Armstrong warned her to stay away from Strickland, the warrant says. Another tipster said Armstrong was so enraged that she was shaking in anger and threatened to kill Wilson.

After a ballistics analysis showed what Spitler described as a high probability match between the gun used to kill Wilson and a Sig Sauer pistol discovered during a search of Armstrong and Stricklands home, authorities issued the warrant accusing Armstrong of first-degree murder.

Kaitlin Armstrong leaves the courtroom (Mikala Compton / American-Statesman via AP, Pool file)

But by May 17, when that warrant was issued, Armstrongs social media had been erased, the warrant says. Strickland hadnt talked with her since the day after her interview with police, and license plate readers around the city hadnt captured her SUV traveling anywhere, Spitler told Dateline.

We have a lot of addresses that were going to get eyes on and check to see if we see her, recalled Riley, who also serves on the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. So far, on the 18th, were not finding anything.

We cant find her, Spitler added. Shes gone.

May 25: Fleeing the country on a stolen passport

Investigators eventually learned that Armstrong had traveled to New York, Riley said. Initially, they didnt know how shed gotten there, he said, though they believed shed likely flown given how far shed gotten in a relatively short amount of time.

On May 25, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force released a video of Armstrong inside Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Eleven days earlier, the task force said, shed taken a New York City-bound flight via Houston.

The short clip showed Armstrong wearing a black face mask and a jean jacket. A yoga mat was tucked into her backpack.

Riley recalled discovering the clue that helped authorities learn where Armstrong had likely traveled next. During a search of her home, authorities found  and photographed  a passport card that belonged to Armstrongs sister, Christine, who lives in New York, Riley told Dateline.

Riley recalled seeing the photo, so he asked a colleague with the Department of Homeland Security to check if anyone with her name had traveled internationally.

And within about 10 or 15 minutes of reaching out to him, he got back to me and confirmed that a Christine Armstrong with the same date of birth had traveled from Newark to San Jose, Costa Rica, on the 18th on a one-way flight, Riley recalled.

Investigators with the Marshals Service found Christine at her home in upstate New York. She had no idea where her passport was, Spitler recalled Christine telling authorities, but Kaitlin had recently visited, and Christine had dropped her off at the airport for what she believed was a return flight to Austin. (Christine Armstrong declined to speak to Dateline. She has not been accused of a crime in connection with her sisters escape.)

But with confirmation that someone using Christines passport had left the country, investigators turned their attention to Costa Rica. Riley, who had been on the task force for five years at that point, said the news made him feel like a rookie all over again, because fugitives rarely travel that far from home.

This just got a whole lot more interesting and a lot more difficult, he recalled thinking at the time.

June 20: The hunt in Costa Rica

Before leaving for Costa Rica, the two U.S. Marshals deputies tasked with finding Armstrong first wanted to figure out why she may have traveled there. One of the likeliest connections they could come up with was one of her apparent passions  yoga  one of the deputies, Damian Fernandez, told Dateline.

By the time Fernandez and another deputy, Emir Perez, arrived in the Central American country on June 20, they learned that she was booking different hostels in different areas using aliases  sometimes she went by Beth, sometimes Allison  and then not showing up. The deputies werent sure why, Fernandez said, but she was a no-show at the handful of locations theyd connected her to.

Theyd also learned that a person matching her description had taken a couple of yoga classes in Jaco, a small coastal town a couple of hours southwest of San Jose, the countrys capital, Fernandez said. Security video obtained by local police and provided to the U.S. Embassys diplomatic security service confirmed shed been there.

But by the time the deputies arrived, Fernandez said, Armstrong had already left.

So their team  which included investigators from the U.S. Embassy  split in two and traveled several hours to Santa Teresa, the small town they believed was her next destination.

There, the deputies  dressed like tourists  scoured the beach, while another investigator attended yoga sessions and a meditation class, they said. But Santa Teresa was filled with women who looked like Armstrong, Fernandez said, and the pair was trying to avoid coming off as stalkers.

Its difficult to do what we were doing down there because you dont wanna look like a creep, Fernandez said.

Authorities in the U.S. and Costa Rica hadnt publicized their belief that Armstrong was in Central America, so the investigators came up with a cover story  they were from the U.S. Embassy and searching for a missing tourist  that seemed more believable than reality, the other deputy, Emir Perez, told Dateline.

Based on past experience, the deputies believed that if they didnt find Armstrong in five days, they wouldnt find her at all, Fernandez said.

June 29: Fooled by a want ad

After several days, the deputies still hadnt seen Armstrong or gathered any promising leads pointing to where in Santa Teresa she might be. To make matters worse, the deputies said, several investigators had become sick with Covid. And a storm that was likely to turn into a hurricane with shelter-in-place orders was quickly approaching, Fernandez said.

Frustrated, sick and nearly out of time, the team turned to what they described as their last-ditch attempt to find Armstrong: believing shed likely need money in the near future, they placed a fake ad on a Santa Teresa Facebook page posing as a local hostel looking for a yoga instructor.

When somebody responded who the deputies believed might be Armstrong, they made an appointment to meet on June 29, the day before the storm was forecast to hit. The person ended up canceling, Fernandez said, but in their brief back-and-forth on WhatsApp, the job-seeker had provided clues about their possible location  a hostel called Don Jons.

Perez said he found a woman who looked like Armstrong sitting with a man on the hostels patio. Posing as a Mexican tourist, Perez began asking her about the place in Spanish, and they replied using Google Translate, Perez said.

When Perez returned to the car, he said: 100%, thats her. Shes in there.

When local authorities helped apprehend Armstrong shortly after, she identified herself to them as Ari Martin, Fernandez said. But once in custody, Fernandez recalled, he asked what her name really was.

And she looked at me for the longest time, he said. She took a big pause, maybe for a minute, and then she told me, Kaitlin.
By Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga

ZVERNEC, Albania (Reuters) - Through binoculars, ornithologist Jon Vorpsi spies flamingos and pelicans that pause along their migration routes on a hook of protected land on Albania's southern coast.

Vorpsi fears the sight may soon end if Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner proceeds with plans to build a tourist resort in the area near the town of Vlora, loved by locals for its quiet pine forests, olive trees and walking trails, and where cows saunter along the deserted windswept beaches.

Kushner announced the plans last month, part of a wider investment by his Affinity Partners in the Balkans that includes another project on a nearby island in Albania and a third in a former army headquarters in Serbia's capital Belgrade.

Kushner, a former top aide to Trump when he was president, set up the investment firm after stepping down from the job in 2021.

The projects may boost local economies by enticing visitors, but they have come up against opposition from locals who fear they will harm the environment or, in the case of Belgrade, threaten sites of cultural significance.

Kushner submitted the plans weeks after Albania's parliament changed a law allowing the government to grant construction permits in protected areas for hotels or resorts rated five stars or more. He did not say then how much Affinity planned to invest.

"It is a great sadness to know that this zone will not serve the next generations any more," said Vorpsi, who works for local environmental NGO PPNEA.

"In 10 years this place will be a gray place with concrete," he added as he looked for new bird species through his binoculars near the village of Zvernec.

Kushner and Affinity Partners did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Since communism fell in 1990, Albania has struggled with economic and political instability and widespread emigration, especially among the young.

But its alpine lakes and untouched coastline have attracted growing numbers of tourists seeking a quieter and cheaper alternative to nearby Greece and Croatia. It welcomed more than 10 million tourists last year, 35% higher than 2022.

"TRUMP VILLAS"

Vlora's mayor Ermal Dredha welcomed Kushner's project, which includes yacht jetties, pools and exclusive villas, saying he planned to turn the town into a "high-level tourist destination" and vowed to not harm the environment.

"Without the investment how are we going to attract all these people coming here and choosing Vlora?" Dredha said.

Kushner's plans, which locals call the "Trump villas", are already making waves.

Real estate agent Flori Brahimaj said prices for apartments with a potential view over the planned project site have already shot up between 100-200 euros per square metre.

In Serbia, Affinity plans to finance a luxury project in central Belgrade that would include a hotel, apartments, shops and office spaces on the site where the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) headquarters stood until 1999 when NATO bombed it as part of an air campaign against Serbian atrocities in Kosovo.

More than 26,000 people have signed an online petition to protect the two matching buildings that make up a protected cultural site.

(Additional reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade; Editing by Edward McAllister and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
By Nate Raymond and Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - A Missouri judge slashed a $1.56 billion verdict against Bayer to $611 million for three people who claimed its Roundup weed killer caused their cancer, by reducing punitive damages. Bayer said on Friday it is appealing.

The German company's Monsanto unit had been found liable in November by a Cole County, Missouri, jury to Valorie Gunther of New York, Jimmy Draeger of Missouri and Daniel Anderson of California, who blamed their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on their exposure to Roundup.

Jurors found Monsanto liable for negligence, design defects and failing to warn about Roundup's risks. They awarded $61.1 million of compensatory damages and $1.5 billion of punitive damages, with the latter divided equally among the plaintiffs.

In orders on March 15, Judge Daniel Green let the $61.1 million component stand, but reduced punitive damages to nine times that amount, or $549.9 million.

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that punitive damages should generally not be more than nine times compensatory damages.

Bayer had sought to throw out the verdict, as well as reduce damages, and filed a notice of appeal on March 22.

It has said decades of studies have shown that Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate are safe.

"While the court reduced the unconstitutionally excessive damage award, the company believes that the court did not apply the law correctly on damages," Bayer said on Friday. "We also disagree with the ruling on the liability verdict as it is at odds with the extensive weight of scientific evidence."

Bart Rankin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement the reduced awards are "unassailably constitutional," and "align with the evidence of Monsanto's willful, malicious, and reckless disregard for the safety of consumers and the injuries suffered by these plaintiffs."

Roundup is among the most widely used weedkillers in the United States, though Bayer phased out sales for home use last year.

Bayer has faced extensive litigation over whether Roundup causes cancer since it bought Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018.

It agreed to settle much of that litigation for $10.9 billion in 2020, but failed to resolve future cases. About 113,000 of the 167,000 claims that Bayer has faced have been settled or deemed ineligible.

Though Bayer has won the majority of its more recent Roundup trials, plaintiffs have won more than $4 billion of verdicts, including $2.25 billion in a single case in January. Bayer is appealing those verdicts.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Richard Chang)
A mother and daughter accused of performing illegal butt injections without any medical expertise were arrested in a Texas sting operation Wednesday.

Consuelo Dal Bo, 56, and her daughter Isabella Dal Bo, 18, have been charged with practicing medicine without a license  a misdemeanor.

Court documents reveal the women went to a home to perform the butt injections on a customer, who was actually an undercover peace officer, and they planned to charge $6,000 for the service.

The women apparently were not even sure what was in the injectables  described as an unlabeled brown liquid, a motion for bail written by the Harris County District Attorneys Office said.

This fundamentally demonstrates how remarkably dangerous these acts were, prosecutors wrote.

Consuelo Dal Bo allegedly provided a Xanax to the prospective customer  for the purpose of relaxing her before the injections began, the filing said.

The women were ultimately arrested separately in the sting in Cypress, Texas. Authorities also confiscated bags containing the illegal injectables and medical equipment, NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston reported.

They were accused of traveling across the country to give clients these illegal injections. The investigation into the pair was conducted by the Houston Police Departments Major Offenders Division, Food and Drug Administration agents, and Homeland Security Investigations.

NBC News has reached out to Houston police for more details on the case.

Consuelo Dal Bo's bond was set at $10,000 and her daughters at $5,000. They've both been released on bond with the conditions that they surrender passports, not possess firearms, submit to electronic monitoring, and are prohibited from practicing medicine without a license.

Theyre due to appear in Harris County court April 10. Its not immediately clear if the women have retained lawyers.

Illegal injections are dangerous and have caused deaths in the past.

In 2021, police said a mother and daughter duo were charged with murder in California after they performed a botched butt injection that resulted in the October 2019 death of 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul. Police said that mother and daughter had no medical certification and it was believed neither had any type of training.

A jury found them guilty of involuntary manslaughter last month, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Also in 2021, a Dallas woman was sentenced to five years in prison for causing a nightclub dancers death by performing an illegal butt injection on her in Missouri in 2015.

CORRECTION (April 5, 2024, 2:03 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the name of one of the agencies involved in the investigation. It is the Food and Drug Administration, not the Federal Drug Administration.
JERUSALEM  Rachel Goldberg-Polins mantra is the same now as it was six months ago.

I love you. Stay strong. Survive, she urges her son, Hersh, one of the more than 130 hostages seized half a year ago by Hamas who have still not been returned from the Gaza Strip.

She repeats those words constantly  whether she is out for a walk in her neighborhood or looking at the poster of her son in their Jerusalem home on Shabbat mornings.

You can make it through this, and you are going to have a long, beautiful life, Goldberg-Polin said, 54, recounting the words that she often tells her son in her head.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin with his mother and father in an undated family photo. (Courtesy of the Goldberg-Polin family)

Goldberg-Polin spoke with NBC News in a modern office space that is tucked into the industrial area of Jerusalem and doubles as the headquarters of the familys campaign to bring the young man back home. It belongs to a friend and has been transformed into a war room of sorts. The fight: To bring Hersh home safe.Like dozens more Israelis, Goldberg-Polin has not been able to have a real conversation with her child since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.

Her familys story offers a glimpse into the plight of the hostages families, six agonizing months into the war launched in the wake of that stunning assault. With talks for a cease-fire deal stalled and little to no information about what is happening with the hostages, or even if they are still alive, the families have led protests pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government to prioritize their loved ones.

Pretend to be human

Goldberg-Polins quest began with piecing together what happened to her son, from survivors accounts, what the family was told by the authorities and GoPro footage shot by a Hamas militant.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was taken hostage by Hamas at the Supernova music festival in the early morning hours of Oct. 7.

Trying to run away with his friend Aner Shapira, the two hid in a nearby roadside bomb shelter with 27 other people. But the militants threw hand grenades and sprayed gunfire into the bunker, killing many and injuring others, including Hersh. Survivors and footage from the Hamas GoPro camera that was shared with the family revealed that Hersh had half of his left arm blown off before he was loaded into a truck and taken to Gaza.

His last text messages to his parents after the attack started and before he was taken hostage were: I love you and Im sorry.

Hersh Goldberg Polin Supernova Music Festival (Supplied to NBC News)

Goldberg-Polin and her husband, Jonathan Polin, are operating on the assumption that their son is alive and that he may have even received medical help in Gaza. But six months into his captivity, they are bearing the trauma of uncertainty about his fate. We have to pretend to be normal if we want to function, Goldberg-Polin said. First thing in the morning, I always say to myself  And now pretend to be human. And I get out of bed and I put on this costume of being a person Its kind of like someones holding a branding iron on your back and you cant let anybody know.

Goldberg-Polin was wearing that costume in her interview last month, though the steely calm written across her face is betrayed by a small piece of masking tape emblazoned across her heart.

The sticker on her gray shirt bears the number of days her son has been held in Gaza  163 when she spoke with NBC News, though it has now been 181.

Its a conversation starter, Goldberg-Polin said, but also a reminder about the unbearable wait that families like hers have to endure. It makes people stop and it makes people really ask and question and push themselves to come up with  how are we allowing this to continue to happen?

Such trauma knocks you completely out of your world like a metaphorical truck that hits you from behind, she said, while healing can come from finding a way to adapt to this new reality.

But Goldberg-Polin is still stuck in limbo.

The problem that all the hostage families are going through is that the truck is still on us, she said.

Hersh Gioldberg Polin parents (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file)

Hamas released more than 100 hostages as part of a cease-fire deal in November, but Goldberg-Polin said that they have had no news on her sons well-being or even proof of life since Oct. 7 besides hearing that he would not be part of that earlier exchange. Truce talks that have taken place since then have not resulted in any new movement on the hostages. Hamas has frequently claimed that some of them have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, and three hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in December, adding to the agony for the families back home.

Goldberg-Polin has taken her advocacy for her son and other hostages to the United Nations and around the world. She has met Pope Francis, tech mogul Elon Musk and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and has also given speeches, attended events and fought to keep the hostages at the top of the international agenda.

But as the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip grows, Goldberg-Polin said that she fears the hostage issue has become conflated with what is happening in the enclave right now.

After more than 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7 attack, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza vowing to wipe out Hamas and rescue the hostages.

Six months later, more than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry, with thousands more feared trapped under the rubble and presumed dead. The assault has precipitated a humanitarian catastrophe and warnings of imminent famine, driving mounting international outrage and accusation of genocide.

Kidnapping of Hersh Goldberg-Polin (Courtesy of the Goldberg-Polin Family)

Goldberg-Polin sees it as innocent people paying the price on both sides, and she doesnt champion the suffering of the other.Im happy that Im upset when I see that the other side is also in pain, that Im not celebrating their pain because that would mean that Im not human anymore, she said.

She said she hopes that there is a mother like her on the other side who may be trying to help Hersh, she said.

Goldberg-Polin read out a poem she wrote, called One Tiny Seed, at the U.N. a few months ago. The poem is about hoping to share tea with mothers in Gaza one day and watching their children live out their lives in peace.

Our sea of tears, they all taste the same, her poem reads.

Goldberg-Polin is convinced that Netanyahus government should compromise in order to stop the suffering on both sides. Getting Hersh and other hostages out will come at a high price for Israel no matter what happens, she added.

But I actually think thats something that we should be proud of, and its something that we should embrace, that we value life and that its who we are, she said.

The price of not bringing the hostages home would be so much higher, Goldberg-Polin said, because then Israel wont be able to recognize itself.

I think that this truck thats been on us, its on our chest, but its on parts of the rest of the country as well  maybe a toe, maybe a finger, maybe an ear lobe, but its on all of us, she added. And we are not going to be able to move on from the trauma of Oct. 7 until all these people are home.

Shira Pinson reported from Jerusalem, Matthew Kwiecinski from Chicago and Yuliya Talmazan from London.
WASHINGTON  New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a notice on Thursday seeking more information about former President Donald Trump's bond for the civil fraud case, which was issued by Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

KSIC is not admitted in New York, and James "takes exception to the sufficiency of the surety to the undertaking" given to Trump without a certificate of qualification being issued to the company, James said in the filing.

James asks that Trump's team or KSIC "file a motion to justify the surety bond," or provide further information about collateral provided by the former president, within 10 days.

Don Hankey, the chairman of KSIC, said the $175 million bond posted Monday was fully collateralized by cash from Trumps company.

Neither KSIC nor Trump's lawyers immediately responded to NBC News' request for comment on Thursday night. The New York attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment either.

NBC News previously reported that Hankey had been negotiating to post a $557 million bond with the Trump Organization when a state appeals court ruled on March 25 that the bond would be reduced to $175 million.

He looks forward to vindicating his rights on appeal and overturning this unjust verdict, said Trumps attorney Alina Habba on Monday when the bond was posted.

In February, Trump's team appealed the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him and his company. He could be responsible for the entire amount issued by Judge Arthur Engoron's order, which was entered in February, if his appeal fails.

A bond hearing for the civil fraud trial is scheduled for April 22.
The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys wants to delay the fraught rollout of eCourts, the states new electronic filing system for the judicial system.

Citing issues with delayed processing and the release of contact information for victims of domestic violence, the conferences general counsel, Chuck Spahos, told lawmakers at a committee meeting on Thursday that the eCourts rollout should be paused until these problems are resolved.

Ryan Boyce, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, said his agency and Chief Justice Paul Newby oppose a delay.

Slowing down that increase of public access to justice, I think is harmful, he said.

ECourts is launching across North Carolina in phases. Its already out in 17 counties, including in the Triangle and Mecklenburg, and is set to expand to another 10 counties on April 29.

The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer have reported on complaints about its performance, including from people who say they were mistakenly taken into police custody due to errors, prosecutors, a county clerk  even the leader of the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

The system is meant to move the states courthouses into the modern era. Masses of paper records only available in county courthouses previously are now online and searchable. Lawyers, judges and clerks can do much of their work from computers now.

Since the phased rollout began in February 2023, complaints have continued to mount about the softwares sluggish performance that in some cases slowed courtroom operations to a crawl  or shut them down altogether.

For months the News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer have asked for a chance to interview AOC staff about a myriad of eCourts concerns. The office has only sent emailed statements in response.

Attorneys, clerks and judges were present at the meeting on Thursday, sharing their experiences with eCourts to lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety.

Spencer Merriweather, the district attorney for Mecklenburg County, told the committee that the new system has made it easier for the personal information of domestic violence victims to be accessed online.

Signs annoucing eCourts coming soon are displayed throughtout the Mecklenburg County Courthouse on Sept. 21, 2023. Software from Tyler Technologies, eCourts, launched in Mecklenburg County in October. It was piloted in Wake, Harnett, Johnston and Lee Counties.

The most sensitive identifying information might be redacted, he said. But if its missed  if yet another step and keystroke results in error  victims and witnesses can be exposed to harm and it could chill their continued participation in criminal prosecution.

Boyce said AOC has worked to remove victim information in case details. He also noted that contact information for complainants in cases has always been public information.

Several Superior Court clerks told lawmakers that while there had been issues with the rollout, they still supported the states switch to a digital filing system.

I believe weve moved from an archaic system into a state-of-the-art system, Michelle Ball, the clerk of Superior Court in Johnston County, said.

Some lawmakers on the committee voiced their displeasure with the eCourts rollout, with Sen. Warren Daniel, a Burke County Republican, questioning whether it would be possible to keep the system but end the relationship with the developer, Tyler Technologies, when the states over $100 million contract ends.

They built us this car, their contract ends in 2029, he said. So could we keep the car and if we wanted a different mechanic to keep it running, could we do that, or is it proprietary to Tyler? Could we have our own in-house IT department that was keeping the car running?

That would likely be impossible, Boyce said.

Were essentially leasing a car, but paying for customizations, he said. So if we were going to move on, I dont think we could keep their software because we would lose that licensing access.

A federal lawsuit is also targeting eCourts, alleging that the system is making it take longer for people to be released from jail than it should. Also, some people have been arrested multiple times on the same warrants, it alleges. North Carolina clerks and sheriffs are also named as defendants.
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Omans capital of Muscat is set to get an expansive $1.3 billion waterfront development, designed by globally renowned Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA).

The 3.3 million square-meter Al Khuwair Muscat Downtown and Waterfront development will include a residential complex, a marina, a cultural district, numerous canal walkways and a ministerial campus. Work is set to start at the end of this year and the area is expected to house more than 60,000 people when completed.

ZHAs associate director, architect Paolo Zilli, told CNN he spent around a year finalizing the model he presented to Omans Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.

Central to ZIllis design was facilitating access to public transport. The vision is actually to remove all the cars, to remove all the fences and to create a campus of the ministry with many functions that can attract families and a new generation, he said.

ZHA says it will encourage pedestrians by providing shading and passive cooling, and incorporate infrastructure to improve cycling safety. The use of onsite solar power will be maximized and native plant species will be conserved and restored.

The development, shown in this render, will cover 3.3 million square meters. - Oman Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning

Omans economy has long depended on oil, but it is now investing heavily in real-estate projects to drive more foreign investment, and ultimately boost non-oil revenues, part of the countrys National Vision 2040 strategy. In Muscat, the population is projected to increase from 1.5 million to 2.7 million by that year.

There are a lot of changes, Dr. Khalfan bin Saeed bin Mubarak al-Shueili, Omans Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, told CNN. We [are] going to change the economy based on talent and capability skills and maybe also the digital sector.

In Muscat itself, we anticipate the requirement of another 300,000 homes. And if we are doing good, then  this probably could expand to 600,000 homes.

UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects is named after its storied founder, who in 2004 became the first woman to win architectures highest honor, the Pritzker Prize. She died in 2016, having designed high-profile buildings from Guangzhou Opera House, in China, to the Phaeno science centre in Wolfsburg, Germany. Since then, ZHAs designs include the BEEAH Headquarters in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, which is partly powered by Tesla battery packs, and in 2022 it unveiled plans for a virtual city in the metaverse, intended to be a cyber libertarian utopia.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - Comments by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about expulsions of Russians from NATO headquarters referred to incidents from recent years, not recent months, as originally reported by German daily Bild, the alliance said on Friday.

Bild also issued a correction to its report, clarifying that Stoltenberg had not mentioned a timeframe when talking about the expulsions in an interview with the German outlet.

"Russia suspended its mission to NATO in October 2021. In an interview with Bild this week, the Secretary General referred to steps taken over recent years," a NATO official said.

In the interview, Stoltenberg said: "We have seen that Russian intelligence services have operated across European countries for many years. Were also seeing attempts to step up their activities but of course, NATO allies are monitoring, following this very closely."

He said NATO "expelled, for instance, Russian personnel from NATO headquarters because we realized that they were carrying out activities that were not actually diplomatic work, but intelligence work."

In October 2021, NATO said it had expelled eight members of Russia's mission to the alliance who were "undeclared Russian intelligence officers".

(Writing by Friederike Heine and Andrew Gray, Editing by Andrey Sychev and Nick Macfie)
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that concerns are growing over the global economic fallout from China's excess manufacturing capacity, as she kicked off a four-day visit to China.

China is too large to export its way to rapid growth and would benefit by reducing excess industrial capacity which is pressuring other economies, Yellen said in remarks to an audience of about 40 representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Guangzhou.

Yellen is expected to focus on the issue in a series of meetings with Chinese officials this week.

"Overcapacity isn't a new problem, but it has intensified, and we're seeing emerging risks in new sectors," Yellen said, saying she would raise the concern in the meetings.

Yellen and other Biden administration officials are growing increasingly concerned about China's overproduction of electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors and other goods that are flooding into global markets in the face of a demand slump in China's domestic market. She plans to argue that this is not healthy for China and is hurting producers in other countries.

While Sino-U.S. tensions over a range of issues have been escalating, Yellen highlighted areas of cooperation between Washington and Beijing.

She said a financial working group representing both sides had been working on steps to contain the financial risks from a potential bank failure in either economy.

"We've held technical exchanges between our sides, including an exercise on how we would jointly deal with the failure of a large bank in the U.S. or in China," Yellen said, without providing additional detail on the findings of that review.

China has set an ambitious economic growth target of 5 percent for 2024, fueled in part by more investment in new high-technology sectors as the economy struggles to overcome a property crisis and weak consumer demand. But many economists say China's growth model needs a major overhaul to boost domestic consumption and reduce its traditional heavy reliance on investment.

Yellen met earlier on Friday with Guangdong Province Governor Wang Weizhong and was scheduled to meet Vice Premier He Lifeng. Yellen told Wang that U.S. companies and workers needed a "level playing field," and that Washington and Beijing must maintain open and direct communications on areas where they disagree.

"This includes the issue of China's industrial capacity, which the United States and other countries are concerned can cause global spillovers," Yellen said.

Some trade experts see the increased U.S. criticism of China's production-focused, subsidy and debt-driven economic model as an initial step towards raising U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs and clean energy goods to protect U.S. industry.

Yellen has shied away from raising any threats of new trade barriers, but said during her journey to Guangzhou she will not rule out more actions to protect a fledgling American supply chain for EVs, batteries, solar power and other goods from cut-price Chinese imports.

The Treasury is not expecting a major shift in Chinese policy as a result of Yellen's visit, but U.S. officials believe it was important to explain the risks that overinvestment in some sectors - and relatively weak consumer demand in China - present to both China's economy and its trading partners.

Yellen said on Friday that part of her aim in meeting Chinese officials was to establish "resilient communication channels" between the two governments.

In addition to financial system risks, Yellen said the United States and China were working together to crack down on money laundering and in areas like climate change.

China state media pushes back

Chinese state media have pushed back against Yellen's message about the risks of excess capacity in China, saying it was an example of a double standard.

"While it is just basic economics that surplus products naturally seek out markets elsewhere once domestic demand is met, and Western nations have been doing that for centuries, when it comes to China, it becomes an 'overcapacity problem' threatening the world," the China Daily said.

Yellen's meetings, which continue in Beijing on Saturday through Monday, come just after U.S. Commerce Department and Chinese Commerce Ministry officials met in Washington on Thursday.

The top U.S. official in those talks, Commerce Undersecretary Marisa Lago, also raised "strong concerns regarding growing overcapacity in a range of Chinese industrial sectors," the department said in a statement.

China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen raised concerns about U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, sanctions and what he called the unfair treatment of Chinese companies due to national restrictions by the United States.

"The economic and trade relations between China and the United States should be a stabilizing force," Wang said, according to a statement from the commerce ministry. (Reuters)
Scoop gives a new perspective on one of the most famous interviews of the century (Netflix)

By now, we are all familiar with the grim, absurd details of Prince Andrews 2019 Newsnight interview. Yes, he claimed he couldnt have had sex with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre because he was at a Pizza Express in Woking. Yes, he insisted he was physically unable to sweat after an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands war. And yes, he said he had visited convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in New York because he hadnt wanted to take the chickens way out and dump his old friend over the phone.

But what the new Netflix film Scoop shows us, for the first time on screen, is the nail-biting behind-the-scenes operation to get the story. It shows us how the BBC convinced Andrew to agree to an interview so disastrous that it resulted in the duke stepping back from royal duties and eventually being stripped of his military titles and patronages.

The movie is based on the memoir of former Newsnight booker Sam McAlister, who negotiated and secured the interview. McAlister  with her distinctive dress sense (big gold hoops, leopard-print boots)  is portrayed in the film by Billie Piper. Then theres the face of Newsnight, a coiffed, low-voiced Gillian Anderson as presenter Emily Maitlis, alongside a prosthetic-covered Rufus Sewell as Andrew and a wide-eyed Keeley Hawes as his then private secretary, Amanda Thirsk.

Whether its the insight that Scoop offers into Maitliss psyche, or the subplot about the dogged British photographer who captured Epstein and Andrews walk in the park, the film gives a new perspective on one of the most famous interviews of the century. But some moments in Scoop seem too wild to be true. So, what is fact and what is fiction in the film? Weve unravelled what really happened below...

Who was photographer Jae Donnelly?

The opening shot in Scoop is not what youd expect. Theres no sign of Maitlis shuffling her papers at the start of Newsnight, nor do we see McAlister chasing leads around London  the film instead begins with young British photographer Jae Donnelly scrambling to get the photo of Epstein and Andrew together in New York that would change everything.

Donnelly (Connor Swindells) is central to the story of how the interview came to be. What we dont learn in the film is that he is a hostile-environment-trained photographer, who views his jobs as missions and his photographs as evidence. A 2021 Vanity Fair feature detailed how he learned endurance under pressure, during a week of intense military-style training in Virginia, where he and a group were taken hostage ... with explosives going off and bags put over our heads ... and marched through forest. After the training was complete, he said, he could be trusted and insured to go to these places and cover the dangerous stuff.

Connor Swindells as Jae Donnelly, the man who captured the photo that changed everything (Netflix)

As we see in the film, on the afternoon of Sunday 5 December 2010, Donnelly was waiting outside Epsteins seven-storey, 40-room Manhattan mansion, with News of the World reporter Annette Witheridge. The pair saw Epstein and Andrew emerge from the building, but struggled to get a clear shot of them, so followed them to Central Park in a black SUV. Donnelly jumped out to race after them on foot, but because he couldnt get close to the two men without being spotted by their bodyguards, he clambered onto a high rock overlooking Epstein and Andrews path.

It was there, teetering on a rock, that Donnelly took the photo of Prince Andy and the Paedo  as the News of the World headline read  meaning that the pair could never deny knowing each other. The existence of the photo also meant that, in the Newsnight interview nine years later, Andrew would have to answer why he was spending time with the financier after Epstein had pleaded guilty to child sex charges and served 13 months behind bars.

Did Prince Andrews PR guru really quit?

In Scoop, we meet Jason Stein, a PR guru brought in just weeks before Andrews Newsnight interview to help put the royals Playboy Prince reputation to bed, as it were. His plan had been to invite friendly journalists into Buckingham Palace for meet-ups with the prince, so they could get to know him and have a chance to warm to him. But when he hears that the dukes private secretary, Thirsk, is working behind his back with Newsnights McAlister to organise a filmed interview, he dramatically quits, declaring Im out!

In reality, Stein had indeed been hired to help Andrew in September, just weeks before the Newsnight interview took place in November. That same month, he had lost his previous job as a special adviser to Amber Rudd, after she quit as work and pensions secretary.

According to The Times, Stein left his role in Andrews office by mutual consent, after advising the duke not to speak to Newsnight, warning it could backfire. He was right  it has gone down as one of the most disastrous PR moves in the 21st century.

Does Emily Maitlis have a whippet called Moody?

Everywhere Maitlis goes in Scoop, so too goes her grey whippet Moody. The film shows the journalist and her pooch wearing matching blue knitwear on a run. We also see the dog present during rehearsals for the big interview. And we see Moody being brought into the Newsnight studio itself  on a short lead. Three women and a whippet? Wouldnt have seen that in a BBC studio when I started, quips Maitlis.

Three women and a whippet: Emily Maitlis does have a dog named Moody in real life (Netflix)

The real Maitlis does have a whippet called Moody. And she did often bring him to work. As one BBC insider told the Daily Mail: Emily loves that dog so much, and he would often be at her side when she came to work. It was just one of those things that happened.

But the constant presence of Moody the newshound at Maitliss side hasnt always gone down well. In the summer of 2019, just months before the Newsnight interview, Maitlis was photographed with her laptop at a table on a GWR train with her whippet curled up on the seat beside her. Newsnights Emily Maitlis slammed for letting dog sleep on seat of packed train ran a Daily Mirror headline at the time.

Maitlis nicknames the pooch Moods  and he can be seen all over her Instagram feed, enjoying wet walks on the beach.

Does Andrew have a teddy collection?

According to Scoop, Andrew never grew out of teddies. In the film, we see dozens of them piled up on his bed in Buckingham Palace, and at one point he scolds a female aide for putting a fluffy kangaroo back in the wrong place.

In 2022, it was revealed in The Sun that the dukes teddy collection was so big it took a whole day for staff to be trained how to arrange them. The newspaper reported claims from Andrews former maid Charlotte Briggs, who said he had a total of 72 soft toys that had to be painstakingly placed in size order every morning.

Briggs, who worked for Andrew in the Nineties  when the duke was in his thirties  said: As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies and it was drilled into me how he wanted them. I even had a days training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar.

There have also been reports that there was a laminated diagram showing clear instructions on the correct placement of each teddy.

Was Andrew really friends with Jimmy Savile?

One of the strangest scenes in the film sees Andrew tell an astonished Maitlis: I dont know why everyones so upset about my friendship with Epstein  I knew Jimmy Savile so much better.

While it is unknown whether Andrew and Savile were close, it is true that the duke was called on to help in an episode of Jimll Fix It after an eight-year-old girl asked if she could visit a warship; Andrew hosted her on the minehunter HMS Cottesmore.

Prince Andrew and Jimmy Savile  it was known that Savile was close to the royal family, particularly Charles (Getty)

The notorious Savile inveigled his way into many of Britains leading institutions, and the royal family was no exception. Prince Charles repeatedly sought Saviles advice, according to claims in the 2022 Netflix documentary Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story. Notes from Charles to Savile uncovered by the documentarys producers showed that, over the course of about 20 years, Savile became an unofficial adviser to the man who would become King.

In one instance, Savile was brought in to give PR advice to the royal family after Andrew made insensitive comments about the Lockerbie bombing during a visit to the disaster site in 1988. The duke had been filmed saying how the disaster involving the Frankfurt-to-Detroit flight was much worse for the Americans, adding: I suppose, statistically, something like this has got to happen at some stage on a town. Of course, it only affects the community in a very small way.

In a five-page, hand-written dossier titled Guidelines for Members of the Royal Family and Their Staffs, which was shown to the late Queen, Savile laid out his vision for how the royal family should respond to significant incidents. He suggested the hiring of a special person with considerable experience in such matters and advised: There must be an incident room with several independent phone lines, teletext etc ... The Queen should be informed in advance of any proposed action by family members.

What happened when Maitlis interviewed Bill Clinton?

In the film, Maitliss regret over not asking Bill Clinton about his affair with Monica Lewinsky is a key driver in her desire to get the Andrew interview right. We see her say that she felt she had let women down by not asking the former president about the White House intern with whom he had a sexual relationship.

It is true that, in 2014, while accompanying Clinton on a trip to India, Maitlis refrained from bringing up Lewinsky. She made the last-minute decision not to ask him about her after Clintons aides told her he had just had a funny turn and said they might pull the interview tapes altogether if anything happens on camera.

Maitlis wrote about the situation in her 2019 book Airhead, saying that suddenly her priority on the day stopped being the Lewinsky question. Instead, she was worrying about whether Clinton would keel over with the cameras rolling. One thing I learnt in that split second: the belief that you have any control is mythical, she wrote. Like those childrens books where you choose your own adventure but ultimately end up at the same place whatever you do.

A coiffed Gillian Anderson portrays Maitlis in the film (Netflix/Channel 4)

In an interview on the podcast Desperately Seeking Wisdom earlier this year, she said: Quite frankly, I should have [asked the question]. You know, I look back, and Im not a brave person physically. Im really pathetic. But generally, in an interview, I dont pull my punches. And so that was an example of where I was actually embedded in the Clinton campaign, we were in the middle of a goat farm in Uttar Pradesh in India. So I didnt have a lot of autonomy to make the interview about Monica Lewinsky.

She continued: Its surprising how little autonomy you have in that situation. You cant sort of have a hissy fit when youre standing on a goat farm... you know, surrounded by the presidents security people.

She said she wrote about the moment in her book because she wanted to give an example that every journalist will understand, of coming away slightly crushed and feeling pathetic and weak because you didnt get to ask the question you wanted to, and that really hurts.

Where is Amanda Thirsk?

Hawes portrays Andrews private secretary as a woman completely spellbound by Andrew, as someone desperate for the world to see the funny and kind man she sees. In Scoop, she is the person who meets with McAlister and presses the duke to agree to the interview.

Thirsk started working as Andrews private secretary in 2012; she was a key part of Andrews all-female inner circle of aides and advisers, dubbed Andys Angels.

Keeley Hawes is Andrews wide-eyed private secretary in Scoop (PA)

In 2020, just two months after the disastrous interview, it was reported that Thirsk had reached a legal settlement to end her employment in the royal household.

She is now working in a senior business development role at JD.com, one of Chinas biggest ecommerce groups.

Was Andrew in the bath when Newsnight was on?

Was Andrew really so relaxed about the Newsnight interview that he was luxuriating in the bath while it aired? Its impossible to know unless you were in Buckingham Palace that night.

But in Scoop, hes shown ensconced in a cloud of suds when his phone begins to flash and bleep as the world reacts to the car-crash interview.

Unfortunately, we see Andrews curiosity get the better of him and he gets out of the bath to fetch his phone. Cue a scene of Sewell (in prosthetics) stepping onto a plush palace rug  pale, dripping and butt-naked.

Scoop is out now on Netflix
DETROIT (AP)  Thomas Gumbleton, a Catholic bishop in Detroit who for decades was an international voice against war and racism and an advocate for labor and social justice, died Thursday. He was 94.

Gumbleton's death was announced by the Archdiocese of Detroit, where he was a clergyman for more than 50 years. A cause was not disclosed.

"Bishop Gumbleton was a faithful son of the Archdiocese of Detroit, loved and respected by his brother priests and the laity for his integrity and devotion to the people he served, said Archbishop Allen Vigneron.

Gumbleton became a national religious figure in the 1960s when he was urged by activist priests to oppose the U.S. role in the Vietnam War. He was a founding leader of Pax Christi USA, an American Catholic peace movement.

Our participation in it is gravely immoral, Gumbleton said of the war, writing in The New York Times. When Jesus faced his captors, He told Peter to put away his sword. It seems to me He is saying the same thing to the people of the United States in 1971.

Gumbleton said if he were a young man drafted into U.S. military service at that time he would go to jail or even leave the country if turned down as a conscientious objector.

His opinions led to hate mail from people who said he was giving comfort to cowards, authors Frank Fromherz and Suzanne Sattler wrote in No Guilty Bystander, a 2023 book about Gumbleton.

The war had become a personal turning point, they wrote.

The archdiocese said he spoke out against war and met victims of violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Colombia, Haiti and Peru.

Gumbleton's activism sometimes led to his arrest at protests in Washington and elsewhere. He was taken away in 1996 while supporting striking newspaper workers in Detroit.

Bishop Gumbleton took the gospel to heart and lived it day in and day out. He preferred to speak the truth and to be on the side of the marginalized than to toe any party line and climb the ecclesiastical ladder," Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, said Thursday.

Gumbleton retired from active ministry in 2006, the archdiocese said.

He was ordained a priest in 1956 and promoted to auxiliary bishop in 1968. He worked at numerous parishes but was best known for 20-plus years of leadership at St. Leo in Detroit, which had a large Black congregation.

A newspaper, National Catholic Reporter, regularly published his sermons in a column called The Peace Pulpit.

In 2006, Gumbleton spoke in favor of legislation in Colorado and Ohio to give sexual abuse victims more time to file lawsuits. He disclosed that he was inappropriately touched by a priest decades earlier.

Gumbleton in 2021 joined a Catholic cardinal and a group of other bishops in expressing public support for LGBTQ+ youth and denouncing the bullying often directed at them.

In the preface to No Guilty Bystander, Gumbleton urged readers to be publicly engaged by defending democracy, supporting LGBTQ+ rights or choosing another cause.

Lest all of this seem overwhelming, he wrote, the important thing is to recognize that each of us has a small part to play in the whole picture.

___

Follow Ed White on X at https://twitter.com/edwritez
LOME (Reuters) - Nine Togolese politicians who were running a campaign against a new constitution that could allow President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his 19-year rule have been arrested, a spokesperson for an opposition coalition said on Thursday.

Opposition voices are growing in the tiny phosphate-producing West African nation over constitutional reform that could change the way the president is elected.

Some members of the opposition coalition were detained on Wednesday afternoon while they were campaigning against the constitution at a market in the suburbs of Togolese capital Lome, spokesperson Thomas Nsoukpoe said.

Others were detained at night during a meeting at the house of a coalition member.

Togo's opposition parties started their campaign after the national assembly adopted the new constitution that lengthens presidential terms by one year to 6 from 5 while limiting the number of terms to one.

Under the new constitution, which introduces a parliamentary system of government, the president will no longer be elected by universal suffrage, but by members of parliament.

The constitution does not take into account the time already spent in office, which could enable Faure Gnassingbe to stay in power until 2031 if he is re-elected in 2025.

In reaction to opposition voices, the president's office on Wednesday announced nationwide consultations on the revision of the constitution, and delayed parliamentary and regional elections initially scheduled for April 20.

Several parties condemned this decision and called for demonstrations on April 11, 12 and 13.

"As the electorate has been convened by decree, it is not possible to suspend the electoral campaign and postpone the elections by means of a simple announcement," they said in a statement on Thursday.

The presidency did not immediately reply to Reuters requests for comment on the arrests made on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Alice Lawson; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Tom Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) -Fighting raged on Friday between Ukrainian and Russian forces near the town of Chasiv Yar, a Ukrainian stronghold in the east, but Kyiv denied that Moscow's troops had reached the suburbs.

Russian forces are inching forward in eastern Ukraine after capturing the bastion town of Avdiivka in February. Kyiv's soldiers are trying to dig in, facing long-term shortages of artillery shells with U.S. aid stuck in Congress.

Ukraine has needed the U.S. arms package for months in its fight with a much larger and better armed foe, and had hoped House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson would unveil an aid bill next week that would clear the Republican-controlled chamber.

But Republican infighting has created pressure to postpone it again.

A rapid Russian advance on Chasiv Yar, a heavily fortified town with a pre-war population of 12,200 situated west of the ruined, Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut, would be a grim setback for Kyiv.

Russia controls around 18% of Ukrainian territory and has stepped up its long-range strikes on energy infrastructure in recent weeks, causing large-scale outages.

Russia's RIA news agency cited an official as saying Russian troops had entered the suburbs of the town, which Moscow sees as an important staging point for Kyiv's troops.

Andriy Zadubinnyi, spokesman for Ukraine's eastern military command said the report was untrue and that fighting continued. He told Reuters the situation was "tense".

On Thursday, Serhiy Chaus, the mayor, said the situation in Chasiv Yar was at its most difficult since Russia began its full-scale invasion more than two years ago, in comments broadcast by the Espreso TV channel.

RUSSIAN WARPLANES DESTROYED, UKRAINE SAYS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukraine had managed to stabilise its positions and that "given the shortage of shells and a significant slowdown in supplies, these results are really good".

Zelenskiy has said Russia may mount a new offensive in late May or summer, but that Kyiv has a battle plan of its own.

As Ukraine has gone onto the defensive, it has deployed hundreds of long-range drones to attack targets deep inside Russia.

A Kyiv intelligence source told Reuters that Ukraine's SBU security service and military had attacked an air base at Morozovsk in the adjoining Rostov region, destroying six Russian warplanes.

Reuters could not independently verify the claim. The source did not say how the attack was conducted but said eight more warplanes had also been damaged.

Russia's RIA news agency cited the Russian defence ministry earlier as saying air defences had downed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them over the Rostov region.

The source said the air base had been used by Russian tactical bombers that had fired guided bombs at Ukraine.

(Additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by)
By Serhiy Chalyi

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Russia fired five missiles on Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday, killing at least four people, injuring 20 and damaging residential buildings and industrial facilities, the regional governor said.

Two journalists covering the aftermath of the strikes were among those wounded in the city, which is near the frontline in the war with Russian forces.

Reuters TV footage showed reporters rushing to help colleagues lying injured on the ground before emergency crews arrived.

"What marks today's strikes: first, there were two missile strikes, and then, about 40 minutes later, there were other strikes at the same place - just as rescuers, police started working," Ivan Fedorov said on national TV.

The local prosecutor's office said 20 people were wounded. They included a nine-year old boy. Four were in hospital in grave condition.

Fedorov said at least three apartment blocks, 10 private houses, shops and an unidentified industrial facility were damaged.

Reuters TV footage showed journalists scurrying down a residential street with explosions resounding behind them and clouds of black smoke rising.

They dropped their equipment to administer first aid to a prone female colleague with leg and arm wounds before an emergency crew arrived to take her away in an ambulance.

A second crew picked up another reporter with abdominal wounds and rushed down the street to a waiting ambulance.

Crews also encountered the body of a victim lying next to a pool of blood. At least two cars in the street were engulfed in flames.

Images shared by Fedorov and the interior ministry, captured shattered windows of a cafe and a small shop.

Ukraine's air force issued a ballistic missile raid alert for the region, part of which is occupied by Russia. Moscow has recently stepped up usage of ballistic missiles that are harder to intercept.

Northeastern Kharkiv region was also under intense air attack in the afternoon, according to local media and regional officials. There was no immediate reports of casualties.

Earlier, Russian officials accused Ukraine of attacking the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is located southwest of the city of Zaporizhzhia and is occupied by Russian troops.

The Russian state-run RIA news agency quoted the facility press service as saying Ukrainian military drones attacked the power plant but caused no damage to its critical infrastructure.

Reuters could not independently verify the alleged incident.

In the past, each side in the two-year-old conflict has accused the other of shelling the plant, none of whose six reactors are operating.

(Writing by Yuliia DysaEditing by Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry, Ron Popeski and Sandra Maler)
President Joe Biden put his own and Americas credibility on the line in trying to change how Israel is fighting in Gaza.

Now, he waits to see how far Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will yield to the most significant tonal and strategic shift by his administration since the start of the war.

If Netanyahu declines to take the specific, concrete and measurable steps in Gaza to ease civilian suffering and protect aid workers that Biden requested Thursday, the US president will face a critical choice. Is he prepared to allow Netanyahu to prolong his defiance on an issue that is creating a huge political risk in his reelection year with young, progressive and Arab American voters outraged over the war?

Or will Biden take the momentous step of conditioning the terms of US support for Israel in a war that was triggered by Hamas terror attacks in Israel that killed 1,200 people?

In one early sign that Bidens message may be getting through, the Israeli security cabinet late Thursday approved steps including the reopening of the Erez crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip for the first time since the October 7 attacks, an Israeli official told CNN. The move could allow humanitarian aid to flow more easily into Gaza as famine looms.

But a sustained Israeli pivot will be needed in the days ahead  one that survives potential escalations in the war against Hamas  to ease criticism of Netanyahu and to mitigate Bidens own domestic political exposure.

A high-stakes call between Biden and Netanyahu on Thursday followed the deaths of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in an Israeli strike in Gaza. The tragedy appeared to galvanize more outrage than the killing of what the Gaza health ministry says are more than 30,000 people in the enclave, where Hamas embeds its forces in civilian areas.

It was an important moment because for the first time, the US is raising the prospect of conditionality in its so-far staunch support for Israel, by warning that its policy on Gaza could change without swift action by Netanyahu. Biden also called for an immediate ceasefire, officials said.

If we do not see changes we need to see, there will be changes in our policy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after the call. The administration did not lay out how the US stance could change, although prominent Democrats are now speaking openly about imposing limits on how the Israel Defense Forces can use weapons manufactured in the United States. Among them is Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, who is close to the president. The senators signal on Thursday that he was open to conditioning arms sales was the latest public statement by a senior Democrat that sounded like a warning to Biden that his political position is becoming unsustainable.

In Brussels on Friday, Blinken called for an independent investigation into the aid convoy strike, saying the US wanted to see accountability in the matter. Israel has said it believed it was targeting Hamas operatives and announced on Friday that two military commanders have been dismissed.

Despite repeatedly expressing its frustration with Israeli tactics, the White House has been unwilling or unable to impose any leverage on the prime minister. This fresh attempt to do so therefore crossed a significant line and if the new US push doesnt deliver results, tensions between the allies are likely to become even more acute.

An attempt to ease political heat

Bidens need to demonstrate to sectors of his Democratic coalition that he was imposing pressure on the Israelis, in a week when a Palestinian American physician walked out of a listening session on the war with the president, was evident in the way the administration presented the results of the call.

Blinken, who was in Brussels, held a televised press conference, speaking to Americans back home as well as US allies who have been far more ready to rebuke Israel for the conduct of the war than Biden. Then at the White House, National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby took up the baton, stressing that the US wanted to see changes from Israel  including the opening of more aid corridors into Gaza and measures to protect civilians  implemented straight away.

Its unusual for an administration to brief a call with a foreign leader so fulsomely and publicly. Usually, the White House issues a statement offering few useful details of a conversation. This time, however, the administration was determined to control the narrative and defined what happened before Israel offered its own version of events. Biden didnt appear before television cameras but posted a photo on X in which he stared pensively at a telephone during the call with a pen to his lips. Israel must implement steps to address civilian harm and the safety of workers  and work toward a ceasefire to bring hostages home, the president wrote. This coordinated public diplomacy underlined the gravity of a US shift. But it also increased the cost to Washington if Netanyahu doesnt play along.

Leon Panetta, a former White House chief of staff, CIA director and defense secretary, told CNNs Jake Tapper on Thursday that he believed the administrations drawing of a line with Israel could be effective and that it was important Biden called for a ceasefire. This war has gone on for almost six months, and I think to some extent, I think President Biden and Netanyahu have been talking past each other when it comes to their concerns. I think that has changed.  I hope that has changed, he said.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has been speaking out against Israels strategy in Gaza, said that American taxpayer dollars should not be complicit in allowing Israel to kill innocent people. The bottom line, we are looking at one of the worst humanitarian disasters that we have seen in a very, very long time, the Vermont senator told Tapper. To my mind, Israel should not be getting another nickel in military aid until these policies are fundamentally changed, Sanders said. Hamas began this war, they are a terrorist organization, but the United States is not funding Hamas, we are funding Israel  what has got to be made clear to Israel is that you can go to war against Hamas, but you cannot continue these horrific actions.

Netanyahus choice

Netanyahu, who has been in power for much of the last quarter century and is an extraordinary political survivor, has a long record of defying US pressure  one reason why dealing with him has been so treacherous for American presidents.

There was no immediate response from the prime minister, who held a cabinet meeting after the call that he used to warn that Israel will defend itself against Iran. The Islamic Republic issued warnings of retaliation after two senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers were killed in a strike in Damascus that the United States has attributed to Israel. The Israeli government put its forces on a state of high alert Thursday, and suspended leave for combat units. We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle of whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them, Netanyahu said.

While the telephone call with Biden laid bare differences between the Israelis and the Americans, the administration also made a point of stressing that the US support for Israels security was inviolate. They did talk about a very public and very viable real threat by Iran to Israels security, Kirby said. Blinken, meanwhile, stressed that President Biden reaffirmed the United States strong support for Israel in the face of these threats and our commitment to Israels security.

Tensions have not been rising between the Israeli prime minister and Biden because of a personal disconnect. The two are veteran politicians who have known one another for years. Rather the presidents political interests  and arguably US national security interests  are diverging with those of Netanyahu. Biden has a strong incentive for the war to end, given the political blowback he is facing from within his fragile coalition in key states that will decide the 2024 election. Many Washington observers believe that Netanyahu has an incentive to prolong the conflict, given that an election is likely when the intensity of conflict cools. At that point, the focus will also turn to accountability for the worst terror attack in modern Israeli history and a period that is likely to be damning for Netanyahu, who presented himself to Israelis as the ultimate guarantor of their security.

One of the most notable features of Netanyahus strategy in recent months has been his unwillingness to pay even symbolic lip service to US needs given the political price that Biden is paying in return for his staunch support for Israel. On one hand, that is not surprising. For many Israelis, the horror of the October terror attacks and the depravity of an enemy that wants to wipe it off the map has overshadowed other considerations. Netanyahu, who has tracked far to the right over his career, also runs the most conservative government in Israeli history and is dependent on several extreme Orthodox parties to remain in power. The Israeli prime minister is a consummate Washington player and has been engaging with Bidens Republican foes on Capitol Hill, in an alliance that could increase political complications for the president if he creates deeper fractures with the Israeli prime minister. Reinforcing the synergy between Netanyahu and the GOP, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned in a post on X, The Presidents ultimatums should be going to Hamas, not Israel.

Still, Israel is becoming increasingly isolated internationally, and US support has rarely been so critical. Netanyahu would be taking a huge risk of his own if he openly defies public requests of a US president. A planned Israeli offensive in Rafah, which the US has warned must not go ahead until civilians are safeguarded, now looms as a potential breaking point between the two leaders.

If Biden eventually assesses his warnings are falling on deaf ears, his credibility will depend on him publicly imposing a cost on the Israeli prime minister. He will do so with a heavy heart, given his deep emotional bond with Israel.

But Bidens political imperatives and the increasing humanitarian price of the war in Gaza mean hes approaching a fateful crossroads. And now Netanyahu will decide which path he will take.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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MANILA (Reuters) -A trilateral summit between the leaders of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines will include a discussion of recent incidents in the South China Sea, Manila's foreign ministry said on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden will host next week Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss economic relations and the Indo-Pacific.

The summit set for next week is not directed at any country, Philippines' acting foreign affairs undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban told a press conference, although the three countries have expressed concern about China's growing aggressiveness in the region.

"We can expect an alignment of views among the three countries on the recent incidents," Siriban said, adding they are expected to come up with a "joint vision statement" on their diplomatic relations.

Siriban said Biden and Marcos will separately hold a bilateral meeting ahead of the trilateral summit.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, policed by an armada of coastguard vessels, some more than 1,000 km (620 miles) away from its mainland.

The Philippines and China have had a series run-ins at sea and heated exchanges in the past year over disputed maritime features, including an incident last month where China used water cannon to disrupt a Philippine supply mission to soldiers stationed in a grounded warship in a South China Sea shoal.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Writing by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Stephen Coates)
By Deisy Buitrago

CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuela's government will allow six aides of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado who are currently at the Argentine embassy in Caracas to travel safely to Argentina, a government source said on Friday.

The aides, including campaign manager Magalli Meda, previously tipped as a potential replacement for Machado in this year's presidential election, sought protection at the embassy in March after the attorney general's office announced warrants for their arrest.

"We have granted safe passage to those six people. We are waiting for Argentina to take them to Buenos Aires," the government source said. "The Venezuelan government has exceptionally allowed them to leave the country for humanitarian reasons."

While the aides will be allowed to leave, the criminal case against them will continue, the source added.

Venezuela's attorney general Tarek Saab said in March that two people close to Machado had been arrested, while seven other members of her team had warrants out for their detention. The arrests and warrants were for alleged involvement in planned conspiracies, Saab said.

Machado has denied any allegations of misconduct by her team.

She told journalists that safe passage for the aides was "being managed between the foreign ministries of Argentina and Venezuela," offering no further details.

Last week, the office of Argentine President Javier Milei said it was concerned about the persecution of political opposition leaders in Venezuela, shortly after Argentina confirmed the six people were at the embassy.

Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino told an event on Friday that Milei's government was working to bring the six aides to Argentina.

"We're working on it, it's not so easy," Mondino said.

Venezuela's opposition is subsumed in internal negotiations about how to run a candidate in the July 28 election and who that candidate could be.

Machado, who resoundingly won the opposition primaries last October, cannot run because she is barred from holding public office, a decision she says is unfair. Machado named Corina Yoris as her successor, but the 80-year-old academic was also unable to register her candidacy.

Two opposition candidates were able to register and possible substitutes can be named until April 20.

At least six other people from Machado's team have been arrested since January.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago, additional reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas in Caracas and Lucila Sigal in Buenos Aires; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Rosalba O'Brien)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) launched a fundraising campaign Wednesday, using former President Trumps attacks against her from earlier this week.

I just want to make sure you heard: Donald Trump was just in Michigan. He spent his time here launching personal attacks and lies against me, Whitmer wrote in a fundraising pitch for the Fight Like Hell PAC. He attacks me time and time again because he fears what I have done  and will do  to stand up to him and his extremist allies.

Trump, speaking from Grand Rapids, Mich., Tuesday, called Whitmer a terrible governor in a discussion about illegal immigration.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a real beauty she is  I had to deal with her in COVID, Trump said, adding later, But shes not pushing Michigan families to accept $500 a month to take illegal aliens into your homes  they dont say this for our veterans or on the street. They dont say this for other people, but they say it for migrants coming in because they want them to vote probably.

He accused President Biden and Whitmer of stealing peoples money for housing migrants, calling it so crazy.

Shes a terrible governor. By the way, your streets are bad, your everythings bad, he said. She used to the come to the White House, she was so nice and then she goes, Hey, I dont like that man. I say, Wait a minute? I was very nice, wasnt I?'

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Whitmer called Trumps remarks gross and asked her followers to donate to ensure Trump NEVER returns to the White House. She argued the former president is terrified of the grassroots movement.

Trumps speech in Grand Rapids levied a series of attacks against Bidens border policies and the U.S. southern border situation. In doing so, he resurrected the term bloodbath, describing what he believes is a country overrun by migrants.

But its a border bloodbath, and its destroying our country, and its a very bad thing happening. Its going to end on the day that I take office, the former president said, vowing to carry out the largest deportation effort in history.

In a discussion about what he believes to be a link between illegal immigration and crime, Trump referenced the murder of Ruby Garcia, who was allegedly killed last month in Grand Rapids. Police arrested Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 25, who told authorities he got into an argument with Garcia and shot her multiple times before dumping her body on the side of the road, The Associated Press reported.

Ortiz-Vite, a citizen of Mexico, came to the U.S. illegally as a child, but was protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson told The Hill.

His DACA status expired in 2019, and upon being arrested on local charges in 2020, he was ordered back to Mexico, but he reentered the U.S. without inspection at some point afterward, the spokesperson added.

Trump described Garcia, 25, as a beautiful young woman [who] was savagely murdered by an illegal alien criminal and vowed justice for her killer.

He claimed he met and spoke with Garcias family, though Garcias sister, Mavi Garcia, said he nor anyone from his campaign reached out to her or her family members. She said she was shocked to hear him make that claim and angry to see him politicize her sisters death.

In an interview this week on CNNs The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Whitmer said Trump was attempting to score political points and capitalizing on a horrible tragedy that happened here.

There is a family that is grieving the loss of Ruby Garcia, and she was a real person, with a real story, and its a horrible story that happened, Whitmer said, adding Trump came in to perpetrate the continued storyline that he had done everything to keep us safe, which is baloney.

The Hill reached out to Trumps campaign for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
BEIJING  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen kicked off her first full day of official meetings in China with discussion about overcapacity concerns and encouragement to pursue market-oriented reforms.

Yellen arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou late on Thursday and is set to travel to Beijing on Saturday, where she will stay until Tuesday. It is her second trip to China as Treasury secretary.

It remains crucial to closely communicate on issues of concern such as overcapacity and national security-related economic actions. It is what the world and our citizens expect of us, Yellen said in prepared remarks for her meeting with Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday. He is also director of the office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs.

A healthy economic relationship must provide a level playing field for firms and workers in both countries, she said, adding the two countries need to collaborate on climate change and debt distress in emerging markets.

Yellen and He are expected to have several discussions through Saturday morning. When she travels to Beijing, Yellen is scheduled to meet with Premier Li Qiang, Finance Minister Lan Foan, and Beijing mayor Yin Yong.

Ahead of the meeting with He, Yellen met with Wang Weizhong, governor of Guangdong province, of which Guangzhou is the capital.

Throughout my engagements with my counterparts, I will stress that a healthy economic relationship can bring significant benefits for both our economies, Yellen said in prepared remarks for her meeting with Wang.

Ive also emphasized that building a healthy economic relationship requires a level playing field for American workers and firms, as well as open and direct communication on areas where we disagree, Yellen said. This includes the issue of Chinas industrial overcapacity, which the United States and other countries are concerned can cause global spillovers.

Yellen on Friday also met with representatives from American, European and Japanese businesses.

Overcapacity isnt a new problem, but it has intensified, and were seeing emerging risks in new sectors, Yellen said in prepared remarks at an American Chamber of Commerce in China event in Guangzhou.

Overcapacity also poses challenges for Chinese firms and industries and can impact Chinas productivity and growth, she said. I believe addressing overcapacity  and more generally considering market-based reforms  is in Chinas interest.

Analysts at U.S.-based consulting firm Rhodium Group said in a report in late March that Chinese government support for manufacturing in recent years has resulted in a build-up of production capacity that exceeds domestic demand.

Many Chinese firms are still using overseas markets to make up for lower prices, margins, or even losses on the China market, the report said.

Rhodium Group noted that Beijing has expressed its awareness and called for more guidance in investment to prevent overcapacity. However, the solutions adopted will likely center on retiring obsolete capacity and letting the most uncompetitive companies shut down while continuing to support capacity expansion, innovation, and exports in others, the report said.

Chinas growth potential

Guangdong is one of the largest contributors to Chinas economic growth and home to the city of Shenzhen, a major hub for tech companies and startups. Guangdong is by far the top province in China by value of exports, according to Wind Information.

In recent decades, [Guangzhou] was at the forefront of market-oriented reforms that advanced Chinas economic development and openness, Yellen said in prepared remarks for her meeting with Wang.

And I know this city retains tremendous importance today, including as a key hub for technology and manufacturing, she said.

China is the worlds second-largest economy behind the U.S. Growth in the Asian country has slowed in the wake of a crackdown on property developers high reliance on debt for growth and alleged monopolistic practices by internet platform companies. Uncertainty about Beijings policies for bolstering consumption and growth overall have weighed on business and investor sentiment.

China will likely continue to contribute about a third of the worlds economic growth while increasing its economic footprint, particularly in Asia, Nicholas R. Lardy, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, wrote in Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

If U.S. policymakers underappreciate this, they are likely to overestimate their own ability to sustain the deepening of economic and security ties with Asian partners, he wrote.

U.S.-China tensions

Yellens trip to China comes as both governments have tried to increase communication in what has become an increasingly tense relationship.

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone this week for the first time since their in-person meeting in California in November.

Wang Shouwen, a vice commerce minister and head of international trade negotiations, visited the U.S. from Tuesday to Friday for the first vice-ministerial meeting of a bilateral commerce and trade working group, according to a ministry readout.

Plans for regular meetings of such working groups were announced after Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited China last year.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to make another trip this year, after making a long-delayed visit to China in June 2023.
Ukrainian officials claimed Friday they used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russias Rostov region, while Russian defense officials claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in the attack.

The assault appeared to be one of Kyiv's biggest air attacks in the war , coming as its forces step up their assaults on Russian soil. The Associated Press could not independently verify either side's claims.

Russia has escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Ukraines power plants , in recent weeks, signaling a new and potentially dangerous phase in the conflict as both sides struggle to achieve significant advances on the ground.

The overnight attack targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia and was conducted by Ukraines Security Service in cooperation with the army, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the AP.

They said around 20 members of the airfields personnel were killed or injured. Morozovsk airfield was used by Russian bombers that have been launching guided aerial bombs at Ukraines cities and frontline positions, the officials said.

They spoke on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the operation.

If true, the attack would be among Ukraine's most successful cross-border strikes. Last October, Ukraine claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russian-occupied regions using longe-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States.

Last August, Ukrainian media, citing unidentified intelligence sources, claimed that drone attacks hit parked Russian bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia.

Russias Defense Ministry said a total of 44 drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Morozovsky district, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border. The attack damaged a power substation, Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev said.

The Russian defense ministry said nine more drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Krasnodar and the nearby Saratov region.

Drone warfare is a key feature of the war, which has extended into a third year since Russias full-scale invasion of its neighbor. On the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where fighting is largely bogged down, low-cost drones are used by both sides to knock out expensive military hardware.

The Kremlins forces have used large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones to bombard urban areas of Ukraine. Kyiv, in turn, has developed small but fast-growing defense industry where drones, including deadly unmanned sea vessels , are proving effective.

Russian authorities have long accused Ukraine of launching regular drone attacks on power plants, oil refineries and other targets in western regions of Russia near the border. Last month, Ukraine fired a barrage of 35 drones at such targets, Russia said.

Some attacks have reached deep into Russia , including Moscow and as far as 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) east of Ukraine.

Ukraine cannot match the scale of Russias military, however. Last week, Moscow launched a a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles against Ukraines energy infrastructure, hitting regions across the country.

Meanwhile, Ukraines air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with his top brass focused on the production of attack drones and the manufacture of electronic warfare equipment to intercept incoming drones.

He said late Thursday that the meeting put together clear written agreements with manufacturers, clear financing and clear delivery deadlines.

Authorities will next turn to robust and increasing missile production, he said, as military support from Western partners falls short of what Kyiv hoped for.

Zelenskyy said an assessment of frontline positions found that Ukraine has managed to stabilize our positions despite being outgunned and outnumbered by the Russian army. (AP)
Pauly Shore and The Comedy Store are facing a second lawsuit, alleging assault from the comedy club's bouncers.

Comedian Eliot Preschutti filed a lawsuit against Shore and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles on Thursday, alleging bouncers attacked him on Dec. 15, after he claims he forgot to pay his bar tab, according to documents obtained by People and The Wrap.

Preschutti alleged two bouncers "grabbed" and "detained him" as he left the club to inform him he needed to settle, per the outlets. While outside, the comedian claimed he paid his bill and added a tip, but a bouncer accused him of trying to hit the server.

A group of the club's bouncers proceeded to throw Prescutti "face-down" on the sidewalk and "began to hit and kick him for an appreciable amount of time," the lawsuit alleges.

Pauly Shore and The Comedy Store are being sued for assault and battery.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Shore and The Comedy Store for comment.

According to the outlets, Prescutti said one of the bouncers during the alleged assault "yelled 'this is for Pauly!' "

"At times, their acts became so violent that other bouncers attempted to restrain them," the comedian alleged.

Preschutti is suing for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence after he "suffered severe physical and emotional damages as a result of the beating," per the lawsuit.

An iconic fixture of LA's Sunset Strip, The Comedy Store was founded by Shore's parents, Sammy and Mitzi Shore, and screenwriter Rudy DeLuca in 1972. Mitzi took ownership in 1974, following the couple's divorce. Shore inherited the store in 2018 when his mother died.

Pauly Shore took over ownership of The Comedy Store after his mom Mitzi Shore died in 2018.

Preschutti's lawsuit comes after Sean Kehoe and his daughter Kirra Lyn Potts filed a lawsuit against Shore and The Comedy Store in January.

Shore and The Comedy Store face charges of battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence, among other claims, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court documents obtained by USA TODAY.

Kehoe and Potts alleged in the 17-page complaint that Kehoe was "violently grabbed and attacked," including being dragged, during their November 2022 visit to The Comedy Store's Hollywood location in West Hollywood. The pair claimed the attack was carried out by the establishment's security personnel.

Pauly Shore sued by man for alleged battery and assault at The Comedy Store club

"Shore knew that (the group) planned to assault Kehoe and agreed with and encouraged (them) to assault Kehoe, andShore intended that the assault be committed," the lawsuit read.

As a result of the alleged attack, Kehoe suffered "severe injuries and mental and emotional distress," while Potts underwent "mental and emotional distress" in witnessing her father being injured, per the filing.

USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Shore and The Comedy Store for comment.

Contributing: Edward Segarra, Erin Jensen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pauly Shore, The Comedy Store hit with lawsuit for assault, battery
Sioux Falls Police Department officers and South Dakota Highway Patrol respond to a developing situation Thursday, April 4, 2024, near Cayman Court Assisted Living Facility in the 4100 block of W. Cayman Street in Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls Police Department officers and South Dakota Highway Patrol are responding to a shooting of a man by officers near Cayman Court Assisted Living Facility in northwestern Sioux Falls.

Law enforcement currently have parts of West Cayman Avenue, North Career Avenue and North Potter Avenue closed off to the public. The incident took place in the 4100 block of West Cayman Avenue.

Officers were assisting deputies with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office at a building in the area, and while inside, a man they were looking for threatened officers with a knife, a press release from the police department stated.

"Sioux Falls Police officers used less-lethal munitions in an attempt to stop the threat, but it was unsuccessful," the release states. "Officers were again threatened with a knife and fired a gun at the suspect to stop the threat. The suspect was given first aid and was taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no other injuries to anyone involved."

The release did not state what officers were assisting deputies with ahead of the shooting. It also does not state how many officers may have fired a gun or in condition the man may be.

This is the first shooting involving Sioux Falls Police Department officers this year. Before an October 2021 incident that left a man with a knife dead, there had only been eight "officer-involved shootings" in the city since 2004. As of Thursday, there have been a total of 19. Of those, four have involved the death of a person, according to Argus Leader reporting.

The assisted living facility is part of Southeastern Behavioral HealthCare, but officials with the facility were not immediately available for comment. It's unclear whether incident is directly tied to the facility or a building across the street, as well as whether the man involved is directly tied to the facility.

Yellow crime scene tape can be seen blocking off parts of the parking lot and the street in front of the assisted living facility.

Department spokesman Sam Clemens stated department officials are expected to speak about the incident during the daily police briefing with media Friday. That briefing happens at 10:30 a.m.

Sioux Falls Police Department officers and South Dakota Highway Patrol respond to a developing situation Thursday, April 4, 2024, near Cayman Court Assisted Living Facility in the 4100 block of W. Cayman Street in Sioux Falls.

Officials with South Dakota Highway Patrol referred media back to local law enforcement.

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum has requested the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, which is a division under the South Dakota Attorney General's Office and handles internal investigations involving shootings tied to police, to investigate.

AG Marty Jackley confirmed in a press release DCI would investigate with the help of the Highway Patrol. The release also stated no officers were injured.

"The Sioux Falls Police Department is cooperating with the investigation," the release states. "The DCI will process the crime scene, conduct a forensic examination of all collected evidence, interview officers and witnesses, and review all video cameras from the area."

DCI will issue a summary of its findings once the investigation is complete.

 Argus Leader news director Shelly Conlon contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls police involved in shooting near assisted living facility
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were last seen in the Texas County area over the weekend. Investigators are still searching for the moms, who initially ventured out on the road to pick up their children.

The two Kansas women, who disappeared over the weekend, are still missing, with investigators announcing Wednesday that they suspect foul play.

Veronica Butler, 27 and Jilian Kelley, 39, have not been seen since they left together to pick up children in Oklahoma. The car they were last seen driving was found abandoned near a highway in Texas County, Oklahoma, in the state's panhandle between Kansas and Texas, according to previous USA TODAY reports.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Sunday they were asked by another local law enforcement agency in the area to investigate the suspicious disappearance. The agency said that they found evidence to indicate foul play based on a recent search of the abandoned car.

We are still searching for these victims and there are no arrests at this time. We ask that anyone with additional information to contact us, OSBI said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Hunter McKee, an OSBI spokesperson told USA TODAY that the investigation is ongoing. Additional information about the case was not made available Thursday morning.

McKee said the women are believed to be "in danger," since no one has heard from them in days and their vehicle was last seen in "a very rural area of the state as well, according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital

A timeline of events so far

 March 30: Texas County, Oklahoma, Sheriffs Department posts missing poster on social media, providing details about the womens physical appearance and photos.

 March 31: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced they were asked to assist in investigating a suspicious disappearance in Texas County.

 Wednesday: OSBI said that based on the information obtained from the victims vehicle, our investigators believe there was evidence to indicate foul play.

Search continues, abandoned found on the side of the highway

It wasnt immediately clear what the connection between the two women is, but they were both traveling to pick up children, according to the Endangered Missing Advisory activated by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

They never made it to the pickup location. Their car was located abandoned on the side of the road, the advisory states.

Butler has several tattoos, including "a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and sunflower on her left shoulder." Butler is 5 feet, 4 inches with red hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts and Heydude shoes.

Kelley has a butterfly tattooed on her left forearm, police say. Kelley has brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing whitewashed blue jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and tan-colored shoes.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation by phone at 1-800-522-8017 or via email at tips@osbi.ok.gov.

Contributing: Sarah Al-Arshani

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Veronica Butler, Jilian Kelley case timeline: Kansas women missing
Former President Trumps growing criticism of Israels war against Hamas in Gaza signals a glaring break from GOP talking points backing Israels right to self-defense.

Trump allies played down the importance of his interview with Israeli reporters last week, saying his staunch support of Israel would continue in a potential second term.

But his comments in recent days underscore Trumps ambiguous positions on some of the major national security issues he will face should he return to the White House.

John Bolton, who served for 17 months as Trumps White House national security adviser, told The Hill the former presidents stance on Israel will largely depend on the environment he inherits and on what would best serve his own interests.

At bottom, Trump doesnt have a national security policy, Bolton said, calling the former presidents approach ad hoc.

He sees things primarily through the prism of, Does this benefit Donald Trump? Bolton added.

Former national security adviser John Bolton seen on January 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Trump blasted Israels destruction of Gaza during an interview with Israeli reporters last week, and he repeated some of those criticisms Thursday in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Trump told Hewitt, Israel is absolutely losing the PR war, criticizing the images being played around the world showing massive destruction of Gaza.

Youve got to get it over with, and you have to get back to normalcy. And Im not sure that Im loving the way theyre doing it, because youve got to have victory, Trump said, without directly answering whether he was 100 percent with Israel.

In an interview with Israel Hayom last week, he said Israel made a very big mistake with the bombings in Gaza.

Israel has to get better with the promotional and with the public relations because right now theyre in ruin, Trump added. Theyre being hurt very badly, I think, in a public relations sense.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks on April 2, 2024, at a rally in Green Bay, Wis. (Mike Roemer, Associated Press)

Trump has lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past. F him, Trump said about Netanyahu, during a 2021 interview with Axioss Barak Ravid after the Israeli leader recognized President Bidens 2020 election victory.

He also attacked Netanyahu immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks  criticizing the Israeli leader for not being prepared for Hamass attack and harping on a 2020 grievance that Israel backed away from joining the U.S. in a strike that killed a top Iranian general.

Ill never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing, Trump told a group of supporters days after Oct 7, while Israel was reeling with a death toll of more than 1,100 people.

But a former senior Trump administration official said the former presidents latest comments did not signal a break from his first-term policies, which were generally a wholesale endorsement of Netanyahus agenda.

The former president still remains by far favorably inclined toward Israel and the nature of the strategic alliance. I dont think thats going anywhere, a former senior Trump administration official said.

The Hill reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on his policies toward Israel and the Gaza war.

Sam Markstein, national political director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, said the reaction to Trumps criticism of Israel was overblown.

The controversy is not really a controversy, there is no there there in the sense that, all the president was saying  in our opinion  was that Israel needs the time and the space to defeat Hamas and rescue the hostages, he said. Thats the bottom line of the comment in our view, and trying to turn it into something its not is unhelpful to the conversation.

Trump has only weighed in periodically on Israels war on Hamas since it began almost six months ago  mostly when asked about it in interviews. He has given a muddled message, often focused the wars impact on domestic politics.

Trump has said Israel must finish the problem in Gaza, signaling support for Israels use of force. And he has blasted Jews who support Democrats, claiming they hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.

Israels supporters on both sides of the aisle generally pursue a policy of bipartisanship, to keep U.S. support for Israel strong across administrations and changes of power in Congress.

Markstein, when asked if Trumps comments threaten that bipartisanship, spun the former presidents remarks as aimed at motivating Jewish Democrats to respond to criticisms of their party.

I think the Trump comments, the bottom line was, How could Jewish Democrats not be more outraged about whats going on with their silence, with their votes? and that, I think was the top line. How could they not be more outraged about whats going on? He said it in his Trumpian way, but I think thats the top line.

He continued, Bipartisanship for Israel is always an important piece of the puzzle.  Weve been encouraging the Democrat side to police their own side for years.

Top Stories from The Hill

President Biden has faced growing frustration from progressives over his ongoing support of Israel, despite his growing frustration with the civilian deaths and starvation in Gaza. That tension has been amplified this week by an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers with the U.S.-based World Central Kitchen.

Some moderate Democrats have called on Biden to condition future aide to Israel on scaling back threats to civilians, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Thursday she will seek to block a planned sale of dozens of F-15 fighter jets to Israel over its brutality in Gaza.

Trump has offered few specifics about how he might be handling the conflict if he were in office, other than to repeatedly claim Hamass attacks would not have happened if he was still president, citing his administrations intense pressure campaign on Iran.

Markstein said a potential second Trump administration would focus on isolating Iran and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, which are engaged in proxy battles against Israel and U.S. forces in the region.

Cutting off Iran, [reinstituting] maximum-pressure, stopping this policy of weakness and appeasement is a key piece of the whole puzzle, Markstein said.

If you cut off the head of the snakes money supply, terrorism and activities like Oct. 7 will be much less likely. I think thats a really important top line.

Markstein added that Abraham Accords 2.0 needs to be a priority, referring to efforts by the Trump administration, and being continued by the Biden administration, to foster ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Trump has recently held a conversation with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Crown Prince Mohammed has called for Israel to stop its war in Gaza, with an eye toward securing a major deal to include controversial U.S. security commitments in exchange for opening ties with Israel.

The Biden administration is pursuing a multilayer deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel aimed at resolving Israels war against Hamas and establishing a Palestinian state, but that is fraught with pitfalls.

David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel under Trump, has crafted a proposal for Israel to claim full sovereignty over the West Bank, according to The New York Times, which would effectively end any hopes of a two-state solution.

Trumps ability to advance any major changes to Middle East policy may largely depend on the balance of power in the Congress  as well as who is in charge of the portfolio within his administration.

Personnel is policy. You have to look at whos going to join the administration, who his lead advisers are, the former senior Trump administration official said.

Many of the individuals most likely to focus on Israel and the Middle East in a second administration have a strong record of aligning with Israel on security matters.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump's subpoena to Comcast-owned NBCUniversal for material related to a recent documentary about porn star Stormy Daniels was blocked on Friday by the judge overseeing the former U.S. president's April 15 criminal trial.

Justice Juan Merchan said Trump's claim that Daniels and NBC conspired to release the film close to the trial to damage him was unsupported.

"His subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition," the judge wrote in a court order.

Neither Trump's lawyers nor NBCUniversial immediately responded to requests for comment.

Trump is accused of covering up his former lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006.

The 2024 Republican presidential candidate has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies any such encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

The documentary, "Stormy," was released on NBC's streaming service Peacock on March 18.

The trial was initially scheduled to start on March 25, but Merchan delayed it by three weeks after Trump alleged prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney's office were trying to keep evidence related to Cohen from him. The judge later found that concern to be meritless.

In Friday's order, Merchan wrote that Trump subpoenaed NBC on March 11 for documents related to the trial's premiere date and any compensation to Daniels. NBC asked Merchan to block the subpoena on March 20, and said Daniels had no right to approve the documentary's content or release timing, the order said.

Trump also faces three other criminal indictments, but they do not yet have firm trial dates. That means the hush money case in New York state court in Manhattan could be the only one to go to trial before his expected rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election.

The other cases stem from Trump's efforts to reverse his 2020 loss to Biden and his handling of sensitive government documents after leaving the White House in 2021. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases as well.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
The Justice Department has announced it will provide "technical assistance" to a local Mississippi police force and coroners office with next-of-kin death notifications in the wake of controversies surrounding missing loved ones who were buried in unmarked graves.

Federal authorities are providing the aid to the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroners Office pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in programs receiving U.S. financial assistance.

"The lack of timely next-of-kin death notifications resulted in deceased individuals receiving paupers burials in unmarked graves in Hinds County, and some reports have indicated that there may be a perception that race or other factors played a role in the process concerning next-of-kin death notifications," the Justice Department wrote.

The department said that Thursday's announcement is not a finding of fault or wrongdoing and that Jackson police and the Hinds County Coroners Office agreed to receive federal help, which will include training and recommendations on how best to locate next of kin and notify them that their loved ones have died.

Families want and deserve transparency and the opportunity to make decisions about their loved ones burials, said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Through technical assistance, we aim to ensure that officials are able to deliver death notifications and make decisions regarding burials in a timely and trauma-informed way that complies with federal civil rights law.

The announcement comes after Jackson police and the Hinds County Coroner's Office drew national scrutiny over the troubling death, burial and exhumation of Dexter Wade. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump called for a Justice Department investigation after discovering Wade, 37, was struck by an off-duty officer driving a police cruiser, after which authorities failed to notify Wade's family and left his body at the county morgue for months before burying his body in a paupers' grave.

Two other families also discovered that their loved ones  Marrio Moore, 40, and Jonathan Hankins, 39  were buried in the same unmarked field. All three men was reported missing, but it took months for their families to learn of their deaths. The families retained Crump and attorney Dennis Sweet last year and demanded answers from local authorities on why they weren't notified of their loved ones' deaths.

"How many more? We need justice. We need accountability. We need some answers," said Bettersten Wade, Dexter's mother.

Attorney Ben Crump stands with the families of Dexter Wade, Marrio Moore, and Jonathan Hankins at a press conference about their cases in Jackson, Miss., on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. All three men were buried in the Hinds County Paupers Field in unmarked graves without contacting their families.

DOJ to assist Jackson police, Hinds County coroner's office

Federal officials from the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Mississippi will examine Jackson police practices on missing persons and new policies on death notifications and provide recommendations on implementation and training. Assistance to the coroners office will include policy recommendations and training on locating next of kin, the department said.

Aryele Bradford, a spokesperson for the Justice Department, confirmed to USA TODAY that it was not opening an investigation or taking legal action. The assistance will include reviewing policies, procedures and training related to next-of-kin notification, Bradford said.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said he welcomed the Justice Departments help. He noted Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade took the initiative to update and strengthen the policy that JPD already had in place.

The new policy consists of a checks and balances system that will help ensure that all efforts are exhausted when making an effort to notify a decedents next of kin, Lumumba said.

The mayor previously said Bettersten was not contacted because of a lack of communication between local departments and called it an "unfortunate and tragic incident."

Jackson police and the Hinds County coroners office did not immediately return USA TODAYs requests for comment Thursday.

Wade was carrying ID when buried in unmarked grave

An off-duty Jackson officer driving a police SUV struck Wade as he was crossing Interstate 55 last March. His body remained at the county morgue for months before he was buried in an unmarked grave. Months later, his body was exhumed after the family called for an independent autopsy and funeral, but officials removed his body without family members present.

Wade's body was completely ran over by the cruiser, with multiple blunt-force injuries to his skull, ribs and pelvis, and his left leg was amputated, Crump said. He cited the findings of pathologist Frank Peretti, who was hired by the family. The body was also in an advanced state of decomposition and had not been embalmed, Crump said.

Wades family has expressed outrage over not being contacted or informed of his death, and city officials have defended the lack of contact by saying they didn't immediately know Wade's identity because he carried no ID. But the independent autopsy results said Wade was in fact carrying identification and the family could have been promptly notified. Crump said a wallet in the front pocket of Wade's jeans contained his state identification card with his home address, along with his credit card and health insurance card.

The fact that Dexter had a state identification card and several other identifying items shows us that there was a concerted effort to keep the truth and manner of his death from his family, Crump said. There is no excuse, not even incompetence, for not notifying a next of kin of an identified mans death."

Contributing: Charlie Drape, USA TODAY Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DOJ to assist Mississippi after men are buried in unmarked graves
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.

Janet Yellen has kicked off her second visit to China as US treasury secretary with a warning of the risk to jobs and businesses posed by overproduction of certain goods in the worlds second largest economy.

On Friday, her first full day of meetings in the southern megacity of Guangzhou, Yellen said she would address the oversupply of Chinese goods in key industries, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels.

The issue has quickly emerged as a major area of contention globally and in the run-up to Novembers US presidential election.

Overcapacity isnt a new problem, but it has intensified, and were seeing emerging risks in new sectors, Yellen told a group of China-based American executives. This can undercut the business of American firms and workers, as well as of firms around the world, including in India and Mexico.

She first mentioned the issue at an earlier meeting with the leaders of Guangdong province, the countrys economic powerhouse.

US officials and lawmakers have expressed concern that Chinas overinvestment and excess capacity could result in cheap products flooding global markets, affecting local industries and employment.

Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether she would consider trade barriers if China doesnt heed warnings on overcapacity, Yellen said she wouldnt want to rule [it] out, though she wasnt planning any immediate measures.

Last month, on a visit to a solar panel factory in Georgia, Yellen said Chinas excess capacity was distorting prices and production patterns and hurting American firms and workers. She added that China was following its old practice of flooding the global markets with cheap, state-subsidized steel and aluminum.

She also hinted on that trip that the surge in Chinas exports of EVs, solar panels, and batteries was creating a problem at a time when the United States has invested heavily in reviving its own manufacturing sector.

For its part, Beijing is aware of the countrys overcapacity problem, having acknowledged it as a key challenge at an annual economic work conference in December.

But last month, several Chinese state-owned media outlets published editorials challenging the notion that Chinas supply glut poses a threat to other economies. What China exports is advanced production capacity that meets the needs of foreign customers, the Xinhua news agency wrote.

Yellen attended a roundtable with American business leaders in Guangzhou on Friday. - Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images

Invoking a reformer

At the meeting hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce, Yellen flagged concerns about what she called Chinas shift away from a market approach on the US and global economy by providing state subsidies to some manufacturing industries.

She referred to her host city of Guangzhou to make a point about the importance of pragmatism and openness by invoking Deng Xiaoping, the late reformist leader who led China away from a planned economy and Maoist ideologies.

It was a key stop on Deng Xiaopings 1992 Southern Tour, when he renewed Chinas commitment to these [market-oriented] reforms, she said. Its a fitting place for me to emphasize the strong economic ties between the United States and China, and the benefits these ties can bring for both the US and Chinese economies.

The tour marked a critical point in modern Chinese history. That year, Deng, then 88, made a surprise visit to the special economic zones in Guangdong that he had established previously and confirmed Chinas commitment to market-oriented reforms and economic liberalization.

The tour, which happened during a period of political uncertainty, is widely considered to have revived the process of Chinas reform and opening up, which had almost stalled after 1989.

Yellen is scheduled to spend four days in Guangzhou and Beijing and is expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Vice Premier Liu He, Peoples Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng and Finance Minister Lan Foan.

On Friday afternoon, Yellen met with Vice Premier He Lifeng during which she emphasised the importance of a level-playing field for companies and workers in both countries.

Following the meeting, He will host a dinner for Yellen.

Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-partisan think tank in Washington, said tangible outcomes from the trip may be limited.

For now, Chinas primary focus remains portraying itself as open for business and alleviating growing concerns about the governments to-date meager measures to tackle the countrys looming economic downturn, he said.

Yellen told reporters traveling with her to China that the meetings should be seen as a continuation of a dialogue between the US and China since Biden and Xis November 2022 meeting at the G20 in Bali.

Trade tensions

Biden administration officials have suggested raising tariffs on Chinese imports to level the playing field for trade. As the US approaches the presidential race, candidates from both parties are trying to look tough on Beijing. Former President Donald Trump has threatened to slap 60% tariffs on imports from China if he is re-elected.

Trade tensions are rising as Chinese leaders increasingly utilize a strategy of boosting manufacturing for export to make up for weak demand at home amid loss of economic momentum.

Beijing has poured money into new industries such as EVs and batteries as it seeks alternative growth engines beyond the property sector, a major pillar of the Chinese economy, which has crumbled.

China accounts for a third of global production but only a sixth of global consumption, and this reality risks breaking the global trading system, said Rick Waters, managing director of Eurasia Groups China practice.

Xis emphasis on new productive forces as the future driver of growth will only make matters worse in the absence of measures that boost domestic consumption.

Xi coined the term new productive forces last year, highlighting the need for a new model for economic growth based on tech innovation. The forces are often referred to as emerging industries such as EVs, new materials and artificial intelligence.

Conflict over trade is likely to grow further before the election, Waters said. He said the Section 301 investigation  which allows the US government to impose tariffs, fees or other restrictions to address unfair trade policies by foreign governments  and the likely realignment of Trump-era tariffs to increase barriers to EV and other imports are all on the table.

Among other topics that Yellen plans to discuss with her Chinese counterparts include bilateral cooperation on countering illicit finance and working on global issues such as climate change and financial stability, according to the Treasury Department.

But analysts dont think Beijing is likely to budge on its economic policies.

Yellens upcoming meetings merely extend the illusion of constructive engagement between two superpowers  reinforcing, rather than resolving, Chinas contentious course, Singleton said.

He believes Beijing wants to reduce the role of US multinationals in supply chains deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, while deepening its control over Chinas private sector and international companies operating in China, noting recently enacted national security legislation in Hong Kong.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York City Mayor Eric Adams is defending the city's new artificial intelligence chatbot that has been caught in recent days giving business owners wrong answers or advice that, if followed, would entail breaking the law.

When launched as a pilot in October, the MyCity chatbot was touted as the first city-wide use of such AI technology, something that would give business owners "actionable and trusted information" in response to queries typed into an online portal.

That has not always proved the case: journalists at the investigative outlet The Markup first reported last week that the chatbot was getting things wrong. It wrongly advised that employers could take a cut of their workers' tips, and that there were no regulations requiring bosses give notice of employees' schedule changes.

"It's wrong in some areas, and we've got to fix it," Adams, a Democrat, told reporters on Tuesday, emphasizing that it was a pilot program. "Any time you use technology, you need to put it into the real environment to iron out the kinks."

Adams has been an ardent advocate for deploying untested technology in the city with an optimism that is not always vindicated. He put a 400-pound vaguely ovoid robot in the Times Square subway station last year that he hoped would help police deter crime; it was retired about five months later, with commuters noting that it never appeared to be doing anything, and that it could not use stairs.

The chatbot remained online on Thursday and was still sometimes giving wrong answers. It said store owners were free to go cashless, apparently oblivious to the city council's 2020 law banning stores from refusing to accept cash. It still thinks the city's minimum wage is $15 per hour, though it was raised to $16 as of 2024.

The chatbot, which relies on Microsoft's Azure AI service, appears to be led astray by problems common to so-called generative AI technology platforms such as ChatGPT, which are known to sometimes make things up or assert falsehoods with HAL-like confidence.

Microsoft declined to say what might be causing the problems, but said in a statement it was working with the city to fix them. The city's Office of Technology and Innovation said in a statement that "as soon as next week, we expect to significantly mitigate inaccurate answers."

Neither Microsoft nor City Hall responded to questions about what was causing the errors and how they might be fixed.

The city has updated disclaimers on the MyCity chatbot website, noting that "its responses may sometimes be inaccurate or incomplete" and telling businesses to "not use its responses as legal or professional advice."

Andrew Rigie, who advocates for thousands of restaurant-owners as the director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, said he had heard from business owners perplexed by the chatbot's responses.

"I commend the city for trying to use AI to help businesses, but it needs to work," he said, warning that following some of the chatbot's guidance could bring serious legal consequences. "If when I ask a question and then I have to go back to my lawyers to know whether or not the answer is correct, it defeats the purpose."

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)
(Corrects headline to say invalidating regulations)

By Diana Novak Jones

(Reuters) -A New York state judge late on Thursday dramatically scaled back his order from the previous day that had invalidated most of the state's cannabis regulations in a case challenging rules for advertising marijuana.

New York Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant issued an amended order on Thursday that voided only regulations pertaining to cannabis marketing.

The judge in Albany, New York, on Wednesday had issued a sweeping order that voided a raft of state regulations put forward by the New York Office of Cannabis Management governing the licensing, operation and marketing of cannabis businesses.

The judge on Wednesday had criticized the Office of Cannabis Management and the New York Cannabis Control Board's response to the lawsuit filed by cannabis website Leafly Holdings, saying they presented no evidence or justification to explain how the regulations were developed. The amended order did not change his reasoning for striking down the regulations.

Leafly had sued over rules that barred dispensaries from advertising on third-party platforms.

A spokesperson for the New York Attorney General's office, which defended the regulations in court, directed questions on the ruling to the state Office of Cannabis Management. That office did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the amended order was posted on the docket.

Leafly in a statement before the amended order was posted said it is important licensed operators have access to advertising tools to help them succeed, and that the company hopes the ruling "ultimately leads to a healthy, stable adult-use market in the state."

Leafly did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the order was amended.

(Reporting by Diana Jones; Editing by Leigh Jones, Bill Berkrot and Tom Hogue)
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Rescuers in Taiwan faced the threat of further landslides and rockfalls in their search on Friday for a dozen people still missing from this week's earthquake, as the death toll rose to 12, Reuters reports.

Searchers discovered two more bodies after Wednesday's quake of magnitude 7.2struck the sparsely populated, largely rural eastern county of Hualien.

As some 50 aftershocks rattled the area overnight, some felt as far away as Taipei, rescuers said about 400 people cut off in a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park were safe, with helicopters ferrying out the injured and bringing supplies.

Taiwan's fire department said two bodies were found in the mountains, but did not immediately update the death toll. It put the number of missing at 18, three of them foreigners of Australian and Canadian nationality, according to Reuters.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a 2016 quake in its south, while one of magnitude 7.3 killed more than 2,000 in 1999.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Israel says it has approved the opening of two humanitarian routes into Gaza, to allow more aid into the territory, BBC reports.

The Erez Gate in northern Gaza will be temporarily re-opened for the first time since the start of the war in October and Ashdod Port will also be opened for humanitarian deliveries. More aid from Jordan will be allowed to enter via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, the report adds.

It comes hours after U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since seven aid workers were killed. Biden gave Netanyahu an ultimatum: take concrete steps to prevent civilian harm and ensure safety for aid workers or U.S. policy in respect of Gaza would change.

The U.S. National Security Council has welcomed the steps announced by Israel, which it said "must now be fully and rapidly implemented".

As the President said today [on April 4] on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, the statement by the U.S. National Security Council spokesperson reads.

On April 1 seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers were killed by anIsraeli attack. Several charity organizations, including WCK, have paused their operations in Gaza. Israel says the strikes which killed the workers were a "grave mistake".
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The Israeli military said Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the armys rules of engagement, Associated News reports.

According to the report, the findings of a retired generals investigation into the Monday killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel of not doing enough to protect Gazas civilians from its war with Hamas.

Its a tragedy, the militarys spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters. Its a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldnt have happened and we will make sure that it wont happen again.

According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli armys rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit. But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorized the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one majors observation  from grainy drone-camera footage  that someone in the convoy was armed. That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said.

Besides, officers failed to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry the charity workers away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants, the report adds.

The aid workers were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian American dual citizen, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. Their Palestinian driver also was killed.

More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the U.N.
Acronis new Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) general manager Kelly Johnson has inherited a big legacy, but now has to take it one step further.

In just four years, the traditional backup and disaster response vendor has built a partner community of 600 in A/NZ and 8,000 customers, becoming its fastest-growing market in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ).

Now, the long-term channel veteran is tasked with taking these partnerships to the next level as Acronis repositions itself as a full-service security and backup player.

Speaking to ARN about her move from Arrow to Acronis, Johnson said: Acronis is on a really amazing journey in the security space, which is a passion of mine. I came across Acronis when I was at Ingram Micro. I love the technology. I love the people. I just thought this was an opportunity I couldnt pass up.

My goal is to bring more exposure to Acronis in the market and show were not just a data protection company, were a security company. You cannot have one without the other. There are a lot of opportunities for MSPs to lean into a platform we have built for them.

Founded in Singapore in 2003 and headquartered in Switzerland, Acronis has built a strong reputation  and 20,000-strong channel  off the back of its backup and disaster recovery (DR) solutions for consumers, businesses and managed service providers (MSP).

The latter is of key interest to Johnson, who is working with a well-established channel team in A/NZ that holds relationships with all of Acronis main partner accounts.

My role is to bring the team together with the security messaging, she said. Were really well-known as a data protection company, but the message is now about security. This is the message Ill be shouting from the rooftops in A/NZ.

A huge shift

Johnsons appointment coincides with the launch of its newest product, Acronis Cyber Protect, which provides protection against cyber threats in addition to backup and recovery.

This is underpinned by the vendors operations centres in the US, Switzerland and Singapore, which monitor threats and report issues to its service providers. Now set to manage detected and response services in the coming months, Acronis claims it will now provide an all-in-one security and backup solution that can be managed from a single platform.

Explaining the launch, Acronis chief sales officer Katya Ivanova said: We decided to make this huge shift and we created this product from scratch. The idea is to have a platform that covers backup, data protection and security and all the tools service providers can use daily.

These include automated ticketing and billing. This makes us the only platform in the market that has all these solutions together.

Other providers, she said, offer all these solutions but through integrations rather than one single platform.

This also causes some of the issues with how much you spend on a product and how much you manage it, she added. Partners value that and we are growing very fast [in A/NZ] as a result.

According to Johnson, this prevents end-users from having a patchwork of products that require multiple integrations.

You may have other security vendors technology installed, but you might realise that you dont need all that, she said.

One of the best programs

Since launching in A/NZ in 2018, Acronis has been steered by Pasha Ershow, Acronis SVP for APJ and Middle East and Africa (MEA) sales and global channel, and Neil Morarji, former local lead and current general manager for enterprise in Asia Pacific (APAC).

According to Ershow, the key to A/NZs rapid growth and its global reach of 20,000 partners has been its heavy engagement with multiple distributors. In fact, in every market, the vendor has several relationships with key distributor players.

In Australia, these are Crayon, Pax8, Leader and Synnex Australia, while in New Zealand, Acronis works with Dicker Data, Ingram Micro and Pax8.

Ershow explained that while simple licence and technology resales required vendors to simply hedge their bets on one or two distributors, the model is much more complex today.

We believe that theres no issue with having many distributors in a market, said Ershow. In the world of service providers, service is being provided every minute and every second with revenue being recurring. With service provision, it is very hard to change the distribution, as they are like a protected ecosystem.

With that in mind, [having multiple distributors] gives us access to those ecosystems.

As a result of Acronis channel and distributor engagement over the last four years, A/NZ is now its fastest-growing market in APJ.

We believe the opportunities are big, added Ershow. Our penetration into the channel is not as deep as we could achieve over the next four years.

Johnson believes she has her work cut out with Acronis global CyberFit Partner Program and describes it as one of the best Ive seen, which is high praise after having worked for the likes of Ingram Micro, Eset and Arrow during a two-decade career.

You have a dashboard; it tells you where you need to get certified or need to do more enablement or integration work, she explained. When the partners complete these, they earn points, which contribute to their standing and score; we can incentivise around these.

Although CyberFit forms a global template, Johnson and Ershow have the liberty to create local incentives and offers in tandem with A/NZ distributors.

For now though, Johnsons key priority will be to drive home the message that Acronis is not just the backup and DR vendor partners associate it to be.

I really want to change the mindset here that Acronis is a cyber security company, she said. Along with that [comes] people turning on more functionalities in the product for their clients.

Were selling a solution. Other people are selling a product. Its custom-designed for MSPs and we live in MSP land in A/NZ. Its a great place for us to bring this messaging.
Srinagar: In view of climate activist Sonam Wangchuks march to border along China, the Ladakh administration imposed restrictions in Leh and its neighbourhood under Section 144 of the CrPC to prevent any breach of peace, disturbance to public tranquillity and danger to human life.

Reacting to the developments, Wangchuk took to social media platform X, said, PEACEFUL LADAKH IS VERY CONFUSED! After 31 days of extremely peaceful prayers & fasts... Suddenly peace initiatives of the administration sounds more dangerous than anything ! PEACE AT ANY COST. (sic)

The decision comes days after Wangchuk announced that he will on April 7 lead around 10,000 people from Ladakh in a march to the border along China to showcase how much land has been lost to the neighbouring country. Wangchuk who ended a 21-day hunger strike on March 26 had also announced that the agitation to demand statehood for Ladakh will be intensified in coming weeks.

Lehs district magistrate Santosh Sukhadeve in an order issued on Friday said that the districts SSP has in a letter reported to him that there are reliable inputs of apprehension of breach of peace and public tranquillity in the district, and exercising the powers vested in him under Section 144 of the CrPC, 1973, he declared that no procession, rally or march shall be taken out by anyone without his prior approval.

The magistrate also banned the use of vehicles mounted or other loudspeakers and holding of any public gathering in the district without prior approval of the competent authority. Meanwhile, Wangchuk said that people including women are being threatened and called to the police station to pressurise them against extending any support to him. I hope what is being said and done is just a misunderstanding which will go away but if it escalates it would prove that India is becoming a banana republic or andher nagri (a place doomed to go down in darkness) where reminding promises is a crime and breaking them is not.

He added, If you remind them of their promises, it becomes a crime, and they respond by rounding you up. He, however, hoped that the situation will change for better and that thousands of people who are relocating to Leh from the countryside to join the peaceful march will not be stopped.

Meanwhile, Ladakhs additional director general of police Darshan Singh has ordered for suspending the mobile data of 3G, 4G and 5G and public Wi-Fi 5G facilities temporarily in the interest of maintenance of public peace, and law and order in the Union Territory.

Therefore, the speed of the internet and mobile data services have been scaled down to 2G in Leh city (within the 10 km radius) for 24 hours.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued an interim stay on Friday overturning an Allahabad High Court order declaring the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act, 2004, unconstitutional and against the principle of secularism.

This decision offers relief to approximately 17 lakh madrasa students and 10,000 teachers affected by the High Court's ruling. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud issued notices to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government, and other concerned parties to challenge the High Court's order.

The bench emphasised that the Madrasa board's purpose is regulatory and does not endorse any religious instruction. It criticised the High Court's interpretation, stating that the establishment of the board does not breach secularism but rather aims to ensure quality education for Madrasa students.

Further, the SC was concerned over the High Court's directive to relocate students and said that such a move would disrupt the education of 17 lakh students. It ordered the state to file a counter by June 30, 2024, and scheduled final disposal of the case in the second week of July 2024.

During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the Managers Association Madrasa, argued against the High Court's reasoning, highlighting the long-standing existence of the Madrasa regime and its role in providing holistic education beyond religious teachings.

Additional solicitor general K.M. Nataraj, representing Uttar Pradesh, stated that while the state government defended the Act, it accepted the High Court's judgment. He clarified that the state is not shutting down any Madrasa but pointed out the financial burden imposed on the government due to state aid to madrasas.

Attorney general K. Venkataramani supported the High Court's decision, stressing the importance of maintaining secularism and avoiding any entanglement of religion in educational matters.

The Allahabad High Court had declared the Madrasa Act, 2004, ultra vires on March 22, 2024, citing its violation of the principle of secularism and the basic structure of the Indian Constitution.
What can be worse than Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail? Err Arvind Kejriwal out of jail. The jhaadoowala is sweeping popularity polls after the dreaded ED (worse than any secret police) declared to the Delhi HC that the incarcerated CM is prima facie guilty of money laundering. The ED opposed any relief and insisted on describing Mr Kejriwal as the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam in collusion with Delhi ministers, AAP leaders and other persons.

Naughty Arvind! Never mind the fact that there are far, far naughtier netas running around making scads of moolah, stashing unaccounted money in secret accounts across the world, flashing their ill-gotten wealth without the slightest shame, stripping forests, destroying mangroves, denuding mountains, grabbing what they can, bagging lucrative contracts and getting away after brazenly looting the nation. I have zero sympathy for the muffler man, mind you, he is cleverer than most. But by jailing him, a counter-culture hero has been created a martyr in the making, a victim who is doing time like a common criminal in a cell that isnt exactly the Ritz-Carlton. The man has been allowed a blanket from home, and meals from his own kitchen. The twist in the saga is the wife who has arrived on the scene. Sunita Kejriwal may replace her husband as CM, say political pundits, reminding one of Rabri Devi replacing Lalu Prasad Yadav as chief minister. Well Sunita is ably running Arvinds PR campaign, reminding voters that two crore people of Delhi are standing behind him. Getting a spouse to smoothly occupy the CMs kursi sounds absurd in a democracy. Its like a stand-in actor taking on the heros role in a blockbuster movie and hoping to create a box-office record. Lets see what happens. Till then, Im relishing Eggs Kejriwal at the club.

Meanwhile, sweetie pie S. Jaishankar, external affairs minister, is talking tough with the Americans and Germans, telling them to back off and not interfere in Indias internal politics, calling such attempts bad habits. He called for countries to respect maryada (huh?) and warned of giving it right back with a very strong reply if such interference continued. His show of belligerence is noteworthy, especially when it comes to Chinas recent attempts to rename a few places in Arunachal Pradesh, which he labelled senseless. His advice? By all means have your views about the world, but no country has the right to comment on another countrys politics Umm maybe we should learn to practice what we preach?

My short visit to Sikkim recently was an absolute eye-opener. Sikkim is a key state in the neglected Northeast, with a population of just 6-7 lakhs. But it is attracting top retail brands, with a mushrooming of luxury hotels like the Taj Group running multiple, exquisite boutique properties. What do the ever-smiling, gentle and industrious Sikkimese people really want? For starters, they want a cleaner and healthier way of life. Sikkim is Indias first and only organic state which has banned open air defecation. It is also Indias third richest state by per capita income and hosts the third highest mountain on earth. With the majestic Kanchenjunga protectively looming over the tiny former kingdom, one wonders why connectivity remains this backward? The nearest airport at Bagdogra is a good five hours away, through mountainous roads that frequently get blocked due to landslides. Pahad gir gaya, said one local, while another insisted it was an unruly election rally. We were stuck in a hideous traffic snarl for a good two and a half hours. My bladder was about to burst, and my throat was parched, but I didnt dare drink any more water. Surely, more public loos and pit stops can be constructed on this busy route? A railway line is planned and there is a government-run helicopter service from Gangtok to Bagdogra, but most of the time its a chance one takes, the weather being so unpredictable, leading to last-minute cancellations!

My main mission was to make it to Nathu La Pass, a good three-hour drive up to 14,150 feet, with a stopover at the semi- frozen, glacial Tsomgo Lake. Thanks to a very dashing Army friend (Maj. Gen. Raj Sinha, VSM, Retd, from 5th Gorkha Rifles), all it took was one phone call and I was on my way to a destination that has always been of great strategic importance. The mountain pass reopened in 2006 after being diplomatically sealed in 1962. Border tensions have been at an all-time high since the 2020 skirmishes.

This was exciting! What I was not prepared for (apart from the biting minus five degrees Celsius cold and icy winds), was going eyeball to eyeball with a Chinese soldier -- no exaggeration -- the two outposts at the LAC enjoy a terrifying proximity! While I shot pictures of the tall, strapping Chinese soldier, standing less than 20 feet away on the China- controlled Tibet side, our faujis laughed at my discomfiture, saying the Chinese had returned the favour by photographing me! Okay so now I am a part of the Chinese database! Interestingly, both sides stick to a no drones for 2 km agreement, and are in daily touch. Frosty, civilized, cultural exchanges take place six times a year, as Chinese officers walk across for a casual chai pe charcha, watch a bhangra performance, enjoy a desi meal and go back armed with back presents. Baisakhi celebrations this year will be less chummy, because of the Ladakh situation. Our men also go across to attend ceremonial Chinese celebrations. In case something of a more serious nature surfaces, discussions are held at the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw conference room on the first floor of our hut. Theres also a Field Marshal Cariappa room on the ground floor for interactions with visiting dignitaries. From this vantage point at Nathu La, its possible to see four countries -- Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh -- on a clear day. It was a thrilling moment to see our faujis literally on top of the world, dealing calmly with daily provocations. If the Chinese side instal six loudspeakers, we respond with eight immediately. At one point, there were 24 loudspeakers on both sides! Our valiant jawans remain on high alert, ensuring the safety of pilgrims headed to Kailash Mansarovar.

So far, zero election fervor in Maharashtra, but with plenty of dramabaazi, what with the stealth attack posed by Ajit Pawars missus, Sunetra, jumping in to challenge sister-in-law Supriya Sule in Baramati. If Supriya loses, its game over for Sharad Pawar. Ditto if Rahul Baba loses from Wayanad. One hears bags are packed and ski holidays booked. Annie, get your gun!
A spontaneous movement started on 24 March when a crowd marched towards the long-closed Israeli embassy. In response to the demonstrations, the police made arrests and accused the demonstrators of "aggression". Fr. Rifa Badert: fears of internal violent drift, fundamental to resolve the Palestinian question.

Amman (AsiaNews) - The repercussions of the war in Gaza are becoming more and more evident in Jordan, which has long been the scene of street protests by angry citizens who attack the government for its "rhetoric" on the conflict, loudly calling for the end of the treaty of peace with Israel.

Demonstrations that agitate the nights of Amman, behind which according to the institutions of the Hashemite kingdom - among the most critical voices of the Jewish State - there are "infiltrators" and "agitators" who intend to fuel the disorder and internal discontent already tense after the attack on Tower 22.

"We are in the month of Ramadan, every night after iftar [meal that breaks the fast] people go out and gather near the Israeli embassy to demonstrate" Fr. Rifat Bader, director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) confirms to AsiaNews.

For the eleventh consecutive night, thousands of Jordanian citizens took to the streets to protest against the war in Gaza and demand the severing of ties with Israel.

An apparently spontaneous movement that began on March 24, when a crowd marched towards the Israeli embassy in the capital - which was also evacuated months ago - following a series of appeals made on social media.

Among the messages and requests bounced online, the invitation to "lay siege" to the diplomatic representation and the end of the peace treaty signed by Amman with the Jewish state in 1994.

The protests have gained increasing momentum and vigor in recent days; in response, Jordanian security forces made a series of arrests and accused the protesters of resisting a public official or attacking police officers deployed to protect public order.

Protests, which have been frequent in many parts of the Arab and Middle Eastern world since the beginning of the conflict on 7 October, have taken on unprecedented consistency and persistence in Israel's eastern neighbor. So much so that some Jordanian officials have gone so far as to accuse "foreign agents" or "disturbers" of fomenting the unrest.

We are the closest nation to Palestine and about half of the Jordanian population itself is of Palestinian origins - continues Fr. Bader, head of the Catholic news site abounga.org, among the most authoritative personalities of the local Church - therefore the issue is felt. In particular the victims among women, children and elderly people in Gaza." The (unconfirmed) news of sexual violence by Israeli soldiers against women in the Strip is further fomenting anger.

They chant slogans against Israel, the United States, but also against the weakness of part of Arab public opinion. We must all - he concludes - pay attention to avoid a violent drift and prevent someone from outside from maneuvering to disturb Jordanian society. This is also why a solution to the Palestinian problem is increasingly urgent, with the end of the occupation and the birth of a state."

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Lower House of Parliament in Amman has issued a note in which it rejects "any attempt carried out by a small infiltrated group, which seeks to sabotage and undermine national unity".

In addition, MP Khaldoun Hina, head of the commission itself, shared a video on Gaza and the repeated condemnation of Israeli military operations. Former Jordanian Information Minister Samih Al-Maaytah is even more explicit, claiming in an interview with the Saudi channel al-Hadath that Hamas leaders in Qatar have fomented unrest in Jordan.

Analysts and experts underline how the country is more vulnerable than others in the region in the face of a possible wave of protests, not only due to the high percentage of Palestinians among the population (estimated at around 50%), but also due to the room for maneuver granted to Muslim movements.

These include the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and its political representative, the Islamic Action Front, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), based in Qatar, considered "terrorist" in other Arab nations. Witnesses report that one of the most popular chants in these days of protest was "All of Jordan is Hamas", combined with the most famous and used in other parts (such as Iran) "Death to America, death to Israel".

Since the first days of the war, the Hashemite kingdom has been one of the most critical voices of Israel, the first nation to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv and several times at the forefront in calling for a ceasefire in the Strip as well as working for the handover of humanitarian aid.

The King of Jordan Abdullah II himself personally participated in the launches from the planes on more than one occasion, in coordination with Israel. And Queen Rania went so far as to affirm that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deliberate.

Nonetheless, the leadership's anti-Israel rhetoric and actions in support of the Palestinians did not seem sufficient to many citizens, who called for stronger action.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Pasinyan 'preaches' using psalms and gospel images to defend his policy. Karekin II and the clergy reply that his task is to 'heal the wounds of his people who have suffered great losses'. Behind the clash is the wound of the renunciation of Nagorno Karabakh while tensions with Azerbaijan have risen again.

Yerevan (AsiaNews) - Many priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church reacted to the "political sermon" of Prime Minister Nikol Pasinyan during the Easter celebrations, which in Armenian is called Zurb Zatik, "Liberation from Suffering" and is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, as the Armenians did not follow the Orthodox of the Byzantine tradition in defending the "old calendar". The patriarch himself, the Katholikos Karekin II, in his Easter message warned the faithful that "we find ourselves in difficult times full of unexpected events for Armenia".

On the evening of Easter Eve, Cragalujts, Pasinyan met with members of his Civil Accord party in the city of Artasat, the administrative center of the Ararat region, and during the discussion he unexpectedly resorted to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, declaring that "the political dimension of the foundations of Christianity is no less important to me than the spiritual one", since "Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, but also the ideal figure of the leader".

The Lord was also "a great revolutionary, who for a certain period went around the world, changing it profoundly with his actions". The prime minister then compared the fate of the Savior with that of his party, which several times "died" and then "always rose again", seeing a particular meaning in the words of the Gospel which proclaim "Blessed are those persecuted for justice, since they is the Kingdom of Heaven", words "which have always given me so much strength in the most difficult moments", concluded Pasinyan.

In recent days several members of the clergy have commented on these words, starting with the head of the information service of the curia of Ecmjadzin, the patriarchal seat, the priest Esai Artenyan, who recalled how "Christ was crucified precisely because he did not want to be a revolutionary, and take power... in the Gospel there are many testimonies to the fact that the Jews wanted Jesus to become king, but the Lord refused, they hoped that he would lead them to revolt against the emperor and free them from the yoke of the Romans, but Christ is the heavenly king, as He himself has explained several times". Fr Esai did not mention Pasinyan's name, but his followers on social networks understood who he was referring to.

Moreover, it is not the first controversy that has arisen between the prime minister and the Armenian Church, and Pasinyan even refused to participate in the Easter celebrations, limiting himself to greeting all believers in a short video published in the previous days, in which instead of to congratulate him he read the text of Psalm 25, Lord, do me justice, in integrity I have walked. The prime minister began quoting passages from religious literature in his speeches a few years ago, without explaining the reasons.

While Pasinyan held his "sermon on the mountain" at the foot of Ararat, Patriarch Karekin II led the faithful in the procession of the vigil with the lamps lit from the Paschal candle, and even in his homily there was no shortage of comments on the political situation, urging the faithful to "give the right response to the realities that afflict us, the task of our people is to overcome internal divisions and lack of communication, heal the wounds of the people who have suffered serious losses, strengthening the homeland by joining forces" . The grace of the Risen One must ensure that "we are not reduced to being a weak and disconsolate nation, which endangers the future and independence of our homeland".

The Church has always criticized the government's surrender on the issue of Artsakh, the "land of our warriors and our martyrs", recalled the katholikos. In Nagorno Karabakh there are "the tombs dug for us wicked people, but the tomb of those who overcome the anguish of death together with Christ is empty, we believe in the resurrection". The words of the leader of the Armenian Christians resonated as an appeal to resume the fight against the enemy, precisely in the days in which the border conflicts with Azerbaijan are renewed. In Armenia politicians speak with the verses of the psalms and gospels, while the priests use the language of politics and war.
by Angelina Tan

On 29 March, the Japanese cabinet set a record increase for the country until 2028. Meanwhile, the number of foreign residents rises considerably, and now tops three million. Japan also hosts refugees from Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Multiculturalism represents a challenge in a highly traditional society.

Tokyo (AsiaNews)  Japanese authorities are trying again to counter the demographic crisis that has affected the country over the past few decades.

To this end, the Japanese cabinet has decided to add four more sectors to its specific skilled worker" visa programme, allowing some 820,000 foreigners to work in the country until the 2028 fiscal year.

Last year saw an all-time low in births, 758,631, a decrease of 5.1 per cent. As a result of the declining birthrate, labour shortages are putting a strain on various industries.

This trend is accompanied by a record rise in the number of foreign workers. In 2023, the increase was 12.4 per cent over 2022, or 2.04 million workers, according to data released by the Ministry of Labour this year.

This number is bound to increase as Japan desperately needs workers to be employed on assembly lines, construction sites, senior citizens care, and agriculture (vegetable picking).

Japan is entering an era of mass foreign immigration, said Junji Ikeda, president of Saikaikyo, a Hiroshima-based agency that sources and oversees foreign workers. "Incremental adjustments will not suffice.

The governments latest move follows other attempts to counter the demographic decline; this includes granting refugee status to 303 people in 2032, up by 101 people or 50 per cent over the previous year.

A majority of the refugees, 237, came from Afghanistan, many of whom were linked to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and sought refuge after the Taliban's return to power. The JICA is a governmental agency in charge of most of Japans development assistance.

Another 27 are from Myanmar, a military-ruled country experiencing instability, while six are from Ethiopia.

Currently, some 13,823 applications for refugee status are still pending, the second highest after the peak year of 2017, when 19,629 asylum applications were made.

Sri Lanka leads in terms of applicants, with 3,778 people, but a significant number also comes from Turkey and Pakistan.

In the case of Rohingya from Myanmar, their claim to refugee status is a hotly debated issue.

In January, the Nagoya High Court ordered the Japanese government to grant refugee status to a Rohingya asylum seeker. Prior to this, a lower court had ruled that Khin Maung Soe, 44, was indeed Rohingya, but that his ethnicity was not a sufficient basis to consider him a refugee.

In its motivation, the High Court said that, since Myanmars military committed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya after the 2021 coup, there exists an objective fact to fear persecution", effectively recognising the right to refugee status.

Meanwhile, as a result of high levels of immigration and recent government policies, the number of foreign residents in Japan rose to 3,410,992 (out of a population of about 125 million), up by 10.9 per cent over 2023, a record for a second consecutive year, this according to Japans Immigration Services Agency.

This trend suggests that the East Asian country is turning into a more multicultural society; however, this reality faces societal constraints, including underdeveloped integration mechanisms.

The increase in Japans foreign population can cause social frictions rather than harmony and peaceful coexistence because of religious and linguistic differences.

This is especially true for Japan, a country well steeped in shared traditions, values, and social norms, where cultural homogeneity has characterised the very identity of the nation over the centuries.

For this reason, new challenges await Japan in the future, including with respect to the education system, public services, and community programmes, developed originally for a homogeneous population.
Introduced by the Dutch and redesigned by Sukarno in 1961, Indonesias scouting association is the largest in the world since membership is compulsory. Now schools will include it in their curriculum but as an optional.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Scouting will no longer be compulsory for students in Indonesia, a decision that has sparked controversy.

Nadiem Makarim, Indonesias Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, issued a regulation making participation in the countrys scouting movement (Gerakan Pramuka) an optional rather than mandatory part of school extracurricular activity.

Every school up to the secondary education level is required to offer scouting as part of the Merdeka Curriculum, said Anindito Aditomo, an official with the Education Ministry.

However, participation in scouting activities will now be voluntary, he added, in line with Law No. 12 of 2010, which reflects the voluntary and non-political nature of the Scout movement.

The change has, however, elicited a negative response from the National Scout Council of (Kwarnas), which urges Minister Nadiem Makarim to reconsider the new policy, noting the movements strategic importance in shaping the nation's character and meeting the goals of national education.

For instance, in the Ministry of Education and Culture, Saka Widya Budaya Bakti focuses on practical education in fields such as art, tradition, and cultural values, said Bachtiar Utomo, Kwarnas Secretary General.

Similarly, Saka Bakti Husada in the Ministry of Health provides Scouts with knowledge in health-related areas such as disease prevention, nutrition, and clean-living habits," he added.

The Dutch introduced scouting to Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies) in 1912. Gerakan Pramuka was established in 1961 as a part of the Sukarno regimes attempt to create a post-colonial scouting movement.

Given its compulsory nature, Indonesias scouting movement is the largest in the world, with over 17 million members.
Today's news: a number of traditional practices for the ancestor festival in China are banned; Fire on a ferry in Thailand; Pakistani judges received threatening letters containing white powder; One of the leaders of the Hayat Tahrir al Sham group killed in Syria.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, using a more flexible approach for the first time, met with Park Dan, a representative of the trainee doctors who have been striking since February, but the latter wrote on his Facebook page after the meeting that "there is no future for medical care in Korea." It is unclear what he was referring to. Trainees oppose the proposed reform to increase the number of medical places.

CHINA

Chinese authorities have banned a number of traditions for the Qingming festival, in which ancestors are venerated by burning incense and various types of paper. The bans are intended to "promote funerary and burial reforms" and to support "civilized" customs and practices, the authorities announced, but several people on social media expressed their dissent. In 2021, Nantong city had recorded 210 incidents related to the holiday, including 121 fires.

THAILAND

Last night a fire broke out on a night ferry off the popular tourist island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. All 90 passengers and eight crew members were rescued. The fire spread from the engine room and an investigation was launched to discover the causes.

PAKISTAN

In recent days, several Pakistani judges, some of whom had highlighted the interference of the secret services in judicial processes, received letters containing a potentially toxic white powder. In some of the letters, reference was made to a bacterium that can cause anthrax, a very serious infection. Police said a group called Tehreek-e-Namoos Pakistan claimed responsibility, but several investigations were ongoing.

SYRIA

Abu Maria al Qahtani, founder of Hayat Tahrir al Sham, who was part of al-Qaeda before breaking ties, was killed yesterday in a suicide attack. The jihadist leader, whose real name is Maysr al Jabouri, was in rebel-controlled northwestern Syria. HTS spokesmen blamed the Islamic State, considered a rival group, which however did not claim responsibility for the attack.

GAZA - ISRAEL

Israel said it approved the reopening of the Erez crossing in northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port under pressure from the United States after the killing of seven aid workers. During a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden called for "specific and concrete" measures to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel also approved increased aid from Jordan through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

USA - INDIA - RUSSIA

Some senior US officials are in India these days, according to Rbk-Ukraina, to agree on collaboration in the fight against dirty money laundering, terrorist financing and respect for the ceiling in the oil market, which is closely linked to Russia, which tries to circumvent the sanctions on the Indian market, where instead it wants to maintain the international standard.

GEORGIA

Controversy is raging in Georgia over the desire of the majority Georgian Dream party to re-present the same bill on "foreign representatives" that caused the protests in March 2023, as announced by the head of the parliamentary group Mamuki Mdinaradze, with few formal changes , which according to the director of the Institute of Europe and Georgia, Georgij Melasvili, would close the doors of Europe in Georgia's face.
According to the Housing and Land Rights Network, many evictions remain undocumented. Figures for 2023 are the highest in the last seven years. Local authorities and courts have deviated from previous practices, violating human rights. The government has often failed to offer resettlement or compensation.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  At least 740,000 people were evicted from their homes and at least 153,000 homes were demolished by the authorities across India between 2022 and 2023, this according to a report by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), but the actual figures could be much higher since the data include only those cases documented by the HLRN itself.

From 2017 to 2023, more than 1.68 million people were evicted while around 17 million people are still threatened by eviction. In most cases, the authorities failed to follow national and international standards, effectively engaging in a series of human rights violations.

Demolition drives, in many instances, were carried out with a level of severity and brutality, surpassing that of previous years, reads the report, which uses the internationally recognised definition of forced evictions, i.e. a permanent or temporary removal against the will of individuals, families or communities from their homes or land, which they occupy, without the provision of, and access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection.

In the past, courts have constructively interpreted the law to provide relief in cases of housing rights violations, the HLRN explains. Certain landmark judgements have place[d] the duty on state authorities to conduct a survey and provide rehabilitation before carrying out any forcible act of eviction.

However, recent court orders related to evictions have deviated from these precedents. In two years, almost 300,000 people have been evicted as a result of a court order, with major differences from one year to next.

In 2022, 33,360 people received an eviction order, rising to 260,000 in 2023. Some 46,371 homes were demolished and 230,000 people evicted in 2022, which more than doubled the following year: 107,499 homes were demolished and 51,500 people were evicted.

Figures for 2023 are the highest on record in seven years, the HLRN points out. In most cases (59 per cent), evictions were carried out for slum or land clearance or encroachment removal or city beautification.

More than 290,000 people were evicted in 2023 for these reasons, although, in most cases, the individuals and communities affected were not informed of the reason for the eviction.

The report also identified other motives for evictions and slum clearance: infrastructure projects contributed (road widening, bridge construction, etc.) represent 35 per cent, while environmental reasons, such as forest protection and wildlife conservation represent another 4.7 per cent.

Other cases of demolition were carried out to improve emergency management, make room for tourism projects, and eliminating housing units considered "unsafe. In some regions, however, evictions were seemingly carried out as a punitive measure, the report notes.

The highest number of evictions occurred in the Delhi National Capital Territory with 280,000 people evicted in 2023 alone.

For the HLRN, relocating displaced people remains an issue; out of a total of 324 instances recorded in the two years, information on resettlement was available in only 122 cases. In these cases, the state offered some form of resettlement or alternative housing in only 25 of the affected sites, partial resettlement in seven sites, and monetary compensation in only seven sites.

This implies that, in 72% of instances, where information is available, the state failed to resettle or rehabilitate affected persons, the HLRN report said.

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by John Ai

The US Treasury Secretary in China for the second visit in a few months: the issue of Chinese 'overproduction' in the field of renewable energy on the table. The People's Republic is counting on exports of solar panels, electric vehicles and lithium batteries to tackle its economic crisis and fears the imposition of duties.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived today in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou after the leaders of the two powers, Biden and Xi, had a telephone exchange of ideas at the beginning of the week. During the five-day visit, Yellen will address trade issues in a series of meetings, particularly the topic of Chinese "overproduction."

Trade is an important aspect of bilateral relations between Beijing and Washington. Trade disputes between China and the Western world are intensifying as Chinese exports in three new technology sectors - electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules and lithium batteries - have surged in recent years.

Yellen accused China of offering massive subsidies to companies that dominate industries and warned that the United States may not rule out imposing tariffs on Chinese products to protect American industries.

Europe is also concerned about the influx of cheap Chinese products onto the market. The European Commission has announced an investigation into Chinese solar panels for subsidies that would have "distorting" effects on the market.

Yellen will have two days of talks with Chinese Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng, in charge of Economy and Finance. She will then travel to Beijing to meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, Finance Minister Lan Fo'an and central bank chief Pan Gongsheng.

China appears to welcome the visit by Yellen, who is an economist opposed to the imposition of additional tariffs. The official Chinese newspaper China Daily believes that the Treasury secretary is an ideal "mediator" due to her pragmatic and positive position.

This is also her second visit to China in the space of nine months; However, analysts believe that it is not easy for both sides to reach a consensus on trade issues.

Currently, 97% of solar panels in the European Union are imported. The collapse in the price of photovoltaic modules has accentuated the dependence on Chinese products: European producers are finding themselves in difficulty due to excess supply.

China's capacity to produce solar panels far exceeded global demand in 2023. As the European Union plans to increase the share of renewable energy to 42.5% by 2030, electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules and Lithium batteries play an important role in Brussels' sustainable development strategy.

China expects exports to boost its flagging economy. Last year, China's trade surplus increased significantly, and products such as electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules and lithium batteries made key contributions.

The export of these products increased by nearly 30 percent, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang said. China has already become a superpower in the most complex and highest value-added technological sectors.

The Treasury secretary's trip comes just hours after a phone call between Biden and Xi, which covered a wide range of topics from Taiwan to artificial intelligence and security. The future ownership of TikTok is also at the center of tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The United States fears that this social network compromises its national security by collecting massive information on US citizens and its algorithm can be used to manipulate public opinion and spread disinformation. The Biden administration is trying to transfer ownership of this Chinese company to US entrepreneurs.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the aid will help the South Caucasus nation increase its resilience and diversify its economy heavily dependent on Russia.

We aim to expand cooperation to strengthen Armenias resilience, including in key sectors such political reforms, economic development and humanitarian support, they said in a joint statement with Pashinian issued after the trilateral meeting in Brussels.

The promised funding includes 270 million euros ($291 million) in EU aid which will be provided over the next four years. Von der Leyen described it as a resilience and growth plan for Armenia in a statement to the press made just before the talks. In her words, the money will be mostly channeled into Armenian small and medium-sized businesses and key infrastructure projects.

We will invest in making the Armenian economy and society more robust and resistant to shocks, said the head of the EUs executive body.

For his part, Blinken announced that Washington will provide $65 million in additional development assistance to Armenia this year. The head of U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, and the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, also took part in the ensuing talks.

Todays high-level dialogue signifies Armenias expanding partnership with the United States and the European Union, Pashinian told reporters.

The talks came amid Armenias mounting tensions with Russia stemming from what Pashinians government sees as Moscows failure to honor its security commitments to its South Caucasus ally. Earlier this year, Pashinian announced the effective suspension of his countrys membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and threatened to withdraw from the Russian-led military alliance altogether. He also did not rule out the possibility of applying for EU membership.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed serious concern over the Brussels talks last week, saying that they are part of the Wests efforts to break up the Russian-Armenian alliance. It claimed that Armenia is becoming an instrument for the implementation of extremely dangerous plans of the collective West.

A ministry official warned separately that Yerevans possible exit from the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led trade bloc, would have disastrous consequences for the Armenian economy.

Russia accounted last year for over 35 percent of Armenias foreign trade, compared with 13 percent and 3.2 percent shares of the EU and the U.S. respectively. The Russian market absorbed 40 percent of Armenian exports worth $8.4 billion.

Von der Leyen listed trade diversification among the objectives of the latest EU aid package for Armenia. She also praised Yerevan for taking measures against the circumvention of sanctions imposed by the West on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

Armenian entrepreneurs have cashed in on the sanctions, re-exporting second-hand cars, consumer electronics and other Western goods to Russia. That was the main contributor to robust economic growth recorded in Armenia in 2022 and 2023.
5 April 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

In recent years, Azerbaijan has focused on developing its non-oil economy and is striving for economic diversification. Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, highlighted the significance of solar power plants in the country during an interview with China's "Phoenix" TV channel. He emphasized that this development signifies a crucial stage in the cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the realm of green energy.

The upcoming COP29 conference in Azerbaijan was also discussed during the interview. It was noted that climate financing, which lacked progress in previous conferences, will take center stage in Baku.

Moreover, Azerbaijan was acknowledged as a guarantor of European energy security, exporting oil and natural gas to many European countries. The close cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the energy sector, with Chinese participation in oil and gas projects, was emphasized. Hajiyev underscored Chinese companies' role as valuable partners in Azerbaijan's economic diversification, particularly as the country prioritizes the green transition.

Hajiyev expressed delight in seeing China at the forefront of global green transformation and looked forward to collaborating actively with Chinese counterparts at COP29 and beyond.

Qaiser Nawab, a global climate youth leader and international expert, commented on Hajiyev's statement, highlighting the pivotal role of solar power plants in advancing Azerbaijan's sustainable development agenda and promoting economic diversification. Nawab stressed that the collaboration between China and Azerbaijan in green energy signifies mutual benefits, including investment in renewable energy infrastructure.

"These plants represent a tangible commitment to green energy and signify the evolving cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in this crucial field. By embracing solar power, Azerbaijan not only reduces its carbon footprint but also strengthens its energy security and contributes to global efforts to combat climate change. The collaboration between China and Azerbaijan underscores the mutual benefits of investing in renewable energy infrastructure. With COP29 being hosted in Azerbaijan, the spotlight is on the country's commitment to addressing climate change and advancing climate financing discussions. This event provides an opportunity for Azerbaijan to showcase its efforts in green energy and to foster international partnerships, including with China, in driving the transition to a sustainable future. Azerbaijan's role as a guarantor of European energy security further underscores the importance of its efforts in diversifying its energy portfolio and embracing green technologies. The close cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in energy projects, including participation in oil and gas ventures, highlights the potential for further collaboration in the renewable energy sector. Hikmet Hajiyev's emphasis on Chinese companies as valuable partners in Azerbaijan's economic diversification underscores the strategic alignment between both nations in prioritizing the green transition. China's leadership in global green transformation serves as a model for other nations, including Azerbaijan, inspiring confidence in the feasibility and benefits of transitioning to renewable energy sources. Overall, Azerbaijan's embrace of solar power, coupled with its collaboration with China, not only contributes to its own sustainable development goals but also sets an example for international cooperation in addressing climate change and transitioning to a greener future.

According to him, Azerbaijan views Chinese companies as valuable partners in the diversification of its economy, especially within the context of prioritizing the green transition, for several reasons.

"Azerbaijan recognizes Chinese companies as vital partners in transitioning to green energy due to their expertise and technology transfer in renewable energy, particularly solar power. This collaboration aids Azerbaijan's shift away from traditional sectors like oil and gas towards sustainable alternatives. Chinese investment in renewable energy infrastructure, including solar power plants, not only diversifies Azerbaijan's economy but also enhances energy independence and resilience."

"Partnering with Chinese firms grants Azerbaijan access to global green energy markets and facilitates learning and growth opportunities in the emerging green economy. China's commitment to sustainability aligns with Azerbaijan's goals, accelerating the implementation of renewable energy projects. Azerbaijan prioritizes diversifying energy sources, investing in renewable energy infrastructure, promoting energy efficiency, and fostering international collaboration, including with China, to advance its green energy agenda. Collaborating on joint renewable energy projects, technology transfer, policy exchange, and business partnerships with China during and beyond COP29 aims to expedite Azerbaijan's transition to green energy, achieve sustainable development goals, and combat climate change," he concluded in the end.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2024 20:46 (UTC+04:00)

EDITORIAL

Those who speak a language of threat to Azerbaijan know that it is time to put an end to these bad habits. Since Azerbaijan has succeeded in guaranteeing its territorial integrity and sovereignty, this method is no longer useful.

However, it seems that President Ilham Aliyev's message to the world about this has not yet reached some people engaged in political affairs. Although the head of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), Gerald Knaus, claims that he is closely interested in human rights issues and has experience in this field, his views on Azerbaijan do not correspond with his background information. Knaus called on the PACE rapporteurs to take steps related to the release of the political prisoners allegedly 'imprisoned' in Azerbaijan. However, the European activist approached the issue one-sidedly.

First of all, those who are interested in freedom of speech and human rights in Azerbaijan can familiarise themselves with the situation in the country. Along with state-owned media organisations, opposition media subjects also operate freely in Azerbaijan. As for politicians and journalists, they are not subjected to pressure, but conditions are created for them.

In our days, the topic of freedom of speech and political persecution has become the most convenient tool for a smear campaign against the countries they want to slander in the countries of the European Union. After its victory in the Second Garabagh War, Azerbaijan was subjected to a storm of slander and persecution. Undoubtedly, this campaign, carried out with the organisational support of the Armenian lobby, is fully compatible with the financial interests of representatives of some so-called human rights organisations in Europe. For this reason, Mr. Gerald Knaus forgot the statistical data until 2020 when talking about human rights in Azerbaijan.

If he has forgotten, then we will remind him:

First of all, since the 1990s, the fact that more than one million Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from their lands and became refugees is considered a tragedy in the world. However, the Council of Europe is indifferent to human rights and even tries to ignore the issue.

The delegation of Azerbaijan represented in PACE tried to say these things in the last winter session. However, some politicians who found comfort in the financial support of the Armenian lobby tried to prevent this.

How is it that PACE and the Committee of Ministers want Azerbaijan to remain a member state of the organisation but do not want to hear the right voice of Azerbaijan for this? Do the 'political prisoners' they talk about really bother them so much?

Let's make this clear:

Until the Patriotic War, Azerbaijan agreed to all the demands and proposals of the Council of Europe. This led to the solution of the Garabagh problem in favour of Armenia. Both the Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe, PACE, and the Minsk Group of the OSCE were trying to freeze the conflict by drawing a veil over the realities. The fate of more than one million refugees and innocent citizens killed in Garabagh was completely out of their interest. But when the geopolitical processes changed, all recognised and unrecognised organisations in Europe stood up and directed their black propaganda against Azerbaijan under the guise of the independent mediabut working for Western forces in fact. Those so-called media subjects, financed by various secret sources, suddenly became active and began to increase their pressure on the state. Even with information consisting of blackmail and lies, those media outlets started to grist to the enemy's mill by publishing anti-Azerbaijan information.

Azerbaijan is well aware of who and which organisations receive financial support for such media subjects that only deal in money. If they wanted the prosperity of the country, why do they intervene in Azerbaijan's internal issues and broadcast anti-Azerbaijani information instead of exposing the atrocities committed by the Armenians in Garabagh, mine problems, as well as anti-Azerbaijani forces?

Azerbaijan does not have any obligations towards politicians and organisations that act on such double standards. If we are talking about the law, then all parties must comply with the legal norms and at least not interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan.

As for Gerald Knaus's posts about Azerbaijan, looking at his social media page, it is immediately clear that Azerbaijan is specifically targeted. Because spotlighting Azerbaijan amid so many problems in the world means nothing but a purposeful step.

In my opinion, Knaus completely forgot about the political repression and persecution in Armenia, including the unfinished criminal facts. It should be recalled that the Helsinki Committee's annual statement on human rights contains hundreds of documents related to the facts of political persecution and death in Armenia. Political prisoners arrested in Armenia are tortured and even brutally killed.

In addition, the Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe can make a statement about the Azerbaijani journalist who was subjected to pressure in France. Also, the people who were beaten by the police in anti-government protests in Paris and other cities have at least the same rights as everyone else. It is the duty of activists like Gerald Knaus to see it and take a look at this, at least...

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2024 18:33 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

As the world observes April 4th as the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Azerbaijan stands at the forefront of addressing the grave challenges posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance. However, the country's journey towards rehabilitation and reconstruction remains fraught with obstacles, largely stemming from deliberate policies pursued by Armenia.

During the decades-long occupation period, Armenia strategically laid over 1.5 million mines in Azerbaijani territories, as per initial assessments. The consequences of these actions continue to reverberate, with devastating impacts on civilian lives and hindering the nation's path to recovery.

Since the cessation of the Second Garabagh War, Azerbaijan has endured the tragic loss of 65 lives, with an additional 285 individuals suffering severe injuries due to mine-related incidents. These casualties highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing the nation.

The toll of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan extends further, with nearly 3429 citizens affected by mines since the conflict's onset. Shockingly, among these victims, 357 are innocent children and 38 are women, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the mine threat.

Despite the cessation of hostilities, Armenia's persistence in laying mines in Azerbaijani territories using the Lachin corridor persists. Recent discoveries revealing Armenian-produced anti-personnel mines in 2021 only exacerbate the already dire situation.

The mine threat not only poses a risk to human life but also impedes the extensive reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in liberated territories. The slow pace of mine clearance prolongs the process of displaced individuals returning to their native lands, perpetuating the cycle of suffering.

Azerbaijan, however, remains resolute in its commitment to addressing this pressing issue. With over 90% of mine clearance activities funded and carried out using domestic resources, the nation demonstrates its determination to tackle the problem head-on. Despite limited support from abroad, Azerbaijan's dedication to humanitarian mine clearance remains unwavering.

This commitment is deeply ingrained in Azerbaijan's state policy, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) 25 years ago under the visionary leadership of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. Humanitarian mine clearance stands as a cornerstone of Azerbaijan's efforts towards sustainable development and ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens.

As the world reflects on the significance of International Day of Mine Awareness, Azerbaijan calls upon the global community to join hands in combating the mine threat. The memory of the international conference held in May 2023 in Aghdam, centred around "Combatting the Mine Threat  Path to Sustainable Development", serves as a poignant reminder of the collective responsibility to create a safer and more prosperous future for all.

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5 April 2024 12:48 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

Azerbaijan discusses accelerating the implementation of the AZURE project with the World Bank, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Energy.

Discussions were held between the Ministry of Energy and a mission delegation from the World Bank led by Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov.

During the meeting, attended by the bank's senior energy specialist and Task Team Leader, Rocer Koma Kunil, experience manager Stefani Gil, and other representatives, issues related to the financing of strengthening the transmission network for the integration of restored energy sources into the grid were discussed.

The discussions also covered the status of measures for integrating energy sources restored with up to 2 GW capacity into the energy system, as well as the execution and financing options for connecting the 1 GW solar and wind power stations to be built by the Masdar company to the grid. The importance of expediting relevant processes for the timely integration of the 315 MW Bank and 445 MW Bilasuvar solar power stations into the energy system within the framework of the AZURE project was emphasised.

Additionally, discussions were held on the progress of activities under the "Energy Efficiency and Climate" technical assistance project within the AZTAF program, particularly the component supporting the Energy Efficiency Fund and the Roadmap for the National Renovation Program, as well as other aspects of collaboration with the World Bank in the energy sector.

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5 April 2024 18:10 (UTC+04:00)

Amidst swift technological progress, in 2023 Azercell has rolled out a range of new products and solutions in 2023, aiming to provide subscribers with more agile customer experience opportunities.

Among these introductions is the eSIM "Asan Imza" service, eliminating the need for physical SIM cards for citizens, entrepreneurs, and government employees. Pioneered in Azerbaijan's telecommunications sector this eSIM merges the latest generation SIM technology with the mobile electronic signature "Asan Imza," providing an equivalent to a handwritten signature. In the age of artificial intelligence integration, Azercell launched an enhanced Virtual Assistant service creating the first Azerbaijani-language bot in the country to respond to customers' inquiries. The Taksit Project is now available, providing customers with the opportunity for interest-free installment payments when acquiring an Azercell number. Furthermore, clients of the premier mobile operator can benefit from the upgraded roaming service, extending coverage to more than 390 networks across 160 countries. Exclusive "Tourist" tariffs are also provided for foreign nationals and visitors to the country.

Azercell's Contact Center, dedicated to providing prompt and quality service to its customers, received nearly 3 million calls throughout 2023. Approximately 1.5 million inquiries were received via online platforms during the same period, with around 440 thousand of them being addressed through social media channels. As a result of the implemented measures, Azercell's Contact Center achieved a Customer Satisfaction Index of 94.9% in 2023.

During the reported year, the company served over 850,000 subscribers at Baku-Region service centers, as well as through Mobile Customer Service (MCS).

As part of its commitment to fostering the business ecosystem in the country, the mobile operator extended its services to more than 40,000 legal entities in 2023. Through Azercell Business, exclusive services led to a notable 26% increase in internet users among corporate subscribers, with the number of active users exceeding 600 thousand.

In 2023, Azercell Business, contributing to the development of the rural economy in the country through cutting-edge technologies, introduced an innovative IoT-type solution called "Irrigation Control System". Utilizing innovative solutions, the automated management processes will create conditions for more efficient control over both the production of more products and, most importantly, the effective use of water resources.

Furthermore, the mobile operator has introduced its innovative "Azercell Business" application and web platform to assist business partners in organizing their entrepreneurial activities more effectively.

Moreover, Azercell became a vice-champion in the "Critical Infrastructure Defense Challenge 2023" (CIDC-2023) competition held jointly with the Special State Security Service and the State Security Service and entered the top three in the field of cybersecurity in the country.

In 2023, Azercell strengthened its position as the country's leading mobile operator, establishing a strategic partnership with the telecommunications giant "e&International" to create opportunities for new services and broader connectivity for subscribers.

Furthermore, "Azercell Telecom" initiated cooperation with the world's leading Big Data solution provider company, "Cloudera", for the first time in Azerbaijan. To achieve ambitious goals, the leading mobile operator renewed its data architecture, accelerating business processes fivefold with the Cloudera Data Platform.

Azercell's compliance with the international ISO 10002:2018 standard for Customer Satisfaction System was reconfirmed in 2023. Besides, "Azercell Telecom" successfully renewed its ISO 37001:2016 certification for the "Anti-Corruption Management System." The company, which is committed to excellence in customer service, was also awarded the ISO 18295-1:2017 certification for compliance with international standards in Contact Centers.

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The Azerbaijan Composers' Union has launched a new project. The book dedicated to the founder of Azerbaijani professional music Uzeyir Hajibayli was published within the initiative, Azernews reports.

The book is a collection of selected scientific articles compiled on the basis of reports that were presented at musicological conferences held by the Composers' Union as part of the Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival.

The initiator, leader, and author of the book's introductory article is the chairman of the Azerbaijan Composers' Union, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor, and People's Artist Frangiz Alizade.

The publication includes 17 extensive scientific publications with research views on the creative heritage of the great classic.

Opening the presentation with an introductory speech, Frangiz Alizade noted that the Azerbaijan Composers' Union has taken an active part in the work of the traditional Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival for almost 15 years, organising chamber music concerts, meetings with foreign guests, as well as scientific conferences.

"Over these years, we have accumulated a lot of valuable research material, interestingly representing various facets of the creativity and activity of Uzeir Hajibeyli, as well as his colleague and friend Muslim Magomayev. Based on this, the idea was born to publish the most interesting and relevant reports in the form of a collection of scientific articles, which we present today. We hope that the book will be of interest to both professionals and lovers of musical art, and will also become another valuable source for studying the history of national academic music," said Frangiz Alizade.

The book presentation was also attended by the Secretary of the Azerbaijan Composers' Union, Honoured Artist, Professor Zemfira Gafarova, Honoured Artist, Vice-Rector of the Baku Music Academy, Professor Gulnaz Abdullazade, Honoured Artist, Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, Professor Kamila Dadashzade, scientific editor of the book, Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, Associate Professor Gunay Mammadova, and editor, Associate Professor Aytan Babayeva.

All speakers stressed the importance of this publication, which makes a new contribution to the study of Uzeyir Hajibayli's life and creativity.

The musical part of the event featured the immortal works of Uzayir Hajibayli, including Nigar's aria and Koroglu's aria from Koroglu opera, Gulchohra's aria and Asgar's song from the The Cloth Peddler operetta, Sansiz romance-ghazal (arranged for piano by G. Burshtein), performed by People's Artists Gulnaz Ismayilova (soprano) and Ulviya Hajibayova(piano), Honored Artist Farida Aliyeva (tenor), Gulnaz Eldarli and Gunel Rahimova (piano).

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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5 April 2024 13:22 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The 1st Forum of Azerbaijani Book Publishers will be held at the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences on April 26.

The event is co-organised by the Azerbaijan Publishers Association, the National Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Education, and the Culture Ministry, Azernews reports.

The forum program includes an exhibition of publishing products and operating strategies, as well as panels providing an integrated approach to publishing problems.

The First Forum of Azerbaijan Publishers will promote a kind of accountability of the country's private publishing sector, which developed during the period of independence, the formation of proposals for solving common problems, and providing a network for the development of new projects.

The project aims to shed light on the real problems of the domestic publishing sector, as well as benefit from international experience.

The forum will feature a total of 15 speakers across five panels, with the participation of local and international experts.

As part of the forum, a Reading Day book fair will be organised in the park of the National Academy of Sciences on April 27-28.

Over 40 leading publishing houses and book houses in the country, as well as around 70 writers, are expected to participate in the event.

The book fair will feature a large program selling a variety of books. The fair visitors will be offered various discounts.

Moreover, book presentations, autograph sessions, concert programs, poetry evenings, and master classes for children with the participation of famous writers will also be organised as part of the event.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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5 April 2024 15:06 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Belarusian Culture Minister Anatoly Markevich has visited the National Carpet Museum as part of the Days of Belarusian Culture held in Baku.

The minister got acquainted with the valuable art samples displayed in the exhibition of the museum, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.

The guest was informed about the museum's history and activities, Azerbaijani carpet weaving art, national embroidery, art metal, and clothing samples, as well as works and other projects carried out in order to enrich the collections.

The minister, Anatoly Markevich, who also visited the jewellery fund, expressed his satisfaction with getting acquainted with the rich national cultural heritage and wrote his good impressions about the museum in a memorial book.

The guest was presented with a carpet woven in the Traditional Technology Department of the museum.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out.

The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to popularising and promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

Moreover, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards for the fourth time.

In 2023, the museum received the 2023 Experts' Choice Award, which is the only award given based on the opinions of professionals.

The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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5 April 2024 11:12 (UTC+04:00)

A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on April 5.

The new edition includes several interesting articles, such as "Azerbaijan, Republic of Congo open new horizons in economic cooperation"; "Azerbaijan steps up strategic initiatives in Green Energy"; "SOCAR positions itself to become major player in Romania's energy sector"; "Global shift towards green energy: Pathway to sustainable future" etc.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.

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5 April 2024 10:40 (UTC+04:00)

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has received Mevlut Cavusoglu, former Foreign Minister of Turkiye, member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, head of the delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Azernews reports.

The head of state underlined that Azerbaijan holds Mevlut Cavusoglu in high esteem for standing by the country throughout the years, adding that the people of Azerbaijan highly appreciate this. President Ilham Aliyev highlighted that during the Second Karabakh War, Mevlut Cavusoglu made important statements regularly. He raised Turkiye's voice to the whole world, stating that Azerbaijan is not alone, and Turkiye stands by its side. These declarations played a pivotal role in countering external forces that sought to interfere in Azerbaijan's affairs.

The head of state emphasized the crucial importance of further strengthening the Azerbaijan-Turkiye alliance today, particularly in light of the current global processes, including those unfolding in the South Caucasus, which are heading in very dangerous directions. Azerbaijan rightfully expresses its concerns about these developments. Thus, the plans formulated for the South Caucasus could potentially lead to significant disasters in the future.

The President of Azerbaijan affirmed that the liberation of Karabakh from occupation, particularly the anti-terrorism operation conducted in September of last year, has unsettled certain forces. "I have consistently stated, and continue to affirm, that we are on the right path; we have liberated our ancestral lands through military means in accordance with all international laws," emphasized President Ilham Aliyev, highlighting that pressures on Azerbaijan have persisted since then. The European Parliament has adopted insulting and ugly resolutions while the PACE has deprived our delegation of voting rights. These are the actions that could have very negative consequences, and the sole reason for this is the liberation of Karabakh from occupation.

On the trilateral meeting between the United States, the European Union, and Armenia scheduled to be held in Brussels today, the head of state stated that this poses another source of danger for the South Caucasus. Despite recent attempts by high-ranking officials from both the United States and the European Union to assure, during phone conversations initiated by them, that this meeting is not aimed against Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that we understand this is against Azerbaijan and cooperation in the South Caucasus. Its objective is to create divisive lines and isolate our country.

The head of state reiterated that the statements made by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe against Azerbaijan since September last year until now, and the attempts to establish Armenia as an armed outpost in the South Caucasus, will cause much greater damage in the future. Therefore, we have issued statements to warn our partners in the United States and Europe about this.

Saying that the geopolitical situation has changed, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the necessity of the Azerbaijan-Turkiye alliance to remain strong as it has always been, and expressed confidence that the desires of those seeking to break this alliance would be in vain.

Expressing gratitude for the kind words, Mevlut Cavusoglu conveyed the greetings of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the head of state.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked Mevlut Cavusoglu to communicate his greetings to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed the great joy they felt at being in their native Azerbaijan, as always. He congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his landslide victory in the presidential election, describing it as a manifestation of the high trust of the Azerbaijani people in their leader as the Commander-in-Chief who achieved the Victory in Karabakh.

Noting that the President of Azerbaijan referred to the Turkish world as our family in his speech during the inauguration ceremony, Mevlut Cavusoglu pointed out that the valuable ideas expressed by the head of state regarding the unity of the Turkic world were warmly welcomed in the Turkic world. Mevlut Cavusoglu emphasized: "You are an influential leader on the global scale, and the steps you have taken towards strengthening the Turkic world are evident to the entire Turkic world."

President Ilham Aliyev noted that indeed the Turkic world is our family and emphasized the need to work in this direction.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said that there are forces unable to digest Azerbaijan's Karabakh Victory, and they are trying to pursue their policies in this direction.

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5 April 2024 14:02 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

The final stage of the "Vetenimsen, Azerbaijan!" competition was held at the Kazakh Teachers' Seminary/ADA University, Azernews reports.

The purpose of the competition among 9th grade students held by the Gazakh Centre of ADA University in cooperation with the Ganja-Dashkasan and Gazakh-Tovuz Regional Education Departments is to reveal and enrich their current knowledge of the history, geography, language, literature, music, and art of Azerbaijan, as well as to support their upbringing in the spirit of Azerbaijanism and patriotism.

The first stage of the three-stage competition took place within the school, with the participation of about 250 secondary schools belonging to Gazakh-Tovuz RED and Ganja-Dashkasan RED. 371 students who successfully passed to the second stage took part in the competition in the district centres belonging to both regional education departments. 24 high-achieving students participated in the semi-finals, which were held in Ganja City Mir Jalal Pashayev School No. 39 and the Kazakh Centre of ADA University, together with a five-person team representing their schools. Six teams with high results qualified for the final stage.

In the final stage, held in the format of an intellectual-interactive game, students were presented with 20 questions covering the history, language, literature, geography, and culture of Azerbaijan.

The team of the secondary school named after M. Musayev, Tovuz region, Alimardanli village, took 1st place, the team of the humanitarian and natural sciences oriented high school named after M. Huseyn, Gazakh city, took 2nd place, the team of the high school named after J. Jabbarli, Ganja city, took 3rd place. The winners were awarded with gifts and certificates.

It is worth noting that the mentioned competition increased students' knowledge about the ideas of Azerbaijanism and its content and inspired them to work as a team and work together.

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5 April 2024 15:54 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

As a result of climate change in Azerbaijan, 40% of water reservoirs and 52% of marshes in the Gyzylaghach Reserve have been lost.

Azernews reports that Samaddin Asadov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Space Agency ("Azercosmos") alongside the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, mentioned this at the event "Climate Change from Space Perspective".

"From 1993 to 2023, the level of the Caspian Sea has decreased by 2 meters. This decrease of 1.5 meters coincides with the last five years," he noted.

S. Asadov drew attention to the loss of 18 glaciers in the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and Talysh mountains compared to 2017.

"During the assessment of drought levels nationwide, it was determined that 15% of Azerbaijan's territory is at a very high risk of drought. The regions most exposed to drought risk are Ganja, Dashkesen, and the Mountainous Shirvan," he emphasized.

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5 April 2024 17:28 (UTC+04:00)

The Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan met with the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Science and Education.

On April 5, 2024, Emin Amrullayev, the Minister of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, met Mikhail Yevdokimov, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to our country.

The current state of relations in the fields of science and education, as well as cooperation perspectives between the two countries, were discussed during the meeting.

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5 April 2024 17:36 (UTC+04:00)

Under the instruction of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev, 24-hour-day combat duty is organised at a high level in accordance with the rules of the daily routine in the units stationed in difficult terrain and high-mountainous areas, and continuous service is carried out, Azernews reports.

Security rules are communicated to servicemen involved in combat duty, and regular classes are held to maintain their combat and moral-psychological readiness at a high level.

The patriotic youth who serve in the army are able to adequately cope with all the tasks given to them thanks to the military knowledge instilled by the commanders.

Feeling the attention and care of the Supreme Commander, the Azerbaijani soldier protects his lands like the apple of his eye and is ready to suppress any provocation with dignity.

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5 April 2024 20:36 (UTC+04:00)

Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan Samir Nuriyev has met with Director General of the Central and West Asia Regional Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Eugene Zhukov.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the cooperation between Azerbaijan and ADB, as well as preparations for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Samir Nuriyev noted that this year marks the 25th anniversary of cooperation between Azerbaijan and ADB, adding that Azerbaijan highly appreciates this collaboration.

The Head of Presidential Administration also highlighted the projects implemented in Azerbaijan to advance the green energy transition agenda.

Touching upon preparations for the COP29 Conference under the leadership of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Chairman of the COP29 Organizing Committee Samir Nuriyev underscored the progress made regarding Azerbaijans successful hosting of this prestigious event.

Eugene Zhukov congratulated Azerbaijan on securing the hosting of COP29 Conference as he commended the work done in a short span of time during the countrys COP29 Chairmanship.

He expressed the ADBs keenness to cooperate closely with Azerbaijan and provide the technical assistance to the country within COP29.

He also praised Azerbaijans achievements in the field of diversification of economy, as well as green transition, expressing ADBs readiness to contribute to this process.

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5 April 2024 15:33 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

The Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water shared by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, faces decreasing water levels. Some scientific reports suggest it could drop by 9 to 18 metres by the century's end, potentially losing a quarter of its area and uncovering around 93,000 square kilometres of dry land, similar in size to Portugal.

In order to investigate the reasons for the decrease in the water level in the Caspian Sea, it is necessary to first look at the rivers that feed this giant lake. Russia's construction of dams on the Volga River, the primary water source for the Caspian, has significantly reduced water flow into the sea.

For example, Dubna is a small town three hours from Moscow by train that sits on the banks of the Ivankovo Reservoir, the first part of a massive hydropower project called "Big Volga," whose construction spanned decades during the Soviet era. The complex, consisting of 11 dams on the Volga and its largest tributary, the Kama, is responsible for about 5% of the total electricity production in Russia.

When the station in Dubna was designed in the early 1930s, the young Soviet state had just decided to catch up with the capitalist states of the West by rapidly accelerating its industrial developmentbut in order to do so, it needed to generate energy on a massive scale. By the time the last station was built, in the 1980s, the Soviet Union, having just hosted the Olympics for the first time, was about to launch perestroika, a program of large-scale democratic reforms intended to end an era of stagnation and revitalise the flailing state. The history of the Big Volga project is, in a sense, the history of Soviet industrialization. It is also a history of rivalry with the US, which, for decades, raced the Soviets to build bigger, more impressive dams.

The river has become polluted, silted up, and overwhelmed by invasive species. Water flows at a tenth of the speed it did before the dams were constructed, according to estimates by researchers at the Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin in the central Russian port city of Togliatti. Widespread toxic algal blooms are now common.

After the Soviet Unions collapse, the newly formed Russian government was left trying to fix the Soviet machine. The federal Volga Revival program, a conservation and restoration effort launched in 1996, met its demise just two years later, during a bout of deep economic crisis and government turmoil. Water quality in the Volga hasnt improved substantially over the last three decades.

Geopolitical tensions and sanctions have also driven Russia to intensify the use of Volga water resources for agriculture, exacerbating the decline. It is telling that the Volgas water has been put to use to provide for the Russian capital. It no longer belongs to the people along the Volga.

The change in the water level of the Caspian Sea poses a threat to the surrounding areas. If the water level declines further, there is a threat to the unique biodiversity of the water body. Drastic changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea would cause not only environmental consequences but also socio-economic ones, such as damage to coastal enterprises, loss of livelihoods, migration, and infrastructure degradation. The higher the rate of oscillation, the worse these consequences would be. Therefore, it is important to conduct research aimed at discovering the main reasons affecting the Caspian Sea level and constructing models that would provide reliable forecasts in order to prevent potential damage.

In addition, the decrease in Caspian waters is clearly observed along the eastern strip of Azerbaijan and especially in the area of Baku Boulevard. The receding waters near the boulevard made it impossible for even cruise ships to approach the shore.

Azerbaijani ecologists also associate this with global warming, and it is noted that this situation may have a negative impact on the country's climate and seismic processes in the future.

Currently, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) support project for adaptation is being implemented in Azerbaijan. The priority sectors were identified as water, agriculture, and coastal areas. The expected increase in extreme events on the Caspian Sea coastal areas, such as extremely high waves, strong winds, and flooding, makes those areas particularly vulnerable to climate change and requires the development of targeted adaptation programs.

It is worth noting that Azerbaijan has joined the fight against global climate change by being a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since 1995, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been convened every year. The event aims to examine global progress in combating climate change. COP29 will take place in Azerbaijan in 2024. The decision was made during the plenary session of COP28 on December 11.

As part of the Climate Action Agenda, COP29 will also feature the Caspian Sea initiative. This Sea initiative might facilitate resolving the sea issue not only at the national and regional levels but also under the global climate change adaptation programs.

It should be clear that the Caspian Sea level problem unites five countries. These countries have a common responsibility to prevent pollution and to use the resources of the Caspian without harm.

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5 April 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The United States plans to deploy medium-range missiles in Asia soon to deter China, Azernews reports, citing the commander of the United States ground forces in the Pacific, General Charles Flynn saying as in an interview with the Yomiuri newspaper and several other media outlets.

"We plan to cooperate with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and soon deploy such missiles in this region," the publication quoted him as saying. He added that it is "crucial for the United States to find a way to counteract" the modernization of China's missile potential.

Flynn did not provide specific data on the types of weapons, the timing of deployment and planned locations. At the same time, the newspaper suggested that the commander hinted Typhon launchers that allow launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles.

Previously, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles signed between the USSR and the United States in 1987, Washington could not deploy land-based ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and missile launchers with a range of 500 to 5,500 km. However, in 2019, the United States withdrew from this agreement.

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5 April 2024 19:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The second South Korean reconnaissance satellite will be launched on April 8, Azernews reports, citing Korean Defense Ministry.

The satellite will be launched from the territory of the Space Center named after John F. Kennedy in Florida on April 7, local time, but at 08:17 Seoul time on April 8 (03:17 - Baku time, April 8). The spacecraft will be sent into orbit on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, as well as the first South Korean reconnaissance satellite, which was launched on December 1.

On November 21, 2023, North Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite, Mulligan-1, which was preceded by two unsuccessful attempts.

The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Korea, Shin Won Sik, said that the DPRK could force the launch to get ahead of Seoul. He made a similar assumption recently - before the launch of the second satellite. In total, as part of the program, Seoul plans to launch five satellites to monitor the DPRK by 2025. According to experts, five such devices will be able to provide constant monitoring with an interval of two hours.

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5 April 2024 20:15 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

In the Mangystau region (in the south-west of Kazakhstan), it is planned to build a plant for the production of ammonia and carbamide, Azernews reports, citing Kazakh media.

The project is estimated at 637.5 billion tenge or about $ 1.38 billion.

The work is at the stage of development of project documentation. The plant is expected to be put into operation in 2028.

The plant's capacity will be 660 thousand tons of ammonia, 577.5 thousand tons of urea, 500 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate, 395 thousand tons of weak nitric acid per year.

It is expected that 700 new jobs will be opened due to the implementation of this project.

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5 April 2024 21:50 (UTC+04:00)

Turkiye has asked NATO members to support Ankara in its fight against terrorism, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

"We underlined that NATO member countries should fully and unconditionally support Turkiye in the fight against terrorism," Fidan told reporters in Brussels.

Fidan's remarks came after a two-day NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, where he also held sideline talks with his counterparts.

During his talks, Fidan said he also emphasized that some NATO member countries should not cooperate with the terrorist organization, particularly in Syria.

"We said this is against the spirit of the NATO alliance," he added.

Stressing that it was agreed upon the appointment of a counter-terrorism coordinator at last year's Vilnius Summit, Fidan said efforts are continuing for NATO to look at the fight against terrorism "structurally."

The minister said he discussed with his counterparts the activities of the terrorist organization PKK in Europe.

"What is sad for them (European countries) is that the terrorist organization, which they have been silent about for years, is terrorizing their own streets. It is not a surprise to us that they are seeing these things now," he added.

Fidan said the countries should not only condemn the terror group's acts of violence against the Turkish nationals living in Europe, but also they should take "very serious" measures to combat it.

"I see authorities increasingly becoming more sensitive in Europe. This is actually a pleasing issue. I see that tolerance towards PKK is gradually decreasing. This is important," he added.

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK  listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the EU  has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKKs Syrian offshoot.

Next NATO secretary-general

Turning to the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding, Fidan said Turkiye has been an important member of the alliance since 1952.

"It has been contributing to NATO for 72 years. Our armed forces actively participate in NATO missions," he added.

Fidan announced that the informal NATO foreign minister meeting will be held in Turkiye next year.

About the race for being the next NATO chief, Fidan said he recently met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who announced his bid to become the next secretary-general.

"It is possible that he will visit Turkiye soon. We are working on a date," he said.

Stoltenbergs term is scheduled to end on Oct. 1 after ten years.

Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Rutte in a phone call that Ankara would back a candidate to be NATO's new chief based on its expectations and needs.

Erdogan emphasized the need for the new secretary-general to best serve the security and interests of members in the fight against terrorism and other challenges, bolster the unity of the alliance, prioritize NATO's fundamental duty, and deliver convincing commitments to uphold the alliance's core values and established practices, as well as consider the sensitivities of non-EU allies.

Stressing that Turkiye clearly expressed his expectation that the process carried out with current chief Jens Stoltenberg will be put forward by the new secretary-general, Fidan said: "I think our president will also announce his decision (soon)."

Regional issues

About the restrictions on Turkiye in the defense industry, Fidan said he told his counterparts that they are not "compatible with the spirit of the alliance and that the restrictions should be removed."

Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan said Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba gave information about the war during the meeting.

Turkiye emphasized that it stands by Ukraine's security and sovereignty, and underlined that alternative ways to peace and cease-fire should be sought to stop the war, he added.

Fidan also said he discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip with his counterparts on the sidelines of the NATO meeting and voiced concern over the "unbearable" situation in the enclave.

"In particular, we have repeatedly raised the need for a cease-fire, urgent humanitarian aid and a two-state solution perspective. Here's the good thing. Now, all our counterparts almost agree with us.

"It is important for the international community to reach this understanding during the process in terms of diplomatic gains, but more needs to be done in terms of changing something on the ground. Our determination on this issue continues," he added.

President Erdogan's visit to US

During his sideline meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Brussels, Fidan said they also discussed the upcoming visit of Erdogan to the US upon the invitation of his counterpart Joe Biden.

Fidan said Erdogan's agenda will include different issues, including bilateral and regional relations, with Gaza coming first among these.

Stressing that the Ukraine issue will also be on the agenda, Fidan said: "These two wars concern our region. At the same time, they both trigger global fault lines and there are other risk areas that they will trigger. Our president will continue to draw attention to them and emphasize our sensitivities on these issues."

Fidan said enhancement of the relations in other areas, such as economy, technology, and trade, will also be on the agenda.

Erdogan's perspective is to remove Turkish-American relations from being "solely security-oriented" and to create a "more balanced and broader" set of relations, he added.

---

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5 April 2024 22:55 (UTC+04:00)

Consul General of Uzbekistan Zafarbek Akhmedov met with the director of the Osh branch of the Manas International Airport Timur Madanbekov, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

At the meeting, it was noted that with the rapid development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the field of trade, economics, education, science and culture, the movement of citizens, representatives of the business community and tourists across state borders has intensified. As a result, in recent years the number of Kyrgyzstanis traveling to the historical cities of Uzbekistan has increased, and the number of visitors to the resorts of Kyrgyzstan from various regions of Uzbekistan in the summer season is growing.

It was noted that one of the main problems in the development of tourism remains the lack of a convenient and fast transport and logistics system connecting Osh and neighboring regions with Tashkent and other historical cities of Uzbekistan.

Currently, regular flights are operated from Osh Airport to several Russian cities and Istanbul International Airport.

In April-September 2023, given the large number of passengers flying to Issyk-Kul via Osh, flights along the Osh-Tamchy-Osh route were launched and are being successfully implemented.

The Kyrgyz side expressed confidence that relations between the two countries in the field of tourism will continue to develop if the Tashkent-Osh-Tashkent route is launched.
5 April 2024 23:30 (UTC+04:00)

Gazprom Neft will meet the April quota of the OPEC+ on oil production cuts by the end of the month, CEO Alexander Dyukov told reporters, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"The Ministry of Energy traditionally communicates the quota to us; we perform it. We plan to achieve required volumes of production cuts by the end of the month," Dyukov said.

The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the OPEC+ did not make recommendations on changing the oil production policy at the meeting on April 3. Several OPEC+ member-states, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, are voluntarily reducing oil production by 2.2 mln barrels daily in total since the first quarter of 2024 in order to rebalance the market. The measure was initially set to be effective in the first quarter but OPEC+ member-countries extended it for the second quarter also.

---

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2 Teens, Dog Need Rescue at N. Oregon Coast's Cannon Beach

Published 4/03/24 at 6:55 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon)  Tuesday saw some tense moments on the beach at Cannon Beach when Cannon Beach Fire District (CBFD) responded to a report of two people in the surf that needed rescue, which included the family dog.

In a press release, the CBFD also said it helps illustrate the dangers that are coming to the Oregon coast as tourist season gets ready to ramp up.

Around 1:15 p.m., personnel responded to a report of two individuals trapped in the surf near the Tolovana Wayside. The crew arrived within minutes, finding both were out of the water and resting on the beach  conscious and breathing. One was an 18-year-old and the other a 14-year-old, both siblings in the family. The two had been out boogie boarding with wetsuits.

The department said statements from the parents indicated at one point they noticed the pair were out in the ocean no longer with their boogie boards. By the time rescue personnel arrived, the 14-year-old was able to get the sibling and boogie boards out of the water.

Both were transported to Providence Seaside Hospital by Medix Ambulance with one fire personnel on board, CBFD said.

As of early Tuesday evening, the pair were doing just fine, CBFD said.

Also pulled out of the water was the family dog, reportedly rescued by a family member. The dog was also in good condition, the department said.

As summer's busy season approaches, CBFD wants to remind everyone that if you head to the Oregon coast, you'll need to take some precautions. They suggested:

If you are caught in a rip current, remember these life-saving tips:

- Stay calm and do not fight the current

- Swim parallel to the beach, following the shoreline  then head back to shore

- If you can't escape, float or tread water

- If you require help, wave or yell for help

- Again: stay calm

Do not go out into the ocean beyond your knees. Children should always be within arm's reach of their parents.

When in doubt, don't go out

CBFD said it's really important to not head out in the surf yourself if you see someone in trouble: call 911 immediately. You risk becoming a victim yourself.

When you call, do not leave the area: wait for first responders to speak with you and give you the OK to leave.

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Courtesy CBFD at a previous event











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Moderate Threat of Sneaker Waves This Weekend Along Washington, Oregon Coast

Published 4/05/24 at 6:15 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  The National Weather Service (NWS) is saying there is a moderate threat of sneaker waves along the Oregon coast this weekend, with Saturday and Sunday showing some mighty long periods between swells. (Above: Neskowin / Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Friday and Saturday will brings some decent minus tides, but that will be negated on Saturday with the sneaker wave dangers. See Big Minus Tides on Oregon Coast Coming Up: Great Clamming, Maybe More Beach Access

Beware of sneaker waves at the beach, the NWS said. If you're headed to the shore for spring break or recreational activities keep an eye out for sneaker waves, which can run up much faster and farther than other waves.

The NWS in Portland said to stay away from jetties and logs on the beach. It does not take much water  only about an inch  to lift a sizable log and drop it on someone in the surf.

This is for the upper half of the Oregon coast and southern part of Washington's coast, but there is no similar message for the southern Oregon coast. However, the period timing between waves is similar down south if not higher than up north. Although the NWS out of Medford did not issue such a statement, it's also a good idea to be very careful of sneaker waves in those areas, which includes beaches near Reedsport, Coos Bay, Bandon, Gold Beach, Port Orford and Brookings.



Winema Beach / Oregon Coast Beach Connection

It is the period timing that often dictates what kind of sneaker wave dangers there are, and these are sizable.

Along the northern half of Oregon through south Washington beaches, the NWS is predicting combined waves just over 7 feet with timing at least 13 seconds later in the day Saturday. Then on Sunday, offshore waters see 8 or so feet but with a timing up around or beyond 14 seconds at times.

A long timing between swells means a few can pile up into one big wave with lots of energy to charge up the beach and injure someone.

See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather

On the southern half, Saturday sees over 17 seconds between waves and at least 15 seconds on Sunday. Both parts of the coastline cool down those numbers by Monday.

There are some sizable negative tides predicted throughout the weekdays, so those may remain enjoyable after Monday.

Extreme caution should be exercised when it comes to beaches and their tides, no matter the conditions.

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Sneaker wave in Seaside / Seaside Aquarium





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Witnessing Oregon Coast History at Depoe Bay: What's Gone and What's Eternal

Published 4/03/24 at 5:35 a.m.

By Andre' GW Hagestedt

(Depoe Bay, Oregon)  With this gig as editor of a publication about the Oregon coast, the region never ceases to surprise. I've been digging into it for almost three decades now, and consequently have been around some historic spots and aspects  plenty of which are gone now. (Above: the now-gone Whale Cove Inn back in the early 2000s - Oregon Coast Beach Connection's Andre' Hagestedt)

These days, they're not even just memories anymore: they're times I witnessed actual history here. I've also had the good fortune of documenting some of it in-camera. One village in particular is a big part my experiences.

One of my fave places for decades has been Depoe Bay  even before I knew that to be so. My memories of it go all the way back to about 1970 as a wee child, apparently around the time it officially incorporated as a city. It was a bit of a late bloomer for coastal towns, waiting until 1973 to make that official.

Back then, I remember being obsessed with the show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and at one point had a working model of the submarine the Seaview with that cool little flying shuttle / sub that came out of it. As my mom, dad and brother and I walked over that bridge, I looked down in awe at that tiny harbor (which didn't seem that small to me then) and thought of the Seaview emerging down there. I asked my dad if a submarine could be housed in the bay and he  with great wisdom  informed me that no, a sub would not be able to fit in there, much less make it up the channel.

I was bummed and I think I even tried to argue the matter. Aw, what a cute kid: just as nerdy then as now.



Depoe Bay in the '50s - courtesy Oregon Archives

I have very vague memories of going to the Depoe Bay Aquarium and being around that mysterious rocky interior (they built it to look like a sea cave). Yet I distinctly remember an oddly-shaped window in back of it in the '90s where you could peep in and see the seals. That window still exists in what is now an art gallery there in Depoe Bay.



Depoe Bay at night / Oregon Coast Beach Connection

It wasn't until the '90s that I started venturing out there on my own, and one night found myself completely struck by the atmosphere of this place after dark. It was clear and misty at the same time, with blobs of fog swirling around you like ghosts, yet you could see the stars. The smell of the sea was intoxicating. There was not another soul around. I did something that startled all the seagulls and suddenly had swarms of them cawing and flapping around, discovering that they were hanging out below the bridge at night. It was unbelievable how many of them were down there.

Somewhere in that decade or just after 2000 I discovered North Point, that wondrous hidden spot of rugged cliffs that extend beyond some neighborhood. That giant arm-like basalt structure you see from the seawall? That's found here. On a particularly calm, sunny day, I wandered out there and encountered a whale, probably only 30 feet from me or less. He very slowly moved past, and I got the distinct impression he was watching me. I knew then, as other scientists later confirmed to me in interviews, they are curious about you too.

This was an incredible experience.



Tidal Raves in 2004 or so

Sometime late in the '90s I discovered Tidal Raves and its insane seafood. For many years I'd hightail it there for the rich, juicy filet mignon. Since I'm (ironically) not much of a seafood guy, it took me some years to even try it there. I was immediately addicted to the thick, rich cioppino, just crammed with all sorts of seafood. Those dishes are still there and so is the view.

Periodically, whales come up close to this spot and start mulling around in front of those enormous windows. It becomes a rather dramatic thing as suddenly everyone in the place is standing up and gawking below.

I was poking around Depoe Bay a lot in the early 2000s and distinctly remember the charming little Whale's Cove Inn (photo at top) before it was torn down. It's now a part of Depoe Bay history. The food itself was hearty and fairly good, but again it was those windows that made the scene. I remember sitting and talking with the owner when a gray whale and her baby came into the cove, and the whole room stood and gasped on occasion: quite the communal experience. It was utterly astounding.

I saw numerous wonders and eateries come and go. There was that funky little Irish bar that had live blues and an incredible Shepard's Pie. I have fond memories of the old Dairy Queen on one corner for decades, though I wouldn't dream of fast food now. The Whale Watch Center was for years an adjunct biz of the Oregon Coast Aquarium, called the Oregon Coast Aquarium store. That was interesting.

Then there was the most intense Green Flash at Sunset I'd ever seen, right in this town  and all those great times I can't completely remember getting loopy at the Wing Wa bar and doing the most obscure karaoke tunes. It's still there and kickin'.

Little Sam the lab

My homebase while zipping up and down the Oregon coast was often Depoe Bay through about 2014, especially Troller's Lodge when it was owned by Peg and Rick. For years they had this adorable black lab named Samantha, who did kooky little tricks for treats, and sometimes lurked outside my room in the early mornings, whining for me.

One of the most unforgettable things about staying in Depoe Bay is not just the soft murmur of the surf pounding those rocks, but that bell buoy just out to sea, ringing and clanging throughout the night. This was a hypnotic, comforting noise that just can't be beat for atmosphere.

One night in 2009, I had a series of striking moments wandering up and down the central coast, resulting in me going back out at 3 a.m to watch the surf at Rodea Point just south of Depoe Bay. I was completely awestruck, even floored by the beauty of it all, and I couldn't stop writing about it for hours. The whole night still remains one of my best memories ever. See What You're Missing on Oregon Coast: Waves After Dark

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Now that Kamala Harris has been coronated the Democratic Socialist designee for nomination as their candidate for President of these United States, after that political party's contrived primary process "democratically" elected Joseph R. Biden: What are your feelings about this party's progressive posture within their self-styled exercise of "Saving Democracy for America," and how truly critical the outcome of this presidential election will be?

8.7% I am ecstatic that this "Democracy's" First partially Black, First partially Indian, First female Co-Parent, and this nation's primary necessity is to her elect our First woman president.26.09% I really do not care about all these "Firsts." I will continue to pray, and work for this Representative Republic to elect someone competent, and brilliantly patriotic to be our next president.65.22% I will never vote for any politician that "first" does not have the core values to understand how dire this Constitutional Republic's situation has become.
The California Society of Plastic Surgeons called on state legislators to require any doctor performing outpatient cosmetic surgery to be residency-trained in the procedures offered.

The agency's comments come after The Los Angeles Times published a report that examined complaints in which patients were harmed or died after undergoing cosmetic procedures by physicians with no formal background in surgery.

"We have been tireless in our advocacy to mobilize state legislators to take action to prevent ongoing and unregulated patient harm that results when unqualified doctors trick patients into having plastic surgery," CSPS said in an April 5 news release. "Patients are dying because they are undergoing risky procedures by physicians who lack accredited residency training in surgery, specifically cosmetic surgery."

In addition to requiring residency training, CSPS also said physicians should not be allowed to provide services outside the scope of their education and training.

The organization said its members recently met with state legislators to discuss legislation that would reduce risks for patients seeking cosmetic surgery.
Linh Cao Nguyen, MD, a physician in Peoria, Ariz., pleaded guilty to engaging in a scheme to defraud multiple healthcare benefit programs.

Dr. Nguyen knowingly submitted thousands of false billing claims, causing a loss of at least $3.7 million from programs including Medicare, Tricare, Arizona's Medicaid program, Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare, according to an April 4 news release from the Justice Department.

The false claims would typically identify a medical doctor as the treating provider when in reality, another type of provider would administer the services. Dr. Nguyen falsely inflated the amount of the claim his company was paid by billing the service as though it was provided by a physician.

In addition, Dr. Nguyen created false patient records in order to conceal the scheme and avoid detection.

Dr. Nguyen agreed to pay more than $1 million in restitution to the private insurance companies.

A healthcare fraud conviction has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the release said. Dr. Nguyen is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
A Bethesda, Md.-based physician has been indicted on seven counts of dispensing controlled substances outside the scope of her professional practice, Fox 5 DC reported April 3.

From 2021 to 2022, Anissa Maroof, MD, allegedly wrote illegal prescriptions for medically unnecessary controlled substances, including Adderall, Suboxone, Subutex and Xanax.

She was arraigned April 1 and faces seven counts of dispensing or distributing controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.
A Virginia ENT who already faced 12 counts of assault and sexual battery was indicted on another count of sexual battery, The Winchester Star reported April 4.

Purcellville-based Garrison Morin, MD, was accused by several patients of nonconsensual kissing during the appointments.

Dr. Morin was arrested at his clinic, Integrative Ear Nose Sinus at Tael Laser Center, on Feb. 23 after three patients told police he had kissed and touched them without consent. Three more patients have since come forward, the report said.

The most recent charge accuses Dr. Morin of aggravated sexual assault: therapy. The incidents are alleged to have occurred between Oct. 23 and February, according to the Star.
St. Louis-based Mercy has filed a letter of intent with the Missouri department of health and senior services to build a 75-bed, $650 million hospital in Wentzville, Mo., to expand healthcare amid population growth in the area.

The 483,000-square-foot hospital would sit on around 60 acres and be the state's first new acute-care hospital campus since Mercy Hospital Joplin (Mo.) in 2015.

"This investment will create jobs and significantly enhance health care services in this area, positioning Wentzville as a regional destination for health care," Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione said in an April 5 Mercy news release.

The hospital will bring hundreds of long-term healthcare jobs to the area, including providers, nurses, support services and specialists.

Mercy plans to hold a roundtable for public and community leaders to provide thoughts and feedback on the new hospital and expansion of regional healthcare services.

The hospital construction is expected to take around four years, the release said.

Mercy is an integrated, multistate health system that comprises 50 acute care and specialty hospitals, urgent care locations, pharmacies and imaging centers. It has more than 4,500 providers and practitioners and 50,000 employees.
Family Hospital at Papillion (Neb.) abruptly closed late March after its sister hospital, Family Hospital at Millard in Omaha, shut down at the end of January. Both hospitals were part of Texas-based Family Hospital Systems.

The closures resulted in around 72 layoffs, Henry Higgins, MD, CEO of Family Hospital Systems, confirmed with Becker's.

"We did not want to close them," Dr. Higgins said. "We were forced to for financial reasons."

The hospitals were on the brink of becoming accredited to receive CMS reimbursement .

"It's very difficult to operate a hospital system without being in network and with no CMS designation," Dr. Higgins said. "The way that the system is set up is it was taking us literally years to get that accomplished, so we ran out of money trying."

The two hospitals provided final payroll on time, but Dr. Higgins said a former employee erased the whole system that held paid time off information.

"As of today, we have still not received any PTO payout," Kieley Longwell, a former employee at Family Hospital at Papillion, said in a statement shared with Becker's. "Due to the pending PTO no employee is eligible for unemployment benefits. We are also not able to roll over our retirement funds due to the pending payment."

Family Hospital System is actively working to make sure the former employees get paid as soon as possible.

While the future of the hospitals is uncertain, the hospital system is in talks with others in the market with deeper pockets to potentially partner.

"We would love to reopen them tomorrow," Dr. Higgins said.

Editor's note: This story was updated on April 5 at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Mayo Clinic and its health plan administrator Medica "systemically underpaid" claims and left employees with large healthcare bills, according to a proposed class action lawsuit filed by a Mayo Clinic Arizona employee.

The lawsuit filed April 2 alleges that the Rochester, Minn.-based health system and its employee health plan violated ERISA and their fiduciary duties by using pricing methods that are "deceptive, misleading, arbitrary, illusory, unpredictable, and allow for inconsistent reimbursements."

According to the suit, Mayo and Medica did not provide accurate or complete information through the employee benefits portal, including how they calculate out-of-network reimbursement costs and deductibles. The Mayo employee also alleges the portal did not provide accurate information about which providers were in-network, and that some providers were listed as being in-network when they were not.

The plaintiff is seeking the recovery of funds that are allegedly owed or that were overpaid for care that should have been reimbursed, along with class action status on behalf of Mayo Clinic employees.

"Mayo Clinic is committed to supporting the health and wellness of our employees and their families," a Mayo spokesperson told Becker's. "Our benefits plan is designed to provide flexibility to help our employees meet their healthcare needs. As the lawsuit has just been filed and we are in the process of reviewing the claims, we will not comment further at this time."



Medica told Becker's it does not comment on pending litigation.
Federal lawmakers are calling for greater oversight of West Palm Beach (Fla.) VA Medical Center in the wake of a March 16 homicide at the facility.

U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio and Rep. Brian Mast penned a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough on March 21, alleging that there are "significant issues resulting from mismanagement" of the hospital.

"The discovery of a deceased patient in the acute mental health unit, coupled with the charge of first-degree murder against another patient within the facility, is a stark reminder of the urgent need for accountability and reform within our VA system," the letter said. "It is profoundly troubling that such a tragic event could occur within the walls of a facility meant to provide care and support to our nation's veterans."

The lawmakers also raised concerns about the facility's one star rating from CMS. Their letter cites various quality measures where the hospital falls short: for example, only 28% of veterans at the hospital receive appropriate care for severe sepsis (compared to a national average of 60% of patients), and central-line-associated infections in the intensive care unit are more than three times the national average.

"To be one of only nine one-star VA facilities in the country reflects a systemic failure in management and oversight within this facility," the lawmakers alleged. They urged the VA to "take immediate action" to hold CEO Cory Price and the rest of the management team accountable.

"It is abundantly clear that changes in leadership are necessary to address the pervasive issues plaguing the facility," the letter said.

In addition to management changes, the lawmakers requested that the VA provide necessary resources to the Office of the Inspector General to aid the ongoing homicide investigation, and provide regular updates on the steps being taken to enhance security and improve the CMS rating at the facility.

In a prepared statement, VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes told Becker's: "We are deeply saddened by the death of a Veteran at our facility on March 16  our thoughts and condolences are with the Veteran's loved ones. We immediately notified the Office of Inspector General of this tragic incident and are fully cooperating with the investigation. Because this investigation is ongoing, we cannot comment further at this time  and we refer all questions to the authorities leading the investigation."

The hospital's press team did not comment directly on the lawmakers' request for a leadership change.
Seven California hospitals that were owned by two of the largest for-profit health systems in the U.S. are now in the hands of nonprofit systems.

Six were owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and the other was owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.

Five of the hospitals changing hands were bought by academic health systems. Tenet sold four hospitals to Orange, Calif.-based UCI Health, and HCA sold another to Los Angeles-based UCLA Health.

Tenet sold its Pacific Coast Network, which includes four hospitals in Southern California and their associated outpatient locations, in a $975 million deal with UCI Health. The hospitals coming under the UCI Health umbrella are Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Los Alamitos Medical Center and Placentia-Linda Hospital. The medical centers also include a network of surgery centers and other outpatient locations.

When the deal was announced Feb. 2, Tenet CEO Saum Sutaria, MD, said the local communities will "benefit from the nationally recognized advancements, medical knowledge, research, and community focus that UCI Health brings as an innovative academic health system."

Following the March 27 closure of the deal, UCI Health President and CEO Chad Lefteris told Becker's that the addition of the four community hospitals "gives us the opportunity to go test some new innovative things in a completely different setting than what we've previously had." He also said the acquisition will help the health system improve access to care and expand unrestricted access to care in the region.

"This is going to make it easier for patients to get seen and to have the highest level of quality and best outcomes," he said. "This acquisition allows us to do this literally overnight, as the access points have multiplied. That is a huge opportunity. Additionally, it increases our ability to accept more community hospital transfers of patients who need higher levels of care."

HCA sold the West Hills Hospital and Medical Center and its related assets to UCLA in a deal that closed March 28. The Los-Angeles-based community hospital sits on a 14-acre site that UCLA Health said in a March 29 news release will provide future opportunities to expand care.

Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System, said the acquisition will provide "critically needed inpatient hospital capacity in the UCLA Health system to serve more patients who require highly specialized care and treatments." The system will develop a long-term plan to upgrade the property and optimize use of the additional capacity.

The other two hospitals were bought by Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health from Tenet in a $550 million deal that closed March 29. The hospitals changing hands are Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, along with their related provider practices and imaging centers. That deal, as well as the agreement with UCI Health, also involves contracts with Tenet's Conifer Health Solutions subsidiary to provide revenue cycle management services.

As of 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, 23.9% of California's hospitals were owned by for-profit systems, according to data from KFF. California had the 18th highest percentage of for-profit owned hospitals as of that year.
Denver-based HealthOne  part of HCA Healthcare  and Galen College of Nursing are planning to open a new campus in Aurora, Colo.

The new nursing campus will offer a three-year BSN program, as well as a two-year associate degree in nursing program, according to an April 2 news release. Enrollment is now open, with the inaugural term at the campus to commence July 8. The campus features advanced simulation laboratories and classrooms designed to encourage practice-based learning, the release said.

"We want to ensure that we have the individuals ready in our facilities to take care of [patients]," Jennifer Broekema, MSN, BSN, vice president of clinical education at HealthOne told FOX affiliate KDVR. "We are growing so quickly that we just know that the need is outpacing the number of nurses who are available to work in our facilities."

HealthOne includes nine hospitals across the Denver and Rocky Mountain region. It also operates a network of freestanding ERs, urgent care and surgery centers. The health system is part of HCA Healthcare's Continental Division, which also includes Wesley Healthcare in Wichita, Kan.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare purchased Galen College of Nursing in 2020. Last spring, the health system invested more than $200 million to open new campuses through the college. Galen has 20 campuses across 10 states.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is set to open its healthcare career-focused high school in 2025.

The school was created in partnership with Mastery Schools, a network of charter schools in the Philadelphia area, and will receive financial support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. As part of the partnership, charter school Mastery Hardy Williams High School will focus on graduating high school students into high-demand healthcare roles, according to an April 5 news release from the health system.

This program will open in September 2025 and enroll 620 students in grades 7-12.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is among the health systems teaming up with public schools for a $250 million initiative supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Through this effort, systems are collaborating with public school systems in 10 urban and rural regions to establish high schools centered on healthcare careers.

CHOP and Mastery Schools will co-develop the curriculum at the Philadelphia-area high school.
Geneva, Ill.-based Fox Valley Orthopedics has named Kenneth Chakour, MD, as a partner in the practice, according to an April 4 press release submitted to the Daily Herald.

Dr. Chakour is a total joint surgeon specializing in robotic-assisted surgeries. He first joined Fox Valley in 2022 as one of its 22 physicians serving eight locations in the state.

Dr. Chakour is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopedic Association and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons.
Historic building may be taken into public ownership, campaign group told

Belfast City Council is facing calls to save an at-risk historic building by refusing to renew planning permission for the Tribeca project.

The condition of the Assembly Rooms, a 250-year-old listed building on the corner of North Street and Waring Street, has been described as catastrophic, with dry rot and water ingress accelerating its decline.

An English company behind the stalled 500m Tribeca project has earmarked the former home of Northern Bank as a potential boutique hotel.

A campaign group called on the council to take immediate remedial action and restore the derelict building, which it described as potential prey for arsonists.

The Assembly Rooms Alliance said: Existing planning permissions for Tribeca are running out, and the developers are applying for renewals of planning permission.

Given their failure to undertake any meaningful work in the last five years, we see no reason why these renewed applications should be granted.

The group, headed by John Gray from Reclaim the Enlightenment charity, said it had been assured the council was giving high priority to acquiring the deteriorating building whether through vesting or by purchase.

That is indeed welcome, though the building must be secured for public use sooner rather than later, it added.

We believe that Castlebrooke [the firm behind Tribeca] can accelerate that process and do the decent thing by donating the building to the people of Belfast.

The Assembly Rooms Alliance has drawn up proposals to make public use of the space, including transforming the banking hall to accommodate up to 300 people.

It said: This should provide a semi-permanent display on the remarkable history of the building, one embracing the famous Harp Festival of 1792, the defeat of the proposal to set up a Belfast-based slave trading company, the foundation of the Ballast Board  forerunner of Belfast Harbour Commissioners  and the court martials of United Irish prisoners, including Henry Joy McCracken, at the time of the 1798 rebellion. This should be demountable to facilitate other major events.

Otherwise, the space should provide a multi-purpose venue for cultural, arts, and community events. These might include concerts, conferences, drama, exhibitions and lectures. It would also serve as tour venue.

The group wants to see the rest of the building transformed into a space for a Troubles and peace museum.

It said it would be looking into acquiring the building independently if no timely progress was made by the council.

The building, which dates back to 1769, was added to the Ulster Architectural Heritages at-risk register in 2003.

Castlebrooke Investments said it had worked proactively with all the relevant statutory authorities to ensure the building was protected and open to a potential civic use but that suitable commercial terms had never been formally proposed.

Belfast City Council said: Officers are continuing to explore the possibility of acquisition and/or vesting of the Tribeca site, as agreed by councils strategic policy and resources committee.

A report on options will be brought before elected members for consideration in due course, along with an update report on the potential to purchase the Assembly Rooms, also agreed by the strategic policy and resources committee on February 23.
Belfast councillors have voted for Irish language signs to be placed at the new Belfast Grand Central Station and surrounding Weavers Cross area.

At a recent committee meeting in City Hall, elected representatives by a majority vote approved a Sinn Fein motion supporting dual language Irish signage at Grand Central Station. The motion also calls for Irish signage in the wider Weavers Cross area, which is still in the early stages of planning and development.

At the councils Standards and Business Committee twelve members voted for the proposal and five against, and it was declared carried.

The proposal by Councillor Rois-Maire Donnelly states: Belfast City Council acknowledges the significant progress made in promoting the Irish language within our jurisdiction, including the formulation of a Language Strategy in 2018, the revision of the dual language street signage policy in 2022, and the formulation of a draft Irish language policy in 2024.

To further this commitment, the council fully supports the installation of bilingual internal and external signage at Cros na bhFiodoiri  Weavers Cross  Belfasts new Grand Central Station.

As a result, this council will also write to Translink urging them to install bilingual signage at Weavers Cross and to ask what steps they are taking to fulfil their obligations under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, and ensuring shared public spaces are welcoming and cater to the bespoke needs of the Irish language community.

Watch: Inside the new 200m Belfast Grand Central Station as work enters final phase

The committee decision will have to go to this months full Belfast City Council meeting on April 8th for ratification, but is likely to be confirmed due to the majority numbers in favour at committee level.

The new world-class integrated transport hub, set on an extended site beyond the old Great Victoria Street bus and train station, is rapidly progressing through the last stages of final construction. It is due to be completed towards the end of 2024, with full project completion, including all public realm upgrades, expected in the third quarter of 2025.

In 2022 Belfast City Councils Planning Committee unanimously approved outline permission for the Weavers Cross regeneration development plan, on lands freed up by the future closure of the existing Europa Bus Station and Great Victoria Street train station.

A mixed-use development will be located to the east and west of Durham Street, south of Grosvenor Road, stretching as far as Sandy Row, and involves new office space, residential apartments and a hotel. It is also planned to provide new public realm space, active travel, hospitality and community uses.

Around a fifth of this space has been proposed for housing, with a fifth of the residential space set aside for social/affordable housing. This means that half of this final allotted space will be social, the other half affordable.

Watch: Drone footage of the new Belfast Grand Central Station

Last October the council, without unionist support, agreed a bulk plan for bilingual street signs in west Belfasts Gaeltacht Quarter. The area has 417 streets, 108 of which already have Irish signage.

Sinn Fein originally proposed the motion, highlighting the potential for City Hall to save hundreds of thousands on a bulk designation, rather than individually surveying streets in which an overwhelming majority would be in favour of Irish signs.

The estimated cost of signage for the streets currently identified within the Gaeltacht Quarter is in the region of 135,000, with an extra 9,652 to be spent on the mail drop and advertising.

Sinn Fein state the cost of going through each Gaeltacht application individually would be 359,370, meaning the en bloc approach would save the council 209,718.

In 2022 Belfast councillors agreed a new policy on dual language street signs. Sinn Fein, Alliance, the SDLP, the Green Party, and the People Before Profit Party all support the new street sign policy, while the three unionist parties, the DUP, UUP and PUP, are against it.

The new policy means at least one resident of any Belfast street, or a councillor, is all that is required to trigger a consultation on a second nameplate, with 15 percent in favour being sufficient to erect the sign. Non-responses will no longer be counted as against votes, and there will be an equality assessment for each application.

Before that the policy required 33.3 percent of the eligible electorate in any Belfast street to sign a petition to begin the process, and 66.6 percent to agree to the new dual language sign on the street.

There are around 700 streets across the whole of the city with outstanding applications for dual-language street signs.
A Belfast woman is on the lookout for the heroic stranger who helped save her little dog.

Amy Coey had been with friends walking her young cockapoo Tess in Belvoir Park Forest, which runs along the south bank of the River Lagan, on Easter Monday.

But it almost turned to tragedy when Tess entered the water.

My dog is really good with recall because Ive been working with her on that, so I took her on a walk around Belvoir and she was playing with another dog, but the next thing she was off the path and I couldnt see her, so I called her but she didnt come, Amy (33) explained.

The next thing I heard a man say to me, your dog is in the water so I panicked.

Amy and Tess are best friends

Amy said that this man was down by the river with his own dog, which appeared to be a cocker spaniel, and it was coming in and out of the water confidently.

However, she found Tess was treading water for her life.

It was a muddy bank, and it was quite deep and slippery, Amy added. She just couldnt catch a grip to get herself out.

Also, the current was quite bad and the river was very high, and I was trying to stay calm, but I shouted for my friends help.

While she was running towards me, this man literally just said hold my phone and I grabbed him, so he leant down closer to the water and reached out over the river edge for my dog. I panicked because I didnt know how long she would be able to tread water before drowning or getting carried away from the current, but he was so calm.

He grabbed her out and then gave her to my friend and I pulled him back up.

Amy said that while she thanked the stranger, she was in shock and he calmly replied no problem before walking on with his own pooch. Now, she would like to speak to him properly to express her gratitude.

He was so casual and there were a few people that walked up as soon as Tess was rescued, and they were all saying we were so lucky because the current was quite strong that day, she continued.

Amy and Tess out for a walk in Belfast

Tess is only a year and a half old, and Amy got her when she was just a pup at eight weeks.

She is still quite small for her breed, and Amy said she now cant imagine life without her canine friend. Ive wanted a dog since I was four years old and when I got married, getting Tess was nearly the first thing we did, because my husband had known how much I wanted a dog.

Anyone that knows me knows I am so in love with my dog and I literally cant imagine what I would have been like; if he [the mystery man] hadnt been there and reacted so quickly, I dont even want to think about what would have happened.

Amy said the mystery rescuer appeared to be in his 40s and he had dark-framed square glasses and dark, slightly long hair.

It would be really nice to find him and thank him properly, and I also want to raise awareness of how to be careful when the currents are strong, she said.

If you are the person who rescued Tess, or know who is, contact us at newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
'Down the Woodstock' new mural on Belfast's Woodstock Road. Picture: Aodhan Roberts/Belfast Telegraph.

Mural by FGB & Katriona Sweeney at Gordons Chemist - a fun and colourful interpretation of some of the area's social and musical heritage - combining themes of local breakdancers in the 80s with popular tea dances enjoyed by our older generation.

Belfast artist Ali Parks (Ali P) and the artwork she created for Harding Memorial Integrated School based on nature, fantasy, and diversity in a graphic folk-art child-friendly style.

Mural above Paragon, Cregagh Road by Zippy, located on a site marking the point where the Woodstock meets the Cregagh Road.

Mural at Haus of Hair, Cregagh Road by Peachzz, inspired by native flora and fauna found in local green spaces of Loop River and The Cregagh Glen.

Five new murals inspired by local childrens designs have been painted in east Belfast.

The five street art pieces, collectively named Up the Cregagh, Down the Woodstock have been erected on the Cregagh and Woodstock Road.

"Children always come up with the best- most left winged ideas, said local artist, Ray Bonner also known in the art scene as FGB.

Over 140 primary school pupils from east Belfast contributed to the designs of the new murals.

'Down the Woodstock' mural on Belfast's Woodstock Road

Local artists Ruth Bothwell and Alison Pascoe ran a series of community engagement workshops with pupils from Harding Memorial Integrated Primary and Euston Street Primary.

As many of these pupils live and play in the area, they were able to contribute a unique perspective of what it means to grow up in a diverse urban community and they created their own vibrant, joyful street art, Alison said.

The primary school pupils ideas informed the artistic brief which was shared as an open call to individual street artists and arts organisations, generating huge interest from some of the UK and Irelands top street artists.

The murals are part of a community-led street art project funded by Belfast City Councils Business Cluster and Community Grant Scheme and Department for Communities' Revitalisation Programme.

Mural above Paragon, Cregagh Road by Zippy, located on a site marking the point where the Woodstock meets the Cregagh Road.

The projects completion coincides with Belfast 2024 - the citys biggest ever creative and cultural celebration.

Ray thinks having the childrens input into the murals outcome has helped make the project even more special.

"I think it is important to have local people, especially young people give their input into the street art because it is in their area, they are the people that are going to be seeing it everyday, he said.

Ray worked with Katriona Sweeney on the Woodstock Rocks mural at Gordons Chemist.

He said east Belfast locals were excited about the new murals.

"It was great to work on because you could feel the excitement in the area, people were saying: Oh have you seen this one or: This one is coming up on my street and they were actually quite proud to see them going up, he said.

Mural by FGB & Katriona Sweeney at Gordons Chemist - a fun and colourful interpretation of some of the area's social and musical heritage - combining themes of local breakdancers in the 80s with popular tea dances enjoyed by our older generation.

Ray said the murals are much more welcoming than some murals which may have been seen across east Belfast in the past.

"The old murals were sort of saying Keep out but these new murals are saying Come in they are welcoming people into the area. So they have really just slipped the old murals on their head.

"We really enjoyed seeing the transformation and just the buzz they were creating on the street, he said.

Chair of Belfast City Councils City Growth and Regeneration Committee, Councillor Cliodhna Nic Bhranair hopes the new street art encourages more people to come visit the Creagagh and Woodstock Road.

Its wonderful to see these vibrant, engaging artworks adding colour and interest to the Cregagh and Woodstock Road, she said.

Lead funding applicant and local business owner, Phill Coulter is pleased with how the project turned out.

You can already feel the positivity these artworks have brought to The Road  theyre getting such a welcome reaction from residents, local businesses, and visitors alike.
The last sighting of the trio. Picture: PSNI

The PSNI has issued an appeal for information on the whereabouts of a Syrian man and two children who are believed to be in Northern Ireland.

Hussein Sandeed (34) arrived in Northern Ireland from Liverpool on Tuesday this week with his two children, Ali (5) and Mohammed (3). They have been reported missing from Liverpool.

The last confirmed sighting was of them was in Cairnryan departing for Belfast via Stena Line ferry as foot passengers at approximately 7.30pm on Tuesday.

Police believe the family may have subsequently been on University Street in south Belfast on Wednesday shortly after midday.

Mr Sandeed is described as being of medium build with dark hair and dark facial hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans with a dark coloured coat and cap whilst carrying a large black holdall and a flower patterned suitcase.

The children were both wearing similar light blue coloured trainers, dark coloured coats and dark coloured hats.

A PSNI spokesperson said: We are appealing for anyone who may have seen this family, or have information as to their whereabouts, to please contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1835 of 03/04/24.
Sinn Fein is choosing to throw dirt at everyone else in row over McMonagle job references
PSNI probing comments made online about Jeffrey Donaldson case

Force says it has been contacted about post and is now examining the content

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson

Jessica Rice Fri 5 Apr 2024 at 07:11







Police are probing comments made on the internet in the wake of Sir Jeffrey Donaldsons resignation as DUP leader.
Police officers responding to Animal Rising activists attempting to invade the race course ahead of the Randox Grand National Handicap Chase 2023 (Peter Byrne/PA)

Animal rights group Animal Rising has said it will not disrupt the Grand National, after last years race was delayed by around 15 minutes.

More than 100 protesters from Animal Rising were arrested after a large number attempted to gain entry to the Aintree Racecourse track on April 15 2023.

In June, animal rights activist Ben Newman ran onto the track at the Epsom Derby, then was later handed a suspended prison sentence because the Jockey Club, the owners of Epsom, had been granted an injunction preventing disruption.

Now the group has said it does not need to be there to affect change.

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Animal Rising posted on X saying: A year ago we delayed the Grand National and made headlines across the world, with over 100 Animal Rising supporters arrested as we protested the cruelty of horse racing. It led to a nationwide conversation on what it means to be an animal lover and the beginning of the end of horse racing in the UK.

This year, we want to let Aintree know  we dont need to be there to affect change, and the animal-loving British public demands an end to the industry  forever.

The group also shared a link to an online petition calling for the Grand National 2024 to be cancelled, which more than 35,000 people have signed.

Ben Newman, spokesperson for Animal Rising, labelled last year as the beginning of the end for horse racing.

He said: Last year the British public saw through the myths of the horse racing industry as a spotlight was put onto the Grand National.

Its plain to see that 2023 was the beginning of the end for horse racing. All that remains to be done is for the Jockey Club to continue to dig the industrys grave by continuing to force horses to  tragically  race to their deaths.

We all want to see these horses living happy lives in sanctuaries, not being raced; just as we need to see mass rewilding and a plant-based food system to really tackle our climate and nature crises.

Last year Hill Sixteen was destroyed after falling at the first fence  the third to die at the three-day festival  prompting campaigners to call for jump racing to be banned.

Officials at Aintree have announced a number of changes to the race, including a new start time of 4pm, moving the first fence nearer to the starting tape and reducing the field to 34 from 40 runners.
A mental health charity withdrew a job offer to a Christian social worker after concerns emerged that his views on homosexuality and same-sex marriage could have serious effects on extremely vulnerable clients, its HR director has told a tribunal.

Felix Ngole, 46, claims Touchstone Leeds discriminated against him because of his religious beliefs, when they refused him the job as a hospital discharge mental health support worker, working in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in 2022.

On Friday, the charitys director of people and culture, Kathryn Hart, told an employment tribunal in Leeds, how Mr Ngole had out-performed all other candidates in his interview and was provisionally offered the job pending references.

Felix Ngole says a job offer was withdrew because of his Christian beliefs (Danny Lawson/PA)

But Mrs Hart said that, when these references arrived, they were brief and inadequate, prompting a colleague to Google Mr Ngoles name.

This search immediately disclosed news articles about how he won a Court of Appeal case after Sheffield University tried to stop him completing his social work degree when it became aware of social media posts he made about homosexuality and same-sex marriage being a sin.

Mrs Hart told the tribunal this immediately rang alarm bells because the role involved dealing with extremely vulnerable people who were being discharged from hospital after mental health problems, many of whom were LGBT.

She was asked by Michael Phillips, for Mr Ngole, whether she thought the existence of the online news articles outlining his clients belief was enough to cause problems even if he never brought the subject up with service-users.

Mrs Hart said many of the LGBT service-users being discharged from hospital have suffered extensive rejection in their lives and are likely to research the background of those charged with supporting them.

She said it was possible that seeing the articles about Mr Ngole meant they could end up back in hospital.

Mrs Hart said many clients in that situation were known to have suicidal ideation.

She said: We have to think of that as well, the impact of somebody seeing these articles whos very unwell.

In her witness statement, Mrs Hart said: It really concerned me that our service users who came into direct contact with the claimant (or indeed partners such as Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group) might conduct a Google search of the claimant (out of curiosity) and find the same information that we had become privy to, ie. that the claimant was not supportive of the LGBTQI+ community and their rights.

This could have had repercussions for the supportive working relationship and the trust that was required between the respondent and its service users in order for the service to be successful and service users to recover.

It concerned me that our service users may feel let down that we had employed someone whose values did not align with the organisations ethos and belief system.

Mrs Hart said Mr Ngole was invited back for a meeting to discuss whether his views and ethos aligned with those of Touchstone and whether he could fulfil the role.

She said Mr Ngole became hostile during the meeting and she said: He did not give any assurance that he would be able to meet all the needs of the job.

Thats why we withdrew the job offer.

Mrs Hart outlined concerns she had during the meeting in July 2022 about how he would work with LGBT service users but also about his engagement with equality training within the organisation, which provides mental health services to 10,000 people across Yorkshire.

Mr Phillips asked about the distinction between a view that homosexuality was sinful and that homosexual people were sinful.

Mrs Hart said: If I speak to an LGBT person, they wouldnt see that distinction.

She told the tribunal that she believed Felixs values and ethos were not aligned with the Touchstones, which are anti-discriminatory.

In his witness statement Mr Ngole said: As a Christian, I do not see any conflict in working with and for people from the LGBT community.

That said, there is a distinction between respecting and loving the person and yet lovingly and respectfully disagreeing with their views and/or behaviours.

Earlier this week Mr Ngole denied claims that vulnerable people may have killed themselves if he had been given the job, after Mr Phillips summarised part of an experts report submitted by Touchstone as saying Mr Ngoles employment may lead to the death of some service users.

The Cameroon-born former asylum seeker, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, is a grandfather-of-two who has also worked as a youth pastor, housing officer and teacher.

The tribunal, which continues, has heard he has been a Christian since the age of four and believes in the literal truth of the Bible.

Mr Ngole is claiming direct and indirect discrimination against Touchstone and harassment.
The rally has been criticised in the past (Lucy North/PA)

Multiple arrests have been made after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through central London for the annual Al Quds Day demonstration.

The protesters marched from the Home Office to Downing Street on Friday afternoon.

The rally  organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in support of Palestine  has been criticised in the past after participants flew flags of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and brandished signs with allegedly antisemitic messages.

The protesters marched from the Home Office to Downing Street on Friday (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Protesters, some wearing masks covering the bottoms of their faces, brandished pro-Palestinian signs and banners outside the Home Office.

One large banner was unfurled to encourage young people to carry the struggle forward, while another encouraged people to boycott Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protester Abid, 45, said he supported a ceasefire because this is not a religious issue, its a human issue.

He said: Our message to the Government in the UK is to stop cooperating with a regime whos involved in a genocide. The whole world is talking about it.

Countries in Europe have already started to cut the supplies, all supplies, to Israel, so why cant our Government stop supplying them arms?

They are using the arms and theyre killing their own people, they are killing our own people, theyve killed aid workers, three of them were from UK.

Demonstrators during a pro-Israel protest in Parliament Square, central London (Lucy North/PA)

Asked about allegations of antisemitism made against the march, he said: We have Jews actually participating in the protest.

You can ask any person from any background, any religion  this isnt a religious issue, its a human issue.

A small group of pro-Israeli counter-protesters also attended.

Efim, 73, said those participating in the Al Quds Day march were naive or brainwashed.

He added that Hamas should release its hostages before a ceasefire is put in place.

Speaking of those who thought a ceasefire agreement should be reached first, he said: I think they are naive.

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If it was their family members, I think they would join our side.

He added: On the Tube, I saw a group of young people with Palestinian flags and they were all wearing masks  if their cause is genuine, why are they covering their faces?

The Metropolitan Police said 10 people were arrested.

In a tweet the force said: Two men have been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after an Israeli flag was burned near the stage in Richmond Terrace.

Another man was arrested for a public order offence after he was heard to make a homophobic remark.

A number people who tried to prevent the mans arrest have been arrested for obstruction. We will confirm the exact number when were able to.

The force added a further arrest was made for an alleged assault on an emergency worker, who was not seriously injured.

The demonstrations come on the same day new public order powers to prevent serious disruption at protests come into force.

Serious Disruption Prevention Orders are court orders that can impose restraints on individuals who have committed protest-related offences on at least two occasions, potentially banning them from being in certain areas or being with protest groups at given times.

The powers do not appear to have been used during the protests.
A student union womens officer accused of expressing support for Hamas just a day after the groups militants entered Israel has appeared in court.

Hanin Barghouthi, 22, is accused of a single count of expressing an opinion or belief in support of the banned organisation on October 8 under the Terrorism Act.

On October 7, militants from the terror group launched a surprise aerial assault to enter Israel from Gaza before killing more than 1,000 Israelis.

Appearing before Kingston Crown Court wearing a white blouse and black dress, Barghouthi spoke only to confirm her name and reply not guilty your honour when the charge was put to her during the brief hearing.

The alleged offence relates to a four-minute speech that was allegedly supportive of the actions of Hamas that had taken place in Israel the day before, a previous hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court heard.

Police became aware of it after a video began circulating on MailOnline on October 11 and later made enquiries with the website.

Recorder of Richmond Upon Thames Judge Peter Lodder KC granted Barghouthi conditional bail until her trial begins on June 10 in the same court.

Her bail conditions ban her from obtaining international travel documents or using a mobile phone not authorised by police unless in an emergency, and she must also live and sleep at her address each night.

Judge Lodder told her: If you break your conditions or if you fail to attend court as required you will be committing an offence.

Barghouthi, of Brighton, will next appear in court on May 16 for a case management hearing.
President Joe Biden has called on Egypt and Qatar to put pressure on Hamas (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Joe Biden on Friday wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas for a hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official.

The move came one day after Mr Biden called on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a ceasefire in the six-month-old war in Gaza.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private letters, said Mr Bidens national security adviser will meet on Monday with family members of some of the estimated 100 hostages who are believed to still be in Gaza.

The letters, to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisim and Qatars ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, come as Mr Biden has deployed CIA Director Bill Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis.

An Israeli police officer stands guard at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem as Muslim worshippers leave the Al-Aqsa Mosque after the last Friday prayers of Ramadan (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

White House officials said negotiating a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel is the only way to put a temporary ceasefire into effect and boost the flow of badly humanitarian aid into the territory.

Mr Biden, in his conversation with Netanyahu, made clear that everything must be done to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, and discussed the importance of fully empowering Israeli negotiators to reach a deal, according to the official. The first phase of the proposed deal would secure the release of women and elderly, sick and wounded hostages.

White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, said earlier Friday that Mr Biden underscored the need to get a hostage deal done during a Thursday conversation with Mr Netanyahu that largely focused on Israeli airstrikes that killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen.

We are coming up on six months  six months that these people have been held hostage. And what we have to consider is just the abhorrent conditions the hostages are being held in, Kirby said. They need to be home with their families.

Humanitarian aid has been airdropped to Palestinians in Gaza (AP Photo/Mahmoud Essa, File)

Mr Biden had expressed optimism for a temporary ceasefire and a hostage deal during the run-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but an agreement never materialised.

The White House said in a statement on Thursday, following Mr Bidens call with Mr Netanyahu, that the US president said reaching an immediate ceasefire in exchange for hostages was essential and urged Israel to reach such an accord without delay.

White House officials acknowledge that Mr Biden has become increasingly frustrated with Israels prosecution of a grinding war that has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 people hostage.

The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, experts say, is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history.

Within two months, researchers say, the offensive already has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syrias Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraines Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in the Second World War.

It has killed more civilians than the US-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group.

The White House has maintained its support for Israel amid growing domestic and international wariness with Israels prosecution of the war, and repeatedly said that a temporary ceasefire could have already come had Hamas agreed to release the sick, the wounded, the elderly, and young women.

But the pressure on Mr Biden has only mounted since this weeks airstrikes that killed the World Central Kitchen workers.

The Israeli government acknowledged mistakes and announced some disciplinary measures against officers involved in ordering the strikes. Israel also approved a series of steps aimed at increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including the reopening of a key crossing that was destroyed in the October 7 Hamas attack.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the World Central Kitchen incident is part of a broader problem with how the Israeli military is carrying out the war. Nearly 200 humanitarian aid workers have been killed since start of the conflict.

But the essential problem is not who made the mistakes, it is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again, he said. Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful and measurable change on the ground.
Smoke rises to the sky after an explosion in Gaza Strip on Thursday (Leo Correa/AP)

Israel says it will reopen a key border crossing into northern Gaza as part of steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said on Friday his security cabinet has approved a series of immediate steps, including the temporary reopening of the Erez crossing for the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7.

It also said Israel would allow its port in Ashdod to process aid shipments bound for Gaza, as well as permitting an increase in Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing.

This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war, Mr Netanyahus office said.

President Joe Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AP)

The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.

The decision came after US President Joe Biden called on Israel to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers during a phone call with Mr Netanyahu following the attack on a World Central Kitchen relief convoy which killed seven aid workers.

The heavily fortified Erez crossing served for years as the only passenger terminal for people to move in and out of the territory.

It was heavily damaged when Hamas militants stormed the facility on October 7 and has remained closed ever since.

The United Nations says much of the population in northern Gaza is on the brink of starvation.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson welcomed the moves, saying the plan must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

Members of the Abu Draz family inspect their house after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday (Fatima Shbair/AP)

As the President said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, she said.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward.

Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said the floating pier  announced by Mr Biden during his State of the Union address last month  will be on line by the end of the month or early May.

Mr Ryder said Israel has agreed to provide security on the shore as aid is transferred and distributed, but details are still being worked out.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting about attacks on humanitarian workers in Gaza and the risk of famine in the conflict-torn territory on Friday.

A UN aid convoy was scheduled to head out on Thursday night after the UN paused night operations for 48 hours, said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

He told reporters the convoy will hopefully make it to the north.

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Because of what happened to World Central Kitchen, we had to pause and regroup and reassess all sorts of factors, he said.

In a statement following the leaders call, the White House said Mr Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps, the statement said.

Mr Biden also told Mr Netanyahu an immediate ceasefire is essential and urged Israel to reach such an accord without delay, according to the White House, which described the conversation as direct and honest.
The operating room destroyed by a Russian missile attack at DTEKs power plant in Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Ukrainian officials said on Friday they had used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russias Rostov region.

Russian defence officials, however, claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in the attack.

The assault appeared to be one of Kyivs biggest air attacks in the war, coming as its forces stepped up their assaults on Russian soil.

Russia has also escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Ukraines power plants, in recent weeks, signalling a new and potentially dangerous phase in the conflict as both sides struggle to achieve significant advances on the ground.

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The overnight attack targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia and was conducted by Ukraines Security Service in co-operation with the army, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the AP.

They said about 20 members of the airfields personnel were killed or injured.

Morozovsk airfield was used by Russian bombers that have been launching guided aerial bombs at Ukraines cities and frontline positions, the officials said.

If true, the attack would be among Ukraines most successful cross-border strikes.

Last October, Ukraine claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russian-occupied regions using long-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States.

A worker clears the rubble at DTEKs power plant which was hit by a Russian missile in Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Last August, Ukrainian media, citing unidentified intelligence sources, claimed that drone attacks hit parked Russian bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia.

In a conflicting version of events, Russias defence ministry said a total of 44 drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Morozovsky district, more than 60 miles from the border.

The attack damaged a power substation, Rostov governor Vasily Golubev said, adding that eight people near the airfield were injured.

Usually well-informed Russian military bloggers confirmed an attempted attack by Ukrainian drones on a military air base in Morozovsk but said there were no casualties at the base and no damage to warplanes.

The Russian defence ministry said nine more drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Krasnodar and the nearby Saratov region, bringing the total of attack drones deployed by Ukraine overnight to 53.

Drone warfare is a key feature of the war, which has extended into a third year since Russias full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

On the 600-mile front line, where fighting is largely bogged down, low-cost drones are used by both sides to knock out expensive military hardware.

Oil pressure sensors show zero values after a Russian missile attack at DTEKs power plant in Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

The Kremlins forces have used large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones to bombard urban areas of Ukraine.

Kyiv, in turn, has developed a small but fast-growing defence industry where drones, including deadly unmanned sea vessels, are proving effective.

Russian authorities have long accused Ukraine of launching regular drone attacks on power plants, oil refineries and other targets in western regions of Russia near the border.

Last month, Ukraine fired a barrage of 35 drones at such targets, Russia said. Some attacks have reached deep into Russia, including Moscow and as far as 745 miles east of Ukraine.

Ukraine cannot match the scale of Russias military, however. Last week, Moscow launched a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles against Ukraines energy infrastructure, hitting regions across the country.

Meanwhile, Ukraines air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he held a meeting with his top brass focused on the production of attack drones and the manufacture of electronic warfare equipment to intercept incoming drones.

He said late Thursday that the meeting put together clear written agreements with manufacturers, clear financing and clear delivery deadlines.

Authorities will next turn to robust and increasing missile production, he said, as military support from western partners falls short of what Kyiv hoped for.

Mr Zelensky said an assessment of frontline positions found that Ukraine has managed to stabilise our positions despite being outgunned and outnumbered by the Russian army.
Nell McCafferty told UK envoy Semtex would not be given up as it was the IRAs b***s... and terrified Brits

Writer close to republican leadership said arms were a safeguard against betrayal, and there was no alternative to Provo law enforcement in nationalist areas

Nell McCafferty said RUC wouldn't be allowed in nationalist areas, so there was 'no alternative' to IRA beatings (Pic posed/Pacemaker)

Sam McBride Fri 5 Apr 2024 at 07:53

IRA beatings would continue but be less severe, a journalist close to top republicans told the British Embassy in Dublin in 1994.
Top No.10 official pondered if SDLP should be allowed to die after Sinn Fein success

Co Down man who would go on to be UK Ambassador to Vatican concluded that despite being overtaken for first time, it was still worth providing life support to party should peace collapse and there was return to violence

The SDLPs Seamus Mallon and John Hume in July 2001

Sam McBride Fri 5 Apr 2024 at 07:47

An influential Downing Street official discussed whether the Government should leave the SDLP to die a natural death  but concluded it might prove a disaster if there was a return to violence.
A new book by the globe-trotting private investigator has revealed his exploits throughout his career.

Private investigator Ian Withers has had a colourful career to say the least.

A new book by the globe-trotting private investigator has revealed his exploits throughout his career.

He recalls tracking dissident politicians for the Seychelles government, tracking down an alleged IRA bomber and speaking to Gerry Kelly in prison following the Old Bailey bombing in 1973.

His work later led him to become a national security adviser for the left-wing regime of Albert Rene in the Seychelles.

In August 2018, the pensioner was arrested in connection with the London murder of Gerrard Haorau, an exiled Seychelles politician who was shot dead in 1985.

He was flown to London and questioned for two days before the police let him go.

Andrew Madden is joined by PI Ian Withers to tell his extraordinary story.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani testifies during the ongoing hearing of the 2024 presidential election dispute filed by losing presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, April 5, 2024.

Four cabinet members testified before Indonesias Constitutional Court on Friday to deny allegations that the government had used social aid programs to influence voters and throw the recent presidential polls to Prabowo Subianto.

The allegations, made by the runners-up in a complaint before the court, claim President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration intentionally boosted social aid to secure support for Prabowo, who serves as defense minister and who chose Jokowis eldest son as his running mate. Last month, the General Elections Commission declared Prabowos team winners of the Feb. 14 polls.

Prabowo received 58.6% of the votes, easily outdistancing Anies Baswedan, the former Jakarta governor, who received 24.9%, and Ganjar Pranowo, the former governor of Central Java province who received 16.5%.

The losing candidates said the vote was marred by abuse of power and vote-buying. The pair is urging the court to disqualify Prabowo along with Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and call for a new vote.

Both Anies and Ganjar presented their challenges before the court on March 27.

Anies specifically addressed what he called the misuse of social aid originally intended for public welfare, being exploited for political gains.

Did the 2024 presidential election adhere to principles of freedom, honesty, and justice? The answer is no. What occurred was quite the opposite, he said.

His lawyer, Bambang Widjojanto, presented a petition urging the court to annul the election results.

The methods employed by President Jokowi to bolster candidate pair 02 (Prabowo-Gibran) resulted in numerous procedural infractions that impacted the elections fairness, Bambang told the judges.

Ganjar said his challenge was crucial to democracy in Indonesia.

Our lawsuit is a commitment to maintaining sanity, ensuring that our citizens do not lose hope in our political journey, he said.

The court is expected to deliver its verdict by April 22.

Ministers testify

On Friday, the ministers told the court that the aid increases were either unrelated to the election or a normal response to a weather phenomenon.

The distribution of social assistance was to mitigate the impact of El Nino, which affected food production and caused price spikes, especially for rice, said Airlangga Hartarto, coordinating minister for the economy.

Its a monthly program and there are no extra programs related to the election.

He emphasized that the assistance was intended to maintain peoples purchasing power and mitigate the increase in poverty and the potential for an economic slowdown.

The panel of eight judges (right) hears testimony regarding program funding in advance of the 2024 presidential election at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, April 5, 2024. [Eko Siswono Toyudho/BenarNews]

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the social assistance funds distributed in early 2024 were approved by the House of Representatives well in advance of the election.

Sri Mulyani confirmed that the automatic adjustment policy was not used to fund the social aid programs. The policy calls for reserving 5% of the total budget allocation for each ministry and state institution to serve as contingency funds for economic uncertainties.

The social aid budget is entirely separate and not financed by automatic adjustments, she said, noting that the president also has operational funds allocated within the budget.

800,000 people benefitted

Muhadjir Effendy, the coordinating minister for human development and culture, said the Hopeful Family Program aid was distributed to 40 locations serving a total of 800,000 people.

The direct distribution of social assistance to 800,000 people by the president is unlikely to influence the national electorate, he said, alluding to Jokowis custom of personally handing out assistance.

Tri Rismaharini, the minister of social affairs, said the practice of disbursing social assistance at the beginning of the year predated her tenure.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (left), Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Social Minister Tri Rismaharini listen to testimony during the Constitutional Court hearing in Jakarta, April 5, 2024. [Eko Siswono Toyudho/BenarNews]

Chief Justice Suhartoyo and seven other judges heard the complaint while Judge Anwar Usman, who is Jokowis relative by marriage, did not.

Anwar was demoted from chief justice in November 2023 because of ethics breaches related to his decision to alter the age criteria for presidential and vice presidential candidates. The decision paved the way for Jokowis eldest son, Gibran, to run for vice president on Prabowos ticket.

Anwar was allowed to remain on the bench but was barred from hearing any election dispute proceedings.

Siti Zuhro, a political analyst at the National Research and Innovation Agency, criticized the ministers testimony.

The ministers should have explained more clearly what the difference is when social assistance is given during elections or when there are no elections, she said.

Meanwhile, Usman Hamid, a spokesman for the Civil Society Coalition for Democracy and Against Corruption, urged the court to summon the president before deciding on the case.

Jokowis testimony is vital because this can only be revealed in full if the president is asked for information, he said.
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto, a former military officer, has been linked to alleged atrocities in Timor-Leste.

Hugo Fernandes, who serves as director of the Centro Nacional Chega!, a museum of memory that occupies a former prison where Timorese resistance fighters were incarcerated during the Indonesian occupation, is pictured at the institution in Dili, Timor-Leste (East Timor), March 27, 2024.

At Timor-Lestes museum of memory, Hugo Fernandes supervises exhibits chronicling resistance and oppression during the Indonesian occupation  an era when Prabowo Subianto, now Indonesias president-elect, is alleged to have overseen atrocities.

Fernandes runs the Centro Nacional Chega! museum, a former prison in the capital Dili that dates to when Timor-Leste was a Portuguese colony. Faded photographs of Timorese resistance fighters and messages scrawled on the walls by prisoners who languished here during Indonesias brutal 24-year rule line its galleries.

Despite the shadows cast by history, the impending ascent to power of Prabowo, a former army special forces commander who was declared the winner of the Feb. 14 Indonesian general election, has been greeted with diplomatic decorum in this tiny young nation of 1.3 million people also known as East Timor.

Prabowos specific actions remain unclear due to limited information, Fernandes, the museums director, told BenarNews. Accusations of human rights violations have persisted, but concrete evidence and verification are difficult to obtain.

Chega!, which means enough! in Portuguese, stands as a testament to Timor-Lestes efforts to navigate the delicate path between preserving the memories of its dark past and promoting reconciliation with its giant neighbor next-door.

There are differing voices within the nation, Fernandes says. Some activists advocate for answers regarding past atrocities, while others emphasize the importance of moving forward with Indonesia.

This combination photo shows scenes from Timor-Lestes dark past under the former Indonesian occupation that are displayed in exhibits at the Centro Nacional Chega! Museum in Dili, April 3, 2024. [Juliao Fernandes Guterres/BenarNews]

In 1999, East Timor voted overwhelmingly to break away from Indonesian rule, through a United Nations-sponsored referendum. Before and after the vote, pro-Jakarta militias engaged in widespread violence and destruction. East Timor gained formal independence in 2002 after a period of U.N. administration.

The occupation, which followed after Indonesia invaded East Timor in December 1975, was marked by famine and conflict. The number of deaths attributed to that era ranges from from 90,000 to 200,000, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor reported.

This figure includes nearly 20,000 cases of violent deaths or disappearances. The commissions findings indicate that Indonesian forces were responsible for about 70% of these violent incidents, set against the backdrop of East Timors population of around 900,000 in 1999.

And according to the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, up to a fifth of the East Timorese population perished during the Indonesias 24-year occupation  a similar proportion to the Cambodians who died under the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot (1975-1979).

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta speaks to a BenarNews correspondent at the headquarters of the National Police of Timor-Leste in Dili, March 27, 2024. [Juliao Fernandes Guterres/BenarNews]

Since 1999, the relationship between Timor-Leste and Indonesia has evolved, with Jakarta acknowledging its former province as a close brother and supporting Dilis bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta welcomed Prabowos election win and expressed readiness to collaborate with Indonesias upcoming new leader.

Very pleased, very pleased, Ramos-Horta told BenarNews when asked about Prabowos victory.

As a young man, Ramos-Horta, now 74, was a founder and leader of Fretilin, the armed resistance movement that fought to liberate East Timor from the Portuguese first and then the Indonesians.

He said he had personally called Prabowo, now Indonesias defense minister, to congratulate him, and that the ex-general planned to visit Timor-Leste before his inauguration on Oct. 20.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, a former guerilla leader who spent years in an Indonesian prison, was also happy with the news, Ramos-Horta said.

President-elect Prabowo will contribute a lot, first to Indonesia, continuing stability and prosperity in Indonesia, and then in the region, as well as strengthen relations with Timor-Leste, he said, adding Prabowo had many friends in his country, including his own brother, Arsenio.

When asked about Prabowos human rights record in Timor-Leste, Ramos-Horta said, That is past. Its already almost three decades, and we do not think of the past.

Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto (left) poses with Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono, his successor as chief of Indonesias special forces (Kopassus), after a handover ceremony in Jakarta, March 28, 1998. [Reuters file photo]

Prabowo was a key figure in the military operations that crushed the East Timorese resistance.

The Timor-Leste National Alliance for an International Tribunal (ANTI), a coalition of civil society organizations, survivors, and families of victims, said reports had implicated Prabowo in a 1983 massacre in Kraras.

Some estimates said that 200 people were killed there, earning the area the nickname the town of widows.

In a statement released in November, the alliance said that as the head of the Indonesian armys special forces command, Prabowo had directed actions resulting in severe human rights abuses and crimes, including the establishment of pro-Indonesian militias blamed for post-referendum violence in 1999.

Pro-Indonesia militiamen run through the streets with assault rifles during clashes with pro-independence supporters in the provincial capital of Dili, East Timor, Aug. 26, 1999. [Firdia Lisnawati/AP file photo]

In addition, Prabowo is linked to a 1991 massacre at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, where some 250 peaceful demonstrators were killed, the alliance said.

In 1998, Prabowo was discharged from the military after a council of honor officers found him guilty of several violations, including involvement in the abduction and disappearance of pro-democracy activists during the 1998 student protests that led to the downfall of Indonesian dictator Suharto.

Prabowo, 72, has denied any wrongdoing and said he was only following orders from his superiors. He has never been tried in a civilian court for the alleged crimes.

Prabowos presidential campaign team said that witnesses, including religious figures in Timor-Leste, had denied his connection to the Krakas killings.

Naldo Rei gestures outside his home in Manleuana, Timor-Leste, March 27, 2024. [Juliao Fernandes Guterres/BenarNews]

For many Timorese, the memories of Indonesian occupation are hard to erase.

Naldo Rei, 50, a former child guerrilla-fighter who was repeatedly imprisoned during that period, said he could not overlook Prabowos human rights record.

While I dont want to meddle in Indonesias internal matters, when it comes to human rights issues, Prabowo has a very distressing track record, Rei told BenarNews, his soft-spoken and gentle demeanor belying his resistance years.

Rei spent his youth evading capture in the Los Palos jungle after the loss of six family members, including his father, to Indonesian military action.

In the early 1990s, he sought refuge first in Jakarta, then in Australia, before settling in an independent East Timor.

Rei, who is the author of Resistance, a memoir detailing his experiences, voices apprehension about the trajectory of Indonesian democracy.

Prabowos victory, from my perspective, squanders the democracy that the people have fought for, he said. How many lives have been lost? He and other generals have blood on their hands.

Januario Soares, a second-year medical student at the National University of Timor Lorosae, represents a growing sentiment focused on the future.

Indonesia has chosen its leader. We need to focus on the future, Soares said as he sat in the shade of a mahogany tree outside his campus in Dili.

He believes strengthening relations between the two countries is vital.

The civil war left us divided, and in that division, we inadvertently opened our doors to Indonesia, Soares said. What followed was a period of violence against our people, a scar in our history.

Yet, when it comes to Prabowos role in that history, Soares admitted he did not know much.

The Indonesian people have made their choice. Perhaps Prabowo is the best among the contestants; thats why they chose him, he said.

Soares said he opted for a pragmatic approach toward the past, focusing on improving the quality of life and seeking benefits for the present and future.

People change over time, and I believe Prabowo has changed too.

Natalina da Costa, a student at a secondary school in Dili, weaves a Timorese traditional cloth known as tais at the Tais Market in Colmera, Dili, Timor-Leste, July 7, 2023. [Juliao Fernandes Guterres/BenarNews]

Damien Kingsbury, a political expert specializing in Timor-Leste, said Timorese leaders were obligated to maintain a delicate diplomatic stance due to the small nations reliance on Indonesia for imports and its aspirations to join ASEAN, the Southeast Asian bloc. Indonesia is one of ASEANs founding members.

Of course, Ramos-Horta must be diplomatic, said Kingsbury, a professor at Deakin University in Australia, who has written extensively on Timor-Leste and Indonesia.

He is president of a small country that has an unhappy history with Indonesia and does not want to create any possible problems, he told BenarNews.

Kingsbury pointed out that while Ramos-Horta, a Nobel laureate and prominent diplomat, is well-versed in the language of diplomacy, there is a generational gap in awareness of the nations tumultuous past.

Younger people may not be aware of events of 20, 30 and 40 years ago, but that does not mean they did not happen, he said.

It must leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many that Timor-Lestes leaders need to be polite to Prabowo.
The police commissioner has ordered illegal miners to leave Porgera Valley within 48 hours or face eviction.

This undated photo released by the Porgera gold mine joint venture shows an aerial view of the open pit mine in the Porgera Valley of Papua New Guineas Enga Province.

Papua New Guineas economically crucial Porgera gold mine is facing renewed strife only several months after reopening due to what authorities say is a dangerous influx of illegal miners into the volatile highlands region.

Police Commissioner David Manning on Thursday said the illegal squatters had exploited the previous closure of the mine to occupy land and ordered them to leave within 48 hours or face eviction. Confrontations between the migrants and landowners have been increasing, he said.

These troublemakers are illegally taking up private lands to make illicit profit and they dont care who they hurt or what they damage. This greed is harming the businesses and communities of the Porgera Valley, he said.

The December reopening of the mine under increased local ownership after a nearly four-year closure was a win for Prime Minister James Marapes government, which has faced a series of crises. Marape has predicted a windfall of billions of dollars for economically lagging Papua New Guinea over the next two decades from the mine in the violence-prone highlands province of Enga.

Mannings order came a day after Marape said the Cabinet had authorized a joint police and military operation to curb the escalating problem of illegal mining at Porgera.

Its unclear how many unauthorized miners are operating within the area controlled by the partly foreign-owned mining company New Porgera. The prime ministers office and police didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

New Porgera on Friday said it had no comment. Its update in January on operations at the open-cut and underground mine said law and order continued to be a challenge for the venture and further vandalism of mine infrastructure could hinder gold production.

Earlier this year, police were unable to prevent tribal violence in Enga Province that killed at least 49 people. Papua New Guinea has one police officer for about every 1,800 people, nearly four times less than the level recommended by the United Nations to ensure law and order, according to a Griffith Asia Institute report last year.

Originally opened in 1990, the Porgera mine, about 600 kilometers (373 miles) northwest of Papua New Guineas capital Port Moresby, was for years a source of conflict and human rights abuses.

The mines foreign investors, Canadas Barrick Gold Corp. and Chinas Zijin Mining, agreed in 2021 to halve their combined stake to 49% following the Papua New Guinea governments refusal to renew Porgeras license. The government now owns 36% and the remaining 15% is shared between landowners and Engas provincial government.

Marapes statement said a recent surge in the number of illegal miners was a concern because the influx is occuring in a region already riven by tribal conflicts.

This endangers both the lives of illegal miners as well as the mine workers, he said. Last week has seen an extraordinary increase of illegal miners encroaching into the mine area, and uncontrolled movement of people amidst so many tribal disputes.

He said the government plans to issue identification cards to traditional landowners and business owners in the Porgera Valley and passes for other residents.
Coast Guard officers will be able to board and inspect vessels without a Samoan law enforcement officer present.

Shipriders from Samoas police force and its Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries prepare to board a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane small boat in Samoan waters on Feb. 5, 2024.

The United States will have an expanded right to board vessels in Samoas waters under an amended maritime law enforcement agreement that could boost the effectiveness of patrols by a Coast Guard ship recently deployed to the Pacific.

The updated shiprider pact signed Friday shows the U.S. is committed to safeguarding and ensuring security of Samoas economic exclusive zone, its embassy in Samoas capital Apia said in a statement on its Facebook page.

The new agreement means the Coast Guard can board and inspect vessels in Samoas waters if requested without a Samoan law enforcement officer present. It adds to similarly enhanced shiprider agreements with Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and Papua New Guinea signed over the past two years.

The medium-endurance U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane has been reassigned to the Pacific since December as part of U.S. commitments to deepen relations with a region where China has made inroads with island nations. Based at Pearl Harbor, the cutters inaugural three-month patrol that began in January has taken it to countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu.

Beijings influence in the Pacific has increased over the past two decades through a combination of trade, infrastructure and aid as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, gain allies in international institutions and advance its economic and security interests.

Many Pacific island countries rely on help from Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. to police their vast exclusive economic zones, which extend 200 nautical miles from land, to deter illegal fishing and counter the illicit narcotics trade.

The U.S. has shiprider agreements with 12 Pacific island nations, but until Harriet Lanes redeployment didnt have a cutter based in Honolulu or Guam that could carry out longer range operations in the South Pacific.

The expanded agreements mean coast guard vessels can conduct law enforcement the entire time theyre in an island countrys waters, not only when an official from the host country is on board.

According to the U.S. embassy in Apia, the arrangements have increased the number of ship boardings and resulted in greater deterrence of illegal activity, the Samoa Observer newspaper reported Friday.

Harriet Lanes Commander Nicole Tesoniero told BenarNews in late March the patrol had already carried out 28 vessel boardings under shiprider agreements with Pacific island countries  equal to more than a third of the boardings carried out in a year by the six fast-response Coast Guard cutters based in Hawaii and Guam.

The English-language news website of Chinas armed forces has described the shiprider agreements as allowing the U.S. to interfere in the Pacific under the pretext of helping island nations.

It says the U.S. Coast Guard operations have a strong military vibe and some countries are reluctant to be involved with them.

Chinas Coast Guard is regularly involved in clashes with vessels from Southeast Asian nations such as the Philippines as Beijing seeks to impose control over the South China Sea where territorial claims overlap.

The expanded shiprider agreement signed with Palau last year followed a series of unexplained visits to the Micronesian countrys exclusive economic zone by Chinese research vessels.

Under international law, nations have exclusive rights to economic exploitation of the 200 nautical mile zone around their land borders. The seas beyond a 12 nautical mile territorial zone are international waters so foreign vessels can travel through them.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Rain likely. Low 43F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 43F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Hancock Shaker Village is featured on four of the 12-stamp commemorative collection being launched, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 20.
'THE FIRST OMEN'

In new horror film 'The First Omen,' a young woman from Pittsfield travels to Rome to take her vows as a nun
This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.
LENOX  With only days to go before a decision on the fate of the Olde Heritage Tavern, a three-way bidding war may have developed ahead of the federal governments deadline for final, best offers this Monday.

The popular downtown gathering place seized last Sept. 28 by the U.S. Marshals Service from fallen crypto magnate Ryan Salame went on the market for $953,700  the exact value placed on the Housatonic Street property by an independent appraiser. A decision by the federal government is expected by next Thursday, with a final transaction expected to be completed by mid-May.

The tavern is being marketed by Suzanne Bergeron, an agent for Coldwell Bankers Westfield office.

Leader of the pack among the confirmed and reported bidders is the McNinch Restaurant Group  former owner John McNinch, his wife, Jackie and their son Tucker. After 20 years of building up the tavern from a dive bar to a local replica of Cheers  where everybody knows your name  the group is in the running to take it back.

The McNinch family sold the tavern to Salame in April 2021 for $1.5 million, plus an undisclosed additional amount for the value of the business.

I had a price to sell and he hit it, John McNinch said on Thursday. I thought I was selling it to the right person, but  .

He declined to confirm reports that active bidders were offering at least $1 million to the U.S. Marshals Office.

Ive offered my price, but I dont think its going to be the one thats going to win, based on what Ive heard on the street, McNinch cautioned.

I dont think anyone knows what anyone else has bid, he added. Those interested were asked by the U.S. government to resubmit their best and final offer because there were multiple bids on the table, McNinch told The Eagle.

If I get it at what we bid, it would be great, he declared. I would love it, it would be awesome. My concern has always been the Heritage as a mainstay in Lenox. Jackie, myself and the boys built that over the last 20 years, and Im sort of flattered about all the interest Im hearing in it.

McNinch acknowledged that if it happens, thats great, but if it doesnt, were just going to concentrate on making the two places we have now as successful as we were with the Heritage. Thats our plan.

The McNinch Restaurant Group owns Patricks Pub in Pittsfield and operates the 101 Restaurant & Bar across the street, inside the Holiday Inn and Suites. The hotel on West Street just off North Street is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, marketed as IHG Hotels & Resorts, a British multinational hospitality company headquartered in England.

There have been unconfirmed reports that Mill Town Capital might be interested. The real estate development behemoth founded by Dalton native Dave Mixer owns many Pittsfield properties, including Bousquet Mountain, its restaurant Drifters, and the Gateways Inn and restaurant in Lenox.

But in a message to The Eagle Thursday afternoon, CEO Tim Burke stated that its company policy not to comment on any speculation regarding the Heritage or any other property on the market.

Besides McNinchs bid, there were several reports that home-design entrepreneur Annie Selke was bidding for the Heritage. Her company owns a retail store as well as an inn on Main Street in Lenox. Selke did not return a call Thursday afternoon.

Last September, online area rug e-tailer Rugs USA acquired the Pittsfield-based Annie Selke Cos. and its three brands  Annie Selke, Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert; CEO Lori King remains CEO of the Berkshire-based companies, while founder Annie Selke remains chief vision officer. The Selke Cos. provide rugs, bedding and other home goods through their three brands.

Another unidentified bidder was also reported in the mix.
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NORTH ADAMS  With discussion underway about reimagining the Hoosic River flood chutes system, Geeg Wiles wants to ensure the the issue of safety is not overlooked.

Wiles is a member of the group North Adams Water Trails, which has been vocal about its goals of making the river more accessible for recreation, such as tubing, rafting or kayaking.

And any discussion of recreation, he notes, should also include safety.

To that end, Wiles organization Ahabs Adventures has worked with an Idaho-based company, Northwest River Supplies, to obtain 26 full sets of river rescue gear over the next five years for the North Adams Fire Department. Wiles' organization also has collaborated with businesses to make sure firefighters are river rescue trained in the years to come.

Nobody has really kept them in the loop about this river conversation, Wiles said of the department.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently conducting a feasibility study to evaluate the possibility of repairing, altering or fortifying the Hoosic Rivers flood management. The three-year study is a precursor to a potential $200 million effort to not only to repair the structure, but expand access for recreation.

Part of expanding access to the river, he said, is being proactive about mitigating potential hazards, including the use of "low-head dams," which are designed to keep water flowing continuously and are notoriously dangerous.

We can be preemptive  why dont we start with safety around the recreation thats coming? said Wiles, a North Adams native and former whitewater raft guide. If we take out these low-head dams or modify them for fish flow and recreation, its going to create more liability.

Wiles was spurred to action when, in June 2023, two boys were rescued from the rushing waters of the Hoosic River thanks to a quick response by off-duty city firefighters. The situation prompted statewide media coverage, and Wiles thought he could help fix the problem of a lack of river rescue resources/training.

He contacted whitewater kayaker Elaine Campbell, who lives in Readsboro, Vt., and she reached out to the Idaho group, with which she already has a sponsorship. Northwest River Supplies is providing the gift of the rescue gear  six sets this year and five every year after that. The cost of the gear is estimated at $10,000.

Hoosic River Revival board member Dan Wallis said in a statement to The Eagle on Tuesday that Wiles efforts during the past year have not only expanded the scope of the Army Corps project in North Adams, but also show many of us the way to actively collaborate with communities along the river.

This latest effort on his part to secure both equipment and training for our first responders, preparing them well in advance of a project we hope will greatly increase access and appreciation for all three branches of the Hoosic again, shows his ability to think well ahead, Wallis added. He is invaluable to getting us all back to the riverbanks again."

The Berkshire County Sheriffs Underwater Search and Rescue Team, comprised of people from departments throughout the county, cant respond as quickly as local firefighters, as evidenced by the events of last June. Wiles is hoping to have the entire department trained and outfitted for river rescue five years from now.

If you go ... North Adams Water Trails will host a Hoosic River cleanup at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on Beaver Street in conjuction with Mountain Warrior Conservation.

Berkshire East and Zoar Outdoor have been helpful in mapping out options for river-related trainings during the next five years. Wiles said he has sat down with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre and others at the department to discuss implementing the training.

Once or twice a year, well split up the squad so they can get more training, and by year five, when the low-head dams can be modified, our fire department, instead of being stressed out with the additional work involved around safety in the river, will be ready to go, Wiles said, instead of having to add a class or staff or spend time on getting a grant.
Members of the Abu Draz family inspect their house Thursday after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
The Name: In the last book of the Bible, Jesus reveals himself as "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Present at the world's beginning, Jesus will also be present at its end, when he and his work are finally and fully revealed. When you pray to Christ as the Alpha and the Omega, you are praying to the One who is, who was, and who is to come. He is our all-sufficient Lord, who will not fail to complete the good work he has begun in us.

Key Scripture: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:13

In this dynamic passage, God reveals part of His character. It corresponds to another name, Jehovah ("I am") which hints at His eternal nature and unending presence. Here, God confirms the praise of Moses in Psalm 90 that "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

The author Tertullian clarified why God used this specific wording, "...just as alpha rolls on to omega and omega returns again to alpha, so He might show that both the evolution of the beginning to the end is in Him and again the return of the end to the beginning."

But Revelation 22:13 is still one of those verses that presents me with a mental challenge. My limited human perception of space and time can make the idea of continuous being hard to wrap my mind around. Do you ever think, like I do, that it's too marvelous to be true? Yet, Scripture calls us to acknowledge this aspect of God, even if we can't fully understand it.

"For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God" (Psalm 86:10).

Photo credit: Getty Images/Bulat Silvia
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Tesla has cancelled the long-promised inexpensive car that investors have been counting on to drive its growth into a mass-market carmaker, according to three sources familiar with the matter and company messages seen by Reuters.

The carmaker will continue developing self-driving robo-taxis on the same small-vehicle platform, the sources said.

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The decision represents an abandonment of a longstanding goal that Tesla chief Elon Musk has often characterised as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses. His first master plan for the company in 2006 called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using the profits to finance a low-cost family car.

Tesla shares were down by 6 per cent in late morning trading after the report.

Musk has since repeatedly promised such a vehicle to investors and consumers. As recently as January, Musk told investors that Tesla planned to start production of the affordable model at its Texas factory in the second half of 2025.

Teslas cheapest current model, the Model 3 saloon, retails for about $39,000 (36,000) in the United States. The now-defunct entry-level vehicle, sometimes described in media reports as the Model 2, was expected to start at about $25,000 (23,000).

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Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.

The stark reversal comes as Tesla faces fierce competition globally from Chinese electric-vehicle makers flooding the market with cars priced as low as $10,000. The plan for driverless robotaxis, which could take longer to deliver, presents a stiffer engineering challenge and more regulatory risk.

Two sources said they learned of Tesla's decision to scrap the Model 2 in a meeting attended by scores of employees, with one of them saying the gathering happened in late February.

Elons directive is to go all in on robotaxi, that person said.

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The third source confirmed the cancellation and said new plans call for robotaxis to be produced, but in much lower volumes than had been projected for the Model 2.

Several company messages about the decision included one on March 1st from an unnamed programme manager for the affordable car discussing the projects demise with engineering staff and advising them to hold off on telling suppliers about program cancellation.

A fourth person with knowledge of Teslas plans expressed optimism about the decision to pivot away from the cheap-car strategy in favour of robotaxis, a segment Musk has envisioned as the future of mobility. The source cautioned that Teslas product plans could change again based on economic conditions.

Squeezing profits from entry-level vehicles is a challenge for any carmaker. But Teslas delay in pursuing the car Musk once called his dream made it much tougher because it now faces far more competition in that price range.

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While Tesla spent years developing its highly experimental Cybertruck, a pricey electric pickup, Chinese carmakers have raced ahead on affordable EVs, grabbing market share, gaining economies of scale and offering consumers bargain prices that Western carmakers are struggling to match.

As Chinese EVs surged to challenge Teslas dominance, Musk was tending to his sprawling empire, which includes rocket-maker SpaceX, brain-chip developer Neuralink, and social media giant X, which Musk acquired in 2022. Formerly called Twitter, the platform has foundered under Musks volatile management, shedding most of its value as the company has lost revenue and advertisers.

Plans for the affordable Tesla have been seen as key to delivering on Musks stratospheric ambitions for sales growth. Musk said in 2020 that Tesla aspired by 2030 to sell 20 million vehicles  twice as many as the worlds largest automaker, Toyota, sells today. With the death of the Model 2, its unclear how hell get there.

Expectations for a $25,000 vehicle have underpinned Wall Street analysts more modest, but still ambitious, forecasts for Tesla sales. Those forecasts, according to a Tesla investor-relations document, call for vehicle sales rising to 4.2 million by 2028 from 1.8 million last year.

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Musk has wavered on the project before. In a biography of the entrepreneur released last year, author Walter Issacson reported that Musk in 2022 put a hold on the entry-level EV plans, reasoning that a Tesla robotaxi would make the car irrelevant. Musks advisors urged him to stay the course, the book said.

Tesla called the affordable-car project NV91 internally and H422 externally when discussing it with suppliers, according to two of the sources and company messages reviewed by Reuters.

Messages from the unnamed Tesla programme manager to staffers referenced those code names in discussing the projects termination. One of those messages sent March 1st said that suppliers should halt all further activities related to H422/NV91.

The sources said they did not know all the reasons behind the decision to kill the project.

The affordable-car projects cancellation comes as Tesla and other established automakers have been rocked by slowing EV demand growth in the United States and Europe, and cut-throat competition in China.

If Tesla had moved forward with the low-cost car, it wouldnt have arrived on the market until the latter half of 2025, by the companys estimate. But the entry-level EV segment is already crowded with compelling models from BYD and many other Chinese brands. - Reuters
An English van driver has been remanded in custody after being charged over a 1.1 million cannabis seizure at Dublin Port.

Daljeet Singh (52) was arrested at New Custom House on Wednesday when a commercial vehicle, which arrived on a ferry from the UK, was inspected.

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Officers from Store Street Garda station detained Mr Singh under the Drug Trafficking Act, and he was charged on Thursday night with unlawful possession for sale or supply.

Mr Singh, who lives at New Birmingham Road, Oldbury, England, was held pending his appearance before Judge Gerard Jones at Dublin District Court on Friday.

Garda Stephen Flynn told the court that Mr Singh made no reply to the charges.

Defence solicitor Michael French said his client was not applying for bail at this stage.

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Outlining the case, Gda Flynn said the accused arrived in his van at the port, where customs officers searched the vehicle and allegedly found 55kg of cannabis "concealed in cardboard boxes in the back of Mr Singh's van".

The court heard the cannabis was worth 1.1 million, and there were no other passengers in the van.

Judge Jones remanded Mr Singh in custody pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions,

The judge also granted legal aid after the court was furnished with a statement of Mr Singh's finances, with Mr French adding his client is "not a man of means".

Mr Singh did not address the court or indicate a plea and will face his next hearing on April 12th.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has been confirmed as Fine Gael's deputy leader by the party's new leader, Simon Harris.

Mr Harris is poised to become taoiseach when the Dail returns after its Easter break, having become Fine Gael leader after Leo Varadkar's shock decision to step down last month.

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Ms Humphreys takes over the position from Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney, who announced earlier this week that he would be stepping down from his Cabinet position when the Dail resumes next week.

Ms Humphreys, who represents Cavan-Monaghan, said it is a "great honour" to be chosen as deputy leader and "build on the work carried out by my friend and colleague, Simon Coveney".

She also echoed the comments of her party colleagues, who have previously said the recent changes offer a chance to renew the party.

"I believe that we have a real opportunity now to reset the dial for Fine Gael and to place a renewed focus on issues that our party and our country really cares about.

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"That is doing things like rewarding work, supporting small businesses, delivering for families, and strengthening rural Ireland," the Minister said.

Mr Harris will likely reshuffle the Cabinet when he takes office, and will need to fill the vacancy in his current position, Minister for Higher and Further Education, and reassign Mr Coveney's enterprise portfolio.

A close political ally of Mr Harris, Ms Humphreys said the new Fine Gael leader has "already demonstrated the sort of energy and vision he intends to bring to the role of taoiseach".

"He is a born leader, someone who cares deeply about improving services for families, for delivering opportunities for our young people and creating the kind of country that we all strive to live in."

She added: "I want to thank Simon for this opportunity which I very much relish and will take on with a sense of energy and enthusiasm."

Commenting on Ms Humphreys' appointment, Mr Harris commended her as a person of "enormous ability and integrity", adding she will bring "vigour and determination" to her new role.
A memorial mass is to be held on Saturday for an Irish man in his 40s who died in a swimming accident earlier this year on a beach south-west of Perth in Australia.

In February, the family of Damien Lucey placed a white rose at the exact spot where he entered the water on January 8th, 2024.

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The native of Cork was last seen in the sea at Honeycombs Beach, in Busselton. He got in to difficulty and his calls for help were heard by two passers-by. Despite extensive search efforts, his body has yet to be found.

In a notice on Rip.ie his family said that they would like to thank the Land and Water Police departments in Dunsborough, the Smiths Beach Surf Life Saving Club and Damiens friends for their support and kindnessin the wake of the tragedy.

Mr Lucey was living in Perth at the time of his passing.

He had previously resided in Rosewood in Ballincollig and in Ballinhassig in Cork. He was predeceased by his father Jimmy.

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Damien is survived by his mother Frankie, his siblings Gretta, Marie, Carol, Patrick and Eleanor.

A memorial mass will take place at noon on Saturday in the Church of St Mary and St John in Ballincollig.

In the aftermath of the accident, friends of Mr Lucey set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money to support his family as they made the journey to Australia in a bid to recover his body.

The organisers of the page said they were grateful for the overwhelming generosity shown to the grieving family.

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You are all so kind and the donations and words of support have been so appreciated.

"Thanks to your generous donations, Damien's Mother Frankie and his siblings were able to travel to Perth to aid in his search and meet with his Perth friends and colleagues. As in Cork, the support in Perth has been enormous and search efforts unwavering.

Mr Lucey was fondly remembered by Ballincollig AFC, where he was a former player and by friends both in Australia and Ireland.

Police in Perth said in a statement that an extensive search was conducted involving local police, water police, several Volunteer Marine Rescue groups, Surf Life Saving and a rescue helicopter.

At this stage police have deemed that, tragically, the 42-year-old man drowned at Honeycombs Beach. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
A worker at the Whitegate oil refinery in Cork who was unfairly dismissed over the manner in which he was fired after testing positive for alcohol at work is to receive no compensation.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruled that no award should be made against Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery as the employee, Eddie Desmond, had contributed 100 per cent to his own dismissal.

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However, the WRC did order the company to pay Mr Desmond a sum of 14,316  the equivalent of eight weeks pay  after it ruled the refinery had failed to provide him with the statutory minimum notice.

The company maintained that it had operated fair procedures throughout the process which led to Mr Desmonds dismissal for gross misconduct.

It claimed he had breached the terms of its substance misuse policy by failing to report for testing within a required time limit on December 5th, 2022, and then failing two breathalyser tests for alcohol.

Mr Desmond, who had worked as an operator at the refinery since 1990, claimed the test result was a false positive because he had been working with ethanol while fixing a pipe in the refinery.

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He also argued that the procedures adopted by Irving Oil in conducting the dismissal were fundamentally flawed.

The companys doctor, Diarmuid Mulcahy, who examined Mr Desmond after he had failed the breathalyser test, formed the clinical judgement that he was under the influence of alcohol.

Mr Desmond was sent home after being deemed unfit for work and was subsequently suspended on full pay.

He was summarily dismissed on May 12th, 2023, after the allegations against him were upheld following a disciplinary process.

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Mr Desmond unsuccessfully appealed the decision to terminate his employment.

Safety risk

Dr Mulcahy gave evidence that the complainants test results meant there was a risk of suboptimal work performance, which could pose a safety risk to both Mr Desmond and his work colleagues.

The doctor accepted that he had not performed a urine test on the day as required under the companys substance misuse policy.

The refinerys operations manager, Brian Reihill, gave evidence that the two breathalyser tests had shown concentrations of 26 and 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The standard legal drink-driving limit is 22 microgrammes of alcohol.

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Mr Reihill said Mr Desmond had initially claimed he had no knowledge of the companys substance misuse policy but subsequently accepted he was aware of it.

He recounted how Mr Desmond claimed his delay in coming for the test was because he was involved in a critical operation to stem the flow of ethanol in a broken pipe.

Mr Reihill gave evidence that there was no good reason for the delay as Mr Desmonds colleagues and supervisors had observed that the fixing of the pipe was not an urgent task.

He concluded that Mr Desmonds behaviour constituted gross misconduct with dismissal being the appropriate sanction.

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The operations manager said Mr Desmonds request to be reinstated could not be considered realistic as his conduct had severely breached the trust and confidence the company had in him.

Absorption

A consultant in occupational health, David Cooke, gave evidence in support of a retired colleague from Corporate Health Ireland, who had concluded that Mr Desmond could not have absorbed ethanol through his skin or inhaled it to a level recorded in the test.

Dr Cooke said it was extremely unlikely that the results of the test would have been skewed by a person wearing personal protective equipment in the open air over a barrel of ethanol for 95 minutes.

Irving Oils solicitor, Emer OCallaghan, said the breath tests were essentially an investigation that were backed up by sound medical reports which had not been contradicted by Mr Desmond.

Ms OCallaghan said it could only be assumed that Mr Desmonds delay in presenting for the test was due to his belief that the alcohol in his system would be metabolised and produce a negative result.

She argued the decision to dismiss him was substantively and procedurally fair.

Mr Desmond declined to give evidence on the substantive issues but outlined how he subsequently found work with a local taxi company last September on a weekly salary of 350.

He told the WRC he was earning 1,767 per week at the time of his dismissal.

Siptu representative for the complainant, Diarmuid Long, claimed there had been no impartial investigation by the refinery to confirm the validity of the breathalyser test which rendered the decision to dismiss Mr Desmond disproportionate.

WRC adjudication officer, Thomas ODriscoll, said the refinerys own procedures, which he claimed were surprisingly devoid of detail and relatively archaic for a higher regulated industrial enterprise, demanded an investigation in cases of gross misconduct.

Mr ODriscoll said it was clear that no such investigation had taken place, but there was an attempt to play catch up when important issues like the potential side effects of ethanol and a missed urine test were raised.

He claimed a mis-timed, hybrid investigatory/disciplinary process by Mr Reihill raised a significant question of partiality.

The WRC said the companys position that the breath tests constituted an investigation without need for further inquiry created an apprehension of bias and deprived Mr Desmond of an impartial investigation.

Mr ODriscoll said the process followed was a patently unfair dismissal procedure.

He added that he would have found the dismissal to be fair if proper procedures had been followed due to the companys strict zero-tolerance stance on turning up for work under the influence of alcohol, given the critical safety standards around working with explosive substances.
A warning a minister made before the recent care referendum, and a spike in investment fraud in Ireland with over 25 million stolen last year, are among Friday's front page stories.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe warned Cabinet colleague Roderic OGorman of extensive policy and expenditure risks in the care referendum, The Irish Times reports.

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Campaigners have expressed "no confidence" in the Road Safety Authority (RSA), the Irish Examiner reports.

The Irish Independent leads with a story on the 25 million stolen in investment fraud.

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The Irish Sun leads with a story on the man accused of killing Irish woman Sarah McNally in a New York pub.

Today's front page of The Irish Sun pic.twitter.com/w626NIDtHX  The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) April 5, 2024 Advertisement

The Irish Daily Star leads with the imminent arrival of Storm Kathleen.

Friday's edition includes super soccer pullout pic.twitter.com/GHhT4rpFQE  Irish Daily Star (@isfearranstar) April 5, 2024 Advertisement

The Herald leads with a story on an Irish man who has died in a helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps.

In the North, the Belfast Telegraph reports PSNI officers are investigating an online post about the rape charges facing former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson.

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The Irish News leads with a story on a report into the potential costs of a United Ireland.

Good morning!



Today's front page.



Irish unity advocates play down report on likely costs



Video 'shows army killing' pic.twitter.com/gSTg1fO14Z  The Irish News (@irish_news) April 5, 2024

The debate over arms sales to Israel features alongside a variety of stories on the front pages of Britain's papers on Friday.

The Independent joins calls to stop selling arms to Israel now after a letter from 600 lawyers called on the UK to stop selling weapons to Israel.

Here is Friday's (5/4/24) front-page from The Independent: pic.twitter.com/opi5fsgBeP  The Independent (@Independent) April 4, 2024

The i relays calls for UK prime minister Rishi Sunak to publish the legal advice on arms sales to Israel.

I: Sunak urged to publish legal advice on arms sales to Israel #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/SZNwfIT6DA  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 4, 2024

The Daily Telegraph shares words from US president Joe Biden who called on Israel to stop killing civilians, while The Guardian says he demands a ceasefire.

The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:



'Biden tells Israel: Stop killing civilians'#TomorrowsPapersToday



Sign up for the Front Page newsletter https://t.co/x8AV4OoUh6 pic.twitter.com/wOyflgjD17  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 4, 2024

GUARDIAN: Biden demands Gaza ceasefire in strongest rebuke yet to Israel #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/385vm6bwso  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 4, 2024

The Sun leads with a story on Britain's King Charles, who has told aides to ramp up plans for a two-week trip to Australia.

On tomorrow's front page: King Charles raring to go on tour of Australia this year and tells aides to ramp up plans as cancer treatment goes wellhttps://t.co/GF5zrPIAvy pic.twitter.com/dOnrIewbkX  The Sun (@TheSun) April 4, 2024

The Daily Mirror reports the man behind the robbery where police officer Sharon Beshenivsky was killed in 2005 has been found guilty of her murder.

Senior Conservative MP William Wragg admitted his involvement in a honeytrap sexting scandal targeting a minister and other MPs, The Times reports.

THE TIMES: Senior Tory: I gave MPs numbers to honeytrap #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Ecq6fYooXu  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 4, 2024

The Daily Express declares migrant flights will take off soon with a UK Home Office source telling the paper every loophole will be closed to make sure the Rwanda plan goes ahead.

DAILY EXPRESS: Male no mistake! Migrant flights to take off soon #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/r7obZeSlZ3  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 4, 2024

The Metro runs with a story on an inquest into the death of a soldier which found he was bound by rope when he drowned.

Tomorrow's Paper Today 



TIED UP AND TRAPPED IN RIVER



 Dead soldier rope riddle solved #Tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/IQZQxdoKyz  Metro (@MetroUK) April 4, 2024

Two Chinese banks hold a crucial role in the future of Thames Water, according to the Financial Times.

Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Friday 5 April https://t.co/sCM3yBYeIQ pic.twitter.com/NVmh0NYVHX  Financial Times (@FT) April 4, 2024

And the Daily Star says NASA have been asked to find out what the time is on the moon.

STAR: What time is it on the moon #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/nJq2SqsA7j  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 4, 2024

The New York Times leads with a story on Joe Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 77, 'guarding' details about their health ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. A story on Mr Biden putting pressure on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to protect civilians in Gaza amid Israel's onslaught also makes the front page.
US president Joe Biden effectively gave Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum on Thursday: protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza or Washington could rein in support for Israel in its war against Hamas militants.

The message, after months of US calls for Israel to change its military tactics that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, followed an Israeli attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers and triggered global outrage.

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Israel admits the strike was a mistake.

The White House did not say exactly what steps it wanted Netanyahu to take, nor what it would do if he failed to take them. But analysts said the implicit threat was to slow US arms transfers to Israel or to temper US support at the UN.

"This is as close to a 'come to Jesus' moment as you can get," said analyst Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, referring to Mr Biden's comment last month that he and Netanyahu were heading for such a turning point.

Dennis Ross, a veteran US diplomat now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said: "The president, in effect, is saying meet these humanitarian needs, or I will have no choice but to condition (military) assistance."

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Mr Biden, up for re-election in November, has struggled to balance pressure to rein in Netanyahu from progressive Democrats dismayed at the Palestinian civilian death toll against the risk that may alienate mostly pro-Israel independent voters. He has so far resisted setting conditions on arms transfers.

The war began after Hamas' October 7th attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, prompting an Israeli invasion that has laid waste to much of the densely populated territory and displaced most of its 2.3 million people.

More than 33,000 Palestinians have died, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, of which most were women and children. Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

Describing their call, the White House said Mr Biden called for Israel "to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

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"He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps," the White House added in a statement.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken was more blunt.

"Look, I'll just say this: if we don't see the changes that we need to see, there will be changes in our policy."

On Thursday evening, just hours after the call, the Israeli government announced several steps to increase aid flows to Gaza, including opening the Ashdod port and the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and increasing aid deliveries from Jordan. It was not clear if the steps would be enough to satisfy US demands.

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Turning point

The turning point for Mr Biden, an ardent supporter of Israel, was Monday's deadly Israeli attack on the workers from celebrity chef Jose Andres' WCK charity group.

It came as the Biden administration has been stepping up pressure on Israel to consider alternatives to a threatened ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the last relatively safe haven for civilians in the coastal enclave.

Tense call

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source familiar with the talks said the 30-minute call was at times tense, with Mr Biden spelling out his concerns and Netanyahu defending his approach on Gaza.

A senior White House official described the conversation as "very direct, very straightforward," saying it included vice president Kamala Harris, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Mr Blinken.

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As to what the United States expects, the official said: "We need a comprehensive plan on them doing a much better job here. They cant be killing humanitarian aid workers and civilians."

Biden's limit?

While Mr Biden has long avoided curtailing US support for Israel, he may finally have reached his limit.

"There was always going to be a point at which the Biden administration felt that the domestic and international cost of supporting Israel's campaign in Gaza outweighed the benefit of what Israel was able to achieve on the ground," said Mike Singh, a former National Security Council official on the Middle East.

"What is remarkable is not that this is happening but that it took so long."

Mr Singh, now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said if Israel did not meet Mr Biden's conditions, the likeliest step was the US negotiating a UN Security Council resolution like the one that ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

"Placing conditions on arms transfers is more fraught politically, would likely face stiff opposition on (Capitol) Hill, and could leave Israel vulnerable to attack by Hezbollah or other Iranian proxies," he added.

Still, Mr Biden may have telegraphed his thinking last month when, after saying a Rafah invasion would be a "red line," he said he would never cut off "all weapons so that they dont have the Iron Dome (missile defense system) to protect them".

He did not explicitly make such assurances about offensive weapons, fuelling speculation he could impose conditions on such arms transfers to Israel, which relies heavily on US arms.

Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy national intelligence officer on the Middle East, said Mr Biden was unlikely to take drastic action upending US-Israeli ties, such as withholding big-ticket weapons or completely abandoning Israel at the UN.

But he could put conditions on smaller military items and take further measures against extremist Jewish settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"Biden's frustration with how the war is being conducted, and with Prime Minister Netanyahu himself, has reached an apex," Mr Panikoff said.
The Israeli military said on Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission.

It said they had mishandled critical information and violated the armys rules of engagement.

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The findings of a retired generals investigation into the killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the US, of not doing enough to protect Gazas civilians from its war with Hamas.

The findings are likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli militarys decision-making.

World Central Kitchen workers were killed (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

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Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict, a charge Israel denies.

Its a tragedy, the militarys spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.

Its a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldnt have happened and we will make sure that it wont happen again.

With pressure mounting on Israel to hold itself accountable, Hagari and other officials gave reporters the results of the militarys uncommonly speedy and detailed investigation.

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It was unclear whether the punishments and the apology would calm an international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers, or reassure international aid groups that it was safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.

According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli armys rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit.

Seven people were killed (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

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But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorised the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one majors observation, from grainy drone-camera footage, that someone in the convoy was armed.

That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said.

The army said the colonel and the major were dismissed, while three other officers were reprimanded.

It said the results of its investigation were turned over to the militarys advocate general, who will decide whether the officers or anyone else involved in the killings should receive further punishment or be prosecuted.

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The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures, the army said in a statement when it released the findings.

The killings were condemned by Israels closest allies and renewed criticism of Israels conduct in the nearly six-month war with Hamas.

The aid workers were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian American dual citizen, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. Their Palestinian driver also was killed.

The investigation found two major areas of wrongdoing.

It faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed.

As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants.

The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike, for acting with insufficient information.

The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman.

It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse.

The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding on top of one of the trucks.

These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. - Erin Gore, CEO. Read more: https://t.co/4f38RQ1l4I pic.twitter.com/neAsSzKVP5  World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024

After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman in one of the cars.

The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon  the military said it is possible he was just carrying a bag.

The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well.

It did the same thing when survivors scrambled into a third car.

Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words World Central Kitchen because it was night.

The army could not say exactly where the communication about the convoys plans had broken down.

The army declined to answer questions about whether similar violations of rules of engagement have taken place during the war, in which Palestinians, aid workers and international rights groups have repeatedly accused the army of recklessly striking civilians.

The investigation was headed by Yoav Har-Even, a retired general.

The seven who were killed were distributing food that had been taken into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor.

World Central Kitchen said it had co-ordinated its movements with the military, and that the vehicles were marked with the organisations logo.

It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by the Israeli military, Mr Andres said on Wednesday.

More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the UN.

Lets be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly, Scott Paul, of the humanitarian group Oxfam, said on Thursday in a briefing with other relief organisations before the results of Israels investigation were released.

The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.
Israel says it will reopen a key border crossing into northern Gaza as part of steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said on Friday his security cabinet has approved a series of immediate steps, including the temporary reopening of the Erez crossing for the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7th.

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It also said Israel would allow its port in Ashdod to process aid shipments bound for Gaza, as well as permitting an increase in Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing.

This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war, Mr Netanyahus office said.

US president Joe Biden, left, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AP)

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The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.

The decision came after US president Joe Biden called on Israel to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers during a phone call with Mr Netanyahu following the attack on a World Central Kitchen relief convoy which killed seven aid workers.

The heavily fortified Erez crossing served for years as the only passenger terminal for people to move in and out of the territory.

It was heavily damaged when Hamas militants stormed the facility on October 7th and has remained closed ever since.

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The United Nations says much of the population in northern Gaza is on the brink of starvation.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson welcomed the moves, saying the plan must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

Members of the Abu Draz family inspect their house after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday (Fatima Shbair/AP)

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As the President said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, she said.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward.

Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said the floating pier  announced by Mr Biden during his State of the Union address last month  will be on line by the end of the month or early May.

Mr Ryder said Israel has agreed to provide security on the shore as aid is transferred and distributed, but details are still being worked out.

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The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting about attacks on humanitarian workers in Gaza and the risk of famine in the conflict-torn territory on Friday.

A UN aid convoy was scheduled to head out on Thursday night after the UN paused night operations for 48 hours, said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

He told reporters the convoy will hopefully make it to the north.

Today, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to emphasize that strikes on aid workers and the humanitarian situation in Gaza are unacceptable.



Israel must implement steps to address civilian harm and the safety of workers  and work toward a ceasefire to bring hostages home. pic.twitter.com/c7yB0jwq06  President Biden (@POTUS) April 4, 2024

Because of what happened to World Central Kitchen, we had to pause and regroup and reassess all sorts of factors, he said.

In a statement following the leaders call, the White House said Mr Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps, the statement said.

Mr Biden also told Mr Netanyahu an immediate ceasefire is essential and urged Israel to reach such an accord without delay, according to the White House, which described the conversation as direct and honest.
Ukrainian officials said on Friday they had used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russias Rostov region.

Russian defence officials, however, claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in the attack.

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The assault appeared to be one of Kyivs biggest air attacks in the war, coming as its forces stepped up their assaults on Russian soil.

Russia has also escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Ukraines power plants, in recent weeks, signalling a new and potentially dangerous phase in the conflict as both sides struggle to achieve significant advances on the ground.





Special attention is now to Kharkiv and the consequences of Russian strikes on the city. Today, unfortunately, four people were killed, including three rescuers from our State Emergency Service of Ukraine because of a "Shahed" strike on an ordinary residential area. They arrived pic.twitter.com/ZrLAwb3kcq Advertisement  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) April 4, 2024

The overnight attack targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia and was conducted by Ukraines Security Service in co-operation with the army, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the AP.

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They said about 20 members of the airfields personnel were killed or injured.

Morozovsk airfield was used by Russian bombers that have been launching guided aerial bombs at Ukraines cities and frontline positions, the officials said.

If true, the attack would be among Ukraines most successful cross-border strikes.

Last October, Ukraine claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russian-occupied regions using long-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States.

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A worker clears the rubble at DTEKs power plant which was hit by a Russian missile in Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Last August, Ukrainian media, citing unidentified intelligence sources, claimed that drone attacks hit parked Russian bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia.

In a conflicting version of events, Russias defence ministry said a total of 44 drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Morozovsky district, more than 60 miles from the border.

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The attack damaged a power substation, Rostov governor Vasily Golubev said, adding that eight people near the airfield were injured.

Usually well-informed Russian military bloggers confirmed an attempted attack by Ukrainian drones on a military air base in Morozovsk but said there were no casualties at the base and no damage to warplanes.

The Russian defence ministry said nine more drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Krasnodar and the nearby Saratov region, bringing the total of attack drones deployed by Ukraine overnight to 53.

Drone warfare is a key feature of the war, which has extended into a third year since Russias full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

On the 600-mile front line, where fighting is largely bogged down, low-cost drones are used by both sides to knock out expensive military hardware.



Oil pressure sensors show zero values after a Russian missile attack at DTEKs power plant in Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

The Kremlins forces have used large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones to bombard urban areas of Ukraine.

Kyiv, in turn, has developed a small but fast-growing defence industry where drones, including deadly unmanned sea vessels, are proving effective.

Russian authorities have long accused Ukraine of launching regular drone attacks on power plants, oil refineries and other targets in western regions of Russia near the border.

Last month, Ukraine fired a barrage of 35 drones at such targets, Russia said. Some attacks have reached deep into Russia, including Moscow and as far as 745 miles east of Ukraine.

Ukraine cannot match the scale of Russias military, however. Last week, Moscow launched a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles against Ukraines energy infrastructure, hitting regions across the country.

Meanwhile, Ukraines air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he held a meeting with his top brass focused on the production of attack drones and the manufacture of electronic warfare equipment to intercept incoming drones.

He said late Thursday that the meeting put together clear written agreements with manufacturers, clear financing and clear delivery deadlines.

Authorities will next turn to robust and increasing missile production, he said, as military support from western partners falls short of what Kyiv hoped for.

Mr Zelensky said an assessment of frontline positions found that Ukraine has managed to stabilise our positions despite being outgunned and outnumbered by the Russian army.
The UNs top human rights body has called on countries to stop selling or shipping weapons to Israel, in a resolution on Friday to help prevent human rights violations against Palestinians amid Israels blistering military campaign in Gaza.

The 47-member-country Human Rights Council voted 28-6 in favour of the resolution, with 13 abstentions.

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The sweeping measure takes aim at an array of Israeli actions such as impeding access to water and limiting shipments of humanitarian aid into Palestinian areas.

It also calls on UN-backed independent investigators to report on shipments of weapons, munitions and dual use items, for both civilian and military purposes, that could be used by Israel against Palestinians.

It is not binding.





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#HRC55 | Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.30 on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice was ADOPTED. pic.twitter.com/URttz9IFjv  United Nations Human Rights Council | #HRC55 (@UN_HRC) April 5, 2024

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Western countries were divided, with the US, Germany and others opposing the resolution, several abstaining and some European countries voting in favour.

Israel, at times joined by the United States, has regularly and roundly criticised the council for its alleged anti-Israel bias.

The council has approved far more resolutions against Israel for its actions toward Palestinians over the years than against any other country.

The council is wrapping up its first session of the year, which began on February 26, with action on more than 40 resolutions on subjects as diverse as the rights of the child, the environment and human rights, genocide prevention and human rights in countries like Sudan, Belarus and North Korea.

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The resolution comes amid a growing focus on weapons shipments to Israel, notably by its strongest backer, the US, as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza that has led to the killing of nearly 33,000 Palestinians, which began in response to the attacks in Israel by armed militants on October 7.

In a sign of Washingtons growing impatience with Israels handling of the military campaign, US President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future US support for Israels Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

It was the first time that Mr Biden has threatened to rethink his backing if Israel does not change its tactics and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
But theres no question the slow decline of cash picked up pace during COVID-19, and recent events at Armaguard have added some urgency to the situation. Late last year, Armaguard revealed its future was at risk from the decline in cash usage. This was a big deal because Armaguard is a vital link in the chain for getting cash to ATMs, bank branches, supermarkets, other big retailers, and post offices. It is also a virtual monopolist, with 90 per cent of the cash transport market, after it was allowed to merge last year with its former main rival, Prosegur. Big banks last year entered into talks with Armaguard, trying to arrange a rescue package for the company, but last week, Armaguard rejected the banks offer. Instead, it opted for a $10 million lifeline from its parent company Linfox, owned by billionaire Lindsay Fox. Banks estimate this will be enough to keep Armaguard operating for a few more months. This week Linfox told to The Australian Financial Review it would seek to raise prices with banks, but it will need permission from competition watchdog to change a previous undertaking on pricing.

Negotiations will continue, and banks have also started contingency planning for the possibility that a deal cant be done. But whatever happens to Armaguard, the episode has highlighted that as usage of cash declines, it is putting pressure on the nations infrastructure for distributing cash. Loading The basic problem is that its costly to move and store all those notes, and to keep ATMs and bank branches stocked. The costs of trucks, depots and equipment are largely fixed, but theres less revenue to be made from cash transit because were using so much less of it. Cash was used in about 70 per cent of consumer payments in 2007, but only 13 per cent of payments in 2023, the ABA says. That number will only drop in years to come. The trend towards digital payments is clear, so the challenges facing cash-handling businesses such as Armaguard are likely to remain.

Yet, at the same time, there are sizeable groups in the community who still use plenty of cash. The Reserve Banks latest survey on consumer payments found 7 per cent of Australians were high cash users who use cash for 80 per cent or more of their in-person transactions. While this number halved between 2019 and 2022, the Reserve said people aged over 65 were far more likely to be high cash users than the young. Households with lower incomes also tend to be bigger cash users. The central banks survey also found that for 4.5 per cent of the adult population, cash was essential: theyd experience major inconvenience or genuine hardship if they couldnt access it. When asked why they saw access to cash as essential, these people were most likely to point to security or privacy concerns, followed by the fact some businesses only took cash, followed by budgeting reasons. People aged over 65 are more likely to be high cash users than the young. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Others see cash as a store of value (while in other cases it can be a way to avoid tax, or for criminals to store wealth). The Reserve Bank said last year there was $101.3 billion in banknotes in circulation in the economy  a huge sum, even if it did decline.
This weeks Bulls N Bears ASX Runners of the Week is dominated by biotechs, with two showing big gains for punters. Line honours go to Regeneus Ltd. Its share price surged 220 per cent after completing a merger deal with US-based med-tech firm Cambium Medical Technologies. The regenerative medicine company joins fellow biotech Acrux Ltd and Perpetual Resources, both of which also kicked the ball out of the park this week.

Regeneus shares surged today to touch 1.6c during intraday trading from a previous close of just half a cent after announcing it had finalised the deal with Cambium that was first announced back in April last year.

This weeks Bulls N Bears ASX Runner of the Week is Regeneus.

The two companies have been working together over the past few months on Cambiums Elate Ocular product, which aims to treat dry eye disease, a common condition that occurs when your tears arent able to provide adequate lubrication for your eyes.

Elate Ocular is an allogeneic biologic drug comprised of fibrinogendepleted human platelet lysate (HPL) pooled from multiple healthy donors. HPL, which is a composition similar in nature to natural tears, will be offered as an off-the-shelf natural tear to treat dry eye disease.
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 months following my partners death in September 2020, I hunted for advice on how to behave, how to grieve and how to frame my new identity. It was during the pandemic, and my contact with the outside world was limited. I couldnt surround myself with my people, but our shelves were full of books, and so in between binge-watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls with my kids, I started reading. I skipped over anything light, choosing the darkest books that I could find. The only requirement was that they had to be about death, and the death had to be final, which ruled out fantasy, science fiction and vampires. If somebody had suggested that I would one day seek out bleak fiction and memoir as company for my grief, I would have laughed, imagining that when the time came, I would want distraction. But these titles became my allies. Sometimes, they spoke to me and helped me process all that I was feeling, and other times, they frustrated me because they fell so short. Nova Weetman and Aidan Fennessy. In the months following his death, she looked to books and films for a sense of how to grieve. Credit: Nova Weetman I had read Joan Didions memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, when my mum died 10 years earlier, but I dived hungrily back into my dog-eared copy, reading and rereading sections that most spoke to me. Didions husband died unexpectedly, nothing like my partners death from cancer, but some of her experiences of grief were similar. She wrote about the distinctive look a person has after they have recently lost someone, as if they have removed their glasses and stepped outside into the daylight. I knew I had this glazed, stunned expression, as if the world had changed while I was inside saying goodbye. Joan Didion and her husband, John Dunne, in 1977. Credit: AP She wrote of the difficulty in cleaning out her husbands clothes, choosing to keep his shoes in case he returned and needed them. I, too, kept things. A jumper so oversized it draped around my knees had been bought when Aidan travelled as a young man, and worn over the years whenever one of us was sick.

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But where Didion spoke about magical thinking, the sort of precipice of believing that her husband would one day return, I had no such belief. I had watched Aidan die in the hospital bed Id hired, and waited while the men from the funeral home carried his body out onto the street. No amount of magical thinking would return him home, so I returned Didion to the bookshelves and went looking for something else. A friend living in Ireland had sent me a parcel of books while Aidan was sick. Books I didnt read until after he was cremated because I was too busy staring at the wall. One of these was Max Porters Grief is the Thing with Feathers. A slip of a book, it is the story of a father of two boys who is dealing with the death of his wife while writing his own book about Ted Hughes. One day, a black crow arrives as a sort of caretaker and grief counsellor for the family, threatening to stay until they no longer need him. Cillian Murphy in a 2019 stage adaptation of Grief is the Thing with Feathers. Credit: New York Times Loading I remember reading this late at night in the chair that Aidan bought me to breastfeed our first child. I would read sentences over and over, absorbing the fathers despair as he contemplated the sadness of his children, while fearing the same for my own. I wasnt just grieving for myself, I was also grieving for them, for the father they wouldnt have, so I wanted reassuring stories of how that would play out. Sometimes, it was too much to read a whole book, so I would turn to the quick release of a film to help me cry, avoiding any that featured the dead returning, such as Truly, Madly, Deeply or Ghost, because I knew Id be envious. Instead, I sought out A Monster Calls, based on the novel by Patrick Ness about a boy who calls upon a giant anthropomorphic tree to help him deal with his mothers declining health and eventual death.

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Aidan had taken our daughter to see the film a year or so before he was diagnosed and when they came home, they were still red-eyed and warned me not to watch it. After he died, I wanted to see the stories that moved him, and the film cracked open the anger of my grief in a way that books hadnt. I was desperate to roar and scream and smash things, too, just like 12-year-old Connor did in the film. I was tired of being polite and of trying to frame what I was feeling so I wouldnt upset my audience. Lewis MacDougall in A Monster Calls. Credit: AP But I couldnt smash things. I had two children to look after. I had to find my own way through. And the more I watched and read and talked, the more frustrated I became at how death and grief is so often represented in popular culture as an obstacle, a growth opportunity, or an inciting incident on a narrative arc. I wanted more. I wanted truth and mess and ugliness and validation for all the complex feelings I had. The film cracked open the anger of my grief in a way that books hadnt. I realised that the books and films Id been drawn to used art forms to unpack the characters despair. Didions work as a writer informed how she moved through grief, Porters father is a dishevelled novelist writing about Hughes who wrote a poem called Crow and Mama, and in A Monster Calls, Connor draws his pain. These characters had successfully used art to face the enormity of everything they felt, and I began to wonder if I could do the same. I started to write my experiences in a journal as a way of processing. But the more I wrote, the more form it began to take, and I slowly realised that I was writing my own grief memoir. Over the three years it took me to finish, I grieved, I mourned, and I changed. I stopped wanting to smash things and started wanting to enjoy them. I found a way to think about Aidan without anger, hurt or even sadness. And just as Didion had written about her husband towards the end of her book, Aidan had become the photograph on the table. I just had to work it out for myself. And to do that took time. Nova Weetmans memoir, Love, Death & Other Scenes, will be published by UQP on April 3.

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For over two decades, the National Young Writers Festival has been a crucial creative and social hub for Australias most promising emerging writers. From short stories and non-fiction to zines and poetry, the festival  which is the largest of its kind in Australia  offers a glimpse into the future of our literary landscape, and was the training ground for writers who have since found critical acclaim and success.

Now its future appears uncertain. On Wednesday, organisers of the festival announced that this years event, which normally takes place in Newcastle in September and October, would not go ahead.

Organisers say the festival will return in 2025, but those working within the countrys cultural spaces are acutely aware of the impact even just one year off could have on the literary industry.

Festival board chair Jessica Alice says the festival requires further funding to be sustainable.

Festival board chair Jessica Alice describes the event as a breeding ground for future generations of Australian authors, and a place of vital formal and informal mentorship in an industry that can be isolating and complex to operate within. But regardless of how crucial it is, Alice says it has always lacked funding.
This red dress by Australian designer Sonya Moda has been rented 53 times, saving the equivalent of 159 trees or a car trip from Canberra to Brisbane.

If 53 people had bought the dress new rather than renting it, the equivalent carbon emissions would be 11,236 kilograms and the water usage would be 1628 litres.

The blue-and-black frock from Suboo Shibori, another Australian brand, has been rented 41 times, saving greenhouse gases equivalent to 10,086 kilograms of carbon and 1259 litres of water.

Belinda Birt with two of the dresses she rents out: a red Sonya Moda and a blue-and-black Suboo Shibori. Credit: Wayne Taylor

The dresses are two of the 70,000 available on clothing rental site The Volte, which has partnered with the University of Technology Sydneys Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion & Textiles to research the sustainability benefits of the business model.
Like a Hollywood actor with a prescription for the weight loss drug Ozempic, the skinny jean is returning to the spotlight.

Having survived social media scorn as a Generation X aberration from influencers in wide-leg styles, skinny jeans are now clinging to the calves of celebrities and models on the runway. The Batman actor Robert Pattinson and model Lila Moss, daughter of supermodel Kate Moss (who never stopped wearing skinny jeans) are among those breathing in before buttoning up.

Musician and Pull it up singer Gold Fang is ready to return to skinny jeans, wearing Australian brand Ksubi. Credit: Nikki Short

Once a fit shows up in street style, its on the brink of a revival, says Jill Guenza, global vice president of womens design at Levi Strauss & Co. Fashions ongoing obsession with the Y2K aesthetic meant it was only a matter of time before we reassessed the skinny silhouette.

Skinny jeans had a real moment these past few fashion weeks, and its not as scary as some fashion-goers may think.
Drummoyne locals arrived home from work on Thursday night to find armed police in helmets and bulletproof vests knocking on doors and peeping over mansion fences.

Its like the Bronx, one resident joked on social media. Another local commented that police had asked if they had been approached by anyone with suspected links to organised crime, but the only cartel theyd seen was a group of boat owners coordinating where to park their trailers.

All the drama that sent online community groups into a frenzy was, as the head of NSW Polices Raptor Squad told journalists, in response to men with alleged links to a high-profile criminal group causing a nuisance in the affluent waterfront suburb, where their bodyguards have allegedly harassed residents.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis said police were targeting the alleged Haouchar criminal group. Much of the alleged billion-dollar gun, drug, tobacco, and money-running gang was stamped out in raids of more than a dozens of homes across Sydney last November.
Asbestos removal specialist company Grounds Maintenance Australias managing director Steve Marett said laws regulating the industry werent being enforced. The less reputable demolition contractors will bundle all that timber up and send it to a recycling facility that has no real checks and balances, Marett said. They are putting them through these grinders and then theres a little bit of residual asbestos that hasnt been removed in that process and thats ending up in mulch. At least three of the four Hobsons Bay parks are sites related to the state governments Big Build West Gate Tunnel project. The state government released an Asbestos Disposal Management Plan in 2021 that estimated the amount of the material going to landfill would rise from 178,000 tonnes in 2019-20 to 310,000 by 2031.

This masthead revealed in January that a plan to expand the number of safe landfill sites, led by Sustainability Victoria, lost funding beyond March 2024. The program set up three pilot sites but was meant to have eight by June 2022. Loading The Victorian auditor-general audited the plan and said in November that it would not be delivered on time or as intended. The auditor-general also said the government does not understand the scale of asbestos dumping across the state. The government also does not know where and how much asbestos is still in Victorian buildings and structures. This information would help the government forecast patterns of illegal disposal and plan for future infrastructure needs, the agency said. When asked about asbestos dumping, the state government directed questions to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Employment Minister Vicki Ward said the government had given the EPA the ability to respond quickly to problems such as this.

This is an issue that government is taking really seriously, Ward said. The EPA are out there, theyre on the ground, they are investigating and will continue to monitor this case. Employment Minister Vicki Ward (centre) with Premier Jacinta Allan and Deputy Premier Ben Carroll in 2023. Credit: Getty The EPA asserted on Friday afternoon that it believed pieces of bonded asbestos came to be at Don McLean Reserve in Spotswood from illegal dumping, rather than being mixed in with mulch that was laid at the park in late 2022. The EPA said it had assessed and taken samples from other parks in the area that received mulch from the same source as Donald McLean Reserve. The statement said that while EPA investigations continue the authority believed the issue was localised to Donald McLean Reserve and that the source of asbestos and other contaminants at the site was illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste that occurred after the mulch was delivered.

That information was contradicted just hours later, however, when Hobsons Bay council revealed three other parks had been contaminated and was managing them with the EPA. At 8pm on Friday night the EPA released another statement saying, EPA understands that the mulch at these sites is from a different source to Don McLean Reserve, which has been the focus of EPAs initial investigations. The local father who first raised the alarm about the material also found insulated wires, chunks of brick and concrete, various kinds of plywood, and bits of wood containing nails scattered throughout the mulch. Meanwhile, a playground in Hosken Reserve in Coburg  which until last week was open to the public  was also barricaded off on Friday morning after Merri-bek Council confirmed asbestos-contaminated soil had been unearthed at the reserve. It is unrelated to the mulch issue in Melbournes west.

Yellow tape emblazoned with Asbestos Dust Hazard surrounded the playground and other sections of the 5.5 hectare reserve on Friday, while asbestos removalists in orange protective jumpsuits worked at the scene. Asbestos contamination in Hosken Reserve Coburg North. Credit: Justin McManus Merri-bek Council said the majority of the reserve had been closed to the public since January when asbestos-contaminated soil was first found on site, and that all asbestos found on site was considered non-friable. Asbestos located at the reserve has been localised to soil only and has not been detected in any materials (topsoil or mulch for example) being brought onto the site, a spokesperson said. Local resident Rachel Matton said council was warned the site could be contaminated in 2020, during community consultation ahead of the parks development.

She said a neighbour whod lived in the area for more than 60 years had called for a site stability assessment, as the land had been used as a tipping site and was adjacent to a rubber works and a foundry. Matton said shed taken her two children to play at Hosken Reserve the week before council closed the playground. Residents Simone Hocking with her children and Rachel Matton at the playground where their kids used to play. Credit: Justin McManus Its all very well for them to say its non-friable but have they seen how kids play in the dirt? she said. They put stuff in their mouths. They dig with sticks. I think they need to have a proper handle on where the asbestos is across the entire site and I think they need to do an assessment of parks that have been dug up and developed in the last 10 years to give the community reassurance theyre safe to use.

The council, which said all contaminated soil was being removed by competent and qualified asbestos removalists and was expected to be completed by May 31, said it had tested the site for asbestos before the park was built but it must have been missed. Goldings view. Credit: Matt Golding Soil testing works were carried out via numerous bore sites across the reserve, as this is an industry standard way of working. Bore sites, although useful for large areas, may not detect isolated areas of contaminated soil, as was the case at Hosken Reserve, a spokeswoman said. Diggers were continuing earthworks on other parts of the reserve when The Age visited on Friday. Late on Friday, Merri-bek Council clarified that the playground had only been closed as a precaution and the asbestos-contaminated soil was elsewhere on the reserve.

A council spokeswoman said that the dirt under the tarps on the playground was clean fill and as is regular practice on construction sites, has been covered to reduce dust. Loading The EPA said it was supporting Merri-bek Council to resolve the issue, but did not confirm the agency had visited the site to inspect the clean-up methods. EPA will continue to support council as they resolve this issue, but can reassure the community there is low risk, a spokesperson said. Although the cases in Coburg North and Hobsons Bay were unrelated, they all involve bonded asbestos. Bonded asbestos is generally made up of a small amount of asbestos fibres that are tightly bound in a product such as resin or cement, the EPA statement said. It is considered low risk for people who are in contact with it, unless it is damaged or badly weathered, resulting in asbestos fibres being released into the air.

The EPA said asbestos products were commonly used in houses constructed from the mid-1940s until the late 1980s and may still be found in houses built before 1990. As these houses are demolished, asbestos waste must be legally disposed of to landfill  it must not be reused in mulch or any other product. Unfortunately, illegal dumping of asbestos does occur, as does accidental contamination in construction and demolition waste that is recycled, it said. Asbestos contamination in Coburg North. Credit: Justin McManus It is not unusual for people to find pieces of bonded asbestos in their homes or in the community. If you find suspected asbestos, you should contact your local council environmental health officer or EPA. As a precaution, do not pick it up or handle it. The authority earlier this week said it had carried out proactive inspections at 59 mulch suppliers and found no contamination, although it issued six suppliers to improve their contamination controls.



The EPA has also cleared two schools in Upwey, Melbournes outer east, where asbestos was suspected to have been found on a redeveloped oval. After the discovery of the asbestos at Spotswood this week, a Department of Education spokesperson said it was liaising with all mulch suppliers out of an abundance of caution. Concerns around asbestos contamination in public spaces is heightened following a widespread asbestos-mulch scandal in NSW, where asbestos-contaminated mulch has been found at 75 sites in the past month, including seven schools. Contact the journalist securely: rachaeldexter@protonmail.com
I came back (and settled in Melbourne) in 2013, went back to the market and noticed how much it had changed, says the mother of three.

They married and settled in Paris, and Kerr only stepped foot in the set of sheds whose shopping culture is now routinely dubbed iconic after she had changed careers  to fine patisserie baking. By then, the 1867-built landmark was well into its sometime-controversial glow up.

The exotic variety of croissants at South Melbourne market croissants by Agathe Patisserie are symbolic of the transformation of the once-working class suburb. Credit: Jacon Pattison

The Parisian had come to the market with her Australian boyfriend on a weekend trip to Melbourne from Sydney, where both were then living and working.

Still, it was very pleasant. But that was my image of it.

It was still quite a regular market, with a lot of little nicknacks, fruit and vegetables, says Kerr, who was out here on work sponsorship for consulting giant Accenture.

When Agathe Kerr first laid eyes on South Melbourne Market in 2001, she felt it was really nothing special.

In a series, The Age profiles Victorian suburbs and towns to reveal how theyve changed over the decades.

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At the same time, the suburbs market, chic shopping in Coventry Street, coffee shops (looking at you, St Ali and Chez Dre ) and wine bars have made it a Melbourne-wide destination .

Each weekend, the queues at Kerrs famed croissant stall, Agathe Patisserie, are regularly so long they require airport-style barriers, thanks to clips about it on TikTok that put Victorian South Melbourne on the Gen Z-tourist map.

The transformation of both has had a noticeable impact on the former borough of Emerald Hill; a significant First Peoples ceremonial and meeting place-turned gold rush canvas town, then home to the docks-and-industry working class, now million dollar inner suburb .

It went from any regular market you could find probably anywhere to something with so much variety; in produce but also in fashion, drinks, the desserts and cafes  and the vibe.

Decades before Facebook Marketplace, Ewensons shop was selling pre-loved items from South Melbourne locals  often to other locals. It has stood fast as higher-end retailers have come and gone in Clarendon Street, the strip that, like many in choppy retail times, now appears to struggle to know exactly what it is.

Steven Ewenson in his store, Grays Affordable Quality Items. Locals love it for the well-chosen second hand goods on offer  often being sold for other locals. Credit: Darrian Traynor

His 1882-built shop, Grays Affordable Quality Objects, has a cult following among locals for its well-chosen second-hand furniture and bric-a-brac. Its interior and exterior provide an authentic window into South Melbournes past.

Retailer Steven Ewenson has watched life change and evolve (and sometimes stumble and fall) on the footpaths outside his shopfront for 34 years.

Its main commercial artery, Clarendon Street, through which thousands of Melburnians wash to and from the city, is very often witness to some top-shelf eccentricity.

But part of its enduring charm, locals say, is that despite its status upgrade, South Melbournes residential mix remains eclectic; while cool haunts have landed  along with some stratospheric property prices  theres much left of its down-home past.

Now the grab-bag of offerings includes a load of take-away food franchises, a vape shop that was recently targeted by fire bombers, a couple of high-end day spas, paint-and-sip cafes, three popular op-shops and Chemists Warehouse.

There was a butcher then, and two newsagents, a shoe-maker, a greengrocer, a lingerie shop, many busy banks and a far more cohesive, village high-street feel.

There were a lot more people in the street in those days, it was busier: a bustling strip.

We lived in Page Street, and when we came here [to Clarendon Street] the Coles car park was still on the street up the road, and people would arrive here from the St Kilda Road agencies and other local businesses, and would park, have their lunch and do a bit of shopping, says Ewenson.

When Ewenson opened it, the identity of Clarendon Street was much more clearly defined. It was a lunch and shopping hub where the crowds of advertising and media industry workers in nearby streets could also run their errands, and take advantage of the utilitarian shops.

If a house came up for rent next week, youd need to be earning $100,000 to $150,000 a year to take it.

You can probably imagine the cost of a house to purchase here has definitely gone out of reach of any but the most well-paid individuals, and in the last couple of years thats also applied to the rental situation, says Ewenson, who can often be seen bailed up behind his vintage counter for long conversations with locals.

The feel of it is somewhat in contrast to the cost  for all but those other than the thousands in state-subsidised housing  of living in contemporary South Melbourne.

Though the area in general has been gentrified, its even more up-market neighbours Albert Park and Middle Park attract those with serious disposable incomes. Dear old Clarendon Street juggles the rest of us  all while dodging an ever-growing swarm of delivery riders.

You walk down Clarendon Street and you see all types. Its a bit grungy and a bit posh at the same time.

There are stalwarts too; the Old Paper Shop Deli and its glorious cakes endure, as does a longtime florist, an original chemist, a pizza shop, a sex shop, a funeral parlour, a musical instrument shop and a 17 times salon of the year womens hair salon, Rokk Ebony (another veteran stayer, at 32 years).

While this is true, new wealth and mere economic survival sit side-by-side in the suburb, with some of Melbournes most expensive real estate per square metre (see one recent mansion sale of more than $10 million), located about 100 metres from densely populated Park Towers.

The 229 flats are said to have been Melbournes first high-rise housing commission development, built in a precinct once occupied by a vast Presbyterian orphanage housing many of the orphans from the gold rush era.

Park Towers at 332 Park Street in South Melbourne. Credit: Chris Hopkins

The obvious mix of demographics rubbing shoulders on the streets of 2024 is something local real estate agent Warwick Gardiner thinks helps to make it attractive.

Youve got Howe Crescent, which has a similar grandeur to St Vincents place [across Ferrars Street, in Albert Park], and youve got Park Towers at the end of that street. You do get all types and thats what South Melbournes famous for, says Gardiner, a director of Jellis Craig Port Phillip who has operated in the area for nearly 13 years.

St Ali owner Salvatore Malatesta in 2021. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

You walk down Clarendon Street and you see all types, its a bit grungy and a bit posh at the same time.

That residents can walk 15 minutes and be in the city, the streets are mainly tree-lined, much of the Victorian heritage of South Melbourne has been carefully protected, and the market is so vibrant are among the reasons South Melbourne prices have remained stable despite the downturn.

You have also got a lot of young people wanting to come into South Melbourne for first or second homes because of the culture, the wine bars and wine cellars, and the South Melbourne food scene, he says.

The Railway Hotel publican Richard Peoples says those who drink at the 168-year-old hotel value its colourful past. Credit: Darrian Traynor

Residents only grumble is that house prices may not appreciate as fast as elsewhere because the suburb is already well-discovered, and it is now expensive to buy in. The median, two-bedroom house price is $1.3 million.

Needless to say, the area would be almost entirely unrecognisable to its first colonial inhabitants as they scraped out a living.

Recently retired City of Port Phillip historian Kay Rowan says a canvas town was first established on ground between contemporary St Kilda Road and Moray Street in the early 1850s to accommodate an overflow of those needing city housing.

The land was surveyed in 1852 and lots were subsequently subdivided and sold, and little houses built. Emerald Hill was named for the green, volcanic rise on which the town hall now sits.

Within a couple of years, residents felt the Melbourne City Council was not giving them value for rates and Emerald Hill was proclaimed a separate borough in 1855, with the motto the first in the field, as it was the first zone beyond Geelong to officially separate from Melbourne.

From then on, it was bustling, says South Melbourne-born Rowan. They needed money for drains [to make Emerald Hills surrounds habitable] because South Melbourne was also separated from everybody by Sandridge Lagoon.

The money people were in London, and if you said you were from the south of Melbourne or the north of Melbourne, they knew exactly where you were, because of the gold rush. So Emerald Hill changed its name to South Melbourne.

As the citys first industrial zone was established at the Yarra end of South Melbourne, more houses and pubs were built for local workers, as well as those from the docks. At its hospitable peak, the corners of South Melbourne boasted 98 hotels.

Among the suburbs historic pubs still in operation, The Railway Hotel on Ferrars Street  once named Napoleon Third  retains its traditional, front bar feel. Publican Richard Peoples says those who drink at the 168-year-old hotel value its colourful past.

As a suburb, I think its generally underrated. Were not hipster, and we dont want to be. Richard Peoples, publican at The Railway Hotel in South Melbourne

Squizzy Taylors grandson told me Squizzy shot a bloke in the pub [though historian Kay Rowan says she has no evidence of this] and Bob Hawke was kicked out of it in his ACTU days, by the female publican of the time, for being obnoxious, says Peoples, who has been running it for six years.

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A South Melbourne resident of two decades (who has since moved on), Peoples says that despite the acknowledged gentrification, the suburb, and the hotel, have retained their character.

I think South Melbourne still has a range of diversity within it, he says. Whilst the property prices have gone up, theres a lot of people who have lived in the area for a long time and have deep sense of the history around the area.

I find it is generally just full of good people. Thats what I love about it. As a suburb, I think its generally underrated. Were not hipster, and we dont want to be.

Port Phillip Mayor Heather Cunsolo agrees that much of the authenticity has been saved, and says the heavy presence of creative industries, including recording studios and gaming development, add richness to the suburb.

Ceramicist Mark Young is part of South Melbournes very active creative community. He makes his pottery in a tiny studio behind his single-fronted terrace. Credit: Darrian Traynor

Though strict heritage controls can be a pain for residents to work with, the low-rise nature of South Melbourne has helped protect its sense of street-level connection.

Theres been an immense amount of change in pockets of it, and immense change to the residential area [mainly through modern renovations, rather than demolition] but one of the strengths is in the character. Due to the heritage overlay, it will always retain those low-scale, pleasant streets, says Cunsolo.

It makes it a collective win.

Longtime resident and ceramicist Mark Young says he was lured to South Melbourne 26 years ago by a high-profile friend in the arts community who said, this is a real village, you must come.

I was drawn to the diversity of the demographic from the beginning, says Young, who was originally a graphic designer.

The multicultural aspect [appealed], the Greeks, Italians, other Europeans and Russians, and it also appealed that weve got housing commission, weve got expensive houses, weve got lots of artists, people who work in the arts.

Ive slowly discovered them ... and then they introduce you to their peers in music, painting. There are frame restorers, interesting architects, plus the huge draw card is the South Melbourne market. Its my safe place.

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Young has made so many grassroots ties there that when he visits to shop the stallholders will often give him the inside word on who has the best that day.

Theyll say, hey so-and-sos got some amazing heirloom tomatoes at the moment, or the peaches at the store on Coventry Street are amazing. Youll get that neighbourly information. Its a lovely connection.

Stallholder Georgie Dragwidge would no doubt relate. The famed potato lady from Georgies Harvest has become so close to her customers that when her husband died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurism six years ago at the market, of 600 people at his funeral one-third were their clients from the market.

Its where everyone has a hello, and where everybody really has a good morning; even my mum works here. Shes 79 years old and has the most beautiful community at the market around her, she says.

Georgie Dragwidge, of Georgies Harvest at South Melbourne Market, has made many dear friends among her customers. Credit: Jacob Pattison

Dragwidge is not surprised when regulars become friends, and says it happens commonly  especially during the week, when fewer tourists are around. If you were a regular, you would see me more than youd see your cousins, she says.

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She describes the bonds that grow in the alleys between Coventry and York Streets as births, deaths and marriages, and says people she met over the years have become so special to her that she has loved watching them partner up and have kids.

When they separate, I think there is a discussion about which of them gets me, she quips. They are really a part of our life.

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Students who have a language background other than English, are Indigenous, live outside the capital cities or experience socioeconomic disadvantage tend to perform worse at writing, AERO said. Girls also consistently outperform boys. Harrison says views that boys cant write neatly dont help. Some parents think handwriting is not critical because their child will use technology instead. Credit: The Age Messy and illegible handwriting has also contributed to a surge in VCE students seeking special examination arrangements, including typing. In 2022, 8235 students received special arrangements for exams  up from 3221 nine years earlier. Harrison, who teaches secondary students and teachers, said a dozen students at a single private school had been granted exemptions to type their VCE exams this year.

Youve got kids in year 12 who have messy handwriting, they will pay to get a medical certificate to say that they need to type the exam, she said. Its a thing, and its not right. Learning disabilities  which include dysgraphia, a difficulty with spelling and written expression  are among the top reasons for special examination arrangements. How adults can help young people with their handwriting Make sure your child has good posture when writing: both feet on the floor, back straight, the paper angled and steadied with the non-writing hand.

Hold the pencil at a low point to have more control and use the tripod finger grip position.

If your child needs support with their pencil grip, use triangular-shaped pencils and try different-shaped pencil grips.

Teach letter formations according to starting points and directionality.

Use the letters taught to practise writing basic words.

Focus on lowercase letters as they are what the child will use for most words.

Spacing between words can be taught using a finger.

Handwriting issues can be an indicator of dysgraphia (difficulty with spelling and written expression).

The earlier the intervention, the better the outcomes for handwriting. If your child has persistent difficulties with handwriting, consult an occupational therapist. Source: Learning difficulties specialist Lisa Price Independent schools accounted for 48.6 per cent of applications citing learning disabilities, despite enrolling the lowest number of total students. Writing instruction is emphasised in prep through to year 2, peaks in grades 3 to 6, is neglected in years 7 to 10 and then revived in years 11 and 12 to prepare for handwritten exams, a survey of teachers found.

Loading A challenge for young people is that they are expected to be proficient in both typing and handwriting. Deakin University associate professor Dr Lucinda McKnight said handwriting was important throughout all 13 years of schooling, but students skills were waning. Its not like writing matters in primary school and doesnt matter in secondary school, she said. Handwriting is a skill that is declining because students are not practising it as much. The less we handwrite, the less well were going to be able to handwrite. McKnight said primary schools were still using pen licences, but they had become unfashionable as they were considered punitive.

Handwriting problems often appear in grades 3 or 4, as students progress from learning to write to broader educational tasks. By year 7, students are expected to write fluently. We want students handwriting, in secondary school certainly, to be quick, automatic and legible, because we know thats linked to achievement, McKnight said. Handwriting is no longer in the year 7 Victorian curriculum. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos We know that fluency in thinking and fluency in writing are intimately linked. Susan Perks, principal of St Margarets Primary School in East Geelong, said students were entering prep with less-developed fine and gross motor skills and poor pencil grip and posture. The school practises handwriting at least three times a week, focusing on letter formation, line alignment, size, spacing, posture, pencil grip and beginning and ending positions.

Loading AEROs recently updated report on writing recommends that schools increase the amount of time students spend writing and receiving writing instruction to at least one hour per day. Writing is complex and it does not develop naturally, so significant amounts of instruction and practice are essential, it said. A lot of schools are 1:1 [one laptop per student] so the kids come, they open up a laptop, they work on the computer. But I know some teachers have a process of when students do drafts, they handwrite it, Harrison said. And many teachers since the advent of generative AI [such as ChatGPT] have turned more to handwriting to authenticate work. I always come back to the fact that the more you handwrite, the better you process information, the better you remember it, and that its a life skill.

Loading Harrison said the shift to online-only NAPLAN in 2022 had disadvantaged young students, sent a signal that handwriting was unimportant and made it harder for schools to help students who struggled with writing. I dont think its fair to ask year 5 to be touch-typing their writing. I understand reading and maths can be online, but I think writing should be on paper, she said. I also think at years 7 and 9 that handwriting should come into play in NAPLAN and that should be part of their data that schools are given. Because then you can flag a kid in year 7 who has amazing skills in the rest of it and has almost illegible handwriting. McKnight said it was never too late for anyone  child or adult  to improve their handwriting.
In The Australian, one commentator wrote: I guess some women will be celebrating Sam Mostyns appointment as governor-general as a clenched-fist moment of empowerment. Just quietly, women of that ilk will also be celebrating that someone called Samuel Mostyn would not have had a snowballs chance in hell of even being short-listed. I didnt see any clenched fists, did you? The writer continued: Mostyns appointment is the crowning achievement for one of the countrys most outspoken quota queens. Whaaaat? So, if you, as a woman, lament gender inequality, and you get appointed to a high position, its because the world has suddenly, despite all evidence to the contrary, tipped the other way? After a century of rule by Samuels, theyre suddenly locked out? Loading Australia has had 27 governors-general. And, aside from Bryce, an academic, those 26 have been aristocrats, governors, politicians of all stripes, soldiers, judges, army officers, a prince, a former premier, military commanders and major-generals, legal scholars, an archbishop. Notice anything in that line up? A certain  in fact, literal  uniformity? Mostyn was president of Chief Executive Women, worked for Labor in the 1990s, and the boards she has sat on include Virgin Australia, the Sydney Swans (she was the first female AFL commissioner), Mirvac, Transurban, the Climate Council and GO Foundation. She has exerted a quiet, broad influence. In her words, she has worked in sport, civil society, arts and culture, First Nations reconciliation, sustainability in the environment, policy development, mental health, gender equality and young people.

The idea that an appointee needs to demonstrate an absence of views, have no party background, no political experience, is a fiction. Male political leaders, premiers and opposition leaders have filled the position of GG without protest. Liberal MP Eric Abetz encouraged Mostyn, in shedding her activism, to emulate former governor-general Bill Hayden, an actual Labor leader. Do we see men as political operatives and women as political activists? At a time when the Liberal Party has been haemorrhaging female voters and losing seats to teal Independents, its fascinating to watch conservatives argue that the very words diversity, inclusivity and equality are somehow divisive, ignoring that they are values pursued by the majority of the corporate sector. Indeed, these values are not partisan but are held by a broad range of people without controversy or, in most circles, comment. The idea that any woman who believes in gender equality, as well as diversity, is somehow a left-wing lunatic is a joke. A quick reminder of the likes of former Liberal PM Robert Menzies, who said: In the long run, wont our community be a stronger, better-balanced and more intelligent community when the last artificial disabilities imposed upon women by centuries of custom have been removed?

Are the only skills we want in our governors-general military, legal, political and theological? Or do other skills matter too? Attributes Mostyn has been criticised for lacking  not being a business heavyweight  [with, as] far as one can tell ... no track record running an actual business or taking P&L responsibility  would disqualify most of the GGs in history. Loading It is not as though Mostyn has engaged in corrupt conduct, in any kind of scandalous behaviour or made offensive remarks? How high we set the bar for women. How stubbornly we continue to portray them as interlopers into male worlds. There is today a nastiness to much commentary that is counterproductive and only discourages decent people from agreeing to take on public positions, as the onslaught can begin early and become deafening, relentless. We have witnessed the same thing being done to Australians of the Year. Look at how former army chief David Morrison, a good man with a long, distinguished career of service, was vilified as woke when he was selected because he became a diversity adviser after leaving the army, where he had been a powerful advocate of women in his ranks. Think of Grace Tame, a survivor of child sexual abuse and powerful foe of paedophiles, who was relentlessly pulled into culture war debates, against her will.

An extremely unpleasant experience, at best, for both of them. Again, who profits from caricaturing these people and shutting them down? Its patently obvious that we are crying out for some decency, some compassionate, even uplifting leadership. Former High Court judge William Deane had been on the executive of the Democratic Labor Party in the 1950s, and as governor-general from 1996-2001, as John Howard put it, displayed an unfailing interest in the place of the disadvantaged within Australian society. He also unified the country by the compassion he showed to those suffering after the Port Arthur massacre, the Thredbo landslide and a backpacking fire. He was loved for being human, for showing care. And he was shown respect. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces Sam Mostyn as governor-general. Credit: AAP I couldnt care less if I disagree with someone politically as long as they are a person of character, integrity and kindness.

New research by Sarah Cameron and Ian McAllister on the decline of the popularity of political leaders, published in the Electoral Studies journal, found that, over time, a perception of personal integrity has become crucial. They write: We find that leader integrity is the main trait that influences leader popularity and the results indicate that its effect is increasing over time. One possible explanation was: in an era of declining public trust in politics and rising populist sentiments among the mass public, voters may be looking to their political leaders to arrest this decline. In short, voters may be seeking qualities in their leaders that they do not find in the political system as a whole. Mostyn was a frequent guest on the ABCs former week night panel show The Drum, which I hosted for years, and was unerringly professional, reasonable, articulate and non-combative. She seemed able to unite, to enter any conversation and somehow bring people to a point of agreement. But what struck me most of all about her appearances was how unusually the younger women in the office responded to her when she came on. One of them said to me one night: That is exactly the kind of woman I would like to be when I am older. Others nodded in agreement. They shrugged when I asked why, as though it was obvious. She has an air of cool competence, obvious intelligence, equanimity, cheer and co-operation that lit them up. Most of the young people I know would struggle to name any governor-general. So isnt that a good quality to have in one: someone who inspires? Its a rarity not just in public life, but anywhere. Julia Baird is a journalist, author and regular columnist. Her latest book is Bright Shining: how grace changes everything.
After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists, the investigation found. (Clockwise from top left): Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Lalzawmi Zomi Frankcom of Australia, Damian Sobol of Poland, Jacob Flickinger of the US and Canada, and James Kirby, James Henderson and John Chapman of Britain were all killed in the Israeli airstrike. Credit: AP Following a misidentification by the forces, the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers. The strikes on the three vehicles were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures. Stating explicitly that the incident should not have occurred, the investigation by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staffs Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism found: Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees.

The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures. As a result of the investigation, the IDF has dismissed a brigade fire support commander and brigade chief-of-staff from their positions. The officers had the ranks of major and colonel-in-reserve respectively. The IDF Chief of Staff also decided to formally reprimand the commander of the Southern Command for his overall responsibility for the incident.

The IDF will learn the lessons of the incident and will incorporate them into the IDFs ongoing operations, the Israeli military said in a statement. Loading Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles will tell their Israeli counterparts that Australia expects all evidence related to the fatal drone strike will be preserved and that appropriate action should be taken if IDF personnel did not act in accordance with the law or Israeli military protocols. The ministers will also call for urgent changes to be made to Israeli targeting policies and practices if the investigation determines that these policies contributed to the killing of the World Central Kitchen workers. Any changes should be communicated publicly, they will tell their counterparts.

The government also intends to appoint a special adviser to ensure the investigation has been conducted in a manner consistent with its expectations. The Australian government has made clear that we expect full accountability for the deaths of Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues, Marles said in a statement. These deaths were utterly inexcusable and clear practical action is needed to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated. World Central Kitchen responded to the investigation by describing the IDFs admission of responsibility and disciplinary action against its officer as important steps forward.

Loading However it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement, the charity added. The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDFs own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat. Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.

The charity reiterated its calls for an independent, third-party investigation. Israel Defence Forces Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said earlier in the day that the investigation was conducted by former military officials who are independent of the IDFs chain of command. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier this week: We need to have accountability for how its occurred. And what isnt good enough is the statements that have been made, including that this is just a product of war. This is against humanitarian law. The Albanese governments demands came as the Israeli government approved the opening of three humanitarian aid corridors after coming under intense pressure from the Biden administration, which is now calling for an immediate ceasefire to allow for the return of hostages and more aid to enter Gaza.

In a tense phone call between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu, Biden said the killing of the aid workers was unacceptable and warned that future US support for Israels war effort would depend on Israels actions to relieve the ongoing humanitarian crisis. It was the first time the leaders had spoken since the death of the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, Australias Frankcom, Polands Damian Sobol, American Jacob Flinkinger, British citizens John Chapman, James Jim Henderson and James Kirby, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha. A White House summary of the phone call said Biden told Netanyahu that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians and that Biden urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to free the hostages taken captive on October 7. The Erez Crossing in northern Gaza, which has not been open since the start of the conflict, will be opened to allow more aid to flow into the beleaguered enclave.

The Port of Ashdod will also be opened for humanitarian deliveries, and aid trucks from Jordan will be allowed to traverse Israel into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. Netanyahu had previously resisted such measures because of fear of alienating members of his far-right government coalition. We welcome the steps announced by the Israeli government tonight at the Presidents request following his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Adding that the measures must now be fully and rapidly implemented, Watson said: US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers. Immediately after the statement was released, Secretary of State Antony Blinken doubled down, telling reporters that, while the president had reaffirmed US support for Israel in fighting Hamas, right now, there is no higher priority in Gaza than protecting civilians, surging humanitarian assistance, and ensuring the security of those who provide it.
A string of suburbs further than 10 kilometres away from Melbournes CBD have a median house price of $2 million or more and are drawing home buyers who could afford to live closer to the city centre.

Ari Karanicolas lives in one of those suburbs, but he says its worth the commute and the price tag.

Ari Karanicolas lives in Black Rock and is selling a property in Hampton that he developed.

Karanicolas and his family live in Black Rock, about 17km south of the CBD, where the median house price is $2,225,000.

He said while it may not be close to the city, the Bayside suburbs offer an unbeatable lifestyle.
We were gathered by the huge Gothic building known as the Cloth Hall in Ypres, a haunted city in Belgium.

The Australian military band travelling with us moved into the languid, eerily beautiful strains of Albinonis Adagio in G Minor. It is a sombre thing, used by numerous film directors to pluck at the emotions of audiences, including Peter Weir in his 1981 war drama, Gallipoli.

The historic Cloth Hall was rebuilt after World War I. Credit: Shutterstock

It seemed perfectly chosen for this moment in Ypres in 1993. It was played in honour of a group of ancient Australian veterans of World War I who were returning  for the first and last time, most of them  to the battlefields of their youth.

The evocation of old wars enveloped us from the first slow-motion notes of the adagio.
Santi Rodriguez was born in Barcelona in 1971. He was educated at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain and graduated with a degree in Biology in 1991, a Masters in Cytogenics and Population Genetics in 1995 and a PhD in Human Population Genetics in 1999.

Santi started his academic career at the same university, then moved to the UK in 2002. He worked at the University of Southampton before arriving at Bristol in 2006, becoming part of the new MRC Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology. He contributed valuable research to the Centre and the subsequent MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, focusing on complex genetic contributions to common diseases, including mitochondrial DNA copy number, telomere length and copy number variants.

Santi was a generous colleague, contributing to the schools genetics short course programme, supervising eight PhD students  all of whom went on to have successful careers in academia or industry  and providing personal tutoring to dozens of medical students.

In 2018, Santi became the academic lead for student choice projects in the new undergraduate medical curriculum, a role in which his gentle leadership really stood out. Two years later, he deepened his commitment to teaching by becoming the co-lead for the Year 1 undergraduate medical curriculum. This coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, never one to shy away from a challenge, Santi threw himself into adapting the entire teaching programme to online and blended learning, prioritising the welfare of students throughout.

Santi was deeply committed to offering the best pastoral support for Bristol students; he sat on multiple committees, created a team of Teaching Associates and, ever generous with his time, provided untold hours of support (both personal and academic) to many students. Santis passion for medical and population genetics never left him; more recently he had been working on ensuring it was being integrated into the undergraduate medical curriculum in a more comprehensive manner.

Santi died in Weston Hospice after a brief illness on 19 March 2024. He leaves his beloved wife, Mary and son, Carlos. He will be buried next to his father in Paradela, Spain. Santi was enormously proud of his Galician culture. Not only did he write multiple pieces on population genetics, he also published in the Virtual Library of Galicia, honouring the life and poetry of his father and his paternal homeland.

Numerous colleagues had the deep privilege of working with Santi  he will be hugely missed by so very many. We share memories of him as gentle and kind, with a deep compassion for others and an infectious smile. Listening to him talk about his family, music, his academic interests or teaching was always a joy. Santis sense of humour and ability to get the best out of others will be acutely missed.

Santis legacy will live on through the hundreds of students who will become our caring doctors and researchers of tomorrow.
And when you hear that 122,000 people are experiencing homelessness every night, well, that is something that affects your soul and says, in a country like this, thats actually not good enough, Carver said.
Kate Middleton has met up with one of her youngest fans during her royal tour of Scotland. (Photo: Toby Melville/Pool/REUTERS)

When Princess Kate, the future Queen of the United Kingdom, had to record a video announcing her cancer diagnosis, she had to overcome her inherent shyness to deliver a message that was "sincere, dignified, and poised," according to royal author Sally Bedell Smith.

"She is inherently shy, and for her to do that took a lot," Bedell Smith told People magazine, praising the Princess of Wales for her forthright approach in the emotional video message.

In the video, which Kate uploaded to her and Prince William's social media accounts on March 22, the 42-year-old royal shared the news that she had undergone major abdominal surgery in January, and tests after the operation had revealed that she had cancer. She explained that her medical team had advised her to undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and that she and Prince William had been "doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family."

Despite her natural shyness, Bedell Smith noted that there "was not a trace of self-pity" in Kate's message. "She was mindful there are very few people who read about that or watched that who [don't] know someone who has cancer. She was mindful of that," the author observed. "It was a way of reassuring people not only about her condition but helping them have courage."

The video's release was timed to coincide with the start of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis' Easter holidays, in an effort to shield the children from non-stop press coverage of their mother's condition while they were at school.

According to US Weekly, a friend of the Princess revealed that Kate "wrote every word of it," which allowed her "to speak directly to the public who, overwhelmingly, have always been with her and her family and who don't buy into the noise and gossip." The friend added that the video "came together very quickly."

Bedell Smith drew a parallel between Kate's closing remarks - "You are not alone" - and a similar sentiment expressed by the late Queen Elizabeth II during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she said, "We are all in this together." The royal author noted that this phrase "rang a bell" and reflected Kate's desire to reassure and support others affected by cancer.

King Charles III, who is also currently battling cancer, was said to be deeply moved by Kate's courage and candor. In a statement, the palace shared that "His Majesty is so proud of Catherine for her courage and speaking as she did. Following their time in hospital together, His Majesty has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks."

The statement also noted that "Both their Majesties will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family throughout this difficult time."

Kate's decision to share her diagnosis publicly, despite her natural shyness, has been widely praised as a powerful and empathetic gesture. By opening up about her own health struggles, the future Queen has demonstrated her commitment to supporting those affected by cancer and her ability to connect with the public in a sincere and relatable manner.

As the Royal Family navigates this challenging time, Kate's strength and resilience in the face of adversity have once again shown her to be a compassionate and dedicated leader, willing to put the needs of others before her own. Her candid announcement has resonated with people across the United Kingdom and beyond, solidifying her position as a beloved and admired member of the monarchy.
Bureau Veritas, a global leader in the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry, today announces its decision to acquire from Wendel a block of its own shares  which will amount to a maximum of EUR 100 million and represent circa 0.8% of its capital. This buyback is carried out by way of participation in the accelerated bookbuilding process to institutional investors, including Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, as announced by Wendel today. The transaction has been approved unanimously by the independent directors.

Wendel remains Bureau Veritas largest shareholder after the completion of this transaction, with c.26% of the share capital and c.41% of the voting rights. Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, will become a new cornerstone investor with c.4% of the share capital.

IMPLEMENTATION OF A BUYBACK BY THE COMPANY OF 0.8% OF ITS OWN SHARES

Following today's announcement by Wendel of its intention to sell c.18 million Bureau Veritas shares representing approximately 9% of the share capital - a total consideration amount of up to EUR 1.1 billion - by way of an accelerated bookbuilding process, Bureau Veritas announces that it has undertaken to participate by placing an irrevocable purchase order, at the placement price, for its own shares (representing approximately 0.8% of its share capital) for a maximum total amount of EUR 100 million. This order is part of the share buyback program authorized by Bureau Veritas shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of June 22, 2023, and which the Board of Directors decided to implement at its meeting of April 3, 2024.

The share buyback price will be equal to the price resulting from the placement procedure and the building of the order book. The Company will not participate in the determination of the price resulting from the order book.

With this buyback, the Company is making significant progress on its objective, announced at the time of the presentation of its strategic plan on March 20, 2024, of purchasing its own shares under the buyback program for a maximum amount of EUR 200 million in 2024. This buyback will accelerate the objective of improving returns to shareholders by increasing earnings per share.

The buyback will be financed in cash from the Group's available cash, and will not affect the Company's ability to implement the announced strategic plan, or its development and financing capacities.

In accordance with the purpose of the share buyback program approved by the Annual General Meeting, the shares bought back will be used for cancellation purposes and for any other purposes authorized by the Companys shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of June 22, 2023.

ACQUISITION OF A STAKE IN THE COMPANY BY LAC1, MANAGED BY BPIFRANCE

Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, has announced its intention to acquire a c.4% stake in the Company's capital as part of the disposal transaction initiated by Wendel.

On April 3, 2024, the Board of Directors has authorized the execution of an agreement to be entered into between Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, and the Company, pursuant to which it will be agreed that following Lac1s acquisition of a stake in the Company, the Board of Directors will propose the appointment of Bpifrance as an independent director at the Board of Directors of Bureau Veritas in compliance with the parity rules or, if such an appointment cannot be made immediately, as an observer.

Hinda Gharbi, Chief Executive Officer of Bureau Veritas, commented: The transaction demonstrates both our strong confidence in Bureau Veritas growth potential and our commitment to increasing shareholder returns as presented during our Capital Markets Day held on March 20th, 2024. I thank Wendel for their continuous and active support, and I am delighted to welcome Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, a strong French institutional investor, as a new significant shareholder of Bureau Veritas and a member of the Companys board of directors.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in inspection, certification, and laboratory testing services with a powerful purpose: to shape a world of trust by ensuring responsible progress.

With a vision to be the preferred partner for customers excellence and sustainability, the company innovates to help them navigate change.

Created in 1828, Bureau Veritas 83,000 employees deliver services in 140 countries. The companys technical experts support customers to address challenges in quality, health and safety, environmental protection, and sustainability.

Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the CAC 40 ESG, CAC Next 20, SBF 120 indices and is part of the CAC SBT 1.5 index. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.

For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com, and follow us on X/Twitter (@bureauveritas) and LinkedIn.

Our information is certified with blockchain technology.

Check that this press release is genuine at www.wiztrust.com.

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SES held its Annual General Meeting and an Extraordinary General Meeting today in Betzdorf, Luxembourg.

The shareholders voted all resolutions in line with the recommendations from the board of directors, notably the company's 2023 annual accounts and the proposed dividend of EUR 0.50 per A-share, which will be paid to shareholders on 18 April 2024. The shareholders also approved the re-introduction of an authorised capital for a period of five years.

Shareholders re-elected Dr Jennifer Byrne, Mrs Katrin Wehr-Seiter and Mr Carlo Fassbinder as directors for another three-year mandate.

Following the shareholders meeting, the Board of Directors elected Mr Frank Esser as Chairperson for a period of one year and both Mrs Anne-Catherine Ries and Mr Peter van Bommel as Vice-Chairperson also for a period of one year.

The complete composition of the Board and short biographies on each of the Directors are available at: https://www.ses.com/about-us/board-directors

The 2023 Annual Report is available for download at: https://www.ses.com/investors/annual-reports

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About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless data connectivity services around the world. As a leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES owns and operates the worlds only geosynchronous orbit and medium earth orbit (GEO-MEO) constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance. By leveraging its vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES delivers high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the worlds leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SESs video network carries over 6,400 channels, reaching 363 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240404065830/en/
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Heidelberg Materials France to close two plants

Suzanne Starbuck By 05 April 2024

Ciments Calcia, part of Heidelberg Materials France, is closing two of its plants as part of a restructuring programme. The two sites due to close are in Beffes (Cher) and Villiers-au-Bouin (Indre-et-Loire), both of which are scheduled to shut in October 2025. According to Heidelberg Materials France, the restructuring is the result of a significant decline in cement sales resulting from weak construction demand in the country. Sales volumes fell six per cent in 2023, after first declining in 2022, and there are negative growth prospects for 2024. The company is also planning to focus its portfolio increasingly on low-carbon products, including reduced clinker content, as part of its decarbonisation journey.

This latest announcement comes on the back of the companys EUR400m investment to transform its sites in Airvault, Beaucaire, Bussac-Foret and Couvrot. The investment plan is designed to modernise these sites to improve energy efficiency, replace fossil fuels with alternative fuels, particularly solid recovered fuels.

The project to overhaul the companys industrial system aims to safeguard the economic competitiveness of the groups sector activity in France by preserving its capacity to invest in decarbonisation to enable it to continue producing in France, said Heidelberg Materials France.

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Steppe Cement posts 24% drop in 1Q revenue

Muriel Bal By 05 April 2024

Kazakhstan-based Steppe Cement reported revenue of KZT3.779bn (US$8.4m) in the first quarter of 2024, down 23.5 per cent from KZT4.938bn in the year-ago period. The company's market share in Kazakhstan contracted to 11.5 per cent in the 1Q24 from 12.7 per cent in the 1Q23.



Steppe Cement sold 175,383t of cement, representing a 18.4 per cent drop when compared with the 1Q23 when sales volumes stood at 214,832t. The average price received by the cement producer fell 6.3 per cent to KZT21,545/t from KZT22,985/t in the 1Q23. The ex-works price slipped 2.2 per cent to KZT18,835/t from KZT19,249/t over the same period.



Due to a significant increase in transportation costs, the company also reported lower margins, particularly in terms of deliveries to the southern part of the country. As sales in winter are comparatively small in the northern region when compared to those in summer, Steppe Cement said it is currently building up clinker inventory in preparation for the more lucrative summer season. Clinker production in the 1Q24 has increased by 25 per cent YoY.



Market overview

The Kazakh cement market contracted by 12 per cent YoY to 1.69Mt in the 1Q24, with Steppe Cement forecasting demand in 2024 to reach 11Mt, down five per cent YoY.



Exports declined by six per cent in the 1Q24, mainly due to a drop in exports to Uzbekistan.



Imports, mainly from Russia were stable, representing four per cent of the market in the 1Q24.

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Tiffanie Robinson Hunter Myers Kelly Fitzgerald Previous Next

Second Story Real Estate Management CEO and Principal Broker Tiffanie Robinson was named 2024 managing director of the year at the 2024 Annual SVN Conference in Miami, Fla.

Additionally, SVN | Second Story Real Estate Management ranked in the top 25 performing SVN offices, and additional employees were recognized for their achievements.

Vice President of Commercial Brokerage Kelly Fitzgerald was recognized at the Achiever level for performance and production in 2023.

Director of Retail Hunter Myers was awarded the Presidents Circle award for his performance and production in 2023.

"Our Managing Director of the Year, Tiffanie Robinson, not only manages a vibrant and successful SVN franchise, but she also raises her hand to assist, lead, collaborate and counsel others throughout the entire SVN system," said Sarah Vincent, SVN Inc.'s executive vice president of operations.

SVN is "a globally recognized commercial real estate brand united by a shared vision of creating value with clients, colleagues and our communities."

The award recognizes Ms. Robinson for exemplifying these qualities in her leadership style and participation at the national level.

She received the award out of more than 200 managing directors at SVN offices worldwide.



Ms. Robinson said, As a relatively young SVN office, Im incredibly proud of my team for their achievements at the top levels. These two team members made incredible progress, and were so proud of their success. Not only have they made these impressive sales, but theyve also taken on leadership roles, mentored other brokers and served the community in volunteer roles.
Erlanger and Tennessee Donor Services (TDS) will host a Donor Remembrance Ceremony in recognition of Donate Life Month on Friday, at 10 a.m. in the Erlanger Medical Mall Probasco Auditorium.

Transplant recipients and families of organ donors from the region will join Erlanger and TDS officials and associates to honor and recognize those who gave the ultimate gift of life through organ donation.

Johanna Carden and Larry Fowler, both TDOT employees, will be sharing their transplant story. After learning that her friend and co-worker was in kidney failure, Ms. Carden didnt think twice before calling the Erlanger Kidney Transplant Center to see if she could begin testing to determine if she was a match. With complete certainty that Ms. Carden was meant to be Mr. Fowlers donor, the friends confidently completed the match process and successfully accomplished transplantation. After losing her own father to kidney failure, Ms. Carden is so thankful she was able to give Mr. Fowler life.

Marcheta Darnell will be telling the story of her sons selfless act of organ donation. Sam Darnell was 22 years old when he became a donor hero after a tragic car accident in January of this year. As a registered organ donor, he gave the gift of life. He had just graduated from college and had signed a lease for his first apartment. He loved trains and dreamed of one day moving to Chicago to work for the Chicago Transit Authority. After the organ procurement surgery, a nurse told Ms. Darnell that the doctor said Mr. Darnella had a beautiful heart. Ms. Darnell says the doctor had no idea how true that statement was in more ways than one.

Currently, Erlanger ranks in the top 10% among all donor hospitals in the U.S. More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and another person is added to that list every nine minutes. Sadly, 17 people die each day waiting for a transplant.
An arrest has been made in a March 26 home invasion on Shirley Pond Road in which one of the intruders was killed.

Shakur Bryant Lovelady, 23, of 302 Old Weatherly Switch Road, Cleveland, Tn., was charged with second-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, aggravated burglary and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

David Joshua Baker was killed in the incident after he was shot in the chest.

No charges have been filed against the homeowner.

Arriving deputies were told that shots had been fired between the homeowner and three suspects. Baker was found lying dead on the rear deck.

The homeowner said eight guns had been stolen from his residence two days before.

He said it was around 1:30 a.m. on March 26 when he heard his dog barking, which he said was unusual. He said he got his handgun from a bedside table and walked out into a hallway.

The homeowner said he saw shadowy figures in his kitchen and living room. He then saw that one man was standing in the dining room/kitchen with his back to him and another man was standing in the living room with his back to him.

He said he hollered "Hey" and the man in the living room turned toward him while holding a gun in his hand. He said he fired two shots toward the man in the living room.

The homeowner said the man in the dining room/kitchen also had a gun and began firing at him. He said he returned fire, shooting three or four times in that direction.

He said the man in the living room, followed by a third man, ran into his office and they both jumped out a window on the front of the residence.

The homeowner said the man in the dining room/kitchen fell, got up, then went out the back door. After calling 911, the homeowner said he found the man who had gone out the back was dead on his deck.

Deputies found a Smith & Wesson M&P firearm near the man on the deck. It was learned that it was one of the eight guns stolen from the home earlier.

It was learned that a Facebook Live video had been placed on David Baker's account on March 25. An unidentified male was observed in the vehicle with Baker. The man was wearing a black hat and a white hoodie with lettering.

Personnel with the Hamilton County Crime Analysis Division were able to identify the man in the video as Shakur Lovelady. In the video, Baker is observed dancing in the passenger seat. The camera then pans over to Lovelady, who is in the driver seat.

Lovelady can be seen in the video holding a firearm magazine with three rounds loaded in it.

Bradley County officials said they had been notified by Selena Rester, the girlfriend of Lovelady, that he had taken her Honda Accord from the Siegel Select Extended Stay at Charleston, Tn., on March 25 after they had argued.

Ms. Rester also said Lovelady had been acting strangely, as if he was on meth.

Detectives on March 27 located Ms. Rester and Lovelady sitting in her vehicle at the extended stay. They were interviewed separately.

Ms. Rester said Lovelady was upset, saying that Baker had held a gun on him and forced him to drive to the Shirley Pond Road address and break in.

Lovelady told detectives that he was forced to drive to the residence and go inside with Baker and the third person - an unknown white male. Lovelady said when he heard shots he ran behind the unknown male to get out through the window. He said they ran to the car and drove away, leaving Baker behind.

Lovelady said he then kicked the unknown man out of his car, saying he knew the man was unarmed and was not afraid of him. He said the man was wearing a mask so he could not identify him.

Lovelady claimed that Baker was the only one of the three who had a gun inside the house.

He said he left the car in an area known as The Bluffs at Charleston, Tn. It was found in Calhoun, Tn., and towed to be processed by the Sheriff's Department.
A Chattanooga child and her father are safe after flames swept through their home early Friday morning.

At 5:41 a.m., Chattanooga Fire Department Blue Shift companies responded to the 1300 block of Citico Avenue at its intersection with North Holtzclaw Avenue for a residential structure fire with possible entrapment. A second alarm was called to bring additional CFD personnel to the scene.

Firefighters made a coordinated fire attack with search efforts and did not locate anyone inside the apartment. Officials on the scene soon learned that all of the occupants of the home were safe and had made it out of the burning structure.

Crews continued working until the fire was out, preventing it from spreading to three other adjoining units.

In this case, a nine-year-old girl woke up to the smell of smoke in the home and, when she spotted the fire, she placed a rag over her face and went to wake up her father. When she was overwhelmed by smoke, she ran out the front door and went to get help.

In the meantime, her father also woke up and realized their home was on fire and escaped. He initially thought his daughter was still inside when firefighters arrived, but everyone soon discovered that she had gone to a nearby family members residence seeking assistance.

Fire officials said, "Her bravery and resourcefulness in the face of danger are to be commended.

"The CFD urges every family to make sure they have working smoke alarms in their homes. Develop a home escape plan in the event of a fire and practice it together. Have a meeting place outside of your home like a tree, light post, or mailbox located a safe distance away. Remember to get out and stay out because toxic smoke and flames can spread very rapidly. Never go back inside a burning building."

Chattanooga police officers had helped warn and evacuate residents in the other apartments upon their arrival on Citico Avenue.

Power had to be pulled to the building so the American Red Cross is assisting all of the displaced residents from all four units.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries.

Engine 4, Engine 5, Ladder 5, Engine 9, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Engine 1, Squad 13, Ladder 13, Engine 6, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Battalion 3, HCEMS, CPD, CFD Supply, and CFD Investigations responded, along with other second alarm companies.

Officials said, "Thanks to our mutual aid partners for providing coverage at our fire halls while our firefighters worked at this location. Green Shift personnel took over on the scene at shift change."
Chattanooga Police have arrested 32-year-old Andre Johnson in connection with the murder of Cedric Dickens that occurred on March 26 in the 2500 block of Vine Street.





During the course of the homicide investigation, it was found that a witness saw the murder happen and provided information to CPD's homicide detectives. The witness also picked Johnson out of a photo lineup.





The suspect and victim were inside the residence when Johnson initially shot at a person in the front yard of the residence.When that happened, Dickens yelled "Hey!". Johnson then turned around and shot Dickens, police said.





He was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Police said Johnson left his phone at the residence.





CPD's Homicide Detectives obtained arrest warrants for Johnson charging him with first-degree murder, attempted criminal homicide, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.





CPD's Fugitive Unit immediately began working to locate Johnson, who police said has been convicted of multiple felonies.





On Thursday, CPD's Fugitive Unit, in conjunction with the United States Marshal Service, developed information that Johnson was located in the 300 block of McBrien Road. The Fugitive Unit and the U.S. Marshal Service Task Force located Johnson inside an apartment in the 300 block of McBrien Road. He was arrested without incident.





Johnson was transported to Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center.
Chattanooga Police were dispatched to a suspicious person call in the 1700 block of East 12th Street on April 5, at 12:47 a.m. The caller advised Hamilton County 911 they observed two teenagers on bikes checking door handles of vehicles in the area. The caller provided a detailed description of the black males to include wearing hoodies and masks.





Chattanooga Police Neighborhood Policing officers were quickly in the area and located two suspects matching the descriptions given by the caller.When the suspects realized CPD officers located them, they began to ride off on their bikes from officers.





One of the suspects, a 17-year-old male, was detained by officers nearby and found to be wearing a hoodie, mask, and gloves. The juvenile's parent responded to the scene and advised the juvenile was out of the house without permission. The juvenile would not go home with his parent and was uncooperative with officers on scene, so he was arrested for curfew violation and disorderly conduct. He was transported to Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center.





The other suspect, a 16-year-old male, continued to ride his bike from the area. A CPD officer was in the area of South Willow Street attempting to locate the suspect. As the CPD officer was driving through an intersection, the juvenile on the bike did not stop at the stop sign and ran his bicycle into the side of the patrol vehicle. He attempted to run from that scene as well, but was limping due to crashing into the patrol vehicle. He was detained by officers.





Once detained, it was found that the juvenile was armed with a loaded handgun and was wearing bullet resistant body armor.





Hamilton County EMS responded to the scene due to the juvenile's leg pain. He was transported to a local hospital with very minor injuries.





He was released from the hospital and transported to Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center. He was charged with evading arrest, resisting stop/arrest, equipment violation, and weapons violations.





This information is preliminary and is subject to change as the investigation continues.




Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the American Heroes Dinner on Friday, July 26. This signature event celebrates the service and sacrifice of our military heroes and is held annually at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Retired United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne will participate as the keynote speaker.

On April 10, 2012, Travis was critically injured while on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan by an IED (improvised explosive device), losing portions of both legs and both arms. He is one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Travis is now a motivational speaker and international advocate for veterans and amputees. When the incident happened, medics rushed over to Mills, tying tourniquets around his four limbs to stop the bleeding. In my head, Im not going to make it, Mills recounted. Ive seen guys die from a lot less. I told my medics, Dont worry about me; youre not gonna save me. Go fix my guys.

The medics put Mills on a chopper to Kandahar where he was rushed into surgery, the first of which lasted 14 hours. Hed need more than 30 blood transfusions. He woke up from a coma on his birthday, which was when he learned the extent of his injuries.

A 'recalibrated warrior', Travis continues to astound friends and family alike with his progress and amazing spirit. He founded the Travis Mills Foundation, a retreat center in Maine for wounded veterans and their families.

This event serves as a fundraiser for the Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation, which was formed in 2013 when SGT Andrew Smith (US Army Retired) and his wife Tori returned from almost two years at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation is committed to assisting catastrophically wounded veterans and their families. According to foundation representative, Catherine Smith, As an all-volunteer organization, participation in the American Heroes Dinner helps us fulfill our mission of ensuring those who paid an extreme price for liberty and freedom will continue to thrive post-injury.

Registration is open at www.honoringthesacrifice.com.


10/9/2024

Middle Valley Church of God, at 1703 Thrasher Pike in Hixson, announced that Pastor Mitch McClure will be preaching on Sunday, in the 10:30 a.m. service. His sermon title will be "Who Is This ... more
Members of the East Hamilton High School Present the Colors Sheriff Austin Garrett speaks to DARE graduates East Hamilton Middle School SRD Rodney Brown addresses the graduates EHMS Principal Dr. Justin McCulley addresses the graduates Student graduates Receive their Certificates of Completion Previous Next

Sheriff Austin Garrett and the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office School Resource Deputy Unit, in conjunction with the administration of East Hamilton Middle School, hosted a DARE graduation ceremony Friday morning for students who recently completed the program.This graduation represents the second academic year DARE has been taught at East Hamilton Middle School since the program was brought back to the community by the HCSO in 2023 after more than two decades. Approximately 70 students graduated this years program.Officials said, "DARE was originally founded in 1983 and has proven so successful that it has been implemented in thousands of schools throughout the United States and many other countries. It is a law enforcement led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. The modern national DARE Program teaches millions of children the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs and gangs, as well as lead lives free from substance abuse and violence. There is also a mental health component incorporated into the program."As part of my vision as Sheriff, I am pleased to see this program now in its second year in our public schools. My administration understands the value of this safety program and the importance it plays in not only reducing drug addiction in children, but the many other important lessons and values it teaches our young people. With the unprecedented number of overdose deaths we are seeing across our state and our nation, along with the increase in juvenile violence, there could not be a more important time to teach the DARE Program in our local schools. We must give our young people the tools they need to educate themselves about the dangers of illegal and prescription drug abuse and avoiding peer pressure by promoting respectful conduct, civility, and behavior, said Sheriff Garrett.East Hamilton Middle School was one of two schools selected in September of 2022 to serve as pilot locations for the program due to the fact their assigned School Resource Deputies proactively requested to undergo the extensive training required to become certified DARE Instructors.In order to be a DARE Instructor, potential candidates are vetted by DARE mentors responsible for training new law enforcement personnel. The candidate must also be a POST certified, uniformed law enforcement officer with at two or more years of service and must successfully complete a rigorous 80-hour training course conducted by mentors with a significant number of years of classroom experience, as well as university-level educators from colleges of education. This coursework does not include the many additional hours of study and afterhours work required to test for the certification.
Picture this disaster scenario in the making: At an industrial plant, a pipe cracks, spraying a cloud of tiny droplets into the air. Workers, however, are in luck. Within minutes, a laser-based device the size of a small suitcase spots the cloud and tells safety crews whats in it so they know how to respond.

Thats the vision behind a new project from a team of engineers and chemists at the University of Colorado Boulder, California Institute of Technology, University of California Santa Barbara, and three companies. Its funded by a new contract from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), part of the federal Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The effort borrows its name, the Standoff Aerosol measUrement Remote Optical Network (SAURON), from the villain in The Lord of the Rings book seriesa presence who often takes the form of a flaming eye and whose gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth.

Thats the idea here: an all-seeing eye that can detect hazardous aerosols against a very crowded background of other substances, said Greg Rieker, professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering and principal investigator for the project.

SAURON, he explained, will zoom in on aerosols, the term for a wide range of tiny particles that float in the air. Some aerosols can contain chemicals that pose serious risks to humans, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient in explosives, also forms aerosols. So can fentanyl, an opioid drug that can be deadly in even small quantities.

To detect such hazards, the team is turning to a Nobel Prize-winning technology called a frequency comb laser. The researchers hope their devices could, in the not-so-distant future, help protect people from a range of airborne threats, including industrial accidents and even potential chemical attacks in crowded cities.

The lasers will run off of batteries, so you can deploy them at an airport, on city blocks or in industrial sites where they use hazardous materials, said Scott Diddams, professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering. Right off the bat, people would know if there was a failure or a leak.

CU Boulder co-principal investigators on the project include Diddams, Daven Henze, professor of mechanical engineering, and Jose Jimenez, professor of chemistry and fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES).

Seeing the invisible Spotting dangerous aerosols is, in many ways, the ultimate needle in a haystack task. The air people breathe is a lot more complicated than it looks.

At any time in the atmosphere, methane and carbon dioxide are present, and other examples of what we call volatile organic compounds, Rieker said. There is a lot of clutter.

The team believes that frequency comb lasers may be able to help sort through that clutter.

Diddams was among the members of a team at JILA, a joint research institute between CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (JILA), that pioneered these tools. The group, led by Nobel Laureate Jan Hall, used frequency comb lasers for research in quantum metrology and optical clocks. Unlike traditional lasers, frequency comb lasers shoot out a beam of light with millions of colors, all at the same time.

If you beam such light through an environment, these lasers can act like a fingerprint scanner for aerosolsteasing out the signals from even minute concentrations of particles or gases in the air. The project team includes LongPath Technologies, which uses these tools to search for methane leaks at oil and gas facilities. Rieker co-founded LongPath in 2017.

Over three-and-a-half years, SAURON researchers will work to make their lasers even more sensitive and much more compact. To do that, the group is incorporating new integrated photonics technology pioneered by Kerry Vahala at Caltech, John Bowers at UC Santa Barbara and the companies Nexus Photonics and hQphotonics. The team will design its devices on small chips that transmit information not using electronic signals but light beams. The work is part of the Quantum Engineering Initiative at CU boulder.

They are like traditional silicon computer chips, but with light being generated, moving around and interacting in ways that make it useful for sensing, Diddams said.

SAURON is an example of researchers at CU Boulder taking advances in fundamental science and transforming them into tangible technologies that could one day safeguard people.
In June 2023, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted to override the governors veto of a measure allowing tribes to extend compacts with the state until Dec. 31, 2024.
Recently, a police department in Bellevue, Washington, got a call to check out a unique artifact in the garage of a residents home.

They were notified by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, after a man had called the institution about donating an object that had belonged to his late neighbor.

A bomb squad was sent to inspect the object. When authorities arrived on the scene, they found a missile from the Cold War.

The missile was a Douglas AIR-2 Genie, an unguided air-to-air rocket designed to carry a nuclear warhead. Fortunately, it wasnt equipped with one, nor was there any rocket fuel.

Officers determined that there wasnt any risk of explosion, so the missile presented no threat to the public.

While the rocket is now just a rusty relic of a grim period in world history, it was actually a highly dangerous weapon during the Cold War days.

According to the Air Force Armament Museum Foundation, in 1957, the Douglas AIR-2 Genie became the first nuclear-armed rocket that could strike other aircraft.

It was created to intercept strategic bombers from the Soviet Union. The first and only live firing of a Genie took place on July 19, 1957, at a test site in Nevada. More than 3,000 rockets were made before production ceased in 1962.

Police have not been able to contact any of the owners relatives. The man who had originally reached out to the museum told him that his neighbor had bought the missile at an estate sale. When his neighbor died, he received control of his property.

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During the Middle Ages, prisoners suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of a variety of excruciatingly painful torture methods.

One common practice involved tossing prisoners into a special type of dungeon called an oubliette, a French word meaning to forget. It was named so because prisoners were left there to be forgotten. This punishment may not have involved brutal violence, but it was cruel all the same.

Oubliettes were deep, narrow pits found in castles across Europe, where individuals could be imprisoned indefinitely. The only means of escape was a trapdoor at the top, which was frustratingly out of reach of the prisoner.

The pits were often not wide enough for a person to kneel or sit down in. So, they were forced to stand or crouch as they waited to be released or for death to finally claim them. The lack of food, water, sunshine, and space meant that prisoners spirits broke very quickly.

Oubliettes were also referred to as bottle dungeons. They were usually shaped with a thin, vertical passageway that led down into a lower dungeon that wasnt much bigger. Prisoners would be lowered into the cramped space and abandoned in the darkness. Sometimes, the victims would have to share the prison with the remains of rotting corpses and vermin that consumed the flesh.

Some oubliettes were built deep underground, while others were constructed within the upper floors of the castles as an added layer of torture. That way, the trapped victims could listen to the sounds of life going on in the castle as they slowly died of deprivation in their dark prison.

These dungeons have been documented in places like England, Ireland, and Turkey. One of the most notable oubliettes is located in Leap Castle in Ireland. Built in the early 1500s by the vicious OCarroll clan, the castle has a long, bloody history and is said to be one of the most haunted places in the world.

Its oubliette once served as a hiding spot and a storage space for valuables, but the OCarroll clan used it for different purposes. They installed wooden spikes in the dungeon and threw their victims down into it.

In the 17th century, the Darby family took ownership of the castle, and they made a shocking discovery in the dungeon. Dozens of impaled skeletons had to be removed from the oubliette. Apparently, their removal has disturbed numerous spirits, who are said to wander Leap Castle to this day.

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This 34-year-old man has two sisters: 31-year-old Jane and 36-year-old Amy. For ten years now, Amy has been trying to have a baby with her husband, but nothing has worked.

Two years ago, Amy tried IVF again, but due to some complications, doctors told her she was sterile.

Amy was crushed, as she and her husband desperately wanted their own family. Amy and her husband then thought about adoption, but this is going to be a lengthy road for them, as Amys husband acquired a criminal record at the age of 19.

A year ago, my sister Jane gave birth to her son Sam, he explained. The pregnancy was the result of a one-night stand Jane had during her vacation in Italy, and although it was unexpected and the father wouldnt be in the picture, Jane decided to keep the baby.

Sadly, Jane had a stroke when Sam was 6-months-old and passed away. It was very unexpected, and most of the family is still grieving. After the funeral, we started to discuss who will take Sam in.

His parents are far too old to raise a child, which meant it was down to him or Amy to step up for Sam.

Amy excitedly said she was happy to take Sam, and it seemed to be a perfect idea initially. But then, as Amy kept talking about the adoption, he thought it was really weird.

Amy insisted on changing Sams first and last names before saying nobody should ever talk about Jane once she officially adopted Sam.

Essentially, Amy wanted to raise Sam as her own and didnt think telling him his bio mom passed away would do him any good, he said.

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Duke University is home to a herbarium that contains more than 825,000 plant species. Its one of the largest collections of plant specimens in the country and has served scientists well in their studies throughout the years. However, the herbarium is running out of space and resources to keep it funded.

Due to budget cuts and staff shortages, Duke University has decided to close its herbarium. Over the next two to three years, the plant specimens will be relocated to new homes.

The dean of Dukes natural sciences departments, Susan Alberts, explained the reason behind the closure in an email sent out to the herbariums staff.

Academic leaders in Trinity College have made the difficult decision to discontinue investment in the Duke Herbarium due to outdated facilities that would require significant funding and years of displacement to upgrade. Discussions have already begun with respected and established potential recipients for the specimens, wrote Alberts.

While she acknowledged that the herbariums shutdown would be a loss for those who ran it and the university as a whole, she also stated that it was in Dukes and the herbariums best interests.

According to Kathryn Kennedy, the associate dean for communications and marketing at the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, the estimated costs of investing in the herbarium, which would involve expanding the facility and funding staff positions, would come to a minimum of $25 million.

The news triggered an uproar from the scientific community at Duke and beyond. Professors everywhere have expressed their disappointment with the closure and are calling for the herbarium to stay open.

When collections like this close, it endangers others, especially at smaller institutions. This could be very bad if other universities follow suit, Jacqueline Gill, an associate professor of paleoecology and plant ecology at the University of Maine, wrote in a post on X.

Jillian Goodwin, conference manager for the Integrated Digitized Biocollections, created a petition urging the university to reconsider closing the herbarium. Within 24 hours, it received over 1,700 signatures.

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In Egypts Dahshur necropolis, archaeologists discovered a 4,300-year-old tomb that belonged to a priestess and her husband. The tomb contains wall art depicting scenes of daily life in the Old Kingdom of Egypt.

Excavations were conducted by a team of German and Egyptian archaeologists in the ancient cemetery of Dahshur, which is located about 25 miles south of Cairo. There, they found a tomb with a flat roof and sloping sides constructed out of mud and brick.

The researchers determined that the tomb belonged to Seneb-Neb-Af and his wife, Idet. According to inscriptions, pottery, and the design of the tomb, it was estimated that the couple lived around the year 2300 B.C.E.

The inscriptions revealed that Idet was a priestess of Hathor, the ancient Egyptian goddess of music, dancing, maternity, and sensuality.

Idets husband, Seneb-Neb-Af, likely worked as an official at a nearby palace. The researchers believe he was an administrator of tenants, but the exact duties he carried out are unclear.

The leader of the project, Dr. Stefan Seidlmayer from the German Archaeological Institute, explained that Seneb-Neb-Af lived in a town controlled by the palace. He may have managed its funding and determined who got to live there.

The ancient couple was alive around 4,300 years ago, during the late fifth dynasty or early sixth dynasty.

At that time, the Great Pyramids of Gaza had been erected, and rulers were building their own pyramids across the kingdom.

Researchers dont know much about everyday life for ancient Egyptians in this period, but the discovery of wall art within the tomb offers more knowledge.

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Illustration by Christianity Today / Source Images: Unsplash

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One of the most notorious atheists has had a come to Jesus moment. Hes also figured out, at long last, a way to undermine the Christian religion he loathes. And, unlike his previous efforts, this one could actually work.

Richard Dawkins, the author of The God Delusion, was among the most recognized proponents of New Atheism, a movement to reject the existence of God that had its golden era 15 or 20 years ago. Indeed, he was one of the movements four horsemen, along with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett.

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What was new about all of this was hardly the arguments, which were usually warmed-over Bertrand Russell. It was the fighting mood of it all. Audiences could feel a vicarious sense of arent we naughty? counterculturalism when they heard Hitchens ridiculing not just televangelists or abusive priests but Mother Teresa as a fraud. This theatricality eventually wore thin, until even fellow atheists seemed embarrassed by it.

But now Dawkins emerges again, this time in a viral video arguing for Christianity  kind of. He notes the plummeting of church attendance and Christian identification in his country, the United Kingdom, and says that, on one level, hes glad to see it. Yet on the other hand, Dawkins continues, hes slightly horrified to see the promotion of Ramadan in the UK. After all, hes a Christian in a Christian country.

Lest anyone be confused, Dawkins made clear that hes a cultural Christian,  not a believer. He loves the hymns and the Christmas carols and the cathedralseverything about Christianity except, well, the Christ. I like to live in a culturally Christian country, Dawkins said, although I do not believe a single word of the Christian faith.

In this case, cultural Christian has a distinct meaning for Dawkins, which amounts to not Muslim. Its a way of defining who we and they are based on national customs, not on any concern for who (or if) God is.

I immediately thought of a segment from the television series Ramy, in which the lead character, played by Ramy Youssef, talks with a Jewish businessman about similarities between the American Jewish and American Muslim experiences. One of the major similarities, the Ramy character says, is Christmaslessness.

I cant think of a single one of my Jewish or Muslim friends and acquaintances who would define being a Jew or a Muslim that way (nor, Im sure, would Youssef say thats all of it). But I suspect there are some people for whom that feeling is a primary piece of their identity in America, for whom the issue isnt whether God was really there at Sinai or at Mecca but rather who is part of us and who is them. The sort of Christianity Dawkins proposes just replaces Christmaslessness with Christmasfulness, Easterfulness, or, most accurately, Ramadanlessness.

Fifteen or so years ago, some Christian friends of mine were terrified of New Atheism. They took the four horsemen language as a signal of some sort of catastrophe of which these atheists were the vanguard. The project didnt work, though. Yes, certain parts of the Western world have continued to secularize, but of all the reasons for a loss of faith, the arguments of The God Delusion probably arent one of them.

If I were a Screwtape, a literal devils advocate, advising atheists on how best to actually destroy the church, Dawkins kind of explicitly disenchanted cultural Christianity is not what I would propose. Overt atheism wont work, at least at first. People are drawn to belong, and they are drawn to worship. I would, however, propose the basic impulse of what Dawkins said, though tied to rhetoric that still sounds religious. Attacking Christianity rarely works; co-opting it often does.

The urge to make religion the way to prove ones cultural identity against outsiders will always find an eager audience. For those who worship their fleshdefined in terms of race, region, class, political identity, whateverhaving a mascot they can call God will always be useful. The projection of all that they love about their own people, nation, and selves onto an unquestionable and unquestioning mascot can build cohesion. They might even call that mascot Jesus.

This kind of Christianity hollows out the Christian religion far more efficiently than straightforward attempts to convince people that God is a delusion. It defeats Christianity by replacing the living God with a God who is, in fact, a delusion.

It works to suppress the conscience that, in the deepest night, says, The God you are worshiping is a projection of your group; the group you are worshiping is a projection of yourself. It does away with a Christian faith that calls not for external conformity but for a new birth, a renewing of the mind, a union with the living Christ. Then it inhabits the husk of that religion, paganizing it until one can toss away the shell.

That final change doesnt take long. And these blood-and-soil religions are never content to valorize their own blood and their own soil. They eventually move on to shedding other peoples blood, stealing other peoples soil.

The problem with Dawkinss cultural Christianity, then, is not that he says it out loud; its that many people hold the same view and wont say it  yet. Christianity is not about national anthems and village chapels and candlelight carol sings. Its certainly not about using the levers of culture or the state to coerce other people to pretend that they are Christians when they are not.

If the gospel isnt real, the gospel doesnt work. Genuine paganism will win out over pretend Christianity every time.

The apostle Paul warned that in the last days false teachers would use whatever people lust forpleasure, power, belonging, selfto introduce a kind of religion having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Tim. 3:5). The devil is smart enough to use hollow, cultural Christianity to make us atheists in the long run, to realize that the best way to take down a cross is to replace it with a culture, a crown, or a cathedralor a Christmas tree.

But remember: Jesus is alive and aware, and hes a horseman too.

Russell Moore is the editor in chief at Christianity Today and leads its Public Theology Project.
Illustration by Maria Jesus Contreras

The recent revival of interest in biblical gender roleshow men and women serve in the church and function at home in relation to each otherseems to be focused in the Western church, especially in the US. Christianity Today reached out to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary president Scott W. Sunquist, who is also a missiologist with expertise in non-Western Christianity, to ask about the global context around gender and the church.

This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

How have the terms of the gender roles debate come to be defined in the evangelical church?

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Two prefatory comments: First, evangelical has become a contested category, so whenever we ask about the evangelical church, we need to further specify which family or tradition we are talking about. Secondly, much of the debate regarding gender roles occurred when my family was overseas, so we missed the initial formation of the discussion around the words complementarian and egalitarian. They were new concepts that began to spread in the late 1980s.

The evangelical debate around this has been very different from the larger and broader ecumenical discussion regarding the roles of men and women. The Orthodox church does not ordain female priests and neither do Roman Catholics. Protestant mainline churches began opening all offices of the church to women in the wake of the great missionary movement, where women dominated the pioneering work. Pentecostals from the earliest years of the movement recognized the equal function of women and men and so, in that tradition, women were planting and pastoring churches in the early 20th century.

The bifurcated (either/or) view of gender roles we now have arises mostly out of Southern Baptist, independent Baptist, and conservative Reformed traditions, which defend the clarity of two genders and delineate roles that are acceptable for women with the word complementarian. And it must be stated clearly that this particular discourse is an American approach that has now been exported some through missionary work.

It should also be said that not all traditions that identify as evangelical, both within the United States and globally, frame the debate in the same manner.

The complementarian-egalitarian debate is a big one in the US (and the Western church generally). How is the view of mens and womens roles in the church viewed globally? How do Scriptures on the distinctions between men and women play out in different ecclesiological convictions worldwide?

As we all know, the diversity of cultures (seen most clearly in religion and language) is a beautiful thing to witness and to thank God for. I have been fortunate to have taught and learned from Christian leaders in many countries in Asia as well as in Africa. Generally, once women become literate, womens roles change. The gospel brings literacy and education to women, and this is often a threat to traditional female roles in Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist cultures. Women become empowered through literacy. They can teach their children and they can ask questions and evangelize others.

However, in many cultures of the world, Christian men and women sit on different sides of the sanctuary, and women look after the children on the womens side. Gender roles are cultural, but the gospel always brings a degree of freedom to women in cultures where women are oppressed. Expressed differently: When the gospel enters into any culture, it moves that culture toward greater grace, wholeness, and flourishing for all people. Cultures are fallen, and the gospel rectifies cultural patterns to individuals, families, and societies.

How does this compare within monoethnic churches in the US?

Following up from your previous question, lets imagine what happens when people from other countries come to the United States. Korean (and most Chinese) churches are dominated by a Confucian ethic and social order in the first generation. All social order in Confucian society is hierarchical: emperor over subjects, father over children, husband over wife, etc. Thus, these churches seldom have women in leadership, but women often run the churches behind the scenes.

The positive side of this is that a Korean would understand the church as My church with my people; that Christianity is not a foreign religion and I can come to church without changing cultures. The negative side of this strong adherence to cultural patterns is that sometimes women are not treated by men with Christian respect and dignity. This hurts Christian witness. This is one of many cultural examples which we can identify as the incomplete conversion of cultures. We find these examples in every world culture.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a rectification that comes with conversion to Christ. We are not left with all our sinful patterns of our cultures. Many Indian and Middle Eastern churches in the United States have men and women sitting on different sides of the sanctuary. We must remember that both local indigenous cultures as well as the teaching of Western missionaries often influence the place and role of women.

There is no pure Chinese or Black church in the United Statesor so-called white church either, for that matter. Cultures are all made in the image of God but are fallen. It is important to remember this, lest we try to shape all ethnic groups in our image and insist on our definition of gender roles in the family and in the church.

As evangelicalism grows outside of the West, will controversies and discussions over womens and mens roles be more or less relevant in broader evangelicalism?

If by evangelicalism you mean faith traditions centered around biblical authority, the centrality of Christ, and the need for conversion, then it has already grown outside of the West. Today such evangelicals in the West comprise only about 30 percent of global evangelicals. As Ogbu Kalu used to say, African Christianity is evangelical Christianity. Most of the growing Christian communities (including Pentecostals) in China, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America would be considered evangelical according to the description mentioned above. Non-Western evangelicalism often has unique teachings in many African Independent Churches but, broadly speaking, they are evangelical and their approach to gender follows cultural norms.

But, as I mentioned earlier, the place of women has improved. We need to pay attention and watch how the gospel reshapes various African and Asian cultures, specifically the view and role of women. Much of their discussion about gender roles in the church relate to applying the Bible to their present cultural gender roles, plus having to read Western books and listen to Western Christians. When it comes to nonessentials such as gender roles, Western Christians need to listen as, for example, Egyptian or Malaysian Christians shape their ecclesiologies and pastoral care and preaching. American Christians are not good at listening.

I pastored a Presbyterian church in Singapore when there was only one woman ordained in the presbytery, and she was from England. The next woman ordained was my student, who became the pastor of a church I helped to plant. The change took place over years, and it came about not by outside authorities but through biblical study, recognition of spiritual gifts, and prayer. As in the United States, not all denominations in Singapore and Malaysia ordain women. But most roles in the churchministering as deacons and elders, reading Scripture, teaching, planting churches, serving the Eucharistare now open to women. Ordination is the one role that is not open to women in all evangelical churches globally.

What can the American church learn from the global church in how it approaches the roles of men and women? How can we pursue unity while upholding biblical convictions?

I think we need to acknowledge that the global church is diverse in terms of their ecclesiologies, because that is what we are talking about: who can be ordained, preach, oversee sacraments, and teach. Christians have come to many different conclusions on nonessentials, and we need to be gracious in receiving the richness that our global fellowship provides us. Some churches limit womens participation in worship on biblical and/or traditional grounds. That is their prerogative and we should honor that, so long as women are respected and are given meaningful ways to participate in the body of Christ.

In such a divided world, Christians in the West should humbly learn from the majority church, seeking deeper unity around essentials and not letting nonessentials like gender roles divide us. The world needs to see unity through gracious, Christian humility.
Statistics reveal that three out of ten women in the country have experienced abuse at some point in their lives. Theologians and leaders weigh on how to turn churches into safe places for them.

NurPhoto / Getty / Edits by CT

For too many Brazilian women abused by their spouses, the answer church leaders have given to their suffering is Ephesians 5:22: Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands.

Its the cruelest phrase in the Bible, one woman told journalist Marilia de Camargo Cesar, as she records in O Grito de Eva (Eves Cry). [Church leaders] teach it in a twisted way, without taking into account the historical context, traditions, culture, she explains, identified in the book only as Professor Regina.

Three out of ten Brazilian women suffer domestic violence at some point in their lives. The country has high rates of violence against women, ranking fifth in the world. Last year, a national hotline received calls from an average of 245 women each day reporting some kind of violence. All this in a nation where women comprise m ore than half (58%) of evangelicals.

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Recent allegations of abuse in North American churches have generated discussion in the Brazilian church around the issue, but churches and denominations have standard procedures or adopted best practices for addressing domestic violence. Yet in an environment where many survivors dont report violence because of shame and fear of retaliation, evangelical churches have the opportunity to be places of shelter and guidance for hurting women.

Given these realities, CT invited six evangelical leaders who are experts on the subject to answer the following question: What should church leaders do when a female congregant says she has been a victim of abuse or violence?

Answers have been edited for clarity and style.

Marilia Cesar, journalist and author of the book O Grito de Eva, Sao Paulo

Church leadership should encourage the person to report it and, if possible, accompany them to the police station to file a report.

Church leaders should then arrange for people, preferably women in the church with experience in this kind of violence, to walk alongside the victim, giving her emotional support and, if necessary, refer her to the appropriate health or mental health professionals.

The perpetrator, if he is a member of the church community, should be called to account. There are churches with therapeutic work that bring men together for a kind of group therapy to deal with abusive behavior and toxic relationships, but unfortunately, these initiatives are still not very common.

Churches need to address this issue more openly and more often until it becomes unacceptable for pastors and members to have to live with situations of sexual abuse in their congregations.

Alex Stahlhoefer, doctor of theology and professor at the Lutheran College of Theology, Sao Bento do Sul

The first response must always be to welcome the woman suffering. Jesus instructs us to weep with those who weep and to be consolers and comforters. We shouldnt start by asking them about the details of the violence but should first offer emotional support so that they can express their pain, distress, and fears.

After that, its important to deal with the support network. Who will offer her shelter and safety? Can she return home? Who will accompany the victim to the police station to press charges? Care must be taken with the confidentiality of the information, as the victim is already fragile, and we can spare her from the unnecessary judgments of people who dont need to know what happened.

If the abuser is a member of the congregation or a leader, the church must also take care that they do not use a position of leadership to coerce people to testify on their behalf or spread rumors about the victims image in order to diminish their responsibility.

A serious church should have a written statement, approved by the leadership and disseminated to all members, on how the church proceeds in cases of abuse and violence. Creating a culture where violence is not tolerated and where reports are taken seriously helps to create a healthy and safe environment for women.

Jennifer Carvalho, coordinator of the Imago Dei Mission and of the Cosmovision and Sexuality Study Group, Natal

First, church leaders need to be careful not to re-victimize the victim by asking inappropriate questions, asking too many details, or suggesting that they contributed to the abuse. Its also important to identify whether the abuser is someone close to the victim, to keep her safe from himif possible, the woman should be taken in by someone she trusts. In the event of rape, within 72 hours after the crime, the victim should be referred to a hospital for medical assessment. By law, victims under the age of 18 must be taken to the hospital.

After that, victims should be advised about the need to report the case to the police station and also be offered psychological and pastoral counseling.

If the abuser is part of the congregation, church leaders should start the disciplinary and removal process and direct him to hand himself in to the police and to start psychological treatment. Only after a few years, with psychological support and trained leadership, can it be assessed whether there has been genuine repentance. His reintroduction to the church, however, will probably not be possible, and the leadership will need, with discernment and study, to create another alternative.

If the person who committed the abuse is a church leader, the previous guideline applies concurrently with a realignment of the church regarding what happened. In addition, there needs to be extensive training about the abuse and its consequences, the publication of a sincere apology, the care of the victim, and an investigation to find out if there have been other casesso that other possible victims can be cared for.

People will be encouraged to report if the church is welcoming and aware that abuse exists and if this sin is combated from the pulpit to the office.

Yago Martins, pastor of Maanaim Baptist Church, author, and YouTuber, Fortaleza

Unfortunately, many fellow pastors believe that they can only take action after investigating the story very thoroughly, interviewing the husband, and checking all the accounts for any contradictions, to find out whether the womans complaint is true or not. In this process it is also important to report the matter to the civil authorities, deposing leaders (if the abuser is someone in this position), [enacting] ecclesiastical discipline, and caring for the victim.

Even if the wifes testimony alone doesnt prove that the abuse really happened, the mere testimony should be enough for church leaders to protect the wife from her husband. Protection first, investigation later. I have personally dealt with false reports of abuse in my pastoral ministry, but I dont regret for a minute having welcomed and protected someone who brought a report that in time turned out to be false. Its better to offer protection that later turns out to be unnecessary than to run the risk of dismissing such a serious complaint and leaving someone at the mercy of an aggressor.

Douglas Baptista, pastor of the Assemblies of God and president of the Education and Culture Council of the General Convention of the Assemblies of God in Brazil (CGADB)

In the creation act, the divine image is distributed without distinction between men and women (Gen. 1:27). The Bible teaches the equal importance of both (1 Cor. 11:1112). The Christian marriage model requires the husband to lead his home in the same way that Christ leads the churchthat is, with a vital interest in his wifes well-being (Eph. 5:2829). The husband must love his wife as Christ loves the church. This implies practicing some kind of sacrifice (Eph. 5:25). The wife must be treated with love and not with violence, threats, or authoritarianism. The husband must care for his wife in the same way that he cares for himself (Eph. 5:28). This means protecting his wife and providing her with a dignified life. This care is not limited to material provisions but includes affection, consideration, and honor, among others. These actions must be sincere and permanent, both in public and in private (Col. 3:19).

According to the biblical model, no woman should be subjected to a toxic relationship. This type of abuse happens in different ways: verbally, physically, emotionally. For this reason, a wife should be aware of her husbands aggressiveness and whether he becomes more aggressive when he is contradicted. When this happens, the first step is to immediately seek help and report any signs of violence to your leaders and the civil authorities.

If the abuser is a member or leader of the church, the case must be dealt with firmly to stop the abusive behavior. It should also be noted that sometimes women deny or do not see the situation of abuse, or try to justify the violent actions of their husbands. Therefore, it is essential to offer a support system, making women comfortable to approach and receive help.

Norma Braga, theologian and image consultant, Sao Paulo

Christians must realize that abusers are masters of the art of deception and abusers can be husbands, fathers, pastors, or youth leaders. Healthy leaders will act as protectors of women and children, who are usually the most likely to be victims.

The best prevention against abuse is to foster a Christ-centered culture in the church. Its not enough for our theology to be accurate. In many cases of sexual abuse, even child abuse, the perpetrator is not reported to the police because brother doesnt go to court against brotherbut this argument is a distortion of the Word. In the event of a crime, the church needs to step back so that the state can deal with the case; its the states sphere, not the churchs.

Abuse among us Christians is even worse, as it is usually justified with odious readings from the Bible, which leaves deep scars on the soul. We need to go back to our origins, to the truly humble leadership of the Lord Jesus, who didnt use the sheep for his own gain but sacrificed himself for them.
This week on The Bulletin, a law professor takes us to school to learn about Christian civility, Mike and Russell discuss the contentious US Congress, and Bernie Sanders proposes a four-day work week. Hosts Mike Cosper and editor in chief Russell Moore are joined by Washington University professor John Inazu, CT chief impact officer Nicole Martin, and chief investment officer David Bahnsen of The Bahnsen Group for lively conversation about this weeks headlines and current events. Fans of FXs The Bear will appreciate this weeks Ritchie reference!

This weeks guests:

John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. His latest book is Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect(Zondervan, 2024).

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Nicole Martin serves Christianity Today as chief impact officer after serving on its board of directors. Nicole oversees three major strategic initiatives that are shaping the future of CT including the Global Initiative, the Big Tent Initiative, and the Next Gen Initiative.

David L. Bahnsen is the founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group, a bicoastal private wealth management group with offices in Newport Beach, California, and New York City, managing over $5.3 billion in client assets. David is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business and is a regular contributor to National Review and Forbes. He is the author of Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life.

The Bulletin is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Producers: Clarissa Moll and Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill and Raed Gilliam Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Show Design: Bryan Todd Graphic Design: Amy Jones Social Media: Kate Lucky
His Pentecostalism put him at odds with many but the Deliverance Church founder stood firm in his convictions to bring back the glory of God back to the Church in these last days.

Illustration by Christianity Today / Source Images: Joe Kayo Ministries

Joe Kayo, known by many as the father of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement in East Africa, died on November 2, 2023. He was 86.

Kayo founded churches in four countries: Deliverance Church Kenya, Deliverance Church Uganda, Juba Pentecostal Church in South Sudan, and Family of God Churches of Zimbabwe. At the time of his death, he was leading the Christian Family Church in Nairobi.

Kayo described his ministry as a place where the power of God is seen working with tangible manifestations, to bring back the glory of God back to the Church in these last days.

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Kayo embraced his spiritual calling as African nations were gaining independence from their European colonizers. His vision of creating churches, led and financed by Africans, that contextualized the Christian faith within African culture caught fire throughout East Africa. It also was at odds with many of the churches that traced their roots back to Western missions and with which he tangled frequently over worship styles and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

This is the man God used to break barriers and rocks that stood in front of the charismatic movement and Pentecostalism in East Africa, said J. B. Masinde, a bishop at a Nairobi congregation Kayo had founded, in 2019. He paid a price  this man carries scars that some of you will never understand in your life.

The eldest of six children, Joseph Kayo Nyakango was born in Nyamira County, western Kenya on May 5, 1937. When he was 12, his mother died, and he dropped out of school prematurely due to lack of school fees. In despair, Kayo sank into drug abuse and petty crime. Later in life, he would narrate how he attempted to take his own life three times without success.

More hardships came with young adulthood. Around 1954, Kayo was imprisoned for eight months after he left his job at a sugar company to take a new one. (Because this punishment did not seemingly fit the offense, some have speculated that something else was amiss.) In 1957, while living in the coastal city of Mombasa, he fell seriously ill and was hospitalized. According to his ministry website, his nurses gave up on him, leaving him at a crusade organized by American televangelist T. L. Osborn. While there, Kayo committed his life to Jesus Christ and was miraculously healed.

Soon after that, Kayo experienced the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Spirit and began testifying widely to Gods power. Formerly a night club musician who entertained with his guitar, Kayo now began using the instrument to lead worship at the very same clubs, at a time when mainstream churches still used organs.

I love music and I began to play the guitar in Mombasa before I got born again. I said, if I can change this thing and play it for Gods kingdom, why not?  I found it was very effective, he later said. The guitar itself is not sinful.  It is just an instrument, just like the piano  and the songs I sing are totally scriptural.

By 1960, Kayo had established congregations in the Kenyan coastal cities of Mombasa and Kilifi. From Mombasa, he moved back home to Nyamira, but his family members, who worshiped ancestral spirits, denounced his newfound faith and beliefs. The hostile environment prompted Kayo to relocate to Kisumu, a Kenyan city on the shores of Lake Victoria, where he lived with the American charismatic missionary Derek Prince.

In the late 1960s, Kayo moved to Kampala, Uganda, where he stayed for nearly a decade. Alongside several other Christian leaders, he pioneered the Pentecostal movement there, serving as an itinerant preacher, speaking at schools, colleges, and universities, and preaching on the streets.

As his meetings began to attract huge crowds, mainstream churches associated with Western denominations felt threatened. At the time, many of them had a formal, regimented style of worship, and speaking in tongues was a new phenomenon for them. Confronted by this new expression of Christianity, accompanied by reports of miracle healings and deliverance experiences, many accused Kayo of manipulating people and sheep stealing.

Kayo, in his characteristic stubbornness and grit, was not moved by [these] allegations, wrote wrote Damaris Seleina Parsitau in her thesis on the history of Deliverance Church in Kenya. He believed that God had called him to bring back vitality into the Church of Jesus Christ, a Church which had become lukewarm, ineffective and irrelevant in the African context.

Over time, Kayo, who spoke Ekigusi, Dho Luo, Swahili, and Luganda, received speaking invitations for rallies, conventions, and camps from the countries he had called home as well as Tanzania and Rwanda. His proficiency in English, honed by studying the language as a young person and practicing it with Westerners, made it possible for him not only to preach in English but to expand his ministry as far as Zambia.

As he fielded these speaking invitations and held open-air meetings, Kayo avoided organizing gatherings on Sunday mornings, so as not to compete directly with nearby congregations. But in 1970, after months of immensely popular Monday prayer meetings and Saturday revivals in Nairobi, he and fellow leaders decided to start a Sunday service. On November 22 of that year, 56 people attended the inaugural Sunday worship event.

Kayo led Deliverance Church until 1977, when he stepped down and moved to the United States amidst accusations of adultery and lack of financial accountability. In his absence, the church continued to expand and formalize its structures and hierarchy.

After spending time in the US, Kayo returned to Kenya and started Christian Family Fellowship Church. He wrote numerous books and became the publisher of Revival Digest, a magazine published through his own Joe Kayo Ministries. Beyond Africa, Kayo ministered in Canada, South Africa, England, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Kayo did not hesitate to criticize prosperity preachers. The FAQ page of his website includes a statement that If the preacher teaches that God cannot bless you unless you give them money, it is false. To an inquirer who wondered why he did not encourage people to invest in local pastors ministries, Kayo responded, If that offended your pastors, then I have no apologies to make, money is not the gospel.

In 2004, Kayo reconciled with the leadership of Deliverance Church. Following his death, the General Overseer of the Deliverance Churches in Kenya, Bishop Mark Kariuki, conducted his memorial service.

Kayo leaves behind a widow, Rose; three sons, Junior, James and John; and several grandchildren.
Godong / Getty

Operating a church in Vietnam just became even more difficult thanks to new government regulations that went into effect over the weekend. Under Decree 95, the government will now require religious groups to submit financial records and allow local government officials to suspend religious activities for unspecified serious violations.

Nguyen Ti Dinh of Vietnams religious affairs committee said the guidelines will improve how the government manages religion by implementing uniform measures for the 2018 Law on Belief and Religion, which requires religious groups to register with the government. Observers believe the decree is Vietnams attempt to demonstrate to the international community that it is trying to increase religious liberty and to get off the US State Departments Special Watch List for countries engaged in religious freedom violations.

Yet religious liberty advocates and local church leaders believe the new rules will do the opposite. Instead of making it easier to register churches, the government is requiring more oversight and control. If the Vietnamese government is trying to show the international community that it is serious about religious freedom, noted Hien Vu, Vietnam program manager of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), it needs to explain how the new policy would achieve that.

With this decree, its like Vietnam shot themselves in the foot, Vu said.

The Southeast Asian country, where Christians make up 8 percent of the population, is ranked No. 35 in the Open Doors list of most difficult countries to be a Christian. While Christians can worship freely in bigger cities, believers among ethnic minority groups and in rural areas still face social exclusion, discrimination, and attacks. Religious groups involved in human rights advocacy have also been harassed.

Yet due to work by IGE and other international groups, in the past few decades government officials have become more open to listening to Christians and making space for Christianity in the country.

Decree 95 came as a surprise to religious liberty advocates and local church leaders when the government first made it public in December. It expands on a previous decree (Decree 162) by including measures that allow the government to shut down religious groups and adding requirements for receiving and reporting donations, including from foreign sources, according to Morning Star News.

In 2022, a draft dubbed the punishment decree (due to its focus on punishments for infraction of the religious law) drew harsh criticisms from religious leaders and even some government officials. That decree was eventually tabled. But with Decree 95, the government skipped the step of soliciting public opinion and put the new decree into effect three months after announcing it.

To Vu, the most concerning aspect of the new decree is how it expands the governments financial oversight of churches. An article of the decree reads, Within 20 days, religious organizations and religious affiliates that receive financial aid are responsible for sending reports on the results of the use of grants to the competent state agency.

The government wants to really know where, how, whateverything about receiving financial support, Vu said. The government also needs to know how you spend it.

While ostensibly the reasoning is to increase financial transparency, realistically, the rules are nearly impossible for many of Vietnams Protestant churches to follow, as house churches are often not registered with the government. The governments own stringent rules (including that a church must exist for five years before applying) make it difficult to register. Some house churches are denied while others have waited years for recognition without any progress. Other house churches choose not to register due to the regulatory burdens.

In total, Vietnam has 11 legally registered evangelical denominations, according to Morning Star News.

Without legal status, the groups cant open bank accounts and all their transactions are done in cash. Unlike in the West where tithes and other donations are tax-deductible, such frameworks and practices are nonexistent in Vietnam, and even large donors do not ask for receipts.

A pastor of a registered church in Ho Chi Minh City, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said that while he is familiar with the countrys religion law, the latest guideline on church finances adds confusion as to what the government now requires from them. Churches in his denomination, especially those in rural areas, often rely on foreign funding to construct or expand church buildings, and none of the pastors know how Decree 95 would impact this.

We need the government to respect the church, he said. Something like Decree 95, something like that should not apply to the church. When we apply to have a church in Vietnam, were under very strong control from the government [already].

The pastor believes the government doesnt need to meddle with the churchs finances, adding that if the government continues to tighten its control on churches, the future is not good.

A third of the decrees 98-page document focuses on suspending religious activities for serious violations of the rules. Actions such as infringing on the morality of our indigenous culture and using religion for personal aggrandizement are forbidden. Vu noted that such vague language allows authorities to stop any group they view as a threat to the governments one-party rule.

Religious groups have 24 months to rectify their behavior or face permanent dissolution. The decree also empowers more government officials in the communist bureaucracyall the way down to the commune level or the smallest unit of local governanceto suspend religious activities and organizations.

How the new rules will play out in reality remains to be seen. One Vietnamese leader of a nondenominational ministry told Morning Star News that like previous legislation, in Vietnam everything is open, everything is negotiable. Despite what is written on paper, previous regulations have not been strictly enforced, and Christians with close relationships with government officials can continue worshiping in peace.

Vu said that even with the new decree in effect, pastors and church leaders in Vietnam remain steadfast and resilient.

They are used to these restrictions, Vu said. She described their attitude as Well deal with it when it comes, but well do whatever God calls us to do.
Home News Indiana abortion ban violates religious freedom rights, court rules

An Indiana court has ruled that the state's abortion ban violates the religious freedom of several Jews and religiously unaffiliated people who might seek abortions as the law's supporters remain confident it will withstand scrutiny from the Indiana Supreme Court.

Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Leanna Weismann published an opinion Thursday siding with five anonymous plaintiffs and the group Hoosier Jews for Choice. The plaintiffs asserted that the state's 2022 law prohibiting almost all abortions with exceptions in cases of a fetal anomaly or where the life or health of the mother is at risk violated the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Weismann wrote that the law "provides that '[a] person whose exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened, by a [RFRA] violation' may assert a RFRA claim." The state RFRA law defines "person" as "[a]n organization," "a religious society" and "a group organized and operated primarily for religious purposes."

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According to the decision, all the anonymous plaintiffs are either refraining from "seeking to become pregnant" or "physical intimacy." Two of the plaintiffs, an anonymous Jewish same-sex couple, believe that "life begins when a child takes [their] first breath after being born."

The plaintiffs also believe that "the life of a pregnant person, including their physical and mental health and wellbeing, takes precedence over the potential for life embodied in a fetus." The group, Hoosier Jews for Choice, maintains that "under Jewish law and religious doctrine, life does not begin at conception, and that a fetus is considered a physical part of the woman's body, not having a life of its own or independent rights."

Anonymous Plaintiff 2 is not affiliated with any particular religion but believes in a "supernatural force or power in the universe that connects all humans" and that "we are endowed with bodily autonomy."

The opinion states that "[h]er religious and spiritual beliefs guide her life and dictate that '[i]f a pregnancy or the birth of a child would not allow her to fully realize her humanity and inherent dignity, she would have to terminate her pregnancy ... even under circumstances which would not be permitted under [the Abortion Law].'"

Weissmann agreed that "Plaintiffs Have Shown Pregnancy Termination Qualifies as a Religious Exercise" and thus upheld a lower court ruling that "plaintiffs are entitled to a preliminary injunction barring the State's enforcement of the Abortion Law against them until the court rules on the merits of their claims."

In a statement issued Thursday, Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser, whose organization joined an amicus brief in the case, praised the ruling.

"The court rightly found that Indiana's abortion ban cannot override religious freedom protections in Indiana law," she said. "As we told the court, abortion bans undermine religious freedom by imposing one religious viewpoint on all of us. Abortion bans are a direct attack on the separation of church and state."

"If America is to make good on its promise of religious freedom, each of us must be free to make our own decisions about our own bodies based on our own beliefs," she added. "That's why we need a national recommitment to the separation of church and state. It's the shield that protects freedom without favor and equality without exception for all of us."

Mike Fichter, president of Indiana Right to Life, an activist organization that supported the legislation, lamented the decision, expressing confidence that the state's abortion law will eventually be upheld.

"Today's court ruling is wrongly decided," he said in a statement. "The Indiana Supreme Court has already ruled the state has a compelling interest in protecting unborn life, and Indiana's new abortion-restriction law is doing that by reducing Indiana abortions to the lowest level in five decades."

"We are confident Indiana will prevail against any claims that abortion  the intentional ending of an innocent and helpless human life  is a religious freedom."

Indiana is one of several states that have enacted near-total abortion bans or restricted abortions to the earliest weeks of a pregnancy following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 determination in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion.

Indiana is not the first state to face litigation over the abortion restrictions it passed after the Dobbs decision. The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America lists Arizona, Iowa, Utah and Wyoming as states where such laws are currently on hold due to legal challenges.
Home News Miscarriages and stillbirths on the rise as violence escalates in war-torn Myanmar

Shan State in Myanmar is witnessing a distressing increase in miscarriages and stillbirths as pregnant mothers fleeing conflict are forced to give birth in perilous conditions in remote jungles, according to a new report by a United Kingdom-based charity.

The report by Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust attributes the elevated risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes to the lack of specialized care and the daily struggle for food faced by these mothers.

HART says its investigation draws from firsthand accounts of medical workers on the front lines, witnesses of atrocities and local human rights activists.

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The report details the escalating military offensives against Shan villages, including the deliberate targeting of hospitals and medical facilities. This violence has led to massive displacement, with over 100,000 people fleeing their homes in Shan State alone since October 2023. The fighting has severely disrupted access to essential services like maternal, newborn and child health care.

As more and more people seek shelter in remote locations, HART is scaling up its humanitarian response, HART Chief Executive Sam Mason said, highlighting the critical role of local partners in providing emergency obstetric services to ensure safe childbirth and newborn care.

Baroness Cox, a member of the U.K. House of Lords, founded HART in 2004. The group works in Myanmar through local partners.

Over three years following its coup detat in February 2021, Myanmars junta faced recent military challenges. Ethnic armed groups, as part of Operation 1027, have overrun hundreds of its military bases, indicating a major loss of control and morale. Within its ranks, the junta is experiencing defections and surrenders.

Operation 1027 represented a glimmer of hope to the wider pro-democracy movement, says the report. However, it provoked a brutal response from local military commanders, who doubled down on their efforts to suppress the opposition. The escalation of conflict in Shan state represents the heaviest clashes in Burma since the military coup in 2021.

The conflict in Shan State has also restricted access to food and medicines, further endangering the health of pregnant women and their babies, the report stresses.

Frontline medical workers report an increase in miscarriages and stillbirths, with many babies born prematurely or suffering from infections due to inadequate healthcare facilities.

A local partner of HART, who remains anonymous for security reasons, notes that they are the sole providers of medical care in many areas.

The report also sheds light on the broader implications of the conflict, including the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the use of banned weaponry like cluster munitions by military forces.

These actions have caused immediate harm to civilians and posed long-term threats to their safety and well-being.

In response to the escalating crisis, HART calls on international powers to intensify their efforts in Myanmar, urging neighboring countries Thailand and India to facilitate the delivery of cross-border humanitarian aid. HART urges a global response to address the humanitarian and human rights crisis in the region.

The situation in Shan State is part of a larger pattern of violence and displacement in Myanmar, with ethnic and religious minorities bearing the brunt of the militarys brutal campaign. The militarys tactics, including the use of scorched earth strategies and targeting of non-military infrastructure, have led to widespread human rights violations and a public health crisis.

The international community has scrutinized Myanmars military, locally known as Tatmadaw, for its relentless crackdown on civilians. Both military and rebel actions characterize the ongoing violence and continue to destabilize the state, affecting thousands of lives and altering the social fabric of this troubled region.

Last September, the regional bloc Association of Southeast Asian Nations voted to remove Myanmar from its scheduled 2026 chairmanship, opting for the Philippines instead.

Although a majority of Myanmars population is ethnic Burman and Buddhist, the country is home to several ethnic and religious communities. About 20%-30% of the ethnic Karen are Christian, and in Chin and Kachin States, where the majority of the population is Christian, the military finds a target-rich environment for its operations.

The long-standing persecution has led many to flee Myanmar, seeking refuge in neighboring countries like India and Thailand. Some have even resettled as far away as the United States and Australia. However, many remain in refugee camps close to the Myanmar border, facing decades of uncertainty.
Home News Southern Baptist Convention lost over 1,200 churches in 2022, data shows

The Southern Baptist Convention, the United States' largest Protestant denomination, lost more than 1,200 member churches in 2022, according to a recent data analysis from LifeWay Research.

According to the analysis of the SBC's 2022 Annual Church Profile published Tuesday, Lifeway found that, from 2021 to 2022, 1,253 congregations were no longer part of the SBC.

Of the 50,423 active congregations of the SBC in 2021, 2% were shuttered, while 0.5% either left or were disaffiliated from the convention by the time data for 2022 was compiled.

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The 2022 losses were an increase from the previous two years, noted Lifeway Research, as 2021 saw a loss of 1,003 congregations to closure and dismissal, while 2020 saw a loss of 1,002.

"Every week, the national network of Southern Baptist congregations changes," Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said in a statement.

"Once each year, we take a snapshot of the current Southern Baptist congregations to report national statistics. Later, analysis between annual lists of congregations reveals more details of these constant changes."

In May 2023, Lifeway, the research division of the SBC, released a report finding that the SBC experienced a decline of approximately 457,000 people, making it the largest membership drop in a century.

According to the 2023 report, total SBC membership went from approximately 13.68 million members in 2021 to 13.22 million members in 2022. The report added that the "457,371 members lost is the largest single-year numerical drop in more than 100 years."

Although the report from last year said that the SBC lost 416 member congregations as opposed to 1,253, this was because the report included churches that opened during the year, which offset the number of congregations that were closed or dismissed.

In a statement at the time, McConnell attributed the decline in membership in part to updates to membership records by SBC-affiliated congregations.

"Much of the downward movement we are seeing in membership reflects people who stopped participating in an individual congregation years ago and the record keeping is finally catching up," he said.

"Membership totals for a congregation immediately reflect additions as well as subtractions due to death or someone removing themselves from membership. But many congregations are slow to remove others who no longer are participating."

The reported SBC membership is still well above the approximately 7 million reported in 1950, although it is a few million below the peak of about 16.3 million people reported in 2006.

Dwindling congregation numbers are not unique to the SBC; many Mainline Protestant denominations have membership sizes that are a fraction of what they were decades ago.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) reported losing over 100 congregations and 53,000 members in 2022. The United Church of Christ declined by over 286,000 members and lost over 500 churches from 2012 to 2022.

Previous Lifeway Research analysis found approximately 4,500 Protestant churches were closed in the U.S. in 2019 while only around 3,000 were started.

Recent Gallup polling suggests that church attendance has declined among nearly all religious groups, as just three in 10 U.S. adults attend religious services regularly.

Forty-three percent of Protestants surveyed say they "seldom" or "never" attend church, while half (50%) of Catholics said the same.
Home News United Methodist Church regains control of breakaway Illinois church property

An Illinois-based regional body of the United Methodist Church regained control of church property that was involved in litigation with a group that broke away from the denomination.

Last month, a judge ruled in favor of the UMC Northern Illinois Conference in a legal battle over who rightfully owns the accounts and property of Naperville Korean United Methodist Church.

The breakaway group, known as Naperville Korean Church, was part of a wave of thousands of congregations that have disaffiliated in recent years from the UMC amid the longstanding schism over the denomination's stance on homosexuality.

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The Rev. Victoria Rebeck, director of communication for the conference, told The Christian Post on Thursday that while the "case is ongoing," they are currently in control of the property.

"The Northern Illinois Conference is grateful for this decision and is using this opportunity to actively work towards reconciliation with the members and leadership of the Naperville Korean Church," explained Rebeck.

"Members of the Naperville Korean United Methodist Church who have wanted to remain with The United Methodist Church have been holding worship services in the building since Palm Sunday. All people, including new visitors as well as people who had long been part of the congregation, are welcome."

Rebeck directed CP to a statement made by the conference last month, which noted that Judge Anne T. Hayes had issued a temporary injunction in favor of the UMC regional body.

The conference accused the breakaway group of illegally taking possession of the church property last year, having discontinued the formal process for leaving the denomination.

Disputes over the church property and assets eventually led to the UMC regional body filing a lawsuit last October.

Dr. K.P. Chung, a physician and leader in the congregation loyal to the UMC, said the return of the property gives them "a great opportunity for this congregation to get stronger, become more united, and to do good work for the community."

"We plan to reach out not only to Korean-speaking people, but also to neighbors who may speak English, Spanish, or another language," said Chung. "We have been preparing for this day and how we are going to work together and make a stronger, better church."

Over 7,600 UMC congregations have left the mainline Protestant denomination since 2019. Although the UMC Book of Discipline prohibits same-sex marriage and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, theologically conservative churches have objected to progressive leaders within the denomination refusing to follow or enforce the rules.

While most churches faced little obstacles in their quests for disaffiliation, other congregations have had to pay large sums to their UMC regional bodies to keep control of their properties. Dozens of churches nationwide filed lawsuits claiming the process set up by their UMC regional bodies has been unfair. However, many of those churches have had their complaintsdismissed.

In one instance in Arkansas, the regional body removed a church pastor after rejecting the congregation's dissafiliation vote. A court ordered the congregation to vacate the premises by Aug. 1 last year. The pastor was replaced with a pastor loyal to the UMC.
Home News Watchdog sues State Dept. to obtain Biden officials' communications about Tucker Carlson Agency reportedly delayed request for 'unusual circumstances'

A nonprofit government watchdog is suing the U.S. State Department to obtain communications between top officials regarding Tucker Carlson after the agency reportedly failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The Washington, D.C.-based conservative activist organization Judicial Watch announced in a statement Tuesday that it filed a lawsuit on March 22 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that the State Department cited "unusual circumstances" regarding why its FOIA request of Feb. 7 was delayed as of March 19 and remains unfulfilled.

The complaint alleges that the State Department triggered FOIA's administrative exhaustion requirement by failing to reach a determination on their request by March 21.

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The request demanded all emails and other diplomatic communications between Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary Victoria Nuland and other department officials regarding the former Fox News host, who recently interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Judicial Watch's complaint requests the court to order the State Department to conduct the searches related to their FOIA request, produce the requested records or explain why they are being withheld, enjoin them against continuing to withhold non-exempt records and pay the attorneys' fees and other litigation costs.

"Why is the Biden State Department violating FOIA law to hide records on Tucker Carlson?" asked Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

In the past, Carlson has alleged that the government obtained private texts regarding multiple planned meetings with Putin via surveillance.

In 2021, Carlson said on his Fox News show that a whistleblower in Washington, D.C., had informed him that the National Security Agency (NSA)  under the U.S. Department of Defense  had been spying on his texts regarding a planned trip to Russia.

He further claimed the NSA planned to leak information about the planned meeting to media outlets in an attempt to have his show taken off the air.

The NSA publicly denied Carlson's allegation. Carlson maintained on the "Full Send Podcast" in March 2023 that the NSA admitted to Congress that it had been spying on his encrypted messages on Signal, purportedly a secure app.

"Congress asked NSA and NSA was like, 'Yes, we did this but for good reason!' What would be a good reason to read [my texts]? ... Everyone's in on it  Republicans and Democrats are all in on it," he said.

"And by 'it,' I mean the assumption that there's no privacy whatsoever, that they have a right to know everything you're saying and thinking," he added. "And that's just not a right, as far as I'm concerned. And by the way, if you have no privacy, you have no freedom."

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
Home Opinion North Koreas rejection of reunification may seal the fate of its secret Christians

Standing before the Supreme Peoples Assembly in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the Arch of Reunification, a monumental sculpture symbolizing the hope for reunification with South Korea, an eyesore. Within days, the massive installation vanished from satellite imagery, quickly demolished by Kims regime.

In the very same speech, Kim declared that reunification with the South was no longer possible and demanded that the North Korean constitution be amended to identify South Korea as the number one hostile state.

None of Kims inflammatory comments or actions are particularly surprising at this point. He has a long and well-known track record of making saber-rattling threats, test-firing long-range missiles, and viciously oppressing his own people. He's worked to cut off communications with the South for years, even releasing footage of blowing up a joint liaison office with the South that was intended to help the two countries correspond.

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Kims behavior has made it quite clear that he will never reunify. No amount of negotiation will change his mind for one simple reason  he is the supreme leader of a rogue nation who believes he is a god in his own mind. Because of that, North Koreans  particularly Christians and people of faith  continue to suffer tremendously.

Kim is the head of the Workers Party of Korea, which enforces an ideology known as Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. Named after Kim's grandfather and father, the set of beliefs follows the words and the teachings of the dictators. From an early age, North Koreans are forced to strictly adhere to the unconditional obedience in accomplishing the instructions given by the Kim family and the Partys lines and policies. North Korean defector and human rights campaigner Yeonmi Park has said that she was taught in school that Kim Jong Il was a god who could read the minds of everyday citizens. Children also learn that Kim Il Sung was a supernatural being who used a deflection technique to avoid bullets in battle.

Any deviation in belief in this mandated philosophy is met with harsh punishment, including imprisonment, torture, and even execution. Those who practice any form of religion belong to the hostile class and are considered enemies of the state. No room is left for alternative belief systems, like Christianity, which are seen as existential threats, and drive North Koreas ongoing egregious religious violations. This makes the country one of the most difficult places in the world for Christians, with some estimates stating as many as 50,000-70,000 believers are currently facing horrific conditions in brutal labor camps.

There are things the US government can do to put pressure on North Korea as an attempt to address the crackdown on Christians and religious freedom. We can pass the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act to support programs that reunite families. We can make sure that our Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues has the resources it needs. We can impose targeted sanctions on North Korean officials. But the reality is that although the passage of a bill might change something, were dealing with a rogue nation  one that has voluntarily cut itself off from the world for more than 75 years and doesnt seem interested in rejoining it.

This also means that Christians are also cut off from the world. The North Korean church isnt your mom and dads church  this is a church that lives behind enemy lines. Every day, secret Christians risk their lives to follow Jesus. As fellow believers, we need to think like insurgents when supporting these brothers and sisters, providing Bibles, spiritual training, and pastoral care despite the risks. North Korean believers are crying out, but often their cries are not heard. We, as the American church, need to be the voice of the voiceless. North Koreans dont have microphones, but we do. Our congregations, families, Bible study groups must be those microphones. At Global Christian Relief, we believe that Christians should not be alone. Lets not let our North Korean brothers and sisters die unheard.
Home News Answers in Genesis launching new curriculum for Christian schools

The Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis, known for its Creation Museum and arguments for young earth creationism, has launched a new Christian school curriculum.

Known as the "Twelve Stones Curriculum," this program is meant for Bible classes in Christian schools, providing students with apologetic and worldview resources.

The name "Twelve Stones" derives from Joshua 4, in which God tells the Israelites to build a memorial of 12 stones to remember when they miraculously crossed the Jordan River.

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Christa Ebert, manager of Curriculum Production & Design at Answers in Genesis, told The Christian Post that the program was created because "a student's biblical worldview begins in the early years of life."

"Therefore, a child's education should be grounded in the truth: the authority of God's Word, starting in Genesis chapters one to 11 and the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Ebert said. "Our desire is to help students develop a solid biblical foundation and proper worldview that will prepare them to stand firm in their faith."

Ebert also told CP that interest in the curriculum is "high," noting that Answers in Genesis "recently received curriculum materials in the warehouse" and that "the Twelve Stones Curriculum will start shipping out orders this month."

Currently, the curriculum is available for kindergarten to second grade, with work still being done on the content for grades three through 12. According to Ebert, work on the third-grade program is "wrapping up," and the organization's curriculum team will begin working on the fourth-grade content in the summer.

"Our Twelve Stones Curriculum integrates critical thinking skills, engaging activities, and flexible strategies in an easy-to-use format for teachers and students  all of which take time and resources to develop well," Ebert explained.

"The Twelve Stones Curriculum also incorporates additional instructional illustrations, printables, manipulatives, and digital resources to equip teachers with various student engagements."

Ebert told CP she hoped the curriculum's students would "develop a solid biblical foundation and proper worldview in which they understand God, his Word, and the Gospel."

"While students will be challenged by a rigorous and thorough Bible curriculum, Twelve Stones incorporates differentiated instructions to help all learners believe, defend, and proclaim God's Word," she added.

A study from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released last October found that most children aged 8-12 reject one or more fundamental Christian beliefs.

For example, just 36% of respondents agreed that "as a sinner, the only solution to the consequences of sin is to acknowledge your sins, ask God to forgive you through Jesus Christ, and rely on Him to save you from those consequences." Additionally, 25% said they "trust the Bible because it is completely true" and "personally relevant" to their lives.
Home News Catholic diocese in California files for bankruptcy over child abuse lawsuits

A Roman Catholic diocese based in California has announced that it is filing for bankruptcy due to the expenses related to numerous lawsuits centered on priest abuse.

The Diocese of Sacramento released a statement on Monday confirming that Bishop Jaime Soto had filed for reorganization of the Diocese of Sacramentos debts in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The filing comes as the diocese faced over 250 lawsuits related to sex abuse of minors by clergy and lay employees, stemming from incidents that go as far back as the 1950s.

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This wave of new claims followed a 2019 law allowing victim-survivors to file lawsuits regardless of when the abuse occurred. The likely cost of the lawsuits far outstrips the dioceses funds available for litigation or settlement, the diocese stated.

Under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, a court will oversee the distribution of available assets to satisfy claims against the diocese. Victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse will be represented in the court-supervised proceeding. A fund will be established to be distributed to victim-survivors as equitably as possible.

Soto was quoted in the statement as saying that filing for bankruptcy was the best way to compensate victim-survivors who have long suffered from the reprehensible sins committed against them.

It is the sickening sin of sexual abuse  and the failure of church leadership to address it appropriately  that brought us to this place. I must atone for these sins, Soto added.

Join me in praying for the healing of victim-survivors. The pain inflicted on them lasts a lifetime, and so our atonement must be a lifetime commitment.

The diocese announced its intentions to file for bankruptcy last December, with the bishop sending a letter to diocesan members at the time explaining that the decision came after much prayer and consideration.

Without such a process, it is likely that diocesan funds would be exhausted by the first cases to proceed to trial, leaving nothing for the many other victim-survivors still waiting for compensation, Soto wrote last year.

In 2019, California passed Assembly Bill 218, which, among other things, expanded the time period in which a person could claim damages for childhood sexual assault.

In an action for recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual assault, the time for commencement of the action shall be within 22 years of the date the plaintiff attains the age of majority or within five years of the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that psychological injury or illness occurring after the age of majority was caused by the sexual assault, whichever period expires later, read the legislation.

The actions allowed under this standard included action for liability against any person or entity who owed a duty of care to the plaintiff if a wrongful or negligent act by that person or entity was a legal cause of the childhood sexual assault that resulted in the injury to the plaintiff.

According to the diocese, of the approximately 250 abuse claims filed, 80% of the alleged incidents took place in the 1980s or earlier, with only six occurring after 2002 when the diocese implemented safeguards and reforms.
Home News French gender equality minister wants priest prosecuted for saying homosexuality is sinful 'weakness'

A French government official has called for the prosecution of a Roman Catholic priest over a video he posted to social media describing homosexual inclinations as "a weakness" that must be fought like any other sin.

Father Matthieu Raffray, 45, posted the video to his more than 60,000 Instagram followers on March 15, admonishing them to resist their sinful weaknesses, including homosexuality among them.

"We all have weaknesses: those who are greedy, those who are angry, those who have homosexual tendencies!" Raffray said in the incriminating video, according to French Catholic media outlet Famille Chretienne.

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Raffray's comments drew the ire of Aurore Berge, a 37-year-old politician who has served as France's minister for gender equality, diversity and equal opportunities since January.

Berge released a statement on March 20 saying that Raffray's comments about homosexuality were "unacceptable" and that she was reporting him to the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight against Racism, Anti-semitism, and Anti-LGBT Hatred (DILCRAH) to be prosecuted under Article 40 of the French penal code.

"I will not let anything go in the face of hatred, whatever it may be," Berge said in an X post.

DILCRAH  a delegation that works with various government ministries to devise, coordinate and manage French government policy on combating racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hate crimes  replied to Berge's tweet about 20 minutes later by noting they had forwarded Raffray's comments to the public prosecutor at her request.

"So-called 'conversion therapy' has been illegal since 2022," the delegation tweeted. "Talking about homosexuality as a weakness is shameful."

On the same day, Raffray tweeted that his X account has passed over 20,000 followers and thanked "the hysterics of all stripes who try to destabilize me with grotesque controversies: publicity assured."

"Friends or enemies: I pray for you," he wrote.

Je viens de m'apercevoir que ce compte vient de depasser les 20.000 followers !



Merci a tous pour votre soutien.



Merci aussi aux hysteriques de tous bords qui tentent de me destabiliser par des polemiques grotesques : publicite assuree ????????



Amis ou ennemis : je prie pour vous. pic.twitter.com/JH2c1GlJbj  Abbe Matthieu Raffray ?????????? (@AbbeRaffray) March 20, 2024

In the video, the priest reminded his listeners that everyone has the requisite spiritual weapons to combat such weaknesses but that Satan tempts them to believe the battle is "too hard" and to give up.

Raffray, who has a sizable social media following and outreach to young French people, has remained unapologetic regarding his position and has not removed the video despite ruffling the feathers of the French diversity minister.

The priest told Famille Chretienne that his video was about "temptations in general" and that his intention was not to single out homosexuality but rather "to make it clear that we are not obliged to give in to all our temptations, to all our desires."

"I cite homosexuality, among other things," he said. "Homosexual acts are a sin, but I think people no longer know what a sin is. Denouncing a sin does not mean denouncing the person who commits the sin! You could have blamed me if I had said something clumsy or hurtful, but that's not the case here."

"Not only am I not homophobic; in addition, as a priest, I am careful about the vocabulary I use on this issue because I know that the subject is sensitive and that people can easily be hurt," he said.

Raffrey believes the French government is attacking the Catholic Church and its teachings through him.

"What is at stake is not me, but the freedom to be Christian today," he was quoted as saying. "I hope that all the faithful realize that it is Christian morality and the entire Church that are under attack."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church condemns homosexual inclinations as "objectively disordered" and that they constitute "a trial" for those Catholics who experience them. The catechism also teaches that those who struggle with such feelings "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."

The conversion therapy ban France passed in 2022 prohibits "repeated practices, behaviors or comments aimed at modifying or repressing a person's sexual orientation" and could feasibly be used to prosecute figures such as Raffray, Famille Chretienne noted.

Governments clamping down on speech critical of homosexuality have emerged in other parts of Europe.

In Finland, Finnish MP Paivi Rasanen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland have been dragged into court multiple times in recent years on "hate speech" charges for publishing material in opposition to homosexuality.

In Malta, Matthew Grech faced criminal charges under the country's conversion therapy ban last year for giving his Christian testimony about leaving a homosexual lifestyle on a radio show.

Speaking about proposed anti-hate speech legislation in Ireland that would apply to sexual orientation, Alliance for Defending Freedom CEO Kristen Waggoner told The Christian Post in December that her organization perceives "a global trend toward censorship."

"And it's not just a disregard for free speech; it's an active targeting to silence speech by the government," she said, adding that the U.S. is not immune to such trends despite the U.S. Constitution.
Home News Megachurch pastor says viral comment about wives on wedding night was a joke

A Texas pastor says that his recent comment that women should do whatever their husbands want on their wedding night was meant to be a joke.

Josh Howerton, the senior pastor of Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, came under scrutiny last week after comments he made in February about what a wife should do for her husband on their wedding night resurfaced.

The pastor began a sermon posted to YouTube on Feb. 26 by recalling an event he held titled "Marriage Night." He offered a "gold nugget of advice" that he received from a mentor about marriage.

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The pastor told the men in the audience that the woman they marry "has been planning" her wedding "her entire life" and that they should "stand where she tells you to stand, wear what she tells to you to wear and do what she tells you to do." He insisted that taking his advice would "make her the happiest woman in the world."

At the same time, Howerton told the women in his congregation that, when it came to the wedding night, the man they marry "has been planning this day his whole life, so just stand where he tells you to stand, wear what he tells you to wear and do what he tells you to do and you're going to make him the happiest man in the world."

Sheila Gregoire, host of the "Bare Marriage" podcast who has over 41,000 followers on the social media platform, shared a 22-second clip of what she characterized as his "advice to women" on X last Thursday. The clip has received over 1.1 million views as of Thursday.

Gregoire devoted an episode of her podcast to discussing the remarks.

Howerton took to social media Friday to defend his remarks and raised allegations of deceptive editing on the part of Gregoire, whom he did not explicitly name.

"The person who originally posted this took an old preacher joke about marriage, edited out the comment immediately before aimed at men, and then very conveniently ended the clip before it's made clear it's part of a joke," he said.

"They then deceitfully presented it as my 'advice to women' where if all you saw was the quote or the clip they selectively edited, you don't know it was half of a joke, not 'advice.'"

In a post included in her X thread about Howerton's comments, Gregoire acknowledged that "this followed him telling men that she's been planning the wedding her whole life, so he needs to show up and stand where she tells him to stand, wear what she tells him to wear, and do what she tells him to do."

Mentioning that "he thought this was all good advice," Gregoire indicated on her podcast and her X thread that she vehemently disagreed with his thinking.

"The number of men commenting 'it was just a joke' is so telling," she wrote. "Marital rape is not funny. Normalizing sexual coercion is not funny. Not caring at all about female pleasure is not funny. If you think this is funny, you may want to ask the women in your life if they find you safe and kind."

Gregoire responded to Howerton's post, asserting last Friday that "the broader context makes this worse than only looking at the advice to women," contending that his classification of the wedding day as the pinnacle of a woman's life implies that men "don't have to take on ANY of the mental load, emotional involvement, or work of the wedding" because "it's all on her."

Gregoire expressed concern that Howerton's remarks cause men to think that "at the wedding night, you get to act like a porn director and direct her every move so you get exactly what you want."
Home News Mother of youth minister shot dead by pastors son in love triangle confident justice will be served

Shaylor Wilcots, the mother of late New Generation Church Youth Minister Denzel Branch, who was shot dead by his lead pastor's son Joshua Bell during a dispute near the church on Sunday, is confident justice will be served as she prepares to bury her son on Saturday.

"I know justice is going to be served, and I won't stand in the way, but I will be there to support and love his family, church, family and those that are around," Wilcots said in an interview with WFAA Wednesday when asked about her son's alleged killer.

"Even with him, I continue to keep them in my prayers daily, hoping that he'll send a letter to say that he repented. If he doesn't know God, I hope he says that he accepted him as his personal savior."

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Records from the Dallas Police Department cited by NBCDFW state that Bell (a.k.a. Joshua Andrews), 30, who has been identified as the son of New Generation Church leader Eric Andrews, was charged with the shooting death of Branch, 31.

Bell, who confessed to an affair with the late youth minister's wife before their recent divorce, gunned down Branch in a rage-filled attack following a fight inside the church after a service celebrating Easter Sunday.

Police say they responded to the 2500 block of 56th Street in Dallas after getting reports of the shooting that occurred around 3:25 p.m. Branch, a father of five, was found suffering from a gunshot wound and later died at a local hospital.

Before the shooting, eyewitnesses told police that Branch punched Bell in the face, causing the pastor's son to pull out a black pistol and fire multiple shots.

Branch tried to escape the shooting in a car, but police say Bell confessed to following the youth minister and kept shooting. He stopped after "he saw (Branch) laying on the middle of the road."

Bell, who fled the scene after the shooting, eventually turned himself over to police, where he "stated he has been involved in an intimate relationship since May 2023 with (Branch's ex-wife), who divorced (Branch) around November 2023," according to the arrest affidavit.

Branch's mother, who did a private viewing of his body on Wednesday, said her son was very active in his church.

"He sang with the choir. He's also part of the ministry at the pulpit team in the prayer voice. I mean, he was just involved in everything," she said.

She recalled being stunned by the news of her son's murder on Sunday but said she almost immediately called on God for strength.

"I remember having the feeling of being so dizzy at first," she said. "And then I just screamed out that I trusted God."

Bell is currently in custody in the Dallas County Jail with a $500,000 bond, according to court records.
Home News North Carolina church fires pastor over admitted sexual misconduct: 'Lord brought judgment'

Following a unanimous decision from church leadership, a North Carolina congregation fired its pastor after discovering that he engaged in sexual misconduct.

Pursuit Church of Denver announced in a letter sent to the congregation on Monday that it removed Pastor Jordan Green from his leadership position, effective immediately.

According to the letter, the decision to dismiss Green "was made swiftly after church leaders learned of situations involving Jordan Green that were in direct violation of Pursuit Church's policy regarding workplace harassment."

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"We want to be clear, Jordan Green committed acts of sexual misconduct which has deeply wounded his victims, the people who call Pursuit Church home and this leadership team," stated the letter.

Green confessed to his wrongdoing last week before two church leaders, according to the letter, although in a follow-up meeting with staff, Green apparently "told partial truths and manipulated the events to fit the narratives he so desired to control." The church contends that "Jordan's confession was no confession at all."

"After these initial meetings were held on Thursday and Friday, which were sorely misrepresented by Jordan to the leadership team, additional information came to light regarding the true depth of the sexual misconduct," the church letter continued.

"One by one, brave souls began to share their personal stories of how Jordan had harmed them during their employment at Pursuit Church. It was raw. It was angry. It was real. He sat silently, head down, unresponsive, except for two instances where he attempted to defend himself."

As part of his termination, Green will not be allowed to be on church property or enter a school the congregation oversees.

Green issued a statement to Charlotte-based WBTV, saying he is "deeply heartbroken over the pain I've brought to the church and the shame I've brought on the name of Christ."

"Although I do believe there are things being said that are twisted versions of the truth or aren't true at all at the foundation of this is my genuine grievous sin against God and his church," stated Green.

"The Lord brought judgment and discipline down on my life which I am extremely thankful for. When God disciplines us it is always to deliver and never to destroy. I have and will continue to repent before the Lord and seek him through this season of discipline."

Green said he is "deeply sorry for the pain I've caused to those involved" and that "I love Pursuit Church and the whole church family and my hope and prayer is God will continue to immensely bless it now and in the future."
Home Opinion Our delicate dance with Donald Trump

In April 2016 I wrote an article titled, Donald Trump is Not Your Protector: A Warning to Conservative Christians. It began with a strong word of caution: Donald Trump has presented himself as a protector of conservative Christians and as the best friend Christians will ever have. He has held up his mothers Bible and pledged to bring Christ back into Christmas. But when the rubber meets the road, he is anything but the defender of conservative Christians and their values.

It ended with an even stronger caution: If youre a Trump supporter, you might say, I know hes not a Christian and I dont even think hes a real conservative, but Im voting for him because I believe hes the best man to fix our economy and protect our borders. I beg to differ, but I can respect that position. But please dont look to him to be a defender of conservative Christian values or a protector of religious freedoms. Barring dramatic divine intervention in his life, you will be sadly disappointed.

Be forewarned.

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This was written, of course, before Trump became the GOP candidate.

Before it became a race between him and Hillary Clinton.

Before he appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, leading to the overturning of Roe in 2022.

Before he issued an executive order overturning the Johnson Amendment.

Before he moved our embassy to Jerusalem.

Before I voted for him in 2016 and then in 2020.

Looking back now, in some ways, I was clearly wrong about Trump. He kept his word on many essential promises, he kept his door open to evangelical leaders, and he stood up for many issues of importance to us. He did not simply use us to get elected and then discard us, as I feared he would.

Thats why, with hope but some trepidation, I voted for him in 2016 and then, with more confidence and less trepidation, in 2020, especially in light of the other presidential choices.

This was one time I was glad to say I was wrong  but only in one sense.

In another sense, the warning was spot on, as to this day, the former president does not share some of our core convictions in full, in particular when it comes to issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ activism.

And so, on the one hand, he says that, as a rebuke to Pres. Bidens horrifically timed, Good Friday-Easter Sunday announcement about the Transgender Day of Visibility, as president, he will create a Christian Visibility Day.

On the other hand, a gay website reported just five weeks ago that, Donald Trump gave his approval to a same-sex wedding ceremony taking place at his Florida mansion, Mar-a-Lago, last Friday.

The nuptials took place between two men, at least one of whom is active within the Log Cabin Republicans. The organization represents gay supporters of the GOP.

And it was on December 16, 2022, that Politico posted this report about a gala, Log Cabin Republican (meaning, gay Republican) event at Mar-a-Lago, in which, the main attraction, obviously, was Trump. He received a standing ovation after delivering an enthusiastic affirmation of gay rights not often heard in the GOP.

We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard, the former president and 2024 candidate said. With the help of many of the people here tonight in recent years, our movement has taken incredible strides, the strides youve made here is incredible.

Throughout the evening, speakers praised Trump for his embrace of the gay community. They credited him for his initiatives to combat the criminalization of homosexuality, his work pushing for public heath initiatives to combat the HIV epidemic, and for appointing the first openly gay Cabinet member, Grenell, as director of national intelligence.

Need I say more?

My counsel, then, to all followers of Jesus, especially to pastors and leaders, is this.

You may choose to vote for Trump because of his policies, especially in contrast with the Democratic alternative.

You may appreciate his efforts to stand up for Christian liberties and defend our rights.

But in no way should you look to him to lead the way in bringing about the moral or cultural transformation of our nation, let alone the spiritual transformation. He may point to the Bible as his favorite book, but it remains clear by his actions and words that the contents of that Book are not yet written deeply on his heart, nor does he have an intimate personal relationship with the divine Author.

More importantly, we must learn the painful lessons from the last 8 years during which time many of us became better known as supporters of Trump, if not apologists for Trump, than as followers of Jesus. In doing so, we deeply damaged our witness and drove many Americans, especially young Americans, away from Jesus.

Thats why I posted this on X: My advice to pastors and Christian leaders as we enter the thick of this volatile election season: Lift up Jesus, preach Jesus, point people to Jesus, be identified as a Jesus follower  lead with Jesus!  and then vote your conscience and encourage others to do the same.

And rather than looking to President Trump to proclaim a Christian Visibility Day, lets shine the light 24/7.

(For my encouragement to believers to celebrate April 14 as Not Ashamed of Jesus Day and the reasons for it, go here.)
Home Opinion The made-up hysteria over Christian nationalism should stop

Over the last few years, the term "Christian Nationalism" has exploded into the media limelight, growing from an obscure reference to an oft-discussed topic. This trend has become particularly noticeable in recent election cycles, with a seemingly inescapable torrent of headlines and cable news panel debates. Listening to the commentary surrounding this issue could lead a casual observer to believe we are on the verge of commencing a violent religious crusade. However, further scrutiny calls into question the hype around so-called Christian nationalism.

Manufactured outrage

First, we have to understand that the media boogeyman within the Christian nationalist narrative is not new. Christian Conservatives have always resisted radical social changes and have long participated in electoral politics. To the extent that anyone believes this to be a problem (and I dont), intellectual honesty requires all to concede this is not a new phenomenon, nor is it inherently extremist.

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According to Google Trends, there were few mentions of Christian nationalism before and during the Trump presidency. Still, the use of the term skyrocketed during the 2022 midterms and has become a rising topic of discussion again during the ongoing 2024 election cycle. The media's newfound obsession with Christian nationalism is generally accompanied by cries of an impending threat to American democracy. The insistent yelping of progressive opinion leaders seems to conspicuously proliferate in election years.

Unfounded claims and the misrepresentation of faith

To be clear, there are people who proclaim religious motivation as a basis for extremist acts, but this has always been true. Although finding anecdotal evidence of people doing crazy things in the name of a faith tradition isnt impossible, this doesnt automatically validate the progressive media narrative around the rising threat of so-called Christian nationalism. Likewise, there is no evidence of an increase in Christians perpetrating hate crimes or a sinister, widespread plot to sabotage democracy.

Despite fervent alarm, the factual evidence points to a different reality

The belief that Christian nationalism poses a significant threat to democracy ignores reality. America has rapidly secularized, and the Christian identity has been in a state of decline for decades. Likewise, Christian practice in America is highly fragmented, with hundreds of denominations, each with its own doctrines and political preferences. This high variance in religious interpretation undermines the entire concept of Christian nationalism. There is no consensus on Christian identity to form a nationalist movement around.

Secular stigmatization and its consequences

The rebranding of traditional Christian political participation as a radical anti-democratic plot is dishonest and unfair. One would be justified in wondering if the fear-mongering around Christian nationalism serves a more insidious purpose: the stigmatization of the Christian faith. Discussing Christian faith in an almost exclusively negative context will likely denigrate religious communities by portraying them as extremists. This misrepresentation of Christianity risks exacerbating the broader cultural shift away from religious tradition and its benefits.

In fact, the real threat facing America is declining religiosity. Decades of studies have shown that those engaged with their faith tend to be happier and more charitable than their secular peers. Polling data shows that Gen Z is the least religious, the least conservative, and the most depressed generation on record. This fact highlights the irony of the current situation: in a society grappling with issues like rising youth depression, we find ourselves in the midst of what seems to be a concerted effort to push people away from the benefits of faith.

It is time to reject myths and embrace the truth: being a Christian is not radical.

The media-manufactured perception of a growing Christian nationalist threat collapses under examination of the facts. The narrative of Christian nationalism as an imminent threat is, at best, an exaggeration and, at worse, a purposeful attempt to polarize and stigmatize Christians for clicks and ratings.
Home Opinion Unveiling the double standard: Why Christians and Jews are told to toughen up

This past weekend, as millions of Christians throughout the world celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, anti-Israel protestors disrupted an Easter Vigil at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, and the White House declared Easter Sunday Trans Day of Visibility. But many of these same people, who seem to have no regard for Christian or Jewish High Holy Days, have been agitating for a Ramadan Ceasefire  exhibiting a clear double standard for religious considerations.

During the highest mass of the liturgical year, wherein traditional services begin in darkness and slowly come into light to commemorate Jesus victory over death and Hell, some zealous anti-Israel protestors marched through the nave of the church to cover the altar with signs and disrupt the liturgy.

On Good Friday, as Christians memorialize Christ's crucifixion, President Biden, by virtue of the authority vested in [him] by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, proclaimed an official Trans Day of Visibility  with celebrations on Easter Sunday. This, of course, turns the holiest day in the Christian calendar into another celebration of an anthropology that conflicts with orthodox Christianity.

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As a rule, it is wise to attribute blunders like this to stupidity first and malice last  but it is hard to imagine that President Biden, himself a cradle Catholic, missed this double coopting of two days of Triduum.

Some defenders of the day have attempted to cover these bad optics with a fig leaf  reminding everyone that the holiday will be on March 31st and that Easter is a moveable feast. But still  why the announcement on Good Friday? If one insists on adding such a day to the national calendar, why not move it to June  in the already ubiquitous pride month without the risk of coopting Easter?

These two fiascos are just the latest and most blatant installments in a long-brewing dissonance in the way the ideological left treats religion, wherein deference for customs and holidays is filtered through the intersectional hierarchy. Recently, this means that Ramadan and Muslim iconoclasm are sacred lines in the sand while Christians and Jews are, at best, told to grow thicker skin and, at worst, openly harassed.

One of the canonical examples of this happened a few years ago when the famously irreverent South Park was censored by Comedy Central for making a joke about how they couldnt depict Muhammad.

Before the episodes release, the creators received threats from Revolution Muslim that they would probably wind up like Theo van Gogh  the film creator who was murdered by a Muslim extremist for his documentary about women in Islamic societies  if they proceeded with the episode. Instead of condemning the threat of terrorism, the network censored the jokes that would be offensive to some Muslims. Still, it maintained irreverent references to Jesus, Moses, and Buddha  Including a scene wherein Buddha snorts cocaine and Jesus watches pornography.

One can argue against blasphemous content about religious figures in general, but the principle has to be applied evenly. When people and institutions create a special standard of care that applies only to one religion, it is obvious that they are doing so out of cowardice or for political ends, not for any consistent philosophical principle.

This same double standard has manifested in recent weeks amid the Israel-Hamas war, with Liberal politicians and pundits alike demanding a ceasefire for Ramadan and ignoring the fact that Hamas strategically started its most recent Jihad against Israel on Simchat Torah, a high holiday in the Jewish calendar. They conveniently gloss over the statements from Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas calling for Ramadan to be a month of terror. Never mind that, throughout the Muslim world, terrorist attacks and wars are regularly launched during Ramadan  including the Yom Kippur War against Israel. These same activists did not call for a Christmas Armistice in Ukraine or for Iran and its proxies to leave Israel alone during Passover.

A clear double standard has emerged that has nothing to do with universal principles of religious toleration and respect for all. An enemy of my enemy is my friend seems to be the pathos of our age. It explains strange phenomena like the existence of Queers for Palestine, despite the fact that homosexuality is punishable by death under Sharia Law. It explains the strange memorializing by people like Bernie Sanders and Cornel West of an airman who set himself on fire outside an Israeli embassy. It explains the demand that Israel go easy on Hamas and PIJ, despite their repeated assertions that they will repeat October 7th until Israel and all of its Jews are erased from the map.

It is no coincidence that those agitating against Israels attempt to dismantle Hamas thought the Easter Vigil at one of the most historic cathedrals in the country would be the apt place to take their stand, and it has nothing to do with the Pope and his milquetoast views on the Israel/Hamas war.

The Church Triumphant, unfettered by the spirit of the age and beholden to a different King  a Church that worships a Jewish Jesus who rose from the dead  this represents all that is untouchable today, and it doesnt fit into the intersectional hierarchy.
Dawkins and 'cultural Christianity': what does it all mean?

Dawkins' admiration for "cultural" Christianity is not new. What has changed is the dawning realisation of how much we have lost.

The Christian internet was set ablaze with comments from uber-atheist Professor Richard Dawkins on Easter Sunday. He said he considers himself a "cultural Christian" and that he values the traditions of the faith.

Many commentators did not realise that his words by themselves are not new  Dawkins has been describing himself like this since 2007, although he still adamantly disbelieves in God. What he means is that he likes Christmas carols, beautiful cathedrals, and he is fond of the meek and mild version of Anglicanism that once prospered in this country.

But the cultural atmosphere has changed significantly since then, when the books of the "new atheists" like Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens were bestsellers. Today there is more public discussion of Christian contribution to civilisation, and a few famous people have become believers, such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a friend of Dawkins.

The decline of the West seems to have prompted nostalgia about the past as well as genuine concern that something very important has been lost. For some, such as Ali, there seems to have been more than just a desire for the cultural effects, but a personal faith too. I have previously argued that Christianity only matters if it is true  and the powerful transformations it can bring in individuals who do believe is one manifestation of its power, as well as evidence of its truth.

In the interview with LBC, released on Easter Sunday, Dawkins said he enjoyed "living in a culturally Christian country although I do not believe a word of the Christian faith." This includes the virgin birth and the resurrection, he said. "The things that Christians believe are actually nonsense." The interviewer, Rachel Johnson, discussed her own wrestling with faith and the miraculous claims of Christianity. The full interview is available on YouTube.

Dawkins was also not changing his tune when he made critical comments about Islam and its treatment of women and gay people. "If I had to choose between Christianity and Islam, I'd choose Christianity every single time," he said. "It seems to me to be a fundamentally decent religion, in a way that I think Islam is not."

What has changed though, is his awareness of the reality that Islam is now being promoted in the UK in some places, such as lights for Ramadan on Oxford Street, or messages from Islamic scriptures on train station noticeboards  both occurred during the Christian period of Lent, for which there was no similar promotion. Dawkins said he was "slightly horrified" about this and that he supported Christianity as a "bulwark" against Islam. He seems nostalgic for the culture of Christendom, and he has previously spoken against the rise of extremes of modern "woke" ideology, too.

Multiple Christians pointed out that Dawkins himself has contributed to the change he is lamenting. Memes flourished about sawing off the branch you are sitting on, sticking a branch in the wheels of the bike you are riding, or the cartoon "I want things to be different" who then utters "oh no" when observing the wreckage caused. Some did not pull their punches: "Evidence yet again that the great professors can be absolute morons," said conservative commentator Laura Perrins on X. "He has done so much damage to Christianity, cultural and otherwise. Did he really think nothing would fill the void?"

However it could be said that Dawkins hasn't really contributed that much to the decline. The poor arguments of his ilk have in some people prompted a move towards faith, and caused other positive effects such as sharpening the Church's intellectual capabilities. The deterioration of Christian belief in the UK has been gradual and a long time coming: writers CS Lewis and GK Chesterton, for example, predicted the trajectory many decades ago. Dawkins' personal contribution has been minimal.

What is also new is a more widespread questioning of the dogma of progressivism  the relentless pursuit of improvement while sidelining or completely rejecting tradition, which in practice has often included Christian belief. This momentum is perceived as a good thing by most people today, unaware that it is a fairly new idea: previous generations were more respectful of their history. Attempts to re-engineer an imaginary "better world" often lead to unforeseen consequences, as Dawkins seems to be learning as he mourns the loss of Christian culture while rejecting the tenets that had created and sustained it.

Esme Partridge in Unherd slammed Dawkins comments as "naivety". She argued his attitude is similar to another huge social change: his generation's stance on the sexual revolution. They personally benefitted from the old morals, yet at the same time put the future availability of such positive effects in question by attacking their foundations.

"Dawkins's belief that it is possible to reap the cultural benefits of Christianity while publicly undermining its legitimacy is perhaps an expression of this generational mentality," she wrote. This was also the attitude of Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke and Montesquieu, who believed that liberal values would be upheld without Christianity. Partridge points out that this has been shown to be false too, as they have mutated into "anarchic systems of self-interest which undermine the virtues upon which liberalism was originally premised."

She adds her voice to the calls for a renewal. "Like any organism, Christianity must recover its roots, or it will die  a fact of life which, as an evolutionary biologist, Dawkins ought to appreciate," she said.

Of course, faithful Christians live on, and have been debating and praying about these issues for years, well before Dawkins came on the scene. As society's lamentations grow, and the negative effects become starker, can anyone show the way back?

Heather Tomlinson is a Christian journalist. Find her on Substack at http://heathertomlinson.substack.com
Pope Francis claims Pope Benedict XVI defended him over same-sex civil unions stance: report

(CP) Pope Francis has reportedly claimed in a new book that his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, defended Francis' support for legal civil union protections for same-sex couples to prelates.

Excerpts of the pontiff's new book, The Successor: My Memories of Benedict XVI, which is slated for publication in Spanish on Wednesday, maintain that Benedict XVI defended Francis on the issue in front of an undisclosed group of cardinals, according to Reuters.

"They showed up at his home to practically put me on trial and they accused me in front of him of backing same-sex marriage," Francis said.

The former pope reportedly helped the cardinals to "distinguish" Francis' views on the issue, explaining to them that his position was "no heresy," according to Francis' recollection in the book.

Pope Francis, who endorsed civil unions for homosexual couples while serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, became the first pontiff to do so in 2020.

"Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God," Francis asserted during an interview for the film "Francesco."

"Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it," he added. "What we have to create is a civil union law; that way, they are legally covered."

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sent shockwaves through the Roman Catholic Church last December when it issued "Fiducia Supplicans," which permits priests to bless "couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage."

After the guidance drew opposition from Catholic bishops, mainly in Africa and Eastern Europe, the Vatican subsequently released five pages of clarification to the guidance.

The Vatican insisted that "the document is clear and definitive about marriage and sexuality," adding that the "non-ritualized form of blessing" authorized by the declaration "does not intend to justify anything that is not morally acceptable" but instead amounts to a "response of a pastor towards two persons who ask for God's help."

Other Catholic prelates pushed back against any claim that Benedict would have supported the guidance.

Cardinal Gerhard Mueller of Germany claimed during an event marking the first anniversary of Benedict's death last December that the declaration "never would have happened [under Benedict] because it was so ambiguous," according to Reuters.

Mueller, who served as the head of the Vatican's doctrinal office before Francis removed him in 2013, denied the metaphysical existence of marriage between two members of the same sex.

"There is no homosexual matrimony," he said. "It does not exist, it cannot exist, despite ideologies we have [today]," he said.

In 2003, Benedict XVI  who was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and prefect of the Vatican's doctrinal office  signed off on a document asserting that compassion for homosexuals in the Church "cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions."

Other portions of Francis' new book detail the political maneuvering behind the 2005 papal conclave that led to Benedict's election following the death of Pope John Paul II, according to The Associated Press.

Francis, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, claims some of his fellow cardinals "used" him to siphon votes away from then-Cardinal Ratzinger during the 2005 conclave.

"They told me afterward that they didn't want a 'foreign' pope,'" said Francis, who ultimately supported Benedict's election.

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A retired rabbi has agreed to return millions of pounds intended for charitable causes to two charities following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Today, the NCA published the findings of its investigation into Barry Marcus who had received 2.35m from Dalaid and the Schwarzschild Foundation and had been withholding the funds in personal accounts for years.

The NCA said Marcus, a former rabbi at the Central London Synagogue, formally agreed to return the funds to the charities in January, which are almost double the funds identified in the UK and frozen.

Dalaid, a charity that aims to relieve poverty and advance Jewish education, and the Schwarzschild Foundation, which aims to provide education and the relief of poverty for women and girls in the orthodox Jewish faith, were unaware that the funds had not been distributed.

The Charity Commission is currently investigating both charities over concerns relating to their governance and management of funds.

NCA said the Commission has put in place measures to ensure the funds returned to the charities are properly applied.

No legitimate explanation for the substantial payments

The NCA began investigating Marcus in October 2022 after the latter had received over 1m from Dalai and the Schwarzschild Foundation between January and September of that year.

It found Marcus had transferred a substantial proportion to his other UK accounts and accounts overseas, saying that initial enquiries had failed to establish a legitimate explanation for the substantial payments.

Between November 2022 and March last year, NCA requested four account freezing orders over funds totalling 1.18m and held in Marcus accounts.

Last month, Westminster Magistrates Court varied the four orders to allow the frozen funds to be returned to Dalai and the Schwarzschild Foundation.

The NCA said: Despite maintaining that he had distributed a substantial amount of money in accordance with the charitys intentions, Marcus was unable to provide satisfactory independent documentation to substantiate this.

Challenging and complex investigation

Tim Quarrelle, NCA branch commander, said: This is a fantastic result that will see millions of pounds returned to the two charities they had been deprived from.

It follows a challenging and complex NCA investigation that ran over 18 months, showing the commitment of our officers to pursue every line of inquiry to reach the best possible outcome.

Were particularly grateful to our colleagues at the Charity Commission who are in parallel investigating issues relating to these charities.

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,
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In late January, after wrapping up his annual State of the State speech, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum (R) headed out to meet the press. Only two reporters awaited him: the North Dakota Monitors Amy Dalrymple and Michael Achterling.

Michael and I were the only ones that were there to ask him questions, Dalrymple, a veteran reporter previously at the Bismarck Tribune, told CJR. Because our priority is covering government, we prioritized staying there and asking the governor some questions after his speech.

The Monitor is one of the latest outlets launched by States Newsroom, a nonprofit operation whose publications on policy and politics have quickly turned it into one of the biggest players in state-level coverage.

States Newsroom now has a full-time presence in all fifty states, after adding outlets in North Dakota and Utah earlier this year and establishing a partnership with Spotlight Delaware, a local nonprofit. The network now has thirty-nine freestanding newsrooms, as well as partnerships with state-focused nonprofit newsrooms in eleven states, including the Texas Tribune, CalMatters, and the Honolulu Civil Beat.

Its expansion is a big part of a growing trend. According to the Pew Research Center, 20 percent of statehouse reporters worked for nonprofits in 2022, up from 6 percent in 2014. By 2022, there were almost as many statehouse reporters working for nonprofit organizations as there were working for local newspapers.

States Newsrooms team and its partners accounted for a plurality of the 353 reporters tallied in that survey. That number has grown since then: States Newsroom president Chris Fitzsimon told me that the organization now has more than 220 full-time employees, with an annual budget of more than $22 million.

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That rapid expansion comes as newspapers and local TV stations are retrenching, laying off reporters and cutting back on state-level coverage as they struggle to survive.

Were thrilled that we can fill one of the growing voids incoverage of state government, which is the level of government that we believe has the most impact on peoples lives, Fitzsimon said.

The organization has faced criticism in the past from some media watchdogs who accuse it of harboring a left-wing bias because of its donors. That criticism was largely based on its early connection to the Hopewell Fund, a trust funded by left-leaning billionaires that incubated the organization before its launch.

But States Newsroom was spun off to become its own nonprofit in 2019. It doesnt accept any corporate donations, and publicly shares the sources of all contributions above $1,000. And while many of its larger donors lean left, its also received money from center-right groups like the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, as well as from nonpartisan journalism groups like the National Press Foundation and ProPublica.

While the news coverage strives to be balanced and nonpartisan, the sites commentary section leans left. Reporters told me that the mandate from the national office was to find people to contribute progressive-leaning commentary, though they said they were left to define what that meant to them. The only hard-and-fast rule: no commentary from current officeholders or candidates.

Fitzsimon said that the newsrooms editorial viewpoint stemmed from his own perspectiveand that donors have had no say in shaping the commentary section.

Like most legacy newspapers, we have an editorial voice and it happens to be center-left, and we have a robust nonpartisan opinion section that includes views of conservatives on a number of local issues, he said. Our commentary is pro-democracy, pro-transparency, and clearly labeled as opinion. Like legacy newspapers, our opinion section is completely separate from our news reporting.

But States Newsrooms outlets are nothing like the pink slime organizations that pass off partisan propaganda as local news.

Many of the journalists running the local newsrooms, which typically employ four to six reporters, had previously been at major state newspapers. The four States Newsroom reporters I spoke to all said they had broad leeway to run their operations as they see fit, with almost no interference from the national operation beyond a broad mandate to cover state politics and policy.

The newsrooms all have full-time reporters covering the state legislature. Some have chosen to have a full-time education reporter, while others have someone focused on agriculture, the state budget, or abortion rights. The Missouri Independent has a reporter focused mostly on cannabis (the state legalized recreational weed last year).

Kathie Obradovich left the Des Moines Register to run the Iowa Capital Dispatch in early 2020 because she wanted to be part of the solution [to] the deterioration of newspaper journalism. Shed survived years of rolling layoffs from Gannett, her papers parent company, and never really felt like I knew from day to day whether my job was secure.

States Newsroom outlets can boast of some major scoops. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was the first to report on a lawsuit alleging that, during the early days of the COVID pandemic, a group of managers at a local Tyson pork-processing plant bet money on how many of their employees would fall ill with the deadly illness, even as they ordered them back to work. The story became international news.

The Missouri Independent, partnering with MuckRock and the Associated Press, published a deeply reported expose chronicling how federal officials spent decades downplaying the risk of radioactive waste in St. Louisan investigation based on seventy-five years of government records, many of which had never before been publicly available. Stories like these are often picked up by other publicationswhich the States Newsroom outlets allow for free, so long as theyre properly credited.

The States Newsroom model is promising, but nonprofit newsrooms arent guaranteed success. Chicago Public Media, the parent company of Chicago NPR affiliate WBEZ, was hailed as a light in the darkness when it took over the Chicago Sun-Times two years ago after years of downsizing in both newsrooms. Things are better than they were at both publications, but on Wednesday, Chicago Public Media announced that fourteen of its sixty-two unionized staff would be laid off, citing financial hardships driven by declining fundraising, listenership, and philanthropic support.

Nonprofit journalism isnt as dependent on generating revenue as traditional businesses, but it still needs to raise enough money to operatesomething that depends on persuading donors to stay committed.

The reporters at States Newsroom say they feel less pressure than they did at previous jobs at for-profit publications, where they had to chase clicks and worry about declining revenues.

Jason Hancock, who runs the Missouri Independent, said his new job gives him more room to breathe than he had at his previous jobs at the Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

We can kind of step back from that and maybe, hopefully, have a little bit more perspective because we have more resources, he said. Were writing our own future here.

Other notable stories:

For Fast Company, Brian Stelter profiled Cesar Conde, the chair of the NBCUniversal News Group, whose leadership has been questioned since his recent hiring and firing of Ronna McDaniel, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, as a paid pundit. Though Conde spoke with Stelter prior to the McDaniel incident playing out, he had previously hinted at the motivation for the hire, Stelter writes, describing the news groups philosophy as wanting to make sure we have something for everyone.

For Esquire, Mark Warren went deep on the story of F.L. Bubba Copeland, a pastor and mayor of a small town in Alabama who killed himself last year after 1819 News, a right-wing website, published photos that showed him dressed as a woman and alleged that he had written explicit fiction. I took to asking the people in Bubbas life what they might say to the people at 1819 News if they had the chance, Warren writes. Several told me that they are required to love them and will be praying for them.

Patience Haggin, of the Wall Street Journal, reports that Forbes used an alternative version of its website to run ads that buyers thought they were placing on the site itselffurther proof that brands dont always get what they pay for in the digital ad market. The alternative site (which Forbes shut down after the Journal inquired about it) featured stories from Forbes.com that were stretched into formats that can fit many more ads, Haggin writes. One 700-word article was turned into a 34-slide slideshow.

Last year, Poland elected a new moderate government that quickly moved to clean house at the countrys state-run broadcaster, which had tilted hard to the right under the previous government. The broadcaster now airs conventional news bulletins about domestic and international events, the Financial Times reportsbut its ratings have plunged, to the point that an upstart right-wing network, TV Republika, has overtaken it. An anchor on the latter network told the FT that it is explicitly modeled after Fox News.

And GB News, an upstart right-wing network in the UK, hired Steven Edginton, formerly of the conservative Telegraph, to be its first ever correspondent based in the USpart of a broader plan to expand the networks reach overseas. (It added an America vertical last year.) Geoff Marsh, the chief digital officer at GB News, told Press Gazette that America has always been our biggest market outside the UK, both with British expatriates but also with Americans who value our British perspective on events there.

Cameron Joseph is a freelance political reporter with recent work in The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and Politico Magazine. A recipient of the 2023 National Press Foundation Dirksen Award for distinguished reporting of Congress and the 2020 National Press Club award for excellence in political journalism, he previously worked for VICE News, Talking Points Memo, the New York Daily News, The Hill and National Journal.
Thousands of homes and businesses were without power this week as severe weather roared through several states, causing at least one death and spawning possible tornadoes.

Parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia and Georgia were under tornado watches into Tuesday night, while Wisconsin was experiencing a spring snowstorm.

Storms in Northeastern Oklahoma unleashed three suspected tornadoes and dumped heavy rain that was blamed for the death of a 46-year-old homeless woman in Tulsa who was sheltering inside a drainage pipe.

The womans boyfriend told authorities the two had gone to sleep at the entrance of the drainage pipe and were awakened by floodwaters, Tulsa Fire Department spokesperson Andy Little said. Up to 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) of rain fell in Tulsa in about an hour, National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Darby said.

It wasnt a whole lot. But when it came down, it was pretty rapid, Darby said.

In West Virginia, about 140,000 customers were without electricity Tuesday afternoon, or about 14% of all customers tracked in the state by poweroutage.us. A storm blew off part of a vacant buildings roof in Charleston, littering the street with bricks and closing the roadway to traffic. Trees were uprooted and lay in roads, lawns and in some cases, on top of cars.

Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for several counties and urged people to exercise extreme caution.

In Ohio, firefighters rescued two people who were trapped under a bridge Tuesday morning when a river began rising. The two were sleeping when the Scioto River started to rise, preventing them from returning to shore, the Columbus Fire Department reported. A fire department boat was sent to rescue them. No injuries were reported.

Mindy Broughton rushed into her mobile home Tuesday morning as hail began and winds picked up at the RV Park where she lives near Hanging Rock, Ohio.

Broughton and her fiance hunkered down as the mobile home quickly began rocking. Broughton said her fiance used his body to shield her as the winds raged outside.

I said I think we may die today, she said.

In a matter of seconds, the winds died down. When Broughton opened her mobile home door, she saw the RV Park littered with debris and overturned RVs. Luckily, Broughton said there was no one inside the overturned mobile homes.

Northeast of Cincinnati, part of Interstate 75 was blocked Tuesday afternoon when about a half-dozen power poles toppled in high winds near Wetherington, WLWT-TV reported.

In Wisconsin, forecasters warned more than a foot (30 centimeters) of heavy snow could fall in eastern parts of the state, including the Green Bay area. The states top election official, Meagan Wolfe, urged residents planning to vote in Tuesdays presidential primaries to consider voting earlier in the day to avoid travel woes.

The National Weather Service said snowfall totals could range from 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) over central Wisconsin and 8 to 14 inches (20 to 35 centimeters) over eastern Wisconsin, while wind gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph (48 kph to 80 kph) will create very limited visibility and make travel difficult.

Just three weeks ago, we were in the 70s. So that kind of got people thinking spring is right around the corner  and here were in April and were getting a major snowstorm, meteorologist Scott Cultice with the weather services Green Bay office said. As people say, Thats springtime in Wisconsin.'

More than 70,000 homes and businesses in Wisconsin had lost power Tuesday night, according to poweroutage.us.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency after severe storms swept through his state Tuesday morning.

We have reports of substantial damage to a number of structures  and thankfully, as of right now we are not aware of any fatalities, Beshear said in a statement.

Another round of storms Tuesday afternoon led to multiple tornado warnings in Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.

One person was hurt and taken to a hospital after a tree came down on their house in Lexington, Kentucky, Mayor Linda Gorton told WLEX-TV. Homes were damaged and a tree crushed a University of Kentucky students car.

I looked out my blinds and I see the wind just start roaring, Reese Sherrard told the news outlet. I see one big tree just fall right on top of my car. No trees fell on our house, so it seems like we got pretty lucky.

In Louisville on Tuesday night, Mayor Craig Greenberg reported serious storm damage in the nearby city of Prospect and throughout the county, but said no injuries had been reported. He said fire crews were checking on people street by street in the most impacted areas and that he had declared a county-wide state of emergency.

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in northeast Tennessee on Tuesday. A funeral home and a house were damaged in the town of Sunbright, a town of about 500 people, said Matthew Brown, Morgan Countys 911 director. Power lines and trees were down, and some roads were closed, he said.

The utility company in Memphis, Tennessee, reported that about 40,000 homes and businesses lost power temporarily Tuesday morning after an electric substation was struck by lightning, which then affected two other substations.

Storms also swept through far southwestern Indiana on Tuesday morning, toppling trees and causing power outages, leading several local school districts to cancel classes. More than 18,000 homes and businesses were without power shortly before noon Tuesday, including in Vanderburgh County, home to Evansville, Indianas third-largest city.

Severe weather was expected to move into New England on Wednesday night into Thursday, with forecasts of 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 centimeters) of snow in parts of New Hampshire and Maine and lesser amounts in other areas, the National Weather Service said. Wind gusts could reach 50 mph (80 kph) in some places, bringing the possibility of power outages.

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The New York areas strongest earthquake in 140 years rattled northern New Jersey on Friday morning, shaking office buildings in Manhattan and snarling travel.

The preliminary 4.8-magnitude temblor was the strongest in the New York area since 1884, according to the US Geological Survey. It occurred near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and was felt along the Acela rail corridor from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C.

An aftershock was reported around 6 p.m. local time. Initial indications suggested a 4.0-magnitude quake southwest of Gladstone, New Jersey, according to the USGS.

The earthquake caused travel delays throughout the New York area, with Newarks Liberty International Airport resuming operations around midday after an earlier ground stop.

So far so good, we have limited calls or reports of damage, said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on ABC News Live  hours before the dusk-time aftershock. You never know what is around the corner.

After the initial earthquake, President Joe Biden told reporters hed spoken with Murphy and things are alright. New York Mayor Eric Adams said officials were checking for any damages while saying that preliminary reports dont show any major safety or infrastructure issues.

Our preliminary reports do not indicate major life safety or infrastructure issues from the earthquake. We are performing thorough inspections of critical areas.

Orange & Rockland Utilities, a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Inc., has been notified of two leaks, a spokesperson said earlier Friday.

The first was a gas leak at a private home in New Yorks Rockland County and it was resolved with no injuries. The second leak was reported in New City around noon at another home, where people reported smelling gas. Workers from the utility are on the scene and expect to be able to resolve it quickly.

Major earthquakes are uncommon in the New York area, although a minor temblor occurred in January. Typically, quakes on the East Coast are felt over a wider area than out west because of the age of the rocks. The rocks in the east are more continuous, whereas they are broken up with faults in the west.

First responders and firefighters attend a call to check houses in Lebanon, New Jersey, after an earthquake on April 5.

As I was closing the door to the house, I heard a loud crash and then everything started shaking, said Nancy Rochelle, who lives in Lebanon, New Jersey. I thought that the garage door was coming off of the tracks and that it was crashing. But then I realized the whole house was shaking and things were falling off of the shelf in the kitchen.

More than 100 earthquakes have been recorded in that part of New Jersey, but most people dont notice quakes until they reach magnitude 2 or higher, said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS.

At the home of the power breakfast at the Regency Bar & Grill in midtown Manhattan, where Bridgewater Associates Chief Executive Officer Nir Bar Dea was having a morning meeting, diners were seemingly unfazed even as their chairs lightly rattled.

Closer to the epicenter in New Jersey, Trish Hegeman said she heard a loud noise and rumbling. She said it felt somewhat familiar to her because she used to live in California.

It looks like we were right on top of it, said Hegeman, executive director of Mane Stream, a nonprofit that provides horseback riding for children and adults with disabilities. We had one picture that was propped up against the wall and it fell over.

Her horses seemed fine though one whinnied during the tremor, she said. A driver who dropped by for a delivery told her the road was waving, she said.

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
Baptize California Prepares for Statewide Water Baptism Event, Aims for Largest Synchronized Baptism in History

Hundreds of churches will partner with Baptize California to host baptisms across the state, the largest of which will be held at the beach in Huntington Beach, California.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Bennett Unlimited PR

April 5, 2024



HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., April 5, 2024 /Standard Newswire/ -- Baptize California gears up for its 2024 event, aiming to host the largest synchronized water baptism in history. Following last year's resounding success with Baptize SoCal, which saw over 4,100 individuals baptized at Pirate's Cove, the organization again unites churches statewide for this monumental event on Sunday, May 19th, 2024.



Building on the previous year's momentum, Baptize California is embarking on a mission to bring together churches from all corners of the state. The goal is to create a unified front, demonstrating the power of faith and community in a collective act of worship and devotion.



Churches across California are being rallied to participate in this significant event. Each church will hold its own baptism ceremony following its last service on May 19th, contributing valuable data and media to the central organizing team. This collaborative effort ensures that the event's impact is not confined to a single location but resonates across the entire state.



The main event in Huntington Beach promises to demonstrate spiritual unity and celebration. Attendees will witness a sea of believers converging on the shore to publicly profess their faith through baptism. Against the backdrop of worship and prayer, the waters of the Pacific Ocean will become a symbol of renewal and commitment to a shared spiritual journey.



Pastor Mark Francey, the visionary behind the event, emphasizes the significance of this gathering in the context of California's spiritual landscape. He speaks of a growing hunger for spiritual connection and a renewed sense of purpose among individuals and churches alike. For Pastor Mark, this event represents an opportunity for the Church to unite in solidarity and embrace a collective vision of spiritual revival.



Pastor Mark is extending an open invitation to churches across California, emphasizing the movement's inclusivity and accessibility. Any church interested in participating can do so free of charge by hosting its own Baptize California event on May 19th.



For additional information about Baptize California and its upcoming events or to sign up to host a Baptize California baptism at your church, please visit Baptize California or contact them via email at hello@baptizeamerica.com.



Follow Baptize California on social media on Instagram and Facebook @baptize.california. For media inquiries and interviews, please contact Kelly Bennett at kelly@bennettunlimitedpr.com.



SOURCE Bennett Unlimited PR


PEPPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Five Brady Middle School students have been invited to the Power of the Pen state tournament May 17 at Ashland University.

They are Henry Miller, Madison Hopkins, Jaya Dixit, Olivia Kim and Adeline Moran.
BEREA, Ohio -- An intoxicated Berea woman, 34, was arrested at about 3:30 p.m. March 30 after she wrecked a car with her 4-year-old daughter inside.

The woman was involved in a one-car crash on Grayton Road, but it was unclear what her Chevrolet Blazer hit.

When police arrived, the SUV was off the right side of the road. Several airbags had deployed inside.

The woman was still in the Blazer and her child was in the back seat. The SUV smelled like alcohol.

Police asked the woman to step out of her vehicle. As she did, she leaned against the SUV to maintain her balance.

The woman said: The airbags just blew up. I dont know what happened.

Police asked her to walk to the back of her SUV and lean against it. Instead, she put up her hands and started taking off her jacket.

The woman was on the phone with her mother when police arrived. The mother told police she would drive to the crash scene.

Meanwhile, police noticed that the womans child had a large bruise on her face, which they later determined was caused by the crash.

The woman swayed on her feet as police talked to her. They wanted to examine the child, but the woman blocked the SUV door.

Police tried to guide the woman away from the door but she resisted. They placed her in handcuffs.

As police led the woman to their cruiser, she kicked one officer in the lower abdomen.

Paramedics arrived but the woman didnt cooperate with them.

The womans mother arrived to pick up the child. She said her daughter has a drinking problem and refuses to seek help.

The mother said the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services was already involved in the matter.

As police drove the woman to the police station, she yelled at and threatened officers.

She needed assistance walking into the building. The woman pulled away from police, who lost their grip on her.

She fell and hit her face, which caused her mouth to bleed. Police called paramedics.

The woman admitted that she had been smoking marijuana, adding that it was now legal in Ohio.

Read more from the News Sun.
BEREA, Ohio -- Students at Berea-Midpark High School enrolled in the Polaris Career Centers Broadcasting and Video Production satellite program, as well as in the Marketing and Entrepreneurship satellite program, are teaming up again to raise awareness about distracted teen driving by competing in the 2024 Just Drive/Create Real Impact Contest.

National non-profit organization Impact Teen Drivers hosts the event. The Polaris team won last years contest -- and $10,000 -- by employing an elaborate Addams Family flair.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that it will host a Taylor Swift Fan Day from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Friday, April 19, also known as the day Swifts new album The Tortured Poets Department is unleashed upon a waiting pop music world.

To celebrate, the Rock Hall will have Swifts music blasting all day featuring new tracks and old along with a special Swiftian artifact spotlight that will include the cardigan worn by Swift in the cardigan video and artifacts by artists who influenced Swift, many of whom are represented in the current Revolutionary Women in Rock exhibit.
DETROIT, Michigan  A dog that went missing last summer in California was found alive and well ... 2,000 miles away in a suburb of Detroit.

Theres relief that 3-year-old Mishka has been reunited with her owners, Mehrad Houman and his family, who are San Diego residents. There also are questions as to how Mishka ended up in Michigan.

The most likely answer: Mishka was stolen and then sold, said Corinne Martin, director of the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society.

According to mlive.com, Mishkas family reported her missing in July. A social media post from the family said Houman had been bringing Mishka to work while his wife and daughter were out of town and that the dog likely got loose.

Last week, Mishka was brought to the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society after a person reported they had found a stray dog. The organization gained information on the dogs owner from an identity chip implant.

Houman flew to Detroit to retrieve Mishka. Martin said the dog was in good health when found. Whoever had her took good care of her, she tells mlive.

I never gave up, said Houmans wife, Elizabeth. I put up over a thousand flyers. I had a flyer on my back windshield. I wore her leash whenever I would look for her. ... Now I just want to find out how she got to Michigan.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
COLUMBUS, OhioOhio legislative leaders were justified in disciplining state Rep. Elliot Forhan following reports of repeated hostile interactions between him and others, including some of his fellow lawmakers, an independent state-ordered investigation has concluded.

The investigation, conducted by Columbus law firm Perez Morris at the request of Attorney General Dave Yosts office, found that numerous witnesses corroborated accusations of Forhans erratic, aggressive, violent behavior during the past year, including confrontations with other lawmakers, constituents, and lobbyists that sometimes escalated to the point that others feared for their  and Forhans  personal safety.

In response, last November Forhan was stripped of most of his legislative privileges, including losing his committee assignments and legislative aide, and requiring a House sergeant-at-arms to accompany him while at the Ohio Statehouse.

The report states that Forhan has repeatedly failed to comply with the latter provision, showed up at the Statehouse and a nearby legislative office building unannounced, and yelled at the sergeant-at-arms or one of his assistants at least twice.

The investigation report concluded that while Forhans actions to date do not warrant his removal from office, his behavior, if left unaddressed, would have posed a significant threat to the institutional integrity of the Ohio House and its reputation, and posed a credible risk of escalating to violence or violent conduct.

Forhan responded to the report Friday by calling the investigation a sham. He asserted the report does not show that his actions rose to violence or violent conduct, but just states that there could be at some future time (a contention he also disagreed with).

Perez Morris has once again collected a high fee from their repeat customer. Its a retail relationship. Keep the customer happy, and theyll keep coming back, Forhan stated in an email. Forhan added that House Speaker Jason Stephens and Minority Leader Allison Russo -- whom Forhan called Stephens partner -- needed a rubber stamp on their actions, Perez Morris delivered.

Forhan responded late Friday afternoon after attending a court hearing regarding a civil protection order against him obtained by state Rep. Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat who claims Forhan twice showed up at her home unannounced.

In the past, Forhan has called the allegations and subsequent punishments a political hatchet job, and he declined repeated requests to participate in the investigation, asserting that such probes are often sham investigations with predetermined results. The report, however, stated there was no merit to those claims.

Forhan, who took office last year, ran for reelection last month, but he finished third in the Democratic primary for House District 21, which covers eastern Cuyahoga County, including Euclid, South Euclid, University Heights, and Beachwood. His term expires at the end of this year.

A copy of the investigation report, which was issued on March 15, was provided by the Ohio House Republicans legal counsel in response to a public-records request submitted by cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer.

The report paints a picture of Forhan repeatedly engaging in concerning patterns of behavior, escalations far beyond the norm, and outbursts during interactions since May of 2023, as well as resisting attempts to intervene by his increasingly worried Democratic colleagues, who took increasingly strong measures against him as reports about his behavior mounted.

The first event detailed in the report took place on May 23, 2023, when cosmetologist Ladosha Wright approached Forhan after a legislative committee meeting to express opposition to a bill Forhan co-sponsored. Witnesses said Forhan responded by aggressively moving within a foot of Wright, gesturing his finger close to her face, and telling her that as a lawmaker he was better able to make such decisions.

Russo, a Democrat from suburban Columbus, ordered Forhan to take implicit bias training and meet with Wright and other community leaders. Forhan apologized to Wright, and witness indicated to investigators that at the time they gave Forhan the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to correct and manage his own behavior, the report stated.

On June 26, though, Forhan unexpectedly showed up at Brents home, banging on her front door and yelling through the glass at Brents cousin inside, who was too scared to answer the door, according to the report. Forhan apologized to Brent the next day, but Russo was left with the impression Rep. Forhan did not understand the potential consequences of his actions or how others perceived his behavior.

Rep. Forhan defended himself and took the position that Rep. Brent is the Vice Chair of his party, so of course he would show up at her house, according to the report.

The same day, Forhan showed up without an appointment to the office of City of Cleveland Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer, who previously told Forhan she wouldnt contribute money to his campaign because of his treatment of Wright. Maurer told Russo that she was shocked by the encounter and his behavior struck her as odd for an elected official, the report stated.

A week later, Russo quietly removed Forhan as the top Democrat on the House Government Oversight Committee.

In the fall of 2023, House Democrats received complaints from officials from Equality Ohio, the Ohio AFL-CIO, and Ohio Jewish Communities, each of them saying that Forhan became suddenly aggressive and confrontational toward them.

Ohio Jewish Communities President/CEO Howie Beigelman said that when he reached out to Forhan about a statement Forhan made about the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Forhan called him 19 times in a row. Beigelman said when he finally called Forhan back, Forhan repeatedly yelled at him, I need to hear you f---ing say it  Palestinians are not people.

Forhan took similarly aggressive stances with Equality Ohio policy director Maria Bruno and Matt Smith, legislative director for the Ohio AFL-CIO, per the report. In each of those cases, the report stated, Forhan made comments about wanting to harm or kill himself.

After Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, and Israels subsequent military response, Forhan  who represents the largest Jewish community in Ohio  initially issued a pro-Palestinian statement but quickly became adamantly pro-Israel.

Members of Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Browns staff reported that Forhan yelled at them and quizzed them on topics such as the Geneva Convention and the Holocaust. Without consulting with Ohio House Democrats, Browns team prevented Forhan from attending a fundraising event for Brown and banned Forhan from attending any of Browns events moving forward, according to the report.

In mid-November 2023, Forhan placed an Israeli flag outside of his office, which led to complaints from House staff who noted the flag was next to the office of state Rep. Munira Abdullahi, a Columbus Democrat who is Muslim.

House Chief of Staff Jordan Plottner asked Forhan to move the flag, which led Forhan to post a video on social media asserting the House Democrats chief of staff demanded he move the flag. Abdullahi then asked Forhan to take down the video.

The following day, Forhan and Abdullahi found themselves in the same room alone together, and Forhan began yelling to the point that Abdullahi left the room crying, according to the report.

When Democratic state Reps. Terrence Upchurch of Cleveland, Dontavius Jarrells of Columbus, and Jessica Miranda of suburban Cincinnati confronted Forhan about the incident, Forhan repeatedly asked Upchurch to punch him in the face, leading Jarrells to physically step in between the two men to prevent a fight from breaking out, the report stated.

For the rest of that day, an assistant House sergeant-at-arms remained alongside Russo and Miranda, according to the report.

Russo announced the following day that she was revoking Forhans committee assignments and reassigning his legislative aide.

The witness interviews show that despite the progressive actions taken by the Minority Leader and repeated efforts to steer Rep. Forhan in the right direction regarding his behavior to others, he continued to reject the advice and guidance of his peers within the minority caucus, the report concluded. Rep. Forhans erratic behavior, threats of suicide and self-harm, and unacceptable interactions with staff, colleagues, and constituents was properly addressed by House leadership, including Speaker Stephens and Minority Leader Russo.

Forhans rebuttal

Forhan stated Friday that he already apologized for his calls with Beigelman, and he stated that Bruno apologized to him for presuming anything about my status in the queer community and that he didnt see how disagreeing over school funding is cause for an investigation. As for the part of the report stating he made Abdullahi cry, Forhan pointed to a social-media post from her stating she cries when she gets extremely angry.

Forhan called Maurers account disappointing and stated that it came as a surprise to him. We had a nice discussion. I dont understand this, and I find it sad, he wrote.

The Perez Morris report, Forhan stated, was riddled with lies. He wrote that, contrary to what the report stated, Brents cousin answered the door when he went to Brents house in June and that he did not yell at him through the glass. Forhan also disputed that he yelled at assistant sergeants-at-arms and violated the directive to be escorted while at the Statehouse.

I get along great with the sergeants-at-arms. I was in regular contact with them, he wrote, adding that House Sergeant-At-Arms Pat Vessels told him the protocol had been dropped.

He stated that the reports assertion that hes banned from future Sherrod Brown events is false, noting the report doesnt even cite a source.

Forhan stated that hes sometimes socially awkward, which he asserted is consistent with being a neurodivergent person.

Its never been such a problem in my professional life until I became associated with these jackals. Now its an albatross around my neck. The hyperbole and group-think is stunning, Forhan wrote.

He concluded: Am I particularly unsuited to work in this field? Or is this field hostile toward people like me? Is the legislature not suited to allow a neurodivergent person who was elected by the people to serve?

Jeremy Pelzer covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

Read the full investigation report here:
WASHINGTON, D. C. - An ailing Yoshino cherry tree thats scheduled for removal from Washington, D.C.s heavily trafficked Tidal Basin has become a celebrity during this years National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Unlike the rest of the cherry trees that ring the heavily touristed waterway that separates the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial, Stumpy is surrounded by crowd control barricades. Passersby line up for selfies and leave bouquets of roses.

Vendors sell T-shirts featuring its hollowed trunk and skimpy branches. It has become the official mascot of this weekends Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and 5K races, where a person dressed as Stumpy will cheer on runners.

Stumpy has become a regular stop on guided tours of the nations capital with DC By Foot tour guide Katherine Fisher telling patrons on their way to the Jefferson Memorial that the tree is too old and weak to be relocated, but will be cloned by the National Arboretum in hopes that its genetically matching descendants can be replanted on the Tidal Basin.

Everyone loves Stumpy, adds Gavin Mosier, another guide with DC By Foot. Ive not met anyone who isnt in awe of Stumpys resilience.

Stumpy is one of 140 cherry trees that the National Park Service will remove from the Tidal Basin later this year as part of a three-year, $113-million project to rebuild its seawalls.

Bob Healy, a National Park Service ranger at the nearby Jefferson Memorial, says the original seawall was built decades ago on log pilings that are collapsing. The collapsed seawalls are overwhelmed by water twice daily, swamping the roots of nearby trees, including Stumpy. Seawalls by the Jefferson Memorial have already been fixed, he says.

When the repairs are complete, more than 220 cherry trees will be planted to replace those that were removed. Stumpy itself will be turned into mulch to protect the roots of new trees, Healy said.

Although the initial batch of cherry trees planted by the Tidal Basin were gifts from Japan in 1912, National Mall spokesperson Mike Litterst says Stumpy and the rest of the areas cherry trees are replacements from local nurseries. He estimates that Stumpy is around 25 years old. He says cherry trees usually live around 40 to 50 years, and says the National Mall has to replace around 90 each year.

He says Stumpy became famous in 2020, after a viral Reddit post where someone showed a picture of Stumpy and compared it to their love life. He says between 1 million and 1.5 million people attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival each year, and plenty of them want to see Stumpy.

It caught on and has increased over the years, Litterst says of Stumpys popularity. Theres not much left of that tree at all, yet despite everything, it puts out beautiful blossoms every year.

Randy Goldman of Woodbine, Maryland said he and his family visit Stumpy every year, and its the only tree planted along the Tidal Basin whose name the family knows.

I feel like its a national mascot, says Goldman. It should be taken out and planted elsewhere to see if he can thrive.

Ben Kagan of Fairfax, Virginia also visited Stumpy with his family.

My wife has been following it on Instagram and wanted to say goodbye, said Kagin. I didnt expect it to be so hollowed-out and sad looking. But there is hope, because of the cloning.

Cincinnatis Sheryl McCarthy, who checked out the tree while visiting family in the nations capital, pronounced it a metaphor for life.

Its old but still blooming, like me, McCarthy declared.

Stumpy the mascot dances near 'Stumpy' the cherry tree at the tidal basin in Washington, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The weakened tree is experiencing its last peak bloom before being removed for a renovation project that will rebuild seawalls around Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)AP

Sabrina Eaton writes about the federal government and politics in Washington, D.C., for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Walmart announced Friday that it will remove self-checkout lanes at its Steelyard Commons store in Cleveland but keep them at its suburban stores.

Walmart spokesperson Charles Crowson said the store will start removing self-checkouts on Sunday, and the store will have only staffed checkouts.

He said this decision was made following an evaluation of customer and associate feedback, research related to store shopping patterns and business needs within the market.

He said the change will be permanent and will take about two weeks to complete. There are no plans to remove self-checkout lanes at any other Ohio Walmart, including 15 locations in the Cleveland area. The Steelyard Commons Walmart is the companys only store in the city of Cleveland.

Elsewhere, Walmart stores in New Mexico have lost self-checkout lanes, according to Business Insider. Crowson said theres no plans to remove them nationally.

When asked why just the Steelyard store was chosen, and if theft or shrink at self-checkout lanes was an issue, Crowson said the decision was due to a variety of factors.

Were aware retail crime is a problem and something were paying attention to as a company, Crowson said in an emailed response. As mentioned previously, the decision to convert our checkout space was based on several factors, namely those listed in my earlier answer.

Walmart closed its Mayfield Heights store in early 2022, along with a store in Cincinnati. And closed a Columbus store in February, saying it did not meet financial expectations.

Shrink or shrinkage is a retail term used when a store has fewer items in stock than its supposed to. Items lost to theft or to other reasons, like being damaged or expiring before they can be sold, count as shrink.

Retailers in recent years have continued to say that shrink and organized retail crime are growing problems.

The National Retail Federations latest survey says shrink grew to 1.6% in financial year 2022, which would account for $112 billion of losses.

Sean McDonnell is the business reporter for cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. You can reach him at smcdonnell@cleveland.com.
Apple is laying off 614 workers in California, according to a new state filing, the company's first significant round of job cuts since the Covid pandemic.

The affected Apple employees worked at eight different facilities in Santa Clara, according to the WARN notice posted by California. The workers were officially informed of the cuts on March 28 and the changes are effective May 27, the filing said.

Apple hasn't been forced into the same kind of downsizing as its tech peers, largely because the iPhone maker grew more slowly than rivals during the pandemic.

The filing comes weeks after Apple canceled a long-running project to build an electric, self-driving car in a team called the Special Projects Group. While the California notice didn't mention the specific projects where jobs are being cut, none of the locations in the filing are at Apple's Cupertino headquarters, but at smaller, satellite offices more likely to house secretive initiatives.

Positions that were cut include machine shop managers, hardware engineers and product design engineers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

An Apple representative declined to comment.
A pair of Wall Street surveys point to increasing strength on both sides of Amazon 's business  more evidence of a cloud-computing comeback and resilient online spending from consumers. Internet analysts at Mizuho Securities said this week they see an "accelerating sales cycle" underway at Amazon Web Services, citing the results of its quarterly AWS customer survey. Spending on AWS in 2024 could grow an above-consensus 20% year over year, analysts said, as their survey indicated companies' budgets this year are "shifting meaningfully to infrastructure spending." The analysts, who reiterated Amazon as their top pick, said the company is benefiting from "early exits" of on-premise data center contracts toward cloud-computing deals. Enterprises' desire to move their data into the cloud for generative artificial intelligence deployment  or optimize their existing data in the cloud for AI  is positive for AWS, according to Mizuho. The firm's commentary on AWS growth supports our hopeful expectations for the cloud business this year  a key profit driver for the company that faced a slowdown beginning in 2022 as customers reined in spending. Signs of the cloud comeback also were evident in Amazon's fourth-quarter earnings report , which showed AWS revenue growth finally reaccelerated, up 13% in the three months ended Dec. 31 from a year ago. While Microsoft Azure's reported 30% year-over-year revenue growth and Alphabet's Google Cloud posted 26% annual revenue growth during the same period, Amazon's results nevertheless indicated the softness in cloud spending is rolling over. Amazon said it expects accelerating AWS revenue trends to continue in 2024, which is good news for the stock. "We see less ... cost cutting efforts by our enterprise customers," AWS CEO Adam Selipsky told Jim Cramer recently . "We see a lot of those companies starting to lean back into their core application, core [information technology] estate migrations back into the cloud, and we see generative AI layering in on all of that, so we're quite optimistic about the future growth potential for AWS." AMZN 1Y mountain Amazon's stock performance over the past 12 months. A separate Wall Street survey this week cast in a favorable light the other side of Amazon's business, its sprawling e-commerce operations. Wedbush Securities analysts said Amazon stands to be the biggest winner from expected growth in online shopping in 2024  not exactly a surprise, but still a positive for investors. In a poll of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers about their expected spending, Amazon remains the preferred e-commerce destination "by a wide margin." Roughly 60% of respondents said they planned to spend more at Amazon this year, Wedbush's survey found, compared with 41% and 21% for Walmart and Target, respectively. International competitors like Chinese online marketplace Temu and discount online retailer Shein have "outpaced some US-based incumbents," the Wedbush survey indicated. However, the analysts said they believe Amazon is "relatively insulated from emerging competition," contending the reasons a consumer turns to Temu are "notably different" than their motivations to shop on Amazon. Another encouraging finding in the Wedbush survey: Amazon Prime members said they are seeing "modest improvements" in their experiences, with 39% saying they received an order on the same or next day. That's up from 32% in Wedbush's prior survey. Amazon's ability to enhance delivery speeds underscores the success of its regionalization strategy  a prominent reason for our enthusiasm on its stock. We're optimistic the e-commerce giant can further optimize those speeds, due in part to the use of AI in the logistics network, while keeping costs under control to help boost profits. While the consumer discretionary sector has pulled back nearly 2% for the week  and a popular retail ETF has fared even worse  shares of Amazon have bucked the trend. The stock has climbed more than 2% this week and set a fresh 52-week high in Friday's session. At around $185 per share, Amazon is trading less than $2 below its all-time high of $186.57 set in July 2021, during the pandemic-fueled boom times for its business. We have a price target of $190 per share on Amazon and a 2 rating on the stock, meaning we would wait for a pullback before buying additional shares. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long AMZN. 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.

Alain Jocard | AFP | Getty Images
Marvell Technology will reap the benefits from the growth of artificial intelligence due to its deep and broad base of intellectual property, Bank of America predicts. On Thursday, the bank reiterated its buy rating ahead of the chipmaker's AI presentation next Thursday. Its $95 price target suggests 34% upside from Thursday's close. MRVL YTD mountain Marvell Technology year to date At the event, analyst Vivek Arya expects Marvell Technology to outline a $20 billion to $30 billion incremental total addressable market. "AVGO dominates the custom chip market ($7.5bn or 75% share of the $10-11bn custom chip market in CY24E), but we expect MRVL to become more relevant and eventually claim over 10% share in the custom AI chip market," Arya wrote in a note to clients, referring to Broadcom and Marvell by their ticker symbols. That translates to $2 billion to $3 billion annually by 2026/2027, versus $0.6 billion this year and $1 billion expected in 2025, he said. He also expects Marvell to reinforce its competitive differentiation in custom chips compared to lower-priced Taiwan rivals, similar to an argument recently made by Broadcom . Arya also expects management at the AI event to address Marvell's leadership in inter- and intra-data center AI optics and its ability to transition to silicon photonics. Shares of Marvell are up more than 17% year to date.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on canceling student debt at Culver City Julian Dixon Library on February 21, 2024 in Culver City, California.

The Biden administration will soon roll out a sweeping new student loan forgiveness proposal that could impact millions of Americans.

Despite its smaller scope than President Joe Biden's first education debt relief plan that the Supreme Court ultimately blocked, this new aid package could still forgive the debt for as many as 10 million Americans, according to one rough estimate by higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

Biden is planning to provide details of his new debt forgiveness plan during a speech Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The president likely wants to start forgiving debt for many student borrowers ahead of the election in November.

Almost half of all voters, or 48%, say canceling student loan debt is an important issue to them in the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, a recent survey found.

Forgiving student debt could especially help Biden with young voters, a demographic he's been struggling with. Around 70% of Gen Z respondents said student debt cancelation was important to them in the election.

More from Personal Finance:

Top colleges expand financial aid awards to eliminate student loans

What you need to know about Social Security's new overpayment policies

What car shoppers need to know
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., before meeting with a group of senators on Jan. 24, 2024.

Outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun's take-home pay fell to $5 million last year after declining a bonus, compared with $7 million in 2022, and his latest compensation package is taking a hit from the prolonged safety crisis surrounding the company's bestselling jetliner, the 737 Max.

Calhoun's total compensation last year rose 45% to $32.8 million, up from $22.6 million in the prior year. But Boeing said the 2023 sum is closer to $23.5 million, as it includes long-term incentives such as stock. Shares of the plane-maker are down almost 30% this year.

Total compensation for Stan Deal, whom Boeing last month replaced at the top of the commercial airplanes division, rose 42% to $12.5 million.

Calhoun last month said he would step down by the end of the year. His departure is part of a broad shake-up in which the company also replaced its chairman and head of its commercial airplane unit. The manufacturer is grappling with the fallout of a door plug panel that blew out midair from a 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines in January.

Boeing disclosed the take-home pay, which did not include a 2023 bonus Calhoun declined that was valued at $2.8 million, and executive compensation in a filing Friday. The company said it will now more closely tie executive compensation to safety goals.

"I promise that I personally, and we as a Board, will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get this company where it needs to be," newly named Boeing Chairman Steve Mollenkopf said in a message to shareholders in a filing Friday.

The Jan. 5 accident has slowed deliveries of new jets and Boeing has said it will burn more cash than it previously expected. The company is scheduled to release first-quarter results April 24.

Calhoun took the helm at Boeing in January 2020 after his predecessor was ousted for his handling of the aftermath of two fatal crashes of the 737 Max. In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic's devastating effect on the aviation industry, Boeing has also had a host of quality defects on its aircraft. Those have slowed deliveries of new planes to customers clamoring for fresh jets as travel snapped back, hurting Boeing's cash flow.

The Alaska Airlines door plug near-catastrophe was the most serious issue since the crashes. The Justice Department is investigating the Alaska Airlines accident and the Federal Aviation Administration has capped Boeing's 737 Max production until it signs off on Boeing's quality control.

Boeing said on Friday that "operational performance metrics for all business units will be focused exclusively on quality and safety goals" this year and that long-term executive incentives could be reduced to zero if goals are not met.

Boeing last posted an annual profit in 2018.

Clarification: CEO Dave Calhoun's total 2023 compensation is closer to $23.5 million. An earlier version contained a figure that was later updated by Boeing.
Pictured here is a Nio battery swapping station in Haikou, Hainan province, China, on May 9, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

BEIJING  Chinese electric car company Nio has been expanding its battery swap partnerships in a bid to gain an edge on the infrastructure side of the EV ecosystem. Since November, Nio has partnered with at least four Chinese automakers  Changan, Geely, Chery and JAC  for developing battery swap standards and expanding the network in China. Nio also announced agreements earlier this year to work with two local battery companies on battery swap services. All these efforts are aimed at alleviating consumers' anxiety about driving range. While having a large network of battery charging stations helps address those concerns, battery swapping is a faster method as it takes only a few minutes. "Swapping right now is mainly driven by Nio. Of course, Nio found out this is an ecosystem," CLSA's deputy head of research Ding Luo said in an interview. "If only one player is trying to build up the whole ecosystem, it's impossible for [them]. That's why they're thinking whether they can invite some partners." Battery swapping still isn't mainstream because the car batteries need to be standardized, he added. While a charging station resembles a typical gas station, battery-swap technology is housed in a shed-like structure. It uses machines to automatically exchange depleted batteries for pre-charged ones in compatible cars. Nio said in mid-March that it completed 40 million battery swaps compared with nearly 37 million charges at its public stations  Nio consumers can also access third-party charging stations, or install one at home.

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"I think our outlook is very simple," Shen Fei, senior vice president of Nio's power division, said in Chinese translated by CNBC. "The first thing is to serve Nio's users, and then provide a good battery charging and swapping experience, make charging more convenient than refueling, and at the same time help the company sell more cars." The company claims that with battery swap, drivers can get a fresh charge in three minutes, if they opt in for a paid battery service plan. Shen said more car models will be added to Nio's battery swap network, while adding that swapping can allow drivers to keep abreast with improvements in battery technology. He did not specify which automakers will likely be added to its network. Power services and other products account for just about 10% of Nio's total revenue. The company said that category of "other sales" for 2023 grew by 69% to 6.36 billion yuan ($895.9 million). Nio does not break out swap station revenue.

Battery swap's checkered past

Battery swapping has been tried by the industry with mixed success, especially in the U.S. Tesla and a startup called Better Space tried out swapping more than 10 years ago, but the venture soon closed. In 2021, another startup, Ample, opened its battery swap stations in the San Francisco area  aimed at Uber drivers using the Nissan Leaf car. While it's not clear how much headway Ample has made in the U.S., the company has since expanded its partnerships overseas. Last month the company announced it would serve corporate car fleets in Kyoto, Japan, while it teamed up with Stellantis to roll out battery swaps this year in Madrid, Spain. "For swapping to work it can't be niche," Tu Le, head of consultancy Sino Auto Insights, said. "Battery inventory investment is massive, so it needs to be amortized over lots of swapping." But he was cautious on whether Nio could sell enough of its own premium-priced cars to make the economics work. "For now I still think the combination of swapping and charging makes for a pretty attractive feature set, but swapping alone likely doesn't help them sell that many more cars." "I think the nudge the Chinese government gave to encourage others to join forces with Nio on swapping could create the necessary pool of vehicles to make swapping viable," he added.

The business of charging

Nio is the first major electric car company to roll out battery swap stations in addition to charging stations, alongside its own vehicles in mainland China and Europe. The company has installed more than 2,300 battery swap stations, and plans to install 1,000 more this year. Nio's investment in battery swap stations is about two years ahead of market demand, CEO William Li said last month, adding that less than a fifth of battery swap stations that Nio operates are processing 60 orders a day, likely the minimum orders needed for a station to break even. Nio's battery charging stations, on the other hand, reached profitability last year, according to the company. It plans to build 20,000 more this year. Passenger car battery swap stations can cost around $500,000 to build, while a relatively basic charging station with two ports costs around $200,000 to $300,000, according to Shay Natarajan, a North America-based partner at Mobility Impact Partners, a private equity fund that invests in transportation. CLSA's Luo said businesses also prefer to invest in normal charging stations than swap stations because they make a higher return. But if businesses want to install faster-charging stations, he said they might face power grid challenges. CLSA's analysis found that the power required for five superchargers in one location would be more than what 300 families would normally consume. Tesla is also collaborating with automakers in battery charging, with its over 50,000 superchargers worldwide that claim to restore about two-thirds of a battery's charge in 15 minutes. In February, Ford reached a deal that allows its electric cars to use Tesla's superchargers in North America. General Motors announced a similar agreement last year.

Sustainability considerations
Citigroup is keeping its bullish stance on Micron Technology even as the memory chipmaker faces disruptions caused by this week's earthquake in Taiwan. Boise, Idaho-based Micron said in an update that all of its staff has been accounted for and that it would be "evaluating [the earthquake's] impact to our operations and supply chain." Citi analyst Christopher Danely sees a potential silver lining. "Micron has roughly 60% of its [Dynamic random access memory] manufacturing in Taiwan and we believe the earthquake could result in some scrappage of inventory, which could help pricing," he wrote, reiterating the stock as a top pick, with a $150 price target. Semiconductor makers across the industry have been assessing the fallout from the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Taiwan, the strongest in a quarter of a century. The island is home to a flourishing chip market, including global chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing , that many U.S. companies rely on. Looking ahead, Danely expects sales and earnings estimates to benefit from the growth of DRAM and high-bandwidth memory driven by companies such as Nvidia . This could yield $3 billion in revenue by 2025, he estimates. MU YTD mountain Shares this year "Investors remain concerned about the DRAM upturn due to overcapacity in 2025," he wrote. "While we expect DRAM capex to surprise to the upside in C24 and increase 36% in C25, we believe higher spending will be offset by capacity loss due to HBM and increased demand," Danely wrote, referring to high-bandwidth memory. Danely's price target on Micron implies 21% upside from Thursday's close. Shares have already rallied more than 45% since the start of the year.
A man serving a life sentence for kidnapping and other crimes while in a Georgia prison built two bombs which he mailed to a District of Columbia office building and the federal courthouse and building in Anchorage, Alaska, prosecutors allege.

The accused bomb maker, 55-year-old David Cassady, allegedly put the two explosive devices into the mail at his prison in Tattnall County on Jan. 24, 2020, according to an indictment issued by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Statesboro, Georgia.

The bomb that went to Washington, D.C., was mailed to the Bond Building, whose office tenants include the Department of Justice.

The indictment alleges Cassady made and sent the bombs with the intent to "to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or explosive, a building in whole or in part owned or possessed by, or leased to, the United States," and "created substantial risk of injury to a person."

Neither bomb exploded.

Cassady is charged with one count of making an unregistered destructive device, two counts of mailing a destructive device and two counts of attempted malicious use of an explosive.

"Protecting our personnel and facilities is a fundamental role of our office and of our law enforcement partners," said U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg, whose office is prosecuting Cassady. "We also will take action against inmates who seek to commit crimes and harm the public from behind bars."

Barry Paschal, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to comment when asked to explain the more than four-year lag between Cassady allegedly mailing the bombs, and being charged in the case.

Paschal said he could not comment on details of the case beyond those contained in the indictment.

That charging document did not say how Cassady allegedly made the bombs while locked up in prison, the size of those devices, how he mailed them from prison, and why he chose the DOJ headquarters and the federal courthouse and building in Anchorage as his targets.
Here are some tips on how to land your next role after being laid off. Violetastoimenova | E+ | Getty Images

Companies around the world have continued to downsize following the overhiring spree during the pandemic. Since the start of the year, more than 57,000 employees have been laid off globally, according to Layoffs.fyi. From Alphabet to Meta, Amazon to Microsoft, big tech firms have taken a huge hit, with nearly 230 firms in the industry cutting jobs this year. In Singapore alone, over 14,500 people were retrenched in 2023, "more than double the record low seen in 2022," according to the government. With all these layoffs, many people are in the market for a new role. "Going through a layoff is a very emotional experience," says LinkedIn career expert Pooja Chhabria. It's easy to feel lost after the incident, and is therefore important to take a beat to reflect and come up with a game plan for how to move forward. Here are five tips she gives on how to land your next role:

Invest in community

Being laid off is bound to come with new challenges. First, it's important to lean into your community and work on strengthening your network. "Stay in touch with your colleagues at your previous role," Chhabria told CNBC Make It. Additionally, she suggests attending industry events and reaching out to your connections at companies you want to work for. "We've seen a 4x increase in someone getting an opportunity if they are referred by someone that they know in that company," she said.

Level up your online presence

When in-between work, it is crucial to use that time wisely to grow professionally. It is also equally important to show how you've grown, she added. Chhabria suggests emphasizing your skills when updating your resume and online professional profiles. She said that "87% of recruiters have told us that they prioritize skills when they vet candidates for roles." Another way to stand out is to start sharing content online about your professional knowledge, previous work experience, or future career aspirations. "Content really leads to community building," Chhabria said. "If I talk about my work, I can make my work reach more people."

Prepare for the 'Tell me about yourself' question

"Always prepare for the first question that you're typically asked in an interview, which is: Tell me about yourself," Chhabria said. "I think a lot of people underestimate that question," she said, but "that question is your pitch on why you're the best person for [the] job." Be prepared to answer that question. It can help position you to stand out and influence the direction of the interview. "Sometimes what I've seen is people tend to take up a lot of time to chronologically describe their work history," she said. "I would say telling a more cohesive story is more impactful." Preparing your answer by talking about your experience and connecting it back to why it's valuable to the position and tasks at hand, Chhabria suggests. She says a candidate's answer to that question helps her determine whether or not they are a good fit for the role.

Own your career gap

It can be daunting to talk about your career gap after being laid off. "Career breaks are also seen as something very natural for professionals," she said. "Just be honest and transparent about it." Being upfront can help build trust with the interviewer. Additionally, she suggests talking about how you used the time to your advantage. "Whether you invested in building new skills, you took up a few LinkedIn learning courses, or you did a few freelancing gigs," it's important to talk about how you spent that time.

Don't criticize your previous workplace
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NEW YORK  When Hyundai Motor launched its Genesis luxury brand domestically in 2016, many were skeptical the South Korean automaker  recognized mainly for budget vehicles at the time  knew what it was doing. Among the skeptics were auto industry veterans Randy Parker and Claudia Marquez. Both were working for Nissan's luxury Infiniti brand at the time and they've since made the leap over to Hyundai Group, with Parker leading the Hyundai brand in the U.S. "We both were looking at it like, 'Oh, my God, how are these guys going to be able to make it?' I mean, nothing against. It's just complicated. A new brand in such a competitive set," Marquez, who now leads Genesis in North America, told CNBC last week at the New York International Auto Show. Not only has Genesis made it, the brand has thrived to become a dark horse in the U.S. luxury market with unique styling, unexpected comfort and well-ranked quality. It's done so with both gas-powered and electric vehicles.

Patricia Wayne, first all-electric GV60 customer and Claudia Marquez (right), chief operating officer, Genesis Motor North America, at Genesis Santa Monica, Santa Monica, Calif., May 26, 2022. Genesis

The brand has overtaken the decades-old Infiniti brand in annual U.S. sales since 2022. Executives expect to continue annual double-digit growth over the next five years, according to Marquez, who was named Genesis' North American chief operating officer in October 2021. "We have to outpace, by far, the luxury market," she said. "It's going to continue being strong. It has to be a marathon, not a sprint." Genesis started as a vehicle in Hyundai's lineup but the company announced in late 2015 that it would become its own brand. Since then, its U.S. sales have grown from fewer than 7,000 vehicles in 2016 to more than 69,000 last year.

Growing awareness

Along those lines, Marquez and Jose Munoz, Hyundai president and global chief operating officer, noted that while robust Genesis' growth is expected, it will be at a restricted pace to retain the residual values and pricing of the vehicles. Munoz said expectations for the brand are "still high" but its volume ambitions for the U.S. are more in line with its rivals such as Porsche than that of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, which sell hundreds of thousands of vehicles annually.

Hyundai CEO Jae Hoon Chang (left) and Jose Munoz, Hyundai president and global chief operating officer, attend the 2024 New York International Auto Show Michael Wayland | CNBC

"We still have a long ways to go, but this is not a mass brand. So, we don't have a huge volume aspirations, but there's still a significant way to go," Munoz, who also serves as CEO of Hyundai Motor and Genesis Motor North America, said during a separate interview at the show. The brand's closest competitors based on 2023 sales were Land Rover (71,727 units), Porsche (75,415 units), Lincoln (81,818) and Volvo (128,350). Genesis sales last year increased about 23% over the prior year to 69,175 vehicles. One of Genesis' greatest challenges remains awareness, Marquez said. Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility, agreed with that perception. "It's an upstart that's gained credibility; now it has to gain a wider audience," Brinley said. "It is respected at this point. The problem is, just not quite enough people know about it yet.  That's the space it occupies right now."

Michael Wayland / CNBC

Performance models

For the short term, Genesis is looking to grow awareness and sales with new "Magma" performance models. It intends to offer a performance variant for each production vehicle, the company said last week in conjunction with the auto show in New York. The brand also may expand its lineup with a three-row SUV. Genesis revealed a large, all-electric concept SUV last week. Marquez declined to discuss potential production plans but said to expect such a vehicle "sooner rather than later." Genesis currently offers three sedans (G70, G80, G90) and three SUVs (GV60, GV70, GV80). The G80, GV60 and GV70 are also available as all-electric vehicles. Genesis' 2024 starting prices range from about $41,500 for the G70 to more than $89,000 for the G90.

GV60 Magma Concept Genesis

Worldwide, the Genesis G80 is the best-selling model in the brand's vehicle lineup since its introduction in 2016, with 390,738 units sold across the global market, including electrified G80 models. The brand is likely to get a boost in local manufacturing with a new $7.6 billion factory expected to begin production later this year in Georgia. Munoz said Genesis will be a "key focus of the plant," which also will produce Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The brand currently assembles the GV70 gas and electric SUVs at a plant in Alabama, while the other models are imported from South Korea. "The products are very strong. They're very welcomed by the consumer as we have focused on [the U.S.]," Munoz said. "This is the most important market for a Genesis without a doubt."
Katrin Jakobsdottir, Prime Minister of Iceland arrives at the European Council Meeting on March 22, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium.

Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced on Friday that she will resign from her post and run for president, public broadcaster RUV and daily Morgunbladid reported.

It was not immediately clear who would succeed Jakobsdottir as prime minister, a job she has held since 2017.

"I have decided to ask to be released from the position of prime minister of Iceland and to stand in the upcoming presidential election," Jakobsdottir said in a video message according Morgunbladid.
Analysts have become more bullish on six stocks from around the world this week, raising their price targets. The list of upgraded stocks includes four U.S.-listed companies  Shift4 Payments , Semtech , Formula One Group , MacroGenics  as well as South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor and French retail technology giant Vusion . The price target changes come ahead of the next earnings season covering the first quarter of this year. CNBC Pro screened for global stocks that have received price target upgrades from five or more analysts in the past seven days and have a potential upside of over 25%. MacroGenics Investment banks raised their price target for the biopharmaceutical firm MacroGenics this week, giving the stock upside potential of 83% over the next 12 months. The Rockville, Maryland-headquartered company, founded in 2000, researches and develops antibody-based therapeutics for cancer treatment. Analysts this week said the company's latest trial data for its vobra-duo drug showed a "drastically improved" safety profile, which "could lead to a boost in efficacy". Vobra-duo is designed to treat solid tumors. "We highlight that an improved safety profile with lower discontinuations and dose reductions could lead to better exposure and consequently better efficacy vs. prior data," said JMP analyst Silvan Tuerkcan in a note to clients on Apr. 3. "We are also encouraged by the fact that a median of three cycles of vobra-duo was administered with 86% of patients continuing treatment." Tuerkcan  one of the most cautious analysts on the stock  has a price target of $22, pointing to upside of 22% for the stock. MGNX 1Y line Meanwhile, investment firm Leerlink Partners, which specializes in healthcare and life science stocks, told clients that shares of MacroGenics could more than double over the next 12 months  the most bullish price target of all analysts polled by FactSet. Shift 4 Payments Shares of the New York-listed payment processing company have fallen by around 15% over the past month after its board rejected several takeover bids over concerns that the offers were not "sufficiently valuing" the company. Investment banks are urging clients to buy as the sell-off has left the stock at "very attractive" levels. Peter Heckmann, equity analyst at DA Davidson, pointed to statements from Shift 4 CEO Jared Issacman's openness towards taking the firm private in 2023 "to remove some of the distractions of being a public company." FOUR 1Y line Analysts have also suggested that Shift 4 could benefit from the $30 billion settlement Visa and MasterCard struck with the U.S. government to limit credit and debit card fees charged to businesses. "To the extent merchants surcharge on certain credit cards, we believe the biggest beneficiaries could be merchant acquirers that earn a take rate on volume/ATV," said Mizuho Securities analysts led by Dan Dolev in a note to clients on Mar. 26.
The major force behind this year's AI trade has cooled off in recent weeks. Nvidia shares have essentially traded sideways since CEO Jensen Huang addressed developers at the company's GTC conference nearly three weeks ago. Huang announced a new chip platform, Blackwell, and spent plenty of time talking about new software and services. It advanced Nvidia's efforts to create an ecosystem of software and services around its must-have artificial intelligence hardware  taking a page out of Apple 's playbook. Earlier in the week , we focused on Microsoft , Alphabet , Amazon and Meta Platforms ' (and to some extent Apple's) AI efforts and their stock moves. But we'd be remiss if we didn't look at the lay of the land at Nvidia, which has thus far been the biggest financial winner of the AI wave that's swept Wall Street since late 2022. That's when ChatGPT's viral launch opened investors' eyes to what is possible with generative artificial intelligence, which refers to machines making content in response to user prompts. AI may seem like an overnight success story, but Nvidia and Alphabet's Google have been working on artificial intelligence for decades. "For three decades we've pursued accelerated computing, with the goal of enabling transformative breakthroughs like deep learning and AI," Huang said at GTC. At Alphabet, Google put together a timeline back to 2001 to highlight its AI breakthroughs. A major milestone came 2017 when Google introduced the transformer architecture , on which ChatGPT was built. It is fair to say that without Nvidia the current generative AI wave would not be possible yet. It's been Nvidia's semiconductors that make AI work. As demand for accelerated computing power takes off, and the company works to further build out its services, we think there's more upside to be had in the stock. It's why Jim Cramer put Nvidia in the rarified air of Apple as the only two stocks in the Club portfolio deemed "own them, don't trade them." It's no wonder shares have surged nearly 75% year to date after more than tripling in 2023. But the stock, as it's known to do, has hit a bit of a rough patch  completing a three-day slide as of Thursday's close. It's been down in five down sessions in the past seven. NVDA 5Y mountain Nvidia 5 years This year has been a transition from imagining what generative AI could be  a dynamic that's leading the major players to buy as much computing power as they can from the likes of Nvidia  to how the buzzy technology can be monetized. The clearest examples at the moment are Microsoft's Copilot AI assistants and Meta's enhanced advertising tools . The AI hierarchy right now looks something like this: Semiconductors are scooped up by the hyperscale cloud providers  Amazon Web Services, Microsoft's Azure and Google Cloud  who then deliver compute to their enterprise customers. We're currently at the beginning of hyperscaler monetization. It's a theme we'll be hearing a lot about on earnings calls in the coming months and years. As these companies ramp up their efforts to sell AI products to their own customers, the next stage will be margin expansion, in which customers can then take those products and leverage them to increase their own profitability. This is a high-level theme investors should be monitoring in the years to come. It won't happen overnight, but it all plays off of AI adoption. The trick is figuring out what part of the adoption curve we are at. Last year, we ran a hypothetical model on how Starbucks could benefit from AI chatbots at its drive-thru windows. We noted then that if four of the 21 employees at company-operated U.S. locations, on average, could be reallocated, the result would be almost 5 percentage points of operating margin expansion or a 27% increase in operating profit. At the time, we knew Wendy's and Jack in the Box were early believers in generative AI at drive-thrus. More recently, McDonald's told Jim the fast-food giant is using chatbots at drive-thrus. That's just one industry. Put another way, look for the benefits of AI adoption to trickle through the economy and profit margins to expand as it does. The companies best able to adopt this new technology are the ones most likely to see the most upside in the years ahead. Adoption starts with Nvidia, which can't churn out chips fast enough as this dynamic emerges. However, Huang and Co. are not standing still as they look to growth markets such as governments around the world. Nvidia's CEO has said that every country must have its own AI infrastructure. To be sure, the U.S. government has put trade rules around chip exports to China , rooted in national security concerns, that have resulted in lower sales for Nvidia in the world's second-largest economy. Even if Nvidia's latest made-for-China chips to comply with regulations are not as well-received in that market, there are still so many other would-be-buyer nations, as well as companies, that can benefit from Nvidia's offerings. Putting it all together, the beautiful thing for investors is we don't need to look for a new investment theme every single time; we just need to monitor the same AI theme and track where the biggest gains are set to be over the next year or so. So, as the benefits of AI trickle through the "AI supply chain," look for the benefits of AI to spread and earnings to grow as a result. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long NVDA, AAPL, GOOGL, AMZN, MSFT, META, which make up our Super Six tech mega-caps . 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.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address during the Nvidia GTC Artificial Intelligence Conference at SAP Center on March 18, 2024 in San Jose, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
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Drivers charge their Teslas in Fountain Valley, California, on March 20, 2024. Jeff Gritchen | Medianews Group | Getty Images

A car loses value as soon as you drive it off the lot, but electric vehicles are taking this adage to a new level. That's becoming a major barrier to wider adoption, according to some industry and investment experts. A recent study from iSeeCars.com showed the average price of a 1- to 5-year-old used EV in the U.S. fell 31.8% over the past 12 months, equating to a value loss of $14,418. In comparison, the average price for a comparably aged internal combustion engine vehicle fell just 3.6%. While lower used EV prices could increase their desirability to some buyers, they can also reduce demand for new electric vehicles, according to Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars. "The value a new car loses in the first few years is the single most expensive aspect of owning a new vehicle," he said, explaining that "as more new car shoppers become aware of the massive drop in EV values they will be less interested in buying one." Speaking to CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Monday, David Kuo, stock analyst and co-founder at the Smart Investor, said that the inability of EVs to retain value had kept him from investing in the industry.

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According to Kuo, EVs are analogous to other consumer electronics like laptops and cell phones in that they tend to lose value and relevance quickly after being sold. "The same [depreciation] is going to happen to electric vehicles; it'll probably cost you $20,000, $30,000 to buy one, but in a year's time it will depreciate much faster than an internal combustion engine car," he said. Industry insiders have also flagged EV resale problems. Speaking to Bloomberg late last year, representatives from VW and Toyota said depreciation was hurting the value proposition of their battery-powered vehicles. Kuo further argued that the software and computing capabilities of used EVs may become outdated and incompatible with updates by the time they are sold or even beforehand. That will be a "lightbulb moment" when buyers realize they paid too much in the first place, he added.

Unfavorable market conditions

Despite EVs' apparent depreciation issue, its causes might have less to do with the technology itself and more to do with market conditions. According to iSeeCars, dramatic drops in used electric vehicle values in the U.S. have largely been driven by aggressive price cuts by Tesla amid a broader price war in the EV market. Tesla is the dominant EV seller in the U.S. and as a result of lower prices for its new EVs, buyers are less likely to entertain the same price levels for used alternatives.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces have managed to "stabilize" their battlefield positions despite a significant decrease in ammunition supplies, speaking during his nightly address to the nation.

Zelenskyy said that four people were killed in a Russian drone strike in the Kharkiv region a day prior, a figure that included three rescue workers.

Ukraine's Air Force said it shot down 13 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russian forces from Crimea. CNBC is not able to independently verify developments on the ground.
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Altice USA  The cable television firm tumbled more than 12% after Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to underweight from equal weight. The bank is now skeptical on Altice's merger and acquisition prospects, analyst Steven Cahall wrote. Tesla  The electric vehicle maker lost nearly 2% after Reuters reported its long-promised plans for a low-cost car amid competition from Chinese EV makers. Investors had been counting on the entry-level car to propel its growth into a mass-market automaker. CEO Elon Musk responded to the report on social media platform X , saying "Reuters is lying (again)." Krispy Kreme  Shares jumped 6% after Piper Sandler upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral. The firm cited the doughnut chain's partnership with McDonald's , announced last week, and an improving narrative. Enphase Energy  The solar stock lost 5% after Citi downgraded it to neutral from buy , citing "limited corporate liquidity" and noting trends "are weaker sequentially in the U.S." Citi also downgraded Plug Power , whose shares slipped less than 1%. Cinemark  The movie theater chain climbed 4.4% on the back of a double upgrade to overweight from underweight by Wells Fargo. The bank said Cinemark has seen rising demand and there is a solid backdrop for the movie industry. Snowflake  The cloud company added 2.5% after Rosenblatt upgraded the stock to buy from a neutral rating, citing strong customer interest. Ollie's Bargain Outlet  Shares rose 4.5% after Loop Capital upgraded the bargain retailer to buy from hold. The firm cited its relatively cheap valuation compared to its peers and its store base expansion potential. Agilent Technologies  The life sciences applications stock rose nearly 3% after Stifel upgraded it to buy from hold. Analyst Daniel Arias said good instrument demand and an attractive valuation will make the stock more compelling to investors. Shockwave Medical  Shares gained 2% after Johnson & Johnson announced it would buy the medical device maker for $12.5 billion in an effort to boost its portfolio of cardiovascular disease treatment devices. J & J shares were little changed. McDonald's  Shares slipped less than 1% after the fast-food chain said Thursday that it signed a deal to buy all 225 restaurants from its Israel franchise. The move came after months of slumping sales in the Middle East following pro-Palestinian boycotts.  CNBC's Hakyung Kim, Alex Harring, Samantha Subin and Michelle Fox contributed reporting.
President Joe Biden's administration plans to press the Netherlands next week to stop its top chipmaking equipment maker ASML from servicing some tools in China, two people familiar with the matter said, as the U.S. leans on allies in its bid to hobble Beijing's tech sector.

President Joe Biden's administration plans to press the Netherlands next week to stop its top chipmaking equipment maker ASML from servicing some tools in China, two people familiar with the matter said, as the U.S. leans on allies in its bid to hobble Beijing's tech sector.

Alan Estevez, the U.S. export policy chief, is scheduled to meet in the Netherlands next Monday with officials from the Dutch government and ASML to discuss the servicing contracts, the people said.

Washington may also be seeking to add to a list of Chinese chipmaking factories restricted from receiving Dutch equipment as part of the discussions, one of the people said.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed the upcoming meeting but did not elaborate on which topics would be on the agenda.

"The Netherlands always has good discussions with our partners. The meeting of officials on Monday is one example of that," the Ministry told Reuters.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said Beijing opposes the U.S.'s "overstretching" of the concept of national security and use of "pretexts to coerce other countries into joining its technological blockade against China."

The Commerce Department and ASML, whose shares briefly fell after the news, declined to comment.
Shares of Teladoc closed up more than 1% Friday but are down about 33% year-to-date. The stock has also fallen about 95% from a high of $294.54 in February 2021 to around $14 as of Friday, a level it hasn't traded at in about eight years.

The company's board of directors has temporarily appointed Mala Murthy, chief financial officer, as Gorevic's replacement and hired an executive search firm to determine a permanent successor.

Teladoc Health on Friday announced the sudden departure of CEO Jason Gorevic, who is leaving his role as head of the company effective immediately, according to a release .

"We thank Jason for his many achievements and contributions during the 15 years he led Teladoc Health. We wish him success in his future endeavors," David Snow Jr., Teladoc board chair, said in the release.

Teladoc is a virtual health care company that offers telehealth appointments with doctors, therapists and specialists.

Gorevic joined the company as CEO in 2009, steering Teladoc through the Covid-19 pandemic that left most health care providers scrambling to adapt to a virtual format.

"I am proud of the impact we've made on the healthcare system, and our many accomplishments in advancing innovation and transforming virtual health care from an unrealized promise into a valued reality for our 90 million members," Gorevic told CNBC in a statement.

Murthy has led Teladoc's finance organization since 2019. She previously held executive positions at American Express and PepsiCo . Murthy said in a letter to employees Friday that she's focused on honoring Teladoc's commitments to clients and members and ensuring the "company continues to operate effectively."

Teladoc's board reaffirmed that the company is on track to meet its guidance for the first quarter and full year. It did not share any other details about the reason behind Gorevic's departure.

The company did not offer any additional comment.
The mammoth integration of failed bank Credit Suisse into its former rival UBS will act as a "case study," UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti said Friday, one that will show that big bank mergers should be allowed.

"It's going to be a case study to be evaluated globally, but also particularly in Europe, where eventually the necessity of creating stronger banks, and stronger and more competitive banks from a global standpoint of view, is in my point of view a necessity," Ermotti told CNBC's Steve Sedgwick at an event at the Ambrosetti Spring Forum in Italy.

"Of course, we can't just rely on a crisis to create or facilitate the merger of banks," Ermotti said.

"It's good to have strong players that can be part of the solution, like UBS was in the Credit Suisse case. ... But it cannot be just that part. So in that sense, I think that the real issue is, there has to be a political desire to facilitate something like that. So it's not the reality of today," he added.

Credit Suisse collapsed in March 2023 after years of underperformance, scandals and risk management crises. UBS in June completed its takeover of the 167-year-old bank in a deal controversially brokered by Swiss authorities.

The Swiss National Bank has said the size of the new entity flags potential competition issues that will need to be monitored.
People walk past graffiti depicting a Houthi fighter stopping an Israeli ship off the coast of Yemen, painted on a wall of the Saudi embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Feb. 15, 2024.

Oil prices have rallied to five-month highs and are on pace for a weekly gain as tensions boil in the Middle East with Israel closing embassies over threats from Iran.

The West Texas Intermediate contract for May delivery rose 32 cents, or 0.37%, to $86.91 a barrel, while the Brent June contract gained 52 cents, or 0.57%, to $91.17 a barrel. U.S. crude is up 4.5% for the week while the global benchmark has added 4.2%.

Israel has closed 28 embassies around the world amid fears of retaliatory strikes from Iran, according to multiple reports in Israeli media. Iran has blamed Israel for a missile strike on its consulate in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike.

U.S. crude and Brent entered a "golden cross" this week, which is when the 50-day moving average outpaces the 200-day moving average. Investors typically view a golden cross as an indication of positive momentum and the potential for further upside.

The 50-day moving average for U.S. crude of $79.07 a barrel is slightly outpacing its 200-day moving average of $79.02. Brent's 50-day moving average is $83.74 a barrel, above the 200-day moving average of $83.54.
Multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company Sanofi has agreed to settle approximately 4,000 personal injury claims from users of its heartburn drug Zantac, resolving litigation in all US state courts besides Delaware, the company confirmed on Thursday.The settlement, finalised last month, hinges on individual plaintiffs' approval and is expected to conclude over time, according to a company spokesperson. While specific terms remain undisclosed, Bloomberg was the first to report on the deal.Sanofi asserted that the settlement amount reflects the brief period during which Zantac was marketed and the company's robust legal defences. They emphasised that the resolution of these cases would not significantly impact their finances.Zantac, originally developed by GSK and approved in 1983, has been the subject of numerous lawsuits alleging its link to cancer. Sanofi acquired the over-the-counter treatment in 2016 through an asset swap with Boehringer Ingelheim.Concerns about Zantac's contents led to its withdrawal from the market in 2019, following scrutiny by online pharmacy Valisure.In 2020, the FDA instructed all companies to remove Zantac from the market due to concerns about its main ingredient, ranitidine, potentially transforming into a carcinogen, over a period of time or when exposed to high temperatures. Zantac has since returned to the market with a new formulation that does not include ranitidine.Companies facing federal litigation, including Pfizer, gained a huge win in 2022 when a Florida district judge rejected the science backing the claims that Zantac can cause cancer. The ruling freed the drugmakers from approximately 50,000 cases that had been consolidated in the Florida court.The state claims remain, with roughly 75,000 consolidated in Delaware, including approximately 20,000 against Sanofi.Over the last 10 months, GSK has settled individual Zantac cases in California to avoid jury trials. With a longer history with Zantac, GSK faces more claims than the other companies, with Reuters reporting 79,000 outstanding cases in October of last year.Despite settlements, both Sanofi and GSK maintain their stance that Zantac does not cause cancer. Sanofi clarified that their decision to settle aims to mitigate litigation expenses and distractions rather than admitting liability.Consistent with the federal courts ruling that plaintiffs had insufficient evidence that ranitidine can cause plaintiffs alleged cancers, the medical, scientific, and regulatory communities have extensively evaluated and have found the allegations of the plaintiffs that Zantac causes cancer to be without merit, Sanofi's spokesperson said. Sanofi is settling these cases, not because we believe the claims have any merit, but rather to avoid the expense and ongoing distraction of the litigation. No concessions of liability have been made.Last year, an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal sided with Sanofi when Boehringer claimed that the Paris drugmaker agreed to indemnify it from future liabilities on cancer claims against Zantac.
India's Defence Minister responded to the Guardian report citing sources, who alleged that there were at least 20 assassinations in Pakistan, of those considered hostile to India, by sleeper cells of the foreign intelligence agency in New Delhi."India wants to have good relations with all its neighbours. In our entire history, we have never attacked any other country, or try to take even an inch of land from some other country. This is India's character. But if someone repeatedly provokes India, commits acts of terrorism on our soil, they won't be spared," Singh said in an interview with Network18's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.Earlier today, officials told CNN-News18 that the report in the British publication was "false and fabricated". When India says we will eliminate terrorists by entering their homes, it only refers to tensions in the border region and eliminating terrorists there who pose a threat to Indias sovereignty.India has been faced with similar charges in the US for trying to eliminate separatists. However, the government in New Delhi has repeatedly refuted these charges.S Jaishankar, the minister for external affairs, has said that targeted killings in other countries aren't part of India's policy.
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Akita, Apr 05 (News On Japan) - The "2024 Problem" in logistics has been affecting bookstores in Akita Prefecture since April, causing delays in the arrival of paperbacks and literary books, which now reach stores a day after their release date.

According to the Akita Prefecture Bookstore Commerce Association, which consists of over 20 member bookstores, not only independent stores but also major chain bookstores are experiencing these delays. The distribution is handled by a transport company based in Saitama Prefecture, with the transportation distance from the Tokyo metropolitan area being over 600 kilometers one way. With the application of regulations on overtime work hours for truck drivers starting in April, there are concerns about a reduction in transport capacity.

As a result of the "2024 Problem" in logistics, bookstores in Akita Prefecture have seen the arrival of paperbacks and literary books delayed by a day from the release date since April 1. The transport company cites the difficulty in ensuring rest time after work hours due to the cap on overtime work as the reason for the review of their operations. The Akita Prefecture Bookstore Commerce Association has reported that the arrival of magazines, including comics and weekly publications, had already been delayed by a day from the release date, and with the recent logistics issue, almost all books, including paperbacks and literary works, will now be delayed by a day in reaching the shelves. The Association comments, "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience caused by the delayed release dates, but we ask for their understanding as these measures are part of the work style reform for truck drivers."

Even popular authors' books are delayed by a day at bookstores near stations. At a large bookstore in front of JR Akita Station in Akita City, paperbacks and literary books used to arrive on their release dates, but from April, they have been delayed by a day. Consequently, the latest paperback by popular author Keigo Higashino, which was scheduled for release on the 3rd, did not arrive until the morning of the 4th, with sales starting from that day.

The store mentioned that at least three customers, unaware of the delay, visited the store on the intended release date.

A male teenager who purchased a paperback said, "I don't see a problem with a one-day delay if it's for reviewing the work style of truck drivers." A woman in her thirties added, "I understand that those working in the logistics industry have it tough, but in Akita, this means we get information later than the Tokyo area. I hope they can find various ways to close this gap." Keiichi Konno, the deputy manager of Junkudo Bookstore Akita Store, expressed his concern, "It hurts that we cannot sell books to customers who want to buy them on the release date. There's also a fear that customers might shift from physical books to e-books, but I suppose it can't be helped."

Source: NHK
Gina Cody, nee Baktash, immigrated to Montreal in 1979.

She left behind the ongoing revolution in her native Iran to pursue a masters degree in building engineering at Montreals Concordia University. She followed that up with a doctorate and became Canadas first woman to earn a PhD in the discipline.

Cody spent more than 30 years in the private sector as an engineer and business leader of a Toronto-based engineering consulting firm. Under her leadership, her firm was named one of Canadas Best Managed Companies and she was named one of the countrys Top Women Entrepreneurs by Profit magazine. She also received the Canadian Standards Associations Award of Merit and was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Since selling her business in 2016, Cody has focused on philanthropy and advocacy for higher education.

In 2018, she made an historic $15-million gift to the faculty she had twice graduated from, which was renamed the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. It became the first engineering and computer science faculty in the world named after a woman.

At her alma mater she currently serves as co-chair of the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now, the most ambitious fundraising initiative in the universitys history. She also chairs the Gina Cody School Advisory Board and is a past member of the universitys Board of Governors, its Governance Committee and past chair of its Real Estate Planning Committee.

Cody is one of the few women to chair a TSX 60 company  the Canadian Apartment Properties REIT. She also chairs the European Residential REIT and serves on the boards of EllisDon, CIMA+ and Sienna Senior Living.

She has been named to the Orders of Montreal and of Canada, and last year she was named a Woman of Distinction by the Womens Y Foundation of Montreal.

Upon her nomination as co-chancellor, we sat down with Cody for a Q&A.

Concordia was where you started in Canada, as a masters student. Now youll be its chancellor. Are you surprised to be at this point in your life?

Gina Cody: When I was young, did I ever think Id become chancellor? Obviously never. Did I ever dream that? Not really. Its a position that was beyond my dreams.

You will become the first Concordia chancellor who is a new Canadian. What does that signify to you?

GC: I think its very emblematic of what Concordia has always stood for as a true champion of equity, diversity and inclusion. That was certainly my experience as a student here and I have seen the university continue to lead on that front ever since.

Today, Canada depends on immigration to keep us globally competitive. It is important that our countrys most respected institutions  and that certainly includes universities like Concordia  reflect that reality.

How does it feel to be the second woman to become chancellor of Concordia? What does that represent for you?

GC: Its not what it represents to me thats important, but the message it sends to our current and future female students.

Did your time as a student at Concordia prepare you for your career of leadership, and if so, how?

GC: During my PhD program I was also a full-time university employee teaching materials testing labs at the Centre for Building Studies. I was dealing with people my age, older and younger. It built up my self-confidence and helped me when I faced similar situations throughout my career. The job also covered my tuition. Together, the money and experience were worth more than any scholarship the university could have given me.

Who are a few of the leaders you admire and what lessons have you taken from them and applied in your own leadership?

GC: At university, your professors are your idols. Each one of them teaches you something different. Its also helpful to see that they make mistakes, just like anyone else. You get to learn from your own mistakes and theirs, too.

One of the chancellors main duties is to preside over convocation ceremonies, which you already did this past June to fill in for Jonathan Wener. What was the highlight?

GC: The best part was seeing the excitement of the young graduates and their parents. Its very fulfilling and rejuvenating. Its the start of a new life for them.

What, to you, are some of the other responsibilities of the position?

GC: We want to ensure our departing students feel part of our global community of alumni and create a more cohesive alumni network. Being the chancellor gives you the opportunity to see them as theyre leaving the school. If we can strengthen our ties to them at that moment, it will make our university stand out.

People will stay connected if theyre given the chance. Its our responsibility not to lose contact. Post-graduation is a new chapter when people get very busy with their job and their family. As the job market gets tougher, life today is getting even more challenging. How do we ensure we remain a pillar of their success?

If you look at the Ivy League schools and others with great reputations that people want to stay connected with, its mainly because of their networks. We need to raise our graduates pride in Concordia even higher and work on it constantly. We can do that by creating a community for them so that they enjoy themselves and continue to feel the connection adds value to their lives.

Youve been very generous to your alma mater. Why do you think the Concordia experience resonated so strongly with you compared to other graduates?

GC: I was only 22 when I left the revolution in Iran behind and came to Canada. My loneliness and my need for a sense of belonging were perhaps bigger factors for me than for others. To be accepted by a community that didnt even know me and gave me every opportunity possible to grow  I couldnt have imagined it, and I definitely knew I couldnt take it for granted.

In that vein, do you see your landmark $15-million gift to Concordia in 2018 in some ways as an investment? If the university helps support students financially as it did you, then that will spur others to give back, too?

GC: Absolutely. If 50 per cent of graduates feel more connected and consider giving back to their alma mater, then we will have achieved something meaningful.

How do you feel about the outcomes of your donation so far?

GC: I am very encouraged. When a student sends me even a short message through social media, it is very fulfilling. When people are emotional, their message goes very deep and leaves a lasting impression!



Read the announcement about Gina Cody being named co-chancellor.
Maintaining an organized home appears to be a constant struggle for many, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll for The Container Store.

The study, comprising 2,000 homeowners with garages, aimed to gauge the intricate relationship between clutter and mental health.

The findings showed that 82% of the respondents, who self-identified as organized individuals, struggled with the mental effects of domestic disorder, EMS 1 reported.

Nearly half of the participants (48%) said that the state of their homes significantly impacted their psychological well-being, suggesting a profound link between the external environment and internal balance.

Moreover, the survey highlighted the pervasive nature of clutter-induced stress, with 73% expressing feelings of being overwhelmed when confronted with untidiness.

Despite efforts to combat disarray, manifested in the enjoyment of organizing reported by 35% of respondents, a notable segment (24%) grappled with antipathy toward decluttering activities.

Key storage areas such as garages, closets and drawers were deemed the points of chaos, with 46% citing the garage as the most challenging space to maintain.

Notably, the top culprits contributing to clutter included home and holiday decor (41%), old documents (34%) and clothes or shoes (29%), causing feelings of embarrassment among 46% of homeowners who fear judgment over the state of their homes.

Addressing these challenges, Gretchen Ganc, executive vice president of strategy and analytics at The Container Store, recommended personalized organizational solutions tailored to individual needs.

She stressed the transformative potential inherent within neglected spaces, urging homeowners to leverage innovative storage solutions to curtail clutter-induced stress.

Despite the utility of garages as storage hubs for essential and miscellaneous items, structural limitations often thwart optimal organization, with 43% of respondents complaining about the inadequacy of their garage storage systems.

Ganc advised homeowners to go for bespoke furniture pieces from trusted providers to optimize spatial efficiency and restore harmony within garages.
As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, a lesser-known but increasingly prevalent phenomenon is garnering attention: eco-anxiety.

Defined loosely as heightened emotional and mental distress triggered by ominous changes in the climate system, eco-anxiety transcends conventional anxieties, posing unique challenges and requiring tailored coping strategies.

Caroline Hickman, an eco-anxiety specialist at the University of Bath, has explained the unrelenting nature of eco-anxiety, contrasting it with conventional anxieties that typically dissipate with intervention.

Unlike transient anxieties, eco-anxiety remains unresolved, mirroring the persistent nature of the environmental challenges driving its formation.

"With ordinary anxiety, the expectation is that with some form of intervention, some form of support, you will recover," Hickman explained, according to New Scientist. "But the thing about eco-anxiety is that it is unresolvable because the eco-crisis is not being resolved."

While eco-anxiety lacks formal diagnostic criteria, its manifestations encompass a spectrum of symptoms, ranging from obsessive thoughts about climate change to existential dread and guilt over individual carbon footprints.

Recognizing the multifaceted nature of eco-anxiety, experts cautioned against dismissing its psychological toll and urged proactive measures to alleviate distress and foster resilience.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada noted the youth as a demographic particularly vulnerable to eco-anxiety, marked by the heightened awareness of their susceptibility to climate-related adversities.

Indigenous communities, marginalized populations and individuals in higher-risk areas also face disproportionate burdens of eco-anxiety, amplifying the urgency of targeted interventions and support networks.

To mitigate eco-anxiety's adverse effects, experts recommended a multifaceted approach encompassing education, self-awareness and community engagement.

Encouraging people to balance information consumption with emotional self-care, experts stressed the importance of fostering a supportive environment conducive to open dialogue and collective action.

Experts also noted that by fostering a sense of agency and interconnectedness, people can overcome eco-anxiety's paralyzing grip and embrace resilience in the face of environmental uncertainty.
Text:

Global Inequality Statistics:

Root Causes of Inequality:

Anti-Racist Policies and Practices:

Democratic Economic Models:

Role of Education and Awareness:

Intersectionality:

Policy Recommendations:

Case Studies and Success Stories:

Challenges and Future Directions:

Gauranga Das, director of ISKCONs Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV), founded by Radhanath Swami, has insisted that Keralas decentralized planning experience is one of the successful initiatives in reducing inequality and promoting inclusivity, underscoring the importance of holistic approaches and global collaboration in addressing the root causes of exclusion. He was invited to speak at the G20s C20 conference of Brazil.One of the official engagement groups of G20 that provides a platform for civil society organizations and social movements around the world to voice people's aspirations to G20 world leaders, the C20 event under Brazil's G20 Presidency focused on global collaboration to tackle hunger, poverty, and food system security. Govardhan EcoVillage co-facilitated the working group onFood Systems, Hunger, and Poverty.An ISKCON note said, even as praising India's cultural heritage which proposed solutions rooted in Vedic wisdom, Gauranga Das underlined, "Keralas decentralized planning experience demonstrates the benefits of empowering local communities, leading to improved education, healthcare, sanitation, and womens empowerment. This highlights the transformative potential of democratic economic models in reducing inequality and empowering marginalized communities."C20, a vital part of the G20 process, aims to foster global collaboration among civil societies to address various challenges. This year, under Brazil's G20 Presidency, C20 established WG 2: Food Systems, Hunger, and Poverty. Govardhan EcoVillage was honoured to be chosen by the Brazilian Association of NGOs as a co-facilitator for this working group along with Assau, Brazil.With the purpose of bringing together voices, ideas, and solutions from civil societies across the globe, C20 Brazil 2024 was initiated to address hunger, poverty, and food system security issues. The pressing need for global unity of inclusive, anti-racist, and democratic economies to eliminate inequalities within and between countries was also highlighted during this inception meeting. As India's representative, HG Gauranga Das, Director of Govardhan EcoVillage, had the privilege of participating in this event held in Recife, Pernambuco.During the event, Gauranga Das highlighted India's rich cultural heritage and the principle of oneness as a solution to global challenges. Reflecting on the past efforts during India's 2023 Presidency, he said, Govardhan EcoVillage successfully promoted constructive dialogues on 'Food and LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)' through various forums. As co-facilitators this year, our goal is to facilitate meaningful discussions, consolidate policy documents, and devise effective advocacy strategies. Our commitment extends beyond the event as we continue to drive discussions on food system security within G20 countries.At Recife, Gauranga Das and Mariana from Assau, Brazil, led the Working Group 2 and spoke about perspectives and processes, respectively. Gauranga Das said, We are looking at improving civilization. The primary condition of civilization is the availability of an abundance of food, and the primary discipline of civilization is the sharing of that food, especially in the Vedic wisdom, as described in our G20 slogan for India last year - Vasudeva Kutumbakam - The whole world is considered as a family.He further added, There are three important principles described from Taittirya Upanishad - Annam na nindayat tad vratam, which means one must not condemn food, Annam na parichakshita tad vratam, one must not neglect food and Annam Bahu Kurvita, one must grow food in abundance, and one must give food freely. Therefore, first of all, life is sustained by food, and then the world benefits from this food and the grower and giver of food is the best well-wisher and life-giver.Further, addressing the need to promote equity and eliminate inequalities, Gauranga Das said, The rich diversity and deep-rooted cultural ethos of Bharat (India) believe in oneness, where all existence emanates from a divine principle. It underscores the role of rituals and familial transmission in instilling these values. Collaboration, solidarity, and a commitment to systemic change are essential in building a better future for all. The present education system is proposed to go beyond cognitive learning, integrating socio-cultural, emotional, ethical, and spiritual dimensions to promote a connection with nature and respect for diversity. To ensure sustainability, a value-based framework is the need of the hour, which emphasizes decentralization, local empowerment, reverence for nature, and collective responsibility alongside the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing resource access requires ethical governance and regenerative practices, with civil society organizations (CSOs) playing a crucial role in raising awareness and implementing adaptive resource management at grassroots levels.Here are a few key discussions, statistics, policy recommendations, case studies, challenges, and future directions outlined during the event by Gauranga Das during his address:Global inequality statistics reveal alarming disparities in income, wealth, and resource access worldwide. The top 10% of the global population earns 52% of the income, while the bottom half earns only 8%. Wealth distribution is even more skewed, with the richest 10% owning 76% of all wealth, leaving the poorest half with just 2%. Within countries, income gaps have nearly doubled between the top 10% and bottom 50% over two decades. These statistics underscore the urgent need for systemic change to address inequality.Colonialism, imperialism, discrimination, and unequal resource distribution have been identified as the root causes of inequality. These historical factors continue to shape economic disparities today, highlighting the necessity for addressing systemic injustices.Affirmative action initiatives, such as Indias MGNREGA guaranteeing paid work to rural households, Brazils social inclusion policies, and the United States federal programs for higher education diversity, promote equal opportunities for marginalized groups.Keralas decentralized planning experience demonstrates the benefits of empowering local communities, leading to improved education, healthcare, sanitation, and womens empowerment. This highlights the transformative potential of democratic economic models in reducing inequality and empowering marginalized communities.Education and awareness play a pivotal role in challenging biases, fostering empathy, and promoting solidarity across diverse groups. In schools, anti-bias education, inclusive curricula, and critical reflection nurture empathy and combat prejudice among students.Taking multiple identities into consideration, diverse representation in decision-making, promoting equitable access to resources, disaggregated data collection, stakeholder education on intersectionality and challenging that perpetuate inequality is possible through policy reforms. We strive for a more just and inclusive society by addressing intersectional inequalities, dismantling systemic injustices and promoting equity.Gauranga Das proposed various policy recommendations to combat inequality, including implementing a Universal Basic Income (UBI), investing in social safety nets and public services, promoting international cooperation, and addressing tax havens. These measures aim to promote inclusivity, reduce poverty, and foster economic stability.Case studies such as Keralas decentralized planning experience and UNESCOs World Inequality Report 2022 highlight successful initiatives in reducing inequality and promoting inclusivity. These success stories underscore the importance of holistic approaches and global collaboration in addressing the root causes of exclusion.Gauranga Das also addressed challenges during the event, such as opposition to economic reforms, divisive political climates, and historical legacies of colonialism and discrimination. Future directions include adopting intersectional approaches, involving affected communities in policy design, promoting an understanding of intersectionality and economic justice, and strengthening anti-discrimination laws.
TOKYO, Apr 05 (News On Japan) - Kura Sushi, a popular revolving sushi chain, is celebrating the release of the movie "Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet" by launching a limited-time collaboration campaign with the "Detective Conan" series at all its locations nationwide from April 5th.

The "Detective Conan" series, serialized in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" since 1994, is based on the manga of the same name and is a flagship title for the magazine, with over 270 million copies of the collected volumes sold worldwide. The latest movie installment, "Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet," will be released on April 12th.

Customers who win at the "Bikkura Pon!" capsule toy dispenser can receive special prizes available only at Kura Sushi, such as acrylic mascots, can badges, and two-piece magnet sheet sets.

A special promotion will be held where participants can solve puzzles on Kura Sushi's dedicated website for a chance to win limited-edition products. Utilizing the revolving lanes unique to Kura Sushi, puzzle POPs will also flow on the conveyor belt, allowing customers to answer and apply through the special website for a chance to win prizes.
We are, at least in theory, a scientifically enlightened society. Most of us have a base level of understanding of the physical laws of the universe, even if we couldnt lay them out on a blackboard without prior notice.

But even with all that knowledge, we still consider solar eclipses pretty wild. So its easy to see why more ancient civilizations, who hadnt cracked almost any kind of interstellar question, basically went to DEFCON 1 when they started seeing the sun disappear. For simple sanity, they cooked up all sorts of non-scientific explanations for what the hell was going on, and a lot of them fell into similar categories.

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Here are some of the most popular

5 Something Ate the Sun Pixabay No! Bad! Put the sun down! Probably the most popular, if highly inaccurate explanation, is that some manner of celestial figure, human or animal, made the sun a momentary snack. This might have been partly due to the very bite-mark-esque overlap leading into the eclipse. As to what in particular made a lunch of the sun (a sunch?) theres a delightful amount of variety. The Vikings point to a wolf named Skoll, China blames a celestial dragon, Vietnam lays responsibility with a hungry giant frog. The Choctaws have an especially cute one that says a squirrel gnaws it away. Perhaps the most metal explanation comes from the Hindu religion, which says that the immortal disembodied head of the demon Rahu swallows the sun, which, luckily, pops back out the end of his severed throat. Sick.

4 The Gods Are Angry Pixabay The tie-dye god disapproves! If you think the sun is controlled by the gods, a solar eclipse certainly seems like a message. Not a particularly positive one, either. Bad vibes all around when the giant glowing life-giver goes dark. The Incas considered a solar eclipse the godly equivalent of a final warning, and would put some time into figuring out what they did that pissed the sun god off and what sacrifices needed to be made to chill him back out. The Greeks also took it as a sign of divine disapproval  that the Gods were taking away the sun the way a parent might take away an iPad. Advertisement

3 The Sun and Moon Are Lovers Pixabay A little celestial PDA. A much more romantic way to look at the moment of darkness is that its not something negative, but a moment of intimacy between the sun and the moon. After all, lack of astronomical knowledge means they had no idea of the horrifying size implications of that relationship, like some sort of celestial version of Shaq and his tiny wife. Aboriginal tribes, German mythology and certain Native American tribes all see it as a happy meeting of the two. In Benin, West Africa, they get a little more R-rated, and suggest that the light goes out for the purpose of a little privacy for such interstellar heavy petting. Advertisement Advertisement

2 The Sun and Moon Are Fighting Pixabay Serious difference in weight class. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, or whatever those graphics from toxic relationship advice accounts on Instagram keep saying. Some cultures believed that the sun and moon were, in fact, duking it out, which does make its own weird sort of sense. Every once in a while the moon has to pin the sun down and make it say uncle, just so it doesnt get too big for its space-britches. The Inuit thought they were two fighting siblings, and the Battamliba people of Africa believed their own human anger had spread to the skies, and that those of us here on Earth should take it as a sign to quash any festering beef. Advertisement My personal favorite? That belongs to the Kalina people of Suriname, who think the sun goes dark because the moon knocked it the fuck out. Advertisement
Nearly 30 years later, the site of Homers crossing over into our reality looks (almost) exactly the same

Twenty-nine years ago, Homer Simpson crossed over from the animated world into Sherman Oaks, California. Today, were still searching for those erotic cakes.

For the sixth installment of The Simpsons annual Halloween tradition Treehouse of Horror, Matt Groening and his team of nerds took a big risk that pissed off their masters at Fox. And, like most of the jokes that Simpsons writers loved and network suits hated, the end-of-episode gag is still being talked about three decades later as one of the more iconic moments in the shows history. In the final storyline of Treehouse of Horror VI, titled, Homer3 (Homer Cubed), Homer flees from an impending visit from Patty and Selma by slipping into a portal behind a bookcase into a mysterious world that has  shockingly  three dimensions.

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In our much more mundane world, the popular Simpsons podcast Four Finger Discount visited Homers final three-dimensional destination to report on how the scenery that hosted the first-ever live-action Simpsons scene has aged. Critically, the modern-day location of Homers emergence into the real world is missing the dumpster that broke his fall, so future Simpsons dimension-travelers should wear helmets if they dont have his incredible cranial cushioning.

For California-based or California-visiting Simpsons fans looking to recreate Homers Sherman Oaks adventure, the location where the final scenes of Treehouse of Horror VI were shot can be found at 13567 Ventura Boulevard. Sadly, as Four Finger Discount documented, the exotic, erotic baked goods emporium that captures Homers attention is no longer operational.

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Originally, Homer was supposed to visit several more dimensions in Homer3 (Homer Cubed) than just the late 1990s cyberspace one where he spends most of the storyline and the Los Angeles one where he ends it, but the plot line had to be simplified down to just those two. The episodes director, David Mirkin, later said that Fox couldnt have been less supportive of the live-action section of the episode, though they begrudgingly allowed him to film the expensive crane shot in the final scene.

Additionally, Fox refused to shell out the money to have traffic redirected from the block where the final scene was shot, leading to a line of inconvenienced cars wrapped around the street that can be seen in the final few frames. But despite Fox resistance to the live-action sections of the episode, Treehouse of Horror VI ironically earned the series a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour).

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Today, there is no plaque commemorating the moment Homer Simpson crossed the barrier between the Simpsons universe and the boring Los Angeles one, but superfans like Four Finger Discount are keeping the memory alive. Now, Simpsons fans just have to start a crowdfunding campaign to get the cake shop back on its filthy feet.
Rogan attacked the hosts of the daytime talk shows and, once again, showed that he has zero understanding of viral diseases

On Wednesdays episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcasting king made two points perfectly clear  he absolutely despises the women of The View, and he has no idea how rabies works.

When Rogan sat down with Coleman Hughes, author of the book The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America and fellow at the conservative think tank The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, there was one topic Rogan couldnt wait to tackle with his guest  The View. Last week, Hughes appeared on the popular daytime talk show where he and host Sunny Hostin engaged in an acrimonious debate over racial politics, poverty and the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Seeing as Rogans own show has often been described along the lines of The View for drywall-punchers, he had a personal stake in setting the record straight on what he considers to be one of the absolute worst shows on television.

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Rogan said of The View, It is a rabies-infested hen house. It should be noted, however, that the rabies virus is exclusive to mammals, and, thus, cannot be spread by chickens. Whatever infestation Rogans imagining is probably best tackled with Ivermectin.

It is the show that people love to hate, Rogan said of The View to Hughes, who agreed with his hosts assessment. They get so much hate watching and hate watching viral clips of them saying ridiculous things, said the man who became the most popular podcaster on the planet through viral clips of him saying ridiculous things, like when he said of COVID-19, Ivermectin alone is capable of driving this pathogen to extinction."

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Now, to be fair, its not as if The View is some bastion for scientific understanding  just today, View co-host Ana Navarro accredited the much-discussed 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New York to acts of God, saying on the show, "Between the earthquake and the eclipse, I'm going to church this weekend!"

"The real fans of The View," Rogan said on Wednesdays podcast, "That are like, 'These ladies are on point.  They like, can't leave the house. They're immobile." Theyre immobile because theyre dropping and covering, Joe. I'd hate to hear what horrible advice he'd give to those stuck in an earthquake  but I wouldn't be surprised if he already has a supplement for it.
TOKYO, Apr 05 (News On Japan) - A municipal employee from Hitachi City has been arrested for sending messages threatening to kill Nintendo employees and participants of a gaming event.

Kenshin Kazama, a 27-year-old employee of Hitachi City, is suspected of posting 39 messages on Nintendo's website from August to November last year. Kazama's messages included threats of violence at the "Splatoon Koshien" event, warning, "If you hold something like the Splatoon Koshien, be prepared because I'll kill everyone there too."

Following these postings, Nintendo postponed or canceled events such as the "Splatoon Koshien 2023" starting from December last year.

In response to police inquiries, Kazama has admitted to the allegations, acknowledging, "There is no mistake that I made numerous posts including ones saying 'die'."

Source: MBS
People walk around Times Square as news tickers display news about the earthquake on Friday April 5, 2024 in New York. An earthquake centered between New York and Philadelphia shook skyscrapers and suburbs across the northeastern U.S. for several seconds Friday morning, causing no major damage but startling millions of people in an area unaccustomed to such tremors. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)
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Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov received a delegation of the World Bank`s mission on Energy, Azernews reports.

Roger Koma Kunil, senior specialist in energy, head of the task group, experience manager Stephanie Gil and other representatives of the bank attended at the meeting. The sides discussed the issues related to the financing of the strengthening of the transmission network in order to ensure the integration of renewable energy sources into the network.

Strengthening of the network for the integration of up to 2 GW renewable energy sources into the energy system, the implementation status and financing possibilities of measures to connect the 1 GW solar and wind power plants to be built by the "Masdar" company to the network were reviewed. Within the framework of the AZURE project, the importance of speeding up the relevant processes for the timely implementation of the connection of the 315 MW "Bank" and 445 MW "Bilasuvar" solar power plants to the energy system was noted.

At the meeting, the works carried out on the "Support to the Energy Efficiency Fund and Road Map of the National Renovation Program" component of the "Energy Efficiency and Climate" technical assistance project within the framework of the AZTAF program, as well as other aspects of the energy cooperation agenda with the World Bank, were exchanged.
Shiga, Apr 05 (News On Japan) - A woman in her 20s who was wrongfully arrested for biting her one-month-old baby after police mistakenly identified a piece of dental evidence as hers, has won damages against the state.

A court settlement was reached on April 5 between the woman and both the national and prefectural governments.

The woman was charged by Shiga Prefectural Police five years prior for biting and injuring the arm of her one-month-old child. However, subsequent investigations revealed that the dental print used as evidence by the Shiga Prefectural Police belonged to someone else, leading to the withdrawal of the charges. Claiming to have been coerced into a false confession and suffering mental distress, the woman sued the national and Shiga Prefectural governments for approximately 3 million yen in compensation.

Following a court recommendation for settlement, an agreement was reached for the national and prefectural governments to pay a combined total of 1 million yen. While the settlement was concluded, the woman stated, "I do not intend to forgive, as there has been no apology from the interrogating officers." Meanwhile, the Shiga Prefectural Police expressed their deep apologies to the plaintiff.

Source: YOMIURI
The call came through as I was leaving Twickenham after an England rugby international in March 2003. My old friend Terry Lloyd, the brilliant ITN correspondent, had been killed in Iraq.

He was on the outskirts of Basra, travelling in a 4x4 clearly marked 'TV'. When the fog of war lifted, it was determined that the fatal shot had been fired by a U.S. soldier, who has never been identified. Terry's translator also died and his French cameraman was missing, presumed dead.

A subsequent inquest ruled that Terry had been unlawfully killed by American troops and his lawyer said he had been the victim of a 'very serious war crime'. No one was ever charged.

The shock of his death was as traumatic for his family and friends as for those of the three brave British aid workers killed by Israeli forces in Gaza this week.

But no one at the time demanded that the American-led Coalition  which included 46,000 British military personnel  withdraw immediately from Iraq, allow Saddam Hussein to remain in power and abandon the hunt for what turned out to be non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

ITN correspondent Terry Lloyd was killed in Iraq in 2003 after a U.S. soldier shot at the 4x4 vehicle he was travelling in that was clearly marked 'TV'

Employees from the World Central Kitchen were killed after they became caught up in an Israeli air strike amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel

An estimated 300,000 Iraqi civilians were killed after the 2003 Anglo-American invasion, and although there was widespread opposition to the war I don't recall anyone credibly accusing the British or U.S. governments of committing 'genocide'.

In 2011, a NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya, enthusiastically endorsed by then Prime Minister David Cameron, claimed countless innocent lives. After the fall of Colonel Gaddafi, Call Me Dave even went on a victory parade in Tripoli.

Yet today, the now Lord Cameron is condemning Israel over its actions in Gaza and demanding a 'full, transparent explanation'.

Joe Biden was first a senator, then Vice-President during the American war in Afghanistan, where the civilian death toll is officially put at over 45,000. He, too, says he's 'outraged' over the deaths of the aid workers in Gaza and is putting pressure on Israel to cease hostilities.

Both Cameron and Biden can legitimately be accused of self-serving hypocrisy, aimed at restoring their own, tarnished wartime reputations and, in the case of the U.S. President, seeking electoral advantage by sucking up to Muslim voters in swing states such as Michigan.

When British or U.S. troops accidentally kill innocent civilians, journalists or aid workers it's 'friendly fire' in the heat of battle. When Israel does likewise, it's a deliberate war crime. The double-standards are nauseating.

As is the virtue-signalling, round-robin letter to the Prime Minister from 600 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges, including Baroness Hale, of Boris The Spider brooch fame during the Brexit wars. Several of them were preening themselves on the airwaves yesterday, demanding that the Government halts arms sales to Israel.

One part of the letter calls for sanctions against 'individuals and entities who have made statements inciting genocide against Palestinians'.

President Joe Biden also says he's 'outraged' over the deaths of the aid workers in Gaza and is putting pressure on Israel to cease hostilities

What's that supposed to mean  that anyone who supports Israel's right to self-defence is guilty of inciting genocide? Sounds suspiciously to me like the ludicrous 'hate speech' law that came into force in Scotland this week. This is cost-free compassion, designed primarily to make the signatories feel good about themselves.

I've no doubt many of them are sincere, horrified  as we all are, supporters of Israel and Palestinians sympathisers alike  at the carnage unfolding in Gaza. But by concentrating their disdain on Israel, they are acting as Hamas's Useful Idiots.

In some ways they're giving succour to the 'River to the Sea' crowd peddling Jew-hatred on the streets of London and elsewhere every weekend.

By parroting Hamas propaganda, repeating uncorroborated claims about the number of civilians killed, they are doing the terrorists' dirty work for them. One of these distinguished lawyers turned up on Sky News yesterday claiming, without a shred of evidence, that Israeli troops were deliberately targeting children and had lined up doctors and nurses against a wall and shot them.

Also on Sky, a veteran journalist who should know better repeated the Hamas claim that Israel had killed 35,000 'mostly women and children'. No terrorists, then?

The latest calls for a ceasefire centre on the battle at the Al-Shifa hospital, used as a base by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the groups behind the October 7 massacre. Indeed, there's evidence some of the hostages had been dragged there.

The hospital lies in ruins after two weeks of intense fighting, or as Sky would have it: 'Israeli bombardment'. But who the hell does anyone think the Israelis have been fighting  cancer patients, maternity ward orderlies, orthopaedic surgeons?

It's as if Hamas has been written out of the script entirely and Israel has simply decided to slaughter as many sick Palestinians and innocent hospital staff as possible.

If Israel was hell-bent on 'genocide' there wouldn't be a single Palestinian left alive today. Instead, it has taken extraordinary steps to avoid civilian casualties, which are entirely the fault of Hamas.

Building tunnels under schools, mosques and hospitals, from which to launch missiles and cross-border attacks on Israel, demonstrates the terror group's callous disregard for human life.

The quickest way to end the carnage would be for Hamas to surrender and release all the hostages immediately. But there's no evidence of that happening, or any pressure from Arab states to make it happen.

Tentative peace talks always seem to hinge on a disproportionate ten-to-one prisoner swap in Hamas's favour, which Israel can't accept. A ceasefire would simply allow Hamas to re-group and re-arm in preparation for another October 7-style assault.

Hamas has made no secret of the fact it wants to slaughter Jews and wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. Yet, absurdly, it's Israel being accused of genocide.

To those demanding that Israel stands down and lets Hamas continue to occupy its tunnels, I say this: Imagine that the Islamist terrorist who attacked Manchester Arena, killing 22 and injuring 1017 more, hadn't strapped on a suicide vest but instead had planted his bombs before making a swift getaway.

Then after he had escaped, he decamped to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he was holed up in the basement with a few dozen other jihadists and a deadly arsenal. Should the anti-terror squad just shrug and leave them to it, so that some time later they were free to emerge under the cover of darkness and blow up Old Trafford or go on a gun rampage in the Arndale Centre?

Look, I don't want to sound flippant but Israel is fighting for its very existence against a fanatical Islamist death cult.

It can do without posturing, point-scoring Western politicians, lawyers and activists inserting themselves into the narrative. This isn't about them it's about the very survival of a people and a democratic nation.

Hamas are our enemies, too, the kissing cousins of the nutjobs who blew up Manchester Arena, the London Transport network and have committed countless other terrorist atrocities in Europe. Supporting Israel is not, as m'learned friends pretended this week, 'inciting genocide'. Quite the opposite, in fact.

War is hell and there will always be, to use that horrible euphemism, 'collateral damage'.

Terry Lloyd and the courageous aid workers killed in Gaza this week understood that.

They knew the risks but were prepared to put their lives on the line in pursuit of, in Terry's case the truth, and on the part of the aid workers, bringing food and comfort to those in danger.

Their untimely deaths are undoubtedly tragic, but the aid workers would still be alive had it not been for the slaughter of 1,200 innocents on October 7.

Israel is being blamed, but Hamas has their blood on its hands. Sadly, despite the best efforts of brave journalists like Terry Lloyd and others over the years, the truth remains the first casualty of war.
If you want an example of the death wish of Western civilisation, I give you the current proposal from members of the British establishment that this country should ban arms sales to Israel.

If you want evidence of government madness, it appears that Foreign Office lawyers are busily canvassing the idea  which has not, as far as I can tell, yet been rejected by the Foreign Secretary himself. He seems to have gone into a kind of purdah on the subject.

More alarming still, we are told that an Israeli arms ban is the subject of an active row in Cabinet, with only a handful of ministers positively sticking up for Israel.

The contagion has spread pretty wide, and very fast. The proposed embargo is now supported by MPs on all sides, by the former head of MI6, by some former Supreme Court Justices, and by about 600 members of the legal profession, all of them clamouring for us to turn our backs on the only democracy in the Middle East.

We are being asked to shun the Israelis, to mount a total moral repudiation of Israel  when that country has only recently suffered the biggest and most horrifying massacre of Jewish people since World War II; and when 130 hostages, including, for heavens sake, a baby, are being kept in dungeons in Gaza by their jihadi captors; and when the release of those hostages, it cannot be stated too often, would mean the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli Defence Forces and the end of the conflict.

There are claims of a Cabinet row amid suggestions Rishi Sunak and Lord Cameron might soon be prepared to take a tougher line against Israel

How can we get things so wrong, so upside down? What has come over us?

Let us be clear what it would mean, to ban arms sales now, when Israel is under a greater existential threat than at any time I can remember.

If we ban the sale of arms ourselves, it surely follows that we do not think any self-respecting country should be arming the Israelis.

And if we are willing everyone, including the U.S., to end their military support, be in no doubt what that means. There is only one logical conclusion.

We are willing the military defeat of Israel and the victory of Hamas. Remember that in order to win this conflict, Hamas only has to survive. All they need at the end is to hang on, rebuild, and go again.

Thats victory for Hamas; and that is what these legal experts seem to be asking for. So lets just remind ourselves what this war is about, and why Israel has been forced to act.

Three British aid workers were killed when a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit by an Israeli airstrike

Israel has no choice but to defend itself because the charter and aim of Hamas is to destroy Israel, and indeed to liquidate the entire Jewish people. The Hamas massacre on October 7 was plainly designed to further that end: the moral and political destruction of Israel.

There was a reason why they meticulously planned and then performed those unspeakable murders and rapes. There was a cold logic to the barbarism seen that day, to the beheadings and the burnings. They wanted to show Israelis, and anyone thinking of coming to Israel, that this was a place where ordinary and innocent families could be enveloped in violent catastrophe.

They wanted to evoke global feelings of repulsion about events in Israel, and, of course, they wanted to provoke the Israelis into a violent response, because they knew that retaliation would inevitably forfeit sympathy for Israel around the world.

Thats why they took the hostages: to give Israel no choice but to fight. Thats why they refuse to give the hostages back. Thats why they prepared so carefully for the war, cynically designing their very defences so as to provoke the greatest loss of Palestinian life, and the greatest possible loss of Western support for Israel.

Thats why they built 400 miles of tunnels, and thats why they made sure to conceal themselves beneath mosques, hospitals, schools and other civilian targets.

They are actively using the death and suffering of their own citizens, maximising their pain and grief so as to rally international opinion against Israel  and we are falling for it.

I do not for one minute deny the immense suffering of the people of Gaza. I just ask you to consider who is really to blame for it.

Pro-Palestine protesters gather in Westminster, as calls for an arms ban to Israel grow

Two women visit the site of the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel

It was shattering to see the recent killing, by the Israelis, of three British and other Western aid workers. There must be an inquiry.

The Israelis must explain what happened, and bring to justice those responsible for what must surely have been a hideous mistake. But in all our grief and rage about what is happening on the ground in Gaza, we should not forget the essential moral difference between Hamas and Israel.

It is still true, in all the chaos and carnage of war, that Israel is sending warnings of its attacks  by phone or text or leaflet. Israel is trying to use precision munitions. Israel is trying to make sure that there is some kind of proportionality between the military objectives and the risk of human suffering. Israel is trying to winkle out the Hamas terrorists, while doing its best to spare the surrounding population.

Israel is trying to minimise casualties. Hamas is trying to maximise them  including on their own side. Hamas know that it is this awful spectacle, of the suffering of Palestinian women and children, which breaks our hearts in the West and weakens our resolve.

At the moment they can see us melting, and weakening, and in our voices  both in London and Washington  they can hear our growing irresolution.

They listen to this sudden discussion of boycotting Israel, and they think they can succeed in their objective: to deprive Israel of Western support and make it impossible for the Israelis to complete their mission.

If the West continues to crumble  and especially if Britain and the U.S. crumble  then the Israelis will be prevented from getting into Rafah. They will be prevented from achieving their objective: of finishing Hamas as a military force in Gaza.

The Hydras heads will be allowed to regrow. Hamas will be able to do another October 7, and then another. Above all, the rest of the world  where they are already so dubious about the willpower of the West  will see that, when it came to it, we did not have the guts, the fibre or the strategic patience to stick up for a democracy; and that we were willing to let the jihadis win.

Is that really what you want, all you legal experts who say that Israels actions now necessitate an arms embargo? Do you want to hand victory to a bunch of murderers and rapists?

Crowds flee as Hamas closed in on the music festival in Israel

You talk of humanitarian law. Where was the humanity of Hamas on October 7? Show me the operation of humanitarian law in the Gaza of Hamas  a place ruled by fear and summary execution, where homosexuality can carry the death penalty.

Humanitarian law? They are laughing at us. If we ban arms to Israel now, it would, of course, be absurdly hypocritical. I dont remember many qualms about loss of civilian life during the Nato strikes on Libya.

We sustained  very sensibly  our vast arms deals with Saudi Arabia throughout the war in Yemen.

But its not the hypocrisy I mind. Its the implication: that good, clever, kindly people in this country are actually willing to take away, from Israel, its means of defending its citizens against Hamas.

That is insane. That is shameful  and the sooner the Government formally denounces the idea, the better.
From DIY treatments to double cleansing, they share what to leave behind ASAP

Dermatologists and an esthetician weighed in to help with your skincare needs

Every time you open up TikTok or Instagram Reels to watch your favorite beauty influencers, it might seem like there's always another step that needs to be added to your skincare routine - not to mention, more money to be spent on yet another viral product.

Some experts recommend double cleansing, while others urge you to only wash your face at night. What about using an eye and a face cream, or coffee grounds for exfoliation?

But, at the end of the day, is all of it really necessary? To help cut through the chaos, FEMAIL has enlisted a group of dermatologists and estheticians to reveal what to spend your money on and what's just a cash grab.

With the skincare industry offering a wider - and more expensive - range of products than ever before, it can be hard to see the effective moisturizer from the gimmicky lotion.

FEMAIL spoke with a number of dermatologists and estheticians, like Sofie Pavitt (left) and Dr. Dendy Engelman (right) to uncover what skincare habits you can ditch

Dermatologists Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky (left) and Dr. Richard Bottiglione also weighed in to FEMAIL

First it was snail mucin, then rosemary oil, and - more recently - there has been a huge surge in the number of young girls, christened the 'Sephora tweens', slathering products from pricey skincare brands like Drunk Elephant and Sol de Janeiro all over their faces and bodies.

Kourtney Kardashian's 11-year-old daughter Penelope even earned viral fame back in December after showcasing her $500 beauty routine - with experts later warning that such a complex line-up of products was likely doing more harm to her young skin then good.

So, in a bid to save your face - and your wallet - this panel of experts has broken down exactly which skincare steps they deem to be essentials, and which trendy rituals can be ignored.

Beware of over-washing or over-cleansing the face

One common habit to be wary of is over-cleansing or over-washing your face, Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky, better known as @dermguru on social media, told DailyMail.com.

While it may seem like you can scrub off your imperfections with the newest cleanser, it's just not the case.

While it may seem like you can scrub off your imperfections with the perfect cleanser, it's just not the case (stock image)

'So many people think that they can scrub away or wash away their acne or textured skin. In reality, this type of skin should be treated gently,' she explained to DailyMail.com.

'For most people, you only need to cleanse once or twice a day or after sweating.'

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman of New York's Shafer Clinic recommends cleansing in the morning, especially if you're using a retinol the night before.

'Morning cleansing is definitely necessary if you use retinol the night before as it can cause sun sensitivity or if you do a morning workout in order to remove any oil and build up on the skin's surface,' she said.

Say goodbye to your 10-step skincare routine - here's what you really need

While you may feel pressured to slather on all the serums, creams and oils that you can possibly manage, it really is better to go back to basics, according to the experts - plus, it'll save you some money.

Dr. Richard Bottiglione, founder of Dermatologist's Choice Skincare, told DailyMail.com that you didn't need an extensive skincare routine, nor did you need to be trying every single new product that comes onto the market.

'Most skincare ingredients in my opinion are of very little value,' Dr. Bottiglione explained to DailyMail.com.

'Skincare is a personal thing. Find what works for you and your skin, not what is trending.'

New York City-based esthetician Sofie Pavitt has also seen clients overload on products, and not using ones that address their specific skin concerns.

'Perfect example is tretinoin - everyone wants to be using it but it's intense and can be really irritating,' Pavitt, who is the founder of namesake skincare brand Sofie Pavitt face, told DailyMail.com.

'You may be better off using a retinol product off the shelf instead of an RX version of it,' she shared.

Pavitt also recommends clients only use one active ingredient in their skincare, applied after cleansing.

For a standard skincare routine, all you really need are a few products.

Dr. Bottiglione recommends using a cleanser, toner, exfoliator and moisturizer, while Dr. Engelman suggests something similar - a double cleansing system, toning and active treatment, and moisturizer.

'After double cleansing, I recommend using a toner that's most suitable for your skin type and focused on your needs - whether that be clarifying, hydrating and/or brightening,' Dr. Dendy explained to DailyMail.com.

'Then you can go in with an active treatment - the most common one I recommend for a nighttime routine is a form of vitamin A.'

'If you have super dry, sensitive [skin], or have inflammation (eczema, psoriasis, etc.) it may be too stripping to over cleanse the skin, however twice a day in most cases should not be an issue,' Dr. Engelman told DailyMail.com

Different skin types can ditch certain practices, like double cleansing

Of course, there are some different protocols for different skin types, according to the dermatologists.

If you suffer from dry skin, things like double cleansing may not be the right thing for your skin, according to Dr. Zubritsky.

'I would also consider skipping aggressive exfoliation, or at least minimize it,' she explained. 'Toners are also optional.'

It's also important to avoid over-cleansing the skin if you suffer from skin conditions like eczema.

'If you have super dry, sensitive [skin], or have inflammation (eczema, psoriasis, etc.) it may be too stripping to over cleanse the skin, however twice a day in most cases should not be an issue,' Dr. Engelman told DailyMail.com.

And, for those with oily skin, Dr. Zubritsky recommended staying away from slugging, which sees people using a petroleum-based ointment like Vaseline over moisturizer, as well as skincare oils.

She also noted that those with oily skin can 'consider only moisturizing once a day.'

Safety first! Ditch the at-home, DIY treatments - they can pose a serious risk

While the rise of at-home skincare treatments may seem easy enough to pull off, you're better off avoiding them, as they can cause infections, according to Dr. Dendy.

'Some of the DIY trends like pore vacuuming and at-home microneedling, I would recommend against and advise going into a professional in-office setting,' Dr. Dendy told DailyMail.com.

She explained that some of these at-home treatments were unregulated and not approved by the FDA, which meant that they can be 'unsafe and unreliable.'

'At-home microneedling can cause infection, irritation, micro-tears, and scarring on the skin,' the doctor warned.

Dr. Zubritsky also called out skin icing as another potential at-home hazard.

On social media, some swear by applying ice directly to their face to decrease puffiness in the morning, but the dermatologist is not a fan.

'In theory, icing the skin can help reduce inflammation and redness, but directly icing the skin as seen on TikTok can cause more harm than good,' the Mississippi-based doctor told DailyMail.com.

Instead of doing DIY treatments like microneedling at home, Dr. Dendy recommends getting the treatment done by a professional instead

'Direct application of ice on the skin can lead to a damaged barrier, worsening of redness, and potential burning,' she furthered.

And, with summer right around the corner, Dr. Zubritsky also warned against 'sunscreen contouring,' - a practice where people only apply sunscreen on certain parts of the face to achieve a 'contoured look' with a tan.

The goal is to be able to get a natural contour and go without makeup - however, the dermatologist says it's one of the 'more dangerous trends' that she has seen on social media.

'No amount of sun exposure or tan is safe for our skin,' she warned. 'Over time, this can lead to photodamage and increased risk of skin cancers.'
TOKYO, Apr 05 (News On Japan) - Eisuke Naito, famed director of Forgiven Children (2020), Yattaman (2009) and Let's Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club (2011), chronicles the disturbing events of a newlywed family's life in his latest horror film "Doku Musume," released April 5, 2024 (Friday).

The wife, Hagino, moves into a second-hand detached house with her husband and daughter, Moeka. For her, who had an unfortunate upbringing, this was the happy family life she had dreamed of. However, one day, while Hagino was out, she received a distressing call from her daughter, Moeka, begging for help. "Please buy a shortcake and cola," she said. Rushing home, Hagino found her house in disarray, Moeka with her clothes torn to shreds, and an unknown girl straddling Moeka, clutching large scissors. The girl's name was Chi-chan. She used to live in this house but was supposed to have left town after causing an incident. Her presence exposes the "poison" that Hagino's family, which seemed happy at first glance, was trying to hide, heralding the beginning of days like a nightmare...

Source: Klockworx VOD
Dealing with blemishes can prove to be a dark spot in anyone's life - and lead to a desperate search for both a cause and a cure.

There seems to be no end to the line-up of acne-busting products available on store shelves, while costly spot-fighting treatments are available at almost every skincare clinic and salon across the world.

But while much of the focus when it comes to blemishes tends to be placed solely on skincare, experts are now revealing there could be a very different culprit to blame for any unwanted acne: your haircare.

According to a panel of seasoned beauty pros, there's every chance that your shampoo, conditioner, and serums, could be contributing to acne without your knowledge.

So, FEMAIL spoke to a celebrity hairstylist, clean beauty brand founders, and a board-certified dermatologist to find out what to look for and most importantly, what to avoid.

FEMAIL spoke to a celebrity hairstylist, clean beauty brand founders, and a board-certified dermatologist to find out what to look for and most importantly, what to avoid (stock image)

If you have sensitive skin, experts say to avoid... Isopropyl myristate - common thickening agent in cosmetics that can cause clogged pores

Shea butter

Coconut oil

Silicone

Avocado oil

Flaxseed oil

Tea tree oil

Fragrances Advertisement

While many people with sensitive skin are ultra-careful when it comes to the skincare ingredients they use, they pay less attention to the pore-clogging ingredients in their haircare.

CLEARSTEM is a clean beauty brand that specifically focuses on acne and aging - and the brand's most recent launch is a shampoo brand that specifically is for folks with sensitive skin.

Kayleigh Christina, a holistic nutritionist and the co-founder of CLEARSTEM who is based in Los Angeles, California, told DailyMail.com, 'As we've been treating acne for over 10 years, we know that most hair care contributes to back and hairline acne.'

'At least 90 per cent of hair products contain pore-cloggers and the ones that don't usually feel terrible in the hair,' Kayleigh warned.

To focus on creating formulas to fill the gap, they made luxurious, acne-safe, dermatologist-tested shampoo and conditioner.

Danielle Gronich, a clinical esthetician and acne specialist who owns the San Diego Acne Clinic and co-founded CLEARSTEM with Kayleigh, told FEMAIL, 'Shea butter is a common pore-clogger often found in many conditioners and hair care products.'

According to Danielle, a safer bet is kokum seed butter, 'which is a natural non-comedogenic seed butter that improves hair moisture and prevents dryness after rinse-off.'

Danielle advised that other ingredients that often break people out are isopropyl myristate and coconut oil.

Kayleigh Christina, a holistic nutritionist, and Danielle Gronich, a clinical esthetician and acne specialist, founded CLEARSTEM together

According to expert, haircare ingredients get on pillowcases and contaminate sheets and towels, which can cause acne (stock image)

Kayleigh explained, 'There's very little education around existing hair care products and how often they rely on pore-clogging oils for moisture, which leads to clogged pores.

'Those ingredients get on pillowcases, they leave residue on the body, and they contaminate sheets and towels ultimately causing acne.

'Plus, the hair care without those ingredients leave the hair dry, prone to damage and breakage, and just don't work on any hair that is dry, curly, or color-treated.'

Board-certified New York City cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Michele Green told DailyMail.com, 'Many individuals may experience acne breakouts from their haircare products, typically along the forehead, hairline, and back of the neck.'

She advised avoiding acne-causing ingredients like silicone, cocoa butter, and oils including coconut, avocado, and flaxseed.

'These ingredients, while excellent for hair, are known to clog pores when left on the skin, trapping dirt and impurities, and leading to acne breakouts,' Dr. Green said.

The dermatologist said people with sensitive skin should also avoid products with 'fragrance, sulfates, parabens, and alcohol, as these ingredients can be harsh, drying, and irritating on the skin.'

According to Dr. Green, it's equally important to 'constantly wash pillowcases, sheets, hats, and headbands to ensure that no residue from the haircare products is transferred onto the skin,' which could also lead to breakouts.

Celebrity hairstylist and founder of the boutique salon studios Phenix Salon Suites Gina Rivera offered up expert haircare advice

Celebrity hairstylist and boutique studios Phenix Salon Suites founder Gina Rivera said it was best to avoid using heavy serums daily 'because of the added extra oils that could be in the product,' adding, 'Too much of anything is not good.'

'It's important to take a break and cleanse the scalp and hair to remove any build up cause from the serums or from any product,' Gina said, suggesting a hair detox.

Paul Labrecque, the creative director and master stylist at Paul Labrecque Salon and Skincare Spa, with locations in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, told DailyMail.com: 'Lipids are the main contributor to scalp acne because they can clog the pores.'

But don't despair if you use products that have the fatty, waxy compound, he clarified that they're beneficial for the ends of your hair, but shouldn't be rubbed into the scalp.

'Make sure you're always rinsing well to help eliminate any scalp acne and prevent it from forming in the first place,' Paul advised.

He also tells clients to stay away from pomades and mineral oil products that are used to prevent frizz and should never be applied to the scalp or used on ultra-fine hair.

For those with sensitive skin, Paul recommended hypoallergenic products with no fragrances that were moisture and protein-based rather than fat or lipid-based.
An American comedian has said Baby Boomers are a 'selfish generation' who 'refused to retire'.

Tim Dillon, 39, from New York, appeared on Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett 's The Diary of a CEO podcast, where he branded boomers 'very sick people' and said that millennials are 'a sh** generation' who just want to be 'patted on the back for everything'.

Taking aim at all generations, he added that Gen Z should be 'drafted into wars' so they 'can go die in Ukraine.'

Steven, 31, asked questions of the outspoken comedian - but didn't appear to offer his own opinion on the different generations.

Tim said: 'I love the boomers, they are a selfish generation, the state of the Boomers is they are these powerful people who refuse to leave their mansions, they will not retire, they diminish their children by saying ''I can't believe you can't own something like this'', they like holding these houses over their kids heads.

Comedian Tim Dillon, 39, from New York, claimed Baby Boomers are a 'selfish generation' and 'emotional theorists', while Generation Z 'should be drafted into wars'

He appeared on Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett 's (pictured) The Diary of a CEO podcast to discuss the different generations

'They are very sick people, they refuse to give up their jobs, they are emotional terrorists and I grew up with them they are very interesting people.

'They have proven the lie of the 60's, people thought they were progressive hippies, they were not, they were actually just selfish drug addicts. They just wanted to get high and roll around in the mud.

'But they are the funniest generation that ever lived, nobody is funnier because to be funny you kind of have to not care, no one has cared less about the future of this planet or the future of their children about anything but the Boomers.'

Moving onto millennials the comedian claimed they always want to be rewarded for everything they do.

'The millennials are this really sh** generation where they are like, pin a medal on me, put a ribbon on me, I am right, I went to the right college I got the right internship, I believe the right things, I Tweeted the right thing, I have the right politics.

'Millennials are these kind of ambitious people that want to constantly be patted on the back and told how great they are.'

Although he had some positive things to say about Gen Z's he added they should be 'drafted into war'.

Tim, who is also host of the Tim Dillon Show podcast, offered some controversial views, calling boomers 'very sick people' who 'refuse to retire'

What generation are you? From Silent Generation to Gen Alpha Many researchers disagree on the exact years of each demographic, with many falling at the start or end of each group known as 'cuspers'. The Greatest Generation: Born 1900-1925 The Silent Generation: Born 1925-1945 Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964 Gen X: Born 1965-1980 Millennials: Born 1981-1998 Gen Z: Born 1999-2010 Gen Alpha: Born early 2010s-2025 Advertisement

He added: 'Then the Gen Z are self starters very sceptical of institutions and cynical, that some of their positive qualities.

'There more negative qualities are the murder, filming murders and fentanyl vapes, we need a draft to be honest.

'Young people should probably just go into the military, I know that is going to be a controversial thing to say but if they are going to just do fentanyl and attack each other in malls and put it on TikTok they can go die in Ukraine.'

Tim also added that new generations have 'exposed society's scam' because they 'don't work hard.'

He said: 'I think they have figured out it's all a scam, they are not wrong, when you figure out the country is a scam you can approach it like a con artist or scammer would, they invent mental health elements they don't have, they take days off on end, they terrify their elders on respecting their mediocre quality of work.

'This is something I full support, it is there way of rising through the ranks, they are taking advantage of people that they work with and making them tolerate work of a lower quality because they have realised that a lot of this if bulls*** so why can't I get in on it.'
A British housewife who now lives in Dubai with her husband has revealed the things that make her upset, including when people tell her to 'cover up'.

Soudi Al Nadak, 26, from Sussex, met her businessman husband Jamal Al Nadak, 32, while they were both studying at university in Dubai seven years ago.

The couple got married three years ago and Soudi often posts online about what her life as a stay-at-home wife is like in the UAE.

She started off by saying that it annoys her when people assume her husband has 'seven wives' adding that the 'limit is three'.

The UAE government states that polygamy is allowed by law and that a Muslim man is allowed to have four wives, 'provided he offers equal sustenance and equal treatment to all.'

Soudi made a TikTok about the things that upset her as a housewife living in Dubai

Soudi Al Nadak, 26, from Sussex, met her businessman husband Jamal Al Nadak, 32, while they were both studying at university in Dubai seven years ago

'It's honestly so annoying when people make these stereotypical assumptions. If you really think about [having other wives] is honestly not that bad, it's like having your best friend live with you 24/7.

'If I was in that situation, I would obviously expect hubby to buy two separate mansions because I'm not sharing with anyone.

'Another benefit is that you get to borrow all of her bags and shoes so you basically have double the amount of clothes.'

Soudi said that another thing that infuriates her is when others try to 'push' their religious beliefs onto her.

'I'm just out here doing my own thing. Like [it annoys me] when people tell me I should be covering up more,' she said.

The housewife went on to say that while she respects 'all religions and all beliefs' but doesn't like to be bothered with people reciting religious passages to her.

'No-one should send hate or be judged just because they don't act or dress in a certain way,' she added.

Soudi said people try to imitate her and calls herself the original Dubai housewife

Soudi and Jamal at one of their three wedding ceremonies

Soudi said that someone recently impersonated her by using her name and a fake number and email at the salon she regularly goes to

'Another thing that upsets me is when people [try to insult me by calling] my husband or myself Pakistani or Indian. I'm confused how that's an insult in the beginning?

'I've always been told to be proud of where you're from, which is why I always tell people that I'm from the UK and that I come from old money and that my hubby is from Dubai too.

'Even if I was from those countries, why would I try and hide that? It's 2024, I thought we were done with the stereotypes. I think Indian and Pakistani culture is beautiful.'

Soudi said that it unsettles her when she gets hate from people that she has never met before.

'It's very upsetting and I don't get why people do that,' she said.

Soudi said that someone recently impersonated her by using her name and a fake number and email at the salon she regularly goes to.

She said: 'Why are you trying to perform identity theft on me? I don't understand what this person has to gain by doing this.

'There's nothing worse than having a girl trying to be like you and then taking it to the next level.'

She also hit back at other creators who try to copy her content and questioned why they 'can't just be themselves,' adding that she is the 'original' Dubai housewife.

In another video Soudi talked viewers through her long and expensive list of pregnancy 'non negotiables'.

She explained: 'Before I get pregnant with my millionaire husband, these are all the non negotiables we discussed.

The couple currently live a glamorous life in Dubai , where they met while both studying at university there seven years ago - they pair have been married for three years

Soudi expects to be paid an allowance each time falls pregnant as well as full access to her husband's credit card if she needs it.

Sher told followers: 'Obviously, I'll have full access to hubbies' card in case of emergencies. I also explained to Jamal that this amount will be per baby, so for one it will be $300,000 (237,627) and for two $600,000 (475,041) and so on.

'This will obviously include all of my therapy sessions, my physiotherapy, personal training, acupuncture, and obviously massages for the baby too.

'I have to get back to being fit and healthy as quick as possible for my millionaire hubby.'

She reasoned: 'I really think that after all I put my body through, this is only fair for both me and for the baby.'

In a recent video seen by more than 2.3 million people in less than a week, she talked viewers through her long and expensive list of pregnancy 'non negotiables'

She also wanted an impressive wedding ring before they started a family.

She said: 'As usual, this is gonna send people spiraling. Let me tell you straight up, there is no way that I'm gonna put my body through that much pain for free'.

Soudi revealed that her first requirement was that she needed 'a big rock' on her finger, questioning 'because if we're not married then what are we?'

She added: 'I just find it wild that there are actually women out there who are willing to be a baby mama without the ring.'

Soudi demanded a designer handbag and a flashy car to drive around in.

Soudi told followers: 'The main thing of course is a push present and I'm not talking about a basic basket of toiletries.

'I have made it very clear what I expect. For example, I think it's reasonable to be asking for more investment properties and obviously a Birkin - blue for a boy, pink for a girl.

'Also a new car just to match the mummy vibe and of course, this will be securing my own future, as well as the babies.'

This isn't the first time Soudi and Jamal's antics have been questioned - they previously went viral for sharing their unique list of 'relationship rules'

Never having to work again

She revealed that another bare minimum and non negotiable is 'never having to work again'.

Adding: 'Obviously unless it's for charity or just for a hobby, as I will never have time to be able to do everything.

'I will also have to double the amount of staff in the house. We already have many chefs, maids and cooks.

'I will obviously need to have more baby specialist as well as a night nurse. I will just need the extra help.'

The TikToker continued, 'By me having enough sleep, that is gonna mean that I'm gonna be a better wifey and a better mother and this will obviously start from the birthing suite and onwards.

She's also expecting a lot of guests when the baby does arrive and told viewers: 'It's tradition for Jamal's family to all visit the baby in the first day or two, so I've made it very clear to him that I will be only taking the VIP room'.

She revealed that a huge 1,000 or 2,000 people are expected to come and congratulate the new mother, something that Jamal and his family agreed to help organise.

The TikToker said, 'By me having enough sleep, that is gonna mean that I'm gonna be a better wifey and a better mother and this will obviously start from the birthing suite and onwards.

The housewife and business owner met her businessman husband Jamal Al Nadak, 32, while they were both studying at university in Dubai seven years ago

Finally, she finished the luxurious list with: 'I'll obviously have my makeup and hair team just to make sure I look ten out of ten to receive my guests.

'I'm just not here to suffer and obviously I won't have time to think about anything like that. By the time I'm fully post partum, of course Jamal will be paying for my full mummy makeover.

'As I know my body will be destroyed, that is literally the least that Jamal can do.'

Soudi concluded: 'Obviously these were all things that we discussed before we got married. These are just the basics in the list, honestly it could go on and on'.

Viewers flocked to the comments to share their shock, with one writing: 'What if the husband go bankrupt? Will you stay with him?'

Another added: '300k a month. I have to do with 2k. not even being able to get my hair done'.

Some users questioned whether her lifestyle is real, penning, 'I'm convinced this is satire' and 'I can never tell if she's joking or not'.

She revealed that a huge 1,000 or 2,000 people are expected to come and congratulate the new mother, something that Jamal and his family agreed to help organise

An angry viewer said: 'I don't need a ring to show I love someone. I'd take a packet of Haribo instead'.

However, some agreed with Soudi, chiming in with: 'All women should have these standards' and 'Honestly as you should. Pregnancy and CHILD BIRTH is so painful and traumatizing. Do your thing'.

Another added: 'I'm Saudi and with each baby I had $45,000 and it goes up every time'.

Meanwhile, someone else reasoned: 'I completely understand where you're coming from, but just remember millions of moms do it without all that.'

This isn't the first time Soudi and Jamal's antics have been questioned - they previously went viral for sharing their unique list of 'relationship rules'.

The list includes having no friends of the opposite sex, knowing each other's passwords, and always having their location available to each other.

While many people love their content, Soudi revealed to MailOnline in August: 'People always assume I am the gold digger and Jamal is using me for my body.

'But that's not the case, we truly love each other but he can't help that he's a millionaire and I love to shop.'

She added: 'I always get people commenting and saying that they are living through me with my shopping and travel trips.

'I also get a lot of support from other women, especially in Dubai, because they love seeing what I buy and where I go to eat and shop'.
Here, FEMAIL has spoken to experts who dished on her potential procedures

She was engulfed in plastic surgery rumors after her old photos resurfaced

Farrah Aldjufrie was thrust into the limelight over her appearance this week

Plastic surgeons have weighed in on the potential procedures that could be behind Kyle Richards' daughter's wild transformation after a viral before-and-after clip sparked frantic speculation.

Farrah Aldjufrie, 35, is the eldest daughter of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 55, whom she welcomed with then-husband Guraish Aldjufrie in 1988.

She has since followed in stepfather Mauricio Umansky's footsteps by becoming one of the top real estate agents on the hit reality show Buying Beverly Hills - which follows the family as they try to sell mega mansions.

But earlier this week Farrah was thrust into the limelight after being engulfed in rumors that she had gone under the knife when photos from her younger years resurfaced.

Here, FEMAIL has spoken to experts in their field who dished on the plastic surgery work Farrah has likely had done.

Plastic surgeons have weighed in on the potential procedures that could be behind Kyle Richards' daughter Farrah's wild transformation after a viral before-and-after clip sparked frantic speculation

Side-by-side images of the star - one from 2004 (left) and another from 2023 (right) - appear to show a drastic change in face shape

Dr. Norman M Rowe and Dr. Charles Pierce are both based at Rowe Plastic Surgery which has branches across New York and New Jersey.

The experts dished on Farrah's jaw-dropping transformation which was recently brought to light on TikTok. 

Side-by-side images of the star - some from 2004 and others from 2023 - appear to show a drastic change in face shape.

The more recent images indicate that Farrah now has a flatter nose, more pronounced cheeks and a fuller pout.

Her forehead also seems incredibly taut without showing signs of a single fine line or wrinkle.

Dr. Rowe has since told FEMAIL: 'Farah Aldjufrie likely had a rhinoplasty and lip filler. A rhinoplasty dramatically changes your appearance because in a lot of instances, it is so obvious and theres no way to camouflage.

'It looks like she had the tip of her nose and bridge of her nose made smaller as well as the width of her nose narrowed.'

He also added that Farrah's lips 'appear more full and have a better shape than before, a sign of filler use.'

The experts dished on Farrah's jaw-dropping transformation which was recently brought to light on TikTok (pictured with Paris Hilton in 2004)

Dr. Norman M Rowe (left) and Dr. Charles Pierce (right) are both based at Rowe Plastic Surgery which has branches across New York and New Jersey

And Dr. Pierce largely agreed as he dished: 'Her face has changed from the older photo as she has gotten older, but she appears to have had some work done.

'It looks as if she has had a rhinoplasty, Botox, cheek fillers and lip fillers.'

The analysis comes after shocked fans reacted to the initial video as many claimed it 'had to be a different person' after noticing the differences.

One person said: '"You're not ugly, just poor." Just remember that.'

Someone else wrote: 'Kyle looks similar, but Farrah is totally unrecognizable!'

'Plastic surgery worked in their favor,' one comment declared.

'Money and a good plastic surgeon! Good job,' a social media user typed.

Mom Kyle (pictured in 2024) has never shied away from letting fans know about her own procedures - undergoing a nose job in 2006 and liposuction in 2012

The analysis comes after shocked fans reacted to the initial video as many claimed it 'had to be a different person'

Farrah has yet to speak out about her transformation and has never admitted to going under the knife.

But mom Kyle, who has since separate from Mauricio, has never shied away from letting fans know about her own procedures - undergoing a nose job in 2006 and liposuction in 2012.

She previously spoke to US Weekly about the decision and explained: 'My nose bothered me for a long time. The surgery made me feel better.

'As for the second procedure? After having four kids, no matter what exercise I did, the love handles wouldn't go away! I'm very happy with the results.'

In 2020, Kyle revealed she went back under the knife to have a second rhinoplasty after she broke her nose a year earlier.
Look away now if you love your slouchy jeans. Take a deep breath if, after a few years of being assured that skinny jeans are Officially Over, you did a big clear out at the end of March. Because, it's beginning to look as though skinnies are making a comeback.

Oh yes. The leg-clinging, ankle-gripping cut that was the standard go-to style in the noughties turned up on the autumn/winter 2024 catwalks  and not just at any shows, but Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Prada's little sister Miu Miu.

Then, right on cue, the jeans style that was consigned to fashion Siberia six or so years ago in favour of wide-leg styles, got the sort of endorsement money can't buy  a paparazzi shot of kate moss, out shopping on a sunny spring weekend, wearing skinny-fit jeans with a vintage Vivienne Westwood top and Pretty Ballerina ballet flats.

Well, well. Some would say that's the firing of the starting gun and the moment the countdown to the return of skinny jeans really began.

Kate Moss can't get dressed without shifting the fashion barometer. She's generally at least six months ahead of the curve and her fashion antennae is flawless; in short, no one can quite chalk this up as a meaningless event.

Kate Moss was pictured out shopping on a sunny spring weekend in the Cotswolds last month, wearing skinny-fit jeans with a vintage Vivienne Westwood top and Pretty Ballerina ballet flats

A model wears Miu Miu skinnies on the autumn/winter 24 catwalk

Meghan Markle wears Frame's Le High Skinny for a casual sushi dinner with a friend last month

Back in the early noughties, skinny jeans and black ballet pumps was one of Kate's signature looks and 20 years on, she's feeling skinnies and ballet pumps all over again.

None of this is absolute proof that the roomy styles which have gradually replaced skinnies are for the chop. It's not a cast-iron guarantee that by October we'll all be back in spray-on, knee-cap-defining denim.

But throw in the fact that top models Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski, and Hollywood stars Mila Kunis and Jessica Chastain have been spotted in narrow stretch jeans lately, and that public interest is already moving in that direction (searches for the term 'skinny jeans' on the John Lewis website have increased by 281 per cent since early March), and the return of the skinny is looking like more than a slim possibility.

How you feel about this news will depend on whether you're a genuine convert to looser cuts or whether you still harbour feelings for the jeans we all wore for over a decade.

Those of us who've just got used to baggy jeans  boyfriend jeans, carrot leg, flares, palazzos, cargos, barrel legs ... anything but narrow skinnies  will be horrified.

But great swathes of women over 50 will be punching-the-air happy, because, for them, nothing feels or looks as good as skinnies (to paraphrase Kate), and when fashion declared they were no longer top of the pops they felt as though they were losing a best friend.

Model Gigi Hadid steps out in a pair of dark blue slim fit jeans in New York

Kate Moss's daughter Lila takes a page out of her mother's book as she wears slim fit black jeans to an event in New York

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen matches her light blue skinny jeans with a white tank top

You may remember the recent backlash when the women of Middle England rejected the news that their floral fashion frocks were past their sell-by date and should be taken at once to the charity shop.

Well, the skinny jeans woman's relationship with her stretchy denim saviour is similar, but it goes way deeper and its been simmering ever since boyfriend jeans kicked off the looser denim mood.

Nothing in recent fashion history has divided women quite like the skinnies vs wide-leg jeans debate.

On the one hand you have the wider-leg fans who believe skinnies had got boring and that a looser fit is more flattering, especially if you're not in your prime and you no longer want to wear anything cling-on tight.

Wide-leg jeans rely on narrowish hips, but skinny jeans really only suit the straight-up-and-down, long-legged models and actresses who are getting back into them now. Don't make us wear something that's tight over our knees and the inches above our knees. Don't make our legs look like sausages when they could look like graceful flutes. That's the baggies' argument.

Then you have the committed skinnies wearers who loved, loved the comfort and practicality of stretch-fit denim. Who wants the hassle of flares dragging on a wet pavement, anyway?

A-lister Reece Witherspoon pairs her jeans with leopard-print heels

Sarah Jessica Parker wears washed blue skinny jeans in New York last June

The Princess of Wales tends to stick to skinnies because that's still the go-to favourite of a lot of women, whatever their interest in fashion

And if we're being brutally honest, who doesn't look bigger in big trousers? You have to be tall to wear wider or you look square. You have to wear a heel or you look dumpy. And what are you meant to wear on top, because if you think I'm tucking my top in, you've got another thing coming! This is roughly what skinny fans are thinking.

To put it another way, most middle-aged women probably like their legs more than they like the rest of their body, and the minute they put their legs away under fashionable, swaggery, A-line denim, they feel inches wider all over.

Skinny jeans sit under anything, from a longline jacket or a thigh-length blouse to a hip-grazing sweater or simple T-shirt, whereas wider trouser cuts look best with tucked in or waisted or slimline tops.

If you're a twenty-something, you're wearing them with a cropped top and a strip of ripped abdominal muscles on show, to emphasise your tiny torso and waist above your voluminous bottom half.

That's the skinny wearers' argument: loose may look like it will be easier to wear and more flattering, but isn't really.

The fact is there is still a huge and loyal skinnies fanbase, many of whom have just never bothered to make the switch to baggies, and they are by no means all mums with tums  I give you skinny jean queen the Princess of Wales.

Kate is a very good example of what you might call skinny picking. She wears wide-leg trouser suits, the odd pair of bootcuts and tailored flares, but almost always, when she's wearing denim, and without fail when she's off-duty, she sticks with skinnies because that's still the go-to favourite of a lot of women, whatever their interest in fashion.

'Skinny jeans have remained a significant part of our business and a staple for many customers,' admits Selfridges denim buyer Grace Neal.

And, if you need any more proof that this trend is very much back at the forefront of denim sales, the style Meghan Markle favours  Le High Skinny from Frame  is currently sold out.

Our fashion favourites for new converts
It was the scoop of the decade, a history-making interview that brought an abrupt halt to the Duke of Yorks royal career.

But just who was the 'mastermind' behind securing the car-crash chat with Prince Andrew on Newsnight in November 2019. The answer has seemed to have led to frostiness between journalist Emily Maitlis and ex-BBC producer Sam McAlister.

Their story is explored in Netflix's Scoop, released today, which dramatises the behind-the-scenes action in the build up to the interview, as well as fallout from the hour of television that essentially put an end to Andrew's time as a working member of the Royal Family.

Ms McAlister, who is portrayed by Billie Piper in the streaming-giant's drama, has previously accused presenter and interviewer Ms Maitlis of failing to properly acknowledge her pivotal role in securing the infamous interview with the late Queen's 'favourite son'.

The ex-BBC journalist, played by Gillian Anderson in Scoop, was criticised for giving an in-depth interview explaining how the scoop came about, but failing to mention McAlister, who convinced the Prince, 64, to take part.

Sam McAlister and Billie Piper attend a New York screening of Netflix film Scoop on April 3

Ms Maitlis, who earned 325,000 a year from the BBC, was accused of being unfair on long-serving Ms McAlister, who is understood to have been paid less one tenth of that amount.

The dispute stemmed from an interview Ms Maitlis, 53, and Newsnights former editor Esme Wren gave Radio Times in the July following the bombshell broadcast.

In the piece  headlined How we did it, Newsnights Emily Maitlis and Esme Wren on the Prince Andrew interview that shocked the world  Ms Wren said: We delivered a quite exceptional piece of journalism.

But Ms McAlister was not mentioned once, despite her forging the relationship with Prince Andrews aide Amanda Thirsk and meeting her at Buckingham Palace to secure the interview.

While those who work behind the scenes dont always get credit, for Emily to go out there and not mention Sam in such a high-profile interview seems pretty unfair and wrong, said one former colleague of the two women.

Emily was on a significant salary and then you had Sam grafting behind the scenes on about 30,000 a year. Without Sam there would have been no Prince Andrew interview. Its as simple as that.

As for how she felt overlooked, a source said: Sam tried to laugh at it. It seemed deeply baffling that two women would not mention another, far more junior woman in an interview where they were talking about how the interview came about.

But friends of Ms McAlister told The Daily Mail in 2023 that the snub was a factor in her decision to leave the BBC in 2021 to go freelance and become a champion of behind-the scenes production staff.

The Newsnight show was the scoop of the decade, a history-making interview that brought an abrupt halt to the Duke of Yorks royal career. Pictured, Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis

Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew in the Netflix drama

Ms McAlister, who is portrayed by Billie Piper (pictured) in the streaming-giant's drama, has previously accused presenter and interviewer Ms Maitlis of failing to properly acknowledge her pivotal role in securing the infamous interview with the late Queen's 'favourite son'

In 2022, she released the book Scoop telling her version of how the interview was secured - which was picked up by Netflix and turned into the drama.

But Ms McAlister's book and film deals led to backlash from her former BBC colleagues, who claimed she was attempting to steal all the glory, The Telegraph reported in 2022.

BBC sources were said to be 'seething' after the book's publication, accusing Ms McAlister of taking the lion's share of credit for a team effort and reducing key figures in the story, including Ms Maitlis, to peripheral figures in her narrative.

A BBC insider said at the time: 'There is internal disappointment because it is not the done thing to expose how you go about these journalistic practices and also because a lot of people who did a considerable amount of work on this show are being written out of the process in pursuit of one person's career. Former colleagues find that disappointing.'

Ms Maitlis has always refused to comment on the rift. Sources say she was even invited to the book launch in 2022 - but didnt show up.

One said: Everyone in the book was of course invited but Emily wasnt there. Some sources believe even subtle digs are made throughout the film.

One insider said: Viewers wont notice it but there are a few conversations that take place that, if you are aware of Emily being accused of trying to take credit from Sam, then you might notice things arent all well.

Now Ms Maitlis is preparing a rival drama about the car-crash interview. She is executive producing an upcoming three-part series for Amazon Studios.

Titled A Very Royal Scandal, it will star Ruth Wilson as Ms Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew.

Ms McAllister previously appeared on This Morning to discuss her experience working on both the interview and the film.

Emily Maitlis and Sam McAllister at the 20th Women in Film and Television Awards in 2021

Ms McAlister is said to have forged the relationship with Prince Andrews aide Amanda Thirsk and met with her at Buckingham Palace to secure the interview

She described how tough it was securing the interview, saying: 'I was a complete underdog on booking content because who in their right mind, let's be frank, would want to go on unless you're a minister, or you're selling a book or a movie.

'Why would you go and take that risk, right? So my job was persuading people to go on against their interest basically. So I spent my time trying to get them to do something they probably shouldn't have done.'

Discussing how she felt when securing the interview, she revealed: 'I'd been dealing with a palace for a year. And I think the thing that I love about this movie...is I'm an ordinary woman who ended up in an extraordinary situation. And of course, everyone's seen that interview. But this is the 95 per cent before that.'

She continued: 'So it all started a year prior, and it was only on the Monday so we're now 13 months in the Monday when I met Prince Andrew face to face with Emily and Stuart with with his daughter sitting next to him in Buckingham Palace...It was only then on the one day I thought this could actually happen.

'And on Tuesday morning, they said yes. And I honestly I dropped my phone. I could not believe that they had said yes.'

Describing the biggest curveball of the day, Sam told This Morning it was when Prince Andrew was accompanied into the interview with his daughter Princess Beatrice.

'Can you imagine you've gone to talk to a Prince and you're in Buckingham Palace... and you're talking about difficult subjects and then he brings his daughter?' she said?

'I mean, it was the curveball of curveballs. I'm not easily disconcerted, but I have to admit, even I was impressed by that as a curveball,' she added.

Ms McAlister last month told how she thinks Prince Andrew agreed to do the interview because he was 'surrounded by people telling him he was amazing'.

Ms McAlister is being portrayed by Billie Piper in the new Netflix film, Scoop, which dramatises the lead up to the interview and the fallout. Pictured: Billie Piper as Sam McAlister in Scoop

In the movie, Prince Andrew is being played by Rufus Sewell. Pictured: Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew in Scoop

She said the Duke of York had 'never been knocked back' and 'never had an appraisal' in the lead up to the now infamous piece of television, something that counted against him.

The Duke of York had been confronted by presenter Ms Maitlis about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, with the prince being ridiculed in the media and online for his answers to some of her questions.

Ms McAlister said while Andrew was 'eminently noticeable', the then 59-year-old had a 'real misperception of his abilities'.

Speaking to The Guardian, Ms McAlister said the Prince genuinely felt it had gone well after it finished. She said she felt things might have gone differently if Andrew had more people holding him accountable.

'He cocked it up to the degree that he did for a very simple reason, one that's writ large in lots of powerful people in lots of powerful organisations,' she told the paper.

'At the top, you're surrounded by people telling you that you're amazing, and this is a very extreme example of that.

'He was 59. He'd never had a normal job. He'd never had an appraisal. He'd never been knocked back.

'My feeling was that through an accident of his birth he had a real misperception of his abilities.'

She added she thought Andrew was 'profoundly sad... he doesn't have the life he used to' following the fallout of the interview - since then he has been stripped of his military titles and peerages, and essentially retired from royal duties.

In the movie Andrew is portrayed by Rufus Sewell, who Ms McAlister says shares the same 'energy' and 'charisma that fills the room' as the Duke of York.

Writing for the Daily Mail last month, Ms McAlister admitted: 'The day after we recorded the interview, Esme, tweeted, "Full credit to our indefatigable interview producer @SamMcAlister1 for securing this world exclusive".

'Giving producers credit is a rarity in our industry, and the Press picked it up. I got my 15 seconds of recognition, then it was just back to work as usual.

'Of course, I asked for a pay rise after the interview, but I didnt get one... Although a pay rise and promotion were still not forthcoming, everywhere I went, people told me: "You should write a book about what happened!" Eventually, I decided to do just that.'

On talk of an 'enmity' between her and Ms Maitlis, the ex-BBC producer added: 'Im sorry to disappoint  I wish Emily nothing but happiness and success.'

FEMAIL has contacted representatives of Sam McAlister and Emily Maitlis for comment.
An incredibly glamorous bride proved she wasn't just a pretty face when she managed to create a starry Las Vegas wedding for less than $3,000.

Karen Aparcana, 31, and her husband, Kelvin, 31, got married on March 15 in Las Vegas with just close family and friends after deciding they wanted their day to be more about love than money.

While a splashy Vegas wedding could cost as much as $30,000, the savvy California couple spent just $2,821 on their special day.

But, despite making considerable savings, they still managed to create a wedding that matched their glamorous lifestyle.

Karen said: 'I hope that we are able to inspire people to get married the way they wish to get married. Whether that's eloping or planning a massive celebration.

Karen Aparcana, 31, (pictured) and her husband, Kelvin, 31, got married on 15 March in Las Vegas

Karen and Kevin, who are from California, wanted their day to be more about love than money

Karen and Kelvin spent $155 on a personalised cake that was decorated with dice and playing cards

'Society can add a lot of pressure but at the end of the day a marriage is between two people who are making a lifetime commitment.'

The couple's budget included $60 in fuel, a $102 marriage license, $575 for a three night stay at the Hilton Resort's World, an $89 dress, $150 tuxedo rental, $325 hair and make-up and $625 venue hire.

The venue hire included a limo ride for six to and from their hotel, a minister for the ceremony, flowers, a livestream, capacity for 50 guests and an additional photography session.

Finally, they paid $700 for dinner and drinks for six and $155 for a personalised wedding cake.

The newlyweds picked Vegas as their wedding destination because it was the first place they visited together back in 2015.

Since then, it has become a tradition for them to return once a year.

Karen and Kelvin managed to keep their wedding costs low by inviting just four people to the celebrations.

And while many brides spend thousands on their dress, Karen bought hers from Amazon.

Karen, who looked stunning in a $89 dress from Amazon, was walked down the aisle by her father (pictured)

The couple exchanged their vows in private (left) and were all smiles on their big day

The couple's total expenditure of $2,821 included $150 tuxedo rental (left) and a reasonably priced glam team for Karen's hair and make-up

After deciding to get married in January, the couple managed to plan their whole day in just two months as they were keen to be married before they moved into their new house.

It was always their plan to stick to a budget to ensure they would be able to pay for improvements in their new house and put money towards a honeymoon trip to Japan.

Karen added: 'We decided to elope because we wanted a day to focus on our love and our commitment to each other.

'We also didn't wanted to deal with the added stress of planning a wedding, we both come from big Hispanic families and the thought of planning a big wedding seemed overwhelming.

'I spent hours on Amazon searching for an affordable dress that would fit my body. I had five dress options and my husband actually ended up choosing my actual dress.

Karen got ready with her bridesmaids who wore pink (pictured, left). After the ceremony, the couple enjoyed dinner with four of their closest friends and family at Javier's

'I was going to do my own hair and make-up but my husband encouraged me to get a glam team, so we found one for a reasonable price.

'The best part of the day was 15 minutes before the ceremony. My husband and I sat in the bridal suite and exchanged our vows in privacy.

'It was a beautiful moment and I'm so glad we got to exchange vows in a meaningful way. We also loved our dinner at Javier's, the food and drinks were delicious and the staff was very kind.

'My husband and I made it a point to budget. We have spent the last few years working on our financial health and we didn't want to go into debt over a wedding.'
An American woman living in the UK has revealed all the 'weird' things about British life - including 'toxic men' and 'lots of goths'.

Burkleigh, who moved to the UK from Texas to study Marine Biology, often posts on TikTok under the handle @iloveolives2002, and has racked up more than 350,000 views on a clip where she lists all of the quirks she's picked up on.

The university student told her followers: 'Okay, so I've been living in the UK for like three years now and I feel like one of the main differences that people always talk about between the states and the UK is the weather or the food.

'But, there are a lot of really weird social abnormalities or at least differences, between the UK and Texas, that I just didn't expect.'

The first thing Burkleigh noticed is that there are more alternative, or 'goth' people in the UK.

An American woman who relocated to the UK from Texas has revealed all of the 'weird abnormalities' she's noticed about Britain since making the move across the pond

She explained: 'For starters, there's a bunch of goths and yes, there are goths in the states or at least in Texas, but like - they travel in packs, in groups of three.

'There's a goth-themed Christmas market, there are goth-themed club nights.

'They're the nicest people you've ever met but it's like, there's a large community and they're very loved and very appreciated.'

Secondly, she confirmed the longstanding stereotype that British people can drink a lot, starting from a younger age.

The TikToker said: 'Another thing is, if you consider yourself to be like, the heavyweight of your friend group or you're someone who started drinking young.

'I would say the youngest that most American people start drinking is like 15 or 16 and it's illegally at a house part where an older friend was able to bring White Claws.

'If you had that experience, you probably started off really well - a lot of people don't even get to drink until they're like 18 or 21 when it's legal.

US native Burkleigh, who posts on TikTok under the handle @iloveolives2002, has racked up more than 350,000 views on a clip where she lists all of the quirks she's picked up on

'Don't drink with British people. They pick up the bottle at 12 and they never put it back down.'

Continuing with her list, she revealed: 'And this might just be Europe in general but I think that it stands out so much more with British people, just because of their humour and their willingness to say whatever.

'There's an abrasive kind of tough love feeling that I get from my British friends, but they literally think that Americans are the dumbest people on Earth.'

Laughing, she adds: 'Genuinely, literally, they spend all of their time laughing at our politics, laughing at our culture, laughing at our media, at our celebrities that do stupid s***.

'And it's like, we are not aware because we are kind of ignorant.

'The only thing that we care about when it comes to British people are their accents, so we don't know just how much the rest of the world finds us stupid and we don't care.

'Maybe that's a problem that we should work on. But, I don't know, I definitely noticed it.'

Brits rushed to the comments to debate whether Burkleigh's opinions were right - with some agreeing, and others questioning if they're living in the same UK

Moving on to drugs, Burkleigh claims: 'Again, this is only comparable to my experience in Texas so it might be the same in Miami or LA, but the drug culture is crazy in the UK.

'The amount of horse tranquilliser that these people shove up their nose is enough to put down a literal horse.

'I didn't even know that was a drug that people did recreationally and I think it's really only big in the UK.'

She questions, 'Let me know, I don't think it's big in any state in the US.'

Next, she tells her fellow Americans that Britons walk everywhere - no matter what time of day.

She told viewers: 'I think people know that in Europe, walking is a really big thing and in the US it's just not as easy because of infastructure and highways and the focus that we put on cars.

'But I don't think you know just how willing British people are to walk, despite having very good public transportation - or at least better public transportation than in Texas.

'It is not uncommon for a friend to walk an hour home on a night out just because they don't want to spend the money on a taxi - an hour home, drunk at night, crazy.'

Finally, the American compares her experiences of dating men in the UK to those back home in the US - with American men coming out on top for her.

'The average 20-year-old British male will have a body count of 22,' she boldly claims.

'They are worse than the frat boy who just broke your heart, I promise. I don't know what they put in the water to make these men grow up the way they are but some of them are animals.'

The student admits: 'I'm sure that they grow out of it and also that's probably a stereotype a little bit, but I don't know man. From what I've seen - crazy.'

Brits rushed to the comments to debate whether Burkleigh's opinions were right - with some agreeing, and others questioning if they're living in the same UK.

One user penned: 'I must be living in another UK in the multiverse,' with a second asking: 'Are we in the same UK?'

Referring to the American's claim that Britons walk everywhere, a third viewer wrote: 'One hour is not that long though? It takes me like an hour to walk to school.'

Another agreed: 'The drunk walk home is iconic. Walk home in the cold for an hour, eating your cheesy chips, drinking a bottle of Fanta. You're basically sober when you're home and your hangover is less lethal.'

Someone else chimed in with: 'Drunk running home was the one. Sometimes a bus was going to be 15-20 minutes, so we would run a good 3-4 miles until the bus caught up.'

Meanwhile, another joked: 'It's not that we don't want to pay for a taxi, it's just that we spent all our money on booze and horse tranquilliser so now we're broke and have to walk home.'

Agreeing with the TikToker's comments about British men, one woman from the UK quipped: 'Nope, they do not grow out of it at all. British girly here dating a Texas man and I can't stand British men.'

Someone else pointed out: 'As a goth who doesn't live in Brighton, the goth and alternative thing is UNIQUE to there.'

One viewer reminisced: 'British kids' first drink is about 13-14 in a field with your mates and a bottle of Glenn's (cheap vodka) best nights ever. Chuck a speaker in and you've got a party.'

Agreeing, another Brit admitted: 'We start drinking at 13 and 14 and are done by 21.'
Keeley Hawes has said Prince Andrew was considered 'heroic' and 'sexy' by some when he was young, and added that it feel 'disgusting' to say that now.

The actor plays the role of Amanda Thirsk in Scoop, the Netflix film about the royal's now infamous interview with Emily Maitlis about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Following the interview, Andrew stepped down from royal duties. He also paid an estimated 12 million settlement to Virginia Giuffre who accused him of having sex with her when she was 17. Prince Andrew denies all accusations.

Speaking about the movie, which is released today, Keeley discussed her role with the Telegraph.

While her role of Amanda Thirsk is, according to the outlet, 'in the background', it is 'instrumental', with Scoop saying the interview was organised 'on Thirsk's go-ahead'.

Pictured on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day of his wedding to Sarah Ferguson in July 1986, Prince Andrew used to be seen as heroic

According to Keeley: 'She wanted everyone to see him through her eyes, and through her eyes, he's a great guy.'

She added: 'The people that I've spoken to who know Prince Andrew are full of love for him. Because he is a great guy. Of course he is. It's easy to forget  and I was growing up during that period  but we celebrated those men.

'Bill Wyman and his teenage bride, Randy Andy in his military suit. They were sexy  it sounds disgusting now to say it, but it was heroic.'

According to Keeley, it was 'very difficult' to look at media from the royal's younger days and imagine how his behaviour was viewed 'through a totally different lens'.

She added that she does not expect the Royal Family to comment on Scoop.

The film, which is finally released today, has been the subject of much anticipation.

Netflix's drama details the story behind the interview with the disgraced Duke of York, portrayed by Rufus Sewell, 56, and also features an almost unrecognisable Billie Piper in blonde wig and high heels.

The actor stars as Sam McAlister, the Newsnight producer who secured Prince Andrew's notorious 2019 interview with Emily Maitlis, who is played by Gillian Anderson, 55.

Keeley Hawes pictured as Amanda Thirsk in Netflix drama Scoop, which is released by the streaming service today

The film shows captures the tension behind booking the royal for the interview, as well as the tension among the cast during the interview.

It explores a behind-the-scenes look at how the interview was secured and how events surrounding it unfolded framed as a tribute to the work of the four women responsible.

It is based on Scoops by Sam McAlister who is also known as the 'Booker extraordinaire' on Newsnight having successfully negotiated and secured the interview which quizzed the Duke about his friendship with the late-convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.

Ms Maitlis discussed Virginia Giuffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Epstein.

The prince strongly denied the claims throughout the interview.

The discussion, in which Andrew made a series of claims - including insisting he couldn't have been with Ms Giuffre at the time of the alleged encounter because he was dining at a Pizza Express in Woking and that a medical condition left him unable to sweat - has since gained notoriety and is widely acknowledged to have embarrassed the royals.

Prince Andrew pictured in 1982, on his return from the Falkland war, has denied all accusations made against him

Despite vowing to fight the claims and repeatedly protesting his innocence, the prince agreed to pay a huge sum to settle the case before it ever reached a jury.

Sam McAllister earlier this year appeared on This Morning as Netflix screened its trailer for the first time, to discuss her experience working on both the interview and the film.

She described how tough it was securing the interview, saying: 'I was a complete underdog on booking content because who in their right mind, let's be frank, would want to go on unless you're a minister, or you're selling a book or a movie.

'Why would you go and take that risk, right?

'So my job was persuading people to go on against their interest basically. So I spent my time trying to get them to do something they probably shouldn't have done.'

The interview was described as a 'car crash' and on November 20, 2019, a statement from Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew was suspended from public duties 'for the foreseeable future'.

In May 2020, it was announced that the prince was permanently stepping down from his public roles.

In January 2022, Ms Giuffre was given the go-ahead to sue Andrew for unspecified damages in a New York civil court.

Discussing how she felt when securing the interview, she revealed: 'I'd been dealing with a palace for a year. And I think the thing that I love about this movie...is I'm an ordinary woman who ended up in an extraordinary situation. And of course, everyone's seen that interview. But this is the 95 per cent before that.'

The real life interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew which has been described as a 'car crash'

She continued: 'So it all started a year prior, and it was only on the Monday so we're now 13 months in the Monday when I met Prince Andrew face to face with Emily and Stuart with with his daughter sitting next to him in Buckingham Palace...It was only then on the one day I thought this could actually happen.

'And on Tuesday morning, they said yes. And I honestly I dropped my phone. I could not believe that they had said yes.'

Describing the biggest curveball of the day, Sam told This Morning it was when Prince Andrew was accompanied into the interview with his daughter Princess Beatrice.

'Scoop is the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British Establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and guts broke through the highest of ceilings - and into the inner sanctum and calculations of a man with everything to lose.'

'Can you imagine you've gone to talk to a Prince and you're in Buckingham Palace...and you're talking about difficult subjects and then he brings his daughter?' she said?

'I mean, it was the curveball of curveballs. I'm not easily disconcerted, but I have to admit, even I was impressed by that as a curveball,' she added.

Netflilx describes the production as portraying: 'The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen's 'Favourite son'.

The film portrays Sam McAllister (played by Billie Piper) going to Buckingham Palace to discuss the interview with his secretary

'From navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew's inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal - to the jaw dropping interview itself.

Sam McAlister says 'it is beyond my wildest dreams, especially as a first time writer, to end up working with this extraordinary cast, Netflix, and the amazing teams at The Lighthouse and Voltage. Watching Billie Piper, one of my favourite actresses, play 'me' will be a pinch myself moment and I'm truly thrilled to be involved in this film.'

Describing the film, director Philip Martin revealed: 'I'm thrilled to be directing this film for Netflix and - together with an extraordinary cast - to be bringing Sam McAlister's revelatory insider's account to the screen.

'Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breath-taking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew - to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections.

'It's a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how - whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms - we judge what's true.'
Sarah Ferguson has taken to Instagram to share a series of photographs from a trip to Samoa - branding the country 'beautiful'.

The ex-wife of Prince Andrew, 64, has shared a series of images over the last two days, in which she tagged some organisations she visited.

Among the groups mother-of-two Sarah met was the Poutasi Womens Committee.

Captioning photos from the engagement, the Duchess of York wrote: 'Beautiful Samoa, thank you for having me!

'I am very appreciative of the Poutasi Womens Committee who welcomed me with open arms into their village and their church. Being able to experience a beautiful FiaFia @sinaleireefresort and getting to know some of the local customs and traditions was an honour.

Sarah Ferguson shared a series of photos from her trip to Samoa, including the Poutasi Womens Committee

The Duchess of York (pictured, right) said that the Poutasi Womens Committee 'welcomed [her] with open arms

Decked in a green garland, the royal is pictured meeting more of the islanders during her trip to Samoa

Dressed in white, the Duchess appears delighted as she is photographed meeting more of the locals in Samoa

'And thank you to @taumeasinaislandresortsamoa for your commitment to coral regeneration. Faafatai Samoa and see you again soon.'

Some of the images show Sarah wearing garlands around her neck as she embraces some of the local people she met.

And in a photo from another engagement, she is seen dressed in white.

Meanwhile, a series of photographs shared a day earlier by the Duchess show her wearing a flower behind her ear during an appearance at Brown Girl Woke in Samoa.

Captioning the images, Sarah discussed how they will be working together, writing: ' 'From environmental conservation to honouring indigenous wisdom, the impact these young leaders are having in the South Pacific is truly inspiring.

'I look forward to collaborations between @browngirlwoke and @sarahs_trust_ and seeing what we will be able to achieve TOGETHER!'

According to Brown Girl Woke, it 'recruits, trains and mentors University students and young professionals meet critical community needs education, public safety, health & environment'.

It 'runs many different programs focused on Youth Development, Arts & Music Development and Women Empowerment to name a few'.

Sarah (pictured) also met with advocacy organisation Brown Girl Woke in Samoa, which she will be working with

She praised the group, writing in the post's caption that 'from environmental conservation to honouring indigenous wisdom, the impact these young leaders are having in the South Pacific is truly inspiring'

The posts follow another series of images Sarah shared from Samoa a week ago, following an engagement meeting an environmental organisation.

Sharing a collection of photos of herself wearing flower garlands and meeting various people, Sarah praised the organisation in her caption.

She wrote: 'Honoured to attend the launch of Women of Waste in Samoa and learning that plastic pollution is not just an environmental crisis; it is a threat to life itself.

'Pacific Islands, like Samoa, with their unique strengths and vulnerabilities can be the torchbearers of collaborative action towards a planet free of plastic waste.

'What an inspirational morning with these incredible women and youth leaders.'
Netflix's highly-anticipated movie retelling Prince Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview in 2019 has finally been released.

Amid critical disagreement, Scoop makes a number of potential revelations which were not documented in the original BBC programme.

The hour-long film aims to capture the tensions behind booking the Duke of York for the programme, where Maitlis discussed Virginia Giuffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the tension among the cast during the hour.

It also has some unexpected moments, such as when we see dozens of teddy bears piled up on his bed at Buckingham Palace.

But are such moments just too bizarre to be true? Find out what was fact and what was fiction in the streaming giant's latest hit below.

Netflix 's highly-anticipated movie Scoop has finally been released, retelling the fateful 2019 interview between Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis

The hour-long film aims to capture the tensions behind booking the Duke of York for the programme, where Maitlis discussed Virginia Giuffre 's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17

It also has some unexpected moments going well beyond the scope of the BBC programme, so are those true?

Who was Jae Donnelly?

Rather than taking us straight into the eye of the storm, Scoop opens with a shot of photographer Jae Donnelly as he attempts to snap what is now the only known picture of Prince Andrew and Epstein together, in 2010.

Donnelly was much more than a lucky photographer.

A 2021 Vanity Fair feature explains that he was a 'hostile-environment-trained' photographer who viewed jobs as missions and pictures as evidence.

Preparation for the position included a week of intense military-style endurance training in Virginia.

On December 5, 2010, Donnelly was waiting outside the disgraced financier's 40-room mansion in Manhattan with News Of The World's Annette Witheridge.

The pair followed Epstein and the Duke to Central Park before getting the shot which News Of The World sold as: 'Prince Andy and the Paedo.'

Did Prince Andrew's PR guru really quit?

One of the biggest bombshells from Scoop sees Prince Andrew's PR guru aide, Jason Stein, quit within weeks of taking the job.

He declares, 'I'm out,' after discovering that Andrew's private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, is working behind his back to arrange the filmed Newsnight interview.

Stein had planned, as it is presented, to invite 'friendly' press into the palace to meet the prince so they could warm to him, rather than the full scale interview which transpired.

The real Stein had indeed been hired in the weeks before the November interview after losing a job as special adviser to Tory politician Amber Rudd as she left her role as work and pensions secretary.

Stein left his role in Andrew's office 'by mutual consent', according to The Times, after warning the duke speaking to Newsnight could backfire.

Does Emily Maitlis have a dog called Moody?

Scoop shares an insight into Maitlis' fondness of her dog, Moody

As much as Emily Maitlis, played by Gillian Anderson, is the star of the show on Scoop in many ways, there is also plenty of screen time for her whippet, Moody.

This includes Moody donning matching knitwear with her owner on a run and Maitlis even bringing it into the studio on occasion.

And Moody, or 'Moods' as she refers to him, has been in the public eye before.

The newshound hit headlines in the same years as Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview when he was snapped curled up on the seat next to his owner on a GWR train.

A BBC insider told Mailonline: 'She loves that dog so much, and he would often be at her side when she came to work.'

One discrepancy between the real Moody and his depiction, though, was that the animal playing him was not quite such a big fan of its unusual surroundings.

Anderson said at Scoop's premiere: 'There are a few scenes where I have a lead in my hand that is slack, but they did it in a way that you can't see there's no dog. It just would not stay by me and whined all the time. The dog didn't really want to be there.'

What happened when Emily Maitlis interviewed Bill Clinton?

Maitlis appears driven by her regret over not asking US president Bill Clinton about his affair with Monica Lewinsky in Scoop.

The journalist appears determined to nail the Andrew interview, feeling she had 'let women down' by not asking Clinton about the White House intern.

She is referring to a trip to India with the former president in 2014, when she made a last-minute decision not to bring it up after Clinton's aides told her he had just had a 'funny turn' and said they could pull the interview tapes altogether if 'anything happens on camera'.

This was recalled by Maitlis in her 2019 memoir, Airhead, saying her focus shifted from asking the Lewinsky question to worrying about whether Clinton would die on camera.

Does Prince Andrew have a teddy bear collection?

Andrew scolds one of his aids for misplacing one of his teddy bears in Scoop

In Netflix's film, it is made out that Andrew never got over a childhood obsession with soft toys - with dozens of teddy bears shown piled on his Buckingham Palace bed.

As Andrew, Rufus Sewell scolds an aide for putting one back incorrectly, and it was revealed by The Sun in 2022 that there is a specific order for his toys.

Former maid Charlotte Briggs said: 'It was drilled into me every day how he wanted them.'

Reports have also claimed that there is a laminated diagram instructing anyone arranging them.

Were Prince Andrew and Jimmy Saville friends?

A striking moment in Scoop shows Andrew telling Maitlis: 'I don't know why everyone's so upset about my friendship with Epstein  I knew Jimmy Savile so much better'

Though the specifics of Andrew's relationship with the perverted DJ are not known, the prince did appear on an episode of Jim'll Fix It, and the presenter was well acquainted with many Royal Family members

A striking moment in Scoop shows Andrew telling Maitlis: 'I don't know why everyone's so upset about my friendship with Epstein  I knew Jimmy Savile so much better.'

Though the specifics of Andrew's relationship with the perverted DJ are not known, the prince did show an eight-year-old girl round HMS Cottesmore for an episode of Jim'll Fix It.

Saville ingratiated himself with many members of the Royal Family, not just Andrew.

Princess Anne was similarly obliging on another episode of the paedophile's Saturday night programme, while Prince Philip was leant on to help a fundraising drive for the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire.

Additionally, Netflix's 2022 documentary, Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, uncovered documents showing how close he and then-Prince Charles had become.

Notes from Charles to Saville showed how for roughly 20 years Saville was an unofficial adviser to the heir.

Was Prince Andrew in the bath when Newsnight was on?

In the movie, the prince is in the bath when the episode airs

One of the real mysteries of Scoop is whether there is any substance to the scene showing him at the moment the interview aired.

He is presented in a sea of bubbles luxuriating in a bath at Buckingham Palace when his phone rings off the hook.

Curiosity gets the better of the prince and he gets out to retrieve his mobile and realising the reception.

What happened to Amanda Thirsk?

Keeley Hawes (left) plays the aide who is so desperate for the world to see the witty and generous side of her boss

Thirsk (seen in 2019) started working as Andrew's private secretary in 2012, and was central among 'Andy's Angels' - the prince's all-female inner circle before being sacked after the interview aired

Keeley Hawes plays the aide who is so desperate for the world to see the witty and generous side of her boss.

It is she who meets with Sam McAllister (Billie Piper) to arrange the bombshell TV appearance, and works to convince the duke to commit to it.

Thirsk started working as Andrew's private secretary in 2012, and was central among 'Andy's Angels' - the prince's all-female inner circle.

But she was sacked at the start of 2020, weeks after the Newsnight interview landed. Thirsk reportedly agreed a five-figure payout.

She now works for Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com as a senior business developer.
The twin of a teenage girl with a rare form of cancer has revealed how she gets the same pains as he sick sister, despite being completely healthy.

Sophie Walker, 17, was diagnosed with Wilms tumour, a type of kidney cancer, in October 2017.

Strangely, her twin sister, Megan, also suffered from similar symptoms - including back pain in the same location as Sophie's tumour - despite not having the disease herself.

Since then, Sophie has been given the all-clear three times but the cancer has always returned.

Now the NHS has said they can't offer any more treatments and there are no clinical trials she can currently access.

Sophie Walker (LEFT), 17, was diagnosed with Wilms tumour, a type of kidney cancer, in October 2017

Strangely, her twin sister, Megan (RIGHT), also suffered from similar symptoms - including back pain in the same location as Sophie's tumour - despite not having the disease herself

Their parents, Rebecca, 44, and Jamie Walker, 45 - along with Sophie's nine siblings - are fundraising for groundbreaking treatment abroad.

Rebecca, who runs a hostel with husband Jamie, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: 'Looking at Sophie and Megan, they're so close, they're almost in-sync - it's like one person split into two people.

'How would Megan ever have a life without Sophie? We're not just worried about Sophie but about Megan as well.

'The treatment in Germany costs 4,000 per tumour so for both tumours plus expenses that's 10,000 per month - then her high-dose vitamin C is 2,000 so we're looking at 13,000 per month just on treatments.

'We've got enough to go back to Germany maybe one more time, it worries me that we might not be able to raise the funds.'

Sophie's parents, Rebecca, 44, and Jamie Walker, 45 - along with Sophie's nine siblings - are fundraising for groundbreaking treatment abroad

What is a Wilms tumour? A form of kidney cancer that affects around 70 children in the UK each year. It most often develops in youngsters below the age of five. Wilms' tumours, also known as nephroblastomas, begins to develop when a baby is still growing inside their mother. However, it may not cause any symptoms until a few years after the child is born. They are most common in children under five but can appear in older children and adults on rare occasions. Wilms' tumours usually only affect one kidney (unilateral) but in about seven out of every 100 children it can affect both (bilateral). Most Wilms' tumours are quite large when they are found - very often much bigger than the kidney itself. Fortunately, most of them have not spread to other parts of the body. The most common symptom is a swelling in the abdomen, which is usually painless. Occasionally, the tumour may bleed slightly and this can cause irritation in the area of the kidney, which may be painful. Children with the condition may have blood in their urine, or their blood pressure may be raised. The child may also have a fever, upset stomach, weight loss or a lack of appetite. Advertisement

They hope to take Sophie to Germany for trans arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) treatment to shrink the tumours and then to America for immunotherapy - and have raised 78,000 of the 350,000 needed.

Sophie has previously been to Germany for the treatment once, but needs to make multiple trips for it to be effective.

Over the last seven years Sophie has tried all options available on the NHS and has been told there is nothing more they can do.

But a clinic in Germany has offered a groundbreaking new treatment which applies chemotherapy directly to the tumour via blood vessels.

And if they're able to reduce the size of the tumour enough for Sophie to safely fly, the family are hoping to take her to America for an immunotherapy treatment in California.

Rebecca, who runs a hostel with husband Jamie, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: 'Looking at Sophie and Megan, they're so close, they're almost in-sync - it's like one person split into two people

In the meantime, Sophie and friends visited Disneyland Paris in January and she continues to receive blood and platelet transfusions with the NHS which keep Sophie's platelet levels up.

'[After the treatment in Germany] I can feel her back tumour has shrunk down a lot,' said Rebecca.

'Our plan was to shrink them down enough in Germany so we could fly to America.

'When she had the tumours removed last year we had a piece sent to Canada.

'It is being tested to see if any medications can be used and which chemotherapies the tumour is sensitive to.

'Once we find out which immunotherapies her tumour is sensitive to, we can go to California for immunotherapy to help her body recognise the tumours.

'In Disneyland she was like any average 17-year-old, she's a big Star Wars fan and bought lightsabers.

'She got to be a normal teenager - it was so nice to just watch her being normal.'

Sophie's treatment fundraiser can be found here.
She's a jetsetter who spent last week in Berlin.

But now Sanna Marin has headed to New York.

Finland's former Prime Minister , 38, shared personal snaps of the trip to her Instagram stories, of which included a casual walk through Central Park.

The jet-setting mother-of-one took to New York just days after visiting Berlin, where she posted herself visiting a Holocaust memorial and the German Health Ministry.

This time around however she appeared to have embarked on a more social trip where she seemingly enjoyed lunches and cocktails with friends.

Taking to her stories, Sanna - who gave up politics last September to join the Tony Blair Institute - posted a picture of passers-by near Radio City, which she tagged 'NYC'.

Finland 's former Prime Minister Sanna Marin has shared selfies of her recent trip to New York (pictured: Sanna walks through Central Park with a friend)

The politician, 38 - who served as prime minister of Finland from 2019 to 2023 - posed up a storm with friends

The shot captured the essence of New York tourism, including its famous yellow cabs and sky-high buildings.

During her trip she also attended a 'working lunch' with friends, where she tucked in to a fish salad with leafy greens and an entree of fresh bread.

Later on the ex-Social Democrat leader and two friends filmed a selfie video while walking through New York City's sixth-largest park, Central Park.

For the trip, she donned an off white outdoor coat which she paired with black leggings and matching black accessories.

Her and a pal then posed up a storm while sitting in front of a large water fountain.

Hours later Sanna posted an image of a cocktail garnished with a purple flower which she branded 'the cutest drink ever'.

Her last image for the day featured the politician and her friends dolled up as they met an old colleague for dinner at a restaurant in New York.

She donned all black for the night out, while her brunette shoulder-length hair was styled neatly with a side part.

She seemingly enjoyed a 'working lunch' complete with salad and fresh bread

The politician also posted an image of a cocktail garnished with a purple flower which she branded 'the cutest drink ever'

Sanna was the world's youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019. She lost the general election in Finland to the country's conservative party leader Petteri Orpo in April 2023.

Last May, she announced she was divorcing her husband Markus Raikkonen after 19 years together.

The couple, who share five-year-old daughter Emma Amalia Marin together, were rarely seen in public together in the months leading up to their divorce.

Sanna recently shared a series of photographs from a visit to Berlin earlier this week.

Among the photos was one of the city's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which opened in 2005 and is described as 'a place of contemplation, a place of remembrance and warning'.

She also visited the German Health Ministry while in the city.

The series of photos, which garnered over 61,000 likes and 820 comments in the 20-hours since they were posted, were accompanied by a simple caption.

It simply said: 'Berlin' and was followed by a black heart emoji.

Her last image for the day featured the politician and her friends dolled up as they met an old colleague for dinner at a restaurant in New York

The visit comes several weeks after Sanna made a visit to war-torn Ukraine.

Sanna went to Bucha, the site of the mass murder of around 500 Ukrainians at the start of the war in March 2022.

She was in the city with the HALO Trust, which works globally to clear unexploded landmines. In Ukraine, Marin says around 19,000 explosives have been neutralised since the war with Russia began.

While in the war-torn country, the ex-Finnish PM - who was just 34 when she took office in 2019 - also had a brief return to diplomacy as she met with the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

She said: 'I had the opportunity to engage in numerous discussions about the state of the war, reconstruction, and Ukraine's European future.

'It was also very interesting to visit a humanitarian de-mining site in Bucha, where an international organisation HALO Trust works to make war-torn areas safe safe by clearing landmines and other explosives'.

Former Finland prime minister Sanna Marin (pictured) shared a series of photos from a trip to Berlin on Instagram

She included an image of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which is described as 'a place of contemplation, a place of remembrance and warning'

Dusting off her political hat for a moment, Marin posed for photographs with Mr Shmyhal, and sat down for talks with the Finnish ambassador to Ukraine over lunch.

She said: 'It was a great honour to meet Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, Head of Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna.

'With more than two years of brutal war, the need for international attention is more crucial than ever.

'In order to win the war, Ukraine needs even further political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support. Sanctions must be enforced.'

As Finland's prime minister, Marin was one of Europe's youngest leaders, and oversaw her country's successful application to officially join NATO.

Announcing her resignation from politics, Marin told Finnish broadcaster YLE that it was 'time to move on'.

She said: 'I am eager to step into a new role. I also believe that it can benefit the whole of Finland.

'I believe that I can serve those voters [in Finland] well and maybe even better in the new assignment'.
Gypsy revealed she and Ryan separated last week three months after her release

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has revealed she is switching up her look and going under the knife for a nose job after she dumped her husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, and reunited with her ex-fiance, Ken Urker.

The 32-year-old Munchausen-by-proxy victim was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for second-degree murder after persuading a former boyfriend to stab her mother to death - but was released early in December last year.

The felon-turned-social media star captured the nation with the heartbreaking story of her life before she revealed she had met Ryan, whom she thought was her true Prince Charming, and admitted she was done with being in the spotlight.

However, Disney-obsessed Gypsy is still searching for her fairytale ending after she separated from Ryan and marked her reunion with her ex-fiance, Ken, by getting matching tattoos - as she revealed that she was making changes to her love life and appearance by prepping for a nose job.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has revealed she is switching up her look and going under the knife for a nose job

The felon-turned-social media star's story captured the nation before she revealed she had met Ryan Scott Anderson, whom she thought was her true Prince Charming (seen in 2024)

Following Gypsy and Ryan's split, the 32-year-old reunited with her ex, Ken, and the pair even celebrated by getting matching tattoos

Speaking to People, Gypsy revealed she was going through a 'personal transformation journey.'

She told the outlet: 'I'm going through a personal transformation journey currently and that includes a physical one, too.'

And despite having previously said she no longer wanted to be 'famous,' the 32-year-old seemed to now be ready to step back in front of the cameras.

'Wish me luck with my surgery and watch the whole thing this summer on Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up,' she said.

Gypsy's best friend Nadiya Vizier also spoke to the outlet about the 32-year-old's desire to change her appearance and revealed that it had been a dream of the reality star's to get a nose job.

'She said she's a bit nervous, but she's happy it's going to be done. The main thing is that she wanted a more feminine looking nose. She just wants to fix it up and give it a more feminine look,' Nadiya said.

And according to her close pal, Gypsy just wants be able to live her life.

'My main message is to just, people need to let her live, let her experience, if they know that she's doing something good or wrong, let her experience that,' Nadiya said.

Speaking to People, Gypsy revealed she was going through a 'personal transformation journey'

Gypsy's best friend, Nadiya Vizier, also spoke to the outlet about the 32-year-old's desire to change her appearance and revealed that it had been a dream of the reality star's to get a nose job (Gypsy seen with her mom as a child)

The news of her Rhinoplasty comes just a week after it was revealed that Gypsy and Ryan had called it quits on their marriage just three months after the bride got out of prison

'Let her learn from it. I feel like in a way, people are still trying to control her.'

The news of her rhinoplasty comes just a week after it was revealed that Gypsy and Ryan had called it quits on their marriage just three months following her release.

In a Facebook post, Gypsy wrote: 'People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou.

'I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this. I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself find who I am.'

Following their separation, Gypsy reunited with ex-fiance Ken and celebrated their reunion by getting matching husky tattoos on their arms, seen in photos obtained by TMZ.

However, Ken's mom Raina Williams told People that Gypsy and Ken were 'not back together.'

She added: 'As of right now, there is no plans on a romantic scale.'

Raina noted that Ken was 'just being a supportive friend to her and that's it.'

During her time behind bars, Gypsy continuously searched for her soulmate, with a family friend named Fancy Marcelli telling In Touch in 2021 that she had numerous relationships with different men over the years.

Following their separation, Gypsy reunited with her ex-fiance Ken and celebrated their reunion by getting matching husky tattoos on their arms

However, Ken's mom Raina Williams told People that Gypsy and Ken were 'not back together'

She added: 'As of right now, there is no plans on a romantic scale' (Gypsy and Ken's tattoos shown)

'They attached themselves to Gypsy, and a lot of them just want fame,' she said. 'One of the guys was 20 years older... Some of the guys have even gone to the prison to meet Gypsy.'

At the time, the friend said she was 'concerned' about Gypsy, and theorized that she 'just wanted somewhere to go once she gets out of prison.'

In her book Released: Conversations On The Eve Of Freedom, Gypsy recalled how one man named Ken - whose last name has not been revealed for privacy reasons - sent her a letter while she was in prison after he learned about what she had been through from the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest.

She said they became pen pals and eventually started dating before he popped the question in October 2018.

'I thought he sounded like a cool guy, so I wrote him back,' she wrote in the memoir about receiving the first letter from Ken.

'We became pen pals and started talking on the phone. He was easy to talk to, and we had so much in common.'

Gypsy opened up about kissing Ken for the first time to, and she explained that it happened soon after they started talking during his first visit to her in prison - and was what lead to the start of their romance.

In 2018, she became engaged to a man named Ken (seen together) after they became 'pen pals' in prison

Gypsy (seen with her mom) spent her childhood posing as a wheelchair-bound invalid after Claudine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard shaved her daughter's head, pumped her full of drugs

Their 'inseparable' bond ended when Gypsy burst free of her warped mom's control in 2015

The felon described their breakup as her 'first heartbreak,' and admitted that it made her fiercely 'miss her mom.'

'My first experience with real heartbreak - I didn't know what to do. The rite of passage of losing my first love happened alone in jail instead of in my bedroom surrounded by girlfriends playing me a breakup mix and eating pints of Ben & Jerry's like in the movies,' she continued.

'It was a time when I missed my mom, a time that should've been shared between the two of us, but never would be.'

Family friend Fancy told InTouch about the romance: 'Ken wasn't in it for Gypsy - he saw her as a cash cow.

'She's had three more relationships with men [following her split from Ken]. We have a lot of concern for her because she doesn't know the real world.

'She wasn't raised in the real world. She doesn't know how to deal with her trauma.'

The 32-year-old felon spent her childhood posing as a wheelchair-bound invalid after Claudine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard shaved her daughter's head, pumped her full of drugs and convinced the world she was suffering from leukemia and muscular dystrophy.

Their 'inseparable' bond ended when Gypsy burst free of her warped mom's control in 2015 by letting her besotted internet boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn creep into their Springfield, Missouri home to stab 48-year-old Dee Dee to death.

Gypsy was 23 when she was arrested on a second degree murder charge. She is shown in court in 2015

Boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn creep into their Springfield, Missouri home to stab 48-year-old Dee Dee to death (Nick and Gypsy seen in their mugshots)

Gypsy was jailed for 10 years for the matricide but was granted early parole seven years in after friends and family begged authorities to take account of the cruel abuse and needless medical procedures she endured while being cynically paraded at charity events and fundraisers.

Gypsy's story is one of the more famous examples of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, where a person treats a perfectly healthy dependent, usually a child, as if they have a physical or mental illness.

Dee Dee shaved her daughter's head to mimic the effects of leukemia, doctored her birth certificate to pretend she was younger and fed her unnecessary medications that caused her to drool and eventually lose her teeth.

She basked in the role of doting caregiver, forcing Gypsy to use a wheelchair and undergo unnecessary surgeries on her eyes and salivary glands while cashing in with charity handouts and perks including a free trip to Disney World.

When doctors in their native Louisiana raised red flags, Dee Dee relocated to Missouri in 2008, where she got a bright pink home built for free, courtesy of Habitat for Humanity, and told everyone that Gypsy's medical notes were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

When Gypsy was 14 a neurologist deduced she was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, but didn't feel he had enough evidence to report her mother to authorities.

The former nurse even fooled ex-husband Rod Blanchard, who remained close to his daughter but struggled to get access to her once Dee Dee moved away and constantly made excuses to cancel his visits.

It was only when he witnessed his daughter walk into a courtroom in handcuffs that the shell-shocked dad finally grasped that Gypsy didn't need a wheelchair.

Dee Dee was found dead on the morning of June 14, 2015, after being knifed 17 times in her sleep by Godejohn, 34, who is serving life in prison without parole.

Gypsy revealed she is now focusing on enjoying a private life with her husband, Ryan, whom she married while she was imprisoned.
Prince Abdul Mateen of Brunei and his wife Anisha Rosnah shared photos from Mecca, having completed the Umrah pilgrimage to Islam's holiest city during the month of Ramadan.

The royal couple, who married in a lavish 10-day wedding in January of this year, posted six pictures to Prince Abdul's Instagram page, including an aerial shot of Masjid Al Haram, also known as the Great Mosque of Mecca.

One selfie that went out to Prince Abdul's 3.2 million followers showed the pair in white robes known as the clothes of Ihram.

Pilgrims are obliged to put on such robes when they reach certain points known as Miqat points.

As is customary for men, Prince Abdul, 32, had uncovered his right shoulder.

Prince Abdul Mateen of Brunei and his wife Anisha Rosnah posted a selfie of themselves wearing white robes known as the clothes of Ihram. All pilgrims must wear these robes at certain points during Umrah

Prince Abdul, 32, pictured with his wife Anisha Rosnah (right), 29, during their pilgrimage

This aerial shot of Masjid Al Haram, also known as the Great Mosque of Mecca, shows how busy the holy site gets during the month of Ramadan

Both Prince Abdul and Anisha Rosnah are smiling in their selfie, which has racked up more than 700,000 likes.

In the other pictures, Prince Abdul can be seen having an Iftar, the evening meal which breaks the fast during Ramadan, with his cousin, Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiahwith, posing with his wife and sat in a palatial room.

The 32-year-old prince was also seen having an Iftar with his cousin, Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiah, during his pilgrimage.

On Sunday 14 January, crowds gathered on the streets of Brunei to watch Prince Abdul and his new wife Anisha Rosnah parade through the capital ahead of their wedding reception.

The royal couple publicly tied the knot - they had married legally the previous Wednesday - and enjoyed a glittering reception attended by international royalty and dignitaries.

Prince Abdul (centre) can be seen having an Iftar (a breakfast) with his cousin, Prince Bahar ibni Jefri Bolkiahwith (right)

The young prince posted a picture of himself in a palatial room where he was served dates and tea

Prince Abdul's post also included a picture of the Prophets Mosque in the city of Madinah in western Saudi Arabia

Prince Abdul revealed his engagement to Anisha Rosnah in December 2023, shocking fans of Asia's most eligible bachelor.

Anisha Rosnah is the granddaughter of an adviser to Brunei's leader, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. It is understood that she owns a fashion and tourism company, and that the couple have been dating for years.

The wedding reception proved to be a lavish affair which saw Prince Abdul dress for the occasion in a white and gold ceremonial uniform, while his bride wore a long, beaded white dress.

The couple waved at the thousands who had gathered on the streets of Bandar Seri Begawan before arriving at the Istana Nurul Iman Palace in an open-top Rolls Royce.

It was the first time the newlywed couple had been seen together since a legal wedding ceremony took place behind closed doors earlier in the week.

Photographs show the couple taking part in a public marriage ceremony beneath an opulent pergola, before heading inside the palace for a formal blessing.

An estimated 5,000 people were expected to attend the reception at the Istana Nurul Iman Palace.

Guests reportedly included royalty from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as Indonesia's President Joko Widodo and the leader of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Prince Abdul is the fourth son, and tenth child, of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 77, and his former second wife Mariam Abdul Aziz, 67.
Celebrities have gone into meltdown after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near New York City.

The Big Apple, along with New Jersey and Philadelphia, was rocked by tremors on Friday, with people reporting 'shaking buildings.'

New York state governor Kathy Hochul said her team was 'assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.'

Dozens of famous faces - including the likes of Jessica Chastain, Barbara Corcoran and Bethenny Frankel - rushed to react to the phenomenon.

New York, along with New Jersey and Philadelphia, was rocked by an earthquake on Friday, with people reporting 'shaking buildings'

Property mogul Barbara Corcoran, 75, was one of the first to poke fun at the situation on Instagram

Property mogul Barbara, 75, was one of the first to poke fun at the situation.

She took to Instagram to share a clip of herself standing in a bathtub with coffee cup in hand as she comedically swayed from side-to-side.

Overlaid text read 'everyone in NYC right now' before she added a backing track of Carole King's I Feel The Earth Move.

Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny also shared a video to her Instagram Story in which she addressed her 3.3 million fans.

'Did anyone else just feel an earthquake? Because I just felt the earth move under my feet. I thought a plane was coming into my house,' she stated.

'There was just an earthquake... was there just an earthquake?'

Fellow Housewife of New Jersey Melissa Gorga shared footage from inside her home which recorded the tremors alongside a caption that read: 'EARTHQUAKE in NJ! Omg!!

'I just went running up my stairs from the basement/working out while calling 911 because it sounded like a stampede was going on upstairs and then I got a notification on my phone that my front door was open! I was freaking out! That was a first! #njearthquake.'

Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny also shared a video to her Instagram Story in which she addressed her 3.3 million fans

Fellow Housewife of New Jersey Melissa Gorga shared footage from inside her home which recorded the tremors alongside a caption that read: 'EARTHQUAKE in NJ!'

Elsewhere, ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon, who is due to marry longtime partner Tim Malone in Manhattan at the weekend, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to write: 'Totally just had an earthquake in New York. Did you feel it?'

This was echoed by actress Busy Phillips who also noted the shake, adding: 'Not to be weird but was there just an earthquake in New York?

'Like guys. I think there was an earthquake in NYC.'

Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain commented: 'Did we just have an earthquake ?! NYC.'

She then shared a later tweet that read: 'This is really nuts. Hope everyone is ok and that our buildings weren't damaged.'

Snow White star Rachel Zegler made reference to Beyonce's new album, as she quipped: 'In my opinion the earth was just listening to Cowboy Carter Shaking some a** quaking for real.'

Media personality Megyn Kelly posted that she had felt the tremor in Connecticut, asking: 'Did we just have an earthquake? (In CT).'

Talk show host Andy Cohen posted a video from inside the gym in which he shared: 'I was too busy... to feel the earthquake. We didn't feel it'

Dozens of other famous faces rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to react to the phenomenon

Following the quake, talk show host Andy Cohen posted a video from inside the gym in which he shared: 'I was too busy... to feel the earthquake. We didn't feel it.

'No one in the gym felt it. Everyone in the locker room felt it. That's our earthquake update.'

Elsewhere, Today's Al Roker shared an insight from inside his Manhattan office as he dished: 'We were having a discussion... and all of a sudden we felt this moving.

'My dressing room is directly over the prop area and I felt all of a sudden this shaking and I said "wow, what was that?"'

The group initially thought it was props being moved around below but later discovered that the earthquake was the cause.

He wrote: 'Wow!!!!! Earthquake. As far north as Oswego, NY and as far South as Southern NJ.'

Elsewhere, Today's Al Roker shared an insight from inside his Manhattan office as he dished: 'We were having a discussion... and all of a sudden we felt this moving'

The epicenter of the quake was near Readington in Hunterdon County in NJ, per governor Phil Murphy

American commentator Chris Hayes added: 'Uh that was an earthquake in NYC????'

Cara Buono, who played Karen Wheeler in Stranger Things, also laid bare her unique experience of the earthquake.

'Haven't been here in a while but: what are the chances of being in an earthquake in the middle of a mammogram in NYC,' she wrote.

'The lovely tech and I had quite a laugh (when it was over). Even when there's an earthquake it's important to have your mammogram! #earthquake #nyc #mammogram.'

Experts had previously warned that NYC was long overdue for a quake.

The city of 8.5 million people is not thought of as a tremor hot spot, but the five boroughs are riddled with fault lines that could bring dozens of buildings down.

The epicenter of the quake was near Readington in Hunterdon County in NJ, per governor Phil Murphy.

The FAA has ordered ground stops from John F Kennedy and Newark International airports.

People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other areas of the Northeast reported shaking. Tremors lasting for several seconds were felt over 200 miles away near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

President Biden has been briefed on the incident, per the White House.

New York last experienced a significant earthquake in 1884.
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Shoppers on a budget have turned to Amazon Australia in search of stylish buys similar to luxury handbags - and the range of designer-inspired goods have sent thousands into a spin.

In a world where a brand new $8,000 bag is trending on TikTok every week, Aussie shoppers simply cannot keep up with the expensive hobby of being on-trend.

But Amazon Australia has several high-quality handbags that closely resemble top-selling items from Loewe, Dior, Miu Miu, Bottega, and Longchamp.

Despite rave reviews, most are unconvinced they need to spend a significant chunk of multiple pay checks on a bag they'll be too scared to use often.

DuofLily Womens Leather Crossbody bag ($55.28) offers Aussies the same look of Loewe's Puzzle bag ($4,900) for much less

The famous Loewe Puzzle bag ($4,900) has a recognisable silhouette because of its distinctive geometric lines.

DuofLily Womens Leather Crossbody bag ($55.28) offers Aussies the same look for much less - with many rating the buy five stars online.

The bag is also waterproof and scratch-resistant, ensuring you'll hold onto this signature item for years to come.

It also comes with a complimentary adjustable shoulder strap - just like the high-end version.

You can find the Bowknot Small Tote ($59.84) in ten different colours - and it looks exactly like the Andiamo ($6,050)

Bottega Venetta had a dramatic resurgence in 2019, after which it-girls and mums alike were itching to get their hands on the coveted woven bags.

But with costs going up to $10,000 for a simple crossbody bag, shoppers have instead turned to Amazon Australia.

You can find the Bowknot Small Tote ($59.84) in ten different colours - and it looks exactly like the Andiamo ($6,050).

Shoppers will also be delighted to find a budget version of the famous Bottega Cassette ($3,480) online for a fraction of the price.

The Woven Padded Crossbody bag ($39.50) has been dubbed 'sturdy' and 'well made' by a shopper who claimed it 'looks expensive'.

Bottega Cassette ($3,480)

Dior's Saddle bag ($6,700) has been the talk of the town for decades, with thousands of Aussies dreaming of the expensive buy.

Romantic Design's Saddle Shoulder bag ($68.93) is a close copy of the unique design - and thousands are 'obsessed'.

'It looks exactly like the original - and such great quality!' one raved.

The bag is available in five colours: black, dark blue, brown, pink, and red.

Dior's Saddle bag ($6,700) has been the talk of the town for decades, with thousands of Aussies dreaming of the expensive buy

After being declared hottest brand of the year in 2023, Aussies have been searching high and low for budget versions of Miu Miu buys.

Amazon Australia once again came to the rescue with its vibrant Befen Women's Leather Clutch ($51.34) - which is almost an exact replica of the Miu Wander matelasse shoulder bag ($4,750).

Those looking for an everyday bag are sure to turn to the Gm Likkie Shoulder Tote ($45) - which comes in four colours and bears a resemblance to the Longchamp Le Pliage ($285).

A reviewer revealed it was 'nearly identical' to the famous French brand.

'This bag is brilliant. I have the Le Pliage so can compare the two,' she said. 'It is well constructed and the stitching looks A1. I really cannot fault it. I'll be purchasing another, because why not?'

Others also praised it being waterproof and large enough to hold 'everything'.
READ MORE: What is the AFL Gather Round

Kmart launched a range of apparel but only for Victorian and SA teams

Best&Less is now selling AFL merchandise, with dirt-cheap offerings for every team in the league available ahead of the Adelaide Gather Round this weekend.

The budget retailer revealed they have everything from hoodies to scarves and even pyjamas for supporters to dress up in their favourite team's colours.

And the retailer will be stocking up in all 18 team colours - unlike Kmart - where some fans were left disappointed by the offerings.

It couldn't have come at a better time, with all clubs descending on South Australia to play their fixtures in Adelaide.

The Best&Less AFL range is available in tiny toddler sizes right up to adult sizes and it is already available in store and online.

Best&Less is now selling AFL merchandise, with dirt-cheap offerings for every team in the league available ahead of the Adelaide Gather Round this weekend

There's $16 shorts for teens and $18 shorts for adults - and gerseys to match.

For kids there's everything from rompers to hats, tracksuits and jerseys to keep them celebrating their family team with pride.

Kmart also released an affordable range of official AFL merchandise ahead of the pre-season - but some fans have been left out.

The Best&Less AFL range is available in tiny toddler sizes right up to adult sizes

For kids there's everything from rompers to hats, tracksuits and jerseys to keep them celebrating their family team with pride

The budget retailer and the AFL have collaborated for the first time to bring footy fans a cheap line of kids and adult t-shirts, caps and hoodies brandished with footy team logos for as little as $10.

However, the new range is only available in selected stores for South Australian and Victorian teams.

Kmart's AFL range includes youth t-shirts for $11, caps for $12 as well as adult $12 t-shirts and $25 hoodies across 12 teams.

There is no merch for fans of the Sydney Swans, Greater Western Sydney Giants, Fremantle Dockers, West Coast Eagles, Brisbane Lions or Gold Coast Suns.

Kmart Australia dropped a super-cheap range of official AFL merchandise. However the range only includes 12 out of the 18 teams

Those fans may need to wait until 2025 to get their own budget AFL apparel with their chosen club's colours and emblems.

There are plans to include the rest of the teams in 2024 and AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial, Kylie Rogers, said she looks forward to expanding the range in the future.

The official range is in stock now in selected stores, online and via the app while stocks last.
A medical gas used in thousands of hospitals across the US may be causing cancers, reports suggest.

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a colorless, odorless gas routinely used to clean hospital equipment including ventilators, surgical kits, catheters, and gowns.

But studies suggest that when it is routinely breathed in, the chemical can cause damaging mutations in cells and raise the risk of cancer, including of the blood, stomach and breasts.

There are particular concerns for those living around sterilization facilities where the gas can hang in the air for hours, repeatedly exposing people.

The EPA warned that there were 88 facilities using the gas in 2022, with 23 of these having emission levels in the local area that concerned officials.

Affected states included Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida, among others.

Ural Grant was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2019. He has lived in Memphis for 35 years

Among them is Sterilization Services of Tennessee, which has generated alarm among residents at the nearby Mallory Heights Community Development Corporation in South Memphis.

Vera Holmes, president of the area's own 'CDC,' is campaigning for action over the polluted air.

She told ABC News: 'So many people that I know within my family and [that] live in this area have died fo cancer or have cancer now.'

One resident is Ural Grant, who has lived in Memphis for 35 years. Mr Grant was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2019 and told ABC News that many of his neighbors also have cancer.

'I thought this was my American dream right here to have a home, to have a house,' he said. 'But then it kind of turned into an American nightmare.'

Mr Grant said that he cannot afford to move due to his mounting medical bills, much like many other residents in the working-class neighborhood.

EtO is used in many facilities to sterilize medical equipment like ventilators, catheters, and syringes

KeShaun Pearson, president of Memphis Community Against Pollution, told ABC News: '[Memphis] as a whole has an F in air pollutants and in air quality, and 98 percent of the particular matter that makes up the pollution is here in South Memphis.'

Ms Pearson believes that toxic emissions being prevalent in predominantly black neighborhoods is a sign of racial injustice.

'That is not coincidental. That is by design. It's been designed that this area specifically is a place where people's lives can be sacrificed,' she said.

The border town of Laredo, Texas, faces a similar battle.

The city of 250,000, most of whom are working-class and Hispanic, is home to several industrial warehouses, including Midwest Sterilization Corporation.

The company sterilizes up to 40 percent of the country's medical kits. 'This is one of the largest warehousing areas in the city,' Victor Trevino Jr, a local attorney who has lived in this town all his life, told ABC News.

'We have residential areas right next to this industrial area within a couple of miles.'

'Laredo has a 95% Hispanic population. We have one of the highest poverty rates in the state. This is really a crisis for us at this point.'

The EPA has found that exposure to EtO has been 'shown to cause lymphoid cancer and tumors of the brain, lung, connective tissue, uterus, and mammary gland in animals exposed to ethylene oxide by inhalation.'

The agency has concluded that EtO 'is carcinogenic to humans by the inhalation route of exposure.'

For the first time in 50 years, the EPA last month issued new rules that will require commercial sterilization that uses EpO to reduce emissions by more than 90 percent.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said: 'Weve arrived at a historically strong rule that will protect the most exposed communities from toxic air pollution while also ensuring that there will be a process that safeguards our nations critical supply of sterilized medical equipment.'

In the meantime, activists like Ms Holmes continue to push to get facilities using EtO out of their communities.

'People are tired,' she said. 'They're afraid to speak up or speak out. But that's up to us as leaders to step in and say, "Hey, we hear you, and we can make some things happen. It just takes the right team to do the right thing."'
A mother-of-two was horrified after discovering her 'lost' contraceptive implant ended up in her lungs.

Rebecca Hardy, from Nottinghamshire, went to get the matchstick-sized implant removed because she'd had it inside her left arm for three years.

But the 29-year-old's doctor and numerous other medics couldn't locate it.

When they eventually found the device, it was in one of her pulmonary arteries  critical blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs.

Ms Hardy says doctors have warned her of the potential dangers of removing the implant, with them fearing it could tear an artery if taken out. As such, she claims they have decided to leave it where it is.

Rebecca Hardy, 29, from Nottinghamshire, went to get her Nexplanon contraceptive implant out after having it in for the maximum amount of time (three years), but doctors could not find it

She said: 'I was given the option to try and attempt removal but was advised it's a very dangerous procedure.

'There isn't a 100 per cent chance of it going right, or it even being possible for it to be removed. Plus, it could make things worse for myself and tear my artery.

'Because I had no signs of problems or difficulty over the years, I agreed to leave it where it is and not take any risk as it's a big procedure.

'I have two children to think about.'

Ms Hardy is not the only women whose contraceptive implant migrated.

In 2019, a 31-year-old in Portugal also needed her implant removed from her lungs.

Doctors couldn't feel the device, which can usually be noticed as a small hard rod in the upper arm, so did scans on which it showed up inside her chest.

In their report they suggested the device could have shifted out of place in the arm  where it is supposed to remain for three years to release hormones  and into veins and arteries.

When doctors located the implant following a CT scan, it was in one of her pulmonary arteries - blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs

Before Covid struck, UK health chiefs even issued guidance on the back of growing reports of Nexplanon  the same implant Ms Hardy had  ending up in arteries.

Ms Hardy, who shared her story on TikTok, recalled being worried about the device following its insertion into her upper arm back in 2018.

'I could never feel it in my left arm,' Ms Hardy, who has two children Lexxie, six, and Dexter, seven, said.

'I rang up the clinic the next day after having it fitted to say I couldn't feel it in my arm, and they told me to wait and call back if I still continued to not feel it.'

She visited the clinic later that month for a check-up, and claims she was told not to worry and that it was 'just a deep implant'.

Ms Hardy (right) who is mum to Lexxie, six (left), and Dexter, seven (centre) said she didn't want to risk the surgery to get it removed

Ms Hardy added: 'It just got left, but over the years I continued to worry and worry about it.'

Nexplanon is a of contraceptive implant that helps prevent pregnancy by gradually releasing progestogen into the body.

Progestogen stops the ovaries releasing an egg each month and the implant is 99 per cent effective in stopping pregnancy, studies suggest.

The plastic device is about 4cm long and is inserted under the skin in the arm and can stay there for up to three years, according to the NHS.

Ms Hardy said she vividly recalled her sense of fear and worry in March 2021, when it became clear the implant was not where it should be.

'I started to cry with worry,' she said.

'Not only was I panicking, but then I had to wait weeks for the CT scan and X-rays, and then even longer for the results.

'I didn't find out until a year later where my implant was.'

Ms Hardy shared on TikTok that she got the implant in 2018 and was set to get it out in 2022 three years later, as pictured on her implant card (left). She was sent for a chest X-ray to locate it on July 7, but claims that after months of waiting, she didn't get her results until she was booked into a face-to-face appointment at the Radiology Department of Queen's Medical Centre on 4 February 2022. She posted her CT scan on TikTok which shows the implant in her lung (right)

She was sent for a chest X-ray to locate it on July 7, but she claims she didn't get her results until she was booked into a face-to-face appointment in February 2022.

She also says doctors told her the implant had travelled to her pulmonary artery and warned of the potential dangers posed by trying to remove it.

Ms Hardy said: 'On the pregnancy side of things, I have been told I will still be able to conceive but it might be roughly eight years for the hormones to fully finish.

'I have been offered support if I ever want to try for more children.'

A letter from her doctor says the implant has 'come to rest in a branch of the pulmonary artery' of her left lung.

It adds that it is likely that at the time of insertion or shortly afterwards, the implant passed through her blood vessels, through the right side of her heart, and into the artery.

The doctor calls it an 'extremely rare but recognised complications with the implant fit' and says she was 'extremely unfortunate'.

Ms Hardy has recently shared her story to TikTok, where the clip has so far gained more than 1.2million views.

In the clip, she attaches three pictures, the first being of a card from the clinic saying when to have her implant out.

She writes over the top: 'I had the implant in 2018, and was due to come out in 2021, but they couldn't find it.'

Ms Hardy also shared her story to TikTok, where the clip has so far gained more than 1.2 million views

In the second picture, she shows a series of letters about her CT scans and X-rays, revealing that they had found it in her artery.

She also posted the X-ray image, showing the implant lodged in her chest.

Ms Hardy said: 'Now after nearly seven years it's still there as it's too dangerous to be removed.'

While she is trying to move on, Ms Hardy has been left feeling upset by the situation and its lasting effects.

She said: 'I currently feel very depressed from the whole situation over the years and knowing it's inside me forever.

'I'm emotionally broken thinking it will take a long time for me to fall pregnant again but I'm just trying to think positively.'

While she is trying to move on, Ms Hardy has been left feeling upset by the situation and its lasting effects

A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'We have offered Ms Hardy an appointment to enable us to advise on her ongoing assessment and treatment as required.

'Unfortunately, implant migration is a known, rare complication (1 in 1.3 million); the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (NHRA) issued a safety alert about the risk in 2016.'

Although it is very rare for implants to go missing, several cases have recorded it is possible for the implant to reach the lungs, as in Ms Hardy's case.

The first reported case of 'intravascular migration of implants' was in 2014.

There have been 11 further cases reported, according to a 2021 report published by the British Institute of Radiology.

The report suggested deep insertion, insertion near the mobile joint space and patients with low BMI are most at risk of 'migration'.

However, the manufacturer updated its advice for the insertions of the implant in 2020.

It explored the anatomy of the arm to identify an insertion site with the lowest number of vascular structures to reduce the risk of migration.
Fifteen farms across six US states are battling bird flu outbreaks  amid growing concerns the virus could spread to people.

Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Michigan, Idaho and Ohio have all reported the virus in herds, raising concerns over the milk supply.

At the same time, America's largest egg producer  in Texas  has also had to cull nearly 2million birds after detecting the disease in its flock, which could drive up the price of eggs.

The first case in cattle was reported on March 25 in Texas, with cases then reported in herds across the country as cattle were shipped from the state.

A Texas farm worker has tested positive for the virus, and three cats in the state are reported to have died from the disease.

Health agencies say the risk to the public is still low, but farm workers in close contact with infected animals and equipment are thought to be at higher risk.

The above map shows states where infections in cattle have been detected

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Scientists are not certain how the virus is spreading between cattle, but experts suggest it may be via infected milk droplets on dairy workers clothing or gloves or on the suction cups from milking machines.

Tests so far have only picked up the virus in the cow's milk, while samples from the nose and blood of infected animals have tested negative.

'We haven't seen any true indication that the cows are actively shedding virus and exposing it directly to other animals,' said the agency's Dr Mark Lyons at a briefing yesterday, reports Science.

Cats are thought to have been infected after consuming infected milk from cows.

Texas  America's biggest cattle state  is the most affected by the outbreaks, with seven farms reported to have cows infected with bird flu.

Three farms in Kansas are also reporting infected cattle, as well as two in New Mexico and one each in Michigan, Idaho and Ohio.

Many of these have been linked to Texas, having recently received cattle from infected farms in the state. It is not uncommon at this time of year for dairy herds to be sent to more northern areas.

Diseased cows are reported to be eating less and producing less milk at present, although they are not dying from the disease.

Experts are concerned by infections in mammals, because each one gives the virus an opportunity to gain mutations making it better able to infect mammals and spread between them.

Some have also raised concerns over the infection in a human, saying it is so mild that it risks other human cases being missed.

Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, said: 'Particularly worrisome is the fact that this human case was limited to mild conjunctivitis.

'That's good for the person who got H5N1. But it's not good for preventing spillover. Mild cases may not be recognized and isolated.'

Officials say they first became concerned bird flu may have spread to cattle in Mid-February after dead domestic birds and cats were spotted at farms.

This led to cattle being tested for the virus, which ultimately revealed the virus.

The human case was then also revealed after they came in for treatment for an eye infection.

The CDC says it is taking the bird flu case in the US 'very seriously' amid growing fears the virus could jump to humans and cause an epidemic.

Mandy Cohen, the agency's director, told NPR that they were 'monitoring the situation very closely'.

She added: 'That just means more opportunity for this virus to mutate and change. And that's what we want to make sure we are continuing to stay ahead of.'

Experts are concerned by bird flu because of the apparent ease with which it is infecting a wide range of mammals  now being detected in more than 40 different species.

They worry that the more infections there are in mammals, the higher the risk of the virus gaining mutations allowing it to infect and spread between them.
Hong Kong has issued a health alert after a man caught a rare and deadly virus from a monkey bite.

The man, 37, reportedly caught the virus after being attacked during his visit to Kam Shan Country Park, also known as monkey hill, in late February.

The man was rushed to the ER due to fever and reduced consciousness level. He is now in the intensive care unit and is in a 'critical' condition.

This is the first human infection of monkey virus B, also known as herpes simiae virus, recorded in Hong Kong, but cases have been reported previously in the US, Canada, mainland China and Japan.

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection has warned the general public to avoid touching or feeding wild monkeys to lower the risk of catching the virus.

The man reportedly caught the virus after being attacked by a monkey during his visit to Kam Shan Country Park, also known as monkey hill, in late February (stock image)

People can get infected if they are bitten or scratched by an infected macaque monkey (stock image), have contact with the monkey's eyes, nose, or mouth

The man had otherwise been in good health, according to a statement published on the Hong Kong governments website, and was admitted to the hospital on March 21.

On Wednesday, fluid from his spine tested positive for B virus.

According to the CDC, the virus is extremely rare, but can lead to severe brain damage or death if it is not treated rapidly.

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Herpes B virus kills around 70 percent of sufferers if they are not diagnosed and treated promptly.

People can get infected if they are bitten or scratched by an infected macaque monkey, have contact with the monkey's eyes, nose, or mouth.

Macaque monkeys are commonly infected by the virus but do not show symptoms.

Symptoms in people begin as typical flu-like symptoms, including fever and chills, muscle ache, fatigue and headache. Other signs can include nausea and shortness of breath.

People can develop small blisters in the wound or area that has been in contact with the monkey.

Symptoms usually start within a month of being exposed to an infected monkey, but they could appear as quickly as three days.

There has only been one case of an infected person spreading B virus to another person.

Herpes B virus is naturally found in the saliva, urine and stool of macaques, which are frequently found in Hong Kong, according to the CDC.

There is currently no vaccine for herpes B.

The virus belongs to the herpes family. There are more than 100 known herpesviruses, but eight routinely infect only humans.

Since the virus was discovered in 1932, there have been 50 documented human cases. Roughly two thirds of occurred in the US. Of the 50 cases, 21 were fatal.

The virus can be treated with anti-viral medications. Sometimes antiretroviral therapy is used, depending on the condition of the macaque monkey, how well and how rapidly the wound was cleaned and the nature of the wound.
A man who went to use the bathroom in Canada was bitten and infected by a rat that emerged from his toilet bowl.

The individual, 76, suffered bites on two of his fingers as he tried to remove the rodent - and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

His wounds were dressed and he was discharged  but returned 18 days later complaining of fever, headaches and abdominal pain and was admitted to the ICU.

It was then that doctors ran tests which revealed he had been infected with leptospirosis, a bacteria found in rat urine  and also found he had warning signs of multi-organ failure and sepsis.

He was quickly administered with antibiotics, and after a few days had recovered enough to return home.

The individual, 76, from Canada , attempted to remove the rodent quickly, but suffered bites on two of his fingers  and was rushed to hospital for treatment (stock image)

Doctors suggested the rat that bit the man may have recently urinated and then 'contaminated its oral cavity' with urine.

It then bit the man, directly transferring the bacteria from its urine into his blood stream.

Leptospirosis infections are not common in the US, with only about 100 to 150 diagnosed every year  of which up to 15 percent are fatal.

Transmission normally occurs after people unwittingly touch rat urine or water contaminated with rat urine, although transmission via bites has previously been reported.

The bizarre case was revealed by doctors in Quebec in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The doctor's wrote in the journal to highlight that rat bites can cause leptospirosis  which can be difficult to diagnose.

They also wanted to suggest that antibiotics could be administered shortly after a bite to prevent infections.

'Although antibiotic preventive therapy after a rat bite remains an unresolved issue,' they wrote, 'rat bites could warrant antibiotic prophylaxis because they regularly result in rat bite fever, and they create puncture wounds that have a higher risk of infection'.

Antibiotic prophylaxis refers to the use of an antibiotic to prevent an infection in those who are at risk of developing one.

In this case, the man was treated using 500mg of amoxicillin administered three times a day for 14 days.

He also received a tetanus injection on his first visit to the hospital, and on his second trip also received an IV drip for fluids and to administer immunoglobulin  or a blood product containing antibodies to fight infections.

The man also suffered from kidney damage, the doctors said, which may have been caused by the bacterial infection traveling in the blood to the kidneys.

Symptoms of a leptospirosis infection include a high fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain and a yellowing of the eyes (jaundice).

It is commonly diagnosed via testing the blood of patients for antibodies against the disease.

The disease is typically treated with antibiotics to kill off the bacteria.
The CDC has urged doctors to be on the lookout for bird flu infections in dairy workers  amid fears the disease could jump from farm animals to humans.

In a health alert Friday, the agency said healthcare workers should consider the possibility of the patient being infected with H5N1 if they work on farms or with dairy cows and are showing flu-like symptoms.

The move comes after a farm worker in Texas caught the virus - officials suspect from a cow - earlier this week.

There are concerns there could be more human cases as dozens of farms in multiple states struggle with outbreaks in cattle.

It follows a 2022 case in Colorado , and comes as the virus is spreading to new mammals, including dairy cattle for the first time (stock)

Experts have already warned some cases could be missed because mild symptoms, such as the eye inflammation recorded in the Texas case, could be overlooked.

But officials say the risk from the virus is still low because the virus has not mutated enough to spread easily between people.

Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, said online earlier this week: 'Particularly worrisome is the fact that this human case was limited to mild conjunctivitis [eye inflammation].

'That's good for the person who got H5N1. But it's not good for preventing spillover. Mild cases may not be recognized and isolated.'

In the CDC alert, the CDC said infections should be considered on a range from mild, medium to severe.

They said patients with a mild illness may be suffering from a cough, sore throat, eye redness or fever, while those with a sever illness could have difficulty breathing and an altered mental state.

If doctors suspect a patient is infected with H5N1, the agency said they should be isolated immediately and treated by medical professionals wearing full PPE.

Patients should also be started on the drug oseltamivir, sold as Tamiflu, even before test results confirm the infection.

The health alert also recommended members of the public should avoid sick or dead animals or surfaces contaminated with animal feces, litter and raw milk in order to minimize their risk of infection.

The above map shows states where infections in cattle have been detected

The farm worker in Texas has a 'very mild' infection localized in their eye, doctors say, that has not traveled to the lungs.

Testing reveals the virus causing the infection had mutated, but the change has previously been recorded in mammal infections and has not concerned scientists.

It was not clear how they were infected, but USDA officials suggest the virus could be transmitted via contaminated milk from infected cows. The worker was also on a farm known to have infected dairy cows.

The patient is reported to now be isolating at home, receiving oseltamivir, and to be recovering well. There are not thought to have transmitted the disease to others.

Their infection began on March 27 and the individual has not been hospitalized for the illness.

The CDC said in the HAN: 'No additional cases of human [H5N1] associated with the current infections in dairy cattle and birds in the United States, and no human-to-human transmission [of the virus], have been identified.'

They are the second person ever to be infected with bird flu in the US, after a prison inmate working on a poultry farm in Colorado was also infected in 2022.

Herds in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Idaho, Michigan and Ohio have all tested positive for bird flu.

Swabs have revealed the virus in the milk of cattle, but not in their respiratory tract or their blood.

USDA officials suggested at a briefing yesterday that the virus may be being transmitted between cows via workers hands or via the contamination of milking machines, which may not be fully sterilized between each use.

'We haven't seen any true indication that the cows are actively shedding virus and exposing it directly to other animals,' Mark Lyons said, reports Science.

Three cats are also reported to have died after being infected with bird flu, with the animals thought to have been infected after lapping up spilt milk.

Officials say there is little risk of H5N1 in the milk supply because milk from sick cattle is being destroyed.

Nearly all milk available in the US is also pasteurized before consumption, which inactivates any viruses or bacteria that may be within it.

Texas has the most bird flu outbreaks on farms, with eight reporting the disease, and outbreaks in other states are also being linked back to cattle shipments from the state.

Officials have floated the possibility that the infections may be linked back to a single farm within Texas and just one spillover event  or when the virus jumped into cattle.

Nonetheless, infections in mammals are causing concern among experts because they give the virus more opportunities to mutate and gain mutations  allowing it to better infect other species.

Infectious disease experts are already alarmed by the virus because of the ease with which it is jumping between species, with more than 40 different types infected.

Mammals infected include foxes, raccoons, skunks, polar bears and seals  with the virus thought to be behind the deaths of 17,000 Elephant Seal pups at a colony in Argentina.

Earlier this week, the CDC said the infection does not change the risk assessment for the U.S. general public from H5N1 bird flu, which it considers to be low. The Texas patient's only symptom was eye inflammation, according to the state's health department.
But how keen are customers on its selling point of 'bundling' different services?

Stuart Burnett joined Utility Warehouse in 2016, having started his career as a lawyer in the City before moving in-house at an insurance firm.

He worked his way up in an unusual fashion, going from a senior lawyer to working in operations and eventually becoming co-CEO in November 2021.

The company itself does things slightly differently, too. Unlike other players in the energy market, Utility Warehouse also offers broadband, mobile and insurance, and allows customers to 'bolt on' different services under a single bill.

The softly-spoken Burnett is due to take the reins on his own later this year and is on a mission to grow its customer base. It recently became the UK's seventh-biggest energy supplier, knocking on the door of the established Big Six.

He told This is Money about his plans, and why he thinks Utility Warehouse's multi-service model could make it the challenger that all four markets need.

Stuart Burnett became co-CEO in 2021 and will take the reins on his own later this year

'Not just an energy business'

FTSE 250-listed parent company Telecom Plus launched Utility Warehouse in 2002 as a subsidiary through which to sell energy, mobile and broadband deals.

Its unique selling point is that it offers core household services in a bundle with a single bill.

Customers can pick and choose which services they want, and while they can have just one, they'll only really receive the benefits and discounts when they sign up to two or more.

The more services they add, the bigger the discount they receive.

It recently reached 1million customers across the UK, the majority of which are energy customers. The company says an increasing number are taking energy and one or two other services, with an average of three services taken per customer.

'We don't think of ourselves as an energy business even though we supply energy, in the same way we don't think of ourselves as a broadband, mobile or insurance business,' says Burnett.

'By having that singular relationship for all of these different services, we have a much tighter, closer relationship with our customers than just a standalone energy supplier or broadband or insurance provider.

'They view us as a key part of how they run their lives and their home.'

It has quietly built a solid but still relatively small footing across each of its sectors. In its most recent results, Telecom Plus said energy prices had been a strong driver of revenue in the past year.

It also said its customer acquisition was largely down to its 'unique and hard-to-replicate word-of-mouth acquisition model'.

The only reason we can price differently is because we bundle energy together with other services

This is essentially a multi-level marketing scheme which pays customers to recruit others. Utility Warehouse claims 'active' partners can make around 500 a month.

Given the lack of meaningful competition in the energy market at the moment, it is also looking to entice customers with its discounted deals.

The company is currently offering a 20 discount to the Ofgem price cap, which is set at 1,690 until July, if customers have bundled two services. This increases to a 50 discount for customers with three services.

'The only reason we can price differently isn't because we buy our energy in a different way to anybody else or package our energy in a different way, it's because we're bundling it together with other services,' says Burnett.

Time for a new wave of energy challengers?

The notion of being a challenger in the energy market has associations with the recent past that might not be entirely welcome.

Two and a half years ago, there were 44 active domestic suppliers in Britain, down from a peak of 70 in 2018. Now there are just 19, following the collapse of many small firms.

Smaller suppliers had flooded the market, offering cut-price deals that were, in the long-run, unsustainable. When wholesale energy costs soared in 2021, a number became a victim of their own success and collapsed.

It has meant that the Big Six suppliers have come to dominate the market again.

However this time round, the once plucky upstart Octopus Energy has firmly established itself as one of the Big Six.

Utility Warehouse offers four main services to its customers, who receive discounts the more they add to their bundle

Ofgem figures show it now has a 17.4 per cent share of the electricity market, and following its deal with Shell Energy, means it is now seriously vying for the top prize.

Utility Warehouse is now the country's seventh biggest energy supplier, meaning it is in prime position to be the next challenger. And it accepts the label with open arms.

'We're the leading independent challenger to the Big Six,' Burnett says. 'The last few years we've grown by close to 50 per cent, breaking through the 1million customer mark. That's because we're doing something different and people recognise the value and benefits of what we're doing.

'For other suppliers I don't know what their focus is, but at the moment they're all doing the same thing.'

It is somewhat mystifying that Burnett positions Utility Warehouse as a challenger, though, given Telecom Plus is 25 years old and a FTSE 250-listed business with a 1billion market cap.

But he thinks this actually plays to his advantage: 'The big difference compared to most challengers it that we've got a long-term track record. We're a challenger with stability. There have been too many challengers over the years that have come and gone. That's not us at all.'

'If they're pricing lower than everyone else but doing the exact same thing as everybody else then ultimately that's going to end up with a problem.'

Given the volatility of the energy market since 2021, Burnett is right. But Utility Warehouse aren't the only stable, well-run company in energy - or indeed across insurance, mobile or broadband.

Which means that its defining characteristic remains the fact it is a one-stop shop for household services, which while different within the energy market is hardly reinventing the wheel.

You have to be a responsible, well run business to be a challenger

Instead it suggests a changing perception of what it means to be a challenger in the current climate.

Burnett suggests that there was a period 'where being a challenger basically meant offering the cheapest prices without doing anything different to anyone else.'

He says he thinks 'there has been an appreciation that being a challenger you have to be a responsible, well run business to be a challenger. Whereas maybe before the mindset was maybe, anyone can give it a try.'

If a challenger is merely now 'smaller than the incumbents' then how much competition can there be?

Burnett admits that, as a multi-service provider, 'You can't be the innovator in these marketplaces on an individual you can't be the innovator in energy in the way you could be if you were just an individual business.'

Instead he thinks customers 'just want these services to work and not be ripped off.'

While Utility Warehouse isn't innovating in the same way, the idea of one single household bill is novel.

If it's to continue to differentiate from other players across the four markets it operates in, it will need to continue doing that.

Savvier customers present a challenge

Could we see more and more services being added? Burnett's background in insurance - he was a lawyer at RSA - means he is open to the idea.

'Because one of the main aims is simplicity, we have to make sure we keep that front of mind. There could be a point where having too many things as part of the bundle could actually add complexity.'

'The obvious places to go next are we have home insurance, boiler cover There are obviously other personal lines of insurance that would fit neatly into our bundle as well.

'We do have to make sure we're not just adding more and more and more, it's got to be done in a way that stays to true to the principles of savings, simplicity and service.'

Wised up: Customers today don't necessarily mind having a few different bills each month - but Burnett says that in future his firm aims to eliminate contracts altogether

The issue for Utility Warehouse is that consumers have wised up and many aren't as confused by multiple bills going out over the course of the month.

Simplicity might be the offering, but customers expect more and are more likely to look around to enjoy better discounts.

Even though customers get money off for bundling different services with Utility Warehouse, it might still have been cheaper if they took out individual contracts for each one elsewhere.

Additionally, if a customer takes out a 12 month fixed energy tariff and an 18 month broadband tariff and they choose to leave after 12 months, they could face hefty exit fees.

It is an area Burnett acknowledges needs work: 'Our ultimate desire is that you don't have any contracts for these services and you don't have differential prices.'

Utility Warehouse currently offers variable tariffs for its energy customers as well as a small amount of fixed tariffs for 12 months.

Its mobile sims are on a rolling 30-day contract but its broadband deals are usually 18 months.

'It's an area where you still have those contracts and the difference between new and existing customer pricing,' he says.

This practice - known as price walking - has already been banned in insurance but other sectors have failed to follow suit.

'Because it's so prevalent in the broadband marketplace, that's something we have to participate in as well.

'It's very difficult to go out on your own. We would really strongly advocate... There's a huge customer benefit from everybody having access to the same pricing.'

As with Burnett's own career, Utility Warehouse's trajectory is likely to be an unusual one as it aims to make headway in all four of its markets.

But with each of the sectors facing uncertainty and near-constant volatility, perhaps it is exactly what the company needs to fully embrace its challenger title.
Refugee Nay worked for years in a kitchen in order to fund his electrical tuition

'I signed up with the course because I wanted to do something with my life, and wanted to become something,' Adam tells me.

Aged 18, Adam says he had saved up for years to get the money to enroll on an electrical training course with Options Skills. Even then, his dad had to help him make up the difference.

'It was a lot of money for me to save up,' he added. 'The money I spent was a big loss, but I wanted to invest in myself.'

'Now, its all gone.'

The trade training course provider, which offers qualifications such as NVQs for budding gas engineers, electricians and plumbers, went into administration without warning, leaving its students unable to finish the courses they had paid for.

Tuition: Options Skills offered private trade skills courses in London, Birmingham and Manchester

On 18 March, Adam was one of many who found out via a Facebook group that Options Skills had closed its doors.

Some students received text messages the night before, informing them that they shouldn't attend their classes the next day. But for the majority, word of mouth was the only source of information.

Options Skills has four training centres, covering London, Birmingham and Manchester, and hundreds of students are on its books. A Facebook support group for those suffering because of the closure of the business has almost 700 members.

The Electrical Contractors' Association said more than 800 students have come forward to say they have been affected.

'I don't know if I'm going to get my money back to be honest,' Adam told This is Money. He says he had to pay 6,000 upfront for his NVQ level three electrical installation course.

'There's not really been much communication, we've just been left there we don't know what's going on.'

A few days after students received the news that Options Skills has shut down, the firm's website began to display a message that it had stopped trading.

'It is with regret to note that Options Skills Limited has ceased to trade, this has been caused by circumstances beyond the directors' control,' it read. 'The directors have engaged insolvency practitioners from Bebgies Traynor who will be contacting students and creditors over the next few days as to the position.'

When approached by This is Money, Options Skills said the insolvency company Begbies Traynor was now acting on its behalf. Begbies Traynor told This is Money it was unable to comment on the situation.

However, it confirmed that it was uncertain whether there would be 'sufficient realisations' to enable money to be paid back to unsecured creditors, the category under which the students fall.

New starter: Options Skills went into administration before Nay was able to start his course, but he had already paid in full

Following the closure, students like Adam have been left unsure of what the collapse of the business means for them, and the money and time that they have invested in their learning.

Students were initially left with no ability to access records of the work they had completed, meaning that they would have nothing to show for their training. Even now that they can access this information, it might not be transferrable to other training providers, meaning that they might have no choice but to start from scratch.

EAL, the awarding organisation for these trade courses, said in a statement: 'Every effort will be made to ensure work can be credited in line with the requirements of the relevant qualifications. This is a complex process - please do not be panicked into signing up for any new training package and refer to the guidance issued by EAL and The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) which will be kept updated.'

Even though I paid the full amount of money, I can't call them, their website is down. I'm lost to be honest. Former student Nay

It said it was 'actively driving conversations with the regulator, administrator, and other relevant parties,' and 'diligently working towards what the appropriate next steps will be.'

Some students, like Nay, hadn't even started their courses before they were told not to attend classes, but they had already paid their fees upfront.

Nay, who first came to the UK as a refugee, said he paid 7,000 in December for his course which was set to start on 25 March, having worked as a chef for years in order to save up the necessary funds to become an electrician.

'I left my job in January to give myself some time before the course, I was looking forward to it so much,' he said.

'Even though I paid the full amount of money, I can't call them, their website is down. I'm lost to be honest.'

Nay has been forced to collect money from friends and family in order to move forward on a course with another provider. So far, despite having disputed his payments, he has only been able to get back his 250 deposit.

'It's heartbreaking,' he added.

Another student, Faraz, said that after paying 7,500 to start a course around two years ago as an investment in his future, he has no choice but to wait and see what happens.

The courses are completed at the students' own pace, and some study over several years alongside their day jobs.

'All the hard work that I've put in for those exams and the portfolio all the sacrifices I made, I wasn't going out with my friends, I wasn't spending time with my family. I was spending time on trying to revise for these exams, and at the end it was for nothing,' he said.

'Do I go with the different provider? How much money do I need to invest to do it again?'

In fact, Faraz said the cracks were starting to show long before Options Skills went bust, and it stopped him from making the progress he was hoping for.

'Once I made the payment it was like their behaviour just changed,' he said. 'On the first day the lecturer said that what I had been told by the salespeople isn't actually offered.'

According to Faraz, this meant that his class contained people like him, with no experience, up to people who were already working in the electrical industry, despite them initially having been offered different course levels.

Having completed the first stage of his course, Options Skills found Faraz a job placement which they said would allow him to complete his portfolio and open up new employment opportunities.

In reality, Faraz told me, the placement was barely related to what he was learning at Options Skills, and his portfolio has suffered as a result.

Insolvent: Options Skills announced its closure via a statement on its web page

He said: 'Sixty to 70 per cent of the time, what I'm doing has got nothing to do with my portfolio,' he said. 'The most difficult thing is that nobody really wants to take me on, because they want qualified people with more experience.

'All the other electrical companies are just telling me that my experience is not relevant to them.'

And the problems that students have reported don't stop there.

Matt, whose name has been changed, said: 'They were just a nightmare they weren't helpful'.

Already an electrician, Matt was completing the course in order to get his NVQ Level 3 and 'gold card' which allows him to do unsupervised work. As such, he was doing the course alongside his job in his spare time.

'Everything just took forever,' he said.

Matt paid 4,450 for his course, and since the collapse of Options Skills has found another provider that will provide a similar offering for almost half the price.

Another student, Aamir, told us that after completing his exams more quickly than average, he asked how to progress with his portfolio - a question that was left unanswered for two months.

'At one point it took 47 working days for me to receive feedback,' he says.

He added that there were no guidelines for how long it should take for work to be marked and returned.

Unhappy with the service, Aamir asked for a refund for the 8,500 he had paid for his course. This, he added, was also strange, as some of his classmates told him they had only paid 7,500.

Something on this scale, with so many people affected across the UK, hopefully it triggers something better Aamir

'I went through the terms and conditions, saw their complaints procedure, and I followed it step by step, and I still got ignored,' he said.

Aamir added: 'The public education system rules are very stringent, and there's very strict guidelines of what you can and can't do.

'I think there needs to be that sort of level of security in the private sector, where people are using their own money as well.'

Aamir also highlighted that there were a number of students from Hong Kong on Options Skills' courses, whom he says were not proficient enough in English to do the work required. The aptitude screening tests they carried out were insufficient and could have been completed by someone else as they were not monitored, he said.

'I feel like they have definitely been taken advantage of,' Aamir told This is Money.

Even without the evident inadequacies of Options Skills' communication, training provision and ability to deliver on the promises it made to its students, questions still remain as to why the firm was able to collapse despite students paying through the nose for their courses.

What to do if you have lost out Students who have lost out should register as unsecured creditors with the insolvency firm, Begbies Traynor, in order to ensure that they are contacted in the event that there are payouts. Students can also take up the issue with their bank or credit card provider, which may be able to help recover the money that was spent on the course. However, this will depend on how they paid for the course and when they paid. Begbies Traynor should be contacted via email at: optionsskills@btguk.com

According to Companies House, the directors of Options Skills Ltd incorporated a new firm, Options Trade Skills Ltd, in November last year. The directors had previously also run a company called Options Skills (London) Ltd, which was dissolved in 2019.

In fact, according to the Electrical Contractors' Association, Options Skills may have been mis-selling its products.

In a statement on its website, the ECA said: 'Options Skills was one of a number of training providers selling expensive packages of qualifications, many of which are not required for qualified status but give the impression of being essential to become a "professional electrician".

'Concern has been growing about this practice and the fallout from Options Skills' collapse must be a wake up call for industry and the awarding bodies who license these providers.'

The students that have lost out, with many of them having paid via bank transfers, are still waiting to hear news of whether they can expect to get anything back from the firm.

For these students, who have invested so much their future, the coming months are looking increasingly bleak. Whether or not he can reclaim his money, Aamir hopes that something good can at least come from this.

'Something on this scale, with so many people affected across the UK, hopefully it triggers something better,' he told me.

'The main thing is making sure that there is justice, I don't know how people can get away with that,' Aamir said. 'It's a lot of money, and its all gone somewhere.'
YouTube 'auditors' are on the rise in the UK, with wannabe social media stars flying drones over police stations, shopping centres and chemical sites and being watched by thousands of people online - even at the risk of violence.

Worried police chiefs have issued officers with official guidance on how to handle members of the public who have taken to relentlessly filming outside police stations as well as other public and private sector buildings.

A trend that took off in the US has now crossed the Atlantic and has self-proclaimed auditors attracting subscriber lists in the hundreds of thousands.

The video-makers say they are checking up on organisations' performance including health and safety compliance while also asserting the right to film and take photographs on public land - and their clips can bring in hefty advertising revenue when watched on sites such as YouTube or TikTok.

But the incidents can escalate into angry confrontations, most recently when a furious chemical company boss tried to smash a drone controller after catching a 'hobbyist auditor' snooping on his PPE use.

A man (pictured) tried to hit the drone controller out of auditor DJ Audits' hand when filming at Libra Speciality Chemicals Ltd in Manchester

More staff were seen rushing out to confront the YouTuber and asking him to leave, in one of a soaring number of online videos posted by self-styled 'auditors' filming outside buildings

The drone and controller are pictured on the pavement after the clash which was posted online

Some of the most popular auditing YouTube accounts feature footage outside police stations across the UK, embassies, shopping centres and City of London institutions.

One of the most popular YouTube 'auditor' accounts, called Auditing Britain, has 256,000 subscribers for videos including footage of Kensington police station in west London as well as officers in Walworth, south London, Hertfordshire and Essex.

DJ Audits, one of Britain's leading YouTube auditors, went to Libra Speciality Chemicals Ltd in Manchester last month to 'check their compliance' with health and safety.

But after he began to film the chemical site using his GoPro and drone, company staff swiftly came out of the workplace to confront him and question his right to record their business.

DJ Audits, who refused to reveal his identity, informed staff that he did not need their permission as he was filming on 'public property'.

An argument ensued and a man who staffers identified as their 'boss' tried to hit the drone controller out of the auditor's hand as he told him to 'f**k off now'.

The YouTuber claims he has never experienced a confrontation like this one while carrying out an 'audit'.

Leicestershire-based DJ Audits, who has 161,000 YouTube subscribers, insists he remained on the public pathway and that everything he did was legal.

He is heard in the footage telling staff that he doesn't need their permission as he 'is on public property' and claims he is using the drone to check they are following health and safety guidelines.

He also tells them he would be using his drone to check no one is smoking and everyone was wearing PPE on their site.

The Youtuber told MailOnline that he has never experienced a confrontation like this before while on an audit.

He claimed that while many of his 161,000 YouTube subscribers tune in to see this element of his filming, he never sets out to be confrontational.

DJ Audits said: 'I feel the incident was shocking and was unusual and an over-reaction.

'No laws were broken - the main thing for me is that I like to let people know what I'm doing. I'm always honest and transparent.

After DJ Audits began to film the chemical site using his GoPro and drone, a company staffer (pictured) swiftly came out of the workplace to confront him and question his right to record

The footage shows an employee apparently trying to slap the drone controller out of his hand before telling the man with the camera to 'f**k off now'

'I show them the drone and the camera and told them about the YouTube channel in order to eliminate any notion of a threat.'

He said he picked Libra because it seemed a 'point of interest' due to it being a chemical company - and that his 'audit' activities are about 'promoting the rights of photographers and drone flyers'.

DJ Audits said people 'watch my videos for so many reasons', with some just wanting to 'see drone footage over the buildings'.

He said he picked Libra because it seemed a 'point of interest' due to it being a chemical company - and that his 'audit' activities are about 'promoting the rights of photographers and drone flyers'.

But he said there was 'no denying' that footage with 'heated confrontation' will often make 'the views go through the roof' - though added that even if the video does not feature confrontation, it 'will still be published'.

He said of having his drone hit in the clash at Libra: 'It's the first time someone has done that but it is not the first time someone has come right up close into my personal space.

'I feel the incident was shocking and was unusual and an overreaction.'

DJ Audits said he 'pushed back' as a form of self-defence and then rang Greater Manchester Police to attend the site but later cancelled this request.

He said: 'The law allows you to defend yourself proportionately and with reasonable force.

'If someone is coming up to you, you can't just smack them in the nose but as you can see in the video, I push him back.

'It was the first time I had ever had to ring the police. I have communicated with the police since and I would like to pursue a new offence where somebody endangers the safety of a drone flyer.

'I want to show my viewers that this shouldn't be shrugged off as I think a court would take it much more seriously.'

Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that an investigation into the incident is ongoing, but said no arrests have been made.

Libra were contacted repeatedly for comment via email and telephone, but failed to respond.

DJ Audits (pictured at Libra) said that people' watch my videos for so many reasons', with some just wanting to 'see drone footage over the buildings'. But he said there is 'no denying' that footage with 'heated confrontation' will often make 'the views go through the roof'

Another account, called Auditing Britain, has 276,000 subscribers and includes clips including this confrontation between the YouTuber and police in Kensington, west London

Other auditors often target police stations for their videos.

Such is the surge in interest that the National Police Chiefs Council has issued guidance to officers on how to handle auditors.

It says: 'Auditing is a behaviour that has common practice in the USA for a number of years and is developing a growing community of auditors, subscribers and viewers throughout the United Kingdom.

'The auditors use security concerns surrounding the filming of staff and premises, alongside limited powers to prevent it.

'They appear to provoke staff and site security into potentially embarrassing reactions, often asserting that staff are overstepping legal boundaries.

'They are also well-versed in their own rights and often cite legislation in their interactions with staff.

'Any perception they are under police surveillance is likely to be challenged robustly and, potentially publicly.'

Police Scotland has also issued instructions to officers, urging them to tread carefully to avoid providing the flare-up the video-takers want to attract viewers.

The Police Scotland document says: 'We must acknowledge that citizen journalism is a feature of modern life and police officers are now photographed and filmed more than ever.

'Unnecessarily restricting photography, whether for the casual tourist or professional has potential to undermine public confidence in the police service.

'It is important therefore that our policing tone and style reflects the need for positive engagement and that common sense needs to be applied by everyone.'

The National Protective Security Authority has described auditing activity is mostly harmless but warned problems can arise when staff and security respond in a hostile manner or inaccurately quote legislation.

The NPSA said: 'While auditors themselves might not have hostile intent, the content they create and post online could be viewed by genuine hostile actors.

'As such, converting an air of a professional security culture is helpful, such as highlighting the CCTV which alerted you to their presence, but without giving unnecessary insight into your security infrastructure or procedures.'

Accounting Britain's account also has a video outside Walworth police station in south London

Retired police officer Ben Pearson (pictured) has called auditers 'the biggest waste of time'

A YouTube vlogger who filmed police cars as an 'auditor' and posted footage online was given a criminal behaviour order at Crewe Magistrates' Court in December 2021.

Cheshire Police said Lee Tench, then 35, admitted aggravated trespass after being arrested when he refused to leave Macclesfield car park in August 2021 having uploaded videos of police cars.

Meanwhile, a man was arrested when recording an audit outside High Wycombe police station in Buckinghamshire in November 2020.

Kolee Berks was filming the 'comings and goings' of High Wycombe police station in Buckinghamshire when officers detained him, before he was released after writing an apology for resisting arrest.

Thames Valley Police said at the time: 'The man arrested was given a conditional caution for obstructing a constable for an incident that occurred while the man was in police custody, which was not captured in the video.'

One of the people behind another popular auditing account Kent Audit, alongside a 76-year-old man, insists the pastime is 'about holding people to account'.

Using his preferred pseudonym RottDogg, he told KentOnline: 'Were one of the most heavily surveilled countries on Earth, yet people accept CCTV and dashcams but get triggered by this.'

Among critics is retired police officer Ben Pearson, who served with West Yorkshire Police for 19 years and calls auditors 'the biggest waste of time going'.

He said in a YouTube video of his own: 'It's just not normal. Have you got nothing better to do with your time?

'These people, these auditors that come out and try to rile people - what have you got in your life that's that interesting, or should I say that boring? It's bizarre.

'When you go to McDonald's and order a burger, you don't ask to see the hygiene certificate.'

He insisted officers had no qualms with being filmed but would have concerns about their families' safety if their personal details are known and followed up.

Responses sticking up for auditors included the comments 'No problem with them provided they do not break the law', 'Professional police have nothing to fear' and 'The more eyes on the police the better'.

Another viewer posted: 'Best way to deal with them is just try and stay calm, realise what theyre there to do and try and send them on their way.'

Another retired officer said: 'Most of these guys are people that probably have had issues with police for whatever reason previously and see this as a way to have a poke.

'In my 30+ years most police officers were very professional and were very committed to their jobs, not the tyrants these idiots like to portray.'

Auditing Britain's YouTube videos prompt responses such as these after he visited Walworth

Kolee Berks was arrested when filming an 'audit' of High Wycombe police station in Buckinghamshire in November 2020 after two officers (pictured) asked what he was doing

Police detained him before allowing him to be released after he wrote an apology

Kolee Berks was filming High Wycombe police station in Buckinghamshire (pictured)

Other drone-flying hobbyists have criticised YouTube auditors for turning people against them by reinforcing a 'negative stigma' surrounding the devices.

Chris Bradbury, support officer for the British Model Flying Association, accused many auditors of 'clearly exploiting' confusion over where drones can and can't be legally flown to 'intentially cause irritation for confrontation'.

He said: 'The average BMFA member that flies drones does so for recreation, sport, or just to take nice photos of places and their travels, nothing more.

'Auditors in my personal opinion achieve nothing more than creating an "anti-drone flyer" opinion into every person they intentionally antagonise.'
The 'baby daddy' of a mum-to-be has been charged with the same alleged underworld murder which his heavily-pregnant partner was accused of two months ago.

Michael Tuite, 30, was arrested behind bars at Sydney's Silverwater jail and charged with the alleged shooting murder of David Stemler, whose heavily tattooed body was left on a public street near a western Sydney school last year.

Tuite's partner, Rhylee Stig, 23, is due to give birth to their child in May, but has also been charged with the same murder, along with a third accused, Sione Langi, 27.

Langi and Stig were arrested and charged in February, when her bail was refused, and she has been locked up, just metres away from Tuite, at Silverwater Women's prison, while seven months pregnant.

The former Hunter Valley schoolgirl worked as a Services and Programs Officer at Wellington Correctional Centre before she left NSW Corrective Services amid allegations she was having a romantic relationship with an inmate.

Stig has been behind bars since she was refused police bail after she was charged with murder following her arrest at her Wetherill Park home on February 21.

However on Friday, Stig successfully applied for bail in the NSW Supreme Court.

Rhylee Peta Stig, 23 (above) was charged with the execution murder of David Stemler in Canterbury in Sydney's west last July and has been in jail for five weeks but is now applying for bail ahead of the impending birth of her baby

Because of her pregnancy, she was not handcuffed when first taken into custody by detectives.

NSW Police video shows heavily-pregnant Stig being led to a police car before being taken to Fairfield Police Station and charged with Mr Stemler's murder.

Ferenc 'David' Stemler, 28, was allegedly gunned down in front of his home in Canterbury, in Sydney's west last year amid Sydney's deadly gangland war.

Prior to being charged with Mr Stemler's murder, Tuite had been remanded in custody over a shooting on August 13 last year at Fairfield Heights.

NSW Police Taskforce Magnus alleges he fired a single shot from inside a car as the 20-year-old alleged victim approached him.

He was charged over that matter with shoot at with intent to murder, and fire a firearm in or near public place.

Michael Tuite, 30, was arrested behind bars at Sydney's Silverwater jail and charged with the alleged shooting murder of David Stemler

NSW Police released video of Stig during her arrest last month and the pregnant accused has been in jail since, but now her baby is approaching full term she is applying for bail

Detectives allege that Mr Stemler was shot dead as he approached a white Commodore Broughton Street in Canterbury between 1.55am and 2am on July 27, 2023.

Police allege that Mr Tuite was in the Commodore at the time Mr Stemler approached it.

Mr Stemler was treated at the crime scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics but died.

In shocking scenes on the morning of July 27 last year, his tattooed and bloodied body remained clearly visible lying in the middle of the road as children walked past in their school uniforms.

Ferenc 'David' Stemler (above) was allegedly gunned down out the front of his rental home in Canterbury, in Sydney's west

Last week, police released CCTV related to Mr Stemler's death which shows a white Lexus, allegedly stolen in July last year, arriving at a Casula Central carpark about 10.25pm on July 18, 2023.

Police believe the driver of the Lexus allegedly lay in wait for the planned shooting, which was seen being 'checked on' by a black hatchback on July 20 and again by a dark-coloured hatchback on July 24.

It's unclear who police will allege pulled the trigger on Stemler. His death came after he met two men outside his rental home on Broughton St.

Local police, with assistance from State Crime Command's Homicide Squad, commenced enquiries before the matter was taken carriage of by Task Force Magnus under Strike Force Murrell.

Task Force Magnus was established in July as a policing strategy to target and disrupt gun-related and violent crime, and to investigate links between recent organised criminal activity in Sydney.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said the arrests were significant for State Crime Command's Task Force Magnus.

Michael Tuite is in custody charged with allegedly shooting David Stemler

Rhylee Stig has been charged with the alleged shooting murder of David Stemler in Sydney's west last year, and her partner whose child she is expecting has now also been charged

Rhylee Stig was refused bail after her arrest (above) and is now due to give birth to her co-accused's baby in May

'While the work is never truly done, this is a huge feat for our Command, who were given the difficult job of circuit breaking the brazen violence we saw unfolding on our streets.

'Task Force Magnus supplemented their suite of capabilities with both proactive and reactive teams, to not only target offenders, but prevent more acts of violence on our streets.

'The safety of our wider community has  and always will be  our number one priority, and the people of NSW our motivation for crafting such a significant response; one that has evidently had noteworthy success.'

Investigations under Strike Force Murrell continue.
A family renting a holiday home by the sea found a human skull and bones on a beach - and may have solved the last mystery of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, two decades after 23 Chinese workers drowned there.

Mother-of-two Jenny, 50, her husband Mick, 52, and their 10-year-old twins were walking along Cove Road Beach in Silverdale, north of the bay, when they saw a rocky outcrop and decided to go fossil hunting on Easter Sunday.

Lancashire Police said officers were 'keeping an open mind' when asked if they could rule out a link to the deaths of 23 Chinese men and women, aged 18 to 45, who, on February 5, 2004, drowned as they collected cockles against a rising tide.

The tragedy began as panicked cocklepicker Guo Binglong shouted 'sinking water, sinking water,' in a 999 call until the phone went dead. He was later found dead in a huge search and rescue operation.

The untrained and inexperienced cocklepickers were all illegal immigrants and were working for a criminal gang. Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was found guilty of their manslaughter in March 2006 and handed a 14-year sentence before being deported to China in September 2012. His girlfriend, Zhao Xiao Qing and his cousin, Lin Mu Yong, were also convicted of immigration offences.

The only victim whose body remains unaccounted for is of Dong Xin Wu, aged 39 when he died, who worked a cobbler in China and had come to the UK to send money to his family.

A human skull found near Silverdale Point - the same coastline as where the skull was found this weekend - was proved by DNA tests in October 2010 to be the remains of missing victim Liu Qin Ying, a mother whose husband Yu Hua Xu also died in the tragedy, leaving their son an orphan.

Lancashire Police said they are 'keeping an open mind' over the possibility the human remains, seen here, are linked to the Morecambe Bay cocklepickers

The only victim whose body remains unaccounted for is of Dong Xin Wu (left), aged 39 when he died. A human skull found near Silverdale Point was proved by DNA tests in October 2010 to be the remains of the other missing victim Liu Qin Ying (right)

Emergency crews on Cove Road Beach in Silverdale, Lancashire, after human remains were found on March 31

Rescue workers take away the body of one of the Chinese cockle pickers who died after they were trapped by the rising tide in Morecambe Bay on February 5, 2004

Chinese gangmaster Lin Liang Ren (left) was found guilty of the manslaughter of the cocklers in March 2006 and his cousin Lin Mu Yong (right) was convicted of immigration offences

Lin Liang Ren's girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing (pictured outside Preston Crown Court on March 21, 2006) was also found guilty of immigration offences

The man who sent them out onto the sands in February 2004 - gangmaster Lin Liang Ren - was later given a 14-year prison sentence for manslaughter. He was described in court as 'callous' and motivated by money.

Jenny and Mick's twin son and daughter, who are both 'really interested in fossils and dinosaurs', saw and picked up several bones, including a hip, a large vertebra and a limb, initially thinking they were ancient animal remains.

'My son looked down and saw the skull in between rocks,' Jenny, from Lancashire, told MailOnline. He told his mother: 'That doesn't look like and animal or a rock.'

'When I first realised it was a human skull, a cold shiver went down my spine,' Jenny's husband Mick said. Jenny added: 'It was not until we found the skull that the penny dropped that these were human remains.

'It was surreal - my husband was a bit taken aback. I've got a criminology degree so I find that stuff really interesting. I thought I might have found something that needs to be investigated, even the children found it interesting.

'It's not like finding a body, if we'd found a head it would have been more scary.'

As the tide was coming back out at just before 1pm, Jenny decided the best thing to do was to pick up the skull and some other bones and take them ashore and report the findings to the police. They left some bones as her son had dropped them before they realise their true origin.

Jenny said: 'We picked the skull up and the other few bones we had - a vertebra and a rib - and we brought them back to where we were staying. I reported it online to the police.'

She said she thought the remains had been there for a long time and that the skill was 'very clearly' human as 'you can see inside where the brain has been touching the bone', which she described as 'fascinating'.

After reporting it, she got a call from Lancashire Police 'within minutes' and they had already sent a detective to the beach to talk with her by around 4pm.

'The officers were taken aback,' Jenny said. 'It was surreal. It suddenly felt like we were in a Channel 4 series.

'They treated as human remains and put the bones in the correct bags and took it to the coroners' office.'

She said that officers had 'mentioned outstanding missing persons from the cocklepicking disaster', adding that 'cocklepickers was my first thought'.

While she says you normally 'shouldn't be touching stuff like that', she was glad she took the bones ashore as the tide had gone back out by the time the police had arrived. 'If they [the police] identify the bones, I hope it can give someone peace of mind,' she said.

Lancashire Police did not rule out a connection to the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster when asked by MailOnline, but said: 'Although we are keeping an open mind, there is nothing to link the bones to the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster at this stage.'

Officers were called to Cove Road Beach in Silverdale on Easter Sunday to reports that bones were found in the water

Cocklepickers pictured at work in Morecambe Bay (stock image)

The force had earlier said: 'At 4.10pm on 31st March we were called to Cove Road Beach in Silverdale to reports bones had been found in the water.

'Our initial enquiries have confirmed that some of the remains are human.

'Although we are keeping an open mind as to the origin of the remains, we believe they have been in the sea for a prolonged period.

'Our enquiries are expected to be ongoing for some time and we continue to liaise with HM Coroner.

'Anyone with information which could assist our investigation is asked to call 101. Quote log 745 of 31st March 2024.'
A teenager who suffered four years of sexual abuse at the hands of her evil stepfather has bravely waived anonymity to tell other victims suffering in silence: 'Come forward. People will believe you. Justice will come.'

Katie Simpson was groomed and taken advantage of by Pete Goodchild between the ages of nine and 13 and terrorised into keeping it a secret.

It was only after two other victims came forward that she began to accept others would believe her if she also spoke out about her ordeal.

Now 19, she said the maximum jail term of 14 years handed to the pervert who turned her life upside down was 'absolutely amazing', although the mental scars of her experience still haunt her.

Calling on other sex abuse victims to cast off their doubts, she said: 'I know how terrible it is for a child to go through this.

Katie Simpson (pictured) was groomed and taken advantage of by her stepfather between the ages of nine and 13 and terrorised into keeping it a secret

Katie (centre) with her stepfather Peter William Goodchild (left) and Katie's mother, Sarah (right)

'I tried to take my life on three occasions, I've got PTSD and anxiety and I'm on stupidly strong medications all because of one man trying to ruin my childhood.

'But I want to be the person to speak out and hopefully help the next victim to not commit suicide and come forward. Victims deserve to be listened to. Justice will come.'

Goodchild, 67, was jailed last week after admitting six counts of sexual activity with a child under the age of 13 involving Katie. The prosecution agreed not to pursue a further charge of attempted penetration and stalking her mother, Sarah.

The paedophile also pleaded guilty to five charges of sexually touching a child under the age of 13. The victims have a right to automatic anonymity.

Judge Emma Peters sentenced him to 14 years, which was reduced to ten years because of his guilty pleas plus time spent on remand.

Katie, a yard manager at a stable who lives in Wattisfield, near Diss in Suffolk, said: 'It's an absolutely amazing sentence. He couldn't have got more if they'd tried.'

Her mother added: 'For the next few days I kept saying to people I did hear that right, didn't it? He'd told a friend he was going to get four years, reduced to three, and he'd be out in a year. I've stuck the number 14 on the fridge to remind myself.'

Goodchild, a builder, and Katie's mother were together for 14 years and lived together for nine of them. They married in 2018.

Katie, pictured with her mother Sarah, said the maximum jail term of 14 years handed to the pervert who turned her life upside down was 'absolutely amazing'

Explaining how it was so hard to tell her mother or any other adult what began when she was still at primary school, she said: 'There was a part of me that thought 'He's a nice stepdad'. He helped my buy my first car and helped me fix things.

'He always helped me but he also ruined me. He was keeping me sweet. He always said 'Family doesn't turn on family' and told me he'd be killed in prison.'

Goodchild, also known as Peter Scott, had previously been convicted of possessing and making indecent photos of children but convinced his wife they had been put on his computer by someone else.

The first of his victims reported his vile behaviour in 2016 but at first no one believed her  including Katie, whose mind had been warped by her tormentor, who told her she was the only 'special' one that he abused.

But the second victim then came forward and Goodchild was charged with offences on New Year's Eve 2022.

Katie confided in her mother in March last year but only admitted being touched over her clothing.

Desperate to hold her family together, and also under her husband's 'manipulative' spell, mother-of-four Mrs Goodchild told him to get counselling.

The full horror of what had happened finally emerged in August when mother and daughter were together on holiday in Turkey.

Goodchild was arrested and charged the following month and, after the sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court last week, has been told he must spend at least seven years behind bars.

Katie first attempted suicide with an overdose when she was just 12 and again at 14. She was planning to drive into a tree after getting her first car aged 17 but was saved when her best friend called her as she was 'revving the car and sobbing'.

She said: 'I still don't trust people. It takes me a long time to get to know people before I let them in. I build walls that are sky-high.

'I can't describe how much my life has changed. I was carefree and happy and bubbly and now you're lucky to get me laughing. I'm completely numb.

'[The jail term] is a massive relief as he can't hurt anyone or get to me anymore. But it's a slow recovery. I've had ten years of burying and hiding things. It'll take more than one day in court to fix the years of trauma.'

Her guilt-stricken mother blames herself for what happened, saying she 'didn't protect the one person I'm meant to protect most in the world'.

But extraordinary Katie said: 'I think she's an idiot for blaming herself. She was manipulated and groomed and knew nothing.

'We were trapped in the same situation but facing different directions.'

Hairdresser Mrs Goodchild, 56, who is now in the process of divorcing her wicked husband, added: 'She is incredibly brave. She's my hero.

'She's been through an awful lot and this [speaking out to help others] is her way of helping herself  by helping others.'

Detective Constable Stefan Iftode, who investigated the offences, said: 'This was an extremely traumatic experience for the victims and committed by an offender who abused his position of trust by this offending.

'The victims have shown incredible bravery and this case clearly demonstrates we are absolutely committed to pursuing perpetrators, supporting victims and continuing to ensure the safety of our communities.

'We urge victims of any serious violent or sexual offence to come forward to the police and we remain committed to supporting all victims who report sexual offences.'

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org
A Boeing insider has claimed the aviation giant is failing because profit-hungry executives are all working from home and the manufacturer has become too fixated on DEI.

The anonymous source described Boeing as a 'company under caretakers' who have lost touch with its workforce.

The beleaguered aviation company is in the middle of a safety crisis related to its 737 Max jets, which was ignited after a door panel blew out aboard an Alaska Airlines flight.

Speaking to City Journal, the insider described how the executive suite at the Boeing's Arlington, Virginia, headquarters sits empty as the top brass shun the office.

'We just instituted a policy that everyone has to come into work five days a weekexcept the executive council, which can use the private jets to travel to meetings,' the source said.

A Boeing insider has claimed the aviation giant is failing because profit-hungry executives are all working from home and have become too fixated on DEI. Pictured: A blown out panel on f Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX

Boeing has faced a safety crisis around its 737 Max jets in recent years, including a 2018 crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia

Fears were exacerbated after another 737 Max crashed during an Ethiopian Airlines flight in 2019 killing 159

A Boeing insider claimed executives such as CEO Dave Calhoun refuse to come in and have alienated the workforce

'And that is the story: it is a company that is under caretakers. It is not under owners. And it is not under people who love airplanes.'

The individual also claimed the company has become obsessed with diversity and inclusion policies, which they deem 'anti-excellence.'

'The DEI narrative is a very real thing, and, at Boeing, DEI got tied to the status game. It is the thing you embrace if you want to get ahead. It became a means to power,' the source added.

'It is anti-excellence, because it is ill-defined, but it became part of the culture and was tied to compensation. Every HR email is: Inclusion makes us better. This kind of politicization of HR is a real problem in all companies.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Boeing about the anonymous claims.

Boeing's fortunes took a nose dive in the wake of the Alaska Airlines emergency on January 5, when a panel on the 737 Max 9 blew out mid flight in front of horrified passengers.

The disaster resulted in 171 of its fleet being grounded pending safety investigations and the Federal Aviation Administration capping production of the jets.

Around $30 billion of market value was wiped out in a matter of days, while share prices have dropped 25 percent.

Boeing has also already had to shell out $160 million to the airline in 'initial compensation' due to the grounding and has been slapped with several lawsuits by passengers who were on board the flight at the time of the incident.

However, the Alaska Airlines incident was only the latest in a series of concerns surrounding 737 Max jets following two crashes involving the aircraft in 2018 and 2019.

The anonymous individual also claimed Boeing has become obsessed with diversity and inclusion policies, which they deem 'anti-excellence'

The incidents have placed a heavy amount of scrutiny on the aerospace giant, resulting in a massive turnover in talent, according to the source.

The Alaska Airlines disaster wiped $30 billion of Boeing's market value and saw share prices plummet

The Federal Aviation Administration capped production of the 737 Max due to safety concerns while 171 of Boeing's fleet were grounded, causing a huge financial headache for the company

The first involved a Lion Air flight in Indonesia which crashed killed 189 people, with a second occurring just a year later when an Ethiopian Airlines flight went down killing 157.

The source said the scrutiny from the crashes resulted in a 'sweeping set of changes that caused huge turnover in talent' to the detriment of the company.

'Right now, we have an executive council running the company that is all outsiders,' the source explained.

'The current CEO is a General Electric guy, as is the CFO whom he brought in. And we have a completely new HR leader, with no background at Boeing. The head of our commercial-airplanes unit in Seattle, who was fired last week, was one of the last engineers in the executive council.'

However, CEO Dave Calhoun recently announced his intention to step down from the board at the end of the year as part of a management overhaul.

Calhoun plus the chairman of the board and the head of its commercial airlines business are all leaving amid the ongoing 737 MAX safety issues.

But this has not been enough to ease the insider's concerns.

'There is no visible center of the company, and people are wondering what they are connected to,' the source said.

Boeing's share price dropped by billions in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident, and the company's stock has fallen the furthest behind rival Airbus in its history

Former Boeing Quality Manager John Barnett issued an eerie warning back in January about two specific plane models recently involved in accidents - before turning up dead. He is seen in 2022

Barnett, 62, had been in the middle of a deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit related to production of the 787 Dreamliner, according to his lawyer.

'The workforce knows if you love the thing you are building or if its just another set of assets to you. At some point, you cannot recover with process what you have lost with love. And I think that is probably the most important story of all.'

Boeing's fortunes took another hit after it emerged that a whistleblower who was suing the aviation giant had died of an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound in South Carolina.

The news wiped $4 billion off the company's value overnight, while stocks slumped to a five-month low after it was revealed that John Barnett was found dead in a hotel parking lot in Charleston.

Barnett, 62, had been in the middle of a deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit related to production of the 787 Dreamliner, according to his lawyer.

The suit alleged under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting 'sub-standard' parts to Boeing 787s, and that brass were sweeping defects under the rug to save money.

But the insider suggested the problems with Boeing are not unique to the aerospace giant and they slammed the 'politicization of HR' through the pursuit of DEI.

'Boeing is just a symptom of a much bigger problem: the failure of our elites. The purpose of the company is now broad stakeholder value, including DEI and ESG,' the insider said.

'This was then embraced as a means to power, which further separated the workforce from the company. And it is ripping our society apart.'
The Indian In The Cupboard author Lynne Reid Banks has died of cancer aged 94, her literary agent has revealed after she passed away 'peacefully with her family around her'.

Her devoted son Gillon Stephenson, who she lived with in the later stages of life, said that she 'leaves a massive legacy of wonderful work'.

He added that everyday he 'receives messages from people saying what a difference she has made'.

The only daughter of an Irish actress and a Scottish doctor, she was born in Barnes, West London in 1929.

Just ten years later she was evacuated with her mother and cousin, Christopher, in 1940 to Saskatoon in the Canadian prairies for five years.

Lynne Reid Banks' devoted son Gillon Stephenson, who she lived with in the later stages of life, said that she 'leaves a massive legacy of wonderful work'

The first book from Ms Reid Banks' The Indian In The Cupboard series was released in 1980 featuring a boy whose toy has magically come to life

The inspiration for her book 'Uprooted', she returned to Britain in 1945 and refused to return to education - determined to become an actress.

And in 1955 - after her theatrical dreams dried up - she became one of the first two female journalists at ITN.

In that role she interviewed the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn, Louis Armstrong and fellow author Agatha Christie.

It was in Ms Reid Banks' spare time that she wrote her first novel - The L-Shaped Room - which became a best-seller and was adapted into a film, starring Leslie Caron.

Many children's stories would follow - including The Red Red Dragon, Tiger Tiger, Angela And Diabola and picture book, The Spice Rack.

Giving advise on her website, she told her fans: 'Remember as you read, and as you live: Nothing is ever simple. Nothing.

'The more it looks black and white, the harder you should look for the grey. Grey sounds dull. But it's the colour of the mind.'

Ms Reid Banks met her husband, the sculptor Chaim Stephenson, when he was on leave from his native Israel to study in England.

She returned with him to his kibbutz in Western Galilee, where she lived as a farmer and taught English to the local children.

The couple had three sons, with the author moving in with her middle child Gillion and his wife Olga in Shepperton, Surrey.

In 1955 - after her theatrical dreams dried up - Ms Reid Banks became one of the first two female journalists at ITN. She wrote her first novel in her spare time

The first book from Ms Reid Banks' The Indian In The Cupboard series was released in 1980 featuring a boy whose toy has magically come to life.

The New York Times called it the 'best novel of the year', and it has since become a classic of children's literature - despite starting as a bedtime story for her youngest son.

It was turned into a film in 1995 starring actor and comedian Steve Coogan.

But the novel also faced controversy - with critics hitting out at its portrayal of Native Americans. At the 1991 American Library Association former presidents of the American Indian Library Association listed it under 'titles to avoid'.

The book was removed from libraries by a Canadian school board in 1992 for its treatment of native people, according to anti-censorship non-profit Freedom to Read.

It was later replaced - but placed on a roster of challenged materials for teachers.

More recently, she also faced controversy after becoming embroiled in a war of words with The Guardian children's fiction prize winner David Almond, after she was horrified by the contents of his book after buying two copies for her 12-year-old grandchildren.

The author of classic children's novel The Indian in the Cupboard, said: 'In the first five pages there is lesbian love, swearing, drinking, and enough other indications that, once again, this is not a book for children.

'The books are going straight back to Waterstones.'

She complained to The Guardian for awarding the book its top prize in 2015, insisting that '17-year-old adults are not children'.
The brother of an aid worker who died in an Israeli air strike in Gaza has said the British Government's inaction over the killings is 'hard to comprehend'.

James 'Jim' Henderson was one of seven aid workers who died when the World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit outside the Deir al-Balah warehouse.

The 33-year-old former Royal Marine, from Cornwall, formed part of the relief team's security detail and died alongside fellow British veterans John Chapman, 57, and James Kirby, 47.

On behalf of the family, Henderson's brother, who declined to be named, told The Times that 'accountability is the only hope of justice I have' for his death.

He slammed Israel's 'inexcusable behaviour' and further criticised its allies, saying: 'It's unacceptable for our world leaders to ignore this gross miscarriage of justice'.

Israeli authorities have so far apologised for the strikes and said an investigation would be held 'at the highest levels' to ensure such incidents do not happen again.

Meanwhile, Lord Cameron has pledged to 'hold Israel to account' for the killings and rejected claims that Britain is downplaying the incident to avoid upsetting Israel.

James 'Jim' Henderson, 33, was one of seven aid workers who died when the World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit outside the Deir al-Balah warehouse. His brother has now said the British Government's inaction over the killings is 'hard to comprehend' and argued that 'it's unacceptable for our world leaders to ignore this gross miscarriage of justice'

Henderson, a former Royal Marine, formed part of the relief team's security detail and died alongside fellow British veterans John Chapman, 57, (left) and James Kirby, 47 (right)

Henderson's brother slammed Israel's 'inexcusable behaviour' and said that 'accountability is the only hope of justice I have' for the killings. Pictured above is the site where the World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza

'Accountability is the only hope of justice I have... I don't believe our Government will hold the correct people to account, but I guarantee that our Government will sell weapons to Israel, which may in turn be used to kill our fellow citizens. It's hard to comprehend that.'

He added: 'I feel this is inexcusable behaviour, to kill my brother and his colleagues on a humanitarian mission. Our thoughts are with the suffering people who have been deprived of basic humanitarian needs. It's unacceptable for our world leaders to ignore this gross miscarriage of justice.'

Meanwhile, Henderson's former rugby club paid tribute to 'one of the kindest, toughest and most loyal players' to have worn the shirt.

Matthew Gray, chairman of Penryn RFC, told PA news agency: 'Penryn RFC are extremely shocked and saddened to hear the news about the death of James Henderson. There was a brief gathering at the club on Tuesday night where many of his close friends and those that had played rugby with Jimmy shared their fond memories of him.

'Clearly this tragic event, which has happened so far from Jimmy's home town, will be felt for a long time by his family, friends and everyone in the local community who knew and loved him.

Rest in peace, Jimmy.'

According to Penryn RFC's Facebook page, Henderson had played for the club from the youth section through to seniors.

A tribute post described him as a 'force to be reckoned with' who 'commanded the back row with his relentless work ethic which he instilled on to everyone that had the pleasure of playing beside him'.

A tribute post described James Henderson (pictured) as a 'force to be reckoned with' who 'commanded the back row with his relentless work ethic which he instilled on to everyone that had the pleasure of playing beside him'

Pictured is a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza

Shocking images disseminated on social media showed their aid vehicles blown apart by the drone's missiles - one had a gaping hole in the roof (pictured) while another truck had its rear end hanging off, the interior reduced to a charred wreck

Palestinians are standing next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024, where employees from the World Central Kitchen had been killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before

The post read: 'It comes with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jim Henderson. We have lost one of the kindest, toughest and most loyal players to have ever worn the Penryn shirt.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Jim's family and friends through this tough time.'

The aid convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food taken to Gaza on the maritime route, WCK said.

The charity immediately suspended operations in the region.

The relief team's leader, Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, an Australian national, also died in the strike, along with American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25.

The attack has drawn international condemnation of what Israel called an 'unintended strike', with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak telling his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, he is appalled by the killings and demanding a thorough and transparent independent investigation.

Speaking to the Sun newspaper's Never Mind The Ballots show, Sunak described the aid workers' deaths as 'an awful, awful tragedy'.

'To think that these were brave Brits who were actually risking their lives to bring aid to people in need in Gaza... To have lost their lives in these circumstances is a tragedy,' he added.

The relief team's leader, Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, an Australian national, also died in the strike, along with American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25

Bodies of the foreign employees of the US-based international volunteer aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK), who were killed in an Israeli attack on a vehicle belonging to WCK, are taken from Al-Najjar hospital and sent by ambulances to Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing in Rafah, Gaza on April 3, 2024

Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group, transports the body of one of the six foreign aid workers who were killed in an Israeli strike, at a hospital morgue in Rafah on April 3, 2024

Netanyahu described the attack as unintended and 'tragic' and pledged an independent inquiry.

'Unfortunately, in the past day, there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip,' he said in a video statement on Tuesday.

'This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.'

WCK founder Jose Andres has claimed the Israeli military knew of his aid workers' movements and targeted them 'systematically, car by car'.

Asked to respond, Israeli government spokesperson Raquela Karamson said during a media briefing: 'This was unintended. Clearly something went wrong here, and as we learn more and the investigation reveals exactly what happened, and the cause of what happened, we will certainly adjust our practices in the future to make sure this does not happen again.'

She said publication of the investigation's findings could take weeks. But the chief Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, appeared to give a much shorter timeline.

An investigators' report was given to Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, Hagari said in a televised statement.

'And I believe that, after we present this to the ambassadors from the respective countries, and to the members of the WCK organisation, we will make it public in a clear, transparent manner - and that will happen soon,' he said.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) immediately suspended operations in the region after the airstrike on Monday. Pictured is the aid centre of the international food charity in Nuseirat Camp, Gaza on April 4, 2024, as it closed

Palestinians go about their chores in makeshift tents, including one made of material bearing the US-based food charity World Central Kitchen logo, at a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024

Palestinians living in al-Maghazi Refugee Camp collect the usable items among the rubble of the destroyed buildings following an Israeli attack in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on April 4, 2024

Palestinian boys sit on building rubble following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024

Palestinians clear building rubble following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas

A man collects items from the rubble of a destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

A letter calling for the UK to suspend arms sales to Israel has been signed by more than 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices.

The Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, told the Daily Mail newspaper that Israel would be 'held to account' for the attack on aid workers and said he and Sunak were 'entirely on the same page' on the war in Gaza.

But Tory members appear divided on the issue of arms sales, as Suella Braverman argued that Israel is 'absolutely not' in breach of international humanitarian law, while party colleague Sir Alan Duncan said Braverman should have the whip withdrawn for her 'extreme' views.

Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely said those calling on the Government to end arms sales were engaging in 'shallow gesture politics'.

He told BBC Newsnight: 'The reality is that we supply 0.02 per cent of Israel's arms imports, which is a meaninglessly small figure, and actually by blocking it, effectively, this is shallow gesture politics and nothing but.

'And it's symptomatic of the way that gesture politics is driving out rigorous thought from public debate. So, let's have a rigorous public debate, let's talk about the issues, but please, let's just drop the gesture politics because it's pretty pointless.'

Seely also called for the UK to 'double down' on its relationship with Israel.

'If you want to have a strategy, and if you want to have influence over people, you have to stay close to them. So actually, we have to double down on our relationship with Israel, but also Arab states that are involved in the same way.'

An Israeli soldier, holding his gun, is pictured operating in the Gaza Strip amid the war on Hamas in a picture released by the Israeli army on April 4, 2024

People are seen in the area where Al-Shifa Hospital and its surrounding are located in Gaza City, Gaza on April 1, 2024. The Israeli army said Monday that it wrapped up its military operation at the Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City, following a 14-day siege and incursion that resulted in scores of casualties and hundreds of arrests

Israeli troops move in an area along the border with the Gaza and Israel on April 4, 2024

A view of the area where Al-Shifa Hospital and its surrounding are located in Gaza City, Gaza on April 01, 2024

Palestinians work to move the dead bodies as Israeli army dismantles temporary cemetery set up by Palestinians at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on April 1, 2024

The Government is also under pressure to publish legal advice after civil servants within the Department of Business and Trade involved with arms exports have raised concerns over their own degree of legal liability if Israel is found to be violating international humanitarian law.

Members of the PCS union have threatened legal action to prevent their members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.

Seely said: 'Governments don't publish legal advice and I suspect that's going to be the same in future for any government and it's certainly the case now.'

Mentioning other countries the Government has faced pressure in the past to sever ties with, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Seely said it was in the 'national interest' to maintain relationships.

He said: 'We should have substance to our principles, but we also need to tread carefully when it comes to military and intelligence relationships, because we spend a lot of time developing these relationships and they are significantly in our national interest and we have to think a little bit strategically.'

US President Joe Biden on Thursday issued a stark warning to Netanyahu that future American support for Israel's war on Gaza depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

As a preliminary move to make amends for the WCK deaths, Israel said it would set up a joint operational coordination room with humanitarian agencies, located within the military's Southern Command - where Gaza missions are directly managed.

An Israeli security official who spoke on condition of anonymity said ground forces in Gaza were down to around a quarter of their numbers at the height of the invasion, and focused on more pinpoint missions and securing conquered areas.

An inside view of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on April 1, 2024. The Israeli army said Monday that it wrapped up its military operation at the hospital complex

A picture released by the Israeli army on April 1, 2024 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas

A boy stands in front of the rubble after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

People gather on the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

'This may have contributed to a feeling of 'sitting duck' vulnerability. Troops prefer to be on the offensive, rather than static and potentially open to attack or to seeing the enemy operate with relative freedom,' the official said.

'The investigation will have to determine, among other things, whether this kind of thinking affected the judgement of whoever decided that the convoy should be struck.'

Israel Ziv, a retired army general who formerly commanded the Gaza division, said the incident may have resulted from the military enabling more junior officers to authorise air strikes.

Whereas during quieter periods such an operation would require a green light from a division commander or a general in charge of regional forces, he said, 'in wartime the situation is utterly transformed, because the number of threats is never-ending'.

'If you don't allow greater latitude, further down the ranks, on opening fire, you endanger the troops and the war.'

Ziv noted that Israel, which went to war after Hamas gunmen rampaged in its southern towns and army bases on October 7, has been fighting both to destroy the Palestinian Islamists' military capacity and deny them access to humanitarian aid sent to Gaza.

'That complicates the situation,' he added.

'There is no war without mistakes - quite the opposite,' Ziv said. 'But usually in this kind of combat the number of non-combatants killed, in relation to enemy dead, is higher than what the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has caused (in Gaza).'

A picture released by the Israeli army on April 4, 2024 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip

An Israeli military tank is pictured operating in the Gaza Strip amid the war on Hamas in a photo released by IDF on March 31, 2024

A photo released by IDF on March 31, 2024 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip

The Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7 attack, which resulted in some 1,170 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to a tally of Israeli official figures.

Hamas also took more than 250 hostages, and 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

At least 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza in the almost six-month-old war, nearly three times the toll inflicted by any other single conflict in a year, according to a UN coordinator.
President Joe Biden has repeated a lie about travelling 17,000 miles with the Chinese premier in his latest flubbed speech, where he also referred to the 'O'Biden' administration.

The 81-year-old was giving speaking at a White House event Thursday to mark Greek Independence Day when he repeated the false remarks.

He repeated the long-debunked claim that he had covered the extensive ground during visits with the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Biden re-stated the claim while recounting an anecdote about how President Xi had once asked him to define America.

'I was once asked by Xi Jinping, and I traveled 17,000 miles with him  I was out at the Tibetan plateau. He looked at me and he said, "can you define America?" I could say the same thing if he asked me to define Greece.

President Joe Biden has repeated a lie about travelling 17,000 miles with the Chinese premier in his latest flubbed speech

The 81-year-old restated the claims during a White House speech to mark the Greek Day of Independence

Biden repeated the lie at least 21 times as evidence of the relationship he has managed to foster with the Chinese premier

'I said, "yes, one word" and I mean this sincerely, it's recorded, I said, "possibilities."'

The president is fond of the claim, which earned him a 'bottomless Pinocchio' rating from the Washington Post. The Post describes the distinction as 'false or misleading statements repeated so often that they became a form of propaganda.'

The outlet quashed the statement in 2021 after it noted the president had reiterated it around 21 times.

Biden has repeatedly used the 17,000 miles figure to exemplify the work he has put into fostering a relationship with President Xi.

The White House has never explained the figure. If Biden's travel with Xi - in the same plane or vehicle - is totaled up, it's far less than 17,000. If his travel to meet with Xi is tallied, it's more.

However, the statement was not the only gaffe during the speech, which including an embarrassing moment where the octogenarian referred to the 'O'Biden administration' instead of Obama.

The mix-up came as Biden stumbled over his words, prompting laughter from the crowd before he righted himself.

The Washington Post debunked the claim in 2021, proving that the 17,000 figure was either a massive over calculation or an under calculation with the White House refusing to confirm

During the same flub-filled speech on Thursday, Biden also accidentally referred to his time as Vice President as the 'O'Biden administration'

The flubs are the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for the president, who was recently forced to deny a scathing report from the DOJ which found he has, 'diminished faculties and a faulty memory'.

The long-awaited investigation into his mishandling of classified documents delivered a damning assessment of the president's abilities.

Although the report did not recommend bringing charges, it provided a cascade of damaging findings about files found in Biden's garage as well as the president's fitness for office.

In interviews with investigators, Biden became muddled about the dates he was vice president and could not even remember the year in which his son Beau died.

Meanwhile, a DailyMail.com poll found that only 38 percent of likely 2024 voters believe Biden will be alive at the end of another four-year term.

But in his state of the union address, the president appeared to use his advanced years to his advantage.

'I've been told I'm too old,' he said. 'Whether young or old, I've always known ... what endures. I've known our North Star: The very idea of America is that we're all created equal.'
A farmer has accused the ABC of selectively editing an interview to cut out the real issues he has with wind turbines in his region.

Grant Piper, a cattle farmer in the central west of NSW near the city of Dubbo, said an episode of the ABC's 7.30 that was broadcast in early February left out what he most wanted to show, which is the extent of the encroachment by wind farms.

Dissatisfied with what was left on the cutting room floor, Mr Piper filmed a video a couple of days after the broadcast to show the spot he had taken the program makers to so they could understand the magnitude of a proposed wind farm near his property.

Mr Piper said two wind farms with over 200 turbines each towering over 200m would hem in his property.

NSW farmer Grant Piper made his own video to show what was left on the cutting room floor by the ABC

During the segment Mr Piper was given around a minute to explain his position, with his contribution spliced in at three points of the segment's seven-minute run time.

'I went up there and I spend all morning with them,' Mr Piper told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.

'We understand they have only got a five or seven-minute segment, we understand that.

'What we said and what we tried to impart was knowledge, facts and information that people could chew on to inform people.'

Mr Piper said all the broadcast report could have accomplished was to 'reinforce people in their entrenched position'.

'It didnt move the conversation along, it didnt educate on either side to have an informed discussion,' he said.

'Its just re-enforcing the entrenched narrative that farmers dont want it but renewables are good.'

In the video, which has been shared on One Nation Senator Malcom Roberts' Facebook page, Mr Piper goes to a hilltop to demonstrate 'what the 7.30 Report did not show you'.

'This is what I brought them up here to show them so as usual the good old ABC cherry picks and edits to sell a message and basically talk for seven minutes and didnt communicate anything to you.'

Mr Piper gestures toward the proposed sites of two wind turbine properties that will surround his property.

During the ABC report Mr Piper was given about a minute of airtime to put his points across

'There's over a thousand turbines listed at the moment in the projects, each one of those is over 2,000 tonnes of concrete in its base, 600 tonnes of steel in the tower... plus I dont know how many tonnes of carbon fibre and epoxy in the blades,' he said.

Mr Piper said the wind turbines will shed particles of Bisphenol A, the chemical used in the making of polycarbonate plastics for the wind turbine blades, also commonly referred to as BPA.

'BPA is an endocrine disruptor and so that is going to erode over the life of those turbines and distribute fine BPA all over the country and into the waterways,' Mr Piper claimed.

'So whats that going to do to the fertility and the health of livestock and the health of people ... but they dont want to talk about [that].'

Whether wind turbines shed BPA particles that can harm fertility in people and animals remains a hot topic of debate among advocates and opponents of renewable power.

Mr Piper maintains that in the future BPA will be regarded in the same way as asbestos is now.

'The blades erode over time but the tips are going 300 or 400 miles an hour and they erode,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'All that dust and particles, you couldnt think of a better way to spread it over land.

'We work generations, centuries of work breeding cattle and fertility is the first thing you need.

'If you don't have fertility the numbers don't add up. if you get even a two or three percent reduction in your herd, that destroys the last 300 years of progress.

'It's not a small thing.'

In his video Mr Piper rebutted the notion that farmers are well compensated to have wind turbines.

'Compared to the capital value loss on the land and the production loss on the land, any compensation offered is not really significant,' he said.

'It is also a great impediment to food production in this country and were going to suffer in the long term as well as our children suffering because they are going to have to pay the bills for these foreign corporations forever.'

Mr Piper said that urban dwellers might not appreciate what is involved.

'It's not like the city where they acquire your land to build a railway or a roundabout or something, where they buy your whole house block,' he said.

'(In rural areas) they are buying an easement and putting a power line on it that stays forever and only compensating the easement a little bit and a few per cent over the rest of the property but it doesn't really compensate for the loss of capital value

'If you subdivide 100has and you get a damn power line on that lot, you will never sell the damn thing it is worthless.'

In his video Mr Piper showed how his property would be hemmed in by proposed wind farms

'Once you are dumped into this uncertainty what does that do to your business investment and future plans?

He said that most people who have wind turbines installed on their properties 'take their foot off the pedal'.

'They no longer farm primarily, they don't need to farm.

'Because of the noise or other things they end up moving, so most of them are absentee land owners.'

Mr Piper's property sits in what the NSW government has decreed as the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, meaning the region is intended to be a major hub of renewable projects.

According to Mr Piper there were 54 renewables projects in the works for the area comprising over 1,000 turbines and nine million solar panels.

He said on average, operators needed 140ha per turbine and about 25sq km for an 850-megawatt solar farm.

Also heavy transmission lines would need to be installed to carry power from the renewables, which Mr Piper said normally meant farmers had to sub-divide their properties.

'During construction they won't be able to move from one section of the property to the other section of their property,' he said.

'Would you buy a property if it had power lines running through the guts of it or down the edge of it?'

The 7.30 Report asked if Mr Piper if he was a 'NIMBY' who only objected to renewables because they were in his back yard.

Mr Piper was unapologetic about saying he did not want them near him, pointing out that people in Sydney don't want them off the northern beaches or off Bondi Beach.

'(Teal MP) Zali Steggall has got something on her website saying I do not support wind farms on the northern beaches,' he said.

'I mean, how hypocritical do you need to be.'

On Ms Steggall's website it states: 'For the record, I have solar panels on my house, I drive an electric car and I do not support wind farms along Warringahs beachfront.'

As for whether he was disappointed by his portrayal on the ABC, Mr Piper said it did not surprise him.

'All these once trusted institutions that you once supported - the ABC or the CSIRO or the BOM - they are destroyed they have don't any integrity or credibility left,' he said.

'We know that. Anyone with their eyes and ears open knows that.'

The ABC has been contacted for comment.
Qantas' newest mega deal has taken flight, with more than 100,000 discounted seats to New Zealand on offer.

Australians looking for a getaway to Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown or Wellington can now purchase flights from $549 return from most Australian capital cities.

The discounted airfares, which include checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages and seat selection, are available for a range of different travel periods between April 2024 and February 2025.

Australians can purchase flights to New Zealand from $549 as part of a new deal. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Economy sale fares (return)

Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne - Auckland $549

Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne - Christchurch $569

Brisbane - Wellington $569

Melbourne - Queenstown $579

Adelaide - Auckland $669

Adelaide - Queenstown $769

Perth - Christchurch $1,079

Perth - Wellington $1,099

Business sale fares (return)

Sydney - Auckland $1,199

Brisbane - Christchurch $1,199

Melbourne - Wellington $1,199

More than one million Australians travelled to New Zealand in 2023. Picture: Tourism New Zealand.

New Zealand has long been a popular holiday destination, with 1.26 million Australians travelling to the idyllic location in 2023, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The mega deal is the airline's tenth sale this year and comes after Qantas has already discounted more than two million seats across the nine sales.

The sale fares are available until 11.59pm (AEST) April 11 2024 or unless sold out prior.

Holiday-makers can visit qantas.com for more details.
A Democratic Colorado State Senator announced she is getting substance abuse treatment after she arrived late to a public hearing late, appeared intoxicated, slurred her words and scrolled on her phone while community members talked.

Faith Winter, the assistant senate majority leader, was nearly 10 minutes late on Wednesday to a community hearing in Northglenn about a plan to open a halfway house for sex offenders near an elementary school.

When she walked in during opening statements, Winter - who was one of the sponsors of the bill proposing the housing - appeared unaware she was supposed to be sitting with the panelist.

Once she sat down, the top-ranking democrat gave brief and stumbling remarks. 'Most folks that go to prison, come out of prison. And we have to decide how and when and where we handle that an every local community has issues,' Winter said.

At one point in the meeting, a member of the audience shouted at Winter for scrolling on her phone while people were sharing their concerns over the facility. She responded with a garbled speech that she was using it to look up statistics.

Democratic Colorado State Senator Faith Winter announced she is getting substance abuse treatment one day after showing up to a public meeting drunk

She walked in 10 minutes late and appeared unaware she was supposed to be sitting with the panelist

At one point in the meeting, a member of the audience shouted at Winter for scrolling on her phone while people were sharing their concerns

Lissette Loya, an audience member, posted a video on Facebook of Winter looking down at her phone during the meeting.

'This was Faith Winter yesterday at our meeting as people were speaking about their own experience with sexual abuse. She was so disrespectful being on her phone and claimed her faces were because she was "reliving her own trauma."' Loya said.

On Thursday, Winter revealed to The Colorado Sun she seeking medical treatment for substance abuse and stepping down from her role as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee.

'I deeply regret my behavior last night. I made a mistake and Im truly sorry for any inconvenience or discomfort I caused. I take full responsibility for my actions and I am committed to making things right,' she said.

'I especially apologize to the city of Northglenn and the citizens that came out  I deeply care about your thoughts and community. I am now under the care of medical professionals and receiving treatment for my substance abuse disorder.'

Sources told The Colorado Sun that her colleagues in the senate have been concerned about her drinking and encouraged her to get help.

Senate President Steve Fenberg told The Denver Post he was 'heartened to see' that Winter is getting help for alcoholism.

'Sen. Winter is an important and valued leader in the Senate Democratic Caucus and I know, with the support of her friends and family, she will get through this challenge,' Fenberg said.

Winter said on Thursday she is seeking medical treatment for substance abuse and stepping down from her role as chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee

Winter suffered a head injury after a bicycle crash that required her to have brain surgery in September

Winter suffered a head injury after a bicycle crash that required her to have brain surgery in September.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the state senator said she crashed into a curb while trying to avoid a large truck. Although she was wearing a helmet, she experienced a head injury and had to undergo surgery to remove pressure on her brain.

She revealed in August 2022 that she discovered she had an autoimmune disease that led to pulmonary hypertension after she fainted while trying to board a plane.

Winter was elected the state senator of District 25, representing Adams, Broomfield and Weld counties in 2018. She was reelected in 2022 and her term ends in January 2027.

Prior to that she was a Westminster city councilwoman and was elected to the state house in 2014.
Rishi Sunak last night faced a backlash from Tory Right-wingers over migrant flights to Rwanda after he flip-flopped on ditching human rights laws.

Up to 40 Tory backbenchers decided in January not to rebel against the asylum deal after the Prime Minister said doing so would risk Rwanda dumping it.

Yet on Wednesday he said border controls trump 'our membership of any foreign court'  seemingly clearing the way to quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The apparent contradiction enraged the MPs. One said: 'So we couldn't go any further on ECHR in the Safety of Rwanda Bill because the Rwandan government would pull out on the deal but now we can leave it entirely?

Rishi Sunak last night faced a backlash from Tory Right-wingers over migrant flights to Rwanda after he flip-flopped on ditching human rights laws

The Rwanda policy is designed to deter small boat migrants by sending them to east Africa to claim asylum. The Supreme Court declared it unlawful in November (File Image)

Suella Braverman has said not firming up the bill would be a 'betrayal of the British people'

'This has to be some sort of joke.'

Ex-home secretary Suella Braverman has said not firming up the bill would be a 'betrayal of the British people'.

The Rwanda policy is designed to deter small boat migrants by sending them to east Africa to claim asylum. The Supreme Court declared it unlawful in November.

Mr Sunak believes the Bill addresses the court's concerns and will finally allow removal flights to take off.
Police have launched a hunt for a knifeman after a teenage boy was stabbed to death in Manchester.

Greater Manchester Police have opened a murder investigation into the killing of a 17-year-old boy on Raby Street in Moss Side at around 4.15pm yesterday.

The teenager was taken to hospital but died a short time later. His family has been notified and police have confirmed that no arrests have yet been made.

Detective Superintendent Simon Moyles said: 'This is a tragic and senseless loss of life and our thoughts remain with the victim's family and friends at this time.'

Greater Manchester Police said they were called to Raby Street in the Moss Side area of the city at around 4.15pm on Thursday

The 17-year-old was taken to hospital but died a short time later. His family has been notified.

'They will remain at the forefront of our minds as we move forwards in our investigation to track down the person or persons responsible.'

He continued: 'Whilst no arrests have been made at this time, I want to assure the local community that a visible police presence will be in place in the local area over the coming days for reassurance and to carry out enquiries as we work tirelessly to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.

'We are continuing to appeal for any information or relevant footage - including mobile, CCTV, doorbell or dashcam. Any information you have will be treated with the strictest confidence and if you do have information to share, I urge you to do the right thing and report it to police.'

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the police on 101 quoting incident number 2280 of 4/4/24.
An advocacy body professing to stand for free speech says it has launched a helpline for anyone arrested or contacted by police in Scotland under the country's new hate crime legislation.

The Free Speech Union (FSU), led by social commentator Toby Young, says it has acquired an additional 1,000 new Scottish members in the last week following the enactment of the new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act on April 1.

It has signed a deal with legal firm Levy & McRae that will see the FSU fund them to represent free speech cases arising from the new legislation, which outlaws 'stirring up' hate based on race, age, religion, disability and transgender identity.

The hotline launch comes as Harry Potter author JK Rowling blasted Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf as 'bumbling' and 'illiberal' for introducing the law - while he labelled her comments on trans women 'upsetting and offensive'.

Both Rowling and Mr Yousaf have avoided being indicted under the new law: the author for her tweets calling trans women 'men'; and the politician for a 2020 speech in which he said he was often the 'only non-white person in the room'.

Scotland's new hate crime law has led to protests outside the Scottish Parliament (pictured)

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has sought to challenge the laws with tweets referring to transgender women as 'men'. They are not being treated as a hate crime

First Minister Humza Yousaf has staunchly defended the implementation of the law, claiming it is working exactly as intended after Rowling was found not to have committed a crime

Toby Young of the Free Speech Union, which has launched a hotline to help anyone accused of committing a hate crime under Scotland's new law

JK Rowling has opened a fresh war of words with the Scottish Government over its new hate crime law

The law has been criticised by some who see it as a threat to free speech (pictured: a protester with a mask of Mr Yousaf outside the Scottish Parliament on April 1)

Launching the hotline, the FSU's Mr Young said in remarks reported by The Times: 'Almost 1,000 new Scottish members have joined in the past fortnight, most of them women.

'We felt we needed to put a hotline in place in case any of them get into trouble with the police about something theyve said.

'If theyre arrested or interviewed under caution for something speech-related, we will do our best to get them a lawyer.'

The FSU is already lending its support to Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who is battling with Police Scotland to have a 'non-crime hate incident' (NCHI) mark against his name struck off.

Mr Fraser had compared someone's choice to identify as non-binary - neither exclusively male nor female - was 'as valid as choosing to identify as a cat'.

NCHIs are recorded against people following incidents judged to have been 'motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group' but not to have met the threshold for a criminal offence.

They are used for statistical purposes to measure tensions in and towards communities across Scotland.

But Mr Fraser claims the force has breached human rights, data protection and equality laws by recording the complaint against him over the comments as a non-criminal incident of hate.

He claims that the decision to label his comments a hate incident, whilst not applying the same classification to comments made by Mr Yousaf, 'reeks of political bias'.

Mr Yousaf is believed to be the subject of the most complaints under the new law over a video of a speech he made in the Scottish Parliament in 2020 following the Black Lives Matter protests.

It as been circulated for years, out of context, by far-right Twitter accounts seeking to portray the First Minister as racist because he points out that the vast majority of people in positions of power in Scotland are white.

Mr Yousaf was seeking to highlight how few people of colour are in positions of power in Scotland's parliament and government - but far-right activists stripped the clip of context and sought to suggest he was calling for a reduction in the number of white people in Scotland.

News agency Reuters issued a fact-checking note on the video after Elon Musk, owner of troubled social network X, formerly Twitter, branded Mr Yousaf a 'blatant racist' in response to a post of the video from a well-known right-wing account.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said of the latest complaints about the clip: 'We have received a number of complaints in relation to a speech in the Scottish Parliament on June 10, 2020.

'Earlier complaints regarding this matter were assessed at the time and it was established no crime was committed and no further action was required.'

JK Rowling has previously warred with the SNP over its stance on transgender people - branding Humza Yousaf's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon a 'destroyer of women's rights'

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has accused Police Scotland of 'making it up as they go'

As anger over Scotland's controversial hate crime law continues to grow, Conservative MSP Mr Fraser has demanded 'urgent clarity' from Police Scotland chief constable Jo Farrell

Mr Fraser's comments last year were logged as an NCHI but Police Scotland said Humza Yousaf and JK Rowling's would not be

Mr Fraser, who is considering legal action against Police Scotland, claimed the force's decision was politically biased

Rowling had taken to X on April 1 to test the limits of the new hate crime laws, singling out a number of convicted criminals as well as high-profile figures such as newsreader India Willoughby in a series of tweets about trans women.

Challenging police to arrest her over her tweets, the multimillionaire made multiple posts on Monday sarcastically referring to several high-profile trans women, as well as several convicted criminals, as 'she'.

She then said: 'April Fools! Only kidding. Obviously, the people mentioned in the above tweets aren't women at all, but men, every last one of them.'

Police said the remarks did not meet the criminal threshold and, like Mr Yousaf's remarks, will not be recorded as a NCHI.

The Scottish Government has previously said deliberately misgendering someone - referring to someone by pronouns other than those that they prefer - would not be criminalised under the new legislation.

Rowling - who also writes under male pen name Robert Galbraith - was supported by Elon Musk and the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who said on Tuesday: 'We should not be criminalising people for saying common-sense things about biological sex.'

Elsewhere, the decision not to investigate Rowling's comments prompted an outcry from transgender newsreader India Willoughby - one of the 10 trans women targeted in the writer's thread of tweets - who accused officers of getting 'stardust in their eyes'.

But on Tuesday, Rowling responded to the decision, writing online: 'If they go after any woman for simply calling a man a man, I'll repeat that woman's words and they can charge us both at once.'

The First Minister has staunchly defended the new hate crime law, which builds upon existing race hate legislation to add further protections for characteristics such as age, disability, transgender identity, religion and those who are intersex.

He appeared to agree with the police assessment that Rowling's posts were not criminal in comments made earlier today - but said that, in his view, her comments were 'offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people'.

He said: 'Those new offences that have been created by the act have a very high threshold for criminality.

'The behaviour has to be threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred. So it doesn't deal with people just being offended or upset or insulted.'

Rowling's comments - in which she labelled a number of trans women 'men' - were, he said, a 'perfect example' of how the law is working properly.

He continued: 'Anybody who read the act will not have been surprised at all that there's no arrests made.

'JK Rowling's tweets may well be offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people. But it doesn't mean that they meet a threshold of criminality of being threatening or abusive and intending to stir up hatred.'

Rowling's response to being told her tweets were not illegal - and will not be logged as a 'non-crime hate incident'

Some of the posts made by JK Rowling on X/Twitter on transgender women, which police say did not meet the criminal threshold when assessed under Scotland's new hate crime laws

In response, Rowling fired back at the FM's 'bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism' in implementing the new law, adding: 'But we aren't lobbying to have him locked up for it.'

Rowling's response tweet has been seen over 800,000 times according to X statistics, liked by 32,000 people and shared 4,800 times.

And it marks another war of words between the millionaire writer, who lives in Edinburgh, and the SNP - after she wore a t-shirt describing Mr Yousaf's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as a 'destroyer of women's rights'.

It comes as the Scottish Tories estimate that 1.4million complaints could be made under the controversial new law in the first year.

Calum Steele, the former general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said that around 3,800 cases were logged within the first 24 hours of the act coming into force Monday.

The Scottish Tories have claimed that if the rate continues for the next 12 months, a total of 1.387 million crimes will be reported during 2024/2025 financial year.

Siobhian Brown, the SNP community safety minister, said 'misinformation and hysteria' have led to wrongful assumptions about the legislation.

She also said that one of the 4,000 complaints made to Police Scotland since it came into effect was submitted by someone pretending to be her.

'I think also, in the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of misinformation and hysteria regarding this bill being introduced,' she told BBC Radio Scotland.

'I was surprised myself on Monday to receive a call from Police Scotland about my complaint - this was a fake complaint someone had done anonymously in my name, and gave my office number.

'I think this shows the publicity and misinformation that's out there about this Act, that people are making fake and vexatious complaints.'

Mr Yousaf also said on Thursday, following Ms Brown's comments, that he was 'very, very concerned' by the number of 'vexatious' reports being made under the new hate crime law, with more than 4,000 reported to have been made since April 1.

He said: 'It's not a huge surprise that when legislation is first introduced there can sometimes be a flurry of vexatious complaints.

'We've obviously seen that and I would say to people don't make vexatious complaints - you should desist - because what you're doing is wasting precious police resources and time.

'But I am very, very concerned about the fact that we have seen those complaints, but at the same time I know that police are very adept at dealing with vexatious complaints, they do it every day and they know how to treat them.'

Since the law came into effect, a house close to Mr Yousaf's in the Dundee suburb of Broughty Ferry has been daubed with racist graffiti containing derogatory references to Muslims and Pakistani people.

It has been universally condemned by the leaders of Scotland's political parties, and police are investigating.
A British-Mexican man is being held in detention in Qatar after police allegedly used a fake dating app profile to arrest and plant drugs on him because of his sexuality.

Former British Airways employee Manuel Guerrero, 44, was arrested on February 4 after police met up with him using the fake profile, according to his brother Enrique.

Guerrero was reportedly then denied access to his HIV medicine once in prison, according to The Times.

Despite being released from jail on March 18, Guerrero has had his passport confiscated and is not able to leave the country.

The drugs are not available in Qatar and Guerrero has reportedly run out of the small amount of medication he had stored in his flat.

Manuel Guerrero, 44, (pictured) was arrested on February 4 after police met up with him using a fake dating profile, according to his brother Enriqu

Guerrero with his brother Enrique. Guerrero is employed with Qatar Airways and has lived in the country for the past seven years

Vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for HIV and Aids, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, said: 'Stopping and starting the medication has a tendency to cause resistance, which could be making Manuel more ill.

'It also means his body could produce the HIV virus with immunity so there is a wider public health issue.'

Guerrero is employed with Qatar Airways and has lived in the country for the past seven years.

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalised in Qatar under its penal code and sharia.

A Qatari official said: 'The arrest and subsequent investigation are related solely to the possession and distribution of illegal substances.'

Police deny that Guerrero's arrest was connected to his sexuality, according to The Times.

Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing Central & Acton, said: 'I was disturbed to hear of this case and met Manuel's brother, Enrique, when he was in London this week when he supplied more details about the detainment.'

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'LGBT+ rights are an issue the UK prioritises internationally. Our close ties with Qatar allow us to engage on a range of topics, and we raise human rights issues whenever required and as a matter of principle.'
An infamous child killer who broke into a slumber party in 1993 and blindfolded three girls before abducting and murdering one of them could have his death sentence reversed.

Career criminal Richard Allen Davis, 69, was sentenced to death over the shocking murder of Polly Klaas in Petaluma, California.

The little girl's abduction from her own home during a slumber party she was hosting, at the place where she should have felt safest triggered international shock and revulsion

Davis strangled Klaas to death just hours after the horrifying abduction. He eventually confessed to the murder and was sentenced to death in 1996.

The killer had a long criminal past and had been released from prison for kidnapping a woman just months before the murder. The outcry over his long rap sheet led to California toughening up its sentencing laws for repeat offenders.

However, since then, a swelling prison population has meant the state has moved to eliminate sentencing enhancements for prior convictions, which Davis is now arguing should apply to his punishment. He is demanding a new sentencing in his case that could bring an end to his time on death row.

'It takes decades-old cases of extreme pain and throws it back into everybody's faces so we can give the criminal yet another chance. Where's my consideration?' Klaas' father Marc Klaas asked Mercury News as he slammed the law change.

Child killer Richard Allen Davis who broke into a slumber party in 1993 before abducting and murdering 12-year-old Polly Klaas has launched a bid to have his death sentence overturned. He is seen giving the finger after being convicted of Polly's murder in June 1996

Klaas and her friends were bound and blindfolded before Davis abducted her, strangling her to death in a ditch

Klaas was enjoying a slumber party with two friends at her Petaluma, California, home (pictured) when Davis broke up clutching a knife

The crime struck fear into the hearts of parents across the world when news of Klaas' disappearance on October 1, 1993, broke.

The child was with two friends when Davis burst into her Petaluma abode clutching a knife, while her mom and sister slept in the room next door.

He bound and blindfolded the girls before abducting Klaas and strangling her to death in a ditch.

Police who were unaware of the child's disappearance at the time ended up freeing Davis' car from the same ditch.

In the almost two months that followed, the Petaluma community launched a frantic search for the missing girl.

Davis only emerged as a suspect after a neighbor found red children's knitted tights, a sweatshirt and a piece of white silky cloth, which matched the binding used on the other girls.

Davis was arrested two days later on November 30 and confessed to the killing, eventually leading cops to Klaas' body under a piece of plywood.

Several pieces of DNA evidence also linked him to the scene. He was charged with murder, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted lewd acts on a child.

Career criminal Davis, 69, was sentenced to death over the shocking murder

The outcry over his long rap sheet led to California toughening up its sentencing laws for repeat offenders

The intense publicity around the case meant it had to be moved to Santa Clara County.

Davis was eventually handed the death penalty in 1996 and gave jurors the finger as the verdict was read.

He remains on death row currently, although all executions in California have been paused by Governor Gaving Newsom.

The outrage around Klaas' murder lead to California enacting the 'three strikes you're out' law calling for life sentences for repeat offenders.

Since then, successive governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom have enacted laws watering down the measures to combat mass incarceration.

In 2021, Democrat Sen. Ben Allen pushed through a bill that applied the elimination of prior conviction sentencing enhancements retroactively.

Davis' lawyers argued in February that the rule change means he should be entitled to a full resentencing as his initial penalty took into account four prior serious felony convictions and three previous prison terms.

But prosecutors do not believe the law change is applicable to the death sentence for the murder and say it would affect only two years worth of his prison sentence for other charges.

Marc Klaas, Polly's father, has railed against the change in sentencing laws

Allen has since stated that the law,' was definitely not intended to undo the death sentences of condemned killers'

'I agree with the prosecutors on this issue of interpretation and hope they prevail in court,' he told Mercury News.

Davis will not be put to death any time soon amid the state's pause on executions, and given the fact California has only carried out 13 executions between 1972 and 2019.

Newsom signed an order putting capital punishment on hold and calling for the closure of the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison as well as repealing the state's lethal injection protocol.

The order does not amend the conviction or sentence of condemned individuals, however.

'We had every expectation that the sentence of death recommended by the jury and imposed by Judge Thomas Hastings would keep him segregated from society for the rest of his life,' Klaas' father added. 'We could not have been more wrong!'

However, Klaas' sisters Jess and Annie Nichol have become vocal opponents to the three strikes law, pointing out that it disproportionately impacted minorities.

Marc Klass, father of kidnap-murder victim Polly Klaas, & wife Violet Cheer perusing through Polly's belongings in her bedroom

Macintosh computer screen displaying reward poster, through Internet bulletin board service, of Klass

Marc Klaas, father of Polly Klaas, hugs an unidentified friend after Davis was convicted

In 2021 they launched a podcast called A New Legacy which focuses on alternatives to tough-on-crime sentencing.

'As Pollys sisters, it is difficult to fathom how these laws became our sisters legacy, the state on their website.

'The beauty of Pollys life shouldnt be overshadowed by this pervasive injustice.

Up until now, we have been reluctant to insert ourselves into the conversation around criminal justice out of respect for differing perspectives in our own extended family.

'Pollys dad worked hard to see that stricter sentencing laws were passed after her death. We love and respect him, and its been painful to disagree about something thats so personal for all of us.'
Police officer Kristian White has pleaded not guilty to the allegation he fatally Tasered 95-year-old great-grandmother Clare Nowland at her nursing home.

The NSW policeman, 33, appeared in the Supreme Court via video link on Friday where he entered his formal plea and was committed to stand trial on November 11 on one count of manslaughter.

Mrs Nowland, a dementia sufferer who weighed just 43kg, had been holding a steak knife when she 'slowly' approached a police officer at the Yallambee Lodge in May, 2023.

NSW policeman Kristian White, 33, appeared in the Supreme Court via video link on Friday where he entered his formal plea and was committed to stand trial on November 11 on one count of manslaughter

Mrs Nowland, a dementia sufferer who weighed just 43kg, had been holding a steak knife when she 'slowly' approached a police officer at the Yallambee Lodge in May, 2023

It's alleged Snr Cnst White blasted a taser on Mrs Nowland, prompting her to collapse to the ground, knock her head and suffer a bleed to the brain.

Yallambee Lodge staff members reportedly called an ambulance just after 4am that morning with the two police officers arriving just before 5am.

They discovered a frail Mrs Nowland sitting in a chair at a desk inside the nurse's treatment room holding a knife in her right hand.

She was taken to Cooma Hospital where she later died from an inoperable brain bleed.

Mr White will remain on bail until his trial.
A disabled woman who spent her life lying down to avoid her skull separating from her spine has walked for the first time thanks to pioneering surgery.

Melanie Hartshorn was filmed standing up and taking several steps in a ground-breaking improvement before being embraced by her thrilled team of physios.

The 34-year-old, who has spent most of her life on her back, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which caused her skull to dislocate from her spine.

She was forced to live with a halo brace 24/7 to keep her in a fixed position to stop her suffering violent seizures which risked her being internally decapitated.

Melanie was just weeks from death before she became the first patient in the world to undergo surgery in October 2022 to have her neck and spine fused together.

A disabled woman who spent her life lying down to avoid her skull separating from her spine has walked for the first time thanks to pioneering surgery

Melanie Hartshorn was filmed standing up and taking several steps before being embraced by her thrilled team of physios

It was the only chance she had of survival and she managed to raise nearly 100,000 for the operation which is not available on the NHS.

Melanie spent months in hospital and underwent a second operation last February before flying home to the UK.

Just over a year later, Melanie, from Cramlington, Northumberland, has taken her first steps and hopes in time she will be able to live a normal life.

She said: 'It was a very wonderful and weird feeling to stand up on my own for the first time.

'I could only shuffle a few steps but I have to teach my legs, feet and ankles how to walk.'

Melanie, who is volunteering at a primary school to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher, added: 'My surgeon is really pleased with how everything has gone because they didn't know if it was going to work.

The 34-year-old, who has spent most of her life on her back, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which caused her skull to dislocate from her spine

Melanie spent months in hospital and underwent a second operation last February before flying home to the UK

'In fact it's going a lot better than anyone thought and I have done really well.

'After the operations I had problems swallowing and I had a feeding tube.

READ MORE - Nurse Cindy Mullins, 41, who became a quadruple amputee after getting sepsis from routine kidney surgery looks in agony as she learns to WALK again for first time using prosthetics Advertisement

'It's only three months ago that I stopped having to use it and swallow normally.

'I was in a normal wheelchair but it didn't offer much support to I still had to lie down for long periods.

'Now I have a much better chair now which allows me sit for four hours at a time.

'I do physio once a week at the hospital but every day I do my own routine at home strengthening my legs and feet.

'I still wear my back brace but I've come this far I'm not going to stop. I want my life back.'

Melanie is the first patient in the world to have her neck and spine fused through her mouth after surgeon Dr Vicenc Gilete performed two operations in Barcelona.

She is now having regular injections to help her bones fuse better and is preparing to start a teaching course and move into her own home.

She is now having regular injections to help her bones fuse better and is preparing to start a teaching course and move into her own home

Melanie is the first patient in the world to have her neck and spine fused through her mouth after surgeon Dr Vicenc Gilete performed two operations in Barcelona

Standing unaided for the first time marks a landmark moment for Melanie who feared she would spend the rest of her life lying down after previous operations failed.

Despite her condition, she still managed to complete a biology degree at Newcastle University and collected her certificate lying flat on a medical trolley stretcher.

Melanie, who is now recovering at home with her mother Molly, 72, said: 'When I was in the halo it was just so awful. I was in a really desperate position.

'There was just no end in sight and there was no way out of it. The operation gave me a chance and I'm going to seize it with both hands.'

Melanie has so far raised 151,000 on her GoFundMe page but needs a total of 165,000 to cover her medical bills.
Chilling texts that were allegedly sent by a gang as they threatened to cut off a woman's toes with a bolt-cutter over $25million worth of stolen cocaine have emerged.

A 40-year-old accused kidnapper, who can only be identified as AN for legal reasons, allegedly snatched the woman off a Sydney street and passed her to a group of men who allegedly tortured her for two days in an Ermington basement.

Police claim the woman had a gun held to her head as the gang of up to nine men allegedly tried to extract a 'confession' about the location of 84kg of missing cocaine.

They allegedly sent photos of her severed toe to her boyfriend, and pictures of a gun to her head with the words: 'You think we're joking'.

Other text messages allegedly sent by the group include: 'I just cut her toe off', 'Fingers next' and 'I just stomped on her head.'

The gang allegedly even kidnapped and tortured two two male friends of the woman when they were unable to ascertain the location of the cocaine.

Texts allegedly sent by the gang as they tried to find the location of the missing cocaine include 'Fingers next' and 'I just stomped on her head'

The bloodied van in which a male friend of the woman was allegedly stomped on before having his fingers cut off

The woman was held for two days in a basement and allegedly tortured, including having her toes cut off with a bolt cutter while her boyfriend was texted 'I just cut off her toe .... fingers next'

The hand of one of the male friends who allegedly had fingers amputated in the horrifying ordeal

In another set of messages, the partner was then warned, '20 minutes and something else is coming off' and 'you don't just steal 25 mil and hope it goes away.

'If the police are informed she is dead,' another alleged message said.

Some of the men then taped her half naked body to a tree under cover of night, police alleged.

After she broke free the woman found help and spent six days in John Hunter Hospital.

Police allege the kidnapper AN then tried to flee the country for Thailand as cops seized his father's van, which they claim was used in the woman's kidnap.

Two of the woman's close male friends were also allegedly kidnapped and tortured.

One allegedly had his face stomped in the back of a van and then had his fingers cut off.

Another set of alleged messages sent by the gang as they tried to locate the cocaine

Accused kidnapper's bail application

The NSW Supreme Court heard on Friday that AN had been engaged in a drug operation with the woman involving 'dead drops' of drugs in public places like parks.

When the massive lot of cocaine went missing, AN allegedly blamed the theft on the woman.

In mid-February last year she was allegedly kidnapped, held in a basement and tortured by up to nine men.

The woman was held in an Ermington basemen for three days while men held a gun to her head, cut off her toes with a bolt cutter and then tied her to a tree in bushland

The male victims allegedly had fingers and toes severed and one of the men has his head stomped on during the ordeal in February last year

AN allegedly told the woman he would be leaving Australia for Vietnam, but on February 18, 2024 he was found at the airport preparing to board a flight to Hong Kong with a connection to Phuket, Thailand.

He had $10,000 in cash in his possession. Police arrested and and charged him with six offences including take or detain in company with intent to ransom occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was also charged with possess unauthorised pistol, wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, knowingly direct criminal group, take detain in company for advantage occasioning actual bodily harm and knowingly direct a criminal group.

His bail hearing heard that he was 'drug addled' during the commission of the alleged offence.

The woman was held for two days while she was allegedly tortured over $25m of cocaine and her boyfriend sent texts including that if police were told she would be killed

With his client appearing via video link from prison, AN's lawyer Tom Hughes said that if granted bail the man had agreed to go straight into drug rehab at Connect Global in Port Stephens.

They lawyer said: 'Is he going to do a runner? He won't have a passport. He would be closely monitored ... and has family support.'

He said AN would wear a Satellite tracking anklet funded by his family who would also put up an $150,000 surety.

However, Crown prosecutor Raffaella Buttini said that apart from being a flight risk the alleged female victim, who would provide direct evidence at trial, was also potentially at risk if he wasn't behind bars.

Justice Mark Ierace formally refused AN bail, describing the alleged torture as 'harrowing' and saying his release posed an 'unacceptable risk'.

However His Honour did tell the accused he had been on remand for an 'unacceptable' period.

If the case was further delayed in the courts, he might make another bail application, the judge said.
Despite living in small town Washington - she claims that her community has been largely accepting of her unorthodox acceptance

One of the first openly transgender attorneys in Washington state has proven that her unique appearance has no impact on her success as a lawyer in her small town.

Lawyer Stephanie Mueller, 70, has been open about her background and says it has no impact on her ability as a public defender.

'I get good results because I'm a good lawyer. My gender is beside the point. This is very, very fabulous,' Mueller once said.

Despite her unique appearance, Mueller insists she has been 'treated with complete respect and great acceptance' since transitioning in 2012 - at the age of 58.

'It's really important to know that since I transitioned, full-time, more than 4 years ago, I have been treated with complete respect and great acceptance both personally and professionally,' she wrote on a 2016 GoFundMe page raising money for a new car.

Stephanie Mueller, 70, is one of Washington state's only openly transgender female trial attorneys

She transitioned in 2012 but had recognized her femininity since the age of six. Since coming out, she says she has been treated with complete respect and great acceptance' in court

Seattle journalist Jonathan Choe was in court to cover the case of Iris Boardman, a left-wing protester charged with disrupting a Seattle City Council meeting.

But it was Mueller who caught his Twitter followers' eyes.

The experienced lawyer made bold fashion choices and was not afraid to show off her large surgically-enhanced breasts in a tight low-cut blue top. She matched the top with black leather pants, black boots, bright yellow earrings and bold makeup.

Mueller was a model of efficiency in the courtroom and was filmed agreeing a date for a future hearing for Boardman - May 6 - with no-one around her batting an eyelid at her garb.

She also proved she is not to be trifled with during an exchange with a journalist outside following the proceedings.

When challenged that her client had been caught on camera, beaming Mueller quickly became steely.

'She's innocent of course,' Mueller insisted. 'My client has pled not guilty and she is not guilty, how about that?'

It is the kind of seasoned response that could only have come from her two decades' experience working as a representative for underprivileged clients accused of misdemeanors in the small town of Vashon.

Vashon is one of the more conservative areas in the largely liberal state of Washington.

'Everywhere I go, people are friendly and polite. In the courtroom, the issue has never once arisen - as should be the case.'

Mueller's eye-popping outfits like this one seen at Seattle municipal court may raise eyebrows, but she insists they have no bearing on her cases

Mueller believes she may be the only openly transgender woman trial attorney in the state and says she uses her position to bring 'diversity to the practice of law'

Users on X were not as accepting of Mueller and her progressive identity.

'Why are we calling this guy Stephanie. It's not his real name, it's Stephen,' one cruel user said.

Many pointed out Mueller's bold outfit. 'Yea ok cause a real female lawyer would actually dress that way for a court proceeding,' one user said. 'Are those leather pants? Strange clothes for a lawyer,' another wrote.

Mueller believes she may be the only openly transgender woman trial attorney in the state and says she uses her position to bring 'diversity to the practice of law.'

But she admits it can feel 'really lonely' to be in such a trailblazing position.

Still, Mueller prides herself on being, 'a distinctive and active voice for the civil rights of all with a particular awareness for transgender rights.'

Sporting thick false eyelashes, huge yellow earrings and a bright red lip, Mueller certainly stood out among the drab court room setting.

'For 20 years I've been providing a significant public service to my community. I offer counseling and ongoing support to my clients accused of petty crimes, most do very well and do not re-offend,' Mueller said.

Video of the exchange with the reporter raised eyebrows among social media users with many gawking at her appearance, which is reminiscent of trans teacher Kayla Lemieux who also turned heads when photos circulated showing her massive breasts while working at a Canadian high school.

Unlike Mueller, Lemieux's breasts were prosthetic, sparking accusations that she was pretending to be trans. Lemieux turned up for the first day of school last fall dressed as a man, seeming to bear out those claims.

But Mueller, who has two daughters and recognized her femininity at age six, explains that she has been fully supported with her transition by her family

'Four years ago I had no idea how everybody would respond and I really wondered if a jury would take me seriously or worse, if someone on a panel would be offended by my appearance,' she said.

Mueller has been fully supported with her transition by her family and recognized her femininity at age six

As well as her part-time public defense work, Mueller works with the Lavender Rights Project, an organization supporting black trans and intersex individuals

'I've done several jury trials since the switch and my appearance has never been an issue, as far as I can tell, and my clients have gotten the not-guilty verdicts they should have gotten.

'But 50 years of apartheid-solitary confinement never gets wiped out, so I have to understand and control the tight ball of terror that I feel every time (I mean every time) I step outside. I'm getting used to it.'

Mueller's Facebook indicates she studied at Earlham College in Indiana and hails from Old Lyme, Connecticut.

As well as her part-time public defense work, she works with the Lavender Rights Project, an organization supporting black trans and intersex individuals.

The position adds to a long career in public service, stretching back to her first job out of college near Chicago, working as a residential counselor for teens with developmental challenges.

Several roles working with at-risk teens followed before she attended law school, ultimately leading to the role she is in today.

'If you are doing something in public that no one else seems to be doing it's reasonable to wonder if you're doing the right thing,' Mueller admitted.

She explained in 2016 how she sought to find out if there are any other 'trans women lawyers out there'.

'I'm not sure what it means that I'm the only one, but I plan to ask more questions of more folks in the legal community to see what's what. I'm still working on it,' Mueller said.

However, she is not entirely alone and in 2022, ten transgender attorneys were admitted to practice before the Supreme Court.
But they fear they will never be allowed in if Donald Trump is elected and cuts off legal pathways to the US

They applied via the CBP One app after making arduous journeys from lawless, collapsing homelands

Hundreds of migrants are waiting in squalid camps in Mexico for appointments to enter the US legally

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Migrants camped out in Mexico say they want Joe Biden to win the November election - because Donald Trump will never let them into the United States if he gets back into the White House.

Hundreds of migrants are enduring the muddy, smelly encampment in Matamoros while they wait - for how long remains a question - for appointments with Customs and Border Protection.

But they all have one big worry that is out of their control: If they don't make it over the border by election day, they say they need Biden to prevail over Donald Trump - who has promised to crack down on the border.

During Trump's first term in office, he slashed immigration by cutting down on visas and green cards, and the migrants fear he will shut down their only hope of legal entry.

'If it's Trump, it doesn't matter how much I work or want to work. They won't let me in,' pipe fitter Richard Betancourt, 46, told The Free Press.

Migrants camped out in Mexico say they want Joe Biden to win the November election - because Donald Trump will never let them into the United States if he gets back into the White House

If they don't make it over the border by election day, they say they need Biden to prevail over Donald Trump - who promises to crack down on the border

Over the Rio Grande in Mexico is Brownsville, Texas , one of the biggest crossings locations at the border

'I want Biden to win,' Daniel Cortez, 45, a mechanic from Honduras, said.

Another migrant, Alejandra Falcon, 26, added: 'If he doesn't win, I can't imagine what will happen.'

Until they receive the email with their appointment time, they wait, in the hope their time will come and their months-long journey won't have been in vain.

The tents are slick with mildew, stink from the portable toilets wafts through the air, mixing with the scent of chicken cooking on outdoor fires, with shoes ruined by the journey, discarded dolls, and assorted trash piled on the fringes.

Just over the Rio Grande is Brownsville, Texas, is one of the biggest crossings and one that has become a flash point. Unlike the up to 10,000 migrants swimming the river, scaling walls and clambering through razor wire to cross the border every day, the asylum-seekers in this camp applied through the CBP One app.

The app allows them to claim asylum and wait for an interview at the border, after which they are released into the US pending a hearing to determine the validity of their claim.

A woman from Honduras holds her three-year old daughter as she sits with a group who returned to Mexico to await their US asylum hearing, as they block the Puerta Mexico international border crossing bridge to demand quickness in their asylum

A massive migrant encampment, mostly comprised of Venezuelans, is set up along the Rio Grande in Matamoros

A migrant who is seeking asylum in the United States arrives with his belongings at a makeshift encampment near the border

Trump during his four years in the White House talked about building a wall to keep migrants out, but failed to stop the flow of people over the border and deported fewer people than Barack Obama. Instead, he slashed legal immigration by making visas and green cards harder to get.

Soon after he was turfed out of office by Biden, millions of desperate migrants were looking for a way north as the Venezuelan economy went into freefall and the country descended into lawlessness.

The vast majority of the migrants biding their time at the border, or skipping the wait by sneaking over it, are Venezuelans fleeing the all-consuming chaos of their country.

The include Alejandra and her brother Lionel, 23, who started the arduous 1,400-mile journey from Caracas eight months ago, meeting compatriot Christian Mohammed, 24, at a bus station in Panama.

The six-week journey involved four buses, 20 vans, and the extremely dangerous hike across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama - risking death fording rivers, hacking through jungle and climbing mountains.

That Alejandra wasn't raped and her companions weren't robbed, and no one was bitten by a venomous snake, was more than a minor miracle.

'We're like a family here. We know everyone. We take care of each other,' she said of the camp, despite its hardships.

A church showed up to offer migrants bibles, dry rice and dry beans, which will be difficult for them to cook

The asylum-seekers in this camp applied through the CBP One app to enter the US legally

Clothes piled up outside one of the tents inside the migrant camp

Shoes discarded after they were wrecked during the arduous journey north to the border

None of the trio were worried about how many Americans don't want them in their country because the alternative was so bleak.

'No matter what, it's going to be roses, because it'll be better than where we came from,' said Lionel, who wants to join a friend working at a nightclub in Louisville, Kentucky.

The migrants are caught in a clash between the two major American political parties that is making the border issue look increasingly unsolvable.

As 2million people a year streamed over the border, Biden tried to address the issue with a bipartisan bill cooked up after months of negotiation in the Senate. Not only did he have to navigate the usual party-political haggling, the fringe left of the Democratic Party was determined to keep the border completely open.

Many other more moderate Democrats did little to stop them, for fear of appearing racist.

Just when it seemed like a solution was at hand, Trump bullied House Republicans into killing the bill so he could use the immigration crisis to bludgeon Biden in the election campaign.

The migrants all have one big worry - if they don't make it over the border by election day, they need Joe Biden to prevail over Donald Trump, fearing he will cut off their path to legal entry

Migrants wait in line over the border in Brownsville, Texas, to surrender to border patrol after sneaking across

The bill would have tried to fix a huge problem with the immigration system the CBP One app tried to address but could only do a partial job.

Asylum-seekers claiming sanctuary in the US have to show they were persecuted or otherwise in fear of violence in their home country and had little choice but to flee. Whether they apply through the app or sneak over the border and surrender to authorities, they are given a 'notice to appear' in an immigration court to plead their case.

Migrants merely have to say they have a 'credible fear' of returning and they are let in - the proof comes in court later.

The process, of course, leads to many migrants who want to come to the US for a better life than poverty, gang violence, or entrenched corruption saying they fear for their lives.

Such people would be denied asylum and deported, but the system has for decades been so over stretched that it takes five to nine years to get a court date.

Until that time, migrants are cut loose, with or without work permits, to roam around the US either voluntarily, or after being packed on to a bus by Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and sent to a city like New York or Chicago.

By the time the court date comes, many of the migrant are difficult - if not impossible - to find.

Biden's immigration bill would have, he claimed in the State of the Union, slashed the waiting time to six months or even six weeks.

Instead, public services are stretched beyond their limits from Texas to NYC, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles as more migrants arrive destitute and needing help to get on their feet.

A small bodega is setup inside a massive migrant encampment, mostly comprised of Venezuelans, is set up along the Rio Grande in Matamoros

Tanya Guadalupe, of Honduras, is alone in the mass encampment with her three children, Kenny, 6, and Brian, 2, pictured, in Matamoros, Mexico. Guadalupe is also pregnant with a fourth child

Shoes ruined by the journey, discarded dolls, and assorted trash are piled on the fringes of the camp

Johangel Chavez, 28, of Venezuela, cuts Albert Pineda's hair, 40, also of Venezuela. A hair salon is setup inside the massive migrant encampment

But the problem with solving the crisis runs deeper than one election cycle, according to political experts.

Democrats are at war with each other on how open the border should be, and Republicans have for decades been unwilling to crack down in practice because their business base relied on cheap undocumented labor.

UCLA professor Margaret Peters argues in her book Trading Barriers: Immigration and the Remaking of Globalization that Republicans are only hardening their stance now because big business is outsourcing so much work overseas.

Seth Stodder, a border security adviser to both George W. Bush and Obama said both parties had accused each other for many years of being unwilling to solve the problem.

'There was always probably some, but not much, truth to Republicans' claim that Democrats were hoping migrants would become future Democrats,' he told The Free Press.

'And there was definitely some truth to Democratic claims that while Republicans talked tough about border security, in reality, they did little to stem the flows of cheap migrant labor that GOP-supporting businesses craved.

'But the facts and political realities have changed, and it's unclear that either of those criticisms actually applies anymore. They've just hardened into party orthodoxies.'

A massive migrant encampment, mostly comprised of Venezuelans, is set up along the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico

Inside the migrant camp are small makeshift restaurants and bodegas. Some of the dishes include rice and chicken, beef chops and authentic Venezuelan arepas

Another makeshift bodega sells packaged goods like instant noodles and coffee

A migrant stands in the cold weather at a makeshift camp on the US-Mexico border in Matamoros

Meanwhile, Venezuelans trying to cross the border are facing a new hurdle - a crackdown by Mexico. The pushback in recent months  at the urging of the Biden administration  has hit Venezuelans especially hard.

The development highlights how much the US depends on Mexico to control migration, which has reached unprecedented levels and is a top issue for voters as Biden seeks reelection.

Arrests of migrants for illegally crossing the US-Mexico border have dropped so this year after a record high in December.

The biggest decline was among Venezuelans, whose arrests plummeted to 3,184 in February and 4,422 in January from 49,717 in December. Mexico's strategy to keep migrants closer to its border with Guatemala than the US is at least temporary relief for the Biden administration.

Large numbers of Venezuelans began reaching the US in 2021, first by flying to Mexico and then on foot and by bus after Mexico imposed visa restrictions. In September, Venezuelans briefly replaced Mexicans as the largest nationality crossing the border.

Mexico's efforts have included forcing migrants from trains, flying and busing them to the southern part of the country, and flying some home to Venezuela.

Migrants cross the Rio Grande River as they try to get to the US, as seen from Matamoros

The National Guard can been seen guarding border across the Rio Grande

Julio Rojas, Brenda Hernandez, Yusmare Galarraga and Freddie Vizcaya, all from Venezuela, keep each other company in the camp

Burning rubbish adds to the camp's chaos and unpleasantness

Last month, Mexico said it would give about $110 a month for six months to each Venezuelan it deports, hoping they won't come back. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador extended the offer Tuesday to Ecuadorians and Colombians.

'If you support people in their places of origin, the migratory flow reduces considerably, but that requires resources and that is what the United States government has not wanted to do,' said Lopez Obrador, who is barred by term limits from running in June elections.

Migrants say they must pay corrupt officials at Mexico's frequent government checkpoints to avoid being sent back to southern cities. Each setback is costly and frustrating.

'In the end, it is a business because wherever you get to, they want to take the last of what you have,' said Yessica Gutierrez, 30, who left Venezuela in January in a group of 15 family members that includes young children. They avoided some checkpoints by hiking through brush.

The group is now waiting in Mexico City to get an appointment so they can legally cross the US-Mexico border. To use the CBP One app, applicants must be in central or northern Mexico.

So Gutierrez's group sleeps in two donated tents across the street from a migrant shelter and checks the app daily.

A volunteer (right) welcomes a group of at least 25 immigrant asylum seekers who were officially allowed to cross from a migrant camp in Mexico into the United States

Migrants mostly from Central America get essentials donated by an NGO Team Brownsville, as they wait for their Covid-19 tests after they are dropped off by the US Customs and Border Protection at a bus station near the Gateway International Bridge, between the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico

Migrants pray before crossing the Gateway International Bridge to be processed to seek asylum in the US

More than 500,000 migrants have used the app to enter the US at land crossings with Mexico since its introduction in January 2023.

They can stay in the US for two years under a presidential authority called parole, which entitles them to work.

'I would rather cross the jungle 10 times than pass through Mexico once,' said Jose Alberto Uzcategui, who left a construction job in the Venezuelan city of Trujillo with his wife and sons, ages 5 and 7, in a family group of 11. They are biding time in Mexico City until they have enough money for a phone so they can use CBP One.

Many fear that venturing north of Mexico City will get them fleeced or returned to southern Mexico. The US admits 1,450 people a day through CBP One with appointments that are granted two weeks out.

Even if they evade Mexican authorities, migrants feel threatened by gangs who kidnap, extort and commit other violent crimes.

'You have to go town by town because the cartels need to put food on their plates,' said Maria Victoria Colmenares, 27, who waited seven months in Mexico City for a CBP One appointment, supporting her family by working as a waitress while her husband worked at a car wash.

'It's worth the wait because it brings a reward,' said Colmenares, who took a taxi from the Tijuana airport to the border crossing with San Diego, hours before her Tuesday appointment.

Migrants mostly form Central America wait in line to cross the border at the Gateway International Bridge into the US from Matamoros, Mexico to Brownsville, Texas

Migrant people try to get to the US through the Rio Grande as seen from Matamoros

Some Venezuelans still come north despite the perils. Marbelis Torrealba, 35, arrived in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, with her sister and niece this week, carrying the ashes of her daughter who drowned in a boat that capsized in Nicaragua.

She said they were robbed by Mexican officials and gangs and returned several times to southern Mexico.

A shelter arranged for them to enter the US legally on emergency humanitarian grounds, but she was prepared to cross illegally.

'I already experienced the worst: Seeing your child die in front of you and not being able to do anything.'

'In the jungle, you have to prepare for animals. In Mexico, you have to prepare for humans,' Daniel Ventura, 37, said after three days walking through the Darien Gap and four months waiting in Mexico to enter the US legally using CBP One.

He and his family of six were headed to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, where he has a relative.
Two more injured with one in an induced coma

Rescue teams are desperately searching a popular waterway for an unknown number of missing persons after a horror collision between a catamaran and a tinnie left two other men injured.

Police responded to reports of a boating accident at Runaway Bay, a northern suburb of the Gold Coast, around 4:45am on Friday.

A member of the public reported the incident after his 12m catamaran was rammed by an out-of-control tinnie which had earlier hit a channel marker on Broadwater at Southport.

Two men were treated by emergency workers, one aged 34 and the other 36, with the younger man later placed into an induced coma by paramedics.

The 36-year-old swam from the water to Paradise Point before both men were assessed for arm and leg injuries and taken to Gold Coast University Hospital.

Emergency teams were called to Runaway Bay, a suburb on the northern Gold Coast, after reports that a tinnie had crashed

When paramedics arrived they found two men aged in their 30s injured - they were both rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital with arm and leg injuries

Senior Sergeant Peter Venz from Water Police Gold Coast said that emergency crews were actively searching for the missing men.

'One person, possibly three, have been ejected into the water,' Snr Sgt Venz said.

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'A fourth person has become seriously injured and lodged in the boat in a position where he couldn't move.'

Rescuers found the man stuck near his seat and said he had sustained heavy blood loss.

The catamaran's skipper, David Crossley, told the Courier Mail that he and his wife were woken up by the sound of the tinnie hitting their boat, called Sea Pup.

He said that the smaller boat was 'revving like mad' after its initial collision on the waterway and was now going around in circles near his anchored boat.

'It banged into the boat and I ran up on deck and this thing's going round and round in circles,' Mr Crossley said.

'It didn't come back, it glanced the boat behind us. Then all of a sudden everything went quiet.'

Mr Crossley said that he could hear a voice from the boat calling for help before he spotted the 36-year-old injured man 'crumpled' aboard the tinnie.

Mr Crossley was able to lower his dinghy into the water and reach the tinnie in order to turn its engine off before helping the injured man.

He towed the tinnie 50m to the shore on South Stradbroke Island before calling the authorities to report the crash.

The tinnie had initially collided with a channel marker before veering off and hitting David Crossley's 12m catamaran (stock image)

Mr Crossley (pictured) rescued a 34-year-old man who was still aboard the drifting tinnie before towing the boat 50m to South Stradbroke Island

Mr Crossley said the injured man had likely broken his arm and leg and was 'semiconscious and badly concussed, repeating himself over and over again'.

The man was treated on the scene before being rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma.

Snr Sgt Venz said investigations were still ongoing and that police were treating the event as a missing persons incident.

Mr Crossley said that before the 36-year-old was taken by paramedics, he had been asking about the three other people that were allegedly also aboard the tinnie.

Rescue workers are still searching for the two other men they believe to have been involved in the crash who may still be somewhere on or around the waterway.

Their operation includes both emergency and civilian vehicles.

Families are helping park rangers scour the South Stradbroke Island area and assets have been sent from Brisbane to assist in the water search.

Snr Sgt Venz has also asked boaties to be on the look out for anything out of the ordinary.

'Coast Guard and VMR are speaking on Channel 7, 3 and 16 alerting all boaties to be aware that we have a marine incident with possible people in the water,' he said.
An illegal immigrant was accused of stabbing his wife to death in a Chicago area apartment and trying to decapitate her in front of their daughters.

Baltazar Perez-Estrada, 33, turned himself into the Carol Stream Police Department on Monday around 11.30am and confessed that he 'allegedly stabbed his wife,' Maricela Simon Franco, 26, according to court records.

Around 10pm Sunday, the couple had an argument at their home in the Carol Stream apartment complex, that soon turned physical after Baltazar discovered that his wife had a boyfriend, prosecutors said.

He proceeded to stab Maricela dozens of times in her neck, head, torso and hands before he attempted to decapitate her head while their two children were present, according to prosecutors.

'In this case, the sad reality is, Maricelas life has been reduced to a statistic of domestic violence due to the alleged actions of her husband, Baltazar Perez-Estrada,' the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office said.

Baltazar Perez-Estrada, 33, has been accused of stabbing his wife to death on Sunday before he tried to decapitate her in front of their daughters

Authorites later found out that Baltazar and his family had just entered the US illegally approxitmley two weeks before he took his wife's life

The couple had an argument at their home in the Carol Stream apartment complex, that soon turned physical after Baltazar discovered that his wife had a boyfriend

'This brutal, senseless act of violence alleged against Mr. Perez-Estrada will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'

Authorities later found out that Baltazar and his family had just entered the US illegally about two weeks before he allegedly took his wife's life.

The couple's two young daughters later told police that during the gruesome attack, they saw their father 'hitting' their mother with a knife.

A medical examiner later found the husband tried to decapitate Maricela's head. Maricela was pronounced dead at the scene.

One of the girls told the police her father got rid of the knife in a nearby pond, documents revealed.

A petition for pretrial detention, reviewed by the Daily Herald, revealed that before Baltazar turned himself into police, he confided in his brother about what he did.

The petition said he asked his brother to pick him and the kids up at the Glenside Library, where they were found covered in mud.

His brother then bought them new clothes and took them to his home so they could clean up before Baltazar told his brother what happened a night earlier. He then turned himself in to police.

According to the petition, before the alleged murder, Baltazar's brother said Maricela stopped by his apartment and said she planned on leaving her husband.

A previous police report revealed officers were called to the couple's house on March 17 for a domestic incident, but no criminal charges were filed.

The couple's two young daughters later told police that during the gruesome attack they saw their father 'hitting' their mother with a knife

A previous police report revealed officers were called to the couple's house on March 17 for a domestic incident, but no criminal charges were filed

On Thursday, a DuPage County judge decided to deny pre-trial release for Baltazar. He is expected in court on April 25 for arraignment and his immigration charges will be dealt with at a separate trial

'First and foremost, I offer my sincerest condolences to Maricelas surviving family and friends on their loss and wish them strength as they continue their lives without the love and support provided by Maricela,' DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said.

'The extremely violent end to a young mothers life is something that should touch us all. Domestic violence continues to be a scourge on society, claiming more than ten million victims a year in some form or fashion.'

Baltazar faces five counts of first-degree murder and he was charged by the US government with alien inadmissibility.

On Thursday, a DuPage County judge decided to deny pre-trial release for Baltazar.

He is expected in court on April 25 for arraignment and his immigration charges will be dealt with during a separate trial.

'The men and women of the Carol Stream Police Department stand by the family and friends of Maricela Simon Franco as they mourn this tragic loss,' Carol Stream Chief of Police Don Cummings said.

'Not only has this senseless and brutal act removed Maricela from their lives, but it has robbed two young children of their mother.'
A man had to check his security camera after waking up on garbage collection day to find his bin was missing.

The man from Morley in Western Australia soon discovered that a 'hungry' garbage truck had taken his green wheelie bin during its morning rounds.

After waking up to find his bin gone, the man checked his CCTV to see that the truck's hydraulic arm had accidentally dropped the bin into its trash compactor.

He said that the garbage truck that stole his bin had L-plates on it and laughed the incident off as 'pretty funny actually', while speaking with Yahoo Australia.

After reporting the incident, the resident's local council was 'very apologetic' and the bin was quickly replaced.

A man from Morley in Western Australia woke up one morning to find that his green wheelie bin was missing after garbage collection

After checking his CCTV footage the man realised that the garbage truck had accidentally dropped his bin in its trash compactor

The man clarified that he held no grudges against the rookie trash collector and that the incident made for a good story.

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'It was pretty obvious it was an accident, Ccuncil quickly replaced the bin, they were very apologetic,' he said.

'Learners do make mistakes, I'm guessing that hydraulic arm can take a while to master.'

Another resident in nearby Fremantle shared a similar story online about how their bin was taken in a similar way.

The City of Fremantle's Waste Manager Vitor Martins told the publication that 'these things can and do happen'.

Mr Martins added that 'a swift replacement is guaranteed' and that these kind of incidents are 'exceedingly rare'.

The truck's hydraulic arm often struggles to grip onto slippery bins, he explained, adding that driver error is sometimes a factor as well.

Mr Martins was not sure exactly which of these factors had led to the man from Morley's bin going missing however.

Bin-nappings are not exclusive to Morley and Fremantle, as one man from Swan clarified.

Blair Maughan shared a video of his own experience with hungry garbage trucks in the comment section of the original video.

Mr Maughan's video shows the truck swiftly scooping his bin up before dropping it into the compactor.

Blair Maughan said that the problem of bins going missing was not exclusive to Morley because the same thing had happened to him

Another person added that the same thing had happened to him and that they had managed to capture the exact moment that the truck's arm had lost its grip

Another man offered an alternative explanation as to how bins accidentally end up in the back of trucks.

'It happens quite a lot, the council told me when I was ordering a new one after I watched the truck swallow my bin', Bruce Hutchins wrote.

'If you squash too much heavy stuff in and it expands back out against the side and can't fall out, the weight drags the bin out of the clamp.'

A woman added that it had also happened to her and that her bin was replaced the following week.

Mr Martins however disputed that it was a rampant issue, claiming that his council could count 'on one hand' the amount of bins that had been stolen since 2020.

He said that there were two ways for people to report their bins missing if it did happen to them though.

One method was the garbage collector themselves reporting the incident after watching it happen and the second being residents reporting it themselves.

'The City aims for same-day replacement, ensuring nobody gets left in rubbish limbo,' he said.
An elderly man has died after he was allegedly beaten with a walking stick by another patient on a ward of a Queensland hospital, say detectives.

Police launched an investigation after the 84-year old victim was allegedly set upon by another patient in his 70s on March 24.

It is believed the older man was assaulted while sleeping in a hospital bed in a ward shared with his attacker at Hervey Bay Hospital, 300km north of Brisbane.

He died two days later on March 26.

An elderly man has died after he was allegedly beaten to death by a walking stick by another patient on a ward of a Queensland hospital, say detectives

'Initial investigations indicate a man allegedly assaulted an 84-year-old Torquay man with a walking stick on March 24,' a police spokesman told The Courier Mail.

Police are investigating witness reports that the man who carried out the violent assault was a dementia patient at the hospital.

Police continue to investigate the circumstances around the incident, and no charges have been laid.
President Joe Biden effectively gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum, reportedly warning Israel must protect civilians in Gaza or there will be consequences.

Biden warned Netanyahu that Israel could lose American support if civilians kept getting hurt and killed during and hour-long phone call on Thursday.

A senior administration official told CNN the president did not give specifics about how he would consider shifting US policy if Israel does not follow through, but gave a list of changes that need to be made.

The source said Biden and Netanyahu have moments of disagreement on the call, but there was no 'sparring.'

There is reportedly no follow-up call currently planned between the two leaders, but Friday morning Netanyahu's office announced it will reopen a key border crossing into northern Gaza.

President Joe Biden effectively gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum on Thursday

He warned Netanyahu that Israel could lose American support if civilians kept getting hurt and killed during and hour-long phone call

Sources said Biden and Netanyahu have moments of disagreement on the call, but there was no 'sparring'

The prime minister's security cabinet approved a series of 'immediate steps,' including the temporary reopening of the Erez crossing for the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7.

Israel also said it would allow its port in Ashdod to process aid shipments bound for Gaza, as well as permit an increase in Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing.

'This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war,' Netanyahu's office said.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the administration welcomed the move.

'As the President said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers,' she said.

Biden has been under pressure at home and abroad to do more to ensure civilian safety in Gaza. And he's faced criticism for being angry behind the scenes but not expressing that in public.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the Hamas attack of October 7, which killed 1,200.

A turning point for the president was the Israeli drone strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, who were delivering food to starving Palestinians in the Gaza strip on Monday.

Jacob Flickinger, 33, was a dual citizen of America and Canada who was killed in the strike. He was a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan.

On their call Thursday, Biden also urged Netanyahu for an immediate ceasefire.

'He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home,' the White House said in its readout.

Friday morning, Netanyahu's office announced it will reopen a key border crossing into northern Gaza

More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the Hamas attack of October 7, which killed 1,200. Picture: a Palestinian father holds one of his children that was killed in a drone strike

A turning point for the president was the Israeli drone strike that killed the World Central Kitchen workers

The White House declined to say what specific steps they wanted to see but made it clear they want to see them soon - within 'hours and days.'

'President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,' the White House said.

'He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps.'

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, 'There has to be tangible steps, let's see what [Israelis] announce, let's see what they do.'

'We expect that there will be some announcements coming from Israel in the coming hours and days.'

He described Biden as 'shaken' by the attack.

'We're looking for concrete steps to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza,' he said. 'If there's no changes to their policy and their approaches then there's going to have to be changes to ours.'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden's message.

'With regard to our policy in Gaza, look I'll just say this; If we don't see the changes that we need to see, there will be a change in our policy,' he said during a press conference in Brussels where he is attending a NATO meeting.
An Ohio high school teacher is facing termination after she called out sick for two days to attend a Nashville concert, it is claimed.

Eileen Washburn, an English teacher at Lakota West High School in Liberty Township, near Cincinnati, has been put on unpaid leave after the Lakota Local School District found out about her time off.

During a school board meeting on Wednesday, members ruled that Washburn 'falsified sick leave' on February 8 and 9 after she told her colleagues about her musical plans.

They decided to leave Washburn on unpaid leave until the next meeting, where they will vote on her termination.

In a statement, the school board said the teacher has declined to answer questions about her whereabouts on those dates and refused to discuss specifics on why she needed those days off. It's unclear who she allegedly went to see.

Eileen Washburn, an English teacher at Lakota West High School, has been put on unpaid leave and could faces termination after she 'falsified sick leave' to go to a concert

The school board said the teacher has declined to answer questions about her whereabouts on those dates and refused to discuss specifics on why she needed off those days

Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said the board will continue the teacher's current unpaid suspension until the next vote on April 22, unless 'Washburn files a written document for hearing within the time required.'

According to the high school's website, Washburn is an ESL teacher. She is also a board member for a nearby school district, Loveland City School District.

According to her profile page on the Loveland City School District's website, Washburn is married with kids, and has lived in the city of Loveland since 2005.

She previously taught at Princeton High School before she moved on to teach English at Lakota West High School in 2015.

In a post to X from 2019, Washburn shared a picture of herself with sock puppets on her hands and said: 'Teaching with sock puppets...I got a lot of laughs and great participation'

In a post to X from 2019, Washburn shared a picture of herself with sock puppets on her hands and said: 'Teaching with sock puppets...I got a lot of laughs and great participation.'

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported her contract expires at the end of 2025 at the high school.

It's unclear what concert she reportedly attended.

DailyMail.com contacted Washburn for comment.
A mother and daughter were horrified to find a huge snake latched onto their cat as it attacked the pet in their backyard.

In the footage, a cat is seen relaxing in the backyard of a property in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast before the mum spots the huge python lurking behind it.

As she yells, the snake grabs the cat's behind, which causes the startled pet to run inside the house while trailing the reptile behind it - leading to horrified screams from a young girl inside.

A mother was horrified to see a huge snake latch onto her cat in a suburban backyard

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The footage was posted on the Facebook page of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 by the business's founder Stuart McKenzie, who said it was one of the 'most insane videos' he had ever seen.

Mr McKenzie revealed the mother and daughter managed to detach the snake from their pet and get the no-venomous carpet python back outside before calling him.

'Thankfully they were able to get the snake off the cat, the cat took off for a bit of time out and the snake, we ended up relocating - it curled up behind their barbecue,' Mr McKenzie said.

'This is one of the most spine-tingling crazy videos you will ever see.'

The business's Facebook page also commended the homeowners.

'Honestly, the mum and daughter were so brave and did a fantastic job,' the caption to the video read.

The mother and daughter managed to rescue their cat from the snake and get the reptile back outside

After being caught by a snake handler the python carpet was released out into bushland

'It was a great effort to help the cat and not hurt the snake.'

A short clip shows the python on the back porch with the mother bolting down the side of the house to get away from it.

Mr McKenzie took a later video of the python curled up in a capture bag.

'Now obviously it is a tough situation if a pet is ever grabbed by a carpet python but they did the right thing, they were able to safely get the snake off the cat, get the coils of the cat and the snake tried to sleep it off,' Mr McKenzie said.

The python was released into bushland.

'Off you go buddy, no more grabbing pets please,' he told the departing reptile.

The tail-end of summer is when pythons are most active as hunters, as they eat a lot before winter when their metabolism drops.

This active period means they might hunt during the day, even though they are usually nocturnal.

Although pythons usually prey on small animals such as possums, cats, and dogs, they rarely look to humans for food and only attack when they feel threatened.
Millions of Australians are being warned not to drive as a major weather event wreaks havoc on schools, roads and flights, with the deadly deluge battering the east coast.

All residents of NSW have been told not to leave their homes unless their trips are 'necessary', with trains, roads and Sydney Airport in chaos as authorities struggle to cope with what is being called a 'rain bomb.

Two major weather systems have merged together, bringing as much as 300mm of rain from south-east Queensland to NSW's South Coast on Friday.

The rare weather phenomenon, known as a Black Nor'easter, plunged some areas into darkness in the middle of the day.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said large parts of the NSW east coast will get extreme rainfall and are at risk of flash flooding throughout Friday evening.

All residents of NSW have been told not to leave their homes unless their trips are 'necessary', as extreme weather wreaks havoc across the east coast. Lismore is pictured on Friday

People are seen as rain falls in the CBD of Brisbane, Friday, April 5, 2024

Widespread heavy to locally intense rainfall and damaging wind gusts are expected about central parts of the coast and ranges on Friday evening, moving south on Saturday

Sydney suburbs with the most rain from 9am Thursday to 4pm Friday Sydney City 132mm Wahroonga (Ada Avenue) 130mm Rose Bay 101mm Penrith 98mm Lidcombe 96mm Guildford 91mm Canterbury 91mm Mosman (Spit Bridge) 89mm Auburn 86mm Manly CBD 84mm Advertisement

'Our severe weather warning at the moment is covering a large area of eastern and southern parts of NSW, stretching from around Newcastle in the Hunter area down to Bega on the South Coast,' senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.

That includes 'all of the greater Sydney area, the Illawarra area and pushing into the Central Tablelands'.

In an update, BoM said 'A trough is forecast to deepen over eastern NSW and along central parts of the coast today and Saturday, under the influence of a slow-moving upper-level low over central NSW.

'Areas of heavy rain and gusty showers and a few thunderstorms will become more widespread south of about Newcastle this evening, including over the ranges and tablelands.

'Severe weather is expected to gradually shift south overnight and Saturday, while easing from the north as the trough moves southeast to the Tasman Sea.'

BoM has issued major flood warnings for parts of north-west and south-west Sydney, with thunderstorms possibly bringing locally intense rainfall.

It advised that major flooding is possible at Menangle, in the city's far south-west, from Saturday morning.

There could also be major flooding at North Richmond in the city's north-west.

Moderate flooding is possible at Windsor, which is also in the north-west, overnight on Friday.

Minor flooding is also expected at Camden Weir, Wallacia Weir, Penrith, Sackville and Lower Portland.

'Rainfall totals of up to 160mm have been observed in the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment since 9am Thursday,' the warning said.

'Further heavy rainfall is forecast through the catchment for the remainder of Friday and into Saturday. There is still uncertainty associated with the location and intensity of the heaviest falls.'

NSW SES Commissioner Carleen York said the wild weather hammering down across the state made driving dangerous and advised residents to stay indoors.

'I'm asking people that If it's not a necessary trip to put it off to another day,' she said.

More than 550 people have called the SES for help in the past 24 hours, with seven flood rescues conducted since Monday.

Residents in low-lying parts of Chipping Norton, a south-western Sydney suburb 27km from the CBD, have been ordered to leave by midnight.

The SES issued warnings to residents of Greater Sydney, telling them to prepare to evacuate as water levels rise on the Hawkesbury River.

Those living in Lower Portland east of the Hawkesbury River, residents at Gronos Point and Sackville have been told to evacuate before possible minor flooding.

The rain in Sydney is so heavy that the city beat its April average of 127mm in just 30 hours to 2.30pm on Friday, with 131.6mm falling in that time, Weatherzone reported.

Several roads across the city were closed this afternoon due to flooding, causing chaos at the start of the weekend.

Wakehurst Parkway on the northern beaches has been closed due to flooding between the Sydney Academy Of Sport and Recreation and Oxford Falls Road, since 4.30pm.

Backwater Road in Greenbank, Queensland is pictured damaged by floods on April 4, 2024

At Berkshire Park in north-western Sydney there has been flooding along St Marys Rd at Stony Creek Road since just before 3pm.

Queensland Police deputy commissioner Shane Chelepy urged everyone to reconsider travel plans if they can as heavy rain and flash flooding warnings remain in place for the southeast region.

'We are expecting to see continued showers and heavy rainfall,' he said.

'We have seen significant traffic incidents on the road today. If you don't need to be out on the road in this period, please reconsider your travel.'

His warning came as the M1 and Bruce Highway were at a standstill at multiple points on Friday due to traffic accidents.

A map of eastern New South Wales (pictured) shows the extent of the rain on Friday

The authorities are also monitoring rising flood waters in Charleville, with waters set to peak at 6.7metres on Friday night.

The town's levee gates, which reach a height of 7.9metres, were set to be put in place about this afternoon.

Deputy Commissioner Chelepy said the level gates will 'protect the town'.

'We're not expecting the waters to exceed that,' he said.

A major flood warning remains in place for the Warrego River, with moderate flooding expected to occur at Augathella and minor flooding at Cunnamulla Bridge.

The BoM is forecasting that 50 to 100mm of rain will fall in south-east Queensland on Friday.

Warragamba Dam, which supplies most of Sydney's water, is expected to spill over on Monday morning.

Thought the wet weather is set to ease up by Sunday, the dam is already at 96 per cent capacity.

It needs just 90mm of rain to spill, with weather forecasters predicting 150mm is on the way.

A vehicle attempts to drive through floodwater in the village of Tintenbar on April 4, 2024 in Byron Bay, Australia

Water is seen over the Newell Highway at Tackinbri Creek following heavy rainfall on Friday, April 5, 2024

'What's important about that is that the spill will occur likely when the rainfall event has moved on, so it is very important that the community remain vigilant,' Water NSW chief executive Andrew George told reporters on Friday.

Melbourne is, at least so far, escaping the severe weather that is hitting south-eastern Queensland the NSW east coast.

For the rest of Friday, it will be partly cloud in Melbourne, with winds south to south-easterly, ranging from 15 to 25 km/h.

On Saturday, it will be cloudy, with a medium chance of showers. Winds east to south-easterly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light in the morning.
Taking over a person's home for the purpose of illegal activity like selling or stashing drugs could become a criminal offence for the first time as MPs back new legislation.

County lines gangs who carry out the heartless practice, called 'cuckooing', could face seven years if convicted, according to the 48 MPs supporting the proposal.

The problem was highlighted in popular police dramas Happy Valley and Line of Duty - where Terry Boyle, who has Down's syndrome, is taken of advantage of by gangsters who hide a body in the freezer of his subsidised council flat.

However, the horrific practice - which is carried out on elderly and people with mental health issues - is very real with the most famous case being that of famous jazz trumpeter William Algar, who was murdered and dismembered after his flat was taken over by drug dealers.

And because it is not currently a specific crime to take over a person's home for the purpose of illegal enterprise, prosecuting 'cuckoos' can prove difficult.

'Cuckoo' victims can end up being persecuted, as Line of Duty depicted when Terry Boyle was arrested after a drug dealers had stored a body in his flat

Ciera Hulatt was handed a 'community protection notice', which effectively banned her from two Essex towns, after she was found in a number of homes that had been 'cuckooed'

Jazz trumpeter William Agar, 53, was chopped up in his own bathtub after his home had been taken over by drug dealers

Back in 2018, Ciera Hulatt was handed a 'community protection notice', which effectively banned her from two Essex towns, after she was found in a number of homes that had been 'cuckooed' by a county lines group called the 'knuckles gang'.

While this type of notice does stop a person from 'cuckooing' in a certain area, they are still free carry out the practice in other areas.

Back in December 2019, Trumpeter William Agar, who played with punk legends The Dammed, was killed and then dismembers in his tiny south-west London flat after a gang had taken over his home to use as a base for drug dealing.

The 53-year-old musician, who was known as Blaise and suffered mental health issues, had accepted that the criminals had taken over his house and that he was being treated as their 'slave' but he objected when they began torturing his cat and he was killed.

The jazz trumpeter was chopped up in his own bathtub before his body was disposed in a shallow grave in a nature reserve.

Janayo Lucima, 21, who was imprisoned for helping to dispose of the body, was shot dead at a property in West Kensington at around 10.20pm last Easter Monday.

Three others were sentenced for their part in disposing of Mr Algar's body - including Emeka Dawuda-Wodu who killed a rival drug dealer days after cutting up the corpse - but nobody has been convicted of his murder.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith has brought forward an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would make 'cuckooing' punishable by up to seven years in prison.

And in another horrific case in 2021, a terrified man had to flee from a drug dealer's home naked and covered in blood after he had been abducted for telling the police he had been 'cuckooed'.

Michael Kavanagh took over the victim's home in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire after stealing his keys - leaving the man to walk the streets.

The police changed the locks on the apartment while Kavanagh was out after the man told them what had happened.

When Kavanagh returned on he flew into rage and forced his way in, Hull Crown Court heard in 2021.

Prosecutor Amanda Johnson told the court three years ago: 'He found the victim hiding in the kitchen and Kavanagh then viciously assaulted him.

'He kicked him to the face and punched him three or four times. He grabbed him by the back of the head then banged his face on the floor.

'He picked him up by the scruff of the neck and frogmarched him out of the flat and into a Vauxhall car.'

The court heard Kavanagh then took the man to a house in Convamore Road, Grimsby with the help of two accomplices.

Kavanagh forced the man upstairs, told him to strip naked and then struck him around the head with a lamp, telling him he would stay there 'until he got back the money he was owed'.

When the others left the house to buy drugs, their victim seized the opportunity to escape. Ms Johnson continued: 'He looked out of the window and saw the car had gone.

'He went downstairs. He was under the impression the door was locked. There was a key in the door but whatever the position, in the state he was in, he perceived that he had been locked in.'

The man found a bike frame, threw it through the downstairs window and climbed out, severely cutting his arms, legs and feet.

Michael Kavanagh was jailed for eight and a half years in 2021 for abducting and torturing a man he had 'cuckooed'

The victim of a 'cuckooing' criminal was forced to flee naked and covered in blood after he was abducted

Ms Johnson added: 'He ran to a nearby shop and asked the shopkeeper to call an ambulance and the police and lock the shop door behind him.'

Kavanagh was jailed for eight and a half years for abducting and torturing the man in 2021.

Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland is backing the amendment as he believes taking over a vulnerable person's home should be a recognised crime.

He said: 'I think that "cuckooing" is another example of how we can reflect the sad reality that there are still many, many people out there who have vulnerabilities who are being exploited by criminal gangs or more sophisticated operators, who use these people as a human shield in order to conceal their criminal activities.

'Therefore, I think anything we can do to strip away that last shield has got to be a good thing in terms of really meeting the criminality where it lies.'

Sir Buckland added that victims of 'cuckooing' - who can be the elderly, people with mental health issues and learning disabilities - can face criminal prosecution.

He said: 'I think it is important that we seek to use the full force of the criminal law to tackle this type of exploitation.'

The Home Office said: 'Cuckooing is unacceptable, and the police already have a range of powers to step in and protect vulnerable people if they are being exploited in this way, including possible jail time for the perpetrator.

'We will consider the amendment and engage with parliamentary colleagues in the usual way.'
A Danish navy missile could launch any minute due to a technical error, forcing the country to close an area of air space and warn ships of a potential accidental strike.

Denmark's armed forces said the technical problem arose on a Harpoon missile on the frigate HDMS Niels Juel during testing at anchor in the Korsoer naval base, west of the capital Copenhagen.

'The launch vehicle, the booster, is activated, and currently cannot be disabled,' the military said in a statement.

The military said the missile is live, but only the booster is activated and there is no danger of the missile exploding or reaching farther than the booster rocket can lift it.

However, an unintentional launch could send fragments falling into Danish waters, posing a dangerous risk to other vehicles in the region.

Denmark's armed forces said the technical problem arose on a Harpoon missile on the frigate HDMS Niels Juel (pictured on Thursday) during testing at anchor in the Korsoer naval base

It says: 'Until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometres away.'

On its web page, the Danish Maritime Authority said there was a military drill taking place in the Storebaelt strait between the islands of Zeeland and Funen.

The Great Belt shipping lane which separates the two islands and air traffic over it were closed between mid-afternoon and 8:00pm (1800 GMT).

The strait is a busy shipping lane connecting the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

The danger area is estimated to be up to 4.3 miles from Korsoer at a height of approximately 0.62 miles above sea level and not in the direction of the bridge and tunnel link across the Storebaelt.

The link operator said there was no risk to the road and train traffic on the bridge.

Ships in the area have been notified and asked to wait for the problem to be resolved, the armed forces said, adding that the airspace also had been closed.

The incident happened a day after Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen sacked Chief of Defence Flemming Lentfer after having 'lost confidence' in him.

This came after another Danish frigate - this time deployed to the Red Sea as part of a U.S.-led operation - suffered malfunctioning of its weapon systems when attacked by drones operated by Houthi militants last month.

The malfunction came to light on Thursday as the ship arrived in Denmark.

The failure, which until Thursday had only been reported by local defence media Olfi citing a confidential report by the ship's captain, prompted the government to dismiss Flemming Lentfer on Wednesday.

Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the dismissal was a result of a breach of trust, after Lentfer failed to inform the ministry in detail about the incident on March 9 when the frigate Iver Huitfeldt was attacked by Houthi militants.

A founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Denmark scaled back its military capabilities after the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s.

The Nordic country has announced a major boost in military spending to achieve a NATO target of 2% of gross domestic product, from 1.4% last year, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

An unintentional missile launch could send fragments falling into Danish waters, posing a dangerous risk to other vehicles in the region

Thursday's incident is not the first time Denmark has seen a faulty missile cause chaos.

In 1982, a missile was accidentally misfired from a Danish frigate during a drill and travelled 21 miles at low altitude, before exploding.

The fireball and subsequent shock wave destroyed four unoccupied summer cottages and caused minor damage to a further 130 buildings in the area.

There were no injuries.
The father of US-Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger, one of seven aid workers killed in an Israeli strike earlier this week, said Thursday his son was reluctant to go to Gaza but had felt a need to help.

Flickinger, 33, was among a group of World Central Kitchen staff who died on Monday when Israel bombed their vehicle convoy in what it called a 'grave mistake,' sparking outrage from world leaders.

In interviews with US and British media, parents John Flickinger and Sylvie Labrecque paid tribute to their son, who started working with food relief organization World Central Kitchen in Mexico last year before traveling to Gaza.

'He was hesitant to go, he's a new father. He has a beautiful 18-month-old son,' John Flickinger told CBS News. 'But he felt the need and he of course needs to support his family.'

In a separate interview with BBC News, he reflected, visibly upset: 'I grew up without having a father. And now my grandson will grow up without having a father.'

Mr Flickinger was one of seven killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza on Monday

Mr Flickinger is pictured with a local while distributing water in Acapulco, Mexico last year

The parents of slain Jacob Flickinger told the BBC he was driven by 'his work, his passion'

Speaking to the BBC, John Flickinger said his son - a Canadian Armed Forces veteran - felt 'reasonably confident that he could accomplish the mission safely' in Gaza, adding that he had a 'desire to serve and to help others.'

'He felt that the World Central Kitchen knew what they were doing there. They were in a de-conflicted zone, controlled by the IDF,' Flickinger said.

EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: How American volunteer Jacob Flickinger, 33, has previously helped needy in Acapulco with charity World Central Kitchen after Hurricane Otis hit before he was killed in IDF strike along with six other aid workers in Gaza Advertisement

In the emotional interview, he said his thoughts went to his son's family. 'Now my grandson will grow up without having his father,' he said.

Sylvie Labrecque told CBS her son 'was a very good, exceptional human being'.

She said he was 'very much into his work, his passion. He's done 11 years in the military here in Canada with the Canadian forces... and even after leaving the military he kept on doing a special mission here and there, which meant a lot to him.'

'That's where his heart is. And he gave it all, all the way, all the way to the end.'

Jacob Flickinger's partner, Sandy Leclerc, told ABC News in an interview Thursday that she wanted to know the 'truth of what happened, because this situation is so unclear.'

'I am devastated by this news... He was a part of me,' Leclerc said, adding that she did not know how to explain to their son that his father had died.

Monday's strike was widely condemned by global powers, with US President Joe Biden saying he was 'outraged and heartbroken,' before warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that continued American support depended on Israel's protection of aid workers and civilians in Gaza.

The U.S. president has resisted pressure to withhold aid or halt the shipment of weapons to the country. His warning on Thursday marked the first time he has threatened to potentially condition aid, a development that could change the dynamic of the nearly six-month-old war.

Biden 'made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,' the White House said of the leaders' phone call. It said the call lasted about 30 minutes.

The president 'made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps,' the White House said in a statement.

The Israeli military has pledged an investigation by 'an independent, professional and expert body'.

Netanyahu pledged the 'tragic case' would be investigated 'right to the end'.

'This happens in war,' he said. 'We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.'

World Central Kitchen, which was founded in 2010 by Spanish-American chef Jose Andres, has paused its operations in Gaza since the attack, which also killed a Palestinian as well as citizens from Australia, Britain and Poland.

The aid workers had just unloaded supplies at a warehouse in central Gaza when they were killed.

The first vehicle was hit by a precision R9X Hellfire missile shortly before midnight. Passengers were seen scrambling from the wreckage and jumping into the other two cars - and telling the IDF they had come under fire.

A damaged vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike, on April 2, 2024

The remaining vehicles were hit after travelling just 1,000 yards up the road, on a street 'designated for the passage of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Shocking aftermath photos showed the cars scorched and badly damaged inside and out.

The third car tried to take the injured to safety but was hit by a drone after making it a mile up the coastal road, killing all seven of the volunteers.

Chief of staff of the Israeli military, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said: 'I want to be very clear  the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers.

'It was a mistake that followed a misidentification  at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened.'
Iran swore revenge after a strike on consulate in Damascus killed seven guards

Israel has raised the alert at its embassies worldwide amid fears Iran could launch a retaliatory attack after a suspected IDF strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Two IRGC generals were among the dead in the Syrian capital following Monday's strike, prompting the Islamic Republic to swear revenge.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement, but it is widely assumed the IDF was behind the attack.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who attended the funeral ceremonies of the Iranian victims yesterday, declared in the wake of the strike: 'The evil Zionist regime will be punished at the hands of our brave men.

'We will make them regret this crime and the other ones.'

Israeli diplomats serving abroad expressed concern their embassies will be the target of Iranian retaliation, and some have been informed not to attend public events as a precaution, diplomatic sources told JPost and other Israeli media outlets.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Iran has been acting against Israel for years, and defended any operations launched by Tel-Aviv against Tehran.

'For years Iran has been working against us directly and through its proxies, and therefore Israel is working against Iran and its proxies, both defensively and offensively,' Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

'We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle that whoever hurts us or plans to hurt us, we will hurt them,' he said.

Rescue workers search in the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy a day after an air strike in Damascus on April 2, 2024

Iran warned arch foe Israel on April 2 that it will punish an air strike that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prays over the coffins of seven Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on Iran's consular annex in Damascus

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and relatives of the victims attend the funeral ceremony held for victims who lost their lives in attack on Iran's consulate building

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, greets families of the Revolutionary Guards members who were killed in an airstrike in Syria

April 1, 2024, Tehran, Iran: Iranians burn Israel and US flags during an anti-Israeli demonstration at Palestine Square in Tehran

'For years Iran has been working against us directly and through its proxies, and therefore Israel is working against Iran and its proxies, both defensively and offensively,' Netanyahu said

Netanyahu's announcement came as the IDF - stretched by nearly six months of war in the Gaza Strip and on the Lebanese front - announced they were suspending leave for all combat units, a day after they said they were mobilising more troops for air defence units.

'The State of Israel is prepared for every scenario. We will respond with force to any attempts to attack us,' government spokesperson Raquela Karamson said in a briefing.

'In accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF (Israel Defence Forces) combat units,' the military said in a statement.

'The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under continuous assessment according to requirements.'

Israel has been pressing its war on Hamas in Gaza since the Palestinian Islamists led a cross-border killing and kidnapping spree on October 7, and has also been trading fire almost daily with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Yemen's Houthi rebels, which are aligned with Tehran, have launched occasional long-range rockets at Israel's Eilat port.

The possibility of Iran retaliating for Monday's presumed Israeli air strike on Iran's embassy compound in Damascus has raised the spectre of a wider war, though two Iranian sources said Tehran's response would be calibrated to avoid escalation.

With Israelis anxious about a possible escalation, the military later issued a statement clarifying that no changes had been made in its guidelines for the home front and that there was no need to gather food, cash or generators.

Palestinians cross an Israeli checkpoint in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank on April 5, 2024, as worshippers head to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound for Friday Noon prayer during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan

Palestinians ride bicycles past the ruins of houses and buildings destroyed during Israel' military offensive, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip March 31, 2024

billow of smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas

Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza

Until now, Iran has avoided directly entering the fray, while supporting allies' attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets, but the strike that eliminated General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi only added to fears that the Israel-Palestine war could spill over and spread violence throughout the Middle East.

However, many diplomats and analysts say Iran's clerical elite does not want any all-out war with Israel or the U.S. that might endanger its grip on power, and would prefer to keep using proxies to carry out selective tactical attacks on its foes.

U.S. officials said mid-week they had not yet picked up intelligence suggesting Iran-backed groups were looking to target U.S. troops following Monday's attack.

But one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a growing concern Iran would make good on its threats to retaliate, raising the risk of volatile, regional escalation.

'Iran can't afford not to respond, lest its military presence in the region become unsustainable and signal weakness to its chief regional foe,' Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think-tank said on Thursday.

Amos Yadlin, a former Israeli intelligence chief, said Iran might choose this Friday - the last in the Holy Muslim month of Ramadan and Iranian Quds (Jerusalem) Day - to respond to the Damascus strike, either directly or through a proxy.

Speaking Thursday, he said: 'I will not be surprised if Iran will act tomorrow. Don't panic. Don't run to the shelters,' said Yadlin, now at the Kennedy School's Belfer Center at Harvard University, citing Israel's aerial defence systems.

'Be tuned for tomorrow and then, depending on the consequences of the attack, it may escalate.'
MPs have linked a 'crude' cyber honeytrap plot at Westminster to Russia and China with claims a foreign hostile state was 'almost certainly' behind the 'spear phishing' efforts.

Police have launched a probe into the scandal after a senior Tory MP last night admitted providing the personal numbers of influential Westminster figures to a man he met online.

William Wragg said he had handed over the details of colleagues to a man he met on the gay dating app Grindr after sending him intimate pictures of himself.

The select committee chair said he had handed over the details because he was 'scared' that whoever was behind the dating profile 'had compromising things on me'.

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson revealed the force has launched an investigation after explicit images and flirtatious messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.

Other victims have reported the attacks to the Parliamentary Security Department , who are investigating the attempts.

The Metropolitan Police today said they had been in contact with Leicestershire Police and the Parliamentary Security Department 'following reporting of unsolicited messages to MPs'.

'We will assess any reports made to us accordingly,' Scotland Yard added.

Tory MP Bob Seely, a member of the House of Commons' foreign affairs committee, warned about the involvement of Russia in the plot.

William Wragg last night admitted providing the personal numbers of influential Westminster figures caught in a cyber honeytrap scandal

Mr Wragg said he had handed over the details of colleagues to a man he met on the gay dating app Grindr after sending him intimate pictures of himself (Stock Image)

Tory MP Bob Seely, a member of the House of Commons' foreign affairs committee, warned about the involvement of Russia in the plot

Mr Seely told the BBC's Newsnight programme: 'It sounds like a gay honeytrap, I don't know for sure.

'It's crude enough to be Russian, you would expect the Chinese to be more sophisticated.

'They lure people in different ways, using maybe economics more rather than some sort of crude attempt to smear or blackmail.

'I don't know who's behind it and I'm sorry it's happened to William.

'It certainly sounds like it and this is not the first time - I found out last week that my office was targeted by the Chinese a couple of years ago.

'I'm afraid to say this is part and parcel of modern political life, whether it's honetraps or whether it's cyberattacks or whether it's phishing of some kind or another.'

Mr Seely said he had 'great sympathy' for Mr Wragg, who he described as a 'really lovely guy'.

'To stand up and say 'I'm so sorry, I was weak' actually takes quite a strong man,' he added. 'I'm hoping he hasn't handed over my number.'

Fellow Conservative backbencher Alicia Kearns, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, has said there was 'almost certainly a foreign hostile state' behind the plot and called for more protection to be offered to staff in Parliament.

Mr Wragg received support from senior Government figures this morning, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt describing his apology as 'courageous and fulsome'.

Mr Hunt told broadcasters the emerging scandal was 'a great cause for concern', adding: 'But the lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cybersecurity.

'And indeed it is the lesson for members of the public as well, because this is something that we are all having to face in our daily lives.'

Treasury minister Gareth Davies said MPs who feel they have been blackmailed should contact the police, not their party.

'First and foremost blackmail is a very serious matter and they should go to the police,' he told Times Radio.

He added: 'They should not come to anybody else other than the police if they feel that they're a victim of blackmail.'

Leicestershire Police yesterday revealed they were investigating a report of 'malicious communications' after messages were sent to a local MP.

A force spokesperson said: 'Leicestershire Police is investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.

'They were reported to police on Tuesday March 19. Inquiries are currently ongoing.'

Andrew Bridgen, the independent MP for North West Leicestershire, told the PA news agency he was not responsible for the report.

'I am baffled by anyone who thinks that it is a good idea to send pictures of your genitalia to people you barely know,' he added.

Earlier this week, Politico reported that a number of sitting and former MPs had been contacted by an unknown number detailing prior meetings with politicians in efforts to acquire personal or sensitive information.

The salacious WhatsApp messages were sent to Tory and Labour figures, both gay and straight, from a sender posing as 'Abi' or 'Charlie'.

What would start out as claims the pair had met soon escalated to the sending of naked pictures and requesting pictures back.

At least two MPs are believed to have reciprocated by sending intimate pictures of themselves.

The Mail can reveal that the sender claimed to at least one victim that they had previously worked for Mr Wragg - a claim the MP denied.

Last night he revealed the details of his role in the scandal.

The 36-year-old MP for the Greater Manchester seat of Hazel Grove, who is openly gay, said he was 'mortified' and apologised for his 'weakness'.

Mr Wragg, who is a vice chairman of the influential 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, told The Times: 'They had compromising things on me. They wouldn't leave me alone. They would ask for people.

'I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He's manipulated me and now I've hurt other people.

'I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn't.

'Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn't work now.

'I've hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I'm mortified. I'm so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.'

At least two MPs are believed to have reciprocated by sending intimate pictures of themselves

Among the dozen targets are believed to be three MPs including a serving minister, four staff members, a former Tory MP and two political journalists.

The messages appeared to follow a pattern in which the sender claimed they met the target either at parliamentary bars or political events. The messages would include details of the MP's career and campaigns they had worked on.

They then claimed that they 'had a little flirt' with the target before escalating to asking if they were single and sending intimate pictures.

Many of the victims had raised concerns about the level of insider information those targeting them had about their lives and whereabouts, with details of relationships, both current and past, mentioned.

Leicestershire Police said yesterday that they were investigating 'malicious communications' sent to an MP who complained to them after receiving one of the messages.

The MP, who is not named, responded briefly before realising he did not know the person and then blocking the number, according to Politico.

Other victims have reported the attacks to the Parliamentary Security Department who are investigating the attempts.

House of Commons authorities yesterday called for anyone who has been affected to contact them as they probe the case.

Spear phishing is a targeted cyber attack on one or a select number of victims to induce them to reveal confidential information by using details of interest, designed to lure them in.

The identity of the person or people who sent the messages, and their intention, is unclear (Stock Image)

The identity of the person or people who sent the messages, and their intention in doing so, remains unclear.

Fears have been raised that a foreign state could be involved in the phishing attempts, which have come from two mobile phone numbers and sent between October last year and this February.

Former Conservative party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has warned that the attacks were 'an assault on parliamentary democracy'.

Ms Kearns said she believes that there was almost certainly a hostile foreign state behind the attempts.

She said: 'There is almost certainly a foreign hostile state behind this.

'It's really clever to go for staff because they're not as aware and aren't used to these kinds of advances.

'But they have a huge ability to influence their bosses, access their emails and they could do a lot of damage if they have been entrapped.

'That's why it's really important to look at the level of protection we give to staff.'

However, parliamentary sources warned that it would be premature to speculate on the origin of the messages.

It comes after the Mail revealed that Tory whips circulated a message to their MPs to warn them to be vigilant after a similar attack last summer.

A Parliamentary spokesperson said: 'Parliament takes security extremely seriously and works closely with government in response to such incidents.

'We provide Members and staff with tailored advice, making them aware of security risks and how to manage their digital safety.

'We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department.'

The Conservative Party declined to comment.
Hundreds of neighbours left terrified by lawless teenagers running riot in their sleepy Sussex village held an emergency meeting to address the growing crimewave.

Villagers in Barnham, West Sussex, say they are scared to leave their homes after shocking footage emerged on social media of a group of teenage girls assaulting an emergency worker after sparking a huge brawl at the station.

Within 48 hours, a second clip went viral of another group of young girls appearing to loot the village's local Co-op.

The chaos sent shockwaves through the leafy coastal village - so much so, an emergency public meeting was held to address locals' fears.

It comes amid local backlash against plans for a traveller site at Little Meadow in Yapton, just over two miles from the village.

More than 200 people attended Thursday night's meeting and told councillors how they are now too afraid to leave their homes as a result of the behaviour of the cannabis-smoking gang of girls.

A shopkeeper also claimed the village is plagued with feral youth who exploit the south coast train network.

Barnham is a railway hub near Bognor Regis where train lines converge. Residents who spoke at the public meeting on Thursday night said they believe train connections make their village a soft target.

The emergency public meeting was called following two incidents over the weekend. On Easter Saturday four teenager girls (left) were arrested for assaulting an emergency worker. Less than 48 hours later another group of girls were filmed allegedly shoplifting from Barnham Co-op (right)

An emergency public meeting to address the surge in antisocial behaviour was attended by more than 200 residents of Barnham, West Sussex

Following the Easter Saturday attack, Sussex police were granted a dispersal order after the film went viral

The meeting heard there were only 39 police officers on duty for the whole of West Sussex on Easter Saturday, which led one man to ask: 'What is the point of reporting these incidents when nothing happens?'

Sussex Police said violent disorder and shoplifting in Barnham is largely committed by young people from out of the area.

The four girls arrested for the train station attack were not from Barnham and they have been bailed with conditions to prevent them travelling to the village.

One taxi driver told the meeting he had been attacked in his own cab by youths who were travelling between train stations.

The force released a statement addressing growing public anger on Thursday, in which it revealed it had made a dozen arrests in connection with anti-social behaviour in the Barnham area.

A local shopkeeper, who wished not to be named for fear of reprisals said: 'What I don't understand is why there were no police here after the dispersal notice was in force.

'Even if they'd just parked a van next to the station, that would have been something.'

A railway worker, who asked not to be named, shared the villager's concerns. He said: 'They just think there's nothing you can do.

A group of teenagers hanging around in Barnham. Sussex Police say violent disorder and shoplifting in Barnham is largely committed by young people from out of the area

Barnham Railway Station. Residents who spoke at the public meeting on Thursday night said they believe train connections make their village a soft target

'One kid just stood there and shouted at me to open the f****** barrier.

'What am I supposed to do? Half the time they've got balaclavas on so you can't identify them and how do I know who has a knife?'

Local councillor Sue Wallsgrove said: 'A lot of these children are travelling on the train system and by bus coming into the area.

Cllr Wallsgrove acknowledged the plight of crime impacting people's day-to-day lives in Barnham. She went as far to say people are afraid to leave the house.

The Green Party group leader said: 'People want to know what the police are doing.

'We've got a few residents who are freighted to go out at night.

'Feelings are running very, very high at the moment which is such a shame because there is a real community feeling in Barnham.

'The police have been doing quite a lot, they have been turning up and dealing with it.

'Our PCSOs have done a lot.'

Chief Inspector Will Keating-Jones said after last night's meeting: 'Residents and business owners are at the heart of the Barnham community and so it's important we hear their views.

'The meeting was constructive and we were able to discuss the huge amount of work which has already taken place to tackle the issues which concern residents during their day-to-day lives.

'We listened to their feedback and explained what Sussex Police, and our partners, plan to do to make sure everyone in Barnham feels safe and is safe. Once we are able to, we will provide updates to the community.

'Working with our partners, we will build on the hard work carried out and last night's meeting at the town hall allowed us to take an extra step towards that. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to attend the meeting and for their valuable input.

'We encourage residents to continue to report anti-social behaviour and crime in the area so we can ensure we can help prevent it in the future.'

Bognor Regis councillor Paul Wells said he reported incidents in Bognor Regis which he believed were linked to the latest violence in Barnham.

Police and other public officials at the public meeting on Thursday evening. Angry residents at the public meeting were told there were only 39 police officers on duty for the whole of West Sussex on Easter Saturday

Four girls - aged 13, 14, 15 and 16 - were arrested at Barnham Railway Station on Saturday evening on suspicion of offences including assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis.

READ MORE: Moment four teen girls assault emergency worker after sparking mass brawl at train station in lawless scenes - forcing police to impose dispersal order Advertisement

On Easter Monday, a video posted to X showed a group of teenage girls allegedly shoplifting from Farnham Co-op.

Cllr Wells said: 'We had incidents in Bognor which we think were related to the incidents later in Barnham.

'But there were no resources deployed to it.'

Cllr Wells said Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne should be held accountable.

He said: 'The PCC has a lot to answer for.

'We've had the promise of more officers over the years but we don't see them.

Cllr Wells added: 'We know resources are stretched but when you've not got police officers in a town patrolling, it creates a safe haven for these youngsters to behave they way they want to.

'It creates resentment in the community.

'What's the point of reporting crime if it just doesn't go anywhere?

'I know there has been multi agency work to try and resolve some of the issues but lack of police to enforce anything, the problems persist.'

Barnham Co-op where the alleged shoplifting occurred. A spokesperson for the store confirmed that the incident happened on Monday April 1 and he claimed the girls took 'cans of Red Bull' without paying

The emergency meeting in Barnham. Cllr Wallsgrove acknowledged the plight of crime impacting people's day-to-day lives in Barnham. She went as far to say people are afraid to leave the house

To combat crime in the area, Sussex Police said they are working with British Transport Police, Southern Rail, local authorities, schools, and businesses.

British Transport Police, who operate on the rail network, and train operators have tracked a group they dubbed the West Coast Nominals for more than two years.

The group has included brothers Archie and George Tilley who were jailed for 12 years each for attacking Alan Willson in 2021. The father from Worthing was then left with life-changing brain injuries by the attack.

Sussex Police say Worthing and Adur District Council has posted Community Wardens to patrol Barnham and security staff at two supermarkets will be given walkie-talkies to communicate with train staff.

The police also said they made a dozen arrests in connection with anti-social behaviour in the Barnham area.

Three people have been charged and nine people will be dealt with by the Youth Offending Team following the Easter Bank Holiday disturbances.

Four Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) have been issued, nine people have been banned from entering the Co-op following reports of stealing, with five more people in the process of being banned.

One of the girls is seen repeatedly hitting an officer in the head one of the others in seen on the floor

A wide shot at the start of the video shows three boys on the platform at the time of the incident

In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter , a group of teenager girls can be seen exiting the Co-op store near Barnham Railway Station carrying shopping items. They are laughing and screaming as they run away from the store

Archie Tilley (left) and his brother George Tilley (left). British Transport Police have tracked a group they dubbed the West Coast Nominals for more than two years. The group has included the Tilley brothers who were jailed for 12 years each for attacking Alan Willson in 2021

Detective Sergeant Lou Baileff said: 'Barnham is a small and tight-knit community and we understand the impact this recent spate of behaviour is having on those who live, work and visit the village.

'We are using the full range of policing powers available to us to help prevent crime and officers are carrying out proactive and dedicated patrols to ensure a high visibility presence in the area providing a deterrent to criminals and reassurance to the community.

'In recent days, we have seen a rise of offences related to people travelling into the village from areas elsewhere in Sussex. We are working closely with British Transport Police to manage this and there are rail enforcement officers deployed to Barnham Railway Station six evenings a week to prevent and deter crime.'

A Section 34 dispersal order was authorised on Sunday 31 March following an incident of disorder at Barnham Railway Station on Saturday 30 March, in which members of the public, including security staff, and officers were assaulted.

An investigation is also underway into reported thefts from the Co-op store in The Square, Barnham, on Monday 1 April.

In a statement Sussex PCC said: 'Sussex Police quickly put a dispersal order in place over the busy Bank Holiday Weekend during which time officers were called upon to deal with violent incidents nearby.

'British Transport Police are responsible for policing the station and, whilst they have arrested and bailed the young females filmed in assaults at the weekend, I want to know why BTP appeared unable to step up a reassuring presence at the rail station following the assaults.'

'There has been a significant amount of Sussex Police activity targeting shoplifters and anti-social behaviour in and around Barnham with more than a dozen arrests. Sussex Police also followed up the reports of an incident at the local Co-op and have visited the store.'
He's the baby-faced MP who holds a powerful role in the Tory party - but has now been embroiled in a Westminster honeytrap plot.

William Wragg was first elected to the House of Commons as MP for Hazel Grove, the Greater Manchester village where he grew up, at the tender age of 27.

He hit the headlines shortly entering Parliament at the 2015 general election when he revealed he had moved in with his parents because he couldn't afford a house.

The Brexiteer might still only be in his mid-30s but has become known as a Conservative 'grandee' due to his senior roles in both his party and the Commons.

He is vice-chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, and is also chair of the Commons' Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.

Mr Wragg was among the leading critics of former PM Boris Johnson over the 'Partygate' scandal and also later submitted a letter of no confidence in Liz Truss.

The 36-year-old is due to join the Tory exodus from the Commons at the upcoming general election after previously announcing he won't be standing for re-election.

William Wragg has admitted his role in the cyber honeytrap plot at Westminster after admitting he provided the personal numbers of influential Westminster figures to a man he met online

William Wragg was first elected to the House of Commons as MP for Hazel Grove, the Greater Manchester village where he grew up, at the tender age of 27

Mr Wragg grew up in Hazel Grove and went on to work as a primary school teacher in state schools in Manchester as well as becoming a local councillor

Amid a heatwave in July 2022, Mr Wragg posted a picture on Twitter of himself and fellow 1922 Committee members surrounded by electric fans before a Tory leadership ballot

Mr Wragg last night admitted his role in the cyber honeytrap plot at Westminster after admitting he provided the personal numbers of influential Westminster figures to a man he met online.

He said he had handed over the details of colleagues to a man he met on the gay dating app Grindr after sending him intimate pictures of himself.

The select committee chair said he had handed over the details because he was 'scared' that whoever was behind the dating profile 'had compromising things on me'.

It followed reports that a number of sitting and former MPs had been contacted by an unknown number detailing prior meetings with politicians in efforts to acquire personal or sensitive information.

The salacious WhatsApp messages were sent to Tory and Labour figures, both gay and straight, from a sender posing as 'Abi' or 'Charlie'.

What would start out as claims the pair had met soon escalated to the sending of naked pictures and requesting pictures back.

At least two MPs are believed to have reciprocated by sending intimate pictures of themselves.

Last night, as he revealed the details of his role in the scandal, Mr Wragg - who is openly gay - said he was 'mortified' and apologised for his 'weakness'.

He told The Times: 'I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn't.

'Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn't work now.

'I've hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I'm mortified. I'm so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.'

Mr Wragg grew up in Hazel Grove and went on to work as a primary school teacher in state schools in Manchester.

He served as a local councillor for the Hazel Grove ward on Stockport Council between 2011 and 2015, before being elected as an MP.

Mr Wragg, at the age of 27, took the Hazel Grove seat from the Liberal Democrats at the 2015 general election to become the first Tory MP there since 1997.

In August 2022, Mr Wragg revealed he was taking a 'short break' from his duties as an MP to recover from depression

The Hazel Grove MP later returned to social media to thank people for 'all of your support recently'

Less than a year after entering Parliament, Mr Wragg revealed he been forced to move back in with his parents because he couldn't afford to buy a house despite his 74,000 a year salary as an MP.

He told ITV that although he was 'paid extremely well' he had to move back home with his parents in the North West or face being trapped in a rented flat.

'I am part of that 'boomerang generation' myself,' Mr Wragg said.

'In a few years hopefully I will have saved up enough for a deposit. I know exactly what it is like. I have complete empathy with people in that position.

'There is no getting away from the fact we face a severe challenge on housing in this country.'

Mr Wragg campaigned for Brexit at the 2016 EU referendum and supported Andrea Leadsom to be Tory leader against Theresa May following David Cameron's resignation as PM.

He was re-elected as Hazel Grove MP at Mrs May's snap general election in 2017, and again at the 2019 general election after Mr Johnson had replaced her as PM.

In January 2020, Mr Wragg was elected as chairman of the Commons' Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.

Now holding a senior position in Parliament, Mr Wragg became a leading Tory rebel against Covid lockdown restrictions as a top member of the Conservative backbench Covid Recovery Group.

As the 'Partygate' scandal engulfed Mr Johnson's premiership, Mr Wragg called for the PM to resign in January 2022 after his admission he attended a Downing Street drinks party during lockdown.

He branded Mr Johnson's position as PM as 'untenable'.

As vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee, Mr Wragg helped coordinate the Tory leadership election that followed Mr Johnson's eventual resignation as PM.

As Britain endured a heatwave in July 2022, Mr Wragg posted a picture on Twitter of himself and fellow 1922 Committee members surrounded by electric fans before one of the leadership ballots of Tory MPs.

He wrote: 'The heat is on.'

The next month, Mr Wragg revealed he was taking a 'short break' from his duties as an MP to recover from depression.

He said he hoped to return 'refreshed' and 'loving life and myself a little bit more'.

'I am resisting the temptation to give up entirely,' he wrote on Twitter. 'As such, I require a short break'.

'I know that how I feel is far from unique.

'I would say to anyone who feels similarly, that they should speak to someone they trust, seek and accept support.

'Do not assume those who are outwardly confident and successful are without doubts and despair.'

In November 2022, Mr Wragg announced he would not be standing for re-election as an MP at the next general election

In October 2022, Mr Wragg thanked people on social media 'for all of your support recently', adding: 'I'm looking forward to steadily getting back into the swing of things.'

As the premiership of Ms Truss, who succeeded Mr Johnson as PM, began to collapse following her disastrous mini-Budget, Mr Wragg became the sixth Tory MP to call for her resignation.

He told the Commons he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Ms Truss, adding: 'I cannot go and face my constituents, look them in the eye and say they should support my great party. And the polls seem to bear that out.'

Ms Truss announced her resignation as PM a day later, to bring to an end her historically short term in Downing Street.

A month later, Mr Wragg announced he would not be standing for re-election as an MP at the next general election.

He said: 'It is a privilege to be the Member of Parliament for Hazel Grove.

'I have made the decision not to stand at the next election.

'I shall continue to represent constituents to the best of my ability in the meantime and thank everyone for their wonderful support over the years.'

He is among more than 60 Tory MPs to have already said they will quit the Commons at the general election.
The Mayor of London has joined other Labour politicians, former Supreme Court justices and more than 600 members of the British legal profession in calling for the government to halt arms sales to Israel.

Former Labour MP Sadiq Khan said Rishi Sunak's government must halt arms sales to Tel-Aviv in the wake of the IDF strike on an aid convoy in which three Brits were killed along with four other aid workers.

'It's got to stop,' Khan said in comments carried by The Guardian, after public statements by the leftwing Labour group Momentum showed that more than 50 Labour MPs - a quarter of the party's total in the Commons - had also demanded an end to arms sales.

It comes after senior members of Britain's legal profession earlier this week declared the government needed to halt sales now to avoid 'aiding and assisting an international wrongful act'.

'The provision of military assistance and material to Israel may render the UK complicit in genocide as well as serious breaches of International Humanitarian Law,' the judges, barristers and legal academics said in a 17-page letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Their call was also backed by two of the country's leading intelligence experts, who argued that Britain needed to use any leverage it could to persuade Israel, and its biggest backer the United States, to change course in the conflict.

The British government has been a staunch ally of Israel since the eruption of hostilities on October 7 but Foreign Secretary David Cameron has hardened his language in recent months over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called any suggestion of genocide as 'outrageous', and has said Israel has an 'unwavering commitment to international law'.

Former Labour MP Sadiq Khan said Rishi Sunak 's government must halt arms sales to Tel-Aviv in the wake of the IDF strike on an aid convoy in which three Brits were killed along with four other aid workers

Pictured is a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza

Shocking images disseminated on social media showed their aid vehicles blown apart by the drone's missiles - one had a gaping hole in the roof (pictured) while another truck had its rear end hanging off, the interior reduced to a charred wreck

Sunak has thus far resisted calls to immediately halt weapons sales to Israel, saying the government adheres to a 'very careful licensing regime'

Israel's Defence Forces used an Elbit Hermes 450 drone to conduct the fatal strike on the aid convoy

Left to right, Britons John Chapman, James 'Jim' Henderson and James Kirby, three of the World Central Kitchen aid workers who were killed in Gaza

Sunak has thus far resisted calls to immediately halt weapons sales to Israel, saying the government adheres to a 'very careful licensing regime'.

But the killing of seven aid workers, including three British nationals, in Israeli airstrikes this week has ratcheted up the pressure. Israel said they were mistakenly killed.

Brother's fury after British ex-forces hero is killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza food convoy - as he rages it's 'hard to comprehend' UK's inaction over disastrous IDF bombing Advertisement

Britain licenses the sale of British-made explosive devices, assault rifles and components for military aircraft to Israel but it is a relatively small supplier, with Israeli exports making up about 0.4% of Britain's total global defence sales in 2022, the last full-year data that was available.

Two senior figures in Britain's intelligence community - former national security adviser Peter Ricketts and Alex Younger, the former head of the MI6 foreign spy service - have said those sales should be used as leverage.

Ricketts said there was 'now abundant evidence' that Israel was not compliant with international humanitarian law and that a ban would send a message that could stir debate in Washington.

Younger told the BBC that Britain needed to 'achieve leverage, and create incentives for more focus to be put on the issue of what is technically called collateral damage but what we would call as killing innocent civilians'.

And one former Supreme Court justice, Jonathan Sumption, told BBC Radio he was concerned the British government had lost sight of its own obligations under international law.

But the pressure to halt arms sales has been met with defiance by some Tory MPs, with one declaring the outrage 'shallow gesture politics'.

Conservative MP Bob Seely, who sits on the Foreign Affairs committee, told BBC Newsnight: 'The reality is that we supply 0.02% of Israel's arms imports, which is a meaninglessly small figure, and actually by blocking it, effectively, this is shallow gesture politics and nothing but.

'And it's symptomatic of the way that gesture politics is driving out rigorous thought from public debate. So, let's have a rigorous public debate, let's talk about the issues, but please, let's just drop the gesture politics because it's pretty pointless.'

Mr Seely also called for the UK to 'double down' on its relationship with Israel.

'If you want to have a strategy, and if you want to have influence over people, you have to stay close to them. So actually, we have to double down on our relationship with Israel, but also Arab states that are involved in the same way.'

The brother of one aid worker killed slammed Israel's 'inexcusable behaviour' and said that 'accountability is the only hope of justice I have' for the killings. Pictured above is the site where the World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza

Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group, transports the body of one of the six foreign aid workers who were killed in an Israeli strike, at a hospital morgue in Rafah on April 3, 2024

Palestinians ride bicycles past the ruins of houses and buildings destroyed during Israel' military offensive, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip March 31, 2024

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel

Earlier this week, Alicia Kearns, the Conservative chair of parliament's foreign affairs select committee, said ministers had been told by their lawyers that Israel had violated international law in its war in Gaza.

The government has in the past blocked sales to Israel, such as in 2009 when it revoked some licences and in 1982 when there was a formal restriction on weapon sales after the invasion of Lebanon.

Lord Cameron said last month that Israel had to be compliant with international humanitarian law in order for Britain to grant export licences allowing arms sales to Israel, and that a judgement on that was underway and due in the 'coming days'.

The Foreign Office said on Thursday it kept advice on Israel's adherence to the law under review but that the content of government advice was confidential.

Meanwhile, a union representing civil servants has said it is 'seriously considering taking legal action' in relation to the UK's arms sales to Israel.

Civil servants within the Department of Business and Trade involved with arms exports have raised concerns over their own degree of legal liability if Israel is found to be violating international humanitarian law.

Paul O'Connor, head of bargaining at PCS, said: 'The International Court of Justice considers that some of the alleged acts by Israel in Gaza could potentially be considered within the provisions of the Genocide Convention.

'PCS concurs with that view. We believe that the UK government has an obligation to do all it can to halt the onslaught. As it does not appear to be willing to do so, we are seriously considering taking legal action to prevent our members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.

'We do not take such cases lightly and we only do so where we have a reasonable prospect of winning.'

More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of which are women and children, since the war began after a Hamas attack on October 7.
This is the amazing moment that a leopard was spotted at the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Known for their agility and great strength, leopards can scale steep slopes with ease thanks to these defining characteristics.

They are also experts at blending effortlessly into their surroundings due to their notoriously camouflage-friendly fur.

Henri Olckers, 36, from South Africa, was visiting the world-famous national park when he spotted the 'hidden leopard'.

Mr Olckers, who has been capturing photographs of wild animals since 2013, was not having much luck - but that all changed while he was driving along a path in Kruger National Park.

Can YOU spot the leopard in these pictures?

This is the amazing moment that a leopard was spotted at the Kruger National Park in South Africa

Known for their agility and great strength, leopards can scale steep slopes with ease thanks to these defining characteristics

Henri was remarkably able to capture an image of the leopard, which had managed to camouflage itself amongst the tall grass, making it extremely difficult for other park visitors to spot.

Henri said: 'Other cars arrived at the sighting, and I realised how difficult the leopard was to spot because it took some effort to explain to the other visitors where it was.

'We spent about 15 minutes with the leopard, and he seemed very relaxed and didn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.

It was not the first time that Henri was able to capture a snow leopard in the wild, an animal he said he is particularly fond of photographing.

He added: 'I have quite a few other camouflaged leopard sighting photos that I have taken over the years. It always fun to see if people can spot them on the photos.

'The feeling and excitement that I get when I spot an elusive animal like a leopard, lion, cheetah, or African wild dog; or when I am on the right road, at the exact right time, is something I cannot explain.

'I always joke and say if I could bottle that feeling and sell it, I would be a millionaire.

'Some days in Kruger you find three or four leopards. Other times it takes a week to just get a glimpse of one.'

Were you able to spot the leopard circled in the pictures below?

Henri Olckers, 36, from South Africa, was visiting the world-famous national park when he spotted the 'hidden leopard'
JK Rowling has likened campaigners who deny some trans people are sex offenders to 'those who hushed up paedophile priests to protect the church'.

The Harry Potter author and gender-critical campaigner has continued to lead the backlash against Scotland's controversial hate crime law since it was enacted on Monday.

Rowling has also unleashed a brutal war of words with First Minister Humza Yousaf, attacking him for his 'bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism'. It came after he branded her remarks about trans people as 'offensive and upsetting'.

That's despite Police Scotland confirming this week that a series of tweets posted by Rowling - in which she referred to 10 high-profile trans women including sex offenders as 'men, every last one of them' - did not meet the threshold for a crime.

In her posts on April 1, Rowling referenced trans sex offenders including double rapist Isla Bryson, paedophile Katie Dolatowski, and Andrew Miller, who was jailed for kidnapping and sexually abusing a young girl.

As the fallout from Scotland's controversial hate crime laws continues, Rowling tweeted last night: 'There's no difference between those who hushed up paedophile priests to protect the church and those trying to make it unsayable that some trans-identified men are sex offenders.

JK Rowling (pictured) has likened campaigners who deny some trans people are sex offenders to 'those who hushed up paedophile priests to protect the church'

She added: 'Both prize an ideology more highly than acknowledging risk and preventing harm to women and children.'

Double rapist Isla Bryson, who was known as Adam Graham at the time of the offences, was initially jailed for eight years at a women's prison before later being moved to a male prison following a widespread backlash

'Both prize an ideology more highly than acknowledging risk and preventing harm to women and children.'

Over the last few decades, the Catholic Church has faced an avalanche of child sexual abuse allegations - but alleged cover-ups have continued to dog the Vatican.

One user challenged her, responding: 'There is a difference, a massive difference. Sex-offenders faced justice, which is why they have that designation The church covered up horrific crimes to prevent justice.'

But the author hit back, arguing: 'So all sex offenders have been convicted, there's no risk to women or girls any more, so no need for any safeguarding?'

On her April 1 tweet, Rowling had initially referred to the list of 10 trans people as 'women' but ended the thread by saying: 'April Fools! Only kidding. Obviously, the people mentioned in the above tweets aren't women at all, but men, every last one of them.'

She sarcastically described rapist Isla Bryson as a 'lovely Scottish lass' who 'found her true authentic female self shortly before she was due to be sentenced'.

Bryson, who was known as Adam Graham at the time of the offences, was initially jailed for eight years at a women's prison before later being moved to a male prison following a widespread backlash. She began transitioning only in 2020 after being charged.

Similarly, Rowling - who dared police to arrest her - ridiculed the new legislation by referring to Katie Dolatowski, a transgender paedophile who assaulted children in supermarket toilets, as 'fragile flower' who was 'rightly sent to a women's prison in Scotland'.

Katie Dolatowski (pictured right) - a transgender paedophile who assaulted children in supermarket toilets

Transgender butcher Andrew Miller (pictured), 53, who also uses the name Amy George, kidnapped and sexually abused a little girl

Mr Yousaf appeared to agree with the police assessment that Rowling's posts were not criminal in comments made yesterday - but said that, in his view, her comments were 'offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people'.

In response, Rowling fired back at the FM's 'bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism' in implementing the new law, adding: 'But we aren't lobbying to have him locked up for it.'

The First Minister has staunchly defended the new hate crime law, which builds upon existing race hate legislation to add further protections for characteristics such as age, disability, transgender identity, religion and those who are intersex.

And he told BBC Scotland News yesterday that the decision not to treat Rowling's remarks as criminal showed the law was working as intended - by only treating 'threatening or abusive abusive' remarks that intend to 'stir up' hatred as a crime.

Those found guilty of such an offence face up to seven years in prison depending on the severity of the offence.

He said: 'Those new offences that have been created by the act have a very high threshold for criminality.

'The behaviour has to be threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred. So it doesn't deal with people just being offended or upset or insulted.'

Rowling's comments - in which she labelled a number of trans women 'men' - were, he said, a 'perfect example' of how the law is working properly.

Some of the posts made by JK Rowling on X/Twitter on transgender women, which police say did not meet the criminal threshold when assessed under Scotland's new hate crime laws

Rowling has accused first minister Humza Yousaf of 'bumbling incompetence' over the introduction of the legislation

The law has been criticised by some who see it as a threat to free speech (pictured: a protester with a mask of Mr Yousaf outside the Scottish Parliament on April 1)

JK Rowling has previously warred with the SNP over its stance on transgender people - branding Humza Yousaf's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon a 'destroyer of women's rights'

He continued: 'Anybody who read the act will not have been surprised at all that there's no arrests made.

'JK Rowling's tweets may well be offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people. But it doesn't mean that they meet a threshold of criminality of being threatening or abusive and intending to stir up hatred.'

And it marks another war of words between the millionaire writer, who lives in Edinburgh, and the SNP - after she wore a t-shirt describing Mr Yousaf's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as a 'destroyer of women's rights'.

Mr Yousaf also said he was 'very, very concerned' by the number of 'vexatious' reports being made under the new hate crime law, with more than 4,000 reported to have been made since April 1.

Some of those reports were made against Mr Yousaf for a speech he made while justice secretary, in which he called for greater racial equality in positions of power in Scotland.

The speech has been misappropriated by far-right accounts on social media and taken out of context to give the impression Mr Yousaf is claiming Scotland needs fewer white people.

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has accused Police Scotland of 'making it up as they go'

As anger over Scotland's controversial hate crime law continues to grow, Conservative MSP Mr Fraser has demanded 'urgent clarity' from Police Scotland chief constable Jo Farrell

Mr Fraser's comments last year were logged as an NCHI but Police Scotland said Humza Yousaf and JK Rowling's would not be

He said yesterday: 'It's not a huge surprise that when legislation is first introduced there can sometimes be a flurry of vexatious complaints.

'We've obviously seen that and I would say to people don't make vexatious complaints - you should desist - because what you're doing is wasting precious police resources and time.

'But I am very, very concerned about the fact that we have seen those complaints, but at the same time I know that police are very adept at dealing with vexatious complaints, they do it every day and they know how to treat them.'

Rowling's posts did not meet the criminal threshold and will not be recorded as a 'non-crime hate incident' (NCHI) by Police Scotland.

An NCHI is when a complaint does not meet the threshold for a crime but is perceived to be 'motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group', according to Police Scotland guidance.

But police in Scotland have been accused of 'making it up as they go' and favouring the famous after they refused to tag Rowling's remarks or past comments by Mr Yousaf as an NCHI - but did tag remarks made by a Tory MSP.

A protest against the new hate crime laws took place outside the Scottish Parliament on April 1, the day the legislation came into effect

Mid-Scotland and Fife member Murdo Fraser says he has an NCHI to his name after he said someone identifying as non-binary - neither exclusively male nor female' was 'as valid as choosing to identify as a cat'.

He has written to Police Scotland chief constable Jo Farrell to demand an explanation.

At the time, he said he was 'found guilty' of 'hate' by Police Scotland. But he has now questioned the consistency of the laws after comments made by Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Scotland First Minister Mr Yousaf were not logged.

Mr Fraser, who is considering legal action against Police Scotland, has written a letter to the chief constable about his concerns.

He said: 'I am writing to you concerning Police Scotland yesterday announcing, that contrary to its stated policy, NCHIs would not be recorded in relation to comments made by First Minister Humza Yousaf and the author JK Rowling. I have a number of serious questions which arise from this and for which I would be grateful to have your urgent response.'
Russia warned France that it hoped the French secret services had no part to play in the Moscow massacre

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he has 'no doubt' that tyrant Vladimir Putin will maliciously target this summer's Paris Olympics.

The French head of state, 46, on Thursday made the chilling comment at an event in Paris dedicated to the opening of the new Olympic Aquatics Center.

'I have no doubt whatsoever, including in terms of information,' Macron said in response to a reporter's question about whether he thought that Russia would try to target the Olympics.

'Russia feeds every day into the idea that we shouldn't do this or that, that there is a risk and that's why we must stand firm.

'Strength of character, self-confidence and the relationship with the truth are the great strengths of democracies and great nations.'

French President Emmanuel Macron said at the opening of the new Olympic Aquatics Center, Paris, that he has 'no doubt' Putin will target the Paris summer Olympics

Macron's remarks represent his most explicit acknowledgment to date of foreign threats to the security or smooth running of the summer games

The president also criticised the 'bizarre and threatening' tone of Russia's defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, after he suggested France had been involved in the terror attack on a packed Moscow concert hall that left at least 144 people dead

Macron's remarks represent his most explicit acknowledgment to date of foreign threats to the security or smooth running of the summer games.

A Macron aide, speaking anonymously, declined to say whether the president was referring to specific intelligence signalling a future Russian interference attempt.

Instead, she said: 'There is a hardening from Russia, which we have been seeing for several months.'

Macron has recently adopted a tougher stance against Russia, vowing that Moscow must be defeated, and has not ruled out that European troops may one day go to Ukraine.

Although the President has made clear that France has no intention of inciting military action against Russia.

His comments at the Paris event came as the Kremlin warned it was now in direct confrontation with NATO.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously said: 'Relations have now slipped to the level of direct confrontation' with the US-led military alliance, which is marking its 75th anniversary.

NATO was 'already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine and continues to move towards our borders and expand its military infrastructure towards our borders', he added.

Emergency services personnel clearing the rubble of the burnt-out Crocus City Hall concert venue in Krasnogorsk on March 26, 2024

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (second-right, pictured inspecting the implementation of the state defense order by military ammunition enterprises in Russia on March 21) shared a one-hour phone call with his French counterpart on Thursday. The Kremlin for its part warned France it hoped that the French secret services had not been involved in the recent attack on a concert hall in Moscow claimed by Islamic State group extremists

A view shows the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow on March 22, 2024

The president also criticised the 'bizarre and threatening' tone of Russia's defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, after he suggested France had been involved in the terror attack on a packed Moscow concert hall that left at least 144 people dead.

According to the Russian defence ministry, Russia had warned France that it hoped the French secret services had no part to play in the recent terror attack on the Crocus concert hall in Moscow - for which ISIS claimed responsibility.

'The comments by the Russian side were bizarre and threatening,' Macron said, adding that any suggestions France may have been involved in the attack, were ridiculous.

The rare phone talks between the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu and Shoigu, served to underline the gaping gulf between Moscow and Europe two years into the invasion of Ukraine.

France had been in contact with the Kremlin as Paris had 'useful information' to share on the origin and organisation of the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, Macron said.

'I asked the directors of the services at the appropriate ministries to have technical discussions with their Russian counterparts to express a message of solidarity and because we had useful information  I am not going to reveal it here  on the origin and organisation of this attack,' said Macron.

Rosguardia (Russian National Guard) servicemen secure an area at the Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, on March 23, 2024

Russian investigators work inside Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 23, 2024 following the terrorist attack

A view of the damage at Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Russia, pictured on March 23, 2024 after the fire was extinguished

The Kremlin and Russian propaganda have pushed the narrative that the West and Ukraine were linked to the attackers - an idea that the West and Kyiv have denounced as absurd.

After the talks between Lecornu and Shoigu, Moscow also said that 'readiness for dialogue on Ukraine was noted' during the phone call. France immediately shot down that suggestion.

Analysts have said the contact in the aftermath of the deadly Moscow attack would not herald any change in strategy from either Russia or France under Macron, who has not ruled out sending ground troops to Ukraine.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow contacts with Western officials have slowed down to a trickle.

Some in France criticised the French government over Thursday's talks.

'You have seen how Russia exploits this kind of discussion,' former president Francois Hollande told broadcaster France Inter. 'My recommendation is no contact with Russia.'

Macron defended his stance, saying there will be 'joint work with all those affected by terrorism'.

A communal worker clears rubble following an overnight missile strike on a House of Culture in the town of Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, on April 1, 2024

A woman clears rubble in her daughter's damaged apartment hit by recent shelling, what local officials called a Ukrainian military strike, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on April 4, 2024

Rescue workers clear the rubble of destroyed houses after a Russian drone attack of a residential neighbourhood, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 28, 2024

Students and teachers conduct debris removal work at the heavily damaged Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design after missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 30, 2024

Meanwhile, following the call between defence ministers, Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said it was also important for France to keep talking with Russia to rule out any possible 'dangerous encounters' in Ukraine.

'In this sense, it is normal to maintain normal channels of communication through the military,' Gabuev said.

He said Moscow was 'interested' in making it look like Western countries 'now want to negotiate with it.'

'It seems to have been a failed gesture by France,' added Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at risk analysis firm Eurasia Group, referring to the phone call.

'I don't think, however, that it suggests Macron is getting cold feet about possible boots on the ground. If anything, the exchange proves his point. Moscow is beyond any reasonable discussion with the West, even on subjects of mutual concern.'

Tatiana Stanovaya, head of political analysis firm R. Politik, said Moscow was 'flattered' to have received the call but sought to use it to its advantage to feed its anti-Ukrainian narrative and did not worry about any potential blowback.

'There is no positive agenda at all, no interest in resuming cooperation with France, either,' said Stanovaya.
A grinning Prince Andrew was pictured out riding this morning as a 'hugely embarrassing' new film about his disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis went live on Netflix.

The Duke of York, 64, is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as Scoop painstakingly retells the whole sorry saga - piling yet more pressure on the Palace to freeze him out of royal life completely.

The Holiday actor Rufus Sewell stars as the late Queen's son while Gillian Anderson portrays Ms Maitlis, who quizzed Andrew about his friendship with billionaire convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams said the film would further stymie any attempts by the Duke to rehabilitate himself in the public eye by 'confirming' viewers' already negative view of him.

Meanwhile, biographer and investigative journalist Tom Bower believes Scoop should remind the King that he must stop any attempt by his brother to get back to public life.

Despite facing yet more public humiliation, Andrew appeared in good spirits this morning - smiling broadly as he went for a ride in the grounds of Windsor Castle with a female companion.

Prince Andrew is pictured today going out on a morning horse ride in Windsor

The Duke of York appeared to be in good spirits despite facing fresh public humiliation

Andrew was joined by a female companion during his morning ride

Scoop reenacts the saga surrounding Andrew's excruciating sitdown in 2019, where he was quizzed about his friendship with billionaire convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

Mr Fitzwilliams said the Netflix show painted a devastating portrait of Andrew's character.

'The film conveys the extraordinary sense of entitlement that Andrew had. He is told by his aide Amanda Thirsk to ''just be himself'' and he is - that's the most damning thing,' he said.

'It is very embarrassing for the Palace and simply another indication that Andrew is completely unfit for the Royal Family he was born into.

'The public's view of him is already ghastly and couldn't be worse so this will confirm people's opinions. The film also adds a new dimension by portraying his childlike side - such as the scene featuring his teddy bears.

'The person we see in the film doesn't seem to have any idea of reality. It shows how people in a privileged position can become completely out of touch.'

Mr Bower said: 'To save the Royal Family from more horrendous damage, King Charles will finally need to order Prince Andrew to permanently stay out of public view. Senior officials also need to tell Andrew the truth.

'He is a serious liability and cannot be trusted or rescued. Unless King Charles firmly grasps this nettle it can only get worse'.

The Daily Mail's TV and film critic Brian Viner praised Scoop for its 'top-quality cast and mischievous script'.

He wrote: 'Like Netflix's The Crown, director Philip Martin's film deftly mixes historical truths with dramatic licence. But fiction can't compete with fact.

'Scoop is never more electrifying than when it finally arrives at the only part of the story we already know intimately, the interview itself, with all its extraordinary minutiae about Pizza Express in Woking and Andrew's supposed inability to sweat.

'It is very carefully and convincingly recreated.'

The Holiday actor Rufus Sewell stars as the Duke of York while Gillian Anderson portrays Ms Maitlis

Royal biographer and investigative journalist Tom Bower believes Scoop should remind the King that he must stop any attempt by his brother to get back to public life

Andrew and Ms Maitlis in real life before the 2019 interview in Buckingham Palace

The Daily Telegraph film critic Tim Robey also awarded it five stars out of five, hailing the layers of drama which he feels sets it apart from previous royal dramas like The Queen and The Crown.

Robey said: 'It's no laughing matter, obviously, but aspects of the whole saga are still inescapably absurd, and maximally milked in a borderline-The-Thick-of-It fashion without going overboard.

'The director, Philip Martin, plays everything right to the cusp - where you clamp hand to mouth, aghast at remembering that this train wreck actually happened, and irresistibly compelled to relive it.'

But the film, also starring Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes, received mixed reviews, with The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw described the performances as laborious.

Bradshaw offered the film two stars out of five, describing it as 'laboriously acted and distinctly self-admiring, self-mythologising drama about the media, the royals and the media royals'.

The critic said there was one 'spark' in the moment Andrew is shown humiliating a female staff member for mishandling his collection of soft toys.

'It's a flash of black-comic horror and Sewell has something to get his teeth into as an actor,' he said.

'Otherwise, the drama is smothered by its own overwhelming sense of importance.'

Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk, Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew and Charity Wakefield as Princess Beatrice, who played a role in organising the interview

Andrew beamed as he walked in front and centre alongside senior royals before the Easter Sunday Service at Windsor

Barber said the film lacked 'a bit of boldness, irreverence, imagination and depth'.

'It's a brisk, well-acted and solidly built newsroom drama, but there is plenty of scope for the Amazon series (A Very Royal Scandal) to be better', he said.

Among those hailing Piper's performance as Sam McAlister, the Newsnight producer who sealed the interview, was The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey who said the actress offered an 'excellent performance'.

Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter film critic Leslie Felperin said: 'Scoop feels more like another example of Netflix feasting on the British royal family's dirty laundry now that The Crown has gone as far into the present as it can go (or dares to go).'

Following the Newsnight broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew's friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life.

The interview was dubbed a 'car crash', with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with the sex offender Epstein.

Andrew was previously seen leading members of the Royal Family at a service of thanksgiving at Windsor Castle for the late King Constantine of Greece

In scenes that humiliated Andrew and his family, he claimed he was at Pizza Express in Woking on the night Virginia Giuffre claimed he had sex with her in London when she was 17.

He also tried to dispel her claims he 'sweats profusely' by claiming that being shot at during the Falklands War left him with a condition that means he is unable to perspire.

Andrew then went on to suggest the photo of them together at Ghislaine Maxwell's London mews house was faked.

Despite all of this, the man who shot the interview - Mark Harrison - claims Andrew thought the interview went 'really well' at the time.

Andrew was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and banned from using HRH in an official capacity by his late mother the Queen.

Recently he has begun appearing more prominently at royal events, with the Prince beaming as he stood in front and centre alongside Princess Anne and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson while attending the Easter Sunday Service at Windsor.

A body language expert previously described how Prince Andrew 'positioned himself as leader of the Royal Family' at King Constantine's memorial event.

The Duke, who stepped down from royal duties in 2019, attended the St George's Chapel service with ex-wife and other family members- and was seen with a wide smile on his face as he led the way.

Andrew - seen on Easter Sunday - was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and banned from using HRH in an official capacity by his late mother the Queen.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Judi James Andrew put on a 'bizarre' display which suggested he wanted to 'position himself in the role of leader' of the British royal group.

She said: 'Grinning like the Cheshire Cat at a memorial service where everyone else is looking suitably solemn looks like an overkill performance ritual from Andrew who appears to apply the widest smile just as he walks within range of the cameras.'

'Andrew was seen in a similar state of cheeriness on his last outing with the royal group and this kind of random-looking grinning suggests a desire to appear carefree and resilient.'

That previous occasion was at Christmas, when he appeared similarly cheery as he attended church at Sandringham with his family.

Andrew, who has previously strenuously denied allegations against, paid millions a year ago to settle a civil case out of court with Virginia Giuffre.

There was no admission of guilt after she accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

Ms Giuffre, formerly Roberts, had claimed in a 2015 lawsuit she was made by Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions when she was 17.

Later, in 2021, she filed a lawsuit against the prince over the alleged encounters.

The prince has strenuously denied all wrong doing and continues to do so.

But Andrew was mentioned more than 70 times in almost 1,000 pages of interviews and transcripts released in the US in January.

The documents are part of a 2015 defamation case brought by Ms Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed for sex trafficking young girls for Epstein.

Emily Maitlis has already served as an executive producer of a Channel 4 documentary about the interview.

Another drama about the interview, an Amazon series called A Very Royal Scandal starring Michael Sheen as Andrew and Ruth Wilson as Maitlis, is also in the works.
The UK's biggest education union has been branded a 'hostile environment' for Jews after a retired teacher was heckled for challenging an anti-Israel motion.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) agreed to blame Israel for the war in Gaza and publish 'educational resources' about the conflict following the union's annual conference in Bournemouth on Thursday.

The motion also called on the NEU to 'increase understanding of Palestine and Israel' and reaffirm its support for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

It accused Israel's government of being 'racist' and the 'main driver' of the conflict, violence and war. The ongoing war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's deadly terror attack on October 7 which killed 1,200 people and saw militants seize about 250 hostages from Israel.

Peter Block, from Barnet, in north west London , who opposed the motion, said he was heckled after he likened the conference to 'an anti-Zionist rally'.

The motion on Palestine was carried at the NEU's conference in Bournemouth on Thursday

Peter Block was constantly interrupted by a rowdy audience when he tried to give a speech at the NEU's annual conference

The 75-year-old accused fellow delegates of uncritically jumping on the anti-Israel bandwagon and said it amounted it to 'a glorification of Hamas'.

After he was heckled, he told members: 'We are still a democracy in this country, as is Israel'.

Speaking to journalists at the conference, Mr Block said: 'The NEU is a hostile environment for Jewish members, particularly any who have any affiliation or sympathy for Israel.'

The teacher also said after his speech: 'I had a lot more to say but they [other delegates] stopped me saying it.'

He went on to say that his wife had tried to stop him from speaking but he wanted to do it to make sure the motion didn't 'go unanswered'.

He added: 'It needs to be answered. It needs to be made public. People need to be made aware of what is going on with the union and what they want to do is to infect young teachers with it, so that it's brought into schools, which I've already seen happen. It's so dangerous.'

Asked if he knew Jewish teachers who felt intimidated by the NEU, he said: 'Yes, and a lot have left the union, because they can see the way it is going.'

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU (Pictured in March at Trafalgar Square)

Delegate John Connolly, from Blackpool, who spoke against the motion, said it would be a 'mistake' to back it as it would 'lessen' the union's voice.

He said: 'By choosing to ignore the Hamas attack in October, we reduce our ability to criticise Israel's disproportionate response.

'By choosing to label Israeli government as racist and applying apartheid policies, we reduce our ability to be seen as a fair and reasonable organisation.'

Last week, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan criticised the union's motion on Palestine, calling it 'wholly inappropriate' and she warned it would cause 'significant hurt to members of the Jewish community'.

She added that teachers have 'a duty to remain politically impartial and to ensure all sides of contested views are presented fairly' and without bias.

But other delegates at the conference hit back at Ms Keegan's comments on Thursday during a heated debate on Palestine.

Debs Gwynn, proposer of the motion, said: 'This union is appalled that this Government seeks to criminalise people speaking out against the injustices of Palestine by dragging them through the racist Prevent programme.

'This union will take no lectures from Gillian Keegan and this racist Government on what is and what is not appropriate.'

Delegate Vendathal Premkumar, from Redbridge, in north east London, said: 'Our union group became concerned at the way silence was imposed on staff and students alike soon after the war in Palestine started.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan criticised the union's motion on Palestine

'We were banned from having discussions. Students were told that teachers will not be comfortable discussing the topic.

'This was very far from the truth as our union group felt it was our duty as educators to help our students navigate this difficult and sensitive topic.'

Delegate Mat Milovanovic, from Ealing in west London, spoke of 'troubling developments' around pupils wanting to express their 'grief and solidarity' for people being killed in Gaza.

He said: 'Classrooms should be safe spaces for students to discuss any topic and safely raise different points of view that are based on mutual respect for every person involved in the discussion.

'If students, and particularly Muslim students, are too scared to express their views because of fear of being referred to Prevent then they could well find solace in darker areas of the internet from deeply problematic sources.'

Mr Milovanovic told the conference: 'In the past few terms at my school, my colleagues and I have expressed solidarity with Palestinians wearing lanyards, badges and taking group photos calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.'

He suggested the school staff could face possible investigation 'on the grounds that we do not meet our obligation of political impartiality'.

Mr Milovanovic said: 'As educators are we not obliged to model and demonstrate compassion and decency? Are we not obliged to show our students how to stand up for what's right and just?

One delegate spoke of 'troubling developments' around pupils wanting to express their 'grief and solidarity' for the people of Gaza (Stock image)

'Should we not be a source of comfort and support the child who has expressed their grief by wearing a flag?'

Ahead of the motion, Dr Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, addressed the delegates about the situation in Gaza.

Delegates gave Dr Zomlot a standing ovation for his speech to the conference and some chanted 'free, free Palestine' and waved Palestinian flags.

One delegate shouted 'from the river to the sea' and others chanted back, 'Palestine will be free'.

The motion on Palestine, which was carried at the NEU's conference, added: 'There has been a rise in the number of Prevent referrals for pupils showing solidarity with Palestine.

'Referrals have been made for such things as wearing Palestinian Solidarity Campaign badges and stickers.'

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: 'The NEU today reiterates its call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and for justice and equality for the Palestinian people.

'The relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians since October 7, over 70% of whom are women and children.

'Children should not pay the price of war. Yet more children have been killed in Gaza in four months than in four years of worldwide wars according to the UN.'

He added: 'Women and children are also among those held hostage by Hamas. The NEU is unequivocal in its condemnation of the abhorrent attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7.

'We call for the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all hostages.'
A cop turned gun rights activist has lost her lawsuit against a former LAPD police chief in which she alleged that she was treated unfairly after refusing to delete her social media accounts showing her competition shooting.

Toni McBride, an officer in LAPD's Newton Division who has appeared in magazines and shares content of herself practicing at gun ranges, had claimed that ex chief Michel Moore blocked her ability to progress in her career after refusing to remove certain videos.

She alleged that Moore threatened to 'destroy my career' during a meeting if she did not take down her accounts, which had accumulated some 120,000 followers in sum. 'He told me that as long as I was on social media that my career here at LAPD is over,' she testified.

Moore countered that while he 'did caution her that the nature of her posts were reflecting poorly on the department', and that her posts had 'impacted her credibility', he did not give her an ultimatum as described.

But on Thursday, after a trial lasting just over two days, a jury concluded McBride had not been treated unfairly by her former boss. Jurors heard testimony from high ranking LAPD officials including McBride's father, Jamie, and saw images from her channels, including posts in her police uniform and one captioned 'sexy glock'.

McBride made headlines in 2020 over the shooting of Daniel Hernandez. After it was determined McBride had fired more shots than necessary, critics pointed to her social media accounts as suggestive of her propensity for violence.

The officer said the LAPD chief threatened to 'destroy my career' over her posts

McBride shares photos with some 120,000 followers across her social media channels

McBride continues to share pictures of herself with firearms on social media

File photo. Then-LAPD Chief Michael Moore speaks to media at the LAPD headquarters about an unrelated case, on April 2, 2019

McBride (pictured in a social post) has been on medical leave since 2022 due to 'severe physical symptoms' caused by the 'stress' of the lawsuit, a court filing claimed

During the trial, McBride said she believed 'it's my right to talk about whatever I want to on Instagram, especially topics that involve the 2nd Amendment'.

Aneta Freeman, an assistant L.A. city attorney, acknowledged that 'Yes, she has a right to post on her social media, but with that right comes a responsibility, and she has not met that responsibility'.

Freeman said McBride was merely 'seeking to use her position and her badge to make money and to become famous and to become an influencer', as reported by the LA Times.

But Beth Corriea, one of McBride's attorneys, argued the case was 'a perfect example of a disagreement over the content of free speech.'

Gregory Smith, another attorney for McBride, said he was 'disappointed' with the eventual verdict, arguing her free speech rights had been violated.

The lawsuit also circled back to the April 2020 killing of Daniel Hernandez, 38, who was shot by McBride after appearing to lunge at her with a box cutter.

She shot and killed a man. But the emotional distress that she is suffering and that she is asking you to award money for is because she is told to take down her Instagram,' referencing the $100,000 damages she was seeking.

McBride has been on medical leave since November 2022 due to 'severe physical symptoms' caused by and worsened by the 'stress' of the lawsuit, a court filing claimed.

The shooting of Daniel Hernandez drew a lot of attention at the time, critics claiming McBride's social media boasts showed a propensity for violence.

She briefly returned to work before going back on leave and relocating to Northern California.

McBride was in 2020 sued after bodycam footage showing her shooting Daniel Hernandez, 38, in downtown Los Angeles in April was released.

The footage shows her instructing him to drop a box cutter he was holding while she was attending the scene of a multi-car accident Hernandez had been involved in.

Hernandez appeared to continue to walk towards the officer after ordering him to stand down. McBride fired four times before the man fell to the ground.

After he collapsed, McBride fired twice more because he still had the weapon in his hands.

The LAPD Commission concluded her last two shots were out of policy.

Los Angeles Police Officer Toni McBride in photos shared on her Facebook page

McBride with Keanu Reeves, second from left, at Taran Tactical posted in December 2019

McBride has been on medical leave since November 2022 due to 'severe physical symptoms' caused by and worsened by the 'stress' of the lawsuit, a court filing claimed

McBride has appeared in a number of magazines posing with firearms

During this week's trial, Moore acknowledged overruling a recommendation to take McBride off desk duty.

He linked to to the pending investigation over the shooting of Hernandez and her use of the city's intellectual property on her social channels.

McBride continues to post on social media, addressing some 120,000 followers on Instagram alone and sharing pictures with firearms on Facebook.

Her bio on YouTube, now more sparsely populated, reads: 'Full Time LEO, Completion Shooter, Jesus Christ Follower'.
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner would break into holiday apartments naked, a former pal has told his sex crimes trial.

Michael Tatschl, a former partner in crime of Brueckner, said he would use the bizarre modus operandi so as not to leave evidence and catch his clothes on surfaces.

Tatschl said: 'He scaled the walls. Once he told me he broke in and three teenage girls were sleeping in the living room. He was naked. One of them woke up when a phone rang and screamed.

'The girl's father heard the scream and came, so Christian had to run and jump off a balcony. He burgled naked quite a few times because he did not want to leave a trace.'

Convicted rapist and paedophile Bruckner, 47, was sensationally named by German police four years ago as the man responsible for Madeleine's 'abduction and murder'.

The then three-year-old vanished from a ground floor holiday apartment while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry in Praia da Luz on Portugal's Algarve coast in May 2007.

However, despite the claim he has still not been charged and is currently on trial in his native Germany accused of unrelated sex crimes that took place in the same area where she disappeared.

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner (pictured in court today) would break into holiday apartments naked, a former pal has told his sex crimes trial

Convicted rapist and paedophile Bruckner, 47, was sensationally named by German police four years ago as the man responsible for Madeleine's (pictured) 'abduction and murder'

Michael Tatschl (picture outside court today), a former partner in crime of Brueckner, said he would use the bizarre modus operandi so as not to leave evidence and catch his clothes on surfaces

Carpenter Tatschl, 50, is the latest witness to give evidence at the court in Braunschweig, where Brueckner arrived early on Friday under a heavy police escort.

Previously, Tatschl has told how he was a 'partner in crime' with Brueckner when they lived in Portugal and told German media he heard him talk about 'selling children to a paedophile ring in Morocco'.

In a previous interview he also said he was 'convinced' Bruecker had taken Madeleine and said: 'I know he did it. He is more than capable of taking a small child.'

Tatschl was asked if he still believed Brueckner stole Madeleine to sell her to a paedophile network and replied: 'That was my suspicion because he wanted money.'

Tatschl said his suspicion had been the snatch was for a paedophile network operating in Morocco because it was 'nearby' to Portugal.

Tatschl told the court that he had also heard about the graphic videos which were said to show Brueckner attacking and raping an elderly woman and young girl.

He said: 'I heard about it from Helge Busching and Manfred Seyferth but I can't remember who told me first.'

Tatschl added he had seen 'whips and masks' in Brueckner's Portuguese home and a 'stash of 500 passports which he kept like trophies'.

In a shock revelation Tatschl then told the court Brueckner had boasted to him in jail how he had once 'kidnapped a girl of around 14-15 and kept her tied to a post in his house' before letting her go.

Brueckner and Tatschl were jailed in 2006 for stealing fuel in Portugal and shared the same cell before being released just a few weeks before Madeleine vanished.

On November 18 last year, prosecutors confirmed Brueckner would stand trial for various charges of sexual abuse against women aged between 10 and 80

Then three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in Portugal's Algarve coast, in May 2007 where she was staying with parents Kate and Gerry and her siblings

In testimony Tatschl, dressed in a white shirt, described how he had met Brueckner in early 2006 and became friends with him over the next few weeks.

He said: 'He told me how he earned money, he broke into houses, tourist houses, hotels, at night when they were not there.

'He would even break in when they were sleeping and if they were on the first or even second floor. He had a little box of stolen things, jewellery and watches.'

Earlier Brueckner had been led into court handcuffed and greeted his legal team with warm handshakes.

Police in Portugal have always claimed that Madeleine's abductor broke into the apartment through a window.

They say the culprit likely left with the child through a door or by climbing back out the window.

Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have spearheaded a high-profile campaign for information about her disappearance.

Brueckner is on trial accused of raping three women and assaulting children between 2000 and 2017 in the Algarve.

He was jailed in 2019 for seven years after being convicted of raping an elderly woman in the Algarve in 2005.

His current trial started in February and has heard from witnesses who say they saw Brueckner in harrowing sex tapes which showed the rape of an elderly woman and a young girl.

Brueckner's defence have tried several times to have witnesses ruled out saying the case is unfair and prejudiced against their client because of the link to Madeleine but all attempts have so far failed.

The trial is expected to continue through the spring and into the summer.
Ireland's reunification would lead to staggering financial pressures on the Republic, amounting to some 17 billion a year for 20 years and necessitating a major tax rise, a new study has claimed.

A report published yesterday by Irish think-tank Institute of International and European Affairs found Ireland would have to slash public spending and bring about an 'immediate, major reduction' of living standards if Northern Ireland were to join.

The study concluded that the basic administrative expenses of reunification, the loss of 'subvention' payments from the British government and other adjustments would approximate a total annual cost of nearly 11 billion (9.5 billion).

But that would skyrocket to around 20.5 billion (17 billion) if Ireland were to align social welfare, pensions, and public service pay rates in Northern Ireland with those of the Republic.

One of the report's authors, Professor John FitzGerald of Dublin's Trinity College, said: 'Even though Ireland has a much higher national income, funding the needs of the people of Northern Ireland in a united Ireland would put huge financial pressure on the people of Ireland.'

He went on to add the 20 billion (17 billion) a-year bill would be like 'a third of a bank bailout every year'.

Flowers are pictured growing in front of Parliament buildings, the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, in Stormont on January 30, 2024

The report's second author, Professor Edgar Morgenroth of Dublin City University, said that some of the costs would be offset long term as a united Ireland would benefit from integration into the EU.

But he cautioned these benefits would 'take some considerable time' to manifest, adding: 'People bought into the idea of Brexit without knowing what the exact implications were going to be... without knowing exactly what a united Ireland would look like it's very difficult to do very precise calculations.

'I think we need to do some planning to understand what the implications might be.'

Professor FitzGerald acknowledged that the cost of reunification would lower considerably if the UK agreed to absorb Northern Ireland's share of the national debt - but said this was a highly unlikely scenario.

'Looking for somebody else to pay for unification is not going to happen. If it happens, we've got to pay for it ourselves,' Prof FitzGerald told Irish broadcaster RTE yesterday.

The report has since been met with staunch criticism from nationalist politicians in Ireland.

TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn, whose Sinn Fein party has called for votes on a united Ireland by 2030, questioned the validity of the report's methodology and argued that economic growth precipitated by reunification would considerably offset the costs outlined by the professors.

Stormont Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald has also advocated for reunification, and said other scholars had shown that unity could lead to a stronger economic future despite early costs.

'Reunification would best serve Ireland's economic interests and would deliver economic and social benefits for the whole island,' Ms Archibald said.

'Professor Kurt Huebner, for example, reported that Irish unity could boost the all-island economy by 35 billion over eight years.

'The key now is planning and preparation.'

The report, which has further spurred debate over the prospect of reunification, comes just weeks after Sinn Fein's president said she expects a vote to happen within six years.

Mary Lou McDonald said she believes the referendum would happen before 2030, after the election of Michelle O'Neill as First Minister in Northern Ireland.

She spoke out on Sky News in February after Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson mocked her for saying Irish unity was within 'touching distance' and said she would need 'the longest arms on this island'.

'Recent elections in the north of Ireland and at the weekend my colleague Michelle O'Neill becoming for the first time, a Sinn Fein First Minister in the north are just indicators of a profound change that is happening in Ireland,' she said.

'When I say unity is within touching distance I meant in historic terms  I don't mean that it is happening next week or next month. So you don't need to have those long arms that Jeffrey refers to. But what I am saying, and what I firmly believe is that in this decade we will have those referendums.'

Asked if she meant by 2030, she replied: 'Yes, and let me say that it is not so far away, so there's an awful lot of work that needs to be done.'

Mary Lou McDonald, the nationalists' president, said she believes the referendum on reunification would happen before 2030, after the election of Michelle O'Neill as First Minister in Northern Ireland

McDonald's comments came after Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson mocked her for saying Irish unity was within 'touching distance', saying she would need 'the longest arms on this island'

McDonald in February also put pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to allow a border poll to go ahead if he becomes Prime Minister later this year.

Such a poll is at the discretion of the Government, but there are criteria within the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) that says one should be called 'if at any time it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the UK and form part of a united Ireland'.

Successive UK governments have consistently declined to specify publicly what criteria will be applied when measuring public sentiment on the issue.

McDonald said: I would hope that Keir Starmer and a Labour government, given that the GFA was a Labour Party achievement in the first instance under Tony Blair, I would hope that he would be very true in words and spirit to the GFA.'

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a border poll should be called by the incumbent Northern Ireland Secretary when he/she believes there is evidence that public opinion in the region has shifted in favour of constitutional change.

But Sir Jeffrey Donaldson rejected suggestions of a poll within the next decade, insisting 'we are nowhere near a united Ireland'.
Ukraine has destroyed at least six Russian warplanes, damaged eight more and wounded or killed 20 personnel in a major overnight drone attack on Vladimir Putin's airfields, Kyiv said on Friday.

Launching one of its largest overnight attacks in weeks, Ukraine fired more than 50 drones at Russian territory, according to Russia's defence ministry.

Among the targets was the Engels-2 base in in the southern Rostov region, home to Putin's prized Tu-95 and Tu-22 nuclear bombers.

More than 60 explosions were heard in the Rostov region as Russian air defences fended off an attack on Morozovsk military airfield, scene of the heaviest assault.

A video showed a woman's shock at the moment an electricity power station was hit.

There were more than ten explosions in Yeisk, Krasnodar region, reported local Telegram channels - also the location of a military airfield.

Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Russia last night, targeting airfields and destroying at least six warplanes, Kyiv said. Pictured: A man is seen standing next to a burning building in the aftermath of the overnight attacks

The Ukrainian drone attacks were caught on camera in Russia's Rostov region (pictured)

An explosion is seen in the distance during the Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia

A security source in Kyiv told France's AFP news agency that an attack on the Morozovsk air base in Russia's southern Rostov region had destroyed at least six Russian planes and 'another eight were heavily damaged'.

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'This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the Russians,' the source said, adding that the attack was carried out by the SBU security service and the military.

Some 20 Russian personnel were killed or wounded, it was alleged.

Frontline bombers - Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 - are known to be routinely based at the airfield. They have been used to strike at Ukraine during the war.

As of April 4, some 26 Su-34 fighters and three Su-35 warplanes were stationed at the airbase, according to OSINT reports.

It has been reported that the SBU secret service was behind the kamikaze drone strike along with the Ukrainian armed forces.

'The results of the joint special operation are amazing - at least six Russian military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight received significant damage,' a source told RBC Ukraine.

If confirmed it would be one of the biggest blows of the war to Vladimir Putin's air force.

There was no immediate response from Russia and AFP news agency said it had been unable to verify the claims.

Russia said 44 of the 53 drones Kyiv fired overnight targeted the southern Rostov region, which sits just across the border from Ukraine and is home to a number of major military sites, including its command headquarters for the offensive.

'During the night and on the morning of April 5, the Kyiv regime tried to commit several terrorist attacks with aerial drones which were foiled,' the defence ministry said.

Rostov governor Vasily Golubev said a drone attack on the Morozovsk district, where the airbase is located, had caused 'insignificant damage' to a power station that had cut electricity supplies to around 600 residents.

He also reported windows were blown out in an apartment building but made no mention of the air base.

Russia rarely comments on Ukrainian claims of successful strikes.

Video from Russia shows a woman's shock at the moment an electricity power station was hit

Kyiv has stepped up its aerial attacks on Russian territory in recent months, targeting both military sites and energy facilities in a bid to disrupt Russia's supply of fuel and equipment for its invasion.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian drones hit the central Tatarstan region - around 680 miles from the countries' shared border - in one of the deepest Ukrainian attacks of the two-year war.

Kyiv said the strike hit a major oil refinery and a factory assembling explosive drones.

Other Ukrainian drone attacks in the early hours of Friday targeted the Belgorod and Kursk border regions, as well as Saratov and Krasnodar.

In Saratov, the governor said a drone had targeted Engels, a city around 300 miles from the border that is home to a major Russian air base that has previously been hit.

Ukraine's air force meanwhile said Russia launched five missiles and 13 drones at its territory overnight.

Kyiv said it downed the 13 drones, but did not say anything about the missiles, which targeted the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Russian-installed authorities in areas of Ukraine occupied by Moscow's forces also reported Ukrainian strikes on Friday.

Russian warplanes are seen stationed at Engels airbase, one of the targets of Ukraine's overnight drone attacks, in this satellite image

Five people were injured, two seriously, in a drone attack on the Russian-controlled part of the southern Kherson region, while seven were injured in a strike on Gorlivka in the eastern Donetsk region, Moscow-appointed officials said.

On the battlefield, Russian forces are seeking to press their advantage with Ukraine facing shortages of both manpower and ammunition amid delays to the delivery of Western aid.

Russian-installed officials have claimed Moscow's forces are advancing on Chasiv Yar, a town in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

Both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers with links to the armed forces said Friday that Russian troops had reached the outskirts of the town.
A consultant NHS gynaecologist has been suspended after one new mother lost almost five pints of blood and another was left feeling like a 'cow giving birth to a calf' during the bungled deliveries of their babies.

Dr Fakher Gendy, 74, of Lymm, Cheshire, was said to have 'frozen in panic' and behaved like a 'rabbit caught in the headlights' after one of the women suddenly began bleeding heavily whilst being prepared for a caesarean section.

As shocked nursing staff looked on, Gendy - who was born in Egypt and qualified 50 years ago - wrote notes in a book then left the theatre to call a colleague for advice before returning and saying: 'I didn't expect this' whilst colleagues intervened.

The unnamed mother recovered after undergoing a blood transfusion.

In the other botched delivery, a newborn baby was left with bruises to their neck after Gendy was too 'forceful' with the patient in what a paediatrician described as the 'roughest delivery I have ever witnessed'.

Dr Fakher Gendy, 74, of Lymm, Cheshire, was born in Egypt and qualified 50 years ago

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), Gendy, who was once named 'Arabic doctor of the year', was suspended from medical practice for nine months after he was found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

The panel rejected his pleas for voluntary erasure.

During the hearing in Manchester, it emerged Gendy was currently facing two criminal investigations - one a police probe into allegations he intentionally caused grievous bodily harm to a patient during an operation; and the other from the Care Quality Commission over allegations he treated a patient at an 'unregulated' health facility.

He is also facing further a General Medical Council (GMC) investigation after being criticised by an inquest coroner over the stillbirth of a baby in 2019.

The bungled deliveries took place between 2020 and 2021 when grandfather Gendy was already in in his 70s and working at the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

The first new mother known as Patient C had rushed into labour in November 2019 but it was discovered she had 'shoulder dystocia' which meant one of the shoulders of her baby had become stuck aghanst her pubic bone.

Despite concerns from midwifery staff about the dangers of using medical instruments and the fact the baby's heart rate was normal, Gendy decided to use forceps without giving any explanation.

Dr Fakher Gendy was claimed to have 'frozen in panic' during the delivery of a baby

In a statement, Patient C said: 'I recall that Dr Gendy said something like 'We're going to get you down to delivery and get this baby out. This might be hopefully with forceps, or it might be a C section'. I remember Dr Gendy checked on my baby and told me that he had turned back-to-back. I remember vividly that I said I did not want a caesarean section unless it was an absolute emergency.'

She added: 'I remember watching them perform 'internal manoeuvres' and I think it was Dr Gendy. I remember feeling like the doctor's entire arm was inside me. I have grown up in the countryside and watched many calves being born - in that moment I felt like a cow.'

A paediatrician known as Dr L said: 'I do remember when Mr Gendy was delivering the head that he was applying some pressure. I chatted with the midwives afterwards and we agreed that we felt that it was far too much pressure.. I think that during the delivery, me and some of the general theatre staff were making eye contact to make the inference that Mr Gendy was applying too much pressure.'

An anaesthetist called Dr N said: 'I saw Dr L, when he came to bring the baby to Patient C. He looked distressed and so I took him into the adjoining anaesthetic room and I asked him if he was okay. I remember that he was shaking whilst speaking and seemed distressed and I felt like he needed a debriefing and some reassurance. Dr L said 'that was the roughest delivery I have ever witnessed'.

'I asked Dr L 'Will you make a statement and take it further?' and I remember that he said yes.'

Dr Fakher Gendy was suspended from medical practice for nine months at the hearing

A midwife known as Ms K said: 'My distinct recollection was that the force being applied to the baby's head by Dr Gendy was excessive and was not routine or appropriate. It seemed to me that Dr Gendy was pulling at the baby's head and neck because he did not know what else to do.

'It was as if he did not know the appropriate management for shoulder dystocia. It felt like Dr Gendy used excessive force because he did not know what to do next.'

The hearing was told Gendy blundered again when the second new mother known as Patient D suffered a 'maternal collapse' and became unresponsive whilst giving birth in February 2021.

Despite an emergency buzzer being pressed and other staff dashing to theatre, Gendy did not appear tom recognise a deterioration in the woman's condition, recorded that she 'felt faint' in his medical notes and then left the room to phone an on-call consultant for advice.

One nurse said in a statement: 'Patient D was pale and unresponsive, her blood pressure was 70/40, she had already been laid flat. but Mr Gendy was in the room with his back to us writing in his notes despite the emergency buzzer going and all the midwives on the shift being in the room.

'I shouted to him that the foetal heart was not recovering and could he assist but he did not reply. Mr Gendy did not seem to be able to make a decision when I asked him.'

Dr Fakher Gendy was described in the hearing as being 'like a rabbit in headlights'

Another nurse said: 'A gush of blood came out and at this point I was able to see a lot of blood on the floor. Both I and the scrub nurse communicated to Mr Gendy that there was a lot of blood loss on the floor, however he took no notice of us. I then tried to get all the blood loss that was on the floor - it measured 2808ml.'

The labour ward co-ordinator known as Ms F said: 'He was not speaking and so I was having to lead. Dr Gendy was like a rabbit in headlights - he kept saying 'I didn't expect this'.'

In his own witness statement Gendy who has since completed a course on 'Managing human factors for safe practice' said: 'I was entirely focused on ensuring the safe delivery of the baby and then on closing Patient D's uterus.

'Notwithstanding this, I twice asked about Patient D's blood loss during the operation and I recollect that just as I 'was suturing Patient D's skin, was informed that on the opposite side of the patient there was blood on the operating theatre floor.

'This was not visible from where I was standing, and it was said to be in excess of 2000ml. No member of theatre staff had previously informed me about this.'

Nicholas Walker, lawyer for the GMC, said: 'Dr Gendy's case relates to failures to communicate with colleagues, failure to notice and respond to medical events, failure to manage the medical events, failure to administer what should have been routine, and a failure to lead.

'In particular Patient D's postpartum haemorrhage was undoubtedly an extremely serious situation and Dr Gendy's failures put her at risk of harm.'

For Gendy, Andrew Colman said: 'He had intended to continue practising medicine when the matters before this Tribunal arose, however he has found the proceedings chastening and emotionally distressing, and as such feels he is now wishes to retire.

'Dr Gendy is struggling financially and sees little point in maintaining his registration when he does not intend to practise in the future. Has no intention to work anywhere in the world as a doctor.'.

In suspending Gendy, MPTS chairman Sean Ell said: 'Dr Gendy has shown limited insight into his misconduct and has shown a failure to work collaboratively with colleagues. His misconduct had the potential to cause serious harm to patients.

'Although the Tribunal has not concluded that Dr Gendy's misconduct was reckless or grossly negligent, it was mindful of the potential risk of serious harm to Patient D and that the misconduct involved failures in a number of areas of basic treatment.'
The moment masked robbers armed with sledgehammers yesterday stole thousands of pounds in valuables after smashing through the shop window of a jewellers in a 4x4 has been caught on camera.

Video shows three balaclava-clad robbers - all in black - climbing out the destroyed Leeds store making their getaway in a black Audi as they are joined by a fourth who jumped out of the Toyota Rav4 which crashed into the shop.

Police have now launched a desperate hunt for the gang, and detectives are appealing for information on the armed robbery at Mirpur Jewellers, on Harehills Road, Harehills last night.

West Yorkshire Police said that the force received reports of an ongoing robbery at the jewellery shop 6.29pm on Thursday.

The offenders drove a Toyota Rav4 into the shopfront in broad daylight and entered the store armed with massive hammers.

This is the moment masked robbers armed with sledgehammers yesterday stole thousands of pounds in valuables after smashing through the shop window of a jewellers in a 4x4

Video shows three balaclava-clad robbers - all in black - climbing out the destroyed Leeds store making their getaway in a black Audi

The destroyed shop window at Mirpur Jewellers on Harehills Road, Leeds after a Toyota Rav4 in broad daylight at just before 6.30pm yesterday

They smashed display cabinets and stole various items before driving off in a dark-coloured Audi car, leaving the Toyota at the scene.

Armed officers were deployed to the scene and searched the area, but the offenders were not located. No one was injured, police said.

Video of the robbery shows the three suspects creeping out through the smashed window holding hammers and bags as the shop alarms blare.

Two of them make their way to the black Audi parked outside the shop and get in, before being joined by the third.

A fourth member of the gang then gets out of a Toyota Rav4 - which appears to be an older model - and gets in the rear passenger side seat.

The car then does a u-turn and drives off. The robbers abandoned the Toyota.

One of the owner's family members said that a significant quantity of stock had been stored away when the raid happened, but told the BBC 'the whole sho front is damaged'.

The family member also said that nobody had been hurt during the robbery.

Video of the robbery shows the three suspects creeping out through the smashed window holding hammers and bags as the shop alarms blare

One of the robbers heads towards the getaway car, an Audi, after stealing from the jewellers

The Toyota Rav4 - which appears to be an older model - was left abandoned at the scene

The robbers did a u-turn in the Audi and drove off from the scene. Police have not yet arrested any suspects

A police cordon is in place as detectives from Leeds District CID are continuing to carry out enquiries into the incident.

Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team are increasing their patrols of the area to reassure the community.

West Yorkshire Police asked: 'Anyone who witnessed the incident, particularly anyone with relevant phone or dashcam footage, or who has any information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Leeds District CID via 101 quoting crime reference 13240180444 or online via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat.'
Calls for Britain to end arms sales to Israel - following the killing of three British veterans in Gaza - have been dismissed as 'shallow gesture politics' by a Tory MP.

Bob Seely, the Isle of Wight MP and a member of the House of Commons' foreign affairs committee, said the UK should instead 'double down' on its ties with Israel.

His comments come amid a growing split in Conservative ranks over how to respond to the deaths of James 'Jim' Henderson, John Chapman, and James Kirby.

They were among seven aid workers who died when a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Monday.

The Government is also under growing pressure to publish legal advice about whether Israel is violating international humanitarian law with its actions in Gaza.

But, amid suggestions PM Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron might soon be prepared to take a tougher line - including a halt to arms sales to Israel - there are claims of a split in Cabinet.

According to Bloomberg, at least three Cabinet ministers are opposed to any suspension of arms sales while some senior Government figures and No10 advisers also oppose the UK making a judgment that Israel might not be complying with international law.

There are claims of a Cabinet split amid suggestions PM Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron might soon be prepared to take a tougher line against Israel

Tory MP Bob Seely dismissed calls for Britain to end arms sales to Israel - following the killing of three British veterans in Gaza - as 'shallow gesture politics'

James 'Jim' Henderson, John Chapman, and James Kirby were among seven aid workers who died when a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Monday

Mr Seely last night hit back at the growing calls for Britain to stop supplying Israel with arms following Monday's tragedy.

He told BBC Newsnight: 'The reality is that we supply 0.02 per cent of Israel's arms imports, which is a meaninglessly small figure, and actually by blocking it, effectively, this is shallow gesture politics and nothing but.

'And it's symptomatic of the way that gesture politics is driving out rigorous thought from public debate.

'So, let's have a rigorous public debate, let's talk about the issues, but please, let's just drop the gesture politics because it's pretty pointless.'

Mr Seely also called for the UK to 'double down' on its relationship with Israel.

'If you want to have a strategy, and if you want to have influence over people, you have to stay close to them,'he added.

'So actually, we have to double down on our relationship with Israel, but also Arab states that are involved in the same way.'

It came as the brother of James 'Jim' Henderson said the UK Government's inaction over the killings is 'hard to comprehend'.

Mr Henderson, a 33-year-old former Royal Marine, from Cornwall, formed part of World Central Kitchen's security detail and died alongside fellow British veterans John Chapman, 57, and James Kirby, 47.

On behalf of the family, Henderson's brother, who declined to be named, told The Times that 'accountability is the only hope of justice I have' for his death.

He slammed Israel's 'inexcusable behaviour' and further criticised its allies, saying: 'It's unacceptable for our world leaders to ignore this gross miscarriage of justice'.

Israeli authorities have so far apologised for the strikes and said an investigation would be held 'at the highest levels' to ensure such incidents do not happen again.

Meanwhile, Lord Cameron has pledged to 'hold Israel to account' for the killings and rejected claims that Britain is downplaying the incident to avoid upsetting Israel.

James 'Jim' Henderson, 33, was one of seven aid workers who died when the World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit outside the Deir al-Balah warehouse. His brother has now said the British Government's inaction over the killings is 'hard to comprehend' and argued that 'it's unacceptable for our world leaders to ignore this gross miscarriage of justice'

Henderson, a former Royal Marine, formed part of the relief team's security detail and died alongside fellow British veterans John Chapman, 57, (left) and James Kirby, 47 (right)

Henderson's brother slammed Israel's 'inexcusable behaviour' and said that 'accountability is the only hope of justice I have' for the killings. Pictured above is the site where the World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza

Mr Henderson's brother said: 'Accountability is the only hope of justice I have... I don't believe our Government will hold the correct people to account, but I guarantee that our Government will sell weapons to Israel, which may in turn be used to kill our fellow citizens. It's hard to comprehend that.'

He added: 'I feel this is inexcusable behaviour, to kill my brother and his colleagues on a humanitarian mission. Our thoughts are with the suffering people who have been deprived of basic humanitarian needs. It's unacceptable for our world leaders to ignore this gross miscarriage of justice.'

Meanwhile, Mr Henderson's former rugby club paid tribute to 'one of the kindest, toughest and most loyal players' to have worn the shirt.

Matthew Gray, chairman of Penryn RFC, told PA news agency: 'Penryn RFC are extremely shocked and saddened to hear the news about the death of James Henderson. There was a brief gathering at the club on Tuesday night where many of his close friends and those that had played rugby with Jimmy shared their fond memories of him.

'Clearly this tragic event, which has happened so far from Jimmy's home town, will be felt for a long time by his family, friends and everyone in the local community who knew and loved him. Rest in peace, Jimmy.'

According to Penryn RFC's Facebook page, Mr Henderson had played for the club from the youth section through to seniors.

A tribute post described him as a 'force to be reckoned with' who 'commanded the back row with his relentless work ethic which he instilled on to everyone that had the pleasure of playing beside him'.

A tribute post described James Henderson (pictured) as a 'force to be reckoned with' who 'commanded the back row with his relentless work ethic which he instilled on to everyone that had the pleasure of playing beside him'

Shocking images disseminated on social media showed their aid vehicles blown apart by the drone's missiles - one had a gaping hole in the roof (pictured) while another truck had its rear end hanging off, the interior reduced to a charred wreck

Palestinians are standing next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024, where employees from the World Central Kitchen had been killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before

The post read: 'It comes with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jim Henderson. We have lost one of the kindest, toughest and most loyal players to have ever worn the Penryn shirt.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Jim's family and friends through this tough time.'

The aid convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food taken to Gaza on the maritime route, WCK said.

The charity immediately suspended operations in the region.

The relief team's leader, Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, an Australian national, also died in the strike, along with American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25.

The attack has drawn international condemnation of what Israel called an 'unintended strike', with Mr Sunak telling his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, he is appalled by the killings and demanding a thorough and transparent independent investigation.

Speaking to the Sun newspaper's Never Mind The Ballots show, Mr Sunak described the aid workers' deaths as 'an awful, awful tragedy'.

'To think that these were brave Brits who were actually risking their lives to bring aid to people in need in Gaza... To have lost their lives in these circumstances is a tragedy,' he added.

The relief team's leader, Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, an Australian national, also died in the strike, along with American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25

Bodies of the foreign employees of the US-based international volunteer aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK), who were killed in an Israeli attack on a vehicle belonging to WCK, are taken from Al-Najjar hospital and sent by ambulances to Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing in Rafah, Gaza on April 3, 2024

Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group, transports the body of one of the six foreign aid workers who were killed in an Israeli strike, at a hospital morgue in Rafah on April 3, 2024

Mr Netanyahu described the attack as unintended and 'tragic' and pledged an independent inquiry.

'Unfortunately, in the past day, there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip,' he said in a video statement on Tuesday.

'This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.'

WCK founder Jose Andres has claimed the Israeli military knew of his aid workers' movements and targeted them 'systematically, car by car'.

Asked to respond, Israeli government spokesperson Raquela Karamson said during a media briefing: 'This was unintended. Clearly something went wrong here, and as we learn more and the investigation reveals exactly what happened, and the cause of what happened, we will certainly adjust our practices in the future to make sure this does not happen again.'

She said publication of the investigation's findings could take weeks. But the chief Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, appeared to give a much shorter timeline.

An investigators' report was given to Mr Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, Mr Hagari said in a televised statement.

'And I believe that, after we present this to the ambassadors from the respective countries, and to the members of the WCK organisation, we will make it public in a clear, transparent manner - and that will happen soon,' he said.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) immediately suspended operations in the region after the airstrike on Monday. Pictured is the aid centre of the international food charity in Nuseirat Camp, Gaza on April 4, 2024, as it closed

Palestinians go about their chores in makeshift tents, including one made of material bearing the US-based food charity World Central Kitchen logo, at a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024

Palestinians living in al-Maghazi Refugee Camp collect the usable items among the rubble of the destroyed buildings following an Israeli attack in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on April 4, 2024

Palestinian boys sit on building rubble following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024

Palestinians clear building rubble following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas

A man collects items from the rubble of a destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

A letter calling for the UK to suspend arms sales to Israel has been signed by more than 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices.

The Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, told the Daily Mail newspaper that Israel would be 'held to account' for the attack on aid workers and said he and Sunak were 'entirely on the same page' on the war in Gaza.

But Tory members appear divided on the issue of arms sales, as Suella Braverman argued that Israel is 'absolutely not' in breach of international humanitarian law, while party colleague Sir Alan Duncan said Mrs Braverman should have the whip withdrawn for her 'extreme' views.

The Government is also under pressure to publish legal advice after civil servants within the Department of Business and Trade involved with arms exports have raised concerns over their own degree of legal liability if Israel is found to be violating international humanitarian law.

Members of the PCS union have threatened legal action to prevent their members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.

Mr Seely said: 'Governments don't publish legal advice and I suspect that's going to be the same in future for any government and it's certainly the case now.'

Mentioning other countries the Government has faced pressure in the past to sever ties with, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Mr Seely said it was in the 'national interest' to maintain relationships.

He said: 'We should have substance to our principles, but we also need to tread carefully when it comes to military and intelligence relationships, because we spend a lot of time developing these relationships and they are significantly in our national interest and we have to think a little bit strategically.'

An Israeli soldier, holding his gun, is pictured operating in the Gaza Strip amid the war on Hamas in a picture released by the Israeli army on April 4, 2024

People are seen in the area where Al-Shifa Hospital and its surrounding are located in Gaza City, Gaza on April 1, 2024. The Israeli army said Monday that it wrapped up its military operation at the Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City, following a 14-day siege and incursion that resulted in scores of casualties and hundreds of arrests

Israeli troops move in an area along the border with the Gaza and Israel on April 4, 2024

A view of the area where Al-Shifa Hospital and its surrounding are located in Gaza City, Gaza on April 01, 2024

Palestinians work to move the dead bodies as Israeli army dismantles temporary cemetery set up by Palestinians at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on April 1, 2024

US President Joe Biden on Thursday issued a stark warning to Mr Netanyahu that future American support for Israel's war on Gaza depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

As a preliminary move to make amends for the WCK deaths, Israel said it would set up a joint operational coordination room with humanitarian agencies, located within the military's Southern Command - where Gaza missions are directly managed.

An Israeli security official who spoke on condition of anonymity said ground forces in Gaza were down to around a quarter of their numbers at the height of the invasion, and focused on more pinpoint missions and securing conquered areas.

'This may have contributed to a feeling of 'sitting duck' vulnerability. Troops prefer to be on the offensive, rather than static and potentially open to attack or to seeing the enemy operate with relative freedom,' the official said.

'The investigation will have to determine, among other things, whether this kind of thinking affected the judgement of whoever decided that the convoy should be struck.'

An inside view of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on April 1, 2024. The Israeli army said Monday that it wrapped up its military operation at the hospital complex

A picture released by the Israeli army on April 1, 2024 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas

A boy stands in front of the rubble after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

People gather on the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

Israel Ziv, a retired army general who formerly commanded the Gaza division, said the incident may have resulted from the military enabling more junior officers to authorise air strikes.

Whereas during quieter periods such an operation would require a green light from a division commander or a general in charge of regional forces, he said, 'in wartime the situation is utterly transformed, because the number of threats is never-ending'.

'If you don't allow greater latitude, further down the ranks, on opening fire, you endanger the troops and the war.'

Mr Ziv noted that Israel, which went to war after Hamas gunmen rampaged in its southern towns and army bases on October 7, has been fighting both to destroy the Palestinian Islamists' military capacity and deny them access to humanitarian aid sent to Gaza.

'That complicates the situation,' he added.

'There is no war without mistakes - quite the opposite,' Mr Ziv said. 'But usually in this kind of combat the number of non-combatants killed, in relation to enemy dead, is higher than what the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has caused (in Gaza).'

A picture released by the Israeli army on April 4, 2024 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip

An Israeli military tank is pictured operating in the Gaza Strip amid the war on Hamas in a photo released by IDF on March 31, 2024

A photo released by IDF on March 31, 2024 shows Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip

The Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7 attack, which resulted in some 1,170 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to a tally of Israeli official figures.

Hamas also took more than 250 hostages, and 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

At least 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza in the almost six-month-old war, nearly three times the toll inflicted by any other single conflict in a year, according to a UN coordinator.
Fast food chain McDonald's will buy back all of its Israeli restaurants following a boycott of the brand after it was criticised for giving away thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers.

The move to donate meals to troops was later renounced by McDonald's franchises in some Muslim countries, highlighting the polarized regional politics that global corporations navigate during war.

Some Western brands are feeling the impact of boycotts in Egypt and Jordan that have now caught on in some countries outside the Arab region including Muslim-majority Malaysia.

The popular chain said it had reached an agreement with franchisee Alonyal for 225 outlets across the country employing 5,000 people.

McDonald's decision comes after widespread protests at its decision to give out free meals affected sales in the Middle East, Indonesia and France.

Fast food chain McDonald's will buy back all of its Israeli restaurants following a boycott of the brand after it was criticised for giving away thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers

The popular chain said it had reached an agreement with franchisee Alonyal for 225 outlets across the country employing 5,000 people

McDonald's is a global chain but its franchises are often owned locally and operate autonomously, with Alonyal operated McDonald's restaurants in Israel for more than 30 years

McDonald's is a global chain but its franchises are often owned locally and operate autonomously, with Alonyal operated McDonald's restaurants in Israel for more than 30 years.

Jo Sempels, president of international developmental licensed markets at McDonald's Corporation, thanked Alonyal 'for building the McDonald's business and brand in Israel over the past 30 years'.

Mr Sempels added: 'McDonald's remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward.'

Allyson Stewart-Allen, CEO of International Marketing Partners, said that by buying back its restaurants, McDonald's was looking to send a message of reassurance to customers in Israel.

Speaking to iNews, she said: 'They are saying by implication, this won't happen again.

'I think they are telling customers by buying back the business that we are taking back control.'

Ms Stewart-Allen added that such a move by the company indicates McDonald's franchisees could be tightened globally as a result of the row, while suggesting that it posed a similar challenge for other large global brands with franchises.

'They too will now be thinking, we probably need to tighten up what they are allowed to do, because they don't want to suffer the same,' said the author of Working with Americans.

'McDonald's is a lesson for all global brands generally.'

It comes after McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski admitted in January that the company has seen 'meaningful impact' in several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

McDonald's decision comes after widespread protests at its decision to give out free meals affected sales in the Middle East, Indonesia and France. Pictured: A billow of smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In December, McDonald's Malaysia blamed a boycott from pro-Palestinian activists for a drop in its profits, which it said had led to job cuts and closures.

It came as the company announced legal action against Malaysia's Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign over social media posts which called on consumers to avoid McDonald's over Israel's 'genocidal war'.

On Thursday, the company said: 'McDonald's remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward.' It also thanked Alonyal for building the brand in Israel.

In October, McDonald's Israel also highlighted 'false information' as it denied that it had been showing support for Palestinian organisations.

'In every country where we operate, including in Muslim countries, McDonald's is proudly represented by local owner operators,' Mr Kempczinski said at the time.

'So long as this war is going on... we're not expecting to see any significant improvement [in these markets],' the McDonald's boss added.

Around 1,200 Israelis were killed by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on October 7. Israeli bombardments have since killed more than 22,400 in Gaza.
Israel has fired two military commanders and reprimanded a third over a drone strike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers on Monday, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army's rules of engagement.

The workers from the charity, which provides food relief in crisis and conflict zones, were killed when their convoy was hit repeatedly on Monday night shortly after they oversaw the unloading of 100 tons of food brought to the Palestinian territory by sea.

According to the findings of an investigation into the incident, released today, the IDF said that the attack 'should not have occurred'. Israel apologised for the killing of the seven workers, calling the attack a 'grave mistake'.

It found that the strikes were ordered on the basis of one major's observation - from grainy footage - that someone in the convoy was armed, and that the IDF had spotted a 'Hamas gunman' shooting from the top of one of the aid trucks.

This observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said, who added that it is possible the passenger was just carrying a bag as opposed to a gun.

Reacting to the findings, World Central Kitchen's CEO Erin Gore said the IDF's apology offers 'cold comfort for the victims' families' and the charity.

'Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended,' she added.

Damage to one of the three cars that was struck in the attack on Monday is seen on Tuesday

'The investigation's findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred,' the IDF said in its release on the investigation's findings.

'Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees,' it said.

'The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures,' the release added.

It goes on to say that 'after being presented with, and considering the investigation's findings, the IDF Chief of the General Staff' would:

Dismiss the brigade fire support commander, an officer with the rank of major

Dismiss the brigade chief of staff, an officer with the rank of colonel in reserve

Formerly reprimand the brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander

The statement added that 'the IDF Chief of Staff decided to formally reprimand the commander of the Southern Command for his overall responsibility for the incident.'

Since Monday, the news of the airstrikes has reverberated around the world, with the UK, US and other allies of Israel expressing their anger over the strikes.

Those killed included three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.

The British victims were Former Royal Marines James Henderson and John Chapman and an ex-Army soldier James Kirby.

They were providing security for four aid workers, including Australian Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, Polish national Damian Sobol, an American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.

The seven who were killed were distributing food that had been brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) said it had coordinated its movements with the military, and that the vehicles were marked with the organisation's logo.

'It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by' the Israeli military, WCK founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres said on Wednesday.

In a statement on Friday following the release of the findings, World Central Kitchen said the IDF had taken 'important steps forward' by acknowledging its responsibility 'and its fatal errors in the deadly attack on our convoy in Gaza', while also 'taking disciplinary action against those in command'.

However, it said, 'it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

'The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDF's own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat.'

The charity said it was demanding the creation of an 'independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues.

'The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza,' it added.

'It's not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200,' said Andres. 'All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.'

'Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort,' WCK CEO Erin Gore said. 'It's cold comfort for the victims' families and WCK's global family.'Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended.'

James 'Jim' Henderson, 33, from Cornwall, served in the Royal Marines for six years

John Chapman, 57, from Dorset, served in the Special Boat Squadron

James Kirby, 47, was a former sniper marksman who served in Bosnia and Afghanistan

Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha 27, had worked for World Central Kitchen as a driver and translator since the beginning of the year

The Australian victim was Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom (pictured), 43, from Melbourne

Jacob Flickinger was a 33-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Canada

Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, was known as a cheerful, friendly and resourceful manager who quickly rose in World Central Kitchen's ranks

The investigation was headed by Yoav Har-Even, a retired general.

According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli army's rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit.

But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorized the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one major's observation - from grainy drone-camera footage - that someone in the convoy was armed.

That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said.

Har-Even's findings mark an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies of not doing enough to protect Gaza's civilians - as well as other protected groups including aid workers and journalists from its war.

More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.

The findings are also likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making as it continues its mission to eradicate Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by the group.

Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict - a charge Israel denies.

'It's a tragedy,' the military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters.

'It's a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn't have happened and we will make sure that it won't happen again.'

With pressure mounting on Israel to hold itself accountable, Hagari and other officials late Thursday shared with reporters the results of the military's uncommonly speedy and detailed investigation.

It was unclear whether the punishments and the apology would calm an international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers or reassure international aid groups that it was safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.

Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen that was wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday

The investigation found two major areas of wrongdoing.

It faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants.

The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike for acting with insufficient information.

The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman. It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse.

The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding atop one of the trucks.

After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman in one of the cars. The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon - the military said it's possible he was just carrying a bag.

The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well. It did the same thing when survivors scrambled into a third car. Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words 'World Central Kitchen' because it was nighttime.

The army could not say exactly where the communication about the convoy's plans had broken down.

The army declined to answer questions about whether similar violations of rules of engagement have taken place during the war.

'Let's be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly,' Scott Paul, of the humanitarian group Oxfam, said Thursday in a briefing with other relief organizations before the results of Israel's investigation were released.

'The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.'

A billow of smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

The release of the investigation's findings came as the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

Israel dismissed the finding as a 'distorted text'.

Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap.

The resolution stressed 'the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity'.

It also expressed 'grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having 'long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas'.

'According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis,' she said ahead of the vote. 'A vote 'Yes' is a vote for Hamas.'

Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi welcomed the vote but complained that some European states had not backed it.

'There have been calls for accountability across the world, but that position changes when we're talking about Israel,' Khraishi told the Council.

The United States had pledged to vote against the resolution because it did not contain a specific condemnation of Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks, or 'any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions'.

It did, however, said that its ally Israel had not done enough to mitigate harm to civilians.

An aircraft airdrops humanitarian aid over northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, April 4, 2024

'The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to de-conflict military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties and to ensure humanitarian actors can carry out their essential mission in safety,' said MichAle Taylor, U.S. permanent representative to the Council.

'That has not happened and, in just six months, more humanitarians have been killed in this conflict than in any war of the modern era.'

In later resolutions, the Council endorsed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and denounced Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967. It said they seriously endangered the viability of an eventual Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can increase scrutiny of countries' human rights records and authorise investigations.
A priest has died from horrific injuries after his robe caught fire from a candle spark during an Easter vigil in the Spanish city of Zaragoza.

He suffered 50 per cent burns in the freak accident over the Easter weekend and lost his battle for life after four days in intensive care.

The priest, Javier Sanchez, was engulfed in flames amid a candle-lighting ceremony in a Spanish convent.

An ember bowl surrounded by candles caught fire and shot off sparks which ignited his robes.

Reports say the 60-year-old died a hero as he stood between the burning bowl and nuns to protect them.

An investigation is underway as it is believed paraffin had been used on the ember bowl to help it burn.

Father Javier Sanchez was engulfed in flames amid a candle-lighting ceremony in a Spanish convent

Father Sanchez was rushed to Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza but suffered horrific injuries and despite the best efforts of doctors later died following multiple organ failure.

'The priest tried to protect the nuns of the convent when embers lit up in the basin that was used [for the fire] and that ultimately caused his death. Apparently a flammable substance had been used to start the fire. [The Easter Vigil] was held inside the convent,' said a source cited by Spanish newspaper El Heraldo de Aragon.

Father Sanchez was presiding over the 'blessing of the fire' - a ritual held during Mass on Holy Saturday when paschal candle is lit and remains so for 50 days until the celebration of Pentecost.

The deceased was known as the 'rock priest' because of his love for music and for having composed many songs. He released three albums over the course of his career.

He also served as a priest at the Clinical Hospital of Zaragoza, in the parish of La Jota, and was also a talk show host on television.

Sanchez was rushed to Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza but suffered horrific injuries and despite the best efforts of doctors later died following multiple organ failure

In 2015 he starred in a controversial video clip of his song 'A tu aire', in which he appeared only with angel wings and a guitar, covering his private parts.

Tributes have flooded in, with one friend saying: 'He was a very vital and very loved person.'

The Archbishop of Zaragoza issued a statement through the social network, saying: 'It is with pain that we communicate that this morning the priest Javi Sanchez has died. We pray for his eternal rest.'

Pilar Martinez, secretary of the San Gregorio neighbourhood association, said the news of the priest's death had come as 'a bucket of cold water.'

She said the priest had been 'a good man,' even though he hadn't been in the neighbourhood long.

And the Brotherhood of Humility expressed on Facebook its 'deepest condolences and support to his entire family'.

'May the humility of God and the sweetness of Mary shelter you in heaven. Rest in peace. We will never forget you, Javi. Care for us in glory,' the brotherhood wrote.
The only handwritten draft of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes novel is set to fetch nearly 1million at auction.

The 'exceptionally rare' 1889 manuscript of The Sign of Four is estimated to sell for up to $1.2 million (949,000) as part of an auction held in New York by Sotheby's during their book week in June.

The British author signed the item twice and it also contains edits to 'Americanise' the text prior to publication in the US.

It will be offered alongside a collection of letters between Sir Arthur and JM Stoddart -the editor of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in which The Sign Of Four first appeared.

The letters chronicle the book's progression, including details of deliberations over the title and the author's happiness with the printing and illustrations.

The only handwritten draft of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes novel is set to fetch nearly 1million at auction. The 'exceptionally rare' 1889 manuscript of The Sign of Four is estimated to sell for up to $1.2 million (949,000) as part of an auction held in New York by Sotheby's during their book week in June

The British author signed the item twice and it also contains edits to 'Americanise' the text prior to publication in the US

Richard Austin, Sotheby's global head of books and manuscripts, said the item is an important historical treasure.

He said: 'The autograph manuscript of Conan Doyle's iconic work, "The Sign of Four," is an exceptionally rare piece of literary history, offering a unique glimpse into Doyle's writing process.

'Complemented by a collection of intimate letters exchanged between Doyle and his publisher, J. M. Stoddart, the ensemble provides a rich tapestry of insight into the preparation of Holmes for an American audience, cementing his legacy in the pantheon of literature's great characters.'

The Sign of Four sees Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson go on a hunt for hidden treasure.

They receive a request for help from Miss Mary Morstan, who wants them to track down her missing father and trace the source of her anonymous gift of pearls.

By the end of the novel, Mary and Dr Watson are engaged to be married.

The character of Sherlock first appeared in Holmes's 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet. Above: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The manuscript was signed twice by Conan Doyle. Above: The final page with the author's signature

The first page of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of Four

The novel has been adapted for both TV and film on several occasions, most recently in the BBC adaptation 'Sherlock - The Sign of Three', which starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

The character of Sherlock first appeared in Holmes's 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet.

Overall, he featured in four novels and 56 short stories and is now widely regarded as the world's most famous fictional detective.

Sotheby's is selling the manuscript and letters as part of a larger auction of a collection of literary works from the library of Dr Rodney Swantko.

Swantko, who died in September 2022, was known in literary circles for his extensive collection of over 40 rare books and manuscripts from the past two centuries.

This included works by Charles Dickens, F Scott Fitzgerald, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Also included in the auction is Sidney Paget's original drawing for the illustration The Death Of Sherlock Holmes for the short story The Final Problem.

Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. The star portrayed the detective between 1939 and 1946 in 14 films

Paget's version of the detective is the basis of his image in the media today.

Another valuable item set to go under the hammer is a copy of Allan Poe's Tamerlane And Other Poems from 1827.

It is considered one of the rarest first editions of American literature as only 12 copies are known to exist, only two of which remain in private hands.

It is estimated to sell for between 400,000 to 600,000 dollars (317,000 to 475,000).

Also on offer is Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, L Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz and Dickens' A Christmas Carol, all first edition presentation copies complete with inscriptions.

The auction will happen in New York from June 11 to 26.
A 20-year-old man reportedly said 'I'll fix this right now' before jumping overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in front of his horrified family.

The 18-story Liberty of the Seas was traveling between Cuba and the Bahamas' Grand Inagua Island when the shocking incident happened at about 4am Thursday.

Witnesses told the New York Post the man's father and brother watched as he went overboard.

The onlooker said it appeared to be an impulsive decision.

Passenger Bryan Sims told The Post he had been hanging out with the man, who was 'pretty drunk' in the hot tub until 3.30am.

The 18-story Liberty of the Seas was traveling between Cuba and the Bahamas' Grand Inagua Island when the shocking incident happened at about 4am Thursday (stock image)

Witnesses said the man's father and brother watched as he went overboard (stock image)

'As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us,' he said.

'His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess.'

The man reportedly said to his dad 'I'll fix this right now' before he jumped.

Witness Deborah Morisson told The Post the family was 'horrified.'

A spokesman for the US Coast Guard told DailyMail.com on Friday morning they still consider it a rescue operation.

Passengers reported on social media that the ship stopped moving after the man jumped, with the coast guard arriving to take over the search.

Royal Caribbean said: 'The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, who has taken over the search. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time.

'For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.'

About 386 people have gone overboard on cruise ships in the last two decades, according to the Washington Post.

About 386 people have gone overboard on cruise ships in the last two decades including Cameron Robbins , 18, (pictured) who fell into shark-infested waters in the Bahamas

Last year, Cameron Robbins, 18, jumped into shark-infested waters in the Bahamas and vanished.

The search for Robbins was called off two days later.

Robbins had recently returned from a weekend fishing trip on the Louisiana Gulf Coast with his father and brother before he left for his graduation celebration trip in the Bahamas.

The boat was near the uninhabited Athol Island when Robbins was reportedly dared to jump off into the ocean.

Social media users pointed out how Robbins' friends were heard laughing and bidding him farewell instead of trying to stop him or help him back onboard.

One user posted a video demanding to know who was heard saying 'bye bye' on the video.
This is the shocking moment an elderly woman is mugged by a thief claiming to be wielding a knife in broad daylight.

The 71-year-old victim was on her way to Frankley Health Centre, near Birmingham, yesterday afternoon to collect a prescription when she was approached by a man who grabbed her bag.

The footage, taken from a security camera outside the health centre has since been uploaded to Facebook in the hope of finding the person responsible.

In the video, the victim can be seen walking ahead of the mugger. They then rush alongside her and start trying to wrestle her handbag off her shoulder.

A tussle for the bag ensues before the thief yanks it off her and brazenly walks off in the opposite direction.

In the video, the victim can be seen walking ahead of the mugger. They then rush alongside her and start trying to wrestle her handbag off her shoulder. A tussle for the bag ensues before the thief yanks the bag off her before brazenly walking off in the opposite direction

The victim's son speaking to MailOnline says his mother lost 100 in cash as well as her credit cards and her house keys. Her son said: 'She's very scared after what happened and she's dealing with it the best she can'

The footage, taken from a security camera outside the health centre has since been uploaded to Facebook in the hope of finding the person responsible

The victim's son, who didn't want to be named, told MailOnline his mother lost 100 in cash as well as her credit cards and her house keys.

He said: 'She's very scared after what happened and she's dealing with it the best she can.

'It's shocking that someone could do that to a 71-year-old lady.'

He added: 'She walked into the health centre and they were really helpful they called the police and they called me. They also helped her cancel all her cards.

'I've lived in Frankley for all 34 years of my life and it's shocking that this can happen here.'

In a statement, West Midland Police said: 'We're investigating after a woman was robbed in Birmingham yesterday (04 April).

'The man threatened the victim, who is in her 70s, before taking her bag on New Street, Frankley, at around 1.30pm. He claimed to have a knife, but no knife was seen.

'Thankfully, she was not injured. Officers were called and an area search was carried out. No arrests have yet been made, and we are in touch with her and her family.

'We are carrying out further enquiries, including reviewing CCTV, and anyone with information has been asked to get in touch quoting, 20/348458/24.

'We're working hard to reduce robbery in the West Midlands under Operation Ruby. We're arresting offenders, while offering crime prevention advice to people around the region to keep themselves and their belongings safe.'
A mother has claimed she and her poorly son who had been put in a taxi to get to hospital because of an ambulance shortage were dumped in the street when he began to suffer an asthma attack and was sick.

Chelsealee Ferguson, 27, claims the taxi driver became furious after her son Hayden, 5, was sick.

The car, operated by Express Taxis was sent by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), as part of an emergency contract with the firm to take patients to hospital when an ambulance isnt available.

The terrifying ordeal happened in Stirling, Scotland, on Tuesday leaving the mother-of-three fearing the worst for her little boy, as they were left on a busy residential street 15 minutes from Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

Chelsealee told MailOnline Hayden needed urgent care and spent five hours in Resus when they eventually arrived at A&E, she added: My dad had to end up leaving his work to come and pick us up. It sounded like Hayden was taking his last breath.

Chelsealee Ferguson, 27, claims the taxi driver became furious after her son Hayden, 5, was sick

Mother Chelsealee Ferguson with her son Hayden. She filed a complaint after the pair fell victim to a taxi driver's aggressive behaviour

Hayden needed urgent care and spent five hours in Resus when they eventually arrived at A&E

Chelsealee said the driver shouted and swore at her and her little boy after he got a tiny bit of sick on the car seat

It all started when Hayden was sick inside the car, well Im saying sick, it was a little on his legs and a bit went in between his legs so there was only a tiny bit of sick on the actual seat.

The driver pulled over, banged his door shut and stared storming around. He opened the backdoor and started shouting and swearing at us saying thats my day finished now.

Hayden was frightened and got out of the car - he didnt know what to do. I told the driver I had wipes in my bag and that I was just trying to get them out.

He then grabbed the wipes off me and started wiping the seat all aggressively. While we were on the street, I realised Haydens teddy was still inside the car. I asked the driver for it and he chucked it at us and drove away.

I had already explained to the driver when he first picked us up that Hayden has been sick a few times that morning. If youve got a contract to take sick people to hospital, youd think theyd be prepared for something like this happening.

Chelsealee has filed a complaint to both Express Taxis, as she believes the driver should not be allowed to hold a licence because of his aggressive behaviour.

She added: Its really concerning he acted the way he did, that could have been a vulnerable elderly person in the taxi themselves.

I have emailed the company, but Ive yet to receive a reply from any of them. I posted about what happened on Facebook and a lot of people have commented to say they have had a really bad service from Express.

Hayden spent three days in hospital and was finally discharged from FVRH on Thursday.

MailOnline contacted Express Taxis on Tuesday, but have so far not received a response. Falkirk Council has also been approached for comment.
Dozens of millionaire homeowners in Washington state were forced to evacuate their luxury properties on Mercer Island amid landslide and flooding risks due to a leaking underground water pipe.

On Wednesday night, residents of around 20 homes on Mercer Island, where mansions average $2 million, were told to leave their houses immediately without hearing any word on when the leak would be repaired.

A leaking underground water pipe created unstable soil conditions, putting homes at risk if the conditions were to worsen, the city explained in social media posts.

The leak occurred in the 24-inch high-pressure water pipe owned and maintained by Seattle Public Utilities. The unstable soil conditions were discovered uphill from the homes near 95th Court SE.

'We were knocking on their doors around 9 o'clock last night asking them to leave  not the greatest time to be knocking on their doors, they were absolutely graceful, appreciative,' City Manager Jessi Bon said.

Dozens of millionaire homeowners in Washington state were forced to evacuate their luxury properties on Mercer Island amid landslide and flooding risks due to a leaking underground water pipe on Wednesday

Residents of around 20 homes on Mercer Island, where mansions average $2 million, were told to leave their houses immediately without hearing any word on when the leak would be repaired.

The leak occurred in the 24-inch high-pressure water pipe owned and maintained by Seattle Public Utilities. The unstable soil conditions were discovered uphill from the homes near 95th Court SE

A geotechnical engineer reviewed the soil conditions on Wednesday afternoon and immediately informed officials of the landslide risk, according to the city.

Residents downstream of the leak, where homes are estimated to be worth more than $3 million, had to leave after 9 pm that day and gather at a community center.

Orange warning signs were taped on multiple property doors, reading, 'This structure has been inspected, found to be seriously damaged, and is unsafe to occupy.'

'It's minute by minute,' resident Andrew Hess told KIRO7. '[I was] A little panicked and not sure what was going on. But they assured us that they are taking every precaution they can. '

Meanwhile, Seattle Public Utilities workers were turning off the water supply and shutting down the pipe completely, a process that took more than six hours.

'That was one of the critical things that we had to get done overnight,' Bon said at a press conference Thursday.

Residents downstream of the leak, where homes are estimated to be worth more than $3 million, had to leave after 9 pm that day and gather at a community center

Orange warning signs were taped on multiple property doors, reading, 'This structure has been inspected, found to be seriously damaged, and is unsafe to occupy'

Seattle Public Utilities workers were turning off the water supply and shutting down the pipe completely, a process that took more than six hours

The city manager added that the city has switched to a backup water main, without affecting water pressure or quality for Mercer Island residents.

By Thursday afternoon, landslide and flooding risks had been alleviated as workers drained the pipe.

'There was a concern, and the reason that we evacuated homes is that if the pipe were to break, that it could cause dangerous flooding or a landslide,' Bon said.

'I want to reiterate, that did not happen,' she emphasized.

She said the city and the utility company are funding accommodation in Bellevue hotels where most evacuated residents stayed overnight.

Homeowners were allowed to return their properties briefly to retrieve some belongings on Thursday morning, and they finally got back homes after 6:30 pm that day.

The water pipe where the leak occurred was installed in 1956, according to press conference speaker Wylie Harper, who is SPUs Water Transmission and Distribution director.

Harper added that the segment has been checked routinely and will be replaced in a year or two.

'We were knocking on their doors around 9 o'clock last night asking them to leave  not the greatest time to be knocking on their doors, they were absolutely graceful, appreciative,' City Manager Jessi Bon said

The water pipe where the leak occurred was installed in 1956, according to press conference speaker Wylie Harper, who is SPUs Water Transmission and Distribution director

Jackie Tan, a homeowner who was evacuated on Wednesday, told King5, 'There has been an issue with landslides on this particular street.'

A huge landslide destroyed approximately 30 homes in 2022 after a water pipe leak caused unstable soil conditions in Bellevue.

John and Barbara Surdi, whose house was demolished, received a total of $5 million in a settlement with the city and Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.

The city of Bellevue said at the time: "While the city still contends the slide occurred due to factors out of its control, this resolution reflects a negotiated outcome among the Surdi family, the city, and the Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart.'
A wealthy family was robbed of millions of dollars worth of family jewelry by a 'burglar tourist' gang who raided their hidden safe.

Carol and Jeff Starr of Orange County, California, had locked away their wedding rings, as well as highly valuable heirlooms passed down from Carol's late mother, in a six-foot-tall safe.

'They hit the jackpot,' Carol told CNN.

'My mother loved beautiful things and she wanted to leave a legacy through jewelry,' Carol Starr said. 'She bought some beautiful antique jewelry, museum-quality jewelry.'

Prosecutors claim that the band of robbers hid in the hillside adjoining the Starr's home, watched them leave the house with visitors, and proceeded with the robbery.

A wealthy family was robbed of millions of dollars worth of family jewelry by a 'burglar tourist' gang who raided their hidden safe.

Carol and Jeff Starr of Orange County, California had locked away their weddings, as well as highly valuable heirlooms passed down from Carol's late mother, in a six-foot-tall safe.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said sometimes they will 'lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged.'

'They came over our fence, they broke through a window in the upper bedroom and came through that window,' Jeff Starr told CNN. 'And then immediately started working  on the safe.'

The Starrs told CNN they believe they have lost around $8 million in valuables.

'You don't feel safe in your own home anymore,' said Carol. 'I get so emotional and so mad when I think about what could have happened.'

A relatively new phenomenon called 'burglary tourism' has become a growing issue in the United States.

These 'tourists' come into the United States from nations that are exempt from typical tourism visa requirements.

Experts say the issue has been increasing over the past five years, as South Americans continue to use the tourist visa system to rob Americans.

'You don't feel safe in your own home anymore,' said Carol. 'I get so emotional and so mad when I think about what could have happened.'

'Burglar tourists' come into the United States from nations that are exempt from typical tourism visa requirements, such as South America

Law enforcement experts say the foreign cells of professional burglars - mostly from Columbia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru - enter the country illegally or exploit a 2014 visa waiver program intended to spur tourism from dozens of trusted countries.

The program, known as ESTA - Electronic System for Travel Authorization - allows South Americans to enter the United States for an unlimited number of 90-day periods.

When the burglars arrive in the country, they band together and target luxury homes with intricate, well thought out plans, per the FBI.

The burglars will go to great lengths to remain hidden. For example, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said sometimes they will 'lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged.'

'They take advantage of the fact that most people don't have window sensors or motion detectors on their second floors. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.'

LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told the LA Times that despite the overall number of burglaries decreasing, this particular kind of theft has become a real issue. In one part of Los Angeles alone, Hamilton said 94 burglaries were believed to be committed by crime tourists.

'The number of crimes tied to these kind of crews are way, way up,' said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton

In more conservative Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer has gone full boar on the crime tourists who have been behind hundreds of break-ins

Hamilton said that these groups are rarely armed but are more likely equipped with what's known as 'jamming' devices to access a home's WiFi and potentially unlock home security systems in affluent neighborhoods

The LAPD sent out a tweet earlier this week pledging to use the task force to stop the problem

'They often target homes often connected to open spaces, hiking trails and canyons that give them access,' LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told the LA times.

The stolen items are usually sold quickly, and the profits are transferred back to the burglar's home country.

Burglary tourism has become such a problem in Southern California, that LAPD launched a task force to combat the uptick of robbers.

Authorities announced the task force after a 17-year-old Chilean national was caught in Arizona following a series of jewel heists across the California city. The FBI set up its own task force to combat the thieves in 2022.

The suspect and his two accomplices - 32-year-old Grecia Romanduski Gaete Castillo and 23-year-old Sebastian Jesus Parraguez Soto, all from Chile - were taken into custody, where they admitted to breaking into several homes in the region.

In fact, the 17-year-old - who has not been identified because of their age - was initially arrested weeks earlier in the Los Angeles area with three other Chileans for robbing homes.

Suspects: 32-year-old Grecia Romanduski Gaete Castillo (pictured right) and 23-year-old Sebastian Jesus Parraguez Soto (pictured left) were taken into custody

Experts say the issue has been increasing over the past five years, as South Americans use the tourist visa system to rob Americans

Scottsdale Police released video footage of recent thefts by South American 'burglary tourists'

The teenager falsified Venezuelan identification and continuously got away from the LAPD by making excuses that his parents had left him alone in the country with a friend of the family.

He then disappeared after he was turned over to the child and family services unit.

In more conservative Orange County, Spitzer has gone full boar on the crime tourists who have been behind hundreds of break-ins.

Spitzer's argued that the Chilean government, led by socialist President Gabriel Boric, refuses to give the US criminal histories of Chileans who use the program, which other South American countries typically do.

He's even sued the federal government for not disclosing negotiations with Chile over visa requirements and is calling for new laws to stop these criminals from getting into the country.

The Los Angeles Police Department has started a task force attempt to stop 'burglary tourists' who have been using the United States' tourism visa system to commit crimes

The LAPD posted on X, pledging to use the task force to stop the problem.

'LAPD recognizes the increase in burglaries where homes in affluent neighborhoods are targeted,' the post read.

'We're in the process of connecting with other agencies impacted by these organized groups coming to the country specifically to engage in this criminal activity.'
A group of bungling burglars were caught allegedly trying to rob a corner shop  but only after getting drunk and falling asleep inside.

The crooks tried to carry out the heist at a tobacconist's in the early hours of Wednesday in Bogota, Colombia.

However, when the owner turned up for work in the morning, he found them dozing inside and called the authorities.

Firefighters and police officers descended on the store before arresting the suspects in an almost equally bizarre way, with dozens of police and firefighters involved.

Footage taken at the scene shows how the large group of police officers in a combination of high-vis and black uniforms flanked the entrance to the rusty red building to ensure there was no means of escape.

A group of bungling burglars were caught allegedly trying to rob a corner shop (pictured)  but only after getting drunk and falling asleep inside. A fire crew was seen in footage spraying water into the shop in an attempt to flush them out

Footage taken at the scene shows how a large group of police officers in a combination of high-vis and black uniforms flanked the entrance to the rusty red building to ensure there was no means of escape, while fire crews sprayed water through a gap in the shutters

With the shutter over the main entrance opened by just a couple of feet, a team of firemen then stood to the side of the doorway and can be seen in footage spraying water from a high-pressure fire hose inside the shore to flush the crooks out.

As one of the would-be-robbers gets too close to the doorway for his own good, a group of police officers are seen moving in, reaching through and grabbing his leg.

The images then show the officers dragging the man out and down the road as he struggles against them, before they are able to cuff his hands behind his back.

He looks worse for wear as he picks himself up after a long struggle, and staggers around with a bemused grin on his face.

Meanwhile, the footage appears to show that another man still held up in the shop attempted to fend off the group of police officers by throwing objects from inside.

This prompted one of the officers to return fire, taking a run-up to hurl an object of his own through the opening in the shutter where the man's legs can be seen.

Another clip shows how the accomplice was led into the back of a police van.

As all the drama unfolded, other local residents were seen in the footage watching on, some attempting to get inside their own buildings to avoid the water.

Another man seems completely unfazed, looking at his phone while leaning up against the entrance to another building.

One of the alleged burglars was seen being dragged out by a group of police officers after he was reportedly found asleep inside the shop in Bogota, Colombia

The man looked worse for wear as he picked himself up after a long struggle with the cops, and staggered around with a bemused grin on his face

After the footage was posted to social media, netizens had fun in the comment section poking fun at both the alleged burglars and the police's arrest.

Alex wrote: 'Hopefully, they've learnt their lesson: you don't drink on the job.'

Wilson joked: 'Those cops look like they were trained by Mr Bean.'

And Marc remarked: 'Only in Colombia.'
Youngsters have admitted they have never heard of Hollywood stars such as James Dean and Harrison Ford.

Students and workers in their twenties and thirties were left bemused when we quizzed them about the biggest stars of the 20th century.

But it worked both ways as OAPS were left scratching their heads when asked about Millie Bobby Brown and Timothee Chalamet.

No youngsters had heard of Clark Gable whilst a third were left bewildered by the name James Dean.

However, everyone knew Marilyn Monroe and four out of six had heard of Judy Garland, mostly for her role as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

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Jacques Geldenhuis (left), 30, who works for the armed forces, was not familiar with songstress Garland but had heard of Burt Reynolds but Peter Forster, 81 (right), said he recognised some names from watching the news

Youngsters have admitted they have not heard of stars like Harrison Ford (left as Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom) but OAPs don't know who Timothee Chalamet (right as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two) is

Melissa Jackson (left), 20, who studies drama, knew the names of the stars but struggled to name any of their films and retired shop assistant Marje Morton (right), 81, was 'glad I knew one' after getting Millie Bobby Brown right

Jacques Geldenhuis, 30, who works for the armed forces, was not familiar with songstress Garland but had heard of Burt Reynolds. The South African said: 'Of course I've heard of Marilyn Monroe, but I couldn't name any of her films.

'I just know she's in a famous poster with that dress on with the wind coming from underneath on the subway.

'I have heard of James Dean but I couldn't give you a film, the same with Burt Reynolds. I know Harrison Ford is off Indiana Jones where he's got a whip and they're on some sort of treasure hunt.

'I'm not a film buff but I do watch the odd movie. I like Inception and I've watched a lot of North Korean movies recently. I just like things that are easy to watch.

'Nowadays you can search for anything and there are too many films to watch.

'But when I was younger, every Sunday night they would release a film to watch on TV and we would all look forward to it.

'But now there's too much because there are lots of remakes of stuff, plus my attention span is not great.'

Callum Shears, 25, was left scratching his head over James Dean but had heard of Burt Reynolds.

The History student said: 'I do like watching films and I would say my taste is quite varied.

'I tend to watch fighting and crime movies and I recently watched Roadhouse with Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor which I thought was intense.

'A lot of the fighting scenes they did were real but it was all in slow motion.

'I also love things like Doctor Who and anything to do with escapism such as fantasy and sci-fi, as well as horror.

'In terms of this era I remember watching the Wizard of Oz when a kid but that's about it from the actors on the list.'

Callum's friend Connor Pereira got similar results but did know who Humphrey Bogart was.

The 28-year-old masters student said: 'I have heard of some of those actors but I couldn't name loads of their movies.

'I'm autistic and have ADHD so I like films that appeal to people like me.

'So movies with cartoon characters and animals are good and I like Tarzan and all the Disney stuff.

'But I also love characters who dress the same so Harrison Ford as Han Solo is good for that.

'However I do have a lot of friends who talk about these stars because they like their movies.'

James Dean plays Jim Stark in the hit 1955 Hollywood movie Rebel Without a Cause

Amiee Wafer (left), 20, and Abby Spencer (right), 19, were familiar with most of the names but became stuck on Burt Reynolds, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart

All the young quizzers knew Marilyn Monroe (left) and four out of six had heard of Judy Garland (right), mostly for her role as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz

Melissa Jackson, who studies drama, knew the names of the stars but struggled to name any of their films.

The 20-year-old said: 'I've not heard of Harrison Ford. I've heard of Judy Garland but I don't know what she looks like, the same with James Dean.

'The horror genre is my favourite. I think the names I do know have come from lectures I've done on my course.'

Close friends Amiee Wafer, 20, and Abby Spencer, 19, were familiar with most of the names but became stuck on Burt Reynolds, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart.

Amiee, a fashion and communications student said: 'I'm more into rom-coms rather than the older stuff.

'I think social media like TikTok has brought older music back to popularity but I'm not sure it's had the same effect with films yet.'

Abby, who studies business, added: 'My dad is a big film person so he would probably know these names.

'I think it's more of a generational thing but I prefer the modern stuff.'

But when the roles were reversed, not one out of six OAPs had heard of Wonka frontman Timothee Chalamet, or Jacob Elordi, who starred in the recent Saltburn film.

Two out of six people knew of Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown and half said the name Jenna Ortega rang a bell.

Some did, however, know who Spiderman actor Tom Holland was, as well as and his girlfriend Zendaya, who starred in the Marvel films with her boyfriend and in popular family film The Greatest Showman.

Peter Forster, 81, said he recognised some names from watching the news. The former fire brigade worker said: 'I don't watch a lot of film nowadays but when I was younger I used to go to the cinema because there were no TVs.

'I watch a lot of news so I've heard some of the modern names. I have two great-grandchildren too so they watch a lot of popular culture.

'They try to get me to watch modern stuff but it's to no avail.

'When I was very young I enjoyed comedies like The Three Stooges and as I got older it moved on to other old programmes'

Marje Morton, 81, a retired shop assistant said: 'I have heard of Millie Bobby Brown so I'm glad I know one.

'You can get the idea that I don't go to the movies very often. I've never been for years.

'I like something with a good story especially love films but my taste is pretty varied, I just don't like violence.

'Doris Day films used to be my favourite.'

Millie Bobby Brown as main character Eleven in Netflix hit series Stranger Things

Callum Shears (right), 25, was left scratching his head over James Dean but had heard of Burt Reynolds and his friend Connor Pereira (left), 28, got similar results but did know who Humphrey Bogart was

'Is Millie Bobby Brown in relation to Bobby Brown?' asked retired shop worker Jackie Forrest (left), 79, but Valerie Foo (right), 77, was the only pensioner who recognised Sydney Sweeney

Ryan Henderson, 85, admitted he wasn't familiar with any of the current names.

The former ministry worker said: 'I thought I knew Ortega but I don't think it's the right person.

'I used to watch western films but I don't have a particular taste.

'Now I think about it I don't have many favourite stars either. I have grandchildren but they watch more cartoons than films so I'm not exposed to it as much.'

Peter Short also admitted he also isn't up-to-date with the current stars.

The 68-year-old retired marine engineer said: 'I think I've heard of Ortega somewhere in the past, but I don't watch very many movies.

'I was never in the country to watch them so because of that I don't have a favourite film genre.

'Having said that I have heard the name Millie Bobby Brown but I don't know where from.'

Valerie Foo was the only pensioner who recognised Sydney Sweeney, who played Bea in the popular 2023 film Anyone But You.

She said: 'I have heard of Sydney Sweeney, but I haven't got a clue who she is.

'Jenna Ortega rings a bell, but I don't know who she is or what she does.

'The young ones are talking about these names and I was doing film trivia recently with my grandkids.'

The 77-year-old added: 'I love the Korean film stars, they are gorgeous. I know their young stars like Ji Chang-wook and Lee Min-ho but I don't watch many English films.

'If I do hear the names it will be through my grandchildren.'

Retired shop worker Jackie Forrest, 79, asked: 'Is Millie Bobby Brown in relation to Bobby Brown?

'I don't know any of those names. I watch quite a bit of TV in the evenings but I don't watch many films. I prefer detective TV like Vera, NCIS and Blue Murder.'
An Iowa Hospital executive stole a hot dog cart vendor's identity in 1988 to rack up $200,000 in loans, marry and have a child using the stolen name - while the victim was locked up in a mental hospital for trying to claim his identity back.

Matthew David Keirans, 58, is now facing up to 32 years in prison after he was convicted of one count of false statement to a National Credit Union Administration insured institution and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Keirans stole the identity of William Woods, 55, in 1988 when the pair worked together on a hotdog stand in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He began to live under his name, taking out loans, getting married and starting a successful career in IT.

Woods discovered the fraud 30 years later and tried to reclaim his identity but authorities did not believe him, and he was locked up and sent to a mental hospital for two years.

It was only when Woods contacted the university where Keirans was working as an IT executive on a $140,500 salary, that police investigated and did a DNA test on the two men, revealing the truth.

Keirans then admitted the decades-long fraud, telling investigators 'my life is over' and 'everything is gone'. He remains in the custody of the US Marshals awaiting sentencing.

Matthew David Keirans stole the identity of William Woods, 55, in 1988

He began to live under his name, taking out loans, getting married and starting a successful career in IT at the University of Iowa Hospital

Keirans was born in January 1966 and was adopted, along with his brother, and raised in San Francisco, California. His adoptive parents died in 1986 and 2000, according to court documents.

When he was 16, he ran away from his adoptive family's home and stole a car, driving to Oregon where he was arrested but never appeared in court.

He made his way to Albuquerque and started working on a hotdog stand where he met his victim, the real William Woods.

Keirans stole his name and identity and used it 'in every aspect of his life' for the next three decades, according to court documents.

In 1990, Keirans got a fake Colorado ID under Woods name and birthday and used it to get a job at a fast-food restaurant and a Colorado bank account. He then bought a car for $600 in 1991, also using Woods' name, with two $300 checks that bounced.

Keirans drove to Idaho where the stolen car broke down and abandoned it, withdrawing all of his money from the Colorado account and leaving the state.

From there, his fraud ramped up.

In 1994, still using Woods' name, Keirans got married and had a child, who he gave the surname Woods.

He then moved to Wisconsin and obtained a copy of Woods' birth certificate using information about his family he found on Ancestry.com.

In 2013, he got a job as a systems architect in the the University of Iowa Hospital's IT department.

He worked there for the next 10 years, earning more than $700,000 in total, and by 2023, his salary was $140,501, according to the hospital.

Over the years he took out multiple vehicle and personal loans from Iowa credit unions under Woods' name, worth more than $200,000.

Meanwhile, the real Woods was living homeless in Los Angeles.

In 2019, Woods went to a branch of the national bank and said he had discovered someone was using his bank accounts and had accumulated debt, and asked to close the accounts.

He gave the bank his ID and his social security number, which matched the information the bank had, but he couldn't answer the security questions that Keirans had set up.

The bank called the number they had on file for him - Keirans' number - and Keiran answered the security questions, telling the bank employees that no one in California had permission to access his accounts.

The bank employee called LAPD who questioned Woods and Keirans.

Keirans stole Woods' name and identity and used it 'in every aspect of his life' for the next three decades, according to court documents

He met his victim, the real Woods, when they worked together on a hot dog stand (not pictured)

After the real Woods tried to reclaim his identity, he was arrested and charged with identity theft and false impersonation

The real Woods was arrested and charged with identity theft and false impersonation, but when he continued to insist he was the real Woods, a judge ruled in February 2020 that he was not mentally competent to stand trial.

He was sent to a mental hospital in California where he was medicated and confined.

In March 2021, Woods pleaded no contest to the identity theft charges, meaning he accepted the conviction but did not admit guilt, and was sentenced to two years in jail.

He was given credit for the two years he had already spent in county jail and hospital and was released under orders to stop using the name William Woods.

He did not stop and continued to attempt to regain his identity, reaching out to police and financial institutions.

Eventually he managed to find out where Keirans was working and in January 2023 he contacted the hospital's security department.

The hospital referred his complaint to the University of Iowa Police Department, where Detective Ian Mallory opened an investigation.

Mallory found Woods' biological father and tested his DNA against Woods' and Keirans'.

The DNA proved Woods was who he said he was and Keirans was a fraud.

In July 2023, more than 30 years after Keirans first stole Woods' identity, Mallory interviewed him.

He asked him what his father's name was and Keirans accidentally gave the name of his own adoptive father.

Mallory then confronted Keirans with the DNA evidence and he responded saying 'my life is over' and 'everything is gone'.

He then confessed to prolonged identity theft, according to court documents, and was taken into custody on July 18 2023.

Keirans pleaded guilty to false use of birth certificate and the other charge was dropped. He was then indicted in federal court on December 12, on five counts of false statement to a National Credit Union Administration insured institution and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

He pleaded guilty to one count of each charge and the other counts were dropped.

A sentencing has not yet been scheduled, he is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 32 years imprisonment, a $1.25 million fine, and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
President Biden is set to launch a second attempt to wipe out a massive amount of student loan debt for millions of Americans after his first effort was blocked by the Supreme Court last year.

The Biden administration has already eliminated $143.6 billion in student loan debt for nearly four million Americans since the president took office despite pushback from Republicans.

Biden will outline his latest proposal to cancel student loan debt during a trip to Madison, Wisconsin on Monday where he will highlight the administrations range of efforts to forgive student loans.

The latest effort was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A source familiar with the plans confirmed the move with DailyMail.com.

The new regulations are set to be issued as soon as next week.

An Education Department official had no comment on the report.

It comes ahead of the busy general election season where the president is looking at a tough rematch with former President Trump.

Critics have accused the Biden administration of leaning in on student loan debt forgiveness in an election year as a way to court young voters.

Biden speaking in California in February after the White House announced the cancellation of $1.2 billion in student loan debt under the SAVE plan

The Biden administration has canceled nearly $144 billion in student loan debt despite the Supreme Court blocking the president's first student loan forgiveness plan

Last June, the Supreme Court blocked the president's original plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers making less than $125,000 a year.

But the Biden administration said they were not done with their fight to bring relief to millions of borrowers and began working through the much more lengthy regulation process on ways to cancel debt.

The proposed regulation is expected to outline several categories that would qualify borrowers for relief, the Wall Street Journal reported including financial hardship or a path for those who have carried the debt for decades.

Biden Administration Student Loan Debt Forgiveness August 2022: Biden announces original plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt June 2023: Supreme Court blocks Biden's first student loan forgiveness plan August 2023: Biden announces income driven repayment SAVE plan February 2024: Biden administration begins canceling debt under the SAVE plan March 2024: 11 states sue to block the SAVE plan Advertisement

Just months after the highest court blocked Biden's first student debt plan, the administration also launched the Saving on a Valuable Education or SAVE plan.

The SAVE plan is an income drive repayment plan that cuts down on the amount to time and money some borrowers have to pay before their student loan debt is forgiven.

In February, the administration began canceling billions in debt under the SAVE plan including $1.2 billion for 153,000 borrowers.

The White House said more than 7.7 million borrowers have enrolled in the plan and were encouraging millions more to do so.

The Education Department said it would continue to identify borrowers who qualify for their debt to be forgiven on a continuing basis.

On March 28, 11 states led by Kansas filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to block the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program. The lawsuit argued that the effort is no different than the first attempt by the president to wipe out student loan debt which was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Kansas Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach vowed to take the case all the way back to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Along with Kansas, the suit is backed by Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.

Republicans are already blasting the report that Biden will launch a second attempt for massive student loan forgiveness.

'President Biden would rather cancel a Liberals gender studies degree debt than address our $34.6T+ national debt,' wrote Texas Republican Congressman Keith Self.

President Biden would rather cancel a Liberals gender studies degree debt than address our $34.6T+ national debt.https://t.co/TTxoVl0pAd  Rep. Keith Self (@RepKeithSelf) April 5, 2024

'Millions have worked very hard to pay off their student loans. Now Biden is adding insult to injury by making these same people pay off the student loans of others,' wrote Trump senior adviser Jason Miller on X 'It's not fair.'

Last June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority with its plan which relied on the HEROES Act, a law that authorizes the Education Secretary to waive or modify federal student loans due to a national emergency.

The same day it was blocked, Biden said the administration would pursue debt forgiveness through a different legal authority in the Higher Education Act of 1965.

More than 43 million Americans carry more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt.
An experienced mountaineer initially survived a 1,200-foot fall from the peak of Mount St. Helens into an avalanche only to die while scrambling to climb out.

The body of Roscoe 'Rocky' Shorey, 42, was found on March 29 after he plummeted into the hole when a shelf of snow he was standing on apparently broke.

After the chunk of snow tumbled down, Shorey tried to grip onto edge of the cornice - but he couldn't hold on and ended up being buried by snow.

Despite desperately trying to climb up the icy vertical wall surrounding him, the expert mountaineer didn't make it.

He was wearing only snowboard boots, synthetic pants and a lightweight long-sleeve shirt, according to Oregon Live.

Roscoe 'Rocky' Shorey, an experienced mountaineer, survived a 1,200-foot fall from the peak of Mount St. Helens into an avalanche only to die while scrambling to climb out

The body of Shorey, 42, was found on March 29 after he plummeted into the hole when a shelf of snow he was standing on apparently broke

Despite desperately trying to climb up the icy vertical wall surrounding him, the expert mountaineer didn't make it

The Washougal man's belongings, including his jacket, cellphone, SOS satellite device and backpack were all at the top of the crater that he fell from - where he was documenting his adventures just moments before.

Shorey's friends and the mountaineering community were rocked by his sudden death.

Known for his love of adventure, friendships and dessert - his friends and family flocked to Facebook to share heartfelt tributes and pictures of them enjoying his favorite dessert... a Dairy Queen Blizzard.

The expedition that ultimately killed him was his 28th summit of the mountain.

He had previously accomplished a climb to the top of Mount Hood, a far more difficult challenge, more than 40 times.

The adventurer had accomplished challenging climbs all across the world.

His death was announced on March 30 and officials accompanied the tragic news with a warning to climbers to stay away from the edge of Mount St. Helens crater because cornices can randomly give way.

The men who recovered his body identified that Shorey had survived his initial fall, but died during his attempt to escape.

'He gave it everything he could to survive,' said Derek Langdon, who coordinated the operation to retrieve Shorey's body. 'We were all thinking, like, 'Who is this guy, who is this person?'

The avid outdoorsman was planning to snowboard off-piste down the mountain after his solo summit before falling to his death

Shorey's friend Bret Barnum told KGW, 'In 42 years, that guy lived a hundred years of life easily... Every time we could go out, it was an adventure.' Langdon added: 'He almost made it to the top.'

Barnum said that Shorey was more than a passionate climber, and the adrenaline junkie was also known to frequently sky-dive, scuba dive, heli-ski and volunteer for environmental clean-up efforts.

His friend Barnum said that he became concerned for Shorey after he hadn't heard from him the day after his expedition, and frantically contacted others in the area as the climber was well known in the local mountaineering community.

'It's an extremely difficult time,' he said, noting that the experienced climber's death was a tragic accident and not due to carelessness.

'The community as a whole, the metro area has lost a very, very caring individual who was not reckless, nor careless, and happened to fall upon some very bad luck that day.

'The testament to his life is that he just lived it. He lived in his way. He did not live a dangerously. He lived it with prediction, with passion, with intention.'

Shorey was a brand ambassador for Mountain House, a company providing outdoors meals, which paid tribute to him as a 'fearless adventurer' with a 'joyful heart' in a statement following his death.

'The Mountain House community is devastated by his loss. We will remember him for his boundless energy, optimistic attitude, and genuine Aloha spirit,' the statement read.

'He loved bagging new peaks, swimming in alpine lakes, making new friends and encouraging youth to get outside.

'We know everyone who knew him will honor his memory by exploring and welcoming others into the outdoor community. He was a true friend and will be missed by all.'

As well as mountaineering, the adrenaline junkie was also known to frequently sky-dive, scuba dive, heli-ski and volunteer for environmental clean-up efforts

Shorey was a brand ambassador for Mountain House, a company providing outdoors meals, which paid tribute to him as a 'fearless adventurer' with a 'joyful heart'

Friend Justin Fields added in a Facebook post that although he only knew Shorey for two years, 'I have never met anyone like him.'

'He was an extremely kind soul, a child of the Hawaiian Islands with unbelievable health and vigor that kept him busy and traveling all the time,' he said.

'Rocky never met an eating challenge he couldn't complete!! He could eat 4 large pizzas to any one of mine, and I just loved that about him, it cracked me up every time.

'He could throw back a few ciders, but he had zero vices. Most of all, I knew him as an excellent listener, who was kind and patient beyond his 42 years.

'I am truly comforted by the fact that he died doing exactly what he loved. Damn, I bet that sunrise was incredible, Rocky! I'm glad you got to see it man. Godspeed, and A Hui Hou, Brother.'
Republican Rep. Warren Davidson has a warning for Speaker Mike Johnson: put a sprawling national security package on the House floor and you're risking your job.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., sent Johnson off to a two-week Easter break with a motion to vacate that could trigger a vote to oust him from the speakership at any time she makes it privileged.

With a one-vote Republican majority, Johnson can hardly lose any support if he wants to continue to lead the conference, unless Democrats come to the rescue.

'Her statement for quite a long time now is don't bring a giant supplemental bill to fund Ukraine, or I will move to vacate,' Davidson told DailyMail.com.

'I believe she will, and I think if the speaker brings some giant supplemental bill to fund a whole bunch of other stuff and not defend America, the speaker will have a lot of problems,' the Foreign Affairs Committee member and Ohio Republican added.

'I think there'll be people that will join [the motion to vacate] from the Republican conference, and probably more than eight.'

Greene said she was prompted to kick off the effort by frustrations over 2024 spending bills. But she's long warned Johnson against bringing further Ukraine aid to the House floor.

Republican Rep. Warren Davidson has a warning for Speaker Mike Johnson : put a sprawling national security package on the House floor, and you'll endanger your job

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene , R-Ga., sent Johnson off to a two-week Easter break with a motion to vacate that could trigger a vote to oust him from the speakership at any time she makes it privileged

Eight Republicans voted with all Democrats to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October.

Johnson is now wrestling with how to approach aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that conservative hardliners say the U.S. can't afford.

The White House has requested, and the Senate has already passed, a supplemental with $60 billion for the nation that has been fighting off Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion for over two years now.

Davidson is pushing for votes on 'single subject' foreign aid bills - where members can decide to which nations they support sending more resources.

He acknowledged the pressure Johnson is facing to put aid on the floor - despite fiery right wing opposition.

'There are ways that he could do it that probably cause a lot of problems for the conference and for the rest of the agenda and probably for his path as speaker, but you know, it's clear that a lot of people want that [aid] vote,' Davidson said.

'Frankly, they're probably a lot of people that have won American troops on the ground in Ukraine.'

In a new statement on Thursday Johnson suggested he would attach border provisions to any foreign aid package.

'As I have always said, national security starts at our southern border. Any funding of the Presidents supplemental request should be premised on meaningful policy to help the American people and finally address the invasion at our southern border.'

The House is expected to take up a supplemental funding package with foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific in the weeks following the Easter recess.

But the details of the package remain unclear. It's expected to include some provisions of H.R. 2, the House's Republican border package.

Some policy makers have been pushing for Russian assets to be seized, rather than just frozen, and repurposed for Ukraine under the REPO Act. But the process would be difficult and has essentially never been done before.

The U.S., European Union, G-7 and Australia have frozen about $280 billion in Russian Central Bank assets, largely in the form of securities and cash. Sanctions on Russian nationals have frozen another $58 billion in assets, according to the U.S. Treasury.

The U.S., UK and Canada are all proponents of seizing the assets. But France, Germany and the European Central Bank have expressed concerns about potential Russian retaliation and precedent it would set for international law.

In this photo taken from video and released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, April 4, 2024, a Russian tank fires in an undisclosed location in Ukraine

Others have suggested the Ukraine aid will likely include a Lend-Lease provision. Providing defense materials under the Lend-Lease Act means that they are meant to be given back if they are not destroyed in the war. Funds could also be loaned to Ukraine with the promise that they would be paid back in the long term.

Meanwhile Johnson has previously suggested attaching a lift of the ban on liquified natural gas exports after Biden said in January he would pause application approvals to analyze economic and environmental impact. It's not clear if the White House would agree to that.

Johnson would likely need significant Democratic support to pass the legislation as many of his Republicans remain staunchly against any further Ukraine funding.

Democrats largely support funding Ukraine's war against Russia but some progressives could turn their nose up at a package that includes money for Israel, who they believe has not had enough care with Palestinian civilian lives in its mission to eradicate Hamas. The recent killing of an American aid worker could further entrench their opposition.

Greene launched her bid to potentially oust the speaker after a $1.2 trillion bill that funded six agencies of government. She did not make the resolution 'privileged,' meaning it will loom over Johnson's head and she has the ability to call it for a quick vote at any moment.

She said she is no closer to withdrawing her motion to vacate, deeming Johnson a 'Democrat speaker' who doesn't spend any time listening to his Republican conference.

'He cannot be Speaker of the House,' she said. 'He just can't be, I won't vote for him. Many other Republican members are saying the same thing. He's not our speaker. He's the Democrat speaker.'
Ulviyya Shahin

In recent years, Azerbaijan has focused on developing its non-oil economy and is striving for economic diversification. Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, highlighted the significance of solar power plants in the country during an interview with China's "Phoenix" TV channel. He emphasized that this development signifies a crucial stage in the cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the realm of green energy.

The upcoming COP29 conference in Azerbaijan was also discussed during the interview. It was noted that climate financing, which lacked progress in previous conferences, will take center stage in Baku.

Moreover, Azerbaijan was acknowledged as a guarantor of European energy security, exporting oil and natural gas to many European countries. The close cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the energy sector, with Chinese participation in oil and gas projects, was emphasized. Hajiyev underscored Chinese companies' role as valuable partners in Azerbaijan's economic diversification, particularly as the country prioritizes the green transition.

Hajiyev expressed delight in seeing China at the forefront of global green transformation and looked forward to collaborating actively with Chinese counterparts at COP29 and beyond.

Qaiser Nawab, a global climate youth leader and international expert, commented on Hajiyev's statement, highlighting the pivotal role of solar power plants in advancing Azerbaijan's sustainable development agenda and promoting economic diversification. Nawab stressed that the collaboration between China and Azerbaijan in green energy signifies mutual benefits, including investment in renewable energy infrastructure.

"These plants represent a tangible commitment to green energy and signify the evolving cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in this crucial field. By embracing solar power, Azerbaijan not only reduces its carbon footprint but also strengthens its energy security and contributes to global efforts to combat climate change. The collaboration between China and Azerbaijan underscores the mutual benefits of investing in renewable energy infrastructure. With COP29 being hosted in Azerbaijan, the spotlight is on the country's commitment to addressing climate change and advancing climate financing discussions. This event provides an opportunity for Azerbaijan to showcase its efforts in green energy and to foster international partnerships, including with China, in driving the transition to a sustainable future. Azerbaijan's role as a guarantor of European energy security further underscores the importance of its efforts in diversifying its energy portfolio and embracing green technologies. The close cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in energy projects, including participation in oil and gas ventures, highlights the potential for further collaboration in the renewable energy sector. Hikmet Hajiyev's emphasis on Chinese companies as valuable partners in Azerbaijan's economic diversification underscores the strategic alignment between both nations in prioritizing the green transition. China's leadership in global green transformation serves as a model for other nations, including Azerbaijan, inspiring confidence in the feasibility and benefits of transitioning to renewable energy sources. Overall, Azerbaijan's embrace of solar power, coupled with its collaboration with China, not only contributes to its own sustainable development goals but also sets an example for international cooperation in addressing climate change and transitioning to a greener future.

According to him, Azerbaijan views Chinese companies as valuable partners in the diversification of its economy, especially within the context of prioritizing the green transition, for several reasons.

"Azerbaijan recognizes Chinese companies as vital partners in transitioning to green energy due to their expertise and technology transfer in renewable energy, particularly solar power. This collaboration aids Azerbaijan's shift away from traditional sectors like oil and gas towards sustainable alternatives. Chinese investment in renewable energy infrastructure, including solar power plants, not only diversifies Azerbaijan's economy but also enhances energy independence and resilience."

"Partnering with Chinese firms grants Azerbaijan access to global green energy markets and facilitates learning and growth opportunities in the emerging green economy. China's commitment to sustainability aligns with Azerbaijan's goals, accelerating the implementation of renewable energy projects. Azerbaijan prioritizes diversifying energy sources, investing in renewable energy infrastructure, promoting energy efficiency, and fostering international collaboration, including with China, to advance its green energy agenda. Collaborating on joint renewable energy projects, technology transfer, policy exchange, and business partnerships with China during and beyond COP29 aims to expedite Azerbaijan's transition to green energy, achieve sustainable development goals, and combat climate change," he concluded in the end.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's estranged husband has broken cover to tell of his shock and devastation at their separation.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Ryan Anderson confirmed that he and mom murderer Blanchard have separated over her continued relationship with her ex-fiance Ken Urker.

He said: 'I'm not doing well with it. For me it just came out of the blue. I had no idea she still had such strong feelings for him.'

Seen in these exclusive pictures, special needs teacher, Anderson, 37, clutched Pixie, the cute little shih tzu pup that he and Blanchard, 32, adopted together in January as he told DailyMail.com that he was 'for sure' keeping the dog.

Barely four months ago Anderson posted about his perfect life on Instagram when he introduced Pixie to followers in a picture of her with Blanchard and wrote: 'My two favorite girlsmy family is adorableI'm so lucky.'

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Ryan Anderson confirmed that he and wife Gypsy Rose Blanchard have separated over her continued relationship with her ex-fiance Ken Urker

Anderson, seen in his neighborhood of Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday, said: 'I'm not doing well with it. For me it just came out of the blue. I had no idea she still had such strong feelings for him'

The now-separated couple were seen in Midtown Manhattan during Gypsy Rose's NYC press tour in early January, days after her release

Pictures emerged of a beaming Blanchard hand-in-hand with Urker, who first started writing to her in 2018, this week

But the happily ever after he assumed would follow the Munchausen's-by-proxy victim's December release, after serving eight years for the murder of her mother, has come to nothing.

Instead, just a day ago on Thursday, pictures emerged of Blanchard hand in hand with Urker, who first started writing to her in 2018 having seen the HBO documentary of her childhood, 'Mommy Dearest.'

They broke up not long before she started her prison romance with Anderson in 2020.

Apparently without a care in the world, a beaming Blanchard and Urker were seen visiting a Dollar General store in South Louisiana and casually smoking a cigarette together.

They made no effort to hide the matching Husky dog tattoos they got just days earlier.

For Anderson it was a cruel and confusing display of their closeness.

He told DailyMail.com: 'I haven't spoken to her, so I just don't know what's going on. I'm at a loss. I'm really not doing well at all.'

Blanchard and Anderson attended the January premiere of 'The Prison Confessions Of Gypsy Rose Blanchard'

For weeks on end, the pair put on increasingly public displays of their affection for one another. They are seen here ringing in the new year

The seemingly happy couple had caused quite a commotion on social media following Blanchard's release, complete with raunchy messages directed at one another left on public accounts

It has been almost two weeks since Blanchard 'blindsided' her husband and moved out of their marital home in Lake Charles and back into her father and stepmother's home in Cut Off, Louisiana, some three hours' drive away.

Urker wasted no time in flying from Texas to be by her side and while Blanchard has insisted that there is 'no intimacy' between the pair and that he is simply being a supportive friend, Anderson is clear that the relationship is to blame for the end of his marriage.

Neither Blanchard's father, Rod, nor her stepmother, Kristy, were in favor of her marrying Anderson. For his part, Rod said he gave the marriage 50/50 odds, 'at best.'

The relationship began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when Netflix hit show, 'Tiger King' was garnering huge public attention.

One of Anderson's co-workers wanted to write to Tiger King, Joe 'Exotic Maldonado-Passage, and so Anderson told him: 'If you write to him, I'll write to Gypsy Rose Blanchard.'

Blanchard's family have voiced concerns that the relationship started as little more than, 'a dare.'

But according to one family member who spoke to DailyMail.com, Anderson went into it, 'with the best of intentions.'

The relative said: 'He really loves her. Ryan's a really good guy. You won't get better than Ryan. But she's scarred by all that has happened to her.

Blanchard moved out of the marital home in Lake Charles and back into her father and stepmother's home in Cut Off, Louisiana some three hours' away. Urker wasted no time in flying from Texas to be by her side

Blanchard has insisted that there is 'no intimacy' between the pair and that he is simply being a supportive friend

Barely four months ago Anderson posted about his perfect life on Instagram when he introduced Pixie to followers in a picture of her with Blanchard and wrote, 'My two favorite girlsmy family is adorableI'm so lucky'

'We thought Gypsy was doing okay but she's not. Ryan's having counseling and I know she's court mandated to do it but it's like there's forces inside Gypsy pulling against her.'

Blanchard's traumatic childhood and early adulthood has been fodder for documentaries, movies, books and countless magazine, newspaper, and online articles.

She was released from Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri in December 28, after being granted early parole having served eight of a ten-year sentence for her role in the infamous murder of her mother Dee Dee.

In what has become one of the best-known cases of Munchausen's-by-proxy Blanchard spent her childhood posing as a wheelchair bound invalid while Dee Dee subjected her to years of ill health, shaving her head, pumping her full of unnecessary medications, and convincing the world that she was suffering from leukemia and muscular dystrophy.

She cynically paraded the child at charity events and fundraisers, garnering sympathy and money for the conditions that didn't exist and the illness that she herself was inflicting on her daughter.

Blanchard's mother's stranglehold came to an end in 2015 when she persuaded the boyfriend she had met online, Nicholas Godejohn, to creep into their home in Springfield, Missouri and stab her mother to death.

Blanchard later testified against Godejohn at his trial, and he is now serving a life sentence.

The now-separated couple are seen together shopping in Liberty, Missouri the afternoon she was released from prison

Gypsy Rose (left) with her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, who was murdered by Gypsy and her then boyfriend in 2015

In recent years Blanchard has spoken about her desire to live a normal life and enjoy 'the simple things,' but her existence with Anderson since her much longed for release has clearly failed to live up to her hopes.

The family member told DailyMail.com: 'I don't know if either of them has spoken to divorce attorneys, but the split is real. It's done.'

Meanwhile according to TMZ Blanchard has told family and friends that her marriage came to an end because of Anderson's argumentativeness and constant jealousy over the amount of time she wanted to spend with her father.

According to the report, Blanchard was keen to rebuild her relationship with her father after so many years behind bars but instead of supporting her efforts Anderson attacked them.

Announcing the split in a private Facebook post obtained by People, Blanchard simply wrote: 'People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately, my husband and I are going through a separation, and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou.

'I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this. I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself findwho I am.'
America's public school teachers say they're stressed, overworked and large numbers are attacked by their students, and that poverty and the youth mental health crisis are taking a profound toll on classrooms, a survey shows.

Pew Research Center's survey of more than 2,500 K-12 teachers offers a grim portrait of life inside the nation's nearly 100,000 public schools, and a widely-held view among teachers that the education system is spiraling downward.

It comes as schools try to dig themselves out of the pandemic, and after lockdowns left millions of students studying from their kitchen tables, erasing decades of gains in math and literacy levels.

Between 2018 and 2022, the share of students who regularly skip class nearly doubled from 15 percent to 18 percent, and most of the country's school districts have got more teaching vacancies than they're able to fill.

America's teachers are taking to social media to chart the hardships they face in the classroom

Some of them explain why stress drove them to quit a job they otherwise loved

Against this worrying backdrop, stressed-out teachers have taken to TikTok and other social media, often holding phones up to their face while breaking down in tears after a bad class, saying they want to quit.

'I'm a struggling teacher right now,' Lexie Firment, a science teacher in Beaufort, South Carolina, recently posted, saying she would likely break down in tears once again after recording her message.

'I have no appetite. My body is constantly in a stress mode. I don't have a life. I spend my weekend prepping for the next week.'

Firment is not alone.

More than three quarters of teachers say their job is frequently stressful, more than two thirds call it overwhelming, and fully 70 percent say their school is understaffed, the Pew study shows.

Most of them  52 percent  say they would not recommend the career to young people.

And a shocking 68 percent of them say they've experienced verbal abuse, such as being yelled at and threatened by a student. Another four-in-ten say they've been physically attacked.

Florida teacher Joan Naydich, who was viscously beaten by a student, has claimed she has been forced to live off donations after being put on unpaid leave by the school

She was violently attacked by Brendan Depa, then 17, at Matanzas High School in February 2023 after she told him to stop playing on his Nintendo Switch

This recalls the shocking case last year of the Florida teacher Joan Naydich was violently attacked by Brendan Depa, then 17 years old, at Matanzas High School after she told him to stop playing on his Nintendo Switch.

The autistic 6-foot 6-inch teen, was seen punching and kicking the educator in the back and head until she lay on the ground unconscious.

He pleaded no contest as an adult for first-degree aggravated battery, but has yet to be sentenced.

Here are some other shocking revelations from Pew's survey:
A Mexican influencer was caught grinning on camera moments after being arrested for the savage beating of a female driver.

Rodolfo Marquez, who is also known as Fofo Marquez to millions of followers, was apprehended Thursday in connection with an assault at a mall parking lot in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, on February 22.

Shortly after, the 26-year-old smiled for snap taken inside a patrol vehicle while he sat between two law enforcement agents.

He was later photographed at a jail in the municipality of Tlalnepantla, again flashing a smile, while sporting a Psycho Bunny sweat suit and pair of $1,260 Louis Vuitton sneakers.

Marquez, who has 3.9 million followers on Instagram, later appeared much more serious in a mugshot photo.

Fofo Marquez was all smiles while sitting in a police vehicle moments after his arrest Thursday

Mexican social media influencer Rodolfo Marquez, who is also know as Fofo Marquez, smiles while he stands next to law enforcement agents following his arrest Thursday for the February 22 beating of a female driver at a mall parking lot in Naucalpan, State of Mexico

The woman revealed that she accidentally hit the side mirror of the vehicle that Mexican influencer Fofo Marquez was sitting inside at a mall parking lot in Naucalpan and offered to settle the dispute through her insurance provider

Mexican influencer Fofo Marquez (right) allegedly seen attacking a woman (left) during a road rage incident at a mall in the central city of Naucalpan back on February 22

Marquez spent the night inside a cell and was expected to appear before a judge Friday. He is facing a gender violence charge.

Footage of the assault showed a man approaching the woman after her SUV clipped the side mirror of the car the influencer was traveling in.

The woman could be seen opening her vehicle's door when she was punched her several times and kicked while lying on the ground.

The man then leans over the defenseless woman and lands multiple blows before walking away.

Another video showed him arguing with two men who confronted him over the assault and trying to kick one of them. He was then reportedly fled in a vehicle being driven by a female companion.

Mexican social media influencer Fofo Marquez is known for flashing his wealth on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram,

The woman was pummeled as she was lying on the ground during the mall parking lot altercation

The woman, whose name is unknown, received assistance from bystanders, who wiped the blood of her face with tissue and water and offered to take her to a hospital.

She said she was trying to retrieve her insurance information to share it with the owner of the car Marquez was in and believed he assaulted her because he thought she was going to leave the scene of the minor accident.

Marquez is known for flashing his wealth on social media and was in the spotlight in 2022 when he used his fleet of luxury cars to create a major traffic jam by shutting down the Matute Remus Bridge in Guadalajara.

'We are going to close it, we are going to start dancing, do TikToks,' Marquez vowed while he sat in the passenger seat of one of his vehicles. 'So, well, so you can see, so you can see again what money can do here in Mexico.'

The Jalisco State Attorney General's Office launched an investigation and later reached an agreement with Marquez, who said be would donate $2,100 to a local shelter.
Emily Maitlis has spoken out about Netflix's dramatization of her infamous Prince Andrew interview, saying she 'left them very much to do their own thing'.

The film, Scoop, looks at the story behind the journalist's Newsnight interview with Andrew who spoke about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But Maitlis, who is played by Gillian Anderson, said she was not involved 'because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges' offering her views.

The Netflix production - which came out today - was an adaptation of a book by Sam McAlister, the producer who sealed the interview. Meanwhile, Matilis is continuing work on her own version of the story for Amazon called A Very Royal Scandal.

McAlister has also spoken out about Scoop, and was asked by Hello! on the red carpet whether she had received contact from Buckingham Palace. Laughing, she replied: 'I'm still waiting on my CBE but I'm not sure it's going to happen.'

Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew following the BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019 (left); and Gillian Anderson as Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Andrew in Netflix film Scoop (right)

Prince Andrew spoke about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with Maitlis in 2019

Matilis told Deadline that Netflix has said Scoop is 'based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things' to the Amazon series.'

The disclaimer used by Netflix for Scoop says: 'This film is based on real events - however certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.'

Maitlis, 53, said she had not watched Scoop before its premiere today, but would 'get around to it at some stage'.

She added that she was 'very excited' about the film and described McAlister as having taken the story to 'new heights'.

In Scoop, Rufus Sewell plays Andrew and Billie Piper plays McAlister. Keeley Hawes is Andrew's former personal secretary Amanda Thirsk.

A Very Royal Scandal will star Ruth Wilson as Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Andrew, with McAlister played by Clare Calbraith.

Maitlis said of Wilson: 'I've seen Ruth and what she has done is extraordinary to the point where I keep seeing flashes and go: 'Oh, you're looking great. Oh s**t, it's not me'. That has been a very strange but brilliant process.'

Maitlis has already served as an executive producer of a Channel 4 documentary about the interview.

Gillian Anderson (left) stars as Emily Maitlis (right) in the newly-released Netflix film Scoop

Rufus Sewell (left) plays Prince Andrew (right) in Scoop which came out on Netflix today

The Fall star Anderson is no stranger to playing real life figures, having recently portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Crown and Eleanor Roosevelt in The First Lady.

But she said playing a living person was rather 'more daunting' than playing someone who has already died.

She said: 'On the one hand, it's similar to, any time you take on an historical character, just in terms of the deep dive that you might do.

'And fortunately, with someone like Emily, who's so much in the public eye, there's a lot of footage out there that you get to watch, whether or not you have face-to-face time with them, so I was very lucky in that regard.

'It was a lot of listening and watching and observing mannerisms.

'It was a little bit more daunting than playing somebody who is deceased, but I've been a big fan (of Maitlis) for a while so it was a joy to step into the shoes.

She added: 'I was basically watching and listening on a loop, paying attention to mannerisms, when she looked up.

Billie Piper (left) plays Sam McAlister (right), the producer who sealed the Newsnight interview

Keeley Hawes (left) stars as Prince Andrew's former personal secretary Amanda Thirsk (right)

'It was a drag at one point when I saw the actual film, because of how many times she looks down at her notes, it looks like I might be looking at my lines! But no I didn't! I wasn't reading my lines!'

Following the Newsnight broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew's friendship with Epstein, the Duke stepped down from public life.

The interview was dubbed a 'car crash', with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with Epstein.

Scoop is now streaming on Netflix after being released today
Israel has admitted one of its hostages seized by Hamas was likely killed by friendly fire from an IDF helicopter as it blasted Palestinian gunmen in southern Israel.

Efrat Katz, 68, was probably shot dead by an Israeli Air Force chopper that unleashed a torrent of fire at a car carrying Hamas attackers as it left kibbutz Nir Oz amid the October 7 atrocities, an IDF investigation revealed.

'As a result of the shooting, most of the terrorists in the vehicle were killed, and apparently the late Efrat Katz,' the IDF said.

Officials presented the findings of their report to Katz's family this morning, Israeli media reported.

The IDF said it was not aware Katz was in the car until it reviewed surveillance footage and cross-referenced with eye-witness accounts after the incident.

Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar declared he 'did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew, who operated in compliance with the orders in a complex reality of war.'

Katz's body was later recovered and was buried on October 25 - but the IDF declined to announce the cause of death until the investigation had concluded.

The news of the tragic friendly fire incident comes just days after Israel invited worldwide condemnation - including from allies Britain and the US - when an IDF drone killed seven aid workers travelling in a clearly marked World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy.

IDF officials announced today two military commanders were fired and a third severely reprimanded over the incident, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army's rules of engagement.

Efrat Katz, 68, was probably shot dead by an Israeli Air Force chopper gunner who unleashed a torrent of fire at a car carrying Hamas attackers

'As a result of the shooting, most of the terrorists in the vehicle were killed, and apparently the late Efrat Katz,' the IDF said

Soldiers walk among the remains of a scorched house following the deadly October 7 attack by gunmen from Palestinian militant group Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Nir Oz

Burnt cars are seen in Kibbutz Nir Oz following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel October 19, 2023

An Israeli military helicopter flies next to the Israeli-Gaza border

Damage to one of the three cars that was struck in the aid convoy attack on Monday

Damaged vehicle in which employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza

The workers from WCK were killed on Monday when their convoy was hit repeatedly by drone-launched missiles shortly after they organised the unloading of 100 tons of food brought to the Palestinian territory by sea.

Israel apologised for the killing of the seven workers, calling the attack a 'grave mistake' based on the findings of an IDF investigation.

It found that the strikes were ordered on the basis of one major's observation - from grainy footage - that someone in the convoy was armed, and that the IDF had spotted a 'Hamas gunman' shooting from the top of one of the aid trucks.

This observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said, who added it was possible the passenger was just carrying a bag as opposed to a gun.

The IDF investigation's report concluded that 'after being presented with, and considering the investigation's findings, the IDF Chief of the General Staff' would:

Dismiss the brigade fire support commander, an officer with the rank of major

Dismiss the brigade chief of staff, an officer with the rank of colonel in reserve

Formerly reprimand the brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander

The statement added that 'the IDF Chief of Staff decided to formally reprimand the commander of the Southern Command for his overall responsibility for the incident.'

The news of the airstrikes reverberated around the world, with the UK, US and other allies of Israel expressing outrage and calling for a 'full and transparent explanation'.

Those killed included three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.

The British victims were named as military veterans James Henderson, John Chapman and James Kirby.

They were providing security for four aid workers, including Australian Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, Polish national Damian Sobol, an American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.

The group was travelling along a deconflicted route at the time of the strike, with WCK declaring it had coordinated its movements with the military, and that the vehicles were marked with the organisation's logo.

'It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by' the Israeli military, WCK founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres said on Wednesday.

In a statement on Friday following the release of the findings, World Central Kitchen said the IDF had taken 'important steps forward' by acknowledging its responsibility 'and its fatal errors in the deadly attack on our convoy in Gaza', while also 'taking disciplinary action against those in command'.

However, it said, 'it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

'The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures. The IDF's own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat.'

The charity said it was demanding the creation of an 'independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues.

'The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza,' it added.

World Central Kitchen's CEO Erin Gore said the IDF's apology offers 'cold comfort for the victims' families' and the charity.

'Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended,' she added.

A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on December 6, 2023, shows an Israeli air force attack helicopter firing a missile

The wreckage of one of the World Central Kitchen vehicles hit by Israel shows a gaping hole blown into the roof

Israeli Elbit Hermes 450 drone is pictured, resembling the one used in the attack on the aid convoy

James 'Jim' Henderson, 33, from Cornwall, served in the Royal Marines for six years

John Chapman, 57, from Dorset, served in the Special Boat Squadron

James Kirby, 47, was a former sniper marksman who served in Bosnia and Afghanistan

Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha 27, had worked for World Central Kitchen as a driver and translator since the beginning of the year

The Australian victim was Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom (pictured), 43, from Melbourne

Jacob Flickinger was a 33-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Canada

Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, was known as a cheerful, friendly and resourceful manager who quickly rose in World Central Kitchen's ranks

The investigation into the IDF strike was headed by retired general Yoav Har-Even.

Har-Even's findings mark an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies of not doing enough to protect Gaza's civilians - as well as other protected groups including aid workers and journalists from its war.

More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.

The findings are also likely to renew scepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making as it continues its mission to eradicate Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by the group.

Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organisations have accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict - a charge Israel denies.

'It's a tragedy,' the military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters.

'It's a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn't have happened and we will make sure that it won't happen again.'

With pressure mounting on Israel to hold itself accountable, Hagari and other officials late Thursday shared with reporters the results of the military's uncommonly speedy and detailed investigation.

It was unclear whether the punishments and the apology would calm an international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers or reassure international aid groups that it was safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.

Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen that was wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday

Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group, transports the body of one of the six foreign aid workers who were killed in an Israeli strike, at a hospital morgue in Rafah on April 3, 2024

A billow of smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024

People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, April 2, 2024

The army said it initially hit one car in the strike on the aid convoy - the vehicle it said was carrying what was thought to be a Hamas gunman.

As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well, before firing a third and final missile into the last WCK vehicle, killing all the aid workers.

The army could not say exactly where the communication about the convoy's plans had broken down and declined to answer questions about whether similar violations of rules of engagement have taken place during the war.

'Let's be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly,' Scott Paul, of the humanitarian group Oxfam, said Thursday in a briefing with other relief organisations before the results of Israel's investigation were released.

'The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.'

Paul's comments came as the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap.

The resolution stressed 'the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity'.

It also expressed 'grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'.

But Israel dismissed the finding as a 'distorted text'.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having 'long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas'.

'According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis,' she said ahead of the vote. 'A vote 'Yes' is a vote for Hamas.'

Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi welcomed the vote but complained that some European states had not backed it.

'There have been calls for accountability across the world, but that position changes when we're talking about Israel,' Khraishi told the Council.

The United States had pledged to vote against the resolution because it did not contain a specific condemnation of Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks, or 'any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions'.

It did, however, said that its ally Israel had not done enough to mitigate harm to civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Washington speed up the delivery of weapons on the same day he was warned by President Joe Biden that future military aid may depend on how he addresses worries about civilian casualties and an escalating humanitarian crisis.

Netanyahu delivered a defiant message in a meeting with visiting Republican members of Congress.

He pushed back firmly on calls for a two-state solution, which is the long-term goal of U.S. policy.

In a meeting in Jerusalem with visiting Republicans, organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he said he had a three-pronged message.

'The first is we're going to win. Absolutely. Victory is within reach. It's very close, and there is no substitute for victory,' he said, according to a readout of the meeting provided by his office.

Smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas

Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu met visiting Republican lawmakers in Jerusalem Thursday. 'Give us the tools faster and we'll finish the job faster,' he told them

'The second is that it can be made quicker.

'I'll paraphrase someone you all have heard of, Winston Churchill. He said, "Give us the tools and we'll do the job." Give us the tools faster and we'll finish the job faster.'

More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched an offensive in response to the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7.

The toll includes 200 aid workers and about 100 journalists.

But the issue took on added significance in Washington this week when six foreign aid workers, including an American, and a Palestinian driver were killed when their convoy was hit by Israeli Defense Forces strikes.

The dead were working for World Central Kitchen, founded by chef Jose Andres who is well-connected among Washington's elite.

In response, Biden ratcheted up the severity of his language and heaped pressure on Netanyahu during a 30-minute phone call on Thursday.

He called for an immediate ceasefire and concrete steps to protect civilians and enable aid to reach the besieged territory.

And the White House readout of the call suggested that future military help may now be conditional on those goals.

President Joe Biden spoke to Netanyahu on Thursday to demand changes to the way Israel was fighting its war in Gaza. A readout of the call suggested U.S. policy could be altered

A vehicle where workers from World Central Kitchen were attacked in Gaza

Dual American-Canadian citizen 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger (right) was among the seven killed in the IDF drone attack

'He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps,' it said.

Netanyahu's office offered no readout of its own.

But in his other comments Thursday he sounded defiant.

'The third thing is this is, there is a contrary move, an attempt to force, ram down our throats a Palestinian state, which will be another terror haven, another launching ground for an attempt, as was the Hamas state in Gaza,' he said, repeating his well-known opposition to the two-state solution that is backed by Washington and much of the world.

'That is opposed by Israelis, overwhelmingly.'

On Thursday evening, the Israeli security cabinet agreed to reopen the Erez crossing into Gaza

Later he met with his security cabinet. It approved steps to increase humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, a statement said.

Moves included reopening the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel for aid.

Israeli leaders had repeatedly rebuffed calls to reopen any more land crossings into Gaza.
A huge bridge said to be big enough for a column of tanks to cross is set to spring up in Panama in one of the most dangerous migrant crossing points in the world.

According to reports, the structure is being built in Yaviza which sits on the Rio Chuconaco - the separation point between Central and South America and one of the most southerly points reachable by roads from North America.

Until now, the Pan-American highway - which weaves through central America towards South America - has ended in Yaviza, which sits on the edge of the 100-mile Darien Gap - a dense, lawless jungle between Panama and Colombia.

Millions of migrants brave the Darien Gap every year but are forced to mostly undertake the journey on foot, facing perilous river crossings, wild animals and even violent criminal gangs that extort, kidnap and abuse them.

According to a report by the US-based Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), that could be about to change with the construction of the new bridge across the Rio Chuconaco that could see the highway extended further south.

A huge bridge said to be big enough for a column of tanks to cross is set to spring up in Panama in one of the most dangerous migrant crossing points in the world. Pictured: A video showing the early stages of the bridge's construction is seen in footage from CBN

According to reports, the bridge is being built in Yaviza which sits on the Rio Chuconaco - the separation point between Central and South America and one of the most southerly points reachable by roads from North America.

This would undoubtedly make the crossing safer for the millions of migrants who travel up from South America with the ultimate goal of reaching the United States.

However, news of the bridge's construction has raised a puzzling question: Who is funding the construction of the bridge, and what do they stand to gain?

According to Michael Yon, an American writer and photographer, one possible benefactor is China.

According to figures released in February this year, over seven million migrants have crossed America's southern border under the Joe Biden administration.

The total does not include an estimated 1.8 million known 'gotaways' who managed to evade law enforcement, either.

The issue of migration has long been a divisive topic in the US, and a divided America is of great benefit to the powers Beijing, with China being the US's main economic rival and key rival global superpower.

It is easy to see, therefore, why China could have an interest in aiding the passage of migrants from South American to America's southern border.

Another reason, however, could be Chinese migrants themselves.

Chuck Holton told CBN that from the size of the construction project (pictured) 'it looks like the builders may have other plans in the future' to continue the road beyond the bridge

Although the majority of migrants making the treacherous journey north from South America tend to be from countries such as Haiti and Venezuela hoping for a new life in the United States, the numbers of Chinese migrants has soared in recent years.

Figures show that authorities in Panama counted 15,000 Chinese migrants in 2023, almost eight times as many than in the same period in 2022, and more than 40 times the number seen in 2021, according to the Daily Star.

What's more, between January and September 2023, US border officials detained more than 22,000 Chinese nationals attempting to enter from Mexico.

With its Belt and Road initiative, the Chinese government is also known to be funding infrastructure projects across the globe.

Panama is among the initiative's 150 member countries, while Colombia is understood to be considering joining Belt and Road.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by American screenwriter and television producer Shawn Ryan, Michael Yon said: 'Nobody says who's putting the money in it.'

This, he said, 'indicates to me it's China  because China has a way of doing this.

'But I keep asking government people who's actually paying for this, and nobody seems to know,' he said.

According to CBN correspondent Chuck Holton who visited the construction site, the initial plan for the bridge and the new road is to connect villages in the region.

He spoke to Lead Bridge Engineer Manuel Pinilla, who told the American network: 'This area is rich in fertile soil, predominantly used for farming activities like raising livestock and growing tubers, among other crops.

Transportation is solely by boat along the river, often requiring four to five hours of travel upstream or downstream. However, with this project, they'll have a more accessible link, potentially leading to significant development.'

However, Holton told CBN that from the size of the construction project 'it looks like the builders may have other plans in the future' to continue the road.

'And if that's the case, that could change everything from an economic standpoint, a political standpoint, and from the standpoint of migration here in the Western Hemisphere,' he said.

Millions of migrants brave the Darien Gap every year (pictured) but are forced to mostly undertake the journey on foot, facing perilous river crossings, wild animals and even violent criminal gangs that extort, kidnap and abuse them

Migrants heading north take boats in Bajo Chiquito in the Darien province of Panama in 2023

News of the bridge's construction came as Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Colombia and Panama of failing to do enough to protect the hundreds of thousands of US-bound migrants crossing the Darien Gap.

'Whatever the reason for their journey, migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darien Gap are entitled to basic safety and respect for their human rights along the way,' HRW's Americas director Juanita Goebertus said in a statement.

'Colombian and Panamanian authorities can and should do more to ensure the rights of migrants and asylum seekers crossing their countries, as well as of local communities that have experienced years of neglect,' she added.

Despite the dangers, the Darien Gap has become a key corridor for migrants hoping to reach the United States.

In 2023, a record 520,000 people crossed the jungle, according to the Panamanian government.

In its 110-page report, HRW said Colombia 'lacks a clear strategy' to protect those crossing the gap, with limited government presence leaving them exposed to the Gulf Clan, a drug trafficking cartel and major player in the migrant business.

Panama, meanwhile, focuses more on restricting movement and rushing migrants through to Costa Rica, rather than 'addressing their needs or ensuring that they can exercise their right to seek asylum.'

The NGO reported that on both sides of the border, authorities were not doing enough to investigate and punish violations such as pervasive sexual abuse or look for missing people.

Since 2021, there have been more than 1,500 reports of sexual violence in the Darien Gap, but the real number is likely to be higher, HRW said.

Dozens, possibly hundreds, of people have lost their lives trying to cross or are missing in the region, it said.

It also found 'inadequate' efforts to guarantee access to food, water, and essential healthcare services.

The report's release comes after medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in February criticized a sharp rise in sexual violence against migrants, and accused Panama of not doing enough to protect them.

Aerial view showing migrants walking through the jungle near Bajo Chiquito village, the first border control of the Darien Province in Panama, on September 22, 2023.

MSF said an average of 16 women were raped a day in February.

In response, Panama's government suspended MSF's humanitarian work in the Darien Gap and accused it of failing to share data on the alleged victims.

The government also accused international aid groups of encouraging illegal migration by handing out maps to help migrants cross the jungle.

Goebertus also urged foreign governments to aid efforts to protect the migrants, saying Colombia and Panama 'should not be left alone to respond to the challenges in the Darien Gap.'
Kamala Harris' heavily tattooed stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, is selling her knitted art pieces for more than $5,000 each at her exhibition in a New York City cannabis store.

Emhoff, 24, debuted her textile exhibition this week at Gotham NYC, a 'woman-owned legal cannabis concept store' on the city's Lower East Side.

The vice president's daughter is asking $5,500 for a textile of her self-portrait, featuring her bright red nose and freckles on her forehead.

Another piece, featuring two light-blue Gucci hair clips with a backdrop of red, comes with an eye-watering $4,500 price tag.

'This new art form kind of was birthed out of my knitwear, where I started kind of playing around with this duplicate stitch technique,' she told the New York Post.

Kamala Harris ' heavily-tattooed stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, is selling her knitted art pieces for more than $5,000 each at her exhibition in a New York City cannabis store

Emhoff, 24, debuted her textile exhibition this week at Gotham NYC, a 'woman-owned legal cannabis concept store' on the city's Lower East Side

The vice president's daughter is asking $5,500 for a textile(right) of her self-portrait, featuring her bright red nose and freckles on her forehead

Emhoff, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, said she's moving away from knitting clothes after delving into the world of wearable art for the past few years.

'I found that no one really wanted to wear all of this stuff, because it's kind of crazy and loud, but they liked looking at it. So then I just started experimenting. And now I'm here,' she said.

Despite the transition, some clothes dubbed as 'a collection of one-of-a-kind knit clothing' were still displayed for sale at the exhibition.

Knitted biker shorts are priced at $750, pants for $350, and a knitted high-neck tank top for $150. They are for 'sale exclusively' for the first time, the store emphasized.

About 400 people attended the opening reception on Thursday afternoon, many of whom were knitting hobbyists, and half were described as 'queer,' according to a Post reporter at the exhibition.

'Fiber art is having a massive resurgence right now, with lots of museum and gallery shows,' said opening night attendee Heike, 44, who added that she 'works in art.'

'I pretty much follow everyone who is relevant in art these days. I happened to be in New York today,' she added.

Emhoff, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, said she's moving away from knitting clothes after delving into the world of wearable art for the past few years. She frequently posted videos of her knitting on social media

Many attendees also posted video and photos of the exhibition on social media, as one wrote: 'have loved the evolution of her knitworks so it was a joy to support her exhibition opening tonight'.

The user added that they have been following Emhoff and her works since the pandemic.

Vegan chef Michelle, 24, said: 'Her art is f**king amazing  her stuff is gorgeous. I don't even know how she began to do this stuff. It's crazy. The different colors and the depths, it's so insane.'

Emhoff's exhibition comes a week after she sparked outrage with an Instagram post supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a group allegedly tied to Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Rumors said the exhibition was a fundraiser for the agency, but Emhoff declined to comment on the controversy.

Emhoff, the daughter of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and stepdaughter of Harris, pursued modeling shortly after she graduated from Parsons.

The exhibition marks the turning point of her transition out of the fashion world into a career as an artist, she said.

But the 24-year-old is not the only artist with a connection to the White House, with Hunter Biden opening his art exhibition last year, which drew an eye-popping amount of money from Democratic donors.

Georges Berges and Hunter Biden. Berges has been representing Biden throughout his art career

Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali, a Los Angeles real estate developer who paid big bucks for Hunter's amateur artwork, has been summoned for testimony by the committee

Georges Berges, who has been overseeing the sale of Hunter's amateur paintings, said he has 'the potential to become 'one of the most consequential artists in this century.'

Some of his paintings were listed for a whopping $500,000, but the identities of buyers and prices they actually paid were kept secret.

Berges reportedly disclosed to investigators how much some of Hunter's top buyers shelled out - including from Democratic donors Kevin Morris, a Hollywood attorney, and Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali.

Naftali, a Los Angeles real estate developer who paid big bucks for Hunter's amateur artwork, has been summoned for testimony by the committee.

Naftali paid $42,000 in February 2021 for one of Hunter's artworks and another in December 2022 for $52,000, according to sources.

President Joe Biden appointed her to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, an obscure but prestigious board in July 2022, eight months after Hunter's exhibition opened.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus is demanding that the reconstruction of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge must not become a 'pork-filled' spending palooza the same day Biden is set to visit the disaster site.

The president is expected to arrive at the collapsed bridge Friday, over a week after a shipping container collided with and destroyed the structure, which ultimately claimed six lives.

He has said the reconstruction effort will receive 'all the federal resources they need' and that the federal government will shoulder the cost.

As the structure remains partially in the water, the entire Port of Baltimore has been blocked, meaning ships cannot get in or out of the busy trade hub.

The reconstruction project is expected to cost billions to repair and the impact of trade being slammed to a halt is already dramatically impacting business.

Now, conservatives are saying the cost of repairs should be offset, and not come from taxpayer funds if possible.

Conservative House Freedom Caucus lawmakers released a memo Friday outlining their demands for the upcoming vote on the Baltimore bridge. They want to ensure the ship operators face maximum penalties and the the cost of the bridge reconstruction is offset

View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., April 4. President Joe Biden is expected to visit the site on Friday

President Biden has said the reconstruction effort will receive 'all the federal resources they need' and that the federal government will shoulder the cost

'Before Congress considers any emergency supplemental funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, its important that (1) we first seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront and (2) the Port of Baltimore draws upon already available federal funds,' the group wrote in a memo published Friday.

Earlier this week, several operators of the ship - named Dali - filed a petition in U.S. federal court to limit the liability that they owe for causing the crash.

They cited a law from the 1850's that could help them cap their liability near the total cost of the ship, which they claim is $43.7 million.

But reports indicate the reconstruction costs could amount to $2 billion, almost 50 times more expensive than the price the operators are seeking to pay.

Claims against the ships operators must be submitted to a Baltimore federal court by September 24, according to a federal judge.

'If it proves necessary to appropriate taxpayer money to get one of Americas busiest ports back online, Congress should ensure it is fully offset and that burdensome regulations  are waived to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.'

The conservative group is also demanding that the money allocated for the project should strictly 'be limited to physical structure repairs with a federal nexus.'

'This must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects,' the memo states.

The group states they want to see the funding vote for the bridge adhere the the 'single-subject rule,' indicating that if there are additional measures attached to the legislation, they could come out against it.

'Finally, the Biden Administrations pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals  which, like the Baltimore harbor closure, has severe implications for foreign trade  must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction.'

The pause on liquified natural gas (LNG) exports has been a particular sticking point for Republicans in recent months.

The Biden administration paused LNG exports earlier this year to conduct an environmental review on the process, which Republicans have decried as unnecessary and hurtful to the industry.

Reports indicate that the repair costs for the collapsed bridge could reach as high as $2 billion

The ships operators filed a petition in U.S. federal court this week to limit their liability to just $43.7 million

However, the conservative group's sentiment may not be shared by all Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier this week that the federal government will pay for the 'lion's share' of the bridge reconstruction costs.

'In situations like that, whether it's a hurricane in Florida or an accident like this, the federal government will step up and do the lion's share of it,' McConnell told Louisville radio host Terry Meiners in an interview.
Melania Trump will make her return to the campaign trail this month when she hosts a glitzy fundraiser for LGBT conservatives at Mar-a-Lago.

The former first lady be the host for Log Cabin Republicans at the April 20th event taking place at her Palm Beach home, according to an invitation obtained by Politico.

It will be a rare political appearance by Melania Trump, who has stayed away from Donald Trump's re-election bid.

She's also set to appear behind-closed-doors with him this Saturday evening at a massive fundraiser for his campaign that is expected to bring in up to $43 million. That event, which is taking place at Mar-a-Lago, is meant to be a counter to President Joe Biden's massive New York City fundraiser with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump prepare to vote at a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 19

It's unclear what role Melania Trump will play in her husband's campaign for a second term in the White House.

She has made only two formal public appearances for his campaign: his kickoff in November 2022 and last month when she appeared with him to vote in the Florida presidential primary.

Afterwards, she was asked when she is going to return to the campaign trail.

'Stay tuned,' she replied.

The April event is the launch for the Log Cabin Republicans' 'Road to Victory' program, which plans to target voters in swing states.

Melania Trump has long ties to the group. In 2021, she was the special guest at a dinner the Log Cabin Republicans hosted at Mar-a-Lago, where she was given an award.

While accepting the honor, she said: 'As I look around the room, the word 'courage' comes to mind. It is the courageous spirit within each of you that has brought us together this evening and it is the courageous spirit of Abraham Lincoln, which gives us our guiding light today.'

In a financial disclosure last year, she reported receiving a $250,000 payment from the group in December 2022. That year the group hosted an event a Mar-a-Lago that she attended and Donald Trump addressed.

Richard Grenell, who had served as Trump's ambassador to Germany and is openly gay, will also appear at the April 20th event.

Melania Trump had an event for Log Cabin Republicans at Mar-a-Lago in November 2021

Melania Trump, along with son Barron (left), appeared at Mar-a-Lago's traditional Easter brunch last month

The former first lady remains popular among Trump's MAGA supporters but something of an enigma.

In the seven months of Donald Trump's campaign she has barely been visible.

Her most notable absence was on Super Tuesday, which was one of Donald Trump's biggest nights of the election season. It marked the contest where he essentially won the Republican nomination.

She didn't appear at his victory event at Mar-a-Lago even as most of his adult children were there.

She has been at some Mar-a-Lago events.

She and their son Barron were at Mar-a-Lago's traditional Easter brunch. And last month, she joined the former president when he hosted Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary.

Melania Trump accepted an award from Log Cabin Republicans in November 2021

Barron Trump, Viktor Knavs, Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the funeral for Melania's mother Amalija Knavs in January

In November, Melania Trump appeared at Rosalynn Carter's funeral along with fellow first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton

She's also participated in some solo events of her own.

She gave a speech last December at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, where she discussed her own experience in becoming an American citizen.

'My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you who try to become US citizens,' she said.

She did not mention that husband supported hardline immigration policies as president, including blasting the same provisions that allowed Melania to become a citizen.

She attended a memorial service for Rosalynn Carter with other first ladies from both parties in November. It was the first occasion that all of the living first ladies had been in one place since George H.W. Bush's funeral in 2018.

Melania Trump had a tough year in 2023.

She spent much of the latter part of it caring for her ailing mother, Amalija Knavs. In January, she delivered the eulogy at her mother's funeral.
Molly the magpie's carers have revealed they could soon have the world-famous bird back home weeks after he was seized by wildlife rangers.

Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen rescued and adopted Molly (who was first thought to be female) in 2020 after he fell from his nest.

Molly quickly became a close friend of the couple's Staffordshire bull terriers Peggy and Ruby, which Ms Wells began documenting on social media, showing the trio cuddling, playing together and the magpie barking like a pup.

After garnering more than 2million followers online, several complaints were made to Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) - as it's illegal in the state to keep native wildlife without a permit.

The teary-eyed couple were forced to surrender Molly to authorities on March 1.

But on Friday the couple revealed DESI has agreed to a 'face-to-face' meeting with them to discuss options for Molly's return.

Juliette Wells (pictured) and Reece Mortensen could soon have their beloved Molly back as they revealed on Friday DESI bosses are keen to meet with them

The carers of Molly the magpie - who became world famous in recent weeks after being taken away by Queensland wildlife officers - shared some good news on Tuesday. Molly is pictured with Juliette Wells and Staffordshire bull terrier Peggy

READ MORE: Major development in magpie saga as hopes rise he will soon be united with best dog friends Peggy and Ruby Molly the magpie is pictured with one of her dog best friends Advertisement

'We have had an update,' the couple wrote on Friday.

'We Spoke to the bosses of DESI today.

'The department is moving forward and trying to get the legal frameworks in place for a positive solution.

'We have a face to face meeting with the heads of the department to try to work out what is the best path forward in Mollys best interest.

'We are confident with the right training , support and licences we can make this happen.

'We need to keep pushing forward together.'

The couple then asked their thousands of supporters to keep up the pressure by emailing DESI 'in a kind way' to ask for the birds return.

The couple had previously not seen Molly or had any information about his wellbeing since he was seized.

But on Tuesday, the pair posted to social media saying they received 'a long-awaited phone call from someone who works closely with the director general of DESI'.

The breakthrough came after the story had made international headlines prompting Queensland Premier Steven Miles had got involved.

'To say we are relieved is an understatement,' the couple wrote, after being assured that Molly was safe and well.

'We were told he was healthy, happy and in good spirits (but) weren't told of his location to protect his safety.'

Last Thursday Mr Miles said DESI 'stands ready' to train the couple so Molly could be legally returned to them.

Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen said they 'weren't given too much detail but we were assured that DESI are currently looking at options to proceed with what the Premier had suggested.

'The legalities of the situation is not an easy fix and it's a process through legal frameworks.

'We will be contacted again by the end of the week with the process and updates.'

The couple said they had been unable to obtain the right wildlife caring permit due to their social media presence, with more than 785,000 followers on Instagram.

They added that it had been a stressful time for them and their dogs, who are unsure why their friend is no longer flying through the home and playing with them.

'Whenever they hear birds in the backyard they'll run out to see if it is Molly,' Ms Wells said. 'Peggy is clingy and depressed as well.'

Molly the magpie is pictured with her best friends Peggy and Ruby, who are Staffordshire bull terriers

Molly became a global phenomenon after Ms Wells, a blogger from Coomera in Queensland, started creating content highlighting the unlikely 'interspecies friendship' between an Australian magpie and her pair of staffies

The seizure of Molly sparked outrage on social media, with a petition calling for the bird to be returned to its Gold Coast home.

Mr Miles backed the family, saying he was 'most interested in what is in the best interests of the animal and if the department can work with the family to reunite them in a way that is legal, I would support them'.

'I think sometimes common sense needs to prevail.'

Mr Mortensen said 'We don't definitely know we're going to get him back but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.'

DESI said it was working with the family for the best outcome for Molly.

'The department has contacted the couple to assure them that Molly is being well cared for and that options are being examined for the bird's future care,' a DESI spokesperson said.

'Our priority is the ongoing welfare of the magpie, and the bird is safe, undergoing rehabilitation and has full access to veterinary care.'

Ms Wells took Molly home in 2020, suspecting it had been abandoned by its parents
One of the Three Dads Walking group who lost their daughters to suicide has revealed how he felt like he had 'failed' as a father when she died.

Tim Owen's daughter Emily died in hospital aged 19 in March 2020, five days after attempting to take her own life at their home in Shouldham, Norfolk.

Following her death, Mr Owen joined forces with Mike Palmer and Andy Airey - whose daughters Beth Palmer, 17, and Sophie Airey, 29, also killed themselves.

The trio have been widely praised for having walked more than 900 miles, raising 1million for the charity Papyrus (Prevention of Young Suicide) amid their grief.

Appearing on Andy Coulson's podcast Crisis What Crisis?, Mr Owen spoke about the death of Emily, who struggled with mental health difficulties and had autism.

Tim Owen - whose daughter Emily died aged 19 in March 2020, five days after attempting to take her own life - speaks on Andy Coulson's podcast Crisis What Crisis?

Emily Owen died aged 19 in March 2020, five days after attempting to take her own life

From April 17, the Three Dads Walking are set to walk 500 miles from Scotland to Norwich

The 54-year-old RAF wing commander told the show: 'When you lose a child, you feel like you've done something wrong, you feel like you've totally messed up.

'And then how can you be a father to your other kids if you've messed up with one kid? I'd failed as a dad, ultimately, I hadn't kept my daughter alive.'

Emily attended art college and planned to train as a nurse, but struggled to cope with the prospect of the Covid lockdown and was terrified about losing her freedom.

Her parents found her unconscious after she attempted to take her own life, and she was taken to hospital but died when doctors decided to switch off her life support.

(From left) Tim Owen, Mike Palmer and Andy Airey make up the Three Dads Walking group

Tim Owen, father of Emily, is a 54-year-old RAF wing commander from Shouldham, Norfolk

Mr Owen, pictured with his daughter Emily as a child. She died in hospital in March 2020

Mr Palmer, 59, who worked as a firefighter in Manchester, suffered his own grief when his younger daughter Beth, a talented musician, took her life in March 2020 in her bedroom, also feeling trapped by lockdown.

Two years earlier, Sophie - daughter of Mr Airey, 63, from Morland, Cumbria, who worked in tourism - was found dead in her flat in Edinburgh after texting her mother to say she wanted to end her life.

The trio of fathers got in touch after Mr Owen's older daughter Annabel found a story about Mr Palmer and Beth on social media.

Noting the similarities, she contacted Beth's older sister and this led to the families getting to know each other.

Mike Palmer, 59, who worked as a firefighter in Manchester, suffered his own grief when his younger daughter Beth, a talented musician, took her life in March 2020 in her bedroom

Beth Palmer struggled with the prospect of lockdown and killed herself in March 2020

They then met Mr Airey after Mr Palmer's son Gregor sat next to him on a Papyrus suicide awareness course  which led to the creation of Three Dads Walking.

They came up with their idea a 15-day charity-walk in 2021, traversing the 300 miles between their houses.

The following year, they did a second walk of 600 miles between the parliaments of all four UK nations  and had a meeting with Rishi Sunak last April.

From April 17, they are set to walk 500 miles from Scotland to Norwich, with the Prime Minister invited to join them when they walk through his constituency in North Yorkshire.

Andy Airey, 63, whose daughter Sophie was found dead in her flat in Edinburgh

Mr Airey's daughter Sophie, 29, died after texting her mother to say she wanted to end her life

Their charity work has been noticed by Hollywood stars Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman who have each donated 10,000.

They are now calling for suicide prevention lessons  which are currently optionally taught to age-appropriate children  to become a statutory part of the curriculum.

And the trio have now released a book about their journey  Three Dads Walking, which was published by Robinson yesterday.

Andy Coulson's podcast Crisis What Crisis? is on YouTube - click here to watch it

If you are concerned a young person is thinking about suicide, contact Papyrus Hopeline247 on 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039967 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
The Madeleine McCann investigation into Christian Brueckner could face a major setback as it has been revealed that a key witness is dying from cancer.

Convicted rapist and paedophile Bruckner, 47, was sensationally named by German police four years ago as the man responsible for Madeleine's 'abduction and murder'.

Helge Busching, a former friend and now key witness in the investigation, alerted police to Brueckner seven years ago, when he told them Brueckner had 'confessed' to him that Madeleine 'didn't cry when I took her'.

But it has now been revealed that Busching, a convicted criminal, has recently been diagnosed with intestinal cancer, which could set back the investigation if police lost him as a witness.

Then three-year-old Madeleine vanished from a ground floor holiday apartment while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry in Praia da Luz on Portugal's Algarve coast in May 2007.

However, despite police naming him as a suspect, Brueckner has still not been charged and is currently on trial in his native Germany accused of unrelated sex crimes that took place in the same area where she disappeared.

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner (pictured in court today) would break into holiday apartments naked, a former pal has told his sex crimes trial

Convicted rapist and paedophile Bruckner, 47, was sensationally named by German police four years ago as the man responsible for Madeleine's (pictured) 'abduction and murder'

Busching appeared in court to give evidence in Brueckner's current trial this week, but it was not until another of Brueckner's former pals, who gave evidence today, that Busching's cancer diagnosis was revealed.

Michael Tatschl, a former partner in crime of Brueckner, told the court he had spoken to Busching on the phone this week.

'We discussed general things including his cancer. It's pretty bad. He got his diagnosis just a couple of months ago,' Tatschl said.

Tatschl also said that how getting involved in the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance changed his life 'negatively' and that he had lost his job, home and friends.

Earlier today Tatschl told the trial that Brueckner would break into holiday apartments naked.

He said Brueckner would use the bizarre modus operandi so as not to leave evidence and catch his clothes on surfaces.

Tatschl said: 'He scaled the walls. Once he told me he broke in and three teenage girls were sleeping in the living room. He was naked. One of them woke up when a phone rang and screamed.

'The girl's father heard the scream and came, so Christian had to run and jump off a balcony. He burgled naked quite a few times because he did not want to leave a trace.'

Michael Tatschl (picture outside court today), a former partner in crime of Brueckner, said he would use the bizarre modus operandi so as not to leave evidence and catch his clothes on surfaces

Carpenter Tatschl, 50, is the latest witness to give evidence at the court in Braunschweig, where Brueckner arrived early on Friday under a heavy police escort.

Previously, Tatschl has told how he was a 'partner in crime' with Brueckner when they lived in Portugal and told German media he heard him talk about 'selling children to a paedophile ring in Morocco'.

In a previous interview he also said he was 'convinced' Bruecker had taken Madeleine and said: 'I know he did it. He is more than capable of taking a small child.'

Tatschl was asked if he still believed Brueckner stole Madeleine to sell her to a paedophile network and replied: 'That was my suspicion because he wanted money.'

Tatschl said his suspicion had been the snatch was for a paedophile network operating in Morocco because it was 'nearby' to Portugal.

Tatschl told the court that he had also heard about the graphic videos which were said to show Brueckner attacking and raping an elderly woman and young girl.

He said: 'I heard about it from Helge Busching and Manfred Seyferth but I can't remember who told me first.'

Tatschl added he had seen 'whips and masks' in Brueckner's Portuguese home and a 'stash of 500 passports which he kept like trophies'.

In a shock revelation Tatschl then told the court Brueckner had boasted to him in jail how he had once 'kidnapped a girl of around 14-15 and kept her tied to a post in his house' before letting her go.

Brueckner and Tatschl were jailed in 2006 for stealing fuel in Portugal and shared the same cell before being released just a few weeks before Madeleine vanished.

On November 18 last year, prosecutors confirmed Brueckner would stand trial for various charges of sexual abuse against women aged between 10 and 80

Then three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in Portugal's Algarve coast, in May 2007 where she was staying with parents Kate and Gerry and her siblings

In testimony Tatschl, dressed in a white shirt, described how he had met Brueckner in early 2006 and became friends with him over the next few weeks.

He said: 'He told me how he earned money, he broke into houses, tourist houses, hotels, at night when they were not there.

'He would even break in when they were sleeping and if they were on the first or even second floor. He had a little box of stolen things, jewellery and watches.'

Earlier Brueckner had been led into court handcuffed and greeted his legal team with warm handshakes.

Police in Portugal have always claimed that Madeleine's abductor broke into the apartment through a window.

They say the culprit likely left with the child through a door or by climbing back out the window.

Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have spearheaded a high-profile campaign for information about her disappearance.

Brueckner is on trial accused of raping three women and assaulting children between 2000 and 2017 in the Algarve.

He was jailed in 2019 for seven years after being convicted of raping an elderly woman in the Algarve in 2005.

His current trial started in February and has heard from witnesses who say they saw Brueckner in harrowing sex tapes which showed the rape of an elderly woman and a young girl.

Brueckner's defence have tried several times to have witnesses ruled out saying the case is unfair and prejudiced against their client because of the link to Madeleine but all attempts have so far failed.

The trial is expected to continue through the spring and into the summer.
A decaying body found in a remote caravan is believed to be that of a missing sex offender wanted for questioning over his girlfriend's murder, police said today.

Richard Scatchard, 70, from Minehead, Somerset, went missing after 61-year-old Kelly Faiers was found dead in his home on October 15 last year.

Officers had arrived at the house to interview the convicted criminal but he fled from under their noses, sparking a manhunt that has lasted more than six months.

A member of the public called police to report the discovery of a man's body inside a caravan near Cleeve Hill in Watchet, just after 2pm on April 4.

The formal identification process has not yet been completed but police suspect the man is likely to be Scatchard.

Richard Scatchard, 70, from Minehead, Somerset, went missing after the death of Kelly Faiers, 61, from Weston-super-Mare, at his home address on October 15 last year

Kelly Faiers' body was discovered at Scatchard's home in Somerset on October 16

Scatchard at the Wellington pub in Minehead with Ms Faiers hours before she was found dead

Avon and Somerset Police previously warned that Scatchard, who was convicted of sexual offences in which he administered drugs to his victims, posed a serious risk to women with whom he formed relationships.

The force said he was wanted on recall to prison, as well as in connection with the murder investigation into the death of Ms Faiers, who he had befriended.

Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, of the major crime investigation team, said: 'Kelly's family have been informed of the latest development and we will keep them, and Richard Scatchard's family, updated as our inquiries progress.

'Specialist family liaison officers continue to provide support to Kelly's family at this difficult time.

'A forensic post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course, but we believe the man's death occurred some time ago.

'Until that has been completed we will be treating the man's death as unexplained, albeit we are not aware of any suspicious circumstances at this time.

'We would like to thank those people who have responded to the appeals for information we have issued over the past five and a half months and will continue to update the public as our inquiries progress.'

Avon and Somerset Police previously warned that Scatchard, who was convicted of sexual offences in which he administered drugs to his victims, posed a serious threat

On October 14, Scatchard and Ms Faiers went out together for the evening.

Scatchard called the ambulance service to his home address on Blenheim Road at 4.15am on October 15, reporting Ms Faiers was critically ill. She was pronounced dead by paramedics.

Police also went to the property and spoke to Scatchard. They returned the following day, on October 16, to speak to him again, but he had disappeared.

Avon and Somerset Police said Scatchard was considered a danger to women, particularly in relationships, and had been a regular user of dating apps.

He has previous convictions for sexual offences in which he drugged his victims to abuse them.

A post-mortem examination to determine the cause of Ms Faiers' death was inconclusive, with further tests carried out.

Her death is being treated as suspicious by police.

He was last seen on Swain Street in Watchet, Somerset, on O16, 2023 - the day after Ms Faiers' death

After police spoke to Scatchard on October 15, he travelled to Watchet. The last confirmed sighting of him on CCTV is in the Swain Street area at about 9am on October 16.

He was then seen near his home address in Minehead by a member of the public at about 10am on October 16.

Police have received around 100 unconfirmed reported sightings of Scatchard, mainly in the west Somerset area.

On December 20, the family of Ms Faiers made a complaint about the police response to her death to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The force voluntarily referred the complaint to the IOPC on January 4.

An IOPC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm our investigation into Avon and Somerset Police's response to the death of Kelly Faiers is ongoing.

'It follows a complaint referral from the force in January this year.'
A holy pastor turned vigilante who allegedly caught a thief stealing from his church took matters into his own hands by kidnapping the crook and mutilating him with a machete, a South African court heard.

Christian Solomon Mhalanga, 58, was enraged when his son Enoch, 20, caught self-confessed criminal Dumisani Mahalngu, 29, on the church grounds in Vosman at dawn.

He called his father, Apostle Solomon, who arrived in his van and tied up Mahalngu's arms and legs before driving him into the remote bush outside the South African town.

The vigilante pastor, along with his son and four of his faithful flock, then allegedly held him down and placed his hands over a tree branch, where the crook was told he would be taught not to steal again.

Terrified Mahlangu told police in Emalahleni, Mpumulanga Province, that the machete swung down twice, severing both his hands and leaving him bleeding profusely as they fled the scene.

Following an intensive investigation by police, the alleged attackers were arrested on March 27, appearing in court on Thursday charged with attempted murder and kidnapping.

Mutilated Mahlangu had both of his hands cut off by a pastor after allegedly stealing from him

He pleaded with the pastor to let him keep a hand - but the vigilante claims he said he wanted to send a message

Mahlangu recounted how had he begged the pastor not to cut off both his hands - denying the charges against him - but the enraged father claimed he told him his friends 'needed to see' what happened to thieves.

Mahlangu later told cops that the pastor and his five helpers left him to bleed out in the bush as they fled the scene in the van.

As the victim staggered out of the woods, local workers screamed seeing the blood soaked man with no hands.

They allegedly refused to help but called security guards who rushed him to a local clinic.

'I walked to the main road and as they were driving out of the woods,' he recalled.

'I asked them to call an ambulance for me but one of them said no. I got help from people who were cutting wood not far away, but they were also scared to come close to me because they could see I don't have hands.

'They phoned security officers from a nearby mine. The security drove me to a clinic in Kwa-Guqa.'

The victim was unable to tell police where his hands had been chopped off on March 20.

It would be another two weeks before he was released and able to retrace his steps to the spot.

Officers found the decomposing hands, bagging them up as evidence, and recovered a machete nearby which they believe may be the weapon used to mutilate the man.

On Thursday, churchman Apostle Solomon and his son Enoch appeared at the Emalahleni Magistrates Court charged with attempted murder and kidnapping but the case was postponed.

Mahlangu told the Sowetan who interviewed him after he was released from hospital that he admitted he was a thief and a drug user but that he had not robbed the local church.

The victim said he had been taking a short cut through the churchyard at 7am in the Kwa-Guqa area when he was cornered by armed men who had accused him of stealing.

Mahlangu said: 'As I tried to run away I heard several gun shots so I stopped so they did not shoot me then they assaulted me with sticks and fists and the pastor's son called his dad.

'The pastor turned up in his van and was armed with a panga [blade] and tied me up and put me in the van and they all got in and drove me to a secluded area' he told the Sowetan.

He added: 'They put my hands of a tree branch and I begged him not to kill me and said I had not stolen anything. The men held me down and the pastor chopped off my hands'.

'Yes, I admit that I've stolen before to buy drugs but I have never stolen from the church. They didn't find me with anything,' he said.

Both the pastor and his son have been charged with attempted murder and kidnap and were remanded in custody until April 9 when they will reappear for a bail hearing.

Officers found the decomposing hands, bagging them up as evidence, and a machete nearby

Mahlangu said though he is known in the community as a thief and drug user he has never stolen from the church

Apostle Solomon is well known as devout churchman taking several local ministries.

The victim's father Johannes, 66, admitted his son was a thief but did not deserve what happened to him saying: 'How can a pastor preach peace and then do this to my child?

'Now I have to brush his teeth, feed him, wash him, take him to the toilet. I was hoping when I die, he is the one who is going to carry my coffin out of this house,' he said.

In South Africa a total of 2,124 people were killed in the last year in mob justice attacks.

The case was adjourned until April 9.
David Cameron today warned Israel 'this must never happen again' as he demanded a 'wholly independent review' over the killing of three Britons in Gaza.

The deaths of British veterans James 'Jim' Henderson, John Chapman, and James Kirby have piled pressure on the Foreign Secretary to take a tougher line on Israel.

They were among seven aid workers who died when a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Monday.

The tragedy has sparked growing calls for Britain to suspend arms sales to Israel.

It has also seen demands for the Government to publish legal advice about whether Israel is violating international humanitarian law with its actions in Gaza.

David Cameron today warned Israel 'this must never happen again' as he demanded a 'wholly independent review' over the killing of three Britons in Gaza

In a strongly-worded statement, published on X/Twitter, this afternoon, Lord Cameron urged 'major reform' of Israel's 'deconfliction mechanism'

There has been global fury at Israel following the 'outrageous' strike on an aid convoy of three cars, which were marked as working for the World Central Kitchen charity

(Left to right) John Chapman, James 'Jim' Henderson and James Kirby, were among aid workers killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza on Monday

In a strongly-worded statement, published on X/Twitter this afternoon, Lord Cameron urged 'major reform' of Israel's 'deconfliction mechanism' as it continues with its military response to the Hamas terror attacks on 7 October.

The Foreign Secretary also demanded 'a wholly independent review' of Israel's investigation into the killing of the aid workers, as he called for 'the utmost transparency and accountability'.

Lord Cameron said: 'We are carefully reviewing the initial findings of Israel's investigations into the killing of WCK aid workers and welcome the suspension of two officers as a first step.

'These findings must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability.

'Lessons must be learnt from today's initial findings from the IDF.

'It's clear major reform of Israel's deconfliction mechanism is badly needed to ensure the safety of aid workers.

'The deaths of these brave heroes are a tragedy, and this must never happen again.'

Lord Cameron commented after the Israel Defence Forces dismissed two officers over Monday's drone strike, which it described as a 'grave mistake stemming from a serious failure'.

Mishandling of critical information and violations of the army's rules of engagement have been cited as the reasons for the dismissal.

Three other senior officers were also reprimanded for their roles in the strike.

The attack on the WCK aid convoy has resulted in rebukes from Israel's allies.

In a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was 'appalled' by the killing of aid workers and demanded a 'thorough' investigation.

He also warned the situation in Gaza was becoming 'increasingly intolerable'.

US President Joe Biden later threatened to put conditions on America's support for Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Mr Biden 'made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,' the White House said of his 30-minute phone call with Mr Netanyahu on Thursday.

The site where the World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza

Shocking images on social media showed the aid vehicles blown apart by the drone's missiles - one had a gaping hole in the roof (pictured) while another truck had its rear end hanging off

Palestinians are pictured standing next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, where employees from the World Central Kitchen had been killed in an Israeli airstrike

WCK founder Jose Andres claimed the Israeli military knew of his aid workers' movements and targeted them 'systematically, car by car'.

After Israel's announcement, the WCK said the Israeli investigation was an important step but added that there needs to be a systemic change to prevent 'more apologies and more grieving families'.

In a statement the charity said: 'The IDF has acknowledged its responsibility and its fatal errors in the deadly attack on our convoy in Gaza.

'It is also taking disciplinary action against those in command and committed to other reforms. These are important steps forward.

'However, it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

'The IDF has acknowledged that our teams followed all proper communications procedures.

'The IDF's own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat.

'Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.

'The root cause of the unjustified rocket fire on our convoy is the severe lack of food in Gaza.

'Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine travelling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid.'

The Israel Defence Forces has described the strike as a 'grave mistake stemming from a serious failure'.

In its report, the IDF said it had identified a 'gunman' on one of the aid organisation's trucks, and assumed there were Hamas fighters in the vehicles.

The Israeli forces did not associate the vehicles with WCK and, as a result of 'a misidentification', carried out the strikes.

This action was 'in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures', the report found.

The relief team's leader, Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, an Australian national, also died in the strike, along with American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25

Asked if he agreed the attack in Gaza was part of a wider pattern of similar incidents, IDF spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'I think what sets this tragic incident apart from most of the others that you are implying about is of course the magnitude, the extent, and of course the level of grave situation that is resulting, because these are people that were trying to do good.'

He said other investigations were ongoing, adding: 'I think this incident, this very tragic incident, is a very important part of our process of how we conduct ourselves and how we are operating in order to improve in the very challenging and complex situation of the battleground in Gaza.'

Israel had earlier announced it would open more land-based aid routes into Gaza, after pressure to address the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory from Mr Biden.

Alicia Kearns, the Conservative chairwoman of the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Select Committee, had said it was 'devastating' that it had taken six months and the deaths of western aid workers for Israel to change course over the supply of international humanitarian aid.

Ms Kearns said she believed the Government had 'no choice but to suspend arms sales' amid concerns about how Israel may be using British-made weapons.

She added: 'It's important the public understands this isn't a political decision as some seem to want to present it as.

'Legal advice is advisory, so the Government can choose to reject it, but UK arms export licences require a recipient to comply with international humanitarian law and that's why emergency handbrakes for example exist in a change of circumstances.'

She rejected claims the airstrikes were a mistake, adding: 'This is something that is happening on a daily basis, in terms of the attacks on humanitarians, and we are not seeing this outcry about Palestinian volunteers.'

Killed alongside their British colleagues were the relief team's leader, Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, an Australian national, American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and their driver, Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25.
The UK is expected to record its hottest day of the year this weekend, but Storm Kathleen will still batter parts of the country with heavy rain and 70mph winds.

Yesterday, Ryanair and Jet2 warned of flight disruption while drivers faced 'extremely challenging' conditions as Britain was hit with strong winds.

On Thursday, 91 flood alerts and 11 warnings were also in place from the Environment Agency, mostly in southern areas.

However, the Met Office has said temperatures could reach up to 22C in East Anglia today as unseasonably warm air is drawn across parts of the UK during sunny spells.

The forecaster has still issued a yellow weather warning for wind in western areas of the UK, including Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and Wales, and the North West and South West of England from 8am to 10pm today.

There are yellow weather warnings for the west of the UK and Northern Ireland today

ABERYSTWYTH: Strong wind and huge waves hit the Welsh coast on Saturday morning

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YORK: The Kings Arms pub's beer garden was flooded on Saturday morning in York city centre

YORK: The River Ouse broke its banks as Storm Kathleen hit Britain this weekend

FALMOUTH: Two women in bathing costumes braved the sea at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth on Saturday morning

FALMOUTH: Winds as fast as 70mph are set to batter the west of Britain over the weekend

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: 'Away from that warning area on Saturday, we could get up to 22C in isolated spots of East Anglia which would make it the hottest day of the year so far in that area.'

'One of the residual effects from Storm Kathleen is helping to draw up that warmer air as well. It's not unusual for these storm systems to bring warmer air with them.'

Saturday will also likely see a sharp rise in pollen count across the UK.

LONDON: In other parts of the UK, the weather has been more cheery, as under the cheery blossom in Greenwich Park this morning

LONDON: A woman in sunglasses runs next to a pair of swans in Hyde Park on Saturday morning

LONDON: A young girl is taken for a ride on a Shetland pony on a mild morning on Wimbledon Common on Saturday

LONDON: People walking on a mild morning on Wimbledon Common as the mercury is set to rocket

LONDON: Members of the public swim in the Serpentine during warm and sunny weather in Hyde Park

LONDON: Storm Kathleen is set to pummel much of the UK, although other parts may reach 22C

FALMOUTH: An early morning walker avoids going for a dip and instead throws a ball for his dog to chase on Gyllyngvase Beach

ABERYSTWYTH: There were more than a few soggy feet after waves cascaded onto the shore on Saturday

YORK: The city of York was flooded on Saturday morning as the River Ouse broke its banks

It's estimated that half the British population has suffered hay fever symptoms, according to Allergy UK.

How can you fight hay fever? Those who suffer with the condition are advised to avoid alcohol, wear sunglasses outside, close windows, change clothing regularly and shower to remove pollen from hair and skin. Airborne allergens specialist Max Wiseberg advised using preventive measures such as applying an allergen barrier balm, which traps pollen before it enters the body and begins working immediately. He said: 'If you use antihistamines, many manufacturers recommend starting a month before your season starts. 'And it's the same with nasal sprays  they need several days to build up their maximum protective effect and some makers advise starting using them one month before your hay fever season begins.' For acute symptoms, he suggests a 'Hay Fever First Aid Kit' of different products that can complement each other in providing relief. There are also practical steps such as wrap-around sunglasses, tying up pollen-attracting long hair and wearing a cap outdoors. On returning home, take off shoes at the doorstep, change clothes and shower to remove pollen. In the home, regularly dusting, vacuuming, grooming pets and keeping doors and windows closed also helps. He added: 'There is currently no cure for hay fever - they've been working on it for years - but until there is, there are many products, both natural and conventional, and lifestyle changes you can try.' Advertisement

The warning signs are there already with news that birch trees, one of the first to offload their pollen into the air, are two weeks ahead of their usual date.

Experts have warned that with birch starting to early, it's an omen for worse to come.

Chemists are braced for a run on medicines and supermarkets are stocking up with extra boxes of tissues as victims prepare for a runny-eyed nightmare.

Health experts warn the switch to longer daylight hours and a mix of sunshine, showers and windy weather to shake the branches has produced perfect conditions for tree pollen as we move into April.

The birch, close relative of alder and hazel, affects the one in four UK hay fever sufferers who are allergic to tree pollen.

Typically, the birch pollen season reaches its peak from April through to mid May.

Airborne allergens specialist Max Wiseberg advised using preventive measures such as applying an allergen barrier balm.

Such balms trap pollen before it enters the body and begins working immediately.

He said: 'If you use antihistamines, many manufacturers recommend starting a month before your season starts.

'And it's the same with nasal sprays  they need several days to build up their maximum protective effect and some makers advise starting using them one month before your hay fever season begins.'

The UK's warmest day of the year so far was January 28, when Achfary in Scotland got up to 19.9C (67.8F).

England's warmest day of the year so far was March 20, with 18.8C (65.8F) at Charlwood in Surrey.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon added: 'The outlook for Sunday for much of the UK is for showery conditions to continue particularly in northern and western areas again.'

'It will generally feel a touch drier the further south-east you go through the day on Sunday as Kathleen gradually moves away northwards.'

He added that the start of next week would see unsettled weather conditions with 'rain continuing for many'.

A look at the warm weather which is set for today, despite Storm Kathleen still affecting parts of the country

Met Office wind warnings are in place for western areas of the UK on Saturday

A deeper area of low pressure - which is Storm Kathleen - will arrive in the UK this weekend

Yesterday, the Met Office updated its weather warning to forecast stronger gusts during Storm Kathleen than previously predicted.

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It warned of injuries and danger to life from 'large waves and beach material being thrown on to sea fronts, coastal roads and properties', adding 'road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible'.

There could also be power cuts and mobile phone coverage could be affected.

Wet and windy conditions are forecast to arrive on Friday, heading into Saturday, as Storm Kathleen rolls in.

Southerly winds are expected to gust quite widely to 50-60mph on Saturday, while some exposed spots, particularly in Northern Ireland, will see gusts up to 70mph with large waves also likely.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'This intense period of stormy weather is going to prove extremely challenging for anyone driving on the western side of the UK.

'We strongly urge drivers to avoid exposed coasts and higher routes where the impact of the very strong winds is most likely to be felt.'

A yellow warning for snow was in place yesterday in Scotland from the early hours through to 9am covering central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar and Strathclyde.

SCOTLAND: Drivers battles through blizzards on the A9 near Inverness as snow falls in Scotland yesterday

SCOTLAND: A car is driven along a snowy road in the village of Carrbridge near Inverness yesterday

LONDON: Pedestrians attempt to shelter from the rain on Westminster Bridge in London yesterday morning

LONDON: A cyclist makes his way across a wet and windy Westminster Bridge in London yesterday morning

OXFORDSHIRE: Walkers out in the muddy woods on an overcast morning at Dunsden yesterday

Dark low lying clouds over the Oxfordshire countryside and muddy fields at Dunsden today

Storm Kathleen, named by the Irish meteorological service Met Eireann, is the 11th named storm in eight months.

It is only the second time in a UK storm season that the letter K has been reached in the alphabet.

Looking ahead at the next ten days, Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: 'There will be some wet weather around, could be quite heavy at times, but there are also some signs of something a little bit drier coming up later on.'

He added: 'We have an area of low pressure pushing towards us and this feature has actually been named Storm Olivia by the Portuguese met service. It is going to bring some blustery, showery weather across parts of the UK.

'Nothing too severe, but worth noting that it has brought some very unsettled weather to the Azores during the middle part of the week.'

He said that Olivia will move over Britain before a 'deeper area of low pressure' which is Storm Kathleen  arrives from the South West and comes close to the UK through tomorrow.

Mr Burkill continued: 'Now it's pretty unusual for us to get an area of low pressure as deep as this so close to the UK during this time of year at this stage of April.

'So it is going to be unseasonably windy and there will be some heavy rain around at times particularly across northern and western parts.'
Distraught relatives of a vulnerable and disabled elderly woman were left 'deeply distressed' after a male district nurse was caught on camera sexually assaulting her in her own home.

The incident, which occurred in 2022, was caught entirely on a CCTV camera installed by the victim's family after they became concerned for her safety.

Robert Neill, 62, of Wrexham, North Wales, has now been jailed for 14 years for admitting sexual activity and inciting sexual activity with a woman with a mental disorder.

Neill, who was formerly employed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, was also given a further four years extended on licence when he appeared at Mold Crown Court on Friday, North Wales Police added.

His offences became known after a family member reviewed the footage and witnessed Neill sexually assaulting her.

Robert Neill, 62, of Wrexham, North Wales, has been jailed for 14 years for sexually assaulting a vulnerable and disabled elderly patient in her own home

The police were informed, and he was arrested the following day, before being charged last July.

READ MORE: Madeleine McCann investigation into Christian Brueckner could face major setback as it's revealed key witness is dying from cancer Advertisement

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jane Burns, said: 'This is a truly shocking case against a vulnerable and disabled victim who was violated by Neill in her own home.

'He abused his position of trust and has caused deep distress to the victim and her family, who I commend for their bravery and dignity throughout this investigation.

'I hope today's sentence provides them an opportunity for some closure knowing he is being held accountable for this disgraceful crime.'

Carol Shillabeer, Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, described the offences as 'an abuse of trust.'

She said: 'These offences are truly appalling, and an abuse of trust by the healthcare professional.

'I am so sorry for the significant distress the patient and her family have experienced as a result of his actions.

'As soon as we were made aware of the staff member's arrest he was immediately suspended from work and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

'We have fully supported and worked closely with the police on their investigation. A nurse is clearly in a position of trust and while events such as these are incredibly rare, we have reviewed our processes and implemented some changes.

Neill was sentenced at Mold Crown Court after admitting sexual activity and inciting sexual activity with a woman with a mental disorder

'Now that all the information is available to us, we will consider if there are any further measures we can take to help prevent anything like this happening again.

'We will continue to work closely with both the patient and her family and do all we can to continue to support them.'
Britain has been locked in talks over the future of Gibraltar since it left the EU

They were made at a breakfast briefing yesterday in the city of Seville

Spain's foreign minister has issued an EU official with an unprecedented rebuke after he joked that Gibraltar was Spanish, amid ongoing talks with Britain over the future of the territory.

Jose Manuel Albares called the remarks by Margaritis Schinas, a vice-president of the European Commission, which were made at a briefing yesterday in Seville, 'very unfortunate and incomprehensible'.

During the meeting Schinas said in response to questions about the future of Gibraltar: 'I can more comfortably say 'Gibraltar Espanol' after Brexit.'

Britain has been locked in talks over the status of the overseas territory - which has a land border with Spain - since Britain left the EU.

Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister called the remarks 'very unfortunate and incomprehensible', as he released a joint statement with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president who is leading the Gibraltar talks, criticising Schinas's words

Margaritis Schinas, a vice-president of the European Commission, made the comments at a breakfast briefing yesterday in Seville

Spain has demanded jurisdiction over Gibraltar airport (pictured, file photo) as part of a post-Brexit border settlement, angering locals who say they face a 'catastrophe'

However recently discussions have stalled because Spain has insisted that the UK cede jurisdiction over Gibraltar's airport, which is on an RAF base, for an agreement to be reached.

There are also tensions over the role of Spanish police.

'We have reached a formula which would mean Frontex (the EU border agency) would manage the border on behalf of the EU, overseen by Spanish officials,' Vice-Admiral Sir David Steel, the governor of Gibraltar said.

'What does 'overseen' look like? We must ensure that it doesn't stretch into sovereignty that it does not exceed what we can accept in terms of jurisdiction and control.'

On the other side, Spain has accused Britain of 'quibbling' over small details, saying the UK's approach has been 'penny-wise and pound-foolish'.

Albares and Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president who is leading the Gibraltar talks, responded by issuing a joint statement criticising Schinas's words.

They said: 'The negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom regarding Gibraltar are progressing as planned.'

A view from the top of the rock of Gibraltar, with the airport and Spanish border below (left)

Speaking on Spain's state broadcaster RTVE on Thursday night, Albares said: 'I have spoken with Commissioner Schinas regarding those statements he made, which seem very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me because Commissioner Schinas is not at all involved in the dossier of the withdrawal agreement concerning Gibraltar'.

He added Schinas's had 'told me that it was not his intention, that he regretted it, that, well, he did not have all the information and, basically, he apologised for it.'

Lord Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, is expected to meet Albares and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, in Brussels next week to continue the talks.

In theory, Gibraltar - home to more than 32,000 people - is currently outside the EU's customs union and not under free movement rules.

However, Madrid has granted a temporary exemption for workers and tourists to avoid disruption on the narrow peninsula that jets off Spain's southern coast - leaving the overseas territory in a state of limbo since Brexit.

The temporary agreement could be rescinded by Spain at any time, and so the negotiations are working towards agreeing common travel between Gibraltar and the EU's Schengen zone, which would remove most border controls.
The 18-year-old's family helped him post bail and he will be able to return home once he's released from hospital

Chase Jones's bail was initially set at $1million but it was dropped to $100,000 because he isn't a flight risk due to his own injuries from the deadly crash

The speeding demon driver, 18, who killed a mother and her three kids during a 112 mph crash in Seattle has posted $100,000 bail with the help of his family.

The King County Prosecutors Office charged Washington teenager Chase Jones, 18, with four counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault and one count of reckless driving following Tuesday's crash.

Kent resident Jones was allegedly traveling at 112 mph when he collided with a van near the intersection of South 192nd Street and 140th Avenue South in Renton, resulting in a three-car pileup.

The victims were identified as sisters Eloise and Matilda Wilcoxson, 12 and 13; Buster Brown, 12; and Andrea Hudson, 38.

Bail for the accused speed demon was initially set for $1 million, but after it was decided by the judge that Jones was not a 'flight risk,' the bail was dropped to just $100,000.

Chase Jones, 18, who killed a mother and her three kids during a 112 mph crash in Seattle has posted $100,000 bail with the help of his family. Jones appeared in court via video-link from his hospital bed on Monday

The Washington teenager who killed a beloved mom and three kids she was mentoring after hitting their van at 112 mph was pictured for the first time last month

Andrea Hudson, 38, was carpooling five children including two of her own when another car blew through a red light at an intersection, smashing into her van and killing her instantly

Judge Johanna Bender cited 'special circumstances' as her reasoning for lowering the bail, including the 'severity' of his injuries and his inability to operate a vehicle.

The teenager posted bail with the help of his family the next day on April 2.

Since Jones' family posted bail, he is allowed to go home as soon as he's released from hospital, where he will be placed under electronic home detention and have to wear a tag for GPS monitoring.

He was forced to surrender his driver's license and is not allowed to drive or operate any vehicles, bikes or skateboards.

All four of Jones' victims died from 'multiple blunt force injuries,' according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.

'When youre driving, think of the people around you,' the girls' father, Chace Wilcoxson, said in a desperate plea published in the Seattle Times.

'When youre tempted to speed, think of Andrea. When youre tempted to grab your phone while youre driving, think of my beautiful girls, Matilda and Eloise. When youre trying to make the light, remember Buster Brown.'

Hudson's children, Nolan and Charlotte, who were also in the van, suffered brain bleeds, internal injuries and broken bones and taken to Harborview Medical Center.

As of Friday, Nolan was in critical condition while Charlotte was in serious condition in the ICU, according to spokeswoman Susan Gregg.

Also killed in the accident was 12-year-old Buster Brown, who was described as 'an exemplary son, brother, and friend'

Chase David Jones, 18, has been charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and reckless driving in connection to Tuesday's crash. He was allegedly going 112 mph when he 'T-boned' Hudson's vehicle

Jones appeared in court on Monday via video-link from his hospital bed. Chase Wilcoxson, speaking bottom left, father of the two dead girls, told the court that he believes Jones had a history of reckless driving

An adult in a third car, which was hit on in the collision, sustained minor injuries.

Jones was treated for an internal injury that required surgery as well as a fractured leg and ribs. He has since been released.

The teen's 2015 Audi A4 had been purchased just a month before the deadly collision. According to court documents, it was the third vehicle Jones had totaled in a speeding crash in the last 11 months.

Hudson, who led a homeschooling group, was driving the three children home Tuesday afternoon when she passed through the intersection and was T-boned by Jones, according to court documents.

The teen had been driving erratically, speeding and 'weaving around other traffic.' Data from his car showed he was traveling 112 mph when he ran a red light at the intersection 'at full throttle without braking.'

Prosecutors described the collision as 'incredibly violent,' noting that all four victims died instantly.

Court documents show that Daniels has been involved in three major crashes over the last year, and body cam footage from the scene of one shows him admitting that he was speeding to a police officer.
A Los Angeles-based synagogue that leased its space to Muslims for Ramadan was shunned by its longtime congregants after it covered up a display featuring photographs of Israeli hostages.

The display featured in the lobby honoring Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in its attack had been covered ahead of the Muslims' arrival.

In an effort to offer a model of interfaith outreach, Rabbis Stewart Vogel and Richard Camras, who represent the conservative synagogue Hamakom, wanted their temple to be a place where L.A. Jews and Muslims could gather in mutual understanding, appreciation and peace.

The rabbis had formed a connection with the Imam at the Islamic Society of West Valley, whose house of worship was too small to accommodate its growing faith community.

'There is more that unites us than divides us,' the rabbis wrote in an email, announcing their plan to rent out the synagogue.

A Jewish synagogue that leased its space to Muslims for Ramadan was shunned by its longtime congregants after it covered up a display of photographs of Israeli hostages

The display featured in the lobby honoring Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in its attack had been covered ahead of the Muslims' arrival

30,000 have lost their lives in a conflict that began with Hamas' offensive on southern Israel on October 7

Strongly Zionist, Hamakom holds that Israel is entitled to self-defense and self-determination. When many members of the congregation saw the rabbis' email, they were taken aback.

But just before Muslim worshippers were expected to arrive at the synagogue, a picture started making its way around social media that would ultimately end the partnership.

A display featured in the lobby honoring Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in its October 7 attack had been covered ahead of the Muslims' arrival.

Many in the Hamakom congregation felt that the Israeli hostages' covering went too far and that it was an unwarranted yield to political enemies and the erasure of Israeli suffering.

'It reminded me of World War II when Jews turned in Jews,' Ronald Freeman, 69, a longtime synagogue member told the LA Times. 'You want to use the word 'traitor'  I don't know  or 'collaborator.' But that was so damn offensive to me.'

Hamakom canceled the lease after one night. In a statement on Wednesday, the synagogue's leadership team revealed that 'our co-presidents [Ellen Cervantes and Debbie Strom] have tendered their resignations from their positions.'

Pictured: Shaykih Suhail Mulla, the leader of the Islamic Society of West Valley

Rabbi Richard Camras is the co-senior Rabbi of Hamakom along with Rabbi Stewart Vogel. Hamakom was the vision of both Rabbis

The lease was terminated after news had circulated about the synagogue's actions

'It's sad to see a lot of effort and time and energy and hope that's put into formulating partnerships quickly  I don't want to say dissolve  but it took some steps backward,' Shaykh Suhail Mulla, the mosque's leader since 2017, said in an interview with Forward.com.

The conflict occurs amid an especially difficult Ramadan due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are starving to death and 30,000 have lost their lives in a conflict that began with Hamas' offensive on southern Israel on October 7.

Many interfaith relationships have collapsed or become strained in recent months.
An Alabama death row inmate, 36, has begged to be executed as he dropped his appeals to allow the families of the five people he massacred in 2016 to attain 'justice.'

Derrick Dearman, who was convicted with six counts of capital murder due to one victim being pregnant when killed, said he is ready to forego sentencing appeals.

'Now, it's time for the victims and their families to get the justice they rightly deserve to start the closure,' he said during a telephone interview with NBC News.

Speaking from the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, the inmate said he will write a letter to inform the families of the five victims about the decision.

This announcement comes two months after the Alabama Supreme Court denied his sentence appeal application, thereby upholding the six murder convictions.

Derrick Dearman, an Alabama death row inmate, 36, has begged to be executed as he dropped his appeals to allow the families of the five people he massacred in 2016 to attain 'justice'

Derrick Dearman, who was convicted with six counts of capital murder due to one victim being pregnant when killed, said he is ready to forego sentence appeals. Pictured: the house in rural Alabama where the bodies of five victims were found

'I have laid many nights thinking, what would I say to any of them if I ever had the chance, the opportunity to say something?' he said.

'That's part of the reason I've made my decision to have my sentence carried out. Words don't have any weight in this situation.

'The only thing I would say is that everyone that was hurt by the actions to forgive me, not for myself, but for them. That way, they will free their heart up to be able to truly heal.'

In October 2018, Dearman was convicted of murder by a jury who then unanimously recommended the death penalty.

Dearman's attorneys from the Equal Justice Initiative filed the appeal, but Dearman said it's for the sake of his family.

'They said, 'Derrick just give us a few years in this appeal process. We deserve that, it's our right as your family to fight for your life,' and I said, 'OK.' That was almost six years ago, and I feel like I've given them the fair chance.'

'I am guilty plain and simple, I turned myself in and I pled guilty,' said Dearman, who has opted for lethal injection.

'Once I got moved over to county and spent a week down there, sleeping every day, my mind coming back to me a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more, I was just in shock.

'I couldn't comprehend the magnitude of what had happened because those people were good people,' he added.

In October 2018, Dearman was convicted of murder by a jury who then unanimously recommended the death penalty. Pictured: Dearman in 2016

The victims were Shannon Melissa Randall, 35; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; Joseph Adam Turner, 26; and Robert Lee Brown, 26 and five-months pregnant Chelsea Marie Reed, 22

After the massacre, Dearman forced his estranged girlfriend and a three-month-old infant - the child of one of the murder victims - into a vehicle. The three drove to the Mississippi home of Dearman's father. Pictured: Lanera Lester, Dearman's then girlfriend

'Drugs turned me into a very unpredictable, unstable and violent person,' he said. 'That's not who I am. The person that committed these crimes and the person who I truly am is two different people.'

Dearman, who struggled with drug addiction since he was a teenager, was high on methamphetamine when he brutally killed five family members of his then-girlfriend Lanera Lester.

After the massacre, Dearman forced his estranged girlfriend and a 3-month-old infant - the child of one of the murder victims - into a vehicle. The three drove to the Mississippi home of Dearman's father.

After they arrived at Dearman's father's house he released Lester and the infant and then turned himself in at the Mississippi sheriff's department.

The victims were Shannon Melissa Randall, 35; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; Joseph Adam Turner, 26; and Robert Lee Brown, 26 and five-months pregnant Chelsea Marie Reed, 22.

The crime was of a magnitude rarely if ever seen in the corner of rural, southern Alabama, Mobile County sheriff's Capt. Paul Burch said.

The crime was of a magnitude rarely if ever seen in the corner of rural, southern Alabama, Mobile County sheriff's Capt. Paul Burch said. Pictured: Dearman in court in 2016

The gruesome scene happened in Citronelle, which is located in the south-east part of Alabama, about 245 miles away from Birmingham

'It has touched a lot of people in the community,' said James Landers, a Citronelle city council member. 'It's just such an awful, awful tragedy.'

Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich told reporters that in her 20-year career as a prosecutor, she's never encountered a crime 'where there were five people who were brutally and viciously murdered, and that's what we have here.'

Dearman was taken into custody after he walked into the sheriff's office in Greene County, Mississippi, about 20 miles west of Citronelle, Burch said.

He was accompanied by his father when he showed up at the sheriff's department and surrendered, the Alabama sheriff's office said in a statement.

He initially pleaded not guilty to six counts of capital murder and two counts of kidnapping.

They knew that I wasnt in my right mind, they knew that the sober me would have never done those horrible things, he said.

I wasnt even going to litigate my conviction. But I allowed my family to get up there and plead the courts, you know for, not to seek the death penalty.

Then, in September 2018, he dismissed his court-appointed lawyers and pleaded guilty. He has since been placed on death row, but an execution date has yet to be scheduled.

As Dearman confessed his willingness to be executed this week, a man convicted of shooting and killing two people in Oklahoma City more than two decades ago was executed Thursday morning.

Michael Dewayne Smith, pictured in February 2021, died by lethal injection Thursday morning. He was convicted for separate fatal shootings that occurred while he was high on drugs

Smith received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on Thursday morning and was pronounced dead at 10:20 am

The death gurney in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester

Michael Dewayne Smith received a lethal injection at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:20 am, Oklahoma Department of Corrections said.

The state's first execution of 2024 comes after a judge rejected requests to slow down the timetable of lethal injections, brushing aside concerns of trauma and staff shortages and saying corrections teams needed to 'man up.'

Smith, 41, appeared to shake briefly and attempt to lift his head from the gurney before relaxing after being administered the first in a deadly three-drug cocktail.

During a clemency hearing last month, Smith expressed his 'deepest sorrows' to the victims' families, but denied he was responsible because he was 'high on drugs.'

The board denied him clemency in a 4-1 vote.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday morning denied a stay of execution requested by Smith's attorneys, who argued that his confession to police was not sufficiently corroborated.

Prosecutors say Smith was a ruthless gang member who killed both victims in misguided acts of revenge and confessed his involvement in the killings to police and two other people.

The execution came as Oklahoma seeks to clear up a backlog of executions, using an aggressive schedule of executing 25 prisoners in less than three years

That would eliminate 58 percent of Oklahoma's death row.
A boy who was stabbed to death just days before his 18th birthday in 'targeted' attack on Manchester street, has been named by police as his family say they are 'heartbroken'.

Prince Walker-Ayeni was killed on Raby Street, Moss Side at around 4.15pm yesterday, despite emergency services rushing him to hospital, he passed away a short time later.

A murder investigation was launched by Greater Manchester Police, with reports suggesting that this is being treated as a targeted attack.

Prince's sister has said she was 'heartbroken' and 'already missed' him, as tributes have also been placed at the scene, with a banner reading 'RIP Prince' attached to a fence near Millennium Park.

GMP's Major Incident Team have asked anyone who has any CCTV, mobile, doorbell footage to submit it to the police.

Prince Walker-Ayeni has been named as the victim who was killed on Raby Street, Moss Side at around 4.15pm yesterday

Greater Manchester Police said they were called to Raby Street in the Moss Side area of the city at around 4.15pm on Thursday

The 17-year-old was taken to hospital but died a short time later. His family has been notified.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, GMP said no arrests had been made. This morning, a cordon remains in place on Raby Street and in the surrounding area as investigations continue and a forensic tent has been put up.

Yesterday, Detective Superintendent Simon Moyles said: 'This is a tragic and senseless loss of life and our thoughts remain with the victim's family and friends at this time.

'They will remain at the forefront of our minds as we move forwards in our investigation to track down the person or persons responsible.

'Whilst no arrests have been made at this time, I want to assure the local community that a visible police presence will be in place in the local area over the coming days for reassurance and to carry out enquiries as we work tirelessly to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.

'We are continuing to appeal for any information or relevant footage - including mobile, CCTV, doorbell or dashcam. Any information you have will be treated with the strictest confidence and if you do have information to share, I urge you to do the right thing and report it to police.'

Anyone with any information should contact police on 101 quoting incident number 2280 of 4/4/24.

Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
This the horrific moment a woman flew into a jealous rage and poured a pot of boiling water on her 14-year-old niece at their home in Brazil.

The girl, whose name has been withheld because she is a minor, could be seen sitting on the floor when her 42-year-old aunt approached her from behind and dumped hot water on Thursday at the family home in the midwestern city of Brasilia, the country's capital.

The woman, whose name has not been released, then hit her niece over the head with the pot and punched and slapped her before the video came to an end.

Separate footage showed the teenager sitting on a bed while her aunt accused of her having sex with her husband.

Cops in Brasilia, Brazil are searching for a 42-year-old woman who was seen on video dumping boiling water over her 14-year-old niece at her home on Thursday. The child suffered burns to 13 percent of her chest and back

The teenager along with her brother had been living with her aunt in Brasilia for almost a year, according to her mother, who said she moved the children because she did not want them getting in trouble in Nova Xavantina

The woman then kicked the girl out of her residence and took her to the home of relatives in the town of Cidade Oeste.

She declined to seek medical assistance for the girl, who suffered burns to 13 percent of the front and back of her body, the teenager's cousin told TV Globo.

The teenager initially refused medical treatment and was later taken to Asa Norte Regional Hospital in the evening.

'They didn't want to take her to the hospital, they said she shouldn't take her,' the cousin said. 'She's not eating properly, she's not talking either. She wants to keep quiet.'

The child was still hospitalized in the ICU and in stable condition as of Friday.

Her aunt remained on the run as of Friday, according to the Civil Police.

The teenager was still hospitalized as of Friday, her family said. She suffered burns to her back and chest

The woman set up a cell phone to record the moment she burned her 14-year-old niece with hot water and then assaulted her because she allegedly had slept with her husband

The girl's mother, whose name is being withheld for security reasons, told TV Globo that she sent her daughter and 16-year-old son to live with her aunt because she wanted to keep them out of trouble in their home city of Nova Xavantina.

'I trusted her and she almost took my daughter's life,' she said.

'It seems like I did the wrong thing, because I ended up sending my daughter to the wolf's den  She's been through so many things, so many traumas, and already carries such traumatic baggage.'
President Joe Biden is touring the site of the collapsed bridge in Baltimore on Friday amid a political upheaval on how to pay for its recovery, which is expected to cost up to $2 billion.

Conservatives on Capitol Hill are already objecting to the price tag.

The House Freedom Caucus wants any the money to be 'fully offset' by cuts else where in the federal budget and they demand that the Biden administration lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects before they'll approve any bridge money.

Biden will take an aerial tour of Patapsco River, at the mouth of the Baltimore Harbor, via Marine One, where he'll see the remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one the massive shipping lane.

President Joe Biden departs the White House to head to Baltimore to tour the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge

President Joe Biden, in Marine One, flies over the Francis Scott Key bridge wreckage

President Joe Biden receives an operational briefing on the response and recovery efforts

The president was then briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers on the repair process.

Brigadier General John Lloyd of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said one task is to remove a large section sitting on the ship. It is 5,000 tons and 125 feet high. They are trying to cut that piece off the ship and remove it, so the ship can also be moved. He also described a mangled mess below the water. He said he had 51 divers and 12 cranes on site to work on it.

The crews are trying to remove sections of the ship and collapsed bridge to open channels on the water to allow cargo ships through.

The bridge, in one of the nation's busiest harbors, was hit by a huge cargo ship and collapsed in the middle of the night of March 26.

Eight workers - all immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador - were filling potholes on the bridge when it was struck. Two men were rescued, but the bodies of only two of the six who died have been recovered.

The president plans to meet with the families of the victims.

The White House announced Friday it has asked Congress to authorize the federal government to cover 100% of the collapsed bridge cleanup and reconstruction costs, rather than seeking the money through a separate, emergency supplemental funding request.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young noted similar techniques were used for recovery and rebuilding efforts that received bipartisan congressional support in 2007, when a highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed during evening rush hour, killing 13 people.

'We are asking the Congress to join us in demonstrating our commitment to aid in recovery efforts,' Young wrote. It remains unclear how much money the administration will need to cover the cost.

The Federal Highway Administration already has given $60 million in emergency funds to get repairs started. And the Transportation Department has allocated $8.2 million to help redirect cargo.

A temporary shipping lane has been installed to help the repair process and move some cargo through.

President Joe Biden, aboard Marine One, takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge

President Joe Biden receives a briefing on the bridge colllapse

President Biden walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House

The conservative House Freedom Caucus is demanding that the reconstruction not become a 'pork-filled' spending project.

'Before Congress considers any emergency supplemental funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, its important that (1) we first seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront and (2) the Port of Baltimore draws upon already available federal funds,' the group wrote in a memo published Friday.

Earlier this week, several operators of the ship - named Dali - filed a petition in U.S. federal court to limit the liability that they owe for causing the crash.

They cited a law from the 1850's that could help them cap their liability near the total cost of the ship, which they claim is $43.7 million.

But the full cost could amount to $2 billion, almost 50 times more than the price the operators are seeking to pay.

Claims against the ships operators must be submitted to a Baltimore federal court by September 24, according to a federal judge.

'If it proves necessary to appropriate taxpayer money to get one of Americas busiest ports back online, Congress should ensure it is fully offset and that burdensome regulations  are waived to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.'

The conservative group is also demanding that the money allocated for the project should strictly 'be limited to physical structure repairs with a federal nexus.'

'This must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects,' the memo states.

The group states they want to see the funding vote for the bridge adhere the the 'single-subject rule,' indicating that if there are additional measures attached to the legislation, they could come out against it.

'Finally, the Biden Administrations pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals  which, like the Baltimore harbor closure, has severe implications for foreign trade  must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction.'

The pause on liquified natural gas (LNG) exports has been a particular sticking point for Republicans in recent months.

The Biden administration paused LNG exports earlier this year to conduct an environmental review on the process, which Republicans have decried as unnecessary and hurtful to the industry.

President Biden's motorcade moves past the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge

The wreckage of the Francis Scott Key bridge

Cranes are already working on repairs

A longterm shutdown of the bridge and Baltimore port area could be a jolt to the economy.

As much as $200 million in cargo normally moves through Baltimores port per day, and it is the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.

Top White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, senior adviser Tom Perez and economic adviser Lael Brainard have called large employers in the Baltimore area to encourage them to retain workers, a White House official said. Those companies include United Parcel Service, Amazon.com, Home Depot and Mercedes-Benz.

Biden, on the day of the collapse, said the federal government will fully pay for the repairs and that they will be done as quickly as possible.

'We're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend on that port. And we're going to do everything we can to protect those jobs,' Biden said in remarks at the White House.

'I'm directing my team move heaven and Earth three, open the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible,' he said.

'It's my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstruction in that bridge. I expect the Congress to support my effort this is going to take some time. The people of Baltimore can count on us to stick with them at every step of the way,' Biden said at the time.

The Singaporean-flagged Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26

The crash occurred at about 1.30am on the morning of March 26. The ship - the Singaporean-flagged Dali - was 20 minutes into its journey when it slammed into a support column on the bridge.

The ship's crew, howefver, managed to issue a Mayday before it crashed into the bridge, which allowed officials to stop cars from going on the bridge.

The 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container, left Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal at 12:24am. At 1:25am, is began to slow and diverted off of its course. Video shows lights going off on board just before the crash.

The Dali ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. It's unclear what cargo it was holding. The vessel was due to land in Asia on April 27.

Around 30,000 vehicles use the bridge, which is named for the writer of the Star Spangled Banner, every day. It opened in 1977.
A Royal Navy warship has dealt a devastating double blow to Caribbean drug cartels after seizing 200kg of cocaine and other narcotics worth nearly 17million during two separate operations.

HMS Trent, a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel, first intercepted a smuggling speedboat following a port visit to the island of Martinique.

British sailors, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard team on board the warship were involved in the operation, which saw HMS Trent launch her fast sea boats, piloted by Royal Marines of 47 Commando.

They successfully stopped the speedboat, seized the drugs and detained the crew before darkness fell.

Less than 48 hours later, HMS Trent worked with a US Coast Guard patrol aircraft to track and intercept another speedboat.

Royal Navy warship HMS Trent has dealt a devastating blow to Caribbean drug cartels after seizing 200kg of cocaine and other narcotics worth nearly 17million during two operations

British sailors, Royal Marines and a US Coast Guard team on board the warship were involved in the operations, which saw HMS Trent seize drugs with a street value of 16.7million

The drugs seizure of cocaine and other narcotics has dealt a serious blow to Caribbean cartels

Across the two operations, HMS Trent seized 200kg of cocaine and other drugs, with an estimated street value of 16.7 million.

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Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: 'These interceptions demonstrate the Royal Navy's commitment to disrupt and dismantle the operations of drug traffickers across the world.

'I congratulate the ship's company for their invaluable efforts to keep illegal drugs off our streets.'

The latest operations mean HMS Trent has now seized drugs worth 307m since she began operating in the Caribbean at the end of 2023.

In February, she seized 220.56m of cocaine and other drugs, having seized 70.1m of cocaine in January.

HMS Trent continues to patrol in the Caribbean with the aim of maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region.

Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, said: 'The flexibility shown by my ship's company to move straight from high-level defence engagement activity in Martinique straight into successful boarding operations is a testament to their dedication and professionalism.

'The level of cooperation between the Royal Navy, US Coast Guard and other partners has been excellent, and has been key to making these seizures possible.'

HMS Trent swiftly intercepted several drug running boats following a port visit to Martinique

Following the seizure, the drugs were transferred onto HMS Trent and the haul overall totalled 16.7million in street value

This latest success for the Royal Navy comes off the back of a string of raids in recent months that have seen drug hauls worth millions of pounds being seized.

In June, HMS Lancaster seized more than 10m of drugs after Marines boarded two ships in the Indian ocean and Gulf.

The Type 23 frigate captured more than seven tons of hashish, heroin and methamphetamine across the operations, which were part of the ship's security patrol of the region, where she is deployed on a long-term mission.

Meanwhile in September, HMS Dauntless busted a major drug smuggling operation, seizing 1.2 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated 140m during an operation in the Caribbean Sea.

The Portsmouth-based warship used its Wildcat helicopter to deploy a squad of Royal Marines and a US Coastguard team.

Dauntless was later involved in tracking a suspicious aircraft flying from Venezuela, which led to a further 550kg seizure.
Senator Bernie Sanders slammed President Joe Biden for hypocrisy over his multiple statements of anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and actions in Gaza while continuing to support military aid for Israel.

'As you know there have been a lot of statements. I mean, one day "I'm angry," the president is angry at Netanyahu. The next day he's "very angry" and the next day he's "very very angry." So what?' the Vermont Senator said in a blistering critic of the White House response.

'At the same, there is support for military aid. We're talking about $10 billion in a supplemental bill that I voted against for that reason,' Sanders went on.

The progressive Independent senator vowed not to give Netanyahu another $10 billion in military aid to 'continue to kill women and children in Gaza.'

Sanders made the remarks during a taping of the podcast Pod Save America which was released on Friday.

'You cannot continue to talk about your worries about humanitarian situation in Gaza and then give Netanyahu another $10 billion or more bombs. You cannot do that. That is hypocritical.'

Senator Bernie Sanders speaking on Pod Save America blasted the 'hypocritical' stance of voicing concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza while still supporting military aid

Sanders said the president is not stupid and he knows Biden is a 'very decent human being' who is 'hurting' from what's going on, but he could not say why the White House as continued with the policy of supporting military aid.

The senator was responding to a question on whether he believes the Biden administration is shifting its stance to support conditioning aid to Israel. The senator said he did not know.

On Thursday, Biden had an hour long phone call with Netanyahu after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed seven aid workers earlier in the week including a duel U.S. citizen.

President Biden speaking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after an IDF airstrike killed seven aid workers in Gaza

An American national was among the dead when vehicles used by World Central Kitchen were attacked in Gaza. The result has been increased concern in Washington about the crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave, where more than 33,000 people have been killed

Biden 'emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,' the White House said in a readout of the conversation.

'He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps,' the readout continued.

Biden is facing mounting pressure at home and abroad to do more to ensure the safety of civilians in Gaza. He has also faced growing political pressure as more Americans reject U.S. support military support for Israel.

Support for Israel's military action in Gaza has dropped dramatically since November with the majority of Americans now opposing, according to the latest Gallup survey data.

55 percent disapprove of Israel's actions while only 36 approve.

Sanders was asked what his message is for those who are considering a third party vote over Biden's handling of the war in Gaza.

The senator said he is working 'day and night' to try and turn the Biden administration around.

'I say to that young person, your gut feeling is right,' Sanders said. 'I have Palestinian friends who are worried every day what's going to happen if their family members have not already been killed. It is horrible. But all that I ask is lets not make a horrible situation even worse.'

Sanders said 'Trump will be even worse on that issue, let alone every other issue.'

President Joe Biden on Friday brushed off questions about whether he had threatened to cut military to Israel after seven foreign aid workers were killed in an air strike in Gaza

Earlier this week, more than 48,000 voters opted for 'uninstructed' when casting ballots in Wisconsin's Democratic primary. It came amid pressure from some groups for Democrats to not vote for Biden over his response to the war in Gaza.

On Friday, Biden dismissed question over whether he had threatened to cut military aid to Israel following the deadly airstrike on foreign aid workers in Gaza

'I asked them to do what they're doing,' Biden said after Israel agreed to reopen the main land crossing into northern Gaza following Biden and Netanyahu's call.
A teenager whose IV bag was allegedly poisoned by a rogue anesthesiologist on a revenge mission was left fighting for his life and foaming at the mouth.

Jack Alderstein, who was 18 at the time of the incident, went into cardiac arrest during routine nose surgery at Baylor Scott and White SurgiCare in August 2022.

Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 61, went on trial on Wednesday accused of tainting IV bags with dangerous drugs at the hospital in Dallas, Texas.

Alderstein, now 19, said that he thought he was going to die

Eleven patients are alleged to have suffered cardiac arrest after having been administered bags that were tainted by Dr. Ortiz.

Dr. Ortiz was allegedly driven to poison the IV bags out of a desire to take revenge against the hospital, which was subjecting him to a disciplinary investigation over his poor performance.

Jack Alderstein, 19, testified on Wednesday about how he thought he was going to die after his IV bag was allegedly tainted by Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 61

Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., has been accused of poisoning the IV bags of several other patients at Baylor Scott and White SurgiCare in Dallas, Texas

The 19-year-old recounted how he woke up 36 hours after his surgery in the ICU, feeling 'out of it,' and believing he was going to die.

Alderstein's surgeon, Dr. Thomas Hung, also testified on Wednesday afternoon, explaining to the jury how a routine surgery - one he'd performed innumerable times - took a dramatic turn for the worse.

The teenager's surgery was for his broken nose, an injury he'd sustained in a motorbike accident, and was only supposed to last two hours.

Dr. Hung testified that after a fresh IV bag was administered mid-surgery, Alderstein started foaming at the mouth.

The surgeon also said that there were also grave complications of excessive bleeding and extreme blood pressure.

At that point, Dr. Hung testified, another doctor entered the room and recommended swapping out IV bags, based on an accident a week earlier.

A minute after the new IV bag had been administered, Dr. Hung said that the patient's condition stabilized.

Alderstein's mother also testified and said that once her son had recovered from the initial operation, he returned to Baylor Scott and White SurgiCare to finish the surgery.

Dr. Ortiz was filmed taking drugs out of the medicine cabinet, taking a bag out of the warmer, and then coming back and putting a bag into the warmer - where prosecutors said the poisoned bags were regularly kept

Alderstein, seen here leaving the Dallas courtroom on Wednesday in the company of his family, was supposed to undergo a routine nose surgery, before Dr. Ortiz allegedly tainted his IV bag

Mrs. Adelstein told the court how she had made the nurse show her that the IV bag had been under lock and key.

Dr. Ortiz's lawyers mentioned that the teenager had previously been diagnosed with high blood pressure, but Dr. Hung insisted that Alderstein's medications didn't raise any alarms before the surgery. Mrs. Alderstein also noted that the teenager's high blood pressure had not been a concern.

The husband of an anesthesiologist who died after using an IV bag allegedly tainted by Dr. Ortiz also testified on Wednesday.

John Kaspar told jurors how his late wife, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, returned home from work at Baylor Scott and White Surgicare in June 2022 feeling poorly.

She had taken home an IV bag and asked her husband to help her administer it.

John Kaspar testified that five minutes later, his wife started screaming at him to call an ambulance.

He told the court that his biggest regret was not immediately ripping the IV bag out.

A Baylor Scott and White nurse also testified, recounting an incident that had involved a 17-year-old girl's surgery in July 2022.

Melanie Kaspar's Dallas home where she died in June 2022, after administering herself with an IV bag - on of the incidents that sparked the investigation. If convicted, he faces life in federal prison

Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, an anesthesiologist at the hospital, died from cardiac arrest minutes after administering herself with an IV bag she had taken home from work after feeling dehydrated

The nurse explained how the surgery was going well until the girl was administered a new IV bag before being wheeled to the recovery room.

Minutes later, the nurse said, the girl began foaming at the mouth, and she turned gray.

The nurse said that the 17-year-old's oxygen levels also dropped, but she managed to survive.

Dr. Ortiz has had his medical license revoked, and if he is convicted, he faces life in prison.

The trial is scheduled to go into next week.
President Joe Biden on Friday brushed off questions about whether he had threatened to cut military to Israel after six foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver were killed in an air strike in Gaza.

'I asked them to do what they're doing,' is all he would say after Israel agreed to reopen the main land crossing into northern Gaza after a Thursday phone call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden demanded urgent steps to address the humanitarian crisis and to better protect aid workers.

Afterwards, Israel announced it was reopening the main land crossing into northern Gaza.

The catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave, where 33,000 people have died, took on a fresh dimension this week when three vehicles used by World Central Kitchen were hit by missiles.

President Joe Biden on Friday brushed off questions about whether he had threatened to cut military to Israel after seven foreign aid workers were killed in an air strike in Gaza

An American national was among the dead when vehicles used by World Central Kitchen were attacked in Gaza. The result has been increased concern in Washington about the crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave, where more than 33,000 people have been killed

The charity was founded by chef Jose Andres, a familiar face in Washington power circles, bringing a distant conflict right up to the doors of the White House.

Among the dead was Jacob Flickinger, 33, an American national.

The result was a ratcheting up of rhetoric by Biden, who almost alone among world leaders had stuck staunchly behind Netanyahu's deadly assault on Gaza even as a humanitarian crisis unfolded.

On Thursday, he held a 30-minute phone call with his long-time friend to demand steps to better protect humanitarian workers and civilians.

'He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps, said a White House readout of their conversation.

'He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.'

Netanyahu's office did not offer its version of the call. But in comments on the same day, the prime minister sounded defiant.

He spoke during a meeting with visiting Republican lawmakers to deliver a three-pronged message.

'The first is we're going to win. Absolutely. Victory is within reach. It's very close, and there is no substitute for victory,' he said, according to a readout of the meeting provided by his office.

Israel on Thursday said it would reopen the Erez crossing into Gaza for aid deliveries

Dual American-Canadian citizen 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger (right) was among the seven killed in the IDF drone attack

President Joe Biden spoke to Netanyahu on Thursday to demand changes to the way Israel was fighting its war in Gaza. A readout of the call suggested U.S. policy could be altered

Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu met visiting Republican lawmakers in Jerusalem Thursday. 'Give us the tools faster and we'll finish the job faster,' he told them

Smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas

'The second is that it can be made quicker.

'I'll paraphrase someone you all have heard of, Winston Churchill. He said, "Give us the tools and we'll do the job." Give us the tools faster and we'll finish the job faster.'

The conflict began when Hamas gunmen launched a terrorist attack on Israel, killing 1200 people.

The group is still believed to hold about 130 hostages.

CIA director Bill Burns will lead a delegation to Cairo this weekend for talks aimed at bringing about a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages.

U.S. officials also see a ceasefire as crucial to allowing in more aid and staving off famine warnings.

'Let's get a deal in place so that we can get a ceasefire for a matter of weeks in place, so that it's easier to meet those commitments on humanitarian assistance being increased,' White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday.
Sierra Leone has declared a national emergency over a psychoactive drug made from human bones.

The country has witnessed a sharp spike in abuse of the drug, kush, forcing police officers to guard cemeteries in the capital of Freetown, to stop young men from digging up skeletons to get high.

Kush is a drug made from a variety of substances, including toxic chemicals, herbs, cannabis, disinfenctant but one of its main ingredients is ground-up human bone, as they contain traces of sulphur, which allegedly can enhance the drugs effect.

In a nationwide broadcast yesterday, Sierra Leone's President Bio said: 'Our country is currently faced with an existential threat due to the ravaging impact of drugs and substance abuse, particularly the devastating synthetic drug kush.'

In a nationwide broadcast yesterday, Sierra Leone's President Bio said: 'Our country is currently faced with an existential threat due to the ravaging impact of drugs and substance abuse, particularly the devastating synthetic drug kush'. President Bio pictured in 2018

Although it's difficult to pinpoint the number of people affected, Sierra Leone's sole psychiatric hospital, a renovated facility from the British colonial era, is swamped with young addicts brought in by families desperate for help

Pictured: A man sleeps inside a drug den at the Kington landfill site in Freetown, in July 2023

Pictured: A woman sleeping while sat down in a Kush drug den in Freetown, in July 2023

Although there is no official death toll linked to kush abuse, one doctor from Freetown, told the BBC 'in recent months' hundreds of young men had died from organ failure caused by the drug.

Between 2020 and 2023 admissions to the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital with illnesses linked to kush rose by almost 4000 per cent, with the vast majority being young men between the ages of 18-25.

It first emerged in Sierra Leone around six years ago and induces a long-lasting, hypnotic high which can detach users from reality for several hours.

It typically will cost only 20p per joint, although reports suggest that many spend as much as 8 per day on the drug, which is a huge sum considering the average income is just 400 per year.

Following this concerning rise, the president has set up a National Task Force on Drugs and Substance Abuse, which will mean having centres in every district which are 'adequately staffed by trained professionals to offer care and support to people with drug addiction'.

Currently there is only one drug rehabilitation treatment centre in the whole country and that is in Freetown, but even that was only set up earlier this year and has just 100 beds.

On top of this police have been instructed to dismantle the drug supply chain through 'investigations, arrests and prosecutions.'

Dr Abdul Jalloh, head of the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, said Mr Bio's emergency declaration is 'the right step' and will be 'crucial in addressing drug use'.

Someone else who's seen the effects it has, added: 'Kush takes you to another world where you don't know yourself'

At 20p a joint, it's making terrible inroads among the young in a West African nation ranked among the world's poorest

A new 'zombie' drug containing human bones is sweeping through Sierra Leone, killing two users each week - and leading dealers to rob graves to keep up with demand

'It signifies the prioritisation of resources, attention and intervention to combat this growing epidemic,' he said.

One victim Abu Bakhar, 25, told Channel 4 News he gave up hopes of a music career as the drug turned him into a 'zombie'.

He said: 'Because of drugs I did not concentrate on studies. Because of drugs I did not concentrate on writing. Because of drugs I did not concentrate on anything'.

Experts believe that the very high unemployment rate among the young is also compounding the problem.

Like many others, he's now homeless and lives on a landfill site on the outskirts of Freetown, amongst over a thousand others who reportedly live there.

Someone else who's seen the effects it has, added: 'Kush takes you to another world where you don't know yourself.

'It's like it has something demonic in it. They see their friends and people around them dying and yet they still take it'.

However it is no longer just an issue in Sierra Leone, reports show it is moving acrosws West Africa with more than a million people in the urban areas of Liberia and Guinea addicted.

'Kush is a very dangerous drug like heroin or cocaine, it's strong, cheap and easily available, there is weak regulation and control over the sale of the drug and it's becoming widespread in West Africa,' said Dr Edward Nahim, a consultant psychiatrist at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital.

'The lack of jobs and opportunities is a driving force leading many youths into drug addiction after the disruption of economies by the Covid pandemic.'
A coalition of conservative groups led by former Vice President Mike Pence's Advancing American Freedom wrote a letter this week calling on congressional Republicans to once again ban earmarks.

A pair of spending bills to fund 12 agencies of government over fiscal year 2024 contained some 8,099 earmarks with a total cost of $14.6 billion.

'This never should have happened. However, the remedy is simple and the same as always: ban earmarks,' the letter, obtained by DailyMail.com, read.

It was signed by leaders from 17 advocacy groups, including Heritage Action, Family Research Council and the State Freedom Caucus Network.

'Washington uses earmarks to grease the skids for runaway spending, Advancing American Freedom executive director Paul Teller told DailyMail.com.

Washington's sentiment on earmarks has changed over the years. Directing funding for members of Congress' pet projects back in their district was banned for a decade. At one point President Obama threatened to veto any bill that contained earmarks.

The practice of directing federal money for specific state and local projects began in the 1980s and swelled until they became codified in 2007.

Around that time concerns grew about corruption that peaked with the Alaskan 'Bridge to Nowhere'  where Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens led the direction of $223 million of taxpayer funds to construct a bridge between a small Alaskan town and an island with a population of 50 that housed an airport.

In a 2005 incident, Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) resigned from Congress and admitted to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from military contractors for directing earmarks to them. Other lawmakers were found to have gotten campaign contributions in exchange for submitting earmark requests.

In response to the outrage, Congress enacted a 10-year moratorium on earmarks in 2011.

Earmarks made their return on 2021 when both parties agreed among themselves to allow the practice once again.

They were rebranded as 'community funding projects' and new guardrails were meant to weed out ethical conflicts.

The difference between earmarks and the regular appropriations process is that they are generally targeted at projects that serve only a local or special interest, rather than giving a lump sum to an agency to distribute through its own evaluation process.

Without earmarks, members of Congress could encourage groups to submit grant requests to relevant agencies or argue for funding before a committee.

Sugarcane research in Louisiana got $1 million in the most recent spending package

The Waadookodaading Ojibew Language Institute in Wisconsin will get $5 million courtesy of Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Democrats were the first to embrace earmarks, and Republicans were at first more reluctant - only around half of them requested earmarks in 2022. Then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who was in leadership when the practice was banned a decade earlier, did not request any for his own district.

After the GOP took the majority in 2023, they further embraced earmarks, and this fiscal year some two thirds of the Republican Conference stands to score funding for district projects.

Some examples of pet projects in this year's funding bills include:

The Waadookodaading Ojibew Language Institute in Wisconsin will get $5 million courtesy of Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

New York Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman clinched $1.65 million to build and 'artists' living and workspace' with the Environmental Leaders of Color.

Louisiana Republicans Rep. Garrett Graves and Sen. Bill Cassidy got $1 million for sugarcane research in their state.

Another $1 million will go to 'electric vehicle infrastructure 'masterplan' in Chicago, thanks to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

In Providence, Rhode Island, $1 million will go to a 'city-wide climate assessment.'

Rep. Greg Steube, a Republican of Florida, will get $190,000 for a 'shark repellent study' in Sarasota.

Juvenile Pacific Salmon Research in Alaska will get $4 million thanks to Sen. Lisa Murkowsi, R-Alaska.

A 50-acre business development site in Lexington, Ky., known as Legacy Business Park will get $10 million thanks to Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY.

Public housing residents in Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragan's California district will get $1 million for an electric vehicle car share thanks to her.

Alabama state route 167 will get $20 million thanks to GOP Sen. Katie Britt.

The NAACP headquarters in Baltimore will get $500,000 thanks to Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

A boy scout camp, Camp Maluhia, will get $1 million for a new dining hall thanks to Sen. Brian Schatz.
Royal experts have argued that Netflix's new drama about Prince Andrew is yet another indication that he is 'a serious liability' and completely unfit for the family.

The Duke of York, 64, is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as Scoop painstakingly retells his disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis - piling yet more pressure on the Palace to freeze him out of royal life completely.

Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams said the Netflix show was yet another very embarrassing situation for the Palace, while biographer and investigative journalist Tom Bower thinks it shows it is high time for Charles to act and remove the Duke from 'public view'.

Mr Bower said: 'To save the Royal Family from more horrendous damage, King Charles will finally need to order Prince Andrew to permanently stay out of public view.'

The Duke of York , speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis in 2019

Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew and Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis, on the right in the new Netflix drama Scoop

Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams said: 'The film conveys the extraordinary sense of entitlement that Andrew had. He is told by his aide Amanda Thirsk to 'just be himself' and he is - that's the most damning thing.'

He continued: 'Senior officials also need to tell Andrew the truth. He is a serious liability and cannot be trusted or rescued. Unless King Charles firmly grasps this nettle it can only get worse'.

Mr Fitzwilliam said: 'The film conveys the extraordinary sense of entitlement that Andrew had. He is told by his aide Amanda Thirsk to 'just be himself' and he is - that's the most damning thing.

'It is very embarrassing for the Palace and simply another indication that Andrew is completely unfit for the Royal Family he was born into.

'The public's view of him is already ghastly and couldn't be worse so this will confirm people's opinions. The film also adds a new dimension by portraying his childlike side - such as the scene featuring his teddy bears.

'The person we see in the film doesn't seem to have any idea of reality. It shows how people in a privileged position can become completely out of touch.'

A grinning Prince Andrew was pictured out riding this morning as a 'hugely embarrassing' new film about his disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis went live on Netflix.

The Holiday actor Rufus Sewell stars as the late Queen's son while Gillian Anderson portrays Ms Maitlis, who quizzed Andrew about his friendship with billionaire convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Tom Bower said: 'To save the Royal Family from more horrendous damage, King Charles will finally need to order Prince Andrew to permanently stay out of public view '

Prince Andrew is pictured today going out on a morning horse ride in Windsor

Despite facing yet more public humiliation, Andrew appeared in good spirits this morning - smiling broadly as he went for a ride in the grounds of Windsor Castle with a female companion.

The Daily Mail's TV and film critic Brian Viner praised Scoop for its 'top-quality cast and mischievous script'.

He wrote: 'Like Netflix's The Crown, director Philip Martin's film deftly mixes historical truths with dramatic licence. But fiction can't compete with fact.

'Scoop is never more electrifying than when it finally arrives at the only part of the story we already know intimately, the interview itself, with all its extraordinary minutiae about Pizza Express in Woking and Andrew's supposed inability to sweat.

'It is very carefully and convincingly recreated.'

The Daily Telegraph film critic Tim Robey also awarded it five stars out of five, hailing the layers of drama which he feels sets it apart from previous royal dramas like The Queen and The Crown.

Robey said: 'It's no laughing matter, obviously, but aspects of the whole saga are still inescapably absurd, and maximally milked in a borderline-The-Thick-of-It fashion without going overboard.

The Duke of York appeared to be in good spirits despite facing fresh public humiliation

Andrew was joined by a female companion during his morning ride

The Holiday actor Rufus Sewell stars as the Duke of York while Gillian Anderson portrays Ms Maitlis.

'The director, Philip Martin, plays everything right to the cusp - where you clamp hand to mouth, aghast at remembering that this train wreck actually happened, and irresistibly compelled to relive it.'

But the film, also starring Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes, received mixed reviews, with The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw described the performances as laborious.

Bradshaw offered the film two stars out of five, describing it as 'laboriously acted and distinctly self-admiring, self-mythologising drama about the media, the royals and the media royals'.

The critic said there was one 'spark' in the moment Andrew is shown humiliating a female staff member for mishandling his collection of soft toys.

'It's a flash of black-comic horror and Sewell has something to get his teeth into as an actor,' he said.

'Otherwise, the drama is smothered by its own overwhelming sense of importance.'

Royal biographer and investigative journalist Tom Bower believes Scoop should remind the King that he must stop any attempt by his brother to get back to public life

Andrew and Ms Maitlis in real life before the 2019 interview in Buckingham Palace

Barber said the film lacked 'a bit of boldness, irreverence, imagination and depth'.

'It's a brisk, well-acted and solidly built newsroom drama, but there is plenty of scope for the Amazon series (A Very Royal Scandal) to be better', he said.

Among those hailing Piper's performance as Sam McAlister, the Newsnight producer who sealed the interview, was The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey who said the actress offered an 'excellent performance'.

Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter film critic Leslie Felperin said: 'Scoop feels more like another example of Netflix feasting on the British royal family's dirty laundry now that The Crown has gone as far into the present as it can go (or dares to go).'

Following the Newsnight broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew's friendship with Epstein, the duke stepped down from public life.

The interview was dubbed a 'car crash', with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with the sex offender Epstein.

Keeley Hawes as Amanda Thirsk, Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew and Charity Wakefield as Princess Beatrice, who played a role in organising the interview

Andrew beamed as he walked in front and centre alongside senior royals before the Easter Sunday Service at Windsor

In scenes that humiliated Andrew and his family, he claimed he was at Pizza Express in Woking on the night Virginia Giuffre claimed he had sex with her in London when she was 17.

He also tried to dispel her claims he 'sweats profusely' by claiming that being shot at during the Falklands War left him with a condition that means he is unable to perspire.

Andrew then went on to suggest the photo of them together at Ghislaine Maxwell's London mews house was faked.

Despite all of this, the man who shot the interview - Mark Harrison - claims Andrew thought the interview went 'really well' at the time.

Andrew was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and banned from using HRH in an official capacity by his late mother the Queen.

Recently he has begun appearing more prominently at royal events, with the Prince beaming as he stood in front and centre alongside Princess Anne and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson while attending the Easter Sunday Service at Windsor.

A body language expert previously described how Prince Andrew 'positioned himself as leader of the Royal Family' at King Constantine's memorial event.

The Duke, who stepped down from royal duties in 2019, attended the St George's Chapel service with ex-wife and other family members- and was seen with a wide smile on his face as he led the way.

Andrew was previously seen leading members of the Royal Family at a service of thanksgiving at Windsor Castle for the late King Constantine of Greece

Andrew - seen on Easter Sunday - was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and banned from using HRH in an official capacity by his late mother the Queen.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Judi James Andrew put on a 'bizarre' display which suggested he wanted to 'position himself in the role of leader' of the British royal group.

She said: 'Grinning like the Cheshire Cat at a memorial service where everyone else is looking suitably solemn looks like an overkill performance ritual from Andrew who appears to apply the widest smile just as he walks within range of the cameras.'

'Andrew was seen in a similar state of cheeriness on his last outing with the royal group and this kind of random-looking grinning suggests a desire to appear carefree and resilient.'

That previous occasion was at Christmas, when he appeared similarly cheery as he attended church at Sandringham with his family.

Andrew, who has previously strenuously denied allegations against, paid millions a year ago to settle a civil case out of court with Virginia Giuffre.

There was no admission of guilt after she accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

Ms Giuffre, formerly Roberts, had claimed in a 2015 lawsuit she was made by Epstein to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions when she was 17.

Later, in 2021, she filed a lawsuit against the prince over the alleged encounters.

The prince has strenuously denied all wrong doing and continues to do so.

But Andrew was mentioned more than 70 times in almost 1,000 pages of interviews and transcripts released in the US in January.

The documents are part of a 2015 defamation case brought by Ms Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed for sex trafficking young girls for Epstein.

Emily Maitlis has already served as an executive producer of a Channel 4 documentary about the interview.

Another drama about the interview, an Amazon series called A Very Royal Scandal starring Michael Sheen as Andrew and Ruth Wilson as Maitlis, is also in the works.
Extinction Rebellion's co-founder has been spared jail after plotting to close Heathrow by flying drones near the airport.

Roger Hallam and other eco-activists launched the protest, under the name Heathrow Pause, in a bid to close the transport hub and force the Government to abandon its plans for third runway, London's Isleworth Crown Court was told.

A number of arrests were made during the protest in September 2019, but instead of hundreds of people attending to fly drones, the 'movement died where it was', the court heard.

The policing cost to the public was in excess of 1 million, and 1,600 officer shifts had to be moved, the court was told.

Hallam and co-defendant Larch Maxey said in their defence they had no intent to cause a public nuisance or to close Heathrow, it was 'merely a publicity exercise', which was rejected by the jury, James Curtis KC, prosecuting, said.

Hallam, 57, of Wandsworth, south London, and Maxey, 51, of no fixed abode, were each sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Extinction Rebellion's co-founder Roger Hallam who has today been spared jail after plotting to close Heathrow by flying drones near the airport

Hallam is pictured here while setting up a toy drone inside London Heathrow airport's exclusion zone in September 2019

He is seen here minutes later being arrested by police

Hallam and Maxey were found guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance on December 15 last year after a four-week trial.

Michael Lynch-White, 33, of Lewes, Sussex, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Valerie Milner-Brown, 71, of Islington, north London, was found not guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

Hallam, Maxey and Lynch-White conspired with others on or before September 14 2019 to close the transport hub to air traffic by the 'unlawful flying' of drones within Heathrow's flight restriction zone, the court heard.

Mr Curtis said the intention was 'not to close it for a day, but some documents say a week, two weeks' and he said there are documents which show the intention was to close Heathrow 'indefinitely until the Government would agree publicly to reverse a national policy permitting the third runway extension at Heathrow'.

There was no intention to cause any crash or to harm or endanger lives of individuals, but with the 'intention of causing inevitable chaos to the public', Mr Curtis said.

Mr Curtis said documents show the intention was to cause 'massive disruption to the public, to flights in and out of this country'.

Heathrow Airport and the police had to go to 'inordinate lengths to prepare for the worst', Mr Curtis said.

Hallam, of Wandsworth, south London, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months

His co-defendant Larch Maxey, was handed the same sentence following his involvement in the Heathrow protest

Hallam and Maxey were 'instrumental in either the creation or carrying through of this plan' and Lynch-White also was 'closely involved', the prosecution said.

Hallam, representing himself, said the 'public nuisance was insignificant to non-existent in my case' and there was 'no evidence' he played a leadership role in this offence.

He added: 'The public nuisance was simply to create publicity for the criminality of creating a third runway.'

Michael Goold, defending Maxey, said the defendant was 'motivated by the sincere heartfelt concern, and justified concern, about the climate emergency'.

Raj Chada, defending Lynch-White, said: 'During the course of his work, he becomes aware of the dangers of the climate crisis.'

Judge Martin Edmunds KC said the plan was developed under the banner of Heathrow Pause and there was evidence Extinction Rebellion members chose not to become involved as they 'valued plans to be too extreme'.

He added that the small number of drones flown 'did not cause any disruption to flights'.

Hallam and Maxey were each sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Lynch-White was handed 17 months, suspended for 18 months.

Hallam was told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, Maxey has to complete 300 hours and Lynch-White will have to complete 262 hours. All three defendants will have to complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Extinction rebellion and just stop oil founder Roger Hallam (right), with co defendants Dr Larch Maxey (centre right) and Mike Lych-White (left), and Valerie Milner-Brown

Before the sentencing, Maxey told the PA news agency: 'It's really striking, the injustice of this whole situation, those that have contributed least to this crisis are suffering most and soonest, and injustice when people like myself try and raise the alarm and then we are potentially threatened with prison.

'Prison is for violent and sexual offenders it is not for peaceful protesters, so we need to protect our democracy and protect the right to protest.'

Lynch-White said before the sentencing that he thought the incident was 'extremely unlikely to cause any disruption'.

He added: 'And it turns out it didn't cause any disruption.

'The reason for that is there was absolutely no threat to anybody.'
Democrats may have the last laugh after proposing a bill that would rename a federal prison in Florida after Donald Trump, who is facing 88 criminal charges.

The move is a response to Republicans who introduced a two-page bill earlier this week to rename a popular Washington, D.C. area airport after the former president.

Washington Dulles International Airport - named after former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles - would be renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport under the GOP measure.

Now, Democrats are striking back with a similarly unserious two-page piece of legislation.

'The Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida shall, after date of the enactment of this Act, be known and designated as the 'Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution,'' the liberals' bill states.

Democrat lawmakers revealed a bill Friday that would aim to rename the Miami Federal Correctional Institution to the Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution

Former President Donald Trump is no stranger to prisons, in August 2023 he was required to get a booking photo in Fulton County, Georgia, for his ongoing election interference case

The bill was introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and John Garamendi, D-Calif.

Notably, Connolly represents part of the Virginia district where Dulles International is located and Moskowitz represents an area miles from the Miami prison.

'When our Republican colleagues introduced their bill to rename Dulles after Donald Trump, I said the more fitting option would be to rename a federal prison,' Connolly said in a statement Friday.

'I see no reason to wait. Donald Trump faces nearly 100 felony charges. He has been found liable of sexual abuse and, subsequently, for defaming the victim of that abuse.'

'He has been fined hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud case,' the Virginian continued.'It is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name.'

'I hope our Republican friends will join us in bestowing upon Donald J. Trump the only honor he truly deserves.'

Moskowitz also took a shot at the former president.

'Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings,' he said in a statement.

'But he's never had his name on a federal building before and as a public servant I just want to help the former president. Help us make that dream a reality.'

Garamendi told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'Our bill simply draws attention to the MAGA Republicans' failure to do the important work of the American people.'

'House Republicans have again shown that they are distracted doing cartwheels to please Donald Trump instead of introducing meaningful legislation to better our country,' he continued.

Ironically, the Miami prison the Democrats are suggesting should be renamed is where Trump associate Peter Navarro is currently imprisoned for contempt of Congress charges.

The bill, though unlikely to ever get passed, serves as an informal press release reminding Americans about the legal troubles Trump is currently embroiled in.

The measure is also a clear tit-for-tat response to Republican's Trump airport bill, which surely will never take off because it will face turbulence in a Democrat-held Senate.

Still, that did not stop the GOP from launching the idea.

'As millions of domestic and international travelers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing Welcome to Trump International Airport as they land on American soil,' Republican Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler said after unveiling his bill to rename Dulles.

Republicans are floating the idea of renaming Dulles to Donald J. trump International Airport

The Trump International bill is being supported by several Republicans including Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Chuck Fleishmann, R-Tenn., Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Troy Nehls, R-Texas, Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Barry Moore, R-Ala.

The Trump prison bill also has an equally slim chance of ever becoming law, as Speaker Mike Johnson will likely never put the bill up for a vote.
Another woman was punched in the face in New York City, adding to the latest string of brazen sexist attacks, which now totals 12 similar incidents and results in six arrests.

The 33-year-old woman was walking along the bustling street near Union Square on March 20 when the attacker approached from behind.

The man, who has not been identified, slugged the woman in the face and fled north on Park Avenue, according to the police.

In photos released by the NYPD, the bearded man can be seen wearing a light blue Lilo & Stitch hoodie, a Yankees shirt and black pants.

The random, unprovoked attack left the 33-year-old victim with minor injuries, but she did not require medical attention at the scene.

Another woman was punched in the face in New York City, adding to the latest string of brazen sexist attacks, which now totals 12 similar incidents and results in six arrests. Pictured: suspect wanted

A different suspect, a man in dark pants, a light T-shirt and what looks like a light blue overcoat or unbuttoned dress shirt, was caught on surveillance camera jogging away after the attack

NYPD Chief of Detectives said on Wednesday that a total of 12 similar incidents had occurred over the past two weeks, with six suspects arrested while others remain at large

Earlier that day, a 23-year-old woman was attacked just blocks away on West 14th Street and Sixth Ave, DailyMail.com reported.

A different suspect, a man in dark pants, a light T-shirt and what looks like a light blue overcoat or unbuttoned dress shirt, was caught on surveillance camera jogging away after the attack.

The two separate attacks on March 20 added to a series of brazen unprovoked attacks targeting women in broad daylight in the Big Apple, prompting multiple influencers to share their experiences on TikTok.

NYPD Chief of Detectives said on Wednesday that a total of 12 similar incidents had occurred over the past two weeks, with six suspects arrested while others remain at large.

However, authorities refrained from categorizing the attacks as a trend and did not mention if the two incidents on March 20 are linked to other attacks, as NBC reported.

Scroll down to see the string of brazen attacks occurred in the past two weeks.

TikTok influencer Halley McGookin, 23, who goes online by 'Halley Kate,' said she was punched on the sidewalk near West 16th street and 7th Avenue

Blocks away from the alleged attack, Mikayla Toninato, 27, was punched as she exited a building on Fifth Avenue at around 2 pm on April 25

March 17

Reports of the first incident started appearing on social media platforms on March 17, according to the Washington Post.

Oliva Brand, 25, said she was ambushed while walking her dog near Kenmare Street and Mulberry Street in Nolita, Lower Manhattan.

'I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes 'Sorry' and then punches me in the head,' she said in a video posted on TikTok.

March 19

Sarah Suzuki Harvard, 30, said she was punched in the back of the head near Delancy Street on the Lower East Side at around 8pm.

But Harvard said she did not report the incident, according to ABC7.

March 20

A 33-year-old woman was punched in the face near Union Square, while a 23-year-old reported being attacked when she walked past a McDonald's on 6th Avenue in Chelsea.

Attackers remain not identified and at large, as both victims in those attacks had not been identified as of Friday.

March 23

At West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown, a 25-year-old woman reported being slapped in the forehead by the attacker.

NYPD released photos of the suspect, who can be seen wearing a bright red puffer jacket as he wandered through a train station.

Another user, @malous228, revealed that she had been hit on Saturday, March 23 in Times Square when she walking out of the subway station

Reports of the first incident started appearing on social media platforms on March 17, according to the Washington Post

March 25

TikTok influencer Halley McGookin, 23, who goes online by 'Halley Kate,' said she was punched on the sidewalk near West 16th street and 7th Avenue.

The tearful video recounting the attack received millions of views, which prompted the police to eventually arrest Skiboy Stora, 40, who was being held on $10,000 bail ahead of his arraignment last week.

Blocks away from the alleged attack, Mikayla Toninato, 27, was punched as she exited a building on Fifth Avenue at around 2pm.

Mallikah Miah, 30, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault for the incident. He was later released.

A third victim, a 36-year-old woman, was punched in the back by a man who approached from behind at Rivington and Chrystie streets on the Lower East Side

March 26

Karina Dunford, 24, opened up about the assault she suffered on March 26 in front of 717 Avenue of the Americas.

The suspect, who has not been identified nor arrested, was last seen wearing a black jacket, black hooded sweatshirt, light jeans and white and orange sneakers.

The model said: 'My head continued to hurt until after the police arrived, but the emotional toll was honestly pretty terrifying, I was just shaking and not a lot jars me,' she said.

March 27

A 51-year-old woman suffered burns to the neck and face after a man pressed a lit cigarette on her on West 31st Street.

Lydia Weil, 40, was later arrested for the incident and charged with assault.

April 1

Weil also allegedly kicked a 22-year-old woman in the thigh when she walked into the Moynihan train station on April 1st.

The 40-year-old man pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court, as reported by PIX11.

The New York Police Department said Stora was arrested last Wednesday and charged with assault, making it his third arrest in the past six months

Bethenny Frankel says she was randomly punched in New York City a couple of months ago; The reality star, 53, made the confession in the comments section of a TikToker who said she was randomly punched in New York City

According to Page Six, more than 25 women have revealed on TikTok they were randomly attacked in New York City in the past few months.

Former Real Housewife of NY and current entrepreneur and online presence Bethenny Frankel wrote in the comments section of Mikayla Toninato's TikTok video that she too had been randomly assaulted in NYC in recent months.

'This is insane bc this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say. I was on the UWS [Upper West Side]. I was taking video of a bakery,' she wrote in the comments section via Page Six, which she has since deleted.

The growing number of random punching attacks in New York City may be part of a disturbing trend called the knockout game - in which strangers punch random strangers in New York City with the intent of 'punching them unconscious.'

The violent game began in 1992 after Yngve Raustein, an MIT grad student, was attacked by a group of local teenagers in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Raustein was attacked and punched by the teenagers, who then stabbed him; he succumbed to his injuries.

The criminal teens told prosecutors at the time that their goal was to to 'floor a stranger' with just one punch.
Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters marched through London today for Al Quds Day while Israel supporters staged a counter rally outside Parliament.

Around 1,000 activists gathered outside the Home Office in central London on Friday before marching towards Downing Street, with some carrying signs with the message, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'.

They later passed by a counter-protest in Parliament Square where dozens of pro-Israel supporters turned out, waving Israeli flags and chanting for the release of hostages being held by Hamas.

The Metropolitan Police said it made ten arrests during the protests on Friday, with one man arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after an Israeli flag was burned near the stage in Richmond Terrace.

Another man was also arrested after he was heard making a homophobic remark, while another man was arrested for assaulting an emergency worker.

Pro-Palestine protesters today staged their annual Al Quds Day march in solidarity with Palestine

Pro-Israel supporters demonstrate as people pass by on a march to celebrate Al Quds Day

Police officers keep the two sides apart as the pro-Palestine protesters and pro-Israel counter protesters confronted each other in Parliament Square

A pro-Palestinian protester at the Al Quds Day march said he supported a ceasefire because 'this is not a religious issue, it's a human issue'.

Abid, 45, said: 'Our message to the government in the UK is to stop cooperating with a regime who's involved in a genocide. The whole world is talking about it.

'Countries in Europe have already started to cut the supplies, all supplies, to Israel, so why can't our Government stop supplying them arms?

'They are using the arms and they're killing their own people, they are killing our own people, they've killed aid workers, three of them were from UK.'

Asked about allegations of antisemitism made against the march, he said: 'We have Jews actually participating in the protest.

'You can ask any person from any background, any religion - this isn't a religious issue, it's a human issue.'

Meanwhile, a pro-Israel counter protester said those participating in the Al Quds Day march were 'naive' or 'brainwashed'.

Efim, 73, said Hamas should release its hostages before a ceasefire is put in place.

Speaking of those who thought a ceasefire agreement should be reached first, he said: 'I think they are naive.

'If it was their family members, I think they would join our side.'

A man gestures at pro-Israel supporters during a march to mark Al Quds Day

Pro-Palestine protesters today staged their annual Al Quds Day march in solidarity with Palestine

: A man gestures at pro-Israel supporters during a march to mark Al Quds Day

A man waving Palestinian flags walks past pro-Israel supporters during a march to mark Al Quds Day

People holding banners against Israel march to Downing Street during the Al-Quds Day

Protesters carried banners reading 'Boycott Israel' along the route, chanting slogans such as 'End the Israeli occupation', and 'Freedom for Palestine.'

People holding banners against Israel march to Downing Street

He added: 'On the Tube, I saw a group of young people with Palestinian flags and they were all wearing masks - if their cause is genuine, why are they covering their faces?'

The Met said on X, formerly Twitter, that it had arrested a total of 10 people during the marches of Friday.

One man was arrested for failing to comply with conditions requiring counter protestors to remain in the designated area provided on Parliament Square.

Another two men from the counter protest were arrested suspicion of making threats to kill as the Pro-Palestine march passed by in Parliament square.

Two more men were arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after an Israeli flag was set on fire, while another man was arrested he was heard making a 'homophobic remark'.

'A number people who tried to prevent the mans arrest were arrested for obstruction, the Met said.

One man was also arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, who is 'fortunately not seriously injured', the force added.

The annual Al Quds Day rally - organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in support of Palestine - has been criticised in the past after participants flew flags of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and brandished signs with allegedly antisemitic messages.

The Met said before the event that while its powers 'do not extend to policing taste and decency', it would take action if the 'line into criminality is crossed', including the use of hate speech or supporting a proscribed group.

Pro-Palestine protesters and pro-Israel counter protesters face off in Westminster on Al Quds Day on Friday

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish children shout and gesture at pro-Israel supporters during a march to mark Al Quds Day

Pro-Israel supporters demonstrate as people pass by on a march to celebrate Al Quds Day

Pro-Israel supporters demonstrate as people pass by on a march to celebrate Al Quds Day

Pro-Israel supporters demonstrate as people pass by on a march to celebrate Al Quds Day

A woman holds a poster of 19-year-old Agam Berger, who is one of the hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas

A man holds a sign that reads 'Shut up and free the hostages'

Pro-Israel supporters demonstrate as people pass by on a march to celebrate Al Quds Day

The demonstrations come on the same day new public order powers to prevent 'serious disruption' at protests come into force.

Serious Disruption Prevention Orders are court orders that can impose restraints on individuals who have committed protest-related offences on at least two occasions.

This would potentially ban them from being in certain areas or being with protest groups at given times.

Commander Colin Wingrove, who is leading the policing operation on Friday, said: 'The rights of people to express their views through protest must be protected, and our officers will ensure they are, but anyone who abuses those rights and uses them as an opportunity to commit offences or to promote hate can expect to face police action.'

He added the Met had been in contact with the organisers of both demonstrations to ensure their events 'remain within the law', adding that the force will 'police without fear or favour right up to the line of the law'.

The Met says it has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act, restricting the Al Quds Day march to a pre-agreed route and confining both protests to designated areas.

In a joint letter to Met Commissioner Mark Rowley on Wednesday, the IHRC and other pro-Palestinian groups accused the Met of 'politically-driven policing', saying the force had 'regularly abused its legal powers to harass pro-Palestine protestors'.

On Saturday, the Met made four arrests, including one on suspicion of a terrorism-related offence, at a pro-Palestinian protest in central London, which saw more than 200,000 people take part.
Alpine is seeking to claim Burrell's $39million Aspen mansion as collateral for his unpaid loans

A wealthy Aspen investor sued by by First Western Bank for allegedly failing to repay his loans has been sued by another bank that is asking a judge to let it claim his $39 million house as compensation.

Daniel Burrell, 45, was first sued by First Western Bank in November for defaulting on $56 million in loans, according to The Denver Post.

The bank said they gave four loans to the investment fund founder between 2019 and 2022, and they are suing to foreclose on Burrell's properties as collateral.

Several months later, the wealthy Aspenite has been sued again by Alpine Bank, which is headquartered in Glenwood Springs.

The bank claims that Burrell owes $18 million on an $18.5 million loan that was issued in 2021.

Daniel Burrell (pictured), founder of the Burrell Group, is being sued by yet another bank after facing First Western Bank in November

Burrell, pictured with his wife Nikola, has been sued by Alpine Bank as he allegedly owes $18million on an $18.5million loan that was issued in 2021

Alpine is asking Judge Anne Norrdin to authorize the bank to cease Burrell's stunning $38.5million mansion in Aspen as collateral for the 'unpaid' loan

'Mr. Burrell has a good working relationship with Alpine Bank,' an unnamed representative for Burrell said in a statement to BusinessDen this week, 'and anticipates that he will resolve the matter of his Hunter Creek home in the coming weeks.'

Alpine is asking Judge Anne Norrdin to authorize the bank to seize Burrell's stunning $38.5 million mansion in Aspen as collateral for the 'unpaid' loan.

The house is a breathtaking property among the gorgeous mountains of Aspen.

Known as the Red Mountain estate, the mansion is set on three-quarters of an acre, spanning about 8,420 square feet with six bedrooms, a spa, a home theater and a library and game room with a bar, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Outside, the property backs up to National Forest land and has an infinity pool with scenic mountain views.

First Western Bank previously were granted permission by a judge in Eagle County to sell two of Burrell's other mansions at 969 and 1043 Willits Lane in Basalt. Those foreclosure sales haven't happened yet.

Burrell is the founder of the Burrell Group, a holding company for businesses in a variety of sectors including aviation, medical, financial services, real estate, hospitality and natural resources.

The businessman has countersued First Western Bank when they sued him, arguing they violated federal lending laws, are interfering with the sale of his property and invading his privacy.

Burrell and his wife Nikola recently put their renovated Aspen mansion and 4,200-acre ranch (pictured) for sale for $86.5 million

The Aspen mansion, known as the Red Mountain estate (pictured), is set on three-quarters of an acre, spanning about 8,420 square feet

The Red Mountain estate has six bedrooms, a spa, a home theater, and a library and game room with a bar

'First Western did not make a reasonable and good faith determination at or before consummation that Burrell had a reasonable ability to repay,' said the countersuit.

'As a result, Burrell, Burrell's wife, and Burrell's minor children are at risk of losing their primary residence and have incurred emotional distress.'

Public records show Burrell owns property in Nantucket, Massachusetts, two homes in Basalt, Colorado and the mansion and ranch in Aspen.

Burrell and his wife, Nikola, recently put their renovated Aspen mansion and 4,200-acre ranch for sale for $86.5 million.

The ranch, called Three Meadows Ranch, has 10 bedrooms across several buildings, including multiple cabins, a bunkhouse and caretaker's quarters. It also has a barn with a theater, a game room and a loft.

Public records show Burrell purchased two watercrafts in 2020 registered in Massachusetts.

Two of Burrell's properties on Willits Lane in Basalt are listed for sale at $9,999,000 and $8,999,000 on Zillow.

Burrell alleged it was 'improper' for the bank to give him the loans in the first place because they knew he would use it for personal expenses such as his home in Basalt, divorce payments towards his first wife and buying a yacht.

Outside, the property backs up to National Forest land and has an infinity pool with scenic mountain views

Public records show Burrell owns two properties on Willits Lane in Basalt, Colorado. 969 Willits Lane (pictured) is listed on Zillow for $8,999,000

The other property, 1043 Willits Lane, is listed on Zillow for $9,999,000

The countersuit said that the bank has 'wrongly interfered' with 'pending contracts to sell' Burnell's properties.

'This has put Burrell's ability to sell the collateral at full market value at risk,' said the countersuit.

His lawsuit is seeking to rescind the loans, order the bank to stop interfering with sale of his Aspen properties and damages for what he claims was a public outing of his financial situation.

Allegedly, during an earnings call in October, First Western CEO Scott Wylie mentioned a client the bank has had since 2018 who was becoming delinquent on their payments, but said the bank would recover from the clients real estate collateral.

'A reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities would find the disclosure of those private facts about themselves highly offensive,' said the countersuit.
A trainee anaesthetist who 'played god' by sedating his willing girlfriend during sex with drugs stolen from the NHS hospital where he worked was jailed for more than two years today (Friday).

Jonathon Dean became 'intoxicated by the fantasy' offered by his girlfriend and wrote to her: 'Could have done anything to you  fine line between you not breathing and being unconscious.'

In another he boasted: 'Good thing I'm a decent anaesthetist. Would f*** you senseless.'

Judge Philip Grey told the defendant, who admitted 11 charges including nine for theft of drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London: 'You stole anaesthetic drugs to get your sexual kicks.

'This was entirely clear from your messages at the time.'

Trainee anaesthetist Jonathon Dean, 32, has been jailed for more than two years after he stole drugs from the hospital where he worked to use during sex with his girlfriend

The offending was about 'wanting chemically enhanced sex and being in a position of dominance and power'.

Describing Dean, 32, as 'looking forward to playing god with those drugs', he added the offending 'struck at the heart of the trust that's placed' in the medical profession.

Prosecutor Duncan O'Donnell said Dean, whose career is now in tatters, began the perverted relationship on December 14, 2018, when he drove from his home in Epping, Essex, to Cambridge.

'That relationship involved high-risk sexual intercourse using painkillers and other items,' he said.

'He took with him an assortment of drugs commonly used in anaesthesia, including morphine. These are drugs to which he had access in his job at Whipps Cross.

'He took the drugs so he could inject them into the young woman as part of an agreed activity.

'It seems concerns were raised within days to the medical director of Whipps Cross Hospital as the young woman had presented herself to another hospital.'

Other messages written by Dean that were seen by police included, 'could have done anything to you' and 'could put a canula on you and do whatever I want'.

Dean, who was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court, admitted the nine counts of theft at an earlier hearing in Huntingdon Crown Court where the judge said he was 'finished as a doctor'.

He had been suspended on full pay previously. His case is expected to come before a fitness to practise panel where he is likely to be struck off.

Five of the counts, concerning the theft of cyclizine, ondansetron, propofol, midazolam and morphine, happened on or before December 14, 2018.

Three counts, involving cyclizine, ondansetron and morphine, happened on or before January 28, 2019.

The ninth count, regarding propofol, happened between January 21 and March 21 last year and the judge accepted it was for 'self-medication'.

Dean, of Poplar, east London, also admitted two charges of possessing controlled drugs, namely Class A morphine and Class C midazolam.

Dean admitted 11 charges, including nine for theft of drugs from Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, east London

Aisha Khan, defending, said her client's 'ultimate punishment is him not being able to work in this profession', having qualified in medicine from Cambridge University in 2016.

He was registered with the General Medical Council the same year.

Dean was 'intoxicated by the fantasy and excitement that was being offered' by his relationship with the woman.

He 'suffered from addiction' and was 'ashamed for what had occurred'.

Ms Khan said he had apologised 'unreservedly' in a letter he wrote to the judge.

He said: 'I let a lot of people down and brought shame on myself and my profession.'

The judge, who jailed Dean for 25 months and ordered all needles and medical items from his home be confiscated, noted he had suffered from extreme depression and anxiety and chose to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs.

But he added: 'You knew full well where to go for help and you did not do so.'

Dean, who was smartly dressed in suit trousers and a shirt, showed no emotion as he was led from the dock to the cells.

The sexual fetish of becoming aroused by someone who is unconscious is known as somnophilia.

A 2021 Canadian study found that nine per cent of participants showed interest in 'sex with someone who is unconscious or sleeping' and 7.7 per cent had engaged in such behaviour.
Britain's nuclear industry reboot has taken a massive step forward after a project to build reactors in Hartlepool received a multimillion pound cash boost.

In January, plans to build a major new nuclear power station were launched just weeks after Boris Johnson told Rishi Sunak to 'get on with it'.

The Government said it was committed to 'exploring' the possibility of a reactor as large as the under-construction Hinkley C and Sizewell C powerplants.

The proposal was included in a Civil Nuclear Roadmap which set out ways in which UK nuclear power can be quadrupled by 2050 - the biggest expansion for 70 years.

Now, Hartlepool looks set to host a fleet of mini-nuclear reactors within a decade after the Government's multimillion-pound grant which it awarded to engineering group Babcock to explore the project's feasibility, the Telegraph reports.

X-Energy and Cavendish Nuclear also won funding from the Future Nuclear Enabling Fund, and they will develop advanced nuclear power plants known as small modular reactors (SMRs).

A look at each of the different nuclear power plant spots, operable and planned

Hartlepool looks set to host a fleet of mini-nuclear reactors within a decade after the Government's multimillion-pound grant. Pictured: Hartlepool power station

Plans to build a major new nuclear power station were launched in January after Boris Johnson told Rishi Sunak to 'get on with it'

In total, the government has now earmarked more than 1bn for the Sizewell C project, building on its original 700m stake as part of its plan to rapidly expand the UK's nuclear energy sector.

The government is exploring plans to build a new large-scale nuclear plant, despite concerns about delays to existing projects.

READ MORE: Plans to build a major new nuclear power station are launched as the government says it is 'exploring' the possibility of a reactor as large as Hinkley C and Sizewell C Advertisement

Ministers say the project would be the biggest expansion of the sector in 70 years, reducing reliance on overseas supply.

The new plant would quadruple energy supplies by 2050, they say.

In total, the government has now earmarked more than 1bn for the Sizewell C project, building on its original 700m stake as part of its plan to rapidly expand the UK's nuclear energy sector.

Mick Gornall, managing director of Cavendish Nuclear, told the publication: 'A fleet of Xe-100s can complement renewables by providing constant or flexible power and produce steam to decarbonise industry and manufacture hydrogen and synthetic transport fuels.

'Deployment in the UK will create thousands of high-quality, long-term jobs across the country.'

The Government also gave the companies 3.34m to explore the plans, with X-energy investing the same amount.

In April last year, Boris Johnson shelved plans to double the number of wind turbines in the countryside and instead approved plans for up to seven new nuclear reactors.

The former PM rejected ambitious targets presented by Kwasi Kwarteng to double the UK's onshore output to 30GW by 2030.

The Government said it was committed to 'exploring' the possibility of a reactor as large as the under-construction Hinkley C and Sizewell C powerplants

Mr Johnson called for greater urgency in delivering Great British Nuclear, the body he set up to deliver new clean power projects

The former Prime Minister pictured meeting apprentices at Hartlepool Power Station on top of the reactor back in 2022

Instead, Tory opposition in the party's shire England heartlands and within the Cabinet means that new atomic power sites in rural areas were likely to get Government backing.

This led to Johnson visiting Hartlepool nuclear power station, which began producing electricity in 1983.

It was one of eight sites the government set its sights on for future nuclear energy plants.

Current PM Sunak said: 'Nuclear is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain - it's green, cheaper in the long-term and will ensure the UK's energy security for the long-term.

'This is the right long-term decision and is the next step in our commitment to nuclear power, which puts us on course to achieve net zero by 2050 in a measured and sustainable way.

'This will ensure our future energy security and create the jobs and skills we need to level up the country and grow our economy.'

Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho added: 'Strengthening our energy security means that Britain will never again be held to ransom over energy by tyrants like Vladimir Putin.

'British nuclear, as one of the most reliable, low-carbon sources of energy around, will provide that security.

'We're making the biggest investment in domestic nuclear energy in 70 years.'
President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to rebuild the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore and renewed his call to Congress to pay for it.

'Your nation has your back,' he said.

The president recounted the moving story of the last message from Carlos Hernandez, a 24-year-old Latino immigrant who was among the six construction workers who died in the collapse. His body is still missing. Biden noted Carlos had left a message for his girlfriend saying their shift was almost over and they were just waiting on the cement they had poured to dry.

Biden vowed to recover the missing bodies of four workers who fell into the water of the Patapsco River and not to rest until the cement was dry on a new bridge.

'We're going to keep working hard to recover each of them and you know, my vow is that we will not rest, as Carlos said, until the cement has dried and the entirety of a new bridge' is built, he said.

President Joe Biden praised Baltimore for coming together in the wake of the bridge collapse

The president also revealed his personal connections to the bridge, including a great great grandfather worked here as a waterman in the 1800s and how he drove over the bridge during his days as a senator, when he commuted from Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington, D.C.

'We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way, to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that's here now,' he said.

Carlos Hernandez, a 24-year-old Latino immigrant, died in the Baltimore bridge collapse

Biden again called on Congress to approve the federal financing to cover the costs even though conservative Republicans have raised concerns about the price tag, which is expected to be around $2 billion.

'I fully intend, I fully intend, as the governor knows, that the federal government will cover the cost of building this entire bridge. All of it. All of it,' he said.

'We're going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible,' Biden added. 'And we're going to do so with union labor and American steel.'

He praised the people of Baltimore for coming together during the tragedy.

'From the air I saw the bridge that's been ripped apart. But here on the ground, I see a community that's been pulled together,' he told the crowd.

The president took an aerial tour of the site amid a political upheaval on how to pay for its recovery, which is expected to cost up to $2 billion.

Conservatives on Capitol Hill are already objecting to the price tag.

The House Freedom Caucus wants any the money to be 'fully offset' by cuts else where in the federal budget and they demand that the Biden administration lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects before they'll approve any bridge money.

Biden flew over the Patapsco River, at the mouth of the Baltimore Harbor, via Marine One, where he saw the remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one the massive shipping lane.

President Joe Biden, in Marine One, flies over the Francis Scott Key bridge wreckage

President Joe Biden receives an operational briefing on the response and recovery efforts

President Joe Biden and Maryland Governor Wes Moore arrive to speak about the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge

The president was then briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers on the repair process.

Brigadier General John Lloyd of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said one task is to remove a large section sitting on the ship. It is 5,000 tons and 125 feet high. They are trying to cut that piece off the ship and remove it, so the ship can also be moved. He also described a 'mangled mess' below the water. He said he had 51 divers and 12 cranes on site to work on it.

The crews are trying to remove sections of the ship and collapsed bridge to open channels on the water to allow cargo ships through.

The bridge, in one of the nation's busiest harbors, was hit by a huge cargo ship and collapsed in the middle of the night of March 26.

Eight workers - all immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador - were filling potholes on the bridge when it was struck. Two men were rescued, but the bodies of only two of the six who died have been recovered.

The president met with the families of the victims.

The White House announced Friday it has asked Congress to authorize the federal government to cover 100% of the collapsed bridge cleanup and reconstruction costs, rather than seeking the money through a separate, emergency supplemental funding request.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young noted similar techniques were used for recovery and rebuilding efforts that received bipartisan congressional support in 2007, when a highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed during evening rush hour, killing 13 people.

'We are asking the Congress to join us in demonstrating our commitment to aid in recovery efforts,' Young wrote. It remains unclear how much money the administration will need to cover the cost.

The Federal Highway Administration already has given $60 million in emergency funds to get repairs started. And the Transportation Department has allocated $8.2 million to help redirect cargo.

A temporary shipping lane has been installed to help the repair process and move some cargo through.

President Joe Biden, aboard Marine One, takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge

President Joe Biden receives a briefing on the bridge colllapse

President Biden walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House

The conservative House Freedom Caucus is demanding that the reconstruction not become a 'pork-filled' spending project.

'Before Congress considers any emergency supplemental funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, it's important that (1) we first seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront and (2) the Port of Baltimore draws upon already available federal funds,' the group wrote in a memo published Friday.

Earlier this week, several operators of the ship - named Dali - filed a petition in U.S. federal court to limit the liability that they owe for causing the crash.

They cited a law from the 1850's that could help them cap their liability near the total cost of the ship, which they claim is $43.7 million.

But the full cost could amount to $2 billion, almost 50 times more than the price the operators are seeking to pay.

Claims against the ships operators must be submitted to a Baltimore federal court by September 24, according to a federal judge.

'If it proves necessary to appropriate taxpayer money to get one of America's busiest ports back online, Congress should ensure it is fully offset and that burdensome regulations  are waived to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.'

The conservative group is also demanding that the money allocated for the project should strictly 'be limited to physical structure repairs with a federal nexus.'

'This must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects,' the memo states.

The group states they want to see the funding vote for the bridge adhere the the 'single-subject rule,' indicating that if there are additional measures attached to the legislation, they could come out against it.

'Finally, the Biden Administration's pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals  which, like the Baltimore harbor closure, has severe implications for foreign trade  must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction.'

The pause on liquified natural gas (LNG) exports has been a particular sticking point for Republicans in recent months.

The Biden administration paused LNG exports earlier this year to conduct an environmental review on the process, which Republicans have decried as unnecessary and hurtful to the industry.

President Biden's motorcade moves past the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge

The wreckage of the Francis Scott Key bridge

Cranes are already working on repairs

A longterm shutdown of the bridge and Baltimore port area could be a jolt to the economy.

As much as $200 million in cargo normally moves through Baltimores port per day, and it is the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.

Top White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, senior adviser Tom Perez and economic adviser Lael Brainard have called large employers in the Baltimore area to encourage them to retain workers, a White House official said. Those companies include United Parcel Service, Amazon.com, Home Depot and Mercedes-Benz.

Biden, on the day of the collapse, said the federal government will fully pay for the repairs and that they will be done as quickly as possible.

'We're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend on that port. And we're going to do everything we can to protect those jobs,' Biden said in remarks at the White House.

'I'm directing my team move heaven and Earth three, open the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible,' he said.

'It's my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstruction in that bridge. I expect the Congress to support my effort this is going to take some time. The people of Baltimore can count on us to stick with them at every step of the way,' Biden said at the time.

The Singaporean-flagged Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26

The crash occurred at about 1.30am on the morning of March 26. The ship - the Singaporean-flagged Dali - was 20 minutes into its journey when it slammed into a support column on the bridge.

The ship's crew, howefver, managed to issue a Mayday before it crashed into the bridge, which allowed officials to stop cars from going on the bridge.

The 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container, left Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal at 12:24am. At 1:25am, is began to slow and diverted off of its course. Video shows lights going off on board just before the crash.

The Dali ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. It's unclear what cargo it was holding. The vessel was due to land in Asia on April 27.

Around 30,000 vehicles use the bridge, which is named for the writer of the Star Spangled Banner, every day. It opened in 1977.
A young girl who died after an e-scooter crash has been remembered as a cheeky kid with a beautiful smile.

Ava Seculovic, 13, was crossing Wanneroo Road at the intersection of Dundebar Road, in Perth's northern suburbs at 2pm on Friday last week when she was struck by a car.

She was rushed to Perth Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

WA Police said the teenager had died in hospital.

Ava's father Michael Seculovic paid tribute to her in a post on social media.

Ava's father Michael Seculovic (pictured, together) paid tribute to her in a post on social media

'I know you because I love you, thank you for everything ... I will talk to you in time.'

A fundraising page has been set up to help the family cover funeral costs.

'Her kind nature, beautiful smile and cheeky nature will live within us forever,' the post read.

CCTV footage shows the girl crossing the road as a white 4WD approaches.

The driver of the car was not injured.

Police said the investigation is ongoing by the Major Crash Investigation Section.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy remains in a critical condition after he was hit by a car while running across a regional road that same day.

He was struck by a Toyota Prado on Caves Rd, in Marybrook, about 5.40pm.

The boy was flown to Perth Children's Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
Little about the 4.11am phone call from the care home seemed to add up. Gillian Grant was told her grandmother had deteriorated in the last few hours but that no ambulance had been called.

When she asked staff to do so, she was told: I think it is beyond that stage.

Assurances had been given days earlier that help absolutely would be summoned if her condition worsened.

Ms Grant rushed to the care home, arriving just 19 minutes later yet, apparently, still too late. Staff greeted her with the news her grandmother had died ten minutes before. She asked to see her and, after being given PPE, was led through to her room.

Her mouth and her eyes were wide open, she recalled. I tried to shut her mouth but it was too hard and I think rigor mortis had set in. She was stone cold and, in my opinion, she had been dead a lot longer than 20 minutes.

The investigation will probe the use of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders

It occurred to her the 91-year-old had succumbed to coronavirus in the Dunbartonshire care home some time before that phone call was placed.

But a young female member of staff assured her she had sat with the pensioner all night. Which made Ms Grant wonder: If you have been sitting with my grandmother all night, why was I just called 20 minutes ago?

Of the three members of staff on duty that night, one was a man in a dirty white T-shirt and jogging bottoms. He wore no PPE. Ms Grant was horrified.

Hours later she called the Care Inspectorate about what she had seen at Mavisbank care home in Bishopbriggs. She said: I immediately panicked about the whole situation because I thought everybody is going to die here.

But there was a still more shocking sight to come. It was a piece of paper known as a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form for her grandmother  and Ms Grants name was on it as the next of kin authorising it.

Not only did she never authorise such a thing, but she had made it plain she had no intention of doing so. And yet, as a family member with power of attorney for her grandmothers affairs, here was her name on a document which effectively denied a beloved relative potentially lifesaving treatment.

Ms Grant has related the tale of her grandmothers final weeks to the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry which names the use of DNRs as one of its primary areas of investigation.

What the inquiry should find is the administration of this end-of-life procedure remained unaltered by the pandemic. The Scottish Government has, after all, repeatedly insisted there was no change to advice issued to clinicians about the use of DNRs  or DNACPRs (Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) as they are also known.

But the evidence has deviated so far from this guidance that the prospect of criminal proceedings has now been raised. If a DNR form was forged, lawyer Aamer Anwar told the Mail, he would expect nothing less.

Was the DNR relating to Ms Grants grandmother then a one-off? Or was the manner of the death of the pensioner  who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions issued by the inquiry  indicative of a pattern?

Days ago, the inquiry heard from Madeana Laing, a manager at Beech Manor Care Home in Blairgowrie, Perthshire. She described a culture in which health professionals urged care homes to update their anticipatory care plans for residents. She said she was told: You need to look at who doesnt have DNRs because they will now need to have one.

Her response was that this was a discussion for GPs to have with family members  and yet within a couple of days, all the outstanding DNRs were in place. She questioned the extent to which family members were involved in these decisions. The clear impression, she said, was if a resident became ill from Covid  or even an unrelated illness  they would not be going to hospital.

She said: You could clearly see that, if they went to hospital, they had a really good chance of improving, of getting over what was making them unwell in the first place. But it was almost like, you were not playing God, but it was just no, you cant go, so you just have to stay.

Her understanding, she said, was the DNRs were in place because of difficulties accessing ambulances, paramedics or hospital beds.

In the same days evidence, Peter McCormick, managing director of Randolph Hill Nursing Homes, said he believed NHS Scotland had taken a decision  one not discussed in public  that restrictions would be placed on people in care homes receiving hospital treatment.

He said in the case of one nursing home, DNRs were issued on a blanket basis  as he understood it, because of the pressures on the NHS.

He said: That couldnt have been a nuanced discussion. There would have been no discussion involved in that.

Another witness, Tressa Burke of Glasgow Disability Alliance, told of GP surgeries calling her members out of the blue and urging them to sign DNRs. She said it made them feel they were not worth saving.

In contrast to the experience in some care homes, others did refer patients with Covid to hospitals.

Margaret Waterton lost husband David and mum Margaret Simpson

It happened to John Cowan from Ayrshire, who had moved into Windyhall Care Home in Ayr not through any infirmity of his own but because Annie, his wife of almost 60 years, needed to be there and the two were inseparable.

Within a few weeks he tested positive and an ambulance was called to take him to Ayr Hospital despite his symptoms appearing relatively mild. A few days later Mr Cowan was dead.

A DNR order was in place which his daughter Melanie, who had power of attorney for both her parents, knew nothing about.

That was why he was never transferred to an intensive care ward. Ms Hunter said she learned about the DNR from a nurse four days after her father was admitted.

She told the Mail: She said shed get the consultant to phone me, but he never did. He got one of the doctors below him to phone me.

From that conversation, I received very little reasoning as to why this had been done but he did agree it should have been discussed with me.

It was decided without my consent that my dads life wasnt eligible for saving. In their eyes, my dad was dispensable. All they saw was an 83-year-old man who came from a care home. Not a husband who moved into the care home just to be with his wife.

She added: The Government allowed this practice.

In her witness statement, Ms Hunter said that, a few hours before her father died, a male nurse ordered her to stop asking them to help my dad as they were dealing with a very sick patient.

She told of a nursing assistant her father had been joking and laughing with when he was first admitted. After a weeks holiday, the medic returned to see how he was.

Ms Hunter said: She said she couldnt believe it. She had to come along and see him with her own eyes. It just didnt make sense. She was standing in total shock and disbelief.

I got a strong look and feeling from her that something wasnt right.

It was, she said, a horrific death in which her father fought, struggled and thrashed around for 13 hours.

The agony was compounded by the fact that, by then, Mr Cowans wife, who suffered from dementia, was in the same Covid unit. She was taken to see him on November 8, hours before he died and the sight of him left her bewildered. She didnt understand what was happening, said Ms Hunter.

Her mother was discharged after four weeks and returned to the care home, but it later emerged there was a DNR form for her too. Again, Ms Hunter knew nothing about it. Mrs Cowan died last December.

Evidence has also been heard in the inquiry from former senior nurse Margaret Waterton, 66, who lost both her mother and her husband to Covid in the space of a few months.

Both tragedies raise disturbing questions about DNRs.

When Mrs Watertons mother, Margaret Simpson, 86, was admitted to University Hospital Wishaw in Lanarkshire in May 2020 for an asthma-related illness, she tested negative for Covid on arrival.

But in the four nights she spent there, she was in four different clinical areas. Even pre-pandemic, Mrs Waterton said, such a level of movement of an elderly patient would be an infection risk. It is now clear her mother contracted Covid during that hospital stay.

On the day Mrs Simpson arrived home again, her daughter found an envelope in her hospital bags. Inside was a DNR form.

Mum had attempted to sign it the day she was admitted to hospital. I asked Mum if she knew what it was, and she said she didnt. When I explained what it was and what it meant, she was horrified.

She didnt recall signing it at that point but later, when she had time to think, she remembered that, when she was admitted to A&E, a doctor had spoken to her, but she didnt understand what the doctor was saying and said that she felt the doctor was putting words into her mouth.

An 86-year-old woman, whose medical notes say she was in a state of delirium on her admission, was, then, asked to sign a DNR on the spot.

Mrs Waterton took it up with the hospital and said the response from the medical director was less than satisfactory.

A few days later, Mrs Simpson was back in hospital, this time testing positive for Covid and gravely ill. Now, after a compassionate and reasoned discussion with a consultant, Mrs Waterton agreed with the assessment that her mother would be unable to withstand active resuscitation.

She was with her when she died on June 18, 2020.

Six months later, she and her husband of nine years David, 71, both tested positive and, a few days after Christmas, his condition worsened so severely she had to call 999 late at night for an ambulance.

The next morning she spoke to a doctor treating him at University Hospital Hairmyres in Lanarkshire and the news sounded relatively positive.

Mrs Waterton said: I made it explicitly clear that I wanted David to be afforded every effort and every level of treatment made available to him.

At the time, he was well enough to text and call her and there was no mention of DNR discussions having taken place.

Besides, she said: From previous conversations with David, I was clear that he would not agree to this and would want every effort and every level of treatment afforded him, including ventilation and ITU [Intensive Therapy Unit] care.

Around New Year there was a disturbing phone call with a hospital consultant who wanted to know how far her husband could walk and how long it took him.

He kept pressing me about this specifically, said Mrs Waterton. I recall feeling badgered by him and anxious about how my response would be used in the decision making.

She told the Mail she did not want to answer his question. I had this absolute sense this was going to drive something and I didnt know what.

John Cowan had a DNR in place

She now strongly suspects it drove a DNR decision.

When her husbands condition worsened, she was shattered to be told that he would not be moved to ITU, that he had received the maximum treatment  and further, that all this had been discussed with her.

She remembers calling the nurse who told her this a liar. None of it had been discussed with her.

When she was finally allowed to see her husband on January 2, his first words were: I thought I would never see you again.

She said that, on seeing her and his daughter for the last time, it was as if a wave of peace washed over him. He died around 40 minutes later.

Mrs Waterton, a member of the Scottish Covid Bereaved group which is represented by solicitor Mr Anwar, said she was in no doubt about the tremendous efforts of NHS staff faced with unprecedented numbers of critically ill people.

But she said the lived experiences of members and evidence heard at the inquiry suggested bundles of DNACPR forms being posted through the letterboxes of care homes and consent for them being obtained inappropriately in hospitals and used to determine further treatment.

Poor communication, she said, was a consistent theme and, taken as a whole, it pointed to a gap between the rhetoric and the reality.

She said: This has left us with not only many unanswered questions but also feelings of doubt about the decisions that were made and feelings of guilt that we could have and should have done more for our loved ones.

Mr Anwar said his understanding was any allegations of criminality, including forgeries of DNR documents, would be looked at by the Crown Office. He said: The allegations made against certain care homes on the overwhelming use of DNR could only be described as a cynical practice, treating old people as expendable, toxic waste that they could discard.

These are very serious allegations which must be the basis of any criminal investigation into care homes.

The treatment of families was callous and cruel at the very moment they should have been comforted that their loved ones were being dealt with compassion and respect.

For now, the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry continues its examination of some of Scotlands darkest days. Considerations of criminality do not fall within its remit. But hearings of a very different nature may follow in its wake.
U.S. and Israeli intelligence sources believe Iran is planning to take revenge for the flattening of its embassy in Damascus by launching a drone and missile attack.

Iran promised retaliation for the Israeli strike that killed two of its top military commanders and five advisers in its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Monday.

It is the latest sign of how the Hamas confrontation with Israel could spiral into a wider war involving Iran.

The U.S. has now gathered intelligence that Tehran is planning to use a swarm of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles, according to CBS News.

Little more is known about the timing and target of any retaliation.

Intelligence officials fear that Iran could respond to the Damascus embassy attack by launching a swarm attack with Shahed drones

Rescue workers searched through the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy a day after an air strike in Damascus killed five Iranian military figures

But officials said a proportional response to the Damascus attack would involve targeting an Israeli diplomatic facility and would likely come before the end of Ramadan next week.

Iran's Shahed drone was first used by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, and is now being used extensively by Russia against Ukrainian targets.

It flies at about 115mph, and is designed to operate in swarms, overwhelming defense systems.

It has an eight-foot wingspan and carries a 100lb warhead which is detonated when the drone crashes into its target.

Senior Iranian figures have promised to take action against Israel.

'We will reciprocate when we want,' said Hussein Akbari, the Iranian ambassador to Syria whose residence was destroyed by the attack.

And Friday brought a public outpouring of anger in Tehran with a funeral for the seven IRGC members killed earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian diplomat claimed that Washington had asked Tehran to avoid targeting American facilities.

'In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in Netanyahu's trap for US: Stay away so you wont get hurt,' said Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy chief of staff for political affairs to Irans president, in a post on X.

'In response US asked Iran not to target American facilities.'

People attend the funeral procession for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel

The funeral ceremony coincides with the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, when Iran and its allies stage marches in support of the Palestinians

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prays over the coffins of seven Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on Iran's consular annex in Damascus

People watch as Palestinian members of a pro-Syrian government squad take part in a military parade to mark the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus

White House national security John Kirby said the issue came up in the Thursday phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

'There was discussion between the two leaders about the very viable and quite public threat Iran is making to Israel's security in the last day or so, and the president made very clear  very clear  to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he can count on U.S. support to help them in their self-defense against threats directly and publicly posed by Iran,' Kirby told reporters.

Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think-tank said on Thursday that Tehran's leaders were under pressure to act.

'Iran can't afford not to respond, lest its military presence in the region become unsustainable and signal weakness to its chief regional foe,' he said.

The head of Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah said the strike marked a 'turning point' since Oct. 7, when Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that has led to escalating regional tensions.

'Be certain, be sure, that the Iranian response to the targeting of the consulate in Damascus is definitely coming against Israel,' he said, according to Reuters.
Extinction Rebellion's co-founder has avoided jail after plotting to fly drones near Heathrow in a bid to shut it down.

Roger Hallam and other eco-activists wanted to close the airport in September 2019 until plans for a third runway were reversed.

Hallam, 57, and co-defendant Larch Maxey, 51, who were 'instrumental' in planning the 'Heathrow Pause', said they had not intended to cause a public nuisance and the protest was 'merely a publicity exercise'.

This was rejected by the jury at their trial last year, who heard that the policing cost to the public was in excess of 1 million and that 1,600 officers' shifts had to be moved.

Roger Hallam and other eco-activists wanted to close the airport in September 2019

Hallam, Maxey and Lynch-White conspired with others on or before September 14 2019 to close the transport hub to air traffic. Roger Hallam (L), Mike Lynch-White (C) and Dr. Larch Maxey (R) pose for photographs outside Isleworth Crown Court

There was no intention to cause any crash or to harm or endanger lives of individuals. Pictured, Roger Hallam and Dr Larch Maxey of Just Stop Oil meet HS2 protesters

Hallam, 57, and Maxey, 51, were found guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance at Islington Crown Court in London in December.

They were both sentenced to two years in prison yesterday, suspended for 18 months.

A third activist, Michael Lynch-White, was handed 17 months, suspended for 18 months.

Valerie Milner-Brown, 71, of Islington, north London, was found not guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

A number of arrests were made during the protest in September 2019, but instead of hundreds of people attending to fly drones, the 'movement died where it was', James Curtis KC, prosecuting said.

Hallam, Maxey and Lynch-White conspired with others on or before September 14 2019 to close the transport hub to air traffic by the 'unlawful flying' of drones within Heathrow's flight restriction zone, the court heard.

Mr Curtis said the intention was 'not to close it for a day, but some documents say a week, two weeks' and he said there are documents which show the intention was to close Heathrow 'indefinitely until the Government would agree publicly to reverse a national policy permitting the third runway extension at Heathrow'.

There was no intention to cause any crash or to harm or endanger lives of individuals, but with the 'intention of causing inevitable chaos to the public', Mr Curtis said.

Hallam, representing himself, said the 'public nuisance was insignificant to non-existent in my case'

All three defendants will have to complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days. A member of climate change activist movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) poses for a photo

Mr Curtis said documents show the intention was to cause 'massive disruption to the public, to flights in and out of this country'.

Heathrow Airport and the police had to go to 'inordinate lengths to prepare for the worst', Mr Curtis said.

Hallam, representing himself, said the 'public nuisance was insignificant to non-existent in my case' and there was 'no evidence' he played a leadership role in this offence.

He added: 'The public nuisance was simply to create publicity for the criminality of creating a third runway.'

Michael Goold, defending Maxey, said the defendant was 'motivated by the sincere heartfelt concern, and justified concern, about the climate emergency'.

Raj Chada, defending Lynch-White, said: 'During the course of his work, he becomes aware of the dangers of the climate crisis.'

Judge Martin Edmunds KC said the plan was developed under the banner of Heathrow Pause and there was evidence Extinction Rebellion members chose not to become involved as they 'valued plans to be too extreme'.

He added that the small number of drones flown 'did not cause any disruption to flights'.

Hallam was told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, Maxey has to complete 300 hours and Lynch-White will have to complete 262 hours.

All three defendants will have to complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Before the sentencing, Maxey said: 'It's really striking, the injustice of this whole situation, those that have contributed least to this crisis are suffering most and soonest, and injustice when people like myself try and raise the alarm and then we are potentially threatened with prison.

'Prison is for violent and sexual offenders it is not for peaceful protesters, so we need to protect our democracy and protect the right to protest.'

Lynch-White said before the sentencing that he thought the incident was 'extremely unlikely to cause any disruption'.

He added: 'And it turns out it didn't cause any disruption.

'The reason for that is there was absolutely no threat to anybody.'
Dozens of police officers are being paid overtime every day to deal with the deluge of complaints sparked by Scotlands new hate crime law.

It is understood up to 40 police officers have been called in to do extra hours every day since Monday in a bid to wade through all the reports submitted.

Each officer is being paid time and a third, sparking fears the overtime costs could end up taking hundreds of thousands of pounds out of an already overstretched budget.

Around 3,600 reports were made in the first 48 hours of the law coming into force on Monday. It is expected that figure could now have almost doubled. There is also concern tomorrows Rangers v Celtic clash could lead to another spike in reports.

Officers say they must check every online complaint individually in case they contain covert messages from victims of domestic abuse or people trafficking.

Around 3,600 reports were made in the first 48 hours of the new hate crime law coming into force on Monday

Scottish Police Federation general secretary David Kennedy yesterday warned the control room was at breaking point before and this has just piled on the pressure.

He predicted the impact on officer workload and the forces budget due to increased overtime could last weeks or months.

Mr Kennedy said: Its been standard over the last few years for control rooms to struggle at times with the workload, but they are reverting now to overtime cover.

Its online complaints that are causing the biggest issue rather than calls. Because they are anonymous, they still have to be looked through with a fine-toothed comb.

He explained that officers need to check online reports for hidden messages that may be pleas for help. Some domestic abuse victims or those who have been trafficked can sometimes try to reach out through means that cant be traced back to them.

Mr Kennedy added: The hope is that once the public realise where the bar sits for a hate crime that it might change the number of people submitting inquiries, but you cant tell what the public is going to do. If someone thinks a crime has been committed and reports it online then officers have to look at it.

Tory MSP Russell Findlay last night blamed First Minister Humza Yousafs arrogance and refusal to listen to warnings. He added: It is utterly disgraceful if this results in preventing the police from being unable to fulfil their duties. It is believed many of the complaints received so far have targeted Harry Potter author JK Rowling and the First Minister himself.

Tomorrows Old Firm match at Ibrox is expected to generate a new flurry of complaints due to chants and shouts from fans.

Former Rangers and Scotland star Ally McCoist blasted the new law earlier this week and stated: I can guarantee you, next Sunday at Ibrox, I, along with 48,000, will be committing a breach of that hate Bill in the Rangers v Celtic game. It is madness.

Mr Findlay said: Humza Yousaf arrogantly refused to listen to anyone who warned that his hate crime law would put extreme pressure on police officers. The SNP, backed by Labour, still voted for this terrible legislation despite these practical concerns.

Mr Yousaf has urged people not to waste precious police time. He said: I am very concerned we have seen those complaints but I know the police are very adept at dealing with vexatious complaints. They do it every day and know how to treat them.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: While we have seen a substantial increase in the number of online reports being received since April 1, these have been managed within our contact centres and have not impacted frontline policing.
Civil servants will strike after being ordered to return to the office for just two days a week.

Staff at the Office for National Statistics have worked from home since the start of lockdown but want to keep the option of doing so full time.

It is believed to be the first time a walkout has been organised by civil servants over demands to return to the office. Ministers want Whitehall staff back at their desks at least 60 per cent of the time, or three days a week for full-time staff, amid fears that WFH has reduced productivity and increased waiting times for services.

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who as minister for government efficiency wandered empty offices and left notes on civil servants' desks saying he was sorry to have missed them when they worked from home  said last night that refusing to return to the office was 'shirking, not working'.

He told the Daily Mail: 'This just proves the point that working from home is idling from home.

Ministers want staff at Whitehall (pictured) back at their desks at least 60 per cent of the time, or three days a week for full-time staff

Civil servants will strike after being ordered to return to the office for just two days a week [Stock picture]

'They need to go back to work because we need to have proper statistics so that the Government can make informed decisions. Lots of ONS stats have been woefully inadequate, including their estimates of GDP and the number of EU nationals entitled to settled status, which was almost two million higher than they forecast.

'You would have thought that getting its figures wrong would be incentive enough to return to work.

'Going on strike over returning to the office simply proves that working from home is shirking rather than working.'

The ONS disputed Sir Jacobs statement on the number of EU nationals with settled status.

READ MORE: Civil servants want to work in the office just two days a week, survey reveals as ministers try to pressure Whitehall workers Advertisement

Nearly three quarters of Public and Commercial Services Union members (PCS) who voted backed industrial action in a poll. The turnout from members, however, was only 50 per cent  just meeting the legal threshold for a ballot.

The union said home and hybrid working has been successful since the start of the pandemic, adding that managers had reassured staff that these arrangements would remain in place.

The official statistics body has its headquarters in Newport, south Wales, with offices in London, Titchfield, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh. The ONS staff voted in protest at plans requiring them to be in the office for at least 40 per cent of the working week, with a turnout of half of the workforce.

A spokesman for the ONS said that its plans were 'in the best interests of the ONS and all our colleagues'.

But Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the PCS, accused the ONS of 'undermining' staff's goodwill.

She said: 'ONS bosses have seriously undermined the trust and goodwill of their staff by seeking to drive this policy through in such a heavy-handed way, heedless of the consequences.

'They now need to immediately pause implementation of the policy and talk to us about reaching a sensible resolution of this issue, which does not carelessly disadvantage staff.'

Staff at the Office for National Statistics have worked from home since the start of lockdown

The ONS, which collects and analyses data about the UK, is a government organisation but independent of ministers.

The proportion of people working from home increased dramatically when the Covid pandemic hit. But the Government has been pushing to see more civil servants coming into the office since the final Covid restrictions were lifted.

Earlier this year Cabinet Office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said there were 'clear benefits from face-to-face, workplace-based collaborative working'. Last year Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the office should be the 'default' location for workers and expressed the concern about a 'loss of creativity' if remote working practices were made permanent.

Current civil service guidance says most civil servants should spend at least 60 per cent of their time in the office.

Last November the ONS announced that, from early 2024, its workers would have to spend a minimum of 20 per cent of working hours in the workplace, rising to 40 per cent from April.

The PCS union said this would mean 'considerable disruption, especially for staff with childcare and other caring arrangements' and accused the ONS of refusing union requests to consider 'a more gradual and flexible transition'.

In the ballot, which ended this week, 73 per cent voted in favour of strike action and 84 per cent supported action short of a strike. Six hundred members took part in the vote  half of those who were balloted.

The ONS said: 'There are robust plans in place across the organisation to mitigate against disruption and maintain essential services should any industrial action take place.'

A spokesman added that the organisation has had a hybrid working model for several years, in line with the wider civil service.

He said : 'Face-to-face interaction supports collaboration and fosters learning and innovation, while some tasks can be done as effectively or even more effectively at home. We are applying this flexibly to help balance business and personal needs and have offered all colleagues extensive support.'
Britain's largest teaching union has declared war on ministers' new transgender guidance for schools.

The National Education Union (NEU) passed a motion vowing to 'campaign and lobby the Government' to scrap the guidance.

Activists said they had taught pupils who had transitioned at age eight, and no one 'had any issue with it'.

In particular, the union opposes the part which says parents should almost always be told if a child wants to socially transition to the opposite gender at school.

It said this is akin to 'compulsory "outing" of students to parents/carers'.

The National Education Union (NEU) passed a motion vowing to 'campaign and lobby the Government' to scrap the guidance

Activists said they had taught pupils who had transitioned at age eight, and no one 'had any issue with it'

And it also opposes a guideline which states schools can decline a request to change a child's pronouns.

During a debate on the motion, Midge Lowe, a teacher from Doncaster, said the guidance was 'regressive trash'.

They added: 'Refusing to allow a cautious, but early transition is harmful.'

Kathryn Barton, a teacher from Birmingham, said: 'I have taught a pupil who had transitioned in the summer holidays between year two and year three.

'Not a single pupil in the community had any issue with it or were affected with it in any way. They very easily changed his pronouns that they used to referred to him.'

She said the guidance was 'absurd' and would cause problems for such children in future.

The Government's long-awaited draft guidance for gender-questioning children was published in December.

It was issued in response to schools' complaints that they often had no idea how to respond to requests by children to change gender.

In particular, the union opposes the part which says parents should almost always be told if a child wants to socially transition to the opposite gender at school

It said this is akin to 'compulsory "outing" of students to parents/carers'. And it also opposes a guideline which states schools can decline a request to change a child's pronouns

Many schools said they were bound by equality laws to facilitate changes, but the guidance says this is not the case.

However, yesterday's declaration by the NEU suggests ordinary teachers will be encouraged by union reps to disregard the guidance.

A Department for Education spokesman said: 'We're clear about the importance of biological sex and the role parents must play.'
Two years of rail strikes have cost the hospitality industry more than 5 billion, figures show, as travellers face more chaos this weekend.

The latest round of industrial action, which began yesterday, will see the ailing industry lose out on almost 400 million, hospitality groups said last night.

It comes as rail passengers across Britain face four days of travel chaos amid a 22-month long pay dispute over drivers pay and conditions.

Members of the militant rail union Aslef, working for six companies, walk out today, leaving some areas with no services.

Members of the militant rail union Aslef, working for six companies, walk out today, leaving some areas with no services

The latest round of industrial action, which began yesterday, will see the ailing industry lose out on almost 400 million, hospitality groups said last night

Chiltern, TransPennine Express and Northern will not run any trains, while there will be reduced services on Great Western Railway, LNER and Heathrow Express.

It follows walkouts at Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and London NorthWestern yesterday, which crippled services across the country.

More train operators will be hit by a strike on Monday. A ban on overtime today, on Monday and on Tuesday will cause further disruption.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the union was on strike over bad faith train operators who refuse to negotiate because of political dogma.

But hospitality industry bodies urged Mr Whelan to consider the wider implications as they said that the latest strikes are estimated to cost the industry 387 million.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the union was on strike over bad faith train operators who refuse to negotiate because of political dogma

But hospitality industry bodies urged Mr Whelan to consider the wider implications as they said that the latest strikes are estimated to cost the industry 387 million

More train operators will be hit by a strike on Monday. A ban on overtime today, on Monday and on Tuesday will cause further disruption

READ MORE: Train strikes 2024: Full list of April dates when walkouts will affect national rail services and the lines that are running

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UK Hospitality said strikes in 2024 have cost businesses almost 750 million, with the impact since 2022 now totalling 5 billion.

The sector was already struggling to recover post-Covid, with the cost-of-living crisis seeing pubs in parts of the country closing at record rates.

Kate Nicholls, of UK Hospitality, said: Hospitality continues to suffer as collateral damage in this dispute and its putting at risk the many ways it serves Britain  offering great experiences, employing millions of people and putting billions of pounds into the economy.

Michael Kill, of the Night Time Industries Association, said: Industrial action is taking its toll and has added to the challenges faced by the sector.

Aslef says it wants to meet train companies and ministers to break the deadlock, claiming the Government does not want to resolve the row.

But last night a government source dismissed Mr Whelans claim and said there is an offer for Aslef that would see train drivers paid 65,000 per year for a 35-hour, four-day week.

The source added: Aslefs continued strike action leaves them isolated among rail unions, given we have resolved the national disputes with all other rail unions.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer on the table.
Britain has been locked in talks over the future of Gibraltar since it left the EU

A top EU commissioner has been accused of 'grandstanding' by the former head of Britain's Royal Navy after he said that 'Gibraltar is Spanish'.

Margaritis Schinas, a vice-president of the European Commission, made the comments at a breakfast briefing yesterday in Seville which have already been rebuked as 'incomprehensible' by Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares.

Now, Admiral Lord Alan West has also blasted Mr Schinas, claiming that he is using the ongoing critical talks between Britain and Spain to 'grandstand'.

He said: 'The status of Gibraltar is not up for debate. The people of Gibraltar have made it very clear that they wish to remain in their current state which is as a satellite of the United Kingdom.'

He added that it is best to discuss your views during a meeting rather than 'make statements that are clearly grandstanding.'

Admiral Lord Alan West has also blasted Mr Schinas, claiming that he is using the ongoing critical talks between Britain and Spain to 'grandstand'

Margaritis Schinas, a vice-president of the European Commission, made the comments at a breakfast briefing yesterday in Seville

Spain has demanded jurisdiction over Gibraltar airport (pictured, file photo) as part of a post-Brexit border settlement, angering locals who say they face a 'catastrophe'

Lord West continued: 'There is no doubt that Brexit negotiations and the fact that we left Europe have left a number of thigs to be resolved, but I think that it is in the interest of Spain and Gibraltar and all of us for it to be resolved without any ranker or any difficulty.

'There is no doubt that that southern part of Spain depends very heavily for their wealth on people going and working in Gibraltar. A huge number go in and out every day so I think it is rather unfortunate he is making an issue of this.

'There needs to be some sensible negotiations moving ahead. I mean, there are issues to do with the airfield and the and that sort of thing which all have to be resolved. And it's in the interest of everyone that that's resolved. Sensibly and with as little fuss as possible.'

Mr Schinas' remarks have already been rebuked by Spain's foreign minister after he joked that 'Gibraltar was Spanish', amid ongoing talks with Britain over the future of the territory.

Jose Manuel Albares called the remarks by Margaritis Schinas 'very unfortunate and incomprehensible'.

During the meeting Schinas said in response to questions about the future of Gibraltar: 'I can more comfortably say 'Gibraltar Espanol' after Brexit.'

Britain has been locked in talks over the status of the overseas territory - which has a land border with Spain - since Britain left the EU.

Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister called the remarks 'very unfortunate and incomprehensible', as he released a joint statement with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president who is leading the Gibraltar talks, criticising Schinas's words

A view from the top of the rock of Gibraltar, with the airport and Spanish border below (left)

However recently discussions have stalled because Spain has insisted that the UK cede jurisdiction over Gibraltar's airport, which is on an RAF base, for an agreement to be reached.

There are also tensions over the role of Spanish police.

'We have reached a formula which would mean Frontex (the EU border agency) would manage the border on behalf of the EU, overseen by Spanish officials,' Vice-Admiral Sir David Steel, the governor of Gibraltar said.

'What does 'overseen' look like? We must ensure that it doesn't stretch into sovereignty that it does not exceed what we can accept in terms of jurisdiction and control.'

On the other side, Spain has accused Britain of 'quibbling' over small details, saying the UK's approach has been 'penny-wise and pound-foolish'.

Albares and Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president who is leading the Gibraltar talks, responded by issuing a joint statement criticising Schinas's words.

They said: 'The negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom regarding Gibraltar are progressing as planned.'

Speaking on Spain's state broadcaster RTVE on Thursday night, Albares said: 'I have spoken with Commissioner Schinas regarding those statements he made, which seem very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me because Commissioner Schinas is not at all involved in the dossier of the withdrawal agreement concerning Gibraltar'.

He added Schinas's had 'told me that it was not his intention, that he regretted it, that, well, he did not have all the information and, basically, he apologised for it.'

Lord Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, is expected to meet Albares and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, in Brussels next week to continue the talks.

In theory, Gibraltar - home to more than 32,000 people - is currently outside the EU's customs union and not under free movement rules.

However, Madrid has granted a temporary exemption for workers and tourists to avoid disruption on the narrow peninsula that jets off Spain's southern coast - leaving the overseas territory in a state of limbo since Brexit.

The temporary agreement could be rescinded by Spain at any time, and so the negotiations are working towards agreeing common travel between Gibraltar and the EU's Schengen zone, which would remove most border controls.
A rabbi has agreed to return 2.35million to two Jewish charities after holding the funds in personal accounts for years.

Barry Marcus, 74, a pioneer of Holocaust education, has given back the money following an 18-month investigation by the National Crime Agency.

The former senior rabbi at London's Central Synagogue had been entrusted with large sums of cash by two charities that support educational projects in orthodox Jewish communities.

But inquiries showed he transferred funds to other accounts in Britain and overseas.

Marcus, who was made an MBE in 2015 for his work overseeing educational trips to Auschwitz, was given a parliamentary reception by Michael Gove when he retired in 2018, with the Levelling Up Secretary calling him a 'truly wonderful man'.

Barry Marcus, 74, was made an MBE in 2015 for his work overseeing educational trips to Auschwitz

Marcus developed the concept of a one-day educational visit to Auschwitz alongside the Holocaust Educational Trust. Marcus pictured with King Charles

The NCA began an investigation in October 2022 after Marcus received more than 1million during the previous nine months that had been intended for the Dailad and Schwarzschild Foundation charities  both of which are under investigation by the Charities Commission.

The agency obtained freezing orders for four UK accounts totalling almost 1.2 million between November 2022 and March last year. Marcus maintained he had distributed a substantial amount of money to the charities but was unable to provide proper documentation to support this, the NCA said. On January 31 he formally agreed to hand 2.35 million to the charities, with Westminster Magistrates' Court varying the freezing orders in March to allow the funds to be returned.

Marcus developed the concept of a one-day educational visit to Auschwitz alongside the Holocaust Educational Trust, which has since taken tens of thousands of schoolchildren to the concentration camp.

He is a former trustee of the Schwarzschild Foundation, which was established to distribute the 5 million estate of Helga Schwarzschild  who fled Nazi Germany for Britain in the 1930s  but resigned last March.

Upon his retirement, Marcus was given a 275,000 testimonial sum and a rent-free flat in Highgate, north London, by the Devonshire Street Charitable Foundation

The regulator's inquiry into the charity, opened last June, is examining potential conflicts of interest and 'whether there has been any unauthorised trustee benefit', as well as its distribution of funds and potential misconduct.

The inquiry into Dalaid, which started on the same date, is examining whether funds have been expended solely for charity use and whether there has been mismanagement by those in control.

Upon his retirement, Marcus was given a 275,000 testimonial sum and a rent-free flat in Highgate, north London, by the Devonshire Street Charitable Foundation, which provides assistance to former Central Synagogue rabbis.

His solicitor, David Sonn, said his client co-operated with the NCA from the outset.
Where were you during the Great Snowflake Quake?

11.02 am and my iPhone started hurriedly vibrating, emitting a deeply offensive screech, the word 'EMERGENCY' shouting in bold typeface.

Apparently, there'd been an earthquake in the tri-state area (magnitude 4.8).

'REMAIN INDOORS,' the alert implored, nearly 40 minutes after the tremor actually struck.

It's worth noting magnitudes are not even considered 'moderate' until they reach around 5.3. But no matter  wipe away that hangover, pull on your panic boots, the weekend can wait.

Deaths or injuries: zero. Serious damage to property: none. Hysterical frenzy: MAXIMUM.

Scramble the fighter jets, hold the front page, President Biden had been 'briefed' of the incident, we learned.

Then came the cable news calamity.

11.02 am and my iPhone started hurriedly vibrating, emitting a deeply offensive screech, the word 'EMERGENCY' shouting in bold typeface. Apparently, there'd been an earthquake in the tri-state area (magnitude 4.8).

Fox News's weather girl informed us in her best crisis voice that this rumble was the biggest the East coast had seen since 1884. 'So, before any of us were really alive to feel that,' she said, sounding uncertain.

Cut to DIY footage from a Richard Snyder of Pennsylvania yelping 'Holy f***, Holy f***' as his house seemed to, well, not move at all.

On CNN, reporter Andrew Kaczynski was phoning in to describe the 'crazy' happenings. 'I thought I was going nuts,' he said. 'A mirror was shaking, you know.'

No, Andrew, we don't  tell us more!

Channeling her inner President Zelensky, Governor Kathy Hochul put on war fatigues to hold the first presser.

'We are taking this extremely seriously,' she said. 'There is always the possibility of aftershocks!'

Oh Kathy, please, I can't bear it. Tell us if Taylor Swift survived!

My email pinged. It was my mom, who lives in London, checking to see I was OK, to which I said thank you, because not many people have asked if I'm OK.

Oh no, wait. That was Meghan Markle in that Tom Bradby interview.

Meanwhile, trains were halted in Philadelphia, almost 100 miles from the epicenter. Flights were grounded for hours at NYC's international airports. But where-oh-where was Mayor Eric Adams?

He was hard to pick out among the panoply of City Hall bods, forced out of their pajamas for the second press conference.

I counted at least 17 of them, including, of course, the head of the sanitation department.

Adams reminded a city that survived 9/11 that 'we are ready for the unexpected', but should you feel any further shocks, 'drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, take cover'  to which I felt shocked and dropped to the floor.

Schools Chancellor David Banks reassured parents that they could stay at the bar and need not 'pick up their children early', thanks to the 'professionalism [of teaching staff] in the face of an emergency'.

And Buildings Commissioner James Oddo's motto was 'if you see something, say something.'

Eric Adams reminded a city that survived 9/11 that 'we are ready for the unexpected', but should you feel any further shocks, 'drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, take cover.' To which I felt shocked and dropped to the floor.

Must I waddle to the salad bar across the road with my hands over my head, I wondered. Is a tsunami barreling towards lower Manhattan? And please, will someone tell me if Taylor Swift is safe?!

Now, in all seriousness, my point is: that this minor belly grumble became a major international kerfuffle is really rather mortifying.

Quake-hardened Asian nations must be looking on and laughing.

Here at home, at least 16 US states endure earthquakes semi-regularly  including California, where, in 2022, there were almost 40,000, of which 14 were 'significant', meaning magnitudes of 6.0 and above.

Tremors of that size are concerning. They can cause considerable damage to buildings that have underlying instability, which is not only costly but also potentially ruinous in terms of human injury.

Magnitudes of around 4.0, meanwhile, are akin to a large truck passing by.

In Taiwan, there have been some 2,000 earthquakes with a 4.0 magnitude in the last four decades. In Japan, there are 1,500 every year.

I have to say, as a Brit living in Manhattan, I've been surprised by New Yorkers' thin skins.

Perhaps naively, I assumed their attitude to life's curveballs would be similar to that of Londoners: keep calm and carry on.

After all, this is a city where rats rule the subway, blocks are lined in trash and the sight of a drug-fueled brawl is less daunting than trying to bag a dinner reservation on a Saturday.

Channeling her inner President Zelensky, Governor Kathy Hochul put on war fatigues to hold the first presser. 'We are taking this extremely seriously,' she said. 'There is always the possibilities of aftershocks!' Oh Kathy, please, I can't bear it. Tell us if Taylor Swift survived!

This morning, I boarded the F train (F for foul smell) to find a comatose man surrounded by a pool of vomit.

I chose to move to the next car, but noticed several others had no problem sitting beside this poor chap, blissfully reading their newspapers.

In 2022, twenty New Yorkers contracted the rat-related disease leptospirosis  which can spark kidney failure and, in some cases, death.

Toxic pollution causes more than 3,000 fatalities and 2,000 hospital admissions in the city every year.

Midtown hotels are now overrun by migrants shipped North to share the burden with the overwhelmed Southern border. Crime is rampant. Public sanitation is rock bottom.

Perhaps there should be a department for that? And perhaps Mayor Adams's squat team of silly men would do better to address these real problems and, when it comes to a little shudder, make like Taylor Swift and shake it off.
The FBI is investigating whether New York City Mayor Eric Adams received free flight upgrades on Turkish Airlines.

Federal authorities are looking into whether he was elevated to the most expensive seats available on international flights as part of a wider corruption probe, The New York Times reported.

Adams has praised the Turkish national carrier in the past, and now his campaign is being scrutinized for his links to the government in Ankara.

Prosecutors are said to be looking into whether the Turkish government conspired with Adams' staff to bring money into the campaign.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is the subject of an FBI probe over free upgrades he received on Turkish Airlines flights, it was reported Friday

A business class cabin on a Turkish Airlines plane is pictured. Adams is facing a corruption probe over upgrades he received on the airline

There are also allegations Adams pressured the New York City fire department to sign off on Turkey's high-rise consulate in Manhattan, even though there were safety concerns.

The investigation has already led to a FBI raid on the home of Adams' chief fund-rasier Brianna Suggs and former airline executive Cenk Ocal.

But this is believed to be the first time Adams' conduct is being scrutinized.

Brendan R. McGuire, who represented the mayor and his campaign in 2021, insisted there was nothing wrong with Adams getting the upgrades and they were always disclosed.

Adams' aide Brianna Suggs, pictured, has already had her home raided by Bureau agents

Former Turkish Airlines executive Cenk Ocal has also found himself under FBI investigation

'As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade,' McGuire said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

'Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a just and timely conclusion to this investigation.'

In November, Adams had electronic devices including his phone and iPad seized as part of the investigation. They were returned a couple of days later.

It then became headline news and plunged his administration into controversy.

He has not been charged with a crime and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Turkish Airlines is half-owned by the government's sovereign wealth fund.

In November, Adams admitted he helped the Turkish consulate get approval to open as he said it's what politicians 'do every day.'

'When the constituency reaches out to us for assistance to another agency... you reach out to an agency and ask them to look into the matter,' Adams said.

He went on to say that the only person he spoke to in the FDNY in 2021 was former fire department commissioner Daniel Nigro.

The comments came as Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg said: 'There has been no indication that I've see that the mayor is a target' of the public corruption probe aimed at his 2021 campaign and the Turkish government.
New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their hijabs for police mugshots.

Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz filed the class-action lawsuit in 2018 claiming they felt shamed and exposed and liked their treatment to be strip-searched.

'When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked. I'm not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt,' Clark said.

'I'm so proud today to have played a part in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers.'

Clark was arrested at Manhattan Family Court on January 9, 2017, for allegedly violating a bogus protective order filed by her abusive former husband.

Jamilla Clark (pictured) and Arwa Aziz filed the class-action lawsuit in 2018 claiming they felt shamed and exposed and liked their treatment to be strip-searched

The complaint alleged the husband 'fabricated these charges to secure immigration status as a purported victim of domestic violence'.

Clark was arrested a different time on the same trumped-up charges, but they were dismissed.

The lawsuit said officers at Police Headquarters at One Police Plaza threatened to prosecute Clark, who was sobbing after they ignored her pleas, if she did not remove her head covering.

She claimed a police supervisor 'made numerous hostile comments about Muslims' after she refused to remove the hijab.

'Male officers touched Ms Clark repeatedly, even though she explained that such contact violated her religion, and denied her a place to wash for prayer and a place to pray,' the lawsuit read.

They agreed to let a female officer take the mugshot, but male officers watched on a security camera and five of them were showed the photo afterwards.

The lawsuit claimed Clark was so 'agitated and distraught by the coerced removal of her hijab' occurring while in custody that she was too afraid to wear one in public for the next month.

Clark said she was 'haunted' by the photo existing on the NYPD database and being repeatedly viewed by male strangers.

Clark (pictured around the time of her arrest in January 2017) said she was 'haunted' by the photo existing on the NYPD database and being repeatedly viewed by male strangers

Aziz was arrested arrested after she handed herself in to police in Brooklyn on August 30, 2017, after being accused of breaching a bogus protective order filed by her sister-in-law.

The allegedly abusive sister-in-law repeatedly asked police to arrest Aziz and she finally submitted herself to arrest to refute the charges.

Officers refused to allow her to slightly putt back the hijab to show her hairline, and 'crying hysterically' she pulled it back around her neck.

The lawsuit said she felt broken when her picture was taken where a dozen male police officers and more than 30 male inmates could see her.

'Some of the male prisoners lining the hallway, respectful of Ms Aziz's distress, thurned their backs in and effort afford her some privacy. None of the police officers in the hallway gave Ms Aziz the same courtesy,' the lawsuit read.

Ms Aziz had been wearing the face covering every day for nearly seven years and 'it is part of her, she cannot describe herself without her hijab'.

The lawsuit claimed the experience 'severely traumatized Ms Aziz and caused her substantial and lasting emotional distress'.

Clark (pictured with her new husband in a more recent photo) claimed a police supervisor 'made numerous hostile comments about Muslims' after she refused to remove the hijab

City officials initially defended the practice of forcing people to remove head coverings for mug shots, saying the policy balanced respect for religious customs with 'the legitimate law enforcement need to take arrest photos'.

But the police department changed the policy in 2020 as part of an initial settlement of the lawsuit and said it would allow arrested people to keep their head coverings on for mug shots with limited exceptions such as if the head covering obscures the person's facial features.

The new policy extended to other religious headwear, including wigs and yarmulkes worn by Jews and turbans worn by Sikhs.

Police can temporarily remove head coverings to search for weapons or contraband, but in private settings by officers of the same gender.

The financial settlement was filed on Friday and requires approval by Judge Analisa Torres of Manhattan federal court.

City law department spokesperson Nick Paolucci said the settlement resulted in a positive reform for the police department and 'was in the best interest of all parties'.

'The agreement carefully balances the department's respect for firmly held religious beliefs with the important law enforcement need to take arrest photos,' he said.

Clark was arrested at Manhattan Family Court (pictured) on January 9, 2017

Andrew Wilson, who is representing the women along with the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, said: 'Forcing someone to remove their religious clothing is like a strip search.

'This substantial settlement recognizes the profound harm to the dignity of those who wear religious head coverings that comes from forced removal.'

Proceeds from the settlement will be shared equally among up to 4,100 eligible class members who respond by a deadline set by the judge.

There was a guaranteed minimum payment of $7,824 for each eligible person, which could be up to $13,125. The payout will be about $13.1 million after legal fees.

People forced to remove head coverings between March 16, 2014 and August 23, 2021 are eligible for the settlement.
An Iranian journalist who was stabbed outside his London home last week returned to work on Friday saying the 'show must go on'.

Pouria Zeraati was knifed in the leg by a group of three unknown assailants as he approached his car in Wimbledon on March 29.

The journalist, who works for London-based dissident broadcaster Iran International, has spoken publicly for the first time since the attack and described the stabbing as a 'warning shot'.

Mr Zeraati told ITV News: 'The fact that they just stopped in my leg was their choice to do that.

Pouria Zeraati pictured in hospital after he was knifed in the leg by a group of three unknown assailants as he approached his car in Wimbledon on March 29

The journalist, who works for London-based dissident broadcaster Iran International, has spoken publicly for the first time since the attack and described the stabbing as a 'warning shot'

'They had the opportunity to kill me because the way the second person was holding me and the first person took the knife out, they had the opportunity to stop anywhere they wanted.'

He added: 'Whatever the motive was, the show must go on.'

The Metropolitan Police has said no arrests have yet been made, but it is confident suspects 'do not present a risk to communities of London or the UK' as detectives believe the three suspects have fled the country via Heathrow Airport within hours of the stabbing.

Mr Zeraati's wife Oldouz Rezvani, 37, was inside their home when her husband was knifed on the street outside on his way to work

Recalling the attack, Mr Zeraati said he was 'approached by a man, who pretended to be actually someone asking for 3 cash'.

He added: 'They held me strong, very firmly. The first person stabbed me in my leg.

'And those three, four seconds are moments I'll never forget in my life because the moment I saw the knife in his hand until he stabbed me in my leg, all I was thinking was where he was going to hit, you know, is it going to cut my throat.

'My heart is he's going to kill me. And then straight after stabbing in, they just started running away.'

Police were called to an address in Wimbledon at 2.49pm on March 29 after reports of a man in his 30s being attacked and sustaining a leg injury.

Iran International spokesman Adam Baillie said Tehran's revolutionary guards have been targeting Iran International.

The Persian-language dissident channel aims to provide independent coverage of Iran, but the Tehran regime has declared it a terrorist organisation.

Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, said 'we deny any link' to the incident.
A flat that was transformed into a fantasy world by its artistic tenant has been given Grade II listing after volunteers stepped in to save it.

Ron Gittins created the unique works over 30 years in a semi-detached house in Oxton, Wirral, after taking inspiration from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt.

Now, Mr Gittins' work has become the first example of Outsider Art - a term used for work done by those without conventional training - to be granted Grade II listing by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), following the advice of Historic England.

The ground-floor interior showcases fireplaces in the shape of a lion and a minotaur, a crafted Roman altar in the kitchen and painted Egyptian, Greek and marine murals floor to ceiling.

Mr Gittins only allowed a handful of people inside the home, but when his niece Jan Williams visited following his death in 2019 she dedicated herself to saving the flat, known as Ron's Place.

Ron Gittins' work has become the first example of Outsider Art - a term used for work done by those without conventional training - to be granted Grade II listing by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Pictured the lion fireplace

The ground-floor interior showcases fireplaces in the shape of a lion and a minotaur, crafted a Roman altar in the kitchen and painted Egyptian, Greek and marine murals floor to ceiling. Pictured the minotaur fireplace

Ron Gittins created the unique works over 30 years in the semi-detached house in Oxton, Wirral, taking inspiration from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt

Mr Gittins only allowed a handful of people inside the home, but when his niece Jan Williams visited following his death in 2019 she dedicated herself to saving the flat, known as Ron's Place

The front of Ron's Place. Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, among those who have supported efforts to save the flat, said: 'A small number of people on this planet have known for a while that Ron's Place is a very special place - but from now on it is official'

She said: 'He had created his own fantasy world in a rented flat. You hear of people whose landlords won't return the deposits because they've left a blu-tac mark on the wall and he had created a whole minotaur fireplace!'

Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, among those who have supported efforts to save the flat, said: 'A small number of people on this planet have known for a while that Ron's Place is a very special place - but from now on it is official: Ron's Place has been given listed status!

'The work of one unique gentleman in the north of England has been recognised nationally. Globally even. Hallelujah!'

Ms Williams said originally she and fellow volunteers applied to have the property listed to 'ward off evil' and put developers off buying the building.

But, a donation last year meant the group, as Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust, was able to buy the home at auction and now hope to use it to inspire other artists.

His niece, Jan Williams said originally she and fellow volunteers applied to have the property listed to 'ward off evil' and put developers off buying the building

A donation last year meant the group, as Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust, was able to buy the home at auction and now hope to use it to inspire other artists

Ms Williams, who is also an artist and runs the Caravan Gallery, said: 'We have always had the idea of a holistic house of art'

Ms Williams, who is also an artist and runs the Caravan Gallery, said: 'We have always had the idea of a holistic house of art. I'm sure that's what Ron would have wanted, and having the listing gives us a lot more credibility.'

She said she believed her uncle, who died aged 79, would be 'over the moon' to know his work had been listed.

She added: 'He was really proud of it. It's sad because when I was going through his stuff I found a postcard he'd written to me saying 'I can't wait to show you what I've done'.

'He'd written the wrong address so it was returned to him and I never saw it but that kind of validates me and I think he'd be made up at the lengths we've gone to.'

Volunteer Alison Bailey-Smith said it had been a struggle at first to convince people the property should be listed.

Ms Williams said she believed her uncle, who died aged 79, would be 'over the moon' to know his work had been listed

Sarah Charlesworth, listing team leader north at Historic England, said: 'Ron's Place is a testament to the unique artistic achievements and vision of Ron Gittins over four decades'

She said: 'Normally a listing might happen for a building of historic or architectural significance but this is to do with an artist, an artist who has allowed his creativity to take over the building from floor to ceiling.

'There isn't anything like it in the UK as far as we know and there's certainly not another one that's listed so we're absolutely delighted.'

Sarah Charlesworth, listing team leader north at Historic England, said: 'Ron's Place is a testament to the unique artistic achievements and vision of Ron Gittins over four decades.

'The extent to which Ron's creations have inspired action from people in the local area to raise funds to purchase the building and secure the survival of his legacy demonstrates the value of this remarkable project and why it has earned its place on the National Heritage List for England.'
Over 23 million low-income households across America are set to be without internet due to federal subsidies coming to an end.

Biden established the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in 2021, which gave low-income families $30 a month to put toward their internet bill and $75 monthly to both indigenous tribes and those living where internet access is more expensive.

Many of these Americans have long relied on the program, which has allowed them to pay for health care bills  including one Illinois mother, who spoke with DailyMail.com and whose daughter struggles with cerebral palsy.

'I will do anything I have to do to keep the internet going,' that mother, Cindy Westman of Eureka, told DailyMail.com, 'because everything in life now is starting to move to the tech side of things, where it's dependent on internet access.'

The ACP launched with $14.2 billion on New Year's Eve of 2021, less than three years ago, and will run out of funding either this month or sometime in May, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Biden White House.

Westman said that since she enrolled in ACP she truly depends on the subsidy for her health care  adding she would sell 'anything that I own' to stay connected.

Over 23 million low-income households across America are set to be without internet, due to federal subsidies coming to an end. Above a map breaking down which states will be most impacted, if Congress does not past the bipartisan bill now sitting idle on Capitol Hill

The Biden White House's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), created by an act of Congress in 2021, will run out of funding either this month or sometime in May. One ACP enrollee, Cindy Westman, (right) who has been caring for her 12-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy and autism, said 'It's essential for me to keep the internet going'

Westman has been living with her own genetic and immune system disorders while also caring for her 12-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy and autism, she explained.

'When you have low income and you are living on disability and your daughter's disabled,' Westman told KFF Health News, 'every dollar counts.'

Westman told DailyMail.com that she's continuing to speak on the need to renew funding of ACP because she knows of many other Americans who are worse off.

'I know a lot of people out there are working with less money per month than I am,' she said Friday in a telephone interview.

Westman explained that she uses the extra $30 to buy a week's worth of gas for travelling to her daughter's medical appointments 30 minutes away in Peoria, as well as her own physical therapy appointments and other errands.

The internet connection itself has also allowed her to get easy access to medical records online, she noted, and to switch to telehealth appointments when the timing of that hour-long drive to Peoria doesn't work with her schedule.

Since this January, a bipartisan bill that would reload the program by $7 billion has languished for months on Capitol Hill without a floor vote.

The legislation, which has 216 co-sponsors in the House, including 21 Republicans, and three in the Senate, was spearheaded by Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, and Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican.

Outside Selma, Alabama, one program enrollee, Leon Hudson, had previously struggled to persuade internet service providers to lay broadband in his community. Above, Dave Wallace, owner of Silica Broadband, digs a route to pass fiber cables under Louisville, Kentucky, in 2021

Prior to the program, Leon Hudson in Alabama said he had no choice but to try a $200-per-month satellite internet service, HughesNet, that turned out to be slow, unreliable, and expensive. Above US Census data on counties in the continental US without broadband

Program enrollee Cindy Westman of Eureka, Illinois said the internet subsidy has allowed her to easily access medical records online and switch to telehealth appointments when the her ordinary hour-long drive to appointments won't work. Above, Silica Broadband's Dave Wallace

'There are really no good options in a world in which Congress leaves us without any funding,' one senior Biden administration official told CNN.

'So we want to work as hard as possible to make sure we avoid that possibility.'

This Tuesday, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to consider the social impact of letting the ACP sunset.

'It is worth noting that they will have special impact on certain vulnerable populations, including senior citizens,' Rosenworcel wrote. 'We know that nearly half of ACP households are led by someone over the age of 50.'

In the rural outskirts of Selma, Alabama, for example, 50-year-old ACP enrollee Leon Hudson had previously struggled to even get a petition signed with high enough numbers to persuade internet service providers to lay broadband in his community.

Tuesday, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel urged Congress to consider the social impact of letting ACP sunset: 'They will have special impact on certain vulnerable populations, including senior citizens [...] Nearly half of ACP households are led by someone over the age of 50'

Above, 2023 data on which US states have the fastest and slowest internet

Prior to the program, he had no choice but to try a $200-per-month satellite internet service, HughesNet, that turned out to be slow, unreliable, and expensive, he said.

Hudson has come to depend on the ACP which got him an Xfinity mobile internet deal that has proved crucial in getting his online business off the ground.

With the program likely ending, as he explained his situation to Capital B news, 'I have no choice but to figure it out.'

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Blair Levin, an analyst at the market research firm New Street Research, told CNN that the $7 billion re-up bill, called the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, would likely pass quickly if Republican House Majority Leader Mike Johnson would allow Congress to put it to vote.

'So far, he has not said anything about it,' Levin said, 'but it appears he will not allow the House to vote on the legislation.'

'He has not, to my knowledge, said anything substantive about the legislation or the program,' Levin noted.

Westman, the mother and ACP enrollee in Illinois, attributed this political gamesmanship to partisan gridlock holding back this badly needed new funding for the program.

'It's an election year,' Westman told DailyMail.com via phone.

'We are spending money on every last thing that we don't need to be spending on right now,' she continued, 'when there should be funding for more important things like the American people and helping them survive through the economic struggles that are currently all over the United States.'

The 23 million households that benefit from the program are comprised of approximately 59 million low-income US citizens and taxpayers, including veterans, students, and the elderly.

In addition to the monthly internet service discount, the ACP offers a one-time subsidy of $100 for eligible low-income households in need of a laptop, desktop computer or tablet.

In 2021, the program had been instituted to replace the Emergency Broadband Benefit, which had previously given households a $50 discount - $20 more than eligible ACP applicants have received each month.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit was also available to households with income at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or those who participate in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline.
If you've been freeloading off your friend's Disney Plus account, we've got some bad news for you.

From June, the streaming service will launch its first crackdown on password sharing, Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Mr Iger said that the company would soon be 'launching our first real foray into password sharing.'

Subscribers will be required to pay for additional members outside of their household, although Disney is yet to confirm how much this will cost.

This crackdown will begin in 'just a few countries' but will soon grow to a full rollout in September.

Disney Plus will begin its crackdown on password sharing from June, rolling out more widely in September later this year

How much does Disney Plus cost? Standard with ads Monthly: 4.99 in the UK ($7.99 in the US) Standard without ads (not available in US) Monthly: 7.99

Annually: 79.99 Premium Monthly: 10.99 in the UK ($13.99 in the US)

Annually: 109.90 in the UK ($139.99 in the US) Advertisement

Disney Plus' terms of service state that a subscription can only be used within a 'household', which refers to all the people living at the primary residence.

In reality, passwords are frequently shared among friends and family well beyond Disney's definition of a household.

Disney previously suggested a crackdown was imminent in February when subscribers were sent an email letting them know that the terms of service were changing to make password sharing harder.

Speaking on an earnings call at the time, Disney's chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said: 'Later this calendar year, account holders who want to allow access to individuals from outside their household will be able to add them to their accounts for an additional fee.'

However, it remains unclear how much this additional fee will, or how Disney will monitor whether a user is from the primary household or not.

MailOnline has contacted Disney for further clarification on how the password sharing crackdown will be enforced.

Disney's announcement follows Netflix's crackdown on password sharing, which began in 2023.

Disney CEO Bob Iger (pictured) confirmed the dates from which subscribers will need to pay to add members from outside their household

Netflix rolled out paid sharing which gives users the option to buy 'extra member slots' for 4.99 a month.

And, while the crackdown might have been inconvenient for many, the change helped Netflix add 13 million new subscribers by the end of 2023.

Mr Iger has previously promised that Disney's streaming service will turn a profit by the end of this year, and stopping password sharing could be a big step towards this goal.

In the interview, Mr Iger also expressed great admiration for how Netflix was managed, saying: 'Netflix is the gold standard in streaming, they've done a phenomenal job in a lot of different directions.'

Disney Plus has been boosted by big hits like The Bear (pictured) but has faced big losses due to its significant investments in new content. Disney may be hoping that stopping password sharing will help it turn a profit

This isn't the first time Disney emulated one of Netflix's innovations.

In November last year, Disney Plus followed Netflix in introducing pricing 'tiers' with different levels of subscription.

Disney Plus introduced a 'Standard' tier which offers a lower price for the inclusion of adverts as well as an ad-free 'Premium' subscription at more than twice the price.

Subscribers in the UK can also access a slightly more expensive ad-free standard tier which doesn't offer the ultra-HD quality of the premium tier.

In the US, Disney Plus offers bundled subscriptions which include access to Hulu and ESPN sports.

Customers can choose between a combination of subscriptions with or without adverts for all three of the streaming services.
The White House revealed it is looking into reports the Israeli army has been using an AI system to populate its 'kill list' of alleged Hamas terrorists, hours after President Joe Biden's call with Benjamin Netanyahu.

The report cited six Israeli intelligence officers, who admitted to using an AI called 'Lavender' to classify as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants  marking these people and their homes as acceptable targets for air strikes.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told CNN on Thursday that the reports had not been verified, but they were investigating.

Israel has vehemently denied the AI's role with an army spokesperson describing the system as 'auxiliary tools that assist officers in the process of incrimination.'

However, during the call Biden reportedly threatened that he would condition the US' support for the attack in Gaza if the Israeli government didn't protect civilians and aid workers from offensive assaults.

Lavender was trained on data from Israeli intelligence's decades-long surveillance of Palestinian populations, using the digital footprints of known militants as a model for what signal to look for in the noise, according to the report.

The intel sources noted that human officers scanned each AI-chosen target for about '20 seconds' before giving their 'stamp' of approval, despite an internal study that had determined Lavender AI misidentified people 10 percent of the time.

Israel quietly delegated the identification of Hamas terrorists, Palestinian civilians and aide workers to an artificial intelligence, 'Lavender,' a new report revealed. But Israeli intelligence sources, the report said, knew Lavender made errors in at least 10-percent of its militant IDs

Lavender's decisions, they said, were used to plan nighttime air strikes on homes where alleged combatants and their families slept, with guidelines authorizing 15-to-20 bystander deaths as 'collateral damage' per each low-level militant target.

Estimates from inside Gaza, corroborated by outside peer-reviewed medical analyses from Johns Hopkins and using independent satellite imagery, have tallied the Palestinian death toll at surpassing 30,000 lives, with Israeli intelligence sources personally attesting to thousands killed in these AI-selected air strikes.

Approval to let Lavender effectively draft the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) official kill lists began just two weeks into the war in October 2022, according to reporters with +972 magazine and Local Call, who collaborated on the investigative report.

The IDF, according their Israeli intel sources, issued guidelines on how many Palestinian civilians were allowed to be killed as surrounding 'collateral damage': up to 100 bystanders in the case of an alleged Hamas 'brigade commander.'

Lavender AI's software took information from Unit 8200, Israel's decades-long mass surveillance of Palestinians, including the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip, to score each on a scale of 1-to-100 on their likelihood to be a Hamas or PIJ militant.

The AI was trained on known militants, defining data similar to data on those militants as 'features' contributing to a high rating.

IDF denied that it used artificial intelligence systems to identify and target suspected extremists in a statement to Reuters.

'The IDF does not use an artificial intelligence system that identifies terrorist operatives or tries to predict whether a person is a terrorist.

'Information systems are merely tools for analysts in the target identification process,' the IDF said.

The IDF claimed it is using analysts to examine whether independent targets meet the criteria that aligns with Israeli guidelines and international law.

Actions like being in a WhatsApp group that included a documented Hamas militant were among the 'thousands' of criteria that added to a person's 1-to-100 score.

'At 5am, [the Israeli Air Force] would come and bomb all the houses that we had marked,' said one senior Israeli intelligence officer, only referred to as 'B.'

'We took out thousands of people. We didn't go through them one by one  we put everything into automated systems, and as soon as one of [the marked individuals] was at home, he immediately became a target. We bombed him and his house.'

The Lavender system is a tool used in collaboration with Israel's existing surveillance technologies used to target Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to Mona Shtaya, non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

Shtaya told The Verge that IDF startups intend to try to export the AI technology to other countries.

Above, a screen grab taken from an Israeli military video and released on February 29, showing Palestinians surround aid trucks in northern Gaza before Israeli troops fired on the crowd

Above, smoke from an Israeli strike on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4, 2024

'It was very surprising for me that we were asked to bomb a house to kill a ground soldier, whose importance in the fighting was so low,' another source said.

When it came to Lavender's AI-targeting of these Palestinians as alleged low-ranking militants, this source said that they 'nicknamed those targets 'garbage targets.''

'Still, I found them more ethical than the targets that we bombed just for 'deterrence,' high-rises that are evacuated and toppled just to cause destruction,' the unnamed source said.

One intel source personally attested that they had authorized the bombing of 'hundreds' private homes of these alleged junior Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members based on the Lavender AI's designations.

The expose, produced by a team of Israeli and Palestinian journalists, found that the Lavender AI classified as many as 37,000 Palestinians as suspected militants  marking people and their homes as targets for air strikes. Above, recent IDF damage to a humanitarian aid vehicle

Above World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid workers in Gaza. Melbourne, Australia-born Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom (left) was killed during an air strike on Gaza along with at least six other aid workers on Tuesday while delivering food and supplies to Palestinians

'We didn't know who the junior [Hamas or PIJ] operatives were,' another source said, 'because Israel didn't track them routinely [before the war].'

'They wanted to allow us to attack [the junior operatives] automatically.'

'That's the Holy Grail. Once you go automatic, target generation goes crazy.'

Phone-tracking data, the intelligence sources said, proved to be one notoriously unreliable metric treated as valid by Lavender's algorithm.

'In war, Palestinians change phones all the time,' one intelligence official said.

'People lose contact with their families, give their phone to a friend or a wife, maybe lose it. There is no way to rely 100 percent on the automatic mechanism that determines which [phone] number belongs to whom.'

Above, a presentations slide from a lecture by the commander of IDF Unit 8200's Data Science and AI center at Tel Aviv University in 2023, explaining in simple terms how Lavender AI works

Above, another presentation slide from the lecture by the commander of IDF Unit 8200's Data Science and AI center, explaining in simple terms how Lavender AI works

READ MORE: AI should be 'a global priority on par with pandemics and nuclear war' advise dozens of academics - including the creator of ChatGPT - in letter calling for regulations A May 2023 letter signed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and DeepMind's Demis Hassabis called on policymakers to equate AI with risks posed by pandemics and nuclear war. Advertisement

According to the intel source named B., Lavender helped many in the IDF distance themselves from the human toll of their actions in Gaza.

'There has been an illogical amount of [bombings] in this operation,' B. said. 'This is unparalleled, in my memory.'

'The machine did it coldly. And that made it easier.'

Deaths in Gaza due to IDF bombing campaigns and its other military responses have climbed above 30,000 according to local Ministry of Health (MoH) reports, which have since been rigorously analyzed and confirmed by medical researchers at Johns Hopkins for a piece in The Lancet, among others.

The Johns Hopkins researchers compared those death reports to public information on the bombing campaigns, census data and analysis from the UN Population Fund, and satellite imagery from NASA Open Street Maps to verify the plausibility of the death toll figures.

'The death reporting system currently being used by the Palestinian MoH was assessed in 2021, 2 years before the current war, and was found to under-report mortality by 13 percent,' the researchers said.

Using their own metrics, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has also confirmed the death toll with added satellite imagery of the IDF's bombings.

The London School has now collaborated with Johns Hopkins to estimate future deaths between now and August for three scenarios: 11,580 excess deaths in a ceasefire scenario, due to disease and malnutrition; 66,720 excess deaths for a status quo scenario; and 85,750 excess deaths if there is an escalation of hostilities.

There has been a rising call to action in other countries to call for a cease-fire or halt Israeli support in the wake of the Lavender reports.

More than 600 British legal experts penned a letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, calling for the government to halt weaponry exports to Israel.

The letter quoted 34 UN experts who called for 'immediate cessation of weapons exports to Israel' in February, adding that '... there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to civilians.'

The experts continued: 'The Genocide Convention of 1948 requires States parties to employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide in another state as far as possible.

'This necessitates halting arms exports in the present circumstances.'

Israel instigated its military campaign in Gaza, a densely populated coastal region created as part of Israel's decades-long territorial conflict with Palestinian residents who share generational and historic ties to the region, last October.

A Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, targeting the Nova Music Festival near the Re'im settlement, took the lives of an estimated 1,200 Israelis, plus hostages.

The devastating, ensuing conflict has led to a United Nations Security Council call for an immediate ceasefire, war crimes proceedings at the International Court of Justice at the Hague, and widespread calls for a more swift and peaceful resolution.
The solar eclipse's path of totality could shift on Monday - and now experts are urging people to travel to different spots to see the celestial event.

Amateur astronomer John Irwin released a new map of the 115-mile path from Maine through Texas which has revealed its changed by roughly 2,000 feet.

The updated calculation has suggested that people in places like Rome, New York, Effingham, Illinois, and some areas of Fort Worth, Texas will no longer be able to have a perfect view of the eclipse.

Roughly 34 million people are expected to view the eclipse, but hundreds of thousands of viewers will now be left outside the immediate path and unable to watch the event.

The solar eclipse (pictured) will spread across 115 miles from Maine to Texas on Monday, but astronomers say the path of totality has shifted by 2,000 feet

As people prepare to travel to watch the solar eclipse, Irwin's report has suggested that the path of totality, which has been projected for months, might be slightly off.

Irwin is part of a team analyzing the solar eclipse event for the Besselian Elements, and according to the website, they reported that the adjustment accounts for 'topographic elevation both around the limb of the moon and on the surface of the Earth.'

Topographic elevation is the adjustment of how close the Earth is to the sun, accounting for mountainous regions that would slightly alter where the path of totality will be.

'By accounting for the topography of both the moon and the Earth, precise eclipse prediction has brought new attention to a tiny but real uncertainty about the size of the sun,' a NASA spokesperson told Dailymail.com.

It added that uncertainty over the Earth's rotation could also affect the predictions for the path the eclipse will take.

The map shows a series of lines with red indicating where the path of totality was supposed to be and the orange lines accounting for the new adjustment.

NASA said that there is 'a tiny but real uncertainty about the size of the sun' adding that it could lead to a narrower path of totality.

However, despite the reports that the path has shifted, NASA said it isn't altering its predictions.

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'Calculations that use a slightly larger radius for the size of the sun yield an eclipse path that is slightly narrower,' Dr. Michael Kirk, a research scientist in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, told Thrillist.

'This difference would only affect cities on the very edge of the path of totality, where blanket predictions are difficult regardlessa few city blocks one way or the other could mean 20, 10, or 0 seconds of totality.'

However, the change will be so minute that people who have traveled to the area likely won't have to relocate - leaving the predicted cloud cover in some areas to be more of a concern.

Kapila Castoldi, an Oakland University physics processor, said even if the new calculation is correct, 'the differences are so minor' that it won't matter for most viewers.

But to be safe, NASA told DailyMail.com that for those on the edges of the path, it might be worth traveling closer to the center to guarantee a good view.

'Traveling toward the center of the path of totality, even a mile or two, will quickly increase the length of totality that people can see,' the space agency spokesperson said.

People in cities including Dallas, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Cleveland will still see the projected four minutes of the total solar eclipse.
The last surviving red squirrel populations in the UK face death from the disease that has ravaged their cousins in the rest of the country.

Squirrelpox has eliminated the majority of red squirrels in the UK, with populations holding out in the north of Scotland.

But now this population faces decimation - as a red squirrel has been found killed by the disease in the Highlands.

The squirrel had the tell-tale features of the disease including ulcers and scabs around the eyes and mouth.

Liam Wilson, from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies said: 'This is a worrying development for red squirrels in Scotland, as this case north of the Central Belt may be the prelude to squirrel pox expansion both locally and further northward, although more investigative work is required to fully assess this risk.'

A red squirrel has been found killed by the disease in the Highlands. The squirrel had the tell-tale features of the disease including ulcers and scabs around the eyes and mouth

What is squirrelpox? Between 40 and 60 per cent of grey squirrels in the UK carry squirrelpox. The virus is completely harmless for the invasive greys, which were introduced to Britain from America in 1876. Squirrelpox is partly to blame for a population explosion of more than three million grey squirrels in the UK, while just 30,000 of their red cousins remain in England, 120,000 in Scotland and around 1,500 in Wales. Advertisement

The organisation Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels said the first identified death of a red squirrel from the dreaded squirrelpox virus in Dunfermline 'could have serious consequences for the area's red squirrel populations'.

While lethal to red squirrels, squirrelpox does not affect grey squirrels which carry the disease.

It is usually fatal within two weeks and an outbreak can cause local populations to crash.

As a result, it is one of the major factors for the loss of red squirrels throughout the UK.

The UK Squirrel Accord estimates there are just 287,000 red squirrels left in the UK, with 75 per cent of these in Scotland - down from 2.5 million 100 years ago.

For comparison, there are still an estimate 2.7 million grey squirrels.

Nicole Still, the Scottish Wildlife Trust's saving Scotland's red squirrels programme manager, said: 'We are extremely concerned about this latest news.'

Squirrelpox has eliminated the majority of red squirrels in the UK, with populations holding out in the north of Scotland

The first recorded outbreak of squirrelpox in Scotland was in 2007 near Lockerbie.

Further south, the disease has ravaged populations and 'poses a major threat to Scotland's more northerly red squirrels'.

Research shows that when squirrelpox is present, greys can replace red populations around 20 times as fast as they can through competition alone.

But when grey squirrel numbers are kept low, red squirrels are given enough time to repopulate an area after suffering a major decline.
Deep in the ground of northwestern New Jersey is a stretch of a 185-mile-long fault, which triggered the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked New York City Friday, experts told DailyMail.com.

The epicenter sits on the Ramapo Fault, the longest system of cracks in the Northeast, which formed 400 million years ago - much older than California's 28-million-year-old San Andreas.

But the fault also triggered a small quake near the epicenter last month.

The system spans from upstate New York, through New Jersey and down into Pennsylvania - and experts have long believed it has the potential to produce a major seismic event.

Kenneth Miller, a professor at Rutgers University, confirmed to DailyMail.com that the Ramapo Fault was 'certainly what caused Friday's earthquake,' while nothing that a 6-to 7-maginitude quake would have been devastating to the northeast.

The epicenter of Fridays quake sits on the Ramapo Fault, the longest system of cracks in the Northeast, which formed 400 million years ago - much older than California's 28-million-year-old San Andreas

While Friday's quake was 'mild,' another that hit Taiwan on Wednesday was deadly. The 7.2-maginutide earthquake triggered massive landslides, toppled buildings and killed at least nine people, while more than 900 were injured

While Friday's quake was 'mild,' another that hit Taiwan on Wednesday was deadly.

The 7.2-maginutide earthquake triggered massive landslides, toppled buildings and killed at least nine people, while more than 900 were injured.

'A 6- to 7-maginitude earthquake is possible [for New Jersey], but seems very unlikely, said Miller, while explaining the Ramapo Fault line does not trigger anything above a magnitude 3 on average.

The system, however, produced a rare interior-related seismic event, which account for less than 10 percent of the natural disasters that hit our planet each year.

An intraplate earthquake occurs within the interior of the tectonic plate, while a most other strike on the boundary of the tectonic plate.

'The earthquake was rated as a 4.7 or 4.8 by the United States Geological Survey, which is enough to rattle the walls, but generally not produce severe damage,' said Miller.

The system spans from upstate New York , through New Jersey and down into Pennsylvania - and experts have long believed it has the potential to produce a major seismic event

'The earthquake occurred on the Ramapo Border fault at an estimated depth of 4.35 miles with an epicenter near Lebanon.'

A fault line is a place where there is a long break in the rock that forms the surface of the earth and where earthquakes are more likely to happen.

Dr J Bret Bennington from Long Islands Hofstra University also named the Ramapo Fault as the culprit.

It is possible that a little bit of that strain energy along that fault was released and we had a mild earthquake, Bennington shared in a video shared on TikTok.

The earthquake was the strongest to come from New Jersey since 1738 when locals experienced a 5.3-magnitude

Taiwan (pictured) is one country especially prone to earthquakes because it's close to where two tectonic plates meet  the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate

New Jersey's last significant earthquake was a magnitude 2.3 on August 30, 2022, in the White Meadow Lake section of Rockaway Township in Morris County, also along the Ramapo Fault.

But Hunterdon County felt a smaller 2.2-magnitude just last month on March 15, 2.5 miles north-northeast of Whitehouse Station.

An assessment from Michigan Tech University showed that people typically do not feel quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or less.

Those from 2.5 to 5.4 are often felt but only cause minor damage.

And buildings and other structures can experience damage when a 5.5 to 6.0 strikes.

'New jersey building codes are not designed for true earthquakes,' Miller said.

'Any tall building could withstand a 6-magintidue, but a 7 would be a concern.'

Miller explained that the Ramapo Fault was created when continents first started pushing together hundreds of millions of years ago.

'[The system] reactivated 200 million years ago, causing about four miles of movement,' he explained.

'It then stopped around 198 million years ago when the Atlantic Ocean formed.

The fault link continued with activity, but has since slowed down to minor movements.

Miller said there was a minor 2-maginitude aftershock felt in Bedminster at around 12pm ET - and there could be more to follow that 'nobody will notice.'
Friday morning's earthquake could serve as a wake-up call that the east coast of the US is not immune to quakes normally associated with the west coast, experts say.

Residents of New York, New Jersey, and surrounding areas felt the effects of the 4.8 quake Friday morning. Desks shook, pets got scared, and several minutes later, phones blared with an emergency notification.

Soon after, business returned to usual, and the effects seem to have been minimal. But what if it had been worse? What if this quake had been the same magnitude as the one that rocked Taiwan on Wednesday?

The island nation experienced a 7.4-magnitude earthquake this week, killing 10 people, injuring more than 900, and stranding hundreds more in remote locations around the mountainous country.

Some of the effects of such a quake in New York City could include collapsed buildings, broken water pipes, and damaged roads and subways.

Older brick buildings would be the first to go, as could stone-built major city structures like the New York Public Library the American Museum of Natural History, and other museums and government buildings.

This AI-generated image shows what could happen if a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Manhattan. For such an event to occur, a quake would have to happen at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The epicenter of Friday's earthquake was located in New Jersey, along the 185-mile-long Ramapo Fault. This type of fault does not tend to produce powerful quakes,

A death count is hard to estimate, but an earthquake hitting in the daytime would find Manhattan's 1.6 million-person population swollen by four to 10 times with commuting workers, depending on the neighborhood - meaning millions of people at risk of building collapses.

Manhattan's 772,000 households could be without water if water mains break, and people could be without clean running water for days or weeks. With emergency vehicles and evacuees clogging roads, bringing in fresh supplies would take a long time, too.

Subway service, too, could take weeks or months to restore, as the aging system is under strain simply from commuters.

New York City is uniquely prepared for power grid attacks or terrorist attacks, but not earthquakes.

In Taiwan, dozens of people are still missing as rescue efforts continue apace.

READ MORE: Astonishing moment crowd cheats death when Taiwan earthquake brings apartment block crashing onto them New footage shows 7.4-magnitude quake hit TV studio live on air as 80 are trapped in tunnels and death toll hits nine. Advertisement

In the unlikely event that an earthquake of that strength hit New York City, the devastation would likely be significant, according to Dr. Bret Bennington, professor of geology, environment, and sustainability at Hofstra University.

'Buildings that were not built to withstand shaking would would suffer damage and possibly collapse,' he told DailyMail.com

Transportation systems like roads and subways could be damaged, too. This would hinder evacuation and rescue efforts.

And with such a high density of tall buildings that were not built to withstand earthquakes, it is likely that many people would be trapped in damaged buildings or killed when the buildings went down.

'In a city like New York City, the newer buildings, the modern skyscrapers, they're built to move,' said Bennington.

'They can take a certain amount of swaying motion, because of the wind.'

But many older buildings were not built that way.

The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Woolworth Building and other old skyscrapers were not built with flexibility in mind.

Newer skyscrapers, even skinny ones, are made to sway in the wind so they would probably survive an earthquake, Bennington said.

Brick, he explained, is very strong - unless it starts to bend.

'It's brittle. It breaks. So a very powerful earthquake would produce a lot of building facade collapses, ruptured water mains, that kind of thing,' he said.

This stands in stark contrast to Taiwan, where structures are made to stand during quakes - or at least fall in a controlled way.

An apartment building in Taiwan's Hualien City nearly fell in the earthquake, but it did not come down, thanks to earthquake-proofing measures. New York City buildings tend not to have such safety measures in place.

This AI-generated image simulates the destruction that New York City could see in the event of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake.

The Ramapo Fault was the epicenter of the earthquake that hit New York and New Jersey on April 5, 2022. It is about 185 miles long.

Debris is seen along a staircase of an apartment building, partially damaged in the April 3 earthquake, in Hualien on April 5, 2024. This earthquake, a magnitude-7.4 quake, was much more powerful than the one two days later in New York and New Jersey - a 4.8.

As has been the case in other urban earthquakes, the aftermath of building collapses could bring structure fires, too.

And even if New York City's narrow streets were not damaged, they could become a deadly chokepoint for assistance and escape.

Already snarled with traffic on normal days, they could be nearly impossible for emergency vehicles and evacuees to navigate amidst such a natural disaster.

So, how likely is it that such a quake could hit the northeast?

The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale, meaning that each number it goes up is 10 times stronger.

So a 7.4 quake is almost 1,000 times stronger than a 4.8.

'It's not impossible that we would have a magnitude seven earthquake in the New York metropolitan area, it's just highly unlikely,' Bennington said.

Friday's earthquake originated from the Ramapo Fault, Bennet said.

'It forms a significant boundary between two kind of different landscapes in northern New Jersey,' he explained. 'South of the fault, you have relative lowlands, and north of the fault, you have mountains.'

This major fault runs across New Jersey, into New York, and across the Hudson River north of New York City.

The Ramapo Fault is what's called a 'normal fault' where two tectonic plates meet at a roughly vertical angle.

At a normal fault, one plate's edge is slipping down and away from the other as the two plates slowly move away from each other.

There has been movement at this fault for potentially 200 million years, said Bennington.

For a tsunami to happen, there would need to be movement of a plate on the seafloor. But the seafloor near the east coast is firmly attached to the North American Plate - the same plate New York sits on. Therefore, a tsunami in New York City, as seen in this AI-generated image, would be very unlikely.

This image provided by U.S. Geological Survey shows the epicenter of an earthquake on the East Coast of the U.S. on Friday, April 5, 2024.

'Most of that movement probably happened way back in the Mesozoic, but the fault is still there, and rock can still move along that fault,' he said.

The North American Plate may be moving west away from the mid-ocean ridge at about the same rate as our fingernails grow, but it's not smooth.

Once enough tension has accumulated from the slow movement at the plate boundary, it releases in the form of an earthquake.

Earthquakes occur when the two plates on either side of a fault suddenly move, expelling the built-up energy from the plates pressing against each other.

At the Ramapo Fault, the likelihood of a major quake is rather low, said Bennington.

On the west coast, better known for earthquakes, the western edge of the North American Plate is bumping up against the Pacific Ocean floor, 'and there really isn't anywhere to go,' he said.

Couple that with the Pacific Plate moving up against the North American Plate, and the west coast has more motion and strain energy, and therefore bigger quakes.

But at the Ramapo Fault, there is room for the rock to move when it builds up too much tension, meaning that a strong quake is less likely.

Nor is a tsunami likely, he said.

For that to happen, there would need to be movement of a plate on the seafloor, but the seafloor near the east coast is firmly attached to the North American Plate - the same plate New York sits on.

And at the Mid-Ocean Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, the plates are spreading apart - not the conditions that would create a tsunami.

You never know what could happen, though, Bennington acknowledged.

In 1886 a 7-magnitude earthquake hit Charleston, South Carolina, causing cratering and fissuring, and damaging about 50 miles of railroad tracks.

It is not possible to forecast an earthquake or warn people that one is about to happen.

They just happen.

So even though such an event is unlikely, if it occurred there would be no warning.
Charlotte the stingray has disappeared from the public eye for nearly two weeks, leading people to question the validity of her supposed immaculate conception.

A marine biology expert with California State University told DailyMail.com that it is possible Charlotte's babies have died or she may abort the embryos.

Round stingrays typically have a gestation period of three to four months and the Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina announced Charlotte was pregnant in early February and had been for some time - claiming she would give birth any day.

One expert suggests that Charlotte the stingray could lose her babies because she is pregnant through parthenogenesis, which means virgin birth

The aquarium said Charlotte was pregnant with up to four pups but the sonogram (pictured) appeared to show only one

The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina first announced Charlotte was pregnant via immaculate conception in early February

The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina announced Charlotte was pregnant in early February, saying she could give birth 'any day now,' but as time ticks on, people have become less certain.

'It is certainly possible the ray may abort or the embryos have died or be resorbed by the female and she will never give birth,' Dr. Christopher Lowe, a professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University told DailyMail.com.

There are two ways a stingray can become pregnant without mating with a male, Lowe previously said.

The first is because stingrays can store sperm for at least one year, but it is an unlikely scenario since Charlotte has been on her own for so long.

The more likely conclusion was through parthenogenesis which makes 'it even more probable that the embryos wouldnt survive, as this extremely rare form of reproduction - cloning is essentially a 'last ditch effort' for species survival in situations where mates arent available,' Lowe said.

'So, the chances of making a viable offspring is quite low anyway.'

Mammals like stingrays and some sharks can impregnate themselves through parthenogenesis which can occur if it has been isolated for long periods - effectively producing a clone of itself.

The aquarium stopped updating the public on Charlotte's progress for nearly two weeks, despite promising to post updates every Wednesday and Saturday

Expert Kevin Feldheim told DailyMail.com that he spoke with the head of the aquarium last weekend who said they are still waiting for Charlotte to give birth

People are beginning to voice their frustration on social media that they haven't received an update on Charlotte's virgin birth since March 23. Expert Chris Lowe told DailyMail.com that the embryos could have died, paused development, or the stingray could simply be late

Lowe confirmed it is a possibility that the gestation period is longer than expected because round stingrays are cold-blooded mammals, also called ectotherms.

This means their bodies acclimate to the same temperature as the water they are living in, he said, adding: 'Gestation is faster when they are in warmer water, and slower when its colder.'

However, there is one more theory to consider - the embryos have simply stopped growing.

'Rays are capable of something known as embryonic diapause, where the embryos cease development until conditions are more suitable,' Lowe said.

For example, the embryo can wait until the female has better nutrition for it to develop or if it's too cold to develop in the womb adequately.

'This can stretch out gestation to periods longer than normal,' he said.

Virgin births occur when a stingray has been in isolation for an extended period and clones itself to produce an embryo

This is the first time parthenogenesis has been observed in Charlotte's species and is the 15th species documented altogether, according to Kevin Feldheim, a researcher and parthenogenesis expert at Chicagos Field Museum.

READ MORE: New ultrasound of Charlotte the 'virgin stingray' shows her pups alive and well in the womb - and she could give birth ANY DAY The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville has released an ultrasound video of her pups moving their tails inside her womb Advertisement

The aquarium said in early March that Charlotte was pregnant with up to four pups and it expected her to give birth soon but didn't have a precise date.

It is difficult to know when stingrays conceive because ultrasounds are usually conducted in late-term pregnancies.

Last month, Mercedes Burns, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Maryland, told DailyMail.com that Charlottes pregnancy appears to have proceeded normally, and she expected the stingray would give birth sometime in April.

Her projection was not to be, with people waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of Charlotte's virgin birth, but if they're hoping for an answer, they may be waiting in vain.

People have previously questioned the aquarium's reports on the stingray after it reported that a shark might have impregnated Charlotte.

More suspicions arose when the aquarium posted a picture of an ultrasound that appeared to have only one embryo instead of four.

Feldheim told DailyMail.com that he spoke with the head of the aquarium last weekend who told him they are still waiting for Charlotte to give birth.

'Most species have a bit of variation when it comes to gestational period, so I guess Charlotte is just a little late is all,' he said.
A double-amputee, named Nick Garwood, has learned to walk again after a groundbreaking surgery, the first of its kind, was successfully completed.

An Oregon-based surgeon completed the first osseointegration, a surgery that involves inserting a titanium implant into the bone of a patient. This allows for the direct attachment of a prosthetic limb.

Doctors claim that the method has a number of benefits over conventional arm and leg socket-mounted prosthetics.

Patients who get this surgery will have less pain, more independence, and regain the ability to feel the ground beneath them - referred to as 'osseoperception.'

This 'game changer' of a surgery, as Dr. Steve Wallace, the surgeon spearheading the osseointegration procedures, said 'it's giving people their lives back.'

Nick Garwood became an amputee after a rare bacterial infection caused him to become septic

'I would be able to be stronger, faster, and just overall more capable,' Garwood said of his life-altering surgery

'I found out almost immediately that the socket prostheses, the first legs that I had, were not going to work because of the skin breakdown. It was just there was no way we were going to make those work,' Garwood (pictured) said

Garwood said he had been looking into osseointegration as a last resort when Wallace moved to Portland

Wallace breaks down the details of this new procedure with local NBC affiliate KGW and why it hasn't hit the market sooner.

'It's a device that is inserted into the bone, goes through the skin and allows for a direct attachment of prosthesis,' Wallace said.

'These implants were basically scaled up from a dental implant many years ago. They've been in the U.S. for probably 10 years or so, but are becoming more and more popular, and not fully FDA approved yet, but we get them approved on a provisional basis.'

After completing the first osseointegration surgery, two more patients have been given the opportunity to undergo the procedure with Wallace.

After his surgery, health care professionals helped Garwood find the prosthetic that would best fit his limbs

Pictured: Garwood's wife, Abigail, and Nick posing for a picture together

Garwood admits that the new prosthetic 'makes it so much easier to walk'

Pictured: Garwood's selfie with his wife, Abigail

Garwood was able to test the prosthetics out before doing a trial run

'It felt amazing. It really felt amazing,' Garwood said of being able to stand for the first time in years

Nick Garwood became an amputee after a rare bacterial infection caused him to become septic. The doctors saved his life, but at the cost of both of his legs.

'I found out almost immediately that the socket prostheses, the first legs that I had, were not going to work because of the skin breakdown. It was just there was no way we were going to make those work,' Garwood told KGW.

Garwood said he had been looking into osseointegration as a last resort when Wallace moved to Portland.

'I would be able to be stronger, faster, and just overall more capable,' he said. 'It was so amazing that Dr. Wallace was here and could do it locally.'

After his surgery, healthcare professionals helped Garwood find the prosthetic that would best fit his limbs. He tested them out, and stood for the first time in two hours.

'It felt amazing. It really felt amazing,' Garwood said. 'I could feel the ground beneath me, through my bone.

'That makes it so much easier to walk. I know where my foot is in space, in the same intuitive way that I knew where my foot was when I had my real natural limbs.

'It feels like I am stepping on the ground. I can feel that same feedback.'
Natalie Gruzlewski has revealed she is enjoying a simpler life since being replaced by Samantha Armytage as host of Farmer Wants a Wife.

The 47-year-old helmed the Channel Seven dating show the first eight seasons from 2007 until 2012, and returned in 2020, becoming a firm fan favourite.

However, she was replaced by former Sunrise star Samantha, 47, as the main host last year and Natalie appeared in a more 'scaled-back' role on the programme.

She told the Courier Mail, she is now enjoying a quieter life out of the spotlight and has returned to Queensland to be closer to her daughter Olivia, 11.

Natalie also said that the 'authenticity of Farmer hasn't changed' and the show still creates 'beautiful love stories'.

Natalie Gruzlewski (pictured) has revealed she is enjoying a simpler life since being replaced by Samantha Armytage as host of Farmer Wants a Wife

'I'm a mum and, like most mums, I spend much more of my time  more of my life driving her [Olivia] around,' she said.

'That's definitely changed from when I first started on Farmer when I was travelling more for my career.'

She continued: 'The beautiful love stories and the connections, has always struck [a chord] with viewers and while the authenticity of Farmer hasn't changed, my life certainly has these days.'

Channel Seven previously confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Natalie will be returning to the show in 2024 alongside Samantha as co-host.

'The 2024 season is ready to roll, with more episodes, more farmers, and Samantha Armytage and Natalie Gruzlewski on a quest to find our farmers their one true love,' the network said in a statement.

Samantha first joined the dating show as a 'guest host', but her minor role was then expanded while Natalie 'scaled back' her duties.

Natalie helmed the dating show the first eight seasons from 2007 until 2012, and returned in 2020, becoming a firm fan favourite. However, she was replaced by Samantha (pictured) as the main host last year

She took over hosting duties for FWAW in 2023, replacing Natalie - who still appeared on the show but in a diminished role.

Natalie presented her own segment called Nat's Getaway during the 2023 season, with Sam 'front and centre' as the face of the franchise.

Samantha is once again returning as the host for the upcoming 2024 series, with Natalie co-hosting, but fans have shared their dismay over the changes.

She has so far featured in much of the promotional material by herself, with fans sharing their confusion over Natalie's absence.

She told the Courier Mail, she is now enjoying a quieter life out of the spotlight and returned to Queensland to be closer to her daughter Olivia, 11

Taking to the comments section of posts shared to the show's official Instagram, viewers argued that the series isn't 'the same' without Natalie at the forefront.

'Bring back Nat..,' one wrote as another added: 'Is Natalie coming back? She is so good.'

'Loved this show with Nat hosting,' a third said while another wrote: 'Nat was GOAT, bring her back please!'

'Devastated it's not @nataliegruzlewski - it's not the same show anymore,' one said.
Chris Hemsworth shocked Northern Territory locals when he made a surprise visit to a remote town on Thursday.

The Australian actor, 40, made a surprise arrival in Beswick as he landed in VIP style via helicopter while on his way to film in his former hometown of Bulman.

Photographs shared to social media by Wugularr School showed the Hollywood star posing for photographs with excited students and teachers during the visit.

He cut a casual figure in a black vest top and shorts as he was mobbed by crowds of excited locals who flocked out en masse for the chance to meet him.

Alongside the sweet snaps of the Thor actor smiling with locals, Wugularr School told how he spent 30 minutes chatting with local residents before heading off again.

Chris Hemsworth shocked Northern Territory locals when he made a surprise visit to a remote town on Thursday

The Australian actor, 40, made a surprise arrival in Beswick as he landed in VIP style via helicopter while on his way to film in his former hometown of Bulman

'What an exciting morning we have had in Beswick,' they gushed in a Facebook post.

'The whole community saw him land on the oval in a helicopter and then he spent the next 30 minutes saying hello and getting photos  so exciting to see a movie star in our little community.'

His surprise visit came as he was travelling to Bulman - where he lived as a child - to film the second series of his Disney+ documentary Limitless.

Chris and his family split their time between Melbourne, where he was born, and Bulman when he was growing up, and he previously told how some of his earliest memories are of the remote town.

'My earliest memories were on the cattle stations up in the Outback, and then we moved back to Melbourne and then back out there and then back again,' he recalled.

Photographs shared to social media by Wugularr School showed the Hollywood star posing for photographs with excited students and teachers during the visit

He cut a casual figure in a black vest top and shorts as he was mobbed by crowds of excited locals who flocked out en masse for the chance to meet Chris

Chris is now returning to his roots to film Limitless, after the first series saw him try and discover how to live better for longer, speaking to world-class experts as well as his family and friends.

While filming the debut series, Chris found out that he is 'between eight and 10 times' likelier to develop Alzheimer's than the general population.

After having bloodwork done for the program, he was informed he is more likely to develop Alzheimer's because he is one of only two to three percent of people with two copies of the gene APOE4.

'For me, the positive of it was like: "Right, if I didn't know this information, I wouldn't have made the changes I made,"' he said of the shock news.

He was travelling to Bulman - where he grew up - to film his docuseries Limitless. While filming the first series, he found out he is 'between eight and 10 times' likelier to develop Alzheimer's than the general population

'I just wasn't aware of any of it, so now I feel thankful that I have in my arsenal the sort of tools to best prepare myself and prevent things happening in that way.'

Chris emotionally told how he fears developing the illness and forgetting his wife Elsa Pataky and their kids - daughter India, 10, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, eight.

'The idea that I won't be able to remember the life I've experienced, or my wife, my kids, is probably my biggest fear,' he said.

According to Woman's Day magazine, the sudden discovery has inspired him to write a memoir to immortalise his legacy.

After learning the news, Chris candidly told how he fears developing the illness and forgetting his wife Elsa Pataky and their kids - daughter India, 10, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, eight

A friend told the publication: 'His biggest worry was his family and knowing there will be a day when his kids will be looking after him. It's given him a much deeper perspective on life.'

The friend told Woman's Day that the Hollywood actor will be employing a CAA ghostwriter to help with the penning of the book.

'Chris started jotting down ideas for his book after his 40th last August, but things weren't that serious until last week, when he hired one of LA's top literary agents,' a source added.
Love Island: All Stars twins Eve and Jess Gale left very little to the imagination as they stepped out to Bocconcini in London's Mayfair.

The reality stars, 24, commanded attention as they went braless in very racy black lace outfits, revealing their ample cleavages and statuesque figures.

Eve looked sensational as she wore black sheer suspenders and a very low-cut black blazer dress.

Adding inches to her petite frame, the blonde beauty looked fabulous in a pair of black heels.

She finished her sexy look with a plump rouge lip and full glam makeup.

Love Island: All Stars twins Eve (right) and Jess (left) Gale left very little to the imagination as they stepped out to Bocconcini in Mayfair

The reality stars, 24, commanded attention as they went braless in very racy black lace outfits, revealing their ample cleavages and statuesque figures

Linked by her side, Jess looked equally gorgeous as she sent pulses racing in a lacy black catsuit.

Putting on a very busty display, she flaunted her ample assets with minimal fabric and pink coverings.

She paired her very revealing look with a pair of nude heels.

The outing comes just hours after Eve revealed she's dating TOWIE star Demi Sims after the pair enjoyed a flirty friendship for years.

Eve previously appeared on the villa's All Stars series with her sister Jess, and despite a short-lived romance with Casey O'Gorman, failed to make a lasting connection.

Now, Eve has revealed that she and Demi have enjoyed their first date together, with another night out already in the works.

The twins divulged details on their love life while appearing on Demi's Sims Squared podcast, alongside her sister Frankie.

Demi said: 'Me and Eve went on a date last week for anyone watching and it was our first date, wasn't it?'

Eve (right) looked sensational as she wore black sheer suspenders and a very low-cut black blazer dress

Adding inches to her petite frame, the blonde beauty (right) looked fabulous in a pair of black point-toed heels

She finished her sexy look with a plump rouge lip and full glam makeup

Linked by her side, Jess (left) looked equally gorgeous as she sent pulses racing in a lacy black catsuit

Putting on a very busty display, she flaunted her ample assets with minimal fabric and pink coverings. She paired her very revealing look with a pair of nude heels

The outing comes just hours after Eve revealed she's dating TOWIE star Demi Sims after the pair enjoyed a flirty friendship for years

The reality revealed that she and Demi have enjoyed their first date together, after first meeting at a Boohoo launch party three years ago

Eve added: 'We kind of had other dates, but it's not been a date date. That was like our first date. I had the best time.'

The blonde beauty shared that she and Demi had previously been pals for three years, after meeting at a Boohoo event in London after lockdown.

Describing their first date, Demi told listeners: 'I was nervous [the date] was going to get awkward, you know because usually we've always got people around?

'I was thinking, ''Is there going to be any awkward silences?'', then when I picked you up, you were chewing my ear off. I actually didn't get a word in.

'And then we got there, had a drink, had so much food... and yeah, it was quite a short date to be fair.

'It was quite a private date, though, because we were in Amazonico and we were in this booth and everyone was behind us. People assume we're besties, don't they?'

But Eve admitted that she only had eyes for Demi, adding: 'I said this to Demi, I never would actually go on a date with another girl.'

Last week she also made the surprise admission that she enjoyed a date with Jason Derulo during her trip to Miami.

Eve's return to the Love Island villa proved to be short-lived as she and Casey were dumped from the villa after their romance broke down

Speaking on The Sun's All Stars podcast, she said: 'I was in Miami when I met him and then he was in London filming. He's doing some kind of show so when he's in London I see him.

'He hired out a restaurant in Mayfair. We'll just leave it as we went on a date!'

Eve's return to the Love Island villa proved to be short-lived as she and Casey were dumped from the villa after their romance broke down.

The couple struck up a relationship when Eve arrived in the villa with her twin sister Jess and Joe Garrett.

Before Casey had a chance to speak to Eve, Callum Jones informed Sophie of the situation and swiftly pulled Eve to break the news.

Callum said: 'Hes just wondering if that can be a real thing. I think hes going to speak to her anyway and have a conversation with her.'

Sophie told Eve: 'Ive just been informed somethingbasically Casey is now saying he doesnt know if him and Eve can work on the outside.'

Eve said: 'What? To me he literally says completely different'

After a brief conversation with Jess and Sophie, Eve pulled Casey and said: 'I've just heard that you've been like to Callum, "Oh, yeah I don't see a future with Eve".'

Casey said: 'I didn't say that. That's a lie. They said how's things been going with Eve and I said, "Yeah, really good but I'm not sure if I see that spark yet..."'

Eve responded: 'Apparently you said you don't see a future with me?' while Casey insisted: 'I didn't say that.

'Well they said you did. It's not like I'm sat here thinking about how like the future, me and you are going to get married and stuff. I'm just enjoying my time.'

Elsewhere, it was reported last week that Jess had split from Callum Jones , just five weeks after they finished as runner-up during the All Stars final

She added: 'I think it's a bit muggy...I feel like you're just trying to put me down...'

Casey tried to defend himself and said: 'That's been taken way out of context.'

But Eve shot back: 'Well, I don't think it had Casey because it's come from somewhere...'

Casey added: 'I was just being totally honest with them...it's really not that deep.'

Eve continued: 'Well it's kind of deep to me to be honest...'

Elsewhere, it was reported last week that Jess had split from Callum Jones, just five weeks after they finished as runner-up during the All Stars final, following an explosive row at Molly Smith's clothing launch party.
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Angelina Jolie's legal team says Brad Pitt was physically abusive to her before their 2016 row on a plane, in newly-filed legal documents linked to the former pair's battle over their French winery.

Attorneys on Thursday for Jolie, 48, filed papers in a motion in Los Angeles County Superior Court, saying that Pitt, 60, had a history of being physically aggressive with Jolie before the well-documented September 14, 2016 row during a flight from Nice, France, to Los Angeles.

Pitt has denied all of the allegations of physical abuse, and was not charged amid an FBI probe into the incident; Dailymail.com has reached out to Pitt's reps for comment on the story.

'While Pitts history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the familys September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well,' Jolie's legal team said in court docs about the ongoing legal proceedings.

A source close to the Maleficent actress said that Pitt declined to enter into counseling for domestic violence, and disregarded severe family problems by seeking partial custody of their six children: Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 15.

Angelina Jolie's legal team says Brad Pitt was physically abusive to her before their 2016 row on plane, in newly-filed legal documents linked to the former pair's battle over their French winery. Jolie, 60, pictured in London in 2021

The former couple was pictured in 2015 in LA, a year before the infamous plane incident that led to their split

'Pitt never came to this understanding and not only sought 50-50 custodial time - including with children with whom he had not had a stable relationship in years - but also sought sole custody if the children did not sufficiently bond with him,' Jolie's lawyers told the court in legal docs.

Jolie's legal team said in their court filing Thursday that 'despite this distressing request, Jolie still did not seek sole custody' of the children, as 'instead she advocated that the childrens wishes and needs be prioritized, based in part on what the children felt they could do, and for a custody plan formulated in the childrens best interest to heal.'

Jolie's attorneys said in the court motion that the Academy Award-winning actor was required by to address his abusive conduct amid their efforts to procure more information from Department of Children and Family Services in regards to a safety plan and drug and alcohol testing in the wake of the flight; as well as the actor's communications with the FBI, U.S. Attorneys Office, DCFS, and the Los Angeles Police Department regarding the flight.

Jolie's lawyer Paul Murphy told Dailymail.com in a statement that the information released in Thursday's filing is revealing of why the Fight Club actor wanted Jolie to sign a non-disclosure agreement amid the parting.

'Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolies interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA,' Murphy said. 'By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family. After eight months of delays, this motion asks the Court to force Mr. Pitt to finally produce that evidence.'

An insider close to the situation told Dailymail.com that the Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood actor has caused himself problems with his long-running litigation over the French winery.

'Pitt is drawing all of this out of Angelina,' the insider said. 'She does not want to be here, she does not want to be raising any of these facts, and she is doing it only because Pitts lawsuit against her is forcing her to defend herself.'

The insider described the situation as 'incredibly sad,' adding that Jolie 'just wishes' Pitt 'could move on and let her be.'

Pitt (pictured in November 2023 in Las Vegas) has denied all of the allegations of physical abuse, and was not charged amid an FBI probe into the incident

Jolie 'just wishes' Pitt 'could move on and let her be,' an insider told Dailymail.com. Pictured in Paris in January

By prolonging the legal battle over the winery - which the former couple purchased in 2008 for $28.4 million - Pitt has left himself more exposed to further problematic allegations that could circulate through the court system, and subsequently, to the public, the insider said.

A source close to Pitt said that the latest accusations raised by Jolie and her legal team mark what has been a recognizable pattern of obfuscation, in terms of how the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider has reacted to adverse developments amid the court case involving the winery.

'This is a pattern of behavior - whenever there is a decision that goes against the other side they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction,' a friend of Pitt familiar with the litigation over the years told Daily Mail.com on Thursday. 'There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody.'

Pitt and his team have sought to bury details related to the flight and other matters raised in the legal docs, Jolie's legal team told the court.

The children were not allowed to testify even though they wanted to, and should have been permitted to do so by law, Jolie's attorneys said.

'Some of their children over 14 years old sought to testify on their preferences on child custody, which they have the right to do per Family Code section 3042, but Pitt objected to allowing their input,' Jolie's legal team said in court docs.

Jolie's attorneys added that 'despite the legal relevance and obvious importance of Pitts physical abuse of his own children and the childrens preferences on custody,' then-Judge John Ouderkirk 'sided with Pitt and refused to allow any children to give their testimony, even in a closed hearing and despite their wish to speak.'

Jolie was pictured with son Pax in NYC last August

Jolie's legal team has been seeking records of the actor's communications with third parties, in regards into Pitts abusive behavior both before and aboard the flight, Jolie's attorneys said in court docs.

Jolie's attorneys told the court that that records disclosing Pitt's third party communications would qualify as highly relevant evidence in terms of illustrating his behavior toward his family, and the measures he took to convince those agencies not to bring charges against him.

Jolie's legal team said in the court filing that the A-list actress said in a May 30, 2021 text message that she has sought to sell her share of the winery to Pitt, 'but hes really not being fair and also [including] a lot of punishing restrictions.'

Jolie's legal team said in the court filing that Pitt and his team asked for a new expanded NDA in a June 2, 2021 proposal.

Pitt's team now demanded 'an even more onerous NDA,' Jolie's lawyers said in the court filing, in which he asked for a four-year period of both parties refraining from speaking about the other; or make comments or take actions that could impact that could impact the winery, its product or its shareholders.

In a legal complaint filed in June 21, 2023 in Los Angeles Superior Court, attorneys for Pitt said the actor and Jolie 'were on the cusp of striking a deal on a buyout' of the winery, until Jolie withdrew amid concerns about the NDA terms laid out.

Jolie's legal team told Pitt's lawyers that the actress was 'stepping back from all aspects of negotiations regarding the sale of her stake in Miraval' due to the 'restrictive language' requested in the mutual non-disparagement clause, attorneys for Pitt said in the complaint.

Jolie claimed the clause was "designed to limit [her] freedom to speak," Pitt's legal team said in the court filing.

A source close to Pitt (pictured in February in Santa Barbara, California) said that the latest accusations raised by Jolie and her legal team mark what has been a recognizable pattern of obfuscation, in terms of how Jolie has reacted to adverse developments amid the court case involving the winery

Jolie, pictured in 2022 in Washington, D.C., and Pitt have clashed over terms of an NDA proposal

The Mr. & Mrs. Smith stars have been clashing for years over the winery, which they bought in 2008 for $28.4 million. Pictured in May of 2008

Pitt's legal team said in the 2023 filing that Jolie's withdrawal in 2021 'was clearly pretextual,' as Jolie, 'through divorce counsel, proposed an even broader non-disparagement clause' within a year's time 'in connection with the former couples divorce proceedings.'

Jolie requested that other 'than in court pleadings or testimony, neither party shall directly or through a partys representatives make in a public forum any derogatory remark about the other party,' Pitt's lawyers said in the 2023 filing.

Pitt's legal team said in the 2023 court filing that the actor's NDA requests were 'narrower' and 'intended to protect the business.'

Pitt's lawyers said in the 2023 court filing that the terms he laid forth 'made clear that there would be no limitation on Jolies ability to speak in connection with Pitt and Jolies divorce or custody proceedings.

'It specifically provided: This commitment shall however not limit the ability, for any Party, to make any claims, filings or testimony in any legal proceedings.'
Denise Drysdale left her fellow I'm A Celebrity Australia campmates shocked when she revealed her unique 'luxury items' in Thursday night's episode.

The TV presenter, 76, entered the South African jungle as an intruder in Monday night's episode and has already made quite the impression on her co-stars.

Every year, the celebrities are able to choose a luxury item which they are able to win during the series, with stars often choosing pictures of their loved ones, comfortable cushions and beauty products.

However, Denise received mixed reactions from her campmates when she revealed the unique luxury items she had brought into the jungle with her.

Standing up in front of the camp, she showed them two small pots as she revealed her luxury items, with her confused campmates trying to guess what they were.

Denise Drysdale left her fellow I'm A Celebrity Australia campmates shocked when she revealed her unique 'luxury items' in Thursday night's episode

Celebrity chef Khanh Ong appeared excited at the thought of adding some flavour to their meals as he excitedly guessed they were salt and pepper shakers.

However, Denise then revealed: 'Close, [it's my] mum and dad's ashes.'

Her declaration prompted very mixed reactions from her co-stars, with some looking completely stunned, while others appeared moved by the gesture.

Speaking to camera, personal trainer Callum Hole - who lives in Brisbane but is originally from Wales, seemed uncertain as he said: 'I don't think that's normal.'

The star's former Studio Ten co-host Sarah Harris has previously revealed how Denise takes her deceased parents' cremated remains with her on holiday.

Standing up in front of the camp, she revealed the two ceramic pots she had brought in as her luxury items, sharing that they were her parents' ashes

Her declaration prompted very mixed reactions from her co-stars, with some looking completely stunned, while others appeared moved by the gesture (pictured: Skye Wheatley)

Back in 2018, Sarah told the celebrity panel on Hughesy, We Have A Problem: 'She (Denise) has her parents, her Mum and Dad, in a salt and pepper shaker.'

'She takes them on her travels. She does a lot of cruising and she pops down to the buffet with Mum and Dad,' Sarah continued.

Denise is believed to have cemented her parents ashes into the ceramics, and has now revealed the keepsakes on I'm A Celebrity Australia.

Elsewhere, Denise revealed that she cut down on drinking alcohol in preparation for her stint on the Channel 10 reality TV competition.

Speaking to camera, personal trainer Callum Hole - who lives in Brisbane but is originally from Wales, seemed uncertain as he said: 'I don't think that's normal'

'When I say I've given up, I have had a few drinks since I found out I was going but I have really cut down. I didn't want to get the bloody heebie jeebies in the jungle,' she told The Daily Telegraph ahead of her jungle debut.

'I don't think they want a dead 75-year-old in the jungle so I don't think they will be doing anything with me that is going to hurt me.'

Speaking to New Idea, she added: 'I've told them if you put me with the snakes, you might as well get a coffin and put my body straight into it with the snakes at the same time.'

The TV star also revealed that she has been asked to appear in the South African jungle five times prior to agreeing to the current season.
Robert Downey Jr. celebrated his 59th birthday by playing in the snow on Thursday.

On April 4, he celebrated by sharing a series of photos and videos of himself falling backwards into a pile of snow then later sipping coffee from his Happy Products brand with his 56.9 million Instagram followers.

In his caption, he wrote: 'Never know what you'll find in the Spring Snow Melt!!!'

For his day of fun in a chilly climate, he bundled up in khaki brown and navy blue windbreaker jacket as well as bright blue ski pants.

The Oppenheimer star  who enjoyed a rare family outing with wife Susan Downey, 50, and their two pre-teen kids in New York City on Monday  also donned a bright yellow beanie over his dark coiff of hair and wore black insulated gloves.

Robert Downey Jr. celebrated his 59th birthday by playing in the snow on Thursday

On April 4, he celebrated by sharing a series of photos and videos of himself falling backwards into a pile of snow then later sipping coffee from his Happy Products brand with his 56.9 million Instagram followers

In a video of him falling backwards to make a snow angel, he sported a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses, which he later swapped out for orange-tinted wayfarer shades.

As part of his carousel post, the Iron Man alum shared a video of him taking a sip and a snap of him posing with his chin rested on a can.

He also shared a photo of three cans of Happy Product coffee being chilled in the snow.

His birthday celebration comes just shortly after the official trailer for his next project was released.

In his first role since winning his first Oscar earlier this month, he will portray four different roles in the upcoming HBO series The Sympathizer.

As seen in the teaser for the espionage thriller series, he transforms into various roles while looking unrecognizable in prosthetics and makeup.

In a logline provided to The Hollywood Reporter, the limited series is 'an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren't over.'

For one of his many parts, Downey Jr. plays the handler to Hoa Xuande's The Captain.

For his day of fun in a chilly climate, he bundled up in khaki brown and navy blue windbreaker jacket as well as bright blue ski pants

The Oppenheimer star also donned a bright yellow beanie over his dark coiff of hair and wore black insulated gloves

His birthday celebration comes just shortly after the official trailer for his next project was released. In his first role since winning his first Oscar earlier this month, he will portray four different roles in the upcoming HBO series The Sympathizer

As seen in the teaser for the espionage thriller series, he transforms into various roles while looking unrecognizable in prosthetics and makeup

The Symphathizer is set to premiere on Max later this month on April 18

Downey Jr. and his wife of 18 years will be producing the series with their company Team Downey  which they founded a decade ago. In addition to The Symphathizer, the couple's upcoming projects also include Netflix series Sweet Tooth and Amazon MGM Studios' crime thriller Play Dirty

The star-studded cast also includes Sandra Oh, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Duy Nguyen and Alan Trong.

The seven-episode thriller is a small-screen adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 debut novel.

The Symphathizer is set to premiere on Max later this month on April 18.

Downey Jr. and his wife of 18 years will be producing the series with their company Team Downey  which they founded a decade ago.

In addition to The Symphathizer, the couple's upcoming projects also include Netflix series Sweet Tooth and Amazon MGM Studios' crime thriller Play Dirty.

But the pair's greatest project is being the proud parents of 12-year-old son Exton and nine-year-old daughter Avri.

The actor is also father to son Indio Falconer Downey, 30, from his previous marriage to Deborah Falconer.
Amanda Bynes showed off her casual street style on Thursday when she was spotted taking care of some errands in Los Angeles.

The former Nickelodeon star  who celebrated her 38th birthday the day before  looked cool and casual in a hoodie and ripped jeans while taking care of some shopping and visiting a nearby Starbucks.

The former actress was out and about days after it was reported that she had declined to participate in the docuseries Quiet On Set  which delves into abuse and allegedly toxic work conditions placed on Nickelodeon's child actors in the 1990s and 2000s  because she 'did not have a bad experience with Nickelodeon.'

Amanda was spotted heading down the sidewalk while scrolling through her phone and carrying what appeared to be a vape cartridge.

She had on a plain gray hoodie and complemented it with a set of blown-out acid-wash jeans that ended slightly above her ankles.

Amanda Bynes was spotted running errands and picking up some Starbucks in Los Angeles a day after celebrating her 38th birthday

The former Nickelodon star looked cool and casual in a plain gray hoodie with stylish blown-out acid-wash jeans, black high tops , angular sunglasses and a black quilted Chanel bag

The former child star rocked a set of black high-top sneakers, and she wore a black quilted Chanel handbag slung over her shoulder.

She wore angular sunglasses in a dark tortoiseshell pattern, and she kept her blond-dyed hair tied back tightly with several hair ties and clips.

Among Amanda's stops was an Ulta Beauty location, from which she emerged with a small hot pink shopping small.

The She's The Man star was also seen taking a call while out on her stroll.

Although Amanda appeared to keep her birthday celebrations fairly low key, she shared some glimpses of her evening on Wednesday in her Instagram Stories.

In one clip, she panned across a sparsely filled club while a DJ performed on stage while writing '38' in the bottom right corner.

A second video showed the birthday girl looking happy and relaxed in a white hoodie and sheer tights. Amanda flashed a thumbs-up and a soft smile at the camera before it cut off.

The night on the town happened days after Amanda admitted to her 404K followers that she had 'gained over 20lbs in the past few months from being depressed.'

She dropped by an Ulta to make a purchase and took a call while strolling.

The night before, she posted a short video to her Instagram Stories of a club where a DJ was playing as she celebrated her 38th birthday

She displayed a soft smile in a short video of her sitting next to a pa before she gave a thumbs up to the camera

Luckily, she was able to report that she was 'doing a lot better now.

Amanda dded that she had 'learned to do [the] opposite action' when she wasn't feeling up to 'working out or eating clean.'

'I weigh 162lbs right now and want to get back to 110lbs,' she concluded.

In 2015, Amanda told Paper Magazine that she had 'definitely abused Adderall,' a popular drug to treat ADHD, in hopes of using its stimulant and appetite suppression effects to help her maintain a desired weight.
Jennie Garth celebrated her 52nd birthday with a family trip to the beach in Malibu, two days after breaking her silence on working with controversial producer Dan Schneider.

The actress, who was born on April 3, 1972, was pictured with her husband Dave Abrams, 42, and her daughters Luca, 26, Lola, 21, and Fiona, 17, on Thursday.

The family enjoyed a trip from their Pasadena home to a Malibu beach house, and stopped in Calabasas for a quick grocery run at Erewhon.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star wore a maxi beige summer dress with billowing sleeves, which she paired with matching platform sandals.

The blonde beauty accessorized with dainty gold necklaces and earrings, and wore a pair of silver rim eyeglasses.

Jennie Garth celebrated her 52nd birthday with a family trip to the beach in Malibu on Thursday, two days after breaking her silence on working with producer Dan Schneider

The star, her husband Dave Abrams, 42, and her kids enjoyed a trip from their Pasadena home to a Malibu beach house, and stopped in Calabasas for a quick grocery run at Erewhon

They were joined by Jennie's daughters Luca, 26, Lola, 21, and Fiona, 17

She was pictured carrying a tray with three different refreshing smoothies from the high-end grocery store.

Meanwhile Dave was pictured carrying a grocery bag, presumably containing snacks for later.

He looked casual cool in a long-sleeve black sweater, blue jeans, and yellow crocs. His hair was shielded with a green hat.

The family appeared to have a blast as they basked in the sun and enjoyed some food on the beach.

To keep warm in the ocean breeze Jennie later put on a stylish quilted patchwork jacket.

Jennie and Dave wed in 2015.

She was previously married twice, first to Daniel B. Clark (19941996) and later to Twilight hunk Peter Facinelli (20012013), with whom she shares her three daughters.

On Saturday, Jennie spoke about controversial TV creator Schneider who she worked with on the TV series What I Like About You, amid renewed focus on him with the release of the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star wore a maxi beige summer dress with billowing sleeves, which she paired with matching platform sandals

The blonde beauty accessorized with dainty gold necklaces and earrings, and wore a pair of silver rim eyeglasses

She was pictured carrying a tray with three different refreshing smoothies from the high-end grocery store

Meanwhile Dave was pictured carrying a grocery bag, presumably containing snacks for later

He looked casual cool in a long-sleeve black sweater, blue jeans, and yellow crocs. His hair was shielded with a green hat

The family appeared to have a blast as they basked in the sun and enjoyed some food on the beach

To keep warm in the ocean breeze Jennie put on a stylish quilted patchwork jacket

Jennie and Dave wed in 2015

Jennie was previously married twice, first to Daniel B. Clark (19941996) and later to Twilight hunk Peter Facinelli (20012013), with whom she shares her three daughters

Garth told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I don't want to talk about Dan Schneider ever again in my life,' when asked about the TV exec, 58.

Schneider with Will Calhoun created The WB comedy, which co-starred Amanda Bynes, 37, and ran for 86 episodes over four seasons from 20022006.

Garth, who played the role of Valerie Tyler on the series, told THR of Bynes, who played her sister Holly, 'I just love her and I would love to see her at any point.'

Jennie told the outlet that she has not communicated with Bynes since the release of Quiet on Set last month on Investigation Discovery.

Quiet on Set, which initially hit the air March 17 and 18, investigated the problematic workplace conditions child stars on Nickelodeon faced decades back.

The documentary raised multiple allegations against Schneider ranging from humiliating staffers, writing bits not appropriate for children to appear in, and overseeing a toxic workplace.

Schneider, who first found fame as an actor on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class from 1986-1991, would go on to create a number of prominent series for Nickelodeon, including iCarly, Zoey 101 and Drake & Josh.

He worked on What I Like About You for two seasons of the show's four-season run, US Weekly reported.

The family appeared to have a blast as they basked in the sun and enjoyed some food on the beach

Jennie chatted with a pal on the beach

On Saturday, Jennie spoke about controversial TV creator Schneider who she worked with on the TV series What I Like About You, amid renewed focus on him with the release of the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV

Garth told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I don't want to talk about Dan Schneider ever again in my life,' when asked about the TV exec, 58

Schneider with Will Calhoun created The WB comedy, which co-starred Amanda Bynes, 37, and ran for 86 episodes over four seasons from 20022006

Garth, who played the role of Valerie Tyler on the series, told THR of Bynes, who played her sister Holly, 'I just love her and I would love to see her at any point'

The Quiet on Set documentary raised multiple allegations against Schneider, ranging from humiliating staffers, writing bits not appropriate for children to appear in, and overseeing a toxic workplace; he is pictured in LA in 2011

Schneider himself took to YouTube with a video clip March 19 in which he spoke with iCarly actor Bobbie K. Bowman about his thoughts after seeing Quiet on Set, saying he felt like he needed to make amends with some of his former co-workers.

'Watching over the past two nights was very difficult for me,' Schneider said. 'Facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.'

While many Nickelodeon alums were featured in the documentary including Drake Bell (Drake & Josh) and All That's Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan and Bryan Hearne, Bynes did not speak in the doc, and has not commented in the wake of its airing.

In the doc, director Virgil L. Fabian detailed how Schneider 'immediately knew she would be a star,' after seeing her at the Los Angeles Laugh Factory and casting her on his shows All That and The Amanda Show.

What I Like About You marked the last project the pair worked together on.
Michael J. Fox announced he would be willing to come out of acting retirement for the right role that includes the 'realities' of his Parkinson's disease.

'If someone offers me a part and I do it and I have a good time, great,' the 62-year-old Back to the Future alum told ET on Tuesday.

'I would do acting if something came up that I could put my realities into it, my challenges, if I could figure it out.'

Michael - who scored a BAFTAs standing ovation on February 18 - said it was 'fun' and 'a big thrill' to write and star in the Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie last year about his 33-year struggle with the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.

Fox's last gig was voicing Michael J. Bird in Michael Mankowski's 2021 short film Back Home Again about the largest wildfire evacuations in Canadian History.

Michael J. Fox announced he would be willing to come out of acting retirement for the right role that includes the 'realities' of his Parkinson's disease (pictured Tuesday)

In 2020, the eighties icon briefly reprised his breakout role as Marty McFly in Lil Nas X's western-themed 'Origins' trailer for his music video Holiday, warning the rapper: 'Whatever you do Nas, don't go to 2020.'

Earlier that year, Michael shot his last significant role reprising his Good Wife attorney character Louis Canning - who curries favor with his tardive dyskinesia - in two episodes of CBS All Access' spin-off The Good Fight.

'I thought of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There's a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio's character can't remember his lines anymore,' Fox recalled to Empire Magazine last September.

'He goes back to his dressing room and he's screaming at himself in the mirror. Just freaking insane. I had this moment [on The Good Fight set] where I was looking in the mirror and thought, "I cannot remember it anymore."'

On Tuesday, the honorary Oscar winner and his wife Tracy Pollan attended his foundation's A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's benefit in Nashville, TN featuring Jason Isbell, Sheryl Crow, and Little Big Town.

Michael launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 and it has raised a reported $2B for Parkinson's research, therapeutic programs, clinical trials, and a dataset/biosample library.

'I think within the next 10, 15 years, we'll have a viable solution in some form or another, whether it's getting it cured or pathologically avoided,' Fox - who doesn't expect to reach 80 - told The Guardian in February.

'The follow-up question is: "Will I be around for that?" I doubt it. But it's okay. I don't think in personal terms  you just want to meet the moment. And I think the moment is nigh. For big, big answers.'

The 62-year-old Back to the Future alum told ET: 'If someone offers me a part and I do it and I have a good time, great...I would do acting if something came up that I could put my realities into it, my challenges, if I could figure it out'

Michael said it was 'fun' and 'a big thrill' to write and star in the Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie last year about his 33-year struggle with the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system

Fox's last gig was voicing Michael J. Bird in Michael Mankowski's 2021 short film Back Home Again about the largest wildfire evacuations in Canadian History

In 2020, the eighties icon briefly reprised his breakout role as Marty McFly in Lil Nas X's western-themed 'Origins' trailer for his music video Holiday, warning the rapper: 'Whatever you do Nas, don't go to 2020'

Earlier that year, Michael shot his last significant role reprising his Good Wife attorney character Louis Canning - who curries favor with his tardive dyskinesia - in two episodes of CBS All Access' spin-off The Good Fight

Fox recalled to Empire Magazine last September: 'I had this moment [on The Good Fight set] where I was looking in the mirror and thought, "I cannot remember it anymore"'

On Tuesday, the honorary Oscar winner and his wife Tracy Pollan (4-L) attended his foundation's A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's benefit in Nashville, TN featuring Jason Isbell (L), Sheryl Crow (2-L), and Little Big Town (R)

Michael launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 and it has raised a reported $2B for Parkinson's research, therapeutic programs, clinical trials, and a dataset/biosample library

The five-time Emmy winner added: 'The last thing you run out of is a future. It doesn't matter where you are or what you do, you'll always have the future. Until you don't. Then it's moved, and it really mattered. But I'm in it for the final scene. I'm not leaving early to get to the car before the crowd starts.'

Michael frequently credits the love and support of his 63-year-old wife with keeping him focused on his health and sobriety 33 years after his diagnosis at age 29.

The married couple of 35 years are proud parents of four adult children - son Sam, 34; daughter Esme, 22; and twin daughters Aquinnah & Schuyler, 29.
Jackie 'O' Henderson has shared the heartwarming story of how she helped to find a home for two dogs that were left to die.

The 49-year-old radio star posted details of the touching rescue to her social media on Thursday.

Jackie revealed she had found the pups in bushland while on a recent visit to the Hunter Valley.

She shared a gallery of pictures showing off the delightful dogs enjoying a game with their new owners, who live on a farm near Fairfield in Sydney.

Jackie also included a touching tribute to the family who adopted them.

Radio star Jackie 'O' Henderson has shared the heartwarming story of how she helped to find a home for two dogs that were left to die

'To all those asking if we found a home for the two beautiful dogs that were sadly dumped in the Barrington Tops National Park, I'm happy to report they have now been adopted by the most gorgeous family who live on a working farm near Horsely Park,' she explained.

'The dogs are beyond happy in their new home and I'm so incredibly grateful to this beautiful and kind family. There really are good humans in this world.

'Thank you to all the people who sent messages of love and encouragement.'

The 49-year-old posted details of the touching rescue to her social media on Thursday. Jackie revealed she had found the pups in bushland while on a recent visit to the Hunter Valley

It comes after Jackie jetted out of Sydney Airport for a family trip with her daughter Kitty on Friday.

She was sweetly seen cuddling her mini-me daughter, 13, as they strolled through Sydney Airport ahead of their holiday.

The mother-daughter duo are set to enjoy some much-deserved time away, but it is not known where they are heading for their girls' trip.

Jackie is currently on leave from her job hosting The Kyle and Jackie O Show as she and her co-host Kyle Sandilands have some time off for the Easter holidays.

Jackie shares her daughter Kitty with her ex-husband Lee Henderson, who she split from in 2018 after 15 years of marriage.

Jackie also included a touching tribute to the family who adopted them
Chelsea Lazkani was pictured for the first time since filing for divorce from husband Jeff Lazkani, as she stepped out for a shopping trip in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Selling Sunset star, 31, looked to be in good spirits and flashed a smile, as she brushed off her estranged husband's, 40, recent accusations that she was 'physically aggressive' towards him.

The reality star was pictured without her sparkling diamond wedding ring during the outing. She was last seen wearing the ring on March 14, while out in Los Angeles.

While enjoying her retail therapy on Thursday she put on a busty display in a tight white dress with a plunging neckline that tied at her cleavage.

The realtor accessorized her outfit with a stylish oversized woven brown bag and peep-toe black heels.

Chelsea Lazkani, 31, was pictured for the first time since filing for divorce from husband Jeff Lazkani, 40, as she stepped out for a shopping trip in Los Angeles on Thursday

The reality star was pictured without her wedding ring on the outing. She was last seen wearing the ring on March 14, while out in Los Angeles (R)

She further sparkled up her look with a daisy necklace and a pair of matching earrings. Her short tresses were parted on the side and styled in a voluminous look.

The outing comes after it was revealed that her estranged husband Jeff accused her of being 'physically aggressive' just days after she filed for divorce.

Jeff responded to Chelsea's divorce filing on Tuesday, with his lawyer noting that he also wants a divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason, according to People.

In a written declaration Jeff, who is a managing partner at Icon Media Direct, accused the reality star of being 'physically aggressive', and claimed it happened before and after she filed for divorce, following seven years of marriage.

The California native also alleged that the British-Nigerian realtor 'struck' him 'in the face in an aggressive manner, breaking his glasses and causing a small cut on the side of his face.'

He also claimed that in order to maintain the wellbeing of their two kids, three-year-old daughter Melia, and son, Maddox, five, they both should not live at their five-bedroom Manhattan Beach home, which Jeff says he is the primary owner of.

Jeff went on to allege that Chelsea, who he said is not named on the mortgage, 'installed a lock on the primary bedroom to' his 'exclusion, remotely monitors his access to the property, and records him at the property.'

The pair purchased the home for $2.9 million in 2018 and Jeff is asking for 'exclusive use and possession' of the home.

The Selling Sunset star looked to be in good spirits and flashed a smile, as she brushed off her estranged husband's recent accusations that she was 'physically aggressive' towards him

She put on a busty display in tight white dress with a plunging neckline that tied at her cleavage

The realtor accessorized her outfit with an oversized woven brown bag and peep-toe black heels

She further sparkled up her look with a daisy necklace and a pair of matching earrings

The outing comes after it was revealed that her estranged husband Jeff accused her of being 'physically aggressive' just days after she filed for divorce

Additionally, Jeff alleged that she 'provokes' him and 'records him in an attempt to catch him overreacting to her.'

He also accused Chelsea of 'exhibiting suspicious behavior,' and claimed a number of his 'personal belongings' have disappeared or were taken from their home after Chelsea filed for divorce.

Among the missing items is a scarf he received from a late matriarch in his family, his father's hat, and a spare key to his car.

He claimed Chelsea confessed to moving his Rolex after he asked her where it was, and said she 'has also been sneaking around the property and attempted' to go into his room 'when she thought he was not home.'

He is requesting that Chelsea have 48 hours to get her belongings from the property, and that she not be allowed inside for more than two hours.

He also wants 'a neutral party' present to assist them in dividing the items they might not agree on.

Jeff stated he was 'stunned' after finding out that Chelsea filed for divorce via a text message from TMZ, and had sent her a text message but she didn't respond.

He said that same day her brother began sleeping at the Manhattan Beach home without notifying Jeff, and claimed the last time he slept in the home was the day he learned about the divorce.

He claimed that he hasn't slept in the primary bedroom with Chelsea since shortly after they welcomed Maddox because of 'post-pregnancy discomforts and sleep schedules' and though he wanted to move back into the room Chelsea 'refused' after being 'accustomed to her own sleep space.'

News of the pair's split broke late last month when Lazkani filed for divorce after seven years of marriage over 'irreconcilable differences'; they are seen in 2022

He also alleged that he discovered Chelsea had opened a separate bank account at that time.

He noted that he does not want the court to award spousal support to either one of them.

News of the pair's divorce broke late last month. In legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Chelsea cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the official reason for their split.

She is seeking 'joint physical and legal custody' of her little ones with Lazkani.

Additionally, the TV personality has asked for spousal support from Jeff, but did not terminate his ability to request alimony himself.

The outlet pointed out that nowhere in her filing is a prenup mentioned, but 'Chelsea is saying that their division of assets needs to be determined in court.'

Chelsea did not provide a date of separation and has already deleted nearly every trace of Jeff from her Instagram.

The former couple met on Tinder back in 2015.

Since she joined Selling Sunset on its fifth season, Jeff, who introduced his wife to her boss Jason Oppenheim, has made a few cameos.

In 2018, Lazkani described her spouse as 'the most selfless, caring, funny, cheeky and most handsome person' she knows.

'I can't describe how blessed I feel to share life and love with you,' she wrote in a sweet tribute on their anniversary.

During an interview with DailyMail.com, Chelsea revealed they met online after she first moved to Los Angeles.

The estranged pair share two kids, three-year-old daughter Melia, and son, Maddox, five. She is seeking 'joint physical and legal custody'; Chelsea pictured with their kids

'We spoke about 15 times before getting together. I don't want to waste my time and give my energy to somebody if I don't think it will be worth it. I felt like I knew him before we even met and the connection was immediate,' she gushed in May 2022.

They married two years later, with Chelsea saying: 'I just got lucky. My husband is amazing and I still wonder how I found this kind of love because it's so hard.'

The duo wed at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California and enjoyed their honeymoon traveling across Thailand, Singapore and the Maldives.

Over the years on social media she declared their wedding date her 'forever' favorite day and told fans that she was 'more in love' than ever.

'Happy Anniversary to my special, special husband. 100 more years of hugging, kissing and laughing. My forever love,' she wrote on Instagram while reflecting on their marriage.
Kate Beckinsale remains hospitalized with a mystery ailment  two weeks after first revealing she had been admitted.

The Underworld star, 50, shared photos of herself from her hospital bed on Thursday with her 5.6million Instagram followers.

The London native, who was dressed in cat-patterned pajamas, received a visit from her close pal Jonathan Voluck.

Voluck has his arms wrapped around Beckinsale as they posed together with their faces in a peanut-shaped pillow.

Despite spending weeks in hospital, Beckinsale looked to be in good spirits as she smiled with her BFF.

Kate Beckinsale remains hospitalized with a mystery ailment  two weeks after first revealing she had been admitted

As part of her IG slideshow, the mother-of-one included a photo of a stunning rainbow that she could see from her hospital room.

She also revealed that she's currently reading the book Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley as she continues to mourn the recent loss of her stepfather Roy Battersby.

The caption on Beckinsale's post on Thursday consisted solely of emojis, including a middle finger emoji and a teary eyed face.

Beckinsale was forced to spend Easter in hospital as she uploaded photos of herself wearing bunny socks in bed on Sunday.

The two snaps feature a pair of legs wearing fuzzy white socks with bunny faces, as the star captioned the post: 'Happy Easter.'

The holiday greeting comes after Kate shared tearful selfies from a hospital bed in an emotional Mother's Day post.

Kate did not share details on her health struggle. MailOnline has contacted her representatives for comment.

The actress has also been grieving the death of her stepfather Roy - who died in January after suffering 'a massive stroke' while battling two forms of cancer - and has also been caring for her mother Judy Loe, who is battling significant health issues as well.

A source claimed to ET that Beckinsale 'hasn't been doing or feeling well' but is 'doing her best to take care of herself.'

In a Mother's Day post earlier in the week, Kate shared a slew of snaps of Judy tucking into cake and enjoying champagne as well as images of herself on the ward and her dogs playing.

The Underworld star, 50, shared photos of herself from her hospital bed on Thursday with her 5.6million Instagram followers

As part of her IG slideshow, the mother-of-one included a photo of a stunning rainbow that she could see from her hospital room

She also revealed that she's currently reading the book Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley as she continues to mourn the recent loss of her stepfather Roy Battersby

She captioned the images: 'Happy birthday and UK Mother's Day this last week to my incredible mother. Thank you to those that love us and support us when it's s**t and try to make sure there are some bits that aren't.'

Kate continued: 'And for looking after our dogs when we can't, and lead us to remember happy things when we can't.

'And turn up when we are sick and sit with us.. And send balloons and check in and pull us out of wells with love.

'Thank you for loving us, those who do ,and for the amazing, kindest Nick, and especially for my mother's capacity for joy. It is so inspiring and beautiful.

'Happy everything mama. Your fight for joy despite also welcoming tears is the experience of watching a warrior up close. I love you x'

In recent months, Kate had been caring for her mother and late stepmother after flying them out from the UK to stay with her in Los Angeles.

'Kate has been caring for her parents, who both have serious illnesses, for most of the year,' a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com late last year. 'She brought them to her home in LA and has made looking after them her number one priority.'

On January 10, Kate announced the death of stepfather Roy aged 87.

The insider revealed that the Snow Angels star  whose biological father Richard Beckinsale died in 1979 at 31 from a heart attack in his sleep  has been feeling the emotional toll in recent months.

Kate Beckinsale sparked concern once again as she shared selfies from a hospital bed on Saturday night

The 50-year-old actress took to her Instagram to post pictures of herself wearing bunny socks in bed, nearly two weeks after she revealed she had been hospitalized for undisclosed reasons

The Underworld star has yet to disclose why she had been hospitalized

The day prior, Kate received a visit from one of her beloved cats

'She was spotted this week several times crying in the corridors of UCLA hospital,' the source added. 'Her friends are very concerned that she has been under relentless strain for months and hardly sleeping or eating.

'Kate appears to be very strong but this has been incredibly hard and, given that she lost her father so young, is affecting her very deeply. Her friends are concerned for her own health.'

A second source explained that her mother Judy has chosen to keep her health battle private, stating: 'She's extraordinary, you wouldn't even know by looking at her. She has been keeping a very positive attitude throughout everything.'

Last month, Kate shared a picture of Roy's order of service that revealed he was cremated on Monday February 19 at Mortlake Crematorium near Kew in west London.

She also shared another look at the document which had a sweet message on, along with more snaps of Roy.

It read: 'We wish to thank you, our family and friends, for your loving support and being with us today to honour and commemorate Roy.

'Please join us afterwards to celebrate him and his life, share memories and stories, and inevitably miss him, knowing how much he would enjoy such a get-together'.

The actress, 50, is grieving the death of her stepfather Roy Battersby - who died in January after suffering 'a massive stroke' - and has also been caring for her mother Judy Loe

Kate shared a snap of her friend Nina keeping her company in hospital during her stay

Last month, Kate shared a picture of Roy's order of service that revealed he was cremated on Monday February 19 at Mortlake Crematorium near Kew in west London

Kate's actress mother Judy married Roy in 1997, 18 years after Kate's father, Porridge star Richard Beckinsale, died (pictured in 1986)

Kate's mother Judy married Roy 18 years after Kate's father, Porridge star Richard Beckinsale, died.

Roy enjoyed his own successful career as a director, working on major British on-screen hits including Inspector Morse and Cracker. His most recent directorial credit was for a 2006 episode of A Touch Of Frost.

Kate's biological father Richard Beckinsale was best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp.

He also had a daughter  Samantha, 55  who is his only child from his marriage to Margaret Bradley.
Michael Douglas has discussed the use of intimacy coordinators on film sets.

In a new interview, the iconic actor, 79, insisted that in his heyday - the late 1980s and early 1990s - actors themselves would 'take care of those that overstep boundaries.'

Michael also explained how such behaviours would result in a negative reputation for the perpetrator, which would 'take care of them.'

With the rise of modern safeguarding measures, the Basic Instincts star admitted that has indeed mused on their inclusion in the TV and movie industries.

Michael revealed how he and women he acted with in 'sexual movies' have joked about what working with an intimacy coordinator would have been like.

Michael Douglas, 79, has discussed the use of intimacy coordinators, insisting that in his heyday actors themselves would 'take care of those that overstep boundaries'

The actor explained how such behaviours resulted in a negative reputation for the perpetrator, which would 'take care of them' (Pictured with Sharon Stone, 66, in 1992 film Basic Instinct)

Speaking to The Telegraph, Michael said: 'I'm sure there were people that overstepped their boundaries, but before, we seemed to take care of that ourselves. They would get a reputation and that would take care of them.

'But I talked to the ladies, [because] I did a few of those sex movies  sexual movies  and we joke about it now, what it would have been like to have an intimacy coordinator working with us'.

Michael's comments come a month after his Basic Instincts co-star Sharon Stone, 66, revealed the identity of the producer who pressured her to have sex with an actor.

She also revealed the actor she was pushed to get intimate with in order to improve their on-screen chemistry.

The actress previously discussed the situation in her 2021 memoir - without disclosing identities - but has now divulged that the producer was Robert Evans, the actor was Alec Baldwin's brother Billy, and the film was Sliver in 1993.

Robert, who died in 2019, was also a producer on Chinatown and The Cotton Club, and headed production at Paramount for The Godfather, The Italian Job, True Grit and The Great Gatsby.

Sliver was Sharon's next movie after achieving huge success and megastardom in the previous year's hit Basic Instinct.

Speaking on Louis Theroux's podcast, she said: 'They expected me to bring home another giant smash hit and they gave me casting approval and they gave me all these approvals, but then when it came time for me to do it they told me it was a vanity deal and I couldn't have my approvals.

Michael's comments come after his Basic Instincts co-star Sharon Stone revealed producer Robert Evans pressured her to have sex with actor Billy Baldwin (Pictured in 1993 film Sliver)

Shortly after Sharon's revelation in the Louis Theroux podcast was released, Billy hit back at her on X, formerly Twitter

'Then they started to try to blame me for their mistakes, and they made terrible mistakes in the way that they hired directors and cast.'

She said former actor turned producer Evans summoned her from filming to his office to make the request for her to sleep with leading man William Baldwin - one of four acting brothers, and more widely known as Billy - off set.

She said: 'He called me to his office. He had these very low seventies, eighties couches, so I'm essentially sitting on the floor, when I should have been on set.

'And he's running around his office in sunglasses explaining to me that he slept with Ava Gardner and I should sleep with Billy Baldwin, because if I slept with Billy Baldwin, Billy Baldwin's performance would get better.

'And we needed Billy to get better in the movie because that was the problem.

'And if I could sleep with Billy then we'd have chemistry on screen, and if I would just have sex with him then that would save the movie, and the real problem with the movie was me because I was so uptight, and so not like a real actress who could just f**k him and get things back on track. The real problem was I was such a tight a**e.'

Sharon said on hearing his demand she just thought how he hadn't listened to the list of actors that she had suggested for Baldwin's part of Zeke Hawkins, and was frustrated that the film's bosses expected her to go from co-starring with Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct to Baldwin.

She added: 'I didn't have to f**k Michael Douglas. Michael could come to work and know how to hit those marks, and do that line, and rehearse and show up. Now all of a sudden I'm in the "I have to f**k people" business.'

Shortly after the podcast was released, Billy hit back at Sharon on X, formerly Twitter, writing: 'Not sure why Sharon Stone keep talking about me all these years later?

'Does she still have a crush on me or is she still hurt after all these years because I shunned her advances? Did she say to her gal pal Janice Dickinson the day after I screen tested and ran into them on our MGM Grand flight back to New York "I'm gonna make him fall so hard for me, it's gonna make his head spin." ???

'I have so much dirt on her it would make her head spin but I've kept quiet.'

He continued: 'The story of the meeting I had with Bob Evans imploring him allow me to choreograph the final sex scene in the photo below so I wouldn't have to kiss Sharon is absolute legend.

'Wonder if I should write a book and tell the many, many disturbing, kinky and unprofessional tales about Sharon? That might be fun.'

Janice has refuted his claims in an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com, in which she claimed she has no recollection of such conversation ever taking place.
Nicola Coughlan slipped into a black dress complete with shoulder pads and a shiny black corset-style belt as she attended the US premiere of her new series Big Mood in New York City on Thursday.

The Bridgerton star, 37, stunned in the dress, which boasted a split down the middle and a deep V-neckline, and accessorised with gold Misho earrings.

With her look, Nicola sported a bright red Arists4Ceasefire badge to, which has been worn by many stars calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza.

She finished her look with a dark red lip and black high heels as she posed for snaps ahead of the Stateside release of her new comedy.

Big Mood is a Channel 4 comedy series following Maggie (Nicola) and Eddie (Lydia West) as their friendship of 10 years is hit with work, life, and mental health pressures.

Nicola Coughlan cut a svelte figure in a black dress complete with shoulder pads and a shiny black corset-style belt on Thursday at the premiere of her new series Big Mood in NYC

The actress, 37, stunned in gold Misho earrings and the dress to which she pinned a bright red Arists4Ceasefire badge to, worn by celebs who want peace in Gaza

Big Mood is a Channel 4 comedy series following Maggie (Nicola) and Eddie (Lydia West) as their friendship of 10 years is hit with work, life, and mental health pressures

Big Mood premiered on March 28 with a double-bill on and all six episodes were released on the Channel 4 website. It also stars Joanna Page and Sally Phillips.

On Tuesday, Nicola visited Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Nicola hilariously gave her Bridgerton character's alias Lady Whistledown a Real Housewives tagline, saying: 'I may be behind the quill but I'm always ahead of the gossip.'

Bridgerton is known for its saucy scenes and Nicola has asked the producers for a 'PG' version so she could enjoy the show with her mother.

It comes after Nicola revealed that series three of Bridgerton will be even raunchier than the previous two.

The actress previously admitted she was initially terrified to film sex scenes with Luke Newton, who plays her love interest Colin Bridgerton.

Nicola shared: 'I think we've won the sauciness for this series! I am so excited, I can't wait.

'It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Luke Newton who plays my love interest is so wonderful.

The first instalment of the third series of Bridgerton, with Nicola in the lead role, will be released on Netflix in mid-May.

Nicola recently revealed that series three of Bridgerton will be even raunchier than the previous two (pictured with love interest Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton)

Nicola added: 'This season is really funny and romantic, they've incorporated a lot of rom com elements. And it's not one to watch with the family. Take of that what you will.

'It was terrifying. I am an Irish woman, and any Irish woman would feel like they can't do this. And then I went and realised, it's my job so I better. I had a great partner, and it was terrifying, but really liberating. I was exhausted by the end.'

The third series of the hit regency romance, which follows the eight Bridgerton siblings attempting to find love, will pick up with Penelope and Colin's love story.

Phoebe Dynevor, 28, starred in the period drama in series one  which saw her take part in multiple sex scenes with actor Rege-Jean Page, 35.

In the final episode of series two, with followed the eldest Bridgerton son, Penelope heard long-time friend Colin's snide comments to the other gentlemen about her and decided to finally give up on her unrequited feelings for him.

Big Mood ends with a double-bill on Channel 4 on Thursday at 10 pm and 10:30 pm.
Keeley Hawes put on a cosy display with her husband Matthew Macfadyen on Thurday as her latest Netflix drama Scoop received mixed reviews.

The actress, 48, who plays Prince Andrew's assistant Amanda Thirsk in the series, looked in good spirits as she strolled down Shaftesbury Avenue with Matthew, 49.

Keeley wore a big black coat over a grey jumper and exposed a stylish watch while fiddling with her belongings.

She teamed the garment with loose cropped trousers and accessorised with a large black bag across her front.

Succession star Matthew was by her side in a smart brown jacket teamed with navy trousers and patent shoes.

Her new film Scoop, which came out on Friday, depicts the notorious Newsnight interview between disgraced Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis.

Scoop star Keeley Hawes, 48, held hands with her husband, Succession's Matthew Macfadyen, 49, on Friday amid mixed reviews for latest Netflix drama Scoop

The actress, 48 looked in good spirits as she strolled down Shaftesbury Avenue with Matthew, 49, on a cosy outing

Keeley plays Prince Andrew's assistant Amanda Thirsk in the series (pictured on the show with Rufus Sewell as the Duke of York)

Keeley's character Amanda had been Andrew's private secretary for seven years at the time of the interview.

Scoop has received mixed reviews from critics with some calling it a 'triumph' and others a 'limo-crash'.

Based on the book Scoops, by Sam McAlister, the film captures the tension behind booking the royal for the interview, as well as the tension among the cast during the interview.

In the interview, Emily discussed Virginia Giuffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Epstein.

The prince strongly denied the claims throughout the interview.

The discussion, in which Andrew made a series of claims - including insisting he couldn't have been with Virginia at the time of the alleged encounter because he was dining at a Pizza Express in Woking and that a medical condition left him unable to sweat - has since gained notoriety and is widely acknowledged to have embarrassed the royals.

The interview was described as a 'car crash' and on November 20, 2019, a statement from Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew was suspended from public duties 'for the foreseeable future'.

In May 2020, it was announced that the prince was permanently stepping down from his public roles.

In January 2022, Virginia was given the go-ahead to sue Andrew for unspecified damages in a New York civil court.

Despite vowing to fight the claims and repeatedly protesting his innocence, the prince agreed to pay a huge sum to settle the case before it ever reached a jury. interview, then the film.

Netflilx describes the production as portraying: 'The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen's 'Favourite son'.

'From navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew's inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal - to the jaw dropping interview itself.

'SCOOP is the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British Establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and guts broke through the highest of ceilings - and into the inner sanctum and calculations of a man with everything to lose.'

Keeley wore a big black bag around her body and it rested on her front. She also wore loose-fitting cropped trousers which exposed her ankles

She wore a big black coat, under which she wore a grey jumper, and fiddled with her bag, exposing a stylish watch

Her new show Scoop, which came out on Friday, depicts the infamous Newsnight interview between Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis

Keeley's character Amanda had been Andrew's private secretary for seven years at the time of the interview

Matthew wore a brown jacket, matching shoes, and dark blue trousers and carried a scoop handle umbrella

He was engaged in conversation on his phone for while, and Keeley busied herself with the scenery as she waited for him to finish

His smash hit show Succession drew to a close in 2023 after four seasons and just 39 episodes, but a whopping 19 Emmys and 9 Golden Globes

The couple are lauded for having one of the strongest marriages in Hollywood, with the pair continually making time for each other despite their hectic work schedules

Yet, Matthew has confessed it didn't get off to the best of starts, previously describing the moment he fell in love with Keeley as 'awful'

Keeley was newly married to cartoonist Spencer McCallum when she first met Matthew in 2002 when they co-starred in BBC drama Spooks (pictured on the show)

Keeley and Matthew have been married since 2004 and they share two children: daughter Maggie, 19, and son Ralph, 17.

Matthew is also step-father to Myles McCallum, Keeley's son with first husband Spencer McCallum, a cartoonist.

The couple are lauded for having one of the strongest marriages in Hollywood, with the pair continually making time for each other despite their hectic work schedules.

Yet, Matthew has confessed it didn't get off to the best of starts, previously describing the moment he fell in love with Keeley as 'awful'.

Keeley was newly married to Spencer, and mother to baby son Myles, when she first met Matthew in 2002.

They met starring in BBC spy drama Spooks (known as MI-5 in the States) and were spotted kissing in June that year.

Yet Keeley insisted that nothing happened between them until her marriage ended, saying: 'I'm sure nobody would believe we never had an affair but we really didn't.'

Speaking about the fairytale moment they first said the L word, Keeley recalled: 'Matthew just came straight out with it and said "I love you" in the rain one day. I thought, "Oh dear, here we go.'

Her divorce from Spencer was finalised in 2004 and in November of that year she wed Matthew. They welcomed their first child, daughter Maggie, the following month.

Based on the book Scoops, by Sam McAlister, the film captures the tension behind booking the royal for the interview (left: Rufus and Gillian, right: Emily and Prince Andrew)

Keeley Hawes (left) stars as Prince Andrew's former personal secretary Amanda Thirsk

Billie Piper (left) plays the producer Sam McAlister

SCOOP: What do the critics think? Daily Mail Rating: 'A top-quality cast and a mischievous script. Naked and shamed, this is Andrew's hubris laid bare' The Guardian Rating: 'Emily Maitliss interview was unmissable limo-crash television, but Gillian Andersons Maggie Thatcher-lite performance and an underused Rufus Sewell add little' The Independent Rating: 'Prince Andrews infamous Newsnight interview is immaculately recreated  but questions remain' The Telegraph Rating: 'Rufus Sewell is a revelation as Prince Andrew in Netflix drama. With Gillian Anderson also excellent as Emily Maitlis, you clamp hand to mouth, aghast at how this Newsnight trainwreck actually happened' Metro.co.uk Rating: 'Scoops unexpected take on Prince Andrews Newsnight disaster sees Rufus Sewell triumph' Advertisement

Keeley has revealed there is no bad blood with her ex, explaining: 'Spencer and I were best friends before we married, and weve managed to stay that way.

'Happily, both my husband and my ex-husband get along brilliantly. They are both generous people, to each other and to the children.'

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday in 2005, Matthew confessed he was in turmoil when he first met Keeley as he realised he had feelings for a married woman.

He explained: 'It was awful because I realised I'd fallen for her.

'We weren't having an affair and it was a slow process. But I knew the effect she had on me. She's gorgeous. Everyone who meets her will tell you the same thing.'

Scoop is available to stream now on Netflix.
EastEnders' Shona McGarty was greeted by crowds of fans outside Elstree Studios on Thursday after filming her final scenes as Whitney Dean.

The actress, 31, who joined the soap at the age of 16 in 2008, revealed that she would be quitting in July after portraying the long-running character for 16 years.

Flashing a smile as she drove home from work, Shona stopped at the gate to pose for selfies with fans who had gathered outside.

The soapstar took her time to leave video messages as she signed autographs and chatted with the crowd.

Shona's car was filled with flowers, cards and presents from her co-stars as she departed the studio for the last time.

EastEnders' Shona McGarty, 31, was greeted by crowds of fans outside Elstree Studios on Thursday after filming her final scenes as Whitney Dean

Flashing a smile as she drove home from work, Shona stopped at the gate to pose for selfies with fans who had gathered outside

The actress, who joined the soap at the age of 16 in 2008, revealed that she would be quitting in July after portraying the long-running character for 16 years (pictured in 2008)

Whitney has been given a dramatic send off which follows a shocking pregnancy storyline.

The character and her partner Zack Hudson (played by James Farrar) have been trying to have a baby for a long time.

She previously terminated a pregnancy after finding out her little girl suffered from Edwards' Syndrome, which meant her baby would not have survived long after being born.

Whitney was left completely devastated by the loss and swore she would never try and have a biological child again and so she and Zack put themselves forward for foster care.

The couple ended up looking after a young boy Ashton over the Christmas period however, he soon got adopted leaving the couple more alone than ever.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday about her decision to leave Albert Square, Shona said: 'I have decided to spread my wings and will be leaving EastEnders. I have loved my years in the show.'

A source told the publication that the decision 'wasn't easy decision' but that Shona feels now is the right time to 'try something new.'

They added: 'She is hoping the door will be left open for her character to return one day, but nothing is guaranteed and it is all in the hands of the scriptwriters.'

As the adopted daughter of infamous Bianca Jackson (played by Patsy Palmer), Whitney was part of several hard-hitting storylines.

The soapstar took her time to leave video messages as she signed autographs and chatted with the crowd

Shona's car was filled with flowers, cards and presents from her co-stars as she departed the studio for the last time

Whitney has been given a dramatic send off which follows a shocking pregnancy storyline

The character and her partner Zack Hudson (played by James Farrar, left) have been trying to have a baby for a long time

In 2008 Whitney was groomed and abused by her onscreen mum's partner and in 2020 she killed deranged Leo King for the soap's 35th anniversary.

It is thought Shona will pursue a singing career, something she hasn't shied away from.

In 2012, she performed on Children in Need singing Sm Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come.

She released a charity song for Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2018 and covered The Beatles' Let It Be in 2021 for the charity Mind.

Last year saw her sing at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance for BBC1.
Bianca Wallace has launched an extraordinary attack on love rival Alice Evans, accusing her of 'stalking, harassing and abusing' her and fiance Ioan Gruffudd.

Following their acrimonious split in March 2021, Gruffudd and Evans have been locked in a very public legal battle, resulting in slanging matches that threatened to overshadow their respective careers.

Now Wallace, 31, has broken her silence on the saga, claiming that she has been inundated with messages from followers who claim to have been sent abusive messages from Evans, 55, and revealing she feels it's her duty to 'shine a light on bullies and abuse.'

She also repeated Gruffudd's claims that Evans had set up fake social media accounts with the purpose of harrassing them after a restraining order banned her from mentioning him on social media.

In a series of Instagram posts on Thursday, the Australian actress went on to share 4512 pages worth of social media posts in which Evans had mentioned her or Gruffudd, 50, as well as links to court documents detailing the three-year restraining order he took out against her as a result of the relentless posts.

Bianca Wallace has launched an extraordinary attack on love rival Alice Evans, accusing her of 'stalking, harassing and abusing' her and fiance Ioan Gruffudd (pictured in 2022)

Gruffudd and Evans (pictured) have been locked in a very public legal battle, resulting in slanging matches that threatened to overshadow their respective careers

She began by sharing: 'I want to say thank you so much for the love and support I have received.

'I believe the time has come to shine a light on bullies and abuse because they only hold power when hidden in the darkness.

'Bullies and people who harass others want us to believe that we are alone, but we are not. Bullying thrives in the darkness. It makes people afraid to do anything lest it get worse.

'I'm encouraging everyone to keep sharing your experiences. Continue reporting to the authorities. Always reach out for support.

'Although some of what I have mentioned happened over the last few years, I want to be very clear - The harassment and abuse has not ceased. It has continued unabated and is being directed far more broadly than just us.'

Wallace went on to claim that Evans had breached a three-year restraining order put out against her in August 2022.

She continued: 'On 13 November 2023 at 10:56am LA time, I received an email from the detective informing that the current investigations did find this persons phone number linked to at least one of the fake accounts being used to stalk, harass, and post defamatory claims.

'I want to stress that people who do this need to be held accountable for their actions, and as I have mentioned, I won't allow anyone to bully or abuse me ever again.

'If you so wish to view the supporting evidence mentioned in my previous post, most of it, minus what is currently ongoing, is already publicly available.

'I found the following links containing the information on Google and there is a lot more publicly available information.'

Wallace went on to share the links to Gruffudd's court filings for the Domestic Violence Restraining Order as well as the actor's filings for joint custody with Evans of their daughters Ella, 14, and Elsie, 10.

In a final blow, Wallace shared a link comprised of 4512 pages worth of social media posts in which Evans had mentioned her or Gruffudd.

She ended her series of posts by writing 'Keep being the light.'

Wallace, 31, has broken her silence on the saga, revealing she feels it's her duty to 'shine a light on bullies and abuse'

In a series of Instagram posts on Thursday, the Australian actress went on to share court documents detailing the three-year restraining order he took out against Evans

Wallace went on to share links to Gruffudd's filings for joint custody with Evans of their daughters Ella, 14, and Elsie, 10

Wallace shared a link comprised of 4512 pages worth of social media posts in which Evans had mentioned her or Gruffudd. She ended her series of posts by writing 'Keep being the light'

On Tuesday, Wallace accused Evans of confronting not just herself and Wallace but other unnamed people for 'decades'

It followed a veiled social media post on Sunday after revealing she has been subjected to online abuse regarding her battle with multiple sclerosis

Gruffudd previously claimed in court filings that he believed Evans had breached the order that prevented her from mentioning him on social media for three years

Gruffudd previously claimed in court filings that he believed Evans had breached the order that prevented her from mentioning him on social media for three years.

He said in the papers filed last year: 'There have been a number of anonymous social media accounts set up on Twitter naming Bianca and myself 'child abusers,' and making incredibly slanderous and defamatory claims.

'Alice has slipped up a number of times on these accounts, making clear the 'anonymous' accounts are her accounts.'

He added: 'Alice has made thousands of false, threatening and harassing posts about me on social media, and she has made false and harassing statements about me to the media.'

On Tuesday, Wallace accused Evans of confronting not just herself and Wallace but other unnamed people for 'decades.'

She shared: 'This has completely thrown me. What Ian's ex has done to so, so many of you over 20 years is some of the darkest s**t we have seen and finding out that what's happening to us isn't new and has been happening for decades, has been confronting, but also strangely reassuring.

'Thank you so much for sharing your personal stories and experiences of abuse with this same person. We are completely heartbroken to learn what has been going on for so long.

'We knew what was happening to us was bad, but hearing so many of your own stories has made this so much worse.

'Because of the level that this has gone to and the sheer volume of information we have received, I am going to get advice on how to go about this and to ensure that everyone who has been victim to this person feels safe and protected for having come forward.

'If anyone receives anything, including threats and intimidation from this person, the family and supporters, give me everything. I am going to ensure everyone is safe from further harassment, threats and abuse.

'Since working on healing 10 years of DV, abuse, spine surgery, diagnosis', police relocations, public abuse campaign - If I have not already made this clear - I will never be abused or bullied again. The dark is coming into the light now.'

MailOnline has contacted Evans' representatives for comment.

Last week, Wallace claimed she was targeted by trolls shortly after confirming her relationship with Gruffud, who was still the midst of his acrimonious divorce from Evans when the couple went public in 2021.

In an Instagram post, she wrote: 'Reading the abuse that hundreds (if not thousands!) of you have faced over the past 20 years by the same person who is abusing us has been genuinely confronting and disturbing.

'We can clearly see from you all by your comments and messages that what has happened to us and our families is not new, and definitely not caused by a break up. It is very clear now that this has been happening for decades.'

Speaking for herself and Gruffudd - whose 16-year marriage to Evans officially ended in 2023 - she added: 'We are truly devastated to learn how many of you have suffered over the past 20 years at this person's hands...

'After what I received from everyone yesterday, I need a few days to go through it all and come to terms with what we have now learnt is so much bigger than we realised - your children, careers and lives have also been attacked for so long and for that, it is important that this level of abuse & bullying is revealed.

'In the meantime, I am here for anyone who experiences further abuse because you have told the truth.'

The Australian actress previously claimed she was targeted by faceless trolls shortly after confirming her relationship with fiance

Wallace claims trolls told her they hoped her MS would eventually kill her after their romance was revealed

'During 2018 - 2021 it was a particularly difficult period in my life. An aggressive MS diagnosis, decided life was short and changed careers', Wallace said in a recent post (pictured in 2019)

Wallace previously revealed how online trolls sent vile messages in which they hoped her battle with MS would eventually kill her after she made her first appearance with Gruffudd.

In a lengthy Instagram statement on Friday, the actress spoke out about her devastating diagnosis, after the Princess Of Wales announced last week she is battling cancer following a string of conspiracy theories.

Multiple sclerosis is a condition in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can be mild in some, and in others more extreme causing severe disability.

Wallace said: 'It is MS Awareness Month and I want to share with you my personal experience of being publicly bullied and having MS.

'During 2018 - 2021 it was a particularly difficult period in my life. An aggressive MS diagnosis, decided life was short and changed careers, lived on my own for a year, began healing, worked on my health,'

WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS? Multiple sclerosis (known as MS) is a condition in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. It is an incurable, lifelong condition. Symptoms can be mild in some, and in others more extreme causing severe disability. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty walking, vision problems, bladder problems, numbness or tingling, muscle stiffness and spasms, problems with balance and co-ordination, and problems with thinking, learning and planning. Advertisement

She then wrote about falling in love with someone '11,000kms away' during the COVID-19 pandemic before deciding to move from her native Brisbane to France.

After the couple confirmed their romance in 2021, his ex-wife accused them of having an affair.

Wallace soon began to receive vicious comments online once she arrived in her new European home and her battle with MS became public as speculation surrounding her health grew.

'I received hundreds of messages of hate saying they hope the MS kills me, that I should kill myself, that my family should be ashamed to be linked to me', she said.

The actress said she then made the decision to take control over stories about her health and announced her condition in a video shared to social media.

'So, why am I bringing all of this up for MS awareness month? Because it's not ok! Because we have no idea what a person is really going through in life and don't have the right to assume'.

'Because the world watched on and demanded answers from Princess Catherine and when they weren't getting any, made up their own stories and pushed them as real. I didn't deserve to have the MS exposed, made so much worse by the lies and harassment attached'.

She continued: 'We have to do better. A chronic illness diagnosis, no matter the illness, is huge and it takes serious work and a lot of time to come to terms with.'

Wallace spoke out after Kate's emotional video of her sitting on a park bench telling the world about her diagnosis has touched the hearts of the nation and was supposed to bring an end to months of frenzied online speculation of her whereabouts and health.

She and Gruffudd announced their engagement in January, after three years of dating.

In December, The Daily Mail reported that Evans, who shares two daughters with Gruffudd, is in dire financial straits and has told friends that she cannot pay her rent or afford food, and is even contemplating taking a job with coffee chain Starbucks.

She has told friends that the money which she got from the sale of the marital home, believed to amount to $100,000 is all gone, much of it on lawyers, and she is now in a financial crisis.

A friend said: 'Alice has been extremely upset and says that she can't afford to make rent when it is due later this month  at least not if they want to eat - and has just hit a financial rock bottom. She says she has nothing  not even medical insurance.'

Wallace and Gruffudd confirmed their engagement in January with the actress revealing her sparkling diamond ring

They continued: 'She's been told that she should get a job but has not found any acting work and in any case she needs to look after their children who are school age.

'This week she has been discussing trying for a job in Starbucks but she thinks they might not want her as she is probably too old for them at 55. Also her agent doesn't want her to do it in case it looks bad.'

The friend added: 'She is feeling desperate and is out of ideas about how she can get along. She has been crying herself to sleep.

Evans and Gruffudd finally divorced in July 2023 but custody, spousal and child support have yet to be settled, and the next hearing in the case is due in March.

In court filings obtained by DailyMail.com, a judge ordered Evans to take the girls to weekly 'reunification therapy' sessions with their father.
The Bachelor stars Locky Gilbert and Irena Srbinovska were the epitome of doting parents and the life of the party at the prestigious Hamptons Farm Estate.

The Perth-based couple were seen doting on daughter Ava as they attended the partnership launch of Penfolds x Hamptons Farm Estate in Perth.

Irena, 33, was captured sharing a heartwarming moment with her daughter, while dressed in a Camilla outfit, with a distinctive and colourful print that features vibrant blues and whites.

Ava is seen comfortably nestled in her mother's arms, enjoying the embrace, before dad Locky was seen taking over daddy duties.

The Bachelor stars, who first fell in love on the show in 2020, announced the arrival of their newborn daughter in February.

The Bachelor stars Locky Gilbert and Irena Srbinovska were the epitome of doting parents and the life of the party at the prestigious Hamptons Farm Estate. Pictured

The Perth-based couple were seen doting on daughter Ava as they attended the partnership launch of Penfolds x Hamptons Farm Estate in Perth

The guest list boasted some of Perth's most renowned socialites and celebrities, including Perth business woman Rhonda Wyllie, who flew in to the event on her helicopter.

The Block's Elise and Matt Bothe were also in attendance.

Elise looked bohemian chic also dressed in a Camilla ensemble.

The Bachelor stars, who first fell in love on the show in 2020, announced the arrival of their newborn daughter in February

The Block's Elise and Matt Bothe were also in attendance. Elise looked bohemian chic also dressed in a Camilla ensemble. Pictured

Her outfit is a playful mix of vibrant, intricate patterns with a cold-shoulder design that adds a touch of allure.

Matt was meanwhile epitome of relaxed sophistication, pairing a crisp white button-down shirt with patterned shorts.

The partnership marks a significant milestone in Western Australia's culinary landscape.

Max Ling shared his enthusiasm for the venture, emphasising the commitment to crafting a culinary experience that celebrates Western Australia's rich flavours and heritage.

Perth business woman Rhonda Wyllie, left, flew in to the event on her helicopter. Pictured
Katie Price gushed over her 'fit' boyfriend JJ Slater as she shared a snap of the shirtless MAFS star - after revealing she had her fourth lip filler in five weeks.

The former glamour model, 45, reposted an Instagram story of JJ, 31, taking a mirror selfie in a gym dressing room - displaying his sculpted physique and his endless array of tattoos.

Swooning over her boyfriend's ripped figure, Katie took the occasion to tease some exciting plans ahead.

'Yes my first day back at the gym, getting fit and healthy for something amazing coming up. @johnjoeslater is already looking fit,' she wrote adding three emojis: a sun, a palm beach and a clock.

Shortly after, the internet personality revealed the results of yet another round of lip fillers on her Instagram stories, having headed to the aesthetics salon for the fourth time in five weeks.

Katie Price gushed over her 'fit' boyfriend JJ Slater as she shared a snap of the shirtless MAFS star flexing his muscles in the gym changing room

On the same day the star, 45, revealed she had her fourth lip filler in five weeks

Despite her ongoing campaign to introduce an age limit on facial fillers, the OnlyFans star didn't put any such restrictions on herself, as she flaunted her extremely plump pout.

Katie, who last visited the salon to get her lips done on March 8, showed off her 'extra, extra, extra big' lips in a heavily filtered Instagram video.

The star admitted that her lips had been left heavily bruised after the filler was injected through 'scar tissue,' but despite the damage she felt 'so good.'

Katie went onto share videos of her latest salon treatment, posting the moment the filler was injected into her top lip.

Last month, Katie revealed she'd had her third round of lip fillers in a matter of weeks, after a visit to Lift Aesthetics.

It's a familiar video for her followers as just three weeks before she was back in the chair for another procedure.

On February 13, she flaunted her plumped up pout just ten days after her last round.

The former glamour model took to Instagram on Tuesday as she showed off her full pout after getting a top up of lip filler at Lift Aesthetics.

The internet personality revealed the results of yet another round of lip fillers on her Instagram stories, having headed to the aesthetics salon for the fourth time in five weeks

Katie, who last visited the salon to get her lips done on March 8, showed off her 'extra, extra, extra big' lips in a heavily filtered Instagram video

Sporting a white corduroy puffer coat and a white t-shirt, the former page 3 girl looked in high spirits as she flaunted her 'Russian 3D lips'.

Kissing the air, she said: 'Big lips. Who am I going to kiss on Valentine's Day?'

As the star continued to smolder into the camera she revealed that she loved them before asking if Valentine's Day lips were a thing.

Her visit to the Essex-based clinic came around very quickly after her last visit was on February 3.

The star has spent over 130,000 on cosmetic surgery and it seems she doesn't plan or slowing down, despite it being less than a month since she showed off the results of her latest bum procedure.

Despite her extensive love of injectables, in recent weeks Katie has been calling for an age limit to be introduced on facial fillers, and insisted on Radio 4's Women's Hour that she's not a 'hypocrite' despite her own surgical history.

She said: 'I've been around the world and seen different surgeries... and the thing is, I know about filler, you might have filler, but eventually... it drops... it's still chemicals you're putting in your face.

'But I just think... there should be an age limit on it, and (we should) educate girls, why do you need to have all this filler and everything pumped in your face? Just look at when you are my age, it's different when you're older than that, but you know, they're babies still.'

Last month, Katie revealed she'd had her third round of lip fillers in a matter of weeks , after a visit to Lift Aesthetics

Katie was last in the clinic on February 13 to get a top up just 10 days after having had more lip filler

Katie also said that before and after pictures of plastic surgery on social media failed to take into account the recovery period, which can involve bruising and stitching.

She added: 'My advice is, don't just go abroad and stuff because it's cheaper, why don't you contact some of the people on there who've done the before and after, and message them and say, ''Look, I'm thinking of having this done? What was it really like?''

Last year, the Government launched a consultation to gather insights and opinions on how to make Botox procedures and other non-surgical cosmetic treatments including face fillers safer.

Katie also urged young women to 'embrace what they've got' and said she is worried that they could become addicted as 'in 20 years' time there'll be a new procedure or something'.

She did not rule out new surgeries due to her struggling with her perception of her own body.

'I don't have surgery to look younger,' Katie said. 'I don't know what it is, but I definitely have a relationship with the surgery, I think about not feeling probably good enough or needy or not very pretty.'

Katie visited Lift Aesthetics in January after admitting she wanted a 'new bum' in the New Year because of her 'awful cellulite'.

Taking to Instagram in January the star shocked followers as she uploaded a video of her recent tweakment.

On the 130k Katie has spent on transforming her looks, 84,000 of that has been spent on boob jobs alone.

Her visit to the Essex-based clinic came around very quickly after her last visit was as on February, 3

Katie is no stranger to cosmetic surgery and has had nose jobs and other work such as fillers and Botox, liposuction, eye, chin and lip surgery and veneers

The former I'm A Celebrity Star went public with JJ last month after a string of dates and a romantic getaway together

Katie has always been candid about going under the knife and during an interview with the Go Love Yourself podcast in October she divulged her concerns over suffering body dysmorphia, due to her resistance to accept her image.

The former I'm A Celebrity Star went public with JJ last month after a string of dates and a romantic getaway together, as she opened up about the relationship on her podcast The Katie Price Show.

She said: 'I know sometimes when I have gone too far. I have been there done it with all the fillers. I don't have fillers now.

'I do in my lips and I have Botox because it got to the point where my face just looked like a balloon. Like really shiny.

'I am starting to look alien. It is purely for me, that's the difference.'
BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty accused Death in Paradise star Ralf Little of calling her old during an awkward moment on Thursday's show.

The actor, 44, who stars alongside Will Mellor, 48, on the podcast Two Pints with Will and Ralf, was discussing their upcoming UK tour.

Joined by Charlie Stayt, Naga, 49, asked Ralf how long he had known Will for as the pair previously worked together on Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

He began: 'We've always made each other laugh and we've always had that kind of ability to be silly and then serious, but, we got old.

'We got old right? So we still do the stuff we...,' he said before Naga interrupted to ask how old he was.

BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty took a swipe at Death in Paradise star Ralf Little during Thursday's show after he seemingly accused her of 'being old'

The actor, 44, who stars alongside Will Mellor on the podcast Two Pints with Will and Ralf, was discussing their upcoming UK tour

'I'm 44, just turned 44,' he replied.

'So you're younger than me, so you're saying I'm old?' Naga exclaimed.

Pausing, Ralf joked: 'Er...well look old father time gets to us all and Will I think is about...he's just had a birthday and think he's about 56 now.'

Naga replied: 'That is so not true.'

'No it's not true but I'm going to make that fact now,' Ralf laughed.

Last week, Naga playfully took a swipe at her co-star Carol Kirkwood during Thursday's BBC Breakfast.

The newsreader claimed the meteorologist, 61, was 'of no importance' after Carol made an awkward on air blunder.

After wrapping her weather segment, she handed back over to Naga and Ben Thompson in the studio but appeared to forget Naga's name.

Explaining how himself and his podcast co-host Will Mellor had gotten 'old' Naga soon realised that she was in fact older than them both and accused Ralf of calling her old too

Signing off, Carol said: 'Ben and....' and paused for a while before adding: 'Naga!'

'Oh you remembered... Well done!' Naga joked.

Carol responded: 'How could I forget?"

Naga turned to Ben Thompson and added: 'She's of no importance Ben, she's of none, she's just the showgirl.

'Write in on your hand next time Carol. Write it on your hand it always helps,' she joked.

Carol laughed: 'If only my eyesight was better I could write it on the screen in front of me.

'I thought you were going to say if only you can write,' Naga savagely hit back.

Ben joked: 'We will have to keep you two apart!'

It comes after Naga gave an insight into her gruelling morning routine before she heads to work at BBC Breakfast.

The TV presenter and radio host has revealed she sets her 'stupidly early' alarm for 3:45am, to head into the BBC studios for 4:50am.

Last week, Naga playfully took a swipe at her co-star Carol Kirkwood during Thursday's BBC Breakfast (pictured with ben Thompson)

The newsreader claimed the meteorologist, 61, was 'of no importance' after Carol made an awkward blunder

And even on days where she is able to sleep in later than usual, Naga - who goes to bed around 10:30pm - naturally wakes up at 5:45am and does a full gym workout.

If she's not presenting BBC Breakfast, Naga is a presenter for BBC Radio 5 Monday to Wednesday.

Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, she said: 'Three days a week I get up stupidly early. My first alarm is at 3.45 and Im in the BBC Breakfast studio by 4.50. On radio days I wake up naturally at 5.45, but Im a terrible prevaricator.

'Monday to Wednesday I whack my dressing gown on, check the news sites and do some life admin before 45 minutes of running or weights. By 7.15 I'm home and in the shower.'
Ella Barnes began filming her debut TOWIE scenes at one of the show's most iconic venues this week, the Sugar Hut nightclub in Brentwood Essex.

The former Love Island star, 24, put on a very busty display as she showcased her surgically enhanced assets in sheer black lace midi dress.

Ella paired the daring ensemble with a white fur shawl and black gloves, while accessorising the look with a pearl choker necklace and matching bracelet.

The star is Roman Hackett's new love interest and has wasted no time in getting her teeth into her TOWIE man as the pair were pictured looking very cosy at the nightclub.

Ella joined TOWIE regulars Amber Turner and Dani Imbert for the night out, while they were also accompanied by fellow newbies Olivia Jay (Livvy), Rebecca Bloomberg (Becks), and George Keys.

Ella Barnes began filming her debut TOWIE scenes at one of the show's most iconic venues this week, The Sugar Hut nightclub in Brentwood Essex

She was joined by Amber Turner (L) and Dani Imbert (R) as they also opted for daring black lace ensembles

Black lace was clearly the theme of the evening as both Amber and Dani wowed in their daring ensembles.

Amber, 30, put on a very leggy display in a long-sleeved lace playsuit which she paired with some black heels and a black feather scarf.

Meanwhile Dani opted for a sheer black and silver jumpsuit as she went braless underneath the sexy ensemble.

Wearing her blonde locks in long voluminous curls she completed the look with some clear heels and a silver sparkly handbag.

Sugar Hut is famous for hosting Brentwood locals and the cast of the ITV show after appearing as a haunt in the since it's very first episode way back in 2010.

A whole host of iconic incidents have occurred on and off camera in the club, including Lauren Goodger being investigated by police in 2016 over claims she was caught up in a fight with two women.

In December 2013 former West Ham United defender James Tomkins was charged with resisting arrest and being drunk and disorderly outside the club. He was later fined 3,500.

The venue was previously onwed by Kirk Norcross' late father Mick.

Elsewhere on the knight Livvy, 26, showcased her incredible figure in a black strapless dress which made sure to draw attention to her ample cleavage.

Amber, 30, put on a very leggy display in a long-sleeved lace playsuit which she paired with some black heels and a black feather scarf

Ella, 24, is Roman Hackett's new love interest and has wasted no time in getting her teeth into her TOWIE man as the pair were pictured looking very cosy at the nightclub

Sugar Hut is famous for hosting Brentwood locals and the cast of the ITV show after appearing as a haunt in the since it's very first episode way back in 2010 (Original cast pictured at the venue in 2011)

A whole host of iconic incidents have occurred on and off camera in the club, including Lauren Goodger being investigated by police in 2016 over claims she was caught up in a fight with two women

The star completed the look with a large black flower choker necklace as she enjoyed the night with her new castmates.

Becks, 29, opted for a more glam looked as she wowed in a sheer sparkly long-sleeved number.

Beaming in the snap, Becks also went braless, while she styled her brunette locks in a long side ponytail.

The new girls are best friends and also work together at a salon, Lashes by Livvy, in Essex which has had high profile customers in the past such as Katie Price

New male cast member George looked very dapper as he donned a black tie suit.

Once inside the venue things looked to be getting steamy as the couples packed on the PDA for the cameras.

Diags and Jodie Wells couldn't keep their hands off each other as they shared a cheeky smooth.

Making sure to make an impression, newbie Olivia Jay (Livvy), 26, showcased her incredible figure in a black strapless dress which made sure to draw attention to her ample cleavage

George Keys joins the cast as a new male member

Jodie, 32, looked stunning in a little black dress which featured a high leg slit.

The star made sure to show off her array of tattoos in the dress, which she paired with a silver 1920s style hair piece.

Meanwhile Jordan Brooks and his girlfriend Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei looked as loved up as ever as she added a pop of colour to the evening in a bright pink dress.

The reality star, 34, drew attention to her enviable curves in the sequined number which she also paired with a white fur shawl and sparkly headpiece.

Diags and Jodie Wells couldn't keep their hands off each other as they shared a cheeky smooth

Jodie, 32, looked stunning in a little black dress which featured a high leg slit

Jordan Brooks and his girlfriend Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei looked as loved up as ever as she added a pop of colour to the evening in a bright pink dress

The reality star, 34, drew attention to her enviable curves in the sequined number which she also paired with a white fur shawl and sparkly headpiece

Harry Derbidge and Joe Blackman also shared a snog as they complemented each other in contrasting black and white braces

Courtney Green looked stylish in a black leather mini dress with feathered edging and some lace gloves

Dani, Junaid and Saffron looked to be having a great night together

Ella and Roman looked to be getting on like a house on fire

Amber pouted in snaps as she posed with peace signs

Elsewhere Harry Derbidge and Joe Blackman also shared a snog as they complemented each other in contrasting black and white braces.

Junaid looked sensational as he wowed in sparkly black shirt with feathered collar and matching trousers.

He completed the look with a black feathered head piece, before he turned round to reveal his name printed across the back of his shirt.

Elma Pazar, Courtney Green, Ella Rae Wise and Chloe Meadows also dressed up for the night out.

The cast have recently returned from Bali after serving up a sun-kissed start to the series.

Junaid looked sensational as he wowed in sparkly black shirt with feathered collar and matching trousers

He completed the look with a black feathered head piece, before he turned round to reveal his name printed across the back of his shirt

Chloe Meadows opted for a white satin mini dress

Diags and Jodie threw themselves into some explicit poses

Ella Rae posed with her friend Freddie

Saffron opted for a light green floral patterned wrap dress

The girls posed together in a sweet snap

Sophie and Jordan looked cosy together

Joe and Harry messed around with some props

Dani enjoyed a drink

Livvy looked right at home with her new castmates as she posed for selfies with Becks
Russell Crowe has opened up about his very surprising plans for his 60th birthday on Sunday.

The Gladiator star revealed he is currently in Budapest filming a movie called Nuremberg and so will be having a quiet celebration so he can focus on the film.

'I'm still shooting in Budapest so most likely I will be revising dialogue and getting ready for the scenes to come. No plans,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

Crowe's upcoming movie focuses on the historical Nuremberg trials shortly after World War II and co-stars Oppenheimer actor Rami Malek.

The New Zealand-born star has been working hard to prepare for his role in the movie, and recently shaved decades off his age by going under the razor for the first time in five years.

Russell Crowe (pictured) has opened up about his very surprising plans for his 60th birthday on Sunday

The Oscar-winning actor took to social media last month to give fans a glimpse at his strikingly different new look.

In recent years, he has become recognisable for his thick silver beard, but he has now decided to get rid of it, opting for a completely clean-shaven look.

He revealed that it marked the first time he had shaved in five years, taking to X - formerly known as Twitter - to reveal his new look.

In an accompanying caption, Russell hinted that the transformation was for a film role as he wrote: 'The actor prepares #20. First shave since 2019.'

The Gladiator star revealed he is currently in Budapest filming a movie called Nuremberg and will be having a quiet celebration so he can focus on the film

Russell, who was born in New Zealand and lives in Sydney, is gearing up for a whole host of acting projects this year.

He is set to star in MMA action film The Beast In Me, while he will also portray Nazi Hermann Goring in James Vanderbilt's historical drama Nuremberg.

Russell also recently starred in thriller movie Land of Bad alongside Liam and Luke Hemsworth, while he is also set to appear in upcoming sci-fi film Kraven the Hunter.
Scoop is a hit with Netflix viewers with the film depicting Prince Andrew's infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis debuting on the streamer on Friday.

Based on the book Scoops, by Sam McAlister, the film captures the tension behind booking the royal for the interview, as well as the tension among the cast during the interview.

Viewers took to X/Twitter in the hours after the film appeared on the platform and most gave a positive verdict.

Gillian Anderson's performance as Emily received praise as did Billie Piper who plays Sam McAllister, the producer who secured the interview with Prince Andrew.

Praising the flick, users wrote: 'Spent my morning watching Scoop on Netflix which documents how that norotious interview with Prince Andrew materialised - it's utterly brilliant and a really intriguing watch. Highly recommend!'

Scoop is a hit with Netflix viewers with the film depicting Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis debuting on the streamer on Friday (Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis)

The film captures the tension behind booking the royal for the interview, as well as the tension among the cast during the interview (Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew)

Billie Piper's performance as TV producer Sam McAllister was singled out for praise

'Connor Swindells is in Scoop! Really enjoying the movie, Billie Piper was excellent. Actually all acting was great. But what in the heck was wiht the stuffed animals on Prince Andrew's bed? Weird.'

'Here for Billie Piper and Gillian Anderson #Scoop'... 'As much as I like Billi Peiper, when I'm wathcing her act I only see Billie Piper'... 'Just watched Scoop, it is superb!'

'Totally awesome, enjoyed every minute of this #Scoop'... 'A brilliant piece of TV. Well worth your time. Especialy when you realise the interview is another piece in the vast, terrible that is this story - and still a reality for too many victims.'

In a slightly less positive review, one user wrote: 'Just finished watching Scoop on Netflix. Worth a watch sure, but nothing special. Gillian Anderson nails Emily Maitlis. But apart from that, very mediocre. 3/5.'

In the infamous interview, Emily discussed Virginia Giuffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Epstein.

The prince strongly denied the claims throughout the interview.

The discussion, in which Andrew made a series of claims - including insisting he couldn't have been with Virginia at the time of the alleged encounter because he was dining at a Pizza Express in Woking and that a medical condition left him unable to sweat - has since gained notoriety and is widely acknowledged to have embarrassed the royals.

The interview was described as a 'car crash' and on November 20, 2019, a statement from Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew was suspended from public duties 'for the foreseeable future'.

Viewers took to X/ Twitter in the hours after the film appeared on the platform and most gave a positive verdict

In a slightly less positive review, one user wrote: 'Just finished watching Scoop on Netflix. Worth a watch sure, but nothing special'

In May 2020, it was announced that the prince was permanently stepping down from his public roles.

In January 2022, Virginia was given the go-ahead to sue Andrew for unspecified damages in a New York civil court.

Despite vowing to fight the claims and repeatedly protesting his innocence, the prince agreed to pay a huge sum to settle the case before it ever reached a jury. interview, then the film.

Netflilx describes the production as portraying: 'The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen's 'Favourite son'.

'From navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew's inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal - to the jaw dropping interview itself.

'SCOOP is the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British Establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and guts broke through the highest of ceilings - and into the inner sanctum and calculations of a man with everything to lose.'

Rufus Sewell (left) plays The Duke Of York

Gillian Anderson (left) stars as Emily Maitlis

Billie Piper (left) plays the producer Sam McAlister

Keeley Hawes (left) stars as Prince Andrew's former personal secretary Amanda Thirsk

What the dramatisation does not show, however, is the alleged tension between TV star Emily and producer Sam.

Sam was said to earn around a tenth of Emily's 325,000 annual salary and while Emily would get taxis for work journeys, Sam forked out for buses from the BBCs central London HQ to Buckingham Palace for meetings with Prince Andrews former private secretary.

The disparity is perhaps all the more galling for single mum Sam after Emily gave an in-depth interview to Radio Times in 2020 explaining how the story came about - not once mentioning McAlister.

In the piece - headlined How we did it, Newsnights Emily Maitlis and Esme Wren on the Prince Andrew interview that shocked the world, Wren, now editor of Channel 4 News, said: We delivered a quite exceptional piece of journalism.

One former colleague said: While those who work behind the scenes dont always get credit, for Emily to go out there and not mention Sam in such a high-profile interview seems pretty unfair and wrong.

'Emily was on a significant salary and then you had Sam grafting behind the scenes on about 30,000 a year. Without Sam there would have been no Prince Andrew interview. Its as simple as that.

As for how she felt overlooked, a source said: Sam tried to laugh at it. It seemed deeply baffling that two women would not mention another, far more junior woman in an interview where they were talking about how the interview came about.

But friends of Sam say the omission was a factor in her decision to leave the BBC in 2021 to go freelance and become a champion of behind-the-scenes production staff.

Emily, 53, has always refused to comment on the rift.

Based on the book Scoops, by Sam McAlister, the film captures the tension behind booking the royal for the interview (left: Rufus and Gillian, right: Emily and Prince Andrew)

Now Emily is making her own show based on the interview, A Very Royal Scandal, currently in production for Netflix rival Amazon Prime.

With money no object for either streaming giant, they have been battling it out for the ultimate Hollywood cast for their adaptations.

Scoop boasts an A-list roster - according to friends McAlister is over the moon to have secured the The Crowns Anderson  while A Very Royal Scandal has Hollywoods Michael Sheen as the Prince.

He recently said he doesnt want his portrayal to be hatchet job: Inevitably you want to bring humanity to the character.

Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson will take the role of Maitlis and The Thick Of Its Joanna Scanlan will play Thirsk in A Very Royal Scandal.

As for the scripts, Scoop boasts British playwright and screenwriter Peter Moffat with Philip Martin, who worked on seven episodes of The Crown in 2017, directing.

Emily has arguably gone one better for her three-part series, signing Bafta-nominated director Julian Jarrold, who headed up The Crown and worked on Sky Atlantics drama This England.

However, she faces a race against time to get her production ready before Netflix's Scoop, which will be released on the streaming platform on April 5.
Richard Hammond's daughter Izzy revealed how the presenter's 320mph horror crash when she was just 4-years old 'changed his brain'.

The former Top Gear host, 54, was left in a coma for two weeks in 2006 after the car he was driving spun out of control at York's Elvington airfield.

One of the dragsters tyres blew causing the crash, flipping it upside down and leaving Richard with serious head injuries.

He suffered with a 'frontal lobe bleed', causing memory loss, depression and difficulties with emotional experiences following the accident.

Speaking about how Richard's crash inspired their new father-daughter podcast, Who We Are Now, they discussed his emotional state and mental health afterwards.

Richard Hammond's daughter Izzy, 22, revealed how the presenter's 320mph horror crash when she was just 4-years old 'changed his brain'

The former Top Gear host almost died filming a stunt in a Vampire jet car at York's Elvington airfield in 2006 with the accident inspiring their new podcast, Who We Are Now

Richard began: 'Because I was so publicly brain injured I wanted to do the podcast and address it. I felt like I had permission to do so.'

Izzy added: 'We spent a long time talking about his brain because we have had to keep an eye on how he's behaving and feeling.

'We agree on a lot more than we disagree with on the podcast, so much of mental health is universal. Men and women shouldn't be pigeon holed.'

'Every group needs to be in a good state for society to work,' the TV personality added.

Richard hosted Top Gear from 2002 until 2015 alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May.

The trio then moved on to present Amazon Prime Video's The Grand Tour from 2016.

Recalling her childhood Izzy said: 'He was away quite a bit when I was younger. There was a lot of him taking opportunities which he had to do. Then when he was home he would act the fool.

'Because a lot of it was dangerous my parents didn't talk about it whereas now I'm older I understand what that work was.'

One of the dragsters tyres blew causing the crash, flipping it upside down and leaving Richard with serious head injuries (Richard's 2006 crash scene pictured)

He suffered with a 'frontal lobe bleed', causing memory loss, depression and difficulties with emotional experience (pictured being transferred by Yorkshire Air Ambulance afterwards)

Speaking about how Richard's crash inspired their new father-daughter podcast, Who We Are Now, they discussed his emotional state and mental health afterwards

Richard explained how he was never sure when his last job would be so spent a lot of time away from home while working.

After his accident, Richard recovered and returned to the show in early 2007 but revealed in February this year that he fears he has memory loss as a result.

He said he is still suffering the after effects of his brain injuries caused by the extreme deceleration in speed that made his brain 'slosh' forward resulting in a 'frontal lobe bleed'.

In 2017, Hammond was involved in a second crash and was airlifted to hospital in Switzerland while filming Amazon's The Grand Tour.

The accident took place in the town of St Gallen in north-east Switzerland. Richard had to be pulled from the wreckage of a Rimac supercar worth 2m that later burst into flames.

Incredibly he was able to pull himself from the wreckage before the car caught fire. He was airlifted to hospital with a fractured knee.

Co-host Jeremy Clarkson described the accident as 'the biggest crash Ive ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.

The BBC show has seen numerous accidents over the years with most recently Freddie Flintoff's horror crash which left him with 'lucky to be alive' in December 2022.

In 2017 Richard cheated death again in another horror crash that saw him be airlifted to hospital where he was treated for serious injuries including a fractured knee

Richard posing in hospital with the X-ray of his fractured knee from his second crash

The former cricketer, 46, was hurt after his is open-topped three-wheel 130mph Morgan Super 3 car, which had no air bags, flipped over leaving him with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs.

Following the near-fatal crash, the BBC announced that it would pause Top Gear - and in November last year it was rested for the 'foreseeable future'.

Freddie, who is still recovering from his 'life-altering significant' injuries, is understood to have negotiated a 9million settlement with the corporation for two years' loss of earnings as a result of the crash.

The smash came three years after the Freddie narrowly cheated death following a 125mph crash.

The BBC show has seen numerous accidents over the years with most recently Freddie Flintoff's horror crash which left him with 'lucky to be alive' in December 2022 (pictured September 2023)

The former cricketer, 46, was hurt after his is open-topped three-wheel 130mph Morgan Super 3 car (pictured) which had no air bags, flipped over leaving him with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs

In 2019, Flintoff was heard fearfully yelling 'I can't stop,' as he hurtled head-first down a runway just inches off the ground in a three-wheeled cycle car.

He had been racing his co-hosts when he realised he was running out of road and about to overshoot the finish line  seeing him spin off in a cloud of dust.

Flintoff walked away from the 'near-death' crash unscathed, insisting he was 'absolutely fine'.

He said at the time: 'I go to great lengths to make sure I do well in Top Gear drag races but, on this occasion, I went a few lengths too far. It will look more ridiculous than dangerous when you see it on TV.'
Global Radio has announced yet another huge shake up following the double-departure of Roman Kemp and Will Njobvu from Capital FM just one week ago.

Roman announced he would be leaving his highly coveted breakfast slot as he could no longer handle reliving the day that his best friend passed away.

In 2020, Capital producer Joe Lyons died from suicide and Roman learned of his death while in the studio, traumatising him.

Hours later, Will stepped down from his Saturday breakfast show after four-and-a-half 'amazing' years to 'focus on new opportunities'.

Now, a week later, a new face on sister channel Capital XTRA as been unveiled and it's none other than Celebrity Big Brother star Zeze Millz!

A new face on Capital XTRA as been unveiled amid a shakeup of presenters at Global Radio and it's none other than Celebrity Big Brother star Zeze Millz!

Last week Roman Kemp left his highly coveted breakfast slot as he could no longer handle reliving the day that his Capital producer best friend passed away

Hours later, Will Njobvu stepped down from his Saturday breakfast show after four-and-a-half 'amazing' years to 'focus on new opportunities'

The star was the sixth celebrity evicted from the comeback series of the reality programme which aired in March.

The series was eventually won by David Potts and quickly became loved for the celebrity-bashing gossips between housemates Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.

Zeze has appeared as a guest on the station several times and attended Capital XTRAs Brunch N Beats party last year.

Commenting on her new job, Zeze said: 'Hosting my very own show on Capital XTRA, one of the most cutting-edge Hip Hop and R&B radio stations out there, is honestly so exciting.

'I cannot wait to get behind the mic and get started! I am so ready for it, and I am thrilled to be joining the Capital XTRA family!'

Matt Deverson, Managing Editor for Capital XTRA, said: 'We've been quietly working with Zeze for some time now, and I'm delighted that we can welcome her properly to Capital XTRA with her own Sunday show.

'The body of work Zeze has produced over the last few years  as a presenter and content creator - has been really exciting, and we are thrilled that she is joining us at Global.'

Zeze has been making waves in the music industry since 2018, where she has interviewed the likes of Big Narstie, Beenie Man, and Wiley on her popular YouTube series, The Zeze Millz Show.

The star was the sixth celebrity evicted from the comeback series of the reality programme which aired in March

Zeze has been making waves in the music industry since 2018, where she has interviewed the likes of Big Narstie, Beenie Man, and Wiley (pictured) on YouTube series, The Zeze Millz Show

In 2021, Zeze presented the late-night chat show Unapologetic with Yinka Bokinni for Channel 4.

In the same year, Zeze was nominated for Best Media Personality at the MOBO Awards.

Building on her broadcasting career, Zeze also produced Young, Black and Right Wing for Channel 4, where she met several right-wing groups to discuss their views.

In 2023, Zeze presented Breaking Through with Zeze Millz for ITVX, a special one-off panel show celebrating Black British actors in the TV industry.

Zeze also has also appeared on E4s Celeb Cooking School, and recently appeared as a contestant on ITVs Celebrity Big Brother.

Now, the in-demand presenter and broadcaster will join Capital XTRA this Spring, bringing her wealth of presenting experience, personality and unique style to its listeners.

Zeze will be solo-hosting the Sunday breakfast show from 9 am to 1 pm.

Listen to Capital XTRA across the UK on FM, DAB digital radio, on Global Player, the official Capital XTRA app, on your smart speaker ('play Capital XTRA'), iOS or Android device, or at capitalxtra.com
Married At First Sight's Jack Dunkley has sensationally claimed that the whole cast were aware that Lauren Dunn had a 'secret boyfriend' in Bali.

The Gold Coast based personal trainer, 34, delivered the bombshell during a rogue interview with Daily Mail Australia ahead of Sunday night's reunion dinner party.

'It was on camera, Lauren and Jono turned around and admitted to the group that they were in an arrangement throughout the entire experiment,' Jack spilled.

In his account, Jack described the ripple of whispers about Sara Mesa, who was rumoured to be in an arrangement with Tim Calwell to help her reputation, an assertion that he claims was backed by multiple cast members.

But it was Lauren and Jono's admission that stole the spotlight.

Married At First Sight's Jack Dunkley (pictured) has sensationally claimed that the whole cast were aware that Lauren Dunn had a 'secret boyfriend' in Bali

The Gold Coast based personal trainer, 34, delivered the bombshell during a rogue interview with Daily Mail Australia ahead of Sunday night's reunion dinner party

'Lauren and Jono apologised to me for being a hypocrite and going so hard at me throughout the entirety of the show,' Jack stated, voicing a storyline that viewers were never privy to.

The plot thickened as Jack spoke of Lauren's admission of a fling in Bali just before her on-screen nuptials.

'Lauren did confirm that she was having a bit of a fling with a guy in Bali one week before she married Jono, and she wished to pursue him after the show,' Jack said.

'It was on camera, Lauren and Jono turned around and admitted to the group that they were in an arrangement throughout the entire experiment,' Jack spilled

Meanwhile, Lauren's pre-show love life has been a hot topic in the tabloids, with New Idea alleging she had fallen for the 'perfect' man in Bali, a fling she'd disclosed to friends and even to Jonathan during the show's filming.

'In the beginning, Jono thought he could win Lauren over. But it seems like he had no chance if she was already hung up on somebody on the outside,' the magazine opined.

However, Lauren's stance remains firm, as she denounces the swirling rumors as unfounded.

In his account, Jack described the ripple of whispers about Sara Mesa, who was rumoured to be in an arrangement with Tim Calwell to help her reputation, an assertion that he claims was backed by multiple cast members

'You've got to give it to some of these publications, they are very good with their creative writing. It's just a bit ridiculous. I didn't have a Bali boyfriend,' she staunchly told Daily Mail Australia.

Despite this, she acknowledged the romance in Bali but felt that her transparency had been used against her.

'I told Jono at the very beginning of the experiment... I feel like me being honest about that has come back to blow up in my face later down the line,' Lauren lamented, finding herself at the center of a narrative she never expected.

Married At First Sight continues on Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine.
Amanda Holden's daughter Lexi Hughes showed she is taking after her mother with a stunning bikini snap she shared on Thursday.

The aspiring model, 18, looked incredible as she donned a teal bikini while relaxing by the water during her family holiday to the Maldives.

Lexi looked on cloud nine as she soaked up the sunshine while working on her tan during the holiday.

Alongside the snap, she wrote: 'Working hard or hardly working?'

The two-piece she wore bore a resemblance to one her famous mother wore during summer 2022 while she was on holiday in Sicily.

Amanda Holden 's daughter Lexi Hughes showed she is taking after her mother with a stunning bikini snap she shared on Thursday

Amanda flaunted her toned physique in the two-piece which boasted a triangular top and drawstring bottoms.

Lexi took to Instagram on Sunday to share a steamy bikini-clad snap, just one day after her mum shared a snap in a similarly sexy two-piece.

Keeping her 21k followers up to date on her sun-drenched antics, the blonde beauty posed up a storm alongside the caption: 'I like palm trees'.

The teen, who is signed to Kate Moss' original agency Storm Models, looked jaw-dropping in a strapless black two-piece.

Her tiny waist was on full display as she reclined on a palm tree while her lithe limbs were showcased thanks to her model-worthy pose on the holiday, which comes as Lexi has started looking at universities in America after finishing her A Levels.

Amanda and Chris are also parents to 11-year-old Hollie.

Lexi has already begun to follow in her mother's showbusiness footsteps, signing with the Storm modelling agency in 2022.

At the time, Amanda said: '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.

Lexi shared another photo of herself in a black bikini as she enjoyed the local scenery

Lexi took to Instagram on Sunday to share another bikini-clad snap

Lexi has already begun to follow in her mother's showbusiness footsteps, signing with the Storm modelling agency in 2022

Amanda has banned Lexi from ever appearing on hit reality series Love Island, despite the teenager being 'obsessed' with the show (pictured together in 2022)

'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.'

Discussing Lexi's next steps last year, Amanda exclusively 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 Lookbook.'

However, she has banned Lexi from ever appearing on hit reality series Love Island, despite the teenager being 'obsessed' with the show.
Hugh Jackman has continued to cause concern among his fans with his unusual selfies.

The Australian actor posted to Instagram on Thursday with an image of himself looking pensively at the camera along with a caption that read simply: 'Hi'.

While quite innocent, the post did cause some fans to worry that Hugh wasn't at his best.

'Hello Are you okay?' wrote on person in the comments, while another said, 'Are you okay? You may need to talk to some of your real friends.'

'Glad to see you happy, but I don't know why even though you smile I see your eyes sad!' another worried.

Hugh Jackman (pictured) has continued to cause concern among his fans with his unusual selfies. The Australian actor posted to Instagram on Thursday with an image of himself looking pensively at the camera along with a caption that read simply: 'Hi'

While quite innocent, the post did cause some fans to worry that Hugh wasn't at his best

Fans have been left repeatedly confused after the Oscar-nominated actor posted a bizarre series of photos to his Instagram page of late.

The Aussie star, 55, shared two close-up photos of himself and a one-second-clip of a floor to his social media page this week.

In one photo, Hugh had his eyes closed in what appeared to be a public setting. He captioned the post: 'More!'

Many of Hugh's followers were quick to share their confusion with the post in the comments section.

'Nice floor Hugh???' one fan wrote.

'I absolutely adore how u just post whatever the mood is, that's why I look up to sm'.

'Ever since late last year, your content has been um how do I put this? So random but it's a fun random so keep it up,' another follower commented.

Fans have been left repeatedly confused after the Oscar-nominated actor posted a bizarre series of photos to his Instagram page of late

In one photo Hugh even had his eyes closed. He captioned the post: 'More!'

The Aussie star, 55, shared two close-up photos of himself and a one-second-clip of a floor to his social media page

'Bro can't sleep and now he's posting random pictures of himself in the middle of the night,' one said.

'Looks like half the pics in my library, posed, confused and lots of floor or grass vids,' a fan wrote alongside laughing emojis.

Another follower simply asked: 'Are you ok?'

Last year, Hugh announced he had split from long-time wife Deborra-Lee Furness in September - after 27 years of marriage.

The former couple revealed to fans that they had separated 'to pursue our individual growth'.

'We have been blessed to share almost three decades together in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth,' the couple said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

Many of Hugh's followers were quick to share their confusion with the post in the comments section

'Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition.'

The former couple signed the statement as 'Deb and Hugh Jackman,' adding: 'This is the sole statement either of us will make.'

The pair had tied the knot in 1996 after crossing paths on set of Correlli in 1995.

During the course of their marriage, they adopted two children: son Oscar, 23, and daughter Ava, 18.
Gillian Anderson took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate the release of Netflix's Scoop with a slew of behind-the-scenes snaps.

The actress, 55, who plays Newsnight's Emily Maitlis in the movie, shared a glimpse from the make-up trailer and documented co-star Rufus Sewell's transformation into Prince Andrew.

In the snaps Gillian stands behind the actor, 56, who is having prosthetics applied to his face in order to resemble the Duke of York for the film which documents his infamous car crash BBC interview.

The duo beam for the camera before during and after the application, with Gillian also showing off her costume and blonde wig.

The X-Files star captioned the post: 'Just a straightforward shooting week (and!) Scoop is out on Netflix today!'.

Gillian Anderson took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate the release of Netflix's Scoop with a slew of behind-the-scenes snaps (pictured with co-star Rufus Sewell as he was covered in prosthetics to be transformed into Prince Andrew)

The actress, 55, who plays Newsnight's Emily Maitlis in the movie, shares a glimpse from the make-up trailer and documented co-star Rufus Sewell's transformation

Rufus (left) plays The Duke Of York in the hotly anticipated movie

Rufus as he normally looks (pictured at the world premiere of Scoop in March)

Rufus underwent a total image transformation for the film and previously admitted that a bottom double was required for a scene in which the Duke is seen climbing out of the bath.

Rufus told the Radio Times: 'It's not that I'm ashamed of my own. I get it out whenever I get the chance  but this bum was specially shipped in.'

He underwent a lengthy process to be transformed into the disgraced prince and said he needed to perfect the 'Windsor clenched jaw' for Andrew's voice.

Rufus explained: 'Andrew actually has this blokey quality. If you listen to him, as opposed to King Charles, he has a lad's lad quality.

'He's Randy Andy who chats up the working girls when he visits the factory.'

The film also stars Billie Piper as BBC producer Sam McAlister and Keeley Hawes as Andrew's assistant Amanda Thirsk.

Critics are divided over the Netflix's drama with some slamming the drama as 'surface level' while others have praised actors' 'note perfect' performances.

Standout scenes from Billie as plucky booker, Gillian as the savvy but sensible presenter and Rufus as the disgraced royal, were revered, with reviewers giving their compliments to the all-star cast.

In the snaps Gillian stands behind the actor, 56, who is having prosthetics applied to his face in order to resemble the Duke of York for the film which documents his infamous car crash BBC interview

The duo beam for the camera before during and after the application, with Gillian also showing off her costume and blonde wig

The X-Files star captioned the post: 'Just a straightforward shooting week (and!) Scoop is out on Netflix today!'

Gillian Anderson (left) stars as Emily Maitlis

Billie Piper (left) plays the producer Sam McAlister

Keeley Hawes (left) stars as Prince Andrew's former personal secretary Amanda Thirsk

But some remarked that the film felt like it 'missed the real story' and lacks the 'investigative spirit and sense of paranoia' that the story demands.

The movie aims to capture the tensions behind booking the Duke of York for the programme, where Maitlis discussed Virginia Giuffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Epstein, as well as the tension among the cast during the hour.

Following the Newsnight broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew's friendship with Epstein, the Duke stepped down from public life.

The interview was dubbed a 'car crash', with commentators questioning his responses and condemning his unsympathetic tone and lack of remorse over his friendship with the sex offender.

Maitlis has already served as an executive producer of a Channel 4 documentary about the interview.

Another drama about the interview, an Amazon series called A Very Royal Scandal starring Michael Sheen as Andrew and Ruth Wilson as Maitlis, is also in the works.

Giving the film two stars, Patrick Cremona of Radio Times called it a 'well-executed act of mimicry' which 'feels rather pointless when the actual interview is readily available to watch in full'.

Critics are divided over the Netflix 's drama with some slamming the drama as 'surface level' while others have praised actors' 'note perfect' performances

Standout scenes from Billie as plucky booker, Gillian as the savvy but sensible presenter and Rufus (pictured) as the disgraced royal, were revered, with reviewers giving their compliments to the all-star cast

Writing in The Telegraph, film critic Tim Robey gave the Netflix drama a generous five stars out of five, focusing on its all-star cast.

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave Scoop two stars out of five, describing it as 'laboriously acted and distinctly self-admiring, self-mythologising drama about the media, the royals and the media royals'.

Hugo Rifkind, for The Times, awarded Scoop a tepid three stars out five - writing that the movie struggles to find a good anchoring story to hold onto.

'The dogged art of the behind-the-scenes interview-booker is indeed neglected and under-rated, even in journalism,' he wrote.

'I'm not sure, though, that it makes great drama.'

He said that while it was interesting to watch a 'broad cosplay of British media, for all its flaws', it didn't feel like the moment was big enough to 'even warrant a drama in the first place'.

Among those hailing Billie's performance as Sam McAlister was The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey who said the actress offered an 'excellent performance' and rated the movie at three stars.

However, she felt the story lacked a necessary depth and criticism of the events.

The movie aims to capture the tensions behind booking the Duke of York for the programme, where Maitlis discussed Virginia Giuffre 's claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17 under the orders of Epstein, as well as the tension among the cast during the hour.

Following the Newsnight broadcast in November 2019 and the furore over Andrew's friendship with Epstein, the Duke stepped down from public life

Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew pictured during 2019 interview

Writing for the Evening Standard, Melanie McDonagh - who gave Scoop four out of five stars - felt like the only way to watch the nail-biting dramatisation is 'from behind your fingers'.

However, while she was full of praise for the acting performances which resulted in 'beautifully tense' storytelling - particularly Gillian, who played Maitlis with 'eerie exactitude', the movie felt like a 'puff for the BBC'.

'We're presented with the Corporation in crisis (again) and having to make job cuts  and people's eyes are resting on Sam McAlister (Piper), who doesn't seem at all interested in Brexit and points out home truths about on-message Maitlis,' she said.

'At the end, after Maitlis has duly eviscerated the Prince, the Beebs Esme Wren (Romola Garai) declares to acclaim that this is what the Corporation is for holding the powerful to account. Cheers for fearless news reporting!'

Among those hailing Billie's performance as Sam McAlister was The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey who said the actress offered an 'excellent performance' and rated the movie at three stars.

However, she felt the story lacked a necessary depth and criticism of the events.

Clarisse wrote that Scoop appeared 'uncomfortably smug about a hollow victory'.

'Virginia Giuffre, the woman who would sue Andrew for sexual assault (the case was eventually settled out of court), is merely a name mentioned in passing conversation,' she added.

The Daily Mail's Brian Viner gave the film four stars out of five, hailing the 'top-quality cast and a mischievous script'.

'Scoop boasts a top-quality cast,' he wrote. 'A jowly Rufus Sewell plays Andrew and, if you squint quite a lot, you can just about believe it's him. Maitlis is portrayed by Gillian Anderson as stick-thin, brittle and imperious, which seems about right, marching through the BBC's offices with her pet whippet, intimidating everyone.
Alison Hammond was forced to apologise to This Morning viewers after guest Billy Crudup swore during Friday's episode.

The actor, 55, made an appearance on the ITV chat show to promote his one man show Harry Clarke at the Ambassadors Theatre in London.

During the interview, Billy was speaking about his career choices and how he followed the cult movie Almost Fmaous by performing in a play of The Elephant Man, based on the life of severly deformed man named Joseph Merrick.

He said: 'What did you do after Almost Famous? I said, "I did the Elephant Man on Broadway." And someone was like, "weren't your agents p****d?" And yes they were really p****d but what is a better part than that?

'An incredible way to explore new features of yourself as an actor. As long as I could make my rent, I've always tried to take as many creative choices as I could.'

Alison Hammond was forced to apologise to This Morning viewers after guest Billy Crudup swore during Friday's episode

The actor, 55, made an appearance on the ITV chat show to promote his one man show Harry Clarke at the Ambassadors Theatre in London

Co-host Alison Hammond then said: 'Billy we don't say that word in England.'

'Rent?' Billy joked as fellow host Dermot O'Leary laughed.

'No, the other one,' Alison said. 'Apologies for his colourful language.'

It comes after Billy's wife Naomi Watts revealed that she walked down the aisle with Billly in a rush last year because the pair were 'keen'.

The actors opted for a courthouse wedding in New York last June, and the 55-year-old and her partner just couldn't wait.

'It just happened that way,' she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon of the no frills ceremony.

'We knew we wanted to do it, it was something we were very keen on doing and quickly. It's an efficient way to do it.'

She added: 'It was really lovely. It was a classic New York day. You ran into all kinds of people, some were dressed to the nines, some were walking quickly in and out.

He said: 'What did you do after Almost Famous? I said, "I did the Elephant Man on Broadway"

Alison said: 'We don't use that word in England,' before adding: 'Apologies for his colourful language'

'It was very special and very memorable.'

The British-Australian actress was wed to the American The Morning Show star in June last year.

Naomi posted a photo of herself and her new husband posing on the steps of looked to be a Manhattan courthouse shortly after tying the knot, adding the caption: 'Hitched.'

Naomi looked stunning in a $7,400 white Oscar de la Renta Sweetheart Water Lilly Guipure dress next to her actor husband.

It comes after Billy's wife Naomi Watts revealed that she walked down the aisle with Billly in a rush last year because the pair were 'keen'

The actors opted for a courthouse wedding in New York last June

The Mulholland Drive star wore her cropped blonde hair curled and parted to the side, and accessorized her look with open-toed pumps, a diamond necklace and a gold wedding band.

New York-born Billy meanwhile sported a navy blue suit, and he looked dashing with his clean-shaven visage and his shaggy salt-and-pepper hair swept back dramatically.

After the ceremony, Naomi shared a photo of the newlyweds celebrating with actor Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise Coigney.
Angie Harmon's dog did bite an Instacart driver before the animal was shot and killed by the former employee over the Easter weekend, police sources have confirmed.

The 51-year-old former Law & Order star revealed in an Instagram post on Monday that her dog Oliver had been killed by the shopper after they dropped off groceries to her home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sources inside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told TMZ the deliveryman, known only as Christopher, did have bitemarks on his body.

They added no charges will be pressed against the man.

Christopher did have a past history of arrest, but he had not been convicted of a felony previously, and was entitled to carry the firearm under the state's open carry law.

The police say they will be issuing no more information in the case.

Angie Harmon's dog did bite an Instacart driver before the animal was shot and killed by the former employee over the Easter weekend, police sources have confirmed

The actress, 51, announced her dog, Oliver, had been killed by the Instacart employee over the Easter holiday weekend in an emotional social media post earlier this week

However, the Instacart shopper, whom Harmon claimed was working under another person's name, will no longer be able to work for the service as his actions violated their code of conduct.

The grieving actress revealed the family tragedy in a poignant message days after Oliver was killed.

'This Easter weekend a man delivering groceries for Instacart shot & killed our precious Oliver,' she wrote, alongside several sweet photos of the deceased pet. 'He got out of his car, delivered the food & THEN shot our dog.'

In a statement provided to DailyMail.com, Instacart addressed Angie's claims.

'We were deeply saddened and disturbed to hear about this incident. We have no tolerance for violence of any kind, and the shopper account was immediately suspended from our platform,' a spokesperson said.

'We have been in direct contact with the customer and are cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation.'

Since making that statement, the service told TMZ the driver's account had been deactivated, meaning he will not be able to provide service for the platform again.

She called the shooter's actions 'despicable and inexcusable' in a later Instagram Stories post

Harmon claimed the driver was a man using a woman's profile, which she reposted. The driver is now known as Christopher

In a statement provided to DailyMail.com, Instacart addressed Angie's claims - revealing that the delivery driver in question has been suspended from their role. His account has now been permanently deactivated

Harmon claimed the driver delivered her groceries before shooting her dog Oliver. She disputed claims of 'self defense,' as the driver allegedly appeared unharmed

Reflecting on her loss, she reshared a post from Daily Bible Verses, which read: 'God is saying to you today, Dont give up. I am your strength. Despite everything youve dealt with this year, Im pulling you through.

Ive never left you and Im not going to let you down. Things will get better. Trust Me now.'

In her Instagram post, Harmon claimed that the Instacart shopper knew that he was not being recorded before the shot the dog, noting that her Ring security camera was charging inside at the time of the incident.

'Our Ring camera was charging in the house, which he saw & then knew he wasnt being recorded,' she wrote.

Harmon noted that the driver was released by police after claiming that he shot the dog in 'self defense.'

However, the Rizzoli & Isles star disputed that her dog had attacked the driver, writing: 'He did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn.'

She went on to describe a chilling interaction in which the driver allegedly admitted to killing her dog.

'He shot our dog with my daughters & myself at home & just kept saying, Yeah, I shot your dog. Yeah I did,"' she wrote.

Harmon claimed the driver was a man using a woman's profile, which she reposted.

'We are completely traumatized & beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved boy & family member,' she concluded, while adding '#RIP OLLIE.'

She called the shooter's actions 'despicable and inexcusable' in a later Instagram Stories post

Harmon's post included a sweet photo of someone scratching Ollie's chin, as well as a photo of the dog when he was a puppy

Reflecting on her loss, she reshared a post from Daily Bible Verses, which read: 'God is saying to you today, Dont give up. I am your strength. Despite everything youve dealt with this year, Im pulling you through

Harmon's post included a sweet photo of someone scratching Ollie's chin, as well as a photo of the dog when he was a puppy

Other photos showed Oliver with more of the family's dogs

Other photos showed Oliver with the other family dogs

He cuddled up with another pooch for a cute nap in another heartbreaking photo

She included a short clip in which she theatrically cleared her throat off camera because a snoozing Oliver was sitting on the out-of-bounds sofa, before another woman gave him head scratches.

The police department added that it was not seeking out any other individuals in response to the shooting.

At this time, TMZ reported that law enforcement officers have 'closed' the case and 'refused to release the deliveryman's statement or alleged injuries.'

Additionally, the outlet reported that the police 'would not provide any specific narrative as to what the dog did to show aggression or why it was self-defense.'

During the incident, Harmon's lawyer, John Buric, said she was upstairs putting food in the squirrel feeder while her children 'were in the backyard when they heard a gunshot.'

After hearing the sound, her kids reportedly 'rushed to the front of the house and found Oliver lying there in a pool of blood.'

He cuddled up with another pooch for a cute nap in another heartbreaking photo

Harmon described the deliveryman as 'braggadocious' about killing her beloved pup and said he repeatedly kept saying: 'Yeah, I just shot your dog.'

Harmon subsequently wrote a message to the delivery driver in her Instagram stories.

'To the man who took Ollie away from us: your actions are despicable and inexcusable,' she seethed. 'You've not only robbed us of a beloved member of our family but you've also traumatized us beyond measure.'

She said it was 'beyond comprehension' that 'someone could commit such a heartless act.'

Harmon is best known for her stint on Law & Order and her starring role on TNT's Rizzoli & Isles (pictured)

Harmon added: 'I'm devastated that I didn't get to say goodbye to him.'

After modeling early in her career, Harmon got her big acting break on the bizarre two-season series Baywatch Nights.

However, it was her addition to the main cast of Law & Order from 1998 to 2001 made her a hit with fans and critics.

Harmon is best known for her stint on Law & Order and her starring role on TNT's Rizzoli & Isles (pictured)

Harmon played the assistant DA Abbie Carmichael, who worked in close collaboration with longtime star Sam Waterston's character Jack McCoy.

She went on to be a popular television star with numerous lead and supporting roles, as well as occasional film parts.

Harmon's biggest role to date was on the crime drama series Rizzoli & Isles, in which she played a Boston homicide detective who works in collaboration with a medical examiner to solve crimes.

The TNT series ran for seven seasons from 2010 to 2016.
Beyonce was seen in stunning new images for W magazine's digital edition on Friday morning.

The Texas-born songbird was wearing a beige cowgirl hat on the cover as it read 'New Era.'

And the mother of three added a chic mocha latter colored suit that had brown accents. She wore no shirt or bra for a busty look.

The wife of Jay-Z was holding onto the reins of a horse as she looking into its eyes.

The Texas native is celebrating her country album Cowboy Carter, which was released a week ago.

Beyonce was seen in stunning new images for W magazine's digital edition on Friday morning. The Texas-born songbird was wearing a beige cowgirl hat on the cover as it read 'New Era.' And the mother of three added a chic mocha latter colored suit that had brown accents with no shirt

The wife of Jay-Z was holding onto the reins of a horse as she looking into its eyes. The Texas native is celebrating her country album Cowboy Carter, which was released a week ago

She looked better than ever in a stunning outdoor country theme shoot by photographer Pamela Hanson.

For the fist cover, which was released a week ago, Beyonce had on a fuzzy off-white Alexander McQueen coat and Cartier High Jewelry earrings.

The photo spread was one big country western fashion statement using top designers like Celine and Chloe.

The cover copy heralded the beauty's 'new era' in music.

In one sexy shot the crooner had on a black leather Chloe cape, an ivory sheer dress, and black over-the-knee boots.

The Texas native also had on a black Stetson hat over her blonde braids, Mahnaz Collection earrings and bolo tie.

Another stunning image was of her against bails of hay.

She had on an off-the-shoulder black sheer lace dress from Gucci over a black bodysuit with three belts from Etro, Celine by Hedi Slimane and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Her black hat was from Stetson hat as she added Champion's Choice Silver crown and Lisa Eisner Jewelry earrings and ring.

Beyonce was also seen in a Proenza Schouler blanket and dress; Stetson hat; De Beers earrings; Gaspar Gloves by Dorothy Gaspar gloves.

She was working a rope while in a dating look.

She had on Sportmax chaps, Andreadamo briefs, a Stetson hat, Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, Lisa Eisner Jewelry cuffs, Tiffany & Co. ring and Partlow boots.

Last wee she had on a white cowgirl hat for the digital cover of W magazine

The mother of three added that with artificial intelligence and digital filters and programming she 'wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones' for her album

This comes after the wife of Jay Z sent out a press release early on Friday morning.

'The joy of creating music is that there are no rules,' said Beyonce. 'The more I see the world evolving the more I felt a deeper connection to purity.'

The mother of three added that with artificial intelligence and digital filters and programming she 'wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones.

'I didn't want some layers of instruments like strings, especially guitars, and organs perfectly in tune.'

She added that she wanted some of the songs to be 'raw' and she 'leaned into folk.'

The star ended with: 'All the sounds were so organic and human, everyday things like the wind, snaps and even the sound of birds and chickens, the sounds of nature,' she said.

'I didn't want some layers of instruments like strings, especially guitars, and organs perfectly in tune.' She added that she wanted some of the songs to be 'raw' and she 'leaned into folk'

The star ended with: 'All the sounds were so organic and human, everyday things like the wind, snaps and even the sound of birds and chickens, the sounds of nature,' she said

The press release reveals the inspiration behind the album and how each 'song is its own version of a reimagined Western film.'

Some of the films that lent inspiration include The Hateful Eight, Space Cowboys, The Harder They Fall, and the recent Oscar-nominated movie Killers of the Flower Moon.

The album is considered 'a declarative frequency and academic shift, as the world prepares to shift again, that redefines and rebuilds what is Country and Americana, and who gets to be included.'

Beyonce's eighth studio album landed across nine different genres on US music charts including Pop, Hot AC, Country, Rhythmic, Urban, and R&B, and making history with Beyonce becoming the first Black female artist to reach No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 1 on the Hot 100 Chart with a Country song.

It also spent four weeks at the top of the UK music charts.

The album is about genres, all of them, while deeply rooted in Country.

The press release reveals the inspiration behind the album and how each 'song is its own version of a reimagined Western film.' Some of the films that lent inspiration include The Hateful Eight, Space Cowboys, The Harder They Fall, and the recent Oscar-nominated movie Killers of the Flower Moon

Destiny's Child went country while promoting their new album Survivor in 2001 at Coconuts Music store in New York City

'This is the work of an artist who thrives in her freedom to grow, expand, and create limitlessly. It makes no apologies, and seeks no permission in elevating, amplifying, and redefining the sounds of music, while dismantling accepted false norms about Americana culture. It pays homage to the past, honoring musical pioneers in Country, Rock, Classical, and Opera,' the press release added.

The album is a cornucopia of sounds that Beyonce loves, and grew up listening to, between visits and eventually performances at the Houston Rodeo  Country, original Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Zydeco, and Black Folk, it was added.

'The album wraps itself in pure instrumentation in a celebratory authentic gumbo of sounds using among others, the accordion, harmonica, washboard, acoustic guitar, bass ukulele, pedal steel guitar, a Vibra-Slap, the mandolin, fiddle, Hammond B3 organ, tack piano, and the banjo. There's also plenty of handclaps, horseshoe steps, boot stomps on hardwood floors and yes, those are Beyonce's nails as percussion,' the release added.
Melinda Messenger looked gorgeous as she topped up her tan during her sun-soaked getaway on Thursday.

The former Page Three model, 53, flaunted her age-defying figure as she slipped into a colourful swimsuit for a day at the beach.

Newly-single Melinda displayed her ample bosom in the plunging bather while sitting on a comfy lounger and beaming for the camera.

The stunner shielded her eyes behind shades as she battled with her blonde locks blowing in the wind while trying to capture the perfect shot.

Playfully captioning the snaps: 'Sun soaked, sea soaked and salty. Seriously you'd have thought I could get one decent shot out of this bunch, but alas no'

Melinda Messenger, 53, looked gorgeous as she topped up her tan during a sun-soaked getaway on Thursday

The former Page Three model flaunted her age-defying figure as she slipped into a colourful swimsuit for a day at the beach

In February Melinda broke her silence after it was revealed she has split from her fiance survival expert Dr. Raj Joshi, just six months after the pair got engaged in New Zealand.

Following reports of their break up Melinda issued a statement herself as she took to Instagram to confirm the split, revealing it was her decision to end the relationships.

She wrote: 'A recent separation of mine has been shared with the newspapers by an anonymous source.

'While I initially considered ignoring it, the false information is rapidly spreading, and it's disheartening to see my life being inaccurately portrayed. I feel my hand has been forced so it's imperative to set the record straight.

'It's important to clarify that my decision to end the relationship was not influenced but the peculiar claims made by the unnamed source, claims that those who know me would find unrecognisable.

'Rather, there were entirely different reasons behind my choice'.

A source previously told The Sun that the ex glamour model is 'gutted' to see the relationship end, because she thought he was 'the one' after the pair bonded over the SAS experience.

However in her statement Melinda seemed to suggest this source is not accurate.

Newly-single Melinda displayed her ample bosom in the plunging bather while sitting on a comfy lounger and beaming for the camera

The stunner shielded her eyes behind shades as she battled with her blonde locks blowing in the wind while trying to capture the perfect shot

Playfully captioning the snaps: 'Sun soaked, sea soaked and salty. Seriously you'd have thought I could get one decent shot out of this bunch, but alas no'

MailOnline has contacted Melinda's representatives for comment at the time.

Melinda began secretly dating Joshi, 47, after meeting on the Channel 4 show while it filmed in Vietnam, with fans originally believing they met on a charity hike in Nepal.

The star then announced her engagement to Dr. Raj in August after the pair met while filming Celebrity SAS.

Melinda had originally confirmed the engagement in an Instagram post in August and revealed wedding plans were already well underway.

Melinda wrote: 'We've got some very happy news to share. @raj.joshi.expedition and I got engaged in beautiful New Zealand at Matariki, the Maori New year, and we are getting married next year!'

In February Melinda broke her silence after it was revealed she has split from her fiance survival expert Dr. Raj Joshi , just six months after the pair got engaged in New Zealand

She wrote: ''It's important to clarify that my decision to end the relationship was not influenced but the peculiar claims made by the unnamed source, claims that those who know me would find unrecognisable'

The mother-of-three revealed her engagement alongside a picture of the couple arm-in-arm before a sweeping, mountainous view of the New Zealand countryside.

The pair climbed Welsh landmark Mount Snowdon together as part of her preparations for the expedition through Nepal's Langtang Valley, close to the border with Tibet, which has altitudes of up to 12,600ft.

In an interview with The Mirror, she said: 'Being in your 50s is such an important and powerful stage in life. And the challenge is to keep on growing and developing.

'You shouldn't stop when you get to a certain age. It's good to keep challenging yourself. As I have got older, I am much happier and I don't care what I look like if I fail.'

Melinda chose Nepal for her trek because she fell in love with the country 10-years ago when she visited her brother - who lives there.
Nicola Coughlan cut a stylish figure as she arrived for a TV appearance at CBS studios to promote her new series Big Mood in New York City on Thursday.

The Bridgerton star, 37, turned heads in a quirky black crop top which featured pleated detailing and a plunging neckline.

Nicola completed the ensemble with a chic black maxi skirt and slipped her feet into a pair of pointed heels to strut her stuff into the studio.

The actress wore her glossy blonde tresses in loose waves and accessorised with statement gold earrings.

Earlier in the day she turned heads once again in a black dress with shoulder pads and a shiny black corset-style belt as she attended Big Mouth's US premiere.

Nicola Coughlan, 37, cut a stylish figure as she arrived for a TV appearance at CBS studios to promote her new comedy series Big Mood n New York City on Thursday

The Bridgerton star turned heads in quirky black crop top which featured pleated detailing and a plunging neckline

She stunned in the dress, which boasted a split down the middle and a deep V-neckline, and accessorised with gold drop earrings.

With her look, Nicola sported a bright red Arists4Ceasefire badge to, which has been worn by many stars calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza.

Nicola finished her look with a dark red lip and black high heels as she posed for snaps ahead of the Stateside release of her new comedy.

Big Mood is a Channel 4 comedy series following Maggie (Nicola) and Eddie (Lydia West) as their friendship of 10 years is hit with work, life, and mental health pressures.

The show premiered on March 28 with a double-bill on and all six episodes were released on the Channel 4 website. It also stars Joanna Page and Sally Phillips.

On Tuesday, Nicola visited Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Nicola hilariously gave her Bridgerton character's alias Lady Whistledown a Real Housewives tagline, saying: 'I may be behind the quill but I'm always ahead of the gossip.'

Bridgerton is known for its saucy scenes and Nicola has asked the producers for a 'PG' version so she could enjoy the show with her mother.

Nicola completed the ensemble with a chic black maxi skirt and slipped her feet into a pair of pointed heels to strut her stuff into the studio

Earlier in the day she turned heads once again in a black dress with shoulder pads and a shiny black corset-style belt as she attended Big Mouth's US premiere

She stunned in the dress, which boasted a split down the middle and a deep V-neckline, and accessorised with gold drop earrings

Big Mood is a Channel 4 comedy series following Maggie (Nicola) and Eddie (Lydia West) as their friendship of 10 years is hit with work, life, and mental health pressures

It comes after Nicola revealed that series three of Bridgerton will be even raunchier than the previous two.

The actress previously admitted she was initially terrified to film sex scenes with Luke Newton, who plays her love interest Colin Bridgerton.

Nicola shared: 'I think we've won the sauciness for this series! I am so excited, I can't wait.

'It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Luke Newton who plays my love interest is so wonderful.

The first instalment of the third series of Bridgerton, with Nicola in the lead role, will be released on Netflix in mid-May.

Nicola recently revealed that series three of Bridgerton will be even raunchier than the previous two (pictured with love interest Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton)

Nicola added: 'This season is really funny and romantic, they've incorporated a lot of rom com elements. And it's not one to watch with the family. Take of that what you will.

'It was terrifying. I am an Irish woman, and any Irish woman would feel like they can't do this. And then I went and realised, it's my job so I better. I had a great partner, and it was terrifying, but really liberating. I was exhausted by the end.'

The third series of the hit regency romance, which follows the eight Bridgerton siblings attempting to find love, will pick up with Penelope and Colin's love story.

Phoebe Dynevor, 28, starred in the period drama in series one  which saw her take part in multiple sex scenes with actor Rege-Jean Page, 35.

In the final episode of series two, with followed the eldest Bridgerton son, Penelope heard long-time friend Colin's snide comments to the other gentlemen about her and decided to finally give up on her unrequited feelings for him.

Big Mood ends with a double-bill on Channel 4 on Thursday at 10 pm and 10:30 pm.
As Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ongoing sex-trafficking investigation continues to unfold, his youngest son is named in a new lawsuit.

Christian 'King' Combs, 25, has been sued for sexually assaulting Grace O'Marcaigh, a woman working on a yacht his father chartered in the summer of 2022, according to court documents.

Filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the lawsuit also accuses King of sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress.

Diddy is also accused of aiding and abetting his son, named in the lawsuit for premises liability for chartering the boat.

O'Marcaigh claimed that the trip was 'sold as a wholesome family excursion' but became a 'hedonistic environment.'

Christian 'King' Combs, 25, has been sued for sexually assaulting Grace O'Marcaigh, a woman working on a yacht his father Sean 'Diddy' Combs chartered in the summer of 2022; seen in June 2022 in LA

Filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the lawsuit also accuses King of sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress; Diddy and King in 2020

Filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the lawsuit also accuses King of sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress

After King and brother Justin , 30, were arrested last month during raids on their father's Los Angeles and Miami homes, they have hired attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, accusing investigators of ' excessive use of force ' during the arrest at the Holmby Hills, Los Angeles mansion

The alleged event took place in late December of that year, shortly before Diddy hosted a star-studded yacht party on New Year's Eve.

According to TMZ, O'Marcaigh alleges that King tried to kiss and grope her after giving her a shot of liquor she suspects was spiked.

The outlet reported that O'Marcaigh also has audio recordings of herself allegedly turning down his advances in the yacht's studio and trying to get away from him.

Afterward, King allegedly attempted to force O'Marcaigh to perform oral sex on him.

She included photos of bruises on her arm, which she says she got during the altercation while fighting him off and escaping.

Aaron Dyer, a lawyer on Diddy and King's defense team responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Us Weekly.

'We have not seen this womans claim but I'm sure we can expect the same kind of manufactured lies we've come to expect from Tyrone Blackburn and his clients, just as we saw in Rodney Jones' lawsuit  which has yet to be served,' said Dyer.

'He was just slapped by a federal judge in New York earlier this week for his "pattern of behavior" in "improperly [filing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly,"' he continued.

'Two days after he was referred to the disciplinary committee in the Southern District of New York, it's interesting he chose to file a new suit in California.

She included photos of bruises on her arm, which she says she got during the altercation while fighting him off and escaping

The images of her bruised arm were included in the suit

Diddy is also accused of aiding and abetting his son, named in the lawsuit for premises liability for chartering the boat

O'Marcaigh claimed that the trip was 'sold as a wholesome family excursion' but became a 'hedonistic environment'

King and brother Justin, 30, were arrested last month during raids on their father's Los Angeles and Miami homes

'This is just another page from that same playbook, as we learned of this lawsuit the same way anyone hears about Mr. Blackburn's filings: through the media,' Dyer added.

After King and brother Justin, 30, were arrested last month during raids on their father's Los Angeles and Miami homes, they have hired attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, accusing investigators of 'excessive use of force' during the arrest at the Holmby Hills, Los Angeles mansion.

King also broke his silence on Snapchat after the arrest, writing, 'Stop with the [blue cap emoji],' which translates to 'Stop lying.'

Diddy is the subject of mounting sexual harassment and rape lawsuits, recently culminating in Homeland Security Investigations raiding his homes, where they were seen removing boxes and bags of evidence.
Tom Sandoval and girlfriend Victoria Lee Robinson partied with JoJo Siwa in West Hollywood on Thursday night.

The 40-year-old Vanderpump Rules star and his 31-year-old new love interest attended the 20-year-old music artist's release party.

For the occasion, Tom wore a shimmery cardigan with thick, black trim over a white T-shirt.

Victoria coordinated with him as she donned a black, leather shirt jacket over a snug white tee.

And the new couple coordinated in pair of dark, faded jeans and sneakers.

Tom Sandoval and girlfriend Victoria Lee Robinson partied with JoJo Siwa in West Hollywood on Thursday night

The 40-year-old Vanderpump Rules star and his 31-year-old new love interest attended the 20-year-old music artist's release party

Tom's sneakers were white with gummy soles while his counterpart opted for classic, black and white Converse Chuck Taylors.

Her glossy brunette hair was loose, arranged in a center part as the straight locks fell over her chest.

The model looked pretty in a light face of makeup as she cozied up to her beau.

And the blue-eyed beauty took to social media to share outtakes from the evening with her 350,000 followers.

She filmed a brief interaction between Sandoval and Siwa as they embraced and he handed her a bouquet of white roses.

Siwa, who recently released a provocative music video for her song Karma, rocked black face paint over one eye.

Her blond hair was styled in a voluminous bouffant and she wore a sleeveless shirt.

Robinson wrote along the bottom of one clip: 'Congrats on your release cutie!'

Victoria took to social media to share outtakes from the evening with her 350,000 followers

Robinson wrote along the bottom of a social media clip: 'Congrats on your release cutie!'

Sandoval's girlfriend was previously romantically linked to Leonardo DiCaprio.

In February, sources close to the reality TV personality confirmed to TMZ that the pair have been officially dating for about a month.

Insiders told the outlet that their romance is not 'super serious' yet and they are just 'enjoying their time together.'

Sandoval is still dealing with the fallout from his affair with Rachel Leviss, which came to light one year ago when he was dating Ariana Madix, on the latest season of Vanderpump Rules.
Ulviyya Shahin

In Azerbaijan, payment instruments that meet two criteria will be considered as small-denomination payment instruments, Azernews reports.

This is reflected in the "Regulation on the Conduct of Payment Operations and Payment Instruments" approved by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan's Board of Directors.

According to the decision, the criteria are as follows:

The amount of payment transactions within a calendar month for a single instrument should not exceed 300 manats or its equivalent in foreign currency.

The amount of funds held in the instrument should not exceed 300 manats or its equivalent in foreign currency.

Furthermore, the decision states that payment instruments not subject to identification requirements must meet the following criteria:

They can only be used for domestic payment transactions.

They cannot be used for money transfers or for cashing out funds in foreign countries.

Their users can only be individuals.
Twilight actress Elizabeth Reaser has revealed she secretly tied the knot almost a year ago.

The 48-year-old star shared with Vogue that she married longtime boyfriend Bruce Gilbert last summer.

The couple wed in a small ceremony held in Italy in August 2023.

'Originally, we were making these huge lists of people to invite but we realized pretty quickly it didnt feel right for us,' the brunette beauty from Michigan told the publication.

'We decided to elope instead, with a couple of friends as witnesses,' she added.

The star is best known for playing Esme Cullen in the Twilight franchise opposite Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

Twilight actress Elizabeth Reaser has revealed she secretly tied the knot almost a year ago. The 48-year-old star shared with Vogue that she married longtime boyfriend Bruce Gilbert last summer; the couple pictured in 2019

'Originally, we were making these huge lists of people to invite but we realized pretty quickly it didnt feel right for us,' Elizabeth told the publication; pictured in March in Texas

L-R Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Reaser, Jackson Rathbone and Peter Facinelli in Twilight: Eclipse

Guests in attendance at the nuptials included Elizabeth's close friends Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor.

The couple met in 2017 when they were walking their dogs in the same Los Angeles neighborhood.

Elizabeth joked about their fateful meeting, 'We owe our dogs everything!'

Bruce popped the question in 2022 while they holidayed in Italy.

The proposal took place at what Elizabeth called her 'favorite place in the world,' Hotel Il San Pietro di Positano.

Reaser walked down the aisle to the sounds of a mandolin player and guitarist, arranged by her husband.

'It was so beautiful that we stopped at the end of the aisle and had an impromptu first dance,' Elizabeth shared.

'I think it may have been the purest moment of happiness in my life.'

The couple wed in a small ceremony held in Italy in August 2023

'Originally, we were making these huge lists of people to invite but we realized pretty quickly it didnt feel right for us,' Reaser told Vogue about their decision to elope

Paulson was at the wedding too; seen during the curtain call for the new play Appropriate in March in New York City

She added, 'It was the most intense experience. Something happened to us when we said the vows.

'It did change everything. I was trying not to cry the whole time except for when I was laughing.'

Bruce is a composer who earned an Oscar for his work on the 2022 blockbuster Everything Everywhere All At Once.

In addition to the Twilight movies, Elizabeth has also appeared on Grey's Anatomy and in the movies Young Adult and Ouija.
Lydia West was seen for the first time since announcing she has secretly welcomed her first child.

The actress, 30, was promoting her new show Big Mood, alongside co-star Nicola Coughlan on CBS Morning on New York on Friday.

The It's A Sin star donned a khaki loose fitting suit with a racerneck top beneath and kept her outfit casual with a pair of white slip trainers.

The mother-of-one was in shock during the segment when asked about whether there were any real stories about the awkward transition during your twenties, as portrayed in the pair's new show.

Lydia and Nicola looked at each other for support to see what stories should and should not be shared on television, whilst Lydia replied with 'I mean... does anyone actually enjoy their twenties?'

Lydia West was seen for the first time since announcing she has secretly welcomed her first child

The actress, 30, was promoting her new show Big Mood, alongside co-star Nicola Coughlan on CBS Morning on New York on Friday

Lydia and Nicola looked at each other for support to see what stories should and should not be shared on television, whilst Lydia replied with 'I mean... does anyone actually enjoy their twenties?'

The pair decided in that moment that they would not revisit their twenties if given the opportunity.

However, the Bridgerton star does declare 'although you could get away with a lot more in your twenties'.

It comes as Lydia discussed balancing work and family life after recently welcoming her first child.

Lydia revealed in March she had become a mother and that life is 'so different now'.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK, Lydia discussed juggling parenthood with her working life.

'I've always wanted a family,' she said. 'For our generation, it's so hard. We have to be career-minded.

'It's amazing that women have so many opportunities now, but you do feel like you have to make a choice. Do you focus on your family? Or your career?'

The actress has not revealed if her child's gender.

The pair decided in that moment that they would not revisit their twenties if given the opportunity. However, the Bridgerton star does declare 'although you could get away with a lot more in your twenties'

Lydia kept her outfit casual with a pair of white slip trainers

The It's A Sin star donned a khaki loose fitting suit with a racerneck top beneath

Lydia recently discussed balancing work and family life after recently welcoming her first child

Big Mood, which also stars Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, follows best friends Maggie and Eddie whose friendship is tested after Maggie is diagnosed with bipolar disorder

Big Mood, which also stars Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, follows best friends Maggie and Eddie whose friendship is tested after Maggie is diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

With filming for the series finished, Lydia insisted she's happy to spend some quality time with her baby before finding another project.

'I'm happy to spend time with my little family until a potential season two,' she said.

Lydia also discussed her friendships with her co-stars and how important it is for them to discuss how much they've been paid for acting gigs.

She said: 'My peers and I have a relationship now where we talk about fees for a job It's so hard to have those discussions and be like, 'Oh, what are you being paid for this? Does this sound about right?'

'But with your best mates, you talk about everything else, so why is the subject of finances or how much you earn something we don't?

'That's been an amazing lesson for me. And then, sharing industry advice, and supporting each other when we're going through difficult times at work.'
Christine Quinn and Christian Richard's former marital home was visited by police on Thursday - after she was granted a temporary restraining order against him following his arrest last month.

Richard was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly threw a bottle of glass recyclables at Quinn but hit their two-year-old son.

He has disputed this version of events as 'lies' from Quinn, and maintained instead that he threw a trash bag full of paper towels and soiled rags at the wall.

Police were seen arriving at the LA home with another vehicle said to be picking up belongings from the mansion.

DailyMail.com has contacted Christine's representative for comment.

Christine Quinn and Christian Richard's former marital home was visited by police on Thursday - after she was granted a temporary restraining order against him following his arrest last month

Richard was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly threw a bottle of glass recyclables at Quinn but hit their two-year-old son; pictured 2021

He has disputed this version of events as 'lies' from Quinn, and maintained instead that he threw a trash bag full of paper towels and soiled rags at the wall; seen March 19

Quinn has been granted a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband.

Quinn obtained a temporary protective order after the first arrest, but Richard still appeared at their marital home the following night and was arrested again, according to an LAPD spokesperson.

Now TMZ reports that a judge has approved Quinn's request for a temporary restraining order.

Although he can engage in limited communication with Quinn so they can talk about child visitation, he must remain at least 100 feet from her at all times.

Furthermore, he is not allowed at the former couple's marital home and is banned from threatening, stalking or assaulting her.

Quinn made explosive accusations against Richard in her court documents when filing for the temporary restraining order.

She claimed the couple were experiencing money woes that caused their relationship to crumble, with disastrous results last month.

Quinn alleged that during one outburst the day before his arrest, her husband urinated on the floor and threw dog feces at her.

Police were seen arriving at the LA home with another vehicle said to be picking up belongings from the mansion

Police officers gathered outside the home - but it is not known why

According to new court documents Christine claims that after she called Christian out for the 'lack of effort' he was putting in their marriage, things turned volatile

Although he can engage in limited communication with Quinn so they can talk about child visitation, he must remain at least 100 feet from her at all times; pictured 2021

She also maintained that Richard flung decorative objects with metal in them at her during that same altercation.

When that alleged incident occurred, Quinn decided to bring her relationship with Richard to an end, according to her court documents.

She was purportedly packing her belongings the next morning when another confrontation with Richard occurred - the one that prompted his first arrest.

The latest legal development comes on the heels of claims that the estranged couple's marital problems have been going on for month.

'Christine has felt controlled by Christian their whole relationship,' a source told Us Weekly last Thursday. The two met shortly after filming ended for the first season of Selling Sunset, which debuted in March of 2019.

The insider also claimed that Richard (whose real name is Christian Dumontet), disapproved of the unabashedly sexy image that Quinn, 35, often displays.

'He never liked that her whole brand was about sex appeal and Christine would often have to lie about what partnerships or photoshoots she was doing so Christian wouldnt have a meltdown,' they added.

The newest alleged details about the details about the estranged couple have emerged after they filed requests for temporary restraining orders against each other in the wake of Richard's arrest for assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly throwing a bag with a glass bottle in it at Quinn, which instead hit their two-year-old son Christian Georges Dumontet, according to Quinn.

Quinn was previously reported to be planning to divorce her husband, but the insider clarified that she plans to file the necessary paperwork 'very soon.'

She appears to have a sense of urgency, as Richard's allegedly violent incident leading up to his arrest was 'not the first time she has seen [Christian] lash out in an angry manner,' the Us Weekly source said.

'She has felt unsafe for a while,' the insider claimed. 'It has been toxic for several months and Christine has been in distress.  It is going to be a long, messy road ahead of them, as they both have restraining orders and are not in agreement on plans with their son.'

Quinn seems to be focusing on the future, as a second source told the publication that she was 'in great spirits' when she attended the Xerjoff Vibes and Elle Anniversary celebration on Wednesday.

'She was all smiles and was happily taking several photos for photographers. She seemed unbothered and was in a great mood all night mingling and taking selfies with guests,' they said. 'Christine put on a brave face and was smiling and laughing throughout the night.'

Quinn's appearance at the Xerjoff Vibes and Elle Anniversary celebration marked her first public appearance since she filed for a restraining order against Richard.

The reality star had been pictured arriving at the event earlier in the evening, and the diamond engagement ring that her estranged husband Christian Richard gave her was notably absent.

The two will have difficult issues ahead, as the source said they are 'not in agreement on plans with their son,' two-year-old Christian Georges Dumontet; seen in March 2022 in LA

The insider claimed that Quinn has felt 'controlled' by her estranged husband for the duration of their marriage. They wed in 2019; seen in June 2023 in LA

Christine Quinn has made her first appearance since filing for a restraining order against her husband Christian Richards, as she attended a Xerjoff Perfume event on Wednesday

The 20-carat sparkler was worth a whopping $1.2 million, but she opted to leave the glamorous item behind.

In its place, she sported a more modest silver band with a blue gem in the center.

Despite navigating her marital woes and requesting a restraining order against her estranged spouse, Quinn appeared in high spirits as she mingled with other attendees.

The star was reunited with Selling Sunset stars Nicole Young and Davina Potratz as they posed for snaps at the event.

This marked the first time since the mother-of-one has been seen since Christian was arrested twice in the span of 48 hours the previous week.

According to new court documents, Christine claims that after she called him out for the 'lack of effort' he was putting in their marriage, things turned volatile, according to Us Weekly.

The Texan, who owns two Yorkshire Terriers, stated that Richard pulled out 'dog feces' from the trashcan and hurled it at her.

'I then locked him out, and our son and I spent the night in the master bedroom,' Quinn claimed in her court documents. 'I could hear him continuing to shout and yell, and could hear him smashing and breaking things through the house.'

It was previously claimed Richard had thrown a bag containing a glass bottle at Quinn but missed and hit their son instead - but Richard is now alleging the row erupted over Quinn's dogs urinating on his belongings - with the entrepreneur denying hitting their son, per TMZ.

Earlier this week, Richard filed his own request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that seeks to enforce a 'legal forcefield around him' - which he says is essential in light of Quinn's domestic violence allegations against him - which he denies.

Richard claims the two family dogs are not housetrained and urinate and defecate all over their LA home - and says Quinn refuses to have them trained.

He claims he discovered the two dogs had 'urinated all over some valuable belongings of his' despite him blocking off the area from the dogs.

Richard claims when he went to confront Quinn about he found her in their bedroom with cleaning supplies and other items 'strewn about all over.'

He says he became angry and picked up a trash bag on the ground - which he claims was full of soiled rags and paper towels - and threw it against a wall.

Richard denies throwing the bag at Quinn and denies hitting their young son, while also denying the bag was filled with glass. He says this information was relayed to Quinn by police.

After the bag was thrown Richard claims he tried to escort his son away from the scene but claims Quinn grabbed their son and holed in another room in the house.

Richard says police came in with guns raised and arrested him over 'lies' Quinn had told them.

He further claims Quinn filed a false police report and 'fabricated' domestic violence allegations against him to use as leverage in a potential divorce and custody battle.

Richard claims Quinn wants to 'embarrass him' which is why she called police. A judge has yet to approve his request for the TRO.

DailyMail.com has contacted Christine Quinn's representatives for comment.

The update came amid reports that Quinn was moving to ensure that her estranged husband Richard is kept far away from her and their son.

The Selling Sunset star had been meeting with lawyers to set in motion a temporary restraining order against Richard (real name: Christian Dumontet), according to TMZ.

Additionally, sources claimed that the reality star was planning on leaving her husband and filing for divorce.

Quinn at that time had a week-long emergency protective order against her husband, but she needed to petition the courts for another restraining order to go into effect once the previous order ran out.

Sources told TMZ that she is in the process of meeting with attorneys to plan out her next steps.

The TV personality was reportedly planning to detail her entire history in order to secure a restraining order, and the sources describe their marriage as being a series of ups and downs.

She has reportedly ready to make additional serious allegations against her estranged husband relating to their interactions out of the spotlight, and the lawyers are reportedly helping her to navigate those issues.

Although sources previously told Us Weekly on Thursday that Quinn plans to file for divorce from Richard, her first priority is making sure that he can't come near her or baby Christian.

Ultimately, the sources allege that she wants a permanent restraining order against Richard, though she will likely have to start with a temporary restraining order.

The insiders add that Quinn's relationship with Richard feels irreversibly damaged now, so a reconciliation between the spouses is unlikely.

Her emergency restraining order against her estranged husband only lasts for seven days, so she will need to have filed for a temporary restraining order by Wednesday in order to keep a legal barrier protecting herself and her child.

Quinn's terrifying saga spilled into the spotlight on Tuesday, when Richard was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, with his bond set at $30,000.

LAPD spokesman Jeff Lee told DailyMail.com: 'A victim and a suspect were involved in a domestic dispute when the suspect threw a bag at the victim with a glass bottle inside of it. It missed the victim, but that object struck a child.

The Texan, who owns two Yorkshire Terriers, stated that Richard pulled out 'dog feces' from the trashcan and hurled the poop at her

'I then locked him out, and our son and I spent the night in the master bedroom,' Quinn claimed in her court documents. 'I could hear him continuing to shout and yell, and could hear him smashing and breaking things through the house' (pictured in 2021 with one of her beloved pups)

It was claimed Richard had thrown a bag containing a glass bottle at Quinn but missed and hit their son instead - but Richard alleges the row erupted over Quinn's dogs urinating on his belongings; seen December 2022 in France

'The suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.'

Christian was subsequently taken in an ambulance to a hospital for treatment with his mother by his side, according to TMZ.

Richard was seen in a bathrobe last Tuesday as he was led into a squad car by police after his arrest.

He subsequently made bail, but was shockingly arrested a second time on Wednesday after he violated the emergency restraining police had offered Quinn by visiting their home.

Although Quinn and her son were reportedly not at the home at the time, Police arrived with guns drawn and did a search of the home before taking Richard into custody.

An eyewitness on the scene alleged that police could be heard shouting for Richard to 'Come out with your hands up.'

LA County Sheriff's records indicate that Richard posted another $30,000 bond and was released hours after the second arrest.

A source told Page Six that Quinn and her son were staying at a separate 'safe' location, and that someone else had allegedly called the police on Richard.

Quinn and Richard were originally introduced via a mutual friend, and the tech founder proposed to her on Valentine's Day of 2019.

Richard has filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that seeks to enforce a 'legal forcefield around him' - which he says is essential in light of Quinn's domestic violence allegations against him - which he denies; seen in June 2023

The couple were wed in December of that year in a ceremony with a winter wonderland theme featuring an unusual gothic twist, including Quinn's black wedding dress.

They welcomed their son Christian in 2021.

The blonde beauty is best known as a breakout star on Netflix's reality series Selling Sunset, in which she sold luxury homes for the Oppenheim Group for five seasons.

Her final season on the show featured allegations that she had tried to bribe a client.
Lorraine Kelly is going to be grandmother.

The TV presenter's only daughter, Rosie Smith, 29, announced her first pregnancy on Friday as she posted a sweet post to Instagram.

Revealing she could not be more excited about her new arrival, the podcaster shared a selfie of her posing with her blossoming bump in the mirror.

Beaming from cheek to cheek, Rosie cradled her growing tummy as she shared that she was 12 weeks into her pregnancy.

She captioned her post: 'We could not be more excited - you're already so loved little one.'

Lorraine Kelly is going to be grandmother. The TV presenter's only daughter, Rosie Smith, 29, announced her first pregnancy on Friday as she posted a sweet post to Instagram

Rosie, who is Lorraine Kelly's only daughter, cradled her growing tummy as she shared that she was 12 weeks into her journey

In another photo, she shared her 12-week sonogram scan, in which her little one was 'the size of a fig'.

Fans and famous friends rushed to the comment section to congratulate the TV veteran's daughter.

Mark Hayes penned: 'The most wonderful exciting news my darling.'

Craig David said: 'This is everything Rosie So happy for you.'

Rosie Nixon commented: 'Such lovely news!!! Congratulations.'

One fan wrote: 'We love you baby bump!! Oh darling the way you love our babies I can't begin to imagine how you'll love your own. The best news x'

'Wow that's fantastic news congratulations to you all xx'

'We love you baby bump!! Oh darling the way you love our babies I can't begin to imagine how you'll love your own. The best news x'

In another photo, she shared her 12-week sonogram scan, in which her little one was 'the size of a fig'

Fans and famous friends rushed to the comment section to congratulate the TV veteran's daughter

'How wonderful Lorraine and Steve will be the best grand parents and you will be the best parents x'

Lorraine and her husband, Steve Smith, welcomed their only daughter in 1994.

Rosie's other half, Steve White, are proud dog parents to their adorable pooch Ruby - a mini wire-haired Dachshund.

Speaking about having a famous mother who appears on British TV weekly, the doting mother  whose podcast is called What If?  previously admitted that Lorraine wasn't the reason she ventured into broadcasting herself.

Rosie's other half, Steve White, are proud dog parents to their adorable pooch Ruby - a mini wire-haired Dachshund

Rosie, who studied journalism at Edinburgh Napier University, told The Tab: 'I don't really see my mum as an inspiration. I mean, she's not the reason why I'm studying journalism.

'My dad is a cameraman, that's how my parents met actually, whilst my uncle is in advertising and granddad worked in the television industry too. So I guess it's in the family.

'I had no idea what I wanted to do at uni, but my family knew a lot about journalism and the media. I also see it as fun rather than work which is important.'

'I've still not decided exactly what I want to do,' she added back in 2015.
Brad Pitt has branded ex-wife Angelina Jolie a hypocrite for claiming he wanted to use an NDA in the sale of their French vineyard to 'control' her  despite regularly gagging her own staff with similar contracts.

Pitt, 60, and Jolie, 48, have been locked in a bitter battle over their French vineyard and home after the Tomb Raider star sold her $64million stake to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021.

The Chateau Miraval estate, which produces an award-winning sparkling rose, is at the center of a long-running court battle between the pair.

Legal documents seen by DailyMail.com show that the actress claimed she walked out of talks to sell her part of the vineyard to Pitt for $54million because of standard non-disparagement clause in his proposed contract for the sale.

She claims that it was an 'unconscionable' attempt by her ex-partner to 'control her' after their split.

Brad Pitt is now demanding ex-wife Angelina Jolie turn over NDA documents for previous agreements she's entered with third parties, in the latest motion in their ongoing legal battle over their Miraval winery. He is pictured at the chateau with business partner Marc Perrin

The actor's attorneys are seeking to discredit Jolie's claims that she refused to sell her share of Chateau Miraval to Pitt after she took issue with his proposed NDA

An aerial view of Chateau Miraval in Le Val, southeastern France, the winery and home that Brangelina bought for $27million

Pitt's lawyers told LA Superior Court on Friday that Jolie's NDA objection was really just a cover story which she cooked-up to 'rationalize' her betrayal of Pitt, as first reported by TMZ.

The Fight Club stars attorneys also claim that she asked for Pitt to sign a broader NDA just six months later as part of their divorce settlement talks.

Part of their motion asks for Jolie to disclose any other NDA's that she entered into with third parties - including her own personal staff.

The South of France chateau, where the couple wed in 2014, became Pitt's 'passion' and one of the world's most highly-regarded producers of rose wine

They argue that it could 'undermine her defense' and is the latest twist in the so-called 'War of the Roses' between the former Hollywood couple.

Pitt's lawyers argue that disclosure of her NDAs will ultimately discredit Jolie's arguments over why she abandoned the talks with her estranged husband.

Court documents state: 'If Jolie conditioned her continued employment of an individual on that individual's agreement to an NDA covering what they witnessed in her homeincluding her treatment of her children and Pittthat would be highly probative of whether she truly believed the provision requested by Pitt was an 'unconscionable gag order.'

'The same is true with respect to any NDA between Jolie and any third party with whom she is in a relationship or who has assisted with the care of the couple's children.

'To the extent that Jolie requested this third party's silence about her family or home life, particularly in a circumstance where there was no business justification, it would speak volumes about whether Jolie actually viewed Pitt's requested NDA, which was linked to the Miraval business, as the deal-ender she subsequently alleged it to be.'

Pitt's lawyers argue that disclosure of her NDAs will ultimately discredit Jolie's arguments over why she abandoned the talks with her estranged husband

Pitt at Chateau Miraval during a launch of his skincare line, Le Domaine

Pitt states that he was blindsided when Jolie sold her share of Chateau Miraval, a 35-room estate and celebrated vineyard in the south of France that Pitt and Jolie bought for $60million in 2011. The 1,000-acre estate  now valued at $164million  is where the couple tied the knot in 2014

A letter from Jolie's legal team dated April 2021 included her own draft non-disparagement agreement, along with a second from her US divorce lawyers six months after she pulled out of the sale which suggested an even broader NDA as part of their divorce.

Pitt's filing adds: 'The scope, terms, and subject matter covered by the NDAs that Jolie has signed or asked a third party to sign are probative of whether Jolie truly withdrew from the negotiations with Pitt because of the NDA he requested, as she asserts.

'By way of example only, if Jolie has required others to sign NDAs that were at least as broad as the one she claims was so 'unconscionable' here, it would severely undermine her claimed excuse for terminating negotiations with Pitt and covertly negotiating with Stoli. Nor is the existence of these documents speculative.'

Jolie is accused of 'adamant refusing' to produce other NDAs that she signed or requested others to sign, and insists that they are not relevant.

It comes 24 hours after Jolie's team filed new documents which claimed that Pitt was physically abusive to her before their 2016 row on a plane which led to their split.

Sources close to Pitt are accusing Jolie of making the filings to create 'a smokescreen' to distract from the issues central to the Chateau Miraval case.

Pitt was shocked when his ex-wife sold her half of their stunning Chateau Miraval estate without his agreement to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021

Angelina and Vivienne have been working together on the project as the teen has been interested in theater. Also seen was Matt Dillon, who was one of the stars of the Francis Ford Coppola 's 1983 coming-of-age crime drama

Here Vivienne is seen center bottom with the cast and crew; mom Angelina is to the right

A friend told DailyMail.com: 'This case isn't about what took place on a plane in 2016.

It's about whether they had an agreement not sell their interests in the winery and family home without the other's consent.

'That's what Brad and his team are focused on, and so far the legal momentum has been on their side.

'The NDA Jolie was asked to sign is a standard business contract designed to protect the asset being sold - in this case her stake in Chateau Miraval.

'It's unclear why she finds this so unconscionable when her own lawyers suggested a mutually binding gagging clause as part of their divorce just a few months later.'

The arguments come after Pitt has landed several legal victories in the battle for the winery including a key judgement in Luxembourg which handed him back control of the award-winning vineyard pending further hearings.

Last month LA Superior court rejected the allegations that his suit was 'frivolous, malicious, and part of a problematic pattern.'
MasterChef viewers were left stunned by guest judge William Sitwell during Friday night's episode.

The latest instalment of the cooking show saw the six remaining contestants battle it out to get through to the next round, in a bid to be crowned the 2024 winner.

But viewers were left distracted by the food critic's 'childhood trauma' comment, asking the contestants to 'delve deep into their childhoods', specifically around their unpleasant memories of school food.

Olivia, who had impressed the judges earlier in the week, revealed she went to a Catholic school.

She said: 'They never ate meat on Fridays, they always have fish so it always used to be this breaded fish that was dry, soggy chips and cold mushy peas, so I thought I'd take that and make it into something I enjoy.'

MasterChef viewers were left in complete shock by guest judge William Sitwell (pictured right) during Friday nights episode

The British broadcaster asked the contestants to 'delve deep into their childhoods', specifically around their unpleasant memories of school food

When contestant Olivia revealed she went to Catholic school which only ate fish on a Friday, William asked how she would elevate her dish and 'get rid of the trauma'

Asking how she would elevate the dish and 'get rid of the trauma' Olivia explained: 'I'm doing a semolina crusted cod, with mint pea puree, fried potato skins with rosemary salt, hot tartar sauce.

William, clearly delighted with her choice of dish told the camera: 'Olivia is very much on the brief, revisiting her childhood trauma of fish and chips and she's going to elevate it with a semolina crust. I love the idea of having a bit of crunch.'

However some viewers were not impressed by his constant use of the word trauma and took to X to vent their frustration: 'I don't think my recaps can even parody this show anymore because they've just started saying things like this #MasterChefUK #MasterChef'

'I love a bit of @masterchef but someone really should have told @williamsitwell to stop referring to bad school dinners as trauma!! #MasterchefUK #bitdramatic #notexactlywhattraumameans'

'My school meal trauma was being served a different milk pudding every day of the week and not being allowed to leave any in the bowl. On top of the free daily bottle of milk (I was a pre-Milksnatcher kid) it was just too much! #MasterChefUK'

'Struggling to understand what this pseudo-counselling exercise achieves. #masterchefuk'

'#MasterChefUK Having Sitwell sneak up on me would've traumatised my childhood. Especially if he asked me what was in my lunchbox....'

Olivia had impressed the judges earlier in the week and was described as 'young, eager and calm under pressure'

William was delighted with Olivia's choice of turning a classic dish around and told the camera that she was 'very much on the brief, revisiting her childhood trauma of fish and chips'

The six contestants 'school dinners' task was set at 90 minutes and would see three of them leave at the end of the show and three of them through to the next round

Viewers were left less than impressed by William's constant use of the word trauma and took to X to vent their frustration

It comes as hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace addressed quitting MasterChef as the show celebrates its 20th series.

The duo have been fronting the show since it's 2005 relaunch, however it seems neither of them are ready to hang their judging boots up yet as they admitted they won't be stepping away from the show any time soon.

Speaking to Bella magazine, John, 58, joked: 'Who would we leave it to? Don't be ridiculous. That's too much responsibility for anybody - to take over from me and him, there's no way in the world.

'Where are you going to find two attractive people, one with hair, the other without, anywhere like that? There's no way!'

Revealing what it would take to get him to depart the hit BBC show, he teased: 'I think to get me out of place, they're going to have to push me out the door or blend my food to get me to taste it. That's when I'll be leaving.'

As the 20th series kicked off on Easter Monday the two hosts appeared on the One Show where Gregg was asked by Alex Jones and Roman Kemp what his biggest highlight has been.

He replied when the show travelled to India to cook for the Maharajah.

MasterChef next airs on BBC1 at 9pm on Wednesday.
Mariska Hargitay spoke out for victims of sexual assault as she helped shine a light on the problem at the Empire State Building in New York City Friday.

The Law and Order: SVU actress and activist, 60, whose Joyful Heart Foundation received a generous donation from Taylor Swift earlier this week, spoke of the work she has done for some 20 years in an impassioned speech before throwing the switch.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

'When I first encountered the country's sexual assault and domestic violence statistics on SVU, my head just exploded,' said the actress who has starred as detective and now Captain Olivia Benson on the hit police show for a quarter century.

She noted there are an average of 463,634 sexual assault and rape victims 12 and older in the US every year, emphasizing 'that's almost half a million victims each year.

Mariska Hargitay, 60, spoke out for victims of sexual assault as she helped shine a light on the problem at the Empire State Building in New York City Friday. The building was not damaged in the 4.7 earthquake that shook parts of New York and New Jersey

The Law and Order: SVU actress and activist, 60, who created Joyful Heart Foundation, spoke of the work she has done for some 20 years in an impassioned speech before throwing the switch to light up the iconic building

When she first learned the staggering statistic, the Emmy winner said she thought 'how can it be that everyone is not talking about this, and I still feel that way.'

'The landscape around these issues has certainly changed, that God,' she said, adding, 'I couldn't be more proud of the work that Joyful Heart has done and is doing currently, and will do, but the statistics persist. The violence persists and the suffering persists.'

She compared the strength and resilience of the the New York icon, which was hit with a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday, to the strength and resilience of victims of sexual violence.

The historic landmark was undamaged, and New York police reported no major incidents as a result of the temblor.

'I want the light of our attention, of our compassion, or our desire for change, and most of all, our commitment to dismantling the systems that make this violence possible.'

One of the programs at the Joyful Heart Foundation is called Defining Manhood for the Next Generation which 'explores young mens attitudes around gender roles, masculinity, the characteristics of good men, and the male role models who influence these views.'

She grew emotional as she accepted the opportunity to light up the Empire State Building in Joyful Heart's colors, blue and green, 'on behalf of all the survivors that I carry in my heart... to shed this beautiful and vital and urgent light on these issues.'

The veteran actress was joined by two of her three children August, 17, and Amaya, 12, in lighting up the building.

'When I first encountered the country's sexual assault and domestic violence statistics on SVU, my head just exploded,' said the actress who has starred as Olivia Benson on the hit police show for a quarter century, noting there nearly half a million victim age 12+ in the US annually

She grew emotional as she accepted the opportunity to light up the Empire State Building in Joyful Heart's colors, blue and green, 'on behalf of all the survivors that I carry in my heart... to shed this beautiful and vital and urgent light on these issues'

Hargitay was joined by two of her children, Amaya 12, and August 10. She shares them and younger brother Andrew, 11 with husband Peter Hermann, 56. The former model looked sophisticated in a blue body con dress with a V-neck and 3/4 length sleeves

She shares them, and younger brother Andrew, 11, with her husband Peter Hermann, 56.

The former model looked sophisticated in a blue body con dress with a V-neck and 3/4 length sleeves.

She stepped out in taupe toned pumps and accessorized with stacked necklaces, including a blue stone pendant.

The Joyful Heart Foundation helps focuses on educational programs including those designed to 'dismantle the systems that make [sexual] violence possible'

Before the ceremony, the veteran actress posed for some photos on the deck of the NYC landmark, covering up her stunning blue dress with a cream toned wool coat

The coat highlighted the actress' warm complexion. Her shoulder length brown hair was styled in loose curls and she wore camera ready makeup with a strong red lip

The Law and Order: Organized Crime actress also posted for photos on the deck, covering up in a cream toned wool coat, which highlighted her warm complexion.

Her shoulder length brown hair was styled in loose curls and she wore camera ready makeup with a strong red lip.

Earlier this year, the star opened up about her own sexual assault, revealing that a man she thought was a friend raped her when she was in her 30s.

In an essay in People last year, she wrote that working with her foundation helped her 'see what healing could look like.'
He owns more than 200,000 acres and four ancestral seats, three in Scotland and the fourth, Boughton House  'the English Versailles'  in Northamptonshire.

But does Richard Montagu Douglas Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch, also have family skeletons rattling around in the proverbial cupboard?

I ask because of the claims being made by Robert Calder, a 64-year-old asphalter from Kettering.

Though originally from Scotland, Calder would appear to have little in common with Buccleuch, 70.

But that, Calder says, fails to take into account a love affair in the 1930s  between his grandmother, a maid in domestic service, and Johnny, the Earl of Dalkeith.

Does Richard Montagu Douglas Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch, have family skeletons rattling around in the proverbial cupboard?

Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch, pictured with Queen Camilla, is the son of Johnny, the Earl of Dalkeith, who is said to have fathered a daughter in 1939 when he was 15

The latter became the 9th Duke of Buccleuch, having married in 1953 and had four children, the eldest being the current Duke.

He had had another child years earlier, says Calder. 'My grandmother had a daughter in 1939,' Calder tells me. 'My mother.'

The baby's father couldn't be named on the birth certificate  and not just because the parents were unmarried. '[Johnny Dalkeith] was not quite 16 when my mother was born,' explains Calder.

His mother, he adds, died aged only 43 in 1983. Calder hitchhiked from London to Edinburgh for the funeral, only arriving as the service ended.

'There was a man in a wheelchair, with a grey blanket or shawl over his knees,' he remembers. 'He smiled at me but we didn't speak.'

Later that year, an acquaintance who'd done work on the Duke's Boughton estate said that the aristocrat would like to see him. Calder wasn't interested.

'I'd never heard of the Duke of Buccleuch and I didn't know he was in a wheelchair,' he recalls.

Years later he learned that the Duke had been in wheelchair since a hunting accident in 1971. He heard many cryptic comments.

'I was told: 'It's not who your father is that's the problem  it's who your mother's father was'.'

In the last two years, he has renewed his efforts to unearth more  and has asked the current Duke what, if anything, he knows, but with no reply.

The 10th Duke of Buccleuch owns more than 200,000 acres and four ancestral seats, including Boughton House  'the English Versailles'  in Northamptonshire

Perhaps that's because of Calder's other extraordinary claim. The 9th Duke and Calder's grandmother were, he says, more than lovers, thanks to what had happened in the previous generation.

'They didn't know it  couldn't have known it  but they were half-brother and sister.'

DNA testing would surely sort truth from myth. It may, though, be tricky to arrange.

A spokesman tells me that the Duke 'could not be reached for comment'.
The company will instead focus on developing self-driving robotaxis

Tesla has shockingly canceled production of the much-anticipated $27,000 car it was relying on to break into the mass market.

The 'half price' electric car was due to go into production starting next year and viewed by investors as the saving grace that could rescue the struggling automaker.

Tesla will instead continue developing self-driving robotaxis, according to Reuters, which broke the news on Friday morning.

Minutes later, Tesla's share price fell more than 5 percent but gradually started to recover. The company's stock is one of the worst performing in the S&P 500 this year.

Currently the cheapest Tesla Americans can buy is the Model 3, pictured, which retails at a starting price of $38,990

Elon Musk has always been keen to launch an ultra-affordable Tesla. Pictured: CEO Elon Musk getting into a Tesla outside of a hotel in Beijing, China

Earlier this week its share price tumbled after it reported it fell well short of delivery estimates in the first quarter. Competition is also ramping up with Chinese rivals like BYD, which recently launched an EV starting at $10,000.

News of Tesla's plans to sell a $27,000 electric car first emerged in November. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters at the time that the vehicle would be manufactured at Tesla's factory near Berlin.

The company was said to be aiming to make a vehicle that retails for 25,000 euros - or $26,838.

Had CEO Elon Musk followed through the cut-price EV would have cost less than half the price of an average electric car now, $55,353, according to January figures from Kelley Blue Book.

On Friday, it was reported that employees were told of the decision to cancel the development of the affordable in late February. 'Elon's directive is to go all in on robotaxi,' a person that attended the meeting told Reuters.

In an internal company message from a manager, staff involved in the project were urged to document their work.

'I'd like to thank everyone for all your hard work and dedication to pushing boundaries and executing the best design possible given the aggressive constraints we had to work within,' the message said.

'We would not want all our hard work to go to waste, so it's important that we tie things off and document things properly.'

In the minutes after Reuters broke the news Tesla's share price fell more than 5 percent but gradually started to recover

The decision to cancel the so-called Model 2 represents the abandonment of a longstanding goal that Musk has often characterized as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses.

His first 'master plan' for the company in 2006 called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using the profits to finance a 'low cost family car.'

Musk had long planned to make a more affordable electric car and promised such a vehicle to investors. In 2022 he said the company had not yet mastered the technology required to make it a reality.

Sources told Reuters in September the carmaker was closing in on an innovation that would allow it to die cast nearly all of the underbody of the EV in one piece, a breakthrough that would speed up production and lower costs.

He has since repeatedly promised such a vehicle to investors and consumers. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
A Tesla Cyberbeast is being offered at public auction for the first time ever - and the seller is on course to make a profit of $100,000-plus.

Sotheby's Motorsport is running the online auction that ends on Tuesday, April 9. Bids were at $239,000 by Friday morning - with four days left.

Already, that is more than double the $99,990 price listed for the model on Tesla's website.

It means the seller should pocket a tidy profit, even if they are hit with a $50,000 fine that Elon Musk has threatened to slap on owners who sell within a year.

Standard all-wheel drive versions of the Cybertruck have already sold at auction - with an average price of around $190,00

A Tesla Cyberbeast is on sale at auction for the first time. Bids were $231,000 on morning = as seen in this image - but had risen another $8,000 by the next day

The interior of the Cyberveast being auctioned by Sotheby's

The auction is the first test of the resale price of the Cyberbeast variant. Nomral AWD Cybertrucks have sold for around $190,000

The auction gives EV fans a chance to skip the wait for the top-of-the-range version of Elon Musk's Cybertruck.

'As we all know, with no reserve anything can happen,' Colleen Cash, president of Sotheby's Motorsport, told Bloomberg.

The flagship Cyberbeast is accelerates faster, has a higher top speed and is more powerful than the standard Cybertruck - but it's range is 20 miles shorter.

For example, at 845 horsepower it has more guts than the standard 600hp version.

And the top speed on the Cyberbeast is 130 mph compared to 112 for the standard version. It also does 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds rather than 4.1.

But - rather than simply higher specs - experts say much of the attraction is that is in high interest and low supply of the model.

Kevin Tynan, a senior automotive analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, said: 'There is a market that can be maximized best in an auction environment when a frenzy is created.'

The auction is the first time a Cyberbeast has been resold, and will give a clue to their used value.

Sotheby's has dozens of photos of the Cyberbeast

A secondhand Cybertruck sold for $244,000 in February in Florida, but subsequent sales have been around $190,000.

The seller of the Cyberbeast, like all those that have resold Cybertrucks, risks a $50,000 fine from Elon Musk.

Owners are bound to a contract that prohibits them from re-selling the EV before one year or face the fine. It is unclear if this has happened, but Tesla has cancelled orders when the owner-to-be has pre-listed the trucks for sale.

Last month, DailyMail.com found at least 20 resale listings, depending on the website, and some appeared to be listed on multiple sites.

Sotheby's says of the Cyberbeast on sale: 'Known for disruption, Tesla's entry into the EV truck segment elicited a response.

'Longer, wider, fasterand loaded with unprecedented innovation beside its contemporaries, the pickup redefined an American mainstay.'

Tesla has come under fire for problems with the Cyberbeast in recent weeks.

There was outrage this week as Tesla started shipping $3,000 Cybertruck tent that looks nothing like as advertised.

Tesla's Cybertruck Basecamp tent looked more like a tarp than the sleek design the company promised when it advertised the attachment

Tesla released photos of its Basecamp tent when it announced the Cybertruck in 2019, promising a unique and comfortable camping experience

A similar post on the forum was shared on March 5, showing the red blood colored screen with a large notification on the front that reads: 'Pull over safely. Critical steering issue detected'

Another California owner also had to have their Cybertruck towed after the center screen started flashing red and showing a steering error alert - and it happened on the same day he took the delivery

The Basecamp tent, which comes with the hefty price tag of $3,000, appears to be missing the allure of the company's promotional pictures, including an 'ultra-soft mattress' and 'enhanced camping experience.'

And abrand new Cybertruck owner was left fuming when his $82,000 EV broke down with a critical fault just SECONDS after pulling out of the lot.

Entrepreneur Thomas Remo shared a video of him picking up the $82,000 EV in Irvine, California, later finding it 'broke not even six inches off the lot' and failed another '30 times' after on the first day.

Moments after Remo excitedly steps on the gas peddle, the center screen started flashing red and beeping to alert him about a critical steering issue.

Meanwhile, Tesla Cybertrucks can now be rented on Turo for an eye-watering $1k A DAY - as owners cash in on huge demand from Americans eager to drive them
Chef Michael Swamy was recently in the national capital to bring us a unique culinary extravaganza from Bhutan. SHOBORI GANGULI recounts her experience of the royal tastes from this remote Himalayan kingdom

Bhutan has been sitting in my travel bucket list for years. Unfortunate not to have found the time to soak in one of the worlds most bountiful wonderland, on top of the Himalayas, I was naturally excited to settle for the next best option -- Honk at the Pullman, Aerocity, Delhi, when they decided to celebrate a wholesome culinary journey through Bhutan with itinerant Chef Michael Swamy of Cottage Chef Culinaire.

The incredibly gifted Chef, fondly known as The Historian Chef, has an impressive repertoire of cuisines. From Indo-Portugese to Bhutanese, right down to the remotest of Indias wildlife reserves and sanctuaries, he keeps travelling from his base in Mumbai across the length and breadth of this country to bring the secret kitchens of India and its neighbourhood to mainstream fine dining tables.

Chef Swamy is associated with the Bhutan based VEEN natural mineral water company. Although originating in Finnish Lapland, it was in the Kingdom of Bhutan in 2014 that the company found the purest waters in the world in the regions natural water springs located in the upper reaches of the Khana Bharti River in the foothills of the Himalayan district of Samtse.

Chef Swamy had especially curated a seven course Royal Bhutanese meal for us though he admitted that he had to tone down the spicy accent of authentic Bhutanese cuisine to suit the north Indian palate. I was a wee bit disappointed because we in the South or the East of India love our spices. Anyway, what unfolded was a delectable culinary journey across the Himalayan kingdom.

Unforunately, for reasons I shall detail later, the first on the Chefs menu, a beverage called Top of the Mountain, a concoction of orange, fragrant mint leaves spicy jalapenos, herby coriander with lime and VEEN sparkling water never really reached my table.

Anyway the soup, Ema Datshi, Chef Swamys version of Bhutans national dish, served in a fresh baked bun, and topped with native red rice crisps was absolute heaven. This certainly would be one of the rarest soups I have ever tasted. The oven fresh bun sat dry in the centre of the soup dish, with a generous filling of finely chopped fresh vegetable in a creamy sauce. Then a delicately flavoured steaming hot creamy soup was gently poured over the bun as it flowed out into the soup dish, like lava erupting from a volcano. Awesome is too weak a word for Chefs Ema Datshi.

For Appetizers we had Chapale, fried flour and buckwheat pastries filled with lamb. Served a with a spicy chilly relish, the lamb was just adequately spiced to make it a light starter, Then came the Momos, spicy yak milk cheese stuffed dumplings, steamed and drizzled with freshly made Himalayan morel oil. While all of us here in the north think of momos merely as stuffed and steamed dumplings, vegetarian or non vegetarian, Chef Swamys momos were a work of art, the cheese and chicken stuffing simply melting in ones mouth.

Then there were Chicken wings, crispy chicken tossed in a selection of North Eastern peppers and Himalayan honey. Although served again with a spicy relish, this tilted towards the sweeter side, courtesy the honey. Among the appetizers, Chef Swamys momos were the clear winners.

Yet again, unfortunately, the next on the Chefs menu, a Palate Cleanser of Gondhoraj Sorbet never arrived on my table. Then there was an inordinate silence from the Chefs kitchen for about 25 minutes, reasons for which I shall detail soon.

The main course followed shortly. There was Bak Thuk noodles with warm cherry tomato, potato beans and radish salad. Alongside came Butter Poached Himalayan Trout, the tender mountain fish poached with butter and spiced with mustard and Bhutanese podi. The butter and spices made this Himalayan delicacy really stand out.

This was accompanied by Doh Siyar Nei-Iong, a chicken curry with ginger, garlic, chilli and black sesame paste served with short-grain black and white rice. The woodiness of the sesame stood out, embracing the succulent chicken with an outstanding flavour.

Chef Swamy played the perfect host, pacing from one table to another through the evening, serving one royal Bhutanese dish after another.

As someone closely following the F&B industrys journey of innovative ideas to increase footfalls, I felt an airport hotel does not quite have the ambience required to curate a Roving Chef yet. At Pullman for, instance, while we were treated to a unique dining experience, there was a constant rush of passengers, national and international, jet lagged individuals dragging themselves to the coffee shop. Then there were conferences and events all over the place.

Although the staff at Pullmans Honk was extremely polite, courteous and responsive, taking care of each and every guest, Chef Swamys Bhutanese fare did get overwhelmed by some regular orders being thrown into the kitchen like egg fried rice and dimsums at some tables. As mentioned at the outset this explained the oversight on the Chefs VEEN sparkling water concoction of orange and lime as also the Palate Cleanser Gondhoraj Sorbet.
In a swift operation, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 27 Bangladeshi fishermen on Thursday stranded on their fishing boat at sea, officials said here on Friday. The rescued fishermen were later handed over the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

Giving details, they said at about 1130 am, Indian Coast Guard Ship Amogh during patrol at Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), sighted a Bangladeshi fishing boat (BFB) Sagar II, adrift inside Indian waters.

During investigation it was revealed that the boat had a steering gear breakdown for the last two days and had been adrift since then, which lead to the boat drifting inside Indian waters.

The Indian Coast Guard technical team tried to identify and rectify the defect, but it was observed that the rudder of the boat was completely damaged and could not be repaired at sea.

As the sea state and weather conditions were conducive, it was decided that the distressed boat will be towed to the Indo- Bangladesh IMBL and handed over to another Bangladeshi fishing boat operating across IMBL or to Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard.

In the Meantime Indian Coast Guard Regional Headquarters at Kolkata established communication with Bangladesh Coast Guard and informed them about the incident and plan of action.

Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship (BCGS) Kamaruzzaman was deployed by BCG for towing of BFB. BCG Ship Kamaruzzaman arrived near the IMBL at about 6.45 pm and ICGS Amogh handed over the 27 Bangladeshi fishermen alongwith their boat to BCG ship Kamaruzzaman.
Two distinct virulent variants of the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) were responsible for the catastrophic outbreak of lumpy skin disease that swept among the livestock in India, claiming approximately 1,00,000 cows across the country in 2022, scientists from the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have revealed in a study.

The outbreak had severely affected Indias agricultural sector, leading to staggering economic losses. It was a calamity in some ways  a national emergency, said Utpal Tatu, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) who was part of the multi-institutional team that decided to probe the cause of the outbreak.

These variants, characterized by a high number of genetic variations, are associated with increased disease severity, said the study, underscoring the critical role of genomic analysis in understanding and combating emerging infectious diseases affecting livestock.

The study is published in BMC Genomics. A viral infection caused by the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV), the disease is transmitted by insects like flies and mosquitoes. It causes fever and skin nodules, and can be fatal for cattle. There have been two major outbreaks of this disease in India, the first in 2019 and a more severe outbreak in 2022, infecting more than two million cows.

To investigate the current outbreak, the team collected skin nodules, blood and nasal swabs from infected cattle in various states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka, in collaboration with veterinary institutes. They performed advanced whole-genome sequencing of DNA extracted from 22 samples.

The biggest challenge was the lack of an established LSDV genome sequencing and analysis pipeline. We had to adapt techniques from COVID-19 research, explained Ankeet Kumar, from IISc and co-lead author. Data was also limited, so we compiled all available global LSDV genome sequences to make our analysis robust.

The genomic analysis revealed two distinct LSDV variants circulating in India, one with a low number of genetic variations and another with a high number of variations, similar to strains from a 2015 Russian outbreak. Kumar noted the surprising finding of highly varied LSDV strains in India, given the generally stable nature of DNA viruses like LSDV. The team identified over 1,800 genetic variations, including deletions, insertions, and single-letter changes in DNA. The samples with high variations, however, turned out to be similar to LSDV strains from an outbreak in Russia in 2015.

Kumar said that there are no previous reports of such highly varied LSDV strains in India. Viruses that have DNA as the genetic material - like LSDV  are generally more stable than RNA viruses. Therefore, finding so many genetic variations was quite surprising, and could explain the severity of the disease, he added. The variation was as high as 1,800.

Importantly, the scientists also found a large number of genetic variations in viral genes critical for binding to host cells, evading immune response, and replicating efficiently. This likely enhanced the viruss ability to cause disease. Cattle developed more severe symptoms in areas where we found highly diverse strains. This suggests that the genetic variations could elevate virulence, warned Kumar.
The BJP on Friday tore into the Congress manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2024 and dubbed it a bundle of lies and alleged that the party, which ruled the country for several decades, did not fulfil any of the promises made in its earlier manifestos for the Assembly and Parliamentary elections. The BJP further stated that the seriousness of it could be understood from the fact that photos of New York and Thailand were used in it. The BJP said the Congress has come with such a poll manifesto to create confusion and mislead voters.

The Congress manifesto is a bundle of lies. It has been prepared to create confusion among voters, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters. The BJP leader said it is an irony that the Congress is seeking the peoples mandate with the promise that it will do wonders this time if voted to power again.

After remaining at helm for several decades, they are now promising that they will do wonders this time if voted to power. The Congress has titled its manifesto Nyay Patra, which means it admits that it has done anyay (injustice) during its 55-60 years rule in the country, he charged. Trivedi said the Congress, which ruled the country for several decades, is talking about nyay (justice) today, but its Governments did not do justice when in power. The Congress on Friday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, making a host of promises including the right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, and raising the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs.

The Congress did not fulfil any of its promises made in its earlier manifestos for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, he charged. Describing the Opposition partys poll promises as lies, the BJP leader said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has promised to roll out a scheme to provide Rs 1 lakh to every woman every year, whereas none of the Congress-ruled States implemented Rahul Gandhis earlier promise of Rs 76,000 to people every year.

Which are the Congress-ruled States where Rahuls promise of giving Rs 76,000 to people has been implemented? he asked.

He alleged that the Congress, when in power, had not done justice with Indias youth and to the countrys economy, industry, military and security. Those who did not do justice to Indias cultural pride, social harmony and capacity have reappeared in disguise and are promising to do justice today, he charged. Trivedi alleged that the Congress remained successful in misleading people in the past when the media was not free, literacy rate was low and communication mediums were not so strong. But time has now changed. Its not possible to create a veil of lies, he said.

Trivedi said the BJP formed its Government for the first time at the Centre in 1998 when the countrys literacy rate was about 50 per cent and the party formed its Government with a clear majority under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership when the countrys literacy rate went up to about 60 per cent.

Now when the countrys literacy rate is going above 75 per cent, we are also moving forward to achieve the target of securing 400-plus seats (in this Lok Sabha election), he said, adding that the Congress is on its way to go into oblivion.

Recently the social media chairperson said she was not aware who was handling her social media account. At least the party should know who was making their manifesto at least, Trivedi said. Showing the photo used in the environment section, Trivedi said the photo was from the favourite destination of Rahul --- Thailand.
India has termed as false and malicious propaganda reports claiming the countrys involvement in targeted assassinations in Pakistan after the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The strong denial from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was given to the UK daily, The Guardian, in response to the report. The report quoted intelligence operatives in India and Pakistan to claim that Indias move was part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil.

The Ministry also underlined a previous statement by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in which he said targeted killings in other countries were not the policy of the Government of India. The Guardian mentioned denial by the MEA. The report claimed Delhi has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India.

According to the report, documents shared by some Pakistani investigators indicated Indias intelligence agency, RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) allegedly carried out 20 such targeted killings on foreign soil as part of an emboldened approach to national security after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 40 Indian soldiers. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Targeted assassinations increased significantly in 2023, with sources in Pakistans intelligence accusing India of involvement in the suspected deaths of about 15 people, most of whom were shot at close range by unknown gunmen, the report said.

According to Pakistani investigators, these deaths were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates.

The report was supported by recent claims by Canada, alleging the involvement of the Indian Government in the killing of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

Quoting an unnamed Indian intelligence operative, the report also claimed India had drawn inspiration from intelligence agencies such as Israels Mossad and Russias KGB, which have been linked to extrajudicial killings on foreign soil. He also said the killing of the Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018 in the Saudi Embassy, had been directly cited by RAW officials.

Ties between India and Pakistan have been strained for the past many years owing to Pakistan sponsoring terrorism, allegedly providing shelters to Indias declared terrorists and its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The Ministrys denial was mentioned in the report by The Guardian, which claims that Delhi has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India.
Bhopal Institute of Gastroenterology and Gastrocan Multispeciality Hospital is organising two days 9th Annual Conference on April 6 and 7.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, organising chairman informed that, this year theme of the conference is GI Liver Cancer. Though origion of most cancers is still difficult to understand, there are tremendous advances in the diagnosis and management. We have to discuss these to bring out simple protocols useful for day to day practice. This conference is being organised by Gastrocare Foundation in association with,Indian Society of Gastroenterology (MP Chapter) & supported by Indian Medical association Greater Bhopal Branch,Association of Physicians of India(Bhopal branch) and Bhopal Surgeon club at Hotel Marriott.

Dr Kumar further said that there will be lectures debates, panel discussions, symposium and quiz in adition live workshop will show cases new techniques and technology in managing GI Liver cancer. We have also invited nationally & internationally acclaimed specialists to participate in this conference.MCI credits , Endoscopy Video Digest, and Poster Presentations will be the Conference Attractions.

Program Highlights: CME Topics: HCC Panel Discussion : How to screen for HCC in HBC / HCV/ NAFLD/DM, Newer Therapies for HCC, Indian consensus on staging and treatment of HCC, Role of Interventional Radiology in HCC.* CA Colon - Panel Discussion : IBD Surveillance for Carcinoma -How relevant in India, Should we do surveillance for colonic cancer in General Population in India, Colonic Polyps- which one to remove & BX Approach to familiar clustering of colonic CA Role of newer therapies, Palliative /Preoperative Stenting in CA Colon. * Neuroendocrine Tumor-Panel discussion : Rising incidence- How to suspect & diagnose, how to evaluate staging + surgical treatment, Chemo & other modalities of treatment. *CA Gall Bladder- Panel Discussion: North v/s South ,Rising incidence in stone belt ,Radiological imaging and staging Endoscopic Interventions, Liver Resection/ Radical Cholecystectomy.

Nuclear Imaging - Role in GI Malignancies. Radiological Imaging for Staging if GI Cancer's. Incidental Sol in Pancreas - is it Cancer?. Approach to Abdominal Lymph Adenopathy. * Approach to multiple liver metastasis with occult primary. Cancer Phobia-How troublesome it can be.* Malignant ascites- is out come different with various Etiologies. * Endoscopic Management and GI Cancers* Tools for Early Diagnosis of GI Cancers- NBI/EUS/AI. Role of Cytology in GI Cancer.* Liver transplantation for HCC- is any stage suitable.* GE clinics-case based discussion,.* Pain Management in GI cancers. Reactivation of Hepatitis B/C after Chemotheraphy.* Gene/ lifestyle- what determines that you will develop cancer.

Workshop Cases: NBI for Diagnosis of Polyp/cancers/ Barrett's , ESD for GI Tumours, EUS guided Biliary Drainage, esophageal/ duodental/ Colonic Stenting, cholangioscopy for Diagnosis of Biliary Malignancies, RFA for Bilio Pancretic Malignancies, Endoscopic Closure of GI Fistula, EUS Guided GJ, RFA for HCC.
Unidentified miscreants allegedly looted jewellery worth lakhs of rupees from a jeweller in the Delang area of Puri district on Wednesday night.

The victim, Prashant Mohapatra owns a jewellery store in the Delang market. As per the complaint lodged with police, the incident occurred near the Delang police station.

As many as five youths armed with guns intercepted Prashant while he was heading home after closing his shop. They terrorised him at gunpoint and decamped with 270 grams of gold and 6 kilograms of silver.

Following Prashants complaint, the Delang police initiated an investigation and launched a search operation to trace and nab the accused. The incident has triggered panic among the local business community.
A special court in Mumbai has expressed displeasure over the absence of Pragya Singh Thakur regarding the Malegaon bomb blast in Maharashtra. Bhopal BJP MP Pragya is an accused in this case and her continuous absence is causing problems in the court hearing. The special court has also sought a report from the NIA regarding the health of the BJP MP and has given time till April 8 to submit the report.

BJP MP Pragya Thakur had sought exemption from appearance through her lawyer citing health problems. During the hearing held in the court of Special Judge AK Lahoti on Wednesday, the BJP MP's lawyer again sought exemption.

The lawyer claimed that Pragya Thakur is suffering from cervical-spondylitis and migraine. The application states that her physical condition is out of control, she is undergoing treatment at her home in Bhopal on the advice of doctors. A certificate is also provided with the application.

It is said that during this time the NIA told the court that since Pragya Thakur was not in Mumbai at this time, it could not corroborate her claims. On March 11, a bailable warrant of Rs 10,000 was issued against Pragya Thakur for not appearing during the hearing even after being specifically directed by the court.

However, it was canceled on 22 March. After this the court ordered Thakur to appear on April 3. Also warned that if she did not appear on the scheduled date, a non-bailable warrant would be issued against her. Despite this she did not appear.

On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and more than 100 were injured when a bomb exploded on a motorcycle near a mosque in Malegaon town, about 200 km from Mumbai in northern Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad initially investigated the case before the case was transferred to the NIA in 2011. At present the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court is currently recording the statements of the accused under CrPC.
The mentality of the Congress Party has always been anti-women. Crime against women remains at its peak during the rule of Congress.

Even today, in the states of the country where there are Congress governments, the oppression of women is many times more than in other states.

This act of Congress shows that the mentality of the Congress Party itself has been anti-women. Bharatiya Janata Party's Mahila Morcha State President and MP Maya Narolia and former minister and state spokesperson Archana Chitnis said this while reacting to the anti-women statement given by Congress leader Randeep Surjewala.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who gave the slogan of 'I am a girl, can fight', does politics only in the name of women, but whenever Congress leaders misbehave or harass women, they are also not able to respect women in their party. Yes, she always remains silent. While in power, the Congress Party did not do any work for the education, health, employment and all-round development of women.

Former minister, MLA and state spokesperson Archana Chitnis said that Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has openly used condemnable words for women from the stage. Such a person has no right to be in the political field. Congress should immediately apologize for this statement. There is no match between Congress's claims and reality.

Hema Malini is the bearer of Indian culture who is respected by the entire country, whereas Randeep Surjewala's statement exposes the sick mentality of Congress. Congress leaders talk a lot about women's respect, but when these same leaders are on the stage, they do not allow Congress leaders to come on the stage, they are not allowed to speak and they treat them with indecency and discrimination.

Women are not respected within the Congress itself, how will such a Congress respect women power. Rahul Gandhi had asked people in Vadodara whether women were seen wearing skirts in Sangh branches? At the same time, former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh had called Congress leaders as 'touch goods' and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath had called women as objects of decoration. This is the character and face of Congress. It is the Congress leaders who instead of being protectors of women, become their predators. The very character of Congress is anti-women.

Chitnis said that it is the women leaders of the Congress who are the opponents of women. Recently, Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinet has compared the BJP candidate from Himachal's Mandi, actress Kangana Ranaut, who is known as Bazaru and Chhoti Kashi (Mandi), to the market of women.

At the same time, Renuka Chaudhary had said that rapes keep going on. (Rape is common). Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, while making fun of the Indian economy, had said that our Chillar has also become Miss World. A CD of Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi was released in which he lures a woman lawyer to become a judge. When the thinking of women leaders of Congress is poor towards women, then what will be the thinking of their male leaders can be easily understood.
Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bhopal has provisionally attached 10 immovable properties located in Satna and Sehore in Madhya Pradesh worth Rs 2.36 crore on March 30, 2024 under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the case of M/s Nava Bharat Press (Bhopal) Pvt Ltd.

ED initiated investigation on the basis of chargesheet filed by CBI, SPE, BS & FC, New Delhi under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 against M/s Nava Bharat Press (Bhopal) Pvt Ltd. ED investigation revealed that M/s Nava Bharat Press (Bhopal) Pvt Ltd. through its Director Sumeet Maheshwari and others had availed various credit facilities from the Bank of Maharashtra, Gautam Nagar branch, Bhopal for modernization of press and purchase of machineries during the year 2004.

However, the loan amount which was sanctioned for the purchase of machineries and to meet other capital expenditures was diverted through bank accounts of various companies which were in the name of the

employees of Enbee group of companies controlled by Sundeep Maheshwari (brother of Sumeet Maheshwari). It was found during the investigation that Maheswari family (owner of M/s Nava Bharat Press (Bhopal) Pvt Ltd) diverted the loan amount for the purpose of settling various corporate and personal liabilities and thus, mis-utilized the loan disbursed, thereby cheating the Bank of Maharashtra, Gautam Nagar, Bhopal to the tune of Rs. 15.67 Crore as loan account turned NPA.

During investigation, a total of ten properties in the name of M/s Nava Bharat Press (Bhopal) Pvt Ltd and family members of Maheshwari family were identified in the district of Satna and Sehore in Madhya Pradesh.

A Provisional Attachment Order was issued under provisions of PMLA, 2002 vide order dated March 30, 2024 attaching these 10 immovable properties located in Satna and Sehore in Madhya Pradesh amounting to Rs 2.36 crore.
The Regional Office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here on Thursday issued a Yellow warning for heat wave conditions in as many as 11 districts of the State.

Thesedistricts are Nayagarh, Boudh, Kandhamal, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Balangir, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput and Dhenkanal.

As per the prediction by IMD, these districts would experience intense heat wave conditions during day time and severe humidity during night.

The IMD also predicted that the mercury level would rise further by three to five degree Celsius than the normal temperature. The costal and the interior Odisha would witness intense humid condition for the next three days.

This kind of weather conditions are likely to continue till April 6, said the IMD.

Due to prevailing mainly Northwesterly/Westerly dry air and high solar insolation, consequently maximum temperature (day temperature) likely to be more than 40 degree Celsius at many places over the districts of Odisha and likely to be above normal by 3 to 5 degree Celsius over the districts till 6, said the weather office.

Meanwhile, IMD has issued an advisory to the people to take precaution measures while going outside during day time between 11 am and 4 pm.
The Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine at AIIMS Bhopal in connection with its 11th Foundation day is organizing week long programs from April 3rd to April 6, 2024. This significant event marks a celebration of the department's dedication to advancing healthcare through education, research, and community engagement.

The Week long programs were formally inaugurated today by Prof. (Dr) Ajai Singh, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhopal. Prof. Singh emphasized the department's commitment to excellence in healthcare provision and medical education. An oration on the "Role of Oncopathologist in the Management of Cancer: Past, Present, and Future" was delivered by Professor (Dr) Shubhada Kane Former Head, Pathology, TMH, Mumbai and a Consultant Pathologist at Jaslok Hospital Mumbai.

On this occasion a book authored by Dr Shakti Kumar Yadav, Assistant Professor, Pathology and Lab Medicine, AIIMS Bhopal titled "Clinical Laboratory Management "was also released. Earlier, Professor (Dr) Vaishali Walke HOD while welcoming the guests presented an overview of departmental journey and achievements in the past one year.

As part of the Foundation Week, a series of events have been planned, covering a wide array of topics related to cancer diagnosis, management, and awareness. A Cervical Cancer Awareness and Screening Camp was held on April 3rd at the Primary Health Centre, Goharganj, District Raisen, in collaboration with the Department of Community and Family Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Tomorrow, a special teaching session will be conducted for postgraduate students by Dr Shubhada Kane on the "Diagnostic Dilemma in Follicular Neoplasm of Thyroid and Role of Ancillary Diagnostic Techniques." Apart from this various competitions, including a Rangoli competition and a debate competition for undergraduate students, centered around themes of breast cancer pathology, awareness, and diagnosis are being organized.

Besides, in collaboration with the DIAMOnDs project, the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine is organizing a "CME cum Workshop: Biomarker Interpretation in Breast Cancer" on April 6.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday defended actor-turned-politician and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Kangana Ranaut's assertion that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was the first Prime Minister of the country.

Sarma said Netaji had established the Azad Hind government four years before Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had become the Prime Minister which was recognised by nine countries.

'To those mocking @KanganaTeam - On 21 October 1943, Netaji established the Azad Hind Govt, of which he was the head, nearly 4 years before Pt Nehru took oath as Prime Minister following transfer of power', the Chief Minister posted on 'X'.

'Nine countries recognised the Azad Hind Govt as the legitimate Government of India. This subconscious urge to interpret history on the lines of colonialists is called 'Ghulami ki Mansikta'", he added.

Ranuat, the BJP candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, had made the remark during a media summit recently, the clip of which went viral on social media on Friday.
Austrias justice minister said Thursday that she plans to tighten the countrys rules on espionage, which currently is explicitly banned if directed against Austria itself but not if it targets other countries or international organisations.

Justice Minister Alma Zadics push to tighten Austrias laws comes as the arrest of a former Austrian intelligence officer on allegations of spying for Russia focuses attention on espionage activities in the country.Austria is a European Union member that has a policy of military neutrality. Its capital, Vienna, is host to several UN agencies and other international groups such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.

Austrias criminal code currently states that anyone who sets up or operates a secret intelligence service to the detriment of the Republic of Austria or supports such an intelligence service in whatever way faces a prison sentence of between six months and five years. It also bans setting up, operating or supporting a military intelligence service for a foreign power or a supra- or international body, which can carry a prison sentence of up to two years.

Zadic said in a statement to the Austria Press Agency that the country has long been accused of being an island of the blessed for intelligence services from around the world and lamented that gaps in the law so far have allowed foreign intelligence services to spy with impunity in Austria.

We want to expand the espionage paragraphs so that, in the future, our law enforcement authorities can also act against foreign spies when they are not targeting Austria itself, but international organisations based here such as the UN or friendly states, she said.

Zadic is a member of the junior party in Chancellor Karl Nehammers governing coalition, the Greens. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, a member of Nehammers Austrian Peoples Party, told Oe1 radio he sees the need for tougher penalties for spying  but also renewed a call for authorities to be allowed to eavesdrop on calls via messenger services, something the Greens have balked at.
Malaysias imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak is seeking to serve the rest of his prison term under house arrest, two months after his sentence in a corruption case was reduced by half. His surprise court application, which came as a surprise, was due to be heard on Thursday but was postponed to April 17.

Najib said in his application, filed Wednesday, he had clear information that the nations then-king Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah issued a separate order during the January 29 Pardons Board meeting, which cut his 12-year jail sentence by half and sharply reduced a fine, allowing him to finish his sentence under house arrest.

The former premier has asked the court to have the government verify and carry out the order. Sultan Abdullah hails from Najibs hometown of Pahang. He ended his five-year reign on January 30 under Malaysias unique rotating monarchy system. A new king took office on January 31.

Najib, 70, has served less than two years of his sentence, supposed to end on August 23, 2028, after his sentence was commuted. He was charged and found guilty in a corruption case linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of state fund 1MDB which caused national outrage.

In his application, he accused the Pardons Board, Home Minister and the Attorney-General among seven entities of concealing the sultans order in bad faith.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told reporters later Thursday that he has no knowledge of such an order, adding that he wasnt a member of the Pardons Board.

The others named in the application couldnt be immediately reached for comment.

In 2018, Najibs long-ruling coalition suffered a massive defeat following the 1MDB scandal. He was sentenced in 2020 and two years later, he lost his final appeal in court, becoming the countrys first former premier to be imprisoned.

Despite his conviction, Najib still holds clout in his party, the United Malays National Organisation, currently a member of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims unity government that took power after the 2022 general elections.

1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege at least USD 4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najibs associates through layers of bank accounts in the US and other countries and financed Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art and jewellery. More than USD 700 million landed in Najibs bank accounts.

Najib has maintained his innocence, alleging that Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho duped him. Low, thought to be the mastermind of the scandal, remains at large.

The former premiers separate graft trial over the 1MDB scandal is still ongoing.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has voiced his grave concern about the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations levelled by a specific political party and its few individuals against the Army for their political interests. Zardari made the veiled jibe at jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party when Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir called on the new President on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the Army chief also extended felicitations to Zardari on his appointment as the 14th President of Pakistan last month. An official press release issued by the Presidency said, President Zardari noted with grave concern the baseless allegations levelled by a specific political party and its few individuals against the institution and its leadership to accrue narrow political interests and resolved to deal with such disruptive elements with an iron hand.
According to Will Smith insiders, the disgraced celebrity has a penchant for spaghetti. In fact his spaghetti fetish is so bad that he cant stop eating it even when hes driving, smacking people around or making love to his bald wife.

Yo, yo, yo! I gots me a spaghettis fetish yanamsayin? One nigga axe me, he axe me why I gotta spaghetti fetish and I say shut up foo! lak do you know who I is?

Smith has been arrested numerous times whilst driving and eating a large tub of spaghetti, and in February was banned for 6 months for throwing a load of spaghetti over a California state trooper during a traffic incident.

The celebrity was driving on Spaghetti Junction near Anaheim and was stuffing his face with spaghetti and meatballs. He was so engrossed in his food that he did not notice a delivery truck for Luigis Pasta Palace and rammed right into the rear at 70 MPH.

Witnesses to the traffic incident then saw Will Smith eating the pasta from the road as the spillage from the truck accident blanketed the entire area in meatballs and spaghetti.

Didnt matter that it werent cooked. The boy took to that spaghetti like a wild eyed monster on a trip to spaghetti mountain. Dude was even crunchin frozen meatballs. The real shit happened when the frickin state trooper arrived. He told Will Smith to put that shit back, but he refused. He then threw some pasta at the trooper. Thats when shit got messy!

Smith was arraigned at Santa Barbara court and had bail set at $2.6 million, which he paid by the afternoon. He was banned for 6 months and will have to go undergo community service as a dishwasher in Luigis Pasta Palace. Oh, no!
In a move signaling a significant shift in national priorities, Norways government has announced a historic increase in defense spending. This surge in investment aims to modernize the nations armed forces and bolster its capabilities in an evolving security environment. While Norway has long enjoyed peaceful relations with its neighbors, including Russia, concerns about future instability and rising tensions necessitate a more robust defense posture. This plan promises to enhance the countrys defense capabilities across multiple domains significantly.

Get alerts:

Forging a More Formidable Force: Details of the Plan

Norway intends to allocate an additional $56 billion to its defense budget over the next twelve years, bringing the total defense spending to a projected $152 billion by 2036. This substantial investment represents a commitment to strengthening Norways defenses in the face of potential threats. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre emphasized this point, stressing the need for a defense apparatus aligned with the changing security landscape.

The additional resources will be directed toward a wide range of initiatives designed to augment Norways military capacity. Among these are:

Naval Reinforcement: The plan includes procuring at least five new frigates and submarines to modernize Norways naval fleet.

The plan includes procuring at least five new frigates and submarines to modernize Norways naval fleet. Enhanced Air Defense: Norway will introduce its first long-range air defense system, significantly improving its ability to protect its airspace.

Norway will introduce its first long-range air defense system, significantly improving its ability to protect its airspace. Boots on the Ground Expansion: The army will expand from one to three brigades, bolstering ground forces and their operational readiness.

The Economic Equation: Investing without Sacrificing

The NATO Nexus: Aligning with Allies

Oil-rich Norways defense spending increase is made possible by the countrys substantial sovereign wealth fund, one of the largest in the world. Leveraging this unique resource allows Norway to bolster its national security without compromising essential public services. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum affirmed that the defense budget increase would not necessitate cuts to healthcare, education, or other vital sectors. Additionally, the defense investments are expected to boost economic activity and create jobs in the Norwegian defense sector.

Norway is a committed member of NATO, and this ambitious plan aligns with the organizations goals. The country has committed to reaching the NATO target of allocating 2% of its GDP to defense spending. Moreover, the long-term plan emphasizes enhanced cooperation and integration with allies, including Sweden and Finland. This focus on interoperability will allow Norway to better contribute to collective security efforts within the NATO framework should the need arise.

A Comprehensive Approach to Modernization

Beyond the headline figures, Norways defense strategy entails a multi-faceted effort spanning all military branches. The government will prioritize several key areas:

Personnel Power: Manpower is a crucial factor in military strength, and Norway plans to increase the number of conscripted soldiers from 9,000 to 13,500 by 2036.

Manpower is a crucial factor in military strength, and Norway plans to increase the number of conscripted soldiers from 9,000 to 13,500 by 2036. Intelligence and Surveillance: Enhanced intelligence-gathering and surveillance capabilities will be critical for early warning and threat assessment.

Enhanced intelligence-gathering and surveillance capabilities will be critical for early warning and threat assessment. Allied Support: Norways plan recognizes the importance of receiving reinforcements and operating seamlessly with allies in a potential crisis.

This comprehensive approach reflects the Norwegian governments understanding of the complex nature of modern warfare and the need for a well-rounded defense force.

Norways Defense Evolution

Norways robust defense initiative significantly departs from its traditionally more restrained military posture. However, recent global events, particularly the conflict in Ukraine, have underscored the importance of preparedness and deterrence. While Norway has no history of direct confrontation with Russia, the government recognizes the need to be ready for a more unpredictable security environment in the years to come.

This decision aligns with Norways ongoing efforts to modernize its armed forces. The country has invested heavily in advanced military hardware, such as F-35 fighter jets, new submarines and combat vehicles in recent years. The latest plan builds upon this foundation, promising comprehensive upgrades across all branches of the Norwegian armed forces.

Norways historic defense spending increase is a calculated decision to enhance the nations security preparedness. The countrys unique economic position allows for significant military investments without compromising essential services. This multi-year plan signifies a sustained commitment to strengthening Norways defense capabilities in a volatile geopolitical landscape.
Environmental activists from Zero Waste North West have protested a Council decision to cut down several mature trees to facilitate a public realm art installation.

The protest took place on Saturday afternoon, outside Derrys Harbour Museum, the designated site for the citys new Factory Girls sculpture.

Children protesting against the tree felling in Derry's Harbour Square on Saturday.

Speaking to Derry News following the protest, a Zero Waste North West spokesperson said it was unacceptable for Council to cut down trees during the nesting season.

The spokesperson said: This action completely contradicts any positive climate action the Council is attempting.

No doubt it will find justification for its environmental harm but ordinary people see through this.

We have so little tree coverage in the Council area. Every tree matters and Council should be leading the way in protection rather than leading the charge in destruction, said the Zero Waste North West spokesperson.

In response to a Derry News enquiry, a spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council said the information about the tree felling had been posted on its social media channels.

They said: Information was posted on its social media channels on Wednesday of last week to advise the public that preparatory work would be taking place the following day at Harbour Square, in advance of the Public realm works and installation of the Factory Girls sculpture.

These works included the felling of three trees and which was completed last week.

A tree survey was carried out in advance to ensure there were no birds nesting.

The trees were not salvageable however arrangements are in place to plant replacement trees as part of the wider public realm scheme works, said the spokesperson.

Many people voiced their opposition to the cutting down of the trees following Councils social media post about its intentions.

Patricia Page asked: Was an Environmental Impact Study carried out. It is illegal to disturb, remove or destroy any nests during the closed season from March 1 to August 31, under the NI Wildlife Act 1985.

Maeve Leahy said: Please rethink this! Surely there are other places this could be put. Im sure the artist Chris Wilson would be appalled to know trees were being cut down for this!

Daisy Mules said: I am totally opposed to the removal of these mature trees. Not in my name! I thought it was illegal to cut down trees and hedges during the nesting season? Shame on Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Dr Peter Doran, a Law lecturer at Queens University Belfast, said: There is literally no substitute for the art of nature.
Youngsters taking part in this week's Ryan McBride Foundation Easter Camp have backed Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Patricia Logue's audacious 'Rock the Boat' world record attempt.

The stars of the future took to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium pitch to form their own Rock the Boat lines ahead of the Mayor's bid to form the planet's longest ever line of the dance on Shipquay Street on Saturday, May 4 at 11.30am.

The event is being held to raise funds for the Mayor's chosen charities for her year in office, the Foyle Hospice and the Ryan McBride Foundation.

Galway-based Charity Ability West currently hold the world record attempt involving 1,809 people on Salthill Promenade.

Im really excited for this event which promises to be a fun day out and a brilliant spectacle in our city centre, said Mayor Logue.

We have a proven tradition of setting world records on the streets of this city and we have previously broken the record for the most astronauts and most Santas in one place.

I know the people of the North West will come out in numbers to support this exciting challenge and my two chosen charities who do so much important work in our community.

Thanks to all the youngsters at the Easter Camp for their support, I hope to see as many people as possible on Shipquay Street on Saturday, May 4 where we can Rock the Boat and the planet by setting a new world record!

Anyone interested in taking part in the record attempt can sign up at: https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/ROCKTHEBOATWORLDRECORDATTEMPT

A link is available on Councils website to donate to the Mayors Charities at https://www.derrystrabane.com/about-council/mayor/mayor-s-charity
A woman whose life a solicitor said 'had been blighted by addiction issues' has been jailed at Derry Magistrate's Court today for a series of drug offences.

Paula Kelly (29) of Lawrence Hill in Derry admitted offences on January 11 and February 1 this year.

The court heard that in January Kelly was found in Belfast city centre and appeared to be under the influence of substances.

While police were talking to her she was 'fidgeting' with her groin leading police to believe she had concealeddrugs on her person.

She was arrested and at one point 'lunged' at an officer.

Eventually police recovered Pregablin and Diazepam.

At interview Kelly said she had been in Belfast with her girlfriend who had been taken to hospital.

She said she thought if she took drugs she would also be taken to the same hospital.

She told police that she only meant to harm herself that night.

The court also heard that on February 1 Kelly was observed by police in Lawrence Hill 'unsteady on her feet'.

A quantity of drugs were found hidden in Kelly's underwear.

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that his client had pleaded guilty from the beginning.

He said Kelly was not that long out of prison and said there was a 'lack of joined up thinking.'

The solicitor said that the defendant would go to prison, do her time and then get released with no support whatsoever.

Kelly was jailed for two months.
Carers in Northern Ireland are being left behind as a legal entitlement to unpaid leave comes into effect in the rest of the UK, campaigners have warned.

Under the Carers Leave Act, which comes into force on Saturday in England, Wales and Scotland, employees who are carers can take up to a week of unpaid leave every 12 months  equating to five days for most people.

Workers are entitled to such leave to give or arrange care for a dependant  not necessarily a family member  who has a physical or mental illness or injury meaning they will need care for more than three months, who has a disability, or who needs care due to old age.

The new legislation will not cover Northern Ireland where employment rules are devolved to Stormont.

The Assembly has recently returned from a two-year suspension. Economy Minister Conor Murphy has signalled that he intends to bring forward an Employment Bill during the current mandate which will consider carers leave.

Carers NI has called on the Executive to go further than the Westminster legislation and to introduce paid leave for carers.

Craig Harrison, public affairs manager at the charity, said: Many people with caring roles in Northern Ireland want and need to stay in work, but the lack of support to juggle employment with caring too often makes that impossible.

Delivering new rights to carers leave is going to be a game-changer, not just in making life easier for carers, but in helping businesses to keep hold of valued staff, bringing in public revenue through tax receipts and reducing the number of carers who need to apply for support from the welfare system.

He added: Having no government in Stormont for two years has meant that local carers are now being left behind and missing out on a crucial new employment right thats coming into force in GB.

As a minimum we need to see parity for carers here, but there is also a significant moral, economic and financial case for the Economy Minister to go a step further and deliver paid carers leave in Northern Ireland.

Pauline Holland lives in Belfast and cares for her son, who has autism and additional needs, while working full-time.

She said: The fact that there are no legally enshrined workplace rights for unpaid carers in Northern Ireland is symptomatic of how little we are respected, recognised or valued by the government.

What we do every day is exhausting. Were saving Stormont billions of pounds a year and so surely a legal right to carers leave from work, to help us fulfil the numerous appointments and other pressures of caring, isnt too much to ask?

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said it was a matter of deep regret that unpaid carers in Northern Ireland are being left behind by this new legislation.

She added: Every year, tens of thousands of people across Northern Ireland are forced to undertake an exhausting juggling act between their caring responsibilities and work, saving the public purse a huge amount of money each and every day in the process.

We need to see change on this issue.

I would urge the Economy Minister to catch up with Great Britain on this and make progress on legislation to provide carers with at least five days of paid carers leave.

This should be the very least that unpaid carers here are able to expect and it is incumbent on the Executive to get on with the job.

Natasha McClelland, from Coleraine, works full-time and cares for two children with multiple and severe disabilities. She said her employer voluntarily provides additional support for staff with caring roles.

She said: This isnt a legal right in Northern Ireland and it very much limits career progression, because I know that other workplaces dont have the same policies or protections in place.

A Department for the Economy spokesperson said: The important benefits carers bring to society and the local economy cannot be overstated.

It is vitally important, therefore, that those in employment with caring responsibilities are supported to balance those responsibilities with their work commitments so that they can remain within the workforce.

Following a co-design and consultation process, the department intends to bring forward an employment rights Bill within the current Assembly mandate to ensure the employment law framework remains fit for purpose and operates effectively for both businesses and their employees.

The right to carers leave and a revision to the current flexible working arrangements to remove the current qualifying period before a flexible working request can be made are two of the issues that will be considered in that context.
The son of a military veteran killed by the IRA 50 years ago has said that his fathers legacy lives on.

Lieutenant Colonel George (Sandy) Saunderson was shot on April 10 1974 in the kitchen of the Earl of Erne Primary School in Teemore, Co Fermanagh, where he was the headmaster.

Ahead of the anniversary, commemorative events have been planned for this week, including a community reflections event and service of remembrance.

Mr Saunderson, who had served in the Second World War and later in the UDR, was 58 when he was killed.

His son James said that his father was a very special man to many people.

He added: He was admired within Army circles, through his role as master of Earl of Erne School Teemore and through his involvement within a wide range of other local organisations including the church and the loyal orders.

But to me, he was a special man because of the father he was; to me but also to my siblings.

The Provisional IRA murdered him as he was approaching the point of retirement, when he could finally have focused a little more upon his own personal interests, and fully enjoy life with mum.

But he was denied that right by fanatics intent on striking fear within a borderland Protestant community.

Mr Saunderson added: My dads murder did not accelerate the unification of Ireland; in fact, it had the impact of further dividing our people, breeding fear and distrust.

Ultimately the objective of the terrorists failed, there continues to exist a proud and resilient minority community in Teemore who have made this place their home.

My dads legacy lives on and it is clear that his name is spoken in homes near and far, he made a huge contribution in this life and I was truly blessed to have him as my dad.

Kenny Donaldson, director of victims organisation South East Fermanagh Foundation, said Mr Saunderson was mourned by people from all backgrounds when he was killed.

He said: We are privileged to be supporting the Saunderson family and working collaboratively with them and local organisations in organising a series of events this weekend marking Sandys life 50 years on.

On Saturday night, a special community reflections event will take place in Teemore Church Hall commencing at 8pm and all across the community are welcome to attend.

Then on Sunday there will be a service of remembrance and thanksgiving held in Inishmacsaint Church of Ireland at 2pm, followed by an act of remembrance at his graveside.

He added: To enter a school and murder a man retired from the UDR and who would soon have been retiring from his role as headmaster illustrates the depravity of those involved.

The terrorists targeted Sandy because of his leadership role within the local community, because of the respect and affection he commanded.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his surviving family but also all others who will be hurting in the coming days.
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HIGHLIGHTS Google is reportedly preparing to introduce a new feature called "Lookup" for Pixel phones. It will likely allow users to identify unknown callers by searching across various apps installed on their devices. Google is expected to introduce the Lookup feature globally with the June Feature Drop.

Google is reportedly preparing to introduce a new feature called Lookup in the Phone app for Pixel users. This feature will likely enable Pixel users to identify callers by initiating a search for unfamiliar numbers across different apps installed on their phones.

The Lookup feature was spotted by the tipster AssembleDebug. The tipster noticed the Lookup feature on the Google Phone app beta version 127.0.620688474, reports Piunikaweb.

Also read: Google Gemini Nano AI will come to Pixel 8 after all: Will offer these 2 features

When you tap on a number you dont recognise in the Recents tab of the Phone app, a Lookup button is expected to pop up.

Also read: Circle to Search for more devices, AI for travel: Heres all that Google has introduced

Credit: Piunikaweb

According to the report, when you tap that button, youll see a list of apps on your phone that can search the web. The Google Search app is one of them, so it kicks off a search for that number on Google Search.

It looks like this feature is meant to recognise calls from businesses listed on Google, not private individuals. So its not trying to take the place of apps like Truecaller. But theres a chance it could work together with them in the future.

Google is expected to introduce the Lookup feature globally with the June Feature Drop.

Credit: Piunikaweb

Besides the Lookup feature, AssembleDebug also spotted a minor redesign in the interface of the emergency number dialer during calls.

In my opinion, the Lookup feature on Google Pixel phones could be beneficial for users as it is expected to allow users to easily identify unknown callers by searching across various apps installed on their devices.

Also, with the Lookup feature, users are expected to quickly access information about unknown callers without needing to switch between different apps or perform manual searches on the web.
SK Hynix offers condolences and pledges support to Taiwan in earthquake recovery

On April 5, South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. expressed condolences to Taiwan over the April 3 deadly earthquake that hit the east coast of the island nation this week.

SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung issued a condolence statement to extend the company's wishes for the health and safety of those affected by the earthquake on April 3 and promised to assist the country recover from the damage as quickly as possible.

"In Taiwan, there are partners and members who work with SK Hynix in various fields related to semiconductors, as well as their families. We hope that this incident will be resolved as soon as possible and that everyone will be able to resume their daily lives," said Kwak in his statement.

Yonhap News Agency said that Taiwan and South Korea are in a complementary relationship in the global semiconductor supply chain. It cited the Korea International Trade Association data that South Korea exported US$3 billion of memory chips to Taiwan in 2023.

Credit: SK Hynix
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced 3.2 million in funding to support digital learning in schools and minor building works in Donegal.

50 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will be issued shortly to all recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country, while a separate 29 million in minor works funding is being provided to primary and special schools.

The ICT funding is being provided to schools to help them continue to use digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment, while the minor works funding can be used by these schools for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds.

The 50 million ICT grant represents the second tranche of ICT funding under the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. Schools previously received 50m in ICT grant funding for the 2021 to 2022 school year.

Minister Foley said: I am pleased today to be announcing funding which will support primary, post-primary and special schools in Donegal and throughout Ireland to enhance both school settings and teaching and learning, to benefit our pupils and students.

ICT grant funding will support schools to ensure they can continue to embed the use of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment.

Digital technologies can open up a world of opportunities to our pupils and students. It is important that schools can properly equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to harness the benefits of such technologies.

The Digital Strategy ICT grant will consist of a 2,000 basic grant for primary schools plus an additional payment of 39 per mainstream pupil, 43 per pupil in DEIS schools and 47 per pupil with special educational needs attending a special school or attending a special class attached to a mainstream primary school. For example, a 100 pupil-primary school will receive 5,973 and a 500 pupil-primary school will receive 21,865.

Post-primary schools will be paid a 2,000 basic grant plus 47 per mainstream student and 52 per student in DEIS schools. A 500-student post-primary school would receive 25,840 and a 1,000-student post-primary school would receive 49,680.

This ICT grant builds on the 210m already allocated under the previous Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, and the 50m issued under Irelands National Recovery and Resilience Plan to enable schools to support learners at risk of education disadvantage through the digital divide.

Minister Foley said the department is acutely aware of schools need to have appropriate ICT infrastructure and it remains committed to continued funding to support the implementation of the Digital Strategy.

Minister Foley is also commissioning further research into the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning as part of the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027.

Implementation of this strategy is well underway so it is timely to consider where we are in this journey. To that end, I am further commissioning research on the impact on student learning and wellbeing through the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning to help inform policy and optimise the resources and supports provided to schools.

The circular outlining the criteria applying to the Digital Strategy ICT Infrastructure Grant Scheme will be published soon.

Meanwhile, arrangements are now being made for the payment of 29 million in Minor Works grants to primary schools and special schools. This will support the operation of the primary schools for the forthcoming 2024/25 school year. The lead-in period ahead of the new school year will give schools good time to consider plans and priorities for the use of the funding.

Minister Foley said: Minor works payments are a vital resource in terms of supporting the operation of schools generally and I am pleased to be able to announce 29 million in funding that will allow school communities to address issues at local level. Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular maintenance needs. In this respect the minor works grant funding provides good flexibility to address issues at local school level.

Good maintenance arrangements are important and should be prioritised with this funding. Maintenance of school buildings is important in promoting health and safety, providing an appropriate and welcoming learning environment, and protecting the significant levels of public funding invested in new and upgraded school infrastructure.

The departments Planning and Building Unit is currently finalising updated guidance for schools in relation to good practice arrangements for the maintenance of school buildings. It is envisaged that this guidance will be finalised and published later in Q2 2024. It is envisaged that the guidance will be provided in an online interactive format that will be easily accessible and user-friendly for use by schools.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced 2.3 million in funding to support digital learning in schools and minor building works in Louth.

50 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will issue shortly to all recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country, while a separate 29 million in minor works funding is being provided to primary and special schools.

The ICT funding is being provided to schools to help them continue to use digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment, while the minor works funding can be used by these schools for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds.

The 50 million ICT grant represents the second tranche of ICT funding under the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. Schools previously received 50m in ICT grant funding for the 2021 to 2022 school year.

The Digital Strategy ICT grant will consist of a 2,000 basic grant for primary schools plus an additional payment of 39 per mainstream pupil, 43 per pupil in DEIS schools and 47 per pupil with special educational needs attending a special school or attending a special class attached to a mainstream primary school. For example, a 100 pupil-primary school will receive 5,973 and a 500 pupil- primary school will receive 21,865.

Post-primary schools will be paid a 2,000 basic grant plus 47 per mainstream student and 52 per student in DEIS schools. A 500 student- post-primary school would receive 25,840 and a 1,000 student-post-primary school would receive 49,680.

This ICT grant builds on the 210m already allocated under the previous Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, and the 50m issued under Irelands National Recovery and Resilience Plan to enable schools to support learners at risk of education disadvantage through the digital divide.

The circular outlining the criteria applying to the Digital Strategy ICT Infrastructure Grant Scheme will be published soon.

Minister Foley said: I am pleased today to be announcing funding which will support primary, post-primary and special schools in Louth and throughout Ireland to enhance both school settings and teaching and learning, to benefit our pupils and students.

ICT grant funding will support schools to ensure they can continue to embed the use of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment.

Digital technologies can open up a world of opportunities to our pupils and students. It is important that schools can properly equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to harness the benefits of such technologies.

Meanwhile, arrangements are now being made for the payment of 29 million in Minor Works grants to primary schools and special schools. This will support the operation of the primary schools for the forthcoming 2024/25 school year. The lead-in period ahead of the new school year will give schools good time to consider plans and priorities for use of the funding.

Minister Foley said: Minor works payments are a vital resource in terms of supporting the operation of schools generally and I am pleased to be able to announce 29 million in funding that will allow school communities to address issues at local level.

"Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular maintenance needs. In this respect the minor works grant funding provides good flexibility to address issues at local school level.

Good maintenance arrangements are important and should be prioritised with this funding. Maintenance of school buildings is important in promoting health and safety, in providing an appropriate and welcoming learning environment, and in protecting the significant levels of public funding being invested in new and upgraded school infrastructure.

The departments Planning and Building Unit is currently finalising updated guidance for schools in relation to good practice arrangements for maintenance of school buildings.

It is envisaged that this guidance will be finalised and published later in Q2 2024. It is envisaged that the guidance will be provided in an on-line interactive format that will be easily accessible and user friendly for use by schools.
Gardai in Mayfield are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the death of two individuals following a fatal house fire in Cork city late Thursday night.



At approximately 11:15pm, Thursday April 5, gardai and fire services were alerted to a house fire on Lower Glanmire Road, Mayfield.

The fire was brought under control by fire services and the bodies of a man in his 80s and female in her 70s were recovered from inside the house.

Investigating gardai have cordoned off the scene as they work to determine the cause of the fire.

We currently have units dealing with a fire on Lower Glanmire Road.



The road is currently closed, please avoid the area  pic.twitter.com/KSbUtlcJ7C  Cork City Fire Brigade (@CorkCityFire) April 4, 2024

Both bodies have been transported to the Mortuary at Cork University Hospital for post-mortem examinations.

The Cork City Coroner has been informed, and the results of the post-mortems, along with a technical examination of the scene, will guide the ongoing Garda investigation.

Traffic restrictions are currently in effect at the scene on Lower Glanmire Road, with traffic reduced to one lane. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact Mayfield Garda Station on 021- 4558510, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
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Codling Wind Park has announced that the number of wind turbines proposed for the project has been cut by 25 per cent, due to improved technology and a better understanding of the site.

The finalised design for the Codling Wind Park, based off the coast of Wicklow, has reduced from 100 turbines to between 60 and 75.

Despite the reduction in the number of proposed wind turbines, the project will still generate 1,300 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity, enough to power over one million homes in Ireland.

The windfarm is expected to create 1,000 jobs during construction and 75 permanent positions when fully operational and those behind it say there will be significant spin-off for the local and national economy.

Although there will be fewer turbines, Codling Wind Park says they will be larger than originally planned, ranging in height between 288m and 314m, up from around 250m previously. When operational, the Park will help Ireland meet over 26 per cent of its 2030 grid connected offshore wind targets, and also help the country to achieve its target of generating 80pc of its electricity from renewable energy by the same year.

They will be situated at distances varying between 13km and 22km off the coast, between Wicklow town and Greystones.

A Community Benefit Fund (CBF) of up to 200m will be established as part of the project to fund local community-based projects. The aim of the fund will be to deliver economic, environmental, social, and cultural benefits to local community groups over a twenty-year period.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) will meet individual staff members responsible for particular portfolios at University of Limerick (UL) when it is on campus later this month.

It comes as the acting president of the college, Prof Shane Kilcommins has pledged to be "utterly candid" when UL executives appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

UL is in front of the Dail committee in relation to the overpayment of around 5m for homes it bought in Rhebogue for post-graduate students.

This was just months after a 1.5m overspend on the purchase of the former Dunnes Stores building in the city centre.

In an email to the college community this Friday, he confirmed that the matters which have arisen will be "interrogated thoroughly".

"In the interim, this institution will continue to function and I respectfully ask for your support and forbearance as we engage on these matters," wrote Prof Kilcommins.

He acknowledged there will be "difficult weeks" ahead for UL, with HEA representatives on campus between April 23 and 25 next.

"We intend to make it clear to the PAC that we will make ourselves available and that we will be utterly candid in our engagements with their questions," he confirmed.

Prof Kilcommins wrote of how the overpayments at the city centre campus and in Rhebogue will turn a 7.5m surplus into a 700,000 deficit for the college in next year's accounts.

College president Prof Kerstin Mey has gone on sick leave since the news of the latest overspend emerged - and has declared herself "incapacitated" for the time being to appear before PAC - but hopes to attend later in the college term.

Its chancellor Brigid Laffan confirmed to students and staff at a meeting last week that the deputy president Prof Kilcommins will take on her responsibilities while she is unavailable.

UL executives were scheduled to appear in front of the committee on Thursday next week, but it's now unclear whether that will happen in the president's absence.

Limerick Live could not get official confirmation at time of publication this Friday morning.

In his email this Friday, Prof Kilcommins wrote: "We are engaging with the secretariat of the PAC regarding a hearing date. We intend to make it clear to the PAC that we will make ourselves available and that we will be utterly candid in our engagements with their questions."

He added: "Clearly it is essential that we also think long and hard about how decisions are made, how we communicate and how we improve our culture throughout the organisation."

"Achieving cultural change will take time but it is absolutely clear that this must be a priority. We know from the survey carried out by Unite that there are issues that must be addressed, and I will be contacting the lead representatives about how we begin this important work," he added in the email.

He praised the university community, describing them as "incredibly resourceful and resilient".

"We ask that you accept that we will do everything in our power to work to restore trust and confidence with our stakeholders and with all of you," the acting president concluded.
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov

Reading the agenda of the EU-USA-Armenian conference that will take place in Brussels on April 5, one can easily determine the hypocritical policy of the West toward Azerbaijan. It is worth noting that it is not the first double standard that Azerbaijan has encountered.

As is known, the US Parliament adopted the 907 Amendment which bans any kind of direct United States aid to the Azerbaijani government. It should be noted that this ban made Azerbaijan the only post-Soviet state not to receive direct aid from the United States government to facilitate economic and political stability. Moreover, when the Amendment was adopted Azerbaijan was subjected to Armenian aggression, and Armenia invaded 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territories. As a result of this aggression, over one million Azerbaijani citizens of different origins converted to refugees and IDPs. Instead of punishing the aggressor, the West which was bribed by the Armenian lobby punished Azerbaijan.

However, it is known that later the same USA needed Azerbaijani assistance in Afghanistan and tried its best to normalize relations with Baku.

The double standards against Azerbaijan are not limited to only the USA. Other Western countries, such as France, Germany, and so on, and even Russia and Iran, stood with the aggressor. France and Germany did their best to hinder Azerbaijan from getting proper arms. For example, when Turkiye tried to sell Firtina howitzer or other weapons to Azerbaijan, France and Germany did not allow it because the engine of the said weapons were produced by them.

However, their heinous plan did not work. Through brilliant foreign policy and political maneuvers, Azerbaijan was able to a strong army that liberated its invaded lands and restored its territorial integrity.

As for Russia and Iran, thanks to these countries, the lifespan of Armenia was prolonged. However, history demonstrated that a subject with poor character and strength cannot live long. Today, the same Armenia tries its best to push Russia, its savior, out of the South Caucasus. It is the same Armenia which tries to bring the arch enemies of Iran, the Muslim and Shiit country.

In other words, Armenia "thanked" its saviors, I mean Iran and Russia, as it needed. Armenian gratitude reached such an extent that today Russian media compare Armenia with a suitcase without a handle.

Currently, Armenia found new saviors, more precisely the West. The USA and the EU try to perform the role of savior of Armenia by replacing Russia and Iran. However, the behavior of the West looks like a farce. It seems that they got a good lesson from the Armenian gratitude for its previous saviors and they are aware of Azerbaijans political, economical and military weight in the region, and try not to burn all bridges with Azerbaijan.

On the one hand, the leaders of the abovementioned countries make phone calls to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to comfort Azerbaijan, on the other hand, Western media outlets speak about so-called possible Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia.

Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State and then Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission had phone calls with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a raw and tried to explain the situation that is of concern already in the South Caucasus. The behavior of the Western Leaders once again underlines the power of Azerbaijan and the head of state.

It doesn't matter to Azerbaijan who is the savior or patron of Armenia. Azerbaijan got what belonged it in accordance with the international law. We know that the act of the West is to create a second front against Russia in the South Caucasus. Unfortunately, Armenia once again allows the third force to use it as a tool.
Sister Christina Heltsley chats with Lulu Aca during kindergarten class at St. Francis Center in Redwood City on Feb. 22. Record-high chronic absentee rates in California show little sign of returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon  especially for kindergarten students. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Kindergarten teacher Jacqueline Murillo leads a class at Ruth Acty Elementary School in Berkeley on Mar. 14, 2022. Record-high chronic absentee rates in California show little sign of returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon  especially for kindergarten students. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Record-high chronic school absentee rates in California show little sign of returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon, and data shows thats especially true for kindergarten students.

Chronic absenteeism surged to 40% among kindergarten students in the 2021-22 school year, said Hedy Nai-Lin Chang, founder and executive director of Attendance Works.

Initial numbers from the 2022-23 school year arent much better, according to Erica Peterson, the director of education and engagement for School Innovations & Achievement, a national firm that tracks attendance at 356 school districts in California. Numbers improved 2-3 points for most grade levels, but they didnt budge for kindergarten students.

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Enrollment in kindergarten has long lagged below other grades  due in part to its optional status in California. But enrollment among kindergartners and transitional kindergartners dropped most rapidly between the 2019-20 and 2021-22 school years: 9 points and 15 points respectively.

Peterson said right now is a good time to teach parents that early childhood education is about more than finger painting and naps.

I think theres a lot of opportunity to educate parents, especially of early and young learners, about the critical foundational skills that are laid down in early grades, Peterson said. But I dont think parents know that.

Chang and Peterson were part of a panel of experts in a round table, Chronic Absenteeism: How can schools get students back to class post-COVID?, hosted by EdSource on Thursday.

With schools fully reopened, millions of students were missing school during the 2021-22 school year at a much higher level than before the pandemic. In California, the percentage of chronically absent students zoomed from the pre-pandemic rate of 12.1% in 2018-19 to 30% in 2021-22.

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Nationally, the number of students who were chronically absent since the pandemic nearly doubled to about 13.6 million, with 1.8 million of them in California, according to national data compiled by Stanford University education Professor Thomas S. Dee in partnership with the Associated Press. EdSource collaborated in the effort with an analysis of California data showing increases in nearly every district in the number of students missing what amounts to weeks of school. Chronic absence is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year. For students on a typical 180-day school calendar, this totals to about one month of missed school.

Im a little worried that sometimes people think that this was an aspect of COVID, and now that were through and COVID is endemic, its all going to go back to normal, Chang said. Im concerned thats not going to be the case.

The problem goes back to before kindergarten. Attending preschool is one of the best predictors of good attendance in kindergarten, Chang said, but the preschool system took a hit during the pandemic. The lack of preschool slots to meet demand sends the message that early education is optional rather than essential. That is having ramifications for the K-12 system, Chang said.

School districts have used both federal and state COVID relief funds to address the surge in chronic absenteeism that has been especially acute among Native American, Black, Pacific Islander, Latino and English learners. Experts said chronic absenteeism has varied causes, and so there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, solutions vary depending on the district and communitys needs.

Modoc Joint Unified School District in rural Northern California has spent money to train a nurse practitioner who can better address the health needs of a community that is 150 miles away from the nearest major city and reliable health care. Some urban school districts have pooled together with other local agencies, including charter schools, churches and public transportation systems, to ensure that students can get to school, Chang said.

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Home visit teams have been a popular approach, and one backed by research, Chang said.

That individual one-on-one contact and trying to get to root causes of absences in each individual instance has been effective for us, and thats what well continue to do, said Tom OMalley, superintendent of Modoc Joint Unified School District. The problem is obviously employees, and none of us have enough, right?

With its limited resources, the district has made an effort to reach students when theyre younger and can be easier to change their habits, OMalley said.

Petersons firm, which has contracts to work with 356 of the states nearly 1,000 districts, has found that districts that make a proactive effort to educate parents about the value of school attendance are able to reduce chronic absenteeism. That also means not waiting until a student is missing school to make sure parents know that their child has access to services, such as medical care or transportation.

Los Angeles Unified School District has made a big effort to address chronic absenteeism at the acute stage with child welfare and attendance counselors  and occasionally Superintendent Alberto Carvalho himself  knocking on the doors of students who have struggled with attendance.

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But Ofelia Sofi Ryan, president of the Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors in the Los Angeles school district, said that making sure that students and parents feel connected with school is crucial for getting kids to actually show up.

We make sure that our schools are friendly, affirming, inclusive and schools that provide a lot of support to the families, Ryan said.

The reopening of schools wasnt felt among everyone. Chang noted that even though most school sites fully reopened for students during the 2021-22 school year, parents werent welcomed in.

Renee Slater, a teacher at Rio Bravo-Greeley Unified School District on the rural fringe of Bakersfield, said that the sense of community took a hit during the pandemic and didnt come back right away.

I think theres been a little bit of a disconnect with school, Slater said.

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It affected not only students in her classes, but also her daughter, an honors student who was chronically absent. But she has noticed that it was easier for her daughter to catch up with missed school because she was already academically ahead and has reliable internet at home to keep up with her assignments. Its been a bigger struggle for Slaters students who were academically behind before the pandemic and dont have resources at home to stay connected to school.

This year, her district began a new proactive effort to engage students and make them feel more connected to school. The first half hour of every Wednesday is dedicated to community-building and developing social-emotional skills  the skills that arguably took a hit as big as any academic subject during the pandemic. She calls the community the first line of defense.
San Francisco police were summoned to the 1100 block of Folsom Street on Thursday evening after a man returned to his home to find a stranger showering inside. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

San Francisco police were summoned to the 1100 block of Folsom Street on Thursday evening after a man returned to his home to find a stranger showering inside.

The man came home around 7:45 p.m. Thursday to hear the unexpected sound of his shower running, according to a police summary.

The man left the residence and returned with San Francisco officers who confirmed a suspect had broken in and showered inside, the summary stated.

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VETERAN British actor Ricky Tomlinson is looking forward to visiting Cork for the first time to star in Irish Annies at The Everyman next week.

Its just so well known, Cork, its like Liverpool; everyone knows its there, even if theyve never been, so I cant wait to take a look around and make the most of it, he told The Echo last week, over a dodgy mobile connection from Halifax.

His stage show , Irish Annies, has been touring Britain, ahead of Ireland, where it will be staged at five venues, finishing in Cork on Monday and Tuesday.

Laughing

The people who have been coming to the shows have loved it, they been laughing in all the right places, and, at the end of the show, theyve been getting up and dancing at the right places, too, Tomlinson said.

Its great fun and people seem to love it. Id recommend the show to anyone, because I think youre in for a real treat.

Irish Annies was written by Irish-Liverpudlian Asa Murphy, who was inspired by his childhood memories of visiting pubs in Fermoy and Mitchelstown.

Set in the titular pub, the show is a celebration of Irish culture and humour, and features a live five-piece band, which performs original tracks and traditional Irish songs.

A well-loved actor and comedian who has lived all his life in Liverpool, Tomlinson plays a version of himself, a celebrity guest in the pub. Best known for his roles as Jim Royle in The Royle Family, Bobby Grant in Brookside, and DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker, he played the title role in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager.

Friends

He counts Irish actors Liam Cunnigham and Lorcan Cranitch among his friends, having worked with both in Cracker.

He also worked with Belfast actor James Ellis in Boys from the Blackstuff (1982). I learnt a lot off old Jimmy Ellis, a wonderful character to work with.

A veteran of left-wing politics, in 1973 Tomlinson and a colleague were jailed for two years for picketing a labour dispute.

He recently endorsed Keir Starmer, but he worries that the Labour leader is  a bit laid back.

He needs to get the kid gloves off and get on the bovver boots, does Keir. We need to get stuck in if were to rebuild the Red Wall; we need to show working-class people that we mean business.

Asked if he intends to do more stage work, the 84-year-old said he was practising talking with a stiff upper lip.

Im one of the thespians now, Im no longer a scallywag from the pubs and the clubs of Liverpool, Im a theatrical darling.

Ill tell yer, its a good job Laurence Olivier is passed away, because Id have been after his crown.

Irish Annies plays in The Everyman on Monday and Tuesday, April 8 and 9.

Some tickets are still available at https://everymancork.com.
A CORK primary school which had expressed alarm over proposals to split the school across two campuses in the upcoming academic year has announced that a workable solution has been reached with the Department of Education.

In February, the board of management of Owenabue Educate Together National School said that under the departments plan, most classes would remain in the current accommodation in Herons Wood, while two classes would be in prefabricated classrooms on the site of Carrigaline Educate Together National School in Kilnagleary, on the opposite side of Carrigaline.

A number of concerns had been highlighted by the school, among them the logistical difficulties for parents commuting between the locations if they have multiple children attending the school, and a concern that classes on the second site would have limited access to essential facilities.

However, the school has now confirmed that a revised plan has been agreed upon.

We are pleased to announce that, through collective efforts and community solidarity, a workable solution has been agreed upon, a statement from the school read.

While the new plan still involves a split-site arrangement, the proposal is now located entirely within Herons Wood, providing a more viable and convenient solution for our school community.

It said that this solution is contingent upon obtaining planning permission and that its board of management is diligently working through the necessary processes.

We acknowledge that challenges may arise during this phase, and we appreciate the continued support and understanding of our community, the statement continued.

The school said it wished to extend its heartfelt gratitude to local representatives and the general Carrigaline community for their support in campaigning for a revised accommodation plan.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Principal Trina Golden described the development as positive progress.

We have agreement in principle for an alternative solution that keeps us at least in split sites in the same housing estate, she stated.

Lots of challenges and a long road ahead in the project, but positive progress.

'Not ideal situation for any school community'

Owenabue Educate Together National School, which opened in September 2020, is currently in temporary accommodation in Herons Wood.

The school is awaiting the development of a permanent school earmarked for development at a site in nearby Janeville, Carrigaline.

In the statement, the school said it understands that a split-site scenario is not the ideal situation for any school community, but said that the revised plan represents a significant improvement over the previous proposal.

There are significant challenges ahead, particularly financial, in funding and maintaining two sites, Owenabue Educate Together National School stated.

We are engaging with the Department of Education for further information on how they will support the financial challenges.

'A huge relief'

Sinn Fein TD for Cork South Central Donnchadh O Laoghaire, who had previously raised the matter in the Dail, welcomed the revised plan, describing it as a huge relief.

He said great credit is due to Ms Golden, her team, the board of management and everyone else who advocated for a revised plan.

The initial proposal was totally unworkable and failed to take account of the weight of traffic in such a busy town, said Mr O Laoghaire.

It would have caused huge disruption to staff, parents, and children and Im glad the department have recognised this.

I hope this now progresses successfully through planning, and that the department is forthcoming with the funding required.

Following that focus can then turn to ensuring the permanent solution is up to standard and that funding is secured for this, he said.

Labour Party candidate for the Carrigaline municipal district, John ORegan, who was also among those who implored the department to reassess its original proposal, said he was delighted that a workable solution has been found.

Obviously, its not ideal in terms of theyre still going to be on two separate campuses, but its much, much closer together than the original plan that was mooted by the department, he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it continues to engage with Educate Together as patron of Owenabue Educate Together National School regarding the schools interim accommodation requirements, pending completion of its planned new school building.

Work is ongoing to advance an identified solution, including securing the required statutory approvals, and the department continues to engage with the schools patron to support the necessary operational arrangements, it stated.
A 15-year-old boy with autism was brought before Cork District Court charged with injuring another teenager in a knife fight on Oliver Plunkett St in Cork at 6.30pm in the evening.

It was alleged that this teenager had a knife and the other youth had a broken champagne bottle and that they were making slashing movements towards each others head and torso.

Detective Garda Joe Crowley arrested the teenager, who cannot be identified as he is a juvenile, and brought him before an in camera hearing of the court on a charge of assault causing harm to an 18-year-old male.

Det Garda Crowley said:

I explained to him he was lucky he was not killed or the other person was not killed.

The detective said there was an objection to bail because of the seriousness of the case.

The detective also said the teenager made certain admissions in respect of the charge of assault causing harm and that he told gardai he threw the knife in the river after the alleged incident.

Defence solicitor Eddie Burke applied for bail and said the teenager was doing well in education and would reside with his mother.

The defendant broke down in tears at one stage during the hearing and was comforted by his mother. His father was also present for the court hearing.

After it emerged that no bed was available in Oberstown Detention Centre in Dublin, Judge Mary Dorgan remanded the 15-year-old on bail with conditions that required him to remain intoxicant-free, have no contact with other parties to the incident, and to abide by a curfew and stay out of Cork city centre.

A co-accused was arrested and appeared before the adult court later in the day at Cork District Court.

As he is 18 years old, Samuel Ekpemoga, of St Patricks Terrace, Gerald Griffin St, Cork, can be identified.

He is charged with assault causing harm to another teenager  a friend of the 15-year-old defendant.

Garda Shane Hayes objected to bail being granted to Mr Ekpemoga because of the seriousness of the allegations.

It was alleged that he slashed the head of one young man with half of a broken champagne bottle, causing deep lacerations to his head which required immediate medical treatment.

The incident was captured in full on high-definition Garda CCTV cameras, said Gda Hayes.

The suspect was apprehended close to the scene after an attempt to flee.

This defendant, represented by solicitor Frank Buttimer, was remanded on similar conditions to appear in court on May 16, to allow time for the garda file to be completed and directions obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
FIVE weather stations, including two in Cork, had their highest minimum temperature for March on record last month, with those record lengths ranging from 19 to 84 years.

The information was contained in Met Eireanns weather statement for March.

According to the statement, the station at Moore Park in Fermoy and the station at Roches Point recorded their highest minimum temperature for March last month in addition to the weather stations at Phoenix Park in Dublin, Dunsany in Co Meath, and Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry.

All mean air temperatures were above their long-term average for the month.

Deviations from mean air temperature ranged from 0.1 C at Mace Head in Galway (8C mean temperature) and Markree in Sligo (7.1 C mean temperature) to 1.1C at Phoenix Park (7.7C mean temperature), Dunsany (7.3C mean temperature) and Moore Park (8C mean temperature).

The number of dull days  a day with less than 30 minutes of sunshine  ranged from eight days at a few stations to 11 days at Valentia Observatory and Cork Airport.

Meanwhile, the majority of monthly rainfall totals were also above their 1981-2010 long-term average last month.

The number of very wet days (a day with 10mm or more of rainfall) ranged from one day at Dublin Airport to eight days at both Valentia Observatory and Cork Airport.

Overall, Met Eireann said March saw Atlantic low-pressure systems continue to dominate with a southerly displaced jet stream bringing the bulk of the rain to the midlands, south, and east.

According to the latest outlook, the coming days will remain unsettled with spells of rain and strong winds at times.

A status orange wind warning, due to come into effect this weekend, was yesterday issued for Cork and three other counties as Storm Kathleen is set to hit Ireland.

The warning, issued for counties Cork, Kerry, Galway, and Mayo, will come into effect at 7am tomorrow and will remain in place until 5pm.

According to Met Eireann, possible impacts could include very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages, coastal flooding and wave overtopping.

The national forecaster said Storm Kathleen will bring gale force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts.

A separate countrywide status yellow wind warning has been issued for tomorrow, lasting from 7am to 8pm.

A number of marine warnings have also been issued for today, including a status yellow gale warning from Mizen Head to Valentia to Loop Head.

The national forecaster said that south to south-west winds will occasionally reach gale force.
People in Cork are being warned that cases of the measles are on the rise, and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare is calling on anyone who may not have had their MMR vaccination to make an appointment - or come along to free walk-in clinics.

Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious complications for all ages. The only protection is vaccination, with two doses needed for full vaccination.

"Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash all over the body," Dr Michael Hanrahan, Specialist Registrar in Public Health Medicine, explained.

"In severe cases, it can lead to complications such as pneumonia and brain swelling, which can be life-threatening or cause life-long disabilities. "The free walk-in MMR vaccine clinics offer a safe and effective way to protect yourself and your community from measles. Don't wait - make sure you are vaccinated to protect yourself and your family from measles," he added.

The catch-up campaign focuses on delivering the MMR vaccine to key groups, who may have missed their vaccines in the past; including children, young adults, health and care workers born after January 1 1978 who may have missed MMR vaccination, or those born outside of Ireland, and anyone born in Ireland after January 1 1978, who may have missed an MMR vaccine.

The HSE is offering catch-up MMR vaccines to children under 18 who may have missed routine vaccination. This is being offered through GP services and parents should contact their GP to make an appointment.

Meanwhile, HSE community clinics are for everyone eligible who is aged five years and over.

If you are not sure if you have had the MMR vaccine when you were a child, you can still get the vaccine now to make sure youre protected. If you cannot find your vaccination records, it will not harm you to have the MMR vaccine again.

The following clinics are also open to walk-ins next week:

Charleville Primary Care Centre, Rathgoggan South, Charleville, Co. Cork, P56 TP20 on Monday, April 8: 10am-4pm

Mizen Primary Care Centre, Ardmanagh Road, Ardmanagh, Schull, Co. Cork, P81 X954 on Tuesday, April 9: 10am-2pm

Bantry Vaccination Centre, Newtown, Bantry, Co. Cork, P75 H304 on Thursday, April 11: 9am-4pm

Visit: https://www2.hse.ie/services/mmr-vaccine/ to book an appointment.
IT was a Level 5 lockdown when I caught covid and the only place I was, was work, in a place where covid was rampant, a Cork healthcare worker has claimed.

Its a massive cross hanging over us  Im sick now since January 2021, Im no better, I dont feel like Im progressing, said Mairead*.

Approximately 120 healthcare sector workers suffering from long covid were being paid their full salaries until the end of March. That arrangement has ended, and now they are being paid sick pay as set out in their contract. However, this is time-limited.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health explained: Any employee of the public health sector remaining unwell after that date, may utilise the full provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme which will provide further support. The circa 120 employees impacted by the conclusion of the Special Scheme have received notification of this from their employer.

The sick leave scheme provides full pay for three months, followed by half pay for three months, and after that, Temporary Rehabilitative Remuneration may be applied for, which, if granted, provides up to a further 547 days of paid leave. The Critical Illness Protocol that forms part of the sick leave scheme may also provide additional supports if granted.

While Mairead is somewhat hopeful that ongoing talks between the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and other unions with the Government in the Workers Relations Commission will produce a short-term fix, she and others like her are frustrated about being put in the position in the first place and point to other countries in the EU where long covid is treated as an occupational illness.

Ireland is one of only two EU member states that hasnt listed covid as occupational illness for healthcare workers, Greece is the other one.

An EU Commission recommended that member states list it as occupational illness, but because its only a recommendation its up to each EU member state what to do.

Mairead highlighted a recent response by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to a Dail query from Cork North Central People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry. Mr Varadkar said it would be difficult to explain to someone with another illness why their employment rights would be different from those with long covid.

The suggestion is that people acquired long covid at work, but that is not necessarily the case, he said.

Most people acquired covid-19 in their homes where they spent most of their time  that may not have been the case for everyone but it was generally the case, he added.

However, Mairead claims she contracted the virus at work.

In January 2021 I was unvaccinated and we were provided with inadequate Personal Protection Equipment.

She recalled becoming symptomatic in January 2021.

My initial infection was fairly mild, I wasnt too sick, said Mairead. But its been the long covid symptoms that have been the killer.

I got sick in early January and by mid February I still wasnt feeling right, I knew there was something wrong.

She raised her concerns with her GP and occupational health at work.

The symptoms which I still have now would be fatigue, brain fog, tachycardia (which is a fast heart beat), shortness of breath, nerve pain, muscle pain, I get bad nausea.

In December 2020 I was a perfectly healthy person  by the end of January 2021, that healthy person was gone and hasnt come back.

She said she has been diagnosed with long covid by a number of healthcare professionals, who she praised for looking after her, but added: Unfortunately theres no standard test for long covid, theres no blood test and it is harder to diagnose.

Shes also critical of the decision in December 2020 to allow families to gather for a meaningful Christmas.

There was a lot of fear in those early days, people were afraid to leave their houses, it was scary.

Looking back on it the Government should have never opened the country for Christmas in 2020  that was a mistake, they were calling it a meaningful Christmas, that was a big blunder, she believes.

In January 2021, in the hospitals, it was hell.

As well as her illness, another issue Mairead has to deal with is the related expenses.

Any medication Im on I obviously pay for myself, any appointment with a consultant is about 300 and I have to pay for that even though I have VHI, Im paying everything out of my own pocket.

My monthly prescription, and this is just for prescription meds, is about 80 and I spend more money on supplements and theyre not covered under the drug payments scheme even if theyre prescribed  I would say in the last three years Ive spent up to five grand on appointments, on supplements, on medication.

Given how health-care workers were lauded as heroes at the height of the pandemic, Maireads current situation, along with others facing a similar future of constant illness, is very, very frustrating and disappointing, she said.

Whats happening is so insulting. We did what was asked of us, we went to work, we did our best, she continued. Now our health is ruined, my career is ruined just because I went to work.

Its a very bitter pill to swallow really.

My career is stopped. Weve missed out on job promotions, on opportunities to progress in our career and importantly were financially affected and were down a lot of money.

Mairead remains hopeful that another temporary pay resolution will be achieved but shes not confident this will happen, nor that it will be left in place on a permanent basis.
A 47-year-old Romanian national who was found begging in Cork city for the fourth time was given a jail sentence that was suspended on condition that he would leave the country within one month.

When first charged, he replied to the garda who prosecuted him for obstructing pedestrians by begging, I was singing.

Judge Mary Dorgan was told by the prosecution that what the accused man was doing did not constitute singing on the occasion.

Marian Hangalet of no fixed address said at Cork District Court, through a Romanian interpreter, that he had come into Ireland two weeks ago.

He said he would return home but that he had no money to do so.

The 47-year-old said he came to Ireland on the promise of work in car-washing in Dublin but that this did not work out for him.

I came here from Dublin with a friend who had a court date here in Cork, Mr Hangalet said through an interpreter.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis put it to the accused that his evidence was that he had come to Ireland two weeks ago.

However, the sergeant said, You have been before this court on a number of occasions and convicted on three separate occasions for begging  on October 9 2021, on August 11 2022 and on November 3 2022. How can you explain this? The accused said that he had been in Ireland a number of times but on this last occasion he arrived in the country two weeks ago.

Today Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a three-week jail term suspended on condition that he would leave Ireland.

He pleaded guilty to blocking the free passage of pedestrians by begging on St. Patricks Street, Cork, on April 3.

Shane Collins-Daly said the accused was pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity and was anxious to leave the country as his mother was seriously ill back home in Romania.
The weekly Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest against Israels war on Gaza will this week take the form of a public meeting at UCC, due to the weather alert in place for Cork.

A public meeting with Professor Nick Maynard, a surgeon recently returned from Gaza, will be held on Saturday in UCC (Boole 4), commencing at 1.30pm, and is open to all.

This weekend would have marked the 26th weekend in a row that a protest march was held in Cork city, but an orange weather warning in place from 7am to 2pm on Saturday led the organisers at Cork Palestine Solidarity campaign to plan an indoor event instead.

Professor Maynard, 61, is a consultant gastrointestinal surgeon at Oxford University Hospital who has been visiting Gaza to teach surgery since 2010 and also works with Medical Aid for Palestinians, which advocates and campaigns in support of Palestinians rights to health and dignity.

In January, following his return to the UK from Gaza, Professor Maynard said, It was much worse than we could possibly have imagined.

I couldnt compare it to anything, it was just like nothing Ive seen on Earth.

He also spoke of his horror when treating the injuries of a six-year-old boy, saying, It was the single-worst thing Ive seen in my 35-year medical career. Professor Maynard had been working at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in January when he and other staff, as well as 600 patients, were ordered to leave by the Israel Defence Forces.

At least two people were killed and several others wounded when an Israeli air strike hit the crowded courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Hospital earlier this week.

Professor Maynard has also worked in Al-Shifa Hospital many times over the years and unequivocally refutes the Israeli claim that Hamas had used the hospital as a base, saying that during his many stints there over ten years, he saw no evidence of this.

This week, the Israel Defence Forces ended a two-week assault on the hospital, during which up to 400 people were killed and most of the hospital was destroyed.

Professor Maynard will return to Gaza in mid-April.
Now that we are in the fourth month of 2024, its as good a time as any to reflect on what is happening in the music scene right now in Cork.

Festival line-ups are being announced and the summer schedule is filling up but our grassroots music scene is a 12-months-a-year thing and thankfully theres a lot of activity.

As always, Im gonna mention that our gig and music infrastructure isnt ideal, but out of necessity sometimes comes creativity, and there are plenty of people getting creative in putting on shows right now.

When it comes to big venues, Cork is a bit limited and, notoriously, we are as far away as ever from having our long-awaited events centre. With one of the government ministers most linked to it, Simon Coveney, now gone, youd be forgiven for giving up on this dream. It certainly doesnt look like its gonna happen anytime soon.

The summer will bring temporary solace with big shows at Virgin Media Park and the newly relocated Marquee, who have recently added Ne-Yo to their line-up.

The City Hall and the Cork Opera House remain sporadic options due to their other priorities, so our main hope for bigger shows lies in Cyprus Avenue, which is steadily booked throughout the year and continues to offer loads of live and club gigs. I attended a lunchtime showcase by the UCC live music society last week, where a bunch of upcoming local bands auditioned for some A&R record company visitors from Warners UK. The standard was high and local acts such as The Cliffords, Mirrors, PebbleDash, Iris, Kanes Basement and many more impressed.

I also attended a wonderful Kerri Chandler Cyprus Avenue show where he was ably supported by Cork acts Boolaboom and AbbieLee, both of whom showed the diversity and strength of our domestic music scene. Cyprus Avenue is a wonderfully equipped venue where the sound and lights are top notch for such gigs and its hard to imagine Cork without it right now.

Elsewhere there are multiple regular haunts holding it down for our music scene. The Crane Lane, Fred Zeppelins and many more venues hold shows pretty much daily, while the Spailpin Fanach does both live shows and also provides an outlet for many of the underground DJ shows that cant be hosted elsewhere. Special mention goes to the newly reinvigorated Kino which has been hosting a wide variety of shows and events from a whole host of promoters in the last few months. Dali, who have a good track record of running electronic events, are operating upstairs in the former Larry Tompkins bar and, again, they are pushing everything from drum n bass to techno.

They previously operated out of the Pav, which is more of a late bar these days on both floors, but theres some impressive club nights running there too. The upstairs remains one of the citys most aesthetically pleasing venues. We thankfully still have the Bodega, The Roundy and many other long running venues too, and others, such as the Rising Sons, which can provide some of the DJ nights with an alternative venue.

The electronic music scene is vibrant and DJs are using the Liberty, The Roundy, OSho, Aye, The Vic, the Bru and the Edison to put on a massive variety of nights in 2024. Innovative venue and promoter tie-ups bring the likes of Sonflour, Plugd and other spots into play too, so while on the surface things may not look amazing, if you dig deep, theres tons of stuff on at the moment.

After multiple attempts to get something decent running regularly in a nightclub, Ive decided to go back to my own roots and start something more lowkey and grassroots at OSho every Thursday, where Ill be joined by special guests.

Another party I was privileged to play at recently took place on Cork Harbour Cruises with The Good Room, and its great when promoters use innovative options to breathe life into our music scene. They also hosted shows in Spike Island last year and regularly run gigs in Live at St Lukes.

We definitely punch above our weight in Cork when it comes to bands and DJs and we have plenty of promoters willing to take risks too, so lets see what happens for the rest of 2024!
For Pete Mac, the founder member of Cork band Paradox, hearing Kurt Cobains music changed everything for him,

I discovered Nirvana when I was about 10-years-old after hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit, he said.

At the time, my music radar was basically what my older brothers were listening to, bands like Guns n Roses and Iron Maiden.

I initially liked the heavy guitars and attitudes, but I didnt really relate that much.

But when I first heard Nirvana and Kurts voice, I knew I had found my own music and voice.

The first album I ever owned was Nevermind actually, I purchased it on cassette the first chance I could get and Ive collected so many old bootlegs over the years.

I still have a lot of the tapes that you used to be able to buy with the photocopied sleeve!

Two years later, in 1994, I watched the news in disbelief as the presenter announced his death  that same year I picked up the guitar and started playing and writing music. I dont think I would have started playing music if it wasnt for Nirvana.

Unfortunately for Pete  and so many other Nirvana fans  he never got the chance to see them play live.

I played those cassettes into the ground, and did my best to keep track of the bands progress through the various rock music magazines in Easons, there was no internet or social media back then, he said.

I remember reading in the newspaper, in 1992, that Nirvana were to play the Point Depot, in Dublin. I would have given anything to go but, at the age of 10, that was not possible.

Kurt Cobain performs with his group Nirvana at a taping of the television program 'MTV Unplugged,' New York, in 1993. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Nirvana not only inspired Pete to play music, but he also credits them with how he plays it.

He added: The way Kurt played guitar was my teaching process growing up. Ive known these songs for years, their tuning, style, and Kurts way of freestyling a guitar solo. One of the main things Ive always liked about Nirvana and Kurts playing was that their music and songs were relatively simple.

It wasnt so much about technical ability and more to do with the energy they brought across. They had such an impact on a huge scale, they were Punk Rock for sure  and in so many ways.

Pete and some musician friends decided to mark the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobains death in 2014.

We organised a once-off show at the Crane Lane, playing a full set of Nirvana. We were joined by West Cork band Screenreader, fronted by musician Brian Casey.

We didnt really expect anything other than a good night and a celebration of Nirvanas music.

That show was a complete full house, with people standing outside trying to get in. The atmosphere was electric and a testament to the music of Nirvana, with the enthusiastic crowd singing back every song.

That led to a second show in DeBarras Folk Club, Clonakilty  another full house.

We followed that up with a show in Galway, at the Roisin Dubh. The following year, on his anniversary, we decided to play another few shows again.

Its just great fun, but weve always tried not to overdo it.

I think once a year is enough. Were Paradox and the anniversary shows are simply a celebration of a generational band and artist.

The success of the Nirvana shows were simply a celebration of the bands music.

We never had any intention to become a tribute band, it has snowballed and still so much fun to play.

Nirvanas music is practically in my DNA at this stage!

Over the years, Pete has met people at the Paradox/Nirvana nights who had seen the original band, and he finds it particularly stimulating.

We played a show in 2016, in Kildare, and three guys in the crowd were at the Point Depot gig.

We chatted about what that gig was like, really indepth, I had a huge interest since Ive never had the chance to see the band.

We also played the Sir Henrys Nirvana anniversary gig in 2017 and the organiser, Siobhan Bardsley, was actually at Nirvanas gig in Cork.

She mentioned how it was a bittersweet moment when we played Teen Spirit, and it brought her right back to the Sir Henrys gig in 1991.

We try to focus on the music of Nirvana and Kurts legacy, instead of his death. When we play these shows, however, its always a huge celebration and the emotion and atmosphere in the crowd is very positive.

Paradox frontman Pete Mac says he first discovered Nirvana at the age of 10.

Pete sees a clear distinction between what he and Paradox do as a tribute to the music of Nirvana and being a Nirvana tribute band.

Were by no means a proper official tribute band. Ive nothing against tribute bands, but it would be a sad day for me if it became work to play the music of Nirvana.

I recently went to see a Nirvana tribute playing the full set from Unplugged In New York.

While they did an amazing job recreating everything, including some of the banter between songs, I couldnt imagine Paradox doing that. I like to bring a bit of our own energy and experience into the set.

We have always been an original band. When we formed, we were hugely influenced by Nirvana and everything coming out of Seattle. Over the years, our music has changed and been influenced by many different artists and bands, like Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley. Our underlying influence has always been the music of Nirvana.

Paradox commemorates the 30th anniversary of Kurt Cobain with a gig in The Crane Lane, on Saturday, April 6, at 9.30pm, and in De Barras in Clonakilty, April 13, at 9pm, where they will be joined by Screenreader.
Seven artists have withdrawn their accepted works from a Contemporary Jewish Museum exhibition over disagreements with the organization and its funders on their stance on Israel and Gaza. Amy Osborne/Special to the Chronicle 2018

A curated open-call exhibition scheduled to open in June at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco has run up against schisms within the Jewish community over Palestinian rights and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The California Jewish Open is scheduled to feature works by nearly 50 Jewish-identifying artists from throughout the state, including paintings, sculpture, video and more on the subjects of Jewish identity and the Jewish experience.

But seven of the 54 artists whose work had been accepted by guest curator Elissa Strauss subsequently withdrew from the exhibition over disagreements on the framing of political content in their work, museum representatives said on Thursday, April 4.

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Museum representatives declined to identify any of the artists who had left the show, citing privacy concerns.

Lisa Kokins Red Line will be featured in the California Jewish Open at San Franciscos Contemporary Jewish Museum. Courtesy of Lisa Kokin

Once Elissa had made her selections, we realized that, just as wed expected, there were some works in the exhibition that were overtly political, Senior Curator Heidi Rabben told the Chronicle, and there were some that were more subtly political.

So in a spirit of transparency, I reached out to all the artists in the show to give them the option of pulling out if they were uncomfortable for any reason.

Rabben told participants that the show as planned would include works expressing grief over Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as some voicing opposition to Israels military campaign in Gaza and expressing support for Palestinian rights.

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What ensued, said interim Executive Director Kerry King, was a series of negotiations with a small group of artists who wanted to impose certain conditions on their participation  conditions she was ultimately unable to satisfy. Among them, she said, was a requirement that the museum not work with particular funders because of their positions on Israel. King declined to share the others with the Chronicle.

Contemporary Jewish Museum interim Executive Director Kerry King said a small group of artists wanted the museum not work with particular funders because of their positions on Israel as one of the conditions for their participation in the California Jewish Open. Gary Sexton Photography

Having discussions about the art is one aspect of this, King said. But I represent the institution. I represent the board. I represent who we are at our core. And it became clear at a certain point that we could not, as an institution, make those changes.

Rabben said those who withdrew represented all of the artworks in the show expressing support of Palestinian rights and opposing Israels actions in Gaza.

Instead of the accepted artworks, the exhibition  which is scheduled to run June 6-Oct. 20  will now include blank spaces where those pieces would have gone.

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Dreydl: Zol Zayn Mit Mazel by Forest Reid is one of the works accepted in the California Jewish Open at San Franciscos Contemporary Jewish Museum. Courtesy of Forest Reid

Once we understood the decisions that the artists had made, we looked at what impact that had on the exhibition, Rabben said. We had to ask ourselves, Do we change the entirety of the exhibition, or do we try to find a way to maintain the dialogue that we feel is desperately needed for our audiences?  

Rabben said the empty spaces would include curatorial commentary but omit the names of the artists.

In a public statement, the museum said, The absence of the artworks  and the missing perspectives that these empty spaces reflect  sincerely aims to hold space for critical thinking at this fraught time, and in doing so, space for the community at large.

The episode at CJM is only the latest confrontation over Israel and Gaza to hit the art world. In March, Sara Fenske Bahat resigned as interim CEO of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in the wake of public allegations that the organization had censored pro-Palestinian artists.

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Open letters from eight artists and 15 YBCA employees drew nearly 500 signatories in support of the groups demands, including that YBCA call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, and commit to an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Elissa Strauss served as guest curator for the California Jewish Open at San Franciscos Contemporary Jewish Museum. Seven artists have withdrawn their accepted works over disagreements with the museum and its funders on their stance on Israel and Gaza. Laura Turbow Photography

CJMs open call yielded more than 500 submissions from 219 different artists, said Strauss. The overall theme was connection, with the prompt, How are artists looking to the many aspects of Jewish culture, identity, and community to foster, reimagine, hold, or discover connection?

As the artistic director of Laba Bay Area, a Laboratory for Jewish Culture, part of an international network of centers for Jewish study and art, Strauss was brought in because of her in-depth familiarity with an array of Jewish creators across the state, Rabben said.

As Strauss went through submissions, she said, four key subthemes emerged, which created a structure for the exhibition.

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Holly Wongs Lost Language II. Courtesy of Holly Wong

One is human connection, which is probably the most intuitive one when we think of connection. Another is connection with the Earth, she explained. Another is connection with time, because time is completely collapsed in Judaism. We dont have history, we have memory  with past and future always swirled together.

And the last section has to do with a connection to the divine.

Of the submissions, Strauss said, only a relatively small number  no more than 15%  touched explicitly or implicitly on the conflict in the Middle East.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

African great apes are some of the most iconic creatures on Earth. Humans closest living relative, these majestic primates are becoming increasingly impacted by climate change.

In the next three decades, African apes will experience more extreme events such as heat waves, wildfires and flooding, according to a new study led by Razak Kiribou, a Ph.D. student at Haramaya Universitys African Center of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation in Ethiopia.

Primates play an important role within their ecosystems; they contribute to forest community structure by aiding seed dispersal and plant pollination, ecosystem services that could be threatened by climate change impacts, the research team wrote in the study. Most African apes have experienced population decline (except mountain gorillas) and all are either listed as Endangered or Critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Climate projections show that across Africa, 61% of primate habitat is likely to be exposed to increases in maximum temperatures of more than 3C by 2050 and to changes in precipitation patterns.

In order to better understand the effects of climate change on African great apes, the researchers looked at past and future climate at 363 sites in Africa, estimating the rainfall and temperature at each from 1981 to 2010, a press release from the Public Library of Science said.

Through literature and some institution reports, we noticed that there is evidence that climate change impacts biodiversity. However large gaps remain in the vulnerable wildlife, particularly in the African Great Ape, Kiribou told EcoWatch in an email. The method is based on the climate data and the identification of those extreme events that have already affected Apes that we found in the literature it has identified six types of extreme events for which there is evidence that they can negatively impact African apes.

The researchers used two climate change scenarios to project the frequency with which great apes would experience climate change impacts from 2021 to 2050, as well as from 2071 to 2099. They estimated the probability of extreme events like droughts, wildfires and crop failure that could affect apes directly or indirectly.

Extreme events can affect apes, for example, by reducing food resources and sources of drinking water, or by the destruction of ape habitat, the authors wrote in the study.

Nearly half the sites examined in the study from 2007 to 2016 had been exposed to temperatures that were higher than average, with eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) experiencing the most extreme temperatures.

This part of Africa has registered the strongest temperature anomalies (up to 0.56C) with consecutive dry days and maximum daily temperatures in the past period, Kiribou told EcoWatch.

Temperatures were predicted to increase at all locations under both climate scenarios, and nearly all sites would see crop failures and frequent wildfires in the near future.

[C]rop failure in areas surrounding an ape site can lead to increased destruction of ape habitat by humans looking for food in the forest climate events are the main drivers of internal displacement, with an annual average of 23 million people displaced between 2009 and 2019, Kiribou explained. [C]rop failure considers different types of crops: corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat.

If global heating were to be limited to two degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, 78 percent of sites were expected to be exposed to infrequent flooding and 84 percent to frequent heat waves in the next three decades.

In a scenario where global heating rose to three degrees Celsius, the affected number of sites increased.

The study, Exposure of African ape sites to climate change impacts, published in PLOS Climate, was the first to demonstrate that great apes have already begun to be affected by climate change, and that more frequent extreme events will likely happen in the near future.

The ways extreme events affect Apes are their behavior during the event. For example, we noticed that in some of the sites, Apes are drinking more water during hot periods, and others are moving out of their habitat looking for water. This is the case in Senegal with chimpanzees coming to drink water where breeders made a borehole to pump water for their animals, Kiribou told EcoWatch.

Kiribou pointed out that education and understanding are key aspects of effective conservation strategies.

[A]t the individual level, there is a need to raise peoples awareness. Introduce biodiversity conservation aspects in schools and associate or involve the local population in the Apes site conservation, Kiribou said.

The researchers emphasized that conservation action plans should strive to bolster the resilience of African great apes to climate change.

Regarding the type of conservation improvement, we provided climate impact information for each of more than 300 sites to help decision-makers take action. But for better planning, it is good to investigate how sensitive Apes are to extreme events. We just study the exposure, but the sensitivity to the events has to be explored for better conservation, Kiribou told EcoWatch. Despite some species being declared endangered by the IUCN, many conservationists did not include climate change impact in their conservation approaches. There is a hope of improving the Apes habitat by including climate change impacts effects in the conservation. This can facilitate Apes adaptation to the effects of climate change.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Leha Byrd

ECSU Communications and Marketing

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (April 5, 2024)  The departments of Military Science (Army Senior ROTC) and Math, Computer Science, and Engineering Technology at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) have tag teamed to host the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Army Expo, an official event of the 2024 North Carolina Science Festival presented by RTI International.

The half day event is Friday, April 26, at 9 a.m. at various sites throughout the campus, including the open field outside the Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Center and the Virtual Reality (VR) and Esports Lab inside Lane Hall.

One of the events goals is to open the minds of any age student curious about or unfamiliar with STEM and military careers, organizers said.

During planning, we were very careful to include a myriad of experiences that will have an impact on everyone who attends, said ECSU Mathematics professor, Shatoya Covert.

Representatives from the Army National Guard, STEM Outreach of College of Albemarle (COA), the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office, Port Discover of Elizabeth City, as well as ECSU engineering and emergency management faculty will be on hand. The event is designed to offer the campus and greater community the opportunity to explore varied career fields that are becoming increasingly popular and in demand.

Scheduled throughout the day are solar energy and hydrocar activities, demonstrations at the ECSU Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) field, and an interactive STEM activity sponsored by the 4-H of Camden County. Port Discover will also present their magnetic program which caters to middle and high school students.

ECSU Department of Military Science Department chair Lt. Col. Julie Kendrick said, This event will be a great opportunity for students to interact with soldiers and cadets to learn about different career opportunities available in the US Army.

Who: ECSU Departments of Military Science (Army Senior ROTC) and Math, Computer Science, and Engineering Technology

What: ECSU STEM and Army Expo

When: Friday, April 26, 9 a.m.

Where: ECSU Campus

For more information contact 252-335-2686 or snestime@ecsu.edu.

About Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City State University provides students with a high-quality, affordable education. A constituent member of the University of North Carolina System, ECSU develops courageous, resilient, and empowered leaders through excellent student-centered, experiential learning. ECSU offers baccalaureate, professional, and masters degrees across a wide variety of disciplines. Come to Discover. Leave to Conquer. Visit www.ecsu.edu.
WCC File photo: Neighborhood in rubbles near as-Shifa hospital in Gaza, April 2024.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Jerry Pillay has condemned the killing of aid workers in Gaza, and extended condolences to the families and friends of those who died in an Israeli airstrike.

The families of the aid workers are in shock and mourning upon hearing the news that an Israeli airstrike killed seven people working for World Central Kitchen.

Three of the workers killed were former British servicemen.

The strike prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians on the brink of starvation.

The deaths of the aid workers have threatened to set back efforts to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate conditions in Gaza.

Famine is "projected and imminent" in the northern half of Gaza, a UN-backed report said last month, and according to Oxfam, since December, the number of people in the Palestinian territory facing "catastrophic levels" of hunger has nearly doubled.

Nearly 200 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza, including close to 180 UN staff in six months as over 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed, and over 1,200 are dead in Israel, the UN Human Rights office said on April 5.

Humanitarian workers must never be targets in conflict, said Pillay.

"It is tragic that people who give their time in serving others have to lose their own lives," said the WCC head.

"Such attacks which take the lives of innocent people are absolutely unacceptable and cannot be justified at any level.

"We invite all WCC member churches to join in raising their voices in prayer for justice, peace, and reconciliation in Gaza."

Pillay noted, "The UN Security Council approved on 25 March a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages.

"This resolution must be implemented, and these senseless killings of innocent people must stop.".

Jeremy Laurence, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in Geneva that more than 1,200 are dead in Israel and hundreds injured in the conflict that has unfurled since Hamas attacked Israel and took more than 200 hostages into Gaza.

He said that more than 100 hostages remain in captivity, while vast swathes of Gaza have been bombed into oblivion, with churches targeted as well, where Israel has said Hamas operatives use for cover.

"The Gaza Strip has changed forever," said the UN official.
Roasted duck hang at Hing Lung meat shop in San Franciscos Chinatown in 2017. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

One of San Franciscos most revered shops for Cantonese-style duck and pork will be moving out of its longtime Chinatown neighborhood.

Hing Lung will sell its last roasted birds at 1261 Stockton St. on Sunday, April 7, owners told the Chronicle. Hing Lungs owners say rent is increasing on the 43-year-old business space, and that the building is in poor condition.

We believe this move is necessary for the well-being of our team and customers, the owners message partially read.

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Current plans are to reopen Hing Lung at 927 Post St., a handsome brick building in the Tenderloin that was the former site of upscale Meraki Market, by the end of June.

Hing Lungs other project, a Bernal Heights restaurant named Go Duck Yourself, is still in the works and will welcome diners by the end of April. While the closing announcement is sudden, the workers at Hing Lung will have jobs at the new restaurant located at 439 Cortland Ave.

A man peers into Hing Lung meat shop in San Franciscos Chinatown in 2017. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Brothers Eric and Simon Cheung, born in Hong Kong but raised in the Sunset District, took over Hing Lung from their father, Wing, in the 1990s. Eric and Simon are heartbroken about having to leave Chinatown behind, said Patricia Tien, Erics wife and a spokesperson for the restaurant. The space holds cherished memories and honors the legacy left by our late father.

Hing Lung is a fixture in the Chronicles list of top Chinatown restaurants. The shops crisp-skinned and succulent Peking duck and roast pork represent old-school Cantonese barbecue at the top of its game, the Chronicles former restaurant critic Soleil Ho wrote.
Why one journalist gave up on Google and started using Kagi.

Google has gone from being the go-to search engine to something people are paying to avoid entirely. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with 404 Media co-founder Jason Koebler about his experience moving away from Google and towards Kagi, a $10 a month search engine without ads or data tracking. Funny enough, Kagi is still relying on Googles index, so its a lot like using that site before the onslaught of ads, sponsored posts and AI results. Also, we discuss the companys lies around Chromes incognito mode, as well as the news that it would be deleting user data collected in that mode. (Be sure to check out the 404 Media podcast too!)

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

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Why Jason Koebler moved from Google to Kagi's paid search engine  0:45

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FCC set to vote to restore Net Neutrality  43:00

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Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar

Guest: Jason Koebler

Producer: Ben Ellman

Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

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Cody Rhodes has offered his perspectives on the legal accusations surrounding Vince McMahon within the realm of professional wrestling.

During an episode of MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, praise was extended to Rhodes for his candid handling of inquiries regarding McMahon's legal challenges during a Royal Rumble media gathering. Rhodes emphasized the importance of transparency when addressing such delicate matters.

"Being truthful is essential in those situations," said Rhodes, 38. "Every person was trying to be as honest as possible that evening, though it is critical to acknowledge the reality of the matter head-on. I'm appreciative that I was able to respond as I did."

Helwani proceeded to inquire about Rhodes' current stance on the allegations in light of recent developments. "It's crucial not to denigrate the claimant in any accusation," Rhodes asserted. "Unfortunately, that can happen too quickly. I'm no legal expert; it's important for these matters to be resolved through the legal system. I keep my primary focus on enhancing our shows, but I'm also observing how this case unfolds, like everyone else, with hopes for a just resolution for all parties involved."

Rhodes additionally noted WWE's apparent leadership under Nick Khan and Triple H, despite speculation from Ronda Rousey hinting at McMahon's continued influence via Bruce Prichard's ongoing involvement in the company.

Former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against WWE founder Vince McMahon, 78, accusing him of trafficking and sexually abusing her with sex toys named after WWE stars.

Grant, who had previously received a settlement from McMahon, lodged the lawsuit in Connecticut federal court, alleging that McMahon coerced her into a physical relationship in 2019 and subjected her to acts of "extreme cruelty and degradation" during her time at WWE. The details of the complaint were published by 'Variety.'
The woman who died after being crushed by a fallen tree along Route 128 in Armonk, New York, has been identified as the wife of a New York Yankees executive.

On Wednesday afternoon, the victim, a 50-year-old female, was driving northbound along the highway when a tree struck her vehicle as heavy rainstorm battered New York.

The victim was later identified as Catherine Tusiani, wife of Yankees senior vice president for partnerships, Michael J. Tusiani.

In a statement, the MLB team said the loss has left a "devastating impact" on the Yankees family.

"Cathy was beloved by our front office staffers, who were privileged to experience and bear witness to her kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and great love for her husband, Michael," the organization's statement said.

Statement from The New York Yankees regarding the passing of Cathy Tusiani: pic.twitter.com/RPQ5Mr7S56  New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 4, 2024

Catherine and Michael share two daughters, according to the team. The younger Julia is currently a senior in high school, while sister Alexa is attending Boston University, the New York Post reported.

"As we share in the pain and grief with Michael, daughters Alexa and Julia, and the entire Tusiani family, the Yankees stand with them to offer our complete support and unconditional love as we navigate this unimaginable loss," the statement added.

The accident was first reported at 5:40 p.m. EST by the Westchester Fire Wire on its Facebook page, saying fire and EMS responded to a "tree down on a car."

@facebook|https://www.facebook.com/914FireWire/posts/pfbid02C5hyzwFxPpSb7rkjZNDk1AE8MxaX1mvaKtZMZkyoxjKwbsVVnaCJ9HV9VDHPU6fWl@

An update after 20 minutes said rescue teams had canceled the medics and the scene was turned over to the North Castle Police.

"The circumstances surrounding Catherine's tragic accident serve as an unfortunate reminder of the unpredictable nature of life, particularly in the face of adverse weather conditions," Westchester County Executive George Latimer told The Post.

New York has been hit by a violent thunderstorm this week with nearly 50,000 tri-state area residents without power. Authorities said the strong winds have damaged systems and hampered efforts to restore electricity.
Sean "Diddy" Combs' planned trip with his twin teenage daughters was interrupted by raids at his homes, but the girls apparently still got to enjoy their spring break.

Combs' 17-year-old twins, Jessie and D'Lila, headed to Turks and Caicos for a vacation with LeBron James' 16-year-old son, Bryce James, TMZ reported.

According to the outlet, Bryce and his friend, Boogie Johnson, were seen enjoying the ocean in Turks and Caicos in a video circulating on social media.

In another video posted on social media and shared by TMZ, Bryce, Jessie and D'Lila can be seen dancing in the water in their bathing suits.

The twins sported matching pink and white two-piece bikinis as they busted out a dance move alongside a female friend.

Jessie and D'Lila appear to have a close relationship with Bryce. He and Boogie were the twins' dates to homecoming last year, the outlet noted.

Bryce also has several posts on his Instagram featuring the twins, including a few videos of them dancing with other pals.

Jessie and D'Lila were reportedly gearing to leave Miami for a spring break trip with their dad when Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by agents with Homeland Security Investigations on March 25, an unnamed source close to the music mogul told CNN.

The source did not say where the trio planned to vacation, but Page Six cited an unnamed insider that said they were headed to the Bahamas at the time.

Diddy shared D'Lila and Jessie as well as son Christian, 25, with the late Kim Porter, who passed away in 2018.

He also adopted Quincy, Porter's son with singer-songwriter Al B. Sure!.

Combs is also a dad to son Justin, 30, with Misa Hylton; daughter Chance, 17, with Sarah Chapman; and daughter Love, 1, with Dana Tran.

The searches on Combs' homes were part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation.

Combs' lawyer has maintained his client's innocence, slamming the raids as a "witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits" in a statement last week.

In the past few months, Combs has been slapped with several lawsuits accusing him of rape, sexual assault, harassment, abuse and sex trafficking.

He has denied all allegations against him.
The family of the late-actor Adrian Schiller has initiated a fundraising campaign to assist his young son in the aftermath of the unexpected death of the 'The Last Kingdom' actor at the age of 60 in his own residence.

The passing of the esteemed actor, renowned for his memorable performances in 'Death in Paradise' and his significant contributions to three seasons of the acclaimed ITV drama 'Victoria,' was disclosed on Thursday by his longstanding representatives at Scott Marshall Partners, who had guided his career for over three decades.

Subsequently, updates were shared from Schiller's social media platform by his sister Ginny, featuring a link to a GoFundMe aimed at gathering contributions for his partner Milena and their young son Gabriel.

At the time of this writing, the fundraiser has exceeded 7,000 in donations within a mere 11-hour span, with numerous contributors expressing their admiration for the actor's impactful performances on stage and screen through heartfelt tributes.

In an update shared on Schiller's profile on X, previously known as Twitter, Ginny conveyed that additional information regarding the actor's funeral arrangements and memorial service will be provided in due time.

"Dear all. This is Ginny. I'm so sorry to let you all know that our beloved brother Adrian died suddenly at home yesterday," she wrote. "He had so many very dear friends - sorry to those of you who are learning about this here. We will say more about funeral and/or memorial plans in due course"
Travelers arrive at the International Terminal of San Francisco International Airport  which is not in San Francisco. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle 2022

Regarding Plan to change Oakland International Airports name slammed by SFO, S.F. officials and airline (Bay Area, SFChronicle.com, April 1): I find the dither over renaming the Oakland Airport sadly provincial.

The San Francisco 49ers play in Santa Clara.

You can still see the old San Francisco County Jail #3 in San Bruno.

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Best of all, San Francisco Airport Director Ivar Satero states that renaming Oakland Airport will cause confusion for the public, either through a misunderstanding of its physical location or its perceived relationship to SFO.

Here is a reminder that San Francisco International Airport is in San Mateo County.

Michael Barnes, Brisbane

Gaza killings unintentional

Regarding Needless deaths (Letters to the Editor, April 4): Say their names, letter writer Stanley Shields says of the World Central Kitchen workers killed in Gaza. In 2021, a U.S. drone strike killed an aid worker and seven children in Kabul. Does anyone know their names?

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The World Central Kitchen workers were mistakenly targeted and killed, and Israel has expressed its sorrow over this tragic event. No one wanted this to happen.

But Hamas intended for 1,200 souls to suffer horribly as they were attacked, raped and killed on Oct. 7. Hamas, far from expressing sorrow, has promised more attacks.

Julia Lutch, Davis

Israel is not Hamas

Regarding Needless deaths (Letters to the Editor, April 4): Stanley Shields equated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is a shameful slander of Israel.

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Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and tortured, kidnapped and killed thousands of mostly civilians. It was intentional and celebrated. Israel declared a defensive war in response to Hamas attack.

Israel admits it killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, said it was an unintentional mistake and apologized.

To equate Hamas and Israel is inconceivable, and shows either a naive misunderstanding or a basic hatred of Israel.

Norman G. Licht, Palo Alto

Stop U.S. support

I am writing to support a ban on providing money and weapons to Israel until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for elections and there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

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The mistaken killing of the World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza is the last straw for me. It is hypocritical for the U.S. government to criticize these killings and the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, yet continue to send money and weapons to Israel.

Enough. Not another shekel. Not another bomb. I am pro-Jew and pro-Palestinian.

Mary Elke, Napa

Rescind utility fee

Regarding California proposes a $24 flat fee on utility bills in exchange for lower electricity prices (Climate, SFChronicle.com, March 28): Once again, the California Public Utility Commission is doing the bidding of investor-owned utilities by proposing yet another increase in electric power rates. Now a monthly flat fee of $24 per customer, more than double the national average. The fee is uncapped and could rise to $80 per month at any time.

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The commission has been in the pocket of utilities for so long now that the state legislators had to introduce AB2054 to block retired commissioners from working for the utilities for 10 years.

What can you do to stop this latest utility fee? Tell your legislators to vote for AB1999, which would cap it at $10 per month.

Sandy White, Fremont

Describe Trump case

The Chronicle and other news media keep referring to the New York trial of Donald Trump as the hush money case. How terribly exciting!

About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies

Do everyone a favor and start calling it what it really is: Falsifying business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election, according to the Manhattan district attorneys indictment.

Not so romantic or exciting is it?
From: Carol M. Swain -- Political Scientist and Commentator For Immediate Release: Dateline: Nashville , TN Thursday, April 4, 2024

On April 1, Roanoke Colleges Center for Economic Freedom hosted Carol Swain 83 for a well-attended talk, What My Life Has Taught Me About DEI in America. Co-sponsored by David L. Guy `75 and the Young Americas Foundation, the event reflected on Swains path from an impoverished childhood in rural Virginia to the highest levels of academia as well as her analysis of what she concluded were flawed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Read More Here ABOUT CAROL M. SWAIN Carol Swain (Ph.D.) is an award-winning political scientist and former tenured professor at Princeton and Vanderbilt Universities. She is the author or editor of 10 books, including Be The People: A Call to Reclaim Americas Faith and Promise and The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration.


Friday, April 5, 2024

Hey there, fellow entrepreneurs! Im Terry Brock, your host on Stark Raving Entrepreneurs, and today, were venturing into some very serious territorythe world of Deepfakes. This isnt the stuff of science fiction anymore; its real, and

its happening now. Artificial intelligence is no longer just about optimizing our work ethic or crunching data. Its evolving to a point where it can mimic us in ways we never thought possible.

This is slightly different than what we often focus on for Stark Raving Entrepreneurs. Usually we deal with marketing and content creation areas. Those are vitally important and we will continue to address them.

At the same time, were hearing from many of our clients deep concern over AI and deepfakes. So, I reached out to a friend who happens to be one of the top audio and video forensic experts in the world for his advice.

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Primeau, a top expert in audio and video forensics from Primeau Forensics. We talk about the chilling capabilities of AI to replicate human voices and likenesses so convincingly that it can fool our own family members, let alone a computer algorithm. Imagine getting a phone call from a loved one who is actually safe at home, only to believe theyve been kidnapped, just because an AI was clever enough to deceive you. Thats the kind of threat were facing.

Mike dives deep with me into the forensic side of things, showing us just where technology is at today with detection and verification, and revealing the realities law enforcement and the legal system are grappling with now. Its not all doom and gloomtheres promise on the horizonbut weve got to be smart, savvy, and skeptical in ways weve never had to before.

So, entrepreneurs, tune in as we tackle the tough questions, the potential dangers, and yes, the necessary safeguards that come with AIs dark side. Our businesses, our safety, and even international security might just depend on it. Lets get started.

First, heres a gift for you to better understand AI and build sales  Recommended AI tools for business growth.

http://AItools4biz.com

Heres Your Video Link:

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ABOUT

Were Stark Raving Entrepreneurs. We help you with the lifestyle of Live and Let Live. Do whatever you want, but dont hurt others and dont take their stuff. We embrace what is called the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP).

For your convenience here are some time stamps of note-worthy content for this episode:

TERRY

Hall of Fame keynote speaker Terry Brock is a globally connected leading authority who works with organizations that want to leverage technology and social media for more customer engagement, productivity, and increased profitability.

Terry is the former Chief Enterprise Blogger for Skype, former Editor-in-Chief for AT&Ts Networking Exchange blog, and former Chief Retail Advisor for ACE Hardware.

A master at his craft, Terry earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association and was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Virtual Speakers Hall of Fame and he was recognized as a Legend by the Veteran Speakers Association.

Terry is also a Cavett Award recipient, recognized as the National Speakers Associations most cherished award (only one per year).

GINA

As the CEO of Stark Raving Entrepreneurs, Gina Carr works with business leaders to leverage AI-powered marketing for more impact, influence, and income. Gina has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Known as The Tribe Builder, Gina helps passionate people build powerful tribes of raving fans.

A serial entrepreneur, Gina has created several businesses, including an award-winning real estate company, a chain of community magazines, and Video Rock Starz. She is the CEO of TEDxDupreePark. A native Atlantan, Gina now lives in Orlando with her sweetie Terry Brock. Gina is a passionate advocate for animals, freedom, and plant-based living!

Here are the ways to work with us here at Stark Raving Entrepreneurs:

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? ARE YOU A CONTENT CREATOR? Get this popular guide : ?? https://terrybrock.com/5k

? Join our Stark Raving Entrepreneurs Community TODAY at: http://starkravingentrepreneurs.com

===========================

MISSION

Were a channel devoted to those with an entrepreneurial spirit who believe in freedom and liberty. If you like the idea of living a voluntary life, not initiating force or coercion, and living life peacefully, abundantly, and making a lot of money, this is the place for you!

We look forward to hearing from you and getting your opinions and thoughts. Drop us a note at Terry@TerryBrock.com or Gina@GinaCarr.com.

Thank you for joining us today.

Terry Brock & Gina Carr

===========================

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Schedule a free 20 minute, no-obligation, Zoom call with Terry to look at your marketing and technology.

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are some timestamps for this episode that you might find helpful:00:00 Computer systems need human oversight for accountability.03:28 Progress in manipulation detection; challenges with AI.07:38 Legal community AI research, development, and disputes.10:41 Law enforcement relies on phone data for investigations.13:41 Cooperation between technology companies and law enforcement.17:09 An intriguing conversation about the Cuban missile crisis.21:49 Admissibility of courtroom evidence based on forensic science.22:46 Authenticating digital images involves understanding technology.

For your convenience, here is the Spanish Language Summary

En este episodio del podcast Stark Raving Entrepreneurs titulado AIDeepFakes-What You Need To Know.m4a, los anfitriones Terry Brock y Mike Primeau discuten el impacto de la inteligencia artificial (IA) en el mundo del audio y video, asi como los beneficios y peligros de las deepfakes.

Terry Brock introduce el tema destacando como la IA puede clonar voces y mejorar videos rapidamente, pero tambien menciona los riesgos potenciales como la manipulacion de la verdad. Mike Primeau, un experto en forense de audio y video, se une al episodio y explica como la tecnologia se puede usar tanto para bien en la comunidad legal como para fines maliciosos, incluyendo manipulaciones que pueden ser enganosas en juicios.

Primeau tambien proporciona detalles sobre como la IA ayuda en la busqueda de sospechosos o vehiculos, la proteccion de identidades, y destaca los desafios en autenticar audios y videos debido a la mejora constante de la IA. El episodio continua con una discusion sobre el uso responsable de la IA, y Primeau sostiene que es crucial comprender como funcionan las herramientas de IA para que la evidencia basada en ellas sea admisible en un tribunal de justicia. El episodio tambien explora escenarios hipoteticos de seguridad nacional y experiencias personales de Terry Brock para ilustrar la importancia de la verificacion y la comunicacion en casos de emergencia.

Finalmente, Terry y Mike hablan sobre como las herramientas de IA como Claude 3 pueden ayudar a identificar imagenes generadas por IA, aunque Primeau enfatiza que el procedimiento forense exige un rigor que asegure la veracidad y precision del analisis. Mike comparte formas de contacto para quienes esten interesados en la forense digital y recomienda el sitio web SWGDE como recurso para conocer

Also for your convenience, heres is an unedited transcript:

Terry Brock [00:00:00]:

The field of AI is changing our world profoundly. Were finding many, many ways that its helping us in marketing and business, makes it easier, and does a lot good there, It also has a lot of ramifications in audio and video. Theres a lot of positive that can come from taking your voice and being able to clone that and be able to say more that you want. We, as creators, often will wanna do that. Video, to create videos even better and faster. Hey. Theres some good with that. Theres also a flip side.

Terry Brock [00:00:28]:

The flip side is theres some dangers, and weve got some problems. So what were doing today is were gonna give you a chance to find out from an expert on whats going on. Joining me right now from his offices in the Detroit area is Mike Primo, who is a forensics expert working with audio and video with Primo Forensics. Mike, good to have you with us today.

Mike Primeau [00:00:48]:

Its an honor to be here, Terry. Thank you for having me.

Terry Brock [00:00:50]:

Well, you see a lot thats going on. I know youve been working with this your company for many years, listening to an audio and go, is that real or is it not? And, or that video, what happened there really? And sometimes you work with, law enforcement and youre working in trials to make sure, okay, is this real or not? Tell us a little bit about where we are just from the big picture point of view with audio and video detection and use, and when we can go in from a forensics point of view and decide, is this real or not? Where are we today with the technology?

Mike Primeau [00:01:22]:

Yeah. Yeah. Thats a good question. So 30,000 foot view is that artificial intelligence models can be used for, useful components and investigative means within the legal community, as well as being used as a weapon, you know, to to demonstrate things that arent necessarily the way that they originally occurred. And the the major concern from a scientific community perspective, which in the last couple of years Ive become, more and more involved with, with a group called SWGDE, which is the Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence. They generate standards and best practices for law enforcement, in the in the space of digital forensics. So audio, video, image, as well as digital forensics, so cell phones and computers and that kind of stuff, is that we we need to understand the methodology. We need to understand the intricacies of how the tools work in order for be it to be admissible in a court of law because the legal world is still and and has been, human centric.

Mike Primeau [00:02:25]:

So when you have computer systems that are making determinations for humans, a human needs to be able to testify about those components of whats actually happening underneath the layers. And, again, that can be used for it can be useful and in good intentions and in good ways to be able to do things like video content analytics. So SWIG actually has a standards document. I can actually send you that that references some of the ways that law enforcement can actually use artificial intelligence for the good, like scanning video recordings to find a specific suspect or a vehicle or, performing, like, video redactions. So to automatically find areas within a video recording to mask as well as, audio wise to protect the identity of victims and protect the integrity of the investigation, things like that. And then we flip to the to the the bad side, which is, manipulation. You know? And thats a strong word that we use within the scientific community that has a definition that essentially means open to erroneous interpretation. So making changes that can be miss misleading to a a trial of fact, a judge, and a jury.

Mike Primeau [00:03:28]:

So with respect to manipulation, we have made significant strides at being able to detect those things with audio, with well, with with audio, but in the in the recent years, its become more difficult increasingly difficult because how how well AI is doing to generate voices and things like that. But with video and imagery, much more significant strides because theres more of it. Thats really what it comes down to. Theres more surveillance and more video recordings on sites like YouTube and things like that. But weve also seen a surge, and I I wont go too far down this road because its a sensitive topic, with how these affect, crimes with children, specifically with images and video has become an increasing concern within the scientific community. But the tools are doing very well-being able to detect those things. With respect to the audio portion, there is a distinct unknown variable that still exists to be able to identify whether or not thats someones voice. So with voice comparison, its actually a process that weve backed away from a little bit for for the time being until more research and development has been done into these tools from the private sector.

Mike Primeau [00:04:36]:

So law enforcement still has access to a lot of the tools that were used for voice comparison, but, unfortunately, we dont have access to those tools yet. Again, to make identifications, which in our world, an identification is to the exclusion of all others. Right? So if youre gonna get

Terry Brock [00:04:49]:

to Right.

Mike Primeau [00:04:50]:

100% certainty on something, it has to be based on a test that you provided that eliminates all other possibilities. So with voice comparison yeah.

Terry Brock [00:04:59]:

Go I was just gonna say, it would seem like we can have AI come up with the right criteria to say, yes. We can say this is Bobs voice. Weve checked Bobs voice with other legitimate recordings. Were hearing this new recording. Yes, I can say that is Bob, or at least we have a 99.999% chance. Is that correct?

Mike Primeau [00:05:19]:

AI definitely could be useful in that regard. Yeah. To be able to complete those models because from a a statistical probability perspective, if we get to say that its, you know, 95% more likely than that or, you know, the strength of that opinion is based on a known dataset because that dataset is so large, theoretically, yes, AI would be very beneficial to be able to, you know, examine those things and go, yeah. Ive compared these components that youve fed me as the criteria to arrive at an opinion, and this is, you know, where we got. Now theres a a new pretty useful tool that weve been, testing out. Its fairly new from one of our, our vendors called AMP, which is a license plate identification tool. So it uses

Terry Brock [00:05:59]:

a AMP?

Mike Primeau [00:06:01]:

Im sorry?

Terry Brock [00:06:02]:

Is that AMP, AMP?

Mike Primeau [00:06:04]:

AMPED. So in Italy, they refer to it as AMPed, but in the United States, we call it AMPed. Okay. But its a its the leading image and video analysis tool for forensic use that, theyve recently come up with something called DeepPlate, which uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to, examine pictures that we give it to to arrive at a statistical probability of what they think, what it thinks the characters are, those numbers and letters, which is a a handy little tool that law enforcements been using more. So, it it it is something that we have our hands around as a scientific community, but were were a little slower to the uptake with how advanced AI has become in the last couple years with respect to audio.

Terry Brock [00:06:45]:

Yeah. In one hand, that concerns me because I think, hey, this is something thats moving fast. You know far better than me how fast it is moving. We see it from the marketing and the commerce side, how fast it is moving literally every day. Theres something new that happens in the AI space, and Ive always been concerned. Ive always often thought in courses that I teach, Ive said something. I wanna get your, professional opinion on this. I said one of the best things we can do is not stop AI, because say we cant we can say lets pass a law and not do anything.

Terry Brock [00:07:14]:

Were gonna have a really hard time persuading the Russians and the Chinese and the Venezuelans and the North Koreans and the Iranians to stop all their AI activity. And I dont think were gonna be doing the right thing if we just hold it. But I think what we need to do is to put the right guardrails in and then let AI check AI to make sure that it is being correct. What are your thoughts on that?

Mike Primeau [00:07:38]:

Yeah. No. Its absolutely accurate with respect to the legal community, which is where I live, you know, most of the time. I know that youve done a lot more of that research and testing on the on the marketing and the technical side. And theres a lot theres just so much that were were talking about just the analysis of material, but theres a lot of document, you know, the the the copy generation that AI is using. But I also read an interesting study to that point, yesterday about how 2 major companies, I dont remember which ones are fighting over litigation, about how their artificial intelligence model used the other companys content to develop itself. So theyre saying, hey. You know, you owe us for using all of our blogs and all of our content on our websites to generate your AI model thats now doing x, y, and z.

Mike Primeau [00:08:23]:

So its its interesting to see how its its getting into that litigation component where theyre actually trying to set up those guardrails to say even how the AI learns needs to be, policed in some way, shape, or form. But, yeah, absolutely. There there has to be something that says, you know, whatever the the tool is doing, the the this is the means. The and and the expert testimony courses that we take, its called staying in your lane. So we know as an expert, you know, we dont try to like, me as a video analyst, Im not gonna testify about an accident as an accident reconstructionist. You know, Im not trained to do that. Thats not my qualifications. But if theres a dash cam involved, thats where my expertise, you know, applies to that legal scenario.

Mike Primeau [00:09:04]:

So, yeah, similar concept. There needs to be boundaries. Absolutely.

Terry Brock [00:09:08]:

So thats something that were all concerned about. We say, okay, it could be fake or not. Matter of fact, were familiar with this. Im sure youre familiar with the story of, mother and father who got a call from the voice that sounded like their daughter saying, Ive been kidnapped. They need x number of large money. Please send it right now. What are we going to do? And, they were very concerned because it sounded like her. This is her mother and father listening and said yes, this is our daughter and she needs it Shes been kidnapped and then something happened.

Terry Brock [00:09:37]:

I forget what it was, but they found out she was actually in her bedroom or something, but there was bad guys doing this, so they didnt send the money and they got out okay. But that kind of scenario seems like it has happened. Im sure theres many other cases where it has. What can we do to understand how to react to this and outside of being scared to death? What what would you recommend as next week?

Mike Primeau [00:09:58]:

Pretty scary. Yeah. No. As as an investigator, I would say that thats a perfect example of how to actually authenticate that scenario. Right? So with respect to analysis of the media for authenticity purposes, we have authentication best practices that we examine source structural information that says, hey. Does that file look like it came from the way that we, you know, allegedly it had come from? So with respect to videos, you know, something surfaces on YouTube, we obviously know that its source came from some sort of camera. So we have to, you know, be able to see if that source information is contained within that file or traces that that camera technology left behind when it was creating that stream. For calls, that can be increasingly difficult because call routing can be done.

Mike Primeau [00:10:41]:

We dont know exactly where that call is coming from, in which case law enforcement may be limited in their efforts to be able to, you know, respond to that in an appropriate manner. So its a great question, but a very thorough investigation of, well, lets examine her phone. Lets figure out is, you know, is her last known location according to the cloud showing something thats reliable and, you those kinds of things. So because of the abundance of information that are contained in phones, those can be very useful if we have access to the phone or access to the cloud. What were seeing a lot more of now with we have a partner company in Troy that we work with here locally, that collects and does our cell phone and and computer forensic analysis that we work closely with. A lot of cases that were examining where were collecting the devices, theyre actually saying, hey. This isnt good enough. We need to go to the cloud.

Mike Primeau [00:11:26]:

And its its a its a godsend in a lot of cases that we have that that cloud information that we can extract for that user because theres more hiding there than there is in the actual device in a lot of situations. Yeah. So that becomes increasingly useful to go to those sources. So although, you know, in litigation where were talking about, lets say, a criminal case and we need to analyze an audio recording or a civil case thats got 100 of 1,000,000 of dollars at stake because of robocalling or something to that effect, authentication best practices really kick in to see if we can determine, does this look like something that came from that type of device, or does it look like something that uses some sort of software to create that file?

Terry Brock [00:12:05]:

Yep. I think thatll make the difference. Well, let me hit you with something that Ive, con concocted on my own. I often talk about in classes and in courses where Im speaking. Sometimes people are a little bit concerned. Lets suppose, for instance, Mike, you are now president of the United States. Wonderful guy like that you are. We made you president of the United States.

Terry Brock [00:12:21]:

Youre in your Oval Office. Youre working on some matters. Deep thought on that. Suddenly, the door bursts open. In walks about 5 to 10 of your closest, most trusted aids. Theyre saying, mister president, turn on your phone right now. Putin is on there saying hes about ready to launch missiles against the United States. It looks like him.

Terry Brock [00:12:41]:

It sounds like him. What do we do, mister president? You know that within 15 minutes, if he really does launch those missiles against, lets say, New York, LA oh, and Detroit, just because youre from Detroit, now youre gonna take, you know, in 15 minutes, it could be over. Or if you if its not him, and you launch first to take out Moscow, Saint Petersburg, or whatever else, then youve been the one that initiated it, and theyre gonna see the missiles coming. What do you do in that case, mister president, when you get that report?

Mike Primeau [00:13:12]:

That is a that is a complex yeah. Thats a unique situation.

Terry Brock [00:13:17]:

And unfortunately, today, thats not just hypothetical. I would have said 10 years ago, yeah, but thats probably not gonna happen. Today, oops, when we have Putin saying were not scared of using nuclear weapons, we could do this if you push us too far. And so, I know its scary, but I think we need to kinda go there at least, examine a little bit and think about it. What are your thoughts on that?

Mike Primeau [00:13:41]:

So the first thing that comes to mind is, you know, I I apply it to law enforcement. Im not a law enforcement officer, but Ive I train with and work closely with law enforcement these days, with respect to forensics because they are kind of on the bleeding edge of that because of how much they have to deal with, you know, with a lot of the multimedia thats presented as evidence. And one of the things I I really like is companies like Ring have a portal specifically for law enforcement. So So if they have an issue where, lets say, theyre canvassing a neighborhood for a homicide that occurred and they notice theres 10 rings throughout that that street, they can then go to the Ring portal through order of a a search warrant thats signed by a judge to collect all of that data from their server. So its like a cooperation that Ring has with, law enforcement specifically. I I feel like there would have to be some sort of cooperation that the presidential office has with the resources that theyre collecting that from. Lets say they found it on YouTube. It would be ideal in a perfect world that, you know, I would have the ability to contact Google and say, hey, we have a relationship.

Mike Primeau [00:14:44]:

I need to see that file and send it to my advisors so they hear if it looks like something that Putin actually said or not.

Terry Brock [00:14:51]:

And we need to do And this could be real time. It could be were seeing it live. Its a YouTube live going out.

Mike Primeau [00:14:56]:

Yeah. And if its a live stream, yeah, definitely. Then YouTube, you know, if theres something that they can, offer with respect to where those servers are communicating that information and, you know, cybersecurity professionals were involved to help, you know, kinda understand and verify those things. I I think it really comes down to the cooperation that Mhmm. We have with these resources. So take our AI for example. You know, having these communications with companies that own these tools and saying, hey, you know, we have a serious concern here for whats going on. We need kind of a backdoor from a from a government or a law enforcement perspective to make sure that, you know, we can act accordingly in the timelines that we need to act to investigate.

Terry Brock [00:15:35]:

Yep. And it would seem like that. And cooperation, I would say, also would need to be between the various governments to say, hey. Wait a minute. I know that for instance, they have I I think its a red phone. Ive not been there. I dont know. But a way that the president of the United States could pick up the phone, get directly through to the leader of Russia or China or wherever and say, hey.

Terry Brock [00:15:54]:

Whats going on? Is this real or not? Let us know and use the code that we know after that. Like, they would have some kind of protocols that they would go through on both sides because really, I dont think any sane person on the planet wants to destroy all life on the planet.

Mike Primeau [00:16:09]:

Definitely. Yeah. And thats a really good point to verify, like, you know, hey, we got this video thats saying its you. Were concerned it might be a, b, c, or d country thats, you know, trying to spark something between us. And, you know, before we both spend our time and resources on this, we just wanna verify it, you know. And there should be that cooperation, definitely. There should.

Terry Brock [00:16:27]:

Yeah. I remember, few years ago, several years ago, I had the opportunity of I was over in Moscow. I speak a very little Russian. I think, you know, I studied some of that in under Sky School and had a chance to meet some people, got a chance to know them. They invited me over for a very big dinner in their home, just the family. And, it was interesting. There was a knock at the door. I wonder who I wonder who that is.

Terry Brock [00:16:47]:

After we were there about 10, 15 minutes or so, in walked a gentleman. They were speaking in Russian to each other. He came over to me, and he said in perfect English, American accent, you must be Terry. Im like what is this? Whats going on? He introduced himself as the mans brother who was here. Come to find out he was a KGB general. And I

Mike Primeau [00:17:08]:

think we

Terry Brock [00:17:09]:

come again. We had a chance to get to know each other and I thought this is really interesting, talking to each other. But the reason I mentioned this is he was talking about when they were at the crewman missile crisis. He happened to be right in washington at the soviet embassy during that time. And when he told me, I said, well, god, Im concerned because for us, that was a big deal thing. What what was it that caused it to stop? When what would stop it? He said, well, it was when your president sent his brother to our embassy. I said, what? Ive never heard that. What do you mean? Yes.

Terry Brock [00:17:39]:

When he sent Bobby Kennedy to the Soviet embassy, that means he was on Soviet soil. We could have done whatever. And they told Khrushchev, who was the premier at that time, the Americans really dont want to do it. Theyre gonna do this and this. And come to find out, that actually was classified information, and eventually it was declassified That soviet kgb general was telling me the truth. And so I say that to say weve had the communication back and forth during that Cuban Missile Crisis. We could have gone into nuclear war. But fortunately, they realized, okay, we need to have this communication.

Terry Brock [00:18:11]:

We need to stay in touch. So So it sounds to me like weve got some some good opportunities and what youre saying really is good. I got one other thing I wanna share with you and with our viewers and our listeners right now, something that I think youll find interesting. Earlier today, I was doing some, fiddling around with, perplexity and with Claude. Perplexity is a tool thats great. I just, yes, yesterday, went into the paid version on that, and I wanna show you a little scenario that Ive got. Okay. Okay.

Terry Brock [00:18:36]:

Im looking at a prompt that I put in here just a little while ago. And, Mike, heres the prompt that I put in. Now this is going to Claude 3, which by many are saying its ahead of chat GPT. Its ahead of, complexity. Really, really good, really accurate. And I said, is this picture of 2 human beings or is it AI generated? How can you tell either way? Shouldve put a question mark there. What are the traits and signals that let you know what this picture really is? And so Im gonna click on this right here. And is that picture coming through for you, Mike?

Mike Primeau [00:19:07]:

Yeah. Yeah. I can see it.

Terry Brock [00:19:08]:

If I told you thats, Mike Brown and thats Sally Smith, they live in Warren, Michigan, not too far from you there in the Detroit area. And, they wanna meet with you next Thursday at 3. Thats what they look like. That would seem like those are real people. Right?

Mike Primeau [00:19:24]:

Yeah. Absolutely.

Terry Brock [00:19:24]:

Yeah. And it seems like it. So here, Im asking the the, service. Lets say, okay. Hey, Claude 3. Tell me. What do you think? Well, heres the answer that it gave me. It said the image appears to detect 2 real human beings, not an AI generated image.

Terry Brock [00:19:38]:

There are several treats and signals that suggest it is a photograph of actual people. And so it went on here and said, oh, the level of detail and realism and the facial features, clothing textures and background environment is extremely high naturalistic. The lighting structures and shadows and reflections of the peoples faces and clothing look physically accurate, the body language and no obvious artifact. In other words, plenty of reason to say, yeah, these are real people. And, Mike, you can go meet them next Thursday in Warren, Michigan, etcetera, etcetera. Well, I came back and I said, well, this is actually AI generated and is not real human beings. If you know it is not real human beings now, what could have led you to believe inaccurately that it is a picture of 2 real humans? I thought this is where were getting into the nitty gritty. And this is where Claude 3 comes in, because it goes another step several steps beyond what were seeing in other tools.

Terry Brock [00:20:31]:

It said, youre correct. Upon further investigation and your clarification that this is an AI generated image rather than a photograph of real people, I can now identify certain subtle traits that could have misled my initial assessment. Number 1, the facial features, while highly detailed, have a slightly smooth or idealized quality that is sometimes seen in AI generated faces. Okay. Thats good to know. And its kinda like, okay, its feeding this information. It can learn it. The lighting and shadows, though realistic overall, have a somewhat flat or unevenly or evenly distributed quality across the scene that can be a hallmark of AI image generation.

Terry Brock [00:21:11]:

And it goes on for some others. And my thought is, okay, the information that it got the second time from my question seems like we need to get to that level first, build that in there, so that when the next time we say, is this the real person? Or in my hypothetical scenario, we hope never happens, is this really Putin saying Im gonna drop, you know, immediately bomb, then it can go in and can say, wait a minute. This is not Vladimir Putin because voice is different, or the facial context is a little different, or the lighting is different, or something like that. It would seem like that would be some of the ways that we can build in a little more safety, but youre the expert on this. What are your thoughts on that?

Mike Primeau [00:21:49]:

So in order for something to be courtroom admissible, we have to be able to, ensure that its based on a novel forensic science. So, you know, what is the methodology that that person is going to be talking about? And it was it was actually, interesting timing. I I received a, a ruling for a fry hearing that was done on another case yesterday, where an AI enhancement tool was used by a video professional. They claimed to be a forensics video professional, but it was later ruled that they were more like a videographer as opposed to someone thats forensically qualified and trained that was using a specific tool that was an AI enhancement methodology. And the court ruled that it was inadmissible and it cant be used, you know, the the exhibits that they were offering and things like that because at its core, we we cant account that what its doing was accurately being done. So we can enhance something. We can make it bigger. We can make it prettier.

Mike Primeau [00:22:46]:

That doesnt necessarily mean that the process that was, lets say, enlarging that picture was accurately taking those pixels and introducing those things into the recording in an accurate, reliable way. So with respect to, like, authentication, for example, in that model, you know, the chatbot doesnt really say what its doing. Its just saying its visually looking at the photograph. But there are specific tests that are considered best practices to examine and go, yes, you know, weve examined this thing and this is the result. So it it almost looks like its also doing it on a global level without an understanding of the technology. So a big component of the forensic process is to understand how that technology works. So when youre producing something like a JPEG picture, that JPEG algorithm, the way that its creating all of those pixels and and packaging that file has certain clues it leaves behind to be able to verify that its working the way that you know, in an authentic manner when its capturing that photograph as opposed to if its being used to do something in Photoshop. And Im not Im not saying that Photoshop is a bad tool to use and its only used for bad ways.

Mike Primeau [00:23:50]:

We use it in forensics as well, within the appropriate means, you know, considered best practices. So it it for starters, we would have to know exactly what those algorithms from the chatbot are doing. What is it examining? Is it just looking through the picture and saying, yeah, this looks like people, but, you know, is it comparing that with a known database of people? Or is it just assuming based on what youve fed it that those are people? And then it goes back and looks at it again and goes, oh, yeah. I see what youre saying, Terry. That makes sense. So it doesnt appear to be very thorough as opposed to, you know, understanding, hey. These are the tests I ran, Terry. These are the results.

Mike Primeau [00:24:29]:

You make the decision.

Terry Brock [00:24:30]:

Yep. Exactly. We can build a lot of that in there. Well, Mike, you have helped us a lot today. You scared us a little bit too, but thats alright. Sometimes we need that to realize the reality.

Mike Primeau [00:24:40]:

Yeah. Well, I I hope it was a good kind of scared and I I appreciate the opportunity to to share with you. Thanks for having me.

Terry Brock [00:24:46]:

Absolutely. And if someone says, hey, we wanna find out about that or we might need some forensics work. How would someone get in touch with you? Whats the best way to do that?

Mike Primeau [00:24:54]:

Yeah. So weve got, contact forms on our website, primoforensics dot com.

Terry Brock [00:24:58]:

And please spell that for those that might not speak English as a native language. How do you spell that? Absolutely.

Mike Primeau [00:25:02]:

P as in Paul, r as in Robert, I as in indigo, m as in Mary, e as in Edward, a as in alpha, u as in underscore, forensics, forensi forensics.com. And, yeah, you can get in touch with us via phone, email, And then a great resource to learn more about the best practices within digital forensics is swigde, thats s w g de.org. Its a great resource for information.

Terry Brock [00:25:35]:

Excellent. Well, Mike, youve helped us a lot in this area. Very, very important and we appreciate you being with us. Thank you, sir.

Mike Primeau [00:25:41]:

Thanks, Terry.
Next week, Ireland will play host to the first ever IRELAND X-Change, a leading global incentive travel sales platform which will bring together up to 100 of the top North American business event planners and global incentive suppliers for a week of one-to-one business meetings and networking.

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Failte Ireland is delighted to extend a warm Irish welcome to all the delegates attending IRELAND X-Change. This event, which is proudly supported by Failte Ireland, is the perfect platform for this community of incentive professionals to meet, network and share industry insights. Importantly it will also help establish and maintain relationships between global business event planners and Irish tourism suppliers, which will no doubt result in future opportunities for international incentive programmes to come to Ireland.

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Hydrogen-powered tractors could be a regular sight in Britain's fields if new plans are given the approval by the government.

New regulations, set out in a consultation, would allow hydrogen-powered tractors, diggers and forklifts to be used on roads and fields across the country.

The government said a switch to the cleaner technology would allow construction and farming to decarbonise faster.

Alongside electric, hydrogen is one of many sustainable fuel sources that could accelerate decarbonisation.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne, said: "Allowing hydrogen-powered tractors, diggers and forklifts to use our roads is a common-sense move to help reduce emissions.

"These proposals are an important part of our plan to decarbonise transport in the UK, with skilled jobs in British companies helping roll out this cutting-edge hydrogen technology, making it more affordable and commonplace."

The launch of the consultation comes after the government issued JCB with a vehicle special order last year, giving the machinery firm permission to test its hydrogen-powered diggers on UK roads.

The new proposals will expand this permission permanently across the sector, meaning manufacturers can more easily scale up production of sustainable equipment where battery electric power is not practical.

The consultation closes for responses on 24 April.
A horticulture company has been fined 3,000 after a lorry driver suffered third degree burns on his body while making a delivery to a site in Essex.

The man had been delivering a load of hardcore aggregate to Plants Galore Horticulture Limiteds Eagle Nursery in Hamlet Hill, Roydon.

His lorry had a tipper and grab arm and after tipping the load, struck 11kV overhead power lines which ran across the yard.

He exited the cab, believing he had struck a telephone cable, and in doing so received an electric shock while holding the handle of the door, when his feet touched the ground.

He suffered third degree burns on his body and required multiple skin grafts for injuries to his right forearm, right and left foot, and just above his right knee.

He also had exposed tendons in his right forearm and had amputations of the fourth and fifth toes on his left foot.

Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kills people and causes many serious injuries each year.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has guidance about to how to plan and manage work near overhead powerlines.

A HSE investigation found that Plants Galore Horticulture Limited had failed to provide information and instructions on risks, including locations of overhead power lines and what precautions to take.

The company failed to erect ground-level barriers to establish a safety zone to keep people and machinery away from the powerlines. An exclusion zone of 3 metres around the 11kV wires should also have been adhered to.

Plants Galore Horticulture Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 4(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The company was fined 3,000 and was ordered to pay 4,000 costs at a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 28 March 2024.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Connor Stowers said: Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from striking overhead powerlines.

If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to this incident, the life changing injuries sustained by the worker could have been prevented.
Proposals to modernise how Scotlands cattle are tagged, identified and traced is the focus of a new consultation launched today.

Cattle farmers and businesses are being encouraged to give their views on plans to fit all new-born cattle with electronic ear-tags.

If implemented, bovine electronic identification (EID) can provide farmers with an easier way to collect and store cattle information, leading to improvements in efficiency and safety.

All cattle born in the UK, EU and many other countries, are currently required to be uniquely identified with ear tags and their movements recorded.

This traceability helps to prevent disease spread and protects both animal and public health.

The consultation will seek views on updating the current non-computerised system with EID, the use of an online register for cattle, and the removal of paper cattle passports for EID identified animals.

Scotland's Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: Farmers and crofters in Scotland have always embraced new and innovative technologies to help improve food production and protect our environment.

Since 2017 we have worked closely with the cattle industry to identify new methods of cattle identification that will help reduce costs and improve efficiency for cattle farmers.

"The new system is the latest example of the world-leading innovation on show within Scottish agriculture.

I would encourage those involved in the cattle industry to make their views known on this important issue.

NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy said the union welcomed the Scottish governments consultation.

Scottish farmers and crofters have been supportive of the introduction of electronic identification for decades, as noted in the recent report compiled by ScotEID," he said.

"In the future, the industry will rely heavily on data to manage our herds efficiency and productivity, and to deliver against ambitious environmental goals making Bovine EID crucial.

We hope that this consultation will finally progress the introduction of Bovine EID, and, ultimately, will negate the need for paper passports, offering both industry and government a significant saving.

The consultation closes for responses on 27 June.
A pro-Palestinian banner is spread across Sather Gate at UC Berkeley on March 11. Critics say the campus foments antisemitism. Noah Berger/Special to the Chronicle

For better or worse, the genesis of the higher education system in the United States is rooted in the philanthropy of corporate America.

Ezra Cornell, a pioneer in telegraph technology and founder of Western Union, launched Cornell University in 1865, less than three weeks after the Civil War ended. John D. Rockefeller, an oil tycoon, bankrolled the University of Chicago, while on the West Coast, Leland Stanford, a railroad baron and Rockefellers contemporary, founded what would become Stanford University. Each titan put a distinctive stamp on their respective university by propelling academic programs that advanced their industries cultural norms and Americas around access and inclusion.

But today, the American elites connection to higher education is less creator and more political curator. That needs to stop.

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Wealthy college alumni routinely spend fortunes literally and figuratively etching themselves into the fabric of universities  funding the development of new departments and buildings through enormous donation pipelines. According to the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the total endowment for American higher education in 2022 was a staggering $807 billion, much of this the direct result of donations from Americas upper crust. At the same time, these donors have increasingly tried to remake their alma maters in their political images, influencing the direction and ideological temperature of universities.

The bold metamorphosis of donors into campus lobbyists is on full display during the Israel-Palestine conflict, with donors spearheading calls for the resignation of university administrators and professors who are at odds with their pro-Israel stances, as well as calling for employers to rescind job offers for students who have espoused pro-Palestinian views.

Bill Ackman, a prominent hedge fund manager and Harvard University alum, has led the charge. Ackman, known more for his outspoken anti-diversity, equity and inclusion views, was instrumental in marshaling an internal crusade to topple Harvards first Black president, Claudine Gay, following her ruinous appearance in a congressional hearing on rising antisemitism on American campuses. As part of the mission creep that has popularized identity politics over the last decade, donor activists like Ackman have mounted intense, anti-Democratic lobbying campaigns to refashion the boundaries of campus speech and protest. Many administrations, like Harvards, have buckled or quietly retreated from directly affirming staff and student interests, leaving some of us in academia to wonder about the precedent being set for donor activism and how that bodes for efforts to maintain a campus climate that isnt subject to outside monied influences.

Following Hamas attack, one of my faculty peers at UC Berkeley, Steven Davidoff Solomon, a corporate law professor, penned a blistering op-ed in the Wall Street Journal encouraging prospective employers to not hire (his) antisemitic law students. Solomons screed described ways in which, according to him, UC Berkeley fostered a climate that had made (Hamas) attack possible, a claim effectively backed by various Jewish advocacy groups, including the Brandeis Center, a nonprofit that recently filed a lawsuit against the university for its alleged enabling of unchecked antisemitism on campus. In a more subtle protest in March, Ron Hassner, the head of Israel Studies at UC Berkeley, moved a mattress into his office as an informal sit-in to protest the campus stance toward its Jewish community.

To this end, despite rabid support from Republicans in Congress who see the likes of Ackman as a powerful avenue to temper liberalism in American higher education, donor activism has often been more bluster than bite. Following Hamas attack, Leon Cooperman, a billionaire investor and Columbia Business School alum, merely threatened to nix donations over pro-Palestinian student protests  but ultimately didnt  saying the students had s for brains. Whatever their purpose, the threats punctuate the authoritative voice that the wealthy can use to push universities into quashing dissent or at least create an undeniable chilling effect on speech. University leadership indirectly acknowledge these vulnerabilities and telegraph the growing pay-to-play expectations. As UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said in the New Yorker, Whether its alumni or donors or students, staff, faculty  all of them feel with passion that they have an ownership stake, and should be able to have a major voice in positions that the institution takes.

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Prestigious universities like Harvard, which consistently posts the largest endowment of any university, $50.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year, amass colossal alumni donations, and frequently find many of its rich alum acting as trustees and sitting on boards that govern its external investments, curricular programming and, more covertly, staff, faculty and student behavior. However, university administrators remain rather tight-lipped about their benefactors and the arrangements that are explicitly (and implicitly) crafted to ensure the ongoing support of benefactors, regularly drawing criticism from faculty, students and government regulators.

What can be done about it?

About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies

College is about students and the staff and faculty who are there to support them. College culture shouldnt be subject to the whimsies and orthodoxies of wealthy outsiders who seek to use their money to become insiders. If administrators allow their universities to become slaves to their financial benefactors, it wont be long before higher education is as politicized and warped as Americas other key institutions.

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Chelsea Lazkhani's estranged husband has accused her of being "physically aggressive" and "exhibiting suspicious behaviour".

Jeff Lazkhani has responded to Chelsea's divorce petition

The 'Selling Sunset' star filed for divorce last month, and Jeff Lazkhani has now filed his response to her petition, noting he also wants to end their marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

In a written declaration filed with the court this week and obtained by People magazine, the 40-year-old advertising boss accused Chelsea - who he married seven years ago and with whom he has children Maddox, five, and three-year-old Melia - of "exhibiting suspicious behaviour" and claiming many of his "personal belongings" have disappeared or were taken from their California home after the 31-year-old beauty filed for divorce, including a scarf "left to him" by a late family matriarch, his father's hat, and a spare key to his car. He claimed Chelsea confessed to moving his Rolex watch after he was unable to find it and accused her of "sneaking around" the property.

He also alleged the reality star had "struck" him in the face "in an aggressive manner, breaking his glasses and causing a small cut on the side of his face."

Jeff claimed he only found out about the divorce via a text message from TMZ, leaving him "stunned", and later discovered Chelsea had allegedly opened a new bank account around the time she filed.

After being told the news, he immediately texted Chelsea but she didn't respond, and the same day, her brother began staying at their home without Jeff having been told.

Jeff accused Chelsea of having "installed a lock on the primary bedroom to" his "exclusion, remotely monitors his access to the property, and records him at the property". He has asked for "exclusive use and possession of" their five-bedroom Manhattan Beach home as he noted he is the primary owner of the property and doesn't think they should both stay there for the wellbeing of their children, alleging Chelsea "provokes" him and "records him in an attempt to catch him overreacting to her."

He has asked that Chelsea - who is not named on their mortgage - be given 48 hours to take what she needs from their marital home but not be allowed inside for more than two hours, with a "neutral party" present to help divide items that may cause disputes.

Jeff stressed he is "already paying and agrees to continue to pay the mortgage, utilities, and any other encumbrances" on the house and Chelsea has other options, including staying with a local friend named Savannah or renting an Airbnb.

He hasn't made any requests concerning child support and believes he and Chelsea should cover their own attorney's fees.

He doesn't spousal support to be awarded on either side and though he needs to sort out his own assets and debts acquired before their marriage and after their separation, he ultimately wants them to be separated from Chelsea.
King Charles is reportedly keen to go ahead with plans for a State visit to Australia later this year after a positive start to his cancer treatment.

King Charles is said to be hopeful he will be able to fly to Australia later this year

The 75-year-old monarch has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since earlier this year when the disease was picked up during a hospital visit to deal with an enlarged prostate - and now a new report suggest he's thrilled with how his treatment is going and wants to plough ahead with plans to fly Down Under in October.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "The King is raring to go and keen to get on with the job.

The insider added he is "over the moon" following a positive start to his cancer treatment and is now "supercharging" plans for a two-week trip which will cover Australia, New Zealand and Samoa.

The report suggests he will be accompanied by Queen Camilla and the tour will include "significant down-time" to make sure the King feels well enough to carry out his engagements.

The king cancelled all of his public-facing royal duties as he started his cancer treatment, but was seen out and about again when he attended the Easter Sunday (31.03.24) service at Windsor Castle with the Queen by his side.

He is also believed to be hoping to attend the Trooping of the Colour to mark his official birthday celebrations in London in June.

A source previously told the Daily Mail newspaper: "There are a number of key events His Majesty would love to attend coming up in the diary and this [the Trooping of the Colour] is at the top of the list."

The Trooping of the Colour is a ceremonial event held annually to celebrate the monarch's birthday. It's also known as the Sovereign's Birthday Parade and takes place in London with the monarch joining a procession of around 1,200 soldiers and musicians and more than 200 horses.

It involves a fly-past and an appearance by the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony. The Daily Mail's report suggests King Charles had been keen to ride his horse Noble - a gift from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - during the event on June 15 but he may have to watch from a carriage or a podium instead.
Circuit Court Judge nominee Adeel Abdullah Mangi testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Dec. 13, 2023. Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP

Chesa Boudins background as the son of radicals imprisoned for taking part in a fatal armed robbery helped to fuel the campaign for his recall as San Franciscos district attorney in 2022. Now, President Joe Bidens nomination of an attorney who would become the first Muslim to serve on a federal appeals court appears to be doomed because of the nominees distant connection to Boudins late mother.

Adeel Mangi has been endorsed for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia by groups that include the National Council of Jewish Women and the Anti-Defamation League as well as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the NAACP. But three Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have come out against him, probably enough to block his confirmation in the closely divided Senate.

The reason? For Cortez Masto, its Mangis membership on the advisory board of the Alliance of Families for Justice, a New York-based nonprofit that provides support and legal representation for the families of prisoners.

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This organization has sponsored a fellowship in the name of Kathy Boudin, a member of the domestic terrorist organization Weather Underground, and advocated for the release of individuals convicted of killing police officers, Cortez Masto said in a statement.

Cortez Mastos six-year term runs through 2028. Rosen, who faces a difficult reelection campaign this year, said she will oppose the nomination given the concerns Ive heard from law enforcement in Nevada.

Manchin, who is not seeking reelection, said he will not support any Biden judicial nominee who fails to gain any Republican votes, and has also declared opposition to Mangi, without stating specific reasons.

As for Kathy Boudin, its true that she and her husband, David Gilbert, were members of the Weather Underground in 1981 when, after leaving Chesa with a babysitter, they drove a getaway U-Haul for Black Liberation Army members who robbed a Brinks armored car in New York and killed a security guard and two police officers.

Charged with murder for aiding in the robbery, Kathy Boudin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Gilbert was convicted at trial, sentenced to 75 years to life, and released in 2021 on a grant of clemency by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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Kathy Boudin was paroled in 2003 with the help of her son, then a Yale student and activist, after expressing deep remorse for her crime. She then earned a doctoral degree, became a college teacher in social work and law, and served as co-director of the Center for Justice at Columbia University before her death in 2022.

It was also in 2022 that Chesa Boudin was recalled from office by 55% of San Franciscos voters, who had elected him district attorney in 2019. Most of his opponents focused on his reductions of criminal sentences and support of alternatives to confinement, but there were also references to his family background, including a New York Post editorial urging removal of this radical son of 1960s terrorists.

Mangi, who practices civil law in New Jersey, said in a letter to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., that he is not involved in the operations of Alliance of Families for Justice and worked with them only in a legal case for the family of a mentally ill inmate who was killed in prison, winning a settlement that required installation of cameras and microphones at the prison. He said he did not know Kathy Boudin and had nothing to do with the fellowship named for her.

I condemn any violence against law enforcement officers, Mangi wrote, noting the endorsement of his nomination by several police groups, though others have opposed him.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Mangi is being targeted by a malicious and debunked smear campaign solely because he would make history as the first Muslim to serve as a federal appellate judge.

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But Cortez Masto and Rosen say they are concerned about crime, not Mangis religion. And Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told the New York Times that the White House and Senate Democrats dont want to defend Mr. Mangi on the merits of his record, so they instead accuse his critics of Islamophobia.

Boudin declined to comment on Mangis nomination. In an interview in 2020, as he was about to take office, he said some of his earliest memories were about visiting his parents in prison, where he had to go through steel gates and a metal detector to give them a hug.
Kirsten Dunst was given a Christmas tree by Tom Cruise when she worked with him as a child.

Kirsten Dunst has opened up about her life as a child star

The 41-year-old actress has opened up about her experiences as a child star revealing some of her famous co-stars looked out for her on set and even lavished her with gifts - explaining Cruise decorated her dressing room when they worked together on 1994 movie 'Interview With The Vampire' when she was 11 years old.

During an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', Kirsten said: "Tom Cruise put a Christmas tree in my dressing room as a child."

She went on to reveal Robin Williams bought her a computer when she was 13 during their time working together on 1995 fantasy film 'Jumanji'.

Kirsten added: "[It was a] big, coloured Mac computer. The new one. The new ones in the 90s. I was flipping out."

The 'Spider-Man' also revealed she ran a lemonade stand with actress Eva Amurri when they worked together as kids and they sold drinks to stars including Christian Bale and Winona Ryder.

She said: "Like, I remember doing a lemonade stand with Susan Sarandon's daughter on set. I had a very nice experience in the films that I did."

Kirsten also opened up about her co-stars in a separate interview with Variety, revealing Tom Cruise treated her "like a princess" and Robin Williams was "the most generous, kind, funny person".

She went on to talk about her grown-up roles, touching on the gender pay gap that existed between her and Tobey Maguire when they made 'Spide-Man' together.

She explained: "[His salary] might have been more [than the reported $17 million], actually ... [My salary] was different. A lot different. And I was in Bring It On and had a track record ...

"When I was younger, in my 20s, I didnt have the best guidance, I would say, and I did a couple of duds for money reasons, but nothing that I would have actually done otherwise.

"I get offered the most money on things I dont want to do. As soon as I took the reins and started to develop my tastes and who I wanted to work with, everything shifted."
SORRY CHARLIE

Sorry Charlie

Inspired by true events comes Sorry Charlie, an unapologetically terrifying horror from director Colton Tran (The Bell Keeper, The Sex Lives of College Girls). The film is set for its UK premiere on 27 May from Miracle Media.

Kathleen Kenny (African Giants) gives a standout performance as a survivor of a brutal attack by a violent serial murderer and rapist labelled The Gentleman who lures unsuspecting women from their homes with a recording of a crying baby.

Following the devastating assault, helpline volunteer Charlie (Kenny) now lives a reclusive life, having cut herself off from her family and friends, haunted by the trauma.

Despite her attacker supposedly arrested and behind bars, Charlie cant shake the feeling that shes not alone. Isolated and afraid, her paranoia grows. Is there someone stalking her, or is it all in her head?

On UK digital 27 May from Miracle Media

HELLHOUND

Hell has no mercy in Hellhound, an adrenaline-fuelled action-packed thriller from director Joshua Dixon (Never Back Down: No Surrender, Blue Family) in his bold feature debut. The film is set for its digital release on 6 May from Miracle Media.

In the heart of Bangkok, seasoned hitman Loreno (Louis Mandylor  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Rambo: Last Blood) is ready to retire but finds himself reluctantly drawn back into his deadly work for one final hit. Lending a hand to an old friend, Cetan (Vithaya Pansringarm  Thirteen Lives, A Prayer Before Dawn), he agrees to hunt down a ruthless local kingpin.

As he embarks on his assignment, his path crosses with an old acquaintance, Paul (Van Quattro  Fight Club) and he finds himself thrown into a violent world of intrigue, danger and unexpected alliances.

With explosive action, kick-ass violence and a bloody brutal body count, get ready to go to hell and back with Hellhound.

On UK digital 6 May from Miracle Media

AMONG THE WILLOWS

Ride into the heart of the Wild West and Among The Willows with Tyler Smiths (Above Snakes) award-winning Western which is set for its UK digital debut on 20 May from Miracle Media.

Former outlaw John Williams (David Novak  Lost Outlaw, Who Took My Daughter) life of crime and violence is long gone, but when his granddaughter is kidnapped and her family is brutally murdered, he must swallow his pride and confront his past to save her.

Reuniting with his ex-partner, Everett Stolls (Jeffrey Smith  Dont Look Up), the pair embark on an epic mission to track down the killers and rescue her before its too late.

Journey Among The Willows for a gun-toting tale of action, betrayal and redemption.

On UK digital 20 May from Miracle Media

More To Follow

by Matt Shine for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Heres a taste of the Asian culinary magic Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo is working at the Mumbai outpost of Kembara

A dramatic curved light installation crafted from natural cane hangs over the light and airy space that is Kembara in Mumbais Bandra-Kurla Complex. A warm glow lights up the all-natural decor elements in a pastel palette. Mirrors on the lime-plastered walls create an illusion of boundless space. The bar (above) features a repeating pattern in wood that is distinctively Japanese in influence. Fittingly, Kembara is where Chef Seefah Ketchaiyo brings Mumbai her take on dishes from Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea and, of course, Japan. Kembara comes from the Malay for to wander, and the menu is truly a meandering through handpicked Asian classics  albeit with her own little twists. Co-founded with restaurateur Shilpa Datla, this pan-Asian culinary venture is a second outpost, after a successful foray into Hyderabad.





What We Ate And Drank

I had decided to pick five dishes at Kembara that I could thoroughly enjoy without worrying about wastage, though I was tempted right through by the other names and descriptions in the compact but varied menu.

The restaurant was a few days away from receiving its licence to serve alcohol when we visited, but the Asian-influenced mocktails (above) we started with put us in high spirits anyway. The Sawayaka, made with Fuji apple, Thai basil, elderflower, lime and ginger ale, was wonderfully refreshing, while the Pineapple Dragons Twist  pineapple juice infused with star anise, mint, ginger and lime  was nuanced and sophisticated.

A trio of three fresh and flavourful sauces  a Thai spicy sauce, a chilli oil, and a scallion sauce  heralded the arrival of the quintet of dishes I had chosen. We began with the Crispy Turnip Cake, a delightful combination of turnip, carrot and shiitake mushroom, fried to golden perfection and crowned with crispy garlic and chilli.





Next came the Crispy Morning Glory Salad with cashew nuts and a spicy dip. The morning glory is tempura-ed for crispness, just as with an elevated palak chaat, and soused in a dressing of palm sugar, onion, banana chilli, kaffir lime and lemongrass, to give you a sweet-and-spicy party on the plate and the palate.

The same intricate play of textures thrilled us when the Mushroom Tempura & Truffle Mayo Maki Roll hit our table; the rice and the tempura contrast deliciously with each other, while the subtle flavour of the truffle mayo further elevates the sushi.

Despite our server Rahul urging us to try something more from the very tempting menu list, we stuck to our pre-chosen main  Green Curry Fried Rice, a simple preparation that is a testament to Chef Seefahs mastery in the kitchen. Jasmine rice, broccoli, mushrooms and, unusually, asparagus come together with the ubiquitous Thai green curry in a dish that hits all the right notes. In fact, its delicacy might well be lost if paired with a protein.

Desserts are not usually a high point in many Asian restaurants; not so here. We went with the Pandan Crepe Roll (above)  pandan-infused pancakes stuffed with fresh coconut, coconut cream and crushed peanuts, and served with ice cream  the perfect sweet ending to a varied and wonderful meal.

Location: Shop no 11, Ins Tower, opposite Indian Oil Petrol Pump, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai

Timings: 12 pm to 11.30 pm

Price points: Rs 2,500 for two

Also Read: Chef Vikas Khanna Has A Mission  And Its Spicy!
Italy was not only the top apparel buyer in Europe but also the second-largest market globally for Sri Lankan shipments in 2023. Sri Lankan apparel exports to the country increased by 10.05 per cent to $563.071 million last year when global apparel exports were noticing a downward trend. Interestingly, the shipment to the top buyer, the United States, declined by more than 22 per cent in the same period.

According to the trade data from Fibre2Fashion's market insight tool TexPro, Sri Lankan apparel exports to Italy have been increasing consistently after 2020, when they saw a dip due to the pandemic. The outbound shipment surged by 21 per cent to reach $436.742 million in 2021. It further gained 17.15 per cent to $511.629 million in 2022 and rose by 10.05 per cent to $563.071 million in 2023.

In 2023, Italy emerged as Europe's top and world's 2nd largest buyer of Sri Lankan apparel, with exports to Italy rising by 10.05 per cent to $563.071 million. This growth occurred despite a global downturn in apparel exports. Notably, exports to US fell by 22 per cent. By January 2024, Italy accounted for 11.23 per cent of Sri Lanka's total apparel exports.

Italy accounted for 12.96 per cent of Sri Lanka's total apparel exports of $4.344 billion in 2023. The island country exported 41.09 per cent to the US, which was its top apparel buyer in the world.

Before the pandemic, Sri Lanka had exported apparel worth $461.836 million to Italy in 2018. However, this figure dropped by 9.79 per cent to $416.624 million in 2019 and further declined by 13.37 per cent to $360.938 million in 2020.

In January 2024, Italy ranked as the second-largest European destination for Sri Lankan apparel, purchasing $39.299 million worth of goods, representing 11.23 per cent of Sri Lanka's total exports ($349.956 million). Meanwhile, the United Kingdom stood as the top European buyer, claiming 14.66 per cent of the exports. Globally, the US remained the largest buyer, absorbing 37.43 per cent of Sri Lanka's apparel exports during the same period, as per TexPro.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
China and Bangladesh recently exchanged feasibility study reports on the proposed bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) and will soon officially launch the negotiations, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said.

The envoy was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 2024 Chinese government training programmes at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.

These programmes have trained more than 5,500 government officials and experts from Bangladesh so far. The number of trainees this year exceeds 500.

China and Bangladesh recently exchanged feasibility study reports on the proposed bilateral free trade agreement and will soon officially launch the negotiations, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said. More direct flights from Dhaka to Beijing will start very soon, he said. A Centre for China Studies was launched recently at the Dhaka University.

More direct flights from Dhaka to Beijing will start very soon, Yao was cited as saying by Bangladesh media reports.

A Centre for China Studies was launched recently at the Dhaka University to promote joint studies and exploration of bilateral, regional and global affairs, strengthening people-to-people exchange, he added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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PUNE, India, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The report titled "Robotics System Integration Market by Robot Type (Collaborative Robotics Integration, Industrial Robotic Systems, Service Robots), Service Type (Installation & Commissioning, Integration & Programming, Maintenance & Upgrades), Deployment Model, Application, End-users - Global Forecast 2024-2030" is now available on 360iResearch.com's offering, presents an analysis indicating that the market projected to grow from a size of $75.08 billion in 2023 to reach $144.18 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 9.76% over the forecast period.

" Revolutionizing Industries: The Integral Role of Robotic System Integration in Enhancing Operational Efficiency "

Robotic system integration stands at the forefront of transforming traditional industrial and commercial landscapes. This pivotal process seamlessly incorporates robotics and automation technologies into existing infrastructures, providing tailor-made solutions encompassing expert consultation, installation, and comprehensive maintenance of hardware and software components. Catered to a wide array of sectors, including manufacturing, automotive, healthcare, defense, and logistics, robotic system integration significantly elevates productivity and precision and minimizes labor costs across large-scale production lines and smaller enterprises. The drive toward automation is fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and emerging technologies such as 5G and adaptive robotics, offering novel opportunities for operational enhancements and necessitating a skilled workforce adept in navigating these sophisticated systems. Challenges include high initial investments and the complex nature of modernizing outdated frameworks. The industry thrives, particularly in the Americas, with its robust demand in automotive, aerospace, and healthcare, and in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, where manufacturing giants invest heavily in robotics to sustain competitive advantage and operational efficiency.

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" Robotics Integration: Driving Efficiency and Innovation Across Industries "

The rapid advancement of industrialization and the growing demand for automation have led to significant improvements in technology and operational efficiencies. Businesses are transforming toward enhanced productivity and precision and minimizing errors by integrating robotics systems into various sectors, notably automotive and manufacturing,. Robotics system integration (RSI) is crucial in modernizing manufacturing and production lines by streamlining complex tasks, optimizing production outputs, and reducing overall costs. Industries benefit from greater accuracy and consistency in their operations, fostering business expansion. Furthermore, the inclusion of cutting-edge sensors, alongside artificial intelligence and machine learning, equips robotic systems with the ability to adjust to changing operational demands, offering a versatile and scalable solution to meet the fluctuating requirements of diverse industries. This move toward robotics integration signifies a shift toward greater operational efficiency and positions it as a vital strategy for competitive advantage and future success.

" Enhancing Workspaces and Services With The Crucial Role of Integrating Collaborative and Service Robots "

In today's fast-evolving manufacturing and service industries, integrating collaborative robots (cobots) and service robots marks a significant revolution, enhancing efficiency, safety, and quality across various sectors. Cobots are strategically deployed alongside human workers within manufacturing environments to streamline operations while boosting productivity and minimizing the risk of injuries. This approach optimizes existing machinery and production workflows and leverages human talent for higher-level tasks, creating a more dynamic and efficient workspace. Incorporating service robots into healthcare, retail, and hospitality aims to elevate the quality of service delivery and customer satisfaction and improve operational efficiency. Integrating these advanced robotic systems into existing frameworks necessitates meticulous planning and customization, ensuring they complement and enhance operational workflows rather than disrupt them. As industries continue to embrace these innovative solutions, the focus remains on fostering a cooperative environment where humans and robots work together to achieve shared goals, ultimately propelling businesses toward greater success and sustainability.

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" Fanuc Corporation at the Forefront of Robotics System Integration Market with a Strong 7.55% Market Share "

The key players in the Robotics System Integration Market include Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., ABB Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd., Fanuc Corporation, YASKAWA Electric Corporation, and others. These prominent players focus on strategies such as expansions, acquisitions, joint ventures, and developing new products to strengthen their market positions.

" Introducing ThinkMi: Revolutionizing Market Intelligence with AI-Powered Insights for the Robotics System Integration Market "

We proudly unveil ThinkMi, a cutting-edge AI product designed to transform how businesses interact with the Robotics System Integration Market. ThinkMi stands out as your premier market intelligence partner, delivering unparalleled insights with the power of artificial intelligence. Whether deciphering market trends or offering actionable intelligence, ThinkMi is engineered to provide precise, relevant answers to your most critical business questions. This revolutionary tool is more than just an information source; it's a strategic asset that empowers your decision-making with up-to-the-minute data, ensuring you stay ahead in the fiercely competitive Robotics System Integration Market. Embrace the future of market analysis with ThinkMi, where informed decisions lead to remarkable growth.

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" Dive into the Robotics System Integration Market Landscape: Explore 180 Pages of Insights, 476 Tables, and 26 Figures "

Preface Research Methodology Executive Summary Market Overview Market Insights Robotics System Integration Market, by Robot Type Robotics System Integration Market, by Service Type Robotics System Integration Market, by Deployment Model Robotics System Integration Market, by Application Robotics System Integration Market, by End-users Americas Robotics System Integration Market Asia-Pacific Robotics System Integration Market Europe, Middle East & Africa Robotics System Integration Market Competitive Landscape Competitive Portfolio

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Related Reports:

Industrial Automation & Control Systems Market - Global Forecast 2024-2030 Warehouse Execution System Market - Global Forecast 2024-2030 Industrial Robotics Market - Global Forecast 2024-2030

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Shira Stein is the San Francisco Chronicle's Washington correspondent, covering California's role in national politics and policy from the nation's capital. She writes about issues that matter to California residents  like housing, abortion and LGBTQ rights  and California's influence on Congress and the White House. She was the primary chronicler of the last year of Sen. Dianne Feinstein's life, including her health, familial financial feud, and death.

Shira was born and raised in the Bay Area and now lives in Washington, D.C. She joined the Chronicle in 2022 after spending four years as an award-winning health care reporter for Bloomberg Law, where she was key in its coverage of the Covid-19, the fall of Roe v. Wade and health costs. She is a graduate of American University and interned at the Washington Post, Bloomberg Law and the Colorado-based Durango Herald.
Polyacrylic acid is a crucial raw material for various fast-growing sectors such as automotive, construction, and personal care industries. It is used as a raw material for manufacturing paints & coatings, adhesives, scale inhibitors, and others. As the above mentioned industrial activities expand, demand for polyacrylic acid increases, driving the growth of the polyacrylic acid market.

WILMINGTON, Del., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Polyacrylic Acid Market by Type (Synthetic and Bio-Based), Application (Thickeners, Dispersant, Scale Inhibitor, Emulsifiers, Binders, and Others), and End-use Industry (Construction, Paints & Coatings, Pulp & Paper, Adhesives & Sealants, Water Treatment, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the "polyacrylic acid market" was valued at $4.0 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $6.7 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2023 to 2032.

Prime Determinants of Polyacrylic Acid Market Growth

The polyacrylic acid market has experienced growth due to several factors such as industrial growth, rise in construction activities, and infrastructure development. However, fluctuating raw material prices hinder market growth to some extent. Moreover, the rise in the adoption of sustainable practices offers remunerative opportunities for expanding the polyacrylic acid market.

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Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2032 Base Year 2022 Market Size In 2022 $4.0 Billion Market Size In 2032 $6.7 Billion CAGR 5.4 % No. Of Pages In Report 265 Segments Covered Type, Application, End-Use Industry, And Region. Region Scope North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And LAMEA Country Scope U.S., Canada, Mexico; Germany; UK; France; Italy; Spain; China; Japan; India; South Korea; Australia; Brazil; Saudi Arabia; South Africa. Drivers Industrial Growth Construction And Infrastructure Development Opportunity Rise In Adoption Of Sustainable Practices Restraint fluctuating Raw Material Prices

The bio-based segment is expected to grow faster throughout the forecast period.

By type, the synthetic segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than four-fifths of the Polyacrylic acid market revenue, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. The increase in the geriatric population, childbirths, water quality concerns, and technological advancements in developing countries are driving demand for adult diapers due to polyacrylic acid's superabsorbent properties. The synthetic polyacrylic acid market is also promising. However, the bio-based segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.9% from 2023 to 2032. The demand for sustainable products is driving industries to prioritize sustainability, with bio-based polyacrylic acid, derived from renewable resources, experiencing growth. The increase in the demand for bio-friendly chemicals from consumers is expected to positively impact the market growth. The circular economy and emerging economies with environmental concerns also present opportunities for market development.

The scale inhibitor segment is expected to lead the trail by 2032

By application, the scale inhibitor segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the Polyacrylic acid market revenue, and is estimated to dominate during the forecast period. Industrialization drives demand for water treatment solutions in sectors like power generation, chemical manufacturing, and oil and gas. Environmental regulations, water scarcity concerns, industry expansion, and technological advancements drive market growth. Infrastructure development projects, collaborations, and awareness about scale deposition's effects increase demand for polyacrylic acid scale inhibitors.

However, the thickeners segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.2% from 2023 to 2032. The growing demand for cosmetics and personal care products has increased the demand for polyacrylic acid as a thickener. The global cosmetics and personal care industry, valued at $518.6 billion and projected to double by 2030, presents significant opportunities for the polyacrylic acid market. The eco-friendly nature of polyacrylic acid aligns with the industry's emphasis on natural and organic formulations. The thriving e-commerce landscape and industry commitment to innovation contribute to the positive outlook for polyacrylic acid.

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The cosmetics treatment segment dominates the market throughout the forecast period.

By end-use industry, the water treatment segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the Polyacrylic acid market revenue, and is estimated to dominate during the forecast period. Industrialization, urbanization, and population growth are increasing water pollution, necessitating the use of polyacrylic acid for efficient water treatment. This polymer, with water-absorbing and water-retaining properties, can improve efficiency. The adoption of advanced water treatment chemicals, such as polyacrylic acid, is expected to increase due to stringent environmental regulations and technological advancements. This market presents promising opportunities for polyacrylic acid.

However, cosmetics segment is projected to manifest highest CAGR of 6.80% from 2023 to 2032. The Indian cosmetics industry is growing due to rising disposable income, changing lifestyles, and personal grooming awareness. This growth is driving demand for sustainable ingredients like polyacrylic acid, which enhances texture and stability. The expanding middle-class population is spending on premium products, creating opportunities for manufacturers to develop customized formulations. Collaborations with cosmetic manufacturers are also possible. Regulatory compliance is crucial for polyacrylic acid suppliers.

The Asia-Pacific dominates the market throughout the forecast period.

By region, the Asia-Pacific segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than half of the Polyacrylic acid (PAA) market revenue, and is estimated to dominate the market during the forecast period. In Asia-Pacific, the demand for PAA is driven by rapid industrialization, urbanization, and an increase in focus on environmental sustainability. Several countries in the region, including China, Japan, South Korea, and India, have significant manufacturing capacity of PAA and consumption of PAA across various industries. In addition, advancements in technology and the development of eco-friendly formulations are expected to further boost the adoption of PAA in Asia-Pacific.

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Leading Market Players: -

Acuro Organics Limited

Evonik Industries AG

Sumitomo Seika Chemicals

Dow

Maxwell Additives Pvt, Ltd

Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd

Ashland Inc.

Lubrizol Corporation

BASF SE

Arkema

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the polyacrylic acid market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Similar Reports:

Polylactic Acid Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030

Bio Succinic Acid Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030

Salicylic Acid Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030

Synthetic Rope Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025

Epoxy Coating Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030

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Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. 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. 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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Kupfer wird oft als das Gold der Energiewende bezeichnet, weil es aufgrund seiner hervorragenden elektrischen Leitfahigkeit eine zentrale Rolle in vielen Technologien spielt, die fur nachhaltige Energiesysteme entscheidend sind. Experten gehen aufgrund der Angebotsknappheit von einem Superzyklus aus.

Korrektur als Einstiegschance

Nach Hochststanden im Mai korrigierte das rote Metall stark. Die Abwartsspirale verstarkte sich in den vergangenen Tagen aufgrund schwacher Konjunkturdaten aus den USA und China. Langfristig konnte sich die aktuell laufende Korrektur als exzellente Einstiegsmoglichkeit herausstellen.

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LONDON, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, to celebrate the launch of the HONOR Magic V2, the world's lightest foldable smartphone[1], HONOR created the "World's Lightest Boardroom", hosted by Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews. Floating over London in a hot air balloon, the CleanCo founder heard pitches from three entrepreneurs, who took part for the chance to win 8,000 and the new Magic V2 , a foldable smartphone crafted for the productivity hungry.

After its research revealed that 58% of entrepreneurs rely on a side hustle for financial support, HONOR launched the "World's Lightest Boardroom" to support UK small business owners in getting their businesses off the ground. The sky-high founders who pitched to Matthews included:

Simon Cooper - founder of sustainable transportation company Eezy Bike

Keelan Waldock - founder of home delivery brownie service BWOWnies

Ellena Gall - founder of sustainable and reversible clothing brand Gaia Garments

Not for those with a fear of heights, the budding business owners presented pre-prepared elevator pitches on the HONOR Magic V2 foldable smartphone. After this nail-biting competitive pitch, Matthews chose Gaia Garments to take home the HONOR prize fund and tech bundle, calling out her ethos and cool-headedness as key factors in his decision. The runners-up were awarded a new HONOR Pad 9 tablet each.

Matthews said: "I know what it takes to start and run a successful business, and was looking for those qualities in the winner today. El's fearlessness and hunger for change won me over - she's a fantastic example of what UK small businesses have to offer. I can't wait to see where she goes next with the support of the HONOR prize money and tech."

Competition winner Ellena Gall said: "Pitching in a hot air balloon was certainly a first, but I'm thrilled that Gaia Garments was chosen as the winner of the "World's Lightest Boardroom". The HONOR technology will help me run my business remotely, and I'll be using the money to expand my lines and take Gaia Garments to new heights. I'm so thankful to HONOR and Spencer for supporting a small business like mine, and I can't wait for what comes next."

Aimed at the leaders of the future, the HONOR Magic V2's 231g featherlight body and productivity powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset are designed to empower those who harbour big ambitions, and view technology as a catalyst for success.

Bond Zhang, CEO at HONOR said: "At HONOR, our passion is helping people achieve their potential through human-centric innovation. We are proud to support Britain's most promising tomorrow makers in achieving their goals. The HONOR Magic V2 is the perfect tool for this, with its foldable featherweight and productivity prowess, it's the perfect smartphone companion for anyone with big dreams and lofty ambitions."

To discover the full story of HONOR's "World's Lightest Boardroom' and the HONOR Magic V2, visit @ukhonor on Instagram.

Full Image gallery here

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[1] HONOR Magic V2 is the lightest foldable smartphone available outside of China. The HONOR Magic Vs2 is the lightest in China and only available in this region.

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EQS-News: neurocare group AG / Key word(s): Personnel

neurocare group AG Welcomes Norman Erhard as Senior VP Europe & Latin America



05.04.2024 / 09:45 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





neurocare group AG Welcomes Norman Erhard as Senior VP Europe & Latin America

Munich, Germany, 05. April 2024 - neurocare group AG ("neurocare" or the "Company"), a leading innovator in personalized mental health and performance empowering clinicians to deliver best practice is pleased to announce the appointment of Norman Erhard as Senior Vice President Europe & Latin America, bolstering neurocare's Global Leadership.

Norman Erhard brings with him a distinguished career spanning over three decades in the medical devices and clinic networks sector. With a Diploma in Industrial Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Norman's expertise and experience in complex medical technology and associated business development is deep. His tenure at Fresenius Medical Care saw him succeed in various key roles, where he spearheaded sales, led European marketing efforts, drove business development initiatives, and successfully managed a clinic network across Europe.

Under his leadership, the region's revenue experienced remarkable growth, reaching 550 million USD, alongside the growth of a robust workforce exceeding 4,000 employees. Norman's strategic acumen extends beyond corporate realms; he is an early investor in neurocare, reflecting his commitment to advancing healthcare innovation.

"We are thrilled to welcome Norman to the neurocare team," said Thomas Mechtersheimer, CEO of neurocare group AG. "His invaluable expertise and leadership will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission of driving innovation in personalized mental health treatments. We look forward to Norman's contributions as we continue to empower clinicians and transform lives globally."

About neurocare group AG

neurocare is innovating mental health and performance. We offer the first digital therapy platform (DTP) in its area that empowers clinicians to deliver best practice. Our integrated and personalized therapy approach is based on a strong clinical science background with over 20 years of research and technology development. Our business is driven by two strong growth channels: building our own clinics and providing our unique DTP to third parties. neurocare currently treating on average 3.000 patients annually in our own clinics. neurocare's scalable business is ready to meet the need for more productive and sustainable solutions. www.neurocaregroup.com

Contact:

Sally Remington

neurocare group AG

media@neurocaregroup.com

05.04.2024 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

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OSLO, Norway, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- EVB, a sub-brand of Beny dedicated to smart EV charging solutions, showcased its latest products and technologies at the Nordic EV Summit held in Oslo, Norway. At this summit, EVB emphasized its integrated solutions for both AC and DC charging, along with solar and energy storage, aimed at advancing the development of electric vehicles in the Nordic region.

To meet the rapidly growing demand for EV charging in the Nordic region, EVB has developed products tailored to market needs, covering both residential and commercial sectors, offering users an intelligent and worry-free charging experience. Among these, the BCP series smart EV chargers stand out for their compact size and versatile functionality, with notable compatibility with OCPP standards. This enables remote interaction, allowing users to control and manage chargers directly through a mobile app, anytime and anywhere, greatly enhancing user experience.

In the commercial sector, EVB's floor-mounted AC EV charger has garnered great attention. It is equipped with features such as human body sensing, temperature monitoring, and WPS Wi-Fi connectivity. Its dual-socket design not only improves space utilization but also enables two vehicles to charge simultaneously. The DLB function also enhances charging station management by intelligently distributing the charging power.

Furthermore, the Nordic region boasts abundant solar energy resources. Taking Norway as an example, its annual photovoltaic power generation can reach 1044.9 kilowatt-hours per square meter. The local photovoltaic market has seen rapid growth in recent years, with approximately 300 megawatts of added installation capacity in 2023. In this context, EVB's "PV + energy storage + EV charging" solution not only realizes self-generation and consumption but also energy storage during off-peak hours, ensuring continuous business operation and grid stability. Additionally, EVB's charging stations can also obtain electricity from the grid or energy storage systems, improving energy utilization.

Jundan Wang, General Manager of EVB, stated, "We are pleased to participate in the Nordic EV Summit and showcase our integrated solutions, which greatly meet both home and business user demands." EVB looks forward to collaborating with more Nordic partners to provide more convenient and efficient solutions, fully leveraging solar energy resources and contributing to the development of the EV industry.

For more information, please visit www.evb.com or contact info@evb.com.

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Could the new luxury sedan by Mercedes-Benz and BYD be the pioneer of world-class new energy sedans? With a striking design and innovative electrification, it just might be.

STUTTGART, Germany, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz and BYD, China's leading new energy vehicle maker, recently tested their newest co-branded DENZA on the streets of Stuttgart. During the road test, the latest luxury model garnered much attention from passers-by.

Even camouflaged in pre-launch stickers, the new car's body gives away its slick design and innovative form. The clean, streamlined, low-wind resistance design embodies the philosophy of Wolfgang Egger, the designer behind the new DENZA, formerly the lead for Audi's brand, culminating in electric elegance that is sporty yet luxurious. "The design is simultaneously spirited and deluxe," said Egger, designer of the vehicle.

The newly developed DENZA is a brand-new deluxe vehicle. Equipped with BYD's unveiled new energy technology, it will be the pioneer in building Chinese new energy luxury sedans into world-class vehicles, and is expected to go on sale by the end of this year.

Since 2023, DENZA's cars have debuted at large auto shows in Thailand, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Switzerland, and other countries. The new model will play a core role in DENZA's and BYD's global market sales.

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TOKYO, Apr 5, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) has been selected as an "excellent TCFD*1 disclosure" from external asset managers entrusted with the Japanese equity investment of Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) forthe third consecutive year. Hitachi received a high evaluation from eight asset managers, which is the highest number among the selected companies.The reasons for the selection are as follows.- The description of each item is in line with the TCFD Recommendations and Implementation Guidance and the high level of initiatives. The descriptions are also very clear.- For each business segment, segment strategies are disclosed in a matrix based on the business environment, risks, and opportunities under the 1.5degC and 4degC scenarios and the market environment perception based on factors other than the environment that do not depend on the 1.5degC and 4degC scenarios. The company clearly states that it is highly resilient under any scenario.- The 1.5degC and 4.0degC scenario analysis for each of the main businesses, together with the consideration of non-environmental factors, indicates a high degree of resilience. The establishment of a green strategy promotion structure can be understood through sustainability-related meetings.- The contribution to decarbonization and the linkages to their own business are disclosed clearly throughout. Thedetailed disclosure of decarbonization business opportunities and reduction contributions shows a commitment to contributing to decarbonization through its business. It is also highly commendable that internal carbon pricing enables the company to invest in decarbonization.- Beyond the TCFD framework, high quality disclosures can be identified on climate change and related environmental topics. It can provide investors with clear and understandable information on key points, even though it covers multiple business areas.- All four items of the TCFD, including specific targets, detailed settings and use cases, are commended for their easy-to-understand disclosure to the reader.- Sustainability governance, particularly compensation governance, is highly effective. The company clearly states that it is highly resilient across the value chain through transition planning and scenario analysis. It expresses the size of its contribution potential and business opportunities through, for example, proactive disclosure of reductioncontribution targets and results.- There is a balanced disclosure of the actions that have been taken so far regarding the four TCFD elements 'Governance', 'Strategy', 'Risk Management' and 'Metrics and Targets'. In particular, the disclosure of actual andtargeted reductions in greenhouse gas emissions is easy to understand and highly evaluated.Hitachi began disclosing risks and opportunities related to climate change with Hitachi Sustainability Report 2014. The requirement of the disclosure was highlighted in the TCFD Final Report (TCFD recommendations) released in 2017. In response, Hitachi expressed its support for the TCFD recommendations in 2018 and began enhancing its disclosures based on the TCFD recommendations with Hitachi Sustainability Report 2018. Additionally, since its establishment in2019, Hitachi has been actively involved as a planning committee member in the TCFD Consortium*2.Going forward, Hitachi is committed to pursuing business activities aimed at achieving its Environmental Vision and long-term environmental targets outlined in "Hitachi Environmental Innovation 2050", while also continue to advancethe disclosure of information in a demand of stakeholders.(1) The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures(2) An organization that facilitates discussions on effective corporate information disclosure and aims to link disclosed information with appropriate investment decisions by financial institutions and others.Hitachi Sustainability Report 2023: www.hitachi.com/sustainability/download/Hitachi Integrated Report 2023: www.hitachi.com/IR-e/library/integrated/Hitachi's Sustainability Initiatives: www.hitachi.com/sustainability/Hitachi's Sustainable Procurement: www.hitachi.com/procurement/csr/Hitachi's Environmental Activities: www.hitachi.com/environment/About Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) andproducts. Hitachi operates under the business structure of "Digital Systems & Services" - supporting our customers' digital transformation; "Green Energy & Mobility" - contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and "Connective Industries" - connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2024 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has the second-largest area on the African continent, is located in the central part of the continent with an area of 2,344,458 km. With a rich diversity of vegetation, wildlife, and natural areas, the country also has many underground resources, including oil. Thus, there are large amounts of potassium, iron, and copper deposits, as well as gold, phosphate, magnesium, and bauxite in the country.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is extremely interested in expanding its relations with Azerbaijan, is interested in developing cooperation in the economic field as well as in the political field.

These words were said by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, during his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

We have abundant water sources and the sun that shines all year round. We can use this potential and your great experience in this field for the development of our agriculture, the President of the Republic of the Congo said at a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

During the meeting, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, mutually expressed to his Congolese counterpart that he is interested in the implementation of cooperation between the two countries in the political sphere, as well as in the trade, energy, and agriculture sectors.

I do hope that, as a result of the implementation of the agreements reached, a positive dynamic will emerge in our trade after the visit. We have had a wide exchange of views on cooperation in energy and agriculture, and here too, there is no difference of opinion. We look forward to working together on COP29, the President of Azerbaijan emphasised.

We note with regret that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has long been a victim of French colonisation policy.

For this reason, after the independence of the country, the French language, which was left as a legacy by the colonial state, became the official language of the country.

In addition to French, the constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo states that Lingala and Kituba languages are the languages of national communication within the country.

It should be recalled that on November 21, 2023, when the international conference on "Decolonization: Empowerment and Development of Women" was held in Baku, Azerbaijan voiced the problems of countries suffering from colonialism. At the international conference organized by the Baku Initiative Group, the activities of France were brought to the attention of the world community.

It is no secret that France's ongoing colonial policy not only covers the overseas territories but also extends to Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, and Latin America. France continues to exploit these regions' resources, manipulate their political processes, and maintain military bases, thus hindering their true independence and development. The French armed forces have perpetrated numerous crimes against humanity and have subjected hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians to genocide due to their ethnic and religious affiliation. Millions of people were victims of the French slave policy.

Azerbaijan's support for countries suffering from colonialism is not limited to this. As the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Republic of Azerbaijan actively supports people's fighting against colonialism, which is of particular relevance to humanity, and striving for their freedom.

Azerbaijan is extremely interested in the development of political and economic relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the interests serve the national interests of the two states, and also guarantee the longevity and stability of the future development of the states.
United Airlines jets take off and taxi at San Francisco International Airport in 2020. On Thursday night, a United Airlines aircraft accidentally clipped wings with another plane from the same fleet while attempting to park at SFO. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle 2020

A United Airlines aircraft accidentally clipped wings with another plane from the same fleet while attempting to park at Gate F3 on Thursday night at San Francisco International Airport.

The incident occurred around 10:35 p.m., according to a United spokesperson.

The aircraft involved was UA Flight 2181, an Airbus A319, carrying 105 passengers and a crew of five. The flight was arriving from Reno and continuing to Fort Lauderdale, aviation records show.

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The spokesperson added that despite the collision, no injuries were reported and the passengers disembarked per usual protocol.

Witnesses inside the terminal reported the two planes were momentarily stuck together, unable to move. A team of emergency personnel was required to separate the aircraft, and passengers exiting the plane reported getting thrown around inside the cabin during the incident.

As a result of the emergency response, other flights were delayed to allow the vehicles to clear the gate.

A spokesperson for San Francisco International Airport declined to comment on the collision.

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This incident is the latest in a series of safety-related events involving United Airlines. Over the weekend, a United Airlines flight en route to San Francisco from Frankfurt, Germany, was forced to divert due to an overflow from one of the aircrafts toilets into the cabin.

Last week, a United flight departing from SFO for Paris had to divert just short of the Canadian border to Denver International Airport due to an engine issue. In another incident, a United flight destined for Denver had to return to the gate at San Francisco shortly after takeoff due to a bird strike that damaged the pilots side window.

The incidents have led to increased oversight of the airline from the Federal Aviation Administration.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NetBet Denmark has signed a strategic partnership with the prominent provider Amusnet Gaming Limited, as part of its ongoing mission to enhance the gaming experience for its players in the region.



Recognized for its innovative products in the global gaming market, Amusnet Gaming currently offers a portfolio of 250+ captivating slots, live casino, and engaging table games. Through this partnership, Netbet players in Denmark can now enjoy an array of exciting slot games, including the latest hit, Extra Crown, along with other player favourites, like Shining Crown, 20 Golden Coins, 40 Bulky Fruits and Burning Hot.

Claudia Georgevici, NetBet Denmark's PR Manager added: "At NetBet, we understand the popularity of slots. That's why we're thrilled to be partnering with Amusnet Gaming, a company that has created a wide range of slots for players to enjoy. We believe this will be a positive step forward in our mission to provide our players with an excellent gaming experience, and look forward to our players enjoying these games and adding more on our platform in the near future".

Julia Peeva- Sertov, CEO at Amusnet Gaming shared her enthusiasm, saying, "We are excited to expand our presence in the Nordic market, and partnering with NetBet marks a significant avenue for Amusnet Gaming continued growth. Introducing our leading slots, featuring our distinctive Jackpot Cards Feature, to a broader audience in Denmark through NetBet fills us with anticipation for the promising business outcomes ahead.'

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Kunstliche Intelligenz hat spatestens nach dem Raketenstart von Chat GPT das Leben aller verandert. Doch der Superzyklus steht nach Meinungen von Experten erst am Anfang. Wahrend Aktien wie Nvidia von der ersten Aufwartsentwicklung stark profitieren konnten, versprechen aussichtsreiche Player aus der

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ABU DHABI, UAE, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking place on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week (ADGHW), hosted by the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, J.P. Morgan Asset Management's Life Sciences Private Capital, Blue Horizon Advisors and United AlSaqer Group announce the 11 finalists of the inaugural Life Sciences Innovation Summit 2024 on May 14 - 15, 2024.

The finalists were selected from a pool of exceptional candidates across more than 20 countries and represent a diverse range of companies and research institutions developing innovative therapeutic solutions. Each finalist has demonstrated a commitment to advancing healthcare through creativity and groundbreaking research, with the ultimate goal of addressing unmet patient needs for diseases of prevalence in the Middle East.

Finalists selected to compete in the summit include:

Algen Biotechnologies, Chun-Hao Huang, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO

AnaCardio, Patrik Stromberg, PhD, CEO

Chimera Therapeutics, Matthew Lorence, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO

Harmonic Discovery, Rayees Rahman, PhD, CEO

Lactocore, Anton Malyshev, PhD, Founder & CEO

Medicovestor, Seah Lim, PhD, CEO

Oncoheroes Biosciences, Cesare Spadoni, PhD, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Paradox Immunotherapeutics, Natalie Galant, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO

SaudiVax, Mazen Hassanain, PhD, CEO

Ypsilon Therapeutics, Dongxing Zha, PhD, Founder & CEO

ZTI Biosciences, Jaden Hyungseok Chang, PhD, CEO

Stephen Squinto, PhD, Chief Investment Officer, J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital said: "We are very pleased to be partnering with the stellar leadership of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, Blue Horizon Advisors, United AlSaqer Group, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and other local leaders in launching our inaugural innovation summit."

Nabil Kobeissi, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Horizon Advisors added: "We are grateful to these preeminent scientists and business leaders for coming to Abu Dhabi to experience our growing innovation hub and meet these stellar finalists. With over 150 highly qualified applications submitted from around the globe, clearly the medical research and innovation community is paying attention to this event."

Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, the Executive Director of Research and Innovation Centre at the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) said: "The hosting of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Life Sciences Innovation Summit 2024 on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week reflects the Department's dedication to transforming the regional healthcare ecosystem and accelerating innovation and healthcare outcomes. The Department of Health -

Abu Dhabi takes immense pride in fostering a disruptive environment where bright minds, researchers and innovators can bring forth groundbreaking solutions and treatments that contribute to the health and well-being of community members in Abu Dhabi and beyond. Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week aims to bring together innovators, investors and industry leaders to explore the latest advancements and trends shaping the future of healthcare. Reinforcing Abu Dhabi's position as a leading destination for life sciences and innovation, we look forward with excitement to ADGHW as we are confident it will mark a valuable starting point to a new era of collaboration with leading international partners on the global healthcare stage."

The finalists will be judged by an esteemed panel, which includes:

Laurie Glimcher, MD, President and CEO at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Jorge Guzman, MD, CEO at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Prof. Shahrukh Khurshid Hashmi, Director of Research at Department of Health, Abu Dhabi

David Hung, MD, Founder, President and CEO at Nuvation Bio

Yasmine Hayek Kobeissi, PhD, CQF, BSc., Executive Director at Blue Horizon Advisors

Anya Schiess, Managing Partner at J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital

In addition to the pitch competition, the summit will feature keynote speeches and networking opportunities to provide attendees with investment opportunities and valuable insights into the future of life sciences innovation. Learn more about the finalists and summit here.

ADGHW is a major government initiative from DoH held on 13th-15th May 2024, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council. The event seeks to accelerate collaboration, innovation, and investment, and bring together researchers, policymakers, healthcare specialists, investors, and entrepreneurs across the global healthcare and life-science ecosystem.

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Highlights:

New drill program is now underway at Charger following up on Awale's recent drill intercept of 26 g/t gold over 57m, including 45.7 g/t gold over 32m from 165m downhole

A second rig will soon commence drilling at the BBM Prospect to follow up on its 75m @ 2.4 g/t gold equivalent intercept

gold equivalent Drilling is fully funded by Newmont

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - Awale Resources (TSXV: ARIC) ("Awale" or "the Company"), is pleased to announce the commencement of a 3,000 metre diamond drilling program over the Charger Prospect at the Odienne project. The drilling is planned to follow up to the recently announced 26 g/t gold over 57m, including 45.7 g/t gold over 32m from 165m downhole in OEDD-83 at the Charger Prospect (see Awale news release March 25 2024). Additionally, a 4000m drill program for the BBM discovery (see Awale news releases January 11 2024 and March 18 2024) will commence with a second diamond drill rig in the ensuing weeks.

Andrew Chubb, CEO of Awale Resources, stated today,

"With our two recent discoveries on the Charger and BBM prospects, we thought it's critical to resume drilling without delay and follow up on these exciting discoveries. This next phase of drilling marks another step in Awale's endeavour open a new mining and exploration district in Cote d'Ivoire, the recent results from BBM and Charger underscores our projects potential. We have never doubted the potential of the Odienne district we are excited to launch into this new phase of drilling."

Awale views Odienne as highly prospective for large-scale Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) mineral systems. Awale's exploration approach has now delivered significant discoveries that also include the Empire and Sceptre East with multiple untested pipeline targets that highlight the district scale potential of the project.

About The Charger Prospect

This new intercept of 57m @26 g/t gold in drillhole OED-83 from the recently announced four drillhole program reopens Awale's original interpretation of broader mineralization where the breccia zones may connect at depth which would rapidly increase the volume of the high grade gold mineralization.

The Charger Prospect is a discovery that has delivered multiple high grade significant intercepts in previous drilling which includes the following high grade intercepts in the breccia pipe to the south of that intercepted in OEDD-83 (see Company news releases dated March 29 2023, and August 21 2023):

OERC-132: 32m @ 3.0 g/t Au from 74m downhole. Including 4m @ 12.4 g/t Au from 78m downhole.

OEDD-45 (step back from OERC 132) contains 3 high grade intervals within a 65 m wide zone of mineralization which included 12 m @ 4.9 g/t gold from 89m downhole, 13m at 1.3 g/t gold from 114m downhole and, And 21m @ 1.3 g/t gold from 133m downhole.

Hole OEDD-53 (50m step back from OEDD-45): 32m @ 1.5g/t Au from 215m downhole Including 3m @ 5.2g/t Au from 77m.



Four holes for 699 m were drilled at Charger during this phase, three of these testing a new 3D geologic framework for mineralization at the prospect. Three holes (OEDD-78, OEDD-79 and OEDD-82) did not intercept significant mineralization. However, hole OEDD-83 was specifically targeted to drill through potential mineralization associated with the newly recognized NE structural control. This intercept is 60 m north of the two previously intercepted breccia pipes, and is under the discovery hole (OERC-89) at Charger.

Table 1: Significant Intercepts for the last 4 drill holes at the Charger Prospect

Hole From To Width Au g/t Cu_% Mo_ppm Ag_ppm East North RL Azi Dip Hole Depth (m) OEDD-78 NSV











647,661 1,032,245 477 15 -55 146.1 OEDD-79 NSV











647,641 1,032,480 483 155 -56 182.2 OEDD-82 29 30 1 4.8





647634 1032128 475 195 -56 110.3 and 91 92 1 0.5

















OEDD0083 18 19 1 0.4 0.00 0.2 0.0 647787 1032400 476 193 -57 260.2 and 91 93 2 2.8 0.01 4.0 0.1











and 97 98 1 1.1 0.02 3.8 0.5











and 157 159 2 0.6 0.03 1.5 0.7











and 164 221 57 26.1 0.05 2.3 5.2











Including 165 197 32 45.7 0.08 2.3 8.5











Including 210 219 9 1.6 0.00 2.7 1.4











and 231 239 8 1.0 0.01 2.1 0.7











Including 232 236 4 1.7 0.01 2.3 1.0











and 257 260 3.2 1.3 0.01 3.2 0.2











Including 259 260.2 1.2 3.1 0.01 6.0 0.4













Note: A 0.2 g/t trigger and include internal waste of 3m for delineation mineralized zones. Included intervals are at a 1g/t trigger.

Investors and stakeholders are encouraged to follow Awale Resources' progress through updates on the Company's website.

The Awale-Newmont JV - 'Odienne Project JV'

The Odienne Project JV covers one permit and one application within the greater Odienne Copper-Gold Project in the Northwest of Cote d'Ivoire, and is subject to an earn-in agreement with Newmont Ventures Limited ("Newmont"); see Company News Release dated May 31, 2022) through which Newmont retains the option to earn-in to a minimum of 65% interest, from Awale, in the Odienne Project JV in return for USD 15 million of exploration expenditures. Newmont is funding the exploration program and Awale is managing the Odienne Project JV in the initial three-year phase.

About Awale Resources

Awale is a diligent and systematic mineral exploration company focused on the discovery of large high-grade gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company undertakes exploration activities in the underexplored parts of Cote d'Ivoire. Awale's exploration success to date has culminated in a fully funded earn-in Joint Venture with Newmont covering one permit and one application (the "Odienne Project JV"), where four significant gold and gold-copper-silver-molybdenum discoveries have been made.

The Odienne Project JV is located within Awale's greater Odienne Copper-Gold Project (the "Project") which consists of 2462 km2 of tenure in the Northwest of Cote d'Ivoire. The Newmont JV consists of 400km2 of granted tenure and 400km2 under application, or approximately 1/3 of Awale's total holding in the district. The Company announced 26 g/t gold over 57m, including 45.7 g/t gold over 32m from 165m downhole at the Charger Prospect and the discoveries have significant scope for growth and resource development. The Project has multiple pipeline prospects that have similar geochemical fingerprints to Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and intrusive related mineral systems that offers significant potential for district scale discoveries.

Quality Control and Assurance

Analytical work for drill samples is being carried out at the independent Intertek Laboratories in Ghana and Australia, an ISO 17025 (2017) Certified Laboratory. Samples are stored at the Company's field camps and put into sealed bags until collected by Intertek from the Company's secure Odienne office and transported by Intertek to their preparation laboratory in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire, for preparation. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried, and pulverized to greater than 85%, passing a 75-micron screen. Two pulps are prepared from each sample with one stream to Intertek Ghana for fire assay and a second to Australia where the sample is analysed by 52 element ICP/MS with an Aqua Regia digest. Blanks, duplicates, and certified reference material (standards) are being used to monitor laboratory performance during the analysis. All fire assay samples returning greater than 5 g/t gold are routinely Screen Fire Assayed, in the case of The Charger prospect lower than 5 g/t samples up and down hole from the high grade interval were also subject to Screen Fire Assays.

Mineralized Interval Calculations

Significant intervals reported in this news release are calculated downhole length weighted intercepts. For the Charger Prospect initial mineralized are calculated at a 0.2 g/t trigger and include internal waste of 3m for delineation mineralized zones. Included intervals are at 0.5, 1g/t and 5g/t trigger values with 3m of internal waste only.

Abbreviations Used in This Release

Ag silver Au gold Au Eq. Gold Equivalent Cu copper Cu Eq. Copper Equivalent g/t grams per tonne km kilometres m meters

Qualified Person

The technical and scientific information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr Chubb is the Company's Chief Executive Officer and holds an Economic Geology degree, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) and is a Member of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr Chubb has over 20 years of experience in international mineral exploration and mining project evaluation.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF

AWALE RESOURCES LIMITED

"Andrew Chubb"

Andrew Chubb, CEO For additional information you are invited to visit the Awale Resources Limited website at www.awaleresources.com, or contact Andrew Chubb CEO (+356) 99139117, a.chubb@awaleresources.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively "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. Forward-Looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to statements regarding, the Company's presence in Cote d'Ivoire and ability to achieve results, creation of value for Company shareholders, achievements under the Newmont JV, works on other properties, planned drilling, commencement of operations. Although the Company believes any 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. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-Looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/204457

SOURCE: Awale Resources Ltd.
CHICAGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Digital Printing Packaging Market by Printing Ink (Solvent-Based Ink, UV-Based Ink, Aqueous Ink), Printing Technology, Format( Full Color Printing, Variable Data Printing, Large Format Printing), Packaging Type, End-Use Industry - Global Forecast to 2029", The digital printing packaging market is projected to grow from USD 30.2 billion in 2024 to USD 46.2 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 8.9%.

The digital printing packaging market presents abundant opportunities for growth and innovation, driven by evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and sustainability imperatives. Opportunities abound in leveraging digital printing technology to offer customized and personalized packaging solutions that resonate with target audiences, enhance brand differentiation, and drive consumer engagement. Furthermore, the adoption of digital printing enables packaging manufacturers to streamline production processes, reduce time-to-market, and respond swiftly to changing market dynamics. With increasing emphasis on sustainable practices, there are also opportunities to develop eco-friendly packaging solutions using digital printing technology, aligning with consumer demand for environmentally conscious products. Overall, the digital printing packaging market offers a fertile ground for companies to capitalize on emerging trends, expand market share, and establish themselves as leaders in the dynamic and evolving packaging industry.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Digital Printing Packaging Market"

150 - Tables

50 - Figures

250 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=249244591

By Printing Ink, UV-based is expected to be fastest growing segment during the forecast period

UV-based printing inks offer superior adhesion to a wide range of substrates, including paper, plastic, and metal, ensuring excellent print quality and durability. This versatility enables packaging manufacturers to produce vibrant and high-definition graphics on various packaging materials, enhancing the visual appeal of products on the retail shelf and effectively communicating brand messaging to consumers.

By Printing Technology, Inkjet printing is expected to be fastest-growing segment during the forecast period

One of the key drivers of the rapid growth of inkjet printing in the packaging industry is its ability to handle short print runs and variable data printing efficiently. This capability is essential for meeting the increasing demand for personalized packaging solutions and targeted marketing campaigns, allowing brands to engage with consumers on a more intimate level and drive brand loyalty.

The Variable data printing is expected to experience significant growth during the forecast period.

Variable data printing (VDP) provides packaging manufacturers with greater flexibility and efficiency in managing inventory and production. With traditional printing methods, producing multiple versions of packaging designs for different product variants or regional markets can be time-consuming and costly. However, VDP streamlines this process by allowing for on-demand printing of variable elements, reducing waste and storage requirements while ensuring timely delivery of customized packaging solutions.

By Packaging Type, Labels is expected to experience significant growth during the forecast period.

labels offer brands the opportunity to leverage innovative printing techniques and finishes to create eye-catching designs that stand out on the retail shelf. Digital printing allows for the incorporation of vibrant colors, intricate details, and special effects such as embossing, foiling, and textured finishes, enhancing the visual appeal of labels and elevating brand perception.

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The Pharmaceuticals and healthcare is expected to experience significant growth during the forecast period.

One of the key drivers behind the rapid growth of digital printing packaging in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is the emphasis on patient-centric care and medication adherence. By leveraging digital printing technology, pharmaceutical companies can create packaging designs that facilitate better patient understanding of medication usage, reduce the risk of dosage errors, and improve overall medication adherence rates. This personalized approach to packaging not only enhances patient safety but also strengthens brand loyalty and trust.

Asia Pacific is the largest market during the forecast period.

The Asia Pacific region is witnessing significant investments in infrastructure and technological advancements, further driving the growth of the digital printing packaging market. Governments and industry players are increasingly investing in modern printing facilities, digital printing equipment, and research and development initiatives to enhance printing capabilities, improve print quality, and reduce production costs, thereby boosting the adoption of digital printing technology in the packaging industry.

Key Players

The leading players in the digital printing packaging market are DS Smith Plc (UK), Smurfit Kappa Group (Ireland), CCL Industries, Inc. (Canada), Quad/Graphics, Inc. (US), Printpack Inc. (US), Huhtamaki Oyj (Finland), Constantia Flexibles (Austria), THIMM Holding GmbH (Germany), Epac Holdings, LLC (US), Amcor plc (Switzerland), Sonoco Products Company (US), Berry Global Group, Inc. (US), ACME Printing (US), WestRock Company (US), Stora Enso Oyj (Finland), Elanders AB (Sweden).

Browse Adjacent Market: Packaging Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Printing Ink Market - Global Forecast to 2028

Flexible Plastic Packaging Market - Global Forecast to 2030

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CHICAGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 3D printed satellite market is projected to grow from USD 112 million in 2024 to USD 487 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 27.7% from 2024 to 2030 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The market has been segmented by satellite mass, components, application, manufacturing technique, and region. The 3D printing satellites market is primarily driven by factors such as ease in the development of customized products and reduction in manufacturing costs and process downtime. The key players in this market include Maxar Space Systems (US), Boeing (US), 3D Systems (US), Northrop Grumman Corporation (US), and Fleet Space Technologies Pty Ltd (Australia). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World.

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3D Printed Satellite Market Report Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $ 112 million Estimated Value by 2030 $ 487 million Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 27.7% Market Size Available for 2021-2030 Forecast Period 2024-2030 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Component, Satellite Mass, Application and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World Key Market Challenge Ensuring Product Quality Key Market Opportunities Rapid Advancements In Printing Technologies Key Market Drivers Reduction In Manufacturing Cost and Process Downtime

Based on Application, the communication segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on application, the 3D Printed Satellite Market has been segmented into technology development, communication, navigation, and Earth Observation & Remote Sensing. The communication segment is expected to lead the market during the forecast period. This is driven by the increasing adoption of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites in modern communication technologies. The emergence of wireless satellite internet and the development of miniature hardware systems are creating numerous opportunities in satellite-enabled communication. A surge in research and development activities focused on communication-related missions is expected to lead to the development of advanced communication systems, leveraging highly sophisticated miniaturized onboard nano, micro, and mini subsystems, along with advanced ground-station technology.

Based on components, the brackets segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on the components, the 3D Printed Satellite Market has been classified into antenna, bracket, shield, housing, and propulsion. The bracket segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is due to 3D printing allowing for the creation of custom brackets with intricate designs that perfectly fit specific components and optimize space utilization. This is particularly valuable in mini and nano satellites with limited space.

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The North America region is projected to be a high growth potential market during the forecast period.

The 3D Printed Satellite Industry is poised for significant growth, with North America projected to emerge as the region with the high potential for expansion. In North America, government support results in technological innovation and market viability. Government initiatives, particularly in funding, research grants, and strategic partnerships, are backed by agencies such as NASA and DARPA. This plays an instrumental role in expediting the development and deployment of 3D printing technologies.

Major space 3D Printed Satellite companies such as Northrop Grumman (US), Boeing (US) and Maxar Space Systems (US) are actively involved in developing 3D printing technologies, contributing to innovation and infrastructure development that will support the market growth in this region. The US government, through agencies such as NASA, is investing in R&D of 3D printing technologies. This provides funding and technical expertise to move the technology forward.

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 1, the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation donated $1.5 million to help the victims of severe flooding across 12 regions of Kazakhstan.

The snowmelt floods, caused by abrupt and unexpected warm weather, have affected thousands of people. At least 19,000 people, including more than 8,000 children, have been rescued and evacuated, while residential and commercial buildings, as well as roads and bridges, have been destroyed. Emergency rescue operations continue in the Aktobe, Akmola, Pavlodar and West Kazakhstan regions, which have suffered significant damage.

"Today, like millions of our fellow citizens, we empathize deeply with those people whose lives have been devastated in the flood-affected regions. We hope that these funds will enable them to purchase basic necessities and provide vital support during these challenging times", said Marat Aitmagambetov, Director of the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation.

The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation provides humanitarian assistance to Kazakhstanis affected by natural and man-made disasters, and since 2018, in conjunction with the Red Crescent and ForteBank, has provided targeted financial support to victims of flooding.

Over 6 years, the Foundation's Aid Card project in particular, has provided financial aid to people in areas affected by disasters including floods, fires, and dam failure, and more than 16,000 Kazakhstani people have received targeted financial support. In total, the Aid Card project has provided $2.6 million in financial assistance.

Since the Foundation's inception, Kazakhstan has experienced numerous natural disasters, and the Foundation recognizes the importance of forming partnerships with other organizations to address them. The Foundation remains focused on allocating funds to those most in-need and is well-positioned to continue supporting the people of Kazakhstan.

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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / CCS Inc. stands out as the industry leader in the realm of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), particularly in catering to care-giving businesses such as assisted living, senior living, rehab homes, and other similar facilities. Under the guidance of Danny Yamnitski, CCS empowers business owners to maximize their potential by expanding their operations without the need to purchase new properties. Instead, they achieve this through strategic methods like building ADUs, converting garages, splitting lots, leveraging SB9 and SB10 legislation, and employing other innovative techniques.

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Yamnitski's approach, which revolutionizes the industry, is rooted in saving business owners approximately 80% of their investment costs. This remarkable achievement is made possible by expanding their businesses on existing lots, thus obtaining the same space and room count by adding more units. According to Yamnitski, a significant portion of any investment in real estate, around 80%, is tied up in the cost of the lot itself. By focusing on developing more units on the same lot, there's no necessity to acquire new properties, leading to substantial savings for facility owners.

The advantages of this approach are manifold. Facility owners save on the hefty expense of purchasing new properties, optimize their existing staff to care for more patients in the same facility, reduce overhead costs related to employee management and travel, and simplify operations overall. CCS offers a comprehensive service package that encompasses handling paperwork, bureaucratic processes, navigating regulations with municipalities, and ensuring approval for plans. This includes providing top-tier services in architectural planning, engineering, surveying, Title 24 compliance, permit expediting, and obtaining approval from relevant authorities.

The construction phase is also meticulously managed by CCS, ensuring that the existing structure remains intact during the expansion process, thereby avoiding disruptions to patient care and income streams. The company sees projects through to completion, obtaining the necessary certificates of occupancy for newly constructed units.

The ultimate outcome of partnering with CCS and utilizing Yamnitski's expertise is a significant increase in income through the addition of more units and the ability to serve more patients, all without the financial burden of purchasing new properties. It's a win-win situation for facility owners who can maintain their existing property, staff, and income while expanding their business operations efficiently and economically.

Contact Information:

Danny Yamnistki

Owner

info@constructioncompliancemd.com

3054193387

info@laccsinc.com

3234058909

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SOURCE: CCS Inc.

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - IAMGOLD Corporation (NYSE: IAG) (TSX: IMG) ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it plans to release its first quarter 2024 operating and financial results after market hours on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Senior management will host a conference call to discuss the operating performance and financial results on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time).

Listeners may access the conference call via webcast from the events section of the Company's website at www.iamgold.com (webcast link below), or through the following options:

Pre-register via: Chorus Call IAMGOLD Q1 2024 Registration (recommended) - Upon registering, you will receive a calendar booking by email with dial-in details and unique PIN. This process will bypass the operator and avoid the queue.

Toll free (North America): 1 (844) 763-8274

International: +1 (647) 484-8814

Webcast: https://services.choruscall.ca/links/iamgold2024q1.html

An online archive of the webcast will be available by accessing the Company's website at www.iamgold.com. A telephone replay will be available for one month following the call by dialing toll free 1 (855) 669-9658 within North America or +1 (604) 674-8052 from international locations and entering the passcode: 0811.

About IAMGOLD

IAMGOLD is an intermediate gold producer and developer based in Canada with operating mines in North America and West Africa. The Company has commenced production at the large-scale, long life Cote Gold Mine in partnership with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd., which is expected to be among the largest gold mines in Canada. In addition, the Company has an established portfolio of early stage and advanced exploration projects within high potential mining districts. IAMGOLD employs approximately 3,600 people and is committed to maintaining its culture of accountable mining through high standards of Environmental, Social and Governance practices, including its commitment to Zero Harm, in every aspect of its business. IAMGOLD is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: IAG) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: IMG) and is one of the companies on the Jantzi Social Index, a socially screened market capitalization-weighted consisting of companies which pass a set of broadly based environmental, social and governance rating criteria.

IAMGOLD Contact Information

Graeme Jennings, Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: 416 360 4743 | Mobile: 416 388 6883

Toll-free: 1 888 464 9999

info@iamgold.com

All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at http://www.sedarplus.ca or at www.sec.gov.

Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/204415

SOURCE: IAMGOLD Corporation
Jack Lee joined The San Francisco Chronicle's Weather Science team in 2022 as a data reporter.

He has written for a variety of science journalism outlets, covering everything from COVID-19 to songbirds to extreme weather events. Most recently, he has been writing about cancer prevention and early detection for the National Cancer Institute.

Before coming to science writing and journalism, Lee earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Princeton University and then worked as a data engineer for several years in the Bay Area. He obtained a masters in science communication from UC Santa Cruz in 2020.
Soledad Project Highlights Include:

Commenced fully-funded 3,000 m drill program on April 5, 2024.

Drilling is focused on the southern half of the Soledad project in a new permit area.

Drilling currently testing the Estremadoyro tourmaline breccia pipe.

Immediate follow-on drilling will test the bulk-tonnage Mega-Gold copper-gold porphyry target and the La Joya high-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver zone.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (OTCQB: CHKKF) (FSE: 1ZX) (the "Company" or "Chakana"), is pleased to announce that it has initiated a fully-funded 3,000m drill program at its Soledad project in the Ancash province of Peru within the Miocene mineral belt.

"We are pleased to announce the start of our 3,000 m fully funded drill program to test three high priority targets on the south half of the Soledad project where an expanded drill permit was granted in 2023. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to drill on the south side of the Soledad project where we believe the intrusive center responsible for the district zonation we see is located. There are numerous additional mineralized tourmaline breccias on the south side, but for the first time we will be testing two bulk-tonnage targets - the giant Mega-Gold porphyry target, and further south the La Joya high-sulfidation epithermal zone with preserved advanced argillic alteration and strong silver-gold mineralization at surface. We are working with AK Drilling who has undertaken all of the 62,000-plus metres of drilling for us dating back to 2017, so we expect this program to be efficient and safe," stated President and CEO David Kelley.

Drilling Program

Detailed information about the targets being tested in this drill program can be found in our previous news release on February 29, 2024. Drilling will be done with a Duralite T800N drill rig with HQ diameter (6.35 cm/2.5 in.) depth capacity to 500m and NQ diameter (4.76 cm/1.875 in.) core beyond that as warranted. The Duralite drill rig has a smaller-sized platform requirement minimizing surface disturbance and the cost to construct and rehabilitate. Core will be logged, photographed, cut, and sampled at site in a secure logging facility before batches of samples are transported to ALS in Lima, Peru for assaying.

About Chakana Copper

Chakana Copper Corp is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project is notable for the high-grade copper-gold-silver mineralization that is hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes. An initial mineral resource estimate for seven breccia pipes was announced in Q1 2022 (see news release dated February 23, 2022), with an Inferred Resource of 4.8 million tonnes grading 0.72 g/t gold, 61 g/t silver and 0.97% copper assumed to be extractable by underground mining methods, plus an additional Inferred Resource of 1.9 million tonnes grading 1.29 g/t gold, 37.1 g/t silver and 0.65% copper assumed to be extractable by open pit mining methods. The total initial Inferred Resource contains 191,000 ounces of gold, 11.7 million ounces of silver, and 130 million pounds of copper.

In addition, extensive multidisciplinary exploration has defined 154 exploration targets, 28 of which have been tested to date (18%), confirming that Soledad is a large, well-endowed mineral system with strong exploration upside. Chakana's investors are well positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure to copper and precious metals. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com.

Results of an initial inferred mineral resource estimate and additional information concerning the Project, including a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, are available on Chakana's profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person

David Kelley, an officer, and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed) "David Kelley"

David Kelley

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Investor Relations: Info

Email: info@chakanacopper.com

Telephone: 720-233-2166

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statement Advisory: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the "Project"), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/204445

SOURCE: Chakana Copper Corp.
VANCOUVER, BC and KIBBUTZ YIFAT, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Beyond Oil Ltd. (CSE:BOIL)(OTCQB:BEOLF) ("Beyond Oil" or the "Company"), a food-tech innovation company extending the life of frying oil, reducing costs, waste and health risks, will host its Annual General & Special Meeting ("AGSM") on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The AGSM will be held at the offices of Endeavor Trust Corporation, Suite 1150 - 777 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC, and virtually via Zoom, commencing at 8:00 a.m. (PST).

The meeting materials for the AGSM are now available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

About Beyond Oil Ltd.

Beyond Oil is an innovative food-tech company dedicated to transforming the way we consume and produce food. We provide sustainable solutions for the food industry, prioritizing environmental protection and the well-being of its workers and customers. Our innovative solutions help reduce costs for our partners and clients while ensuring responsible and eco-friendly practices. We are committed to environmental responsibility, minimizing the carbon footprint of the food industry on our planet. By implementing cutting-edge techniques, we deliver a healthier final product by reducing the formation of carcinogenic substances in fried food. Our vision is to create a more sustainable future where food safety, cost efficiency, and environmental consciousness come together seamlessly. For more information, visit our website at: www.beyondoil.co.

Contacts

Denise Pilla

Corporate Secretary

denise@vancouvercorporate.ca

Caroline Sawamoto

Investor Relations

1-647-691-9801

ir@beyondoil.co

Forward Looking Statement and Information

The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Company and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the 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 press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon management's current expectations, beliefs and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. Such expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith. However, there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. In addition, we cannot assure that any patent will be issued as a result of a pending patent application or, if issued, whether it will be issued in a form that will be advantageous to us. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company's reports filed from time to time at sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, subsequent events or circumstances, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. The Company is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites.

SOURCE: Beyond Oil Ltd.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - European Energy Metals (TSXV: FIN) (FSE: W28) ("European Energy Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an amended agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with Capella Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: CMIL) ("Capella") to now acquire a 100% interest in the lithium Finnish Pegmatite Project (the "Project"). Whereas the Project was currently subject to a two stage 51/80% earn-in agreement (the "Earn-In Agreement") between the Company and Capella, the Purchase Agreement replaces the Earn-In Agreement in its entirety, and, upon completion of the transaction, the Company will hold a 100% interest in the project with no further commitments due to Capella.

Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, upon closing, the Company has agreed to pay Capella $250,000 in cash and issue 1,100,000 common shares of the Company (the "Consideration Shares"). Capella will also receive a 2% net smelter royalty on the Project, half of which may be repurchased by the Company at any time in exchange for the payment of 1,000,000 Euro. The Consideration Shares will be subject to a statutory four month hold period as well as contractual restrictions on resale. Completion of the transaction remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Jeremy Poirier, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased to obtain 100% ownership and control of the project. We believe this will provide a faster and clearer pathway to advance our exploration efforts on the ground and unlock the project's potential. It provides the company with further financial flexibility and eliminates the remaining work commitment and allows the company to save on both cash and share payments from the existing earn in."

The Project covers approximately 2,500 km2 within geological terrane that hosts numerous spodumene pegmatite prospects and deposits and is at the center of the development of a 700 million Euro hard rock lithium supply chain complex by Keliber Oy and its parent Sibanye-Stillwater Inc. The company's recently granted Nabba Exploration Licences occur less than 10 km from Keliber's Spodumene Concentrator Plant. The 2023 inaugural exploration season saw the discovery of multiple occurrences of lithium bearing spodumene pegmatite mineralization. The highlight was the discovery of the Kyrola Prospect, a 350m long by 110m wide spodumene-bearing boulder field, where 49 rock chip grab samples assayed from 3.84% Li2O to 0.003% Li2O, with 15 of the 49 samples returning grades in excess of 0.50% Li2O (Li2O = lithium oxide). The extent of the boulder field is constrained only by low-lying overburden covered areas and farm fields. The mean assay of these samples was 0.53% Li2O. Fifteen samples assayed greater than 0.50% Li2O, eleven assayed greater than 1.00% Li2O, 4 assayed greater than 2.00% Li2O and 1 assayed greater than 3.00% Li2O. It is interpreted that based on glacial history of the area the boulders have only been transported 300-500 m from source.

Figure 1



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The Company also announces that Joel Leonard has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company. Joel will replace Julia Stone, the former Chief Financial Officer, and Yulia McCutcheon, the former Corporate Secretary, who have resigned.

Joel is the owner of JCL Partners Chartered Professional Accountants and is a seasoned finance executive with a comprehensive background in the financial leadership of companies listed on various public exchanges, including the TSX, TSX-V, and CSE. Joel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Thompson Rivers University and is designated as a Chartered Professional Accountant in the Province of B.C. As he steps into his new role with the Company, he looks forward to leveraging his experience and insights to contribute to the Company's financial health and strategic objectives.

The Company would like to extend a sincere thanks to Julia Stone and Yulia McCutcheon for their leadership and support and wish them the best in their future endeavours.

QA/QC Statement

Samples were submitted to ALS Laboratories in Sodankyla Finland. ALS inserted internal standards, blanks and pulp duplicates within each sample batch as part of their own internal monitoring of quality control protocols. European Energy Metals monitors precision and bias performance by inserting certified lithium standards (OREAS 750 and OREAS 753) as well as blanks into each batch submitted to ALS at a rate of 1:25.

The major element oxides and trace elements including Li, Cs, Ta and Be were analysed by ALS analytical package ME-MS89L + B-MS89L involving digestion by Na2O2 fusion followed by ALS's super trace ICP-MS methodology. QAQC results to date do not indicate any analytical accuracy issues with all standards returning values Li values within 3 standard deviations of their certified mean and blanks returning expected values.

Mike Basha, P.Eng., P.Geo. (NL), VP Exploration of European Energy Metals Corp., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has compiled the results discussed herein.

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's concessions are located within 15 kms of the Keliber mine and production complex, currently under construction and expected to begin production in H2 2025. The Company cautions the presence of lithium mineralization on Keliber's properties is not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization on the Company's mineral reservations.

An estimated 700 million investment by Keliber's parent company Sibanye-Stillwater Limited (NYSE: SBSW) in partnership with the Finnish Minerals Group (www.mineralsgroup.fi) is underway in the Kautinen Region and will see the development of open-pit and underground mining from several deposits, construction of a central spodumene concentrator plant and a lithium hydroxide chemical plant at tidewater in Kokkola. When completed, this complex will comprise a complete hard-rock spodumene pegmatite lithium supply chain (source: www.sibanyestillwater.com).

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 completion of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the presence of lithium mineralization at, and the exploration and development potential of, the Finland Pegmatite Project as well as the timing of any future exploration at 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 failure of the Company to obtain approval of the TSX Venture Exchange for the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, 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/204317

SOURCE: European Energy Metals Corp.
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (TSXV: GMG) (OTCQX: GMGMF) ("GMG" or the "Company") is pleased to advise that Joshua George has been appointed Chief Financial and Commercial Officer (CFCO) effective 8th April 2024. The Company would like to thank Brandon Leong for his service who has been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since October 2023.

Josh's combined Chief Financial and Commercial Officer role will draw on 30 years of commercial and financial leadership roles, including General Manager Commercial for Arrow Energy (a natural gas and energy joint venture between Shell and PetroChina) where he led the development and implementation of Arrow's Corporate Strategy and deals including the largest East Coast of Australia natural gas deal of AU$ 10 billion over 27 years; divestment of various assets; and development from scratch of a successful energy markets team trading gas and electricity into the Australian electricity and commercial gas markets. Josh was at Arrow Energy for 17 years from its very early venture days, prior to which he worked at Tarong Energy (now Stanwell Corporation - one of the largest power generators in Australia), Santos, Amcor and as a Senior Auditor for KPMG. Josh is a Chartered Accountant, has a Masters of Business Administration from Queensland University of Technology, a Bachelor of Business from the University of Tasmania and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

GMG's CEO Craig Nicol stated, "I'm looking forward to working with Josh again in the commercial, finance and capital markets areas of the Company to develop GMG into a global commercial operation of selling energy and energy storage products with graphene manufactured from natural gas. I know his leadership work in successfully delivering commercial deals and very large multi-billion dollar transactions will support the progress of the Company through a range of planned near term milestones including ramping up global Thermal XR and G Lubricant sales and progressing through to investment for our automated battery pilot plant and modular graphene manufacturing plant phase 2.0."

GMG's Chairman and Non-Executive Director, Jack Perkowski, commented, "I warmly welcome Josh to the team as Chief Financial and Commercial Officer at an important time as the Company transitions to a commercial operation and focuses on sales of its Energy Savings Products, progressing its Battery and Graphene plants and to developing the U.S. market for funding its development and growth initiatives. I look forward to working with Josh."

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").

GMG's 4 critical business objectives remain to:

Produce Graphene and improve/scale the production process Build Revenue from Energy Savings Products Develop Next-Generation Battery Develop Supply Chain, Partners & Project Execution Capability

For further information please contact:

Craig Nicol, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of the Company at craig.nicol@graphenemg.com, +61 415 445 223

Leo Karabelas at Focus Communications Investor Relations, leo@fcir.ca, +1 647 689 6041

www.graphenemg.com

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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. Leong will be leaving the Company, the effective date on which Mr. George will become the Chief Financial and Commercial Officer (CFCO), the contributions Mr. George will make to the company in his capacity as CFCO, the duration of Mr. George's service as CFCO, the maturation of the Company through a range of near milestones including ramping up global Thermal XR and G Lubricant sales and progressing through to investment for our automated battery pilot plant and modular graphene manufacturing plant phase 2.0.

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 relating to the effective date on which Mr. Leong will be leaving the Company, the effective date Mr. George will become the CFCO, Mr. George's contributions as CFCO differing from management's current expectations, the Company not maturing into through a range of near milestones if at all, including ramping up global Thermal XR and G Lubricant sales and progressing through to investment for our automated battery pilot plant and modular graphene manufacturing plant phase 2.0 the Company failing to achieve its planned milestones around the timelines contemplated, if at all including ramping up global Thermal XR and G Lubricant sales and progressing through to investment for our automated battery pilot plant and modular graphene manufacturing plant phase 2.0.

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. Leong will be leaving the Company, the effective date Mr. George will become the CFCO, the positive impact that Mr. George, as the CFCO, will have on the Company's development, the Company growing sales and developing the battery, the timing and content of milestones around the Company's new battery pilot plant and phase 2.0 of the modular graphene manufacturing plant.

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/204459

SOURCE: Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd.
Strategic collaboration will strengthen Spain's open and ethical AI initiatives to stimulate economic and technical efforts

MADRID, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, and the Senior Vice President of IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Director of IBM Research, Dario Gil, met this afternoon at the Moncloa Complex, where they celebrated the new agreement reached between the Executive and IBM that will allow the development of foundational models for Artificial Intelligence, native in Spanish and co-official languages. During the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Jose Luis Escriva; the director of the Office of Economic Affairs of the Presidency of the Government, Manuel de la Rocha, and the president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, Horacio Morell, they shared challenges and initiatives that are opening up in the field of artificial intelligence and supercomputing.

Afterwards, the Government of Spain, through its Ministry for Digital Transformation, the Civil Service, and IBM today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote their collaboration in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI supercomputing, advance the development and practical deployment of open, ethical and responsible generative AI in Spain, and sharing the vision to create a leading suite of foundation models including both large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs), proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages.

During the meeting at La Moncloa, the President stressed that agreements such as this one demonstrate Spain's commitment to accelerate the ethical and responsible use of AI, particularly in the public sector, with great impact on productivity for many sectors of the economy and on Europe's strategic autonomy.

The document was signed today in Madrid by Dario Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, and Jose Luis Escriva, Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service of the Government of Spain. Tapping into IBM's open-source AI framework, communities will be able to shape and contribute to the Spanish LLM, that will also include co-official languages (Catalan, Basque, Galician and Valencian) increasing innovation, transparency and safety while ensuring a more cost-efficient yet technologically competitive position in the market. The collaboration also reflects the intention to develop AI-enhanced techniques to accelerate the discovery, development, and validation of new materials to increase the sustainability of the semiconductors value chain.

"AI positions us at the threshold of a new industrial revolution, with a very significant potential impact in terms of productivity gains for a large number of economic sectors and in providing better public services to our citizens," said the minister Jose Luis Escriva. "The Government of Spain is promoting a useful and ethical development of the opportunities offered by this technology. IBM, with its experience, knowledge, and resources, is an excellent partner to accompany us in our vision."

"IBM shares this bold vision to accelerate the Government of Spain's AI strategy and to be the national AI partner for Spain," said Dario Gil, IBM SVP and Director of IBM Research. "We will leverage IBM's deep investments across the entire AI stack, from compute to models, we will enable an open community to drive the full potential of AI technologies. Together, we will work to foster the responsible use of AI to drive sustainable growth in Spain, and all Spanish speaking countries worldwide."

Spanish is the second leading spoken language in the world (6.2% of the world's population1). One of the priority areas under this MoU is to collaborate in a leading suite of foundation models, including both large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs), proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages. Creating models that are entirely designed in Spanish will enhance AI sustainability by reducing biases and providing competitive alternatives for the Spanish industry. These models will be refined using advanced tuning and alignment techniques, encompassing innovative methods that facilitate direct community enhancements and foster an ecosystem of AI creators and builders, utilizing assets developed through this collaboration.

Recent advances in generative AI and AI supercomputing hold tremendous promise for governments and economies who can realize the productivity gains enabled by these technologies. With this collaboration, the Government of Spain is taking decisive action to seize this opportunity with timely and transformative commitments to invest in the AI revolution.

The coordination within the government institutions in this field will facilitate both widespread use of AI across national, regional, and local economies, as well as the timely and sufficient resources needed to build competitive advantages within a rapidly evolving AI-driven commercial landscape. This includes investment in human capital (upskilling and tooling) and community-driven adoption of AI to ensure that the productivity benefits and economic gains can positively impact across the economy of Spain, from small-medium sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises and the public sector.

Taking this into account, the Memorandum of Understanding is based on five principles;

Promote the development of a suite of foundation models, including both large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs), proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages. Collaborate on the research and development of a full stack generative AI platform, including software built on open-source frameworks and tools as well as infrastructure enabling hardware diversity. Promote national and regional AI strategies through a cooperative approach that promotes a responsible use of the foundation models and the associated generative AI platform. This collaborative effort aims to benefit the public sector and SMEs throughout Spain. Foster an ecosystem of AI creators and builders, utilizing assets developed through this collaboration, to establish Spain as a global leader in AI. Develop AI-enhanced techniques to accelerate the discovery, development, and validation of new materials to advance the sustainability of the semiconductor industry value chain.

An additional priority described under this memorandum is to collaborate on the research and development of AI technology for supercomputing applications.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media Contacts:

Brittany Forgione

Director, Marketing & Communications

IBM Research

Brittany.Forgione@ibm.com

Miguel Gimenez de Castro

Communications Leader

IBM Spain, Portugal Greece & Israel

Miguel.gimenezdc@ibm.com

References:

1https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/Comunicacion/Noticias/Paginas/Noticias/20231030_MINISTERIO06.aspx

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380109/FCR_1597.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380108/FCR_1583.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2319830/IBM_LOGO_1.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ibm-and-the-government-of-spain-collaborate-to-advance-national-ai-strategy-and-build-the-worlds-leading-spanish-language-ai-models-302109294.html
MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / WLD WTR, a pioneering brand in the hemp-derived THC beverage market, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its product distribution to Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. This strategic move marks a significant milestone in WLD WTR's mission to offer innovative and high-quality THC-infused beverages to a wider audience.

"Our expansion into these states is a testament to the growing demand for hemp-derived THC products and our commitment to meeting the needs of our consumers," said Cameron Merritt, co-founder. "We're excited to bring our unique and refreshing beverages to new markets and to be at the forefront of this rapidly evolving industry. We've been self-distributing to the Iowa market for the last 6-months to select accounts and have taken it as far as we can on our own."

WLD WTR's range of hemp-derived THC beverages is known for their exceptional taste, quality, and consistent dosing. Crafted with carefully sourced ingredients, these beverages offer a unique experience for both new and seasoned THC consumers. The product line includes a variety of flavors, each designed to provide a relaxing and enjoyable experience that combines the natural benefits of hemp with a delightful taste, providing consumers with a sophisticated and enjoyable low sugar and low carb alternative. The product is meticulously formulated to meet the highest standards of quality and consistency, ensuring a premium experience with every sip.

WLD WTR Apex: 10mg hemp-derived THC

WLD WTR Serenity: 10mg hemp-derived THC + 40mg CBD

WLD WTR Sota Pop: 25mg hemp-derived THC

WLD WTR Revival: 10mg hemp-derived THC + 80mg green caffeine

WLD WTR Infusions: 5mg hemp-derived THC

WLD WTR Clear: 10mg hemp-derived THC

The expansion into Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota is part of WLD WTR's strategic plan to increase its footprint across the United States. The company is dedicated to providing safe, reliable, and enjoyable THC-infused products, while adhering to all state and federal regulations.

WLD WTR products are available in select retail locations in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota now. Consumers are encouraged to visit the WLD WTR website for more information on product availability and retail locations. We invite consumers and retailers in these states to experience the next level of THC-infused beverages.

"We're proud to be beverage leaders in the hemp-derived THC beverage market and are committed to continuing our innovation to meet the diverse preferences of our customers," added Jason Sandquist, co-founder. "Our expansion into these states is just the beginning of our journey to bring WLD WTR to consumers nationwide."

For more information about WLD WTR and its products, please visit wldwtr.com or follow us on social media at Instagram, Facebook or X.

Contact Information

Jason Sandquist

co-founder / President

jason@wildmindales.com

6122861777

SOURCE: Wild Mind Ales

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Bioretec Ltd Company announcement 5 April 2024 at 3:00 p.m. EET

TAMPERE, Finland, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Bioretec Ltd are hereby invited to the Annual General Meeting to be held on 26 April 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (Finnish time) at Bioretec premises in the auditorium of Tampark, at the address Yrittajankulma 5, FI-33710 Tampere, Finland.

A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise their rights at the meeting by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative shall present a dated power of attorney or, in another reliable manner, demonstrate their right to represent the shareholder. A proxy template is enclosed in A ppendix 1 to this Notice.

Shareholders wishing to participate in the meeting must register for the meeting no later than on 16 April 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time). Instructions for registration are set out below in section C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

A.Agenda of the Annual General Meeting

The items on the agenda for the General Meeting are the following:

Opening of the meeting Calling the meeting to order Election of persons to scrutinize the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes Recording the legality of the meeting Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes Presentation of the financial statements, consolidated financial statements, and the report of the Board of Directors for the financial period 1 January - 31 December 2023 and the CEO's review for the period. Presentation of the auditor's report Approval of the financial statements, including the consolidated financial statements Treatment of profit or loss The Board of Directors of the company proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to credit the loss of EUR 3,721,314.67 for the financial period from 1 January to 31 December 2023 to the equity as profit/loss from preceding financial periods and that no dividend shall be distributed. Resolution on the discharge from liability of the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO for the financial period 1 January - 31 December 2023 Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and the auditor Four shareholders of the company, representing in total more than 21 % of all shares and votes represented by the shares, jointly propose to the Annual General Meeting that the following remuneration will be paid to the members of the Board of Directors to be elected for the term beginning at the end of the Annual General Meeting and ending at the end of the 2025 Annual General Meeting EUR 10,000 per month for the Chair of the Board of Directors. The Chair will participate in the operative management of the company in the upcoming term; and EUR 1,500 per month for the members of the Board of Directors.



In addition, the shareholders in question propose that the reasonable travel expenses of the members of the Board of Directors shall be reimbursed in accordance with the maximum amount of the respective travel allowance base approved by the Tax Administration.



Notwithstanding his possible election to the Board of Directors, the company may enter into a consultancy agreement with Valugen GmbH in respect of the services of Michael Piccirillo in connection with establishing a scientific advisory board, to create key opinion leader connections. The consulting fee payable pursuant to such agreement shall not exceed EUR 3,000 per month



The Board of Directors of the company proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the auditor will be compensated as reasonably invoiced.

Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors According to the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors consists of a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of seven (7) members. The current number of board members is five. Four shareholders of the company, representing in total more than 21% of all shares and votes represented by the shares, jointly propose to the Annual General Meeting that five (5) ordinary members be elected to the Board of Directors.

Election of members of the Board of Directors Four shareholders of the company, representing in total more than 21% of all shares and votes represented by the shares, jointly propose to the Annual General Meeting that Tomi Numminen, Michael Piccirillo, Sarah van Hellenberg Hubar-Fisher, Paivi Malinen and Kustaa Poutiainen are re-elected as members of the Board of Directors for a term starting at the end of the Annual General Meeting and expiring at the conclusion of the 2025 Annual General Meeting.



Pekka Simula has informed that he is not available for re-election to the Bioretec Board of Directors.



The afore-mentioned shareholders propose that the Annual General Meeting resolve on the proposal regarding election of members of the Board of Directors as a whole. All nominees have given their consent for election.

Election of auditors Four shareholders of the company, representing more than 21% of all shares and votes represented by the shares, propose to the Annual General Meeting that the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy would be elected as the auditor of the company until the conclusion of the 2025 Annual General Meeting. The auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has notified the company that it will appoint Kalle Laaksonen, Authorized Public Accountant, as the responsible auditor. Authorization of the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares



The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorizes the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares, as well as the issuance of option rights and other special rights entitling to shares pursuant to Chapter 10 of the Finnish Companies Act, as follows:



Pursuant to the authorization, up to 3,000,000 shares (including new shares to be issued based on the special rights) may be issued, which on the date of this notice corresponds approximately to 15% of all the shares in the company.



Shares or special rights entitling to shares may be issued in one or more tranches, either with or without payment. The shares issued pursuant to the authorization may be new shares or shares in the company's possession.



The authorization may be used for financing or execution of acquisitions or other business arrangements, to strengthen the balance sheet and financial position of the company, for implementing the company's share-based incentive plans, or for other purposes determined by the Board of Directors.



Pursuant to the authorization, the Board of Directors may resolve upon issuing new shares, without consideration, to the company itself.



The Board of Directors is authorized to resolve on all terms for share issues and granting of special rights entitling to shares in the company. The Board of Directors is authorized to resolve on a directed share issue and issuance of special rights entitling to shares according to the shareholders' pre-emptive rights and/or in deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive right, provided that there is a weighty financial reason for the company to do so.



The authorization is valid until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however, no longer than until 30 June 2025. The authorization cancels the previous unused share issue authorizations, with the exception of the authorization given by the annual general meeting on 26 May 2023 to organize the option program 2023-1.

Establishment of a Shareholders' Nomination Board and Approval of the Charter



The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolve to establish a shareholders' nomination board ("Nomination Board"), responsible for annually preparing and presenting to the Annual General Meeting and, if necessary, to an Extraordinary General Meeting, proposals on the composition (number of the members of the Board of Directors and the nominees) and remuneration of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Nomination Board is responsible for identifying candidates to succeed members of the Board of Directors and preparing principles for diversity for the Board of Directors.



In addition, the Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolve to approve the Charter of the Shareholders' Nomination Board in the form of appendix 2 of this notice. The Charter is also available at the company's website at https://bioretec.com/agm2024 .



In accordance with the proposal, the Nomination Board consists of three (3) members. The Company's three (3) largest shareholders are each entitled to nominate one member. The Chair of the Board of Directors of the Company serves as an expert in the Nomination Board and shall not have a voting right nor be counted in the quorum of the Nomination Board.



The three (3) shareholders with the largest number of votes for all shares of the company on the last business day of August preceding the Annual General Meeting have the right to nominate the members representing the shareholders. The nomination right is determined in accordance with the shareholder register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy.



If a shareholder who has diversified their holdings into several funds or group companies and who (if the Company's shares were traded on a regulated market) would have an obligation under the Securities Markets Act (746/2012, as amended) to take these holdings into account when notifying changes in their holding (flagging obligation), submits a motivated written request to the Chair of the Board of Directors no later than on the second last business day of August in the year preceding the Annual General Meeting, the holdings of such a shareholder shall be aggregated in calculating the decisive number of votes for the right of nomination.



If a holder of the nominee-registered shares wishes to exercise their right to nominate, the holder must submit a reliable report of the number of shares they own on the last business day of August in the year preceding the Annual General Meeting. The report must be submitted to the Chair of the Board of Directors no later than the fourth business day of September in the year preceding the Annual General Meeting.



If a shareholder does not wish to exercise their right to nominate, the right shall pass to the next largest shareholder who would not otherwise have the right to nominate a member to the Nomination Board.



The Chair of the Board of Directors shall convene the first meeting of the Nomination Board for each term. A representative of the largest shareholder shall be elected as the Chair of the Nomination Board, unless the Nomination Board expressly decides otherwise.



The members of the Nomination Board, the shareholders appointing them and any changes to the composition of the Nomination Board are published by a company release.



The Nomination Board is established for the time being until the General Meeting decides otherwise. The members of the Nomination Board are appointed annually and the term of office of the members ends when new members have been appointed to the Nomination Board.

Closing of the meeting

B. DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL MEETING

Documents referred to in Chapter 5, Section 21 of the Finnish Companies Act are available and printable at the company's website: https://bioretec.com/agm2024 .

The meeting minutes of the Annual General Meeting will be available on the company's website no later than 10 May 2024.

C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

Eligibility to attend and registration for the Annual General Meeting

1.Shareholder registered in the shareholders' register

Each shareholder who is registered on 16 April 2024 in the shareholders' register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd., has the right to participate in the General Meeting. A shareholder whose shares are registered on his/her/its personal Finnish book-entry account is registered in the shareholders' register of the company.

A shareholder, who wants to participate in the General Meeting, shall register for the

meeting no later than on 16 April 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time), by which time the registration must be received.

The registration may take place by:

a) email to the address IR@bioretec.com,

b) phone to the number +358 20 778 9500 or

c) mail to the address Bioretec Oy, Yrittajankulma 5, FI-33710 Tampere.

In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall notify his/her/its name, personal identification number, address, email address, and the name of a possible assistant or proxy representative and the personal identification number of a proxy representative. Shareholder, his/her/its representative or proxy representative shall, when necessary, be able to prove his/her/its identity and/or right of representation.

2. Holders of nominee-registered shares

A holder of nominee-registered shares has the right to participate in the General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which the shareholder on the record date of the General Meeting, i.e. on 16 April 2024, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders' register of the company maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd. The right to participate in the General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder has on the basis of such shares been registered into the temporary shareholders' register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd. at the latest on 23 April 2024 by 10:00 a.m. (Finnish time). As regards nominee-registered shares this constitutes due registration for the General Meeting.

A holder of nominee-registered shares is advised to request without delay necessary instructions regarding the registration in the temporary shareholder's register of the company, the issuance of proxy documents and voting instructions, and registration for the General Meeting from his/her/its custodian bank. The account management organization of the custodian bank shall register a holder of nominee-registered shares who wants to participate in the General Meeting into the temporary shareholders' register of the company at the latest on the date and time mentioned above.

3. Proxy representative and powers of attorney

A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and exercise his/her/its rights at the meeting by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise provide reliable evidence of the right to represent the shareholder. The authorization applies to one meeting only unless otherwise stated. If a shareholder participates in the General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares at different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the General Meeting. The sample power of attorney is enclosed to this notice.

Proxies, if any, are requested to be delivered to the company's office at Bioretec Oy, Yrittajankulma 5, FI-33710 Tampere, Finland, or to the email address IR@bioretec.com before the end of the registration period.

Other instructions / information

A shareholder present at the General Meeting has the right ask questions pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Companies Act with respect to the matters to be considered at the General Meeting.

The shareholders do not have the possibility to vote in advance.

Personal information collected by Bioretec Ltd shall be used only in connection with the General Meeting and the processing of related necessary registrations and for shareholder communication. The privacy statement in respect of the General Meeting is available at the company's website https://bioretec.com/agm2024.

Bioretec Ltd has a total of 20.336.858 shares on the date of publication of the notice of the meeting 5 April 2024. The company does not have any Bioretec shares in its possession. Possible changes in shareholding occurring after the date of registration for the General Meeting shall not affect the shareholder's right to participate in the meeting nor the voting rights of a shareholder.

Tampere, 5 April 2024

BIORETEC LTD

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Contact Persons

Tomi Numminen, Chairman of the Board of Directors, tomi.numminen@bioretec.com

Timo Lehtonen, CEO, timo.lehtonen@bioretec.com

APPENDICES

Proxy template Charter of the Shareholders' Nomination Board

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bioretec/r/notice-of-annual-general-meeting--agm--of-bioretec-ltd,c3957222

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/20509/3957222/8ea17a92d0845ac3.pdf Appendix 1 Proxy form AGM 2024 https://mb.cision.com/Public/20509/3957222/9c9b7e5d695d1b66.pdf Appendix 2 Bioretec nomination board charter 2024

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/notice-of-annual-general-meeting-agm-of-bioretec-ltd-302109302.html
LONDON, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-organised by the Austria Institute for Sustainable Technologies, the UN Industrial Development Organization, and the Federal Ministry of Austria, the International Sustainable Energy Conference, ISEC 2024, a forum for research, business and energy policy, will take place for the third time on April 10 in Graz, Austria, with support from BE OPEN.

The focus of ISEC 2024 is on how we can achieve energy sovereignty within a time horizon dictated by climate change and defined by politics. Global solutions such as the transformation of our economic system towards a sustainable circular economy, the complete phase-out of fossil fuels, the implementation of sector coupling and energy storage systems as well as the smart electrification of the energy supply will be the focus of the presentations and discussions.

The conference programme consists of invited speakers from industry, science and politics as well as lectures and poster presentations by researchers from all continents. ISEC 2024 aims to inspire groundbreaking ideas for heat transformation in renewable energy systems and resource efficiency and facilitate a comprehensive exchange between research, industry, and energy policy.

In its turn, BE OPEN will use its participation in the conference to promote the results and ambition of the foundation's five-year-long SDG-themed student competition programme that has so far covered SDG12, SDG11, SDG2, SDG7, and SDG13. The programme aims to encourage creation of innovative solutions by younger creatives, for a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina explains why the conference is so important for BE OPEN: "From Austria's recently prepared the 2030 Agenda National Review, and from what I personally observe since I started living here, it is clear see how much Austria is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda and the UN SDGs both nationally and globally. Austria has been promoting the principles of sustainable development in their environmental, social and economic dimensions for decades. BE OPEN is honoured to be part of the agenda of the International Sustainable Energy Conference, and we are certain that our commitment to involve creative youth globally to developing and implementing solutions for the SDGs will be appreciated and supported."

BE OPEN is a global initiative to foster creativity and innovation, a think tank whose mission is to promote people and ideas today to build solutions for tomorrow. It is a cultural and social initiative supported by the Austria-based philanthropist and businessperson Elena Baturina. BE OPEN was set up to harness creative brain power through a system of conferences, competitions, exhibitions, master classes and cultural events.

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Independent power producer Manawa Energy has made two new appointments to its management team with Richard Spearman appointed General Manager Market Operations, and Deborah Sinclair appointed General Manager People.

Richard joined Trustpower (now Manawa Energy) permanently in 2004 having provided services to the business for a number of years prior. He has held various roles in the generation business over the past 20 years across market operations, strategy, network connections, irrigation and generation development. His most recent role was Commercial Development Manager, overseeing growth and progression of the generation development pipeline.

Deborah has more than 20 years of people and culture experience in a variety of senior roles in New Zealand across a range of industries. She joined Trustpower (now Manawa Energy) in 2022 as Head of People & Culture, supporting Manawa Energys transition to an independent power producer along with developing and embedding the companys revised people and culture strategy.

The new appointments are effective today.

Manawa Energy also confirmed that for the purposes of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 and the NZX Listing Rules, the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer are senior managers and will disclose information in accordance with section 297 of the FMCA.

-ends-

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / KeyBank

The new program will be designed for older youth in MCHS' independent living program and transitional housing

KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation announced an investment of $180,000 in MCHS Family of Services, aimed at developing the Skilled Trade Program to enhance the services of youth aging out of the foster care system.

MCHS Family of Services is a child welfare agency, located in Redford and Detroit, providing foster care and adoption, transitional living, child abuse prevention and community wellness programs. The Skilled Trade Program will be designed for older youth in MCHS' independent living program and transitional housing programs. The training and pre-apprenticeship program is projected to serve approximately 200 youth annually.

"At Key, we are dedicated to supporting organizations and programs that prepare individuals for thriving futures," said Dave Mannarino, KeyBank Michigan Market President. "MCHS is helping to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable community members, and we're so proud to support that mission. We look forward to the great outcomes from the Skilled Trade Program in the years ahead."

"MCHS Family of Services is extremely grateful for the partnership we have with KeyBank," said Kevin Roach, CEO of MCHS Family of Services. "The launch of the Skilled Trade Program will ensure our young adults are better prepared for a promising future by creating career-enriching opportunities right here on our campus. We want to offer our many thanks to KeyBank for your support and are eager to make this extraordinary impact together!"

Target outcomes of the program include:

90% of the young adults complete the program.

75% of the young adults advance their career with an apprenticeship, skilled trade job, or secondary education related to the skilled trades within 3 months.

90% of the young adults advance their career with an apprenticeship, skilled trade job, or secondary education related to the skilled trades within 3 months.

75% of the young adults are in their apprenticeship, skilled trade job, or enrolled in secondary education six months later.

Since 2017, KeyBank has made more than $259 million in investments in Michigan, supporting affordable housing and community development projects; small business and home lending to low-to-moderate income individuals and communities, and transformative philanthropy.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: KeyBank

View the original press release on accesswire.com
CHICAGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Companion Diagnostics Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $7.5 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $13.6 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 12.6% from 2024 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets.

The global companion diagnostics market is poised for significant growth in the near future, driven by the increasing incidence of cancers worldwide. This rise in cancer cases is fueling the demand for more accurate and personalized treatment options. Companion diagnostics play a crucial role in this scenario by helping to select appropriate targeted therapies for patients based on their genetic makeup and likely response. This personalized approach is expected to improve treatment outcomes while reducing adverse reactions to unsuited medicines. Additionally, the approvals of many targeted oncology drugs, along with complementary companion diagnostics, by regulatory agencies are expected to further propel the market growth. Emerging economies like China, Japan, and India are presenting attractive opportunities for companies operating in this market.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Companion Diagnostics Market"

320 - Tables

52 - Figures

300 - Pages

Companion Diagnostics Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $7.5 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $13.6 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% Market Size Available for 2021-2029 Forecast Period 2024-2029 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Product & service, technology, indication, cancer type, sample type end user and region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa and GCC countries Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Increasing importance of companion diagnostics in drug development Key Market Drivers Increasing significance of personalized medicine

The assays, reagents & kits segment accounted for the largest share of the companion diagnostics market, by product & service segment, in 2023

Based on product & service, the companion diagnostics market is segmented into assays, kits & reagents, instruments/systems and software & services. The dominance of the assays, kits & reagents segment in 2023 can be attributed primarily to the broad range of available products and the rapidly increasing utilization of assays and kits across various therapeutic areas.

PCR segment expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period

Based on technology, the companion diagnostics market is categorized into polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in situ hybridization (ISH), next-generation sequencing (NGS), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and other technologies. In 2023, the PCR segment held the largest portion of the companion diagnostics market. PCR has become essential in companion diagnostics, especially in the interpretive practice by pharmaceutical companies related to oncology drugs, due to its reliability, sensitivity, and ability to obtain quantitative results. Its extensive range of applications and established market presence give it a significant position in the field.

Cancer segment accounted for the largest share of the companion diagnostics market, by indication segment, in 2023

Based on indication, the companion diagnostics market is segmented into cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), neurological diseases, infectious diseases, and other indications (inflammatory and inherited diseases, among others). In 2023, the cancer segment held the largest share of the companion diagnostics market. This can be attributed to factors such as the expanding role of companion diagnostics in personalized medicine treatments for cancer, as well as the growing importance of biomarkers in cancer diagnosis.

In 2023, the largest share of the companion diagnostics market, based on sample type segment, was held by tissue samples

Based on sample type, the companion diagnostics market is segmented into liquid, blood, and other sample types. In 2023, the tissue sample segment accounted for the largest share of the companion diagnostics market. Tissue samples are often preferred in companion diagnostics for their ability to provide a direct analysis of the tumor, offering a comprehensive view of genetic mutations and biomarkers for more accurate and personalized treatment decisions.

In 2023, the largest share of the companion diagnostics market, based on end user segment, was held by pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies

Based on end user, the companion diagnostics market is segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, reference laboratories, CROs, and other end users (including physician & hospital laboratories and academic medical centers). The pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment held the largest share of the companion diagnostics market in 2023. This is primarily driven by factors such as the rising utilization of companion diagnostics in drug development and the growing significance of companion diagnostic biomarkers.

North America is the largest regional market for companion diagnostics market

The global companion diagnostics market is divided into six key regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, and GCC countries. In 2023, North America held the largest portion of the companion diagnostics market. The growth of the North American companion diagnostics market can be credited to several factors, including the significant presence of leading companion diagnostics vendors and national clinical laboratories. Additionally, the easy access to technologically advanced devices and instruments, along with the highly developed healthcare systems in the US and Canada, contributed to the market's expansion in this region.

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Companion Diagnostics Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Increasing significance of personalized medicine

Restraints:

High capital investment and low cost-benefit ratio

Opportunities:

Increasing importance of companion diagnostics in drug development

Challenge:

The shortage of adequately trained professionals

Key Market Players of Companion Diagnostics Industry:

The major players in this market are F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US), QIAGEN (Netherlands), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Abbott (US), Almac Group (UK), Danaher (US), Illumina, Inc. (US), bioMerieux (France), Myriad Genetics, Inc. (US), Sysmex Corporation (Japan), ARUP Laboratories (UK), Abnova Corporation (Taiwan), Guardant Health (US), ICON Plc (Ireland), BioGenex (US), Invivoscribe, Inc. (US), ArcherDX, Inc. (Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc.) (US), NG Biotech (France), Q Solutions (US), Amoy Diagnostics Co., Ltd. (China), Uniogen (Abacus Diagnostica) (Finland), Asuragen, Inc. (Bio-Techne) (US), NG Biotech (France), Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC. (US), and Creative Biolabs (US).

The primary interviews conducted for this report can be categorized as follows:

By Company Type: Tier 1 - 20%, Tier 2 - 45%, and Tier 3 -35%

By Designation: C-level - 30%, D-level - 20%, and Others - 50%

By Region: North America - 42%, Europe - 31%, Asia Pacific - 20%, and Rest of the World -7%

Recent Developments of Companion Diagnostics Industry:

In August 2023, Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US) received European IVDR Certification for Companion Diagnostic Assay.

In August 2023, QIAGEN (Netherlands). received FDA approval for companion diagnostic to Blueprint Medicines' AYVAKIT (avapritinib) in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

In March 2023, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland) received FDA approval of label expansion for VENTANA PD- L1 (SP263) Assay to identify patients with locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer eligible for Libtayo.

In September 2022, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US) announced FDA Approval of Oncomine Dx Target Test as the First NGS-Based Companion Diagnostic to Aid in Therapy Selection for Patients with RET Mutations/Fusions in Thyroid Cancers.

In January 2021, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland) launched two digital pathology image analysis algorithms for precision patient diagnosis in breast cancer.

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Companion Diagnostics Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report will help market leaders/new entrants by providing them with the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall companion diagnostics market and its subsegments. It will also help stakeholders better understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their business and make suitable go-to-market strategies. This report will enable stakeholders to understand the market's pulse and provide them with information on the key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

Analysis of key drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges influencing the growth of the companion diagnostics market.

Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the companion diagnostics market.

Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the companion diagnostics market across varied regions.

Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the companion diagnostics market.

Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market ranking, growth strategies and product offerings of leading players like F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US), QIAGEN (Netherlands), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US) and Abbott (US).

Related Reports:

Biomarkers Market - Global Forecasts to 2028

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Companion Animal Diagnostics Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Cancer Biomarkers Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Cancer Diagnostics Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

About MarketsandMarkets:

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MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Rayonier

Originally published on Rayonier.com

Rayonier purchased its first forest property in Nassau County, Florida, in the late 1930s. Since then, it has had a strong presence in the county. Company leaders reflect on our past and future in Nassau County.

Ever since Rayonier bought its first forest property in Nassau County, Florida, in the 1930s, our stories have been intertwined. Together, we have strived to be the best stewards of our community and the land within it.

As Nassau County celebrates its bicentennial this year and Rayonier prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2026, Rayonier leaders reflect on the 87-year history of Rayonier in Nassau and our vision for the company's future here.

It's a topic that excites everyone on our team-our voices are warm with pride when we talk about how we helped the community recover from the Great Depression and how we've adapted and evolved over the decades.

In 2017, we built our company headquarters at Wildlight, even further solidifying our relationship with the community.

Over the years, a unifying ethic has emerged and only grown stronger: this company, through its leaders and team members, considers itself a corporate citizen of Nassau, with a responsibility and a commitment to contribute to the community's well-being.

Healthy Economic Growth Since 1937

Mike Bell, Rayonier's Vice President of Public Affairs, describes our company's relationship with Nassau County as one built around economic growth and constant reinvention. Mike looks to the past to illustrate how this legacy was built.

When Rayonier first came to Nassau in 1937, the local economy had been devastated by the Great Depression. At that time, the community relied on a small number of agricultural products to survive. When Rayonier built a manufacturing plant on Amelia Island, it diversified Nassau's economy and created high-paying jobs that strengthened the community.

At first, the War Production Board took over the manufacturing plant to help make nitrocellulose, which was used in explosives, bullets, and rocket propellants during World War II. And as in many communities, that assistance in wartime production helped to stabilize the County's economy.

Later, when Rayonier was able to use the facility as a pulp and paper mill as it had originally intended, the local economy began to flourish. For one thing, those manufacturing jobs were some of the highest-paying jobs in the County. But there was also an indirect economic impact throughout the supply chain.

"Rayonier helped sustain the region because we drew timber supply from a large radius," says Mike. "That supported a lot of folks-tree growers, loggers, trucking companies-even if they weren't working at the plant."

In the 1930s, Rayonier also entered the timber business in the region when we began to buy land throughout Northeast Florida to ensure a steady supply of wood for our mills. We started a cycle that continues today: planting, harvesting and replanting our pine forests to provide a sustainable resource.

"Through our dedicated reforestation efforts, we are now growing our fourth generation of trees on much of our property in Nassau County," Mike says.

Together, the mills and the well-managed forests helped Nassau County increase its tax base and create a foundation for healthy economic growth.

Rayonier has changed over time and now we no longer own manufacturing plants. We spun the pulp mills out into a separate public company now known as RYAM, but those mills are still operating and sustaining the County through taxes and high-paying jobs. They also support the timber industry in the region.

Now, we continue to grow timber, own and operate a real estate subsidiary and are involved in a number of non-timber related businesses on our land base.

"Rayonier is still here because we keep reinventing ourselves," says Mike.

Reinvention may be in our nature at Rayonier, but certain principles have remained consistent throughout our history. One of these, Mike says, is Rayonier's legacy of promoting sustainable economic growth in the communities where it operates-and that's especially true in Nassau County.

Sustainable Forests Support Nassau

Director of Operations Jeremy Flood leads our Coastal Resource Unit, which manages timberland in and around Nassau County. He says it can be difficult for people to realize the economic impact forestry continues to have in the region.

"You might not see it when you drive around on the paved roads," Jeremy says. "But if you take a bird's eye view of the County, you see mostly forests and Rayonier owns a significant portion of those undeveloped areas."

Today, we own 121,000 acres in Nassau County, which has roughly 415,000 acres of land altogether. Much of our land is timberland that we manage for a sustainable supply of wood over the long term.

"We're just now cutting the trees we planted when I started my career," Jeremy says. "Forestry is unique because it takes that kind of forward thinking to provide for the future."

Jeremy credits Rayonier with giving him early insight into the industry. His family moved to Nassau County when he was young, and he got to know several Rayonier employees as he joined the community.

"I found forestry in part because I had this influence of Rayonier folks-they were people I respected and looked up to," he says. "It's been a rewarding career. In forestry, you're managing what's naturally on the landscape, using wisdom and science to organize it and make it efficient."

Jeremy is proud to be a forester because of the many benefits to natural ecosystems. With modern science-based management practices, our forests provide clean water, clean air and critical wildlife habitat, all while supplying society with important products like lumber, plywood and paper.

"I hope people see a lot of the good that's already been done here by Rayonier," Jeremy says of Nassau County. "And I hope in the future they'll see the six or eight generations of forestry still happening behind the scenes."

Some Nassau County residents are already able to see behind the scenes as customers with Rayonier's Hunting & Recreation Program.

In this program, Rayonier land is open to residents and visitors to Nassau for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and foraging. Currently, we have more than 900 customers in Nassau who are accessing our land to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends.

Wildlight: Sustainable Community Development

In 2007, Rayonier's relationship with Nassau entered a new chapter when the County's leadership approached our company to establish a public-private partnership, the result of which is the Wildlight development. At that time, population growth was on the horizon and the County wanted to be prepared.

Local leaders didn't want to sit back and watch as developers capitalized on Nassau's growth rate, buying up smaller parcels of land and developing them in a haphazard way with no thought to the bigger picture.

Instead, they asked Rayonier, one of the County's largest landowners, to work with them on a whole-landscape plan to prepare for inevitable population growth. This way, the County could follow a methodical, strategic approach-planning for residential neighborhoods, schools, police stations, parks and more in a logical way.

Rayonier's leaders were excited to work with the County.

"I've been in this business for 30 years and you rarely see this happen in development," says Chris Corr, Rayonier's Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development. "It's uncommon to have the opportunity to think on this larger scale, but because of Rayonier's land ownership that's what we've been able to do."

Chris, a Florida native, says the vision for Wildlight is to transition forest land into a healthy, sustainable community. It's different, he says, from the pattern you see all too often in Florida, where the natural environment is often spoiled in favor of high-density development.

People and communities thrive when they have access to nature and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation and exercise. And many people are drawn to Nassau County for its beaches, rivers and forests-so it's important to preserve the best parts of the community even as it grows.

Chris and his team surveyed the 24,000 acres that would become Wildlight and identified 12,000 acres, including critical wildlife habitat and wetlands, to set aside in conservation easements. These lands will be undeveloped and protected forever, and the easements will be managed by the Conservation Habitat Network and the East Nassau Stewardship District.

Nassau residents and visitors will have access to much of this protected land, including a future park called the Green Ribbon, a 13-mile linear park alongside the St. Marys River.

Rayonier is also building a trail network through the conserved areas and a new public boat ramp. There will be lots of opportunities for kayaking, hiking and biking in areas that were previously inaccessible to the public.

As Rayonier continues to reinvent itself, this time as a partner to the County in sustainable community development, its core values remain the same.

"Rayonier has been a steward of land for nearly 100 years with experience across states and countries managing land resources in a sustainable way," Chris says. "So that ethic is in the heart-the blood stream-of Rayonier. We get to bring that to community development and it's a real thing." To see future plans for Wildlight's growth in the county, view its Next Chapter website here.

Rural Nassau and Stewardship

In planning for the future, Nassau County's leaders and residents have said it's also important to preserve the community's rural roots. Western Nassau has always been more rural than the rest of the County, with ranchettes, farms and forest land. This culture, they say, is important to Nassau and they don't want development pressure to override this rich heritage.

Rayonier's rural land sales subsidiary, Raydient Rural, is committed to helping with this vision. We are turning forest land into small homesteads where land buyers can live rural lifestyles.

Jason Shearer, Raydient's Senior Manager of Development and Sales, says that growing up rural helped him find his way to a career in forestry, where he was able to serve as a steward of the land.

"The people we're providing homesteads for are growing up much like I did-on four or five acres, knowing where their food comes from and participating in 4-H and FFA," Jason says. "We're creating places where future stewards can be cultivated."

Community Service in Nassau

Mike Bell, our Vice President of Public Affairs, says that Rayonier's philanthropic work in Nassau is a natural outgrowth of our company's core values.

"Our stewardship ethic goes beyond environmental stewardship. It's a common thread that permeates everything we've done," Mike says. "We've always thought about what's best for our community and what makes it stronger."

As a practical matter, Mike says this is important for business reasons. The health of our company is tied to the well-being of the community. But it's also something that Rayonier team members are passionate about. Many give their time freely to local organizations, volunteering as well as sitting on boards and committees and sharing their professional expertise. Mike focuses his own efforts on education: he sits on the District Board of Trustees for the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), a community college with five campuses in the area.

Despite Nassau County's A-rated K-12 school district, he says that about 35 percent of local students pursue no post-secondary education. Mike believes every student needs a plan for the future and FSCJ provides an attainable option.

"FSCJ is incredibly affordable and it's good for students who don't know what they want to do," he says. "It's important for the future prosperity of the County. It doesn't bode well for the County if we can't get those kids into a career with a living wage."

In addition to serving on boards and committees, Rayonier gives back to Nassau through our Community Fund, which donates annually to local organizations. In the past five years, Rayonier has given, on average, $129,000 per year, concentrating the majority of funding in the following areas:

Natural Resources & Environmental Education

Education and Youth Development

Health/Hospital, Civic and Community Growth

Kim Sartor, our Community Affairs Manager, lights up when she talks about her work with local organizations. One project she loves to talk about is the work Rayonier has done with Family Support Services of Northeast Florida.

Family Support Services is a community based care agency focused on improving circumstances and outcomes for families. FSS provides safe homes for abused and neglected children and teens through foster care and finds forever families for children through adoption.

Rayonier has teamed up with Family Support Services volunteers to renovate their "Bright Spaces" facility, which provides a safe, therapeutic, welcoming environment for supervised visitation with children in care in Nassau County.

Our employees also help with the annual Angel Tree Toy Drive for Family Support Services of Nassau, buying and wrapping gifts for the children to open during holiday visits with their families.

"If we want to be successful as a company, we have to take care of our community," Kim says. "We're funding programs that will grow our children and their children. In 10-15 years, I want to be retired and be assured our community is still thriving and growing."

Legacy and Vision

Since 1937, our company has grown alongside Nassau County and we couldn't be more proud to call this community our home.

Of our 181 local employees, 95 live here in the County, and 86 commute from surrounding communities.

Our perspective is perfectly summed up in these thoughts from Wes Hinton, Vice President of Wildlight at Rayonier:

"Everyone on our team cares deeply about what happens here," he says. "Our work is a point of pride and there is excitement around it. I grew up here and my daughter is now the sixth generation in my family to be raised in Nassau County. I took this job because I want to have a say in how this community develops over time. It's our forever home."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Rayonier on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Rayonier

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/rayonier

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Rayonier

View the original press release on accesswire.com
TSC University is a Division of Texas Steel Conversion, Inc.

HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Texas Steel Conversion, Inc. is committed to providing comprehensive learning opportunities through its state-of-the-art TSC University classrooms in Houston, Texas. Dedicated to innovation, excellence, and catering to the evolving needs of oilfield tubular goods professionals, TSC University has expanded its curriculum to include programs that are tailored to educating various industry roles such as sales, engineers, technicians, and inspectors.



www.thetscu.com

TSC University, A Division of Texas Steel Conversion, Inc.

A New Era of Education and Innovation

TSC University, located at 3102 Holmes Road, officially opened in October 2023, marking a significant addition in the technical educational landscape. TSC University offers unique courses focused on practical expertise and hands-on experience, providing students with applied knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of the field application of oilfield tubulars (casing, tubing, drill pipe, and line pipe). These technical training sessions and extensive inspection certification courses are built upon Texas Steel Conversion, Inc.'s in-house training curriculum, which is deeply integrated with their rigorous quality program. The courses are rich with insights and expertise, accumulated over 49 years of OCTG experience, and guided by our three ASNT Certified Level III inspectors. Their collective knowledge ensures a comprehensive and valuable learning experience for participants.

Cutting-Edge Facility and Programs

TSC University boasts cutting-edge facilities, including advanced laboratories, state-of-the-art inspection equipment, an extensive collection of field inspection samples, and work spaces designed to provide attendees with practical, hands-on learning experiences. The active engagement and skill application practiced during the courses foster a deeper understanding. Our curriculum is designed to equip students with the essential skills for thriving in the OCTG sector and the broader Oil Patch industry. TSC University offers a range from single-day technical workshops to comprehensive certification programs aligned with ASNT SNT-TC-1A standards. Additionally, we expand our educational offerings by organizing exclusive seminars led by distinguished experts from various facets in the industry.

For more information, please visit our website at www.thetscu.com or contact our office at 713-733-6013 EXT.1175.

About TSC University

TSC University is a forward-thinking institution dedicated to providing top-tier, hands-on experiences and training in oilfield tubulars. It was established to address the industry need by providing specialized courses tailored specifically for oilfield tubular goods.

Contact Information:

Stephanie Williams

Marketing Specialist

stephanie@texassteelconversion.com

832-230-8228

SOURCE: Texas Steel Conversion, Inc.

View the original press release on newswire.com.
SAN ANTONIO, Chile, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chilean state-owned company will invite specialized companies to construct the breakwater and complementary works for the country's main port project.

As part of the port development policy promoted by the State of Chile, Empresa Portuaria San Antonio has started the International Call of Expression of Interest for the Construction of Breakwater and Complementary Works for Puerto Exterior. This project will feature two berthing fronts, each 1,730 meters long, and a total cargo transfer capacity of 6 million TEU, which amounts to over 60 million tons annually.

The works to be considered in the expression of interest include the construction of a breakwater of approximately 4 kilometres in length, dredging around the future dock, filling of platforms and complementary works such as roads and railroad access to the terminals.

Interested parties may be companies with proven experience in the development of large port works and/or marine dredging, being able to demonstrate such experience individually or as part of a consortium.

Moreover, an informational meeting with interested international companies will be held on April 23rd in Madrid, Spain, led by Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile, Juan Carlos Munoz. "As a government, we have committed all our efforts to advance towards a more efficient, agile, and sustainable cargo transport system. With this call, we are not only opening up the market and attracting private investment, but we are also moving forward in consolidating Chile's leadership in port matters within the region," the minister added.

The chairman of the Board of Directors of Empresa Portuaria San Antonio, Eduardo Abedrapo, stated that the beginning of the International Call of Expression of Interest process is a significant advancement for the future of San Antonio's and Chile's port development. "Puerto Exterior is a national project. As a public company, we have the duty to seek the best allies for each of the stages, being essential to call upon qualified suppliers, both Chilean and foreign, to carry out the various works that will allow the future port to operate optimally, efficiently, securely, and sustainably", he remarked.

The general manager of Empresa Portuaria San Antonio, Ramon Castaneda, noted, "We believe there will be many specialized companies, both national and international, interested in participating in the execution of these works, which constitute a major engineering and construction challenge".

Interested companies seeking more detailed information about this invitation and possessing proven experience should contact the Empresa Portuaria San Antonio via email at eoi@puertosanantonio.com, rogalde@puertosanantonio.com

Expressions of interest, together with the background of the relevant experience indicated, must be submitted until May 31st, 2024.

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Regulatory News:

Shareholders are invited to participate at the Combined Shareholders' Meeting of the company Verallia (the "Company") (Paris:VRLA) which will be held on Friday April 26, 2024, at 9.30 am (CET), at the head office of the Company located at 31, Place des Corolles, Tour Carpe Diem, at the Auditorium, Esplanade Nord, 92400 Courbevoie, France.

The preliminary notice of the Shareholders' Meeting was published in the French Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires (BALO) under the number 36 on March 22, 2024. The convening notice will be published in the French Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires (BALO) under the number 43 on April 8, 2024.

The documents that need to be made available for the Shareholders for the General Meeting are available at the head office of the Company in accordance with applicable regulations.

The documents referred to in article R.22-10-23 of the French Commercial Code may be consulted on the Company website at the following link, under the section "General Shareholders Meetings": https://www.verallia.com/en/investors/regulated-information

About Verallia

At Verallia, our purpose is to re-imagine glass for a sustainable future. We want to redefine how glass is produced, reused and recycled, to make it the world's most sustainable packaging material. We are joining forces with our customers, suppliers and other partners across the value chain to develop new, beneficial and sustainable solutions for all.

With around 11,000 employees and 34 glass production facilities in 12 countries, we are the European leader and world's third-largest producer of glass packaging for beverages and food products. We offer innovative, customised and environmentally friendly solutions to over 10,000 businesses worldwide.

Verallia produced more than 16 billion glass bottles and jars in 2023 and recorded revenue of 3.9 billion. Verallia is listed on compartment A of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: VRLA ISIN: FR0013447729) and trades on the following indices: CAC SBT 1.5, STOXX600, SBF 120, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid Small and CAC All-Tradable.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240405993751/en/

Contacts:

Verallia investor relations contact

David Placet david.placet@verallia.com
MANILA, Philippines, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 4th, the global premium brand Lynk & Co announced its debut in the Philippines, introducing its lineup including Lynk & Co 01, 05, and 06, alongside the showcased Lynk & Co 03+ making its first appearance in the country. As the launch slogan "Linked and Connected" suggests, Lynk & Co's debut aims to connect with the distinctively vibrant audience in the Philippines and the brand itself. This move highlights the brand's keen recognition of the immense potential within the thriving Philippine market, while also harmonizing with its broader strategic momentum across Southeast Asia.

The robust automotive market in the Philippines, a key player in the Asia-Pacific region, inspired Lynk & Co. Lynk & Co's collaboration in the Philippines is with the official distributor, United Asia Automotive Group, Inc. (UAAGI), a seasoned company in the Philippine automotive industry.

Jinjun Tian, Vice President of Lynk & Co Overseas Division, delivered a speech expressing the brand's confidence and determination to thrive in the Philippines, a dynamic market with unlimited potential. He also hinted at plans to introduce more models that meet the expectations of Philippine consumers. Mr. Froilan Dytianquin, Managing Director of Lynk & Co Philippines, underscored that modern Filipino drivers desire vehicles aligning with their dynamic lifestyle: worldly, youthful, energetic, engaged, with a discerning taste for style and quality, and this perfectly aligns with the direction Lynk & Co is taking in the Philippines.

Lynk & Co announced its grand launch at the Manila International Auto Show, held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. Lynk & Co brought the upcoming models set to be launched in the Philippines, including Lynk & Co 01, Lynk & Co 05, and Lynk & Co 06. Additionally, the brand presented Lynk & Co 03+ for the first time in the Philippines at the auto show. Lynk & Co 06, debuting internationally for the first time, is a B-Segment SUV that blends eye-catching aesthetics with impressive performance. In addition to its diverse range of body colors, it boasts an impressive array of features that make it a standout among its peers, including comprehensive safety protection, front MacPherson strut and rear multi-link with lateral stabilizer bar suspension, and 17 intelligent assistance systems. The booth's design, inspired by metropolitan evenings, represents the brand's Mega-city Contrast concept and features fascinating interactive installations. The brand recognizes the compatibility between the 06's product characteristics and the dynamic, innovative, and inclusive nature of the Philippine market.

Lynk & Co's first showroom in the Philippines is set to open in Manila, Alabang, with the showroom opening scheduled for mid-April. Plans are in motion to set up eight showrooms nationwide within the year, along with the establishment of a comprehensive and competitive after-sales service system, ensuring users receive holistic service support. The Philippines launch validates Lynk & Co's brand and product market adaptability. In the future, Lynk & Co will further deepen its presence in the Southeast Asian market and gradually expand to more regions worldwide, advancing its globalization strategy with steady steps.

About Lynk & Co:

Launched in 2016, Lynk & Co is created for the new generation of open urbanites. Lynk & Co is not just a new car brand but a new brand in the car industry. Born global, open, and connected, the brand aims to build an open platform connecting people, cars, and the world.

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The "Microbiome Manufacturing Market (3rd Edition): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, till 2035: Distribution by Type of Product Manufactured, Type of Formulation, Type of Primary Packaging Used, Scale of Operation, Company Size, Key Geographical Regions and Leading Developers" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global microbiome manufacturing market size is estimated to grow from USD 27 billion in 2023 to USD 187 billion by 2035, representing a CAGR of 17% during the forecast period 2023-2035.

The key objective of this market report is to provide a detailed market forecast analysis in order to estimate the existing microbiome manufacturing market size and future opportunity for microbiome manufacturers over the next decade. Based on several parameters, likely adoption trends and through primary validations, the analyst has provided an informed estimate on the market evolution during the forecast period 2023-2035.

The human body is known to harbor numerous communities of microbes, including both beneficial and harmful species, which are collectively referred to as microbiota. Likewise, the ecological system of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that reside within a host system is called the microbiome. Given the role of the microbiota in both disease development and pathogenesis, the concept of microbiome-based therapeutics has, over time, piqued the interest of the medical science community.

In fact, the last two decades have witnessed several developments in the field of microbiome therapy research and their therapeutic applications. Live biotherapeutic products (LBP), a class of microbiome therapy, involve the use of live microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi, to prevent or treat various disease conditions. LBPs are specifically designed for therapeutic purposes and are regulated as medicinal products or biologics in many countries.

These therapeutic modalities consist of well-characterized specific strains of microorganisms that are extensively researched for their intended medical applications, followed by rigorous testing and clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy for treating or preventing specific medical condition. Further, the microbiome-based therapeutic approach has the potential to profile the microbiome composition of the patient using gene sequencing; this will lead to the development of tailored treatment options.

Microbiome Manufacturing Market Key Market Insights

The report features an extensive study of the current market landscape, market size and future opportunities for the microbiome manufacturing companies, including those involved in live biotherapeutic manufacturing, during the given forecast period. Further, this microbiome manufacturing market analysis highlights the efforts of several stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the pharmaceutical industry. Key takeaways of the microbiome manufacturing market report are briefly discussed below.

Competitive Landscape of Microbiome Manufacturing Companies

The microbiome manufacturing market features a mix of large, mid-sized and small in-house players and contract manufacturing organizations that are engaged in the production of microbiome therapy across different scales of operations, such as preclinical, clinical, and commercial. Currently, 50% of the microbiome therapy contract manufacturers offer services for both API and FDF manufacturing; notable examples (in alphabetical order) include Arranta Bio, BacThera, Biose, Capsugel and Cerbios-Pharma. In addition, majority of the microbiome companies offer probiotic manufacturing services on a contract basis.

Clinical Trials Analysis: Close to 170 Trials are Evaluating Microbiome Therapeutics to Treat Various Infectious Diseases and Oncological Disorders

Over the years, microbiome companies involved in the manufacturing of microbiome therapeutics have made significant efforts to conduct clinical trials for evaluating the efficacy of microbiome therapies targeting various disorders, including infectious diseases, neurological disorders and oncological disorders.

Close to 170 clinical trials have been conducted across different geographical regions to evaluate various microbiome therapies, of which, majority (70%) were registered in North America. Further, the maximum number of patients (10,138) were observed to be enrolled in clinical trials conducted in North America, which account for 52% of the overall enrollment. It is worth mentioning that AOBiome is conducting the maximum number of trials in this industry for different dermatological, respiratory and CNS disorders. In addition, VE303 (developed by Vedanta Biosciences) for the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection has demonstrated positive results in the Phase II clinical trials.

Market Trends Analysis: Partnerships and Collaborations have Fueled Microbiome Manufacturing Market Growth

Several stakeholders have been forging alliances with other industry non-industry players in the microbiome therapeutics contract manufacturing industry. It is worth highlighting that since 2018, over 50 strategic partnerships have been established in this domain, of which the majority are focused on research, product development, and technology utilization.

Microbiome Contract Manufacturing Companies' Capacity Utilization Rate is Expected to Increase Significantly in the Coming Years

Around 43% of the global microbiome contract manufacturing capacity is installed in facilities owned by small contract manufacturing companies. Further, majority share (57%) of the overall microbiome manufacturing capacity is installed in facilities located in Europe; within Europe, more than 35% of this capacity is installed in facilities owned by players based in Austria.

Microbiome Manufacturing Market Size: Europe to Hold the Largest Market Share

The microbiome manufacturing market is estimated to be worth USD 27 million in 2023. Driven by the growing pipeline of microbiome-based products, the microbiome manufacturing market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 17% during the forecast period. Specifically, in terms of type of product manufactured, majority of the market share is anticipated to be captured by APIs by 2035. Further, the liquid dosage form continues to hold the largest share (50%) in the contract manufacturing industry.

Leading Contract Manufacturing Companies Engaged in Microbiome Manufacturing Market

Examples of key microbiome contract manufacturing companies (which have also been profiled in this report) offering manufacturing services include (in alphabetical order) Biose, BJP Laboratories, Capsugel, Cerbios-Pharma, Chr. Hansen, Inpac Probiotics, NIZO, WACKER and Winclove. In addition, MaaT Pharma is in the process of expanding its cGMP manufacturing capacity through the addition of a new plant in France that will exclusively focus on microbiome therapeutics manufacturing; the plant is set to be operational before the end of 2023. This market report includes an easily searchable excel database of all the microbiome contract manufacturing companies and their manufacturing facility, worldwide.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 286 Forecast Period 2023 2035 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $27 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2035 $187 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.0% Regions Covered Global

COMPANY PROFILES

Leading Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in North America

Capsugel (Acquired by Lonza) Company Overview Service Portfolio Facilities Dedicated to Microbiome Manufacturing Recent Developments and Future Outlook



Other Prominent Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in North America

Arranta Bio

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

List Biological Laboratories

ProbioFerm

Leading Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Europe

Biose Industrie

Cerbios-Pharma

Chr. Hansen

Inpac Probiotics

NIZO

WACKER

Winclove Probiotics

Other Prominent Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Europe

BacThera

Evologic Technologies

Probiotical

QUAY Pharma

Leading Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Asia-Pacific

BJP Laboratories

Other Prominent Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Asia-Pacific

Aumgene Biosciences

AcuraBio

Meteoric Biopharmaceuticals

Probiotics Australia

Unique Biotech

Scope of the Report

Base Year: 2022

Forecast Period: 2023-2035

Market Size 2023: $27 Million

CAGR: 17%

Customization Scope: 15% Customization Available

PowerPoint Presentation: (Complimentary)

Type of Product Manufactured API FDF

Type of Formulation Solid Liquid Others

Type of Primary Packaging Used Blister Packs Glass Plastic Bottles Pouches Sachets Vials

Scale of Operation Clinical Commercial

Company Size Small Mid-sized Large and Very Large

Key Geographical Regions North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World

Leading Developers Infant Bacterial Therapeutics MaaT Pharma Microbiomik Healthcare OxThera Rebiotix Seres Therapeutics

Key Companies Profiled Biose BJP Laboratories Capsugel Chr. Hansen Inpac Probiotics NIZO WACKER Winclove (Full list of more than 60 companies captured is available in the report)

Excel Data Packs: (Complimentary) Market Landscape Analysis Company Competitiveness Analysis Likely Partner Analysis Big Pharma Initiatives Recent Developments and Initiatives Clinical Trial Analysis Capacity Analysis Demand Analysis Market Forecast and Opportunity Analysis



The opinions and insights presented in the market report were influenced by discussions held with stakeholders in the industry:

Founder and Executive Chairman, Small Company, US

Managing Director and Scientific Head, Large Company, India

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mid-sized Company, India

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Small Company, Belgium

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Small Company, US

Chief Business Officer, Mid-sized Company, Israel

Chief Operating Officer, Mid-sized Company, US

Vice President, Business Development, Small Company, US

Vice President, Commercial Operations, Mid-sized Company, US

Vice President, Business Development, Mid-sized Company, US

Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Small Company, US

Head of Business Development, Mid-sized Company, Australia

Business Development Manager, Large Company, Germany

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r6ef9m

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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240405287246/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Regulatory News:

ACTICOR BIOTECH (FR0014005OJ5 ALACT) (Paris:ALACT), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing glenzocimab, an innovative drug for the treatment of cardiovascular emergencies, today discloses the total number of voting rights and shares as of March 31, 2024 (pursuant to Article L. 233-8 II of the French Commercial Code and Article 223-16 of the General Regulation of the French Financial Markets Authority).

Listing Place: Euronext Growth Paris

ISIN Code: FR0014005OJ5

Web site: acticor-biotech.com

Date Number of shares making up the share capital Theoretical number of voting rights (1) Number of voting rights excluding shares stripped of voting rights (2) March 31, 2024 15.755.227 15.755.227 15.686.422

In accordance with Article 223-111 of the AMF's General Regulation, this number of shares is calculated based on all shares carrying the right to vote, including those stripped of voting rights. The actual voting rights correspond to the total number of voting rights that can be exercised in a general meeting. They are calculated on the basis of the total number of voting rights attached to the total number of shares minus the shares without voting rights.

About ACTICOR BIOTECH

Acticor Biotech is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, a spin-off from INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), which is aiming to develop an innovative treatment for cardiovascular emergencies, including ischemic stroke.

The positive results of the phase 1b/2a study, ACTIMIS, published in January 2024 in the Lancet Neurology (link to the publication), confirmed the safety profile of glenzocimab and showed a reduction in mortality and intracerebral hemorrhage in the glenzocimab-treated group of stroke patients. These results were confirmed by a post-hoc analysis of brain imaging at 0 and 24 hours using artificial intelligence (Brainomix, UK). This independent analysis confirmed the reduction in the number and volume of intracerebral lesions in patients treated with glenzocimab. The efficacy of glenzocimab is now being analyzed in an international Phase 2/3 study, ACTISAVE, with clinical results expected in Q2 2024.

In July 2022, Acticor Biotech was granted "PRIME" status by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for glenzocimab in the treatment of stroke. This designation will allow the company to strengthen its interactions and obtain early dialogues with regulatory authorities.

Acticor Biotech is supported by a panel of European and international investors (Mediolanum farmaceutici, Karista, Go Capital, Newton Biocapital, CMS Medical Venture Investment (HK) Limited, A&B (HK) Limited, Anaxago, and the Armesa foundation). Acticor Biotech is listed on Euronext Growth Paris since November 2021 (ISIN: FR0014005OJ5 ALACT).

For more information, visit: www.acticor-biotech.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240405161678/en/

Contacts:

ACTICOR BIOTECH

Gilles AVENARD, MD

CEO and Founder

gilles.avenard@acticor-biotech.com

T.: +33 (0)6 76 23 38 13

Sophie BINAY, PhD

General Manager and CSO

Sophie.binay@acticor-biotech.com

T.: +33 (0)6 76 23 38 13

NewCap

Mathilde BOHIN

Investor Relations

acticor@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 95

NewCap

Arthur ROUILLE

Media Relations

acticor@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15
Redde Northgate Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, April 05

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

5 April 2024

REDDE NORTHGATE PLC

("Redde Northgate" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Transaction in Own Shares

Redde Northgate plc (LSE:REDD) announces that on 5 April 2024 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 : 41,791 Weighted average purchase price paid : 377 pence per share Highest purchase price paid : 377 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid : 377 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 20,281,862 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 225,809,561 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 Transaction (as at 5 April 2024)

Number of shares

purchased Transaction price

(GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 41,791 377.00 12:00:46 00069468244TRLO0 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:
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, April 05

For immediate release

5 April 2024

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 197,791 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 831.68 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 23 January 2024.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 38,173,222; 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 186,818,081.

The figure of 186,818,081 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
Forbo Holding AG / Key word(s): AGMEGM

Forbo shareholders approve all proposals of the Board of Directors



05.04.2024 / 18:45 CET/CEST





MEDIA RELEASE

At today's 96th Ordinary General Meeting of Forbo Holding Ltd in Zug, the shareholders approved all of the Board of Directors' proposals by a large majority. The dividend of CHF 25 per share will be paid out as of April 12, 2024.

Baar, April 5, 2024

Today's Ordinary General Meeting of Forbo Holding Ltd was attended by 126 shareholders, representing 1,058,918 registered shares or 71.31% of the share capital issued.

The shareholders accepted all of the Board of Directors' proposals by a large majority. They approved the Annual Report, the annual statements, the consolidated financial statements, and the Sustainability Report for the 2023 business year and granted discharge to the responsible governing bodies. They also voted in favor of the proposed distribution of earnings in the form of a dividend of CHF 25 per share.

Due to the necessary amendment of the Articles of Association to the new company law, various changes to the Articles of Association were voted on this year. The Ordinary General Meeting approved all requests of the Board of Directors.

Shareholders approved the 2023 Remuneration Report by a majority in a consultative vote. The Ordinary General Meeting approved the maximum total remuneration of the Board of Directors for 2025, the maximum fixed remuneration of the Executive Board for 2025, the short-term variable remuneration of the Executive Board for 2023, and the maximum long-term equity participation of the Executive Board for 2024 by a large majority.

Except for Dr. Peter Altorfer, who did not stand for re-election after 19 years of successful work on the Forbo Board, all previous Board of Directors members were confirmed in office. With his extensive knowledge and many years of professional experience, Dr. Peter Altorfer made a significant contribution to the further development of the Forbo Group. The Board of Directors thanks him for his exceptional commitment and for the trusting cooperation and wishes him all the best.

The previous Board of Directors members - This E. Schneider as the Chairman as well as Michael Pieper, Claudia Coninx-Kaczynski, Dr. Eveline Saupper, and Vincent Studer - were confirmed in office and re-elected for a one-year term. Jorg Kampmeyer and Bernhard Merki were newly elected to the Board of Directors.

The previous members of the Remuneration Committee - Claudia Coninx-Kaczynski and Michael Pieper - were confirmed for a further year. Instead of Dr. Peter Altorfer, Bernhard Merki was elected as a new member.

Lastly, the shareholders extended the mandate of the auditor, KPMG Ltd, for a further year. Furthermore, Rene Peyer was re-elected as independent proxy.

MEDIA RELEASE (PDF-FILE)

Forbo is a leading producer of floor coverings, building and construction adhesives, as well as belts for power transmission and lightweight conveyor technology.The sustainable manufacture of environmentally friendly products has long been an integral part of the strategy. Forbo's linoleum floor coverings are made from natural raw materials. It is biodegradable and carbon negative (cradle to gate), without offsetting. For its manufacture of heterogenous vinyl floor coverings, Forbo uses the latest generation of phthalate-free plasticizers. As a proportion of total product weight, textile floor coverings also contain up to 45% recycled materials. The BioBelt is a conveyor belt consisting of at least 20% renewable raw materials. The AmpMiser conveyor belt allows savings in energy of up to 50%.

The company employs about 5,200 people and has an international network of 25 sites with production and distribution, 6 fabrication centers, and 47 sales organizations in a total of 39 countries around the world. The company generated net sales of CHF 1,175.2 million in the 2023 business year. The company is headquartered in Baar in the canton of Zug, Switzerland.

The company is listed on SIX Swiss Exchange (security number 354151, ISIN CH0003541510, Bloomberg FORN SW, Reuters FORN.S).

Contact person:

Karin Marti

Head Corporate Communications

Phone +41 58 787 25 41

www.forbo.com

www.forbo.com -> Sustainability

End of Media Release


TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM)(OTCQB:GAYMF) (the "Company" or "Galway") is pleased to announce an offering to raise up to $4,500,000 by way of a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering").

The Offering will consist of a combination of charity flow-through units of the Company (the "Charity FT Units") at a price of $0.54 per Charity FT Unit and flow-through units of the Company (the "FT Units") at a price of $0.42 per FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $4,500,000.

The Offering:

Each Charity FT Unit will consist of one flow-through common share of the Company and one whole non-flow-through common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share of the Company for an exercise price of $0.60 per share for a period of 2 years following completion of the Offering.

Each FT Unit will consist of one flow-through common share of the Company and one whole non-flow-through common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share of the Company for an exercise price of $0.60 per share for a period of 2 years following completion of the Offering.

The Company will use the gross proceeds of the Offering, pursuant to the provisions in the Income Tax Act (Canada), to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") on or before December 31, 2025, and to renounce all the Qualifying Expenditures in favour of the subscribers of the Charity FT Units and the FT Units effective December 31, 2024.

The Offering is subject to regulatory approval and all securities issued pursuant to the Offering will have a hold period of four months and one day. Closing of the Offering is anticipated to occur on or about April 25, 2024. Laurentian Bank Securities Inc. ("Laurentian") is acting as an exclusive finder on the Offering. In connection with the Offering, Laurentian will be entitled to a cash finder's fee of up to 4.0% of the proceeds of the FT Units, payable on closing.

The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state security laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has awarded approximately 400,000 incentive stock options exercisable at C$0.44 per common share and expiring on April 5, 2029, to employees, officers and directors of the Company. This grant is in compliance with terms of the Company's Stock Option Plan and remains subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Galway Metals Inc.

Galway Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing its 100%-owned, high-grade, open-pitable Clarence Stream gold project in southwest New Brunswick. Clarence Stream is an emerging gold district with an exploration strike length of approximately 65 kilometres. Galway Metals also has 100%-ownership in the Estrades project, a former producing high-grade, gold-rich polymetallic VMS mine in the northern Abitibi of western Quebec. Led by a management team with a proven track-record of creating shareholder value having sold Galway Resources for US$340 million, Galway Metals is focused on creating value for all its stakeholders.

For Additional Information on Galway Metals Inc., Please contact:

Robert Hinchcliffe President & Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: 1-800-771-0680

Email: info@galwaymetalsinc.com

Website: www.galwaymetalsinc.com

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Cautionary Statement

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news 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" which are not composed of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Offering and the anticipated terms and timing of closing thereof and the use of proceeds from the Offering. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to regulatory approvals, legislative amendments, changes in economic conditions or financial markets, political and competitive developments, operation or exploration difficulties, changes in equity markets, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices capital, operating and reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR+. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

SOURCE: Galway Metals Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
The Congress has released its 84-page-long manifesto, also known as Nyay Patra. Among its many poll promises, the party has vowed to carry out a nationwide caste census and also pass a Constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations read more

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi releases the party's manifesto ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in New Delhi. PTI

We are two weeks away from the Lok Sabha polls beginning and ahead of the seven-phase elections, the Congress on Friday (5 March) released its poll manifesto, or Nyay Patra.

The manifesto was released in Delhi in the presence of the media by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who was flanked by senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram  who led the committee that drafted the document  was also present.

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Speaking at the event, Kharge said: This manifesto will be nyay ka dastavez (a document for justice) in the political history of the country. From the five pillars of the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra  yuva (youth), kisan (farmers), naari (women), shramik (workers), and hissedari (equity), 25 guarantees will emerge.

Noticeably, the Congress manifesto has focused largely on social justice and love  a recurring theme even during Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Social justice

In the Congress manifesto, the party has promised that if it comes to power in the 2024 elections, it will carry out a nation-wide socio-economic and caste census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions.

This has been a hot topic for a while now, ever since the Bihar government released the results of its own survey last November.

The Congress has vociferously pushed for a caste-survey on a national level, asserting that it is the only way to ensure equal opportunity for all in the country. Last week, the partys general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said caste has been a socio-economic reality of Indian society for centuries. We cannot deny caste-based discrimination in India and the disadvantages imposed by caste at birth, he said in a post on X.

The Congress manifesto dubbed Nyay Patra focuses on social justice and religious freedoms. PTI

To make the distribution of economic growth more equitable, we need a survey of the ownership of assets and the representation of people in the institutions of our democracy, Ramesh said. Therefore, what is needed is a caste census combined with a survey of national assets and governance systems, which is updated from time to time, he asserted in the post on X.

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Former Congress chief and senior leader Rahul Gandhi has also batted for the caste survey and reiterated at rally after rally that his party would carry out such an exercise if voted to power.

Besides the caste survey, the Congress has also promised to pass a Constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBCs). Many poll pundits note that this move is an attempt by the Congress to try to slide into OBC votebank.

Many other regional parties have been debating the 50 per cent cap, but the Supreme Court has struck down these appeals and stuck to the 50 per cent cap ruling in the Mandal commission case.

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A student protests against reservation. The Congress has vowed to pass a Constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations on SC, ST and OBCs. File image/Reuters

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said on the same: If INDIA bloc comes to power, it will throw away the 50 per cent cap on reservation, ensure Dalits, tribals, OBCs get their rights. He added: There will be no reduction in reservation of Dalits and Adivasis. I am giving you a guarantee that the backward sections of society will get their rights. This is the biggest issue  social and economic injustice.

And in an attempt to attain social justice, the Congress has vowed that the reservation of 10 per cent in jobs and educational institutions for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will be implemented for all castes and communities without discrimination.

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Moreover, the Congress has vowed to end the evil of manual scavenging. As per the manifesto, every manual scavenger will be rehabilitated, re-skilled, provided a job and assured a life of dignity and safety. The Prohibition of Manual Scavenging Act, 2013, will be strictly implemented and any person employing anyone for manual scavenging shall be punished.

Love for all

One of the other key focus areas of the Congress manifesto is religious tolerance and equality for LGBTQ+ citizens.

In its manifesto, the Congress wrote that if it came to power, the party would respect and uphold the fundamental right to practice ones faith and the rights guaranteed to religious minorities under Articles 15, 16, 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30 of the Constitution.

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The Grand Old Party also vowed that that it would ensure the freedom of choice of dress, food, language and personal laws. This point, according to experts, is a counter to the BJP.

Moreover, the party has stated that it would encourage reform of personal laws. Such reform must be undertaken with the participation and consent of the communities concerned, it wrote. Many poll experts believe that it is a nod to the Uniform Civil Code and the partys stance on it.

The Congress in its manifesto has said that it would bring a law to recognise civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community. Image used for representational purposes/Pixabay

Notably, the Congress has also spoken about the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens in its manifesto. It wrote in its manifesto that the party, after wide consultation, would bring a law to recognise civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

This comes after the Supreme Court refused to legalise same-sex marriages in October last year. While the apex court while striking down the pleas had said that marriage is not a fundamental right in the Constitution.However, Justices SK Kaul, who was one of the five judges hearing the case, did strongly rule in favour of recognising queer couples right to civil union.

Other salient features of Congress manifesto

Apart from the focus on social justice, the Congress has laid emphasis on job creation in its manifesto. It wrote in its 48-page manifesto, The youth of India face joblessness as well as hopelessness. The root cause is massive unemployment that has got worse every year under the BJP/NDA government. Congress will tackle this issue on a war footing with a clear Yuva Nyay programme.

For this, the Congress has guaranteed a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one-year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to every diploma holder or college graduate below the age of 25. Apprentices will get Rs 1 lakh a year. The apprenticeship will impart skills, enhance employability and provide full-time job opportunities for millions of youth.

The Congress also vows to fill the nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels in the central government.

And in an aim to empower women, the Congress will launch a Mahalakshmi scheme to provide 1 lakh per year to every poor Indian family as an unconditional cash transfer. The poor will be identified among the families in the bottom of the income pyramid. The amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the oldest woman of the household.

Additionally, the party will reserve one-half (50 per cent) of central government jobs for women starting in 2025.

To ensure farmers rights, the Congress has also promised to give a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

BJP speaks

Shortly after the Congress released its Nyay Patra, the BJP slammed it, calling it a bundle of lies. BJP further said the opposition party did not fulfil any of its promises made in its earlier manifestos for assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the Congress has come with such a poll manifesto to create confusion among the voters.

With inputs from agencies
On the 75th anniversary of NATO, Germanys defence minister Boris Pistorius hinted at compulsory military service for the nation, citing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. This is a growing trend in Europe; many countries such as Norway, Denmark and others have either implemented conscription or considering it read more

German Bundeswehr soldiers at the Klietz military training area in Klietz, eastern Germany. German's defence minister Boris Pistorius has has hinted at compulsory military service, amid the Russia-Ukraine war. File image/AFP

Is Germany mulling a return to military conscription? The German defence minister Boris Pistorius has hinted at compulsory military service, as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on.

In fact, this isnt the first time that the German minister spoke about reintroducing compulsory military service. Last December too, Pistorius had said that the country was looking at all options, adding that abolishing it had been a mistake.

With this, it seems that Europe is looking at a rethink of military conscription, with an increasing number of countries mulling or implementing this measure.

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Germany rethinks conscription

On Thursday (4 April), speaking in Berlin on the 75th anniversary of NATO, Germanys Boris Pistorius announced a revamp of the countrys military as part of efforts to make the armed forces of NATOs most populous European member war-capable.

It is a landmark reform Our goal is to restructure the Bundeswehr in such a way that it is best positioned in the event of defence, in the event of war, Pistorius was quoted as saying by the Financial Times. Nobody should have the idea of attacking NATO territory  this is what we [want to] convey.

As part of its revamp, Pistorius is considering a compulsory national service to the Bundeswehr  Germanys armed forces. We have considered the reintroduction of compulsory military service, although thats not in the works as of now, the minister was quoted as saying. Notably, Germany stopped conscription in 2011.

However, in light of the situation unfolding in Europe  namely the Russia-Ukraine war  the minister is looking at putting forth a proposal of compulsory military service before German politicians in the weeks to come.

It is reported that Germany is looking at implementing a Swedish-type model of conscription.

Guard soldiers of the German armed forces Bundeswehr (Wachbataillon) stand to attention at Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn, western Germany. Germany stopped compulsory military conscription in 2011. File image/AFP

Interestingly, this comes at a time when Germanys Bundeswehr has had difficulty in attracting recruits. It has 1,81,000 personnel and aims to get to 2,03,000 soldiers by 2031.

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Earlier, in December too, Pistorius had hinted at introducing compulsory military service, telling Die Welt newspaper, I am looking at alternative models, such as the Swedish model where all young men and women are conscripted and only a select few end up doing their basic military service.

However, not everyone in Germany is on board for such a move. In fact, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, himself, is not keen on conscription. In 1984, as a young adult, he had chosen to carry out his national service in a nursing home. In recent times too, he has said that conscription is not a good idea.

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European countries and conscription

But the debate on conscription in Germany isnt a lone case. Many other European nations have either implemented compulsory military service or are considering it.

For instance, as recently as early 2 April, Norway announced that it would be increasing the number of conscripted soldiers from the present 9,000 to 13,500. As of 2016, the Nordic country has mandated that all 18-year-olds  men and women  must present themselves for military service.

Denmarks prime minister Mette Frederiksen meets conscripts during a visit to Denmarks largest military workplace, Flyvestation Karup (Air Base Karup) in Jutland. File image/Reuters

In March, Denmark, which mandates compulsory military service, extended this rule to women. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said the revised policy was designed to increase the number of young people doing military service. We are not rearming because we want war, destruction, or suffering. We are rearming right now to avoid war and in a world where the international order is being challenged, Frederiksen had then told reporters.

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The Netherlands, facing a shortage in troops, is also considering increasing the numbers through compulsory military service. Incidentally, all Dutch citizens between 17 and 35 are registered to be conscripted for military service in an emergency, but the obligation to report for duty was scrapped in 1997.

Sweden reintroduced conscription in 2018 under which people aged 18 have to complete an enlistment form. File image/Reuters

In Sweden too, conscription returned in 2018 after it was dropped in 2010. Since then, Sweden mandates that people aged 18 have to complete an enlistment form, but only some of them are called up to do basic training with military service.

Latvia, which borders Russia, has also reintroduced conscription as of last year. As per the rules, military service is mandatory for all 18 to 27-year-old males in Latvia whereas, women will be allowed to participate voluntarily. Latvia didnt have compulsory military service since 2007 when it was abolished. However, Russias war in Ukraine was the impetus to bring it back. Ukraine is a clear example of how important a morally resilient and well-prepared civilian population is to push back any aggressor, Latvian defence minister Inara Murniece had said on the governments decision.

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Russias other neighbour, Lithuania, also reinstated compulsory military service after Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014. Males aged 18 to 23 can be called to serve for the duration of nine months. Interestingly, a computer system randomly generates a list of candidates that will be called up for mandatory military service.

Ukraine, which has been in a war with Russia, has also tweaked its conscription rules. As recently as 4 April, the Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led country lowered its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25. However, this has raised concerns with some Ukrainians worrying that by taking more young adults out of the workforce could further impact the shrunken economy of the war-ravaged nation.

Countries without conscription

The United Kingdom and France, apart from Germany, are the two big nations that dont have compulsory military service. However, in recent times, France has been debating a light form of compulsory military service. President Emmanuel Macron introduced the Universal National Service in 2019, which enables young people to volunteer for a month and serve their country. The government is now considering making this compulsory for all French nationals aged 15-17.

France has been debating a light form of compulsory military service. File image/AFP

A similar debate is also raging in the UK with some military officials stating that it would be preferable in light of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the outgoing head of the British Army, had recently said such a conflict would need to be a whole-of-nation undertaking.

While the UK government reiterated that there was no plan to introduce conscription, others have said that it might be time to have a rethink on this option. One such person is former UK defence secretary Michael Fallon. He told Sky News it was time to think the unthinkable and consider conscription.

With inputs from agencies
A report published by The Guardian has claimed that India, through its Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), carried out 20 killings of terrorists in Pakistan since 2020. The targeted assassinations came after the Pulwama attack of 2019. New Delhi has refuted the claims, calling it false and malicious anti-India propaganda read more

A report published by The Guardian claims that India was involved in the killing of at least 20 individuals in Pakistan. Image used for representational purposes/PTI

The news is false and malicious anti-India propaganda, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after British daily The Guardian reported that India had carried out targeted killings in Pakistan to eliminate terrorists. The ministry further quoted Foreign Minister S Jaishankar who had previously said that targeted killings in other countries were not the government of Indias policy.

This follows earlier claims made by Canada and the US that India has been involved in assassinations and such attempts on foreign soil.

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We examine each of these claims closely  from what was claimed and how New Delhi reacted to each of these accusations.

The Guardians Pakistan killings claim

On Thursday (5 April), The Guardian carried a report in which it stated that the Indian government had assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living in foreign countries.

The report, which cited officials from both countries  India and Pakistan  as well as documents by Pakistani investigators disclose how the Indian government carried out these killings post 2019 under the supervision of Indias spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The Guardian report states that India carried out as many as 20 killings in Pakistan dating back to 2020 and continued until as recently as last year. The daily said that the move of targeting terrorists on foreign soil came after the 2019 Pulwama attack when a suicide bomber belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad targeted a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force, killing 40 personnel. After Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance, an Indian intelligence operative was quoted as telling The Guardian. We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source.

It is reported that India took inspiration from Israels Mossad and Russias KGB to carry out these assassinations. Additionally, an official in the report asserts that the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was also mentioned. It was a few months after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi that there was a debate among the top brass of intelligence in the prime ministers office about how something can be learned from the case. One senior officer said in a meeting that if Saudis can do this, why not us? he said.

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The Guardian report claims that India used an illiterate 20-year-old Pakistani" to assassinate Shahid Latif, a commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad. File image/PTI

And following this, the news outlet claims that India took out Zahid Akhund  also known as Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim  who was one of the five hijackers of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi in 1999, in 2022. Furthermore, India, as per the report, was involved in the killing Shahid Latif, a dreaded commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Bashir Ahmad Peer, a commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, and Saleem Rehmani, who was on Indias most-wanted list.

Pakistani investigators claim in the report that India used local criminals, or poor Pakistanis to carry out these killings. In some instances, Indian agents also used jihadists for the killings, claimed the report. The report claims that for the killing of Shahid Latif, India used an illiterate 20-year-old Pakistani, who was recruited by RAW in the UAE, where he was working for a minimal salary in an Amazon packing warehouse.

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The MEA has classified the report as false and anti-India propaganda.

Pannun assassination attempt in the US

Prior to The Guardian report of Indias involvement in the killings of 20 individuals in Pakistan, the US, last November, claimed that it had thwarted an assassination attempt on Sikhs for Justice chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

Later, the US charged an Indian national, later identified as Nikhil Gupta, for his involvement in the plot to murder the US-based Khalistan leader. Federal authorities charged that Gupta had conspired to hire a hitman to assassinate a member of the Sikh separatist movement in New York City. While the indictment hadnt mentioned Pannun, the Financial Times reported that Pannun was the subject of the plot.

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Last November, federal authorities in the US had charged an Indian national of conspiring to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. File image/AP

As per the indictment, an Indian government employee along with Gupta directed the plot to kill Pannun.

Following the claims and the indictment, India and the US are working closely on the matter, with New Delhi setting up a commission to look into the Pannun murder plot.

And as recently as March, Indian officials handed over their findings into the matter to their US counterparts. As per a Bloomberg report, the report found that rogue officials, not authorised by the government, had been involved in the foiled plot to kill the Sikh separatist leader.

Nijjar killing in Canada

But it all started in September last year with Canadas accusations that India had been involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had then stood up in parliament and claimed that there were credible allegations that India had been involved in the murder of Nijjar back in June.

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He had stated, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib parking lot, in Surrey, British Columbia last June. Canada has alleged that India had a role in the murder. File image/AP

Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves.

India quickly rebutted the allegations, with the MEA calling them absurd. Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten Indias sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said.

The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern.

The allegations triggered a diplomatic row, with both sides expelling each others diplomats and issuing tit-for-tat travel advisories. New Delhi also suspended issuing visas for Canadians. It has, recently restarted issuing certain categories of visas for the citizens of Canada. Additionally, India also made Ottawa downsize its high commission in the national capital of India and its consulates in other cities.

Indias envoy to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma also stated that New Delhi had not received any specific or relevant information from Ottawa in support of the allegation about Indias role in the killing of Nijjar in Canada.

With inputs from agencies
Amid the suspense over who the Congress will field from Amethi and Raebareli for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Priyanka Gandhi Vadras husband Robert Vadra has dropped hints about his potential political debut. He said people in Amethi expect him to represent them if he decides to enter the political fray read more

Congress party General secretary Priyanka Vadra in red, with her husband Robert Vadra waits as her brother Congress party president Rahul Gandhi files his nomination papers for the 2019 general elections in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh state, India. PTI

Who would run for the Gandhi familys Uttar Pradesh seats of Amethi and Raebareli is still a mystery to the Congress.

Businessman Robert Vadra has entered the fray by making hints about a potential political debut, as the grand-old party struggles to reach a conclusion.

The husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said people in Amethi expect him to represent them if he decides to enter the political fray.

So, is the Gandhi son-in-law eyeing Amethi? Lets take a closer look.

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Robert Vadra hints at political debut

Speaking to the news agency ANI, Vadra stated that the people of Amethi want a member of the Gandhi family to return because they are upset with the sitting MP, Smriti Irani.

Whoever represents Rae Bareli or Amethi must work for the progress of people, their security and should not play politics of discrimination. The people of Amethi are very upset with their current Member of Parliament, Vadra said.

Delhi | On UP's Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, Robert Vadra says, "...The people of Amethi expect me to represent their constituency if I decide to become a member of Parliament...For years, the Gandhi family worked hard in Rae Bareli, Amethi and Sultanpur...The people of Amethi pic.twitter.com/2kdmgQtrvv  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

They believe that they made a mistake as she doesnt visit (her constituency) often. She does not think about the progress of the area. She only cares about levelling accusations against the Gandhi family, demeaning them and misusing her power, he added.

Vadra went on to say that the Gandhi family has been putting in a lot of effort for the people of Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, and Jagdishpur for many years.

People of Amethi feel that they made a mistake by electing Smriti Irani and want a Gandhi family member to return. In fact, they even expect me to represent their constituency if I decide to become a MP, Vadra said.

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People know how much effort we made They connect with me on social media, meet me outside my office, celebrate my birthday, he added.

Not the first time

Robert Vadras political aspirations have long been evident.

He would express his desire to be a neta by making political remarks on his travels to Amethi and temple visits.

He would casually reply, I will choose the right time, when asked about his political aspirations.

Recently, he told News18, Everyone wants me to fight from many places, but I am clear that I will join at the right time. I have learnt and earned my place in politics.

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In 2022, Vadra had said if people would like it, he might think about getting involved in politics. His comments followed the Enforcement Directorate questioning of then-Congress president and his mother-in-law Sonia Gandhi about a money laundering case involving the National Herald newspaper.

In the lead-up to the 2019 general election, three years prior, Vadra stated he would refrain from joining active politics unless he was cleared of all charges related to an ongoing corruption case.

He said, I am always going to be in India (but) I will not be active politics till I clear my name. That is my promise.

Vadra is charged with several counts of corruption, and the ED is looking into allegations that he laundered money to buy a house in London, United Kingdom, according to NDTV.

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BJPs reaction to Vadras statement

Vadras big hint has drawn further criticism from the BJP, implying that the party cannot look past the Gandhis.

BJPs Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that Vadras remarks demonstrated the partys inability to break free from dynasty politics.

From what he said, one thing is very clear that they (Congress) cannot come out of dynastic politics. What is he (Robert Vadra) apart from being the son-in-law of the Gandhi family that people will expect something from him? What kind of certificate do you (Robert Vadra) have? the BJP leader asked.

Four power centres have been built here, one is of Sonia Gandhi, one of Rahul Gandhi, one is of Priyanka Gandhi, and one is of Kharge. These people have ruined this country because of nepotism and still they do not want to change themselves, he added.

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#WATCH | On Robert Vadra's statement, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, "Whatever he said, one thing is very clear that they (Congress) cannot come out of dynastic politics. What he (Robert Vadra) is apart from being the son-in-law of the Gandhi family, that people will https://t.co/Y0FRlnUdOZ pic.twitter.com/YGZrnTUucK  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said that the BJP had not received any application from Vadras side, and if he will contest from Congress, it is a concern of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

#WATCH | On Robert Vadra's statement, Uttar Pradesh Dy CM Brijesh Pathak says, "We have not yet received any application from Robert Vadra's side. If he has applied to the Congress Party then his mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, Bharatiya Janata Party has also not received any https://t.co/Y0FRlnUdOZ pic.twitter.com/hONzcb1VDI  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya wrote on X, Robert Vadra wanting to contest the Amethi seat reminds me of a saying in Hindi: When an elephant is stuck in a swamp, even a frog ends up kicking it. That is the state of the Congress party today.

Robert Vadra wanting to contest the #Amethi seat reminds me of a saying in Hindi: When an elephant is stuck in a swamp, even a frog ends up kicking it. That is the state of the Congress party today.@BJP4India @INCIndia @irobertvadra @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/91yoisVXRF  Lahar Singh Siroya (@LaharSingh_MP) April 5, 2024

Congress suspense over Amethi seat

Of UPs 80 Lok Sabha seats, 17 will be contested by the Congress, with the remaining 63 going to regional and INDIA bloc allies Samajwadi Party.

Candidates for 14 seats have already been announced by the party. It hasnt yet disclosed its candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli, though.

There are rumours that the BJP, which has controlled Uttar Pradeshs electoral politics for the last ten years, could face an intense dual opposition from Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.

Gandhi was expected to run for the Amethi seat, which he held from 2004 to 2014, when Smriti Irani defeated him in the Lok Sabha election of 2019. He lost by over 50,000 votes. Irani, who has to defend her seat in this election, was his opponent in both 2014 and 2019.

Plans for the Rae Bareli constituency, held by former Congress head Sonia Gandhi since 2004, are not quite clear. Nevertheless, since she moved to the Rajya Sabha, she will not run in this election.

Talk of Priyanka being fielded by the Congress has persisted, providing voters in Amethi and Rae Bareli with an intriguing husband-wife combo.

While its a difficult seat for the grand-old party, others believe that Moradabad, Roberts family home, would be a better option.

With inputs from agencies
As India heads to the 18th general election, data show voters trust in independent candidates has been diminishing, with more than 99 per cent of independent candidates losing their deposits since 1991 read more

In the first elections of 1951-52, 533 independent candidates contested, and 37 of them won, which calculates to a 6.90 per cent success rate. File image/AP

India is heading towards its 18th general election, with every nook and corner busy discussing the future of democracy in the country. When it comes to election debates, people are most concerned with political parties. The question is: what about independent candidates?

Since 1991, more than 99 per cent of independent candidates have lost their deposits in Indian elections, according to the data compiled by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The trend reflects a decline in voters trust in independent candidates over the years.

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So, do voters no longer trust independent candidates? This is what the data reveals.

Few independent candidates winning polls

In the first elections of 1951-52, 533 independent candidates contested, and 37 of them won, which is a 6.9 per cent success rate. In 1957, the percentage was around eight per cent, and it was around 0.11 per cent in 2019.

This clearly shows that, while the number of independent candidates has remained high, those winning polls have decreased.

Election Commission regulations stipulate that candidates failing to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled would have their deposits redirected to the treasury.

The security deposit amount was Rs 500 for general candidates and Rs 250 for candidates from SC/ST communities in 1951. The sum has since increased to Rs 25,000 and Rs 12,500 for general and SC/ST candidates.

In the 1957, 1,519 independent candidates fought the Lok Sabha election, with 42 of them winning it  around 8.7 per cent. However, even in these two elections, 67 per cent of the independent candidates had forfeited their deposits.

Over 99.6 per cent of independent candidates lost their deposits in 2019. The trend reflects a decline in voters trust in independent candidates over the years. File image/AP

As Indias democracy evolved with several regional parties coming into existence over the years, the number of independent candidates who won kept going down.

In 1962, 20 independent candidates won, around 4.2 per cent of the total, while over 78 per cent lost their deposits. In the 1984 polls, held soon after the death of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, 13 independent candidates won, a success rate of around 0.30 per cent, while over 96 per cent lost their deposits.

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Lack of trust

Political experts say the trend indicates voters do not show trust in independent candidates.

Vaguely speaking, the kind of people who contest as independent are sometimes those who are denied tickets by a political party. There are also some who are hoisted by a party to cut votes of rivals. Some may have a motive, if they win they are in a bargaining position " Maj Gen Anil Verma (retd), Head of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), said.

However, they cant make much difference, ultimately its the parties who call the shots, and people realise this, he said.

As Indias democracy evolved with several regional parties coming into existence, the number of independent candidates who won kept going down. File image/AP

Axis India Chairman Pradeep Gupta said independent candidates have become irrelevant because voters are now more well informed, and they realise who are the candidates who can fulfil their promises.

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In the last 20 years, the public has been giving decisive mandate in Lok Sabha elections. With the emergence of technology, every voter knows whoever he or she is voting for, what promises have been made by the candidate, and what are the expectations of the voter from the leader or the party, he said.

Because of technology, aspirations have gone up. The expectations have gone up. Earlier people used to think that the candidate had promised something but it did not happen, now the phenomenon is that people observe who did what and where, and can analyse and form opinions, he said.

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Because of this phenomenon the independent candidates have become largely irrelevant. Public thinks that what is the point of voting for them when they will not be able to do anything. These candidates are not in a position of bringing too much change in the lives of the voters barring few candidates who are supported by parties, Gupta added.

Just four independent candidates won in 2019

In 2019, more than 8,000 independent candidates had fought polls, and only four won. Over 99.6 per cent of independent candidates lost their deposits.

In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, four independent candidates had won  Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya, who was backed by BJP and is likely to join the party, Navnit Rana from Amravati, who was at that time supported by the Congress-NCP combine, and recently joined the BJP, ex-ULFA commander Naba Kumar Sarania from Kokrajhar in Assam, and Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar won Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

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Delkar passed away in 2021, and his wife is now an MP from the seat from Shiv Sena (UBT).

With inputs from PTI
Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd has completed its supply of over 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink valued at approximately Rs 55 crore to various states and Union Territories for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The biggest share of the order will go to Uttar Pradesh read more

The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will kick off on 19 April with the counting of votes set to take place on 4 June. File image/AP

As more than 900 million voters prepare to participate in the high-voltage 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the onus to protect the integrity of elections is on a single product, the indelible purple ink.

Developed by the Council of Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory in Delhi and manufactured exclusively by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL), this ink is applied to voters left forefingers as proof that they have voted, as well as to combat impersonation.

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This year, MPVL will provide 26 lakh vials of indelible ink.

Around 26.55 lakh vials of ink

The Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd has completed a supply of over 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink worth approximately Rs 55 crore to various states and Union territories for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with the biggest share going to Uttar Pradesh.

The Karnataka government undertaking has been manufacturing the ink since 1962, solely for the Election Commission.

A 10 ml vial of ink can be used to mark the fingers of around 700 people. A polling station has around 1,500 voters. File image/AP

The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will kick off on 19 April with the counting of votes set to take place on 4 June. Assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

As against the previous Parliamentary elections, there has been an increase of 2.2 per cent in the supply of indelible ink this time.

Highest order for Uttar Pradesh

The company said it had supplied over 25.98 lakh vials of indelible ink worth approximately Rs 36 crore for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to various states and union territories. The highest supply as per order was to Uttar Pradesh, which received 3.64 lakh vials back then and the lowest for Lakshadweep at 125 vials of ink.

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According to the Election Commission, as of January, India has a voter base of nearly 97 crore out of which a maximum of over 15.30 crore are in Uttar Pradesh and a minimum of 57,500 in Lakshadweep.

As on today, 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink have been dispatched to all the states and union territories. The highest order was from Uttar Pradesh and as per demand, 3.58 lakh vials of ink has been supplied to UP while Lakshadweep with the lowest demand has been supplied with 110 vials of ink, the companys Managing Director K Mohammed Irfan told PTI.

According to EC, over 12 lakh polling stations would be set up across the country for the polls. File image/AP

According to the data shared by the company, Maharashtra has been supplied with 2.68 lakh vials, West Bengal two lakh vials, Bihar 1.93 lakh vials, Tamil Nadu 1.75 lakh vials, Telangana 1.50 lakh vials, Madhya Pradesh 1.52 lakh vials, Karnataka 1.32 lakh vials, Rajasthan 1.30 lakh, Andhra Pradesh 1.16 lakh vials, Gujarat 1.13 lakh vials, Kerala 63,000 vials, Punjab 55,000 vials, Haryana 42,000 vials, Delhi 35,000 vials, Jammu and Kashmir 30,000 vials.

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Similarly, Jharkhand received 75,380 vials, Himachal Pradesh 22,000 vials, Manipur 8,000 vials, Chandigarh 1,500 vials and Goa 5,000 vials among other states and union territories.

A 10 ml vial of ink can be used to mark the fingers of around 700 people. A polling station has around 1,500 voters.

For voters in other countries

According to EC, over 12 lakh polling stations would be set up across the country for the polls.

Irfan said the indelible ink is exported to more than 25 countries, including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa and the Maldives.

However, as different countries follow different modes for applying the ink, the company supplies the ink as per customer specifications.

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In Cambodia and the Maldives, for example, voters need to dip his/her finger into the ink, while in Burkina Faso it is applied with a brush; nozzles are used for its use in Turkey.

With inputs from PTI
American scientists carried out a test in which they tried to bounce back some of the Suns rays into space as a way to temporarily cool Earth. This experiment comes at a crucial time, as mankind has failed fail to meet the goal of holding global warming to a relatively safe level read more

Climate change is making giant heat waves crawl slower across the globe and they are baking more people for a longer time with higher temperatures over larger areas. AP

2023 was the hottest year on record.

Scientists are searching for innovative solutions that could produce noticeable effects quickly, as many nations are failing to maintain global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

In the same vein, American scientists have tried to bounce back some of the suns rays into space as a way to temporarily cool Earth.

According to a New York Times report, they carried out the first outdoor test in San Francisco Bay to reduce the effects of global warming.

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Lets take a closer look.

The experiment

On 2 April, University of Washington researchers utilised a snow-machine-like device atop a decommissioned aircraft ship in San Francisco Bay to discharge a mist of salt aerosols into the open at a high speed.

The study was carried out as part of a secret initiative called Coastal Atmospheric Aerosol Research and Engagement, or CAARE.

In 1990, British physicist John Latham outlined the idea of using clouds as mirrors that reflect incoming sunlight in a paper titled Control of Global Warming? that was published in the journal Nature.

To block solar heat and cool Earth, he suggested building a fleet of 1,000 ships that would sail the entire planet while shooting seawater droplets into the atmosphere.

The method called cloud brightening, also called solar radiation modification or solar geoengineering, is used to push solar energy back into space.

It brightens clouds, causing them to reflect a tiny amount of incoming sunlight and lowering local temperatures.

The earth was 1.48 degrees Celsius warmer on average in 2023 than it was in the pre-industrial era between 1850 and 1900, when people started burning fossil fuels on a large scale and released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. AFP

Put simply, more sunlight is reflected by many little droplets than by few large droplets. Therefore, it might be possible to bounce sunlight back into space by misting aerosol saltwater into the atmosphere.

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However, its crucial to get the particle size and quantity exactly right.

Particles that are too large will make clouds even less reflecting, while particles that are too small will cause clouds to not reflect at all.

In order to do this test, scientists must spray quadrillion of these particles each second, with each particle being 1/700th the thickness of a human hair.

If the technology works, it will place many devices above oceans with their faces directed towards the sky in an attempt to reduce the rising sea temperatures.

Cloud brightening already exists

Sarah Doherty, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington and the manager of its marine cloud brightening programme, claims that daily instances of marine cloud brightening already occur. Ship tracks are the brightened clouds left behind by the exhaust particles from ships as they sail the oceans, according to The New York Times.

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According to her, until recently, the brightening of the clouds caused by ship tracks neutralised about five per cent of the heat caused by greenhouse gases.

Strangely, the unintentional cloud brightening and accompanying cooling are diminishing as environmental rules and improved technology have decreased the pollution that ships release.

Rather than using pollution, Dr Doherty suggested using sea salts as part of a purposeful programme to brighten marine clouds.

She told the outlet that there were potential side effects that still needed to be studied.

Another way that cloud brightening might change precipitation patterns is by decreasing rainfall in some areas and increasing it in others.

She maintained, however, that in the case that society requires such technologies, it is essential to determine their viability and mechanism.

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Experts opinion

While some suggested the procedure may counteract the warming brought on by rising CO2, other scientists believe it would be difficult to foresee the effects of the solar modification method.

Senior scientist David Santillo of Greenpeace International stated that it would be difficult to gauge, let alone foresee, the effects of using marine cloud brightening on a scale that may cool the planet.

He told NYT, You could well be changing climatic patterns, not just over the sea, but over land as well, he said. This is a scary vision of the future that we should try and avoid at all costs.

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Karen Orenstein, director of the Climate and Energy Justice Program at Friends of the Earth U.S., a non-profit environmental group, called solar radiation modification an extraordinarily dangerous distraction.

She said that switching away from the use of fossil fuels would be the best course of action to combat climate change.

Global warming

Last year former NASA top climate scientist James Hansen and others published a study saying the climate is not just getting warmer, but the rate of change is accelerating.

A second study found ocean heat content, where much of Earths trapped energy is stored, is rising at a faster rate than before.

One of the most direct consequences of global warming is increasing heat waves, Woodwell Climate Research Center scientist Jennifer Francis told The Associated Press.

Climate change is making giant heat waves crawl slower across the globe and they are baking more people for a longer time with higher temperatures over larger areas, a new study has found.

The study also looks at the changes in weather patterns that propagate heat waves. Atmospheric waves that move weather systems along, such as the jet stream, are weakening, so they are not moving heat waves along as quickly  west to east in most but not all continents.

With inputs from agencies
The B virus causes deadly herpes infections in people and is usually spread by macaque monkeys. As the infection advances, it leads to brain damage, severe damage to the nervous system, and death read more

The B virus is usually transmitted from macaque monkeys to humans. Source: Reuters

Hong Kong authorities are investigating a rare B Virus infection in humans. The citys Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has said that a 37-year-old man, now in critical condition, tested positive for the virus. They have also urged the public to maintain caution in light of the spread of the infection from animals to humans.

Heres a look at what B virus is, and how it spreads.

What is B virus?

The B virus causes deadly herpes infections in people and is usually spread by macaque monkeys. Therefore, it is also known as the monkey B virus and herpes simiae virus.

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How does the B virus spread?

This virus typically spreads from infected macaque monkeys to people. These monkeys are often infected with B virus, but usually present with mild or no symptoms, according to the CDC.

The virus is often found in the saliva, feces, urine (pee), brain, or spinal cord tissues of macaque monkeys.

People can get infected by the virus if they are bitten or scratched by an infected monkey or when tissue or fluids are transmitted through a cut.

In case of the man from Hong Kong, he had encountered wild monkeys during his visit to Kam Shan Country Park in late February. The animals had wounded him. This marked the first case of a B virus infection in a human in Hong Kong.

How dangerous is the B virus infection?

According to the CDC, infections caused by the virus initially present with flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills, muscle ache, fatigue, and heartache.

However, as the infection advances, it causes swelling of the brain and spinal cord, leading to brain damage, severe damage to the nervous system, and death.

The man from Hong Kong was admitted to the hospital later, with fever and decreased conscious level.

Can it spread like Covid-19?

Unlike Covid-19, the B virus does not spread easily. Since it was first identified in 1932, only 50 cases of the infection have been documented in humans.

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It is also rare for the virus to spread from humans to humans, with only one such case documented so far.

Prevention

There are no vaccines available to protect against B virus infection. Experimental vaccines have been evaluated in animal models, but none are being considered for human use.

Follow these tips to prevent contracting the B virus:
In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, the defence minister said The future will tell what will happen now. Time will tell how right were we by bringing electoral bonds,. read more

Defence minister and veteran BJP leader Rajnath Singh Friday turned down the oppositions allegation about a connection between certain companies donating funds to the BJP under the now-outlawed electoral bonds scheme and action by central agencies against them.

In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, the defence minister said The future will tell what will happen now. Time will tell how right were we by bringing electoral bonds,.

Time will tell how right were we by bringing electoral bonds: Defense minister @rajnathsingh rejected Oppositions allegations about connection between #ElectoralBonds scheme and action by central agencies. in conversation with News18's @18RahulJoshi #RajnathSinghToNews18 pic.twitter.com/LWfowlDv3C  News18 (@CNNnews18) April 5, 2024

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It may be noted that a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court in a landmark judgement on February 15 scrapped the Centres electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding while calling it unconstitutional and ordered disclosure of data by the Election Commission of the donors, the amounts donated by them, and the recipients.

The government implemented the scheme in 2018. It was introduced by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in Gazette Notification No. 20 dated January 2, 2018, in order to cleanse the system of political funding in the country.

Tell me, I want to ask you, which company has donated to which party, should that be disclosed? said Rajnath Singh during the interview. Tomorrow, they will say who voted for which party should also be made public. Will you accept this? Any country, where there is healthy democracy, will it accept this? Who is giving their vote to which political party, to which person, should this also be disclosed?

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Opposition parties have cited the revelations following the Supreme Court order to attack the government, claiming that many firms facing criminal probes have turned out to be big buyers of these bonds overwhelmingly in favour of the BJP, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi even terming it an extortion scheme.

But did the cases stop because of these bonds? asked Rajnath Singh. There are many such companies against which there are charges, but during elections, they donate. The agencies will keep doing their work, he added. Asked if there was a connection between the donations from some of these companies coming after action against them, the minister said, It should not be seen from this angle. It has no connection with that.
Days after Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the global body hopes everyone in India is able to vote in a free and fair atmosphere, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday dismissed his remarks saying that India doesnt need the UN to tell that our elections should be free and fair as people here will anyway ensure that read more

Days after Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the global body hopes everyone in India is able to vote in a free and fair atmosphere, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday dismissed his remarks saying that India doesnt need the UN to tell that our elections should be free and fair as people here will anyway ensure that.

Responding to a query regarding Dujarrics remark, Jaishankar said, I dont need the UN to tell me that our elections should be free and fair. I have the people of India. They will ensure that the elections are free and fair. So, dont worry about it, the minister said.

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Jaishankar, who was in Thiruvananthapuram to campaign for his ministerial colleague and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the Lok Sabha polls, also said that the UN official made the comment in response to a very loaded question during a press briefing at the UN.

Last week, Dujarric was asked about the political unrest in India ahead of the upcoming national elections in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress Partys bank accounts.

What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyones rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair, Dujarric had said.

The United States and Germany too, have spoken about Kejriwals arrest, prompting New Delhi to summon American and German diplomats. The Delhi CM was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 for his alleged role as the kingpin in the national capitals excise policy scam. Kejriwal is the first person in India to be arrested as an incumbent chief minister.

With inputs from agencies
by Jeffrey Sachs





The Western press is filled with stories of foreboding about the Chinese economy. We are told regularly that Chinas fast growth is over, that Chinas data are manipulated, that a Chinese financial crisis looms, and that China will suffer the same stagnation as Japan during the past quarter century. This is U.S. propaganda, not reality. Yes, the Chinese economy faces headwinds  mainly created by the United States. Yet China can  and I believe will  overcome the U.S.-created headwinds and continue on its path of rapid economic development.





An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 1, 2024 shows the Yangpu Economic Development Zone at sunrise, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)





The basic fact is that Chinas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 5.2 percent in 2023, compared with 2.5 percent in the United States. On a per capita basis, the growth gap is even larger: 5.4 percent in China compared with 2 percent in the United States. In 2024, China will again significantly outpace the United States. There is no great growth crisis despite the fervid rhetoric in the U.S. press. Yes, China is slowing as it gets richer, but it is still growing considerably faster than in the United States and Europe.









There are problems to be sure, but the main ones come from the United States, not from inside Chinas economy.





First, there is the perception problem. The United States is pushing a negative narrative about China. We actually learned recently that former U.S. President Donald Trump tasked the CIA with spreading malicious propaganda about the Chinese economy on social media starting back in 2019. One specific CIA tactic was to bad-mouth Chinas important Belt and Road Initiative.





Second, there is the rise of U.S. protectionism. During the 20 years from 2000 to 2020, China was busy building up its new green and digital industries: mastering electric vehicles, 5G, battery supply chains, solar modules, wind turbines, fourth-generation nuclear power, long-distance power transmission, and other cutting-edge technologies. The White House and Congress, in the meantime, were in the hands of the oil, gas, and coal lobbies, and therefore without a strategy for the new energy technologies. Finally, U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress agreed to protect U.S. industries to give America time to recover some lost ground.









Third, there is the U.S. Grand Strategy to maintain U.S. primacy over China. For the U.S. security establishment, its not good enough to compete with China on an honest basis. The U.S. government also puts obstacles in the way of Chinas economy. It seems incredible that the United States would go out of its way to undermine Chinas economy, and yet it actually does so. Such an approach was spelled out by a senior U.S. diplomat, former Ambassador Robert Blackwill, in March 2015, in an article for the Council on Foreign Relations published with co-author Ashley Tellis. The article, in my view, was the public launch of a new Washington policy towards China, one that has been followed by Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden.









The White House is seen during a snowfall in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 15, 2023. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

It is worth quoting Blackwill and Tellis at length to understand the U.S. game plan:





Since its founding, the United States has consistently pursued a grand strategy focused on acquiring and maintaining preeminent power over various rivals, first on the North American continent, then in the Western hemisphere, and finally globally





Because the American effort to integrate China into the liberal international order has now generated new threats to U.S. primacy in Asia  and could eventually result in a consequential challenge to American power globally  Washington needs a new grand strategy toward China that centers on balancing the rise of Chinese power rather than continuing to assist its ascendancy.





These changes, which constitute the heart of an alternative balancing strategy, must derive from the clear recognition that preserving U.S. primacy in the global system ought to remain the central objective of the United States grand strategy in the twenty-first century.









Sustaining this status in the face of rising Chinese power requires, among other things, revitalizing the U.S. economy to nurture those disruptive innovations that bestow on the United States asymmetric economic advantages over others; creating new preferential trading arrangements among U.S. friends and allies to increase their mutual gains through instruments that consciously exclude China; recreating a technology-control regime involving U.S. allies that prevents China from acquiring military and strategic capabilities enabling it to inflict high-leverage strategic harm on the United States and its partners; concertedly building up the power-political capacities of U.S. friends and allies on Chinas periphery; and improving the capability of U.S. military forces to effectively project power along the Asian rimlands despite any Chinese opposition  all the while continuing to work with China in diverse ways that befit its importance to U.S. national interests.





These statements by Blackwill and Tellis are remarkable for two reasons. First, they explicitly spell out Americas Grand Strategy in no uncertain terms: to preserve Americas primacy in the global system, including over China. Second, they listed  already in March 2015  the actual policies pursued by the United States during the past decade.





Consider the five policies recommended by Blackwill and Tellis.









First, revitalize the U.S. economy. Okay, thats fair enough. The United States needs to get its economic house in order.





Second, create new U.S. trade arrangements with Asia that consciously exclude China. Thats an absurd idea, since China is the largest economy in Asia, yet Obama tried (and failed) to create the Trans-Pacific Partnership to exclude China, while both Trump and Biden pursued blatant protectionism against China, especially in the form of unilateral tariff increases in violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.





Third, recreate a technology-control regime to limit Chinas access to high-tech. That is currently underway, most notably with the new limits on the export of advanced semiconductor technology to China.





Fourth, build up political-military alliances on Chinas borders. This is the U.S. strategy with AUKUS (Australia-UK-United States), the Quad (Australia-India-Japan-United States), and the United States-Japan-Philippines Triad.





Fifth, build up the U.S. military along the Asian rimlands despite Chinese opposition. This too is happening with Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere.





Americas aim of primacy is dangerously misguided. Since China has four times the U.S. population, the only way for the U.S. economy to stay larger than Chinas would be for China to remain stuck at less than one-fourth of the U.S. GDP per person. There is no reason for that to happen. If it did, it would mean a lot of suffering in China and a great loss of global dynamism.





Primacy should not be the U.S. goal, or Chinas goal, or indeed the goal of any country. The only sensible goal for the major powers is mutual prosperity, common security, and global cooperation regarding common challenges such as environmental sustainability and peace.









The American playbook  using trade, technology, financial, and military policies to stop another country  is not new for the United States. It was, of course, the U.S. game plan to contain the Soviet Union during the 1950s-1980s. It was rolled out again in the late 1980s to stop the rapid growth of Japan, an American ally, because Japan was outcompeting the U.S. industry. The United States forced Japan to agree to voluntary export restraints and an overvalued Yen. Thus, Japans economic growth plummeted and Japan entered a prolonged financial crisis.





China, however, is not Japan. It is far larger, more powerful, and not subservient to the United States. Unlike Japan in the 1990s, China need not and will not sit idly by as the United States pursues trade and technology policies to slow Chinas economic growth.





An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 1, 2024 shows the Yangpu Economic Development Zone at sunrise, south Chinas Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

To understand Chinas policy choices, recall the national income account identity that GDP equals C+I+G+X-M. That is, Chinas GDP can be consumed, C; invested, I; consumed by the government, G; exported, X; or used to replace imports, M; Chinas exports can go to the United States and Europe or to the rest of the world.





In recent years, the U.S. and European markets have become increasingly closed to Chinas exports. In 2023, the United States imported 427 billion U.S. dollars of goods from China, down from 536 billion dollars in 2022. As a share of U.S. GDP, imports from China were 2.6 percent in 2018, but have declined to only 1.6 percent in 2023, as the result of U.S. protectionism under Trump and Biden.





Now, here then are the policy choices facing China. With the production of goods and services continuing to rise in China, and with exports to the United States falling, China faces an overall excess supply of goods. That excess supply will lower GDP and could even create a recession in China if policy measures are not taken to offset it.









The United States tells China to increase consumption to offset the fall in its exports. For example, China could cut taxes to stimulate consumption. The problem with the U.S. recommendation is that China would likely shift to lower growth and higher budget deficits, as in the United States.





A second option would be for China to increase domestic investments, for example to accelerate Chinas shift to a zero-carbon economy. There is some merit to boosting domestic investment to offset part of the reduction of exports to the United States.





A third option would be to boost government consumption. That policy too would likely entail slower growth and higher budget deficits.





A fourth option is to increase exports to the developing countries. That approach has a great deal of merit. If the U.S. market is closed, and the European market is closing (as Europe becomes more protectionist), then China can shift exports to the emerging markets. Some of that will happen automatically. As the United States buys less from China and more, say, from Vietnam, then Vietnam will buy more intermediate goods from China to process and export to the United States.





Some of the reorientation of exports, however, will require new Chinese policies. The purchasing power of the emerging economies is generally lower than in the United States and Europe. Yes, the emerging economies would like to buy what China has on offer  solar modules, wind turbines, 5G, and the rest  but will need more loans to do so. For China to sell substantially more to the emerging economies, it will have to boost loans and foreign direct investments to those economies, for example by expanding the Belt and Road Initiative and lending by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank.





There may be some resistance among Chinas policy-makers to increasing loans to the emerging economies, since some of those economies are already debt-distressed. Yet, the emerging economies generally have a very high growth potential. Their debt is not too high  as long as the debt has a long enough pay-back period (maturity). The emerging economies mainly need time to grow and thereby to be able to repay China for the loans.





Here, then, is my own summary of the economic situation in China. The supply side of Chinas economy continues to grow rapidly. Chinas potential GDP continues to rise at 5 percent per year or faster. Moreover, the quality of that output is high and rising. China is the worlds low-cost producer of goods that the rest of the world needs: zero-carbon energy systems, 5G digital networks, and high-quality infrastructure (such as fast inter-city rail).





Chinas problem is not on the supply side, but on the demand side. China faces demand constraints mainly because the United States has put up barriers against Chinas exports to the U.S. market, and Europe seems likely to follow the United States in this. While China could potentially offset that slowdown in exports by increasing domestic consumption, it would be well advised to increase its exports to the emerging economies, in part by expanding important programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative. To do so prudently, China would have to increase its long-term lending to the emerging economies.





I dont deny that there are other challenges facing Chinas economy, such as some temporary over-investment in real estate, or some over-borrowing by some local governments. Yet, I believe that such problems are short-term and cyclical, not long-term and structural. There are also areas that need further reform, to be sure, such as the hukou (urban residence) system. Yet here too, such reform challenges are ongoing and very likely to be solved successfully.





I would like to see China continue its rapid growth, and yes, overtake the United States in GDP at current market prices and exchange rates, befitting a country that is four times larger than the United States in population. I note that in purchasing-power terms, China already overtook the United States in 2017 (according to IMF data) and nothing awful befell the United States.





Chinas economic growth benefits not only China but the whole world. China has brought forward new and effective technologies ranging from a modern cure for malaria (artemisinin) to low-cost zero-carbon energy systems and low-cost 5G systems. We should be rooting for Chinas continued rapid development. We should put aside childish ideas of primacy and adopt adult ideas of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and global cooperation to protect the planet. The world does not want or need a single dominant country. Indeed, thats not even feasible in our world today. The absolute best solution for the world economy would be for China, the United States, and Europe to maintain open trade and mutually agreed industrial policies. Yet if the United States and Europe turn strongly protectionist against China, then the best response for China is to hasten its successful and growing trade and financial relations with the emerging economies.





Jeffrey Sachs is a professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
In a surprise inspection, the chief election officer Ravi Kumar found that 92-year-old Khalil Ansari has never voted in his lifetime as his name never appeared in the voter list. The CEO directed the local election officials to enroll his name with immediate effect read more

A 92-year-old to vote for the first time in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Representative image. Reuters File

Ravi Kumar, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jharkhand, was visiting a small village in the state during a surprise check. It was surprising, indeed. During his visit, he met a 92-year-old man, Khalil Ansari, who had not exercised his right to vote even once in his lifetime.

Ansari, a specially-abled man from Badkhori village, on being asked about the reason for his absence from voting booths, told the CEO K Ravi Kumar that he did not have his name mentioned in any of the election voter lists- ever.

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I never exercised my franchise as my name is not there in voter list, the 92-year-old told Kumar.

Ahead of Lok Sabha Elections, officer Kumar was on a surprise inspection at the polling booths in Sahibganjs Mundro block, which is around 450 kilometres from Jharkhands capital, Ranchi.

After finding out about Ansari, Kumar directed local election officials to add his name in the electoral roll with immediate effect. Ansari expressed gratitude to the CEO and confirmed that he would participate in this election season.

I will for sure cast my vote for the first time, Ansari told the CEO Kumar.

With elections nearing, the chief polling officer took stock of arrangements available for senior citizens and specially-abled at the polling stations to ensure every citizens participation this election.

India will have its seven-phase Lok Sabha Elections starting this April. The country will elect 543 members of the lower house of the Parliament. Ansaris parliamentary constituency, Rajmahal, is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand which will go to polls on June 1.

Earlier, the election commission announced that voters aged above 85 years and persons with disability (PwD) above 40 will be able to cast their vote from their homes.
India will give a befitting reply to any act of terror emanating from our neighbouring country. Those who try to disturb Indias peace and carry out terror activities on Indian soil, we will enter their houses and eliminate them, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview to Network 18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi read more

Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Marege is how the India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chose to respond to The Guardian report that suggested that Indian government had ordered assassinations in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil.

In an exclusive interview to Network 18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said, India will give a befitting reply to any act of terror emanating from our neighbouring country. Those who try to disturb Indias peace and carry out terror activities on Indian soil, we will enter their houses and eliminate them.

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He said that even Pakistan now understands that India wont sit like a lame duck if provoked by terror attacks.

India now has the strength and Pakistan is also understanding this now, Singh said.

Singh echoed a sentiment earlier shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but also underlined the fact that India wanted a healthy relationship with its neighbours.

If one sees Indias past, you can see we have never initiated any aggression against any neighbour. But if someone keeps instigating India and promote terrorism in India, we will not spare them, added the Defence Minister.

On Thursday, at a rally in Bihar on Thursday, PM Modi had said, Aaj Ka Bharat Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Marta Hai and lamented that India under the Congress rule was seen as a weak government.

Those small nations who are begging for wheat, their terrorists used to attack us and go away; Congress government used to go to other countries with a complaint, PM Modi said in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

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With inputs from agencies
The Sri Lankan minister said according to the 1974 agreement fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976. read more

Amid a political row that erupted in India over Kachchatheevu Island, Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda said Friday that there is no ground for India to reclaim the island from Sri Lanka.

The statement came days after the Narendra Modi government targeted the Congress Party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

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Situated in the Palk Strait, a body of water dividing India and Sri Lanka, lies a narrow strip of land spanning approximately 1.9 square kilometers (0.7 square miles). Positioned northeast of Rameswaram town in Indias Tamil Nadu state and southwest of Sri Lankas Jaffna city, this island lacks a source of potable water. The sole structure adorning its terrain is a church, hosting an annual three-day festival that attracts devotees from both nations.

The Sri Lankan minister said according to the 1974 agreement fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976.

Historically, since 1921, during the colonial era when both India and Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) were under British rule, disputes over fishing rights in the waters surrounding Katchatheevu were commonplace.

However, in 1974, India resolved the contention by renouncing any claims over the island. Subsequently, two years later, India and Sri Lanka inked an agreement delineating boundaries and restricting fishing activities by individuals from either country in each others waters.

The BJP has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island.

It is the election time in India, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Kachchatheevu, Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday.

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I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area, Devananda said.

Accordingly, fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighbouring waters. Devananda stressed, There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari - it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources - it is 80 times bigger than Kachchatheevu, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement.

Devananda as the fisheries minister has faced pressure from the local fishermen in recent months. The local fishermen have led widespread protests to stop illegal fishing by their Indian counterparts in the Sri Lankan waters. They say the bottom trawling by the Indians is harmful to Sri Lankan fishing community interests. So far this year, at least 178 Indian fishermen and 23 trawlers have been arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy.

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Devananda, an ex-Tamil militant who now leads the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party, was named a proclaimed offender by a court in Chennai in 1994.On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) steered clear of the row surrounding Katchatheevu island.

To a volley of questions on the Katchatheevu issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankars recent comments on the matter. I would like to tell you that on the issues that have been raised, the external affairs minister has spoken to the press here in Delhi and also in Gujarat clarifying all the issues, he said.

I would refer that you please look at his press engagements. You will get your answers there, Jaiswal said in New Delhi.

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With inputs from agencies.
Of the five largest states in terms of Lok Sabha seats, three  Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar  have a quarter or less of 18 and 19 year olds registered to vote read more

India is heading towards its biggest polls, Lok Sabha 2024 elections, but it appears that young voters do not seem much interested to be part of the democratic process of electing a new government.

Why so? Heres the answer, so as per Election Commission of India (ECI) data, released after the announcement of Lok Sabha 2024 polls, merely 38 per cent of first-time voters have registered and are on the rolls.

Whats the youngest eligible age for voters in India?

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In India, a citizen has to be a minimum of 18 years old and has to have a valid identity card to vote.

According to a report by The Times of India, there are a little over 1.8 crore new voters (age ranging between 18 and 19) in India and the projected population in this demographic is slightly below 4.9 crore.

As per the data, of the five largest states in terms of Lok Sabha seats, three  Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar  have a quarter or less of 18 and 19-year-olds registered to vote.

Meanwhile, in the other two states  West Bengal and Tamil Nadu  less than half have enrolled in the electoral rolls.

Which states saw worst enrolment of young voters?

Bihar, the state with the countrys youngest population, has only 9.3 lakh enrolled from a potential 54 lakh (17 per cent).

In Delhi only 1.5 lakh out of 7.2 lakh young population have registered themselves to vote, which makes just 21 per cent.

Of the total young population (18 and 19 years old) in Uttar Pradesh only 23 per cent have enrolled, while mere 27 per cent have registered in Maharashtra.

While in West Bengal, only 48 per cent of the young population have enrolled to be part of the democratic process.

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States which saw most number of young population registering to vote

Indias newest state Telangana has seen more than 8 lakh people between 18 and 19 years old on the electoral rolls, about two-thirds, or 66.7 per cent. The state projected population in this age group is said to be of 12 lakh.

Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh too have managed to enroll 62 and 60 per cent respectively of young/ first time of voters.

States/UTs and their registered first time voters

Telangana - 67 per cent

Jammu and Kashmir - 62 per cent

Himachal Pradesh - 60 per cent

Rajasthan - 55 per cent

Chhattisgarh - 54 per cent

Karnataka - 53 per cent

Madhya Pradesh - 53 per cent

Punjab - 52 per cent

Jharkhand - 51 per cent

Gujarat - 51 per cent

Andhra Pradesh - 50 per cent

Tamil Nadu - 50 per cent

Odisha - 49 per cent

West Bengal - 48 per cent

NE Minus Assam - 47 per cent

Kerala - 38 per cent

Haryana - 35 per cent

Uttarakhand - 35 per cent

Assam - 32 per cent

Maharashtra - 27 per cent

Uttar Pradesh - 23 per cent

Delhi - 21 per cent

Bihar - 17 per cent

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Possible reasons for youngsters not registering to vote

The report by ToI, cited people working in the field to register young voters saying that there could be a combination of factors responsible for the alarming numbers of young voters not enrolling to be part of the democratic process:

1 - Apathy

2 - Challenges in processing paperwork

The report mentioned Anil Verma, the national coordinator of Association for Democratic Reforms, saying informal discussions suggested cynicism about the electoral process.

The apathy, Verma said, could come from a feeling that the leadership of major parties is made up of seniors and that there are not enough young leaders or candidates, to whom young people can relate.

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Verma went on to say that for migrant students and whitecollar workers, there is simply not enough motivation to go through the paperwork hassle.

For bluecollar worker, it makes even less sense to vote, for she/he would have to forgo a days wages to do that, he added.

The ECI, in recent years, have also been working on several ways to encourage eligible voters to register. They include: awareness campaigns, enrolment camps, using celebrities to spread the word, a 30-hour offline hackathon last year to address apathy, among others.
In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Union Minister Rajnath Singh said the BJP will do well in all states in Lok Sabha polls 2024 and this time there will be no state where the party doesnt open its account read more

Fully confident that the BJP will win over 370 seats in Lok Sabha poll 2024 and the NDA will undoubtedly cross 400-mark, said Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said: People trust the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government deeply for he has developed that credibility and therefore, the party is confident of winning for the third consecutive time.

'BJP is very confident of winning over 370 seats, strong credibility of Modi government will help us', BJP's top gun Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) speaks with @18RahulJoshi, Group Editor-in-Chief, News18#LokSabhaElections2024 #RajnathSingh #RajnathSinghToNews18 pic.twitter.com/fNmV9JROUP  News18 (@CNNnews18) April 5, 2024

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How will BJPs performance in Southern India be?

In the interview, Singh was confident that the BJP will win the majority of the 130 seats that the five southern states along with the Union Territory of Puducherry account for in the Lok Sabha.

The minister went on to say that the BJP will win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in the upcoming general election and will also see an impressive victory in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Winning a large number of Lok Sabha seats in the southern seats is crucial to the BJPs target of getting 370 seats in the upcoming parliamentary polls.

The BJP will win all 28 seats in Karnataka, Singh said, adding that the partys loss in the 2023 Assembly election will have no bearing on the Lok Sabha election results.

Its not about Assembly elections or Lok Sabha elections. Last time too, Congress had won seats in Assembly elections but it was the BJP that won the Lok Sabha constituencies," the minister added.

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The minister also dismissed reports of a rift in the Karnataka BJP and said: There is no intra-party fight anywhere. This time, we have an alliance with the JDS too. Our position has strengthened in Karnataka.

Optimistic about Tamil Nadu & Kerala

Talking about the BJPs prospects in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Singh said: Not only will we open the account, but we will also get a good seat count in Tamil Nadu. I wont comment on the number of seats, but it will be a good tally."

We will open an account in Kerala too. This time, there will be no state where the BJP doesnt open its account. We will do well in all states, the Union minister said.

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Tamil Nadu has 39 seats, Karnataka has 28, Andhra Pradesh has 25 seats, Kerala has 20 and Telangana has 17 seats in the Lok Sabha.

In total, the five southern states along with Puducherry, which has one Lok Sabha constituency, account for 130 of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats.
Reacting on senior UN officials remark on upcoming parliamentary polls in India, Union Minister Rajnath Singh said elections in the country even before 2014 were free and fair read more

Who is United Nations to talk about free and fair elections in India," asked Union Minister Rajnath Singh hitting back at the remark made by a senior offical of the world body ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 polls in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the Opposition Congress bank accounts.

In an exclusive interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, minister Rajnath Singh said: Did India not have free and fair elections before this? Werent the 2019 elections free and fair? And what about 2014?"

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In fact, I say even before 2014 India had free and fair elections. Where did this issue come from? Singh said, lashing out at the UN.

The Union minister was reacting to a statement made by Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, who last week had said: What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyones rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair.

Dujarric was responding to a question, asked to him during a press conference at the UN, about the political unrest in India ahead of the upcoming national polls in the wake of the arrest of Kejriwal and the freezing of bank accounts of Congress party.

On Thursday, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar also dismissed the senior UN officials remark, saying he does not need the global body to specify that elections in India should be free and fair.

I dont need the United Nations to tell me our elections should be free and fair. I have the people of India. The people of India will ensure that elections are free and fair. So, dont worry about it, Jaishankar said.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi governments excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped.
The geopolitical temperature soared in the Himalayan region this week when China issued a list of Chinese names for around 30 places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal which China refers to as Zangnan or South Tibet has once again become an issue of concern for India as China is repeatedly making claims on the region as its own. After refusing to recognise the British-era McMahon Line, China set its eyes on Tibet and forcefully annexed it in the 1950s where the brutal repression of the Tibetan people continues till date. After Tibet, Arunachal has also become a victim of the Chinese expansionist narrative which is nothing but a tactic to keep India on the tenterhooks. This is because, in the past, China has even used Arunachal as a bargaining chip to make India abandon its claim on the territory in the Western sector. This was a part of the famous package deal that Chinese premier Zhou Enlai had offered to prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1960.

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Fast forward to 2024 and Chinas theatrics with regards to Arunachal Pradesh have only become more explosive. If in the past, China was handing out stapled visas to Indian nationals from the state, this is the third time since 2017 that it has issued a list of Chinese names for places located in the Indian state. It even protested when Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Arunachal last month to inaugurate several development projects including the Sela tunnel and an all-weather strategic link to areas closer to the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Chinas absurd claims have attracted a lot of flak internationally with even United States strongly opposing its act of renaming places. Even as China is desperately using the Arunachal card to target India, the understated fact that is being missed is that the situation in the subcontinent has changed considerably for China. From the non-starter China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan to Nepals turn towards a Hindu identity, China has hit a difficult patch in its outreach to South Asia. No wonder it is resorting to newer cards with the sole intention of troubling India.

Fledgling China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

From what was once hailed as the centrepiece of its ambitious Belt and Road initiative, CPEC has now become a security headache and a white elephant for China. As per Pakistans former minister of privatisation Fawad Hasan Fawad, a full decade has passed since CPEC was formally launched but not even one-fifth of the schemes potential has been realised. As part of the plan, multiple special economic zones were proposed across Pakistan that would grow into islands of high economic growth but even today, none of them are functional yet. Interestingly, there has been a lot of political mudslinging in the country with regards to taking credit for the $62 billion scheme with the civilian and the military leadership fighting it out in the open. However, the truth is that CPEC is so stillborn that there is nothing to take credit for, except may be for the security risks that it is facing.

Last week, five Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide attack when a car full of explosives rammed into their convoy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This was the third such incident in a single week with around five total attacks between 16 March to 26 March claiming 18 lives in the country. All the last three attacks had Chinese investments on target with gunmen attacking China-funded Gwadar port, another attack on a naval base citing Chinas investment in the region as the cause and then finally the 26 March attack that claimed the lives of Chinese engineers. Clearly, Pakistan has failed to provide adequate security to CPEC infrastructure with its armed forces having a tough time dealing with multiple challenges ranging from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to cross-border strikes from Iranian forces. Pakistan had raised a dedicated security force, precisely for securing Chinese assets as a part of CPEC but even this 15,000-strong Special Security Division has failed to control the growing threats from Baloch as well as Pashtun separatists.

As CPEC is failing, China has also understood that its investments in Pakistan are far from bearing any fruits. The 26 March incident has a great degree of similarity to the 2021 attack on Chinese engineers in which nine of them lost their lives. At that time, the investigation had concluded that TTP was the culprit. With the rate at which security risks are rising to CPEC, China will have to rethink its continued presence in the country. Loss of lives along with a lack of economic returns is a strong reason for it to abandon its commitment to CPEC.

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Backlash from the Indian subcontinent

Even as terrorist attacks on CPEC are pushing China to the edge, its influence in other countries in the Indian subcontinent is also waning. A case in point is Sri Lanka  after declaring a one-year ban on foreign research vessels from entering its water, it allowed a German research vessel to dock at Colombo Port. This infuriated China with a Chinese delegation which was present in the country at that time threatening to leave. Chinas relations with Sri Lanka have taken a hit since the latter faced economic turmoil and China didnt live up to the expectations of Colombo in coming to its aid. That strategic vacuum has been reclaimed by India which not only came to help Sri Lanka clean the mess but it since has received special attention from the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration. Just a day before Sri Lankas independence day on 4 February, Indian submarine INS Karanj docked at Colombo port and left only after the celebrations concluded. If Sri Lanka has shown utmost concern for Indian sensitivities and rebuffed China with its one-year mortarium on visits by research vessels, Nepal is also fast becoming a cause of worry for the Chinese.

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After years of funding a Maoist movement in Nepal to even mediating between the political crisis among its various factions, China is now facing the imminent reality of Nepal embracing its Hindu identity. With around 81 per cent of the population in Nepal consisting of practising Hindus, their Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a Maoist leader himself has suddenly become a leading proponent of Hindu diplomacy. He is making much-publicised visits to Hindu temples of great significance in not just Nepal but India as well. Interestingly, the sentiment of being a proud Hindu has caught up across the political spectrum with Nepali Congress leader and member of Parliament, Shankar Bhandari leading a campaign to re-declare Nepal as a Hindu Rashtra. Logically, Nepals explicit Hindu turn will bring it closer to India, another Hindu-majority country and take a lot of leverage away from China. Not to mention that Nepal also remains a challenge to Chinas Belt and Road initiative. It has been seven years now that both countries agreed to cooperate under the mega scheme but not a single tangible outcome has been delivered till date. When China tried to appropriate an airport built in the tourist city of Pokhara as a part of BRI, it met with vehement protests from members of Nepalese civil society cautioning against the Chinese debt trap.

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In Bangladesh, Chinas expanding footprint may be a cause of concern for India but its tacitly backed campaign to push India out received a befitting response from Bangladeshs Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last month. A Maldives-style social media campaign led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was brewing in the country to boycott India when Hasina told Bangladeshi people to boycott Indian sarees and spices if they could. The reference may be to just a couple of Indian products but the symbolism of Hasina reminding her people of Indian contribution to Bangladesh was unmissable. Under her leadership, India-Bangladesh ties have transformed into a mature partnership with much give and take. Bangladesh has also kept Indias trust intact while remaining cautious of any excessive dependence on Chinas initiatives.

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The recent events in the Indian subcontinent have come as a great shock to Chinas strategic goals in the region. This includes visuals of Prime Minister Modi receiving Bhutans highest civilian award last month during his visit to the serene Himalayan kingdom. From Pakistan to Sri Lanka and from Nepal to Bangladesh, either the countries in Indias neighbourhood are getting disenchanted with Beijings promises of shared prosperity or the projects have proven to be too unviable to succeed. All in all, Chinas growing frustration requires it to play other cards and its frivolous claims on Arunachal Pradesh are an example of the same.

The author is a New Delhi-based commentator on geopolitics and foreign policy. She holds a PhD from the Department of International Relations, South Asian University. You may follow her on X: @TrulyMonica. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Just days ago, a letter from six Islamabad High Court judges to the Supreme Judicial Council made some shocking allegations about Pakistans intelligence apparatus, accusing them of blatant interference by pressurising judges through abduction and torture of their relatives and secret surveillance inside their homes read more

Pakistans internal convulsions have become so much a part of its daily news that most analysts take every new development as par for the course. But it is certainly time to sit up and take notice when its establishment decides to send poisonous letters to its judiciary. Thats a new low, even for Rawalpindi. But as always with that country, it doesnt seem to have prevented the US from again taking a cautious interest in its affairs, at a time when its relationship with India is perceived as having hit something of a low.

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Pakistans judiciary stands up to fight

Just days ago, a letter from six Islamabad High Court judges to the Supreme Judicial Council made some shocking allegations about Pakistans intelligence apparatus, accusing them of blatant interference by pressurising judges through abduction and torture of their relatives and secret surveillance inside their homes.

Judges hearing a case on now-jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was accused of hiding the existence of his daughter, found that their relatives and friends were being threatened. In another case, a judge found surveillance equipment in his bedroom.

A relative of another judge was beaten and tortured, while he himself came under a media campaign to malign him. The examples are many, but what is shocking is that none of this is new. In 2018, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui was dismissed for making public this very same allegation that Pakistani intelligence, specifically Major Gen Faiz Hameed, the then DG-C, ISI, was interfering in the affairs of the court.

The high court judges refer to this travesty of justice (later reversed) and demand that the Supreme Courtconsider how best to protect the independence of the judiciary, put in place a mechanism to affix liability for those who undermine such independence, and clarifythe course of action they must take when they find themselves at the receiving end of interference and/or intimidation by members of the executive".

Worse, the letter details complaints made to the Islamabad High Court earlier and the complete lack of action by the chief justice of that court.

And then came the poison

The worst was to follow. Justice Qazi Faez Isa consulted with (selected) Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and decided to form an inquiry commissionthe standard format in most countries to delay and confuse a decisioneven as the cabinet quickly endorsed it.

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Justice Isa, it may be remembered, generally favours the establishment. In 2012, he headed just such a Commission to look into the  Memogate scandal, where the then Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani was accused of sending a memo to an American official, exposing serious rifts between the army and the Zardari-led government. Isa decided that Haqqani had been disloyal to his country, even as the case thereafter dragged on for years. But this time, the legal fraternity and concerned citizens were having none of it. They rejected the toothless one-man commission appointedeven as the selected judge recused himselfand demanded that the Supreme Court take suo moto notice, and extend the inquiry to  fix responsibility for any breach by the executive officials (if proven) and hold those responsible to account to secure the independence of the judiciary and to restore public confidence in the institution of the judiciary. That was supported by all the bar associations in the country and civil society leaders. But more drama was to follow. All eight of the Islamabad High Court judges received a letter with a suspicious powder believed to be anthrax A. Tehreek-i-Namoos Pakistan criticised the justice system and added, for good measure, a photo and the words Bacillus Anthracis in a letter. The Counter Terrorism Department promptly filed a case here and in Lahore, where another set of judges received similar letters. Its all very mysterious.

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Washington dives in

It is a testimony to the state of Pakistan that expert commentaries have little doubt about the veracity of the judges accusations. But neither is anyone expecting a revolution. The comfortable relationship between the executive and the present chief justice indicates that no rapping of knuckles can be expected. Neither are the top politicians holding back from ensuring this is the case. President Zardari  vowed action against elements maligning the army as he met Gen Asim Munir. And partners from abroad have been as predictable.

As Pakistan reeled under this fresh scandal, President Biden sent a no doubt terse letter (this after ignoring Pakistan in his presidency so far) that dwelt on climate change and a Green Alliance, but pointedly did not congratulate him on his election. But the boost for the Prime Minister was evident. The reply was enthusiastic in its offer to help in promoting global peace, security, development, and prosperity in the region.

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That was followed by an equally terse reply by the State Department that security cooperation would continue. The US has also revived a CISMOA (Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement) after a lapse of three years. This is possibly for the often stated role of counterterrorism operations, amid a flurry of Taliban accusations of US drone operations over its skies, signifying the ever continued role of Pakistan in countering terror. As launches horrific attacks against Chabahar in Iran and Iranian drones are reportedly flying over Pakistan, a rise in regional tensions is likely.

In such a situation, democracy is the last thing on US minds. China will step in to play arbiter, and Pakistans generals will find themselves again at the centre of geopolitics. And thats all that matters. The judges can sigh and weep. No one is going to take much notice unless Iran decides to do to Pakistan what Russia has done to Ukraine. Meanwhile, New Delhi need not take overt notice of the US role in Islamabad. Leave the mess to the Pentagon. It is not going to win them any rewards.

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The writer is a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi. She tweets @kartha_tara. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
China is lagging severely when it comes to AI, by at least two years against its western counterparts said Alibabas chairman Joe Tsai. He went on to say that part of Chinas lag in the AI sector to the stringent US restrictions on exporting AI chips to China read more

Alibaba's chairman Joe Tsai believes the reason why China is lagging behind is because of US's restrictions Chipmakers from exporting AI chips to China. Image Credit: Reuters

Joe Tsai, co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, who assumed the role of group chairman following Jack Mas departure in a leadership reshuffle last year, recently highlighted Chinas position in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race.

During a conversation with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norways Norges Bank Investment Management, on the podcast In Good Company, Tsai expressed that China is trailing Western countries in AI development and is struggling to catch up.

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He noted that Chinese companies, including Alibaba, are at least two years behind leading American counterparts like OpenAI and Google in advancing AI technologies.

Tsai attributed part of Chinas lag in the AI sector to the stringent US restrictions on exporting AI chips to China.

He mentioned that these restrictions significantly impacted companies like NVIDIA, hindering their ability to provide high-end chips to Chinese entities.

While acknowledging the adverse effects on Alibabas cloud business and high-end computing services, Tsai expressed confidence in Chinas ability to eventually develop its own GPUs, crucial for AI expansion.

Regarding Alibabas AI efforts, Tsai mentioned the companys initiatives in developing GPUs but also indicated the exploration of alternative chip-sourcing options.

He also highlighted the widespread chip shortage affecting Chinese tech companies and emphasized the importance of addressing this challenge.

Tsai also addressed the misconceptions surrounding Chinese companies like Alibaba, emphasizing their significant role in facilitating global trade and fostering economic exchange between China and other countries, including the United States and Europe.

He underscored Alibabas positive impact on global commerce and advocated for a more nuanced understanding of Chinese companies contributions to the global economy.

Furthermore, Tsai discussed the challenges of operating as a Chinese company in the US, particularly in relation to data privacy and cybersecurity concerns. He stressed the need to navigate these issues carefully while continuing to pursue international business opportunities.

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Regarding global perceptions of China, Tsai emphasized the need to recognize the countrys economic significance and the industriousness of its population.

He cautioned against categorical judgments about Chinas investment prospects, asserting that Chinas economy will continue to play a significant role on the global stage and contribute positively to the world economy in the long term.

(With inputs from agencies)
Ford said that they will take this opportunity to keep an eye out for emerging battery tech and see how it evolves. Meanwhile, Ford will go back to the drawing board and have a rethink on its hybrid car solutions read more

Ford has been slow to respond to Elon Musk and Tesla's array of battery powered EVs. Image Credit: Reuters

Ford has announced that there might be some delays in the launch of its upcoming EV lineup yet again. The delayed EVS include some models which were slated to launch next year but now have been pushed back by years.

This includes its yet-unnamed three-row SUV, which was initially slated for release next year but has now been pushed back to 2027. Similarly, the next-generation electric pickup, codenamed T3, is facing a delay from late 2025 to 2026.

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This vehicle is set to be manufactured at the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center assembly plant as part of Fords BlueOval City complex, where stamping equipment for producing sheet metal is currently being installed.

In a statement that the company released, Ford said that they will take this opportunity to keep an eye out for emerging battery tech and see how it evolves. Ford has been significantly slow in responding to Elon Musks battery-powered cars, which have taken a significant chunk out of Fords hold over the American auto market.

In conjunction with these setbacks, Ford has announced that they will approach hybrid vehicles with renewed focus and that they intend to offer hybrid powertrains across its entire Ford Blue lineup by 2030.

Despite these adjustments, Ford reaffirms its commitment to EVs and continues the construction of battery plants in Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Although still extremely popular, the adoption of EVs has seen a slowdown of sorts all across the world. With China and Chinese EV makers currently dominating the market, more and more consumers are waking up to the idea of a hybrid vehicle instead of a fully electric one, years after many notable car makers pulled their hybrids out of the market.

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However, challenges persist in the EV market, including high entry costs, inadequate charging infrastructure, and limitations on federal tax breaks for some EVs.

Despite experiencing an 11 per cent decline in EV sales in January, Ford reports an 86 per cent increase in sales throughout the first quarter of this year compared to last. Nevertheless, the companys EV offerings recorded a $4.7 billion loss in 2023.

Jim Farley, Fords president and CEO, emphasized the companys dedication to scaling a profitable EV business. Last year, Ford announced plans to defer or cancel $12 billion in electric vehicle spending.

It remains uncertain how these recent announcements will impact Fords objective of ramping up EV production to 600,000 units per year. However, the availability of Tesla Superchargers in the US and Canada may alleviate some concerns regarding charging infrastructure for customers.

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(With inputs from agencies)




by Eric S. Margolis

The renowned writer Arthur Koestler warned many years ago that Israel risked becoming `a nasty little Sparta. Half a century later Israel, grown rich on US military and financial aid, has become a very nasty big Sparta.





People wait for food relief in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on March 14, 2024. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)





Pat Buchanan, President Richard Nixons close aide, wrote Capitol Hill (i.e. Congress) has become Israeli-occupied territory. He has been exiled to the political wilderness for this heresy.





The current Gaza Conflict tells us just how much Israel now dominates Congress and the Democratic Party which gets a likely 50% of its fundings from pro-Israel donors. Moderate pro-Israel groups have been marginalized. Those in the media have been sidelined or fired. Its the McCarthyism of the 21st century. As the great Mark Twain said, if you dont read the US media you are uninformed. If you do follow Americas media, you are misinformed.





Britain, Canada and Australia fall into the same media prison. The old Soviet media, as I remember, was freer in its opinions and more robust in its criticism.





None of this is new; just worse. Over 20 years ago the Palestinian refugee prison of Gaza tried to build a small seaport and airport. Both were denied by Israel. As a result, even modest food aid for starving Palestinians has been blocked. The US, which has been supplying Israel with 2,000 lb bombs and targeting info has resorted to the PR stunt of air-dropping stale sandwiches to the famine-stricken Palestinian refugees.





No one in the tightly controlled US media or the Rothschild-dominated British Conservatives party would dare bring up the fact that the Warsaw Ghetto ravaged by the Nazis had 50,000 people as compared to Gazas 2.1 million trapped people. Egypt, almost as guilty as Israel and the US, keeps Palestinians locked in the open-air prison. The Mideasts biggest police states are Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco. Add Algeria, Oman and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States (see my book American Raj.









We still know next to nothing about the 7 October attack on Israelis that trigged this conflict. I wont call it a war since it pits only lightly armed civilians against the mighty, US supplied and directed Israeli armed forces. The lines of burned-out cars around where the initial Hamas attacks occurred look very much like the result of air attacks. We need to know more.





The infamous arms dealer Basil Zaharoff retorted to criticism in the British parliament, who cares about that little jabber house. The same applies today to the US Congress. Even President Joe Biden dares not confront Israels Netanyahu. Biden and State Secretary Anthony Blinken tell cant even tell Netanyahu to end his massacre. Israel always knows it can get away literally with murder before US elections. Israels far right coalition, whom the illustrious journalist Uri Avnery calls Jewish Nazis, appears firmly in power. Netanyahu has so far avoided criminal proceedings by stoking the war in Gaza. Killing Arabs is still popular in Israel. Polls show almost 80% of Israelis support the savaging of Gaza. Most honorable Israelis and their foreign supporters are silent in the face of a massive propaganda campaign that runs on lurid reports about raped women and burned babies worthy on World War I British propaganda over Belgium.





While Palestinians are being slaughtered or starved, Israel is busy trying to goad Iran into a major war. This past week alone, Israel destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing two Iranian generals who were advising resistance forces. The US has been waging a medium-intensity war against Iran, which threatened Americas Mideast empire and which I call the American Raj.





Netanyahu is provoking war with Iran to divert attention from the Gaza massacre and his legal problems. Israel has long coveted southern Lebanon up to the Litani River and more Syrian land next to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. I was with the invading Israeli Army in 1982 when it attacked Lebanon and I have walked the strategic Golan Heights.





Israel is also hungry for large offshore oil deposits near the Gaza prison. It wants the Palestinians out and access to the oil and gas. America has become the champion of Israeli expansionism. The Israeli tail continues to wag the bumbling American dog. Instead of engineering a cease-fire, Washington has blocked all efforts at the UN to stop the mass murder in Gaza. The rest of the world will remember this.





Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2024
Samsung believes that the rapid adoption of AI will be a major boon for the company. It expects its memory and storage chips manufacturing divisions to do exceptionally well as the demand for AI capable hardware will push growth read more

Samsung's chips division has been struggling for a few years. They hope to change their fortunes because of AI rapid growth. Image Credit: Reuters

Samsung is planning to take a prominent position in the global semiconductor scene and placing a major bet on it, based on its AI strategy.

Despite some unsatisfactory results in the past year, the tech giant is poised for significant growth as investors recognize the potential of AI to drive demand for NAND and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), areas where Samsung holds a substantial market share.

Samsung Electronics has announced a remarkable surge in operating profits for the first quarter, projecting a staggering increase of over 900 per cent compared to the previous year. This upsurge is primarily attributed to the rebound in chip prices.

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As the leading conglomerate in Asias fourth-largest economy, Samsung Electronics stands as the flagship subsidiary of the renowned South Korean conglomerate, Samsung Group.

According to a regulatory filing by the tech giant, operating profits for January-March are anticipated to reach 6.6 trillion won ($4.89 billion), marking a significant leap from around 640 billion won recorded in the same period last year.

The projected figures surpassed expectations, exceeding the average estimate by 20.5 per cent, as reported by South Koreas Yonhap news agency, citing data from its financial analytics firm.

Additionally, Samsung forecasts a notable increase in sales by 11.4 per cent, totalling 71 trillion won.

In recent years, South Korean chipmakers, spearheaded by Samsung, have experienced record profits driven by soaring prices of their products. However, the industry faced challenges due to a global economic slowdown, which impacted sales of memory chips. Despite this setback, the anticipated surge in operating profits signifies a promising turnaround for Samsung Electronics.

Analysts have revised targets upwards for Samsung, believing it will greatly benefit from the rapid adoption of AI, alongside a broader recovery in demand for memory modules and an increase prices.

This optimism has prompted fund managers to reallocate investments towards Samsung.

While competitors like NVIDIA and SK Hynix have already experienced substantial gains, Samsung is seen as having considerable potential.

A recent endorsement by NVIDIAs Jensen Huang and reports of a potential HBM supply deal has further fueled analysts confidence in Samsungs prospects.

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Analysts, including several from Citigroup Inc., foresee a replacement cycle in which solid-state drives (SSD) could replace hard-disk drives (HDD) in AI applications, providing an additional avenue for Samsungs growth.

The consensus among analysts suggests a bullish outlook for Samsung, with expected gains outpacing its competitors. Recent earnings reports have exceeded analyst estimates, further bolstering investor confidence.

Despite recent gains, Samsung continues to trail behind other industry leaders on a year-to-date basis. However, investors remain optimistic about Samsungs resurgence, emphasizing the need for clarity on HBM to solidify its position as an AI stock.

As the semiconductor market continues to evolve, Samsung Electronics stands poised to capitalize on the intersection of AI and memory technology, positioning itself for significant growth in the coming months.

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(With inputs from agencies)
The nationwide armed conflict in Myanmar began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule. read more

Expressing grave concerns over Myanmars escalating conflict which has resulted in the worst violence since the military takeover in 2021, UN officials said that the prolonged violence resulted in an alarming escalation of conflict with devastating consequences

Speaking to the UN Security Council Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs said that the civilian toll continues to rise due to indiscriminate bombing by Myanmars armed forces and artillery shelling by various parties. The action has not only severely impacted human rights but fundamental freedoms and the basic needs of millions of people, he added.

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The nationwide armed conflict in Myanmar erupted after the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, subsequently suppressing widespread nonviolent protests advocating for a return to democratic governance.

In response to the militarys crackdown, thousands of young individuals sought refuge in remote border areas, joining forces with ethnic guerrilla groups that have long fought for autonomy against the army, resulting in an alarming escalation of conflict with devastating consequences.

Despite its great advantage in armaments and manpower, the military has been unable to quell the resistance movement. Over the past five months, the army has been routed in northern Shan state, is conceding swaths of territory in Rakhine state in the west, and is under growing attack elsewhere.

Myanmars main pro-democracy resistance group said Thursday its armed wing launched drone attacks on the airport and a military headquarters in the capital, Naypyitaw, but the ruling military said it destroyed the drones as they attacked.

It wasnt possible to independently verify most details of the incident, but the militarys acknowledgement that it had taken place in one of the countrys most heavily guarded locations will be seen by many as the latest indication that it is losing the initiative.

Khiari did not mention the attack but said the National Unity Consultative Council  formed after the 2021 military takeover to promote a return to democracy and comprising ethnic, political, civil society and resistance groups  convened its Second Peoples Assembly on Thursday to further define their common vision for the future of Myanmar.

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He singled out the fighting between the Arakan Army and the military in Rakhine State, Myanmars poorest, which he said has reached an unprecedented level of violence.

The Arakan Army has reportedly gained territorial control over most of central Rakhine and seeks to expand to northern Rakhine where many minority Rohingya Muslims still live, he said.

The Buddhist Rakhine are the majority ethnic group in Rakhine, which is also known by its older name of Arakan, and have long sought autonomy. They have set up their own well-trained and well-armed force called the Arakan Army.

Members of the Rohingya minority have long been persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. About 740,000 fled from Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh when the military in August 2017 launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in response to attacks in Rakhine by a guerrilla group claiming to represent the Rohingya.

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Khiari urged all parties in Rakhine to support the Rohingya, who are caught in the middle of the conflict and continue to experience significant restrictions on their freedom of movement as well as denial of citizenship and disproportionate vulnerability to abduction or forced recruitment.

The crisis continues to spill over the borders and added that conflicts in key border areas have weakened security, Khiari said. The breakdown in the rule of law has enabled illicit economies to thrive, with criminal networks preying on vulnerable people with no livelihoods.

Myanmar has become a global epicentre of methamphetamine and opium production, along with a rapid expansion of global cyber-scam operations, particularly in border areas, he said. What began as a regional crime threat in Southeast Asia is now a rampant human trafficking and illicit trade crisis with global implications. Senior UN humanitarian official Lisa Doughten said the ongoing escalation has left 12.9 million people  nearly 25% of Myanmars population  without enough food, stressing that children and pregnant women face malnutrition.

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Across Myanmar, the humanitarian community estimates that some 18.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2024  a nineteen-fold increase since February 2021, she said.

Doughten said the health system is also in turmoil, with medicines running out. She appealed for urgent funding to assist millions in need, saying the 2023 appeal for $887 million was only 44% funded, causing 1.1 million people to be cut off from aid.

Both Khiari and Doughten echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call for a unified international response to the escalating conflict, and for neighbouring countries especially to use their influence to open humanitarian channels, end the violence, and seek a political solution.

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Khiari said Guterres intends to appoint a new UN special envoy for Myanmar soon to engage with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and other key parties toward those goals.

Britains UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the council, however, that the Myanmar military refuses to engage meaningfully with international efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis. But she stressed, We will not allow Myanmar to become a forgotten crisis. Calling Myanmar our longstanding friend and close partner, Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to the meeting, saying the country doesnt threaten international peace and security.

He accused Western nations of supporting armed opposition groups and destabilising Rakhine and camps for the displaced for the advancement of their own geopolitical concerns in the region.

With inputs from PTI.
Doctors Without Borders president, Isabelle Defourny, warned of the possibility of genocide while condemning Israel for preventing help from reaching the Gaza Strip along with thirteen other major humanitarian organisations read more

Volunteers distribute rations of red lentil soup to displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP File

Leading foreign relief organisations issued a warning on Thursday, claiming that it was now nearly difficult to operate in Gaza. One of these organisations charged that nations arming Israel were involved in what amounts to genocide.

Doctors Without Borders president, Isabelle Defourny, warned of the possibility of genocide while condemning Israel for preventing help from reaching the Gaza Strip along with thirteen other major humanitarian organisations.

There has been criticism following the death of seven relief workers from the US-based World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Monday due to Israeli airstrikes.

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Outraged and heartbroken by the incident, US President Joe Biden expressed his feelings.

But Defourny, president of MSF France, said the United States, Britain, France and other nations were morally and politically complicit with what to our eyes amounts to genocide by providing military support to Israel.

The aid groups also demanded that Israel abandon its plans to launch a ground offensive on Rafah in the south of Gaza, where well over one million civilians are sheltering.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war erupted with Hamass unprecedented October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israels retaliatory campaign, aimed at destroying Hamas, has killed at least 33,037 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Absolute horror

While WCK has suspended its operations in Gaza, none of the 13 groups including Oxfam and Save the Children who made the joint call said they were pulling out.

Defourny, who said MSF had lost five of its 300 staff in Gaza, said the killing of the seven WCK employees was no surprise.

She said the conditions today to deliver humanitarian assistance are not there (in Gaza).

Because for the last six months we have witnessed the choices which Israel makes in waging war on an entire population, a population that is trapped, deprived of food and massively bombed.

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Gaza is progressively being made unfit for human life, she added, it has passed the threshold of absolute horror.

Defourny said the International Court of Justice ordered measures to prevent a genocide in January and again last week.

But Israel has so far done the exact opposite, continuing to block humanitarian aid and destroy vital civilian infrastructure as illustrated by the attack on WCK and the Al-Shifa hospital destruction, she added.

Israel has fiercely pushed back against accusations it is blocking aid, alleging instead that humanitarian groups have failed to distribute it.

In war-torn Gaza, where vast areas have been reduced to rubble, 2.4 million Palestinians have been under bombardment for six months while enduring dire shortages of food, water, fuel and other basic supplies.

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After the ICJs January ruling, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the charge against Israel is not only false, its outrageous, and decent people everywhere should reject it.

War against civilians

The charity Oxfam said that people in starving northern Gaza have been forced to survive on an average of 245 calories a day  less than a can of beans, and a fraction of the recommended average daily 2,100 calorie intake per person.

Scott Paul of Oxfam said almost half of people in the north are actually living on less.

Is it any wonder that there is either an imminent famine or a famine that is actually taking place there, he added.

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The charities called for an immediate ceasefire, saying Israel and the countries supplying it with arms have the obligation (in international law) to protect populations from atrocity crimes.

Doctor Tanya Haj-Hassan, an American pediatric intensive care doctor, who has been working in Gaza hospitals, said everybodys a target in Gaza.

Evidence on the ground does not suggest that this is a war against Hamas, but a war against civilians.

When you are in the operating theatre, you do not see Hamas, you see entire families wiped off the civil registry.

I saw (in theatre) direct sniper shooting of children in the head and elderly people.

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She said she noticed a consistent pattern of targeting particular groups (by Israeli forces)  health care workers, press and humanitarian aid workers.
The nearly 30-minute conversation between Biden and Netanyahu came only days after seven food assistance workers in Gaza were murdered by Israeli bombings, adding another level of complexity to the already tense relationship between the two leaders read more

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, received a severe warning from President Joe Biden on Thursday: new measures to safeguard civilians and humanitarian workers must be put into place quickly if the United States is to continue supporting Israel in its Gaza conflict.

The nearly 30-minute conversation between Biden and Netanyahu came only days after seven food assistance workers in Gaza were murdered by Israeli bombings, adding another level of complexity to the already tense relationship between the two leaders. With the U.S. president for the first time threatening to reconsider his support if Israel doesnt alter its strategies and permit far more humanitarian supplies into Gaza, Bidens statement represents a dramatic shift in his administrations previously unwavering support for Israels war operations.

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The White House will not say what changes may be made to U.S. policy, but it might mean adjusting weapons sales to Israel and strengthening American support for diplomatic initiatives abroad.

Early on Friday morning, Netanyahus office said that his Security Cabinet had authorised a number of immediate steps to boost the amount of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza, including the reopening of a crucial crossing that was damaged in the Hamas onslaught on October 7.

Prior to that declaration, administration officials had stated that the United States will evaluate if the Israeli actions are sufficient.

Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, the White House said in a statement following the leaders call. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps.

Biden also told Netanyahu that reaching an immediate cease-fire in exchange for the estimated 100 hostages that are still being held in Gaza was essential and urged Israel to reach such an accord without delay, according to the White House. Administration officials described the conversation as direct and honest.

Netanyahus office said the Erez crossing, which for years served as the only passenger terminal for people to move in and out of Gaza, would be temporarily reopened. It also said Israel would allow its Ashdod port to be used to process aid shipments bound for Gaza and allow increased Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.

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White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson welcomed the moves by Netanyahu, adding that the plan must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

As the President said today on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, Watson said.

The leaders conversation comes as the World Central Kitchen, founded by restauranteur Jose Andres to provide immediate food relief to disaster-stricken areas, called for an independent investigation into the Israeli strikes that killed seven of the groups staff members, including an American citizen. The White House has said the U.S. has no plans to conduct its own investigation.

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Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels that U.S. support would be curtailed if Israel doesnt make significant adjustments to how its carrying out the war. If we dont see the changes that we need to see, there will be changes in our policy, he said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed the call for tangible and concrete changes to be taken by the Israelis beyond reiterating long stated calls for allowing additional aid to get into Gaza.

If theres no changes to their policy in their approaches, then theres going to have to be changes to ours, Kirby said. There are things that need to be done. There are too many civilians being killed.

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The demands for Israel to bring the conflict to a swift close were increasing across the political spectrum, with former President Donald Trump, the Republicans presumptive nominee to face Biden this fall, saying Thursday that Israel was absolutely losing the PR war and calling for a resolution to the bloodshed.

Get it over with and lets get back to peace and stop killing people. And thats a very simple statement, Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to  you have to get back to normalcy and peace.

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Biden and Netanyahu also discussed Iranian threats against Israel, Kirby said. Earlier this week, Iranian leaders vowed to hit back after an airstrike widely blamed on Israel destroyed Irans Consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals. Irans President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday the attack will not remain without answer.

Biden also renewed his concerns about Netanyahus plan to carry out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following the militant groups deadly Oct. 7 attack. Vice President Kamala Harris, Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan also joined the call.

Still, the Biden administration has proceeded apace with arms transfers and deliveries to Israel, many of which were approved years ago but had only been partially or not at all fulfilled. Just this week, on Monday, the Democratic administrations Daily List of munitions transfers included the sale to Israel of more than 1,000 500-pound (225-kilograms) bombs and more than 1,000 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bombs.

Officials said those transfers had been approved before the publication of the list on Monday  the day Israeli airstrikes hit the World Central Kitchen aid convoy  and that they fell below the threshold for new congressional notification. Also, they noted that the bombs are not for delivery to Israel until 2025.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Thursday said plans to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help boost the flow of aid into the territory continue to move forward. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said the pier will be on line by the end of the month or early May. Biden announced plans to build the floating pier during his State of the Union address last month.

Ryder said Israel has agreed to provide security on the shore as aid is transferred and distributed, but details are still being worked out.

Israel has acknowledged responsibility for the strikes on the World Central Kitchen workers but said the convoy was not targeted and their deaths were not intentional. The country continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings.

Andres harshly criticized the Israeli military for the strike, and his organization has paused its work in Gaza.

The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon, he wrote on X. No more innocent lives lost.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.

The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, experts say, is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. Within two months, researchers say, the offensive already has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syrias Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraines Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the U.S.-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group.
Microsoft said China has already conducted a dry run of its AI-driven election disruption in the Taiwanese presidential election in which it opposed William Lai, the winning candidate deeply resented by Beijing read more

China will use AI to disrupt elections in India, United States, and South Korea this year, according to a warning by Microsoft. Source: Reuters

China will use artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt elections in India, United States, and South Korea this year, according to a warning by Microsoft.

The year is lined up with key elections. While a fierce rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is underway in the US presidential elections, India is set to conduct the worlds largest democratic exercise between April and June. The year has already seen key elections in Taiwan and Pakistan. South Korea too is set to have its parliamentary elections on April 10.

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For years, China along with countries like North Korea, Russia, and Iran has been accused of running influence operations in the US and other countries to influence voters behaviour. The influence operations have often involved disinformation campaigns.

In its warning, Microsoft said that China has already conducted a dry run of its AI-driven election disruption in the Taiwanese presidential election in January of this year. William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a candidate deeply resented by the Chinese government, won the election.

China will disrupt elections with AI-driven audio, video, memes: Microsoft

China will increase the usage of AI-driven audio and video content mainly memes to disrupt the election by influencing voters.

Microsofts Threat Intelligence Team said that China will at a minimum create and distribute AI-generated content that benefits their positions in these high-profile elections through social media, reported The Guardian.

The report said that the impact of AI-generated content was minor at the moment but that could change. The report added, While the impact of such content in swaying audiences remains low, Chinas increasing experimentation in augmenting memes, videos and audio will continue  and may prove effective down the line.

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Microsoft further said that Chinese state-backed cyber groups are expected to be joined by North Korea in these operations.

The report said that a Beijing-backed group called Storm 1376 was very active in Januarys Taiwanese presidential election and pushed a series of AI-generated memes about William Lai, the pro-independence candidate abhorred by Beijing who won the election. These memes spread false accusations against Lai of embezzlement of government funds.

China has interfered in US, Canadian elections over the years

China has been running influence operations in countries like the US and Canada for years. These operations are primarily centred around trying to prevent candidates Beijing perceives as anti-China from winning and peddling a favourable view of China among the target audience. At times, negative perceptions about adversaries like the US have also been fuelled through such operations.

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In December 2023, an intelligence assessment released by the US government stated that China tried to shape the outcome of specific contests in the 2022 midterm elections, reported NBC News.

The report said that China tacitly approved efforts to try to influence a handful of midterm races involving members of both US political parties with the idea to try to prevent certain candidates perceived as anti-China from winning and support those it deemed pro-China.

In the 2019 Canadian elections, China attempted to funnel around $250,000 in potential interference, said Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director David Vigneault in April. Global News reported the CSIS assessment found that 11 candidates and 13 political staff members were either implicated in or impacted by this planned Chinese operation.

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In August 2023, Facebook and Instagrams parent company Meta said it disrupted a Chinese disinformation campaign which was the largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world. More than 7,700 accounts and 930 pages on Facebook were taken down.

Meta said at the time that this campaign attempted to spread negative commentary about the US and disinformation about COVIDs origin.

In September 2023, Microsoft warned that operations affiliated with the Communist Party of China (CCP) have now begun to successfully engage with target audiences on social media to a greater extent than previously observed.

The report by the company further cautioned that Chinese influence campaigns had started using generative AI to create visual content that was already drawing higher levels of engagement from authentic users.

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Axios reported Microsoft as saying that China-linked influence operations had been using AI-generated images since at least March 2023. Such images touched upon divisive issues such as gun violence in US.
After push for a Gaza hostage deal before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan last month was unsuccessful, CIA Director William Burns, who is a key figure in continuing negotiations, is yet again slated to travel to Cairo on Saturday for further talks read more

After push for a Gaza hostage deal before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan last month was unsuccessful, CIA Director William Burns, who is a key figure in continuing negotiations, is yet again slated to travel to Cairo on Saturday for further talks.

According to a New York Times report, citing a person briefed on the plans, US officials believe negotiating a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas and the exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel is the only way to put a temporary cease-fire into effect and increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

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Burns is likely to be joined by Israels spy agency Mossad chief David Barnea and negotiators from Egypt and Qatar. Neither the Americans nor the Israelis speak directly to Hamas. Instead, their proposals are relayed through Egyptian and Qatari officials, who speak to members of Hamas.

The cease-fire discussions have hit a roadblock for weeks now. Following a phone conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday, Biden reiterated his call for a negotiated agreement leading to an immediate cease-fire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The current deadlock centers around the issue of allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, a key demand from Hamas that Israel has been hesitant to accept, according to the report, citing people familiar with the negotiations.

Burns, a seasoned diplomat and former negotiator now leading the CIA, has presented several proposals in an attempt to move the discussions forward, urging parties to endorse plans to present to Hamas. Whether Burns will introduce a new proposal at the upcoming meetings remains uncertain.

The pace of negotiations has been sluggish partly due to the lengthy process of conveying proposals from the negotiation sessions to Yehia Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza and the alleged mastermind behind the October 7 attack on Israel. Sinwar has been greenlighting all Hamas counterproposals concerning hostage negotiations. He is believed to be in hiding within the tunnels beneath Gaza, shielded from Israeli incursions by a group of hostages he is using as human shields.

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With inputs from agencies
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to evaluate the Graduate Route visa and make sure it is fit for purpose read more

One of the UKs most renowned Indian student representation associations launched a new Fair Visa, Fair Chance campaign on Thursday in support of the post-study Graduate Route visa, which has proven extremely popular among Indian students since its inception over three years ago.

NISAU UK, the National Indian Students and Alumni Union, is concerned that the current review of the route would undo the gains accomplished. NISAU UK was the driving force behind the initial push for the visa, which permits overseas graduates to work for two years after receiving their degree.

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UK Home Secretary James Cleverly has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to evaluate the Graduate Route visa and make sure it is fit for purpose. The MAC is anticipated to report by the end of next month.

The ability to work for two years post-graduation helps international students to earn money to help pay for their degrees and enable some to get valuable work experience as well as to continue to build strong links with the UK, said Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Students and patron of NISAU UK.

We are in a global race and have to offer post-graduation work opportunities that are attractive in competing with countries, such as the United States of America, Canada, and Australia. The fear of the removal of the two-year post-graduation work visa is sending out unnecessary and damaging negative messages around the world, and universities are already seeing a huge decline in international students applications, he said.

He also warned that Britain would be shooting itself in the foot if the Graduate Route was curtailed given that international students contribute GBP 42 billion to the UK economy.

Since its relaunch for the 2020-21 cohort of international students, the Home Office says a total of 213,250 visas have been granted under the route - with Indians consistently dominating as the largest group of students granted leave to remain with 43 per cent of grants last year.

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It is very sad that a mere few years on from the re-introduction of post-study working in the UK, we are having to once again make the case to defend it. The Graduate visa is a key requirement of Indian students and a critical offer of the UKs international higher education system, said Sanam Arora, NISAU UK chair and Commissioner of the UKs International Higher Education Commission.

We campaigned for seven years to bring it back last time and will fight to protect this essential pathway again. Without the Graduate route, university finances may collapse. The impact of this not just on international students but also on UKs home students will be bad, given domestic students and the world-class research that happens in UK universities is heavily cross-subsidised by international students, she said.

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NISAU UK has been invited to present evidence to MAC and it plans to share its own research and learnings from the annual India-UK Achievers Honours programme, which celebrates high-achieving Indian graduates from the UK who have made exceptional contributions to their respective fields and society at large.

Indian students have already begun to show signs of being turned off from applying to British universities, with the latest Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) figures revealing a four per cent drop in applications from India.

However, the Home Office pointed to MAC analysis which revealed that the number of international post-graduate students attending institutions with the lowest UCAS entry requirements has increased by over 250 per cent between 2018 and 2022, bringing its mantra of attracting the brightest and the best into question.

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In its annual report finalised before the review was announced in Parliament at the end of last year, MAC said: More fundamentally, we suggest that the government needs to decide what the purpose of the Graduate Route is. If its primary objective is to enhance the offer to international students who choose to study in the UK and so increase the number of international students in higher education, then it appears to have been a resounding success.

If the objective is to attract talented students who will subsequently work in high-skilled graduate jobs, then we are sceptical that it adds much to the Skilled Worker route which was already available to switch into after graduation, and we expect that at least a significant fraction of the Graduate Route will comprise low-wage workers, it said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Joe Biden administration will monitor the steps taken by Israel on the ground and the US policy on Gaza will appropriately evolve if desired changes are not seen read more

The United States has welcomed the Israeli decision to expand aid entering the Gaza Strip but has stressed that the proof of the success will be seen in the results on the ground.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken further said that the US will be monitoring the specific steps taken by Israel on the ground and the US policy on Gaza will appropriately evolve if desired changes are not seen on the ground.

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Blinkens comment comes after a tense call between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. Biden threatened to condition the US support to Israel on the steps on the ground to protect civilians and aid workers. The conversation took place amid worldwide outrage over the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike earlier this week.

Following the killings of seven aid workers in the Israeli strike, the Biden administration has for the first time leveraged the US support to Israel to influence Netanyahus government this strongly. In a statement following the Biden-Netanyahu call, the White House said that Biden made it clear that the US policy regarding Gaza will be determined by the assessment of Israels immediate actions on the ground.

We just cant have so many people caught in crossfire, killed: Blinken

Blinken has said that it is unacceptable to have so many people caught in ceasefire, killed, and injured in Gaza.

Speaking in Brussels where NATO foreign ministers were meeting, Blinken said that the Biden administration is looking forward to seeing a surge in humanitarian assistance and maximising efforts to secure civilian lives in Gaza in the coming days.

Blinken said, What we are looking to see in the days ahead is prioritisation and surge in humanitarian assistance, sustaining it, getting it to the people who need it, making sure those providing it are safe and secure, and maximising every effort to protect civilians.

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'We can't have so many people caught in the crossfire'



Reacting to the news Israel has agreed to open new aid routes into Gaza, Antony Blinken says the US is looking to see "surging" and sustained humanitarian assistance.https://t.co/9bHmNbLRsV



 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/lyaA7NGUos  Sky News (@SkyNews) April 5, 2024

Biden administration expresses cautious optimism

Following the Biden-Netanyahu call, the Security Cabinet of Israel opened the Ashdod Port and Erez Crossing in northern Gaza to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Israel has also announced that the aid from Jordon to Gaza through the Kerem Shalon Crossing will also increase.

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The Biden administration has cautiously welcomed these steps. In a statement following the announcement, White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said these steps must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

Reiterating Bidens message to Netanyahu that the US policy to Gaza will be determined by the assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, Watson said that the administration is prepared to work fully with Israel and regional partners Jordan and Egypt along with the United Nations (UN) and humanitarian organisations to ensure that these steps are implemented and result in a significant increase in humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza.
Former US President Donald Trump said Israel needs to stop killing poeple and get over with its war with Hamas fast. Criticising Biden, Trump said October 7 attacks would never have happened if he were the President read more

Former US President Donald Trump said Israel needs to get over with war 'fast'. Reuters File

Former US President Donald Trump said Israel should finish their war with Hamas, and Get it over as soon as possible to bring back normalcy.

Get it over with and lets get back to peace and stop killing people. And thats a very simple statement, Trump, who is Republican Partys presidential candidate, said. They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to  you have to get back to normalcy and peace, he added.

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In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump also expressed his displeasure with the Netanyahu-led governments ongoing war strategy and said, And Im not sure that Im loving the way theyre doing it, because youve got to have victoryand its taking a long time.

When asked if he was still 100 per cent with Israel, the erstwhile president said, Theyve got to finish what they started, and theyve got to finish it fast, and we have to get on with life.

They are losing the PR war

The grand old partys former president hates the Israeli Defence Forces decision to release tapes of their war offensives and missile attacks online and said that they are absolutely losing the PR war because of this.

I hate [that] they put out tapes all the time. Every night, theyre releasing tapes of a building falling down. They shouldnt be releasing tapes like that thats why theyre losing the PR war, Trump said.

Since the beginning of the war, Israel has been actively releasing footage of their operations against Hamas, and videos of missiles striking what they call terrorist infrastructure.

Theyre releasing the most heinous, most horrible tapes of buildings falling down. And people are imagining theres a lot of people in those buildings, or people in those buildings, and they dont like it, Trump added.

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The Republican nominee said they do it to make themselves look tough.

I guess it makes them look tough. But to me, it doesnt make them look tough. Theyre losing the PR war. Theyre losing it big.

Oct 7 attacks would never have happened if

Trump, who had earlier described himself as pro-Israel, also has criticized President Joe Biden for being insufficiently supportive of the Jewish country, and said if he were in the position, October 7 attacks would never have happened.

(Attacks) on Israel should have never happened. If I were president, it would not have happened. But October 7th would have never happenedBut it is what it is, and this horrible thing happened, Trump said.

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Earlier, in a dramatic 30-minute long conversation with Netanyahu, Biden warned him of change in US policy if Israel doesnt alter its strategies and permit far more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Since the Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Israeli defence forces have battered the Gaza Strip, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, creating an dire humanitarian crisis, according to Gazas Health Ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US-Israeli alliance is now more necessary than ever in the face of barbarism that threatens our entire civilisation read more

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahy said there will be enormous implications for US security if Israel doesn't win the war in Gaza. Source: AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that there will be enormous implications for the American security if Israel does not win the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahus comment came amid deep divisions with the White House over the war in Gaza. In a call on Thursday, US President Joe Biden threatened to condition the support to Israel on the steps on the ground to protect civilians and aid workers. The Israeli government is currently facing global outrage over the killing of seven aid workers in an airstrike in central Gaza.

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Speaking during a meeting with visiting American lawmakers from the Republican Party, Netanyahu hailed the long tradition of US-Israeli alliance and said the alliance was more necessary than ever at the moment in the face of barbarism that threatens our entire civilisation.

Netanyahu further said, This is a larger battle. Our battle is your battle. Our victory is your victory. If we dont have a victory, this will have enormous implications for American security and for our common future. So, we must win.

Netanyahu added that there is no substitute for absolute victory in the war.

Netanyahu further said that Israel was not merely fighting Iran but the entire axis of Iran. He added that the axis across the region seeks to put the Middle East back into the dark ages. This is an apparent reference to the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance across the Middle East, which comprises groups like Hamas and Hezbollah which are like Iran committed to the destruction of the State of Israel.

The US-Israeli partnership is under deep strain at the moment as the Biden administration has for the first time leveraged the US support to Israel to influence Netanyahus government this strongly. The administration has said that the US policy on Gaza will appropriately evolve if desired changes for the delivery of aid and protection of civilians are not seen on the ground.
On the Ren'ai Jiao issue, who is the troublemaker and provocateur? Who is breaking international law and endangering peace and stability in the South China Sea?

The answers to these questions are easily discerned from the following facts:









The Nansha Qundao (the Nansha Islands), which include the Ren'ai Jiao reef, have always been China's territory. The Philippine side clearly knows that its own territory -- defined by a series of international treaties, including the 1898 Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain -- does not include the Nansha Qundao.





In 1999, a Philippine military vessel was illegally "grounded" on Ren'ai Jiao. China immediately made demarches to the Philippines, and the Philippines repeatedly pledged that it would tow the vessel away. But 25 years on, it is still there.





Utilizing a similar tactic, the Philippines said that it would not reinforce the grounded warship and that it would provide China with advanced warning of any resupply operations. However, the country again failed to honor its promise and made attempts to deliver construction materials for the large-scale repair and reinforcement of the warship, in an apparent attempt to occupy Ren'ai Jiao permanently.





It is clear that the Philippines' string of false accusations against China aims to hide the fact that it has broken its promises and common understanding with China on the proper handling of the situation.





According to Article 5 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which was signed by China and ASEAN member states, the parties to the declaration agree to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability by, among other undertakings, refraining from the action of inhabiting the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features.





Ren'ai Jiao is uninhabited. Parties to the declaration should continue hosting zero personnel and facilities on the reef. But recently, a spokesperson for the Philippine military openly vowed to build permanent structures on Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippines has also repeatedly dispatched personnel to set foot on China's Tiexian Jiao and other uninhabited islands and reefs in the South China Sea that belong to China, seriously contravening the principles of the DOC.





Over the years, China and ASEAN member states have insisted that countries directly concerned with the Ren'ai Jiao issue manage their disputes properly through dialogue and consultation, and that China and ASEAN member states work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. This has effectively maintained the overall stability of the region.





However, for some time, the Philippines has been pulling non-regional actors into the South China Sea affairs to back Philippine provocations and violation of China's sovereignty.





Such moves by the Philippines undermine the consensus reached by the countries in the region, and will only complicate and endanger the situation in the South China Sea.





International relations experts pointed out that the United States is using the Philippines as a pawn to destabilize the South China Sea. But a pawn will only end up being abandoned.





Launching false accusations against China will by no means cover up the truth. The South China Sea is a shared home for the countries in the region. It is a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, and it serves the common interests and is the shared responsibility of these countries.





The Philippines must cease its provocative and dangerous acts before they bring harm to the Philippines and the peaceful environment of the countries in the region, and must return to the right track of properly managing and resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation as soon as possible.
The declaration coincides with growing international pressure on Israel following its admission of guilt over a strike that claimed the lives of seven workers at the US-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen read more

Hours after US President Joe Biden issued a warning, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that Israel will permit temporary humanitarian delivery via its border with the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel will allow the temporary delivery of humanitarian aid through Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint, the statement from the prime ministers office said, referring to a port about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Gaza and a land crossing.

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This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war, it added.

The declaration coincides with growing international pressure on Israel following its admission of guilt over a strike that claimed the lives of seven workers at the US-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen.

On Thursday, during a heated 30-minute phone conversation with Netanyahu, Biden urged for a immediate ceasefire and referred to the Israeli assault as unacceptable.

According to a White House statement, Biden also made clear that US policy will be decided by Israel implementing specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

The White House hailed Israels declaration and demanded that the measures to increase aid flow to Gaza be fully and rapidly implemented as soon as possible.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since the start of the war, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing humanitarian aid deliveries and warning of catastrophic levels of hunger.

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Israel has denied throttling aid deliveries.

The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israels retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,037 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

According to Fridays statement, the Israeli authorities will also allow increased Jordanian aid through Kerem Shalom, a border crossing in southern Israel.
The Philippines ambassador to the US said the Manila and Tokyo governments are close to signing a reciprocal access agreement which would enable the militaries of both nations to train and exercise in each others territories read more

Amid the brewing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, Tokyo and Manila have discussed the deployment of Japanese forces in the Philippines.

According to The Financial Times, the announcement came after the two nations arrived at a near agreement on several security pacts aimed at boosting regional deterrence against China.

The Philippines ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel Romualdez, said that the Manila and Tokyo governments are close to signing a reciprocal access agreement which would enable the militaries of both nations to train and exercise in each others territories.

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Romualdez emphasised that the two nations agreed that the deployment of the troops would be conducted on a rotational basis.

In the past, similar arrangements have been made with the US which maintains its military forces in the Philippines despite the countrys constitutional prohibition of permanent deployments.

Thats something that weve already discussed in the past and we will continue to look at that again as part of our cooperation between our countries, Romualdez told The Financial Times.

How will it impact China?

The announcement is expected to send a sharp message to China about how the US and its allies are increasingly worried about its military activity in the region. The US, Japan and the Philippines have raised their concerns over Chinas growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific area.

The nations have also expressed their discontent over Chinas increasing aggression near Taiwan and in the other areas of the South China Sea.

In the past few months, several vessels of the Philippines and China got involved in multiple aggressive exchanges in the South China Sea.

Top meetings to watch out for

The confirmation of the military agreement between the two nations came ahead of a landmark US-Japan-Philippines trilateral meeting. The high-level meeting will be hosted by US President Joe Biden next week with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The American ambassador mentioned that Manila is hoping to conclude the military agreement shortly after the trilateral summit which will be held on April 12 in Washington.

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During his visit to the United States, Marcos will also hold a bilateral meeting with Biden a day after the US and Japanese leaders have their summit which will include a high-profile state dinner at the White House.

The US has expressed its concerns over Chinas aggressive manoeuvres towards Filipino vessels at the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the South China Sea that has become an epicentre of tensions in recent months.

In light of this, Washington and Manila have both strongly criticised China for dangerous activities. This included targeting vessels with water cannons.

How is China responding to the matter?

Amid the growing ties between the three nations, the Chinese embassy maintained that the interest of the third party should not be targeted.

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China always believes that state-to-state exchanges and co-operation should be conducive to enhancing mutual understanding and trust among countries in the region, the embassy said in a statement.

It should be about safeguarding regional peace and stability, rather than targeting or undermining the interests of any third party, the embassy furthered.

Meanwhile, the Japanese administration is yet to give a respond on the matter.

With inputs from agencies.
According to Denmarks armed forces, a harpoon missile on board the frigate HDMS Niels Juel experienced a technical malfunction during a mandatory test read more

The Danish military forces claimed in a statement that the rocket booster on board the ship was active and could not be deactivated, and that experts were in route to avert any unforeseen incident

A technological glitch could cause a Danish missile to launch at any moment, the nations navy announced on Thursday.

According to a CNN report, this prompted Danish authorities to block a section of airspace and alert ships to a possible unintentional attack.

According to Denmarks armed forces, a harpoon missile on board the frigate HDMS Niels Juel experienced a technical malfunction during a mandatory test. The military ship is based in the Great Belt Strait, which is the primary seaport for the Baltic Sea, in Denmark.

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The Danish military forces claimed in a statement that the rocket booster on board the ship was active and could not be deactivated, and that experts were in route to avert any unforeseen incident.

Until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometers away, the statement said.

This is the last day of a naval drill that started in the region last month.

The predicted hazard zone is located at a height of around 1000 meters above sea level, roughly 5-7 kilometers from naval station Korsor.

The military claimed that the missile was not aimed at the Great Belt Bridge.

The Danish Ministry of Defence was further quoted by the BBC as stating that the missile held 150 kg of explosives. If the missile falls into the ocean, it wont explode because it is unarmed.
The PML(N)-government is contemplating privatising around 51 per cent to a complete 100 per cent shares of the Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) and has asked interested players to submit bids till May read more

The newly-elected Pakistani government is mulling to sell majority shares of the countrys cash-strapped national airline. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be administered to the private players once they reach a share agreement with the government.

As per a report in ARY News, quoting Coordinator to Prime Minister on Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani, the PML(N)-government was contemplating selling around 51 per cent to a complete 100 per cent shares of the national flag carrier to private buyers and has invited bids for the same till May 3.

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In February, the caretaker government in a swansong move announced a financial restructuring of loss-making PIA and further bifurcated it into two entities as part of efforts to privatise the airline.

Several global players interested in buying PIA

Kalyani said the privatisation process which now nears its completion has been running at a good pace and claimed that several global companies have expressed interest in purchasing the national carrier.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader (PML-N) stated that the Privatisation Commission will decide on how many shares of PIA will the government divest.

Kalyani mentioned that issues concerning retired employees of PIA were transferred to the PIA holding company, and assured that pension payments to retired workers would not be affected by this transition.

Meanwhile, he added that the government was working to form a policy to address the concerns of the current employees.

On Thursday, the Pakistani government approved the settlement of most dues of the PIA and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) was notified about the clearance of airlines balance sheet.

Since privatisation reforms were announced, PIA has been emerging as a potential investment opportunity for most. The companys shares have surged over 650 per cent during trading on PSX, the report stated.
According to the doctor, Bushra Bibis condition worsened two months ago following a meal. But because of health problems, she began eating less, he continued. The doctor went on to say that he didnt know about her real health problems, which occurred two months ago, according to Geo News read more

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are covered with a white sheet as they arrive to appear at the High Court in Lahore, Pakistan. Reuters

Amid claims that Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, was poisoned in Bani Gala sub-jail, personal physician Asim Yousuf confirmed conducting a medical checkup, according to Geo News.

During the inspection, Dr. Yousuf reported that no proof of the former first lady receiving any toxic substance was discovered.

At this time, there is no evidence of Bushra Bibi being poisoned, Dr Yousuf said while speaking to Geo News, adding, We are not conducting any medical tests to ascertain the administration of any poisonous substance to Bushra Bibi as no such symptoms are detected, as per Geo News.

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According to the doctor, Bushra Bibis condition worsened two months ago following a meal. But because of health problems, she began eating less, he continued.

The doctor went on to say that he didnt know about her real health problems, which occurred two months ago, according to Geo News.

According to Yousuf, medical examinations should be carried out while taking her age into consideration and to look for any health issues, especially stomach-related ones.

He also mentioned that he will see the PTI founder who was imprisoned on Saturday. Dr. Yousuf provided an update on Khans health, stating that while the former premiers condition had improved, his appetite had not totally returned to normal after recovering from a small sickness.

Former prime minister Khan informed the court on Tuesday that his wife had been poisoned in the Bani Gala sub-jail.

At a hearing for the USD 190 million settlement case in the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, the PTI founder made this assertion. Khan told the judge in the accountability court that the former first lady had been poisoned and had markings on her mouth and skin.

He asked the court to conduct a thorough medical evaluation of Bushra Bibi as well as an investigation into the occurrence.

The former first lady also claimed, in an interview with media before to her court appearance, that on the eve of Shab-e-Meraj, three drops of toilet cleaner were put into her meal. She disclosed that the water and food provided by the jail administration had an unpleasant flavour.

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Responding to a question, Bushra said that someone had told her in jail that toilet cleaner was mixed in her food. She, however, refused to disclose the name of the official.

My eyes swell up, I feel pain in my chest and stomach, the former first lady said.
Pakistans former Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that General Asim Munir, Pakistan Army chief, should be held responsible if his wife Bushra Bibi is harmed in any manner read more

Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have alleged that the former First Lady of Pakistan was poisoned during her incarceration. Source: AP

There is no evidence that Bushra Bibi, the wife of jailed former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was poisoned during her incarceration, her personal doctor Dr Asim Yousuf said, who conducted a medical examination on former first lady of the country.

Yousuf said he conducted a medical examination of Bibi and it did not show any evidence that she was poisoned.

Khan and Bibi have both alleged that the former First Lady of Pakistan was poisoned during her incarceration earlier this year. In January, she was handed a 14-year prison term along with her husband in the Toshakhana corruption case. Following the sentence, Khans private residence in Islamabads Bani Gala neighbourhood was converted into a sub-jail and Bibi was incarcerated there.

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Separately, a panel of doctors of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) also examined Bibi and said that no evidence of poisoning was found.

2 medical examinations show Bushra Bibi was not poisoned

Bibis personal doctor Yousuf as well as four doctors of the PIMS conducted separate examinations and reported no signs of poisoning.

Yousuf told Geo News, At this time, there is no evidence of Bushra Bibi being poisoned. We are not conducting any medical test to ascertain administration of any poisonous substance to Bushra Bibi as no such symptoms are detected.

Yousuf was further quoted as saying that Bibis health worsened after taking a meal two months ago. He said he was unaware of actual health issues two months back. He further said that she started consuming less food at the time due to health issues.

Yousuf also said that medical tests should be conducted in view of her age and to check for any health problems, as per the report.

Separately, ARY News reported that the PIMS panel of doctors also found that Bibi started consuming less food due to health issues and that her appetite was not normal and she was suffering from stomach pain.

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3 drops of toilet cleaner mixed in food: Bushra Bibi

Prior to a court appearance, Bibi told media that three drops of toilet cleaner were mixed in her food on the eve of Shab-e-Meraj, according to Geo News. The Shab-e-Meraj was on February 8.

Bibi had said that someone had told her in jail that toilet cleaner was mixed in her food, but she refused to name her source.

My eyes swell up, I feel pain in my chest and stomach, said Bibi.

Earlier this week, Khan on Tuesday said in a hearing that Bibi was poisoned and that General Asim Munir, the chief of the Pakistan Army, should be held responsible if she is harmed, according to PTI.

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Khan has been jailed since last year and has more than 100 cases against her. Since his ouster as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in a trust vote in 2022, he has maintained that he is the victim of a conspiracy of the Pakistans all-powerful military and intelligence establishment.
Nir Barkat, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party, did not make it apparent from his remarks if he was speaking for the government or individually read more

The minister of economics for Israel stated that he does not think Qatar can mediate between Hamas and Israel as the cease-fire negotiations that might possibly result in the release of hostages held in Gaza are at a standstill.

Theyre a wolf in sheeps clothing, Nir Barkat told Bloomberg TV on Thursday, accusing Qatar of funding terror all over the world.

Barkat, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party, did not make it apparent from his remarks if he was speaking for the government or individually. The Foreign Ministry of Israel chose not to respond.

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In a retaliatory post on X, Majed Al-Ansari, a spokeswoman for Qatars Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called Barkats remarks lies and baseless accusations that show political recklessness and selfishness.

The US and EU have branded Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but the Gulf state has long harboured some of the leadership leaders of the Iranian-backed group. Since their conflict began on October 7, it has been instrumental in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas and securing the release of certain hostages.

According to Qatar, a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas led to the establishment of the Hamas political office in Doha in 2012.

The largest US military installation in the Middle East is located in Qatar, a close ally of the United States. Additionally, it played a crucial role in the tens of thousands of peopleincluding foreign nationals and US soldiersbeing evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 following the countrys unexpected withdrawal of its forces.

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After Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, it not only became a major political force in the area but also a major supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe, taking the place of certain Russian piped supplies.
Pragues stance on Russian influence campaigns has hardened following the approval of a law in 2022 empowering the government to act against foreign entities suspected of human rights violations or cybercrimes. read more

In a move to destabilise the EU and sabotage critical infrastructure, the Czech Republics transport minister Martin Kupka alleged Friday that Russia has made thousands of attempts to interfere with European rail networks.

Moscow has been suspected of making thousands of attempts to weaken our systems since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Martin Kupka told the Financial Times.

Kupka further said that the hacking campaign involved attacks on signalling systems and the networks of the Czech national railway operator Ceske drahy. Previous attacks have disrupted ticketing systems and raised concerns about potential interference with signals, posing risks of serious accidents, he added.

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Its definitely a difficult point . . .[but] Im really very satisfied because we are able to defend all systems before a successful attack, Kupka told FT.

The EU Agency for Cybersecurity issued its inaugural report on transport threats in March last year, citing a surge in attacks against railway companies, primarily attributed to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Notable cyber assaults by pro-Russia hacker groups targeted railway firms in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Estonia.

The Czech cyber security agency NUKIB, highlighted a trend of escalating cyber attacks in recent years, particularly targeting the energy and transportation sectors, according to its July report.

Pragues stance on Russian influence campaigns has hardened following the approval of a law in 2022 empowering the government to act against foreign entities suspected of human rights violations or cybercrimes.

Recently, the Czech government sanctioned two individuals, including pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, and the news website voiceofeurope.com, for orchestrating a pro-Russian influence campaign in Europe, as per the Czech Foreign Ministry. Medvedchuk, previously transferred to Russia in 2022, purportedly provided covert financing for Voice of Europes influence operations, including support for European politicians, ahead of this years European Parliamentary election.

Rail projects represent the bulk of initiatives funded by the EUs Connecting Europe Facility, with 25.8 billion allocated for transport. However, a Czech official noted that the expenses for their new project already surpassed the countrys allocation from the fund.
Russia launched over 60 explosive drones and ninety missiles into Ukraine on March 22, marking the deadliest strike on the nations energy infrastructure since the full-scale invasion started in early 2022 read more

An employee called Taras was monitoring the control panel when the Russian bombardment struck the Ukrainian power plant. This was a vital duty that obliged him to remain there while the air raid alarm went off and his coworkers fled for their lives.

The tremendous blasts were followed by darkness and a cloud of smoke. Shrapnel punctured the massive complexs roof, setting fires and dumping debris on the workers below. With his heart pounding, Taras followed protocol to shut down the coal-fired facility.

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Russia launched over 60 explosive drones and ninety missiles into Ukraine on March 22, marking the deadliest strike on the nations energy infrastructure since the full-scale invasion started in early 2022.

Russias heightened emphasis on attacking Ukrainian energy installations was evident in the barrage. The countrys defenders are concerned about the number and precision of recent strikes, claiming that the Kremlin troops now possess superior information and novel techniques in their mission to destroy Ukraines electrical system and cripple its economy. It seems that Moscow has also figured out how to take advantage of holes in Ukrainian air defences.

Authorities are frantically trying to figure out how to properly protect the nations energy resources since additional attacks are certain.

Analysts estimate that the assault on March 22 knocked down electricity for 1.9 million people. It was one of the worst in Russias springtime air campaign on civilian infrastructure.

DTEK, Ukraines largest private energy company, lost 80% of its power generation capacity in attacks on March 22 and 29, the company said. Plants were destroyed across the country. Russia targeted transmission networks as well.

The bombardment blacked out large parts of Ukraine  a level of darkness not seen since the first days of the full-scale invasion. The strikes also tested Ukraines ability to make quick repairs.

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The Associated Press was given access to two DTEK power plants damaged in the March 22 attack on the condition that the names and locations of the facilities and the full names of workers not be mentioned due to security concerns. The AP was not permitted to provide technical details of damage, including the number of missiles that struck each plant or whether the plant could still function.

After previous assaults, power station workers were able to restore service fairly quickly. But that became harder after March 22 because of continuing strikes that prevent rebuilding.

The Kharkiv region, which borders Russia and was the hardest hit, is still enduring power outages weeks later. On Thursday, drones struck the regions Zmiivska power plant, plunging 350,000 people into the dark.

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They are trying to take us back to the 17th century, said Serhii, a manager in one of the power plants that was attacked.

Maksym Timchenko, the CEO of DTEK, inspected the grounds of one of the two power stations. Gazing up at the titanic complex, his eyes rested on a gaping hole in the buildings scorched facade.

Inside, workers collected debris in wheelbarrows, their faces blackened by floating dust. Cranes removed giant shards of twisted metal and blocks of fallen concrete. In the dark bowels of the plants interior, where an intricate network of large pipes connect to industrial boilers, the steel roof was so pockmarked with shrapnel it resembled a starry night sky.

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Ive never seen in my life this level of destruction in a power station, and unfortunately it happened to us, Timchenko said.

He estimates that the company can restore half of the damaged units in two to three months. Its a Sisyphean task: Workers must repair damage over and over again.

This particular plant was targeted late last year, and one unit was destroyed. Timchenko said DTEK planned to repair it by the end of this year.

But now the same level of destruction has happened to several power units, he said, bringing the plant and the companys strategic plans back to square one.

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During the agonizing wait for more strikes, Ukrainian officials are discussing how to better protect power generators. One solution may be decentralizing them by creating a network of small facilities that are harder to hit than large plants.

The timing of the attacks perplexed many observers.

Russia usually reserves large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure for the peak winter months, when demand for heat is highest. A spring campaign suggests Russia was behind schedule in unleashing new tactics, said Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Kyiv-based Energy Industry Research Center.

I am absolutely sure that they wanted to do this one month before, he said.

Russia, as expected, targeted energy infrastructure in the last three months of last year, when temperatures dropped below freezing. But the high-voltage grid was prepared to sustain the attacks, and damaged sites were quickly repaired. In December, Russia accepted that the old tactics were not working.

As the winter months went by, Russia began concocting a new scheme.

They did a huge intelligence job, Kharchenko said, pointing to the precise nature of the attacks and the damage done. The Russian military seemed to know everything about the current status of many energy infrastructure objects, including their defenses.

Once the targets were chosen, Russia swarmed them with missiles at an unprecedented scale. If before they launched three drones and two missiles per target, now they send six missiles and up to 15 drones, he said.

Air-defense systems could not stop everything. It was too much, he said.

Before the March 22 attacks, workers operated under the assumption that air defenses would take down 70% of air attacks. The strikes that got through often fell on the periphery of the plant, said Serhii, a plant manager.

But now the circle is smaller and smaller, reaching our power units and control rooms, Serhii said.

The result is dire. According to Kharchenkos figures, Ukraine lost up to 15 percent of its power generation. That means, for now, it cannot cover the demand expected during the peak summer months of July and August.

In the aftermath of the attack on his power station, Taras was traumatized more by the scale of the destruction than the explosions that caused it.

I wasnt scared at first, but we got scared when we saw the consequences, he said.

On the night of March 22, an injured worker was brought into the control room as fires blazed across the complex.

With one hand, we conducted the shutdown, with the other we bandaged his injured leg, he said. They left the plant using flashlights to navigate through pitch darkness.

If the skies were protected, I would feel calmer, he said. Power infrastructure is something everything depends on. If theres no power, nothing works: Plants dont work. People are left without internet. You wont even know when the missiles are flying at you.
The Chinese peace plan for the Ukraine war has been described as pro-Russia and one thats too general in its proposals without many specifics read more

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the Chinese peace plan for the Ukraine war is the most reasonable one so far. Source: Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the Chinese plan to resolve the Ukraine war has been the most reasonable so far.

Last year, China presented a 12-point peace plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict. The plan at the time was described as pro-Russia and one that was too general in its proposals without many specifics.

Lavrovs endorsement of the Chinese proposal comes at a time when the Ukrainian counter-offensives have stagnated, the US support for the country is stuck, and NATO is still in the process of chalking out a plan to support Ukraine. Moscow has lately expressed confidence that is in a position of strength.

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Chinese peace plan for Ukraine seeks eliminating root causes of conflict: Lavrov

The most important thing about the Chinese proposal on Ukraine conflict is that it is based upon the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, said Lavrov.

Russias RIA news agency further quoted Lavrov saying: It is structured in logic from the general to the specific. This plan was criticised for being vague, but this is a reasonable plan that the great Chinese civilization proposed for discussion.

Lavrov further said that Russia is willing to enter talks about the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. He, however, stated that such talks must reflect the new realities on the ground. This was an apparent reference to the changed facts on the ground: since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has come to control about a fifth of the country and has further annexed four Ukrainian regions.

Whats Chinese peace plan for Ukraine conflict?

In February 2023, China floated a 12-point proposal to resolve the Ukraine conflict. At the time, it received a lukewarm response in both Ukraine and Russia whereas the United States said that while China was presenting itself as a peacemaker, it was reflecting Russias false narrative and was failing to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Chinas proposal called for a ceasefire, peace talks, and an end to sanctions against Russia, reported Associated Press.

The report further quoted the Chinese proposal as saying that the sovereignty of all countries should be upheld. The proposal did not clarify what this would mean for Ukraine as Russia has occupied large swathes of its territories through war that has fundamentally violated Ukrainian sovereignty.

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The Chinese proposal also condemned the Cold War mentality and said: The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. It was an apparent reference to the military bloc NATO. Over the years, Russia has expressed frustration with the expansion of NATO and considers the Ukrainian membership of NATO a red line.

The report said that other points of the Chinese proposal called for the protection of prisoners of war, stopping attacks on civilians, keeping nuclear power plants safe, and facilitating grain exports.

Li Mingjiang, a Chinese foreign policy and international security expert at Singapores Nanyang Technological University, was quoted in the report as saying that the tone and fundamental message in the policy is quite pro-Russia.

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On their part, Ukrainians have floated a 12-point plan that has called for the withdrawal of Russians from occupied territory, release of all prisoners, and ensuring nuclear safety and food security.

Russia must reaffirm the territorial integrity of Ukraine within the framework of the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the applicable international legally binding documents, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November 2022 while floating the plan, adding that there must be real and complete cessation of fighting.
Underscoring the importance of ones mother tongue for cultural identity and heritage, Singaporean minister Indranee Rajah stated the need to introduce the island countrys children to Tamil read more

Singapore minister underscored the need to introduce children to Tamil, which is one of the four official languages of the city-state. Source: Jisun Han

Singapores senior minister Indranee Rajah underscored the importance of learning ones mother tongue and emphasised the need to introduce children to Tamil, one of the four official languages in the prosperous city-state.

The Indian-origin minister was speaking at a literature festival wherein she said, Tamil language acts as a passport that links all Tamil people.

Over the years, support for teaching mother tongue as a second language in schools has grown. The schooling system in Singapore includes second languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and other main Indian languages as well as Tamil, Malay and Mandarin.

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In Singapore, a case for learning Tamil

While emphasising on learning Tamil, Rajah said, Language has to be learnt as a living lesson. It is not something that you can just study, you need to put it to use, she added.

Not only in schools, Tamil has been used in the broadcast and print media as well as the official events. It has also made its mark on the Singaporean currency along with English, Chinese and Malay.

As per the book, The Tamil Community and the Making of Modern Singapore by former Cabinet Minister S Iswaran, Tamilians came to Singapore under British imperial rule as sepoys, unskilled labourers, traders, and civil servants, among others.

After the British left, the Tamil community remained in Singapore and became a major force in its progress, eventually becoming a part of its prosperous society.

To uphold the rich legacy of the Tamil language in Singapore, the Tamil Language Council (TLC) has been organising the Tamil Language Festival (TLF) for the past 18 years and has promoted its culture and heritage.

We need to ensure our children have opportunities to be constantly exposed to Tamil language, said the minister, adding, Be it through television, social media or print, as long as they are hearing, listening and using the language from young, we can keep it alive.
The comment from the Texas Governor came amid the brewing tensions between the White House and his government over the migrant crisis read more

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that he will continue to bus migrants out of the Lone Star State until the United States of America gets a new president. The comment from the Texas Governor came amid the brewing tensions between the White House and his government over the migrant crisis.

In a speech at the New York Republican Partys annual gala which took place in Manhattan, the 66-year-old Republican politician claimed that the busing program was initially not part of the plan until things went out of the hands, The New York Post reported.

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The governor mentioned that he decided to start busing migrants out of Texas after local officials expressed concern with the number of migrants that were being apprehended at the border.

Abbott explained that the plan at first was to only bus migrants to Washington DC. Neither Joe Biden nor the border czar [Vice President Kamala Harris] had actually been to the border to see the chaos and cost," he exclaimed.

And so my thought process was, if theyre not going to come to the border, were going to take the border to them, he added.

Mayor Adam was the root cause

The Texas governor went on to claim that he expanded the busing program to New York City only after receiving major flack from the citys Mayor Eric Adams.

Quite literally out of nowhere Eric Adams starts criticizing me for sending them to New York City, Abbott recalled.

We made clear, by contacting his office, and said, Were not sending them to New York. We issued press releases to the press saying were not sending migrants to New York  thats Joe Biden sending them to New York," he added.

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Abbott bashes Biden

In his keynote address, the GOP leader slammed President Joe Bidens poor border policy. He argued that the 81-year-old American Commander in Chiefs decision to eliminate measures that aimed to curb illegal immigrants led to chaos and created an extraordinarily dangerous situation.

He went on to refer to Texas as ground zero and blamed it on broken promises imposed by US President Joe Biden.

You know, the chaos that weve seen across the entire country  it seems like its been going on for so long that we can so easily forget that it was just four years ago that we had the lowest illegal border crossings in 45 years, he added, lauding former President Donald Trump for implementing policies like Remain in Mexico and Title 42, the expulsion in which the US government can remove a person who had recently been in a country where a communicable disease was present.

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Why are Abbott and Biden sparring over border dispute

It is pertinent to note that in the span of a few months, the Texas border issue has evolved from a political crisis to a constitutional crisis.

In January this year, Abbott cited constitutional provisions that he says allow him to secure the US border with Mexico by any means. However, according to the US Constitution, the federal government is recognised as the final authority over the nations border.

While putting forward his argument, Abbott claimed that the federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States, and went on to cite Article IV of the constitution.

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The aforementioned Article stated that the states and the federal governments are obligated to protect each of them against invasion. However, Abbott accused Biden of violating the law.

He then went on to reason that the failure of the Biden administration to protect the border eventually triggered Article I of the Constitution.

While the Article prohibits states in most cases from entering independent compacts with foreign governments or waging wars, it adds that the prohibitions apply to the states unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

Abbott pushed for a law that enabled state authorities to arrest and prosecute people suspected of illegally crossing the US-Mexico border.

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However, amid the growing political tussle between Biden and Netanyahu, the US appeals court last month kept a hold on the controversial legislation.

With inputs from agencies.
Iran has been acting against us for years  directly and via proxies. And, therefore, Israel acts against Iran and its proxies  defensively and offensively. We will know how to defend ourselves, and we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm, said Netanyahu read more

As Israel gears up for Iranian response following Israels alleged assassination of the top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that Israel will act according to the simple principle  those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm.

According to a Times of Israel report, Netanyahu made these remarks at a meeting of the security cabinet on Thursday.

Iran has been acting against us for years  directly and via proxies. And, therefore, Israel acts against Iran and its proxies  defensively and offensively, a Times of Israel report quoted him as saying.

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We will know how to defend ourselves, and we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm, he added.

Both Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have pledged retaliation against Israel following the Monday attack on a consular building near Irans embassy in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the most senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, his deputy, five other IRGC officers, and at least one member of Hezbollah.

The Mondays airstrike and Irans pledge to hit back has sparked concerns of a wider conflict. However, according to Reuters, citing two Iranian sources, Tehrans response is expected to be measured to prevent further escalation.

An Israeli source speaking to Channel 12 News stated that Israel would retaliate if attacked by Iran, but indicated that neither side seems willing to escalate tensions further towards all-out war.

Despite tensions, Iran has refrained from direct involvement since the 7 October attack by Gazas ruling Hamas, instead supporting attacks on Israeli and US targets by its allies.

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The Islamic Republic has several options. It could unleash its heavily armed proxies in Syria and Iraq on US forces, use Hezbollah to hit Israel directly or ramp up its uranium enrichment program. That would raise concern among the United States and its allies about Tehrans potential to make a nuclear bomb, which the West has long sought to curb.

But many diplomats and analysts say Irans clerical elite does not want an all-out war with Israel or the US that might endanger its grip on power, and would prefer to keep using proxies to carry out selective tactical attacks on its foes, Times of Israel reported.

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According to the report, citing the Walla news site, Israel has made it clear to the US that if Iran strikes from its territory, Israel would have no choice but to respond.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press statement said Israel was taking every threat against it seriously, and that fighter jets were ready for a variety of scenarios.

In the past six months, we have been in a multi-front war. We are on heightened alert in all the arenas. We are looking at the threats and foiling them all the time, on several fronts, and are at a high level of readiness for defense and offense. We are constantly carrying out assessments, and take seriously any statement and all enemies, he said.

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We have strengthened alertness in combat units, bolstered [air] defense systems, and we have planes prepared for defense, and ready for attack, Hagari said.

He said the IDF was deployed at all of the borders.

With inputs from agencies
Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap. read more

The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed a resolution on Friday, calling Israel to be held accountable for potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

With 28 countries voting in favour, 13 abstained and six voted against the resolution highlights the importance of ensuring accountability for all breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law to combat impunity.

#HRC55 | Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.30 on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice was ADOPTED. pic.twitter.com/URttz9IFjv  United Nations Human Rights Council | #HRC57 (@UN_HRC) April 5, 2024

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The resolution also voices serious concern regarding reports of significant human rights violations and major violations of international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israels permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas.

According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis, she said ahead of the vote. A vote Yes is a vote for Hamas.

The United States had pledged to vote against the resolution because it did not contain a specific condemnation of Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks, nor any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions.

It did, however, said that its ally Israel had not done enough to mitigate harm to civilians.

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The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to de-conflict military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties and to ensure humanitarian actors can carry out their essential mission in safety, said Michele Taylor, U.S. permanent representative to the Council.

That has not happened and, in just six months, more humanitarians have been killed in this conflict than in any war of the modern era.

The U.N. Human Rights Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can increase scrutiny of countries human rights records and authorise investigations.

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With inputs from Reuters.
The Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza will be opened for the first time since the October 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel read more

Palestinian workers enter Israel after crossing from Gaza on the Israeli side of Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Source: AP / File

Amid the growing calls for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli security cabinet approved the temporary reopening of the Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza. It is important to note that the crossing will be opened for the first time since the October 7 massacre by Hamas in southern Israel.

The confirmation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office came after US President Joe Biden issued a stern warning to Tel Aviv, insisting that the United States support for Israel would depend on it taking concrete action to protect the lives of the civilians and aid workers.

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Netanyahus offices stated that the crossing which lay in northern Gaza would be temporarily reopened. Along with this, Tel Aviv will also temporarily open the Ashdod Port for humanitarian deliveries.

In the Friday announcement, the office maintained that Israel is planning to increase the amount of aid from Jordan which will move through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Google Maps shows the Erez Crossing. Source: X - @Jewtastic

Why is the move so significant?

It is pertinent to note that there are three border crossings between Israel and Gaza. The first is the Rafah Crossing, which was the only route that remained available for 2.4 million Gazans throughout the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Another crossing is the Kerem Shalom, which is solely a commercial goods junction with Israel in southern Gaza.

The Erez Crossing also known as the Beit Hanoun Crossing is a border gateway between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Geographically, it is located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip between the Israeli Kibbutz of Erez and the Palestinian town of Beit Hanoun.

Erez border crossing. Source: AFP

For years, the crossing served as the only passenger terminal for people to move in and out of the conflict-stricken coastal enclave. Every day, thousands of Gazans with permits to work in Israel would proceed through the modern terminal complex.

Some even called it the only avenue of the Israel-Gaza coexistence.

However, things changed on October 7, when Hamas terrorists blew up and burst through the barriers that separated Erez from the Gaza Strip. They poured into the complex and went on to kill several unprepared and hopelessly outnumbered Israeli soldiers.

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Hence, the temporary opening of the crossing gives Gazans some sort of respite as they navigate through Israels ground operation in the coastal enclave. While it is still not clear how the reopening will be implemented, the crossing will be used as one of the major routes for aid delivery.

How the Erez Crossing saw evolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict

The crossing has seen the evolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict in various shapes or forms. Lets take for instance, during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, reports emerged that the constant fighting had caused a major shortage of hospital beds in Gaza.

Amid the growing international pressure, the Israel Defense Forces opened the IDF field hospitals for Gazans at Erez Crossings.

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However, throughout the course of history, the Israeli forces have been also accused of using the crossing to recruit Palestinian spies. Gazans have claimed that the Israeli soldiers have exploited their need for work, money, medical treatment or travel, by insisting that they can only access Israeli territories if they work for Israel.

Palestinian patients carry their belongings on their way back to the Gaza Strip after receiving medical treatment in Israel, near the Erez crossing. Source: AP/ File Photo

In 2016, the Human Rights and Democracy Media Centre (SHAMS) accused the Israeli authorities of using the crossing as a trap for Palestinian passengers. They argued that Israeli intelligence constantly questions most of the Palestinian passengers with permits to use the crossing.

In light of this, whenever aggression brewed between Israel and Palestine, the world kept its eyes on the situation that usually transpires in the Erez Crossing as the ripple effect of the conflict.
Guangdong provincial governor Wang Weizhong was informed by Yellen that open and honest communication between the US and China is crucial when it comes to areas of dispute read more

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, left, shakes hands with Wang Weizhong, deputy party secretary and governor of Guangdong prior to a meeting at the Baiyun International Conference Center (BICC) in southern China's Guangdong province. AP

As she started a five-day visit to China on Friday in one of the nations main export and manufacturing centres, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen demanded fairness for American businesses and labourers.

Guangdong provincial governor Wang Weizhong was informed by Yellen that open and honest communication between the US and China is crucial when it comes to areas of dispute.

This includes the issue of Chinas industrial overcapacity, which the United States and other countries are concerned can cause global spillovers, she said.

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As the first Cabinet-level official to visit China since President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November of last year, Yellen has hinted that she will bring up the USs and many European nations concerns about what they view as unfair trade practices by China.

She visited with business executives from the United States, Europe, and Japan to learn about their problems prior to her conversations with the governor. She will likely have difficult discussions with senior Chinese government officials over trade and other matters.

Yellen also addressed American business executives on Friday and fielded their questions in an auditorium of a marble-topped convention centre located in Guangzhous Baiyun District.

Ive heard from many American business executives that operating in China can be challenging, Yellen said at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in China on Friday afternoon.

Citing a recent survey by the Chamber that found that a third of American firms in China say they have experienced unfair treatment compared to local competitors, Yellen said the US has seen China pursue unfair economic practices, including imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive actions against American companies.

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I strongly believe that this doesnt only hurt these American firms: ending these unfair practices would benefit China by improving the business climate here. I intend to raise these issues in meetings this week, she said in her speech.

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province, a Chinese manufacturing and export hub that is home to telecom giant Huawei and BYD, Chinas largest EV maker. Huawei has been hit hard by US restrictions on semiconductor exports to China and is at the vanguard of Chinese efforts to become self-sufficient and a leader in technology.

There are a broad swath of economic interactions between the US and China that should remain uncontroversial, she said during a question and answer session with Michael Hart, president of AmCham China. But, she said, there are Chinese practices tilting the playing field away from US firms.

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Government subsidies and other policy support have encouraged solar panel and EV makers in China to invest in factories, building far more production capacity than the domestic market can absorb.

The massive scale of production has driven down costs and ignited price wars for green technologies, a boon for consumers and efforts to reduce global dependence on fossil fuels. But Western governments fear that that capacity will flood their markets with low-priced exports, threatening American and European jobs.

Yellen will head to Beijing next.

Eswar Prasad, a trade professor at Cornell University, expects Yellen to push Beijing to bolster domestic consumption and ensure fair competition in new technology sectors, especially green energy and electric vehicles, along with adequate market access for US companies.

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Concerns about China attempting to export its overcapacity and simultaneously making a big push into these sectors will be top of mind for the US delegation, he said.

China has pushed back against the overcapacity concerns expressed by both the US and Europe.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said earlier this week that the growth in Chinese EV and solar exports is conducive to green development globally and the result of the international division of labor and market demand.

He accused the US of interfering with free trade by restricting technology exports to China.

As for who is doing non-market manipulation, the fact is for everyone to see, he said. The US has not stopped taking measures to contain Chinas trade and technology. This is not de-risking, rather, it is creating risks.

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Yellen said at the American Chamber event that excess capacity is a concern that many countries share  from a range of advanced and developing countries and is not something thats new.

This is not anti-China policy, this is an effort to mitigate the risks, to the global economy, she said if China does not adjust its policies.

Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing  an alliance of businesses and the US Steelworkers union  told The Associated Press ahead of Yellens trip that there is a limited amount of expectations we should have about the Chinese government and how it responds; one thing that Yellen hopefully can and should say is that the US is prepared to use all the tools that we have available through policy to ensure that Chinas industrial overcapacity doesnt negatively harm our economic and national security interests.

The Alliance released a report in February that says the introduction of inexpensive Chinese autos to the American market could end up being an extinction-level event for the US auto sector. The US auto sector accounts for 3% of Americas GDP, according to the report.

Yellen told reporters Wednesday during an Alaska refueling stop en route to Asia that the US wont rule out tariffs to respond to Chinas heavily subsidized manufacturing of green energy products.
Samsung already confirmed the launch of Galaxy M55 5G and Galaxy M15 5G in India on April 8th. Now the company has started pre-bookings for the phone.

Customers who pre-book Galaxy M15 5G by paying a token amount of Rs. 999 on Amazon.in will get a Samsung 25W travel adapter worth Rs. 1699 at just Rs. 299, said the company.

Steps to avail charger

Select the Samsung M15 5G color variant you want to purchase

Add the Samsung Original 25W Charger from the Add Accessories section; or you may add your charger from the Save Extra section once you click on Add to cart.

Samsung original 25W white color charger in both the sections would be available at a discounted price

Select charger and proceed to check out and complete the purchase

Samsung Galaxy M15 5G specifications

6.5-inch (1080 x 2340 pixels) FHD+ Infinity-V Super AMOLED screen with 90Hz refresh rate

Octa Core MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 6nm processor (2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.2GHz 6x Cortex-A55 @ 2GHz) with Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU

4GB / 6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB storage, expandable memory up to 1TB with microSD

Android 14 with OneUI 6

Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)

50MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 5MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 2MP macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture, LED flash

13MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture

Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

3.5mm audio jack

Dimensions: 160.1 x 76.8 x 9.3mm, Weight: 217g

5G SA / NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C Port

6000mAh (typical) battery with support 25W fast charging

The Samsung Galaxy M15 5G will come in Blue Topaz, Celestial Blue and Stone Gray colours and is rumoured to be priced at Rs. 13,499 for the 4GB + 128GB model and the 6GB + 128GB model is said to cost Rs. 14,999.
On April 4, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, made a phone call to Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

During the telephone conversation, the parties discussed the prospects for development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union, particularly highlighting such areas of cooperation as renewable energy, transportation connections, energy security and others.

During the conversation, they underscored the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the field of energy, signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union in 2022.

They noted that COP29 to be held in Baku under Azerbaijan's presidency provides favorable opportunities for cooperation in climate action and the green transition.

The President of the European Commission emphasized the readiness of the European Union to support Azerbaijan in the humanitarian demining efforts.

The issue related to the trilateral meeting to be held in Brussels on April 5 was raised during the phone conversation. President Ilham Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan's stance on this meeting, similar to the discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and emphasized the necessity of regional inclusivity.
April 7 of each year, Rwanda and the entire international community, commemorated the genocide committed against the Tutsis in 1994. From April to July 1994 (100 days), the Tutsis were the victims of a horrific massacre that was quickly recognised as a genocide by the international community , unveiling the darkest aspects of the genocide committed against the Hutus . This genocide also would deserve to be recognised by that same International Community.

Our purpose through this analysis is not to address the whys" and "hows" of these two genocides in a country which, at the time of the events, was considered a haven of peace and national unity. More relevant authors have examined various motives behind the problem[1] . Given the current socio-political situation in Rwanda and in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, our concern is to understand the meaning of the commemoration of these two genocides.

In any case, simple, poorly educated individuals (rubanda rugufi) did not plan from beginning to end, the strategies and implementation of these two genocides. Because, in Rwandans everyday life , Hutus and Tutsis live together in the same villages and towns and share the same culture. All this tragedy fell on their heads and turned them into victims or executioners ! The responsibility for the wars and genocides it caused rests squarely with their leaders.

By "LEADERS", we mean the leaders, those in charge, the ringleaders..., Tutsi and/or Hutu. These leaders bear the greatest responsibility for the Rwandan tragedy. In our humble opinion, it was a failure for the leaders who plunged the entire Rwandan people into genocide instead of leading them along the path of peace and prosperity that all peoples deserve.

What is genocide ? It is the most heinous crime that a human people or community can suffer. Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 (art. 2), and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted in 1998 (art. 6), define genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

In our search for the meaning of the commemoration of the Rwandan genocides, we will look successively at the genocide against the Tutsis, the genocide against the Hutus and finally at the responsibility of the International Community in this tragedy.

THE GENOCIDE COMMITTED AGAINST TUTSIS.

In the case of Rwanda, the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis was foreseen before 7 April 1994, since the Tutsi leaders of the RPF-Inkotanyi (Rwandan Patriotic Front - Inkotanyi) and their sponsors had already published the figures before the cataclysm that befell the country from that date. In other words, the planners of the war against the Rwandan Republic that broke out in October 1990 already knew what would happen, even if their official programme and objectives were apparently noble[2] . Instead, it was a hidden agenda that was deployed throughout the country from that cursed date onwards.

As events unfolded, it became clear that the RPF's aim was to seize power in Rwanda at all costs and without sharing ! According to the RPF's initial scenario, power had to be handed over to the Tutsis without a drop of their blood being shed. This is why the war was to be short - 3 days - to rescue the Tutsis oppressed by the Hutus[3] . Some Tutsis in the interior of the country were aware of this and supported the plan.

For certain cynical leaders and fervent advisers of the RPF-Inkotanyi, the figure of 50,000 Tutsi victims had been announced and judged as an acceptable sacrifice[4] , the eggs that had to be broken in order to eat the omelette, according to Tito RUTAREMARA !!!!

A failure ! During the three years and three months of guerrilla warfare that evolved into conventional warfare (between armies) that preceded the attack on the presidential plane on 06 April 1994, the RPF-Inkotanyi family (political and armed branches) succeeded in arousing the suspicion of the Hutu population towards its ethnic Tutsi neighbours. Remember that in Rwandan society, everybody knows everybody ! On the Hutu side, three major events were to exacerbate "Tutsiphobia", a feeling of fear towards Tutsis[5] :

- Propaganda skilfully orchestrated by the RPF and its army (APR), which passed itself off as "liberators" of the oppressed Rwandans (Tutsis).

- Recruitment and mass departure of young Tutsis for the front. Recruiters scoured towns and villages, schools, convents and presbyteries to mobilise young Tutsis from Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo - DRC). Those from Uganda formed the spearhead and provided training and command. Those who could be called "the Hutu allies" were also involved body and soul in the RPF project[6] .

- Ethnic cleansing that specifically targeted the Hutus in the areas of northern Rwanda gradually conquered by the RPA, using practices (methods) that would be unimaginable for a human being to use against a human being[7] .

The assassination of the President of the Republic was the spark that ignited the fuse. On 6 April 1994, the President's plane was shot down as it landed at Kigali airport. All the occupants of the presidential plane were exterminated[8] .

The perpetrator or perpetrators of this horrible attack thought they had solved the problem ! Instead, the people suddenly found themselves plunged into another form of war in which more or less organised groups under the control of the RPF[9] massacred part of the population, the majority of whom were Tutsi. During this murderous madness, the families of the Tutsis paid a heavy price. This was the failure of the RPF's maquiavellian strategies, which consisted in massacring its own people and making the Hutus born or to be born bear the responsibility[10] !

On the Tutsi side, victims of this murderous madness included not only the RPF fighters who died on the battlefield, but also thousands of members of the Rwandan Patriotic Army who were "liquidated" by the same army because they were not pure (in blood or because they had fraternised too much with the Hutus) or because they were too "intellectual". Any Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) fighter who tried to understand the meaning of this suicidal war or the reasons for the massacres of unarmed civilians was designated as an "intellectual".

Even with the recognition and commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsis and the numerous compensation packages offered to survivors, nothing will be able to wipe away the tears streaming from their eyes.

As for Tutsi leaders, even if they happily eat "the omelette of broken eggs" (power, wealth, honours...), even if they had succeeded in having the genocide committed against the Tutsis recognised and in having memorial sites built with the human remains of "their fellow genocidae" as ornaments they would forever remain haunted by the souls of those hundreds of thousands of human beings, Rwandan citizens, whom they themselves led to the altar of genocide.

Despite appearances, the conscience of Tutsi leaders carries the heavy burden of sacrificing their fellow human beings on the altar of power and material wealth. It is the blood of their fellow human beings, mixed with the blood of the Hutus they massacred, that they drink from golden cups !

We are also thinking, with deep empathy, of all the Tutsis and their Hutu allies who, multi-survivors as they still are,had to flee the country they once helped to conquer. Today, along with the Hutu survivors, they are painfully climbing the ordeal of exile  some of them for the umpteenth time !

Tutsi leaders, even with the heavy stripes on their shoulders and the titles of glory they proudly display, will forever be haunted by those millions of innocent civilians, those millions of human beings massacred because they were Hutu or because they were close to the Hutus.

All Rwandans are impatiently awaiting the day when JUSTICE will be rendered ! If "earth" fails to deliver, "heaven" will !

Clearly, for the Tutsi survivors, the commemoration of the genocide committed against their own people is ultimately a confession of their leaders failure to protect them, even though they had placed all their trust in them. For their leaders, it is an admission of failure to protect and ensure the right to life of all Tutsis and of Rwandans as a whole.

COMMEMORATING THE GENOCIDE COMMITTED AGAINST HUTUS ?

The genocide committed against Hutus was cynically concealed and is still awaiting recognition by the International Community, certainly in complicity with those who planned and supervised it.

In 2022 (28 years later !), an initiative was taken by Rwandan exiles to invite all Rwandans and all women and men of goodwill throughout the world to commemorate the genocide committed against the Hutus from 1st October 1990 to the present day[11] .

If the genocide committed against Hutus was also officially recognised by International bodies, its commemoration would be a genuine rehabilitation of the Hutus of Rwanda and the peoples of Africa's Great Lakes Region as a whole, whose most basic rights, including the fundamental right to LIFE, have been systematically and tragically denied and trampled underfoot to this day[12] . It would be a dream come true to reclaim human rights and democracy in a world where, paradoxically, these values seem to be reserved for some and radically denied to others.

How many people died during this genocide against Hutus, which continues in many ways ? So far, no one can give an exact figure for this macabre count. What everyone does know is that the genocide against Hutus took place throughout Rwanda and the DRC[13] .

From October 1990 onwards, Hutu leaders watched helplessly and disillusioned as a coalition led by the ruthless RPF army systematically massacred the Rwandan people in general and more particularly their fellow Rwandans . The survivors of the extermination in Rwanda wandered into the forests of the DRC to be hunted down and slaughtered like game under the watchful eye of the famous International Community[14] . Estimates put the number of civilians massacred at millions.

The guilty and deafening silence on this genocide perpetrated against Hutus, in addition to the genocide and war crimes committed against the other peoples of the DRC, remains humanly inexplicable[15] .

In Rwanda's recent and tragic history, the Hutu leaders who led the 1959 revolution were proud to have enabled the Rwandan people, Hutu - Tutsi - Twa together, to hold their destiny into their own hands. Indeed, by proclaiming the Republic (28/01/1961), the people gained their independence from the monarchical power that had been in the hands of the Tutsis alone for centuries. This was followed by the proclamation of independence (01/07/1962) from the Kingdom of Belgium, which had inherited Rwanda as a war booty at the end of the First World War (1914-1918).

The "calm" of around 30 years that followed allowed the Hutu leaders to rest on an apparent "brotherhood" between the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda[16] . The Tutsi leaders, for their part, had the time they needed to plan and implement the apocalypse that covered the Rwandan nation without sparing the entire Great Lakes region of Africa.

During this long and endless crossing of the ocean of horror that the Hutus, abandoned by the whole of humanity, experienced, their leaders, stripped of everything down to the most basic human rights, were picked up in total humiliation. Later, they were thrown into the machines that crushed the Hutu elite in Rwanda's prisons and the infamous "International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda" (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania.

But Hutu leaders had been warned when, on 1st May 1994, President Bill Clinton, President of the United States of America, through the mouth of Mrs Prudence Bushnell, then Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs at the State Department, sent this message to General Augustin Bizimungu, Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army : "And now, General, you should know that you are not fighting against the RPF, but against the United States of America"[17] .

Commemorating the genocide committed against Hutus (more than 2 million dead) is legitimate, as it is rightful to commemorate the genocide committed against Tutsis (around 500,000 dead[18] ). Despite the deeply corrupted international context, this commemoration would also be an opportunity to become aware of the failure of Hutu leaders who were unable to protect the people they had sworn to lead along the paths of social peace leading to happiness and prosperity for all.

- Hutu leaders failed in the primary mission entrusted to them by the Rwandan people : to protect the integrity of the country's territory and ensure the security of all Rwandans (Hutu, Tutsi and Twa). All the resources of a sovereign state (political and administrative institutions, the army, diplomacy, finance, intelligence, etc.) were at their disposal.

- They failed to anticipate the threat and dissuade the Tutsi leaders from embarking on this path of self-destruction of the Rwandan people.

- Hutu leaders have not succeeded in reconciling the Rwandan people in order to reduce to silence the ethnic and regional antagonisms that still plague Rwandan society...

Once recognised by all, the commemoration of the genocide committed against Hutus will also allow the survivors to mourn their dead fearlessly. Even if nothing can erase the tears that flow from the eyes of Hutus for their deceased massacred in a nameless atrocity, at least this step, once taken, would facilitate progress towards true reconciliation between Hutus and Tutsis, not to mention the pacification of the entire Great Lakes Region of Africa.

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN THIS TRAGEDY ?

By the International Community, we mean directly the Great Powers, more particularly the countries that were directly involved in the Rwandan tragedy : the United States of America, Great Britain, France and Canada, not forgetting the responsibility of the Kingdom of Belgium, the former colonising country. We are also referring to the UN and its specialised agencies, specifically the General Secretariat, the Security Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), not forgetting the OAU (Organisation of African Unity). The international community's forces were stationed in Rwanda from 1990 to 1996, mainly to protect the civilian population and facilitate negotiations between the warring parties.

The failure of the international community is obvious in several respects. For example :

- From the start of the war in 1990 until 1994, international forces were present in Rwanda under various guises. Targeted assassinations and massacres took place before their very eyes, with their mouths sewn shut !

- Massacres at Kibeho in April 1995 were perpetrated in the presence of UNE force : more than 8,000 lives were slaughtered with weapons of war in the presence of UNE force that were supposed to be protecting them !!!

- Attack on and destruction of refugee camps throughout eastern Zaire at the time was organised and carried out under the complacent gaze of the UNHCR and other complicit bodies : the death toll ran into the hundreds of thousands.

- UNHCR's inaction, not to say complicity, in the ordeal of Rwandan refugees pursued and massacred by the RPF through the forests of Congo : the macabre count is impossible to make.

-The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established by UN Security Council Resolution 995 (1994) of 8 November 1994 to "...try persons responsible for acts of genocide or other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and Rwandan citizens responsible for such acts or violations committed in the territory of neighbouring States, between 1 January and 31 December 1994".

The ICTR radically failed to fulfil the mandate entrusted to it by the UN insofar as it has shown itself to be overwhelmingly biased in favour of the victors (the RPF Tutsis) and has validated the pillorying of all Hutus, both born and unborn.

Indeed, everything suggests that, for the Great Powers, genocide is good for Rwandans ! The means they put at the disposal of Tutsis and Hutus of Rwanda to massacre each other are well controlled : at their whim, they deliver arms in profusion to some and impose total embargo on others.

A failure ! Instead of spreading peace and democracy among all peoples, the Great Powers are handing out weapons of war in profusion to their accomplices and proteges of today, so that they can happily plunder the wealth of the peoples they take pleasure in slaughtering and keep the survivors in debasing poverty.

CONCLUSION

The conscience of Tutsi leaders and Hutu leaders, as well as the conscience of the International Community - if there is such a thing - even if clouded by hatred and/or the thirst for power and wealth, constantly point out to them the heavy responsibility of having massacred or caused to be massacred millions of human beings, innocent and unarmed civilians. Their conscience is certainly tormented and will remain tormented by the bloodshed, by the cries of distress and atrocious agony of children, old people, women and unarmed men who had a right to life. Even human justice that will one day be delivered will never be able to repair the irreparable.

Our conscience, in due course, revives for each human being the images and actions taken and/or experienced in the past of his or her life. This sanctuary where every human being is alone with God, their Creator, is incorruptible. Socrates said in more concrete terms : "You can hide a reprehensible action from others, but never from yourself". No one escapes this court !

You, Tutsi leaders, have won recognition of the genocide committed against Tutsis, and enjoy its legal, political and socio-economical repercussions ;

You, Hutu leaders, who are fighting desperately for recognition of the genocide committed against Hutus and are calling for them at least to be recognised as human beings with all the rights that go with that ;

Rwandan people, you who mourn your loved ones, victims of the murderous madness that has become a recurring theme,

You are all, together as a people, invited to take a leap of faith and find in the commemoration of genocide against Tutsis and in commemoration of genocide against Hutus, the salutary forces to sit down together and say first of all, in all humility, we have failed ! "To fail, according to Descartes or Kant, is quite simply to fail at being human".[19] And we Rwandans have unfortunately succeeded!

So we can ask ourselves this fundamental question: how can we get out of this abyss together and make a fresh start in PEACE?

The etymology of the term commemorate (where the Greek prefix "cum" means "together") emphasises the fundamental dimension of celebrating, of remembering together happy or unhappy events that an individual or a group of individuals have experienced.

In case of the Rwandan people, commemorating the genocide or genocides is not an honour, let alone a source of pride ; but this gesture, this event, should have meant remembering together horror of genocide against Tutsis and horror of genocide against Hutus. It would mean remembering together millions of human beings who were massacred because they belonged or were supposed to belong to Tutsi ethnic group or Hutu ethnic group - not forgetting Twa who were massacred with total indifference.

To commemorate genocide committed against Tutsis and to commemorate genocide committed against Hutus is to note with astonishment the wide and horribly deep gulf that currently separates the two ethnic groups. - Those who deny the existence of an ethnic problem in Rwanda at a time when one of the two ethnic groups does not even have the fundamental right to bury and honour its dead!

Women and men of goodwill, let's unite!

Let us be aware that this chasm that separates Tutsis and Hutus will never be filled with the blood of our own people, nor will it ever be satisfied with our tears that constantly flood it. Instead, let us build bridges to enable united Rwandan people to cross this chasm from now on. With these bridges, Hutu, Tutsi and Twa will hold hands not only to mourn their genocidated loved ones, but also to build a new Rwanda together. A Rwanda in which no one will ever again be killed because they were born a Tutsi, or because they were born a Hutu, or because they were supposed to be one of the two. To build a new Rwanda where never again will anyone be deprived of the most basic human rights because of their ethnicity.

Let us dream together of the days ahead when the leaders of Tutsis and the leaders of Hutus, hand in hand, will finally be able to mobilise the entire Rwandan people to say together "NEVER AGAIN".

TOGETHER, let's take the road to PEACE!

Emmanuel HABUMUREMYI,

July 1st 2023

Traduction de :

RWANDA : LA COMMEMORATION DU GENOCIDE OU LAVEU DUN ECHEC ?

Du meme auteur :
kacylee at 5-04-2024 07:04 PM (6 months ago) (f)

Nollywood actress, Anita Joseph after has rejoiced after a Ghanaian driver returned two of her expensive phones.

Nollywood actress, Anita Joseph after has rejoiced after a Ghanaian driver returned two of her expensive phones.

She had forgotten the phones in the man's car.



Anita Joseph who is currently in Ghana to visit her sister left her two expensive phones (an iPhone and a Samsung) in the car after she alighted.



The Uber driver however tracked down the actress and gave her phones back to her.



Following the man's honesty, the actress gave him some Naira, blessed him, and took his phone number to stay in contact.



The video which was shared on Twitter saw Anita Joseph and her sister heaping praises on the driver while they prayed for his business,



Watch the video below



An honest Ghanaian taxi driver returned two expensive phones (an iPhone and a Samsung) belonging to Nigerian actress Anita Joseph, who had left them in his car upon visiting her sister in Ghana.



Overwhelmed by the driver's honesty, the actress gifted him some Naira, blessed pic.twitter.com/hNPZrJZ9IQ  EDHUB (@eddie_wrt) April 5, 2024 She had forgotten the phones in the man's car.Anita Joseph who is currently in Ghana to visit her sister left her two expensive phones (an iPhone and a Samsung) in the car after she alighted.The Uber driver however tracked down the actress and gave her phones back to her.Following the man's honesty, the actress gave him some Naira, blessed him, and took his phone number to stay in contact.The video which was shared on Twitter saw Anita Joseph and her sister heaping praises on the driver while they prayed for his business,Watch the video below

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 5-04-2024 07:04 PM (6 months ago) | Addicted Hero
Is there a Lucifer lurking in our midst that His Majesty the King wants us to expose and banish from our society?

My mind got jogging when the King preached about lies and deceit in one of the services over the Easter weekend. His sermon was one of two speeches by leaders that piqued my interest over the long weekend. The other was a video clip of a speech by Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore and a member of the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP), with the theme keep our system clean.

Character

It was shared to me by someone I respect for walking the talk and who, despite being viewed as a misfit by some, exemplifies the kind of character our nation sorely needs in its political leaders. The PM of Singapores speech dates back to 2015, but it remains pertinent even now, especially in a society that longs to learn about the path to economic prosperity. It syncs well with one of my key take homes from the Easter sermons, where the King expressed worry about lying and noted how the peddlers of lies had very sweet tongues.

He warned that just as God had banished Lucifer from heaven for deceiving other angels into thinking he merited worship equal to God, those who spread falsehoods about others would likewise face the consequences. The King emphasised the importance of rooting out dishonest people and preventing them from deceiving others. Those who make a livelihood by spreading false information about the country should not be exempt either, he said. A society free from deceit is what he seeks and so do many of us.

It is reassuring that the King can see through the deceit of the liars and their sweet tongues and hopefully they will stop pulling wool over his and everybody elses eyes. With so much going on in the countrys politics, truth needs to become the currency of engagement.

Decision-makers

Trustworthy and honest people are needed in every part of our society, but especially among our political leaders. They have a say in the course the country takes and provide advice to the decision-makers. There are far-reaching effects of making decisions based on false information.

One nation that has really done something about the corruption and dishonesty in its public service is Singapore. It is the guiding principle of the reigning party. In the speech I referred to earlier, the PM of Singapore, Hsien Loong, lays out the political and social makeup of his country.

He says; Dont say I didnt go to jail, so its okay. Keep our system clean. How must our politics be if we are going to do that? First of all, we have to be honest. The politics have to be honest; the people have to be clean and honest also. If youre not honest, youre not clean, if you have a black mark, whether people know it or not, please stay out of politics.

We need honest politicians and we also need voters who can tell the difference between people who are honest and people who are not. And I was very surprised yesterday that here on this spot to hear Dr Chee Soon Juan say reputation is temporary, but character is permanent. I agree. I think Dr Chee has every reason to know that character is permanent, it doesnt change.

The PM goes on to say; We cannot have corruption in Singapore. We cannot have wrongdoing in government, we cannot have wrongdoing in high places in Singapore. Thats why we have the CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) reporting to me as prime minister and if I dont give approval to the CPIB to investigate somebody, the CPIB can go to the president and ask the president for approval and if the president says yes, the CPIB can proceed against the PM.Thats why we have the auditor generals office to keep the government straight, to keep the statutory bodies straight, and once in a while to find out whether the town councils are straight or not straight. The PM said these were the standards of the PAP and also have to be standards of the opposition party.

Uphold

You may be running the government, a ministry, you can be in a statutory board, you can be in a town council, it doesnt matter. Whatever level you are, uphold high standards, he said. A number of friends and acquaintances later shared the same speech with enthusiastic thumbs up messages, demonstrating the need for such discourse and action in Eswatini. Transparency Internationals 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranks Singapore as the fifth least corrupt nation out of 180 total countries. A dismal 130th spot belongs to Eswatini. If we want this to change, we have to start by following His Majestys advice and put an end to the lies.

Lets quit deceiving ourselves and start living honestly. Lets quit fooling future generations into thinking we are creating a better world when were busy lining our pockets with corruption and greed. Our national development goals will remain pipe dreams unless the truth takes precedence above all.
Russo-Ukraine War - 04 April 2024 - Day 771

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A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that across the front line, reported Russian attacks were nine per cent lower in March 2024 compared with February 2024, falling from approximately 2,340 to 2,120. The number of reported attacks on the Avdiivka axis made up a third of all attacks in February, when the town fell to Russian forces, but fell to a quarter in March.

Reported Russian attacks to the south-west of Donetsk City rose from 721 in February to 806 in March, accounting for 38 per cent of all attacks across the front line. Despite this effort, Russia did not make any notable gains in the area, and continues to contest small settlements including Novomykhailivka, Heorhiivka, and Urozhaine.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that on April 4, 57x tactical engagements were reported.

Russian forces launched a total of 2x missile and 61x air strikes, 49x MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and various settlements. Unfortunately, the Russian attacks have killed and wounded civilians. Residential apartment blocks and private houses as well as other infrastructure were destroyed or damaged.

Volyn and Polissya axes: no significant changes. No signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were found.

Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russia maintains its military presence in the areas of Russia bordering Ukraine. Russia continues its sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shelling Ukrainian settlements from the territory of Russia and increases the density of minefields along the state border of Ukraine. Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinities of settlements of Volfyne (Sumy oblast) and Ohirtseve (Kharkiv oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 20x settlements, including Popivka (Chernihiv oblast), Bachivs'k, and Ulanove (Sumy oblast).

Kup'yans'k axis: Russian forces did not conduct any offensive (assault) operations. The Russian invaders fired artillery and mortars at around 15x settlements, including Syn'kivka, Stepova Novoselivka, and Kotlyarivka (Kharkiv oblast).

Lyman axis: the Ukrainian troops repelled 4x Russian attacks in the vicinity of Terny and Yampolivka (Donetsk oblast). With the air support, Russian forces attempted to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops in that area. Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at more than 10x settlements, including Nevs'ke (Luhansk oblast), Terny, Yampolivka, and Tors'ke (Donetsk oblast).

Bakhmut axis: the Ukrainian troops repelled more than 20x attacks in the vicinities of Bilohorivka, Verkhn'okam'yans'ke (Luhansk oblast), Spirne, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske, Stupochky, Klishchiivka, and Andriivka (Donetsk oblast). With the air support, Russian forces attempted to improve their tactical position in that area. Also, the Russian adversary launched air strikes in the vicinity of settlement of Druzhba (Donetsk oblast). More than 10x settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Bohdanivka, Kalynivka, and Chasiv Yar (Donetsk oblast).

Avdiivka axis: the Ukrainian defenders repelled 2x attacks in the vicinities of Pervomais'ke and Nevel's'ke (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces attempted to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their positions in that area. The Russian adversary launched air strikes in the vicinities of Oleksandropil', Ocheretyne, Keramik, Novobakhmutivka, and Berdychi (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at around 10x settlements, including Novokalynove, Novobakhmutivka, Semenivka, and Nevel's'ke (Donetsk oblast).

Novopavlivka axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back Russian forces in the vicinities of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Kostyantynivka, Novomykhailivka, Velyka Novosilka, and Urozhaine. With the air support, Russian forces made 19x attempts to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops in that area. Also, Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinity of Volodymyrivka (Donetsk oblast). More than 10x settlements, including Heorhiivka, Paraskoviivka, Kostyantynivka, and Vuhledar (Donetsk oblast), were under Russian artillery and mortar fire.

Orikhiv axis: on April 4, with the air support, Russian forces launched 3x unsuccessful attempts to attack the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the vicinities of Staromaiors'ke (Donetsk oblast) and northwest of Verbove (Zaporizhzhia oblast). Also, Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinities of Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia oblast). Around 20x settlements, including Poltavka, Malynivka, Chervone, and Shcherbaky (Zaporizhzhia oblast), came under Russian artillery and mortar fire.

Kherson axis: Russian forces does not abandon its intention to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro River. On April 4, Russian forces launched 5x attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian troops in the vicinity of Krynky (Kherson oblast). Russian forces fired artillery and mortars at more than 10x settlements, including Zolota Balka, Kizomys, and Antonivka (Kherson oblast).

The Ukrainian missile troops hit 1x concentration of troops, weapons, and military equipment, 2x artillery systems, 1x radar station, 1x electronic warfare station , and 2x air defense systems of the Russian invaders.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces have improved the situation along the front line and engaged AFU manpower and hardware close to Rozovka, Raygorodka, Zhovtnevoye (Lugansk People's Republic), and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 125 Ukrainian troops and four motor vehicles.

In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and hit manpower and hardware of the 28th Mechanised, 92nd Assault Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 241st Territorial Defence Brigade near Kleshcheyevka, Kurdyumovka, and Krasnogorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU lost up to 340 Ukrainian troops, one tank, and eight motor vehicles.

In the course of the counter-battery warfare, two 152-mm Msta-B howitzers, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, two 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, as well as three AFU ammunition depots were eliminated.

In Avdeyevka direction, the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have improved the situation along the front line. They defeated the units of the 24th, 47th mechanised, 3rd assault, and 25th airborne brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Orlovka, Berdychi, and Tonenkoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 25th Airborne Brigade was repelled close to Pervomayskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy lost up to 305 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system.

In South Donetsk direction, the Vostok Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation and inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade, the 72nd Mechanised Brigade, as well as the 128th Territorial Defence Brigade near Vodyanoye, Storozhevoye, and Ugledar (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 105 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, and one 122-mm BM-21 Grad MLRS combat vehicle during the day.

In Kherson direction, the units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the 28th Mechanised and 128th Mountain Assault Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Mirnoye and Pyatikhatki (Zaporozhye region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 35 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, as well as the Grad MLRS.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have been eliminated: an ammunition depot, a temporary deployment area of foreign mercenaries close to Merefa (Kharkov region), as well as manpower and military hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 135 areas.

Russian air defence facilities have shot down one Su-27 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Kramatorsk (Donetsk People's Republic), destroyed 196 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and intercepted 18 HIMARS MLRS projectiles.

In total, 582 airplanes, 270 helicopters, 18,734 unmanned aerial vehicles, 495 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,687 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,264 MLRS vehicles, 8,654 field artillery guns and mortars, and 20,596 special military vehicles have been neutralised since the beginning of the special military operation.





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NEWARK, Del, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The meat alternative market is expected to rise from US$ 18.8 billion in 2024 to US$ 299 billion by 2034. This period is marked by staggering growth of 28.8% CAGR, driven by robust FDIs by foreign companies in emerging countries with expansive availability of sources and raw materials to develop alternatives to meat.



Sales of meat mimicry products are ascending at a rapid speed, as consumers are becoming aware of the health risks posed by eating certain meats in excessive quantities. Along with this, people are becoming aware about the different healthy and sustainable foods that are available in the marketplace and can effectively replace meat in consistency, taste, and flavor. Thus, making this transition quite smooth.

Request Sample Report and Drive Impactful Decisions: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-11042

The growing number of vegans and flexitarians is another vital factor that is predicted to fuel the market growth. Additionally, government bodies across numerous countries are endorsing the consumption of meat alternatives, owing to the health benefits offered by these products.

Market players are making their contribution by introducing new varieties of meat alternatives to meet the growing demand for healthy and tasty products that replace the role of meat in a dish and provide a similar high protein nutritional value.

Key players are competing on price and eCommerce accessibility to increase their product sales. Additionally, to capture the hesitant consumers, players are experimenting to develop unique flavors influenced by local cuisines, says Nandini Roy Choudhury (client Partner for Food and Beverages at Future Market Insights, Inc.)

Key Takeaways from the Meat Alternative Market Study

Increasing vegan population tracked in various countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, is driving the market for meat alternatives.

The market in the United States is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.3% over the forecast period.

The market in the United Kingdom is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 8.1% through 2034.

Augmented demand for plant-based protein foods, predominantly in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Based on the Source, the tofu is expected to account for a market share of 14.2% in 2024.



Embrace Smarter Choices With Our Methodology-Derived Insights: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/request-report-methodology/rep-gb-11042

Competitive Landscape

Several top market players are concentrating on providing meat alternatives at a competitive price by lowering their production costs. Prominent players of meat alternatives are investing in research and development activities to produce organic, non-GMO products from meat alternative. Various hotel chains and restaurants are also partnering directly with manufacturers or growers of meat alternatives for sourcing of high-quality products to be used in their dishes.

Meat alternative manufacturers such as Impossible Foods, Benson Hill, Meati, Beyond Meat, Good Catch, Motif FoodWorks, Good Dot, Natures Fynd, Evo Foods, Mister Veg, Greenest, Vezley, Wakao, and Imagine Meats, among others, are employing multiple marketing strategies such as geographical expansion, new product launches, partnerships and collaboration, and merger and acquisitions to identify the interest of potential buyers and create a larger customer base.

Key Companies in the Meat Alternative Market

Beyond Meat

Amys Kitchen

MorningStar Farms

Tofurky

Field Roast

VBites

Maple Leaf Foods

Kellogg

Pinnacle Foods



Gain Immediate Access to Detailed Market Insights Purchase Now: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/11042

Key Market Segmentation

By Type:

Patties

Hotdogs

Sausages

Meatballs

Others



By Nature:

Organic

Conventional

By Source Type:

Seitan or Wheat gluten

Tofu

Quorn

Risofu

Tempeh

Algae/ Mycoprotein

Insects

Textured Vegetable Protein

Fermented proteins

Fish Protein

Cultured or clean meat

Others (Yaso, Nato and Miso)

By Application:

Frozen Food

Bakeries

Pet Food

Supplements

Others



By Distribution Channel:

Supermarkets

Departmental Store

Modern Trade

Food Chain Services

Online Stores

Others

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

Middle East and Africa

East Asia

South Asia

Oceania



Authored by:

Nandini Roy Choudhury (Client Partner for Food & Beverages at Future Market Insights, Inc.) has 7+ years of management consulting experience. She advises industry leaders and explores off-the-eye opportunities and challenges. She puts processes and operating models in place to support their business objectives.

She has exceptional analytical skills and often brings thought leadership to the table.

Nandini has vast functional expertise in key niches, including but not limited to food ingredients, nutrition & health solutions, animal nutrition, and marine nutrients. She is also well-versed in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, retail, and chemical sectors, where she advises market participants to develop methodologies and strategies that deliver results.

Her core expertise lies in corporate growth strategy, sales and marketing effectiveness, acquisitions and post-merger integration and cost reduction. Nandini has an MBA in Finance from MIT School of Business. She also holds a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Nagpur University, India.

Nandini has authored several publications, and quoted in journals including Beverage Industry, Bloomberg, and Wine Industry Advisor.

Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage in the Food and Beverage Domain:

The meat substitutes industry is poised to record a healthy CAGR of 23.0%. In 2033, the market is expected to be worth approximately US$ 8.5 billion.

The Global vegan fast food market is expected to be valued at US$ 18829.5 Million in 2023 and to reach a valuation of US$ 27980.2 Million by 2033.

The global fishmeal market is estimated to be valued at US$ 8325.6 million in 2024. It will likely exhibit a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period, totaling US$ 13,874.3 million by the end of 2034.

The plant-based protein market is poised for significant growth, with its size expected to increase from US$ 18.64 billion in 2024 to US$ 42.55 billion by 2034.

The women's probiotic market is poised to reach US$ 1567 million in 2024, it is inclined to reach a staggering revenue of US$ 2991 million, covering a CAGR of 18.10% through 2034.

The probiotic for men market is poised to be worth US$ 2,379.0 million in 2024, the market is inclined to expand to US$ 4,914.6 million, covering a CAGR of 7.50% through 2034.

The citrus oil market projected to reach a valuation of US$ 6594.550 million by 2034.

The allulose market size is estimated at US$ 256.25 million in 2024. FMI projects the market to develop at 8.9% CAGR between 2024 and 2034, reaching a valuation of US$ 598.61 million by 2034.

The global probiotic infant formula market size is projected to increase from US$ 526.2 million in 2024 to US$ 1,281.2 million by 2034.

The fishmeal & fish oil market size is projected to be valued at US$ 7.4 billion in 2023 and is expected to rise to US$ 13.0 billion by 2033.

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, recipient of the Stevie Award, and a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) offers profound insights into the driving factors that are boosting demand in the market. FMI stands as the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, consulting, and events for the Packaging, Food and Beverage, Consumer Technology, Healthcare, Industrial, and Chemicals markets. With a vast team of over 400 analysts worldwide, FMI provides global, regional, and local expertise on diverse domains and industry trends across more than 110 countries.

Contact FMI:

Nandini Singh Sawlani

Future Market Insights Inc.

Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive,

Suite 401, Newark, Delaware  19713, USA

T: +1-845-579-5705

For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com

Website: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com

LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube
Fort Lauderdale, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- M2 Compliance (M2), a leading provider of regulatory compliance solutions, is thrilled to announce its participation as a Platinum sponsor at the upcoming LD Micro Invitational conference, scheduled for April 8-9, 2024. This premier event is known for connecting investors with emerging companies in the micro-cap space.



As a Platinum sponsor, M2 is eager to showcase its innovative solutions tailored to optimize SEC filings and enhance business efficiency. We invite all LD Micro attendees to visit M2's booth to meet CEO David McGuire, have M2s famous Garrett popcorn, and explore how our UNLIMITED SEC FILINGS program can streamline filing processes and reduce costs, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. This program is designed to streamline filing processes and reduce costs through a fixed annual rate, ensuring adherence to regulatory standards.

As part of our commitment and ongoing updates to companies, we are excited to share further insights into the forthcoming SEC modifications for EDGAR Next. David McGuire, our CEO, will attend to highlight the advancements of EDGAR Next. He comments, "Ensuring accurate updates to EDGAR profiles is crucial for a smooth transition to the new EDGAR Next system." David further underscores the importance of familiarizing oneself with the upcoming introduction of multi-factor authentication via login.gov and encourages exploration of the SEC's Beta site to gain foresight into the anticipated changes. "Utilizing the Beta site provides our clients with a strategic advantage," he remarks.

M2 is at the forefront of preparing our clients for the EDGAR Next transition, offering comprehensive solutions and expertise to facilitate a smooth adaptation. The upcoming LD Micro Conference presents a prime opportunity for detailed discussions on the EDGAR Next initiative, its implications for filing processes, and how M2 can guide clients through them. We are committed to empowering our clients with the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate the changing regulatory environment with confidence.

We look forward to engaging with the LD Micro Invitational industry professionals and demonstrating how M2 can empower businesses with effective compliance solutions.



For more information about the LD Micro Invitational conference, please visit www.ldmicro.com .

About M2 Compliance:

M2 Compliance is a leading provider of comprehensive regulatory compliance solutions, including SEC filings, XBRL tagging, and financial printing. Committed to excellence and innovation, M2 helps clients navigate regulatory complexities with efficiency and accuracy.

For more information, please contact:

David McGuire, CEO

M2 COMPLIANCE LLC

1018 Ashford Ave. 3A-12

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907

Tel: (754) 243-5120

Fax: (754) 243-5135

www.m2compliance.com

M2 Compliance overview of EDGAR Next:



A Transformative Leap: The Introduction of EDGAR Next

In an ongoing commitment to enhance the security and efficiency of the EDGAR filing system, the SEC initiated a public dialogue in 2021 aimed at exploring potential advancements through the EDGAR Next initiative. This proposal stands as a pivotal moment in the evolution of the SEC's filing requirements, geared towards fortifying the identification process of filers and bolstering overall system security.

A Collaborative Journey Towards Modernization

The subsequent two-year dialogue between the SEC and the filing community, including M2 Compliance, has been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of EDGAR Next. Our engagement in this process reflects our dedication to not only navigating the regulatory landscape but also actively contributing to its refinement.

Key Milestones in the EDGAR Next Initiative

Official Proposal: Marked by the SEC's announcement on September 13, 2023, the EDGAR Next initiative transitioned from a concept to a formal proposal, sparking a period of public commentary concluding on November 21, 2023.

Marked by the SEC's announcement on September 13, 2023, the EDGAR Next initiative transitioned from a concept to a formal proposal, sparking a period of public commentary concluding on November 21, 2023. M2's Contribution: In response, M2 Compliance submitted a detailed comment letter advocating for enhancements to ensure the initiative's success and operational efficacy for all stakeholders involved.

The Future of Filing: An Overview of EDGAR Next

Projected to be one of the most substantial modifications to the SEC filing protocol, EDGAR Next aims to introduce:

Mandatory individual login credentials and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for over 200,000 active filers.

New filer validation requirements and streamlined account management processes, including exemptions from completing Form ID for current filers transitioning their accounts.

Anticipating the Implementation

With the final rule expected to be adopted in early 2024, the filing community is on the brink of a significant transition. Preparations for this shift will include a one-month cooling-off period followed by a six-month transition phase, a timeline that underscores the importance of readiness within the filing community.

EDGAR Next Beta Testing: A Glimpse into the Future

In alignment with the SEC's inclusive approach, a Beta testing environment was launched to offer a practical insight into the impending changes. This platform serves as a vital tool for filers and agents to acquaint themselves with the new processes.

Staying Informed and Prepared

As we await the finalization of EDGAR Next, M2 Compliance remains at the forefront, ensuring that our clients and the broader filing community are well-informed and equipped for the changes ahead. We encourage engagement with the resources provided, including the Beta testing platform and our latest episode of On The Dot, which delves into preparatory strategies for EDGAR Next.

Useful Resources:
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INCHEON, Korea, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. today announced the initiation of Phase 3 clinical trial for SB27, the company's proposed biosimilar referencing Keytrudai (pembrolizumab). The Phase 3 clinical trial for SB27 is a randomized, double-blind, parallel group, multicenter studyii to compare the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity between SB27 and Keytruda in patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either SB27 or Keytruda 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks concurrently with chemotherapy (pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 with vitamin supplementation intravenous (IV) infusion over 10 minutes every 3 weeks and carboplatin area under the curve [AUC] 5 IV infusion over 15-60 minutes every 3 weeks for the first 4 cycles). More information on this study is available at clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT06348199 ).

We are thrilled to announce the initiation of Phase 3 clinical trial for SB27, after our successful Phase 1 clinical trial initiation in February 2024, said Ilsun Hong, Vice President, Product Evaluation Team Leader of Samsung Bioepis. Based on our extensive clinical trial experience accumulated over the years, we will work closely with study investigators to ensure successful completion of the clinical trials for SB27.

As of April 2024, Samsung Bioepis has eight biosimilars approved and seven available around the worldiii  SB4 (etanercept), SB2 (infliximab), SB5 (adalimumab), SB3 (trastuzumab), SB8 (bevacizumab), SB11 (ranibizumab), SB12 (eculizumab), and SB15 (aflibercept)iv  along with three biosimilar candidates in pipeline  SB16 (denosumab), SB17 (ustekinumab) and SB27 (pembrolizumab).v

About Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd.

Established in 2012, Samsung Bioepis is a biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing healthcare that is accessible to everyone. Through innovations in product development and a firm commitment to quality, Samsung Bioepis aims to become the world's leading biopharmaceutical company. Samsung Bioepis continues to advance a broad pipeline of biosimilar candidates that cover a spectrum of therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, ophthalmology, hematology, and endocrinology. For more information, please visit: www.samsungbioepis.com and follow us on social media  LinkedIn , X .

i KEYTRUDA is a trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

ii The countries of recruitment include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Georgia, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey.

iii Approval and Availability signify regulatory approval/launch in one or more markets and do not necessarily indicate approval/launch in all markets worldwide.

iv SB15 (aflibercept) is approved in Korea by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and is not yet available in the market.

v In the United States, the Biologics License Application (BLA) for SB17 is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In Europe, SB17 has been recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), having received positive CHMP opinion in February 2024.
Dublin, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2024 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Social commerce industry in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow by 30.6% on annual basis to reach US$1.71 billion in 2024. The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 24.6% during 2024-2029. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$1.31 billion in 2023 to reach US$5.14 billion by 2029.







This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics.



The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities.

Reasons to buy

In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2020-2029).

Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors.

Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 70 Forecast Period 2024 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $1.7 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $5.1 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 24.6% Regions Covered Saudi Arabia

Scope

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Key Players

Facebook

Instagram

Tajer

Fordeal

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2020-2029

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2020-2029

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Travel

Hospitality

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Consumer Segment, 2020-2029

B2B

B2C

C2C

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2020-2029

Mobile

Desktop

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2020-2029

Domestic

Cross Border

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2020-2029

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2020-2029

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms

Video Commerce

Social Network-Led Commerce

Social Reselling

Group Buying

Product Review Platforms

Saudi Arabia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2023

By Age

By Income Level

By Gender

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/y4zhk0

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, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Wind Turbine Towers - Global Strategic Business Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Global Wind Turbine Towers Market to Reach $53.1 Billion by 2030



The global market for Wind Turbine Towers estimated at US$32.3 Billion in the year 2023, is projected to reach a revised size of US$53.1 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.4% over the analysis period 2023-2030.

Amid growing concerns over climate change and a notable spike in emissions, there's a significant shift towards clean, renewable, and sustainable energy sources. This momentum is reflected in global CO2 emissions data and the rise in clean energy investments. Among renewable energy sources, wind energy stands out as particularly attractive due to its myriad benefits.

Wind turbines, pivotal in harnessing wind energy, are examined, with tubular steel towers leading the global market. The competitive landscape of wind turbine towers is explored, detailing the global key competitors' percentage market share and the overall competitive market presence in 2023. Recent market activity underscores the dynamic nature of the industry as it evolves to meet the demands of a cleaner energy future.



Tubular Steel-based Wind Turbine Towers, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record 6.7% CAGR and reach US$31.2 Billion by the end of the analysis period. Growth in the Concrete-based Wind Turbine Towers segment is estimated at 6.1% CAGR for the next 8-year period.



The U.S. Market is Estimated at $5.3 Billion, While China is Forecast to Grow at 7.7% CAGR



While onshore tower deployments dominate, there's considerable growth potential in offshore installations, especially in regions like Asia-Pacific and China.

China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$10.2 Billion by the year 2030 trailing a CAGR of 7.7% over the analysis period 2023 to 2030. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 5.1% and 5.8% respectively over the 2023-2030 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 6.1% CAGR.



Exciting New Report Features

Full access to influencer engagement stats

Free access to digital archives & research platform. The proprietary platform is fully enabled to unlock creativity and market knowledge of domain experts worldwide in a cohesive and collaborative manner. The state-of-art tools bring world class market perspectives while protecting participants` privacy and identity. Numbers, statistics and market narrative in the report are based on fully curated insights shared by domain experts and influencers in this space.

Opportunity to engage with interactive questionnaires that come with real-time data simulator tools & bespoke report generation capabilities

Full client access to peer collaborative and interactive platform for cross-enterprise smart exchange of ideas

Complimentary report updates for one year

Competitor coverage with global market shares of major players

Player market presence analysis (Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial) across multiple geographies

Access to curated YouTube video transcripts of domain experts/influencer interviews, podcasts, press statements and event keynotes

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 329 Forecast Period 2023 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $32.3 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $53.1 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.4% Regions Covered Global



MARKET OVERVIEW

Amid Concerns over Climate Change, Shift Towards Clean, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Sources Gathers Momentum

Spike in Emissions Shifts Focus on Renewables for Powering a Safer Future: Global CO2 Emissions (In Billion Metric Tons) for Years

Global Clean Energy Investments

Myriad Benefits Make Wind Energy the Most Attractive of All Renewable Energy Sources

Global Economic Update

Wind Turbines: A Prelude

An Introduction to Wind Turbine Towers

Global Market Prospects & Outlook

Tubular Steel Towers Lead Global Market

While Onshore Tower Deployments Dominate, Offshore Tower Installations to Witness High Growth

Asia-Pacific and China to Spearhead Future Growth

Competition

Wind Turbine Towers - Global Key Competitors Percentage Market Share in 2023 (E)

Competitive Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial for Players Worldwide in 2023 (E)

Recent Market Activity

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Sustained Increase in Wind Energy Capacity Drives Need for Wind Turbine Towers

Electricity Demand Patterns to Drive Focus onto Renewable Wind Power

Projected Global Demand for Electricity (MWh): 2015, 2025, & 2035

Change in Gross Electricity Demand in TWh for 2017-50

Integrating Wind Energy in Power Grids to Meet Peak Demand

Installations of Small Wind Turbines Promise Market Growth

World Small Wind Market: Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025

Government Support for Renewables Fuels Wind Power Projects, Presents Favorable Outlook for Wind Turbine Towers

Targets for Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources in Select Countries

Focus on Offshore Wind Projects Drives Demand for Towers

Falling Cost of Wind Energy to Step Up Investments in Wind Energy Projects, Fueling Market Demand for Towers

Demand Grows for Taller Turbine Towers Designed to Capture More Energy

Steel Wind Tower Market: An Overview

Concrete Wind Towers: A Low-Tech Yet Promising Innovation

Technological Advancements in Wind Turbines Support Market Growth

Promising Innovations in Wind Turbine Towers

3D Printing Technology for Novel Design of Wind Turbine Towers

Wind Turbine Tower Manufacturers Turn to Novel Materials

Trends in Wind Turbine Drivetrains

Wooden Towers Emerge as a Cost Effective Option for Wind Turbines

Rise in Power Demand Amid Population Growth and Urbanization: Growth Driver for Wind Energy Turbine Towers

World Population (in Thousands) by Geographic Region for the Years 2019, 2030, 2050, 2100

World Urban Population in Million: 1950-2050P

FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS(Total 69 Featured)

Bergey Wind Power Co.

Broadwind Energy Inc.

CS Wind Corporation

Dongkuk S&C

Enercon GmbH

KGW Schweriner Maschinen- und Anlangenbau GmbH

Marmen Inc.

Modvion AB

Nordex SE

NRG Systems

Red Rock Automation Ltd

Renewtech LLC

Shanghai Taisheng Wind Power Equipment Co. Ltd.

Suzlon Energy Ltd

thyssenkrupp AG

Ventower Industries LLC

Vestas Wind Systems AS

Windar Renovables, S.A

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dzow7y

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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CHICAGO, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lou Malnatis  the Chicago pizza legend long celebrated for its authentic flavor and buttery-crust deep dish, is collaborating with New Yorks most buzzworthy condiment, Mikes Hot Honey, to give hungry fans a chance to savor a pizza as rich in flavor as it is in history. Available starting on National Deep Dish Pizza Day (April 5), Lou Malnatis Pizzeria will introduce Lous x Mikes Hot Honey Pizza, a limited-time offering in both deep dish and thin crust for dine-in, carryout and delivery at all Lou Malnatis locations in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Phoenix.



Lou Malnatis meets Mikes Hot Honey in this spicy collab and both brands are excited to introduce the new recipe as the first official deep dish partner of pizzas hottest condiment. Pairing Lous legendary deep dish pizza and signature ingredients with the sweet heat drizzle of Mikes Hot Honey combines the flavors of two iconic pizza cities. The collaboration brings together the best of Chicago and New York with the highest quality ingredients to elevate the guest experience and ignite their taste buds. Its the perfect combination of sweet and savory drip.

The new legendary deep dish features mozzarella, sausage, giardiniera and cupped pepperoni topped with a drizzle of sweet and spicy Mikes Hot Honey. Created using Lous iconic deep dish pizza and adorned with ingredients symbolic of Chicago, its layered to capture the generous drizzle of Mikes Hot Honey which has become an instant classic on the New York pizza scene.

After an exhaustive search over many years, we finally found something from New York that is worthy of adding to our Chicago deep dish pizza. A little drizzle of Mike Kurtzs Hot Honey creates a spectacular marriage of sweet and savory that every pizza lover will want to experience, said Marc Malnati, owner of Lou Malnatis Pizzeria.

In addition to the launch of the Lous x Mikes Hot Honey Pizza which will be available in both deep dish and thin crust, Lou Malnatis will offer guests the chance to sample the sweet and spicy flavor profile of Mikes Hot Honey as a sauce option for their traditional and boneless chicken wings. The limited-time pizzas will be available in all sizes and prices will vary. Guests will also have the option to drip more sweet heat on their pizza or wings with the purchase of an additional Mikes Hot Honey 1 oz dip cup.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with the oldest family name in Chicago pizza to create our first deep dish pizza collaboration," said Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike's Hot Honey. "As a New Yorker, I was weary about deep dish pizza, but after trying Lou Malnati's, I'm sold and I can't wait for their guests to taste this delicious Chicago meets New York creation and have the opportunity to enjoy our hot honey on thin crust pizza and wings, too."

In addition, Lou Malnatis and Mikes Hot Honey will launch with a week-long celebration starting on April 5 through April 11. To kick off the hot new collab and limited-time only pizza and wings, Lous will surprise and delight customers with activities, swag and will give away a free small Lous x Mikes Hot Honey Deep Dish Pizza to over 7,000 lucky guests. In honor of the partnership and National Deep Dish Pizza Day, hungry fans can also enter to win Free Pizza for a Year and there will be 7 lucky winners to celebrate the 7 ingredients on the new pizza. For more details about the collab, please visit loumalnatis.com and check out the video here.

For more information on this limited time offering as well as hours of operation, locations or to place an order, please visit loumalnatis.com. Follow Lou Malnatis and Mikes Hot Honey on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) or Instagram.

About Lou Malnatis Pizzeria

Considered the oldest family name in Chicago pizza, Lou Malnatis Pizzeria is a family-owned company famous for deep dish pizza and staying true to the original Chicago-style pizza recipe. The company stresses consistency in quality, service, and food, offered in a unique environment by a staff that is committed to one another, the customer, and the community. Lou Malnatis is passionate about pizza, people and proud to support the local communities, they serve one deep dish at a time. There are more than 75 locations in the Chicagoland area, Arizona, Indiana, and Wisconsin. A member of the Malnati family has been running the business since it started in 1971. The Malnatis signature deep dish is made from a secret family recipe that has been handed down through four generations. For the latest dish, visit https://www.loumalnatis.com/.

About Mikes Hot Honey

Mikes Hot Honey is Americas leading brand of hot honey and has been elevating everyday eating experiences since 2010, when its first drizzle on a pizza at Paulie Gees in Brooklyn sparked a word-of-mouth sensation and created a new category of pizza topping. By popular demand, Mike started selling his small-batch, hand-labeled hot honey bottles to visitors of the pizzeria, as well as other local restaurants and businesses. Today, Mikes Hot Honey can be found in thousands of restaurants and retailers across the country, with the same original recipe in the bottle. Using only 100% pure honey infused with real chili peppers, Mikes Hot Honeys one-two flavor punch of sweetness then heat makes any dish more dynamic, from the original pairing on pepperoni pizza to chicken, cheese and charcuterie, ice cream, cocktails, and so much more. Mikes Hot Honey empowers chefs and eaters everywhere to customize, create, and share extraordinary meals. Happy drizzling! For more information about Mikes Hot Honey, please visit mikeshothoney.com

Media Contacts

Natalie Levy | Lou Malnatis PR Manager | 847.313.4924 | nlevy@loumalnatis.com

Michelle Lane | Mikes Hot Honey | michelle@mikeshothoney.com

Karen Brennan | Prosper PR | kbrennan@prosper-pr.com

Cheryl Pellegrino | Prosper PR | cpellegrino@prosper-pr.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0b046c2-180c-4828-b1ca-c91ef877b033

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/98bf225f-b300-4a03-954e-f12b3ce04398




DUBAI, UAE, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an unprecedented move that underscores the potential of innovative tokenomics and community-driven growth, MILKBAG , a Solana-based project launched on March 21, 2024, is setting the stage for what many analysts predict could be the next major moonshot in the cryptocurrency space. Available on Raydium for enthusiasts and investors alike, MILKBAG made a dramatic entry into the market, achieving an all-time high of $300,000. Despite navigating through the inevitable volatility characteristic of the crypto world, MILKBAG has demonstrated remarkable resilience. With a swift recovery and an impressive 1,500% increase since its lowest market cap point, MILKBAG now boasts a market capitalization of $142,000, signaling strong organic growth and a resilient community backing, as of writing this article.





Distinguishing itself from other memecoin ventures, MILKBAG has been steadfast in its "Burn since day 1" campaign, a bold initiative that reduces the token supply daily, thereby fueling anticipation for increased value and fostering investor confidence. This strategy not only demonstrates the team's commitment but also capitalizes on the psychological effects of scarcity and positive market sentiment. With a clear goal to reach a market capitalization of 100 million dollars, MILKBAG's approach is strategic and forward-thinking.

At the heart of MILKBAG's philosophy is a focus on organic growth and sustainable community engagement. Opting for a path less traveled, the project has strategically deferred immediate listings on platforms like CoinGecko & CoinMarketCap, choosing instead to strengthen its foundation and foster a robust, engaged community. This is evidenced by targeted marketing initiatives across economically significant regions and a commitment to fairness and transparency for all participants through a refusal to conduct presales.

As MILKBAG braces for a significant marketing surge, it's energized by the support of numerous Key Opinion Leaders, including a substantial backing from many influential KOLs from Germany. This international collaboration is set to mobilize a formidable presence across all social media platforms, with a broad strategy enhanced by strategic influencer partnerships and trending hashtags, promising to propel MILKBAG into the global spotlight.

Given the project's momentum and strategic positioning, it's only logical to anticipate that a CoinGecko listing could be around the corner. Such a milestone would leverage the current energy and excitement surrounding the project, offering a springboard to push MILKBAG to new heights. This potential listing marks a significant step in MILKBAG's journey, pushing the project towards the sky and underlining its status as more than just a meme; it's a movement.

MILKBAG invites the global community to join this thrilling journey. With strategic burns, a commitment to community engagement, and an exciting roadmap ahead, MILKBAG is not just a token; it's a testament to the power of innovation and collective ambition in the cryptocurrency world.

Stay tuned for updates and become part of the revolution that's redefining the future of memecoins.

MILKBAG  the token that's more than just a meme; it's a movement.

For more information, visit:

Website: https://milkbag.xyz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MilkbagSol

Telegram: https://t.me/MILKBAGsol

Media Contact

Company: MILKBAG

Contact: Pastos

Email: contact@milkbag.xyz

Website: https://milkbag.xyz/

SOURCE: MILKBAG
Dublin, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Tactical UAV Market: Focus on Application, System, UAV Type, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global Tactical UAV Market is projected to reach a value of $15.3 billion by 2033 from $5.58 billion in 2033, growing at a CAGR of 10.6%



Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) weighing below 600 kgs are specifically designed for short-range tasks, particularly in military and security applications. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) excel in conducting reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, and data collection missions in contested or sensitive areas. Tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), equipped with advanced sensors, cameras, and occasionally payload delivery systems, offer a unique blend of stealth, endurance, and precision.

This makes them indispensable assets for military forces and law enforcement. Their compact size, advanced capabilities, and modern technology distinguish them as key tools for enhancing situational awareness and operational effectiveness in various scenarios. As technology continues to evolve, these tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play a crucial role in addressing emerging threats and safeguarding national security interests.







The tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market is experiencing a transformative surge, presenting a paradigm shift in military and security solutions globally. Their deployment in military and law enforcement applications is marked by stealth, endurance, and precision, making them invaluable assets. Equipped with advanced sensors, cameras, and payload delivery systems, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are at the forefront of modern technology, enhancing operational efficiency and situational awareness.

As global tensions rise, the demand for these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is escalating, with military forces and law enforcement agencies seeking reliable and agile solutions. The market is witnessing a shift towards compact, yet powerful, drones that offer versatility and real-time data collection capabilities. With ongoing advancements in autonomy and artificial intelligence, the tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market is poised for sustained growth, providing essential tools to address emerging security challenges on a global scale.



Industrial Impact



The tactical UAV market has had a substantial impact on various industries, driving innovation, creating economic opportunities, and enhancing operational capabilities. Firstly, in the defense sector, the integration of advanced unmanned aerial systems has revolutionized military operations. Tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, improving situational awareness and response times. This has led to increased demand from defense organizations globally, stimulating growth in the defense industry.



Secondly, the aerospace and technology sectors have experienced a surge in research and development activities related to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. Companies specializing in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing, avionics, and software solutions have emerged, contributing to job creation and economic growth. The pursuit of cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and autonomous flight systems, has driven innovation in these industries, positioning them at the forefront of technological advancements.



Moreover, the tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market has influenced the security and law enforcement sectors. Law enforcement agencies utilize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance, search and rescue operations, and monitoring public events. This has enhanced the efficiency of law enforcement efforts, providing cost-effective solutions for tasks that were traditionally resource-intensive. The integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in security operations has become a strategic imperative for safeguarding critical assets and ensuring public safety.



Fixed Wing Segment to Dominate the Global Tactical UAV Market (by UAV Type)



The global tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market based on UAV type is led by fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The section provided a detailed view of tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) categorized into fixed wing and rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along with the key developments happening in this segment.



Surveillance Segment to Dominate the Global Tactical UAV Market (by System)



The global tactical UAV market based on system is led by surveillance system. This section offers an in-depth look at unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) categorized by the systems they utilize, highlighting significant advancements in this regional market.

North America Segment to Dominate the Global Tactical UAV Market (by Region)



The global tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market based on region is led by North America The region's robust technological infrastructure and a thriving defense industry contribute to the development and deployment of cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies. Additionally, the rising need for surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in various security applications further propels the demand for tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in North America.

How can this report add value to an organization?

Product/Innovation Strategy: The product segment helps the reader understand the different types of services available for deployment and their potential globally. Moreover, the study provides the reader with a detailed understanding of the global tactical UAV market by products based on UAV type and systems.



Growth/Marketing Strategy: The global tactical UAV market has seen major development by key players operating in the market, such as business expansion, partnership, collaboration, and joint venture. The favored strategy for the companies has been contracts and product launches to strengthen their position in the global tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market.

For instance, in Apr 2023, Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, launched its Integrator Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exhibition in National Harbor, Maryland. The Integrator VTOL was capable of launching vertically on ships or land without compromising payload capacity or endurance. The system maintained the performance of fixed-wing aircraft, delivering the same long-range wide-area surveillance capability for extended periods.



Competitive Strategy: Key players in the tactical UAV market analyzed and profiled in the study involve tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) products offering companies. Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the global tactical UAV market has been done to help the reader understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape. Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as partnerships, agreements, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis



The tactical UAV market comprises key players that have established themselves thoroughly and have the proper understanding of the market accompanied by start-ups who are looking forward to establishing themselves in this highly competitive market.



For instance, in February 2023, Rheinmetall signed a collaboration with AeroVironment to participate in a NATO special forces project. Rheinmetall Technical Publications GmbH (a subsidiary of Rheinland AG) and AeroVironment applied to join a procurement program for a small unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for special operations and infantry applications.

Apart from that, in September 2023, Skydio launched Skydio X10, a drone designed for first responders, infrastructure operators, and the U.S. and allied militaries around the world. It includes sensors to capture every detail of the data that matters and the AI-powered autonomy to put those sensors wherever they are needed.



The companies that are profiled have been selected based on thorough secondary research, which includes analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, market penetration, and insights gathered from primary experts.



Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 115 Forecast Period 2023 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $5.58 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $15.3 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 10.6% Regions Covered Global

Market Dynamics Overview

Market Drivers

Rising Geopolitical Tensions and Security Concerns

Technological Advancements

Market Challenges

Cybersecurity Concerns

Battery Endurance

Market Opportunities

Continuous Efforts to Reduce Weight

Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Trends: Current and Future Impact Assessment

Trends: Overview

Swarm Technology

Focus on Hybrid Power Systems

Integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with Edge Computing Technology

Ongoing Programs

Blue UAS

Next Generation Small RPAS (NGSR)

Kunstliche Intelligenz fur taktische UAS (KITU 2)

Supply Chain Overview

Research and Development Review

Patent Filing Trend (by Country, Company), January 2020 to December 2023

Markets - Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

Raytheon

Boeing

Lockheed Martin Corporation

AIRBUS

Northrop Grumman

Thales

Leonardo S.p.A.

Textron, Inc.

Adani Group

Elbit Systems Ltd.

Saab AB

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.

AeroVironment, Inc.

Parrot Drone SAS

BlueBird Overview Top Products/Product Portfolio Top Competitors Target Customers Key Personnel Analyst View Market Share, 2022



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tbx8ga

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Attachment
NOKWANE - Hardly 48 hours after South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Kingdom of Eswatini, his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, will be in the country to grace the 51st Army Day celebration.

The former president of South Africa will attend the 51st Army Day together with former Botswana President Ian Khama. This was disclosed by Army Commander General (4 Star) Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze during the Army Days final rehearsals, which were held at the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) Headquarters at Nokwane yesterday.

Statement

According to a statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa to all media houses, President Ramaphosa visited Eswatini on Wednesday and he first paid a brief visit to the Queen Mother, before proceeding to meet with His Majesty the King at Lozitha Palace.

It stated that the two leaders affirmed their commitment to strong historical bonds between the two countries, including growing political and trade ties. It was also reported that the two heads of State also highlighted the historical success of collaboration between the two countries, where the two leaders collaborated to work together for a better future.

On the other hand, after the final rehearsals, the UEDF Public Affairs Officer 2nd Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo informed the nation that, as the military force of the Kingdom of Eswatini, they would be celebrating their 51 years of existence. She said in these 51 years, the UEDF still maintained and was still loyal to the oath taken to protect and defend Their Majesties, the kingdoms sovereignty and emaSwati.

We have experienced various challenges, but worth noting are our success stories in aligning ourselves with the armies of the world, the army spokesperson said. She said going forward; they anticipated experiencing notable development progress within the military. She added that they prided themselves with the professionalisation of the army. Observably, yesterdays programme included the display of various skills by the army, such as drill displays, battle drill attacks and cultural dances, which would be performed by the militarys various cultural groups.

Khumalo further reminded their guests to dress appropriately, as the event would be graced by the Commander-In-Chief, King Mswati III, Her Majesty the Queen Mother, diplomats and high-ranking government officials. She also stressed that attendees of the event would be expected to have taken their seats by 8:45am in preparation for the arrival of Their Majesties and the start of the programme of the day. She emphasised that the nation is expected to display the respect that is expected of them.
Dublin, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Optical Satellite Market: Analysis By Orbit Type, By End-Use, By Region Size and Trends with Impact of COVID-19 and Forecast up to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global optical satellites market was valued at US$2.53 billion in 2023. The market value is expected to reach US$5.20 billion by 2029. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approx. 13% during the forecasted period of 2024-2029.



Optical satellites, a class of satellites utilized for Earth observation, employ visible and near-infrared light to capture images of the Earth's surface. These images serve various purposes, including monitoring changes in vegetation, land utilization, and urban expansion over time.



The increasing demand for high-resolution imagery for various applications such as agriculture, urban planning, environmental monitoring, and defense has been a major contributor to the growth of the optical satellite market. Optical satellites offer the capability to capture detailed images with high spatial resolution, enabling precise analysis and decision-making.

Additionally, advancements in satellite technology, including improved imaging sensors, higher processing power, and enhanced data transmission capabilities, have expanded the capabilities of optical satellites, making them more attractive for commercial and government users alike. Furthermore, the growing accessibility of satellite data and services due to lower costs and improved data distribution channels has democratized the use of optical imagery, leading to an expanded user base across industries and regions.

North America held the major share in the market. the increasing need for advanced satellite capabilities for national security, space exploration, and commercial applications is driving investment in satellite manufacturing and technology development. For example, companies like SpaceX, based in the US, are launching large constellations of optical satellites. Moreover, the US government's substantial investment in space exploration and satellite technology, coupled with initiatives like NASA's Earth Observation Program and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) EnhancedView Program, has stimulated the development and deployment of optical satellites for various applications.

Market Segmentation Analysis:

By Orbit Type:

The report provides the bifurcation of the market into three segments based on the orbit type: Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).

The LEO segment held the highest share in the market and is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the forecasted period. The demand for optical satellites in LEO has been increasing rapidly due to their ability to provide frequent revisits and real-time or near-real-time data. This capability is particularly valuable for applications requiring timely information, such as emergency response and surveillance. Additionally, advancements in satellite technology have led to the deployment of small satellite constellations in LEO, offering enhanced coverage and data availability at lower costs.



By End-Use:

The report further provides the segmentation based on the following end-use: Government & Defense, Urban Development & Infrastructure, Energy & Natural Resources, Agriculture, Environmental Monitoring & Climate Services, Forestry & Maritime, Disaster Management, and Others.

The government & defense segment held the highest share in the market, whereas the disaster management segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the forecasted period. In the government & defense sector, optical satellites are utilized for various purposes including reconnaissance, surveillance, border monitoring, and intelligence gathering. These satellites provide high-resolution imagery and real-time intelligence, enabling governments and defense agencies to monitor geopolitical developments, track military activities, and enhance national security.

As a result, this sector accounts for a significant portion of the overall demand for optical satellite technology, driving innovation and advancements in satellite imaging capabilities. On the other hand, the demand for optical satellites in disaster management segment is increasing due to the rising frequency and severity of natural disasters, including floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires. As governments and humanitarian organizations prioritize disaster preparedness and response capabilities, the demand for optical satellite technology for disaster management and emergency response purposes is expected to rise.



By Region:



Germany is one of the leading space actors in Europe together with France in terms of contributions to the European Space Agency. According to OECD iLibrary, in 2022, Germany's institutional space budget reached US$1,839.5 million (1,749.2 million), having grown 0.8% yearly since 2015 in real terms. Overall, the institutional space budget accounted for 0.045% of the German gross domestic product in 2022. The increasing institutional space budget positively impacts the optical satellite market by fostering innovation, research, and development of advanced satellite technologies.



Currently, India, within the Make in India initiative, is associated with a range of international bodies like the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS), International Astronautical Federation (IAF), International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), among others.

This initiative has helped various organizations and universities operating within India to gain access to global education and knowledge base as the country has collaborated with international research, development, and education bodies like the Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) and United Nations (UN) affiliated Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTE-AP).

As of now, there are more than 1,100 beneficiaries across 52 countries affiliated with the initiative, providing a global knowledge database to Indian organizations. Hence, the Make in India campaign's emphasis on collaboration with global bodies in the space sector enables Indian organizations to access advanced technology and expertise, fostering innovation and competitiveness in the optical satellite market.



Competitive Landscape:

The global optical satellite market is characterized by intense competition among key players aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for high-resolution imaging and data collection services.

The market players employ various strategies to enhance their presence and market share, including strategic partnerships, collaborations, and agreements to expand their technological capabilities and geographic reach. For instance, at the end of 2022, Airbus signed a contract with Poland for the provision of two very high-resolution S950 optical satellites and access to Pleiades Neo imagery from 2023. Furthermore, the agreement encompasses the delivery of Very High Resolution (VHR) imagery from the Airbus Pleiades Neo constellation as early as 2023.

Additionally, investments in research and development to innovate new satellite technologies, such as higher-resolution imaging and advanced data analytics, are common strategies to stay ahead in the market. For instance, Israel Aerospace Industries' EROS-C3, an electro-optical satellite, was launched in December 2022, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US. The EROS-C3 is one of the most advanced observation satellites in the world, thanks to pioneering technologies that enable very high-resolution images and for the first time using the multispectral camera. After launch, the satellite entered its planned orbit around the Earth and began transmitting data to the ground station.

The key manufacturers in the global optical satellite market are:

Airbus SE

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

Thales Group (Thales Alenia Space)

Maxar Technologies Inc.

Market Dynamics

Growth Drivers

Growing Defense Spending

Rise in Orbital Launches

Growing Earth Observation Market

Equity Investment in the Satellite Industry

Favorable Government Initiatives

Increasing Demand for Real Time and Accurate Geospatial Data

Growing Focus on Environmental Monitoring and Disaster Management

Increasing Deployment of Satellite Constellations

Commercialization of Space Exploration Activities

Challenges

Regulatory Hurdles

Launch Availability and Costs

Security Concerns

Market Trends

Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Knowledge Transfer

Increasing Investment in Space Start-ups

Advancements in Satellite Miniaturization

Advancement in Launch Vehicle Technology

Integration of IoT with the Optical Satellite

Advancements in Capabilities

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bc5gaw

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.
VANCOUVER, CANADA, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PaySaxas, the newest entrant of the cross border transaction industry, has announced it has launched global payments, providing exclusive and unique solutions for international trade, including in-house crypto OTC.





PaySaxas - Global Trade Focused Features

The PaySaxas Smart Payments Platform focuses on specific features, that have long been in demand by the global trade industry. Specifically, the service boasts messenger financial services - which involves relationship managers communicating with clients directly, in a messenger of their choice, instead of long queues and support tickets. The emerging trend provides customers immediate and direct access to the decision makers rather than lengthy delays. PaySaxas also provides a much needed payment cancellation window for payment recall, and perhaps more importantly - an in-house crypto OTC service, allowing customers to pay and get paid in crypto, with instant fiat conversion. Equipped with the latest in KYC and AML screening, as well as a stellar team dedicated to global trade, PaySaxas aims to capture a market that has long been thirsty for innovation and speedy payments.

Currencies and Features

Offering accounts in USD, USDT, EUR, JPY, GBP and other leading digital and fiat currencies, PaySaxas becomes one of the first providers on the market to seamlessly serve growing demand for digital and fiat payments with seamless conversion. With low fees and a great correspondent network, the new entrant into the payments scene is storming the market with unique features and services that were never available before. Additional features to be rolled out are still under wraps, however they are promising to innovate the industry making a transactional service into a true partner for their customer, providing much needed safety, security and anti-fraud measures on top of every payment.

Industry Depth and Knowledge

Authorised as MSB in Canada and crypto service provider in Lithuania, it is uniquely positioned to take advantage of both traditional fiat and crypto markets. With multilingual support and a team that understands the pains of global trade, the PaySaxas solution offers customers more payment solutions, and less hassle with daily transactions, leaving them to focus on their revenue and business growth.

About PaySaxas

PaySaxas is not just a payments platform; it's a strategic partner dedicated to transforming users' transactional experience. Stay tuned for upcoming features that will further elevate users' payment processes, providing an unparalleled blend of safety, security, and innovation. Join Paysaxas today and redefine the way users conduct global trade - where convenience meets cutting-edge technology.

Social Links

X: https://twitter.com/paysaxas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paysaxas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paysaxas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paysaxas

Media contact

Brand: PaySaxas

Contact: media team

Email: support@paysaxas.com

Website: https://paysaxas.com

SOURCE: PaySaxas
Dublin, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "United States Cardiovascular Devices Market, Size, Share, Forecast 2024-2030, Industry Trends, Growth, Insight, Top Companies Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



United States Cardiovascular Devices Market is predicted to be priced at around US$ 25.60 Billion by 2030 from US$ 16.67 Billion in 2023, and is anticipated to undergo a CAGR of 6.32% during the forecast years (2024 to 2030)

The market is significantly increasing because of the upward push in cardiovascular sicknesses. As per the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the main reason for death in the United States, with 928,741 casualties attributed to it. As cardiovascular situations remain a significant purpose of mortality and morbidity in the US, there may be a growing need for superior scientific devices to diagnose, treat, and manage those illnesses. The increasing prevalence of risk factors, including weight problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes, fuels the market's growth. Consequently, producers are investing in innovation and developing new cardiovascular devices to satisfy growing healthcare wishes, expanding the increase in the United States cardiovascular devices market.





Technology is pivotal in employing growth in the United States cardiovascular devices market. Advancements, including minimally invasive methods, superior imaging techniques, and innovative materials, enhance the efficacy and protection of cardiovascular interventions. Further, trends in wearable technology and remote monitoring structures permit higher control of cardiac conditions in outdoor traditional medical settings. These technological improvements enhance patient results, lessen healing times, and increase the efficiency of cardiovascular tactics, thereby stimulating the demand and fueling growth in the market.



Numerous market players actively enforce strategic tasks, propelling an increase in the United States cardiovascular devices market. These initiatives involve research and improvement efforts to introduce progressive technologies, collaborations for collective know-how, and strategic partnerships to enhance market presence. By fostering non-stop improvements and increasing their product portfolios, those businesses contribute to the evolving panorama of cardiovascular care within the U.S.

California is one of the distinguished players in the United States cardiovascular devices market. This is due to its robust healthcare surroundings and revolutionary panorama. Home to renowned research institutions, clinical facilities, and enterprise leaders, California fosters conducive surroundings for developing and commercializing modern cardiovascular technology. The state's vibrant biotechnology zone and strategic collaborations among academia and enterprise contribute to ongoing improvements in cardiovascular care, solidifying California's recognition as a vital hub in the cardiovascular devices market.



In the United States cardiovascular devices market, diagnostics and monitoring devices have a significant presence



The United States cardiovascular device market is broken up by device type into Diagnostics and Monitoring Devices and Therapeutic and Surgical Devices. Diagnostic and monitoring devices are prominent in the United States cardiovascular devices market. This is because of their crucial role in sickness control and prevention.

These devices allow healthcare professionals to diagnose cardiac situations, monitor patient health, and examine treatment effectiveness. With the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases at an upward push, the demand for reliable diagnostic tools keeps developing. From electrocardiography (ECG) machines to portable heart monitors, these devices empower early detection and proactive control of cardiovascular conditions, propelling their popularity in the cardiovascular device market in the United States.



Coronary artery disease is commonly treated in the United States cardiovascular device market



By application, the United States cardiovascular device market is categorized into Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Cardiac Arrhythmia, Heart Failure, and Others. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the conventional applications in the United States cardiovascular devices market due to its significant effect on public health.

As a primary motive of heart-related morbidity and mortality, CAD necessitates a wide array of medical devices for analysis, treatment, and management. From stents and angioplasty balloons for revascularization to superior imaging technology like coronary angiography, the various devices cater to the complex desires of people living with CAD. The incidence of CAD underscores the continuing demand for revolutionary cardiovascular devices, solidifying its prominence in the market.



Utilization of diagnostic centers is among the highest in the cardiovascular devices market of the United States



By end-user, the United States cardiovascular device market is separated into Hospitals and Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Diagnostic Centers, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, and Others. Diagnostic facilities are one of the most used in the United States cardiovascular devices market. This is because of their pivotal role in cardiovascular fitness evaluation and control.

These facilities house diverse diagnostic devices, including echocardiography machines, stress tests, and cardiac catheterization labs, allowing for comprehensive assessment and accurate analysis of cardiac conditions. With early detection and specific evaluation essential in cardiovascular care, diagnostic centers are important hubs for patient assessment, propelling their full-size usage in the market.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 220 Forecast Period 2023 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $16.67 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $25.6 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.3% Regions Covered United States

Company Analysis: Overview, Recent Developments, Revenue Analysis

Abbott Laboratories

Boston Scientific Corporation

Edwards Lifesciences

Cardinal Health Inc.

Medtronic PLC

GE Healthcare

Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.

Siemens Healthcare GmbH.

Scope of the Report

Device type - United States Cardiovascular Devices Market breakup in 2 viewpoints:

Diagnostic and Monitoring Devices

Therapeutic and Surgical Devices

Application - United States Cardiovascular Devices Market breakup in 4 viewpoints:

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Cardiac Arrhythmia

Heart Failure

Others

End-User - United States Cardiovascular Devices Market breakup in 5 viewpoints:

Hospitals and Clinics

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Diagnostic Centers

Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories

Others

States - United States Cardiovascular Devices Market of 29 States Covered in the Report:

California

Texas

New York

Florida

Illinois

Pennsylvania

Ohio

Georgia

New Jersey

Washington

North Carolina

Massachusetts

Virginia

Michigan

Maryland

Colorado

Tennessee

Indiana

Arizona

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Missouri

Connecticut

South Carolina

Oregon

Louisiana

Alabama

Kentucky

Rest of the United States

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/javdrv

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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BOCA RATON, FL, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auve Tech, a pioneer in autonomous transportation systems, based in Tallinn, Estonia, has officially launched its flagship product, the MiCa shuttle, in the US market. The MiCa vehicle offers turnkey autonomous transportation solutions tailored to diverse environments and simple integration into existing transport networks.





Auvetech MiCa level 4 autonomous shuttle

Photo courtesy of AuVe Tech OU

In an innovative collaboration, Auve Tech has partnered with Guident to integrate its teleoperation solution into the MiCa autonomous shuttle, amplifying its safety features and augmenting Auve Tech's advanced autonomous technology.

Guident is excited to announce that the MiCa autonomous shuttle has arrived at their headquarters and integration with Guident's Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) solution has commenced. As a premier Autonomous Vehicle (AV) teleoperation monitoring company, Guident is proud to collaborate with Auve Tech to integrate our industry-leading AV remote monitoring, control, assistance, and passenger support services with the MiCa, the world's most compact and flexible level 4 autonomous shuttle.

The culmination of those efforts will be showcased at the Guident Headquarters Inauguration event on April 18, 2024, in Boca Raton, Florida. This event will unveil the fully integrated solution, demonstrating the seamless fusion of Guident's Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) solution with the MiCa autonomous shuttle.

Johannes Mossov, Board Member at AuVe Tech OU, said:

"With MiCa now officially 'landed' in the US for market entry, we are glad to join forces with Guident. Together, we are committed to enhancing the safety and efficiency of our MiCa AV shuttles with their advanced remote monitoring and control software. Based on the success in Japan and Europe, we eagerly anticipate rapid deployment of our innovative combined solution in the US and worldwide."

Harald Braun, Executive Chairman and CEO at Guident Ltd, stated:

"Since establishing our strategic partnership, we have been thrilled to collaborate with the Auve Tech team on several projects. We are particularly excited to achieve a significant milestone with Auve Tech's entry into the US market coupled with the integration of our advanced teleoperation technology.

About Auve Tech

Auve Tech specializes in the development and manufacturing of autonomous transportation systems. We offer a full-scope service that entails autonomous vehicles, their integration to various environments, and fleet management. To learn more, please visit https://auve.tech/.

About Guident

Guident commercializes patented technology to enable safer autonomous vehicles and devices by providing industry-leading AV remote monitoring, control, assistance, and passenger support services. To learn more, please visit www.guident.com .

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Press release

Paris, 5 April 2024



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA





Orange announces the results of its tender offer on outstanding hybrid notes



Orange S.A. announces today the results of a tender offer launched on March 27, 2024 (the Tender Offer) to repurchase part of two Series of outstanding undated non-call deeply subordinated fixed to reset rate notes, as follows:





In respect of its 1 billion Undated 6 Year Non-Call Deeply Subordinated Fixed to Reset Rate Notes with first reset date on 15 April 2025 and admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (ISIN FR0013413887) (the NC 2025 Existing Notes);

a) the aggregate principal amount validly tendered is 647,400,000;

b) the NC 2025 Existing Notes Series Acceptance Amount is 549,700,000;

c) the NC 2025 Existing Notes Tender Price is 98.60%;

d) the remaining outstanding principal amount of the NC 2025 Existing Notes following the settlement of the Tender Offer will be 450,300,000;





In respect of its 1.25 billion Undated 12 Year Non-Call Deeply Subordinated Fixed to Reset Rate Notes with first reset date on 1st October 2026 and admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (ISIN XS1115498260) (the NC 2026 Existing Notes),

a) the aggregate principal amount validly tendered is 444,619,000;

b) the NC 2026 Existing Notes Series Acceptance Amount is 150,000,000;

c) the NC 2026 Existing Notes Tender Price is 102.418%;

d) the remaining outstanding principal amount of the NC 2026 Existing Notes following the settlement of the Tender Offer will be 1,100,000,000.



The settlement of the Tender Offer is expected to occur the 10 April 2024.



About Orange

Orange is one of the worlds leading telecommunications operators with revenues of 44.1 billion euros in 2023 and 137,000 employees worldwide at 31 December 2023, including 73,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 298 million customers worldwide at 31 December 2023, including 254 million mobile customers and 25 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business. In February 2023, the Group presented its strategic plan "Lead the Future", built on a new business model and guided by responsibility and efficiency. "Lead the Future" capitalizes on network excellence to reinforce Orange's leadership in service quality.

Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com and the Orange News app or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.





Press contacts:

Tom Wright; tom.wright@orange.com

Caroline Cellier; caroline.cellier@orange.com





CAUTION: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

This press release, of a purely informative nature, is not and cannot in any way be construed as an offering to sell any securities, or as a solicitation of any offer to buy securities, in any jurisdiction, including the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. The securities mentioned in this press release have not been and will not be registered pursuant to the US Securities Act of 1933, as modified. They cannot be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. No public offer of these securities has been or will be made in the United States or elsewhere.





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MONACO, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Navios Maritime Partners L.P. ("Navios Partners") (NYSE:NMM) announced that its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 has been filed with the SEC and can be accessed on Navios Partners' website www.navios-mlp.com under the "Investors" section.

Alternatively, unitholders may also request a hard copy of the complete audited financial statements, free of charge, by contacting Navios Partners at:

Navios Maritime Partners L.P.

Attn: 20-F Request

7, Avenue de Grande Bretagne

Office 11B2

MC 98000 Monaco

Tel: +1 (212) 906 8645

Email: Investors@navios-mlp.com

About Navios Maritime Partners L.P.

Navios Maritime Partners L.P. (NYSE: NMM) is an international owner and operator of dry cargo and tanker vessels. For more information, please visit our website at www.navios-mlp.com.

Contact

Navios Maritime Partners L.P.

+1 (212) 906 8645

Investors@navios-mlp.com

Nicolas Bornozis

Capital Link, Inc.

naviospartners@capitallink.com
DENVER, CO, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Ubiquitech Software Corp. (OTC: UBQU) a dynamic and innovative software development company, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary, Innovative Outcomes, Inc., has entered into a distribution agreement with MDM Wound Ventures to distribute its new wound debriding system called EZE Debride to healthcare professionals throughout the US, and beyond.

Wound Debriding is the process of removing dead tissue in and around wounds and is vitally important to the healing and long-term care of wound care patients. In addition, proper in-home wound Debriding cuts down on doctor visits saving money for patients and the healthcare system and helps facilitate faster healing giving patients greater flexibility in their own wound care progress.

Insurance companies require all wounds to have a debridement performed (removal of non-viable tissue) to qualify for insurance reimbursement of wound care dressings. This makes the relationship with MDM and EZE Debride a natural fit. In fact, Modor Intelligence advises the market size for this device to be 4.95 billion with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.97%.

CEO of Innovative Outcomes, Kevin Lamb, states: We are excited to distribute this necessary and innovative tool to our healthcare providers and look forward to continued collaboration with MDM Wound Care, and with our current reach into the podiatrist market we see this improving our non-reimbursement revenue exponentially.

EZE Debride's revolutionary design is a single use, disposable instrument that offers both comfort and precision. Features include; Cutting flutes, a flexible neck, counter-balance head, and easy to grip handle. Making EZE Debride the leader in the market.

Follow Ubiquitech Software Corp, Inc. to learn more about Innovative Outcomes and stay informed about Company developments and growth:

Innovative Outcomes Inc.: www.ioutcomes.com

Ubiquitech Software Corp.: www.UbiquitechsoftwarecorpCorp.com

Follow UBQU on X (Formerly Twitter) @CorporateUBQU

Follow Innovative Outcomes on X (Formerly Twitter) @i_outcomes

About Ubiquitech Software Corp.

Ubiquitech Software Corp utilizes its state-of-the-art global internet marketing, Metaverse marketing, Affiliate marketing, Direct Response (DRTV) Television, Radio, Internet Content, SEO, and traditional marketing to drive traffic to its subsidiary.

About Innovative Outcomes Inc.

Innovative Outcomes is one of the fastest growing healthcare logistics companies serving medical providers and their patients across the United States. Patients First is more than a catchy phrase - its our culture.

Our mission is simple: provide ethics-based, compassion-focused assistance to medical providers and their patients. Our iPak  unit dose packaging system makes wound care simple and intuitive for all patients.

As a leader in healthcare technology and logistics, we take the worry out of healing.

Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor Provision Cautionary statement for purposes of the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Information in this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties, and assumptions include the execution and performance of contracts by the Company and its customers, suppliers, and partners. Please also review Ubiquitech Software Corporation, Inc. annual and quarterly financials for a more complete discussion of risk factors. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise. This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification of these securities under the laws of any such state.

Contact / Investor Relations

IR@UbiquitechSoftwareCorp.com

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New York, New York, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is observing Gold Star Spouses Day by delivering mortgage-free homes to five families who lost loved ones in service to our country.

Gold Star Spouses Day is a day to honor these remarkable individuals and the sacrifices they make when a loved one goes to serve our country.

Tunnel to Towers delivered a mortgage-free home to the families of:

Army Specialist Kurtis Vogel - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Army Staff Sergeant Dustin DeBoer - Caledonia, Michigan

Marine Corps Sergeant Joseph Murray - Sneads Ferry, North Carolina

Army Staff Sergeant Nathan Hillman - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Army Chief Warrant Officer David Bankston - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Today is a day to recognize the resilience and strength of our Gold Star spouses. Tunnel to Towers wants these families to know their loved one's service and sacrifice has not been forgotten, said Frank Siller Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Army Specialist and Virginia Beach Police Detective Kurtis Vogel, passed away on March 5, 2023, from cancer connected to his military service. SPC Vogel dedicated his life to serving his country and community, first with the Army and then with the Virginia Beach Police Department. He leaves behind his wife, Brianne, and their two children. Tunnel to Towers paid off the mortgage on his familys Virginia Beach, Virginia home.

I am so grateful to receive Tunnel to Towers support on Gold Star Spouse Day. My husband would be elated to know that Tunnel to Towers has supported his family and taken this huge burden off my shoulders. My husband was a proud Army veteran and police officer. He strived to make his country and community a better place and did it with great pride, said Brianne Vogel.

Army Staff Sergeant Dustin DeBoer enlisted in 2002 and served multiple overseas deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. SSG DeBoer lost his battle with cancer linked to burn pit exposure on July 16, 2012. He leaves behind his wife Emily and their two children. Tunnel to Towers paid off the mortgage on their Caledonia, Michigan home.

Tunnel to Towers took away some pressure and gave me a little bit of peace during a really difficult time, said Emily DeBoer, who added, We are incredibly grateful for Tunnel to Towers and realize what an amazing blessing this is.

Marine Corps Sergeant Joseph Murray was killed with 15 other service members when their military transport plane crashed in Mississippi on July 10, 2017. He enlisted in the Marines after high school and served two deployments to Afghanistan. He leaves behind his wife Gayle and their four children.

Im thankful for Tunnel to Towers. It helps me to feel like we are not forgotten and that Joe is not forgotten, said Gayle Murray.

On December 12, 2022, United States Army Staff Sergeant Nathan Hillman was murdered while working on base. SSG Hillman joined the Army in 2012 and served his country for a decade. He leaves behind his wife Nichole and two daughters.

I am eternally grateful to Tunnel to Towers for helping provide me with a home where my girls can grow up, said Nichole Hillman.

The Tunnel to Towers Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country by paying off the mortgage or providing the surviving spouses and young children with mortgage-free homes.

Join Tunnel to Towers on its mission to provide mortgage-free homes for Gold Star families by going to T2T.org and donating $11 a month.

About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to do good, by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Tunnel to Towers is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget September 11, 2001.

Visit T2T.org to learn more and follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

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TORONTO, ON, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario is critical of the recent announcement made by the provincial government to allocate International student visas to programs that help support labour market needs. Students are upset that this announcement continues the dangerous status quo where the provincial government continues to fail to address the increasingly exorbitant tuition fees International students are forced to pay.

In recent years, the provincial and federal governments have encouraged the recruitment of International students. This announcement however, has created more confusion and visa precarity for International students, who now must determine whether or not visas have been allocated to their current choice of program or studies.

International students play an integral part in our Post-Secondary Education system, bringing a diverse range of experiences and knowledge, both on and off-campus, while contributing massively to Ontarios economy. Yet in return, International students are faced with a number of challenges and barriers with minimal support from their post-secondary institutions and all levels of government. This includes differential fees that International students pay, which in the 2023-2024 academic year, were approximately 466% more than domestic students. Without adequate per-student funding from the provincial government and a decision to place a cap on fee increases, college and university administrations will continue to raise International student tuition fees however they see fit. In addition to high differential fees, International students must pay high premiums for private health insurance plans as they have been left out of OHIP. Compounded by the rising cost of food and other necessities, International students have turned to accessing food banks and in some instances, they have been turned away simply due to their student visa because of discriminatory practices.

International students are not commodities, they are human beings. Governments, colleges and universities have long used International student fees to help offset their costs. This needs to stop immediately, says Mitra Yakubi, Chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. The criteria on how visas will be allocated is not only arbitrary, but it goes against the purpose of higher education. Governments should not sway or impact what programs are deemed worthy of study.

International students also struggle with finding housing options because of the high cost of rent and the rigorous application processes that ask for credit scores and past local rental references they would not have. Yet, the cap on International student study permits made by the federal government is nothing but a xenophobic rhetoric that blames International students for a housing crisis that is simply rooted in decades of bad government decisions and policies.

Students dont believe it has to be this way. In the 2024 Lobby Week document, the Federation outlined concrete actions the provincial government can take that will directly benefit International students. This includes OHIP for all, regulating International tuition fees, ending the differentiated fees between domestic and International students, and the elimination of tuition fees for all. A free, accessible and high-quality Post-Secondary Education system is possible, and instead of offloading its problems onto International students, the province must listen to students to address the root causes of International student struggles.

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario is the oldest and largest student organization in Ontario, representing over 350,000 college and university students in every region of the province.

-30-

For further information or to set up an interview, contact:

Mitra Yakubi, CFSO Chairperson, at m.yakubi@cfsontario.ca

Isobel McDonald, Government Relations and Policy Coordinator, at i.mcdonald@cfsontario.ca
Austin, Texas, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Austin Business Journal has been on a mission to honor businesses that form the financial backbone of Central Texas. Through the annual Family Business Awards, the organizers also shine a light on those prioritizing clients and keeping up with changes in their respective industries. In 2023, The Steam Team, a restoration contractor, was among the ten companies honored for their efficiency and contributions to their respective markets. Other notable winners in other categories include Matts El Rancho and the Original Blacks Barbecue.

We were honored to be included in the family business awards with businesses like Matts El Rancho and Original Blacks Barbecue of Austin, said David Marquardt.

In addition to making a huge contribution to the Texas economic growth, The Steam Team is a premier restoration contractor serving commercial and residential clients. Among its offerings is water restoration, a service aimed at returning clients properties to their pre-damaged conditions.

Given the urgency of these situations, the company ensures the restoration process is quick. The award-winning team uses advanced tools and equipment to complete the work on time. Additionally, its seasoned team undergoes continuous training to stay updated on the latest and most effective water restoration techniques. They offer 24 hour emergency water damage restoration repairs in Austin, Texas.

The restoration contractor also helps in cases of buildings damaged by fire and natural catastrophes. The team first inspects the building to determine the extent of the damage by fire and smoke, as not all damages can be visible. Afterward, they compile a comprehensive report outlining key details, including the damage scope and estimated repair costs. This process reflects The Steam Teams commitment to transparency and clarity.

In addition, The Steam Team is one of Texass best air duct cleaners. The service is available to all types of clients, especially those that want their air duct cleaned to make the properties free from allergies, make the HVAC system more efficient, or perform routine maintenance. As a certified NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association) member, the teams commitment to delivering results is unwavering. The company uses advanced methods and cleans each unit individually.

The Steam Team also offers other cleaning services, including carpet, tile, and upholstery cleaning. The professional cleaning company uses safe cleaning methods and products to meet clients expectations and leave homes or carpets spotless. Additionally, all staff members are bonded and insured, further demonstrating their commitment to client safety and confidence.

About The Steam Team

The Steam Team is a Texas-based restoration contractor offering a range of services, from restoration to total cleaning and general construction works. The company is home to highly qualified staff who hold the highest certifications in the industry and are conversant with using advanced equipment. In addition to serving residential clients, the company is the go-to vendor for insurance companies, thanks to its quality of work and dependability.



Company Name: The Steam Team

Contact Person: Josh Lasch

Phone: 512-451-8326

Address: 9901 Burnet Rd.

City: Austin

State: Texas

Postal Code: 78758

Country: United States

Website: https://www.thesteamteam.com/



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MANZINI  Renal patients at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital are concerned over the shortage of supplies that has impacted their ability to receive dialysis services.

Renal refers to the kidney, and without access to these services, the renal patients say they face serious consequences regarding their health and well-being. They also noted that the alternative of private health institutions is unaffordable, with costs of up to E2 700 per visit. The patients are calling for the hospital to address the issue as a matter of urgency as their lives depend on dialysing.

A patient disclosed to this publication that she went to the hospital yesterday and was turned back, after she was told that there was shortage of equipment for dialysing. This is a dire situation for us because we rely heavily on the machine and if we go a day without the machine, complications arise. Personally, I dialise three days a week, she disclosed.

The patient said she gathered that last week, the hospital wrote a memo, notifying management about the shortage of equipment. In the process, the patient said patients were not informed, as the hospital made means to borrow the renal supplies from other health institutions. She said, however, the supplies were used up and patients could not be serviced.

Dialysing

So today (Thursday) patients are being turned back. This is critical because if two days pass without dialysing, one could even die, she said. Another patient said they were met with a memo communicating that services were not provided. He said they were worried because private facilities charged E2 700, which was costly. The patient lamented that this was too much, because as it were, they were purchasing their own medication.

A questionnaire was sent to RFM Hospital CEO, Mazwi Mavuso, requesting information on the current status of the renal equipment, how long the shortage has been ongoing, and the measures being taken to address the issue. He was also asked how the hospital was communicating with patients and their families about the situation. In response, the CEO said: I can confirm that it is true. We used our last supplies in the afternoon (yesterday).

Conceded

Moving forward, he revealed that he got word that renal supplies were supplied by government. Mavuso mentioned that the hospital had placed orders when they realised that their stock was depleted. He conceded that last week, the hospital issued a memo communicating the shortage, but it was immediately removed upon addressing the matter.

Nonetheless, Mavuso assured that by today, the hospital will be receiving delivery of the stock later in the afternoon. Essentially, he said this meant that patients who were booked for today will be affected.

We are in short of only three items to make a complete package. We will have a challenge with tomorrows (todays) patients but we will be sorted after lunch, the CEO said. Mavuso went on to say the hospital was communicating with patients to inform them about the anomaly. The issue of renal equipment is not a unique thing at the hospital. This publication once reported that a total of 22 patients suffering from renal disease were left stranded at RFM Hospital, as the dialysis machine developed mechanical faults.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), and National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) announce that a licensure compact for physician assistants (PAs) was activated by the recent signing of legislation in Virginia.



With the signing of HB324 by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, seven states have adopted the PA Compact Model Legislation, the requirement to activate the compact.

The PA Compact is an interstate occupational licensure compact for PAs. Interstate compacts are a constitutionally authorized, legally binding, legislatively enacted contract among participating states.

AAPA, FSMB, and NCCPA have partnered in recent years to establish a compact for PAs, working closely with PA state organizations to advocate for passage of the model legislation. Technical support for this work has also been provided by The Council of State Governments (CSG).

States joining the compact agree to recognize a valid, unencumbered license issued by another compact member state via a compact privilege. Licensed PAs utilizing the compact can obtain a privilege in each compact member state where they want to practice. PAs using a compact privilege to practice in another state must adhere to laws and regulations of practice in that state and are under the jurisdiction of the states regulatory board in which they are practicing.

The model legislation was released in November 2022, and by close of 2023 three states, Delaware, Utah, and Wisconsin, had enacted the PA Licensure Compact. In 2024, West Virginia, Washington, Nebraska, and Virginia followed. In addition, PA Licensure Compact legislation is currently pending in 11 states.

The speed at which states enacted the PA Compact underscores the need for greater efficiency in healthcare delivery as well as the demand for PAs, said AAPA President and Chair of the Board Folusho E. Ogunfiditimi, DM, MPH, PA-C, DFAAPA. This is truly a landmark accomplishment for PAs and their patients across the country. The ability to practice across state lines without requiring multiple licenses will be fundamental in ensuring PAs are never hampered from serving where they are needed.

The PA Licensure Compact represents a significant step forward in enhancing license portability for qualified PAs wishing to practice in multiple states and jurisdictions, said FSMB President and CEO Humayun Chaudhry, DO, MACP. The compact is a testament to the willingness of states to work together to increase access to care to meet the evolving needs of our communities.

"The PA Licensure Compact will make it easier for Board Certified PAs to practice in states that have adopted this legislation, eliminating the administrative burden of applying individually for multiple licenses, said NCCPA President and CEO Dawn Morton-Rias, EdD, PA-C, ICE-CCP, FACHE, the PA professions national certifying body. This translates to greater opportunities for PAs to improve access to care, address health care gaps and meet patient needs, particularly for those who have incorporated telemedicine into their practice.

For more information, go to pacompact.org.

About the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)

AAPA is the national membership organization for all physician associates/physician assistants (PAs). PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice. Learn more about the profession at aapa.org.

About The Council of State Governments

The Council of State Governments National Center for Interstate Compacts is the nation's only technical assistance provider on interstate compacts, offering compact education, development, and administrative services.

About the Federation of State Medical Boards: The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is a national non-profit organization representing the medical boards within the United States and its territories that license and discipline allopathic and osteopathic physicians and, in some jurisdictions, other health care professionals. The FSMB serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best practices. The FSMB serves the public through Docinfo.org, a free physician search tool which provides background information on the more than 1 million doctors in the United States. To learn more about the FSMB, visit www.fsmb.org.



About the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

The NCCPA is the only certifying organization for more than 178,700 PAs in the United States. The PA-C credential is awarded by NCCPA to PAs who fulfill certification, certification maintenance and recertification requirements. NCCPA also administers the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) program for experienced, Board Certified PAs practicing in ten specialties. For more information, visit https://www.nccpa.net.

MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Birch, 443.614.5896
CRANBURY, N.J., April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), the leading multimedia peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care, is pleased to announce its upcoming event, The Latest and Greatest on Obesity Treatment to Reduce Risk for Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. The in-person dinner conference will take place in partnership with University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institutes Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular Metabolic Disease (UH CINEMA) on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the Westin Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland, Ohio.



The Institute for Value-Based Medicine (IVBM) has gained recognition for advocating value-based care and advancing health care methodologies. The upcoming event will showcase a panel of health care experts engaging in discussions about the latest advancements in the fields of value-based care and population health practices. The event aims to acknowledge and explore the challenges within these domains.

The organizers of this highly anticipated event are proud to announce the distinguished individuals who will play key roles in guiding the sessions and discussion. Ian J. Neeland, M.D., a renowned figure in health care, will serve as the esteemed chair. Dr. Neeland currently holds the prestigious positions of director of cardiovascular prevention and director of the Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease (CINEMA) at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. Additionally, the event is privileged to welcome Robert H. Lustig, M.D., MSL, a prominent key opinion leader specializing in neuroendocrinology, and Jamy Ard, M.D., the co-director of the Wake Forest Baptist Health Weight Management Center. Dr. Lustig's expertise lies in the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system, with a specific focus on addressing childhood obesity and diabetes in both his research and clinical practice. Dr. Ard is a clinical researcher focused on studying strategies to treat obesity in adults and is conducting research to explore how to use new obesity treatments to improve the control of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Their invaluable insights and contributions will enrich the event, making it an exceptional platform for cutting-edge discussions in the health care landscape.

The event will also include discussions led and facilitated by Melanie Phelps, DrPH, J.D., a senior advocacy advisor at the American Heart Association and an adjunct professor at Campbell University, School for Osteopathic Medicine, and Jeff Levin-Scherz, M.D., MBA, a managing director and the population health leader of the North American Health and Benefits Travel of WTW, formerly Willis Towers Watson, and assistant professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Phelps will be leading the presentation, Understanding the Role of Policy in Improving Obesity TreatmentInsights From the American Heart Association, and Dr. Levin-Scherz will be presenting on Funding the Fight Against Obesity: How Can We Pay for Obesity Care in 2024?

The event will include sessions on the following topics:

Optimal Strategies for Obesity Care in 2024

Innovative Funding Models for Obesity Care

AHA's Role in Improving Obesity Treatment

Evidence-Based Approaches to Obesity Treatment and Risk Reduction

Attendees will gain valuable insights from experts on obesity treatment, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Beyond networking prospects, attendees will have the opportunity to explore fresh viewpoints on challenges within managed care. The event will feature a lineup of industry thought leaders who will share their insights and experiences, delivering thorough and comprehensive information on trends and innovations in the realm of primary care.

For more information and to register, please visit the event page.

About The American Journal of Managed Care

The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) is a multimedia, peer-reviewed, MEDLINE-indexed journal that keeps industry leaders on the forefront of health policy by sharing digital research relevant to industry decision makers. Other brands in the AJMC family include The American Journal of Accountable Care and Evidence-Based Oncology. These comprehensive, multimedia brands bring together views from payers, providers, policymakers and other industry leaders in managed care. AJMC is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

About University Hospitals  Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 21 hospitals (including five joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The systems flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Oxford University, the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and National Taiwan University College of Medicine. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top childrens hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including Americas Best Hospitals from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.

About UH CINEMA

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute's Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease (UH CINEMA) focuses on managing overlapping diabetes, heart and kidney disease issues. This unique cardiometabolic program with doctors, nurses, certified diabetes educators and pharmacists encompasses cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, and advanced imaging. For more information about UH CINEMA, email CINEMA@UHhospitals.org.

Media Contact:

Julia Paradizova

MJH Life Sciences

jparadizova@mjhlifesciences.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/70c60f08-310e-4a29-90d0-0b65eb735664
CRANBURY, N.J., April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CURE Media Group, the industry-leading multimedia platform devoted to providing cancer updates and research to more than 1 million patients, survivors and caregivers, partners with Oncology Nursing News, a multimedia platform dedicated to navigating care and empowering voices within the community of oncology nurses and health care professionals, to announce that Kristen Dahlgren, co-founder of the Pink Eraser Project (PEP) and award-winning journalist, will be the keynote speaker for the 2024 Extraordinary Healer event. This award honors oncology nurses whose compassion and expertise improve the lives of their patients. The award presentations and winner announcement will take place on April 24 during the annual ONS Congress at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, District of Columbia.



We are honored to have Kristen Dahlgren as our keynote speaker for the 2024 Extraordinary Healer recognition program, said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, the parent company of CURE. Kristens unwavering dedication to advocacy, particularly through her groundbreaking work with the Pink Eraser Project, and her profound impact on the breast cancer community, exemplify the courage and resilience that we celebrate. Her commitment to empowering patients with breast cancer and advancing research is truly extraordinary, and we are privileged to have her share her inspiring journey with us.

Dahlgren is an award-winning journalist-turned-breast-cancer advocate. For the first 30 years of her career, Dahlgren traveled the world where she actively worked on documenting some of the biggest news stories. She has been a reporter for NBC Nightly News and the Today show, where she led the network's coverage of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida. For this work, she was nominated for an Emmy Award. She served as a backup anchor for Lester Holt of NBC Nightly News and has also received the Edward R. Murrow Award for feature reporting.

In 2019, Dahlgren was diagnosed with breast cancer. It became her mission to share her story to help other women recognize the ways their own cancers could manifest. Through Dahlgrens reporting on additional screening for women with dense breasts, she met Ohio lawyer and advocate Michele Young and learned about the research surrounding breast cancer vaccines. After a conversation with Nora Disis, M.D., from the University of Washingtons Cancer Vaccine Institute, she realized that vaccines for breast cancer were no longer a pie-in-the-sky idea, but something that was achievable. Dahlgren and Young teamed up to create PEP, an organization with a network of doctors, scientists and visionary professionals whose goal is to develop a safe and effective breast cancer vaccine and to bring it to market within 10 years. PEP actively participates in funding breast cancer vaccine trials. Officials work to help streamline the process, remove barriers to success, and ensure that all patients with breast cancer are represented in trials.

In addition to her work with breast cancer, she has reported on breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare cancer of the immune system, and its link to textured implants. Her reporting helped reframe patient and doctor conversations.

This year marks the 10th annual Extraordinary Healer event, which recognizes and honors oncology nurses who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, passion and impact in their patients lives. The 2024 Extraordinary Healer award recipient will be announced at the event.

For more information on the 2024 Extraordinary Healer event and to register, please visit the event page.

This event is supported by Johnson & Johnson.

About CURE Media Group

CURE Media Group is the leading resource for cancer updates, research and education. CURE has become the most widely distributed and read consumer publication in the United States for patients with cancer, survivors and their caregivers. The platform includes its industry-leading website curetoday.com; innovative video programs; a series of educational and inspirational events; and CURE magazine, which reaches more than 1 million readers. CURE Media Group is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

About Oncology Nursing News

Oncology Nursing News is the premier platform for oncology nursing professionals, offering a dynamic blend of print and online resources, including a bimonthly magazine, live event coverage, video interviews, and blog posts. Oncology Nursing News is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

Media Contact:

Julia Paradizova

MJH Life Sciences

jparadizova@mjhlifesciences.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/55e06440-c286-46ed-961f-002a2e0cb1c8




Dubai UAE, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In true degen fashion, two friends have gathered the biggest organic group of the crypto community in the lead-up to Token2049 Dubai. Eponymously named Token2049 Dubai with Tobi and Brent, the Telegram group has rapidly grown to over 3000 members since its inception on March 13, 2024.



Known for their brutal anti-shilling approach, Tobi and Brent are taking steps to ensure the community spirit and mutual benefit of the group. Its these qualities that have apparently enabled them to maintain a strong mix of VCs, LPs, projects, and other crypto natives.

These self-proclaimed bros are also set to host the biggest social side event of Token2049 Dubai. Over 1500 people have already registered to attend the event, which will be held at Lock, Stock and Barrel in JBR.

Their success so far highlights the communitys desire for a more genuine approach to the crypto scene. Interesting players have thrown their weight behind this personal-approach event with sponsors including Aquanow, Bitlayer, bitSmiley, Blockchain Founders Fund, Faculty Group, Kaisar, Magna, Softstack, Unicorn Ultra, ZeroLend and zkPass.

I was traveling a lot for work and I realized a lot of countries were lacking fun but valuable networking opportunities with cool people. They say if you want something done right, do it yourself - so thats what I did. Ive created niche crypto communities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Denver, and NYC, and now were taking Dubai by storm. commented Tobias Bauer (Tobi).

Brent Fulfer, the other half of this dynamic duo shared, The response has been humbling. We knew it would be big but we didnt imagine it would reach this scale. This group is incredible. After we pull this off, Im excited to see whats next.

Further taking this light-hearted approach to serious business, Tobi and Brent are highly active across their social networks, mixing humorous satirical skits about being web3 investors with genuine advice and insights.
VANCOUVER, April 4, 2024 - Silver Viper Minerals Corp. (the "Company" or "Silver Viper") (TSXV: VIPR) (OTC: VIPRF) is pleased to announce that the Company intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "LIFE") of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106") to raise gross proceeds of up to $4,000,000 from the sale of up to 40,000,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share of the Corporation (each, a "Share") and one-half of one (1) common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.15 per Share for a period of thirty-six (36) months from its date of issue.

The Company intends to use the minimum net proceeds of $2,000,000 from the Offering for working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes which includes legal and financing fees as part of this Offering, and the final US$200,000 option payment on its La Virginia Project due in June 2024. Any additional net proceeds from the Offering will be used to continue surface exploration including mapping and sampling as well as a drill campaign at the La Virginia Project.

Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, the Offering is being made to purchasers' resident in Canada, except Quebec, pursuant to the LIFE under Part 5A of NI 45-106. The securities issued under the Offering will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

There is an offering document related to the offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.com and on the Company's website at www.silverviperminerals.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

The Company may pay a finder's fee in respect of those purchasers under the Offering introduced to the Company by certain persons (each a "Finder"). Each Finder will receive a cash payment equal to 6% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from purchasers under the Offering who were introduced to the Company by such Finder.

The Offering is anticipated to close in a series of tranches, with the first tranche on or about April 12, 2024, and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful,

About the Company

Silver Viper Minerals Corp. is a Canadian-based junior mineral exploration company focused on precious metals exploration in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. The Company currently operates the La Virginia Gold-Silver Project. Silver Viper has 100% ownership of the La Virginia concessions acquired from the most recent operator, Pan American Silver Corp., and has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Rubi-Esperanza group of claims internal to those concessions. Silver Viper is under management provided by the Belcarra Group, which is comprised of highly qualified mining professionals.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Steve Cope

President and CEO

Forward Looking Information

This news release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements with respect to the terms of the Offering, the receipt of regulatory approvals for the Offering, closing of the Offering and use of proceeds of the Offering. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to exploration and development, the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing, the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations, fluctuations in the prices of commodities, operating hazards and risks, competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's financial statements, management discussion and analysis and/or annual information form available on www.sedarplus.com. The risk factors identified in such documents are not intended to represent a complete list of factors that could affect the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow on X (Twitter): Silver Viper Minerals | X [twitter.com]

Follow on LinkedIn: Silver Viper Minerals | LinkedIn

Follow on Facebook: Silver Viper Minerals | Facebook



/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/



SOURCE Silver Viper Minerals Corp.







Contact

Silver Viper Minerals Corp. at 604-687-8566, email info@silverviperminerals.com or visit our website at www.silverviperminerals.com


ANZINI  The former University of Eswatini (UNESWA) lecturer who raped a student in his office has been sentenced to 15 years.

rancis Makamba, who committed the offence in 2019, was sentenced by Manzini Principal Magistrate David Khumalo yesterday. The court found that Makambas defence that the student enticed him into having sexual intercourse did not hold water.

akamba, from Zimbabwe, was a Molecular Biology lecturer and Head of the Biological Sciences Department in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. His sentencing comes after he was previously found guilty of contravening Section 3(1) (2) (3) of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act of 2018, in that he unlawful had sexual intercourse with the 21-year-old student.

The complainant was a third-year student when the offence was committed on March 21, 2019 in Makambas office at UNESWA, Kwaluseni Campus. During the trial, the student informed the court that she was called by Makamba after a class conducted by him, who then requested for her cellphone number. He reportedly gave the student his phone to dial her phone number, which she did.

According to the student, she was hoping to create a platonic relationship with Makamba, since students were permitted to select their supervisors. She submitted that this was not the first time the lecturer had requested for her phone number.

The student narrated to the court that shortly after they went their separate ways, she received a call from the lecturer, to confirm if he was given the correct number. In the afternoon, the complainant submitted that the lecturer texted her and referred to her as sunshine and other pet names. She highlighted that she did not find anything suspicious in this, because he would refer to other female students using pet names.

Voice note

The student went on to relate to the court that on the day in question, she received a voice note from Makamba, informing her that he was missing her. He reportedly requested to see her in his office. The student relayed that she became angry at the lecturer for kissing her on the mouth, because she did not understand why he did so. She elaborated that she left for her room, only to return to Makambas office in the afternoon, with the intention to express how inappropriate and disrespected she felt after his stunt. However, when she got into the office, the student said Makamba locked the door before kissing her while he pushed her against his desk.

The complainant recounted that Makamba went back into his chair while still kissing her with his arm around her neck. She claimed that he pulled her face towards him while she tried to pull away. According to the student, Makamba forced her into performing oral sex before he forced himself on her. When he was done, the lecturer was said to have offered the student E200 to buy morning after pills. The student reportedly confided in her friend about the ordeal and her mother was called to fetch her.

On the other hand, the former lecturer had submitted evidence to the effect that he had consensual sexual intercourse with the complainant in a place surrounded by a hive of activity and heavy foot traffic flow in broad daylight. He further informed the court that he was in a relationship with the complainant, who would now and then pass by his office and kiss him on the forehead, cheek and lips.

According to Makamba, on March 21, 2019, the complainant came to his office at around midday, saying she wanted to talk to him. He asserted that as he was busy at that moment, the complainant left and asked that he called her when he was free. The former lecturer claimed that at around 3pm, he called the complainant and told her that she could come and she responded to the affirmative. Makamba alleged that when the complainant came to his office, she said she wanted to give him a proper kiss and she asked him to lock the door.
Vancouver, April 4, 2024 - 79 Resources Ltd. - CSE:SNR -("79 Resources" or the "Corporation" or the "Issuer") announces that it intends to complete a consolidation of the authorized and issued common shares of the Corporation (the "Common Shares") on the basis of one (1) post-consolidated Common Share for each five (5) pre-consolidation Common Shares (the "Consolidation").

The Corporation believes that the Consolidation is necessary to improve its corporate flexibility and may also make the Issuer's listed security and capital structure more attractive to investors. The Corporation will require further funding to remain a going-concern.

The Corporation currently has 102,182,001 Common Shares issued and outstanding, being on a pre-Consolidation basis. Following the Consolidation, the Corporation is expected to have approximately 20,436,400 post-Consolidation Common Shares issued and outstanding.

As publicly filed, the Corporation's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, an Insider of the Corporation who is also an approved Control Person (both terms as defined by securities law), currently holds 83,587,000 pre-Consolidation Common Shares, on an aggregated direct and indirect basis. Following the Consolidation, that same Insider is expected to hold approximately 16,717,400 resulting post-Consolidation Common Shares, on an aggregated direct and indirect basis.

The Consolidation of pre-Consolidation Common Shares to post-Consolidation Common Shares does not substantively change the ownership percentage that an existing shareholder has in the Corporation, save exception to fractional Common Shares.

No fractional Common Shares will be issued during or upon the Consolidation. In the event a holder of Common Shares would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional Common Share in connection with the Consolidation, the number of Common Shares to be received by such shareholder will be rounded down to the next whole number and no cash consideration will be paid in respect of fractional shares.

The record date of the Consolidation is scheduled to be April 12, 2024. The Corporation's Common Share trading symbol, being "SNR" on the Canadian Securities Exchange, is expected to remain the same. The new CUSIP number for the post-Consolidation Common Shares is expected to be 818075202, and the new ISIN number for the post-Consolidation Common Shares is expected to be CA8180752021.

The Consolidation is subject to the approval of the Issuer's listed exchange, being the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE).

To the extent applicable, a letter of transmittal will be mailed to registered shareholders providing instructions with respect to surrendering share certificates representing pre-Consolidation Common Shares in exchange for post-Consolidation Common Shares issued as a result of the Consolidation. Until surrendered, each certificate representing pre-Consolidation Common Shares will be deemed to represent the number of post-Consolidation Common Shares the holder received as a result of the Consolidation. Shareholders who hold their Common Shares in brokerage accounts or in book-entry (e.g. DRS) form are not required to take any action. In accordance with the Articles of the Corporation, the Consolidation will not require shareholder approval, however as noted above, the Consolidation remains subject to certain regulatory approval.

All outstanding stock options and share purchase warrants of the Corporation will also be adjusted by the Consolidation ratio and the respective exercise prices of outstanding options and share purchase warrants will be adjusted accordingly.

Financing Update

Having regard to the proposed Consolidation, the Corporation has discontinued the private placement previously announced in mid-March (see news release, 79 Resources Ltd. Announces Financing and Provides Corporate Update, dated March 13, 2024).

About 79 Resources Ltd. - CSE:SNR

79 Resources is a Vancouver-based junior mining exploration company. Traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol SNR, the Corporation seeks to acquire, explore and develop mineral exploration projects. 79 Resources currently holds the Five Point Copper-Gold Project in British Columbia and the North Preston Uranium Project in Saskatchewan. For additional information, please visit www.79resources.com.

The Corporation is subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties set out in public filings made by the Corporation, such public filings available through SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Ryan Kalt

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Email: info@79resources.com

Tel: 604.687.2038

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature, including the words "anticipate," "expect," "suggest," "plan," "believe," "intend,", "intention" "estimate," "target," "project," "should," "could," "would," "may," "will," "forecast" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the matters related to the Consolidation, such as necessary approval by the CSE and more generally the ability of the Corporation to successfully complete the Consolidation and/or specific dates therewith associated. Actual results may differ materially from those currently expected or forecast in such statements.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


Soledad Project Highlights Include:

Commenced fully-funded 3,000 m drill program on April 5, 2024.

Drilling is focused on the southern half of the Soledad project in a new permit area.

Drilling currently testing the Estremadoyro tourmaline breccia pipe.

Immediate follow-on drilling will test the bulk-tonnage Mega-Gold copper-gold porphyry target and the La Joya high-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver zone.

Vancouver, April 5, 2024 - Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (OTCQB: CHKKF) (FSE: 1ZX) (the "Company" or "Chakana"), is pleased to announce that it has initiated a fully-funded 3,000m drill program at its Soledad project in the Ancash province of Peru within the Miocene mineral belt.

"We are pleased to announce the start of our 3,000 m fully funded drill program to test three high priority targets on the south half of the Soledad project where an expanded drill permit was granted in 2023. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to drill on the south side of the Soledad project where we believe the intrusive center responsible for the district zonation we see is located. There are numerous additional mineralized tourmaline breccias on the south side, but for the first time we will be testing two bulk-tonnage targets - the giant Mega-Gold porphyry target, and further south the La Joya high-sulfidation epithermal zone with preserved advanced argillic alteration and strong silver-gold mineralization at surface. We are working with AK Drilling who has undertaken all of the 62,000-plus metres of drilling for us dating back to 2017, so we expect this program to be efficient and safe," stated President and CEO David Kelley.

Drilling Program

Detailed information about the targets being tested in this drill program can be found in our previous news release on February 29, 2024. Drilling will be done with a Duralite T800N drill rig with HQ diameter (6.35 cm/2.5 in.) depth capacity to 500m and NQ diameter (4.76 cm/1.875 in.) core beyond that as warranted. The Duralite drill rig has a smaller-sized platform requirement minimizing surface disturbance and the cost to construct and rehabilitate. Core will be logged, photographed, cut, and sampled at site in a secure logging facility before batches of samples are transported to ALS in Lima, Peru for assaying.

About Chakana Copper

Chakana Copper Corp. is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project is notable for the high-grade copper-gold-silver mineralization that is hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes. An initial mineral resource estimate for seven breccia pipes was announced in Q1 2022 (see news release dated February 23, 2022), with an Inferred Resource of 4.8 million tonnes grading 0.72 g/t gold, 61 g/t silver and 0.97% copper assumed to be extractable by underground mining methods, plus an additional Inferred Resource of 1.9 million tonnes grading 1.29 g/t gold, 37.1 g/t silver and 0.65% copper assumed to be extractable by open pit mining methods. The total initial Inferred Resource contains 191,000 ounces of gold, 11.7 million ounces of silver, and 130 million pounds of copper.

In addition, extensive multidisciplinary exploration has defined 154 exploration targets, 28 of which have been tested to date (18%), confirming that Soledad is a large, well-endowed mineral system with strong exploration upside. Chakana's investors are well positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure to copper and precious metals. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com.

Results of an initial inferred mineral resource estimate and additional information concerning the Project, including a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, are available on Chakana's profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person

David Kelley, an officer, and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed) "David Kelley"

David Kelley

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Investor Relations: Info

Email: info@chakanacopper.com

Telephone: 720-233-2166

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statement Advisory: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the "Project"), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/204445
African Energy Metals Inc. (TSXV: CUCO; FSE: BC2; WKN: A3DEJG) ("African Energy Metals" or the "Company") has signed a definitive agreement with Voyageur Mineral Explorers Corp. ("Voyageur") (the "Definitive Agreement') to earn a 100% interest in the Mink Narrows Group high-grade polymetallic copper VMS project (the "Project") located in the prolific Flin Flon Manitoba VMS mining camp. The Project is located 25 km southeast of Flin Flon, Manitoba.

Highlights:

Project subject of extensive exploration by Falconbridge Ltd. ("Falconbridge") and Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("HudBay") with over 15,000 m of drilling and multiple geophysical programs.

Polymetallic copper deposit (copper/zinc/nickel/gold/silver/cobalt) with four distinct metal regions contained in 54 claims in the 72.4 km contiguous property.

Historical non-compliant resource with average grades of 1.5% copper and 0.5% zinc with one zone from surface to 500 m and open to depth and strike.

Drill Hole MN-00-38 intersected 4.17% copper, 0.34% zinc, 11.8g/t silver and 255 ppb gold over 4.1 m.

Project is located 25 km from Flin Flon and is traversed by a provincial road and power lines, 500 meters from rail and 2 km from the Flin Flon airport.

Flin Flon has a long history as a mining town and Flin Flon camp has produced over 170 million tons of sulphide ore from 31 VHMS deposits with over $1.6 billion invested in the region for road, rail, power, and water infrastructure to facilitate quick development of new discoveries. (2002 NRC Current Research).

Located 27 km from the HudBay zinc copper processing facility and 777 copper-zinc mine.

The Project represents a substantial opportunity to develop a copper/zinc/gold/silver/nickel polymetallic deposit within the Flin Flon mining camp, a camp known globally for its extensive mineral richness and existing infrastructure.

Stephen Barley, Executive Chairman stated: "We are very excited to announce this transformational agreement, which will allow us to fulfill our vision of establishing a diversified metals company in Manitoba. This Project has the potential to develop a company-making asset in Manitoba, the best mining province in Canada. Through the high-quality work completed by Falconbridge and HudBay , we are starting with a significant amount of technical information which will allow us to accelerate an aggressive work program with a high level of confidence. One of the key assets is the Project comes with a geological technical support team located in Flin Flon with over 70 years of combined experience in the region and with existing strong relationships with local partners and suppliers."

Benefits to African Energy Metals shareholders:

The Project establishes a district-scale opportunity with four separate and distinct high-potential targets with varying metals.

Transformational agreement with Voyageur - could transform the Company into an immediate exploration leader in the region.

Excellent growth potential - the Copper Reef copper zinc deposit is open for expansion at depth and on strike, and based on completed geophysical work there is significant growth potential in the resource and the potential for a parallel new deposit.

Experienced partners and team members - key members will be continuing their work on the Project as either technical advisors or as senior management or Directors of African Energy Metals and all have strong ties to the Flin Flon mining community.

Quality jurisdiction - Manitoba is a top mining jurisdiction with significant access to capital for exploration and development, which are eligible for critical mineral exploration tax credits and Manitoba super flow-through exploration tax credits as well as the Manitoba Minerals Development Fund (MMDF) which is a provincial fund, administered by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, that provides funding for northern economic development and mining projects that create Indigenous partnerships, increase local employment and stimulate investment in Northern Manitoba.

The Mink Narrows Group located on the southern margin of Arc rocks in the main Camp has significant polymetallic growth potential. It has geological similarities to the Coronation, Birch and Konuto Mines Trend located in the western margin of the main Flin Flon camp in Saskatchewan which are also hosted by a primitive arc sequence, dominated by mafic volcanic rocks with copper-rich deposits. Reference to this nearby property is for information only and there are no assurances that the Company will achieve the same results at the Mink Narrows Group project.

The Flin Flon belt (FFB) is one of the largest Proterozoic volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VMS) districts in the world, containing 27 Cu-Zn-(Au) deposits from which more than 162 million tonnes of sulphide have already been mined or are in development within these deposits. The FFB is composed of structurally juxtaposed volcanic and sedimentary assemblages that were emplaced in a variety of tectonic environments. The major 1.92-1.88 Ga components (tectonostratigraphic assemblages) of the central Flin Flon belt include aerially significant juvenile arc and juvenile ocean-floor rocks (Mid Oceanic Ridge Basalt (MORB)), and minor contaminated arc, ocean-plateau and ocean-island basalt. Most of the mined VMS deposits in the Flin Flon belt are associated with the juvenile arc volcanic rocks. Gold mineralization in the FFB is less thoroughly studied but at Flin Flon has been shown to be intimately associated with late brittle-ductile shear zones that follow peak tectonic and metamorphic activity within the Trans-Hudson Orogen. The western part of the property is dominated by volcanic rocks while the eastern part of the property is dominated by plutonic rocks. In the western part of the property the geology consists of a sequence of northeast-trending volcanic rocks and gabbroic dykes and sills that trend through the Mink Narrows area of Lake Athapapuskow through Payuk Lake to the Twin Lakes area. These lithologies are bound by a series of major NE to ENE trending faults most notably the Mistik Creek Shear Zone (to the north) and the Payuk Lake fault (to the south). Historically, all of the volcanic rocks have been interpreted to have arc volcanic polymetallic and semi-massive polymetallic sulphide lenses extending over a kilometric strike length within a strongly dipping basin filled by felsic volcanism products. Sulphide-rich mineralization is mostly hosted in rhyolite and associated tuffs. Two main types of mineralization characterize the Copper Reef deposit. Prior drilling has established the continuity down to a vertical depth of 500 meters.

Project summary

Location: The Project comprises 54 claims covering 72.4 km (7,240 hectares) in the Flin Flon mining camp in west central Manitoba. There are year-round access roads; nearby railways, and a power line running through the Project.

History: The Mink Narrows property has a long history of mineral exploration beginning in the 1920s when the first claims were staked. Exploration for VMS style mineralization was initially reported by Buckham (1942) when the Copper Reef mineralization was first described. Early prospecting also focused on epigenetic gold mineralization, particularly in the Payuk, Neso and B.C. Lake areas targeting mineralization led to the discovery of small gold deposits such as the Joplin, Payuka, Parres, Neso Lake Gold and Goldome deposits.

Resource: In 1969, Falconbridge produced a historic mineral resource estimate on the Copper Reef Deposit (Karup-Moller 1969) of over 500,000 tons with an average grade of 1.5% copper and .5% zinc. Although the resource and data are considered reasonable, they cannot be verified. It is not a NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate and should be considered historical and the Company does not consider this to be a current resource. The resource estimate is relevant to ongoing exploration activities on the Project. It provides a starting resource for further exploration in and around the Copper Reef Deposit and it provides a target deposit type for continued exploration along strike from the deposit and elsewhere in the Mink Narrows Property. There are no other more recent resource estimates.

Expansion Potential

The Copper Reef deposit has a continuous strike length of 0.4 km with additional mineralization on strike with similar geology and alteration. The deposit is drilled to a depth of 500m and open to depth. The deposit shows expansion potential at depth with potential other deposits on strike.

Given the nature of the VMS systems typically observed in the Flin Flon camp, the Company, therefore, believes that the growth potential is significant and will provide further details in upcoming releases to highlight its exploration plan.

NI 43-101 Technical Report

A compliant NI 43-101 Technical Report has been completed on the Mink Narrows Group of projects by John G. Pearson M.Sc. P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon) dated January 23, 2023, and reissued on March 25, 2024. A copy of the report will be filed on SEDAR after a review has been completed by the TSX Exchange Venture.

Terms of the Definitive Agreement:

Under the terms of the Definitive Agreement dated April 4, 2024, African Energy Metals has the right to earn a 100% interest in the Project through the exercise of an option on the Property with an exploration earn-in requirement of CAD$ 1,000,000 over a four-year period as set out in the table below. The Project is subject to a net smelter return royalty of 2% granted to Voyageur. In addition to the exploration expenditures, the Definitive Agreement requires the issuance of the greater of 1,800,000 common shares of the Company or $300,000 worth of common shares of the Company at a minimum value of $0.045 per common share to Voyageur over the term of the agreement. The Company has agreed to pay a maximum of $55,000 to Voyageur over the term of the agreement. Voyageur is arm's length party to the Company. The share issuances and payments under the Definitive Agreement are subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Project was the subject of an existing option agreement between Voyageur and Laser Gold Resources Inc. ("Laser Gold"). Laser Gold has agreed to terminate the earlier option agreement pursuant to a compensation agreement dated April 4, 2024, with the Company (the "Compensation Agreement"). Under the terms of the Compensation Agreement, the Company has agreed to issue 4,000,000 common shares and pay CAD$40,000 to Laser Gold. The terms of the Compensation Agreement provide that the shares to be issued to Laser Gold may be issued in tranches and will not be issued until such time as Laser Gold will not be holding shares of the Company that exceed 9.9% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company. Laser Gold is arm's length party to the Company and to Voyageur. The share issuances and payments under the Compensation Agreement are subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

OPtioned Property - Mink Narrows Time of Commitment Cash or Royalty Payment Consideration Shares Dollar value of Work Commitment Upon TSX Venture Exchange approval $10,000 in cash 200,000 On or before August 14th, 2024 The greater of 200,000 or $20,000 in Consideration Shares based on the ten-day volume weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company at the time of issuance $300,000 On or before August 14th, 2025 The greater of 200,000 or $40,000 in Consideration Shares based on the ten-day volume weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company at the time of issuance $100,000 On or before April 14th, 2026 $10,000 in cash The greater of 300,000 or $60,000 in Consideration Shares based on the ten-day volume weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company at the time of issuance $200,000 On or before April 14th, 2027 $10,000 in cash The greater of 400,000 or $80,000 in Consideration Shares based on the ten-day volume weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company at the time of issuance $200,000 On or before April 14th, 2028 $25,000 in cash The greater of 500,000 or $100,000 in Consideration Shares based on the ten-day volume weighted average trading price of the common shares of the Company at the time of issuance $200,000 On the Exercise Date Royalty 2% NSR(1) (1)A 2% NSR will be granted on the Property and all mineral dispositions related thereto on the exercise of the option by the Company. There is currently no buyback option on the NSR. (2)The option can be accelerated if the total cash, shares, and work commitments are met earlier than the schedule specified above.

Concurrent with the closing of the acquisition of the Project, the Company has agreed to appoint Richard Masson as President and CEO of the Company. The Company has also agreed to appoint Jim Engdahl as a director of the Company. Mr. Engdahl is currently the Chairman of Laser Gold, which is a private company.

Concurrent Part and Parcel Private Placement and Future Private Placements

The Company intends to complete a non-brokered concurrent part and parcel private placement (the "Financing") of up to 3,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of CAD $0.05 per Unit for aggregate proceeds of CAD $150,000. Each unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (with two half warrants being a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share in the capital of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.075 per Warrant Share at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on the date that is 12 months following the closing date and at a price of $0.10 per Warrant Share at any time prior to 5:00 pm (Vancouver time) on the date that is 24 months following the closing date. The Warrant may be subject to accelerated exercise provisions.

The proceeds from the Financing will be used for general working capital purposes primarily relating to the approval and closing of the Project acquisition. In connection with the Financing, the Company may pay finder's fees in cash or securities or a combination of both, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The securities issued pursuant to the Financing will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws, which will expire four months plus one day from the date of closing of the Financing. Closing of the Financing is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company intends to announce additional private placements, both flow-through and non-flow-through to fund exploration work on the Project and for general working capital. The Company reasonably anticipates the additional private placements will result in significant dilution.

Finder's Fees

In connection with the acquisition of the Project, the Company intends to issue up to 1,066,666 common shares as finder's fees to arm's length parties, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The shares will be issued to Axiom Exploration Group Ltd. (as to 533,333 shares) and to Lockwood Financial Ltd. (as to 533,333 shares). The securities issued pursuant to the Finder's Fees will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws, which will expire four months plus one day from the date of closing of the acquisition of the Projects and is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Debt Settlement

The Company has agreed to settle $210,000 of debt owing to its consultants, creditors, and insiders by issuing 4,200,000 Shares in the capital of the Company at a deemed price of $0.05 per Share. No warrants will be issued in connection with the debt settlement.

The debt settlement transaction is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, and all Shares issued pursuant to the debt settlements will be subject to a four-month statutory hold period. The debt settlement will not create a new control person.

The Company believes it is in the best interests of its shareholders to reduce the amount of indebtedness to improve its financial position and allow for the acquisition and funding of the Project.

The issuance of a portion of the Shares constitutes a Related Party Transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101, as directors and officers of the Company will receive an aggregate of 1,500,000 Shares. All the directors of the company without a material interest in the debt settlement, acting in good faith, considered the debt settlement and have determined that the value of the consideration received by the Company is fair and reasonable. The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the debt settlement insofar as it involves related parties, does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company.

Name Change

Concurrent with or prior to the closing of the acquisition of the Project, the Company intends to change its name to Copper Reef Minerals Inc. and to change the Company's trading symbol to better reflect the new focus of the Company. A further announcement will be made regarding the name change. There will be no share consolidation with the name change.

Qualified Person

This press release was reviewed and approved by Stephen Masson, MSc., P. Geo, who is a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, and responsible for the technical information provided in this news release.

About African Energy Metals

African Energy Metals is a natural resource company with a focus on the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of critical metals projects in the Manitoba Flin Flon mining belt. African Energy Metals will have an experienced management and exploration team located in Flin Flon Manitoba.

For further information, please contact:

Stephen Barley, Executive Chairman Phone: +1-604-428-7050

Email: info@africanenergymetals.com Website: www.africanenergymetals.com

Reader Advisory

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All information and statements other than statements of current or historical facts contained in this news release are forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in African Energy Metals' periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "should," and similar expressions, are forward- looking statements. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information.

Forward-looking statements include those in relation to African Energy Metals' ability to close on the acquisition of the Project; in relation to satisfying TSX Venture Exchange requirements in connection with the acquisition, the debt settlement, the finder's fees, the private placements; the acceptance of the NI 43-101 technical report, to completing the concurrent private placement, and further private placements. Although African Energy Metals believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can't make any assurances that its expectations will be achieved. Such assumptions may prove incorrect.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include (i) potential delays due to COVID-19 restrictions; (ii) the failure of African Energy Metals' projects, for technical, logistical, labour relations, or other reasons; (iii) a decrease in the price of minerals below what is necessary to sustain the African Energy Metals' operations; (iv) an increase in the cooperating costs above what is necessary to sustain its operations; (v) accidents, labour disputes, or the materialization of similar risks; (vi) generally, African Energy Metals' inability to develop and implement its successful business plans for any reason.

In addition, the factors described or referred to in the section entitled "Risks Related to the Company's Business" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, which is available on the SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca, should be reviewed in conjunction with the information found in this news release.

Although African Energy Metals has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance, or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances, or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information in this news release will transpire or occur, or, if any of them do so, what benefits that African Energy Metals will derive therefrom. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and African Energy Metals disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.


Vancouver, April 5, 2024 - Westward Gold Inc. (CSE: WG, OTCQB: WGLIF, FSE: IM50) ("Westward" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously-announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") (see press releases dated February 28, 2024 and March 6, 2024), and has issued 20,792,646 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.08 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of approximately C$1,663,412. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share of the Company at a price of C$0.12 for a period of 24 months following the closing date of the Offering.

The net proceeds from the Offering will be used primarily (i) to fund advanced drill-targeting efforts at the Company's consolidated land package on the Cortez Trend (the "Properties"), including detailed geological mapping, rock-chip and soil sampling programs, and geophysical surveys (further described in Westward's press release dated February 27, 2024), (ii) to fund ongoing due diligence of potential M&A opportunities, and (iii) for general working capital purposes.

In connection with the Offering, an aggregate total of C$25,004 in cash finder's fees were paid and 341,950 finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") were issued to qualified parties. The Finder's Warrants are subject to the same terms as the Warrants issued in the Offering.

Certain insiders of the Company acquired Units in the Offering, for an aggregate total of 2,850,000 Units and gross proceeds of $228,000. The participation by such insiders in the Offering constituted a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Such participation was exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 based on the fact that neither the fair market value of the Units subscribed for by the insiders, nor the consideration for the Units paid by such insiders, exceeded 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

The securities being offered have not, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This press 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.

About Westward Gold

Westward Gold is a mineral exploration company focused on developing the Toiyabe, Turquoise Canyon, and East Saddle Projects located in the Cortez Hills area of Lander County, Nevada, and the Coyote and Rossi Projects located along the Carlin Trend in Elko County, Nevada. From time to time, the Company may also evaluate the acquisition of other mineral exploration assets and opportunities.

For further information contact:

Andrew Nelson

Chief Financial Officer

Westward Gold Inc.

+1 (604) 828-7027

andrew@westwardgold.com

www.westwardgold.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release contains or incorporates by reference "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes, or developments that the Company expects to occur are, or may be deemed, to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potential", "on track", "forecast", "budget", "target", "outlook", "continue", "plan" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved or the negative connotation of such terms.

Such statements include, but may not be limited to, information as to strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance, such as the Company's expansion plans, project timelines, expected drilling targets, and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future plans and performance.

Forward-looking statements or information are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information, including, without limitation, the need for additional capital by the Company through financings, and the risk that such funds may not be raised; the speculative nature of exploration and the stages of the Company's properties; the effect of changes in commodity prices; regulatory risks that development of the Company's material properties will not be acceptable for social, environmental or other reasons, availability of equipment (including drills) and personnel to carry out work programs, that each stage of work will be completed within expected time frames, that current geological models and interpretations prove correct, the results of ongoing work programs may lead to a change of exploration priorities, and the efforts and abilities of the senior management team. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information. These and other factors may cause the Company to change its exploration and work programs, not proceed with work programs, or change the timing or order of planned work programs. Additional risk factors and details with respect to risk factors that may affect the Company's ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are set out in the Company's latest management discussion and analysis under "Risks and Uncertainties", which is available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations, and opinions of management as of the date of this press release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, RELEASE, OR PUBLICATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES


VANCOUVER, April 5, 2024 - Newrange Gold Corp. ("Newrange" or the "Company") (TSXV: NRG, OTC: NRGOF, Frankfurt: X6C) is pleased to announce that it is moving ahead with the previously contemplated name change to Pinnacle Silver and Gold Corp. The new ticker symbol on the TSXV will be "PINN" and the company will commence trading under the new name and ticker on April 9. The new CUSIP Number will be 72350R105 and ISIN CA72350R1055. There will be no consolidation of share capital.Concurrent with the name change, the Company's website will change to www.pinnaclesilverandgold.com and email addresses will be similarly changed.Newrange is currently focused on district-scale exploration for precious metals in the prolific Red Lake District of northwestern Ontario. The past-producing high-grade Argosy Gold Mine is open to depth, while the adjacent North Birch Project offers additional blue-sky potential. Further information can be found on our website at www.newrangegold.com. Reflecting the name change, the Company is actively seeking new silver and gold opportunities for exploration and development in the Americas.Signed: "Robert Archer"President & CEOEmail: info@newrangegold.comWebsite: www.newrangegold.comNeither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Hamilton plans awkward 2025 talks with Toto Wolff

Lewis Hamilton is shaping up to have an awkward "conversation" with his current Formula 1 boss, Toto Wolff.

Lewis Hamilton, Australian GP 2024

 Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

The seven time world champion is leaving Mercedes at the end of the year, but Hamilton is already eager to kick off 2025 preparations with his new team - Ferrari.

At some stage I will have to start the conversation with Toto, the 39-year-old admitted at Suzuka. "I've never been in this position at this time of the year.

So I'm not quite sure how to navigate it but right now I want to finish on a high here so all my energy is going into this. Of course there's excitement for the future.

Some believe Hamilton is struggling to maintain motivation as Mercedes has given him an uncompetitive car for the third consecutive season.

I'm a competitor first and foremost so I want to win, he said. Thinking about next year is not going to help me do that.

But it's no real surprise that George Russell, who is effectively inheriting top billing at Mercedes, is currently ahead of Hamilton - and upbeat about the future.

I think we all get our chance at some point, Russell told AFP.

However, he thinks that chance might not come until 2026, when Red Bull will switch to its own engines in collaboration with Ford and Mercedes has another chance to ace the all-new regulations.

I am 100 percent convinced that the new regulations in 2026 will allow Mercedes to return to the top because the change will be more fundamental than 2022 and there will be a lot of performance to be had with the new engine, said Russell.

With Mercedes' experience, I can't wait for 2026.

Russell is also not too upset that Hamilton is moving on, as he thinks change is sometimes good for a great team like Mercedes in difficult times.

He's done so many great things, Russell said of Hamilton, "he's been here for so long and we're kind of stuck at the moment.

So I think this change is positive for him and positive for Mercedes because it gives us the possibility of starting from a clean sheet.

Rumours linking Max Verstappen with an early switch to Mercedes next year, despite his Red Bull contract through 2026, might therefore be regarded as strategic for the Dutchman in light of the incoming new rules.

Fernando Alonso, perhaps first in line to replace Verstappen at Red Bull, said on Thursday that he thinks the realistic chance the Dutchman will give up his top seat for 2025 is zero .

It all depends on if I want to also drive next year or not, you know, Verstappen joked at Suzuka - a reference to Alonso's own explanation about his delayed decision about 2025.

But from my side, no, I'm very happy where I am, said the triple world champion. And, yeah, we want to keep it that way.

But even Adrian Newey, Red Bull's celebrated design mind, is currently being linked with Aston Martin - who will inherit Red Bull's works Honda engines from 2026.

I hope we can stay together, Verstappen is quoted by the Dutch publication Formule 1. "But if someone wants to leave, you cannot always stop that.

"I haven't talked to him about it and I don't know what's going on either - and I don't care. I don't feel like reading all about it.

It is other people's job to make the car fast, but I would like for him to stay obviously.

(GMM)
Hulkenberg admits top team move for 2025 unlikely

Nico Hulkenberg has played down his chances of leaping into a truly top car for 2025.

Nico Hulkenberg, Australian GP 2024

 Haas F1 Team / LAT

The 36-year-old German has impressed since returning to Formula 1 with the sport's smallest team - Haas - last year.

But with his contract now running out, Hulkenberg is being linked with a move to Audi-owned Sauber - especially given his established working relationship and friendship with Andreas Seidl from their Le Mans days at Porsche.

Sauber is clearly not already a top team, but it will be a full works outfit by 2026 with clear ambitions to eventually win races and titles.

Hulkenberg told DPA news agency at Suzuka: "There is very little hope for a top cockpit.

Hopefully in the next life, but I don't think that's where the journey will go now, he admitted.

It could be a hint that Hulkenberg actually intends to stay at Haas for a third season, especially as the team has made a clear step forward in 2024.

It feels like being in another world, said the German. We can race on Sundays.

Haas team owner Gene Haas ousted boss Gunther Steiner over the winter, and his replacement Ayao Komatsu is now hinting at a cash injection for 2025.

Gene promised more money to me if you prove you are using the money you have efficiently, the Japanese is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport in Japan.

It is up to us to give him the confidence that we are investing his money wisely.

In the meantime, Hulkenberg is lingering on the 2025 driver market for now.

It's not a distraction, he insists. "I've been through it all many times.

If it distracts you, it's bad for you and bad for the business. You have to be able to separate life on the track and conversations about the future.

The 'silly season' this year started ultra-early, and over a dozen current drivers are still unsigned for 2025. The balls are rolling in different places and there are a few interesting weeks ahead, Hulkenberg admits.

But I don't feel any reason to rush. The important thing is to stay focused.

(GMM)
Rivals plan awkward drivers' briefing for Alonso at Suzuka

Many of Fernando Alonso's rivals at Suzuka were planning an awkward official drivers' briefing for the two-time champion.

Fernando Alonso, Australian GP 2024

 Aston Martin Racing

George Russell says he bumped into the Spaniard in a coffee shop last week following their incident and his big crash in Melbourne - after stewards penalised Alonso for what many are calling a clear case of an illegal and dangerous move.

Did you brake test him there or not? Max Verstappen joked to Russell on Thursday.

Some drivers, however, sided with 42-year-old Alonso. What Fernando did was strange and extreme, said Lando Norris, but I don't think it even came close to being considered a brake test.

Alonso's friend and countryman Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, blamed Melbourne's Albert Park layout, insisting the amount of run-off at a 250kph bend needs to be reviewed .

Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, however, were much more scathing of Alonso's behaviour.

I believe Fernando crossed the line with his actions, Perez admitted.

Hulkenberg, meanwhile, said in the Suzuka paddock: "I wasn't that impressed by Fernando's manoeuvres. Some of his statements don't add up for me either.

But it was the wrong corner for games.

As for triple world champion Verstappen, he said simply: We'll discuss it in the drivers' briefing.

For his part, a typically defiant Alonso insisted the penalty won't change the way we drive or our approach to racing , and predicts the stewards won't impose a similar penalty in future.

There is no obligation to complete all 57 laps the same way, he charged.

Valtteri Bottas agrees: "To be honest, I was quite surprised by the punishment. If George hadn't ended up in the wall, there probably wouldn't have been anything.

It looked pretty dramatic, but I think we should always be able to choose the speed and the line. But it's a fine line, the Finn acknowledged.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, though, commented: "My opinion is that it is something we do as drivers. But not to that extent.

What Fernando did in Australia went too far and he had to be penalised.

Finally, Kevin Magnussen said: "I wasn't in either Alonso's or Russell's car, but to me it didn't look like it was just Alonso's fault.

The main thing we want is consistent penalties, but they seem to be a bit harsher this year. Yeah, I was a little surprised.

(GMM)
Samsung has long been rumored to come out with two Galaxy Z Fold6 models this year, with an announcement most likely taking place in early to mid-July. Rumors haven't yet agreed on whether we'll see a Fold6 and a Fold6 Ultra, or a Fold6 and a Fold6 FE, however, so that's still up in the air.

To complicate things further, now a new rumor out of China claims Samsung will launch both a Galaxy Z Fold FE and a Galaxy Z Flip FE. And it's also giving us dimensions and chipsets for both. Buckle up, for this could be a wild ride.

So, allegedly, the Galaxy Z Fold FE, when folded, will measure 155.1 x 67.1 x 14.2 mm, while the Z Flip FE, when unfolded, will measure 165.2 x 71.9 x 6.9 mm. The Flip FE will be powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, apparently, while the Fold FE will get a mix of Snapdragon and Exynos chipsets depending on market, with the latter claimed to be the yet-unreleased Exynos 2300 (although it could just be the Exynos 2200 too).



Samsung Galaxy Z Fold FE and Z Flip FE purported specs

RAM-wise, we're looking at 12GB and 16GB options for the Fold FE, and one sole 8GB version for the Flip FE. In terms of storage, both could get 256GB and 512GB options.

Now, we usually tell you to take such rumors with a healthy dose of skepticism, and for this one you may need an extra dose on top of that. It's not that any of this seems impossible, it's just that there have been so many rumors about Samsung's next foldables, and they have agreed on so little, that it's all rather confusing at this point.

For what it's worth, we have heard about two Z FEs coming before, but that was in August last year. A lot may have changed since. As always, we'll let you know when we find out more.

Source (in Chinese)
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, shared a post on her official X page that she made a phone call to President Ilham Aliyev today and discussed the development of European-Azerbaijani relations with the head of state.

According to Azernews, the post reads as follows:

In my call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today, we discussed the important EU-Azerbaijan relations, within a stable and prosperous South Caucasus.

We are ready to step up actions to support demining.

We also discussed how to make COP29 in Baku a success.

Recall that on April 4, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, made a phone call to Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

During the telephone conversation, the parties discussed the prospects for development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union, particularly highlighting such areas of cooperation as renewable energy, transportation connections, energy security and others.

During the conversation, they underscored the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the field of energy, signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union in 2022.
Murmansk (Russia), Apr 5 (UNI) The governor of Russia's Murmansk Region, Andrei Chibis, was hospitalised after a knife attack in the town of Apatity on Thursday, his press office told Sputnik.

"At the exit from a house of culture [an establishment for recreational activities], a man ran up to him and stabbed him. Now, he is hospitalised in Kirovsk, where he was taken from Apatity, he is currently in the operating room, undergoing surgery. The attacker was detained, all details are being clarified," the office said.

The governor was conscious at the time he was hospitalised after having been attacked, the office told Sputnik, adding that his wounds were not life-threatening.

The office also said that the attacker was apprehended by an officer of the Russian National Guard, Rosgvardia.

Rosgvardia's press office later confirmed that officers of Rosgvardia's special purposes mobile unit (OMON) fired service arms at the attacker and injured him. The attacker was apprehended and handed over to the Russian Internal Ministry, Rosgvardia said.

The head of the Russian Health Ministry's department in the Murmansk Region, Dmitry Panychev, said on Telegram that Chibis underwent abdominal surgery and was in serious but stable condition. The governor remains in intensive care under observation, Panychev added.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on Telegram that investigators are looking into the cause of the attack on the governor. The committee added that the governor and the attacker are receiving medical care at the moment. Investigators are working at the scene to identify and question eyewitnesses, the statement said.

A source in law enforcement agencies told Sputnik that the suspected attacker, a resident of Apatity, had previously been prosecuted for causing harm to health.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev sent a telegram to Chibis and wished him a speedy recovery and return to action, Medvedev's office said.

UNI/SPUTNIK AKS
Samsung started rolling out the update to One UI 6.1 for the Galaxy S23 family in late March, and since getting it, a lot of people have been complaining about touchscreen issues. Namely, the touchscreen on these devices sometimes doesn't register touch input properly, and one has to tap multiple times to get a touch registered.

Naturally, this is extremely annoying, and now Samsung has finally acknowledged the problem, but there's a twist. According to the Korean company, this is pretty much Google's fault, as apparently the issue is being caused by the Google app's Discover feed, which you can have appear to the left of your leftmost home screen.

Samsung says Google is aware of the problem and working to fix it for good. Until that happens, Samsung is offering a temporary solution to affected users: they should clear the Google app's data, and then restart their device. Once that's done, the touchscreen should register all touches properly.

To clear the Google app's data, you need to go to Settings > Apps > Google > Storage and tap on Clear data. This may require you to log into your Google account again after you do it.

Google is most likely to fix the issue through an update to the Google app, so make sure you have automatic updates enabled in the Play Store. If you're impatient, you can always manually update all apps through the Play Store by tapping on your profile icon, selecting Manage apps and device, and then tapping on the Update all button.

Source
The Guam Police Department on Friday said a wanted man who was arrested Thursday was in an intimate relationship with the 16-year-old girl who he helped run away from her foster home with her 9-month-old baby, who was later confirmed to be the mans child.

Shane Anthony Peredo Borja, 37, was charged on Friday in the Superior Court of Guam with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and theft of property as second-degree felonies and second-degree custodial interference as a third-degree felony, a magistrates complaint stated.

Police officers with the Criminal Investigation Division and the Special Operations Division conducted a follow up investigation of a beyond control complaint, according to a GPD press release.

The complaint involved a 16-year-old girl who ran away from her foster home with her baby.

Through multiple interviews, collection of evidence and with the help of the public, detectives confirmed Borja assisted the girl in running away with her 9-month-old baby, GPD said.

On Thursday, Borja was apprehended and the girl was taken into custody.

Borja admitted to being in an intimate relationship with the girl and providing her assistance to run away and evade police, the GPD release stated.

According to court documents, police responded to the girls foster home where her foster parents said she and her 9-month-old baby ran away with Borja.

On Thursday, police found Borja and the girl and baby.

Police interviewed Borja, who confirmed he orchestrated with the girl to evade authorities out of a desire to keep the baby out of control of Child Protective Services, the complaint states.

He told police he was in a relationship with the girl since she was 14 and the baby was his child, documents state. He told police they had sex numerous times and he knew her age, but indicated he loved her and wanted to be a family, the complaint states.

He told police that while theyre on the run, he stole a white Toyota Tacoma on Easter from Talofofo Falls and the truck was later recovered.

Borja told police that while they were on the run, they hid at different locations to include an abandoned house and secluded beach fronts, documents stated.

He was arrested on suspicion of:

Kidnapping

Custodial interference

Jurisdiction over an adult

First-degree criminal sexual conduct

Child abuse

Family violence

Theft of a motor vehicle

Borja had two outstanding warrants of arrest, GPD said.

He was booked and confined at the Department of Corrections.

The girl was taken into custody and was confined at the Department of Youth Affairs, the release stated.

GPD said the Guam Fire Department medic personnel assessed the 9-month-old baby and later released to the custody of Child Protective Services.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been spotted in the Big Easy, sporting fresh ink and rekindling old flings.

Blanchard recently announced her separation from Ryan Scott Anderson, with whom she tied the knot in 2022 while serving a prison sentence for the second-degree murder of her mother.

Blanchards separation decision comes three months after her release from prison in December 2023.

People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou, Blanchard wrote to People magazine on social media. I am learning to listen to my heart.

It appears her heart has been telling her to head to NOLA.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard and ex-fiance Ken Urker unveil their matching husky dog tattoos amid her separation https://t.co/B4yBjLz4l8 pic.twitter.com/ApxD9lHSJO  Page Six (@PageSix) April 4, 2024

This week, TMZ spotted Blanchard and her ex-fiance Ken Urker in New Orleans, sightseeing, snapping pics together in the French Quarter and even getting matching tattoos. Blanchard met Urker through a prison pen-pal program in 2018, but the pair split shortly after Urker proposed in 2019.

The exes took to TikTok live on Thursday, April 4, to show off their husky tattoos and clear the air regarding their reunification.

Shes not pregnant for everybody who keeps asking, Urker announced in the livestream. And we have not had any intimacy; were just hanging out.

According to TMZs sources, the pair were not seen canoodling while in New Orleans  but they did seem close.

Were told Gypsy/Ken didnt show any PDA while getting inked, but it would appear theyre together ... or at the very least, very friendly, wrote the gossip news site.

In January, Blanchard commented on her now estranged husbands Instagram post with some R-rated words of encouragement:

Ryan, dont listen to the haters. I love you, and you love me. We do not owe anyone anything. Our family is who matters. If you get likes and good comments great, if you get hate then whatever because THEY DONT MATTER. I love you besides they jealous because you are rocking my world every nightyeah I said it, the D is fire Happy wife happy life , she wrote.

It appears that fire is now extinguished, and an old flame may have taken its place.
Japan introduces exports ban on 164 types of goods to Russia

Tokyo, Apr 5 (UNI) Japan has banned exports of 164 types of goods to Russia, including motor oil, pipes for gas and oil pipelines and lithium-ion batteries, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday.

The ban includes motor oil, hydrogen chloride, aluminum hydroxide, nitrocellulose, pipes for gas and oil pipelines and rhenium in pieces, powder and as waste, the ministry said.

The ministry also expanded the list of non-precious metals banned for exports to Russia. Japan also banned exports of power tools, including grinding tools for processing wood, cork, hard rubber and plastic. The export ban also includes lithium-ion and nickel-hydrogen batteries, microtomes and thermostats, the ministry said.




Haiti - FLASH : The DHS does not currently intend to redesignate Haiti for TPS





Thursday, April 4th, 2024, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas advised Haitians to avoid traveling by sea illegally to the United States "Let me be clear that, when we interdict individuals from Haiti at sea, we return them to Haiti as quickly as possible. In fact, we have done so in recent weeks, and we will continue to do so. We continue to enforce the law."



Furthermore, Alejandro Mayorkasa declared that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had "[...] any plans at this time to redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status" which allowed Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States to live and work due to unsafe conditions in their country. Let's remember that the current TPS extension and designation ends on August 3rd, 2024.



"Our message to Haitians is quite clear: Do not take to the seas. We have seen too much tragedy when people imperil their lives, the lives of their loved ones," recalling "We have lawful, safe, and orderly pathways for individuals who qualify for relief in the United States to arrive here." More than 151,000 Haitians have been legally admitted to the United States under the two-year conditional program that the Biden administration launched in January 2023, without the we know what would happen to the immigration status of these people once the 2 years have passed...



Conditions and steps to follow for the Conditional Stay Program : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38566-haiti-flash-new-us-entry-program-for-haitian-migrants-conditions-and-steps-to-follow.html



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Humanitarian : OCHA allocated $12M in emergency funds to Haiti





Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has allocated $12 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help those affected by the ongoing violence that have erupted in the capital Port-au-Prince since February 29, 2024.



The funds will go towards providing food, water, protection, healthcare, and sanitation and hygiene support to displaced people and host communities in Port-au-Prince and the neighboring department of Artibonite, which has also been affected by the violence.



Meanwhile, OCHA says that the situation remains tense and volatile, with attacks on healthcare facilities aggravating the already dire situation. According to UNICEF, three out of four women and children lack access to essential public health and nutrition services in the metropolitan area.



The emergency response continues, on Wednesday April 3, the World Food Program (WFP) distributed 17,000 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince.



The International Organization for Migration distributed more than 70,000 liters of water to 6 displaced people sites across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Pakistani PM to visit Saudi Arabia

Islamabad, Apr 5 (UNI) Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to embark on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss issues of mutual interest, the Prime Minister's Office said on Friday.

Sharif's visit is at the invitation of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb and other members of the cabinet, the office said in a statement.

During the visit, the two sides will exchange views on matters of mutual interest and hold consultations on regional and global developments, the statement said, adding that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long-standing fraternal relations rooted in religious and cultural affinity.
New Delhi, April 5 (UNI) Just a day before the bail hearing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia in Delhi Court, the party released his letter on Friday, which conveyed a message that he will be with them soon.

"See you soon outside. Long live the education revolution, love you all. In the last one year, I miss everyone. I remembered everyone in the last one year, Sisodia said in his letter dated March 15 to people from his Patparganj Assembly constituency.

Everyone worked together with honesty. Just as everyone fought at the time of independence, similarly, we are fighting for good education and schools. The dream of independence had come true even after the British dictatorship. Similarly, one day every child will get a proper and good education, Sisodia said.

He referred to the Bharatiya Janata Party as akin to the British and alleged it of misusing central agencies to falsely imprison individuals.

The British were also very proud of their power; they also used to imprison people by making false accusations. The British kept Gandhi in prison for many years; they also put Nelson Mandela in jail, he said.

You all are my strength. To be a developed country, it is necessary to have good education and schools. I am happy that the education revolution has come to Delhi under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. Now it is relieving to hear the news about education in Punjab, he said.

He further thanked the people of his constituency for taking good care of his wife, Seema.

UNI PSP AKS
A woman in paint and leather jumps from a skyscraper across a busy street. Mercury flows up the arm of a startled Keanu Reeves. Grim-faced men in black suits smash concrete pillars with their bare fists. Green letters drip down the screen like rain. Kung-fu fights in slow motion. And: "Guns, lots of guns."

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The trailer for "The Matrix" lured viewers with spectacular images and ended with a promising sentence: "Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself." That is, of course, pure nonsense.

Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt Mit Ihrer Zustimmmung wird hier ein externes Video (Kaltura Inc.) geladen. Videos immer laden Video jetzt laden Original trailer for "The Matrix" from 1999 (Source: Warner Bros.)

25 years later, even people who have never seen the movie can explain what the Matrix is: The plot has seeped into pop culture as deeply as "Star Wars". The script cleverly mixes common paranoia fodder such as mass surveillance and the manipulation of public perception into a sinister sci-fi cocktail.

Traditional story, revolutionary effects

"The Matrix" follows a fairly familiar structure: A doubting young man meets an older mentor and learns supernatural skills to stand up to an overpowering opponent. This form of heroic epic was already old hat when "Star Wars" came out in 1977.

And yet "The Matrix" set new standards  both in terms of effects and plot. Back in 1999, "bullet time" was the effect which made the biggest splash: The camera circles around the actors with breathtaking speed as they fight each other in slow motion. Another unusual wrinkle was the combination of martial arts stunts with the use of firearms.

Many viewers were particularly fascinated by the idea that they themselves might be living in an illusory world. Variations of this idea can be found in Buddhism, Plato's Allegory of the Cave, and Descartes. "The Matrix" added a sci-fi twist: Not only does a wise child in the movie say, "There is no spoon." Outside the simulation, the only cutlery to be seen are sporks, a mixture of fork and spoon.

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Have a brief look at your kitchen drawer: Does this mean that we  you and me, perhaps even your cat  are living in an illusion? To this day, the question is a rewarding topic for feature articles, scientific papers, and stoner conversations.

(Incidentally, the fact that the Nokia 8110 cell phones featured in the movie have a spring-loaded snap mechanism speaks against the theory. In the real world, you have to push the 8110 open by hand; only the distinctly different looking 7110 snaps open as shown in the movie. Should this paragraph disappear, it was just a glitch in the matrix).

A bumpy road

The idea for "The Matrix" came to the Wachowskis after they had sold their first screenplay, "Assassins" (1995). What was supposed to be their first triumph turned out to be a bitter experience: The result diverged so far from the original script that they tried to have their names removed from the credits. To prevent a similar situation with "The Matrix", the Wachowskis insisted on directing it themselves  something the studio initially refused.

First, however, the Wachowski sisters wrote and shot the thriller "Bound" (1996), with a small cast and few effects. Matrix producer Joel Silver liked to say that the Wachowskis shot "Bound" to prove to film studio Warner Bros that they could also make "The Matrix". As a work sample, so to speak.

Lana Wachowski later denied this story. However, various people involved in "Bound" were carried over to "The Matrix", including cinematographer Bill Pope, composer Don Davis and actor Joe Pantoliano.

After the Wachowskis had created sophisticated designs and comprehensive storyboards with comic artists Geoff Darrow and Steve Skroce, Warner Bros finally gave the go-ahead. To get the most out of the tight 60 million US dollar budget, the majority of the film was shot in Sydney, Australia.
Helen , a leading energy company, has announced plans to construct Helsinki's first green hydrogen production plant in the Vuosaari area, marking a significant step in the company's strategy towards sustainable energy solutions. This pioneering project, known as the Helsinki Hydrogen Hub (3H2), aims to generate three megawatts of green hydrogen, primarily to fuel a new hydrogen refueling station designed for heavy transport vehicles, with additional capacity to supply hydrogen in containers to other customers.

Located near Helsinki's district heating network and the bustling Vuosaari harbor, the facility not only represents Helen's initial venture into hydrogen production but also sets a precedent for integrating renewable energy solutions into the city's infrastructure. The production process is uniquely efficient, with over 90% energy efficiency achieved by repurposing waste heat for the district heating network.

Sari Mannonen, Helen's Director of New Business and Hydrogen, expressed enthusiasm for the project, highlighting its innovative approach to bridging electricity, transportation, heating, and hydrogen sectors. The project, first of its kind globally, signifies a leap towards seamless energy system optimization across various markets, promoting flexibility within the energy system.

With an anticipated start of hydrogen production by 2026 and the refueling station opening in 2027, the project aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 3,700 tons annually, considering the displacement of fossil fuels in heavy transport and the utilization of waste heat in the district heating network. Financial backing includes an investment support of 8.25 million euros from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment for significant demonstration projects in new energy technology, with an additional 292,500 euros allocated for hydrogen storage and transfer containers from the Environmental Penny fund.

The green hydrogen at the 3H2 facility will be produced entirely from renewable energy sources, ensuring a carbon-neutral process. This initiative aligns with global efforts to reduce emissions from sectors challenging to electrify, like heavy transportation, by offering a sustainable alternative to fossil-fuel-based hydrogen production.

Helen's broader vision extends beyond the Vuosaari pilot plant, with plans for large-scale hydrogen production and exploratory studies for developing an industrial hydrogen valley in Uusimaa, in collaboration with Neste Oyj, Gasgrid Finland Oy, and Vantaan Energia Oy. Committed to achieving carbon-neutral energy production by 2030 and phasing out combustion by 2040, Helen is steadily transitioning towards a sustainable energy system, heavily reliant on wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear power, alongside increasing the use of sustainable bioenergy, waste, and environmental heat in heating production. Hydrogen is poised to play a crucial role in this sustainable energy ecosystem.

HT
Finnish Environment Minister Kai Mykkanen has voiced concerns over the European Union's overextension in its climate and forest management directives, advocating for a shift in focus towards a more balanced approach to agriculture and forestry in future Commission work. This critique comes in response to the political backlash against the current Commission's aggressive promotion of the Green Deal, suggesting a need for recalibration to better accommodate the realities of land and forestry management.

Minister Mykkanen highlighted the importance of adopting an industrial approach to carbon management that considers a broader array of climate policy tools. This change, he argues, would benefit Finland by allowing for a more nuanced view of climate policy measures than has previously been the case.

In defense of Finland's forestry interests, Mykkanen underscored ongoing advocacy efforts with Sweden aimed at influencing the next Commission's agenda. These efforts are particularly focused on climate goals for 2040, the quantification of land and forest-based carbon sinks, the development of industrial carbon sequestration, and the advancement of nuclear power technology.

Addressing the contentious issue of forest management and wood procurement, Mykkanen noted the absence of government intervention. Despite a shift in industry from fossil fuels to electricity-based processesexpected to significantly reduce emissions within three decadesFinland's net carbon sink from forests and land use has not met expectations, with net emissions fluctuating without significant progress.

The minister sought a middle-ground solution to integrate environmental responsibility into the market economy sensibly and to move away from polarizing forest debates. He pointed to factors such as the replacement of Russian timber imports and changes in calculation methods as reasons for the decrease in carbon sinks, emphasizing that Finnish forest owners have always managed their forests to the best of their knowledge.

EU regulations on forest restoration, deforestation, and biodiversity, according to Mykkanen, have been overly detailed and intrusive, undermining national sovereignty in forest management. He criticized the EU's regulatory approach as overly meticulous, exemplified by regulations affecting trivial aspects of agricultural building construction, which he views as irrelevant to the scale of Finland's forestry concerns.

Mykkanen called for a new attitude from the next Commission and Parliament, advocating for adherence to the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, with the EU focusing on broad directives and leaving detailed regulations to national discretion.

Regarding carbon sequestration, the minister stressed that Finland's forests could not be expected to offset emissions beyond its national commitments. He also mentioned discussions with EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, suggesting that penalizing Finland for any shortfall in its emission targets would pose more issues for the EU than for Finland itself.

The minister concluded that the collective impact of various forest-related initiatives has not been thoroughly assessed by the EU, leaving member states to evaluate these effects independently. This lack of comprehensive analysis complicates the integration of forest management into broader climate policy objectives, necessitating a focus on overarching principles rather than detailed regulatory mandates.

HT
Iranian FM rejects allegations of supplying missiles to Russia 13 Oct 2024 | 10:20 PM Tehran, Oct 13 (UNI) Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday denied allegations that his country has supplied ballistic missiles to Russia, emphasizing that Iran's military cooperation with Moscow predates the Ukraine conflict. see more..

Iraq rejects use of airspace for strikes on Iran, warns of conflict expansion 13 Oct 2024 | 10:14 PM Baghdad, Oct 13 (UNI) Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Sunday warned of the potential expansion of the Middle East conflict and rejected the use of Iraqi airspace for attacks on neighboring countries. see more..

Hezbollah says clashing with Israeli forces in 3 southern Lebanese villages 13 Oct 2024 | 10:01 PM Beirut, Oct 13 (UNI) Hezbollah said Sunday that it clashed with Israeli forces in three border villages in southern Lebanon. see more..

Iran bans all electronic communication devices on flights except cell phones 13 Oct 2024 | 6:59 PM Tehran, Oct 13 (UNI) Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced on Saturday a ban on electronic communication devices, such as pagers and walkie-talkies, from airplane cabins and checked luggage. see more..
Heli Koski , the research director at Etla Economic Research, described the decision as baffling in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat on Monday.

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT is intent on shutting down the research division on business subsidies, an independent research division established under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in 2019.

It seems that the government doesnt want to make use of research-based information in decision-making, an approach thats also reflected in the earlier decision to discontinue the governments analysis, assessment and research activities, she analysed.

Headed by Koski, the research division has been responsible for producing information on developing the business subsidy scheme, promoting the evaluation of subsidy effectiveness and increasing the utilisation of research in policy making. Its budget for last year was around 140,000 euros, while the government has annually coughed up over four billion euros in business subsidies, including tax benefits.

Helsingin Sanomat reminded that economists are relatively unanimous that many business subsidies are ineffective and detrimental. Typically they prop up existing business operations and distort competition, thereby complicating and slowing down innovation and operational reforms.

The need to monitor and investigate the effects of business subsidies hasnt disappeared. Funding for search and development has been increased by 280 million euros a year until 2024. Not all of it is business subsidies, but some is, said Koski.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, trade tensions between China and the US and the investments required by the climate crisis are all changes that should be examined carefully also from the viewpoint of business subsidies, she argued.

Investigating and monitoring the effects of business subsidies is very important so that we can use state funds effectively.

Shutting down the research division will require a decision in a plenary government session. Timo Jaatinen, a permanent secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, said the political decision was made by Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman (PS).

Its a political decision that was made due to spending cuts. Examining business subsidies is of course important, but today that work is done also by Etla and VATT Institute for Economic Research, Jaatinen said to Helsingin Sanomat.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
City fires preemptive strike as water war erupts again

City Council member Jeff Miller makes a point during Thursdays City Council meeting.

The Hendersonville City Council Thursday night launched a preemptive strike in the form of a letter to the countys legislative delegation in case Henderson County commissioners ask North Carolina legislators to introduce a local bill that would "potentially impact the city" and particularly its water and sewer system.

At the county commission meeting that they adopted the comp plan (on March 20) everything they said regarding growth they talked about the city, City Manager John Connet said. We got wind later on that they may attempt to reach out to our legislative delegation requesting local bills that would potentially impact the city.

We want our legislative delegation to know weve tried to work with the county," he continued. "All along, weve tried to deal with their concerns regarding growth and we thought we should tell our side of the story. The city continues to try to work with the county to resolve their concerns regarding growth and their concerns regarding our utility system  and it is our utility system. We tried to negotiate a joint governing board and that fell apart.

The letter council authorized unanimously Thursday will be sent to the three legislators who represent Henderson County voters.

We have worked very hard to ease those concerns the county and commissioners might have, Connet told the council.

Council members Jeff Miller and Jennifer Hensley told Connet they liked the letter before council took the vote. Mayor Prom Tem Lyndsey Simpson called the letter a long, long list.

After council voted in favor of sending the letter to Sen. Tim Moffitt and Reps. Jennifer Balkcom and Jake Johnson, Mayor Barbara Volk said all the council members will sign it.

Sewer plant drawn into the fray

At lunchtime during their March 20 meeting, county commissioners heard from County Engineer Marcus Jones that the county had just received a letter from the state Department of Environmental Quality asking for more information on its application to build a sewer plant on Clear Creek near Fruitland.

When Connet and council members heard second hand that they accused the city of doing something to block the Clear Creek permit, the city officials immediately called the county manager and commissioners.

Some of the city council members made it clear that the city has had no contact with the state regarding that permit and weve not directed anybody to have any contact with the state, he said. I can say that unequivocally. All weve said is we have a sewer line that you can connect to but if you want to build a sewer plant have at it.  We stand by our position that well take that sewer and treat it if they want us to. If they do run sewer out there they should have good land-use control.

Commissioner Bill Lapsley said he grew suspicious of the timing of the Division of Water Resources letter, which called for additional or revised information. The state environmental specialist said the county must either rerun a computer model on the proposed discharge of the Clear Creek plant or develop a revised estimate of the treatment plants cost if it were to be held to a higher standard for effluent into the creek.

If the DEQ had this concern about the level of treatment why didnt they say this two years ago? Lapsley said. They didnt think it was necessary. Now all of a sudden its necessary. My reaction was somebody is putting their thumb on the scale so to speak. I dont know who it is but its gotta be somebody educated enough that knew to raise this question.

County Manager John Mitchell described himself and the commissioners as frustrated with the DEQ and the surprise demand for new information.

What that letter telegraphs to me is that the issuing of the permit is still very much in doubt, he said. I would say that the commissioners have expressed frustration at the way the DEQ has handled the permit process in the last eight months. I've heard no county commissioner accuse the city of trying to manipulate the process and no one on my staff has done such a thing.

Both Mitchell and Lapsley described two other major factors in the new rift between the city and county: the citys policy requiring a user to become annexed into the city and the city councils actions allowing development on its outskirts that contribute to urban sprawl. Voters mistakenly blame the county, Lapsley said, for the construction on Clear Creek Road at I-26, U.S. 64 East, South Allen Road and Upward Road.

Were not the cause of the urban sprawl, Lapsley said. We do not have the tools control it. The city council has the tools to control it.

The impasse over the citys annexation policy casts doubt over any progress on joint governance of utilities.

The question that has always been before the group is about the city council's ability to use sewer for the purposes of extraterritorial annexation, Mitchell said. What occurred effectively at the March meeting is a recognition by the county commissioners that any additional extraterritorial annexation outside of the current city limits was unacceptable to them. When you use the power of water and sewer to change the zoning of a parcel to a higher density, it disregards the county's zoning of those properties.

Here is the entire letter city council endorsed Thursday to send to the county's legislative delegation:



Based on a recent Henderson County Board of Commissioners meeting, Hendersonville City Council feels that it is beneficial to provide our State Legislators additional context and background.

The city of Hendersonville has acted in good faith and tried to negotiate with Henderson County over the past twelve months to resolve the long-standing dispute over governance of the utility system and growth of the City of Hendersonville. In addition, the city has strived to cooperate with Henderson County over the last twenty-four years, as illustrated in the list below.

Executed the 2000 Contract of Purchase and Interlocal Cooperation and Settlement Agreement

Re-established the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee comprised of representatives across the utility service area (Henderson County, Mills River, Flat Rock, Fletcher, Laurel Park etc.)

Partnership with Henderson County, UNC Pardee, Wingate University and Blue Ridge Community College to construct the Health Sciences Center

Partnership with Henderson County and Housing Assistance Corporation to construct Apple Ridge Affordable Housing Development

Partnership with Housing Assistance Corporation to construct Oklawaha Affordable Housing Development

Partnership with Housing Assistance Corporation to construct infill affordable housing units

Inside water rates for all Henderson County Public Schools

Agreed to equalize inside/outside City water rates over a ten-year period (currently in 5th year)

Compensating rural fire departments for annexed properties. Lump sum payment for 5 years of lost tax revenue.

Adopted formal resolution ensuring that no water and sewer lines serving new development are extended without approval of respective governing boards.

Partnered with economic development agencies to extend public utilities to new industry:

School House Road, Mills River  AgHC

Ladson Road, Mills River  AgHC

Demmel / Elkamet  HCPED

Garrison Industrial Park  HCPED

The city also said it had:

Offered to purchase distressed Etowah Sewer Company. Henderson County objected and City of Hendersonville withdrew the offer to purchase.

Assumed responsibility of Laurel Park Water System in April 2021 and have since made significant investments in the system. Customers in Laurel Park immediately noticed a reduction in water rates and an improved level of service.

Obtained grants with help of Henderson County staff and installed public water lines to homes in the Academy Road area of Henderson County. Private wells were contaminated with pesticides.

Assisted with the relocation of public sewer line under Hendersonville High School

Partnered with Henderson County to extend sewer to Atkinson Elementary School

Worked with Henderson County to extend Jackson Park Interceptor Sewer eliminating a large pump station from the park.

And the city said it completed the following water pressure and fire flow improvement projects:

Etowah Water Improvement Project

Northside Water Improvement Project (Fletcher)

Hebron Pressure Zone Project (Laurel Park)

Water System Hydraulic Model development assists rural fire departments with improving ISO ratings.

Assistance of the provision of sewer to the Halfway Tree Mobile Home Park (Flat Rock) to resolve a public health/failing septic issue.

Replacement of Clear Creek Sewer Interceptor, which was installed to accommodate anticipated future growth in the Edneyville Community.

2023 Joint Water and Sewer Commission Proposal

Proposed an Urban Growth Boundary / Annexation Agreement

Eliminate ETJ

Limited annexation to new developments

Established a joint Water and Sewer Commission

Established a joint planning area around the City of Hendersonville

Included a land use map that limited high density development to the west side of I-26

Offered to assist with sewer provision in the Edneyville community

The City Council will continue to attempt to resolve this dispute at the local level with a balanced approach of protecting the interests of utility customers, Hendersonville residents and businesses while attempting to address the concerns of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners. We thank you for your consideration in this matter and request a formal meeting to discuss it further.






Kid City daycare could provide 150 slots

The Hendersonville City Council on Thursday night voted unanimously to authorize a rezoning request that will allow Kid City USA to open a child-care center in a 11,441-square-foot, one-story building on Ninth Avenue West that last housed a retirement home.



The former Blue Ridge Retirement Home has 21 rooms, 13 bathrooms, a cafeteria, a kitchen, a rec room and a playground. Kid City plans to add a second playground. The child-care center expects to be licensed for 200 slots and likely offer around 150.

I cant think of a better use for that property, council member Jennifer Hensely told a developer of the project shortly before council voted. Im happy you guys are doing this.

Hensley said more affordable childcare centers are needed in Hendersonville, while also mentioning the recent announcement that the Tomorrows Hope daycare in East Flat Rock is scheduled to close in 2025.

Mayor Pro Tem Lyndsey Simpson said she was also pleased the center plans to require one-way traffic flow for drop off and pick up times. The childcare center will be located two blocks from Hendersonville Elementary School and across Ninth Avenue from a Hendersonville Middle School, both of which see high traffic during dropoff and pickup times.

David Lee, who will be the centers landlord, told council he thought the childcare center will be a wonderful opportunity for parents who struggle to find affordable daycare for their children. A larger playground is planned for the property and the center intends to offer learning opportunities for the children who attend, he said.

They really do take seriously the opportunity to educate young minds, Lee said.

Kid City provides preschool and daycare for children in more than 100 locations across several states including North Carolina.

Lee said the veteran Kid City franchisee will operate a top-notch facility.






Washington, Apr 5 (UNI) The United States is very concerned about a potential full-scale war between Israel and Iran following an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said during an interview with Fox News.

"Yeah, we're very concerned," Kirby said on Thursday regarding Iranian threats of retaliation against Israel. "In fact, one of the things that the [Israeli] prime minister and the President [Joe Biden] talked about today was this very public, very real threat by Iran to the state of Israel."

UNI/SPUTNIK AKS
Gibraltar Enterprise Scheme applications reviewed by referral panel

Government has announced that all applications received for the Gibraltar Enterprise Scheme have now been reviewed by the schemes referral panel.

The panel is mainly comprised of representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses.

The Gibraltar Enterprise Scheme was announced in August 2023, with applications invited until early September 2023.

The Scheme involves the granting of a soft loan via local banks to start-ups and existing small businesses which have been in operation for less than three years. The loans will be fully guaranteed by HMGOG, and the participating banks are Trusted Novus Bank and the Gibraltar International Bank.

The panel met earlier this week and considered all ten applications. Applicants can expect to hear back from the Ministry for Business in the first week of April.

Moreover, at the request of the Ministry, going forward, the referral panel has agreed to meet within 30 days of the closure of an application process. This will ensure greater efficiency and turn-around time for all parties involved.

Finally, the Government says it expects to be in a position to invite further applications to the scheme later this year. A further announcement to that effect will be made at the appropriate time.


Friday April 5, 2024

By Faisal Ali





Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had made crafting a new constitution a key election pledge. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signs the amended chapters of the constitution. Photograph: @TheVillaSomalia | X

An overhaul of Somalias constitution, scrapping its power-sharing system and handing the president increased control, is threatening to destabilise the fragile country, as its wealthiest and most stable state refuses to recognise the changes.The amendments risk worsening violence, the information minister from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland has warned. Mohamud Aidid Dirir told the Guardian that almost a totally new constitution had been introduced without input from the states leaders. He accused the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, of using parliament to gather authority into his hands.Somali lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last weekend to adopt a slew of amendments to the constitution, which will reshape the political and electoral system and hand more power to the president. The parliamentary speaker, Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe, called the move historic.We are a fragile country still recovering from a civil war, which doesnt have stable politics. If power is concentrated in one persons hands, there is a risk we could go back to civil war. We have always warned that this could happen, said Dirir.[Hassan] has taken power from parliament, the prime minister isnt working. He is the foreign minister, the prime minister, the president, he is all the ministers. And now hes taking power from the states.Dirir claimed Puntland was stonewalled by central government when it tried to participate in consultations. He said the region would not recognise the changes.We are not declaring independence, but Puntland will stand alone until it is consulted.In a sign of escalating tensions, the Somali government on Thursday ordered the closure of Ethiopias consulate in Puntland in apparent retaliation for a visit by representatives of the semi-autonomous state to Addis Ababa this week. The government also expelled the Ethiopian ambassador, citing interference in Somalias internal affairs.Puntland, one of Somalias five federal states, was established as a separate self-governing entity in 1998, and is the countrys most powerful regional administration.Dirir said concentrating authority in Mogadishu threatens national unity. Our government is federal, which means powers are divided, he said.Somalias central government collapsed in 1991, plunging the country into civil war, made worse with the emergence of the jihadist group al-Shabaab in the mid-2000s. Millions of people have been displaced by fighting between militants and the army, and years of drought caused by failed rains. About 6.9 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.Afyare A Elmi, a research professor at the City University of Mogadishu, said Puntlands withdrawal from the federal system could further imperil the viability of a unified Somali state.If a large chunk of the country is missing in this process we are simply building a constitution for south-west Somalia.The other federal states, Jubbaland, South West state, Hirshabelle and Galmudug have yet to comment on the amendments. Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, said: Somalias recent constitutional development is an internal matter.The former presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Sharif Ahmed warned the changes would upset Somalias delicate power balance, while the former prime ministers Omar Sharmarke and Hassan Ali Khaire denounced the changes in an open letter also signed by the veteran MP Abdirahman Abdishakur.Somalias current constitution was introduced in 2012, but was intended to be a provisional document and has long been under review. Crafting a new constitution was one of President Mohamuds key election pledges in 2022. Last month he said further delays were not an option. We are not a provisional government, but we have a provisional constitution, he added.Afyare Elmi said the 2012 constitution was based upon a political settlement with broad input from Somalis. It had four key elements: federalism, clan power-sharing, regular elections and a spirit of inclusiveness to build consensus. What the government is doing now is moving away from this settlement, he said.Omar Mahmoud, an east Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group, wrote that there are fundamental issues about the nature of the federal model that must be sorted out between Mogadishu and Garowe [Puntlands capital] in order for Somalias governance system to function more effectively and get over the hump of recurrent on-and-off relations.But without the sides talking, it is impossible to get there, allowing the status quo to continue indefinitely.
In a momentous event held amidst the opulence of the illustrious 7-star Hotel Burj Al Arab in Dubai on March 18, 2024, Global Educational Venture (GEV) and SVIET formalized an agreement poised to redefine educational paradigms across North India while signing up an agreement to establish world famous King's College UK in Gurugram, North India. The signing ceremony, steeped in significance, marked the commencement of a profound partnership.

Among the distinguished attendees were luminaries such as Michael Sloan, the erudite headmaster of King's College based in the UK, alongside Mr. Justin Chippandale, stalwart Director of International Schools King's College Based in UK, and Simon Worthy, a visionary overseeing Administration and Finance of King's College based in the UK all of whom traversed continents to grace the event.

Adding to the virtual presence was Linda Nash, the esteemed Chair of Governors, King's College based in the UK, underscoring the global importance of this occasion.

At the heart of the ceremony lay the official signing of the agreement, orchestrated with solemnity, and promise by Richard Biggs, the accomplished CEO of GEV, and the astute Managing Trustee of SVIET, the trusted partner entrusted with the establishment of the new King's College in Gurugram. The auspicious moment was witnessed by an august gathering comprising members from King's College, sagacious trustees, distinguished governing body members of GEV, and esteemed representatives from SVIET.

In his inaugural address, Richard Biggs, a luminary in the educational sphere and former Headmaster of King's College based in UK, extended profound felicitations to all stakeholders, underscoring GEV's unwavering commitment to support this transformative endeavor. Dr. Thorston Brandt, a discerning governor at GEV hailing from Germany, elucidated the exacting selection process that led to the discerning choice of SVIET amidst a plethora of applicants, ensuring the highest standards for King's College in Gurugram.

Amidst the jubilant ambiance, Dr. Zoltan Fodor, an erudite board governor from Hungary, imparted heartfelt congratulations, while expounding upon the educational philosophy that would serve as the lodestar for their collective journey ahead.

Michelle Schneider, Member, Board of Governors, Kings College UK, Gurugram

Expressing heartfelt gratitude, Michelle Schneider, the discerning board of governor of Kings College UK Gurugram, extended appreciation to all stakeholders for their invaluable support and guidance, pledging to uphold the illustrious legacy and uncompromising standards of King's College in India.

Another member from the board of the upcoming King's College UK in Gurugram, Dirk Leidinger discussed the vision of the school and shared his plans for maintaining the standards, ethos and values as expected for being a King's College School.

This groundbreaking alliance between GEV and SVIET to establish King's College UK in Gurugram, North India heralds a new era in educational excellence, promising to illuminate the path to enlightenment for students in Gurugram and beyond, echoing the ethos and values that define King's College worldwide.

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.
REVE Chat, a Singapore-based venture, is going to showcase its AI-powered customer engagement platform at the upcoming Conversational AI & Customer Experience Summit 2024. The event will be held in Bengaluru, India, 18th & 19th April 2024.

Conversational AI & Customer Experience Summit is a premier event designed for professionals seeking to explore the convergence of conversational AI and its transformative impact on customer experience (CX). The summit will be attended by all the top market players and key CX decision-makers from different industries including BFSI, EdTech, E-commerce, large enterprises, and others.

REVE Chat will showcase its hybrid AI-powered chatbot featuring large language model as well as its efficient training module. The platform will also exhibit its winning features like co-browsing, screen sharing, and smooth handover of chatbots to human agents

M. Rezaul Hassan, The CEO of REVE Chat, expressed his enthusiasm about participating in the upcoming industry event. "We are thrilled to be a part of this gathering, which brings together key decision-makers from India's as well as different regions leading enterprises. We are going to showcase REVE Chats AI-powered Chatbot solution bundled with our winning Live Chat platform. We will demonstrate how it changes the way enterprises communicate with their customers on a wide variety of sales channels.

REVE Chat has already been trusted by leading brands worldwide including Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait; Bank of Scotia, Colombia; The National Institute of Transparency of Mexican Government, the Worlds one of the largest network equipment-making companies - Legrand, France, PublicGold, Malaysia; Canadian Hearing Institute, Canada; leading EdTech company - iNeuron, India and 10 Minute School, Bangladesh; worlds 3rd largest MFS - bKash, Bangladesh; Guardian Life Insurance, Bangladesh; and many more.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
The International Monetary Fund responded to recent remarks of Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Director at the IMF about India's growth figures saying that it does not represent the views of the IMF. Krishnamurthy Subramanian made the comments as India's representative at the global body, the IMF said. A participant stands near a logo of IMF at the International Monetary Fund - World Bank annual meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.(Reuters)

"The views conveyed ...by Mr. Subramanian were in his role as India's representative at the IMF," Julie Kozack, IMF spokesperson, said responding to a question on recent remarks by Krishnamurthy Subramanian. He projected a growth rate of 8 per cent for India- different from the last growth rate projections by the IMF.

What Krishnamurthy Subramanian said on India's growth?

The Indian economy could grow at 8 per cent till 2047, he said and this is possible if the country redoubles good policies that it has implemented over the last 10 years. He said, So, the basic idea is that with the kind of growth that India has registered in the last 10 years, if we can redouble the good policies that we have implemented over the last 10 years and accelerate the reforms, then India can grow at 8 per cent from here on till 2047.

What IMF spokesperson said on Krishnamurthy Subramanian's remarks?

IMF spokesperson clarified, "We do have an Executive Board. That Executive Board is made up of executive directors who are representatives of countries or groups of countries, and they make up the Executive Board of the IMF. And that's distinct, of course, from the work of the IMF staff."

"But our growth projections as of January were for medium term growth of 6.5 per cent, and that was a slight upward revision relative to October. Again, we will be presenting the latest forecast in just a couple of weeks," the spokesperson said.
Vistara expects operations to normalise by May amid flight disruptions which were mainly caused by a stretched roster for pilots, the airline's CEO Vinod Kannan said as per news agency PTI. He also said that concerns which were raised by the pilots have been taken into consideration and are being reviewed by the airline. Vistara Flight Disruptions: A Vistara passenger aircraft lands at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India. The airline, which operates more than 300 flights daily, has cut 20-25 daily flights, Vistara CEO said.(Reuters)

"It might be a reduced schedule... we are back to normal as far as the flights that are operating... the need to cancel flights at short notice will not happen after this weekend," he said after the airline cancelled several flights earlier this week due to the non-availability of pilots. The carrier cancelled more than 125 flights over three days from April 1, it was reported.

When will Vistara flights' disruptions end?

The need to cancel flights at short notice will not happen after this weekend, he said as the buffer situation in terms of pilots is stabilising and there is no cause for concern about last-minute flight cancellations.

"From Monday, whatever flights are in the system, they should be operating," he said assuring travellers that flights will not be cancelled.

Although the airline, which operates more than 300 flights daily, has cut 20-25 daily flights, he said.

"We are now working on the schedule for May, and we will try and optimise it to come to usual kind of operations... (we) expect normal operations (by May)," he said, adding, On behalf of all the 6,500 staff, we are very sorry for what happened. We all stand ready to bring the situation back to normal and it is happening quite fast.

Vistara's apology to customers

CEO Vinod Kannan said, I don't think there is an apology to the pilots but customers of course... It is a question of more being aware about what their feedback is, we are reviewing their concerns and will discuss it. We have been reaching out to all customers (affected), apologise for the disruptions.

The airline will continue to have discussions with pilots to address their concerns, he said, adding, From a rostering perspective, we have stretched the rosters for pilots quite significantly... it means that when there were disruptions like...bird strikes, engineering issues, there was not enough buffer or resilience which we can call on.

"Therefore, this caused the whole roster to go haywire... that is the main reason (for flight disruptions)," the Vistara chief asserted.

Did new contracts for pilots cause the crisis? Vistara chief's response

On new contracts for pilots, the Vistara boss said that this was not the main critical reason for the flight disruptions. He said, To be fair to my pilots, we had to call pilots on short notice, pilots on standby, off, and many of them actually rallied, and we could operate some of these flights. Otherwise, the situation would have been even worse... we did receive a lot of support from the pilots.
Estranged BJP MLA S T Somashekar on Friday allegedly held a meeting of his supporters to back the Congress candidate for the 2024 polls from Bangalore North Lok Sabha segment M V Rajeev Gowda, eliciting sharp reactions from the saffron party. Karnataka BJP MLA ST Somasekhar.

Also Read - Key leaders HD Kumaraswamy, CN Manjunath, Tejasvi Surya rush to file nominations in Karnataka

Rajeev Gowda, Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and other Congress leaders are seen in the pictures of the purported meeting held by the MLA in the city, which was telecast by some news channels. The MLA from Yeshwanthpur in the city had voted in favour of Congress citing "conscience", during the polls to four seats of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka on February 27, which had caused embarrassment to the BJP.

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is the BJP candidate from Bangalore North and Somashekar had recently expressed his displeasure about the choice. Claiming that he has been insulted by the BJP and its candidate, as "they don't want him", Somashekar said his supporters and people have asked him to cooperate with those who help for the development of the constituency. BJP reacted strongly to Somashekar's move to hold the meeting.

"S T Somashekar has kept his foot outside the BJP. He has also voted against the party in the Rajya Sabha polls. So this question does not arise at all. He cannot be called our party legislator now," senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka told reporters, when asked about the meeting with Congress leaders. When asked why the party is not expelling him, he said, "the state (unit) has no powers to expel an MLA, only central leaders have the powers. Let the election be over, the central leaders will decide what they have to do."

State BJP President B Y Vijayendra said, "'Vinash Kale Viprit Buddhi'...We (party) will see about it in the days to come. He has committed the biggest mistake in his political life and he will pay for it." Somashekar has already been issued a notice by the party for violating the whip in the recent Rajya Sabha polls, to which he has given a 170-page reply.

Speaking to reporters about the meeting, Somashekar said, "I had called a meeting of all those who are close to me in the constituency and have given them the information regarding the developments so far...The Lok Sabha candidate has been announced, the candidate has come to my constituency seven to eight times, till now she has neither approached me nor sought my support. When not asked, what should I do?" Stating that he has spoken to all concerned in the constituency and none have opposed him, he said, "My self esteem has been hurt....They have asked me to cooperate with those who help the constituency." Asked about the possibility of BJP serving him another notice, Somashekar said, "Let them give whatever they want, let them do whatever they want."

On whether he will officially join the Congress, he said, "Why should I join? There is no necessity for me to join." "The BJP doesn't want me. The BJP candidate didn't approach me, what should I do? I have been insulted. Should we welcome someone, who was told -- go back, go back -- in Udupi-Chikmagalur," he added.

Karandlaje currently represents Udupi-Chikmagalur candidate, and there was a 'Shobha go back' campaign against her in the segment, which is said to be one among the primary reasons for her being shifted to Bangalore North. Somashekhar was earlier in the Congress. He was among 17 Congress-JD(S) legislators, who had quit from their parties, which ultimately led to the collapse of the then H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in July, 2019. He had subsequently won the bypoll on BJP ticket and served as Minister in the previous government headed by the party.
Educational Initiatives, Library and Gallery tours

The Development Unit at Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) has hosted just under a thousand students in the past few weeks through various educational events and initiatives.

Students from nine different schools and organisations have taken part in tours of the City Hall, the National Art Gallery and the John Mackintosh Hall Library as well as discovering Gibraltars Street Art. Each tour is tailored to the offering and age group and, where possible, streamlined further in line with the groups interests and what is being studied at school.

In addition to the tours, International Author Miles Slater also hosted virtual workshops for year 9 students from Westside School, with a focus on journalism. The session really got students thinking about the world around them and making news more tangible. Yoto Carnegie 2023 Prize winning Welsh author, Manon Steffan Ros, also visited Westside and Bayside students to talk about her writing inspirations, her bilingualism and what the prize had meant to her. The author was in Gibraltar as part of the Rock Retreat / Octopus House residency which is supported by Cultural Services.

GCS also celebrated World Book Day at the John Mackintosh Hall, focusing on the author David Walliams. The day saw over 300 students from four different schools visiting to participate in art and drama workshops as well as storytelling. The workshops were carried out by young professionals, creating another avenue for developing skills within culture and the arts. The afternoon saw the Hall open to the public for a sold-out interactive story session with GAMPA.

The interest and enthusiasm from the schools when promoting books, literature and Gibraltars art and heritage is infectious and the team continuously aims to stimulate young minds and support the work being done in educational establishments. GCS look forward to hosting more events in the early summer.
Mandya's independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh has announced she would join the BJP on Friday. Sumalatha Ambareesh said she would not contest the coming Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)

The actor-turned-politician had won the 2019 general elections with the support of the BJP, defeating former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowdas grandson and H D Kumaraswamys son Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

ALSO READ | Former CM Kumaraswamy, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya file nominations for LS polls

Sumalatha said on Wednesday she would not contest the coming Lok Sabha elections and would join the BJP.

In a post on X on Thursday, she said she had declared that she would support the BJP for the development of Mandya and also to see Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister again.

ALSO READ | MP Sumalatha to join BJP, wont contest Lok Sabha polls

Accordingly, I am officially joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of BJP leaders on Friday April 5, 2024 at 11.30 am at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Bengaluru, she said.

ALSO READ | Karnataka's Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh to join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year. As part of the seat-sharing arrangement in Karnataka, the BJP would contest in 25 constituencies and the JDS the remaining three, including Mandya, from where former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has entered the fray.
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, who is contesting as a rebel candidate against BJP's B Y Raghavendra from Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, on Thursday claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not meet him as he found it difficult to respond to questions raised by him. Former Karnataka minister and rebel leader from the BJP, KS Eshwarappa. (HT PHOTO.)

Eshwarappa, a senior BJP leader, said he went to Delhi as Shah had summoned him but the meeting could not happen.

READ | Shah asks Eshwarappa to withdraw candidature, rebel BJP leader says not changing mind

"I went to Delhi as I was summoned. If I had not gone there then they would have called me arrogant. I could not meet Amit Shah. I think the meeting did not happen because I had asked him certain questions, which he found difficult to answer," the former BJP state president claimed.

Eshwarappa has entered the electoral fray in Shivamogga constituency as an independent, against Raghavendra, son of BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa.

Explaining, he alleged Shah did not allow the meeting to happen.

READ | Even if PM Modi comes and tries to: Karnataka BJP leader K S Eshwarappa

"I went to his office where I was told not to meet him. It is good for me. What would I have done if he had asked me to withdraw even after narrating the story of injustices?" Eshwarappa wondered.

The veteran BJP leader said Shah must have thought that whatever he was doing was justified as he was fighting for justice.

"He only had called me to Delhi and did not meet me," he claimed. Further, the 75-year old leader alleged, "in Karnataka, Congress culture has crept into BJP where Yediyurappa's family politics is prevailing."

READ | BJP leader Eshwarappa skips PM's rally in embarrassment to party ahead of LS polls

Sources close to Eshwarappa said he wanted a ticket for his son K E Kantesh from Haveri constituency, which did not happen.

This upset him and he blamed Yediyurappa for the same. Hence, he decided to fight the election against Yediyurappa's elder son Raghavendra.
An internal inquiry by the army into the deaths of three civilians allegedly during interrogation in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district in December last year is learnt to have indicated some procedural lapses, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Three civilians had died in an army camp near Poonch in December 2023 (Representative Photo)

The army ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths following allegations that the civilians died in its custody.

The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21.

ALSO READ- Section 144 imposed in Leh ahead of Sonam Wangchuks Pashmina march

The civilians, aged between 27 and 42, were found dead on December 22.

The probe indicated some procedural lapses on the part of a few personnel, the people cited above said, without elaborating.

ALSO READ- Amit Shah attacks Jawaharlal Nehru, claims blunder in Jammu and Kashmir

When asked about the probe, the army said the proceedings relating to the alleged incident are still in progress.

The Indian Army is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry to ascertain the facts surrounding this incident, it said.

All efforts are in place to ensure that the investigations are fair, comprehensive and conclusive. Further actions will be taken based on the outcome of the investigations and finalisation of the proceedings, it said.

ALSO READ- J&K: Mirwaiz put under house arrest, Friday prayers not allowed at Jamia Masjid

The army said it is committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline, conduct and ethics, in accordance with the law, besides maintaining zero tolerance towards any human rights violations.

Our protocols and procedures are designed to ensure that all personnel adhere to these principles, even under the most challenging operational conditions, it said.

Following the deaths, the relatives of the deceased and political leaders alleged that they died due to custodial torture as they were among the eight people picked up by the Army for questioning.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police had also launched an investigation into the deaths.
The administration in Ladakh on Friday decided to impose Section 144 in Leh district ahead of the proposed Pashmina March towards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Sunday in support of the Sixth schedule and statehood. The protest, Pashmina March, has been organized by activist Sonam Wangchuk to garner support for his demand of inclusion in the sixth schedule and statehood for the Union territory. (ANI)

The police also ordered for temporary suspension and downing of speed of the mobile data service in Leh.

Social activist Sonam Wangchuk has called for a march on April 7, which is expected to attract a large crowd. The apex body of Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance, along with Wangchuk, have been holding fasts and agitation demanding Sixth schedule and statehood for the UT. The body held several rounds of talks with central government, which remained inconclusive.

ALSO READ- Amit Shah attacks Jawaharlal Nehru, claims blunder in Jammu and Kashmir

In an order, Leh district magistrate Santosh Sukhdeva that he had got reliable inputs of apprehension of breach of peace and public tranquillity in the district from senior superintendent of police of Leh and wanted it immediately prevented.

Exercising the powers vested in him under Section 144 of the CrPC, 1973, the DM said, There shall be no procession, rally, march etc. taken out by anyone without the prior approval from the Leh district magistrate, in writing. No one should use vehicles mounted or other loudspeakers without prior approval from the competent authority.

The order said no public gathering without the prior approval of the competent authority shall be allowed and no one shall make any statements, which have potential to disturb the communal harmony, public tranquillity and which may lead to law and order problems in the district.

The order said action will be taken against violators.All the persons shall ensure that they follow the model code of conduct and that all the activities are according to the law. Any violation of the order shall invite punitive action under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code, the order said.

ALSO READ- J&K: Mirwaiz put under house arrest, Friday prayers not allowed at Jamia Masjid

On Thursday, Wangchuk wrote on X: Women end 10 days fast, youth to take over to facilitate the transition I along with leaders of Apex Body will sit on fast from tomorrow. Well end the fast after the Pashmina March on 7th April. Were told supporters, leaders n journalists are coming from different parts of the country to participate in this peaceful march to our pasturelands on the borders.

ALSO READ- Poonch civilian deaths: Armys internal probe points at procedural lapses

After the imposition of Section 144, Wangchuk said he is confused on this order. Peaceful Ladakh is very confused! After 31 days of extremely peaceful prayers & fasts... Suddenly peace initiatives of the administration sounds more dangerous than anything ! Peace at any cost!!?, he wrote on X.

Bharat Solanki, AICC J&K in-charge, said this has exposed grave situation in Ladakh.

Ahead of the Pashmina march on April 7 to expose the grave situation in #Ladakh, the UT administration at the behest of the BJP has ordered to curb mobile data so that the truth cannot be reached to the people of India. Yet another proof of BJPs disdain for #Ladakh and its people, he wrote on X.
RUDRAPUR: Police officers investigating the murder of Nanakmatta Gurdwara Dera Kar Seva chief Baba Tarsem Singh murder are looking into the economic and property angle behind the case, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Udham Singh Nagar: Armed bike-borne assailants who shot dead the dera chief of the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara Baba Tarsem Singh, in Udham Singh Nagar district on March 28 (PTI/VIDEO GRAB*)

We have been exploring the economic and property angle behind the case. In our investigation so far, we have got significant leads that these could be possible reasons for the murder, a plice officer said.

The special investigation team (SIT) on Thursday announced the arrest of four suspects, identified as Dilbagh Singh, Amandeep Singh alias Kala, Harminder alias Pindi and Balkar Singh. The two men who pulled the trigger are on the run.

Rudrapur superintendent of police ( SP City) Manoj Katyal said Dilbagh Singh, who was arrested on Thursday, was being treated as the main conspirator in the case but it was possible that others were also involved.

Before and after the murder, the shooters met him at his house. He gave them money for the murder. Amandeep Singh alias Kala was a local aide to shooters while they were staying in the gurdwaras sarai from March 19 to March 27. He used to spy on Baba Tarsem Singh and informed the shooters about his daily routine. Just before the murder, he (Amandeep) gave lead to the shooters at 6.12 am that Baba Tarsem Singh was sitting alone. Harminder alias Pindi and Balkar Singh were also involved in hatching the conspiracy of the murder in different ways, Katyal said.

Katyal added that Dilbagh Singh and one of the two shooters Sarbjit Singh came across each other in a jail in UP. They have known each other since 2014. The two shooters have been facing several cases, including those of serious nature like the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, and attempted murder. Sarbjit Singh is facing 13 cases, while Amarjeet Singh has five cases against him, he added.

On Thursday, SSP Manjunath TC said Dilbagh and his companions contracted Sarbjit and Amarjeet to kill Baba Tarsem Singh for 10 lakh.

Asked if the SIT had found anything against the three persons named in the FIR including retired IAS officer Harvansh Singh Chugh, Katyal said the three had enmity with Baba Tarsem Singh but the SIT was yet to come across evidence of their involvement in the murder.

They had enmity against Baba Tarsem Singh over different reasons, including supremacy. But that doesnt mean they are the killers. We have been investigating their roles. If we find anything concrete against them which links to the murder, we will call them for questioning, a senior police officer said.
The Gurugram police on Thursday claimed to have busted an illegal kidney transplant racket involving people from Bangladesh who were allegedly lured by through advertisements on Facebook, officers aware of the matter said. The Bangladeshi donors told the police that they were contacted by a middleman from the gang and they immediately agreed to sell their kidneys as they were in dire need of money. (Representational Image)

Alok Mittal, additional director general of police (CID), Haryana, a joint raid by a team of the chief ministers flying squad, district health department and the Gurugram police busted a gang that was allegedly involved in illegal organ trade.

Police said the donors and recipients both have been identified as Bangladeshis, who were taken to Jaipur for the surgeries in two private hospitals there. Officers associated with the probe said that both the donors and recipients were first brought to Gurugam Sector 39 and put up in guest houses arranged by the members of the racket. They were then taken to Jaipur for kidney surgeries, the officers said.

Arjun Dev, station house officer of Sadar police station, said when they reached the guest house, they found two donors and three recipients in different rooms. Based on the information provided by the five, the mastermind of the gang has been identified as Mohammed Murtaza Ansari, of village Karge in Ranchi, Jharkhand, the SHO said.

Ansari had placed advertisements on social media platforms and had connections in Bangladesh who used to facilitate the deal between the donor and recipients. Ansari used to provide forged documents for medical visas, and passports to both sides, he said.

The five people who were found in the guest house have not been arrested, Dev said.

Ansari is absconding. Once he is arrested, we will get all the details regarding the modus operandi and operations of the gang, he said.

The donors on the other hand told police that they were contacted by a middleman of the gang and they immediately agreed to sell the kidney as they were in dire need of money.

Dev said that the suspects had managed to pass off the donors as close relatives of the organ recipients, after making their fake profiles and ID cards. We are verifying all the documents and will recover from the hospital as well to check the case they presented before the hospital. The gang members used to give advertisements for organ donation on social media platforms and that is how they got in touch with their donors and were running the operations in India, he said.

Organ donation is only legal between living relatives, resulting in a chronic shortage of kidneys for transplant. However, the lucrative black market has emerged to address this gap, drawing in a constant flow of desperate buyers and equally impoverished donors, said police.

Dr. Pawan Chaudhary, deputy civil surgeon of Gurugram complained to police on Thursday and was part of the raiding team. He said the raid was conducted in Sector 39 for the purpose of verification of a secret complaint received that a nexus of organ transplant is run by Ansari.

When the raiding team reached the guest house, the guest house owner was found present and he disclosed that five of the guests are currently staying who are from Bangladesh and he suspects that they are patients who are staying here and were brought by one middleman identified as Ansari. During questioning of the guests, all natives of Bangladesh, it was revealed that they are donors and recipients of the Kidney who were treated at a prominent hospital of Jaipur. The donor and the recipient are not in blood relation to each other. When donor and recipient were enquired about the no objection certificate or any permission from the authority, neither the donor nor the recipients, could produce any such document, he said.
New Delhi, The National Capital Region Transport Corporation on Friday said the construction of the Regional Rapid Transit System viaduct in the Delhi section is likely to be completed by April-end. HT Image

Track-laying activities, along with electric traction and signalling work, are underway in the New Ashok Nagar-Sahibabad section, officials said here.

The Delhi section is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year, paving the way for trial runs between Delhi and Sahibabad, they said.

The NCRTC officials said the construction of the RRTS viaduct in the Delhi section was nearing completion.

"Less than 500 metres of the viaduct in the Delhi section is now left for construction, which is scheduled for completion by the end of this month. The Delhi section is about 14 kilometres long which consists of about nine kilometres of elevated section and five km of underground section," an official said.

Construction of more than eight kilometres of viaduct has already been completed in addition to the entire underground section of about five kilometres. The three mainline RRTS stations of Sarai Kale Khan, New Ashok Nagar and Anand Vihar have already taken shape and finishing works are currently in progress, the officials said.

Once the Delhi section is complete, movement of passengers can be established from Sarai Kale Khan to the currently operational Sahibabad-Modi Nagar North section and beyond, they added.

"The RRTS network consists of a five-km-long underground section in Delhi. To connect the Anand Vihar underground station with the New Ashok Nagar RRTS station in the Delhi direction and Sahibabad RRTS station in the Ghaziabad direction, four tunnels have been meticulously constructed.

"The diameter of the RRTS tunnels is 6.5 metres which is highly optimised as compared to global benchmarks of tunnels for a similar design speed of 180 kmph with wider and higher rolling stock," the official stated.

Multi-modal integration is one of the primary focus areas of RRTS implementation. It aligns with the Prime Minister's Gatishakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity, they said.

By facilitating seamless connectivity between various modes of transportation, such as bus stands, airports, metro stations, and railway stations, the RRTS aims to provide convenient and hassle-free travel experiences, along with enhancing last-mile connectivity for passengers within the NCR. This integration strategy is being implemented across the 82-kilometer-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor wherever feasible, they stated.

The Sarai Kale Khan station is designed for seamless integration with adjacent transport modes, such as Veer Haqiqat Rai ISBT, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, and Delhi Metro Pink Line, they said.

Special features include four tracks and six platforms at the same level at the station. A 280-metre foot overbridge with six travelators is being constructed to connect the RRTS station to the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, the officials said.

The New Ashok Nagar RRTS station is connected with the Ashok Nagar Metro station with a 90-metre-long FOB. Two more FOBs are under construction to improve accessibility, they said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday moved an application seeking initiation of trial against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan for not complying with the summons by the central agency in a money laundering case registered in connection with the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of staff and leasing of properties for the Delhi Waqf Board. AAP MLA from Okhla Amanatullah Khan. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

ALSO READ- Arvind Kejriwal seeks more time with lawyer; ED opposes 'special treatment'

According to ED, Khan has not complied with summons issued to him for questioning on January 23, January 31, February 9, February 19, February 26, and March 4.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra listed the matter for hearing on April 6.

The complaint has been moved by the agency under sections 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) read with section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 63(4) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for not complying with the summons issued to him under section 50 of the PMLA, which grants power to the agency to issue summons.

Section 190 of the CrPC empowers a court to take cognizance of the complaint filed before it and issue summons to the person against whom the complaint has been filed.

ALSO READ- Sanjay Singh claims senior BJP leaders conspired to put Arvind Kejriwal behind bars

While section 63(4) of PMLA entails that a person who intentionally disobeys the directions issued by the agency under section 50 PMLA shall be prosecuted under section 174 IPC, with imprisonment extending up to one month or with fine which may extend to Rs. 500 or both.

ED initiated the probe based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case registered in 2016, accusing Khan of illegally appointing various people to the Delhi Waqf Board against non-sanctioned and non-existent vacancies, which caused financial loss to the Delhi government and illegal gains to himself. He was also alleged to have illegally leased out properties of the Waqf Board.

ALSO READ- Akhilesh to visit Mukhtars ancestral residence on April 7

Subsequently, the ED also pressed money laundering charges against Khan. According to the federal agency, the AAP leader laundered his illegal gains by purchasing immovable properties through his associates.

Khan had earlier approached a Delhi Court seeking anticipatory bail, however, the plea was dismissed on March 1. He later moved an anticipatory bail before the Delhi High Court and it was dismissed on March 11.
KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into allegations of corruption, violence and misuse of university campuses for political purposes, a statement by Raj Bhavan said on Friday triggering sharp criticism by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) which said Bose had set a bad precedent. Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose during an interaction with the media in connection with the arrest of TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, the prime accused in Sandeshkhali case, at Governor house, in Kolkata, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) (PTI02_29_2024_000028A) (PTI)

The enquiry will be headed by a one-man commission headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court, the Raj Bhavan statement on Friday said.

The inquiry comes against the backdrop of Bengal education minister Bratya Basu addressing the state conference of West Bengal College and University Professors Union (WBCUPA) University of Gour Banga in Malda on March 30. Two Lok Sabha candidates fielded by the TMC  Prasun Banerjee in Malda North and Shahnawaz Ali Raihan in Malda south - were present at the meeting along with other district leaders of the party.

Bengal education minister Bratya Basu questioned Boses powers to order a judicial probe and indicated that he hadnt seen a formal order on the topic.

It is interesting to note that Chancellor and Governor has ordered a judicial enquiry into corruption, violence and misuse of University campuses in West Bengal for electioneering and political purposes. Now, as we all know that the government is not run through virtual social media like X handle, Facebook  the order of this enquiry should reach the Government as well as the media. One more interesting thing is that the Chancellor and Governor has ordered the enquiry. Now the question is that can the Chancellor exercise the powers which the Governor can? Confusion reigns supreme, Basu wrote on hi X handle.

Bengal assembly speaker Biman Banerjee said the governor couldnt interfere. I think the Governor has set a bad precedent by doing this. I am not sure if there has been any similar incident in any university across the country. He could have restrained himself. If the model code of conduct was violated, the Election Commission of India is there to look into it and take appropriate steps. The governor cant interfere into it, Banerjee said.

Senior advocate and former Kolkata mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said the governor had exceeded his jurisdiction. I have not see the order of the Raj Bavan. But apparently it is beyond the jurisdiction of the governor. He can order a departmental, administrative enquiry or internal probe in an university. But I dont think he can order a judicial enquiry, said Bhattacharya, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader said.

The fresh controversy comes a day after Raj Bhavan claimed that Bose has directed the Mamata Banerjee government to remove Bratya Basu from the council of ministers for holding a political meeting in a university campus in violation of the model code of conduct enforced by the Election Commission.
Kolkata: The crimes that took place at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district were local incidents, and the state government has acted by arresting the accused persons, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee said on Friday during a campaign rally at Alipurduar in North Bengal. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (File Photo)

In North Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrested seven of the eight local Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 30 of the 54 assembly seats in 2021 from the ruling party.

At Sandeshkhali, some incidents took place at a local level. Police have arrested all the accused. The land over which there were problems has been returned by us (to the people). Nobody died in Sandeshkhali. It is not Nandigram or Singur, the West Bengal chief minister said a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about alleged sexual assaults on women in Sandeshkhali while addressing voters in north Cooch Behar.

Modi had targeted Banerjee saying that the entire country saw how the Trinamool Congress-led government threw its weight to save the culprits of the Sandeshkhali incident.

Only BJP can stop atrocities against women. The nation has seen how the TMC government used its full power to shield the guilty at Sandehskhali. BJP has vowed to punish them. They will spend the rest of their lives in prison. So, it is necessary to vote for the Lotus symbol, Modi said on Thursday in Cooch Behar while campaigning for the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP has fielded Rekha Patra from Basirhat, a resident of Sandeshkhali who first raised the voice of atrocities against women.

Sandeshkhali assembly segment is a part of the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency. The TMC has fielded Haji Nurul Islam, who won the Lok Sabha seat in 2009.

Sandeshkhali was on the boil since February this year after farmers alleged that TMC leaders grabbed a few thousand acres of their land to run saltwater fisheries. Meanehile, several women had accused TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates of sexually abusing them on multiple occasions.

Following the incident, Shahjahan was suspended from the party. He was arrested by the West Bengal police on February 29 two months after he remained absconding. He is currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate.

Countering Modis remarks on crimes against women at Sandeshkhali, Banerjee cited other major cases that have involved members of Modis BJP such as the Hathras incident in Uttar Pradesh and wrestler Sakshi Maliks allegation of rape against former Wrestling Federation of India president and cabinet minister Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh.

Suddenly you have become pious. What have you got to say on the gang rape of Bilkis Bano? How was a woman raped and set on fire at Hathras? Why did Sakshi Malik return her Padma Shri award? If I can arrest Shahjahan why cant your government arrest your minister? How many times have Narendra Modi visited Hathras? Banerjee said.

The chief minister also focused on corruption to counter similar charges Modi raised a day before.

Is Lalit Modi not corrupt? Is Nirav Modi not corrupt? Are your leaders not corrupt? One becomes immune when he is in the BJP. Courts wont touch him, Banerjee said.

Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi are among those businessmen who left India over the past few years after being declared loan defaulters by banks.

Also Read: Even if 1% is true: Calcutta HC pulls up West Bengal govt on Sandeshkhali violence

BJP Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya said that Banerjee cannot shield those who tormented women at Sandeshkhali for years.

Also, her claims of returning land to the farmers are not correct. Not all the land has been returned. And the ones returned have lost their character because the soil has turned into salt pits. These are unfit for farming, he claimed.

Banerjee further targeted former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay who resigned recently, three years before retirement, to contest as BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Tamluk in East Midnapore.

As a judge, Gangopadhyay ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe several cases filed against TMC leaders, including the bribe-for-job scam, Banerjee alleged, adding that he cancelled the appointments of a few hundred school employees who paid bribes after failing selection tests.

You took away jobs from so many people. Now people will make you jobless, Banerjee said.

The former judge shot back saying, The chief minister is hiding the truth. She appointed people who were unfit to get those jobs. Hence, their appointments were cancelled and those who were eligible were appointed in their place, said Gangopadhyay.
Care Agency marks 10th anniversary of Waterport Day Centre and calls for more volunteers

This week marked the 10th Anniversary of the Waterport Day Centre which originally opened its doors on 2nd of April 2014.

Initially, the centre was open to its service users 4 days a week, however due to demand the centre increased to 5 days a week in 2018. This has meant that the centre is now able to cater for approximately 125 service users on a weekly basis. The Day Centre continues to provide support to our elderly citizens who require social support and stimulation.

The Day Centre, based in Waterport Terraces, is easily accessible and is designed to ensure ease of access for those people with a range of mobility needs. Those attending enjoy sessions such as senior chair-based exercises, yoga, games, bingo, and craft sessions. Mayfair Hair Care by Mayfair on Main provide a hairdressing service at the Day Centre and a Podiatrist clinic has also been introduced for those who are unable to access these services. The Day Centre also host outings such as visiting Commonwealth Park and exhibitions at the John Macintosh Hall.

Over the years, the Day Centre has held many successful Annual Summer Verbenas and Christmas Parties which are thoroughly enjoyed by all who attend.

There has been intergenerational work undertaken with nearby nurseries whereby children have visited in Halloween costumes, providing fun-filled experiences. More recently, there has been further interagency collaboration with the Department of Education. Lower and Upper Primary schools have visited the Day Centre and pupils of St Joseph Upper Primary School have embarked on a meaningful educational journey with our service users discussing the history behind the Evacuation of Gibraltarian Citizens during World War II.

On many occasions the centre has been able to enjoy the lovely performance of the Sequence Ballroom Dance here at the centre, offering service users the opportunity to watch some of the beauty behind ballroom dancing and taking a trip down memory lane by watching some of the most popular dances.

Throughout the last 10 years the Day Centre has been privileged to work with and support so many different charities, which is acknowledged through celebratory tea parties. The Day Centre staff can also often be found supporting events such as the Alzheimers & Dementia Awareness Day, Mental Health Week, and the Christmas Convent Fair.

The Care Agency and Day Centre staff would also like to extend their sincerest gratitude to all volunteers who contribute their free time and kindness in supporting all the service users. The time and patience they dedicate to the service users does not go unnoticed and is really appreciated.

The Care Agency is now taking this opportunity to call on anyone interested in becoming a volunteer to contact 20066939 or 20078525.
letters@htlive.com Hizbul militant Mohammed Altaf Bhat (Sourced)

LUCKNOW: The UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) confirmed the arrest of a trained militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, a Pakistan national, and a Kashmiri resident while attempting to sneak into Indian territory near the Sonauli border in East Uttar Pradeshs Maharajganj district on Wednesday, according to senior ATS officials.

They said they were trying to sneak into India from porous border at Sheikh Farenda village in Nepal when security personnel and immigration officials guarding the border spotted them and took them in custody. Security and vigilance have been intensified on the India-Nepal porous border following upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the country, they said.

The officials said that security personnel alerted the ATS, following which the trio was brought to the ATS headquarters in Lucknow. They were subsequently arrested under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Foreigners Act, and IPC sections related to fraud, use of forged documents, and using them as genuine documents. An FIR was lodged at the ATS police station in Lucknow regarding the matter.

In a press note shared with the media, a senior ATS official informed that the three accused were identified as Mohammed Altaf Bhat, a resident of Rawalpindi in Pakistan; Sayyed Gajnafar, a resident of Jamia Ali Murtaza Mosque in Islamabad; and Nasir Ali, a resident of Srinagar. The official said that Bhat, who was born in Jammu and Kashmir, was a trained militant who shifted his base to Pakistan after the Kargil war in 1999 to join the Muzaffarabad camp of Hizbul Mujahideen.

The official said that Bhat remained in the camp for several years and was recently asked by a handler from Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to return to his native place in Kashmir and await further commands. He added that Bhat was attempting to enter India with the assistance of another Kashmiri resident, Nasir Ali, who served as an overground worker for the ISI within India. The official said that Ali also took along his maternal uncle, Sayyed Gajnafar intending to avoid suspicion by security agencies even if intercepted during the process.
Bhopal: The returning officer in Madhya Pradeshs Panna on Friday cancelled the nomination of only Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Meera Yadav from Khajuraho, officials said. (Representative Photo)

Panna district collector and returning officer Suresh Kumar confirmed the development on Friday afternoon, saying an official statement will soon follow.

Yadavs husband Deep Narayan Yadav levelled allegations of conspiracy against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It is a conspiracy by the BJP, but we will move to the high court and Supreme Court. INDIA bloc will surely contest the election by supporting an independent candidate, he said.

The nomination has been cancelled due to two reasons  missing signature from a page and submitting an old voter list with the form. On Thursday, the officers did not inform us about the mistake during scrutiny. According to the rules, the candidate should be given a chance to rectify the mistake, but here the officers directly informed us about the rejection, he added.

Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party is part of the national opposition alliance INDIA bloc. Khajuraho was the only constituency in Madhya Pradesh where the Samajwadi party was contesting as part of a seat-sharing pact with the Congress.

Madhya Pradesh has 29 Lok Sabha seats, and Congress is contesting 28.

BJP sitting MP VD Sharma, who has been fielded from Khajuraho, said the rejection of the nomination is a result of confusion among leaders of the INDIA bloc.

He said that Meeras candidature was announced at the last moment, resulting in a mistake in the nomination form, leading to the cancellation of the nomination.

Yadav is a former SP MLA from Niwadi. She has been contesting the assembly election since 2008. She has lost the past three terms consecutively.

Madhya Pradesh will vote in four phases on April 19, April 26, May 7 and May 13. The ruling BJP hopes to repeat its 2023 assembly election success against the Congress in which it won 163 out of 230 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 27 out of 29 seats in MP.

(With inputs from Anupam Pateriya)
Gurugram: Three people were booked for allegedly beating their relative to death during a liquor party at the latters home at Rampura Chowk in Sector-79, after his wife refused to cook more chapattis for one of the guests, police said on Friday. Later, the Rajasthan police got an autopsy done and registered a zero-FIR for murder against the trio and sent it to the Gurugram police for further action. (Representational Image)

The incident took place on the night of March 24, when three relatives of the 27-year-old victim, Sonu Bagaria, reached his home for dinner and alcohol. The matter came to light on Thursday night when the Gurugram police received a zero-FIR from the Kekri police in Rajasthan that was registered under sections 34 (common intention) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at the Kherki Daula police station.

Investigators said during the dinner party, Sonus wife Padma, 24, was continuously cooking chapattis for the four people for nearly an hour and was exhausted. Her household stock of flour was also low.

But, one of the three relatives Ramkrishna Bagaria asked her to prepare more chapatis and she finally refused.

A senior police officer said that Ramkrishna and the others did not react for an hour, after which a fight broke out between Sonu and the trio on the issue.

They badly assaulted Sonu with sticks, bricks and heavy utensils and fled after leaving him unconscious and bleeding. All four were completely drunk at the time, he said.

Investigators said Padma immediately called her family members and rushed Sonu to a private hospital in Manesar. However, doctors refused to treat him citing his intoxicated condition.

On the night of Holi, Sonus family reached Manesar from Kekri after arranging a van to take him for treatment to Rajasthan but he died on the way.

Later, the Rajasthan police got an autopsy done and registered a zero-FIR for murder against the trio and sent it to the Gurugram police for further action.

Inspector Bijender Singh, station house officer of Kherki Daula police station, said the trio were on the run but would be arrested soon. All four were drunk and the murder was the fallout of an argument over chapattis, he said.
There is good news for air travellers from Sangam City and nearby districts. Two new flights will start from Prayagraj airport in May which will provide air connectivity to three cities, Prayagraj airport officials said. Prayagraj Airport (HT FIle Photo)

Akasa Air has been given flight approval by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for flights to Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, they said.

Currently, there is one direct flight of Indigo each from Prayagraj to Bengaluru and Mumbai. Also, Indigo and Alliance Air both operate a flight each from Prayagraj to Delhi. While Indigo operates its flights daily, Alliance Air operates only thrice a week.

Akasa Air is all set to start flights from Prayagraj for the very first time.

As per the tentative schedule so far, the flight will come from Bengaluru to Prayagraj and from here go to Delhi. Likewise, from Delhi it will return to Prayagraj and from here fly to Bengaluru.

Currently, the proposal to run the flight seven days a week has been approved, but the status will be clear after the formal timetable is announced. Its operation will start from May 1, officials said.

Meanwhile, the flight from Mumbai will ferry passengers between the financial capital and Sangam City. Its operation will start from May 20, they added. The timetable of both flights will be released this week. This will provide great convenience to the passengers and expectedly the fare could also get reduced.

Before Mahakumbh-2025, there is a plan to get flights started from Prayagraj to 23 cities, and these new flights are being viewed as a step in that very direction, officials added.

We are moving ahead with the preparations for Mahakumbh-2025. We will try our best to operate the maximum number of aircraft for the benefit of the passengers. The process of allotment of ticket counters and space for Akasa Air at Prayagraj airport is going on, said Rajesh Kumar, acting director, Prayagraj Airport.
The Yogi government has stepped up preparations for holding Mahakumbh-2025 in Prayagraj on a grand scale. These include setting up new power stations, laying new electricity lines, and upgrading roads and water facilities. For representation only (HT FIle Photo)

As per the plans of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, every work is being closely monitored at the government level, reflecting the governments commitment to excellence in execution, a state government spokesperson said.

The Prayagraj Mahakumbh begins with the spectacular Shobha Yatra in which different Akharas or Hindu monastic orders participate. The Akharas procession enters the city from different routes. However, in the past, electric poles used to cause a lot of inconvenience to Akhara members due to which efforts are being made to remove them, said Pramod Kumar Singh, chief engineer, Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited.

The electric poles are being removed from all the routes of Peshwai after the ministry of defence granted permission for this. The laying of underground cables on the parade ground of the Kumbh area and its surrounding areas has also gained momentum. Similarly, underground cables are being laid from IIIT-Allahabad intersection to the Prayagraj airport.

In view of Mahakumbh-2025, the administration aims to complete all work by October, so that any deficiencies can be rectified on time. Accordingly, permanent electricity works are being implemented in the city, said the state government spokesman.

Under this, two power stations of 132 KV each are being built in Hetapatti and Beli areas of the city. Hetapatti power station has already become operational while work is underway on the Beli station. Apart from this, 94 distribution transformers have also been installed, he added.
Gurugram: A two-year-old boy drowned after falling into an open manhole in Sector-84 of the city on Wednesday, police said. A two-year-old boy drowned after falling into an open manhole in Sector-84 of the city on Wednesday, police said. (Representational Image)

Investigators said that the incident took place at 5.00pm when the boy called Pradeep Kumar was playing in front of a tea stall run by his father Bhagat Kumar in Sihi Sikanderpur.

According to the police, the lid of the manhole near the shop was missing and the child fell into it and drowned. They said, nobody spotted him falling into the manhole and the matter came to light after nearly 15-20 minutes.

The boys father started looking for him and raised an alarm after being unable to find him. Later, they checked the manhole with the help of some other residents and found that he had drowned.

Investigators said the boy was rushed to Sector-10A government hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The family belongs to Surkhet, Nepal and had been living in Sector-84 for the last six years.

The boys father alleged that his son died due to negligence of the workers responsible for maintaining the manhole.

Had the lid been in place, my son would not have fallen into it. Action must be taken against those who were responsible for handling the manhole, he said.

Inspector Satyawan Kumar, station house officer of Sector-37 police station, said that on Thursday the deceased boys father submitted a complaint against unidentified persons responsible for maintaining the manhole.

On the basis of the complaint, we registered an FIR under Sections 283 (danger or obstruction in public) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.

The SHO said that notices will be served to authorities of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to ascertain who was responsible for upkeep of the manhole. Once we receive a reply, necessary action against responsible employees will be taken, he said.

Meanwhile, a GMDA official said that the authority will carry out an internal enquiry too on the incident, he added.
Education is the passport to the future, and the annual CBSE board exams serve as the checkpoint in this transformative journey. CBSE Class 12 School children are waiting outside a school.(Arvind Yadav/HT photo)

When we turn the pages of the academic calendar, the examination results become more than just numbers; they embody the resilience, aspirations, and dreams of millions of students.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams are a critical milestone in the academic journey of millions of students in India. With the trends observed in the 2023 CBSE board exam results, it becomes crucial to analyze the patterns and anticipate what the future may hold.

CBSE Board Exam Result Trends of 2023

Overall Pass Percentage:

The 2023 CBSE board exam results showcased a notable trend in the overall pass percentage. Despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, the pass percentage witnessed a steady rise compared to previous years.

This resilience demonstrated by students is a testament to their adaptability and determination to excel under unprecedented circumstances.

Toppers' Performances:

The toppers of the 2023 CBSE board exams set new benchmarks for excellence. Toppers across streams - Science, Commerce, and Humanities - demonstrated a holistic approach to learning, showcasing a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Subject-wise Performance:

Analysing subject-wise performance is crucial to understanding the strengths and challenges faced by students. The 2023 results highlighted varying degrees of performance across subjects, emphasizing the need for targeted support and resources in specific areas.

Subjects like Mathematics and Science continued to be focal points, while Humanities subjects gained recognition for their growing significance.

Expectations for CBSE Board Exam Results in 2024

Adaptability in Evaluation Methods:

With the ongoing evolution in education and assessment methods, there is an expectation for CBSE to continue adapting its evaluation methods.

The integration of technology, online assessments, and a more application-oriented approach might become more prominent, offering students a platform to showcase their skills beyond rote memorisation.

Emphasis on Skill-based Evaluation:

The academic landscape is witnessing a shift towards skill- based education. Expectations for 2024 include a continued emphasis on evaluating students not just on their theoretical knowledge but also on their practical application of concepts.

This shift aligns with the contemporary needs of the job market and promotes a more holistic approach to education.

Equitable Evaluation Amidst Diverse Learning Scenarios:

The global pandemic has accelerated the adoption of diverse learning scenarios, including online education and hybrid models. CBSE is expected to address the challenges posed by these diverse learning environments and ensure that the evaluation system remains equitable for students across varied educational backgrounds.

Enhanced Support for Humanities Subjects:

Humanities subjects, often overshadowed by the focus on Science and Commerce, are gaining recognition for their role in fostering critical thinking and analytical skills.

Expectations for 2024 include enhanced support and resources for students pursuing Humanities, acknowledging the importance of a well-rounded education.

Mental Health Support:

The journey through board exams can be mentally taxing for students.

Considering the heightened awareness around mental health, there is an expectation for CBSE to continue prioritizing and enhancing mental health support systems. This includes providing resources for stress management, counselling services, and creating an overall supportive environment for students.

Transparent Communication:

Clear and transparent communication from CBSE regarding examination patterns, evaluation criteria, and any changes in the syllabus is crucial for students to prepare effectively. Expectations for 2024 include continued open communication, and helping students and educators stay informed and adequately prepared.

As stated in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), reduction of curriculum content should make space for holistic learning experience. As the curtains fall on our exploration of CBSE board exam result trends, we are reminded of the immortal words of Nelson Mandela: 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.'

When we look back on the trends observed in the 2023 CBSE board exam results and set our sights on 2024, it is evident that the landscape of education is evolving. The expectations outlined for the upcoming exams emphasise a need for adaptability, equity, and a holistic approach to evaluation.

The CBSE board plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of millions of students, and by aligning with contemporary educational needs, it can contribute significantly to the overall development and success of the next generation.

(Authored by Mamta Wadhwa, Director Principal, Manav Rachna International School, Sector 14, Faridabad, Views are personal)
In an official notification to the candidates, the commission said the examination results would be declared in the next five to eight weeks.

The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) is expected to release the Group 2 result soon on the official website of the commission at psc.ap.gov.in. The APPSC Group 2 preliminary screening test was conducted on February 25 in a single shift from 10:30 am to 1 pm. In an official notification to the candidates, the commission said the examination results would be declared in the next five to eight weeks. ...Read More

The APPSC group 2 exam answer key was issued on February 26 and objections to the preliminary key were invited between February 27 and 29.

A total of 897 vacancies are expected to be filled through the APPSC Group 2 recruitment drive. The examination took place at 1327 venues in 24 districts of the state.

A total of 4,83,525 candidates registered for the examination, out of which 4,63,517 downloaded the hall tickets, and 4,04,037 appeared for the examination. The overall attendance in the examination stood at 87.17 percent.

When the APPSC Group 2 Result is out, candidates can find the direct link to check and download the results. Follow LIVE updates here:
Preity Zinta came to support her team, Punjab Kings (PBKS), against Gujarat Titans (GT) in an IPL match on Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. The actor posed with Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan after her team won. Videos and pictures of them posing together are being widely shared on social media. The actor also posed with deadly duo Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. Also read: Fans want a Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta reunion after their IPL appearances Preity Zinta with Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill on Thursday.

Preity Zinta smile big as PKBS wins

PBKS owner, Preity Zinta, cheered for her team on Thursday and after the match, she went to the ground to meet the players from both teams. A picture showed the actor alongside the captains of the teams, Shikhar Dhawan (PBKS) and Shubman Gill (GT). The actor wore a red, white and black top with black pants for the match.

The actor also shared a photo with Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, tweeting on Friday, When the going gets tough, the tough get going (clap emojis). Post match selfie with the deadly duo Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. Absolutely love the way they dominated the game in a thrilling run chase. Wow!!!

Latest project

On the work front, Preity will be seen sharing screen space with Sunny Deol in director Rajkumar Santoshi's film Lahore 1947. It is produced under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions. This project marks the collaboration of Sunny, Rajkumar, and Aamir Khan.

The film also marks the reunion of Preity and Sunny after a long time. The duo has earlier featured together in a couple of films such as The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, and Farz, among others.

"After a long time, Preity Zinta is again playing a very important role for the silver screen with Lahore 1947. She is indeed an extremely talented, finest, and most natural actress in our industry. Whichever character she plays she totally invests herself in it and makes the audience feel that she is made for that character. Interestingly, the audience will see her again with Sunny Deol. This on-screen pair has always been immensely loved by the audience. Above all, this film script demands a pair that is as accurate as Sunny and Preity," Rajkumar Santoshi recently said in a statement about the film.

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Actor Shah Rukh Khan has a huge fan following not only in India but across the world. He is loved and admired by the common man as well as celebrities. To honour him and his work, several wax statues have been dedicated to the actor globally. (Also Read | Shah Rukh Khans wax statue debuts at Madame Tussauds Delhi as fans flock for selfies) Shah Rukh Khan's wax statues in Dubai and Prague.

Fans share pics of Shah Rukh's wax statues

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), a fan account shared a thread of photos of the actor's wax statues in India and other countries such as the US, UK, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Thailand, Singapore and Australia. His statue has also been made in Delhi, Asansol and Kolkata. The caption read, "Wax statue of #ShahRukhKhan in various countries."

What the statues wear, their expressions

The wax statues of Shah Rukh in Paris, Washington DC, Singapore, New York, Berlin, and Hong Kong have been dressed in white or black shirts, black jackets and trousers. The actor's statue in Bangkok is seen doing the actor's iconic pose dressed in a black and golden sherwani.

Shah Rukh's statue in Prague, which barely resembles the actor, is seen in a white T-shirt under a brown jacket and denims. The actor's wax statue in London was dressed in a checkered shirt and pants. The actor's statue in Sydney has been given his DDLJ look--red checkered shirt, white pants and black leather jacket.

Shah Rukh's statue in Delhi is seen in a traditional outfit--blue sherwani. The statue of the actor in New York was dressed in a white and red sherwani. His statue in Dubai, which looks very similar to the actor's face, has been dressed in a black and silver sherwani and pants. While most of the statues pose with arms folded, a few of them have been made with his signature pose--arms wide open on the sides.

Shah Rukh's last film

Shah Rukh was recently seen Dunki alongside Boman Irani, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Vikram Kochhar, and Anil Grover. The film received mixed reviews from the audience and critics. Dunki focuses on the issue of immigration. He has still not announced his next project.

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Jerry Saltz at Vulture:

In the year 286, Emperor Diocletian began to formalize a division of the Roman Empire into two parts. The Western Roman Empire would go on to become something of a decaying backwater, while the eastern half of the empire  known by historians as the Byzantine Empire  flourished for another thousand years and more. It was never utopia. It was centered on an estuary, where commerce, philosophy, and art flowed into the capital, Constantinople. At times, the Byzantine Empire grew to include areas of present-day Italy, Syria, Tunisia, Spain, and beyond. It died in 1453, when Constantinoples gigantic guarding walls were breached by the Ottomans.

To walk the remains of these walls today is a humbling reminder of how powerful this empire was. Since then, Byzantium has become a repository of romantic dreams, particularly for those who look at history and its cultural riches through a Western-centric lens. For many in the art world, Byzantium remains what Yeats called an artifice of eternity  a dream of civilization that was lost.

more here.
Angelina Jolie's legal team has filed new court documents accusing Brad Pitt of a disturbing pattern of abuse. The Hollywood actor, who recently won a legal battle in the War of the Roses, is now facing fresh allegations of physical abuse towards Jolie. These allegations came to light shortly after the actor's latest move following a court ruling over French vineyard he co-owned with Jolie. Brad Pitt sues ex-wife Angelina Jolie.(AFP)

Angelina Jolie's lawyers detail Brad Pitt's pre-2016 abuse

After being handed the latest victory in Chateau Miraval estate case, it was earlier reported that Pitt's legal team is trying to take Jolie to court for not giving him the 'first refusal' as per their agreement. On the other hand, Jolie's legal team has alleged that Pitt prevented her from selling her share of the winery until she signed an 'onerous' and 'expansive' Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which she was unwilling to sign.

Also read: Kanye West flashed nude photos of female friend to employees after face-timing: Lawsuit claims

While Pitts history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the familys September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him.

It has been revealed in court documents that Brad Pitt was reportedly abusive towards Angelina Jolie before the infamous 2016 plane incident which involved their children, and Jolie filed for a divorce shortly thereafter. New claims suggest Pitt allegedly proposed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to Jolie that would prevent her from speaking about any personal misconduct by Pitt.

Jolie tries to distract from legal losses

Although a direct response from either Pitt or his legal side has not been made yet, a source close to the Moneyball actor told page six, that Jolie continually tries to distract from legal losses by offering irrelevant or inaccurate information in court filings.

Also read: Conjoined twin Abby Hensel's husband faces paternity suit by another woman, years after marriage

According to Jolies lawyers, Pitt wanted her to sign a non-disclosure agreement after learning in 2021 that Jolie had submitted sealed documents to help settle their child custody battle. The report further claims, that Pitt agreed to purchase Jolies shares in a French winery after learning about the sealed documents but later changed his mind because he feared that the sealed documents might become public as per the ent outlet.

Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolies interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA, the attorney of Jolie told PageSix in a statement. They continued, By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family.
Dev Patel, who is making his directorial debut with Monkey Man, has been receiving positive reactions for the film ever since its premiere at SXSW. The film recently had its LA premiere, where many stars shared their reaction after watching the film. One of them is YouTuber and television host Lilly Singh, who called the movie the best action film she has ever seen. (Also read: Dev Patel reveals this Shah Rukh Khan film had a deep influence on him: I watched it when I was really young) Dev Patel attends the premiere of Monkey Man in Los Angeles, California. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni(REUTERS)

What Lilly said

Lilly was speaking with Variety at the premiere of Monkey Man in LA, where she said: Okay let me tell me how this needs to be sold! I am not just saying this because I am here, and I am not saying this because I am a fan of Dev. I am saying this objectively as someone who watched it at South by Southwest at the premiere. I knew nothing about the film, had no idea what to expect. And I said this to Dev after I watched the film: Best action movie Ive ever seen!' If you think you have seen action sequences that were creative, this movie says, Hold my beer! Because it is so creative. To think that this is his directorial debut is wild.

On her Instagram she further wrote: A big W for the culture. Dont walk, RUN to the theatres tomorrow to see #MonkeyMan. Dev Patel is brilliant as an actor (we been knew) but to think this is also his directorial debut is mind-blowing. Hands down, one of best action movies Ive ever seen. Not only are Desis doing the thing, but were supporting each other doing the thing. That part.

Cast member Sobhita Dhulipala, who makes her Hollywood debut with Monkey Man, told the same publication about actors trying to break out of certain perceptions. Here's the interesting thing right? I don't think anybody wants to be boxed in and I do think that everybody has many colours, many vibes, many persons within. As an actor we get to put some of them out there. I am so happy for Dev!"

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Meanwhile, actor Sikander Kher, who plays an antagonistic part in the film, talked about his character and said: It was amazing in so many ways and really, really tough We were talking about the prep that we did. It was almost like a dance. The fights, I was at it every day. Dev is so phenomenal and I needed to match up to him.

Monkey Man revolves around an underdog street fighter who ends up becoming a vigilante superhero. Dev's character fights against the mighty and rich, who oppress the downtrodden and are also responsible for his mother's death.

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British model and actor Elizabeth Hurley recently appeared on What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and cleared some rumours about her. Most prominent among them was whether she was the older woman that Prince Harry lost his virginity to. (Also read: Prince Harry may have lied to sell more copies of tell-all memoir Spare, federal lawyers tell court) Elizabeth Hurley refuted rumours of 'taking Prince Harry's virginity'.

It wasn't me!

The Duke of Sussex wrote about the episode in his 2023 memoir Spare but did not mention the name of the woman. Many speculated it to be Elizabeth Hurley aka Liz Hurley. However, she has called the rumours absurd. "That was ludicrous!" Elizabeth said. "He said, 'She was English. She was older than me. It was in Gloucestershire.' And they were like, 'Ah, it's Elizabeth.'"

"It was absurd. It was ridiculous. It was like saying, 'He's great-looking. He's American.' Oh, it's Andy Cohen." She added that she had never met Prince Harry in her life.

In his book, Prince Harry had written about the woman, "She liked horses, quite a lot, and treated me not unlike a young stallion. Quick ride, after which she'd smacked my rump and sent me off to graze. Among the many things about it that were wrong: It happened in a grassy field behind a busy pub. Obviously, someone had seen us."

About Prince Harry

Harry and wife Meghan Markle, known formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are no longer working royals, having stepped back from duties amid recriminations over the way they say they were treated by "The Firm."

They moved to California in 2020, where they live in an exclusive enclave outside Santa Barbara, and are now forging their own businesses, after being cut off from the royal purse. Harry, who married former actress Meghan in a fairytale wedding in 2018, has repeatedly aired complaints about the way he feels he and his wife were mistreated during their time as working royals, culminating in January 2023 with his autobiography Spare.

In the best-seller he laid bare years of family feuding, including alleging that William physically attacked him during an argument about Meghan.
Kanye West is facing hard times after a bombshell lawsuit was filed by his ex-employee, making big claims against the Yeezy founder. The rapper, no stranger to controversies, is embroiled in new allegations after the lawsuit alleged that West made inappropriate sexual remarks and exhibited lewd behavior around Yeezy colleagues. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday by a former staffer. Kanye West accused of threatening to shave students' heads and build jails in school(Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)(Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Kanye West's 'lewd behavior around colleagues

According to the complaint filed by Yeezy whistleblower, Trevor Phillips, the music mogul, showed naked photos of one of his female friends to staff and even simulated sexual activity in front of him once during a meeting at the Nobu hotel in Malibu, California. The case report obtained by PageSix further claims that the Yeezy CEO then told him, I used to have orgies every day  at least two-to-three girls. And now, man, I cant even lay down without jacking off.

Also read: Sean Diddy Combs spotted stressing out on phone call outside his Miami mansion after raid

Kanye has been making headlines for his insensitive behavior since he started appearing in public with his wife, Bianca Censori, attracting attention from onlookers. Bianca's revealing outfits have not only sparked controversy in the tabloids but also troubled her parents, who feel that the Yeezy designer is being paraded like a 'trashy naked trophy pony'.

Kanye West flaunted nude pic of a female

The lawsuit went on, Kanye then facetimed a friend of his. Phillips obviously knew the friends name because, just a few weeks before, at Yeezys headquarters, the lawsuit said, Kanye had shown naked photos of her to Yeezy members. Not only this, but the 46-year-old rapper also commanded the girl, Next time I see you, you better make sure you are wearing the lingerie and the shoes I got you'.

Also read: Content Warning: All about new horror game that can make you go viral

Who is ex yeezy employee Trevor Phillips

Trevor entered into an agreement with West to grow cotton for a childrens clothing line and to work in his now-shut Donda Academy. At the time, the former staff member says, West was already involved in anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. The rapper was canceled for a year before making his recent comeback with the Vultures.

The lawsuit claims, Kanye lay on the bed and made motions with his hand just above his genitals, resembling masturbation."

Trevor then claims, " He (Kanye West) used his second hand to forcefully and dramatically grab and pull the hand making gestures, as he said: 'I got to keep my hand away from my phone to keep me away from looking at pornos'."

Kanye fired Phillips during a Sunday service in May of 2021. Phillips is suing Kanye for wrongful termination, discrimination, workplace harassment, and other claims.
Chennai, A special screening of Sanskrit film Taya, directed by G Prabha, a retired Sanskrit professor, will be held at Prasad Film Lab in Saligrammam on April 6 at 6pm. The film is my second one in Sanskrit, released in 2022 and has been a festival favourite. It is also late actor Nedumudi Venus last film, said Prabha, former head of the department of oriental languages at Loyola College, Chennai. Although films were sporadically made in Sanskrit  the first one was called Adi Shankaracharya, made in 1983, by Kannada director G V Iyer  they were usually on puranic stories, Prabha said. I am the first to discuss social issues in Sanskrit. Usually, since Sanskrit is a puranic language, the films in Sanskrit too explored our ancient traditions, she added. Prabha said Taya is loosely based on the real life story of Savithri Antharjanam, better known as Kuriyedathu Tatri in Kerala. In 1905, Tatri was tried for adultery by a kangaroo court of community elders and expelled. She is an enduring icon worthy of superstardom in womens struggle for gender justice. The body blow she struck at the vicious patriarchy that ruled the Namboothiri community is part of folklore in Kerala, the filmmaker said. The director said he took liberty in making Savithris story more engrossing to the contemporary audience. For instance, in the original story, there was a king involved. I changed the circumstances more suitable for now and the king is a judge in my story." Prabha said he always aspired to make films in Sanskrit ever since he watched Sanskrit plays by Kavalam Narayana Panicar featuring Nedumudi Venu. But I wanted my films to start a debate, questioning the orthodoxy and regressive social practices." He said his first film Ishti too discussed the ill effects of patriarchy, "again very specifically in the Namboothiri community. That too had been a festival favourite, winning many awards." Veteran cinematographer Sunny Joseph who shot 'Taya' said that as long as films visually convey what it wants to tell, language is not a barrier. Be it Sanskrit or Manipuri, visual idioms of the films are the same. For me films should be philosophical inquiry. Taya is a story that happened 100 years ago and yet remains relevant to this day, and will make us delve deep into the human psyche, said Joseph, whose debut film as director, Bhoomiyudde Uppu was showcased in film festivals around the world, in Kolkata, Nepal, Ottawa and Moscow, last year.

HT Image
Videos of actor Ajith shooting for Vidaa Muyarchi without a stunt double where his car toppled over, caught the attention of many fans on social media. After the videos sparked concern regarding the actor's health, his publicist Suresh Chandra has told Times of India that the actor is unhurt and resumed shooting shortly after. (Also read: Ajith topples speeding car as he shoots for Vidaa Muyarchi without any stunt double. Watch) Ajith is currently shooting for Vidaa Muyarchi.

What his publicist said

In one of the videos, Ajith drives a car with Arav strapped in the passenger seat. After a few moments, the car topples over and the crew is seen rushing towards them. Clearing the air about this incident, Ajith's publicist said: The team was shooting an action sequence on a highway in Azerbaijan. The speculation is that one of the tyres of the vehicle that Ajith sir was driving might have gotten deflated, leading to this accident."

He continued, Arav and Ajith sir went for a check-up and resumed shoot within three hours. Neither of the two actors suffered any injury. The video was taken in November last year.

More details

Lyca Productions had shared the videos on their X account and wrote, Bravery knows no bounds! (Flexed biceps emoji) Witness Ajith Kumar's fearless dedication as he takes on a daring stunt sequence in #VidaaMuyarchi without any stunt double (saluting face and fire emojis). Suresh Chandra, posted the clips and wrote, "Vidaamuyarchi filming. November 2023.

Vidaamuyarchi is helmed by Magizh Thirumeni and also stars Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Das and Regina Cassandra in the lead roles. The music of the film will be composed by Anirudh Ravichandran. The film's release date is yet to be revealed. The film's post-theatrical digital rights has been acquired by Netflix.

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Actor Disha Patani, who will be seen in Kalki 2898 AD, has shared a string of pictures and videos, giving a glimpse of the film shoot in Italy. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Disha shared her post and wrote, "Italy photo dump.. @Kalki2898AD (cherry blossom emoji) it was (cold face, dashing away, sparkles and desert island emojis)." (Also Read | Prabhas and Disha Patani shoot for a song from Kalki 2898 AD in Italy) Disha Patani and Prabhas shoot for Kalki 2898 AD in Italy.

Disha shoots in chilly weather

In the first video, Disha was seen wrapped in a pink blanket in windy weather. Her team held the blanket tight as she walked ahead. In a photo, she seemingly stood next to Prabhas, wearing the blanket. He was dressed in a black jacket and red pants.

Disha shares glimpses of Italy

Disha was seen sitting inside a car as an makeup artist did her makeup. Another photo showed her smiling, wearing a black jacket. Prabhas stood behind in a grey sweatshirt, cap and sunglasses as she kicked a selfie.

Disha took a walk on the streets, enjoyed greenery and a car ride in the next posts. She also shared her seflie after her makeup was done. Disha also shared pictures of the nature and streets.

About Kalki 2898 AD

Directed by Nag Ashwin, Kalki 2898 AD will hit the theatres on May 9. Apart from Disha and Prabhas, the film also features Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Deepika Padukone in pivotal roles. Kalki 2898 AD made waves after its groundbreaking debut at San Diego Comic-Con last year, earning massive global acclaim.

The makers of Kalki 2898 AD executed a grand release date announcement through raiders across multiple cities, including Varanasi, Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Bhimavaram, Kashmir, and Vijayawada. During the event, the raiders marched together, building anticipation and unveiled the scroll in a unique and exciting way, announcing the film's release date.

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Actor Aarti Chabria gave a surprising news recently as she announced that she and husband, chartered accountant Visharad Beedassy are expecting their first child. As we connected with the actor, she had an even bigger surprise as she revealed that she has already welcomed her baby boy, Yuvaan on March 4. Aarti Chabria on becoming a mom and keeping her pregnancy a secret

Explaining why she kept her pregnancy under wraps, Chabria says, There is no right time set in stone, so I thought I will talk about it when I am ready. Now, I feel ready because its been a month since my baby was delivered. The 41-year-old reveals that she made public appearances in her first trimester, but with her dressing sense, she was able to keep the good news a secret. I was wearing my ghagras very high-waist, using dupattas to hide my bump beautifully and wearing flowy Anarkali, she informs.

Chabria and her husband had an arranged marriage in 2019 and the actor wanted to wait for the right time to conceive. Right after the wedding, the couple went to Australia, but then Covid happened, and she got stuck there. It was stressful to be away and you cant conceive when you are going through those emotions. You are struggling to adjust to a new place and new people. Its a lot that your body is going through biologically as well, she shares, adding that her journey to become a mother hasnt been easy: When you are delivering at 41, its not as easy as when you are in your 20s or 30s.

Chabria reveals that she even suffered a miscarriage before Yuvaan was conceived. She shares, In the past, I have had a failed pregnancy, thats why I didnt want to really talk before time. But I am not shying away from it because it is normal. At the end of the day, I am a human being. The actor also opens up on getting treatments to get pregnant, but she faced many problems. It even took a toll on her body. People have this impression that ye to actor hai, iske liye to aasan hai paise deke ho jayega. Its not like that. These treatments can wreak havoc on your body. I was getting a double chin, my body was getting out of shape, it was reacting badly to different medicines and I couldnt cope. I wasnt willing to do more than even one cycle, I was done, she recalls.

The struggle even hampered her personal life. Chabria shares, Its not just about the women and their bodies but it also effects their relationships. People dont understand that and keep pressuring women to have a child. Till the time I kept stressing about it, it didnt happen. Then, the actor turned to dancing to regain mental peace and it worked wonders. Eventually it all happened naturally. When I really just gave up, I got back my positive pregnancy test. It was so blissful and a huge surprise for me and my husband, she remembers fondly.

Now, Chabria feels all the pain and struggle was worth it as she gets to hold Yuvaan in her arms. She says, To be a mother is the most powerful feeling in the world. No amount of money, fame or success can match up to this feeling. The power of motherhood reflects in the fact that the actor is set to resume work just one month after having delivered, and hints that there are some film offers in the pipeline too.
Delhi during the Good FridayEaster long weekend is abuzz with restaurants rolling out themed menus and cultural celebrations, andas anyone who lives here is well awarelots (and lots) of people heading out on to travel. According to the recent American Express Travel 2024 Global Trends Report, 58 per cent of Indians are interested in taking last-minute trips with 40 per cent generally booking only a week or less in advance in the past. "Currently, we have witnessed a high uptick in terms of booking across all our resorts in Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh for the Good Friday long weekend. We are seeing occupancy rates between 90% and are optimistic that our resorts will be sold out by then at this pace, confirmed Shahzad Aslam, Head of Sales, Leisure Hotels Group. Neemrana, located 116 km away from Jaipur, is renowned for its Neemrana Fort Palace, a heritage hotel.

As more people plan to head out for a nature-focused getaway to Himachal or plan to drive north for cultural luxury in Rajasthan, we dont blame people for booking a last-minute trip to maximise on the holiday break. Popular holiday destinations, especially in the Northeast Region shall advance their ARRs and occupancies simultaneously up to 20% with upwards booking trends in the region specially for resort properties, said Mr. Akash Gupta, General ManagerMayfair Spring Valley Resort Guwahati.

Luckily, Delhi is well-situated for many a summer weekend getaway, whether you are craving an unwinding homestay experience or taking up historic walks.

Neemrana, Rajasthan (116 km away)

Neemrana, located 116 km away from Jaipur, is renowned for its Neemrana Fort Palace, a heritage hotel. The town boasts historical significance, tracing back to the 15th century. Tourists visit its historical sites, including step wells, temples, Neemrana Baori, and Bala Quila, Sariska Tiger Reserve and more. "We've noticed a significant influx of families travelling from regions like Gujarat, Delhi, and Mumbai to Udaipur during March, primarily because students have finished their CBSE and ICSE exams, explained Mr Somesh Agarwal, Chairman and MD at Radisson Blu Palace Resort & Spa, Udaipur. Udaipur's proximity to Gujarat and its consistently warm climate have always made it a popular getaway option, especially for visitors from that region. These are typically the busiest months for us in Udaipur. While we anticipate a slight lull in April, bookings are expected to pick up again in May he added.

Kurukshetra, Haryana (153 km away)

Kurukshetra in Haryana offers a blend of history and spirituality. Visit Brahmasarovar, a revered holy place with a huge sacred tank. Explore Jyotisara, where Lord Krishna gave the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Explore Bhishma Kund, a historic reservoir associated with the Mahabharata. Witness the medieval highlight of Kosminar and the ancient Sthaneshwar Mahadev temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pay a visit to the tomb of Sheikh Chilli and Raja Harsh Ka Tila to get an insight into the rich heritage of the area.

Kasar Devi, Uttarakhand (390 km away)

If you are looking for a panoramic view of the Almora cityscape, Kasar Devi Temple, sitting at an altitude of 2,116 metres above sea level is both the perfect viewing point and an important spiritual attraction. This 2nd-century temple is about 5 km from Tarai Nagri and is surrounded by lofty pine and deodar trees.

Andretta, Himachal Pradesh (460 km away)

Located at a distance of 12 km (approx.) from Palampur, Himachal, Andretta is well known for its artists' colony where you can stay at a local homestay and try your hand at the craft. Not only does it offer a therapeutic escapade, you can trek around the hillscape to spot the glory of the snow-capped Dhauladhar range or go on a walking tour to explore Norah's Centre for Arts, Andretta Pottery and Craft Society, Norah's Mud House, Sir Sobha Singh Art Gallery and more.

Kuchesar, Uttar Pradesh (108 km away)

While the acclaimed Mud Fort of Kuchesar, which is now turned into a heritage hotel can be attributed to the rising acclaim of the town in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district, theres much more to explore in the destination on a road trip from Delhi. Take a detour to the Brij Ghat on the banks of River Ganga for a serene picnic and before you leave, dont miss out on taking a bullock cart ride through the village scene to learn about the indigenous culture.
Belagavi After a 20-hour rescue operation, the emergency responders on Thursday were able to retrieve the two-year-old boy, who fell into a borewell in Lachayan village of Indi taluk in Vijayapura, according to officials. SDRF and other emergency services personnel rescue a two-year old boy who fell into a borewell in Lachayan village, in Vijayapura, Karnataka, on Thursday. (PTI)

People familiar to the matter said that emergency responders, including fire department personnel, local police, and teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), were invited by the police to rescue the child.

The incident happened when the child, Satvik, stumbled into the uncovered borewell while playing nearby. According to the police, the borewell was drilled on April 2 by his grandfather Shankarappa (65) on April 2 in the family far. The borewell digging agency failed to install the mandatory cap on the one dug to 359 feet, as it could not be reached. The well was dug up on four acres of land to provide irrigation to lemon and sugar cane crops, but it failed to yield water, the police stated.

Soon after the incident, the villagers informed the police calling to rescue the child. The local police Indi rural station, along with the fire personnel and taluk administrators, rushed to the scene to coordinate the rescue operations. The child, son of Satish (28) and Pooja (25), is believed to be trapped at a depth of 16 feet inside the borewell, the police said.

After Satvik was rescued, a senior fire brigade official said, We provided him with essential medical care before transferring him to the government hospital at Indi for a thorough examination. He was later moved to the district hospital at Vijayapur for further observation as an inpatient for two days.

Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner T Bhobalan who oversaw the operation, expressed their gratitude to all involved, particularly the field staff who worked tirelessly to ensure the childs safe rescue. The teams had lowered an oxygen pipe and an endoscopy camera into the pipeline. A trench was dug next to the borewell pipe and the child was slid into it through another horizontal trench connecting the two. It was difficult as we encountered a rock. But we succeeded ultimately, he said.

SP Vijayapura Rishikesh Bhagwan said, This was a challenging operation, but with collective effort, we succeeded in bringing Satvik to safety.

According to the officials, the rescue operation involved the use of heavy machinery, including JCBs, Hitachi equipment, and tractors, to dig through approximately 20 feet of earth to reach the trapped child. Specialised cameras were deployed to monitor Satviks movements, while oxygen was supplied to sustain him during the ordeal.

They said, The rescue teams had dug a trench reaching a depth of 20 feet adjacent to the borewell pipe. Another trench was excavated sideways to intersect the pipe. With precision, rescuers deployed a sheet, lowered it into the side trench using ropes, and widened the space around the pipe to create a pathway for safely transferring the child onto the sheet.

As the rescue team closed in on the child, whose cries could be heard from the depths below, a rope was delicately fastened around the childs leg, ensuring a controlled descent onto the waiting sheet, they added.

The operation faced hurdles, including a large boulder that had to be manually broken to reach the boy. Despite the challenges, the rescuers remained determined, with a team of doctors on standby inside the tunnel to provide immediate medical assistance, the above-mentioned fire brigade official added.

Satviks parents expressed profound relief and gratitude following his rescue. This is like a second life for my son, Satish said while acknowledging the rarity of such successful outcomes in similar incidents.
Fatime Letifova

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the establishment of the working group on Azerbaijan-Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus interparliamentary relations, Azernews reports, citing the post shared by Ersin Tatar on his official "X" account.

The Turkic world is our family, we must strengthen our ties with the Turkic world, Ersin Tatar noted.
Jacob Mchangama in Persuasion:

Even though more people will cast a ballot in 2024 than any previous year, the prevailing mood seems more fearful than celebratory. In the words of Darrell M. West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, the combination of online influence campaigns and artificial intelligence has created a perfect storm of disinformation that threatens free and fair elections. This type of pessimism has led several open societiesincluding those of the European Unionto adopt illiberal measures such as banning foreign media outlets and cracking down on social media platforms. The rise of generative artificial intelligence has only heightened the sense of emergency.

Yet little attention has been paid to the fact that Team Democracy triumphed in one of 2024s most decisive battles by staying true to its liberal values.

Taiwan is an instructive example of a young and vibrant democracy that views freedom of expression as a competitive advantage against authoritarian censorship and propaganda.

More here.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia has written a letter from Tihar Jail to the people of his assembly constituency, comparing his plight with the atrocities committed by the Britishers against freedom fighters and asserting his commitment to education. The former deputy chief minister, who has been arrested in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, also expressed hope that he will be out of jail soon. AAP leader Manish Sisodia(PTI)

A day before his bail hearing in court, Manish Sisodia wrote, See you soon outside I remembered everyone in the last one year. Everyone worked together with honesty. Just like everyone fought at the time of independence, similarly, we are fighting for good education and schools. The dream of independence had come true even after British dictatorship. Similarly, one day every child will get proper and good education

READ | Manish Sisodia's one year in Tihar: Reads Bhagwad Gita, plays badminton, calls home

"The British were also very proud of their power, the British also used to put people in jail on false charges. The British kept Gandhi in jail for many years. Nelson Mandela was also jailed. These people are my inspiration and you all are my strength," the AAP leader added.

Stressing the importance of good education in schools, Manish Sisodia wrote, To be a developed country, it is necessary to have good education and schools. I am happy that education revolution took place in Delhi under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal

In his letter, Sisodia also thanked the people of Patparganj for caring for his ailing wife Seema. "My love for you has increased after being in jail. You took great care of my wife. Seema gets emotional while talking about all of you. All of you should take care of yourselves" Sisodia wrote.

Earlier in February, a Delhi court allowed the former deputy chief minster Sisodia to visit his ailing wife once a week while in custody. Sisodia had moved an application on January 27 seeking custody parole twice a week to visit his wife, who has been suffering from multiple sclerosis.

She cant walk or move as her mind has started losing control on her body parts and she cant even move on her own for more than 10 or 15 minutes, he had said.

The Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation are investigating Manish Sisodia for his alleged involvement in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case. The CBI arrested Sisodia on February 26 last year. Manish Sisodia will be produced before a Delhi court tomorrow to hear his bail plea.

(With ANI inputs)
Roughly 4,000 years ago, a sprawling civilisation of agriculturalists flourished across a wide arc subsuming modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Communicating in a still little-language comprising symbols, scribblings and awkward shapes, tens of thousands of people lived in cities with surprisingly modern systems of drainage, towering granaries, and baked brick houses, and used intricate jewellery, impressive seals and standardised weights, competing with the other great civilisations of the era in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Excavation work at Rakhigarhi, an Indus Valley Civilisation site in Haryana. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Archive)
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila on Friday called for the ouster of her brother state chief minister and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy from power if the state has to be brought back on the tracks of development. Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila (File Photo)

Sharmila, who is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Kadapa parliamentary constituency, kick-started her election campaign on Friday with a bus yatra from Amagampalli village of Kasinayana block in YSR Kadapa district.

Addressing a rally, Sharmila said Andhra Pradesh would witness rapid development and a peaceful atmosphere only if CM Reddy is defeated in the coming elections.

He (Jagan Reddy) is encouraging murder politics in the state. He is misusing his power to shield those who were involved in the murder of my uncle Y S Vivekananda Reddy, Sharmila alleged.

Also Read: YSRCP releases list of names for assembly, LS elections in Andhra

Sharmila said she had decided to contest the elections from the Kadapa constituency only to prevent the killers of Vivekananda Reddy from entering the Parliament again.

On one side, here is Sharmila who is fighting for justice for Vivekananda Reddys daughter and on the other, there is the YSRCP candidate who perpetrated the murder and wanted to buy voters with money and power. It is for the people to decide, she said.

The YSRCP has fielded incumbent MP YS Avinash Reddy from Kadapa against cousin Sharmila.

The state Congress president said when her father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy was the chief minister during the combined Andhra Pradesh, he had implemented several welfare schemes such as fee reimbursement, crop loan waiver and Arogya Sri and undertaken several developmental programmes like Jalayagnam.

All those schemes have been given a burial after bifurcation. While he was in the opposition, Jagan had boasted that he would bring special category status to Andhra Pradesh. But after coming to power, he had mortgaged the state to the Centre, said Sahrmila.

Sharmila said there has been no development in the state in the last five years. No industries had been set up, there was no proper capital city and the Polavaram major irrigation project remained in limbo, she claimed.

Had YSR been alive, there would have been all-round development in the state. The golden days of YSR could be brought back only if the Congress comes to power in the state again, she said.

Also Read: Congress releases list of 17 Lok Sabha candidates: Y S Sharmila to contest from Kadapa, Tariq Anwar from Katihar

Vivekananda Reddys daughter N Sunitha, who took part in the rally, said her father had always wished to see Sharmila as a Lok Sabha member.

They got my father murdered only for political gains; and are contesting the elections again for the same political gains, she alleged and called upon the people to vote for Sharmila in the coming elections.

YSRCP leaders have not yet reacted to Sharmilas comments.

The YSRCP had announced the list of candidates for all 175 assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Congress has also released its list of candidates for five Lok Sabha seats.

Andhra Pradesh will vote on May 13 in the single phase. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
Animal welfare organisations have critiqued the Union governments Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024 that were notified on March 14 and recommended that the Union environment ministry publish a finite list of elephants that are eligible for transfer with valid permits. Activists have pointed to the spurt in smuggling of endangered, exotic animals from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world in the past one year which have allegedly been transferred to other parts of the country to private collectors. (PTI)

They wrote a letter to this effect to the ministry on April 1, even as animal welfare activists and environmentalists allege that medically fit elephants from several parts of the northeast, especially Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, have been illegally transported to other parts of the country, with specific reference to Vantara, the Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation-promoted animal rescue and welfare centre in Jamnagar. To be sure, in interviews and other press interactions, Vantara officials have stressed that their focus is on rescue, rehabilitation and conservation.

Activists have also pointed to the spurt in smuggling of endangered, exotic animals from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world in the past one year which have allegedly been transferred to other parts of the country to private collectors.

Meanwhile, the environment ministry has been on a hyperdrive, issuing a number of notifications for those transacting in exotic species under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global agreement among governments to regulate trade in endangered, exotic species. India is a party to the CITES, which requires appropriate measures are taken to enforce the provisions of the Convention. The Wildlife Protection Amendment Act 2022 made provisions for implementation of CITES.

Captive Elephants

One of the demands of the animal welfare organisations is to publish a finite list of elephants that are finally eligible for transfer with valid ownership certificates, location, owner details and genetic mapping before they can be moved, except for the purpose of rehabilitating the elephant. Experts said such a list would also end the controversy surrounding the transfer of elephants to rescue and rehabilitation centres.

HT sought a response from the MoEFCC on the recommendations made by animal welfare organisations but did not receive a response immediately.

The groups, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Centre for Research on Animal Rights (CRAR), Heritage Animal Task Force, Kaziranga Wildlife Society, and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) also suggested that Rule 7(1) of the transfer rules be amended to ensure that transfers are restricted to elephants with valid ownership certificates issued within the stipulated period of 180 days of the Declaration of Wild Life Stock Rules, 2003 on April 18, 2003.

Only elephants with ownership certificates (OCs) issued before the cut off date in October 2003 for amnesty to regularise illegal possession of elephants, should be eligible for transfer. This is important to prevent people who have illegal custody of elephants to again use these Rules to claim a second period of amnesty to regularise their illegal custody of elephants, said Khushboo Gupta, advocacy officer, PETA India.

The letter has also urged the ministry to end all speculation and mitigate fears that the permission to transfer elephants might end up facilitating the capture of wild elephants in the northeast, especially in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. We seek a five-year embargo on any elephant transfers from the northeast to any part of India for any purpose except rehabilitation, the letter added.

HT reported on March 16 that the environment ministry notified Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024, which lays down that the procedure to be followed for transfer of captive elephants within a state or between two states. The notification authorises the chief wildlife warden of states and UTs to permit or reject transfers. The chief wildlife warden shall permit a transfer where the ownership certificate in respect of the elephant proposed for transfer existed prior to coming into force of the new rules. To be sure, the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act 2022 made way for transfer of captive elephants from one private owner to another for a religious or any other purpose by a person having a valid certificate of ownership shall be subject to such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

Transfer of Exotic Animals

The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 which was passed by both Houses of the Parliament in 2022 and has been in force since April 1, 2023 regulates how exotic species of animals and plants are bred, imported and exported.

For implementation of certain provisions of the Act, the Union environment ministry notified the Breeders of Species Licence Rules, 2023 on April 24 last year. Then came a slew of other notifications, especially since January this year which laid down a number of processes for those transacting in exotic species.

But, even before the amendment to introduce CITES provisions was passed, in 2020, the MoEFCC introduced a one-time amnesty program where it allowed owners of exotic live species that have been acquired illegally, or without documents, to declare their stock to the government under a voluntary disclosure scheme. In turn, a total of 32,645 individuals voluntarily declared their possession of exotic and native species from June to December 2020. The disclosures are not public.

Interestingly, parts of Assam, Mizoram and other areas in the northeast started seeing a spurt in seizures of illegally smuggled exotic species in the past couple of years. For example, HT reported on May 26 that Mizoram police seized one of the largest consignments of exotic animals intercepted along the northeast India border with Myanmar. There has been a very unusual spurt in seizures of exotic animals from Assam and Mizoram including Kangaroos, Koalas, Moor Macaque, Spider Monkeys, Lemurs, baby Orangutans and what not. These were seized and placed in Guwahati zoo and then taken elsewhere because the zoo couldnt keep them according to officials. To make way for transfer of these animals , every rule, regulation has been bent, said Mubina Akhtar, wildlife activist and member of the Kaziranga Wildlife Society.

It wasnt immediately clear where the seized animals have been sent.

Director of Assam state zoo, Ashwini Kumar, said: It is correct that smuggled animals have been seized. There are animal transfer programs between zoos. No animal exchange or transfers can take place between zoos without the approval of Central Zoo Authority.

Chief wildlife warden (Assam), Sandeep Kumar, was not reachable on the phone, while principal chief conservator forests (Social Forestry) of Assam, Raj Pal Singh, said he joined the post recently and was not aware of the seizures and rehabilitation of those animals.

The 2021-22 annual report of the Central Zoo Authority highlights the animal exchanges that occurred among Indian zoos. According to the report, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust sent various crocodile species to other zoos.

The Nagaland Zoological Park in Dimapur contributed animals such as the Slow Loris, Peacock Softshell Turtle, Burmese Python, and Assam Macaque. The National Zoological Park in Delhi provided a variety of animals, including Hippopotamuses, deer, jackals, and foxes. These animals were all received by the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar.

The report also mentions that the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre received several animals from Fauna Zoo Mexico, in addition to the exchanges with other Indian zoos.

The annual report also states that CZA approved the Master Layout Plan for Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Jamnagar during 2021-22. To be sure, reports of increased seizures of exotic animals were reported after 2022.

On February 28 this year, the ministry issued a notification giving chief wildlife wardens of all states and UTs the power to issue registration certificates to those who have acquired CITES-listed species and to oversee if such acquisitions are legal. The amendment to the wildlife protection act in 2022 also gives powers to the Centre to exempt one or more specimens of any CITES listed species from such declaration for such quantity and for such period as it may deem fit.

HT reported on March 7 that people in possession of species under CITES will have to register them with the state wildlife department, according to the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 issued by the Union environment ministry on February 28.

With this MoEFCC has put in place a range of regulations for those with exotic pets such as macaws, cockatoos or a variety of soft-shell turtles or those who have businesses dealing with such species such as private zoos.

In an interview with HT, Union environment minister, Bhupender Yadav in January, when asked which exotic species are being bred domestically and how is it aiding conservation of these species, said: The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 was amended in 2022. Through this amendment, the provisions of CITES have been included in the Act. The species listed in the three Appendices, viz, Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III (of CITES) have now been included in Schedule IV of the Act...The Government of India has notified the Breeders of Species Licence Rules, 2023 vide Gazette Notification dated 24th April 2023. Appendix I species are considered to be species that are highly threatened and require high degree of regulation for international trade. A licence for breeding of Appendix I species would help in regulating the trade and controlling the illegal trade of such highly endangered species and also ensure the welfare of these animals. This would also ensure to build up a database on the Appendix I listed exotic species that are being traded within and from India legally.

Appendix I of CITES includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances. Some of these species include Giant Pandas, River Dolphins, Kangaroos, Pangolins, Marmosets, Tamarins, Hornbills, a variety of Owls, Iguanas among others.
New Delhi: An army court of inquiry (CoI) into the custodial deaths of three civilians in an army camp near Poonch following a terror ambush in which four soldiers were killed last December is at an advanced stage, and strict action will be taken against those found guilty of lapses, people aware of the matter said on Friday. Three civilians had died in an army camp near Poonch in December 2023 (File Photo)

The three civilians were among the nine people picked up by the army from Topa Peer village for questioning a day after the four soldiers were killed in the ambush at Dhatyar Morh in the Surankote area on December 21, 2023. The village has now been adopted by the army.

A separate CoI into lapses in the conduct of operations is also at an advanced stage, the people said, asking not to be named.

Days after the December 21 attack, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and army chief General Manoj Pande visited the area and carried out a security review. The area was tense following the ambush and the custodial deaths.

Singh also met the families of the deceased persons and assured expeditious investigation into the incident, culminating in the delivery of justice.

On December 21, army vehicles were navigating a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dera ki Gali (DKG) area and Bulfiaz when they came under heavy fire from terrorists. The vehicles were carrying soldiers to an active operation site in the DKG area, a few kilometres away.

Facing a backlash against the custodial deaths, the army then moved out three officers, including a brigadier, from Poonch pending the probe.

The proceedings related to the alleged incident are still in progress, the army said in a statement.

Indian Army is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry to ascertain the facts surrounding this incident. All efforts are in place to ensure that the investigations are fair, comprehensive and conclusive. Further actions will be taken based on the outcome of the investigations and finalisation of proceedings, the statement said.

The army is committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline, conduct and ethics, in accordance with the law, besides maintaining zero-tolerance towards any human rights violations, it said.

Our protocols and procedures are designed to ensure that all personnel adhere to these principles, even under the most challenging operational conditions, the statement added.

The December 21 ambush was the latest in a series of attacks that have claimed the lives of several army personnel during the last one year.

The Rajouri-Poonch area witnessed increased terror activity in 2023, and proxy tanzeems (terror groups) operating there continue to get support from across the Line of Control (LoC), where the support infrastructure for terrorists is intact, army chief General Manoj Pande said in January 2024.

My guidance to soldiers and commanders on the ground is unambiguous in terms of respect for human rights and zero tolerance for any actions on that account. We have clearly laid down guidelines which spell out what you must do and what you must not do in those areas, he had then said.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal moved a plea before a city court seeking more time with his lawyer as against the allotted one hour a week. The Enforcement Directorate which arrested him in connection with the Delhi liquor case opposed the plea and contended that it would go against the jail manual. "Merely because someone chooses to run the government from the prison he cannot be treated as an exception and cannot be granted the privilege, the ED's counsel told the judge. The order in this case was reserved. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said he needed more time with his lawyer in the jail.

Kejriwal's counsel told the judge that one hour per week was insufficient for a person to understand and give instructions and sought five meetings with his lawyer every week. This is the most basic legal right that I am asking to meet my advocate. Sanjay Singh was granted three meetings when he had only five or eight cases, Kejriwal's counsel said.

ED said Kejriwal was already allowed two meetings with his lawyers instead of one which is the general practice. When a person is in jail his stature outside is irrelevant and he is treated equally (like other prisoners). They have already been allowed two meetings in a week. One of the consequences of JC (judicial custody) is that your exposure to the outside world is limited and in accordance with law," ED said adding that the Delhi chief minister was misusing the legal interviews for purposes other than consultation.

If you are under valid judicial custody, certain rights are curtailed. You dont have absolute rights... they are curtailed in accordance with the jail manuals, the ED said.

Kejriwal's days in Tihar Jail

Arvind Kejriwal was sent to Tihar on April 1 for 15 days until the next hearing on April 15. Kejriwal has given five names, including his wife Sunita Kejriwal, two children, his personal secretary Bibhav Kumar and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, whom he can meet in the jail. Reports on how Kejriwal has been adjusting in his cell suggested that the chief minister seemed dazed and a little confused. He spends his day walking, reading, sweeping the floor and watching television. He also performs yoga and takes two slices of bread and tea for breakfast.

(With PTI inputs)
Delhi minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi on Friday hit out at the Election Commission after it served her a show-cause notice, questioning if the poll body is a subsidiary organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The minister also claimed that the BJP planted the Election Commission notice in the media even before she received it on mail. Delhi minister Atishi

On 4 April, the BJP registered a complaint against one of my press conferencesOn 5 April at 11:15 am, news channels flash that a notice had been sent to Atishi, but half an hour after the news, I got the notice in the mail. This means that the BJP first plants the Election Commission notice in the media and after that, I get the noticeMy question is whether the Election Commission has become a subsidiary organisation of BJP, Atishi said during a press briefing.

Atishi questioned why the poll body did not issue notices to the central agencies after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested and bank accounts of the Congress were frozen ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Appeal to the Election Commission to act in a non-partisan manner and not bow down to the BJP-led central government, she added.

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Atishi following her claims that the BJP approached her to join their ranks through a very close person. She claimed that she along with three other AAP leaders - Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha, and Durgesh Pathak - would be next on line to be arrested by the ED if they didn't join the BJP.

Following this, the Election Commission in its notice said: You are a minister in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and leader of a national party. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from the public forum by their leaders and in that sense, the statements made by them affect the campaign discourse.

Asking Atishi to back her statement with facts, the poll body said, When the veracity of the statements made by you is contested then you must be able to back your statements by a factual basis.

The poll panel said it expects that there must be a "factual foundation" to the statements made by the AAP leader.

(With inputs from agencies)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia on Friday accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh of violating his bail condition of not speaking about the Delhi excise policy case, adding that his action will have serious consequences. He also claimed that Singh has been making factually incorrect statements to mislead people. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia

Sanjay Singh's lawyer had given an undertaking in the Supreme Court that he will not speak about the case but he has been referring to the matter in his interaction with the media and has been claiming that no scam has happenedThis is contempt of the Supreme CourtIt will have consequences and they will be very serious, the BJP leader said.

Taking a dig at the AAP, Bhatia said, It is in the character of the AAP to violate constitutional provisions and commit contempt of courtsIt appears that Singh is digging political graves of Kejriwal, Sisodia, and himself.

The BJP leader's comments came as Singh, who walked out of Tihar Jail two days ago, claimed that senior BJP leaders conspired to put Delhi chief Arvind Kejriwal behind bars in the excise policy case. This liquor scam has been done by the BJP. The senior leaders of BJP are involved in pulling this off, he claimed.

Singh also alleged a link between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the excise policy case accused Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, saying that the latter was given a ticket by the BJP ally TDP in Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He added that the saffron party had put pressure on Reddy's son - Raghav Magunta - to give a false statement against Kejriwal.

The AAP leader was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. On March 21, Kejriwal was arrested in connection with the case becoming the first sitting chief minister to be arrested.

(With inputs from agencies)
Congress party's call to use its party flags or those of its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), in Rahul Gandhi's roadshow in Wayanad sparked a political row in Kerala. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the Congress was ashamed of using the IUML flag in its rally, while CPI(M) claimed that the flags were not used as the Congress was scared of the BJP. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi (AFP)(AFP)

The Congress hit out at both saying the CPI(M) and the BJP have become close friends and asserted that it does not need lessons from anyone on how to carry out a poll campaign.

The grand old party said CPI(M) joined the INDIA bloc only to ensure that it does not lose its vote share and its party symbol.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged on Wednesday that Congress and IUML flags were missing from Rahul Gandhi's roadshow in Wayanad, saying that the grand old party was scared of BJP. He further hit out at Rahul Gandhi by saying that Congress lacked the courage to publicly display the flags.

Vijayan said that Congress wanted the votes of IUML supporters but didn't want to publicly acknowledge the ally.

The Congress has fallen to a level where it is afraid of communal forces, he said.

Vijayan said that both Congress and IUML flags were missing from the rally because, in 2019, the BJP had said it was difficult to discern whether it was India or Pakistan. Vijayan said that IUML flags were missing only because Congress was scared of BJP.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani repeated CPI(M)'s claim that Rahul Gandhi was ashamed to display the IUML flag in his roadshow. If he is ashamed of IUML, he should reject their support, Irani said.

The union minister further said that it was "foolhardy" to try and hide these things (flags) from the people "in the age of not only media, but digital media and social media revolution".

Congress hits back at BJP, CPI(MP) attacks

Rejecting the allegations, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said the Kerala CM and the BJP have become close friends now.

"Our campaign plans are not planned by the AKG centre (CPI(M) headquarters). Last time during the elections, when Rahul Gandhi came, the controversy over flags was created by the BJP. "This year, it is the Chief Minister. He is helping the BJP. The CPI(M) joined the INDIA bloc to ensure that they don't lose their vote share and their election symbol. They are trying to create a space for the BJP," the opposition leader contended.

Congress sitting MP Rahul Gandhi, CPI leader Annie Raja and BJP state chief K Surendran are facing each other in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in Kerala on April 26, and the results will be declared on June 4.

(With inputs from PTI)
Speaking at a book launch in 2020, Union home minister Amit Shah credited the Narendra Modi government for giving sanctity to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s election manifesto. He said that fulfilling almost 90% of the promises sent out a message that it means business when it comes to fulfilling promises. Shah called the manifesto a roadmap for governance. Union minister Rajnath Singh at the BJP manifesto committee meeting. (ANI)

The manifesto was only considered a piece of paper... we have covered 90% of what was promised, he said. Underlining the governments claim of being decisive, he said the government did not dither on taking a tough stand even on issues that previous governments were scared to take up such as granting citizenship to refugees, pushing for a resolution of the Ramjanmabhoomi issue, or outlawing triple talaq.

The party, which is aiming for a third term with a target of over 400 Lok Sabha seats, is going to people with the message of Jo Kahan, Woh Kiya. It has underscored how it has ticked major promises listed in the election manifesto such as from the long-pending ideological demands like the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

BJP leaders assert the government has also delivered on targeted interventions for various groups including women, youth, and MSMEs, stuck to its muscular foreign policy and hardline internal security strategy. All of which was mentioned in the election manifesto.

Now all eyes are on what will make it to the partys election manifesto scheduled to be released ahead of the 2024 polls beginning April 19.

A 27-member committee headed by Union minister Rajnath Singh has met in the Capital twice to draft the document which will spell out the partys agenda for four groups referred to as four castes by Modiwomen, youth, farmers, and the poor.

Since these groups have also been identified as crucial vote banks, BJP leaders indicate that schemes and plans for their economic and social empowerment will be the mainstay of the manifesto.

Expected are schemes and programmes to ensure increased participation of women in the economy, sports, politics, defence, etc. The use of technology, Artificial Intelligence for empowering farmers, and more incentives for entrepreneurs are also expected.

BJP leaders are also banking on schemes that will give a fillip to production, manufacturing, and fuel economy, as this would also take the sting out of the oppositions charge against the government that it failed to provide jobs. The opposition targets the government for reneging on its promise of providing 20 million jobs annually and for exacerbating unemployment through policies of disinvestment.

The manifesto is also expected to focus on reforms in various sectorsfrom the economy to the judiciary, banking sector, and police services.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has initiated a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) to address the issue of accountability and compensation in cases of accidents or deaths due to negligence by municipal corporations and other civic bodies. This move comes in the wake of investigations by the Hindustan Times, shedding light on alarming incidents of negligence. The Bombay High Court. (HT photo.)

A division bench comprising Justice GS Patel and Justice Kamal Khata took suo motu cognisance of HTs reports and an article published in the Deccan Herald, highlighting the tragic case of two children, aged 4 and 5 years, found dead in a water tank lacking a proper cover.

Also Read: HC grants bail to HIV-positive accused in child trafficking case

Raising questions about the value of human life in the city and the accountability of civic bodies, the court remarked, What is the price of a human life in this city? Are budgetary constraints an excuse for failing to ensure minimal safety precautions during civic works?

The courts decision stems from an HT report dated 20 March 2024, which detailed how the Wadala Citizens Forum had repeatedly warned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) about the hazardous condition of the water tank. Despite these alerts, the BMC cited budgetary constraints as the reason for not addressing the issue, as reported by HT.

Highlighting the broader implications of the PIL, the court emphasised that the questions of law raised would impact every local body responsible for civic works, from municipal corporations to Gram Panchayats, throughout the state.

Drawing attention to existing compensation policies in other sectors, such as railways and transportation, the court expressed incredulity at the notion that municipal corporations would have no responsibility or liability for accidents or deaths caused by their negligence.

Also Read: BMCs probe blames contractor for death of 2 children in Wadala park

To assist the court in this matter, senior advocate Sharan Jagtiani and advocate Mayur Khandeparkar have been appointed as Amicus Curiae. The court directed the registry to register the suo motu PIL and issued notice to the BMC.

While acknowledging the wide-ranging legal implications, the court opted not to issue notices to all municipal corporations or local bodies at this stage, instead proposing to notify the Advocate General of Maharashtra.

Once registered, the PIL will be presented before Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya for further directions and assignment.
A Delhi court on Friday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) permission to interrogate and record the statements of jailed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The order was passed on the plea filed by the probe agency seeking the court's permission to interrogate the BRS leader. Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC K Kavitha

Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 15 in connection with the excise policy case and is presently lodged in Tihar jail. She was the third high-profile politician to be arrested in the case after AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh. On March 21, Kejriwal became the first sitting chief minister to be arrested in the case.

According to the Enforcement Directorate's primary allegation against Kavitha in the case, she was a member of the so-called South Group' that paid kickbacks worth 100 crore to AAP leaders - in exchange for nine retail zones under the now-scrapped policy. The probe agency also revealed names of other persons involved in the South Group - Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSCRCP) MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, Aurobindo Group promoter Sarath Reddy, and Delhi-based businessman Sameer Mahendru.

Following her arrest, Kavitha was sent to the central agency's custody till March 23. It was later extended, and last week, she was sent to a 14-day judicial custody.

On Thursday, Delhi's Rouse Avenue court reserved its order on interim bail of the BRS leader for April 9. She had sought interim bail on the grounds that her son has an exam.

What was the Delhi excise policy?

The Delhi government had formed an excise policy in 2021-22 aiming to revitalise the city's flagging liquor business by replacing the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders, and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. However, the policy was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena sought a CBI probe into the policy alleging irregularities.

(With inputs from agencies)
The BJP on Friday tore into the Congress manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2024 and said the seriousness of it could be understood from the fact that photos of New York and Thailand were used in it. "Recently the social media chairperson said she was not aware who was handling her social media account. At least the party should know who was making their manifesto at least," BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi said. Showing the photo used in the Environment section, Trivedi said that the photo was from the favourite destination of Rahul Gandhi --- Thailand. The BJP criticised the Congress manifesto and said it did nothing when it was in power.

"Congress president Kharge ji said when Congress came to power, not even a needle used to be manufactured in India. This is an absolute lie. CV Raman got the Nobel Prize in 1930. Indian Institute of Science (Bengaluru) was founded in 1909. But they will continue to believe that everything happened after Nehru," the BJP spokesperson said.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Follow LIVE updates

The Congress on Friday released its manifesto promising the right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, and passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs etc. "They have called the manifesto Nyay Patra after doing injustice to all sections of the country for all these years," the BJP leader said.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Full coverage

"It's not a big issue that wrong photos have been used. But it is concerning these photos are of foreign entities. Until now, they have been going abroad and defaming India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But now they are borrowing foreign photos for their manifesto," the BJP leader said.

The Congress did not fulfil either of the promises they mentioned in the manifesto either in the Centre or in the states during their rule, Trivedi said.

Reacting to the manifesto, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked whether a foreign agency was hired to draft the manifesto. "Cong manifesto promises to remove an elected State Govt, restore triple talaq, makes a U turn on OPS, has no delivery date on any of its promises, lacks a plan to harness benefits of Industry 4.0 and worst of all passes pictures from Thailand & America as that of India," Himanta posted on X.
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Congress on Friday released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections (Twitter/@INCIndia)

Top party leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress presidents Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary KC Venugopal and senior leader P Chidambaram, among others, were present during the release of the manifesto titled Nyay Patra.

On the section on media and press freedom in the manifesto, the Congress promised to strengthen the system of self-regulation, protect journalistic freedoms, uphold editorial independence and guard against government interference by making amendments to the Press Council of India Act, 1978.

Congress, the manifesto said, has always believed that self-regulation is the best way to correct the misuse of the media. The amendment to the Act would empower the press council to deal with the menace of fake news and paid news, it said.

The party promised to defend independent journalism by enacting laws to protect journalists from coercive action by the State. This includes restricting the powers of the government to surveil journalists, seizing their devices and exposing their sources.

The manifesto further promises to pass a law to curb monopolies in the media, cross-ownership, and control of the media by business organisations.

All media houses, irrespective of the size, will be required to disclose their ownership structures (direct and indirect), cross holdings, revenue streams, etc. through their websites, the manifesto stated.

Congress said that many new laws, including the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, etc, give unrestrained powers of censorship to the government.

In its manifesto, the party promised to withdraw the first Bill mentioned above; the restrictive provisions of the other two Acts will be amended or deleted to eliminate backdoor censorship, the manifesto said.s

The manifesto states that the Congress would also amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 to ensure that the Central Board of Film Certification grants graded certificates per transparent and reasonable criteria.
The Congress on Friday promised to abolish Agnipath and resume the previous armed forces recruitment scheme to achieve their full sanctioned strength and immediately restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as the main opposition party released its manifesto ahead of the April-June national polls focussed on five pillars, and 25 guarantees. The Congress promised a nationwide socio-economic and caste census. (REUTERS)

The party underlined the polls present an opportunity to radically change the style of governance developed over the past decade of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule.

The Congress promised a nationwide socio-economic and caste census in line with Congress leader Rahul Gandhis insistence on it. Gandhi has repeatedly demanded the census to understand Indias demographics for an equitable distribution of power and wealth. In the run-up to the polls in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Congress promised a caste census if the party was voted back to power while blaming the ruling BJP for ignoring marginalised castes.

The Congress guaranteed a constitutional amendment to raise the 50% cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes. It pledged the implementation of the 10% quota in jobs, and educational institutions for the Economically Weaker Sections for all castes, and communities without discrimination. The party promised to implement the Rajasthan model of cashless insurance of up to 25 lakh for universal healthcare. It guaranteed a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a year apprenticeship to every diploma holder or graduate below the age of 25.

The manifesto appealed to people to look beyond religion, language, and caste, and wisely choose a democratic government. We will launch an urban employment programme guaranteeing work for urban poor in reconstruction, renewal of urban infrastructure.

HT last month reported a set of 25 guarantees or Nyay, comprising five promises each for the young, women, farmers, labourers, and marginalised groups, were expected to form the core of the Congresss 2024 Lok Sabha elections manifesto. The manifesto received unanimous approval of the partys working committee in March even as the body authorised Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to give the manifesto its final shape.

The 25 guarantees would be pitted against Prime Minister Narendra Modis guarantees. They also include promises such as creating three million government jobs, 1 lakh for all poor households, etc.

At a meeting of the Congresss highest decision-making body last month, party leaders spoke about controlling hatred and new laws to ensure the neutrality of the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, and other probe agencies.
The Congress on Friday released its poll manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, mapping out its strategy if it comes to power at the Centre. In its manifesto, the Congress party said it plans to bring a law to legalise civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. Congress manifesto being released by senior Congress leaders on Friday. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)(PTI)

The Congress party said, After wide consultation, Congress will bring a law to recognize civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Last year, the Supreme Court refused to legalise same-sex marriage, but acknowledged the various forms of discrimination faced by the community and directed authorities to protect the LGBTQIA+ group.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, however, ruled against the Centre's claim that the concerns of the LGBTQIA+ community are an urban elitist concept.

CJI Chandrachud said, Queerness is neither urban nor elite.

While LGBTQ+ community was not granted the right to marry, the five-judge court bench said, The freedom of all persons, including queer couples, to enter into a union is protected by Part III of the Constitution. The bench further said, "Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation will violate Article 15."

The court ordered the central government to constitute a committee to examine the rights and entitlements of persons in queer union, without legal recognition of their relationship.

Congress releases Lok Sabha poll manifesto

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in the presence of senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, released the election manifesto of the party, focusing on five "pillars of justice" and 25 guarantees under them.

Right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, and passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs are among the promises made by the Congress in its manifesto on Friday.

In the manifesto titled Nyay Patra, the Congress party said it would implement a 10 per cent quota in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker sections (EWS) for all castes and communities without discrimination if it comes to power.

The Congress will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC if it comes to power in the general elections beginning April 19, the party promised.

(With inputs from PTI)
NEW DELHI: A woman repeatedly leaving her matrimonial home for no fault attributable to the husband amounts to cruelty, a ground for divorce, the Delhi high court said in a recent verdict granting divorce to the couple. (HT PHOTO)

In its 23-page verdict, a bench of justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna allowed the husbands petition against the family courts order refusing to grant the couple a divorce, observing that the wife left the matrimonial home seven times, for periods ranging from three months to 10 months during their 19 years of marriage. The high court noted that the wife hadnt contested the incidents of separation.

It is a clear case where the respondent (wife) left the matrimonial home, from time to time, without there being any act or fault on the part of the appellant (husband). Such withdrawal by the respondent (wife) from time to time, are acts of mental cruelty to which the appellant (husband) was subjected, without any reason or justification, the bench said in its verdict on April 2. The detailed judgment was released on Thursday.

Admittedly, in this period of about 19 years, the parties had differences and there were seven acts of separation, each of about 3 to 10 months, which may add up to about 23-25 months in all, the court noted.

Marriage, personified as the essence of togetherness, blooms on the fertile soil of mutual support, devotion and allegiance. However, repeated acts of separation, akin to a relentless storm, only uproot this foundation, scattering seeds of discord that threaten the sanctity of the union. Amidst the tempest of distance and abandonment, this bond breaks beyond repair, leaving behind irreparable scars on the landscape of trust and commitment, the court observed.

The court said that though there was no evidence to suggest wrongdoing on the husbands part, there was material to indicate that the woman was dissatisfied with her mother-in-laws behaviour leading her to feel unhappy in her matrimonial home.

The high court said there was overwhelming evidence to show that the wife subjected her husband to a life of uncertainty and there was no settlement and mental peace between them despite spending two decades together.

The entire compendium of the evidence, as led by the respondent (wife) does not bring forth any act of cruelty on the part of the appellant; rather the entire evidence shows that the respondent was dissatisfied, unhappy with the conduct of his mother which made her so unhappy in the matrimonial home that she felt lack of space, control and respect in the house and she left the matrimonial home. We find that there is overwhelming evidence to show that it is the respondent, who subjected the appellant to a life of uncertainty with there being no settlement and mental peace in the matrimonial life, despite 20 years of being spent together. Its a case of mental agony to the appellant entitling him to a divorce, on the ground of cruelty under S. 13(1)(ia) of the Act, the court said.

The husband approached the high court against the family courts decision of April 11, 2022 to not grant their divorce, alleging that there were at least six instances in 19 years when his wife left her matrimonial home.

The high court observed that the family judge had taken a myopic view by considering each incident as an independent window. We, thus, find that the learned family judge has erred in analysing the life of the parties by taking a myopic view and by considering each incident as an independent window, when in fact it is the journey of the parties through their matrimonial life, which is determinative of their compatibility, progressiveness and growth, the court said.
The body of a 26-year-old woman was found stuffed in an almirah at a house in southwest Delhi's Dwarka area, police said on Thursday. The matter came to light after the victim's father approached the police on Wednesday after he was unable to contact her for a few days.(Getty Images/ Representational image)

The harrowing episode unfolded when Mustakim, alarmed by his inability to reach his daughter, Rukshar, for several days, approached the authorities on Wednesday, reported PTI.

Read: Nikki Yadav murder: Sahil Gehlot drove 40km with body, not halted

Upon receiving a distress call at 10:40 pm on Wednesday, a team from Dabri police station rushed to the woman's house in Dwarka's Rajapuri area, according to the report.

Upon entering the flat, the body of the woman was found in the almirah of a room. The crime scene was inspected by the crime team and FSL, a senior police official was quoted as saying.

Read: Making of a murder: Tracing Sahil Gehlots steps on fateful day

The victim's father suspects her live-in partner's role behind the murder.

The woman had been residing with her live-in partner, Vipin Tailor, in a rented accommodation for approximately one and a half months before the grim discovery, according to PTI.

However, a report by The Times of India suggests that Mustakim owned the Rajapuri house and he was the one who found her daughters body and then alerted the police.

According to the father, the victim had expressed fear for her life in recent conversations, citing instances of physical abuse inflicted by her live-in partner.

Wounds were found on the body of the woman, and there were marks of strangulation on her neck. Objects in the house were scattered all around, indicating that Rukshar tried to resist. Her body was found in a 'sitting' position in a big almirah with sliding doors, DCP (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said, as quoted by The Times of India.

Read: Hope, and caution in tale of murder of a role model

The police officer said the body was transferred to DDU Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

"Efforts are underway to locate the accused, Vipal Tailor, who is a native of Surat in Gujarat," the officer said.

"Based on the statement of the complainant, a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the accused," he said, adding that police teams are also scanning CCTV cameras in the area to find out the crime sequence.

(With PTI inputs)
South Mumbai has two distinct faces. There is Malabar Hill and Altamount Road where the billionaires are; a few kilometres down are the crumbling chawls of Mumbadevi, the deity from whom the city takes its name. Parag Chavan has lived here his whole life  from the time when mill workers, the municipal conservancy staff and government bus drivers unionised under George Fernandes and Datta Samant, formed the backbone of the citys famed working class, and occasionally brought it to a standstill to the present, when there has been an explosion of glitzy buildings owned by the nouveau riche. The Mumbai South constituency comprises six assembly seats that present a composite of Indias cosmopolitanism. (raju shinde/ht photo)

Chavan lives at Parel, the old heart of Mumbais mill area which is now being rapidly gentrified. He says the schism has widened so much that disparities between these two extremes now extend to basic amenities such as water. Residents of the water-starved Girgaum- Sewri-Lalbaug-Byculla areas resent the fact that their affluent neighbours get round-the-clock water supply, used for purposes such as filling cavernous swimming pools and lush lawns.

We, on the other hand, have to skip baths thrice a week because of water scarcity, said Shaqeel Ahmed, a welder from Sewri. Sometimes we are forced to tamper with fire hydrants just to get a bucket of water.

According to Huruns Global Rich List, 2024, Mumbai now has the third-highest concentration of billionaires among the worlds cities, after New York and London. A majority of the citys 92 billionaires live in south Mumbai, or SoBo, as they like to think of it. The enclave of Mumbai South, where corporate Indias compact with successive ruling dispensations is made or broken, will be among the most-watched when the city goes to polls on May 20, and not just for the billionaires that reside here, or the hordes of boutique coffee shop frequenters, bankers or traders who make up the popular image of the neighbourhood. Instead, the focus might be trained squarely on the people who actually show up to vote  the turnout in 2019 was only around 51%, among the lowest in the country  and they are not PLUs.

While the Shiv Sena (UBT) has renominated Arvind Sawant, their two-term MP as candidate, the parlaying between Amit Shah and Raj Thackeray in Delhi recently has given rise to speculation that latters Maharashtra Navnirman Sena may be used to pacify the Marathi manoos. This is because 38% of the constituencys 1.6-million plus voters identify Marathi as their mother tongue.

The BJPs dilemma is that while it is set to reduce the Shiv Senas legacy to dust, it wants to win over the sons of the soil as well, said poll campaign designer Vivek Surve. The befuddlement among BJP activists who were all set to canvas for Rahul Narwekar, the incumbent Maharashtra assembly speaker who was tipped to be the BJPs candidate, is apparent.

Too many political moves, too many dand-baithaks for one Lok Sabha seat, grumbled one of them. Our party workers will have a tough time facing Mumbai Souths Hindi-speaking voters as the MNS is seen as a party with an anti-north Indian stance.

BJP leader and real estate developer Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who is changing Mumbais skyline, too, has evinced interest in contesting from Mumbai South, stirring the pot further.

The Mumbai South constituency comprises six assembly constituencies that present a composite of Indias cosmopolitanism  Colaba, Malabar Hill, Mumbadevi, Byculla, Sewri and Worli. The best part of Mumbai South is that it represents urban diversity. Chawls and colonies, charming bungalows and the idyllic Mhatarpakhadi village of Byculla cheek by jowl with the skyscrapers lend a unique character to the constituency, said Shehernaz Nalwala, former professor of Wilson college and vice-president of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai.

For decades, the seat was the Congresss stronghold, thanks to the efforts of SK Patil and then Murli Deora. After Patil was trounced by a fiery George Fernandes in 1967, Rajni Patel, the Cambridge-educated Congress leader, groomed Murli Deora, the ever-enterprising Marwari, as the then Bombay Congress chief and the partys face from south Bombay. It was he who bridged the Bombay-Delhi divide for the Congress for decades.

Such was Murli bhais impact that years after his death, when his son Milind contested on a Congress ticket in 2019 from Mumbai South, industrialist Mukesh Ambani made a public appeal in his favour. (Deora still lost to Senas Sawant who won on the back of another Modi wave).

HT Graphics

More recently, after Milind Deora switched to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Godrej family threw a dinner for him with 100-plus industrialists on the guest list.

The BJP, on the other hand, has always played on the fringes of the constituency. In the early 1990s the party, resurgent on the back of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, made steady efforts to breach this Congress citadel and Deoras keenly-fought battles with Jayawantiben Mehta became part of the citys political folklore.

That Milind bhai should enter Rajya Sabha as a Shiv Sena nominee and that Arvind Sawant today enjoys the support of the Congress are examples of both poetic justice and political expediency, said a Mumbai Congress politician, requesting he not be named.

Sawant, the two-term MP from Mumbai South, will no doubt be hoping that he does not have to clash against another Marathi leader Bala Nandgaonkar of the MNS because that will cleave his grassroots support among former mill worker families of Lalbaug-Parel and Worli. In the assembly constituency of Mumbadevi, Sawant pulls support from the mix of Marathis, Muslims, Gujaratis-Marwaris and backward communities while the assembly constituency of Byculla has a strong Christian population, and an equally sizeable Muslims and Marathi voters.

Sawant seeking Muslim support would have been an unthinkable proposition during the era of Balasaheb Thackeray but a substantial chunk of Muslims grew closer to Uddhav Thackeray after he severed ties with the BJP and joined the INDIA bloc. This should be a matter of concern for the Mumbai Congress.

The Mumbaikar Muslim is aware of political and social realities. They have left behind the ghetto mindset, thanks to social media and the younger among them take a modern pragmatic view of life, said Zubair Azmi, head of Urdu Marqaz, a Nagpada-based socio-cultural group.

For the BJP, the increasing verbal skirmishes over vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, with several buildings in the neighbourhood disallowing even eggs, is causing concern.

South Mumbai has seen some epic events that have shaped the history of modern India  from Gandhian crusades, the Samyukta Maharashtra stir, the Backbay Reclamation row to George Fernandess Bombay bandh and Datta Samats textile mills strike.

Bad blood over food choices has been brewing in the predominantly Marathi enclaves of Girgaum, Grant Road, Walkeshwar, Tardeo and Parel-Lalbaug, said a BJP leader who asked not to be named.

Last month, a delegation of senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionaries held talks with local BJP leaders and advised them to quell these mini uprisings before the elections. There is, a senior RSS functionary admits, a streak of anti-BJPism in certain parts of Mumbai South.

However, the party hopes to tide this over as electioneering gathers pace. The Lok Sabha election will be centred around PM Modi and the lotus symbol. People will transcend caste and community barriers, ignore local feuds and think of the nation, said Niranjan Shetty, BJPs chief media coordinator for the Mumbai elections.

The BJPs poll machinery is working round the clock to translate Modis Ab ki baar char sau paar (this time, cross 400 seats, a target for the larger BJP-led NDA) mantra into votes. We have set up several teams to reach out to senior citizens, women, small traders and the youths. Also, we are in close contact with the countless labharthis (beneficiaries) of Modi-jis various development schemes, said former BJP MLA Atul Shah.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, too, has been visiting Muslim strongholds to garner support for the party.

If the ruling alliance harps on the ongoing infra upgrade in Mumbai South, the Trans Harbour Link, the swanky coastal road or the upcoming Metro 3, the Opposition will focus on the deteriorating air quality, the rampant construction of high rises that is choking roads and blocking skylines. The city is so dug up that it looks like an archaeological site, said broadcasting expert Rajil Sayani.

South Mumbai has seen some epic events that have shaped the history of modern India  from Gandhian crusades, the Samyukta Maharashtra stir, the Backbay Reclamation row to George Fernandess Bombay bandh and Datta Samats textile mills strike. It is also the territory that has borne the brunt of the worst terror attack in India. The 2024 election will be a test of the resilience and political wisdom of what many consider the countrys most famous pin code.

This is the third in a series of election reports from the field that look at national and local issues through an electoral lens.
Equity topped the focus areas in the Congresss manifesto released on Friday ahead of the April-June national polls followed by youth, women, farmers, workers, Constitution, economy, federalism, national security, and environment. The manifesto said Indias history of a plurality of religions cannot be altered. (HT PHOTO)

The manifesto said caste discrimination remains a reality while promising a slew of measures to address inequality and discrimination against the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities based on ancestry and the consequent denial of equal opportunity.

The Congress promised a nationwide census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions to strengthen the agenda for affirmative action and a constitutional amendment to raise the 50% cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC communities. It promised to implement the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections for all castes and communities without discrimination.

The manifesto said Indias history of a plurality of religions cannot be altered and all people living and all children born in India are equally entitled to enjoy human rights including the right to practice ones religion. The Congress pledged to uphold the rights granted in the Constitution to protect linguistic and religious minorities.

It said it would encourage reform of personal laws with the participation and consent of the communities concerned. The promise came two months after Uttarakhand became the first state to pass a law for a Uniform Civil Code. Other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states such as Assam have promised to implement UCC.

UCC has been one of the three ideological promises of the ruling party. It refers to a common set of laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all citizens. Constitutions Article 44, one of the directive principles of state policy, advocates UCC. But respective religion-based civil codes have governed personal matters since independence.

The Congress promised wide consultation for a law to recognize civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) community. The Supreme Court last year refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples, saying only Parliament and state legislatures can validate marital unions of people.

The Congress promised to tackle joblessness on a war footing with a clear Yuva Nyay programme while guaranteeing the Right to Apprenticeship Act as part of the measures to deal with it. It resolved to launch a Mahalakshmi scheme to provide 1 lakh annually to every poor Indian family.

The Congress called the Constitution (106th) Amendment Act the BJPs great betrayal of women. It said the law contains sinister provisions that will allow the reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and assemblies to come into operation only beyond 2029.

The Congress promised to delete the sinister provisions and bring the Act into force immediately. The one-third reservation for women will be applied to State Assemblies that will be elected in the next round of Assembly elections in 2025. The one-third reservation for women will also be applied to the Lok Sabha that will be elected in 2029. It promised to reserve 50% of central government jobs for women starting in 2025.

The Congress said it was determined to do everything possible to alleviate their pain and make agriculture a desirable livelihood while promising a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Prices. It pledged to launch an urban employment programme guaranteeing work for the urban poor. We will make a law to specify and protect the rights of gig workers and unorganised workers and enhance their social security.

The Congress pledged to save democracy, remove fear, and restore freedom. Indias democracy has been reduced to an empty shell. Every institution, including Parliament, is perceived to have lost its independence and become subservient to the executive government. It is common knowledge that it is the will of one person that prevails in the country. Peoples trust in democratic institutions will be restored.

The Congress promised to de-criminalise the offence of defamation. We promise to end the arbitrary and indiscriminate suspension of the Internet.

The Congress pledged to review the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and remove the provisions restricting freedom of speech and expression. We promise to review all laws that interfere with the right to privacy and make suitable amendments to various laws to uphold the right to privacy.

The Congress promised to restore the voters trust in the election process and amend the election laws to combine the efficiency of the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the transparency of the ballot paper.

The Congress called the Chinese intrusions in Ladakh and the Galwan clash in 2020 the biggest setbacks to Indian national security in decades. On 19 June 2020, PM Narendra Modi gave a clean chit to China that considerably weakened our negotiating position. Despite 21 rounds of military-level talks, Chinese troops continue to occupy Indian territory and deny Indian forces access to 26 out of 65 patrolling points, equivalent to an area of 2,000 square km in eastern Ladakh. A Chinese buildup in Doklam threatens the Siliguri Corridor that connects northeast India with the rest of the country.

The Congress promised to work to restore the status quo ante at the borders with China and to ensure that areas, where both armies patrolled in the past, are again accessible to Indian soldiers. It promised to scrap the Agnipath scheme and return to the normal recruitment processes followed by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The Congress promised to pay greater attention to immediate neighbours and re-establish the primacy of special relationships with Nepal and Bhutan. It said engagement with Pakistan depends fundamentally on its willingness and ability to end cross-border terrorism.

The manifesto noted India experienced the biggest loss of forest cover after Brazil between 2015 and 2020 while pledging to work with state governments to increase it, redefine forest and forest cover following modern scientific standards, and involve local communities in afforestation.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Friday gave a word advice to the grand old party to rediscover the hunger for power ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He also voiced concern over BJP workers filling the vacuum left by the Congress party at all stages. Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat

We have to rediscover and develop that hunger for power within ourselves. Otherwise, we will continue to cede more ground to the BJP after every electiond. We cannot aspire to hold our own in villages and localities unless we beat the BJP at every level. The need of the hour for the Congress is to revive and reinvent itself so that the party could have its leaders elected at every level, Rawat told news agency ANI.

The Congress leader added, Our partners in the INDIA bloc are helping us renew our hunger for success and powerAt this stage, every Congressman should come out in full strength, overcoming the hurdles that the ruling party in the state and Centre has created for us. We will struggle to achieve electoral success unless we go into elections with a strong resolve and a do-or-die approach.

Despite being in power in several states and the Centre, the BJP is better and more efficient in how it practices its politics on the ground. So, if we are to beat them, we need to be more efficient in how we mobilise our resources on the ground, Rawat told ANI.

Also read: List of top Congress leaders who joined BJP since 2019

The Lok Sabha election will be held in a seven-phased manner starting from April 19. The counting of votes for all 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held on June 4.

Earlier in the day, Congress party released its manifesto or Nyay Patra for the upcoming elections at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. The grand old party, in its manifesto, emphasised on Paanch Nyay' (five pillars of justice) - Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay, as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its election promises for Lok Sabha polls.

(With inputs from ANI)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday attacked the central government over the ongoing India-China standoff at the borders, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Sardar of liars. Addressing an election rally in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, Kharge criticised PM Modi for alleged inaction while China encroached upon Indian territory, accusing him of prioritising attacks on the Gandhi family whose members sacrificed their lives for the country. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. (HT PHOTO)

Intensifying the attack on the prime minister, the Congress president wondered whether Modi was sleeping" when China "entered" Indian territory.

He rhetorically asked why PM Modi had allowed a significant portion of Indian land allegedly to be taken by China if he indeed possessed a "56-inch chest" and was not scared.

If you are not afraid then why have you left a large part of our land for China? he said.

Speaking in Hindi, Kharge said, Wo andar ghus kar aa rahe, aap kya neend kar rahe ho? Kya neend ki goli khaaye ho? Kya Rajasthan ke kheton me se afeem le jaake... ya wo khilaye hein kya?" (They are coming inside and you are sleeping. Have you taken sleeping pills? Have they taken opium from the fields of Rajasthan... and fed you?)

The Congress leader also hit out the prime minister over action taken by central agencies against the opposition leaders, claiming that allegedly corrupt leaders are absolved of the charges against them once they switch to the ruling party.

Kharge further said that Union home minister Amit Shah has a very big washing machine.

He said, Till the time we had them they were corrupt, after coming to you they became clean within a month.

Attacking the BJP, he added, These are fake and lying people and Modi is the sardar of liars.

Kharge claimed that central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation are after Congress leaders.

Kharge referred to a list of 25 political leaders with criminal charges against them, claiming that the cases against two of them were dropped once they joined the BJP, and those remaining will be similarly exonerated, reported PTI.

Since 2014, 25 prominent leaders have jumped ship from major political parties and joined the BJP. Out of the total 25, 23 of them got reprieve after their shift, reported The Indian Express.

Slamming PM Modi for attacking the Gandhi family, Kharge said, Sonia Gandhi lost her husband. When the party got a majority, people asked her to become the prime minister but she made an economist the prime minister of the country.

(With inputs from PTI)
The Delhi high court on Thursday observed that sometimes personal interests must be trumped by national interest but left it to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to decide if he should stay in office after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case, stressing that it would not intervene in the matter. Delhi chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the Rouse Avenue Court on March 28. (PTI)

A bench, led by acting chief justice Manmohan, remarked that it is not the job of courts to remove a chief minister, and that it would not enter into this thicket since the issue was already being examined by the Delhi lieutenant governor (LG).

At times personal interest has to be subordinate to the national interest but that is his (Kejriwals) personal call. If he doesnt want to do that, thats up to him. Your remedy does not lie in this court... Courts dont remove anyone. We dont remove a chief minister. That is to be done by the legislature, the bench, also comprising justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, said while allowing Vishnu Gupta, the president of Hindu Sena, to withdraw his petition.

Guptas petition argued that Kejriwals arrest by the ED constituted a breach of constitutional trust and therefore warranted his dismissal from office. During the hearing on Thursday, Guptas counsel Barun Kumar Sinha urged the court to direct the Centre and the Delhi government take action in the interest of the proper functioning of the Capital, saying that a constitutional deadlock had arisen in Delhi after the CMs arrest. The petitioner also said and the LG seemed to be letting the situation persist for some reason.

However, the court declined to intervene, stating that it should not anticipate the actions of the LG or the President of India, who have discretion in such matters.

There is a discretion vested in the [lieutenant] governor and the President. They will take a call. Please let us not anticipate that they will not discharge this function. Whatever they have to do, they will do in accordance with law. Let democracy take its way. We have no doubts about it. This matter will be taken to the right conclusion. Everything cannot be done by the court. We dont administer the state, the bench told Sinha.

The court also referred to its previous rejection of a similar plea by social activist Surjit Singh Yadav, highlighting the importance of consistency in judicial decisions. There has to be some certainty... Certainty and predictability in litigation is very important. Right or wrong weve taken a view, no. Let there be a conclusion. This is not like a James Bond film (with sequels to follow), remarked the bench.

With the writing on the wall, Sinha opted to withdraw the petition to enable his client to move a representation before the LG, and was allowed by the court to do so.

Kejriwals arrest on March 21 by the ED has sparked a massive political controversy, with the AAP leader insisting that he would continue as CM despite being in custody. He also issued two orders from the ED custody, sparking a strong response from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

ED has accused the CM of being the kingpin and key conspirator of the alleged corruption in the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy, and has said that he acted in cahoots with ministers of his cabinet and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders while seeking benefit from in the form of a company.

Kejriwal was on Monday sent to Tihar jail following his 10-day custodial interrogation, during which, the agency claimed, the probe focussed on the role of Vijay Nair, a key figure in the case who allegedly played a significant role in facilitating allegedly illicit activities and connections within the liquor industry.

According to the prisons rules, Kejriwal was required to submit a list of up to 10 people he will meet while behind bars, apart from his lawyers. He is allowed two meetings a week and can only see a maximum of three of these people at a time for up to half an hour. Kejriwal is allowed to meet his lawyer every day

On Wednesday, the Delhi high court reserved judgment on Kejriwals petition challenging the validity of his arrest, amid his claims that it was a politically motivated move aimed at undermining him and dent his partys prospects ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Kejriwal was remanded to judicial custody till April 15 on Monday and lodged in Tihar jail after a local court noted EDs contention that Kejriwals release could hamper the investigation as it moved an application to place Kejriwal under 15 days of judicial custody but added that it may seek additional custodial interrogation later.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh was released from Tihar prison after six months on Wednesday, a day after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court. ED did not oppose his bail plea on Tuesday, after the court asked the agency why Singh should be kept behind bars after serving six months in jail, considering that there doesnt appear to be any concrete evidence against him, and no money has been recovered linking him to the alleged money laundering offence.

Sisodia was also arrested in the case in February last year.
Home voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan is set to start from today. More than 58,000 voters in Rajasthan have opted for home voting of which 35,542 people have registered for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, state's chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta said last week. An elderly voter casts his vote for the Lok Sabha election from his home through postal ballot using the 'home-voting' facility, in Puducherry, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (PTI Photo)

The home voting facility has been extended to senior citizens above 85 years of age and voters with over 40 per cent disability. Gupta had said that the initiative of home voting has been taken to make the elections more inclusive. (Also Read: Modi kicks off eastern push of poll campaign)

Of 35,542 registered voters for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan, 26,371 are senior citizens and 9,171 are persons with disabilities, according to Gupta.

"So far, over 58,000 eligible voters have opted to vote from home. These include 43,638 senior citizens and 14,385 persons with disabilities," the chief electoral officer said.

The registration for home voting in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections was to be completed on March 27. The returning officers were to share the list of registered home voters with all recognised political parties and candidates by April 1. (Also Read: Willing to contest all 4 Lok Sabha seats in HP if Congress hesitant: AAP leader)

Special polling teams will be formed to conduct home voting and their training will be completed by April 4. These teams will reach the residences of registered home voters in the presence of political parties and their candidates to conduct voting through postal ballots.

In the first phase, home voting will be conducted from April 5 to 14.

The registration for home voting for second phase of elections completed on April 2. For the second phase, about 22,500 eligible voters had registered for 'vote from home' till March 27, of which 17,324 were senior citizens and 5,222 voters with disability. (Also Read: BJPs decision to campaign for NPP in Meghalaya hits state unit hard)

Home voting in the second phase will take place from April 14 to 21.

The success of the home voting initiative was evident during the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, where an overwhelming 99 per cent of registered voters exercised their franchise through this method. This included 49,650 senior citizens (aged above 80) and 11,774 persons with disabilities, Gupta said.

Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is voting in two phases  on April 19 and April 26.

In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies  Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. The remaining 13 seats of Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran will go to polls in the second phase.
The recent controversy surrounding Union minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Rajkot, Parshottam Rupala's remarks, has shed light on the longstanding caste disparities between the Patels and the Kshatriya or Rajput community in Gujarat, highlighting how the latter felt side-lined amid the prevailing dominance of the Patidars.

During a gathering in Rajkot on March 22, Rupala remarked that former 'maharajas' yielded to the oppression of foreign rulers and the British.

There were others also who ruled us. So did the British andthey spared nothing to persecute (us). Even kings and royals bowed down to the British, started family bonds with them, broke bread with them, and even married their daughters to them. But this Rukhi Samaj (a Dalit community) was steadfast. I commend their resilience, as it's this strength that has preserved Sanatana Dharma... Jai Bhim!! said Rupala, a member of the Patidar community, commonly associated with the surname Patel.

The remarks sparked significant uproar, prompting protests across various regions of the state. A meeting convened in Ahmedabad by as many as 90 groups from the Rajput community concluded that a mere apology would not suffice, seeking instead the withdrawal of Rupala's candidature.

Even Rajput women, known for their adherence to customs including veils, joined street protests. Padminiba Vala, a prominent Rajput woman leader, commenced an indefinite fast on Wednesday at trust premises owned by the community. She asserted that Rajput women would go as far as resorting to 'jauhar' (self-immolation) if the BJP fails to replace Rupala as the candidate for the upcoming polls.

Upon his return to Ahmedabad from Delhi for a cabinet meeting, Rupala promptly addressed reporters at the airport on Thursday morning, urging an end to the controversy surrounding his remarks against the Kshatriya community.

All the communities, be it Patidars or Rajputs, are in my support. Many Kshatriya leaders have already extended their support to me. I dont want to create a new controversy by taking their name, he said.

He has apologised twice for his remarks and the state BJP chief C R Patil has also apologised on his behalf.

A BJP party leader, who asked not to be named, indicated that the party leadership is content with Rupala's stance on the controversy and sees minimal chance of his candidacy being replaced. Furthermore, the leader mentioned plans for a demonstration of support, expected to gather around 500,000 supporters from diverse communities in Rajkot in the coming days. The Kadva and Leuva Patels, the two most dominant Patidar sub-castes, have united in support of Rupala, he added.

The BJP has been a dominant force in Gujarat for over the past three decades and the party won all 26 seats Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2014 and 2019. This time, the party has kept an ambitious target of winning each seat by a margin of at least 5 lakh votes.

Kshatriyas, including the Karnis, Jalawads and Jethwas, among others, are about 4-5% of the states population and they have supported the BJP for many years; Patidars constitute 12-14%% of the population and hold key political positions.

P T Jadeja, international president of the Akhil Gujarat Rajput Yuva Sangh, said that the Kshatriya or Rajput community will field several candidates from Rajkot to ensure Rupalas defeat.

In the previous Vijay Rupani government, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, a Kshatriya leader, held a cabinet-level position, while Pradeepsinh Jadeja was appointed as the home affairs minister. However, in the Bhupendra Patel-led government, Kshatriya leaders were not allocated similar significant positions.

There is a traditional caste divide in Saurashtra that is seen especially in and around Rajkot and Bhavnagar constituency where political rivalry between the Kshatriyas and Patidars is evident. The issue has caused a major embarrassment to the BJP as it has come during the Lok Sabha elections. The party may face some erosion of support, but the overall advantage will remain with BJP, said Amit Dholakia, a political science professor at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

The party will try and accommodate some Kshatriyas in some important positions in the government post-elections, Dholakia said.

Like the Patidars, the Kshatriyas are also an influential community in Gujarat. However, this is for the first time in many decades that the community has raised their voice against the government. Also, it is rare in the states political landscape that one leader has faced such stiff opposition from a community.

In the Saurashtra region, Kshatriyas are predominantly associated with the upper caste, although in certain areas, some of their sub-castes are classified under the Other Backward Class category.

"In 1959, when the Swatantra Party emerged, Rajputs, who had relinquished their traditional authority, found a political platform to voice their concerns. In Gujarat, this is perhaps the first instance since then that the community is trying to rally together with a unified voice. While the Patidars have gradually integrated into the mainstream, the Rajputs have been somewhat overlooked by political parties, leaving them feeling marginalised in the political landscape, said Gaurang Jani, a well-known sociologist.

The BJP, historically reliant on the strong support of upper caste Hindus, now face the challenge of navigating caste contradictions in order to secure their continued backing, Jani said.

In 2015, led by Hardik Patel, the Patidar community launched a significant agitation seeking reservations in jobs and education akin to the OBC category. This movement prompted the central government to introduce the EBC (Economically Backward Class) quota, addressing the demands of the upper caste population.

Despite internal protests by cadres leading to the replacement of two candidates in Sabarkantha and Vadodara, Gujarat BJP has remained firm in its decision not to replace Rupala as a candidate. One reason is that Rupala has been a powerful leader and replacing him would potentially cause discontent among the influential Patidar community voters.

"The Kshatriyas are seeking power, (and) seeing this Lok Sabha elections as one of their last opportunities. They may have a limited influence in Gujarat but they are a strong base in the Hindi belt. On one hand, the BJP aims to transcend caste barriers through the umbrella of Hindutva ideology, but on the other, it also seeks to revive traditional pride within various communities, Jani said.

From the Rath Yatra commencing at Somnath in 1990 to the recent construction of the Ram Temple, a crescendo has been reached. Remember, Ram was also a Kshatriya. The community feels it is high time they should get equal recognition at par with the Patidars, added Jani.

Certain dissatisfied BJP leaders are reportedly supporting the Kshatriya agitation in Gujarat, driven by a sentiment that defectors from the Congress, who previously criticised the BJP leadership vehemently, now hold significant positions within the party.

Although BJP leaders seem confident that the current political crisis will not substantially impact their prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the party will have to confront the reality of caste-based pride and politics, which is likely to persist in future.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) has started planning for a $100 billion aid programme for Ukraine, in order to Trump-proof its support to the embattled nation. However, the United States has urged caution over aspects of the proposal put forth by Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday (CHECK). The proposal also backs taking over the Ramstein Group, which was set up by the US to coordinate military supplies to Kyiv from the West. This comes nearly a month after the military alliance officially added Sweden to its roster as its 32nd member on March 7. The five charts here show what Sweden brings to the table, what Natos enlargement means for the security paradigm in Europe, and the alliances dependence on the US, which makes it wary of a possible American pull-out in the case of a repeat of Donald Trumps presidency.

(Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)(AFP)
The Congress on Friday released its manifesto ahead of the April-June national polls focussed on equity, youth, women, farmers, workers, Constitution, economy, federalism, national security, and environment. In 2019, its manifesto had two broad strands focusing primarily on the economy and livelihoods. The party then promised Nyuntam Aay Yojna or a minimum income of 6000 monthly to 20% of Indias poorest citizens. The Congress released its manifesto ahead of the April-June national polls on Friday. (HT PHOTO)

The Congress in 2019 committed to filling government recruitments and removing regulations in starting an enterprise. It also promised a farmer budget and committed to converting non-payment of farm loans into a civil offence.

The Congress manifesto then pledged to create a more liberal political order. It promised to drop the sedition law, review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, and hold police and administration accountable for negligence in case of riots and hate crimes. The Congress also promised to bring a law on privacy and to restrict the use of Aadhaar.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s Sankalp Patra, or the poll manifesto, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections focused on nationalism, agriculture, infrastructure, and governance. It promised a zero-tolerance to terrorism. The BJP in 2019 pledged to speed up the purchases of equipment and weapons for the armed forces and to strengthen their strike capability.

Five years back, it promised to amend the citizenship law for the protection of religious minorities from neighbouring countries escaping persecution. It also reiterated its position on its core agenda of abrogating the Constitutions Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir semi-autonomous status, as well on the Ram Mandir. The BJP said it will explore all possibilities within the Constitution and necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the temple in Ayodhya.

The BJP also promised Uniform Civil Code (UCC) or a common set of laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all citizens.

The BJP in March 2024 fulfilled one of the key promises made in its 2019 election manifesto with the notification of the rules for the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who have entered India from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan on or before December 31, 2014.

Uttarakhand became the first state to pass a law for UCC in February. Other BJP-ruled states such as Assam have promised to implement UCC. Parliament passed the legislation to read down Article 370 in August 2019 while the consecration of the Ram temple took place on January 25.

The BJP in the 2019 manifesto also promised a pension scheme for all small and marginal farmers in the country and macroeconomic stability. The BJP, five years back, said it aspires to make India the third-largest economy by 2030 and to make India a US $5 trillion economy by 2025 and US$ 10 trillion economy by 2032.

The 2019 BJP manifesto promised to create jobs and to optimally leverage the untapped employment generation of the potential sectors such as defence and pharmaceuticals. It added women would be made equal partners and equal beneficiaries of the progress and prosperity of the nation. The BJP in 2019 promised to formulate a comprehensive Women in Workforce roadmap focused on dramatically increasing the female workforce participation rate over the next five years.
A female tourist from Nepal was allegedly harassed and assaulted by a group of seven persons in Assam. In a video shared on social media platform X, the woman said she was harassed by the mob, purportedly due to her attire resembling that of a male. In a video shared on social media platform X, the woman stated that she was harassed by the group, purportedly due to her attire resembling that of a male. (HT File)

Narrating her ordeal, the woman said in the video, Just for being a girl with short hair and for taking a stroll in the neighbourhood at night, I was harassed both verbally and physically by some people in Mariani...

The woman alleged that the mob dragged her out of her cab while she was in Mariani. She added that a woman who was part of the group advised the others to tear her shirt to see if she was a female.

"They snatched my shirt where half of my chest was visible. They even assaulted me physically she said. One of the guys was a reporter, she claimed.

The female tourist claimed she went to the police to file a complaint about the issue. She alleged that instead of taking her seriously, the police ridiculed her and advised her to seek legal recourse through the court system.

"The whole police station was mocking my dress and the accused had good connections with the police and none were taking our side. The accused were given all the hospitality needed whereas the victim had to wait for the accused for three hours and yet no justice was given. I was harassed to such an extent that I was being forced to show that I am a female in front of everyone to prove to them that Im a girl," the woman said.

She has also tagged Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and five-time MLA, Rupjyoti Kurmi in her post.

Reacting to the incident, the Assam Police said that a case had been registered in connection with it. The Assam Police wrote on its official handle, Update regarding allegations of an assault on an individual from Nepal. A case has been registered in this regard.SDPO Titabor is in touch with the complainant and is closely supervising further action as per the law.

The incident comes just days after seven people, including three women, were arrested in Assam for thrashing a 38-year-old Nepalese woman suspicion of child-lifting. According to police, the woman, identified as Kamala Dahal, who came from Nepal to meet her younger sister in Assam's Haflong, was attacked after she gave chocolates to a child whom she met on the streets of Lower Haflong.
The Congress on Friday released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. Prominent party leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, released the manifesto days before the country's general elections. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in a conversation with party leader Sonia Gandhi at the launch of the party's manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, at AICC headquarters in Delhi.

In its poll manifesto, the Congress promised to repair the countrys relations with the Maldives and work with Myanmar to protect the political and human rights of the people of Myanmar. It also pledged to engage with Pakistan on its willingness and ability to end cross-border terrorism. Congress said in its manifesto, We will repair relations with the Maldives and work with Myanmar to protect the political and human rights of the people of Myanmar. Engagement with Pakistan depends fundamentally on its willingness and ability to end cross-border Terrorism

READ | We promise to: Congress's manifesto on love, marriage, personal choices of food and dress

The party's manifesto also pledged to restore the country's global reputation as a voice of peace and moderation. It also promised to work on restoring the status quo ante on India-China borders.

"Congress will pay greater attention to our immediate neighbours. We will re-establish the primacy of our special relationships with Nepal and Bhutan and strengthen them to our mutual benefit. We will enhance economic and cultural relations between India and Bangladesh, the two most populous countries in South Asia," it added.

The party's manifesto also made some key promises. Here's a look at a few of them:

In its manifesto, the Congress said it would fill nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels in central government.

The party promised to give legal guarantees to MSPs announced by the government every year as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

It guaranteed a national minimum wage of  400 per day.

400 per day. The party said it would conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions, and it would pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC.

The party said it would bring a law to recognise civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

It also promised not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India.

The party's manifesto also included other promises, such as replacing the GST laws enacted by the BJP/NDA government with GST 2.0, amending the election laws to combine the efficiency of the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the transparency of the ballot paper, and launching the Mahalakshmi scheme to provide 1 lakh per year to every poor Indian family as an unconditional cash transfer.

(With inputs from ANI)
NEW DELHI: India was among 13 countries that abstained as the UN Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. FILE PHOTO: Palestinians walk past the ruins of houses destroyed during Israel's military offensive, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City. (REUTERS)

The resolution on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory, adopted by 28 votes in favour and six against, called for an arms embargo on Israel and said all countries should cease the sale and transfer of arms and military equipment to Israel to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights.

HT Editorial: Israels hit on Gaza aid workers is a new low

Georgia, Japan and the Netherlands were among the countries that abstained along with India when the resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was put to the vote at the 47-member Human Rights Council. The US and Germany were among the countries that voted against it.

People familiar with the matter said Indias abstention was in line with its traditional stand on past resolutions on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory.

India voted in favour of three other resolutions adopted by the UNs top human rights body that endorsed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, expressed concern at human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, and denounced Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

The development came days after the killing of seven international aid workers in an Israeli strike in Gaza, an incident that drew condemnation around the world. Israel gave in to unprecedented pressure from the US and opened new food corridors into Gaza, while the Israeli Defense Forces said two senior military commanders responsible for ordering the strike on the aid workers had been sacked.

Also Read: Israel vows to ramp up Gaza aid, admits mistakes in aid workers deaths

The resolution on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory expressed grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also emphasised the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity.

The development reflected the growing concern about Israels bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in more than 33,000 deaths, and came a day after a phone call between phone Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, who warned his administrations policy on the conflict could change.

Unlike the UN Security Council, Human Rights Council resolutions are not legally binding on states, though this resolution was intended to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel and potentially influence national policy decisions.

Countries that abstained or voted against the resolution noted that it refrained from mentioning Hamas, whose brazen terror attacks on October 7 last year had triggered the conflict.

Israel criticised the resolution and accused the Human Rights Council of having abandoned the Israeli people.
The decision on the INDIA bloc's PM face will be taken only after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose party leads the 27-party opposition alliance, said on Friday. New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during a press conference for the release of the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, in New Delhi, Friday, April 5, 2024. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

INDIA is fighting an ideological election and a decision on the PM candidate will be taken after the polls, Gandhi said at the launch programme of the party's poll manifesto.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP are seeking a third consecutive term, the opposition alliance is yet to take a call on its face for the country's top post. At an INDIA meeting in December last year, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, her Delhi counterpart, had suggested Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's name for the post. Kharge, however, had replied that the coalition must first win enough number of seats to stake claim to the PM's post.

Gandhi, meanwhile, further stated that the 2024 general elections will be closer than what is being projected in the media. Nearly every pre-poll survey has predicted a convincing win for the incumbent government.

A similar slogan of India Shining was propagated in 2004. Do remember who won that campaign, the ex-Congress chief remarked. In the 2004 national polls, the India Shining slogan of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government had failed miserably, despite surveys predicting a win for the saffron party. The Congress had emerged as the single-largest party, formed an alliance government, and was re-elected in 2009.

In 2014, however, Narendra Modi and the BJP came to power, and were victorious five years later as well. This time, they are targeting 370 seats on their own and over 400 with allies, in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

Voting for the Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases, the first of which is on April 19, and the final, on June 1. The counting of votes for all 543 constituencies will be conducted on June 4.

(With PTI inputs)
Bengaluru, A striking feature in the candidates list for the April 26 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka is the presence of members of Janata Dal 's first family. Senior JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy with party supremo and former PM Deve Gowda. (PTI)

Former Prime Minister and JD patriarch H D Deve Gowda's son H D Kumaraswamy, son-in-law C N Manjunath and grandson Prajwal Revanna are all in the fray.

While state JD chief and former Chief Minister Kumararaswamy is contesting from Mandya, Prajwal Revanna is seeking reelection from Hassan.

However, Manjunath, an eminent cardiologist, is contesting from Bengaluru Rural on a BJP ticket, as per the arrangement between the alliance partners.

With the entry of cardiologist Manjunath into the poll arena, at least nine members of Gowda's immediate family are or have been in electoral politics.

Gowda is a Member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, while Kumaraswamy is an MLA from Channapatna, which comes under the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency.

Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha had represented Ramanagara as MLA in the previous assembly, and Nikhil, who is the JD youth wing leader, had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Mandya and 2023 assembly polls from Ramanagara.

Gowda's elder son and former Minister H D Revanna father of Prajwal is MLA from Holenarsipura, his wife Bhavani Revanna was a member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat. Their other son, Suraj, is an MLC.

The Gowda family currently has its representation in all the four major houses of public representatives- Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

This will be for the second consecutive time in the Lok Sabha elections, when three members from Gowda's family are in the fray from constituencies of the old-Mysore region , which is considered to be the party's stronghold, because of the dominance of the Vokkaliga community here, to which they belong to.

Gowda , Prajwal Revanna , and Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil had contested the Lok Sabha poll in 2019, but only Revanna emerged victorious. In fact, he was among the only two candidates from the then ruling Congress-JD alliance, who won; the other being D K Suresh of Congress from Bengaluru Rural.

As part of the seat-sharing deal in this Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, the BJP would contest in 25 constituencies and the JD in the remaining three Mandya, Hassan and Kolar. JD has fielded M Mallesh Babu from Kolar.

In the 2023 assembly polls, three members of the Gowda family had contested - Kumaraswamy , H D Revanna , and Nikhil Kumaraswamy . In the 2018 assembly polls, both Kumaraswamy and Revanna had won.

Kumaraswamy, who had then won from two seats - Ramanagara and Channapatna - vacated Ramanagara, which his wife Anita Kumaraswamy subsequently won in the bypolls.

According to some political observers, the perception in some quarters about JD being too family-centric is one of its major drawbacks.

James Manor, University of London professor, who has been a keen observer of Karnataka's politics, during a webinar ahead of assembly polls last year had said, family-centred politics is causing discontent and leading to desertion. "JD suffers from over-centralisation and dictatorial leadership."

However, Kumaraswamy has time and again defended family members contesting polls stating that , "....our family members will contest where we don't have a capable candidate, to protect the interest of our party and its workers."

However, the JD's dynastic party image has always been used by its political opponents to target it.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar, had a dig at Gowda for fielding his son, grandson, and son-in-law, and asked "Were there no other candidates )?"

"None of them is going to win...JD is a party that has lost strength. If it is really strong, why did they make their son-in-law contest on a BJP ticket?" he said.

Some political analysts held the view that JD' inability to grow beyond the Vokkaliga dominated old-Mysore region other than certain select pockets of north Karnataka is seen as among its other key drawbacks.

Speculations are already rife in JD circles that Nikhil is most likely to be the party candidate from Channaptna assembly segment, in case Kumaraswamy wins in Mandya.

Ahead of assembly polls last year, differences in the Gowda family had come out in the open with H D Revanna's wife Bhavani wanting to contest from Hassan, but Kumaraswamy had opposed it and finally gave the ticket to local leader H P Swaroop and ensured his victory.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Bengaluru Several key political figures including JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, renowned cardiologist C N Manjunath, and Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday submitted their papers for the Lok Sabha elections on the last day of filing nominations for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. BJP-JDS alliance candidate for Mandya Parliamentary Constituency, H D Kumaraswamy files his nominations for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in presence of Goa CM Pramod Sawant, BJP leaders B SYediyurappa and Yaduveer Wadiyar, JD(S) leader C. S. Puttaraju, in Mandya on Thursday. (ANI)

Kumaraswamy was accompanied by senior leaders including BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) stalwart B S Yediyurappa, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, and party candidate from neighbouring Mysuru and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.

At a press meet after filing his nomination, Kumaraswamy said that he is contesting the Lok Sabha polls due to inevitable reasons. I will stand by the people of Mandya all the times in Parliament, he said. When asked if wants to become a Union minister if elected, he said, Everything is Gods grace and I will do my best for the people of Mandya.

Under the seat-sharing agreement, the BJP is set to contest 25 constituencies while JD(S) will contest in three - Mandya, Hassan, and Kolar.

CN Manjunath, who is Deve Gowdas son-in-law, filed his nomination as a BJP candidate from the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment, accompanied by his wife Anasuya and several BJP leaders and MLAs.

In Bangalore South, incumbent MP Tejasvi Surya of BJP filed his nomination after holding a rally and roadshow, which was attended by Union minister Anurag Thakur and other prominent leaders from both BJP and JD(S). Notably, JD(S) youth wing leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy joined Surya during a temple visit preceding the nomination filing.

Years ago, @narendramodi & Bengaluru South posed their faith in me to work for our citys development with a huge margin. Come April 26, citizens will come out in large numbers to ensure another record victory & continue the SaffronWaveInBengaluru, he said in a post on X.

In Tumakuru, former MP Muddahanumegowda S P filed his nomination as a Congress candidate in the presence of home minister G Parameshwara and cooperation minister K N Rajanna. Similarly in Chitradurga, Congress candidate B N Chandrappa and his BJP opponent Govind Karjol submitted their papers, with chief minister Siddaramaiah rallying in support of Chandrappa.

In Hassan, sitting MP Prajwal Revanna, representing JD(S), submitted his papers amidst a grand roadshow, accompanied by his grandfather Deve Gowda and other political figures.

With 14 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats slated for polls in the first phase, the scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for April 5, while April 8 marks the final day for the withdrawal of candidatures.

As per the data released by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, a total of 358 candidates have submitted their nominations in the 14 constituencies going to poll on April 26. Out of this, 183 were filed their nominations were filed on Thursday alone. Of the 358 candidates, only 25 are women, as per the data. A maximum number of candidates filed their nominations in Chikkaballapura constituency where 36 candidates are in the fray, followed by Bengaluru south where 34 candidates have filed their nominations.
Mallikarjun Kharge has earned accolades from his colleagues for his plain speaking since he became the Congress president. He minces no words when he attacks political rivals just as he speaks his mind at Congress meetings. Kharge acknowledged this when he pointed to the partys communications chief, Jairam Ramesh, at his press conference and said, He speaks differently. I have my own way. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge with former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot in Chittorgarh. (PTI)

Kharge attacks Modi over China

Kharge on Thursday attacked the government over the ongoing India-China standoff in Ladakh, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Sardar of liars. Addressing an election rally in Rajasthans Chittorgarh, Kharge criticised Modi for alleged inaction while China encroached upon Indian territory. He accused Modi of prioritising attacks on the Gandhi family whose members sacrificed their lives for the country.

Kharge wondered whether Modi was sleeping when China entered Indian territory. They are coming and you are sleeping. Have you taken sleeping pills? Have they taken opium from the fields of Rajasthan... and fed you?

Vadra claims Amethi expects him to contest

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadras husband, Robert Vadra, has hinted at the possibility of his electoral debut from the high-profile Amethi constituency. He told ANI on Thursday that the people of Amethi expect him to represent their constituency if he decides to become a member of Parliament (MP). For years, the Gandhi family worked hard in Rae Bareli, Amethi and Sultanpur...The people of Amethi are troubled by the current MP. They think they have made a mistake by electing her...

This is not the first time that the businessman has expressed his desire to enter politics. In 2012, he participated in a motorbike rally in Amethi. Vadra in 2022 said that he was ready to enter politics if people wanted him to do that. Vadras latest pitch came amid speculations on whether Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will contest from Amethi and Raebareli. Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Keralas Wayanad on Wednesday. In 2019, Gandhi lost in Amethi for the first time. Raebareli too will have a new Congress candidate as Sonia Gandhi has shifted to Rajya Sabha.

Pappu to fight polls in Purnea

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress alliance has once again come under stress. Former member of Parliament (MP) Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav on Thursday filed his nomination for Bihars Purnea Lok Sabha constituency days after he merged his party with the Congress and hoped to be the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)s candidate for the seat. The RJD had kept the Purnea seat for itself to deny Yadav a chance to fight from his pet seat.

Vijayan asks DD to not screen The Kerala Story

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday condemned the Doordarshans decision to telecast The Kerala Storya film depicting religious conversions in Kerala. He asked the public broadcaster to withdraw from screening the controversial movie, saying it would only exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film Kerala Story, which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections. Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred, Vijayan said in a post on X.

Another Congress spokesperson quits

Gourav Vallabh was possibly the only person in the Congress, who could fluently describe and analyse economic issues in Hindi. Many were curious about his absence from Congress briefings during this election season. On Thursday, Vallabh resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying he did not feel comfortable with the directionless Congress. He added he joined the BJP as he supports Prime Minister Narendra Modis agenda.

Sonia Gandhi takes oath in Rajya Sabha

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday administered the oath to 14 Rajya Sabha members, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. This is the first time Gandhi, a Lok Sabha member since 1999, has shifted to the Rajya Sabha. She took her oath in Hindi. A Congress leader said, Dhankhar congratulated her for coming to the Rajya Sabha.
The Congress will release its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Friday, April 5, with its focus on the Paanch Nyay or five pillars of justice'. Top leaders of the Congress, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, will reportedly release the manifesto. Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during a special press conference at the Congress party headquarters in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj/ HT file)

In its manifesto, the Congress will lay emphasis on Paanch Nyay, including Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its election promises for Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress party shall be unveiling its Manifesto today. Our 5 NYAY  25 GUARANTEE agenda represents our non-negotiable commitment to the welfare of Nation. Since 1926 till date, the Congress Manifesto is a solemn document of the inseparable trust between us and the People of India, Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X (formally Twitter).

Congress manifesto for 2024 Lok Sabha polls: What to expect
By , New Delhi

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news highlights: Voting for the general elections will be held in seven phases, beginning April 19. The last phase will be on June 1.

Kangana Ranaut, a Bollywood actor, is making her electoral debut as the BJP candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 news highlights: The Congress On Friday released its poll manifesto, becoming first of the country's two major political parties to unveil its vision document for the next five years. The grand old party had, however, already revealed 25 of its guarantees, which it calls 'Paanch Nyay' or five pillars of justice. The five pillars  there are five guarantees under each  are 'Yuva Nyay' (for youth), 'Naari Nyay' (for women), 'Kisaan Nyay' (for farmers), 'Shramik Nyay' (for labourers) and 'Hissedari Nyay' (opportunities as per proportion in population)....Read More

The document was launched by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in the presence of senior leaders, at the party headquarters in Delhi. On Saturday, the party will hold two Manifesto launch mega rallies,' one each in Jaipur and Hyderabad. The ruling BJP, meanwhile, has held one meeting of its manifesto committee; the 27-member panel is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Lok Sabha Election 2024: Phase-wise schedule:  Phase 1- April 19  Phase 2- April 26  Phase 3- May 7  Phase 4 - May 13  Phase 5 - May 20  Phase 6 - May 25  Phase 7 - June 1 The counting of votes for all 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held on June 4.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that democracy and the Constitution was never at risk as much as today and announced that the election is much closer than what the media is predicting adding that it will be difficult for the BJP to get 160-180 seats. Congress senior party leader Rahul Gandhi addresses media persons after the release of the partys manifesto. (HT Photo | Hindustan Times)

Speaking to media persons at the launch of the partys election manifecto, Gandhi pointed out that the manifesto is written by the people of India and maintained the ensuing Lok Sabha election is a fundamentally different election.

I dont think democracy and Constitution is at risk as much as today, he said.

When asked who the PM face of the Congress is, Gandhi maintained that the Opposition parties have formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance to wage an ideological fight and there is an agreement among the allies that the leadership issue will be decided after the election.

The former Congress chief also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a monopoly of political finance by using ED, CBI and IT.

PM Modi wants the monopoly of political finance in his hands. The entire political finances are in his hands. The entire structure is rigged. This election is about those who are trying to destroy the Constitution vs those who want to protect the Constitution and democracy. Once this fight is won, it is important to see that India is run not for 2-3 people but for all, Gandhi said.

Also Read: Cong manifesto has photos of New York, Thailand; understand their seriousness: BJP

He emphasised that it will be a much closer election than what is propagated by the media.

We will fight and win the election. There was a similar feeling generated by the press when Mr. (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee was the PM. We have a similar INDIA Shining moment with few additional dimensions, Gandhi said.

In 2004, the BJP government banked on the INDIA Shining campaign, but the Congress launched a transformative campaign on Aam admi ko kya mila coupled it with Congress ka haath, aam admi ke saath slogan. The BJP was defeated as the India Shining had not percolated in the semi-urban and rural India.

Former Union minister P Chidambaram, the chairman of the manifesto committee drew a parallel between the Prime Minister Narendra Modis guarantees and the Congress guarantees and said, The Congress guarantees are concrete guarantees. We have spelt out what each guarantee means. Mr. Modis guarantees are empty promises. He is giving guarantees to ensure he gets a third term. I can narrate 50 such promises of Mr. Modi which are empty promises.

When questioned on why the manifesto didnt have any mention of Old Pension Scheme, Chidambaram said, It is very much in our minds. The government has appointed a committee to review the NPS. It will be premature to take a stand now.

As several Congress party leaders abandon the party to join others ahead of the Lok Sabha election, party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that the leaders are severing their ties out of fear due to their wrongdoings.

The Congress chief, while speaking at the event organised for launching the partys manifesto for the general election, took a swipe at PM Modi, saying that the latter is sloganeering for 400 paar to induct Congress leaders.

At this time, some people are running away from us out of fear. They are the same people who have done something wrong. The one who stands straight on his principles, no one can scare him. We are the people who will get scared. Our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi do not fear, but the PM does. He talks about 400 paar after taking our people. He could not go to Manipur but went all over the world. When our leader Rahul Gandhi went there, why couldnt he? He did not go because he fears and the one who gets fear, cannot run a country, Kharge said.

They say that they would eradicate corruption. You took our 25 senior leaders and two of them were exonerated... People who are going to Shahs washing machine, are coming out to be clean. The corrupt people are with you, and we are being blamed, Kharge added.
As anticipated, the electoral contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance and the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) wont be a direct one but is likely to be a triangular contest with Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) fielding candidates across the state. Ambedkar, who is the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, filed his nomination from the Akola constituency on Thursday.

The Congress has fielded a candidate too, making it clear that it will not help Ambedkar win the election after he refused to be part of the opposition coalition. Ambedkar, on his part, claimed that the MVA did not accept his demand for seats; MVA leaders say they offered four to five seats to Ambedkars party; both sides are accusing each other of not being honest in the seat-sharing talks.

The fallout of Ambedkar fielding candidates in all 48 LS seats in Maharashtra, is that votes against the ruling three-party alliance, Mahayuti, would get divided.

Ambedkars target is communities that fall within the Other Backward Class, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories and religious minorities  these are also the traditional voter base of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, VBAs alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) resulted in the opposition Congress-NCP losing nine seats. Those who lost elections due to this included former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde.

Efforts are still being made by the MVA leaders to work out a deal with Ambedkar. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said he would speak with Congress to withdraw its candidate fielded in Akola which would significantly improve Ambedkars chances of winning the Akola Lok Sabha seat. State Congress chief Nana Patole felt that there was still time and appealed to Ambedkar to join the MVA coalition to keep the BJP out of power.

There are indications that there will be a close contest between NDA and MVA in Maharashtra. As such, Ambedkars outfits taking even a small percentage of votes could damage MVA's prospects. That is why the MVA leaders are still trying to take him on board, and at the same time are trying to discredit him, said Mumbai-based journalist and political analyst Abhay Deshpande.

What happens will impact the outcome of the election for 48 seats in Maharashtra.

Here are three possible scenarios:

One, VBA splits opposition votes which works to the advantage of the ruling alliance.

This could be more or less a repeat of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the VBA-AIMIM combine split the opposition votes and led to the defeat of nine Congress-NCP candidates. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won 41 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. This time, however, the AIMIM is not with the VBA, but Ambedkar is trying to take along an OBC outfit led by Dhangar (shephard) community leader Prakash Shendge. Dhangar votes are in significant numbers in western Maharashtra and some other pockets in the state. MVA leaders think they can win 25 to 30 seats if things work out their way. However, if VBA eats into their votes, this number could go down.

Two, VBA contests separately, but fails to garner too many votes. According to some leaders of the MVA, AIMIMs non-alliance with VBA will reduce the latters vote share significantly, as what happened in assembly elections held six months after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls (VBAs vote share fell from 6.92% to 4.92% ). There is a strong undercurrent against the BJP in most of the socially backward communities. And the possibility that they may vote for the MVA certainly exists. Ambedkars experiment of bringing Marathas and OBCs together did not take off, as Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil refused to join him or support his candidates, but VBA leaders say there are many communities in the SC, ST and OBC categories that neither coalition is paying much attention. According to Deshpande, Ambedkars vote share will be hit if there is highly polarised voting with sections of voters clearly deciding to vote for or against the government. Ambedkar has created his own political space with his VBA experiment. He damaged the prospects of Congress-NCP in 2019 but then he was with AIMIM. Later they parted ways. Though his percentage declined and AIMIM is not with him, Ambedkar is holding on to a small percentage of votes in several constituencies, Deshpande said.

Three, VBA joins MVA or works out seat adjustment with a common goal of defeating the BJP. The first phase of voting is barely a fortnight away, so this scenario (of a formal alliance) seems least likely. However, VBA and MVA may help each other in a few constituencies. Ambedkar has already announced that he wont field candidates opposite the Congress candidate and descendant of Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj in Kolhapur constituency, or opposite NCP (SP) Sharad Pawars daughter and party MP Supriya Sule in Baramati, or even in Nagpur where Congress Vikas Thakre is contesting opposite Union transport minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari. Similarly, the Congress may withdraw the candidate opposite Ambedkar. This selective seat adjustment could partially help the MVA though it would require some negotiation.

Shailesh Gaikwad, political editor of HT Mumbai, breaks down the most important political news in Maharashtra this week
A massive fire erupted at a power distribution company in the Kota area of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday. Footage shared by news agency ANI showed a large blaze with smoke emanating from the building. Residents were seen evacuating their homes owing to the blaze. Footage shared by ANI depicted a large blaze with smoke emanating from the building.

Both police and firefighters are on-site to address the situation.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, a massive blaze broke out in a government-run residential school in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district last month, resulting in the death of a four-year-old girl. The cause of the blaze at the portacabin school for girls in the Chintakonta village was unknown.

However, speaking about the incident, a school education department official said that as the fire broke out, all 380 students of the facility, were safely evacuated by porta cabin staffers and local villagers.

"All 380 students of the facility were safely evacuated by porta cabin staffers and local villagers. However, later it was found that the younger sister of a student was missing. She died of burn injuries," the official said.

The victim was not a student of the school. She was staying with her elder sister for the last few days, the official added.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday filed its charge sheet in the money laundering probe against former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. The probe agency in its charge sheet said it has attached 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi allegedly belonging to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) working president. Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. (PTI)

The ED had filed a charge sheet against the 48-year-old JMM leader and four others -- Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Raj Kumar Pahan, Hilariyas Kachhap and Binod Singh -- on March 30 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi.

ED said in a statement that the agency took cognizance of the prosecution complaint on Thursday. The central agency requested the court to confiscate the 8.86-acre land in Ranchi.

In its chargesheet, the financial crimes probe agency alleged, "A racket of land mafia is active in Jharkhand which used to forge the land records in Ranchi."

During the probe, the ED said, it was found that the ownership records of lands had also been "forged" to extend favours to the said land mafia and subsequently, on the basis of forged land records, such land parcels were sold to other persons.

The central agency said that the original ownership of these lands is either tampered with or concealed to facilitate illegal acquisition, possession or use of this property.

Hemant Soren misusing power and influence

The land that is alleged to have been acquired by Hemant Soren is about 8.86 acres in size and is located at Baragain Anchal, Bariyatu Road in Ranchi. It was valued at 31,07,02,480 as per urban residential property rate of 3,50,680 per decimal, stated the ED charge sheet, which was accessed by PTI.

The agency said Soren was in the "possession" of this immovable asset since 2010-11 in a "camouflaged and concealed" manner. It also accused Soren of "misusing his power and influence" to create "parallel and false evidence" since he was issued the first summons for questioning in this case on August 7, 2023, for appearance a week later.

The agency said they have recorded the statement of a person identified as Baijnath Munda and his cousin Shyamlal Pahan who claimed that the land, which Soren is alleged to have taken over, "was originally owned by his ancestors and was forcefully acquired by Shibu Soren (Hemant Soren's father) and Hemant Soren" and their complaint in this regard was not accepted at any police station due to their (Sorens) "high influence".

(With inputs from PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched scathing broadsides at opposition parties in West Bengal and Bihar on Thursday, accusing them of corruption and stalling development as part of his eastern push that will be pivotal for the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP)s goal of sealing 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally in Cooch Behar on Thursday. (ANI)

Bengal, with 42 Lok Sabha seats and Bihar, with 40, are two of the largest states to go to the polls over the next six weeks. In both states, the BJP -- in alliance in Bihar and alone in Bengal -- is locked in fierce battles with regional outfits such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led coalition in Bihar and the Trinamool Congress in Bengal.

The PM first travelled to Jamui in Bihar on Thursday afternoon and then to Cooch Behar in northern West Bengal, underscoring his partys focus on development and stressing that a third term for the BJP would propel Indias economic progress. Both regions go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

In Cooch Behar, Modi trained his guns on the states handling of the tensions in strife-torn Sandeshkhali, where local leaders of the ruling TMC are accused of sexually harassing and exploiting women.

Strengthening the BJP is necessary for Bengals development. Only the BJP can stop atrocities on women. The nation has seen how the TMC government used its full power to shield the guilty at Sandeshkhali. The BJP has vowed to punish them. They will spend the rest of their lives in prison, Modi said in his first rally in Bengal, Indias third-largest state in terms of Lok Sabha seats.

Modi was likely referring to the arrest of TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, who is accused of sexual assault and land-grabbing, and was arrested after being on the run for 55 days last month.

When you cast your votes on March 19, remember this is an election for India. Delhi cannot have a weak government. It needs a strong and stable government, Modi said in Cooch Behar town, addressing thousands of supporters in the sharp summer heat.

The PM made a similar appeal in Jamui earlier in the day.

This is the election for the future of the country and Bihar. This is the election to realise the dreams of Bihar. This is the election for a developed India and happy Bihar, Modi said as he flagged off his campaign in Bihar.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance had performed exceedingly well in the two states in 2019. In Bihar, the NDA  comprising the BJP, the chief minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)  swept the state, winning 39 out of the 40 seats. This time, the NDA is facing a resurgent RJD, currently the largest party in the state assembly.

In neighbouring Bengal, the BJP posted its best-ever tally of 18 seats. If the NDA has to touch 400 seats and the BJP 370, repeating this performance in the two eastern states will be critical.

In his Cooch Behar address, Modi lashed out the TMC for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed in 2019 but came into effect last month.

The TMC is spreading rumours to mislead people. It is Modis guarantee that CAA will grant people citizenship, he said.

It is time to fulfil the dreams of Maharaja Naranarayan, brave warrior Chila Ray and Thakur Panchanan Barma, Modi said, paying tributes to the three icons of the Koch Rajbanshi community, which has a sizeable presence in the Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituencies.

The state will vote in all seven phases of the general elections between April 19 and June 1.

West Bengal chief minister and TMC founder Mamata Banerjee also addressed voters in Cooch Behar and the adjoining Jalpaiguri seat hours before Modi arrived.

She alleged that CAA would be followed by National Register of Citizens and the Uniform Civil Code if the BJP returns to power.

They want to put people in detention camps, but we will not allow NRC in Bengal, she told the crowd.

To be sure, the BJP already has a significant foothold in north Bengal. The BJP swept the region in 2019, winning seven of the regions eight Lok Sabha seats.

The BJP continued this streak in north Bengal into the 2021 assembly elections as well, winning 30of the regions 54Vidhan Sabha seats. These, however, were not enough to keep the TMC running away with 215 of the 294 constituencies in the West Bengal assembly, relegating the BJP to just 75.

In Jamui, Modi hit out at the RJD and Congress for allegedly keeping Bihars progress on the backburner.

The Congress and the RJD had given the country such a bad name. The world used to think we are a weak and poor nation. Terrorists from small countries, which are struggling to maintain their supplies of wheat, used to strike at will. The Congress governments did little except seek the intervention of other powerful nations, said the PM, joined on stage by Nitish Kumar. Kumar, who quit the Opposition grand alliance in the state and returned to the NDA for the second time in this current term.

Modi also sought to shore up support for Chirag Paswans LJP (Ram Vilas), or LJP-R, which is part of the NDA in Bihar and is contesting five seats.

I miss the presence of my friend Ram Vilas Paswan who was here with us in the last elections. But, I am glad to see that my little brother Chirag is taking his mission forward, he said.

Jamui, a constituency reserved for people from the Scheduled Castes, has been represented twice by Chirag Paswan, who has shifted base to late father Ram Vilas Paswans Hajipur, passing over the mantle to brother-in-law Arun Bharti.

Modi also accused the alliance of opposing the conferment of a Bharat Ratna to OBC stalwart Karpoori Thakur, the election of a Dalit president (President Ram Nath Kovind) and a tribal woman (President Droupadi Murmu).
Indias shrimp exporters on Thursday sought the governments help in launching a global campaign against the international lobby that is attempting to malign Indian products with an intent to kill 43,000 crore of shrimp exports, largely to the US market where India has a 40% marketshare. The US is Indias biggest buyer, about $2.4 billion worth of shrimp. More Indian shrimp reach the US after processing in a third country. (Shutterstock)

Some US lawmakers have written to President Biden to act against Indian shrimp imports after a foreign employee of Kerala-based Choice Canning group alleged that the company was exporting shrimp contaminated with antibiotics and engaging in forced labour practices. Activists and a section of the US media also joined the clamour.

On the demand of the Indian exporters, the commerce ministry on Thursday convened a meeting of the stakeholders. In the meeting the exporters expressed willingness to open their facilities for inspection by any independent international agency, at least three people present in the meeting said requesting anonymity.

All 548 Indian shrimp exporters are absolutely confident about meeting the stringent norms prescribed by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) at their processing facilities, and hence sought the governments help to invite national and international agencies to conduct audits to end the falsehood spread by competitors, one of them said. Indias competitors in the trade are Ecuador, China and Vietnam.

The exporters also asked government officials to invite internationally-recognised organisations to evaluate prevailing labour conditions in these shrimp processing units, he said. The meeting was attended by senior officials from ministries of commerce and external affairs, regulatory bodies such as the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and exporters.

A thorough audit could be done to reassure buyers, but there is no trigger to raise this matter at the G2G [government-to-government] level, a second person, a senior government official, said. While all regulatory bodies have been conducting regular audits, they have been asked to remain extra vigil, he said referring to MPEDA, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Export Inspection Council (EIC). India banned usage of antibiotics in aquaculture in 2002.

States, particularly Andhra Pradesh have been also alerted, a third person said. Andhra Pradesh is biggest supplier of shrimp to the US. India aims to achieve seafood exports worth 1 lakh crore in the next two years moving up in the value chain, he said. Instead of exporting in bulk, one kg shrimp, properly packed and branded, fetch up to $15 in the US market, he added.

In 2022-23, India registered record seafood exports worth 63,969.14 crore ($8.09 billion) with much of this coming from frozen shrimp ( 43,135.58 crore or $5.5 billion). The US is Indias biggest buyer, about $2.4 billion worth of shrimp. More Indian shrimp reach the US after processing in a third country. India is now focusing on value addition locally before exporting to the US, a prospect that has alarmed competitors, the third person added. A similar campaign launched against Thai seafood disrupted supply of Thai shrimp about a decade ago, he added.

Speaking about the whistleblower Joshua Farinella, a US citizen, the first person said the company in question, Choice Canning refuted the charge of malpractices at its facility where Farinella was employed. In an email reply, Choice Group director Thomas Jose said: This is now a legal matter that is being directly handled by the Government of India to safeguard the interests of India. As per the whistleblowers public record, he has an extensive criminal background on where he has been convicted and pled guilty on several occasions which includes theft by deception, identity theft, assault, bank fraud, check fraud amongst others. Choice Canning is a supplier to retail giants such as Walmart and Aldi.

Referring to Farinellas complaint, US Congress members Garret Graves and Mary Sattler Peltola on March 22 wrote to Biden that the damning evidence from someone in the industry has revealed strong concerns of severe food safety issues and labour violations at an Indian shrimp processing plant. These foreign producers are deliberately using government subsidies and shortcuts  like packing the supply with banned antibiotics or using feed caught through illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices  to undercut domestic shrimp suppliers and flood the American market with cheap and unsafe shrimp, they jointly wrote to the President asking him to take swift action to protect American consumers.

...
Sitting parliamentarian from Narasapuram parliamentary constituency in Narasapuram Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh Kanumuru Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, who resigned from the YSRCP (Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party), is likely to contest the state assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 13, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Raju had resigned from the YSRCP on February 24 after revolting against YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Wikimedia commons)

Raju had resigned from the YSRCP on February 24 after revolting against party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in the last four and a half years. A senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader said that he is likely to join the party at the public meeting of party president N Chandrababu Naidu at Palakollu on Friday.

The Narasapuram MP had been trying for a ticket from any of the three National Democratic Alliance partners  TDP, Jana Sena and the BJP from the same constituency in the upcoming general elections. As part of seat sharing agreement among the alliance partners, the seat was allocated to the BJP, which fielded its state general secretary Bhupatiraju Srinivasa Varma.

An upset Raju made extensive lobbying with the TDP to get the seat back from the BJP and held several rounds of discussions with Naidu. The TDP leader quoted above said Naidu, in turn, offered Eluru Lok Sabha seat to the BJP in exchange for Narasapuram seat, but the BJP leadership did not agree for the same.

As a result, Raju has no choice but to accept Naidus offer to contest the assembly elections from Undi assembly constituency, presently represented by TDP candidate Manthena Venkata Satyanarayana Raju, the party leader said.

He said Naidu had held discussions with the sitting MLA and assured to take care of his political interests, once the party comes to power.

Raju was elected on the YSRCP ticket from Narasapuram in April 2019 elections, but staged a revolt against Jagan in November 2019, questioning the latters decision on the formation of three capitals.

Since then, the MP has been questioning the policies of the Jagan government. He could not step into Andhra Pradesh for a long time, fearing arrest by the police in one case or the other.

The YSRC parliamentary party headed by V Vijay Sai Reddy moved a petition before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in July 2020, seeking disqualification of Raju from the Lok Sabha and the petition is pending before the Speaker.

On May 14, 2021, when he came to Hyderabad for his birthday celebrations, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra police arrested him under Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups), and 505 (conducing public mischief).

The CID alleged that Raju had been indulging in hate speeches against certain communities and promoting disaffection against the government. On the same evening of his arrest, he moved a bail petition in the state high court but it was rejected.

Later, he moved the Supreme Court for bail and alleged that he was subject to physical torture by the CID police during his stay in the police station. On May 17, 2021, the SC ordered that Raju be admitted to the military hospital in Secunderabad for medical examination. Based on the medical report, the apex court granted him bail.

On being released from the hospital, Raju left for New Delhi and stayed put in the national capital since then. It was only on January 13, 2024 that he landed in Andhra Pradesh to attend the Sankranti festival in Bhimavaram.
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday found no substantial basis to initiate contempt proceedings against Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar for allegedly failing to comply with a previous court order that directed his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to include disclaimers in advertisements and public notices, specifying that the clock symbol allocated to his faction was subject to ongoing judicial scrutiny. Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar

While disposing of the contempt plea moved by his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, the top court asked both sides to strictly comply with the courts interim order of March 19 to ensure voters are not left befuddled over the choice of candidates they want to make in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The most important stakeholders in the process are the voters. The purpose of our interim order was to apprise them about the pendency of the symbol dispute before this court. It was to tell them that the allocation of clock symbol is pending and that they (Ajit Pawar faction) are using it in the interim until the court decides the matter finally, a bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan said.

In its order, the bench directed both factions to sensitise their office-bearers, spokespersons and party workers so that there is no contravention of the March 19 order, even as it reiterated that the Sharad Pawar faction will not use the clock symbol in any form.

Simultaneously, the bench turned down the Ajit Pawar factions plea to modify the March 19 order so that the party did not have to compulsorily put the disclaimer in all its communications, regardless of whether it had anything to do with elections or not.

We think both sides have understood our order clearly and will comply with it in a bona fide manner. One or two office-bearers or workers, out of anger or frustration, may do something but the party will have to take care of that...We also know that our order does not have to be construed in a manner that it becomes impossible to be followed, said the bench. Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohati represented the senior Pawar and Ajit Pawar respectively.

On March 19, the bench allowed the Ajit Pawar faction to keep using the clock symbol and the NCP name but with a caveat that it would issue a public notice in leading English, Marathi and Hindi dailies informing the public that the symbols allocation was subject to outcome of the petition heard by the court. Such a declaration shall be incorporated in every pamphlet, advertisement, audio, or video clip issued by the Ajit Pawar faction, the bench added at the time.

This order also said that the other faction will be entitled to use the name Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar for the purpose of contesting the ensuing parliamentary and state assembly elections along with the symbol of man blowing turha.

In its order on Thursday, the bench said that both sides will use the election symbol as approved by the court until the petition filed by senior Pawar against the allotment of clock symbol and party name to his nephews faction is not decided. It also recorded a statement by the Ajit Pawar bloc that they will issue public notices again and more prominently in leading newspapers to bring the pending dispute to the attention of the voters.

The matter was brought before the bench on Wednesday by Singhvi, representing Sharad Pawar. Singhvi raised concerns about the non-compliance of the courts order and pointed out that instead of following the directive, the Ajit Pawar faction has filed an application seeking relaxation of the March 19 order. Responding, Rohatgi contested Singhvis assertions, prompting the bench to fix the matter for a detailed hearing on Thursday.

The legal tussle stems from the split within the NCP in July 2023, following a rebellion led by the Ajit Pawar group. The Ajit Pawar faction currently lends its support to the ruling Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra.

The dispute over the true identity of the NCP before the Election Commission of India (ECI) was decided in favour of the Ajit Pawar faction that had submitted affidavits of 57 MLAs in its support, compared to Sharad Pawars 28 affidavits. Based on legislative majority, ECI recognised the faction led by Ajit Pawar as the real NCP.
NEW DELHI: The Indian government has cleared the supply of several essential commodities to the Maldives, including items such as rice, wheat and onions whose exports are currently banned, amid a downturn in relations between the two sides. President Muizzu has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he intends to reduce the Maldives dependence on any one country for food security. (AFP FILES)

The government allowed the export of these commodities for 2024-25 under a bilateral mechanism at the request of the Maldivian government, the Indian high commission in Male said in a statement on Friday. The approved quantities are also the highest since the mechanism was put in place in 1981.

The clearance for the exports comes at a time when ties between India and the Maldives are at a low, especially after the election last year of President Mohamed Muizzu, who has sought to end the Indian archipelagos dependence on India in strategic sectors. Muizzu has also moved the Maldives closer to China.

The quota for river sand and stone aggregates, crucial items for the booming construction industry in the Maldives, have been increased by 25% to 1,000 MT. There has also been an increase of 5% in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and dal (pulses), the statement said.

India banned wheat exports in May 2022 and non-basmati rice exports in July 2023 to cater to domestic requirements. The government also banned the export of onions for about four months last December. However, India has supplied rice, wheat and onions to countries in the neighbourhood, such as Bangladesh, and key partners, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, on a case-to-case basis.

The statement noted that India continued supplying rice, sugar and onions to the Maldives last year despite a ban on exporting these items. India remains strongly committed to supporting human-centric development in the Maldives, as part of its Neighbourhood First policy, it said.

According to an official notification, India will supply one million tonnes each of river sand and stone aggregates to the Maldives during 2024-25. It will supply 35,749 tonnes of onions, 124,218 tonnes of rice, 109,162 tonnes of wheat and 64,494 tonnes of sugar during this period.

These exports will be exempted from any existing or future restriction/prohibition during 2024-25.

Without naming India, Muizzu has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he intends to reduce the Maldives dependence on any one country for food security.

In keeping with a demand by Muizzu, India has also begun replacing some 80 military personnel deployed in the Maldives to operate three aircraft with civilian personnel. The aircraft are mainly used for humanitarian assistance operations and medical evacuations.

Apart from finalising arrangements with Sri Lanka for medical evacuation services, Muizzus government signed an agreement with Turkiye to supply food items such as flour. The Maldives also inked a pact with Turkiye for drones to be used for maritime surveillance, and another with China for supplying non-lethal military equipment and training.

Muizzu has also announced the Maldives will begin directly importing medicines from European pharmaceutical companies. In recent decades, Maldives has largely depended on India for food items and medicines.
The Rajasthan government on Thursday suspended three resident doctors from a state-run hospital in Jaipur for refusing admission to a pregnant woman. The woman was forced to give birth near the hospital's entrance due to the doctors' negligence, officials said. The woman, after being denied admission to the hospital, experienced severe labour pain and was forced to give birth to the child near the hospital gate.(HT File)

Speaking about the incident, Shubhra Singh, additional chief secretary of the medical education department, said after the matter came to light, the department constituted an inquiry committee with immediate effect. Following this, three resident doctors of Kanwatia Hospital, including Kusum Saini, Neha Rajawat and Manoj, were suspended after "serious negligence and insensitivity" was found on their part. The woman experienced severe labour pain as she walked out of the hospital bloc and was forced to give birth to the child near the gate, officials said.

READ | Delhi: Seven-month-old in need of surgery dies after being denied admission by major hospitals

A show cause notice was also issued to the hospital superintendent, Dr Rajendra Singh Tanwar, for negligence.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident in Haryana, a woman delivered her baby outside a government hospital block in Ambala after the staff allegedly denied her admission to the hospital's maternity ward. Following the incident, Haryana health minister Anil Vij ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Suman, approximately 30 years old, had been visiting the same hospital for prenatal check-ups throughout her pregnancy. On that particular night, her husband, Shalu Kumar, transported her to the hospital in a motorbike-attached cart when they couldn't secure an ambulance. Subsequently, he entered the hospital to seek maternity assistance for his wife while she waited in the cart.

READ | Refused admission by hospital, migrant woman delivers baby on Jammu-Pathankot highway

The woman's husband claimed that he pleaded with the hospital staff to admit his wife to the maternity ward, but they ignored his requests for assistance even after numerous appeals. He recounted that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on the cart within the hospital premises without any staff present.

(With inputs from PTI)
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said no Pakistani terrorist trying to disturb India from across the border will be spared. He was reacting to a report by the Guardian that the Indian government ordered at least 20 assassinations on Pakistan soil since 2020. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan is aware of India's strength.

"If any terrorist tries to disturb India from Pakistan, we will give muh tod jawab (befitting reply). If needed, Pakistan mein ghus ke marenge (Will enter Pakistan and kill). If someone will try to disturb India with terror, uski khair nahi hai (he will not be spared)," the defence minister said in an interview to News18.

On PM Modi's old Ghar me ghus ke maarenge statement, Rajnath Singh said, "Whatever PM Modi had said is correct as India has that power and now Pakistan also realises this.

"India has always wanted to have a good relationship with the neighbouring countries. India has never attacked any country, it has neither occupied an inch of any other country's land. But those who target India repeatedly, enter India and spread terrorism will not be spared," Rajnath Singh said.

The Guardian report published on Thursday claimed since the Pulwama attack in 2019, India's intelligence agency RAW carried out assassinations inside Pakistan. The report said these deaths were "orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates". The Guardian report quoted unnamed intelligence sources and said India drew "inspiration from Israel's Mossad and Russia's KGB".

The Guardian reached out to the external affairs ministry for its comment on the findings of their investigation. The MEA denied all the allegations, reiterating an earlier statement that they were "false and malicious anti-India propaganda".

The report cited the killing of Zahid Akhund, Shahid Latif, Bashir Ahmad Peer, Saleem Rehmani -- all known terrorists. It said Pakistani authorities have been reluctant to publicly acknowledge the killings as these targets were known terrorists.

The report also detailed how the 'killings' were done. "According to the evidence gathered by Pakistan, the killings were regularly coordinated out of the UAE, where Raw established sleeper cells that would separately arrange different parts of the operation and recruit the killers," the report said.

Millions of rupees would often be paid to criminals to carry out these murders and the payments were mostly done via Dubai, it said. The RAW handlers overseeing these killings met in Nepal, the Maldives and Mauritius.
Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Thursday hinted at contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh, which was a stronghold for Rahul Gandhi. Spelling out his interest in contesting the Lok Sabha polls, Vadra said he gets many offers from other political parties who promise to assure his victory in the polls. Robert Vadra with wife Priyanka Gandhi (HT File Photo)

While speaking to news agency ANI, Robert Vadra said the people of Amethi expect him to represent their constituency if he thinks of becoming a member of Parliament.

Vadra said, I will also say that because for so much time, I have been meeting people and there are MPs from other parties, when I meet them, they speak with me with love also and say come (to parliament) from our party and why are you taking so long and we will ensure that you win with a huge margin.

The businessman also took a jibe at Union Minister Smriti Irani, saying that people of Amethi feel that they made a mistake by electing her, and she doesn't visit the constituency very often. Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi, a Nehru-Gandhi family stronghold, in one of the biggest upsets of the polls.

5 things about Robert Vadra
AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Friday alleged a link between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi excise policy accused Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, holding up a photo of the two. At a press conference in the national capital, Sanjay Singh said Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy was given a ticket by the BJP ally TDP in Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Sanjay Singh holds up photo of Magunta Reddy with PM Modi. (HT Photo/ Vipin Kumar)

Sanjay Singh then showed a picture of Modi with Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy. He further alleged that Reddy has been using his photo with the prime minister to seek votes for the upcoming elections.

The man who has been made liquor scam accused, what is PM Modi doing with him? He is now a TDP (Lok Sabha) candidate in Andhra Pradesh. Reddy is using PM Modi's photo to seek votes, Sanjay Singh alleged.

This liquor scam has been done by the BJP. The senior leaders of BJP are involved in pulling this off, claimed Sanjay Singh. He further said the senior leadership of the BJP was involved in the big conspiracy of putting Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail.

Sanjay Singh walked out of Tihar Jail on Wednesday. He was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to the Delhi excise policy case but was granted bail by the Supreme Court this week.

Magunta Reddy was a member of the YSRCP in 2022 when he was raided by the central agency. At the time, he didn't give any statement against Arvind Kejriwal, which is why his son was later arrested, alleged Sanjay Singh.

Magunta Reddy gave three statements, and his son Raghava Magunta gave seven statements. On September 16, when he (Magunta Reddy) was first asked by the ED whether he knew Arvind Kejriwal, he told the truth and said that he met Kejriwal in the matter of charitable trust land. But after that, his son was arrested and after five months of keeping him in jail, his father changed his statement, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged.

Reddy's son Raghava shared seven statements between February 10 to July 16, and there was no mention of Kejriwal in six of these statements, Singh said. However, he gave his seventh statement against Kejriwal after five months of torture, alleged Singh.

BJP is yet to react to the allegations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday repeated his Saugandh mujhe mitti ki (I vow by this country's soil) call from February 2019, as he campaigned in Rajasthan's Churu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. PM Narendra Modi in Rajasthan's Churu (PTI)

Yeh naya Bharat hai, yeh ghar main ghuske marega (this is new India, we will eliminate terrorists on our enemy's soil)" PM Modi said.

On February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had struck a Jaish terrorist camp in Pakistan's Balakot, twelve days after 40 troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. Incidentally, on the day of IAF's retaliation, the PM was in Churu, campaigning for that year's general elections, which he and his party, the BJP, would go on to win.

Meanwhile, in his Friday rally, the PM once again exuded confidence that he will win a third consecutive term, and hinted at major decisions during the third term.

Whatever has been done in the past 10 years is just a trailer and is like an appetiser. The main course is yet to come, he remarked.

PM Modi also led the crowd in chanting ab ki baar, 400 paar (this time, we will win more than 400 seats). The BJP has set a target of winning 370 seats on its own, and over 400 with allies.

From Churu, the saffron party has fielded Paralympian Devendra Jhahjharia. Denied ticket, its 2-term MP from the seat, Rahul Kaswan, joined the Congress, and will now contest against his former party.

In the previous 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 24 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan, while one seat went to its then ally, Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). This time, however, Beniwal's RLP is in alliance with the Congress, and he will stand from Nagaur, which he won five years ago.
The Supreme Court on Friday put on hold a controversial March 22 ruling by the Allahabad high court that declared the 2004 Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act unconstitutional and violative of secularism, noting that the high court prima facie misconstrued the law and reached wrong conclusions. The highest court also stayed the HC directive to the state government to transfer madrasa students to regular schools. (PTI)

The highest court also stayed the HC directive to the state government to transfer madrasa students to regular schools, in an effort to protect the rights of tens of thousands of students from being compulsorily transferred to other schools and from having their academic pursuits interrupted in the middle of their studies.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud emphasised that if the concern of the petitioners and HC was to ensure that the students of madrasas receive quality education, the remedy would not lie in striking down the Madarsa Act but in issuing suitable directions to ensure that the students are not deprived of quality education.

The court, however, refrained from issuing any direction to the Uttar Pradesh government for continuing to provide state aid to madrasas, which the state claimed to be around 1,098 crore annually.

ALSO READ- Allahabad HC scraps UP madrasa law: Shift students to govt schools

Welcoming the order, chairman of the UP Madrasa Education Board Iftikhar Ali Javed said, I welcome this decision and congratulate all the people associated with this case. The Board is for education and promotion of languages like Arabic, Persian etc. & not religious education. Earlier we were thinking what if the students had to be shifted? It would not have been an easy task. Education of girls in Muslim community is a bit less. Even if the boys could be shifted to another school, sending the girls without hijab, niqab to other schools would not have been possible.

The law was enacted in 2004 by then ruling Samajwadi Party.

The Yogi Adityanath government reversed course and backed the HC judgment quashing the law in the Supreme Court, arguing that it could not be forced to provide state funds to madrasas even though privately owned and managed madrasas continue to operate. The government had previously supported the 2004 act before the high court, but it told the apex court on Friday that it accepted the March 22 judgment.

While issuing the interim order on a clutch of petitions moved by madrasa owners, management societies and teachers associations, the bench said: In striking down the act, the high court prima facie misconstrued the provisions of the act. The act does not provide for any religious instruction. The object and purpose of the statute is regulatory in character...The provision of the act does not provide for religious instruction per se.

Mapping out several provisions of the 2004 act, the bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, further noted that the HC order did not appear to be correct in holding that the statute was against the principles of secularism and thus, the state could not have enacted this law.

The purpose of the (Madarsa) Board, which is constituted under the 2004 Act, shows that it is regulatory in nature. The high court did not appear to be correct in its conclusion that the very establishment of the board would amount to overreaching the principles of secularism, said the court in its order.

Senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi, PS Patwalia, Salman Khurshid, Huzefa Ahmadi and Menaka Guruswamy appeared for the batch of petitioners while attorney general R Venkataramani and additional solicitor general KM Nataraj argued for the Centre and the state government respectively, defending the HC ruling. Senior counsel V Chidambaresh, S Guru Krishnakumar and Swarupama Chaturvedi appeared for the writ petitioners, intervenor and the national child rights body respectively.

The apex court also found fault with the HC direction to the state government for accommodating students studying in madrasas in regular schools. The direction passed by the high court would impinge on the future course of education of nearly 17 lakh students who are pursuing studies in these educational institutions. While it is entirely the choice of students and the parents in regard to the institution they wish to pursue their studies, the direction of the high court on relocation of students was not proper, it said.

The bench stressed in its order that the best course of action would not be to nix the 2004 act but to issue suitable directions if the petitioners and the HC were concerned about ensuring that madrasa students receive high-quality education.

ALSO READ- Akhilesh to visit Mukhtars ancestral residence on April 7

It emphasised that the state undoubtedly has an interest in ensuring that students pursue education of the requisite quality and standard which can make them qualified enough to lead a dignified existence upon receiving the degrees which are awarded to them.

Whether this purpose would require jettisoning the entire statue enacted by the state legislature in 2004 would merit closer reflection, added the court in its order, issuing notice to the state and Union governments in the matter, asking them to file their affidavits by May 31.

The state madrasa board estimated that the HC order will have an impact on the hundreds of thousands of students who are now enrolled in 16,500 recognised and 8,500 unrecognised madrasas or Islamic seminaries throughout Uttar Pradesh. Of the 190 million people living in Uttar Pradesh, 19.26% are Muslims. According to Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board, at least 10,000 teachers are attached to these seminaries.

On Thursday, J Reebha, director of the minority welfare department, said the department already started preparations to admit madrasa students into different schools till the Supreme Court finally gave a decision.

On March 22, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC quashed the 2004 Act, directing the state government to accommodate students studying in madrasas in regular schools, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the future of thousands of young students enrolled in madrasas across the state.

A division bench of justices Vivek Chaudhary and Subhash Vidyarthi passed the order on a petition filed by Anshuman Singh Rathore, a practising lawyer who challenged the constitutional validity of the act.

ALSO READ- Govt committed to students welfare: U.P. minister Rajbhar on Madarsa Act issue

The HC said that the state had no power to create a board for religious education or to establish a board for school education only for a particular religion and philosophy associated with it.

Any such action on part of the state government violated the principles of secularism, which is in the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India. It cannot discriminate and provide different types of education to children belonging to different religions. Any such action on part of the state would be violative of secularism, which is part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India, said the HC in its 86-page judgment.

We hold that the Madarsa Act, 2004, is violative of the principle of secularism, which is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India...any policy of the state government that divides society on religious lines violates the constitutional principles, it asserted.

Opposing the HC judgment, senior counsel Singhvi on Friday led the appeals pointing out that the 120-year-old madrasa regime is sought to be dismantled by HC without looking at the locus of the petitioner or taking note that there is a prescription of state-mandated standards prescribed for curriculum in madrasas.

The high court seems to say that if you are teaching religion, it amounts to imparting religious instructions. This is contrary to the idea of secularism. Article 25 (right to practice religion) is damned. How can it be called being divisive of society if I also give teachings in religion apart from other subjects as prescribed by the state? You wont have any gurukuls or any other such institutions left if this were to be upheld, he contended.

Singhvi and other lawyers threw their weight behind the 2002 SC ruling in Aruna Roy Vs Union of India, in which the top court made a distinction between religious instruction and religious education or study of religion. It said the latter was permissible, and indeed desirable, while the former was banned.

Representing the state government, ASG Nataraj said that while they supported their legislation in the high court, they are now in agreement with what the HC ruled.

We can accommodate the students in regular schools too. But when the state has accepted the high court judgment, it cant be burdened to bear the expenses of a legislation which has been struck down by a constitutional court. By way of interim order, state cant be asked to pay for such a legislation, Nataraj pressed.

A-G Venkataramani, on his part, argued that entanglement of religion is a suspect issue. The question is not to what degree. Then comes the question of state aid. If the consequence of the high court judgment is that they wont shut down but only on state aid, is this a matter requiring intervention? The high court is not entirely wrong although it could have clarified something more, he added.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up in July a case of alleged contempt against Chandigarh mayor poll returning officer Anil Masih who was accused by the court of defacing ballots after the officer filed a fresh affidavit tendering unconditional apology for his action. The Supreme Court of India. (File photo.)

A bench headed by chief justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud posted the matter on July 23 to consider the affidavit.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Masih told the court that the officer filed an earlier affidavit in March where he stated that when he appeared before the court hearing on February 19, he was undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety disorder and spoke at a spur of the moment.

Rohatgi said, I have advised him to withdraw the earlier affidavit and offer an unqualified apology. The apology may be considered by the court as it is completely unconditional.

Also Read: Reeling under depression, anxiety: Anil Masih in affidavit ahead of SC hearing

The request was opposed by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kuldeep Kumar, the present mayor of Chandigarh municipality who had approached the top court against the illegal act done by the returning officer.

Singhvi said, It is always easy to come and offer unconditional apology. That is oversimplifying your actions. Due to defacing of 8 votes by Masih, Kumar lost the mayor election to his rival candidate from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But the top court set aside the election result by counting the 8 ballots in his favour, declaring Kumar to be the winner with 20 out of the 36 votes polled in the January 30 election.

In its order of February 20, the court decided to initiate action against Masih and said, A fit and proper case is made out under Section 340 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in respect of the conduct of the presiding officer.

Also Read: Brazen malpractice: SC on presiding officers role in Chandigarh mayor poll case

Masih admitted to making a mark on the ballots claiming that it was made by him to distinguish the already defaced votes as many members came to snatch the ballots from him. The Court had warned him then that any false statement will invite consequences. The bench caught his lie after it played out the video which showed that till the declaration of results there was no commotion in the House, contrary to what Masih claimed.

By his conduct he has unlawfully altered the course of mayoral election. And in making a solemn statement on Monday, the presiding officer has expressed patent falsehood for which he needs to be held accountable, the court had said.

The registrar (judicial) of the Supreme Court was directed to issue notice to him to showcause why action should not be initiated against him for making false statement to the Court which is punishable under Section 209 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This provision states, Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly, or with intent to injure or annoy any person, makes in a court of justice, any claim which he knows to be false. It is punishable with a maximum punishment of two years imprisonment.

Following this, he filed an initial affidavit in March where he said that after the video recording of the election process was leaked online on January 31, he was subjected to incessant criticism, name calling and ad hominems by members of political parties as well as social media, which put him and his family under immense mental trauma and stress.

He even visited the psychiatry department of PGIMER Chandigarh in this regard on February 10 and his doctors, apprehending suicidal tendencies in him, directed a family member to remain always close to him and take all precautions to keep harmful, inflammable and sharp objects away from him.

He urged the court to ensure that his safety and mental health may be weighed and kept in mind while dealing with the case against him.

The court had taken a strict view of Masihs conduct. In its order of February 20, it said, This is not an ordinary case of alleged malpractice by candidates in an election, but electoral misconduct by the presiding officer himself. The brazen nature of the malpractice, visible on camera, makes the situation all the more extraordinary, justifying the invocation of the power of this Court under Article 142.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Shoma Sen, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. The ex-Nagpur University professor was arrested on June 6, 2018, five months after violent events in the Maharashtra village. Shoma Sen (Image courtesy: India Civil Watch International)

Sen is booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, for alleged Maoist links in connection with the case. She has been in custody since her arrest, awaiting trial.

On March 15, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), informed the apex court that the agency did not require her further custody.

Subsequently, a bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih, granted her bail on Friday. In granting relief, the bench considered the delay in framing of charges against the accused, her advanced age, and multiple ailments. However, the bench also directed Sen to follow certain conditions, with a warning that the bail will be cancelled if any of the conditions was violated or not complied with.

These include: submitting her passport, pairing her phone with that of the NIA's investigating officer so that her location can be monitored constantly, and not leaving Maharashtra without the permission of the special court hearing the trial.

The Supreme Court bench also stated that the observations made on the nature of allegations against the accused are prima facie and will not affect the trial.

There are total 16 accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. Besides Sen, the following people are also out on bail: Sudha Bharadwaj, Anand Teltumbde, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Varavara Rao, and Gautam Navlakha.
In the blazing heat of peninsular India, as candidates across parties are upping their campaigns, in Coimbatore, a three-way contest is unfolding. The candidates in the race are from the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the opposition All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). All three candidates are highly qualified and each is putting up nuanced arguments for the electorate to consider.

At 36, Singai Govindarasu Ramachandran, is the youngest candidate representing the AIADMK. A favourite among the youth, Ramachandran holds a diploma in electrical and electronics engineering, and a Bachelor of engineering in electronics, and communication engineering from the Coimbatore-based PSG Institutes, as well as an MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

Locals see him as their boy and relate to him as a college senior.

He lost his father when he was just 11. Ramachandran has worked hard to earn his stripes. He was a merit student throughout and it is for this reason that our party matriarch and former CM J Jayalalitha appointed him as secretary of the IT wing in 2016 when he chose to sit out the placements and work for the party instead, said Ramya Venugopal, Youth in-charge of the partys state unit.

Theres more stacked up in his favour. AIADMK is very strong in western Tamil Nadu and it won all the assembly segments during the 2021 election.

Ramachandrans rallies have been about bringing about a change in everything from Coimbatores visage to its infrastructure, from making it an IT services alternative to Chennai to altering its Tier II status. Tens of thousands of students and young professionals come to Coimbatore in pursuit of academics and employment. When he dresses in a white shirt and khaki pants, he attempts to connect with the young voter donning a corporate image, and when he speaks of continuing former CM and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithas schemes for the women, he tries his best to resemble the typical Dravidian politician who you would find in a veshti, or dhoti.

Standing atop his campaign vehicle, he asks the youth gathered after college hours around the Fort area: Why cant Coimbatore be like Hyderabad or Bangalore? For nearly six decades, we have shown the world how well our textile industry and the MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprises) has progressed. It is now time to level up and have Infosys, TCS, and Wipro in Coimbatore. Two leaves will do this for you, he said, referring to his partys famous party symbol.

He flashes the same cutout of the party symbol when he walks through the bylanes of semi-urban Coimbatore. The 7 am campaign on foot is usually reserved to meet the women constituents. He takes his orders from SP Velumani, often referred to as the right-hand man of the AIADMK general secretary E Palaniswami. I am trying my best to retain the womens votes that Amma always won through her welfare measures. The 2024 election will be a test for us in this regard, he said as he trailed off with folded hands greeting women outside their homes in Singanallur.

As a Naidu, Ramachandran belongs to a linguistic minority in this constituency, but the community is wealthy with a number of industrialists pledging their support to the party for many decades.

Political Analyst Kishore K Swamy said, The electorate votes for AIADMK and not for Ramachandran here. It is Velumanis influence that will help AIADMK put up a good fight.

Contrast the narrative trotted out by the AIADMK against what Annamalai from the BJP is saying. If Ramachandrans pitch was about giving Coimbatore a Hyderabad-Bangalore-like makeover, BJPs Kuppuswamy Annamalai presents a larger canvas.

The saffron pitch

Standing shoulder to shoulder in this fight alongside Ramachandran, Annamalais focus in this contest is focussed on helping the BJP gain a toehold in Tamil Nadu. As a 38-year-old Tamil Nadu (TN) BJP president, he uses his erudition and affinity for statistics by plucking numbers from the air at will. Comparing the Centres allocation of schemes to Tamil Nadu, he boasts of the number of beneficiaries who have gained from at least half a dozen schemes. Speaking of coalescing development and welfare, one would not be off the mark in saying that Annamalais speech sounds like an extract of PM Modis speeches at his rallies in north India.

Taking on both the Dravidian parties, Annamalais campaign speeches are a summary of what he has accused regional parties of since his entry into politics: corruption, hatred for Sanatana Dharma, breakdown of law and order, and lack of development.

Another engineer-turned management graduate from IIM-Lucknow, Annamalai never hesitates to exhibit his access to New Delhi and PM Modi. Speaking of introducing a mini-manifesto for his constituency, he blares through the loudspeakers saying, Do not doubt if I can keep my promises made to you all. I have access to New Delhi. I will ensure Coimbatore is treated well.

Annamalai, another alumnus of PSG College of Technology, belongs to Karur in the Kongu region. He belongs to the dominant Kongu Vellalar Gounder community that is spread across western Tamil Nadu. Hes forceful when he speaks of the BJPs Viksit Bharat agenda for the next five years but mellows down to sound like the small-town boy when he requests the people to vote for him. Having led the yatra across the state last year, Annamalai has probably learnt how to deflect attention from his lack of experience in politics and wear it as a badge of honour instead. This is his first LS election: flanked by Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, BJPs Mahila Morcha head and other senior leaders from the party, Annamalai switches between promises delivered to the electorate and guarantees for the next five years. The students say they like him because he looks like them and the women nod in agreement when he speaks of changing the liquor policy in the state - a grouse that womenfolk have held against the DMK for its excesses in benefitting from revenue it garnered from granting liquor licences. The people want change in Tamil Nadu. And I am sure it will begin with Coimbatore, he said.

And finally, the ruling party candidate

DMKs Ganapathi P Rajkumar calls Annamalai arrogant. Also a Gounder like Annamalai, he has a Master of Arts degree, a law degree and a PhD in Journalism and Mass Communication. Previously with the AIADMK, Rajkumar has also held official posts. He was the fifth mayor of Coimbatore from 2014 to 2016. He switched parties in 2020 and his candidature for the constituency is viewed by many as DMKs keen intent to win this seat. Touring around Sai Baba Colony in Coimbatore, he is careful not to antagonise the local folk by using anti-Hindu language. He makes no references to Udayanidhi Stalin because in his door-to-door campaign, he is greeted by women waving camphor and holding plates with lamps lit. Protecting Tamil language, culture, and jobs for Tamilians is his primary pitch. Waxing eloquently about the contribution of EV Periyasamy, or Periyar, the Dravidian idealogue, he vows to fulfil all the pre-poll promises his party made during the state election in 2021.

Rajkumar is more familiar with Coimbatore than his counterparts. He talks to people drawing references from previous interactions. You made me win the last time. I have ensured that all the women in Coimbatore are getting 1,000 every month. We will continue taking good care of you, he said. Waving to the women from his vehicle, he rattles out his governments achievements, the first of them being the number of jobs. Of the 31 lakh jobs created in the last three years, 26 lakh jobs have been created in the last six months, he says, appealing to the women to convince their families to stay with the DMK. Women, as a political constituency, have been nurtured carefully by the DMK since its return to power in 2021. From monthly allowances for women to free bus travel for college-going students and a 50% representation for women in local bodies, the DMK has tried to mimic Jayalalithas policies. Since his debut into politics in 1989, he's been a councillor and mayor, but this is Rajkumar's first big fight as a contestant for Coimbatore's parliamentary seat.

Comparative analysis

Sri Kumar, a political analyst whos watched elections since the 1990s said, Coimbatores been the one seat that the BJP has always contested since 1989 winning it thrice making the party symbol a familiar one. However, their booth management is not as impressive as their media management. This could be their biggest drawback and may even cost them a win if the party does not back its A candidate here.

The party is counting on winning all the votes that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won when it retained the seat five times since 1951. That DMK chose to field its own candidate shows that they are serious about this seat, Sri Kumar said. Senior leader and CM MK Stalins sister K Kanimozhi has already campaigned in Coimbatore and actor Kamal Hassan who is not part of the DMK alliance is expected to conduct roadshows in all six assembly constituencies that fall under Coimbatore. Besides Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Tirunalveli, Virudhunagar, Theni, and South Chennai, are among the handful of seats that promise a three-way contest. The loudspeakers are blaring, drum beats are rolling to the 32nd note, and firecrackers are being set off as candidates from all the parties have begun upping their campaigns here. But as a political analyst puts it, In Tamil Nadu, caste, candidate, coalition, and currency will have to favour the victor.

Deepika Amirapu is a freelance journalist based in Hyderabad. Each week, Southern Lights examines the big story from one of the five states of South India.
Four-press meet-old Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, is the best person to keep the Aam Aadmi Party together, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said. In an interaction with news agency PTI, Saurabh said Sunita is the best person as her presence has had a positive impact in the absence of Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi chief minister was arrested on March 21 in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. Since then, his wife held four press conferences, which are called digital briefings as these were not so-called press conferences but Sunita released her video of reading Kejriwal's messages from jail. Sunita Kejriwal with Sonia Gandhi at INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila Maidan on March 31.

"She is delivering the messages of Arvind Kejriwal ji. This has had a great impact on our party cadre and among our sympathisers. We want to propagate it. In the present circumstances, she is the best person to keep the party together," Bharadwaj said.

For years Sunita Kejriwal has been with Arvind Kejriwal, through thick and thin...She was an IRS officerIf such a person stays in the party, then she acts as a glue in the party and we see it as a blessing... Since she is a family member, she is allowed to meet the chief minister in jail, she takes Delhi's issues to Arvind Kejriwal and his issues to us, Bharadwaj told to ANI.

Sunita's emergence in the political landscape has invited comparison with Rabri Devi who became Bihar's chief minister when Lalu Prasad Yadav was arrested in 1997 in a fodder scam. Kejriwal is the first sitting chief minister to be arrested and the party has maintained that Kejriwal will not resign as he is not yet convicted. While the BJP has been demanding his resignation, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Sunita Kejriwal was preparing to become like Rabri Devi.

Sunita Kejriwal held her first digital briefing on March 23, two days after Kejriwal's arrest, and urged people to keep her husband in their prayers. On March 27, she addressed her second briefing in which she said Kejriwal would make an expose regarding the liquor probe in court. In her third media briefing on March 29, she launched 'Kejriwal ko aashirwaad' campaign. Two days later, she was a prominent presence at the INDIA bloc's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan sitting beside former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. "Your Kejriwal is a lion, they (BJP-led Centre) will not be able to keep him in custody for long. He remains in the hearts of crores of people across the country," Sunita said at the rally.

Arvind Kejriwal was sent to judicial custody on April 1 for 15 days. On April 4, Sunita Kejriwal held her fourth briefing in which she conveyed chief minister's message asking AAP MLAs to visit their constituencies daily and ensure that people do not face any problem. "The people of Delhi should not face any trouble because I am in jail. The two crore people of Delhi are my family, no one in my family should be sad for any reason. God bless everyone," the chief minister said in his message.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Shoma Kanti Sen in the Bhima Koregaon violence case nearly five years after her arrest. Supreme Court of India (Representative Photo)

The former Nagpur University professor and activist was arrested in June 2018 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for her alleged links with the banned Maoist outfit  the Communist Party of India (Maoists).

The bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and AG Masih passed the order considering her medical condition, advanced age and the delay in framing charges. The court said that any observation on the allegations against her is prima facie and will not affect the trial, which is still pending.

Sen, 64, was arrested in June 2018 in connection with her alleged role in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence, where she was accused of having links with the banned Maoist outfit  the Communist Party of India (Maoist). She is currently lodged at Byculla jail.

Considering the delay in framing charge, the period undergone in custody, the nature of allegations and being a lady of advanced age with a medical condition, we do not think she should be denied bail pending further investigation, the bench said.

Ordering her release, the apex court imposed a string of conditions requiring her to surrender her passport and not leave Maharashtra without the trial courts permission.

It further ordered her to keep her mobile device active and keep paired with the investigating officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to ensure her 24x7 surveillance.

On breach of any of the conditions, it will be open to the prosecution to seek cancellation of bail, the bench said.

These conditions were identical to a similar order by the top court passed in July last year while releasing two other accused in the same case  Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Fereira.

During the arguments on Sens bail, additional solicitor general (ASG) KM Nataraj said the agency (NIA) does not seek her further custody.

Senior advocate Anand Grover and advocate Nupur Kumar, representing Sen, said that she had been suffering from multiple ailments and claimed that the trial would not begin even in the next five years.

We clarify that whatever observations, as against the nature of allegations against her, are only prima facie and in future, much will depend on the framing of charge and the nature of evidence produced by the agency during the trial, the bench said after hearing the argument.

Sen had approached the top court after the Bombay high court turned down her bail plea on January 17 last year. The high court allowed her to approach the trial court again for bail but she preferred to approach the top court where similar pleas by other co-accused were pending.

Sen complained of suffering from osteoporosis with degeneration of both her knees and was diagnosed with a condition of irritable bowel syndrome that required her to be treated at a better facility other than the government hospital.

The undertrial has a right to health under the right to life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India....this court is beseeched to direct the release of the undertrial on interim medical bail in view of her health condition and advanced age of the applicant, her bail application read.

The NIA had argued that it had a strong case against Sen on merits as she was not only possessing Maoist materials but played an active part in the unlawful activities of CPI(Maoist). Nataraj stated that the petitioner was a member of several organisations that received funds from the banned outfit, and she had deleted incriminating material from her electronic devices on directions of the co-accused and senior members of CPI(Maoist).

The Bhima Koregaon case pertains to alleged inflammatory speeches made at an Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, police claimed, triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city. One person was killed in the incident.

The government had in 2009 banned the CPI (Maoist) under the UAPA as a terrorist organisation.
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Allahabad high court order that declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, unconstitutional and violative of secularism. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud issued notice to Centre, and the Uttar Pradesh government on the plea challenging the high court order. The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on the plea challenging the Allahabad HC order. (HT Archive)

"The object and purpose of Madrasa board is regulatory in nature and the Allahabad high court is not prima facie correct that establishment of board will breach secularism," the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on March 22 directed the state government to accommodate students studying in madrasas in regular schools. The high court had declared the law ultra vires on a writ petition filed by Anshuman Singh Rathore, a practising lawyer, challenging the constitutional validity of the act.

A division bench of justices Vivek Chaudhary and Subhash Vidyarthi had passed the order saying the state has "no power to create a board for religious education or to establish a board for school education only for a particular religion and philosophy associated with it.

We hold that the Madarsa Act, 2004, is violative of the principle of secularism, which is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India, added the court.

The Act was brought by the Samajwadi Party-led government in 2004.

The court pointed out that modern subjects were either absent or optional in a madrasa and a student could opt only one of the optional subjects. Scheme and purpose of Madarsa Act is only for promoting and providing education of Islam, its prescriptions, instructions and philosophy and to spread the same, said the court.

The order would have affected the lives of roughly 200,000 students currently enrolled in 16,500 recognised and 8,500 unrecognised madrasas or Islamic seminaries across UP, according to the state madrasa board.
Residents of Bengaluru can anticipate relief from the heat as light to moderate showers are forecasted after the Ugadi festival on April 9, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday, adding that with temperatures in the tech capital soaring above 35 degrees Celsius, the mercury is expected to climb further until Ugadi. Chikkamagaluru: Residents carry pots after collecting drinking water amidst ongoing water crisis, in Chikkamagaluru, on Friday. (PTI)

The IMD has predicted thunderstorms across Bengaluru in the second week of April, with rains likely to persist until the end of the month.

ALSO READ- One cholera case confirmed in Bengaluru amid severe water crisis: Report

A senior IMD scientist said, The city might experience light rains starting from Ugadi, with the intensity expected to escalate during that week. Thunderstorms and strong winds are also anticipated across the city in the latter half of April.

However, the scorching temperatures are unlikely to relent until the festival.

Bengaluru recorded 37 degrees Celsius on Thursday, three degrees above the April average. The temperature is projected to rise further by the weekend leading up to the festival, he added.

Meanwhile, temperatures continue to soar in many parts of Karnataka, resulting in 521 reported cases of heatstroke and two fatalities since March, according to government officials.

ALSO READ- Karnataka minister hits back at Kerala leader for trying to woo companies amid water crisis in Bengaluru

Bagalkote and Kalaburagi districts each reported one heatstroke-related death between March 1 and April 3. Districts such as Chikkaballapura, Bagalkote, Chitradurga, and Mandya are the worst affected by the ongoing heatwave conditions, reporting 102, 69, 56, and 54 suspected heatstroke cases, respectively.

The Karnataka state disaster management authority has released a set of guidelines in anticipation of a heatwave in the state in the next few days, as per an IMD forecast.

ALSO READ- Bengaluru water crisis: Has it impacted real estate sales?

In a circular issued on Wednesday, the state government said the IMD predicted a heatwave indicating above-normal temperatures in most parts of the country.

The circular advised people to remain indoors during peak temperatures, especially between noon and 3 pm. It urged people to drink plenty of water regularly, wear light-coloured and cotton clothes, use goggles and an umbrella/hat, and avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, and other carbonated drinks that can dehydrate the body.

The circular recommended keeping pets in the shade and providing them with plenty of water to drink, among other measures. It directed people to see a doctor if they feel dizzy or sick due to soaring temperatures.
There should not be any worry about the fairness of elections in India as people here will ensure that the polls are free and fair, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday. S Jaishankar (File Photo)

Jaishankar's comment came in response to a query regarding a statement made last week by Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Antonio Guterres, the United Nations' Secretary-General.

I don't need the UN to tell me that our elections should be free and fair. I have the people of India. They will ensure that the elections are free and fair. So, don't worry about it, the minister said, rebuffing Dujarric's remarks.

The ex-foreign secretary, who joined the ruling BJP in 2019 and was appointed as the External Affairs Minister, was speaking to the media in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, where he campaigned for his ministerial colleague Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the BJP's candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the voting for which will be conducted in seven phases beginning April 1, the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc has consistently alleged that there is no level playing field for the opposition. They cite two specific instances  the recent arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is among the I.N.D.I.A constituents; and the freezing of bank accounts of the Congress, the country's oldest political party and the leader of the opposition alliance. They have also raised suspicion time and again, that that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be manipulated, a charge that the Election Commission (ECI) has repeatedly denied.

What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone's rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair, Dujarric, the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson, had said when asked about the political unrest in India ahead of the national polls.

The United States and Germany too, have spoken about Kejriwal's arrest, prompting New Delhi to summon American and German diplomats. The Delhi CM was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 for his alleged role as the kingpin in the national capital's excise policy scam. Kejriwal is the first person in India to be arrested as an incumbent chief minister.

(With PTI inputs)
Agartala: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday suspended a Special Police Officer (SPO) posted at the Sidhai police station in Tripura West district allegedly for violating the model code of conduct (MCC), officials said. (Representative Photo)

According to the officials, the SPO, identified as Suman Hossain, was suspended for participating in a political event at Mohanpur in Tripura West.

According to a press statement issued from the office of the chief electoral officer, the superintendent of police of West district Dr Kiran Kumar issued a temporary suspension order against Hossain on Thursday based on an investigation report by the Mohanpur sub-divisional police officer.

 ... allegation raised against Suman Hossain of directly attending an event of a political party on 28-03-2024 at Rangamura area, adjacent to 2/30 polling station under Mohanpur Assembly constituency has been proved. Suman Hossain was temporarily suspended from his service for violation of the model code of conduct, said a senior official from the chief electoral officer officer.

The SPOs were inducted to help the regular police force in 2001 to combat insurgency. Currently, they are deployed to maintain law and order in the region.

A total of 3,350 polling stations, including 1,686 in the West constituency and 1,664 in the East constituency, would be set up across the state for the polls, said officials. An additional polling station at Laugang in the South district will also be set up for the Bru voters.

Seventy companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have already deployed across the state to maintain law and order and to ensure peaceful Lok Sabha polls.

The two Lok Sabha seats  West and East constituencies  will go to polls on April 19 and 26, respectively. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
The Congress party on Friday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections saying the polls present an opportunity to radically change the style of governance that has been in evidence over the past decade during the BJP's rule. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi releases the party's manifesto ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in New Delhi, Friday, April 5, 2024.(PTI)

Among the key highlights of the Congress manifesto is the commitment to conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census, a move aimed at gaining a comprehensive understanding of India's diverse population to tailor policies that address the needs of every segment of society.

The Congress party has guaranteed to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) to 50 per cent.

The manifesto promises to adopt the Rajasthan model of cashless insurance, providing coverage of up to 25 lakh for universal healthcare.

Read: Congress Lok Sabha election manifesto: caste census, 50% quota for women in central govt jobs

It also pledges to fill nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels within the central government.

Another crucial aspect of the manifesto is the commitment to providing a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

In the manifesto, Congress vowed to abolish the Agnipath program and direct the military to resume regular recruitment drives to attain full-sanctioned strength.

The Congress party outlined a plan to combine the efficiency of electronic voting machines (EVMs) with the transparency of traditional ballot papers.

According to the manifesto, voters will cast their votes through EVMs, but with a novel twist.

Voting will be through the EVM but the voter will be able to hold and deposit the machine-generated voting slip into the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) unit. The electronic vote tally will be matched against the VVPAT slip tally, the manifesto says.

The manifesto underscored Congress's commitment to protecting personal freedoms, promising not to interfere with individual choices regarding food, dress, love, marriage, travel, and residency within India. The party pledges to repeal any laws or rules that unreasonably infringe upon these personal freedoms.

We promise not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. All laws and rules that interfere unreasonably with personal freedoms will be repealed, it said.

In a bid to curb rampant defections, the Congress said it would amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, making defectionan act of leaving the original party on which an MLA or MP was electedan automatic disqualification from membership in the Assembly or Parliament.
Hundreds of onlookers at a temple festival in central Kerala's Thrissur district had a miraculous escape in the third week of March when a tusker turned hostile, and attacked another elephant, chasing it for nearly a kilometre and a half along a narrow road that was filled with people. They gathered to witness the final rituals of the Arattupuzha Pooram festival on March 22.

According to the police report filed, eight people, including a child, were severely injured.

Guruvayur Ravikrishnan, one of the tuskers paraded at the festival, attacked his mahout, Sreekumar, who had a narrow escape. Subsequently, Ravikrishnan charged at Puthuppally Arjunan, the other elephant, whose mahout, Narayanan, was carrying the thidampu [a decorated replica of the deity] of the Arattupuzha Sastha temple. Narayanan fell when the two elephants started clashing angrily for several tense moments, tusk to tusk. Though Arjunan yielded a little later, Ravikrishnan pursued him. It took a couple of hours for the mahouts of other parading elephants to calm Ravikrishnan down.

The mahouts, Sreekumar and Narayanan, remain in critical condition at the local medical college hospital.

Parading elephants erupting in rage

According to V. K. Venkatachalam, secretary of the Thrissur-based animal welfare organisation Heritage Animal Task Force, this incident was the latest instance of overworked elephants erupting in rage, putting the lives of thousands of devotees at risk.

Official estimates placed the number of people who had gathered in the grounds in Arrattupuzha at approximately 50,000, many of them were asleep at that hour. Providence alone prevented the loss of life, many officials said.

As individuals frantically sought refuge, children wailed for assistance, and many devotees leapt into the adjacent river to flee the rampage.

There were no safety measures at the Aarattupuzha grounds  no barriers to separate the elephants from the visitors, no public announcement system, no alcohol testing for the mahouts, no facility to tranquilise the elephants, and only a small number of volunteers.

Tanneer Komban, the wild elephant that died, was captured in Mananthawady in Keralas Wayanad district. (HT Photo)(HT_PRINT)

Enter robotic elephant

The same day, on March 22, the Kodakara Shashti parade taking place 65 km away, featured Irinjadapilly Raman.

The elephant weighing 800 kilogrammes had the capacity to transport five passengers simultaneously. The main difference? It was a mechanical elephant made by a collective of artists from Thrissur, who have previously provided elephant statues for the Dubai Shopping Festival.

The elephant was made with financial assistance from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), modelled after the celebrity tusker Thechikottukavu Ramachandran (the elephant owned by Thechikottukavu Bhagavathy temple in Thrissur, famous as the tallest captive elephant in Asia at over 10 feet 6 inches).

The robotic elephant was built at a cost of 5 lakh using iron frames and rubber coating. A lever permits its trunk to tail to move, making it look almost real as devotees throng the temple.

The Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur paved the way by using Irinjadapilly Raman on February 27, 2022.

Numerous analogous festivals are poised to adopt the mechanical elephant due to its perceived economic feasibility and absence of risk. PETA officials said that the animal rights organisation has signed agreements with eight more temples in Kerala to supply them with robotic elephants.

Three temples in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka have also agreed to accept the mechanised elephants.

The mechanical elephant has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from temples and animal lovers throughout South India. Irinjadapilly Raman has been in continuous motion since its inception, which suggests that the actual captive elephants endure the same torture that occurs during the height of the festival season," said PETA India's director of advocacy, Kushboo Gupta.

A group of four young men from Chalakudy near Thrissur named Four Hearts created Raman and Sivan (in February 2023 and January 2024, respectively), two mechanical elephants that have since garnered international and domestic attention. Their craftsmanship has now crossed state borders to reach Nilgiris, the mountain district of Tamil Nadu.

Devotees who visit the Shiva temple in the secluded hamlet of Devarshola, close to Gudalur in the Nilgiris, behold an enormous, mechanised elephant near the sanctum sanatorium.

The elephant is also programmed to perform rituals such as dedicatory salutations, devotee blessings, and chariot hauling. To facilitate its movement, it has been affixed to a wheeled pedestal.

In February, Sangita Iyer, a Canadian citizen of Indian descent and executive director of the Voices for Asian Elephants (VFAE) Society, donated a robotic elephant named Sri Shankara Hariharan to the same temple (also created by Four Hearts). People throng the temple to touch the elephant's legs, whereas others intently scrutinise the mechanised creature's head movements and fan-like ears.

"We worship Lord Ganesh on the one hand but treat elephants poorly on the other," Iyer said.

On March 18, actress Priyamani donated a life-size mechanical elephant to the Thrikkayil Mahadeva Temple in Kochi on March 18. The mechanical elephant, Mahadevan, is now conducting ceremonies at the temple safely and cruelty-free. Now, it is the third such elephant to be introduced in Kerala.

"The advances in technology mean we can maintain our rich cultural practices and heritage while ensuring that animals are not harmed," Priyamani said.

Thrikkayil Mahadeva Temple owner, T Vallabhan Namboothiri, said they were very pleased to use the mechanical elephant Mahadevan "in reverence to all of the animals created by God who want to live free and safe with their families just as humans do."

Festival season

According to rough estimates, over 10,000 temple festivals with mandated elephant parades occur annually in Kerala between January and June. The festivals begin in certain temples as early as the second half of December.

According to the most recent data from the state's Forest Department, the state now has 412 surviving captive elephants, 22 fewer than the previous year.

While very few are dying due to age-related ailments, elephant lovers are concerned about the survival of the remaining young captive elephants.

They claim that the pachyderms face serious health problems as a result of the high-decibel sounds of percussion music performed at festivals, severe stress, tedious travel (primarily in trucks), and a lack of adequate rest.

According to animal rights campaigner VK Venkitachalam, the jumbos' musth (mating) season also overlaps with the summer temple festival season, which adds to their stress.

"During the rainy season, elephants must stay in slush pools filled with dung, urine, and rainwater. Such filthy environments contribute to the spread of diseases like tuberculosis. Many elephants in the state have died as a result of foot illness, tuberculosis, and impaction," says Venkatachalam.

Animal rights activists are concerned about captive elephants' frustration and abnormal behaviour, often leading to dangerous situations during temple festivities. The Heritage Animal Task Force has compiled data indicating that captive elephants have been associated with the fatalities of 526 individuals in Kerala for fifteen years.

However, a large section of right-wing Hindutva fellow travellers among the devotees argue that such interventions by animal activists disregard the deep-rooted cultural and religious significance of animals in Hindu traditions. They cite examples of various deities associated with specific animals, such as Vahans (vehicles), emphasising the bond between humans and animals in religious practices.

The use of real elephants in temples, including their participation in festivals, fetching water for rituals, and engaging in morning poojas, is viewed as a sacred tradition that embodies the symbiotic relationship between man and animal, said T N Arun Kumar, a former president of the Kerala Elephant Owners Association.
His most famous works, 1984 (1949) and Animal Farm (1945), presage a kind of thinking about totalitarianism that links writers as disparate as Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great; 2007), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaids Tale; 1985), Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games; 2008) and even JK Rowlings Harry Potter series (1997-2007).

A Cliff Notes version: Totalitarian regimes make up their own rules that are absurd, violent, deadly. Appeal to reason is pointless. Survival is the only option. This leads people to support such a regime with blind belief. Any challenge to the system will not only kill you, it will erase you from history. How? Because totalitarian regimes control thought and speech, and thus self-evident realities  the sky is blue, the earth is round, so-and-so lived in such-and-such time  dont matter.

What can a mere individual do in the face of this? Resist, of course. Not as one, but as part of a brotherhood.

Eric Arthur Blair, the man behind the pseudonym George Orwell, wrote about things he witnessed, and couched them in well-reasoned economic and political arguments that critiqued capitalism from a socialist lens.

More recently, fresh details have emerged on Orwells personal life, particularly his marriage to Eileen OShaughnessy, his dependence on her caregiving and typing up of his manuscripts, her emendations on his drafts (they worked closely on Animal Farm), her role in the Spanish Civil War, in which her husband fought as a volunteer for the Spanish Republicans, and her unfathomable erasure from all major biographies of the author.

Here is more about the author (who, incidentally, was born in India), as his seminal last work, 1984, turns 75.

1. Eric Arthur Blair aka George Orwell was born on June 25, 1903, in Motihari, East Champaran, in present-day Bihar. His father, RW Blair, was a member of the British specialised services and oversaw the production of opium for export. His mother Ida Blair, who was of English descent and raised in Burma, moved to England with him and his elder sister Marjorie Blair, when he was less than a year old.

2. In the essay Such, Such Were the Joys, in which he described his time at the elite St Cyprian preparatory school where he studied after receiving a scholarship, Orwell referred to his family as part of Englands lower upper middle class. He won a scholarship to study at Eton, but dropped out after one term in the last form. He returned to the subcontinent, specifically Burma, as part of the Imperial police services of the British specialised services. He hated his time in Burma, he would later write; five years in, in 1927, he returned to London. He was 24.

3. One of Orwells most significant contributions to modern English writing was to draw out the connection between imperialism and capitalism. During World War 2, he wrote: Internally, England is still the rich mans Paradise. At the same time as factory-workers are asked to put up with longer hours, advertisements for Butler. One in family, eight in staff are appearing in the press. The bombed-out populations of the East End go hungry and homeless while wealthier victims simply step into their cars and flee to comfortable country houses Right through our national life we have got to fight against privilege, against the notion that a half-witted public-schoolboy is better for command than an intelligent mechanic. Although there are gifted and honest individuals among them, we have got to break the grip of the moneyed class as a whole.

4. He wasnt always correct. What we must offer India is not freedom, which, I have said earlier, is impossible, but alliance, partnership  in a word, equality. But we must also tell the Indians that they are free to secede, if they want to. Without that there can be no equality of partnership, and our claim to be defending the coloured peoples against Fascism will never be believed. But it is a mistake to imagine that if the Indians were free to cut themselves adrift they would immediately do so. When a British government offers them unconditional independence, they will refuse it, he wrote in the essay The English Revolution, one in a collection of essays titled The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius (1941).

A still from Michael Andersons 1956 film adaptation, steered by the CIA-linked American Committee for Cultural Freedom and widely derided as Cold War propaganda.

5. He was certainly astute. The petty Indian capitalist exploits the town worker with the utmost ruthlessness, the peasant lives from birth to death in the grip of the money-lender. But all this is an indirect result of British rule, which aims half-consciously at keeping India as backward as possible. The classes most loyal to Britain are the princes, the landowners and the business community  in general, the reactionary classes who are doing fairly well out of the status quo, he wrote in the essay The English Revolution.

6. Orwell let no one off the hook, not even the English Labour Party that formed the government after World War 2. However horrible this system [fascism] may seem to us, it works. It works because it is a planned system geared to a definite purpose, world-conquest, and not allowing any private interest, either capitalist or worker, to stand in its way. British capitalism does not work, because it is a competitive system in which private profit is and must be the main objective, he wrote, in Shopkeepers At War, another essay in the collection The Lion and the Unicorn.

7. Orwell captured the zeitgeist of the times, a changing world order divided between the rich and powerful classes and the working poor, especially in the years preceding World War 2. He preached a form of socialism that valued not utopia or bloodshed, but brotherhood. At normal times a capitalist economy can never consume all that it produces, so that there is always a wasted surplus (wheat burned in furnaces, herrings dumped back into the sea etc. etc.) and always unemployment. In time of war, on the other hand, it has difficulty in producing all that it needs, because nothing is produced unless someone sees his way to making a profit out of it, he wrote, in Shopkeepers At War.

8. For Orwell, who studied neither Marxism nor philosophy formally, life experiences drove his polemic. He lived between Paris and London, mostly poor and hard-pressed, working various jobs  as a private-school teacher, a dishwasher at a hotel, a book seller  and writing prolifically. His first book, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), describes some of this time.

9. He spent time in industrial Northern England in the winter of 1936, on the advice of his publisher, the socialist Victor Gollancz. The working and living conditions he observed here formed the basis of The Road to Wigan Pier (1937).

10. His alias was a combination of the names of the reigning monarch of England at the time, George V, and a river in Suffolk. He adopted it shortly before the publication of Down and Out in 1933.

11. In 1936, he married Eileen OShaughnessy, a poet and Oxford graduate who was once a pupil of JRR Tolkien. A year before she met Orwell, in 1934, OShaughnessy wrote a poem titled End of the Century, 1984. In it, she predicted a dystopian future in which forms of culture and literature were destroyed, and thought control was rife. OShaughnessys concerns likely drew on the growing influence of Adolf Hitlers party in Germany. Orwells 1984, published a year before his death, presents a similar dystopian world, but makes no mention of what inspired it.

12. Soon after his wedding, Orwell and OShaughnessy moved to Spain, where both played a role in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), in which Republicans rose against General Francos army, determined to establish a socialist democratic government. Orwell worked on the side of the Left-leaning Spanish Republicans, serving as a volunteer soldier for the Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista (POUM) militia. OShaughnessy worked in the radio and print propaganda unit of that party.

13. The Spanish Civil War was a defining moment for intellectuals, journalists, writers and artists of the time, one in which they could live out their democratic and socialist ideals. Orwell shone a vital light on the Lefts failings and the Rights. He retained his focus on humanist values of equality and dignity, and was committed to the idea of a flourishing humanity, which, he said, could only be achieved by an intellectually moral Left.

14. Orwells Homage to Catalonia (1938) details his time on the Front. He was in distinguished company there. The writer Ernest Hemingway, poets Pablo Neruda and Federico Garcia Lorca (who was assassinated by General Francos troops), journalists Martha Gellhorn, John Dos Passos and Arthur Koestler, Tristan Tzara (founder of the influential Dadaist art movement) and Andre Malraux (art critic, and later minister of culture for France) were among the public intellectuals who were either war correspondents or volunteer soldiers against General Francos army. The Republicans would eventually lose, and the world would unravel into a period of fascism, Nazism and war.

15. Orwell was wounded in the Civil War, by a bullet passing within millimetres of his carotid artery. He was also present in Barcelona when Soviet-sponsored hit squads attempted to suppress the Trotskyists (a subset of Marxists who believe in the vital necessity of permanent revolution), whom he and OShaughnessy were accused of spying for.

16. The duo famously survived a two-hour raid by Stalins men in Spain. As the soldiers swept their room, searching for anti-Russia propaganda, OShaughnessy remained seated on their hotel bed, passports and chequebook under the mattress.

17. As the Spanish Civil War imploded, amid infighting and the non-interventionist approach of Western countries despite Nazi Germany and Italys support for the Spanish Nationalists, Orwell and OShaughnessy fled to France in 1937.

18. By 1938, his health had deteriorated. He spent time in Morocco and then England, recovering from a lung haemorrhage. As the world powers lurched towards a war, Orwell wrote his fourth novel, Coming Up for Air (about an insurance salesman who seeks to recreate cherished memories after he wins a large sum in a bet), and Inside the Whale and Other Essays, while OShaughnessy nursed him back to health.

19. Was George Orwell disappointed in socialism, as so many of his contemporaries were? His nuanced position distinguished between socialism and communism. Fascism  which many others saw as a direct outcome of communist states  was, in Orwells analysis, a symbol of capitalism. Fascism, at any rate the German version, is a form of capitalism that borrows from Socialism just such features as will make it efficient for war purposes, he wrote in Shopkeepers At War, in 1941.

20. Orwells critique of Nazism aimed to reveal the hypocrisy at the core of its ideology. It didnt take much to see that the German state was a puppet of the rich, more invested in ensuring their survival than the common citizens. Socialism aims, ultimately, at a world-state of free and equal human beings. It takes the equality of human rights for granted. Nazism assumes just the opposite. The driving force behind the Nazi movement is the belief in human inequality, the superiority of Germans to all other races, and the right of Germany to rule the world, he wrote in the same essay.

21. Certainly, his time in Northern England led him to understand why socialism was desperately needed in a capitalist political economy, but it was only when he fought against the Nationalist far right regime of General Franco that he became cognisant of the totalitarian nature of communist regimes too.

22. Orwell wanted to fight in World War 2, but he wasnt drafted because of his poor health. Instead, he was asked to work for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), delivering radio content aimed at drumming up support for Britain and the Allied Powers, among the people of the Indian subcontinent. OShaughnessy worked at BBC too. Orwell did not think much of his time there. Critics say his depiction of the Ministry of Truth in 1984 took inspiration from this time.

23. In 1944, the couple adopted a boy, named Richard Blair. OShaughnessy died the following year, following complications from a surgery. Orwell moved to Jura, an island in Scotland, to live with his sister Avril Blair Dunn. He contracted tuberculosis and died a few years later, in 1950, aged 46. Shortly before his death, he married Sonia Brownell, an editorial assistant on the literary magazine Horizon. She took on the name Orwell, went on to be one of his literary executors, and co-edited a four-volume collection of his works that was published in 1968.

24. Orwells position on anti-Semitism has been described as a mixture of ignorance and insight. He reported from Germany in 1945, spoke of the horrors of the Holocaust, and supported the influx of Jewish refugees into Britain. At the same time, his works contain references to stereotypes of Jewish appearance.

25. Orwells 1984 was a culmination of the many issues he wrote about through his years, and has rightly been called his masterpiece. But it is in his essays, poems and journalistic writings (including a column in the Left-leaning Tribune) that he advocates most strongly for an equal world order. Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 [when he fought in the Spanish Civil War], he wrote in his oft-quoted post-war essay Why I Write (1946), has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism, as I understand it. He always used the capital S when he wrote the word Socialism.
What does success look like, as an environmental policy consultant? Perseverance is the only certain success, says S Faizi. Failing is a big part of the job, he adds. Fighting, continuing to fight, is the mission.

Over three decades, Faizi, 63, has advocated for the recognition of war as an environmental threat, fought for indigenous community rights, campaigned for nuclear disarmament and for the creation of a UN Environmental Security Council.

His work involves fighting, pushing, and continuing to hope, as global powers  political and corporate  push back, and often win.

At the global level, he has represented countries such as Malaysia, Venezuela, Qatar and Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, pushing for international environmental treaties to be fair to the Global South and demand enough of the Global North. He has served as biodiversity advisor to the United Nations Development Programme and is currently serving in this role at the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

In India, he has been biodiversity advisor to forest departments in West Bengal and Sikkim, and developed biodiversity and forest management plans for Gujarat, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura.

Three weeks ago, he was one of six recipients of the Planet Earth Award, instituted by the Alliance of World Scientists (AWS) to recognise individuals who demonstrate exceptional creativity or contributions in their work in science-based advocacy with the public.

He has played a pivotal role in articulating the Global Souths stance on key environment and development issues, often overcoming opposition from Western negotiators at UN environmental conferences, an AWS statement reads.

Faizi remains rather unimpressed by himself. Its a lot more exciting to receive these awards when one is younger, he says, laughing. However, this comes from a community of scientists, and peer recognition is something I value very much.

***

Faizi grew up in Thiruvananthapuram, his mother a homemaker and his father an additional finance secretary with the Kerala government. He spent months each year in his familys village of Poruvazhy in Kollam district, Nearby was the Sasthamkotta Lake, a hotspot for migratory birds. The area around our village was essentially a forest, he says.

His desire to protect what he saw can be traced to his days watching rare birds arrive at that lake, he says. While in college in Kollam in 1980, he joined student politics, and heard of the Silent Valley movement  a public campaign that had been underway since the 1970s, opposing a planned hydroelectric plant that would submerge Keralas tropical evergreen Silent Valley forest.

This is a biodiversity hotspot that is also home to the largest population of lion-tailed macaques, one of the rarest primates on Earth. Faizi joined the marches, helped spread word, learned more about conservation and forged relationships with seniors within the movement. I learnt then that there is a unique kind of solidarity that emerges from people with a common struggle, he says. He would see the movement eventually succeed, with Silent Valley declared a national park in 1984.

This would teach the young activist the power of speaking up, getting help, and refusing to be silenced, as a means of environmental agitation.

His love affair with birds continued, meanwhile. Faizi graduated in zoology, worked as a field biologist under the legendary ornithologist Salim Ali at the Bombay Natural History Society; completed a Masters; then a PhD in biodiversity management.

He joined the International Youth Federation for Environmental Studies and Conservation (IYF), where he served as secretary general for two years. That was where I learnt the art of negotiation, and how to navigate international environmental policy and the inner workings of global institutions, he says. I worked closely with members of UNESCO and the United Nations Environment Programme, because IYF was considered the de facto youth wing of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

As he travelled and engaged with people from around the world, he became incensed by stories of life under Apartheid in South Africa. So, in 1990, Faizi helped organise a protest outside the International Ornithological Congress in New Zealand, where an Apartheid-era delegation from South Africa was present.

He missed the inaugural address by mountaineer Edmund Hillary, who talked about his birding experiences in India during his term as high commissioner. I really wanted to listen to his speech, says Faizi. But the protest was more important.

***

The most important work he has done so far lies closer home, he says. In 2009, he was part of the committee constituted by the Kerala government to estimate the financial cost of the environmental damage caused by the Coca-Cola plant in Plachimada in Palakkad district.

The plant was accused of overusing and contaminating local water resources, to the severe detriment of the regions large Adivasi population. It had run for four years, until a 2004 court ruling ordered it to stop drawing on groundwater for its bottling operations.

The case and the idea of compensation drew immense media and public attention. This was the first time that a committee in India was assigning financial value to environmental damage, says Faizi. We didnt have any models to draw on. We had to develop our own methodology.

The committee eventually estimated the damages to be in the amount of 216 crore, and introduced the Plachimada Coca-Cola Victims Relief and Compensation Claims Special Tribunal Bill, which was passed in 2011.

Thats where the good news ended.

The bill waited at the Centre for years, before President Pranab Mukherjee returned it without assent in 2015. Two decades after the plant shut, the residents of Plachimada have still received no compensation.

In general, when working on the ground in India, science alone isnt effective. Political influences come in the way. Mysteries crop up. Things are swept under the carpet, Faizi says.

He has received threatening phone calls for saying things like that. My wife Nazeema (Faizi, 57, an electrical engineer turned lecturer) took one such threatening call and was alarmed, but I dont think my life is in any real danger, Faizi adds. I have been too outspoken for far too long.

Two things, for now, give him a sense of victory: a life lived true to the mission he chose; and his family. The Faizis have two children. Their son Iqbal Faizi, 31, is a mechanical engineer and daughter Najma Faizi, 26, a doctor. They are good, kind people who care about their world, he says.

Iqbal has trekked up mountains I've never even seen. Najma received her licence to practice two years ago. But I gave her my licence last week, when she told me about a patient whose family couldnt pay the bill. She stepped up to foot it instead, Faizi says. No award, not even the lifetime achievement award I received from the World Biodiversity Congress in 2015, can compare with the pride I felt when she told me this.
Chaitra Navratri is a nine-day Hindu festival celebrated annually from the first day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar. This year it will be celebrated with much pomp and enthusiasm on April 9 and end on April 17. Although there are four Navratris celebrated in a year, Chaitra and Shardiya Navratris are the most widely observed in the country. During Chaitra Navratri, devotees worship Maa Durga and her nine glorious forms. For these nine days, a colour is assigned to each day which has a specific significance. If you have yet to decide on your Navratri outfits, fear not, we are here to help. When it comes to style and fashion, nobody can beat our favourite Bollywood divas. (Also read: Discover the colourful Chaitra Navratri festivities throughout India: An itinerary for tourists ) Get ready to slay this Chaitra Navratri with nine trendy celeb-inspired saree outfits(Instagram)

To make sure you look trendy and on theme, here are nine celeb-inspired outfit ideas for each day of Navratri.

Day 1: Orange

The first day is dedicated to Maa Shailputri and the colour of the day is orange, which represents energy and happiness. Aditi Rao Hydari's orange organza saree is a perfect outfit for the first day of Navtrai. It's elegant, stylish and lightweight, making it perfect for summer. Style it with a pink v-neck blouse for the perfect contrast of colour. With statement earrings, a pink bindi, subtle makeup and loose hair, you will be ready to slay this Navratri.

Day 2: White

Goddess Brahmacharini is worshipped on the second day of Chaitra Navratri and the colour white, which represents peace and purity, is dedicated to her. Choose an ethereal saree like Alia Bhatt, embellished with intricate embroidery for a touch of glamour. Pair it with a matching embroidered blouse with a sweetheart neckline for a perfect look.

Day 3: Red

On day 3, Maa Chandraghanta is worshipped and the colour of the day is red, which represents beauty and fearlessness. Add a glamorous twist to the festivities by opting for a trendy frill saree inspired by Nora Fatehi. With its stunning red hue, chic frill detailing and bralette-style blouse, you are sure to turn heads.

Day 4: Royal Blue

Parineeti Chopra mesmerised her fans with her dreamy look in a royal blue Manish Malhotra saree.(Instagram/@parineetichopra)

The fourth day of Navratri is dedicated to Maa Kushmanda. Royal blue; the colour is a representation of health and wealth is associated with this day. Newly-wed Parineeti Chopra is here to show you how to slay the blue saree look on day 4. Get inspired by her stunning saree ensemble featuring sequin detailing on the borders and a matching sleeveless blouse that oozes oomph. Pair it up with diamond earrings for a perfect festive look.

Day 5: Yellow

Goddess Skandamata is worshipped on the fifth day of Chaitra Navrtari and the colour of the day is yellow, which represents brightness and happiness. Vaani Kapoor's silk organza saree is an ideal yellow outfit to wear on this day. It features intricate sequin embroidery on the borders, adding a touch of glamour. The matching chanderi blouse comes with rich embroidery, making it the perfect festive outfit.

Day 6: Green

Green; the colour represents growth and new beginnings. The sixth day of Chaitra Navratri is dedicated to Katyayani. If you are bored of traditional sarees and are in a mood to experiment, then Tamannaah Bhatia's striking green saree look can be your ideal inspiration. Her trikone draped saree set from luxurious fashion brand House of Masaba is the epitome of trend and class. It features a stunning emerald green pre-draped sari paired with a stylish cape blouse, making it the perfect choice for any special occasion.

Day 7: Grey

Madhuri Dixit looks absolutely stunning in grey Manish Malhotra sequin saree.(Instagram/@madhuridixitnene)

On the 7th day of Chaitra Navratri, the goddess Kalaratri is worshipped and the colour grey, representing the strength of Maa Durga, is associated with this day. Add a touch of sparkle with a stunning sequined saree inspired by the queen of ethnic fashion, Madhuri Dixit. Her grey Manish Malhotra saree is embroidered all over with sequins. Paired with a matching blouse and a diamond necklace, she shines like a star.

Day 8: Purple

Janhvi Kapoor looks ravishing in a stunning purple saree(Instagram/@janhvikapoor)

Purple is the colour of day 8 of Navratri and Maa Gauri is worshipped on this day. Purple represents Maa Durga's intellectual prowess and to celebrate this day in style, Janhvi Kapoor is here to give you some stunning fashion inspiration. Her mesmerising saree comes in an enchanting shade of purple and is embellished with intricate mirrored sequins and hand-embroidered cut diamond detailing at the borders. Team it with a matching sweetheart neckline blouse for the perfect glam look.

Day 9: Pink

Kriti Sanon's stunning gulabi pink saree look is a perfect inspiration for the last day of Chaitra Navratri.(Instagram)

On the last day of Chaitra Navratri, get decked up in the colour pink which represents kindness, affection and harmony to worship Maa Siddhidatri. Kriti Sanon's stunning pink saree look is sure to inspire your Navratri wardrobe. She wore a georgette six-yards embellished with mirrors, sequins and cutdana hand embroidery on the borders. Paired with a matching sleeveless net blouse with a plunging neckline and cropped silhouette, she oozed glamour.
In what could be termed as a significant step towards management of Parkinson's disease, a new study done by French researchers has found out that diabetes drug lixisenatide can slow down progression of symptoms of the degenerative brain condition. Studies have shown connection between diabetes and Parkinson's disease. People who have both the disorders, register rapid deterioration in symptoms compared to those who just suffer from Parkinson's. (Freepik)

The study published in The New England Journal of Medicine picked 156 people for the investigation with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease symptoms and those who were on Parkinson's drugs. While half of this group were given the said GLP-1 drug for a year, the other half received a placebo. After a year, those who did not receive the diabetes drug showed deterioration in their symptoms by three points on the severity scale of the degenerative disease, while the other group showed no progression in symptoms. However, researchers also noted side effects of lixisenatide. Around 46% of the people who received this drug experienced nausea, while around 13% had symptoms of vomiting. (Also read | Parkinson's disease may be detectable 20-30 years sooner than clinical diagnosis: Study)

Lixisenatide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. GLP-1 encourages release of insulin from the pancreas, increasing the volume of cells in the pancreas that produce insulin and reduces the release of glucagon.

Studies have shown connection between diabetes and Parkinson's disease. People who have both the disorders, register rapid deterioration in symptoms compared to those who just suffer from Parkinson's. A progressive neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson's affect central nervous system and the telltale signs include tremor in one hand, slow movements, stiffness in body parts and issues with balance and coordination. In the more advanced stages, legs can stiffen to the point which can make walking and maintaining balance while standing impossible, necessitating the use of wheelchairs.

For 30 years, we have been trying to understand how to slow the decline associated with Parkinsons disease over time. In this context, the positive results of the Lixipark phase 2 trial showing less progression of motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease over a year constitute a significant step forward in the future management of the disease. We look forward to confirming these encouraging results in the future, in order to translate such findings into clinical practice," Professors Wassilios Meissner and Olivier Rascol, principal investigators of the study were quoted by The Guardian as saying.

Were all cautious. Theres a long history of trying different things in Parkinsons that ultimately didnt work, he says. A difference of three points in the rating score is a small change  one that many people with Parkinsons would struggle to notice, he says. What happens at 5 years? Is it 15 points then, or is it still 3? If its still 3, then this is not worth it," David Standaert, a neurologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the trial, was quoted by Nature as saying.
Transition from winter to summer season has caused a spike in cases of seasonal fevers and infections across the country. While some days are pleasant and breezy, the others are unusually hot, which seems to be making us susceptible to viral illnesses as well as vector-borne diseases. As per experts, cases of viral fever, dengue, typhoid and leptospirosis are on rise due to several risk factors including intake of contaminated food and water and onset of breeding season for mosquitoes. (Also read | Summer pregnancy: Dos and don'ts expecting mothers must follow) It is important to avoid indulging in street food, follow social distancing measures, washing hands properly, and taking steps to prevent mosquito breeding.(Freepik)

While winters have long departed, spring season is marked with weather fluctuations before the arrival of summer season and deadly heatwaves that come with fresh set of challenges. No wonder, a spate of illnesses are being detected in various parts of the country.

It is important to avoid indulging in street food, follow social distancing measures, washing hands properly, and taking steps to prevent mosquito breeding.

Preventive tips to safeguard against seasonal fever

"As the weather fluctuates, bringing relief from scorching heat or chilling cold, it also ushers in a wave of viral infections. Viruses exploit various modes of transmission, from inhalation to mosquito bites, making preventive measures paramount for safeguarding health," says Dr Vikas Doshi, Consultant Physician, Bhailal Amin General Hospital, Vadodara.

Dr Doshi shares preventive measures to avoid viral infections amid the fluctuating weather.

Hand hygiene: Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water is imperative to mitigate the risk of respiratory infections.

Avoid close contact: Steer clear of direct contact with sick individuals to minimise exposure to airborne viruses.

Masking up: Wearing masks, especially when experiencing respiratory symptoms, acts as a barrier against inhaling infectious droplets.

Social distancing: Maintain a safe distance from infected persons, particularly in crowded places, to reduce the likelihood of airborne transmission.

Dr Doshi also cautions against food and waterborne infections, vector-borne illnesses and suggests the following tips to prevent their occurrence:

Safe consumption practices: Ensure consumption of well-cooked foods and safe water sources to thwart infections like Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, and viral gastroenteritis.

Thorough washing: Properly washing fruits and vegetables before consumption eliminates potential viral contaminants.

Avoiding stale food: Steer clear of stale or expired food items to prevent ingestion-based viral diseases.

Protective clothing: Wear full-sleeved cotton clothes to minimise exposure to mosquito bites, particularly in areas prone to diseases like dengue and chikungunya.

Mosquito repellents: Use mosquito repellents to deter mosquitoes, especially during peak activity hours.

Eliminate breeding sites: Regularly inspect and eliminate stagnant water sources in and around homes to reduce mosquito breeding grounds.

Dr Aditya Bang, Physician and Intensivist, Ruby Hall Clinic Pune says fluctuating weather has been associated with increase in different types of infections be it common cold or mosquito related infections.

To safeguard oneself and family members against such infections, one should take these simple precautions:
Flying is a major CO2 emitter when traveling. But how feasable are alternative modes of transportation? DW reporter Benjamin Bathke traveled 36 hours to find out. Ernest Hemingway famously said: "While it's important to have an end to journey towards, it is the journey that matters, in the end." But then again, Hemingway didn't quite have the kind of modern, jet-setting lifestyle that many people have become used to. The journey started with a 6-hour train ride from Berlin to Warsaw on a sunny winter morning.(DW/B. Bathke)

Air travel is more popular than ever, and is projected to almost double from 3.7 billion global air passengers in 2016 to 7.2 billion in 2035. But it is also killing the environment: Aviation accounts for around 2% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. So instead of having yet another hypothetical discussion about how we all ought to fly less, I walked the talk to see for myself how rail, long-distance buses and ferries stack up against a flight  in terms of time, price, convenience and, of course, carbon footprint.

With a half dozen tickets in my pocket I embarked on an epic journey from Berlin to Helsinki, Finland, via Poland, the Baltics and Nordic waters.

Second thoughts on Platform 9

Waiting for my 9:37 in the morning train from Berlin to Warsaw, I chatted with a businessman on his way to the airport to fly to Stockholm. At this point, I hadn't left Berlin yet, but already I was having second thoughts: By the time he will arrive at his destination in less than two hours, I will hardly have left German territory.

I reminded myself that I would get to enjoy the beautiful landscapes while air travelers are crammed into a tube that shoots across the sky. As the train pulled its wagons across Poland's plains, I sat down in the restaurant for a refreshment and struck up a conversation with a Polish man in his forties.

Michal Michalewicz told me he flies from Warsaw to another EU country for business once a month for an average of four days. He only considers the train if the price for a return flight exceeds 250 ($268). For Michalewicz, to fly or not to fly is not a matter of sustainability, but of convenience.

I asked him if he'd be willing to make any sacrifices for the environment. "I believe that the climate is changing," he replied, "but I don't believe people can change it by themselves." Many Poles share Michalewicz' denial of human-made climate change.

The serendipity of slow travel

Before we said goodbye, Michalewicz told me about a place I should visit during my layover in Warsaw. The "Invisible Exhibition" ("Niewidzialna Wystawa")  an immersive experience where a blind guide takes you through a series of pitch black rooms.

I checked it out, and as I dove into this world, time seemed to stop. I relaxed into my own slowness. This was a form of slow travel, a movement that emphasizes the importance of creating connections to local people, cultures and experiences instead of rushing through as many sights as possible. Having extra time on my trip allowed for spontaneous decisions, which could lead to wonderful opportunities.

From Warsaw to Riga via Vilnius

Once the bus left the highway, the ride to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius became bumpy. I was beginning to get uncomfortable. With my seat hardly reclining, real rest was hard to come by.

I reminded myself that the whole point of this journey was to give up the privilege of aviation that I had become so used to. No one said that trying to reverse climate change was going to be easy.

When we reached Vilnius, I got off at the wrong bus stop and missed my bus connection to Riga. I was learning that generous layovers are an important thing to consider when traveling overland.

Few connections

I also learned about the difficulties of people who live in small countries like Lithuania, or those who don't live near a major airport: Flight connections tend to be more expensive and less frequent. A direct flight from Vilnius to Warsaw takes an hour and uses less fuel than a multi-stop flight, but is around 5 times more expensive than a flight via Riga, Latvia, for example.

During my bus journey from Riga, to Tallinn, Estonia, I researched transportation options in the Baltic countries. There are few rail links connecting cities and even fewer connecting each country.

But in 2026, the Rail Baltica electric railway project, currently under construction, is expected to significantly shorten the travel time from Berlin to the Balic states via Warsaw with high-speed overnight trains. In Tallinn, I boarded the liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered "Megastar" ferry for a comfy, two hour voyage to Finland's capital, Helsinki. Plans are also in the works for a rail tunnel going from Tallinn to Helsinki.

Can trains and buses really compete with planes?

After a 30-minute walk, I arrived at my Helsinki hotel  36 hours after I had left my apartment in Berlin. I felt tired, but also happy I had followed through with my idea. Reaching my final destination took me almost ten times as long as taking a one-way flight. What would actually need to happen to make trains and buses not only more sustainable but a competitive alternative to medium-distance flights?

Booking overland travel itineraries would have to be as easy as booking a multi-stop flight. To make things more sustainable, air passengers could be charged a carbon offsetting fee. Alternatives to flying could be subsidized to incentivize passengers and transport operators. When it comes to making travel more time efficient, implimenting a comprehensive high-speed train network across Europe with standardized fares would help.

Until then, I think we all need to go the proverbial extra mile to chose the least-damaging mode of transportation. I invested a great deal of extra time and planning into this undertaking. long the way, I met people with different views, and learned how to make slow travel work for me. Try achieving all that on a flight.
Venice's mayor on Thursday promised a light touch "without queues" when the city rolls out a new ticket policy in a few weeks, seeking to cut down on the hordes of visitors who descend on its canalled streets every summer. The new strategy to lower the number of tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site calls for day-trippers to pay a five-euro ticket to enter the historic city centre and is due to start on April 25. Venice gears up for a groundbreaking solution to combat overtourism with the introduction of a new access fee. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

Although the new policy was announced in September, the city had not provided details on how it would be implemented, causing speculation that the city could install turnstiles or other drastic measures. But at a press conference in Rome on Thursday, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro promised "very soft controls" and "without queues", saying that the city would carry out spot checks on tourists to make sure they are armed with a QR code. (Also read: Tokyo sakura splendor: Tourists flock to Japan capital's top spots to revel in late-blooming cherry blossoms )

"This is an experiment, and the first time it's been done anywhere in the world," he said. Our aim is to make Venice more liveable. At peak times, some 100,000 tourists spend the night in the city, with tens of thousands other people visiting just for the day. This compares with a population of some 50,000 in the city centre, which is steadily shrinking.

This year, only 29 peak tourist days will be affected by the new tax, which begins April 25 and continues nearly every weekend from May to July.

Venice Access Fee

The "Venice Access Fee" targets only daily tourists entering the old town between 08:30 and 16:00 local time. Exempt are those tourists staying in hotels, minors under 14, and the disabled, among other categories. For five euros, a QR code can be downloaded from the website (https://cda.ve.it/en/), available in English, Spanish, French, German and, of course, Italian. Other languages will be added.

Residents and their families do not have to pay the fee, while tourists staying in hotels will be provided a free QR code. Controllers will be stationed in and around the city's main entrances, notably the Santa Lucia train station, performing spot checks on visitors. Tourists without their ticket will be invited to purchase one at the last moment on arrival, with the help of local operators.

But they could also risk fines ranging from 50 to 300 euros. For the time being, there is no ceiling on the number of QR codes distributed each day: "We need to find the true number of visitors," Brugnaro said. The main aim of the project is to discourage day-trippers, who contribute to the overcrowding of the city, world-famous for its works of art, bridges and canals, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
Zoraya ter Beek is an attractive 28-year-old Dutch woman who is scheduled to die in May. She has depression, autism, and personality disorder in addition to a boyfriend and two cats. Both she and her psychiatrist have given up on her life. If done by due process, she can choose to die by lethal injection. This is an acceptable expression of individual autonomy in the Netherlands and is referred to as euthanasia. Unfortunately, euthanasia is a garbage bag of a term, especially beloved by Indian law and media. It confuses and distorts our understanding of end-of-life care. Unless we give up on using this term we cannot progress further.

My friend TK, had a labrador that finally died at the ripe old age of 18. When the dog passed on, he could barely move because of severe arthritis, he was incontinent and he was a big dog. Taking care of him was a huge effort. But TK and his family loved him and the dog loved them back and emotions ran high when they decided to take him to the vet for a final injection. This is perhaps the only appropriate use of the term euthanasia. It applies to animals and not to sentient human beings.

Some 20 years ago, a friend of mine was a senior resident in an ICU in London. One evening one of the patients, MJ, suddenly had a cardiac arrest. The defibrillator was used, the patients body jerked violently and the heart restarted. Minutes later, it happened again and then, after some time, again. Finally, it settled down. An hour later the patient was fully conscious and coherent and he asked for the doctor on duty. My friend reached the bedside. MJ held his hand firmly and said, Doctor, you will not do that again to me! Let me go in peace. My dumbfounded friend could only nod. The next morning, the patient was moved out of the ICU, and discharged, and he passed away at home a week later. We term this foregoing life support or Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) or Allow Natural Death. This is part of the umbrella concept of Advance Care Planning, in which an individual can plan for their own last days. These instructions come into effect during life (hence the need of a Living Will, in which a person stipulates what kind of end-of-life care they want, and who should be responsible for implementing it) when the individual can no longer express or communicate her own wishes. When the patient above decided to refuse cardiac resuscitation, performing it would be seen as an assault and not as a standard medical procedure. In India, we use the term, passive euthanasia instead, to honour the wishes of the dying to die in peace.

About three years ago, a man in his 30s walked into a Dutch hospital with his wife. An hour later, he was dead by the injection of a lethal dose of a sedative. He had a clear genetic diagnosis of early-onset dementia. He had seen enough of his relatives dying in their 40s and 50s due to it, and he was sure he did not want that for himself. The Dutch medico-legal system supports this kind of decision-making under the aegis of Medical Aid in Dying or Physician-Assisted Suicide. As of now, 11 countries around the world have legalised this, and the list is expanding. But the practice is heavily circumscribed by medical and legal requirements. For instance, if Zorayas doctors do not strictly follow due process, they can be charged with murder.

The dark history of the word

For humans, euthanasia is a word with a dark and sordid history. A little over a century ago, towards the end of the WWI, Germany was facing imminent defeat, short of everything including food. This led to the rise of the concept of useless mouths. Almost 70,000 institutionalised and dependent neurologic and psychiatric patients were starved to death. Between WWI and WWII, Germany went through terrible privations, and the term euthanasia, or good death, began to take hold among the general public. In an atmosphere of hate, it soon began to be applied to those deemed as lesser beings, and who did not deserve to live. Just before WWII, the Nazis began the gas chambers and they first experimented on neurology and psychiatry patients, causing almost 100,000 deaths. The German medical profession was largely complicit in this horror. Eventually, the Nazis did this to Jews, as well as gypsies and homosexuals among others. Euthanasia merged into genocide.

Legal scape in India

In March 2018, the Supreme Court pronounced the validity of our right to autonomy in healthcare choices, with a right to dignity in life till the very end and hence dignity in dying and death (Common Cause and others v Union of India). This was the second of a triptych of remarkable judgments  the other two being on the right to privacy (Puttaswamy v Union of India, delivered in August 2017) and sexual choice (Navtej Johar and others v Union of India, delivered in September 2018), which hauled the political concept of liberty from the Indian Constitution into our personal space.

In the words of the then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, a competent person who has come of age has the right to refuse specific treatment or all treatment or opt for an alternative treatment, even if such decision entails a risk of death. The 'Emergency Principle can be given effect only when it is not practicable to obtain the patient's consent for treatment and his/her life is in danger. But where a patient has already made a valid Advance Directive which is free from reasonable doubt and specifying that he/she does not wish to be treated, then such directive has to be given effect to...

This is now the law of the land, which unfortunately few, including doctors, are aware of.

In the Common Cause judgment, the judges ordered the involvement of a judicial magistrate to validate Advance Directives and for to bring them into effect. This condition was impractical and onerous and the judgment became operative only when it was simplified in January 2023 by removing the need for judicial sanction. This finally allows Indian citizens to take charge of their own last days, if they choose to do so, without obstruction from the law.

The bigger obstacle

To take charge of our last days, we need to individually and collectively be willing to accept when we are in the last stages of life. Death discussion and literacy must no longer be taboo. We then need to elaborate and document our wishes in Advance Medical Directives as a part of Advance Care Planning. When it becomes obvious to doctors that further treatment will not help, regulations have to be put in place to withdraw or withhold (forgo) life-sustaining treatments and to allow the dying to die in peace. Once our jurisprudence and medical systems are familiar with all of this decision-making, only then can we begin to evolve to the final stage of Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD).

We estimate it will take India at least two or three decades to evolve to the level of the Netherlands where if you suffer from a terminal disease, and if you choose to end your suffering, the state is not a hindrance but an enabler. By then perhaps we will be familiar with palliative care, advance medical directives, forgoing life support and do-not-attempt-resuscitation orders  and the term euthanasia will have died a natural death.

This piece has been co-authored by Dr Roop Gursahani, Dr Raj Mani and Dr Srinagesh Simha, who form part of the steering committee of the End of Life Care in India Taskforce (ELICIT), formed by the coming together of the Indian Academy of Neurology, Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine and Indian Association of Palliative Care. The views expressed are personal.
A Reddit users post about an office notice has gone viral on social media and left people shocked. The notice lists the rules employees should follow to stop time clock fraud. What is that, you may ask? According to the post, Time clock fraud occurs whenever an employee does something while punched in that is unrelated to work (while not on a 15-minute break). The image shows a notice by a company asking employees to follow five rules to stop "time clock fraud". (Reddit/@roofus8658)

The notice, labelled as outrageous by many, asks employees to follow five rules, including using the bathroom before starting work or while on their 15-minute break, taking off their coats before punching in, and arriving early.

Take a look at the entire post here:

The post was shared a day ago. Since then, it has collected more than 3,200 upvotes. The share has further accumulated several comments. Many expressed their irks over this notice by the company.

What are your thoughts on this notice on "time clock fraud"?

Nope. Once I'm inside the work building, I'm clocking in and doing everything I need to do on the clock. If me walking to break is considered break time, then me taking off a hoodie or using the bathroom is work time, posted a Reddit user.

I have to admit that was one thing my previous employer did right. Hourly workers were given extra time to walk to and from their breaks since the lunchroom was at one end of the building, shared another.

The work environment is so damn toxic that even the break times are toxically watched, expressed a third.

I used to clock in in the parking lot at my old job. It was an app and had a range that extended outside the office. They can pay me for my 30-second walk, commented a fourth.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups take three-hour lunch breaks and somehow find time to go to the gym and work from home, added a fifth.

If your workplace puts this on the wall, guaranteed they are implicit in wage theft that more than cancels this out, joined a sixth.

Whats funny is that the more a company tries to do ridiculous stuff, the less productive they end up making their employees. The more micromanaged and squeezed people are, the less productive they become. I dont know how companies dont understand this yet, wrote a seventh.
A video of nurses protecting newborn babies during the earthquake jolted Taiwan is going viral on social media. The clip captures the medical professionals rushing to stop the cribs from rolling away during the country's 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The image shows nurses protecting newborn babies at a hospital during an earthquake in Taiwan. (Screengrab)

The video, released on April 4, shows nurses at Ma Cherie Maternity Centre in Taipei, Taiwan, reported Today. In the clip, two nurses are seen trying to gather the tiny cribs in one place during the violent shaking. After a few moments, another nurse rushes in to help the others steady the beds.

An X user shared the video with a heart-warming caption that reads, Taiwanese nurses protecting babies during the earthquake. This is one of the most beautiful videos I have seen today on the internet. Hats off to these brave ladies.

Take a look at this video of the nurses protecting newborns:

Since being shared, this particular tweet has gathered more than 1.4 lakh views. The video has gone crazy viral and is being re-shared across several social media platforms.

Here's what X users had to say about this heartening video:

They are so brave, wrote an X user.

They are the real heroes, added another.

Taiwanese nurses are superheroes in scrubs! Protecting babies during an earthquake takes a special kind of courage and care. My heart is full watching this video, joined a third.

Their reaction exemplifies their training and dedication; more importantly, it displays their talent for caring and protecting others, shared a fourth.

Heroes really don't need capes, posted a fifth.

The earthquake in Taiwan on April 3 also triggered tsunami warnings in Japan and the Philippines. The natural disaster, the biggest that Taiwan has experienced in 25 years, claimed lives and left a trail of devastation.
A 20-year-old man in China was diagnosed with an unusual condition called delusional love disorder. As per reports, the second-year university student firmly believed that all his female classmates fancied him. With time, his condition worsened, and he started showing inappropriately bold displays of love towards them. However, he is currently doing better after receiving medical treatment for his condition. The delusional love disorder made a 20-year-old Chinese man believe that all the women in his class are in love with him (Representational image). (Unsplash/pat__)

The man, hailing from Jiangsu province in eastern China, is identified by his surname, Liu, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP). His symptoms started showing in February, and it kept worsening.

What did Liu do?

He approached all his female classmates but received negative responses from them. However, he perceived the rejections as the women being too shy to accept his love".

All the girls in school like me, Liu told Lu Zhenjiao, a doctor from Huaian No. 3 Peoples Hospital, reported SCMP. As per the outlet, the doctor later told a local media outlet, Litchi News, that Liu thinks he's the best-looking guy in the university. Dr Lu added, He (Liu) has brought much trouble to many of his schoolmates.

What are the other symptoms Liu displayed?

Liu was always excited and also showed changes in behaviour. He started getting distracted during classes, staying up all night, and wasting money. Following this sudden change, he was sent to the hospital, where the doctors diagnosed him with delusional love disorder.

What causes delusional love disorder?

According to Dr Lu, it is commonly seen between March and April. The weather change during that period can cause fluctuation of endocrine levels in the body. The people suffering from this condition get hyper and experience sleep loss. They can also suffer from sex addiction.

In more extreme cases, patients can become enraged and attack people, Dr Lu told the local outlet, reported SCMP. The doctor emphasised that anyone displaying the symptoms, even mild ones, should immediately seek medical treatment.

As for Liu, he is being treated with drugs and psychotherapy. Currently, he is in recovery.
Experts raised concerns over the potential rapid spread of the bird flu pandemic, which may lead to an exceptionally high fatality rate and can be 100 times worse than the Covid pandemic, reported the Daily Mail, a UK-based tabloid. The potential threat of a bird flu pandemic can be worse than Covid, say experts.(AFP)

The report cited experts who raised concerns over the threat of a new pandemic during a recent briefing where researchers discussed the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The virus is approaching a critical threshold, and has the potential to cause a global pandemic, said scientists.

Dr Suresh Kuchipudi, a prominent bird flu researcher in Pittsburgh, warned during the briefing that H5N1 flu can cause a pandemic due to its ability to infect a wide range of mammals, including humans. We are getting dangerously close to this virus potentially causing a pandemic, he said.

We are not really talking about a virus that is yet to make a jump, we are talking about a virus that is globally present, already infecting a range of mammals and is circulating It is really high time that we are prepared, Dr Kuchipudi said during the briefing.

Another expert, John Fulton, emphasised that the potential H5N1 pandemic could be extremely severe, making it far deadlier than the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fulton, who is a pharmaceutical company consultant, said, This appears to be 100 times worse than Covid, or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate. Once its mutated to infect humans, we can only hope that the [fatality rate] drops.

World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that 52 out of every 100 patients infected with H5N1 virus have died since 2003, making its fatality rate over 50 per cent. Meanwhile, the current Covid fatality rate is 0.1 per cent, dropping down from 20 per cent from the start of the pandemic.

Out of the total 887 reported cases of the bird flu virus, 462 deaths were recorded, according to WHO data.

The Daily Mail report came soon after outbreaks of avian flu were reported in a poultry facility in Michigan and an egg producer in Texas. Reports have also surfaced of dairy cows contracting bird flu, and the first documented case of a human getting the virus from a mammal.
Toronto: Canadas spy agency has said that Pakistan may have been involved in foreign interference activity in the country. A Canadian flag flies in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. (REUTERS)

Pakistan was cited in a June 2019 classified briefing that was submitted to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which is headed by Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

The document, titled Classified Briefing to Political Parties: CSIS Mandate and Threat Landscape, contains information about the possible nature of Islamabads alleged foreign interference (FI) activity in Canada. The document, seen by the Hindustan Times, states, Pakistani officials in Canada have likely tried to clandestinely influence Canadian politicians of Pakistani descent, with the aim of furthering Pakistani interests in Canada.

The remainder of the section about Pakistan has been redacted.

This adds to the fresh revelations about Pakistans potential FI involvement, which has come to the fore in submissions to the Inquiry. A July 2021 briefing document from Canadas Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force (SITE) TF also mentions Pakistan but all the relevant information in that section has been redacted.

The CSIS document identified the main actors carrying out FI activity in Canada as China and Russia. However, it also includes India and Iran. It stated that the Sikh extremist threat, and monitoring the Sikh community in Canada, is a priority for Indian officials In Canada.

The SITE TF noted that India is interested in engaging its diaspora to shape political outcomes in its favour. It also stated that India engages in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians in order to advance its political interests. It said India is actively conducting FI and targets Canadian political figures.

Earlier, an undated SITE TF document, cited by the outlet National Post, noted while China was the principal concern and outpaces other countries, challenges remain in dealing with others, including Pakistan. However, most of the information related to Pakistan was redacted in the version of the submission that was seen by the outlet.

It stated countries like Russia and India had not yet demonstrated a significant threat to the election process. Indias focus, it added, was on countering perceived threats within Canada.
Singapore minister Indranee Rajah recently emphasised the need to introduce its children to Tamil, one of the four official languages in the city-state. We need to ensure our children have opportunities to be constantly exposed to Tamil language, she said. Rajah, an Indian-origin minister in the Singapore government, said the Tamil language acts as a "passport" that links all Tamil people. Language is not something that one can only study, she said. "You need to put it to use, she added. Singaporean minister Indranee Rajah

Be it through television, social media, or print, as long as they are hearing, listening, and using the language from young, we can keep it alive, Rajah was quoted by the Friday weekly Tabla.

The Tamil Language Council in Singapore (TLC) has been organising the language festival for the past 18 years to uphold the rich legacy of the Tamil language. Singapore's minister Indranee Rajah launched this years festival last Saturday.

READ | More Indians are visiting Singapore, 2nd highest in the world, overtaking China

The TLC, centred on the theme of capabilities, will be held from March 30 to April 28 this year and feature 47 programmes. This years theme was selected to inspire the creation of innovative programmes while harnessing our collective strengths, TLC chairperson S Manogaran said.

More than 65 per cent of the programmes at the Tamil language festival are organised by the youth. Many of our youths today are finding a new purpose in learning and using Tamil; many of the programmes are targeted at them, Tabla quoted Manogaran.

The Singapore education system encourages the use of the mother tongue as a second language in schools, which includes Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and other main Indian languages, as well as Tamil, Malay, and Chinese (Mandarin).

Former Singapore cabinet minister S Iswaran also stressed the government's commitment to keeping Tamil as an official language earlier. Iswaran's remarks appeared in an interview published in The Tamil Community and the Making of Modern Singapore, a book on the South Indian community. In his remarks, the former minister expressed the government's support for Tamil to be used as a language in parliament and as a subject in schools along with English, Chinese and Malay.

(With PTI inputs)
Statements being made by Indian politicians about reclaiming the Katchatheevu island do not have any ground, according to Douglas Devananda, Sri Lanka's Minister of Fisheries. A political row has erupted surrounding the Katchatheevu island ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. (Divya Chandrababu/HT Photo)

His remarks come in the backdrop of an ongoing political row in India ahead of the upcoming general elections. The ruling BJP, which is seeking a third consecutive term, has accused its arch-rival, the Congress, of ceding Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.

Reacting to the controversy, Devananda, the Sri Lankan minister, pointed to India's Lok Sabha polls, which will begin on April 19.

It is election time there. So, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counter-claims about Katchatheevu. The statements on reclaiming Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka, have no ground, he said.

Also Read: Katchatheevu politics is a slippery slope

New Delhi, the minister opined, wants to secure this place (the island) so that fishermen from Sri Lanka do not have access to the area, and to ensure that Colombo should not claim any rights in that resourceful area.

He also spoke about West Bank, an area bigger than Katchatheevu.

Devananda said: There claims to be a place called West Bank, which is located below Kanyakumari. It is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources. It is 80 times bigger than KatchatheevuIndia secured it at the 1976 review agreement.

Kanyakumari is in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. Tamil Nadu is governed by Congress ally DMK; The BJP has accused DMK too of being callous on Katchatheevu. In turn, the two parties have accused the Narendra Modi government of misleading the people and asked why it was silent on the matter despite being in power for 10 years.

While the 1974 pact signed by Indira Gandhi-led Congress government with Sri Lanka, allowed Indian fishermen to access Katchatheevu without travel documents, an additional agreement, signed in 1976, had taken away this right, India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, remarked at a press conference recently.

(With PTI inputs)
The US Army Corps of Engineers has revealed it aims to finish opening the channel channelizing the Baltimore port within a month after the catastrophic incursion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a tangible relief sustained so now cargo carriers and vessel traffic will have free access to the port as the structural failure previously prevented them. View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard(REUTERS)

The catastrophic collapse occurred when a colossal cargo ship, almost as long as the bridge itself, collided on March 26, leading to its collapse and the unfortunate deaths of six construction workers. The search for four missing workers continues, as they are presumed to be entangled within the submerged debris.

USACE aims to reopen the port by the end of May

The US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District has been diligently working on the site, aiming to establish a limited access channel approximately 280 feet wide by the end of April. This interim solution would support one-way traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore for barge container service and some roll on/roll off vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port, according to the unit's words.

ALSO READ| Baltimore tragedy: Sonar images show remnants of Francis Scott Key Bridge lying in Patapsco River

USACE engineers are aiming to reopen the permanent, 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep federal navigation channel by the end of May, restoring port access to normal capacity.

Clearing the channel is not only pivotal for economic recovery but also essential for the ongoing search efforts for the remaining construction workers, believed to be trapped in the underwater wreckage.

As articulated by state and federal leaders, the task ahead is fraught with challenges. The complexity of the wreckage removal process is underscored by the sheer size of the ship involved, which is as long as the Eiffel Tower and, more importantly, the bridge itself.

Maryland Governor highlights the hurdles they are facing while recovering

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, told CNN, We have a ship that is nearly the size of the Eiffel Tower that is now stuck within the channel that has the Key Bridge sitting on top of it.

Governor Moore also highlighted: That water is so murky that salvage divers cannot see any more than 1 to 2 feet in front of them.

ALSO READ| Baltimore tragedy: When will 21 crew members get off board?

The collapse of the bridge is so distinct and so severe, with metal that is so  wrought together and pancaked that it continues to make this mission extraordinarily complicated and dangerous for those who are conducting it.

For now the divers only rely on guidance from operators using renderings and images to maneuver through the site.
In another blunder, US President Joe Biden once again repeated his false claim about travelling 17,000 miles with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During a speech at the White House, Joe Biden recounted an anecdotal about an exchange he had with Xi, during which the Chinese premier asked him to describe the United States.(AP)

During his speech at the White House event marking Greek Independence Day on Thursday, the 81-year-old president repeated the debunked claim and also seemed to have forgotten his own name and made reference to the 'O' Biden administration instead of Obama.

Biden recounted an anecdotal about an exchange he had with Xi, during which the Chinese premier asked him to describe the United States.

I was once asked by Xi Jinping, and I travelled 17,000 miles with him  I was out at the Tibetan plateau. He looked at me, and he said, 'can you define America?' I could say the same thing if he asked me to define Greece, the POTUS said.

I said, 'yesone word' and I mean this sincerely, it's recorded, I said, possibilities, he added.

Biden has earned a 'bottomless Pinocchio' rating from the Washington Post over the persistent use of this long-debunked claim.

Earlier, the outlet pointed out that Biden had repeated the claim nearly 21 times as an example of the effort he has made to build rapport with Xi Jinping amid escalating tensions between China and the US.

In another awkward moment during his address, Biden mispronounced Obama's name as the "O" Biden administration, which made the audience giggle.

Also Read: Stop it now: Joe Biden gets stern warning from wife Jill as US authorises more bombs for Israel

Biden rejects special counsel Robert Hur's report

Biden's latest blunder follows a string of embarrassing ones, which also includes his recent rejection of a DOJ report that cast doubt on his mental fitness.

Special Counsel Robert Hur's report on Biden's mishandling of classified documents was critical about the president's suitability for office. While the files were discovered in Biden's garage, the report did not suggest filing charges.

Also Read: Biden and Xi's two-hour phone call sets the tone for future China-US relations

During his questioning with investigators, Biden seemed confused about the dates he served as vice president and he was even unable to recall the year when his son Beau passed away.

Despite a favorable response to his State of the Union speech, Biden's average popularity rating has fallen to its lowest point of his whole tenure.

Based on national average estimations by poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Biden's approval rating is presently at 37.4%, the lowest since December 2023, when he achieved an average of 37.6%.
Exciting news brought by Walt Disney World with an update on its future project at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, with Indiana Jones and Encanto. Get ready for Magic Kingdom's biggest expansion yet with Disney's 'Beyond Big Thunder' project. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)(AP)

Concerned about increasing the Magic Kingdom visitors flow even further, Disney decided to start work on one of the largest expansion projects ever which was called Beyond Big Thunder and that is going to be a relatively new addition to the park.

Disney CEO plays coy on resort blueprint

When the Disney Imagineer, Michael Hundgen, the site portfolio executive for Walt Disney World, disclosed that the new area of the park would extend beyond the already developed wetland and woods that are at the back of Big Thunder Mountain, this area suddenly became the boundary of a major new investment. The prototype of the new portion is believed to be commensurate in size to that of the 14-acre Star Wars Galaxys Edge.

Though the media is full of frequent news stories regarding the development, the CEO of Disney, Bob, kept a sceptical position when posed with questions about the companys entire resort blueprint.

You know, we have a lot of projects in development, Iger stated.

Many of them are known to us. But we disclose these at a cadence and when we really feel were ready, and we have something more tangible to show people. This measured approach has left many wondering about the specifics of the upcoming developments.

ALSO READ| Elon Musk's anti-woke-Disney agenda flourishes in potential April Fools tweet: Cant wait to work with'

The intrigue deepened considering that Josh DAmaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, has been hinting at potential expansions for some time. At the 2022 D23 Expo, a fan event, the audiences enthusiasm peaked with the mention of a possible Coco-themed land, potentially incorporating elements from Encanto.

DAmaro even showcased concept art for what he termed Beyond Big Thunder Mountain at Walt Disney World: Encanto, which would fuse the film into railroad ride.

Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, echoed this sentiment at the previous years D23 event, labelling the future expansion plans for Magic Kingdom in Florida as the parks largest to date, with a scope mirroring that of Galaxys Edge.

The reasons behind Igers vague responses remain a topic of speculation

Its possible that Disney is gearing up for a grand reveal at this years D23 event, scheduled for August 8-11. Alternatively, there could be other factors at play.

This air of mystery also shrouded last months Anaheim City Planning Commission meeting, where Disney sought zoning flexibility for its DisneylandForward initiative. The meeting lasted six hours and saw residents questioning Ken Potrock, a Disney executive, about the lack of clarity regarding the specific attractions and experiences planned for a $1.9 billion overhaul of Disneyland.

ALSO READ| Disney shareholders back CEO Iger, rebuff activists who wanted to shake up the company

The DisneylandForward project aims to bring new lands and adventures to the park, With DisneylandForward and more flexibility within our existing properties, new lands and adventures like those underway at Tokyo DisneySea and Shanghai Disneyland could inspire new experiences here.

In line with the request for flexibility in Anaheim, Iger emphasized the impracticality of prematurely committing the entirety of Disneys $60 billion budget to specific projects.

Disney recently decided to withdraw its legal challenge against the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, a board appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which had been at the centre of a contentious dispute. Disney chose to pursue a settlement with the state authorities.
Again the former US President Donald Trump caused some ignition through his recent utterances-Israel was losing the PR war, denouncing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Former US President Donald Trump criticizes Israel's media strategy. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo(REUTERS)

In an interview with The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump expressed, Youve got to get it over with, and you have to get back to normalcy. And Im not sure that Im loving the way theyre doing it, because youve got to have victory. You have to have a victory, and its taking a long time.

Trump mentioned that Israel has successfully conducted a significant part of their operation, and they should finish what they started and get it over with fast if they do not desire to lose the wave of opinion. The Jewish state is currently depicted as evil, simply by showing a variety of pictures from Gaza, says Trump. He explained the interview he had with the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, where he had warned Israel was reaching the point that its PR war with Hamas needed to finish up and its losing its global support.

ALSO READ| Judge rejects Trump's bid to dismiss Georgia 2020 election subversion case

What I said very plainly is get it over with, and lets get back to peace and stop killing people. And thats a very simple statement. Get it over with. Theyve got to finish what they finish. They have to get it done. Get it over with, and get it over with fast, because we have to, you have to get back to normalcy and peace, the former President clarified.

Theyve got to finish what they started, and theyve got to finish it fast, and we have to get on with life, he went on.

Israel is absolutely losing the PR war: Trump

Trump attested to Israel's media strategy, with specific focus on the videos displaying buildings being pulled apart, which he believed ultimately be part of the reason why their PR challenges went along.

And the other thing is I hate, they put out tapes all the time. Every night, theyre releasing tapes of a building falling down. They shouldnt be releasing tapes like that. Theyre doing, thats why theyre losing the PR war.

They, Israel is absolutely losing the PR war, he added.

This isn't the first time Trump has weighed in on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Following an attack by Hamas on Israel back in October, he criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's intelligence services for being unprepared, calling for them to straighten it out.

ALSO READ| Dan Rather's scathing post against Donald Trump goes viral: A vile man who attacks the

Trump's criticisms of Netanyahu have been ongoing since the prime minister acknowledged Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Despite his strong opinions on the matter, Trump has not provided specifics on how he would handle the Israel-Hamas conflict if reelected to the White House.
Regretting his 2020 decision of endorsing Joe Biden, actor and pro wrestling legend Dwayne The Rock Johnson asserted that he won't repeat the same mistake in 2024. Ahead of the potential Biden and Trump rematch, the 51-year-old Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star clarified that there will be no endorsement this year. (AP)

Ahead of a potential rematch between Biden and Donald Trump, Johnson appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend. When host Will Cain asked him if he was content with the state of America, he responded: "Well, that answer is no. Do I believe we are going to get better? I believe in that. Im an optimistic guy and I believe we can get better.

Also Read: Biden repeats long-debunked claim about travel with Xi Jinping, gives himself a new name in latest gaffe

Will The Rock endorse Trump over Biden?

The 51-year-old Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star clarified that there will be no endorsement this year. In the spirit of that, theres gonna be no endorsement. Not that Im afraid of it at all, but its just I realize that this level of influence, Johnson said.

He argued that supporting any presidential candidate would create "an incredible amount of division in our country."

The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time, the wrestler said, adding that Am I going to do it again this year? That answers no.

He admitted that he has realised that his goal is to bring this country together, stating that I will keep my politics to myself."

The WWE executive further said he has full faith in Americans and they will select the right candidate for the White House.

"It is between me and the ballot box. Like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and whoever they vote for. That is my president and who I will support 100%.

Also Read: Will Hillary Clinton's get over yourself advise to upset voters backfire on Joe Biden?

In 2020 elections, Johnson backed Biden and then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and declared them the "best choice to lead our country". Moreover, in a webcam conference with Biden and the Rock, Harris described herself as a "huge fan of Fast & Furious, all of them to Jumanji."

Is The Rock planning to run for the WH?

During the interview, he mentioned "woke culture" and "cancel culture" as things that "really bug me".

Raised in California, Johnson was born to a black Canadian father and Samoan mother.

On being asked about his possible plans to run for president, Johnson said: As of now, no." That's not my intention, Will. I'm not a politician, and I'm not into politics. I care deeply about our country. I'm a patriot, and I believe you are too, and right now, my desire and my priorities are my babies.
Famed Munchausen by proxy victim, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has decided to undergo rhinoplasty, a type of cosmetic surgery, which she shared exclusively with People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard attends "The Prison Confessions Of Gypsy Rose Blanchard" Red Carpet Event on January 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)

Im going through a personal transformation journey currently and that includes a physical one, too, Blanchard quoted to the outlet.

Wish me luck with my surgery and watch the whole thing this summer on Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.

Blanchard's longtime friend spills some beans

Her close friend, Nadiya Vizier, conveyed Blanchards long-standing desire for the surgery.

She said shes a bit nervous, but shes happy its going to be done, Vizier explained to People.

The main thing is that she wanted a more feminine-looking nose. She just wants to fix it up and give it a more feminine look.

ALSO READ| Gypsy Rose Blanchard deletes social media accounts to avoid going back to jail: Doorway to hell

Vizier went on explaining, My main message is to just, people need to let her live, let her experience, if they know that shes doing something good or wrong, let her experience that. Let her learn from it. I feel like in a way, people are still trying to control her.

Amidst this period of change, Blanchard has been reconnecting with her ex-fiance, Ken Urker. The two were seen getting matching tattoos, Urkers mother, Raina Williams, said it seemed very cool, to her after confirming their rekindled friendship following Blanchards split from Anderson. Ken is just being a supportive friend to her.

In her 2024 Lifetime docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, she disclosed ongoing communication with Urker even as her wedding with Anderson approached in 2022, admitting lingering feelings for him. A dream about leaving Anderson for Urker led to a dispute, yet they managed to move forward in their relationship at the time.

Blanchard announces separation from husband Ryan Anderson

However, Blanchard recently announced her separation from Anderson on social media. People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou. I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this. I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself find who I am, she expressed through her private Facebook account.

ALSO READ| Gypsy Rose Blanchards ex, accused of raping her after killing her mom, says he's waiting for true time to speak

Blanchard enjoyed the freedom back into her society following her release from prison in December 2023. Life changed for her in many ways. At the end of the eight years sentence in which she serves a full ten years for her contribution to the tragic murder of Dee Dee Blanchard happened to her then-boyfriend together, she is learning to cope with a totally different social environment from the one that had now come to an end.
In a new twist and surprise to the rap world, J. Cole has offered a response to Kendrick Lamar's guest verse on "Like That" by Future and Metro Broomin, which saw the rapper bashing Cole and Drake. J. Cole has chosen a straightforward approach to hit back at Lamar's diss as he stunned his fans by dropping a new album "Might Delete Later".(Getty Images)

While Drake reacted to Lamar's insult during his current tour, Cole chose a more straightforward approach to hit back at Lamar's diss as he stunned his fans by dropping new album "Might Delete Later".

Last month, the two rappers linked their success to Lamar's in their song First Person Shooter. Lamar, who is the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize, addressed this in his song Like That. He distinguished himself from Cole and Drake by saying, "Motherf*** the big three, n***a, it's just big me."

Also Read: Self-proclaimed GOAT Kanye West fuels ongoing rappers' feud, belittles Drake

Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic: Cole targets Lamar

In his new album that arrived on streaming services without any alert, the Fayetteville, NC native can be heard addressing Lamars diss, suggesting that it was a cry for attention. I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing / You want some attention, it come with extensions, the Dreamville CEO teased.

He then starts criticising K. Dot's legacy, labelling albums like Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers from 2022 as "tragic" and To Pimp A Butterfly, which won a Grammy, as "slumbering" records.

He still doing shows but fell off like The Simpsons / Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put ns to sleep but they gassed it / Your third shit was massive and that was your prime / I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine.

Also Read: Kendrick Lamar steals Big Sean's thunder; shoots bars at Drake, J.Cole promptly after Big 3 diss

Cole says this is just a 'warning shot'

Calling his new album a warning shot, Cole tells Kendrick if the West Coast icon wants to go beyond, the gloves could fall off completely.

He averagin one hard verse like every thirty months or somethin/ If he wasnt dissin, then we wouldnt be discuss in em/ Lord, dont make me have to smoke this na cause I fk with him/ But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him, Cole continues.

He then targets Lamar over lack of output as he jokes "Four albums in 12 years, na, I can divide." This was in reference to the five-part The Heart series.

The twelve tracks on Cole's "Might Delete Later" feature guest appearances from Cam'ron, Ari Lennox, Bas, Central Cee and Gucci Mane.

The new project, which has probably sparked a lyrical feud that is completely upending the rap industry, follows his sixth solo album "The Off-Season", which was released in 2021.

On Sunday, April 7, Cole will headline his fourth annual Dreamville Fest in Raleigh, North Carolina.

You can listen to "7 Minute Drill" here:
President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that US support for his war in Gaza depends on new steps to protect civilians, a shift in position for the American leader who has faced increased pressure to take a harder line against Israel amid mounting deaths. Joe Biden spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza(AFP)

Biden and Netanyahu discuss Gaza, details of call not out

The warning, delivered in a Thursday phone call between the two leaders, signaled that Biden is toughening his stance after an Israeli strike that killed seven people delivering food to displaced Palestinians in Gaza. Biden called the incident unacceptable, according to a White House description of the conversation.

Hours later, the prime ministers office announced that the countrys security cabinet had authorized action to bolster assistance and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Israel to allow the temporary delivery of aid to Gaza

Israel will allow the temporary delivery of aid to Gaza through the Ashdod and Erez checkpoints in Israel, according to a statement from Netanyahus office, which added that more Jordanian aid could flow through a crossing at Kerem Shalom. The decision, according to the statement, would also ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war.

Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said We welcome the steps announced by the Israeli government tonight at the presidents request following his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The prime ministers office has not released an account of the Biden-Netanyahu call, which came amid heightened tensions between the two men.

Also Read: Biden facing pressure over Israel policy

Biden said Israel must announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, the White House said in a statement earlier Thursday. Biden said an immediate cease-fire is necessary to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged Netanyahu to secure a deal in long-running, indirect negotiations with Hamas.

He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps, according to the statement. President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable.

No clarity on next steps by US in Gaza conflict

Biden did not specify when and how he might shift his approach to the Israel-Hamas war, which is in its sixth month and has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. But his statement is the closest he has come to placing new requirements on US support for Israels military operations.

Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu vowed to press on with its war effort.

White House spokesman John Kirby declined to elaborate on what steps the US would take if Israel does not do more to protect civilians, including if Biden would withhold military assistance.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels that if we dont see the changes we need to see, therell be changes in our policy. He did not detail the nature of those potential changes.

Read More: Gaza, Iran Strikes Show Limits of Bidens Influence on Israel

The US for weeks has urged Netanyahu to curb civilian deaths and has objected to a plan to invade the southern enclave of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians fled during Israels war with Hamas.

This weeks air strike on a convoy of workers from World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief group founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, signaled a breaking point for the White House.

Kirby said Thursdays call, which he said lasted around 30 minutes and described as direct and businesslike, was scheduled in response to the bombing. Biden was shaken by the attack that killed the aid workers and felt strongly it was time to talk to Netanyahu, the spokesman said. It was their first call since mid-March.

Israel has said the strike inadvertently hit the aid workers and is conducting an investigation to determine how the strike occurred. Kirby said that probe is close to complete.

The president is facing mounting political pressure from progressives, as well as Arab- and Muslim-Americans, who object to his support for Israels war effort. The aid-worker attack prompted Democrats to issue fresh calls for placing conditions on American military backing for Israel.

Israels conduct of its war against Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, has also drawn criticism from Republican Donald Trump, who vocally supported Netanyahu during his presidency.

Trump in a Thursday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt said Israel had to finish the war quickly and that it is losing the PR war, while declining to answer whether he still remains 100% behind Israel.

Youve got to get it over with, and you have to get back to normalcy. And Im not sure that Im loving the way theyre doing it, because youve got to have victory, he said. They shouldnt be releasing tapes like that. Theyre doing, thats why theyre losing the PR war.
reported by the Times UK. The report mentions that the Middleton family business has accrued over $300,000 in debt, and Carole is attempting to shield her daughter from the stress of the situation. The Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, following which both she and Prince William took some time off from their royal duties to spend quality time with their children. The Middleton family business, Party Pieces, has faced challenges amid economic uncertainties(Pic Credit- Getty Images)

Carole Middleton's family business debt

Both Kate and her mother Carole are very close to each other and often discuss business over a phone call, the report alleges. However, at this particular time, Carole and her husband Michael Middleton are trying not to seek any assistance from their children.

Also read: Prince William, Kate reach out to Harry and Meghan, asking to bring children along- Expert

The Middleton family business, Party Pieces, has faced challenges amid economic uncertainties as per the outlet. Carole is desperately trying to keep Catherine fully focused on her recovery, a source told US Weekly.

Its a very worrying time for the family but they are not looking for any assistance from their children and dont want them to worry, the source added. Kate has a younger sister, Philippa, and a younger brother, James.

Middleton family doesnt want to trouble Kate

The news of the Middelton family facing financial debut surfaced amid recent reports about Kate Middleton undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

Also read: Prince Harry 'disappointed' as Archie, Lilibet miss Royal Easter, unable to meet Kate and William's kids

The Princess underwent a planned abdominal surgery back in January. After months of 'no show', the missing conspiracy soon started making waves on the internet and took the form of 'devastating theories', following which the Princess herself had to announce her cancer news.

The source further added, Catherine and her parents are very close and they always check in with each other, but talk about the business is off limits as she needs to focus on her health.

Middleton familys business debt explained

Carole Middleton will be doing all she can to "shield" her daughter from the strain of her father's cancer battle, as she and her husband Michael and business partner Carole struggle to pay the firm's insolvency costs, claims the report. The Party Pieces Company has been in administration since June, with debts totalling over 2,500,000 ($3,16,000) as per the Times UK.

"This is a terrible time for the family, and I'm sure Carole will do everything she can to keep her daughter away from any more stress," royal commentator Hagan said to the US Weekly. Party Pieces has collapsed and its been devastating for the family, but Carole will be most concerned about Kates well-being right now. The insider adds.
A fervent fan of Meghan Markle, Johnathan Perkins, who is also the director of race and equity at the University of California Los Angeles, has cast doubt on Kate Middleton's cancer admission. Just days after Middleton's announcement of undergoing "preventative chemotherapy" for an unspecified illness, Perkins tweeted, "I personally do NOT believe Kate Middleton had/has cancer," as reported by the Daily Mail. The image from a video where Kate Middleton talks about how she and Prince William are handling her cancer diagnosis. (X/@KensingtonRoyal)

What are Jonathan Perkins' shocking remarks?

Perkins suggested that the royal family might have used the "mere (vague!) mention" of cancer and chemotherapy to quell concerns about Middleton's prolonged absence. He further speculated in his posts about the princess possibly being "in a coma or dead" and expressed his lack of respect for King Chuck and Kate.

Perkins questioned whether the royal family was "using the Cancer Card to silence speculation" regarding Middleton's extended absence following planned abdominal surgery that led to her cancer diagnosis. He even criticized society's perception of cancer, describing it as being treated "like a death sentence."

On Easter Sunday, he cruelly joked, 'Wait, isn't Kate Middleton supposed to rise today?'

Johnathan Perkins a fan of Meghan Markle

Even as Perkins is spreading conspiracy theories around Kate he widely shown his love for Meghan Markle, accusing "whole tabloid departments" of fabricating stories about her. His admiration for Markle is evident in his tweets, where he proclaimed, "FYI, this is an American Princess Meghan Markle stan account," alongside a regal photo of the former "Suits" actress. Since Daily Mail reported the story Perkins is enjoying all the social media attention and isn't embarrassed about his questionable behaviour.

In a previous incident in March 2022, Perkins faced criticism for tweeting, "No one wants to openly admit [we all] hope Clarence Thomas dies" when the Supreme Court justice was hospitalized. UCLA responded that his comments did not "reflect UCLA EDIs views," and Perkins did not issue an apology for the deleted tweet.

Who is Johnathan Perkins?

Johnathan Perkins is a cancer survivor himself, he announced on LinkedIn that he has been in remission from lymphoma for 15 years. He claims, he's become an advocate for black healthcare after experiencing dismissive treatment of his symptoms before his cancer diagnosis.

He is a lawyer who worked at Harvard University, and is currently serves as UCLA's Director of Race and Equity. Employed at UCLA with a salary exceeding $125,000, Perkins joined the university over five years ago and moved to the EDI office in 2019. It remains unclear if UCLA will take any action regarding his controversial tweets. A UCLA spokesperson told the Daily Mail, Statements on [Perkinss] personal social media account dont reflect the views of the university. UCLAs values seek to foster open-mindedness, understanding, compassion, and inclusiveness among all in our diverse community.
As millions of Americans gear up to witness the rare total solar eclipse on April 8, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks its a bad omen! The Georgia Republican took to X, formerly Twitter after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck New York and New Jersey. In the now-viral tweet, Greene somehow managed to connect the two entirely different topics- one being a celestial event and the other, a natural calamity; to claim that God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent. Marjorie Taylor Greene says earthquakes and eclipses are 'God's signs' telling us 'to repent'(X, formerly Twitter)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says NY-NJ earthquake was a sign from God

Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens, the 49-year-old GOP Representative continued. From the time it was shared on the platform to the time of writing, Greene's tweet garnered 2.9 million views. Many called her out for ignoring the scientific aspects of earthquakes and eclipses.

After drawing severe criticism for her theory, readers even added context to her tweet, Earthquakes happen all the time, all around the world, we can follow them realtime using USGS resources. Eclipses are not random, they follow strict mathematical rules and can be predicted centuries before they happen. NASA has a site listing eclipses until the year 3000, the prompt on her tweet added.

Marjorie Taylor Greene faces severe backlash for her viral claim on earthquakes and eclipses

Shortly after Greene tweeted her theory about today's earthquake and April 8's total solar eclipse, her name started trending on the platform. Over 11K X, formerly Twitter users replied to her tweet. Social media personality, @JoJoFromJerz shared a GIF of Donald Trump along with the message, Earthquakes and eclipses happen all the time Marge. Remind me who the president was when we were met with a once in a lifetime global pandemic.

Democracy advocate and army combat veteran Fred Wellman wrote, Have you repented for cheating on your husband and Brian Glenn's wife yet? You broke up 2 families and won't even admit you did it. Maybe you start at home before judging anyone else you liar. The funniest part is everyone in the district knew. We were told by local cable news folks and a waitress.
Meghan Markles return to the UK is highly unlikely, claims a royal expert. While Prince Harry is scheduled to visit London in the coming months, Markle accompanying him with their children is not happening anytime soon. Recent reports suggested that Prince William and Princess Kate have been working to mend the royal rift and extended an invitation to the estranged family member, but Meghan declined the request. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Meghan Markle is avoiding a trip to the UK

As confirmed by Harry himself and considering his plans to attend the Invictus Games event in May, the Duke of Sussex will make a quick trip to the UK. Earlier, Harry also expressed his desire to visit his ailing father, King Charles, who has been diagnosed with cancer. While many speculated that Meghan would accompany him to the palace, royal commentator Esther Krakue, in conversation with GB News, suggested that might not be the case.

Also read: Melania Trump's absence from public eyes tied to White House mystery

"I actually think she's avoiding the UK because she's not interested in the whole drama and, kind of, being injected, is she going to talk to [Princess] Kate, and all of that. Esther Krakue told the outlet.

Meghan Markle 'concerned' about the safety

Things havent been going so well for the royals lately. Court cases, health issues, and the general state of affairs have been off the rails. Meghan is thought to be keeping a low profile due to security concerns after Harry lost a high court case against the Home Office, as well as a desire to avoid further conflict between her and Princess Kate.

"I personally think she's not going to come because, obviously, Harry has lost his case with the Home Office and he said he doesn't feel safe bringing his family over [to the UK] and I also think this is going to be a time where distance between the Sussexes and the Royal Family will be calcified because the focus will obviously be on the Princess of Wales and the King recovering, they don't need the whole Netflix drama." Claims Krakue.

Also read: Prince William, Kate reach out to Harry and Meghan, asking to bring children along- Expert

Prince Harrys court battle

Harry and Meghan have been residing in the US since they left the UK in early 2020 after announcing their decision to leave the royal family. Earlier this year, Harry lost a legal battle against the UK Home Office and RAVEC at the High Court in the United Kingdom. The Duke wanted to overturn a decision that reduced his security classification after he was no longer a working royal due to fears for his own safety and the safety of his wife, Meghan Markle, and two children Archie and Lilibet.
India will take delivery of two Russian-made warships in the next few months, as the two countries work around US sanctions that created difficulties in paying for Russian weapons systems, according to senior Indian officials. HT Image

One ship is likely to be handed to the Indians in September, with another being delivered early next year. The delivery of the ships are two years behind schedule due to the war in Ukraine, the officials said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity around the issue.

The two frigates are part of a four-ship deal that the Indians signed with the Russians back in 2018. The other two ships are being built in India, in collaboration with Russia, but are also behind schedule due to war-related supply chain issues, the officials said.

The guided-missile frigates with stealth features were to use gas turbines made in Ukraine. Ukraine-Russia trade ground to a halt in 2014 in the aftermath of Russias annexation of Crimea and India procured the turbines using a third country, senior officials said.

US sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine had stalled weapons delivery to India for over an year, as the countries struggled to find a payment mechanism that didnt violate US sanctions.

India and Russia, also strategic partners, have been able to work around the payments issue, the people said, without disclosing details.

Indias Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Navy and Ministry of Defense declined to comment.

New Delhi is paying Moscow in Indian rupees for weapons but uses a mix of currencies, such as UAE dirhams and US dollars, to pay for crude oil. India is the largest purchaser of Russias seaborne oil. The mechanism had briefly run into trouble as payments amounting to billions of dollars accumulated in India. New Delhi had declined to pay in Chinese yuan given its tense relations with Beijing, the people said.

The US has largely refrained from penalizing India for its dealings with Russia, including holding back on penalties for an advanced air defense system, as it courts India amid intensifying competition with China.

Despite buying more weapons from the US and France and Prime Minister Narendra Modis aggressive program to build military hardware in the country, Russia remains Indias biggest supplier of military hardware, accounting for 36% of Indias arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

SIPRI, an independent think tank that studies the global weapons trade, notes in a recent report that it is the first time in six decades that Russia made up less than half of Indias weapons imports.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Blake Vetter, the son of an American tourist who tragically lost her life in Africa after being attacked by an elephant while on a safari, has spoken out in support of the animal. The incident occurred in the Kafue National Park in Zambia, where Gail Mattson, an 80-year-old woman from Minnesota, sustained fatal injuries. Despite the heartbreaking loss of his mother, Vetter has chosen not to assign blame to either the elephant or the driver involved in the incident. An American woman died after an elephant attacked a safari vehicle in Africa (Pixabay - representational image)

Also read: Ashton Kutcher on alert for subpoena in 'Diddy' probe after hinting at secrets in resurfaced video: Report

Son says Mom wouldn't blame Elephant for fatal incident

"She was really looking forward to this, and she also knew there were risks and that anytime something could happen," Vetter told Daily Mail. He continued, "People want to blame the elephant and the driver. It's awful how people don't know what's going on. The elephant was being an elephant. My mom would be the first to defend the driver and the elephant.

Elephant attack in Zambia's Kafue National Park

Over the weekend, a video went viral showing a group of tourists on a safari in Zambia's Kafue National Park being attacked by a wild elephant. A group of travelers were taking pictures of the jungle when a huge bull elephant suddenly charged towards them. Although the video doesn't show the people in the vehicle, you can hear the tourists screaming as the elephant approaches. The tragic incident resulted in the death of a 79-year-old Minnesota woman Gail Matson. Meanwhile, six other tourists who were together with Matson sustained minor injuries and were rushed to a local hospital.

Also read: Conjoined twin Abby Hensel's husband faces paternity suit by another woman, years after marriage

The CEO of Wilderness Zambia, a safari organizer, explained that the difficult terrain hindered a quick escape. The organizers expressed their cooperation with the police investigation and offered condolences to Mattson's family. As per the CEOs statement, The operation's guides are all extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide's route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm's way quickly enough.

Meanwhile, Mattson, a retired loan officer, had just spent 11 days on a month-long foreign trip. The adventurous grandmother had been an explorer since retirement.
As Ramadan concludes, Muslims worldwide are looking forward to celebrating Eid al-Fitr. The confirmation of the beginning and end of Ramadan is traditionally determined by the sighting of the moon. The ideal moment occurs when the moon is positioned between Earth and the sun, revealing the far side of the moon illuminated. A moon seen at the Jama Masjid Mosque on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

Ramadan, the sacred month of fasting from sunrise to sunset in the Islamic Hijri calendar, is marked by the appearance of the new moon. Given that Ramadan began on March 11 this year, many are wondering if it will concludeand the joyous festival of Eid al-Fitr will commenceduring the total solar eclipse on April 8.

A total solar eclipse is the only occasion when the new moon becomes visible. Typically, the new moon is obscured by the sun's glare and remains invisible. However, this month presents a unique opportunity for moon sighting in North America.

How does Crescent Moon Impact timing of Ramadan and Eid?

Ramadan is the month-long period of fasting practiced by Muslims around the world, abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Notably, this year, Ramadan will not end (and Eid will not commence) with the sighting of the new moon. Although eclipse glasses will allow individuals in North America to see the outline of the new moon on Monday, April 8, viewing the full eclipse without aids is only possible within a 115-mile-wide path of totality.

In the Islamic Hijri calendar, the beginning of each new month, including Ramadan, is determined by the sighting of the first crescent moon after the new moon. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and the start of the month of Shawwal.

Here's what you need to know about Eid al-Fitr and its observance this year:

When is Eid al-Fitr?

The Islamic calendar follows lunar cycles, causing the dates for Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha to shift each year.

This year, Ramadan commenced at sundown on Sunday, March 10. Traditionally, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, following the sighting of the new moon.

How Will the Solar Eclipse Affect Moon Sighting?

The total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, will impact the visibility of the Shawwal crescent moon this year. As per The National, the crescent moon will not be visible until April 9, which is the 30th day of Ramadan.

Initially, astronomers anticipated that Eid al-Fitr would begin on April 9. However, due to the solar eclipse, the new moon will not be visible at the western horizon after sunset on April 8.

Consequently, the crescent moon is predicted to become visible after sunset on April 9 in most Islamic countries. Thus, April 10 is likely to be the first day of Shawwal and Eid al-Fitr, as reported by Harpers Bazaar Arabia.

While the official confirmation of Eid al-Fitr's arrival is anticipated on Monday night, marking April 10 on your calendar appears to be a prudent choice.
Tesla Inc. (TSLA) is boosting compensation, as confirmed by CEO Elon Musk through a series of messages on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). Elon Musk boosts Tesla's AI team compensation amidst talent war. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo/File Photo(REUTERS)

Musks announcement comes in amid the craziest talent war with competitors like OpenAI and Meta, which have successfully poached some of Teslas engineers with lucrative offers.

The talent war for AI is the craziest talent war Ive ever seen! Musk exclaimed. To counteract this, Tesla is implementing a new compensation structure for its AI team, which is contingent on achieving certain progress milestones. Tesla is increasing comp (contingent on progress milestones) of our AI engineering team, Musk stretched the reply.

The Tesla boss also said OpenAI has been aggressively recruiting Tesla engineers with massive compensation offers and in few cases they do succeed.

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AI recruitment war

This move was partly triggered by the departure of Ethan Knight, a machine learning scientist from Teslas Autopilot team, who joined Musks AI startup, xAI. Ethan was going to join OpenAI, so it was either xAI or them, Musk disclosed.

The SpaceX founder also pointed out that Teslas AI team, responsible for developing autonomous driving technologies, consists of over 200 engineers and is making rapid advancements. Teslas pace of progress with autonomy is accelerating, he noted.

Despite these efforts, Teslas base salaries have traditionally been lower than those offered by many Big Tech firms like Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. Data from job sites such as Levels and Glassdoor indicate that Teslas Autopilot team offers entry-level engineers in the San Francisco Bay area salaries ranging from $160,000 to $170,000. This figure was lamented as ridiculously low for the level of skill it requires on Team Blind, a go-to under-the-radar social networking platform for tech workers.

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The AI boom has led tech companies to offer compensation packages worth millions annually, further intensifying the pressure on Tesla to remain competitive in attracting and retaining talent. According to Teslas 2023 proxy filing, the median total annual compensation for its employees was $34,084 in 2022, the latest year for which data is available. Musk himself has not taken a cash salary since 2020, but his stock options, valued in the billions, have attracted regulatory attention.
Amid concerns over his age and mental fitness, US President Joe Biden received much-needed respite in his quest for a second term after No Labels declared that it would not be fielding a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. Former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton may have caused some trouble to Biden after she advised disgruntled voters to "get over yourself"(AP )

However, it seems former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton may have caused some trouble to Biden after she advised disgruntled voters to "get over yourself".

During her appearance on Monday's "Tonight Show" on NBC, host Jimmy Fallon questioned Clinton about what she would advise voters who are "upset" about the Biden and Trump rematch.

"Get over yourself," the former first lady said, adding that "Those are the two choices.

Elaborating on her argument, she blasted Trump as an "old" man who has been charged with 91 felonies, but hailed 81-year-old Biden as an "effective and compassionate" man who really cares about people.

Also Read: Stop it now: Joe Biden gets stern warning from wife Jill as US authorises more bombs for Israel

No Labels, which has earlier vowed to offer its ballot line to a candidate with a credible path to winning the White House," said in a statement on Thursday that no such candidates emerged. The responsible course of action is for us to stand down, it added.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and former governors of Maryland and New Jersey, Chris Christie (R) and Larry Hogan (R), were among those who disqualified themselves from the presidential race.

Clinton gets blasted for lecturing young voters

Responding to Clinton's remarks, Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh criticised the former senator, stressing that youngsters don't want somebody to lecture them, The Hill reported.

He asserted that he isn't sure if this is the most effective approach to win disaffected Democrats, younger voters, back to Joe Biden. Young people want to be inspired, they dont want to be lectured to, he said.

Rather than wagging "your finger at them", Longabaugh suggested the most suitable way to win them back is to talk about Bidens great achievements on climate and women's rights.

Echoing similar concerns, Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, highlighted the risks associated with Clinton's remark amidst the public's preexisting unfavorable opinion of establishment Democrats.

Also Read: Biden repeats long-debunked claim about travel with Xi Jinping, gives himself a new name in latest gaffe

The Democratic Party in general, and Hillary Clinton in particular, have a street rep for preaching at, and lecturing, the voters. This doesnt help that at all, the professor said.

Reeher further appeared to take a dig at Clinton, stating that "it fits a reputation you have, which does not help you with voters.

Trump leads over Biden in six of the seven battleground states that are predicted to decide the outcome of the 2024 elections, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this week.

Clinton's remarks come at a time when Biden is facing immense flak over his backing of Israel amid its attacks on Gaza. The war has killed nearly 33,000 Palestinians, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.
Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday denied Donald Trump's motion to throw out the criminal case against him for retaining classified documents after he left the White House.

She appeared to leave open the door, however, to similar arguments Trump may use at his trial sometime in the future.

Trump's motion had argued that he has the right to retain classified document under the Presidential Records Act.

Cannon's short ruling made no determination on that issue. Rather, she ruled that Trump's attorneys did not meet the legal standard to dismiss charges. She also noted that prosecutors "make no reference to the Presidential Records Act" in the indictment against Trump and did not "rely" on the statute to bring charges, indicating the argument may simply be irrelevant.

She shot back at Special Counsel Jack Smith's request that Cannon issue a final judgment on whether Trump can use the law as a defense in his trial, insisting the "demand" was both "unprecedented and unjust."

Smith called for the ruling after Cannon earlier ordered both sides in the case to submit hypothetical jury instructions that would take into account Trump's claims of his alleged sweeping authority.

The Presidential Records Act was passed after former President Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. Ironically, the law cited by Trump in his defense requires presidents at the end of their term to turn over presidential records to the National Archives, and established them as records belonging to the public. Trump argues that the same act also gives him comprehensive power over that system.

It was Trump's second court loss of the day. Earlier, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee ruled that election interference is not protected by the First Amendment, as Trump's legal team had argued in a motion seeking to throw out the case against him in Georgia.

McAfee ruled that Trump's bid to upend the state's presidential election results was not protected free speech, but activity "allegedly in furtherance of criminal actitivity," which the Constituion does not stand behind.

In addition, a judge on Wednesday denied Trump's claims of presidential immunity concerning his upcoming New York trail related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before he was elected president.
The son of an American tourist killed by a raging elephant while on an safari in Africa isn't blaming the animal  nor the driver of the attacked truck.

Blake Vetter, of Minnesota, told the Daily Mail that his mom was aware of the risks she was taking.

His mother, 80-year-old Gail Mattson, also from Minnesota, suffered fatal injuries Saturday while traveling with a friend and four others on a game drive in the Kafue National Park in Zambia when an angry elephant charged their vehicle. She died shortly afterward in a local hospital.

Elephants attack, flip tourists vehicle in Kafue National Park. Hope all survived safely from the ordeal.



(Posted as received; no further details at this point) pic.twitter.com/dElsDxBGNY  Ndawana Youngson PhD. (@NdawanaY) April 1, 2024

"She was really looking forward to this, and she also knew there were risks and that anytime something could happen," Vetter said.

"People want to blame the elephant and the driver. It's awful how people don't know what's going on. The elephant was being an elephant. My mom would be the first to defend the driver and the elephant," he told the Mail.

Video of the attacks shows the vehicle stopped as the elephant lunges. Vetter believes the driver did what he was supposed to do, and likely saved lives.

'"The driver stopped because if he kept going they were gonna get injured. He was very professional," Vetter added. "He hollered at the elephant; most times they do run away."

The CEO of safari organizer Wilderness Zambia said in a statement, however, that the terrain made a quick escape difficult.

The operation's guides are "all extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide's route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm's way quickly enough," the statement added.

Mattson, a grandmother of one, was an adventurer who loved to travel since retiring at the age of 55, said Vetter. She had traveled to Africa this time with a friend, who was also injured in the attack, but has since returned to the U.S.

Vetter said his his family is still working to bring Mattson's remains back home.
The Westchester County woman who was struck by a tree during the intense downpour on Wednesday night has been identified as Catherine Tusiani, the wife of a Yankees executive.

Law enforcement officials said that Tusiani, 50, was killed when a tree fell onto her car on Route 128 in Armonk while she was driving north.

Yankees Wife Crushed by Tree

According to the team's website, Tusiani's husband, Michael J. Tusiani, is the Senior Vice President of Partnership for the New York Yankees.

In a statement, the Yankees said Cathy was beloved by their front office staffers and were privileged to experience and bear witness to her kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and great love for her husband, Michael, over the two-plus decades of dedicated service he has provided to the Yankee organization and the Steinbrenner family.

The organization continued that the Yankees are standing by them to provide their full support and unwavering love as they work through this unfathomable loss, adding that they share the sorrow and grief with Michael, daughters Alexa and Julia, and the whole Tusiani family.

The Children Left Behind

Julia, the youngest of Tusiani's two children, is a senior at Byram Hills, and according to LinkedIn, her oldest daughter, Alexa, graduated in 2021 and is taking public relations at Boston University.

On Thursday afternoon, Byram Hills High School Principal Chris Walsh confirmed the tragic news of Tusiani's passing in an email sent to faculty and staff members.

In the email, Walsh announced that the school would have a staff meeting on Friday morning to discuss student support.

The school was closed on Thursday due to road closures brought on by the storm.

The Police Report

The North Castle Police Department reported the tree struck Tusiani's Toyota between School Street and Leisure Farm Drive around 5:30 pm on Wednesday's storm.

Police verified that she was the only person in the vehicle during the collision.

Furthermore, the Westchester County and North Castle Police Departments are still investigating the incident.

Westchester County to Further Investigate Tusiani's Death

Westchester County Executive George Latimer sent his condolences to Tusiani's family.

Latimer told The Post that the circumstances surrounding Catherine's tragic accident serve as an unfortunate reminder of the unpredictable nature of life, particularly in the face of adverse weather conditions.

He added that in the wake of this tragedy, they will learn how to identify any factors that contributed to the accident and explore measures they could take to prevent similar occurrences.

In October 2022, a woman was killed when a tree fell on Interstate 95 near Harrison in Westchester County. According to authorities, Susan Braga, 34, of Mount Vernon, was traveling south on the highway when the tree struck her Honda Prius' roof.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.
By Alimat Aliyeva

The UK may withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if it helps to stop the flow of illegal migrants, Azernews reports, citing British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying as in an interview with The Sun newspaper.

Thus, he commented on the decision of the ECHR, because of which in the summer of 2022 the first planned flight from the UK to Rwanda with illegal immigrants on board was canceled a few minutes before takeoff.

"I am sure that ensuring border security and controlling illegal migration is more important than maintaining membership in any foreign court, as this is fundamental to our sovereignty," R. Sunak said.

The publication notes that for the first time in less than a year and a half of his premiership, Rishi Sunak made a statement about the possibility of termination of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which has been in force since 1953. Before him, Boris Johnson, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 2019 to 2022, allowed the possibility of termination of the ECHR. He pointed out that the main goal of British migration policy is to combat criminal groups that illegally smuggle people into the country across the English Channel, putting their lives in danger.



On June 14, 2022, the British authorities were forced at the last minute to cancel the departure of the first plane with illegal immigrants to Rwanda, which agreed to accept asylum seekers deported from the UK. The reason was the order of the ECHR, which followed a request from several British human rights organizations.

In January 2024, the British House of Commons approved a bill allowing London to expel illegal immigrants to Rwanda. The initiative provides that it is in this African country that illegal immigrants will wait for the results of the consideration of applications for asylum in the UK. Now the House of Lords must consider the draft.
On Thursday evening, Israel's war cabinet announced new measures to allow more aid into Gaza, including the opening of the Erez border crossing.

The move came after a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden, in which the American leader warned he would reverse his administration's position on the conflict unless Israel increased aid delivery and boosted protection for civilians and relief workers inside Gaza.

Israel to Open New Gaza Aid Routes

The Erez Crossing into the northern parts of the Gaza Strip will be opened for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, and aid will be able to pass through Ashdod Port temporarily.

The Israelis have also said they intend to boost the aid from Jordan through the Kerem Shalom border.

A spokesman for the Israeli government said that this increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the nation's goals.

According to two U.S. officials, during Thursday's call, Biden demanded Netanyahu allow more trucks to bring humanitarian goods into Gaza.

The White House said the President underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential for stabilizing and improving the humanitarian situation and protecting innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel that it "must meet this moment" and told reporters that if they do not see the changes they expect, U.S. policy will change.

The U.S. National Security Council praised Israel's plans to increase aid flowing into Gaza.

The opening date of these humanitarian routes remains unclear. However, U.S. officials have called for their full and rapid implementation.

Spokesperson Adrienne Watson warned that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza would be determined by their assessment of Israel's immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect relief workers.

Furthermore, she expressed hope that humanitarian assistance will significantly increase in the coming days and weeks, reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza.
TRIGGER WARNING: The following story may be distressing to some readers as it tackles topics such as suicide and domestic violence.

Jamie Felix, a 45-year-old teacher from Florida, was kidnapped by her estranged husband, who then fatally shot her in a parking lot in front of their two underaged children before fleeing and eventually turning the gun on himself as police closed in.

According to Fox News Digital, first responders found the boysaged 17 and 10unharmed, sitting with their mother, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Felix taught at Manatee Academy K-8 School in Port St. Lucie, where she was named "Teacher of the Year," according to the school's social media posts.

It was revealed that Felix and her estranged husband, 60-year-old Ray Felix, were going through a messy divorce that reportedly included previous incidents of domestic violence prior to her murder on March 29.

It was revealed that Ray was armed and in disguise when he snuck up on Jamie and their children in a parking lot in Port St. Lucie in the late afternoon. He allegedly forced them into his rental car and sent a "suspicious email to her coworkers," acting Police Chief Richard Del Toro said during a press conference.

"The email, from what I understand, was basically that she had lied about the domestic violence incident, which we know not to be true," Del Toro said.

Jamie's coworkers called the police at around 18:30. Still, the situation had already escalated, as by that time, Ray had already forced his 17-year-old son to drive his rental car following his mother's SUV, which she was driving at gunpoint. The youngest son was seated in the back of the SUV.

Read Also: Oklahoma Killer Michael Smith Maintains Innocence In Final Hours Before Execution

They finally pulled into a parking lot near a hotel "for unknown reasons," West Palm Beach Police spokesman Mike Jachles told local newspaper TCPalm.

Then, the estranged couple got out of the car, and Ray fired multiple shots at Jamie before fleeing the scene in the rental car.

Ray eventually returned the car to the rental agency and shot himself as police approached him. He was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but died three hours later.

Family, friends, coworkers, and students paid tribute to Jamie on social media and her obituary.

"Jamie Bukoski Felix is a beautiful soul who will live forever in the hearts of those who love her. She loved her children to depths that words can't express," a friend of hers wrote a tribute post on Facebook. "She was incredibly brave and resilient. She had the most amazingly contagious laugh, especially when something delighted her."
A powerful storm ravaged New England and other parts of the U.S. Northeast overnight, disrupting travel and causing widespread outages well into Friday morning.

Over a foot (30 cm) of snow fell on parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine on Thursday. Nearly 290,000 households and other customers in Maine and another 116,000 in New Hampshire had no power overnight.

The storm has been unusual for its intensity and placement so late in the year, with cold air allowing snow and ice pellets to be observed in Massachusetts, Axios reported.

Strong winds also threatened several states from the Midwest to Northeast Maine, bringing down trees and power lines throughout Thursday.

The storm system was the same one that trekked across the country this week, bringing severe thunderstorms to the Central U.S. and Midwest.

According to a forecast by the National Weather Service, it is expected to slowly move off the New England coast over the weekend.
The Israeli military fired two senior officers and reprimanded three commanders in the killing of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen this week in Gaza, saying the airstrikes were a "grave mistake" and citing critical errors in communication and vioations of the army's rules of engagement.

"The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures," the Israel Defense Forces said Friday in a report posted on the social media platform X.

The military said a major and a colonel were fired and three other commanders were disciplined.

"The IDF takes seriously the grave incident that claimed the lives of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers. We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the families and the WCK organization," the army said.

The aid workers - from the United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, Canada and their Palestinian driver - were killed Monday when their convoy was struck while ferrying supplies to Palestinians in Gaza where fighting has continued unabated between Israel and Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The report said the officers "mistakenly" thought Hamas militants were traveling in the aid workers' vehicles. Two gunmen were identified by the army at the warehouse where the WCK workers unloaded the supplies.

"After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists. The forces did not identify the vehicles in question as being associated with WCK," the IDF said.

The army targeted the three WCK vehicles "based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them," the report said.

"The investigation's findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred. Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees," it continued.

Chef Jose Andres, the founder of the global food charity, had called for an independent investigation into the killing of the aid workers, saying the Israeli military "systematically" targeted them.

The organization said the IDF taking "responsibility for its fatal errors" and disciplining the officers were "important steps forward," but also noted that the apologies were "cold comfort" for the victims' families.

"It's not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200," Andres said in a statement released by WCK in response to the report. "All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released."

"Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort," said WCK CEO Erin Gore. "It's cold comfort for the victims' families and WCK's global family.Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended.

The killing of the aid workers turned the spotlight on allegations that the Israeli military has been prosecuting a war against Hamas without regard to casualties among the Palestinian population in Gaza.

President Joe Biden, who has been criticized for his handling of the war in Gaza, called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to demand an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza and condemned the attacks on the humanitarian aid workers.

In the phone call, according to a readout released by the White House, Biden "made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers."
A hearing in the case of accused Idaho college coeds killer Bryan Kohberger got heated Thursday when the prosecutor, defense attorney and judge argued over the impact of a telephone survey commissioned by the accused killer of four's defense team and the impact it could have on potential Latah County jurors.

Prosecutor Bill Thompson voiced several concerns about the poll created by Bryan Edelman, a survey expert hired by Kohberger lawyer Anne Taylor.

According to the Lewiston Tribune, 400 residents were surveyed in aid of a motion by Taylor and her team to try and change the venue of the murder trial.

The questions Thompson found issue with asked the participants if they had read, seen or heard about certain details about the Kohberger case.

"Some of the details are not even true," said Thompson.

Other questions include whether the participant knows about the knife sheath allegedly found at the crime scene, the multiple visits Kohberger made to the crime scene, or whether Kohberger stalked his victims.

Thompson argued these questions violate a nondissemination order signed last year that prohibits people involved in the case from making out-of-court statements relating to the nature of evidence that will be presented at the trial.

"That is reckless conduct, and it's outrageous," Thompson said about the survey questions.

Thompson's office was made aware of the survey questions in March by a Latah County resident who recorded the phone survey.

Thompson argues that while Kohberger's defense is allowed to conduct a survey, the questions in this particular survey were inappropriate.

"We are trying to salvage a mess," Thompson said.

Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary on November 22 after he allegedly stabbed University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

Should he be convicted, Kohberger faces the death penalty.

Taylor countered that Edelman was not aware of the nondissemination order at the time he created the survey, but stated the questions only require a yes or no answer as they're based on information directly from the media.

The judge also voiced his disappointment in the survey by saying the prosecution and defense have "worked so hard" to protect a fair trial, which was the whole point behind the nondissemination order.

He now worries the survey will "inject" prejudicial information into the jury pool.

The judge believes that he "no doubt" obeyed Kohberger's due process rights.

"I had to stall it out so we can all talk about it and figure what is the right path because this is a big deal and I take it very seriously," Judge said.

A meeting for next Wednesday has been scheduled to discuss the status of the survey and whether a new one is required.
A convicted killer in Alabama sentenced to death for the sextuple murders of his now-former girlfriend's family is dropping his appeals and wants to be executed.

Armed with a gun and ax, and high on methamphetamine, Derrick Dearman brutally murdered pregnant Chelsea Marie Reed, 22; Shannon Melissa Randall, 35; Robert Lee Brown, 26; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; and Joseph Adam Turner, 26; at a rural home outside Citronelle, Alabama, in 2016.

Dearman, now 36, was convicted of six counts of murder, including one count for the slaying of the unborn baby. He was sentenced to death in 2018.

At the time, Dearman appealed his conviction, but said he did it to appease his family.

"They said, 'Derrick just give us a few years in this appeal process,'" said Dearman, according to NBC News. "'We deserve that, it's our right as your family to fight for your life,' and I said, 'OK.' That was almost six years ago, and I feel like I've given them the fair chance."

Dearman was driven to kill when his then-girlfriend Laneta Lester moved in with her brother, Turner, because Dearman abused her, according to court records, AL.com reported.

He struck when everyone was sleeping. Dearman then kidnapped Lester and her 3-month-old family member and drove them to his dad's home about 20 miles away in Leakesville, Mississippi.

When Dearman let Lester and the infant go, they fled to the Citronelle police station for help.

Dearman turned himself in to Leakesville police when he sobered up and realized what he had done.

"I am guilty plain and simple, I turned myself in and I pled guilty," he said, NBC reported. "Once I got moved over to county and spent a week down there, sleeping every day, my mind coming back to me a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more, I was just in shock. I couldn't comprehend the magnitude of what had happened because those people were good people."

Dearman blamed meth and a drug addiction he struggled with since he was a teen for his deadly rampage.

"Drugs turned me into a very unpredictable, unstable and violent person," he said. "That's not who I am. The person that committed these crimes and the person who I truly am is two different people."

The convicted killer has made peace with his fate and wants to die by lethal injection.

"Am I doing this because I can't live with myself? No," Dearman told the outlet. "I made this decision for different reasons. One of those reasons is so that all parties involved, not just the victims and their families but my family as well, can kind of get some closure and begin healing and moving forward."
McDonald's will buy more than 200 of its fast-food restaurants in Israel from the company that owns the franchise after sales plummeted because of boycotts over providing free meals to Israeli soldiers, according to a report.

The burger company will buy the 225 restaurants from Alonyal Ltd., which has operated the Golden Arches eateries in Israel for 30 years, CNBC reported.

"An agreement to sell Alonyal to McDonald's Corporation has been signed," McDonald's said in a statement on Thursday. "Upon completion of the transaction, McDonald's Corporation will own Alonyal Limited's restaurants and operations, and employees will be retained on equivalent terms."

The terms of the deal were not disclosed but is expected to be finalized in a few months.

McDonald's said it will continue to run the restaurants and keep the 5,000 employees.

"We thank Alonyal Limited for building the McDonald's business and brand in Israel over the past 30 years. McDonald's remains committed to the Israeli market and to ensuring a positive employee and customer experience in the market going forward," Jo Sempels, president of International Developmental Licensed Markets at McDonald's Corp., said in a statement.

Weeks after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, McDonald's Israel announced on social media that it would give free meals to Israel Defense Forces members, CNBC reported.

The giveaway sparked pro-Palestinian protests throughout the Muslim world, spreading from the Middle East to Malaysia and Indonesia.

The financial repercussions of the decision were soon felt. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski in January characterized it as having a "meaningful business impact" on the chain's Middle East restaurants.
A sobering new report reveals that the vast majority of the world's carbon emissions are being generated by less than 60 companies.

The study reveals that a mere 57 companies involved in oil, gas, coal, and cement production are directly responsible for 80% of the world's total fossil CO2 emissions since the adoption of the 2016 Paris climate agreement.

The breakdown of the major contributors were Chevron (3%) and ExxonMobil (2.8%) from the US, Gazprom and the National Iranian Oil Company from Russia. Two European firms, BP and Shell, each contributed over 2%, along with Coal India.

According to the Carbon Majors Database, compiled by world-renowned researchers, a group of influential state-owned and multinational corporations are the main drivers of the climate crisis. ExxonMobil from the United States was the largest investor-owned contributor to emissions, accounting for 3.6 gigatonnes of CO2 over seven years, which is 1.4% of the global total. Following closely were Shell, BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies, each accounting for at least 1% of global emissions.

A spokesperson for Shell told The Guardian,"Shell is committed to becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, a target we believe supports the more ambitious goal of the Paris agreement to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. We continue to make good progress on our climate targets, and by the end of 2023, we had achieved more than 60% of our target to halve Scope 1 and 2 emissions from our operations by 2030, compared with 2016."

Even though governments committed to cutting greenhouse gases in Paris, the study finds that most major producers ramped up their production of fossil fuels and related emissions in the seven years after the climate agreement, compared to the seven years prior.

Chinese state coal production is responsible for a significant 14% of historical global CO2 emissions, making it the largest contributor in the database by a wide margin.

This is more than double the proportion of the former Soviet Union, which is in second place, and more than three times higher than that of Saudi Aramco, which is in third.

In the database of 122 of the world's biggest historical climate polluters, researchers found that 65% of state entities and 55% of private-sector companies had scaled up production, reported The Guardian.

"It is morally reprehensible for companies to continue expanding exploration and production of carbon fuels in the face of knowledge now for decades that their products are harmful," said Richard Heede, who created the Carbon Majors dataset in 2013.

"Don't blame consumers who have been forced to be reliant on oil and gas due to government capture by oil and gas companies."

The Carbon Majors research has changed how we view accountability for the climate crisis by assigning emissions to the companies that profit from extracting fossil fuels rather than blaming individuals who use them.
An aggressive verbal confrontation and rising tensions were the final straws in the brief marriage between Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ryan Anderson.

Blanchard's close friend, Nadiya Vizier, said a "scary" argument between the convicted murderer and Anderson, 36, is what led to the demise of the couple's 2-year union.

"Let me in! Let me in!" Anderson allegedly screamed, while banging on the bathroom door at the couple's Lake Charles, Louisiana, home, in late March. Blanchard had locked herself in their bathroom during the raging argument, according to People.

"He got in her face and screamed," Vizier, a 22-year-old tattoo artist, told the outlet. "Gypsy said that she was afraid he was going to hit her. He didn't  but that happened in the past with her mother. So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared. But she got to safety and called her lawyer, too. Ryan is a big guy, and she told me it was really scary."

Blanchard, 32, reportedly made the decision to put an end to her marriage that night. She packed her things and a few hours later, she was on her way to stay with her dad, Rod Blanchard, and her stepmother, Kristy, at their home 200 miles away in Cut Off, Louisiana, the outlet reported.

Blanchard first met her estranged husband virtually when he emailed her on a whim in 2020. The pair got married in a jailhouse wedding in 2022.

At the time, she was in the middle of serving a 10-year prison sentence for her role in the 2015 murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.

Experts determined Blanchard was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness in which a primary caretaker acts as if the person they are caring for is sick, often for attention.

Blanchard said Dee Dee forced her to pretend she had leukemia, shaved her head and made her use a wheelchair. Blanchard and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, subsequently plotted and executed the murder of Dee Dee.

Godejohn was sentenced to life for his part.

In late December, after serving seven years, a parole board granted Blanchard's early release, and she and her husband were reunited. But things quickly went sour.

"It was like she was on a leash," Vizier said. "What's the difference between being locked in a prison cell and feeling locked in her own home and marriage? She didn't want to put up with it anymore."

"But I'm glad Gypsy got out of this situation. She's such a good person. I'm glad she called somebody and got help that night," she added. "There are so many rumors about her out there. I had to finally speak up. I want people to know she didn't leave Ryan for Ken. She left him because she wasn't happy anymore."

"It wasn't a genuine relationship," Blanchard's cousin, Bobby Pitre, chimed. "Ryan did it on a dare. He got in touch with Gypsy on a dare, and she took the bait, and it went from there."

Since her split from Anderson, Blanchard has reportedly rekindled her romance with former fiance Ken Urker.
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group, is proud to announce the signing of a partnership agreement with EBU Estate Developers Private Limited for the development of a Sofitel hotel in India, the Sofitel Jaipur Jawahar Circle. This new-build luxury hotel is scheduled to open its doors in 2028 and promises to redefine hospitality in the vibrant city of Jaipur.

Strategically located at Jaipur's Jawahar Circle, the hotel will feature 275 exquisitely designed and spacious rooms, each offering the utmost comfort for guests. Joining Sofitel, the only French luxury hotel brand with a truly international footprint, the hotel will be a great addition to support Jaipur's tourism expansion, bringing French joie de vivre and gastronomy, with four distinct restaurants and bars, where guests will savor a varied culinary experience tailored to their preferences.

Furthermore, the hotel will offer over 5,000 square meters of state-of-the-art meeting and banquet venues, providing the perfect setting for exquisite weddings, grand events and outstanding gatherings.

Jaipur, known as the Pink City, is a jewel in India's tourism crown, attracting domestic and international tourists alike. As part of the renowned Golden Triangle tourist itinerary, which also includes the cities of Agra and Delhi, Jaipur offers a rich tapestry of culture, history, and architectural wonders.

The Sofitel Jaipur Jawahar Circle will feature an array of facilities, including swimming pools, a spa, fitness center, kids' club, and ample car parking, ensuring a truly memorable stay for every guest. The hotel's extensive MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) facilities, spanning over 5,000 square meters, will be designed to accommodate up to four large events simultaneously, further solidifying Jaipur's position as a premier destination for weddings, corporate gatherings and social events.

The Sofitel Jaipur Jawahar Circle, which will join sister luxury hotels Fairmont Jaipur and Raffles Jaipur (opening mid 2024), represents a significant addition to Accor's portfolio in India and underscores the company's commitment to expanding its presence in key international leisure and MICE destinations. With its unparalleled luxury, impeccable service, and strategic location, the hotel is poised to become a beacon of hospitality excellence in North India.

Accor remains steadfast in its commitment to expand its presence in India, with a strategic focus on cultivating the Sofitel brand in the main urban and leisure destinations such as New Delhi, Goa, and Bengaluru, building upon the success of Sofitel Mumbai BKC. Additionally, our roadmap includes the enhancement of our portfolio with the introduction of our collection brands, Emblems and MGallery, through the conversion of select properties across the region.

Hotel website
Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort is delighted to announce the appointment of Karim Abdelhamid as the General Manager, responsible for overseeing the Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort. Karim is no stranger to Sofitel's brand and has garnered over 25 years of rich experience in managing luxury and lifestyle properties globally. Sofitel Al Hamra is thrilled to welcome back Karim, who brings a wealth of expertise to the soon-to-be launched beach resort of Al Hamra.

During his last assignment as Vice President of Hotel Operations at The First Group in Dubai, Karim has demonstrated exceptional leadership in driving operational success across the group's diverse hotel portfolios. His remarkable skills from executing profitability strategies along with a strong track record of building and sustaining high-performing teams have led to the overall success of the group's properties.

Karim strength also lies in Food and Beverage operations, having, previously held positions overseeing Michelin-star venues and executing banquets held in large convention centers in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Throughout his career, Abdelhamid has lent his expertise to renowned luxury and lifestyle hotels worldwide. His professional journey includes notable stints at iconic establishments such as The Plaza Hotel - A Fairmont Property, The Knickerbocker Hotel, and The Ritz Carlton Central Park in New York, as well as the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract in Egypt.

His extensive experience also spans across luxury properties in Dubai, Philadelphia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar as well as fostering operational excellence during his tenure at Intercontinental Festival City, a recognized flagship property in Dubai.

Abdelhamid has also been instrumental in developing nine ultra-luxury hotels, including prestigious brands like Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, and Capella. His unwavering commitment to guest satisfaction has consistently driven improvements year on year, ensuring the continued success and positioning of his properties.
Salamander Collection has announced the appointment of Scott Little as Managing Director of the triple Forbes Five-Star-rated Salamander Middleburg.

An experienced executive who has held numerous leadership roles at the highest levels of the hospitality industry, Little brings a unique range of expertise to his role at the resort, including luxury operations, community and investor relations, real estate development, preservation, finance and acquisition.

Little was most recently the Vice President and General Manager of the historic Harbor View Hotel on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. He has served as President and CEO of Kelley House Hotel in Martha's Vineyard, General Manager of the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond-rated Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA, and General Manager of Hotel Lombardy in Washington, D.C. He has also held leadership roles at Keswick Hall in Keswick, VA, Woodstock Inn & Resort in Woodstock, VT, and Four Seasons Philadelphia. During his career, Little also spent over a decade working in real estate, development and preservation, including serving as Vice President and Director of Development for The Silver Companies in Metro Washington, D.C., and for The Montpelier Foundation, where he was a director during the restoration and preservation of James Madison's presidential home in Orange, VA.

Little is joined in the Middleburg area by his wife Carol, both 37-year residents of Virginia, where they have raised and educated their four children. Beyond work, Little has a passion for travel, nature conservancy and historic preservation.
Jochen puts the customer at the center of his approach. With efficient use of resources and well-determined activities, Jochen commits to creating significant added value for the customer and therefore a positive return on investment for the business. He is convinced that digital transformation, constant innovation, employee education and customer focus are fundamentals for a successful business. Prior to joining EHL Advisory, Jochen worked in the online hotel distribution and hotel technology industry. He has proven outstanding results in customer acquisition, business development in new markets and relationship management across various markets in Europe. Jochen operated in demanding and fast evolving work environments. This setting helped him to collaborate and think with the team so as to stay ahead of competition. Jochen holds an academical degree in economics and business administration, a post graduate degree in hospitality operations and an Excecutive MBA from IESE business school. He is a native Dutch speaker, business fluent in English, German, French and can communicate in Russian. Areas of Focus: Customer service design, Online hotel distribution, Digital transformation, Business development, Digital marketing, Business analysis of SME and start-ups.
In todays digital age, effective marketing strategies are essential for hotels to stay competitive and drive direct bookings. One of the key components of a successful digital marketing strategy is paid search advertising, which allows hotels to reach potential guests actively searching for accommodation options. It plays a pivotal role in driving visibility, revenue, and direct bookings for hotels.

Hoteliers can now benefit from the seamless integration of Google Search Ads into the Cendyn Digital Marketing Platform (DMP), offering a powerful tool to enhance cross-channel digital advertising campaigns and boost revenue.

In this article, we will explore the significance of paid search for hotels, what this integration means for hoteliers, and how Cendyns integration is revolutionizing digital marketing for the hospitality sector.

Understanding paid search and its importance for hotels

Paid search, also known as search engine advertising (SEA), is a digital marketing strategy where advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their business. When users search for those keywords on search engines like Google, ads related to those keywords appear at the top of the search results or alongside organic listings. Advertisers, in this case hoteliers, pay a fee only when users click on their ads, making it a cost-effective and targeted advertising method.

For hotels, paid search is crucial for increasing brand visibility, driving qualified website traffic, and generating direct bookings. When travelers search for accommodation options in specific locations or with certain amenities, paid search ads allow hotels to rank their properties prominently on search engines so potential guests actively looking to make a reservation can find them. This targeted approach not only increases the chances of conversion but also helps hotels compete effectively in the online marketplace.

There are two types of paid search campaigns:

Brand protection : the goal is to help the hotel rank on searches for the actual hotel name. It is a strategy that consists in protecting the brand name against those who bid on it, such as competitors or OTAs. These campaigns are highly profitable because hoteliers capture highly qualified Internet users in active search.

: the goal is to help the hotel rank on searches for the actual hotel name. It is a strategy that consists in protecting the brand name against those who bid on it, such as competitors or OTAs. These campaigns are highly profitable because hoteliers capture highly qualified Internet users in active search. Generic: the goal of a generic campaign is to acquire new customers by increasing the awareness of the establishment in its destination and/or attributes. It consists of bidding on broader keywords such as your city/neighborhood, proximity to nearby landmarks or attractions, and/or on-property features such as a pool, rooftop bar, or spa. This type of campaign will allow hotels to appear at the top of the Google results page (SERP), with travelers in the search phase of their accommodation, at the beginning of the purchase process.

Strategies for successful paid search campaigns

While leveraging Cendyn Digital Marketing Platform with integrated Google Search Ads offers powerful capabilities, hoteliers can further enhance the effectiveness of their paid search campaigns with the following strategies:

Keyword research and optimization : Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant search terms and optimize ad copy and landing pages for higher relevance and quality scores.

: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant search terms and optimize ad copy and landing pages for higher relevance and quality scores. Geo-targeting and audience segmentation : Use geo-targeting to reach travelers in specific locations and segment audiences based on demographics, interests, or previous interactions with the hotels website.

: Use geo-targeting to reach travelers in specific locations and segment audiences based on demographics, interests, or previous interactions with the hotels website. Tracking and optimization: Track your performance and optimize bidding strategies based on data to maximize your return on investment.

Empowering hoteliers with unified advertising management

Cendyns integration of Google Search Ads into its Digital Marketing Platform represents a significant advancement for hospitality leaders. The seamless integration allows hotel marketers and account managers to manage search ad campaigns alongside other campaign types within a unified environment. This includes metasearch campaigns and Google Performance Max for travel goals (PMTG), providing a comprehensive solution for multi-channel advertising strategies.

Streamlined campaign management

The platform offers optimized setup, keyword bidding, and market selection to help hotels achieve top positions in search engine result pages (SERPs), enhancing visibility and click-through rates without missing a beat. The platforms user-friendly interface ensures that hoteliers can seamlessly launch, manage, monitor, and track their campaigns. Now, they can effortlessly oversee Google Search Ads campaigns alongside other campaign types, all within a single environment.

Consolidated reporting and insights

Hoteliers can now access paid search campaign results through the DMP Report Center, where they can track campaign performance and consolidate insights from various ongoing campaign types. This centralized approach simplifies data analysis and decision-making, allowing for strategic adjustments based on real-time performance data to optimize advertising spend and maximize return on ad spend (ROAS).

Elevated visibility and revenue

The primary objective of this integration is to offer hoteliers a singular, easy-to-use, multi-channel advertising solution to optimize campaigns efficiently. By leveraging paid search advertising alongside other digital marketing channels, hotels can increase their visibility, drive qualified traffic to their website, and ultimately boost direct bookings and revenue.

Centralized and data-driven strategy

Centralization and data-driven approaches are paramount in advertising management, streamlining the advertising process and improving cost-effectiveness. This unified approach is key to efficiency, and the integration of Google Search Ads into Cendyn DMP empowers hoteliers to elevate their visibility and revenue through a simplified and strategic approach.

Conclusion

Paid search advertising is a powerful tool for hotels to increase brand visibility and drive qualified website traffic. Cendyns integration of Google Search Ads into its Digital Marketing Platform provides hoteliers with a comprehensive solution to manage and optimize their paid search campaigns alongside other digital advertising campaigns.

As hoteliers embrace the power of Google Search Ads within the Cendyn DMP, they gain a competitive edge, enhance their online presence, and thus generate direct bookings. Its also a win-win for both hoteliers and their guests, ensuring a seamless experience from search to stay.

By leveraging the platforms centralized management, data-driven insights, and strategic capabilities, hotels can boost revenue in todays competitive hospitality landscape. Success lies in centralization  unite your campaigns, elevate your visibility, and watch your revenue soar!

Do you want to know more about digital marketing solutions? Book a demo!

About Cendyn

Cendyn is a global hospitality cloud-based technology company that enables hotels to drive revenue, maximize profitability, and create deeper connections with guests through its integrated solutions. Serving hoteliers for nearly 30 years, Cendyn drives commercial success for hotels through its Find, Book, Grow promise: find the right guests; drive them to book direct, and grow loyalty and revenue across the spectrum of digital guest interactions.

Cendyn has over 32,000 customers worldwide in more than 150 countries. The company supports its growing customer base from locations across the globe, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangkok, and India. To find out more, visit cendyn.com.

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Rebel Hotel Company, the leading independent hospitality management company, is excited to announce the launch of Rebel Hotels West Coast, marking a significant step in its strategic growth plan to establish a strong presence on the dynamic West Coast hospitality market. To spearhead this expansion, the company proudly introduces Mark LeBlanc, a distinguished industry veteran, as Managing Director of West Coast Operations.

"We are very proud to announce the launch of Rebel Hotels West Coast and to welcome Mark LeBlanc to our team as Managing Director of West Coast Operations., said, Brian Sparacino, President, and CEO of Rebel Hotel Company. Mark's unparalleled experience and industry insights make him the perfect leader to spearhead our expansion into the dynamic West Coast hospitality market. His proven track record and deep connections within the industry will undoubtedly elevate Rebel Hotels West Coast to new levels of success. We are confident that under Mark's leadership, Rebel Hotels will continue to flourish through a core commitment - to place owners interests first.

With over four decades of diverse experience in various operational capacities within the hospitality sector, Mark LeBlanc brings a wealth of knowledge, extensive industry connections, and exceptional leadership skills to his new role. His journey in hospitality began as a bellman in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and progressed through roles including General Manager, Vice President of Operations, and Executive Vice President of Development at Rim Hospitality, a journey that culminated in Rim becoming California's largest management company.

Commenting on the move, Mr. LeBlanc said: "I am thrilled to spearhead Rebel Hotel Companys expansion into the vibrant West Coast market. This venture represents a remarkable opportunity to harness Rebel's pioneering approach and unparalleled standards to redefine hospitality across this dynamic region. Recognizing the importance of understanding local intricacies is paramount  from identifying unique demand catalysts to navigating the complexities of the regional economy, labor dynamics, and prevailing political landscape affecting our industry. With our profound grasp of the region's nuances and an unwavering dedication to delivering bespoke experiences, I am confident that Rebel Hotels West Coast will not merely meet but exceed expectations.

Reflecting on his career trajectory, Mark LeBlanc shared, "I didnt seek out the hospitality business; I started in high school and soon realized it never seemed like work, so I decided to see if I make a career out of it and things worked out." His expertise has been acknowledged through keynote addresses and panel participation at prestigious hospitality conferences such as ALIS, NYU, Phoenix Lodging Conference, AHOA, among others.

Throughout his illustrious career, Mark LeBlanc has been recognized for his contributions to the industry, serving on the California Hotel and Lodging board for the past two decades. Beyond his professional endeavors, Mark enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and supporting his beloved Green Bay Packers.

Rebel Hotel Company is thrilled to embark on this new chapter with Mark LeBlanc at the helm, using his expertise to drive growth and excellence in hospitality across the West Coast.

About Rebel Hotel Company

Rebel Hotel Company offers a progressive new paradigm for hotel management. Rebel Hotel Company blends modern technologies with management excellence to create a one-stop, full-service hospitality management biome spanning operations, revenue management, procurement, human resources, marketing distribution, and investment and development partnerships. The unrivaled technology, expertise, and fee transparency makes Rebel Hotel Company an emerging leader and premier partner as a niche hotel management platform that is philosophically aligned with hotel investment strategies. For more information, please visit www.rebelhotelcompany.com.
The hotel distribution channel landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. Online travel agencies (OTAs) that once leveled the playing field for independent properties now dominate, their economic muscle squeezing hotel margins. Metasearch engines commoditize the search experience, making standalone properties indistinguishable. Meanwhile, the growth in alternative lodging threatens hotels' grip on the accommodations sector.

Yet within this disruption lies opportunity for savvy hoteliers. Emergent technologies now enable hotels to tailor the guest experience as never before. Strategic partnerships build localized affinity. Targeted social media expands reach. As we'll explore here, taking an imaginative, omni-channel approach to distribution can transform a threat into an opportunity to acquire customers at a fair cost.

We'll look at:

The forces disrupting hotel distribution

Key technologies shaping guest acquisition

Lower-cost booking channels

Strategies for localized marketing

Social media distribution opportunities

The role of personalized pricing

Streamlining the booking process

Optimizing channel management

Building a distribution technology stack

The tsunami hitting hotel distribution creates openings for hotels willing to ride the wave. By adopting an integrated, imaginative channel approach, hoteliers can thrive amid industry turbulence.

The evolving hotel distribution landscape

Firstly, for those who are not familiar with the term, hotel distribution strategy refers to a plan of action for selling rooms profitably through a variety of channels. Get the full hotel distribution strategy definition here.

 Source: EHL

Hotel distribution resembles a game of musical chairs, with global mega brands and major OTAs claiming seats of power while smaller properties scramble for leverage. Three interconnected forcesthe ascent of OTAs, meta search domination, and alternative lodginghave upended traditional distribution:

The OTA oligarchy

The early promise of OTAs to democratize discovery has given way to an oligarchy controlling guest access. Online travel agencies now account for over 35% of hotel bookings globally. Giant OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia have raised the table stakes so high that boutique hotels struggle to compete:

Booking.com lists over 28 million listings across hotels, homes, and other properties.

The Expedia Group owns 400+ booking sites spanning 75 countries.

Airbnb offers over 6 million alternative lodging options worldwide.

Wielding unmatched reach and budgets, mega OTAs influence every stage of trip planning and booking. Flight aggregators like Kayak funnel airline shoppers to integrated hotel booking options. Sites like Tripadvisor siphon organic search traffic while earning commissions through hotel referrals.

The cost of distribution via OTAs keeps rising. OTA commissions that once ranged from 15-20% now reach 30% or higher. Recent finds hotels paying up to 40% commission when accounting for volume discounts.

With commissions devouring hotel margins, direct bookings emerge as an urgent priority. Tools like integrated loyalty programs can shift bookings from OTA channels while lowering guest acquisition costs.

The Commoditization of Search and Discovery Meta search engines like Tripadvisor, Trivago and Google Hotel Ads have conditioned guests to filter primarily by quantitative metrics like star rating, guest rating, and nightly price during hotel evaluation. By reducing differentiation to sortable criteria, the meta-search boom commoditizes hotel discovery and accelerates price transparency.

While vital for visibility, meta-search marketing costs keep rising even as click-through rates decline. Research by Kalibri Labs finds meta-search producing over 30% of site traffic for some hotels but driving under 20% of bookings.

With high volumes of low-intent traffic, meta-search efficiency suffers. Still, with over 40% of online bookings touching a meta site at some point, hotels can hardly abandon the channel. Creating differentiated meta landing pages through unique descriptions and imagery becomes critical for rising above rate comparisons.

Here are more hospitality industry statistics and trends to help you recalibrate.

Competition from alternative lodging

The spectacular rise of Airbnb has inspired a Cambrian explosion of alternative lodging platforms. Airbnb now claims listings in nearly every country worldwide, its 6+ million global listings far exceeding major hotel chains. Vrbo, a key Expedia holding, manages another 2 million vacation rental listings. Other alternative stay platforms serve rapidly expanding niches:

Outsite - Coliving rentals for remote workers

Zeus Living - Furnished corporate rentals

Hipcamp - Campground and glamping sites

While extended stay rentals compete most directly with urban hotels, unique alternative properties also threaten to siphon leisure and business demand. As the chart below shows, Airbnb has gained significant market share across global cities.

Hotel rates prove highly elastic in markets with low barriers to entry for short-term rentals. A 2022 study by STR and AirDNA analyzed over 8 million Airbnb listings across 10 key markets, finding:

New York: 10K+ new entire-home Airbnb listings resulted in a -4% change in hotel occupancy and -7% fall in ADR

10K+ new entire-home Airbnb listings resulted in a -4% change in hotel occupancy and -7% fall in ADR Los Angeles: 6K+ new entire-home listings led to -11% occupancy drop and -12% ADR decline

These impacts underscore the need for integrated hotel distribution covering both transient and group/extended booking channels.

Seeds of opportunity in channel disruption

Yet for all the challenges in distribution, immense possibility exists for hotels that take an imaginative omnichannel approach. While OTAs will remain a significant channel at least in the near term, technologies that optimize conversion across the guest journey enable hotels to gradually shift share. After years of steadily rising customer acquisition costs, lower cost, and higher intent booking avenues emerge.

We group these opportune channels into four key categories:

Emergent booking technologies streamlining hotel websites and powering personalized engagement Strategic partnerships forging localized bonds Targeted social media marketing connecting with relevant audiences Optimized channel management dynamically driving demand across platforms

Now let's explore key strategies and technologies hotels can deploy within each avenue to sustain growth amid industry disruption.

Future-proofing hotel distribution: Key technologies and strategies

1. Streamline conversion with emergent booking technologies

Travelers visit 38 websites on average before making a hotel booking. With guests demanding seamless booking, website conversion optimization becomes mission-critical.

Integrating key technologies creates frictionless purchase pathways while enabling personalized guest interactions. Mobile responsiveness also proves vital55% of hotel website visitors now access from mobile devices.

Here we'll look at five technologies delivering outsized ROI through higher online conversion:

CMS personalization

A/B & multivariate testing

Chatbots

Mobile Optimization

Merchandising analytics

CMS personalization

Drag-and-drop CMS platforms like WordPress and Webflow incorporate built-in personalization based on factors like:

Geolocation - surface location-relevant offers

Referrer data - tailor messaging for OTA traffic

Search terms - respond with relevant landing pages

Returning visitor status - create loyalty incentives

A/B & multivariate testing

A/B testing compares different versions of web pages to determine which option better converts site visitors. Multivariate testing builds on this by changing multiple page elements at once.

For example, testing could pit a 15% off offer against a discounted extra night. Or feature hero images showcasing different hotel amenities. Testing across devices also proves criticalcalls-to-action that pop on desktop may fail on mobile.

Chatbots

AI-powered chatbots enable 24/7 assistance via instant messaging apps, SMS, smart speakers, and websites. Guests value immediacy - 73% expect a response within 5 minutes of reaching out online. Chatbots deliver sub-minute answers at all hours using Natural Language Processing (NLP), reducing reliance on call centers.

Integrations with property management systems equip bots to handle common inquiries without human assistance:

Questions on reservations, rates, inventory

Requests for amenity delivery, maintenance issues

Recommendations for local attractions, dining

Chatbots also encourage direct bookings by prompting site visitors to book via the hotel website. Contextual bots even adjust messaging based on factors like user history and loyalty status.

Mobile optimization

With over half of hotel website traffic now mobile, ensuring flawless mobile conversion becomes imperative. Core elements include:

Responsive web design (RWD) enabling dynamic resizing across devices

Accelerated load speeds through size reduction

One-click calls-to-action removing friction from bookings

Native app integration bridging mobile commerce

Travel metasearch firm Trivago reported bookings made within 24 hours of searching rising 6X higher via mobile apps compared to desktop. Ensuring mobile seamlessness earns the direct bookings that determine hotel profitability.

Merchandising analytics

Merchandising analytics guide online promotional strategy using reams of hotel data. Key insights uncovered relate to:

Booking lead times - set early bird offers aligned with behavior

Length of stay - promote add-on nights to match patterns

Pages viewed prior to booking - feature these amenities prominently

Which images drive more bookings

Seasonal demand trends

With intense competition across booking channels, ensuring seamless, personalized conversion on hotel websites gives operators their best opportunity to secure direct bookings. Mastering the above technologies builds tremendous advantage.

2. Strategic partnerships

While cost efficiencies drive hotel distribution strategy, forging genuine bonds with local partners also expands market reach. As chains encroach on independent properties, cultivating community affinity becomes vital for building brand love.

We'll look at two potent approaches hereindustry collaborations and experiential partnerships:

Strategic industry collaborations

Partnering with proximate organizations expands visibility dramatically when co-marketing opportunities. Researchers find mere proximity creates perception of affinity among brands. Events also drive powerful exposure.

For example, a hotel adjoining a major university can collaborate on lodging promotions tied to family weekend, graduation, or homecoming. These build awareness while establishing the property as part of campus life.

The Montage hotel in Beverly Hills, California partners with nearby luxury retailers like Gucci to co-host experience-driven shopping weekends. These encourage extended guest stays while associating the Montage brand with exclusive luxury goods.

Proven examples highlight the power of location-based collaborations to elevate smaller brands. Savvy independent owners actively seek such opportunities.

Experiential partnerships

Immersive travel gains ground, with travelers increasingly seeking transformation. Hotels catering to this market by partnering with practitioners of emerging modalities create deep guest connections.

Examples include:

Hosting rotating resident artists from local galleries

Featuring teachers of adjacent yoga or spin studios

Promoting neighboring surf schools or SUP clubs

These informal affiliations bring elevated visibility and prestige to niche hotels while capturing business from another brand's existing customer base.

Location-based partnerships enable smaller hotels to punch above their weight in competitive markets. Identifying win-win promotional opportunities with local organizations earns the authenticity and prestige chain hotels struggle to manufacture.

Discover more on how building industry partnerships is a win-win situation.

3. Targeted social media marketing

Hotel social marketing historically relied on shotgun-style campaigns broadcasting to the ether. Today precision targeting distributed across emerging platforms enables truly personalized guest connections.

We'll break down current best practices into three areas:

Community building on NextGen networks

Success on recently launched networks like Reddit, TikTok and Snap depends on community integration. Reddit in particular proves hospitable for travel brands attracting valuable long-form commentary. Hotels organically build affinity by:

Being helpful first rather than promotional

Commenting knowledgably on local threads

Creating Reddit AMAs allowing candid brand Q&A

Sponsoring geo-targeted posts to niche groups

This community caretaking earns credibility driving significant website referrals. Hotel marketers actively nurture subreddits aligned with positioning like family travel or pet-friendly properties.

On TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram Reels, viral travel moments resonate. User-generated hotel highlight reels outperform corporate accounts. Hashtags expanding reach include #hotelsoftheworld and #luxuryhotel.

Pay-Per-Stay ads on Facebook

Sponsored travel posts on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger enable pay-per-booking hotel promotions. Dynamic ads adjust display based on past user actions, serving highly targeted offers:

Viewed a specific hotel page - display a special offer

Searched rival property - cross-sell better experience

Location parameters also trigger contextual messages on travelers' arrival to a hotel's metro area. Facebook's expert planner tool designs the optimal sequential ads for moving guests along the booking funnel.

Given Facebook's unrivaled targeting capabilities, pay-per-stay emerges as the lower-cost performance marketing option, now extended to Instagram Stories and Messenger.

YouTube masthead ads

YouTube video ads enable lavish storytelling unconfined by character limits. YouTube also offers the Masthead and Video Discovery ad series across devices:

Masthead = Top video banner ad earning 30 billion+ impressions annually

Video Discovery - Skippable YouTube sidebar units

Travel publishers generate billions of YouTube views annually. Conversion rates are favorable across many industries, for hospitality brands investing in YouTube it might be particularly rewarding as the content lends itself so well to video format.

Sponsored videos allow elaboration beyond soundbites to share full property stories. With YouTube charging only when viewers opt-in past skippable ads, hotels gain affordable access to the world's second-largest search platform.

In an echo chamber marketplace, social platforms finally enable genuine traveler connections, their broadcasting reach now matched by targeting precision. Hotels marrying data intelligence to creative content development can nurture meaningful guest relationships across channels.

MORE ON HOTEL STRATEGIES

Hotel Concept Handbook: Developing a Compelling Hotel Concept

4. Optimized channel management

With hotels paying over 30% commission for OTAs bookings, direct reservations produce 10-20% higher revenue. Still OTAs deliver over one third of hotel website traffic, which often leads to over-dependancy on them to fill rooms but with a hefty price tag.

This leaves savvy hoteliers askinghow to tap OTAs' vast reach while maximizing profit. A data-led distribution strategy provides the path. We examine two key prongs:

Dynamic rate variation

Varying room rates across booking channels maximizes revenue and optimizes channel cost. Dynamic pricing platforms like Integrated Channel Management enable rate variability by responding to factors like:

Channel cost differential - higher margins for direct bookings

Competitive conditions - parity for brand presence

Period demand - higher OTA rates during peak seasons

Length of Stay - add-on incentive for longer stays

Machine learning drives nightly rate optimization channel-by-channel. Brand consistency stays protected by limiting lower-bound differentials. The outcome? Expanded booking channels without margin erosion.

Channel attribution analytics

As visitors visit more booking sites, quantifying actual conversion sources grows impossible without analytics. Multi-touch attribution (MTA) modeling attributes bookings algorithmically based on weighted visitor interactions.

For example, analysis may find 60% of bookings originate from paid search, yet final lead sources are:

15% Google Hotel Ads

35% TripAdvisor clicks

20% metasearch referral sites

30% direct and other channels

This nuanced understanding ensures precise media budget allocation to highest ROI channels. Top hotel marketers use attribution intel to optimize annual channel spend.

An intelligent ratio of OTA bookings to direct reservations optimizes distribution at the highest possible margins. Weighing dynamic pricing precision against real-time channel analytics unlocks this advantage.

The future of hotel distribution

Rather than retreat amid the rising OTA oligarchy, hotels now counter by getting smarter and faster. As audiences fracture further, forging community bonds builds loyalty. Cloud platforms unlock the potential for personalization at scale. Blockchain-verified customer data enables flawless service anticipation.

While the face of hospitality distribution changes almost daily, the imperatives for hotels remain constant - curate unique experiences to develop devoted guests. Commitment to authenticity still proves the surest path to prosperity.

The opportunities illuminated here only hint at possibilities, now it's over to you to leverage the hotel distribution channels that make sense for your hotel and hotel chain.

EHL Hospitality Business School

Communications Department

+41 21 785 1354

EHL

View source
The hospitality industry is no stranger to evolution, and after surviving the chaos of the COVID pandemic and the aftermath, hoteliers are much more adept at pivoting as new trends and developments push the hospitality industry in new directions. 2024 has already ushered in a great deal of change, as consumer booking trends change and many of the top global economies experience contractions, but as always, there will be many other shifts that will impact the hospitality industry over the coming years; one of the most significant changes that we are currently experiencing comes with the entry of Gen Z into the workforce, which requires hoteliers to take a fresh look at both their management and operational strategies.

Here's why

As digital natives, Gen Z have grown up with the internet, which impacts their view and use of technology, and has cultivated an expectation for immediacy, efficiency and connectivity in all aspects of their lives. This is important for hoteliers to understand and act upon, especially during our ongoing staffing crisis. By better understanding the needs and expectations of this large group of potential employees and adapting accordingly, you can improve your perceived value as an employer (increasing hiring opportunities) and increase employee retention.

So, what can your property do to attract and retain more Gen Z employees?

Embrace Operational Technology to Empower Gen Z Employees to Work More Efficiently

Gen Z employees are used to using technology, both at work and in their personal lives. While COVID empowered many hoteliers to embrace operational technology to help them do more with less staff, and adapt to changing guest expectations, the adaption rate of technology in the hospitality industry is still very low  and this can be a detractor for Gen Z employees when considering entering the hospitality industry.

Today, it is essential hoteliers embrace the future, replacing manual processes with time-saving automated technology solutions, which will improve productivity and operational efficiency, and maximize revenue opportunities. From streamlined booking engines to AI-powered revenue management systems, embracing technology that aligns with Gen Z's digital fluency will not only make your property more attractive for Gen Z employees, but it will also improve your propertys operational efficiency and the guest experience.

Redefining Workplace Culture

To get the most from your Gen Z employees your property should re-evaluate your workplace culture and management styles, as this generation has very different preferences than older generations and to improve employee retention, hoteliers need to be aware of this and adapt accordingly. Gen Z employees value transparency, flexibility, being empowered to make independent decisions and look for opportunities for growth and development. Hospitality leaders must create an inclusive environment that exemplifies these values, offering clear career pathways and incorporating flexible working arrangements to attract and retain Gen Z employees.

Sustainable Businesses are More Attractive to Gen Z Employees

In the hospitality industry, sustainability is transitioning from a niche selling point to a standard industry practice and Gen Z employees are looking for their employers to follow suit. Gen Z are more environmentally conscious than other generations, and so hotels must adopt sustainability practices in their operations and guest experience and, where possible, also in the design and construction of their facilities, aiming for minimal environmental impact. This holistic and comprehensive sustainability mindset will make your hotel more attractive to potential Gen Z employees, as they want to work for a company that they believe in.

The Blurring Lines Between Work and Leisure

Since COVID, "bleisure" travel (trips that combine both business and leisure travel) has become very popular. Because Gen Z employees prioritize flexibility and a healthy work/life balance, this is a trend that hoteliers need to be conscious of as their Gen Z employees will appreciate being offered the opportunity to take bleisure trips or work remotely when possible. This flexibility can also go a long way towards recruiting the top Gen Z talent and retaining current employees.

Gen Zs digital-first approach, along with their values around sustainability and work/life balance, are already playing a crucial role in shaping the future of the hospitality industry. To remain competitive in hiring and retaining top Gen Z employees, hotels must be open-minded and quick to adapt to meet the demands of tomorrow's employees; as Gen Z is the largest generation globally, adapting to appeal to Gen Z employees is an operational imperative, especially given todays ongoing staffing shortage.

About Zucchetti North America

Zucchetti North America  the North American outpost of the Italian-based Zucchetti Group  offers the leading, all-in-one, fully integrated tech stack for hotels and lodging accommodations of all sizes and types, designed to streamline business operations and enhance guests experience. Zucchetti North Americas tech stack includes Vertical Booking's suite of reservations solutions; PMS offered by Lodgical Solution and LEAN; TCPOS and Systopia POS and payment solutions; Rateboard RMS; self-service hotel check-in from POK, as well as additional solutions from our extensive partner network. Visit us online at www.ZucchettiNorthAmerica.com.

Jennifer Nagy

President JLNPR Inc.

Zucchetti North America
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BEAT: The Invasive Spotted Lanternfly

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Elizabeth Barnes, the Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, will present at the April Berkshire Green Drinks on Wednesday, April 10.

This free hybrid event will take place online via Zoom and in person at Hot Plate Brewing Co., 1 School Street in Pittsfield. The in-person social gathering will begin around 5:15 PM; the presentation and Zoom meeting will start at 6:00 PM.

According to a press release:

Invasive insects can have devastating impacts on our ecosystem, economy, and quality of life. But how are they able to be so disruptive, and what can we do about it? Join Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) for their monthly speaker series, where guest speaker Elizabeth Barnes will answer these questions by focusing on the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that eats grapes, roses, black walnut, and over 100 other plants  and is now found in Massachusetts. Learn about the problems its causing, what conservation and natural resources agencies are doing to deal with it, what individuals can do, and, importantly, some rays of hope for mitigating its impact.

Learn more and RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/ April2024-Berks-Green-Drinks

Elizabeth Barnes is the Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and previously worked as the Exotic Forest Pest Educator at Purdue University. She studied biology as an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College and received her Doctorate in plant-insect interactions from the University of Denver, where she studied tent caterpillars and fall webworms. In her spare time, Elizabeth is an avid caterpillar watcher and is always happy to answer questions about all things insect-related.

Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month that is free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. A guest speaker talks about an environmentally related topic for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM; the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A.

Berkshire Green Drinks is sponsored and organized by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT).
A 'shakemap' on the U.S. Geological Survey website shows the earthquake in New Jersey was felt far and wide.

New Jersey Earthquake Vibrates Through the Berkshires

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  An earthquake in northern New Jersey this morning could be felt all throughout the Northeast, from Augusta, Maine, to Washington, D.C., to Buffalo, N.Y.

The magnitude 4.8 quake was registered by the U.S. Geological Survey at 10:23 on Friday morning near Tewksbury Township, a town of about 6,000 west of New York City. There are reports the epicenter was in Lebanon, a smaller nearby community.

The vibration in North Berkshire went on for about 20 seconds and was strong enough to shake the leaves on the office plants in the iBerkshires office.

Responses to the USGS were piling in within 15 minutes of the quake, with more than 110,000 in less than an hour. News reports in Philadelphia said it shattered a pane of glass in Center City and sent hundreds into the street. The mayor's office in New York said the there were no immediate reports of any major impacts.

The USGS reports the quake occurred about 3 miles below the surface.

The last major earthquake felt in the Berkshires was on June 23, 2010 , when a 5.0 centered new Ottawa sent a shudder along the Atlantic Coast and as far west as Cleveland. That one had rattle bottles at Billmont's Country Store in Stamford, Vt., and shook up town employees in Williamstown. A smaller quake, a 4.0, hit in 2012 in Hollis Center, Maine, and sent a shiver through the Berkshires.

News12 in New Jersey spoke with Bret Bennington, chair of the Geology Department at Hofstra University, who said the quake was an uncommon but not unexpected event and typical for this region.

"We actually live in a little bit of a seismic zone so we can expect a 5 earthquake once every 100 years or so," he said, speculating the quake occurred along the Ramapo Fault, a major fault line along the Appalachians. He did not anticipate any major damage.
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Montreal, 4 April 2024  In response to the increase in incidents of unruly passenger behavior on international flights being reported by regulators and airlines, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issued an urgent call to its Member States to fast-track the ratification of the 2014 Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (Montreal Protocol 2014 or MP14).





Since its adoption on 4 April 2014, MP14 has sought to remedy jurisdictional gaps that hinder the effective prosecution of offences occurring on international flights. "On the tenth anniversary of MP14, it is crucial that Member States reinforce their commitment to safe air travel by ratifying this essential treaty," urged Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council. "The global spike in unruly passenger incidents is not just a matter of passenger comfortit's a safety and security risk that requires an immediate, coordinated response."





In most cases, the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (Tokyo Convention 1963) confers jurisdiction over offences committed on board aircraft onto the State where the aircraft is registered. This causes problems if the flight is landing in a foreign country, as law enforcement agencies determine that they do not have jurisdiction. MP14 addresses this issue by giving jurisdiction to the State of landing, thus giving States authority to deal with unruly passengers that land in their territory, irrespective of where the aircraft is registered. The State of Operator is also given jurisdiction over offences committed on board an aircraft registered in another State.





The Protocol has been ratified by 47 States from all regions of the world and entered into force on 1 January 2020.





In addition to urging States that have not already done so to ratify the 2014 Montreal Protocol, ICAO is also encouraging governments to use the suite of tools developed by ICAO and industry partners to prevent and respond to unruly passenger crimes, stated ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar. All passengers are entitled to a safe and comfortable flight experience, flight crew have the right to a conducive working environment, and we all benefit from the avoidance of costly and wasteful flight diversions.





Guidance material is provided in ICAOs Manual on the Legal Aspects of Unruly and Disruptive Passengers (ICAO Doc 10117), which contains a list of offences most likely to be committed on board aircraft by unruly and disruptive passengers, which States may choose to incorporate into their national legislation. The Manual also elaborates on elements of an administrative sanctions regime which can assist States to handle offenders expeditiously.

Additionally, under the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, ICAO has also adopted Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) with respect to unruly and disruptive behaviour, which are now inscribed in the Conventions Annex 17  Security  Safeguarding International Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful Interference and Annex 9  Facilitation . The implementation of these SARPs is supported by a wide variety of ICAO guidance material.

Resources for Editors





About ICAO

A specialized agency of the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) leads the international alignment of technical standards and strategies, facilitating the safe, secure, and sustainable development of its 193 member states aviation sectors and air services. This year, ICAO is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its establishment by the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation.





General Contact





Media Contact

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A rented flat that was transformed into a fantasy world by its artistic tenant 33 years ago has been granted a Grade II listing after art enthusiasts and volunteers campaigned to save it.

Inside the ground floor of an ordinary-looking red-brick house in Oxton, Wirral, is an artistic spectacle created by its tenant Ron Gittins, who carved a majestic fireplace in the shape of a minotaurs head, crafted a Roman altar in the kitchen and painted Egyptian, Greek and marine murals across the ceiling.

Gittins only allowed a handful of people inside the home he lived in for more than 30 years. But following his death in 2019, his niece Jan Williams uncovered the weird and wonderful private world he had made for himself and dedicated herself to saving the flat, known as Rons Place.

The Birkenhead property was put up for auction in 2022 prompting a campaign led by the Saving Rons Place group, which includes Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.

Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust received a donation last year and was then able to buy the home at auction, before making the application to get the property nationally listed.

open image in gallery Not your average fireplace: Minotaurs head takes centre stage in the living room ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire )

Gittinss work is now being acknowledged as the first example of outsider art  a term used for work done by those without conventional training  to be granted Grade II listing by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), following the advice of Historic England.

The trust, and the Rons Place group, now hope to keep Gittinss legacy alive, and inspire other artists and makers of outsider art.

open image in gallery Inside Rons place, which has been given Grade II status ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire )

The work of one unique gentleman in the north of England has been recognised nationally. Globally even. Hallelujah! said Cocker.

A small number of people on this planet have known for a while that Rons Place is a very special place  but from now on it is official: Rons Place has been given listed status, he added.

open image in gallery The red-brick exterior of the Grade II listed flat ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire )

Gittinss niece said that she had not visited the rental before her uncle died, but later discovered that he had created himself a fantasy world.

You hear of people whose landlords wont return the deposits because theyve left a blu-tac mark on the wall and he had created a whole minotaur fireplace! Williams told PA news agency.

open image in gallery The lion-shaped fireplace created by Ron Gittins in his rental flat ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA )

Williams said that her uncle, who died aged 79, would have been delighted that the property is protected.

We have always had the idea of a holistic house of art. Im sure thats what Ron would have wanted, and having the listing gives us a lot more credibility, she said.

open image in gallery The Kitchens Roman altar ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire )

She added: He was really proud of it. Its sad because when I was going through his stuff I found a postcard hed written to me saying I cant wait to show you what Ive done.

Hed written the wrong address so it was returned to him and I never saw it but that kind of validates me and I think hed be made up at the lengths weve gone to.

open image in gallery Gittins painted mock oil paintings directly to the walls ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire )

Volunteer Alison Bailey-Smith said they initially found it difficult to convince people the property should be listed since listed buildings are often recognised based on historical or architectural significance  not artistic grandeur.

There isnt anything like it in the UK as far as we know and theres certainly not another one thats listed so were absolutely delighted, she said.

open image in gallery Gittins painted Egyptian, Greek and marine murals across the walls and ceiling ( Historic England Archive 2024/PA Wire )

Sarah Charlesworth, listing team leader north at Historic England, said: Rons Place is a testament to the unique artistic achievements and vision of Ron Gittins over four decades.

The extent to which Rons creations have inspired action from people in the local area to raise funds to purchase the building and secure the survival of his legacy demonstrates the value of this remarkable project and why it has earned its place on the National Heritage List for England.

With additional reporting from PA.
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Joaquin Phoenix, Elliott Gould, and Chloe Fineman are among more than 150 Jewish creatives who have signed an open letter supporting Jonathan Glazers Oscars speech on Gaza.

The director of Holocaust film The Zone of Interest condemned military action against Palestinians in the strip, as he accepted the Academy Award for Best International Film, with his speech being both celebrated and criticised.

Now Joker star Joaquin Phoenix, Oceans Eleven actor Elliott Gould and Saturday Night Lives Chloe Fineman have joined a call to defend Glazer.

Our film shows where dehumanisation leads at its worst, Glazer had said at the event.

Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people  whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza  all the victims of this dehumanisation how do we resist?

Other signees include Phoenixs sister Rain, three-time Oscar nominee Debra Winger, Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley, Fargo filmmaker Joel Coen, Gossip Girl actor Tavi Gevinson, Room director Lenny Abrahamson, former CEO of Focus pictures James Schamus, The Princess Bride actor Wallace Shawn, Bottoms director Emma Seligman, and Broad City stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, according to Variety.

I signed this letter to help counter the climate of silencing that many workplaces and industries are facing around Israels war on Gaza, now entering its seventh month, Ilana Glazer told Variety.

This controversy surrounding Jonathan Glazer is just one example.

open image in gallery Over 150 Jewish creatives have signed the open letter defending the speech ( Getty Images )

Schamus added: It has been weeks since Jonathan Glazers acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, but, as were reminded by this weeks unconscionable killing of seven World Center Kitchen aid workers  and of countless more Palestinian civilians  his plea for humanity has only become more urgent, as has our duty as Jewish creatives to protest the vicious smear campaign waged against him.

It comes as the speech divided the industry with Spider-Man actor Kirsten Dunst, Ruby Sparks star Zoe Kazan, band Massive Attack, filmmaker Ken Loach, and Im A Virgo creator Boots Riley showing support for the director while many Jewish creatives including Debra Messing and Eli Roth signed an open letter denouncing it.

open image in gallery Glazer won the award for Best International Film for his movie The Zone of Interest ( AFP via Getty Images )

The text of the letter opens: We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazers statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.

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Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israels escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.

It continues: The attacks on Glazer also have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field should cherish. Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism, and concludes, We honor the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone.

The full statement can be read here.

Others to sign the letter in support of Glazer include documentary maker Amy Berg, comedian Kate Berlant, Zola creator Janicza Bravo, and IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich.

Glazers movie The Zone of Interest follows an Auschwitz officer and his wife living just metres away from the concentration camp.

He has joined We Need to Talk About Kevin star Tilda Swinton, presenter Louis Theroux, Sex Educations Aimee Lou Wood, Bridgertons Penelope Featherington actor Nicola Coughlan and Doctor Whos Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman to donate items to Cinema for Gaza. The initiative seeks to raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
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Michael Douglas has discovered he is related to one of his Marvel co-stars.

The actor, who is the son of three-time Academy Award nominee Kirk Douglas and is married to Best Supporting Actress winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, appeared on an episode of genealogy series Finding Your Roots.

At the end of his segment on the episode, Douglas received a surprise from host Henry Louis Gates, who told the Ant-Man actor he is distantly related to one of his Marvel Cinematic universe (MCU) co-stars: Scarlett Johansson.

Your DNA cousin is the actress Scarlett Johansson, Gates told the star, who won Best Actor for Wall Street at the 1988 Oscars.

Gates added: Michael and Scarlett share identical stretches of DNA on four different chromosomes, all of which appear on Scarletts maternal lines, which stretch back to Jewish communities in eastern Europe.

open image in gallery Michael Douglas on Finding Your Roots ( PBS )

Visibly surprised, Douglas said: Are you kidding? Oh, thats amazing. Alright, this is cool. This is so cool. Thats incredible.

He said he looks forward to seeing Johansson again to inform her of their connection.

The actors both appeared in superhero mash-up Avengers: Endgame  Douglas as Hank Pym and Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.

open image in gallery Scarlett Johansson is revealed to be a relative of Michael Douglas on Finding Your Roots ( PBS )

While Douglas has enjoyed a successful Hollywood career as an actor and producer since the 1970s, he does not want his children to follow in his footsteps.

In 2021, Zeta-Jones, whom hes been married to for 23 years, revealed that Douglas warned their kids away from acting as he believes it is harder to succeed with famous parents.

Zeta-Jones said that Dylan, 23, and Carys, 21, want to follow in their parents footsteps, but said their Wall Street star father has tried to steer them away from the idea.

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Douglas, who is 79, believes that they would have to work harder to overcome the association of who their parents are.

open image in gallery Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have been married for 23 years ( Getty Images for Hollywood Forei )

In the same episode of Finding Your Roots, Gates told Girls star Lena Dunham that she is a distant relative of Curb Your Enthusiasms Larry David.

Dunham replied: Its Larry David  the other LD! This is the hottest information I could have ever gotten.
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J Cole has offered up his response to Kendrick Lamars diss verse calling out him and Drake.

In March, Lamar featured on Future and Metro Boomins collaborative project, We Dont Trust You.

During a surprise verse on the song Like This, the Compton-born rapper dismissed the idea that J Cole and Drake are his equal peers in the industry. Despite many often describing Lamar, Cole and Drake as the Big Three, the Humble artist declared: Its just big me.

On Friday (5 April), Cole released an unexpected new album, Might Delete Later, complete with a reply to Lamar on its final track, 7 Minute Drill.

I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing / You want some attention, it come with extensions, Cole begins his address. He then turns his attention to some of Lamars projects: good kid, mAAd city (2012), Mr Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) and 2017s DAMN, respectively.

I came up in the Ville, so Im good when its tension / He still doing shows but fell off like The Simpsons / Your first s*** was classic, your last s*** was tragic / Your second s*** put n****s to sleep but they gassed it / Your third s*** was massive and that was your prime / I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine.

Later on in the track, Cole turns his attention to Lamars five-part The Heart series, which he has released in segments over the last decade.

open image in gallery J Cole and Kendrick Lamar ( Getty )

He averaging one Heart verse like every 30 months or something / If he wasnt dissing, then we wouldnt be discussing nothin, Cole raps.

He then refers to having a usually cordial relationship with Lamar, which makes him hesitant to go too hard with his bars against him. Blood dont make me have to smoke this n**** cause I f*** with him / But push come to shove on this mic I will humble him, Cole says.

In Lamars original verse, he brought up the popular debate among hip-hop fans as to whether he, Drake or Cole is the hardest MC.

We the big three, like we started a league, he raps, before changing tack and hitting out at Cole and Drakes collaorative track from last year, First Person Shooter.

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Yeah get up with me, f*** sneak dissing / First Person Shooter, I hope they came with three switches, Lamar taunted. Motherf*** the big three, n****, its just big me.

open image in gallery Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J Cole ( Getty )

As of yet, Drake has only seemingly responded to Lamars verse while talking to fans on stage during his current tour.

According to footage captured at his Sunrise, Florida show on 25 March, Drake said: A lot of people asking me how Im feeling listen, the way Im feeling is the same way I want you to walk out of here feeling tonight about your f***ing self.

Because you know how Im feeling? I got my head up high, my back straight, Im 10 f***ing toes down and feeling like anywhere else I go and I know no matter what, theres not a n**** on this Earth that can ever f*** with me in my life, he shouted. And thats how I want yall to walk out of here tonight.

You can find a breakdown of Drake and Kendrick Lamars simmering feud here.
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Ralf Little has said that he wanted to continue starring as the main detective in the BBC crime show Death In Paradise if it had been possible.

Little, 44, played the intelligent, yet slightly goofy, British detective inspector Neville Parker on the show for four and a half years.

The drama, which is set in the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie, focuses on the detective inspector from the UK and his team of local police as they solve murder mysteries that continue to shake the island.

Last month, the show aired its final episode from series 13, which saw Littles character leave the show for good as he rode off into the sunset with his love interest DS Florence Cassell (played by Josephine Jobert). The actor had been the longest-serving DI on the series to date.

Little, also known for his work on Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps and The Royle Family, has said in a new interview that in his heart, he would have wanted to do the series for 20 more years.

This last series was always going to be my last series, I had talks with the BBC, and with Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed that it just felt... if it was in my heart, like if it was just a heart decision, Id have wanted to do it for 20 more years, he told BBC Breakfast.

Despite this, Little noted his contentment that his character was able to finish his journey and get his happy ending with Florence.

open image in gallery DI Neville Parker hard at work at Saint Marie police station ( BBC )

For my character Neville, it just sort of felt like his story... it deserved to be sort of finished and his sort of journey... sort of deserved to be completed and he deserved a nice happy ending and so it just felt right.

When the final episode ended, fans were uncertain if this meant that Little had definitely left the series, but in a video shared on social media, the actor confirmed that he had exited the programme.

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There you have it. Secrets out. My time on Saint Marie has come to an end but what an end, he said in the video.

New adventures await Neville and he got to sail off into the sunset with his best friend and uhyou know, who knows what happens for them next.

open image in gallery Ralf Little in his final episode of Death in Paradise ( BBC )

I just wanna say an enormous thank you to everyone who watched and supported the show when I arrived four and a half years ago. I knew I had big shoes to fill, and coming into a series beloved by millions, including me, was a huge responsibility.

Little continued: As Neville heads off for new challenges and adventures, and I head off for new challenges and adventures, when I look back on the time I spent on Death In Paradise and the way people took Neville into their hearts, it really has been one of the most magical experiences of my own entire life.

Fans have said they are devastated by Littles departure, though they were pleased his character eventually found love.

open image in gallery DI Neville Parker and DS Florence Cassell reunite in Death in Paradise season finale ( BBC )

Neville had his happy ending but were all going to miss him so much, said one fan, as another added: My favourite DI ever. Im gonna miss him forever.

This is bittersweet  Im so delighted Neville and Florence have FINALLY got together and I wish them both all the best. But the goodbyes dont get any easier, one person wrote.

Little took over the shows lead part from Father Ted star Ardal OHanlon in 2020.

Other actors who played the main DI role include My Family star Kris Marshall, whose character Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman features in the spin-off Beyond Paradise, and Bridgerton star Ben Miller.

Death In Paradise will return with a Christmas special at the end of this year and a new series is set for 2025.

The BBC said the next lead actor will be announced in due course.

With additional reporting from PA.
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Emily Maitlis has broken her silence on the new Netflix drama Scoop, based on her infamous interview with Prince Andrew.

The film, released on Friday (5 April), depicts the events behind the Duke of Yorks car-crash sit down with the BBC broadcaster, played by Gillian Anderson.

Ive left them very much to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges offering my [views], Maitlis told Deadline.

The Newsnight host is also executive producer of a rival three-part Amazon series about the same interview, which will star Ruth Wilson as Maitlis.

open image in gallery ( Netflix / Channel 4 )

It says its based on a fictional account, so I think it goes into different places and it does different things [to the Amazon series], she explained.

Her spokesperson later clarified that the term fictional account was intended to describe the series as a dramatisation.

The prince was grilled over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as well as his relationship with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Andrew has always strongly denied all claims.

The disclaimer used by Netflix is: This film is based on real events  however certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.

Maitlis confirmed that she hasnt watched the movie yet, but would get around to it at some stage, adding she was very excited about the film and her former colleague Sam McAlister had taken the story to brand new heights.

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She also denied that the Netflix and Amazon projects were rivals, stating that the duel was probably overplayed, overstated.

She added: This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. Im sure theres room for both, she added. Its unreal that there is all this interest and all this excitement.

Netflixs Scoop is based on the book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBCs Most Shocking Interviews by former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, who is played in the film by Billie Piper.
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British actor Joseph Gatt, who has appeared in Game of Thrones and Thor, is suing Los Angeles County, its district attorney, an LAPD detective and others for falsely alleging he was a pedophile.

Gatt, 52, was arrested and charged with alleged sexual communication with a minor in 2022.

That charge was later dropped, and the actor has described the claims as utterly baseless.

He is seeking $40m in a lawsuit that names as defendants LA County District Attorney George Gascon, LA County Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson, LAPD Detective Denos Amarantos, Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles.

According to the lawsuit seen by The Independent, Gatts arrest in 2022 was due to the actions of an obsessed 16-year-old fan. Gatt alleges he did not know the teenager and has never met them.

In October 2020, a friend of the fan bought her a Cameo video message from Gatt in which the actor wished her a happy birthday.

open image in gallery Joseph Gatt in San Diego in 2019 ( Leon Bennett/Getty Images )

Subsequently the fan repeatedly messaged Gatt over social media, to which he says he responded in a way that was wholly appropriate and consistent with typical celebrity-fan exchanges.

The lawsuit states that the fan then fabricated messages from Gatt which were sexual in nature and pure fantasy. They also incorporated a naked image of Gatt, which was taken from his appearance as the prisoner Albino in the action series Banshee.

The suit alleges that the defendants failed to interview the fan until a year after Gatt had been arrested, charged with a baseless crime and publicly branded as a serial pedophile.

The lawsuit further claims that this series of events amounts to a shocking and intentional destruction of Joseph Gatts acting career and personal reputation by Los Angeles County law enforcement personnel that resulted from a thoroughly botched criminal investigation, entirely lacking any probable cause, led by an obviously conflicted Deputy District Attorney who sought to destroy Gatt based on nothing more than bias and personal animosity.

It is claimed that Gatt was targeted by Deputy District Attorney Brunson over political disagreements. The lawsuit claims that Brunson held personal biases and animosity toward Gatt and simply ignored the glaring red flags that would have caused any reasonable person to recognize the complete absence of probable cause.

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A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office told The Independent: We cannot comment on a matter that is related to pending civil litigation.

Dean Z Pamphilis, a partner with Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, shared a statement with People on his client Gatts behalf.

The arrest and charges against Mr. Gattfor which he was branded by the Los Angeles DA and LAPD as a serial pedophilewere based on fabricated evidence. Twenty months later, when the fabricated evidence was finally disclosed to Mr Gatt and Mr Gatts forensic expert were prepared to expose the truth in open court, the Los Angeles DA voluntarily dismissed the criminal complaint, the statement read.

Mr Gatt, however, had already lost his community, his acting career and his personal reputation. We look forward to recovering Mr Gatts enormous losses in court.

Gatt, who was born in Notting Hill, worked on the West End before relocating to Hollywood. He played the Frost Giant Grundroth in 2011s Thor, Neils Skellig in 2019s live-action Dumbo and a Thenn warg in three episodes of Game of Thrones.
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Men like Prince Andrew were once considered sexy and heroic Keeley Hawes has said, reflecting on the Duke of Yorks now-infamous Newsnight interview which has been recreated in a new movie.

In Scoop, Hawes plays the dukes private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, who was instrumental in arranging the car-crash interview, and whose admiration for her boss clouds her view of his character.

Discussing how attitudes have changed since the 1980s, she said: Its easy to forget  and I was growing up during that period  but we celebrated those men.

Bill Wyman and his teenage bride, Randy Andy in his military suit. They were sexy  it sounds disgusting now to say it, but it was heroic.

Scoop depicts the events behind the broadcast with BBC presenter Emily Maitlis, played by The Crown actor Gillian Anderson while Andrew is played by Diplomat star Rufus Sewell.

open image in gallery Hawes says that Andrew was seen as sexy and heroic at one time ( Getty Images )

Elsewhere, the Line of Duty actor said her characters misplaced admiration for the royal was understandable.

The people that Ive spoken to who know Prince Andrew are full of love for him, she said. Because he is a great guy. Of course he is, she told TheTelegraph.

The theatre star immersed herself in Thirsks world to better portray her in the movie admitting: She [Thirsk] wanted everyone to see him through her eyes, and through her eyes, hes a great guy.

However, she acknowledged that the time in which the duke was revered was a different one, before allegations of abuse had emerged.

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open image in gallery The movie covers Prince Andrews infamous car-crash interview ( PETER MOUNTAIN/NETFLIX. All Rights Reserved )

Its very difficult now to take yourself back to that and imagine through a totally different lens how that behaviour was viewed, she said.

Im not sure those men did think they were doing anything wrong at that time. They were quite open about it, and of course the tide turns and we all go, Actually, thats really not on.

She also revealed her research showed that the princes team had thought the interview had gone really well, celebrating with high-fives until social media backlash turned the tide.

Netflixs Scoop is based on the book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBCs Most Shocking Interviews by former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, who is played in the film by Billie Piper.

The prince was grilled by British journalist Maitlis over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as well as his relationship with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Andrew has always denied all claims.
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Indias Supreme Court has put on hold a lower courts order banning Islamic schools in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, in a major relief to thousands of students dependent on the system.

The stay on the order issued last week by the Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh has come as a win for the Islamic school board of Uttar Pradesh after it was challenged in the apex court.

We are of the view that the issues raised in the petitions merit closer reflection, the Supreme Court said on Friday, news portal Live Law reported.

The case will be reviewed in July, and everything will remain stayed until then, lawyers said.

The ban on Islamic schools, known as madrasas, was seen as an attack on the largest minority in the country and could have led to calls for prohibition of Islamic schools in other states as well.

The schools, part of Indian states with Muslim populations for decades, are centred around Islamic ways of schooling whereas other schools in India follow conventional education.

The Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh on 22 March scrapped a 2004 law governing madrasas, declaring it unconstitutional on the ground that it violates the principle of secularism.

The court had also directed that pupils at these institutions be moved to conventional schools.

open image in gallery A teacher watches as students recite the Holy Quran in a classroom during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan ( AFP via Getty Images )

The controversial decision came days before the country began voting in a national election where prime minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are seeking a third term.

The multiphase elections in India would be the biggest the world has seen with an estimated 960 million eligible voters.

This move would have dislodged 2.7 million students and around 10,000 teachers across 25,000 Islamic schools in the most populous state of India which has one-fifth of the 240 million population as Muslim.

The court will hear the case in July, a month after the election process concludes in June.

Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, head of the board of madrasa education in Uttar Pradesh state, welcomed the courts order, terming it a big win.

We were really worried regarding the future of about 16 lakh (1.6 million) students and now this order has come as a big relief for all of us, he said.

Mr Modi and his BJP party which has been in power for 10 years now have been repeatedly hit with allegations of discrimination against minorities and fuelling anti-Islamic hate speech and vigilantism.

Mr Modi, however, has denied that discrimination against minorities exists under his government, and said it is a democracy which is working for the betterment of all.
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The Indian government has denied allegations that operatives of its federal spy agency assassinated nearly 20 wanted criminals in Pakistan since 2020.

The assassinations in Pakistan were carried out by sleeper cells operated out of the UAE by the Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in line with an emboldened approach to national security after 2019, the Guardian reported, quoting intelligence officials of the two nations.

The latest claims lend credence to allegations by the US and Canada that New Delhi has been plotting killings in foreign countries, a claim categorically denied by New Delhi.

The covert operations needed approval from the highest level of government and were reportedly inspired by the tactics of Israeli and Russian intelligence agencies, the report said.

RAW is controlled by the office of the prime minister. Indian PM Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in elections that start later this month.

The Indian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations as false and malicious anti-India propaganda.

India has previously been accused by the US and Canada of plotting to assassinate leaders of the separatist Khalistan movement, which seeks to carve out an independent state for the Sikhs in India. The two nations have even launched separate investigations.

open image in gallery Protesters gather outside an Indias consulate in Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of Indias involvement in the 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar ( REUTERS )

According to the Guardian, RAW conducted the assassinations in Pakistan through a murder-for-hire scheme and paid millions of rupees for each.

In the case of a Kashmiri militants killing, a woman RAW handler allegedly pretended to be a New York Post journalist to confirm the targets identity after receiving information about his location and movements in Pakistan. Zahid Akhund, wanted for the 1999 hijacking of an Air India flight to Afghanistan, was shot dead on 1 March 2022 in Karachi.

Are you Zahid? I am a journalist from the New York Post, the RAW handler messaged Akhund. According to the Guardian, he responded: For what u r messaging me?

Two Indian intelligence officials told the newspaper that RAW shifted its focus to dissidents outside India after the deadly Pulwama attack in 2019. The attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which left nearly 40 Indian paramilitary personnel dead, was claimed by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

After Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance, an Indian intelligence operative said.

We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source.

open image in gallery Indian security men inspect the site of the Pulwama attack in 2019 ( EPA )

The operative said the top brass of RAW cited the murder of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018, to push for their own assassination campaign on foreign soil.

He said there was chatter in the prime ministers office after Khashoggis murder and one official asked, If Saudis can do this, why not us?

In October last year, Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Shahid Latif was killed after several failed attempts by an illiterate 20-year-old Pakistani allegedly recruited by RAW from an Amazon packaging warehouse in UAE.

He was paid 1.5m Pakistani rupees (4,000) by an undercover agent to locate Latif and promised 15m rupees if he finished the job. The man was arrested along with accomplices after he killed Latif in a mosque in Sialkot.

Assassinations of Bashir Ahmad Peer, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, and Saleem Rehmani, a top Indian fugitive, were allegedly orchestrated from the UAE, with evidence of millions in payments found in Dubai, previously reported as a suspected armed robbery.

This is not the first time such allegations have emerged.

In January, Pakistani foreign secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi accused the Indian government of carrying out a sophisticated and sinister plot of extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings in his country.

He claimed Islamabad had credible evidence that the Indian government was responsible for two assassinations on Pakistani soil.

Indian Foreign Ministry officials told The Independent they have issued no statement following the report and referred to previous rebuttal to the Pakistani foreign secretarys allegations.

India and Pakistan have a long history of animosity and have fought three major wars while accusing each other of fighting a proxy war in the restive Kashmir region.
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A school in India has been accused of prohibiting a teen gang-rape survivor from appearing for her end-of-year examinations.

The class 12 student from Rajasthan state, who survived rape by her uncle and two other men in October 2023, claimed that the school officials told her that she would spoil the "atmosphere".

In her complaint to the Ajmer district Child Welfare Commission (CWC), the girl said she had been studying at home for the past four months instead of going to classes as per the school's suggestion.

When the student went to collect her admit card in March, the school officials allegedly claimed she was no longer a student at the school.

The school authorities, however, said the student was denied the admit card as she had not attended classes for the past four months, NDTV reported.

Following the incident, the student complained to the state's child rights body, prompting the CWC to file a case and initiate an investigation.

CWC chair Anjali Sharma told the broadcaster that the priority would be to ensure that the girl could take the exams she missed in March.

"When I spoke to the girl, she told me that she was dejected as she is a bright student. She had scored 79 per cent [marks] in her class 10 board exams," Ms Sharma said.

"... but she may lose a year due to the school's negligence," she added.

India is notorious for its unfair treatment towards survivors of sexual assault in a country where at least 31,516 rape cases were reported in 2022, a 20 per cent increase from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

The real figure is believed to be far higher due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence and victims' lack of faith in the police.

Women's rights activists say the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where the communities often shame the survivors.

In Rajasthan, another complaint has been filed against a magistrate for allegedly asking a gang-rape survivor to take off her clothes to show her bruises.

The incident took place last month when the woman visited the magistrate's office to record her statement, according to India Today. She was asked to enter the office, strip and show her injuries while her family members and a woman police officer stood outside.

India's rape law was amended in 2013, criminalising stalking and voyeurism and lowering the age at which a person can be tried as an adult from 18 to 16. Despite stringent laws, rights activists say the government is still not doing enough to protect women and punish attackers.

In November 2019, three Haryana state government college professors were suspended for allegedly preventing a gang-rape survivor from appearing for her exams.

The professors had allegedly prevented the student from taking her Chemistry exam in May as they couldnt let her write the exam in a separate room. The survivor had been provided additional security and until then wrote her semester exams with security personnel in a separate room.
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TikTok users have built a niche online community dedicated to normalising humans bond with crows.

Nicole Steinke, who posts as @Tangobird on TikTok, has taken her habit of feeding crows and turned it into video content - showing people how to interact with the chronically misunderstood birds. Steinke provides treats for a family of six crows called Waffles, Doc and Dotty, and their baby DocTok - the latter of which was named by Steinkes 284,000 followers.

She reportedly feeds the family twice a day from her apartment balcony in Alexandria, Virginia, primarily supplying them with peanuts, and occasionally walnuts and cashews, if she feels like treating them to something special that day. If theres no more food left, the family will flock to Steinke if they see her walking around her neighborhood.

Theyll surround her and squawk to get her attention, which can be alarming to bystanders who arent familiar with her penchant for crows. People think that death is coming, she told theMIT Technology Review. Theyre a bad omen, all that - kind of the same as a black cat.

However, online is a different story. Steinkes crows have become minor TikTok celebrities in the niche corner of the internet dubbed CrowTok, which has exploded in popularity in the past two years.

I have followers that follow for the bird noises, for their cats. I have fellow bird people who do wild bird watching, Steinke told the outlet. Once you get past the stigma, its hard not to be interested in them.

The CrowTok community isnt just centered around crows, but also birds within the Corvidae scientific family - which includes magpies and ravens. Her videos also focus on the bond between birds and humans, with birds often leaving tokens or gifts for humans who give them treats.

Each relationship between crow and human can vary from individual to individual, in part due to crow behaviour differing from families and regions. CrowTok emphasises how different the bonds can be, indicating that each bird has their own unique personality. In fact, scientists believe the intelligence of crows is compatible with human sensibilities; research indicates that, like humans, crows can recognise individual faces and think about their own thoughts.

Cornell ornithologist Kevin McGowan explained: Their social system is the most like Western human civilization of any animal that I know of.

The birds prioritise their families, while also interacting with fellow crows outside of their community - another trait they share with humans. Their ability to engage with others beyond their direct circle indicates a similarity with humans that scientists find noteworthy.

In her book Crow Cosmopolotics, Dr Julie Morley says that since crows are a synanthropic species - defined by the tendency to live close to humans and adapt to human ways of life - they have arguably co-evolved with humans. At times, their evolved behaviour has been a direct reaction to human actions, in particular, the bird species ultra cautious nature. Crows have a hard time trusting humans after they were hunted in the previous century for being dubbed vermin.

Crows have been paying attention to individual people more than perhaps any other bird, McGowan said, noting that crows can discern human intentions. The uptick in humans approaching and feeding birds is largely a recent development, one that McGowan has been encouraging for decades. However, the ornithologist cautioned that people shouldnt overdo it, adding: What happens is that people get too into this. And it makes the crows a nuisance.

Feeding a crow is a deep responsibility and shouldnt just be done for video content; it should be done with caution. If establishing a bond goes awry, it could lead to crows mobbing your neighbourhood. Humans should only establish a sense of trust and safety with the birds if they intend to routinely feed them. If not, experts advise against it.
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Kirsten Dunst and Jimmy Kimmel have revealed their sons got into a dispute at school.

The Spider-Man actor, 41, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday 4 April, where she and host Jimmy Kimmel discussed the drama in their sons kindergarten class. They had a fight, you know? Kimmel told Dunst. Did you hear about this?

Oh, I heard, the Marie Antoinette star replied. I heard in our parent-teacher conference. Ms Julie told me about it.

Dunst explained how her son Ennis, five, and Kimmels son Billy, six, got into a dispute over sharpened pencils and assigned seats. I know that Billy was sitting in a chair and Ennis then went to maybe sharpen a pencil or something, came back, saw there was an empty chair and sat in it, she recalled. And Billy came back and was mad that Ennis was in his chair.

The late night talk show host confirmed that he heard a similar story, recounting how it was his son who got up from his chair to sharpen a pencil. Kids love sharpening pencils, Kimmel quipped. You can use them as a weapon to fight for your chair.

However, he agreed that there was a displacement over the chairs and their sons both cried.

Dunst maintained that was the only drama shes heard between the two of them, and that their class is filled with a very sweet group of boys.

The Bring It On alum shares eldest son Ennis and two-year-old son James with husband Jesse Plemmons. Meanwhile, Kimmel shares Billy and daughter Jane, nine, with wife Molly McNearney. He is also a father to two adult children - daughter Katie, 32, and son Kevin, 30 - who he shares with ex-wife Gina Maddy.

Dunst went on to explain how her youngest son is out of control and they sometimes call him baby Chris Farley because of the way he walks around.

Hes hilarious, she said. He is. Hes just like a crazy little dude.

While the mother of two noted that shes afraid for little Jimmy to go to school, Kimmel jokingly reassured her: Hell be alright. Jimmys do well. They thrive. Just by nature.

Back in July 2022, Dunst and Plemmons tied the knot after six years together. The pair were reportedly married at the GoldenEye resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The fellow actors began dating in 2016 after they met on the set of Fargo and were engaged the following year.

The Jumanji star previously detailed how their nuptials were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the arrival of their second son. Still, the couple called each other husband and wife despite not being married yet.

We have to get married at this point, Dunst told the Los Angeles Times in February 2022. Its ridiculous. We just havent planned a wedding. I didnt want to be pregnant, get married, have a party and not be able to have fun with everybody.
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Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson have confirmed that they welcomed their first child together last month.

The British model, 32, and the Batman star, 37, were pictured pushing a stroller in Los Angeles in late March, in photos published by the Daily Mail, which led fans to deduce the baby had arrived.

Waterhouse has now confirmed she had given birth by sharing a sun-kissed Polaroid of her cradling her child, who was wrapped up in a blanket adorned with love hearts.

Welcome to the world angel, she said on Instagram, adding a red love heart.

Back in November, Waterhouse announced she was expecting her first baby with the Twilight actor at the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico. While performing on stage in a shimmery pink dress, Waterhouse said: Im extra sparkly today because I thought it might distract you from something else going on.

She then opened the flap of her coat to reveal a growing baby bump, as the crowd at the festival cheered her on. Im not sure if its working, Waterhouse jokingly added.

Pattinson and Waterhouse have been in a relationship since July 2018. Last December, it was rumoured the couple were engaged after the Love, Rosie star was pictured wearing a diamond ring on her left hand. A source later told People the couple were engaged after five years together. They are engaged. They both want to be married. Its important for them, they said.

While the notoriously private pair have kept many details about their relationship to themselves, Waterhouse previously reflected on her five-year romance with Pattinson last year. Speaking to the Sunday Times in February 2023, she noted that shes shocked to be so happy with someone for nearly five years.

Waterhouse, who was on tour throughout the United States at the time, explained that two months is the longest she and Pattinson have spent apart since they started dating. I had two days off the other day, and it was like, no question Im going back to see him. Then hell come out for a couple of days, she said, of their plans to meet during the American leg of her tour.

When asked what she thinks makes her relationship with Pattinson work, Waterhouse said: Im always incredibly excited when I see his name pop up [on my phone] or even a text, and I think he feels the same about me.

Weve always got so much to say, and I find him hilarious, she added.

The couple made their long-awaited red carpet debut at the Dior fall 2023 menswear fashion show in Giza, Egypt, in December 2022, followed by their joint appearance at the 2023 Met Gala.
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A federal program offering loans to small businesses hurt by the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge has received 500 applications, officials said.

The funds, which could start being distributed within about two weeks, are meant to help keep companies afloat as Baltimores vital port remains closed to most maritime traffic, said Isabella Casillas Guzman, who heads the U.S. Small Business Administration. Guzman visited Baltimore on Thursday to meet with business owners, along with local and state leaders.

Businesses involved in transportation and supply chain logistics will likely suffer most in the short term, she said, but the long-term ripple effects will be widespread.

Its a full range of impact, she said following a roundtable discussion at an office in Baltimore that was opened in recent days to assist business owners after the deadly collapse, which has caused logistical problems for shipping along the East Coast. Baltimores port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other similar facility in the country.

The assistance program offers low-interest loans of up to $2 million.

The Maryland Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday night authorizing the governor to use the states rainy day fund to help unemployed port employees. That sends the bill to the Maryland House, which could approve the bill this week and send it to Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat.

The legislation also would let the governor use state reserves to help some small businesses avoid layoffs and encourage companies that relocate elsewhere to return to Baltimore once the port reopens.

The Norwegian shipping firm Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which has a hub in Baltimore, said it estimates losses between $5 million and $10 million as a result of the port closure. One of its ships is among several currently stuck in Baltimores harbor.

President Joe Biden is expected to visit the collapse site Friday.

The Key Bridge fell March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge.

Authorities believe six of the workers plunged to their deaths in the collapse, including two whose bodies were recovered last week. Two others survived. The ship remains stationary, its 21 crew members still aboard.

Crews are working to clear the steel wreckage and recover the remaining bodies, something made even more difficult by bad weather this week. They have opened two temporary channels meant primarily for vessels involved in the cleanup. A third channel for larger vessels is in the works.

A ride on a Coast Guard boat Wednesday afternoon revealed a close-up of the devastation, including massive steel bridge girders twisted like ribbons, crushed metal shipping containers dangling perilously from the ship, and street lights jutting like toothpicks from the water.

Divers are still trying to get a sense of what lies beneath the surface. Sonar is being used to map the wreckage on the Patapsco River bottom in 50 feet (15 meters) of water. A large floating crane nicknamed Chessy is helping with the salvage.
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The families of four American hostages and others killed in the Israel-Hamas war said Friday that any cease-fire deal must bring their loved ones home from Gaza after half a year in captivity.

By now, they are all in dire humanitarian condition, said Orna Neutra, mother of hostage Omer Neutra. A cease-fire with a partial deal, or with no deal, could be a death sentence for our son.

Clutching photos of their relatives, the family members held a news conference in Manhattan to renew calls to free the hostages, and to mark the grim milestone of six months of separation. They were joined by New York U.S. Reps. Mike Lawler, a Republican, and Dan Goldman, a Democrat.

The families thanked the Biden administration for its efforts to negotiate a deal and keep them informed  but urged the president to get results.

We are tired of hearing about progress towards a deal, said Orna Neutra. We dont have time for progress.

Her son is a U.S.-Israel dual citizen who was serving in the Israeli military on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Around half of the hostages were released in a November cease-fire. Hamas is believed to be holding roughly 100 hostages, as well as the remains of about 30 people who were killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

Six surviving hostages are American, the State Department said in January. Efforts by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to broker a cease-fire appear stalled. In the meantime, the deceased hostages' remains are being held by Hamas as bargaining chips.

Ruby Chen, whose 19-year-old son Itay Chen was killed on Oct. 7 while serving military duty, said the family is still unable to begin the traditional Jewish mourning ritual of shiva, which starts the grieving process.

We will not sit a shiva until Itai is returned back to us, he said. That is our demand.

Some family members also expressed condolences for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation.

The devastation in Gaza is so tremendous, yes. The starvation, the destruction, the illness, the death, said Gillian Kaye, stepmother of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen. How could people of conscience not feel that something has to happen? There needs to be a cease-fire.

Hamas has previously proposed a phased release of all the remaining hostages in exchange for Israel ending the war and releasing Palestinian prisoners, including top militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called those demands delusional and said even after any hostage release, Israel will keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed, in what he calls  total victory.
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Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi was allegedly buried under a false name, after a charity raised more than 6,000 by appealing for funds for his funeral.

The Muslim Burial Fund is being looked at by the Fundraising Regulator after a fundraiser reportedly appealed to the public for donations to give Ezedi an Islamic burial under the name Abdul Wahed.

The charity claimed he had died tragically in suspicious circumstances, with the appeal reaching 6,596 before it removed the advert, The Times reported.

The 35-year-old was found in the River Thames in February hours after he was suspected of throwing a corrosive substance over his former girlfriend and her two young children in Clapham, south London.

Ezedi was named as Abdul Wahed in the charity fundraiser ( Metropolitan Police )

His body was recovered from the water after a large manhunt was launched by the Met Police, which saw his last movements traced to Chelsea Bridge.

Ezedi had arrived in the UK from Afghanistan in 2016 and was granted asylum in 2020 after two failed applications, despite being convicted of sexual assault and exposure at Newcastle Crown Court in 2018.

Following the charitys involvement, The Times reported that he received an Islamic burial in east London, despite claiming at an asylum tribunal that he could not return to his homeland because he had converted to Christianity.

The chemical attack suspect was granted asylum by a judge who accepted he was a Christian convert ( PA Media )

An MBF representative told The Times: Regardless of any persons faith, be it Muslim or Christian, if the next of kin decide their loved one wants such and such a burial thats what will happen. It is not the media who will decide nor the court of public opinion.

Regardless of the persons background, whatever they have been accused of doing, whatever their faith, as a charity we will only bury Muslims.

A spokesperson for the Fundraising Regulator told The Independent: Since The Times article about the Muslim Burial Fund crowdfunder for Abdul Ezedi, under the name Abdul Wahed, the Fundraising Regulator has received complaints.

As is normal process after a complaint has been made, we will make enquiries of the 13 Rivers Charity.

The Muslim Burial Fund is a project operated by the 13 Rivers Charity, which is based in Tower Hamlets.
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Six activists accused of breaking into a pig slaughterhouse to protest against the use of carbon dioxide to kill the animals have been charged with aggravated trespass.

Film-maker Joey Carbstrong, four other men and two women were arrested at the Cranswick Country Foods abattoir in Watton, near Thetford in Norfolk.

The arrests came two days after The Independent revealed secret footage at the slaughterhouse showing a worker hitting pigs as he prepared to put them into gas chambers.

The activists say gas chambers are cruel ( PA )

The abattoir supplies supermarkets Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsburys and Aldi, as well as Marks and Spencer.

Mr Carbstrong has made a documentary called Pignorant, which aims to highlight how most pigs are killed in UK abattoirs using the gas, which has been branded excruciatingly cruel.

He said: These disgusting torture chambers are currently operating all over the UK and the world. This is the horror that is legally allowed to take place, when animals dont have rights protecting them.

He added: The pig industry doesnt want people to know what is happening to millions of pigs inside UK abattoirs every year.

Some of the banners the activists held up ( Joey Carbstrong )

The people that should be taken into police custody are the people making vast amounts of money out of animal abuse and suffering.

Norfolk Police said five men and two women were arrested after officers were called to reports that protesters had gained entry to a food facility in Watton just after 6am on Wednesday. The seven were later charged.

Officers said Joseph Armstrong, 37, of no fixed abode, Karl Baker, 26, of Cherry Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, Amelia Fishlock, 31, of Cherry Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, Douglas Maw, 55, of Main Road, Yapton, Arundel, Calvin Tasker, 38, of Melen Street, Redditch, Worcestershire and Jacob Ball, 32, of Kingswinford, West Midlands, were all charged with aggravated trespass and were due to appear at Norwich Magistrates Court on 10 May.

A woman in her twenties was bailed on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass to appear at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre on 2 July.

A Cranswick spokesman said: Seven individuals have been arrested following an incident of aggravated trespass at the Cranswick site in Watton. The individuals entered the site illegally; the police were informed immediately and arrests were made.
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A police officer who had sex with a woman while responding to a 999 call to her home, before allegedly begging her not to tell anyone, has been jailed.

Jordan Masterson turned his bodycam off and claimed to feel powerless while having sex with the female during the visit to her home in Widnes in Cheshire in the early hours of 28 December, 2021.

Cheshire Constabulary have now released a picture of the 28-year-old as he was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of misconduct in a public office following a trial earlier this year.

Jordan Masterson has been jailed for having sex during 999 call out ( Cheshire Constabulary )

He was jailed for three and a half years for the gross breach of trust and was handed an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting the woman, known as female G.

Sentencing Masterson, Judge Michael Leeming said: Your behaviour over the course of this night and your dealings with the victim amounted to a gross breach of trust.

The public is entitled to expect their police officers to act with the utmost integrity. Female G needed your help. Instead you took advantage of her to satisfy your own sexual needs. You see yourself as the victim and you blame her for ruining your career.

Masterson was jailed for three and a half years at Chester Crown Court (Peter Powell/PA) ( PA Archive )

The trial heard how Masterson arrived at the home, where the womans children were asleep, while responding to the report of a disturbance.

The woman told officers the atmosphere changed when the probationary police constable, who has since resigned, touched her hand.

Masterson told the court it was the woman who touched his hand, adding that she walked out of the room before returning naked.

I remember just being confused, feeling completely numb like I was glued to the floor, he claimed. He added he was powerless.

Mr Leeming said: I reject those assertions. You told the jury that it was your dream since being a teenager to join the police.

You have now lost that career and you only have yourself to blame for that.

After the event, he returned to her house after more emergency calls, and later denied pleading with her not to tell anyone what happened.

But the woman called the police to report the incident, initially using the word rape, but then saying she had wanted sex.

Asked in court about why she said she had been raped, the woman said: Thats the word to describe how I felt. I felt completely violated.

Vanessa Thomson, defending, said her clients mental health had deteriorated since his arrest and that a medical report had stated in December 2021 he was likely suffering the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma.

The defendants partner and her family continue to support him, Miss Thomson added.

Masterson, who would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned, was placed on the barred list, meaning he cannot be employed in policing in the future.

Independent Office for Police Conduct regional director Catherine Bates said: Former Pc Mastersons disgraceful behaviour has absolutely no place in policing, and he has now been held accountable for his actions.
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New public order powers to prevent disruptive protests in the UK will come into force from Friday.

The Serious Disruption Prevention Orders will aim to prevent individuals from repeatedly causing serious disruption at protests.

Civil liberties organisation Liberty described the legislation as a shameless attempt by the government to reduce the right to protest.

The new orders can impose a range of restraints including preventing people from being in a particular place or area, participating in disruptive activities and being with protest groups at given times.

They can also stop individuals from using the internet to encourage protest-related offences.

These orders can be imposed on those who have, on at least two occasions, committed protest-related offences, for example locking-on, or breached the conditions of an injunction.

Serious Disruption Prevention Orders were introduced as part of the Public Order Act 2023, which was passed last year, and breaching an order will be a criminal offence that will carry a maximum penalty of six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

Home secretary James Cleverly said: The public has a democratic right to protest and this government will always uphold that.

However, recent months have shown certain individuals are just dedicated to wreaking havoc and causing severe disruption to the everyday lives of the public.

This is why we have introduced these new powers to ensure that anyone who ignores warnings from our law enforcement cannot continue to cause turmoil unpunished.

Protest is a human right, not a gift from the state. The government should be supporting peoples right to protest, not chipping away at it Jodie Beck, Liberty

The introduction of the new orders is the latest step in the governments crackdown on disruptive protests.

Jodie Beck, policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, said: These measures are a shameless attempt to prevent people from being able to make their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them.

In recent years, the government has repeatedly introduced new laws which have reduced our right to protest.

Many of these laws are so broad and vague, including locking-on offences, that when combined with these new measures, it could lead to people being banned from protesting entirely due to something as simple as having previously linked arms with other protesters.

Its especially concerning that there are even more crackdowns on protests planned in the Criminal Justice Bill, including proposed bans on face coverings which would impact clinically vulnerable protesters and political dissidents.

Protest is a human right, not a gift from the state. The government should be supporting peoples right to protest, not chipping away at it.

The Criminal Justice Bill will also prevent individuals from using the right to protest as a defence for committing criminal offences.

The Home Office has said this string of measures will ensure that people can exercise their democratic right to protest while ensuring the public can go about their daily lives safely and without serious disruption.

Under public order legislation, serious disruption may occur when protest activity prevents or hinders day-to-day activities, construction or maintenance works, causes delays to deliveries of time-sensitive products or disrupts access to essential goods and services in a way that is more than minor.
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Millions of hard-pressed Britons are receiving a national insurance cut from today the new tax year gets underway, helping to ease the burden of the cost of living crisis.

The main rate of employee national insurance was cut from 10 per cent to 8 per cent from April 6 - the first day of the 2024-25 tax year.

This two per cent decrease was the centrepiece of chancellor Jeremy Hunts spring budget - a cut he said will benefit 27 million workers.

When combined with a cut previously announced in the autumn statement, this will save the average worker on 35,400 more than 900 a year, the government said.

The move from Mr Hunt is intended to try and make a dent in Labours commanding poll lead, with a general election looming.

Mr Hunt said the cuts show we stand behind those who work hard and fires the starting gun on our long-term ambition to end the unfair double tax on work.

How much are you saving with a 2p national insurance cut, based on an annual income

15,000 - Take-home pay of 14,320 in 2024/25, compared to 14,235 in 23/24 - Increase of 85

20,000 - Take-home pay of 17,920 in 2024/25, compared to 17,660 in 23/24 - Increase of 260

25,000 - Take-home pay of 21,520 in 2024/25, compared to 21,085 in 23/24 - Increase of 435

30,000 - Take-home pay of 25,120 in 2024/25, compared to 24,510 in 23/24 - Increase of 610

35,000 - Take-home pay of 28,720 in 2024/25, compared to 27,935 in 23/24 - Increase of 785

40,000 - Take-home pay of 32,320 in 2024/25, compared to 31,360 in 23/24 - Increase of 960

45,000 - Take-home pay of 35,920 in 2024/25, compared to 34,786 in 23/24 - Increase of 1,135

50,000 - Take-home pay of 39,520 in 2024/25, compared to 38,210 in 23/24 - Increase of 1,310

55,000 - Take-home pay of 42,457 in 2024/25, compared to 41,138 in 23/24 - Increase of 1,320

60,000 - Take-home pay of 45,357 in 2024/25, compared to 44,038 in 23/24 - Increase of 1,320

65,000 - Take-home pay of 48,257 in 2024/25, compared to 46,938 in 23/24 - Increase of 1,320

70,000 - Take-home pay of 51,157 in 2024/25, compared to 49,838 in 23/24 - Increase of 1,320

You can use our tax calculator below to determine if all the changes announced in the spring Budget will leave you better or worse off in the new tax year:
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More than 500 officers are being deployed in central London to police an annual march in support of Palestine and a pro-Isreal counter protest outside the House of Parliament.

The Metropolitan Police announced details of a major policing operation ahead of the demonstrations on Friday amid tensions over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Protestors must not cross the line into criminality, the Metropolitan Police has warned, adding that the force will police without fear or favour right up to the line of the law.

The force said it has been in discussion with the organisers of both demonstrations  which are each subject to conditions under the Public Order Act.

The annual Al Quds day march in support of Palestine, which is organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission and takes place on the final Friday of Ramadan, must stick to a pre-agreed route and end at 7pm.

Demonstrators will gather outside the Home Office in Marsham Street from 3pm, before heading into Horseferry Road, along Millbank, past the front of the Houses of Parliament and finishing in Whitehall where speeches will take place.

The second demonstration is a pro-Israel counter protest. This will take the form of a static demonstration in Parliament Square and protestors must stay with a specified zone in Parliament Square, the Met said.

The force said it will be distributing leaflets to protestors clearly setting out what is acceptable within the law after a string of arrests at pro-Palestine marches since the Israel-Gaza conflict broke out last October.

Commander Colin Wingrove, who is leading the policing operation, said: The conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to have a far reaching impact across communities including here in London.

We recognise that there will be some who feel this march should not be allowed to take place at all.

We work to the law. Parliament has determined that there are only very rare and specific circumstances when an application can be made to the Home Secretary for a protest to be banned. It requires a real risk of serious disorder and neither the intelligence picture nor the conversations we have had with organisers give us reason to believe that threshold will be met today.

The rights of people to express their views through protest must be protected and our officers will ensure they are, but anyone who abuses those rights and uses them as an opportunity to commit offences or to promote hate can expect to face police action.

He added: There have been a number of instances at protests in recent months where actions have taken place that are distasteful to many, but that dont cross the line into criminality. Our role is to police without fear or favour right up to the line of the law, but our powers do not extend to policing taste and decency, no matter our view of what is being said.

Where that line into criminality is crossed, we will step in. Anyone seen to be supporting a proscribed group, using hate speech, trying to directly interfere with the other protest or committing other offences will be dealt with by officers.

The warnings come after the Mayor of London in 2019 raised deep concerns over support shown for Lebanese militant Hezbollah group at previous Al Quds marches.

In a joint letter to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on Wednesday, organisers the IHRC and other pro-Palestinian groups accused the Met of politically-driven policing, saying the force had regularly abused its legal powers to harass pro-Palestine protestors.

On Saturday, the Met made four arrests, including one on suspicion of a terrorism-related offence, at a pro-Palestinian protest in central London, which saw more than 200,000 people take part.
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The suicide rate for members of the armed forces rose last year, according to new data from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with a study finding care often disjointed and uncoordinated.

Figures released by the MoD on Thursday showed that in 2023 there were seven coroner confirmed suicides, compared to one death in 2018, one in 2019 and six deaths in both 2021 and 2022.

A further 12 additional deaths could result in a suicide verdict after inquests are held, the MoD release said.

It added that suicide rates were highest among males aged 24 and under in the armed forces. In the UK general population suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged under 24.

The MoDs figures were released just weeks after an urgent study into the mental health services that are provided to military veterans from the armed forces.

One Is Too Many study, a research project carried out by The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research at Northumbria University, interviewed hundreds of families about the mental health services delivered to family members.

It found that care was often disjointed and uncoordinated, and did not sufficiently involve family members during the process so they could better support someone suffering from mental health problems. The study called for an urgent review of mental health support for veterans.

Project leader Dr Paul Watson told the BBC said there was a lack of communication between organisations.

He added: But theres also a lack of communication between organisations and families.

So there is no kind of joined up working in terms of how we support a person to navigate the system, to enable them to continue to be engaged in care and receive the care that they need.

The crux of it is, if we want to save lives, then families need to be involved.

Combat Stress, a charity that provides specialist help to veterans with their mental health issues, described the MoD figures as heartbreaking and revealed an increase of referrals for their services in the previous year.

The charity said that between April 2022 and March 2023, 1,375 veterans directly received support from Combat Stress specialist staff and of these, 779 were new referrals which represented a 16 per cent increase on the previous year, of 672.

Jeff Harrison, the chief executive officer of Combat Stress, said: These results are heartbreaking to read, in particular that suicide rates in the regular armed forces are highest among males aged 24 and under.

This correlates with our own research that shows early service leavers are at higher risk of suicidal thoughts. While suicide thankfully remains a rare event in the UK Armed Forces, one suicide is one too many.

This data from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) underlines the critical importance of monitoring suicide rates among service personnel in order to establish the most appropriate interventions to prevent more from taking their own lives.

We have to find a way to persuade anyone wanting to end their life that there is help and support out there for them.

Samaritans said it receives almost 10,000 calls from members of the armed forces every year and that three-quarters of those contacts are from veterans.

Joseph Walcott, military programme lead at Samaritans, said People within the Armed Forces community face unique challenges and they may find it harder to access mental health support  both through a lack of awareness of the help available and existing barriers that can stop them reaching out.

Whilst people serving in the Armed Forces have a lower risk of suicide than the general population, every suicide is a tragedy.

Anyone can contact Samaritans, free, 24/7, on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org
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A pro-Western career diplomat and a close ally of Slovakias populist Prime Minister Robert Fico are facing each other in a presidential runoff on Saturday to determine who will be the next head of state.

Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok is up against Peter Pellegrini, who heads a coalition party in Ficos government, in the vote for the largely ceremonial post as president of the nation of 5.4 million.

A victory for Pellegrini, who currently serves as Parliament speaker, would cement Ficos power by giving him and his allies control of major strategic posts.

It would also deprive Slovakia and the European Union of a key pro-Ukrainian voice. The current president, Zuzana Caputova, a staunch backer of Slovakias neighbor Ukraine in its fight against Russias two-year invasion, did not stand for a second term.

A former liberal environmental activist, she has repeatedly come under attack from Fico, who won Sept. 30 parliamentary elections on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform and has accused Caputova of being a U.S. agent.

The latest public polls predict a tight race. The winner will become the countrys sixth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two.

THE RUNOFF

As none of the nine candidates won a majority in the March 23 first round, the two top vote-getters advanced to the runoff. Korcok won the first round with 42.5% of the votes, with Pellegrini trailing on 37%. A former justice minister and judge, Stefan Harabin, who has openly sided with Russia in its war with Ukraine, finished a distant third with 11.7%.

IVAN KORCOK

The 60-year-old is not affiliated with any political party but agreed to become the foreign minister in 2020 when he was the ambassador to the United States. During the coronavirus pandemic, Korcok opposed a secret deal to acquire Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine orchestrated by Prime Minister Igor Matovic, calling the vaccine a tool in Russias hybrid war against the West. Korcok represented the pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party in the post till 2022. Previously, he also served as the ambassador to Germany and was the countrys envoy to NATO and the European Union. Hes married, a father of two who firmly supports Slovakias EU and NATO memberships.

PETER PELLEGRINI

Pellegrini, 48, who favors a strong role for the state, heads the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party that finished third in last year's vote. His party joined a ruling coalition with Ficos leftist Smer (Direction) party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party. Critics worry Slovakia under Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Thousands have repeatedly taken to the streets across Slovakia recently to rally against Ficos pro-Russian and other policies that they fear undermine the rule of law while voicing their support for Korcok.

Pellegrini, who was Ficos former deputy in Smer, became prime minister in 2018, after Fico was forced to resign following major anti-government street protests over the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. Pellegrini had temporarily parted ways with Fico after the scandal-tainted Smer lost the previous election in 2020.

A CAMPAIGN SHAPED BY WAR

The war in neighboring Ukraine was a core campaign issue. Pellegrinis candidacy is supported by Ficos coalition that immediately stopped any military aid to Ukraine, saying the conflict has no military solution. Pellegrini accused Korcok of being a warmonger ready to draw his country into the war by sending troops to Ukraine. Korcok dismissed that.

In Slovakia, the government and parliament, but not the president, can approve Slovak troops' deployment abroad. Pellegrini also suggested that Slovakia would not be able to send its troops to other NATO members if they were attacked, a principle of NATOs collective defense. He claimed the Slovak military is not armed well enough to do so.

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS

Elected for a five-year term, the president picks the prime minister after parliamentary elections, swears in the new government and appoints Constitutional Court judges. The president can also veto laws, though Parliament can override the veto with a simple majority, and challenge them at the Constitutional Court. The head of state also has the right to pardon convicts.
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Michael Gove has admitted to moral cowardice during the Brexit campaign after not telling then-prime minister David Cameron about his prominent role in the Leave campaign.

The levelling-up secretary said he was persuaded to take up a bigger job by Vote Leave campaign coordinator and former Boris Johnson aide Dominic Cummings.

He made the comments to former chancellor George Osborne on the Political Currency podcast, which is also hosted by former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls.

Mr Osborne, a steadfast Remainer, said that Mr Gove had promised Lord Cameron he would not take up a prominent role in the campaign, but ended up one of the most visible members of the Vote Leave group.

The former chancellor asked Mr Gove: Did you deceive David? He certainly felt, at the time, betrayed.

Mr Gove denied that be betrayed Lord Cameron, but added: As I mentioned, I do think that I could have been clearer earlier.

And I think that was an example of, on the one hand, cowardice on my part, moral cowardice, on the other hand, a recognition that perhaps theres this feeling in politics, perhaps something will turn up, perhaps this moment wont come when we have to make that decision.

But I think David, entirely fairly, should have expected me to have been more upfront earlier.

Michael Gove and David Cameron during a meeting on education in 2012 ( Getty Images )

Mr Gove said he ended up going further than he thought in the campaign as he ended up in television debates and political shows as a representative for Vote Leave.

Mr Balls asked the levelling up secretary if Mr Cummingss influence was one reason he became more involved than he thought he would at the start of the Brexit campaign.

Mr Gove responded: Yes. And again, one of the arguments was if you dont do this, theyll have Farage on, and then with a sweep of his arm pointing to all the people in the office, including people who had been working with me for years, said: You cannot let these people down.

He added that unlike Mr Osborne, who stayed up all night to see the result of the referendum, he only knew Vote Leave had won when his wife woke him up the next morning.

I didnt wake anyone up, I just went and lay on the sofa wide awake, he said. And not only did I think, as I still do, this is a disaster for my country, I just knew it was an absolute disaster for my career, it was basically the end of my political career. Its definitely, of my political career  of any part of my career  the most traumatic day of my life.

Mr Cameron and Mr Gove were formerly close friends but fell out in 2016 over Mr Goves active role in leading the Brexit campaign against him.
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The Government should hold an inquiry into dangerous content which young people are able to access on their smartphones, the leader of the largest education union in the UK has said.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), warned of a real problem with sexism and misogyny in schools which has been fuelled by exposure to harmful content online.

Mr Kebede called on the Government to take on big technology companies as he said the problem is too widespread to be left to schools and parents.

He added that students are easily able to access social media influencers like Andrew Tate, as well as aggressive hardcore pornography which is affecting young boys views of women and relationships.

His comments came ahead of a debate on online misogyny and sexism at the NEUs annual conference in Bournemouth.

I think there needs to be a real inquiry into this from Government which makes some recommendations on some significant reforms Daniel Kebede, National Education Union

A motion, due to be debated on Friday, says the continued rise in online sexism and misogyny through social media and online influencers presents a real challenge to those promoting gender equality.

It suggests the unions resources to promote anti-sexism are not being used as widely as they should in schools and colleges.

Speaking to the media ahead of the debate, Mr Kebede said he has worked with young girls who have been victims of significant acts of misogyny and who have experienced abuse, violence and sexual assault.

He said: That is being fuelled by a culture of misogyny and sexism that is in turn being fuelled by what young boys and young men can access on their smartphones. Its really widespread.

The Everyones Invited movement  a campaign on sexual harassment and abuse launched in 2021  saw some pupils accuse their schools of failing to tackle a rape culture.

Asked whether the problem has got worse since the campaign, Mr Kebede said: I dont think anybody at the moment can view whats happening in society and think the issue of sexism and misogyny  and what young people can access on their phones  has particularly improved. It hasnt.

It is very fair to say that there is a real problem with sexism and misogyny within schools. There is a real problem with what young people can access via their smartphone with real ease. It's a problem that I think that Government have completely failed to intervene in Daniel Kebede, National Education Union

He added: It is very fair to say that there is a real problem with sexism and misogyny within schools. There is a real problem with what young people can access via their smartphone with real ease.

Its a problem that I think that Government have completely failed to intervene in. There has been no real regulation and it is causing a huge issue in our schools.

Asked what the Government should do, the NEU chief said: They need to actually take on big tech, if we are being honest.

Big tech have to take some responsibility and be regulated and accept regulation and ensure that young people cant access really aggressive, dangerous things on their phones.

Its not enough to just allow schools to police it, or parents indeed. Its just far too widespread.

I think there needs to be a real inquiry into this from Government which makes some recommendations on some significant reforms essentially.

In February, schools in England were given non-statutory Government guidance intended to stop the use of mobile phones during school hours.

Last month, schools minister Damian Hinds told the Education Select Committee that getting a mobile phone between primary and secondary school has become a rite of passage for nearly all children.

Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, is campaigning for an age limit for smartphone usage and stricter controls on access to social media apps.

Asked whether parents could do more to restrict the content which their children are being exposed to online, Mr Kebede said: Children and young people are very good at working out technology and how to use it and how to get around any filters and restrictions that are in place.

We cant individualise the issue and put it down to problem parenting, failure of parenting. Its very difficult when every other child has access to a smartphone to be that parent who says no.

There has to be regulation on this from Government, who in turn supports families in making those decisions.

A Government spokesperson said: All children deserve to grow up in a safe environment, and we expect schools to take immediate action against sexual misconduct or harassment.

Through our world-leading Online Safety Act, social media firms will be required to protect children from being exposed to harmful material online, and the Education Secretary recently took robust action by prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools.

We are also reviewing the statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education and as a part of this, we are considering how our guidance and support to schools on this issue can be strengthened.
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Explosive revelations that a senior Conservative MP leaked colleagues phone numbers to a man he had met on the gay dating app Grindr are very serious, a minister has warned, amid questions over whether the MP will face sanctions.

Vice chairman of the 1922 committee William Wragg admitted he sent the numbers after becoming concerned about the power the recipient had over him since he had sent intimate pictures of himself.

Treasury minister Gareth Davies said the situation was incredibly troubling and very serious but maintained that Mr Wragg would keep the party whip while the incident is being investigated.

Talking to Sky News, Mr Davies said Mr Wragg has rightly apologised for the action that he took and urged anyone who felt that they were being blackmailed to go to the police immediately.

On Times Radio Mr Davies added that Mr Wragg is continuing as a Conservative MP, and its right that theres investigation into what happened. Hes rightly apologised, and, as I say, thats a matter for Will Wragg and the party generally.

The Metropolitan Police have now announced it is looking into the incident with parliamentary security and Leicestershire Police, who said it had received a complaint of malicious communications against a parliamentarian after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.

Westminster has been rocked by the new revelations after Politico revealed that staff across the house, which include MPs, members of their staff, and a political journalist, were later sent unsolicited flirtatious texts from senders calling themselves Charlie or Abi in a suspected spear phishing attack. Spear phishing is a type of targeted online sting.

Speaking to The Times, the vice-chairman of the 1922 committee said he provided the contact details to the unknown number after he feared the man had compromising things on me.

William Wragg has admitted his involvement in a honeytrap scheme targeting Westminster politicians ( PA )

It is understood that two MPs responded by sending an explicit image of themselves.

Mr Wragg, 36, who is gay, told The Times: They had compromising things on me. They wouldnt leave me alone. They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. Hes manipulated me and now Ive hurt other people.

I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didnt. Then he started asking for numbers of people.

I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesnt work now.

The MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester added: Ive hurt people by being weak. I was scared. Im mortified. Im so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.

Politico originally reported on the scandal, revealing that MPs were sent late-night texts from an unknown sender, who claimed to have met them years ago in a bar.

Soon afterwards, they were sent an explicit image and asked to reciprocate. While many were said to have blocked Charlie, The Times reported that two MPs did respond with an explicit image of themselves.

One former MP told the BBC that he had been targeted, with a person called Charlie sending him an explicit image after being contacted on WhatsApp on 11 March. The fact that somebody tried to and that their intent behind it was probably to do harm is really worrying, he said.

MPs across the House have expressed concern about the revelations. Labour former shadow minister Jess Phillips questioned why an MP would send nude images, while her colleague Rosie Duffield asked why someone would give out colleagues phone details without their permission.

The new claims are stoking renewed fears around espionage and targeted foreign-state attacks on the UK democratic system.

In March the UK slapped sanctions on China after it accused state-backed hackers of carrying out two malicious cyberattacks, including one on Britains election watchdog and another on Conservative politicians.

In September 2023, a researcher at Parliament was arrested under the Official Secrets Act, amid claims he was spying for China. The Sunday Times reported that the researcher had access to security minister Tom Tugendhat and foreign affairs committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns, among other high-profile people.

Tory MP and staunch China hawk Bob Seely told Newsnight that he suspected the sting to be from a foreign state, stating that it was crude enough to be the Russians, but that the Chinese tend to be more sophisticated. He added: Im hoping [Wragg] hasnt handed over my number. It sounds like a gay honey trap.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith also told the Daily Mail that the attacks were likely Russian and urged authorities to increase security: Weve been slow to protect people...the government and security services have got to get on with it.

The former conservative leader said the attacks were an assault on parliamentary democracy ( AP )

This is an assault on parliamentary democracy but everyone is scared stiff of calling out foreign agents.

Mr Davies refused to say whether the party was opening a formal investigation into the latest revelations from Mr Wragg, telling Sky News:

"Well, theres a police investigation thats already been launched. And thats right that that happens. In addition, the speaker has announced that the parliamentary security department are also going to be investigating this and its right that that takes place. I will say that there are very robust procedures and resources to members of parliament to protect us against a variety of different threats, including cyber security threats, and that will remain the case for a long time."

Mr Wragg was approached by the newspaper after MPs and other parliamentary figures confided in each other about their concerns and their suspicion of his involvement. The Independent has approached Mr Wragg for comment.
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A senior Conservative MP who admitted his role in a honeytrap sexting scandal will escape immediate punishment as senior colleague Jeremy Hunt moved to publicly back him.

William Wragg is unlikely to lose his seat or be forced to sit as an independent MP, sources say, at least while the party investigates his role. On Friday night, the Metropolitan police confirmed they had launched a probe into a number of unsolicited messages sent to MPs.

Mr Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, admitted he had leaked the personal phone numbers of his colleagues to an individual he met on Grindr, after sending them intimate pictures of himself and becoming concerned about the power the recipient had over him as a result. He told The Times: They had compromising things on me.

Mr Hunt, the chancellor, has now backed Mr Wragg, praising him for his courageous and fulsome apology after the MP also told The Times he was sorry for the hurt that he had caused. Treasury minister Gareth Davies said that Mr Wragg had rightly apologised and that he would maintain the party whip.

William Wragg has apologised for his weakness after admitting leaking his colleagues phone numbers ( PA )

MPs have told The Independent that the party is keen not to manoeuvre against Mr Wragg, who is the vice-chair of the 1922 Committee, in case it triggers an investigation that leads to another by-election.

One Tory MP said the decision to allow Mr Wragg to keep the whip was a practical thing, adding: The last thing you want is a by-election when theres going to be a general election in six months anyway and hes already said hes standing down ... I think if he wasnt going to go at the general election it might be a different issue.

Neither Labour nor the Lib Dems have called for the party to suspend Mr Wragg. But while Sadiq Khan said he was sympathetic to the challenges facing Mr Wragg, he added that it is never okay to be sharing personal mobile numbers with strangers.

The Labour London mayor said: I think its now at a stage where, as a legislator, he should resign. I think theres also a question about Rishi Sunaks judgement.

Mr Khan told Politico: Rishi Sunak is the leader of the Conservative party and the prime minister.

Security is the number one priority of all responsible politicians. It could well be that the security of individual parliamentarians, individual staff members  the security of parliament has been compromised  [Mr Wraggs] got to go.

Police are investigating the leaks.

Labours shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the revelations that William Wragg had been blackmailed into sharing colleagues phone numbers were incredibly concerning, but said whether he should resign or not was a question for the Conservatives.

One Labour MP suggested that Mr Wragg may wish to consider referring himself to the Standards commissioner for investigation, telling The Independent that it would be the classy thing to do.

Anyone can make a complaint about an MPs conduct to the commissioner, who will then conduct an investigation and make recommendations to parliament.

Such recommendations could include a suspension, which could trigger a by-election.

Mr Wragg has already announced he will not be contesting his seat in Greater Manchester at the next election. He has a majority of 4,423.

A recent string of dire by-election results have cast a shadow over the Conservatives prospects at the next general election.

The 2023 Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth by-elections saw the Labour Party overturn majorities of over 20,000 to win seats from the Tories.

The party is poised for yet another likely by-election loss as Blackpool South prepares to vote for a new MP in May, following the resignation of Conservative MP Scott Benton after he broke lobbying rules.

Mr Wraggs revelations came as Politico revealed a wide-reaching honeytrap scandal across Westminster, which saw MPs, members of their staff, and a political journalist receive unsolicited flirtatious texts from senders calling themselves Charlie or Abi in a suspected spear phishing attack. Spear phishing is a type of targeted online sting.

Speaking to The Times, Mr Wragg admitted he provided some contact details to the unknown number after he feared the man had compromising things on me.

Conservative MP Scott Benton resigned, triggering a by-election in Blackpool South ( PA Wire )

It is understood that two MPs responded by sending an explicit image of themselves, with the scandal now the subject of an investigation by the Metropolitan police, Leicestershire police and the parliamentary security service.

On Friday night, the Met police said in a statement: Officers from the Mets Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command are carrying out an investigation following reports that a number of unsolicited messages were sent to MPs over recent months.

We are working closely with other forces and are in contact with colleagues in Parliamentary Security, who are providing support and advice around anyone affected.

Mr Wragg, 36, who is gay, told The Times: They had compromising things on me. They wouldnt leave me alone. They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. Hes manipulated me and now Ive hurt other people.

I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didnt. Then he started asking for numbers of people.

I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesnt work now.

The MP for Hazel Grove added: Ive hurt people by being weak. I was scared. Im mortified. Im so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.

Politico revealed that MPs were sent late-night texts from an unknown sender, who claimed to have met them years ago in a bar.

Soon afterwards, they were sent an explicit image and asked to reciprocate. While many were said to have blocked Charlie.

Among those targeted was Conservative MP for Bosworth, Dr Luke Evans, who said he was the first to alert police and Commons authorities. In a video posted to Facebook on Friday, he said: The first set of messages I got was on a day I was with my wife and I got a one-time open photo on WhatsApp of an explicit image of a naked lady. As soon as I got these the next day I reported it to the police, the authorities and the chief whip.

He added: Im just pleased I blew the whistle, reported it to the authorities and its now being looked into.

The new claims are stoking renewed fears around espionage and targeted foreign-state attacks on the UK democratic system.

In March, the UK slapped sanctions on China after it accused state-backed hackers of carrying out two malicious cyberattacks, including one on Britains election watchdog and another on Conservative politicians.

In September 2023, a researcher at parliament was arrested under the Official Secrets Act, amid claims he was spying for China. The Sunday Times reported that the researcher had access to security minister Tom Tugendhat and foreign affairs committee chair Alicia Kearns, among other high-profile people.

Tory MP and staunch China hawk Bob Seely told Newsnight that he suspected the sting to be from a foreign state, stating that it was crude enough to be the Russians and that the Chinese tend to be more sophisticated. He added: Im hoping [Wragg] hasnt handed over my number. It sounds like a gay honeytrap.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith also told the Daily Mail that the attacks were likely Russian and urged authorities to increase security: Weve been slow to protect people... the government and security services have got to get on with it.

This is an assault on parliamentary democracy but everyone is scared stiff of calling out foreign agents.

Mr Wragg was approached by the newspaper after MPs and other parliamentary figures confided in each other about their concerns and their suspicion of his involvement. The Independent has approached Mr Wragg for comment.
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A senior Conservative MP who admitted his role in a honeytrap sexting scandal will escape immediate punishment as senior colleague Jeremy Hunt moved to publicly back him.

William Wragg is unlikely to lose his seat or be forced to sit as an independent MP, sources say, at least while the party investigates his role. On Friday night, the Metropolitan police confirmed they had launched a probe into a number of unsolicited messages sent to MPs.

Mr Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, admitted he had leaked the personal phone numbers of his colleagues to an individual he met on Grindr, after sending them intimate pictures of himself and becoming concerned about the power the recipient had over him as a result. He told The Times: They had compromising things on me.

Mr Hunt, the chancellor, has now backed Mr Wragg, praising him for his courageous and fulsome apology after the MP also told The Times he was sorry for the hurt that he had caused. Treasury minister Gareth Davies said that Mr Wragg had rightly apologised and that he would maintain the party whip.

William Wragg has apologised for his weakness after admitting leaking his colleagues phone numbers ( PA )

MPs have told The Independent that the party is keen not to manoeuvre against Mr Wragg, who is the vice-chair of the 1922 Committee, in case it triggers an investigation that leads to another by-election.

One Tory MP said the decision to allow Mr Wragg to keep the whip was a practical thing, adding: The last thing you want is a by-election when theres going to be a general election in six months anyway and hes already said hes standing down ... I think if he wasnt going to go at the general election it might be a different issue.

Neither Labour nor the Lib Dems have called for the party to suspend Mr Wragg. But while Sadiq Khan said he was sympathetic to the challenges facing Mr Wragg, he added that it is never okay to be sharing personal mobile numbers with strangers.

The Labour London mayor said: I think its now at a stage where, as a legislator, he should resign. I think theres also a question about Rishi Sunaks judgement.

Mr Khan told Politico: Rishi Sunak is the leader of the Conservative party and the prime minister.

Security is the number one priority of all responsible politicians. It could well be that the security of individual parliamentarians, individual staff members  the security of parliament has been compromised  [Mr Wraggs] got to go.

Police are investigating the leaks.

Labours shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the revelations that William Wragg had been blackmailed into sharing colleagues phone numbers were incredibly concerning, but said whether he should resign or not was a question for the Conservatives.

One Labour MP suggested that Mr Wragg may wish to consider referring himself to the Standards commissioner for investigation, telling The Independent that it would be the classy thing to do.

Anyone can make a complaint about an MPs conduct to the commissioner, who will then conduct an investigation and make recommendations to parliament.

Such recommendations could include a suspension, which could trigger a by-election.

Mr Wragg has already announced he will not be contesting his seat in Greater Manchester at the next election. He has a majority of 4,423.

A recent string of dire by-election results have cast a shadow over the Conservatives prospects at the next general election.

The 2023 Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth by-elections saw the Labour Party overturn majorities of over 20,000 to win seats from the Tories.

The party is poised for yet another likely by-election loss as Blackpool South prepares to vote for a new MP in May, following the resignation of Conservative MP Scott Benton after he broke lobbying rules.

Mr Wraggs revelations came as Politico revealed a wide-reaching honeytrap scandal across Westminster, which saw MPs, members of their staff, and a political journalist receive unsolicited flirtatious texts from senders calling themselves Charlie or Abi in a suspected spear phishing attack. Spear phishing is a type of targeted online sting.

Speaking to The Times, Mr Wragg admitted he provided some contact details to the unknown number after he feared the man had compromising things on me.

Conservative MP Scott Benton resigned, triggering a by-election in Blackpool South ( PA Wire )

It is understood that two MPs responded by sending an explicit image of themselves, with the scandal now the subject of an investigation by the Metropolitan police, Leicestershire police and the parliamentary security service.

On Friday night, the Met police said in a statement: Officers from the Mets Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command are carrying out an investigation following reports that a number of unsolicited messages were sent to MPs over recent months.

We are working closely with other forces and are in contact with colleagues in Parliamentary Security, who are providing support and advice around anyone affected.

Mr Wragg, 36, who is gay, told The Times: They had compromising things on me. They wouldnt leave me alone. They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. Hes manipulated me and now Ive hurt other people.

I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didnt. Then he started asking for numbers of people.

I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesnt work now.

The MP for Hazel Grove added: Ive hurt people by being weak. I was scared. Im mortified. Im so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt.

Politico revealed that MPs were sent late-night texts from an unknown sender, who claimed to have met them years ago in a bar.

Soon afterwards, they were sent an explicit image and asked to reciprocate. While many were said to have blocked Charlie.

Among those targeted was Conservative MP for Bosworth, Dr Luke Evans, who said he was the first to alert police and Commons authorities. In a video posted to Facebook on Friday, he said: The first set of messages I got was on a day I was with my wife and I got a one-time open photo on WhatsApp of an explicit image of a naked lady. As soon as I got these the next day I reported it to the police, the authorities and the chief whip.

He added: Im just pleased I blew the whistle, reported it to the authorities and its now being looked into.

The new claims are stoking renewed fears around espionage and targeted foreign-state attacks on the UK democratic system.

In March, the UK slapped sanctions on China after it accused state-backed hackers of carrying out two malicious cyberattacks, including one on Britains election watchdog and another on Conservative politicians.

In September 2023, a researcher at parliament was arrested under the Official Secrets Act, amid claims he was spying for China. The Sunday Times reported that the researcher had access to security minister Tom Tugendhat and foreign affairs committee chair Alicia Kearns, among other high-profile people.

Tory MP and staunch China hawk Bob Seely told Newsnight that he suspected the sting to be from a foreign state, stating that it was crude enough to be the Russians and that the Chinese tend to be more sophisticated. He added: Im hoping [Wragg] hasnt handed over my number. It sounds like a gay honeytrap.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith also told the Daily Mail that the attacks were likely Russian and urged authorities to increase security: Weve been slow to protect people... the government and security services have got to get on with it.

This is an assault on parliamentary democracy but everyone is scared stiff of calling out foreign agents.

Mr Wragg was approached by the newspaper after MPs and other parliamentary figures confided in each other about their concerns and their suspicion of his involvement. The Independent has approached Mr Wragg for comment.
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The US Army Corps of Engineers has announced a tentative timeline for the reopening of the vital shipping channel near the Port of Baltimore, following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

The Corps said it expects to open a channel 280-feet wide and 35-feet deep by the end of April, and reopen the permanent 700-foot wide, 50-foot deep channel by the end of May.

Currently, vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore remains suspended. Trucks however are still being processed inside the facilitys marine terminals.

We appreciate everyone's patience as we continue to work through this unimaginable situation. We thank all of our incredible federal, state, and local partners who are working around the clock to make this happen, the Corps said in a statement on Thursday evening.

We remind everyone to keep their thoughts on the families that have suffered unreplaceable losses. Thank you to all of our valued business partners for your continued support of the Port of Baltimore during this incredibly difficult time.

Speculation as to when the channel and port will reopen properly has swirled following the incident, which took place last month. Maryland Governor Wes Moore previously indicated that the mission to reopen the port will take longer than a month.

Despite the efforts, temporary channels opened this week do not mean that one of Americas biggest trade ports is now functioning again.

Larger commercial ships, including the Dali  the cargo ship that collided with the bridge  are still unable to leave the harbour as debris remains in the channel blocking its path. The Dali crew members still remain stuck on board the ship.

New footage showed dive teams entering the water around the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in  revealing the challenging conditions authorities are working in to remove the debris.

President Joe Biden is due to travel to Baltimore on Friday where he will receive an operational update on efforts from Governor Moore, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other elected officials.

The Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge last month ( REUTERS )

Six men died in the incident and Mr Biden is due to meet their loved ones as part of his visit, according to the White House.

The president is continuing to lead a whole of-government approach in responding to the bridge collapse. As the president said within hours of the collapse, this administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way, White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the owners of the Dali have denied responsibility for the deadly crash and are seeking to limit their legal liability.

Grace Ocean Private Limited, the ships owner, and the manager Synergy Marine Pte said in a federal court filing on Monday that they denied any fault or neglect of the collapse of the bridge and the deaths of the six construction workers.

The companies are asking for exoneration from liability, but if they are held responsible in lawsuits, the companies are asking for a cap on any payout.
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A Texas A&M Corpus Christi student vanished without a trace from his off-campus apartment a month ago in the foggy early morning hours of 4 March.

Now a month has passed, detectives are continuing to investigate the disappearance of 21-year-old Caleb Harris, who left his keys and wallet in his apartment and an Uber Eats order he requested outside his front door.

In the hours leading up to his disappearance, everything seemed normal: he was hanging out with his friends playing video games, playing with his roommates girlfriends new puppy and ordering snacks for his lunch that day.

His family said he had made plans with friends, spoke with family often and had even signed on to a lease for an apartment next year.

Yet, the student is currently nowhere to be found.

Police have scoured the area, conducted interviews and assessed surveillance footage, but they are still unaware of where the student, described as a homebody, would have gone.

Heres everything we know about the disappearance of Caleb Harris:

Environmental science student goes missing

Mr Harriss roommate found an Uber Eats order that was bought by Mr Harris in the early hours of the morning still sitting outside when he opened their apartment door at 11am.

The missing Environmental Science students pickup truck was parked in front of the apartment, his wallet and keys were left in the apartment, and all that appeared to be missing was Mr Harris himself and his cell phone, but it has now been turned off.

This was unusual for his roommate, who described Mr Harris as a homebody and a creature of habit and immediately became alarmed by his absence.

After his roommates looked for their friend for a short while, they contacted the Corpus Christi Police Department to report him missing.

A preliminary search of the apartment and the immediate area did not show any signs of struggle or violence, nor did it indicate a hit-and-run accident.

Mr Harris is described as approximately 5ft 11in tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

Parents worst nightmare

His father Randy Harris told KRIS-TV that he spoke with his son, who is originally from New Braunfels, the night before he vanished and everything seemed fine, but hours later, he received the news from his wife that he was missing.

Mr Harris says the ordeal has been a parents worst nightmare and added that his sons disappearance does not seem to make sense.

Theres just nothing there that would cause us to believe he was in any danger or leaving, he said to KIII. He had actually ordered in his food for the next day for school.

Caleb is described by his father as the kind of person that would just stop and help people ( Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers )

We just pray for patience and for the stamina to continue just anything and everything we can," Mr Harris said to KRIS-TV.

His father said that his disappearance seemed odd, as he stayed in contact with his family often and had made upcoming plans with friends.

Its his intentions. I mean, texting us, Snapchatting his friends, everything," his father told the outlet. "They just got a new dog that evening and they were out playing with the dog and signed the lease on his apartment for next year.

He said that his son came to study at Texas A&M University in the hopes of eventually working outdoors as a Texas game warden or an environmental lawyer.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi said in a statement that they ask our university community and the public to keep Caleb and his family in your thoughts. TAMU-CC remains hopeful for Calebs safe return.

His father described him as the kind of person that would just stop and help people," Harris said.

If somebodys got a flat tire, hes going to do what he can to help them, he added.

Nothing appeared out of the ordinary

The Texas student spent the evening of 3 March, the day before he was reported missing, inside his apartment along with his two roommates and a mutual friend, police said.

Mr Harris and his friend played online video games for over an hour with another former high school classmate who lives in Colorado.

At 12.56am, a doorbell camera at a nearby apartment captured Mr Harris, his friend, and one of his roommates in the parking lot playing with a puppy belonging to the girlfriend of one of his roommates.

Police said there was nothing appeared out of the ordinary, and the three men returned to the apartment.

Shortly after his, their mutual friend left the apartment.

At around 2.20am, one of Mr Harris roommates told the missing student that he was going to bed, but Mr Harris said he would stay up and order snacks through Uber Eats for his school lunch later that day.

At 2.44am, Mr Harris sent his younger sister a Snapchat video of him walking the puppy through what appears to be the apartment complex lot.

He also sent a Snapchat photo to a high school friend in San Antonio at 3.03am - the picture depicted a small bridge over a drainage ditch within a few hundred feet of the entrance to his apartment complex.

That area is under close investigation his father told NewsNation.

That area was hand-to-hand walking in the creek, he told the outlet. The creek wasnt flowing at the time, so its just a muddy bottom creek. Its very easy to see into it thoroughly.

Shortly after this, at 3.12am, Mr Harris cell phone last shared location data with the nearest cell phone tower.

Uber Eats delivery

At 3.20am, the Uber Eats delivery driver brings the order to Mr Harris apartment, leaving it outside near the front door as the order requested.

However, at 11am, one of his roommates discovered the order still sitting outside the front door.

Detectives got in contact with the 31-year-old woman who delivered the Uber Eats in the early hours of the morning, telling them she was driving alone that night and did not see the missing 21-year-old or anyone else at or near the apartment complex.

They added that she had been eliminated as a suspect in Mr Harris disappearance.

According to a statement from Uber to PEOPLE, Calebs order was completed without any reported incident. The company has reached out to the police to offer assistance.

Multiple agencies still working the case

Police have carried out an exhaustive search of hundreds of acres surrounding Harris apartment complex on the 1900 block of Ennis Joslin Drive.

Detectives then turned their efforts towards establishing a timeline for Mr Harris in the hours and days preceding his sudden disappearance.

They also interviewed roommates, friends, family members and acquaintances.

The detectives said that have no reason to suspect any of these individuals had anything to do with Harriss disappearance.

Aside from the interviews, they went door-to-door around his and the adjacent apartment complex to try and find any possible witnesses or surveillance video, as well as searching thirty vacant apartments for Harris.

The Police Departments Criminal Investigation Division and Organized Crime Unit, the FBI, the Texas Rangers, and the United States Marshals Service, along with three Forensic Computer Examiners, and one civilian crime analyst are all continuing to work on the case of the missing student.

Three weeks after Mr Harris vanished without a trace, detectives said they have extensively searched businesses and residences, retrieved footage and traffic camera video, as well as written 16 electronic search warrants among other tactics.

If you have information regarding the disappearance of Caleb Harris, authorites are asking people to contact the Corpus Christi Police Department at (361) 826-2840 or you can submit an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers 888-TIPS (888-8477). The tipline number set up by the Harris family is (361) 826-2950.
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The son of rapper and music mogul Sean Diddy Combs  who is already facing a string of civil lawsuits  is now facing accusations of sexual assault of his own.

Diddy, 54, has been accused of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and rape, among other inflammatory claims in recent weeks; he has denied any wrongdoing, labelling the allegations against him sickening.

On Thursday 4 April, Diddy was also named as a defendant in a case against his 26-year-old son, Christian Combs, who was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a young woman on a yacht. Diddy, who allegedly chartered the yacht, is being sued for premises liability and for aiding and abetting his son.

Grace OMarcaigh, who was 25 at the time of the alleged assault, claimed that Christian Combs sexually assaulted her in late December 2022 while she was working on a boat charter that had been portrayed as a wholesome family excursion but devolved into a hedonistic environment, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by NBC News.

Christian Combs is accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and the infliction of emotional distress, the outlet reported.

The filing says that Ms OMarcaigh served dinner and drinks on the yacht from 6pm to 6am  and saw rampant partying and drug use between a constant rotation of suspected sex workers and celebrities.

She also noted that women had such a strong reaction after just one drink  falling over themselves or passing out  that she believed the alcohol had been spiked with drugs.

Christian Combs arrived heavily intoxicated, the filing states. At some point, the rappers son urged Ms OMarcaigh to take shots of tequila that she thought he had brought onboard the yacht, the filing says.

She took the shot  but thats when Christian Combs became aggressive and pressed her to drink more, the suit states. Ms OMarcaigh then began to feel the effects of the tequila, which she quickly suspected had been laced.

Christian Combs then allegedly groped Ms OMarcaighs legs, breast, anus and vagina, the suit states: His penis was erect, and he grabbed her arms and was trying to force [Ms OMarcaigh] to perform oral sex on him.

The filing includes photos of bruises on Ms OMarcaighs body allegedly caused during the incident, as well as audio recordings.

The encounter happened in the yacht studio, where producer Rodney Lil Rod Jones was recording. In his own suit against Diddy, Mr Jones said he has video and audio evidence of Diddy, his staff and others engaging in serious illegal activity.

King Combs and Diddy at the iHeart Radio Music Awards in 2018 ( Rex Features )

Mr Jones recorded the situation, the suit states, allowing her to include transcripts of bits of audio that show her rejecting both alcohol and his advances.

Ms OMarcaigh told the yacht captain about the incident, the filing states, but he did not believe her and did not probe the matter.

The filing states that Ms OMarcaighs emotional and physical well-being has been impacted since the assault, citing that she has since developed an eating disorder and epileptic seizures. She is seeking unspecified damages.

I am here to fight for those who cant fight for themselves, and I applaud Grace for being so brave to come forward with her truth, attorney Rodney Diggs said about Ms OMarcaigh to NBC News. Hopefully her story will inspire others to come forward.

In a statement to The Independent, Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Christian Combs and Diddy said, This is just another lewd and meritless claim from Tyrone Blackburn [Ms OMarcaighs attorney] just like what he filed in the Rodney Jones lawsuit, which he still has not served.

This complaint is filled with the same kind of manufactured lies and irrelevant facts weve come to expect from Blackburn, he continued. This is exactly why the federal judge in New York slapped him two days ago for a pattern of behavior in improperly [filing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly, and why he was referred to the disciplinary committee in the Southern District of New York [SDNY]. We will be filing a motion to dismiss this outrageous claim.

Mr Dyer was referring to an outraged judge, who, in a separate lawsuit involving Mr Blackburn, referred the lawyer to the grievance committee after finding glaring deficiencies in several of Mr Blackburns cases, Billboard reported.

Mr Blackburn told the outlet in response: Not sure how this is at all relevant to Rodney Jones case, or any other case I have. This will not have any impact on my ability to proceed in Mr. Jones case. Although Judge Cotes decision was a referral to the SDNYs grievance committee, and not a sanction, I plan on appealing the decision.
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Michelle Troconiss sister has proclaimed her sisters innocence weeks after she was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the Jennifer Dulos murder case  while placing the blame solely on Fotis Dulos.

Claudia Marmol tells CBS correspondent Erin Moriarty in a new interview that her sister was also a victim of Fotis Dulos, Jennifers estranged husband who was dating Troconis at the time.

Unfortunately, he fooled all of us, Ms Marmol says. At the beginning, he was this amazing guy. But it turns out, he was this monster, she said, adding that her sister was also a victim of Dulos.

The Dulos couple were in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody battle over their five children when Jennifer vanished from a wealthy Connecticut enclave in 2019. Her body has never been found, but she was declared dead in October 2023.

Dulos and Troconis were arrested but Dulos died by suicide before he could stand trial, leaving Troconis to take the fall. She was convicted last month and is set to be sentenced on 31 May.

The Jennifer Dulos murder case and long-awaited trial will be the subject of CBSs 48 Hours on Saturday night at 10pm.

The episode will also feature interviews with Troconiss sister Claudia Marmol, Troconiss attorney, and members of law enforcement who investigated the case.

At Troconiss trial, prosecutor Sean McGuinness told the jury, This defendant was undoubtedly part of this plan to kill Jennifer Dulos. Theres no ifs, ands or buts about it.

But her family thinks otherwise and showed their unwavering support throughout the trial.

Michelle Troconis broke down in tears when she was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the Jennifer Dulos murder case ( AP )

My sister is not the person that the media has portrayed, that the police and the State have wanted to portray, Ms Marmol said. She would never, ever, ever harm anyone else.

Surveillance footage that police say shows Fotis Dulos dumping garbage bags containing Jennifer Dulos bloody clothing into trash cans the day she disappeared was some of the most damning evidence against Troconis, who was in the car with him.

She not only did not know what was in those bags ... she had no idea what he was actually doing, Jon Schoenhorn, Troconis attorney, tells 48 hours.

Ms Marmol also points out that Fotis Dulos was a house builder who would often toss trash into public receptacles rather than pay for a dumpster.

I had gone in 2018, and he had done it in my presence. So, it was very common for him to do that, Ms Marmol says.

Ms Marmol also addresses the states claim that Troconis was burning evidence in the fireplace at the house she shared with Fotis Dulos, and that three fires were lit that day  just before Memorial Day weekend.

But Marmol tells 48 Hours this was normal for Troconis and that she lit fires regardless of the weather.

Remember my sister lived in Argentina before, Ms Marmol says. So, its very common to put the fireplace on and to just sit around ... And my sister would do it.

If Troconis knew where Jennifers body was, she would have said something, her sister claims.

My sister would have said it, she said. She would have stood up.

Troconis, a dual American and Venezuelan citizen, has described herself as a co-founder of horse riding therapy programs in different parts of the world who once had her own TV production company in Argentina and hosted a snow-sports show for ESPN South America.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on 31 May 2024. She faces up to 50 years in prison.

Fotis Dulos died by suicide in 2020 after he was charged with murdering his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos, who vanished in 2019 . Her body has never been found ( Provided by 48 Hours )

Besides the conspiracy to commit murder charge, which is punishable with up to 20 years in prison, the jury convicted Troconis of hindering the prosecution and evidence tampering. Her bond was set at $6m.

Troconiss lawyer, John Shoenhorn, said he respects the jurors decision but doesnt understand it and plans to seek a new trial.

A second defendant in the case, Kent Mawhinney, a former friend of Fotis Dulos, was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but his trial date has not yet been set.

48 Hours: The Conspiracy to Murder Jennifer Dulos will air at 10pm on April 6 on CBS, and will be streamed on Paramount+.
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Sebastian Rogers father choked up with emotion as he revealed that his son had told him he didnt want to go home to his mothers house not long before he disappeared.

Forty days into the search for missing autistic teenager Sebastian Rogers in Tennessee, Seth Rogers gave a new interview on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Wiping away tears, he said that, while the 15-year-old never communicated signs of abuse, he told him he didnt want to go home to Hendersonville.

Ive asked him, why dont you want to go back? Mr Rogers told the podcast host. He wouldnt tell me, he didnt say why, he just said he didnt want to go back.

Sebastian was living with Katie Proudfoot and her husband Chris Proudfoot when he disappeared overnight on 25 February.

In an update earlier this week, investigators said there was no indication of foul play in the boys disappearance and that all three parents had cooperated with the search.

In an interview last month, the Proudfoots were questioned about a report that the stepdad had once hit Sebastian with a belt. Mr Proudfoot said the incident happened a few years ago as a result of the boy lying to him.

As part of the current police investigation, Ms Proudfoot said she had taken and passed a polygraph test, while Mr Proudfoot had not taken one.

Sebastian Rogers has been missing for 40 days ( TBI )

I have offered and volunteered on many occasions to take a polygraph, but I was told directly by law enforcement that because of my whereabouts, I did not need one, Mr Proudfoot said on 25 March, referring to the fact he was out-of-town when Sebastian vanished.

Nancy Grace asked him if he would complete one if she set it up for him and he said yes.

However, the host post said on Wednesday that this was yet to take place.

Mr Rogers also told Ms Grace that he had experienced people trying to stop the search for his son, including people following him and volunteers around trying to intimidate them. Others, meanwhile, have taken down flyers with Sebastians face on, he said,

Somebody doesnt want me to find my son, he said.

His comments come just days after non-profit group the United Cajun Navy told The Independent that it had been forced to take its search private, following death threats made to its members.

Despite the search rumbling on more than a month, Mr Rogers said he remains determined to find his 15-year-old son and bring him home.

A renewed search is currently under way, with law enforcement scouring areas around the Proudfoots home, including nearby woodland and creeks.

There are no significant events to report from the search efforts, Sumner County Sheriffs Office said on Thursday night.

We, along with the many other agencies involved, remain committed to investigating this case.
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A construction worker has been killed and three other people have been injured after a portion of a crane fell onto a Fort Lauderdale bridge on Thursday afternoon.

The construction crew was working on the development of a 43-story apartment building to serve mostly senior residents near the Southeast 3rd Avenue Bridge over the New River in Florida, reported NBC6.

At around 4.30pm on Thursday, they were in the process of stepping the crane  where sections are added to increase the cranes height  when a platform fell from the construction site along with parts of the crane, crashing down onto the bridge below.

Fort Lauderdale fire officials said that the accident sent one construction worker falling to their death below. The worker, who suffered fatal injuries in the fall, has not yet been named by officials.

A section of it struck the bridge below during a time of heavy traffic  crushing a car and leaving a hole in the bridge.

Two people in vehicles on the bridge were transported to the hospital with injuries. One person was in a stable condition, while another suffered minor injuries. A third person also refused treatment on scene.

A hole has been left in the bridge, causing it to be closed indefinitley ( AP )

It was not the crane per se that actually failed. It was a platform that they had equipment staged on that had failed at the time of the incident and those items fell from the building down onto the bridge below, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan said at a press conference.

Officials said it is currently unclear what exactly caused the crane piece to fall but an investigation is now under way.

Mark Cerezin was driving in his Tesla over the bridge when the accident unfolded. He told NBC6 that a piece of the crane bounced off his car and landed on the vehicle next to him.

I was driving, and I felt a compression, and I looked up and I saw the blue structure coming down, and I slammed on my brakes, he said.

The crane piece fell during a busy traffic period in Fort Lauderdale ( AP )

It sheared off the front of my Tesla, and all the airbags went off  and Im very lucky to be alive.

Other witnesses described the incident as terrifying and shocking.

Another Fort Lauderdale resident, Tony Perez, told NBC News that he was coming home from work when he saw the crane falling from the sky.

I just look out the window, and I see a crane coming from the sky, and Im like, this is crazy; its really happening, he told NBC6.

Witnesses described the scene as terrifying ( AP )

And then boom, a loud, crashing sound, and it landed right on this car. It was like, fix or six cars in front of me, so I was just like, oh my God, it couldve been me.

Valeriia Becher, who was in the car with her six-year-old daughter, her boyfriend and her sister, said they were just metres away from where the part of the crane fell, telling CBS News that it was like witnessing a horror movie.

Following the crash, the river was closed both ways to marine traffic, as well as the road on the bridge itself while authorities work to determine its structural integrity and any need for repairs. Officials have deemed the surrounding buildings of the construction site safe.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be leading an investigation into what caused the fall ( AP )

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be leading the investigation into the matter.

This tragic incident comes just over a week after six construction workers were killed after a container ship crashed into a bridge in Baltimore.
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Los Angeles cleaning crews in hazmat suits have cleaned out a 7-tonne mountain of rubbish at a city home known as the Trash House.

Sanitation workers started to shift huge piles of debris and garbage bags spilling out from a home in the Fairfax neighbourhood on Wednesday.

The move to haul all the trash away from the property, which can be seen entirely covering every inch of the yards outside it, came after fed-up neighbours demanded officials take action.

Neighbours told ABC7 that the smell has been getting increasingly worse, with one resident, Rebecca Yale, saying theyve noticed more flies and insects.

While neighbours have described the person who resides in the Trash House as a nice man, they are hoping the city can step in and give him some help, saying that the debris encasing his house could also pose a risk to the man, as it may be hard to access in an emergency, KTLA reported.

Officials said they would be offering support to the homeowner ( KTLA 5 )

Aside from the concerns of their neighbour, residents also told the outlet of the possible health risks lurking in the trash bags.

I dont really know whats in that so it could be anything. Probably stuff rotting, you know, attracting rats and all sorts of things. And then also maybe a fire hazard, one man told KTLA.

Local Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky responded to the neighbours pleas for authorities to step in and told the outlet her team would work with urgency to resolve the issue.

Private property owners have a responsibility to maintain public health standards, and we will make sure those laws are upheld, Ms Yaroslavsky told KTLA.

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety declared the property an "imminent public safety and health risk," giving city crews the authority to move the trash, ABC7 reported.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass toured the trash house on Wednesday ( KTLA 5 )

The effort to shift the giant haul of trash spilt over into Thursday and the crew estimated that around seven tonnes were removed at the end of the second day.

The objects included broken glass bottles, odorous food waste and even an old Toyota Celica car.

The homeowner spoke to KTLA, telling them he did not understand what was wrong with his home, and reportedly seemed confused and even upset whilst speaking to the city workers.

However, neighbours are finally relieved that the houses trash issue has been properly taken care of.

Its sad that its gotten this bad and its taken this long, Charlie Topial, a neighbour, told the outlet. I think it should have been taken care of years ago.

The home has been cited nearly two dozen times in the last 10 years over the bundles of stockpiled garbage bags, according to KTLA, adding that the house has been previously been cleared before in similar operations.

An old Toyota was even recovered among the moutains of trash bags ( ABC7 )

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the ordeal to the outlet as a tragedy after she learned about what was happening at this property in Fairfax.

This is awful and obviously, this has been developing for months, she said, with the Mayor also visiting the property herself on Wednesday morning as crews began their work.

Ms Bass added to ABC7 that she was So concerned about the gentleman that lived in this situation.

"Im horrified to think of what is happening inside that house."

Ms Yaroslavsky says the county is attempting to offer mental health services to the homeowner, according to the outlet.
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A woman challenging Tennessees abortion ban after she was denied procedures despite serious medical concerns has told The Independent that the attitude of some legislators was appalling and cruel.

On Thursday, lawyers for seven women who were denied abortions and two doctors in Tennessee argued for a temporary block of the ban, as the states attorneys tried to dismiss the case altogether.

One of the seven patient plaintiffs, Rebecca Milner, said the days proceedings had been physically and emotionally draining but she was proud to have been part of the legal challenge.

Speaking to The Independent after proceedings were adjourned, Ms Milner said: The point that was made over and over again, is that the impact [of the ban] is different from the intent Even if we think about the kind of best intent of protecting life, it did not protect my life.

They were talking today about innocent foetuses. I love my daughter. And she was very much wanted, but my daughter had no chance of life. So yes, I think it is out of touch, and the impact is different than what the supposed intent is.

Ms Milner said she had been prompted to take action after hearing one Tennessee legislator describe the horrors and the trauma women are enduring in the state as an inconvenience.

Plaintiff Rebecca Milner said she was proud to have been part of the legal challenge ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Its appalling and cruel if youre describing, wanting to gloss over what people are experiencing as an inconvenience, she told The Independent.

When youre already in a situation that is overwhelming, and traumatic and devastating, why would you make that harder for people? Why step in and say even though I dont know you and I dont know the specifics of your case, I am going to legislate from afar and make this worse for you.

During Thursdays proceedings, a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in Blackmon v State of Tennessee from lawyers from the Center for Reproductive Rights, representing the plaintiffs. Lawyers filed a motion on 8 January requesting a temporary injunction on the states near-total abortion ban.

They have asked for clarity on the medical exceptions to the ban, referring to the seven women who were denied necessary and potentially life-saving medical care because doctors are hamstrung by the laws vague language.

The nine plaintiffs are Nicole Blackmon, Allie Phillips, Katy Dulong, Monica Kelly, Kathryn Archer, Rachel Fulton and Ms Milner, and doctors Heather Maune and Laura Andreson.

During Thursdays proceedings, a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in Blackmon v. State of Tennessee ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

The court heard harrowing details of several of their individual cases during the hearing for a temporary injunction, including that of a woman  who is not a plaintiff in the case  who was denied an abortion despite her unborn baby being diagnosed with acrania and would have been born without a skull.

Attorney Linda Goldstein said that testimony from a medical professional made clear that the decision to deny the woman an abortion was because her colleagues were afraid of prosecution under Tennessees criminal abortion ban.

The physicians had not known whether the risk was high enough, or certain enough, to allow the abortion, Ms Goldstein said.

The plaintiffs attorneys argued that the language of the Tennessee statute on the abortion ban is unconstitutionally vague and that the states silence on the issue was a calculated attempt to deter care and intimidate physicians.

Ms Goldstein said that linguistic vagueness means that the exception can result in multiple or indeterminate meanings. Interpreting the ambiguous terms of the abortion ban exception and have left the physicians clueless as to what they should do.

For example, Ms Goldstein said there is no indication of timing for when physicians can perform an emergency procedure that falls within the medical exception.

On Thursday she walked through some of the diagnoses that the seven plaintiffs endured, before asking the court, Can you perform an abortion when that diagnosis is made? or do you have to wait until the patient is showing signs of physical distress?

Plaintiff attorney Linda Goldstein ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

She also argued that the law uses non-medical language. Ms Goldstein said this was important because the only person who can take advantage of the medical exception is the physician, therefore the language must be comprehensible to physicians.

The plaintiffs lawyers suggested using a good faith medical judgment for evaluating these risky situations. Ms Goldstein defined this good faith standard as physicians not being subject to prosecution if there is medical evidence that supports their judgement.

If were going to send someone to prison for 15 years, they have to know theyre doing something that the statute prohibits. If theyre not acting in good faith, we have that assurance, she said.

Ms Goldstein added: The defendants silence in the face of a statute that is plainly sowing confusion throughout Tennessees medical community, appears calculated to deter care and intimidate physicians.

Whitney Hermandorfer, the states defence lawyer, argued in favour of some vagueness in the law, as the law is setting a general standard that applies across innumerable scenarios.

She said, You can always hypothesize edge-case scenarios.

On the subject of vagueness, Ms Hermandorfer later added: It does not render a statute vague as a matter of fact, to put in factual evidence and allegations that particular individuals might not understand or have an idiosyncratic reading of the statute.

Plaintiff Rebecca Fulton ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

[The court] doesnt have to take as factual truth a motion to dismiss certain misreadings or misunderstandings about what the statute says and have that govern statutory language is inherently vague.

Anybody could bring a vagueness challenge if they just went and pulled 10 people on the street and asked, What do you think about this reasonableness standard?

The defence team has argued that the case should be dismissed.

Ms Hermandorfer argued that the plaintiffs are seeking an exception beyond what the law identifies because five of the patient plaintiffs were denied abortions before the medical exception was in effect.

The defence attorney argued that there have to be some allegations of risk that she faces that would reasonably bring her within the bounds of needing a medical exception. However, the plaintiffs have rare diagnoses and that this statute doesnt come into play very often.

The lawyer then turned to the physician plaintiffs. On top of this, she also argued that there is no possibility of prosecution against the physicians because the district attorneys (DAs) have said they wouldnt prosecute them.

A decision on the motion to dismiss the case, or grant the temporary injunction,will be made in due course ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

One of the three judges interjected, Theres no guarantee that they would not criminally prosecute, since that the DAs are elected officials. Just because the DAs say theyre not going to enforce it, that is not a guarantee.

The defence lawyer argued its a multi-step chain that goes beyond just the DAs.

To this point, plaintiff attorney Marc Hearron countered that even if the DAs disavowed prosecution against the doctors who perform abortions in violation of the law, their public statements are not binding. Similarly, their pledge would only apply to criminal penalties  it wouldnt apply to the revocation of a medical licence.

Mr Hearron also pointed out that the attorney general has said publicly that he would seek the appointment of a new prosecutor if a DA refuses to bring prosecution.

A decision on the motion to dismiss the case, or grant the temporary injunction, will be made "as soon as we are able," one of the judges said.
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As workers continue efforts to cut apart and remove the twisted wreckage of what was once the Francis Scott Key Bridge, President Joe Biden vowed that he and his administration will not rest until a replacement span is rebuild and carrying vehicles across the Patapsco River once more.

Standing outside the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department headquarters not far from where the bridge once stood, Mr Biden repeated the promise he made in remarks delivered from the White House, mere hours after the container ship Dali struck one of the half-century-old spans supports, bringing it down and blocking all maritime traffic in and out of Baltimores harbour.

As Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and a bevy of other Old Line State dignaries looked on, Mr Biden said: Were going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge.

Addressing the people of Maryland, the president pledged that with the aid of the states congressional delegation, the country would have your back and the federal government would cover the cost of rebuilding.

He also paid tribute to the four highway workers, hard-working, strong, and selfless, who lost their lives when the bridge span they were repairing plunged from beneath their feet and cast them into the icy water just over two weeks ago.

Recalling how one of them, a man he identified as Carlos, had placed a call to his girlfriend to tell her he and his colleagues were taking a break to rest so the cement theyd just poured could dry, Mr Biden invoked the fallen workers last message as he said he would not rest until the cement has dried on the entirety of a new bridge.

( AP )

The presidents visit to the site of the collapse comes amid continuing questions as to how the promised rebuilding efforts will be funded.

Although Mr Biden has called on Congress to ensure that the federal government covers the entire cost of a new bridge to speed up the process of replacing the downed span, some Republicans have dismissed the idea and have instead suggested the federal government should instead first recover the costs from the owner of the Dali, the container ship which struck the bridges support after it lost propulsion early in the morning of 26 March.

Already, the Biden administration has poured $60m from an emergency fund into the initial salvage and recovery efforts led by the US Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal entities. And Mr Moore, the Maryland chief executive, announced another $60 million had been allocated from the states coffers when he spoke on Friday, just before the president took to the stage.

Mr Biden said those federal funds have been put to good use in implementing what he called the first priority of recovery  reopening the Port of Baltimore.

He said hed directed the Coast Guard, the Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers to remove the twisted wreckage that blocks the vital shipping channel as quickly as possible and as safely as possible, and he also reported that the Army has already announced plans to open a temporary channel for commercial traffic  including the roll-on/roll-off vehicle carriers that are the ports lifeblood  by the end of this month, with a full reopening of the ports shipping lane coming by the end of May.

President Joe Biden thanks first responders for their efforts during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Friday, April 5, 2024 in Dundalk, Md. ( AP )

Continuing, the president said the government will also release $8m to make improvements at the Sparrows Point port facility on the far side of the bridge so it can take on more ships while work to clear the channel continues, as well as Dislocated Worker Grants and Small Business Administration loans to keep workers impacted by the port closure on the job.

He said businesses that rely on the port, including Amazon, Home Depot and Domino Sugar, had committed to keep their workforce on the payroll and their businesses in Baltimore while the cleanup continues.

I call on every company at and around the pointed the same thing  commit to stay ... were coming back soon, folks, he said, adding that his administration would work to rebuild the bridge as rapidly as humanly possible ... with union labour and American steel.

My administration is committed absolutely committed to ensuring that the parties responsible for this strategy pay to repair the damage and be held accountable to the fullest extent the law will allow. But also want to be clear. We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that's here now, he added.
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President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally spoke on Thursday after Israeli airstrikes killed seven aid workers for the nonprofit World Central Kitchen.

The international fallout from the killings has been swift and shows little signs of slowing down. Jose Andres, the celebrity chef who runs World Central Kitchen, accused Israels military on Wednesday of targeting systematically, car by car the aid workers. Andress elevated public platform as a celebrity chef who moonlights as a beloved humanitarian provider means Washington and Jerusalem will continue to hear from him.

So far, Democrats including Biden have only signaled vague calls for an investigation without specifiying what that might entail. One former Pentagon attorney told The Independent that, in their opinion, any such investigation would be perfunctory and performative.

One former State Department official also said: Theres no incentive to investigate if the president and the White House themselves have announced that aid is unconditional.

Biden has received plenty of criticism for his steadfast support for Israel. A small but significant portion of Democratic voters voted uncommitted in primary contests  most recently in Wisconsin on Tuesday  because of it.

And the presidents support for Israel and the outcry after the aid workers deaths also could undermine one of Bidens other major priorities for 2024: providing aid for Ukraine.

After the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, Democratic leaders including Biden pushed to couple Ukraine aid in a bill with aid to Israel. Democrats hoped linking the two would allow the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to pass aid to Ukraine, despite the GOP increasingly turning against the country.

The Senate finally passed a foreign aid bill in February  but House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to take the bill up and the far-right Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened to file a motion to vacate the chair to trigger a removal of Johnson if he passed Ukraine aid.

Of course, Greene pulled the trigger on her motion to vacate, despite Johnson not even passing the Ukraine bill. That gives Democrats considerable leverage to save Johnson. They could effectively force him to pass the Ukraine-Israel aid bill in exchange for not voting to vacate, the same way they did with Kevin McCarthy.

Johnson needs to rely on almost unanimous support from Democrats to pass any legislation, given the razor-thin margins in the House. And herein lies the rub. The House currently has 431 members because of vacancies. That means 287 members would need to vote for the aid package to pass. Sixty-four House Democrats  about a third of the 218 Democrats in total  support a ceasefire in Gaza. That doesnt count the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who number over 100.

Progressives object to the aid package for a number of reasons. Representative Delia Ramierez of Illinois told me last month she did not support a discharge petition to put the package on the floor without Johnsons permission because it has unconditional aid to Israel. Fellow Squad member Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez similarly told me, I don't believe in unconditional aid to the Israeli government particularly, especially in this juncture, when there's been a total lack of restraint.

Indeed, 22 Democrats voted against the most recent minibus spending bill that triggered Greenes motion to vacate. They also objected to its halting of money to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) included in the spending bill.

That gives Johnson  to say nothing of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries  much thinner margins to navigate than he even might have had before. Having a vote on the floor to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine would be a massive embarrassment on the global stage now. Many countries would wonder if it meant the United States is shirking its international obligations.

Biden may have been correct to initially couple Ukraine aid with assistance to Israel, given widespread support for Israel in the GOP. But after the World Central Kitchen workers deaths, linking the two is a terrible PR move, especially given rising criticisms of Israel coming from within Bidens own party. Needless to say, the situation has greatly imperiled aid to Ukraine.
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The mood among staff in the State Department is worse than during the disastrous US invasion of Iraq, according to a former staffer, as the fallout from the killing of seven international aid workers by Israel continues.

I have never seen this much dissent, Charles Blaha, former director of the State Departments Office of Security and Human Rights, told The Independent, amid growing disquiet over president Joe Bidens policy on Gaza.

I was in the State Department for 32 years, including during the Iraq War, and I have never seen this much unhappiness. It was even worse than Iraq. So yeah, people are concerned, Mr Blaha, who maintains contact with current staffers, said.

Mr Biden has come under increasing pressure over his longstanding and unconditional support for Israel nearly six months into the devastating war in Gaza, which has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

The killing of seven international aid workers, including an American citizen, by three precision Israeli airstrikes, caused an uproar around the world and brought a renewed spotlight on Mr Bidens insistence on continuing arms deliveries. Their deaths brought the number of aid workers killed in the conflict to more than 220, according to the United Nations.

On the same day of the deadly strike, the Biden administration approved the transfer of thousands of bombs to Israel, and is currently weighing an $18bn (14.2bn) sale that includes fighter jets and other equipment.

There is a real disconnect between the analysis and policy recommendations of State Department personnel relating to Gaza and Israel-Palestine generally and decisions ultimately being made by the White House Brian Finucane, former legal adviser at the State Department

Despite the internal opposition in the State Department, there have only been two public resignations linked to the war. One of those two, Josh Paul, told The Independent that an increasing number of people are expressing their concerns privately.

Ive certainly heard from a lot of people in the department in recent weeks, at an increasing clip, who are just deeply upset, I can say horrified by the way the department is working and moving forward on arms transfers in the context of what were seeing in Gaza, he said.

My impression is that there are a number of people who are trying to push things in a better direction. There are also probably a larger number of people who are just saying Im not going to touch this stuff, he added.

Mr Paul said he was aware of at least seven internal dissent memos regarding the Biden administrations Gaza policy.

The channel for the dissent memos was created during the Vietnam War for State Department staff to express criticism and disagreements without fear of retribution.

A State Department spokesperson said Mr Blinken welcomes people utilizing the dissent channel.

He takes it seriously, and it causes him to reflect on his own thinking in terms of policymaking and what he proposes to the President, the spokesperson added.

Brian Finucane, who worked for a decade in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the State Department advising on issues related to the laws of war, arms transfers and war crimes, told The Independent that there was a huge gap between the departments rank-and-file and the messaging coming from the White House.

Josh Paul, who resigned over the war between Israel and Hamas, speaks during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in front of the White House in December ( AFP )

Based on my conversations since October with people at the department, there is a real disconnect between the analysis and policy recommendations of State Department personnel relating to Gaza and Israel-Palestine generally and decisions ultimately being made by the White House, he said.

The president is the ultimate decider and on Gaza hes been largely immune to the facts of this disastrous conflict, at least with respect to actual US policy as opposed to rhetoric, Mr Finucane added.

Mr Paul resigned as director of the State Departments bureau of political-military affairs in October, citing an unprecedented unwillingness to consider the humanitarian consequences of our policy decisions.

The absence of a willingness to hold that debate when it comes to Israel is not proof of our commitment to Israels security. Rather, it is proof of our commitment to a policy that, the record shows, is a dead end  and proof of our willingness to abandon our values and turn a blind eye to the suffering of millions in Gaza when it is politically expedient, he said.

Annelle Sheline became the second person to resign, leaving her post at the Near Eastern section of the bureau of democracy, human rights and labour in March, saying she no longer wanted to be affiliated with this administration because it was ignoring US laws by continuing to arm Israel.

Ms Sheline said in an interview following her resignation that she initially planned to leave quietly, but spoke out after being encouraged to do so by her colleagues.

There were certainly many people inside the State Department who are so distraught by whats happening, Ms Sheline told The National.

Secretary of state Antony Blinken responded to an initial flurry of dissent cables over the war in Gaza back in November, writing in a letter to staff to acknowledge the sentiment.

I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll, Mr Blinken said in the letter obtained by Reuters.

Palestinian children play amongst the rubble in Rafah ( AFP )

The anguish that comes with seeing the daily images of babies, children, elderly people, women, and other civilians suffering in this crisis is wrenching. I feel it myself, he said.

Mr Blaha, who retired last year, said he had been asked by several people whether he would have resigned if he was still in his post.

My only answer has been, Im really glad Im not in that position, he said.

Mr Biden told prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future US policy towards Israel will be determined by whether its government takes action to protect aid workers and civilians in Gaza.

The warning came in their first telephone conversation since Israel Defense Force drones fired three missiles into a World Central Kitchen aid convoy.

In a readout of the call, the White House said Mr Biden told the Israeli leader that the strike on aid workers and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza were both unacceptable and made clear to Mr Netanyahu that US policy will hinge on whether his government can announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

The Israeli army announced on Friday that its internal investigation into the incident had concluded.

While admitting that a grave mistake was made, the Israeli military continued to claim innocence over the attack  insisting that the WCK workers were misidentified as Hamas militants. Two military officers have been dismissed from their positions following the findings, the military said.
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This week was Donald Trumps second week on criminal trial  the first of courtroom testimony  and it was certainly eventful.

Jurors heard from the prosecutions first witnesses in the case including lengthy testimony from tabloid mogul David Pecker, who outlined the catch and kill scheme at the heart of the hush money case.

The former president faced calls for $10,000 fines over gag order violations over his continued attacks on witnesses.

And Americans heard Mr Trump both fume about the landmark trial and use it as a campaign platform on Truth Social and in the courthouse corridors.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, in order to stop her coming forward with allegations of a 2006 affair.

Here are the key takeaways from the week:

Day one

Prosecutors lay out criminal conspiracy and cover-up

During opening statements on Monday, prosecutors were direct in laying out the heart of the case, with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo speaks during a hearing ( REUTERS )

telling jurors it was about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up.

The defendant Donald Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his business records, over and over and over again, Mr Colangelo continued.

The prosecutor then laid out the catch-and-kill scheme, arranged between Mr Trumps former attorney Michael Cohen and Mr Pecker to block negative press about Mr Trump.

Mr Colangelo told the jury that while no politician wants bad press, evidence will show this was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy. It was election fraud. Pure and simple, he said.

Defence tries to humanise Trump

In the defences opening statement, lead attorney Todd Blanche tried to humanise Mr Trump  while still vowing to refer to him as President Trump.

This is a title he has earned, Mr Blanche said.

But hes not just the former president, the defence attorney continued. Hes not just Donald Trump that youve seen on TV or read about or seen photos of. Hes also a man, hes a husband, hes a father. And just like me, said Mr Blanche.

Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court and delivers remarks to the media ( AP )

President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes. The Manhattan District Attorneys office should have never brought this case.

Mr Blanche also tried to discredit the prosecutions star witness in the case, Michael Cohen, stressing his 2018 guilty plea for lying to Congress and that he had been found liable for perjury in the past.

On top of this, Mr Blanche argued that Cohen is obsessed with Mr Trump.

Cohens financial livelihood depends on President Trumps destruction, according to Mr Blanche. He cannot be trusted.

Day two

Potential gag order violations

Judge Juan Merchan held an hour-long hearing around potential gag order violations.

Prosecutors accused Mr Trump of violating the gag order, which bars him from making public statements about potential witnesses, court staff and the families of the judge and DA, on at least 10 different occasions.

Defence attorney Todd Blanche meanwhile argued that Mr Trumps posts were responding to political attacks. However, he failed to provide any example of what Mr Trump was responding to, leading to a scolding from the judge.

You presented nothing, a frustrated Judge Merchan said. Youre losing all credibility, Ill tell you that right now.

The judge also warned Mr Trump directly against intimidating jurors in his courtroom.

The judge has yet to make a ruling on the alleged gag order breaches. Prosecutors suggested imposing a $10,000 fine against Mr Trump and ordering him to remove the offending posts, noting they have not yet asked for jail time.

The threat of penalty hasnt deterred Mr Trump from continuing to rant about the case on Truth Social and to reporters as he enters and exits the courtroom.

A behind-the-scenes look at tabloid journalism

In his testimony, Mr Pecker provided a peek behind the curtain on what was happening at some of his tabloids.

Mr Pecker described a mutually beneficial scheme to keep the National Enquirer jam-packed with stories boosting Mr Trumps 2016 election odds while ensuring negative stories never saw the light of day.

As part of the arrangement, Mr Pecker would notify Cohen of any unflattering stories about the candidate  particularly those involving women. Since Mr Trump was well-known as the most eligible bachelor, dating the most beautiful women, and it was clear based on my past experiences that when someone is running for office like this, it is very common for these women to call up a magazine like the National Enquirer to try and sell their stories, the former publisher testified.

Writing positive stories about Mr Trump and negative stories about his opponents would help him and it would help me, Mr Pecker explained  as it would help him sell his tabloids.

Jurors were shown a number of positive National Enquirer headlines and covers about Mr Trump, like DONALD TRUMP: HEALTHIEST INDIVIDUAL EVER ELECTED! They were also shown negative ones about his 2016 GOP primary opponents, like DONALD TRUMP BLASTS TED CRUZS DAD FOR PHOTO WITH JFK ASSASSIN.

Pecker is questioned by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass ( REUTERS )

Doormans story about a love child

Jurors heard how the scheme was first put into practice after a former Trump World Tower doorman, Dino Sajudin, claimed that the then-2016 candidate had a love child with a maid working at Trump Tower.

Mr Pecker testified that Dylan Howard, then editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, told him that Dino was in the market for selling a story and so he called Cohen to tell him. Cohen told Mr Pecker it was absolutely not true but that he would look into it, he testified.

I asked Dylan to negotiate a price, negotiate a number, to buy the story and take it off the market, he said.

Mr Pecker told the court they agreed upon $30,000 for the story and Cohen told him that the boss was very pleased, referring to Mr Trump.

I thought it was very important that Dino wouldnt be shopping the story to other media outlets, he told the court.

However, he then revealed his more selfish motivation for the transaction  if he could have verified the story, he would have published it. It would probably be the biggest sale of the National Enquirer since the death of Elvis Presley, Mr Pecker said.

Day three

How Playboy model affair story unfolded

During the third day of testimony, Mr Pecker shed light on how he came across former Playboy model Karen McDougals story  that she had a 10-month affair with Mr Trump in 2006, one year after he had married Melania.

Mr Howard had interviewed Ms McDougal, learning of the alleged affair and how Mr Trump apparently called her a 12 out of 10, Mr Pecker told the court.

Although Mr Howard warned there was no corroborating evidence, Mr Pecker said he believed the story to be true. He testified that he initially offered the former model $10,000 to buy the story but she turned it down.

Mr Howard later told Mr Pecker that ABC was interested in buying Ms McDougals story, but that I knew from my experience that ABC doesnt buy stories.

Mr Howard had concluded that Ms McDougal didnt want the story to be published. She said she didnt want to be the next Monica Lewinsky, Mr Pecker added.

The boss will take care of it

During testimony about buying the rights to these stories, Mr Pecker told the court about his interactions with Mr Trump on the matters  directly linking the criminal defendant to the arrangements.

Cohen had given Mr Pecker the green light to pay the former Playboy model $150,000 for the rights to her story, Mr Pecker told the court.

Dont worry about it. Im your friend. The boss will take care of it, Mr Pecker recalled Cohen telling him, inferring that the boss meant Mr Trump.

Mr Pecker recalled another occasion after he had won the 2016 election, when Mr Trump asked him: Hows our girl? referring to Ms McDougal. Mr Trump also thanked him for handling the McDougal story and the doorman situation, he told the court.

He said the stories would be very embarrassing  to him, his family and the campaign, Mr Pecker testified.

Mr Trump even invited the former tabloid boss to a thank you dinner at the White House to show his gratitude for killing damaging stories, Mr Pecker testified  testimony that shone a light on how the former president used his position in the White House to manage blowback from the scheme.

An unhappy-looking Trump appears in criminal court ( EPA )

Trump was very upset when McDougal affair story leaked

Despite the substantial efforts to block other outlets from getting access to Ms McDougals story, it did eventually become public  and, according to Mr Pecker, this made Mr Trump very upset.

The Wall Street Journal published an article just days before Election Day in 2016, unleashing the blockbuster story.

Mr Pecker recalled Mr Trump phoning him, very upset, saying, How could this happen? I thought you had this under control.

Mr Pecker testified that AMIs deal with Ms McDougal was for the lifetime rights to her story. Mr Pecker recalled then telling Cohen that the deal was off after his conversations with counsel about the transaction. He was very, very angry, very upset, screaming basically at me, Mr Pecker said. He recalled Cohen saying: The boss will be very angry with you.

To this day, the publisher has never been reimbursed, Mr Pecker said on the stand.

Celebrities dragged into the case

During the former AMI chiefs testimony, several celebrities and high-profile figures were dragged into the case, including Rahm Emanuel, Mark Wahlberg and Tiger Woods.

But one person in particular set the stage for Mr Peckers wariness to conceal politically-linked stories: The Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr Pecker said he had struck up an arrangement with the actor to conceal compromising stories about him when he was campaigning to become governor of California  long before the publishers dealings with Mr Trump.

Mr Pecker recalled Schwarzenegger saying: I plan on running for governor and I would like you to not publish any negative stories about me now and in the future, and Ill continue being the editor of Muscle & Fitness and Flex and be a spokesperson. Mr Pecker said he agreed to the arrangement.

When the actor announced his gubernatorial bid, a number of women called up the National Enquirer with stories to sell on different relationships, or contacts, or sexual harassment that they felt that Arnold Schwarzenegger did, the former publisher testified. Mr Pecker outlined the agreement: I would call him and advise [Schwarzenegger] of other stories that were out there and I wouldbuy them for a period of time.

This experience made me sensitive about buying any stories in the future. Thats how I became sensitive about this topic, Mr Pecker told the court.

None of the celebrities are accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

First mention of Stormy Daniels

Stormy Daniels name cropped up in Mr Peckers testimony for the first time on Thursday when he told the court that Cohen had come to him asking for his help to get Mr Trump to pay him his bonus.

I understood he was complaining that he had not been repaid, Mr Pecker said.

Michael Cohen had paid Stormy Daniels out of his own funds, which is the first time that I had heard of that. I wasnt involved in that transaction, the former publisher testified.

Stormy Daniels, speaks outside US Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti in 2018 ( AFP via Getty Images )

So Mr Pecker approached Mr Trump, telling him: Michael Cohen is very concerned about this bonus this year and I want you to know hes very loyal, hes been working very hard from my perspective, I believe hed throw himself in front of a bus for you.

The former publisher recalled Mr Trump saying: I dont know what youre talking about. Michael Cohen has multiple apartments in my buildings.  He owns 15 taxi medallions.

Mr Pecker testified Mr Trump then added: Dont worry about it. Ill take care of it.

Day four

Two sides spar over whether Trump deserves title of president

Early in the day on Friday, the two sides briefly sparred over whether or not Mr Trump deserves to go by the title of president during his trial.

The moment came about as Mr Trumps defence attorney Emil Bove repeatedly referred to the defendant as President Trump when speaking about events prior to him taking office.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass tried to object saying: He wasnt president in June 2016.

In opening statements on Monday, defence attorney Todd Blanche had told the jury that his legal team planned on referring to their client as President Trump because its a title he has earned.

Trump attorneys try to poke holes in Peckers testimony

During cross-examination, Mr Bove tried to cast doubt on the former tabloid bosss lengthy testimony about the catch and kill scheme.

But despite multiple attempts to impeach Mr Peckers credibility, the former publisher repeatedly affirmed his under-oath descriptions of his meetings with Mr Trump.

At one point on Friday, Mr Bove tried to get Mr Pecker to admit that he either lied on the witness stand or to federal law enforcement about Mr Trump thanking him for his help burying stories of Mr Trumps alleged affairs.

Pecker being questioned on the stand ( AP )

Was that a mistake? Mr Bove asked. Do you believe Trump said that to you as we sit here right now?

Mr Bove then handed Mr Pecker a report from his interview with federal prosecutors and the FBI in 2018, alleging that Mr Peckers prior testimony contradicted his earlier interview.

This is the FBIs interview, is that correct? These are the FBI notes? The FBI notes, some of these here, are wrong. I know what I testified to yesterday, Mr Pecker said.

I know what the truth is, he added. I cant state why its written this way.

Pecker doubles down that McDougal payment was made to help Trumps election odds

Mr Pecker previously called his relationship with Mr Trump mutually beneficial  using his tabloid empire to identify negative stories about the then-2016 candidate in an effort to boost Mr Trumps election chances.

However, the former AMI chief testified on Friday that one aspect of the agreement did not benefit him at all: the Karen McDougal story. That story was killed and the payment made with the sole purpose of helping Mr Trumps election odds, he testified,

Mr Pecker repeatedly testified that stories about Mr Trump were big sellers for the National Enquirer. Burying Ms McDougals story was against his own business interest, prosecutors sought to point out.

Karen McDougal speaking to CNN about Donald Trump ( CNN )

Had you published a story about a Playboy model having a yearlong sexual affair while he was married  Would that have sold magazines? Mr Joshua Steinglass asked. That would be like, National Enquirer gold.

Mr Pecker agreed.

At the time you entered into that agreement, you had zero intention of publishing that story, Mr Steinglass said. You killed the story because it helped candidate Donald Trump.

Yes, Mr Pecker said.

Stormy Daniels Trump Tower visit - and Apprentice plans - revealed

Two new witnesses briefly took the stand on Friday.

The first was Rhona Graff, Mr Trumps former personal assistant at the Trump Organization, who testified that she has a vague recollection of seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower before his 2016 presidential campaign.

She assumed that Ms Daniels may have been at the office to discuss a role with The Celebrity Apprentice, Mr Trumps former hit reality TV competition series on NBC, she said.

The network severed ties with Mr Trump in 2015 after his presidential campaign launch and his derogatory comments about immigrants.

Ms Graff recalled that Mr Trump believed Ms Daniels would be a good contestant on the show.

I cant remember a specific incident when I heard it. It was part of the office chatter, she said.

Third witness takes the stand

Gary Farro, a banker assigned to Cohen at First Republic Bank, testified that Cohen urgently asked for his help setting up an LLC shell company while negotiating a hush money payment to Ms Daniels in 2016.

That account, Essential Consultants LLC, was used to wire Ms Daniels the $130,000 payment at the heart of the presidents criminal case.

Mr Farro will resume his testimony on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Trumpworld

Beyond the courtroom, there was a lot of other happenings in Trumpworld this week.

Civil fraud bond deal

On Monday, lawyers for Mr Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess office reached a deal around the payment of his $175m bond in his civil fraud case, so long as the collateral remains in cash.

The AGs office had previously expressed concerns about the underwriter Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

E Jean Carroll

On Thursday, a federal court upheld the verdict in former Elle columnist E Jean Carrolls $83m defamation case against Mr Trump  rejecting his request for a new trial.

In May 2023, Mr Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll, and earlier this year, a jury determined that Mr Trump had defamed Ms Carroll, awarding her $65m in punitive damages and $18m in compensatory damages.

Supreme Court immunity case

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday in the landmark case involving the former presidents claims of presidential immunity from prosecution.

During oral arguments, the justices appeared poised to allow some, but not absolute, immunity. The case stems from special counsel Jack Smiths federal indictment against Mr Trump, accusing him of engaging in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and stay in the White House.
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Donald Trumps $175m bond in his New York civil fraud case has been thrown into doubt by New York Attorney General Letitia James after she filed a notice asking for evidence that the out-of-state firm that underwrote it really has the money to pay up.

Ms Jamess office submitted a notice of exception to the sufficiency of the surety on Thursday asking for further proof that California-based Knight Specialty Insurance Company (KSIC) has the capital to proceed on the former presidents behalf.

KSIC is not regulated by New York state, which means that it is not authorised to issue surety bonds in the Empire State and therefore cannot obtain a certificate from the New York Department of Financial Services, which is customarily part of any bond package.

Defendants or KSIC shall file a motion to justify the surety within 10 days of the service of this notice, failing which the bond shall be without effect, except that the surety shall remain liable on the bond until a new undertaking is given and allowed, the notice read.

Judge Arthur Engoron  who presided over the original three-month trial that ended on 16 February with Mr Trump and his fellow Trump Organization executives being found liable for illegally inflating the value of company assets to obtain favourable terms from lenders  has already moved to schedule a hearing on the matter for 22 April.

Mr Trump finally placed the bond on Easter Monday after a panel of New York appeals court justices granted him a 10-day extension on the original 25 March deadline and ruled that he need only pay $175m  a portion of the full $464m bond representing the value of the entire judgement against him.

KSIC is owned by Republican billionaire Don Hankey  a man dubbed the king of the subprime auto loan whose Axos Bank has previously helped refinance loans on several of Mr Trumps luxury properties.

Mr Hankey said on Tuesday that his client had provided the full $175m in cash as collateral for the bond.

Earlier on Thursday, key paperwork from the bond filing was rejected and returned for correction to Mr Trumps legal team before being swiftly refiled with the requested financial statement from KSIC and two other missing details.

The additional documents suggest KSIC held total assets of $539m at the end of 2023 and $13m in surplus to policyholders while its parent companys total assets stood at $2.2bn with $1m in surplus.

New York Attorney General Letitia James ( AP )

Bruce Lederman, an attorney with DL Partners, told CNN on Thursday it was understandable that Ms James should wish to know more about the underwriters capabilities and pointed out that Mr Trump can ask Judge Engoron to sign off on KSIC.

If they seek court approval of Knight Specialty, I believe that the attorney general will want proof that the company is actually holding the $175m in cash collateral so the bond can be immediately paid if the judgement is affirmed without needing to wait to try to liquidate pledged assets, he said.

However, Mr Trumps attorney Chris Kise responded to the the attorney generals questioning of KSIC by accusing her of engaging in a baseless public quarrel.

After hiding out in silence following an embarrassing loss in the First Department, which does not bode well for the future of her baseless and vindictive political crusade, the attorney general now seeks to stir up some equally baseless public quarrel in a desperate effort to regain relevance, he said.

Separately, Ms Jamess office also approached Judge Engoron on Thursday requesting that the independent monitor appointed to oversee the Trump Organizations affairs also investigate whether the defence withheld relevant and responsive information during the trial, citing the companys former CFO Allen Weisselberg pleading guilty to perjury charges last month.

By paying the bond on Monday, Mr Trump ensured that Ms James was prevented, for now, from repossessing some of the key assets in his hometown real estate empire like Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street.

The Republican presidential candidate is appealing the case and could yet be forced to pay the $464m judgement in full should he lose.
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Donald Trump criticised President Joe Bidens handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict and seemingly stepped back his support for the country as they wage war in Gaza  but made no mention of the seven World Central Kitchen workers killed by Isaraeli airstrikes on Wednesday.

In an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, the former president asserted that Mr Biden was grossly incompetent  citing the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan  and advised Israel not to follow the presidents advice as tensions heat up between Israel and the US.

I wouldnt listen to them. I wouldnt take any instruction from them. Israel knows what theyre doing, Mr Trump said.

Instead, the former president suggested Israel should get it over with and warned that they were losing the PR war by continuing to attack Gaza in their pursuit of Hamas.

What I said very plainly is get it over with, and lets get back to peace and stop killing people. And thats a very simple statement. Get it over with. Theyve got to finish what they finish. They have to get it done. Get it over with, and get it over with fast, because we have to, you have to get back to normalcy and peace, Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump, typically a fervent supporter of Israel, seemed more apprehensive to throw 100 per cent support behind Israel. He told Mr Hewitt he wasnt sure if he was loving the way [Israels] doing it.

Criticism of Israels handling of the war has been mounting over the last few months as more innocent civilians die and Gaza faces dire threats of starvation and disease. Mr Biden, who also supported Israel at the start of the conflict, recently warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect aid workers and civilians after the death of a Canadian-American aid worker.

Donald Trump talks with Benjamin Netanyahu during a ceremony in Jerusalem, May 2017 ( AP )

More than 30,000 civilians in Gaza have died since the start of the conflict on 7 October.

Despite no mention of civilian or aid workers deaths, or holding Israel directly responsible, Mr Trumps words were an apparent departure from the long-held view that he and many other Republicans have held for years.

But in true Trump fashion, the former president quickly pivoted back to blaming Mr Biden for the whole world blowing up, calling him the most corrupt, dumbest and most incompetent president.

Mr Trump often asserts that world conflicts, like the one in Gaza or Ukraine, would have never happened if he were president.
Turkiye has asked NATO members to support Ankara in its fight against terrorism, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

"We underlined that NATO member countries should fully and unconditionally support Turkiye in the fight against terrorism," Fidan told reporters in Brussels.

Fidan's remarks came after a two-day NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, where he also held sideline talks with his counterparts.

During his talks, Fidan said he also emphasized that some NATO member countries should not cooperate with the terrorist organization, particularly in Syria.

"We said this is against the spirit of the NATO alliance," he added.

Stressing that it was agreed upon the appointment of a counter-terrorism coordinator at last year's Vilnius Summit, Fidan said efforts are continuing for NATO to look at the fight against terrorism "structurally."

The minister said he discussed with his counterparts the activities of the terrorist organization PKK in Europe.

"What is sad for them (European countries) is that the terrorist organization, which they have been silent about for years, is terrorizing their own streets. It is not a surprise to us that they are seeing these things now," he added.

Fidan said the countries should not only condemn the terror group's acts of violence against the Turkish nationals living in Europe, but also they should take "very serious" measures to combat it.

"I see authorities increasingly becoming more sensitive in Europe. This is actually a pleasing issue. I see that tolerance towards PKK is gradually decreasing. This is important," he added.

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK  listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the EU  has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKKs Syrian offshoot.

Next NATO secretary-general

Turning to the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding, Fidan said Turkiye has been an important member of the alliance since 1952.

"It has been contributing to NATO for 72 years. Our armed forces actively participate in NATO missions," he added.

Fidan announced that the informal NATO foreign minister meeting will be held in Turkiye next year.

About the race for being the next NATO chief, Fidan said he recently met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who announced his bid to become the next secretary-general.

"It is possible that he will visit Turkiye soon. We are working on a date," he said.

Stoltenbergs term is scheduled to end on Oct. 1 after ten years.

Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Rutte in a phone call that Ankara would back a candidate to be NATO's new chief based on its expectations and needs.

Erdogan emphasized the need for the new secretary-general to best serve the security and interests of members in the fight against terrorism and other challenges, bolster the unity of the alliance, prioritize NATO's fundamental duty, and deliver convincing commitments to uphold the alliance's core values and established practices, as well as consider the sensitivities of non-EU allies.

Stressing that Turkiye clearly expressed his expectation that the process carried out with current chief Jens Stoltenberg will be put forward by the new secretary-general, Fidan said: "I think our president will also announce his decision (soon)."

Regional issues

About the restrictions on Turkiye in the defense industry, Fidan said he told his counterparts that they are not "compatible with the spirit of the alliance and that the restrictions should be removed."

Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan said Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba gave information about the war during the meeting.

Turkiye emphasized that it stands by Ukraine's security and sovereignty, and underlined that alternative ways to peace and cease-fire should be sought to stop the war, he added.

Fidan also said he discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip with his counterparts on the sidelines of the NATO meeting and voiced concern over the "unbearable" situation in the enclave.

"In particular, we have repeatedly raised the need for a cease-fire, urgent humanitarian aid and a two-state solution perspective. Here's the good thing. Now, all our counterparts almost agree with us.

"It is important for the international community to reach this understanding during the process in terms of diplomatic gains, but more needs to be done in terms of changing something on the ground. Our determination on this issue continues," he added.

President Erdogan's visit to US

During his sideline meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Brussels, Fidan said they also discussed the upcoming visit of Erdogan to the US upon the invitation of his counterpart Joe Biden.

Fidan said Erdogan's agenda will include different issues, including bilateral and regional relations, with Gaza coming first among these.

Stressing that the Ukraine issue will also be on the agenda, Fidan said: "These two wars concern our region. At the same time, they both trigger global fault lines and there are other risk areas that they will trigger. Our president will continue to draw attention to them and emphasize our sensitivities on these issues."

Fidan said enhancement of the relations in other areas, such as economy, technology, and trade, will also be on the agenda.

Erdogan's perspective is to remove Turkish-American relations from being "solely security-oriented" and to create a "more balanced and broader" set of relations, he added.
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An Australian TV network paid a former political staffer accused of rape for sex and drugs before he agreed to an exclusive interview with the channel, a former producer said during his court testimony.

The TV channel, Seven Network, has denied the allegations that the channel paid for sex and drugs as pre-production expenses to secure the interview.

Former Seven Network producer Taylor Auerbach made the allegations during his testimony in a separate defamation case on Thursday. Mr Auerbach, the networks current affairs programme Spotlights former producer, provided an invoice to the federal court on Thursday as evidence, stating that Seven was invoiced by Bruce Lehrmann for expenses incurred during negotiations.

Brittany Higgins, an ex-staffer for former Defence Industry minister Linda Reynolds, went public last year with the allegation that she had been sexually assaulted in a ministerial office in the Parliament House in Canberra in March 2019. Mr Lehrmann is the defendant in the case who has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent and has denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.

The allegation rocked the former government led by Scott Morrison as he struggled to placate assuage public anger months before a general election amid reports of sexual abuse, discrimination against women, and misconduct in parliament.

Mr Lehrmann is suing another channel, Network 10, over what he claims are false accusations of rape. Seven Network, which faced scrutiny over its exclusive interview with Mr Lehrmann, asserts that it acted appropriately throughout the proceedings.

Seven is appalled by the allegations made in recent days. We do not condone the behaviours described in these allegations. They do not reflect the culture of Seven, a spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC.

Seven is not a party to the defamation proceedings.

Mr Auerbach told the court that the negotiations with Mr Lehrmann reportedly included a night in Sydney involving cocaine and sex workers. He testified to negotiations over compensation for Mr Lehrmanns appearance on Spotlight during his criminal trial, with discussions of a possible $200,000 payment.

Mr Auerbach testified that Mr Lehrmann claimed he needed to replenish his bank account after the incident, which was allegedly done through an invoice to Seven, including $750 labelled as pre-production expenses.

That was the vaguest of categories we could choose without being deceptive or misleading, Mr Auerbach told the court.

He was asked by lawyers whether this was paid for by Seven.

Yes, he told the court. Mr Lerhmann told me he received the funds.

Mr Lehrmanns lawyer Matthew Richardson, however, questioned this version. Even the least worldly person in this room, which regrettably is probably me, would know that this is a stretch.

Journalist Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 are defending against a defamation claim filed by Mr Lehrmann following an interview with Ms Higgins regarding her alleged rape.

Mr Lehrmanns criminal trial for the alleged rape was halted due to juror misconduct and subsequently abandoned due to concerns for Ms Higginss well-being. The rape charge against him has now been dropped.

Sevens Spotlight programme pursued Mr Lehrmann for an interview after he chose not to testify in his criminal trial. In the subsequent two-part exclusive interview with the network, Mr Lehrmann expressed ignorance regarding the circumstances leading to Ms Higgins being found unclothed in their bosss office and discussed the negative impact of the case on his life.

Sevens two-part exclusive with Mr Lehrmann was later named as a finalist in Australias top media awards in the Scoop of the Year category. But Mr Lehrmann filed a defamation lawsuit against Network 10 and Wilkinson before the story aired, asserting that the alleged assault never occurred and that they severely damaged his reputation.

He was not named in the report by Wilkinson but Mr Lehrmann says he was easily identifiable, the BBC reported.
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Denmark closed part of its airspace and one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes on Thursday following a failed missile test.

Vessels were warned not to sail through the Great Belt strait, the main maritime access to the Baltic Sea, after a technical error on a navy vessel close to the Danish coast.

The problem occurred during a mandatory test where the missile launcher is activated and cannot be deactivated, the military said in a statement.

Until the missile launcher is deactivated, there is a risk that the missile can fire and fly a few kilometres away.

A naval exercise was ongoing in the area, a navigational warning showed.

The warning covered an area some five to seven kilometres of the Great Belt bridge, which crosses the strait. The bridge remained open to traffic, its operator said.

Area of shipping lane and airspace affected by the test failure ( Danish Armed Forces )

The Danish military said the missile was launched from the frigate Niels Juel, which has taken part in Nato exercises after joining its standing naval force last year.

In a statement, the military said the missile failure had been caused by a technical problem and that specialists had been deployed to carry out an investigation.

However, until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometres away.

The incident happened during a test of a Harpoon missile, with the military saying the failure affected only the booster, meaning there was no danger of the missile exploding.

Local police were also informed about the incident and ships were asked to wait while the problem was resolved.

Earlier this year the Niels Juel was part of a number of Nato warships that took part in exercises off the UK coast.

HMS Prince of Wales also took part in Joint Warrior, a mission aimed at testing the readiness of the UK Carrier Strike Group and its ability to deter threats.

Nato has ramped up exercises in the waters around Europe since Russias invasion of Ukraine.
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France has launched an investigation after a 14-year-old school girl was left in a coma after being brutally assaulted by three teenagers in the southern city of Montpellier.

The teen is now out of the medically induced coma but remains disturbed and traumatized, her mother said.

She alleged that her daughter was repeatedly bullied by some students, possibly over her clothing they deemed un-Islamic.

The three students suspected in the attack are a girl and two boys, all of 14 years of age, studying in the same school as the victim. They have been arrested by the police.

The attack comes as tensions are running high in French schools following the killing of two teachers in 2020.

The teen was attacked on Tuesday afternoon outside Arthur Rimbaud college in the district of La Mosson-La Paillade, prosecutors said, adding that she was seriously wounded.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with the girl and her family in televised comments but said he would not categorise the attack.

At this stage I would be wary of categorising things and I want the full truth to be established in calm and the conclusions to be drawn then, he said.

Students arrive on April 4, 2024 in Montpellier, southern France, at the College Arthur-Rimbaud secondary school a day after a 14-year-old girl was assaulted outside the school ( AFP via Getty Images )

Education minister Nicole Belloubet ordered an investigation and asked for a report on the circumstances surrounding the attack within eight working days from Friday.

This mission will aim both to establish the reality of the facts and to establish responsibilities, Ms Belloubet told BFMTV.

One of the accused has admitted to having assaulted the victim, the prosecutors said in a statement on Wednesday.

The mother of the injured teen said her daughter was bullied for the past two-and-a-half years, mainly over the clothes she chose to wore.

I dont actually understand this childs reasons for constantly attacking (her daughter), but there is something. I think its  the fact that she (daughter)  is maybe a little more liberated than some students, she told BFMTV.

She said she is shocked and if this is the reason for the harassment against my daughter, it is very serious.

I let my daughter express herself while monitoring her. I am a mother, but my daughter has grown up and makes her own choices, she added.

Last week, the education minister ordered the setting up of a mobile security force outside schools that were experiencing difficulties amid a rise in threats.

Samuel Paty, who taught history and geography, was decapitated in a Paris suburb in 2020 by an 18-year-old who was born in Moscow of Chechen origin. He was shot dead by police soon after the attack.

Another teacher Dominique Bernard was murdered at his school in Arras in October 2023 in the latest incident of a terror attack that shocked France.
 Close UK has fasttracked the production of laser energy and radio waves weaponry

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German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he urged Chinese president Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine.

Mr Scholz told Mr Xi in a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday that Chinas word carries weight in Russia.

I have therefore asked president Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war, he wrote on social media platform X.

Earlier, a Russian source said Moscow was ready to redeploy Wagner troops working in Africa to bolster its offensive in Ukraine.

The source claimed Russian authorities are preparing to redeploy unspecified detachments of the Africa Corps from Africa to Belgorod, Ukraine, according to US think tank Institute for the Study of War.
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A former security guard has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for helping a gunman procure the weapon used in a terrorist attack at a French Christmas market in 2018.

At least five people were killed and 11 others sustained injuries after 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, armed with a gun and a knife, went on a killing spree at the market in Strasbourg.

A French court on Thursday found Audrey Mondjehi, 42, guilty of terrorism-related charges, including helping the accused find a weapon for the terror attack. However, the court was told that the Ivory Coast origin man did not know the purpose of acquiring the weapon.

Mondjehi and Chekatt, who had a long criminal record with over 20 convictions, were former prison cell mates and shared a good relationship, the court was told.

"I think deeply and feel a lot of sadness for all the victims. All my life I will regret what happened," Mondjehi told the court in his final statement.

"I would never have thought that he would have done that, I never thought that he [Chekatt], was radicalised," he said, according to The Guardian.

Mondjehi met Chekatt in prison and years later, Chekatt had asked him to help procure a weapon, the court was told.

Convicting Mondjehi, the judge said he was found guilty because of his very close relation to Chekatt and that he knew of his violent radicalism.

Mondjehis lawyers argued that he should not have been convicted under terrorism charges as the defendant was unaware of Chekatts plans.

Mondjehi was one of four defendants who went under trial before a special court in Paris on 29 February. Two other men were handed shorter sentences for assisting Chekatt, while the fourth man was acquitted.

Arnaud Friedrich, a lawyer representing some of the victims' kin, said it was a "key moment" for his bereaved families.

The theory of a lone wolf has been discarded. The court has recognised that the principal accused could not have been unaware of Chekatts terrorist project and provided him with vital help," he told AFP news agency.

Chekatt was killed in the Neudorf district of Strasbourg two days after the shooting following what police described as a counter-terror operation.

Chekatt was on Frances S-list of potential security threats. He was described by police as a delinquent with close to 30 prior convictions, who had served prison sentences not just in France, but also in Germany and Switzerland.

He is alleged to have yelled god is great in Arabic before opening fire from a security zone near the Christmas market.
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A Ukrainian man has been jailed for life for helping Russia target a missile strike on a pizzeria in the eastern city of Kramatorsk last year.

The 27 June attack on Ria Pizza killed 13 people, including novelist Victoria Amelina, and wounded 61. The attack also destroyed several nearby structures.

A local resident was sentenced to life imprisonment for guiding the occupiers missile attack on the pizzeria in Kramatorsk, the office of the war-torn countrys prosecutor general said on Wednesday.

The convicted man, whose identity wasnt immediately known, was recruited by an intelligence operative in the Russia-controlled Donetsk region and tasked with gathering information about the restaurant, the prosecutor generals office said.

The convict agreed to the offer, the office added. In the city centre, he noticed cars with military licence plates in the car park and military themselves in the restaurant.

It said the man covertly recorded two videos of the site, which he immediately sent to his handler on Telegram before covering up evidence of his actions.

He was convicted on charges of confiscation of property for high treason.

Kramatorsk is a frontline city that houses the Ukrainian armys regional headquarters. The restaurant was frequented by journalists, aid workers and soldiers, as well as local people.

Ukrainian officials have sped up investigations and criminal cases against citizens suspected of helping and abetting Russian forces who invaded the country in February 2022.
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Families in northern Gaza are being forced to live on less than a can of fava beans a day, Oxfam has said, as senior UN officials described malnourished newborns so small that they weigh little more than a kilo.

More than 300,000 people are still believed to be trapped in the north of the besieged strip, which has seen the worst of Israels ferocious bombardment and where little to no aid has been getting in.

There, since January, families have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day, according to Oxfam  less than 12 per cent of the average recommended daily calorie intake.

Israel is making deliberate choices to starve civilians, said Amitabh Behar, Oxfams international executive director.

Imagine what it is like, not only to be trying to survive on 245 calories  day in, day out  but also having to watch your children or elderly relatives do the same.

It comes as some aid agencies have said they will have to pull back from Gaza over concerns for the safety of their staff after Israeli forces admitted killing seven employees of food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) in a drone attack despite the fact that the aid workers were travelling in a deconflicted area. Israel has since promised to open three new aid corridors.

WCK has served over 30 million meals inside Gaza, and its work has formed a major part of the response to the looming famine. The charity has had to suspend its operations over safety concerns in the wake of the fatal bombing.

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN coordinator for aid in the occupied Palestinian territory, says that a third of all children under the age of two in Gaza are malnourished ( Reuters )

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN coordinator for aid in the occupied Palestinian territory, who visited Gaza recently, said the pullback by aid agencies in response to the killing of the seven WCK aid workers  along with more than 220 others since October  had come at the worst time given the hunger crisis.

He said that right now a third of all children in Gaza under the age of two are malnourished.

Food assistance to combat famine is desperately needed everywhere. It is a time of great hardship and suffering, he told The Independent after returning from a visit to Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the only facilities in the war-ravaged north that is still treating newborns and children.

There he described visiting neonatal wards where there were multiple babies in a single incubator. He said he had seen skeletal toddlers, and newborn babies, drowning in their nappies, who weighed little more than a bag of sugar.

Every single child was in a terrible condition  the dehydration, the emaciation was unimaginable. Some of the children were so skinny you could see their ribcages, he said.

There was a newborn who weighed just 1.2kg and was tiny inside his [nappy]. I saw his small spindly legs coming out of the bottom. His hand was no bigger than my thumb.

Israel launched its heaviest bombardment yet of Gaza, along with a crippling siege, in retaliation for the 7 October massacre by Hamas on southern Israel, where militants killed at least 1,200 people and took another 240, including children, hostage.

Palestinian health officials in the Hamas-run territory say that Israels bombing has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them women and children.

Now aid agencies fear that starvation will be the next major killer to stalk the besieged strip. Over a million people are suffering an extreme level of hunger, according to a UN-backed report.

Some aid agencies have said they will have to pull back from Gaza over concerns for their workers safety after Israeli forces admitted killing seven employees of food charity World Central Kitchen in a drone attack ( Reuters )

Israel has been accused by multiple UN agencies and aid groups of being responsible for a man-made famine because of its restrictions on aid going into and through Gaza  including aid being stopped at the southern entry point from Egypt, and convoys going to the north being barred or turned back.

Israel has vehemently denied the presence of famine in Gaza as well as accusations that it is using hunger as a weapon of war. Cogat, the defence ministry body charged with coordinating with the Palestinians, has repeatedly told The Independent that there are no limits on aid deliveries to Gaza.

But under searing pressure from the international community, in particular its closest ally the US, the Israeli government announced on Friday that it would finally reopen its first land crossing into northern Gaza and temporarily allow supplies for the territory to come in via the port of Ashdod in southern Israel.

It did not say when the Erez crossing would open  and many fear, in the wake of the killing of the WCK workers, that there are still not sufficient security guarantees to allow safe passage of the aid even if it does get in.

This strangulation of food and medical supplies has meant, according to Oxfams analysis, that families in northern Gaza have been subsisting on a few hundred calories a day since January. There, children are already dying from starvation and malnutrition, worsened by disease.

Israel is making deliberate choices to starve civilians Amitabh Behar, international executive director, Oxfam

Oxfam said that hunger and its effects are exacerbated by the near complete destruction of civilian infrastructure  including hospitals, water and sanitation services, and community health support  which has left people even more vulnerable to disease.

Gazas agriculture industry has also been destroyed  and so the small amounts of fruit and vegetables that are available are prohibitively costly. Specialist nutrition products and centres to treat malnourished children are also difficult or impossible to find.

Mr McGoldrick said that access for aid is still limited, and that aid agencies need the sort of security and protection that clearly does not exist.
As Benjamin Netanyahus government bows to pressure to open another entry point for aid into Gaza, some Israeli officials have warned that there could be a repeat of the deadly convoy airstrike blunder because of fundamental flaws in the aims and conduct of the war.

Two officers of the Israel Defense Forces  a colonel and a major  are to be dismissed over the attack on vehicles belonging to World Central Kitchen (WCK). The incident killed seven charity employees  three of them British  and drew international condemnation.

But a number of officials, some in the security sphere, have told The Independent that the conditions for what happened were created by a number of factors, including unclear rules of engagement in Gaza; indiscipline and a sense of impunity among soldiers; inflammatory rhetoric from hard-right politicians; and the disdain of some in the military for a defence ministry unit known as Cogat  the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories  because the liaison group is deemed to be too soft on Palestinians.

The belief that Hamas gunmen were present within the WCK convoy and opened fire has been given as one of the reasons behind the IDFs decision to carry out repeated drone strikes. Israeli officials point out that there is wider confusion and consternation about armed factions operating inside Gaza, with aid being hijacked, adding to the insecurity.

Israel has been encouraging clan militia groups to take over the security vacuum created in areas from which Hamas has been driven out. Armed criminal gangs have formed, identifying themselves as militia. This is a recipe for turning the place into another Mogadishu, said a Western diplomat. These gangs will be looking forward to a sizeable rise in humanitarian supplies coming in.

Israeli officials say there is wider consternation about armed factions operating inside Gaza ( AP )

There are reports that the Israeli government is planning to award contracts to foreign private security companies  paid for by the international community  to protect humanitarian shipments from looting and hijacking by the criminal gangs proliferating in lawless Gaza.

Officials also point to muted reports of fighters linked to the Palestinian Authority (PA), the rival to Hamas, guarding flour supplies from looting at the Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza City last month. One reason Israel has played down the supposed presence of PA fighters, it is suggested, is Benjamin Netanyahus repeated declaration that the PA, based in the West Bank, would not be allowed a presence in post-Hamas Gaza.

Meanwhile, little appears to have been learnt from the civilian deaths in Gaza. In December, three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas were gunned down as they approached soldiers unarmed, shirtless, and waving a makeshift flag made from a white shirt, crying out in Hebrew to be rescued.

There have also been numerous instances of civilians being shot by snipers as they approach checkpoints. Drone footage appeared last month of four young Palestinian men, who showed no sign of being armed, being killed by a missile strike as they walked through their shattered neighbourhood. More than 220 humanitarian aid workers have died, even before the WCK killings.

This rise in indiscipline among soldiers is causing deep concern among senior officers. Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, the IDFs chief of staff, has publicly stated: We cannot fight when discipline and our principles are not clear and are not followed. A commander cannot skip instructions without approval if there is no operational and self-evident emergency reason for doing so.

In response, hard-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich attacked Lt Gen Halevi and senior officers. The current IDF high command failed in a colossal way on 7 October and cannot design the future generation of the IDF, he said. We support them absolutely to manage the war and win. That, but no more.

IDF senior commanders are said to be immensely frustrated at the inflammatory rhetoric coming from politicians, including from members of the cabinet. The far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised soldiers after a shooting left 100 civilians dead in a crowd waiting for aid, describing the victims as a Gazan mob.

The remains of a vehicle belonging to World Central Kitchen on the road between Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip ( EPA )

That kind of endorsement, say Israeli officials, encourages aggression among the trigger-happy. This sort of thing is a deliberate attempt to undermine our attempts to maintain battlefield discipline, said a serving senior officer.

Soldiers returning from Gaza told Haaretz that local commanders are randomly establishing kill zones in which anyone who enters is killed without question. A security official told The Times of Israel that soldiers are shooting first and asking questions later.

Cogat has been accused by Palestinians of carrying out repressive measures. But for some Israelis, it had shown naivety in its dealings with Hamas before 7 October as well as in its engagements with the PA in the West Bank, and has thus lost credibility.

Aid agencies say paperwork provided by Cogat to be presented at checkpoints has simply been ignored at times. A reservist soldier who has just returned from Gaza described how even junior officers disregard the agencys wishes. The feeling [among officers] was [that Cogat] did not know the risks we were facing, and we decide what to do, the reservist said. This is quite common. Some people ... think they are too cosy with international organisations; theres a lot of mistrust... Thats not going to go away with another crossing opening.

With starvation spreading, and the lethal toll rising to 33,000, what happens next in Gaza will depend on Israel following through on its promise to allow humanitarian supplies to get in safely. For that to happen effectively, say officials, the government must tackle some key problems.
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Israel has admitted making a grave mistake after its forces killed seven aid workers in a drone strike, insisting officials believed a Hamas gunman was among the unarmed convoy.

In an unusually swift four-day investigation, it concluded that a charity worker carrying a bag was mistaken for a man holding a gun. Blaming poor communications and attention to detail, it promptly sacked two of its officers.

But Israels efforts to draw a line under the attack, which prompted global outrage and renewed calls for the UK and the US to cease all arms trade, fell short as politicians and humanitarian organisations demanded a full independent inquiry.

The World Central Kitchen charity, which employed the dead aid workers, and foreign secretary David Cameron both called for a more comprehensive probe. The charitys founder said that the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.

The deaths triggered a wave of international condemnation and shone a fresh spotlight on the dire conditions that Gazas besieged population is suffering from in the embattled enclave.

The results of the Israeli investigation came as:

Israel now faces UN charges that its attack on aid workers may amount to war crimes

US president Joe Biden told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu he must minimise harm and suffering in Gaza if he wants to keep US support

Israel agreed to open three aid corridors to Gaza but did not say when supplies would be allowed to flow through

US secretary of state Anthony Blinken said the US would review the findings of the investigation

An Israeli former tank commander claimed it was policy to allow high levels of collateral damage

Rishi Sunaks cabinet remained split over suspending arms sales to Israel as pressure mounted on the PM to act

People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip ( AP )

The seven aid workers, who included three Britons, were returning from coordinating an aid shipment in central Gaza on Monday night when their three-car convoy was struck.

Yoav Har-Even, a retired military officer who led the Israeli inquiry, said there were two main areas of wrongdoing. Firstly, Israeli officers failed to read messages telling them that cars, and not aid trucks, would be taking the workers away from the warehouse.

As a result, the cars that were targeted were incorrectly identified as transporting members of Hamas.

The army also blamed a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike, for acting with insufficient information. It said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was wrongly identified as a gunman.

The investigations findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred, said retired Major General Har-Even. Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees.

The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.

The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well and did the same thing when survivors moved into a third car.

Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words World Central Kitchen because it was night. It could not say how communications about the convoys plans had broken down.

As a consequence, it dismissed a brigade chief of staff with the rank of colonel and a brigade fire support officer with the rank of major, and issued formal reprimands to senior officers, including the general at the head of the Southern Command.

But Jose Andres, founder of WCK, was not impressed by the Israeli response: Its not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200. All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.

Throughout the six-month conflict, human rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict  a charge Israel denies.

Lord Cameron also urged for a wholly independent review to follow the initial inquiry: We are carefully reviewing the initial findings of Israels investigations into the killing of WCK aid workers and welcome the suspension of two officers as a first step.

These findings must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability.

United Nations staff members inspect the wreckage of a car used by WCK ( AFP/Getty )

In the UK, Rishi Sunaks cabinet remains split over whether to suspend arms sales to Israel.

Former British Army officer General Sir Richard Barrons said the law was clear about Britain supplying weapons to countries in breach of international law.

He pointed to calls from more than 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court president Lady Hale, warning that the government risks breaching international law by continuing to export weapons to Israel, adding that when the finest legal minds in the country say theres an issue here, theres an issue.

But Sir Richard said the arms trade was part of a much wider issue: We are watching a military operation that has been pursued for six months, directed at a military objective, which is unachievable, with no clear sign of what a beneficial strategic outcome for anybody is.

Arms sales is a very small part of the much more important discussion about how this ends well.

Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, called for Israel to allow an independent inquiry into how the seven aid workers were killed, to determine whether there is a flaw in how Israel is pursuing targets.

He told The Independent: If theyve got the wrong formula in place, then I think we absolutely have to put pressure on them. The way of doing that is to probably stop arms sales, not that they use many of our arms, but what we can do is use that to leverage the Americans and others, and then that does have an impact on them.

James Jim Henderson, one of seven aid workers who died in the Israeli airstrike ( PA Wire )

Ori Givati, a former tank commander, who is advocacy director of Breaking the Silence, a group founded by Israeli veterans to document army abuses, said that the actions of the Israeli military were not against standard operating procedure as claimed by their statement.

He told The Independent the killing of innocents was an integral part of the way Israel fights in Gaza and that it was policy to allow high levels of collateral damage.

The standard operating procedures had led so far to [the] killing of 12,000 children and thousands more innocent people with almost no investigations.

This combination of photos provided by World Central Kitchen/WCK.org, shows seven aid workers who were killed in Gaza on 1 April ( AP )

Israel opened this investigation merely because this time, the casualties were not Palestinians. Killings of innocents is not new to this war and is an integral part of the way Israel fights in Gaza for decades.

Mr Givati told The Independent that he didnt think Israel deliberately wanted to target WCK aid convoy itself, but Israeli policy itself allows just high level of collateral damage  that allows this kind of killing.

The UN Human Rights Office said attacks against aid workers in Gaza may amount to a war crime.

The WCK earlier this week identified all those who died after the IDF struck the convoy. They are Saifeddin Issam Ayab Abutaha, 25, of Palestine; Lalzawmi Frankcom, 43, of Australia; Damian Sobol, 35, of Poland; Jacob Flickinger, 33, a US-Canadian dual citizen; along with UK citizens John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.
 Close Biden told Netanyahu urgent ceasefire essential, says Blinken

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Israel has admitted that serious failures were made by its forces after seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers were killed in an airstrike in Gaza.

The IDF announced on Friday that its internal investigation into the incident had concluded.

While admitting that a grave mistake was made, the IDF continued to claim innocence over the attack  insisting that the WCK workers were misidentified as Hamas militants. Two military officers have been dismissed from their positions following the findings, the IDF said.

More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the UN. Scott Paul of Oxfam said on Thursday: The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.

The announcement comes hours after Israel agreed to reopen two border crossings into Gaza to increase the flow of humanitarian aid, after President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call that future US support for Israel would be determined by its efforts to protect civilians and aid workers.

Meanwhile, former UK foreign secretary Alan Duncan is being investigated by Tory chiefs after he said pro-Israel extremists in the party should be kicked out over their refusal to support international law.
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Israel has agreed to reopen two border crossings into Gaza after the cabinet approved a series of immediate steps amid pressure over the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

The Erez crossing in northern Gaza will be opened for the first time since the conflict began on 7 October and Ashdod Port will be opened to allow aid shipments, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said on Friday.

"This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war," Mr Netanyahus office said.

The decision follows US president Joe Bidens first phone call to the Israeli prime minister since the drone strike on the vehicles of seven charity workers killed in Gaza.

Mr Biden told Mr Netanyahu that future US policy towards Israel will be determined by whether its government takes action to protect aid workers and civilians in Gaza. He asked Mr Netanyahu "to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers", according to the readout.

Concerns have been raised over evidence of humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza turning into a man-made famine after nearly six months of war.

The UNs human rights chief Volker Turk on 19 March said that Israeli actions could amount to using starvation as a weapon of war and would prove to be a war crime if proven. Tel Aviv has rejected the allegations and dismissed the dire warnings.

The Erez crossing, a heavily fortified pedestrian passageway, has been the only passenger terminal for the people to move in and out of the territory.

A general view of Erez Crossing with the Gaza Strip in the background, as seen from southern Israel ( REUTERS )

But it was heavily damaged when it was breached by Hamas fighters during 7 October attacks and has remained closed since.

The UN and the US National Security Council welcomed the move by Tel Aviv to open the crossings.

The US National Security Council said the opening of humanitarian routes came at the presidents request. Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said these steps must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

It comes as the Israel Defence Forces halted leaves for all soldiers serving in combat units and disabled GPS amid a possibility of escalation in violence with Iran.

Iran has vowed to retaliate after a strike on its consulate building in Syria on Monday killed 13 people, including two of its generals along with five military advisers.

GPS systems have been disrupted in an apparent measure meant to ward off guided missiles. Israeli residents have reported difficulties accessing location-based app services in significant urban areas such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, despite these cities being far from active combat zones.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center with black turban, leads a prayer over the flag-draped coffins of the Revolutionary Guards members who were killed in an airstrike widely blamed on Israel in Syria on Monday ( AP )

The IDF also urged people to not panic buy as stores witnessed boost in sales of essential wartime supplies. DF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said: "There is no need to buy generators, store food and withdraw money from ATMs.

The instructions of the Home Front Command remained unchanged, he said.

Israeli media outlets report that some of the embassies in the country have been put on alert and some have been evacuated over the threat of a potential strike from Iran.
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The UK government is facing renewed calls to stop exporting weapons to Israel after Joe Biden has warned it will stop suppling some weapons to the country if it launches a major ground operation in the Gaza city of Rafah.

The US president told CNN: If they go into Rafah, Im not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah.

Israel has already launched strikes on the congested city on the southern border of Gaza amid confusion around a potential ceasefire agreement.

An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering in the city which borders egypt, which the Israeli army describes as the last Hamas stronghold. Experts have warned that a full-scale assault of the region could be disastrous, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has calling the situation a humanitarian nightmare.

The Israeli government was heavy criticised by world leaders on April 2 following the killings of seven aid workers in a targeted air strike in Gaza. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) accepted responsibility for their deaths, claiming they were unintentional.

The attack brought the number of aid workers killed in Israel since October to 203, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.

A vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2 ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Responding to the events, a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak said the prime minister was appalled and believes too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.

In the days following, more than 600 lawyers co-signed an open letter to the UK government calling for them to suspend weapons export licences that currently allow arms to be sold to Israel from UK-based companies. Mr Sunaks government has not yet responded to the criticisms.

Heres everything you need to know about the UKs weapon exports to Israel:

How many weapons does the UK export to Israel?

The UK has approved almost 57m worth of military goods for export to Israel from 2022 to June 2023, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).

This comprises 151 standard licences  including 19m for aircraft, helicopters and drones  10m for armoured vehicles and tanks, and 3m for grenades, bombs, missiles and countermeasures.

Since 2015, the total value of the UKs military exports to Israel stands at 487m.

An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft, April 2023 ( AFP via Getty Images )

Following the April 2 aid convoy strike, CAAT have claimed the drone that was used could have been powered by a British-made engine component.

CAAT spokesperson Emily Apple said: This government is complicit in the murder of UK aid workers in Gaza. It has had every opportunity to impose an arms embargo and has refused to do so.

These figures exclude open licences, which do not limit the quantity or value of exports. The CAAT says that UK sources supply Israel up to 15 per cent of the value of their F-35 planes which are used in airstrikes.

The government is yet to release export data which covers the period after June 2023.
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Apple has laid off more than 600 employees, seemingly after it abandoned its plans for a self-driving car.

The cuts represent only a tiny proportion of Apples more than 160,000 employees. But they come amid tens of thousands of job cuts so far this year across the tech industry, from which Apple employees have largely been safe until now.

The company is reported to have had thousands of people working on the plan to build an Apple-branded vehicle that would be able to drive itself and use its automative technology. But recent reports indicate that it had abandoned the project, after concerns about the electric vehicle market and whether self-driving vehicles are yet possible or safe.

Apple never officially acknowledged the work on its car, which is said to have been known as Project Titan, and did not announce its closure. But new filings with Californias employment department show that it cut 600 jobs around the same time.

Some of those are thought to have been working on new display technology for the Apple Watch. But many of them were associated with the car project, according to Bloomberg.

Other staff were working in other locations and may have been laid off as part of the projects wind down, it reported. But some others  such as those working on artificial intelligence technology  have been moved into other parts of its business.

Recent reports suggested that Apple is looking to reuse the work on the car in other projects, such as building a robot that would be able to follow its owner around the home.

The Apple layoffs are part of around 50,000 job cuts across the tech industry that have already happened in 2024. A number of companies  including Apple competitors such as Google and Microsoft  have made their own cuts, citing overhiring during the pandemic and other economic factors.

Apple has largely avoided such moves. Chief executive Tim Cook described layoffs as a last resort and it is thought to have hired less aggressively during the pandemic.
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Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines $160m (126m) to compensate for losses resulting from a mid-air blowout of a door plug in January.

The payment addresses profits lost in the first quarter of the year, with expectations of further payouts in the future, it was reported.

An Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, had to make an emergency landing after a panel  known as a door plug or a fuselage plug  fell off shortly after takeoff, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.

In the aftermath, regulators temporarily grounded nearly 200 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. This led to the cancellation of thousands of flights.

Airlines are currently grappling with delivery delays as Boeing reduced production of new planes to address manufacturing and safety issues.

In February, Ryanair, a budget carrier, cautioned that holidaymakers might encounter higher fares due to these delays.

Meanwhile, it was reported last week that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun could walk away with a $24m compensation package.

Mr Calhoun announced he would be resigning as CEO at the end of the year following a string of incidents that have sparked major safety concerns about the companys aircraft. He described the latest of the incidents  the Alaska Airlines blowout  as a watershed moment for Boeing.

The shocking safety breach has resulted in investigations from the US Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Justice, and the National Transportation Safety Board.

We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency, Mr Calhoun wrote in a memo posted on Boeings website. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company.

In January, Alaska Airlines passengers initiated legal action against Boeing over the panel blowout.

The FBI told the passengers that they might be victims of a crime.

Im contacting you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime, a victim specialist from the federal agencys Seattle office wrote to passengers late last month. This case is currently under investigation by the FBI.
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A passenger has been fined for urinating in a cup during a delay in deplaning.

The incident happened after landing at Sydney Airport after a three-hour Air New Zealand flight from Auckland.

It happened last December and a Sydney court fined the 53-year-old man 600 Australian dollars ($395) for offensive behavior in February, officials said on Friday.

The incident only came to public attention on Friday, when New Zealand news website Stuff reported that a passenger in the same row, identified only as Holly, said she had reported the behavior to the air crew.

She said she and her 15-year-old daughter were sitting in the aisle and middle seats when the man in the window seat, whose name has not been released, was urinating in a cup.

Holly said the plane had been on the tarmac for about 20 minutes, waiting for a terminal gate to be allocated, when she heard the unmistakable sound of the passenger urinating in a cup, Stuff reported.

open image in gallery Air New Zealand has refused to comment on the incident ( AP2003 )

She said the man was obviously quite drunk and spilled urine on a flight attendant as he left the plane, it reported.

But the mishap with the attendant wasnt his crime. Australian Federal Police said in a statement that officers removed him from the plane because he had urinated into a cup while in his seat.

Air New Zealand said it does not comment on individual incidents. It said it bans between five and 10 customers each month for disruptive behavior, including intoxication.

Last year, a passenger was filmed urinating on the floor of a plane cabin in footage shared online.

The woman, who can be seen squatting in a corner with her trousers down, claimed that flight attendants would not let her use the toilets onboard for a number of hours.

A few months before that, a LOT Polish Airlines passenger removed his pants and urinated on the plane door during a New York-Warsaw.

The man was allegedly drunk when the incident occurred, half an hour before the aircraft was due to land at Chopin Airport.

He has since been banned from flying with LOT for life.
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A few summers ago, walking back from the pub at night, I happened to look up and was astonished to see the Milky Way cast clearly across the sky. I was just a couple of miles from my home in Brighton and it turned out that all Id needed was lucky timing, a clear night  and a chance glance upwards.

But you dont have to leave these cosmic encounters to chance. Yes, light pollution has dimmed our starry skies. Even rural areas are getting brighter at night  and its not just our stargazing that suffers; artificially lit nights are altering the natural behaviours of wildlife and disrupting our own sleep patterns, too.

But theres good news for amateur astronomers. Dark Sky sites  areas where artificial light pollution is restricted or strongly discouraged  are growing in number. And many are right here in the UK. Just last year, Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), off the coast of north Wales, became Europes first designated International Dark Sky Sanctuary, with some of the best-preserved night skies in the world.

It looks as if 2024 will be a bumper year for sky-watchers in the Northern Hemisphere, with the predicted solar maximum increasing the chance of northern lights sightings and a total eclipse due to sweep across North America this week.

Here are some of the best places for out-of-this-world stargazing.

UK and Ireland

South Downs, England

open image in gallery Panoramic photo of the Milky Way over the dew pond at Ditchling Beacon ( Pablo Rodriguez / SDNPA )

South Downs National Park was crowned an International Dark Sky Reserve in 2016. Its one of the most accessible in the world, wedged between the south coast and the bright lights of London, with over two million people living within 10km of its boundary. Devils Dyke, Butser Hill and Bignor Hill are great viewpoints for horizon-to-horizon views.

Top tip: visit in February and October for the activity-packed Dark Skies Festival.

Hop off the train at: Brighton, Lewes, Arundel.

Nearby: vineyards, beaches, castle towns, South Downs Way.

Yorkshire Dales, England

open image in gallery Looking up at the galaxy in the Yorkshire Dales ( Paul Clark )

Yorkshire Dales National Park is the largest Dark Sky Reserve in the UK. With such a huge expanse of unpolluted sky, you can see up to 2,000 stars anywhere in the park  even in the villages. However, your best bets are the four Dark Sky Discovery Sites, including the Hawes visitor centre and Tan Hill Inn. This far north theres even a chance of catching the northern lights.

Top tip: raise a glass of local bitter at the Tan Hill Inn  the highest pub in Britain and a Dark Sky Discovery Site.

Hop off the train at: Skipton, Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Ribblehead or Garsdale, which are all on the scenic Settle-Carlisle line.

Nearby: Tan Hill Inn, waterfalls, Ribblehead Viaduct, Bolton Abbey.

Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, Wales

Wales has the highest percentage of land protected for dark skies in the world  and that includes Eryri National Park, declared a Dark Sky Reserve in 2015. Its mountainous crags and crannies are terrible for building light-polluting towns upon, but great for stargazers. Go to Bwlch y Groes  Pass of the Cross in Welsh  for spectacular daytime views that transform into incomparable starry skies.

Top tip: keep an eye out for the nocturnal wildlife that flickers through, including owls and bats that rely on the dark to hunt.

Hop off the train at: Betws-y-Coed, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Minffordd.

Nearby: Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Portmeirion, National Slate Museum, Harlech Castle, sandy beaches and waterfalls.

Cairngorms, Scotland

open image in gallery Dark sky in Tomintoul and Glenlivet ( Rupert Shanks )

Things are well set up for stargazers in Glenlivet and Tomintoul Dark Sky Park. Accommodation bristles with telescopes and maps, and theres a schedule of night walks and moongazing sessions. This far north, the northern lights sometimes make a cameo too. Youll get great night skies wherever you go, but the triangle of Blairfindy Moor, the Carrachs and the Field of Hope are some of the easiest places to reach.

Top tip: download the AuroraWatch UK app to get an alert when the aurora is likely to appear.

Hop off the train at: Aviemore, Carrbridge.

Nearby: Scottish Highlands, Strathspey Railway, camping, Glenlivet Distillery.

County Kerry, Ireland

A Dark Sky Reserve covers much of the Iveragh Peninsula in Kerry. Here, the community-led Skellig Coast Dark Sky Festival kicks off In April with walks and talks covering subjects as wide-ranging as space traffic, astrophotography, marine life and myths. Kerry was the first Dark Sky Reserve awarded Gold Tier in the Northern Hemisphere, so  when the weather behaves  stargazing with the naked eye is as good as it gets.

Top tip: the weather is notoriously changeable here, so keep refreshing the weather forecast.

Hop off the train at: Killarney and then a long bus ride. Driving is easiest.

Nearby: Ring of Kerry, Skellig Islands, Wild Atlantic Way.

Sperrin Mountains, Northern Ireland

Theres nothing quite like stargazing in the company of a Bronze Age stone circle. Some archaeologists think the Beaghmore Stone Circles were an ancient observatory, with rows of stones and cairns seemingly marking the movements of the sun and moon. But their exact meaning has been lost over the last 5,000 years. Marvel at the mysteries yourself at the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory, where you can join a guided tour to learn more about the stones and the stars.

Top tip: bring your bike and boots to make the most of Davagh Forests trails before the sun sets.

Hop off the train at: Belfast, an hours drive away.

Nearby: Davagh Forest, Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Best stargazing spots beyond the UK

Iceland

open image in gallery ( Unsplash / Jonatan Pie )

I went to Iceland during a solar maximum, a year when increased solar activity heralds a particularly lively aurora. The northern lights were indeed a wonder  but I was more taken aback by the canopy of stars. Outside Reykjavik, with flat lava fields all around, the sky was so dense with stars that it was impossible to pick out constellations. Plus, stylish aurora cabins and toasty hot springs make stargazing a delight.

Top tip: visit during the spring or autumn equinoxes when aurora sightings are more likely.

Hop off the plane at: Reykjavik.

Nearby: hot springs, whale watching, glacier walks.

Mercantour National Park, France

Astronomers have made a beeline to Mercantour National Park ever since the 19th century. Here, the Calern Plateau Observatory has long housed pioneering observation instruments and its still a base for Doctor Who-style research on subjects like time transfer and space geodesy. But you dont need to be a pro to stargaze here; mountain guides lead night walks through this International Dark Sky Reserve.

Top tip: pop by the Nice Observatory, which comes with great views over the city and the French Riviera below.

Hop off the train at: anywhere on the Roya Valley line, St Dalmas de Tende and Tende. Nice is the nearest airport.

Nearby: Provence, French Riviera, Nice.

Andalucia, Spain

Leave the beach resorts and cities in the rear-view mirror and head for mountainous areas like the Sierra Nevada. Here, hotels like El Geco Verde work with stargazing experts wholl guide you through the skies. Sierra Morena Starlight Reserve, meanwhile, stretches over 400km through Huelva, Seville, Cordoba and Jaen, where a decades-long exodus of people from rural areas has left behind some of the least polluted skies in the Iberian Peninsula.

Top tip: nights get dark late in summer, so prep for the astronomy with some of Spains best tapas first.

Hop off the train or plane at: Malaga, Granada, Almeria, Alicante, Murcia.

Nearby: Alhambra, Seville, Ronda, Sierra Nevada.

Big Bend National Park, USA

open image in gallery Big Bend National Park is the biggest Dark Sky Reserve in the world ( Unsplash / Jesse Sewell )

Marvel at the stars where International Dark Sky Week began over 20 years ago  in the USA, thanks to founder and teenage activist Jennifer Barlow. This year, theres a fitting grand finale. On 8 April, a swathe of North America will experience a solar eclipse.

But eclipse or no eclipse, Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve is one of the best places to have your eyes on the skies in North America. Its the biggest Dark Sky Reserve in the world, uniting some of the best stargazing territory on either side of the Rio Grande. McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis is a great spot too, with a schedule of star parties and guided night hikes.

Top tip: this is the desert, so do your research, time your hikes right, and pack lots of water and sun cream. Or even better: go with a local guide.

Hop off the plane at: El Paso, a five-hour drive away. Why not spend a week here and turn it into a road trip?

Nearby: Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Santa Elena Canyon.

Tips for stargazing

Check the lunar calendar. Full moons are beautiful but bright; the new moon is best for stargazing.

Theres no need to fork out for a telescope. Youll see loads with the naked eye and a little more detail with a pair of binoculars. Have a little patience, though  it takes about 10 minutes for your eyes to adjust and widen your scope.

Nights can get chilly when standing still. Pack gloves, coats and hats even in summer.

Dark Sky Reserves are often fought for and run by volunteers. Your fees help preserve them, so dont be shy about tapping your card on donation points when you can.

Catherine Roberts writes for Responsible Travel.

Read more: Best places to see the northern lights in the UK
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Surf holidays dont have to mean noisy backpacker lodges and sticky floors. Those craving the regenerative benefits of sand and sea can book some truly unique British surf stays to rival anything abroad. Near world-class waves and areas of outstanding natural beauty abound right here in the UK, and with those come accommodation close to  or even right on  the waters edge.

Surfing has long been used as a form of therapy for mental and physical ailments, with surfers the world over claiming it has rehabilitative and restorative effects. Studies have suggested surfing releases stress, relieves anxiety and even helps to treat PTSD. So, planning a trip could offer the ideal outdoor wellbeing boost.

Once youve enjoyed riding the waves, bed up in one of these quirky, strange and extraordinary stays. From island getaways in Cornwall and cottages in the Outer Hebrides to bubble domes in Northern Ireland and sleeper carriages in Wales, weve got all corners of the UK covered. And with inland surfing opportunities in Bristol, you dont always have to drive to the coast to catch a wave. Keep scrolling and get your unique surf stay booked straightaway.

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Kudhva cabins, Trebarwith, England

open image in gallery The small but cleverly designed pods are made 100 per cent sustainably ( Kudhva )

Raised above the ground on wooden stilts, these off-grid spaceship-like hideouts have 180-degree views of the surrounding wild willow forests and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. The small but cleverly designed pods are made 100 per cent sustainably  inside are raised natural wood beds and floor to ceiling windows for sunrise watching.

Theres a wood-fired hot tub on-site for relaxing post-surf, plus a 40-foot waterfall and a 43-acre slate quarry to explore. Intermediate to advanced surfing beach Trebawith Strand is one mile away. Try the Kudhva cocktail, made from local hand-picked botanicals: wild strawberries, gorse flowers, spotted orchids, cotton grass, honeysuckle, king ferns, wood violets and water mint.

Sleeps two, from 123 per night.

Book now

The House on The Island, Newquay, England

open image in gallery The island is accessed via a suspension bridge ( Boutique Retreats )

Situated atop a chunk of cliff separated from the mainland, and accessed via a suspension bridge, this island is completely isolated and surrounded by water at high tide. Once on the island, you can relax outside in a hammock and enjoy the sea air, or cosy up with a cuppa in the conservatory. The sheltered Towan beach below is the place to learn how to ride waves. Currently undergoing refurbishment, its scheduled to open late in 2024.

Starts from 1,233 for a three-night weekend or four-night mid-week break.

Book now

Viking Garth Hideaways, Bridlington, England

open image in gallery ( Viking Garth Hideaways )

Cayton Bay, near Bridlington in East Riding, has some of the most dependable surf on the North East coast, as well as a surf school and equipment hire. Its a 15-minute drive from the Viking Garth glamping pods, which have a kitchen area, a living area with TV and cosy beds.

Pods are spread over tree-lined grounds, with plenty of picnic tables about where you can admire the view or tuck into an al fresco meal (or both). Campfires are allowed in designated spots, so you can enjoy a peaceful evening dining under the stars before retreating into the pod for bed.

Sleeps four, from 190 per night

Book now

Blue Reef Cottages, Isle of Harris, Scotland

open image in gallery Turf houses blend into their landscape ( Stay Hebrides )

Turf houses are not just for hobbits in The Lord of the Rings; folks in the northern hemisphere have been building turf houses since 4,000BC. Blending into their landscape, these clever insulated roofs keep the houses naturally warm and cosy  ideal after a bracing North Atlantic surf. These cottages also attract wildlife, and have machair flowers growing on them in the summer months. For extra warmth, theres under-floor heating and fuel-burning stoves.

A long curved bay window offers unobstructed views of the beaches (which have some of the cleanest water on the planet). And stay guilt free  a wind turbine 300 metres away provides all the power to these eco-abodes. Thoughtful touches include 100 per cent organic body wash and shampoo, made of hand-harvested local seaweed (supposedly its natural anti-oxidants have anti-ageing properties).

Sleeps two, from 600 for two nights.

Book now

The Camp at The Wave, Bristol, England

open image in gallery Guaranteed perfect waves at The Wave ( The Wave )

Miles from the beach, surrounded by farmland on the outskirts of the city, The Camp at The Wave is minutes from an artificial surf break producing 1,000 perfect waves of varying sizes and shapes an hour (some up to two metres high). The Camp at The Wave is located metres from the most consistent surf break in the country, says founder Nick Hounsfield.

Unlike other surf destinations, you can book your trip for whenever suits you and be guaranteed perfect waves, he says. These stilted safari-style tents have wooden floorboards, a wood-burning stove, proper beds and a kitchen. Theres also a cafe on site.

Bubble Domes, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

open image in gallery Bubble domes offer 360-degree views ( Finnlough )

Completely see-through, these blob-shaped rooms offer 360-degree views. Its eerie at first to think you are completely on view to the outside world, but being an accidental exhibitionist has many advantages: gazing at the clear night sky from your four-poster bed, and working at a desk fully immersed in nature.

These domes are a way to fully disconnect from the everyday noises of life and reconnect with the simple pleasures of nature, says co-owner Gillian Beare. Deluxe bubbles are surrounded by trees for privacy and come with a retro radio and record player, plus designer chairs. Of course, those sensitive to light can forget a lie in, as sunlight streams through the walls. And this also means the domes heat up fast during the day  so plan on being out surfing at Bundoran, a 30-minute drive from the bubbles. The area has a number of world-class breaks.

Sleeps two, from 295 per night.

Book now

Carnish Cabin, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

open image in gallery The cosy Carnish Cabin is designed in the shape of a wave ( Unique Cottages )

Right on the wild and pristine Uig Bay, where white sand is offset by deep green hills and piercing blue water, you can fall asleep to the sound of the surf inside a cosy Carnish cabin, designed in the shape of a wave. Its possible to see otters, seals, dolphins and harmless basking sharks in the waters, plus wild deer roaming around the coastline.

Look overhead for diving gannets, eagles and piercing stars of an evening  its occasionally possible to see the northern lights. The nearby Cliff Bay and Mangursta Bay are excellent breaks for experienced surfers (watch out for rip currents).

Sleeps two, from 595 for seven nights.

Book now

The Edge Beach Hut, Whitsand Bay, England

open image in gallery This chic beach hut feels like its at the edge of the world ( Unique Homestays )

High above the Cornish coast, this chic cedar-clad beach hut feels like its at the edge of the world. Far from the dilapidated deckchair-filled sheds on the beach, this hut is glam, with plush linens and designer furniture. Its got birds eye views of the dramatic surf and the four-mile stretch of sand below  after a session, you can wash off your salty skin in the alfresco shower and soak in the outdoor hot tub. Tip: Runners bring your trainers  theres a rugged cliff track right next to the cabin.

Sleeps two, from 1,295 per short break.

Book now

The Aberporth Express, Ceredigion, Wales

open image in gallery This Edwardian original sleeper carriage is the last of its type in existence ( Under the Thatch )

The last of its type in existence, this Edwardian original sleeper carriage was built in 1905 for the London and South Western Railway. It used to form part of the Plymouth-Waterloo boat train, before it was retired from service in 1931 and transported to this unlikely location on an Aberporth cliffside.

Original details remain throughout, including the narrow corridor and century-old wood panelling. Theres a comfy main cabin with a wood-burner, but the best bit is the view out to sea  keep your eyes peeled for dolphins off the coastline. Excellent waves can be found down the coastal path at Tresaith beach.

Sleeps five, from 455 for three nights.

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Atlantic Surf Pods, Bude, England

open image in gallery Quirky cave-like glamping huts are about merging indoor living with the outside world ( Verity Westcott Photography )

Built with biophilia in mind, these quirky cave-like glamping huts are all about merging indoor living with the outside world. In a sheltered spot surrounded by Cornish farms, and minutes from the UKs best waves, they are surprisingly spacious  with comfy king-size memory foam beds, underfloor heating and external wet rooms for showering off after the beach. Of an evening, use the private barbecue and relax on the deck overlooking lush lawns.

Pods sleep two adults and two children, from 89 per night.

Book now

St Bede Beach Hut, Alnmouth, Northumberland

open image in gallery ( Shoreside Huts )

St Bede Beach Hut is a rustic home away from home, situated in a well hidden spot on the Northumberland coast. Its a ten-minute walk from nearby picturesque village Alnmouth, which boasts The Old School Gallery with its own pizza van for an easy dinner, plus lovely local deli Scotts of Alnmouth. Interior details include pretty coastal-coloured tiles, and a practical wood burner. The kitchen comes stocked with key essentials, so your breakfast will be sorted before heading out to hit the waves in nearby surfing spots such as Bamburgh, Beadnell and Amble Links. Its dog-friendly too, should your surf buddy be a four-legged one.

Read more of our UK hotel reviews
A woman climbed a 24-metre electricity pole following a row with her partner.

The footage, which was filmed in Gorakhpur, India, was filmed on 3 April and went viral after it was shared on social media.

Visuals show the woman after she climbed up on the electricity pole.

According to reports, the married woman had fallen in love with another man and decided to ask her husband if he could stay over in their house.

Police attended the scene and the woman was taken to safety.
Antony Blinken insists Ukraine will become a member of Nato and said the US will do everything we can to ensure the country has what it needs to defeat Russia.

The US secretary of state made his comments as Nato celebrated its 75th anniversary in Brussels on Thursday (4 April).

Mr Blinken said that support for Ukraine, the determination of every country represented here at Nato, remains rock solid.

We will do everything we can, allies will do everything that they can, to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to continue to deal with Russias ongoing aggression.
Former US president Donald Trump made a surprise appearance via video at Nigel Farages 60th birthday party.

Trump was cheered by a crowd of politicians, journalists and Mr Farages family and friends as he appeared on screen with a birthday message for the 60-year-old on Wednesday night (3 April).

Trump said: Youre a historic figure as a prophetic leader and I know that the people of the UK are grateful for your patriotism and service

In fact. Im very much looking forward to watching what your next move is gonna be, its gonna be an interesting one.

Youre not done yet and hopefully the best is yet to come, so Nigel: enjoy this day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of enormous implications for the United States if Israel isnt victorious in the war.

In a televised interview on Thursday (4 April), Mr Netanyahu said his nations conflict with Hamas in Gaza was a larger battle, arguing that our battle is your battle.

His comments follow US President Joe Bidens stark warning that future US support for Israel Gazas war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Seven workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in Gaza on Monday evening, with Britons John Chapman, 57; James Jim Henderson, 33; and James Kirby, 47; among those who died in the attack.
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.

A man who was raped after having his drink spiked on a night out has claimed police told him but you're a bloke when he reported the attack.

Stephen Hart later tested positive following the rape as he spoke of his horrific ordeal to raise awareness on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (3 April).

Mr Hart explained how his drink was laced with Rohypnol while out with a friend in 2006. He lost consciousness and woke up to find himself covered in blood.

His rapist is still at large.

In response to Mr Hart. Laura Farris MP, Minister for Victims and Safeguarding said: We are introducing a raft of wider measures, including update statutory guidance, to better support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
This is the moment a son shoots his fathers accused killer in the middle of a Brazilian courtroom.

Cristiano Alves Terto, 27, shot Francisco Cleidivaldo Mariano De Moura, 38, six times during a jury session for his fathers murder trial in Sao Jose do Belmonte, Brazil.

Footage from inside the courtroom shows Terto running toward the front with a .38-caliber revolver pointed directly at De Moura, before he opens fire.

Terto was pursued by police and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The disturbing incident happened on 29 November, but the video of the shooting was only released to the public on Monday.

Terto was locked up the next day and has since remained in prison. De Moura was rushed to a local hospital and survived the shooting.
The explanations thus far offered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for the fatal drone attack that killed seven international aid workers are, to say the least, unsatisfactory. Absent the possibility that the aid workers were targeted simply because they were providing aid  which would be unthinkable, even for the wilder elements of the Israeli military  of course the incident was a grave mistake and a case of mistaken identity.

The IDF thought, apparently, that the occupants of the three vehicles were Hamas terrorists  but we are still none the wiser as to why such an assumption was made about travellers in a deconflicted zone.

Nor does that account for how, precisely, it came to happen  or who, exactly, was responsible. Thus far, two officers have been dismissed over the strikes, for alleged mishandling of critical information and violations of the armys rules of engagement, though it is unclear at this time whether that will be the extent of their punishment. Perhaps this will become known in due course, as part of the transparent process.

However, the unlawful deaths of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) personnel, and the patchy description of the circumstances given by the Israeli authorities, do confirm our worst suspicions about how reckless and indiscriminate the IDF can be  and this is far from the first case of its kind to have emerged.

It gives cause for significant doubt regarding the constant protestations of Israeli media spokespeople that Israels military conscientiously follows international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. More than 220 aid workers have perished in this conflict; are we to believe that all were victims of misidentification? Or are the bombers and drone operators not as careful as they should be? Is the recklessness of the IDF systemic or exceptional?

However pristine the IDFs protocols and rules of engagement may be, they are worthless if there is a tacitly permitted violent culture wherein the lives of Palestinians count for little and every civilian is regarded as a terrorist, actual or potential. Israel is at war, and in war such things happen is the usual excuse  and its disingenuous.

The irony of that approach is, of course, that it converts merely hostile and persecuted civilians into supporters of, and fighters for, Hamas. In any case, the deaths of (according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza) more than 33,000 Palestinians, many of them children, along with the imminent famine and the reduction of Gaza to a lunar landscape of dust and rubble, constitute the more obvious evidence that the Israelis have a case to answer about the use of disproportionate force in response to the massacres and hostage-taking that took place last October.

Indeed, a charge of genocide is currently being pursued against the state of Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and Israel is in breach of multiple UN resolutions and ICJ injunctions. As has been said many times, in responding to the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on 7 October, Israel had the right to defend itself. It did not have the right to do whatever the hell it wanted.

Will Benjamin Netanyahu be allowed to do whatever the hell he wants in Rafah when the time comes for the ground invasion, probably after the conclusion of Ramadan next week? The outlook is worrying.

The one power that can restrain the Israeli government (which is growing ever more unpopular domestically) is the United States  and, in his half-hour call with Mr Netanyahu, Joe Biden reportedly made his feelings clear, and issued some stark warnings. As a result, there may now be the prospect of a radical change in the quantity of aid that will soon flow into Gaza.

It is worth mentioning that if aid had already been flowing reasonably freely into Gaza through the usual land routes, the WCK workers wouldnt have lost their lives a few days ago  and indeed, many more innocent Palestinians would not have starved to death, or been close to it. It certainly gives the lie to another aspect of Israels official briefings, which are always fairly incredible: that it had not been restricting the amount of aid coming into Gaza.

At any rate, it is likely that President Biden has prevented famine from taking hold on a biblical scale; as late as such news is in coming, the world should be relieved about that.

What is far less clear is whether the president has succeeded in stopping the war, and in particular the planned assault on Rafah announced by Mr Netanyahu a few days ago. Mr Biden seems to have settled for the usual formula of allowing the Israelis to go ahead, using vast quantities of US-supplied munitions, providing that they protect civilians as far as possible. It does not yet seem to have been acknowledged by the White House that any ground and air operation in Rafah will necessarily entail yet more thousands of civilian deaths.

There is no such thing in such a crowded place as Rafah, with its tented settlements, as a safe invasion. The Americans have helped to ensure that some of its inhabitants will be given water and bread in the coming days, but these people will still be bombed to death. The only way to protect them is to stop the war. Now.
Some will see the recent and tragic deaths of foreign aid workers in Gaza as the definitive red line that Israel has crossed, signifying that their military action must now cease. But that red line was crossed weeks  no, months  ago when, with the bombing of hospitals, the Gazan people lost access to proper medical care. When they began to starve because of the targeting of critical infrastructure and the inaccessibility of aid routes.

This war must stop and it must stop now.

An alternative way must be found that provides security for Israel, justice for Palestinians and peace for all. That journey starts with an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and sustained humanitarian access for the provision of essential supplies to those most in need.

What began  quite legitimately  as Israels right to defend its people in the wake of the reprehensible atrocities inflicted upon them by Hamas on 7 October is fast becoming a brutal and uninhibited collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Any ground operation in the south of Gaza will only compound an already intolerable situation.

We know that the International Court of Justice has found that Israel has a case to answer on whether its actions in Gaza amount to genocide. The scarcity of humanitarian access to and within Gaza and the continued bombardment of civilian areas only add to the case against them.

The recent announcement that Israel intends to increase aid deliveries to Gaza, including through the port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing, is welcome. But that decision must be actioned now  and it must result in meeting the target of 500 aid trucks per day into Gaza. The current daily average of 169 is a recipe for famine.

The latest casualties  the seven aid workers killed by Israeli drone attacks on 1 April  raise the question that Israel has gone too far in its offensive and are an abrupt wake-up call for those arming Israel. Alongside the US and many European states, our own nations continued militarisation of the conflict, and its reluctance to call for Israels restraint, bring shame upon us all and make the prospects of safety for both nations an ever-diminishing hope.

Canadas decision to suspend future arms sales to Israel is welcomed. Other countries now need to consider suspending arms transfers in response to the systematic violations of international humanitarian law, both in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territories. Given reports that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law, the British Government ought no longer to accept Israels assurances on compliance with its legal obligations as credible. I commend the Foreign Secretary for his unremitting engagement with this very complex nexus of events.

Nevertheless, we must refuse to give up hope  Gaza is not a lost cause and the international community must not stand by and wring its hands in despair, as if nothing can be done. We can make a difference and we must do whatever we can to bring lasting peace to this region.

Enough atrocities in Gaza; enough violence, enough death, and destruction. This war is fuelled by fear and by hatred, but I pray daily that these impulses will not have the final word. I hold on to the hope that peace is possible, even in the midst of this worlds darkest hour.

May we no longer be silent in the face of these atrocities. May love triumph. May hope prevail.

Christopher Chessun is the Bishop of Southwark and member of the House of Lords
People taking part in an Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

The State's wealth fund has confirmed that it has decided to divest from a number of investments in companies which are linked to illegal settlements in Palestinian territory.

The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (Isif), which is funded by taxpayers, will divest shareholdings with a total value of 2.95m in six Israeli companies: Bank Hapoalim BM, Bank Leumi-le Israel BM, Israel Discount Bank, Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd, First International Bank and Rami Levi CN Stores.

The move from Isif follows political pressure from inside Leinster House, with the divestment set to be implemented in the coming weeks.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath welcomed the news from the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which controls and manages the fund on behalf of the State.

"Isif has determined that the risk profile of these investments is no longer within its investment parameters and that the commercial objectives of these investments can be achieved via other investments," he said.

While recognising the independence of Isif in the management of the investment portfolio, I believe this is the correct investment decision in respect of the assets it manages on behalf of the State, Mr McGrath added.

Four of the banks  Mizrahi Tefahot, Bank Hapoalim, Israel Discount Bank and Bank Leumi-Le Israel  featured in a 2020 UN report listing businesses that have ties to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.

However, last month, Isif director Nick Ashmore confirmed to an Oireachtas Committee that Isif had direct investments in 11 companies on this UN database which totalled approximately 4.2m at the end of 2023.

We have 11 directly held positions in companies that are on that list, he said. That varies from Israeli businesses to Israeli banks to international companies that are involved in travel booking, such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and a few international companies, such as Motorola, Alstom and Altice, which are infrastructural orientated companies.

We also have exposure through pooled investments, he said, adding that the total amount invested, when including pooled investments and segregated direct investments, rises to 13.6m.

According to the most recently published NTMA annual report, the total value of Isifs portfolio at the end of 2022 stood at 15bn.

Around 5.2bn was invested in the funds global portfolio.
Vision Capital has requested that Ires Reit shareholders fund the costs of its at times bitter campaign against the countrys biggest private sector landlord earlier this year.

The rebel shareholder is seeking costs of up to 425,000, Ires reported today. The request will be tabled to shareholders at the companys upcoming annual general meeting (AGM).

The Canadian fund is also looking to put forward three nominees for appointment to Ires board. Ires said all three were previously considered and rejected by shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting in February.

Ires added that no agreement between the companies has been reached since that meeting. It has offered two seats on the companys board to Vision Capital subject to both parties agreeing to the terms of a co-operation agreement.

However, these discussions have not been successful.

The company said that it believes there is no justification for Ires to pay for Visions voluntarily incurred expenses, including those linked to the recent EGM.

In a statement, Ires said using shareholders funds to pay a significant part of these activism costs would be highly unusual and inconsistent with good governance practice.

The company is currently undergoing a strategic review and will consider a full range of strategic options to maximise value for shareholders.

These include consolidation, mergers, a review of the company as a listed Reit, the sale of the entire issued capital of the company and the sale of assets and returning value to shareholders.

Ires has around 3,700 units in Dublin and Cork which had a combined value of 1.43bn in June last year.

The units currently have 99pc occupancy.

Last month the Ires board named Eddie Byrne, an experienced financier and real estate professional, as CEO designate to succeed outgoing head Margaret Sweeney when she steps down on May 1, a day ahead of the AGM.

Ms Sweeney announced last October that she planned to retire as CEO after serving over six years at Ires. In February she and the rest of the board saw off Vision Capitals campaign, with all proposals from the rebel shareholder and its supporters defeated at an EGM.
Mr Bohans most popular Roblox game, Anime Fighters Simulator, has had over 1.2bn visits

Daire Bohan's games have been a big hit on the Roblox platform

Accumulated profits at a gaming firm owned by a Dublin third level college student and games developer increased to 3.4m last year.

22-year-old maths whizz and Roblox developer Daire Bohan has generated the millions of euro at his gaming firm, DB Games Technologies Ltd since 2021 after launching a number of titles for the popular Roblox gaming platform.

New accounts show the Bohan firm recorded modest post-tax profits of 57,639 in the 12 months to the end of October last year.

This followed a record-breaking year for the prior 12 months when the company recorded post tax profits of 2.28m and profits of 1m in 2021.

The company is 100pc owned by Mr Bohan who turns 23 later this year and cash funds at the company increased from 1.54m to 1.8m last year.

During the year, the value of the companys investments remained static at 1.5m.

Mr Bohans most popular Roblox game, Anime Fighters Simulator, has had over 1.2bn visits to date, making it a huge critical and commercial success.

Mr Bohan launched Anime Champions last September and was ranked 4th on Roblox within four days of release. To date, Anime Champions has had over 198.3m visits.

Mr Bohans LinkedIn profile states that he handles all facets of a games development from initial conception to final release.

The operator of the Roblox platform, Roblox Corporation, is US-based and recorded a 26pc jump in revenues last year of 2.56bn after the platform had 71.5m active daily users in 2023.

Last year, Roblox paid out 808.87m in developer exchange fees to its developers across the world. Roblox  listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)  currently has a market capitalisation of 22.1bn.

Underlining Mr Bohans popularity amongst gamers, followers on his X @RealDaireB Roblox Developer account have increased to 658,000.

The new DB Games Technologies accounts show that the firm employs three people and last year directors pay totalled 578,247 which was made up of pension contributions of 490,000 and remuneration of 88,247.

Mr Bohan sits on the company board with his mother and the payout to directors last year followed directors pay of 529,098 in 2022.

Mr Bohan has established a number of other firms in recent months as his Roblox business continues to flourish.
Elizabeth Hurley said it was liberating to be directed by son Damian. Photo: PA

Elizabeth Hurley said she felt comfortable filming a sex scene directed by her own son.

The actress (58) said commentators had made a lot of fuss about her role in Strictly Confidential, adding: Ive never really done a scene like that before.

Her 22-year-old son, Damian, said he had brought in his mother to make Strictly Confidential, his directorial debut, sexier.

In the film, a thriller set in the Caribbean, Hurley strikes up a relationship with a character played by actress Pear Chiravara (28).I think theres a lot of factors making it a particularly interesting scene for people, Hurley said, noting the 30-year age difference with her co-star.

People are making a lot of fuss, she told People magazine. Although she said the film is quite out there and daring, there is not any nudity in the scene.

Nobodys exploited at all. We all felt comfortable doing it, the Mickey Blue Eyes actress added.

In a separate interview in March, Hurley said that her sons presence meant she felt safe and looked-after, despite the script going beyond her normal roles.

She also revealed that Damian, her son with the American film producer Steve Bing, takes pictures of her posing in bikinis for her swimwear range because it is more relaxing than being photographed by a stranger.

Who likes being photographed in bikinis? No one, even when youre 22 and fabulous, Hurley said. But its relaxing knowing someones behind the camera who looks out for me, which was the same on this movie in a way.

The things that his script needed me to do werent necessarily things Id always done in movies many times before. But having him there meant I felt safe and looked-after.

Damian attempted to downplay questions around his mothers sex scene in a recent Vogue interview. Its just showbiz, he said. People are getting very up in arms about this.

He had written Hurleys part for a man in earlier drafts of the script, but eventually switched it for a female character.

I started thinking, How can I make it sexier?. And just thought, Oh my God, what if its a woman?, he said. Of course, the second I had that part, it made total sense to beg  beg  my mighty mother to come on board.
US composer and songwriter Charles Fox said artificial intelligence could never duplicate the masters of music because it came from their hearts.

The musician, who wrote 1973 Grammy-winning track Killing Me Softly With His Song, appeared at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles where he was honoured with a star in the recording category  alongside music stars Paul Williams and Diane Warren.

During his career, two-time Oscar nominee Fox composed the music for more than 100 films including Barbarella, Nine To Five and Goodbye Columbus, and the theme songs for TV series including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Wonder Woman.

Artificial intelligence scares the hell out of me, I dont like it at all, Fox told the PA news agency, after the ceremony.

As a trained musician, I could write music to sound like Bach, or Beethoven, or Mozart, or Stravinsky, thats just training, you learn the craft.

Diane Warren was among the guests speaking at the ceremony (Ian West/PA)

But theres never going to be a duplicate of any of those masters because it came originally from them, from their hearts, and then the world moves on.

And so if artificial can produce music that sounds like something else, who cares, who needs it.

Give me someone who has a real heart, who writes what hasnt been done. Thats my feeling.

Fox said he doesnt know where artificial intelligence will go  none of us do.

Paul Williams attended the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony to honour Fox (Felix De Jesus/Alamy)

People ask me, would I go to a concert of only artificial intelligence  I have no interest in that, the 83-year-old said.

During his onstage speech, Fox became unexpectedly emotional as he reminisced on his journey into Hollywood.

He told PA: Ive been coming by here for years looking at these wonderful stars representing peoples life work, what I didnt expect is to look out and see so many people I love and know, my family.

And to think this is here forever, I didnt expect to get that emotional about it.

Fox also gave a shout out to his granddaughter Ava who couldnt make it to the ceremony because she is studying in London as a ballet dancer expecting to go on to a career in ballet.

Fox, who won an Emmy award in 1973 for his work on TV series Love, American Style, said he requested his star be placed next to his late friends Jerry Goldsmith  who composed the score to the Star Trek franchise  and songwriter Hal David, best known for his collaborations with US composer Burt Bacharach.
Plus what would happen to democracy in the USA if the running of the country was left in the hands of teenage girls?

A South American sealion comes ashore into an urban environment in Chile in 'Mammals'. Photo: BBC

'Have I Got News For You' is back for its 67th series. Photo: BBC/Hat Trick

With nail-biting drama, breathtaking nature documentaries, sharp comedy and more, there are more than enough options to keep you fighting over the remote this weekend.

Friday

SUGAR

Apple TV+

Hired by a movie producer (James Cromwell) to track down his missing granddaughter, Colin Farrells super smooth, impeccably tailored private eye John Sugar is very much a man out of time as he glides around present-day Los Angeles in a beautiful vintage blue coupe, telling us, via an old-school voiceover, that he doesnt care for violence while nonetheless inflicting plenty of it.

The fact that clips of old Hollywood noir thrillers keep flashing through his head tips you off that all might not be as it seems. Prepare for a big twist halfway through the eight episodes. The first two are available today, the rest weekly.

MANHUNT

Apple TV+

In episode five of the historical drama, Edwin Stanton (the terrific Tobias Menzies) is closing in on Lincolns assassin, John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), but his health is rapidly deteriorating.

Girls State. Photo: Apple TV+

GIRLS STATE

Apple TV+

What would happen to democracy in the USA if the running of the country was left in the hands of teenage girls? This fascinating documentary focuses on a summer camp experiment designed to answer the question.

ALEX RIDER

Amazon Prime Video

The third and final season of the spy thriller starring Otto Farrant as the reluctant teenage secret agent hero of Anthony Horowitzs bestselling YA novels.

'Have I Got News For You' is back for its 67th series. Photo: BBC/Hat Trick

HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU

BBC1, 9pm

The seemingly indestructible satirical panel show with Paul Merton and Ian Hislop returns for, astonishingly, its 67th run. Clive Myrie fills the guest hosts chair for the fifth time, while the guests include Jon Richardson.

AVOIDANCE

BBC1, 9.30pm

Return of the sitcom co-written by and starring the ubiquitous Romesh Ranganathan as the conflict-dodging Jonathan, who makes a disastrous attempt to win back Claire (Jessica Knappett) by donning Lycra for an impromptu performance at the school fundraiser.

Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley. Photo: Netflix

BOXSET BINGE CHOICE: RIPLEY

Netflix

Andrew Scott is mesmerising in Steven Zaillians gripping adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley, stunningly filmed in beautiful black and white.

Saturday

OUR DREAM FARM

Channel 4, 8pm

Presented by the amiable Matt Baker, this new series is a departure from the pap that usually dominates the reality show/competition genre.

Seven applicants compete for what those who know something about farming will recognise as a rare prize: the 10-year tenancy of a 340-acre, four-bedroom farm in Northumberland owned by Britains National Trust. A no-chancers zone.

Professor Bettany Hughes hosts 'Treasures of the World'. Photo: Channel 4

TREASURES OF THE WORLD

Channel 4, 7pm

In the first of a new run, Professor Bettany Hughes explores the Adriatic Coast of Albania and unearths its forgotten role in history, which includes it once being the site of two thriving ancient Roman ports.

Neil McKiven (Michael Nardone) and Sarah Gordon (Laura Fraser) in Traces. Photo: UKTV / Vishal Sharma

TRACES

BBC1, 9.25pm

In part two of the Scottish forensic crime drama, a second bomb attack puts pressure on McKinven and Gordon. Meanwhile, Emma and Daniel are on the brink of splitting after a terrible time in court.

THE JONATHAN ROSS SHOW

UTV/ITV1, 9.35pm

Rosss guests this week are better than usual: Michael Palin, boxer Anthony Joshua and the irrepressible Lulu.

Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston in 'Band of Brothers'. Photo: Sky

BOXSET BINGE CHOICE: BAND OF BROTHERS

Sky

If you liked Masters of the Air, youll love this superb 2001 miniseries, also from the Spielberg-Hanks stable, following the real exploits of the 101st Airborne Divisions Easy Company from 1942 through to the end of the war. Stars include Damian Lewis.

Sunday

THE DARKEST DAYS: ISRAEL-GAZA SIX MONTHS ON

BBC2, 9pm

Six months, tens of thousands dead, Gaza in ruins. In this one-off documentary, Lyse Doucet, the BBCs chief international correspondent, ponders what can be done.

She looks at the conflict from both sides, hearing powerful eyewitness accounts from Israel and Gaza of the carnage and destruction.

A South American sealion comes ashore into an urban environment in Chile in 'Mammals'. Photo: BBC

MAMMALS

BBC1, 7pm

David Attenborough takes an often depressing look at how humans encroachment on wildlife habitats has forced animals such as cheetahs, wolves and otters to adapt.

EUROVISON SONG CONTEST 1974

BBC4, 8pm

Rerun of the competitions 19th edition, staged in Brighton and won by Abba with Waterloo. An amusingly modest, clunky production by todays standards.

PAUL OGRADYS GREAT ELEPHANT ADVENTURE

UTV/ITV1, 8pm

In the concluding part of OGradys final documentary before his death, he falls in love with a 37-year-old elephant called Pun.

Ben Rose and Levi Brown in 'This Town'. Photo: BBC/Banijay Rights/Kudos

THIS TOWN

BBC1, 9pm

Ratings-wise, the news for Steven Knights six-part drama set against the rise of two-tone in Birmingham in the 1980s isnt good. The first episode last Sunday drew a modest 2.1 million viewers; by Mondays second instalment, a million had tuned out. Not all that surprising, frankly.

BOXSET BINGE CHOICE: SLOW HORSES

Apple TV+

Gary Oldman sparkles as malodorous spymaster Jackson Lamb in this cracking series. Seasons 1-3 are available now.
Television reviews

Virgin Media produces an impressive range of home-grown programmes, despite the financial challenges of existing in a country where, for no good reason, the bulk of licence fee money goes to RTE.

However, an equally important function of the stations operating under the Virgin umbrella is to give Irish viewers access to programmes from UK channels that many would otherwise be unable to watch without some technological jiggery-pokery.
Kerry's skim milk powder is used in a range of food applications, including infant and adult nutrition. Photo: Getty

The GDT allows for trading of large volume dairy ingredients, taking place every two weeks, selling products including milk powders, butter, lactose and cheddar.

Kerry Dairy Ireland is joining GDT Events this month, offering SMP Medium Heat.

Kerry Dairy Ireland CEO, Pat Murphy, said: We are pleased to be partnering with GDT to help provide high-quality dairy solutions and deliver sustainable nutrition globally. Joining GDT provides us with access to a worldwide pool of active buyers  aligning with our strategic aspirations to create a world of sustainable nutrition.

According to Global Dairy Trades Managing Director Europe, Shaun McCauley, Kerry Dairy Ireland is a fantastic new addition to GDT Events, and is delighted to see GDT Events continue to expand throughout Europe. We are proud to partner with Kerry Dairy Ireland and support them and their growth ambitions.

Kerry's skim milk powder is used in a range of food applications, including infant and adult nutrition, confectionery, bakery, yoghurt and ice cream.

The GDT Events auction service allows globally traded dairy products, bringing together buyers and sellers of dairy ingredients from 60 countries to trade US$2-3 billion annually. Whole milk powder and skim milk powder account for 80pc of quantity traded, with 12-month average prices for WMP and SMP down 21pc and 29pc respectively in 2023. SMP reached a four-year low in September, while WMP reached an eight-year low in August.

SMP reached a 5-year high in April 2022, with prices reaching E4,254/MT.

North Asia and South East Asia accounted for 61pc of bidders last year on the GDT.

In its most recent trade, prices for SMP were  2,359 up 1.4pc, while butter was up 3.1pc, butter milk poweder down 0.5pc and cheddar up 4.1pc.

Established in 1972, Kerry has grown to become a global multi-national, providing taste and nutrition solutions to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets. Its Kerry Dairy Ireland division has been producing products for over 50 years.

Other sellers on the GDI include Arla, Dairy America, NZMP, the the business to business dairy ingredients brand of Fonterra, New Zealand's main dairy processor as well as BMI, a German processor with more than 1,200 German dairy farmers.

GlobalDairyTrade Holdings Limited (GDT) is owned and managed as a strategic partnership between the European Energy Exchange (EEX), Fonterra Cooperative Group, and New Zealands Exchange (NZX).
Only a very small minority are getting cows to grass twice daily, while two-thirds of dairy farmers say there is limited silage available for them to buy

The CSO has reported another significant drop in milk supplies in February as poor weather and increased costs continue to depress the sector.

It comes as calls have been made for an urgent convening of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee to examine 'worst-case scenarios' amid forecasts suggest unsettled weather will continue into next week.

The Domestic Milk Intake by milk processors and co-ops was estimated to decrease of 50.6 million litres (-13.3%) when compared with February 2023 and down 37.1 million litres (-10.1%) when compared with the same month in 2022.

The milk intake for the year to date is estimated to have declined of 82.5 million litres 14.7% when compared with the same period in 2023, and down 13.0% when compared with January to February 2022.

The collapse in milk volumes comes after months of poor weather, which is causing major challenges across the farming sector.

Worryingly, conditions in March worsened, and it is likely that another fall in milk production will be reported next month.

Declining milk production also comes amid significant regulatory changes and uncertainty in the dairy sector, with farmer confidence described as being at an all-time low by many representatives in recent months.

The significant decline in milk production in recent months will also concern the processing industry, which has spent significant sums expanding its facilities in recent years to accommodate the sector's expansion after the abolition of milk quotas in 2015.

With forecasts signalling further unsettled weather this weekend and into the start of next week, most now expect dairy farm performance to continue under pressure well into April.

The number of dairy farms out of silage stocks could grow to more than 10pc this week if the weather and ground conditions do not improve, Teagasc's Joe Patton said last week.

The poor weather has also posed huge challenges for the country's tillage farmers, with the planting season for key crops at a standstill and with farmers having already encountered poor conditions in the autumn to plant winter crops.

The President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, has called for a further meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee to prepare - or at least look at 'worst case' scenarios - instead of 'crossing your fingers' and hoping that the weather improves and gives better prospects.

"ICMSA believes the Committee should reconvene immediately because while we don't want to panic anybody, we really have to guard against the kind of complacency that actually could cause problems.

"Farmers will have got the latest weather forecasts increasing their concerns; cows still can't be turned out, fertiliser cannot be spread and we're already getting worries about adequate fodder for next winter what kind of quality that will be," he said.

Meanwhile the IFA has said banks and credit unions must make immediate support available to help farmers.

Its National Farm Business Chair Bill O'Keeffe said farmers are under intense pressure due to the continued challenging weather conditions, with cattle housed much longer than planned, vegetable crops unable to be harvested and tillage crops unable to be sown cash flow issues are building on farms.
What are the benefits of the new auto-enrolment pension scheme?

Having a good retirement savings plan is important for everyone  from employees to employers and the Government

The objective of the scheme is to ensure that every worker will have access to a workplace pension to supplement the basic state pension. Photo: Getty

Martin OSullivan Fri 5 Apr 2024 at 09:25

Many employees, including farm workers and farmers working off-farm, will be impacted by the new auto-enrolment pension scheme recently published  it has to pass through the Dail and the Seanad before it becomes law.
Damage to the house on the Lower Glanmire Road, Cork, where a fire claimed the lives of an elderly couple. Photo: Provision

An elderly couple died in a Cork house fire just hours after learning of the birth of their granddaughter.

The deceased couple have been named locally as John and Gabrielle Gay ODonnell. John was aged in his early 80s and Gay was in her late 70s. Locals described them as a couple totally devoted to each other.

Cork Fire Brigade units, gardai and paramedics rushed to the fire at the Lower Glanmire Road shortly after 11pm on Thursday after the alarm was raised by neighbours who spotted smoke and flames coming from the building.

Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control by 1am, but two bodies were later recovered from the property. They were found close together and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Their remains have been transferred to Cork University Hospital. The Office of the State Pathologist has been informed and post-mortem examinations will be conducted.

Forensic and technical officers are examining the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

The fire caused significant structural damage to the three-storey house and emergency measures are being taken to secure the building before Storm Kathleen hits the area.

The house is located a short distance from Kent railway station and busy shopping and hospitality areas.

It is understood the fire was a tragic accident.

Gardai said the nature of their investigation will be determined by the results of the post-mortems and the forensic examination of the property.

Cork City councillor Joe Kavanagh said the tragedy struck after the couple had just been informed of the birth of their granddaughter.

Residents were saying to me that they were sitting down and having a cup of tea with the couple last night, he said. A cup of tea and a cake celebrating the birth of their first grandchild  a little girl.

It [the fire] happened so quickly. It is a tight-knit community here and they are all rocked by it. People cannot even talk about it.

The couple have lived here all their lives. Their son is grown up, in his 40s. He is a long-haul flight captain and pilot and flies for Qatar Airlines. I understand he is getting a flight home out of Doha as we speak.

They had 12 hours as grandparents and 12 hours later they were dead. All this in the space of 12 hours. It is truly shocking.

The locality is a mature residential area and is located alongside one of the busiest traffic routes in Cork city.

Cork Fire Brigade second officer Victor Shine said it was a very challenging scene for fire crews.

At approximately 11.15pm, we received multiple calls to this incident on the Lower Glanmire Road and crews responded and were there very quickly, he said.

But at that stage flames were coming out through the windows at the front of the building and through the roof as well so it was substantially established inside the building at that stage.

It was basically getting the fire under control, protecting properties on both sides and again rescuing anybody that may be inside the building.

Due to the significant nature of the fire it was well into the fire [when the bodies were found]. It was after 1am this morning when the casualties were identified in the building.

It was so hazardous inside there that it took a considerable amount of time to make the area safe before we could deploy fire crews in because of the risk of the floors of the building collapsing down on fire crews.

It was a three-storey building with additional space up in the attic. So the front of the building looks easily accessible, but the rear of the building is where the public wouldnt see how difficult it is for fire crews to get in.

There were multiple challenges at the back of the building, so our hydraulic platforms played a role in keeping that fire under control and getting fire crews into the back of the building using ladders and hand held fire extinguishing apparatus to control the back of the building.

Mr Shine said fire and building alarms are vital in such structures.

I would encourage people, whether it is a commercial building or a domestic building, alarm systems are hugely important for early detection. Be cognisant of safety. If you are using open fires or various types of heating systems or candles, that they are protected and in safe locations.

It was 1am when the crews got to look inside the building. It was extremely hazardous, but we were conscious that there was potential of people being in the building, but again the nature and the extreme heat and intensity of the situation made it very difficult.

An intensive search was carried out and the two casualties were located close together. Our sympathies go out to the family.

Gardai said diversions have been put in place to facilitate the work of the emergency services.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact Mayfield garda station on 021- 4558510, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

Councillor Ken O'Flynn said the entire community was in shock over the double tragedy.

I am deeply saddened to hear about the tragic events that unfolded on Lower Glanmire Road, resulting in the loss of two residents, he said.

My heart goes out to all those affected by this devastating incident. Please accept my deepest sympathies during this difficult time.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Lower Glanmire Road as they navigate through this challenging period. May those impacted find strength and comfort in the midst of this tragedy, and may they feel the support and compassion of their community.

I am keeping everyone involved in my thoughts and prayers.
The government has already spent almost 500,000 on independent reports into HR

The Government has spent nearly 500,000 on independent reports into HR, governance and culture at RTE  and the figure is set to grow.

Two reports, which were expected to be submitted to Media Minister Catherine Martin last month, were ordered in the wake of the payments controversy last year.

Ms Martins department confirmed last night that they are still not finished.

The Government said that because the reports had not been completed, it could not yet say what the final cost would be.

The almost 500,000 that will be spent by the Government follows hundreds of thousands of euro RTE spent on its own reports into various issues and controversies, which at one point were costing the cash-strapped broadcaster 250,000 a month.

Last summer, Ms Martin ordered two expert reviews into RTE. The first was tasked with examining the broadcasters culture and governance. The second was to look at HR issues, including the payment of contractors fees, the use of agents and short-term employment contracts.

Separately, she also ordered forensic accountants Mazars to examine the use of barter accounts by RTE.

An interim report on the use of such accounts was published last year, but the final one has not yet been submitted to the minister.

Because the reports were complementary, Ms Martin said she had expected them to be submitted and published together.

All of the reports were originally due at the end of February. A spokesperson for Ms Martins department said yesterday that the Mazars report was being finalised, and the review of governance and culture is currently undergoing the completion of the necessary fact-checking procedures and the processes required to ensure that fair procedures have been followed.

In response to a parliamentary question from Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy, Ms Martin said the Government had already spent 274,356 on the Mazars report.

The department told the Irish Independent it expects the total cost of this report to be under the projected 300,000 the minister had said she would expect it to cost.

The parliamentary question also said the Government had so far spent 202,956 on the expert reports into culture, governance and HR issues at RTE.

This sum included fees to professional services firm Crowe Advisory Ireland, legal firm McCann Fitzgerald and members of the expert advisory committee.

But the department confirmed that in the two weeks since that information was given to Ms Murphy, the cost has risen from 202,956 to 216,756, reflecting additional payments that have been made since the PQ was answered.

The total spent by Ms Martins department on reports into RTE so far is 491,112.

Ms Murphy, who is also a member of the Dails Public Accounts Committee, said a huge amount of money on various reports and a huge amount of the committees time had already gone in to the RTE scandal.

I doubt that these reports in and of themselves will address the issue of public concerns with RTE. It will be action by the Government and a change in behaviour in RTE, she said.

So, the jurys out on whether or not this money is well spent. It will depend on what happens afterwards.

RTE has separately spent hundreds of thousands of euro on its own series of reports into various issues.

At one point last year, director general Kevin Bakhurst said the broadcaster was spending around 250,000 a month on external reports by various professional services and accountancy firms.

In November, it was confirmed that RTE had spent almost 500,000 alone on Grant Thornton reports into Ryan Tubridys earnings from 2017 to 2019 and his pay between 2020 and 2022.
Irish Troops arrive home from Syria after six months deployment, marking the end of the Defence Forces presence in the country

After six months away from family and friends, Irish troops returned home from Syria on Friday to cries of welcome as relatives gathered in Dublin Airports terminal one.

The anticipation was palpable as the arrivals hall filled with loved ones, holding banners and balloons in excitement for the troops.

Its great to have him home, Breege Reynolds said after she was reunited with her husband Gary Reynolds after the six month deployment.

Were just so happy and grateful that theyre home safely, thats the most important thing, Ms Reynolds added.

Mr Reynolds welcoming party also included his son EJ (2) and his mother, Mary.

Im going to the nearest chipper anyway, Mr Reynolds said when asked how they would spend his first day home.

Its great to be back, I missed them so much. Its so hard to be away but now that were back, were off for a month so its family time for a month, Mr Reynolds added.

Karina Paulauskaite gripped the arm of her boyfriend Adam Murphy as he wheeled his bags out, it was a long wait.

Im overwhelmed. I was waiting six months and were living together so I was alone for all that time, Im even shaking right now, Ms Paulauskaite said.

Im not going to let him go again, she added, not releasing her hold on him.

While there was internet connection that allowed Mr Murphy to keep in touch with his loved ones, the last two weeks were difficult when wifi issues made it nearly impossible.

It started breaking down towards the end, the wifi would go on and off. You couldnt make video calls, theyd go off after a couple of seconds, Mr Murphy said.

Theyre important, they keep you connected, he added.

Paul Conlon, from Roscommon, his children, Senan, Oisin and Saoirse and wife Brenda pictured this evening at Dublin airport where over 120 Irish troops from the 68th Infantry Group, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) returned home. Collins Dublin

A support system was hugely important for Brenda Conlon who leaned on those around her while her husband Paul Conlon was away.

Standing with her children Senan, Oisin and Saoirse, there were smiles and a few tears to see Mr Conlon arrive home.

We have a great network around us and its nanny and grandad and sisters and family and community who take you through it and you lean on them. As long as theyre all back together and all back safe, thats all that matters, Ms Conlon said.

Their arrival home marked the end of the peacekeeping mission to Syria, a decade after troops were first deployed there.

Last year, Tanaiste Micheal Martin announced the withdrawal of the Irish soldiers in the Golan Heights. The decision came after an assessment of the sustainability of the Defence Forces overseas commitments.

Lieutenant Colonel Conor King, General Secretary of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers said the withdrawal of Irish troops from Syria was due to staffing difficulties.

Were just finding it impossible to staff two reasonably large overseas missions at the same time, Mr King told Morning Ireland.

This is due to a failure to retain suitably qualified and experienced personnel over a number of years due to poor policy in terms of HR and retention, he added.
The Government has pulled millions of euros of investment from several Israeli companies.

The Irish National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) confirmed that it had made the decision to divest almost three million euros from its global equity portfolio in the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF).

The divestment decision relates to shareholdings with a total value of 2.95 million in the following six companies: Bank Hapoalim BM; Bank Leumi-le Israel BM; Israel Discount Bank; Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd; First International Bank and Rami Levi CN Stores.

Finance minister Michael McGrath said it was the correct decision.

ISIF has determined that the risk profile of these investments is no longer within its investment parameters and that the commercial objectives of these investments can be achieved via other investments, he said.

The decision will be implemented as soon as possible over the coming weeks.

I am advised ISIF will keep under review the alignment of relevant investments within its investment parameters and commercial objectives.

While recognising the independence of ISIF in the management of the investment portfolio, I believe this is the correct investment decision in respect of the assets it manages on behalf of the State.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 5th April 2024

The ISIF is managed by the NTMA on behalf of the State and is comprised of discretionary and directed portfolios.

The discretionary portfolio has a double bottom line mandate to invest on a commercial basis in a manner designed to support economic activity and employment in Ireland.

The main objective of the global investments within the discretionary portfolio is to provide liquidity for Irish portfolio investments as well as other directed or expected withdrawals and to earn an appropriate risk adjusted return that will assist the ISIFs performance with a low-risk appetite.

The total value of the ISIFs portfolio at the end of 2022 was 15 billion of which 5.2 billion was invested in the global portfolio.

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik (Damien Storan/PA)

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik welcomed the decision.

The relentless violence and suffering endured by the people of Gaza demands urgent international attention. It is heartening to see the NTMA taking steps to divest from investments in companies operating in the occupied territories, but this is just the beginning, she said.

The scale of destruction witnessed by the people of Gaza is nothing short of horrific. The case for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza becomes even more compelling each day, as the death toll mounts. We are bearing witness to awful devastation, unleashed by the Israeli government upon this civilian population trapped in a small, besieged enclave.

Irish people are clear in their condemnation of the destruction of human life in Gaza. It is imperative that the Irish Government amplifies this voice on the international stage and works tirelessly to secure a ceasefire. While we commend the Governments contribution to humanitarian efforts and ongoing support for UNRWA, more must be done to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

When faced with such brutal violence on such a scale, silence is not an option. Labour stands in solidarity with the people of Gaza and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities. We welcome any efforts by Government to recognise the state of Palestine and urge them to prioritise diplomatic solutions to end the conflict.
Paul Murphy with his wife Linda and two children, Harry (14) and Sadie (9).

Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you. And Paul Murphy, who was diagnosed with a life-altering disease in 2019, has a lot of good people behind him.

A Push for Paul will see a group of Paul's friends push a wheelchair all the way from Drogheda in Co Louth to Killarney, Co Kerry, with the aim of raising 100,000.

Final preparations are underway for the sponsored 350km wheelchair push, which will start in Drogheda on Sunday, April 21, and finish six days later, on April 27, in Killarney.

Paul, a resident of Listry, Killarney, is living with Mitochondrial Myopathy (MM), a condition similar to Motor Neurone Disease (MND). This devastating illness has left Paul wheelchair-bound, while also impairing his motor skills.

Married to Linda, the couple have two children, Harry (14) and Sadie (9).

My world has gone very small, said Paul. For someone who travelled far and wide, to Australia and so on, it has been a huge and difficult change for me."

Paul praised his wife Linda, saying she's been "absolutely brilliant".

"Shes made sure that weve kept going to Harry and Sadies matches together, which means a lot to me and to us as a family, he said.

"Just because Im in a wheelchair doesnt mean I cant be a parent. But Im keeping myself going, Im keeping myself busy and thats very important. I have to do something.

A graduate of Mountbellew Agricultural College in Co Galway and hailing from a farming background in Co Wexford, Paul has kept in touch with several of his classmates over the years.

Back in my days studying agribusiness at Mountbellew and playing rugby with GMIT, I could never have thought that all these years later, so many of the people I met then would still be there for me now, offering me and my family such amazing support, he said.

Back in 2022, those friends got together to make Paul's home more accessible for wheelchair use, and this month's cross-country wheelchair push will also raise awareness for the work of the Irish Wheelchair Association.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 5th April 2024

A Push for Paul will go from Drogheda to Trim, Trim to Tullamore, Tullarmore to Nenagh, Nenagh to Adare, Adare to Castleisland, and then Castleisland into Killarney, where it will finish at Killarney Racecourse.

Event co-organiser John Heavey, a friend of Pauls who lives in Co Louth, explained the motivation behind a Push for Paul.

"It all came about following a conversation with Paul, he said.

Paul said he didn't realise how difficult it was for a person in a wheelchair until he had to use one himself  and it wasnt something Id devoted too much thought to prior to Pauls diagnosis.

"And that sparked something. Accessibility issues that wheelchair users encounter daily need to be highlighted to help increase wider awareness of the issue.

John added: It's a team event, and well be pushing a teddy in a wheelchair in relays from Drogheda to Trim, Trim to Tullamore, Tullamore to Nenagh, Nenagh to Adare, Adare to Castleisland and then from Castleisland to Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, April 27."

John and the group of volunteers are busy training for the event, but are also hoping to realise their fundraising target of 100,000.

"So far, weve been blown away by the individual and corporate support weve received, which we are so grateful for, he said.

The campaign has already exceeded the 60,000 mark, with Pauls family and neighbours in Killarney, in addition to the many friends he has made through college and rugby, all doing their bit.

Paul offered his thanks to everyone who has organised or helped to support this campaign.

On behalf of myself, Linda, Harry and Sadie, I want to sincerely thank everybody who has been involved in the campaign. The kindness that so many people have offered means so much, he said.

A raffle has also been organised by the group, with the raffle taking place on the final day of the wheelchair push.

Prizes include tickets to see Coldplay in Croke Park in August and overnight stays in Irish hotels.

For more information, see here
IMO president Dr Denis McCauley said the role of physician associates needs to be regulated.

Patients are at risk of being treated by non-medics instead of qualified doctors in order to plug workforce gaps in cover, a doctors group leader has warned.

Dr Denis McCauley, the new president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), warned about the dangers of using physician associates  who are not medically trained  to go beyond the limits of their expertise to make up for a lack of doctors.

A number of physician associates are already working under supervision in several hospitals in Ireland. They support medical teams by carrying out tasks such as taking medical histories, doing some physical examinations and helping develop treatment plans and analysing test results. It requires a two-year masters course.

However, Donegal GP Dr McCauley said there have been a number of controversies in the NHS in the UK arising from the growing use of physician associates in place of doctors.

So if they are to be deployed in the Irish system, it is vital that their role is regulated and limited, he said.

Speaking in his opening address to the three-day gathering of doctors in Killarney, Co Kerry, he said, the doctor-patient relationship is the foundational relationship in medicine.

We have too few doctors and we have concerns that we are moving to a model of fragmented care where patients are not best served.

The value and expertise of doctors, after years of training, should not be undermined but supported, encouraged and resourced.

Of course, there will be new grades within the health system such as physician associates.

They have their own role to play, in line with their training, but they cannot replace doctors.

The British Medical Association last month had to write to hospital trusts calling for an independent investigation into the replacing of doctors by physician associates on rosters.

It said it is important to remember that physician associates are not a substitute for doctors but rather they are specifically trained to work collaboratively with doctors and others as supplementary members of a multidisciplinary team.

Dr McCauley said the current HSE recruitment freeze is exacerbating problems and posing enormous strain on a system already under pressure.

He called for a step change that allows rapid and significant funding in infrastructure and workforce.
Police are probing comments made on the internet in the wake of Jeffrey Donaldsons resignation as DUP leader.

The PSNI confirmed it had been contacted about a post and was examining the content.

Donaldson quit last Friday hours after being charged with historical sexual offences.

He is facing one count of rape, one count of gross indecency, and several counts of indecent assault. He has indicated he will be strenuously contesting all charges.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 5th April 2024

The case has dominated the news over the last week, and prompted significant commentary and speculation on social media.

It led the PSNI and the Attorney General to issue separate alerts warning people to be wary of what they post.

Yesterday, police confirmed it had been contacted about some content online.

A spokesperson said: Police have received a report relating to a post online and are examining the content to determine if any offences have been committed.

It came as senior DUP figures returned to the public eye yesterday.

Interim leader Gavin Robinson and Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart gave upbeat messages as they appeared at separate engagements.

In Belfast, Mr Robinson said his party remains firmly committed to working within the restored political institutions at Stormont after what he described as an incredibly difficult and shocking period for his party and Northern Ireland.

Asked about the impact of the past week, he said: They have been difficult days, I cant shy away from that.

But I am not alone. The shock that I faced and the choices that I had before me were shared by many colleagues in the first instance and by the wider community in the days that followed, and Ive been really humbled by the prayers and the encouragement and support that people have offered to me, personally and publicly in our community.

There is hope and it has been difficult. I dont shy away from that at all.

Mr Robinson also said the focus was on delivering for Northern Ireland in the days ahead.

He added: Over the last number of days I have spent time engaging with colleagues. I have been encouraged not only by their support but their determination and recognition that what has gone before us is not reflective of us, it is not attributed to us. Nor should it deflect from the important task that we have ahead of us as representatives for unionism.

Mr Robinson said there had been unanimous support from the DUPs party officers for him to be appointed as interim leader.

I dont see any mixed messages, and in talking to colleagues there have not been any mixed messages either, he added. In our meeting last week it was unanimous within our party officers that I would step up and lead on an interim basis at this time.

The East Belfast MP said the decision on a permanent leader for the DUP was an internal issue. Earlier, on a visit to Banbridge, Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart said the DUP was fully behind Mr Robinson

There will be no dissenting voices. Theres no leadership challenges at all, she said. Gavin will continue as interim leader and the rest is for internal party business and will come in due course.

Donaldson remains MP for Lagan Valley as it stands.

Currently, officials do not have powers to exclude an accused MP from the parliamentary estate, and agreements to stay away are voluntary, although it is understood he will remain away from the Parliamentary estate.

Asked if Donaldson should quit as MP, triggering a by-election in Lagan Valley, Ms Lockhart said: Jeffrey Donaldson is an MP in his own right and that is for him to decide. We as a party have taken action, as you well know from our statement last week.

We will continue to work hard for the people of Northern Ireland. We have a restored Executive, we have ministers out and about  we are about delivering for the people of Northern Ireland.

Ms Lockhart was speaking as she joined Levelling Up minister Jacob Young at the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio. The facility which has been awarded 3.5m from the Governments Levelling Up Fund. She said the party was determined to focus on the future.

Ms Lockhart added: Well obviously last weeks revelations came as a big shock to us but we are where we are. We are very much focused on Northern Ireland and delivering for the people of Northern Ireland.

You will see we are here today at the F.E. McWilliam Gallery, we are celebrating 3.5m coming from the UK Levelling Up Fund to help bolster this great facility so Im about delivering for Upper Bann and delivering for the people of Northern Ireland.

She added: Our party is not one person. Our party is our membership, its the people that work for us, our MLAs, our MPs, our peers, and we will continue to deliver.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly also attended an event in Ballycastle, Co Antrim.
Former RTE correspondent, Ciaran Mullooly is to contest the upcoming European Elections.

Former RTE midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly is set to run for Independent Ireland in the European elections.

Mr Mullooly worked for RTE for 27 years before retiring in 2021.

Current MEP Luke Ming Flanagan remarked on the development on X, stating: I see that Im now running against two RTE stars. Pay the licence fee. To nurture the careers of future politicians.

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Mr Mullooly currently works as tourism activator with Longford County Council after working with the Roscommon Leader for three years.

He has been involved in voluntary community work in the south Longford area for more than three decades.

A married father of two children, he lives in Ballyleague and is originally from Lanesboro. He is an author of three books.

It is understood talks have recently been held between Mr Mullooly and the newly formed party and that an official announcement will be made in the coming days.

Roscommon-Galway Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice is a member of the party, which has two other deputies, Michael Collins and Richard ODonoghue.

The Midlands North West constituency is set to be one of the most hotly contested in the elections in June, with a number of well-known names in the race.

Fine Gael surprised many people when it announced former champion jockey and TV personality Nina Carberry will run on the ticket alongside sitting MEP Maria Walsh.

Fianna Fail has three candidates, in a move viewed by some as unwise. Laois-Offaly TD Barry Cowen is its frontrunner, but senators Lisa Chambers and Niall Blaney are also on the ballot.

Sinn Fein holds one seat in the constituency through Chris McManus, but is aiming for two after brining Northern Irish MP Michelle Gildernew across the Border.

Peadar Toibin, who is both the leader of Aontu and the partys only TD, is also contesting the vast constituency from his base in Meath.
Some of the retail goods that were seized

Revenue have released details of contraband worth almost 500,000 that has been seized in Dublin and Galway this week.

Officers examining parcels at a premises in Dublin seized illegal goods worth over 420,000 as a result of risk profiling.

This included almost 20kgs of herbal cannabis and butane honey oil with an estimated street value of 405,000.

The discoveries were made in parcels originating from the USA and Thailand which were destined for various addresses nationwide.

A quantity of retail goods was also confiscated due to infringements of Intellectual Property Rights. These items have an estimated value of over 15,000.

Some of the retail goods that were seized

Separately, and as part of an intelligence-led operation with the assistance of detector dog Toby, Revenue officers seized 52,960 cigarettes with an estimated value of 44,300, following the search, under warrant, of two premises in Galway.

The illicit cigarettes of various brands represent a potential loss to the Exchequer of approximately 34,900.

A man has been questioned into relation to this seizure.

Also, as part of risk profiling, Revenue officers seized approximately 5.3 kgs of cannabis resin with an estimated value of 31,800 at Dublin Airport.

Detector dog Toby in action

The illicit drugs were discovered when Revenue officers stopped and searched the baggage of a passenger who had disembarked a flight from Lisbon.

A man in his 50s was arrested by An Garda Siochana before being charged. He is now before the courts.

Investigations into all of these seizures are ongoing.

Cigarettes seized at Dublin Airport

These seizures are part of Revenues ongoing operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity.

"If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295, they state.
Sinn Fein wanted to extend the Governments contentious hate-speech bill to give undocumented immigrants special protection from hate crimes.

The party put forward amendments to the proposed laws in February last year, which would have included migrant status as part of the protected characteristics.

Those characteristics are race, colour, nationality, religion (including the absence of religion), national or ethnic origin, descent, gender, sex characteristics, sexual orientation and disability.

The new laws aim to clamp down on hate speech and hate crimes where they are motivated by prejudice against these protected characteristics.

Sinn Fein has denied claims of a U-turn on the bill. All of its TDs voted in favour of the legislation in the Dail last April, but the partys position is that the bill should now be scrapped.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 5th April 2024

The definition of hate is laid out in section 10 of the bill and is about preparing or possessing material likely to incite violence or hatred against people on account of their protected characteristics.

Under the Sinn Fein amendments, migrant status would have become one of these protected characteristics.

The partys amendments to the laws specified that reference to a persons migrant status included references to persons seeking international protection, persons with refugee status, persons with permission to remain and persons with any other regular or irregular migrant status.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle also proposed that migration status be made a protected characteristic and for migration status to include people seeking international protection, refugees, people with permission to remain and people with any other regular or irregular migrant status.

The amendments were not added to the updated laws, which currently remain stalled in the Seanad.

Sinn Fein also proposed including bias, prejudice, contempt, hostility and bigotry as hate.

The party further wanted to define hatred and incitement.

It also wanted to extend the legal recognition of hatred for people who were presumed part of a group that fell under any of the protected characteristics.

Sinn Fein has said it voted against the hate speech laws in the Seanad.

However, the party only voted with amendments from senator Michael McDowell, which proposed the legislation be read a second time. This was not carried and did not happen.

Unfortunately, the Government has pressed ahead bullishly without taking on board any of the concerns which have been raised by Sinn Fein and others, said the partys justice spokesperson, TD Pa Daly.

Sinn Fein has raised a number of serious concerns about flaws in this legislation as it has proceeded through the Oireachtas.

Former ministers in Fine Gael have now also called for the laws to be shelved.

TDs Charlie Flanagan and Michael Ring have said Fine Gael should go back to its roots and focus on law and order.

Coalition colleague, Fianna Fail TD Willie ODea, said Justice Minister Helen McEntee, who brought the laws forward, is playing to the woke gallery.

Meanwhile, X owner Elon Musk has said he will pay the legal bill for anybody who wants to challenge the laws.

In response to this, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar previously told the Sunday Independent he suspected Mr Musk was showboating.
Social media should be classed as a public health risk similar to cigarettes and alcohol due the potential harmful effects of overuse  although it should not be banned, a psychiatrist warned today.

Chair of the consultant committee in the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) Professor Matthew Sadlier was speaking at the annual meeting of the doctors' body in Killarney, Co Kerry, today.

Speaking in advance of a discussion on the dark side of social media, he said: There is overwhelming evidence that excessive social media use leads to greater levels of negative wellbeing and mental health issues.

He warned that every indicator of mental health and psychological wellbeing among teenagers and young adults has become more negative since 2012, when social media use became more widespread.

Prof Sadlier added there is a link between greater social media use and higher levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicidal tendencies among adolescents.

This is likely worsened "given the algorithms of social media platforms, many of which use features such as infinite scroll to promote more user activity.

There is overwhelming evidence that excessive social media use does lead to greater levels of negative wellbeing and mental health issues, he said.

"The Surgeon General in the United States has already issued a public health warning about social media; it is imperative that we in Ireland follow suit.

However, Prof Sadlier said he did not believe that social media should be banned.

Moderate levels of social media use, for example, from a half hour to an hour a day, do not appear to have a negative impact on people. However, a British study from 2019 estimates that 20pc of adolescents may use social media for at least five hours daily, he said.

He also referred to a 2017 study from the UK showed that a greater percentage of 16 to 24-year-olds said they were lonely compared with over 75s.

Urgent reform of social media was needed, and among his recommendations are minimum usage pricing, similar to alcohol, the need for all users to verify identity, and outlaw any algorithmic device that could lead to problem use.

For example infinite scroll, intermittent variable reinforcement and promotion of streaks, he suggested. Streaks on Snapchat represent the number of days in a row that two users have been in contact with each other. They form when both users send each other a picture every day.

Meanwhile, a study last year showed that frequent use of social media could be linked to harmful behaviours in children and young people, such as drinking, taking drugs, smoking and gambling.

Exposure to alcohol advertising on different platforms had the strongest evidence of harm, researchers said.

A team from the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland examined the impact of social media on young people aged 10 to 19.

They looked at data from 73 studies carried out between 1997 and 2022, comprising 1.4 million teenagers with an average age of 15.

The analysis found daily social media use was associated with the likelihood of drinking alcohol (48pc), drug use (28pc) and smoking (85pc) compared with infrequent users.
Family help launch charitys annual art sale fundraiser

When Mick Daly and Emma Daltons son Sean was born during the pandemic in 2021, the neonatologist had some cause for concern.

Some of the babys features, including his head size, led doctors to suspect he had muscular dystrophy.

Initially, our neonatologist thought there might be something. Medically, he was fine, there were no issues during pregnancy, but his body was very long and he had a large head, Ms Dalton said.

Six months later, and after X-rays, MRIs and a consultation with a geneticist, Sean was diagnosed with Megalencephaly-Capillary Malformation Syndrome (MCAP) and Polymicrogyria.

A long story short, MCAP, its a large head, and Polymicrogyria means in his brain he has too many folds, Ms Dalton said.

It was a challenging time for Seans parents, who were told he might only have a limited time.

Mr Daly said: We described it as a grieving process. We had two older children, so we mapped out in our head hed go to school, hit certain milestones, maybe college, whatever they want to be when they grow up, he said.

But all of a sudden we arent thinking in those long-term timelines for Sean, it became a day-to-day timeframe.

In the early days following his diagnosis, the couple were warned he could experience seizures, which became an additional stress.

I was watching him, I was feeding him, I was watching him. I didnt sleep for about six months, Ms Dalton said.

In search of support and wanting to connect with others who were in a similar position, Ms Dalton joined groups on social media who had children with conditions like Seans.

Theyre just not good. For mental health, theyre not good. They give worst-case scenarios, horrendous stories, Ms Dalton said.

Laura (9) Tom (6) Daly from Leixlip, Co Kildare .Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Sean is non-verbal and has low muscle mass, preventing him from walking unaided.

The condition is so rare that his parents believe he is the only child in Ireland with it and one of possibly 500 diagnosed worldwide.

After Seans diagnosis, the family, from Leixlip, Co Kildare, were linked with a local disability team and a social worker who suggested Sean would be a good candidate for support from the Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation.

The organisation now provides the family with respite care and the support they need to do everyday things like shopping for groceries or going out for some exercise.

We have two nurses who come to the house to mind Sean and its great to be able to trust somebody and leave the house knowing that hes in great care, Mr Daly said.

It frees up time for me to do the chores or go for a cycle. I can recharge my batteries and go back to the house and start on dinner or homework, things like that.

Sean will go on to pre-school in September with other children with additional needs.

As hes got older, everything he does is a big win and we celebrate it, Ms Dalton said.

Making sure their youngest son did not become the centre of attention in the home was something the family focused on.

What Jack and Jill have allowed us to do is not allow him to become the cuckoo in the house. It stops us from becoming all about Sean, Ms Dalton said.

Seans sister Laura (9) and brother Tom (6) have helped him grow and progress.

I think Sean is sick of looking at my face all day, Mr Daly said. When they come in from school, his face will light up like a Christmas tree when he sees Laura and Tom.

Yesterday, the family attended the launch of Incognito, the yearly online art sale in aid of Jack and Jill.

Now in its eighth year, it will have more than 3,300 original postcard-size artworks for sale at 65.

Big names including Jerry Hall, Philip Treacy and Hugh Wallace have put paintbrush to paper for the sale.

The quirky catch is that buyers will not know the artists identity until the sale is over.

People will have three weeks to choose their favourite pieces before the sale goes live on April 24.

For further information and to see the Incognito collection, visit incognito.ie
From a budget-friendly bottle with a sustainable design to a 120,000 ruby-encrusted investment

Irish whiskey has come a long way in seven centuries. The year marks 700 years since the first written record of distilling described a herb-heavy medicinal distillation called aqua vitae, the original uisce beatha and precursor to modern whiskey. The lines were written here in Ireland by one Richard de Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory. Besides being a leading force in the controversial Kilkenny witch trials of 1324, that same year, Ledrede also penned instructions for the distillation of aqua vitae into The Red Book of Ossory, which sits to this day in St Canices Cathedral in Kilkenny.

Ive previously written about Off the Cuffes fascinating Aqua Vitae (60), a faithful recreation of Ledredes 700-year-old recipe, which tastes like liquid fruit cake meets honeyed Fernet-Branca. Late last year, Walsh Whiskey Distillery launched a commemorative whiskey with the Kilkenny Whiskey Guild to mark the anniversary. They chose a single malt finished in Chateauneuf-du-Pape barrels from Chateau La Nerthe in Avignon  a nod to Ledredes links with the medieval papal seat in Avignon.

This year is also a milestone for Irelands first premium whiskey. Midleton Very Rares 40th anniversary was marked in very modern fashion with the online auction of a single MVR 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition bottle, which sold on BlockBar for $120,000, at twice the guide price. Encrusted with 32 rubies and 18-carat solid gold, this one-of-one Waterford crystal decanter sold as an asset-backed NFT (non-fungible token). It contained one of just 550 bottles worth of MVR 2024 that had finished ageing in a ruby port pipe: the other 549 bottles sold for a mere 20,000.

Highly collectible, these whiskeys get snapped up fast as assets for investing in rather than bottles to be shared. Thankfully, theres plenty for sharing too.

Two of todays recommendations nod to the Stateside role in Irish whiskeys current renaissance, where an American love of Irish whiskeys like Jameson and Tullamore DEW is clearing a path for others to follow. One is a blend of Irish and American whiskeys made in Minneapolis by Midletons former master distiller Brian Nation. The other is a new Irish whiskey from a team that includes Sean Muldoon and Jillian Vose, both formerly of The Dead Rabbit bar in New York but soon to open The Hazel and Apple bar in Charleston, South Carolina.

If 40 or upwards feels like a big outlay, maybe give Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey (30-35) a try. Light, easy and very drinkable, its new bottle design sees a commendable 25pc reduction in glass weight, a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of alcoholic beverages.

Whiskeys of the week

Keepers Heart Irish + American Whiskey

Keepers Heart Irish + American Whiskey, 43pc, 50 A unique blend of Irish pot still and grain whiskeys with American rye whiskey aged in virgin American oak, made in Minneapolis at The OShaughnessy Distilling Co by Midletons former master distiller Brian Nation. Think pot pourri meets baked apple, raisins and caramel with a ginger snap finish, all expertly integrated. The 10-Year-Old Irish Single Malt (100) is very special too, finished in Malaga casks to ramp up the stone fruit notes. Bradleys, Wines of the World, The Wine Centre, Carry Out, OBriens, Mitchell & Son, DrinkStore, Martins, irishdrinkshop.com

Outwalker Irish Whiskey

Outwalker Irish Whiskey, 44.5pc, 50 From a team that includes a founder of New Yorks The Dead Rabbit, blended by stellar mixologist Jillian Vose to create a whiskey for cocktails or sipping solo. Grain whiskey aged in ex-rye casks and virgin American oak bring backbone, single pot still adds spice and single malt finished in white Burgundy casks lends elegance. Celtic Whiskey Shop, James J Fox, irishdrinkshop.com

The Irishman Legacy Single Malt

The Irishman Legacy Single Malt, 46pc, 74.99 A one-off collaboration from the Kilkenny Whiskey Guild and Walshs Distillery to mark 700 years since the first written record of Irish distilling, finished in Chateauneuf-du-Pape barrels for morello cherry and dried raspberry over candied ginger, caramel, liquorice and leather. The Wine Centre, Waterford; thewinecentre.ie

Uais Irish Whiskey

Uais Irish Whiskey, 43pc, 42-54 From Irelands first zero-emissions distillery, in east Galways Ahascragh, with all the citrus and orchard fruit youd expect from a grain-led blend, plus peppery pot still spice, single malt honeycomb notes and sappy virgin oak character. Good value, balanced and sustainably produced in fully recycled glass. McHughs, Molloys, Mitchell & Son, Celtic Whiskey Shop, The Wine Centre, ahascraghdistillery.com

Roe & Co Solera Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Roe & Co Solera Single Malt Irish Whiskey, 46pc, 85 A new addition to Roe & Cos range, using fractional blending inspired by sherrys solera system, this is rich and complex thanks to the many cask types involved, with muscovado sugar, apple pie, pineapple drops, roasted nuts and sherry notes, finishing sweet but with spicy heat. Celtic Whiskey Shop, thecru.ie, roeandcowhiskey.com selected Carry Out off-licences; carryout.ie
In 10 years, it has become a bona fide bucket-list adventure. We map 26 stories that show how the Wild Atlantic Way changed our coastal holidays

The Wild Atlantic Way was officially launched in April 2014. The decade since has seen it transform tourism and home, and how Ireland is seen overseas. Here, three travel writers that have been exploring the route since its launch share a vibrant selection of its stories

If theres one movie thats had a monumental impact on the Wild Atlantic Way, its Star Wars (sorry, Banshees). In fact, shooting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens took place in Kerry at the dawn of the Wild Atlantic Way, back in 2014. Skellig Michael, once home to sixth-century monks, became the planet of Ahch-To, where Luke Skywalker was exiled. It was a big coup, particularly as Mark Hamill took on an unofficial role as an Ireland ambassador ("I was sure it was a special effect). Since then, weve seen it all  a May The Fourth Be With You festival, huge ad campaigns from Tourism Ireland (including a billboard in space) and specialised tours. Bren Whelan of donegalclimbing.ie worked on Star Wars: The Last Jedi when it was being shot in Donegal, and he runs walking tours of Malin Head, combining local history with insider Star Wars knowledge  you can even don Donegal tweed Jedi robes. Malin Head has such a long, rich history, and Star Wars is a new chapter in that story, he says.  NB
The destroyed vehicle in which workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Revulsion at the true obscenities of war tends to lessen over time as it becomes more familiar. After almost six months of death and destruction in Gaza, we must not become numb to the brutal realities.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, and still the carnage grinds on daily. Is it too much to hope that global outrage at the deaths of seven aid workers can cut through the fog of war and give Israel pause for thought?

The several IDF strikes on the clearly marked jeep was acknowledged as a grave mistake by Israel.

All those killed belonged to World Central Kitchen, (WCK) a leading non-profit organisation.

This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war, chief executive Erin Gore said. This is unforgivable.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also noted the victims were all heroes. They were the ones rushing directly into the fire storm,when everyone else was running away.

Nor was this an isolated incident. Far from it  a point amplified by UN humanitarian coordinator James McGoldrick. He said at least 196 humanitarians were killed  the majority Palestinians  in the occupied West Bank and Gaza since last October.

This is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year, he added.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to do everything possible to prevent this from happening again, but with such indiscriminate bombardment, it is impossible to give any such commitment. This latest appalling incident will add to the mounting pressure on Mr Netanyahu.

Israels punishing campaign is intensifying at enormous cost to life and regional stability. Since Hamass bloodbath last October, Israels retaliatory attacks have been relentless. Yet the terror group remains a force while the ordinary innocent people of Gaza are being punished remorselessly.

The more random the lethal Israeli attacks are, the more the anger of international allies is stoked.

Yet Tel Aviv is still said to be intent on launching a ground offence in the hopelessly overcrowded sanctuary of Rafah, which will result in untold mass carnage.

Meanwhile, aid has been massively disrupted and famine is striking some areas. Reports of babies dying of starvation in hospitals and suffering on an unimaginable scale cannot be dismissed.

Figures last month from the UNs Global Nutrition Cluster show more than 30pc of children in northern Gaza  between six and 23 months old  are suffering from acute malnutrition, yet Tel Aviv remains impervious to the worlds concerns. Surely a ceasefire to allow unhindered provision of aid is not unreasonable.

Washington has asked for restraint and been roundly rebuffed. In the interests of those who cannot speak for themselves, is it not time for the Biden administration to make its powerful voice heard?
Successful applicants will receive a solo exhibition at LHQ Gallery in 2025 with a bursary award of 3,000 to support the production of their work

The aim of the award is to further the emerging artists practice at a key stage in their early career, according to the council.

The Emerging Visual Artist Award 2024, run by Cork County Council, will provide artists with a financial bursary and the opportunity for a solo exhibition at the local authoritys LHQ Gallery.

According to the council, the aim of the award is to further the emerging artists practice at a key stage in their early career by allowing them the time and money to create a new body of work and the opportunity to exhibit it.

Successful applicants will receive a solo exhibition at LHQ Gallery in 2025 with a bursary award of 3,000 to support the production of their work. The councils Arts Office will also provide professional curatorial support as part of the development process, with the opportunity for the successful applicant to also receive professional mentorship.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, councillor Frank OFlynn, said that the council is delighted to be able to provide opportunities to artists who are at a critical juncture in their careers.

Recent graduates in any field, particularly emerging artists, can benefit from support and opportunity in their careers. We hope to nurture visual art talent in Cork County, and we look forward to seeing the results of this new award, Mayor OFlynn said.

Chief Executive of Cork County Council Valerie OSullivan said that is important that arts and culture are supported, given their significance to peoples lives and to society.

This is an award which we hope will further an emerging artists practice. By providing support for the development of a new body of work, and the platform to stage it, the artist will further establish themselves in the visual art sector, Mrs OSullivan said.

The council said that applicants for the award should be at the early stage of their career, regardless of age, and have created and exhibited an original body of work and be able to demonstrate a commitment to developing their career as a professional artist.

Eligible artists must currently live in Cork County or be originally from Cork County (as defined by the current county administrative boundary), but now living elsewhere.

For full guidelines and application form, those interested in applying can contact arts@corkcoco.ie. The deadline for applications is the May 3, 2024.
Mr Googan who hails from Clonakilty is the co-founder of an organisation called Stuttering Awareness Mental Wellbeing Ireland (SAMWI).

He is also a board member with the World Stuttering Network.

Mr Googan said he established the organisation to help improve the quality of life for people who stutter. I live with a stutter and for the last five years have made it my mission to give hope and practical support to those who live with the condition as well as to their immediate families. The organisation I established with some like-minded individuals in 2020 set about improving the quality of life of those who stutter, he said.

Our organisation is apolitical, said Mr Googan. We have established support groups, published support materials for education professionals, lobbied political leaders and have set about building strong relationships with and between Irish and international third level institutions. I am driven by a desire to ensure that young people living in Ireland today do not go through the same experience I did.

We have found many allies in the US who have been willing to help us. President Biden has always been an inspiration to me and this year I received my second invitation to visit the White House. On this occasion, with Covid restrictions removed, I finally got to meet President Biden. I got to thank him for the hope that he has provided for so many young people and tell him the impact his advocacy has had on me, he added.

Mr Googan said the White House lived up to his expectations and is spectacular. The White House is everything that you think it would be and more. It is spectacular. When you spend so long of your own life trying to meet a certain individual and then eventually you get to meet him it is an emotional process.

The Cork man said he spent ten minutes talking with President Biden as they discussed their challenges and their mutual love of poetry by Seamus Heaney. I was chatting with him for ten minutes. He made everyone else wait until we were done because he was discussing his own challenges with stuttering and I was explaining my challenges to him. We both have an interest in Seamus Heaney and we both recited a poem.

Mr Googan credited President Biden for the role he has played in raising awareness on stuttering. He has spoken on stuttering twice during his presidency. He spoke about it at Dublin Castle when he came to Ireland. Cork will host the World Conference on speech and language therapy next year. 250 international delegates will be coming to Ireland for this event. Awareness is growing which is the main thing. A lot of people have helped us and now it is our turn to help them have a better quality of life.

The Cork campaigner admits he will be keeping a close eye on the race for the White House later this year as he hopes to make a return visit to Washington. I would sincerely hope to visit the White House again someday. We will have to see how the election goes later this year. We have a lot of fantastic friends in the House of Representatives and even with the White House staff. We will be working closely with them to create that whole awareness.
Cobh to commemorate the 112th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic

A memorial ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 14 in Cobh to commemorate the 112th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

The east Cork town, famously known as the final port of call for the ill-fated ship, will welcome the public to join in honouring the memory of those who lost their lives when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage to New York in 1912.

Organised by Cobh Tourism, the annual commemorative event will commence at 3pm at the Titanic Memorial in Pearse Square, featuring solemn tributes including music, prayers, and the laying of wreaths.

Dignitaries, Cobh locals, maritime enthusiasts, and the general public are all invited to attend and pay their respects.

A colour party from the Cobh Irish Branch O.N.E. will march to the Titanic Memorial, where ceremonies will include prayers, wreath laying, and musical honours by the Commodore Male Voice Choir.

Following the memorial service, attendees will gather at the Promenade to hear the names of the 79 passengers who boarded the Titanic in Cobh on April 11, 1912, only to tragically perish in the icy waters of the North Atlantic four days later.

A wreath will then be cast into the sea in remembrance of all those lost in the maritime disaster, followed by the Cobh Confraternity Bands poignant rendition of the Last Post and Reveille.

More information about Cobhs connection to the Titanic can be discovered at the Cobh Heritage Centre, the Titanic Experience Cobh or on the Titanic Trail Walking Tour.
Planning permission was granted for extensive work to be carried out on the premises

The bar and restaurant is set to be renamed to The Fork and Wheel.

A well-known former bar and restaurant located on the Midleton to Youghal road is set to be renovated after its new owners received conditional planning permission to carry out extensive work on the premises.

The Two-Mile Inn, located at Churchtown, North Dunsfort near Midleton, was acquired by businessman David Jordans new local coffee brand 5Mile Coffee (5Mile Concepts Limited), which has now received permission to renovate the bar and restaurant.

In a video shared on YouTube two months ago, Mr Jordan announced that The Two-Mile Inn would be renamed to The Fork & Wheel to emphasise the premises as an east Cork culinary destination.

5Mile has been granted planning to alter, renovate and change the use of an existing detached storage shed on the site of the premises into a cafe, to construct additional toilets on to the restaurant building, to build a new canopy on to the main entrance of the restaurant and to construct a pergola structure at the cafe and the back of the restaurant.

Planning has also been approved for the alteration of the restaurants roof and installation of new lights, the demolition of sheds at the north end of the site, the resurfacing and redesign of the car park and construction of a bin storage area. Under the planning, the first floor of the premises will be turned into staff accommodation.

Cork County Council received a planning application from 5Mile proposing the development in October last year and upon request, further information regarding the plans was submitted last month.

County planners awarded planning permission for the development on Thursday, March 28, with 24 conditions attached.

According to The Fork and Wheels Facebook page, the premises is set to open in Autumn of 2024.
Local activists in Donegal staged a protest at McDonalds calling for a boycott of the restaurants over the companys alleged support for the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza.

The protest was held outside McDonalds in Letterkenny by Donegal Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) Branch on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Secretary of the Donegal IPSC and a native of Palestine, Fadl Mustapha, called on McDonalds to end its association with the Israeli franchise and its alleged support for Israel during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

McDonalds Israel has donated meals and beverages to Israeli military personnel committing the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and has promoted this on their social media channels.

Israel is waging a genocidal war against the people of Palestine.

"It is the duty of all states to take action to prevent this from continuing and to ensure that an immediate ceasefire is implemented so that humanitarian aid and assistance can be provided to the people of Gaza, said Fadl.

Local activists in Donegal staged a protest at McDonalds in Letterkenny.

However, in a statement about the protest, a spokesperson for McDonalds said misinformation has been spread about the company and denied funding or supporting any governments involved.

We are dismayed by the disinformation and inaccurate reports regarding our position in response to the conflict in the Middle East.

"McDonalds Corporation is not funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict.

"Our hearts are with all of the communities and families impacted by this crisis.

"We abhor violence of any kind and firmly stand against hate speech, and we will always proudly open our doors to everyone.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our people in the region while supporting the communities where we operate.

Donegal IPSC also is calling on the Irish government to impose economic sanctions on Israel and companies investing in Israel.

Fadl believes that people power can win out and referred to a previous campaign when in 1984 Dunnes Stores employees went on strike over the stocking of fruit from South Africa.

"This subsequent boycott of Dunnes led to the Irish government banning fruit from South Africa and contributed to the eventual end of apartheid.

"President Nelson Mandela praised Ireland saying that it showed that "ordinary people far away from the crucible of apartheid cared for our freedom".

"We are calling on ordinary people to again show that they care and to demonstrate that they will not stand for war crimes and genocide being committed, said Fadl.

McDonalds announced on Friday that it will buy back all of its Israeli restaurants after sales suffered from a boycott. McDonalds said it had reached a deal with franchisee Alonyal to return 225 outlets. Alonyal has operated McDonalds restaurants in Israel for more than 30 years.
Co-owner of the Rock Bakery says being busy is what's needed 'to survive'

Pearce Carty Heffernan, head baker and co-owner of the Rock Bakery in Skerries Co. Dublin

A Dublin bakery has voiced its support for a movement originating from the south of the country calling for the hospitality VAT rate to return to 9pc.

Under the last budget, the VAT rate for the hospitality sector was raised from 9pc to 13.5pc - with the lower rate introduced to support operations hit by the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020.

However, hospitality sector officials have warned that the higher VAT rate coupled with rising utility and employment costs has left many operations struggling to survive.

The Rock Bakery is a micro-bakery focusing on delivering fresh pastries daily, operating with a seasonal monthly menu.

Cian Carty Heffernan, co-owner of the popular bakery called The Rock in Skerries, alongside his brother Pearce Carty Heffernan, who serves as the head baker, has spoken out on the impacts of the VAT rate increase.

Its essentially a 50pc increase, so it was close enough as it was, and ever since the increase, weve really noticed the difference, he said.

The Rock Bakery is a micro bakery and focuses on delivering delicious fresh pastries each day working off a seasonal monthly menu.

Everything is going up, be it raw materials, electricity, rent, and rates, and trying to negate that is putting a lot of pressure on us as a business.

He added that at The Rock Bakery, they aim to create careers for all their staff, and while things are very busy, he added that people might have the wrong idea thinking that business means huge profits.

We have to be busy because the margins are still very tight; yes, were flat out on our feet, but its the only way to survive, he said.

Were kind of on a tightrope as we make everything fresh, which means higher quality, and the price shows that too.

Its tough. You need margins to pay your staff and cover all your running costs, but also we need to be aware that the customer only wants to pay so much, and its a tricky balancing act.

The VAT9 campaign, which has received much attention on social media this week, originated in Clonakilty by a group of hospitality business owners.

This includes Revel Coffee Bar & Concept Store, Wazzy Woo, The Pike Deli, and Camus Farm in Clonakilty, Budds Restaurant in Ballydehob, The Fish Basket in Castlefreke, and Monk's Lane restaurant in Timoleague.

Forbes Kelly co-owner of the Revel Coffee Bar in Clonakilty with his wife Aisling who are one of the businesses behind the VAT9 campaign

Forbes Kelly from Revel cafe spoke to the Irish Independent about how the campaign came about:

A petition was started on the topic, which had over 2000 signatures, and it just kind of fell flat, he said.

It became a worry then because it felt like everyone was just accepting the struggle as the norm.

The group of hospitality business owners decided to come together for a meeting, and what they concluded was that the biggest difficulty causing the closure of food-led businesses was the VAT percentage, which was raised back to 13.5pc in September.

Adrian Cummins, Chief exectitive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI), has repeatedly urged the government to reinstate the 9pc VAT rate for food-led businesses as part of its upcoming support package for SMEs.

At the end of March, the RAI estimated that 71 restaurants, cafes, and food-led businesses closed in February.

The association previously warned the government that, based on current trends, around 500 additional food-led businesses will close between March if substantial action is not taken to support the industry.

Mr Cummins said that countless businesses that were viable and sustainable before last Septembers 50pc VAT hike have been forced to shut for good.

The campaign launched by these businesses in Cork are encouraging food-led businesses all across the country to share their stories and get the VAT rate back down.

Mr Kelly behind Revel Coffee Bar in Clonakilty, along with his wife Aisling, say that they have felt that most people have been suffering in silence, and that the campaign has been receiving huge support from customers and other businesses alike.

When we spoke that day as a group of businesses, we realized were busy fools trying to stay as busy as possible because we have to find the money somewhere, Mr Kelly added.
Director of popular Donegal festival Sea Sessions Ray O'Donoghue is hoping to rejevunate the capitals nighttime economy

A new advisor has been appointed by Dublin City Council to rejuvenate the capitals nighttime economy.

Ray ODonoghue, who is Festival Director at Sea Sessions in Donegal, will take up the position of Night Time Economy Advisor for DCC.

The position is a pilot programmer for an initial two year period funded by the Department of Tourism.

In a post on LinkedIn, Mr ODonoghue said its a role hes really looking forward to despite the challenges.

The Nighttime Economy, in the Capital City especially, is something that needs to parallel similar economies in European Capitals, he said.

Hopefully I'll be able to, in some way, help get us on par with these major cities.

Mr ODonoghue has worked in music promotion for some time, working to book artists and started his own record label.

The position came about following government reports from three years ago; his role will be to liaise with council stakeholders on projects and events across the city.

Director of popular Donegal festival Sea Sessions Ray O'Donoghue is hoping to rejevunate the capitals nighttime economy

DublinTown, a business lobby group in the capital, recently worked with the San Francisco-based Responsible Hospitality Institute on a Diageo funding project which looked at international trends in the nighttime economy.

The cities they investigated were Dublin, Toronto, and Cancun.

The report recommended that there is scope for longer opening hours.

DublinTown chief executive Richard Guiney said that for many years dining out has been one of the most popular pursuits in the city.

Footfall after dark is more irregular than the daytime footfall; there are a couple of reasons for this and one is the perception of safety in the city, he said.

This is being addressed but it is clear that there is a need to re-instill greater confidence in the public that they can enjoy a safe night out in Dublin City.

He added that the greatest barrier is transport and access.

Some 46pc of Dubliners said in a survey back in 2022 that concerns of taxi availability were a major reason behind the decision not to spend a night in the city.

The success of 24 buses shows the demand that exists for this service, he added.

91pc of Dubliners in our 2022 survey supported night transport across all modes with 71pc stating that they would pay a premium for a night transport service.
A group of Dubliners were left shocked when they received the bill for their four drinks recently in the city centre, coming to just under 50.

The bill at the Oliver St John Gogarty pub in Temple Bar, renowned for its presence on the cobblestone streets and live music, came to a grand total of 47.70.

This tab included two pints of Guinness at 9.95 each, a vodka which came to 10.65 with a Red Bull priced at 6.20, and a pint of Kilkenny priced at 10.95.

The receipt was shared on Facebook by Fine Gael councillor Jim Gildea when he was handed it by the unhappy customers while out canvassing in his constituency.

In the post he wrote; This purchase was at 3pm, Id hate to see what the cost would be at 1:30am.

Not good for our tourist industry. Not good for us, he added.

Speaking about the receipt, Cllr Gildea described what he saw was outrageous.

The thing that people dont understand is that the valuations office only give any space selling goods higher rates because of a very high turnover in the premises, he said

The concern I have is that the tourist industry at a domestic level and international level will be impacted by these types of prices.

Four drinks in Temple Bar cost this group of Dubliners nearly 50 in Temple Bar

The news comes as Diageo recently announced that a price hike will come into effect which includes Guinness, Hop House 13, Rockshore, Smithwicks and Carlsberg, meaning that pints will rise by 6 cent, following a 12 cent increase that kicked in February last year.

A further 4 cent was added last July.

Guinness 0.0 will also have a price hike with a 9 cent increase, the first time the price of a non-alcoholic drink has gone up.

Guinness brewer Diageo said that the price hike was due to rising input costs across all of its operations in Ireland.

The company stated: "In order to offset this, we must pass on some of these additional costs to our customers.

"As a result, we are adjusting the list prices on our draught product range. This includes Guinness which will increase by the equivalent of 0.06 per pint or 5.28 per 50-litre keg.

Cllr Gildea said that while Temple Bar is a well-known spot within Dublin, renowned for its culture, art, cobblestone streets, live music scene, bars, and places to eat aplenty, these prices are over the top.

Right now, tourists are being advised not to go to Temple Bar, which is a shame because it has a lot to offer, he added.

The pub's boss, Martin Keane was contacted for comment and said he stands by his previous comments when he spoke to Newstalk last year and said that the prices are similar to what other Temple Bar pubs are charging.

Speaking to a reporter he admitted that the prices were quite expensive but defended them by stating that musicians were playing at just after 12 oclock in the day.

They have to be paid, they have to get increases.

So, our rates and overheads still stand and, unfortunately, the price of alcohol, like everything else, is rising.
Aidan O Carroll, Fr. David McGovern, Fr. Gregory Carroll and Violinist Doireann O Carroll pictured promoting the upcoming gala concert in Tralee to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the arrival of the Dominican order in Ireland.

It was back in 1224, three years after the death of St. Dominic, that 12 members of the Dominican order travelled from Oxford to Dublin, setting up a priory on the north bank of the Liffey, where the Four Courts now stand. From here, the Order rapidly expanded to most of the cities and large towns of Ireland, coming to Tralee in 1243 where theyve had a continuous presence ever since.

Its this first arrival to Irish shores in 1224 that an upcoming concert in Tralee on Sunday April 14 will celebrate and commemorate.

Taking place at 7pm at the Holy Cross Dominican Church, Day Place, Kerry Chamber Choir and Kerry Chamber Orchestra  who will be directed from the keyboard by Aidan O Carroll  will be joined by an array of amazing talent on the night.

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Those in attendance will be able to enjoy listening to award-winning Sopranos Mikaela O Sullivan from Milltown and Caitriona Fitzmaurice from Tarbert, as well the remarkably talented 16-year-old Tenor Rae Moriarty from Kilfenora and Bass-Baritone Ross Kingston from Tralee in a programme of Handel and Britten as well as works by Aidan O Carroll himself and Dr. John O Keeffe.

The concert will also celebrate Handels 265th anniversary (he died on Good Friday, April 14th, 1759). His sublime Ode for St. Cecilias Day and highlights from his more familiar Messiah (first performed in Dublin on April 13th 1742) frame the no less magnificent Hymn to St. Cecilia by Benjamin Britten.

Choral settings by Chamber Choir director Aidan O Carroll as well a setting of the Credo by Portmagee musician Dr. John O Keeffe, specially commissioned by the Dominican Order for the Dominican 800 celebrations, round off the ninety-minute programme.

The concert will have a special personal significance for Aidan O Carroll. His late great mother Elizabeth O Carroll, known to many as Betty Talbot, gave two separate, extended stints as organist and choir director in Holy Cross Church in the 1940s and 50s.

The Kerry Chamber Choir is well known for its performances of larger works such as the Messiah, Haydens Creation, Vivaldis Gloria and Faures Requiem. The Kerry Chamber Orchestra draws its membership from as far away as Limerick, Cork and Dublin and is the countys only fully professional orchestra.

Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Dominican parish office in Day place or from Kerry School of Music. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night with a suggested contribution.
Limerick Councillor Conor Sheehan described Minister Stephen Donnellys measures to alleviate overcrowding at UHL as too little too late for the hospital as he pointed out a number of issues.

The Labour Councillor said: The vast majority of the Ministers measures are just another example of old milk in new bottles. It will not make any difference because there is no commitment from the Minister to address deficiencies in care and management or to hire any extra staff which cannot be accomplished without lifting the recruitment moratorium.

Yesterday, April 4, Minister Donnelly announced a number of long-awaited measures to alleviate overcrowding at UHL including the addition of several beds across Limerick, Clare and Nenagh.

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Cllr Sheehan commented: Saying that you want to change the bed profile in the new block from 48 beds to 71 beds is no good unless the requisite staffing is put in place. We know in UHL that they are short 200 nursing posts for the funded beds and that was before todays announcement of extra beds.

Staff at the hospital are burnt out and forced to work in intolerable conditions and there is no recognition or solution to this in Minister Donnellys announcement. I saw this first hand in January of this year when I spent 100 hours in A&E with an elderly relative. 100 hours at nearly 90 years of age is an outrage.

In addition, Minister Donnelly announced the opening hours of the regions three Acute Medical Assessment Units at Nenagh, Ennis and St Johns are to be extended to 24/7 on a phased basis, and UHL will be one of two national test sites for Acute Virtual Wards.

Read more Limerick residents appeal to An Bord Pleanala over new library development

Cllr Sheehan commented: The Minister also talks of making UHL one of two national test sites for Acute Virtual Wards which is a measure he announced last December that was due to commence in 2024 and he is reannouncing today which involves receiving hospital care at home while being monitored electronically. While they do involve care at home, an Acute Virtual Ward will require some staffing and begs more questions than answers.

What happens if two or three real patients in the virtual ward feel unwell at the same time? This can be hard enough to cope with on a real ward, but we have no idea how this will work if the patients are spread out between Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.

He added: "I welcome the news that the Acute Medical Assessment Units at Nenagh, St Johns and Ennis are to be extended to 24/7 but that needs to happen immediately and not on a phased basis."

At a recent Limerick City and County Council meeting, Cllr Sheehan called for the Government to allocate 91 million extra in funding for UHL as well as create a taskforce to address the hospitals issues.

Cllr Sheehan said: This is a national crisis and as a result it needs a proper whole-of-Government response. I am calling on the incoming Taoiseach to put in place a taskforce comprising of the Minister for Health, Department of Health, HSE and hospital management overseen by a health expert from outside Ireland to address the deficits in care and services.

People in Limerick and the Midwest are terrified to go to their local hospital and Minister Donnellys spin today will not make a bit of difference to them. Labour is calling on the Government to invest 91 million in UHL which is the funding needed to bring the hospital up to the funding average for a Model 4 hospital.
The funeral of tragic Longford woman Sarah McNally is to take place on Monday, it has been announced.

The former boyfriend of Longford woman Sarah McNally has been formally indicted by a Grand Jury in New York accused of her murder.

Thirty-six-year-old Marcin Pieciak, of 76th Street in Glendale, New York, was not in court for this mornings hearing before Judge Julieta Lozano at Queens County Criminal Court.

Pieciak remains in hospital with self-inflicted wounds sustained following an incident at the Ceili House pub in Maspeth, Queens last Saturday during which Ms McNally was fatally stabbed.

It was the second time Pieciaks name had been listed after he was charged earlier this week with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

A spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office in Queens told the Irish Independent website that while Pieciak was legally represented in court, no date had been set for his next hearing.

The spokesperson did, however, state Pieciak is expected to enter a plea on the next occasion the case come before the courts in New York.

Those revelations come on the same day details surrounding Ms McNallys funeral were revealed.

The funeral of tragic Longford woman Sarah McNally is to take place on Monday, it has been announced.

The 41-year-olds remains will lie in repose at Glennon's Funeral Home, Ballinalee Road, Longford on Sunday from 5pm concluding with prayers at 8pm.

Her funeral mass will take place at St Mels Cathedral on Monday at 11am ahead of a private cremation.

Ms McNally had been working behind the bar of the Queens pub at the time when she was attacked and stabbed in the neck.

She had been a well-liked and respected member of staff at the Irish bar for almost a year, having previously worked in other bars in Manhattan and in her adopted home of Queens.

Tributes to the much loved and admired Longford woman have, meanwhile, continued to pour in across social media in the wake of the tragedy.

Many of those have been directed at the former Mean Scoil Mhuire students  bright, vivacious and charismatic persona, traits have been referred to on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rest in peace my beautiful niece Sarah, we are heartbroken, love you always, Ms McNallys aunt Mary wrote in a tribute posted to social media.

Another of Ms McNallys aunts Margaret Gaffey added: My beautiful niece taken too soon. Love you.

They were sentiments Lorna Fitzgerald, a schoolfriend and cousin of Ms McNally, echoed as she described the late Longford woman as such a lovely person.

Everyone is still in shock, like, how? Why? And its just not fair.

A post on RIP.ie said Ms McNally is sadly missed and remembered with love by her family, her loving mother Dorrie, dear father Des, grandmother Kathleen OConnor, aunts, uncles, relatives, extended family and a wide circle of friends in Longford and New York.

Members of the public are advised the family home is to remain strictly private at all times.
The funeral of tragic Longford woman Sarah McNally, who was stabbed to death in a New York bar last weekend is to take place on Monday, it has been announced.

Forty-one-year-old Ms McNally was fatally stabbed while working as a bartender at the Ceili House pub in Maspeth, Queens last Saturday.

Her former boyfriend, Marcin Pieciak (36) of 76th Street in Glendale has since been charged with her murder along with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

He is due to reappear before a sitting of Queens County Criminal Court later today.

A post on RIP.ie revealed the late Ms McNally will lie in repose at Glennon's Funeral Home, Ballinalee Road, Longford on Sunday from 5pm concluding with prayers at 8pm.

Her funeral mass will take place at St Mels Cathedral on Monday at 11am ahead of a private cremation.

Ms McNally had been working behind the bar of the Queens pub at the time when she was attacked and stabbed in the neck.

She had been a well-liked and respected member of staff at the Irish bar for almost a year, having previously worked in other bars in Manhattan and in her adopted home of Queens.

The funeral of tragic Longford woman Sarah McNally is to take place on Monday, it has been announced.

Tributes to the much loved and admired Longford woman have, meanwhile, continued to pour in across social media in the wake of the tragedy.

Many of those have been directed at the former Mean Scoil Mhuire students  bright, vivacious and charismatic persona, traits have been referred to on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rest in peace my beautiful niece Sarah, we are heartbroken, love you always, Ms McNallyss aunt Mary wrote in a tribute posted to social media.

Another of Ms McNallys aunts Margaret Gaffey added: My beautiful niece taken too soon. Love you.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 5th April 2024

They were sentiments Lorna Fitzgerald, a schoolfriend and cousin of Ms McNally, echoed as she described the late Longford woman as such a lovely person.

Everyone is still in shock, like, how? Why? And its just not fair.

The post on RIP.ie said Ms McNally is sadly missed and remembered with love by her family, her loving mother Dorrie, dear father Des, grandmother Kathleen OConnor , aunts , uncles , relatives , extended family and a wide circle of friends in Longford and New York.

Members of the public are advised the family home is to remain strictly private at all times.
Young rocker Noah Rafferty made his first tv appearance on 2020 The Late Late Toy Show when he performed his own song Rock Is The Best Medicine

Noah Rafferty at the De La Salle College 'Class Act 2023' show held in An Tain Arts Centre. Photo: Ken Finegan/www.newspics.ie

Noah Rafferty from Louth village stars in the new RTE children's series Louise Lives Large

Its not work when you love what youre doing, says Louth teenager Noah Rafferty who stars in RTEs biggest ever drama commission for young people Louise Lives Large.

The 13-year-old from Louth village got the part in the eight-part series after attending auditions in Dublin, explains his proud mum Nicola Whelan.

Louise Lives Large, which was written by Carol Walsh, tells the story of teenager Louise Edgar who has just got the all-clear after a year of cancer treatment and how, with the help of a schoolfriend, she embraces life again.

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"Filming started the day after he finished sixth class in St Mochtas NS and took the whole summer until he started secondary school, says Nicola.

The series was filmed in Celbridge, Co Kildare and for much of the time, Noah stayed with his granny in Coolock, Dublin as it was closer.

"It was a great experience, says Noah. I made loads of new friends. We all had different personalities and we were like one family during filming. Weve now got a group chat so we can stay in contact.

He says he found filming very exciting and enjoyed learning his lines and the skills involved for acting in front of a camera.

"Hes self-taught, says Nicola. He was taught a few basic chords by his grandfather, but taught himself by watching Youtube videos during lockdown. He always loved music and performing and got into writing songs and it all started from there.

Noah make his television debut when he was just 10 years old, appearing on the Late, Late Show Toy Show in 2020 as a performer and toy tester. He wowed the studio audience and viewers at home when he performed his own song Rock is the Best Medicine.

Young rocker Noah Rafferty made his first tv appearance on 2020 The Late Late Toy Show when he performed his own song Rock Is The Best Medicine

During the show, Noah told presenter Ryan Tubridy how he had written the song to cheer people up during the pandemic and he got a huge surprise when The Edge gifted him with a signed guitar.

Noah subsequently released the song as a single to raise funds for the Make A Wish childrens charity, with it making No 1 in the Irish iTunes charts. He also released a video featuring his great-granddad which was recorded in Cloughvalley Day Care Centre in Carrickmacross and the Imperial Hotel in Dundalk.

Since then, the young rocker appeared as Max in Toy Show The Musical and played Quinn in the Emmy Award-winning short film Screechers Reach for Star Wars Visions by Cartoon Saloon.

Now a first year student at the De La Salle Secondary School in Dundalk , Noah took part in the schools famous Class Act talent show in An Tain Arts Centre last autumn.

Noah Rafferty at the De La Salle College 'Class Act 2023' show held in An Tain Arts Centre. Photo: Ken Finegan/www.newspics.ie

He is already looking forward to his next venture, which seems him playing Seano in the second series of the RTE kids podcast Cereal on RTEjr radio.

"Hes living the dream, says his proud mum Nicola.

Louise Live Larges goes out on RTE 2 on Wednesday at 4pm and RTE Player and the full series will be available to stream from Wednesday April 10.
A teenager who was killed in a collision in County Mayo has been remembered as young man who packed many beautiful memories into his short life.

Vakaris Gudaitis (17) of Tavrane, Kilkelly, was struck by a vehicle and killed in the townland of Barnacarroll, Claremorris, County Mayo at around 9.20pm on Saturday night, March 30.

His funeral mass was held this morning, Friday, April 5 at St Colmans Church, Claremorris.

Vakaris was the son of Renata and Nerijus and a brother to Ruslanas, Faustas, Nojus, Karina and Vilte.

Originally from Lithuania, Vakaris and his family lived in the area since he was a young child and he was former student of St Colmans College in Claremorris.

Speaking during the homily, Fr Peter Gannon said it was a very sad day and there was a great sense of numbness for the heartbroken family of Vakaris.

Fr Gannon said at times, death will be a surprise visitor leaving loved ones with no clear understanding of why and a lot of questions.

Why did he have to die now? It seems too soon, too sudden.

And sometimes, like Vakaris, death will come with more questions about how - How did this strange accident take place, what exactly happened.

Many of those questions will never be clearly answered and we have to decide how to deal with them  whether to get stuck forever trying to get answers to impossible questions or whether to trust in our loving creator and leave the unknowable to the only one who knows, said Fr Gannon.

The funeral of Vakaris Gudaitis (17).

A tribute from Vakaris sister Karina was read aloud by Fr Gannon.

She said her brother was too young to die but had left behind beautiful memories from his short life.

We little knew that day that God was going to call your name.

Vakaris, in life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you.

We fought, we laughed, we cried but most importantly we loved.

If I could just have another minute with you, to see you, to hear you, to talk to you.

You left us beautiful memories and I know you would have left even more of them, but life is unfair.

It all ended that day when God called your name.

Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

You were too young my dearest brother.

I hope you are happy up there and are watching over us.

I will miss you forever.

Fr Gannon said the deepest sympathy of all of Claremorris goes to Vakaris parents, Renata and Nerijus and siblings Ruslanas, Faustas, Nojus, Karina and Vilte.

He added that hearts and sympathy also goes to Vakaris many friends who were in attendance at the funeral and to his cousins, aunts and uncles.

He recalled knowing Vakaris from a young age and remembered him with a massive head of curls and a bicycle that used to fly up and down Mount Street.

On a personal note, he was a young man who I always found to be polite.

When I would meet him on the street, I dont think he ever passed me by without saying hello and believe me, that is not something I can say for everybody in this town.

Was he a wild young man? Yes he was. He was a teenager.

Did he do right things? Off course he did.

Did he make mistakes? Yes he did, but we all understand it because none of us are perfect.

We all make mistakes and do wrong things.

But he was a great friend to all of his friends, he was a brother to his sisters and brothers who absolutely loved him and a dear son to Renata and Nerijus, said Fr Gannon.

Fr Gannon continued by acknowledging the young mans short life and said he was certainly too young to die but he urged the family to remember the good times they had with Vakaris.

When somebody dies prematurely, we are inclined to speak as if everything that was important about the young person lay in the future  a future that will never be.

But I think that is a big mistake.

It is true that the life of Vakaris had barely started, nevertheless, it had started and what the future may have held for him is not the point in this day.

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We judge an experience not so much on duration but rather on its intensity, and young people, as we know, pack an awful lot of living into every single one of their days.

Today there are many memories of great fun, laughs, proud times and yes, as with everyones life, there were challenging times too and today we here to give thanks for the life of this young man, said Fr Gannon.

As his coffin was carried out of the church by his family, the sound of a special piece of music by Freya Ridings - Lost Without You, was played.

The funeral then travelled to Shannon Crematorium where a committal service was held.

Vakaris is survived by his parents Renata and Nerijus, brothers Ruslanas, Faustas and Nojus and his sisters Karina and Vilte, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Predeceased by his grandfather Kestutis.
The funeral of a Sligo mother of seven killed in England will take place on Monday.

Pauline Sweeney (50), originally from Finisklin, Sligo will repose at the Nazareth House Chapel, Church Hill, Sligo from 3pm Sunday with removal at 5pm to The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo to arrive at 5.30pm.

Mass of Christian burial at 12 noon Monday burial to follow in Sligo Cemetery.

Ms Sweeney was found with stab wounds at Long Close Avenue in Allesley in Coventry city on Wednesday 20 March at about 8.30pm.

The Sligo woman died a short time later, said West Midlands Police.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 5th April 2024

Partner William Brady, 57, has been charged with her murder and remanded in custody after appearing at Warwick Crown Court on Monday March 25. He is set to appear at a 'Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing' on Thursday, May 9.

In a statement, Ms Sweeneys family said: Pauline Sweeney was our mother. She was the life and soul of every room she walked into.

She was a strong woman who wouldnt let anything bring her down. Well remember her with a tear in our eye and love in our hearts. Rest in peace. Love from your seven children.

A spokesperson for West Midlands police said: Our thoughts remain with Paulines loved ones at this distressing time and well be doing all we can to support them.
Claire Lawless (district manager), Cllr. John O'Rourke, chairman of Enniscorthy Municipal District) and Marty Whelan laying a wreath at the Seamus Rafter monument to commemorate the 108th. anniversary of the Insurrection Easter 1916.

Cllr. John O'Rourke, chairman Enniscorthy Municipal District, speaking at the wreath laying at the 1798 monument in the Market Square to commemorate the 108th. anniversary of the Insurrection Easter 1916.

St. Coleman's Pipe band leading the parade at the wreath laying at the 1798 monument in the Market Square to commemorate the 108th. anniversary of the Insurrection Easter 1916.

UN Vets and army reserve members at the wreath laying at the 1798 monument in the Market Square to commemorate the 108th. anniversary of the Insurrection Easter 1916.

Cllr. John O'Rourke, chairman Enniscorthy Municipal District, laid the wreath at the 1798 monument in the Market Square to commemorate the 108th. anniversary of the Insurrection Easter 1916.

Enniscorthy's contribution to one of the most pivotal moments in Irish history was recalled once again as elected reps and dignitaries gathered at Market Square for the annual Easter Commemoration.

Just a few yards away, 108 years ago, the tricolour was raised on the Athenaeum as local units of the Irish Volunteers took over the town  a position they would hold until they received confirmation in person from Padraig Pearse himself at Arbour Hill Prison that they were to lay down their arms and surrender.

Enniscorthy was the last area to surrender in the country after the Easter Rising of 1916.

Something thats commemorated every year, this years events began with a special mass in St Aidan's Cathedral with readings, prayers and recitals from Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Cllr John ORourke, Martin Whelan, Keith Doyle and Bridget OBrien, before the Mass concluded with a beautiful rendition of Boolavogue by Niall Wall.

A colour party from the reserve defence forces led the way from the Cathedral to Market Square.

It is an honour to speak with you this Easter Monday morning as we commemorate the 108th Anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising Cllr ORourke said addressing the assembled crowd. Today we remember the sacrifices of the Irish rebels for us. We remember the unsung heroes, men and women who believed in the cause for Irish Freedom. These heroes blazed a trail for our freedom as an Irish nation.

"Today we owe it to the rebels of the past to honour the legacy of the Easter Rising to make Ireland a place where we honour the interest of our communities well into the future.

Adding to the event were the Ballindaggin Pipe Band, Enniscorthy Historical Re-Enactment Society, Martina Leacy's School of Dance, Judy Heffernan who read aloud the Proclamation and Anthony Nolan who played The Last Post before the pipe band concluded proceedings with a rendition of Amhran na bhFiann.

Cllr ORourke laid a wreath at the 1798 monument with a second also being laid by the Cathaoirleach and Martin Whelan at the Seamus Rafter monument in Abbey Square.
Councillor Pip Breen and the toilets which have caused so much envy in Rosslare.

As we bid another winter goodbye and prepare for what we can only hope is a good summer, the councillors of the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD) have requested that the areas many beaches be primed and ready for the peak season.

Aware of the importance of being summer ready in good time, environmental engineer Gerry Forde asked councillors to raise their concerns at the districts March meeting.

Councillor Ger Carthy asked for an update on an issue which dated back 50 years.

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We had a big fanfare here about 12 months ago, we were going to get summer ready, and have a car park at St Margarets, but its still in the same condition it was 50 years ago, he said. Are we any further along with this, has the landowner agreed to do it? To come in here and listen to promises and commitments being reneged upon is very annoying, will the St Margarets car park be done before the summer season?"

Weve done the design and got an estimate of costs, but we havent reached an agreement with the landowner yet, replied Mr Forde.

Ill talk to the landowner myself and see can we get a bit of movement on this. Shes very amenable to it, said Cllr Carthy. What about the costings?

Its not significant money, I dont see an issue, answered Mr Forde, adding that one way or another headway would be made over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, Cllr Lisa McDonald was envious of developments in the north of the county where one coastal location had recently seen three new toilets installed.

I saw on Cllr Pip Breens Facebook page that theyre getting lovely toilets up in Cahore, three of them, and they look modern, very attractive, Im just wondering why we cant have something like that? she asked, referencing the difficulty she and her colleagues had faced in acquiring taps in St Helens and Rosslare Harbour.

"There are four public toilets in the RMD, replied Mr Forde.

Explaining that her main bone of contention was the inability of the council to install the taps at the aforementioned beaches, Cllr McDonald asked that Mr Forde and his team be more ambitious with regards to the RMDs beaches this year.

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Wicklow County Council has given approval to Developer Avonvard Ltd for a large-scale residential development (LRD) of 178 apartments on the former Dell site, at Vevay Road and Boghall Road in Bray, despite submissions from a local residents group over concerns of rat-running of traffic as a result of the increase in housing in the area.

The developer was given the green light in October 2022 for the construction of a first phase of development, consisting of a three-storey nursing home building, accommodating 144 bedrooms and ancillary resident and staff facilities, as well as office buildings, 121 surface car parking spaces and 115 cycle spaces. This was sought for the southern portion of the site.

Permission was subsequently granted, in July last year, for the demolition of the vacant manufacturing building on the site and the erection of temporary boundary fencing and gates. However, the demolition works have not yet been completed, and the LRD application includes for the demolition works, in addition to the overall site clearance works.

The proposed Vevay Road LRD  phase two of the development on the overall landholding at the northern end of the site  is for the construction of 178 apartments, with a mix of 78 one-beds apartments, 79 two-bed apartments, and 21 three-bed apartments, in three buildings, ranging from three to four storeys in height, over a basement level.

There are also proposals for a childcare facility, at ground floor level of block one, of 427.6 square metres and an associated outdoor play area of 188.4 square metres.

Plans also include the provision of 155 car parking spaces and 311 cycle parking spaces for the residential units at basement level, and secure allocated storage space is provided at basement level for the residential units. Some 23 car parking spaces, 111 cycle parking spaces, and a set down area are provided at surface level to serve the residential units and childcare facility.

Vehicular access, it is proposed, will be via the existing access from Vevay Road and via a new vehicular access from Boghall Road.

A number of submissions were received and the issues raised included traffic congestion and rat running on nearby Cuala Road, Vevay Road and Newcourt. There has recently been three large housing developments granted in proximity to the Dell site development, with concerns that these will will also increase traffic volumes.

In the submissions, it was also pointed out that Newcourt Road currently has entrances to two schools (St Andrews and Newcourt), and will soon host a drop-off facility to Presentation College via a newly built access route. With the footpaths on this road being particularly narrow, and with no cycle lanes, it was asked how these concerns would be addressed.

Other issues raised included that the proposed development is out of scale and out of character compared with existing properties in the vicinity, and Block two of the development will have a significant negative impact on the existing view and sight from the Boghall road. [And] The loss of existing views from neighbouring properties will adversely affect the residential amenity of neighbouring owners.

In the planners report, specific regard was given to the issue of traffic and reference was made to a detailed Traffic and Transport Assessment (TTA) and a Mobility Management Plan submitted with the application.

These indicated that in the main the adjoining network and associated junctions will experience a moderate impact with the development in place, but will not exceed the threshold for congested networks.

Furthermore, the analysis of the entrance areas and adjoining roads show that they will operate within capacity design. Concern in respect of the sensitivity analysis and significant traffic impacts are noted, however the sensitivity analysis was carried out to investigate the sole use of the Boghall Road entrance, the use of this as a sole entrance is not proposed as part of the application, and therefore the negative impacts identified will not arise.

"Any analysis of traffic impacts must also recognise that this site is a brownfield site with a manufacturing unit thereon, which would itself have created significant traffic movements. Therefore, having regard to the submitted detail, and the site history it is considered that the development will not give rise to significant negative impacts in terms of traffic.

Reference was also made to listed views, and it was deemed that the development is not located within any listed views/ prospects, and given its location to the south of Boghall Road . . . it will not have a significant negative impact on views to Bray Head, the main view to which is at the junction of Boghall Road with Vevay Road.

A large scale residential development (LRD) is a development of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation developments comprising 200 bed spaces or more, or a combination of same. Up to 30pc of the gross floor space of the proposed development is permitted for other uses.

Pre-application was undertaken in May 2021 in respect to a proposed residential development initially comprising 240 apartments in seven blocks, with heights of three to five storeys.

Subsequently, the applicant decided not to proceed with a Strategic Housing Development (SHD) application for the site (SHD applications go directly to An Bord Pleanala for decision and cannot be appealed), in favour of an LRD application.

The application sought to address key items which have informed the LRD proposals for the site, including a reduction in residential units; the provision of a stronger street edge to Vevay Road and Boghall Road and a reduction in the residential blocks to three and four storeys.

The site has been vacant since 2006, when Dell relocated to Cherrywood, taking with it around 1,000 local jobs in what was a huge blow to the area and leaving an eyesore in its place.

It was the location for Dells original UK and Ireland sales, marketing and supporting operation set up in 1992. Prior to that, Nixdorf operated at the same premises.
Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has called on the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to ensure that the long-promised neuro-rehabilitation facility in Bray is not delayed any further by the HSE recruitment freeze.

Community neurorehabilitation teams are multi-disciplinary teams that provide vital care to support recovery and prevent disability for people with neurological conditions.

According to National Neurorehabilitation Strategy, the implementation of which is a key commitment in the current Programme for Government, nine teams are required but only two have been delivered. This means that only 15pc of neurological patients in Ireland have access to a community neurorehabilitation team.

Community Health Organisation 6 (CHO6), which includes Wicklow, Dun Laoghaire and Dublin South East does not have a team in place, despite funding being made available.

In 2018, the Government committed to setting up a new neurorehabilitation centre for CHO 6 area, that is, east Wicklow and South Dublin.

The centre was planned for Bray and work was under way to get it up and running over the last year, with a team of 13 posts being pulled together. Funding was available, and recruitment was to commence.

Unfortunately, a response from the HSE to a parliamentary question I asked recently stated that all plans for the new centre are now all on hold because of the recruitment freeze in the HSE, Deputy Whitmore said.

This is hugely disappointing and will be devastating for those residents in Wicklow that are unable to access support and rehabilitation following stroke, brain injuries, Parkinsons patients, and others in need of physical or speech therapy. These are essential healthcare services that are needed in Wicklow for hundreds of residents.

However, it is possible for the Minister to make an exception of certain services through the use of a derogation from the recruitment freeze. And I ask that the Minister does so urgently.

The importance of this centre, and the impact of not having these supports available to those that need it, shows that it is critical that the Minister intervenes and provides the necessary derogation from the HSE recruitment freeze, she continued.

I brought this important issue to the attention of the Tanaiste Micheal Martin in the Dail, and he committed to discussing it with the Minister for Health. I will await the outcome of those discussions, but hopefully common sense will apply. The money is there, and the recruitment process started.

It seems a shame that it is now being held up because of the recruitment freeze. I will continue to raise this issue with the Minister until the services that are in need are in place, she concluded.
Over 100 people attended Wicklow Sinn Feins annual 1916 East commemoration on Easter Monday in Bray, where the commemoration was led by a piper down Bray Main Street to the 1916 garden in the Peoples Park in Little Bray.

Proceedings were chaired by Greystones local election candidate Esther Kelly, with the Proclamation read by Anthony Hill from Wicklow town, and west Wicklow candidate Aidan Kinsella read the Wicklow Republican Roll of Honour.

Bray Councillor Mick Ryan read the poem from Bobby Sands, The rhythm of time, with a wreath laid by Greystones representative Brian Fogarty.

In the main oration, Sinn Fein candidate Connor Byrne from Kilbride in west Wicklow said: We can never take the promise of the republic for granted.

It is why we remember all of those who struggled in the pursuit of Irish freedom, to remind us of their sacrifice and to recommit ourselves to the republic that they dedicated their lives for and to making their hopes and dreams a reality for this generation and for generations to come.

Byrne expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine, saying: Today, as Israels genocidal war in Gaza has now entered its seventh month, the death toll has surpassed 30,000, the majority of which have been women and children.

We send solidarity to the Palestinian people. Israels slaughter is not a war of defence. It is being executed as a war of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, not only in Gaza but across the West Bank. We stand with the Palestinian people.

He also called for a general election, noting: Next week we will see Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, and the Greens, supported by Independents, try to vote through another Taoiseach. This should not happen. We need a general election now so the people can decide who the next Taoiseach will be.

Change is coming. The demand for change is growing. Our responsibility is clear to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the proclamation. Irish Republicans today are as committed to that mission as those who read that proclamation on the steps of the GPO in 1916 and all of those who strove to achieve its noble aims.

He concluded by saying: Our mission is to build a republic, a united Ireland with social justice and equality as its foundation stone - a fitting tribute to everyone that gave so much for Irish freedom.
Over 160 delegates from Comhairle na nOg local youth councils across Ireland met in Dail Eireann to debate the critical issue of mental health, including five Co Wicklow representatives.

Mental health was identified by more than 3,000 young people across Comhairle na nOg as their priority issue, which they feel the Government should be doing more to address.

Dail na nOg, Irelands National Youth Parliament, now in its 22nd year, tackled a range of issues related to mental health, including body image, school stress, and mental health services.

Delegates from Comhairle na nOg, representing each of the 31 local authorities across Ireland, filled the committee rooms in Leinster House where they took part in workshops to debate the three mental health topics. Among the attendees were Sofia McDarby, Kate Macadam, Donncha OReilly, Oscar Kavanagh and Adam ONeill of Wicklow Comhairle na nOg.

Discussions were held around how mental health affects the lives of young people in their communities and what changes need to be implemented to address these challenges and improve the experiences of young people in Ireland.

Following a formal vote in the afternoon where delegates processed through the lobbies of the Dail, school stress was selected as the priority topic. This will inform the work of the incoming Comhairle na nOg National Executive 2024-2026, who are tasked with advocating for policy change in this area during their tenure.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic OGorman, said: I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Houses of the Oireachtas Citizen Engagement Team for working with my Department to make Dail na nOg 2024 happen. I know that Minister Foley and her officials have engaged very positively with the outgoing National Executive on their topic of Relationships and Sexuality education. I am also grateful to Minister Butler for attending to hear directly about the mental health issue selected by all the Comhairli na nOg for debate by their delegates to Dail na nOg.

The incoming National Executive will work on this issue over their two year term, and the support of Minister Butler and officials in the Department of Health will be a critical element in the impact they can have.
The Hacketstown Easter Parade commences with the releasing of the pigeons. Photo: Joe Byrne

The Hacketstown Easter Parade commences with the releasing of the pigeons. Photo: Joe Byrne

The Hacketstown community were out in force for a bumper Easter parade that saw marching bands, sports groups, and more than 50 floats parade through the streets.

Continuing a tradition stretching back over 30 years, a colourful convoy of vehicles and community groups streamed through the town, finishing at the Hacketstown Community Hall, where refreshments were served.

Among the highlights of the day was the performance by the Parnell Memorial Pipe and Drum Band from Rathdrum and a vintage car exhibition, along with displays by Hacketstown Running Club, the Farrell School of Irish Dance, Clonmore GFC and St Brigids LGFA and fantastic adult and childrens Easter bonnets and fancy dress.

Adding to the festivities, revellers could get their faces painted and enjoy amusements on the street, with the fantastic Irish Claddagh Band performing live music after the spectacular parade.

Awards handed out on the day included the award for Best Business float, which went to The Farrell School of Dance, with Bolands Bar coming second.

Prizes for Best Adult Floats were given to The Corner Pub (1st), Brian Kelly and Family (2nd), and St Brigids and The Eagle Hill Residence (Joint 3rd), while John and Conor Murphy came first in the Childrens Floats, with G.F.S Girls Friendly Society coming second.

The Adult Easter Bonnet competition was won by Martina Kennedy, with Nuala Murphy coming a close second, while the Childrens Easter bonnet competition saw Willow Hillard and Holly Kennedy share the first prize, Louise Codd and Kaitlyn Codd finished joint second and Matthew Morgan and Kate Morgan joint third.

In the Childrens Fancy Dress, first place went to Lily Rooney, with Matilda and Raina in second and Fania third. The adult Fancy Dress title was taken home by Bridie Doyle, Mary Leigh in second.

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Speaking after the day, a parade committee member said: A big thanks to our wonderful team, our Hacketstown Easter Parade Committee, without them, the day could not go ahead. The parade has been going for over 30 years, and its getting bigger every year, so were very proud of it.

The organising committee has grown recently, going from only half a dozen up to a couple of years ago, up to 30 members this year.

Theyre doing trojan work and are enthusiastic with new ideas every year.
Codling Wind Park has announced a 25pc reduction in the number of turbines required for the project which will be located approximately 13-22 kilometres off Greystones and Wicklow town on the Wicklow coast.

It was previously thought that around 100 turbines would need to be constructed, but it has been confirmed, with the projects final design and layout, that a maximum of 75 and a minimum of 60 turbines would now be required. The minimum proposed turbine tip height has also been set at 288 metres or a maximum of 314 metres.

Despite the reduction in the number of proposed wind turbines, the project will still generate 1,300 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity, enough to power over one million homes, which amounts to 48pc of all permanent dwellings in Ireland.

The original estimate for the number of required wind turbines was around 440, but huge advances in advances in wind turbine technology, and more efficient turbine models, combined with a more detailed understanding of the wind farm site, means a maximum of 75 turbines will now be required, which is a reduction of 83pc on the original number proposed.

The project is a 50/50 joint venture between Fred Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables.

When operational, it will help Ireland meet over 26pc of its 2030 grid connected offshore wind targets while also helping the country achieve its target of generating 80pc of its electricity from renewable energy by the same year.

Project Director Scott Sutherland said: This is one of the largest energy infrastructure investments ever seen in Ireland and a tremendously exciting one to work on. As well as supplying over a quarter of Irelands 2030 offshore wind target, Codling Wind Park will support Irish energy independence, help stabilise the cost of electricity for Irish consumers and will displace 1.7 million tonnes of carbon. It will also help the country realise its enormous potential to become a world leader in offshore wind.

Through various rounds of public consultation, we have listened to the people of Wicklow, Ringsend and Poolbeg and incorporated their feedback into the design where possible. The reduction and layout of the reduced number of turbines was always key in that regard.

"The design of the project has been informed by a range of inputs including geophysical, aerial and vessel-based surveys  some going back over 15 years - which have all fed into an extremely detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report which forms a critical part of the planning application. Our aim at all times has been to protect the environment and mitigate any potential impacts as well as proactively enhancing it where possible.

The new details about the project were announced ahead of a third and final series of public engagements, which will be taking place this month. The series will include exhibitions and dedicated information clinics in Wicklow Library, at a pop-up shop in Greystones and in the Sandymount Community Centre.

These will provide members of the public and public representatives with further details on the design and layout, as well details on the onshore and offshore environmental, technical and feasibility surveys, which have been carried out as part of the project. Virtual reality headsets will also be available to attendees, enabling them to view the project from a variety of perspectives.

A project update takes place at Wicklow Library on Tuesday, April 16, Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18 from 10am to 4pm.

A Community Benefit Fund (CBF) of up to 200m will be established as part of the project to fund local community-based projects.

The aim of the fund, which will be administered by an experienced and independent Fund Administrator, as part of the Offshore Renewable Energy Support Scheme (ORESS), is to deliver economic, environmental, social, and cultural benefits to local community groups over a twenty-year period.

Mr Sutherland said that the 10m per year fund would not become available until after the project had received planning and begun construction. He urged community groups to consider what projects or initiatives they would like to benefit from the fund.

The Community Benefit Fund for this project will create lasting legacies for local communities near the project over the next 20 years. While the fund will not become operational until the construction phase of the project, we believe its very important for clubs, groups, and voluntary organisations to start their own preparation and planning, so they are fund-ready when the time comes.

The key thing to remember is that while Codling will provide the funding, the community will decide how it is spent. We want the community to start thinking now about what they will do with the funds.

Subject to it receiving planning permission and all other necessary permits and consents being received, Codling Wind Park could begin construction in 2026-27, which is expected to take two to three years to complete.
Rachael Dagg from AIB Arklow with Rosemary Greene of AIB Wicklow and members of Arklow Community and Resource Centre.

Rachael Dagg from AIB Arklow and Rosemary Greene of AIB Wicklow with members of Arklow RNLI.

Rachael Dagg from AIB Arklow with Rosemary Greene of AIB Wicklow and members of Wicklow Cancer Support.

AIB recently held an information evening for Wicklow charities at the Arklow AIB branch ahead of the opening of nominations for the 2024 AIB Community 1 Million Fund in early May,

Charities from the Arklow and Wicklow areas were invited into the Arklow branch to hear about the process for applying for funding from the AIB Community 1 Million Fund process in 2024.

Each year, AIB allocates 1 million to charities chosen by its customers, members of the public and staff, with funds distributed following an online nomination process, one for customers and one for employees, and split across five regions in Ireland  Munster, Ulster, Greater Dublin, the rest of Leinster, and Connacht. Charities can receive amounts ranging from 3,500 up to 28,000.

In attendance at the information evening were charities, including Arklow RNLI, Arklow Cancer Support, Wicklow Cancer Support, Little Warriors, Arklow Community Resource, Wicklow Mental Health, Arklow Meals on Wheels and many others.

Having been awarded under the AIB fund in 2022, Arklow Cancer Support spoke on the evening about the simplicity of the process and how they promoted the fund in their community to promote nominations for their charity.

Were delighted to welcome local charities into our branch in Arklow to provide information on this years AIB Community 1 Million Fund  the application and nomination process is very easy, and we are here to support in any way we can, an AIB spokesperson said.

Weve seen first-hand how this funding has helped 150 charities over the last two years and the difference it can make, especially to smaller local charities.

We look forward to the nomination process opening in early May, and we hope to see our local communities in Wicklow and Arklow nominating charities that matter most to them AIB Arklow.

To date, 150 charities have been supported by the AIB Community 1 Million Fund, demonstrating the commitment of AIB and its branches as they continue to support local charities within their local communities.

First launched in 2022 with 6,000 nominations received, the fund supports a diverse, broad range of charities and helps to keep up their good and much-needed work. Last year, 16,000 of our customers, employees, and the wider public nominated registered charities that matter most to them and their communities to receive funding.

The fund runs on an annual basis, with selected local charities rotated each year. The AIB Community 1 Million Fund will re-open in early May to receive nominations until mid-June.

The top 12 charities that receive the highest number of nominations from customers, employees and the wider public in each region will be announced in September.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

Tech major Apple has decided to lay off 614 workers in California, marking the first significant round of job cuts since pandemic, media reports said.

The affected Apple employees worked at eight different facilities in Santa Clara, according to the WARN notice posted by California as quoted CNBC.

The workers were officially informed of the cuts on March 28 and the changes are effective May 27, the filing said.

Apple hasnt been forced into the same kind of downsizing as its tech peers, largely because the iPhone maker grew more slowly than rivals during the pandemic, CNBC reported.

The filing was announced weeks after Apple cancelled a long-running project to build an electric, self-driving car in a team called the Special Projects Group.
Kolkata/IBNS: Kolkata's Peerless Hospital on Thursday announced the launch of Humanoid Robotics  the latest technology for hip, knee and shoulder replacement with 3D robotics, AI platform and mixed reality with Hololens powered by Microsoft  for the first time in eastern India.

Hololens is a CT scan based augmented reality AI assisted technology which enables surgeons to achieve an accurate 3D plan, with execution and validation of the bony cuts.

Microsoft-powered HoloLens assisted cloud based system is an augmented reality system where a CT scan of the patients diseased joint and limb is done.

A computer programme helps in calculating the appropriate alignment of that patient.

When the surgeon is operating, the HoloLens allows the surgeon to validate the cuts and achieve the desired alignment.

This technology helps in achieving personalized alignment with the freedom to use the implant best suited for that particular patient.

Robotic surgery on the other hand allows only specific implants that match that particular robotic make. Humanoid Robotics allows the surgeon the intra operative capacity vision of the whole limb during surgery.

Since Humanoid Robotics is AI dependent it allows surgeons complete control in 3D planning and appropriate execution and customization thereby reducing computational errors to give the best patient solution.

The augmented reality helps to achieve the desired perfection with an aim towards improved function and longevity of the replaced joint.

An official of the privately-run health facility said that the time required for this AI powered surgery is less as compared to robotic surgery, while the new technology is cheaper than robotic surgery.

"A HoloLens can be bought by spending around Rs 20-25 lakh, where a robotic arm costs more than Rs 3.5cr. So, the cost of the operation using HoloLens is patient friendly with equal or better precision than robotic surgery," he said.

He added that customised implants and patient specific implants can be used while using humanoid robotics, and cases where the bone strength is compromised and traditional means of replacement surgery is not possible humanoid robotics makes it possible.
Photo courtesy: X/@sunshinepicture

Thiruvananthapuram/UNI: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Doordarshan to withdraw its decision to broadcast the film 'The Kerala Story', alleging that it is RSS-BJP propaganda to create communal polarisation around Lok Sabha elections in the country.

"The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film 'Kerala Story', which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections.

"Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred," the CM said on social media platform 'X' on Thursday.

"Doordarshan should immediately rescind its decision to broadcast the film 'The Kerala Story,' a production crafted with the explicit purpose of fomenting hostility towards Kerala.

"The Central Government should desist from using the nation's official news broadcasting platform to disparage Kerala, particularly in the context of the ongoing elections," he also said in another statement.

Saying that Kerala is a land in which people from diverse religious backgrounds coexist harmoniously in the spirit of brotherhood, he said, "This film is a manifestation of the Sangh Parivar's agenda to denigrate Kerala, a state distinguished on the global stage, and sow seeds of religious animosity."

"Those who have previously disparaged Kerala by likening it to Somaliaa state that is a model for the country in eradicating extreme poverty and at the forefront of several indices, including those of the NITI Aayogare now clandestinely endeavouring to propagate the fallacious narrative that Kerala is a hub of religious conversions.

"Widespread protests had already erupted against this film, which is based on lies and the hatred perpetuated by the Sangh Parivar," he said.

"Doordarshan, the country's official broadcaster, must not degrade into a puppet that dances to the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar. Doordarshan is not an agency to undertake communal campaigns for BJP candidates," he added.

"The notification that the film will be broadcast on April 5th is tantamount to insulting Kerala. Secular Kerala will stand united in resisting such subversive attempts aimed at fostering communal discord," he said.

Meanwhile, opposition leader in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said the Congress party will approach the Election Commission to stop the telecast of the 'The Kerala Story', alleging that it is a violation of the code of conduct during the election.

'The Kerala Story' is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.

It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The film claims that thousands of Hindu women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited in the Islamic State (ISIS) as part of 'Love Jihad.'
Photo courtesy: IBNS File

Kolkata/UNI: West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu has questioned State Governor CV Ananda Bose's constitutional authority directing the government for his removal from Mamata Banerjee's cabinet for alleged violation of election model code of conduct.

Basu recently held a meeting in the campus of Gour Banga University in Malda district.

"In the light of the political meeting held in Gour Banga University under the leadership and presence of Shri Bratya Basu (Minister of Education) with other Ministers, MPs, MLAs and political leaders on 30th March, 2024, the Chancellor and Governor has directed the State government to take action against the erring Minister who has deliberately violated the election code of conduct," a communication from the Raj Bhavan said.

The communication added that the Governor had said, "Be you ever so high, the law is above you."

The minister, responding to the direction about taking action against him, said the Governor has exceeded his "constitutional limit".

Bose on April 2 directed the state government to dismiss Bratya Basu from the Cabinet for alleged violation of the model code of conduct ahead of the general election.

Before the Governor's direction to the government, a logjam happened after the Governor recently removed the Gour Banga University vice-chancellor, and in retaliation the education department told the VC to stay in the post.

Thereafter Bratya Basu chaired a meeting with TMC affiliated professors' platform WBCUTA inside the campus on March 30 in which some political figures, including that of MPs and TMC candidates and ministers and MLAs, were present, which according to the Governor was a violation of election code of conduct.

The minister while retaliating in a post said, "Indian Constitution clearly states the recommendation of appointment or removal of any Minister lies with the Chief Minister. He (the Governor) has not only shown his true colours, he has exceeded his constitutional limit as well," Basu said.

His take was that if he had at all violated the poll code, then it was the prerogative of a political party to bring it to the notice of theElection Commission of India.
Photo courtesy: UNI

Jammu/UNI: The senior officers from Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday reviewed a security scenario in a joint meeting at Poonch district of the Union Territory.

The White Knight Corps posted on X, "GOC #WhiteKnightCorps Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva and DGP @JmuKmrPolice R R Swain co-chaired a Joint Security Review Meeting at #Poonch to discuss smooth and synergized operations and maintain peace and security in the region."

The meeting was held in view of the ongoing situation and upcoming events, it said.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Ahead of Jumat-ul-Vida (last Friday of Ramadan), the local authorities have placed Kashmirs chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, under house arrest and closed the historic Jamia Masjid.

The management body of Srinagars historic Jama Masjid said authorities have disallowed Jumat-ul-Vida prayers for the fifth consecutive year at the mosque.

They also added that Mirwaiz has been put under house arrest.

There was no immediate reaction from the authorities on disallowing the Friday prayers at Jamia.

Anjuman Auqaf announced on Thursday that Mirwaiz will deliver a special sermon at the mosque on the occasion of Jumat-ul-Vida.

Former Mayor of Srinagar, Junaid Mattu, condemned the disallowance of Jumat-ul-Vida at Jamia.

Strongly condemn the disallowance of Jummat-ul-Vida Nimaaz at Jamia Masjid Srinagar today. A preemptive, generalised law and order practice in perpetuity at the cost of religious matters is a matter of anguish, Mattu said in a post on X.

(With UNI Inputs)
Photo Courtesy: PIB

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina will visit India after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha polls in the country.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud confirmed to the media that the prime minister will visit India after the elections. The official schedule is yet to be fixed, reported ANI.

If the visit happens then it will be Sheikh Hasina's first trip to the neighbouring nation since her party registered a landslide victory in the January 7 polls.

The visit holds significant diplomatic implications, as it underscores the continued strengthening of bilateral ties between Bangladesh and India, reported ANI.

Details regarding the agenda of Sheikh Hasina's visit and specific engagements have not been released so far.
In image MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal/ courtesy: UNI

A top Indian official recently said India's relationship with Bangladesh remains strong and vibrant, giving a strong message to the country's key opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over its BoycottIndia campaign.

While addressing a press briefing on Thursday, the MEA spokesperson said that both countries have a comprehensive partnership, spanning various sectors, reported ANI.

I would like to say that India-Bangladesh relations are very strong, Randhir Jaiswal was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

BNP recently started the 'BoycottIndia' campaign in Bangladesh which prompted a section of people to boycott Indian goods.

MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said on Thursday, We have a very comprehensive partnership that spans across sectors, from economy to trade to investment,development, cooperation, connectivity, and people to people, You name any human endeavour; it is part and parcel of India and Bangladesh.

That is how vibrant this partnership is,and it will continue to be so, he added.

After the trend emerged, PM Sheikh Hasina slammed the political outfit and raised questions about the effectiveness of BNPs stance when the party leaders wives wearing Indian Saris.

"When will BNP leaders burn their wives' Indian saris in front of their party office? Only then will it be proven that they are truly committed to boycotting Indian products," she was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

I want to know how many Indian Saris their (BNP leaders) wives own? Why they are not burning their saris? All of you should ask them, she added.

The Awami League president also raised question about Indian masala products and asked BNP leaders: We are importing onion, ginger and masala from India. Can they cook food without these Indian products?
Photo Courtesy: Indian Embassy in Nepal website

A school and hostel building, which was built with the Indian government's assistance, was recently inaugurated in Nepal.

School and Hostel building of Shree Sharada Secondary School, Rawa Besi Rural Municipality, Khotang, built with Government of Indias financial assistance of NRs. 36.10 million under Nepal-India Development Cooperation was inaugurated on Thursday jointly by San Bahadur Rai, Chief, District Coordination Committee; Phatik Kumar Shrestha, Chairman, Rawa Besi Rural Municipality, Khotang and Shri Suman Shekhar, First Secretary, Embassy of India, Kathmandu.

Public representatives, government officials, social workers, representatives of the school management, teachers, parents and students were also present on this occasion.

The Government of India grant under Nepal-India Development Cooperation was utilized for the construction of a double-storied school building, hostel building and procurement of furniture for both buildings. This project was implemented through the District Coordination Committee, Khotang.

The project was taken up as a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP), earlier known as Small Development Projects, under an agreement between the Government of India and the Government of Nepal.

Shree Sharada Secondary School was established in 1952. The school is providing education from Class 1 to 10+2 level. There are over 365 students studying in the school, about 50% of whom are girls.

The school has achieved remarkable success in providing quality education.

Since 2003, Government of India has taken up over 550 HICDPs in Nepal in various sectors and has completed 488 projects. Amongst these, 85 projects are in Koshi Province in various sectors, which includes 1 project in Khotang. In addition to these, Government of India has gifted 974 ambulances and 234 school buses to various hospitals, health posts and educational institutions in Nepal on the occasion of Independence Day and Republic Day of India. Amongst these, 141 Ambulances and 35 School buses have been gifted in Koshi Province, which includes 4 ambulances and 1 school bus provided in Khotang District.

As close neighbours, India and Nepal share wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. The implementation of HICDPs reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in upliftment of its people, augmenting infrastructure in the field of priority sectors especially in the education sector in Nepal.
Photo Courtesy: UNI

New Delhi: The Congress manifesto on Friday promised to strengthen the system of self-regulation, protect journalistic freedoms, uphold editorial independence, and guard against government interference when it comes to power.

The partys manifesto, Nyay Patra', which was released by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, said, In the last ten years, significant sections of the media have been robbed of, or surrendered, their freedom. Congress will help the media re-discover the freedom that they enjoy under the Constitution.

The party said it will amend the Press Council of India Act, 1978, to empower the Council to deal with the menace of fake news and paid news, if it comes to power.

The party's manifesto said it will defend independent journalism by enacting laws to protect journalists from coercive action by the state and check monopolies in media, cross-ownership of different segments of the media, and control of the media by business organisations by passing a law.

The party's manifesto says all media houses, irrespective of size, will be required to disclose their ownership structures (direct and indirect), cross-holdings, revenue streams, etc. through their websites.

The Congress manifesto also promises to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to ensure the Central Board of Film Certification grants graded certificates according to transparent and reasonable criteria.

(With UNI inputs)
Photo Courtesy: UNI

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls as a "bundle of lies" and alleged that it had been prepared to create confusion among voters.

Addressing a press conference here at party headquarters in New Delhi, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, They have called the manifesto Nyay Patra after doing injustice to all sections of the country for all these years."

The BJP spokesperson also alleged that the Congress partys election manifesto for the ensuing Lok Sabha used photos of New York and Thailand in it.

"There is a picture of water management in the Congress manifesto. This picture is of the Buffalo River in New York State.

"Till now, they have not been able to find out who was tweeting from their social media chairpersons Twitter, but who sent them this picture? Under the Environment section, a picture of Rahul Gandhis favourite destination, Thailand, has been put. Who is putting all this in their manifesto?" the BJP leader said.

BJP leader Amit Malviya also took a dig at Rahul Gandhis foreign trips and said, Looks like the Congress forgot that it is preparing a manifesto for India and not putting together a holiday itinerary for Rahul Gandhi!"

What else explains using a picture of Thailand under the Environment section? It shouldnt be a surprise if Rahul Gandhi dashes off to Thailand for yet another holiday, soon after the election," Malviya wrote in an X post.

Looks like the Congress forgot that it is preparing a manifesto for India and not putting together a holiday itinerary for Rahul Gandhi!

What else explains using picture of Thailand under the Environment section?

It shouldnt be a surprise if Rahul Gandhi dashes off to Thailand, pic.twitter.com/5MsNTCjFuc  Amit Malviya (  ) (@amitmalviya) April 5, 2024

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma raised questions about the Congress manifesto and asked whether a foreign agency was hired to draft it.

Cong manifesto promises to remove an elected State Government, restore triple talaq, make a U-turn on OPS, have no delivery date on any of its promises, lack a plan to harness the benefits of Industry 4.0 and worst of all, pass pictures from Thailand and America as those of India," the Assam Chief Minister said on X.

On Friday, Congress released its manifesto for the upcoming elections, focusing on the five pillars of justice.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge release Congress' manifesto for Lok Sabha polls (courtesy: UNI)

The manifesto was released by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

(With UNI inputs)
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Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

Former US President Donald Trump said during an interview that Chinese migrants illegally entering the United States along the US southern border could potentially be building an army inside the country.

"No, theyre probably building an army," Trump said on Thursday during an interview with conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt. "Theyre probably building an army from within...because theyre very healthy young men for the most part."

Media reported that there have been more than 30,000 Chinese migrants who have been encountered on the US southern border under President Joe Biden.

There have been three consecutive records for yearly illegal border crossings on the US southern border since Biden came into the White House in January 2021.

(With UNI inputs)
Joe Biden interacting with Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo Courtesy: Benjamin Netanyahu X page

Giving a strong response to Israel, US President Joe Biden on Thursday asked PM Benjamin Netanyahu that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians in Gaza.

"He urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home," the White House said in a statement.

"He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," the statement said.

"He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps," the White House said reflecting the strong message given by Biden to Netanyahu.

The two leaders also discussed public Iranian threats against Israel and the Israeli people.

"President Biden made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of those threats," the statement said.

Meanwhile, UN officials launched assessment visits to Gaza and its agencies resumed night-time aid deliveries on Thursday after a 48-hour pause following Israeli forces killing seven World Central Kitchen relief workers in a convoy delivering food in the enclave, where intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations continue.

The situation in Gaza is disastrous, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Once again, WHO demands a ceasefire. Once again, we call for all hostages to be released, and for lasting peace.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that because of what happened to World Central Kitchen we had to pause to regroup and reassess, adding that a convoy will deployed tonight, hopefully making it to the north.

Top UN officials have been warning that famine looms in northern Gaza as Israel continues to block and delay aid entry, especially in the north.

Human Rights Council to vote on Israeli sanctions

The 47-member UN Human Rights Council is poised to vote on several draft resolutions related to the war in Gaza on the final day of its current session in Geneva.

Drafts include one calling for an arms embargo on Israel, tabled on the heels of an Israeli drone-fired missile attack on three vehicles in an aid convoy that killed all seven World Central Kitchen passengers early this week in Gaza.

The convoy was delivering emergency food aid sailed in from Cyprus to stave off the looming famine in northern Gaza.

By provisions of the draft resolution, the Council would call on all States to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel, the occupying Power, in order to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights.
Photo Courtesy: UNOCHA | Sayed Habib Bidel

Reacting to the announcement by the newly elected Government of Pakistan to expand and expedite its plans to unlawfully deport Afghan refugees in the country after the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr next week, James Jennion, Campaigner for the Refugee and Migrants Rights at Amnesty International, said.

The Pakistan authorities callous disregard for the persecution, serious human rights violations and humanitarian catastrophe that await Afghan refugees if deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is heart-breaking. Instead of heeding repeated global calls to halt deportations, the newly elected Pakistani government has disappointingly now extended the deportation drive to Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well," James Jennion said.

The decision endangers the lives of over 800,000 Afghan refugees across Pakistan and threatens to unleash another wave of harassment and detentions after the holy month of Ramadan," the Amnesty campaigner said.

Pakistans Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan is in violation of refugee and international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement, and puts the lives of all Afghan refugees at risk, particularly women, girls, journalists, human rights defenders, women protestors, artists, and former Afghan government and security officials. The Governments decision also lacks transparency and arbitrarily cancels the validity of the ACC documentation that was issued by the Government of Pakistan itself," he said.

We call on the Pakistani authorities to immediately reverse these decisions and urgently pass human rights-compliant law protecting the rights of refugees in the country and become a state party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees along with its Protocols," he said.

Many Afghans living in fear of persecution following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 fled to Pakistan, where they have been subjected to waves of arbitrary detentions, arrests, and the threat of deportation.

In October 2023, a phase 1 of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan was announced with a 30-day deadline for undocumented Afghan refugees to leave the country or be subject to deportation putting 1.4 million refugees at risk.

Since then, Amnesty International said it has documented a complete lack of transparency, due process and accountability in the detentions and unlawful deportations of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which was exacerbated by increased harassment and hostility towards them.

In phase 2 of the repatriation plan, Pakistan-issued Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders will be expelled from the country after the Eid Al-Fitr festival, a major Muslim holiday expected to fall on 10 April 2024 in the region. Phase 3 is expected to result in the forced and unlawful deportation of UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders.

Since September 2023, 527, 981 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistanleaving behind their homes, properties and community in Pakistan. The government states that there are over 800,000 ACC holders, while UNHCR estimates there are 1.3 million PoR holders in Pakistan.

Amnesty International said it has repeatedly urged the government to reverse its decision to deport Afghan refugees, most recently in its ten-point Human Rights Charter for the newly elected government in Pakistan.
Photo Courtesy: Islamabadies X page

Afghan journalist Ahmed Hanayesh was shot by a group of armed men in Islamabad on the evening of April 3, sustaining serious injuries to his leg and head, media reports said.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), urge the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation and ensure the perpetrators are brought to swift justice.

Hanayesh, the founder of private media outlets Radio Kahkashan and Radio Donya and a journalist with the United States Congress-funded Radio Azadi, was shot by two gunmen on a motorcycle while returning home in Islamabads south-eastern residential G6 area at approximately 11:00pm on April 3.

The journalist was shot twice in the leg, with another bullet grazing his head, and was transferred to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment. According to the AIJU, Hanayesh has since received treatment, and is in a stable condition. The motive behind the attack is unknown, read a statement issued by the International Federation of Journalists

Hanayesh left Afghanistan to live in Islamabad since January 2023, and is reportedly staying in a hotel to prepare for a trip to Germany. Before fleeing Afghanistan, Hanayesh was a member of the Afghanistan Journalist Centres Board of Directors, having since been involved with exiled Afghan media organisations.

On March 14, senior Pakistani journalist Sagheer Ahmed Laar was killed after three unidentified men on a motorcycle shot into a pharmacy. While a First Information Report was lodged by his brother, Jaleel Ahmed, no suspects have been apprehended in relation to the killing.

The AIJU said:The leadership of the AIJU, while wishing Mr. Hanayesh good health and recovery as soon as possible, requests the authorities of Pakistan and the journalistic institutions of that country to take this issue seriously and identify its perpetrators.

The IFJ said: Journalists must be free to operate without fear of retribution for their work and those responsible for this attack must not allowed to escape with impunity. The IFJ calls on the Pakistani authorities to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the shooting of Ahmed Hanayesh and take immediate steps to guarantee the safety of working journalists.
Alia Bhatt has emerged as the face of luxury fashion brand Gucci, with her image adorning billboards across Europe. The sighting of Bhatt's striking presence on the European billboards stirred a sense of pride among onlookers, a sentiment often evoked by the achievements of individuals of Indian origin.

Viral Pic: Alia Bhatt Graces European Billboard For Gucci

The Europe billboard featured Alia Bhatt prominently in a Gucci advertisement, portraying the Bollywood actress donning a blue shirt and dark sunglasses.



A post on Reddit with the caption "Billboard spotted: Alia Bhatt for Gucci in Europe" initially sparked a sense of pride, celebrating Indian representation, before noting Bhatt's British background.

Screenshots From Reddit

Is Alia Bhatt Actually A 'British'?

Here is what Alia said about her British citizenship: Alia Bhatt once spoke about her British citizenship, addressing a frequently searched query about her online: "Is Alia Bhatt British?" This moment occurred during an interview segment on Wired's auto-complete series, where celebrities tackle popular Google searches about themselves. Among the questions posed was her nationality: British or Indian? Responding to this, the actress clarified that although she holds British citizenship, she was born and raised in India.

Also Read: Watch: Alia Bhatt's Rendition Of 'Ikk Kudi' Steals The Show At Charity Event In London



One of the reddit users commented below, "Not a fan, but that shit is good."

Another said, "gucci has been missing the mark lately but this is a dope shot."



One even wrote, "Wow right near the Madrid City Council. Hope its still there by the time I go next month to see this in person."

What Is Alia Doing Nowadays?

Picture Of Alia Bhatt At The Hope Gala Event In London/Instagram

Also Read: Solo Leveling Season 2: Release Date, Total Episodes, Where To Watch And What To Expect



Regarding Alia's recent endeavours, the Bollywood actress inaugurated a charity event recently called the Hope Gala, held in London. This initiative aimed to generate funds for disadvantaged adolescents in India, facilitated through the Salaam Bombay Foundation. The event garnered attention with the presence of various eminent figures, including musician Harshdeep Kaur, comedian Rohan Joshi, and director Gurinder Chadha.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


A large pendulum on the upper floors played a crucial role in protecting Taiwan's tallest skyscraper during a recent 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Hualien County. The building emerged unharmed from the quake.

Huge golden pendulum at the centre

The powerful earthquake, the strongest in Taiwan in about 25 years, caused widespread destruction across the country.

Shocking CCTV footage showed buildings collapsing in seconds.

X

However, Taiwan's tallest building stood strong, thanks to a large golden-coloured pendulum at its center.



How did the pendulum save the building from crumbling?

The pendulum, known as a tuned mass damper, is a massive 660-metric-tonne steel sphere suspended over 1,000 feet above the ground at the center of the building.

It hangs from 92 thick cables between the 87th and 92nd floors, allowing the golden steel sphere to move about 5 feet in any direction.

taipei101.com

A damper, in general, is a valve or plate that regulates the flow of air inside air-handling equipment such as ducts, chimneys, or air handlers.



Nicknamed "Damper Baby," the spherical damper moves back and forth during earthquakes or typhoons, helping absorb the force of intense swinging and reducing the building's movement by up to 40 percent.

"Damper Baby" pendulum/ Reddit

Additionally, the building's construction material plays a vital role in its resilience.



Made from reinforced concrete, the tower is flexible enough to sway yet rigid enough to resist high winds and frequent typhoons in Taiwan, contributing to its stability during seismic events.

Taiwan, situated near the convergence of two tectonic plates, is vulnerable to earthquakes. The recent earthquake has resulted in the loss of 10 lives, and counting.

Previously, in 2016, more than 100 individuals lost their lives in a quake in southern Taiwan, while another in 1999 claimed the lives of over 2,000 people.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Animals are adorable creatures, capable of showing unconditional love, and it's easy to form strong bonds with them. Such a bond was on display this past Wednesday when a panda raised in South Korea was sent to China, leaving the entire nation in tears.

Fu Bao, a giant panda born in 2016

Fu Bao, a giant panda, spent its formative years at the Everland theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

Born to pandas Aibao and Lebao, who have been under the care of the theme park since 2016, Fu Bao has become a beloved resident over the years.

Fu Bao/ thekoreanherald

Now, following an agreement between South Korea and China, Fu Bao is set to be relocated to the Shenshuping Panda Base in Wolong, Sichuan province, China.



On the day of his departure, a heartfelt farewell ceremony was held for Fu Bao at the Everland theme park in Yongin.

Check out The Korea Heralds post on Fu Bao:

How Fu Baos farewell ceremony looked like

Fubao's departure was a poignant event marked by heartfelt farewells from fans. Loaded onto a specialised, vibration-free truck, Fubao embarked on a 20-minute journey around the theme park, starting at 10:40 a.m.

Fu Bao's farewell/ YouTube

Approximately 6,000 admirers gathered to bid her goodbye, creating a touching atmosphere.



Fubao's caregivers, including Song Young-kwan and Kang Cheol-won, affectionately known as "Fubaos grandpa," expressed deep appreciation for the outpouring of love for Fubao. They urged everyone present to cherish memories of her.

Despite facing the loss of his mother recently, Kang, who had become deeply attached to Fubao, accompanied her on the journey to China to continue caring for her.

On a rainy day, the truck traveled through streets crowded with people who came out to say goodbye despite the rain. Videos of Fu Bao were shown on a big screen and peoples reactions showcased the immense love they had for the panda.

With umbrellas in hand and tears in their eyes, it was truly a heartwarming sight.

Watch the farewell video here:

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
In the bustling heart of London's Station, amidst the rush of commuters and travelers, a captivating scene unfolded as a talented pianist and an Indian woman joined forces in a soulful rendition of the beloved Bollywood ballad, "Tum Hi Ho."

This impromptu duet, brimming with emotion and harmony, swiftly captured the attention of passersby, offering a moment of respite and serenity amidst the urban chaos.

With each note resonating through the station's cavernous halls, the duo's performance transcended cultural boundaries, touching the hearts of all who paused to listen.

The synergy between the pianist's skillful melodies and the woman's heartfelt vocals created a truly mesmerizing experience, drawing onlookers into the spellbinding ambiance.

This extraordinary encounter is a poignant reminder of music's power to unite, uplift, and inspire, regardless of background or circumstance.

Get ready to be cheered by the enchanting harmony of this unforgettable duet, a testament to the universal language of music.

What Happened At London's Station?

Tum Hi Ho soulful duet between a pianist and Indian woman will soothe you at London's station | Image: Instagram

Pianist Thibault Maurin recently posted a captivating video on Instagram showcasing a touching moment with an Indian woman singing "Tum Hi Ho" from the movie Aashiqui 2.



The heartening footage captures Anjali Kanthan approaching Thibault while he was performing music for the crowd at a train station in London.

Reflecting on the encounter, Thibault recounted, "I was entertaining at a train station when unexpectedly, this young woman requested I play this Bollywood piece. Little did I anticipate her remarkable singing talent."

Tum Hi Ho soulful duet between a pianist and Indian woman will soothe you at London's station | Image: Instagram

Completely unaware of what was about to unfold, Thibault was taken aback when Anjali inquired if he knew any Bollywood tunes.



The moment Thibault commenced playing the introductory chords of "Tum Hi Ho," Anjali seamlessly began singing in a melodious voice, stunning Thibault and the onlookers.

Her captivating rendition has garnered widespread admiration, captivating countless viewers with her exceptional talent.

Tum Hi Ho soulful duet between a pianist and Indian woman will soothe you at London's station | Image: Instagram

The flawless synchronization of Thibault's piano accompaniment and Anjali's soul-stirring vocals resulted in a truly enchanting performance quickly gaining viral traction.



Anjali herself added a comment to the post, further adding to the resonance of their magical collaboration.



Where Can You Watch The Viral Video?

You can watch this viral video on Instagram posted by Thibault Maurin.

How Did The Internet React?

Just a few days back, this viral video was on social media, and now, it has gotten over 2.8 million views and many heartwarming comments.

Internet reacts to this Tum Hi Ho soulful duet between a pianist and Indian woman will soothe you at London's station | Image: Instagram

Internet reacts to this Tum Hi Ho soulful duet between a pianist and Indian woman will soothe you at London's station | Image: Instagram

What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments.



For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.
Consul General of Uzbekistan Zafarbek Akhmedov met with the director of the Osh branch of the Manas International Airport Timur Madanbekov, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

At the meeting, it was noted that with the rapid development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the field of trade, economics, education, science and culture, the movement of citizens, representatives of the business community and tourists across state borders has intensified. As a result, in recent years the number of Kyrgyzstanis traveling to the historical cities of Uzbekistan has increased, and the number of visitors to the resorts of Kyrgyzstan from various regions of Uzbekistan in the summer season is growing.

It was noted that one of the main problems in the development of tourism remains the lack of a convenient and fast transport and logistics system connecting Osh and neighboring regions with Tashkent and other historical cities of Uzbekistan.

Currently, regular flights are operated from Osh Airport to several Russian cities and Istanbul International Airport.

In April-September 2023, given the large number of passengers flying to Issyk-Kul via Osh, flights along the Osh-Tamchy-Osh route were launched and are being successfully implemented.

The Kyrgyz side expressed confidence that relations between the two countries in the field of tourism will continue to develop if the Tashkent-Osh-Tashkent route is launched.
Last year, the Indian Supreme Court failed to legalize same-sex marriage, but it did acknowledge the different types of discrimination faced by the LGBTQIA+ community and instructed authorities to protect them.

Now that elections are coming up, political parties are making promises to everyone, and this time, also to LGBTQIA+ community.

Political parties made big promises for LGBTQIA+ community in their manifestos

On Friday, the Indian National Congress unveiled its electoral manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections | Image: Unsplash

On Friday, the Indian National Congress unveiled its electoral manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, outlining its agenda if elected to power at the Centre. In its manifesto, the Congress party stated that it intends to introduce legislation to legalise civil unions between LGBTQIA+ couples.



The Congress party said, After wide consultation, Congress will bring a law to recognize civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Screengrab of Congress' manifesto

Along with Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) also made similar and more promises in their manifesto.



It read, Amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 to address concerns raised by the community. Legal recognition and protection to same sex couples similar to marriage - civil union, same-sex-partnerships, legislation/s on similar lines as Special Marriage Act, 1954 so that the partner can be listed as a dependent, for inheritance, alimony in case of divorce etc (sic).

Screengrab of CPI(M) manifesto

Furthermore, A comprehensive anti-discriminatory bill covering LGBTQ+. Reservation in education institutions; ensuring horizontal reservation in employment. Ensuring crimes against LGBTQ+ persons are treated on par with crimes against non-LGBTQ+ persons. Measures to address bullying, violence and harassment of gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ students, staff and teachers in educational spaces; enforcement of UGC anti-ragging policy amendment (2016) that addresses ragging based on sexual orientation and gender identity, ensuring accessible and safe bathrooms for trans, intersex and gender non-conforming students, staff and faculty. Sex change surgeries of LGBTQ+ should not be done without their informed consent (sic)."



The small beginnings of bigger dreams

Sharing the hopeful promises on social media, Supreme Court advocate Rahul Sangwan, who was also one of the advocates for the petitioner in the Marriage Equality Case, says, In light of the Supreme Courts refusal to legalise same-sex marriage and passing the baton to the Legislature to recognise Marriage Equality for the Queer Community, it is indeed a welcome step by the National Parties to specify in their election manifestos, the change they intend to bring for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

There's still a long way to go | Image: Canva

However, it is a small beacon of hope, adds Sangwan. He also feels that this should affect peoples voting preferences, where they can see which parties will stand for their rights if brought to power.



At the end of the day we all want a progressive government for ourselves who can bring forth the necessary change for the better and recognises the civil liberties of all minorities, specifically the sexual minorities, advocate concludes.

The question remains, will it bring any change? It definitely would, it's like the beginning, as betterment of a cohort always begins when the group is considered as a VOTE BANK! Without being one, more laws are dependent on the court only and not the legislators,  says political consultant Vaishnavi.

She adds, These manifestos are a testament to which side you are on, like right-wing won't quote LGBTQIA+ (most likely) but left side would, to prove their ideology. On the other side, parties have started to understand that LGBTQIA+ is a strong community, and even mentioning them can gain their support (sic).

Although (political) parties do not publicise it much, you'll hardly see politicians announcing these manifestos in their public speeches to ensure their orthodox voters don't get upset!

Have these manifestos materialised in the past? The consultant agrees and says it depends on the pressure groups, like it takes more protest/call-outs to remind parties what they have promised.

Manifestos have been made but only time will tell whether or not these promises will materialise, but right now all we country can do is hope and vote, when the time comes.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.
Japan e-Visa for Indians: Planning a trip to Japan just got easier for Indian tourists with the launch of the Japan e-Visa program. Designed to simplify the visa application process, this digital initiative opens up doors for hassle-free travel to the Land of the Rising Sun. Lets learn about the eligibility criteria, application process, and everything you need to know about obtaining your Japan e-Visa.



Eligibility for Japan e-Visa:

The Japan e-Visa (electronic visa) program welcomes travellers from various countries, including India. Whether you're an Indian citizen or a foreign national residing in India, you can seize the opportunity to explore Japan with ease. This digital visa is particularly advantageous for those planning short-term visits and entering Japan via air routes with ordinary passports.

Eligible countries

Not just India some other countries are also eligible for Japan's e-visa including, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

Application Process Made Easy:

Obtaining your Japan e-Visa is a straightforward process that can be completed online. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you navigate through the application:

Step 1: Verify Visa Type and Prepare Documents

Firstly, determine the type of visa you require for your visit to Japan and gather the necessary documents accordingly. Ensure you have all the required paperwork in order to facilitate a smooth application process.

Step 2: Online Application

Visit the Japan e-Visa website and fill in the online application form with the requested information. Provide accurate details to avoid any delays or complications in processing your visa.

Step 3: Await Application Results

Once you've submitted your application, keep an eye on your registered email address for updates. The results of your visa application will be communicated to you electronically, so be sure to check your inbox regularly.

Step 4: Payment of Visa Fees

After receiving notification of your visa fees, proceed to make the payment through the designated channels specified in the email. Prompt payment is essential to proceed with the issuance of your e-Visa. For single or multiple visas you will charge Rs 500 and for a Transit visa, you will have to pay Rs 50 additional the Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) service fee will be also charged.

Step 5: Receive Your e-Visa

Following successful payment, your Japan e-Visa will be issued and sent to you digitally. Be sure to review all details on the visa document to ensure accuracy before your travel date.

Displaying the Visa Issuance Notice: A Step-by-Step Guide

As part of Japan's new eVisa system, travelers are required to present a digital "Visa Issuance Notice" upon their arrival at the airport. This notice serves as proof of visa approval and is crucial for smooth entry into the country. Here's how you can display your Visa Issuance Notice effectively:

Step 1: Obtain the Visa Issuance Notice

Your travel agency will provide you with the Visa Issuance Notice, either in printed or PDF format, containing a two-dimensional barcode. Ensure you have this document ready on your mobile device before your journey.

Step 2: Scan the Barcode

Using your device's scanning function, scan the two-dimensional barcode on the Visa Issuance Notice. This action will prompt you to enter the required information for verification.

Step 3: Display the Notice

After scanning the barcode and entering the necessary details, tap the "Display" option. This action will generate the e-Visa (electronic visa) Issuance Notice on your device's screen. A countdown timer will appear at the top right corner, indicating the validity period of the notice.

Also Read: UK To Grant 3,000 Visas To Indian Professionals; Check All Details

Important Points to Note:

The Japan eVisa is exclusively available for travelers entering Japan by plane.

During the application process, applicants may be asked to attend an in-person interview at the Japanese overseas establishment responsible for their place of residence.

Only holders of ordinary passports are eligible to apply through the Japan eVisa website.

It's essential to ensure that you have internet access on your mobile device to display the e-Visa Issuance Notice successfully.

Remember, only the digital Visa Issuance Notice generated through the specified process will be accepted upon arrival. Other formats such as PDFs, photos, screenshots, or printed copies will not be considered valid. By following these steps diligently, you can ensure a seamless experience when presenting your Visa Issuance Notice at the airport.

In-Person Interview (if required):

While most applicants will find the online process sufficient, some individuals may be requested to attend an in-person interview at a Japanese overseas establishment. This step typically applies to applicants residing in regions where such interviews are deemed necessary. If you're summoned for an interview, ensure you arrive prepared with all the requisite documents and information.

With the Japan e-Visa program, embarking on your Japanese adventure is now more convenient than ever for Indian tourists. By following these simple steps, you can obtain your e-Visa hassle-free and look forward to exploring the rich cultural heritage and scenic landscapes that Japan has to offer. Hope you have a safe and enjoyable journey!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Japan e-Visa for Indian Tourists

Q. Who is eligible to apply for the Japan e-Visa?

Indian citizens holding ordinary passports and foreign nationals residing in India are eligible to apply for the Japan e-Visa.

Q. What is the purpose of the Japan e-Visa program?

The Japan e-Visa program aims to simplify the visa application process for travelers planning short-term visits to Japan, particularly those entering by air.

Q. What documents are required for the e-Visa application?

Applicants need to verify the required visa type and prepare necessary documents for submission, which may include passport details, travel itinerary, and proof of accommodation.

Q. Can I apply for the Japan e-Visa if I'm not traveling by air?

No, the Japan e-Visa is available only for travelers entering Japan by air.

Q. How can I apply for the e-Visa?

Eligible individuals can apply for the Japan e-Visa by visiting the official Japan e-Visa website and following the online application process.

Q. Is an in-person interview required during the application process?

While most applicants may not require an interview, some individuals may be requested to attend an in-person interview at the Japanese overseas establishment with jurisdiction over their place of residence.

Q. What is a Visa Issuance Notice?

The Visa Issuance Notice is a digital document provided by the travel agency, containing a two-dimensional barcode. It serves as proof of visa approval and must be presented upon arrival at the airport.

Q. Can I use a printed copy or screenshot of the Visa Issuance Notice?

No, only the electronic Visa Issuance Notice displayed on a mobile device, generated through the specified process, will be accepted. Other formats such as PDFs, printed copies, or screenshots are not valid.

Q. What should I do if I encounter any issues with my e-Visa application?

If you face any difficulties or have inquiries regarding your e-Visa application, you can contact the Japan e-Visa website's support team for assistance. They will guide you through the process and address any concerns you may have.

Also Read: Dubai Introduces 5-Year Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa for Indians; All You Need To Know

For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here


During the RBIs Monetary Policy meeting, Reserve Bank Of India Governor Shaktikanta Das announced that users can now deposit cash via UPI facility at bank ATMs.

He said, RBI has proposed to allow cash deposits through UPI.

He clarified that this decision stems from insights gained from the implementation of cardless cash withdrawal systems at ATMs through UPI. He further noted that the majority of users typically utilize debit cards to deposit cash via UPI at cash deposit machines (CDMs).

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While cash deposit machines (CDMs) alleviate the burden on bank staff by minimizing manual cash handling, they also offer users the advantage of bypassing lengthy bank queues and enjoying convenient access to automated services of their preference.



The operational instructions for this UPI facility is expected to release soon.

Also Read: Dubai Introduces 5-Year Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa for Indians; All You Need To Know

"At present, UPI payments from Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) can be made only by using the web or mobile app provided by the PPI issuer. It is now proposed to permit the use of third-party UPI apps for making UPI payments from PPI wallets. This will further enhance customer convenience and boost adoption of digital payments for small value transactions," Das further said.



informalnewz

How the new UPI-based cash withdrawal system works?

Theres a high possibility that It will complement the current withdrawal system which is as follows:

1. Select UPI Cardless Cash option on the ATM screen

2. Carefully punch in the amount that you need to withdraw

3. Scan the QR code on your smartphone via a UPI app.

4. Confirm your UPI PIN to validate the withdrawal

5. Voila! You can finally collect your cash.

Essentially, the new cash deposit system via UPI at ATMs will operate similarly in terms of the process. This method is said to be secure and straightforward, with customers already accustomed to it. The most notable aspect of this facility is that it eliminates the need for a debit card altogether.

Also Read: Dubai Introduces 5-Year Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa for Indians; All You Need To Know


Shashi Tharoors Net Worth: As the Lok Sabha General Elections 2024 are inching closer, many politicians are declaring their finances in their nomination papers. Shashi Tharoor who is the sitting Congress MP from Thirvananthapuram is eyeing a fourth consecutive win.

Shashi Tharoor Declared His Networth To Be Over Rs 55 Crore

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Apart from assets, he also declared a total income of over Rs 4.32 crore in the financial year 2022-2023.



In the affidavit filed alongside his nomination papers, he cited immovable assets of over Rs 49 crore which includes deposits of varying amounts in 19 bank accounts and investments in various bonds, debentures, mutual funds, among others.

Overview of Immovable Assets

His immovable assets are valued at over Rs 6.75 crore, comprising inherited and self-acquired properties. These include a one-fourth share in a 2.51-acre agricultural land in Palakkad, now valued at Rs 1.56 lakh, as well as a self-acquired 10.47-acre land in Thiruvananthapuram, currently worth over Rs 6.20 crore. Additionally, his residence in the state capital, valued at around Rs 52 lakh, contributes to his total immovable asset portfolio.

Also Read: From Dilip Shanghvi To Cyrus Poonawalla: Top 10 Indian Healthcare Billionaires Of 2024

His movable assets include 534 grams of gold worth Rs 32 lakh and Rs 36,000 as cash in hand, according to his affidavit.

The Congress MP owns two cars, a Maruti Ciaz and a Maruti XL6, the affidavit said.

In 2014, Tharoor had declared assets of over Rs 23 crore and in 2019, over Rs 35 crore.

Shashi Tharoors Cases

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Tharoor, who holds a PhD in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (USA) and an Honorary Doctor of Letters in International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound (USA), is implicated in nine legal cases nationwide.



The majority of the FIRs against him pertain to allegations of inciting discord between various groups, with one case in Kerala involving charges of unlawful assembly and rioting. Additionally, Tharoor is entangled in four court proceedings, including two defamation casesone in Kerala and another in Delhiand one case in Kolkata alleging the promotion of enmity between different groups, as per the affidavit.

(With PTI inputs)

Also Read: Top 10 Tech Billionaires In India In 2024




This particular event, in addition to its strong communicative character, offers a first-class opportunity to the Greek-American community to convey messages to the US political leadership.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that it will arraign the controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, on a six-count charge on Friday bordering on money laundering and other offences.

It was gathered that the popular Lagos socialite will appear before Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday.

EFCC Prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo, alongside seven other lawyers, filed the charges against Bobrisky, on Thursday.

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Meanwhile, the initial four counts relate to Naira abuse, while the remaining two counts involve alleged money laundering.

This was contained in a statement issued by the EFCC Spokesperson, Dele Oyewale.

The statement reads: Bobrisky, in the first count, is alleged to have tampered with the sum of N400,000 by spraying the same while dancing at a social event at the IMAX Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos.

The offence was committed on 24 March 2024 and is contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.

READ MORE: EFCC Grants Bobrisky Bail, But Yet To Fulfil Terms

In count two, Bobrisky, between July and August 2023 at Aja Junction, Ikorodu, also tampered with another sum of N50,000 by spraying the same at a social event while dancing.

In count three, Bobrisky, in December 2023 at White Steve Event Hall, Ikeja also sprayed and tampered with another sum of N20,000 while dancing.

Count four also accused Bobrisky of spraying and tampering with another sum of N20,000 while dancing at another event in Oniru, Victoria Island.

In count five, Bobrisky, while trading under the name and style of Bob Express between 1 September 2021 and 4 April 2024 in Lagos, failed to submit to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering a declaration of the activities of the said company, (Bob Express), within which period the total sum of N127. 7m was paid into the company account domiciled with Ecobank.

In count six, Bobrisky is also accused of failing to submit a declaration of the activities of the company within the same period when another N53 million was paid into the companys account, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 6(1)(a), and Section 19(1) (f) of the Money Laundering (Prevention And Prohibition) Act and punishable under Section 19 (2) (b) of the same Act.
Gboyega Isiaka, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loan, has revealed the mechanism that will be used for acquiring funds for student loans.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the Student Loan Act Amendment Bill into law on Wednesday, facilitating the schemes smooth commencement.

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According to him, the necessary funds to effectively execute the Student Loan program would be sourced from one percent of all revenues entering the Federation Account.

He further reassured Nigerians of the administrations commitment to guaranteeing sufficient funding for the scheme, which would benefit students studying in public-owned tertiary institutions nationwide.

READ ALSO: Fubara Plotting To Declare Rivers Assembly Illegal Through Interim Orders  APC Alleges

Isiaka clarified that they changed the old Student Loan Act to make it easier for Nigerian students to get loans without problems.

He said: The patriotism and determination to make sure that this is a sustainable success still made the Executive and, Mr. President in particular to present those far-reaching amendments which has not become law. The law has amended so many shortcomings in the 2023 law in the area of fund that we have.

Now, we have a known corporate entity that is called Nigerian Education Trust Fund (TETFund). We now have an institution that is strong, sustainable and comparable to what we have in different parts of the world, and going by all that will come into it.

I am satisfied in my mind that the Nigerian government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done so well for the Nigerian educational sector.
A yet to be identified woman has reportedly died while two other persons sustained degrees of injuries as vehicle rammed into pedestrians along the Onitsha-Asaba bridgehead.

INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that the accident occurred on Thursday due to alleged brake failure.

Confirming the horrible incident, the Staff Officer, Public Education of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Anambra, C. A Iyiegbuniwe, led this out in a statement made available to the public, yesterday.

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Iyiegbuniwe said: The crash occurred today, April 4. 2024 at about 3:20hrs of the day along Onitsha-Asaba Bridgehead.

READ MORE: Hoodlums Attack, Set Police Station Ablaze In Anambra

It involved an articulated white and green Mercedes Benz vehicle with registration number NKE25LG.

The vehicle had a brake failure and rammed into people. Two persons were injured and one female was killed.

On arrival at the scene, FRSC men took the two injured persons to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, while the dead were taken to Toronto Mortuary.
President Bola Tinubu has called on members of the Economic Community of West African States to come together and strengthen their ties.

The Nigerian President urged members to reject forces bent on causing division within the community.

Tinubu led this out while speaking at the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, on Thursday in Abuja.

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He insisted that regional solidarity is imperative to strengthen the blocs resilience and effectiveness.

He said: We stand united against such forces and are committed to ensuring that our unity remains unshaken.

READ MORE: ECOWAS Lifts Some Sanctions On Niger, Mali, Guinea

We must ensure that cooperation amongst us is strengthened, with a view to building a sense of common destiny and purpose. No one can do this for us. We must come together.

To this extent, reinforcing the legitimacy of the decisions taken by the Authority of Heads of State is key in sending a message that ECOWAS is one indivisible body.

It is also very important that the executives, on the other hand, show similar confidence in the Parliament, which would indeed deepen democracy in our region. Meanwhile, in the midst of ongoing challenges, our partnership can be a driving force for stability, growth, and prosperity in our region.
Minister Nyesom Wike of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Thursday, expressed optimism that Nigerias economic challenges will be a thing of the past.

Wike gave the assurance when the Methodist Prelate, Most Rev. Oliver Aba, visited him in Abuja.

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I believe by the special grace of God, Nigeria would come out from the turmoil that we are in.

The signs are clear; we have no regret; and we have no doubt that victory shall be ours, he said.

READ ALSO: Kano Govt Bans Movies Promoting Cross-Dressing, Thuggery

The former Rivers State Governor thanked the church for the prayers for Nigerians and for the government of President Bola Tinubu to actualise his vision and dreams in the Renewed Hope agenda.

That is why Tinubu has never failed to ask religious leaders to continue to pray for his administration and for the growth of Nigeria.

Prayer is key. We can do all we think, but without God, nothing can be achieved, and so his victory; his hope is anchored on God, the minister said.
Reno Omokri, a media figure, has stated why Nigerias teachers are poor.

He said that a school can not teach a person how to become wealthy, and that if it could m, teachers would be the richest.

Reno asserted in a post on X that school, although its value, is not a passport to prosperity.

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He also stated that while financial education is taught in schools, financial intelligence is learned on the streets.

He warned his followers not to confine their education to the four walls of a school.

READ MORE: I Took Break From Music Because Of My Family And Other Interests  Rapper Illbliss

If school could teach you how to be rich, the first people that would be rich would be your teachers. But they are hardly rich. School is important. Stay in school. Graduate.

But dont expect your certificate to be your ticket to wealth. Financial education is taught in school, but financial intelligence is learnt on the streets.

Dont limit your learning to the four walls of a school. Remember that Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs dont have degrees. Yet, they have billions, he wrote.
Yuki, wife of Tigran Gambaryan, Binances head of financial crime compliance, has called for the release of her husband.

In a letter to the Nigerian government, Yuki said Gambaryan is innocent and should be allowed to come home.

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On February 28, Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binances regional manager for Africa were detained by the Nigerian authorities.

While Anjarwalla has escaped from the custody of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Gambaryan has remained in custody.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). has filed money laundering charges against Gambaryan, Anjarwalla and Binance.

In the letter, Yuki said Gambaryan is first and foremost an incredible father, loving husband, and supportive friend to everyone who meets him.

She said, He has a deep respect for Nigeria and its people, and in fact, he had expressed excitement to me at the prospect of starting to work in your country.

I understand and respect your decision to scrutinize his employer, Binance. I realize that this whole situation has arisen from your commitment to your country and its citizens.

However, Tigran is merely an employee. He does not have authority over Binances corporate decisions or policies that might have impacted Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Why Nigerian Teachers Are Poor  Reno Omokri

He spends his workday investigating and pursuing criminal activity on the platform. His very job is to help governments, like yours, prosecute and prevent illicit activity.

Sadly, any influence he might have had at Binance to help the company leaders understand your position in this disagreement is trapped in that cell with him.

According to her, Tigran is globally recognised for his significant contributions to solving crimes involving cryptocurrencies.

I know many of his peers, including in Nigeria, would say that Tigrans continuous efforts not only decrease illicit activity on Binances platform but for all cryptocurrencies across the world, she added.

Speaking about their family, Yuki said she and her husband have two young children and this is the longest the Binance executive has been away from them. and they dont understand why he hasnt come home to them.

They ask me every day when he will be coming home, and still I cannot give them an answer. This week is going to be especially difficult as it is our youngests 5th birthday on Friday. I never imagined Tigran would not be here with us to celebrate it.

Meanwhile, his ageing mother spends her days in tears, praying for the safe return of her only son.

She raised Tigran almost all on her own. He is her everything, the thought of him being in a country so far away from her and in these circumstances is beyond devastating to her.

A small part of me chips away every day without Tigran by my side. He is the love of my life, and I cannot imagine a life without him.

I plead with you from the depths of my heart to release Tigran.
Microsoft has unveiled Visual Studio Code 1.88, also known as the March 2024 release of the companys popular code editor. The update brings capabilities such as a test coverage API, custom editor labels, and locked scrolling.

Introduced on April 4, Visual Studio Code 1.88 can be downloaded for Windows, Linux, or Mac from the project website.

In this release, Microsoft has finalized its Test Coverage API, bringing native coverage support to VS Code. If a developers testing system supports it, coverage can be accessed using the new Run With Coverage button. Using test coverage requires that your VS Code extension implements the new API.
A man who prosecutors say unleashed a hurricane of gunfire when he shot two Philadelphia police officers in Holmesburg last year will face trial for attempted murder and related crimes, a judge ruled Friday.

Dioul Devaughn, 40, stands accused of shooting Christopher Rycek and Henry Glenn last December. Rycek, a nine-year veteran of the department, suffered a graze wound to the bridge of his nose, police said. Glenn, who has been with the department for six years, was grazed in the head.

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Prosecutors say Devaughn also opened fire on two highway patrol officers who were assisting Rycek and Glenn in responding to a report of a person with a gun, and he was charged with aggravated assault for shooting at them. The two  Kenneth Fazio and Michael Mitchell  were not injured.

At a preliminary hearing Friday, Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan ruled that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for the case to move forward. And he revoked Devaughns bail at the request of Assistant District Attorney Trey Flynn.

Devaughn, who was injured when the four officers returned fire when he began shooting, arrived in court in a wheelchair and did not visibly react when the judge ruled that the case against him could move forward.

The two officers were shot after responding near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard in the Mayfair neighborhood early on the morning of Dec. 10, police said. They were responding to a report of gunfire by a man in a gray pickup truck who was wearing a tan jacket.

A sergeant who spotted a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck with a man inside wearing a tan jacket approached the truck, but the driver sped off northbound on Roosevelt Boulevard, police said.

Rycek and Glenn tried to get the truck to pull over at Frankford Avenue and Welsh Road, police said, and the truck rammed their patrol car from behind.

Mitchell, one of the highway patrol officers, testified Friday that he had been tailing the truck and saw Devaughn get out of the vehicle and fire at Rycek and Glenn. Rycek, he said, got out and took cover behind his cars engine block and Glenn went to the west side of the road and went behind a truck.

Mitchell recalled seeing Ryceks face covered in blood and Glenn slumped over, bleeding profusely.

After all four officers fired back at Devaughn, he was struck and also bleeding heavily, said Mitchell, who added that he saw a gun in the front seat of Devaughns car.

Devaughns attorney, Julian Settles, noted that Mitchell and Fazio were unharmed and that Mitchells patrol car was not damaged and said Devaughn should not be charged with aggravated assault for shooting at those two officers.

But Flynn, the prosecutor, said that in addition to shooting Rycek and Glenn, Devaughn sprayed gunfire at the two highway patrol officers and was clearly trying to cause them harm.

We have here a hurricane of gunfire coming down the street, he said.
The former Philadelphia Police Headquarters, where Manuel Santiago, Martin Devlin, and Frank Jastrzembski spent years as homicide detectives. Read more

The landmark perjury case against three former Philadelphia homicide detectives can proceed to trial after a judge on Friday denied the defense attorneys bid to dismiss the charges.

Common Pleas Court Judge Lucretia Clemons said that after spending three months reviewing the case, she found that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to charge Martin Devlin, Manuel Santiago, and Frank Jastrzembski.

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The detectives lawyer, Brian McMonagle, had argued that prosecutors acted inappropriately in presenting evidence to the grand jury that had nothing to do with the alleged crimes. The prosecutors smeared his clients names, he said, and threw the kitchen sink at jurors just to see what would stick.

For that reason, he said, the case should be thrown out  not only to protect his clients but also to set a standard to prevent the District Attorneys Office from doing this to others in the future.

It was horrific manipulation, McMonagle said Friday.

Clemons agreed, saying that prosecutors decision to present evidence outside the scope of the case was outrageous  but, she said, it didnt rise to the level of prosecutorial misconduct. She said she believed that the grand jury would have indicted the men with or without that evidence.

 READ MORE: The Homicide Files database: Review murder cases involving these three detectives and others accused of misconduct

Still, she said: It should not have been used. Period.

District Attorney Larry Krasner charged Devlin, Santiago, and Jastrzembski  all now retired  with perjury two years ago, saying they lied on the witness stand during a 2016 retrial that threatened to send a man whose murder conviction had been overturned back to prison for life. It was the first time in city history that detectives involved in an overturned murder case had faced criminal charges over their alleged actions in the investigation.

Krasners office said the detectives lied when they testified that they had secured a confession and evidence implicating Anthony Wright in the 1991 rape and murder of 77-year-old Louise Talley. During the retrial, which was handled by Krasners predecessors, Wright was quickly acquitted, and some jurors even publicly criticized the evidence presented in court.

After Krasner took office in 2017, he convened a grand jury to investigate whether the detectives actions in the case amounted to a crime. It was during that grand jury proceeding that McMonagle said prosecutors committed egregious misconduct.

He said former Assistant District Attorney Patricia Cummings, who ran the probe, called a witness before the panel who not only asserted that Wrights confession was false  but also accused Devlin, the detective who elicited it, of coercing false confessions in other, unrelated cases. He said Cummings also introduced an anonymous juror note from another case Devlin was involved in that described him as wicked and evil.

After Judge Clemons ruled that the case would move forward, McMonagle asked for permission to immediately appeal to Pennsylvanias Superior Court.

This is beyond any case Ive ever seen, he said. Prosecutors all over the state could look at this and say prosecutorial misconduct doesnt apply in front of a grand jury.

Clemons denied that request, and said McMonagle could file an appeal in the event of a conviction, as is customary.

Assistant District Attorneys Steven Wildberger and Clarke Beljean declined to comment on the judges decision. The detectives are free on bail, and trial has been tentatively scheduled for November.
Igor Bolte, seen here on a backyard security camera, escaped from the Chester County Prison in May and was on the run for about 10 minutes. Bolte's method of fleeing the facility was copied three months later by Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer whose two-week flight from justice became international news. Read more

The West Chester man whose acrobatic escape from the Chester County Prison last spring was copied months later by the elusive fugitive Danilo Cavalcante was sentenced Thursday to 18 to 60 months in state prison.

Igor Bolte, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of escape during a brief hearing before Chester County Court Judge Patrick Carmody, according to his attorney, Javier Secaira. Secaira declined to comment on the outcome of the case.

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Bolte was housed in the county jail alongside Cavalcante, 34, who at the time was awaiting trial for killing his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in front of her children.

When Cavalcante escaped in late August, a week after being sentenced to life in prison for Brandaos murder, he crab walked up a narrow wall in one of the jails exercise yards and ran across the buildings roof, as depicted in a surveillance video released by county officials that quickly went viral.

That unusual technique had been pioneered by Bolte, an experienced rock climber who employed the same method to begin his brief flight from the facility  guards found him about five minutes later hiding in the swimming pool of a nearby home in Pocopson Township, according to court records.

Cavalcantes time away from the jail lasted much longer: He led hundreds of law enforcement officials from local, state, and federal agencies on a 14-day manhunt across the county, during which he hid in dense forest and survived on creek water, produce and other items stolen from homes in the area.

The Brazilian native is awaiting trial on an escape charge, as well as burglary, theft, criminal trespass and related crimes while he serves his life sentence on the murder conviction.

 READ MORE: Two weeks on edge: How law enforcement tracked down an escaped murderer in Chester County

Bolte had been in custody in May for violating his probation in a 2019 aggravated assault case for punching a police officer, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest in the escape. When he stealthily made his way out of the prison, he was filmed by security cameras, as he placed his feet on one wall, his hands on the other, and climbed in a horizontal position, until he reached the roof, the affidavit said.

He then climbed down from the roof and was seen running past a security station near the prisons front entrance. An officer posted near the exercise yard saw Bolte and notified the other guards that he had escaped, the affidavit said.

Homeowners who lived nearby, including James Cleare, notified the jail that they had seen Bolte running past their properties. Police officers found Bolte in a backyard pool about a half-mile from the facility.

Bolte later told police his plan was to run back toward West Chester, where he knew he could find aid.

Bolte made a similar escape from the prison facility years earlier. In July 2019, a month after pleading guilty in the aggravated assault case, Bolte escaped from a lower-security work-release center located near the main prison, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest in that case. Bolte ran out of an unlocked door and scaled a fence.

He broke out of confinement, his attorney wrote in a presentencing memorandum, because he felt threatened by fellow inmates. Bolte, a native of Russia who was adopted by a Pennsylvania family when he was 10 years old, suffers from PTSD due to childhood trauma, his attorney, Michael Skinner, wrote.

Bolte ran into a wooded area near the prison, leading state police and county detectives on an hours-long chase, the affidavit said. He eventually surrendered, waving his arms to a police helicopter overhead to signal them.

For that escape, Bolte was sentenced to nine to 23 months in prison and one year probation, court records show.
Chester Police charged two men Friday who they say plotted to rob and kill Joseph Wright inside his apartment. Read more

Two Delaware County men have admitted they killed a 71-year-old man, stabbing him nearly 30 times during a break-in at his apartment in Chester last month, prosecutors said Friday.

Ramadon Sudan, 29, of Brookhaven, and Damon A. Jones, 27, of Chester, planned the March 28 death of Joseph Wright over text, according to the affidavit of probable cause for their arrests.

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Both were charged Friday with murder, as well as burglary, robbery, conspiracy and related crimes, the affidavit said. They were being held without bail.

It remained unclear Friday how Sudan and Jones knew Wright, or what relationship they may have had with him. Based on their text exchange, Sudan and Jones waited until after two women they knew left Wrights apartment before they headed inside.

The investigation into those aspects of the case remained active Friday, according to a spokesperson for Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.

Wrights younger brother, Charles, said in an interview Friday that his death has been a great loss for his family.

We had a good life with him, and its sad that people would take the time out to take peoples lives like that, he said. We have those type of people in the world today that we have to live with, and hopefully they will get their just rewards.

Wright, who was originally from North Carolina, moved to Chester about 20 years ago, according to his brother. The father of two had family in the city, and moved to be closer to them.

Wrights family asked police to perform a wellness check on March 29 after not hearing from him for some time, the affidavit said. When they arrived to Wrights apartment on Rose Street, no one answered, the document said, but the TV and lights were on, and the door was unlocked.

Inside, the officers found a trail of blood leading to Wright, who was lying on his back in a pool of blood, according to the affidavit. Strewn CDs and knocked-over speakers indicated there had been a struggle inside.

Medics pronounced Wright dead at the scene from 28 stab wounds to his torso.

The officers later discovered that his 2017 Ford Fusion was missing, and hours later learned that it been recorded by a license plate reader nearby in Chester.

They pulled the car over on West Ninth Street at 1:30 a.m. on March 30 and found Sudan behind its wheel, carrying eight vials of crack cocaine, the affidavit said.

On his cell phone, detectives discovered the text conversation in which he and Jones plotted the crime, the affidavit said.

Later, in interviews with police, both men admitted to breaking into Wrights home and stabbing him. Sudan told investigators he took the key to the Ford Fusion during the incident, according to the affidavit.

Both men are scheduled to appear before District Judge Wilden Davis for a preliminary hearing on April 22.
The School District of Philadelphia Headquarters building at 440 North Broad St. Read more

The city school board on Thursday night took a hard look at some secondary school outcomes, examining everything from how many Philadelphia School District students pass Keystone Exams to how many schools offer eighth graders Algebra I.

Here are some takeaways from the boards Goals and Guardrails progress monitoring session:

Keystones: literature up, algebra and biology down

Districtwide, 53.9% of Philadelphia students passed Pennsylvanias Keystone literature exams by 11th grade in 2022-23. Thats up from a 47.6% pass rate in 2018-19.

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In algebra, 30.1% of students passed the Keystone by 11th grade, down from 36.3%.

Keystone pass rates in biology fell to 31.4% from 34.9%.

And on the NOCTI exam, given by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute, the standard for career and technical institute students, the number of students who scored competent or better on the test jumped to 49.1% in 2022-23 from 43.4% in 2021-22.

Ninth grade matters

Among district ninth graders, 23.8% were firmly on track by the end of the second quarter this school year, meaning they are passing courses in four core subject areas  English, math, science and social studies  and are earning an A or B in all courses. Another 32.7% were on track but at risk, meaning they earned Cs or Ds in some courses, and 43.5% are off track.

Why does it matter?

The research tells us that students who are able to make it through that ninth-grade year have a greater chance of being successful and completing high school on time, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. told the board.

About algebra, and math pathways

Last year, algebra was offered to eighth graders in just three schools; this year, its offered in 16 schools via an initiative that allows a teacher to work with students in multiple schools, some remotely.

Early access to algebra is often key for student access to Advanced Placement and dual enrollment classes.

If students are ready to take on more rigorous content, why are we holding them back, why are we standing in the way of that? said Jermaine Dawson, deputy superintendent.

Watlington agreed.

We have Algebra I offered in a minority of schools. It should be offered in every school with middle grade bands. We cant get there overnight, but were working in that direction, the superintendent said.

Coming in 2024-25

Officials promised changes in the 2024-25 school year, including upping the number of minutes students taking Algebra I spend in class. Its changing from 45 minutes to 90, Dawson said.

It is very hard to expect students to really demonstrate mastery at a high level when they only have instruction for 45 minutes, said Dawson, a former math teacher.

We have to make sure that we have the tools for good strong teachers who are prepared to teach math, the deputy superintendent said.
A 74-year-old man who was a former co-owner of the iconic Center City gay bar Woodys and his 70-year-old wife died in a house fire early Thursday morning in Montgomery County, officials said.

Shortly before 4:15 a.m., a fire was reported on the 900 block of Bellaire Avenue in the Ambler section of Upper Dublin Township, officials said.

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Police officers reported heavy fire and found 35-year-old Stephen Wood Jr. outside after having escaped the smoke and flames. He told police there were two other occupants trapped inside.

Firefighters entered the home and found Stephen Wood Sr. on the first floor. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators later found Deborah Wood deceased inside the home.

Wood Jr. was transported to Temple University Hospital with burn and smoke-inhalation injuries.

The cause of the fire was under investigation by the Upper Dublin Township Fire Marshal with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshals Office.

He was a great guy, said Nancy Hall, 68, of Center City, who described Stephen Wood Sr. as a nearly lifelong friend.

If you lived in Center City in the 80s, that was the gay spot to go to, Hall said about Woodys.

Hall said Deborah Wood had health issues in recent years and was being cared for by Stephen.

A 2007 Inquirer article reported that Stephen Wood and his brother Bill Wood had recently sold Woodys and had opened Knock Bar and Restaurant, also in Center City.

Mark Segal, the publisher of Philadelphia Gay News, said Bill was the public face of Woodys  the bar was named after him  and Stephen helped him. Segal said he believed they were both founders when Woodys opened around 1980.

Segal said he called Bill Wood earlier Thursday to offer his condolences.

An employee who answered the phone at Knock declined to comment.

Inquirer staff writer Michael Klein contributed to this article.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks at the podium next to Patricia Cummings, Supervisor of the Conviction Integrity Unit, during a news conference announcing charges against three former city detectives for perjury in a decades-old murder case at his Center City office on Friday. Detectives Martin Devlin, Manuel Santiago, and Frank Jastrzembski face charges of perjury and false swearing in the case of the 1993 rape and murder of 77-year-old Louise Talley in Nicetown. Anthony Wright was convicted and retried in 2016 before his conviction was overturned. Wright served 25 years of wrongful imprisonment, and said that detectives fabricated evidence and subjected him to a physically abusive interrogation before forcing him to sign a false confession. Read more

Three former longtime Philadelphia homicide detectives were charged with perjury on Friday after a grand jury concluded they lied on the witness stand during a landmark 2016 murder retrial that threatened to send an innocent man back to prison for life.

The allegations, unveiled in a presentment filed by the District Attorneys Office, represent an extraordinary development in a city that has seen dozens of old homicide convictions overturned in recent years  but no significant legal repercussions for the police or prosecutors involved in building those cases. Many of them have since been accused of misconduct in court documents filed by District Attorney Larry Krasner.

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The grand jurys findings mark a stunning turnabout for Martin Devlin, Manuel Santiago, and Frank Jastrzembski, who each served more than 25 years in the Philadelphia Police Department. Devlin for years was viewed as a star investigator in one of the nations most violent cities, specializing in cold cases and complex investigations that no one else could crack.

But in recent years, questions have emerged about the detectives investigative practices, mostly during the 1990s. Krasners Conviction Integrity Unit has helped overturn at least five cases the detectives worked on, saying the convictions were marred by coerced confessions, fabricated or hidden evidence, or secret deals with key witnesses.

These charges are an indication that a Philadelphia jury, in this case a grand jury, can carefully look at evidence and can understand that the law must apply equally to people, whether they are in law enforcement, [or] supposed to be served by law enforcement, Krasner said during a news conference Friday.

The detectives have consistently denied wrongdoing. They also face charges of false swearing and the possibility of prison time if convicted. They turned themselves in at a Northeast Philadelphia police district Friday and were released on bail after being arraigned. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the end of this month.

Their lawyer, Brian McMonagle, said his clients were innocent of these charges, adding: These three good men dedicated their lives to seeking justice for victims of crime. In this case they sought justice for a woman who was brutally raped and murdered.

A spokesperson for the police union declined to comment.

The prosecution  coming just days before the expiration of the five-year statute of limitations  is a significant undertaking for Krasner, who took office in 2018 and promised to address police misconduct while reforming an office he had harshly criticized during his previous career as a civil rights lawyer.

The charges against Devlin, Santiago and Jastrzembski are his first attempt to hold law enforcement officials criminally responsible for their actions in a wrongful conviction.

Marissa Bluestine, the former head of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and assistant director at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at University of Pennsylvania, said personal accountability for such crimes by law enforcement is rare. The statute of limitations for criminal charges often runs out, she said, and police and prosecutors are typically shielded from personal liability in civil litigation due to qualified immunity laws.

Krasner said at his news conference: Actual accountability is what this is about.

Some defendants in the 1990s had accused detectives in open court of wrongdoing during investigations. But disputed confessions or claims of coercion were viewed as common among suspects and witnesses at the time, and statements given to police in that era were not taped. So police and prosecutors could present disputed confessions to jurors and let them decide whom to believe.

Questions about Devlin, Santiago and Jastrzembski resurfaced during the 2016 retrial of Anthony Wright, who was convicted in 1993 of the rape and murder of 77-year-old Louise Talley in Nicetown. Wrights appellate lawyers later discovered DNA evidence that proved he had not raped Talley. Wrights conviction was overturned, but then-District Attorney Seth Williams office sought to convict him again, saying the results did not preclude him from being an accomplice to the crime.

He was quickly acquitted in August 2016, and afterward some jurors took the remarkable step of standing beside Wright and publicly criticizing prosecutors for continuing to pursue what they called a weak case.

Williams said Friday: There are many [cases] that I remember very specific details. This is not one of them.

Wright, who served 25 years of wrongful imprisonment, has long alleged that detectives fabricated evidence and subjected him to a brutal, physically abusive interrogation before forcing him to sign a false confession.

He settled a civil lawsuit against the city for $9.8 million, but said its now time for those who framed him to face justice.

This will mean everything to me if those guys individually can be held accountable for what they did to me. And their name is on so many peoples paperwork that were wronged, he said, adding that the losses accrued over 25 years are hard to calculate. He missed his mothers funeral, and watching his son grow up.

 READ MORE: The Homicide Files database: Review murder cases involving these three detectives and others accused of misconduct

At Wrights retrial in 2016, Devlin testified that he had never threatened an interview subject, and that he had transcribed Wrights confession verbatim. Then, he agreed to a challenge by lawyer Samuel Silver: To transcribe the confession again in real time as Silver read it aloud. He got just six or seven words down on the page before it became clear he could not keep up.

There were also allegations of perjury involving Santiago and Jastrzembski, raised in the form of a disciplinary complaint filed by the Innocence Project in 2018 against Assistant District Attorney Bridget Kirn. (No action was taken publicly against Kirn by the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.)

The complaint alleged that Kirn failed in her duty to correct false testimony by Santiago and Jastrzembski when they told jurors they had not been briefed on the damning DNA tests conducted after Wrights first conviction. The tests showed that semen taken from the victims body matched Ronnie Byrd, a Nicetown man with a crack addiction  not Wright.

It also showed that wearer DNA on bloody clothing Jastrzembski said he had recovered from Wrights home, an aspect of his supposed confession, was a match for the victim, and not for Wright.

The complaint noted that a year after the retrial, during depositions for Wrights civil lawsuit, both detectives acknowledged that the District Attorneys Office had informed them of the test results in pretrial briefings. Kirn and other detectives confirmed that in their depositions.

All of them perjured themselves during their testimony at the retrial, said Peter Neufeld, cofounder of the Innocence Project and one of Wrights lawyers. They perjured themselves on all kinds of things. Jastrzembski perjured himself when he said he found clothing he didnt find, and Santiago and Devlin both perjured themselves about the way the interrogation went down. They all lied.

The grand jury said it believed charges were necessary to correct the historical record and hold the three former detectives  Santiago, Devlin, and Jastrzembski  accountable for lying under oath to condemn an innocent man and cover up their wrongdoing, and for perverting the integrity of the law.

The detectives have been the subject of mounting criticism as cases they investigated were revealed to be some of the most shocking wrongful convictions in Philadelphia history.

Media coverage over the years portrayed Devlin as a brilliant eccentric  Detective Perfect  who wore a loud shirt and carried a shotgun when he allowed a reporter to ride along as he chased a suspect in North Philadelphia. He retired in 1995 and had a storied second act as a detective for the Camden County Prosecutors Office. An Inquirer profile, written after he helped win the high-profile conviction of Cherry Hill Rabbi Fred Neulander for hiring a hit man to kill his wife, called Devlin street smart and feisty, with intense green eyes that display both the joy and seriousness he brings to the job.

He has been accused of participating in violent interrogations that ended with forced, false statements in at least five different murder cases. In one, Devlin was accused of coercing a false confession from Willie Veasy, while Jastrzembski, the lead detective, allegedly hid evidence that cast doubt on Veasys involvement.

Veasy spent 27 years in prison but was exonerated in 2019. He settled a civil lawsuit against the city for $5 million earlier this year.

Jastrzembski and Santiago were among three detectives who refused to testify in a 1994 court proceeding about a murder case they investigated, instead invoking their Fifth Amendment right to avoid incriminating themselves. In that case, Commonwealth v. Percy St. George, there were also suggestions of perjury  as the detectives had testified to taking statements that witnesses said were fabricated or coerced.

Marc Bookman, then a public defender on the case and now the executive director of the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, said that case should have led to punishment decades ago.

The fact that all these cops were guilty of misconduct was not a secret, Bookman said. It all took place in open court. In a real criminal justice system, the DAs office would have done a full investigation and probably ended up prosecuting the police. But Philadelphia during those years was a rigged town  there was no oversight.

Lynne Abraham, District Attorney from 1991 to 2010, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Jastrzembski and Santiago also built the case against Jimmy Dennis, whose murder conviction was vacated after he spent 25 years on death row. Dennis had compelling alibi evidence that was in the possession of police or prosecutors but was not disclosed at his trial.

And Santiago was accused of overseeing an investigation in which a key witness with an implausible story was also secretly facing drug charges under a fictitious name. The man who was convicted, Andrew Swainson, was released from prison last summer after Krasners office called his case fundamentally flawed and unfair.

The detectives arrest was welcome news to Walter Ogrod, who spent 23 years on death row for the murder of 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn based in part on a confession taken by Devlin and his then-partner Detective Paul Worrell  one Krasners office now contends was false and coerced. Ogrod was exonerated last year.

In his view, perjury charges would be a fair starting point.

Whats the statute of limitations for attempted murder? he said. (Its five years in Pennsylvania.) Im an innocent man and what did they go for? Death. They wanted to kill an innocent man.

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.
Workers removed outdoor dining pods along 13th Street in Center City in January 2022. The eating areas became popular during the panademic as a way to social distance but also drew complaints because of blocked sidewalks and parking spaces. Read more

City Council on Friday heard calls to reform the citys year-old system for approving restaurant streeteries  the once-popular curbside dining structures that have been nearly regulated out of existence since their pandemic heyday.

More than 800 restaurants citywide once operated streeteries. But under the new regulatory system, the city has granted only licenses to 13 restaurants from a pool of 118 applicants since November 2022, according to city officials.

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Testifying before the Committee on Streets and Services, restaurant owners and industry advocates argued that the new system has burdened restaurant owners, widened inequities within the hospitality industry, and quashed a vibrant cultural amenity within Phillys food scene.

Its pressing that Philadelphia comprehensively evaluates the current program, identifying what works well and what requires improvement, Ben Fileccia, of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, told Council members.

With spring and summer around the corner, Fileccia stressed the urgency for reforms. Recommendations from commenters Friday included streamlining the permitting processes, providing more flexibility in streetery designs, and lowering the regulatory hurdles that have forced many restaurants to give up.

Councilmember Rue Landau, an at-large Democrat who called for the streetery hearings, said she had concerns over the licensing process and saw an opportunity to fix the relatively new process.

Its clear from what we heard today that the current process to approve outdoor dining is not working for everyone, and we need a solution to make it more accessible and equitable for restaurants that want to participate, especially Black and brown and immigrant-owned businesses, Landau said.

 READ MORE: Hundreds of restaurants got excluded by Phillys new streetery zones  some by less than a block

Early in the pandemic, City Hall threw a lifeline to restaurants by allowing them to extend their dining rooms onto sidewalks and into parking spaces where people could safely eat outdoors as the coronavirus raged.

Rolling back the red tape led to an al fresco dining renaissance, with some restaurants spending tens of thousands on light fixtures, canopied roofs, and even HVAC units.

But complaints began to mount. Some structures posed clear hazards for pedestrians and passing vehicles, while others complained about the loss of parking spaces. City Hall brought back the red tape.

In late 2021, Council implemented a streetery zone law that many proprietors called unfair and punitive. Officials eventually negotiated a slew of new regulations and forced all restaurants to apply for licenses. Either bring the streeteries up to code, the message went, or take them down.

Restaurateurs balked at the new fees and requirements: a $1,750 license fee, a $1 million insurance policy, and a slew of structural ordinances that guaranteed that many restaurants could never be built to code.

Many small shops dont have the money or resources to endure an application process that has been mired in inefficiencies over the last year, several operators testified on Friday.

Those with the means have had to hire engineers and architects to help with their application. Jason Evans, a bar and restaurant consultant, said getting a single permit involves dozens of email exchanges, hounding multiple departments for documents, and waiting hours for often unnecessary appointments.

Many businesses do not have the resources to not only make appointments to sit at the [Municipal Services] Building for hours to see someone, let alone the tons of emails to find out the appropriate information or the correct department, Evans said Friday.

Business owners have been focused on pandemic recovery, and following the rules, while frustration grows as the process has become more of a hardship than it may be worth, Evans said.

 READ MORE: Philly restaurants reluctantly dismantle their streeteries ahead of City Hall's crackdown.

In written testimony submitted to Council, Ashley Thomas of the Royal Restaurant group, which has eateries in half a dozen neighborhoods, described the new building guidelines as draconian. Under the new code, lighting and heating elements are prohibited. Restaurants also must get approval from the citys Art Commission in addition to the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Im not building a building, Thomas wrote. Its an open-air, 6-foot, three-sided streetery with crash barriers. The fact that we cant have lights or heat is bananas. There have been propane heaters and strings of Christmas lights on the sidewalks of Philadelphia for decades.

Only 50 restaurants had applied for licenses when enforcement began in January 2023, as some proprietors preemptively gave up and tore down their streeteries ahead of the crackdown. Since that time, the Streets Department has received 118 applications and approved 39. But only a third of those have received licenses from L&I.

One of the first to apply was Nate Ross, owner of New Wave Cafe. Outdoor dining saved his 40-year-old Queen Village landmark during the pandemic.

Ross told Council he did everything by the book  hired an architect, submitted the paperwork, met the specs. More than a year later, hes stuck in limbo with his application and still doesnt have a streetery license.

If a seasoned small-business owner like himself cant succeed, he asked, what does that say about the system?

All you need to know about how flawed and difficult the process has been is that someone like me with all of my veteran experience still has not been able to get to the finish line, he said.

Mike Carroll, deputy managing director for Transportation and Infrastructure, said businesses can more easily apply for permission to set up tables and chairs in the parking lane that are blocked off by barriers. Unlike building a full streetery structure, that practice doesnt require a city license or permission from the Art Commission.

Put some tables out, put some chairs there, accommodate people in wheelchairs, and then when youre done, get it out of the street, he said. That is infinitely simpler than trying to figure out how to fit a square peg into all these round holes.
What do Dave McCormick, Vivek Ramaswamy, books, and bongs have in common?

Besides all being what Clout would like to see at a party, those people and discussion topics can be found on the agenda for this weekends Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, the states own version of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a.k.a. CPAC.

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Today and tomorrow at a hotel in Camp Hill, conservatives will gather to schmooze at networking events with titles like Freedom Breakfast and learn at panels called things like Books, Bongs, and Abortion: Protecting Children from the Lefts Agenda in PA.

There are some big names in the state GOP on the schedule, include U.S. Reps. Scott Perry and Dan Meuser, treasurer Stacy Garrity, and attorney general contenders Dave Sunday and Craig Williams. McCormick, the presumed GOP nominee for Senate, is the most high-profile candidate scheduled to attend and will speak this afternoon.

Much of the rest of lineup comes from the decidedly MAGA wing of the party, and the agenda features a number of speakers who are big in the election denial movement, including Heather Honey, an activist whose erroneous work has been cited by national figures, including former President Donald Trump.

In fact, McCormick speaks right before Dinesh DSouza, the right-wing provocateur who peddled a documentary and book filled with 2020 election disinformation. He alleged a conspiracy of ballot trafficking and wrongly claimed groups were stuffing vote-by-mail drop boxes with fake ballots.

Also scheduled to attend is Ramaswamy, the erstwhile presidential candidate who has called for single day voting, meaning no more early voting or mail ballots.

McCormicks view is ... not that. The Senate candidate has said hes supportive of a large effort to encourage mail voting in battleground states, and Politico recently reported that McCormick said on a call with other campaigns that Trump is gonna have to come out in support of mail voting more forcefully.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.
Trump Organization Attorney Michael van Der Veen, right, arrives to the courtroom in New York with Bill Brennan, left, also a former Trump lawyer. They two hosted a fundraiser last week for Northeast Philly Democrat Sean Dougherty. Read more

They say money cant buy happiness. But in Philly politics, it can at least buy friends.

Clout is thinking Democratic candidate for state representative Sean Dougherty at least has some new pals.

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After kicking off his campaign last month to replace incumbent Democratic State Rep. Kevin Boyle, Dougherty  son of State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, nephew of labor leader John Johnny Doc Dougherty  had his first big fundraiser Thursday night in Center City.

It was hosted by a cast of prominent Philadelphia lawyers (and Democratic donors) like Jim Beasley, Brian J. McMonagle, and Fortunato Perri Jr., the latter of whom represented one of Johnny Docs closest allies.

But two other lawyers on the list especially piqued Clouts interest.

The list of hosts also included criminal defense attorneys Bill Brennan and Michael van der Veen, who are both registered Republicans and who represented former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. They also represented the Trump Organization in the New York criminal case.

Brennan told Clout he couldnt recall his voter registration status and noted that he previously ran for office in Philly as a Democrat. He said party doesnt matter in his support for the young Dougherty, who he said has impressed him in the courtroom in his past position as an assistant public defender.

At this point, I just want to see the right people in the right positions, Brennan said. Whether [Dougherty] was an R, a D, or an I, I would still support him.

Seany Doc will need all the support he can get. Hes running in the April 23 primary to represent a Far Northeast district thats especially important for Democrats to hold onto if they want to maintain control of the state House.

Doughertys campaign defended the Republican donors as longtime personal and professional friends.

As a lifelong Democrat and resident of this district, he is singularly focused on making public safety and creating good union jobs a top priority, Doughertys campaign manager Donaldo Elias said. Hell work with anyone, regardless of their party registration, to finally get results for local families.

But this isnt the first time a Dougherty has been connected to Trump world. In 2019, Johnny Doc  under indictment at the time  visited Trumps White House to meet with economic advisers.

Bipartisanship is alive and well.

Welcome to PAs version of CPAC

What do David McCormick, Vivek Ramaswamy, books, and bongs have in common?

Besides all being what Clout would like to see at a party, those people and discussion topics can be found on the agenda for this weekends Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, the states own version of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a.k.a. CPAC.

At a hotel in Camp Hill, conservatives gathered Friday and Saturday to schmooze at networking events with titles like Freedom Breakfast and learn at panels called things like Books, Bongs, and Abortion: Protecting Children from the Lefts Agenda in PA.

There were some big names in the state GOP on the schedule, include U.S. Reps. Scott Perry and Dan Meuser, treasurer Stacy Garrity, and attorney general contenders Dave Sunday and Craig Williams. McCormick, the presumed GOP nominee for Senate, was the most high-profile candidate scheduled to attend.

The rest of lineup comes mostly from the decidedly MAGA wing of the party, and the agenda featured a number of speakers big in the election denial movement, including Heather Honey, an activist whose erroneous work has been cited by national figures, including Trump.

In fact, McCormick spoke right before Dinesh DSouza, the right-wing provocateur who peddled a documentary and book filled with 2020 election disinformation. He alleged a conspiracy of ballot trafficking and wrongly claimed groups were stuffing vote-by-mail drop boxes with fake ballots.

Also in attendance, Ramaswamy, the erstwhile presidential candidate who has called for single day voting, meaning no more early voting or mail ballots.

McCormicks view is ... not that. The Senate candidate has said hes supportive of a large effort to encourage mail voting in battleground states, and Politico recently reported that McCormick said on a call with other campaigns that Trump is gonna have to come out in support of mail voting more forcefully.

Dave McCormick chows down in South Philly

Something McCormick and Trump do agree on? Cheesesteak Vegas is where they get their nosh on.

McCormick took the popular campaign pilgrimage to the neon lights at Genos Steaks on Wednesday and beneath an awning  shielding him from a chilly rain  ordered a cheesesteak.

There were a few pitfalls. McCormicks huge campaign bus struggled to navigate the narrow streets, so McCormick, former Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, and National Republican Senate Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R., Mont.) had to hop off and walk a few blocks in the rain.

Joe Biden screwed up the weather, McCormick said to a crowd of supporters and reporters awaiting his visit.

After accidentally ordering at the fries-only window, McCormick ordered four sandwiches wiz wit, for him and his entourage, avoiding the fate of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who is immortalized for asking for Swiss cheese in 2003.

Post-chow down, McCormick put on an apron to grill some steak. Toomey, who retired from the Senate last year, said hes also retired from flipping steaks.

McCormick has faced persistent attacks for living part-time in Connecticut and he got a few outsider accusations for the cheesy photo op, with some noting on social media that its mainly tourists who traverse the popular stretch of Passyunk Avenue.

But Genos, and rival shop Pats King of Steaks, are a frequent draw for candidates seeking Philly flavor and voter favor. Genos has been a haven for GOP candidates. The shop for 10 years displayed a sign that said This is AMERICA. When ordering, speak English. It was quietly removed in 2016.

Former Senate candidate Mehmet Oz broke Liscios bread at Genos last year, though his visit to Pats did not go as well. Trump visited in 2016 and then returned to the block last year for a surprise visit to Pats.

Pats has more often been the choice of Democrats. Biden ordered a wiz widdout there as vice president in 2010. Sen. Bob Casey, the Democrat whom McCormick is challenging, said he had his first-ever cheesesteak at Pats sometime in the 90s. Asked for his favorite place to get a cheesesteak, Casey said Pats until an aide noted it was a pretty touristy response.

Dalessandros is also very good, Casey said.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.
Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Lehigh County on April 13, the same day as a fundraiser in Bucks County. It will be his third visit to Pennsylvania this year. Read more

Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Schnecksville in Lehigh County on Saturday, April 13, the same day as his Bucks County fundraiser and 10 days before the Pennsylvania primary.

The rally will take place at the Schnecksville Fire Hall at 4550 Old Packhouse Road. The doors will open at 3 p.m. and Trump will deliver remarks four hours later, at 7 p.m.

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Trump will be at a fundraiser in Newtown, Bucks County  the Philadelphia regions only truly purple collar county  on the same day.

It will be Trumps third visit to the battleground state this year. In February, Trump repeated his false claim that he won Pennsylvania in the 2020 election at a National Rifle Association gathering in Harrisburg, and launched his sneaker brand in Philadelphia.

The Bucks County fundraiser will be hosted by several longtime GOP donors, including Jim Worthington, a health club owner who defied COVID closures in 2020. Tickets for the event start at $2,500 per person and go up to $250,000 for a host couple, according to the invitation.

Lehigh County, where the rally will take place, will play an important role in the race between Trump and President Joe Biden.

In 2020, Biden won Lehigh County by less than 8 percentage points. Biden visited the county earlier this year to promote a message of an economic comeback, as he looks to hold onto it in November.

Both politicians have tried to reach Latino voters in the region.

 READ MORE: A billionaire-backed conservative Latino outreach push comes to Pa. days after Democrats launched their own

The visit to Pennsylvania will take Trump into two of the most competitive congressional districts in the state.

U.S. Rep Susan Wild, a Democrat who represents the Lehigh Valley, won by just under 2 percentage points in the 2022 midterms, and Republicans are eying her seat. Bucks County is represented by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican who has yet to say whether hell back the former president in November.
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D., N.J.) speaks to delegates in Paramus, N.J. on March 4. Read more

A landmark court ruling that upended New Jerseys political landscape last week by requiring an overhaul of the states uniquely designed ballots is likely to stand  at least for this years primary  as counties challenging the decision said Thursday theyve run out of time to make changes even if they win on appeal.

Elections officials in all but two of the counties who had contested U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishis March 29 ruling barring use of the county line  in which party-backed candidates receive prominent placement at the top of primary ballots  had dropped their appeals by Thursday afternoon.

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Their decisions followed a late Wednesday order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit refusing to stay Quraishis ruling and instead laying out a schedule that would resolve the counties appeal by later this month at the earliest.

The problem, elections officials say, is that that timeline effectively forces them to comply with Quraishis instructions to redesign their ballots for this year as theyre facing a Friday deadline to submit New Jerseys June primary ballots for printing.

Theyd previously argued that the judges order  issued three weeks before an April 20 deadline for mail ballots to be sent out to primary voters  gave them too little time to comply.

The eleventh-hour change would wreak havoc and [is] logistically infeasible, their lawyers wrote in filings before the Third Circuit earlier this week.

 READ MORE: What you need to know about the federal court ruling against the county line in N.J. elections

Still, the legal fight over the county line is expected to continue.

For roughly 70 years, New Jersey has been the only state in the country that allows county parties to bracket endorsed candidates together in prime ballot positions and relegate others to what insiders refer to as ballot Siberia.

Other states group them by the offices they are seeking. And critics say New Jerseys unique system protects incumbents from primary challenges and grants an insurmountable edge to candidates favored by party bosses.

Studies have shown that such favorable ballot placement can make as much as a 40% difference in the outcome of the vote.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, running in the Democratic primary race to replace U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, sued in February seeking to abolish the county line, calling it a tool of the states entrenched and broken machine-style politics.

Its defenders  including the Democratic Committee in Camden County, which has been held up as a prime example of successfully using ballot design to diminish the prospects of challengers  say it helps voters clearly identify the candidates a party supports and prevents fringe candidates from taking over the nomination process.

In his decision Friday, Quraishi granted a preliminary injunction barring use of the county line on ballots for the June primary while he continues to weigh whether to order it permanently abolished.

(The judge later clarified that his preliminary order applies only to this springs Democratic primary. Republican primary ballots can continue to feature the county line this year.)

Still, the states county clerks appealed seeking to overturn the decision, arguing either in favor of the line or maintaining that they didnt have time for the complete overhaul Quraishi had ordered.

The Third Circuit is set to hear oral arguments April 12 from the nine county clerks who remained in the case as of Thursday afternoon as well as from other interested parties.

But ironically, Kim  who had stood to potentially benefit from a ruling like Quraishis when he first filed suit earlier this year  may now find himself on the wrong end of the decision.

At the time he sued, Kim was locked in a heated primary fight for Menendezs Senate seat with Tammy Murphy, wife of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and an early front-runner in the race. Tammy Murphy dropped out last month, leaving Kim to collect county line endorsements from most New Jersey counties.

Without it, his remaining competitors in the race, including community organizer Larry Hamm and labor activist Patricia Campos-Medina, hope more neutral ballot design can boost their odds.

Both are considered to be longshot candidates. But Quraishis ruling could have a more significant effect on down-ballot races  including one pitting Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla against Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, the son of the senator, to represent New Jerseys 8th Congressional District, which includes parts of Newark and Jersey City.

Campos-Medina and Bhalla were among a group of candidates who urged the Third Circuit earlier this week to leave Quraishis decision in place.

Denying a stay in this case means that New Jersey for the first time in more than half a century, finally has the same opportunity that every other state in our nation enjoys in every election, their attorney, Scott Salmon, wrote in court filings. A free and fair election decided by voters casting ballots, not one predetermined by party bosses.

Kim, meanwhile, has said he intends to keep fighting to abolish the county line for good, no matter how it might affect his electoral odds.

His attorneys said Wednesday that the Third Circuits decision not to immediately stay the order brings us one step closer to ensuring constitutional, fair primaries without the county line.
The April 4 version of the West Montgomery Times, designated by experts as a pink slime site. Read more

At first glance, it seems that State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick is the most indispensable person in Montgomery County.

Thats because theres nearly an entire newspaper dedicated to the Republican, who represents parts of Montgomery and Berks Counties.

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To explain: The April 3 online edition of the West Montgomery Times presents 18 stories on its home page.

Fourteen of them  essentially one-sided news releases, many of them repeated  focus exclusively on the accomplishments of Pennycuick. The stories are accompanied by 11 headshots of the senator, all of them the same. Then, if you click on the Local Government page, youll find 25 stories about Pennycuick, many of the same as the home page, all with the identical photo. A Pennycuick spokesperson said the office was unaware of the site.

The West Montgomery Times Local Government page, by the way, also includes 35 stories that contain lists of county inmates and their ages. Twenty of the stories, each with a different date, begin with the same sentence: Black is the most common ethnicity among inmates in Montgomery County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

All of it, experts say, is so much pink slime.

How can you spot a pink slime website?

The West Montgomery Times, which is made to look like the online edition of a newspaper, is a so-called pink slime news site, one of an estimated 65 in Pennsylvania, according to experts.

These publications distort news and spew misinformation, much of it computer-generated, experts say. The goal is to muddy the waters of journalism and discourse so a consensus of thought is not achievable, according to a comprehensive 2020 report, Pink Slime: Partisan Journalism and the Future of Local News, written by the the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism.

The confusion fosters an environment of polarization that spawns culture wars, the report continued.

Whats the origin of pink slime journalism? Why is it called that?

Pink slime refers to unlabeled bits of cartilage and other chemically treated scrap meat going into some U.S. ground beef, according to Reuters.

Its come to mean unreliable information sites masquerading as local news often containing algorithmically generated content. There are few if no reporters and no transparency of ownership. Most are run by dark money organizations that support conservative causes, experts say. Their purpose is to fill vacancies created by continually folding local newspapers.

The market is ripe for misinformation to flourish, said Matt Jordan, director of the Penn State University News Literacy Initiative. Jordan said people can avoid pink slime sites by getting their news from genuine sites, which have reporter bylines, a masthead of editors, and an About section that lists the publisher and where theyre located.

If you dont know whos behind what youre reading, Jordan concluded, youre being boondoggled.

Who is behind pink slime journalism?

Since the 2010s, increasing numbers of people have been investing in online content across the United States that looks like local journalism but primarily functions as political advertising, according to the Tow report.

One of the largest purveyors of pink slime news in the United States is Metric Media, which, according to Tow, owns most such sites  an estimated 1,200  including the West Montgomery Times. The company has ties to conservative groups and donors, the Tow report asserted.

Metric Media did not respond to requests for comment. A statement by the company, written in the Happy Valley Times  a sister site of the West Montgomery Times  described by experts as a pink slime site, read, Our approach is to provide objective, data-driven information without political bias.

Often, pink slime news outlets wont overtly state a political view, Jordan said. They just dont tell you bad news about the sides theyre promoting, he added: Sins of omission.

Experts said they hadnt run across left-leaning pink slime sites.

They added that its not clear whether the sites, which are not behind paywalls, make money. Where they succeed is in placing conservative ideas in social media, academics say.

Its hard to know how its playing.

There are no compelling studies measuring the influence of pink slime sites, noted Anthony Nadler, professor of media and communication at Ursinus College.

Still, the Tow report offered a clue: A 35-year-old Philadelphia man identified as Peter was asked by researchers to read the Pennsylvania Record, a site identified as slime that Tow learned is owned by an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a Republican-leaning lobbying group.

I dont appreciate that not being on the website, Peter said. Its suspicious, and it makes more sense why the articles are written the way they are.

While pink slime may not be reaching everyone, its still polluting the local information space, said Andrea Wenzel, a professor and expert in local journalism at Temple University. Its damaging.

What is the history of pink slime journalism?

One of the first slimers was Ben Franklin, a Founding Forger, according to a February report in the Columbia Journalism Review.

In a fake 1782 newspaper, Franklin stimulated anger against the British, falsely writing that Native American tribes had allied with the enemy by scalping women and children.

What is the difference between pink slime and partisanship?

So-called partisan news sites have also been springing up in news deserts. Most are conservative, but Courier Newsroom owns a handful of liberal partisan sites.

Couriers representatives say the distinction between its sites and pink slime is that they employ real reporters, and openly declare their bias and mission.

We cover reproductive rights, the implementation of President Bidens science and infrastructure bills, said Sean Kitchen, 34, the Harrisburg-based political correspondent for the Keystone, owned by Courier.

Were progressive, pro-democracy. Those are our core values.

Unlike legacy newspapers that strive for objectivity, values-driven publications are the future of journalism, said Danielle Strasburger, a Courier spokesperson.

Partisan, not pink slime.
Philadelphia Councilmember Mike Driscoll wants to encourage new housing along the Market-Frankford Line in his district, but he also wants developers to provide affordable housing to blunt the threat of displacement.

To that end, Driscoll introduced a package of legislation Thursday that would offer an array of incentives to developers who want to build near public transit stations  with some provisions specifically targeting the Allegheny, Tioga, and Erie-Torresdale stops on the elevated train line.

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He also expanded the controversial Mixed Income Neighborhoods (MIN) law, which requires that new developments of more than 10 housing units devote a fifth of their homes to below-market-rate homes. The overlay already covers the other side of the train line in Councilmember Quetcy Lozadas district.

Driscoll, who joined Council in 2022, said that he already fields queries from developers about projects along the El in his district, despite the fact that the area is currently the locus of the citys opioid crisis. But he anticipates that Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers forthcoming comprehensive proposal to address Kensingtons deep-seated issues will heighten developer interest.

We just think its perfect timing because the mayor is going to come up with a plan for Kensington, Driscoll said. Simultaneous with that, if we can get this enacted, we got a lot of momentum. Were going to get a lot of developers coming down and thinking this is the new Northern Liberties or the new Fishtown.

Driscolls package includes a bill that would scrap some old exclusive industrial zoning and some residential areas along Kensington Avenue in his district.

Another bill would broaden the definitions in the citys existing transit improvement bonus and potentially allow developers to build taller and more densely close to the subway or elevated train stations.

The transit improvement bonus bill also further reduces the amount of parking that developers will need to build near transit, and if they are required to include affordable housing under the MIN law, they would not have to build any parking.

We recognize that sometimes you have to give incentives for development, particularly if youre going to have affordable housing as a component, Driscoll said.

The Building Industry Association (BIA), an influential residential developers interest group, said the new incentives arent enough to counterbalance the burdens brought by the Mixed Income Neighborhoods law.

The real estate industry has long argued that the law would stymie development in the areas where it is applied, with critics noting that little new housing has been permitted in the parts of Kensington or West Philadelphia that it covers.

Councilmans Driscoll expansion of MIN  is a great effort and signals the understanding that the cost of MIN must be met with the mechanisms to offset that cost, said Mohamed Mo Rushdy, the president of the BIA. Yet as it currently stands, the bills wont result in the [intended] outcomes.

Rushdy said that the BIA appreciates Driscolls effort to lower costs by reducing costly parking requirements and allowing more height, and that they are in conversation with the Council members office to refine the legislative package.

We look forward to working with his office to get an outcome that actually works in the marketplace and can produce scale, said Rushdy, whose company the Riverwards Group has developed several large residential complexes in Kensington.

Driscoll said that he asked Lozada to expand the incentives hes introducing to the MIN-covered areas in her district, directly across Kensington Avenue. She is still reviewing the proposal.

We asked her to join us on the legislation, and she wasnt quite ready yet, Driscoll said. But were anxious to get things moving.
We could put it on the client training platform, we could open it up to all the Steadfast brokers exclusively, or we could put it into the open market as well, said Kelly. It really is an incredibly exciting time for the potentiality of developing that business far, far beyond what it is today, said Kelly.
icare invites families and friends who have lost a loved one to attend the service, icare said. You may wish to place a photo or message on the Memorial Lines sculpture. A light lunch will be held immediately after the service at a nearby venue.
Consistent with our focus of creating strong, resilient, and inclusive communities, the QBE Foundation is proud to partner with Australian Red Cross Humanitech and Leading Cities to address the humanitarian impacts of climate change. By leveraging our collective expertise, resources, and networks, we have an opportunity to drive meaningful change at scale in the face of climate challenges, she said.
He was a man of the utmost integrity and we are honored to have witnessed his exemplary character in action. He will be remembered for his warm personality and his ability to lighten up any room, the statement said in conclusion. Our deepest sympathies go out to Ians family and friends, and may his memory be a source of comfort to all who were fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him. Rest in peace, Ian. You will be dearly missed.
While this is now a small subsection of the industries we support, we firmly believe a diversified portfolio is strengthened by adding engineered risk solutions to underpin our overall surety portfolio and that we have the strongest potential platform for its growth. We are optimistic.
However, the surety bond provided by Knight Specialty is missing information generally included in such bonds, according to a report by CBS News. Among the missing information is a financial statement from Knight SPecialty, a certificate of qualification from the New York Department of Financial Services, and information related to power of attorney for the bond provider.
Unlike traditional insurance, which typically requires assessment of loss after an event, Mayer noted that parametric insurance operates on a predetermined if-then trigger mechanism, offering rapid, transparent payouts based on specific parameters like temperature thresholds or humidity levels. This model not only simplifies underwriting but also ensures quick financial relief, enabling businesses to rebound and maintain continuity in the aftermath of extreme heat events.
For instance, if you [work with] Walmart right now, you have to have a carbon footprint analysis on...the product you sell into them, said Denbo, whose family once owned a waste-management business. And I think thats where most brokers fail to understand. When it shows in a contract that Walmart deems that you need to buy environmental insurance, is that site specific? Is that off-site? Is that contractors pollution liability?
In the moments before the cargo ship Dali rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and sent it crumbling into the water, a flurry of urgent warnings crackled over radios and enabled police to block traffic from getting on the span, likely saving lives.

But those warnings seemingly didnt reach the six construction workers who were killed in last weeks collapse of the Baltimore bridge. Their deaths have raised questions about whether the construction company took proper precautions, including keeping a safety boat nearby that might have been able to warn them at least a few seconds before impact.

Federal regulations require construction companies to keep such boats, commonly known as skiffs, on hand whenever crews are working over waterways, safety experts told The Associated Press. There is no indication that the construction company, Brawner Builders, had a rescue boat on the water or ready to be launched as the bridge fell.

If youre working over a bridge like that, the standard interpretation doesnt give you an option, said Janine McCartney, a safety engineer for HHC Safety Engineering Services Inc. The skiff is required, period.

Coast Guard representatives and other officials said they were unaware of any Brawner boat in the water at the time of the March 26 collapse. And satellite images from around the time of the collapse appeared to show no skiff in the river near the bridge.

Even if the workers had been warned that the giant ship was about to hit, its unclear if they would have had enough time to scramble to safety.

Recordings

The archived recordings of the bridges maintenance radio channel from early that morning include only one minor exchange between two maintenance workers about the approaching ship, though its unclear if either was on or near the span at the time. In the exchange, a man with a muffled voice seemed to ask what was going on, and the other replied, Theyre just holding traffic because a ship lost its steering, thats all. The bridge collapsed less than 30 seconds later.

But if a safety boat were present, experts said, it might have been able to use a marine radio and required walkie-talkies to warn the construction workers about the Dalis distress calls, possibly giving them a chance to act. Authorities say a construction inspector was able to run to a section of the bridge that didnt collapse, though its unknown what warning, if any, he received.

A Brawner representative declined to comment for this story, saying the company is focused on taking care of the families of the workers, who were filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed. Brawner has used safety skiffs for work on bridges in the past, according to a deposition of a company executive that was part of a 2011 lawsuit.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations say construction companies performing work over waterways must have at least one safety boat available. OSHA officials have said in rule interpretations over the years that the required boat can ensure prompt rescue of employees that fall into the water, regardless of other precautions taken to prevent this from occurring.

An OSHA spokesperson didnt respond to repeated requests for clarification on that regulation.

Skiff Requirement

Some states have rules clarifying that the boats arent required under certain conditions, such as when the work being done is contained within the guardrails of a bridge. But Maryland isnt among them and does require that a safety skiff be present when workers are over or near water. A spokesperson for the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, which oversees compliance with federal labor regulations, declined to comment on the Key Bridge collapse or Brawners safety record, citing the open investigation into the tragedy.

Dennis OBryan, a maritime lawyer, said he believes the skiff requirement remains in effect even when there is little risk of drowning unless the company secures an exemption from the state.

If there was a skiff there, it would have heard the mayday call and radioed the workers to get off the bridge, OBryan said. There needs to be an investigation into whether the skiff was there and, if not, why it wasnt.

OBryan isnt representing any of the families of the workers who were on the Key Bridge when it collapsed. But in 2011, he represented a Brawner employee who was injured while operating a safety boat meant to monitor workers on a bridge. The lawsuit accused the company of not properly staffing the boat. It was settled for an undisclosed sum.

The AP requested a copy of the safety plan that Brawner submitted for the Key Bridge project, which was among more than 25 contracts worth a total of over $120 million that the state awarded the company in the past five years. The request was still being processed as of Tuesday.

Brawner has been cited three times for seven safety violations since 2018, including four citations for failing to provide proper fall protections, OSHAs online enforcement records show. The company was fined close to $11,000 in informal OSHA settlements.

Enforcement Question

Several project foremen interviewed by the AP said that despite OSHAs strict interpretations, it is not uncommon for construction companies to forgo the use of a safety skiff on jobs that dont pose an imminent risk of drowning, and its unclear when the regulation is enforced. In the past decade, there has been just one violation issued in Maryland during a bridge construction project for failure to provide a life-saving skiff, according to a review of available online OSHA records.

Some construction experts said a boat wouldnt have made a difference because of the steep drop, the little time the crew had to react, and the tons of steel and debris that made it incredibly difficult for even trained rescuers to locate and reach the missing workers bodies.

You can have the most perfect safety plan and safety measures in place, and unless you have time to implement them, then who knows, said Julio Palomo, president of Laborers International Union of North America Local 11, which represents Maryland and other parts of the Washington, D.C., area. Would it just have put more people in danger having that boat in the water? We just dont know.

Others, though, said a safety boat might have had a better chance to issue a warning over a direct radio line to the crew, something companies could consider when writing future safety plans in light of the Key Bridge collapse.

Ryan Papariello, a safety and health specialist with the Laborers Health and Safety Fund of North America, said that in safety plans for work on bridges, companies should think about including flotation devices and clear communication with the Coast Guard or anyone thats patrolling the water. He also said future plans might include the use of specific loud noises that signal workers to evacuate.

Obviously this wasnt a foreseeable incident, Papariello said. A lot of the contractors that we see  and Im not blaming the contractor  they just dont have a valid rescue plan in place.

Associated Press reporters Rebecca Boone and Mike Catalini contributed.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Maryland Construction
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the New Jersey-New York area this morning at about 10:23 am, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquakes epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. People reported feeling the shaking in Manhattan, Philadelphia and Boston.

No injuries or damages have been reported.

The governors in the affected states said they are assessing the situation.

In January, USGS reported on a 1.7 earthquake near Astoria, Queens.

In February, a USGS report said that nearly 75% of the U.S. could experience damaging earthquake shaking. A new model showed the possibility of more damaging earthquakes along the central and northeastern Atlantic Coastal corridor, including Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

The same report noted that 37 states have experienced earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5 during the last 200 years.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters New York New Jersey Earthquake
Subsidized insurance would attract investors to help rebuild Ukraines war-battered economy, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Reconstruction could start very quickly, EBRD Chief Economist Beata Javorcik told Bloomberg Television on Friday. I was in Berlin a week ago and German companies are very interested, they stand ready to invest provided some kind of insurance will be provided.

Speaking from the European House-Ambrosetti meeting in Cernobbio, Italy, Javorcik said this form of insurance could come from governments or international bodies. Conversations are going on on how to start such a system, she added.

More than two years into the invasion, Russias assault on Ukraine has created a mounting death toll as well as destroyed housing and energy infrastructure. It may cost more than $1 trillion in private and public money to rebuild the country, the European Investment Bank estimates.

Poland and Ukraines other neighbors are well positioned to act as logistical hubs when reconstruction gets off the ground, according to Javorcik. Companies from Europe as well as from the US would be very interested in investing in Ukraine once the situation allows that, she said.

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
Donald Trump must prove within 10 days that the company providing his $175 million appeal bond in New Yorks civil fraud case is financially capable of paying up if his legal challenges fail, the state told a judge.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who won a $454 million judgment against Trump over his asset valuations, made the demand Thursday in a notice with the court. The bond puts the fine on hold while the former president appeals the verdict, a process that could take months to resolve.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the November presidential election, arranged the bond on Monday through an obscure insurance company run by one of his billionaire supporters, Don Hankey. But James, a Democrat, said Hankeys Los Angeles-based Knight Specialty Insurance Co. isnt registered with New Yorks Department of Financial Services, so either Trump or Knight needs to prove the firm can pay the fine if Trumps appeal fails.

It shouldnt be a problem to satisfy the states request, Hankey said in a phone call, adding that he hadnt yet seen the court filing.

Trump Got His $175 Million Bond From Billionaire Fans Firm

James wants Knight to demonstrate that the company is financially sound and that the bond is sufficiently backed by identifiable assets. Hankey, a GOP donor, previously said the former president used all cash as collateral after initially offering a mix of cash and investment-grade bonds.

Justice Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the non-jury trial, on Thursday scheduled an April 22 hearing on the bond dispute. Trump is unlikely to attend because that date overlaps with his first criminal trial, which begins April 15 in Manhattan on charges he falsified business records to hide hush-money payments.

The states demand is the latest twist in Trumps effort to arrange the bond, which he initially called unattainable because it was set at 120% of the judgment, or more than half a billion dollars. Trump claimed dozens of insurers refused his real estate as collateral and that he didnt have enough cash. The appeals court slashed the bond without saying why, easing the strain on Trumps finances.

Thats when Hankey, who made his fortune in subprime auto loans, stepped in and offered to help Trump out. Earlier this week, the billionaire said his decision to help Trump was purely a business arrangement and not about politics.

Trump attorney Alina Habba didnt respond to a request for comment on the states demand. Trump has denied wrongdoing in the case and claims its part of a Democratic-led witch hunt against him.

James proved during an 11-week trial that Trump inflated the value of his assets by billions of dollars a year to get better terms on loans, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal profit that he was ordered to return. By posting bond, Trump avoided the prospect of James taking action to cover the fine by seizing the real estate moguls assets.

The niche appeal bond industry was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year after Trump lost two civil trials that led to combined damages of more than half a billion dollars. The court requirement for bonds larger than the actual judgment amount is intended to ensure a trial loser will pay the winner if their appeal fails.

Related:

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics New York
A construction worker was killed and three other people were injured when a crane section fell onto a bridge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, heavily damaging cars that were crossing the bridge Thursday.

The Miami Herald and other news sites reported that the worker was on the crane when it collapsed onto the Southeast Third Avenue drawbridge. One person in a vehicle below was critically injured, and others narrowly missed serious injuries. One driver said on a social media post that the crane landed directly on his Tesla car, and missed him by inches.

The bridge was closed for hours while engineers with the state Department of Transportation checked it for damage, news outlets reported. The crane was being used in the construction of a 43-story Gables Riverwalk apartment building in downtown Fort Lauderdale, The Real Deal news site noted.

The crash came 18 months after another crane collapse in Fort Lauderdale killed one worker and injured another. Nationwide, fatal injuries from crane collapses have declined by half in the past 30 years, but still average about 40 per year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

Crane collapses can end up in litigation between insurers and crane manufacturers. The Florida Supreme Court recently was asked by a federal appeals court to decide on how much insurers can recover from a crane maker under the economic loss rule, stemming from a 2018 crane accident in Tampa. Read more here.

Under Floridas workers compensation law, the deceased workers spouse, if he was married, may be entitled to half of his average weekly wage, up to a total of $150,000, according to a 2022 report by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Thats less than some surrounding states provide.

Photo: The collapse blocked traffic at the Southeast Third Avenue bridge last week. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Topics Florida
WCF Insurance Promotes Co to Chief Operating Officer

WCF Insurance promoted Janice Co to chief operating officer. Co will play a part in the strategic evolution, overseeing day-to-day operations across the organization.

Co joined WCF in 2022 as the senior vice president of small business. Before joining WCF, she was chief strategy officer for Prudentials group insurance and retirement businesses and held executive positions in marketing and strategy for IFG Companies, Tower Group Companies, The Hartford, and other financial services companies. Her background also includes experience at A.T. Kearney and finance and strategy roles at CNA.

Spera Joins Alliant as SVP in Real Estate Specialty

Margot Spera joined Alliant Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, California, as senior vice president, Alliant Specialty, within the companys real estate & hospitality specialty vertical.

Spera has over 16 years of casualty broking experience. Before joining Alliant, she was senior vice president and led the real estate casualty team at a leading insurance brokerage and consulting firm, where she focused on mid-to-large-sized real estate and hospitality portfolios nationwide.

Topics Alliant
Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) operates a digital platform that leverages the company's large network and technology to transport people and goods from one point to another. It provides ride-hailing services through its mobility business, food, grocery, and other delivery services through its delivery business, and freight shipping services through its freight business. Uber's platform works to connect people and businesses needing these services with individuals and businesses that provide them.

Uber operates in the highly competitive mobility and delivery industries globally as well as in the logistics industry in the U.S. and Canada. In the mobility industry, the company faces competition from Lyft Inc. (LYFT) and China-based Didi Global Inc. (DIDI). Uber also competes with companies offering delivery services, including DoorDash Inc. (DASH) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN). Its freight business competes with freight brokers like C.H. Robinson (CHRW) and XPO Logistics Inc. (XPO).

Key Takeaways Uber Technologies matches consumers looking for rides, food delivery, or shipping with people selling those services.

Ubers largest source of revenue and profits is its Mobility business.

Uber announced its inaugural share repurchase program of $7 billion in February 2024.

The company brought on a new CFO in November 2023: Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah

Ubers Financials

Uber announced in February 2024 the financial results for its 2023 fiscal year (FY) for the period ended Dec. 31, 2023. The company posted a net income of $1.89 billion, a significant improvement from the net loss of $9.14 billion reported in 2022. Revenue grew by 16.95% year-over-year (YOY) to $37.28 billion.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), which the company uses as a profitability metric for its business segments, was $4.05 billion; an increase of 136.54% from 2022.

The company's performance improved dramatically due to a variety of factors, including larger and more engaged audiences, significant growth in Latin America and Asia Pacific in regards to mobility.; as well as from overall growth in the delivery segment.

Ubers Business Segments

Uber has three operating and reportable segments: Mobility, comprised of its ride-hailing business; Delivery, its food, grocery, and other small item delivery service; and Freight, its freight shipping business. Uber provides a breakdown of revenue and adjusted EBITDA for each of these three segments.

The company also reports certain costs not attributable to its reportable segments under a "Corporate G&A and Platform R&D" category, which posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $2.35 billion.



Mobility

Ubers Mobility segment connects users with many different transportation vehicles, including ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and more.

The Mobility segment generated revenue of $19.83 billion in 2023, an increase of 41% from the previous year. It accounted for 53.20% of Uber's total revenue for the year. The segment posted adjusted EBITDA of $4.96 billion, an increase of 50% YOY. Given that the Corporate G&A and Platform R&D EBITDA loss was significant, Mobility EBITDA was greater than 100% of the final EBITDA number for all business segments. If Corporate G&A and Platform R&D EBITDA is taken out of the calculation, then Mobility accounted for 76.72% of EBITDA.

Delivery

Uber's Delivery segment provides a platform for consumers to search for food and local commerce, including restaurants, groceries, alcohol, convenience store items, and other select goods.

Revenue for the Delivery segment grew by 12% YOY to $12.20 billion in 2023. The segment accounted for nearly 32.74% of the company's total revenue in the year. It posted adjusted EBITDA of $1.51 billion; an increase of 173% from 2022. As noted above, the Corporate G&A and Platform R&D EBITDA was a large loss, taking away from total segment EBITDA, whereby Mobility EBITDA was more than 100% of total EBITDA. If Corporate G&A and Platform R&D EBITDA is taken out of the calculation, then Delivery accounted for 23.28% of EBITDA

Freight

Uber's Freight segment provides a platform that connects carriers with shippers. It offers carriers upfront and transparent pricing as well as the ability to book a shipment. The segment also includes transportation management and other logistics services.

The Freight segment generated $5.25 billion in revenue in 2023, down 24% from 2022. It accounted for almost 14.07% of companywide revenue. The segment's adjusted EBITDA loss was $64 million. A number for 2022 was not provided.

Uber's Recent Developments

In February 2024, Uber announced its $7 billion share repurchase program. It is making this move after it witnessed a strong rebound in its ride-share services and strong demand for its delivery business. This type of move is seen as confidence in the company and operationally it returns capital back to shareholders.

Uber announced in September 2023 that Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah will join the company as the new chief financial officer (CFO). Mahendra-Rajah joined from Analog Devices, where he was also CFO. He joined the company in November 2023.



Can I Pay Uber With Cash? Yes, you can pay Uber with cash. To do so, in the app, go to the payment options and select cash as the payment option. You can then directly pay your driver in cash.

What Percentage Does Uber Take? The percentage of sales that Uber takes from its drivers varies on different factors as well as location. It is estimated that Uber's global take is about 29%.

Who Is Uber's Biggest Competitor? Uber has many competitors in its different businesses, including Lyft, Via, Bolt, DoorDash, Deliveroo, and Amazon.

The Bottom Line

Uber hailed in the ride-sharing business when it launched, transforming the taxi industry and how people get around. It also inspired many similar types of businesses. The company has expanded its offering since its early days, providing more than just mobility services. Its Delivery and Freight businesses also bring in significant amounts of revenue.
Protestors who have been picketing outside the Cork branch of a multinational aerospace firm said they will continue to do so after six months of repeated demonstrations.

Protestors gathered outside the offices of Collins Aerospace in Penrose Wharf this week to voice concerns about the firm, which is owned by the worlds largest defence and aerospace conglomerate.

The group has claimed that Collins Aerospace and its parent company have developed weapons used to harm civilians in Gaza.

Established in Cork in 2010, Collins Aerospace is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon Technologies.

Employing around 100 people, its Cork office is one of three in Ireland, with sites in Shannon and Kilkeel in Newry bringing its total Irish employee headcount to around 1,000.

The company serves several industries including commercial aviation, helicopters, space and military & defence. Its Cork branch acts as a research and development hub and according to Collins, it is a key contributor to its applied research and technology capability.

Collins parent company, RTX has provided various defence systems to Israel, including missile defence. It has also partnered with Israeli firms to develop weapons systems which the company says are used to protect the citizens and infrastructure of Israel.

Speaking this week outside the Collins offices in Cork city, President of the Workers Party, Cllr Ted Tynan raised several concerns regarding the branch and called on the Government to investigate the firm, adding that they should make public the precise nature of the products, systems and components designed and manufactured by Collins Aerospace in Cork.

This company is directly linked to the arms industry. Some of that equipment is finding its way to Israel and is being used in Gaza and occupied Palestine, said Mr Tynan.

While some of the companys overall operations may involve purely civilian design and manufacture, the presence of a company which is part of an international operation involved in the arms industry demands that questions should be answered.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, a spokesperson for Collins Aerospace declined to comment on the connection between RTX and it subsidiary Ratheon and the war in Gaza. However, the spokesperson said the Cork office operations are not directly or indirectly being used in the war.

The spokesperson said it could not comment on the firms clients or the clients of its parent company.

We respect the demonstrators right to protest, said the spokesperson. We also respect that they do not appreciate what we are doing here.
A few years ago, John Connell experienced burnout. With three bestselling books under his belt, he tried to start several projects: A film; a documentary, and a fourth book, but nothing was working. And then, one day, when he was out on the family farm, taking it easy, inspiration descended.

I had this idea about sheep, he says on Zoom from Co Longford, where he lives with his wife and young son. I thought it would be nice to get some sheep, and then, I thought, Id be able to write about that. It all came together.

Shortly afterwards, Connell walked the Camino. Looking for answers, he wondered if, instead, he should return to college to study divinity, something he had long thought about. On the walk, there were metaphorical signs indicating what he should do.

I started seeing sheep in the first couple of days and kept seeing them, he says. And as I was walking into Compostela, I saw a whole field of lambs. I thought, if I need a lighthouse signal, this is it.

In Twelve Sheep, Connell tells us how he bought 12 sheep from his parents, and, surveying them in the shed, contemplated the work the next year would bring. He writes of that year, as he reflects on his life, and what it all means.

The project changed me, Connell says. It motivated me, and the burnout, or soul tiredness, jut lifted. I had a new purpose in life.

A gorgeous read

Divided into 12 essays  or life lessons  the book is a gorgeous read, personal, philosophical, and profound. I loved it, and adored talking to its author, who radiates wisdom, and a happy calm.

Writing it, though, did not come easily.

I spent more than three years writing and rewriting it, Connell says.

I was a shepherd to the sheep, but, actually, the book is about how to be a shepherd in your own life. You dont need 12 sheep, but you need to find the moment to ground yourself.

Before we spoke, he had been running, and, once home, had meditated.

I run 10k a day, he says. I try and make each day count and always make time for myself.

He has had to learn patience. He powered through the first draft and thought the book was done, but his editor said he had to work on it again. That was hard.

I wrote The Cow Book in about eight weeks. It poured out. And the others took a summer or a year.

I realised I hadnt been as patient as I should have been with my writing life, Connell says, recalling a meeting with the writer Colin Barrett. I remember him saying to me, Editing is where the writing comes alive, and I thought, Wow! You are so wise.

This time, I sat with the work. I knew there was something special there, but I had to learn to trust the process. To say, OK, we have something, but its not polished yet. It changed the way I write. I was in a race, really, from 2009 to now to keep publishing books. And I finally learned that there is no rush: The race is with yourself.

Connells busy and varied career started at Dublin City University, where he studied journalism. From there, he went to UTS in Melbourne, Australia, on a student exchange for six months. There was a health and human-rights crisis at the time: The intervention. The government was going into deepest Australia to take over the indigenous communities.

The head of the journalism school suggested he make a documentary about it. He lived in the desert for six months, writing a radio documentary that went on to win the highly prestigious Walkley Award for excellence in journalism.

That was it! Six months turned into six years in Australia. I was an investigative journalist for all that time, working, mostly, on human-rights documentaries. It was high stress, but I loved it.

It changed my whole life. I ended up meeting my wife, Vivian. Weve been married for six years. Shes my rock. She has seen the good and the bad. He laughs. There are no surprises.

In the first, homesick few months in Sydney, Connell had written a short story about a calving, and a father and son. It was published in the student magazine and was picked up and republished by Granta.

A reviewer said, Someone should give John Connell a book deal, and I got a call a few weeks later. When we launched The Cow Book in America, we were walking across Times Square to Central Park, and I was holding Vivs hand and I said, Wow! I cant believe we are here.

My name was actually picked out of a hat, to go to Australia, he muses. If that hadnt happened  Its funny how life can be on the head of a pin.

Passionate about human rights

Connell is still passionate about human rights. Before covid he went to America to interview migrant workers.

What he learned of their preventable deaths, their appalling treatment and deprivation, left an indelible mark.

I had dreams about those people after I did that trip, Connell said. I still think about them, and I said to myself, I have to tell their stories. When I came off that trip, I stayed with a friend, Ross. I was really antsy, and he said, Whats wrong with you?

"It was only a month later I realised I was just decompressing all the stuff I had heard: Of people dying and being poisoned or blinded by pesticides.

In the past year, Connells priorities have changed, with the birth of his son, Ted.

He has opened me up to so much. I would have put work first, but now I have Ted, family is first. He has made me realise so many things, one being all that my parents did for me. Its made me see them in a new light, and its made me slow down.

Its also made him hyper-aware about the environment.

In the last three or four years I was on a research trip to document salmon numbers in Asturias, Spain. And the salmon are all pretty much gone. That changed how I saw things and made me appreciate the river I canoed down for my last book, The Stream of Everything, and the lovely brown trout in it. I said to myself, I want to make sure those trout are there when Ted is my age.

"It made me think about the world Ted will inherit. We have a job to make sure it is a good, healthy, safe world.

Since Connell returned to Ireland, hes been through periods of depression, and restlessness. But hes now feeling settled, and loves being part of the rural community. Hes made friends with other creatives, and, along with co-director Ronan OToole, has made Granard into a book town.

The second Granard Booktown Festival takes place on the weekend of April 19. Last year, the Australian palaeontologist and environmentalist Tim Flannery headlined.

When I was a student in Australia, I read Tim Flannerys books, and I thought, Id love to meet him one day. And I remember seeing Tim walk up the main street of Granard to go to the pub, where he was mixing with the locals, having a drink and a chat.

I thought, I cant believe this moment has happened. I read those books in Sydney when I was 21, and now he is here!

Twelve Sheep, by John Connell. Allen and Unwin
US composer and songwriter Charles Fox said artificial intelligence could never duplicate the masters of music because it came from their hearts.

The musician, who wrote 1973 Grammy-winning track Killing Me Softly With His Song, appeared at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles where he was honoured with a star in the recording category  alongside music stars Paul Williams and Diane Warren.

During his career, two-time Oscar nominee Fox composed the music for more than 100 films including Barbarella, Nine To Five and Goodbye Columbus, and the theme songs for TV series including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Wonder Woman.

Diane Warren was among the guests speaking at the ceremony (Ian West/PA)

Artificial intelligence scares the hell out of me, I dont like it at all, Fox told the PA news agency, after the ceremony.

As a trained musician, I could write music to sound like Bach, or Beethoven, or Mozart, or Stravinsky, thats just training, you learn the craft.

But theres never going to be a duplicate of any of those masters because it came originally from them, from their hearts, and then the world moves on.

And so if artificial can produce music that sounds like something else, who cares, who needs it.

Give me someone who has a real heart, who writes what hasnt been done. Thats my feeling.

Fox said he doesnt know where artificial intelligence will go  none of us do.

Paul Williams attended the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony to honour Fox (Felix De Jesus/Alamy)

People ask me, would I go to a concert of only artificial intelligence  I have no interest in that, the 83-year-old said.

During his onstage speech, Fox became unexpectedly emotional as he reminisced on his journey into Hollywood.

He told PA: Ive been coming by here for years looking at these wonderful stars representing peoples life work, what I didnt expect is to look out and see so many people I love and know, my family.

And to think this is here forever, I didnt expect to get that emotional about it.

Fox also gave a shout out to his granddaughter Ava who couldnt make it to the ceremony because she is studying in London as a ballet dancer expecting to go on to a career in ballet.

Fox, who won an Emmy award in 1973 for his work on TV series Love, American Style, said he requested his star be placed next to his late friends Jerry Goldsmith  who composed the score to the Star Trek franchise  and songwriter Hal David, best known for his collaborations with US composer Burt Bacharach.
The use of digital mental health apps in Ireland has surged since the start of the pandemic. When the charity Mental Health Reform surveyed more than 400 young people aged 18-24 in 2020, almost a third were seeking support from mental health and well-being apps.

The trend has been supported promising research findings for apps offering evidence-based therapies and access to human therapists. Last year, a study in the journal Nature confirmed that digitised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), guided by a trained human professional, can yield comparable outcomes to traditional face-to-face CBT therapy. Similarly, an earlier review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) showed that smartphone interventions can lead to significantly greater reductions in anxiety compared to leaving people on waitlists.

The research to date has little to say about the mental health apps that attract the largest number of users. These apps, featuring mood tracking, mindfulness support, and AI chatbots, lack human supporters and can be downloaded directly from iOS or Android app stores. Most of these products are not subject to EU medical device regulation or oversight by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA). They exist in what Dr Camille Nadal sees as the vast digital wild West'.

The majority of direct-to-consumer (DTC) mental health apps dont actually incorporate evidence-based practices for improving mental health, says Nadal, a Trinity College Dublin postdoctoral researcher employed by ADAPT.

Currently, the digital health researcher is investigating the attitudes of psychologists towards incorporating assistive AI within SilverCloud by Amwell, a digitised CBT service. Since partnering with the HSE in 2022, the service has garnered more than 21,344 referrals from Irish-based GPs, primary care psychologists, and Jigsaw.

The RCT evidence base of SilverCloud is a far cry from the world of well-being and mental health apps, which the UK-based Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) estimates to now total almost 3,857 options.

ORCHA, which has been assessing mental health apps for the NHS in Britain since 2015, has evaluated 676 such apps to date. Of these, only about one-third (32%) have satisfied the organisations minimum quality threshold, based on criteria such as clinical effectiveness, data privacy, security, and user experience.

From the consumer perspective, I think the main issue really is transparency, Nadal says.

Many apps make bold promises to improve your emotional state or alleviate anxiety without clearly presenting the proof behind their claims, or if there is any proof at all.

Alongside falling short of their claims, some mental health apps  especially those that lack the guidance of a trained human supporter may cause unintended harm to their users. Some researchers worry that the apps may delay help-seeking among people whose difficulties warrant face-to-face professional support, or even induce feelings of failure in users who do not experience the promised symptom reductions.

Research led by Dr John Torous, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and leading authority on digital mental health, has found that the majority of apps are limited in their capacity to recognise anticipatory signs of suicide and to respond effectively in crisis situations. This is particularly true of AI chatbots which, according to Nadal, might not understand nuances in human language or accurately detect risk.

Last year, a Belgian man who had been suffering from eco-anxiety took his own life following a six-week conversation with the AI-powered chatbot Eliza.

Understanding app privacy policies

Poor evidence base, misleading marketing claims, and AI chatbots that struggle to 'read between the lines' are not the only potential safety concerns.

Unlike medical devices, which must meet EU regulatory requirements and bear a CE mark before being released to market, the majority of DTC mental health apps are marketed without undergoing a conformity test.

These apps are not vetted for data protection and privacy purposes, since GDPR operates on the basis that companies will take on their responsibility to be compliant, says David Murphy, assistant commissioner for the health and voluntary sectors with the Data Protection Commission.

In the absence of a medical professional to process the health data, the company behind a mental health app must obtain consent to process health data by asking for the users agreement to the apps written privacy policy. For this consent to be considered valid under GPDR law, Murphy emphasises that it must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous.

For consent to be informed and specific, the [app user] needs to be told what is happening with their data, what purposes its being used for, and any of the third parties it might be shared with, he says.

Privacy policies should be transparent  whats important is that the information is balanced and presented in such a way that it is understandable. Equally important is offering users the option to withdraw their consent at any time.

Yet, a recent international study investigating data privacy standards found that almost 90% of the Google Play Stores top-ranked mental health apps had privacy policies that required at least a college-level education to understand.

Breaches of consumer health data

Beyond privacy policies, more concerning breaches of consumer health data have come to light. Last year, BetterHelp, one of the largest providers of online counselling, was fined $7.8m by the US Federal Trade Commission for sharing its users health information with Facebook, Snapchat, Criteo and Pinterest for the purpose of advertising. The California-based company did so despite pledging to keep such sensitive data private.

GDPR laws should shield app users in Ireland and the EU from potential privacy violations like those committed by BetterHelp. However, many of the private software companies which sell the apps most popular among Irish consumers are located in the US, where GDPR laws do not apply.

This begs the question: What happens to your data rights when you download a mental health app?

According to Murphy, companies marketing their apps to potential EU users or tracking the online activities of their EU users are bound by the same GDPR laws, regardless of their location in the world. In other words, if you see that the app is being sold in euros or if you encounter a cookies notice while using it, you can assume that the app developer is required to follow GDPR regulations.

With the recent introduction of a global (ISO) standard for digital health apps and the forthcoming EU AI Act, it appears that some of the responsibility for discerning between reliable and unreliable apps will shift from consumers to regulators.

As the apps increase in popularity, we hope to see the bringing together of a range of stakeholders in the sector to work on developing a national approach, says Fiona Coyle, CEO of Mental Health Reform.

This would allow for the HSE, professional bodies, and organisations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to have guidance on which digital apps and services are safe, secure, and clinically effective.

"If apps are being recommended by the HSE, by GPs, by psychiatrists, or other mental health professionals, we would like to see some form of standardised quality assurance or assessment process behind those recommendations."

If you need to talk:

The Samaritans: Freecall 116 123 (available 24/7) or jo@samaritans.ie

Pieta House: Freecall 1800 247 247 (available 24/7), or text HELP to 51444

HSE Your Mental Health Info Line 24/7 on 1800 111 888
Irish gangs are among more than 820 major crime groups posing a security threat to Europe, according to the first ever such dossier of organised crime in the EU.

The EU police agency, Europol, said these gangs represent the most threatening criminal networks in Europe.

The 821 networks involve around 25,000 individuals, from 112 different nationalities. The examination of the EUs top gangs is based on national figures provided by the 27 member states, including Ireland.

It is the first such police map of the dangerous criminal outfits in the EU and provides details on the illegal activities they are involved in, how and where they operate and what makes them pose a heightened threat.

The report, Decoding the EUs Most Threatening Criminal Networks, does not provide a breakdown of gang numbers by member state.

But the Irish Examiner understands that separate official figures suggest that there are at least 15 drug gangs operating at a national level in Ireland, while there are also criminal networks operating in other areas of organised crime, including fraud, money-laundering as well as human- and sex-trafficking.

The bulk of the 15 Irish drug gangs have international connections and many, such as the Kinahan crime cartel, have direct links with cartels in Colombia and Mexico.

The Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service (GNCSIS) provided the figures for Ireland based on analysis by its National Criminal Intelligence Unit using criteria supplied by Europol.

Last month, Europol and the EU drugs agency, EMCDDA, said there was increasing use of EU countries as a transit point for the global shipment of cocaine, with evidence of greater collaboration between Latin American and European criminal networks.

In a statement on the report, Europol said serious organised crime continues to represent a major threat to the internal security of the EU.

It said that to effectively prioritise resources and guide policy action, law enforcement and policymakers need to build a clear understanding of the most threatening criminal networks active in and affecting the EU.

'Criminals thrive in secrecy'

Europols new report identifies the characteristics of the criminal networks that pose the highest threat. This Europe-wide analysis from the perspective of the criminal actors is a first, Europol said.

It describes in depth how the most threatening criminal networks are organised, what criminal activities they engage in, how and where they operate as well as which of their characteristics heighten their threat.

It said the work stemmed from priorities set by the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU.

Speaking at Friday's launch, Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle said: Criminals thrive in secrecy, but we are changing that. This Europol report is the most extensive study on key criminal networks ever undertaken at the European level by law enforcement.

Thanks to the collaboration of all EU Member States and 17 Europol partner countries, we are shining a light on the activities of the most threatening criminal networks in the EU.

This data, now centralised at Europol, will give law enforcement agencies the edge they need to better target and conduct cross-border criminal investigations.

Belgian justice minister Paul Van Tigchelt said combating organised crime "is an absolute priority for the Belgian presidency" adding that the report "is an important new weapon in that fight". The country's home affairs minister Annelies Verlinden said the report reflected a new era in policing and that agencies were turning the tide on organised crime.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said that organised crime "is one of the biggest threats we face today". She said a third of the more than 800 networks have been active for more than 10 years. She said gangs use end-to-end technology, adding: "We need end-to-end police co-operation to fight them."

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders added: The impact of these findings will have significant implications for justice systems across the EU and the rule of law. Judges and prosecutors can only fight organised crime if they are free from intimidation, threats or attempts to influence their professional integrity. We must assure that this is the case.

"As the most threatening criminal networks run borderless criminal operations, co-operation between experts is vital. This is why the commission will be supporting proposals for a new EU judicial network, to be placed at Eurojust, with a focus on organised crime, including high-value targets.

The analysis is based on a unique dataset which was contributed to Europol specifically for this purpose, and complemented with additional information already shared with Europol as the European hub for criminal information.

All EU Member States and 17 of Europols partner countries contributed data to identify the most threatening criminal networks in Europe. This resulted in a unique dataset of 821 of the most threatening criminal networks, with extensive information on all aspects that describe them and help assess their threat.

These criminal networks, whose membership exceeds 25,000 individuals, were selected based on criteria around the threat they pose. These networks are active in a range of crime areas, from drug-trafficking to migrant smuggling, property crime and others, Europol said.

Through a comprehensive analysis of 821 criminal networks, an ABCD framework was developed, shedding light on their fundamental characteristics.

By categorising key aspects of these groups into four distinct dimensions  A for Agile B for Borderless, C for Controlling, and D for Destructive  the ABCD framework offers valuable insights into their modus operandi, structures, and operational patterns.

The most threatening networks are:

Agile: They exhibit agility to adapt their criminal business processes to opportunities and challenges, including those posed by law enforcement. They are able to extensively infiltrate and misuse legal business structures. This helps their criminal businesses thrive, allows them to launder their criminal profits and shield them from detection. 86% of the most threatening criminal networks make use of legal business structures, the vast majority in the EU.

They exhibit agility to adapt their criminal business processes to opportunities and challenges, including those posed by law enforcement. They are able to extensively infiltrate and misuse legal business structures. This helps their criminal businesses thrive, allows them to launder their criminal profits and shield them from detection. 86% of the most threatening criminal networks make use of legal business structures, the vast majority in the EU. Borderless: The most threatening criminal networks run borderless criminal operations. Their activities touch upon many countries in the world, and their composition is very international, with network members from many countries in the EU and the world. A total of 112 nationalities were represented among the members of the 821 most threatening criminal networks, with 68% of the networks composed of members from multiple nationalities. But, looking at the place of their core activities, the vast majority maintain a strong geographical focus and do not extend their core activities too broadly.

The most threatening criminal networks run borderless criminal operations. Their activities touch upon many countries in the world, and their composition is very international, with network members from many countries in the EU and the world. A total of 112 nationalities were represented among the members of the 821 most threatening criminal networks, with 68% of the networks composed of members from multiple nationalities. But, looking at the place of their core activities, the vast majority maintain a strong geographical focus and do not extend their core activities too broadly. Controlling: The most threatening criminal networks exert strong control and focus over their criminal operations. They tend to specialise in one main criminal business; truly polycriminal networks are the exception rather than the norm. The leadership of 82% of the most threatening criminal networks is settled either in the main country of activity, or the country of origin of the key members.

The most threatening criminal networks exert strong control and focus over their criminal operations. They tend to specialise in one main criminal business; truly polycriminal networks are the exception rather than the norm. The leadership of 82% of the most threatening criminal networks is settled either in the main country of activity, or the country of origin of the key members. Destructive: The criminal activities and corruptive practices of the most threatening criminal networks are inflicting significant damage to the EUs internal security, rule of law and economy. Half of the most threatening criminal networks are involved in drug-trafficking as the/a main criminal activity. More than 70% of networks engage in corruption to facilitate criminal activity or obstruct law enforcement or judicial proceedings. 68% of networks use violence and intimidation as an inherent feature of their modus operandi.

Europol said this analysis will be further elaborated in forthcoming Europol reports, such as the EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2025.

The agency said the data, now centralised at Europol, will assist national law enforcement authorities to better target and conduct their cross-border criminal investigations.
An Irish woman who was killed in New York will be laid to rest in her hometown on Monday.

Sarah McNally, 41, who is originally from Co Longford, died from stab wounds on Saturday while she was at work in the Maspeth area.

Marcin Pieciak, aged 36, was arraigned before a sitting of Queens County Criminal Court on charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon on Thursday.

The court was told Ms McNally was working as a bartender at the popular Queens establishment when Mr Pieciak allegedly walked in and fatally stabbed her before then injuring himself.

District Attorney Melinda Katz said the nature of the incident was one which had left the community of Queens and Ms McNallys hometown of Longford in a state of numbed disbelief.

This is an attack that shocked the community, she said. It was unprovoked and a devastating loss for the family. We are using every resource to make sure there is accountability.

Mr Pieciak, of 76th Street in Glendale, was described in court as the partner of the deceased. He is alleged to have stabbed her in the neck before turning the knife on himself to cut his neck and back.

Ms McNally was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead while Mr Pieciak was treated for his injuries.

Some of the McNally family have flown to the US to help repatriate her body through the Kevin Bell Trust. In updated details on RIP.ie, her family said the funeral of their only child will take place on Monday, April 8.

It reads: Reposing at Glennon's Funeral Home, Ballinalee Road (N39 EC81) on Sunday 7th April from 5.00pm concluding with prayers at 8.00pm.

Mass of The Resurrection at 11.00am on Monday 8th April in St. Mels Cathedral followed by a private cremation.

The Funeral Mass will be streamed live here. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to or c/o Glennon Funeral Directors or any family member. House strictly private please.

Ms McNally is survived by her heartbroken parents Dorrie and Des and has a large circle of family and friends.
More than 130 Irish troops arrived home from Syria on Friday, marking the end of the Defence Forces 10 years of peacekeeping in the area.

Ireland has now withdrawn its troops from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), who are deployed to monitor the border between Israel and Syria.

The group arriving at Dublin Airport included 133 troops of all ranks, consisting of 16 officers, 116 enlisted personnel and one chaplain.

The 68 Infantry Group was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Clear.

Pte John Newcombe from Athlone with his wife Mia and children, Shannon and Sean pictured this evening at Dublin airport

The group has a wide range of capabilities including armoured force protection, patrolling and mobility, surveillance, communications, medical and operational expertise.

There were emotional scenes at the arrivals area of Terminal 1, as hundreds of excited family members waited for their loved ones to return home.

Partners, parents and children held home-made welcome home signs, while others waved Irish tricolour flags.

Members of the Defence Forces are greeted by family pictured this evening at Dublin airport where over 120 Irish troops from the 68th Infantry Group, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) returned home, following a six-month deployment to Syria.

Lisa Cunningham and her three-year-old daughter, Lucy McManus, held a welcome home daddy sign as they waited for her partner and Lucys dad, Neill McManus to arrive through the doors.

Ms Cunningham, who was joined by her mother, Carmel, said it was a long six months.

The family will travel back to their home in Athlone, Co Westmeath, on Friday evening.

Ms Cunningham said: We are waiting on my partner and Lucys dad, Neill. Hes been away in Syria for six months. We are really excited that he is coming home today.

Its difficult at the start when he leaves, you find your own routine and you miss them. But luckily we can speak to him every day through video call and text messages. It makes all the difference.

Especially with Lucy I am sure he probably feels like he misses out on a lot more. We miss him but he also misses out on a lot.

He is very tired from travelling so we will go home, probably get a bite to eat but we have no immediate plans. We might just chill this week and have some family time.

Mr McManus told the PA news agency: We are all happy to be home safe and sound. I really missed the family. Spending time together as a family is a big thing.

Its a great feeling to be home, especially back to little Lucy and we can enjoy our time off and spend family time together.

We have a month off so we will enjoy that as best we can.

Pte Eric Purtell is welcomed home by his son Jonathan pictured this evening at Dublin airport

Amanda Work and her daughter, Grace, patiently wait on her son, Conor Byrne, to arrive home.

Mr Byrne, from Galway  who is based at Athlone barracks, has been in the Defence Forces for six years.

Ms Work said: Conor has been out in Syria for six months. When hes away its not too different as he lives in Athlone and we live in Galway, but we do miss him travelling up and down to see us.

But its great, we have face-time and texting. He texts us every day.

Its very easy to stay in contact with him.

We are now going home to surprise his granddad as his granddad is ex-army and he doesnt know he is coming home today. Then we have another surprise after that, which Conor doesnt know about.

Mr Byrnes girlfriend, Maria Smith from Kildare, was also waiting on him.

Its difficult being away from each other, as we live together and I find that quite tough. But as we can video call its okay, she said.

Times were tough in the last week especially as the internet was down so we havent been able to been in contact as much. But we make it work.

I miss his company and I found the winter very tough because its dark and cold and I cant lite a fire to save my life, so I rely on him a lot I realised.

Im also not from Athlone, I find it tough being away from my own family. It is hard.

Conor has a month off and we are away to Vienna next weekend.

When you serve overseas that is the ultimate test of what we do. It's the ultimate environment of where we can test our skills and show what we are capable of.

Paul Conlon, from Roscommon, is welcomed home by his children, Senan, and Saoirse and wife Brenda pictured this evening at Dublin airport

Lieutenant Clear described Syria as an interesting, beautiful and historic country.

It was a great place to serve, he said.

When you serve overseas that is the ultimate test of what we do. Its the ultimate environment of where we can test our skills and show what we are capable of.

He added: I will take it easy for a little while. Its great to be back.

We conducted the withdrawal very successfully.

Today is a day for saying what a professional group I was part of and what an honour it is to be a officer to serve with those people and be the representative for them front and centre.

Its a very proud day for me and for the Defence Forces. Weve done a really good job in a challenging environment and done with pride.
The new academic year may be another five months away, but planning has already begun for thousands of students.

One concern that many students will have is about their finances.

With housing difficult to come by, some are paying huge amounts in rent or facing a costly commute every day.

Add in the cost-of-living crisis, and it is understandable that things can get stressful and overwhelming.

It is important to know that there are grants and other supports available to students who need them.

The Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) grant has opened for applications for the academic year 2024 to 2025.

So, here is everything you need to know about who can avail of these supports and how to go about applying for them.

What type of grants are there?

There are two types available  maintenance grants and fee grants.

Maintenance grants are to help students with their living costs and are paid directly into the student's bank account. There are different tiers of maintenance grants  full and part maintenance.

Fee grants pay the tuition fee for those who do not qualify for the Free Fees Scheme. This grant can also pay student contribution and the cost of field trips that are essential to the course.

Who is eligible for a student grant?

There are grants available to students attending PLC, undergraduate, or postgraduate courses.

A number of changes have been made to the Student Grant Scheme in 2024 so if you were not eligible in previous years, it is worth checking your eligibility for the upcoming year.

To qualify for a student grant you must meet all of the criteria of the scheme.

Nationality

You must be a citizen of Ireland, the UK, an EU or EEA country, or Switzerland; those with refugee status or have leave to remain permission from the Department of Justice.

Residence

You must have lived in Ireland, the UK, EU, EEA or the Swiss Federation for three of the last five years.

Means

For the means test, your total reckonable household income must fall below specific income thresholds. Reckonable income is gross income from all sources.

The test for your grant application for the 2024-25 academic year will be based on your's and your family's gross income for the 2023 tax year.

If you are dependent on your parent(s), your income (if any) is assessed in addition to your parents' income(s).

You are considered dependent if you are under the age of 23 on January 1 of the year you first enter further or higher education, or are over the ago of 23 on January 1 of the year you enter or re-enter further or higher education, and you live with your parent(s) or legal guardian.

If you are over 23 and not dependent on your parents, you are an independent student and assessed on your own income, and that of a spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant, if applicable.

Previous education and progression

You must be attending a course that is approved for a student grant. A full list of approved courses can be found here.

In general, you do not get a grant for repeating a year or doing a course at a level that does not progress from your previous studies.

Your course must lead to a higher qualification than any you already hold or be at a higher level than any course you have previously attended.

Second-chance students are eligible for a student grant provided they are over the age of 23, did not complete an earlier course, returning to an approved course following a full three-year break in studies.

Maximum period

A maximum period of grant assistance is available to you at each level of study.

How much will I get?

The grant rate you receive depends on your assessed means, the distance you normally live from the college you are attending, and whether you are considered a disadvantaged student.

If you normally live more than 30km from your college, you will receive the non-adjacent rate.

Disadvantaged students, those whose total reckonable income in the last tax year is less than 26,200, can qualify for a special rate of maintenance grant.

Special rate:

Non-adjacent  7,586

Adjacent  3,230

Full maintenance:

Non-adjacent  4,292

Adjacent  1,774

75% maintenance:

Non-adjacent  3,332

Adjacent  1,343

50% maintenance:

Non-adjacent  2,502

Adjacent  975

25% maintenance:

Non-adjacent  1,666

Adjacent  612

How do I apply for a student grant?

If you do not already have a Susi account, you must create one at grantsonline.ie. To do this you will need to include your personal details including PPSN.

You do not need to have your Leaving Certificate results or to have accepted a course to apply.

You can supply the details of the course you hope to study and update your course choice online at a later date.

You do not need to complete the application in one sitting.

To fill out your application you will need to provide the following:

personal details;

nationality and residency;

chosen course and previous education;

dependent children and relevant persons, if applicable;

household income details;

details of other parties to your application, if applicable.

Once you have completed your application and submitted it, you can track its progression via your student portal.

What happens next?

If you are considered eligible on initial assessment, you will receive provisional grant approval in the post along with a list of the supporting documents that must be provided.

These documents should be sent as soon as possible in the envelope provided.

Then you will receive a letter informing you whether your application has been awarded or refused. The letter will highlight any further steps required.

Can I appeal?

If your application has been unsuccessful, you may appeal to Susi using this form within 30 days of receiving your decision.

If this appeal is turned down, you may take a further appeal to the Student Grants Appeals Board. This must be submitted online within 30 days of receiving your letter from the Susi appeals officer.
Around 800,000 workers are to be enrolled into a new retirement savings scheme which will come into effect from early next year.

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has announced details of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024.

She said the bill, which will shortly be brought to the Oireachtas, is one of the biggest reforms of the pension system in the history of the State".

Some 800,000 paid employees are without an occupational or private pension, leaving them with only the State pension to rely on after retirement.

Under automatic enrolment, all employees will have access to a workplace pension savings scheme combining contributions from their employer and the State.

Employees aged between 23 and 60 years who earn over 20,000 per year and who are not already paying into a pension scheme will automatically be enrolled in the system.

It will operate in a similar way to the former SSIA system where contributions made by the employee were matched by the employer and topped up by the State.

For every 3 added by the employee, their employer will also contribute 3 along with a 1 contribution from the State.

Contribution rates will be phased in over a 10-year period.

Starting in 2025, employees will contribute 1.5% of their gross earnings, which will be matched by their employer and topped-up by the State.

These rates will gradually increase every three years until reaching a maximum contribution rate of 6% per employee, 6% per employer, and 2% from the State from 2034 onwards.

Ms Humphreys praised the imminent scheme.

This landmark legislation is about protecting our workers and, particularly, our young people when it comes to reaching their retirement years, she said.

Automatic enrolment has been talked about for decades, and today is a clear sign that we mean action.

This legislation will provide the foundation for the most radical shake-up of the pensions landscape in Ireland for generations.

For me as minister, having 800,000 workers without pension coverage isnt acceptable or viable.

Weve been an outlier in terms of pension coverage for too long, and thats now going to change."

Ireland is currently the only country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) without a similar system to promote pension savings.

We know that people are living longer and that is good news but the changing demographics mean that a lot of pressure is coming on the State pension and we have to find ways of supplementing it in the future, Ms Humphreys said.

The State pension is the bedrock of our pension system and its here to stay but automatic enrolment will give workers in the future that bit extra in terms of income to support good living standards.

"According to figures from the Central Statistics Office, only one-third of private sector workers have supplementary pension coverage. I want to change this.

Without auto enrolment, many retirees could suffer an unwanted reduction in their living standards when they retire.

Participants will have the choice to opt out or suspend their contributions after a mandatory six-month participation period. They will be brought back into the system again after two years unless they have an alternative pension arrangement.

The bill will also allow for the establishment of a new State body, namely the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority.

The organisation will administer the scheme and act as a buffer between participants and the financial investment companies tasked with growing their savings. Collecting contributions, arranging for the investment of contributions, and managing participant accounts, to be made accessible through an online portal, will be among the authoritys roles.
A Cork woman who was released on bail on Wednesday afternoon on 10 charges related to alleged shoplifting was charged with six further counts  within hours  including shoplifting and assaults on staff at shops.

Margaret Deasy, age 35, of Cork Simon Community, made a new bail application on Thursday at Cork District Court, an application described by Judge Mary Dorgan as "unbelievable and extraordinary".

As the judge refused bail, Deasy stood up in the dock and shouted, tramp, as she was taken into custody until April 10.

Garda Patrick Houlihan objected to bail being granted to the accused on two assault charges and four counts of shoplifting on the afternoon of April 3.

Judge Dorgan said: She was given bail four days ago on condition that she was to stay out of shops and abstain from intoxicants.

There are strong allegations she has not done that. There were 10 new charges before the court yesterday and she got bail a second time. This is third time unlucky.

There is absolutely no way the court could entertain a bail application.

"It is unbelievable she could get bail on 10 new offences and be back before the court on six more offences since then where it is alleged she was caught red-handed. It is alleged she has continued to offend while on bail.

I am not satisfied she is sober  even in court today. It is extraordinary she is even looking for bail. Having got bail yesterday she is not getting bail today.

Cross-examined by Sergeant John Kelleher in the course of her bail application about CCTV showing her assaulting two store staff yesterday, Deasy said it was not true.

Garda Patrick Houlihan said in his objection to bail: It is alleged that on April 3, Margaret Deasy went into Benneton shop on Oliver Plunkett Street and selected a womans Gillet jacket worth 70 and left the premises without offering payment. She was followed by security who asked for it back but she refused and kept on walking. The theft was witnessed by security and there is CCTV of the incident.

It is alleged she entered Diesel on Oliver Plunkett Street and stole clothing to the value of 73 and there is CCTV of this which is of good quality.

It is alleged she entered The Wine Buff on Oliver Plunkett Street and stole a bottle of wine valued at 44.99 and while leaving she kicked the staff member in the leg. CCTV is of excellent quality.

She entered Penneys and stole 40 worth of clothing and this is on CCTV.

It is alleged she spat at a security guard in Marks and Spencer when confronted. CCTV is of good quality.
A surgeon recently returned from Gaza has said he is giving public addresses in Cork this week to make sure everyone is aware of exactly what is going on and the atrocities that are panning out there.

Professor Nick Maynard, who is due to return to the war-torn region later this month, told the Irish Examiner that he wants to tell the public in Cork of the crimes being committed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

There is deliberate targeting of doctors, of nurses, and of hospitals, he claimed. These are not accidents. These are deliberate targeting, such as the humanitarian aid workers this week.

"Im not a politician. Im a doctor. I can tell them whats going on and stress the massive importance of a ceasefire and the stopping of the sale of arms, and the like.

Israel has denied claims attacks have been deliberate, describing as "nonsense" and "absurd" that the killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza was done on purpose.

Prof. Maynard is a 61-year-old consultant gastrointestinal surgeon at Oxford University Hospital in England who has been visiting Gaza regularly since 2010. Working with Medical Aid for Palestinians, he went to Gaza twice last year, including over the Christmas and New Year period.

Professor Nick Maynard (left) with Gaza volunteer with nurse Shaimaa Arafa during his recent trip to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza. Picture sent by Nick Bramhill

Since the Hamas attack on October 7 which killed over 1,000 people in southern Israel, Israels retaliation has resulted in more than 33,000 people being killed, according to the latest figures released Thursday.

Prof. Maynard worked in the Al-Aqsa Hospital in January when he and the staff, along with 600 patients, were ordered to leave by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

An Israeli air strike in the courtyard of the hospital earlier this week resulted in several deaths. Al-Aqsa is currently the last functioning hospital in central Gaza and the surgeon described operating on multiple patients with bomb injuries to their abdomen and chest.

Its the things I saw in the emergency room, he said. There was one little girl of eight. Her burns were so bad, you could see the bones of her face. She wouldnt have survived in any country in the world. But we could have tried to keep her comfortable and let her die peacefully.

But we had no pain relief. She died in agony, lying on the floor of the emergency room. I saw lots of children with traumatic amputations. Really awful, awful stuff.

Professor Maynard also worked at Al-Shifa Hospital in the past, most of which has now been destroyed after a two-week assault by the IDF and it is claimed over 400 Palestinians died in the assault. He has said he never saw any evidence of Hamas using the hospital as a base and unequivocally refutes Israeli claims to the contrary.

Injured Palestinians receive treatment at the Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah in Gaza on Wednesday. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

On Thursday, the international food charity World Central Kitchen called for an independent investigation into the Israeli strikes that killed seven of its aid workers in Gaza on Monday.

WCK asked Australia, Canada, Poland, the US and the UK, whose citizens were killed, to join them in demanding an independent, third-party inquiry into the strikes.

This was a military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles, WCK said in a statement. All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission.

An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers.

The US president, Joe Biden, and Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, were expected to speak on Thursday in their first phone call since the strikes.

Read More Diplomatic crisis erupts between Poland and Israel after aid workers death

Mr Biden has added to a chorus of international anger over the attack on the employees of the US-based WCK, who were distributing desperately needed food to a population on the verge of famine.

The Pentagon said the US secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, had urged Israel to take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians in Gaza after repeated co-ordination failures when he spoke with Israeli minister of defence, Yoav Gallant, on Wednesday.

The US has provided crucial military aid and diplomatic support for Israels nearly six-month offensive, which was launched in response to Hamass October 7 attack. There is no indication that the US will withdraw aid over the WCK strike.

Professor Nick Maynard (left) with Dr Sara Al Saqqa, Consultant Surgeon and the first ever female to qualify as a surgeon in Gaza, during his recent trip to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza. Picture sent by Nick Bramhill

The IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi attributed the strike to misidentification, adding that it was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers, and was a mistake that should not have happened.

Prof. Maynard said its good that everyone is suddenly paying attention due to the killing of the aid workers, referring to western Governments such as the US and UK.

I find it very depressing that its taken six months for everyone to catch on to this, he said. These kinds of things have been happening for six months.

He said he had detected a very significant change in the rhetoric coming from Britain and the US in recent weeks. He was in Washington DC a few weeks ago where he met members of Congress and senior officials in the Biden administration.

At that level at least, there is a change of direction, he said. One could argue its too little too late. But its better than nothing. Its taken six months so its long overdue.

(Left to right) Doctor Amber Alayyan, Professor Nick Maynard, Doctor Zaher Sahloul and Doctor Thaer Ahmad, a high-level delegation of four critical-care doctors who have worked on the frontlines of medical care in Gaza talk to the press at the United Nations in New York last month. Photo: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

With another trip to Gaza forthcoming, the surgeon said he was absolutely worried about his own safety when he travels over.

Im more worried than last time, he said. I think all of us going over think about the personal safety side of things continuously. Weighing up the risks and the benefits. I go out with Medical Aid for Palestinians, and I trust their judgement.

Prof. Maynard said that if it was a situation where the group advised against going, they wouldnt go. But theres a huge need for us to go out there to help, he said. One has to balance that.

His family are also a huge factor in the decision to go. His wife Fionnuala is originally from Kinsale, with most of the family still living there.

Professor Nick Maynard is a 61-year-old consultant gastrointestinal surgeon at Oxford University Hospital in England who has been visiting Gaza regularly since 2010. Picture sent by Nick Bramhill

Fionnuala is wonderfully supportive, he said. Weve an adoptive daughter from Gaza, named Enas. She was a young doctor I taught in Gaza, who got a scholarship to come out.

I get to see her family all the time when Im over there. She hasnt seen them in eight years. Fionnuala is like a mother to her, and I gave her away at her wedding in the UK.

His wife has an enormous attachment to Gaza as well, he added, but despite that they are nervous and apprehensive ahead of the trip.

On Thursday night, Professor Maynard was due to address a public meeting in the Trident Hotel in Kinsale and he will speak at the 26th weekly Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign march and rally in the city on Saturday.
Fine Gael members will vote on motions to introduce a third tax band and increase income tax thresholds at the party's ard fheis this weekend.

Providing military aid to Ukraine is also on the agenda at the party's conference in Galway.

New leader Simon Harris will make a televised address on Saturday evening, outlining his vision for the party, as speculation on who he will elevate to cabinet next week mounts.

Mr Harris is expected to be appointed Taoiseach when the Dail convenes on Tuesday and will then move to selecte his team of senior and junior ministers.

It is now being speculated that Cork TD Colm Burke could be made a Minister of State given the the departure of Simon Coveney from cabinet.

Another option being put forward to ensure there is a geographic spread of ministers is the possible promotion of Limerick's Patrick O'Donovan to cabinet from his current role as Minister of State for OPW.

Others in the mix to be offered a senior ministry include Peter Burke and Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has made it clear that he will not be stepping down and will be running in the next general election.

Meanwhile, the Young Fine Gael (YFG) national executive has put forward a motion calling on the Government to introduce a middle-income tax band of 30%.

Asked whether the coalition would adopt this policy, Finance Minister and Fianna Fail TD Michael McGrath said he would be "guided by the programme for government", adding that it has "served us well".

Fine Gael members will also debate a motion that demands that the entry point to the higher tax rate be increased to at least 50,000 within the next two years.

The Pearse Morris Branch, which submitted the motion, believes that this change must be implemented "so that more money is put back in workers pockets".

Finance Minister and Fianna Fail TD Michael McGrath said he would be 'guided by the programme for government'.

Other motions to be discussed at the party gathering on Saturday include a call to introduce a premium salary for Dublin-based frontline workers and another seeking to speed up the introduction of the Fair Deal-type system to cover home care.

A motion from Dublin Rathdown YFG is calling on Fine Gael in Government to provide "lethal military aid" to Ukraine to support its struggle against the Russian invasion, while the Brussels branch has put forward a motion to asking that the Government stand ready to give Ukraine "whatever military support is necessary" to win the war, "acknowledging that Russian victory would be the first step to possible aggressive action against European Union Member States".

Meanwhile, Mr Harris has given a firm commitment that the party will continue to back and champion rural Ireland and the agriculture sector after a meeting with a party representative group on Thursday.

Speaking following the meeting with former IFA president Eddie Downey, who now chairs the Fine Gael, National Agricultural, Food and Rural Development Forum, Mr Harris said: Farming makes a vital contribution to our economy and local communities.

"Farmers have had an incredibly difficult year this year because of the weather and this was an important opportunity to hear from them.

It is now essential we gather that information and take concrete steps to address the concerns of this vital part of our economy and society.
Former RTE broadcaster Ciaran Mullooly is to stand for Independent Ireland in the upcoming European elections, the Irish Examiner understands.

It is understood that the former Midlands correspondent for RTE will contest the Midlands North West constituency for the new Independent Ireland party.
Im not sure how I feel about cultural boycotts. Im not sure how I feel about Ballet Irelands cancellation of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin last month.

If the act of cancellations would have helped the Palestinians cause I would boycott my own show, he said.

I understand the motivation to cancel it. Its not a matter of cause and effect. Its a statement. We all feel so helpless, so soul-destroyed by the rising death toll in Palestine  its at least something. It is a discernible effort to condemn the atrocities being carried out by the Israeli government.

But I still find myself sitting in the grey, a place of near-trespass these days.

Ive always felt that the arts exist outside of everything, sacred in a way that religions are deemed to be. A place we go for solace, to contemplate, and question, and process. Its where we encounter conflict too, and disagreement.

Such disagreement, such discomfort, can be transformative.

If someone simply says something hateful, then it is simply hateful. I fully support the upcoming hate crime legislation because we have a moral responsibility to protect vulnerable groups in real life.

But If somebody creates something, I engage with it as a creation. I may disagree with it, despise it even, but Im still okay with it existing and being shared. I think Im okay with an Israeli choreographer performing his work in Ireland for that reason. The art is the thing, and it is separate and necessary.

But Im unsure, because what is art? Hateful art can have very real impacts.

I enjoyed listening to actor Sanjeev Bhaskar on the Louis Theroux podcast recently. He remembers being bullied in school following the broadcasting of British shows where an Indian person was the butt of the joke, the idiot. To add another unhelpful shade to the murkiness of this debate, he had no issue with browned-up white actors, so long as they played the part of the hero.

In this case, however, in the case of the Israeli choreographer, it is not about content; it is about the nationality of the creator. And it is perhaps right to boycott on those grounds, at this time.

It's complicated, this blocking or cancelling of artists, because art is not a person, or a country, and it is beyond politics.

I went to two exhibitions over the Easter holidays  to give some real and local examples of arts many guises.

The Islands

The first was in The Working Artist Studio in West Cork. Running up to April 13, The Islands is a solo exhibition by Cork artist Angie Shanahan, and yet at its core, is a tender collaboration.

Shanahans work responds to William Walls novel Graces Day. I read the book this week and popped down to see Angies art and felt moved by the beauty of the places depicted, beyond politics, and exploring humanity at its essence, albeit on the fringes of the world.

In a letter posted on the wall of the exhibition, William Wall thanks Angie Shanahan, his co-creator, for being a fellow traveller in the world of images. As I wandered between her stunning seascapes, Shanahan explained how she was inspired by Walls poetic turns of phrase. Indeed, some pieces are a direct reference, such as Feathers and Ferns, taken from a line in the novel.

One piece that struck me was a painting of rope used to bring in boats on one of the three islands featured, this time in Italy. Shanahan explained that the knotted ball at the end of the rope is something called a monkeys fist

I never knew anything about this type of knot. It's tied at the end of a rope to serve as a weight which is then thrown from the ferry to the longshoreman on shore to haul in the heavier mooring rope to the bollard. I noticed it when I visited the island and I just zoomed in on it.

"Thats one of the joys of art, you draw attention to what others might miss. When I came home I mentioned this monkeys fist to friends, both Marc and Sonia made me some to display here in the exhibition. It was a lovely collaboration, within the bigger collaboration with William Wall.

Angie Shanahans work could be celebrated for many things. For the feelings evoked  of isolation, and bravery, of the past. One could even see it as political  the islands reminding us of themes of immigration and displacement, flying birds featuring throughout. But to either see it as solely political, or as being representative of one person in isolation, would be a misreading.

Anois. Agora. Now.

The second exhibition I had the pleasure of visiting was on dereliction in Firkin Crane, in the stunning and neglected Shandon area in Cork City.

Anois. Agora. Now. is art that confronts politics like a bulldozer. It begins with depictions of the derelict buildings shared by Frank OConnor and Jude Sherry on Twitter, one building a day for an entire year.

The materials used in the exhibition reflect the themes. Thread. Stone. Foliage. All natural and circular, an exhibition that looks forward in hope and asks visitors to leave their mark in chalk.

Yes, a far more political exhibition, designed to provoke a reaction and to encourage a fight for change. But art nonetheless, not politics, if it can speak to, and reflect on politics.

Discomfort

Hence my discomfort around cultural boycotts, however heinous the deeds of the countries, the people even. The art must exist, even that horrendous film I absolutely abhorred this year  that misogynistic mess called Poor Things. It helped me think, rage, know myself deeper through the act of watching. It was also beautiful.

Art is never simply a case of right and wrong. It refuses that. It is a messy, convoluted space for human expression, collaboration, and contemplation, and we must let it happen as freely as possible.

When I shared this half-thought with someone last week they called me an intellectual snob. Ive no issue with boycotting Israeli produce. The goods Ireland imports from Israel have grown 20-fold since 2017. We are now Israels fourth biggest market; the UK is the fifth.

Poor Things helped me think, rage, know myself deeper through the act of watching. Picture: Atsushi Nishijima/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures/ 2023 20th Century Studios

This trade facilitates Israels current position and I support a trade boycott. I applaud and support the efforts Irish people are making, and join every impassioned plea to stand up against the horror in Gaza.

But I think there is a difference between Jaffa oranges and ballet.

I dont agree with the political structures that prevent some people from having full access to the arts, but yes, I think I believe, (sense the grey, grey, greyness) that ballet is essentially different to oranges. Art is humanity in the abstract. It is everything and all of us  the result of our interaction with the natural, emotional, spiritual, political and social world.

Art is not politics

Art can be political but art is not politics. It is distinct. And in this case, when it is about nationality not content, when we cancel one Israeli choreographer for being Israeli, are we saying all Israelis are the same?

I find myself thinking of the Abbey Theatre, where in 1907 rioters protested the immorality of JM Synges The Playboy Of The Western World. Although related to content rather than creator, how interesting it is nowPeoples outrage at the word shifts, referring to a womans nightie.

The play was later proclaimed a masterpiece. How richer we are that the play was shown, if only as a measure of the people and the time. Such richness (I think) is worth protecting. Im not sure. I dont know, but the greyness is at least worth discussing.
Were a great old country, all the same. We hate injustice. We rally, we fight, we wont let you trample on us, and we wont let others be trampled. Until, that is, we will.

Francesca Albanese, the UNs special rapporteur on human rights in the West Bank and Gaza, visited Galway last month.

She was there to give a lecture as a guest of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the university.

Given her status as both an academic and an advocate for human rights, I expected her to be in such demand during her visit that it would be impossible to secure an interview.

Would she be too busy talking to Government officials or meeting with the Tanaiste, perhaps? Maybe even a pre-recorded interview for Fridays Late Late Show, given the enormous and persistent interest here in the plight of Palestinians dying in their tens of thousands?

Nothing of the sort.

Members of the Abu Draz family gather to mourn Ashraf Abu Draz's daughters who were killed in an Israeli bomb attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Thursday. Picture: Fatima Shbair/AP

When I met her, she was wandering around the campus flanked by a PhD student and nobody else. The only media Im aware of who sought comment from her were the Irish Examiner and Galway Bay FM. We politely asked for 10 minutes of her time. She gave us 30.

She said a lot during that half hour, but the most remarkable thing was this: Theres this tendency to be very supportive with rhetoric, as Ireland has, but when it comes to taking concrete actions, there is zero. Not a little. Zero.

The countries that have been most outspoken, like Ireland, what have they done in practice? Nothing. And this is shameful. It is disgraceful.

Is this a fair assessment of our countrys actions thus far? Does our stance amount to rhetoric?

Good old Ireland. Lifelong friend to the Palestinian people. Champion of the underdog. A country with an inherent sense of right and wrong has, according to this expert, taken no meaningful action as a genocide has been perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.

All the while, were slapping ourselves on the back for what a great little nation we are.

Albanese said it as matter-of-factly as she says everything else. Five days later, she presented a report, Anatomy of a Genocide, to the UN Human Rights Council, a report she was assisted on by five postgraduate students from Galway.

It was, and still is, world news.

Albanese, so lauded by many for her professionalism and advocacy, was attacked by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who accused her of having a history of antisemitic comments.

It was a preposterous remark, designed to distract from a report that laid bare the barbarity of Israels US-backed annihilation of a people.

But, while the Biden administrations scurrilous deflection may have been depressingly typical, what was the Irish Governments public response to Albaneses comments?

Abu Draz family members carry the bodies of Ashraf Abu Draz's daughters into their home in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Thursday. Picture: Fatima Shbair/AP

Well, as if to prove her point, it was zero. Not a little. Zero.

It might argue otherwise. Last week, Tanaiste Micheal Martin announced that Ireland will, rightly, intervene in the case initiated by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice. The intent to do this was first reported two and a half months ago, on January 14.

The response to the Tanaistes announcement was in many quarters sycophantic, a tired symptom of a people worn down by social media, where right and wrong are argued inanely and endlessly by fools, vested interests, and powers that would be; by people worn down by global inaction, rhetoric, empty threats, and tired promises under the guise of diplomacy.

Pro-Palestinian social media accounts shared the headlines as yet another example of Irelands leadership as a conscientious nation standing up for the little guy.

Its a sad indictment of the state of the world order that a country like Ireland, which has failed to sanction Israel, has continued trade with Israel, that has maintained diplomatic ties with Israel while its leader has committed  and continues to commit  a genocide, is so lauded for its moral courage.

Then people like Francesca Albanese remind us that actions speak louder than words. Usually, we can criticise ourselves all we like, but the second a stranger does it, we turn on them like rabid hyenas.

On this, however, her critique is welcome.

October 31, 2013: Palestinian people looking for survivors after Israeli airstrikes on the Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza. On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said an Israeli attack on a Gaza apartment building last October killed at least 106 civilians, including 54 children. Picture: Doaa AlBaz/AP

There are many, many Irish people who feel bewildered by a Government that hides behind an its complicated narrative to disguise moral cowardice in taking the fight to evil.

Individuals are appalled. Individuals are unable to sleep. Individuals cant unsee the images of dead babies, made motherless long before their short lives are ended.

Individuals cant process the skeletal bodies dying on hospital beds 80km from Tel Aviv, where DJs continue to drop beats to the masses.

There are Irish citizens on the ground in Gaza working for the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations.

Ashraf Abu Draz's daughters who were killed in Gaza in an Israeli bombardment this week. Colin Sheridan writes that we 'cant unsee the images of dead babies, made motherless long before their short lives are ended'. Picture: Fatima Shbair/AP

For about six hours between midnight and dawn on Monday, rumours circulated on social media that one of the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in a series of targeted Israeli airstrikes was Irish.

The information was wrong, but what was telling in that dreadful moment was how we appropriate different levels of outrage depending on the skin colour of the victims.

There are more than 350 Irish peacekeepers in neighbouring Lebanon, a country I spent three years in with our Defence Forces; a country that has had white phosphorus dropped on it by Israel.

Ireland still trades with Israel, a country that this week warned us that breaking trade links between Ireland and Israel fails to consider the impact on Irish businesses, as well as any possible reciprocal measures that might be implemented as a result.

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese speaking at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva which concludes today, April 5. Picture: Serine Meradji/UNHRC

Ive lived and worked in these places and seen with my own eyes what vacuous performative posturing does. To quote Albanese, it does zero. Not a little. Zero.

Simon Harris is stepping into the big leagues now. He needs to do something. For shame. Do something. There can be no hiding behind pseudo-diplomacy and complex legal arguments.

Until we take action, our little country is just as complicit as everyone elses.
Engineers working to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore said they expect to be able to restore navigation in and out of the citys port by the end of this month.

The bridge collapsed on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka.

Authorities believe six workers on the bridges plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River with two bodies recovered so far. Two others survived.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced a tentative timeline on Thursday, saying it expects to open a limited access channel to the port within the next four weeks measuring 85 metres wide by 11 metres deep.

Part of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge (Julia Nikhinson/AP)

The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port.

The USACE said it is aiming to reopen the permanent, 213 metre by 15 metre federal navigation channel by the end of May, which would restore port access to normal capacity.

Commanding general Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon said in a statement: A fully opened federal channel remains our primary goal, and we will carry out this work with care and precision, with safety as our chief priority,

He acknowledged the timelines are ambitious and may be impacted by adverse weather or changes in the complexity of the wreckage.

President Joe Biden will view the collapse site and meet with relatives of the victims on a visit to Baltimore on Friday.

Isabella Casillas Guzman, who heads the US Small Business Administration, visited Baltimore on Thursday to meet with business owners, along with state and local leaders. She said a federal program offering loans to small businesses hurt by the bridge collapse has received 500 applications.

Cranes continue salvage work as the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali (Julia Nikhinson/AP)

Baltimores port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other similar facility in the country and the collapse has created logistical problems up and down the East Coast.

The Maryland Senate unanimously approved a bill on Wednesday night authorising the governor to use the states rainy day fund to help unemployed port employees. Maryland House could approve the bill this week.

The Norwegian shipping firm Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which has a hub in Baltimore, said it estimates its own losses at between $5 million (3.95 million) and $10 million (7.9 million) from the port closure.

US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said seven commercial vessels are stuck in the port with their crews on board until a temporary channel is opened that is deep enough for them to get out.

Crews are working to clear the steel wreckage and recover the remaining bodies, something made more difficult by recent bad weather. They have opened two temporary channels meant primarily for vessels involved in the clean-up.

The water is so murky, salvage divers cannot see more than one to two feet in front of them, Governor Wes Moore said on Thursday.

Each diver is now paired with an operator who uses three-dimensional drawings and other tools to guide them in a buddy system, he said.
Thousands chanting death to Israel and death to America marched on Friday in a funeral procession in Tehran, for the seven Revolutionary Guard members killed in an airstrike widely attributed to Israel that destroyed Irans consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.

The march, with protests in other Iranian cities, came at a time of heightened concerns about possible retaliation by Iran for Mondays strike that killed 12 people, including four Syrian citizens and a member of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, according to officials.

The protesters in the capital headed to Tehran University, where the commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, gave a speech.

He said that no threat will go unanswered in retaliation for Israels apparent strike.

Iranians carry a huge Palestinian flag in the annual rally to mark Quds Day in Tehran (Vahid Salemi/AP)

The collapse of (the Zionist regime) is very possible and close with Gods grace, Salami said, adding that the US has become wildly hated by the world, especially in Muslim-dominated countries.

The public funeral coincided with Irans annual rally on Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, a traditional show of support for the Palestinians that has been held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

State TV live broadcast showed thousands of Iranians in Tehran following the truck carrying the bodies of the two generals and five officers to the cemetery, some waving flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iranian leaders have repeated promises of revenge. On Wednesday Irans President Ebrahim Raisi said the attack will not remain without answer.

Mourners gather around a lorry carrying the flag-draped coffins of Revolutionary Guard members (Vahid Salemi/AP)

By attacking an Iranian diplomatic station, Israels apparent escalation has raised fears that the devastating six-month war against Hamas could spill over into the entire Middle East and beyond.

Israel faces increasing isolation as international criticism mounts over its killing of foreign aid workers this week who were trying to deliver desperately needed food in Gaza.

Iran does not recognise Israel and views it as its arch enemy. It also supports militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israeli-Lebanese border have increased since the war in Gaza began nearly six months ago.
Gazprom Neft will meet the April quota of the OPEC+ on oil production cuts by the end of the month, CEO Alexander Dyukov told reporters, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"The Ministry of Energy traditionally communicates the quota to us; we perform it. We plan to achieve required volumes of production cuts by the end of the month," Dyukov said.

The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the OPEC+ did not make recommendations on changing the oil production policy at the meeting on April 3. Several OPEC+ member-states, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, are voluntarily reducing oil production by 2.2 mln barrels daily in total since the first quarter of 2024 in order to rebalance the market. The measure was initially set to be effective in the first quarter but OPEC+ member-countries extended it for the second quarter also.




By Shabnam Holliday, University of Plymouth | 

(The Conversation)  Recent revelations that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US have held secret talks as a way of resolving months of attacks by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea have raised eyebrows. Surely the two countries have been implacable foes for decades? How could they be engaged in constructive negotiations?

On first glance this seems unlikely. Since its establishment following the 1979 revolution in Iran, the ideology of the Islamic Republic established in its wake has played heavily on anti-imperialism and the rejection of what is seen as US hegemony.

Tehran has tended to divide the international system in terms of what it sees as the oppressed and the oppressors with the US as the chief oppressor and the Islamic Republic the defender of the oppressed.

These ideas were an important part of political culture and debates among many Iranians before 1979 in response to what many people felt had been excessive foreign interference. Ayatollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republics first supreme leader, co-opted these ideas.

In practical terms, this meant a rejection of the Carter administrations close involvement in Iranian affairs, despite human rights abuses under the Shah of Iran.

The desire to reject US influence was perhaps evident in the takeover of the US embassy in 1979 and the subsequent hostage crisis. With the Iran-Iraq War which broke out after Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980, defence against the US also became an integral part of the Islamic Republics ideology because it was perceived that Iraq had US support.

But to view the Islamic Republics relationship with the US simply in terms of Khomeinis ideology  or without appreciating different approaches from within the Islamic Republic over the years  provides an inaccurate picture. Historically, pragmatism and dialogue have also played an important role.

Mohammad Khatami, who was elected president of Iran in 1997, was pragmatic, and considered dialogue integral to the Islamic Republics ideology. He sought to bring Iran out of the isolation from the international system that had been characteristic since the 1979 Revolution.

Hindustan Times video: Iran-U.S. Secret Talks Near Houthi Territory | Biden Pleading Tehran For Help In Red Sea? | 

Khatamis Dialogue Among Civilisations speech to the United Nations in 1998 drew on intellectual debates about the aims of the Islamic Revolution and reforming the Islamic Republic. His speech recommended designating 2001 as the year of dialogue among civilizations, a proposal that was unanimously adopted by a vote of the UN general assembly.

In 1998, Khatami addressed the American people on CNN, as a part of this dialogue. He drew parallels between the American war of independence and Irans search for a national identity, declaring: We feel that what we seek is what the founders of the American civilisation were also pursuing four centuries ago. This is why we sense an intellectual affinity with the essence of the American civilisation.

In 2001, Khatami condemned the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Under his direction, Iran also signed a secret deal to provide assistance to US forces in their campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan that year.

Axis of Evil

But a combination of factors, including being labelled as a key member of George W Bushs axis of evil, contributed to more strained relations with Washington under Khatamis successor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Considered by many as a populist leader, Ahmadinejads policy towards the US (and Israel) was aggressive, ideological, and less pragmatic. With a dramatic rise in human rights abuses under Ahmadinejad, western concerns centred on Irans uranium enrichment activities and Bushs war on terror rhetoric prompted a steady deterioration in the Islamic Republics relations with the US.

After Barack Obama took office as US president in 2009, reports of fraud in the Iranian presidential election of that year brought Iranians in big cites on to the streets. Obama condemned what he called the unjust violence against protesters. Meanwhile EU, UN and US sanctions hardened as a response to Irans developing nuclear programme.

Nuclear deal

At this stage Irans political establishment could see the need to restore the Islamic Republics legitimacy both with the Iranian people and internationally. The election of Hassan Rouhani as president in 2013 went some way to resolving both of these issues.

In contrast to Ahmadinejad, Rouhani promoted a policy of constructive engagement. A series of secret meetings between the Obama and Rouhani administrations contributed to the signing of the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA)  the Iran nuclear deal  in July 2015. This restricted Irans nuclear programme in return for a promised easing of sanctions.

The JCPOA was just one sign of this pragmatism between Tehran and Washington. The US and the Islamic Republic also cooperated in response to the rise of Islamic State (IS). The removal of Saddam Hussein in 2003 with the subsequent de-Baathification policy created a security vacuum in Iraq which allowed IS to grow.

Despite different priorities and their ongoing rivalry, the Islamic Republic and the US needed to cooperate against what each saw as the greater enemy. This sort of backchannel communication was seen again recently when the US secretly warned Tehran it had intelligence of a planned IS attack in Iran in January.

Ultimately, the Islamic Republics priority is its own survival. This is all the more pertinent following the massive woman, life, freedom protests.

The death in custody in September 2022 of the Kurdish-Iranian woman, Jina Mahsa Amini, for what the Islamic Republics morality police said was improper wearing of her hijab, sparked the largest protests since the 1979 revolution drawing horrific violence from authorities. An upshot was that many ordinary Iranians questioned the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic.

Given this crisis of legitimacy at home, it makes sense for the Islamic Republic to balance its ideological fervour with a degree of pragmatism in its relations with the outside world. Hence the indirect secret talks with the US  conducted with an Omani diplomat as the go-between  over the Red Sea attacks.

If pressure applied by the Islamic Republic and Washington on the Houthis and Israel respectively can bear fruit in some way, both sides increase their chances of coming out with a political win when they most need it.

Shabnam Holliday, Associate Professor in International Relations, University of Plymouth

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Reflections on Avi Shlaim, Three Worlds : Memoirs of an Arab-Jew, London: Oneworld, 2023, 324 pp.

During my stay in Iran in 2016, I heard from several Muslims that Jews are good businessmen because they are trustworthy, and their word weighs more than a notarized contract. I recalled these comments when I read about Yusef, one of the protagonists of this book and the authors father. A self-made man and a wealthy supplier of building materials, he earned a sterling reputation not only among his customers, but also among his employees, whose welfare, not only their productivity, he constantly cared about.

Yusef also embodies the concept of the Arab-Jew. Active in the Jewish community, sponsor of synagogues and various charities, he was respected and exercised influence. Unlike his wife, a British citizen, he spoke only Arabic and lived in the culture of his country, of which he was an indelible part. His Jewish affiliation was more cultural than religious. Yusef also embodies the gentle and harmonious modernization that is quite different from the often defiant and conflict-ridden modernization of European Jewry.

As usual, at the age of 13, his son Avi is bar-mitzva ed but there is apparently more emphasis on bar than on mitzva (Torah commandment) during this ceremony. When four years later, Avi arrives in the hostel of a Jewish school in London he is totally unaware that it is Yom Kippur, and surreptitiously eats the ham sandwich brought from the trip across the Channel. Any eating, let alone ham, is, of course, prohibited on Yom Kippur. Compare it with Isaac Deutscher, another Jewish intellectual immigrant to Britain, but this one from Austrian Galicia. Brought up in a deeply religious Hassidic home and considered a Talmud prodigy, he lost his faith and decided to test God on Yom Kippur. He went to the tomb of a prominent Hassidic rabbi and ate a ham sandwich. In this act of defiance, the young Deutscher cast away the yoke of Heaven. Foodwise, there was no difference, but the different significance of this act points at very dissimilar paths secularization took among Jews in Europe and in the world of Islam.

Embed from Getty Images

Bagdad , Iraq  Jewish family of Baghdad with child. Photo taken in 1920s after creation of Iraq. Baghdad. Census in 1917 showed 40% of Baghdad population were Jewish. ( from Baghdad, Camera Studio Iraq, A Kerim and Hasso Bros, 1925) D226 CD1750 D228 CD1761 (Photo by Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty Images)

Like most Iraqi Jews, Yusef was indifferent to Zionism. In the family, this political ideology was considered an Ashkenazi thing. Events beyond his purview (about which more later) projected his family and then him, largely out of the sense of responsibility, in the fledgling Zionist state. Even though he was to live over two decades in Israel, he and his Arab-Jew identity were irrevocably broken. He felt like a fish out of water, remained alien, unemployed and unaccustomed to the Ashkenazi-dominated society. But he never compromised his sense of humility, self-respect, and decency, never complained or asked for favours. The fate of this noble man illustrates that of many non-Ashkenazi Jews brought to Israel unaware of what awaited them in the Promised Land.

The uprooting of Iraqs Jewish community is the leitmotif of the entire book. The Zionist colony, established by and for European Jews to solve Europes Jewish problem, needed Jews. The natural reservoir of human material (as Ben-Gurion used to repeat) was severely depleted due to the Nazi genocide. Zionist emissaries were sent to Muslim-majority countries to bring in living souls, even though these communities had played almost no role in the Zionist movement. The emissaries tried to convince, and, when this failed, cajoled and terrorized Jews. At the same time, arrangements were made, and bribes paid, to local officials who either facilitated emigration of Jews or looked the other way when they were smuggled out. The author, a witness, a victim, but also an eminent historian, painstakingly reconstructs the devastation of the Jewish community in Iraq, including Zionists acts of terror against Jews.

The author candidly recounts the intimate story of his family, profoundly traumatized by a fallout from Israels unilateral declaration of independence. It triggered a war since it was against the will of the majority in Palestine and all the Arab countries that the British ruled Zionist colony was turned into a state for the Jews. Albeit landed in Israel in relatively comfortable circumstances (thanks to his fathers illicit transfers of money from Iraq), Avi as a child experienced humiliation and discrimination like all Mizrahi population in Israel. His self-worth was severely undermined, he barely passed from one grade to the next, and the Zionist society saw in this underachievement a proof of his primitive background.

What saved him and turned him eventually into an Oxford don was departure from Israel and the warm welcome he enjoyed from Jews in England. It is striking that this articulated and nuanced memoir was written by someone who consistently failed in the English language at the Israeli school. No less striking is the contrast between the rough Zionist culture of the muscular New Hebrew Men forged to fight wars and the culture of genteel and caring British Jewish culture he encountered, which preserved, whatever its vicarious Zionism, the Judaic values of mercy, modesty and beneficence codified in the Mishna.

Islam Channel Video: Avi Shlaim on Arab-Jews, Zionism and Israel

Growing up in Israel and serving in its military, Avi naturally imbibed nationalist myths and became an almost typical right-wing Mizrahi. He deftly depicts his personal evolution from a self-righteous partisan of Zionist ethnocracy to a thoughtful proponent of a democratic state for all the inhabitants between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean. Moreover, the author hopes that the collective memory of the centuries-long Arab-Jewish social and cultural integration should enable such a project to come true. In this case, the heritage of Iraqi, Moroccan and other non-European Jews will be not only rehabilitated, but also put to good use to build a peaceful future.

It is hard to share this hope after months of unprecedented violence that has left tens of thousands dead and wounded. Yet, colonial regimes often become particularly violent before their demise. The Zionist ethnocracy, however unique, may face the same fate and open the way to a more equitable and therefore more humane political and social entity.

NB:

See also the earlier review at IC by Marc Martorell Jouyent.
Highlights:

New drill program is now underway at Charger following up on Awale's recent drill intercept of 26 g/t gold over 57m, including 45.7 g/t gold over 32m from 165m downhole

A second rig will soon commence drilling at the BBM Prospect to follow up on its 75m @ 2.4 g/t gold equivalent intercept

gold equivalent Drilling is fully funded by Newmont

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - Awale Resources (TSXV: ARIC) ("Awale" or "the Company"), is pleased to announce the commencement of a 3,000 metre diamond drilling program over the Charger Prospect at the Odienne project. The drilling is planned to follow up to the recently announced 26 g/t gold over 57m, including 45.7 g/t gold over 32m from 165m downhole in OEDD-83 at the Charger Prospect (see Awale news release March 25 2024). Additionally, a 4000m drill program for the BBM discovery (see Awale news releases January 11 2024 and March 18 2024) will commence with a second diamond drill rig in the ensuing weeks.

Andrew Chubb, CEO of Awale Resources, stated today, "With our two recent discoveries on the Charger and BBM prospects, we thought it's critical to resume drilling without delay and follow up on these exciting discoveries. This next phase of drilling marks another step in Awale's endeavour open a new mining and exploration district in Cote d'Ivoire, the recent results from BBM and Charger underscores our projects potential. We have never doubted the potential of the Odienne district we are excited to launch into this new phase of drilling."

Awale views Odienne as highly prospective for large-scale Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) mineral systems. Awale's exploration approach has now delivered significant discoveries that also include the Empire and Sceptre East with multiple untested pipeline targets that highlight the district scale potential of the project.

About The Charger Prospect

This new intercept of 57m @26 g/t gold in drillhole OED-83 from the recently announced four drillhole program reopens Awale's original interpretation of broader mineralization where the breccia zones may connect at depth which would rapidly increase the volume of the high grade gold mineralization.

The Charger Prospect is a discovery that has delivered multiple high grade significant intercepts in previous drilling which includes the following high grade intercepts in the breccia pipe to the south of that intercepted in OEDD-83 (see Company news releases dated March 29 2023, and August 21 2023):

OERC-132: 32m @ 3.0 g/t Au from 74m downhole. Including 4m @ 12.4 g/t Au from 78m downhole.

OEDD-45 (step back from OERC 132) contains 3 high grade intervals within a 65 m wide zone of mineralization which included 12 m @ 4.9 g/t gold from 89m downhole, 13m at 1.3 g/t gold from 114m downhole and, And 21m @ 1.3 g/t gold from 133m downhole.

Hole OEDD-53 (50m step back from OEDD-45): 32m @ 1.5g/t Au from 215m downhole Including 3m @ 5.2g/t Au from 77m.



Four holes for 699 m were drilled at Charger during this phase, three of these testing a new 3D geologic framework for mineralization at the prospect. Three holes (OEDD-78, OEDD-79 and OEDD-82) did not intercept significant mineralization. However, hole OEDD-83 was specifically targeted to drill through potential mineralization associated with the newly recognized NE structural control. This intercept is 60 m north of the two previously intercepted breccia pipes, and is under the discovery hole (OERC-89) at Charger.

Table 1: Significant Intercepts for the last 4 drill holes at the Charger Prospect

Hole From To Width Au g/t Cu_% Mo_ppm Ag_ppm East North RL Azi Dip Hole Depth (m) OEDD-78 NSV 647,661 1,032,245 477 15 -55 146.1 OEDD-79 NSV 647,641 1,032,480 483 155 -56 182.2 OEDD-82 29 30 1 4.8 647634 1032128 475 195 -56 110.3 and 91 92 1 0.5 OEDD0083 18 19 1 0.4 0.00 0.2 0.0 647787 1032400 476 193 -57 260.2 and 91 93 2 2.8 0.01 4.0 0.1 and 97 98 1 1.1 0.02 3.8 0.5 and 157 159 2 0.6 0.03 1.5 0.7 and 164 221 57 26.1 0.05 2.3 5.2 Including 165 197 32 45.7 0.08 2.3 8.5 Including 210 219 9 1.6 0.00 2.7 1.4 and 231 239 8 1.0 0.01 2.1 0.7 Including 232 236 4 1.7 0.01 2.3 1.0 and 257 260 3.2 1.3 0.01 3.2 0.2 Including 259 260.2 1.2 3.1 0.01 6.0 0.4

Note: A 0.2 g/t trigger and include internal waste of 3m for delineation mineralized zones. Included intervals are at a 1g/t trigger.

Investors and stakeholders are encouraged to follow Awale Resources' progress through updates on the Company's website.

The Awale-Newmont JV - 'Odienne Project JV'

The Odienne Project JV covers one permit and one application within the greater Odienne Copper-Gold Project in the Northwest of Cote d'Ivoire, and is subject to an earn-in agreement with Newmont Ventures Limited ("Newmont"); see Company News Release dated May 31, 2022) through which Newmont retains the option to earn-in to a minimum of 65% interest, from Awale, in the Odienne Project JV in return for USD 15 million of exploration expenditures. Newmont is funding the exploration program and Awale is managing the Odienne Project JV in the initial three-year phase.

About Awale Resources

Awale is a diligent and systematic mineral exploration company focused on the discovery of large high-grade gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company undertakes exploration activities in the underexplored parts of Cote d'Ivoire. Awale's exploration success to date has culminated in a fully funded earn-in Joint Venture with Newmont covering one permit and one application (the "Odienne Project JV"), where four significant gold and gold-copper-silver-molybdenum discoveries have been made.

The Odienne Project JV is located within Awale's greater Odienne Copper-Gold Project (the "Project") which consists of 2462 km2 of tenure in the Northwest of Cote d'Ivoire. The Newmont JV consists of 400km2 of granted tenure and 400km2 under application, or approximately  of Awale's total holding in the district. The Company announced 26 g/t gold over 57m, including 45.7 g/t gold over 32m from 165m downhole at the Charger Prospect and the discoveries have significant scope for growth and resource development. The Project has multiple pipeline prospects that have similar geochemical fingerprints to Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and intrusive related mineral systems that offers significant potential for district scale discoveries.

Quality Control and Assurance

Analytical work for drill samples is being carried out at the independent Intertek Laboratories in Ghana and Australia, an ISO 17025 (2017) Certified Laboratory. Samples are stored at the Company's field camps and put into sealed bags until collected by Intertek from the Company's secure Odienne office and transported by Intertek to their preparation laboratory in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire, for preparation. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried, and pulverized to greater than 85%, passing a 75-micron screen. Two pulps are prepared from each sample with one stream to Intertek Ghana for fire assay and a second to Australia where the sample is analysed by 52 element ICP/MS with an Aqua Regia digest. Blanks, duplicates, and certified reference material (standards) are being used to monitor laboratory performance during the analysis. All fire assay samples returning greater than 5 g/t gold are routinely Screen Fire Assayed, in the case of The Charger prospect lower than 5 g/t samples up and down hole from the high grade interval were also subject to Screen Fire Assays.

Mineralized Interval Calculations

Significant intervals reported in this news release are calculated downhole length weighted intercepts. For the Charger Prospect initial mineralized are calculated at a 0.2 g/t trigger and include internal waste of 3m for delineation mineralized zones. Included intervals are at 0.5, 1g/t and 5g/t trigger values with 3m of internal waste only.

Abbreviations Used in This Release

Ag silver Au gold Au Eq. Gold Equivalent Cu copper Cu Eq. Copper Equivalent g/t grams per tonne km kilometres m meters

Qualified Person

The technical and scientific information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr Chubb is the Company's Chief Executive Officer and holds an Economic Geology degree, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) and is a Member of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr Chubb has over 20 years of experience in international mineral exploration and mining project evaluation.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF

AWALE RESOURCES LIMITED

"Andrew Chubb"

Andrew Chubb, CEO For additional information you are invited to visit the Awale Resources Limited website at www.awaleresources.com, or contact Andrew Chubb CEO (+356) 99139117, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively "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. Forward-Looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to statements regarding, the Company's presence in Cote d'Ivoire and ability to achieve results, creation of value for Company shareholders, achievements under the Newmont JV, works on other properties, planned drilling, commencement of operations. Although the Company believes any 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. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-Looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
President Emmanuel Macron believes France and its Western and African allies "could have stopped" Rwanda's 1994 genocide but did not have the will to halt the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, the presidency said Thursday.

In a video message to be published Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide, Macron will emphasise that "when the phase of total extermination against the Tutsis began, the international community had the means to know and act", said a French presidential official, asking not to be named.

The president believes that at the time the international community already had historical experience of witnessing genocide with the Holocaust in World War II and the mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War I.

Macron will say that "France, which could have stopped the genocide with its Western and African allies, did not have the will" to do so, the official added.

The president will not be heading to Kigali to attend commemorations of the genocide this Sunday alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and France will instead be represented by Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne.

Macron, during a visit to Rwanda in 2021, recognised France's "responsibilities" in the genocide and said only the survivors could grant "the gift of forgiveness".

But he stopped short of an apology and Kagame, who lead the Tutsi rebellion that ended the genocide, has long insisted on the need for a stronger statement.

A historical commission set up by Macron also concluded in 2021 there had been a "failure" on the part of France under former leader Francois Mitterrand, while adding there was no evidence Paris was complicit in the killings.
President Emmanuel Macron believes France and its Western and African allies "could have stopped" Rwanda's 1994 genocide but did not have the will to halt the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, the presidency said on Thursday.

In a video message to be published on Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide, Macron will emphasise that "when the phase of total extermination against the Tutsis began, the international community had the means to know and act", a French presidential official said, asking not to be named.

The president believes that at the time, the international community already had historical experience of witnessing genocide with the Holocaust in World War II and the mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War I.

Macron will say that "France, which could have stopped the genocide with its Western and African allies, did not have the will" to do so, the official added.

The president will not be heading to Kigali to attend commemorations of the genocide this Sunday alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and France will instead be represented by Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne.

Macron, during a visit to Rwanda in 2021, recognised France's "responsibilities" in the genocide and said only the survivors could grant "the gift of forgiveness".

But he stopped short of an apology and Kagame, who led the Tutsi rebellion that ended the genocide, has long insisted on the need for a stronger statement.

A historical commission set up by Macron and led by historian Vincent Duclert also concluded in 2021 that there had been a "failure" on the part of France under former leader Francois Mitterrand, while adding that there was no evidence Paris was complicit in the killings.

Marcel Kabanda, president of the Ibuka France genocide survivor association, welcomed Macron's new message reported on Thursday.

"It goes even further than the Duclert report or his message in Kigali" in 2021, he said.

"I'm overjoyed he is giving France this positive image of a country that recognises its faults and grows through recognising its history," he said.

In his video message, Macron is to "reiterate the importance of the duty of remembrance, but also of developing and disseminating reference knowledge, in particular through the education of younger generations in France," the presidency said.
Augusta Mukasengoga

On the morning of April 7, 1994, she was hacked with a machete. Her husband and four of their children were killed. Only one daughter was saved in extremis. In her village in the east of the country, she never really got justice. It is only every April 7 that she reconnects with her community, to commemorate her loved ones.

Thirty years after the genocide, living together has reached an incredible stage. Good leadership has tried to stitch together the social fabric that was completely torn apart in 1994, and has brought victims and former executioners back together without vengeance, living together in this country. Its a kind of reconciliation made possible by laws and rules. It couldn't have been any other way: Rwanda needed to be a state governed by the rule of law, for once in its history.

But true reconciliation is also, and above all, the unconditional bond gradually forged between victim and perpetrator, previously separated by the great gulf that the genocide created. It was unimaginable. In some places, thanks to the joint efforts of charitable organizations, individuals and the State, we have seen repentant genocide perpetrators approach victims families and ask forgiveness. Victim-perpetrator associations and villages have sprung up. As for me, I'm still waiting for my executioners and those of my family. I can't do any better than that. But sometimes I try to forget all that.

Once, the executive secretary of my sector called to say why didn't I come to grant forgiveness. I complied, but asked that the meeting be held in the ruins of my former home. On the day, no one came. Is this reconciliation, asking survivors to forgive those who don't even ask for forgiveness? Reconciliation cannot be a one-way street. Otherwise, it would be superficial and fragile.

True reconciliation is achieved through concrete individual actions that lead to living together without suspicion, and finally to symbiosis. For some, it's not yet there, but its seeds have begun to grow, to sustain future generations.

Elina Ganza

Elina Ganza (not her real name), 29, born of her mothers gang rape as a young girl during the 1994 genocide, now lives with her mother in poverty in a central Rwandan village. Her only family are an aunt and uncle on her mother's side, and cousins. The greatest challenge for her, as for all the children of the Interahamwe (the militiamen that spearheaded the genocide), is reconciliation with herself, her mother and her family, with the help of the NGO Sevota. Other people come second, she says.

Now I finally understand that I don't have a father and it was not my mothers fault. We used to be at loggerheads, but when I found out what had happened to her, I forgave her. Sevota brought us closer, reconciled us and helped us bond.

I also know that if her sister and brother, survivors like her, rarely see her, it's because of me. They used to call me names too. I understand them, but they should understand me and their sister too. Understand that bad luck has befallen us all and that none of us is to blame. If there's one thing that comforts me, it's that today there are in effect no Hutus or Tutsis - everyone is Rwandan.

For me, reconciliation means the hope or guarantee that what happened will never happen again in our country, because of the culture of national unity. Where would we be today if the country had not opted for the path of living together? The future is bright!

Stephen Mico

Born in 1995 in a refugee camp in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, young Stephen (not his real name) is another of the thousands of children born to women raped during the genocide. His life has always been a struggle. While he has forgiven everyone, he has had to learn to take the first step towards reconciliation, even with his family.

"At school, even the teacher targeted me, calling me the Judas who doesn't talk or cry when he's beaten up! When I returned home, my aunts and uncles treated me the same way. I lived at my grandmothers, where my mother -- also stigmatized by the society  had left me as the child of the Interahamwe, the unloved one. Today, she's back and I've made peace with her.

With other people, I have to take the first step every time. With my cousins, my aunts and uncles, as if I were asking them to forgive me in place of my militiaman father, whom I don't even know. Thirty years on, even though there are no more bad words spoken about me, I feel that there is still unconfessed rejection and a label of undesirable stuck to me.

All in all, outside in the village everything is back to normal. It's not like ten years ago. I see survivors and genocide perpetrators sharing the same table. In some places, even weddings take place and cows are given to each other as in the old days. Nevertheless, some genocide perpetrators have shut themselves in silence, blocking the whole process. They hide the truth, even from their families and children. They are living 30 years in the past, before 1994.

Gerard Museruka

His extended family lived in Ntarama, in the Bugesera region southeast of Kigali. It was in a church of the same name, transformed into a memorial, that some of them were massacred and lie buried. This survivor knows nothing of how they died. Nothing has come out of the trials that could help him to find out and to reconcile.

Yes, we rub shoulders, but sometimes we have nothing to say to each other. We just live together. They themselves [genocide perpetrators] are ashamed of what they did to their neighbours. After prison, they returned to the village with no real repentance, and saw survivors there again. Some may feel remorse and shame, others may not. It's a peaceful cohabitation pending reconciliation, perhaps.

After such a genocide, I recognize that reconciliation is a long process and requires mechanisms, that it must be based on fair justice with reparation for the damage suffered and also with the clear conviction that what happened will never happen again. But the solid foundation is political will, and that's what protects everyone.

Marie Jeanne Gasengayire

She is the eldest of a family of seven children, four of whom were killed with her parents, including her mother who was killed by a neighbour in a terrible way. Marie Jeanne has never been to the gacaca trials, because she was dealing with the trauma. What about reconciliation? I don't know," she says, maybe later.

Do you think those people who killed our people really need to reconcile with us? I don't think they do. If that were the case, they would have made at least a small gesture, acknowledging what they did and so reconciling with themselves, before coming to us.

The fact that there were survivors seems to bother them, and I've resolved to live further away from my village. I know they don't want to see me. And I dont want to see them. Fortunately for them and for us, we live under the rule of law. And they know that the law protects everyone. Not like in 1994! If they're not ready, I'm not ready either. I don't know, maybe later it will be possible for our grandchildren.

Ruzigana Emmanuel

From his prison in Muhanga in central Rwanda, as the end approaches of his 30-year sentence for his role in the Tutsi genocide, former mayor of Nyamabuye (in the former prefecture of Gitarama) Ruzigana is already thinking about life on the outside. He has prepared for it with his guilty plea, which he says has already reconciled him with himself, his family and neighbours. His keywords are deeds, rather than just words.

When I see that former Tutsi neighbours often visit me, as well as my family, it touches my heart. Reconciliation is possible, its not a dream. But it requires moving from theory to practice. For me, I have to start with my own family first. Indeed, after 30 years of absence, even your wife or husband has changed, and your children have grown and changed. So it takes a psychological approach and support to re-establish harmony as husband and wife, parent and child. This is as true for me as it is for fellow inmates who are due to be released soon.

As for neighbours and victims, there's a real gulf between us created by the genocide, which neither side can bridge without the help of a third party. Then you have to use your imagination, and draw on Rwandan culture to find actions and tangible things that can bring you together and re-bond you. I'm thinking in particular of working together in the fields and other small gestures to support victims, who are often poor, in their daily lives.

Moise Nsengiyumva

This former teacher was sentenced to 15 years in prison for genocide. He still has a year to go before being released. Even though he pleaded not-guilty, he doesn't think he's far from reconciliation.

Here in prison, we have unity and reconciliation clubs, civic education sessions, and also Christian organizations like Prison Fellowship or Justice and Peace. All of this helps us move towards reconciliation. But there's another key factor: time heals and cleanses our brains.

Those who have committed genocide nevertheless deserve special support once they have returned to society, to help them gradually learn to live there again. I believe they need support to help them understand and resolve family problems that may lead them to commit further crimes -- problems linked in particular to what may have happened during detention. I'm thinking, for example, of certain women who have had extra-marital children, and of land issues.

On the outside, a lot of people are superficial, and this gives free rein to a facade of reconciliation. But if I can get some lucrative activities with victimized families that impact us all, that means instinctively we don't wish each other any harm and we protect each other.

Etienne Gatanazi

After the genocide, Etienne Gatanazi travelled the hills and valleys of Rwanda for many years, reporting on the genocide. He is one of a group of Rwandan court reporters who follow the post-genocide situation on a daily basis. He thinks what has happened in these hills, where life together has been resumed, is nothing short of a miracle from God.

After genocide, reconciliation is not always easy, but it is possible. Here, part of the population of the same country aimed to exterminate their neighbours. Thirty years on, in my opinion, the foundations for reconciliation have already been laid: a shared culture and language, inter-ethnic marriages and shared social values, which explain why Rwanda is already united.

So-called reconciliation villages have sprung up in the hills of Rwanda, where survivors and their torturers coexist. It was torture for the survivors in the early days, but it produced good results. Now former perpetrators and victims share the same fields, work and celebrate together.

After demons set Hutus against their Tutsi brothers in 1994, the God Imana of Rwanda descended and produced his miracle of reconciliation between enemy brothers. Anything is possible in the land of made-in-Rwanda solutions!

Rachel Mugorewase

At the age of 12, Rachel Mugorewase went into exile in what was then Zaire, with her family, some of whose members had committed genocide. She had been told their enemy was the Inkotanyi (fighters in the armed rebellion that seized power in Rwanda in July 1994), the Tutsi whom she would never marry. Back in Rwanda after a forced repatriation in 1997, she went through a total change of vision, and repentance. She tells of her complete integration. Better still, she married a genocide survivor. Today, this mother of two is busy running an NGO to reconcile former genocide perpetrators and victims, starting with her village.

When I was forcibly repatriated with thousands of other Hutus, I was surprised to see that they hadn't killed us but, on the contrary, had given us back our property. Listening to these Inkotanyi preach unity and reconciliation, I couldn't believe it. In the aftermath, I went back to school, up to university level on State funds. And then I got a job. There were no limits for me, because I was even part of the city leadership of Kigali, then on the Consultative Council of my native district Ruhango, right up to the present day.

Contrary to what I swore I'd never do, I married a Tutsi, a survivor of the 1994 genocide. I did this out of love! I'm fine with my in-laws, who give me gifts whenever I need them. I know that my case is not alone and, along with many others, it shows reconciliation is a living and promising reality.

Yet the ideology of genocide is still out there, lying dormant inside the country among people who have walled themselves in silence about their role in the genocide. Also in broad daylight, in the asylum countries that have taken in genocide suspects and their children. All this, added to the failure to return destroyed or looted property, fosters a climate of suspicion among genocide survivors and constitutes an inescapable barrier to true reconciliation.
In 2009 the UN Security Council established a special representative to address sexual violence in wars and violence against women in particular, then considered as the most silenced crime. Fifteen years later Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten talks to our partners at Asymmetrical Haircuts. It is no longer an invisible crime, she says in a vetted interview. In 2023, over 3,000 documented cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 21 countries were officially verified by her office, an increase of 49% from 2022. Survivors are breaking the silence, something you would not imagine 15 years ago, she says. Shame and stigma remains the main obstacle. Fear of reprisals and rejection, lack of trust in law and order institutions are others. And lack of access to information: thousands of cases are not reported or not verifiable.

Rape as a weapon of war has come to light once again during the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas combatants. Pattens recent report states there are reasonable grounds to believe Hamas and militants from Gaza perpetrated acts of sexual violence including rape and gang rape. Patten and her team also visited the occupied West Bank, where she said she received disturbing information from recently released Palestinian detainees and civil society organisations about threats of rape and prolonged forced nudity in detention settings. Patten also warns about a huge spike of sexual violence in the war-ridden Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that the UN receives reports on but is unable to verify. She will present her annual report to the United Nations Security Council this month.

Recommended reading Congo: Two top brass on trial for crimes against humanity in Kasai
As Kwak Dong Yeon's character is once again experiencing misery, fans make plea to let him have his happy ending.

Kwak Dong Yeon's K-Drama Characters' Unfortunate Fate

Kwak Dong Yeon is one of the versatile actors in the drama industry today. But despite playing interesting roles, most of the characters he portrayed did not have good endings.

To recall, in "Big Mouth," he transformed into the character of Jerry, a conman imprisoned with Park Chang Ho (Lee Jong Suk) and a huge fan of Big Mouse. Since he was a diehard fan of the notorious conman, he was loyal to Park Chang Ho as he thinks he is the real Big Mouse.

As the story progresses, Jerry attempts to save Chang Ho and gets into a serious car accident that took his life.

Kwak Dong Yeon has repeatedly played characters with unfortunate fates, either ending up dying or close to death. He portrayed Kim Byung Yeon in "Love in the Moonlight," a loyal guard who sacrificed himself to protect Crown Prince Lee Young (Park Bo Gum) after being slashed in the chest.

Fortunately, he recovered after suffering a wound.

One of his famous characters Jang Han Seo in the megahit drama "Vincenzo" also had an unfortunate ending.

In the finale episode of the smash-hit series, he died after trying to stop his villainous brother Jang Joon Woo (Ok Taecyeon). Han Seo was killed, and until his last breath, he chose to protect his friend and brother figure Vincenzo.

Fans Demand For Kwak Dong Yeon's Role in 'Queen of Tears' To Have Happy Ending

This 2024, as he is back with another interesting role as Hong Soo Chul, the younger brother of Hong Hae In (Kim Ji Won) in "Queen of Tears," viewers are dreading that he might have a sad ending too.

In the latest episode of the series, Hong Soo Chul's wife left him with their son. With only a letter, she left and flew to the States. Soo Chul was also in shock to see his family falling apart.

Now, as viewers watch him become miserable, people demand the production team to give his character have a happy ending.

Interestingly, prior to "Queen of Tears" premiere, fans expressed their sentiments online, saying how they wanted Kwak Dong Yeon to live happily ever after.

"I can't take it anymore, my fyp is full of Kwak Dong Yeon 's character crying for his son. Give his character a happy ending, please." "I'm tired of seeing him suffer." "Let this man have his happy ending." "This was so heartbreaking, I felt so sad for his character."

ik dongyeon wouldnt have chose this proj where he didn't have to serve! He definitely made me cry. This is so sad. He loved his wife n son so much. The way he tried to ride cycle but kept falling sir please #QueenOfTearsEp8#queenoftears #KwakDongYeon pic.twitter.com/1TjWsCnBTR    (@fictionfreak6) March 31, 2024

Meanwhile, viewers also acknowledge Kwak Dong Yeon's notable acting. Despite having minor roles, the actor always impresses the with his high-caliber acting.

"Kwak Dong Yeon is so good and underrated. He's a much better actor compared to half of K-dramaland's main actors recently. Give him main roles."

What can you say about Kwak Dong Yeon's role in "Queen of Tears"? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Shai San Miguel wrote this.
Christians carry a cross along the Via Dolorosa towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, during the Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City in this file photo by the Associated Press.


Friday, April 5, 2024 - There was drama after a driver stormed his workplace in Eastleigh, Nairobi, and locked himself in a godown, before threatening to die by suicide if he was not paid Sh 1.5 million owed to him.

The man reportedly locked himself in the godown that had some chemicals that he said he would use in his mission.

Police were called to the scene and established that the company owed him the said amount.

The officers negotiated with the man as he held perfumes and other chemicals, which he intended to use.

After negotiations, the driver agreed to stop his intended mission on condition the employer sent him a minimum of Sh450, 000 which was paid through his mobile phone.

He requested to talk to his boss upon receiving the cash and later opened the door.

He said he knew he had committed and offence and offered to be handcuffed.

He was arrested and taken away to the police cells.

The security officers said they were counseling him as part of efforts to address the issue.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.
Friday, April 5, 2024 - Detectives have arrested one of the suspects behind an armed robbery incident where a 26-year-old Somali businessman was shot in Eastleigh and robbed of Sh 3.9 million.

The suspect was trailed to Mombasa by a team of detectives and nabbed as he waited to buy a car for his personal use.

The suspect was arrested on Wednesday evening and placed at the scene of the robbery.

We have a suspect and he is being brought to Nairobi. The man had gone to buy a car in Mombasa using some of the cash robbed from the victim in hospital, said a detective aware of the probe.

Detectives are looking for more suspects in the attack that left the businessman with serious gunshot wounds.

The gang was riding on a motorbike when they struck and robbed the businessman of the cash.

The victim had intended to deposit the money at one of the banks at BBS Mall.

However, upon arrival, he discovered that the bank was closed and decided to return home, opting to ride a boda boda for convenience.

He did not know he was being pursued by the thugs who had prior information on the cash.

Watch the incident here in case you missed it

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Friday April 5, 2024 - The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has rejected President William Ruto's ambassadorial nominee to Kampala Uganda Joash Maangi over a housing saga in Nairobi.

The former Kisii Deputy Governor was informed of EACC's letter opposing his nomination while appearing before the vetting panel yesterday.

Maangi was confronted by a protracted case involving a company where he is a director and the National Housing Corporation.

According to the vetting committee chairperson, Belgut MP Nelson Koech, the company was paid for housing units in Langata which the anti-graft body is contesting.

We received a report from EACC and the issue raised was a recommendation to charge Joash Maangi in a matter related to the National Housing project, Koech stated

Following the raising of the objection, Kamkunji MP Yusuf Hassan questioned Maangi, wondering why he could not wait to clear the case before taking up the assignment.

The chair mentioned that EACC is investigating you, you are under investigation. A dark cloud is hanging over you.

"Would it not be better for you and your country that you stand aside and clear your name before taking the assignment? Yusuf posed.

Defending himself, Maangi confirmed that he was indeed a director at the firm flagged in the saga.

However, he insisted that if anyone is found culpable, the law should follow its course.

I am 100 percent innocent; this is a witch-hunt. I am confident I am a good citizen and ready to take up my assignment," Maangi insisted.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Friday, April 4, 2024 - Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has initiated a deliberate campaign to secure support from the Mount Kenya region, demonstrating a strategic move towards unifying the Kikuyu and Akamba communities.

On Thursday, Kalonzo held a meeting with the Kikuyu council of elders at Ruaka offices.

Kalonzo's agenda focused on bridging the historical gap between the Kikuyu and Kamba communities, advocating for their inclusion within the GEMA (Gikuyu, Embu, Meru, Akamba) framework.

He emphasized that his intentions surpassed mere political maneuvering, aiming instead for a society characterized by cohesion and harmony, transcending past divisions that have hindered progress.

Addressing the Kikuyu elders, Kalonzo urged them to embrace his unity bid, stressing the importance of solidarity amidst prevailing political uncertainties.

He pledged unwavering commitment to their cause, promising continued engagement and outreach to community leaders across the region.

He said that there would be no difference between the Kikuyu and Kamba communities.

Kalonzo called upon the Kikuyu elders to rally behind his unity bid aspirations, stressing the importance of solidarity amidst political uncertainty.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Friday, April 5, 2024 - Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is on the spot over a corruption scandal.

This is after Auditor General Nancy Gathungu caught him red-handed making irregular payments to a section of employees attached to his administration.

Gathungu was tracking the Nairobi County Government's spending in the Financial Year that ended June 2023, when he unearthed several discrepancies in staff remuneration.

In her report, the auditor general flagged irregular payments amounting to Ksh17 million made to 26 county workers.

According to the report, the allowances included; basic pay, rental, house supplementation, and service gratuity.

The report further pointed out that PAYE was not recovered from the salaries of 393 officers as required under the Income Tax Act.

Further, sixty-four (64) officers were paid arrears ranging between Ksh300,000 and Ksh6,779,220 all totalling Ksh82,340,479 during the financial year, read part of the report.

"The nature of the allowances totalling Ksh100,104,975 could not be determined," the report further read.

It was further revealed that about 252 employees were earning net salaries that were less than a third of their basic pay which contravenes the provisions of the Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service, 2016.

The provisions of the Human Resource Policy dictate that public officers shall not over-commit their salaries beyond two-thirds of their basic salaries.

Nairobi County government was also accused of going against the Disability Act, 2003 after the report revealed that only 167 employees out of 13,354 were categorized as persons with disabilities.

According to the Auditor General, this constitutes 1.25 per cent of the total employees which was below the recommended level of 5 per cent.

The Auditor General's findings come a month after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) opened investigations into the misappropriation of funds amounting to billions at the Nairobi City Hall between 2016 and 2019.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Friday, April 5, 2024 - United Democratic Alliance Secretary General Cleophas Malala has come to the defence of President William Ruto, following an uproar over the appointment of two board chairs of government institutions to party positions.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday, Malala maintained that Ruto did not break any law in appointing Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) board chair Anthony Mwaura and Kenya Power board chair Joy Mdivo to positions related to the party primaries.

Mwaura was appointed as the chair of the National Elections Board while Mdivo was appointed to the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee.

In his statement, Malala maintained that the duo were not state officers despite serving as board chairs in government positions.

He cited that the party and the President considered the definition of state officer as outlined in the constitution before making the appointments.

Further, he explained that the appointment and remuneration of board chairs were done differently from all other government employees.

"Importantly the requirement for one to become a board chairperson under the law is that one should not be a public officer. Board chairpersons are appointed by the president discretionally and they are not enumerated as employees of the institutions that they chair," Malala stated.

UDA made the appointment of the duo in readiness for the party primaries set to commence this month.

The response by the UDA party comes after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga called on the duo to resign from their government positions, citing a conflict of interest.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Friday, April 5, 2024 - Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula have been engaged in a high-stakes power struggle for the heart of Western Kenya.

What began as a clash of egos, has now escalated into an all-out war for supremacy in the vote-rich Western region.

The latest salvo in this ongoing feud came as Natembeya clarified that the rift between him and Speaker Wetangula is not personal but rather a fundamental divergence in opinion and perspective.

Speaking during an interview, Natembeya minced no words in criticizing the Ford Kenya Party Leader, accusing Wetangula of exploiting the Luhya community for personal political gains.

"When he claims to continue the journey started by Masinde Muliro and Wamalwa Kijana, does he truly understand the essence of that journey?" Natembeya questioned.

"He is leveraging our people to consolidate power.

"He rallies supporters by boasting about his influence, yet fails to utilise it for the development of our region," Natembeya asserted, shedding light on what he perceives as Wetangula's opportunistic approach to politics.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Friday, April 5, 2024 - Prime suspect in Sh151 million scam where two containers filled with sand declared as Tantalum minerals were intercepted in the port of Mombasa has been arrested by the Operations Support Unit (OSU) of the DCI moments after touch down from Entebbe, Uganda.

Ulundu Patrick Lumumba Alias Gabriel Kulonda Alias Lumumba Patrick Byarufu was cornered along Harambee Avenue in Nairobi, minutes after evading detection by Immigration officials at JKIA where a Stop Order had been placed on his passport number OPO256544 in the names of Gabriel Kulonda Ilungu.

Determined to sneak back into the country and further his felonious activities, the suspect used a Ugandan Interstate pass card no. 020841009 in the name of Lumumba Patrick Byarufu, and upon arrest was also found in possession of yet another Congolese Passport number OPO792312 in the name of Patrick Ulundu Lumumba.

In the case he is implicated, a female Chinese national lost Sh151 million to the suspect's machinations after one of three containers declared to contain tantalum minerals was opened in China, only to be found loaded with drums of sand, triggering investigations at the port of Mombasa, the transit route.

In the preliminary stages, two 20ft containers also containing sand had been found at the Mombasa port, before hawk-eyed sleuths intercepted a third one (40ft) at a warehouse still at the port. Surprisingly, the 40ft container had passed the entire verification process without any documentation. This totalled six, containers of sand declared as tantalum minerals.

Detectives have since discovered that already, two more containers had already been cleared and shipped to Dubai, and efforts are underway to have them intercepted. Some port officials believed to have compromised security checks to facilitate the illegal transactions are also being investigated.

But through the quick intervention of OSU hawkshaws, the ring of scammers never lived to reap as much as they had fraudulently worked for after the bank account in which the Sh151 million was deposited was frozen. However, the syndicate had already obtained over Sh49 million along the way by working with suspected rogue bank officials who are under active investigations.

Even as investigations regarding the fake consignment continue, a court battle between OSU detectives and influential members of the scamming ring is underway, as they fight to have the intercepted millions wired to accounts recently opened with a local bank.

The suspect will be arraigned this morning at Milimani Law Courts.

























The Kenyan DAILY POST.
Friday, April 5, 2024 - Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called on the government to move with speed and resolve the doctors strike.

Speaking during the ODM party's Central Management Committee meeting, Raila raised concern over how the government was addressing the matter.

He said Kenyans continued to suffer from a lack of access to essential healthcare services.

We see an equally pedestrian and dismissive approach to the doctors strike and its impact on ordinary Kenyans.

"There seems to be neither commitment nor capacity by the government to resolve the matter, Raila said.

He called on the government to respect and implement the 2021 court ruling which directed the Ministry of Health and the 47 county governments to implement the Basic Salary as per the agreed, signed, and registered CBA of 2017-21.

In line with the demands of the striking doctors, the government must ring-fence health finances by operationalising the Facility Improvement Fund, he said.

He further supported the call by doctors for the government to Allocate 15 percent of the budget to health and devolve the resources to the counties.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Friday, April 5, 2024  Former Prime Minister Raila Odingas ODM has condemned the recent attack on Busia Senator Omtatahs house, saying every Kenyan should be guaranteed their safety.

Omtatahs rural home was raided by armed goons on Wednesday night, who beat his wife up after missing the Senator.

In a statement, ODM called on President William Rutos government to launch investigations into the incident.

We condemn in the strongest terms possible the continued harassment of the Senator of Busia Okiya Omtatah the latest being the raid on his rural home by unknown people who were demanding to know his whereabouts.

"Every Kenyan including leaders must be guaranteed their safety at all times. We call on the government to move quickly and investigate the claims, ODM stated.

Separately, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai also raised concern over the raid on Omtatahs house.

In a statement via X, Alai wondered why the National Assembly and Senate minority leadership is yet to condemn the attack on Omtatahs home.

The ODM MCA also questioned why politicians are not speaking out against the attacks.

Senator Okiya Omtatah was attacked some days back. Recently, armed goons probably hired by the governor raided his home looking to hurt him.

"We dont have any single comment from the Minority Leadership in Senate and National Assembly. Something is wrong with the countrys political leadership.

"Dont we have principled politicians who can speak out against such? Alai posed.

The armed goons reportedly harassed Omtatahs relatives and beat up his sister-in-law demanding to know the whereabouts of the Busia senator.

The first-time senator was not at home at the time of the incident as he had traveled to Nairobi.

The incident comes days after Omtatah was attacked by goons moments after leaving the Busia Law Courts.

His vehicle was damaged during the attack but they managed to run to the Busia Agricultural Training College (ATC) for refuge.

The attack came after Omtatah sued Ruto over the draconian Housing Levy.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, April 5, 2024  The Government of President William Ruto has now shifted the blame over the ongoing doctors strike to his enemies.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura stated that the ongoing doctors' strike is politically instigated to sabotage the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).

Mwaura said there was no explanation for the doctors to continue striking after the government committed to allocate Sh2.4 billion towards the deployment of medical interns.

It only leads to one conclusion that there may be a political motive in sabotaging the Social Health Act and the Universal Health Coverage. There is no way you can explain, said Mwaura.

The government spokesperson noted that the government is to negotiate with Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials to end the strike.

There were 19 issues and they have been classified 6 for national and 9 for counties. Counties are willing to handle their own issues, national government is willing to handle its own issues. We are obeying the court orders, in fact they are the ones breaching the orders, Mwaura added.

Doctors downed their tools on March 15 demanding over the governments failure to post medical interns and the health ministrys non-adherence to the medics 2017 CBA.

Despite being offered the Sh2.4 billion to facilitate the immediate deployment and posting of the 2023/24 cohort of medical student interns, KMPDU officials rejected the offer maintaining that the 2017-21 CBA must be honored in totality.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, April 5, 2024 - Bishop Charles Muturi of the Anglican Church of Kenya has done what many wouldnt do.

This is after he declined the nomination by Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi to sit at the Kabete Municipal Board, citing conflict of interest.

In a letter addressed to the Kiambu County Government, the bishop explained that he could not accept the offer per the priestly rules which dictate that a sitting bishop cannot hold a public office.

Bishop Muturi expressed delight in the opportunity and lauded the governor for the recognition.

"That pursuant to the provisions of the Provincial Constitution of the Anglican Church of Kenya; the Resolutions of the Anglican Church of Kenya Provincial Synods and after consultation with the Diocesan Chancellor; a sitting Bishop cannot (by ecclesiastical rules) hold a public office," the statement read in part.

"That due to the aforementioned rationale under Number 2 above, the Bishop politely declines the offer to submit his documents or appeal before the Sectoral Committee of Planning and Urbanization for the hearing (vetting) process which is due on April 9, 2024, at 9:00 am at the County Assembly Buildings."

Last month, Governor Wamatangi nominated 74 individuals for approval by the county assembly slated for April 9, 2024.

Following Bishop's announcement, Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa commended Muturi for his decision to decline the nomination.

He claimed that the appointment by Governor Wamatangi was an attempt to deflect the attention away from the challenges facing the county leadership.

He appealed to the governor to select a suitable candidate from the wide pool of talented youth from the county who possessed the requisite skills but lacked the opportunity.

The Kenyan DAILY POST


Friday, April 5, 2024 - Kisii County Governor, Simba Arati, has attacked President William Rutos sycophants who have been questioning his academic credentials.

Speaking at a public function in Kisii County on Thursday, Arati said he had nothing to hide about his academic credentials because they are genuine.

The ODM governor said he is ready to prove his critics wrong by making public classmates and his master's degree thesis.

"I can show you who I went to university with. I can show you my thesis. I can show you the lecturers who taught me.

"You cannot win on this one. I have enough proof, so find something else to talk about. Not my academic credentials, Arati stated.

"Mark my words, come 2027, I will win with over 300k votes. If you are men enough, go to Nairobi and win an MP seat. You can't.

"I defeated you by a huge margin in 2022. I will do the same in 2027," Arati added.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, April 5, 2024  That Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya hates National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula is not in doubt.

The two have been embroiled in a high-stakes power struggle for the heart of Western Kenya.

Natembeya and Wetangula have clashed in rallies, and now their differences have escalated into an all-out war for supremacy in the vote-rich Western region..

But why the bad blood between the sons of the Mulembe Nation?

According to reports, Natembeya hates Wetangula because he tried to trick him into abandoning his ambitions to join politics.

According to the former Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, Wetangula had attempted to dissuade him from entering politics before the 2022 polls, purportedly to clear the path for Wetangula's preferred candidate, Chris Wamalwa of Ford Kenya.

In exchange, Wetangula allegedly promised Natembeya a cabinet position in the Kenya Kwanza government.

"He is uncompromising and authoritarian.

"He imposes his agenda without room for negotiation.

"Disagreeing with him often results in intimidation tactics," Natembeya lamented, shedding light on the contentious nature of their relationship.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba the Chief of Defense Force (CDF) has eulogised Brig. Gen. Stephen Kiggundu for his professional and passionate service to Uganda

General Muhoozi, says the late Deputy Commander of Air Force, Brig. Gen. Kiggundu played an instrumental role in restoring and maintaining peace and security in the country.

His eulogy was delivered by Major General Leopold Kyada at the burial of the late Brig Gen Kiggundu, which was held on Thursday evening at his ancestral home in Masindi District.

The UPDF is saddened by the loss of such a senior and professional officer whose input was still much needed. We, therefore, join the family, relatives, and friends at this most difficult time to mourn the fallen comrade whom we shall always remember, he noted.

Brig Gen Kiggundu died on March 31, 2024, at his official residence in Entebbe. He was reportedly electrocuted in his bathroom.

Brig Gen Kiggundu joined the forces on July 27, 1999, and was commissioned to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant on May, 29, 2002, and served in various capacities until 2022 when he was promoted to the rank of Brig Gen, under which he served until his death.
The Rwanda High Commission in Uganda has laid out a number of activities for the 30th commemoration of the Rwandan genocide.

In Uganda, the commemorations shall be held on April 20, 2024, in Ggolo Genocide Memorial Site, Mpigi District.

Addressing journalists ahead of the commemorations at the Rwanda High Commissioner in Kampala, Rwandan Ambassador to Uganda Joseph Rutabana said this years commemoration marks a generational cycle since the Genocide was put to an end, and is an opportune time for a call to reflect on the transformational journey that Rwanda has undergone for the last years.

He said that, the mourning period will commence on April 7 nationwide for 100 days, up to July 3 2024, adding that the High Commission will also engage in different activities that, will include a public Lecture on April 17 to be held in partnership with Makerere University.

Over 700 guests are expected to attend, among others including the Rwanda community in Uganda, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, academia, religious institutions, and genocide survivors among other.

Genocide commemorations in Uganda are significant because over 10,900 bodies of victims were buried at different sites including Lambu in Masaka District and Kasensero in Rakai District among others.

According to the BBC, President Emmanuel Macron has said that France and other countries could have stopped the 1994 Rwandan genocide, where ethnic Hutu extremists killed more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. This, he says in a video message set to be aired during the 30th commemoration of the Rwandan genocide on Sunday.

The event is set to be attended by several international guests including French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and ex-US President Bill Clinton.
Police in Kampala have kicked off investigations into a fire that broke out at Cafe Bravo Restaurant, Uganda House, along Kampala Road

Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson says the Fire Prevention and Rescue Services responded to a fire outbreak at Uganda House on Kampala Road suspected to have ignited at about 5am on Friday.

Our dedicated team from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Services promptly arrived at the scene and successfully contained the fire before it could spread further throughout the building, he noted.

He says although no injuries have been registered, there has been significant damage to the property.

Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or fatalities resulting from the incident, Owoyesigyire revealed.

He adds that investigations into the cause of the fire outbreak are currently underway, to establish cause.
Joint security agencies, led by the Counter Terrorism Unit, have urged Ugandans to refrain from politicizing the upcoming Kabakas birthday run scheduled for Sunday, April 7, 2024.

At a press briefing held at Bulange-Mengo, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, emphasized that the event is a cultural celebration that is expected to attract over 100,000 participants. He assured the public that security will be provided for everyone in attendance.

The Minister for Youth, Sports, and Talent in the Buganda kingdom, Mr. Robert Sserwanga, urged participants to arrive on time, as gates will open at precisely 5:00 am.

In a display of support, various companies and politicians have purchased participant kits. These contributions include Shs50 million from the office of the national chairman led by Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, Shs12 million from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and Shs5 million from the Uganda Red Cross, among others.
The Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) in DRC has briefed the United Nations (UN)Military Staff Committee on progress made in DRC during a meeting held at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.

According to the deputy Defence spokesperson, Col Deo Akiiki, the meeting aimed at updating the UN Military Staff Committee on the progress and situation of Operation Shujaa in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Maj Gen Dick Olum, the Commander of the Mountain Division that is part of the forces fighting Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Eastern DRC, recounted achievements to include redeeming the population from slavery under the ADF spell, stopping the insurgents from making hit-and-run attacks, IED emplacement, infiltration from the area, laying ambushes, attacking civilians and attacking motorists along public roads.

The joint force has rescued, rehabilitated, and reintegrated a number of minor soldiers with their families and increased socio-economic activity owing to the peace and stability ushered in by the military operation. There has also been recorded an increase in the cross-border trade between the DRC and Uganda owing to the good roads and security. ADF has lost substantive weaponry, and a good number of the insurgents have been put out of action, he said.

Maj Gen Olum expressed commitment to continue with the strategic military operation and reactivate operations in former ADF bases to stop the enemy from reverting to their former bases.

The ADF is an international issue that stretches beyond the shared border between Uganda and the DRC. The entire Great Lakes Region ought to get interested in the annihilation of the Islamic extremist insurgent outfit before it spreads to all the other countries in the region, Maj Gen Olum said.

Meanwhile, the head of the UN Military Staff Committee, Col Carl Harris, said that now the committee has a clear picture of the situation in Eastern DRC.

We have got a much better understanding of what Uganda and DRC forces are doing in Eastern DRC, the current operations they are undertaking and the fierce conditions in which they are fighting; the contribution they are making to establish more excellent stability and security in Eastern DRC, he noted.
New Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has said he wants to bring finality to an ongoing controversy around Irish national broadcaster RTE.

Mr Harris, who is due to become taoiseach on Tuesday, said he was keeping an open mind on the future funding model for public-service broadcasting, but added that he did not want to see an increased licence fee.

He told reporters that he wanted overdue reports from the Governments independent expert review panels into governance and culture at RTE to brought to Cabinet quickly.

Mr Harris said one of his first acts as taoiseach would be seeking an updated timeline for the reports into the cash-strapped broadcaster.

He said: I think the constant kind of drama that has been going on in relation to RTE needs to end.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway, he said a decision on the future funding model for public-service broadcasting would be settled by the summer recess, but added that reforms should allow for other broadcasters to benefit.

He said: I think there are two options  you can do direct Exchequer funding, or you can do a better collected TV licence system.

Quite frankly, all of its paid by taxpayers, all of its paid by the people we represent in Dail Eireann.

So, I have an open mind in relation to that  I have heard people express views of concern in relation to direct Exchequer funding but I certainly wouldnt like to see a situation where the TV licence fee would increase and I do think with better collection mechanisms, it is possible for that not to happen.

Asked if local broadcasters or independent stations like Virgin Media could be given more public money following reforms, Mr Harris said: I also do think in reforming public-service broadcasting, we should once and for all address the broader definition of public-service broadcasting and make sure that others can benefit.

The Cabinet is awaiting the recommendations of two reports that were commissioned by Minister Catherine Martin at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Elsewhere in that departmental portfolio, Mr Harris admitted he speaks very little Irish but said he intends to brush up on the language.

He added that the Government needs to do more to promote Irish.
St Canices Credit Union has launched its Community Connect Fund as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations.

The fund will support capital projects that will have a lasting and positive effect on our community and is now accepting applications. The closing date is May 31, 2024.

Organisations interested in applying for support from the Community Connect Fund can access the application form on the St Canices Credit Union website. The Credit Union is seeking projects that demonstrate sustainability, address a recognised community need and align with St Canices Credit Unions ethos and values.

CEO of St Canices Credit Union Carmel Butler is looking forward to hearing from groups and societies across the region.

The last time we opened our Community Connect Fund, we were so impressed with the applications we received. The range of initiatives and standard of the work being carried out in communities across our common bond is phenomenal," she said.

With an allocation of 100,000 in 2024, the Community Connect Fund is poised to make a meaningful impact within the common bond area. This area encompasses branches in High Street in Kilkenny, Bagenalstown, Callan, Piltown, Graignamanagh, Ballyragget, Durrow, Mountrath, and Rathdowney.

St Canices is one of the largest community Credit Unions in Ireland with an asset size of over 475 million and a broad array of products ranging from term deposit accounts to current accounts and right up to Mortgages. As St Canices has grown and its membership expanded, significant effort has been made to ensure the Credit Union remains focused on its commitment to be a community focused not for profit organisation.

The Community Connect Fund is just one of the ways we give back to our members and it is only possible through the support of those members who continue to use the Credit Union as their financial provider of choice in record numbers," said Carmel Butler.

In previous years, the fund has supported a wide range of initiatives spanning sports, social inclusion, healthcare, and everything in between. It is anticipated that once again in 2024, there will be a diverse range of groups awarded funding. Community groups of all sizes and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

If any applicants have further questions or require assistance, they can reach out to St Canices Credit Union at 056-7722042 and ask for the marketing department.

The very best of luck to all who take the time to apply.
Over 160 young delegates from Comhairle na nOg (local youth councils) across Ireland recently met in Dail Eireann to debate the critical issue of mental health, one of the biggest topics of concern to young people in Ireland, particularly since the pandemic.

Mental health was identified by over 3,000 young people across Comhairle na nOg as their priority issue for discussion in advance of the day, which they feel that the Government should do more to address.

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic OGorman has thanked the Ceann Comhairle and the Houses of the Oireachtas Citizen Engagement Team for working with his Department to make Dail na nOg 2024 happen.

"I know that Minister Foley and her officials have engaged very positively with the outgoing National Executive on their topic of Relationships and Sexuality education," he said.

"I am also grateful to Minister Butler for attending to hear directly about the mental health issue selected by all the Comhairli na nOg for debate by their delegates to Dail na nOg.

"The incoming National Executive will work on this issue over their two year term, and the support of Minister Butler and officials in the Department of Health will be a critical element in the impact they can have."

Dail na nOg, Irelands National Youth Parliament, now in its 22nd year, tackled a range of issues related to mental health, including body image, school stress, and mental health services.

The biennial parliament, which provides a platform for young people to speak about and make recommendations on the issues that most affect them, was hosted by the Ceann Comhairle, Sean O Fearghail, who chaired the Opening Session in the Dail Chamber.

There were closing remarks in the chamber from Minister of State for Mental Health & Older People, Mary Butler.

Delegates from Comhairle na nOg - representing each of the 31 local authorities across Ireland  filled the committee rooms in Leinster House where they took part in workshops to debate the three mental health topics.

Discussions were held around how mental health affects the lives of young people in their communities and what changes need to be implemented to address these challenges and improve the experiences of young people in Ireland.

Following a formal vote in the afternoon where delegates processed through the lobbies of the Dail, school stress was selected as the priority topic.

This will inform the work of the incoming Comhairle na nOg National Executive 2024-2026, who are tasked with advocating for policy change in this area during their tenure.

Dail na nOg is organised by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in association with members of Houses of the Oireachtas and Government.

Dail na nOg is an initiative of the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and was first established in 2001.

The topic of school stress voted on at Dail na nOg will form the basis of the incoming Comhairle na nOg National Executives formal workplan for the next two years.

The National Executive is made up of one representative from each of the 31 Comhairli na nOg and follows up on the recommendations from Dail na nOg to make changes for young people in those areas.

The National Executive has a term of office of two years and meets once a month, and is facilitated and supported by the National Participation Office and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth who ensure that they get the opportunity to engage with appropriate Ministers, policy-makers, Oireachtas Committees and other decision-makers.
Stuff reports:

New Zealands biggest ocean sanctuary is dead in the water, in a Winston Peters deal that has blindsided the Greens. The 620,000 sq km Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary, announced by John Key at the United Nations in 2015, was hailed around the world and passed its first reading in Parliament unopposed. But fishing companies and iwi bodies filed legal action opposing it, saying the sanctuary would deny them fishing rights agreed in Treaty settlements.

Even though basically no-one actually fishes there!

NZ First, whose senior MPs are close to the fishing industry and whose campaign was partly bankrolled by players in the fishing industry, demanded Labour stop the sanctuary. And it is understood Jacinda Ardern agreed a Labour-NZ First government would not progress legislation to establish the sanctuary in this three-year Parliamentary term.

So Jacinda did a deal with NZ First to appease the NZ First corporate donors!

The Kermadec sanctuary was one of the dealbreakers that swung negotiations in Labours favour.

So they sold out the worlds largest marine sanctuary in order to gain power from Mr 7%. How does that fit with the values they talk about so much.

She told Stuff she was not aware of the Kermadec sanctuary being killed off. We have yet to see the coalition agreement between Labour and New Zealand First, she said. Im not going to comment on speculation and rumour.

So we have a Mickey Mouse Government of three parties where they dont even know what each party has agreed!

But fishing industry spokesman Charles Hufflett, a shareholder in family fishing company Solander, said the industry had lobbied NZ First to stop the sanctuary.

A big win for the fishing industry and a blow for conservation.

NZ First leader Winston Peters and senior MP Shane Jones are intimately involved with the fishing industry. Fishing industry players associated with Talleys, Sealord, Simunovich and Vela Fishing have all donated to their campaigns, either this election or previously.

Winston is loyal to his donors.

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Haimona Gray writes:

This is how I feel about Maori media  if Maori were only informed by Maori media they would be intellectually starved to the point of mind rot. They would also have to listen to a lot of white men telling them whats good for Maori. For them, but really for them. These shows exist to make left-wing pakeha feel good about themselves for tuning in. They do this by pitching shows directly at an audience that wants loud voices who will play the notes they expect to hear. In a Te Ao with Moana panel debate on who sets the election narrative, the panel of four people was half pakeha men. This weeks Te Ao episode covered the Treaty Principles Bill. To discuss it they brought on former Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson (pakeha man, but hugely respected in Maoridom), Matthew Hooton (pakeha man), Max Harris (pakeha man), and Heather Came (pakeha woman). This is a show on Maori Television, which receives public funding to produce Maori focused content. This is also a show where host Moana Maniapoto asked (pakeha) NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson is the media just talking to itself? I would answer with a resounding yes, you are, and youre choosing to do so by prioritising ideology over Maori voices you or your audience might not agree with.

They are not alone there.

Re: News  the most recent of Radio NZs expensive failed experiments in youth news  announced it was partnering with M9 for a Maori TED-style series. This would include nine Maori leaders discussing the role of Te Tiriti in the future of Aotearoa. These nine guests included a current Maori Party MP, a former Maori Party MP, the son of a current Maori Party MP, a former head of Greenpeace who was forced to resign as Human Rights Commissioner for disparaging Police, and an anti-dairy farming activist. Do you see a pattern? More specifically, do you see how this contributes to a racist idea of Maori as a hivemind? While Ill never condone celebrating people losing their jobs, Im not sure we as taxpayer dollars were getting any value from a media outlet so aggressively slanted and one which sees this as a balanced coverage of Maori thought. An argument given to me by the hosts and producers of these shows is well we cant find different voices and there arent a lot of Maori who can speak eloquently about politics who arent affiliated to a political party on the left  we must have you on! Spoiler alert: they never do.

Diversity in everything except thought!

While James maiden speech was correctly lauded for its eloquence, his most powerful message was that there isnt just one way to be Maori. He talked about how he is from simple straightforward people, and that his father had never set foot on the North Island. This is the real reason why James, who was long known about and rated highly by political dorks like myself  He is not the son of a current Maori Party MP. Not the heir to a Maori political dynasty like the Henares or Harawiras or Jacksons. He does not owe his place in life to whanau connections, and therefore he is not on the radar of those who gate keep these shows and use their influence to advocate for their own politics and a Maoridom weighed down by nepotism. In his speech James said, members opposite do not own Maori. This is the issue facing Maori media  they have become so narrowly focused, so beholden to nepotistic practices, so jobs for the bros it doesnt matter if the bros arent Maori and/or if the show is publicly funded to be. They cant see how this is hurting Maoridom, that we are metaphorically starving our youth while feeding others to the point of creating a slovenly elite thats so out of touch it would rather hear pakeha voices in Maori spaces than Maori who may challenge them.

Just because most Maori vote centre-left doesnt mean all Maori do. And the current Cabinet is over one third Maori.

This is the issue  who gets to be Maori in the media is so deeply gate kept that the Maori experience is filtered through a lens so coloured by political bias and privilege that it bears no resemblance to the real views of many Maori. This wouldnt be a problem if there was a diversity of opinions shown, but the regularity of Simon Wilson or Martyn Bradbury appearances highlight the sad reality that these are media pitching a singular point of view. One that is not Maori, just aristocratic. Thats the way these gatekeepers want to keep it.

A challenge for the Maori media.

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Radio NZ report:

Sir John Keys dream of a vast ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands has finally died, with work on legislation scrapped by the coalition government. The proposal was announced in 2015 by the then-prime minister to great international fanfare but quickly ran into opposition. A backlash from fishing companies and iwi bodies saw it put on ice and ongoing opposition from the Maori Party and New Zealand First also prevented progress. In a statement on Thursday, Fisheries Minister and NZ First MP Shane Jones said all work on the proposal would be stopped and the legislation removed from Parliaments to-do list.

This is very disappointing. The legislation for this was supported by all 120 MPs at first reading. But then Te Pati Maori objected to it, and it stalled as they tried to get agreement. Then at the 2017 election, NZ First went with Labour partly because they would promise not to push through the sanctuary.

And now it is officially dead.

The proposed sanctuary would have been one of the largest in the world. It wouldnt actually have negatively impacted fishing as marine sanctuaries allow fish populations to grow, and they move into non sanctuary areas. Also the level of commercial fishing in the Kermadecs was minuscule  an average of $109,000 a year.

If it was put to a vote in Parliament there would be over 100 MPs in favour. But both Te Pati Maori and NZ First have successfully blocked it and now killed it.

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The Missouri Delta Chi chapter posted a vigil flyer on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, inviting the public to MU's campus to honor the life of Riley Strain.

As featured on 2:44 Vigil held for late MU student Riley Strain Strain's fraternity held a candlelight vigil Thursday at Traditions Plaza, on MU's campus.
Daleel, Menas pioneering financial marketplace, has successfully secured investments from Hambro Perks Spring Studios and Flat6Labs UAE, Menas seed and early-stage venture capital firm.

Hambro Perks Spring Studios is a venture builder backed by Al Waha Fund of Funds and the global investment firm Hambro Perks.

Daleels platform is focused on helping everyday individuals find the best financial products for themselves and help banks and financial institutions leverage deep insights to acquire customers more effectively.

Financial services

By creating a seamless and connected financial journey, Daleel is revolutionising the landscape of financial services in the region, empowering both consumers and financial institutions alike to make informed decisions and achieve financial success.

The company's vision, led by its CEO - PK Shrivastava, COO - Ridaa Shah, and CCO - Dania Alshowaikh, is to narrow the gap between consumers and financial institutions, aiming to actualise personalised financial products in the region. Daleel, PK's second venture in the region and fourth in fintech, builds upon the co-founders' experience in scaling Tarabut as the largest open banking platform in Mena. With this background, Daleel is poised to transform customer acquisition for financial institutions and empower consumers in their financial choices across the region.

The investment round will enable Daleel to launch significant financial partnerships, which are crucial to the company's growth strategy. Furthermore, the investment will support Daleel's expansion initiatives in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, enabling the company to expedite its growth and obtain an Open Banking licence.

Credible investors

Shrivastava said: We are ecstatic to have secured investment from credible investors like Hambro Perks Spring Studios and Flat6Labs. This investment is a testament to our potential and the faith that key players in the industry have in our vision. It will enable us to forge significant financial partnerships and obtain the Open Banking licence, crucial to our growth strategy. I am incredibly excited about these developments and look forward to the transformative journey ahead for Daleel."

Zainab Khamis, the Head of HP Spring Studios, said: We at HP Spring Studios are excited to support the launch of Daleel, a financial marketplace in the Mena region. This transformative step for the financial sector exemplifies our commitment to empowering and bolstering local startups. We firmly believe in Daleel's innovative approach, which promises not only to empower consumers but also to stimulate considerable economic growth in the region. Our commitment to Daleel's success symbolises our dedication to fostering positive change and development in the region's fintech landscape in Bahrain.

Ryaan Sherif, General Manager of Flat6Labs UAE, said: "At Flat6Labs, our dedication to investing in FinTech companies that disrupt traditional paradigms is unwavering. This recent investment in Daleel exemplifies our belief in fostering innovation within the financial sector. By operating a marketplace with deep insights into consumer spending habits and leveraging open banking, Daleel ensures both financial institutions and consumers have access to the best offerings on the market."--TradeArabia News Service
South Korea, the United States and Japan co-hosted an informal U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting Thursday to highlight North Korea's evolving cyberthreats, in a show of their unity following Russia's veto to terminate a U.N. expert panel monitoring compliance with anti-Pyongyang sanctions.

The three UNSC members led the session a week after Russia vetoed a resolution on the annual renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts. Absent the resolution, its mandate is set to end April 30.

The UNSC event, called the Arria formula meeting, marked the council's first discussions focusing on the North's illicit cyber activities. It came amid concerns that Pyongyang has been using cyberattacks and other online methods to evade sanctions, steal technologies and virtual assets, and generate revenue to bankroll its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs.

South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Hwang Joon-kook called North Korea a "textbook" example of illicit cyber activities and cybercrimes that he said can pose additional challenges to the global non-proliferation architecture.

"A textbook example in this regard is the DPRK's malicious cyber activities," he said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"About 40 percent of the DPRK's WMD programs are funded by its illicit cyber activities, according to the panel's report. Over 50 member states have now been directly affected by DPRK-backed hacker groups that have breached networks of foreign banks and crypto agencies," he added.

Hwang also cited the panel's finding that the North's cyber activities generate about 50 percent of its foreign currency income, effectively evading the UNSC sanctions.

"The DPRK's elite hackers have been illicitly acquiring intellectual property from major defense companies, including from those of their closest allies, to develop WMD programs and their delivery systems," he added.

His citation of the panel's report appears to accentuate the important role of the panel in laying bare the North's ill-intended activities in cyberspace and other domains.

Hwang called for international cooperation to address transnational cybersecurity challenges, including at the UNSC.

"The Security Council should fulfill its responsibility by actively engaging in the agenda of cybersecurity, laying the ground for more effective responses," he said.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed the U.S.' concerns about the North's "malicious" cyberattacks as she also cited the panel's report on 17 cryptocurrency heists last year, for which the North might be responsible, with losses valued at more than $750 million.

"Let's be clear that it's not just that this money was stolen," she said. "Revenue from the DPRK cyber operations ... directly funds its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs to say nothing of the DPRK cyber operations aimed at intimidating North Korean escapees."

Thomas-Greenfield also underscored ongoing collaboration with partner countries to address cyberthreats.

"The U.S. is working with like-minded countries to highlight and condemn disruptive, destructive and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace, including that of the DPRK," she said. "But more than that, we are working to stop this behavior in its tracks."

Japanese Ambassador to the U.N. Kazuyuki Yamazaki also called attention to the expert panel's report on North Korea's cyber activities while saying it is "highly regrettable" that Russia vetoed the resolution on the panel's mandate.

"With greater access to advanced cyber technology, states could misuse such tools to illicitly finance their weapons programs or they could simply steal the blueprints for weapons," he said. "One notorious example is North Korea's WMD and missile program." (Yonhap)
The results of the ongoing boycott of J-Hope's newest album have divided ARMYs online.

Read more about what happened below.

BTS J-Hope's 'Hope on the Street Vol. 1' Experiences 'Declining' Album Sales Performance + ARMYs Confliced

K-pop fans of HYBE groups have been vocal against the agency for the past several months, as the protests are mainly fixated on Scooter Braun, the CEO of HYBE America.

The protests have gone through multiple boycotts with the purpose of cutting HYBE's ties with Zionism. One example of the protest that transpired was when fans attempted to boycott Suga's upcoming "D-DAY" movie due to its screenings in Israel, which HYBE faced backlash for.

Eventually, fans also set their eyes on boycotting member J-Hope's newest album "Hope on the Street Vol. 1." The special album was released on March 29, together with its title track "NEURON" and features artists such as Huh Yunjin, Jungkook, Gaeko and many more.

However, instead of the album excelling in its performance on the charts, Hanteo revealed that it only secured a total of 467,014 sales, which was a decline compared to the 519,476 set by "Jack In The Box."

"Hope on the Street Vol. 1" initially reached 743 album sales in its fifth day since it was released, concluding a total of 445,939. Two days later, the album reached its seventh day, finalizing 467,014 album sales for its first week.

The poor sales performance was claimed by many as the result of the ongoing boycott. On social media platform X (Twitter), ARMYs stood their ground regarding the goal of making a statement to HYBE through the protest.

Read their reactions below:

Meanwhile, some ARMYs enraged with the boycott results, as they expressed anger over the ones who didn't support J-Hope's new release. Here's how they reacted:

What are your thoughts on the boycott? Let us know in the comments below.

Read KpopStarz for more K-pop news.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS J-Hope's Unfiltered Personality Revealed in 'No Problem' Moments: 'I hope he's not my boss..'

KpopStarz owns this article

Written by Israel Monte
In the dynamic world of K-pop, where artists often showcase multifaceted talents and interests, TXT's Yeonjun stands out as an avid animal lover, with a profound affection for pandas.

His genuine enthusiasm for these black-and-white bears has captured the hearts of fans worldwide.

Genuine Excitement: Yeonjun's Panda Encounters

In past vlogs, Yeonjun has displayed sheer excitement at the prospect of encountering pandas in real life.

yeonjun really really reaaaaally loves panda  I hope he'll get to meet Fu Bao soon pic.twitter.com/5zID0uR9Z5 June 17, 2023

His infectious energy and authentic reactions resonated deeply with fans, who eagerly joined him in anticipation of these special moments. During live broadcasts, Yeonjun has shared heartfelt conversations with fans about popular panda Fu Bao, the first panda born in Korea.

ahh Fu Bao please don't go... stay in south korea... seriously please.... stay in south korea.... Fu Bao.... don't go... 



I'm crying yeonjun begging for Fu Bao to not leave pic.twitter.com/mVk5sxGUJc   (@epporyou) June 17, 2023

From pleading for Fu Bao to stay in South Korea to emotional reminiscing about their encounters, Yeonjun's bond with Fu Bao is truly touching.

In a recent live broadcast, a fan's innocent request for panda ears stirred up emotions in Yeonjun, leading him to reflect on his experiences with Fu Bao.

the way he started CRYING  he loves fubao so much https://t.co/Cwlb1RY798 pic.twitter.com/dbsxLsdyA1 March 30, 2024

With Fu Bao's departure back to China, Yeonjun's emotional response resonated deeply with fans, showcasing his genuine love for the pandas.

READ MORE: BLACKPINK Jennie & TXT's Yeonjun's Unbelievable Encounter Leaves Netizens in Shock- Here's Why

Cherished Memories: Yeonjun's Visits to Fu Bao

Yeonjun has previously visited Fu Bao, expressing overwhelming joy at meeting the panda for the first time.

qrts ! this is yeonjun from txt he is a big fan of fubao and this was the first meet of him and fubao please love him a lot  pic.twitter.com/vPk0t9iOb9 https://t.co/BOJcJRRbch   (@szazzn) April 4, 2024

His genuine admiration for Fu Bao's loving and adorable nature has earned him praise from fans, solidifying his title as "THE Fu Bao lover."

Yeonjun's unwavering affection for pandas has struck a chord with fans, who find comfort and joy in witnessing his genuine happiness.

i thought he just gave up on the poses... turns out he misses fubao so much  our fubao lover...  gelatin (@fluffyeonbin) March 30, 2024

From aegyo-filled moments to heartfelt tears, Yeonjun's authentic expressions of love for pandas resonate deeply with admirers worldwide.

Hopeful Reunion: Yeonjun and Fu Bao's Future

As fans eagerly await the possibility of Yeonjun reuniting with Fu Bao in the future, they continue to cherish the heartwarming moments shared between the idol and his favorite pandas.

In the meantime, they find solace in the enduring bond between humans and animals, embodied in Fu Bao's "grandfather's" touching reactions.

Yeonjun's profound love for pandas not only showcases his compassionate nature but also serves as a beacon of hope and positivity for fans worldwide.

As he continues to spread love and happiness through his passion for pandas, fans remain eagerly supportive, eagerly anticipating the day when he'll be reunited with his beloved Fu Bao.

ALSO READ: BLACKPINK Jennie & TXT Yeonjun's Apartment 404 Encounter Goes Viral - Find Out What Happened

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): On Friday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the certificate of registration of four non-banking financial companies.

Those companies are Uttar Pradesh-based Kundles Motor Finance Private Limited, Tamil Nadu-based Nithya Finance Limited, Punjab-based Bhatia Hire Purchase Pvt Ltd, and Himachal Pradeesh-based Jiwanjyoti Deposits and Advances Limited.

Also Read | Kangana Ranaut Serves Proof Over Her Subhas Chandra Bose Was First PM of India Statement Amid Backlash.

These companies will now not be able to transact the business of a Non-Banking Financial Institution as defined in the RBI Act.

In other news, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on IDFC First Bank Limited (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the central bank on 'Loans and Advances - Statutory and Other Restrictions'.

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According to an RBI release, this penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the Banking Regulation Act, of 1949.

Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions / statutory provisions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued by the RBI to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions.

After considering the bank's reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the charge against the bank was sustained warranting imposition of monetary penalty.

According to RBI, the bank had sanctioned term loans to a public sector undertaking for financing infrastructure projects, without undertaking due diligence on the viability and bankability of the projects to ensure that revenue streams from the projects were sufficient to take care of the debt servicing obligations; and the repayment / servicing of the said term loans was made out of budgetary resources.

"The action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transactions or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank," RBI said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) An internal inquiry by the Army into the deaths of three civilians allegedly during interrogation in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district in December last year is learnt to have indicated some procedural lapses, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The Army ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths following allegations that the civilians died in its custody.

Also Read | Assam Shocker: Woman Hacks Son to Death With Machete in Dibrugarh District, Surrenders.

The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the Army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21.

The civilians, aged between 27 and 42 years, were found dead on December 22.

Also Read | Kangana Ranaut Serves Proof Over Her Subhas Chandra Bose Was First PM of India Statement Amid Backlash.

The probe indicated some procedural lapses on the part of a few personnel, the people cited above said, without elaborating.

When asked about the probe, the Army said the proceedings relating to the alleged incident are still in progress.

"The Indian Army is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry to ascertain the facts surrounding this incident," it said.

"All efforts are in place to ensure that the investigations are fair, comprehensive and conclusive. Further actions will be taken based on the outcome of the investigations and finalisation of the proceedings," it said.

The Army said it is "committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline, conduct and ethics, in accordance with the law, besides maintaining zero tolerance towards any human rights violations".

"Our protocols and procedures are designed to ensure that all personnel adhere to these principles, even under the most challenging operational conditions," it said.

Following the deaths, the relatives of the deceased and political leaders alleged that they died due to "custodial torture" as they were among the eight people picked up by the Army for questioning.

The Jammu and Kashmir police had also launched an investigation into the deaths.

(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, Apr 5 (PTI) Air India hired more than 5,700 employees, including over 3,800 flying crew, in the financial year ended March 31, as part of the five-year transformation plan to revive the fortunes of the airline.

As part of expanding its presence, the carrier launched 16 new routes, including 11 international ones, in the last financial year. It inducted four A320 neos, 14 A321 neos, eight B777s, and three A350s during this period.

Also Read | RBI Repo Rate Update: Reserve Bank of India Holds Repo Rate at 6.5% for Seventh Consecutive Time; Home, Auto EMIs To Remain Unchanged.

In his message to the staff on Friday, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the airline has onboarded the first batch of cadet pilots who will soon commence ground training with its partner flying schools in the US later this month.

"Also, after much hard work, our cabin crew team also cleared the backlog of training batches -- and marked the release-to-service of our 4000th new crew member since privatization!," he said.

Also Read | Haryana: Two Killed, Six Injured As Mud Caves In at Ratoli Village in Yamunanagar.

According to a communication highlighting the activities done during the take off phase of the five-year Vihaan.AI plan, the airline hired more than 3,800 flying staff and over 1,950 non-flying people during 2023-24.

In the message, Wilson also said on April 1, the airline moved to a new Revenue Accounting System.

"Our Finance and HR colleagues are busy compiling the numbers which will, amongst other things, determine increments and, once the counting, reporting, auditing and board approvals are complete in a few weeks' time, we'll share the news and ensure that changes are made effective from 1st April," he added.

The annual appraisal cycle for the staff has been underway at the airline for some time.

(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], April 5 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to professor and women's rights activist Shoma Sen, accused in Bhima Koregaon case.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih set aside the Bombay High Court order which rejected her bail plea.

Also Read | Supreme Court Stays Allahabad High Court Order Striking Down 'UP Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004' As Unconstitutional and Violative of Secularism and Fundamental Rights.

The bail was granted to Sen by the apex court after noting that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose her bail.

"We have seen she is of advanced age and the effect of delaying trial at this stage...in addition to her medical conditions. She should not be denied the privilege of being released on bail," the bench said in its order.

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While granting bail to Sen, the apex court imposed certain conditions on her including, she will not leave the State of Maharashtra and surrender the passport.

The top court said Sen shall inform NIA about her residence. She shall use only one mobile number and inform NIA officer about her mobile number and ensure that number remains active and charged, ordered the bench.

The GPS of her mobile should be active and her phone should be paired with phone of NIA officer so that her location can be ascertained, it added.

The bench further said that if the conditions are breached, it would be open to prosecution to seek cancellation of bail.

NIA had earlier informed the apex court that it does not seek the custody of Sen any longer as probe is completed and chargesheet has been filed.

Sen had sought interim bail on the deteriorating health condition and challenged an order of the Bombay High Court declining her bail.

The Bombay High Court had in January 2023 directed Professor Sen to approach the special NIA court for bail before coming to the High Court.

Sen, an English literature professor, has been behind bars since June 6, 2018 for offences under UAPA charges. She had applied for bail before the Pune Sessions Court in December 2018 prior to the filing of the chargesheet and another application after the chargesheet, however, both applications were rejected by the Sessions Court in November 2019.

Later, Sen, the former departmental head at the Nagpur University, approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail. However, the High Court declined to grant her bail. Thereafter, she approached the apex court.

Sen and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in connection with 2018 caste-based violence that broke out at Bhima Koregaon in Pune, and for having alleged links with the proscribed outfit, Communist Party of India (Maoists). (ANI)

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Agartala (Tripura) [India], April 5 (ANI): The Election Commission has suspended a Special Police Officer (SPO) in West Tripura after he was found attending a political event despite the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in force in the state.

According to a press statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, on the direction of the poll body, Superintendent of Police (West Tripura), Kiran Kumar, has suspended the SPO Suman Hossain for violating the MCC.

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Hossain was attached to Mohanpir police station under West Tripura.

On March 28, he was seen attending a political party event under the jurisdiction of 2/30 polling station, the statement said.

Also Read | Gurugram: International Kidney Transplant Racket Busted in Sector 39; FIR Registered Against Private Hospital and Middleman.

As soon as his act was brought to the notice of the Election Commission, stern action was taken against him, it added.

Earlier, a woman teacher faced similar consequences for a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Notably, SPOs are unarmed officials attached to police stations who were especially deployed to maintain law and order duty in less troubled areas.

It is noteworthy that the elections are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state of Tripura. The West Tripura seat will go to the polls on April 19, while the East Tripura seat will witness voting on April 26. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast a vote in the general election. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar, Apr 5 (PTI) The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) has successfully initiated the cultivation of several tulip varieties at the Centre of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) field station in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The cultivation of the highly valued ornamental crop marks a significant achievement as it is the first time that CSIR IIIM Jammu's field station in Bonera, Pulwama, has undertaken the trial basis cultivation of multiple tulip cultivars," an official of the CSIR said here.

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He said that under the initiative, eight distinct varieties of tulips are in full bloom in the sprawling field station.

"The initiative aims to develop and standardise agro-technologies for mass-producing quality tulip bulbs in open field conditions, leveraging the favourable agro-climatic conditions of the Kashmir valley to enhance income generation for farmers through cut flower as well as bulb production for sustainable production of planting material," the official said.

Also Read | RBI New Website and Application Launched: Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das Releases New Website and Mobile App.

Dr Zabeer Ahmed, the director of CSIR IIIM Jammu, who inaugurated the experimental tulip field said that under the CSIR Floriculture Mission, the institute has been hand-holding farmers, self-help groups, florists, nursery growers and agri-entrepreneurs for production, value addition and trade of the different cut, loose and ornamental crop cultivars for alleviating their poor economic status and overall development of the remunerative agrarian sector.

"Since the launch of the mission in 2020 more than 2000 farmers across different districts of J&K have been benefited through various verticals of the mission," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Indian Coast Guard Director General Rakesh Pal arrived on a maiden visit to Chennai for a review of operational preparedness and commensurate infrastructure development in the region.

During the visit on Thursday, Rakesh Pal interacted with officers & men to share his astute vision towards the common goal of safe, secure & clean seas, according to a statement released by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

Also Read | AMC Raising Day 2024: Army Medical Corps Celebrates 260th Raising Day as They Live Up To The Corps Motto.

As part of the ongoing visit of Indian Coast Guard DG Rakesh Pal, AVSM, PTM, TM, and DG ICG to the Eastern Region, he visited ICG Station Krishnapatnam & had a first-hand review of infrastructure projects. During the visit, he also interacted with officers & men at the station.

The Indian Coast Guard, Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are the four forces under the Defence Ministry and are governed by their different acts. (ANI)

Also Read | Gurugram: International Kidney Transplant Racket Busted in Sector 39; FIR Registered Against Private Hospital and Middleman.

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Ranchi, Apr 5 (PTI) The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will kick-off its Lok Sabha poll campaign in the state with a 'Ulgulan (revolution) Maha rally' scheduled at Prabhat Tara ground here on April 21, a party official said on Friday.

This decision was taken during JMM's legislature party meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Champai Soren, here on Friday.

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Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, also attended the meeting.

Discussions in the meeting revolved around finalising candidates for the remaining three seats in its fold and devising strategies to secure victory for opposition INDIA bloc candidates in all the 14 seats in Jharkhand.

Also Read | Haryana: Two Killed, Six Injured As Mud Caves In at Ratoli Village in Yamunanagar.

The party has already announced its candidates for Dumka and Giridih Lok Sabha seats, with discussions ongoing for the remaining three.

The party also plans to field a candidate for the Gandey bypoll, vacant since December 31, 2023, after Sarfaraj Ahmad's resignation. Ahmad was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in March.

JMM's general secretary and central spokesperson, Supriyo Bhattacharya, told reporters that the proposed rally will highlight injustices against former chief minister Hemant Soren and advocate for the protection of democracy.

"We discussed about the party's candidates for the remaining three Lok Sabha seats during the meeting. Their names will be announced soon," he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji said all MLAs have been urged to support INDIA bloc candidates and ensure victory in all 14 Lok Sabha seats.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shimla, April 5 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Congress general secretary Rajneesh Kimta on Friday asked BJP candidate from the Mandi parliamentary seat actor Kangana Ranaut to name one thing she has done for the constituency.

Addressing the mediapersons here, Kimta asked Ranaut "to name one thing that she has done for the constituency from where she is contesting", adding that politics demands patience and Ranaut can't win elections just because she has relatives in Mandi.

Also Read | Kangana Ranaut Serves Proof Over Her Subhas Chandra Bose Was First PM of India Statement Amid Backlash.

"Is the BJP cadre happy with the announcement of Kangana's name? Has the state leadership suggested her name or was she chosen by the Centre?" he asked and claimed that there is "opposition" to her within the BJP.

Claiming that Ranaut said Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and state Congress chief and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh, was not from Mandi, he asked BJP leaders to improve her political knowledge about the constituency.

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"Vikramaditya Singh is from the Rampur assembly constituency which falls under the Mandi Lok Sabha seat," he said and alleged that the actor-turned-politician is not even aware of the 17 assembly segments falling under her constituency.

Kimta alleged that sitting BJP MP Suresh Kashyap has not given even a penny from the MPLAD fund to 300 out of 900 panchayats and remained absent during the Covid pandemic and the monsoon disaster.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 5 (ANI): Odisha is on high alert as the state is bracing for an intense heatwave, bringing challenging conditions for residents. With the mercury soaring to unprecedented levels, authorities are urging citizens to take immediate precautions to safeguard against the adverse effects of the blistering heat.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave warning for Odisha, predicting temperatures to soar above 40-45 degrees Celsius in many parts of the state. This prolonged period of extreme heat is expected to persist for the next two days, posing significant risks to public health and safety.

Also Read | Rajasthan Shocker: Gang-Rape Victim Dies by Suicide by Hanging in Sri Ganganagar, Probe Underway.

Umashankar Das, Senior Scientist IMD Bhubaneswar said, "Several parts of Odisha today recorded 40 degree Celsius and above. The highest temperature has been recorded at Boudh and Malkangiri. Seven stations have recorded 41 degrees Celsius and above. We are expecting a further 2-degree rise in the coming two days. We have issued a yellow warning for heat waves. Night temperature is also likely to rise by 2 to 3 degrees celsius."

He further stated that hot and humid conditions are going to prevail over coastal Odisha.

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"People are advised not to go out between 11 am and 3 pm. As it is election season it should be monitored. People are advised to take plenty of liquid. Farmers are advised to drizzle water over their vegetables and food crops

The impact of the heatwave is already being felt across Odisha, advising residents to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day, typically between late morning and early evening, and to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids.

Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing health conditions, are particularly at risk during this heatwave. Community organizations and local authorities are setting up temporary shelters and distributing drinking water.

In rural areas, where access to cooling facilities may be limited, farmers are facing challenges in protecting their crops and livestock from heat stress. Agricultural experts are advising farmers to take measures such as providing shade and adequate water to mitigate the impact of the heatwave on agricultural production. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Udalguri, April 5: Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state on April 17 and address a rally in Nalbari ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, the minister informed further that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also visit Assam over two days-- on April 7-8 during which he is scheduled to address three rallies ahead of the seven-phased general elections.

"Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Assam on April 7 and 8. He will address three election rallies--in Hojai, Lakhimpur and Gohpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, will visit our state on April 17 and address an election campaign rally in Nalbari," Baruah told ANI on Thursday. He added that, for now, the schedule of Prime Minister Modi and the Union Home Minister was fixed and wasn't likely to change. PM Modi in Bihar: Todays Bharat Eliminates Enemies in Their Own House, Thunders Prime Minister Narendra Modi During Public Rally in Jamui (Watch Video).

"We hope that other senior party leaders will visit Assam. Our state party unit, cadres and allies are fully geared to face the elections. Our only aim, going into these elections, is to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for a third consecutive term. We are preparing to gift at least 13 (Lok Sabha) seats from Assam to Modi-ji in his bid to return as PM," Baruah said.

Polling for the 14 seats in Assam will be held in three phases--on April 19, April 26 and May 7.NThe elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 96.8 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming polls at over 12 lakh polling stations across the country. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. PM Narendra Modi Takes Jibe at Congress During Rally in Bihar's Jamui, Says 'Congress Brought Disrepute to India During Its Rule'.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won nine seats in the state, while the Congress won 3 and the All India United Democratic Front (AIDUF) won one. The remaining seat went to an Independent candidate. The BJP hogged the majority vote share at 36.4 per cent, while the Congress received 35.8 per cent of the total votes polled. Earlier, on Thursday, PM Modi headlined a campaign event at Bihar's Jamui, which is currently represented by NDA ally and the supremo of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Chirag Paswan.

Launching a fierce attack on the INDIA bloc, PM Modi accused the Congress and the RJD of stalling development in the country while adding that the strides that the country made in the last 10 years under the NDA was only the trailer as plenty more would be accomplished if it is voted for a third term.

He said India, which was considered 'weak' under previous regimes, was showing the way to the world today.
Chennai, Apr 5 (PTI) Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, Rakesh Pal on Friday visited the ICG units in neighbouring Puducherry.

The official is on his maiden visit toTamil Nadu and Puducherry after taking over as Chief of Coast Guard, a Defence release here said.

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He was received by DIG SS Dasila, the District Commander at Headquarters, Coast Guard District No. 13 (Puducherry).

ICG maintains multiple Interceptor Crafts (ICs) at Puducherry for close coast surveillance. Further, it has plans to base its Helicopter Squadron at Puducherry airport in the near future which will augment its operational capabilities manifold, the release said.

Also Read | AMC Raising Day 2024: Army Medical Corps Celebrates 260th Raising Day as They Live Up To The Corps Motto.

"Towards this, ICG is in the process of creating necessary infrastructure including a hangar at Puducherry airport for supporting air operations. Presently, Coast Guard undertakes frequent detached aircraft operations of its fixed wing Dornier aircraft, Chetak and ALH Helicopters from civil dispersal at Puducherry airport," it said.

Pal held a meeting with Coast Guard officers and interacted with other ranks and civilians. He also visited infrastructure projects such as Remote Operations Station (ROS) and the upcoming Coast Guard Air enclave in the union territory.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jaipur, April 5: A gang-rape victim allegedly committed suicide at her home in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar, police said on Friday. The woman's family and some locals staged a protest outside the mortuary of the hospital where the victim's body was kept and demanded action against policemen for laxity and compensation.

SP Sri Ganganagar Gaurav Yadav said the woman had attempted suicide a few days ago as well and was saved by her family. Only after this, she revealed about the gang-rape and an FIR was lodged on March 25. The next day, two accused were arrested and subsequently the third was also nabbed. Rajasthan: Class 12 Rape Survivor Allegedly Barred From Taking Board Examination in Ajmer, School Officials Say She Will Spoil Atmosphere.

According to the police, the woman hanged herself in her house and her body was recovered on Thursday morning. SP Yadav said the family ended their protest and agreed to a post-mortem after they were pacified by the police. Take Off Your Clothes, I Want to See Injury Marks on Your Body: Magistrate Asks Gang Rape Survivor to Strip in Rajasthan, Booked.

"They have now agreed for a post-mortem," he said. A detailed investigation of the family's allegations will be done and action against the guilty policeman will be taken, SP Yadav said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bristol, Apr 5 (The Conversation) The UK government has received internal legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law in its current war on Gaza.

The advice was revealed by Alicia Kearns, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, in a speech to a fundraising event on March 13 and leaked to the UK's Observer newspaper.

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The paper quoted British barrister and war crimes prosecutor Sir Geoffrey Nice as saying: Countries supplying arms to Israel may now be complicit in criminal warfare. The public should be told what the advice says.

The Guardian has now revealed that the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has since received a letter signed by 600 lawyers and academics, including three former supreme court justices  among them Baroness Hale, the court's former president  as well as former court of appeal judges and more than 60 KCs, warning that UK arms sales to Israel are also illegal under international law.

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But what does international law actually say on this issue, and what are the UK's (and other nations') legal obligations in relation to the ongoing assault on Gaza?

In recent months, a number of countries have announced they are suspending arms exports to Israel. These include Canada, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, as well as the Japanese company Itochu Corporation. Germany and the US  by far the biggest suppliers of arms to Israel  have not as yet signalled intentions to follow suit.

Neither has the UK. But with arms exports amounting to 42 million in 2022, it is not one of Israel's major suppliers.

Suspending arms exports to Israel indicates not only political concerns, but also fear over the legality of continuing to support Israel militarily in its assault on Gaza. The Netherlands court of appeal ruled in February that the Dutch government must discontinue its sales of F35 fighter jet parts on the basis of its obligations under the UN arms trade treaty. A similar lawsuit is currently pending in Denmark which exports F35 parts to the US, which then sells the finished jets to Israel.

In the UK, the high court dismissed an attempt to challenge the government's continued licensing of arms exports to Israel. But this was because the particular procedural hurdle that applicants in such cases have to get over is notoriously high. The judgment said nothing definitive as to Israel's (or the UK's) compliance with international law.

Following this, 130 MPs and peers from across party lines recently signed a letter to the foreign secretary calling on the government to suspend arms exports to Israel.

Arms trade treaty

So what is the position under international law of countries, such as the UK, that support Israel militarily? There are many specific and general rules of international law that are relevant here.

The most obvious, and the one emphasised in the British MPs' letter, is found in the UN arms trade treaty, to which the UK is a party. Article 7 requires a risk assessment for all weapons transfers, and prohibits exports where there is an overriding risk that the weapons could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict).

The only objective test we have for determining risk of future violations is to examine whether there is evidence of a pattern of past violations by Israel.

UN reporting of past serious violations is one of the key considerations that the UK's own policy points to in determining future risk. In 2019, the UK court of appeal suspended arms exports to Saudi Arabia based on the government's failure to assess whether past violations of international law had likely been committed in Yemen.

The available evidence suggests there have been countless examples of Israeli actions in Gaza that appear, on their face, to be inconsistent with international humanitarian law. Among the most recent examples are the Israeli attack on an aid convoy on April 1, the destruction of Gaza's hospitals, and the well-documented famine that now engulfs the territory.

The Hague court of appeal that ordered the Dutch government to suspend arms exports to Israel relied on reports from Amnesty International and the UN when it listed multiple examples of apparent violations of the law of armed conflict in Gaza.

And in the long-awaited UN security council resolution adopted on March 25, with the US abstaining, the security council condemned all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as all violence and hostilities against civilians, and demanded the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, in line with international humanitarian law.

This suggests a pattern of past serious violations and thus a clear risk of continuing violations. So, signatories to the arms trade treaty continuing to supply weapons to Israel likely do so in breach of article 7.

Geneva conventions

Yet all nations have other obligations that take on particular importance in relation to Gaza. One of these is the obligation to prevent genocide under article 1 of the Genocide convention (which was the focus of the letter to the prime minister referred to above).

This is especially relevant since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined in January that there is an imminent risk of irreparable harm to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza under the Genocide Convention.

But it also includes article 1 of the 1949 Geneva conventions, which requires states to ensure respect for international humanitarian law. There is overwhelming support for the view that this requires all states not only to avoid aiding or assisting violations (for example, through arms exports) but to take proactive steps to ensure warring parties comply with their obligations under international law. They can do so via diplomatic channels or by imposing sanctions.

On March 1, Nicaragua instituted proceedings before the ICJ against Germany (the second-biggest arms exporter to Israel), in part alleging that it is violating article 1 of the Geneva conventions due to its support for Israel.

In this way, all countries are legally obliged to ensure that others comply with international humanitarian law. If the catastrophic destruction, massive civilian death toll and immense suffering of those still alive in Gaza is not enough to pull Israel's allies into line over their continuing arms sales, it is difficult to conceive of any situation that ever could. (The Conversation)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Houston, Apr 5 (PTI) An Indian-origin man whose 11-year-old son was branded with a hot iron rod as part of a religious ceremony in 2023 has sued a Hindu temple in the US state of Texas and its parent company seeking more than USD 1 million in damages.

Vijay Cheruvu, a Fort Bend County resident, said his son was branded with a hot iron rod during a religious ceremony at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Hindu temple in Sugarland, Texas in August last year.

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According to a lawsuit filed this week in Fort Bend County, the boy suffered extreme pain and permanent disfigurement.

Cheruvu is seeking more than USD 1 million in damages in the lawsuit against the temple and its parent organisation, Jeeyar Educational Trust (JET) USA, Inc.

Also Read | US: Indian Child Sex Offender Apprehended After Maryland Courts Give Light Sentences, Says ICE.

I was shocked. I didn't know how to handle it. My primary concern is for my son's well-being, Cheruvu said at a press conference here.

He said his son was branded in two spots on his shoulder in the shape of a Hindu god, Vishnu.

The lawsuit claims that over 100 people participated in the ceremony at the Ashtalakshmi Temple off Synott Road in Sugar Land in August. Three of those participants were children, including Cheruvu's son.

Cheruvu's attorney, Brant Stogner, said the boy was branded in both shoulders, resulting in extreme pain and permanent disfigurement, and subsequently developed an infection as a result of the branding.

The boy attended the ceremony with his mother and was branded against his will and without the knowledge or consent of his father, according to Stogner, who said branding, tattooing or scarring a child is illegal in Texas even with parental consent.

"This is happening basically in our backyard over here, so that's the reason we filed the lawsuit," Stogner said.

"We want to make sure our community is aware of this and want to make sure it doesn't happen to anybody else, anybody else's child or any child at all."

The child was not identified, but attorneys read an impact statement from the boy.

"I was so surprised. I did not know that anything was going to happen like this. I was shocked when they did it on my shoulder and it hurt so much that I almost cried," he said in part.

"They knew what they did was very wrong because they told me to keep it secret from everyone else. But I had to tell my dad when the pain got worse and it became infected," he said.

Cheruvu says that his son was taken to the temple by his ex-wife. The son was branded, but the mother was not.

"He goes to see a therapist. He's so deeply scarred, mentally scarred, and then there's all the pain," said the father.

When the temple was contacted, there was no response to constant calls or emails.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
India votes in favour of UNHRC's resolution to support 'right to self-determination for Palestinians'; abstains from other (Photo credits: UN Web TV)

Geneva [Switzerland], April 5 (ANI): India has voted in favour of the UN Human Rights Council's Resolution, supporting the "right to self-determination for Palestinian people", whereas it abstained from voting on the resolution on the "human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice."

The UNHRC on Thursday adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice.

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The intergovernmental body shared a post on X, stating, "Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.30 on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice was ADOPTED."

https://x.com/UN_HRC/status/1776167214678159575

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A total of 13 countries abstained from voting, whereas, 28 countries supported it and six voted against the resolution.

India abstained from voting for the resolution, along with France, the Dominican Republic and Japan.

Meanwhile, countries that voted in favour of the resolution included Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Maldives, Qatar, and South Africa, among others.

However, the US, along with five other countries, voted against the UNHRC resolutions on Israel and Palestine.

Meanwhile, the UNHRC adopted another resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

India, however, voted to support the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people (statehood).

"Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.13 on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination was ADOPTED," the UNHRC posted on X.

https://x.com/UN_HRC/status/1776193277949051184

Only two countries voted against the resolution, including the US and Paraguay.

Moreover, three countries abstained from voting, including Albania, Argentina and Cameroon.

Earlier today, the UNHRC adopted an anti-Israel resolution, and in response, the Israeli ambassador walked out of the plenary session in protest at the end of her speech, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

The UNHRC adopted a resolution on Friday calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip at the end of the 55th Council session.

In the resolution adopted today, the UN condemned Israel for the war in Gaza but made no mention of Hamas or its crimes on October 7.

The resolution equates the abductees with detainees suspected of terrorist activity. It also goes against Israel's right to defend itself.

Furthermore, the resolution provides legitimacy for Palestinian 'resistance' to the 'occupation,' calls for an arms embargo on Israel, and blatantly disregards the supply of weapons to Hamas by Iran and its allies.

Following the adoption of the resolution, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar, left the hall in protest. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, April 5: An Indian national convicted of child sex offenses, but given light sentences, has been arrested after he was released from a Maryland detention center without any warning to federal immigration authorities, official said. The 32-year-old man, who has not been identified, was arrested on March 20 near his home in Ellicott City. He was arrested by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (CBP) said Thursday.

This predator's presence in our area constituted a significant threat to the children of our Maryland neighbourhoods, said Matthew Elliston, the acting field office director for Baltimore's ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. We cannot allow non-citizen sex offenders to roam the streets of our community. ERO Baltimore will continue to prioritise public safety by arresting the most egregious noncitizen offenders, he said. US: Four, Including Three Indian Nationals, Arrested Along Canada Border; Charged With Entering United States Illegally.

Without releasing the name, the ERO Baltimore said the Indian national entered the US on December 12, 2019, at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, as a nonimmigrant visitor. US Customs and Border Protection apprehended him on November 14, 2021, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, as he attempted to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Doha, Qatar.

He had an active warrant issued by Maryland's Montgomery County Police Department for sex abuse of a minor and sex offence in the third degree.

The CBP granted him parole until November 12, 2022, and turned him over to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department for extradition to Maryland. On the same date, US Customs and Border Protection lodged an immigration detainer against the Indian non-citizen with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Brooklyn, New York. US: Indian Student Chased, Attacked and Robbed by Four Men in Chicago, Horrifying Video Surfaces.

The Montgomery County Police Department arrested him on November 18, 2021, and charged him with sex abuse of a minor and four counts of sex offence in the third degree. Maryland's Howard County Police Department arrested him on February 15, 2022, and charged him with two counts of sex abuse of a minor, and two counts of a sex offence in the third degree.

The Pacific Enforcement Response Center lodged an immigration detainer against the Indian non-citizen with the Howard County Detention Center on February 16, 2022, a media release said. The Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville convicted him on August 10, 2022, of sex abuse minor and sex offence third degree.

The judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison for the crime of sexual abuse of a minor and suspended all but 18 months of the sentence. The court also sentenced him to 10 years for the charge of sex offence in the third degree but suspended all 10 years. He was placed on 5 years of supervised probation.

The Circuit Court for Howard County in Ellicott City convicted the Indian non-citizen on August 23, 2022, of a sex offence in the third degree and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, suspending all but 18 months, it said. ERO Baltimore lodged an immigration detainer against him with the Howard County Detention Center on February 1. On February 25, ERO Baltimore issued him a notice to appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge, the media release said.

The Howard County Detention Center refused to honour ERO Baltimore's immigration detainer and released the Indian sex offender from custody on March 20. Later that day, deportation officers from ERO Baltimore's Criminal Apprehension Program arrested him in Ellicott City. A DOJ immigration judge in Baltimore granted him a Motion for Stipulated Removal Order and Waiver of Hearing and ordered him removed to India, the press release said.
Singapore, Apr 5 (PTI) An Indian-origin minister in Singapore has emphasised the importance of Tamil language as a mother tongue, underscoring the need to introduce children to one of the four official languages in the prosperous city-state.

The Singapore education system encourages mother tongue as a second language in schools which include Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and other main Indian languages as well as Tamil, Malay and Chinese (Mandarin).

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We need to ensure our children have opportunities to be constantly exposed to Tamil language, said Indranee Rajah, minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

Tamil language acts as a passport that links all Tamil people, she said recently.

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Language has to be learnt as a living lesson, Rajah said, adding that it is not something that you can just study, you need to put it to use.

Be it through television, social media or print, as long as they are hearing, listening and using the language from young, we can keep it alive, Rajah was quoted as saying by Friday weekly Tabla!

To uphold the rich legacy of the Tamil language in Singapore, the Tamil Language Council (TLC) has been organising the Tamil Language Festival (TLF) for the past 18 years. Rajah launched this year's TLF last Saturday.

The minister had earlier also emphasised the importance for every generation to stay connected to their mother tongue, and in turn, their heritage and cultural identity.

Centred on the theme of Capabilities, the TLC this year is being held from March 30 to April 28, featuring 47 programmes.

This year's theme was selected to inspire the creation of innovative programmes while harnessing our collective strengths, TLC chairperson S Manogaran said.

More than 65 per cent of the programmes have been organised by the youths, which has boosted Tamil language engagement among young people through art, culture and literature initiatives.

Many of our youths today are finding a new purpose in learning and using Tamil; many of the programmes are targeted at them, Manogaran was quoted as saying by Tabla!

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tel Aviv [Israel], April 5 (ANI/TPS): Israeli authorities thwarted a plot to assassinate Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and carry out other terror attacks, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said on Thursday.

It was cleared for publication that members of the 11-man terror cell were in custody, including seven Israeli-Arabs and four Palestinians from Samaria.

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According to the Shin Bet, the group intended to attack an army base, Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and the Government District in Jerusalem where the Knesset and numerous government buildings are located. The group also planned to obtain a rocket-propelled grenade to assassinate Ben-Gvir in Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, where the minister lives.

There were also plans to kidnap Israeli soldiers.

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The Shin Bet said the group sought to rent land to establish a factory that would cover an underground training complex. Members of the terror group also tried to make contact with Hamas operatives in Gaza for guidance and funding. According to the Shin Bet, one member of the terror cell was offered money by Hamas to carry out an attack.

Since October 7, Israeli security forces have arrested 3,700 Palestinian terror suspects in Judea and Samaria, of whom 1,600 are associated with Hamas. (ANI/TPS)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Warsaw, Apr 5 (AP) Poland's deputy foreign minister handed a diplomatic note on Friday to Israel's ambassador protesting the killing of a Polish aid worker in an attack earlier this week on a convoy of aid workers in Gaza.

After the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna told reporters in Warsaw that he handed the protest note to Ambassador Yacov Livne after he was summoned because of the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers.

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Szejna described the Polish stance during the meeting as firm."

At the beginning, the ambassador apologised for this unprecedented event in the history of the civilized world, that is the bombing of a car in a humanitarian convoy heading with humanitarian aid to the famine-affected Gaza Strip, Szejna said.

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Livne said on social media that during the meeting he expressed his "personal deep sorrow and sincere apologies" for the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers, including Polish citizen Damian Sobol.

We share in the grief of the families from the bottom of our hearts. I assured the Deputy Minister that Israel is fully committed to a transparent and thorough investigation of this grave tragedy, Livne said.

He said findings from the Israeli military published Friday show our ongoing commitment to investigate what had happened in Gaza and take all appropriate measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.

The Israeli military said Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army's rules of engagement.

Szejna, who spoke to reporters before the dismissals were reported, said Poland expected a transparent investigation and compensation for the victim's family if it wants it.

He also said Poland wants the district prosecutor's office in Przemysl, where the Polish aid worker was from, to be allowed to participate in the investigation and in the entire criminal and disciplinary procedure against the soldiers responsible for this murder. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, April 4: The Indian government got individuals killed in Pakistan as part of Delhis larger strategy to eliminate wanted terrorists living on foreign soil, The Guardian, a renowned global newspaper, claimed in a report on Thursday quoting some intelligence operatives of India and Pakistan. The London-based daily claims to have some documents that shed light on how Indias foreign intelligence agency allegedly carried out operations to eliminate the individuals abroad.

The report says that India carried out these operations as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019. The report comes amid allegations that India is targeting individuals whom it considers hostile to it. According to the report, the fresh claims relate to almost 20 killings since 2020 which have been carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. Pakistani ISI Agent Arrested: UP ATS Arrests Indian Embassy Staffer in Moscow for Sharing Confidential Information With Pakistans ISI.

'The Guardian' report says, While India has previously been unofficially linked to the deaths, this is the first time Indian intelligence personnel have discussed the alleged operations in Pakistan, and detailed documentation has been seen alleging R&AWs direct involvement in the assassinations.

The fresh allegations refer to those charged with violent terror offences. When Muhammad Riaz and Shahid Latif were gunned down in 2023 on Pakistan soil, Islamabad had accused Indias intelligence agency of being behind the killings. New Delhi was then quick to dismiss the allegations, calling them "malicious anti-India propaganda". Indian Army Soldier Allegedly Shares Sensitive Information With Pakistan's ISI Through Drug Smuggler; Arrested by Punjab Police From Bhopal.

Referring to the details shared by the Pakistani investigators, the London-based newspaper said that these deaths were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells, mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates". The rise in killings in 2023 was credited to the increased activity of these cells, which are accused of paying millions of rupees to local criminals or poor Pakistanis to carry out the assassinations.

According to the report, Indian agents also allegedly recruited jihadists to carry out the shootings. Similarly, the report says quoting two Indian intelligence officers that the spy agencys action was triggered by the Pulwama attack in 2019, which was perpetrated by the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The report also says that after Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance". Quoting one Indian intelligence operative, the report says, We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source.

The Guardian also says that in response to its queries, the Ministry of External Affairs denied all the allegations, reiterating an earlier statement that they were false and malicious anti-India propaganda. The ministry emphasised a previous denial made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that targeted killings in other countries were not the government of Indias policy.

According to the report, an R&AW handler allegedly paid for information on Zahid Akhund, an alias for the convicted Kashmiri terrorist Zahoor Mistry who was involved in the hijacking of an Air India flight. Millions of rupees were then allegedly paid to Afghan nationals to carry out the shooting in Karachi in March 2022. They fled over the border but their handlers were later arrested by Pakistani security agencies, says the report.

Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Shahid Latif was killed on Pakistan soil. The report says that Pakistani investigators found that the man had allegedly been paid 1.5 million Pakistani rupees (4,000) by an undercover Indian agent to track down Latif and later was promised 15 million Pakistani rupees and his own catering company in the UAE if he carried out the killing.

The young man shot Latif dead at a mosque in Sialkot, but was arrested soon after, along with his accomplices, says the report. The killings of Bashir Ahmad Peer, commander of the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, and Saleem Rehmani, who was on Indias most-wanted list, were also allegedly planned out of the UAE, with transaction receipts from Dubai appearing to show payments of millions of rupees to the killers, says the report.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2024 12:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Beijing, April 5: Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) is investigating a critical case of the rare "B Virus" infection in a 37-year-old man, marking the city's first documented human case. The individual tested positive for the virus after an encounter with wild monkeys at Kam Shan Country Park in late February, where he sustained wounds from the animals.

According to the CHP, the man, who otherwise had good past health, became severely ill and was admitted to Yan Chai Hospitals emergency department on March 21 with a fever and decreased consciousness level. On Wednesday this week, his cerebrospinal fluid specimen tested positive for the B virus at the Centre of Health Protections laboratory. The man infected is now in critical condition and is being treated in the intensive care unit of the hospital. Bird Flu Pandemic To Be Deadlier Than Coronavirus Outbreak? Experts Issue Warning, Say H5N1 Pandemic Could Be 100 Times Worse Than COVID-19.

What is B Virus?

The B virus, also known as the monkey B virus or herpes simiae virus, is primarily spread through macaque monkeys, which often carry the virus without showing symptoms. Transmission to humans can occur through bites, scratches, or contact with monkey tissues and fluids.

B Virus Symptoms:

Initial symptoms of the B virus infection resemble the flu, including fever, chills, muscle aches, and fatigue. However, the infection can rapidly progress, causing severe neurological damage and potentially fatal brain swelling. Band-Aid on Open Wounds Causes Cancer? Study Finds Cancer-Causing Forever Chemicals in Popular Bandage Brands Including Johnson & Johnson.

How Does it Spread?

Unlike the highly contagious COVID-19, the B virus is not easily transmitted. Only 50 cases have been reported in humans since its discovery in 1932, and just one known instance of human-to-human transmission has been reported. The transmission of a disease from an animal to a human is known as zoonotic spillover.

How Can B Virus Be Prevented?

Currently, no vaccines are available for B virus prevention. Health authorities advise against interacting with wild monkeys and recommend immediate medical attention for any wounds inflicted by these animals. Vets and lab workers are also urged to employ proper protective gear when handling macaque monkeys to mitigate the risk of infection.

Treatment:

Anti-viral medications can be used to treat the virus. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), or the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs, can also be prescribed. Still, the CDC states that the decision on whether or not to prescribe ART takes into account several factors, including the condition of the macaque, how properly and quickly the wound was cleaned, and the nature of the wound, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health website.

According to the CDC, B Virus infections initially present with flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills, muscle aches, fatigue, and heartache. However, as the infection advances, it causes swelling of the brain and spinal cord, leading to brain damage, severe damage to the nervous system, and death.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2024 05:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Vijay Deverakondas family entertainer, Family Star, has finally released in theatres today. This was one of the most anticipated Telugu movies of the year. Just a few hours before the films release, the actor shared a post honouring the real Family Star of his life, his father, Deverakonda Govardhan Rao. The actor penned a heartfelt note, revealing that he made this film as a tribute to his dad, his Hero. Take a look at the throwback moments of Vijay with his dad. Family Star: First Reviews of Vijay Deverakonda-Mrunal Thakur's Film Are Out and They Are Calling It a BLOCKBUSTER!

Vijay Deverakonda Pays Tribute To His Family Star

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vijay Deverakonda (@thedeverakonda)

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
New Delhi, April 5: Google, the tech giant known for its powerful search engine, is expected to introduce Google premium features. This development means that some of the Google AI-powered search features that users have been enjoying for free might soon come with a price tag.

Rumours also suggest that Google is considering a subscription model for its enhanced Google AI-powered search features. The introduction of Google premium search features suggests a new business model from the tech giant. Google Searchs More About This Page Feature Now Available in Hindi and 40 Additional Languages Globally.

As per a report of Times of India, Google is planning to charge its users for new premium features powered by GenAI in its search engine. The information might have caused concern throughout the internet community since Google might no longer be a source of free and accessible information. The potential change could mean that some of the advanced functionalities of Google AI might no longer be available to everyone.

Google is currently investigating a variety of potential enhancements to its premium subscription offerings, which currently provide users with access to the Gemini AI assistant within Gmail and Google Docs. At present, Google is yet to make a decision regarding the launch of this new service, despite the emergence of the ChatGPT threat. The company has been testing an AI-driven search service called "Search Generative Experience" (SGE) since last year. This service offers detailed responses to queries, along with traditional search results and advertisements. Google Pixel 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL Key Details Leaked; Know About Expected Specifications and Features.

In 2023, Google generated a revenue of USD 175 billion from search and related advertisements. Google is not currently working on or considering the introduction of an ad-free search experience for its users. Instead, the company is focusing on developing new premium capabilities and services for its subscription offerings across various Google platforms. According to reports, Google's default search engine will remain available at no cost, with advertisements still being displayed alongside search results, even for users with subscriptions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2024 01:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Just after he lost his bid to delay the New York porn star hush money trial, Donald Trump lost two more bids to throw out his upcoming criminal trials in Georgia and Florida, including the Georgia election interference case and the Federal classified documents case, the latter being overseen by a judge he appointed.

In the Georgia elections case, Judge Scott McAfee rejected Donald Trump's argument that his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election were protected under the First Amendment.

"The defense has not presented, nor is the Court able to find, any authority that the speech and conduct alleged is protected political speech," wrote the Fulton County Superior Court judge in his ruling, which was the latest step into holding the former president accountable for his actions in Georgia.

Despite Judge McAfee's ruling that the case will be moving forward and dismissing Trump's latest attempts to derail it, the judge has still not posted a trial date for the case. Previously, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suggested she would be ready to go to trial as soon as August.

Judge McAfee, however, repeatedly said that Trump's First Amendment defense "has repeatedly fallen short in pretrial wrangling in election meddling cases."

"After interpreting the indictment's language liberally in favor of the State as required at this pretrial stage, the Court finds that the Defendants' expressions and speech are alleged to have been made in furtherance of criminal activity and constitute false statements knowingly and willfully made in matters within a government agency's jurisdiction which threaten to deceive and harm the government," the judge wrote in his order, which was issued on Thursday.

The judge previously threw out similar First Amendment challenges from the case's other co-defendants. Similar arguments have also been made in the federal election trial and have also been thrown out.

READ MORE: Donald Trump's Trump Media Was Saved by Russian-American Who Is Under Criminal Investigation, Says Report

Trump-Appointed Judge Rejects Donald Trump's Latest Bid to Throw Out Classified Documents Case

Meanwhile, in Florida, Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon also threw out the former president's latest bid to dismiss the federal classified documents case in which Trump tried to illegally hide classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

According to the Associated Press, Judge Cannon found that the indictment makes "no reference to the Presidential Records Act," nor does it "rely on that statute for purposes of stating an offense."

She added that the act "does not provide a pretrial basis to dismiss" the case. This is the second time that Cannon has rejected the former president's efforts to dismiss the case.

Donald Trump's $175 Million New York Fraud Trial Bond's Legality Questioned

Over in New York, Trump was thrown a lifeline by the state's appellate court by lowering the bond for the $460 million judgment against him to just $175 million. He found a billionaire backer to pay that bond and now, the legality of that bond is being questioned.

New York Attorney General Letitia James showed her concerns regarding the bond in a filing on Thursday, pointing out that it was missing vital information typically included in those filings, including documents related to power of attorney for the bond provider, Knight Specialty Insurance Company.

In her filing, James stated that she took "exception to the sufficiency of the surety" given by Trump and the other defendants, according to CBS News. She also objected to the bond being issued by a company that is not an admitted carrier in New York, pointing out that this may have violated New York Insurance Law Section 1111.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Tried Using Ruby Garcia Death To Attack Joe Biden; Her Family Slams Him and Denies They Spoke With Him

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Trump SHUT DOWN by fed up judge in court - Brian Tyler Cohen
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro's decision to enact a law asserting control over two-thirds of Guyana's territory has ignited strong opposition from Guyana's government, marking a new chapter in their longstanding territorial dispute, AP News reports.

The law's contents remain undisclosed, but Guyana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly condemned the move, labeling it a serious breach of international law.

Maduro's maneuver follows a contentious December referendum where he sought to reclaim sovereignty over Guyana's western Essequibo region, rich in oil and minerals.

"The decision of December 3 has now become the Law of the Republic, to form part of the legal structure of the internal political and institutional movement of our country," Maduro posted on Twitter. "The decision made by the Venezuelans in the consultative referendum will be fulfilled in all its parts, and with this Law, we will continue the defense of Venezuela on international stages."

Despite lacking clarity on how Venezuela will assert jurisdiction, Maduro hailed the move as a historic triumph.

READ NEXT: Maduro's Democracy Erosion in Venezuela Elections

Tension Escalates in Decades-Long Feud

The dispute over the Essequibo region, which spans decades, intensified in 2015 following the discovery of oil deposits near Guyana's coast. Both nations have clashed over ownership, with Venezuela disputing an 1899 border decision and Guyana seeking validation through the International Court of Justice.

Tensions have been exacerbated by military posturing, with Guyana collaborating with international partners to fortify its defenses, while Venezuela has reportedly amassed troops near the border.

Despite efforts by regional leaders to mediate, a resolution remains elusive.

Maduro's Provocative Claims

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro's recent assertions have further stoked tensions. He accused Guyanese President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali of being influenced by external forces, including ExxonMobil and Western nations. Such allegations have deepened the animosity between the two nations.

"We have information proving that in the territory of Guyana Essequibo, temporarily administered by Guyana, secret military bases of the (US) Southern Command. a body of the CIA, have been installed," Maduro stated.

President Nicolas Maduro described the bases as "aggression" against southern and eastern Venezuela, asserting they were constructed "to prepare for an escalation against Venezuela," France24 noted.

In response to Nicolas Maduro's law enactment, Guyana condemned the move, citing violations of international agreements and accusing Venezuela of inflaming the situation. Guyana reiterated its commitment to resolving the dispute through legal channels, emphasizing the importance of the International Court of Justice's jurisdiction.

The international community has expressed concerns over the escalating tensions and called on both nations to exercise restraint, according to Loop. Efforts to defuse the situation through dialogue have so far yielded little progress.

As the dispute persists, the future remains uncertain, with both nations entrenched in their positions and the specter of military conflict looming. The hope lies in diplomatic efforts and adherence to international law to bring about a peaceful resolution to this longstanding feud.

READ MORE: Maduro Named Candidate, Opponent Barred in Venezuela Elections

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Ross Key

WATCH: Guyana News Source 4th April 2024 - From NEWS Source Guyana
At a time when Mexico and Ecuador are supposed to work together to stop the drug trade, Ecuador is instead kicking out Mexico's ambassador to the country over recent comments made by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador about last year's Ecuadorian elections.

Mexico's Ambassador to Ecuador, Raquel Serur Smeke, must now leave the country "soon," according to the Foreign Ministry of Ecuador, telling Reuters that she has been declared as "persona non grata" by the country.

Her expulsion came a day after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador commented on the 2023 Ecuadorian elections, which resulted in the death of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. He compared the assassination to the recent killings of local candidates happening all over Mexico.

Mexico's elections are considered the biggest ever, and already, several mayoral candidates, including ones from Lopez Obrador's own Morena Party, have been gunned down. In his remarks, AMLO noted that Ecuador's leftist presidential hopeful, Luisa Gonzalez, was treated unfairly and was unjustly blamed for the killing of Villavicencio.

"I'm talking about this so that owners of media outlets and those who are participating in these campaigns take responsibility," AMLO continued, blaming this on his usual targets, the media.

Ecuador took offense to these comments, with the country's foreign ministry commenting that the country is still in mourning over Villavicencio's assassination, adding that the "government is committed to the principle of non-intervention in the internal matters of other countries."

Gonzalez lost the election to the eventual winner, President Daniel Nobua, who comes from Ecuador's wealthiest family. He vowed to deal with the surge in crime that was brought about by local gangs in Ecuador teaming up with the dangerous and well-funded drug cartels in Mexico to transport illegal drugs from Colombia to North America.

READ MORE: Ecuador Violence Worsens as 9 Dead, 10 Injured in Shooting Attack in Guayaquil

Recent Storming of Colombia TV Station Connected to Drug Cartels from Mexico

This recent row between Mexico and Colombia comes as criminal organizations between these two countries have been increasing their cooperation. This is evident in the incident where a local drug gang took over an Ecuadorian TV station. It is now revealed that the gang that attacked the station is connected to Mexican drug cartels.

Mexican drug cartels have infiltrated local Ecuadorian drug gangs, and these organizations have been working together to ship cocaine from Colombia and Peru, which share a border with Ecuador, to North America and Europe.

The two biggest Mexican cartels, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel, which was founded by El Chapo, have already affiliated themselves with local gangs in Ecuador, including the gang that attacked the TV station. In particular, the men come from a gang affiliated with the CJNG.

Ecuador Gangs Use Bananas to Ship Cocaine Around the World, Mexican Drug Cartels Are Helping

Ecuador was long considered a bastion for peace in Latin America as it was a generally unproblematic country, but everything changed when the Mexican cartels arrived.

Their most infamous modus operandi is to use ships sailing from Ecuador to the US, Mexico, and Europe to distribute cocaine from Colombia and Peru. They hide the illegal drugs in banana containers where waiting cartel agents take the shipments to distribute the products all over the world, including distant markets in Asia, Australia, and Africa.

READ MORE: Ecuador Political Violence Continues as Local Political Leader Is Killed

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Drug cartels unleash wave of violence in Ecuador | DW News
Peru President Dina Boluarte gets two major victories in Congress as she will not be impeached over the Rolex Scandal, and her cabinet won a crucial vote of confidence as she faces recent attempts to kick her out of office once again in what many consider one of the most volatile democracies on Earth.

The Peruvian president is accused of improperly acquiring a collection of high-end watches that she did not disclose in her financial reports as vice president of Peru, and she also did not disclose her luxury watch collection when she became president following the ouster of her former running mate, Pedro Castillo.

She has since denied any wrongdoing but admitted that she does own a luxury watch collection after police raided her home and took pictures of these watches. She stated that she got these watches through hard work, but the case has since become complicated as bank deposits "of unknown origin" and other jewelry, including a valuable Cartier bracelet, have also been discovered, according to Reuters.

The Peruvian Congress voted twice on Thursday on whether or not they would impeach the embattled president. On both occasions, Congress rejected the attempts to bring the topic of impeachment to debate.

The lawmakers rejected the motion 49-33 in the first vote, with 12 lawmakers abstaining. On the second vote, more joined in on dismissing the motion to debate the impeachment, with 59 votes against, 21 in favor, and 11 lawmakers abstaining.

The scenario was deemed unlikely as Dina Boluarte is still considered a leftist, and the conservative and right-wing lawmakers who were supposed to be against her voted against her impeachment. These lawmakers stated they sought to avoid a major crisis as Boluarte did not have a likely successor.

READ MORE: Peru President Dina Boluarte Requested To Be Removed from Office by Lawmakers Over Rolex Scandal

Peru Governors Testified in Investigation Into Dina Boluarte Rolex Scandal

Meanwhile, as Boluarte avoided impeachment in Peru's unitary Congress, the Attorney General's Office received testimonies from several governors in relation to the Rolex scandal.

Governor of Cusco, Wilfredo Oscorima, and the Governor of Ayacucho, Wilfredo Oscorima, gave sworn testimonies into the matter, with Governor Oscorima being reportedly questioned for purchasing a Rolex watch that had the same characteristics as those owned by Boluarte.

Meanwhile, Governor Salcedo handed over two Rolex watches to authorities but complained that police did not have to break the doors down when they raided President Boluarte's residence last weekend, according to TeleSUR English.

Peru President Dina Boluarte's New Cabinet Win Vote of Confidence in Congress

Meanwhile, just a day before Congress struck down impeachment attempts against Boluarte, the lawmakers also approved her new cabinet. This came after six ministers resigned soon after police raided the president's home to look for the Rolex watches.

According to France 24, Peru's Congress passed the replacement ministers with 70 in favor and 38 against, with 17 lawmakers abstaining. This gave new Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen the chance to move forward in his post.

READ NEXT: Peru: Former Intelligence Chief to Dictator Alberto Fujimori Gets 19-Year Prison Sentence Over Deaths of Farmers

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Peruvian President's Home Raided Over Undeclared Luxury Watches - First Post
Donald Trump's social media company, Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, may have been caught in alleged 'influence peddling' over a loan provided by a Russian-American businessman with ties to Vladimir Putin. This deal ultimately saved the company from going bankrupt in 2022.

That Russian-American backer is currently under federal criminal investigation over the Trump Media deal, as the loan was not disclosed to federal authorities. This may have severe implications as Donald Trump has the majority share in the company, with him also being the presidential frontrunner for the Republican party.

On Thursday, the Democratic-aligned group Congressional Integrity Project sent a three-page letter to the Republican House oversight chair, James Comer, to launch a congressional investigation into the Trump Media merger. This investigation would also look into the loans provided by Russian-American businessman Anton Postolnikov, who has ties to Russian despot Vladimir Putin.

As The Guardian noted, Trump Media was in financial peril after a securities investigation delayed the original merger date between the company and Digital World Acquisition. The investigation depleted the company's finances but was ultimately saved by a loan provided by ES Family Trust, a shell company that Postolnikov used to give Trump Media the loan. It was operated through an account at Paxum Bank in Dominica. The bank is also owned by Postolnikov.

The Guardian found that leaked documents "made clear that ES Family Trust operated like a shell company for Postolnikov, who co-owns Paxum Bank and became a subject of the criminal investigation into the Trump Media merger."

Trump Media Investors Plead Guilty to Insider Trading

Meanwhile, things are still not looking good for the Truth Social parent company, Trump Media, as two of its top investors, Florida venture capitalist Michael Shvartsman and his brother Gerald Shvartsman, pleaded guilty to charges that they participated in an insider trading scheme linked to Trump Media going public.

READ MORE: Donald Trump's Trump Media Was Saved by Russian-American Who Is Under Criminal Investigation

Each of them pleaded guilty in New York to one count of securities fraud on Wednesday, according to CNN. They now face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison after they admitted to illegally trading on nonpublic knowledge of a shell company's secret plan to buy Trump Media. This turned out to be the merger between the company and Digital World Acquisition, which later led to it going public.

IAC Chairman Says Trump Media Is a Scam

The hits just kept coming for Trump Media as Barry Diller, chairman of the internet service provider IAC, slammed the company and called its stocks a scam.

He added that the people buying its stocks are "dopes" and added that such a thought is ridiculous, pointing out during an interview with CNBC that "The company has no revenue."

"It's a scam, just like everything he's ever been involved in is some sort of con," he added, blasting Donald Trump, who has previously been found liable for fraud in various cases, including the New York fraud case and the Trump University case.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Tried Using Ruby Garcia Death To Attack Joe Biden; Her Family Slams Him and Denies They Spoke With Him

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Barry Diller on Truth Social: It's a scam - CNBC Television
Laurel, MS (39440)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Lehigh Valley emergency management officials reported no damage to buildings or infrastructure from Friday mornings earthquake in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border.

One Lehigh Valley school district evacuated its buildings as a precaution.

The 4.8-magnitude tremor at 10:23 a.m. EDT was centered in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, near the communities of Califon, Lebanon and Whitehouse Station, less than 30 miles east of Easton, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Damage assessments were underway throughout Hunterdon, and there have been some reports of structural issues on private properties, county officials there indicated Friday afternoon.

No one was reported injured.

The depth of the quake was 2.9 miles, causing strong shaking, the USGS said.

The risk of aftershocks from the earthquake will decrease over time, but may remain elevated over the following year or longer, the USGS said: If you feel shaking, remember to Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

An earthquake of this magnitude is concerning in that buildings on the East Coast generally arent built to the same structural standards for withstanding tremors as those in more quake-prone areas like California, according to James M. Ricles, director of Natural Hazards Experimental Research Infrastructure at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

Damage could be localized based on the type of soil underlying a building, according to Ricles, who is the Bruce G. Johnston Professor of Structural Engineering at Lehigh.

Unreinforced masonry such as a chimney or exterior cladding on a home may be damaged in a quake of this strength, Ricles said. Homeowners or tenants may want to visually inspect their chimneys, window frames or interior walls for any signs of damage and follow up on concerns with an inspector or contractor, he said.

Its always better to have been better safe than sorry, Ricles told lehighvalleylive.com.

Notable quake, preliminary info: M4.8 - 7 km N of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey https://t.co/SE99SKwosw https://t.co/ADcDLsTp8b pic.twitter.com/9Q9UvhogCP  USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 5, 2024

You should expect aftershocks following an earthquake. Follow these tips to stay safe:



 Drop, Cover and Hold On!

 Avoid damaged structures.

 If in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it.



Learn more tips: https://t.co/MNGBNvnPzY pic.twitter.com/0WFrVMbgCB  FEMA (@fema) April 5, 2024

Tewksbury police Friday afternoon reported that since the initial earthquake, the area experienced five additional quakes with a magnitude 2.2 or lower.

Following the initial earthquake, the Hunterdon County 911 Communications Center was met with significant call volume and expanded immediately to full staffing to meet the demand, county Commissioner Jeff Kuhl said.

I am grateful for the quick response by our local first responders, Office of Emergency Management, and County staff that have been involved in the ongoing response to the reported earthquake, Kuhl said in a statement. Thankfully, at this time, there have been no reported injuries or major damage sustained by residents, businesses, and local governments. We will continue to stay in regular contact with municipal officials until all inspections and reporting is finished.

Hunterdon added a link to the county website, co.hunterdon.nj.us, to capture reports from the public of damage that has occurred. County officials advised residents and businesses to contact their insurance companies first, but to add reports to the website link to help county officials track damage.

Hunterdon County staff assessed facilities and infrastructure and were reporting all essential services operating without interruption:

Hunterdon Medical Center reported no damage to facilities, and coordination with all utilities that service the county were reporting no issues.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission inspected bridges connecting New Jersey to Pennsylvania from Hunterdon County with no damage identified.

The New Jersey Water Supply Authority was conducting structural assessments on the dams at the Round Valley and Spruce Run reservoirs, with no issues reported to county offices as of 12:45 p.m. Local road closures were in place in the area of Round Valley to allow for inspections to safely be conducted.

In neighboring Warren County, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Petruzzellis said there were no reports of damage.

That was the case in Lehigh County, as well, according to county Office of Emergency Management Director Tanya Hook. Northampton County Deputy Director of Administration Brittney Waylen also reported no damage, and that a surge in 911 calls had abated.

The Allentown School District temporarily evacuated all schools, district spokeswoman Melissa Reese said late Friday morning.

Following recommendations from our professional structural engineers, our safety teams have conducted perimeter checks of each school, a statement from Reese read. Students have now been clear to return to class. Over the weekend our facilities team and our engineers will thoroughly inspect each school.

The Easton Arts Academy Elementary Charter School relayed to parents that the earthquake had been felt and that all students and staff at the school are safe.

There was no damage to the building, so theres no need to activate emergency procedures or to pick up children from school, the schools message Friday stated. The school will assist students in understanding earthquakes, why they occur, and what to do if one happens in the future. It is recommended that parents and guardians use todays event as a point of discussion.

Editors note: This article was updated with additional information from Hunterdon County.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
A suspended sentence was handed down to a woman who stole a handbag from an Indian restaurant in Laois.

Nora Lynch, 51, of 6 Ruanbeg Park, Ruanbeg Manor, Kildare was accused of burglary at the Great India restaurant on French Church Street, Portarlington on June 25, 2022. The court heard the bag contained care products and an iphone charger.

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said the defendant had been due to bring 500 to court for the injured party.

A defending solicitor said she doesnt have the money judge. She is not in a position to pay it today.

Judge Andrew Cody said the woman had 94 previous convictions including 21 for theft.

Her solicitor said the offence had occurred when she was using drink and drugs. He said she was now clean but her grandfather passed away two months ago and she is paying for his funeral in instalments.

Judge Cody said the woman has had two years to pay the money.

Ms Lynch asked me to inform the court that she has recently been diagnosed with cancer, the solicitor said. He appealed for leniency or an extension of time to pay the compensation.

Judge Andrew Cody handed down a six month sentence which was suspended for two years on condition that the woman pays the 500 on or before October 1, 2024.
Voters and election candidates in Laois and other counties have finally had polling day confirmed by the Government for the local and European Elections.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OBrien confirmed on April 5 that made orders appointing Friday, June 7 2024 as the polling day. People will be able to cast their votes around Laois at polling stations from 7 am to 10 pm for candidates who want to represent them in the European Parliament and on Laois County Council.

A statement from the Minister's Department said the local authority returning officer in Laois will also give public notice of the times for receiving nominations and of the application requirements for local elections.

A total of 19 seats are up for grabs on Laois County Council. There are 7 seats available in the Portlaoise Municipal District with the remaining 12 split equally between the Graiguecullen / Portarlington and Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick Municipal Districts.

There six Fianna Fail and six Fine Gael councillors share power on the council with the support of one independent councillor. There are two Sinn Fein representatives and one Labour councillor. One of the four independent councillors left Fine Gael since the last local elections. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Laois is part of the big Midlands-North-West European Parliament constituency which will return five MEPs to Brussels.

Pictured: Counting votes in St Mary's Hall Portlaoise.

Voter registration

The Department says a person eligible to vote but not yet registered as an elector still has time to apply for entry in the register of electors. To be eligible to vote a person must be 18 years of age or over on or before polling day and be ordinarily resident in the constituency in which you wish to vote. You must also be included on the Register of Electors.

Everyone is encouraged to check that their details are correct and up to date at www.checktheregister.ie

Eligible voters who are not on the register, or who need to update their details, for example because they have moved house, can do so by submitting an online application at www.checkthereigster.ieor by submitting a form to their local authority. Relevant application forms are available from City, County or City and County Councils (these are the registration authorities) or online at www.checktheregister.ie.

Completed applications must be received by the registration authority for the area in which you reside by Monday, 20 May 2024.

If anybody who eligible to vote by post, or is unable to vote in person due to an illness or disability and is resident in a hospital, nursing home, mental health facility or similar institution, and they are not on the Postal Voters List or Special Voters List, as appropriate, they can apply up to Saturday, 11 May 2024 for inclusion in those lists.

Application forms are available from City, County or City and County Councils and online at www.checktheregister.ie.

Election posters

With arrangements for the 2024 local elections now set, the Minister clarified the time period during which candidates can exhibit election posters. Candidates can only erect posters from 8 May 2024, which is 30 days before the polling date. There is a requirement for candidates to remove all posters within 7 days of the poll.

The Minister has appointed Barry Ryan, a Principal Officer in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to be the chief returning officer for the European Parliament elections. He has also appointed returning officers for the three European Parliament constituencies in which 14 MEPs are to be elected for the 2024-2029 parliamentary term. More below picture.

Pictured election tallyman in Portlaoise.

Mr. Fergus Gallagher, Dublin County Sheriff, will be returning officer for the 4 seat Dublin constituency. Ms. Marian Chambers Higgins, Galway County Registrar, will be returning officer for the 5 seat Midlands-North-West constituency. Mr. Martin Harvey, Cork City Sheriff, will be returning officer for the 5 seat South constituency. The three constituencies are specified in the Electoral Amendment (Amendment) Act 2023.

European election candidate nominations

The returning officers for the three European constituencies will in the coming days give public notice of the times for receiving nominations and of the application requirements.

Voters in Limerick will also be voting in a new Mayoral election.
Farmers across Laois and Offaly must be supported in the face of weather conditions that are creating significant pressures on farms, insists Charlie Flanagan TD.

The Fine Gael TD said a difficult autumn in 2023 and persistent rain this spring have delayed livestock turnout, disrupted spring plantings, and caused difficulties with other fieldwork. He said Met Eireann has recorded significant rainfall throughout the month.

While, the Government TD said agriculture is important to the local economy and that Fine Gael is committed to delivering for rural Ireland and farmers, he said the farmers are suffering.

"Right now, weather conditions are hammering farmer morale and we are moving into an unprecedented territory on farms. Farmers are acting responsibly but the reality is that the weather is preventing livestock turnout, spring planting, and other fielding right across the country, including across Laois and Offaly.

This is causing untold stress for farmers who are trying to manage a difficult situation. I welcome the pausing of all non-essential farm inspection until 22 April to provide farmers with breathing space. We are in a position where every and all option to support them needs to be considered if these difficult conditions persist, he said.

With Laois IFA saying all farmers have been it, the former minister appealed to his own Government and others in agriculture to come together to provide a co-ordinated response.

Pictured: Charlie Flanagan walks the land during a previous weather crisis in Laois.

He said Fine Gael Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon has said that any measure which could offer a reprieve for farmers until the conditions improve was being looked at.

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has suspended some inspections but has not said there will be support for fodder costs or that scheme payments will be brought forward or that outstanding payments will be paid.
The mental health support organisation Grow is inviting the people of Laois to an open day to learn more about the support they provide.

Grow is a community of people drawn together by our first-hand experiences of mental health challenges. Having found practical ways of helping each other recover from mental health challenges or life struggles they developed The Grow Program.

Michelle McCormick is the Grow Area Coordinator for the Midlands. She outlined more about Grow to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"Whether you are diagnosed with a mental health challenge, you just simply feel you cannot cope with what life throws at you or you know someone youd like to help Grow local and online groups are here for you," she says.

Ms McCormick explains more about the Grow process.

"Group meetings are carried out in a confidential and supportive environment, no introduction is needed, just come along and observe. We meet weekly in locations all over Ireland and online. All our group supports are free for over 18s, no referral needed, no waiting lists and our meetings are confidential, non-judgemental and carried out in a supportive setting. Furthermore, youll be surrounded with people who have had similar lived experiences as you so you are not alone.

"The method we use during group meetings has proven success for the past 55 years. Youre in good hands the Grow Program helps people help themselves to take back control over their lives," she said.

Grow already has three weekly meetings in Laois in Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick. To let more people know more about what the help they can give, Grow is running an information open day in the MDA in Mountmellick on Saturday, April 11 from 2pm to 4pm.

Ms McCormick says the day aims to allow the public to meet members of Grow and ask questions and have a chat.

All are welcome if you could RSVP by texting Michelle McCormick 086 4183805 it would be much appreciated.

Minister Sean Fleming will be in attendance as well as Grows CEO and a representative for Pippa Hackett. The local Mountmellick African Laois community will be attending as well as local GAA representatives.

The three groups running on Thursdays in Laois are:
Simon Harris has pledged to be a mature leader of the three-party government while also helping his party reconnect with its core values.

The newly appointed Fine Gael leader is to outline some of his priorities at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis being held in Galway city this weekend.

He admitted his party has a real job to renew its focus on a number of issues, and referenced the pressure points facing farmers and small businesses.

He also pledged to bring finality to the RTE saga, said there was merit to considering a cap on pay of department secretaries-general, and took aim at Sinn Fein on housing.

During a key Ard Fheis speech on Saturday evening, he said he would be appealing to three different cohorts: Fine Gael voters, those who used to vote for the party but had stopped and the people who would never in a month of Sundays vote for Fine Gael, and thats alright too.

I do think theres a real job for this party to reconnect and renew our focus on a number of issues. And I do think the farming community for example, are really hurting at the moment, he said on Friday, flanked by Fine Gael ministers.

Addressing the 11 Fine Gael TDs who have said they will not seek re-election, he said that he doesnt get this adding that politics can be gruelling on people.

Addressing the housing crisis, he hit out at the main opposition party Sinn Fein, criticising their plans to abolish the Help-to-Buy grant on the basis that it could contribute to house price increases.

If talking about housing were to fix it, wed have an oversupply of housing in this country, Mr Harris said.

Id love (Sinn Fein housing spokesperson) Eoin O Broin and (Sinn Fein leader) Mary Lou McDonald to sit down in the kitchen of one of those newly built houses and look that young couple in the face and tell them why they dont believe that that couple wasnt entitled to their own money back, he said of the grant.

I dont fear Sinn Fein, I dont fear debating them, Im looking forward to it, and I welcome their new-found interest in me.

A vote will be held in the Dail on April 9 to appoint Mr Harris as Taoiseach, which he is expected to win.

The reshuffle of Fine Gael ministers is expected to take place immediately afterwards.

Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney said he is standing down from Cabinet, and on Friday Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys was appointed the partys new deputy leader, replacing Mr Coveneys party role.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said that she would like to keep her current portfolio.

Speaking in Galway on Friday, Mr Harris refused to say whether Ms McEntee will stay in Cabinet.

He said: We have an extraordinarily talented team of ministers, and ministers of state and people who would like to be ministers of state and ministers, and over the coming days Ill be putting together the very best, and my colleague and friend Minister McEntee is a very important part of the Fine Gael party.

He added: I believe in trying to bring diversity of viewpoints into Cabinet. Lots of people have different talents, different strengths. I think we are at our best as a party when we try to harness all of those differences.

You just never know what Irish politics can bring. There will be people who are rightly delighted next week and therell be people who feel a sense of personal disappointment.

He also said the Ard Fheis would be an opportunity for party members to put forward policy ideas and for Fine Gael to showcase its candidates for the upcoming local and European Parliament elections on June 7.

The most important thing for Fine Gael to turn things around is that sense of self belief and energy, he said.

This is a party that is fighting fit. This is a party that has incredible candidates in every community in the country.

What this Ard Fheis is about is the party lifting its head and believing in itself because this is a party that has a major role to play.

Despite the upheaval within his party, he has pledged to bring stability to the coalition government with Fianna Fail and the Green Party.

Under my leadership, you wont be turning on the telly to see the leader of Fine Gael about to announce an election.

Bhi an deis againn inniu casadh le ceannaire ur Fhine Gael @SimonHarrisTD ina chead chruinniu mar cheannaire ar an phairti. Phleigh muid cursai Gaeltachta, oideachas, tithiocht agus #PleanFais leis agus ag suil le gniomh sa bhliain ata romhainn. Guimid gach rath air sa rol nua. pic.twitter.com/UV6dSqtRyl  Conradh na Gaeilge  (@CnaG) April 5, 2024

Im very clear in relation to mature, responsible leadership and that means that this government intends to go to full term, he said.

The people who want an election  well absolutely have an election around next March.

As Galway has a large Gaeltacht, or an Irish language-speaking region, Mr Harris was asked about his fluency and admitted that he doesnt have much Irish.

But he said he had met with the Irish group Conradh na Gaeilge on Friday and intends to take Irish language classes.

Speaking out on a canvas in Salthill in Galway on Friday evening with local councillor Clodagh Higgins and MEP Maria Walsh, Mr Harris appealed to small businesses: We have your back.

Its been a surreal couple of weeks, its beginning to sink in now. I know the enormity of the challenge we have to face, he said.

Yes, multinational jobs are so important and were so proud of them, but we want to be on the side of small businesses and on the side of communities, he said, which was met with applause.
As a first-time candidate and a relative newcomer to official politics Caitriona Bergin is using her voice to represent the community in North Leitrim at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis this weekend.

She has taken the bull by the horns and submitted 3 motions for consideration to be added to the manifesto for government.

The opportunity for individuals, branches and member groups to submit motions to be debated and selected to be incorporated in the manifesto for government is vital to ensure the representation of all areas of society and key to how our democracy works.

Im excited to get the opportunity to be able to put these motions forward for consideration. If they are selected, I will have to put my argument to the members to vote on whether to accept the motion. I really wanted to represent what I have been hearing out on the doorsteps over the past month, real concerns in our communities.

As a member of the Fine Gael Womens Network, Caitriona Bergin, was also involved with a large number of motions that is hoped to be brought forward this Saturday at the Ard Fheis in Galway. Areas such as menopause, surrogacy, parental leave, carers supports, pregnancy loss, freedom from coercion and many more.

Our voices need to be heard and with more women entering politics we will see better support and improvements in areas affecting women and families

The three motions that Caitriona is bringing forward are in relation to rural depopulation and planning issues, counteracting the rise in disinformation and pre and post school hours childcare in schools.

Motion 1: Planning permission & Septic systems

That this Ard Fheis recognises the declining population in rural Ireland, coupled with the difficulty in obtaining planning permission on family farms and the restrictions on septic tank systems and calls on this government to implement a suite of measures to address this through research & innovation in new septic tanks systems and a reform in planning permissions in rural Ireland in relation to family farms. Thus enabling succession planning on farms and keeping our younger generation in rural Ireland.

Motion 2: Debunking Disinformation

That this Ard Fheis recognises the rise in misinformation, disinformation & AI generated videos (content) creating a divisive culture in Ireland and calls on this government to implement a critical thinking & empathy education programme across primary and post primary education ensuring stronger safer communities.

Motion 3: Primary Level Childcare

That this Ard Fheis recognises the challenges that parents and guardians face in regards to childcare costs and its availability, and calls on this government to endeavour to deliver pre & post school hours care within primary education facilities (between 8am & 6pm).

Caitriona wants to use every means possible to represent her community and make a real change to benefit everyone. Should you wish to raise any local issues with Caitriona Bergin you can contact her at CBerginFG@gmail.com
In a significant move, Saudi Arabia's leading mobile wallet, stc pay, has received approval from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) to proceed with its transformation into STC Bank, thus entering into its next phase of its transformation journey into STC Bank.

This beta launch is limited to preselected customers and is a preparation for a full public launch later in the year. It will enable selected users to upgrade their accounts from an stc pay digital wallet into an STC Bank account.

Announcing this today (April 4), stc pay said it will also be provided an International Bank Account Number and additional banking services.

With this upgrade, the subsidiary of stc Group will provide shariah-compliant banking services and financial solutions while ensuring the utmost security and customer protection through cutting-edge financial technologies.

This beta launch is limited to preselected customers and is a preparation for a full public launch later in the year.

This step is supported by SAMA, affirming its commitment to playing a pivotal role in digital transformation and empowerment, thus contributing to the ambitious goals of Vision 2030 to transition towards a cashless society by increasing the share of digital financial transactions.

"This beta launch will enable selected users to upgrade their accounts from an stc pay digital wallet into an STC Bank account. Customers will be provided with an STC Bank International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and get additional banking services," said a spokesman.

"This move aligns with the Kingdoms broader fintech strategy and the goal of establishing the country as a global hub for financial technology and innovation," he stated.

The digital wallets transition into STC Bank will be a significant addition to the Saudi banking sector, he added.

Founded in October 2018, stc pay became the first licensed fintech company by SAMA. Since then, it has become the regions biggest digital wallet giving access to financial services to over 12 million customers through its mobile first approach.-TradeArabia News Service
Bombardier Announces Closing of its New Issuance of Senior Notes due 2031





MONTREAL, April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Inc. ("Bombardier") today announced that it has successfully closed its previously announced offering of US$750 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2031 (the "New Notes"). The New Notes carry a coupon of 7.250% per annum, mature on July 1, 2031 and were sold at 99.75% of par.



Bombardier intends to use the proceeds of the offering of the New Notes, together with cash on hand, (i) to finance the offer to purchase (the "2026 Tender Offer") up to US$550 million aggregate purchase amount (exclusive of accrued and unpaid interest) of its outstanding 7.125% Senior Notes due 2026 (the "2026 Notes"), of which there is US$1,001 million aggregate principal amount outstanding on the date hereof, (ii) to fund the redemption (the "2027 Notes Redemption") of US$200 million aggregate purchase amount (exclusive of accrued and unpaid interest) of its outstanding 7.875% Senior Notes due 2027 (the "2027 Notes"), of which there is US$1,733 million aggregate principal amount outstanding on the date hereof, and (iii) for the payment of accrued interest and related fees and expenses.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or buy or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation, sale or purchase of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offering, solicitation, sale or purchase would be unlawful.

The New Notes mentioned herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, any state securities laws or the laws of any other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. The New Notes mentioned herein were offered and sold in the United States only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act and outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. The New Notes mentioned herein have not been and will not be qualified for distribution to the public under applicable Canadian securities laws and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the securities in Canada was made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of such securities laws. The New Notes were offered and sold in Canada on a private placement basis only to "accredited investors" pursuant to certain prospectus exemptions.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements based on current expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to important known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

For information

Francis Richer de La Fleche

Vice President, Financial Planning and Investor Relations

Bombardier

+1 514 240 9649 Mark Masluch

Senior Director, Communications

Bombardier

+1 514 855 7167

4 april 2024 at 17:05

News published onand distributed by:
Century Communities Voted Newsweek's Most Trustworthy Homebuilder for Second Year in a Row





GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS), one of the nation's largest homebuilders and an industry leader in online home sales, has been voted the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies for the second year in a row. Presented by Newsweek and Statista?a leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider?the 2024 awards list is currently available for view on Newsweek's website.

The list includes 700 companies across 23 industries, each with revenues of over $500 million, and each evaluated on three points of trust: customer trust, investor trust, and employee trust. Approximately 25,000 U.S. residents were surveyed. All companies also underwent an extensive social listening evaluation, in total analyzing over 532,000 mentions across the internet for positive, negative or neutral sentiments. In addition, companies involved in any significant scandals or lawsuits were excluded from the list.

"We're extremely proud to be included on this list for the second consecutive year," said Dale Francescon, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. "This is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our employees and trade partners to consistently deliver A Home For Every Dream."

"Our entire company culture and work ethic is built around consistently pairing top-quality homes with a best-in-class homebuying experience, so we're deeply honored to receive this recognition for the second year in a row," said Rob Francescon, Co-Chief Executive Officer and President. "Recognitions like this mean so much because it's all about providing each homebuyer with the home they deserve, and that's what we'll keep striving to do."

Online Homebuying Pioneer

Century Communities' industry-first online homebuying experience makes it easier than ever for buyers to quickly find and seamlessly lock in their dream home whenever they're ready and from wherever they are?whether shopping online or on location.

How it works:

Shop homes at CenturyCommunities.com

Click "Buy Now" on any available home

Fill out a quick Buy Online form

Electronically submit an initial earnest money deposit

Electronically sign a purchase contract via DocuSign

Learn more about the Buy Online experience at www.CenturyCommunities.com/online-homebuying.

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, an industry leader in online home sales, and the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2024, consecutively awarded for a second year. Through its Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century's mission is to build attractive, high-quality homes at affordable prices to provide its valued customers with A HOME FOR EVERY DREAM. Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuilding ? including the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Company operates in 18 states and over 45 markets across the U.S., and also offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loans subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com.

SOURCE Century Communities, Inc.

4 april 2024 at 17:10

News published onand distributed by:
American Council of Learned Societies Names 15 Scholars to Participate in 2024 Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe





Awardees Will Conduct Research and Writing at Interdisciplinary Residency in Bulgaria Hosted by ACLS and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia

NEW YORK, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), in partnership with the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS), is pleased to name 15 participants for the 2024 Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE). ACLS will convene these leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a two-week residency hosted by the American University in Bulgaria from June 13-29, 2024 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

"The Summer Institute provides a vital opportunity for scholars to advance their own projects, as well as benefit from the perspectives of their fellow participants representing a diversity of institutions, geographic areas, and fields of study in the humanities."

SISECSE will provide the scholars with dedicated time for their own research and writing in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to participate in small group writing workshops and a series of discussions on the topic "The Humanities and Interpretive Social Sciences in a Time of Emergency, or Thinking Urgently," exploring how humanistic scholars and scholarship can foster resilience, empathy, and collective action.

The 2024 scholars represent a diverse range of institutions across Eastern Europe and the United States, including Central European University, H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Lone Star College, University of Michigan, and University of Prishtina. Their research topics include ecological relationships related to migration in the forest at the Polish, Belarusian, and Lithuanian border; transgender narratives and art in the early to post-Byzantine period; early 20th century juvenile justice in Ukraine; medieval music and imperial ideologies in Bulgaria; and the political discourse of "pocket assemblies" in post-Napoleonic Europe.

Learn more about the 2024 scholars and their projects.

"ACLS is excited to continue our successful partnership with the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia and convene leading scholars of East Central and Southeastern Europe in Bulgaria," said Deena Ragavan, ACLS Director of International Programs. "The Summer Institute provides a vital opportunity for scholars to advance their own projects, as well as benefit from the perspectives of their fellow participants representing a diversity of institutions, geographic areas, and fields of study in the humanities."

Now in its second year, the Summer Institute for Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe is made possible by a generous donation from Carl and Betty Pforzheimer. The program builds on a long history of ACLS support for humanistic scholars and scholarship in Eastern Europe, including the ACLS Humanities Program in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine (1999-2010).

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 80 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its endowment and $37 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship. In all aspects of our work, ACLS is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice.

The Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia is an independent institution with strong international and interdisciplinary orientation, promoting freedom of research and scholarly excellence in the humanities and the social sciences. Since its establishment in 2000, CAS has been attracting young talents and outstanding senior scholars by offering institutional conditions conducive to free pursuit of knowledge and dialogue in the framework of individual research fellowships or collaborative multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural enquiries. In partnership with other Institutes for Advanced Study, universities, scholarly and cultural associations, it works to re-establish the tradition of intellectual communities and to facilitate open critical debate and exchange of ideas on national and trans-national levels.

Media Contact

Anna Polovick Waggy, American Council of Learned Societies, 6468307661, [email protected], https://www.acls.org/

Twitter LinkedI

SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies

5 april 2024 at 04:00

News published onand distributed by:
The Adelaide Group announces 18% turnover growth for 2023





In 2023, the Adelaide Group accelerated its development and maintained above-target performance levels

NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adelaide Group achieved an aggregate turnover of ?400 million in 2023, recording 18% growth compared with 2022. These results exceed the targets set and the Group's strategic ambition of achieving turnover in excess of ?400 million by the end of the IMPACT24 Plan.

The Group is pursuing its internationalisation policy with 25% of its business now conducted outside France through new acquisitions in Europe. Over the past 4 years, the Group has made 9 acquisitions or equity investments.

At the same time, the Group is stepping up its innovations and its digitalisation by bringing in new differentiating services for its clients.

"Our position as an independent insurance broker enables us to prosper by ensuring very sustained growth, and to reconcile a tailored approach and profitability. We are proud of these achievements, which bear witness to not only our teams' unfailing commitment but also the robustness of our group", Jacques Verlingue, Chairman of the Adelaide Group.

Verlingue, the subsidiary specialising in corporate protection, recorded an aggregate turnover of ?285 million in 2023, up 19%, of which 50% was organic growth. Around 35% of its business is generated outside France on the back of its external growth strategy, which has led it to set up new businesses in Italy and in the United Kingdom.

Generation, which specialises in managing Health and Life Insurance contracts, is consolidating its growth with an 18% increase in comparison with 2022, achieving a turnover of ?102 million in 2023. With this growth comes a larger customer base, with over 2.4 million beneficiaries covered by Health insurance and 1.1 million covered by Personal Accident. Insurance individual branch has recorded promising growth with over 150,000 members. Over the same period, Generation has continued its expansion, opening a new establishment in Saint-Nazaire.

In 2023, Cocoon, which specialises in the distribution of health and personal protection insurance for individuals, expanded its management teams with the arrival of Fanny Ridet as CEO. With a turnover of 13 million euros, Cocoon aims to become a recognised stakeholder in the digital and ethical distribution of supplementary Health insurance solutions.

"We are thrilled to see the Adelaide Group maintaining a dynamic growth curve and exceeding the objectives of our ambitious strategic plan. Our results continue to make steady progress and amply illustrate our commitment to offering our clients a steadily growing added value" Gilles Beneplanc, CEO, Adelaide Group.

Adelaide reaffirms its ambition to become a leading broker in Europe through its model

A year before the Impact24 strategic plan officially comes to a close, the Adelaide Group is recording vigorous growth in line with its objectives, and a sound financial performance.

"Our performances are proof of our commitment to our European strategy. These results confirm our ability to offer an alternative to large global or financialized brokers" Benjamin Verlingue, Deputy CEO, Adelaide Group.

An upcoming change in governance, marked by innovation and growth

In 2024, a major change lies ahead in the group's governance as Benjamin Verlingue is set to succeed Jacques Verlingue as its chairman. This transition will guarantee continuity and reflect the firm intention to maintain the group's independence and spirit of innovation.

With a current team of over 2,500 employees, Adelaide has set out to recruit over 250 new talents in 2024.

About the Adelaide Group

The Adelaide Group specialises in insurance consultancy, intermediation, distribution and management. It is geared towards enabling its clients to run their businesses through effective risk management, by helping them protect their operations and their employees. For over 90 years, the Group has been growing to become one of the main players in insurance brokerage in France, with three thriving companies: Verlingue, Generation and Cocoon with the objective of building a major family-owned and independent insurance brokerage group with a European reach.

2,500 employees

?3,000m in negotiated premiums

2.4 million policyholders with health insurance cover and 1.1 million with life insurance cover

Located in 5 countries: France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy

www.adelaidegroup.fr

Press contact

Agence Epoka

Lucie Fortin

[email protected]

+33(0)619687018

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380073/Groupe_Adelaide_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Groupe Adelaide

5 april 2024 at 05:35

News published onand distributed by:
THINK RESEARCH CORPORATION ANNOUNCES VOTING RESULTS FROM SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS





TORONTO, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Think Research Corporation (TSXV: THNK) ("Think" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the positive outcome of the shareholder vote at yesterday's special meeting (the "Meeting") of the holders ("Shareholders") of common shares in the capital of the Company ("Shares") to approve the previously announced plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement"), pursuant to which Beedie Investments Ltd. ("Beedie Capital"), will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Shares, other than those Shares owned by Beedie Capital and other Shareholders comprised of certain directors and executive officers of the Company as well as other persons (such Shareholders, collectively, the "Continuing Shareholders"), for cash consideration of $0.32 per Share (collectively, the "Transaction").

At the Meeting, (i) 56,948,252 votes, or approximately 99% of the votes cast at the Meeting by Shareholders voting virtually or represented by proxy, were cast in favour of the special resolution approving the Arrangement (the "Arrangement Resolution"); and (ii) excluding Shares owned by Beedie Capital and the Continuing Shareholders, which were required to be excluded pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ? Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), 32,339,756 votes, or approximately 98% of the votes cast at the Meeting by Shareholders voting virtually or represented by proxy, were cast in favour of the Arrangement Resolution. The Arrangement Resolution was required to be passed by (i) at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the votes cast at the Meeting by the Shareholders voting virtually or represented by proxy; and (ii) a simple majority of the votes cast by the Shareholders voting virtually or represented by proxy, excluding Shares required to be excluded pursuant to MI 61-101. Details of the voting results will be filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

The Company will apply for a final order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) on April 9, 2024. Closing of the Transaction remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions contained in the arrangement agreement entered into between Think and Beedie Capital on February 15, 2024. Assuming the satisfaction or waiver of these conditions, the Arrangement is anticipated to be completed in the second quarter of 2024.

Shareholder Questions and Assistance

Registered Shareholders must submit any certificates and/or DRS advices representing their Shares, together with a duly completed and executed letter of transmittal and any other documents that TSX Trust Company, who is acting as depositary under the Arrangement, may reasonably require, in order to receive the cash consideration to which they are entitled under the Arrangement.

Shareholders who have questions or require assistance with submitting their Shares to the Arrangement may direct their questions to the Company's strategic shareholder advisor and proxy solicitation agent, Morrow Sodali at 1-888-444-0591 toll free in North America or 1-289-695-3075 collect outside North America or by email at [email protected]. Further information about submitting your Shares to the Arrangement, including with respect to completing the letter of transmittal, may be addressed to TSX Trust Company toll free at 1-866-600-5869 or by email at [email protected].

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information may be identified by statements including words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "budget," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "scheduled," "forecast," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "to be," "could,", "would," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional.

Statements including forward-looking information may include, without limitation, the timing of various steps to be completed in connection with the completion of the Transaction. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including but not limited to, that the parties will receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary court approval, and that the parties will otherwise be able to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Transaction, and current expectations and analyses made by the Company and its management in light of experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors appropriate under the circumstances. The Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable in the circumstances. However, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. By its nature, forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, changes in circumstances and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company's control which may cause actual results to differ materially from the any future or potential results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking information include, among others, (i) the possibility that the Transaction will not be completed on the terms and conditions, or on the timing, currently contemplated, and that it may not be completed at all, due to a failure to obtain or satisfy, in a timely manner or otherwise, required court approval and other conditions of closing necessary to complete the Transaction or for other reasons; (ii) the possibility of adverse reactions or changes in business resulting from the completion of the Transaction; (iii) risks relating to the Company's ability to retain and attract key personnel during the interim period; (iv) the possibility of litigation relating to the Transaction; (v) risks related to diverting management's attention from the Company's ongoing business operations; and (vi) other risks inherent to the business carried out by the Company and factors beyond its control which could have a material adverse effect on the Company or its ability to complete the Transaction. The Company has assumed that the risk factors referred to above will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Other than as specifically required by applicable Canadian securities law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

About Think Research Corporation

Think Research Corporation is an industry leader in delivering knowledge-based digital health software solutions. The Company's focused mission is to organize the world's health knowledge so everyone gets the best care. Its evidence-based healthcare technology solutions support the clinical decision-making process and standardization of care to facilitate better health care outcomes. The Company gathers, develops, and delivers knowledge-based solutions globally to customers including enterprise clients, hospitals, health regions, healthcare professionals, and / or governments. The Company has gathered a significant amount of data by building its repository of knowledge through its network and group of companies.

The Company licenses its solutions to over 14,200 facilities for over 320,000 primary care, acute care, and long-term care doctors, nurses and pharmacists that rely on the content and data provided by the Company to support their practices. Millions of patients and residents annually receive better care due to the essential data that the Company produces, manages and delivers.

In addition, the Company collects and manages pharmaceutical and clinical trial data via its BioPharma Services subsidiary. BioPharma Services is a leading provider of bioequivalence and Phase 1 clinical research services to pharmaceutical companies globally. The Company's other services include a network of digital-first primary care clinics and medical clinics that provide elective surgery. Visit www.thinkresearch.com for more details.

About Beedie Capital

Beedie Capital is a multi-strategy direct investment platform that manages the alternative investments for Beedie, one of the largest private companies in Western Canada. It deploys capital using a flexible, evergreen mandate, and applies a highly agnostic approach to the duration, structure and size of its investments. Beedie Capital combines the strategic capabilities of an institutional investment platform with the flexibility and entrepreneurial mindset of a privately owned business. Beedie Capital invests in any sector, with a core focus on Technology, Tech-enabled Services, and Metals and Mining, and seeks to grow its invested capital alongside the enterprise value of its investments. For further information on Beedie Capital, please visit www.beediecapital.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Think Research Corporation

5 april 2024 at 07:00

News published onand distributed by:
Sassy Builds Dominant Land Position In Utah's Most Prolific Uranium District





VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Sassy Gold Corp. (CSE:SASY)(OTCQB:SSYRF)(FSE:4E7) ("Sassy" or "the Company") is pleased to provide further information on its ongoing uranium property acquisitions in the Western United States, strategically positioning Sassy as the most dominant landholder with multiple past producing mines and deposits in Lisbon Valley, Utah, historically the state's most productive uranium district.

Highlights:

Sassy's binding LOI's announced March 1, 2024, now include a Utah state lease contiguous to the claims comprising the Central Lisbon Project (without change to the terms of the Transaction);

The total Lisbon Valley land package to be acquired by Sassy (North Lisbon and Central Lisbon) encompasses approximately two-thirds of this entire past producing district (16 miles long and up to 1 mile wide) which was responsible for 78 million pounds of uranium production between 1948 and 1988, 9% of total U.S. domestic uranium produced during that period (see attached map), mostly from the lower member (Moss Back) of the Chinle Formation ( source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32 );

(16 miles long and up to 1 mile wide) which was responsible for 78 million pounds of uranium production between 1948 and 1988, 9% of total U.S. domestic uranium produced during that period (see attached map), mostly from the lower member (Moss Back) of the Chinle Formation ( ); Significant new discovery potential exists in the underlying and under-explored Cutler Formation which hosts massive sandstone units and was determined to be an economic host in the late 1970's ( source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32 );

); Except for the Jackpile-Paquate area in Cibola County, New Mexico, the Lisbon Valley in Utah has produced more uranium than any area of similar size in the United States. In addition to uranium, more than 24 million pounds of vanadium oxide (V 2 O 5 ) was associated with some of the ores, especially in the central and southern parts of Lisbon Valley (source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32).

Mr. Mark Scott, Sassy President and CEO, commented: "We are proceeding toward completion of the definitive agreement announced March 1. Utah is one of America's most friendly and dynamic jurisdictions for business and also features the country's only operating conventional uranium mill, Energy Fuels' White Mesa. Not only is the Independence Property permitted for small-scale production, but this deal gives us dominance in the critical Lisbon Valley District where there is exceptional exploration upside. We're assembling a team with the ability to unlock the value of these assets, highlighted by 14 past producing properties, and leverage the opportunity for Sassy shareholders."

Lisbon Valley Video

"We've been able to get nearly all of Lisbon Valley tied up. We think that has tremendous potential." - Kyle Kimmerle, Sassy uranium property vendor (Utah and Colorado) and underground mining contractor for Energy Fuels' Pandora mine.

Click on the link below to learn more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X3h4qfqvao

Lisbon Valley Map

Sassy Utah Uranium Video

"We're in kind of a niche market for sure." - Kyle Kimmerle.

Click on the link below to learn more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7XSHoJ0PPU

Moving Forward in Lisbon Valley

The uranium deposits in the Lisbon Valley district form a mineralized belt approximately 16 miles long and up to one mile wide on the southwestern flank of the Lisbon Valley anticline, one of several northwest trending salt anticlines in the Paradox Basin. Sassy's deal to acquire the Kimmerle Mining LLC properties would give it control over most of this belt.

A 5-mile-long portion of the south-central part of the ore belt has been removed by erosion, leaving about 6 miles of large deposits to the northwest (the area largely covered by Sassy's ongoing acquisitions) and an additional 5 miles of scattered smaller deposits to the southeast. The cluster of nearby coalesced deposits at the north end of the belt (Lisbon to LaSal No. 2) has produced 43.8 million pounds of uranium oxide (U 3 O 8 ), and the cluster in the center of the belt (Big Buck 4 to Ash) has produced 23.6 million pounds U 3 O 8 (source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32).

Economic production potential for the Lisbon Valley Chinle deposits may exist in the known deposits present in the past producing mines which were shuttered in 1984 and beyond. Bringing these resources current to today's NI-43-101 standards and the incremental expansion of these resources through routine production planning processes may bring new life to the Lisbon Valley Chinle-hosted deposits.

Even greater potential may yet exist in Lisbon Valley's known and as-yet-undiscovered Cutler hosted deposits. As these Cutler deposits do not occur within the Chinle belt, they are not limited to the relatively narrow width of the Chinle belt. Past exploration within the northern half of the Lisbon Valley has generally been focused on the Chinle belt, so here the potential to locate additional deposits in the Cutler Formation west of the Chinle is quite promising and has been accomplished previously.

Investors are cautioned that a Qualified Person (as defined in NI-43-101) has not done sufficient work to verify the historical drilling data. Additional work, including confirmatory drilling and logging, will be required to confirm and update the historical drilling and logging data, including a review of data integrity, assumptions, parameters, methods, and testing. Historical exploration data do not meet reporting requirements as prescribed under NI-43-101. Sassy is not treating the historical data as current, and it should not be relied upon.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Ian Fraser, P. Geo. Mr. Fraser is the Qualified Person responsible for the scientific and technical information contained herein under National Instrument 43-101 standards.

About Sassy Gold Corp.

Sassy is an exploration stage resource company currently engaged in the identification, acquisition and exploration of high-grade precious metal and base metal projects in North America, and uranium properties in the Western United States. Sassy owns 100% of the Foremore Project located in the Eskay Camp, Liard Mining Division, in the heart of Northwest B.C.'s prolific Golden Triangle. Sassy also holds a 20% interest in the Highrock Uranium Project in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin, and significant equity positions in Gander Gold Corp., Galloper Gold Corp., and MAX Power Mining Corp., giving the Company and its investors direct and indirect exposure to gold, copper, lithium, and uranium.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. 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", "continues", "projects", "potential", "budget" and similar expressions, or are events or conditions that "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions.

Certain information and statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including: the signing of the Definitive Agreement; the closing of the Transaction; satisfaction of any conditions precedent, and satisfaction of those conditions with the Definitive Agreement, is not assured; closing of the Offering; any historical production and quality thereof; path and timing to future extraction; any potential exploration upside of the Properties or potential future drilling and target areas; payment methods for the Transaction; history of stone-hosted, roll-front uranium on any of the Properties; future opportunities to improve historic economics of the region's uranium/vanadium deposits; historic mineralization and production within the State of Utah and any inferred indication of future performance of properties to be acquired; accuracy of historical drilling or exploration data; certainty of any exchange, regulatory or securities approval, if applicable.

The forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that the Company has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release regarding, among other things: that all required regulatory approvals can be obtained or maintained on the necessary terms and in a timely manner, as applicable; that counterparties to the Company's agreements and contracts will comply with the terms thereof in a timely manner; that there are no unforeseen events preventing the performance of contracts; and that there are no unforeseen material costs relating to exploration of the Company's properties.

Although the Company believes that the material factors, expectations and assumptions expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available to it on the date such statements are made, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurances that such statements and information will prove to be correct and such statements do not guarantee future performance. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties.

Actual performance and results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to known and unknown risks, including those set forth in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis (a copy of which can be found under Sassy's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca). Accordingly, readers should not place undue importance or reliance on the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the list of factors is not exhaustive. Statements, including forward-looking statements, contained in this news release are made as of the date they are given, and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the Company's operations and financial results are included in reports on file with applicable securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

All currency within the news release is intended to be in USD, unless otherwise stated.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information

Mark Scott

Chief Executive Officer

[email protected]

Terry Bramhall

Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

[email protected]

1.604.833.6999 (mobile)

1.604.675.9985 (office)

SOURCE: Sassy Gold Corp.

5 april 2024 at 07:45

View the original press release on accesswire.comNews published onand distributed by:
Empowering the Next Generation of Blockchain Innovators with aelf's Campus Outreach Program and Ambassadors Network Program





aelf Launches Strategic Initiatives to Cultivate Leadership and Innovation in Blockchain Technology Among Academic Communities Worldwide

SINGAPORE, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a strategic move to foster innovation and leadership within the blockchain realm, aelf has launched two exclusive programs for the global academic community: the Campus Outreach Program and the Ambassadors Network Program. These programs underscore aelf's dedication to equipping students, academic groups, educators, and faculty members from various disciplines with essential knowledge, skills, and opportunities to excel and drive change in the rapidly evolving blockchain industry.

Campus Outreach Program

The Campus Outreach Program extends aelf's educational outreach, engaging student groups from global universities and educational institutions. Aimed at igniting interest in blockchain technology, the program launches a range of initiatives designed to foster innovation and strengthen crypto communities within student groups.

From the Blockchain AESSENTIALS Education Series to ideathons, developer workshops, and hackathons, the program invites student groups across all disciplines to join for a hands-on blockchain learning journey, supported by aelf.

In addition to learning opportunities, the Campus Outreach Program assists student groups in building on the aelf blockchain by providing go-to-market and technological support, access to aelf's network of ecosystem partners, and marketing, branding, and event opportunities. Participants are also offered internship opportunities, scholarships, bursary options, and the chance to join aelf's Ambassador Network.

As part of the program's dedication to empowering student-led blockchain innovation, aelf partnered up with a top university in Singapore to host a FinTech summit which saw the birth of 37 projects, the formation of 44 hackathon teams, and the participation of 639 students.

Ambassadors Network Program

The Ambassadors Network Program empowers students across all disciplines to champion blockchain within their academic circles. Supported by aelf, student ambassadors will get to ideate, lead and organise events, including but not limited to workshops, and hackathons, to boost blockchain literacy and engagement on campus.

Ambassadors will enjoy rewards for their contributions, including sponsored travel to conferences, privileged access to networking events, educational sponsorships, scholarships, exclusive merchandise, and a prioritised consideration for internships and employment at aelf.

This initiative aims to do more than raising awareness ? it is designed to cultivate practical skills and leadership qualities, providing ambassadors with unique resources, industry mentorship, and opportunities to develop and implement innovative projects on the aelf blockchain.

Join us in shaping the future of blockchain leadership and innovation. Whether through the Ambassadors Network Program or the Campus Outreach Program, aelf invites students and educational institutions to be part of this exciting journey. Let's build, innovate, and lead together in the next wave of blockchain technology.

Through aelf's Campus Outreach Program and Ambassadors Network Program, students and educational institutions are invited to embark on a collaborative journey of building and innovating in the blockchain space, shaping the future of Web3 and decentralisation.

Stay updated on aelf's news and engage with the aelf community on:

Website: https://aelf.com

Telegram: https://t.me/aelfblockchain

Discord: https://discord.gg/bgysa9xjvD

About aelf

aelf, a high-performance Layer 1 featuring multi-sidechain technology for unlimited scalability. aelf blockchain is designed to power the development of Web3 and support its continuous advancement into the future. Founded in 2017 with its global hub based in Singapore, aelf is one of the pioneers of the mainchain-sidechain architecture concept. Incorporating key foundational components, including AEDPoS, aelf's variation of a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus protocol; parallel processing; peer-to-peer (P2P) network communication; cross-chain bridges, and a dynamic side chain indexing mechanism, aelf delivers a highly efficient, safe, and modular ecosystem with high throughput, scalability, and interoperability.

aelf facilitates the building, integrating, and deploying of smart contracts and decentralised apps (dApps) on its blockchain with its native C# software development kit (SDK) and SDKs in other languages, including Java, JS, Python, and Go. aelf's ecosystem also houses a range of dApps to support a flourishing blockchain network. aelf is committed to fostering innovation within its ecosystem and remains dedicated to driving the development of Web3 and the adoption of blockchain technology.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this press announcement is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. aelf makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided in this press announcement. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency involve inherent risks, including but not limited to market volatility, regulatory changes, and potential security vulnerabilities. By accessing and using the information provided in this press announcement, you agree to indemnify and hold aelf, its officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses arising out of or in connection with your use of the information or participation in aelevate. aelf reserves all rights not expressly granted in this press announcement.

SOURCE aelf

5 april 2024 at 07:51

News published onand distributed by:
Delta Community Awards $25,000 to Five College-Bound Students





2024 Scholarship Recipients Receive $5,000 Each

ATLANTA, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Community Credit Union is proud to announce its 2024 Scholarship Award recipients who were selected based on their academic achievement, community involvement and essay submission. As Georgia's largest credit union with more than $8.5 billion in assets, Delta Community is proud to provide financial support to well-deserving students for the 19th consecutive year. The following five students will each receive a $5,000 award to assist with college-related expenses:

Jalen Johnson , a senior in the Westlake High School Magnet Program in Atlanta , who plans to attend Georgia State University to major in chemistry and physics;

, a senior in the Westlake High School Magnet Program in , who plans to attend to major in chemistry and physics; Maximus Stetter , a senior at Dunwoody High School in Dunwoody, Georgia , who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology to major in aerospace engineering;

, a senior at Dunwoody High School in , who plans to attend the to major in aerospace engineering; Gargi Telang , a senior at Pope High School in Marietta, Georgia , who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology to major in mechanical engineering;

, a senior at Pope High School in , who plans to attend the to major in mechanical engineering; Simone Walker , a senior at Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia , who plans to attend Spelman College to major in biology; and

, a senior at Dutchtown High School in , who plans to attend to major in biology; and Joshua Zyzak, a senior at Beechwood High School in Lakeside Park, Kentucky , who plans to attend Harvard University to major in mechanical engineering.

"This year's recipients embody our Credit Union's values through their service to others as well as their interest in financial and social responsibility," said Hank Halter, Delta Community's CEO. "Their contest essays demonstrated a clear understanding of the role financial literacy can play in both personal and community prosperity. It is an honor to invest in each of them so they can pursue higher education, unlock their full potential and contribute to the future of their local communities."

Delta Community also supports community education through quarterly scholarships for students attending historically Black colleges and universities as well as by offering free classes and workshops to the public through its award-winning Financial Education Center.

About Delta Community Credit Union

Delta Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with a mission of providing better service and value on the products consumers use to manage household expenses and save for the future. Founded in 1940, Delta Community is Georgia's largest credit union with more than 500,000 members, 29 metro Atlanta branches and three out-of-state branch locations. It welcomes anyone living or working in metro Atlanta as well as employees of more than 140 businesses including Delta Air Lines, Chick-fil-A, RaceTrac and UPS. Visit www.DeltaCommunityCU.com to open an account or follow the Credit Union on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DeltaCommunity and X, formerly known as Twitter, at @DeltaCommunity.

SOURCE DELTA COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

5 april 2024 at 10:01

News published onand distributed by:
Global Microbiome Manufacturing Markets 2023-2024 & 2035: Industry Trends, Forecasts, Formulation, Primary Packaging Used, Scale of Operation, Company Size, Key Regions and Leading Developers - ResearchAndMarkets.com





The "Microbiome Manufacturing Market (3rd Edition): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, till 2035: Distribution by Type of Product Manufactured, Type of Formulation, Type of Primary Packaging Used, Scale of Operation, Company Size, Key Geographical Regions and Leading Developers" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global microbiome manufacturing market size is estimated to grow from USD 27 billion in 2023 to USD 187 billion by 2035, representing a CAGR of 17% during the forecast period 2023-2035.

The key objective of this market report is to provide a detailed market forecast analysis in order to estimate the existing microbiome manufacturing market size and future opportunity for microbiome manufacturers over the next decade. Based on several parameters, likely adoption trends and through primary validations, the analyst has provided an informed estimate on the market evolution during the forecast period 2023-2035.

The human body is known to harbor numerous communities of microbes, including both beneficial and harmful species, which are collectively referred to as microbiota. Likewise, the ecological system of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that reside within a host system is called the microbiome. Given the role of the microbiota in both disease development and pathogenesis, the concept of microbiome-based therapeutics has, over time, piqued the interest of the medical science community.

In fact, the last two decades have witnessed several developments in the field of microbiome therapy research and their therapeutic applications. Live biotherapeutic products (LBP), a class of microbiome therapy, involve the use of live microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi, to prevent or treat various disease conditions. LBPs are specifically designed for therapeutic purposes and are regulated as medicinal products or biologics in many countries.

These therapeutic modalities consist of well-characterized specific strains of microorganisms that are extensively researched for their intended medical applications, followed by rigorous testing and clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy for treating or preventing specific medical condition. Further, the microbiome-based therapeutic approach has the potential to profile the microbiome composition of the patient using gene sequencing; this will lead to the development of tailored treatment options.

Microbiome Manufacturing Market Key Market Insights

The report features an extensive study of the current market landscape, market size and future opportunities for the microbiome manufacturing companies, including those involved in live biotherapeutic manufacturing, during the given forecast period. Further, this microbiome manufacturing market analysis highlights the efforts of several stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the pharmaceutical industry. Key takeaways of the microbiome manufacturing market report are briefly discussed below.

Competitive Landscape of Microbiome Manufacturing Companies

The microbiome manufacturing market features a mix of large, mid-sized and small in-house players and contract manufacturing organizations that are engaged in the production of microbiome therapy across different scales of operations, such as preclinical, clinical, and commercial. Currently, 50% of the microbiome therapy contract manufacturers offer services for both API and FDF manufacturing; notable examples (in alphabetical order) include Arranta Bio, BacThera, Biose, Capsugel and Cerbios-Pharma. In addition, majority of the microbiome companies offer probiotic manufacturing services on a contract basis.

Clinical Trials Analysis: Close to 170 Trials are Evaluating Microbiome Therapeutics to Treat Various Infectious Diseases and Oncological Disorders

Over the years, microbiome companies involved in the manufacturing of microbiome therapeutics have made significant efforts to conduct clinical trials for evaluating the efficacy of microbiome therapies targeting various disorders, including infectious diseases, neurological disorders and oncological disorders.

Close to 170 clinical trials have been conducted across different geographical regions to evaluate various microbiome therapies, of which, majority (70%) were registered in North America. Further, the maximum number of patients (10,138) were observed to be enrolled in clinical trials conducted in North America, which account for 52% of the overall enrollment. It is worth mentioning that AOBiome is conducting the maximum number of trials in this industry for different dermatological, respiratory and CNS disorders. In addition, VE303 (developed by Vedanta Biosciences) for the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection has demonstrated positive results in the Phase II clinical trials.

Market Trends Analysis: Partnerships and Collaborations have Fueled Microbiome Manufacturing Market Growth

Several stakeholders have been forging alliances with other industry / non-industry players in the microbiome therapeutics contract manufacturing industry. It is worth highlighting that since 2018, over 50 strategic partnerships have been established in this domain, of which the majority are focused on research, product development, and technology utilization.

Microbiome Contract Manufacturing Companies' Capacity Utilization Rate is Expected to Increase Significantly in the Coming Years

Around 43% of the global microbiome contract manufacturing capacity is installed in facilities owned by small contract manufacturing companies. Further, majority share (57%) of the overall microbiome manufacturing capacity is installed in facilities located in Europe; within Europe, more than 35% of this capacity is installed in facilities owned by players based in Austria.

Microbiome Manufacturing Market Size: Europe to Hold the Largest Market Share

The microbiome manufacturing market is estimated to be worth USD 27 million in 2023. Driven by the growing pipeline of microbiome-based products, the microbiome manufacturing market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 17% during the forecast period. Specifically, in terms of type of product manufactured, majority of the market share is anticipated to be captured by APIs by 2035. Further, the liquid dosage form continues to hold the largest share (50%) in the contract manufacturing industry.

Leading Contract Manufacturing Companies Engaged in Microbiome Manufacturing Market

Examples of key microbiome contract manufacturing companies (which have also been profiled in this report) offering manufacturing services include (in alphabetical order) Biose, BJP Laboratories, Capsugel, Cerbios-Pharma, Chr. Hansen, Inpac Probiotics, NIZO, WACKER and Winclove. In addition, MaaT Pharma is in the process of expanding its cGMP manufacturing capacity through the addition of a new plant in France that will exclusively focus on microbiome therapeutics manufacturing; the plant is set to be operational before the end of 2023. This market report includes an easily searchable excel database of all the microbiome contract manufacturing companies and their manufacturing facility, worldwide.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 286 Forecast Period 2023 - 2035 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $27 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2035 $187 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.0% Regions Covered Global

COMPANY PROFILES

Leading Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in North America

Capsugel (Acquired by Lonza) Company Overview Service Portfolio Facilities Dedicated to Microbiome Manufacturing Recent Developments and Future Outlook



Other Prominent Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in North America

Arranta Bio

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

List Biological Laboratories

ProbioFerm

Leading Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Europe

Biose Industrie

Cerbios-Pharma

Chr. Hansen

Inpac Probiotics

NIZO

WACKER

Winclove Probiotics

Other Prominent Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Europe

BacThera

Evologic Technologies

Probiotical

QUAY Pharma

Leading Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Asia-Pacific

BJP Laboratories

Other Prominent Live Biotherapeutic Products and Microbiome Contract Manufacturers in Asia-Pacific

Aumgene Biosciences

AcuraBio

Meteoric Biopharmaceuticals

Probiotics Australia

Unique Biotech

Scope of the Report

Base Year: 2022

Forecast Period: 2023-2035

Market Size 2023: $27 Million

CAGR: 17%

Customization Scope: 15% Customization Available

PowerPoint Presentation: (Complimentary)

Type of Product Manufactured API FDF

Type of Formulation Solid Liquid Others

Type of Primary Packaging Used Blister Packs Glass / Plastic Bottles Pouches / Sachets Vials

Scale of Operation Clinical Commercial

Company Size Small Mid-sized Large and Very Large

Key Geographical Regions North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World

Leading Developers Infant Bacterial Therapeutics MaaT Pharma Microbiomik Healthcare OxThera Rebiotix Seres Therapeutics

Key Companies Profiled Biose BJP Laboratories Capsugel Chr. Hansen Inpac Probiotics NIZO WACKER Winclove (Full list of more than 60 companies captured is available in the report)

Excel Data Packs: (Complimentary) Market Landscape Analysis Company Competitiveness Analysis Likely Partner Analysis Big Pharma Initiatives Recent Developments and Initiatives Clinical Trial Analysis Capacity Analysis Demand Analysis Market Forecast and Opportunity Analysis



The opinions and insights presented in the market report were influenced by discussions held with stakeholders in the industry:

Founder and Executive Chairman, Small Company, US

Managing Director and Scientific Head, Large Company, India

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mid-sized Company, India

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Small Company, Belgium

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Small Company, US

Chief Business Officer, Mid-sized Company, Israel

Chief Operating Officer, Mid-sized Company, US

Vice President, Business Development, Small Company, US

Vice President, Commercial Operations, Mid-sized Company, US

Vice President, Business Development, Mid-sized Company, US

Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Small Company, US

Head of Business Development, Mid-sized Company, Australia

Business Development Manager, Large Company, Germany

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r6ef9m

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.

5 april 2024 at 12:00

News published onand distributed by:
Government of Canada announces support for innovative solutions to address labour challenges in the agriculture and agri-food sector





SHERBROOKE, QC, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Elisabeth Briere, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the five projects that will receive up to $1 million in funding each under Phase 2 of the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program ? Challenge Stream. The announcement was made at Exonetik Inc., one of the Phase 2 winners.

The five projects, approved for funding by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, will target the Canadian meat processing industry and the Canadian controlled environment agriculture industry with the goal of advancing automation and robotic technologies. These companies have developed ideas to address challenges such as work productivity, labour shortages, and operational efficiency.

Under the Canadian Meat Processing Technology Development Challenge, projects include:

Exonetik Inc. - Developing a low-cost, collaborative robot to help automate tasks

E.O.I Technologies Inc. - Developing sensors to collect data on fast moving conveyor systems

Under the Enhancing Automation in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Farming Challenge, projects include:

Exonetik Inc. ? Developing a robotic arm to work alongside humans to harvest fruits and vegetables

Mycionics Inc. ? Developing a robotic mushroom harvester, packer and harvester lift

Kinova Inc. ? Developing a robotic arm to pick, harvest and de-leaf cucumbers and strawberries

Quotes

"These cutting-edge solutions will help the sector overcome some of the challenges it faces, leading to a more prosperous and competitive future for Canadian agriculture. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you for your great work."

- The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"Through the Innovative Solutions Canada program, our government empowers SMEs to drive innovation and solve challenges. These initiatives support the sustainable growth of our economy and the agricultural industry."

- The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"Innovation is vital to address the challenges faced by producers and processors, such as labor shortages and improving conditions in greenhouses and slaughterhouses. Our government supports these efforts through Innovative Solutions Canada, assisting small and medium-sized Canadian businesses in developing new inventions that are crucial for the sector. I am proud of these advancements that support our food processors and farmers, highlighting the importance and essence of their work."

- Elisabeth Briere, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health

"At Exonetik, our team is developing solutions that will enable our partners, Savoura and Frontmatec, to automate tasks that until now could only be performed by humans. With the support of Innovative Solutions Canada, we will complete the development of the first marketable version of teleoperable haptic robot arms, capable of learning from human operators and automatically reproducing the same operations, with a sensitivity and adaptability unattainable by industrial or collaborative robots. Our mission is to make the impossible possible, and we believe that robotics can solve the labor shortage problems facing companies in the agri-food sector."

- Pascal Larose, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Exonetik

"Food processing facilities suffer from operational inefficiencies when it comes to running tens or hundreds of conveyor systems across a typical plant. Food safety and contamination are a constant concern, as well as costly downtime which must be minimized. We are developing an innovative sensing technology that can proactively monitor the health and condition of conveyor systems in real time and provide predictive intelligence in order to avoid failures and potential food contamination. We are grateful to the Innovative Solutions Canada Program and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for their support to develop a market ready solution which we can pioneer in Canada."

- Alex Sulkin, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of E.O.I Technologies

"Our exceptional team of Mycionics engineers is developing custom machine vision and robotic harvesting solutions to assist farmers with the increasing labor shortage in the global mushroom industry. Financial support from ICS will accelerate our technology development and enable the commercialization of this innovative Canadian technology."

- Michael Curry, Chief Executive Officer of Mycionics Inc.

"Kinova is delighted to have been selected to continue advancing robotics and automation in agriculture. With the first phase completed and the results positive, we are confident of the benefits for the second phase. We would like to thank Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Innovative Solutions Canada for their confidence."

- Jonathan Lussier, Director of Industrial Business Development for Kinova

Quick Facts

Meat processing plants rely heavily on manual labour, and are challenging environments, cold with high humidity levels to manage effectively. Technical innovation provides opportunities to improve the operational efficiency and safety of workers in meat processing facilities where people and machines often interact.

Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) production is labour intensive, requiring workers for a range of critical production tasks including propagation, planting, movement and management of plants, cleaning, harvesting, pest management, pruning, sorting and packaging. The greenhouse industry is by far the largest and fastest growing segment of indoor farming.

Related product

Associated Links

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Backgrounder

Government of Canada supports innovative solutions to address labour challenges in the agriculture and agri-food sector

Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) helps Canadian innovators who want to start, grow, and get to market by funding research & development and testing prototypes in real-life settings.

Today, Elisabeth Briere, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced up to $5 million for five projects under the ISC program. Each of the selected small to medium sized businesses is receiving up to $1 million to build a prototype of their new innovation.

ISC is an initiative designed to stimulate technology research, development, and commercialization of Canadian innovations. The program's Challenge Stream and Testing Stream help startups and small/medium-sized businesses (SMEs) overcome technology testing and development hurdles so that they can produce globally-demanded products and services, while also improving government operations.

Since its launch in 2017, ISC has supported hundreds of SMEs to get their innovations to market, while helping Canadian businesses grow and creating high-value jobs.

Under the Canadian Meat Processing Technology Development Challenge, projects include:

Exonetik Inc. - Developing a robotic arm system that utilizes artificial intelligence learning to automate challenging tasks.

E.O.I Technologies Inc. - Developing sensors to collect data on fast moving conveyor systems.

Under the Enhancing Automation in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Farming Challenge, projects include:

Exonetik Inc. - Developing a robotic arm to work alongside humans to harvest fruits and vegetables.

Kinova Inc. - Develop a low-cost and accessible multi-produce picking solution using Kinova's existing lightweight robotic manipulator technology.

Mycionics Inc. - Developing and creating a robotic mushroom harvesting system to address on farm labour scarcity, reduce costs, streamline operational logistics and maximize yield through crop digitization.

SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

5 april 2024 at 12:37

News published onand distributed by:
Changing how we build homes in Canada





CALGARY, AB, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Everyone deserves to succeed. But today, for too many Canadians, especially Millennials and Gen Z, your hard work isn't paying off like it did for previous generations. Your paycheque doesn't go as far as costs go up, and saving enough seems harder and harder. It doesn't have to be this way. Every generation should get a fair chance to get ahead.

One of the biggest pressures on people right now is housing. Young Canadians are renting more than ever and being priced out of their communities. Families are finding it difficult to get a good place to settle down. Seniors are being forced to downsize. The cost to build homes is too high, and the time it takes to finish projects is too long. We've already taken bold action to build more homes, faster, improve access to housing, and make homes more affordable ? and we know there is more to be done.

We need to build more homes in Canada, and we need to do so like never before. As a country, we have to build homes smarter, faster, and at prices Canadians can afford. That means investing in ideas and technology like prefabricated housing factories, mass timber production, panelization, 3D printing, and pre-approved home design catalogues.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced an over $600 million package to make it easier and cheaper to build more homes, faster.

These measures, from the upcoming Budget 2024, include:

Launching a new $50 million Homebuilding Technology and Innovation Fund that will seek to leverage an additional $150 million from the private sector and other orders of government to support the scale-up, commercialization, and adoption of innovative housing technologies and materials, including for modular and prefabricated homes. The Fund will be led by Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, one of Canada's Global Innovation Clusters.

that will seek to leverage an additional $150 million from the private sector and other orders of government to support the scale-up, commercialization, and adoption of innovative housing technologies and materials, including for modular and prefabricated homes. The Fund will be led by Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, one of Global Innovation Clusters. Delivering $50 million to modernize and expedite home building through the regional development agencies. This builds on the success of dozens of existing innovative projects already funded and underway in communities across the country, including those modernizing building practices through modular housing, mass timber construction, robotics, 3D printing, and automation.

This builds on the success of dozens of existing innovative projects already funded and underway in communities across the country, including those modernizing building practices through modular housing, mass timber construction, robotics, 3D printing, and automation. Delivering $500 million to support rental housing. With low-cost financing through the Apartment Construction Loan Program, this will support new rental housing projects using innovative construction techniques from prefabricated and modular housing manufacturers as well as other homebuilders.

With low-cost financing through the Apartment Construction Loan Program, this will support new rental housing projects using innovative construction techniques from prefabricated and modular housing manufacturers as well as other homebuilders. Launching a modernized Housing Design Catalogue to standardize up to 50 efficient, cost-effective, and liveable home blueprints. With $11 .6 million in Budget 2024, this will include frames for modular homes, row housing, and fourplexes ? that housing manufacturers, provinces, territories, and municipalities will be able to use to simplify and accelerate their housing approvals and construction timelines.

These measures will support made-in-Canada ideas and technologies and help grow the home building sector. They will use innovation to make it easier to build at the scale and pace we need to overcome the housing shortage. These measures, however, are just a launchpad to more ambitious solutions. We will further engage the housing, construction, and building materials sectors, along with labour unions, experts, and other partners, to develop a Canadian industrial policy for homebuilding ? so that we can restore fairness for every generation.

This is about transforming how we build homes in Canada, and it is just one of the things we are doing in Budget 2024 to build more homes, faster. This week, we announced a $15 billion top-up to the Apartment Construction Loan Program, a new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, a new $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund, and a $400 million top-up to the Housing Accelerator Fund. That's hundreds of thousands of new homes fast-tracked. Alongside these measures, we're getting healthy food on kids' plates, investing in health care, making life more affordable, and creating good jobs to make sure every generation can get ahead.

Quotes

"We're changing the way we build homes in Canada. In Budget 2024, we're supporting a new approach to construction, with a focus on innovation and technology. This will make it easier and more cost-effective to build more homes, faster. You should be able to live in the community you love, at a price you can afford."

? The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

"After the Second World War, Canada built new homes at a pace and scale never seen before. This happened with the help of a housing design catalogue which included cost-effective, simple-to-build designs that meant people could quickly move into a new home. Our new Housing Design Catalogue will make it possible to build more homes faster, and our new support for innovative construction methods means we can even further accelerate timelines so more Canadians can move into new homes even faster."

? The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

"We need to build more homes in this country, and in order to meet the moment, we need to change how we build them. These investments will help us take the new technologies and building techniques that exist today and deploy them on a scale that Canada has never seen before. This is an important step toward creating homes at prices Canadians can afford."

? The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

Quick Facts

The Government of Canada's Budget 2024 will be tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 .

Budget 2024 will be tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on . In recent days, the Prime Minister announced Budget 2024 would also: Restore generational fairness for renters, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, by taking new action to protect renters' rights and unlock pathways for them to become homeowners. Learn more. Save more young families money and help more moms return to their careers by building more affordable child care spaces and training more early childhood educators across Canada . Learn more. Create a National School Food Program to provide meals to about 400,000 kids every year and help ensure every child has the best start in life, no matter their circumstances. Learn more. Launch a new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the construction or upgrade of essential infrastructure across the country and get more homes built for Canadians. Learn more. Top-up the Apartment Construction Loan Program with $15 billion, make new reforms so it is easier to access, and launch Canada Builds to call on all provinces and territories to join a Team Canada effort to build more homes, faster. Learn more. Support renters by launching a new $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund to preserve more rental homes and make sure they stay affordable. Learn more.

The federal government is already helping homebuilders use new, innovative ways to build more homes, faster through the following investments: Over $600 million through the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund to support innovative solutions for the next generation of housing in Canada . $300 million through the Housing Supply Challenge to develop solutions to remove barriers that hinder housing supply. $191 .8 million over seven years and $7 .1 million per year ongoing to conduct research and development on innovative construction materials and to revitalize national housing and building standards to encourage low-carbon construction solutions. $38 million through the Green Construction through Wood program to encourage the use of innovative wood-based building technologies in construction projects. $13 .5 million per year to make the National Building Codes free to access and to modernize codes, including by reducing barriers to internal trade and aligning building codes across the country.

Canada's economic plan is to build more homes faster and to make housing more affordable. This plan also includes: The Apartment Construction Loan Program, a $40 billion initiative that will be topped up with an additional $15 billion in Budget 2024 to boost the construction of new rental homes by providing low-cost financing to homebuilders. Since 2017, the Apartment Construction Loan Program has committed over $18 billion in loans to support the creation of more than 48,000 new rental homes. With our recently announced measures, the Apartment Construction Loan Program is now on track to help build over 131,000 new rental homes across Canada by 2031-32. The Affordable Housing Fund, a $14+ billion initiative that supports the creation of new market and below-market rental housing and the repair and renewal of existing housing. It is designed to attract partnerships and investments to develop projects that meet a broad spectrum of housing needs, from shelters to affordable homeownership. As of December 31, 2023 , the Fund has committed $8+ billion to repair or renew over 150,000 homes and support the construction of more than 32,000 new homes. The Housing Accelerator Fund, a $4 billion initiative that will be topped up with an additional $400 million in Budget 2024 to encourage municipalities to incentivize building by making transformative changes, such as removing prohibitive zoning barriers. To date, the federal government has signed 179 Housing Accelerator Fund agreements which, combined, will fast-track an estimated total of over 750,000 housing units across the country over the next decade. The Rapid Housing Initiative, a $4 billion fund that is fast-tracking the construction of 15,500 new affordable homes for people experiencing homelessness or in severe housing need by 2026. The Rapid Housing Initiative also supports the acquisition of existing buildings for the purpose of rehabilitation or conversion to permanent affordable housing units, focusing on the housing needs of the most vulnerable, including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, women fleeing domestic violence, seniors, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities. The Federal Community Housing Initiative, a $600+ million initiative that provides funding to federally administered community housing providers to stabilize their operations, subsidize rents for tenants in need, and maintain the current federally administered community housing stock, which includes 55,000 households.

economic plan is to build more homes faster and to make housing more affordable. This plan also includes: Progress on these and other programs and initiatives under Canada's National Housing Strategy are updated quarterly at?www.placetocallhome.ca. The Housing Funding Initiatives Map?shows affordable housing projects that have been developed.

National Housing Strategy are updated quarterly at?www.placetocallhome.ca. The Housing Funding Initiatives Map?shows affordable housing projects that have been developed. Since 2015, the federal government has helped almost two million Canadians find a place to call home.

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

5 april 2024 at 13:09

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STATEMENT - Minister Miller issues statement on international student allocations for provinces and territories





OTTAWA, ON, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:

"On January 22, I announced a national cap on study permit applications to address the rapid increase of international students in Canada. Provincial and territorial allocations for 2024 have now been finalized. I would like to take this opportunity to share those figures and explain how we made these decisions.

Net zero first year growth model

"The national cap is based on the amount of expiring study permits this year. This means that the number of international students coming to Canada in 2024 should be the same as the number of students whose permits expire this year. For 2024, the target is 485,000 approved study permits.

"About 20% of students apply for an extension each year and remain in the country. Therefore, IRCC subtracted that amount (97,000) from the target of 485,000 and set aside a small buffer to allow for other variations, resulting in a revised target of 364,000 approved study permits in 2024.

"Accordingly, based on the national approval rate of 60% for study permit applications, the target of 364,000 approved study permits translates into a cap of 606,000 study permit applications received for 2024.

"Some international students are exempt from the cap, such as primary and secondary school students and master's or doctoral degree students. IRCC deducted the estimated volume of these groups (140,000 based on 2023 data) from the 2024 target number of approved study permits. This resulted in a target of 236,000 approved study permits for 2024, which converts to roughly 393,000 study permit applications to be allocated.

Finalizing provincial and territorial allocations

"IRCC distributed the adjusted number of study permit applications, 393,000, based on the population share of each province and territory. Under this model, some provinces and territories would get more students in 2024 than in 2023, while others would see fewer new students.

"For provinces that would receive more international students in 2024 than in 2023 based on population share, we adjusted their allocation to limit growth to 10% compared to 2023.

"For provinces that would receive fewer international students in 2024 than in 2023, we adjusted their allocation to lessen the negative impact in the first year and support broader regional immigration goals.

"IRCC also topped up allocations for provinces whose approval rate was lower than 60%. The topups will help provinces with lower approval rates reach their expected number of approved study permits in 2024.

"As a result, a total of about 552,000 study permit applications have been allocated to provinces and territories under the national cap. These allocations are expected to yield approximately 292,000 approved study permits, representing a 28% reduction from 2023 for the groups included under the cap.

"Many variables may influence the number of new international students who arrive in Canada in 2024, for example

provinces and territories with room to grow may not end up using their full allocations

approval rates may change

in-year adjustments may be required

"These results will help me make decisions on allocations for 2025. I have included the full allocation model below.

"We will continue to work collaboratively with provinces and territories to strengthen the International Student Program and to provide international students with the supports they need to succeed in Canada."

ALLOCATION MODEL

Zero net growth (one-out, one-in) Study permits expiring in 2024 (all cohorts) 485,000 Exempted groups and buffer -249,400 Target new study permits approved 2024 235,600 Assumptions Approval rate 60 % Allocations (# of applications) Cap space allocated to PTs 392,667



SPs Issued (2023) Distribution by Population Share Province / Territory Excluding K-12 + Grad All Levels of Study Population Share 1 PT Allocations Projected SPs Approved % Change from 2023 Alberta 22,306 34,903 11.67 % 45,824 27,495 23 % British Columbia 60,864 101,576 13.66 % 53,638 32,183 -47 % Manitoba 10,155 13,848 3.62 % 14,215 8,529 -16 % New Brunswick 6,186 10,354 2.09 % 8,207 4,924 -20 % Newfoundland and Labrador 1,290 3,218 1.35 % 5,301 3,181 147 % Northwest Territories 4 39 0.12 % 471 283 6968 % Nova Scotia 8,604 13,813 2.62 % 10,288 6,173 -28 % Nunavut 3 5 0.10 % 393 236 7753 % Ontario 239,753 291,609 38.81 % 152,394 91,436 -62 % Prince Edward Island 1,336 2,115 0.44 % 1,728 1,037 -22 % Quebec 39,663 64,044 22.34 % 87,722 52,633 33 % Saskatchewan 6,569 9,990 3.07 % 12,055 7,233 10 % Yukon 82 225 0.11 % 432 259 216 % Total 404,6682 559,0913 100 % 392,667 235,600 -42 %



Allocation After Initial Adjustment Final Allocation After Top-Ups for PTs with Approval Rate Below 60% Province / Territory PT Allocations (A) Projected SPs Approved (B) % Change from 2023 Top-Up (C) Revised PT Allocations with Top-Up (A+C) Projected SPs Approved ( same as B) Alberta 40,894 24,537 10 % N/A 40,894 24,537 British Columbia 83,000 49,800 -18 % N/A 83,000 49,800 Manitoba 15,233 9,140 -10 % 3,420 18,652 9,140 New Brunswick 9,279 5,567 -10 % 5,372 14,651 5,567 Newfoundland and Labrador 2,365 1,419 10 % 788 3,153 1,419 Northwest Territories 333 200 4900 % N/A 333 200 Nova Scotia 12,906 7,744 -10 % 7,472 20,378 7,744 Nunavut 333 200 6567 % N/A 333 200 Ontario 235,000 141,000 -41 % N/A 235,000 141,000 Prince Edward Island 2,004 1,202 -10 % 308 2,312 1,202 Quebec 72,716 43,629 10 % 45,202 117,917 43,629 Saskatchewan 12,043 7,226 10 % 3,011 15,054 7,226 Yukon 417 250 205 % N/A 417 250 Total 486,523 291,914 -28 % 65,572 552,095 291,914

1 based on population share data from Statistics Canada 2 includes 7,853 SPs issued to an unspecified PT, excluding K-12 and graduate level 3 includes 13,352 SPs issued to an unspecified PT at all levels of study

SOURCE Citizenship and Immigration Canada

5 april 2024 at 14:11

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Breakthrough Designated CorVista System with Pulmonary Hypertension Add-On Cleared by FDA; Enabling Advanced Cardiovascular Testing at Point-of-Care





Analytics for Life, Inc. and CorVista Health Inc. announced the FDA clearance of the CorVista System with Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Add-On Module. The CorVista System is the first FDA-cleared, machine learned point-of-care technology for indicating the likelihood of elevated mean arterial pulmonary pressure (mPAP), an indicator of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Pulmonary hypertension is a progressive disorder that affects the blood vessels in the lungs, causing the heart to work harder to deliver blood to the area. PH affects approximately 1% of the global population, and over half of patients with heart failure may be affected ? the vast majority of whom (80%) live in areas with limited access to advanced cardiovascular medical and surgical care. Despite advances in diagnostic technologies, PH is still often difficult to diagnose due to overlapping symptoms with other heart and lung conditions. Limited early detection and existing treatment options have contributed to increasing mortality rates for people living with PH, highlighting the need for continued diagnostic innovation. The CorVista System with PH Add-On responds to this need, positioned to enable earlier diagnosis and better patient experiences in the detection and treatment of PH.

The non-invasive CorVista System was recently cleared for use in evaluating the presence of significant coronary artery disease. In 2022 the FDA designated the CorVista System with PH Add-On as a Breakthrough Device for its potential to improve the diagnosis of PH. The breakthrough designation followed FDA's review of a pilot performance study which demonstrated a reasonable expectation for the device to provide more effective diagnosis of PH in the standard of care. Results of the extensive clinical validation study supporting the market application (IDENTIFY PH) showed algorithm performance in identifying patients with elevated mPAP with sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 92% with a negative predictive value (NPV) of >99%. Introduction of the PH indication to the CorVista System will allow healthcare providers the ability to test symptomatic patients for multiple significant cardiovascular conditions in a single non-invasive procedure at the initial point-of-care. Having now successfully received market clearance, the CorVista System with PH Add-On joins a small cohort of under 100 breakthrough-designated devices to enter the US market.

"As we continue to expand the CorVista System, we are proud to deliver meaningful advancements in diagnostics that support the earlier-stage detection of serious conditions, such as PH and CAD," said Ian Shadforth, Vice President and General Manager at CorVista Health. "Through CorVista, we are seeing how the power of machine learning can revolutionize care pathways, enabling earlier-stage detection and diagnosis, and ultimately empowering clinicians to deliver improved care and long-term outcomes."

"Through the CorVista System, we have harnessed the potential of machine learning to develop our cutting-edge detection algorithms and deliver precise and reliable diagnostic tools," said Jonathan Woodward, Chief Technology Officer and General Manager at Analytics for Life. "The Pulmonary Hypertension Add-On underscores our unwavering dedication to advancing novel solutions that make a tangible difference in patients' lives."

"I can't emphasize the importance of early diagnosis enough," said Vallerie V McLaughlin, M.D. Kim A Eagle MD Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director Pulmonary Hypertension at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and CorVista Health Medical Advisory Board member. "This technology has the potential to really improve the time from symptoms to diagnosis."

Analytics For Life will continue to partner with CorVista Health to commercialize the CorVista System within the US. For more information regarding the CorVista System, please visit: www.CorVista.com

About Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is challenging to diagnose, affecting an estimated 1% of the world population and up to 10% of people greater than 65 years of age as well as 50% of patients with heart failure. The vast majority of those persons with this disorder (80%) live in areas with limited access to appropriate medical and surgical care. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is an aggressive disease resulting in right ventricular pressure/volume overload, right ventricular failure, and, in many cases, early death.

About CorVista System

CorVista System is an Rx only, non-invasive point-of-care solution that is intended to synchronously collect and apply machine learning to a symptomatic patient's cardiac and hemodynamic signals to predict the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases without the use of radiation, contrast agents, injections, fasting, or exercise. Within minutes of the test, the CorVista Analysis is available in a secure web portal to aid physicians in rapidly diagnosing and treating patients with suspected cardiovascular disease, answering important clinical questions to guide better treatment decisions. The CorVista System with CAD and PH Add-Ons has been cleared by FDA to market within the US. CorVista System is developed and manufactured by Analytics For Life, Inc. and licensed to CorVista Health, Inc.

About Analytics For Life

Analytics 4 Life stands at the forefront of digital health, dedicated to propelling next-generation technologies that revolutionize point-of-care diagnostics . Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Analytics For Life specializes in pioneering non-invasive diagnostic solutions for cardiovascular diseases through the CorVista System. The innovative CorVista System offers a non-invasive, point-of-care solution enabling physicians to assess symptomatic patients for cardiovascular disease without radiation, contrast agents, injections, fasting, or exercise. Spearheading its introduction in the United States is our exclusive commercial partner, CorVista Health.

For more information on Analytics For Life and the CorVista System, please visit: www.analytics4life.com

About CorVista Health

CorVista Health, Inc. is applying machine learning to deliver novel cardiac disease detection algorithms using the proprietary CorVista System platform to transform cardiovascular care and the patient experience. CorVista Health is dedicated to enabling more equitable care by providing access to immediately actionable, high-quality cardiovascular status results in low-resource settings where access to capital-intensive equipment and the qualified specialists needed to operate them may not be available. In this way, the CorVista System is uniquely positioned to advance the quality of care in rural and low-resource settings.

For more information, visit: www.corvista.com

5 april 2024 at 14:35

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On the eve of the Assemblee Nationale's examination of his proposed law aimed at protecting the French population from the risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), Green MP for Gironde in southwest France, Nicolas Thierry, called on his colleagues to "take action in the face of a major health scandal, perhaps the largest mass pollution in our history."

After a long day of debates primarily focused on the potential risks of this text for French businesses, he could congratulate himself on a "first important milestone": The proposed law was adopted unanimously (186 votes for, none against and 27 abstentions) on Thursday, April 4. The result was achieved despite opposition from the government and SEB, the world leader in non-stick frying pans, which managed to secure an exemption for kitchen utensils even though the company is a heavy consumer and emitter of "forever chemicals." "I regret that the crass lobbying of one industrialist has been able to gain so much support from the majority, the far right and the far-right," lamented Thierry. The text will now go through the Senat.

Its flagship measure will ban the manufacture, import and sale of products containing PFAS in France. The ban, effective January 1, 2026, rather than 2025 as envisaged in the initial text, will prohibit three categories of consumer goods: cosmetics, clothing textiles (excluding protective clothing for security and civil protection workers) and ski waxes. All textiles will be covered by the ban from January 1, 2030.

The issue of food packaging, another major source of exposure to "forever chemicals," was left out of the committee's deliberations. Instead, it was deferred to forthcoming European regulations, which are expected to impose stricter regulations, similar to Denmark's existing ban on PFAS.

Another key aspect in the text is that lawmakers decided to apply the "polluter pays" principle. It involves imposing a fee on industries responsible for pollution to be paid to water agencies across France that are confronted with contamination problems.

Present in everyday objects

To better characterize the extent of the pollution and protect populations, the text introduces the obligation to monitor the presence of "forever chemicals" in drinking water throughout the country. Today, the collection of this data is mainly confined to regions with significant pollution incidents, such as in Rumilly (eastern France), known as the "frying pan capital of the world," and home to the historic Tefal factory. They're also recorded in the "chemical valley," south of Lyon (southeast-central France), home to two major PFAS producers, Arkema and Daikin.

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Members of the Abu Draz family inspect their house after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 4, 2024. FATIMA SHBAIR / AP

This Sunday, April 7, will mark six months since Hamas attacked Israel and the relentless bombardment by the Israeli military on the Gaza Strip that followed. While the United Nations Security Council voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, and as UN experts call for a ban on arms exports to Israel, the IDF has not let up in its military offensive.

Rami Abou Jammous is a Palestinian journalist currently based in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, who has covered the war on Gaza since it broke out on October 7. Below, with Clothilde Mraffko, a Le Monde journalist based in Jerusalem, Jammous answers readers' questions on the humanitarian and political situation in the Palestinian enclave and the unprecedented nature of this war.

Sophie: Hello, can you describe where you are and your daily life? Thank you.

Rami Abou Jammous: Hello Sophie, I'm in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, after being forced to leave Gaza City, my home. I'm one of the lucky ones to have found a concrete roof, while the majority of the displaced are living in tents and tarpaulins in the streets, schools and village halls.

My daily life is a bit like that of all the displaced. We start our day by looking for water, whether it's drinking water or salted water for our daily needs. We queue for hours to fill our jerry cans and then look for firewood because we cook with wood. We have no gas, no kitchen. Then we look for food. And then I do my job as a journalist.

Palestinians shelter in a makeshift tent made from a parachute used to airdrop food aid, set up on the rubble of their home in a devastated area around Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital on April 2, 2024. - / AFP

Paco: How is Palestinian society currently organized? Are there any functional public authorities left? Are there representatives capable of talking with the international community, for example?

Jammous: Hello Pacco, unfortunately not. The leaders or representatives of civil society who have remained in Gaza can't find foreign interlocutors because there's no one in Gaza and it's not always practical to exchange information via the internet.

Sosochiiiic: Hello Rami, I'm glad to see you're still alive. What is the psychological state of the population in Gaza? How have they been able to deal with the psychological trauma?

Jammous: The people of Gaza are still in shock. Feelings of sadness, despair, fatigue and anguish are mostly mixed with a lot of fear. This fear increases every day after the threats of a ground invasion because we know what a ground invasion is and what its consequences are: massacres, destruction and killings, like what the Israeli army has already done in Gaza city, in the north of the Gaza Strip and in Khan Yunis.

joelp31: I was in Ramallah again in November, and apart from a few demonstrations in the city center and other clashes on the outskirts, I found the population certainly supportive but reluctant to commit to a new intifada. But what about now? Is there still real unity between Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, other than a facade?

Clothilde Mraffko: Hello joelp31, this is a question that comes up a lot. At first glance, it may indeed seem strange to see so few demonstrations of support in the streets of the West Bank, but everyone's eyes are riveted on Gaza, the televisions are on a loop, many even have family or close friends in the enclave. They know, however, that they are powerless.

To a large extent, this is due to repression, both by the Israelis and by the Palestinian Authority, which in recent years has done its utmost to co-opt Palestinians who have taken up arms in Nablus and Jenin in particular. Some of them have indeed given up, others have been killed. Israeli raids are continuing and have intensified since October 7, in the Jenin camp, Tulkarm, toward Nablus and Jericho.

There are also mass arrests. According to the NGO Addameer, 7,350 people have been arrested in the West Bank since October 7. Those who have been released reported ill-treatment and even torture while in prison.

Eva: How can we help as ordinary citizens? We are ashamed at the inaction of our leaders.

Jammous: Unfortunately, this is a question many people ask me. You have a lot to do, especially to put pressure on your government to change its position. You can also boycott, which is a very effective weapon that hurts. We, the Palestinian population, are not looking for humanitarian aid or money but rather political support to stop the war machine and the massacres  you can do that by putting pressure on governments.

Citizen: Hello Clothilde Mraffko, how are the Israelis keeping informed?

Mraffko: Israelis have many channels of information, including newspapers and television channels. The Israeli press is free. But it is, for the most part, in line with the country's war-mongering spirit. The civilian victims in Gaza are not questioned and the international community is seen as endangering Israel by calling for a ceasefire. The Israeli army's rhetoric, according to which Hamas is using Gazans as human shields, justifies the way their war is being waged. For example, recently, on television and in newspapers, journalists have multiplied their analyses to demonstrate there is no famine in Gaza  in contradiction with the findings of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations on the ground, which are unanimous.

Israel experienced October 7 as an existential threat, and this is reflected in the press, with the exception of Haaretz. But this newspaper is only aimed at a small fringe of the Israeli population. Israelis, also, are preparing for a war with Lebanon in their editorials, and in recent days have been focused on the Iranian threat. Among young people, part of the population has been to Gaza or knows mobilized reservists, so they also see this war through a prism.

Pascal: What about the food situation? Is help on the way?

Jammous: For Gaza City and the north of the Gaza Strip, it's unfortunately a famine. People can't find anything to eat, causing children to die. Humanitarian aid is almost non-existent. In the south, some humanitarian aid is arriving but it's not enough: 80 trucks for 1.5 million people.

Claude: Do you feel like the Israeli army is preparing to deport the Palestinian population out of Gaza?

Jammous: I think that was the plan from the beginning, but Egypt's position and the resilience of the Palestinian population, who don't want another Nakba, has undermined Israel's plan.

Naga: Journalistic sources find that the Palestinian Authority (PA), with Israel, exercised repression against movements resisting the occupation. Do the Palestinians consider the PA to be an auxiliary of the Israeli authority, or does it retain a semblance of legitimacy?

Mraffko: The Palestinian Authority has been unpopular for years. It did not cease security cooperation with Israel after October 7, further discrediting its authority in the eyes of Palestinians. Mahmoud Abbas has limited power in the West Bank, anyway. Israel has complete security and administrative control over 60% of the territory, and even in areas under Palestinian control, the Israeli army carries out regular raids. It has no power in Gaza or Jerusalem  illegally annexed by Israel. A Palestinian interlocutor told me as long as four years ago that the Palestinian Authority is seen as the Arabic-speaking version of the occupation.

Read more Subscribers only Israel vs the UN: A long history

Gilles: How do people in Gaza feel about Hamas? Have there been more protests against Hamas since the start of the war and its weakening as the governing entity in Gaza?

Jammous: Palestinians are suffering from bombings and massacres committed by the Israeli army. Of course, people are angry with Hamas, but no more than with Israel, because they know that the army makes no distinction between those who are with Hamas and those who are not. This is an unprecedented massacre. Children and women are being killed. It's as if your brother had hit your neighbor and the neighbor retaliated by wiping out your whole family. You blame your brother.

Gabriel: Hello Clothilde, hello Rami. Thank you for this Q&A. How many people have died on each side since the beginning of the conflict? Has the figure for the number of dead children in the Gaza Strip (put forward by Hamas, I believe) been confirmed/denied by the UN?

Maffko: On the Israeli side, the count by Agence France-Presse, based on official Israeli data, is 1,170 people killed on October 7, mostly civilians. 34 hostages were also killed, in addition to 256 soldiers having died while fighting since October 27 and the start of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza.

In terms of Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health counts over 33,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, including 13,850 children. The UN relies on these figures, which are transmitted by the hospitals, meaning that those who did not go to the hospitals are not counted.

It is important to note that the Israelis also rely on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in their military analysis of the situation, as explained by journalist Yuval Abraham in his latest article in +972 Magazine.

Read more Subscribers only Israeli army uses AI to identify tens of thousands of targets in Gaza
The Spanish NGO Open Arms, which with World Central Kitchen chartered the first boat that arrived in Gaza on a special sea corridor from Cyprus, suspended its operation on Thursday, May 4, after the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli air strike.

Open Arms, whose ship returned to the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Wednesday, condemned the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers as "an incomprehensible act of violence". The workers were moving food and supplies sent in a second shipload from Cyprus when their convoy was attacked on Monday.

"With the arrival yesterday of the Open Arms boat in Larnaca, Cyprus, the mission in the humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip with World Central Kitchen is suspended following the devastating attack suffered by the convoy," Open Arms said in a statement.

Read more Subscribers only Gaza aid convoy hit three times by Israel, army says strike was 'grave mistake'

The NGO, which said 200 tonnes of food and supplies were delivered in the first shipment in March, expressed sorrow over the deaths. "We demand answers and accountability for this unacceptable attack," Open Arms director Oscar Camps said in the statement.

World Central Kitchen, founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, has suspended its work in Gaza because of the attacks. These have increased pressure on Israel over its treatment of Gaza's civilian population.

Israel has expressed regret over the attack and promised a transparent inquiry. But major international aid groups have said it is now nearly impossible to work in Gaza, where Israel launched its military operation in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Iranian mourners gather around a truck carrying the coffins of Revolutionary Guard members killed in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed Iran's Consulate in Syria on Monday, in a funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 5, 2024. VAHID SALEMI / AP

Thousands of people chanted against Israel and the United States at the funeral on Friday, April 5, for seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals, who were killed in an air strike in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel.

Guards chief General Hossein Salami warned that Israel "cannot escape the consequences" of Monday's strike, which levelled the five-storey consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

Israel has not commented on the strike, but analysts saw it as an escalation of its campaign against Iran and its regional proxies that runs the risk of triggering a wider war beyond the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Friday's ceremony coincided with annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, when Iran and its allies organise marches in support of the Palestinians. Quds Day rallies also took place in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain while in Lebanon the head of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement delivered a speech.

Iran has said among the dead were two brigadier generals from the Guards' foreign operations arm, the Quds Force, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi and Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

A Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Zahedi, 63, was the Quds Force commander for the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Lebanon. He had held several commands during a career spanning more than 40 years, and was the top Iranian soldier killed since a United States missile strike at Baghdad airport in 2020 killed General Qassem Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force.

The coffins of the seven were placed on the trailers of two trucks in one of the largest squares in Tehran.

Israel 'will be punished'

Mourners held Iranian, Palestinian flags and Hezbollah flags, chanting "Death to Israel!" and "Death to America!"

Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad which fights alongside Hamas in Gaza, attended the funeral, Iran's Fars news agency reported. President Ebrahim Raisi and his predecessor Hassan Rouhani were also present.

Guards chief Salami said Tehran was determined to make Israel pay for the raid. "The Zionist regime cannot escape the consequences of the harm it does," he said, adding: "It is exposed and knows very well what is going to happen."

Read more Subscribers only Tehran faces strategic dilemma after Damascus consulate is targeted by strikes attributed to Israel

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Israel "will be punished" for the killings.

Israel said Thursday it was strengthening its defenses and pausing leave for combat units following Iran's threats to retaliate.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Iran would inevitably retaliate. "Be certain that Iran's response to the targeting of its Damascus consulate is inevitable," he said in a televised Quds Day speech.

Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah, which is believed to have a large arsenal of missiles and rockets, had yet to deploy its "main" weapons in its near daily cross-border exchanges with the Israeli army. "We have not employed our main weapons yet, nor have we used our main forces," he said.

New strikes

Hezbollah said Friday that three of its fighters had been killed in exchanges with Israel. Its ally Amal said it had also lost three fighters to an air strike in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army said in a communique that it had bombed a "military complex" used by Amal and targeted several regions of southern Lebanon. A military spokesman posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Israel's air force had struck Hezbollah infrastructure.

The war in Gaza began with Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which left 1,170 people, mostly civilians, dead in southern Israel.

Tehran backs Hamas, but has denied any direct involvement in the attack.

Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 33,091 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Quds Day rallies

Israel has long fought a shadow war of assassinations and sabotage against Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah, carrying out hundreds of strikes against targets in Syria.

Guards chief Salami said Israel was entirely dependent on US backing. "The Zionist regime is alive and well today because of artificial support from the United States. When this is withdrawn it will collapse, and this is near," he said.

Quds Day solidarity rallies with the Palestinians were held across the region, AFP correspondents reported. Hundreds marched in Yarmuk refugee camp in Damascus, including members of Islamic Jihad, many chanting "Jerusalem we are coming".

In Baghdad, pro-Iran groups organised a rally that drew around 2,000 people who gathered on Palestine Street chanting: "No to America, No to Israel." An Israeli flag was painted on the ground so that protesters could trample it.
DONAL Ryan is set to publish his X novel, one which might send your heart spinning - or, crack it in two.

This August, the Limerick lecturer will release his eighth book, titled Heart, be At Peace.

A sequel to his debut The Spinning Heart, Donals new novel takes us to a small town in rural Ireland, where people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are now looking towards the future. But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore, as the peace of the community is about to be shattered.

Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch.

Described as a stunning lyrical novel told in twenty-one voices, Heart, be at Peace can either be read independently, or as a companion to The Spinning Heart.

Over the years, the author has been asked many times about the fate of the characters of his debut novel, which was translated in about 30 languages. To this day, The Spinning Heart remains Donals most translated book.

Heart, be at Peace will be published on Thursday, August 15.
PLANS for a new Aldi store on the citys northside have been challenged in the High Court.

Both Limerick City and County Council and An Bord Pleanala green-lit plans for the discount retailer to open at a site on the edge of Moyross.

However, Watchhouse Cross Shopping Centre Limited and Sataner Limited have now challenged the decision by An Bord Pleanala to grant the permission to the discount retailer.

Watchhouse Cross Shopping Centre Limited and Sataner, a company which is part-owner of the complex, have initiated Judicial Review proceedings over the national planning appeals bodys decision to approve the plans.

A Judicial Review is a legal mechanism where an application can be made to challenge the decision-making processes of administrative bodies such as An Bord Pleanala.

In documents presented to the High Court - seen by Business Leader - the two companies have outlined a series of reasons why they think An Bord Pleanalas decision should be quashed.

The Watch House Cross Shopping Centre was once home to the retailer Iceland, which closed its store there last September.

But, as revealed by this newspaper, plans are afoot to open a branch of Tesco Ireland in the former frozen food retailers premises, with recruitment of staff under way.

In the submission to the High Court, both Sataner and WWatchhouse Cross Shopping Centre Limited argue the decision to grant Aldi planning permission runs contrary to local retail planning guidelines.

These effectively govern what can be built in certain areas, and have been used as a way to stop widespread large-scale out-of-town retailers.

In their own interactions with An Bord Pleanala, both companies said they presented clear uncontroverted evidence highlighting the difficulties of attracting and retaining a supermarket in the locality.

They also highlighted the impact the loss of any supermarket would have on the areas overall viability and the wider community.

This was particularly the case given the areas unique socio-economic situation in the community of Moyross, court documents add.

The two firms stated there was a suitable unit available at Watch House Cross for Aldi - but the retailer never made contact.

The companies also argued that An Bord Pleanala failed to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment screening and that this should render the decision to grant permission is invalid.

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Represented by John Kenny Bl, instructed by Eoin Brady of FP Logue Solicitors, the applicants have brought judicial review proceedings seeking various orders and declarations including an order quashing the decision.

The action is against Ireland and the Attorney General as well as the An Bord Pleanala.

Aldi is a notice party to the proceedings.

The action was briefly mentioned before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart during a vacation sitting of the High Court last week.

The judge formally deemed the action opened before the court, and adjourned the application for permission to bring the challenge to a date in May.
STUDENTS at a Limerick school will be able to experiment and learn from some state-of-the-art engineering gear thanks to a donation from a Raheen-based company.

Takumi Precision Engineering, which employs around 130 people locally, is trying to identify engineers of the future by installing a CNC machine at CBS Sexton Street in the city centre.

CNC stands for computer numerated control, and these machines make it possible to pre-programme the way manufacturing tools can operate.

Commenting on the initiative, Gerry Reynolds, the firms managing director said: We wanted to put a machine in the school which is the equivalent to the machines we use in industry in the hope students gravitate to that machine and figure out how to use it.

A lot of students in this day and age will figure out how to use it on their own initiative through YouTube and online tutorials.

"These are the students we want to attract into our business.

Students attending CBS Sexton Street are benefitting from the donation thanks partly to the fact many of its alma mater are now working in Takumi.

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Mr Reynolds added: Its a way of giving a bit back. Our current programmers and engineers will support and are delighted to support the implementation of the uptake of that machine in the schools, so the knowledge gets into the school. Once this happens, it will take off.

The businessman is chairman of the industry body, the Irish Precision Turned Parts Manufacturing Association (PTMA), and he hopes other companies like Takumi partner with schools in their areas.

Already, three more of these machines have been donated to other schools by other companies which are part of PTMA.
AN INVITATION has been issued to the local business community to take part in an after-work fun run for a very good cause.

At 6.30pm next Thursday, April 11, a five-kilometre run will take place.

Organised by city centre financial firm Metis Ireland, it will kick off from the Clayton Hotel at Steamboat Quay.

All money raised will go to Clionas which provides financial support to families who are caring for a seriously sick child.

The fun-run is the brainchild of Ronan Qually, a private client manager at Metis.

He said: I lived and worked up in Dublin at the Central Bank and there were often 5k runs on during the week that big companies organised. Besides the Great Limerick Run - which is fantastic - there is no other event like it in the city.

Clionas is the partner charity of Metis, but Ronan hopes people working in companies across the city attend the event.

A 20 entry fee will get an event T-shirt for the first 100 people registered, while all proceeds will go to Clionas which is based in Castletroy.

Itll be great to get the business community together in Limerick to support a great charity. It's on a Thursday after work. So Id hope you finish work, you go down with a few colleagues and enjoy a fun run. It's nothing too serious, and afterwards, we'll have a bit of food and a few drinks in the hotel, which will allow a bit of networking, Ronan added.

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Weve been involved with Clionas for the last number of years. Theyve been getting bigger and bigger but the amount of money they raise sadly isnt getting bigger and bigger at the same time. Theyve helped out so many people. As of September 2023, they've helped out 1,372 families, he said.

It's for the little things - covering the cost of petrol, going up to a hotel for a couple of nights or having to take a week off work at short notice. The charity needs the money so much, so when the opportunity came to raise money for them, I thought the business community of Limerick could come together and help out as much as possible, Ronan concluded.

To get involved in the fun run, or for more information, please telephone 061-061 518 365 or visit clionas.ie.
AN ADARE musician has won a prestigious prize for his contribution to Irish traditional music.

The renowned box player Derek Hickey is the winner of this years TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards.

This year's outstanding awardees were unveiled during a special lunchtime concert at the University of Limericks Irish World Academy.

Returning to Limerick for the second consecutive year, the awards once again celebrate the excellence and dedication embodied by the recipients across seven distinguished categories.

Both his grandfathers played fiddle and his own musical career began at the age of ten, when his uncle left an accordion in the family home. Derek progressed to dance tunes within weeks, though he didnt begin lessons  under the tutelage of Donal de Barra  until he was 12.

His professional career began three years later when he joined the Shannonside Ceili Band, founded by the Liddy family. The band toured extensively in England and throughout Europe.

In 1991 Frankie Gavin asked Derek to join him for regular sessions in his then leased hotel in Kinvara, Co Galway. One year later, at just eighteen, Derek joined Arcady, Johnny Ringo McDonaghs band, along with Frances Black, Brendan Larrisey and Patsy Broderick.

Other guest members of this band included Sharon Shannon, Cathal Hayden and Gerry OConnor.

In 1995, he joined De Dannan, recording two albums and touring until they disbanded in 2003.

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Derek is the button accordion tutor on the BA Irish Music and Dance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. In 2023 he performed at the National Concert Hall Dublin, as part of the third series of the Irish Traditional Music Archives Drawing from the Well series.

Widely acknowledged as one of Irelands most prominent and influential master accordion players, his eponymous 2022 album was deemed by fellow box player Dermot Byrne as a recording of a pure genius.

This years Gradam Ceoil concert will take place at the University Concert Hall Limerick on Sunday, May 5.
WITH an impressive lineup featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Rod Stewart, P!NK, and Taylor Swift, set to captivate the country this year, Limerick fans won't have to cut their nights short or fork out for exorbitantly priced hotels as Irish rail announce additional services.

These extra late-night services include a 00:40 service from Dublin Heuston to Cork with connection to Limerick Colbert running each night to facilitate crowds heading to and from the Taylor Swift and P!NK shows.

With heightened demand expected, passengers are urged to plan ahead and make use of online booking facilities to secure their tickets and avoid disappointment.

As this service departs after midnight, Irish Rail are asking patrons to search the following morning in the Journey Planner when booking.

Tickets are starting from 14.99 each way to and from Limerick for adults, while the student return fare to Dublin Heuston from Limerick is 10.39.

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"Free travel pass holders please note free travel passes are non-transferrable and can only be used by the named person. You cannot use your free travel pass on services not listed in the official timetable, on tours and special rail services. You can only use it on all regular timetable services," advises a spokesperson for Irish Rail.

A statement also added: "Customers wishing to travel by rail need to book their tickets online as services will be extremely busy and priority will be given to customers who book their tickets online. There is limited availability on services so don't miss out and buy now."

Taylor Swift will bring her Eras Tour to Dublin on June 28, 29 and 30; Springsteen is due to play Croke Park on May 19, P!NK will bring her gig to the Aviva Stadium on June 20 and Rod Stewart will see a crowd on May 26 at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
THE HIGHER Education Authority (HEA) will meet individual staff members responsible for particular portfolios at University of Limerick (UL) when it is on campus later this month.

It comes as the acting president of the college, Prof Shane Kilcommins has pledged to be "utterly candid" when UL executives appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

UL is in front of the Dail committee in relation to the overpayment of around 5m for homes it bought in Rhebogue for post-graduate students.

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This was just months after a 1.5m overspend on the purchase of the former Dunnes Stores building in the city centre.

In an email to the college community this Friday, he confirmed that the matters which have arisen will be "interrogated thoroughly".

"In the interim, this institution will continue to function and I respectfully ask for your support and forbearance as we engage on these matters," wrote Prof Kilcommins.

He acknowledged there will be "difficult weeks" ahead for UL, with HEA representatives on campus between April 23 and 25 next.

"We intend to make it clear to the PAC that we will make ourselves available and that we will be utterly candid in our engagements with their questions," he confirmed.

Prof Kilcommins wrote of how the overpayments at the city centre campus and in Rhebogue will turn a 7.5m surplus into a 700,000 deficit for the college in next year's accounts.

College president Prof Kerstin Mey has gone on sick leave since the news of the latest overspend emerged - and has declared herself "incapacitated" for the time being to appear before PAC - but hopes to attend later in the college term.

Its chancellor Brigid Laffan confirmed to students and staff at a meeting last week that the deputy president Prof Kilcommins will take on her responsibilities while she is unavailable.

UL executives were scheduled to appear in front of the committee on Thursday next week, but it's now unclear whether that will happen in the president's absence.

Limerick Live could not get official confirmation at time of publication this Friday morning.

In his email this Friday, Prof Kilcommins wrote: "We are engaging with the secretariat of the PAC regarding a hearing date. We intend to make it clear to the PAC that we will make ourselves available and that we will be utterly candid in our engagements with their questions."

He added: "Clearly it is essential that we also think long and hard about how decisions are made, how we communicate and how we improve our culture throughout the organisation."

"Achieving cultural change will take time but it is absolutely clear that this must be a priority. We know from the survey carried out by Unite that there are issues that must be addressed, and I will be contacting the lead representatives about how we begin this important work," he added in the email.

He praised the university community, describing them as "incredibly resourceful and resilient".

"We ask that you accept that we will do everything in our power to work to restore trust and confidence with our stakeholders and with all of you," the acting president concluded.
The last Irish troops stationed in the Golan Heights in Syria are due to return home this Friday morning as the Defence Forces end a decade-long peacekeeping mission in the region.

This comes as Ireland withdraws its troops from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), who monitor the border between Syria and Israel.

A total of 133 Irish troops from the 68th Infantry Group will fly home to Dublin this Friday, April 5, following a six-month deployment.

The majority of Irish troops taking part in the Golan Heights mission came from the 6th Infantry Battalion from Custume Barracks in Athlone.

Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Clear, 34 personnel members involved in the mission were on their first tour of duty overseas.

Tanaiste and Minister for Defence Micheal Martin announced his decision to withdraw the Defence Forces' contribution to UNDOF in March 2023, following an assessment of the sustainability of the Defence Forces overseas commitments.

The troops return on a chartered flight direct to Dublin Airport from Camp Faouar in Syria this Friday afternoon, where they will will be met by their families and friends.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has been appointed as deputy leader of Fine Gael.

Ms Humphreys was appointed by new party leader Simon Harris.

She took up the position, which was held by Simon Coveney, from Friday.

In a statement, Ms Humphreys said: It is a great honour to be asked to serve as deputy leader of our party and to build on the work carried out by my friend and colleague, Simon Coveney.

I believe that we have a real opportunity now to reset the dial for Fine Gael and to place a renewed focus on issues that our party and our country really cares about.

That is doing things like rewarding work, supporting small businesses, delivering for families, and strengthening rural Ireland.

Fine Gael is in a moment of renewal as it heads into its annual Ard Fheis conference in Galway this weekend, according to Mr Harris.

In a statement on Friday, he said: I am absolutely delighted that Heather has decided to serve as Deputy Leader of Fine Gael as we embark on a new chapter for our great party.

Having known Heather as a friend and colleague for many years, I know she is a person of enormous ability and integrity and is deeply respected by grassroots members, local councillors and members of the parliamentary party alike.

In her various ministerial portfolios, Heather has worked incredibly hard to deliver solutions which have made a tangible difference to peoples lives including cost-of-living supports, positive changes to our social protection system, and substantial investment in rural towns and villages to make them better places to live, work and raise a family.

She has worked as a minister in various portfolios including Justice, Enterprise, Culture, Arts and the Gaeltacht and brings immense experience from these departments.

This is a moment of renewal for our party, and for reaffirming our commitment to driving progress and delivery for families, individuals, and communities throughout Ireland. I know Heather will bring the same vigour and determination to her new role and to the work that lies ahead.

Mr Harris is expected to become taoiseach on Tuesday and will also make changes to the Fine Gael representatives at Cabinet in the coming days.
Large accounting firms are re-evaluating their ownership structures as they face growing capital needs and struggle to recruit enough skilled workers, with some considering private-equity backing or the public listing of a business line.

The combination of partner retirements and funding extensive technology investments while spending to attract and retain workers during an accountant shortage has strained some firms, spurring them to explore whether the traditional partnership structure still works best.

Attracting talent is a real issue for everybody in this category," said Daniel Goelzer, a former acting chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the audit regulator. Other kinds of compensation models or equity models might become necessary in order to attract talent. The need to invest in technologies is only going to increase and that takes money."

Global accounting and consulting networksincluding Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Grant Thornton and BDOhave explored various tactics to address these challenges. They are structured in each country as separately owned entities. Equity partners hold shares or units in the firm, generating returns and giving them a piece of the business.

Some firms are working to streamline their organizational structure, in part to boost efficiency and reduce costs. Deloitte, for example, is trimming its five global business lines to four, with its consulting, financial advisory and risk advisory divisions rebranding into two new businesses, it told partners on March 18. Deloittes modernization is all about driving growth and vibrant career paths for our people," a spokesman said. PwC made a similar rearrangement in the U.S. in 2021, combining its tax and accounting businesses into one unit called trust solutions, with the remaining revenue stemming from consulting solutions.

While EY last year gave up on a plan to split its advisory and audit arms into separate businesses, two of the bigger players outside of the Big Four, Grant Thornton and BDO, are pursuing new models that accounting and consulting professionals are closely watching. Heres a look at changes three firms recently madeor tried to make.

Grant Thornton

2023 Revenue: $7.5 billion

Strategy: Grant Thornton in March said its U.S. unit agreed to sell a stake to private-equity firm New Mountain Capital, pending regulatory approvalthe largest accounting firm to strike such a deal.

Advantages: Such transactions give accounting firms such as Grant Thornton an opportunity to use private equity to become a more formidable competitor in consulting and audit by allocating the capital toward more acquisitions and investments in tech and personnel.

Private-equity firms in recent years have stepped up their deals for accounting firms due to stable business models and profitable exits. The Grant Thornton deal followed Baker Tillys agreement to sell a stake to Hellman & Friedman and Valeas Capital Partners.

Whether it be private equity or an IPO, this discussion with most firms is at the highest level today," said Allan Koltin, chief executive at advisory firm Koltin Consulting Group. More of this is going to continue in 2024."

Why Other Firms Might Not Pursue: Private-equity firms will likely continue to take sizable stakes in these firms, but not the Big Four, because their structures are too complex for such an arrangement and because of independence concerns, academics and advisers said.

Regulators also have concerns about private-equity backing of accounting firms. Paul Munter, the Securities and Exchange Commissions chief accountant, in 2022 urged accounting firms to exercise caution in receiving investments from private equity due to any possible conflicts of interest that could impair the objectivity of the firms auditors.

BDO

2023 Revenue: $14 billion

Strategy: BDOs U.S. arm last year set up an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, giving 10,000 employees a direct stake in the firm. It shifted its legal structure from a partnership to a professional-services corporation, which reduced its taxes. Employees received a stake in the firm through an annual allocation of shares, based on their salary and tenure. BDOs partners gave up their pensions, and sold about 42% of their shares to the trust, retaining the rest. Some partners took a cut to their compensation.

The firm raised private debt to fund the creation of the ESOP and restructure existing debt obligations, obtaining roughly $1.3 billion in private debt from funds managed by affiliates of alternative-asset manager Apollo Global Management and others. A smaller firm, Grassi, adopted an ESOP in November.

Advantages: By giving current and future employees beneficial ownership in the company over time, the ESOP is aimed at helping recruit and retain workers, which in turn could improve consistency in service and strengthen client relationships. Employees dont have to put money in to receive shares, in contrast with a partnership, whereby people buy in upon being accepted and, over time, purchase additional shares if allocated to them based on performance. With an ESOP, we were able to keep people at the heart of our business, retain control of our destiny, and support our commitment to investors and the capital marketsall while investing in quality, growth and operations," BDO USA CEO Wayne Berson said.

Why Other Firms Might Not Pursue: Most accounting firms likely have avoided adopting an ESOP to appease partners who dont want to give up their pensions or share ownership with nonpartners, academics said.

Ernst & Young

2023 Revenue: $49.4 billion

Strategy: Ernst & Young last year abandoned an ambitious plan to split its advisory and audit arms into separate businesses. Under that plan, EY would have raised billions of dollars by borrowing and selling a stake in an initial public offering.

Under the former plan, consulting partners would have received shares they could sell over several years while receiving lower net salaries. Partners in the audit-centric business were set to receive hefty cash payouts funded by debt and equity that the consulting business would raise.

Advantages: EYs plan to separate audit and advisory businesses would have helped the firm avert potential threats to auditors independence as well as netted multimillion-dollar windfalls for its partners. EY had said the plan would have enabled the consulting business to grow faster and opened up both the audit and advisory sides to a wider array of clients.

Why Other Firms Might Not Pursue: A handful of EYs U.S. audit partners complained that the consulting business was receiving the majority of its lucrative tax business.

The other three Big Four firms expressed no interest in such a split. Deloittes global CEO, Joe Ucuzoglu, in March 2023 criticized the EY plan, saying its easy to get swept up in deal fever but this has actually never once played out as intended." Roughly two decades ago, all of the Big Four but Deloitte shed their consulting practices and regrew them. KPMG spun out its consulting armwhich went public and later filed for bankruptcyand EY and PwC sold theirs to Capgemini and International Business Machines, respectively. Following the cancellation of the split, KPMGs global CEO, Bill Thomas, said its multidisciplinary model is essential to best serve clients."

The stakes are big," said Douglas Carmichael, accounting professor at Baruch College, referring to EY and others efforts to make structural changes. The problem is always having happy partners afterward."

Grant Thornton, EY, PwC and KPMG declined to comment.

Barriers to change

The traditional model for a professional-services firm, in which individual partners own it, poses several challenges that prevent certain structural changes. Certified public accountants need to represent the primary ownership of a firm, ranging from 50% to fully owned depending on the state, according to CPA licensing laws in the U.S. That restriction generally makes it hard for firms to raise equity from sources other than partners, said Jeffrey Johanns, accounting professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and a former partner at PwC. The capital that can be provided by individual partners is inherently limited and may not be sufficient to fund expansion into service areas such as consulting, he said.

SEC rules further hamstring business growth because firms cant provide many consulting services to their audit clients or enter into joint-venture business agreements with clients. Consulting demand tends to weaken or surge depending on the economy, whereas audit is a generally steady business line because of the reporting requirements for public companies.

While firms are looking to maintain their global revenue growth, they are also, in some cases, laying off consultants and other personnel to address slowing demand for certain services.

These moves could also signal bigger swings by the largest firms as demands around investing in technology and a shortage of skilled workers grow further.

The profession is in for a significant structural change one way or another in the foreseeable future," said Jim Peterson, an attorney and former senior in-house counsel at Arthur Andersen.

Write to Mark Maurer at mark.maurer@wsj.com
For China's finest barbarian-handlersan elite corps of diplomats, technocrats, trade envoys and foreign-policy scholarsthis is a told-you-so moment. Such Chinese voices have spent years urging foreign governments, especially those with deep ties to America, to fuss less about democratic values and other fuzzy notions, and to focus on cold, hard national interests. Now, they argue, the times are proving them right.

In Chinas telling, America stands exposed as a hypocrite, quick to accuse China or Russia of breaking international law and abusing human rights, while supplying bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. In Beijing it is said that Russias invasion of Ukraine united the West, but Israels conflict with Hamas is dividing it again. It is predicted that if Donald Trump is re-elected his allies will learn, once again, that this is a friendless world and that America First" means what it says. In such a moment, wise foreign governments will stop pointing fingers at the flaws of other political systems or regimes, and concentrate on making their own citizens safe and prosperous. This advice is applied most particularly to relations with China. According to Chinese officials and scholars, shrewd foreign leaders should spurn American calls to join ideological blocs or defence alliances that are meant to contain Chinas rise. Instead, states should concentrate on striking bilateral, win-win" deals with Chinese economic partners.

A mood of grim vindication suffuses many gatherings of Chinas foreign-policy establishment. Today, the logic of power guides international relations, it is said. There is evidence that others share that outlook, to Chinas benefit. A newly published poll of South-East Asian political, business and academic bigwigs, conducted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a think-tank in Singapore, makes gloomy reading for American diplomats. Since the poll was last taken a year ago, respondents from ASEAN countries are less confident that America is a reliable partner and more sceptical of the international rules-based order. The conflict in Gaza plays a role: it is the most-cited geopolitical concern, especially in such majority-Muslim countries as Indonesia or Malaysia. It comes ahead of aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea" (meaning, Chinese bullying of the Philippines and other neighbours). When asked to choose between America and China, should the region have to pick one of those rivals, 61% of respondents chose America in 2023. Now they are divided 50-50. This years survey shows growing wariness of Chinas political and military clout. But its economic power is seen as unrivalled.

In Beijings tree-lined embassy districts, a mood of pragmatism prevails. Western governments challenge Chinas human-rights record at faraway UN meetings, raising concerns about repression in Xinjiang or Tibet, or the crushing of political rights in Hong Kong. But foreign envoys admit to an overwhelming focus on interests. The world is too messy for noisily confronting China over values. Then there is Americas presidential contest, which a diplomat calls the Armageddon election".

In short, China has what it all along said it wanted: a world guided by interests, not values and ideology. Alas, it is responding clumsily. In some cases, it is too cynical about the motives of others. China has a bad habit of telling countries that they are Americas pawns. Chinese officials accuse the Dutch and Japanese governments of bowing to America when they control exports of semiconductors and other high-tech tools, urging them to think of their interests and shun Americas cold war bloc mentality". In truth, such allies are following an overwhelming interest: maintaining relations with their strongest security partner. China is comfortable in a might-makes-right world. But fears of such a world are pushing Japan, South Korea, Australia and other neighbours to upgrade their armed forces and alliances.

A visit to Beijing this month by Frances foreign minister, Stephane Sejourne, was revealing. Chinas prime minister, Li Qiang, told his visitor that our two countries have a long history and splendid civilisations" and a shared spirit of independence"a coded appeal to resist America together. Only last year Frances president, Emmanuel Macron, pleased China by saying that Europe should not be a follower" of America in the event of war over Taiwan. For all that, France and other European powers have serious disputes with China, based on calculations of their national interests. Some involve geopolitics. Mr Sejourne called on China to pass clear messages" to Russia that peace cannot be imposed on Ukraine, adding that there will be no security for Europeans if there is no peace in accordance with international law."

Trade disagreements

The sharpest rows involve economics. With domestic demand weak and the property sector slumping, China is betting on an export-led manufacturing boom. As America walls itself off, Europe fears being the last large market open to a wave of Chinese goods. Mr Sejourne told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that Europes growing trade deficit with China is not sustainable".

China is indignant about an EU trade probe into subsidies for electric-vehicle makers in China. In Beijing this is called a bid to blackmail Chinese firms into opening EV factories in Europe, and perhaps it is. Often, though, Chinese arguments sound dismissive or tin-eared. The official Xinhua news agency attacked the notion that Chinese overcapacity threatens other countries, calling it basic economics that surplus products naturally seek out markets elsewhere once domestic demand is met". That ignores some basic politics: China has chosen to seek growth overseas, rather than stimulate demand at home. It yearned for interests-dominated relations with the world. Now it has them. Time to start treating foreigners interests with more respect.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has made revisions to the political science syllabus for Class 12, effective from the academic session 2024-25. Notably, certain references related to Hindutva politics, the 2002 Gujarat riots, minorities, and Babri Masjid have been removed.

These modifications were announced on the official website of NCERT, as reported by Hindustan Times on April 4. The council mentioned that the updates were made considering the latest political developments. It's worth noting that while these subjects are no longer explicitly mentioned in certain sections, they might still be addressed elsewhere in the textbooks. NCERT textbooks are followed by around 30,000 schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Here are the key alterations made to the NCERT syllabus: 1) References to the "Ayodhya demolition" have been eliminated from Chapter 8 titled "Recent Developments in Indian Politics." Additionally, a chapter titled "What is the legacy of Ram Janambhoomi movement and the Ayodhya demolition for the nature of political mobilisation?" has been renamed to "What is the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement?" References to Babri Masjid and Hindutva politics have also been removed from this chapter. Previously, a paragraph discussing the events leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 and its impact on Indian politics had been included. This has now been altered to focus on the legal and political dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, culminating in the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya following a Supreme Court decision in 2019.

2) References to the Gujarat riots have been omitted from a chapter titled "Democratic Rights." The paragraph discussing the growing awareness of human rights and mentioning the Gujarat riots as an example of human rights violations has been revised to a more generalized statement about human rights violations in India.

3) In the same chapter, mentions of the Muslim community have been adjusted. A paragraph citing the 2011 census data and discussing the marginalized status of Muslims in India due to socio-economic factors has been modified to focus solely on their comparatively lower socio-economic development.

4) The chapter on "Secularism" has seen a change in the sentence discussing the casualties during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002. The reference to the majority of the victims being Muslims has been removed.
The Congress on April 5 released the manifesto titled Nyay patra" for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 scheduled in seven phases beginning from April 19. The grand old party has made numerous promises including job reservations for EWS, law for the LGBTQIA+ community, Mahalaxmi Scheme, nationwide caste census, among others in its poll manifesto.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Top 15 promises from the Congress Nyay Patra 1) The reservation of 10 percent in jobs and educational institutions for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will be implemented for all castes and communities without discrimination, the Congress manifesto reads.

2) The grand old party has promised to conduct a nationwide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions and it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 percent cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC.

3) The party has promised that it will assist the state governments to establish one Government Community College in every tehsil/taluk for students completing Class XII. These community colleges will offer a broad range of degrees/diplomas suitable for jobs in the service industry (e.g. hospitality, tourism, digital marketing, paramedical, paralegal, etc.) and for jobs in the manufacturing industry that require basic technical skills.

4) In its manifesto, the Congress also stated that it will fill all the backlog vacancies in posts reserved for SC, ST, and OBC within one year if elected to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Also Read | Live updates on Congress manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2024

5) The party assured that funds for scholarships for OBC, SC, and ST students will be doubled, especially for higher education. We will aid SC and ST students to study abroad; and will double the number of scholarships for them to pursue a Ph.D. We will enhance institutional credit to SC and ST for home-building, starting businesses, and purchasing assets, reads the Congress manifesto.

6) Congress will ensure that, like every citizen, minorities have the freedom of choice of dress, food, language and personal laws. We will encourage reform of personal laws. Such reform must be undertaken with the participation and consent of the communities concerned.

7) Congress will bring a law to recognize civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, the party promised.

8) Congress will give a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, the manifesto reads.

9) In consultation with farmers organizations, Congress promises to make available to farmers three avenues for sale of agricultural produce  Regulated Market under the prevailing APMC Act, e-market, and freedom to the farmer to sell agricultural produce at the farm-gate or at any other place.

10) Congress resolves to launch a Mahalakshmi scheme to provide 1 lakh per year to every poor Indian family as an unconditional cash transfer. The poor will be identified among the families in the bottom of the income pyramid.

11) The party promises to amend the election laws to combine the efficiency of the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the transparency of the ballot paper. Voting will be through the EVM but the voter will be able to hold and deposit the machine-generated voting slip into the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) unit. The electronic vote tally will be matched against the VVPAT slip tally.

12) The party said that it is committed to rapid growth and generation of wealth. We have set a target of doubling the GDP in the next 10 years.

13) The grand old party also promised to double the number of Anganwadi workers and create an additional 14 lakh jobs. It will also guarantee a national minimum wage of 400 per day.

14) We reject the one nation one election idea and we promise that elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies will be held as and when they are due in accordance with the Constitution and the traditions of a parliamentary democracy.
Congress on Friday promised to bring a law on civil unions of LGBTQIA+ couples, the party said in its Nyay Patra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled in seven phases beginning on April 19.

After wide consultation, Congress will bring a law to recognize civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, the Congress manifesto read.

The manifesto was unveiled by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi , KC Venugpal, and P. Chidambaram.

In addition, the Congress has also promised the Mahalaxmi Scheme in the poll manifesto which will provide 1 lakh per year to the poor in order to alleviate poverty.

The poll manifesto states that the amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the oldest woman of the household. If the oldest woman of the family is absent, then the amount will be transferred to the oldest member of the family.

Also Read | Live updates on Congress manifesto for Lok Sabha elections

India's take on same-sex marriages Last year, the Supreme Court of India announced the verdict on same-sex marriage in India, saying it cannot make law but only interpret it and it is for Parliament to change the Special Marriage Act.

The petitioners, however, argued that same-sex couples should be granted the same rights as any heterosexual couples the status of spouse in finance and insurance issues; medical, inheritance, and succession decisions.

In November 2023, Nepal officially recorded its inaugural same-sex marriage five months after it was legalized by the Supreme Court. This made Nepal, the first in South Asia to formally recognize and register a same-sex marriage following the Supreme Court's decision.
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kongs sluggish IPO market isnt likely to recover until at least the second half of this year, even as investment flows to China show signs of rebounding, according to HSBC Holdings Plcs top investment banker.

I dont see evidence of it picking up yet, said Greg Guyett, chief executive officer for global banking and markets at the London-based lender. He said the primary markets wont get going until the volume of secondary flow and interest is stronger.

Initial public offerings have been depressed in Hong Kong, with proceeds slumping to the lowest in more than two decades last year. The listing market was dealt another blow last week when Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. called off a $1 billion sale of shares in Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Ltd.

The money raised from IPOs fell another 29% in the first quarter to about $605 million, the worst three-month period since the global financial crisis, Bloomberg-compiled data show. The city hasnt had a new offering bigger than $1 billion since CALB Group Co.s debut in October 2022.

Guyett, who will be in Hong Kong for HSBCs inaugural Global Investment Summit that kicks off Monday, sees growing evidence of foreign investor interest in China as the nation finds a bottom for its economy.

Weve started to see some fund managers reallocating assets, and others saying its time to get more serious about China, he said in an interview from London.

Foreign direct investment in China recovered in January after slumping to a 30-year low in 2023. In other signs of green shoots, the purchasing managers index registered the highest reading in 12 months, and the CSI 300 stock index capped its first quarterly gain in a year.

While many global banks have been cutting staff, HSBC isnt reducing investments in its people in Hong Kong and China as it wants to be in position for a recovery, according to Guyett.

The banks overall headcount for global banking and markets will probably continue to trend down as the firm leverages technology to streamline operations, said Guyett.

As we get more efficient and effective, well be fewer and fewer people in the middle and back office areas, he said. In terms of the front office, however, well continue to grow.

Read more: HSBC Cuts at Least Four Bank Jobs in Hong Kong as Deals Dry Up

Guyett said he has no concerns about a new security law passed last month in Hong Kong that has prompted fresh warnings from the US, Europe and the UK that it could muzzle open discussion. Hong Kong has the ingredients to remain an important financial center, he said.

I continue to hear from our clients a great deal of confidence in both the need to be in Hong Kong, given the proximity to China, but also their comfort in doing business in Hong Kong, he said.

Read more: Hong Kongs Formerly High-Flying Bankers Become Lost Generation

Guyett, who is based in London, was supposed to move to Hong Kong in 2021. Those plans changed after his role was expanded to include the markets division when Georges Elhedery became chief financial officer in 2022. Guyett works from Hong Kong roughly one week in five.

In other parts of Asia, HSBC has been expanding sales and trading in Singapore, while hiring bankers in India, which Guyett said has reached an inflexion point to become an interesting market.

Weve been adding people in Singapore and in Mumbai primarily because we see long-term opportunities, he said.

Guyett expects about 2,500 institutional investors and 300 companies to attend the investment summit in Hong Kong. The bank is pivoting off the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament from April 5 to 7, taking a conference slot traditionally held by Credit Suisse.

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Shaily Engineering Plastics, the country's leading exporter of high-precision engineered plastic products and components, has delivered substantial returns to its shareholders. The company's share price has surged from 226 apiece a year ago to the current trading price of 542, marking a remarkable gain of 140%.

Since hitting its low of 191 in May 2023, the stock has witnessed an impressive appreciation, currently trading with a gain of 184%. During Tuesday's trading session, the stock reached a new record high of 578 per share.

Looking back, the stock over the last decade delivered a whopping return of 4920%, spiking from 10.80 apiece to the current level.

In a recent note, domestic brokerage firm Systematix Institutional Equities has initiated coverage on the stock with a target price of 720 apiece. This target indicates a potential upside of 33% from the stock's recent closing price.

Shaily Engineering Plastics is engaged in the manufacture and sale of customised components made up of plastic and other materials. Its wide customer base is spread across the healthcare, consumer, personal care, appliances, automotive, and lighting industries.

The company operates in the niche segment of precision molding and caters to demand from global industry leaders in their respective segments.

Systematix Institutional Equities' optimistic view on the company is driven by the following key factors:

Decades of experience in manufacturing high-precision products in niche segments Established in 1987, the company has diversified its business across various industries such as healthcare, consumer, personal care, appliances, automotive, and lighting sectors, catering to demand from global industry leaders (led by long-standing relationships with Swedish home furnishing majors Unilever, Gillette, P&G, Sanofi, GE, and Garrett).

The brokerage pointed out that the company's foray into the steel furniture business helped it diversify its concentration beyond plastics and also cemented its relationship with its largest customer. Entry into IP-led insulin pens positions the company among the few global players specialising in such complex products.

Consumer (largest) and healthcare (fastest) are the growing segments The brokerage, citing estimates from CARE Ratings, highlighted that the company has generated 85% of its total revenue from the consumer segment, which includes home furnishing, personal care, steel furniture, and toys.

It projects that the healthcare industry will witness strong growth on the back of a robust order book of insulin pens.

The brokerage noted that Shaily Engineering has forged partnerships with major multinational companies in designing and manufacturing medical devices crucial for the launch of specific GLP-1 blockbuster drugs (the current market for Semaglutide's pens, estimated at 200 million pens annually, is anticipated to reach 500 million pens by 2030).

The company's ability to develop IP and its own pen injector platforms is expected to enhance its brand as a research-led solutions provider. It currently has five pen injector platforms for various molecules and is working towards developing an auto-injector.

A 1.5 billion capex done in the healthcare division in the last 2 years provides 3x revenue potential in the next 35 years.

Strong margins ahead The brokerage highlighted the company's robust focus on capacity expansion in anticipation of market demands across various business cycles, which it says has bolstered customer confidence in consistent product supply.

Large capex ( 2 billion in the last 2 years) led to lower capacity utilisation and impacted the margins of the company, it added.

With no significant planned capital expenditures, the brokerage anticipates RoCE exceeding 20% by FY26, along with the generation of 1.8 billion in free cash flows over the period spanning FY25 to FY26.

Overall, it expects the company to post a CAGR of 19% in revenue, 29% in EBITDA, and 46% in profit after tax (PAT) from FY23 to FY26 (compared to 14%, 12%, and 8%, respectively, from FY18 to FY23).
Zomato share price has surged approximately 270 per cent over the last year, and the rally of the stock can continue as experts believe the food-delivery company may report healthy Q4FY24 performance, further boosting investors' sentiment about the stock.

The stock has witnessed a solid bull run over the past year as on a monthly scale, Zomato share price has been in the green since April last year.

On Friday, April 5, Zomato share price climbed about 3 per cent to hit its all-time high of 191.90 on BSE. The stock, however, cooled off and ended 1.90 per cent higher at 190.50.

What has worked for the new-age tech stock? Zomato's stable quarterly performance appears to have captured investors' attention. Furthermore, the impressive performance of its quick commerce armBlinkithas instilled even more confidence in investors.

In Q3, Blinkits gross order value (GOV) grew 28 per cent sequentially. The Blinkit business continues to expand, propelled by the addition of new stores and enhanced customer engagement efforts.

India's growing food delivery market implies Zomato's GOV will continue to rise even though the company does not see a material market share gain.

Brokerage firm ICICI Securities, which has a buy call on the stock with a target price of 300, believes that the food delivery market can grow at a CAGR of more than 20 per cent year-on-year to reach $40 billion in FY33E. This implies, as the brokerage firm highlighted, that Zomato food business GOV can grow more than 20 per cent year-on-year till FY33E even if there is no material gain in market share.

According to the estimates of Kotak Institutional Equities, Blinkit may post a whopping 99 per cent year-on-year growth in GMV (gross merchandise value) and 102 per cent year-on-year growth in revenues.

"Despite the very high 28 per cent quarter-on-quarter GMV growth in Q3FY24, we expect 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth in Q4FY24, driven by new store addition and ramp-up in throughput of existing stores," said Kotak.

"Overall, we expect Blinkit to report CM (contribution margin) of 3.3 per cent, as a percentage of GMV, up from 2.4 per cent reported in Q3. This results in an EBITDA loss of 45.6 crore, lower than the loss of 89 crore (pre-Ind AS 116) reported in Q3," Kotak said.

Kotak has retained a buy call on the stock, raising the target price to 210 from 190 as it believes Zomato is well-positioned to gain market share in the near term amid benign competitive intensity even as momentum on the food delivery business remains healthy.

Parth Shah, a research analyst at StoxBox pointed out that Zomatos food delivery segment continued to be on a strong footing, with Blinkit's business recovery contributing to further traction.

He expects Blinkit to lead the next phase of growth for the overall business owing to new store additions, higher efficiency from existing stores, growing customer adoption of 10-minute delivery in groceries, growing order sizes and a wider assortment of product offerings.

"Zomato is expected to garner market share amid the addition of more supplier restaurants, growing acceptance of the 'Zomato Gold' loyalty program and increasing consumer preference for online food ordering. The company is also expected to benefit from the monetisation of the technology platform through platform fees," said Shah.

Technical Outlook KKunal V Parar, VP of technical research and algo at Choice Broking underscored that on a weekly chart, the stock has recently broken out from a rounding bottom formation's neckline, indicating strong potential for an upward move. This breakout occurred with above-average volume, signalling further bullish momentum.

Furthermore, the stock has been consistently trading in uncharted territory, which suggests that there may be additional room for upside movement.

"Analyzing the daily chart, we observe that the stock has been following an upward rising channel formation, reinforcing the expectation for continued upward momentum. Additionally, the stock is trading above all its long-term moving averages, indicating a positive trend and supporting the likelihood of further upward movement. Considering these technical indicators, we anticipate a significant upside potential for the stock, with a target range of 220-250. On the downside, support is expected around 165," said Parar.

Milan Vaishnav, CMT, MSTA, Founder and Technical Analyst of Gemstone Equity Research and ChartWizard FZE said Zomato found resistance in the 165-170 zone.

If we zoom out on the weekly timeframe chart, this zone turns out to be a classical double top resistance; this level was first tested in November 2021. Following a brief consolidation, the stock staged a breakout and remains in a continuing uptrend, Vaishnav pointed out.

"As the stock is in uncharted territory, the best one can do is to stay invested until there are any definite signs of reversal. A new entry can be made and the existing investors can continue to stay invested by trailing the stop loss higher to 164," said Vaishnav.

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(Bloomberg) -- After lagging the global rally in semiconductor stocks over the past year, Samsung Electronics Co. is primed for a spot at the front of the pack on newfound optimism over its artificial intelligence strategy.

Investors are starting to realize that AI will boost demand for NAND  where Samsung has the largest market share  as well as the high-bandwidth memory dominated by rival SK Hynix Inc. Analysts have been raising price targets for Samsung to factor in AI benefits plus signs of a broader rebound in memory demand and prices after a long slump.

Fund managers have begun shifting money into Seoul-listed Samsung to ride its expected bounce. While AI titan Nvidia Corp. has tripled in the past 12 months and its key HBM supplier SK Hynix has more than doubled, Samsung is seen having greater upside after a mere 32% gain.

Weve started reducing our holding in SK Hynix and allocating it to other parts of the memory chip value chain that havent benefited as much, like Samsung Electronics, where we think that upside hasnt yet been realized, said Christine Phillpotts, portfolio manager at Ariel Investments LLC. We expect some catalyst to occur for that upside to be materialized in Samsung.

Samsung has outperformed other AI stocks since an endorsement by Nvidias Jensen Huang in March fueled expectations for an HBM supply deal later this year. That would help it gain a key foothold in the battle with smaller SK Hynix, which is estimated to have a 90% share in the latest version of HBM.

Then came a report this week from Peter Lee, an analyst at Citigroup Inc., alerting investors to a looming replacement cycle in which solid-state drives may dislodge hard-disk drives for use in AI. As SSD relies on NAND memory for storage, Samsung stands to gain, Lee said.

Our new conclusion is that SSD will be part of AI, contrary to the popular belief in the market, the Citi analyst said. Solid-state drives are much more suitable for AI training applications as they are 40 times faster than HDD, he added.

Lee is among the analysts who have lifted price targets for Samsung recently. The consensus calls for a 17% rise in Samsung over the next year, compared with gains of around 12% for SK Hynix and 14% for Nvidia.

Earnings expectations have been rising for the worlds largest memory maker as well, and may be poised for another boost. Before Fridays open, Samsung reported operating profit for the first quarter that beat the average analyst estimate.

The share-performance gap is beginning to close, with Samsung rising 15% over the past month, the best performer on a Bloomberg gauge of seven major Asian chip stocks. On a year-to-date basis, its still trailing all other members including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Japans biggest chip-equipment makers.

Jae Lee, chief investment officer at Timefolio Asset Management SG, is among investors that are looking to profit on a resurgence for Samsung. Weve made Samsung our top pick since March, he said in an interview, adding that the company still needs show more clarity on HBM to be considered an AI stock.

People didnt know what was going on when the NAND market saw a sudden rebound a couple of weeks ago, but the top-tier US tech firms data centers were switching to enterprise SDD from HDD because HDD is too slow and cant read data quickly, Lee said. Theres all of sudden a chance for chipmakers to make profit from NAND.

--With assistance from Yoolim Lee.

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En masse deaths of a penguin species was reported on the remote southern continent of Antarctica. The Federation University Australia said in a statement that a scientific expedition last month revealed that over 532 Adelie penguins died in Antarctica, and suggested thousands more could have died.

The Australian University suggested that the field tests of these birds were inconclusive. However, the researchers suspect the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus to be the cause of en masse deaths of the penguins.

Also read: Unabated global warming will wipe penguins off this planet Following this mass mortality event, samples were shipped off to labs for testing. Researchers hope to come to a conclusion on the deaths in the coming months. Scientists are of the belief that H5N1 influenza could decimate threatened species of penguins and other animals.

Also read: Iran claims property rights to Antarctica, plans to build naval base H5N1 influenza cases H5N1 influenza cases were first reported in South America in 2022, and have spread aggressively among wildlife species. The disease subsequently made its way to Antarctica. The remote southern continent reported the first case of H5N1 in February, Reuters reported.

Also read: Bird flu outbreak '100 times worse' than Covid pandemic, say experts Meagan Dewar, a wildlife biologist with Federation University who was a part of the latest expedition said, "This has the potential to have a massive impact on wildlife that is already being impacted by things like climate change and other environmental stresses," the Reuters report said.

The wildlife biologist said the frozen carcasses of Adelie penguins were found covered in snow on Heroina Island in sub-zero temperatures. The expedition team was unable to count the carcasses of Adelie penguins, but estimated that several thousand had died in the preceding weeks or months.

Also read: Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling Every year, around 2,80,000 Adelie penguins breed on Heroina Island. Having finished breeding, the live penguins had already moved on by the time the expedition arrived, Reuters quoted Meagan Dewar as saying.

What Scientists' research says? The expedition revealed the presence of H5 strain bird flu on the Antarctic peninsula and three nearby islands. The strain was found in skua seabirds that feed on penguin eggs and chicks.

As per the British Antarctic Survey, around 20 million pairs of penguins breed in the Antarctic each year.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was detained for alleged involvement in the Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, reports claimed on Friday. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) detained Sai Prasad, a BJP activist, in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, Asianet news reported.

Sources told India Today that the BJP worker was allegedly named by two mobile shop workers, who were questioned by the NIA last week. He was detained from Thirthahalli in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

A low-intensity blast at the famous Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru had injured at least 10 people on March 1.

What investigation revealed? Sai Prasad allegedly had contacts with suspects in Theerthahalli and Chikkamagaluru. The NIA had earlier conducted raids on the residences of two youths and a mobile shop owner in Theerthahalli.

According to the report, the investigation revealed that Sai Prasad had contact with these individuals, prompting his arrest for further questioning. It was also revealed that a police personnel in Chikkamagaluru assisted the mother of the main conspirator in securing a rented house.

Muzammil Shareef, the alleged mastermind behind the Bengaluru cafe blast, "originally from Kalasa, relocated his mother to Chikkamagaluru, with the assistance of the inspector," the reported added.

Shareef, the key conspirator, was arrested by the NIA following massive raids across multiple locations in three states in the case, news agency PTI reported. He was picked up as a co-conspirator as the NIA teams cracked down at 18 locations, including 12 in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and one in Uttar Pradesh.

Other accused in Rameshwaram blast case The NIA, which took over the case on March 3, said on Friday that the agency identified the accused person who carried out the IED blast as one Mussavir Hussain Shazib and co-conspirator as Abdul Matheen Taahaa. They both are residents of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district.

The probe reportedly revealed that Muzammil Shareef had extended logistic support to the other two identified accused in the case, involving an IED explosion at the Cafe located at ITPL road, Brookefield, Bengaluru, on March 1.

The NIA said it has been summoning and examining all of the acquaintances, including college and school time friends, of the absconding and arrested accused persons.

"The case being a terror incident, any information on the identity of the witnesses may apart from hampering the investigation may also put to risk the individuals being summoned," the NIA added.

The NIA has last month declared a reward of 10 lakh each against two wanted accused Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa and Mussavir Hussain Shazib involved in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reacted to a report that claimed India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) had undertaken the strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil". In an interview with News18, Singh said, If any terrorist will try to disturb India from any neighbouring country or try to conduct any terror activities in India, we will always give a befitting reply to them.

If that terrorist will run towards Pakistan [from India], Pakistan mein ghus ke marenge [will kill them by entering into Pakistan], Singh said.

The defence minister added that India wants to maintain friendly relations with each of its neighbours. In the past, we have never targeted any country or taken the first towards attacking any countrywe never tried to grab land of any other country, he said.

But if someone targets India again and again, then India won't leave them, Singh said in the interview.

Singh was reacting to a report published in the Guardian that claimed that the Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil.

The report cited Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives and documents shared by Pakistani investigators as its source of information. It cited Pakistani investigators as saying that these deaths were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates.

The fresh claims related to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. This was the third time India was accused of assassinating or attempting to assassinate people on foreign soil.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had claimed that there were credible allegations against India in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Later, the United States also claimed that they had thwarted an assassination attempt on another Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
A class 12 student in Rajasthan, who was gang-raped last year, was not allowed to appear for the board exams, the victim said in her complaint. School officials told me that the atmosphere would be spoiled if I appeared for the exams, the student said as quoted by NDTV.

However, the school in Ajmer claimed that they did not give her an admit card for board exams because the girl had not attended classes for four months.

Following this, the student approached another teacher who advised her to call the child helpline number. The Child Welfare Commission (CWC) of Ajmer registered a case and started an investigation into the case.

Currently, the investigation is on. Our priority is to ensure that the girl can appear for her board exams, CWC chairperson Anjali Sharma said as quoted by NDTV. She had also spoken to the student about the rape incident.

The school suggested the girl study from home as they believed that her coming could spill the atmosphere in the school. The girl agreed to their concerns and prepared for her board exams at home, the victim told Anjali Sharma.

The girl told me that she had scored 79% in her class 10 board exams. She could have performed even better in her 12th board exams. However, she may lose a year due to the school's negligence, Anjali Sharma told NDTV.
A complaint has been lodged with the Election Commission of India against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar for purportedly submitting a "false affidavit" in his Lok Sabha election nomination papers.

As per the affidavit, Chandrasekhar has declared assets worth 36 crore. However, the complainant contends that the minister's net worth is approximately 8,000 crore, suggesting he is a billionaire.

Kerala Congress shared the petition against Rajeev Chandrasekhar on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle. The complaint was filed to the Election Commission of India, Collector Thiruvananthapuram, and the EC observer, the party wrote on the X.

Renjith Thomas, a voter in BTM Layout assembly constituency, Bengaluru, Karnataka where Rajeev Chandrasekhar was contesting for Rajya Sabha filed the complaint against the minister.

Also Read | Rajeev Chandrasekhar's family assets decline from  65 cr to  36 cr I have filed multiple petitions in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court with Election Commission with regard to the false affidavit filed by Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the 2018 Rajya Sabha Elections, the petition read claiming that the petition is still stuck with the EC.

After careful examination of Chandrasekhar's affidavit submitted for the election nominations, it has become apparent that numerous discrepancies exist between the declared assets and his actual wealth, it further read.

What does petitioner claim? Renjith Thomas claimed that the minister has omitted significant assets in his asset declaration, including properties such as his house, luxury cars, and private jets but has not disclosed in his affidavit.

The valuation of the companies listed in Rajeev Chandrasekhar's affidavit is grossly underestimated, indicating a deliberate attempt to misrepresent his financial status. He has failed to declare the book value of the companies as mandated by EC. The book value of the four holding companies shown in the affidavit is 6.38 Cr, whereas it is 1,610.53 Cr according to the companies filing made with Ministry of Corporate Affairs," it read.

He further stated that Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been filing false affidavits since 2006 for three terms as Rajya Sabha MP.
The Supreme Court on Friday imposed an interim stay on the Allahabad High Court's order quashing the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004 after the high court deemed it unconstitutional.

Last month, the Allahabad High Court had asked the UP government to accommodate the current students of the Madarsa board into the formal schooling system. However, while imposing the stay, the apex court stopped this relocation.

What is the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act? Enacted in 2004, the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act's purpose was to streamline madrassa education, defining it as education in Arabic, Urdu, Persian, Islamic studies, Tibb (traditional medicine), philosophy and other specified branches.

There are about 25,000 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh of which 16,500 are recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Madrassa Education Board. Of them, 560 madrassas receive grants from the government. Apart from this, there are 8,500 unrecognised madrassas in the state.

The Madarsa Education Board grants undergraduate and post-graduate degrees under the names Kamil and Fazil respectively.

The diplomas under this board are known as Qari, while certificates or other academic distinctions are also granted by the Madarsa Education Board.

The board conducts exams for the Munshi and Maulvi (Class X) and Alim (Class XII) courses.

The Madarsa Education Board is also mandated to prescribe courses, textbooks, reference books and other instructional material, if any, for Tahtania, Fauquania, Munshi, Maulavi, Alim, Kamil and Fazil.

Why had Allahabad HC struck down Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act? The Allahabad High Court struck down the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004 saying it was "unconstitutional" and violative of the principle of secularism.

The high court was hearing a petition challenging the constitutionality of the UP Madarsa Board as well as objected to the management of madrassas by the Minority Welfare Department, rather than the education department.

The petitioner and his counsel submitted that the Madarsa Act violates the principles of secularism, which is the basic structure of the Constitution, fails to provide quality compulsory education up to the age of 14 years/Class-VIII as is mandatorily under Article 21-A; and fails to provide universal and quality school education to all the children studying in madrassas.

"Thus, it violates the Fundamental Rights of the students of the madrassas," they claimed.

What did the Supreme Court say? The Supreme Court, while imposing an interim stay on the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act said that the high court's purpose was regulatory in nature.

The apex court also said the Allahabad High Court is not prima facie correct in believing that the madrassas will breach secularism.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud issued notices to the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government and others on the pleas against the high court order.

"The object and purpose of Madarsa board is regulatory in nature and the Allahabad HC is not prima facie correct that establishment of board will breach secularism," the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said.
Top Events of the Day: RBI is set to announce its highly anticipated monetary policy decision on April 5. Meanwhile, Congress is scheduled to announce its Lok Sabha Election manifesto. Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will address public rallies in Jaipur and Hyderabad.

RBI to announce policy rates April 5: India's central banking authority, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is set to unveil its highly anticipated monetary policy decision on April 5, 2024. Governor Shaktikanta Das will deliver the policy announcement around 10 am, following the conclusion of a three-day meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that commenced on April 3.

LS polls 2024-Congress to announce its election manifesto in Delhi: The political landscape of West Bengal witnessed a high-stakes showdown as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee descended upon the Cooch Behar district for a series of rallies. In a rare instance during this election season, the two influential leaders addressed voters of the same constituency on the same day, intensifying the electoral battle in the state.

Haridwar-BJP chief JP Nadda to visit Maya Devi temple; to take part in a roadshow: BJP National President JP Nadda is on two-day visit to Uttarakhand from April 4 ahead of Lok Sabha polls. He will address public rallies in Pithoragarh and Vikas Nagar under Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha around April 5.

LS polls-EC to brainstorm with municipal commissioners and district election officers of 11 states: A groundbreaking effort is underway to address low voter turnout in both rural and urban parliamentary districts. The commission plans to engage with municipal commissioners and designated district election officers from 11 states with historically low voter participation rates. This meeting aims to strategise on enhancing voter turnout for the upcoming seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, commencing on April 19.

AP-BJP state President D Purandeswari to launch her campaign: D Purandeswari, the BJP state wing President and candidate for the Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat, will kick off her campaign in her constituency on April 5. Concurrently, other candidates will commence their campaigns in their respective constituencies on the same day. In Andhra Pradesh, out of a total of 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha segments, the BJP, as part of its alliance, has secured 10 Assembly and six Lok Sabha segments. The national leadership of the BJP has already disclosed the candidates for the six Lok Sabha seats, and announcements for the contestants for the remaining 10 Assembly segments are forthcoming.

Uttarakhand- Vice President Dhankhar to visit Dehradun, Mussoorie: Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Vice President of India, is scheduled to visit Dehradun and Mussoorie on April 5, 2024. During his one-day trip, he will serve as the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Ceremony of the IAS Phase-I (2023 Batch) at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.

Kerala-The scrutiny of 290 nomination papers for LS polls today: As of April 4, Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul announced that a total of 290 candidates have submitted their nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, scheduled for April 26. The deadline for filing nominations closed on April 4, and the scrutiny of the submitted papers is scheduled for April 5.

DJB funds row- SC agrees to hear AAP's plea on Friday, April 5: The Supreme Court will hear a plea by the AAP government on Friday, April 5, alleging that Delhi's Principal Secretary (Finance) is not releasing funds approved by the legislative assembly for the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

CTET 2024 registration last date on April 5: The deadline for applying for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) for the July session 2024 is today, April 5. The registration process began on March 7. Individuals who haven't registered for the exam yet can do so by accessing the official website.

Karnataka will experience dry weather and heatwave conditions: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heat wave conditions in the northern districts of Karnataka for today and likely dry weather across the state in the coming days.

According to the IMD, due to certain wind and weather conditions from south Tamil Nadu to east Vidarbha, isolated light rainfall is likely over Madhya Maharashtra from April 5 to 8 and over Konkan, Goa, Marathwada, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, and Karnataka from April 6 to 8.

Indiabulls Real Estate board to meet on April 5: Indiabulls Real Estate has announced that its board will convene on Friday, April 5, 2024, to deliberate on a proposal regarding the raising of funds through various securities via permissible means. In a regulatory filing, the company stated, We wish to inform that a meeting of the board of directors is scheduled to be held on Friday, April 5, 2024, to consider and approve, among other matters, the proposal for raising of funds by way of debt, equity, or any other equity-linked or convertible securities through all or any permissible modes or methods, including private placement, preferential issue, rights issue, qualified institutions placement, or such other modes. Indiabulls Real Estate is involved in the construction and development of residential, commercial, and SEZ projects.
US President Joe Biden has expressed strong disapproval of the strikes targeting humanitarian workers and the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, deeming them as "unacceptable." The US President has urged Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take decisive and measurable actions to mitigate civilian casualties and ensure the safety of aid workers. The statements by Biden came during a phone conversation on Thursday, wherein both the leaders discussed the situation in Gaza.

Also Read: Israel-Hamas war has led to destruction of critical infrastructure worth $18.5 billion in Gaza: World Bank "Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that the US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps," a readout of Biden's call with Netanyahu stated, according to the White House.

Also Read: Israeli strikes deliberately targeted Gaza homes at night, with families present, reveals report "The two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza. President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable," a readout of President Biden's call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel stated, it added.

According to the statement, Biden also emphasised the need for an immediate ceasefire to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to quickly reach a settlement to bring the hostages home.

Furthermore, the two leaders also discussed public Iranian threats against Israel and the Israeli people.

Also Read: Take care of their safety, well-being: India tells Israel after first batch of workers leave under G2G agreement "President Biden made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of those threats," the readout of Biden's conversation stated.

According to Israeli estimates, 1,200 people were killed in Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. In Gaza, the health ministry which is run by Hamas, have said that over 33,000 Palestinians have passed away, the most of whom being women and children. Israel on the other hand has been accusing Hamas of utilising civilians as human shields.

Also Read: Israel-Hamas war: Joe Biden slams Israel over killing of Gaza aid workers, says, 'not done enough' to protect civilians Israel has taken responsibility for the attack, and the deaths of the World Central Kitchen aid workers, and has called it a "grave mistake." This attack on aid workers by the Israel has sparked outrage from world leaders. Netanyahu on Tuesday said that Israeli forces had "unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip." World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated the convoy's movements with the Israeli military.
National Maritime Day 2024: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari extended his warm greetings and wishes to seafarers on Friday, on the occasion of 61st National Maritime Day, paying rich tributes to their bravery and commitment.

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Minister of Road Transport and Highways said, Wishing #NationalMaritimeDay with gratitude for the dedicated seafarers and rich maritime legacy.

Their resilience and contributions shape our maritime history and future endeavors. Let's honor their valor and commitment while cherishing the maritime heritage that binds us, Gadkari said in the post.

When and why is National Maritime Day celebrated? National Maritime Day is celebrated every year on April 5. The day is celebrated as a tribute to the seafarers and voyagers, who spend months at sea.

Also read: Indian Navy's 40-hour standoff: 35 pirates walk the plank, 17 crew members rescued| 5 things to know The day serves as an occasion to highlight issues affecting the maritime sector and industry. A host of issues, ranging from pollution and lack of global cooperation to ensure safe voyages, to improvement in working conditions of ship and port workers, are crucial aspects that need an urgent resolution in this context.

Also read: Indian Navy hands over 35 Somalian pirates to Mumbai Police History The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways first celebrated the National Maritime Day in 1964. This year will mark the 61st National Maritime Day. The day is also observed as a tribute to the maiden voyage of the first Indian-owned ship, SS Loyalty, that set off on its journey from Mumbai to London on April 5, 1919.

Also read: Wouldn't have been possible without : Indian Navy veterans on death row in Qatar say upon landing in Delhi Significance The National Maritime Day serves as an opportunity to underscore the role of the maritime industry in Indias economic growth. It lauds the sacrifice of seafarers, who partake in national security operations by deterring pirate attacks and hence safeguard and support maritime trade.

Also read: Indian Navy deploys warships to thwart piracy attack involving Iranian fishing vessel in Arabian Sea Celebrations The National Maritime Day is celebrated all over the Indian subcontinent, especially in major port cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kandla and Visakhapatnam. These historically significant cities in terms of maritime sector witness special government-supported events such as seminars, medical camps, and blood donation drives.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticized the public service broadcaster, Doordarshan, for its decision to air the movie "The Kerala Story" alleging that the film wants to show that Kerala is some sort of Pakistan.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP termed the film's screening propaganda at its cheapest and worst.

The Sudipto Sen directorial The Kerela Story movie is set to telecast on Doordarshan on Friday, April 5.

Also read: Don't become propaganda machine for BJP': CM Pinarayi Vijayan asks Doordarshan not to air 'The Kerala Story' Tharoor pointed out that Kerala is a state of social harmony and co-existence and not a state that is some sort of Pakistan that this movie wants to show. To be honest, it's really shameful. When the Kerala Story came out, everyone pointed out that this was not the real Kerala story, Tharoor said according to newswire ANI.

Also read: The Kerala Story released in over 200 screens in US and Canada amid controversy "And yet, the lies of this film being officially circulated by an official broadcaster is truly disgusting, it's propaganda at its cheapest and worst," Throor said.

The Congress leader is aiming for a fourth consecutive win from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming general elections.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also condemned Doordarshan's decision to broadcast the film and urged the public broadcaster to withdraw from telecasting the controversial movie. The CM claimed that the film would only "exacerbate communal tensions" ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Also read: PM Modi on The Kerala Story controversy: Film based on terror conspiracy, shows ugly truth 'The Kerala Story,' which was released last year found itself entangled in the grip of political controversy. While the right-wing groups including several cabinet members of the Modi government praised the movie, the opposition criticised it.
The Rajasthan government on Thursday, April 4, suspended three resident doctors of a government hospital in Jaipur over negligence. The action came after a pregnant woman was denied admission into the hospital and forced to deliver her child near the hospital's gate, officials informed PTI.

On Wednesday, April 3, a pregnant woman experienced labour pain but was denied admission to the hospital. An official informed that the woman subsequently gave birth to the child near the gate of the hospital on the same day, as reported by PTI.

Also read: Sonia Gandhi takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan According to the official statement, Shubhra Singh, the Additional Chief Secretary of Medical Education, constituted an inquiry committee as soon as the matter came to light.

Also read: Adani Green commissions 180 MW solar plant at Devikot in Rajasthan Based on the committee's report, three resident doctors of Kanwatia Hospital in Jaipur, Kusum Saini, Neha Rajawat and Manoj, were suspended on charges of serious negligence and insensitivity.

The statement added that a show cause notice was also issued to the Kanwatia Hospital Superintendent, Dr Rajendra Singh Tanwar, for supervisory negligence in this case.

Also read: Here's why Elon Musk is supporting Indian-origin doctor who needs  1.8 crore to pay legal fees Woman gives birth on road outside Safdarjung Hospital In another incident reported two years ago, a woman gave birth to a baby on a road outside the emergency wing of Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. As per the video footage of the incident, the attendant could be seen complaining that the hospital did not admit her even though it was an emergency case, reported The Hindu.

However, the hospital released a statement following a preliminary inquiry that said doctors had examined the woman and offered admission. The hospital further added that the woman did not return with the admission paper.

Also read: Centre-run hospitals in NCR want 13% raise in allocation The whole night she was here. The doctor said that there was no pain. Today morning, they told me to make an OPD receipt and after that the doctor will see her," the attendant was reported saying in the video. The attendant further added, "This is an emergency case; why else will we wait outside their door, reported The Hindu.

The central government-run Safdarjung Hospital was served a notice by the Delhi Commission for Women with respect to the incident.
(Bloomberg) -- Singapores attempt to tackle high rents with a new type of serviced apartment for long-term stays got off to a slow start, after attracting little interest from developers.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority said in a statement Thursday that it had received a sole bid for one of the sites eligible for these projects by the time the tender period closed. The site garnered a S$1.1 billion ($817 million) bid backed by Singapores largest listed developer, City Developments Ltd., as well as Mitsui Fudosan (Asia) Pte.

CDL Group Chief Executive Officer Sherman Kwek said in a statement the bid for the site was to pioneer the concept of longer-term stay rental apartments, which complements our groups focus on expanding our living sector portfolio.

The lack of competition signals diminished interest from developers in a slowing residential market. Another site for residential development, which closed for tender at the same time, also received just one bid, a S$780 million offer from GuocoLand Ltd. and Intrepid Investments Pte, a unit of Hong Leong Holdings Ltd. GuocoLand and Hong Leong didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

The single bids show that many property developers do not hold a buoyant market outlook for the coming 12 to 24 months, said Nicholas Mak, the chief research officer at Mogul.sg, a property portal. The land rates submitted are below those of recent comparable tenders, raising the likelihood the government wont award them, he said.

Singapore in February turned down a sole bid led by GuocoLand  controlled by Malaysian billionaire Quek Leng Chan  for a prime state land parcel, judging it to be too low. It was the first such rejection in more than a decade.

The long-stay pilot was announced last year to cater to high leasing demand, which has led to near-record rents and caused frustration among locals and expatriates alike.

The move allows developers to build serviced apartments for three-month minimum stays, compared with the seven-day requirement for current units, which authorities say leads to competition with tourists for supply. There is currently one more pilot site available for tender.

(Updates with more detail throughout. An earlier version corrected the number of sites for serviced apartments in second and third paragraph.)

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OTT releases this week: Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, comes to OTT after a successful theatrical run.

Several other movies and web series including Parasyte: The Grey, Farrey and Yeh Meri Family Season 3, have been released on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon miniTV, ZEE5 and Disney+ Hotstar. Let's take a look.

Wish

Plot: The story is about Asha in the Kingdom of Rosas, where King Magnifico, a sorcerer with the power to grant wishes, rules.

Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine

Genre: Animation

Platform: Disney+ Hotstar

Release Date: April 3

Yeh Meri Family Season 3

Plot: The show, seen through the eyes of 11-year-old Rishi, shows the details of life in the middle-class Awasthi family. It also celebrates the fun, humour and fond memories of the 90s.

Cast: Juhi Parmar, Rajesh Kumar, Hetal Gada, Angad Raj

Genre: Drama

Platform: Amazon miniTV

Release Date: April 4

The Tearsmith

Plot: The exciting love story is about Nica and Rigel, two orphans adopted by the same family. Nica is innocent like a butterfly while Rigel is unpredictable like a wolf.

Cast: Simone Baldasseroni, Caterina Ferioli, Sabrina Paravicini, Alessandro Bedetti

Genre: Romance

Platform: Netflix

Release Date: April 4

Ripley

Plot: Tom Ripley, a New Yorker struggling with minor scams, suddenly gets a chance to go to Italy. His task is to persuade Dickie Greenleaf, whom he barely knows, to come back home and work in his father's shipbuilding company.

Cast: Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning, Maurizio Lombardi

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Platform: Netflix

Release Date: April 4

Farrey

Plot: An orphan genius gets a scholarship to a top school but gets mixed up in a cheating scheme when her wealthy friends convince her to help them.

Cast: Alizeh Agnihotri, Prasanna Bisht, Sahil Mehta, Ronit Roy

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Platform: ZEE5

Release Date: April 5

Parasyte: The Grey

Plot: Jung Soo In has a parasite on her hand but continues to live with it because it can't take over her brain. Seol Kang Woo is looking for his missing sister and is tracking down a parasitic water. Choi Jun Kyung leads a team called 'The Grey' that fights against parasitic water, driven by the loss of her husband to the parasite.

Cast: Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim In-kwon

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Platform: Netflix

Release Date: April 5

Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya

Plot: Aryan, on a work trip to the US, meets Sifra, who seems perfect. He falls in love with her. Later, he discovers she's a robot.

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Dimple Kapadia, Dharmendra

Genre: Sci-Fi/Romance

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Release Date: April 5

Scoop

Plot: The drama in the newsroom is inspired by the book "Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews," written by Sam McAlister, a former guest booker for the BBC. Despite the challenges of her often underappreciated role, it led her to secure a groundbreaking exclusive.

Cast: Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper, Rufus Sewell, Keeley Hawes

Genre: Biographical drama

Platform: Netflix
AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, addressed a letter to the people of his assembly constituency Patparganj in east Delhi.

The former deputy chief minister, in an address that surfaced on Friday, April 5, drew a comparison of his plight with that of the atrocities committed by the Britishers against freedom fighters.



Sisodia, who was arrested under corruption charges in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, also expressed hope that he will be out of jail soon. This note appears in the wake of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and ahead of Sisodia's bail hearing, scheduled to take place in a Delhi court on Saturday, April 6.

Also read: Delhi excise policy scam: Court extends judicial custody of Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh Draws comparison with BJP Comparing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre with the British Raj, he said that Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who spent many years in jail, were his inspiration. The AAP leader proclaimed in his note, "Will meet you soon outside. The British rulers had also arrogance of power and they sent people to jail in false cases," reported PTI.

Also read: Delhi court grants 3-day interim bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia In the letter to the people of his assembly constituency, the former Education Minister of Delhi said, Struggle for good education and schools is underway like people (who) fought for freedom of the country.

Also read: Manish Sisodia allowed to meet ailing wife for 6 hours tomorrow He further emphasised his commitment to education and stated, Education revolution Zindabad. Love you all, as per the PTI report.

What was there in the note for wife? He also expressed gratitude to the people for taking care of his wife. The note penned in Hindi further states, My love for you has increased after being in jail. You took great care of my wife. Seema gets emotional while talking about all of you. All of you should take care of yourselves..., PTI reported.

Also read: Manish Sisodia's nameplate removed from bungalow; BJP asks Why is Kejriwal in such a hurry? On February 26 last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Manish Sisodia, who is being probed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and the CBI for his alleged involvement in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.
The body of a 26-year-old woman was found stuffed in an almirah at a house in southwest Delhi's Dwarka area, with her father suspecting her live-in partner's role behind the murder, police said on Thursday.

The matter came to light after the victim's father approached the police on Wednesday after he was unable to contact her for a few days.

According to police, a PCR call was received at 10.40 pm on Wednesday wherein a caller said his daughter could have been killed, following which a team from Dabri police station rushed to the said house in Dwarka's Rajapuri area.

"Upon entering the flat, the body of the woman was found in the almirah of a room. The crime scene was inspected by the crime team and FSL," said a senior police officer.

The deceased's father who was present at the spot, alleged the woman was killed by her live-in partner Vipal Tailor, the police said.

Citing his last call with the woman, the complainant told the police that she had told him that her partner Vipal Tailor used to beat her up and she was afraid she could be murdered, they said.

He also told the police that his daughter had been living in the rented flat with Tailor for the past one and a half months, they added.

The police officer said the body has been transferred to DDU Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

"Efforts are underway to locate the accused, Vipal Tailor, who is a native of Surat in Gujarat," the officer said.
(Bloomberg) -- South Koreans head to the polls next week to elect a new parliament and the outcome may threaten the governments Japan-like corporate reforms that have helped spur a stock market rally.

The results of the April 10 vote to select the 300 members of the National Assembly could undermine President Yoon Suk Yeols flagship policy of boosting stock valuations via the Corporate Value-Up program, along with a number of his other reform measures.

Stocks and the won have already started to retreat in recent weeks amid concern the left-wing opposition will score a major victory over Yoons ruling party. An opposition victory already appears the most likely outcome. The odds of the ruling party gaining a majority in the vote is just 20%, according to economists at Citibank Korea.

I plan to wait and see the results of the elections before buying, said Jae Lee, chief investment officer at Timefolio Asset Management SG Pvt in Singapore. Its not too late to pick stocks after confirming that the government and the regulators show strong commitment to the reform following the election, he said.

President Yoon, who took office in 2022, is aiming to replicate Japans success with corporate reforms that have propelled its stocks to record highs. His plan is to offer tax incentives to encourage listed firms to improve their valuations, a measure that requires parliamentary approval. The Value-Up program has already helped lure record quarterly foreign inflows to Korean stocks, which have also supported the won.

Here are some areas traders will be watching as the election takes place:

1. Value-up and Tax Cuts

A key plank of the Value-Up program is to provide tax incentives for those firms that put in place measures to enhance shareholder returns. Levies that may be cut include dividend income tax, corporate tax, and inheritance tax.

That agenda may face increasing resistance if the opposition wins big.

A left-wing dominant National Assembly could be less cooperative on tax incentives for the Value-Up program as they are likely to be deemed as a tax cut for the wealthy, Citibank economists including Jinwook Kim in Seoul wrote in an April 1 report.

Without the tax incentives, the Corporate Value-Up program would lack much of the driving force that is necessary to make it successful, Bank of America economists wrote in a research note last week.

2. Fate of the Capital Gains Tax

Another of Yoons policies that may be imperiled in the election is the presidents desire to abolish the planned capital gains tax on income from financial investments.

Yoon in January pledged to scrap the planned tax  which is set to be introduced next year  in a bid to boost investor sentiment and stock values.

The government had earlier agreed to delay the planned tax by two years from its original 2023 implementation date. The proposal would impose a levy of at least 20% on income from investments such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds if annual capital gains from them exceeds 50 million won ($37,000).

The main opposition Democratic Party wants to push ahead and introduce the tax.

3. Currency Market Reforms

Yoons government is also seeking to extend trading hours for the onshore won as part of efforts to improve investors access to the local market  a move that could help get Korean bonds and stocks included in more global indexes and thereby encourage greater foreign inflows.

Pilot tests are being conducted ahead of the official extension of the wons trading hours slated for July.

Some analysts say one of the key things to watch for after the election will be how the new parliament perceives these reforms.

For me and the market, the most important thing is the governments resolve to push forward with the market reforms and FX liberalization, said Wee Khoon Chong, senior Asia Pacific market strategist at BNY Mellon in Hong Kong.

4. Buy Election Volatility

The uncertainty surrounding the election is expected to increase volatility, but it may also provide a buying opportunity, some investors say.

A decisive left-wing victory may see a pullback in stocks, especially those that have seen big gains on expectations for the Value-up program.

If stocks fall, there are a large number of investors with the belief that the Value-Up program will continue, with or without legislative support, and willing to buy into weakness, Bank of America analysts including Joon-Ho Lee and Jeehoon Park wrote in an April 1 research report.

Peter Kim of KB Securities Co. agrees.

An election win by the opposition should not scare away investors or change the long-term direction that the Korean government is trying to take, said Kim, Seoul-based head of global markets at KB.

Possible weakness in the won after the election may also be seen as a buying opportunity.

Any election shock is likely to be short-lived, BNY Mellons Chong said. I like the won the most out of all emerging Asian currencies in the second quarter as its expected to be supported by strong foreign inflows and tech export recovery, he said.

South Koreas stock market will be shut April 10 for the election, and resume trading the following day. There has not been any announcement yet on any close for the currency market.

--With assistance from Jon Herskovitz.

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(Bloomberg) -- Republican House leadership is considering including a provision in a potential aid package for Ukraine that would require the Biden administration to approve some liquefied natural gas export projects, according to people familiar with the matter.

The wording, which has yet to be finalized, could set a threshold that effectively requires some LNG export projects that are awaiting approval by the Department of Energy to be green-lighted, one of the people said. The situation remains fluid and discussions on the matter remain in flux, said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss non-public deliberations.

It remains to be seen if the package that Speaker Mike Johnson brings to the floor, which could also include border security reforms, could get the needed votes to pass the House and if President Joe Biden would sign it into law. A White House spokesperson previously said a report that White House aides were open to lifting the ban is not true. House Democratic leaders are aware of the language and are opposed, two Democrats said. Its passage would alienate progressives, whom Biden has already angered over his handling of Israel as well as the approval of a massive oil drilling project in Alaska.

A spokesperson for Johnson, who has previously argued the administrations LNG permit pause is hurting Ukraine by increasing reliance on Russian natural gas, declined to comment Thursday.

Projects considered ripe for decision before the Energy Department because they have received requisite approvals by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission include LNG export facilities in Louisiana proposed by privately held Commonwealth LNG, Magnolia LNG, as well as the Lake Charles export project planned by Energy Transfer LP and an expansion of an Sempras existing LNG export facility in Port Arthur, Texas. Notably, such an approach would not benefit the CP2 massive export facility also in Louisiana planned by Venture Global LNG Inc. which is still pending before FERC.

Johnson, speaking in an Easter interview on Fox News Sunday, hinted that he planned to bring a Ukraine aid package that could include language reversing the permitting pause to the floor after the House returns from its spring recess April 9.

Read More: Biden Freezes Licenses to Export Gas, Imperiling Projects

The Biden administration ordered the halt in approving new licenses to export LNG to European and some Asian countries that are not US free-trade partners while the Energy Department scrutinizes how the shipments affect climate change, the economy and national security. The moratorium threatens to disrupt plans for multibillion-dollar export projects along the US Gulf Coast.

While the administration isnt inclined to trade away the pause, the presidents support could hinge on how such a measure is worded, Clearview Energy Partners said in a note Wednesday, that added one possible approach Johnson may take could be to condition funding in the supplemental on the approval of a specific amount of export capacity.

If he had no other option, we believe President Biden might sign a bill which merely blocked the pause, as the DOE still could retain discretion over the pace of LNG export approvals, the Washington-based consultancy said. However, if the bill were to mandate approvals, we think it could draw a veto.

The inclusion of language rolling back the administrations LNG permit pause could entice some previously reluctant Republicans to vote for the Ukraine aid package by giving them a win in blocking a Biden climate priority and a chance to argue they are countering Russia and helping American natural gas producers. But the move would also alienate Democrats whose support would be needed to pass the measure and are pushing back strongly against the measures inclusion.

The vast majority of our caucus would see this as going backward on climate at the worst possible time, said Representative Jared Huffman, a California Democrat. We have the votes to pass Ukraine aid without doing a Faustian deal.

Other potential legislative options could include setting a deadline to approve projects or ordering specific ones to be approved, said Fred Hutchison, CEO of trade group LNG Allies.

We remain hopeful that the January 26 pause on new U.S. LNG export licenses can be undone, Hutchison said. However, just reversing the formal pause isnt sufficient since DOE had been under and informal pause since March 2023.

--With assistance from Ruth Liao.

(Adds comment in the final two paragraphs. A previous version corrected language in the third paragraph referencing House Democratic leaders.)

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(Bloomberg) -- Iran said it asked the US to step aside as the country prepares a response to a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria while Hezbollah, its main proxy in the Middle East, warned the Jewish state its prepared for war.

In a written message to Washington, Iran warned the US not to get dragged into Netanyahus trap, Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian presidents deputy chief of staff for political affairs, wrote on X, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US should step aside so that you dont get hit.

In response, the US asked Iran not to hit American targets, Jamshidi said.

The US hasnt commented on the alleged message Iran had sent.

CNN reported that the US is on high alert and is preparing for a significant response from Iran against Israeli or American targets in the region. The network cited an unnamed US official.

NBC, citing two unnamed US officials, said President Joe Bidens administration is concerned any attack could be inside Israel, specifically against military or intelligence targets, rather than civilians.

The Biden administration did take the unusual step of communicating directly to Iran that the US was unaware Mondays strike in Damascus would happen, Bloomberg reported. That suggested the US was trying to prevent its own forces and bases in the Middle East being attacked.

The Islamic Republic has said it will deliver a slap to Israel, its arch enemy. Still, its unclear when that would happen or whether Iran would try to attack Israel directly or through one of its proxy groups such as Hezbollah, based in Lebanon.

Read More: The Israel-Iran Shadow War Reaches a Risky New Phase: QuickTake

The airstrike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing at least seven Iranians, including two generals. While Israel has repeatedly targeted Iran-linked assets in Syria over the past few months, this was the first time an attack struck an Iranian diplomatic building.

Israel has been on alert since then, canceling home leave for combat troops, calling up reserves and bolstering air defenses. Its military scrambled navigational signals over Tel Aviv on Thursday to disrupt GPS-navigated drones or missiles that might be fired at the country.

Hezbollahs leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday said a response from Iran is undoubtedly coming. But, he said, his group wont interfere in such decisions.

Read More: Tel Aviv GPS Scrambled as Israel Awaits Iran Revenge Attack

And after that, how Israel will behave, the region would enter in a new phase, Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

Nasrallah, who lives in hiding, highlighted the coordinated work of Irans so-called resistance groups in the region.

Hezbollah, the Middle Easts most powerful militia, said the group hasnt used its primary arsenal in the daily skirmishes with Israel along the southern border of Lebanon since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.

Hezbollah is completely prepared and ready for any war with Israel, Nasrallah said.

(Updates with reporting from CNN and NBC starting in fifth paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Sri Lanka has dismissed the statements coming out of India on "reclaiming" Katchatheevu island, stressing that such claims have no ground.

The country's Minister of Fisheries, Douglas Devananda, while dismissing the claims said: "It is not unusual to hear the noises of claims and counterclaims about Katchatheevu island during the election season in India.

His remarks came days after the Narendra Modi-led BJP government accused Congress and its ally DMK of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

Devananda said that India is acting in its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area, and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area, newswire PTI reported.

The Sri Lankan minister said that fishing was permitted in both countries' territorial waters as per the 1974 agreement. However, in 1976, it was revised and the fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighboring waters.

There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari - it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources - it is 80 times bigger than Katchatheevu island, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement, Devananda stressed.

In 1974, the island of Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka as part of a bilateral agreement between the two governments. Despite this, reports suggest that fishermen from both countries have occasionally breached the terms of the agreement by entering the waters surrounding the uninhabited island.

EAM S Jaishankar on Monday claimed that Sri Lanka has been holding 1,175 fishing vessels and over 6,000 Indian fishermen for the past 20 years after the no-fishing agreement was implemented.

The once low-key territorial dispute has garnered international attention, evolving into a contentious election issue in India.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has highlighted Indian fishermen's discontent over their restricted access to the waters surrounding Sri Lanka, because of the 1976 agreement.
In a recent development, royal expert Esther Krakue has claimed that Meghan Markle was unlikely to accompany Prince Harry on his upcoming trip to the UK, despite an invitation from Prince William and Princess Kate.

According to Krakue, Markle is avoiding the UK because she's not interested in the whole drama and, kind of, being injected, is she going to talk to [Princess] Kate, and all of that, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

The expert further suggests that Markle's decision to stay away is influenced by security concerns after Harry lost a High Court case against the Home Office and a desire to avoid further conflict between her and the Duchess of Cambridge, as per the HT report.

I personally think she's not going to come because, obviously, Harry has lost his case with the Home Office, and he said he doesn't feel safe bringing his family over to the UK. I also think this is going to be a time where distance between the Sussexes and the Royal Family will be calcified because the focus will obviously be on the Princess of Wales and the King recovering; they don't need the whole Netflix drama, Krakue told GB News.

Harry and Meghan have been living in the United States since they decided to step down as senior royals in 2020. Earlier this year, Harry lost a legal battle against the UK Home Office and RAVEC, which had reduced his security classification after he was no longer a working royal.
New York earthquake: After the strongest earthquake in 140 years rattled New York on Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the 4.8 magnitude earthquake may impact air traffic in several areas. The aviation agency also put a pause on flights for the city till noon, while warning passengers of 30-40 minutes delay in New York flights.

"A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New Jersey may impact some air traffic facilities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible," the FAA posted on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, the FAA told airlines they can expect flights to be held for New York City airports until noon because of the earthquake and delays of 30-45 minutes.

The aviation agency has also said that some New York-bound flights will be diverted to other airports. "Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible," the FAA said.

Also read: 'I am fine': Empire State Building says after 4.8 magnitude earthquake hits New York The preliminary 4.8 magnitude temblor was the strongest in the area since 1884, according to the US Geological Survey. It occurred near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and was felt as far away as Long Island, New Yorks Hudson Valley and Pennsylvania.

The Newarks Liberty International Airport issued a ground stop for flights, while the New Jersey Transit said commuters can expect up to 20-minute delays in both directions due to bridge inspections.

The quake's epicenter was in Tewksbury in central New Jersey, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of New York City. It occurred just after 10:20 a.m. ET (1420 GMT) at a depth of 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles), the USGS said.

We consider it to be moderate  it is capable of causing some damage, said John Bellini, a geophysicist with the USGS. He said the most vulnerable structures would be older homes with brick faces and chimneys.

Also read: New York Governor Kathy Hochul warns of 'possibility of aftershocks' The New York Police Department has said that there were no damages or injuries reported due to the earthquake, according to CNN.

US President Joe Biden is in touch with his team, which is monitoring potential impacts, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, while adding that the White House is also in contact with federal, state, and local officials.
BALTIMORE (AP)  A third body has been found at the site of last week's bridge collapse in Baltimore.

Meanwhile, a tentative timeline has been released for how soon authorities believe they can reopen crucial commercial shipping channels.

President Joe Biden also visited the port city. And federal and state authorities are ramping up efforts to soften the economic blow to businesses and residents who work in Maryland's maritime industry.

Here's what we know as cleanup efforts get underway: THIRD BODY FOUND

Authorities announced Friday evening that salvage divers recovered a third body from the water, identified as 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, one of the missing workers. His body was found around 10:30 a.m..

Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler said authorities are committed to recovering the bodies of the three workers who remain missing.

While I take solace in knowing this brings us one step closer to closure, my heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR CLEARING THE WRECKAGE?

Engineers said Thursday that they expect to restore navigation in and out of the Port of Baltimore by the end of this month.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed within seconds on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it expects to open a limited access channel in the next four weeks. It would support barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port.

The agency is aiming to reopen a permanent navigation channel by the end of May, which would restore port access to normal capacity.

Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, USACE commanding general, has acknowledged the timelines are ambitious and may still be impacted by adverse weather or changes in the complexity of the wreckage.

As for the search for the bodies of the missing, weather conditions and the rivers murky water have been making the task difficult. WHAT DID PRESIDENT BIDEN DO ON HIS VISIT?

President Biden got a firsthand look Friday at efforts to clear away the hulking remains of the bridge. From aboard the Marine One helicopter, the president circled the Key Bridge's warped steel trusses as well as the cranes, ships and other equipment that are trying to clear the wreckage.

On the ground, Biden received updates on the cleanup and the collapse's larger impact on the region from local officials, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers.

Im here to say your nation has your back and I mean it, Biden said from the shoreline.

Eight workers  all immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador  were filling potholes on the span when it collapsed. Only two of them survived. The president met Friday with the workers' families near the bridge, the White House said.

The damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking, Biden said.

The White House also announced that it's asking Congress to authorize the federal government to cover 100% of the cleanup and reconstruction costs, rather than seeking funding through a separate, supplemental funding request.

Authorization is likely no slam-dunk in Congress. And funding questions carry political implications as Biden squares off with former President Donald Trump in Novembers election. HOW ARE AFFECTED BUSINESSES AND WORKERS GETTING HELP?

Isabel Casillas Guzman, the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited Baltimore on Thursday to highlight a low-interest loan program that's available to affected businesses.

The program has received 500 applications, Guzman said, and the funds could start being distributed within about two weeks.

The loans will help keep companies afloat as Baltimores vital port remains closed to most maritime traffic. Guzman said businesses involved in transportation and supply chain logistics will likely suffer the most in the short term, but the long-term ripple effects will be widespread.

Baltimores port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other similar facility in the country, and the disaster has created logistical problems up and down the East Coast. WHAT SAFETY MEASURES WERE IN PLACE FOR THE WORKERS WHO DIED?

Their deaths have raised questions about whether the company they worked for took proper precautions, including keeping a safety boat nearby that might have been able to warn them at least a few seconds before impact.

Federal regulations require construction companies to keep such boats, commonly known as skiffs, on hand whenever crews are working over waterways, safety experts told The Associated Press. There is no indication that the company, Brawner, had a rescue boat on the water or ready to be launched as the bridge fell.

Even if the workers had been warned that the giant ship was about to hit, its unclear if they would have had enough time to scramble to safety.
Taxes and death are two of lifes great certainties, we have always been told. The record of both, however, suggests they could also be great oddities, the kind that make jaws drop in wonder. Take taxation, the less morbid of these two. The global club of weird proposals was recently joined by Torontos plan of a stormwater charge. The idea is to scan all private property (say, with drone-cams), calculate every plots ratio of hard surface versus soft permeable land, and then impose a punitive levy on excessive hardness. As its name suggests, the motive of this taxto be bundled in with peoples water billsis to nudge land usage in favour of permeability and thus drainage, making the city less vulnerable to floods. As a solution to an evident problem of impervious concrete in urban zones, it sounds attractive. It even resonates in India, where havoc has been played with natural ecosystems by eco-unfriendly structures popping up. Think of Keralas 2018 deluge, for example. But the fiscal devil is usually in the details. Since land-use patterns usually respond only slowly to tax incentives, it could be years before any difference is made, especially if Canadas urban living-space crunch worsens. In the meantime, Torontos rain tax could face stiff resistance from those stuck with concrete and feel unfairly soaked, financially. No wonder reports suggest the plan may fail to go through.

A glance at other inventive taxes would show that a rain tax is not the oddest levy policymakers have come up with. Whether aimed at filling state coffers or altering what people do, weird taxes have caught taxpayers by surprise for centuries. In 18th century Czarist Russia, for example, a tax was imposed on beards. This was Czar Peters attempt at making Russians look well turned outimpressed, as records say he was, by clean-shaven men in West Europe. Perhaps it was non-divine retribution that Lenin, Marx and others who played live and dead roles in the Czarist orders overthrow were hirsute revolutionaries. Over in Britain, the state found a way to extort money from the wealthy by levying a window tax. The more windows a house or manor had, the more it was taxed. As this was back in the 18th century, well before Microsoft set off a digital proliferation of these, windows were easy to count. Ease of liability assessment was the driver there. It was progressive too, unlike Londons tea tax that brewed an American revolt in Boston. No taxation without representation" has been a rallying cry ever since. And Americans still prefer coffee, by and large.

A quarter of a millennium later, weird fiscal ideas continue to roil polities and rouse debates. In Switzerland and Germany, for instance, theres a dog tax that varies by the canines weight and breed and whose mop-up is meant to fund public provisions for these pets. Bull Terriers and Great Danes make their masters fork out hundreds of euros for the privilege of straining their hands at a leash. In Sweden, believe it or not, tax authorities have the right to tax folks for giving babies names they disapprove of. If the name is deemed confusing, offensive or difficult to pronounce, families must pay up. Some years ago, as reported, an unhappy Swedish familynever mind surveys, they existsought tax relief for naming their daughter Metallica. All this makes Indian taxation sound reasonable. But lets not make too big a deal of it. Who knows what might be brewing in policy circles?
In the darkness above, an Israeli military drone scanned for enemy forces. The aircrafts operators identified the convoy as a hostile target and opened fire. Missiles slammed into the vehicles, one after the other, killing seven people heading back from bringing food to the hungry.

The deaths have crystallized a broad international backlash against Israels war in Gaza. President Biden called for an immediate cease-fire during a phone conversation Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden suggested that further U.S. support would depend on Israel taking steps to protect aid workers and civilians.

This is not a stand-alone incident," Biden said Wednesday about the deadly strike. Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians."

The Israeli military said the strike took place after its forces mistakenly identified the vehicles as enemy targets. The army launched an investigation.

For six months, Israeli forces, responding to the Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,200 men, women and children, have waged a broad campaign to destroy the Islamist militant group. More than 20,000 people who shouldnt have been targets are believed to have been killed by the armythe majority of them Palestinian civilians, but also captive Israeli hostages, relief workers and journalists, according to Palestinian health officials, the U.N. and organizations tracking the war. Israel said it doesnt target civilians.

Since the start of the war, nearly 200 aid workers have been killed, including 175 U.N. staff in Gaza, making it the U.N.s deadliest, according to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Aid groups making efforts to alert the military about their plans and movements have been hobbled by miscommunication between Israels civilian and military branches. The World Central Kitchen convoy coordinated its trip ahead of time with the Israeli military. It passed through Israeli checkpoints, traveled a road used for aid deliveries and yet was struck anyway.

The scale of civilian deaths since Oct. 7 stems, in part, from the way Israel is going about the war, which is waged in a densely populated urban area where combatants mix with civilians. Israeli troops have wide latitude to carry out orders to destroy the enemy, and many are exhausted after six months of urban fighting.

When you get nonspecific tasks from the national authoritydestroy, annihilate Hamas, wipe them outat some point, those kinds of things actually have to be translated into tasks on the ground for soldiers and units to actually orchestrate," said Gen. Joseph Votel, a former chief of the U.S. Central Command during the U.S.-led war on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

With those imperatives, Votel said, humanitarian concerns get less attention.

The Israeli military often grants wide authority for commanders on the ground to call for airstrikes during wartime, said people familiar with the operations of Israeli forces. The rules are more like a broad set of procedures that depend on the situation, current and former Israeli military legal advisers said. They described two types of airstrikes.

The first are planned strikes on known targets. The second type of strikes are based on real-time information. They are usually carried out by drones against suspected combatants identified by soldiers on the ground. A commanding officer, located in a room with drone operators at an air force base, works with commanders at division, brigade or company level who can order strikes.

Both types of strike can require higher approval, depending on location and the potential for collateral damage, according to an Israeli military legal adviser.

A drone-operations room seen by The Wall Street Journal last year, under the command of a 27-year-old major, had three worn chairs in front of three video monitors showing the grainy black-and-white images from drones: One soldier pilots the aircraft while another manages its cameras. A red button fires the missile. The soldiers work in four-hour shifts.

Israeli soldiers dont always see a clear distinction between civilians and militants. Reservists said in interviews that Hamas militants dress in civilian clothes and roam about unarmed, picking up weapons hidden in residential areas when they engage Israeli troops. Israel has said Hamas operates from hospitals and hides among civilians. Hamas denies using civilians as human shields and says Israel is responsible for killing civilians.

In Gaza, an urban area with a prewar population of 2.2 million people, the need for humanitarian organizations to coordinate with the Israeli forces is crucial.

The United Nations and other aid groups share the coordinates of their guesthouses, warehouses and other premises with the Israeli military, which adds them to a list of what should be protected sites that are shared with pilots and ground troops. Aid groups also share their movements with Israeli forces ahead of time. In particularly dangerous areas, such as northern Gaza, the Israeli military mostly denies aid missions on security grounds.

No solutions

The American Near East Refugee Aid paused its operations in Gaza after the strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy, said Sean Carroll, president of Anera. Its staff for the first time in the war no longer felt comfortable with the risks, he said. The U.S. relief organization has operated in the occupied Palestinian territories for more than five decades.

Carroll said he doesnt know what safety measures to seek from the Israeli military. Giving advance notice of plans and movements, known as deconfliction, is already standard procedure. World Central Kitchen has employed security consultants and even some armored cars, he said: Thats not going to help, so what is? The only thing you can think of is deconfliction, but thats what weve done. So I dont know what it is."

Communication between humanitarian groups and the Israeli military passes through the militarys civil administration agency, called Cogat, before heading to Israeli forces on the ground. A senior U.N. humanitarian official said he saw problems with the process during the months he participated after Oct. 7. We would have an agreement with Cogat, but it wasnt necessarily conveyed by IDF to their soldiers at the checkpoint," the official said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday that the Israeli military planned to set up direct coordination with international aid organizations. The war has taken an unprecedented toll on U.N. and other aid workers.

The majority of the dead were Palestinian employees of Unrwa, which is leading the humanitarian response on behalf of other U.N. agencies and aid groups. Unrwa workers supply food to an estimated 1.1 million people, as well as staff medical centers and run shelters for displaced Gazans. Unrwa said around 160 of its facilities have been damaged in the fighting.

In February, an Unrwa convoy carrying food was hit by the Israeli navy along a coastal road while it waited for permission from Israeli forces to cross into northern Gaza. The Israeli military said the convoy was struck by mistake. Unrwa suspended aid deliveries to the north.

The war has been the most lethal war for journalists: 95 killed since Oct. 7, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which began collecting data in 1992.

Israeli fire also has killed some of the more than 200 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, as well at least 20 of its own soldiers in friendly fire, among the more than 250 soldiers killed since Oct. 7.

In total, the war has claimed the lives of more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, some 72% of them women and children, according to the territorys health officials. The military campaign has obliterated schools, hospitals and cultural centers. Airstrikes have hit residential high rise buildings and crowded refugee camps. The scale and speed of the killing of civilians in Gaza has surpassed other conflicts in recent history, according to many humanitarian groups.

I am so scared

A key principle of international law is that the level of civilian casualties resulting from any military strike should be proportional to the military value of the target.

Israel has chosen to take a capacious definition of what constitutes necessity for military actions," said Craig Jones, the author of a book on Israeli and U.S. military legal strategy and a lecturer in political geography at the U.K.s Newcastle University.

The urban landscape of Gaza makes precision difficult. Hamas is a guerrilla force fighting in and among civilians, in an area about the size of Philadelphia. People are trapped in the coastal enclave by Israel on one side and Egypt on the other. Israeli population centers are in close range, increasing the urgency for intercepting threats.

The whole purpose of targeting is to kill the ones that we are after, that is the Hamas terrorists, and to avoid unintended casualties among civilians, which is very hard to do in such a condensed place like Gaza," said Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman, a former head of intelligence for the Israeli military.

The lack of clarity about Israels rules of engagement or explanations for strikes on noncombatants has led many civilians in Gaza to feel deliberately targeted. One journalist said her family, fearful of harm to her children, asked her to stay somewhere else.

Among the civilians killed in Gaza was 6-year-old Hind Rajab. On Jan. 29, she was caught in heavy fighting in Gaza City. The relatives she was with were killed, and the girl was able to reach emergency responders.

I am so scared, please come. Please call someone to come and take me," Hind told a phone operator of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, according to a recording of the call. The medical aid group dispatched an ambulance. It never returned. Hinds body was found 12 days later near the charred remains of the ambulance.

There was coordination for safe access with the Israeli military. We were given a map and a route to follow," said Nebal Farsakh, a spokeswoman for the PRCS. In the end it didnt matter. Hind was killed, along with our two colleagues."

U.S. officials urged Israeli authorities to investigate what happened to Hind. The Israeli military at the time told Israeli media that a preliminary investigation suggested its troops werent in the area. An Israeli military spokesman didnt respond to a request for comment.

We have to use this moment to say, OK, not just World Central Kitchen," said Carroll, president of the aid organization Anera. We want all of the incidents investigated."

Dov Lieber, Omar Abdel-Baqui, Chao Deng, Anat Peled, Nancy A. Yousse and Fatima AbdulKarim contributed to this article.

Write to Jared Malsin at jared.malsin@wsj.com, Stephen Kalin at stephen.kalin@wsj.com and Margherita Stancati at margherita.stancati@wsj.com
When President John F. Kennedy met his French counterpart during the Berlin crisis of 1961, he found himself having to offer reassurances. With Moscow demanding that NATO withdraw its forces from the divided city, President Charles de Gaulle cast doubt on Americas determination to protect Europe. If Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev dispatched his armies across the continent, de Gaulle wondered, would the U.S. really be willing to sacrifice New York in a nuclear exchange to defend Paris?

If the General himself, who has worked with the United States for so long, could question American firmness, Mr. Khrushchev can question it also," Kennedy replied, according to notes of the meeting. In the end, the U.S. and allies rejected the ultimatum, Moscow blinked first, and West Berlin remained free.

This existential dilemma of extended deterrencewould a nuclear power risk the annihilation of its own homeland to defend a faraway ally?has been at the core of geopolitics since Washington first extended its nuclear umbrella to Europe as the NATO alliance emerged in 1949. No matter how much the Soviets publicly doubted Americas will, they never tested it. Now, as Ukraine is engulfed in Europes bloodiest war in nearly eight decades and Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly issues thinly veiled nuclear threats, the question once posed by de Gaulle burns again in the minds of Americas alliesand adversaries.

Would an American president, especially a re-elected Donald Trump, be willing to risk nuclear war for Helsinki, Tallinn or Warsaw? And if not, could Europes own two nuclear powersFrance and, to a lesser extent, the U. K.provide enough deterrence of their own to discourage Putin from probing Western resolve and encroaching on members of NATO and the European Union that were once under Moscows sway?

Though France has not formally offered to extend its nuclear umbrella, currently dedicated to protecting the countrys vital interests," President Emmanuel Macron has stated that these interests have a European dimension," and last month he described the war in Ukraine as existential" for Europe and France. In a February meeting with German and Polish counterparts, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne called on European allies to develop a supplementary life insurance policy," given the rise of isolationism in American politics.

In countries on Russias periphery, many now see the French and British nuclear deterrent as potentially vital. There are ways to mitigate the loss of the U.S. so that an attack doesnt happen," said Tomas Jermalavicius, head of studies at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, Estonia. For Putin, what really matters is that the other side that opposes him has nuclear weapons and is credible about their use in extreme circumstances. As long as there still is this 1% chance of the nuclear element, the deterrence may still hold."

De Gaulles takeaway from the Berlin crisis was to ramp up the French nuclear-weapons program. As currently configured, the countrys force de frappe" includes some 290 nuclear warheads, split between a strategic force of four submarines, one of which is on continuous deterrence-at-sea patrol, and Rafale fighter aircraft capable of firing missiles with smaller payloads. The program remains fully independent of NATO. France is the only member of the alliance that doesnt belong to its Nuclear Planning Group, and President Macron holds full authority over potential use.

The U.K.s smaller and less versatile nuclear force is, by contrast, fully integrated into the NATO command. Lacking an air component, it relies on American-supplied Trident missiles for its four submarines and possesses a total of under 260 warheads. The British prime minister retains sole authority over nuclear use, and the countrys doctrine states that it could happen only in extreme circumstances of self-defense, including the defense of our NATO allies."

Though dwarfed by the several thousand nuclear weapons in Russian and American arsenals, the French and British nukes could provide credible deterrence in a crisis because of the asymmetrical nature of nuclear warfare, officials in those nations believe. After all, the prospect of just one warhead getting through air defenses and wiping out Moscow is likely enough to impose restraint on Russias leadership.

Having a stronger European nuclear deterrence doesnt necessarily mean a bigger one," said Bruno Tertrais, deputy director of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, who has advised the French government on nuclear policy. Its basically a question of political credibility rather than technical credibility."

Peter Watkins, an associate fellow at the Chatham House think-tank in London who oversaw nuclear deterrence as a director-general of the British ministry of defense, pointed out that NATO didnt have to increase its nuclear forces as it recently welcomed new members Finland and Sweden. Deterrence is not linear," he said. Clearly, there is a better deterrence if there is a larger force, and if the United States wasnt contributing in some way or another, NATOs nuclear umbrella would not be as strong as it is now. But the U.K. and the French capabilities are nonetheless significant."

Preliminary discussions in Europe about how to think about the nuclear component of deterring Russia are constrained by one overwhelming priority: No allied government wants to do anything that could undermine the current U.S.-led nuclear sharing" arrangement that has worked so well to maintain peace within NATOs borders. The U.S., in addition to its strategic nuclear arsenal, has deployed nuclear weapons in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Turkey. Pilots from these nations fly dual-capable aircraft that could fire nuclear weapons if the U.S., which retains control of the devices, authorized a strike.

When Macron, in February 2020, invited European allies to participate in French nuclear-force exercises and discuss how French deterrence capabilities could bolster European security, his offer initially fell on deaf ears. Germany quickly dismissed the idea, and the election of President Biden months later made many European leaders conclude that threats facing NATO under the Trump administration were a passing storm.

This is no longer the operating assumption. The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has already succeeded in hamstringing the Biden administrations foreign policyand dramatically increasing Europes sense of vulnerabilityby blocking American military aid for Ukraine. The resulting cutoff of ammunition supplies has enabled Russian advances and emboldened Putin. Trump, meanwhile, continues to bash NATO in campaign speeches and has publicly said that he would encourage Russia to attack American allies who dont pay enough for protection.

As fears grow, conversations among European governments on the nuclear deterrence of Russia are starting to pick up. In retrospect, European leaders were foolish to ignore Macrons 2020 proposal for a strategic dialogue on nuclear options, said Nathalie Tocci, director of the Institute of International Affairs in Rome and a former adviser to the EUs foreign-affairs chiefs. The Trump factor provides the political momentum to revive this conversation," she said.

Though remaining outside NATOs Nuclear Planning Group, in recent months French representatives have started providing their allies with much more detailed presentations on the status and capabilities of the French nuclear deterrent and on policies governing it, according to people familiar with these briefings. France has no intention of sharing authority over possible nuclear use, and doesnt ask allies to help fund its nuclear program, officials say. But, in a potential overhaul of European security, French investments in the nuclear deterrent could be matched by increased German and other European spending on conventional arms.

In recent months, France has also begun bilateral conversations with countries interested in learning how to deepen cooperation on the issue, such as Poland and Sweden. Talks between French and German nuclear experts have also taken place, but Berlin remains cautious, despite growing calls within the German political and security establishment to explore nuclear alternatives.

Europes dangerous new reality calls for fresh thinking about the framework in which France and the U.K. could contribute to nuclear deterrence against Russia, said Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to Washington and a former chairman of the Munich Security Conference. We now have a totally different strategic landscape, we have an urgency of making sure that deterrence worksand therefore, I would say, lets re-examine all the elements," he said. We dont want the Russians to know every thought we have, but lets have a confidential discussion trackand certainly not in the absence of the Americans."

There are many skeptics, of course. European nuclear deterrence is so highly hypothetical that we should not even waste time talking about it. First, there are no capabilities, and second there is no political will," said Sawomir Debski, director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw. Norbert Rottgen, a senior German lawmaker, said that regardless of possible shifts in Washington, the most rational course of action for Germany and other European allies is to concentrate on building up conventional military capabilities and industries, in an effort to weaken Russia in the battlefields of Ukraine.

Regarding the nuclear deterrent, a quick change is simply impossible. If we would lose it as a consequence of an American decision, it would take years, at least a decade, to try to compensate for the American system," he said. We have to focus on where we can make a difference now, and where we can compensate for the foreign-policy fallout in case of the re-election of Trump."

Whatever Trump may say on the campaign trail about refusing to protect NATO allies, actually withdrawing Americas extended nuclear deterrent from Europe would be an unlikely course of action, many strategists believe, be+cause it would undermine Americas power worldwide. The nuclear dimension is the last, not the first, to suffer in a potentially deteriorating relationship," said Liviu Horovitz, a nuclear expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Its possible, but its very improbable."

Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO who served in the Trump administration as the special envoy for Ukraine, agreed. I dont think its realistic to talk about the U.S. withdrawing its forces, pulling out of NATO, not extending the nuclear umbrella," he said. Not even Trump would do it."

Still, the mood among European leaders has clearly changed as the election nears. Some politicians in Germany have even raised the prospect of becoming a nuclear-weapons state, something thats extremely complicated for political and technological reasons alikeand would mean the collapse of the existing nonproliferation system.

Polands Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski also alluded to the issue on a recent visit to Washington. If America cannot come together with Europe and enable Ukraine to drive Putin back, I fear that our family of democratic nations will start to break up," he said. Allies will look for other ways to guarantee their safety. Theyll start hedging. Some of them will aim for the ultimate weapon, starting off a new nuclear race."

For now, the existing French and British nuclear arsenals could provide some of that hedge, should NATO be hollowed out. France and the U.K. already closely cooperate with each other on nuclear matters, and in 1995 issued a joint statement that the vital interests of one could not be threatened without the vital interests of the other equally being at risk." The two countries have since built a shared facility in France, called EPURE, to test the reliability and safety of their nuclear warheads.

Under current NATO doctrine, the French and British nuclear arsenals already provide additional deterrence by the very existence of separate decision-making centers that complicate Russian calculations. Of course, the same question that preoccupied de Gaulle when it came to the American nuclear guarantees in 1961 also applies to the French and British deterrents: Would they risk Paris or London to stop a Russian ground advance?

Its a perfectly valid question," said retired Air Marshal Edward Stringer, a former head of operations at the British ministry of defense. And youll never get an answer to it because deterrence hinges on strategic ambiguity."

In any case, a Europe that has been willing to entrust its safety to an American president shouldnt be reluctant to place its faith in France, argued Germanys Ischinger. France is much closer. If there was ever a nuclear threat in Europe, there is a much higher probability that France would understand that the security of France would be at risk as soon as the security of Poland or the Baltics or Germany would be at riskwhich is not true in the same way for the United States," he said. No reason for anybody in Pittsburgh to believe that they are at risk if the Russians take Estonia."

Yaroslav Trofimov is chief foreign-affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
SAN FRANCISCOOnline actors linked to the Chinese government are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to target voters in the U.S., Taiwan and elsewhere with disinformation, according to new cybersecurity research and U.S. officials.

The Chinese-linked campaigns laundered false information through fake accounts on social-media platforms, seeking to identify divisive domestic political issues and potentially influence elections. The tactics identified in a new cyber-threat report published Friday by Microsoft are among the first uncovered that directly tie the use of generative AI tools to a covert state-sponsored online influence operation against foreign voters. They also demonstrate more-advanced methods than previously seen.

Accounts on Xsome of which were more than a decade oldbegan posting last year about topics including American drug use, immigration policies, and racial tensions, and in some cases asked followers to share opinions about presidential candidates, potentially to glean insights about U.S. voters political opinions. In some cases, these posts relied on relatively rudimentary generative AI for their imagery, Microsoft said.

U.S. officials see Chinas rising clout in global influence operations as a concern because of the evolving tradecraft and ample state resources. Last fall, for example, the U.S. State Department accused the Chinese government of spending billions of dollars annually on a global campaign of disinformation, using investments abroad and an array of tactics to promote Beijings geopolitical aims and stifle criticism of its policies.

In an interview, Tom Burt, Microsofts head of customer security and trust, said Chinas disinformation operations have become much more active in the past six months, mirroring rising activity of cyberattacks linked to Beijing.

Were seeing them experiment," Burt said. Im worried about where it might go next."

Separately, Microsoft said it detected a surge of more-sophisticated AI tools in the January presidential election in Taiwan, including an AI-created fake audio clip of a former presidential candidate endorsing one of the remaining candidates. That marked the first time the technology giants researchers on threats had seen a nation-state actor using AI to attempt to influence a foreign election.

The posts have so far failed to achieve much traction, Microsoft said, but they offer a preview of state-backed election-influence operations to come. Western intelligence officials have said they have growing concerns about how AI tools could be used to flood elections this year with misleading videos or other content, including in the 2024 U.S. presidential contest. Security experts have said fake AI-generated audio clips pose an especially acute threat because they are relatively easy to manufacture and have been shown to dupe audiences easily.

Chinese government operators have increased their capabilities to conduct covert influence operations and disseminate disinformation," an annual worldwide threats report from the U.S. intelligence community released recently said. Even if Beijing sets limits on these activities, individuals not under its direct supervision may attempt election influence activities they perceive are in line with Beijings goals." The report also said China was experimenting with generative AI" and intensifying efforts to mold U.S. discourse on issues including Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Beijing has repeatedly said that it opposes the production and spread of false information and that U.S. social media is inundated with disinformation about China.

The Microsoft report is the latest of several different sets of published research that shed light on disinformation operations linked to Beijing. A new report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based research organization, identified a small number of accounts on X it said were linked to China that were impersonating supporters of former President Donald Trump and attempting to denigrate President Biden.

In one example from November spotlighted in the Microsoft report, Chinas online army pounced on a train derailment in Kentucky, spreading conspiracies on social media that falsely accused the U.S. government of being responsible. The accounts linked it to long-discredited theories that Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks were both coverups.

In another example, Microsoft said China sought to spread conspiratorial, false narratives across several platforms by alleging that the U.S. government had deliberately started the wildfires along the coast of Maui, Hawaii, by testing a weather weapon." That effort saw posts in at least 31 languages across dozens of websites and used AI-generated images of burning coastal roads and residences, apparently to be more eye-catching to audiences, Microsoft said.

The threat actor that Microsoft calls Storm-1376, also known as Spamouflage and Dragonbridge, was responsible for the disinformation campaigns, the report said. It has been tracked by Western cyber-threat researchers since at least 2019. Meta Platforms took down thousands of accounts last year linked to Spamouflage, in what it said at the time was the largest known online covert influence operation in the world.

Some of the most intensive uses of AI were seen targeting audiences in Taiwan. AI-generated news anchors, which were created using a tool from the Chinese company ByteDance, were found in a variety of videos that featured officials in Taiwan, according to the Microsoft research. Spamouflage has experimented with AI-generated news anchors since early last year, but the volume of the content has expanded in recent months, Microsoft said.

Microsofts Burt said that Russian state actors still exhibited more-impressive disinformation tactics than China overall but that China was rapidly improving, in part because of the size of its investment.

The election in Taiwan is where we saw the outcome of what they were learning from utilizing AI," Burt said. It significantly upgraded the quality of the images and the information they were using in those operations."

Microsoft didnt disclose the identity of the accounts it tracked in the alleged disinformation campaign. A spokeswoman said that was standard practice for the company.

Write to Dustin Volz at dustin.volz@wsj.com
Caught between America, China and Russia , many countries are determined not to pick sides. As the American-led order in place since 1945 fragments and economic decoupling accelerates, they seek deals across divides. This transactional approach is reshaping geopolitics.

One way of capturing the sheer scale and heft of these non-aligned powers is through a Russian lens. Our sister organisation, EIU, has analysed countries based on their economic and military ties to Moscow, their diplomatic stances including votes at the un and whether they support and implement sanctions. Although 52 countries comprising 15% of the global populationthe West and its friendslambast and punish Russias actions, and just 12 countries laud Russia, some 127 states are categorised as not being clearly in either camp (see map).

View Full Image (The Economist)

To get a handle on what non-alignment really means The Economist has also looked at a narrower panel of the 25 biggest economies that have sat on the fence on the Ukraine war, or wish to remain non-aligned in the Sino-American confrontation, or both. The members of this groupcall them the transactional 25 (t25)are hugely varied in terms of wealth and political systems, and include giant India and tiny Qatar. Yet they have some common ground. They are brutally pragmatic and have collectively become more powerful. Today they represent 45% of the worlds population and their share of global gdp has risen from 11% in 1992 to 18% in 2023, more than the eus. Their strategy of neutrality involves big risks and opportunities. Whether they succeed will influence the world order for decades. And needless to say, both America and China will work to win them over.

In the 20th century non-alignment meant different things to different countries at different times. At conferences in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955 and Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961, leaders presented a third world" apart from the West and the Soviet bloc. From the late 1960s these countries increasingly focused on economic inequality between the global south" (a less loaded term for the third world) and the industrial north. A formal institution, the Non-Aligned Movement, was joined by nearly every African, Asian and Latin American state. With the end of the cold war it became, in the words of an Indian academic, a moribund organisation in need of a decent burial".

Today, non-aligned countries are not defined by their membership of an institution, but rather by their characteristics and behaviour. These middle powers are pragmatic and opportunistic. In a recent book Jorge Heine, a former Chilean diplomat, contends that in the 20th century countries often passively drifted into one or other of the superpowers orbits. Today there is more active" evaluation of the best means to achieve particular ends, he says. Some call it minilateralism" (as opposed to multilateralism)the targeted use of discrete alliances or groupings, rather than lumping your lot in with one bloc.

Non-aligned countries also usually think Western leaders are hypocrites. Some $170bn in aid was pledged to Ukraine in the first year of the warequivalent to about 90% of spending on all global aid in 2021 by the oecds Development Assistance Committee, a group of 31 Western donors. To the West, such generosity shows solidarity with a fellow democracy; to others it shows that rich countries cough up if it serves their interests. Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europes problems are the worlds problems, but the worlds problems are not Europes problems," declared Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Indias foreign minister, last year.

Such stances are broadly in line with public opinion. A report by Cambridge University last year found that in liberal democracies 75% hold a negative view of China, and 87% do of Russia. But the picture is almost the reverse among the 6bn people who live elsewhere. A gap is opening up between how the West sees the world and how the rest sees it. In a poll published earlier this year by the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank, a plurality of Indians (48%) and most Turks (51%) said the future world order will be defined by multipolarity or non-Western dominance. Just 37% of Americans, 31% of people in EU states and 29% of Britons agreed. The West thinks it is watching a sequel of the cold war; the rest of the world sees an entirely new film.

Wheeling and dealing

So who makes up the t25? The diverse group encompasses some of the worlds most populous countries and two of its largest democracies, India and Indonesia, alongside Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which are all run by autocrats of various flavours. Large wealth disparities exist, too. In Saudi Arabia GDP per person is more than $27,000, on a par with some European countries, while in Pakistan it still lingers around just $1,600.

As globalisation has spread, the trade pattern of the t25 has become multipolar. Some 43% of merchandise trade is with the Western bloc, 19% with the China-Russia bloc and 30% with countries in neither of those camps (see chart). Perhaps unsurprisingly given its location, 77% of Mexicos total trade occurs with the West; over 60% of Israels and Algerias trade also does. More than a third of Chiles is with China, a higher share than any other t25 country (but 40% of its trade involves the West). More than half of Argentinas trade, and almost half of Indias, is with other non-aligned countries.

View Full Image (The Economist)

Arms imports also show a complex mesh of loyalties. India hedges its bets. Between 2018 and 2022 its main supplier was Russia, which provided 45% of its arms, but it got another 29% from Europe and is likely to seek more self-reliance, with help from America. Indias rival China, which supplies its arch-enemy, Pakistan, is out of the question. Israel, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and South Africa look instead to America for the vast majority of their arms imports.

There is no coherent governing body that represents non-aligned countries and their interests. None is expected to emerge. Instead a variety of disparate organisations, such as the g20, provide platforms of varying effectiveness for the major non-aligned countries. The BRICS group of countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africais a forum for middle powers that wants to expand: it is discussing whether to let Iran and Saudi Arabia join. At un climate talks a broader group of more than 130 countries, including China, has negotiated together.

Despite their differences, the non-aligned countries share a common aim: to make expedient deals in a fluid environment. For two decades many were able to simultaneously build relations with the West, China and Russia. No longer. The West is imposing sanctions on Russia and restricting Chinese access to technology.

For many this is a grave threat. Sanctions on Russia saw energy and food prices soar globally, prompting a backlash across the non-Western world. More recently Janet Yellen, Americas treasury secretary, has encouraged American companies to move their supply chains into friendly states. Investment shifts are under way (see chart). Beijing and Moscow, meanwhile, are drawing closer together. New research by the IMF notes that since 2018 geopolitical alignment, measured by similarity in un voting patterns, has become ever more important in determining the location of foreign direct investment. Under the IMFs scenarios for fractured trade, the impact in emerging markets could be more than twice as bad as in advanced ones.

View Full Image (The Economist)

But many in the non-aligned world bet that they can win from economic decoupling and political fragmentation, by hedging their relations between the big powers and by influencing other countries themselves. To understand this transactional strategy, look at the approach of some of the big countries caught in the middle. Brazil is a good case study. It opposes what Mauro Vieira, foreign minister, calls automatic alignments". Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who began his second stint as Brazils president in January, sees President Joe Biden as an ally on climate change; at their meeting in Washington, dc, in February they re-established joint environmental institutions abandoned under Jair Bolsonaro, Lulas predecessor. America classes Brazil as a major non-NATO ally", a legal status that entitles enhanced co-operation with Americas armed forces.

Yet Brazil is also hedging between the superpowers. Like others in its region, it has declined Western proposals to give old Russian-made equipment to Ukraine in exchange for new arms. Lulas arrival in Beijing on April 14th will underscore Chinas economic importance. Trade between Brazil and China was nearly $153bn in 2022, a 37-fold increase in two decades. Partly this reflects how Brazil took advantage of tit-for-tat us-China tariffs to increase agricultural exports to China at Americas expense.

Brazil is also making forays of its own. Lula will soon visit Africa to revive Brazils influence there. During his first stint in office, trade with Africa rose from $6bn in 2003 to $25.6bn in 2012, and South Africa was welcomed into the BRICS bloc. Then Lulas predecessor made no visits to Africa. Lula evidently thinks it worthwhile to renew the effort.

Indias fear of China has pushed it closer to the West in some respects. In March the prime minister of Japan, which like India, America and Australia, belongs to the Quad", an Indo-Pacific security forum, visited Delhi in a landmark visit. In the 2021-22 financial year Indias trade with America overtook that with China. Yet India still purchases weapons and cheap oil from Russia and is unlikely to break its longstanding ties unless Vladimir Putins regime were to use nuclear weapons.

Practical, not partisan

Like Brazil, India is asserting itself more abroad: only China imports and exports more with sub-Saharan Africa. The average annual stock of fdi from India was $0.8bn in 2004 to 2008 (less than half of Swedens) but $31bn a decade later (more than Germanys and Japans combined). Last month India hosted representatives from 31 African countries for war games. India promises to use its chair of the g20 this year to be the voice of the global south".

Turkey also wants more clout across the global south. It has security agreements with 30 African states and its defence exports to Africa rose more than five-fold from 2020 to 2021. Advisers to Turkeys president say the New Turkey" can select its partners. That may explain its ostensible neutrality over the war in Ukraine, which Turkey has used to leverage its ties to Russia. Turkish exports to Russia reached $7.6bn in 2022, a 45% increase on the previous year.

Saudi Arabia is reducing its reliance on its historical ally, America, by tilting towards China, which is now the kingdoms largest trading partner. Consider decisions this month and in October by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which Saudi Arabia dominates, to slash oil production. Last month Saudi Arabia signed a Chinese-brokered deal with Iran and joined the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a Eurasian talking shop. China says it wants to establish a free-trade deal with the Gulf as soon as possible".

Gulf countries relations with Africa were once confined to energy, agriculture and the politics of the Horn of Africa. Today Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates hunt for minerals deals; dp World, a Dubai-based ports operator, is emerging as a critical logistics firm on the continent; and Qatar is playing novel diplomatic roles. Last month it was involved in brokering the release of Paul Rusesabagina, a jailed Rwandan dissident (and the inspiration for the film Hotel Rwanda").

African countries have long looked to both superpowers. The West has generally been their preferred source of software": support for schooling, health and, should a government want it, human rights. China offers hardware": bridges, roads, portsand the loans to build them. Between 2007 and 2020 Americas main development agency lent less than a tenth of the total of Chinas two major development banks ($1.9bn v $23bn) for sub-Saharan African infrastructure projects.

In some parts of Africa the Wests promises to ensure security have rarely seemed as hollow. Americans need somewhere for their troops and agents to sleep. But the security relationship does nothing for development," explains a former adviser to an African president. Thats why we need China." In August the last French troops left Mali after a nine-year deployment; the Wagner Group, comprising Russian mercenaries, now helps prop up the ruling junta.

The non-aligned countries want to avoid taking sides. But the big powers, America and China, are keen to draw them into their orbit. Beijing sees asserting leadership of the global south as a way of bolstering its resistance to American pressure. It positions itself as a model for others within a broad family of developing countries. It draws a contrast with the West, which it says prefers smaller clubs (like the G7). China shows up where and when the West will not," says Yemi Osinbajo, Nigerias outgoing vice-president.

Eastern friends, western pals

China is the main trading partner of around 120 countries and the lender of first and last resort for many. Between 2007 and 2020 it provided more infrastructure financing in sub-Saharan Africa than the next eight lenders combined. It will be pivotal to resolving sovereign-debt crises. Analysis of 73 developing countries by the imf notes that in 2006 China held just 2% of this groups external debts, with the mostly Western Paris club" group of creditors accounting for 28%. By 2020 the respective shares were 18% and 10%.

Those in the West have reason to roll their eyes. Chinas win-win" rhetoric masks its ruthlessness. Banking on Beijing" (2022), by Bradley Parks of AidData, a research outfit, and co-authors, shows how China uses its economic tools for political ends. It often skews its funding towards incumbent leaders home districtsand is more likely than the West to lend to corrupt and autocratic countries. AidData also finds that a 10% increase in voting similarity with Beijing at the un is associated with an increase in Chinese projects in that country. Chinese loans come with unusually strict clauses on confidentiality and collateral. But Chinese development projects are associated with boosts to GDP per person, notes Mr Parks.

In the face of Chinas efforts, America and its allies are trying to recalibrate their message to the non-aligned world. America understands that other countries consent bestows legitimacy on the international order it leads. Countries dont want to choose, and we dont want them to," Jake Sullivan, Mr Bidens national security adviser, told the Washington Post earlier this year. America is pursuing diplomacy in places it has neglected. Kamala Harris, Americas vice-president, Ms Yellen and Antony Blinken, its secretary of state, have all visited Africa in 2023. Mr Biden will soon follow.

America has also bolstered security partnerships with influential non-aligned countries. In November Lloyd Austin, its defence secretary, met his Indonesian counterpart for the fourth time; in January American and Indian officials agreed to deepen co-operation on cutting-edge defence technologies. In total America maintains 88 defence partnerships" (excluding formal alliances such as its one with NATO), though some are limited in scope.

Though America and the EU have in recent years launched rival schemes to the BRI, the perception remains that, if you want infrastructure that can help transform your economy, your first call is to Beijing. After Ms Harris released a soundtrack featuring African artists to accompany her recent visit to the continent, one senior African official noted, dryly, that Chinese visitors bring loans and engineers while Americans bring playlists.

A political paradox

The Biden administration is widely seen as embracing a two-tier foreign policy: first come relations with its core democratic allies in Europe and Asia (which it hopes might one day include India)and then those with creaking global institutions. These mediate meet the needs of a broader group of countries, including most non-aligned ones, whether on development, debt relief, security or finance.

That presents three challenges. First, Western unity must hold. Yet that is not a given. During his recent visit to China Emmanuel Macron, Frances president, said that Europes states should not become followers" of American policy on Taiwan, nor adapt to the American rhythm".

The second is that China can undermine global institutions by, for instance, opting for bilateral debt relief rather than fully participating in co-ordinated efforts. Chinese creditors obstinacy at the IMF is hampering what flexibility it can offer to countries struggling with debt.

The final challenge concerns the mistrust of the West that is fed by its broken promises. Take climate finance, for example. In 2009 rich countries said they would channel $100bn to poorer ones per year by 2020; the annual total has never been higher than $85bn.

By drawing on their liberal values and shared history, America and its allies were able to rally behind Ukraine after Russias invasion. They have shown newfound resolve against authoritarian China, too. The risk is that this coming together deepens the estrangement of the global south from the international order. It would be a tragic result if, in uniting the West, America alienates the rest.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 5 sent a notice to Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi minister Atishi over her claims about being asked to join BJP or face jail. Atishi has been asked to issue a response to the ECI notice by 5 p.m. on April 6.

In the notice, ECI mentions, "Criticism of other political parties, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Parties and Candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided.

Also Read: 'Dazed' Arvind Kejriwal trying hard to adjust in Tihar jail: Wakes up early, cleans his cell It also reminds in the notice, "The political parties and leaders shall not make false statements, utterances without factual basis aimed at misleading the voters. Criticism of other parties or their workers on the basis of unverified allegations or on distortions shall be avoided.

What Atishi claimed The Commission says in the notice that it received a complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about Atishi's "misleading and unverified" claim during her press conference on April 2.

The AAP minister had claimed that she had been asked to join the saffron party or face consequences.

I have been told that soon there will be ED raids at our residence and then we will be taken into custody. The BJP is now targeting the next line of the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party," Atishi said.

What BJP said The BJP has termed Atishi's claim as baseless.
Soon after the Congress released its 'Nyay Patra' manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Friday, the Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to react to it saying that the party sitting on the mountain of injustice has no business talking about justice.

The BJP also called Congress' promises "a series of hollow guarantees" and claimed that the party fulfils any of it, even when given a chance too.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, reacting to Congress' manifesto said, Congress has given the name of its manifesto 'Nyay Patra'. A party that is sitting on the mountain of injustice has always done injustice to farmers, poor, youth, and labourers, hence the word 'justice' does not suit them...

Yadav added that the Congress is fighting a "lost battle" and blamed the grand old party of not being able to come out of family.

Also read: Congress likely to promise scrapping of PMLA, CAA, complete counting of VVPAT "They cannot get out of their family; from senior Congress leaders to everyone in the INDI alliance, they cannot tolerate the participation of those who do not belong to their families. The Congress party is fighting a 'lost battle'..." he said.

Adding to it, Rajasthan Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) said that the Congress manifesto is one more guarantee in the series of a hollow guarantees.

"When their (Congress) government was in power in Rajasthan, then their only guarantee was to 'loot Rajasthan.'..From every state, they are getting uprooted. Congress has become a joke..." he claimed.

Also read: Atishi questions EC's neutrality over showcase notice: 'No action to BJPs objectionable posters' Terming the Congress a sinking ship who has lost the faith of people, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai said, "Do you all think that Congress will form a government? In the 2018 assembly elections (Chhattisgarh), they made 36 promises and got a chance to run the government for straight 5 years, did they fulfil any of them? They didn't. The Congress party has completely lost the faith of the people...The party is a sinking ship...."

"The main opposition party, which is called the Grand Old Party and is moving from being old to oldest to oblivion, is saying today that if they come power, they will do this and that," said BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi.

The BJP has also termed the Congress manifesto as a 'bundle of lies', prepared to create confusion among voters.

Also read: Who will be INDIA bloc's PM face for Lok Sabha polls? The Congress manifesto 'Nyay Patra' focuses on 'Paanch Nyay' or five pillars of justice, including 'Yuva Nyay', 'Naari Nyay', 'Kisaan Nyay', 'Shramik Nyay' and 'Hissedari Nyay' as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its poll promises for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress has promised that it will take action to ease the tax burden on the salaried class if it comes back to power.
Is actor Prakash Raj joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)? The 'Singham' actor broke his silence reacted to a post on X that claimed that Raj was joining the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

"I guess they tried  must have realised they were not rich enough (ideologically) to buy me.. .. what do you think friends," Prakash Raj posted on April 4 while breaking silence on the rumours.

Raj is said to be a vocal critic of the ruling BJP. Last month, he was seen with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who went on a hunger strike to demand statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Raj then said when the governments do not keep their promises, the people have no option but to unite and raise their voices in accordance with their constitutional rights.

Talking to reporters after meeting Wangchuk at the protest site, Raj was quoted by PTI as saying, We have heard from the people and the scientists that they have been promised (sixth schedule by BJP) and when we remind them (of their promise) they are seeing them as criminals.

They (politicians) are making big promises and generating false hopes at election times but later when they take our votes, they dont look back for next five years. They have nothing to do with us, we are fools to trust their words, Raj said.

The actor also reacted to the viral video of Kangana Ranaut, a Bollywood actor and BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, wherein she called freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose India's first Prime Minister.

Raj retweeted the viral video and captioned it as: Clowns of Supreme Jokers Party what a Disgrace..#justasking ..
Senior Congress Shashi Tharoor, who is eyeing a fourth consecutive win from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 scheduled in seven phases beginning on April 19, has declared his assets's value in nomination papers.

He owns assets of over 55 crore, almost doubled in the past 10 years. In 2014, Tharoor had declared assets of over 23 crore while in 2019, he had over 35 crore.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, in the affidavit filed along with his nomination papers, revealed that he has movable assets worth over 49 crore, which include investments in different bonds, debentures, mutual funds, and other securities, along with deposits in 19 bank accounts.

Besides this, Tharoor's movable assets also include 534 grams of gold worth 32 lakh and 36,000 as cash in hand, as per his affidavit. In FY23, Tharoor had a total income of over 4.32 crore, he said.

According to his affidavit, the Congress MP owns two cars  a Maruti Ciaz and a Maruti XL6.

His immovable assets are valued at over 6.75 crore which include a self-acquired 10.47-acre land in Thiruvananthapuram of over 6.20 crore, an inherited one-fourth share in a 2.51-acre agricultural land in Palakkad valued at 1.56 lakh, and his residence in the state capital, currently valued at about 52 lakh.

Shashi Tharoor has a Ph.D. in Law and Diplomacy from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University, USA) and a Doctor of Letters in International Affairs (Honorary) from the University of Puget Sound, USA.

The Congress leader is accused in nine cases including promoting enmity between different groups in Kolkata, unlawful assembly and rioting in Kerala, defamation cases in Delhi and Kerala, and others across the country.

All 20 seats of Kerala are going to polls in the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on April 26.
Vi, one of India's telecom operators, has joined forces with CareGame, a Paris-based company, to introduce a mobile cloud gaming service known as Cloud Play.

Cloud Play offers a selection of top-tier AAA games across a wide array of genres, including action, adventure, arcade, racing, sports, and strategy. The launch catalog features well-known mobile titles like Storm Blades, Riptide, Asphalt 9, Modern Combat 5, Shadow Fight, Beach Buggy Racing, along with classic favorites such as Cut The Rope, Subway Surfers, and Jetpack Joyride.

Moreover, users can anticipate a continuous stream of new games being added to the lineup in the upcoming weeks, revealed the company.

Cloud Play operates on a subscription-based model, with a monthly fee of 104 for prepaid users. As part of an introductory offer, users can enjoy a free trial of the service before committing to a subscription.

According to Vi, Cloud Play eliminates the need for users to download multiple games separately, providing instant access to a library of titles with high-quality graphics and support for multiplayer gaming, added Vi.

Avneesh Khosla, Chief Marketing Officer of Vodafone Idea, expressed excitement about the launch of Cloud Play, highlighting Vi's commitment to enhancing customer offerings through collaboration. Khosla emphasized the increasing significance of gaming on smartphones and described Cloud Play as a gateway to a future where gaming becomes more accessible and immersive.

Philippe Wang, Co-founder and CEO of CareGame, underscored the accessibility of Cloud Play, noting that it allows gamers in India to enjoy AAA mobile gaming experiences without requiring additional investments in hardware. Wang encouraged Vi users to explore Cloud Play and experience exclusive features, such as enhanced multiplayer modes in Gamelofts Asphalt 9: Legends.

Cloud Play is accessible through both the Vi Web and Vi App platforms, providing users with seamless access to a diverse selection of premium mobile games.

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Triceratops, with its three horns and bony frill around the back of its head, is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs. Its name is a combination of the Greek syllables tri-, meaning "three," keras, meaning "horn," and ops, meaning "face." The dinosaur roamed North America about 67 million to 65 million years ago, during the end of the Cretaceous Period (145 million to 66 million years ago).

How many Triceratops species were there?

Since Triceratops' discovery in 1887, up to 16 species of the dinosaur have been proposed, but only two species  T. horridus and T. prorsus  are currently considered valid, according to a 2014 study in the journal PNAS, which found that T. horridus likely evolved into T. prorsus over a span of 1 million to 2 million years.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed dinosaur fossils from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, which contains lower, middle and upper geological subdivisions. The most commonly recovered dinosaur from the formation was Triceratops, said study first author John Scannella, a paleontologist and Triceratops expert at Montana State University.

"We started to notice that the Triceratops in the lower unit of the formation are different from those in the upper unit," Scannella told Live Science. "And Triceratops in the middle unit have a combination of features seen in individuals found in the lower and upper units."

Triceratops prorsus, he said, is found in the upper unit of the formation, and specimens in the upper portion of the middle unit have more T. prorsus features and fewer T. horridus features.

There is currently some debate about whether two other genera of Ceratopsidae (the taxonomic family Triceratops belongs to), Torosaurus and Nedoceratops (formerly Diceratops), are really distinct genera or just Triceratops specimens at different life stages.

In a 2010 study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Scannella and his colleague John ("Jack") Horner argued that Torosaurus, which is mainly distinguished from Triceratops by having an expanded frill with large holes, was actually Triceratops in old age. "We found evidence that the frill on the back of the skull [of Triceratops] expands relatively late during growth," Scannella said, adding that the microscructure of Torosaurus bones suggests they are older than even the largest Triceratops specimens. "This suggested that Torosaurus, rather than being a distinct genus, was actually a fully grown Triceratops."

Related: Tyrannosaurus rex: Facts and photos of the dinosaur king

In a subsequent 2011 study in the journal PLOS ONE, Scannella and Horner used similar reasoning to argue Nedoceratops hatcheri, of which there is only a single specimen, is actually a transitional stage between the young Triceratops and the old Torosaurus. Again, one of the main differences between the animals in question is the frill: Torosaurus has large frill holes, which are smaller in Nedoceratops and absent in Triceratops (though some specimens appear to show evidence of the beginning of holes). This suggests that the holes grow over time as the frill develops and expands, they reasoned.

However, some other paleontologists contest this single-genus idea. In a 2012 PLOS ONE article, for instance, researchers presented evidence of Torosaurus bones that are not fully fused, suggesting the specimen is still immature (and, therefore, not a fully mature Triceratops). They further suggested the frill holes of Nedoceratops are pathological (related to a disease or health issue).

More fossils of Nedoceratops and a distinctly juvenile specimen of Torosaurus would settle the debate, Scannella said.

An elephant-size dinosaur

Triceratops was a similar size to an African elephant, growing up to 30 feet in length. (Image credit: iStock/Getty Images)

Triceratops was a massive animal, comparable in size to an African elephant, according to a 2011 article in the journal Cretaceous Research. It grew up to 30 feet (9 meters) and weighed well over 11,000 lbs. (5,000 kg)  some large specimens weighed nearly 15,750 lbs. (7,150 kg).

It had strong limbs to move and support its massive body. The forelimbs, which were shorter than the rear ones, each had three hooves; the rear limbs had four hooves each. A 2012 study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggested that Triceratops had an upright posture like an elephant's, rather than a sprawling, elbows-out posture like a lizard's.

The head of Triceratops was among the largest of all land animals, some making up one-third of the entire length of the dinosaur's body. The largest skull found has an estimated length of 8.2 feet (2.5 meters), according to Scannella's 2010 Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology study.

Triceratops had three horns: two massive ones above its eyes, and a smaller horn on its snout. The two brow horns appear to have twisted and lengthened as a Triceratops aged, according to a 2006 study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. During a Triceratops' juvenile years, its horns were little stubs that curved backward; as the animal continued to grow into young adulthood, the horns straightened out; finally, the horns curved forward and grew up to 3 feet long (1 meter), probably after the dinosaur reached sexual maturity.

It is likely Triceratops' horns and frill were used in combat against other Triceratops, as well as for visual display (mating, communication and species recognition), according to a 2009 PLOS ONE study.

The dinosaur also used its horns and frill in fights against its main predator, tyrannosaurs. Paleontologists have uncovered brow horn and skull Triceratops bones that were partially healed from tyrannosaur tooth marks, suggesting the Triceratops successfully fended off its attacker, according to a study published in the book "Tyrannosaurus rex, the Tyrant King" (2008, Indiana University Press). But T. rex bite marks on other Triceratops bones suggests the carnivore did sometimes feed on the horned dinosaur, a 1996 Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology study suggests.

Instead of being smooth, the skin of Triceratops, at least around its tail, may have been covered in bristle-like formations, similar to the ancient ceratopsian Psittacosaurus.

What did Triceratops eat?

Triceratops was an herbivore, existing mostly on shrubs and other plant life. Its beak-like mouth was best suited for grasping and plucking rather than biting, according to a 1996 analysis in the journal Evolution. It also likely used its horns and bulk to tip over taller plants.

It had up to 800 teeth that were constantly being replenished, and were arranged in groups called batteries, with each battery having 36 to 40 tooth columns in each side of each jaw and three to five teeth per column, the Evolution study notes. It may have eaten a range of plants, including ferns, cycads and palms.

Learn about the horns, bones, habitat and other secrets of Triceratops. (Image credit: Ross Toro, Livescience contributor)

Fossil discoveries

In 1887, the first bones of a Triceratops were discovered in Denver and were sent to Othniel Charles Marsh. At first, Marsh believed it was a bison. It wasn't until more Triceratops bones were found in 1888 that Marsh gave the beast the name Triceratops.

To date, more than 50 Triceratops skulls have been found in the Hell Creek Formation alone, according to Scannella's 2014 PNAS study.

While no complete skeleton has been unearthed, partial skeletons and skulls, including some from babies, have been found in Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming and Canada (Saskatchewan and Alberta). Triceratops was confined to North America because the continent had already split from Europe and, along with South America, had begun to drift across the ocean by the time the dinosaur evolved. [Tiny & Old: Images of Triceratops Ancestors]

Was Triceratops a social animal?

Newly-discovered fossils appear to suggest triceratops was a social animal that lived in herds. (Image credit: iStock/Getty Images)

Triceratops fossils have typically been discovered as solitary individuals. But in a 2009 article in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, scientists reported the first discovery of a Triceratops "bonebed," which contained three juvenile remains together and suggested a gregarious (and possibly herding) nature to the dinosaurs.

In 2013, researchers searching for Tyrannosaurus in Wyoming stumbled on something unexpected  a group of triceratops that had lived and died together. After a decade of excavations, they had uncovered over 1,200 bones belonging to at least five individuals.

The bonebed indicates the individuals died together, as a group, potentially in a swamp. Analysis of the teeth found at the site indicates they were migratory, and traveled together across long distances. "And that of course leads to all kinds of new questions," Jimmy de Rooij , a paleontologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands who was part of the excavation team, said in a statement. "How complex was this social behavior, exactly?"

Kim Ann Zimmermann contributed to this article.

This article was updated 04/05/2024 at 11 a.m. ET.
Idaho lawmakers headed home for the week after largely finishing their business Wednesday, which included passing the contentious transportation budget and library legislation. Theyll be back Wednesday.

Notably, there is still a Division of Welfare budget that needs to be passed and an issue with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation budget that may need to be addressed when the Legislature reconvenes.

IDAHO TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

The primary delay of adjournment of the 2024 session was a fight over the Idaho Transportation Department budget, which included intent language that would withdraw from a planned sale of the agencys vacant headquarters. In the end, the Legislature narrowly approved the budget, effectively tanking the deal and providing money to instead rehabilitate the building that has been empty since a 2022 flood.

The House and Senate leaders were in stark opposition to each other on this issue, which caused some tension and waylaid what is typically not a controversial budget. House Speaker Mike Moyle has vocally opposed the sale of the State Street campus, and Senate Pro-Tem Chuck Winder, who is a former chairperson of the Idaho Transportation Board, has been supportive of the agencys decision to sell the campus and opposed to the method of going back on it.

The Senate on Wednesday voted 18-17 after no debate to pass HB 770, which was the third attempt at the budget, and just $200 less than the original appropriation bill that had died in the Senate previously.

Ive never seen an Idaho Department of Transportation budget be that contentious, said Senate Majority Leader Kelly Anthon, R-Burley.

The first version of the budget, HB 723, passed the House by one vote and then was rejected by the Senate by a single vote on March 28, with all of the opposition focused on tanking the deal and whether the budget-writing committee had authority to do it.

The budget writers of the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee (JFAC) met quickly to pass an almost identical budget, with a $100 reduction. This second version of the budget was ruled out of order after Winder presented a parliamentary analysis from Secretary of the Senate Jennifer Novak, because it was too similar to the rejected legislation.

A third version of the budget was then approved by JFAC and sent to the House, which moved to quickly pass it in a 37-31 vote, and then the chamber recessed until Wednesday, leaving its fate up to the Senate.

Anthon and Sen. Geoff Schroeder, R-Mountain Home, changed their votes from the original budget to help the new version pass.

Anthon said ahead of the first vote on the agency budget, he had been asked by Winder to reject it, which he did.

But he said he looked further into it after the first vote and decided he should vote with the majority of his caucus. He said nothing in it would negatively affect his constituents, was unconstitutional or was anything I cant stomach with my conscious.

Thats kind of a unique thing for the majority leader, he said.

Schroeder did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The group of developers that had been selected as buyers sent an emailed statement in response to the Legislatures move.
MOSCOW  The prosecutor, defense attorney and judge in the Bryan Kohberger case participated in a heated argument Thursday regarding due process and a survey of potential jurors in Latah County.

A hearing was held in Latah County District Court to discuss the matter. Prosecutor Bill Thompson took issue with several questions in a phone survey created by Bryan Edelman, who is a survey expert hired by Kohbergers defense attorney, Anne Taylor.

Edelman, not Taylor, crafted the survey questions.

Four hundred Latah County residents were surveyed so Taylor and her team could gather information for a coming motion to change the venue of the murder trial.

The questions Thompson is concerned about ask the participants if they have read, seen or heard about certain details about the Kohberger case. Some of the details are not even true, Thompson said.

They include questions about whether the participant knows about the knife sheath allegedly found at the crime scene, the multiple visits to the crime scene Kohberger allegedly took, that Moscow residents lived in fear following the crime and that Kohberger had allegedly stalked his victims.

Thompson argued these questions violate a nondissemination order signed last year that prohibits people involved in the case from making out-of-court statements relating to the nature of evidence that will be presented at the trial.

That is reckless conduct and its outrageous, Thompson said about the survey questions.

Thompsons office found out about the survey questions in March from a Latah County resident who recorded the phone survey. Thompson reiterated that Kohbergers defense is allowed to conduct a survey, but the questions in this particular survey were inappropriate and jeopardized Kohbergers right to a fair trial.

We are trying to salvage a mess, Thompson said.
This story has been updated from its original version to add a quote provided by Clearwater County Prosecutor Clayne Tyler.

A preliminary hearing is set to begin Monday in Ada County for two men charged in connection with an ambush at a Boise hospital March 20 and who are also possible suspects in the deaths of two men in Nez Perce and Clearwater counties.

Nicholas D. Umphenour, 28, and Skylar W. Meade, 31, will appear together before Magistrate Abraham Wingrove at 8:30 a.m. MDT. Umphenour, of Weippe, faces five felonies, including assault or battery upon certain personnel, use of a deadly weapon in commission of a felony and escape by one on probation of a felony.

Meade, of Twin Falls County, faces one felony charge of escape. Bond for each of them has been set at $2 million.

According to the Idaho State Police, Umphenour and Meade, while on the run from the alleged escape shortly after 2 a.m. March 20 from the ambulance bay of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, apparently fled to northern Idaho and allegedly killed Gerald Don Henderson, 72, of Orofino and James L. Mauney, 83, of Juliaetta.

There have been no charges filed so far in connection with the deaths of Henderson and Mauney. But Amy Agenbroad, a public information officer for Idaho State Police, said in an email to the Lewiston Tribune on Thursday that the state police continue to collaborate with federal, state and local law enforcement in their unwavering pursuit of justice for the victims. Charges are being sought in multiple jurisdictions and (the state police) is working closely with prosecutors throughout the state to ensure effective prosecution for these heinous crimes.

Clearwater County Prosecutor Clayne Tyler provided this statement to the Tribune: The prosecuting attorney's offices from Nez Perce County and Clearwater County are working together to assist law enforcement in forwarding the investigations into the deaths of James Mauney and Don Henderson. Idaho State Police Region 2 Detective's Office has taken the lead investigation role for both murders, with substantial assistance by other ISP regions, local law enforcement, and the FBI. In that evidence collection continues, the timing of charges to be filed has not been determined.

Hendersons body was found near his remote cabin in Orofino where, the state police said, he had taken in Umphenour about a decade ago when Umphenour was in his late teens and having trouble at home.
Father Richard Root, 74, passed away at his home on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

The Rev. Richard Alexander Root was born in Syracuse, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 1949, to Charles M. Root and Stella H. (Dembowski) Root. He was baptized at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Syracuse on Nov. 6, 1949. He attended Sacred Heart School and Central Technical High School in Syracuse. He received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The State University of New York in Buffalo, N.Y. He later studied art at Syracuse University.

Father Root became a seminarian for the Diocese of Spokane in 1986. He completed minor seminary at Bishop White Seminary, Gonzaga University in Spokane, before completing major seminary at St. Paul Seminary, University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

Father Root was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop William Skylstad at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Spokane, on May 23, 1990. After ordination, he was appointed parochial vicar at Holy Family, Clarkston.

He was appointed parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Spokane, in 1991 and became pastor at St. Gall, Colton and St. Boniface, Uniontown, in 1992.

Father Roots ministry significantly impacted the future generations of priests in the diocese. He became Director of Vocations in 1992, rector of Bishop White Seminary in 1994, and Director of Deacon Formation in 1995. He retained all three roles through 1999.

In 1999, he had a short assignment at the parishes of Holy Rosary, Pomeroy; St. Joseph, Dayton; and St. Mark, Waitsburg, before taking a leave of absence in 2000 to care for his mother back home in Syracuse, N.Y.
CHEERS ... to former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Jones.

He has solved a mystery that for months has been hanging over the Legislature: What happened to the promised remedy to Idahos abortion ban? That law has no health exception, sparing women in crisis pregnancies from needless suffering and allowing their physicians to practice medicine without being threatened by a felony conviction, a prison term and the loss of their medical licenses.

As a result, women are told to seek aid in other states or wait until their condition deteriorates substantially. Obstetricians are fleeing the state  including, notably, more than half of those few trained in maternal fetal medicine  and few are rushing to replace them. The loss is felt most keenly in rural Idaho.

None of which is news to House State Affairs Committee Chairperson Brent Crane, R-Nampa, who told CNN, ProPublica and the Idaho Capital Sun he intended to remedy the situation: Idaho has some work to do. ... Be patient with us.

House Health and Welfare Committee Chairperson John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, told CBS he also planned to act. I might say Im pro-life, but Im also pro-life for the mother, too, he said.

Because nothing happened this year, more women will be traumatized and more doctors will leave the state.

Why?

Says Jones: Because Attorney General Raul Labrador  or someone in his office  was concerned that any newly passed health exception would undermine his forthcoming case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Labrador is challenging the Biden administrations contention that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act  which requires hospital emergency rooms that accept Medicare to stabilize women in crisis pregnancies  takes precedent over Idahos abortion ban.

A credible source reports that key legislators were asked to hold off action to fix the law until after the April 24 SCOTUS hearing, Jones wrote in his latest column.

Jones, who also previously served as Idaho attorney general, wont disclose his source other than to say this individual has direct knowledge about the matter.

Ironically, Jones believes Labrador has misread the law and his Supreme Court case would not hinge on whether this Legislature passed a health exception.

But its enough to demand Labrador, Crane and Vander Woude answer this question: Did they sacrifice the health of Idaho women and the well-being of Idahos fragile health care network for their selfish political and professional gain?

JEERS ... to north central Idahos legislative delegation. Wednesday, Sens. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins, and Dan Foreman, R-Viola, along with Reps. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, Mike Kingsley, R-Lewiston, and Charlie Shepherd, R-Pollock, voted to put a $250 bounty on any Idaho library that doesnt capitulate to book-banning demands  especially involving titles that reference the LGBTQ community.

Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, voted no.

The measure, now on its way to Gov. Brad Littles desk, is not popular with Idahoans. Do 69% of Idahoans agree on anything? When it comes to trusting librarians over politicians, they do  according to the latest Boise State University Public Policy Survey. Only special interests, such as the Idaho Family Policy Center, support it. Most people testified against these measures during legislative committee hearings. Yet the people who bring legal action to move books they dont like into a restricted section dont have to be library patrons  or even citizens of the state.

Moving materials into the adult section is no answer because there are no physical barriers or library cops checking IDs before kids move from one part of the library to another. Besides, small rural libraries dont have separate sections or the financial means to fend off lawsuits.

School libraries do not have adult sections. So if theyre hit with threats of lawsuits, the remedy literally means banning books.
One of the truly astounding features of the last half-dozen years of American politics is how willingly so many Republican politicians have debased themselves in service to the man who now owns the GOP lock, stock and criminal liability.

The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg wrote a fascinating  and ultimately deeply disturbing  piece this week about this phenomenon by focusing on Sen. Rob Portman, a generally well respected, often serious and very conservative politician from Ohio who retired at the close of 2022.

Goldberg interviewed Portman in front of a live audience not quite two years ago on the same day a Trump White House aide, Cassidy Hutchison, testified before the select House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. You may recall  or, if youre inclined, you may have dismissed  Hutchisons chilling testimony.

As a young aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Hutchinson, displaying remarkable courage and calm, told the House committee of former President Donald Trump watching impassively as the mob, attacking the Capitol, chanted Hang Mike Pence. She testified that Trump thought his vice president deserved that fate because Pence refused to violate the Constitution in order to keep Trump in office even though he had lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College.

Did Portman, hearing such first-hand testimony, regret that he had voted to acquit Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, Goldberg wanted to know? That trial was, of course, a turning point in American history where the Republican Party might have, with impeccable and urgent reason, banned an insurrectionist from ever holding office again.

Portman never really answered Goldbergs question but instead became indignant that a journalist had the audacity to ask such a question.

It would be unfair to blame Portman disproportionately for the devastating reality that Donald Trump, who is currently free on bail but could be a convicted felon by November, is once again a candidate for president, Goldberg wrote. The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, denounced Trump for his actions on January 6, and yet still voted to acquit him. Trumps continued political viability is as much McConnells fault as anyones.

But heres the thing: Portman knew he was debasing himself in front of the reality of Trumps lies and incitement of violence, yet he debased himself willingly. Portman, who worked in the George H.W. Bush White House, knows about the value of character in politics, but he chose to ignore Trumps lack of character.

At one level, this degree to suspension of belief is a great case study in human psychology. How does a person, experienced and smart, capable of critical thinking and understanding basic right and wrong, decide to ignore what looms right in front of him?

Portman, like Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo and several others, withdrew his endorsement of Trump after the Access Hollywood tape became public in 2016  Trump boasted of grabbing women by the genitals, a certain high point in American political history  but Portman eventually came back around and willingly supported a sexual abuser for president.

Nothing, it seems, absolutely nothing is beyond the pale when it comes to Republican officeholders debasing themselves in order to stay, even temporarily, on the right side of Trump.
The elk population in Washingtons Blue Mountains is stable but remains well below objectives, according to the latest survey by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Biologists from the agency did an aerial survey over the mountains in the states extreme southeastern corner during the first two weeks of March and estimated a population of 3,999. Two years ago, they estimated 3,901 elk roamed the Blues.

So roughly an inconsequential difference between the two, said Paul Wik, district wildlife biologist at Clarkston. We did see a slightly better (calf-to-cow) ratio of 22.3, which is still below the 25 we would like to see at a minimum for the population to be stable or grow.

Wildlife biologists measure calves per every 100 cows. The ratio has hovered in the high teens over the last few surveys.

Wik noted that calf-to-cow ratios varied depending on location and the core game management units (162, 166 and 175) of the Blues produced a ratio of 19 calves per 100 cows. In units along the Grande Ronde and Wenaha rivers, the ratio was 27 to 29 calves per 100 cows.

The department has a population objective of 5,500 elk in the Blues but calculates it would be higher if not for concerns over the crop damage the animals can cause. Exactly how to manage the herd has been a topic of debate in recent years.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that U.S. support for his war in Gaza depends on new steps to protect civilians, a shift in position for the American leader who has faced increased pressure to take a harder line against Israel amid mounting deaths.

The warning, delivered in a Thursday phone call between the two leaders, signaled Biden is toughening his stance after an Israeli strike that killed seven people delivering food to displaced Palestinians in Gaza. Biden called the incident unacceptable, according to a White House description of the conversation.

Hours later, the prime ministers office announced that the countrys security cabinet had authorized action to bolster assistance and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Israel will allow the temporary delivery of aid to Gaza through the Ashdod and Erez checkpoints in Israel, according to a statement from Netanyahus office, which added that more Jordanian aid could flow through a crossing at Kerem Shalom. The decision, according to the statement, would also ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war.

Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said We welcome the steps announced by the Israeli government tonight at the presidents request following his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The prime ministers office has not released an account of the Biden-Netanyahu call, which came amid heightened tensions between the two men.

Biden said Israel must announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, the White House said in a statement earlier Thursday. Biden said an immediate cease-fire is necessary to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged Netanyahu to secure a deal in long-running, indirect negotiations with Hamas.

He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps, according to the statement. President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable.

Biden did not specify when and how he might shift his approach to the Israel-Hamas war, which is in its sixth month and has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. But his statement is the closest he has come to placing new requirements on U.S. support for Israels military operations.

Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu vowed to press on with its war effort.
Longford's contribution to Irish poetry is often underestimated. The works of Padraic Colum, Oliver Goldsmith, John Keegan Casey, Seamus O Fearghail and Charlotte Brooke built a foundation that established the county as a seat of poetic excellence.

Contemporary poets like Noel Monaghan and Nigerian-Longford poet Felicia Olusanya, known as FeliSpeaks, continue that tradition. Another Longfordian engaging in versification is Darragh Coady.

My goal is to promote spoken word poetry and hopefully connect with others who may not find poetry accessible, Darragh told the Leader in anticipation of a show this week in Longford town.

I've been writing poetry since my mid teens but only got involved with performing it about two years back. I was going to see John Cooper Clarke at the Olympia, Dublin. As fate would have it, I bumped into him at Cafe 1920 a few hours before the show and he gave me some solid advice about performing poetry, he said of embarking on his poetic adventure.

Also read: Longford all set for First Fridays

The Longford town native has honed his performance side of his craft: I have performed at the Maria Edgeworth literary festival, culture night, I've read during World Poetry Day, and bagged the much coveted featured act slot at the Circle Sessions in Dublin.

Last October I performed my first show at Culture Rapide in Paris which has been described as "volcanic". I've had work published in magazines and journals and written for poetry as commemoration.

Darragh draws on life experience for his subject matter: Many of my poems provide a social commentary on contemporary society, some of which are often told from an underdog's perspective.

The themes explored within my work range from love to memory, politics, morality, injustice and the occasional taboo topic, he says.

Also read: Weekend of ceol agus craic as County Longford Fleadh returns to Granard

Darragh speaks of the power of his art: I am a modern poet with a social conscience, keen to promote performance poetry within Longford.

He concluded with an invitation to his show: On Sunday, April 7 I will be hosting my very 1st home town show at the recently opened Athena Art Gallery on Ballymahon Street.

It's a free event aimed at anyone interested in poetry or performance arts. Indeed it's for anyone who is even curious, so I hope people feel free to stop by. Everyone is welcome!
A relief road for Granard has moved one step closer as Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have confirmed the allocation of 100,000 for a feasibility study.

The State agency overseeing Irelands roads and rail infrastructural network has engaged officials from Westmeath National Roads Design Office (NRDO) to undertake the study.

TII published the 2024 grant allocations for national roads, active travel and greenways at the end of February and members of the Granard Municipal District heard the details at a meeting last week.

Under the title 'schedule works 2024' members heard Granard Municipal District has responsibility for the maintenance and repair of 54km of Regional Road, 612km of Local Road and 14km of National Roads.

The TIl Funding for the N55 Granard Bypass (Minor Works) of 100,000 was the headline item with Department Funding for Restoration Improvement for the Granard Regional Road (346,500) and Granard Local Road (1,726,459.25) also flagged.

Also read: Weekend of ceol agus craic as County Longford Fleadh returns to Granard

Under Regional Roads Restoration Improvement work on the R-396 Abbeylara Village to Cooldoney ( 137,500), the R-194 Market Street Granard (31,500) and the R-198 Drumlish Main Street (177,500) were also discussed.

Local Roads Restoration Improvement will see 103,629 spent on the L-5079 Rossduff to Dunbeggan.

Members of the MD paid particular tribute to Cllr PJ Reilly for his efforts to secure the funding for the Granard scheme.

Cllr Reilly is currently recovering in hospital following a recent health scare. He raised the matter with Transport Minister Eamon Ryan when the Green party leader visited Longford last April.

That visit by the Minister was to discuss concerns about the progress of the N4 upgrade between Longford and Mullingar.

Also read: Longford Garda Station welcomes two new recruits this week

Fine Gael Cllr Garry Murtagh told the Leader: This is a project Cllr Reilly has been pushing for over the last number of years, and added, It's fantastic for the town of Granard. The money will be used to map a route for it.

Cllr Murtagh said: When we met with Minister Ryan last April all of the councillors were fully focused on the N4, but PJ took the opportunity to press him on this topic. Obviously that has come to fruition with this allocation of 100,000.
A drop of 25% in Irelands corporate tax income in the first three months of 2024 has been blamed on a technical factor and is expected to be made up later in the year, a cabinet minister has said.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath said corporation tax receipts of 2.4 billion euro were down by 0.8 billion euro year on year, but expected them to recouped as the year went on.

Mr McGrath said the drop illustrated the exceptional volatility of this tax revenue stream.

Department of Finance chief economist John McCarthy said officials could not give a month by which they expect the funds to be recouped.

Were not allowed to have access to revenue-specific data but Revenue have informed us that the shortfall will be made up over the course of the year without specifying the particular time, he said.

Ireland collected a record total of 23.8 billion euro in corporate tax in 2023.

In its Budget 2024 estimates, 3.5 billion euro in corporation tax was expected in quarter one, with a total of 24.5 billion euro expected by the end of the year.

Mr McGrath said they are still sticking to their Budget Day forecast for what corporate tax is expected in the year ahead.

As has so often been the case, the standout feature of the quarter one tax performance was on the corporation tax front. Receipts of 2.4 billion euro are down by almost a quarter on the same period last year, he said.

It appears that this is likely due to a technical factor relating to the timing of large payments and we believe is likely to be made up later in the year.

In other words, the March decline does not suggest that, at least at this early stage, the corporate tax performance would differ significantly from what we set out on Budget Day last October.

Nonetheless, it does underscore again the exceptional volatility from month to month in this tax head, where a small number of large companies can have a pronounced impact on overall receipts.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said that although overall expenditure in March has improved compared to a month earlier, on a year-by-year basis it is increasing by 14.9%.

He said: We have a considerably improved position at the end of March versus where we were at the end of February.

However, that being said, expenditure is increasing by 14.9% on a year-by-year basis and well need to continue work during the year to bring in spending in line with the commitments that were made on budget day.

If you look at where we are with current expenditure at the moment, its 1.3% ahead of profile and that spend that it is ahead of profile, to some degree, is offset by where we are with capital expenditure being slightly below profile, but that in turn is simply due to timings with regards to the increased cost of business scheme.
The ministers for finance and public expenditure have said there are no plans to bring forward a mini-budget as Simon Harris prepares to be named as the next Taoiseach on Tuesday.

Mr Harris, who is currently the Minister for Further and Higher Education, said he plans to flesh out his priorities for his tenure during the Fine Gael Ard Fheis being held this weekend.

He has previously mentioned costs facing small businesses, farmers and crime among the areas he wants to focus on.

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said the focus was still on implementing the budget announced last October.

Were still in the process of implementing Budget 2024 and if you think about a number of the measures that will ease the burden on households, for example whether it be the expansion of (free) school books, the reduction in childcare fees, those measures have yet to kick in.

He mentioned several proposals that are to come in as part of Budget 2024 and those that are yet to be enacted, including a tax debt warehousing scheme.

All in all, our focus is on implementing Budget 2024. The next budget will be in October of this year. There wont be a mini-budget, he said on Thursday.

Thats not to say that were not open to individual specific measures that weve already set in train as a government because we recognise there are cost pressures there. We will take that on board.

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said: I agree with everything that Minister McGrath said in response to the question on the need for an additional budget.

He said he would engage with the Department of Agriculture in relation to farmers whose lands have been affected by excess rain, adding: I do think that further measures are needed.

Mr Donohoe said: What can normally happen during the year is that Government ministers and their departments can decide to make additional measures available from inside the funding thats allocated to them on Budget Day. That happens regularly.

I think the Department of Agriculture has said that they want to monitor this issue for a bit longer. Im sure when theyve done that, theyll make a decision as to whether any further support is needed.

Asked whether he will contest the next general election, Mr Donohoe said he would.

I believe there is a really important debate yet to be had regarding the importance of the work that myself and Minister McGrath are engaged in and the benefit this can have to our society and to our economy, he said.

We have done four budgets. Weve supported our country and our economy through a pandemic, and weve done the same through a cost of living crisis and weve managed to do that and get our public finances back into surplus. And its because theyre in surplus that we were able to announce a further two and a quarter billion of capital expenditure growth.

And I can tell you there are few economies at the moment are able to do that at the moment and I want to make the argument for that in the time ahead. So I will be running in the next general election.

Asked whether Mr Harris had expressed his confidence in him and his position in Cabinet, Mr Donohoe said: I havent looked for any commitments, nor would I ever.

Ive been through these moments now many, many, many times in the past. In my experience, theres little to be gained by saying things that make the work of the Taoiseach any harder. So, I will leave it to him to make those decisions.

Paying tribute to his Cabinet and party colleague Simon Coveney, Mr Donohoe added: Im convinced history will show that he was one of the most important ministers for foreign affairs our state had in dealing with the hugely important negotiations of Brexit.
Sinn Fein has disputed the methodology of a report which suggested that a united Ireland would cost the Republic 20 billion euros for the next 20 years.

The report, from the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), revealed that the reunification of Northern Ireland and the Republic would require an increase in taxation and a significant reduction in public expenditure.

Irish Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said that Northern Ireland has an opportunity to progress at the moment that will change the numbers quite fundamentally.

The report was authored by the IIEAs John FitzGerald of Trinity College Dublin and Prof Edgar Morgenroth of Dublin City University.

The report said the cost to the British Government of running Northern Ireland amounts to 12.3 billion euros a year.

This report includes costs covered by the "NI subvention" than would not transfer to a united Ireland and takes such a pessimistic view of change than its conclusions are not reasonable. A short reply. https://t.co/xidiQ5OcUY  John Doyle (@JohnDoyleDCU) April 4, 2024

The costs are based on pre-pandemic 2019 figures.

The report stated that the unification costs minus the UK treasury subvention would run to around 11 billion euros.

But this figure would rise to 20 billion euros when other factors, including social welfare and public service pay, are included.

This would require an increase in taxation and a significant reduction in public expenditure.

Mr McGrath said there had been several reports on the estimated cost of a united Ireland that had come up with quite a wide variation of numbers, and that it all depends on the assumptions that you make.

He said: The important thing is that the economy of Northern Ireland now has a fantastic opportunity to progress and to really become a strong enterprise-based economy. And, of course, that will change the numbers quite fundamentally over the years ahead and having good governance with the institutions up and running, with the two governments co-operating with the special envoy from the United States, all of that provides stability and certainty which will help the economy in Northern Ireland and help the all-Ireland economy, which, of course, is underpinned by the Shared Island project to develop and grow and flourish over the years ahead.

That, actually, I think over time would put a very different complexion on the numbers.

But its not where our focus is now. The institutions are only back up and running, and we really want to see them bed down, continue with their work and the Irish Government is going to do all that we can to support the work of the First Minister, deputy First Minister and the full Executive.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said he will consider the report, and that any future debate about a united Ireland will have an economic dimension.

Sinn Fein whip Padraig Mac Lochlainn said that he disputed the methodology used in the report, claiming that the analysis was static.

You are accepting the amount of subvention on face value, the Donegal TD added.

Prof John Doyle of DCU in recent times has written that the actual subvention is much less.

Its about 2.4 billion.

Thats a quarter when you deduct the pensions, debt repayments, contribution to the defence forces of Britain and so on.

Its much less than the headline figure.

But also the report assumes there will be no economic growth in the north.

We know that since Brexit there has been substantial growth in the all-Ireland economy.

We know that there is a real opportunity in that thanks to the efforts of all the political parties and people on the island of Ireland.

That means that the people of the north have access to the British economy and to the European economy uniquely, there is real opportunity for economic growth.

I do praise them (Prof FitzGerald and Prof Morgenroth) for doing some type of research, some type of planning and analysis, which is very different to (our) own government (which) has no plan whatsoever to look at how we get to Irish unity.

Mr Mac Lochlainn called for a Citizens Assembly and a White Paper from the Government about the issues arising from reunification.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: April 05 2024

A fun part of the Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show are the big prize giveaways that take place throughout both days.

Kaleidoscope Gem Shows is anticipating the next installment of their popular, thrice-annual Freeport Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show this April 13-14, with the event  celebrating its exciting 49th anniversary  promising to have its biggest showing ever as their dedicated fan base and excited new devotees converge at its long-time venue, the Freeport Recreation Center.

Catering to rock hounds, collectors, jewelry enthusiasts, and more, the Freeport Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show boasts just about anything you could want of a sparkly nature, offered by some of the most well-established names in the field with decades of experience. This very unique event is the perfect way for adults and families to get out and spend a few hours while perusing the many fine wares that are available for purchase.

Another fun part of the Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show are the big prize giveaways that take place throughout both days. When attendees first walk through the door, they are presented with a white slip of paper that they need to fill out; that piece of paper is then put into a bag, and every hour two lucky winners are drawn from that bag and are each presented with a $10 gift certificate for use with any of the events vendors.

But thats not all- the excitement culminates with a grand prize drawing at the end of each day! Taking place on both Saturday and Sunday  one-half hour before the show ends  yet another white slip is drawn from the bag, and one very fortunate person each day is presented with a beautiful mineral from one of the events vendors; attendees who have won an hourly gift certificate earlier in the day are still eligible to claim the grand prize as well.

According to event promoter Evelyn Gose, the show is held three times per year; the April show has been running for 49 years, the October show 28 years, and the August show 33 years. The upcoming April event will feature its usual complement of fine gold, copper, and silver jewelry, estate pieces, minerals and fossils from around the world, as well as exciting varieties of beads and much, much more.

April 13-14 will see the return of a number of long-time dealers that regular customers should be familiar with, in addition to some relative newcomers as well, with all of them offering a diverse and fascinating array of items to choose from.

As a result of this diversity of fine goods, the show has become a destination for mineral enthusiasts of all types, not only on Long Island but from out-of-state as well.

We draw people from all over Long Island, New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Staten Island, and many other places, Gose said. So, we're really starting to attract a diverse array of people with different interests who are willing to travel a significant distance to attend the show.

In addition, another big draw of the Freeport Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show is how approachable the vendors are; many guests have noted that vendors are more than happy to speak with them at length about the ins-and-outs of their craft and answer any questions that may arise, making the experience of attending the show not only interesting in an artistic sense, but an educational one as well.

I think a really attractive aspect of the show is that you get that one-on-one interaction with the vendors, which you dont get with online shopping, Gose said. Every mineral is different, so attending and actually seeing all of these displays in person and speaking with the vendors is a good thing. It can really help somebody find the item that's exactly what they were looking for, or that they didnt even know they wanted.

The Freeport Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show will be held this upcoming Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Freeport Recreation Center at 130 East Merrick Road in Freeport, NY. Admission is $5.50 for adults and children under 12 free with an adult, and if you mention this article, youll get $.50 off your admission fee! All admission proceeds go to the Recreation Center to support the various programs that they offer to the community throughout the year.

We really want to thank our customers, as well as the Recreation Center for supporting us all these yearsthe admissions to the show help to support the Rec Center, which is a good thing Gose said. Its a wonderful feeling as people stop by when leaving and say, this was great. Thank you. That makes all the effort put into the show more than worth it.

To find out more, please visit http://www.kaleidoscopegemshows.com.
Since the beginning of the year, the Islamic States central media apparatus has made a concerted effort to highlight its men engaging in dawah across the African continent. These actions have so far been seen in both Mali and Mozambique, though more areas could emerge in the near future.

An Arabic term roughly translating to proselytizing, dawah serves an important purpose for jihadis as it equates to both proselytizing for their version of Islam to better help build local inroads and a way to build goodwill and support in communities under jihadi control.

Dawah activities can range anywhere from religious lectures to community-based events or festivals geared around Islamic principles. This latter form is a popular device used by Shabaab, al-Qaedas branch in East Africa, as part of its dawah activities in Somalia.

More importantly, such activities are an integral part of the jihadi state-building project and the release of such propaganda helps provide evidence of a form of governance over a specified area. Both the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, and their respective affiliates and branches, stress the importance of dawah for this exact reason.

Historically, the Islamic States dawah efforts in Africa were primarily undertaken by its West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Lake Chad region, which grew out of the former so-called Boko Haram. In previous years, many photo sets were released showing ISWAP members engaging in dawah, primarily in northeastern Nigeria but across the Lake Chad area more generally.

Currently, however, this focus is left for the Islamic States Sahel Province (Islamic State-Sahel, IS-S) and its Mozambique Province (or simply Islamic State-Mozambique, IS-M). Both provinces have been on the upswing and are currently governing, or at least occupying large parts of their respective countries.

Dawah in northern Mali

The vast majority of northern Malis northern Menaka region, and parts of its Gao region, have been under the Islamic States direct control since early 2023. For over a year, the group has governed all but Menakas provincial capital, with little to no attention in most international press outlets.

Part of this governance includes the use of dawah to help better promote good ties between the jihadis and the civilians under their control. For instance, in April 2023, shortly after confirming its hold over much of Menaka, IS-S distributed leaflets, which were first used by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2014, explaining its ideological tenets to the locals. A month later, as IS-S expanded into parts of Gao, it again showed its men engaging in dawah practices with locals.

In the most recent issue of the Islamic States weekly Al-Naba newsletter, the Islamic States propagandists again took note of recent dawah activities in areas under IS-Ss control. Photos can be seen of IS-Ss Hisbah, or Islamic police, forces distributing pamphlets, speaking with locals informally, and engaging in religious education discussions in areas presumably in northern Mali, but allegedly also in Niger and Burkina Faso.

An aside from the dawah campaign by the Hisbah units in the Sahel Province.

Speaking in the newsletter, the Islamic State further said of this campaign:

Since the beginning of Ramadan and continuing until now, [the Hisbah forces] distributed at least 27,000 pamphlets on doctrine and jurisprudence, among other concepts, in addition to audio clips in local languages for those who cannot read, and distributed Islamic clothing to hundreds of Muslim women.

Additionally, the newsletter highlights a relatively rare tertiary case of the use of dawah in that IS-S also used this recent campaign to chip away at local support for another jihadist group. For instance, al-Naba also states that some parts of this recent dawah campaign took place to areas under the control of al-Qaeda, referring to its Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). As such, according to al-Naba, it became clear to them [the locals] that the rumors about the soldiers of the Caliphate spread by the militia [JNIM] are false.

In a space where both IS-S and JNIM are indeed competing for dominance, the use of dawah to help foster less desirable opinions about the other group presents an interesting way for the rival jihadis to project influence and staying power via the locals. For example, if JNIM were to kick IS-S out of these areas, the locals may have a less desirable view of it given the preaching performed by IS-S. This would make its own influence operations therefore more difficult as a result.

But the Sahel is not the only place where the Islamic State has recently highlighted its ongoing dawah campaign on the African continent.

Mozambican Dawah

Correlating with a large-scale offensive on the ground that saw IS-M advance in the district of Macomia in northern Mozambiques Cabo Delgado, the Islamic States first highlight in this new campaign came in Jan. 2024.

Photos were then subsequently released by the Islamic State showing IS-M members arriving to various villages in Macomia by boats before gathering local civilians and preaching to them.

Soldiers of the Caliphate as part of their dawah campaign in one of the Muslim villages in Macomia.

Speaking through its weekly Al-Naba newsletter at the time, the Islamic State stated that:

As part of the tours, soldiers of the Caliphate called on the inhabitants to learn more about their religion, and the importance of Tawhid [oneness of God] and Al-Wala wal-Bara [loyalty and disavowal, or obeying what God accepts or rejects] in addition to warning them about the dangers of helping the kuffar [infidels] and standing in their ranks because this amounts to apostasy in the religion of God.

Soldiers of the Caliphate preparing to advance to one of the Muslim villages in Macomia as part of their dawah activity.

As IS-M continued to advance to other districts in Cabo Delgado, particularly to Chiure, the militants continued to also expand the reach of this dawah campaign. In Chiure, al-Naba stated that the mujahideen explained to the locals about the importance of aqeedah [Islamic creed related to having faith], which is of the utmost importance for Muslims.

Soldiers of the Caliphate as part of their dawah campaign in the village of Mundazia in the Chiure area [of Mozambique].

These efforts have been reported on in local media. For instance, Zitamar noted in January that in Mucojo, one of the towns under jihadi control in Macomia, citizens are subject to daily religious lectures. Mucojo is seemingly still under control of IS-M as its men recently erected a roadblock on the main road leading to the town.

Elsewhere, IS-M militants have been spotted engaging in dawah with locals in the districts of Quissanga, Mocimboa da Praia, and Nangade between January and March 2024. As additionally reported by Zitamar, these moves are part of IS-Ms wider strategic decision to adopt a more friendly relationship with locals. Its more hostile approach hurt its local support during IS-Ms height in 2020-2021.

Conclusion

To jihadis, dawah is the proverbial carrot to their usual approach with the stick. While violent expansion is often the main way jihadis can and do expand their territorial conquests, it is not the only way.

Indeed, dawah acts as a form of soft power that jihadis can use to help win over new congregants, members, and supporters, and provide for a PR victory in the eyes of locals under their control or influence. As such, the publication of such events can signify the extent to which jihadis feel comfortable operating in the open and in the public domain.

For the Islamic State, the fact that it has routinely highlighted its dawah activities in both Mali (and wider Sahel) and Mozambique helps exemplify the extent of its control in both regions. The fact that its forces are taking time to operate in the open with locals implies it feels confident in its ability to engage freely and not be targeted by government forces.

Though the true extent of the campaigns in both countries is likely exaggerated by the Islamic State, it is clear they are happening on the ground in some capacity. This in turn helps signify the respective reach and capabilities of both so-called provinces of the Islamic State. This alone should sound alarms when gauging the strength of the Islamic State in Africa today.

Caleb Weiss is an editor of FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.
On April 4, Iranian media reported a series of attacks by the Baluch separatist group Jaish al-Adl in Irans Sistan and Baluchistan Province. The militants claimed they targeted six regime outposts in the port city of Chabahar and the border town Rask, which are more than 100 miles apart.

Gunmen targeted four government buildings in Chabahar, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Forces (IRGC) Chabahar Headquarters, the Maritime Division of the local Border Guard Command, the local law enforcements Criminal Investigation Department, and a local police station. Rask, situated on Irans border with Pakistan, saw similar-style offenses on the IRGC regional base and the local IRGC outpost. According to state media, 18 militants and 11 regime security personnel, including 7 IRGC members, were killed in the clashes.

Jaish al-Adl, preceded by Jundallah, is a Sunni Blouch separatist group designated by both the United States and Iran as a terrorist entity. Despite the group characterizing itself as the defender of Baluch rights, the Islamic Republic labels them as Zionist conspirators. Throughout the last decade, Jaish al-Adl has carried out more than 15 attacks in Irans Baluchistan Province and killed at least 60 Iranian law enforcement and IRGC personnel.

In the most recent clashes, Iran alleged that the group abducted civilian hostages. Jaish al-Adl denied the accusations and added that they called for a temporary ceasefire to allow civilians to flee. Iranian state media did not report any civilian casualties.

Iran and Pakistan Fail to Coordinate, Despite Sharing the Threat

Baluch separatism implicates both Iranian and Pakistani sovereignty, yet the two countries have shown limited willingness to cooperatively address this shared concern. Following the Dec. 2023 Jaish al-Adl attack on Rask, Iran carried out a series of missile and drone strikes in Pakistani Baluchistan, claiming to have targeted militants hiding in Pakistan. This move inevitably angered Pakistan, which prompted the country to strike Iranian villages by its borders. Diplomatic relations deteriorated as a result, with Pakistan recalling its ambassador and Iran threatening Pakistan with military escalation. The two countries eventually healed their broken ties, and the Pakistani Ambassador to Iran was quick to condemn the most recent Jaish al-Adl attacks.

Irans non-Iranians

Irans Baluchistan Province has faced systemic neglect and is considered Irans most impoverished province, making it a tinderbox for anti-regime protests. To avoid taking responsibility for this population, the Islamic Republic often describes its Baluch community as foreign nationals and non-Iranians. For instance, in the aftermath of the Pakistani bombing of Iranian villages earlier this year that killed four children, the regime sought to downplay the attacks by claiming that the victims were non-Iranians.

Similarly, Iranian media again alleged that all the militants in the recent clashes were not Iranian. This other-ing rhetoric offers convenient avenues for the regime to both evade responsibility over their treatment of the Baluch people while providing an escape hatch to selectively de-escalate with neighboring countries.

Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian domestic affairs and the Islamic Republics regional malign influence.
IDF soldiers operating in Gaza (IDF).

On April 4, sirens sounded in numerous Israeli communities near Gaza. These included sirens in the large Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Netivot. This appears to be the first large barrage of rockets fired at Netivot since January and represents a renewed rocket threat from Gaza.

Sirens also sounded on April 4 in Sderot and in the community of Kfar Aza. On April 3, projectiles from Gaza also targeted the kibbutz of Kissufim on the border of Gaza as well as Sderot. Israels Iron Dome air defense system intercepted some but at least one rocket impacted a city street. The volume of rocket fire is not on par with the larger barrages that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired during the first months of the war. In fact, the rocket fire on April 4 appeared to consist of a small number of launches. However, the fact that the groups are able to launch rockets from Gaza proves that they still have rockets and are still able to find areas from which to fire them. The IDF has not sought to hold onto most areas of Gaza, preferring to clear areas in northern Gaza and then leave and position forces outside of the cities and urban areas.

The IDF typically targets rocket launch sites and terrorists who launch the rockets. The IDF said on April 3 that it had struck the sources of the fire along with several additional launchers and terrorist infrastructures in the Gaza Strip.

In Gaza, IDF operations continued in several areas. The Gaza Divisions northern brigade operated in Beit Hanoun, an area near the border with Israel. It was backed up by elements of the Kfir infantry brigade. The IDF said that dozens of sites used by Hamas were targeted. Several Hamas gunmen were also encountered.

The IDF also said it eliminated a terrorist cell in central Gaza. The troops followed the terrorists and identified some of them exiting the terrorist infrastructure and moving around the area. Following the identification, a fighter jet, and additional IAF aircraft targeted the terrorist cell, eliminating them, the IDF said. Troops also continued to operate in the Amal neighborhood near Khan Younis as well as in the Abasan al-Jadida area near Khan Younis.

On April 3, Israels IDF Chief of Staff visited Khan Younis where he met with the IDFs head of Southern Command and head of the 98th division Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus. Col. Omer Cohen, the head of the IDFs Commando Brigade which has played a major role over the last months of fighting, was also present. We are pressing both to deepen the achievement and we are pressing to try to initiate movement in the negotiations, to bring about an agreement for the release of the hostages. this is a top priority, very important. It will only come from stronger pressure and we will press harder, as much as necessary. We will press harder  you are doing it excellently, Halevi said. He described a continued but slow operation that is grinding down Hamas. Another battalion dismantled, another commander killed, another infrastructure destroyed, this is the way to eventually pressure for the release of the hostages.

Halevi and the IDF have faced criticism over a drone strike that killed seven humanitarian aid workers for the World Central Kitchen organization. The seven were killed overnight between April 1 and 2 as they were traveling from a warehouse in Deir al-Balah along the coastal Rashid road. The three vehicles making up the groups convoy were around 9 miles south of an area controlled by the IDF where a new pier has been built to receive aid from groups such as WCK. I want to be very clearthe strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification  at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldnt have happened, Halevi said on April 3.

On April 4, Israels Minister of Defense also gathered top security officials for a situational assessment due to the threat of Iran carrying out attacks on Israel. Iran has vowed to punish Israel after alleging Israel carried out an airstrike in Damascus that struck a building next to the Iranian consulate. The IDF has said that while Israel is in a multi-front war and on high alert, it has not changed guidelines for the home front.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
A high-level roundtable has explored opportunities for Hong Kong asset managers to distribute funds in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) co-hosted the event.

More than 15 top executives of Hong Kong asset managers attended the roundtable discussion presided over by the DFSAs Chief Executive Ian Johnston and the SFCs Chief Executive Officer Julia Leung. During the joint session, Johnston introduced the regulatory requirements for offering Hong Kong-domiciled funds in the DIFC, and prospects in DIFC for Hong Kong asset managers, including access to investors in the UAE market through the UAE fund passporting regime.

Regulatory requirements

Also present at the event were the SFCs Executive Director of Investment Products, Christina Choi, and DFSAs Associate Director of Conduct, Supervision, David Tait, who elaborated on relevant regulatory requirements at a subsequent seminar.

Johnston said: With the expansion of the China-Middle East corridor, we see an opportunity for greater cooperation between DIFC and Hong Kong, particularly in the asset management sector. We, as the regulator, are committed to meaningful collaboration between our leading international financial centres and recognise that this is critical to our continued collective success."

Leung said: The SFC is committed to facilitating the development of deeper and broader investment markets for our asset management industry and we look forward to exploring further connectivity with the DIFC in the asset management space. I am sure Hong Kong asset managers had valuable takeaways from the events today, which are only the beginning of our collaboration.

Another roundtable

The DFSA and the SFC plan to host another roundtable for asset management industry participants in Dubai next month.

As a quick reference for Hong Kong asset managers, the SFC has published an information sheet on its website to provide an overview of the market landscape of DIFC, and how Hong Kong funds could be offered in the DIFC and the mainland UAE via DIFC by way of the UAE fund passporting regime.--TradeArabia News Service
A Worcester school is one of the top public high schools in the United States, according to school ranking website Niche.

Massachusetts Academy for Math and Science, a magnet school at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is the No. 3 three school on the list.

It is the only school in the top 50, and one of only three in the top 100, along with Lexington High School at No. 87 and Weston High School at No. 98.

Mass Academy enrolls approximately 100 11th- and 12th- grade students each year through an application-based admissions process.

It is the only public school in Massachusetts where senior students attend a private university full time, according to its website.

The school received an A or A+ rating in every category on Niches scorecard, which includes academics, teachers, clubs and activities, resources and facilities, diversity, college prep, administration and food, except for sports, which the school does not offer.

According to the rankings site, the school has a 100% graduation rate.

Lexington High School has approximately 2,273 students according to Niche, with a student-teacher ratio of 12-to-1.

Approximately 91% of its students are proficient or higher in math and 93% in reading, and it has a 99% graduation rate.

The high school received an A+ in academics and college prep, and at least an A- for its teachers, clubs and activities, sports, diversity and food. It received a B+ for its resources and facilities, and a B for administration.

According to the schools website, it is currently in the design phase for a new high school facility, with construction expected to begin in 2027.

Weston High School has approximately 638 students and a student-teacher ratio of 11-to-1, according to Niche, as well as a 95% graduation rate. About 62% of students are enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.

According to the schools website, it has a successful student community service program as well as a variety of extracurricular activities, and its facilities include a library with more than 20,000 works, four computer labs, fitness facilities and an indoor pool.

Niche uses public data and reviews from students and families to compile its ratings.

To see the full list, click here.
In the wake of a pair of pedestrian deaths in the city, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is calling on the city to take a hard look at pedestrian safety, including lowering the city-wide speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph or even 15 mph.

Flynn proposed the idea during a council meeting this week, spurred on by the deaths of 4-year-old Gracie Gancheva in the Seaport and Fernando R. Pizarro, a 57-year-old wheelchair user, in South Boston.

Gancheva was killed on March 24. Pizarros death came just over a week later on April 2. Pizarros death marked the fourth pedestrian death in the city in 2024. No criminal charges have been brought against the drivers in either death.

The intersection where Gancheva was killed  Congress and Sleeper streets  had previously been identified by city officials as in need of safety upgrades.

Potentially underscoring the urgency for city officials, a pedestrian was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a truck near South Station Thursday morning.

Twenty-five miles per hour is excessive driving through a dense neighborhood in Boston, Flynn, who represents parts of Chinatown, Downtown, South Boston, and the South End, told fellow councilors. Driving 25 miles per hour in residential streets is unhealthy, its unsafe.

[The speed limit] should be 20 miles per hour, I even think it should be 15 miles per hour, he added.

While Flynn was the only member of the body to suggest altering the speed limit, there was unanimity from councilors about the fact that some action needed to be taken to address pedestrian safety.

Beyond just the speed limit, Flynn advocated for the city to invest in traffic calming infrastructure such as speed humps, raised crosswalks, pedestrian islands, flashing beacons, and curb extensions.

He also expressed frustration with the citys failure to take action on concurrent traffic signals, giving cars and pedestrians the right of way at the same time, which he dubbed a recipe for disaster.

Flynn added he was not sure why we still have this in our city.

Boston did take action in 2023 by launching its Safety Surge initiative, investing in speed humps on certain neighborhood streets, redesigned intersections and new guidelines for traffic signals.

Flynn acknowledged the work of that initiative, but said the citys investments needed to go beyond neighborhood streets.

It is wider streets and busier streets where cars and commuters are consistently speeding and serious crashes also occur, he said. Our neighborhood main streets, commercial roads, high traffic corridors, bus routes are often dangerous for pedestrians to cross and should also have traffic calming infrastructure in place to force speeding vehicles to slow down.

Councilor John FitzGerald, who represents parts of Dorchester and the South End, and a co-sponsor of Flynns order to hold a hearing on pedestrian safety, underscored the tragedy of Ganchevas death.

As a parent, it represented the worst nightmare scenario, he said. FitzGerald said the worst part of a pedestrian dying because of a vehicle is the fact that it likely could have been prevented.

With the number of police officers available to work traffic details on the decline, FitzGerald suggested technology could fill the gap.

Im no fan of Big Brother but theres gotta be a way, he said.

FitzGerald was not the only councilor to suggest the implementation of technology to curb bad behavior from drivers.

Councilor Enrique Pepen, who represents areas of Hyde Park, Roslindale, and Mattapan, pointed to Providence, R.I., as a potential model for Boston in the use of red-light cameras as a means to ticket bad actors.

I want to push our legislature to consider that and make it possible for us to do that, he said. Whats happening here, its too much for the city of Boston.

Councilor Benjamin Weber, who represents Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, lamented the fact that it took tragedy to spur action on the part of city officials.

Its a terrible thing that it took two recent fatalities and the death of a 4-year-old for us to deal with this, he said. This should not be happening.
(*This story was updated at 12:01 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024, to clarify that the two police officers were injured, but that there was not a shooting.)

Two Boston police officers were injured in after they arrested a person inside Boston City Hall on Friday, Boston Police Sgt. John Boyle confirmed to MassLive.

The incident took place at around 9:42 a.m. on Friday morning, Boyle said. It was not clear why the individual was arrested. But Boyle added that both officers injured had not sustained life-threatening injuries.

At least one of the officers was taken to the hospital, he said.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was seen checking on police near an ambulance outside City Hall, NBC 10 Boston reported.

The names of the suspect and the two officers have not been released. Details on any charges were also not yet available, Boyle said.
A Bridgewater man was charged in connection with a violent incident with police in Boston City Hall, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Haydens office announced.

Michael Williams, 51, was charged with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault, Haydens office said in a statement released Friday.

Williams bail was set at $25,000, and Judge Paul Treseler ordered him to stay out of Boston and to wear a GPS-tracking device if released on bail, Haydens office said.

The judge also ordered him to be committed to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation.

At around 9:43 a.m., Boston police were called to City Hall regarding a report of an officer in trouble with a combative subject, Haydens office said. Together, the officers asked the man, Williams, to leave the building.

A witness accused Williams of shouting racial slurs at a group of people visiting the building, Haydens office said.

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Williams complied, but then started to argue with police, Haydens office said. When police told him that if he did not leave, he would be arrested, at one point asking if he was choosing to be arrested.

Yes, I would rather be arrested, Williams replied, according to Haydens office.

One officer placed his right arm on Williams shoulder as police placed him in handcuffs.

Williams bit the officers hand, causing severe damage, including heavy bleeding and parts of the skin and tissue to hang off the hand, Haydens office continued.

With his arms free, Williams grabbed and punched two officers before he ran off, Haydens office said.

Officers brought him to the ground and held him long enough until more officers arrived. Williams continued to resist officers even as he was being booked, the district attorneys office said.

In total, four police officers were injured and taken to Mass General Hospital for treatment.

This incident could have been avoided if the defendant had followed officers instructions and left the building, Hayden said in the statement. Instead he escalated it into an extremely violent encounter in which he inflicted a serious injury before he could be subdued. This shows once again that a police officers day can change dramatically in an instant.
A 38-year-old man who defrauded investors of more than $1.2 million was sentenced to two years in prison by a U.S. District Court judge in Boston this week, prosecutors announced.

Jose Rocha, of Bridgewater, pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in September 2023, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levys office said in a statement.

Rocha will also serve three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay nearly $775,000 in restitution.

Between 2020 and 2022, Rocha presented himself as a successful investor in publicly traded securities like stocks and stock options and promised to manage investor money in exchange for a share of the returns.

During that period, Rocha received investments from individuals in Massachusetts totaling more than $1.2 million, according to the statement.

After securing the money, Rocha used some of the funds to pay out purported returns to other investors, and to pay for vacations and to gamble at casinos, Levys office said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against Rocha in August 2023. As part of his guilty plea, Rocha entered into a settlement with the SEC, according to Levys office.
A former officer with the Weymouth Police Department was charged with assaulting a man already in his custody, Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levys office announced.

Justin Chappell, 43, was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, Levys office announced in a statement on Thursday. In January, Chappell was the 10th police officer decertified by the Massachusetts Peace Office Standards and Training (POST) Commission.

U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs scheduled Chappells plea hearing for April 11.

While as a Weymouth police officer, Chappell punched an arrested man about 13 times with a closed fist on July 2, 2022, Levys office said. In its order decertifying Chappell, the POST commission reviewed and cited the July 2022 incident.

The commission also cited a February 2022 episode in which Chappell delivered two closed-fist strikes to the head of a person resisting arrest.

Chappell was suspended for a day and ordered to receive remedial training after the February arrest, the commission said. Five months later, after he again used excessive force against a civilian during the July 2022 incident, Weymouth police officials moved to fire Chappell. He resigned before a scheduled termination hearing.

Weymouth Police Chief Richard Fuller shared the results of an internal investigation with the POST Commission and recommended that Chappell be decertified, according to a 2023 Boston.com report.

The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Members of law enforcement take an oath to serve and protect with professionalism and integrity, Levy said in the statement. Todays court filings allege that Officer Chappell violated this solemn obligation. Our office will continue to hold accountable officers who deprive people of rights under color of law.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP)  Police in Vermont are seeking a suspect who allegedly started a fire Friday outside the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The small blaze caused minor damage but no injuries.

Authorities say an unknown male suspect sprayed what they described as a possible accelerant on the office door, set it on fire and fled. They said the suspect remained at large and no motive had been established.

A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives, Burlington police said in a statement. The sprinkler system then engaged and largely extinguished the fire.

Earlier in the day, the Burlington Fire Department said it responded to a call Friday morning and found a fire between the vestibule, the elevator and the entrance door of Sanders third-floor office in Burlington. The office door suffered moderate fire damage and much of the third floor sustained significant water damage. The offices of Sanders and those nearby were evacuated.

A spokesperson for Sanders did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sanders was not at the office.
Longtime Gloucester Firefighter Sander Schultz was remembered in his obituary as someone who loved helping people and public services and a loving and faithful husband and father.

Schultz, 56, died unexpectedly in Ipswich on March 30. He was a Gloucester firefighter for more than two decades and worked as the departments EMS coordinator for many years.

Schultz was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Denver, Colorado, where he graduated from Cherry Creek High School, according to his obituary. After graduating, Schultz joined the U.S. Forest Service as a firefighter, and later enlisted in the Coast Guard, where he became a Bosuns Mate and heavy weather coxswain.

The Coast Guard was where Schultz met his wife, Sara, and they married in 1992. Schultz left the Coast Guard in 1998 and joined the Gloucester Fire Department the same year, the obituary said.

In 2013, Schultz won the Stoke Healthcare Professional Award from the American Stroke Association.

Schultz is survived by his wife, Sara, two sons, Hunter and Tayler Schultz, his father, Robert, his brother, Rob, and his extended family.

His funeral will be held at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 142 Prospect Street, Gloucester, on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 12 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Schultzs family asked for donations to Action Inc., a Gloucester-based nonprofit, or to a social services charity.
A 36-year-old Milford man is facing criminal charges after prosecutors say he struck a woman with his car in Hopkinton Thursday night, sending her to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Ryan Sweatt is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, operating to endanger and a marked lanes violation, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan and Hopkinton Police Chief Joseph Bennett said in a joint statement.

Sweatt is accused of hitting a 26-year-old woman with his car.

Sweatt was driving a Honda Civic on Route 85 in Hopkinton when he became engaged in an apparent road rage incident with another vehicle, authorities said.

At some point, the occupants of the other vehicle exited the car, at which point, prosecutors say, Sweatt made a u-turn at a high rate of speed and hit the woman in the street.

The woman was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the statement.

Sweatt is expected to be arraigned in Framingham District Court Friday morning, officials said.

The crash remains under investigation by Ryans office and Hopkinton and State Police, according to the statement.
Walmart will pay $45 million to customers who spent more than the lowest in-store advertised price for certain items, according to a class action settlement.

Customers who bought certain weighted goods and bagged citrus items in a Walmart store super-center or neighborhood market between Oct. 19, 2018, to Jan. 19, 2024, are eligible to receive a settlement check up to $500, according to the settlement.

Items sold by weight, such as meat, poultry, pork, and seafood, are described as weighted goods, according to the settlement.

Bagged citrus are items such as certain organic oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and navel oranges sold in bulk in mesh or plastic bags.

"Walmart, which dominates the United States market for grocery sales, touts that it helps people around the world save money and live better by servicing approximately 230 million customers a week worldwide, the lawsuit claimed.

The reality, however, is that Walmart uses unfair and deceptive business practices to deceivingly, misleadingly, and unjustly pilfer, to Walmarts financial benefit, its customers hard-earned grocery dollars, the lawsuit continued.

The lawsuit, which was first obtained by Today.com, states that customers are subjected to three systemic unfair and deceptive business practices by Walmart.

The lawsuit claims the retail giant falsely inflates the product weight on weighed products, mislabels the weight of bagged products and overcharges sold-by-weight clearance products.

Walmart denies the allegations made in the lawsuit and that it did anything wrong, according to the settlements website.

We will continue providing our customers everyday low prices to help them save money on the products they want and need, a Walmart spokesperson wrote in a statement to MassLive. We still deny the allegations, however we believe a settlement is in the best interest of both parties.

How much will some Walmart customers get?

To get a payment customers have to submit a valid and timely Claim Form, according to the settlements website.

The amount of money an eligible customer will receive and what they must do to get a payment depends on the amount of weighted goods or bagged citrus they bought during the settlement class period, the settlements website.

$10: If you dont have proof of purchase, but you can attest that you bought 50 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in person in a Walmart Store during the settlement period.

$15: If you dont have proof of purchase, but you can attest that you bought 51 to 75 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in person in a Walmart Store during the settlement period.

$20: If you dont have proof of purchase, but you can attest that you bought 76 to 100 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in person in a Walmart Store during the settlement period.

$25: If you dont have proof of purchase, but you can attest that you bought at least 101weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in person in a Walmart Store during the settlement period.

Up to $500: If you have a receipt, proof of purchase or other documentation that shows you bought weighted goods and/or bagged citrus in person in a Walmart Store during the Settlement Class Period, and you have the amount that you paid for each item, you can get 2% of the total cost of the weighted goods and bagged citrus bought, capped at $500.

Payments can be made through a paper check, Zelle, CashApp, Venmo, ACH or a pre-paid MasterCard, according to the settlements website.
For Sasha Chanoff, making sure the refugees and immigrants who seek shelter and a new home in the Greater Boston area isnt just a humanitarian mandate.

Its a matter of dollars and cents.

With both Boston and Massachusetts as a whole bleeding tax revenues, Chanoff, the founder of Boston-based RefugePoint, argued these newcomers should be greeted for who and what they are: A badly needed spark to Massachusetts economic engine.

The bottom line is that refugees and immigrants contribute immensely to the economy of the Greater Boston area, Chanoff told MassLive earlier this week.

And while the dominant public image of Massachusetts costly and still unfolding migrant crisis is one of people sleeping rough on the floor at Boston Logan International Airport, or of the dormitory-style housing at the Melnea J. Cass Recreational Complex in Roxbury, Chanoff said theres another, less-told story.

And thats of the communities across Massachusetts who have willingly opened their doors to refugees fleeing violence and chaos in such nations as Haiti and Afghanistan, providing them with the tools and support they need to successfully start over in the United States.

That nuance often has been lost in the debate over how to meet the towering cost of Massachusetts emergency shelter system  now projected to sail past $900 million a year over the next two years  even as the Democratic Healey administration continues to open overflow sites to deal with the deluge of people

They are needed, Chanoff said of the Bay States newest arrivals. We need to figure out good pathways to get here, so they can arrive in communities that can accept them and support them.

First, the numbers about the economic impact that newcomers are having on Greater Bostons economy. And theyre tough to deny.

A recent study, co-authored by Boston Indicators, the research wing of the Boston Foundation, and the nonprofit Immigration Research Initiative, provides the hard numbers to back up that assertion.

Immigrants, both documented and undocumented, annually contribute $103 billion, or 21% of the Greater Boston regions GDP, which is equivalent to their share of the population, the two groups research showed.

More than six in 10 (61%) of Greater Bostons immigrant workers  documented and undocumented  who have full-time jobs earn at least $49,000 per year, which is considered middle-wage earning level for full-time work, according to the report.

At the same, those immigrants are disproportionately likely to be in low-wage jobs, with 38% of all immigrants in jobs paying less than $49,000 a year, compared to 24% of native-born citizens, the data show.

Even so, these newcomers also own and operate the Main Street businesses that many Bay State residents frequent and depend on every day  from nail salons and car washes to convenience stores and restaurants.

In fact, four in 10 such businesses are immigrant owned in the Bay State, the research showed.

The two groups research also shows that immigrants have helped offset population loss, as rising costs and a lack of affordable housing have prompted other Massachusetts residents to leave the state.

For Chanoff, those numbers tell the story of what the refugees who enter the nation through official channels, and those who have sought shelter in the commonwealths shelter system eventually can become  a vibrant part of the Bay States future.

And thats why, he said, its important to highlight the efforts of private citizens, who organize into groups through a federal program known as the Welcome Corps.

There are communities coming together to say what can we do to support immigrants broadly. Chanoff said. One person told us, We dont distinguish between refugees or immigrants who are already here. We just try to help people.

That includes such communities as Arlington, in suburban Boston, where residents have banded together in the past to welcome refugees from such nations as Haiti and Sudan.

Its an effort that has taken on particular urgency as lawmakers on Beacon Hill try to reach agreement on a compromise funding bill for the states emergency shelter system, and as Congress remains deadlocked on fixes to the nations immigration laws.

Its a huge tension point  so many people have arrived unplanned, he said. We werent necessarily expecting them to be here. The shelters have filled up. And were draining resources to support them. So what do you do about that?

There are no simple answers to this  one of the answers is to create legal migration pathways for people, he continued. Because when you have legal migration pathways, because it is a planned process, with supports in the community.

Even as shes called for increased action from Washington, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey has touted the states partnership with federal authorities to obtain work authorizations for migrants in the shelter system.

The faster theyre out and contributing to the economy, the better off they, and the state will be, Healey has said.

Chanoff sees it much the same way.

We have to, as a nation, and this applies to Boston, ask how we can continue to expand legal pathways, while we look to address the increased arrival of people who are here unplanned, he said. Its a way for people [fleeing violence] not to lose their lives. They can come from wherever they are.
If you plan on looking skyward during the total solar eclipse on April 8, you will want to make sure your eyewear is safe.

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible from North America as it makes its path across 15 states, from Texas all the way northeast to Maine. This path of totality indicates when and where the 31.6 million people living along that path are expected to see the eclipse happening, weather pending, according to NBC News.

Despite not being within the path of totality, Massachusetts should (weather permitting) have a view of the eclipse from the ground. The Bay State wont have a 100% view of the eclipse, instead seeing a partial eclipse with over 95% of the view, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said in a statement.

To get a clear, direct view of the eclipse, NASA has urged people to wear proper eclipse glasses. These glasses must follow standards through ISO12312-2, according to the American Astronomical Society, or AAS. Anyone who buys a pair of these glasses should see the ISO verification on the temples. As well, eclipse glasses should not be scratched or damaged.

Eclipse glasses are 100,000 times darker than ordinary sunglasses and block nearly all visible light as well as all infrared and ultraviolet light, according to The Planetary Society.

On March 22, the American Astronomical Society warned people to watch out for fake eclipse glasses and how they can test them to prove their legitimacy. Where the glasses indoors and look around, particularly at a lamp.

You shouldnt be able to see anything through them, except perhaps very bright lights, which should appear very faint through the glasses, AAS said. If you can see anything else, such as household furnishings or pictures on the wall, your glasses arent dark enough for solar viewing.

Then take the glasses outside. If you still cannot see anything, glance at the sun for less than a second, AAS said.

You should see a sharp-edged, round disk (the suns visible face) thats comfortably bright, AAS continued. Depending on the type of filter in the glasses, the Sun may appear white, bluish-white, yellow, or orange. If your glasses pass all three tests, they are probably safe. But if you arent completely confident of the safety of your eclipse glasses, you should use them sparingly.

Ultimately, eclipse glasses and phone lenses are safe if they comply with the UV, visible, and IR transmittance requirements of the ISO12312-2 standard, AAS said. One way to identify a fake pair of eclipse glasses is if you notice the name of U.S. company American Paper Optics but no address, while American Paper Optics actual product includes both its name and address, which aligns with the ISO standard.

Given the prevalence of counterfeit items, AAS released a full list of vetted vendors where one can buy eclipse glasses. If a certain vendor does not appear, it does not mean that their products are not safe, AAS said. Sellers like Amazon, Walmart and Etsy could be selling legitimate eclipse glasses, but AAS may not have any of these or other sellers listed.

NASA has not endorsed any eclipse glasses or lens brands.

Among the quickest (and cheapest) ways to pick up a pair of glasses is by grabbing them at Walmart. Stores are selling Vision Scientific glasses for $1.84 if you stop by to shop in person. Another one of the quickest ways to buy eclipse glasses is through Amazon with Prime shipping.
Massachusetts might not have a complete view of the upcoming total solar eclipse, but Country Living recently suggested these New England spots you should check out on April 8.

On April 8, millions of Americans across 15 states along the path of totality should have a full view of the eclipse. The path starts off Mexicos western coast and slithers northeast through northern New England until pouring out of Newfoundland.

Weather permitting, Massachusetts should only have a partial view of the eclipse. Northward along the Canadian border, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine should all have a total view.

Vermont

Starting in Vermont, Lunenberg was listed as one of the locations with a great view, according to Country Living. A celebration in the town common will include interactive and photographic maple-sugaring displays, products from local sugarhouses, and all the maple cotton candy and sugar-on-snow you can eat.

Burlingtons ECHO Leahy Center at Lake Champlain will team up with the Vermont Astronomical Society for a day of educational programming and activities. Guests will receive eclipse glasses with event admission.

Country Living also named several ski areas hosting eclipse-viewing parties on Monday, including Sugarbush, Smugglers Notch and Jay Peak.

New Hampshire

All of Coos County at the northern end of New Hampshire should have a full view of the eclipse on Monday beginning at 3:28 p.m. At the southern end of the county, eclipse-watchers can head to Mount Washington Observatory for one of its educational programs during the weekend before the eclipse.

The Great North Woods region will experience totality, where visitors can also explore terrestrial adventures like exploring the states covered bridges, scenic bike paths and beautiful hikes, Country Living wrote.

Maine

Visitors of the last state to see the eclipse might have to head out to its more remote areas, Country Living said. However several small towns, including Houlton, Island Falls, and Rangeley, all plan to hold festivals The New England Outdoor Center will host a viewing party on Millinocket Lake.

Anyone traveling along Route 1 from Presque Isle will find parts of the largest three-dimensional scale model of the solar system in the western hemisphere, the Maine Solar System model.

Established by the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the northern Maine community, this model extends for nearly 100 miles along U.S. Route 1, from the Sun at UMPI to the dwarf planet Eris in Topsfield, according to the Maine Solar Systems website.
SPRINGFIELD  Two gun buyback programs are planned for Western Massachusetts in the coming weeks, allowing area residents to dispose of firearms that are no longer needed and could be used for nefarious purposes.

On Saturday, April 6, Hampden County gun owners who want to get rid of their firearms safely can bring them to the Raymond M. Sullivan Safety Complex at 1212 Carew St. in Springfield. Guns will be accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Springfield buyback is a partnership between the Hampden County District Attorneys Office, Baystate Health, the Springfield Fire Department and Baystate Healths Family Advocacy Center.
Apex Group has become the first transfer agent and fund service provider to administer regulated securities, using blockchain as the book of record.

This ground-breaking approach enables global private market funds to access a more diverse and significantly larger pool of qualified investors.

In partnership with Hamilton Lane and Sygnum Bank, Apex Group created a new digital share class of the Hamilton Lane GPA fund, and a DLT registry, to automate and integrate traditionally separate fund administration functions. Tokenisation of the fund creates a digital share class, and a DLT registry to manage its distribution and administration.

Apex Group is regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg, to manage investor onboarding (AML/KYC), subscription, administration, and transfer agency of a funds traditional, and now digital share classes. Apex Group will increasingly utilise this operating model for all of its asset management clientele, in turn enabling them to sell more of their product.

Peter Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of Apex Group, said:

This is a game-changer for Apex Group, and the industry as a whole. We are focused on disrupting traditional practices in order to drive positive change throughout the financial services sector and this is an example of optimising technology for industry advancement.

Bruce Jackson, CFA, Apex Group Chief of Digital Asset Funds and Business also commented:

Our goal is to enable distributors and wealth managers to have increased access to our clients alternative strategies. We will continue to perfect our Framework Operating Model for the distribution of alternative asset funds using blockchain as the subscription, onboarding, operating, administration, and transfer agency platform.
Four months after the announcement of a new TAIEX mission, 50 staffs from IJLS and Police Prosecution in Mauritius (including Rodrigues) participated in the first training session on gender-based violence (GBV) organised as part of the European Union TAIEX initiative.

The training organised in Mauritius from 2 to 4 April was facilitated by three experts from Belgium and the Netherlands as well as by several local experts who have shared local challenges and solutions.

The Honourable Ms Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare stated :

Mauritius has ratified different international treaties to show our commitment to end violence against women and to provide equal rights to everyone. Our country became a signatory to the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2008. Adopted by the United Nations in 1979, CEDAW has become the most important human rights treaty for women. Having signed this convention, Mauritius is legally obliged, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in all areas of life and to ensure womens full development and progress so they can exercise and enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms as men. While working towards the achievement of Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Government hopes to achieve sustainable as well as substantive gender equality for a better world for the next generation. Every state has the responsibility and obligation to address violence against women. In January 2020, the High Level Committee on the Elimination of Gender Based Violence, under the chairpersonship of the Honourable Prime Minister was established with a view to address existing gaps at the legislative, institutional and operational levels. Subsequently, the National Strategy and Action Plan of the High Level Committee on the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence in the Republic of Mauritius was also launched in November 2020. The key elements of the National Strategy revolve around having a shared understanding of the nature and extent of GBV in Mauritius, the commitment of multiple stakeholders, strengthening of the existing legislative and policy framework, capacity building of stakeholders; and a strong monitoring and evaluation mechanism. Since 2021, my Ministry has benefitted from the assistance of the European Union, through the TAIEX, in addressing gender-based violence. In 2022, we successfully conducted a colloquium on gender-based violence, where experts from Belgium, Netherlands and France shared their experience and best practices in addressing gender-based violence. In line with the Sub-strategy 2 and 3 of the National Strategy and Action Plan, there is a need to engage the support of key stakeholders in all spheres to address this social scourge. Magistrates and Prosecutors are considered a crucial part in this machinery to address GBV. In this respect, my Ministry requested the Technical assistance of EU through TAIEX for 3 days capacity building programmes for Prosecutors, Police Officers, Officers from the Brigade pour la Protection de la Famille, Barristers from the Mauritius Bar Association and Institute for Judicial and Legal Services in order to more effectively implement the established standards for protection and institutional practices for prevention of and counteraction to domestic violence cases. The State Law Officers from the Attorney Generals Office also participated in the workshop with a special focus on Specialised Courts for GBV; dealing with digital evidence in GBV cases and identifying barriers in the legal system. While focusing on a victim-centred approach and to improve the institutional cooperation in preventing and combating the said forms of violence, my Ministry is envisaging to work in close collaboration with the European Family Justice Center Alliance (EFJCA) which is a legal entity and the officially recognised network of the Family Justice Centers and affiliated multi-agency models in Europe.

According to H.E. Mr Oskar Benedikt, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius:

The EU is committed to support Mauritian efforts to combat all forms of gender based violence. Our goal is very clear: to end all forms of violence against women and girls. We owe it to all the victims. We reaffirm once more today  by mobilising eminent gender experts from our Member States in a Team Europe approach  our joint commitment with the Government of Mauritius to fight violence against women and girls.

50 participants, including members of the Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies (IJLS), Attorney Generals Office, Police Prosecution, Police Force (Mauritius and Rodrigues) and representatives from the Family Welfare and Protection Unit (Mauritius and Rodrigues) and Brigade Pour la Protection De la Famille participated actively in the 3-day workshop.

The objectives of the workshop are to :

 improve judicial response from Magistrates and actors of the Justice System

 deepen legal understanding

 prioritise survivor-centric approaches

 foster collaborative synergy

 reinforce public confidence.

The workshop included a specific working session with barristers at the seat of the Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies of Mauritius (IJLS) on i) developing Strategies for Improving the Judicial Response to Domestic Violence and ii) trauma-Informed Judicial Approaches.

Several sessions were facilitated by local experts who shared the local challenges and solutions.

International experts facilitated several sessions including on Dealing with Digital Evidence in GBV Cases and Prosecutorial Strategies in GBV Cases.

The workshop also provided several opportunities for local experts and international experts to interact, notably on strategies for effective coordination between police, prosecutors and support services.

The new technical assistance mission of experts from selected EU Member States (as part of the TAIEX  Technical Assistance and Information Exchange  instrument, an EU instrument for mobilisation of expertise) was jointly announced in November 2023 by the Minister and the Ambassador.

The experts were in Mauritius in November 2022 for a 3-day colloquium on Gender-Based Violence to contribute to the revision of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act. At the request of the AGO Office, these Public officials from Belgium and Netherlands are being mobilised once again to provide this dedicated training to magistrates on GBV cases.

Other training sessions will follow during the year with the arrival of a long-term gender expert as from May 2024.
Channel 4 News International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, who has covered conflicts around the world, will be one of the main speakers at this year's Heinrich Boll Memorial Weekend on Achill Island.

The Annual Heinrich Boll Memorial Weekend takes place on Achill Island from May 3 to 5 with an array of international panel of writers and speakers lined up to take part over the May Bank Holiday Weekend.

One of the highlights of the weekend will be a talk by Lindsey Hilsum, the International Editor with Channel 4 News entitled 'The Bulwark of Freedom: Reporting today's wars'.

Lindsey Hilsum has covered the major conflicts including the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2011, she reported the uprisings in Egypt and Bahrain, as well as Libya. She has also reported extensively from Iran and Zimbabwe, and was Channel 4 News China Correspondent from 2006 to 2008.

During the 2004 US assault on Falluja in Iraq, she was embedded with a frontline marine unit, and in 1994, she was the only English-speaking foreign correspondent in Rwanda when the genocide began. Before becoming a journalist, she was an aid worker, first in Latin America and then in Africa.

The event opens on Friday, May 3 at St Thomas' Hall, Dugort, with guest speaker Mr Christian Resch, Deputy Head of Mission of German Embassy who will also present the School Essays prizes to students from Colaiste Pobail Acla.

Former Minister for the Environment and Green Party Leader, John Gormley will also be among the speakers over the weekend along with poet Ann Walsh Donnelly.

The TG4 film Caillte san Ucrain (Lost in Ukraine) which investigates the story of Achill Island native, Finbar Cafferkey, who died on the frontline in Ukraine in 2023 will also be shown.

On Saturday evening, May 4 at St Thomass Church Durgot  writers from Russia, Ukraine and Germany will read from recent works and this will be chaired by Dr Gisela Holfter of the University of Limerick.

There will also be a guided tour of the Valley and Dooniver by Micheal O Briain who is passionate about nature and its conservation in Ireland while Eoin Halpin will give a guided walk of 'Carrowgarve, the other deserted village' located close to the Atlantic Drive near Ashleam.

More information on the Heinrich Boll Memorial Weekend is available on the website http://heinrichboellcottage.com.
Five young Mayo people were amongst over 160 delegates from Comhairle na nOg (local youth councils) across Ireland gathered in Dail Eireann to debate the critical issue of mental health.

Mental health was identified as the priority issue for discussion in advance of the day, which they feel that the Government should do more to address.

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic OGorman, thanked the Ceann Comhairle and the Houses of the Oireachtas citizen engagement team for working with his department to make Dail na nOg 2024 happen.

I know that Minister Foley and her officials have engaged very positively with the outgoing National Executive on their topic of relationships and sexuality education.

The incoming National Executive will work on this issue over their two-year term, and the support of Minister Butler and officials in the Department of Health will be a critical element in the impact they can have, said Mr OGorman.

Dail na nOg, Irelands National Youth Parliament, now in its twenty-second year, tackled a range of issues related to mental health, including body image, school stress, and mental health services.

North Mayo TY student, Sinead Murray, was chosen as one of Mayo Comhairle na nOg/Youth Council representatives to sit at this week's assembly.

Speaking to The Mayo News, she said: It was such an amazing feeling, I was nominated because I was Mayo Comhairle na nOgs previous national executive so for me anyway it was a way we got to display our work over the past two years, so it was just such a sweet and amazing thing that we were able to do said Sinead.

At the assembly, Sinead spoke about how poor the services around mental health in rural Ireland.

I was lucky enough in the Dail chamber to bring up a point about mental health services in rural Ireland and how they're lacking, which was just the most surreal experience on earth, I never thought, especially at my age, to be able to do that, she shared.

The biennial parliament, which provides a platform for young people to speak about and make recommendations on the issues that most affect them, was hosted by the Ceann Comhairle, Sean O Fearghail, who chaired the Opening Session in the Dail Chamber.

Previous themes of Dail na nOg have included equality, climate action, education, and transport. 2022s delegation voted for A more inclusive Relationships and Sexuality Education' as the priority topic.

To progress this, the National Executive 2022-2024 contributed their views to two National Council for Curriculum and Assessment submissions, attended round table discussions hosted by the NCCA on the content, and conducted surveys with Comhairle na nOg members.

They have also invited and taken part in discussions with relevant experts in the field from the Department of Education, Dublin City University, the Health Promotion Research Centre and the World Health Organisation. They have made a proposal to the Department of Education, who welcomed their work and committed to consider ways in which to implement their recommendations.

Chairing the debate, Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail, called the young people gathered in the chamber a powerful force for change.

At a time when parts of the world are in turmoil with war, hunger and the devastation of climate change, it is you who hold the keys to your own future. Your discussions today on the themes of Mental Health, Body Image and School Stress will evoke thoughts and compassion for your peers and colleagues.

If there is one thing I would encourage you to do in this Chamber today, it is to listen completely. When you listen, you play one part of the conversation. The golden rule of being a good speaker is to be a good listener, he said.

In her closing remarks to delegates, Minister of State for Mental Health & Older People Mary Butler said she was really pleased to listen and engage with 160 articulate young people across all 31 Comhairle na nOg.

The voice of younger people must be heard and listened to, particularly on issues such as youth mental health. I want to thank each and every one of these young people for the valuable contributions they are making to society. As advocates representing young people across Ireland, I have heard your voices today and I share your vision for improvement and progress, especially in relation to signposting services that are available for young people to support their emotional wellbeing and to support positive mental health.

I am familiar with the fantastic work that Comhairle na nOg do. Our young people are the future leaders, and it is great to see them here in the Dail chamber today discussing such an important topic, she concluded.
Mayo man and MS Ireland senior fundraiser, Shane Bennett, has launched the May 50K fitness challenge at the MS Ireland Care Centre in Dublin.

The Castlebar man helped launch the fundraising challenge this week at the care, which is Irelands only national respite centre for people with MS.

MS Ireland is calling on participants of all ages and abilities to take up the month-long challenge in May in the run-up to World MS Day on May 30.

28-year-old Shane Bennett was diagnosed with relapse-remitting Multiple Sclerosis at age 21 while studying in Galway.

Upon diagnosis, I felt very much robbed of my future and to take back some control over my youth, I moved to Amsterdam 6 years ago,

During my time in Holland, my MS grew, and I found myself in a difficult journey to tame my MS. Luckily for me, a move to the right medication transformed my life. Once I felt in control of my MS my life flourished, so much so, I felt a calling to move home and pursue a career with MS Ireland, he said.

The May 50K is a global fitness and fundraising challenge to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research worldwide.

Money raised will help fund a variety of different information, support, advocacy, and services on a national and regional level, including the national MS care centre.

The premise is simple, walk, roll, or run 50 kilometres during the month of May in return for sponsorship. You can take part on your own, create a family team, or get your workplace involved.

The event is virtual, meaning you can take part from anywhere you may be.

Commenting on the upcoming challenge, Shane explained he is both managing and taking part.

Im building a team of friends and family from Mayo to take part with me. The interest is growing, and my close circle wants to make a difference in supporting MS Ireland on a national, regional and local level, he added.

MS Ireland works to support over 10,000 people living with MS in Ireland, and by taking part in the challenge will make a real impact on the lives of people with MS from all over Ireland.

Shane said: Every step you take, every kilometre you clock, helps people get access to the treatment they need today and provide vital funding for international research into MS. 30% of all funds raised go towards funding life-changing MS research and 70% goes to local services and supports in Ireland.

Encouraging as many people as possible to take part in the challenge, he explained that not only will taking part in this challenge help support the vital services provided by MS Ireland, but from a health viewpoint it will also really benefit those taking part.

For more information, and to register for the fundraiser, see the Mayo 50K website.
Local woodwork designer Ed Forristal of Forristal Woodwork outside Westport has taken part in Design & Crafts Council Ireland's (DCCIs) Made Local campaign.

Each piece of work is handmade by Ed in his Mayo workshop, using a blend of modern machinery for the milling process and traditional hand tools for joinery and finishing.

DCCIs Made Local initiative highlights the originality, quality and value of Irish designed and craft-made products.

It is a reminder to people that buying locally produced, well-crafted products is much more meaningful, sustainable, and impactful.

Made Local encourages consumers to consider their purchases carefully and make mindful buying decisions in choosing beautiful, high quality, sustainable products from designers and craft makers in Ireland.

96 percent of Made Local businesses have said they found the campaign positive, with 87 percent noticing a beneficial impact on sales.

Woodworker Ed Forristal at his workshop

Forristal Woodwork believes in the importance of long-lasting, handbuilt, quality furniture.

Mr Forristal takes the living material and embraces it by incorporating live, waney edges into his pieces, and as a result, each piece will vary and be unique depending on the character of the wood.

For a full list of Irish craft and design makers and retailers participating in Made Local 2024, visit DCCIs online directory where consumers can search for makers and the products they want, by location.
by Fern Siegel , April 5, 2024

Colgate believes every smile is beautiful, whatever size or shape.

To prove it, the company launched My Smile is My Superpower campaign, which includes the music video The Beauty of Gaps, produced by Alfred Marroquin.

Creative agency VML is responsible for the campaign.

Colgate launched a Smile survey by Censuswide in January to explore attitudes about smiles among Gen Z. It found nearly 65% of the participants felt pressured to have a perfect smile, negatively impacting their confidence. More than 85% wanted to change their smile.

To combat anxiety, the company also enlisted celebrity talent, such as actress Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black") and Myhala Herrold (Leave the World Behind), to spread its upbeat message.

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Smile runs on streaming TV, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitch. OOH work in New York City reaches consumers on subway liveboards, LinkNYC screens and handpaint placements in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to connect with Gen Z.

Fred Saldanha, global chief creative officer, Colgate-Palmolive, VML, said: Advertising tends to reflect society, but in this case, we knew we had to bring a different point of view. That gap between the teeth, besides being a genuine and contagious smile, also helps you whistle like nobody else. Not to mention how incredible it was to see how all these young people who participated in the campaign and instinctively put on their pop-star cape.

Colgateis also committed to reaching 250,000 kids with smile confidence resources by the end of 2024 through its Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program.
by Colin Kirkland , April 4, 2024

In the midst of a rough business year for Snapchat, the social media company is attempting to deepen bonds with its most dedicated advertising partners.

A new Advanced Partner Program offers participating agencies an exclusive badge and curated package of exclusive educational and business opportunities including personalized training sessions and campaign enhancement tools.

Snap says badged partners will receive unique benefits throughout the year, as it tries to help its partners buy, manage, and measure on Snapchat while providing features meant to simplify collaboration and organization management for advertisers and their clients.

According to a statement a Snap spokesperson sent to MediaPost, some of these new features are available now, including bulk invoice downloads, campaign management, and improvements to member invites and cross-organization asset sharing.

A handful of independent agency partners have already been invited to test out Snap's new offerings, like VaynerMedia, Wpromote, Horizon Media, Rise, Kepler, PMG, Tinuiti, Gale, as well as authorized sales partners, media agencies, marketing partners, AR production partners, and measurement partners.

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Snap is currently working on expanding the program and attracting its largest global partners to become involved but hasnt yet provided details on which ad partners can become eligible

Snap's attempt at stoking excitement among its ad partners comes during significant business hurdles. Over the past two years, the company has gotten rid of 2,000 staff members, reporting slowing user growth in key markets, continuing revenue decline, and the end to Snap Originals programming and its third-party AR-development platform.
by Ray Schultz , April 4, 2024

Newspapers published by Southwest News Media will cease operation later this month, the company announced on Thursday.

The Chaska Herald, Chanhassen Villager and Jordan Independent will appear for the final time on April 25.

The Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American, Savage Pacer and Southwest Saturday will follow on Saturday, April 27.

In addition, publishing of sister newspapers in Hutchinson and Litchfield will end the last week in April and services provided by its affiliate printing plant, Crow River Press, will also cease.

The Shakopee Valley News and Chaska Herald have been publishing for more than 160 years and the Jordan Independent for 140.

Newspapers have been challenged by changing consumption habits, with advertising moving from print publications to digital channels such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, the company notes.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic hurt publishers, with ad revenue falling from 25% to 50% for newspaper businesses.

MediaNews Group, a Denver-based media company that owns Saint Paul Pioneer Press, acquired Southwest News Media and Crow River Media in 2020.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, April 4, 2024

The Federal Communications Commission made clear on Thursday that after it restores the Obama-era net neutrality laws, it intends to issue new broadband privacy rules.

Broadband providers are situated to collect vast swaths of sensitive information about their customers, including personal information, financial information, precise location information, and information regarding their online activity, the FCC says in its proposed declaratory ruling and order on net neutrality.

That ability justifies new privacy regulations, the FCC says in its proposed net neutrality order, which is expected to be approved on April 25.

The agency adds it is concerned that without new rules, internet service providers have minimal incentive to adopt adequate administrative, technical, physical, and procedural safeguards to protect their customers data from improper or excessive uses by providers themselves, or from further disclosure and misuse by third parties.

The proposed net neutrality order reclassifies broadband as a telecommunications service, regulated under Title II of the Communications Act, and reinstates the Obama-era regulations -- including bans on blocking or throttling traffic and from creating paid fast lanes. Categorizing broadband as a telecommunications service also will allow the FCC to also craft new privacy rules.

The agency hasn't said what specific regulations it's likely to issue, but FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has repeatedly suggested that carriers shouldn't be allowed to sell customers' geolocation data. She also voted in 2016 to approve rules prohibiting internet service providers from harnessing data about subscribers' web activity and app usage for ad targeting. (Those rules were repealed by Congress the following year.)

The broadband industry opposed those 2016 rules, arguing to the FCC that internet service providers shouldn't be subject to more restrictive privacy standards than Google, Facebook or other online companies.

Business organizations, including the ad industry coalition Privacy for America, recently reiterated those arguments. That group wrote in a December FCC filing that broadband-only privacy requirements would result in inconsistent privacy rules that would be difficult for consumers to understand.

The wireless industry trade group CTIA also argued to the FCC in December that broadband privacy rules could lead to consumer confusion.

The FCC rejects those contentions in its proposed order, which essentially says there is no evidence that consumers view internet service providers the same way they view applications like Google Maps, YouTube, or TikTok.
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, April 4, 2024

It was about a month ago that the Lincoln Project issued a statement about what it called No Labels idiotic decision to continue looking for a slate of candidates to put up in Novembers presidential election.

Well idiotic or not, the so-called unity group announced today an about face, abandoning the effort to put up a ticket. Apparently it couldnt find anyone with an iota of credibility to accept the challenge.

The LP statement concluded that A vote for No Labels is a vote for Donald Trump. Nancy Jacobson and Mark Penns plan is clear: help Donald Trump win a second term.

advertisement advertisement Nancy Jacobson is CEO of No Labels and her husband Mark Penn is founder and CEO of Stagwell, the advertising and marketing holding group. It does market research and political polling through its subsidiary Harris Poll.

Penn has denied any and all connection to his wifes organization real or imagined, as he told the New Republic last summer. That didnt stop the publication from talking to a number of democrats who were a bit skeptical.

Democratic strategist Joe Trippi suggested that No Labels conclusion that its potential ticket could have a chance at winning was based on a Harris poll that it could win Bidens home state of Delaware.

And whats it all based on? Trippi was quoted as saying. Its all based on the polling and the interviews of Mark Penn. Thats it. Other than that, theres no other polls that show this. None.

The article also reports that Penn has opined, based on Harris polls that Trump would beat Biden in a rematch given the state of the economy, immigration and crime.

Hmmm, I thought the economy was doing relatively well, despite all the doom-and-gloomers who have been predicting a recession for the last two years.

Despite problems at the border, immigration isnt the blood bath that Trump claims it to be.

And while Trump said the other day that crime statistics are going up in this country, preliminary FBI statistics for 2023 suggest otherwise.
Troops at Colorado Space Force Base Will Have to Bring Their Own To-Go Boxes for Dining Hall

While the initiative is aimed at reducing waste on base, the spokesperson added that they hope it will give troops on base...
The Navy has relieved the commanding officer of its only command in South America, a statement released by the service announced Friday.

Capt. Abigail Yablonsky Marter, the commander of the Naval Medical Research Unit South, was relieved by Capt. Franca Jones, the commander of the Naval Medical Research Command, "due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command."

According to its website, NAMRU South operates at the Peruvian Navy's "flagship hospital base" in Callao, Peru, as well as a naval clinic in Iquitos, "at the invitation of the Peruvian Navy to address shared health science research interests."

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The command also runs a small laboratory located at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras.

Marter is at least the sixth firing of a Navy commanding officer in 2024.

Navy officials have previously said the sea service relieved 15 commanding officers in 2023. There are currently around 1,600 commanding officers in the active-duty Navy across all communities.

The Navy's statement did not offer any more information about why Marter was removed from leadership, outside of the boilerplate "loss of confidence" remark.

A Navy official told Military.com that the relief was "performance related" and not tied to her conduct or behavior -- terms the Navy typically uses to describe commanders being relieved for behavior such as drunk driving.

According to a now-removed biography, Marter's Navy career began in 1996 as a labor and delivery nurse at Naval Medical Center San Diego. She also served at hospitals in Japan and Virginia. She went on to earn a master's degree in 2007 and a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Virginia in 2015.

Prior to taking command of NAMRU South in July 2023, Marter was the deputy commander of the Naval Medical Research Command, where she oversaw eight research commands and more than 1,300 staffers.

The biography says that she is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. Her awards include two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

The Navy's statement said that Cmdr. Michael Prouty will stand in as the acting commanding officer until a permanent replacement is named. Meanwhile, Marter will be temporarily reassigned to Naval Medical Research Command.

Related: Fired Navy Sub Skipper Was Arrested for Driving Drunk, 3rd Commander Relieved After Alcohol Incident This Year
COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A series of scandals has blighted Denmark's Armed Forces at a time when the Scandinavian country and member of the NATO alliance is building up its defenses, chiefly as a response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The events have so far led to the dismissal this week of Denmarks top military chief, Gen. Flemming Lentfer, who failed to inform the defense minister about an incident on the frigate HDMS Iver Huitfeldt last month while deployed to the Red Sea, where it was part of a U.S.-led operation to defend commercial shipping against Houthi militants.

On Thursday, a technical error onboard its sister ship, the frigate HDMS Niels Juel that was docked in a Danish harbor, led to the air space and maritime route being briefly closed due to fears a navy missile might launch unintentionally  but not explode  and send fragments falling into the busy shipping lane between the islands of Zeeland, where Copenhagen sits, and Funen.

The Iver Huitfeldt, which returned from its Red Sea mission on Thursday, ahead of schedule, reportedly experienced a half-hour long malfunction of its missile and radar systems during a drone attack on March 9, according to the specialist defense news website Olfi.

I have lost trust in the chief of defense, the defense minister said briefly without elaborating why he fired Lentfer on Wednesday. Maj. Gen Michael Hyldgaard was appointed as his replacement.

The firing of Lentner was the culmination of so many years of deep crisis, Martin Krasnik, the editor-in-chief of the weekly Weekendavisen wrote Friday. The pitiful state of defense management, the unclear division of roles and, to a particular extent, political irresponsibility have led to the fact that Denmark has no defense today. We cannot defend a meager frigate, and we cannot contribute meaningfully to NATOs defense.

Peter Viggo Jakobsen, an associate professor with the Royal Danish Defense College, agreed with Krasnik that there are many problems in Danish defense, chiefly because spending was reduced in 2012 and Denmark has been very slow at coming up again.

It starts to show now. We will see breakdowns more and more often, Jakobsen told The Associated Press.

Olfi cited a leaked document written by the commander of the Iver Huitfeldt that the problem with the missile and radar systems had been known for years. The frigate eventually fended off the attack by the Iran-backed Houthis, shooting down four drones with guns.

Danish media have reported that Denmarks military intelligence service was asked to investigate the leak to the press of confidential information in the case of the Iver Huitfeldt.

In addition, staff have been leaving the Danish Armed Forces more quickly than they can be replaced, some for poor pay, while military facilities in a shabby and dilapidated state, soldiers and their unions have said for years.

In August, the defense minister at the time dismissed his top aide after criticism over the handling of the purchase of artillery from Israel. The equipment was to replace much of Denmark's own weapon systems that had been donated to Ukraine.

On May 30, Denmarks centrist government said it wants to invest some 143 billion kroner ($20.6 billion) in the countrys defense over the next decade, citing a serious threat picture, and an ambition to reach NATOs target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on military budgets by 2030. Last month, the government announced it wants to increase the number of young people doing military service by extending conscription to women and increasing the time of service from 4 months to 11 months for both genders.

Denmark, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, has donated a total of 33.3 billion kroner (nearly $5 billion) in military aid to Kyiv since Russias invasion in 2022. The Danish donations include part of its fleet of aging F-16 jets.

Danish lawmakers have strongly prioritized Ukraine and not the Danish defense, Jakobsen said.
Department of Veterans Affairs prescriptions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, should be made tougher to obtain in the future, according to a new report by the VA inspector general.

The inspector general found that VA providers aren't always documenting patient assessments before prescribing the stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD, such as brand-name drugs Adderall and Ritalin. In some cases, they are relying on the patient's self-reporting without even conducting an assessment.

For veterans, there is a high risk of abuse and addiction to the prescribed drugs. Stimulants such as those used to treat ADHD are classified by the Food and Drug Administration as Schedule II drugs -- the same category as fentanyl and oxycodone -- and are tightly regulated and not recommended for patients who struggle with alcohol or substance abuse.

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The inspector general -- the agency's independent watchdog -- recommended that VA primary-care providers refer patients who may need ADHD medications to mental health providers before writing prescriptions, as well as checking for other conditions that could be confused with ADHD symptoms.

There's no genetic or biological testing available for ADHD, meaning a medical provider's assessment is the only method for diagnosis.

Within the VA's health care system, the number of patients with an ADHD diagnosis increased almost 60% from 2018 to 2022, from almost 70,000 patients to nearly 111,300.

During the same period, VA stimulant prescription rates for ADHD patients jumped 53%, from almost 41,000 to nearly 62,500.

According to the Mayo Clinic, adult ADHD symptoms start in childhood and can include problems such as difficulty paying attention and impulsive behavior. It can contribute to challenges at work and in relationships.

Troops may have higher rates of ADHD compared to their civilian counterparts, though military service can be a benefit for those with ADHD, since rigid structure and routine exercise can help stave off symptoms (so can caffeine).

Many vets who receive an ADHD medication also often have other pre-existing conditions, such as anxiety or depression, according to a 2020 study of ADHD medication prescription practices in a Kentucky VA health care region. Symptoms of anxiety and depression can be mistaken for ADHD.

That same study also noted a trend of stimulant prescribing inconsistencies; the practice of "prescriber-hopping," in which patients get the same medications from multiple providers; and unsupported ADHD diagnoses. In many cases, patients use the stimulants for off-label uses such as weight loss, depression treatment and performance enhancement.

Military recruits with recent documented histories of ADHD are still largely barred from enlisting, thanks to the complicated rollout of the MHS Genesis medical records system, which has unnecessarily flagged some recruits for childhood conditions such as ADHD.

The recommendation to tighten stimulant prescriptions within the VA also comes as the U.S. has entered the second year of shortages for ADHD medications caused by supply chain and manufacturing issues. As the supply for ADHD medications has decreased, the nationwide demand has ballooned, leaving many patients without reliable access to the drugs.

Related: 250,000 VA Patients Are at Risk of Receiving Wrong Medication Due to Electronic Health Records Issue
Katz's Delicatessen is known for many things. It's New York City's oldest operating deli, it's where Meg Ryan famously stunned Billy Crystal (and everyone else present) in the beloved romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally," and it'll make a pastrami sandwich so surprisingly large, you'll wish you had brought a friend to share it with. The price tag might shock new visitors to Manhattan's Lower East Side, but those visitors are getting the highest-quality meat, prepared in the old-world style, a method of curing and preservation that dates back centuries.

"Listen, it's a classic. It's the way deli was traditionally," Jake Dell, a member of the Dell family that now owns Katz's, recently told Military.com. "It's a snapshot in time, dating back to the late 1800s -- a food tradition that you don't see everywhere. We're really proud to uphold those traditions, to do things the classic way and to make sure the food is some of the best you've ever had. You might've tried some new or fun variations of it and that's wonderful, but there's something special about the classic and the nostalgia of our place."

What visitors might also be surprised by is its decades-old promise to "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army." Signs with the saying adorn the walls, hang from the ceiling and are even on the backs of employee T-shirts. But it is more than just a slogan: Like everything at Katz's, it's part of a tradition, but this one dates back to World War II, when so many New Yorkers were away at war.

"At the time, the owners' three sons were serving in different branches, Air Force and Army primarily," said Dell. "Their mother was worried they weren't eating too well over there with the rations and so figured, 'Well, we got to send them some food.' So they figured out a way to send over some salamis, and yeah, it's a tradition we've been doing ever since."

And maybe some pastrami to your mother.

Katz's Delicatessen was founded in 1888 as "Iceland Brothers" by two brothers named Iceland. Willy Katz bought into the deli in 1903, and the name changed to "Iceland & Katz" until Willy's brother Benny came along and bought the brothers out. It's been called "Katz's Delicatessen" ever since. In April 1917, landlord Harry Tarowsky bought into the business. The slogan "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army" originated with his family during World War II, but has remained a staple of Katz's Deli, and spread well beyond Manhattan.

"It became pretty popular after an old skit with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis where they sing a song, 'Send a Salami, to your Boy in the Army'; there's a whole song and dance routine," Dell said. "And by the way, it rhymes if you say it like a true New Yorker: 'Salami/Army.' You wouldn't think so, but that's how we do it."

Some might wonder what's so enticing about getting a salami in a care package, but anyone who's eaten MREs three meals a day for weeks on end can absolutely tell you. At the very least, it's a welcome change; for many, it can be a literal godsend, especially during World War II, when an estimated 550,000 Jewish troops served at a time when the U.S. government wasn't exactly concerned with making sure those boys could eat kosher.

Jewish soldiers, even those raised kosher, changed the way they ate so they could fight the war, so far that "eating ham for Uncle Sam" became a mantra of the times. But when times were good, families could send something like a kosher salami to their boys overseas. Then, as now, a properly cured salami will make the trip, no matter how long it takes.

"It can last," Dell said. "These old-world preservation techniques, curing and smoking, go back centuries. You see it all over the world in different forms, and it's about taking a piece of food and making it last. Salami, and a lot of sausages in general, just really can withstand temperature changes, travel and things like that. So even if it does get lost and it gets there three, four, even five weeks later, it's still good to eat."

A photo dating back to World War II hanging on the wall of Katz's Deli in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Though Katz's (and many delis like it) helped ease hunger pangs and homesickness during World War II with their salamis, the tradition didn't stop there. Sending a salami to boys in the Army (and the Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps) continued through the rest of the country's overseas conflicts, and when the Dell family took over Katz's in 1988, they never thought about changing it.

"It's humbling as hell, that's for sure," Jake Dell says. "I mean, it's unbelievable. We have various letters up on the wall, dating back to Vietnam, from various people thanking us for salamis over the years. One of my managers is a Marine. One of my other managers was Army, and when he was serving in Iraq, we sent him care packages all the time. It's a great tradition and one that we're really proud of."

Katz's Deli can ship pretty much anything it sells in New York City to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. Corned beef can get to California, matzo ball soup to Miami and pastrami to Portland, Oregon. The deli can send everything you need to make the world's best Reuben sandwich as long as you're stateside, but as of right now, it can only ship salamis to overseas military bases.

"All we need is an APO or an FPO address," Dell says. "My father always said, Wherever there's a soldier, there's a salami.

To learn more about Katz's Delicatessen or place an order, visit the Katz's Deli website. To send a salami to your boy (or girl) in the Army (Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and probably even the Space Force), call at 212-254-2246 and make sure you have the APO/FPO address of the person deployed overseas.

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MOUNT CLEMENS, MI  What likely would have been a fatal fire had a happy ending this morning when three trash collectors jumped into action and saved a woman from her burning home, WXYZ Detroit reports.

Keeyon Beaty, Norberto Altman and Gary Whitcher, trash collectors for Priority Waste, were on their route Thursday morning when they noticed a burning home on Inches Street in Mount Clemens, the report said.

Whitcher called 911 as Beaty and Altman rushed over to the home, the report said. A 70-year-old woman was inside, and they were able to pull her out through a window. She did not go to the hospital and is expected to be OK.
Transportation agencies in Michigan are getting $194 million to expand and improve services in 2024.

The funds, announced Friday, April 5, by the Federal Transit Administration, can be used to support economic growth and improve equity through improvements to subways, light rail, buses, ferry systems and other public transit options.
Editors note: A story by the Associated Press initially said the pilots autopsy report said there was no known prescription for ketamine that had been issued to the pilot, and first responders said they did not use it on him while trying to resuscitate him. That information has since been updated by the Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP)  Authorities trying to determine whether drugs were involved in a fatal hot air balloon crash in Arizona released an amended autopsy report Friday stating an anesthetic was administered to the pilot by an air ambulance company while he was being transported to a hospital.

The Pinal County Medical Examiners Office said earlier this week that toxicology tests showed Cornelius van der Walt had a high amount of ketamine in his blood following the Jan. 14 fatal accident that killed him and three passengers, but did not specify how it got into his system or when.

The amended report released Friday answered the question, clarifying the ketamine was administered by the company that transported Van der Walt to a hospital.

The balloon operated by Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides plummeted about 2,000 feet (609 meters) to the desert floor south of Phoenix near Eloy.

Investigators do not yet know the cause of the crash.

Neither paramedics from the Eloy Fire Department nor the hospital staff administered the ketamine, according to the updated report, which had no other substantial changes.

While more clinics in recent years have offered ketamine as a treatment for pain, depression, anxiety and other conditions, the report noted there was no known ketamine prescription issued to van der Walt.

The report cited a study outside the U.S. that found amounts of ketamine  below the amount measured in van der Walts blood  have been indicative of impairment in drivers. Adverse reactions can include hallucinations, blurred vision, irrational behavior, nausea and seizures.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board earlier this year said there was damage near the top of the envelope where the sewn rim tape material was frayed, and several of the balloons panels were damaged. The envelope is what is filled with hot air, making the balloon rise.

Thirteen people were aboard the Kubicek BB 85 Z balloon when it took off in the morning from Eloy. Eight were skydivers who exited the gondola before the crash.

The skydivers jumped out at around 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). Witnesses said the balloon partially deflated and began to lose altitude quickly before a hard impact in an empty field that serves as a drop zone for skydivers.

Van der Walt, 37, and three passengers died, including 28-year-old Kaitlynn Katie Bartrom of Andrews, Indiana; 28-year-old Chayton Wiescholek of Union City, Michigan; and 24-year-old Atahan Kiliccote of Cupertino, California. Another woman was critically injured in the crash.

Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides notes on its website that it had a perfect safety record before the crash and has since halted operations at its only two sites in Eloy and Utah.
Political activist John Sinclair fires up the crowd during the annual Hash Bash on the Diag of the University of Michigan Diag in Ann Arbor on April 3, 2004. Thousands gathered for that years event to drum up support for marijuana. Lon Horwedel | The Ann Arbor NewsLon Horwedel | The Ann Arbor News
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  A 33-year-old man was given a $1 million bond for shooting another person in downtown Ann Arbor.

Joshua Ashden Dye, 33, is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and four firearms offenses for allegedly shooting a man who had attempted to intervene in his argument. He was arraigned Friday, April 5 before 14A-1 District Court Magistrate Elisha Fink.

All six charges are felonies. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

Dye allegedly shot a 23-year-old from Ypsilanti around 4:30 pm. March 24 in the 200 block of North Main Street in Ann Arbor, according to police. The man had attempted to intervene in an argument between Dye and someone else, police said.

The 23-year-old had attempted to leave the situation and was getting into his car when Dye shot him, Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Alyson Robbins said during the arraignment hearing.

The man was originally taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said. He has since been released, according to Chris Page, spokesperson for the Ann Arbor police.

Read more: Man, 23, in critical condition after he was shot in downtown Ann Arbor

The 23-year-old may not have survived had the incident not happened so close to the University of Michigan Hospital, Ann Arbor police Detective Brad Rougeau, said during the arraignment.

I do think Mr. Dye presents a significant risk to the community if he were out and about, Rougeau said.

This was an unprovoked violent incident with a firearm that happened on a Sunday afternoon in downtown Ann Arbor. There were numerous witnesses to this.

Dye has previous convictions for first-degree child abuse and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, Rougeau added. He is also currently on probation for a breaking and entering charge in the 15th District Court.

Fink said she believes Dye is both a flight risk and a danger to the community before setting his bond at $1 million.

Any person who is willing to use a firearm against another person in a situation where their own life is not in danger presents an ongoing danger to the community, Fink said.

Dye is currently being held in the Washtenaw County Jail. He is next set to appear in court on April 18

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page, the Ypsilanti-area news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.
ANN ARBOR, MI  The late poet and marijuana activist John Sinclair may be gone, but his memory is not forgotten.

And to be sure the story of how he helped inspire the start of Ann Arbors annual Hash Bash smoke fest in the 1970s isnt lost to history, organizer Jamie Lowell sat down with the former Ann Arborite to have him tell it one last time.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A Grand Rapids board approved a tax-incentive plan that would reimburse ICCF Community Homes $3 million for certain costs needed to transform a former school in the Alger Heights neighborhood into 27 income-restricted condos.

The Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, whose work focuses on the redevelopment of blighted, contaminated or functionally obsolete properties, approved the $3 million incentive plan on March 27. The project would transform the former Seymour Christian School, 2550 Eastern Ave. SE, into a two-story, 27-unit owner-occupied housing development reserved for low- and moderate-income residents.

The overall cost of the project is $13.6 million.

Now that the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority has approved the project, it heads to the Grand Rapids City Commission and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority for final approvals, said city of Grand Rapids spokesperson Steve Guitar.

Fourteen of the 27-units would be reserved for individuals earning up to 80% of Kent Countys area median income, city documents show. For a two-person household, that equates to an annual income of up to $64,480. Those units would sell for $175,000.

The remaining 13 units would be sold to residents earning up to 120% of the area median income. That translates to up to $96,720 for a two-person household. Those would sell for $230,000.

Under the projects brownfield plan, ICCF would be reimbursed $3 million for eligible activities such as demolition, site preparation and infrastructure improvements.

Part of that $3 million  $600,000  would be provided as an up-front loan. The rest would be reimbursed to ICCF through the citys brownfield program over a 23-year period.

Construction plans for the project indicate the existing Seymour Christian School building will be rehabilitated, and a second story would be added to the building, a city memo says. An additional 15,440-square-foot two-story addition would be added to the site, the memo states.

More on MLive:

5 spots offering free solar eclipse glasses around Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids nonprofit to support LGBTQ youth with $1.2M grant

Gun Lake Tribe gets $4M to add electric vehicles, install solar arrays
HOLLAND, MI  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin dredging Holland Harbor this weekend, starting with the outer harbor area.

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, said Friday, April 5, the work will see 31,000 cubic yards of sediment removed from the federal navigation channel.
MUSKEGON, MI -- Holland District Court Judge Bradley Knoll has been sentenced to four months of probation and ordered to complete an anger management course after he was charged with domestic violence.

Knoll, 72, confirmed in an email to MLive he was sentenced March 26 in Muskegon County District Court.
HILLSDALE, MI - A Hillsdale High School student was arrested Thursday for an alleged threat to the school made in a Snapchat post, police said.

An FBI tip was sent to the Michigan State Police Operations Center in Lansing about a Snapchat post threatening an unidentified local school, police said on April 4. The information was referred to the state polices Jackson post, which discovered the social media message originated in the Hillsdale area, police said.

Investigators identified the 15-year-old Hillsdale boy as a suspect, later finding him at Hillsdale High School and removing him from class, police said.

Further investigation revealed no immediate threat to the school, police said. The student was not allowed to return to class and remains in the Hillsdale Youth Home juvenile center, police said.

No classes were canceled, Hillsdale Community Schools officials said. A representative for Superintendent Shawn Vondra declined further comment.

The case is pending review by the Hillsdale County Prosecutors Office, police said.

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JACKSON, MI - Derry Petty has lived in his current apartment near Jacksons west side for nine years, and hes still learning new things about what it means to be a renter.

Petty, 50, was one of several Jackson-area residents to attend a tenant education event Thursday, April 4, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. Running just under an hour, the presentation was hosted by a cohort of students from the University of Michigan School of Nursing and covered topics ranging from safe pest control to negotiating repair schedules with landlords.
SAGINAW, MI  An early morning apartment fire in Saginaw has displaced three families and left several civilians with injuries.

About 2 a.m. on Friday, April 5, Saginaw firefighters were dispatched to a reported fire at a four-unit apartment building in the 2100 block of Weiss Street, according to Battalion Chief William McCarthy. They arrived to find fire visible from an upper-story unit.

All the residents managed to escape the building before firefighters arrived, McCarthy said.

Crews attacked the fire and kept it contained to the upper level. Smoke and water damage, however, affected the rest of the building, McCarthy said.

Firefighters cleared the scene at 3:55 a.m. Buena Vista crews provided mutual aid.

Three of the four apartments were occupied. Their units are not currently habitable, with the American Red Cross helping two of the families. The third displaced family is being helped by friends, McCarthy said.

Three people were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, McCarthy said.

What sparked the fire is unknown but that is being investigated.

As of Friday, Saginaw has recorded 37 structure fires so far this year. The city had 187 such fires throughout 2023.
MIDLAND, MI  Nearly 30 years ago, an 18-year-old woman was driving down a rural road in Midland County when her car broke down. A seeming good Samaritan soon pulled up and offered help to the stranded young woman.

She accepted his offer, and what followed was an experience straight out of a horror movie. The man posing as her helper took her to an isolated field and raped her before she managed to make a dash for freedom.

Though the woman immediately reported the assault, the investigation soon went cold. Decades on, DNA analysis led police to a suspect, who has now been ordered to spend up to 15 years in prison for the heinous crime he likely assumed hed gotten away with.

Yet through his attorney, 59-year-old rapist Douglas L. Weber asserted the crime was not indicative of his character as he asked his victims forgiveness. She, though, hoped for karma to repay him the humiliation and degradation she went through at his hands.

Weber on Thursday, April 4, appeared before Midland County Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct in December. In exchange, Midland County Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks dismissed a life offense of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and an unrelated charge of assaulting a jail employee.

Douglas L. Weber is led to jail after being sentenced on April 4, 2024, in Midland County Circuit Court for raping a woman in 1996.Cole Waterman

Per the plea, the parties agreed for Weber to spend at least five years in prison. Beale went through with the agreement, sentencing Weber to five to 15 years with credit for 519 days already served. He also ordered Weber to register as a sex offender.

Before Beale imposed sentence, a staff member from the prosecutors office read a statement written by Webers victim, now in her 40s.

Because of you, Ive been haunted by 27 years of nightmares, the victim wrote. Because of you, I have PTSD and flashbacks. Because of you, I no longer trust anybody. Because of you, I flinch when unexpectedly touched. Because of you, my self-esteem suffered and I let myself go. Because of you, I felt humiliation and was ashamed of myself. Because of you, Ive been suicidal for years. Because of you, I have panic and anxiety attacks.

Weber, wearing a medical mask over the lower half of his face, was ordered by Beale to face the person reading the letter.

I hope that karma finds you in prison with the same fear and humiliation, the womans letter concluded.

Defense counsel Richard L. Lee Jr. stated Weber asked him to state the 1996 rape is not representative of the type of person he is.

He has lack of similar criminal history, which indicates he may be telling the truth, Lee said. He believes this was a one-time incident.

Lee went on to say his client has suffered much, including the loss of his house, since his crime came to light.

He also wanted me to make a statement to the victim that hes very sorry for what he put her through, Lee continued. He understands what hes going through doesnt come close to what she went through.

Beale asked Weber if he had anything to say himself.

Um, just that Im sorry for what I put her through and I hope she can forgive me for it someday, he said. I ask for forgiveness for myself.

Prosecutor Brooks lauded Midland County Sheriffs Detective Brent Benzing for his investigation. He commended the victim on her steadfastness through the prosecution.

Just because this happened nearly 28 years ago doesnt take away from the seriousness of it, he said.

Case background

In the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 1996, the teenage woman was driving home when her car broke down in the area of North Stark and East Beamish roads in Larkin Township. Weber, whom she did not know, stopped and helped her push her vehicle off the road, then offered her a ride to her nearby home.

Instead of taking her home, the then-32-year-old Weber drove to a field in the area of Letts and Dublin roads and proceeded to sexually assault her. Weber then told his victim to get dressed and drove her back to Dublin Road.

Upon seeing the overhead emergency lights of a police vehicle, Weber stopped his car and the victim was able to get out and run away, prosecutors said. The victim ran to her home and immediately told her mother she had been raped, leading to police being called.

The victim then went to the MidMichigan Medical Center Emergency Room where she was treated and a rape evidence kit was collected.

No suspect was immediately identified.

The rape evidence kit remained in the Midland County Sheriffs Offices evidence room until 2016, when a project resourced by the State of Michigan made resources available to examine all untested rape kits. The evidence kit was outsourced to Sorenson Forensics, who was able to determine a full male suspect DNA profile.

That profile was then entered into the State of Michigan CODIS system in January 2018, though no suspect was identified. After further consultation with the Michigan State Police labs, Sheriffs Detective Brent Benzing arranged for a genetic genealogy DNA analysis with Parabon Nanolabs Inc.

Using data in the GEDMatch and FamilyTree DNA databases, which have special law enforcement programs, Parabon was able to build family trees that identified common ancestors between the distant matches and the unknown person-of-interest. Parabon then performed descendancy research, which ultimately led investigators to individuals with ties to the Midland area.

A kinship analysis was then undertaken to eliminate or identify potential suspects in the area. By process of elimination and further investigation into the most likely characteristics of the suspect, such as eye color, investigators identified Weber as a likely match.

Benzing on July 22, 2022, interviewed Weber at the Law Enforcement Center in Midland. During the interview, the detective collected a DNA buccal swab sample from Weber pursuant to a search warrant authorized by the court the day before.

This sample was analyzed by the MSP Crime Lab, resulting in a positive match between the evidence sample collected from the victim during her examination in 1996 and the DNA sample collected from Weber.

Prosecutors issued charges against Weber on Oct. 31, 2022, and police arrested him the next day.
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Membership can be used at over locations within the United States & over 800 locations worldwide  see a list of all US Costco locations here

Nontransferable and may NOT be combined with any other promotion

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Digital Costco Shop Card is not one-time use (dont have to spend all $20 at once)

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Roshn Group, the PIF-owned giga project real estate developer in Saudi Arabia, has signed an agreement with Google Cloud that seeks to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to transform methods of using data analysis, and optimise benefits.

The collaboration will see Saudi Arabia's leading real estate developer modernise its data architecture as part of its commitment to a data-driven decision-making approach, to leverage data with the aim of creating smarter, more sustainable communities, aligning with its broader digital transformation goals and Saudi Vision 2030.

At Roshn, we see technology as an enabler that can not only improve but transform everything we do for the benefit of our stakeholders, be they our employees, partners, or our residents, said Jayesh Maganlal, Group Chief Information and Digital Officer, Roshn Group.

We will explore how we can leverage Google Cloud to optimise our data architecture, and update data and services in real time through scalable, secure technologies.  TradeArabia News Service
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He reacted to a recent report by The Guardian which claimed that India carried out targeted assassinations in Pakistan, he asserted that India is not the India of the past and no longer spares anyone who bats an eyelid against it.

"India wants to maintain good ties with its neighbours, no matter what country it is. We have never ever attacked any country first or tried to occupy anyone's territory. But if someone keeps needling us, then we have had it," the defence minister asserted.

Earlier, the ministry of external affairs denied allegations made in the report that about India carrying out targeted assassinations in Pakistan.
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Nifty Realty top sectoral gainer, stocks rise up to 6% as RBI MPC leaves rates unchanged
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Santosh Nair is Executive Editor, Special Projects, Moneycontrol. He has been writing on the financial markets for over two decades, having previously worked with Business Standard, myiris.com, Crisil Market Wire and The Economic Times. He is also the author of the popular book on Indian markets, Bulls, Bears and Other Beasts.
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Weve heard a lot about problems in rural demand and one indicator that is often cited in this regard is stagnation in real rural wages. Companies, especially FMCG firms, have also complained about low rural demand. Recently, however, reports have been seen about a turnaround in rural consumption. This one , for instance, talks about rural demand improving on the back of construction and real estate activity. Some reports say that volume growth in rural markets

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Sanad, the global leader in aerospace engineering and leasing solutions, has announced a collaboration with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a leading US university specialising in aviation and aerospace, to commence its second cohort of the Sanad Future Leaders Program.

Aimed at honing the next generation of national leaders to drive the sustainable growth of aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO), the one-year programme will provide participants immersive and practical sessions both at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's campus in Florida, US, and in Abu Dhabi.

Under the partnership, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide will curate a leadership development programme for Sanad employees.

Eight candidates  two-thirds of which are females  demonstrating leadership skills in areas of human resources, engineering, operations and quality will enrol in this programme to gain skills crucial for serving global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and local and international airlines.

It will delve into subjects including project management, business communication, strategic development, and financial solutions.

This new phase underscores the continued commitment of Sanad, wholly owned by Abu Dhabis sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), to talent development, a statement said.

The new collaboration is expected to build on the success of the inaugural Sanad Future Leaders Program conducted in 2023 in partnership with a prominent European business school, which resulted in the graduation of five national employees in the aviation sector.

On completion of the programme, the participants will gain access to industry experiences and exposure to global best practices, which in turn will have the potential to elevate the expertise of Sanads aviation MRO expertise.

The second cohort announcement ceremony was attended by key stakeholders, including Ismail Ali Abdulla, Head of UAE Clusters at Mubadalas UAE Investments Platform; Mansoor Janahi, Managing Director and Group CEO of Sanad, Ebraheem Budebs, Group Head of Human Resources at Sanad, and Dr Maneesh Sharma, Dean of the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Janahi said: Our collaboration with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University signifies a pivotal step forward in nurturing talent and leadership within Abu Dhabi's aerospace industry.

This partnership drives innovation and excellence, essential for navigating the aviation sector's robust potential. Equipping and empowering our talent to seize opportunities and drive sustainable growth ensures we meet market demands while delivering service excellence.

Budebs said: The Sanad Future Leaders Program is pivotal for our workforce's professional growth, focusing on managerial and leadership skills.

Teaming up with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the second cohort elevates our technical staff, exposing them to global experts and integrating academic-practical knowledge for aviation leadership excellence.

John Watret, Chancellor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, said: Our collaboration with Sanad, a leading independent Aviation MRO company, reinforces our dedication to the future growth of aviation.

With the industry evolving rapidly, the Sanad Future Leaders Program plays a vital role in keeping Sanad's top talent agile and ready to lead in delivering outstanding service within the dynamic global aviation sector.

The Sanad Future Leaders Program was launched in August 2022 to develop Sanad's talent and future leaders by covering essential areas of leadership and management, providing insights into topics such as effective communication, project management, financial acumen, and data-driven decision-making.  TradeArabia News Service
Leon Guerrero vetoes bill on submission deadlines to OPA, other bills are now law
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Calaveras, CA To bolster economic growth and support underinvested small businesses, California has announced the launch of the Technical Assistance for Capital Readiness Program. This initiative, backed by $25.3 million in funding from the U.S. Treasurys State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), aims to provide critical support to businesses with 1-9 employees, small manufacturing companies, and businesses operated by owners from underserved communities.

The program, spearheaded by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, is designed to guide business owners through the loan process, assisting them in preparing loan applications and identifying the most suitable loan products. Additionally, it aims to enhance participants legal, accounting, and financial management skills, while increasing awareness of state-backed capital support programs.

By facilitating access to capital and offering essential guidance, this program seeks to empower Californias smallest and most vulnerable business owners, stated Kathryn Gallino, Calaveras Countys Economic and Community Development Director.

Business owners interested in benefiting from this initiative are encouraged to visit here for more information and to apply.
Yves here. This column warns that like it or not, geo-engineering, or what this piece calls climate engineering, is coming, like it or not. We are already seeing a failure to take anything other than marginal steps to reduce greenhouse gas output.

One example discussed below is dumping reflective particles into the high atmosphere. I would be much happier with the reflect more sunlight solution mentioned in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in the early 2000s, of painting all flat roofs and treating most/all roads with highly sun-reflective material like titanium dioxide. The advantage of treating surfaces is that would not be difficult to reverse. Spewing material into the atmosphere is an entirely different matter.

By Ben Kravitz, Assistant Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Indiana University and Tyler Felgenhauer, Research Scientist in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University. Originally published at The Conversation

The historic Paris climate agreement started a mantra from developing countries: 1.5 to stay alive. It refers to the international aim to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.8 Fahrenheit) compared with preindustrial times. But the world will lgeikely pass that threshold within a decade, and global warming is showing little sign of slowing.

The world is already facing natural disasters of epic proportions as temperatures rise. Heat records are routinely broken. Wildfire seasons are more extreme. Hurricane strength is increasing. Sea level rise is slowly submerging small island nations and coastal areas.

The only known method able to quickly arrest this temperature rise is climate engineering. (Its sometimes called geoengineering, sunlight reduction methods or solar climate intervention.) This is a set of proposed actions to deliberately alter the climate.

These actions include mimicking the cooling effects of large volcanic eruptions by putting large amounts of reflective particles in the atmosphere, or making low clouds over the ocean brighter. Both strategies would reflect a small amount of sunlight back to space to cool the planet.

There are many unanswered questions, however, about the effects of deliberately altering the climate, and there is no consensus about whether it is even a good idea to find out.

One of the largest concerns for many countries when it comes to climate change is national security. That doesnt just mean wars. Risks to food, energy and water supplies are national security issues, as is climate-induced migration.

Could climate engineering help reduce the national security risks of climate change, or would it make things worse? Answering that question is not simple, but researchers who study climate change and national security like we do have some idea of the risks ahead.

The Massive Problem of Climate Change

To understand what climate engineering might look like in the future, lets first talk about why a country might want to try it.

Since the industrial revolution, humans have put about 1.74 trillion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, largely by burning fossil fuels. That carbon dioxide traps heat, warming the planet.

One of the most important things we can do is to stop putting carbon into the atmosphere. But that wont make the situation better quickly, because carbon stays in the atmosphere for centuries. Reducing emissions will just keep things from getting worse.

Countries could pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and lock it away, a process called carbon dioxide removal. Right now, carbon dioxide removal projects, including growing trees and direct air capture devices, pull about 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per year.

However, humans are currently putting over 37 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually through fossil fuel use and industry. As long as the amount added is larger than the amount removed, droughts, floods, hurricanes, heat waves and sea level rise, among numerous other consequences of climate change, will keep getting worse.

It may take a long time to get to net-zero emissions, the point at which humans arent increasing greenhouse gasconcentrations in the atmosphere. Climate engineering might help in the interim.

Who Might Try Climate Engineering and How?

Various government research arms are already gaming out scenarios, looking at who might decide to carry out climate engineering and how.

Climate engineering is expected to be cheap relative to the cost of ending greenhouse gas emissions. But it would still cost billions of dollars and take years to develop and build a fleet of airplanes to carry megatons of reflective particles into the stratosphere each year. Any billionaire considering such a venture would run out of money quickly, despite what science fiction might suggest.

However, a single country or coalition of countries witnessing the harms of climate change could make a cost and geopolitical calculation and decide to begin climate engineering on its own.

This is the so-called free driver problem, meaning that one country of at least medium wealth could unilaterally affect the worlds climate.

For example, countries with increasingly dangerous heat waves may want to cause cooling, or countries that depend on monsoon precipitation may want to restore some dependability that climate change has disrupted. Australia is currently exploring the feasibility of rapidly cooling the Great Barrier Reef to prevent its demise.

Creating Risks for Neighbors Raises Conflict Alarm

The climate doesnt respect national borders. So, a climate engineering project in one country is likely to affect temperature and rainfall in neighboring countries. That could be good or bad for crops, water supplies and flood risk. It could also have widespread unintended consequences.

Some studies show that a moderate amount of climate engineering would likely have widespread benefits compared with climate change. But not every country would be affected in the same way.

Once climate engineering is deployed, countries may be more likely to blame climate engineering for extreme events such as hurricanes, floods and droughts, regardless of the evidence.

Climate engineering may spark conflicts among countries, leading to sanctions and demands for compensation. Climate change can leave the poorest regions most vulnerable to harm, and climate engineering should not exacerbate that harm. Some countries would benefit from climate engineering and thus be more resilient to geopolitical strife, and some would be harmed and thus left more vulnerable.

While small experiments have been carried out, nobody has conducted large-scale climate engineering yet. That means that a lot of information about its effects relies on climate models. But while these models are excellent tools for studying the climate system, theyre not good at answering questions about geopolitics and conflict. On top of that, the physical effects of climate engineering depend on who is doing it and what theyre doing.

Whats Next?

For now, there are more questions about climate engineering than answers. Its hard to say whether climate engineering would create more conflict, or if it could defuse international tensions by reducing climate change.

But international decisions on climate engineering are likely coming soon. At the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2024, African countries called for a moratorium on climate engineering, urging all precaution. Other nations, including the United States, pressed for a formal scientific group to study the risks and benefits before making any decisions.

Climate engineering could be part of an equitable solution to climate change. But it also carries risks. Put simply, climate engineering is a technology that cant be ignored, but more research is needed so policymakers can make informed decisions.
Prosecutors could theoretically seize phones and other relevant material from Commission offices or in other European countries, as they expand their criminal probe into the Pfizergate scandal.

As we warned in October last year, the walls may finally be closing in on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen even as the EU begins to mobilise its mass censorship regime for the upcoming EU elections. There was always a risk that von der Leyens candidacy for reelection would be over-shadowed by the multiple lawsuits she faces over the Pfizergate scandal. This may already be happening.

On Monday (April 1), Politico reported that EU prosecutors had taken over a Belgian criminal probe into alleged wrong-doing in connection with vaccine negotiations between von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla. That probe centres around alleged text messages between von der Leyen and Albert Bourla during preliminary negotiations for the EUs biggest vaccine deal that VdL has refused to disclose. As the article notes, the latest development comes at a delicate moment for the EUs chief, as she navigates the transition to what Brussels observers expect will be a second term at the head of the Berlaymont.

Breaking the Silence

With the exception of Politico, the story has been studiously ignored by the English-language legacy media. This should come as little surprise: as I reported in June 2023, the EUs COVID-19 vaccine procurement scandal has steadily grown despite deafening silence from the mainstream media. But the news has been covered by European outlets, including Germanys Berliner Zeitung and Focus magazine; Valeurs Actuelles and Atlantico in France, and La Repubblica, Il Sole 24 Ore, and Il Fatto Quotidiano in Italy. Lets begin with the Politico article:

Investigators from the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) have in recent months taken over from Belgian prosecutors investigating von der Leyen over interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest, according to legal documents seen by POLITICO and a spokesperson from the Liege prosecutors office. While EPPOs prosecutors are investigating alleged criminal offenses, no one has yet been charged in connection with the case. The probe was originally opened by Belgian judicial authorities in the city of Liege in early 2023 after a criminal complaint lodged by local lobbyist Frederic Baldan. He was later joined by the Hungarian and Polish governments  although the latter is in the process of withdrawing its complaint after the election win by a pro-EU government led by Donald Tusk, a Polish government spokesperson told POLITICO.

What the Politico article fails to mention is that Donald Tusk is a close ally of von der Leyens as well as a former president of the European Council (2014-19). Both Tusk and von der Leyen are members of the same centre-right European Peoples Party. Since returning to power in December, the VdL Commission has begun unblocking up to 137 billion in EU funds for Poland that had been frozen amid a standoff with Polands previous Law and Order government. In other words, Tusks offer to withdraw Polands complaint is no surprise. In short order, Poland will presumably be receiving a new consignment of millions of unwanted vaccines.

The criminal complaint lodged by Baldan in April 2023 accuses von der Leyen of interference in public functions, destruction of public documents and illegal conflicts of interests and corruption. The 35-year old Belgian lobbyist argues that the Belgian state suffered financially as a result of the EU Commissions 35 billion deal with Pfizer-BioNTech to buy up to 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Unsurprisingly, that turned out to be way more than the EU countries needed and many doses had to be destroyed or donated. According to Baldan, VdLs actions also constitute an attack on public morality, on the legitimate confidence of European citizens, on good administration and on transparency.

Pfizer-BioNTech vs Hungary and Poland

Hungary and Poland joined Baldans complaint after Pfizer and its German vaccine partner, BioNtech, announced they were suing both countries over their refusal to take delivery of millions more doses of their COVID-19 vaccines, many of which would end up getting destroyed months later. There have already been at least 4 billion worth of wasted vaccine doses in the EU. The Commissions vaccine contract with Pfizer has since been renegotiated, but Hungarys Orban government and the former Law and Order government of Poland still refused to take delivery of more vaccines.

As we noted at the time, Pfizer and BioNtechs subsequent lawsuits were particularly egregious even by the normal standards of investor-state dispute settlements (ISDS):

Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccines are in much lower demand in Europe, as just about everywhere else, for a good reason: they have proven to be not nearly as safe nor as effective as their manufacturers had originally claimed Whats more, the EUs purchases of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are themselves the subject of a criminal investigation. Thats right: Pfizer and BioNTech are trying to force payment through the Belgian court system of a contract that is itself being investigated by the Luxembourg-based European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) [as well as public prosecutors in Liege, Belgium]. Meanwhile, BioNtech is facing a rash of lawsuits in its native Germany for suspected injuries and adverse events caused by its COVID-19 vaccine while Pfizer is facing a trial in Texas for misrepresenting the efficacy of its vaccine.

The EPPO was founded in 2017 to conduct pan-European investigations into crimes against the EU budget, including fraud, corruption, money laundering and VAT fraud. As the Politico piece notes, the prosecutors could theoretically seize phones and other relevant material from Commission offices or in other European countries such as Von der Leyens native Germany, which would certainly not be a good look for the VdLs reelection campaign. Some are calling for her removal.

Mrs. von der Leyens disregard for the rule of law and transparency obligations at the top of the EU Commission makes her unsustainable for another term in office, said Fabio De Masi, a former lawmaker for Germanys socialist Left Party who sat on a parliamentary inquiry into the Wirecard affair and is now running as an EU candidate for Germanys populist-left party, Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht.

It remains to be seen whether further Pfizergate revelations will emerge over the next two months, and whether they will be enough to scupper Von der Leyens reelection prospects.

Besides Baldan and the governments of Poland and Hungary, VdLs behaviour has also been denounced by the European Ombudsman, Emily OReilly, and the European Court of Auditors. In 2022, OReilly concluded that the Commissions refusal to properly consider FOI requests for the text messages constitutes maladministration. The NYT, which first revealed that the covert communications had taken place as Bourla and Von der Leyen hashed out the terms of the deal, has also launched a parallel lawsuit against the Commission after it refused to disclose the content of the messages following an FOI request.

As if that were not enough, a report by the EUs Court of Auditors found that VdL had directly participated in preliminary negotiations for the vaccine contract, in a total departure from the EUs standard negotiating procedures. The Commission refused to provide the auditors with records of the discussions with Pfizer, either in the form of minutes, names of experts consulted, agreed terms, or other evidence. This was enough to trigger a formal investigation into the Commissions acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines by the European Public Prosecutors Office.

Now, the EPPO appears to be intensifying that investigation, though there are still more questions than answers. What will happen to the charges being pursued in the Belgian investigation that do not fall within the EPPOs remit, such as interference in public functions and destruction of evidence? Also, how long it will take for the prosecutors to present charges (assuming they ever will)? The EPPO has already been investigating the EUs vaccine purchases for well over a year, yet no one has been charged in connection with the case.

Also worth noting: the Politico article does not include any official response or comments from the EPPO. Nor is there any mention of this latest development on the EPPOs official website, which makes one wonder just how serious it is about pursuing the case.

Failing Upwards

This is not the first time that VdL has faced a criminal investigation for alleged deliberate destruction of evidence. In late 2019, just after VdL had resigned as German Defence Minister Tobias Lindner, a member of the opposition Green party, filed a complaint over suspected deliberate destruction of evidence requested by a German parliamentary committee investigating lucrative contracts her defense ministry had awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight. Just as in Pfizergate, VdL was accused of deleting all of her mobile communications, not on one phone but two.

But by that time, VdL had already relocated to Brussels after being hand-picked by Merkel and Macron for the role of European Commission president. Despite facing no challengers for the job, VdL clinched the presidency with a wafer-thin margin of just nine votes.

This time round, she will be facing slightly more competition albeit from a relatively unknown European Commissioner called Nicholas Schmit. According to most media reports, VdL is still expected to win despite all the baggage as well as the anaemic levels of public support for her Commission. A recent poll by Ipsos for Euronews revealed that most voters (63%) either view the Commissions work negatively or have no opinion, suggesting the EU executive is not cutting through to most Europeans.

Is this any surprise given the defining characteristics of the Von der Leyen era include economic decline and naked corruption; creeping digital censorship, surveillance and control; escalating war with Russia and and unabashed support for Israels genocidal campaign in Gaza? The fact that shes still hotly tipped to hold onto the top job at the EUs increasingly powerful executive arm despite all of this speaks volumes about the state of political leadership in the EU today.

Lastly, one must not discount VdLs rare talent for failing upwards. The last time she faced a criminal investigation, she was promoted to EU Commission President. As such, even if she does lose her current job or is prevented from being reappointed for a second term, she will probably land a new one that is at least as good, if not better  such as, say, NATO chief. She has already amply shown she has a taste for war and is blissfully beholden to US interests.
Yves here. Many commentators have taken note of Putin exhorting the Russian public not to what in the past was called foreign agitators to use the Crocus City Hall massacre to foment ethnic schisms in Russia. The attack was perpetrated by Tajik mercenaries for what seems like a pittance, reflecting poverty and income levels back at home. There was already resentment of immigrants from the Stans due to the perception (not incorrect) that they were undercutting pay levels of native Russians.

However, many ethnic groups in Russia are natives, such as most of its Muslim population. Putin also regularly talks up the success of Russia as a multi-ethnic society to foster pride in that diversity.

One indicator: a friend who has a prodigious knowledge of and interest in shopping and collecting, high end and low, recalled a visit to A La Vieille Russie, a New York City institution of sorts. From Wikipedia:

A La Vieille Russie is a New York City-based antique store specializing in European and American antique jewelry, Imperial Russian works of art, 18th-century European gold snuff boxes, and objets dart.

At the time, A La Vieille Russie was displaying a collection of 100 dessert plates that Catherine the Great commissioned for her use. My friend described how and why china back in that day was extremely expensive and therefore prized.

But why 100 plates? Each had a differing painting in the center, to commemorate every one of the 100 ethnicities under her rule.

By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

The unity of Russias multiethnic society, President Vladimir Putin told the Russian Trade Union Congress on Thursday, is the main fundamental condition of our success. In this connection, and based on the initial results of the investigation, we have grounds to believe that the main goal of those who masterminded the bloody and heinous terrorist attack in Moscow was to damage our unity.

Putin is repeating the message  four times in two weeks: earlier on March 23, March 25, and April 2  because it happens to be true.

What also happens to be true is that during the Yeltsin period, when asked by Moscow university students what I thought of anti-semitism in Russia, I said: Russians are the most primitive white tribe in the world  they are hostile to the other tribes, the Jews, Chechens, Armenians, Chukchi, Uzbeks, Tajiks  each one of them equally. After this sociology was elaborated, invitations to lecture at Moscow universities stopped.

The sociological problem which Russias enemies have is that the foreign white tribes, like the Galicians of the Ukraine, the Anglo Saxons, and the Blin-Noodle gang ruling Washington, make the primitive sociological mistake of thinking they can trigger intercommunal warfare inside Russia, to weaken and break it up. The British Secret Service (MI6) made their first abortive attempts at this during the Bolshevik revolution and the civil war following. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and MI6 have been plotting the same thing since 1945, increasing the resources and accelerating their efforts in the Caucasus during the Yeltsin administration of the 1990s.

It is therefore no surprise they have convinced their Ukrainian counterparts to implement the same scheme. On Tuesday of this week, The Times of London headlined this plan Ukraine Stokes Anti-Immigrant Tensions in Russia. The newspaper  in the 19th century nicknamed The Thunderer, now owned by Rupert Murdoch, nicknamed The Dirty Digger  reported an interview with Andrei Kovalenko, head of the Ukraines Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD). By weaponizing local ethnic communities like the Tajiks in Russia, the operational objective, according to Kovalenko, is to exploit divisions and distrust among the Russian public.

Kovalenko is conceding the Ukraine strategy behind the Tajik gunmens attack on the Crocus City Hall on March 22. But the foreign tribesmen have misread the Russian sociology again. The attack has failed in its war objective.

Follow the story and the evidence of the Crocus City Hall events here.

The theory of interethnic conflict in Russia was last tested in Moscow in January 2022 by the Levada Centre, a pollster registered as a foreign agent in 2016. Levada has been surveying ethnic Russian attitudes towards other ethnic groups since 2011, emphasizing for its own reasons what the Levada staff call anti-Semitism. The polling results over the years show that positive and negative Russian sentiment has been moving on several measures of social distance  acceptance as family members, friends, neighbours, citizens, temporary workers on visa  in different directions for different ethnic groups.

The improvement in the Russian perception of Ukrainians and Jews has been sharply reversed by the Kiev war on the Donbass and then the Israeli war against Gaza. By contrast, the political, economic, and media efforts of the Putin administration to cultivate strategic relations with China, the African states, and the Caucasus, including Chechnya, have accentuated the positive, diminished the negative.

Source: https://www.levada.ru/

Lev Gudkov, Levadas chief sociologist (Jewish), reporting on the December 2021 survey, has been reluctant to admit that Soviet ideology and Marxist education significantly reduced Russian xenophobia and racism, and that the impact of the Yeltsin revolution  which Gudkov supported personally  reversed this. Xenophobic sentiments, weakly expressed at the time of the collapse of the USSR, gradually increased by the end of the 1990s, Gudkov reported in January 2022. Gudkov has also not acknowledged that since 2013 rising real incomes, employment mobility, and public optimism have acted together to reduce the negative sentiments of the 1990s. The Crimean euphoria noticeably reduced their level and intensity of expression, channeling latent hostility of this kind and concentrating negativity on the images of the Russophobic West and Ukrainians, Bandera.

The overall intensity of negative attitudes has been decreasing in recent years. This is especially noticeable in relation to Jews (an increase in positive attitudes from 2010 to 2021 from 22% to 45%; a decrease in negativity and various kinds of restrictions over the same period from 34% to 22%), Chinese (the share of positive or neutral responses increased from 12% to 28%; the share of negative decreased from 62% to 45%), Chechens (the share of indicators of tolerant attitudes increased from 9% to 22%, negative decreased from 57% to 41%). The attitude towards Africans retains a predominantly negative and cautious tone (an increase in tolerant opinions from 12% to 22%, negative ones remained almost the same, 58%-60%, during 2010-2020, dropping by December 2021 to 51%). The same can be said about Gypsies (the growth of positive attitudes from 7% to 15%; the volume of negative attitudes ranges from 54% to 63% in August 2020, then decreases to 51%).

Also, Gudkovs survey of December 2021 confirmed that in the Russian labour market, the migrant worker problem has been intensifying, although unreported Levada data show that the balance between positive and negative sentiment varied markedly between regions and cities, and between income and age groups; that is to say, there is a correlation by social class.

Left: Lev Gudkov at the state think tank in Washington; right, John Helmer on class in US sociology. Class in the Soviet or Marxist meaning is not measured or reported by Gudkov and the Levada sociologists. They follow the US academic doctrine; they reject that reality is Marxist, as Michael Parenti once said. For more on reality in American sociology, read this.

Source: https://www.levada.ru/

Gudkov: The most obvious expression of non-reflexive antipathy [sic] and anxiety is the attitude towards migrant workers. It has the character of frank wishes that the authorities limit the flow of migrants, introduce various prohibitive barriers and measures for migrants. Over the past 5 years, the share of those who believe that the government should prevent the flow of migrants has grown from 58 to 68-73%. This is the dominant public opinion.

In his public assessments of the Crocus City Hall attack, President Putin has been carefully balancing the elements of public support for combating Russias foreign enemies and for remedying domestic labour market stress. In parallel, since March 22 there has been a new drive by police and prosecutors to crack down on illegal immigration from Central Asia and on the state official corruption which has encouraged it.

There is no Marxism in the mainstream Moscow media, but there is reality.

Yesterday, Yevgeny Krutikov published this analysis of the Ukrainian plan for the Crocus City Hall attack by Tajik gunmen to incite intercommunal, racial violence in Russias cities. The essay appears in the semi-official platform for political and geostrategic analysis, Vzglyad. Omitted from the analysis is whether, if the four gunmen had evaded capture by Russian forces and crossed the Ukrainian border, they would have been more value in the Ukrainian scheme dead than alive.

The translation into English is verbatim without editing. Captioned illustrations have been added.

Source: https://vz.ru/world/2024/4/4/1261542.html

April 4, 2024

Ukraine talks about its connection with the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall

By Yevgeny Krutikov



The leadership of the Ukrainian special services openly admits that it inflames ethnic tensions in Russia with the help of information. In what ways and tools does the Kiev regime sow ethnic strife in our country and how are things really going with interethnic tensions?

Ukrainian agents are conducting a campaign of psychological operations (psyops), which is aimed at destabilizing Russia after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall by inciting ethnic conflicts. This was told to the British newspaper, The Times, by Andrei Kovalenko, the head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation (CPD) at the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of the Ukraine.

Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk

According to Kovalenko, for Ukraine, provoking tension between ethnic groups within Russia is fertile ground. Since the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Ukrainian agents have become more active in Telegram channels and are trying to incite ethnic strife using the ethnic origin of the terrorists. Among the detainees, the four direct perpetrators are citizens of Tajikistan.

Of course, it is very beneficial for us to support any national splits there [in Russia] and to warm them up with the help of informationWe are using everything we can because we know that by stoking ethnic tensions, we are weakening Russia, Kovalenko said.

The Times notes that the CPD of Ukraine is trying through Tajik Telegram channels to evoke sympathy for the terrorists, who were roughed up when they were detained by Russian security forces. Thus, Ukrainian agents are provoking Tajik citizens against the Russian law enforcement agencies.

In parallel, there have been other attempts to turn Russians against migrants or provoke conflicts between other ethnic or religious groups. The head of the Centre at the National Security Council also said that Kiev has fueled various rumours to pit Russians and Chechens against each other.

First of all, it is surprising that the heads of the Ukrainian special services  if we consider the Centre for Countering Disinformation (CPD) and the Centre for Information and Psychological Operations (CIPsO) as special services  regularly engage in such self-disclosure sessions. Not so long ago, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), Vitaly Malyuk, confessed to organizing terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia, and the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Kiev extradite him. Maybe the Ukrainians are simply obliged to publicly report to the Western audience about the work they have done?

It is also significant that Ukraine openly approves of the very idea of the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall. The main goal of terrorists and their customers is to sow discord and panic, strife and hatred in our country, to split Russia from within, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said after the event. The fact that the leadership of the Ukrainian special services confirms this goal, in fact, proves once again the connection of the Kiev regime with the organizers and perpetrators of this crime.

But the main thing is that Kovalenko is selling the West a myth, to put it mildly. There is no national split after the terrorist attack in Russia, although the enemy is making significant efforts to incite discord. There is no wave of xenophobia either.

Ukrainians and Russian liberal exiles broadcast to Western politicians, experts, and the media a distorted view of Russia and its internal processes. Its wishful thinking.

In particular, as recently as a few months ago, the head of the [Russian] Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, Igor Barinov, said that since the beginning of the Special Operation in Russia, not a single significant conflict on ethnic and interreligious grounds has been recorded. Our opponents in the West have chosen interreligious relations as a target, they believe that this is a weak point of our country, and through this they are trying to upset the internal political situation, weaken public support for the Special Military Operation. And despite this, we see that the state national policy has withstood the challenge, Barinov said.

The terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall is undoubtedly a monstrous event, but in terms of the magnitude of what is happening, it is smaller in scale than the Ukrainian special operation which has been going on for more than two years. This means that its impact on Russian society will be less.

In this sense, the statements of the Ukrainian special services play into Russias hands. The incorrect information that the West receives from the Kiev regime leads to incorrect assessments and to the development of wrong decisions based on them. It is enough to watch some debates about Russia at the well-known British analytical centre Chatham House with the involvement of local academic experts, to see how far from reality their idea of life in Russia and the sentiments of Russian citizens is. Let them keep making mistakes.

Russia is unique not only for its ethnic diversity, but also for the very form of coexistence of different peoples and religious groups. In Russia, during its entire historical path, there was almost no forced assimilation of small peoples. Moreover, minority cultures, languages, and identities were maintained at the state level, especially during the Soviet period.

On the one hand, this was a condition for interethnic peace in a large and diverse country. But on the other hand, it was among minorities, who retained their ethnic identity thanks to Moscows policy, that the external forces were looking for the most radical fighters against Russian imperialism.

Russias internal diversity has always been perceived by external players as our weakness, a condition of the non-monolith. This gave rise to the idea of Russias opponents to split our country primarily on a national basis. Two hundred years ago, the British and Turks rocked the Caucasus, the French provoked the Poles, and in Soviet times, the Americans nurtured dissidents and their movements from the national republics of the USSR.

The caption of this undated Soviet poster says: "Long live the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - great socialist Fatherland, the indestructible multinational community of fraternal peoples is the living embodiment of the principles of proletarian internationalism."

The Soviet Union (historical Russia) collapsed, among other things, because of the atomic bomb laid by Lenin, the status of the republics of the USSR. Nevertheless, the rapid growth of nationalism in the late 1980s was the result of the ideological collapse of the Soviet regime and the sharp weakening of the system of state power, and not the root cause of this weakening.

In the Soviet Baltic States, for example, the extreme nationalist forces were not active until a certain point  until they realized that Moscow would not  was not capable or intending  to punish outright separatism. And this is despite the fact that the CIA had been pumping agents and money into the Baltic States for decades, including active engagement in psychological operations.

From 1949 to 1955 the British MI6 Operation Jungle attempted to land agents in Poland and the Baltic states by fast boats like these.

Now the Kiev regime and its special services are publicly boasting about operations of this kind against Russia  and a British newspaper is relishing these details.

From the point of view of Russian legislation, we are faced with subversive, anti-state activities which can be characterized as terrorism, incitement to overthrow state power, and incitement to ethnic hatred. Consequently, the relevant Ukrainian structures should also be characterized by us as terrorists and their leaders as leaders of terrorist organizations. Also, the newspapers which give them a platform are like propagandists of terror.
This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and the Nashville Scene. The Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization focused on civic news. Visit nashvillebanner.com for more information.

Thursday marked the qualifying deadline for candidates hoping to run in August primaries for state and federal offices.

Heres a rundown of who made the cut:

5th Congressional District

Courtney Johnston Considers Challenging Andy Ogles in GOP Primary Potential Republican candidates cite Covenant shooting and the incumbents behavior in weighing 5th Congressional District bids

Eyes were on Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston, who told the Banner last month that she was considering a Republican primary challenge of U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in the district that includes part of Nashville and Williamson County, plus Maury and other counties to Nashvilles south. She turned in a qualifying petition on Thursday and her signatures are considered pending by state election officials.

Tom Guarente, a Brentwood software executive, also qualified to run in the Republican primary. Would-be candidates and operatives tell the Banner the best hope for unseating Ogles is to have just one GOP challenger facing him, and candidates still have a week to withdraw from the ballot.

On the Democratic side, Nashvilles Maryam Abolfazli, Kiran Sreepada of College Grove and Arnie Malham of Nashville qualified for the primary ballot.

Maryam Abolfazli Is Running for Congress Local activist will run against Republican Andy Ogles in District 5

6th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. John Rose (R-Cookeville) qualified to run for reelection in the district that includes part of Nashville and counties to the east. Rose confirmed to the Tennessee Journal this week that he is considering running for governor in 2026.

The district favors Republicans, but Lore Bergman of Hendersonville, Clay Faircloth of Nashville and Cyril Focht of Cookeville qualified to run in the Democratic primary.

7th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Ashland City) threw a wrench in the race for the 7th District  parts of Nashville and Williamson County, plus Montgomery County and other areas to the east of Nashville  when he announced in February that he would not run for reelection, saying our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington. Less than a month later, he changed his mind and reentered the race. Several potential Republican successors pulled petitions when it looked like Green was out, but as of the qualifying deadline just Green and Caleb Stack of Pleasant View are on the ballot for the August primary.

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is unopposed in the Democratic primary. She spoke to the Banner about her campaign last month.

Gun Control Advocate Shaundelle Brooks Moves Toward House Run Mother of Waffle House victim appoints treasurer for bid to succeed Rep. Darren Jernigan

State House

The lone open seat in Nashvilles state House delegation is District 60, the Old Hickory and Hermitage district where Democratic Rep. Darren Jernigan is not running for reelection.

Democrats qualifying for the August primary include Tyler Brasher, Shaundelle Brooks and John Parrish. On the Republican side, Chad Bobo, recently of House Speaker Cameron Sextons office, and Christopher Huff will face off for the nomination.

The rest of Nashvilles Democratic state House incumbents qualified for the ballot and are likely to win reelection.

Democratic Rep. Bo Mitchell will face Republican Jennifer Frensley Webb, recently elected to the Metro Council, in House District 50. Democratic Rep. Bob Freeman in District 56 will face a primary challenger in Nick Forster-Benson.

State Senate

The lone Nashville state Senate seat up for reelection is District 20, which includes Davidson Countys wealthy southwestern region and rings around the countys west, north and east. Sen. Heidi Campbell is unopposed in the Democratic primary. She will face Republican Wyatt Rampy, a real estate professional who ran for state House in 2022.

U.S. Senate

There is no real threat to Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburns chances of securing the Republican nomination for reelection in August, though she is facing nominal opposition.

On the Democratic side, Marquita Bradshaw, Lola Denise Brown, Gloria Johnson, Kevin Lee McCants and Civil Miller-Watkins all qualified for the opportunity to be the standard-bearer in the uphill battle to unseat Blackburn. Johnson, a state representative from Knoxville, has attracted the most attention so far via fundraising and her platform at the legislature, though Bradshaw of Memphis won the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2020 facing a candidate with the support of the party establishment. Johnson is also unopposed for reelection to the state House, though legislation aiming at preventing candidates from running for two positions at the same time remains active in the state legislature.

Around the state

In Senate District 18 (Sumner and Trousdale counties), Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) will face a primary challenge from Chris Spencer of Hendersonville. Spencer is a founding member of the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans, a conservative splinter group that has won some local seats in the Middle Tennessee county.

In Williamson County, Democrats Kurt Kosack and Claire Jones are vying to take on Republican Rep. Gino Bulso of Brentwood. In District 65, where Franklin GOP Rep. Sam Whitson is retiring, Republicans Lee Reeves, James Turner, Brian Beathard and Michelle Foreman, a well-known Nashville conservative who now lists Primm Springs as her home, will seek the nomination.

The son of U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, Kingsport pharmacist Bobby Harshbarger, is challenging state Sen. Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) in the Republican primary.

Democrats will try to flip a handful of seats around the state, among them District 75 including part of Montgomery County. There, Allie Phillips is unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face off against Republican Rep. Jeff Burkhart.

In Shelby Countys District 96, Democratic Rep. Dwayne Thompson is retiring. Republicans are not challenging for the seat, and multiple Democrats qualified for the primary to succeed him, including Gabby Salinas of Memphis, who came close to winning state House and Senate seats in recent cycles.

See the tentative list of candidates statewide here.
Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost C. Cybele Raver will attend Thursdays Faculty Senate as the administration continues to battle criticism for its response to a sit-in by student protesters last week, including a widely circulated petition signed by dozens of professors. The university also announced it had engaged prominent lawyers Aubrey Harwell Jr., Aubrey Harwell III and Ronald Harris  all Vanderbilt Law School alumni  to review the schools arrest of Scene reporter Eli Motycka on March 26.

Pressure Mounts on Vanderbilt Chancellor Diermeier faces blowback from students, faculty and city leaders for protest crackdown

Hundreds of Vanderbilt undergraduates have publicly criticized Diermeiers response to a sit-in by student protesters, demanding the administration allow the student government to vote on a Boycott, Divest and Sanctions resolution as a response to Israel's military invasion of Gaza. They are joined by 49 anonymous faculty members and 105 named faculty  including professors across the law school, divinity school and multiple academic departments  in an open letter made public this week. Faculty and students call on Diermeier to repeal the schools suspensions against students involved in the sit-in and drop criminal charges faced by four students.

The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by Diermeier titled Free Speech Is Alive and Well at Vanderbilt University on Tuesday afternoon defending the schools response to student protesters. The piece did not mention Motyckas arrest. Faculty members tell the Scene it was the first time they had heard from the schools leader in several days. On Wednesday night, dozens of students rallied on and off campus in support of their classmates facing criminal charges and disciplinary measures from the university.

+4 Student Protests Continue at Vanderbilt University Demonstrations continue over Vandys reaction to pro-Palestinian activism as well as student suspensions

Diermeier has gone back and forth with city officials after Metro Councilmembers Zulfat Suara and Rollin Horton sent letters co-signed by several colleagues criticizing the chancellor's response to the March 26 protest. In a letter sent Wednesday, Suara urged Diermeier to allow students to vote on a BDS resolution and to exercise empathy and restraint in determining students fate.

This week, students have undergone judicial hearings with the schools Office of Student Accountability. The internal judicial system allows a faculty member to accompany students during proceedings provided that faculty member has no formal legal training, according to individuals familiar with the process. Students currently await the schools disciplinary response, which may include expulsion.

Vanderbilt officials promised us they would meet in good faith to discuss our concerns  they lied, Rosemary Lieske told the crowd Wednesday evening. Lieske was engaged in fossil fuel divestment activism while a graduate student at Vanderbilt. The Diermeier administration instead employed facial recognition technology to identify Vanderbilt students who had attended the protests.

Miguel Moravec, former graduate student body president, also spoke about what he describes as harsh retaliation from the Diermeier administration as a student leader of Dores Divest.

At least three students are expected in Davidson County Court for assault charges on April 19.
In 2010, Oana Lungescu became the first woman, first former journalist and first person born in the former Eastern Bloc to take up the position of NATO Spokesperson. Over her 13-year tenure, Oana served two Secretaries General and oversaw the Alliances communications at significant milestones in Euro-Atlantic security. But how did Oanas childhood in communist Romania impact her journey to NATO? What did the fall of the Berlin Wall mean for her? And how has NATOs relationship with Russia evolved during her tenure?

From the Eastern Bloc to NATO

I grew up on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, begins Oana. She grew up under the authoritarian rule of Nicolae Ceausescu  the leader of one of the most repressive regimes in the Eastern Bloc, where NATO was considered enemy number one. We had very little to eat, no heating, and could not travel. We were expected to spy on each other. However, our minds remained free. I grew up listening to foreign radio stations, literally hidden under the bed covers, for fear that my neighbours would report me to the dreaded Securitate  the secret police. For my family, NATO was always a beacon of light.

The Securitate later tried to recruit her as an informer in exchange for cancer drugs for her dying father. She refused, and years later, recorded several BBC documentaries about finding her Securitate files. Eventually, she was able to join her mother in Germany and started working as a journalist for the BBC World Service. Having witnessed the brutality of a communist regime, she vividly recalls 1989, the year when communism ended in Central and Eastern Europe. I was covering these events from the BBC World Service in London. When the Berlin Wall fell, we knew that it was part of a long chain of dominoes falling across Europe. Those were dramatic and amazing moments. Just to see the happiness that freedom can bring to people. I still look back to 1989 as a year of grace.

Oana in the Securitate archives investigating her own secret police files, 2009

Oana then became a BBC Europe correspondent, working from Brussels and later Berlin, covering EU and NATO affairs.

In 1997, when I told my editors that NATO and EU enlargement would be a big story, few thought it would happen, she says. While the former communist countries were implementing significant reforms to join the Alliance, NATO also reached out to Russia to establish a partnership, which continued until Russias aggression against Ukraine. In 1999, Czechia, Hungary and Poland joined NATO. In 2004, another seven countries  including Romania  became members of the Alliance in the largest round of enlargement to date. Being there and watching the flags of Romania and all the other countries that joined at the same time being raised was one of the most emotional moments in my life. I probably shed a tear, Oana admits. This was a homecoming: countries that belonged to the Euro-Atlantic family, but had been kept apart for so many decades, were finally coming home.

Oanas tenure as NATO Spokesperson In 2010, Oana became the NATO Spokesperson. My friends expected my tenure to be uneventful and one asked me if I was going to wear a uniform! Proving the opposite, Oana would become known for her colourful jackets, which made her stand out in what was still at that time a male-dominated organisation. As a senior advisor to the NATO Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council, she was in charge of NATO messaging, including interviews, press conferences and speeches, engaging with media across the world, and leading the Alliances crisis communications. Being Spokesperson is like playing chess. You need to communicate and engage with the media, but also coordinate internally, both with our military commands and with Allies. She stresses that communications is a team sport and is grateful to her small but dedicated team, including press officers, speechwriters, media monitors and analysts, social media officers and assistants. I could not have done it without them, she says. Oana moderating a press conference during the launch of the 2017 Secretary Generals Annual Report, March 2018.

Oana during the Secretary Generals visit to FGS Bonn, the German flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, in the Aegean Sea, April 2016.

Oana moderating a virtual media briefing on exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 with Lieutenant General Brice Houdet, SHAPE Vice Chief of Staff, May 2021.

Oana with media during a visit by the NATO Secretary General to Kosovo, February 2017.

Oana moderating a Secretary General doorstep at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers in Bucharest, Romania, November 2022.



Directing NATO communications during turbulent times

Oanas tenure as Spokesperson coincided with the most turbulent period since the Cold War, including a breakdown in relations between NATO and Russia. The NATO Summit in Lisbon in 2010 was the first high-level event that I attended as Spokesperson. At the time, we aspired towards a strategic partnership with Russia, and Medvedev, who was then Russian president, attended the Summit. I remember telling the Russian delegation that their President could not address the media before the Secretary General and President Obama at the end of the Summit as they wanted  those were the issues we had with Russia at that time. Now, it is a very different world.

When Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Oana recalls a significant change in NATOs efforts to fight disinformation with facts. We were the first international organisation to set up a portal called Setting the record straight, which takes apart Russias key disinformation narratives, Oana explains. NATO also relied on satellite imagery more deliberately to expose the movements of Russian troops on Ukraines borders.

By the end of 2021, as Russia was planning its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, Oana and her team shifted from debunking disinformation to prebunking  calling out Russias plans and false narratives in advance so that audiences would see them for what they were. In every press conference, every speech made by the Secretary General, we were uncovering Russia's plans and intentions. By declassifying an unprecedented amount of intelligence, we were exposing the public to the reality on the ground.

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion. It was a shock, but not a surprise, says Oana. Seeing Russia amass their troops and capabilities and bring blood banks to the border had indicated that the invasion was imminent.

We expected the invasion to start around 04:00 in the morning, continues Oana. I knew it would be a short night. When I came to the office very early on that grey February morning, the press team was already present, we were alerting our leadership in real time as to what we were seeing in the media space and we were ready to go to the North Atlantic Council meeting. We were prepared. NATO was prepared.

Breaking the glass ceiling

Oana admits that at the time of her appointment in 2010, it was an unusual choice to employ a woman to the position of NATO Spokesperson. But it was also a signal of a more inclusive NATO. According to the polls, it is women who perhaps know less about NATO and therefore are less inclined to support it. It was an important sign to women across the Alliance that they are part of security and defence. They have to be part of the solution.

Life after NATO

On 18 July 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presented Oana with the NATO Meritorious Service Medal. She remains engaged in the conversation about security and defence, as a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the leading UK defence and security think-tank, and a Senior Adviser to the European Policy Centre (EPC), writing and engaging with international media.

After 13 years with the Alliance, Oana remains passionate about NATO. For me, joining the Alliance was not a career step, it was a mission. And even if I'm now retired from NATO, it remains a cornerstone of who I am.

Oana and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the NATO Meritorious Service Medal ceremony, July 2023.

Oana Lungescus message for the Alliances 75th anniversary NATO, stay strong and stay united. If we stand united, Europe and North America, we can face every challenge, as we have done over the past 75 years, especially now at a time when we see autocracies coming closer together, like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. This is an existential moment; what we do or do not do will change the face of the world for generations to come.
On Monday, 8 April 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will meet the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Mr. Denis Becirovic, at NATO Headquarters.

Media advisory

13:30 (CEST) Joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General and the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Media coverage

Media representatives who are annually accredited to NATO in 2024 can cover the press event in person.

Media without annual accreditation who are interested in covering the event can contact NATO Accreditations. Please note: ad-hoc accreditation may not be guaranteed and will be explicitly confirmed by email from NATO Accreditations.

The pool of visual media covering the event will meet in front of the Press Shop at NATO HQ, and will be escorted to the Agora at 12:30 (CEST).

The event will be streamed live on X @NATOPress and on the NATO website. A transcript of the Secretary Generals remarks, as well as photographs, will be on the NATO website.

Video can be download for free from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.



For more information:



Contact the NATO Press Office

Follow us on X: @NATO, @jensstoltenberg and @NATOPress
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed nine young content creators from Europe and North America  Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, UK and US  to NATO Headquarters on Friday (5 April 2024) as part of the Protect the Future campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of and support for NATO among young audiences across the Alliance, and gives them a voice in NATOs ongoing adaptation.

The Secretary General thanked the content creators for their interest, said that NATOs 75th anniversary  celebrated on Thursday  was an opportunity to remind the Alliances one billion citizens of NATOs enduring value in dangerous times.

Together, the nine creators reach millions of followers around the world across key social media platforms. The group also met senior officials including Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Marie-Doha Besancenot and NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah.
Exorcists assistant explains how homosexual blessings invite the demonic

Today, we have a unique problem in the Church: Were getting poor direction from Rome, and both priests and laypeople dont know what to do. How are we supposed to know whats up and whats down anymore?

(Article by John-Henry Westen republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Yet there are many ways God uses His voice to grant us spiritual insight and remind us of certain truths. One of those ways is through exorcisms.

My guest on todays episode of The John-Henry Westen Show is Kyle Clement, assistant to well-known exorcist Father Chad Ripperger. We discuss how homosexual blessings permitted by Fiducia Supplicans open the door to the demonic, the upcoming Synod on Synodality in October, why the devil hates Latin, and more.

Clement, who sat down for a previous interview with LifeSiteNews last month, reiterates that the blessing of homosexual couples affirms them in mortal sin and thus allows demons to be present to them.

The blessing actually will take on the form of a malefice in this sense, he says. Though its said in the term of a blessing, its actually a rite, a ritual, an incantation, a thing done which allows the demon to be there in a formal way.

Clement explains how demons are allowed some extra latitude after a priest blesses sin, stating there are rules of engagement when it comes to demonic interaction with human beings. For instance, demons can only do something to human beings that they are in some sense psychologically compatible with.

Therefore, when an authority figure like a priest blesses two homosexuals persisting in mortal sin, he is essentially confirming their openness to potential demonic presence.

We also discuss Satans aping of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, with Clement noting that Satan imitates it by directing the attention of the intellect and will to the creature, the fellow human being. This is in fact a way by which parodies of the Mass without the Real Presence came about, such as Martin Luthers Mass'  and why indults like versus populum liturgy, female altar servers, and the possibility of women deacons are so dangerous.

Anything having to do with the governance of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Mass, in the liturgy, in (the) municipality, in (the) secular world, that is what (Satans) goal is, is to erase, if you will, or replace the role of Jesus in the governance of men, Clement says.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
Fox News highlights CIAs Operation Mockingbird and its influence on US media

Jesse Watters of Fox News sheds light on the CIAs Operation Mockingbird, revealing the agencys historical practice of placing journalists within major US media outlets to influence public opinion.

(Article republished from YourNews.com)

In a recent segment, Fox News host Jesse Watters brought attention to Operation Mockingbird, a covert CIA initiative designed to manipulate public perception through the media. This operation involved the placement of journalists and informants within prominent US media organizations, aiming to propagate the federal governments viewpoints and political agendas.

During his show, Watters commented, Langley was laundering narratives to the press and into the publics veins, highlighting the extent of the CIAs influence on the media landscape. According to Watters, at least 22 American news organizations, ranging from The New York Times to Life magazine and CBS, had individuals on the CIA payroll, acting either knowingly or unknowingly as channels for disseminating disinformation.

WATCH:

The New York Times is doing PR for the Deep State. The Times said we should rally around them because theyre good old American public servants who do Pilates and eat Lucky Charms. But at the same time, the Deep State sent the guy behind the CIA letter to put a big fat target on pic.twitter.com/ezA0TbL2Ju  Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) March 20, 2024

The discussion on Operation Mockingbird was sparked by a recent acknowledgment from The New York Times, which described the existence of a Deep State networka term often used to refer to a shadowy group of government and media personnel working to undermine elected officials or push specific agendas. The newspaper portrayed this network in a surprisingly positive light, suggesting it played a beneficial role in the federal government.

Watters also referenced the 1975 Church Committee hearings, a pivotal moment when the public became aware of Operation Mockingbirds existence. The hearings featured a testimony from William Colby, the outgoing CIA Director, who confirmed the agencys efforts to embed assets within major media outlets, a revelation that shocked the American public at the time.

This revisitation of Operation Mockingbird by Fox News underscores ongoing concerns regarding the relationship between the media and government agencies. It raises questions about the integrity of news organizations and the potential for covert operations to shape public discourse and opinion, echoing historical instances where the boundary between journalism and state influence became blurred.

Read more at: YourNews.com
Hundreds of jobs, millions in tax revenue at risk while Port of Baltimore remains closed

Officials are racing to reopen the Port of Baltimore , which generates nearly $400 million in state and local tax revenue annually. Federal officials are not prepared to speculate on when the port will be open again, but there is a financial urgency to open as soon as possible.

The port is responsible for nearly $3.3 billion in personal wages and salaries, $2.6 billion in business revenue, and nearly $400 million in state and local tax revenue annually. That is roughly $1.09 million in tax revenue a day.

"With no cargo coming in or out  until they open the channel  there will be a point when they'll completely close down the loading and unloading operation, which is pretty catastrophic for the members of the ILA who work on the waterfront," said Rich Krueger, president of the International Longshoremen's Association. (Related: Baltimore bridge ship crash fatalities: 2 confirmed dead, 4 still missing.)

The catastrophic bridge collapse that closed the Port of Baltimore to ship traffic is causing some logistics headaches, with other ports all along the East Coast now poised to take on more cargo.

With six people presumed dead after a container ship collision destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, it remained unclear how long the span's twisted superstructure would block the harbor's mouth.

But port officials from New York to Georgia were busy fielding queries from shippers about diverting Baltimore-bound cargo from containers to vehicles and bulk material.

"We're ready to help. We have ample capacity to absorb any surge in container traffic," Port of Virginia spokesperson Joe Harris said. The port is expected to be a major beneficiary of the Baltimore port's shutdown due to its proximity to the city. Other ports like the ports in Savannah and Brunswick in Georgia are also poised to absorb some of the traffic.

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Use our decentralized, blockchain-based, uncensorable free speech platform at Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that while there were many ports on the East Coast, "there is no substitute for the Port of Baltimore being up and running," as it is the top U.S. port for vehicle imports and exports, including farm and construction machinery.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said a federal supply chain task force was meeting to assess the port's closure but said the administration of President Joe Biden "will do everything as quickly as we possibly can" to reopen it.

They are the clerks and checkers who handle the complex paperwork involved with international cargo. Some 250 union members of this union work at the Baltimore Harbor, and other unions represent other workers there.

Shipping companies diverting cargo originally bound for Baltimore

"Nobody knows how long they're going to go without getting a paycheck," warned Krueger. "So you can imagine people with mortgages, and car payments, and their children are in school and daycare. It's a pretty nervous period for everyone, to see how this is going to pan out. Were just waiting for more information."

A total of eight contractors working on the bridge deck fell into the water; two were rescued, and six were presumed dead. Their bodies have not been recovered. The U.S. Coast Guard continued the effort on March 27 to recover their remains.

"Even as families come to terms with that grief, and even as those recovery operations continue, work is underway to investigate what happened and to restore the key transportation resources that were impacted," Buttigieg said. He noted there are two timelines: reopening the port and rebuilding the bridge.

"Reopening the port is a different matter from rebuilding the bridge. The port, that's just a matter of clearing the channel. Still no simple thing, but I would expect that can happen on a much quicker timeline than the full reconstruction of the bridge," Buttigieg said.

Shipping companies destined for Baltimore are diverting cargo to other ports along the East Coast, but Salvatore R. Mercogliano, a professor who analyzes maritime commerce at Campbell University in North Carolina, said that could be risky business.

"There is a long-term fear [in Baltimore that] they may lose business permanently because of this. And thats because theyre saying in New York [and] New Jersey, you can just shift your cargo here," Mercogliano said. Competition is fierce in the shipping industry where there is a finite amount of cargo to go around.

The Port of Baltimore handles between $100 million and $200 million worth of cargo a day, and, according to Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson, more than 15,000 people in the Baltimore region rely on daily operations at the port to put food on the table.

Watch this video discussing how the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge has paralyzed the Port of Baltimore.

This video is from the Alex Hammer channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Baltimore bridge collapse due to ship strike will have sweeping economic repercussions.

MORE DETAILS, mysteries surrounding the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

Dockworkers at Southern California ports have been working without contracts since July.

Gen. Flynn calls Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse "a black swan event."

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse an "absolutely brilliant strategic attack," say multiple intel sources.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
Laura Loomer announces plans to take down all sponsors of HIAS, a Jewish open borders organization funding the U.S. invasion

Conservative activist Laura Loomer is promising to take down a Jewish-run non-governmental organization (NGO) called HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) that she says is funding the illegal alien invasion of the United States.

According to Loomer, HIAS is sponsoring illegal aliens by procuring them with detailed maps showing them how to enter the country illicitly. Once inside, the illegals are being hired by Uber, DoorDash and other migrant-supporting companies.

We now know that Jose Antonio Ibarra, the suspect who murdered nursing student Laken Riley, is an illegal alien from Venezuela who entered the U.S. illegally via El Paso, Tex., in September 2022. Once inside the U.S., Ibarra started driving for both Uber Eats and DoorDash.

After seeing firsthand what HIAS has been doing in the Darien Gap of Panama for the past several years, followed by the news of Riley's death, Loomer decided it was time to take action.

"After witnessing HIAS's treasonous behavior in the Darien Gap in Panama, and after hearing the news [of] Laken Riley while I was in Panama witnessing thousands of Venezuelan illegals just like her killer tell me how they plan to cross into the U.S. illegally, I immediately looked at HIAS's financials and discovered that UBER is a corporate sponsor for HIAS," Loomer tweeted.

(Related: There are many devious players behind the illegal migrant invasion, including the U.S. government and the United Nations.)

Check out the corporate sponsors of HIAS

It is highly likely that Ibarra passed through the Darien Gap and was aided by HIAS and later Uber and DoorDash to get established in the U.S. From there, Ibarra proceeded to kidnap and murder Riley, compliments of HIAS and Uber.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

The situation is so upsetting to Loomer that she dug into all of the companies that are sponsoring HIAS. These include:

Airbnb

Lyft

Adidas

Amazon

Amex Business (American Express)

Meta

Microsoft

KIND Snacks

JW Marriott

Cisco

Rosetta Stone

Uber

Airlink

Banesco

Chevron

Starbucks

Accenture

PayPal

Wix

Western Union

You will notice that many of the above names qualify as Big Tech companies, either by providing social media services or digital services and products.

"These are major corporations that all need to get the Bud Light treatment for their sponsorship of HIAS," Loomer says.

"Many people would argue that HIAS is engaged in HUMAN TRAFFICKING with the way they are assisting the illegals to get to the U.S. from the migrant camps in Panama! I have it all on video!"

BREAKING: I AM GOING TO DEDICATE MYSELF TO TAKING DOWN HIAS AND ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS THEM! ?@UBER HIRING MURDEROUS ILLEGAL ALIENS AND SPONSORING @HIASrefugees AS HIAS CONTINUES TO GIVE ILLEGAL ALIENS MAPS WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ENTER THE US ILLEGALLY? After it https://t.co/Ub7Cj2x6of pic.twitter.com/FPLpn1AYlI  Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 26, 2024

WATCH: ??JEWISH NGO @HIASrefugees GIVES DETAILED MAP TO INVADERS WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO INVADE THE UNITED STATES ONCE THE MIGRANTS ARRIVE IN PANAMA?? HIAS @HIASrefugees map inside the Bajo Chiquito invader camp in Darien Gap, Panama is giving migrants instructions pic.twitter.com/MZ3p3uIHXT  Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 20, 2024

HIAS claims it is aiding these illegals as a demonstration of "Judaism," but Loomer says this makes no sense, especially in cases where it is supporting Muslim migrants invading not just America but other countries facing a migrant onslaught.

"There needs to be legal accountability for HIAS, which is giving the illegals maps and information on the best routes to take so they can get to the United States," Loomer says.

"HIAS is facilitating the invasion of America and the Great Replacement. Every single NGO that is giving aid to invaders needs to be shut down, and their staff should be charged with human trafficking."

Will the illegal migrant invasion ever be stopped? Find out more at InvasionUSA.news.

Sources for this article include:

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com
Massachusetts governors plan to fill former Boston veteran housing with HOMELESS ILLEGALS sparks outrage

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has recently disclosed a plan to turn a former Boston area veteran housing unit into a shelter for homeless illegal immigrants . Healey said the government will turn the former Veterans Home at Chelsea facility into a "safety-net site."

The veterans' home is vacant and scheduled for demolition. It will be able to house 100 families who qualify for the state's Emergency Assistance family shelter system for illegal immigrants, which has been running at full capacity for months. (Related: NYC Mayor Eric Adams appeals to suspend right to shelter law as hundreds of thousands of migrants flood Big Apple.)

Beginning May 1, migrants slated to be housed at the Veterans Home at Chelsea will also have to prove they are working to get themselves off government assistance programs by applying for work authorizations, learning English and searching for permanent residency.

In addition, Healey also announced that families living in the Veterans Home will have to document involvement in case management and rehousing efforts monthly to remain qualified to stay at the state safety-net site.

"We have said for months now that our system is at capacity, and we do not have the space, providers or funding to continue expanding. This new certification policy is a responsible step to address the capacity constraints at our safety-net sites. Families will need to demonstrate that they've taken action to get on a path toward independence and out of shelter," Emergency Assistance Director Scott Rice said in a statement.

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

Nevertheless, citizens of the Bay State are furious that the former veteran housing center is being transformed into a shelter for illegals when hundreds of veterans continue to experience homelessness in the state. Based on a report by the Department on Housing and Urban Development, at one point in 2023 there were as many as 545 homeless veterans in the state.

Secretary Dr. Jon Santiago of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans' Services (EOVS) asserted that changing the place into a migrant shelter will not negatively affect services for veterans.

"Massachusetts has proven that we can take care of veterans and families experiencing homelessness in our state. While EOVS formerly operated the building slated for demolition, this project operates independently and will not impact the daily routines or services at the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea," Santiago said.

Massachusetts Senate approves restrictions on how long homeless families can stay in shelters

Responding to concerns over the rising number of illegals in the state, the Massachusetts Senate approved on March 22 new restrictions on how long homeless families can stay in emergency state shelters. This is part of an $850 million plan to finance the system that keeps illegal immigrants in the state housed at the expense of taxpayers.

The maximum stay was restricted to nine months. The option will be given for an additional three months added to the stay of those who are employed or enrolled in a job training program.

Veterans, pregnant women and people with disabilities, among other conditions, would be eligible for 12 consecutive months regardless of their employment status.

This comes as shelters in Massachusetts reached maximum capacity in November when 7,500 families were in the system.

Follow InvasionUSA.news for more stories about the ongoing migrant crisis happening in America.

Watch the video below about a Boston resident going nuclear after a recreational center closes to house illegal immigrants.

This video is from the American Patriots God Country channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

America's HOMELESS population surges to record-high 653,000 as IMMIGRATION CRISIS worsens under Biden.

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander exposes Mayor Eric Adams' multimillion-dollar migrant shelter scandal.

Illegal alien invaders get free health care, food, education, housing, cell phones and debit cards while Americas homeless veterans sleep on the streets because invaders vote Democrat.

TREASON: Biden administrations secret transportation of 320,000 illegal immigrants into the U.S. revealed.

ABSURD: Biden administration asks for $3.3B to fund more housing for illegal migrants.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

FoxNews.com

APNews.com

Brighteon.com
At Netanyahus request, Israel is BANNING Al Jazeera (and any other foreign media deemed to be a national security threat)

Almost six months to the day after the October 7 Hamas attack, Israel is banning Al Jazeera from being broadcast within its borders, claiming the Qatar-based pan-Arab network is a mouthpiece for terrorists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that, at his behest, the far-right Knesset passed temporary legislation allowing Netanyahu the privilege to ban any foreign media outlets and shut down their offices whenever a national security threat is detected.

Netanyahu, who is currently recovering from hernia surgery, announced almost immediately after the Knesset's decision that he will be banning Al Jazeera with prejudice in his first post-legislation-passage action.

"Al Jazeera has harmed Israel's security, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against Israeli soldiers," Netanyahu said on X, accusing Al Jazeera of actually participating in the October 7 attack.

"It is time to remove the bullhorn of Hamas from our country. The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel's activity."

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi added that Al Jazeera will be blocked "in the coming day," stating further that "there won't be freedom of expression for Hamas mouthpieces."

The temporary legislation is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2024, but could extend further depending on when Israel's "significant military actions" against Hamas come to an end.

(Related: Last year, the Knesset introduced legislation to outlaw preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Israel  violators would face prison time.)

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

Al Jazeera staff at risk of retaliation

Al Jazeera responded to Netanyahu's decision with a chilling statement warning that if anything should happen to the media network's employees anywhere throughout the world in the coming days, Netanyahu will be responsible.

Al Jazeera "holds the Israeli prime minister responsible for the safety of its staff and network premises around the world following his incitement and this false accusation," the statement reads.

The statement goes on to say that "such slanderous accusations will not deter us from continuing our bold and professional coverage" of the war in Gaza, and that legal action will be taken if necessary to uphold and preserve that coverage in the face of Israeli censorship.

Israeli leadership is not in autonomous agreement over Netanyahu's decision, by the way. Legislator MK Mansour Abbas argued that Al Jazeera should be allowed to continue broadcasting in Israel because the network "gives a platform to speakers from Israel, even to military spokespersons."

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre also opposed Netanyahu's censorship move, stating that the United States believes "in the freedom of the press ... and that includes those who are reporting in the conflict in Gaza, so we believe that work is important."

Al Jazeera employees have, in the past, been killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In 2022, correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while covering an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Last December, cameraman Samer Abudaqa was killed during an IDF operation in Gaza.

"I can see why Netanyahu had a hernia operation: he worries too much about terrorists being everywhere," one commenter wrote. "He probably had his army ready to destroy the hospital in case terrorist doctors botched his operation."

"And now he sees terrorists in newspapers, terrorists in flowers given to him in hospital, and probably the tea leaves in his cup. He's starting to sound like a deluded third world dictator. Oh, he must be, after all, USA supports him."

Another wrote that "only cowardly states ban media."

The latest news about the escalating situation in the Middle East can be found at Prophecy.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
Ukraines starting to get dangerous

A lot of people seem to have forgotten about the war in Ukraine. Thats a mistake.

(Article by James Rickards republished from DailyReckoning.com)

Russia is slowly but steadily defeating Ukraine, which is becoming increasingly obvious to everyone except the most anti-Russian diehards.

Thats leading to desperation in elite Western circles determined to stop Russia one way or the other. In their minds, they simply cant let Putin win. They think that if Putin wins in Ukraine, hell next move on to the Baltic states, Poland and elsewhere.

You know the West is getting desperate based on recent threats by Frances Emmanuel Macron to send troops to Ukraine.

The vice president of the Russia Duma, Pyotr Tolstoy (descendant of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy), warned that French troops would be priority targets for Russian forces if they entered Ukraine.

Even though France would send troops independent of NATO, that puts us on a very dangerous path that ultimately leads to direct conflict between NATO and Russia. And that path ends in nuclear war ultimately.

Tolstoy added that it would take just two minutes to nuke Paris. Its not hard to envision how quickly things could escalate if France decided to send troops to Ukraine.

More Escalation

Meanwhile, NATO is preparing to send F-16s to Ukraine. Airfields in Ukraine are highly vulnerable to Russian attack, especially since Ukraines air defenses are heavily depleted at this point and the Russian air force is becoming increasingly active in Ukraine.

But if NATO allows the F-16s to be based on its own airbases, Putin has warned that these airfields would become a legitimate target if strikes against Russian forces were launched from them.

By the way, Russia has hypersonic missiles that NATO has no practical ability to shoot down, so these attacks would likely be successful. Of course, NATO would have to retaliate in kind. You can imagine where all this could lead.

Were already well along the escalation ladder. And the higher you go, the more face you stand to lose if you back down. I warned about that from the outset of the war.

But the entire notion that Russia poses some existential threat to NATO or Europe is absurd.

Putin Has Nothing to Gain and Everything to Lose

First off, the theory that Putin will invade other countries if he wins in Ukraine is nonsense. The Russian army lacks the men and materiel to occupy Ukraine while simultaneously invading other countries.

This isnt the Soviet Union with its massive tank armies poised to roll over Western Europe. And Soviet communism is long dead, so theres no ideological basis for Russia to invade Europe. These days Russia is a conservative, Orthodox Christian nation.

But more importantly, Putin has absolutely no incentive to invade any of these nations, which are NATO members. What do they have that he wants?

All it would do is trigger Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack on all, inviting a massive NATO response. At that point, youre on the fast track to nuclear war.

Putin is fully aware of that.

Fearmongers like to point to what Putin once said in a speech: Whoever doesnt miss the Soviet Union doesnt have a heart.

They take that as proof that he wants to recreate the Soviet Union. But they conveniently omit what he said next:

Whoever wants it back doesnt have a brain.

Whatever you think of Putin, he definitely has a brain. He has no intention to restore the Soviet Union.

Its Not Just About Intentions

But like any great power, Russia has interests, and Ukraine has always been a vital strategic interest to Russia.

And Russia is not going to tolerate Ukraine joining a NATO alliance thats hostile to Russia. Critics say Ukraine is a free and independent nation that can join NATO if it wants. Russia has no say in the matter, even though Ukraine borders Russia.

Well, I guess they never heard of the Monroe Doctrine. The U.S. basically declared the entire Western hemisphere its own domain. But a great power like Russia cant have a say in its own backyard?

Critics also say that the idea of NATO invading Russia is ridiculous. Thats just Russian paranoia. And thats true, NATO isnt going to actually invade Russia. But its not just intentions that count in the world of geopolitics. Its also capabilities.

As Bismarck once noted: What matters in politics is capabilities, not intentions. Intentions change, capabilities remain.

Given Russias long history of being invaded, its not hard to imagine why it might seem a bit paranoid of exterior threats.

If you look at a map, parts of Ukraine are actually east of Moscow.

Source: The Economist

Will the U.S. Keep the War Going?

Of course, Ukraine cant continue fighting without U.S. assistance. The Biden White House wants $60 billion of new money to give to Ukraine to fight the war. This is on top of several hundred billion already provided.

This was proposed last summer but has stalled in the Senate and House of Representatives ever since. The House passed a separate bill to aid Israel last fall, but the Senate refused to take it up because they want to tie that aid to money for Ukraine.

The Senate passed a bill that would provide aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in one package combined with some money for phony border security.

That bill was so unpopular it could not even make it out of the Senate. Then the House insisted on passing regular appropriations before considering Ukraine.

That process was completed on March 23, but now Congress is on a two-week Easter recess so nothing further will happen until mid-April. No one has even answered the most important question, which is what would Ukraine do with the money.

They cant buy badly needed 155mm artillery shells because the Western arsenals are bare and factories are not geared to make more than a handful. It will take years to expand that manufacturing capacity.

You can walk into a store with a wallet full of $100 bills, but if the shelves are empty, it doesnt do you any good. The products simply arent there.

Meanwhile, wonder weapons from the West such as tanks, cruise missiles, armored personnel carriers, HIMARS precision-guided artillery and anti-missile batteries have all been destroyed, disabled or shot down by Russia.

The war in Ukraine hasnt been good advertising for Western weapons.

Fallout

To repeat what I said earlier, Ukraine is losing the war badly. Russia is advancing on the southern and eastern fronts in Ukraine.

Still, the pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson to do something remains. The Republican warmongers in the Senate like Lindsey Graham and Joni Ernst wont let up. Many Republicans in the House such as Chip Roy and Marjorie Taylor Greene are opposed to Johnson on this.

Incredibly, Johnson may respond to the pressure with a solution worse than an outright appropriation. He may get behind efforts to steal $300 billion in Russian central bank assets held in the form of U.S. Treasury securities.

That would destroy confidence in the U.S. dollar, U.S. Treasury securities and the U.S. rule of law. Russia would quickly recover the loss by seizing $300 billion or more of Western assets still in Russia. No one in Congress seems to understand any of this.

If they follow through, the economic fallout would be bad enough. But if this war doesnt stop soon, we could ultimately be looking at nuclear fallout.

Read more at: DailyReckoning.com
Whistleblowers: IDF has established KILL ZONES in Gaza where soldiers can freely shoot Palestinians who are then counted as dead Hamas fighters

Several members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have come forward to reveal that the IDF has created free-fire "kill zones" in Gaza where their superiors allow them to kill civilians who unknowingly enter these areas. These deaths are then counted as IDF kills of Hamas fighters.

To date, the Gaza Health Ministry said nearly 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The IDF claims that 9,000 of those deaths are Hamas fighters. However, several permanent and reserve commanders disputed this claim.

"It's amazing to hear the reports after each activity about how many terrorists the forces have killed. After six months of fighting, you don't need to be a great genius to realize that today there are not hundreds or dozens of armed men running around the neighborhood in Khan Yunis or Jabaliya, with weapons in [their] hands, and fighting the IDF. In every combat space, the commanders define extermination areas. No one who is not part of the IDF forces is allowed to enter, in order not to allow damage to the forces on the spot," a reserve officer said.

According to testimonies provided to Israeli paper Haaretz, the IDF designates "extermination areas" within combat zones, where people not affiliated with the military are prohibited from entering. In the beginning, Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was instructing the IDF not to simply kill anyone in the combat zone. But this order has seemingly been countermanded by commanding officers on the ground in Gaza. (Related: Israel accused of targeting aid workers and deliberately provoking famine in Gaza.)

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

"From the point of view of the commanders, if we spotted someone in the area we were operating in and he was not one of our forces, it was just shooting to kill. We were specifically told that even in the case where the suspect flees into a building, and there are people in it  then we should open fire to kill the terrorist, even at the cost that the other people may be hurt," a soldier from one of the reserve brigades testified.

Furthermore, soldiers allegedly received instructions to shoot suspects even if there was a risk of high collateral damage, including the potential harm to innocent bystanders.

"For our commanders, if we identified someone in our area of operation who was not part of our forces, we were told to shoot to kill," said one soldier. "We were explicitly told that even if a suspect runs into a building with people in it, we should fire at the building and kill the terrorist, even if other people are hurt."

IDF denies allegations of "kill zones"

In its defense, a spokesperson from the IDF has denied claims that its soldiers established "kill zones" in combat areas.

"The IDF is in the midst of a war against the Hamas terror organization and is acting to foil threats against its forces," said the spokesperson. "The IDF constantly calls on civilians to evacuate intense combat zones and is investing efforts into allowing civilians to evacuate as safely as possible."

"In contrast to claims being made, the IDF has not defined 'kill zones.' Support for this comes from the fact that the IDF has arrested a large number of terrorists or suspected terrorists during the fighting, without inflicting damage in intense combat zones," the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Amos Yadlin, the former head of Israel's military intelligence, who serves as a consultant to members of the government's war cabinet, did not deny the existence of such zones, but argued that the allegations lack "understanding of the rules of engagement in a war against terrorists who don't wear uniform [and] use civilians as human shields."

Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more stories about the ongoing conflict in Israel.

Watch this footage of an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Israeli strikes target emergency health centers in southern Lebanon, killing paramedics.

Latest Israeli attack on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza KILLS 50 civilians, including several children.

Report: Israeli military has "weaponized" humanitarian initiatives in Gaza to accelerate the displacement and killing of Palestinians.

Investigation finds U.S.- and U.K.-manufactured weapons were used to bomb British doctors in Gaza's humanitarian area.

Five civilians were killed by falling aid parcels in northern Gaza as parachute failed to deploy.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

News.Sky.com

iNews.co.uk

Brighteon.com
We were warned decades ago how America would be overthrown via The Bezmenov Plan: The Four Stages Of Communist Subversion: 1) Demoralization, 2) Disorientation, 3) Crisis, and 4) Normalization

President Joe Bidens welcoming Easter Sunday message posted on X that,was shocking. Most could not understand how the Presidents judgment can be so skewed on the most holy day for Christians.

(Article by Scott S. Powell republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

As offensive as this was, it provides a window through which all can see whats happening. With Bidens cognitive decline being so obvious, there can be little doubt that he is being used by internal and external enemies of America intent on breaking down the constitutional republic of the United States without firing a shot. And its not hard to recognize the plan being followed is parallel to the blueprint plan revealed forty years ago by Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov, who explained the four stages of communist subversion: 1) Demoralization, 2) Disorientation, 3) Crisis, and 4) Normalization.

The United States has been under prolonged internal attacks of demoralization for several generations, through the educational system and the culture which have delivered messaging that disparages the United States and derides traditional values.

The second stage, known as disorientation, is most successful after a large portion of the population has been demoralized. Covid-19 brought about disorientation through mask mandates, social distancing, quarantines, lockdowns, and the abandonment of best medical practices of preventative and therapeutic treatments. Another important part of disorientation that was inflicted on America at that time was the ginned-up racism after the death of George Floyd, which triggered rioting, looting, and destruction of several billion dollars worth of property and the tearing down of historic statues and memorials in many cities across the United States.

What added to the disorientation of Americans at that time was that for weeks nobody seemed able to do anything about the rioting, lawlessness, and destruction going on in big cities across America. There were few arrests while some 1,000 police officers were injured and 33 were killed. At the same time cities with the most lawlessness like Minneapolis, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore initiated efforts to defund their police and law enforcement.

When nothing makes sense, the subliminal message is, This is not the America you know, its a new world that you have entered. This was as close to a mass state of disorientation in a time of relative peace as Americans have ever experienced.

The stage that follows disorientation is the crisis stage. The crisis stage would come in November 2020 with election rigging. The fear factor of Covid contagion was exploited by Democratic operatives who brought change to swing state election rules that greatly expanded mail-in ballots and drop boxes, which everyone knows facilitates vote fraud.

Simultaneous to the changes to election rules to facilitate stuffing the ballot boxes, a social media censorship and cancellation campaign was undertaken by the Stanford University-based NGO Election Integrity Project (EIP) in consultation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a unit within the Department of Homeland Security.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
U.K. government supports J.K. Rowling amid her challenge to Scotlands new hate crime law

The British government has defended J.K. Rowlings freedom of speech amid her challenge to Scotlands new hate crime law, sparking a debate over free expression and transgender rights.

The British government publicly issued its support of the acclaimed author of the "Harry Potter" series. Rowling, who is recognized for her gender-critical views, challenged the law through social media by stating that several transgender women are men. Her challenge coincided with the day the law went into effect.

Rowlings critique involved name-dropping 10 biological men pretending to be women, including individuals convicted of serious crimes. The individuals she listed included a convicted rapist, sex abusers and high-profile activists.

She provocatively anticipated arrest under the new laws provisions  which includes "stirring up hatred" on grounds including transgender identity  highlighting the tension between legal definitions and biological sex discourse.

"I hope every woman in Scotland who wishes to speak up for the reality and importance of biological sex will be reassured by this announcement, and I trust that all women  irrespective of profile or financial means  will be treated equally under the law," the author posted on X.

"Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal. I'm currently out of the country, but if what I've written here qualifies as an offense under the terms of the new act, I look forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment."

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak echoed concerns about the laws effect on police priorities and free speech rights. According to him, Britain had a proud tradition of free speech and that the new law had given the police the wrong priorities.

"We should not be criminalizing people saying common sense things about biological sex," the British leader told reporters. "Clearly that isn't right."

Police: No further action to be taken on Rowling's posts

Police Scotland, the law enforcement agency for the United Kingdom's component country, said it had received complaints concerning Rowling's social media posts. But a spokesperson for the agency remarked: "The comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken."

The law enforcement agency also announced that Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf  the driving force behind the hate speech law  will also not face criminal charges. Many reported the minister over his 2020 speech in the Scottish Parliament about having too many White people in the government. Yousaf delivered the speech after the 2020 death of George Floyd, which sparked the Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. during the summer of that year.

For his part, the first minister defended the law as necessary to combat a "rising tide of hatred." He continued: "Unless your behavior is threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of the new offenses being created."

Yousaf also ensured protection for various groups under the law, though not explicitly for women. The law, however, has sparked concerns over potential impacts on free speech and the debate around women-only spaces. Women are not protected as a group, but the Scottish National Party-led government in Edinburgh is looking at separate reforms to target misogyny.

Scottish ministers have previously said misgendering people would not be an offense under the new law. However, Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhan Brown said it would be a matter for police to decide. (Related: Radical new hate crime law in Scotland means people could go to jail if their words offend someone.)

Visit Censorship.news for similar stories.

Watch as Humza Yousaf delivers a rant speech about white indigenous people in Scotland.

This video is from the WarLord channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

British police now ARRESTING politicians for criticizing law enforcement, calling it a "hate crime."

Michigan House of Representatives passes bill that makes "misgendering" a HATE CRIME.

Christian veteran who destroyed SATANIC display in Iowa Capitol charged with "hate crime."

County prosecutors charge Navy reserve veteran with HATE CRIME for decapitating Iowa Satanic statue.

Question: Who wears a MAGA hat to commit a hate crime? Answer: The Feds

Sources include:

YourNews.com

Brighteon.com
Daughter of judge on Trumps hush money case posts a picture of Trump in jail after gag order

An X account that is believed to belong to New York Judge Juan Merchans daughter, Loren, used a photo illustration of Donald Trump behind bars as its profile picture earlier this week. The picture was later changed after she was criticized online for using it.

Lorens work for a Democratic consulting firm has been a point of contention, prompting Trumps attorneys to seek the judges recusal from the case. Her firm has worked on campaigns for President Joe Biden and lists Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California and Vice President Kamala Harris among its current clients.

Judge Merchan is overseeing the hush money case related to allegations of reimbursements for a payment made by Trumps former lawyer to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He is being charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Ahead of his April 15 trial, Judge Merchan expanded a gag order on the case at the request of prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to include barring the former president from making public comments about the judges family. He had previously been barred from commenting on prospective jurors, lawyers in the district attorneys office, the relatives of court staffers and attorneys on the case, and potential witnesses.

Political activist Laura Loomer posted on X that she was blocked by Loren on X after she exposed the profile picture; Loren later locked the account and changed the picture, but Loomer took multiple screenshots of it and shared them online.

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

Al Baker, a court spokesperson, claimed the photo was simply a manipulation of an account she long ago abandoned.

However, her consulting firm had linked to the account in question in past social media posts, which can be interpreted as proof of its authenticity. Trump has not shared Lorens bio photo but did suggest her activism caused a conflict of interest. He also referred to her as a Rabid Trump Hater and said she admitted to having conversations with her father about me.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: So, let me get this straight, the Judges daughter is allowed to post pictures of her dream of putting me in jail  but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me, and the Lunatics trying to destroy my life and prevent me from winning the 2024 Presidential Election, which I am dominating?

He added: Maybe the Judge is such a hater because his daughter makes money by working to Get Trump and when he rules against me over and over again, he is making her company, and her, richer and richer.

Judge Merchan insists he can be impartial despite family history of supporting Democrats

Juan Merchan also has a history of making donations to Democrat candidates and causes but refuses to recuse himself from the Trump case. FEC filings show that he donated to Bidens 2020 presidential campaign, along with a political action committee that works to increase voter turnout for Democrats and a group called Stop Republicans, which is devoted to keeping Republicans and Trump from taking office.

However, he maintains that he can be fair and impartial and said that a state court ethics panel determined that his daughters work would not affect his impartiality on the Trump case.

Judge Merchan insisted that his daughters interests would not be impacted by the proceedings substantially and that Trump failed to demonstrate that there exists concrete, or even realistic reasons for recusal to be appropriate, much less required.

Sources for this article include:

HeadlineUSA.com

CBSNews.com
? La presidenta Dina Boluarte sostuvo un encuentro con alcaldes de la Asociacion de Municipalidades Distritales del Peru-AMUDIP, entidad que reune a mas de 1600 burgomaestres de todo el pais, para impulsar obras en agua y saneamiento, en infraestructura vial, en salud y otros pic.twitter.com/OGESgU1uw3
She asked us to pray for her  family of World Central Kitchen volunteer killed in Israeli strike speaks to RT

Before venturing into Gaza as an aid worker, Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43, who was born to an Australian father and an Indian mother, said her purpose was to provide relief and warm food to those affected by the conflict in the Palestinian enclave, her family members have recalled. Lalzawmis mission, however, was cut short when she was killed on Monday along with six others when their convoy was struck by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

(Article republished from RT.com)

The humanitarian convoy was hit as it was leaving Gazas Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid, despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the World Central Kitchen said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that IDF forces unintentionally hit innocent people in a tragic incident. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has described the bombing of the convoy as a grave mistake.

A report in Haaretz suggests, however, that the attack was intentional as Israel had fired missiles on three separate occasions over suspicions that a Hamas operative was traveling with the group.

Speaking to RT, Lalzawmis family members in Indias northeastern state of Mizoram detailed the chain of events that led to her ill-fated mission in Gaza.

On April 1, Lalzawmi posted a message in her familys chat group, sharing that her team had received the green light to go to Gaza and asked family members to pray for her as she was a little nervous. She also shared a selfie of herself donning a bulletproof vest and a helmet, which is believed to be her last picture.

Her family in India say they were shattered by the news of her death.

Lalzawmi was the heartbeat of the family, always had a big smile on her face, and was always full of energy, Lallawmawma (Awma), her cousin, told RT. She was passionate about the work she did with the World Central Kitchen which she considered a family. She had a great sense of humor and could crack jokes at any time and saw the positives in everybody she met.

Lalzawmis relatives recalled that she had always wanted to do two things ever since she was a young girl. First, I want to help as many people as I can and second, I want to travel and see the world as much as I can, she once said, according to her cousin. He also noted that during her last visit to Mizoram in 2023, Lalzawmi had expressed a desire to settle down in the tribal-dominated Indian state for her retirement. All along, she stayed true to her roots in Mizoram, Awma said.

Former World Central Kitchen CEO Nate Mook posted a photo of Lalzawmi on X (formerly Twitter), noting she was one of the earliest employees at the organization. Her journey with the NGO began in Guatemala after the Volcan de Fuego erupted in 2018, killing around 200 people.

Zomi was one of the earliest employees at World Central Kitchen. She first showed up to volunteer at our WCK kitchen in Guatemala after the Fuego volcano eruptionand became like family. Zomi was effervescent, her spirit of service embodied the greatest aspects of humanity. pic.twitter.com/xfoTIvFBUM  Nate Mook (@natemook) April 2, 2024

On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had expressed Canberras anger and concern during a phone call with Netanyahu. We have called for full transparency and accountability, and for aid to reach Gaza unimpeded and in large quantities, Albanese asserted on X.

Some of Israels closest allies, including the United States, have condemned the deaths of the aid workers. Amid international outcry over the incident, celebrity chef and World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres has insisted that the seven volunteers were the best of humanity. They are not faceless or nameless, he told The New York Times. They are not generic aid workers or collateral damage in war.

I expressed Australias anger and concern at the death of Zomi Frankcom to Prime Minister Netanyahu in a phone call this morning. We have called for full transparency and accountability, and for aid to reach Gaza unimpeded and in large quantities. pic.twitter.com/B5MfACGteO  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 2, 2024

Tel Aviv is facing growing scrutiny over its actions during the siege of Gaza, which it launched in retaliation for the Hamas strike in southern Israel on October 7. The Hamas-backed Health Ministry in Gaza on Monday said that the death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the enclave has risen to 32,845.

Meanwhile, the deaths of the aid workers has prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians, many of whom are believed to be starving.

Read more at: RT.com
Israel systematically targeted Gaza food aid workers, new evidence shows  it wasnt an accident!

World Central Kitchen founder and chef Jose Andres is speaking out about Israel's killing of seven relief workers in Gaza, calling the attack "systematically targeted" and intentional.

After reviewing the evidence, Andres stated that Israel clearly and systematically, "car by car," targeted the aid workers with three separate airstrikes, one for each relief vehicle.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims the attack was not deliberate but merely an accident, but Andres is not buying it.

The IDF knew full well, Andres explained in an interview, that the vehicles were humanitarian vehicles, and that the objects being transported were food, because it was all discussed with the Israeli military previously. Nevertheless, the IDF bombed each of the vehicles, killing everyone inside.

"Even if we were not in coordination with the IDF, no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians," Andres told Reuters, adding that this was not a "bad luck situation where, 'oops,' we dropped the bomb in the wrong place."

Andres wrote an op-ed for the New York Times called "Let People Eat" that discusses the matter further.

(Related: The rest of the world is fed up with Israel's atrocious behavior in Gaza.)

White House mulls how to respond

The Biden regime has not yet indicated what it will do in response to the attacks. President Biden has expressed outrage over Israel's behavior, but it is unclear what will happen, if anything, to punish the Zionist state.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was tight-lipped about the matter after it happened, failing to address the matter directly, even though the U.S. continues to send multibillion-dollar welfare checks to Israel for military aid.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

"We've had, we're having conversations with Israel," Jean-Pierre said. "We've been very clear about that. Those conversations have been tough. We've been very public about those conversations on this particular incident. There will be an investigation."

"The president has said he wants it to be swift, he wants it to be comprehensive, and he is there to seek accountability, to bring account for account, right? To bring accountability."

Biden issued a strongly worded statement to Israel on paper, but did not speak with his mouth about the incident.

"And you heard from the President last night in his statement, he is - he's outraged, he is heartbroken," Jean-Pierre continued. "We're all heartbroken here, those seven lives."

Jean-Pierre's words echoed those of Biden who used similar verbiage about being "heartbroken" and "outraged" over what happened.

"They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war," Biden's statement about the aid workers reads.

"They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy. Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers' vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public."

When pressed about why the Biden regime refuses to conclude that the strike was deliberate, national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that an investigation is still underway to determine precisely what happened.

"As I said yesterday, they're investigating it and we have every expectation  we do expect that they will do a thorough job, a swift job, and that they'll be transparent about what they find," Kirby said.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi apologized publicly for the strike, calling it a "misidentification."

"I want to be very clear: the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened."

The latest news about Israel's war on Gaza can be found at Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Its not about Trump: American CJ Hopkins, charged again in Germany, describes global censorship effort

The German people are famous for putting everything in print, even things they shouldnt, and in this instance at least, American playwright and author CJ Hopkins is glad. The irony, he says, laughing. The Germans, always documenting everything.

(Article by Matt Taibbi republished from Racket.news)

In a letter from the Berlin Prosecutors file on Hopkins, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA, analogous to our FBI) acknowledges receipt of a document from a government office describing an effort to have tweets deleted. The Hessen Gegen Hetze reporting office, the highlighted portion reads, has already initiated measures to delete the relevant post on the social network:

Hopkins reached out to me after listening in disgust to the Murthy v. Missouri Supreme Court hearing Monday. Standing was a big issue: our government said plaintiffs like Drs. Jay Bhattacharya and Aaron Kheriaty lacked definite proof that the government was responsible for suppressing their speech. No such issue exists in CJs case, as you can see.

Hopkins also wanted Americans who might be up in arms about the specter of legalized censorship in their own country to see that the phenomenon has also spread to virtually every Western democracy, often in more extreme forms than weve seen so far in the United States.

CJs unique insight involves his ludicrous German case, which as youll read in the Q&A below has taken bizarre turns since we last checked and will now go to trial yet again. As an expat following the American situation from afar, hes seen how the authoritarian tide is rising in similar or worse ways all around the globe.

Hopkins is facing the business end of the German version, among the worst. As detailed last June, he was charged with disseminating propaganda, the contents of which are intended to further the aims of a former National Socialist organization. The crime? Using a barely detectible Swastika in the cover image of his book, The Rise of the New Normal Reich. Far from furthering the aims of Nazism, he was criticizing them by comparing Nazi methods and laws to those of modern health authorities. The offending image:

Hopkins went to trial in January and delivered an impassioned plea to the court. Every journalist that has covered my case, everyone in this courtroom, understands what this prosecution is actually about, he said. It has nothing to do with punishing people who actually disseminate pro-Nazi propaganda. It is about punishing dissent, and making an example of dissidents in order to intimidate others into silence.

Though the judge was clearly not a fan of Hopkins  a courtroom account by Aya Velazquez, which I recommend reading, described how the judge said CJs statements were ideological drivel, just not punishable by law  he won on the law.

After acquittal, he was made aware that technically the case wasnt over, because thanks to a quirk of German jurisprudence, the prosecutor had a week to file an appeal. Hopkins was unconcerned. I doubt he will [re-file]. He made a total fool of himself in front of a large audience yesterday, he wrote. I cant imagine that he will want to do that again.

Bzzt! Wrong. The prosecutor re-filed charges. The prosecutorial theory in the Hopkins case was based on a bizarre interpretation of hate crime, essentially asserting that if you have to think about an image to realize its satire, it cant be allowed. If that idea spreads, it would make comedy or even sharp commentary impossible. This is why his indictment, and the similar investigation of Roger Waters, are really serious moments. Not to be heavy-handed, but eliminating the loophole for satire or mockery is exactly what Waters meant by Another Brick in the Wall. Before you know it, itll be too high to see over:

MT: You got charged again?

CJ Hopkins: No I got acquitted. I went to trial on the 23rd of January, and I wrote this up and Ill send it to you so you can just look at the whole account. But at the trial I made a big aggressive statement that people republished all over the place. The judge acquitted me, and then called me all kinds of names and then put on her covid mask and stalked out of the courtroom. She called me a Schwurbler, which in German is kind of an idiot, I guess a babbler or someone.

Anyway, I read that statement, which pissed them all off, but she said, Okay, youre an idiot, but thats not against the law, so youre acquitted. So I thought, Great. This is over. Im acquitted. The prosecutor had no case whatsoever, and it was really embarrassing, and I figured it was all done, but my attorney reminded me: oh no, the prosecutor can appeal. Which he did. So now Im facing another trial in appeals court. Its not new charges, its the same charge, but the prosecutors appeal of my acquittal.

MT: The double jeopardy thing isnt big in Germany, I take it?

CJ Hopkins: No.

MT: Are they going to make a different argument?

CJ Hopkins: I have no idea what theyre going to do. They have no argument I mean, they put my tweets up on an overhead projector, like we were back in high school, and interrogated me about whether the Swastika was on top of the mask or behind the mask, that sort of thing. The prosecutors argument was basically, We dont believe that Mr. Hopkins is a Nazi, or pro-Nazi, we dont believe he was trying to spread Nazi propaganda, but he nonetheless spread Nazi propaganda. because his tweet  and this is a great part of their argument  because if people saw his tweets, they would have to stop and think for a minute to figure out what they meant.

MT: Essentially you cant have satire, because that requires a person to have at least one thought.

CJ Hopkins: You cant make people think. Youve got to have beat-you-over-the-head messaging. I think the whole point of this Im sure its like the plea-bargain thing in the States. They figure if they hit you with a 3,600 Euro fine, youre going to pay three times that much to fight it in court, so youre just going to pay the fine and go away. I dont think they ever expected to end up in court, and I have no idea what the prosecutor is doing with this appeal. The judge a few weeks later submitted a written verdict, which is strongly in my favor. She pretty much reiterated my attorneys arguments and made it absolutely clear that what I did falls under the exceptions to the statute, and theres nothing here to prosecute. Nonetheless, the prosecutions going ahead.

MT: Did you have much Western news coverage?

CJ Hopkins: Right before the trial I had you, then Neue Zurcher Zeitung, which is the big paper of record in Switzerland, and James Kirchick at The Atlantic, who was a big help. I think it put a lot of pressure on the judge. My lawyer made her aware that Germany was being portrayed as a laughingstock in the international press. Aside from The Atlantic, it was all independent alternative media.

MT: In the Murthy Supreme Court case in the States Monday, there was an issue with what they call traceability. I see you dont have a traceability issue, with this document from your case file?

CJ Hopkins: Exactly. Thats why I sent it to you. Unquestionably, this is a government office, directly involved with removing the tweets. The other thing that I was going to say, is that Im looking at things like the Supreme Court case from a non-U.S. perspective. Im outside of it. Im watching the legislation thats getting rolled out in Ireland and the UK and whats happening to me here and whats going on in the States, and its so obviously much broader than just a red-blue political story in the US. This is happening throughout the Western democratic countries.

Im just desperate to get that across to people. I think its so easy for people to get locked into whats going on in their own country and not see the bigger picture.

MT: Whats an example?

CJ Hopkins: There was just a piece in The Herald, in Scotland. The police were being trained there on how to crack down on abusive hate speech. According to this new legislation thats rolling out and in the training manual, they were saying this could take place in comic performances or stage plays. People are being arrested in the UK for protest signs.

https://substack.com/@cjhopkins/note/c-52064758

https://substack.com/@taibbi/note/c-52084716?utm_source=notes-share-action

https://substack.com/@taibbi/note/c-52085343?utm_source=notes-share-action

If I can just put one little bug in your head, Matt, to whatever degree you can tweak people and let them know: Hey, its not just Trump and the Democrats and the liberals and the woke people and all that. This is happening all over the West, in all these different countries. I think thats one thing that my case does, it provides folks with an opportunity to remind them that this is happening all over. The old rules dont apply.

MT: Good luck with your case.

CJ Hopkins: Take care.

Read more at: Racket.news
Louisiana Senate unanimously passes bill banning UN, WHO & WEF from controlling state

In a unanimous vote, the Louisiana Senate passed Senate Bill 133 to create a legal barricade against a globalist takeover by the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Co-authored by Republican state Sens. Valarie Hodges and Thomas A. Pressly, as well as state Rep. Kathy Edmonston, the bill blocks the UN, the WHO and the WEF from having any jurisdiction or authority within the state boundaries of Louisiana.

"The World Health Organization, United Nations, and the World Economic Forum shall have no jurisdiction or power within the state of Louisiana," the bill reads.

"No rule, regulation, fee, tax, policy, or mandate of any kind of the World Health Organization, United Nations, and the World Economic Forum shall be enforced or implemented by the state of Louisiana or any agency, department, board, commission, political subdivision, governmental entity of the state, parish, municipality, or any other political entity."

(Related: The Tennessee senate just passed a "vaccine lettuce" bill to designate any food item containing pharmaceuticals as a "drug" that requires a prescription.)

Just say no to globalist overreach

The bill came about in the aftermath of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "pandemic," which we now know was a power grab by the UN, the WHO and the WEF.

Speaking about its implications, Sen. Hodges, who represents Louisiana's District 13, told the media that it is high time to protect Louisianans from the destructive overreach of these globalist entities.

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Use our decentralized, blockchain-based, uncensorable free speech platform at Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

"We have watched a horror story unfold in front of us as time has shown that the 'recommendations' and coercive regulations from outside organizations such as the WHO have harmed hundreds of thousands of Americans," Hodges said.

Citing concerns about the safety of COVID "vaccines" and the influence of these globalist bodies in pushing them, Hodges added that Louisiana legislators want to decouple the state from outside influences that seek to force potentially deadly interventions on state residents.

The bill still needs to pass the Republican-controlled Louisiana House. Once it does, any rules, regulations, taxes, mandates or policies coming from the likes of the UN, the WHO and the WEF will be null and void throughout the state.

This includes blocking the so-called "Global Pandemic Treaty," which threatens to mandate a universal digital passport and identification system for all UN member states, allowing the WHO to unilaterally control what happens during the next "pandemic."

Anything deemed to be an "existential threat to public health" will shift total control over the citizenry into the hands of the UN, the WHO and the WEF, hence why Louisiana Republicans want this bill to become law.

The Biden regime has been pushing for an amendment to the international health regulations put forth by the WHO, which would allow the WHO to override the Constitution on matters relating to a "public health emergency of international concern."

Even a public health emergency of "regional concern" would, in theory, trigger a transfer of power and authority to the WHO to force the populace to once again wear a mask, social distance and sit in lockdown for as long as the authorities deem necessary.

In short, the execution of the Global Pandemic Treaty would mean that all American rights go bye-bye in an even more severe way than what happened during the COVID "pandemic."

"In case anyone needs a reminder: you are the carbon they want to reduce," one commenter wrote about the implications of what the UN, the WHO and the WEF want to unleash during the next public health crisis.

This is a laudable effort by Louisiana, but will it be enough to stop the globalists? Find out more at Globalism.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

Legiscan.com

NaturalNews.com
JAILSCRAPER: New York City set to begin construction on 300-foot-tall, 1,000-bed Manhattan jail tower

New York City is set to begin construction on the world's tallest jail, where over 1,000 prisoners will be detained in a massive 40-floor tower. The size of the planned complex has drawn intense criticism from locals.

The new jail will be built on the site of the former Manhattan Detention Complex, colloquially known as the Tombs, at 124-125 White Street in Chinatown, just south of SoHo and east of Tribeca.

The Tombs will be replaced by the new detention center dubbed the "Jailscraper" by locals. It will be 300 feet tall  a third as high as the Empire State Building  with 40 floors and 1,040 beds. It will have underground parking and around 20,000 square feet of community and commercial space on the street level.

Construction is expected to begin by early 2025, when the demolition of the Tombs is expected to be mostly finished, according to demolition contractor the Gramercy Group. (Related: Alabama building a $1 billion, 4,000-bed prison  the most expensive prison in U.S. history.)

The tower will be so massive that its shadow is expected to stretch more than five blocks, casting most of Chinatown in darkness for much of the day.

Lower Manhattan residents up in arms over construction of Jailscraper

Lower Manhattan residents  especially locals and businesses of Chinatown  are protesting vigorously over the Jailscraper's construction. They warn that they are already suffering a year before the Jailscraper is set to begin construction, thanks to the demolition work being done on the Tombs causing a lot of earthshaking noise and dust.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

Since demolition began last spring, residents have noted widening cracks in a wall at the Chunk Pak senior housing center next door, a mixed-use building that also includes a daycare center, medical facilities and other commercial tenants. Nearby residents have also been forced to keep their windows shut for most of the day to block out the noise and dust from the demolition.

Longtime businesses in the area have warned locals that they may have to close because of the reduced foot traffic or costly renovations they have to do on their affected businesses. The Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, a tenant of Chung Pak, said it was forced to move pediatric services out of the building last spring because of the ceaseless noise and the leaky ceilings that appeared at the start of the demolition.

Locals fear that a years-long construction process will only become even more disruptive. But New York City Councilman Christopher Marte (D-Lower East Side) said during a community board meeting that he believes "this is a worst-case scenario." Marte represents all of Lower Manhattan and Ellis, Liberty and Governors Islands.

"We are the dumping ground," said Jan Lee, co-founder of Neighbors United Below Canal, a nonprofit representing Chinatown residents and business owners. He pointed out how hypocritical it was for the city to be spending billions on a new 1,000-bed jail while Chinatown is home to several homeless shelters and there have been no major affordable housing initiatives in years.

Lee further warned that many restaurants nearby will not survive the construction of the jail, including the late-night Cantonese restaurant at 21 Mott, whose owner  Hop Kee  is one of Lee's tenants.

The Jailscraper is part of a 2019, $8.3 billion initiative passed by the City Council to build four new jails in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Proponents claim Jailscraper and the three other new jails will be vital to the city's effort to close down Rikers Island, infamously known for its high rates of violence and death among detainees. Rikers is legally mandated to shut down by 2027, but City Hall believes this deadline needs to be pushed back.

Gramercy is also working overtime to win over the community. The group has already committed to repairing the damage to Chung Pak. Tenants, however, fear that the continuation of the demolition work could cause more damage.

Watch this Fox Business clip featuring Rep. Bryan Donalds (R-FL) discussing how New York has "lost its ever-loving mind."

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

New York City descends into a police state as Gov. Hochul deploys 1,000 national guardsmen and police in subway system to "mitigate crimes."

NYC illegals who attacked police officers go PARTYING in Florida, then return to the Big Apple to exploit more soft-on-crime leftist policies.

NYPD Chief laments "total breakdown" of justice after illegals assault police officer, then get RELEASED from jail without bail.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

NYTimes.com

Metro.co.uk

Brighteon.com
Ohios Chernobyl: Pollution from East Palestine still wreaking havoc in nearby Pennsylvania

Residents of embattled East Palestine, Ohio, feel abandoned, forgotten and discarded by state and federal governments over a year after the Norfolk Southern train derailment dumped massive tons of pollutants into their community.

East Palestine's residents are not alone. In neighboring Pennsylvania, less than a mile to the east from the town, people are also describing a lackluster and frustrating response from the government at all levels, a lack of accountability from Norfolk Southern and extreme difficulties with reviving a sense of normalcy in a community where many are now developing health problems due to the train derailment. (Related: ANOTHER freight train derails in Pennsylvania, evacuations ordered.)

"Our Pennsylvania constitutional rights were violated and continue to be violated," said Sheila Stiegler, an organic farmer in Lawrence County near East Palestine. "We are here with our expectations for our rights to be restored and upheld."

Stiegler and other nearby residents testified during a Senate committee hearing on the aftereffects of the derailment and burn-off of vinyl chloride, which she called "the Ohio Chernobyl."

"Is our government going to allow a corporation to get away with it?" Stiegler asked. "This has been a ping pong from one agency to another  with little resolution."

The complaints echo what residents have repeated for a year, indicating a lack of trust in Norfolk Southern, and then a loss of trust in state and federal agencies due to poor communication and officials reportedly not being responsive to their needs.

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Use our decentralized, blockchain-based, uncensorable free speech platform at Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

"I've spoken to [Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw]  it yields nothing. He's a puppet, he's controlled by his board of directors," said Lori O'Connell, a resident of Darlington, Pennsylvania. "Nobody believes in the alphabet soup people because they don't follow through with what they say they're going to do anyhow  or you get the runaround."

Residents unable to get their property tested for chemical exposure

OConnell, who lives three miles from the derailment site, couldnt get any agency to test her soil. Until she forced her way into a meeting with Gov. Josh Shapiro, who only then was forced to call upon the Environmental Protection Agency to order a test on her property.

"I'm angry at my local government, my county government, my state and my federal because the help that we have received in this township is short of nothing  nothing," O'Connell said. "It's inexcusable that, as taxpaying citizens in the state of Pennsylvania, that we should have to go through this," O'Connell said.

She read off lab results for her family that showed elevated levels of benzene, vinyl chloride and other chemicals, similar to what other testifiers noted. Her husband has developed a rare form of breast cancer since the derailment.

Locals and researchers have asked for more testing  not just air, water and soil, but testing of indoor air quality to see if any chemicals were absorbed into fabrics and materials in homes.

But even with those tests, holding Norfolk Southern reliable would be tricky.

"Can you prove causation? No  and thats what these companies rely on," said Rick Tsai, a chiropractor in Darlington, who has raised concerns regarding the burn-off of the vinyl chloride that spilled from the East Palestine train. That the burn-off was a choice, and one made for the sake of convenience over safety, has been an argument made since the choice was made to "drain all the cars and light them on fire in a ditch."

"All we really wanted was justice and life [as] it was before we were pretty much hit with a chemical bomb," Tsai said.

Watch this video discussing how the Ohio train derailment was an act of economic warfare against the people of the United States.

This video is from the Infowars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture says ALL food is illegal unless produced in government-approved facility.

FOREIGN HACKERS target water infrastructure in Pennsylvania, prompting calls for increased cybersecurity.

END OF THE ROAD: Digital freight startup founded by ex-Amazon execs suspends operations.

Following East Palestine train derailment, environmentalists push EPA to ban vinyl chloride.

Another train carrying hazardous materials derails in Maine  THIRD crash this week.

Sources include:

JustTheNews.com

TheCenterSquare.com

Brighteon.com
Turkey set to become Americas largest supplier of artillery

Turkey is slated to become the United States' biggest supplier of artillery shells as allies within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continue to drain their stockpiles with military aid deliveries to Ukraine. Now, most allies are struggling to maintain healthy munition stocks while still providing aid to Ukraine.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also presents himself as a possible partner in searching for peace between Ukraine and Russia. (Related: NATOs ammo shortage worsens due to skyrocketing prices and Ukrainian troops overconsumption of artillery shells.)

The U.S. is currently in talks with Ankara for raw materials like trinitrotoluene, known as TNT, and nitroguanidine, which is used as a propellant for munitions. Both are crucial for the production of NATO-standard 155mm caliber artillery ammunition.

With sufficient provision of these raw materials, the U.S. could potentially triple its production. Turkey is already on track to become America's biggest seller of artillery shells as early as this year.

The rise in demand has delayed worldwide orders and has put pressure on defense supply chains, especially for ingredients such as TNT.

The complicated negotiations with Ankara lay bare the delicate balance that needs to be maintained within NATO. Relations between many member nations have been strained these past few years due to the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine as well as by Turkey's recently-concluded months-long blockade of Sweden's accession to the military alliance.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

Turkey and the U.S. working on creating closer military ties

Erdogan has already planned to visit the White House on May 9  his first visit since President Joe Biden took office in 2021  as Ankara and Washington work to smooth over military ties. There are already indications that relations are improving, as Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO membership earlier this year cleared the way for the U.S. to sign off on a $23 billion sale of American-made F-16 fighter jets, as well as a whole host of missiles and bombs.

The partnership on ammunition production would build on improving military relations with Turkey. The Department of Defense said in February that it has already contracted General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to build three assembly lines for building 155mm projectile parts in Texas with the help of Turkish subcontractors. This plant, to be built in Mesquite, is scheduled to move into production as early as June of this year.

In Turkey, local defense manufacturer Repkon is expected to ramp up production to the point that, by 2025, the company will be producing some 30 percent of all U.S.-made 155mm artillery shells.

In a statement on Repkon's ramping up of production and the investment into Mesquite, the Pentagon said working with allies "is key to building a global defense industrial base."

Furthermore, Washington bought 116,000 rounds of battle-ready ammunition from Turkish company Arca Defense, with delivery scheduled later this year and additional purchases believed to be finalized soon and ready for shipment in 2025.

U.S. and NATO efforts are contributing to the race to catch up with Moscow's own manufacturing capabilities. Russia's war machine is projected to domestically produce and procure as much as four million rounds of ammunition by the end of the year with the help of shipments from North Korea.

Meanwhile, the European Union expects to triple its production of artillery shells this year to around 1.4 million units.

Follow MilitaryTechnology.news for more stories about military weapons.

Watch the video below about Turkey being booted out of the F-35 program.

This video is from the zolnareport.com channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Biden makes SHOCKING admission, confirms U.S. military is low on certain munitions after they were sent to Ukraine.

U.S. facing worsening ammo shortage while trying to keep up with Ukraines demands.

CASHING IN: Orders at worlds top defense companies soar amid geopolitical conflicts.

Biden finds another $300 million in arms to send to Ukraine while Pentagons own stockpile runs bare.

American F-16 SHOOTS DOWN armed Turkish combat drone that flew within half a mile of U.S. troops in Syria.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
Ukraine warns its frontlines could COLLAPSE at any time as generals fear severe losses from upcoming Russian offensive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is warning of an impending collapse of Kyiv's forces as he urgently appeals for the United States to approve a significant military aid package, emphasizing the vulnerability of the country's military and the risk of losing key cities without adequate support. (Related: Sen. Ron Johnson and Elon Musk explain why Ukraine will lose the war in X discussion about Ukraine spending bill

The scenario is made more complex by an anticipated Russian offensive by late spring or early summer, which is accompanied by uncertainty about the tactics and regions that would be targeted. Military insiders and generals in Ukraine's armed forces paint a bleak picture, highlighting the daunting prospect of front lines collapsing under the weight of Russian

They emphasize the critical need for effective defense technologies and timely support from Western allies, lamenting the inadequacies that have hampered Ukraine's resistance efforts.

Acknowledging instances of successful defense against Russian incursions, these officers stress the necessity for ongoing innovation and adaptability in the face of evolving threats. They underscore the urgent requirement for essential weaponry, including artillery shells and drones, to sustain the defense against Russian forces.

Efforts from European allies to bolster Ukraine's arsenal, such as the proposed artillery ammunition purchase, provide some relief but fall short of addressing the full extent of Ukraine's needs. Additionally, concerns over manpower shortages persist, with delays in implementing recruitment measures exacerbating the strain on frontline defenses.

We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance.

The debate over mobilization efforts reflects broader political challenges within Ukraine, with tensions between military imperatives and domestic considerations complicating strategic decision-making.

Despite reassurances from military leadership, skepticism remains regarding the adequacy of manpower preparations in anticipation of a potential escalation in hostilities.

Ukraine's chances of winning is diminishing, if not gone entirely

The long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia last year ended in disappointment, marked by Moscow's conquest of Avdiivka, the biggest territorial gain for Russia in nine months. Zelensky has been compelled to silently acknowledge this new military reality.

The administration of President Joe Biden is currently pivoting toward a strategy of sustaining Ukrainian defenses until after the U.S. presidential elections, hoping to exhaust Russian forces in a protracted war of attrition.

While this strategy appears reasonable, it harbors one crucial implication and a potentially disastrous flaw, aspects not yet receiving serious consideration in public discourse in the West or Ukraine.

The implication of Ukraine adopting a prolonged defensive stance, even if successful, is that the territories currently under Russian occupation are effectively lost. Russia is unlikely to yield these lands at the negotiating table after having secured them on the battlefield.

This doesn't imply Ukraine formally surrendering these territories, as that would be politically unfeasible. However, it does imply that, as Zelensky previously suggested regarding Crimea and the eastern Donbas, the territorial issue may need to be deferred for future negotiations. Such negotiations could persist for decades without resolution or escalate into renewed conflict.

For many Ukrainians, especially in private discussions, the acceptance of territorial losses as the price of peace was a pragmatic view, particularly if reclaiming lost lands through military means seemed improbable. Now, this view is gaining popularity.

However, some proponents of complete Ukrainian victory entertain overly optimistic or fantastical hopes.

For instance, the notion of Russia's defeat and expulsion from Crimea through long-range missile bombardment, as proposed by retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges, is deemed unrealistic.

While Ukraine has achieved some successes against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, retaking Crimea would require a monumental amphibious operation beyond current capabilities.

A more realistic approach suggests that by maintaining a defensive posture this year, Ukrainians could inflict significant losses on Russian forces, potentially enabling a successful counterattack in 2025 with increased Western support.

Watch this video featuring residents of Avdiivka describing war crimes committed by Ukrainian troops.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Spanish newspaper claims NATO troops are ACTIVE in Ukraine.

Report: British Armed Forces directly involved in Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine running out of tanks as military struggles to repair machinery damaged by Russia.

Sources include:

Politico.eu

UK.News.Yahoo.com

Brighteon.com
World turning on Israel after IDF war criminals triple-bomb aid workers feeding Palestinian civilians

Israel's recent triple-bombing of food aid workers in Gaza is driving the rest of the world, including its "best friend" the United States, even further away from supporting the Zionist regime.

President Biden joined a chorus of other world leaders in expressing fury over the drone strikes that left seven food aid workers from World Central Kitchen dead while in route to a destination that was pre-arranged with Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

After setting up the clearly-marked humanitarian convoy with full knowledge of the IDF, the food aid workers headed to their destination, only to be bombed three separate times by IDF drones.

According to Biden, Israel "has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians" in Gaza, where food, water and medical supplies are scarce because of the war.

Biden is now calling for a "swift" investigation into what happened, emphasizing that this is hardly a "stand alone incident."

Israel's response to the bombing has been to express "regret" about it, claiming it was "a grave mistake."

Among the dead is American-Canadian man Jacob Flickinger, 33, a retired Master Corporal with the Canadian Armed Forces.

"I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday," Biden wrote in a strongly-worded statement about the incident.

"They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy. Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers' vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public."

Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions.

(Related: Did you catch Judge Napolitano's recent interview with Dennis Kucinich, who explained how Israel has exposed itself as a rogue nation?)

World leaders fume at Israel

On Facebook, Flickinger's father wrote a tribute to his son, whom he said was "killed Monday delivering food aid to starving families in Gaza."

"He died doing what he loved and serving others through his work with the World Central Kitchen," the tribute continued.

Jeremy MacKenzie, another Canadian Armed Forces serviceman, wrote his own tribute to Flickinger, describing him as "an infantryman with Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment" and an "Afghanistan veteran who retired in 2019."

"He loved to help other veterans rehabilitate injuries and volunteered his services to personal (sic) train them for rehabilitation and get them back in shape," MacKenzie wrote.

"Volunteered to help with the trucker convoy in Quebec City in 2022."

The Canadian Department of National Defence honored Flickinger in a statement as well, expressing "sincere condolences" to his family, friends and former colleagues.

Leaders all around the world are now demanding answers from Israel as to how and why these innocent aid workers were bombed as if they were terrorists when that was clearly not the case.

The United Kingdom summoned Israel's ambassador to London to provide "full accountability" for the incident. The UK is also considering suspending all arms sales to Israel if an investigation reveals any wrongdoing.

Keep in mind that these seven aid workers who were killed are just a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly 32,000 other innocents Israel has bombed and killed since October 7.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said these latest seven "join a record number of humanitarian workers who have been killed in this particular conflict."

Israel, meanwhile, continues to forge on in its war with the Netanyahu regime claiming it must continue as is in order to eradicate Hamas.

Israel under Netanyahu will not stop bombing Gaza until Hamas is eradicated. Learn more at Prophecy.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
Brown rats are not native to North America, but the aggressive rodents managed to spread in widespread numbers. In a recent report, researchers studied how rats came to North America. They discovered that they used ships as superhighways to spread over the region.

Brown rats are small, but agile rodents. They are most frequently found in urban areas, bushes, and sewers, and are distinguishable by their brown color and front teeth. They can grow in a significant number, which can impact homes.

As a result, a recent report made an effort to document how the brown rats managed to spread over North American cities. The research findings were published in Science Advances, suggesting that there is little knowledge about the said rat's ecology and behavior.

Aggressive Brown Rats and Ships as Super Highways

According to the study, the researchers employed an isotopic and ZooMS analysis of archaeological, from the 1550s to 1900 CE. It helped provide insights into the rat remains in the areas of eastern North America, particularly their arrival in the area.

The study suggested that the brown rats managed to arrive earlier than expected. Despite black rats being present in North America, brown rats can repopulate fast, making them more devastating to urban areas. Reports reveal that the first appearance of the brown rats occurred before 1940.

Understanding the rat population and emergence can be helpful for mitigation efforts, as they can bring deadly diseases to human health. But, how did the rats travel to North America despite not being native there?

The report discovered that the brown rats took advantage of the ships as superhighways, particularly the shipping networks in the Atlantic Ocean. They outcompeted the black rats and increased the brown rats in numbers.

The brown rats were reportedly the reason behind the spread of the deadly bubonic plague, which took away millions of people in the 14th century.

Also Read: Oregon Bubonic Plague: First Human Case of Deadly Disease in Years Likely Came from Pet Cat: Health Officials Say

Threat of Brown Rats

In addition, brown rats can carry or transmit diseases, including deadly leptospirosis, spotted fever, typhus, hantavirus, Weil's disease, Salmonella, Toxoplasma, and Listeria. Leptospirosis-related bacterial disease is one of the most common threats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn of life-threatening conditions of leptospirosis without treatment. People can suffer from inflammation, kidney damage, or liver failure.

Pest control is essential to avoid the risk of diseases from rats, which can carry food-borne germs. Without mitigation control, they can grow and wreak havoc at home, as their species is very adaptable to their environments.

According to a report by Oregon State University, homeowners should avoid leaving uneaten food anywhere. It is important to throw in plastic bins. When storing food supplies, containers are helpful. When homes have gaps, it is best to repair the gap, which can allow rats to enter.

Related Article: Zombie Mice Infestation: Over 1 Million Bird-Eating Rodents to Undergo 'Mass Extermination' on Marion Island

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
According to information published by Olfi on April 2, 2024, during its mission in the Red Sea, the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt encountered operational challenges with its weapon and mission systems.

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Danish Iver Huitfeldt class frigates Niels Juel and Iver Huitfeldt. (Picture source: Wikipedia)

The vessel, participating in an international effort to protect maritime cargo traffic from attacks, experienced malfunctions with its active phased array radar and the C-Flex combat management system, critical components produced by Thales Netherlands and the Danish firm Terma, respectively.

These malfunctions were severe enough to temporarily prevent the launch of the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSMs), medium-range, surface-to-air missiles crucial for the ship's defense against aerial threats. Additionally, there were reported issues with the ammunition for the ship's 76mm guns being defective on multiple occasions during operations.

These operational difficulties were not only immediate concerns during the Red Sea deployment but were part of longstanding issues known for "years" with little action taken to address them. The Danish Ministry of Defense is said to be conducting an investigation into these issues to understand and rectify the problems faced by the Iver Huitfeldt.

The story isn't over yet... on April 4, 2024, the HDMS frigate Niels Juel suffered a missile launcher malfunction during a naval exercise in Denmark's Great Belt Strait, resulting in the closure of shipping lanes and airspace for several hours.

The operational issues faced by the Danish Navy come at a critical time, reflecting broader challenges within the framework of Denmark's ambitious military objectives and its commitments to international security, especially in relation to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

Denmark, as a NATO member, has been actively involved in providing support to Ukraine and ensuring security in the Baltic Sea region in response to Russia's aggression. The Danish government has pledged various forms of military aid to Ukraine, including donating artillery and anti-aircraft missiles to support Ukraine's defense efforts. Moreover, Denmark's commitment extends beyond direct military assistance to include efforts to strenghten NATO's eastern flank against potential Russian expansionism.
According to information published the Montenegrin MoD on April 4, 2024, Minister Krapovic discussed with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu about the plans for strengthening the capabilities and modernization of the Montenegrin Navy, through the procurement of new patrol vessels. He also will have the opportunity to visit the Kership shipyard in Lorient, where he will discuss possible arrangements for future cooperation.

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French built patrol vessel ARA Bouchard. (Picture source: Argentine MoD)

The Montenegrin Navy's operational capabilities are geared towards ensuring maritime security, with a fleet that comprises various types of vessels for patrol, support, and training purposes.

Among its assets are patrol boats undergoing updates and conversions to enhance their operational readiness. The navy also utilizes transport and support vessels, including salvage tugs and a floating crane, to fulfill its logistical needs.

Training ships, such as the Jadran, play a important role in naval education, preparing personnel through practical sea training. Additionally, the fleet includes motor sailboats, diving boats, and inflatable boats dedicated to specific tasks like marine platoon operations.

Montenegro Armed Forces

The military equipment of Montenegro reflects a blend of inherited and imported systems, indicating the country's defense ties and historical shifts. Montenegro's Armed Forces, relatively small, have sourced their equipment through a mix of inheritance from the former Yugoslavia and acquisitions from abroad. Since 2010, notable contributions have come from Austria, Turkey, and the United States.

The ground forces of Montenegro use a variety of weaponry, including rifles such as the Steyr AUG (Austria), G36 (Germany), and Heckler & Koch HK416 (Germany), alongside Yugoslav-era arms like the Zastava M70/M70A.

Special Forces units are equipped with advanced gear, including Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns (West Germany) and sniper rifles like the Heckler & Koch PSG1 (West Germany) and Zastava M93 Black Arrow (Yugoslavia).

Anti-tank, mortars, machine guns, and grenade launchers also form part of their arsenal, with both Yugoslav and German equipment in use. For mobility and logistics, Montenegro employs armored personnel carriers and utility vehicles from the United States, Austria, Germany, Turkey, and Japan.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The Israeli government has suspended the operations of 28 embassies in countries around the world amid threats from Iran,TASS reports citing Sky News Arabia.

According to the broadcaster, "28 diplomatic missions were closed after Iran threatened to retaliate for an attack on its consulate in Damascus," which Iran has blamed on Israel.

On Thursday, the Kan radio station reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry had decided following consultations with law enforcement agencies that a number of embassies should be evacuated as part of "unprecedented readiness" for Irans expected response to the Damascus attack.

Earlier, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the countrys military was on high alert for any developments. Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lior Haiat declined a TASS request to comment on media reports about the evacuation of personnel from a number of embassies. Meanwhile, an Israeli source told TASS that "reports about the evacuation of Israeli embassies are untrue."

On April 4, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on the X social media platform in Hebrew that he would make Israel repent for its decision to carry out an airstrike on Tehrans consular office in Damascus, which killed 13 people, including two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals.

Hagari told CNN earlier in the week that the strike had not targeted Irans consulate but an IRGC military facility, which he claimed had only been disguised as a civilian building. However, Hagari declined to specify who was behind the strike.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, although Israel dismissed it as a "distorted text", Reuters reports.

Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany.

The resolution stressed "the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity". It also expressed "grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory", Reuters adds.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having "long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas".

"According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis," she said ahead of the vote.

The United States had pledged to vote against the resolution because it did not contain a specific condemnation of Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks, nor "any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions". Michele Taylor, U.S. permanent representative to the Council, however, said that its ally Israel had not done enough to mitigate harm to civilians, the report adds.

The U.N. Human Rights Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can increase scrutiny of countries' human rights records and authorise investigations.
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Researchers have made a breakthrough into how two chronic respiratory diseases in childhood affect the immune system, paving the way for better treatments.

The research, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Mucosal Immunology, has found suppurative lung disease and wheezing have the same inflammatory profiles despite their differing symptoms.

MCRI Dr Melanie Neeland said while suppurative lung disease and wheezing were common in children, due to a poor understanding of the underlying mechanisms, treatment options were limited and disease recurrence was common.

The study involved 93 children who had lung fluid and blood samples taken at The Royal Children's Hospital.

It found, for the first time, two treatable endotypes (disease subtypes) that were similar in frequency and immune signature across both respiratory diseases.

Dr Neeland said the discovery was measurable in a clinical setting, via a lung sample, and if validated in future studies, had the potential to change clinical management.

The findings provide a significant advance in our understanding of lung inflammation in children with wheeze and suppurative lung disease. We showed that while the clinical presentations of these two diseases are different, identical inflammatory profiles can be found in the lungs and therefore the same anti-inflammatory treatments could be effective against both. Importantly, about 50 per cent of children in each disease group showed a hyper-inflammatory response that could potentially be treated with therapies already approved for use in children. Targeted anti-inflammatory treatments, such as repurposing asthma biologic medication, could be a new therapeutic approach to treat both diseases." Dr. Melanie Neeland, MCRI

Preschool asthma/recurrent wheeze is a leading cause of hospital admissions in children and results in poor lung function which persists for decades. Suppurative lung diseases spans a range of lung diseases characterized by chronic cough, airway obstruction and poor long-term health.

MCRI Dr Shivanthan Shanthikumar said children with chronic respiratory diseases have not benefitted from advances in care as adults with these conditions.

"Currently, management of these conditions in children is lacking, particularly for chronic cough which relies on prolonged antibiotic use despite evidence they're not very effective," he said. Recurrent courses of antibiotics for such a highly prevalent condition are of significant concern with antimicrobial resistance being a leading public health threat.

"But we can better manage chronic respiratory diseases if we can identify and target inflammatory profiles which underly these serious health conditions."

Researchers from the University of Melbourne and The Royal Children's Hospital also contributed to the findings.
After two decades in the United States, Martin Hetzer returned home to Austria in 2023 to become the 2nd President of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). A year into his new role, the molecular biologist remains engaged in the realm of aging research.

Hetzer is fascinated by the biological puzzles surrounding the aging processes in organs like the brain, heart, and pancreas. Most cells comprising these organs are not renewed throughout a human's entire life span. Nerve cells (neurons) in the human brain, for instance, can be as old as the organism, even up to more than a century, and must function for a lifetime. This remarkable age of neurons might be a major risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Crucial to comprehending these kinds of ailments is a deeper understanding of how nerve cells function over time and maintain control. This potentially opens doors to therapeutically counteract the aging processes of these specific cells.

The latest collaborative publication by Hetzer, Tomohisa Toda from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nurnberg (FAU), who is also associated with the Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine, Erlangen, and colleagues, gives new insights into this underexplored field of intricate mechanisms. For the first time in mammals, the study shows that RNA-;an essential group of molecules important for various biological processes inside the cell-;can persist throughout life. The scientists identified specific RNAs with genome-protecting functions in the nuclei of nerve cells of mice that remain stable for two years, covering their entire lives. The findings, published in the journal Science, underpin the importance of long-lived key molecules for maintaining a cell's function.

Longevity of key molecules

The inside of cells is a very dynamic place. Some components are constantly renewed and updated; others stay the same their whole lives. It is like a city in which the old buildings blend in with the new ones. DNA found in the nucleus-;the city's heart-;for instance, is as old as the organism. "DNA in our nerve cells is identical to DNA within the developing nerve cells in our mother's womb," explains Hetzer.

Unlike stable DNA, which is constantly being repaired, RNA, especially messenger RNA (mRNA), which forms proteins upon DNA's information, is characterized by its transient nature. The cellular scope, however, extends beyond mRNA to a group of so-called non-coding RNAs. They do not turn into proteins; instead, they have specific duties to contribute to the overall organization and function of the cell. Intriguingly, their lifespan remained a mystery. Until now.

RNAs that last the whole life

Hetzer and Co. set out to decipher that secret. Therefore, RNAs were labeled, i.e. "marked", in the brains of newborn mice. "For this labeling, we used RNA analogs-;structurally similar molecules-;with little chemical hooks that click fluorescent molecules on the actual RNAs," explains Hetzer. This assured efficient tracking of the molecules and powerful microscopic snapshots at any given time point in the mice's lives.

Surprisingly, our initial images revealed the presence of long-lived RNAs, in various cell types within the brain. We had to further dissect the data to identify the ones in the nerve cells. Fruitful collaboration with Toda's lab enabled us to make sense of that chaos during brain mapping." Martin Hetzer, Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Collaboratively, the researchers were able to focus solely on long-lived RNAs in neurons. They quantified the molecules' concentration throughout a mouse's life, examined their composition and analyzed their positions.

While humans have an average life expectancy of around 70 years, the typical lifespan of a mouse is 2.5 years. After one year, the concentration of long-lived RNAs was slightly reduced compared to newborns. However, even after two years, they remained detectable indicating a lifelong persistence of these molecules.

RNAs help protect the genome

Additionally, the scientists proved long-lived RNAs' prominent role in cellular longevity. They found out that long-lived RNAs in neurons consist of mRNAs and non-coding RNAs and accumulate near the heterochromatin-;the densely packed region of the genome, typically homing inactive genes. Next they further investigated the function of these long-lived RNAs.

In molecular biology, the most effective approach to achieve this is by reducing the molecule of interest and observing its subsequent effects. "As their name and our previous experiments suggest, these long-lived RNAs are extremely stable," says Hetzer. The scientists, therefore, employed an in vitro (outside a living organism) approach, using neuronal progenitor cells-;stem cells with the capacity to give rise to neural cells, including neurons. The model system allowed them to effectively intervene with these long-lived RNAs. A lower amount of long-lived RNAs caused problems in the heterochromatin architecture and stability of genetic material, eventually affecting the cells' viability. Thus, the important role of long-lived RNAs' in cellular longevity was clarified.

The study highlights that long-lived RNAs may function in the lasting regulation of genome stability. "Lifelong cellular maintenance during aging involves an extended life span of key molecules like the long-lived RNAs, we just identified," Hetzer adds. The precise mechanism, however, remains unclear. "Together with unidentified proteins, long-lived RNAs likely form a stable structure that somehow interacts with the heterochromatin." Upcoming research projects in Hetzer's lab are set on finding these missing links and understanding the biological characteristics of these long-lived RNAs.
The Department of Defense awarded a little more than $1.9 million to a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Arkansas and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to develop a wearable device that will assist with the early detection and monitoring of internal and external bleeding. The grant comes as part of the Department of Defense's prestigious Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

Hemorrhagic shock is currently the leading cause of preventable death in casualty care settings. Existing methods often fail to detect blood loss until the onset of shock, which can be too late for some patients. This makes early detection and management of bleeding-related conditions critical to improving survival rates.

The team is designing a mobile device that can detect blood pressure waveforms, which correlate with the volume of blood within the blood vessels, the "intravascular volume," and can be used to determine if blood volume is falling due to hemorrhaging. This will enable first responders and hospital staff to get more accurate readings earlier and respond with better timed and more precisely calibrated care.

The principal investigator on the four-year award is associate professor of biomedical engineering at the U of A, Morten Jensen, who also has a background in electrical and computer engineering and has worked in industry with sensor and signal analysis technologies. Jensen will be joined by Jingxian Wu, a U of A professor of electrical engineering, and Robert Saunders, an associate department head of electrical engineering and computer science. Hanna Jensen, an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at UAMS and course director of the school's cardiovascular module, will oversee the translational and clinical phases of the project.

The proposed work will have three goals. First, the team will develop machine learning models and algorithms to analyze the pressure signals for blood loss detection. This involves optimizing learning algorithms with a small amount of data, developing real-time software and creating models based on physiological data. This will improve patient care by enabling accurate and efficient detection of blood loss.

Second, they will prototype and develop a cost-effective wearable device for detecting blood loss. Finally, the team will test the device through clinical trials in a wearable configuration. The goal is to create a device that functions optimally, meets design parameters and performs accurately and reliably in real-world scenarios.

Morten Jensen, who is a native of Denmark, said, "Our similar educational backgrounds make it very exciting to collaborate with Jingxian Wu and Robert Saunders. I also served in the Danish military and know first-hand the importance of reliable equipment that works fast and is lightweight."

Saunders, who is a first responder in Madison County with the volunteer fire department, will be tasked with constructing, and then shrinking down, the prototype. He noted that the device would be extremely useful when medics showed up to an incident with multiple casualties and a limited amount of saline (in Madison County, casualties may be as many as 20 minutes from the nearest hospital). The device would help first responders determine exactly who needs the fluid and how badly, optimizing the use of limited resources. The device would also remain attached to anyone involved in the incident in the event their blood pressure suddenly crashed due to a delayed reaction -; at which point, fluids could be immediately administered.

Ultimately, the team's goal is to develop a device that is less than an inch square and sells for less than $100. It would have a catheter that connects to a vein as well as a port to which an IV bag could be connected.
A new report outlines a series of social innovation solutions for integrating racial and ethnic equity into business practices and unlocking economic growth worldwide.

The Schwab Foundations Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship report, Innovating for Equity: Unlocking Value for Communities and Businesses  published in partnership with Echoing Green, the GHR Foundation and Dalberg  provides pathways for collaboration between social innovators from racial and ethnically marginalised communities, governments and companies to harness largely untapped opportunities for the global economy.

This report represents a call to action for leaders from across the public and private sectors to address racial and ethnic equity  not just as a moral imperative, but as a clear and compelling business case, said Francois Bonnici, Director of the Schwab Foundation and Head of Foundations at the World Economic Forum. By doing so, they can contribute to a more just and equitable society and unlock new avenues for sustainable economic growth and innovation.

Racial wealth gap

In the US alone, the widening racial wealth gap is estimated to cost up to $1.5 trillion in economic growth by 2028. This translates to a cap on GDP growth of 6%. The report shows how key stakeholders can work together to unlock this potential and galvanise the global economy.

To this end, the report features social innovators who have successfully partnered with companies and governments, providing clear, actionable lessons on how to drive value creation by addressing systemic economic exclusion. These cases illustrate examples of social innovators who are scaling solutions in ways that combine social value with commercial opportunity.

Supporting these largely untapped areas of innovation and growth has the potential to include millions of customers, employees, entrepreneurs and investors in the global economy, said Cheryl L Dorsey, President of Echoing Green. Economic equity can be a pivotal driver of growth in the US and globally. Now is the time for corporations, policy-makers and innovators to come together and drive meaningful, system-wide transformation.

Using six unique case studies, the report presents three scalable pathways for collaboration between social innovators, corporations and governments. Each of the three pathways combines a socially innovative approach to value creation that also addresses inequities at the root level.

Expanding markets

This approach highlights the value of providing products and services that better meet the needs of different communities. Through the examples of two innovators in disparate geographic contexts  sub-Saharan Africa and the US  the report shows how tailored delivery models can improve local business operations and sustainably grow and empower local communities.

Unlocking talent

This spotlights how more equitable hiring practices can unlock untapped talent pools, reshape employment opportunities and remove existing barriers faced by individuals, businesses, and communities. The case studies illustrating the way forward are two US-based social innovators who have strengthened their talent pipelines through efforts to dismantle racial and ethnic biases faced by Black and Latinx communities.

Broadening networks

This pathway focuses on the importance of building more diverse and inclusive supplier ecosystems that can help counteract entrenched historical marginalisation. This is exemplified in the report by two social innovators who are connecting underrepresented Black and Indigenous vendors with global companies, bringing new markets and fair compensation to these vendors, and new and more authentic products to consumers worldwide.--TradeArabia News Service
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Samantha Power, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development, at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Belgium.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to cooperation between the government of the Republic of Armenia and USAID, current programs and upcoming initiatives. In particular, reference was made to USAID's further support for the effective implementation of democratic reforms and institutional reforms in various directions in Armenia.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the Armenian government will firmly continue consistent steps in the direction of reforms and emphasized that it is of strategic importance.

Samantha Power noted that USAID will continue close cooperation with Armenia and is ready to provide continuous support to the programs of the Armenian government for the strengthening and development of democracy.

The interlocutors referred to the humanitarian problems of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh and the steps towards their solution. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the measures implemented by the Armenian government and further steps. The Prime Minister attached importance to the support provided by international partners, including the United States, to forcibly displaced people and emphasized the need for its continuous provision.

In this context, issues related to the further steps of support to forcibly displaced persons, in particular, the issue of housing provision, were discussed.
Public policies blocked many families of Mexican descent living in the U.S. from accessing vital services such as food and mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though these communities experienced some of the highest infection and mortality rates.

Thirty-eight perinatal women and mothers of young children were interviewed about the challenges they faced during the pandemic and proposed solutions to better meet the needs of their communities during future large-scale crises in a study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign kinesiology and community health professor Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo.

Co-authors of the study are molecular anthropologist Amy L. Non of the University of California-San Diego; Kimberly D-Anna-Hernandez, a professor of psychology at Marquette University; and U. of I. graduate student Mary Ellen Mendy and undergraduate students Jessica Avalos and Jacqueline Marquez.

The women in the study discussed the stressors they encountered during the pandemic, including their difficulties accessing mental health treatment, child care and food. Their suggestions and insights were used to identify actionable policies and programs that could help meet the needs of Latino communities during future emergencies.

The participants, who were interviewed between September 2021 and December 2022, were part of a longitudinal study that recruited them from a clinic in San Diego, one of the U.S. cities with large Latino populations of Mexican heritage.

The women were about 36 years old on average. Although about 81% of them were born in Mexico, many had resided in the U.S. for 17 years or more. About 31% reported having an annual household income of less than $21,000, while a similar percentage earned $40,000 or more, according to the study.

Lara-Cinisomo said participants faced complex stressors during the pandemic. Half of the women in the study said their families had challenges obtaining food due to loss of income and subsidies such as school lunches, as well as supply chain shortages and consumer stockpiling.

While early in the pandemic various federal and state programs and policies were deployed to mitigate people's risks for exposure and enhance families' economic security, millions of tax-paying families of Mexican descent and other Latino backgrounds were excluded because of restrictions and exclusions set by those programs." Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign kinesiology and community health professor

The researchers found that more than twice as many Spanish speakers reported food-related issues compared with their English-speaking counterparts.

"Policymakers should consider how language barriers increase the risks of Spanish-speaking families losing out on benefits designed to meet their needs, such as CalFresh," California's iteration of the federal SNAP food assistance program for low-income people, Lara-Cinisomo said.

"Communicating food and health and safety information in linguistically appropriate media, such as texts, videos or commercials, is vital to ensure accessibility to people with differing literacy and technological skills and should be carefully considered by policymakers."

Involving trusted sources in disseminating relevant and critical information was also recommended by the participants. For marginalized communities that have experienced historical discrimination and anti-immigrant propaganda, trust in these sources is vital, Lara-Cinisomo said.

"Research has shown that community engagement is critical in emergency preparedness and increases the likelihood of meeting the needs of marginalized communities," Lara-Cinisomo said. Accordingly, she and her team recommended developing a contingency plan to train culturally and linguistically competent community health workers to cultivate networks of trusted community members to assist in crisis communication efforts.

Some women discussed feeling anxiety about the uncertainties associated with the pandemic, such as lockdowns and conflicting health information. These feelings were exacerbated by employment disruptions, pregnancy, and food access problems, and their concerns extended to family members residing in other households and those living in Mexico, participants told the researchers.

The majority of those interviewed advocated broadening access to food subsidy programs such as WIC and SNAP to offset income losses and food shortages during large-scale crises, along with providing public awareness campaigns about local food banks and assistance programs.

Even though California provides more services for undocumented immigrants -; including paid family leave and one year of emergency coverage with mental health services under Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid plan, for pregnant women -; caring for their mental health needs was a significant problem for many participants. Fifteen women reported needing mental health care, but twice as many of the English-speaking women mentioned these issues compared with their Spanish-speaking counterparts, the researchers found.

The researchers hypothesized that this difference may have been associated with cultural beliefs, with Spanish-speaking women feeling less comfortable disclosing mental health problems because of stigmatization compared with those who spoke English. Or, it may have been that those who spoke Spanish were more resilient or more concerned about immediate needs such as food assistance, the team said.

Participants recommended broadening access to mental health services for mothers and their families, promoting awareness with providers and patients, and disseminating mental health information and resources through videos and other media and via programs such as WIC.

Many of the women -; largely those who spoke only Spanish -; reported difficulties obtaining personal protective equipment and sanitization supplies because of shortages, consumer stockpiling, and price gouging, in keeping with other studies that showed low-income and marginalized communities were disproportionately affected.

Although the study sample was small, Lara-Cinisomo said it highlighted critical needs for responsive, culturally appropriate policies and programs to ensure the well-being of Mexican-descent perinatal women and mothers of young children during public health crises.

Lara-Cinisomo discussed the team's findings and study participants' recommendations during a virtual Briefing on Perinatal Health and Well-being on April 3 hosted by the journal Health Affairs, which published the study.
More than 2 million worth of lifesaving medical equipment, including ventilators, pumps and monitors, has been donated to Ukraine by the UK Government.

To support hospitals in Ukraine the donation package will support up to 60 intensive care beds. It includes a variety of ventilators, oxygen concentrators, suction pumps, patent monitors, volumetric pumps, and heated humidifiers.

These items are urgently needed by healthcare facilities in Ukraine for the immediate use in treating people.

The UK's support for our friends in Ukraine is unwavering and we want to help in every way we can. This donation will support their hospitals and builds on previous deliveries of medicines and equipment to save lives. We will continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and other partners to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the people who need it most, as quickly as possible." Victoria Atkins, Health and Social Care Secretary

The donation followed a request for help from the Ukrainian Minister of Health. The Health and Social Care Secretary also recently met with Ukraine's First Lady, to whom she reiterated the UK Government's ongoing support.

Ukraine's First Lady thanked the UK for its assistance in the medical sector and for the donation of medical supplies and they also discussed further medical co-operation in the future.

In September last year, the UK signed a statement on international health partnerships. This recognised the importance of international co-operation and recommended building and encouraging global partnerships between government and expert bodies.

29 partnerships have been established between 21 Ukrainian and 26 foreign healthcare institutions from 15 countries. These enable partners to share experience, training, operational knowledge and research.

During her visit, the Department of Health and Social Care minister Lord Markham joined the First Lady at a roundtable discussion on mental health.

Loading of the equipment took place on Tuesday 5 March, and the equipment has now been received by Ukraine. This in addition to previous donations of over 11 million items of medical equipment and medicines.

The Covid Strategic ICU Reserve, which are Covid stockpiles, has also previously supported aid packages to Nepal, Peru, Gaza, and British Overseas Territories, and issued over 80,000 pieces of equipment into the NHS since 2020.

This donation is part of the UK's commitment to provide medical supplies and basic necessities on the ground, saving lives and protecting vulnerable people following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations estimates that almost 18 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian support.

This donation is in addition to the 357 million of humanitarian aid the UK has committed since the start of the full-scale invasion. UK support contributes to an international response that reached 11 million people in Ukraine in 2023 and 15.8 million in 2022.
Indian Railways, one of the largest railway networks globally, operated by the government of India, stands as a crucial lifeline, ferrying lakhs of passengers daily and providing substantial employment opportunities. Renowned for its extensive connectivity and efficient operations, it facilitates travel to nearly every state in the country. Moreover, Indian Railways maintains stringent regulations to ensure lawfulness and cleanliness, exemplified by its well-structured fine system targeting various infractions.

A recent disclosure by Amit Kumar, the Public Relations Officer of the Prayagraj Division of Indian Railways, sheds light on the ongoing scrutiny undertaken by the Commerce Department. The focus is on monitoring fines imposed on passengers, primarily for ticket-related violations and littering offences. During the fiscal year 202324, thorough checking campaigns revealed that over 12 lakh passengers were apprehended for a range of offences, including ticketless travel, irregular ticketing, unbooked luggage and littering across trains and stations. Notably, fines totalling more than Rs 82.6 crore were levied against these offenders.

Of the 12 lakh violators, approximately 15,963 individuals were nabbed for littering, encompassing behaviours such as spitting and discarding wrappers onboard trains and at stations. They were collectively fined Rs 18.33 lakh. Concurrently, around 6 lakh passengers were caught travelling sans tickets, resulting in a fine collection of Rs 50.79 lakh. Additionally, authorities identified another 6 lakh passengers with irregular tickets, imposing fines totalling Rs 31.53 lakh. Furthermore, Rs 11.83 lakh in fines were imposed on 7161 passengers for carrying unbooked luggage.

Indian Railways regulations categorise travelling without a ticket or with an irregular ticket as a punishable offence. Offenders caught engaging in such infractions may face fines, imprisonment, or both, under the provisions of the Indian Railways Act.

The revelation underscores Indian Railways steadfast commitment to upholding law and order, as well as fostering cleanliness across its vast network. Through stringent enforcement measures and robust penalties, it aims to ensure a safe, orderly and pleasant travel experience for passengers while preserving the integrity of its services.
CBRE South Asia, the real estate consulting firm, recently announced the findings of its latest report, which highlighted retail chains capitalising on the surge in spiritual tourism across 14 key cities in India. Retail brands are strategically adapting their offerings in both established mall clusters and high-street locations to cater to the growing tourist population.

The Decoding Real Estate through the Spiritual Tourism Lens report highlighted that as more pilgrims and spiritual seekers visit holy cities in India, retail brands across segments, including fashion & apparel, food & beverage, hypermarkets, homeware & department stores and consumer electronics brands, are expanding by tailoring the offerings to the pilgrims needs.

This trend underscores the symbiotic relationship between spiritual tourism and the retail industry, benefiting both sectors from the increased foot traffic.

According to the report, this trend reflects a broader shift in tourist preferences, with travellers seeking transformative experiences beyond traditional rituals.

Key Cities

The rise of urban spiritual tourism is catering to this desire, attracting visitors to cities known for their deep religious and spiritual significance. The report identified Amritsar, Ajmer, Varanasi, Katra, Somnath, Shirdi, Ayodhya, Puri, Tirupati, Mathura, Dwarka, Bodh Gaya, Guruvayur, and Madurai as key cities witnessing this retail boom.

Factors of Growth

The surge in spiritual tourism can be attributed to enhanced infrastructure, including well-connected roads, airports, and public transportation, as well as the development of various accommodation options such as hotels, guesthouses, and wellness centres.

To meet the growing demand for spiritual travel, local governments and businesses are joining forces to create unique retail experiences. This includes integrating local practices into the design and offerings of shops, restaurants, and hotels. Cities like Amritsar, Varanasi, Madurai, Puri, Guruvayur, etc. are leveraging their unique culinary traditions and local fashion expertise to further attract and engage visitors.

These improvements ensure a comfortable and convenient stay for pilgrims, spiritual seekers, and travellers visiting these cities, the report added.

Boon for Hospitality Sector

Spiritual tourism remains an attractive revenue stream for Indias hospitality sector. Across various segments, such as economy, midscale, upscale and luxury, the hotel industry shows potential.

Major hotel chains are adapting to the evolving preferences of spiritual tourists, offering clean, hygienic, and family-friendly accommodations that command premium pricing. Several cities have a strong pipeline of new hotel projects, with well-known brands like Marriott, Taj, and Hyatt showing keen interest in entering this market.

Branded hotels are emerging as key players, offering a blend of comfort and traditional hospitality tailored for spiritual seekers. Boutique and experiential hotels provide personalised services, curated spiritual activities, and authentic local experiences.

Health & Wellness

In India, a partnership has developed between wellness centres and hospitality brands to serve the needs of spiritual tourism.

Wellness centres offer services like yoga and Ayurveda to enhance physical, mental, and spiritual health. Meanwhile, hospitality brands create serene environments, customised wellness programs and provide access to sacred sites and temples for immersive spiritual experiences. This collaboration meets the needs of a growing number of travellers seeking a deep connection with Indias spiritual traditions, thus supporting the flourishing spiritual tourism sector.

Anshuman Magazine, chairman & CEO  India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE, said, The rapid expansion of spiritual tourism in India is driving the growth of the countrys faith-based tourism market. Government initiatives to promote tourism and improve connectivity between pilgrimage sites are further boosting this growth. The rise of online retail platforms offering easy access to faith-based products and services is also a key factor.

Ram Chandnani, MD, advisory & transaction services, CBRE India, said, Driven by the growing popularity of spiritual tourism, investors are flocking to capitalise on the markets potential. Guided by a commitment to cater to the unique needs of spiritual travellers, these investments aim to deliver high-quality accommodations, bolster infrastructure, safeguard heritage sites, and ultimately drive regional economic growth. This trend has created opportunities for the hospitality and retail sectors to thrive in these destinations.

Modern travellers quest for transformative experiences has propelled urban spiritual tourism. Enhanced infrastructure, including improved highways, upgraded railway stations, and new airports in cities like Varanasi, Ayodhya, Amritsar, etc. makes these spiritual hubs more accessible.

Additionally, streamlined travel services such as online booking systems, tourist information centres, and heightened security measures enhance the overall travel experience. This shift towards experiential travel is largely driven by younger generations seeking cultural immersion and spiritual growth. Tour companies are responding to this demand by offering personalised pilgrimages and wellness programs that include activities like meditation, yoga, and Ayurveda.

Outlook:

The evolving landscape of real estate demand

Hospitality: Hotels, guesthouses, homestays, ashrams, etc., witness a surge in occupancy rates, triggering a wave of new construction and renovation projects in response to the growing demand.

Retail: Restaurants, souvenir shops, and various other businesses catering to tourists experience notable growth, creating a ripple effect of increased demand for retail spaces.

Residential: Residents who benefit from increased economic activity may look for improved housing options, potentially leading to residential development.

Growth in specialised offerings

Specialised properties catering to spiritual tourists, such as yoga retreats, meditation centres, and wellness facilities, may present new investment and development opportunities in the real estate market.

Preservation of heritage sites

Developers/investors may collaborate with authorities to restore and repurpose heritage buildings, transforming them into tourist accommodations or cultural centres.

Economic & infrastructure growth

Increased real estate investment in spiritual tourism destinations fuels job creation in construction, hospitality, retail, and related sectors, contributing to the regions overall economic development.

Improved infrastructure, such as transportation, sanitation, and waste management, enhances accessibility and visitor experience, attracting more tourists and further boosting the local economy.

Revitalisation of surrounding areas

An influx of spiritual tourists stimulates local businesses, restaurants, and services, fostering a vibrant and thriving community that can lead to the revitalisation of surrounding neighbourhoods and towns.
A distressing account emerges as a class 12 student from Rajasthans Ajmer was not permitted to sit for the board examinations, citing that she had been gang-raped last year. According to a report by NDTV, the student alleges that school authorities justified their decision by expressing concerns over the exam environment being spoiled by her presence. This revelation highlights the insensitivity and lack of support demonstrated by the school in addressing the students traumatic experience.

However, the private school in Ajmer offers a different explanation, stating that they withheld the students admit card due to her prolonged absence from classes, spanning four months.

The issue came to public attention when the student sought guidance from a teacher at another school, who advised her to contact the child helpline for assistance. According to NDTV, Anjali Sharma, chairperson of the CWC, spoke directly with the student to understand the full scope of the incident. While emphasising the ongoing investigation, Sharma highlights the immediate priority of ensuring that the student can take the exams she missed in March, ensuring justice is served. Subsequently, the Child Welfare Commission (CWC) in Ajmer intervened, initiating a case and pledging to take appropriate action following a thorough investigation.

The students ordeal began in October 2023, when her uncle and two others gang-raped her. The school at the time suggested that she study at home in response, citing worries about spoiling the classroom atmosphere. The student experienced another upsetting experience when she tried to get her admit card for the exams from her school, but instead found that her enrollment had been cancelled. She later discovered that the school had denied her entry right away following the rape because other students parents had expressed disapproval of her presence.

Meanwhile, on March 27, police arrested a lecturer at the Central University of Himachal Pradesh in Kangra for allegedly raping a student. Rajender Kumar, a 44-year-old chemistry professor, allegedly requested the student for sexual favours to alter her research topic. Kumar has been arrested after a FIR was filed against him under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, according to police.
The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) is reportedly planning to announce the results of the Class 10 and 12 board exams approximately a month ahead of its usual schedule, reported Times Of India. This means that students can anticipate receiving their results by the end of April, which will be available on the official website of the board at gseb.org.

The results for Class 12 (science) are expected to be announced in the second week of April. Meanwhile, the results for both Class 10 and Class 12 (general stream) are anticipated to be released by the end of April.

Apart from giving students ample time to contemplate their options and plan their future endeavours, this accelerated release will also be advantageous for those who pass supplementary exams, as it will allow them to secure admissions for the upcoming academic session promptly.

According to a Times Of India report, GSHSEB is expected to announce results within 45 days of the commencement of the board exams now that 60 per cent of the Class 10 answer sheets have already been evaluated. Additionally, the board has started entering data and evaluating papers for the Class 12 exams. This will make it easier to compile the results early. Preparations for the early release of results started well in advance. The number of centralised assessment centres has increased from 374 last year to 459 this year.

A significant change to the GSEB classes 10 and 12 board exams 2024 announced by the Gujarat board is an increase of 10 per cent in objective questions from 20 per cent to 30 per cent. On the other hand, the percentage of descriptive questions has decreased from 30 per cent to 20 per cent.

In 2023, the HSC Science results were announced on May 2, with a pass percentage of 65.58 per cent. Similarly, the SSC results, declared on May 25, saw 64.62 per cent of students passing. Additionally, the HSC (general) exam results, announced on May 31, showed a pass percentage of 73.27 per cent.
In a recent development, the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) revised its Class 12 political science textbook. References to topics such as the Babri Masjid demolition, Ram Janambhoomi, the politics of Hindutva, the 2002 Gujarat riots, and minority concerns have been omitted from certain sections of the textbook, reported Hindustan Times.

The updated political science textbook for class 12 is another addition to the expanding list of recent modifications and adjustments to textbooks covering contentious subjects.

These changes are part of the NCERTs ongoing rationalisation of school textbooks for the 2024-25 academic year, which was recently communicated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The revisions, particularly in Chapter 8 -Recent Developments in Indian Politics of the textbook Politics in India since Independence, are noteworthy.

The Ayodhya agitation, including the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, received little attention. The original question, What is the legacy of the Ram Janambhoomi movement and the Ayodhya demolition for the nature of political mobilisation? has been rephrased to What is the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement? According to the Hindustan Times, NCERTs rationale was to tie together the questions with internal revisions made to the chapter.

In addition, this chapter has been edited to exclude any mention of the Babri Masjid and the politics of Hindutva. Similarly, in Chapter 5 titled Democratic Rights, a reference to the Gujarat riots has been omitted from the caption to a news collage.

Also Read: NCERT Revises Parts of Class 12 History Textbook Amidst Harappan DNA Study Revelations: Reports

This recent revision is not an isolated incident but part of a series of changes to NCERT textbooks for Class 12. Just earlier this week, reports emerged of NCERT revising the history textbook tailored for Class 12 students, particularly focusing on the emergence and decline of the Harappan civilisation. The council has included three new paragraphs addressing the current DNA inquiry in Rakhigarhi in the chapter titled Bricks, Beads, and Bones  The Harappan Civilisation, within the Themes in India History Part-I textbook.

Furthermore, NCERTs rationalisation process, leading to textbook reprints in 2022-23, saw the omission of sections on figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, the RSS, Nathuram Godse, and certain historical events from the reprinted political science, history, and sociology textbooks for Classes 11 and 12. These changes reflect the ongoing efforts to streamline educational content and ensure its relevance in contemporary contexts.
In a fierce attack on the Congress, BJPs National Media Wing head and candidate of the Garhwal Lok Sabha seat Anil Baluni has reignited a 2017 controversy. In 2017, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit had called Late Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat sadak ka gunda (goon on the street). Baluni has hit out at the Congress, calling it an insult to not just Garhwal, where General Rawat belonged, but every resident of Uttarakhand.

Indias first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadus Nilgiris district, at a hilly area between Coimbatore and Sulur on December 8, 2021.

Baluni, in an interview with News18, questioned the silence of the Gandhis as well as the indifference of Congress leadership from the state over Dikshits remarks on Late General Rawat. Why werent there any resignations, he asked. Baluni claimed he hasnt centred his campaign around it but some questions will be asked, to the discomfiture of the Congress.

He also questioned Congresss refusal to attend the grand opening of Ram Mandir on a day, when Congress lost another of its leaders, Gourav Vallabh, who quit the party citing this as one of the reasons.

While Baluni promised to break the 2019 record of 68% vote share of BJP from the seat and winning 5 lakh votes, he sounded confident of beating his opponents just the way he beat cancer. We are fighters, he quipped.

Heres an excerpt from the interview with Anil Baluni:

Q: Whats the mahaul (atmosphere) of Uttarakhand, particularly Garhwal?

Anil Baluni: In my entire life so far, I havent witnessed an election where common people have taken it in their hands to run a campaign. Whenever they spot a BJP flag, they say, Abki baar, 400 paar. Wherever I go, they chant, Modi hai to Mumkin hai. The public is fighting this election. It looks like we may trespass the 400 paar target.

Q: I have seen how you went to General Bipin Rawats house, you visited the village of Gen Anil Chauhan (current CDS). Are you trying to give a message here?

Anil Baluni: Look, this is not about messaging. I told you, I havent come here (Gawana Village, the ancestral village of Gen Chauhan) to seek votes. I have come here only to bow my head in front of Gen Chauhans house. A person hailing from such a small and remote village becomes Indias CDS! This is a land of the braves. You know the rich history of Garhwal Rifles. I went to Gen Rawats house to pay respect and to realize that a man coming from such a village becomes a persona that made China and Pakistan shiver in fear is surreal. These are teerth sthal (places of worship) for us.

Q: I have spotted people talking about the way sections of Congress treated General Rawat. Is it slowly turning into an electoral issue?

Anil Baluni: This is not a matter of electoral issue. But when the election is here, people are bound to ask questions because people cant spot Congressmen otherwise. Such a braveheart of the country is dubbed as Gali ka Goonda by Congresss top leadership. But no Uttarakhand Congress leaders, including the current five candidates, told Rahul and Sonia ji that they dont agree with his views. None of them had the guts to tell their top readership that they disagreed with Congress questioning the surgical strike and belittling his stature. No one resigned in protest, no one protested, no one apologised. Thats why this issue is being discussed.

Q: Even here in Gen Anil Chauhans village, such murmurs can be heard. So will it be fair to say your campaigning is resonating with them?

Anil Baluni: Look, I want to point again that this is not campaigning. This is a matter that is related to the bravehearts of Uttarakhand, related to the land of Garhwal. Look, I am also questioning them on their defiance on not attending Ram Mandirs inauguration despite our invitation to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. They had actually questioned the existence of Lord Ram. So wont we ask questions?

Q: You are talking about Lord Ram. We have seen how this issue split the Congress in Himachal Pradesh.

Anil Baluni: But tell me why no Congress leaders express similar objections to mistreatment with Gen Rawat? Why no Congressman from this state reminded their leadership that they are insulting a son of the soil? Why even after so many years having passed, no one from the Congress leadership has so far apologised?

Q: Would you want Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi to apologise today?

Anil Baluni: One should have done that a long long time ago. But if they feel sorry from the bottom of their heart, they should. We have disrespected such a brave soldier and we are sorry, that is all they have to do. Whats the big deal about it?

Q: Do you think this incident has indeed hurt the sentiments of Uttarakhand?

Anil Baluni: Tell me one society that wouldnt be hurt when such a man (Gen Rawat) is attacked. Are we a dead society that we wouldnt be hurt? The people of this mountain are known for their bravery. We have sacrificed lives for the nation. If their CDS is abused, they are bound to get agitated.

Q: Shifting focus, tell me why have you been constantly saying in all your addresses that you want to run a positive campaign. What do you mean by that?

Anil Baluni: I dont want to get into mean politics. That is all I meant. Having said that, the issues of Gen Rawat and Congresss stance on Ram Mandir will continue to be questioned.

Q: I didnt want to ask this personal question. But since you have talked about your battle with cancer publicly, do you think this electoral battle will be an easy one in comparison?

Anil Baluni: We are Garhwalis and Garhwalis are fighters. We know how to fight every battle  be it illness or other issues. We will fight and win. We will fight the issues of mass desertions, and poverty of Uttarakhand and win.

Q: Last time BJP had a vote share of 68% in Garhwal. Thats no mean feat. What about this time?

Anil Baluni: We have kept a target of 5 lakh par this time. In fact, we want to get 5 lakh votes each in all five Lok Sabha seats of the Uttarakhand and want to gift 25 lakh votes to Modi ji. This is a resolution and we will fulfil it.
Defence minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday rejected the oppositions allegations about a connection between certain companies donating funds to the BJP under the now-outlawed electoral bonds scheme and action by central agencies against them.

The future will tell what will happen now. Time will tell how right were we by bringing electoral bonds, he said about the scheme.

In a landmark verdict delivered on February 15, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court scrapped the Centres electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding while calling it unconstitutional and ordered disclosure of data by the Election Commission of the donors, the amounts donated by them, and the recipients.

The government implemented the scheme in 2018. It was introduced by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in Gazette Notification No. 20 dated January 2, 2018, in order to cleanse the system of political funding in the country.

Tell me, I want to ask you, which company has donated to which party, should that be disclosed? said Rajnath Singh during the interview. Tomorrow, they will say who voted for which party should also be made public. Will you accept this? Any country, where there is healthy democracy, will it accept this? Who is giving their vote to which political party, to which person, should this also be disclosed?

Opposition parties have cited the revelations following the Supreme Court order to attack the government, claiming that many firms facing criminal probes have turned out to be big buyers of these bonds overwhelmingly in favour of the BJP, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi even terming it an extortion scheme.

But did the cases stop because of these bonds? asked Rajnath Singh. There are many such companies against which there are charges, but during elections, they donate.

The agencies will keep doing their work, he added.

Asked if there was a connection between the donations from some of these companies coming after action against them, the minister said, It should not be seen from this angle. It has no connection with that.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reiterated the Bharatiya Janata Partys 370 plus seats claim for Lok Sabha Elections 2024. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said that the party was well on its way to winning 370 seats this election and that the NDA will win more than 400 seats.

Singh spoke on a range of issues from CAA to Uniform Civil Code and Indias fight against terrorism during the interview. Heres the full transcript of the interview with Rajnath Singh:

Q: Rajnath ji, first of all thank you very much for giving this exclusive interview to Network 18. Through our medium, you will be seen on 20 channels across the country. We are present in 15 languages across the country. My first question, since you are also the Chairman of the Manifesto Committee, I thought lets start with a larger question. If we look at the achievements of the Modi government, you have done a lot of work. You repealed Article 370, brought CAA, 33% women reservation also came, the biggest thing was the foundation stone of Ram Temple that happened on January 22 this year. All this was about your achievements in the past. What are the biggest things that you will bring in your manifesto?

Rajnath Singh: The manifesto is very important for us, because I believe that any political party that makes promises to the public in the manifesto, should fulfill those promises to the letter. Due to the difference in the actions and statements, words and deeds, saying and doing of leaders and political parties, the trust of the public on the politics of India and the leaders of India has diminished somewhere. This sign of trust has now arisen, Bharatiya Janata Party, a leading political party of India, has accepted this sign of trust in the politics of India as a permanent symbol. You must have seen that whatever we have said in the election manifesto before this, whether in 2014 or 2019, we have followed it to the letter, and this time also, I want to assure the country through you, Rahul ji, that this time also, whatever we will say in the manifesto, we will follow it.

Q: This time there has been a lot of discussion about One Nation, One Poll. So will this be in the manifesto? Is our country moving towards One Nation, One Poll in 2029? I also want to know your personal opinion on the manifesto.

Rajnath Singh: My personal opinion is that this should happen, there should be One Nation, One Poll. It will also reduce expenses, it will save time, there are many things. I think that such ideas have been expressed earlier also by many scholars from time to time.

Q: What is the timeline? We were hearing that perhaps the elections that will be held after 2027-28, they will get an extension, the ones before that will be held again, but again, all the elections will be held in 2029.

Rajnath Singh: I would not like to say anything about the timing, but if you ask me about my personal wish, I would like for it to happen as soon as possible, whenever our preparations are complete, we should start this process of one nation, one election. You also asked about the manifesto, so election manifesto. I will not be able to tell you at this time about what will be there and what wont because generally it has been a practice that when election manifesto is being prepared, we do not make public the issues in it. When it is released, at that time the country comes to know about it.

Q: You have been talking about the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) since a long time. This time you have implemented it in Uttarakhand. So if Modi jis third term comes, will you roll out Uniform Civil Code nationally? What will you do now?

Rajnath Singh: I have already said that apart from the manifesto, it is our commitment that we want that Uniform Civil Code should be implemented, this is our belief since long. Many people from the opposition side unnecessarily try to raise this issue on the basis of caste, sect or religion.

Q: The opposition questions that do the Muslims not have any right to live according to Sharia and Hadith?

Rajnath Singh: No, no. Everyone should live their life according to their own will. I think nobody should have any objection with the introduction of Uniform Civil Code. And nobodys faith, belief, or traditions will be harmed by it.

Q: CAA was first introduced when you were the home minister. It was also passed. After that, you brought it back again. This time, when we are talking about CAA, when the rules have been notified, there were a lot of protests against it in the country and abroad. This time, nothing much happened. Do you think that people are now understanding this and that you will be able to take it forward?

Rajnath Singh: I think the biggest sign is with the opposition. They have a dearth of issues and they do not have such agenda items to assure the public that if their government is formed, they will do this. And it is also a sign of distrust among the public about all those political parties. People do not even trust their words. Now the opposition has tried to create various kinds of misconceptions about this, but I can say with confidence that no ones citizenship is going to be terminated due to this Citizenship Amendment Act.

Q: Yesterday Mamata Banerjee said that people will not be able to vote when this happens and after that DMK also said that we will not let this happen.

Rajnath Singh: People should not be misled in this way in a healthy democracy. And I think Mamata ji will also be aware of the fact that this citizenship law means no ones citizenship is going to be terminated.

Q: If we look at it chronologically, then after CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) should also come?

Rajnath Singh: What is wrong in this? Why should anyone have an objection to the register of those who are citizens of India? An attempt is being made to create a misconception that if someone is not of Indian race and is a Muslim and wants to get Indian citizenship under some special circumstances, then he will not get citizenship. I have already said that we are not the people who do politics of caste, creed and religion. If there are such special circumstances and if someone wants to take Indian citizenship, then our government can consider that too and I myself have given citizenship to Adnan Sami even at the time when this bill was being prepared.

Q: But there are no Muslims in CAA, citizenship will not be given?

Rajnath Singh: That will depend on the situation.

Q: NRC would come in this term?

Rajnath Singh: There should be no fear of NRC. There is unnecessary panic being created among the people. I believe that the opposition should stay away from spreading rumours or misinformation. The opposition should not fool the public. Opposition should have the guts to face the public and not fool them.

Q: You fulfilled your Mandir vahiin banaengepromise. There was also the slogan of Abhi to ye jhaanki hai, Mathura, Kashi baaki hai. How do you view this? Will work be taken forward on this in the next term?

Rajnath Singh: We did what was in the election manifesto.

Q: Will this be part of election manifesto? I would also like to know your personal opinion on this.

Rajnath Singh: The matter is subjudice. I think the decision should be awaited.

Q: Youll move forward accordingly. While Kashi and Mathura are there, how long will this continue? At how many places will we build temples? Mohan Bhagwat said that after Kashi and Mathura, Hindus should think about how to look at the future. In a secular country, we have to live in peace, what is your opinion on this?

Rajnath Singh: There is no doubt that India is a secular nation, nobody should have any objection on this. But I would not like to say anything about Kashi, Mathura at this time because the matter is pending in the court.

Q: Elections are heating up, lets talk about elections a little bit. 370 is a very bold target. An increase of about 20-25 per cent from 303. How do you see it? From where will the seats come?

Rajnath Singh: I am very confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win 370 seats. There is no doubt that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win 370 seats. We are completely confident that the NDA will win cross 400 seats. This is a very big number and we are saying this because of the way the BJP, NDA and our Prime Minister Modi ji have received peoples trust, we are completely confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party will get 370 seats and the NDA will get more than 400 seats.

Q: This is not just because of the Ram Mandir issue, there are other things as well.

Rajnath Singh: I have faith in our party. The credibility of the government led by us is the biggest thing. Because of this, we are getting peoples support.

Q: Rajnath ji, I want to take this question further. The Opposition says that you are using special agencies like ED and CBI only against them. You have even sent two chief ministers behind bars.

Rajnath Singh: The oppositions claim is completely beyond facts and completely baseless. The agencies are doing their work. We want to root out the corruption. If not, we want to find a way out. This is our concern and for this, the agencies are doing their work. The opposition feels agencies are doing wrong work. They are also going to the court regarding this. So, why are they not getting the relief that they should get from the court? Will you say that we have influenced court? One should not try to make such baseless and unfounded allegations. One should also look at ones own side of the story.

Q: People are saying that the opposition was unable to come together in a united manner, but on this issue they have come together and recently a huge rally was also held.

Rajnath Singh: What kind of rally was this?

Q: Its being said that this has united the Opposition.

Rajnath Singh: No, no, they are also not coming together.

Q: Even now, you feel that they are not able to come together. What will be its effect on the elections? Do you feel that these parties

Rajnath Singh: We want that in a healthy democratic system, there should be an effective opposition with a positive mindset. But this opposition is not able to fulfill its role. They are supposed to play an effective role, they are not able to do it, they are responsible for this, the responsibility for this should not be fixed on us.

Q: Regarding the arrest of chief ministers, regarding the arrest of Kejriwal, the United Nations has also said that elections in the country should be free and fair. What is your opinion on whether elections in our country are free and fair?

Rajnath Singh: Who is the United Nations to tell us that? Were there no free and fair elections earlier  in 2019, in 2014? I say that there were free and fair elections before that as well. Where did this come from? Lets assume that the agencies wrongly arrested the chief minister, deputy chief minister, then why are they not getting relief from the court? Why are they not granted bail by the court, why are they not released by the court?

Q: Many leaders have been behind bars for a long time

Rajnath Singh: Rahul ji, you tell us what should we do? What should our government do? Whatever allegations have been made against them, should we say that all the allegations are baseless? We are building up pressure on the agencies? What should we do?

Q: They are saying that the timing is such that more and more action is being taken before the elections. Why was there such a hurry? They could have waited for a few days till the elections.

Rajnath Singh: So people should get relief from the court. If the agencies have made wrong allegations, then they should get relief from court, but they are not getting any relief.

Q: Many leaders havent gotten it, Sanjay Singh has got relief after 6 months. ED has withdrawn its case, do you think that this will give some boost to the Opposition, everyone will come together and create a ruckus again?

Rajnath Singh: We do not have that much time to analyse everything, what boost will they get from this, how much strength will they get. At this time, on the basis of positive thinking, we are making our union completely strong, and on that basis, we want to achieve our goal.

Q: Rajnath ji, there is a question related to this. Opposition believes that when the leaders who were earlier in the Congress or some other party changed their party and joined the BJP, the cases against such leaders were dropped. In fact, a newspaper had recently published a big report, they said that out of the twenty-five people who joined the BJP, the cases against 23 people have either been put on hold or have been dropped.

Rajnath Singh: It may have been done in some cases that a closure report may have been filed.

Q: But you are saying that if the big leaders join you, all their cases will remain open.

Rajnath Singh: Agencies will be doing their work. We wont put any pressure on them.

Q: Rahul Gandhi and Opposition keep talking about whitewashing.

Rajnath Singh: Look, Rahul Gandhi should understand the truth. Their governments have also been there before. In independent India, there is hardly any Congress government against which there was no corruption charge. There have been governments in which ministers have had to go to jail because of corruption charges against them. But ten years have passed and our government, under the leadership of Modi ji, no one has been able to level a single allegation against our government. So the biggest difference between their governments and ours is this.

Q: Rajnath ji, another hot issue before these elections is the issue of Electoral Bonds, which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional. So I want to know your personal opinion that when you introduced this, what was your thinking behind doing it, will this bring more black money into circulation, and in the coming times when your government comes to power, is this a bad thing?

Rajnath Singh: Rahul, ji, was there any harm in knowing who donated to which party?

Q: No, when you introduced it, it was decided that the name of the donor will not come out, today the name of the donor has come out. Will there be more cash generation now?

Rajnath Singh: The future will tell what will happen now. Time will tell how right we were by bringing electoral bonds.

Q: What is your personal thought? You had said that you had tried to put in place a transparent process to the extent possible, for the black money issue.

Rajnath Singh: This was also one of our thoughts. And the second thing is, tell me, I want to ask you, that which company has donated to which party should be disclosed. Tomorrow, they will say who voted for which party should also be made public. Will you accept this? Any country, where there is healthy democracy, will accept this? Who is giving their vote to which political party, to which person  should this also be disclosed?

Q: No, this will not be accepted, but this issue is a little different in the sense that. The opposition is saying that electoral bonds worth about Rs 4,000 crore were bought after the raids. Fourteen companies were raided, and electoral bonds were bought immediately after the raids. So this is a method which the opposition is calling extortion, Rahul Gandhi is calling it extortion, someone is saying it is a way of taking donations, although he also got it.

Rajnath Singh: I do not have any information, but you are saying. But did the cases stop because of these bonds?

Q: So these cases will continue?

Rajnath Singh: There are many such companies against which there are charges, but during elections they donate.

Q: So if there are cases against those who are donating, it is not that they will be dropped?

Rajnath Singh: Not at all. The agencies will keep doing their work.

Q: But is there a connection? That donations come after raids happen.

Rajnath Singh: It should not be seen from this angle. It has no connection with that.

Q: Moving away from this, let us come to other issues. The people in Bharatiya Janata Party always say that you are a party with a difference, you are different. As you said, you do what you promise and theres credibility. Despite this, it is being seen that you have included many leaders from other parties in your party, you have attracted them. The track record of some people may not have been so good, there are some family-oriented parties in some states, which you have always been against, how do you see this, this exodus which is happening from Congress to BJP or the people who are joining BJP from other parties, how do you see this? Is there anger in your party workers due to this?

Rajnath Singh: There is no anger in our party. We have accepted it with great enthusiasm that the credibility of our party, the reputation of our party is great and other political parties and people are also eager to accept the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, so this is really something that should be seen from a positive perspective.

Q: The party which is winning, the party which is in power, everyone wants to join it, but do you apply a filter that you will take this person, you will not take this person?

Rajnath Singh: It is not like that, we have also been working in the opposition for a long time and Congress was in power for a long time in this country, but we did not join Congress. These political parties should also be interrogated that why this is happening. They should do self-introspection, allegations should not be made just for the sake of allegations, there should be facts behind the allegations as well.

Q: Rajnath ji, another issue which has been there in the last four-five years is the issue of farmer agitation. First you brought a new law for the farmers, then you repealed that law. Recently again there have been protests. Are you not being able to present your point in front of them properly, are they not understanding what you are saying?

Rajnath Singh: The bills related to the farmers had to be withdrawn. We also felt that we had brought them for the benefit of farmers, it was in the interest of the farmers, but the way it should have been communicated to them, the way it should have reached them, it may not have reached them. It was very good for the farmers, but despite that it had to be removed. More time was needed so that we could explain it to the farmers and there was a dialogue with them. It was very good for the farmers, but despite that it had to be removed. But you never know, may be, in the future, the farmers themselves ask us to bring these bills back.

Q: So you keep talking to the farmers?

Rajnath Singh: You must have seen that three ministers went to Punjab to talk to them. They went there and talked for four hours. We do not want to break our dialogue with the farmers of this country.

Q: What do you want to say to the farmers of the country?

Rajnath Singh: I want to tell them that we want that they should be given the right price for their crops. This is the thinking of our government.

Q: The talk of doubling the farmers income will continue like that?

Rajnath Singh: Absolutely, it will be completed in the future. Whether they want to grow their crops, they require fertilizers, water, heat, medicines and they are not able to do this due to shortage of money, they are being given financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.

Q: You have a target of 370 for your party this election. You have high hopes from South India this time, you are saying that you will win a lot of seats from the south. Last time, out of 130 seats, you got 29 seats. 25 were from Karnataka and 4 from Telangana. How do you see this changing?

Rajnath Singh: In Karnataka, we will win all 28 seats.

Q: But you lost Vidhan Sabha elections in the state just a few months ago.

Rajnath Singh: There have been earlier examples of states where Congress won Assembly Elections, but we won more seats in the following Lok Sabha polls in the same states.

Q: You are giving yourself 28 out of 28 in Karnataka, but there is a lot of intra party fight and grievances going on in the state unit of the party. Despite that you are saying that you will win all the seats?

Rajnath Singh: There is no fight. This year we even have an alliance with the JDS. Our strength is bigger than before in Karnataka.

Q: In Tamil Nadu, Kerala, will your account be opened?

Rajnath Singh: Not only will the account be opened but we will win a good number of seats. We will do it in Tamil Nadu this time and after the results are out, we will meet again, Rahul ji.

Q: How many seats are you giving yourself in Tamil Nadu?

Rajnath Singh: I wont talk about number of seats. But we will do fairly well.

Q: Will you open your account in Kerala also?

Rajnath Singh: Absolutely. This time there will be no state where we would not get a seat.

Q: So, if you look at the big picture, out of 130, how many seats do you see?

Rajnath Singh: See, I will not say in terms of number of seats, but we will also win a good number of seats, so that we can achieve our target of 370, and NDAs target is to cross 400, we can achieve that target as well.

Q: Shall we move to the North? But before I come to the states, there is one more issue and that is the issue of the recent death of Mukhtar Ansari. His family is saying that he was poisoned, what is your opinion on this? What would you like to say?

Rajnath Singh: In this situation, I think that a magisterial inquiry was set up, its report will come, the matter will be cleared.

Q: But what do you believe?

Rajnath Singh: This cannot be possible under any circumstances. These are completely baseless and unfounded allegations.

Q: We saw one more thing before this, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, who were mafia dons, were killed by three people on camera. The opposition says that all these things show that these are state sponsored killings.

Rajnath Singh: All these gangs keep fighting among themselves. They keep killing each other, its nothing new.

Q: So this is not state sponsored or encounter killing?

Rajnath Singh: Not at all. You cannot even imagine this.

Q: So, you are not seeing such things in UP? Will this have any impact on the elections?

Rajnath Singh: I can say about UP that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji is running the government there very well and the alert law and order system that UP has at present, has never been there before.

Q: Will all these things have any effect on the elections like polarisation?

Rajnath Singh: We dont do polarisation politics. We believe in justice and humanity.

Q: Since we are talking about UP, I would like to know will you break the 2014 record  71, BJP, 73, NDA?

Rajnath Singh: This time, it will be 80 out of 80.

Q: 80 out of 80? This means Amethi, Rae Bareli, Kannauj, Azamgarh, youll win all?

Rajnath Singh: Yes. Who used to contest elections from Rae Bareli? Sonia Gandhi has now come to Rajya Sabha, its clear why that happened.

Q: Robert Vadra is saying that he will contest from Amethi. He has expressed his wish.

Rajnath Singh: Whoever contests will have to face loss against the BJP. Because our candidate Smriti Irani has done a very good job there. Her performance has been good in her constituency as well as in the House. As a minister also, her performance has been very good.

Q: But you have been talking about nepotism and now Robert Vadra has also expressed his wish to come into politics, how do you see this, what would you like to say?

Rajnath Singh: He can if he wants to. What do we have to do in that? We dont need to say anything. This is Congresss decision, not ours.

Q: This time you have raised another issue just before the elections, that is the issue of Katchatheevu, that it was an island, which the Congress governments gave to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has just issued a statement that this is a fifty-year-old matter, why is it being raised today?

Rajnath Singh: But they did admit that this is a fifty-year-old matter, but it happened, so it is the truth.

Q: But why raise this before the election?

Rajnath Singh: Why would there ever be an objection on something that is true? Can anyone deny that what our Prime Minister has said about Katchatheevu is wrong, baseless? No, it did not happen today, it happened fifty years ago, but it did happen.

Q: But the opposition says that raising such things again and again, holding on to some issues, is being done to distract the public from the real issues. For example, China, which is saying that Arunachal Pradesh is their integral part, it has also given thirty names of its own within Arunachal Pradesh, so what will you say about this?

Rajnath Singh: The Opposition should self-introspect and not think about us. We are doing what is right.

Q: Chinas military spoke earlier, their statements are still coming in. How do you see these statements?

Rajnath Singh: Arunachal Pradesh was a part of India, is a part of India and will always belong to India.

Q: And you will do whatever needs to be done for this?

Rajnath Singh: Absolutely.

Q: Rajnath ji, moving from China to Pakistan. Just yesterday, Guardian, a foreign publication, published an article in which it was said that India has killed 20 people, 20 individuals, terrorists in the last few years on Pakistani soil, went to their soil and killed them. This was earlier said about us in Canada, this discussion was also held earlier in the US. But this is a new discussion about Pakistan, 20 people. So how do you see this? In that article, it is also said that the India is influenced by KGB and Mossad. So, RAW is also working like this, some sleeper cell in UAE has helped and India has killed 20 terrorists.

Rajnath Singh: If any terrorist tries to disturb the peace in Bharat, or tries to carry out terror activities in Bharat, we will give them muh tod jawab. If they run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them.

Q: So whatever Prime Minister Modi has said that this is not the Bharat that will be a mute spectator. We will enter your territory to kill the terrorists.

Rajnath Singh: Whatever Prime Minister has said is absolutely true. And this is the strength of India. And Pakistan has also started understanding this. By the way, India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighbouring countries. Whatever it is, it is our neighbouring country. And today you must have seen, look at the history. Till date, we have neither attacked any land in the world nor have we taken any initiative to attack any land in the world. This has been the nature of India. But if anyone shows India the angry eyes again and again, comes to India and tries to promote terrorist activities, we will not spare them.

Q: This is a very big statement. You have often talked about the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Is there any time frame for this? How will we resolve this issue? The Hindus and Muslims there, you say that they are Indians, so what is its time frame? How will we resolve this issue?

Rajnath Singh: If we talk about Pakistan occupied Kashmir, it was a part of India earlier, is a part of India today and will remain so tomorrow. Yes, there are some such situations in this regard, but the people of PoK will say that they want to go with India.

Q: Will this be priority in the governments third term?

Rajnath Singh: I told you, the people of Pak will themselves demand that they should be made to live in India, they cannot live away from our country and you must have seen that one or two protests took place there and those people want to merge with India. After the abolition of Article 370, the situation in Kashmir has become normal and the pace of development has also increased.

Q: In Kashmir, will you remove AFSPA from there?

Rajnath Singh: Now the time has come to decide that it can be removed, now the decision will have to be taken by the Home Ministry after the report comes. I said that the circumstances have become such that AFSPA can be removed but whatever action has to be taken in this regard will be taken by the Home Ministry.

Q: Let us also talk a little about your ministry. It is the election environment, so such things remain. Defence export is more than Rs 20,000 crore, how did you achieve this? What is your plan for the future?

Rajnath Singh: Strong will power, and the vision of our Prime Minister and his vision that India should achieve self-reliance in every matter. If India has to achieve self-reliance in every matter, then India should achieve self-reliance in matters of defence also. This was his resolution and on the basis of this resolution, we took our steps forward and today our export target of more than Rs 20,000 crores has been reached. You will see that in the next few months this is going to increase even more. When we came in 2014, the export of defence equipment was Rs 900 crore. Now defence equipment is also needed, whether it is tanks, cannons, shells, weapons, ammunitions, they should be made in India and by the hands of Indians. Even engines, engines of fighter planes, we have made an agreement for that too.

Q: We are moving at a slow pace in this field? Has work been slow in DRDO? Like the Chinese Navy  they have a huge fleet of submarines, warships. We only have 12 operational submarines, will the pace of DRDO increase in the coming time?

Rajnath Singh: It will happen fast. It is already happening fast. In the next term, people will start seeing its results.

Q: Rajnath ji, ever since you have been in politics, your relations with every party have been good, you have always kept the door open, so that talks can happen, people can meet and interact, no matter what the political situation is. Do you think the political environment is no more the same? People end up saying anything. Like someone says beat Modi with a stick, someone says break his head. Someone said something against Kangana Ranaut ji, someone said something against Hema Malini ji, so what do you think?

Rajnath Singh: One should be very cautious while speaking about the Prime Minister, since the Prime Minister is not just a person but an institution. There is no scope for the kind of language that some people have been speaking in a healthy democratic system.

Q: Rajnath ji, there are 3 states that will play an important role in making you achieve your 370 target. They are Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Lets start with Bihar.

Rajnath Singh: We will win all seats in Bihar.

Q: You have made alliance with every party in Bihar. Earlier Nitish Kumar was called Paltu Ram, now it is being said that even BJP keeps going back to him.

Rajnath Singh: He saw the situation and decided that they should remain with BJP. This is in the interest of the country. People can say whatever they want to say about Nitish ji. But it is true that in his long history of work, he has never been accused of corruption. It is a big thing. If he is with us, then it is really a matter of joy for us.

Q: But since 2014, sometimes he says something about Modi ji, sometimes he says something else about the party. He keeps changing. Tejasvi ji has said that Modis guarantee is fine. Can you guarantee that uncle will not turn back again.

Rajnath Singh: He has himself said that he has come to stay with us. We will fight the Assembly election together as well.

Q: Lets talk about Maharashtra. People are saying in Maharashtra that a strange mess has been created, two parties have been divided into four parties, one faction is with you in that, so why do you need to break parties like this? Is there some doubt about the Lok Sabha election?

Rajnath Singh: You should ask this from people whose parties have broken. We do not complain about all this, why do they break away? If someone wants to join us by breaking away, do we say that we will not accept you? People who have come from these parties, there are those who say that there were allegations against them. But when they were in your government, you said that our government has deliberately framed them. They are completely innocent. So they were innocent when they were with you, but they are guilty when they join BJP?

Q: But how are you managing that? You have brought back Eknath Khadse who was sitting out for a long time

Rajnath Singh: He has come back himself.

Q: It is good that he has come, okay he has come, it is being said that he had to be brought back because the situation of BJP in North Maharashtra was looking a little bleak. The first time he left was because of a rift with Fadnavis ji. So how will you handle so much opposition.

Rajnath Singh: There are many such leaders who believe that by 2047, Bharat will be Viksit Bharat. It is natural that there will be a desire that I can also contribute in this, I can also do some planning in this, that is why they join the party.

Q: Finally, let us talk about Bengal, what do you feel in Bengal, last time there was a good performance, you got 18 seats out of 40, after that you lost the Vidhan Sabha elections, but you won 77 seats from there. What are you seeing this time? What do you think?

Rajnath Singh: It is certain that we will win more seats than before.

Q: How much more?

Rajnath Singh: Our effort is to double the 18 to 36? This is what we are trying and we believe too.

Q: You are the first leader who has given the figure of 36, a very big figure.

Rajnath Singh: We want to double it.

Q: Amit Shah ji had said that it would be above 25. What makes you think that such a big victory will happen? Does this mean that there is anger among the people?

Rajnath Singh: There is no thing called government left in West Bengal. Earlier, the Communist Party also had a government there. There was a stable government for years. There should have been rapid development in the state. No government could do this despite being stable. People have now started understanding the truth that if theres any political party that can bring true development, it is the Bharatiya Janata Party, if any alliance can do it, its NDA. And today, people have the belief that only PM Modi can do this.

Q: Is Sandeshkhali also a big factor in this?

Rajnath Singh: It is a big factor, people are hurt. The state government was silent on such kind of unfortunate incident. And you must have seen that the state government faced criticism from the court.

Q: Rajnath ji, I want to ask you one personal question. What role do you think does destiny play? Do you believe in it? You have been a student of physics.

Rajnath Singh: I do believe in destiny. While destiny plays an important, a person should not stop making efforts. Any failure should not let you down.

Q: Your political journey has been very long in which you have achieved a lot. What would you like to do in the coming five years?

Rajnath Singh: I dont know this.

Q: But what is your personal wish? What role would you like to see yourself in?

Rajnath Singh: I have no personal wish. Whatever the party and Prime Minister decide, we will do that.

Q: Rajnath ji, you gave us your time despite not being in the best of your health. Thank you so much and all the best for elections.

Rajnath Singh: Thank you so much, Rahul ji.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS.Armenia has signed an agreement with the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Justice and the North Sea of Belgium Paul Van Tigchelt, and the EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.

Thanks to this cooperation agreement signed between Armenia and the EU, competent authorities in the field of legal cooperation in criminal proceedings in Armenia and the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation will be able to work together.

According to the Minister of Justice and North Sea Affairs of Belgium Paul Van Tigchelt, this agreement will create a solid foundation between the European Union and Armenia.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized in his speech that Armenia was initially interested in this cooperation; it was the first country to initiate negotiations. He stated that it is the first country to sign the cooperation agreement.

"We had close cooperation with Eurojust, Europol, even without an agreement, but now this agreement is intended to strengthen and institutionalize cooperation. By signing this agreement, we have also moved one step closer to the full implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU. This opens the door to new opportunities for exchanging experiences and developing potential," said Ararat Mirzoyan.

The EU Commissioner for Justice, in an interview with the Armenpress correspondent, noted that it is an important cornerstone in EU-Armenia relations. The EU Commissioner is convinced that this agreement to join Eurojust will be a good opportunity and incentive to speed up the process of aligning Armenia's judicial system with European standards, which is already evident in candidate countries for membership.
Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Maara  this call from the Narendra Modi-led BJP worked wonders for the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, after people gave a resounding thumbs-up to Indias twin surgical strikes in Pakistan in 2016 and 2019.

The latest The Guardian article, on how the Indian government ordered assassinations in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil, will only buttress and bolster that image of the BJPs no-nonsense approach against terror emanating from Pakistan soil.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a rally in Bihar on Thursday, said Aaj Ka Bharat Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Marta Hai and lamented that India under the Congress rule was seen as a weak government. Those small nations who are begging for wheat, their terrorists used to attack us and go away and Congress government used to go to other countries with a complaint, PM Modi said in an apparent reference to Pakistan. This came a few hours before The Guardian article appeared.

The foreign ministry, in its response to The Guardian, has denied the claims made by the UK newspaper reiterating an earlier statement that they were false and malicious anti-India propaganda.

The ministry emphasised a previous denial made by Indias foreign minister S Jaishankar that targeted killings in other countries were not the government of Indias policy. The BJP, however, will have little reason to complain as the targeting of terrorists in Pakistan by the Indian intelligence agencies only adds to the clamour amongst the general public to teach Pakistan a lesson when it comes to harbouring terrorism, a senior BJP leader told News18. One can see the response of people on social media to The Guardian article and judge for themselves, the leader said.

An earlier statement of the prime minister, when he said that Pakistan should be spoken to in a language that Pakistan understands when it comes to terrorist strikes on Indian soil from across the border, is also being cited by the right-wing ecosystem to back the governments approach.

The Guardian article has cited allegations of up to 20 assassinations since 2020 following Canadas accusation of Delhis role in murders of dissidents. It says Indias foreign intelligence agency allegedly began to carry out assassinations abroad as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019. The fresh claims by The Guardian relate to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan.

A second BJP leader said the Opposition would also not be able to take on the government on this issue as it knows that such claims only help the strong image of the Modi government.

If foreign intelligence agencies can carry out such strikes in other countries, why not India? It is a fact that there has been no major terror strike in India in the last 10 years due to a strong approach of the Modi government. When two big strikes happened in Jammu & Kashmir in 2016 and 2019, India responded by surgical strikes which have set the benchmark. Pakistan is silent as it always claims it does not harbour terrorists, the second BJP leader said. However, officially the Indian government will deny any involvement as claimed by The Guardian article, as there is no evidence.
The BJP will win all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared on Friday as he took a dig at Congress leader Sonia Gandhis Rajya Sabha move.

Speaking to Network18s Group Editor-in Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh, when asked about the BJPs 2014 record in the politically crucial state, said: This time, it will be 80 out of 80.

Asked if it means the BJP will win Amethi, Raebareli, Kannauj and Azamgarh as well, the minister said: Yes. Who used to contest elections from Raebareli? Sonia Gandhi has now come to Rajya Sabha, its clear why that happened.

The prestigious Amethi and Raebareli seats were considered Congress bastions. In 2019, the BJPs Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, held Raebareli since 2004, but she has recently took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP. The 77-year-old Congress leader has said she will not contest the Lok Sabha elections due to her age and health. The Congress has yet to declare candidates for Amethi and Raebareli.

Amid rumours of Gandhi son-in-law Robert Vadra making his political debut from Amethi, Singh said whoever contests will have to face loss against the BJP. Because our candidate Smriti Irani has done a very good job there. Her performance has been good in her constituency as well as in the House. As a minister also, her performance has been very good.

The minister said it was the decision of the Congress to field whoever they want when asked about the BJPs stand against nepotism. He [Vadra] can if he wants to. What do we have to do in that? We dont need to say anything. This is Congresss decision, not ours.

During the interview, Singh also said the BJP had fulfilled its electoral promise of building the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. When asked about the popular slogan Mathura, Kashi baaki hai, the defence minister said the matter is sub-judice and the decision should be awaited.

There is no doubt that India is a secular nation, nobody should have any objection to this. But I would not like to say anything about Kashi, Mathura at this time because the matter is pending in the court, he said, responding to a question about how many more temples the government would build.

NITISH KUMAR NEVER ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION

Singh also expressed confidence that the NDA will sweep all seats in Bihar.

Asked about the BJPs decision to ally with Paltu Ram Nitish Kumar once again, the minister said the Bihar chief minister saw the situation and decided that they should remain with BJP. This is in the interest of the country. People can say whatever they want to say about Nitish-ji. But it is true that in his long history of work, he has never been accused of corruption. It is a big thing. If he is with us, then it is really a matter of joy for us.

The minister insisted that Kumar had himself said he was here to stay with the BJP and both the parties would fight the assembly elections too together.

WEST BENGAL

The BJP won 18 of 40 seats in West Bengal in 2019 and Singh expressed confidence that the number would double this year.

It is certain that we will win more seats than before. Our effort is to double the 18 to 36. This is what we are trying, he said.

Asked about the rationale behind his assertion, Singh hit out at the Mamata Banerjee government. There is nothing called government in West Bengal. Earlier, the Communist Party also had a government there. There was a stable government for years. There should have been rapid development in the state. No government could do this despite being stable. People have now started understanding the truth that if theres any political party that can bring true development, it is the Bharatiya Janata Party, if any alliance can do it, its NDA. And today, people have the belief that only PM Modi can do this.

The minister agreed that Sandeshkhali was also a major issue this time. It is a big factor, people are hurt. The state government was silent on such an unfortunate incident. And you must have seen that the state government faced criticism from the court.
Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge released the partys manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on Friday. In its poll manifesto, the grand old party firmly opposed extra-judicial illegal measures like mob lynching, police encounter killings and bulldozer justice.

We will stop them immediately and punish the perpetrators by law, the party said. Notably, the party often opposed the ruling BJP regime over its encounter and bulldozer justice form.

The broad theme of the manifesto is justice. Every aspect of justice has been threatened, and weakened in the last 10 years, especially in the last five years. Members of the media will recall that in 2019, we had warned what is likely to happen between 2019 and 2024 should the BJP come to power, says Congress leader P Chidambaram

Reportedly, the Congress manifesto was drawn along the lines of its focus on Panch Nyay, the five pillars of justice. It also emphasises Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its poll promises for the general elections.

Congress Manifesto Release: Here Are Top Updates
Not only will the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka this time, but will also win impressively in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh said in an exclusive interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday.

Asked about the BJPs election push in southern states, Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that the saffron party will majority of the 130 seats that the five southern states along with the Union Territory of Puducherry account for in the Lok Sabha. Winning a good chunk of the southern seats is crucial to the BJPs target of 370 seats in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP will win all 28 seats in Karnataka, Singh said, adding that the partys loss in 2023 Assembly elections will have no bearing on the Lok Sabha election results. Its not about Assembly elections or Lok Sabha elections. Last time too, Congress had won seats in Assembly elections but it was the BJP that won the Lok Sabha constituencies.

The senior BJP leader also dismissed reports of rift in the Karnataka BJP. There is no intra-party fight anywhere. This time, we have an alliance with the JDS too. Our position has strengthened in Karnataka.

Asked about BJPs prospects in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Singh said: Not only will we open the account, but we will also get a good seat count in Tamil Nadu. I wont comment on the number of seats, but it will be a good tally. We will open the account in Kerala too. This time, there will be no state where the BJP doesnt open its account. We will do well in all states.

The five southern states along with Puducherry, which has one constituency, account for 130 of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats. Tamil Nadu has 39 seats in the Lower House of Parliament, while Karnataka has 28. Andhra Pradesh accounts for 25 seats in the Lok Sabha and Kerala for 20. Telangana sends 17 MPs to the Lower House.
Bihars opposition Mahagathbandhan on Friday claimed to have received a shot in the arm with the return of former state minister Mukesh Sahni, who had been in political wilderness after being disowned by the ruling NDA. Sahni, who heads Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP), was welcomed into the coalition by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who also announced a respectable share of three Lok Sabha seats for the fledgling party from our own quota of 26 seats in Bihar.

RJD president Lalu Prasad has decided to give Gopalganj, Jhanjharpur and Motihari (Purbi Champaran) to VIP. Together, we shall ensure Mahagathbandhans victory in all 40 seats of Bihar, Yadav asserted.

Sahni, who had in 2020 quit Mahagathbandhan accusing Yadav of having backstabbed him ahead of assembly polls, brushed aside the episode as a skirmish with my younger brother Tejashwi.

Thanking the RJD leader for assigning the VIP the same number of seats it had fought in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Sahni alleged, The BJP stabbed me in the chest. I helped them form a government in the state and they got me ousted from the cabinet and weaned away all my MLAs.

A Bollywood set designer-turned-politician who uses the pseudonym Son of Mallah, Sahni champions the cause of Nishad samaj, an umbrella term that denotes various castes and sub-castes involved in the business of fishing. He alleged that the BJP has gone back on its promise of according Scheduled Caste status to Nishad Samaj. My brethren have pledged to punish the party, in the name of Mother Ganges.

Sahni, who had in 2019 contested from Khagaria, which has now gone to the CPI(M), said he will take a call on which seat to fight after discussions in his party. Tejashwi Yadav, who is also a former deputy chief minister, said, We have formed this alliance keeping in mind not just Lok Sabha polls, but also the assembly elections, which may take place sooner than expected, given Chief Minister Nitish Kumars increasingly unpredictable behaviour.

Kumar, who heads JD(U), returned to the NDA in January this year, calling off the alliance with Mahagathbandhan that lasted 17 months, and giving up the INDIA bloc he had helped form by holding parleys with parties opposed to BJP across the country and hosting their first meeting in Patna.

Yadav also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Bihar on the previous day and observed, with a chuckle, my social media post about political dynasts fielded by the NDA in the state has gone viral. No wonder the PM avoided launching into yet another diatribe against parivarvad. Yadav also bristled at Modis remark that the era of LED bulbs has made obsolete the lantern, a reference to the RJDs poll symbol.

The RJD leader said, Lantern stands for dispelling darkness. He would do well to use his wit for ally JD(U) and ask it to give up its symbol, the arrow, and replace it with a missile. The BJPs own symbol may be phool (lotus flower) but the party is known for making fool of the public. Meanwhile, BJP national spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain reacted to Sahnis return to Mahagathbandhan. He said that the development highlights the confusion in the opposition coalition which is still figuring out who are its allies. In contrast, the NDA has even announced candidates for all the 40 seats which we are poised to win.

Incidentally, Sahni had joined the NDA after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and though he failed to win his own seat in assembly polls, he was backed for a ministerial berth by the BJP which also got him elected to the legislative council. However, the BJP got Sahni expelled from the state cabinet after he ruffled many feathers during the campaign for assembly polls in adjoining Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP also weaned away all four Bihar MLAs who had got elected on VIP tickets. In the ongoing elections, the BJP has fielded a former close aide of Sahni, Raj Bhushan Nishad, from Muzaffarpur seat, dropping two-term MP Ajay Nishad who has revolted and joined the Congress.

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Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Friday hit back at the United Nations for commenting on the upcoming parliamentary elections in India in the context of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor-excise policy case. In an exclusive interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Rajnath Singh asked why Opposition leaders are not getting relief from courts if their arrests are illegal.

Who is United Nations to talk about free and fair elections in India? Did India not have free and fair elections before this? Werent the 2019 elections free and fair? And what about 2014? In fact, I say even before 2014 India had free and fair elections. Where did this issue come from? the Defence Minister said, lashing out at the world body.

Lets assume agencies have made wrongful arrests of chief ministers or deputy chief ministers. Then why are they not getting relief, bail or release from the courts? he asked.

Last week, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric was asked about the political unrest in India ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the wake of the arrest of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congresss bank accounts.

What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyones rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair, Dujarric had said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday dismissed the senior UN officials remark, saying he does not need the global body to specify that elections in the country should be free & fair.

Jaishankar had added that the UN official made the comment on the Indian elections in response to a very loaded question during a press briefing at the UN.

India had also reacted sharply to similar statements by the US and had summoned a senior US diplomat to lodge a strong protest against Washingtons remarks. Before that, on March 23, New Delhi had summoned the German deputy chief of mission and lodged a strong protest against German foreign ministrys remarks on the arrest of Kejriwal.

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi governments excise policy for 2021-22 that was later scrapped.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday condemned remarks made by opposition leaders against women candidates like Kangana Ranaut and Hema Malini and also said such language is uncalled for in a healthy democracy. In an exclusive interview with News18, Singh also said that no one should use unparliamentary language against the Prime Minister, since the PM is not just a person but an institution.

One should be very cautious while speaking about the Prime Minister, since the Prime Minister is not just a person but an institution. There is no scope for the kind of language that some people have been speaking in a healthy democratic system, the Defence Minister said.

The Congress has come under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over party leader Randeep Surjewalas remarks on BJP MP Hema Malini, days after party leader Supriya Srinate was embroiled in a similar controversy over her post against BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut.

In an undated video posted by BJP leader Amit Malviya on X, Surjewala was heard passing lewd remarks against Hema Malini. Congress MP Randeep Surjewala makes a vile sexist comment, that is demeaning and derogatory, not just for Hema Malini, who is an accomplished individual, but women in general. This is Rahul Gandhis Congress. It is misogynistic and abhors women, Malviya wrote on X.

This came days after Congress replaced Shrinate as candidate from Maharajganj amid outrage over her remarks on Kangana Ranaut, BJPs Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi. An offensive post was put out from Shrinates Instagram account with a derogatory caption and a picture of Ranaut.
On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the opposition in Bihar, his colleague from the state RK Singh predicted a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha elections for the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (United) combine in the state. Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, the union power minister and BJPs Aarah MP said the opposition INDIA front might be restricted to only a couple of seats in Bihar.

This front has no vision, no ideology. They are all discredited leaders. If you ask the RJD, they have never heard of the term ideology. For them, it is only family. Sonia Gandhi is not a popular mass leader, the same with Rahul Gandhi, and that is why he was forced to change his constituency. Even the convener of their so-called front (Nitish Kumar) is now with us. The only card they know how to play is the caste card but this time even that will not work. If they get one or two seats, they should be happy. It is NDA all the way," Singh said.

He also claimed that everything was hunky-dory between the JD(U) and Bihar BJP after Nitish Kumars return to the fold. When asked if the Paltu Kumar" branding by the opposition will hold, Singh said, I dont think so. His probity in public life and the development he brought to Bihar while with NDA will not be forgotten. I dont think he will now go back to the RJD since he realises it is impossible to work with them."

Kejriwals arrest based on law

Singh dismissed the charge of the opposition that the BJP is using the central agencies to disturb any level playing field in the upcoming polls. Election or no election, said the minister, law must reign supreme.

There is a presumption in your question that the BJP had anything to do with Kejriwals arrest. It was done by the ED at a time that the investigating officials thought best," Singh said when asked if the BJPs internal calculations show no sympathy vote for the Aam Aadmi Party after its comvener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals recent arrest in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. The BJP leader also pointed out that courts monitor the central agencies. So allegations of political interference are baseless since courts have refused bail to the likes of AAPs Manish Sisodia, he added.

The bureaucrat-turned-politician said that the Aam Aadmi Party had lost its core voters because of the corruption taint. You are right that the Poorvanchali voters were with AAP so far, but you go out and ask them now, this time they will all say theyre going to vote for the BJP. How can you vote for a man who swore on his children that he would never join hands with the Congress, who claimed corruption was intolerable, and then went and built a palatial house? Look at the way his mind functioned. He deliberately did not keep any department under him and did not sign any file. Look at the way his brain functioned. People are seeing through the lies," he said.

Running govt from jail unethical, impractical

When asked if there is a fit case for the lieutenant governor to recommend Presidents rule in Delhi, the former union home secretary said that the jail manual is clear about meetings and files, and therefore running a government from jail was unethical and impractical.

There is something called ethics which is over and above law. Imagine someone who is tainted with corruption insisting that he will not step down, that he will continue as the chief minister. The L-G will have to come up with a decision based on legal advice. But there are practical problems. A lawyer can have only limited mulaqat (meetings). What if a crisis emerges needing the CMs intervention and the lawyer is unable to meet the CM at that point? Should governance suffer?" the minister asked.
Campaigning in Wayanads Kalpetta, Communist Party of Indias (CPI) candidate Annie Raja told News18 that people from the constituency are disappointed" as their sitting MP from the Congress Rahul Gandhi did not utter the name Wayanad in Parliament even once in five years.

ALSO READ | RaGa vs Annie Raja in Wayanad: Gandhi Scion Has Assets Worth Rs 20 Cr, Left Candidate Declares Rs 72 Lakh

People here are angry with Rahul Gandhi. Women asked me angrily that if they vote me power, would I visit them directly ahead of the next elections. They told me when Gandhi came here, they were told that he would be the next PM. He couldnt become the PM, but he could have at least come to his constituency and raised the issues of the people here. People in Wayanad are sad and disappointed. I promised the voters that I will stay with them in Wayanad if elected to power," said Raja, who is making her debut from the Kerala constituency.

She acknowledged that Gandhi won by a huge margin in 2019, but said things were different now. People across religions and caste told me they never voted for symbols, but last time they did, for Gandhi, as he was projected to be the Prime Minister. In his five years as an MP, he has not uttered the name Wayanad in Parliament even once, they say," she said, who will also face Bharatiya Janata Partys K Surendran.

She might have never contested the elections, but Raja has been an activist all her life. My party gave me different roles and work for all these years. This time, they decided to make me contest the elections from Wayanad. It is not a shift from activist to politician. Whenever I raise voice over Manipur or Jammu and Kashmir, I am raising my voice for the people. Contesting elections is a different form of political activity," she said.

One of the major issues faced by the people of Wayanad is the man-animal conflict. For a lasting solution, an amendment to the law is necessary. I can make it happen if elected," said Raja.

ALSO READ | Can Be Giant Killer Like Smriti Irani: BJPs K Surendran Pitted Against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad | Exclusive

The UDF, led by the Congress, was elected from this constituency thrice, but never bothered about the development of this constituency. I am here for more than a month now. I have asked people what do you expect from your MP? I have understood that man-animal conflict is the most important issue here. Other issues are traffic in hilly areas and night curfew."

Kerala goes to polls in the second phase on April 26.
Former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who filed an independent nomination from Bihars Purnea seat despite his affiliation with the Congress, got emotional on stage and asked why was he being denied a ticket from the seat repeatedly.

Crying inconsolably on stage, Yadav, took a dig at Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav adding that RLD fielded their candidate in the constituency, despite his expressed desire to represent Purnea. The Congress leader also questioned what qualities or attributes he lacked that he was asked to leave Purnea and represent another seat.

After all, what was lacking in me? Why was I being told again and again to go to Madhepura or Supaul? Whereas even before the merger of my party with Congress, I had met Lalu Yadav and said that I could not leave Purnea and go anywhere, Yadav, said in tears.

Pappu Yadav also expressed his displeasure with RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejaswi Yadav accompanying, Bhima Bharti, his opponent in the seat while filing nominations against him.

You never accompanied anyone for the nomination process, but this time you not only supported but accompanied the candidate filing nomination against me. What have I done to deserve this? I have been working here in Purnea for the past 1 year, these people are my family, said Yadav.

Lok Sabha Polls: Dramatic Fight in Bihars Purnea

Pappu Yadav, who recently joined the Congress, on Wednesday stuck to his stand of contesting from Bihars Purnea Lok Sabha seat despite ally RJDs Bima Bharti filing her nomination papers.

In a post on X, he said, Tomorrow, everybody please come to give your blessings during the filing of nomination. Pappu Yadav will be in the fray for Purneas dignity. Some people are so angry with Purnea that they will do anything to insult her. My mother Purnea will respond by making them lose their deposits on April 26 (the date of voting).

Meanwhile, Bharti, who joined the RJD less than a month ago, was accompanied by Tejashwi Yadav, former Bihar deputy chief minister and heir apparent of Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, while filing her nomination papers.

Congress Backs Pappu Yadavs RLD Opponent

Meanwhile, Pappu Yadavs party openly stated that it will support RLDs Bhima Bharti as INDIAs Purnea candidate.

Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the seat-sharing deal has been finalised. If any Congress leader files nomination outside of their nine seats, the party will not support the candidate.

Bihar Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore said Pappu Yadav is not a Congress nominee. The party is united in support of Bima Bharti in Purnea.

In the final INDIA seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar, the Purnea seat was allocated to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which is contesting 26 of Bihars 40 seats and the Congress nine.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, met today, April 5, 2024 in Brussels to reaffirm support for Armenias sovereignty, democracy, territorial integrity, and socio-economic resilience.

The European Union and the United States support a stable, peaceful, secure, democratic, and prosperous future for Armenia and the region. In this context, we aim to expand cooperation to strengthen Armenias resilience, including in key sectors such political reforms, economic development and humanitarian support. We will look to expand our partnerships, for example, in mobility, governance, law enforcement, trade, connectivity, agriculture, energy, and technology. The European Union and the United States envisage stronger cooperation with Armenia to support these key sectors.

The European Union and the United States acknowledged the substantial progress Armenia has made since 2018 on democratic and justice reforms and the fight against corruption, and expressed a commitment to continue partnering with and supporting Armenia as it further strengthens its democracy and the rule of law, in line with our shared values and principles.

The EU will continue to support Armenia on its reform path through the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). In order to boost reforms and enhance cooperation in all areas, the EU and Armenia will make headway on the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda.

The United States is committed to helping Armenia and PM Pashinyan carry out envisioned reforms. The Biden Administration, working with the U.S. Congress, plans to provide over $65 million in fiscal year 2023 development assistance to Armenia.

The European Union and the United States welcomed Armenias commitment to improved connectivity with the outside world, including the Crossroads of Peace initiative, which would promote shared prosperity and regional economic and trade diversification.

The EU and the US intend to provide further assistance to help the country mitigate risks, diversify its trade, and strengthen its economic and institutional resilience.

To underpin the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda, the EU will put forward a EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia for the period 2024-2027.

The EUs Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia will aim at building up Armenias socio-economic resilience, while supporting trade diversification. It will contribute to the long-term needs of displaced people. It will strengthen sectoral cooperation with Armenia, while stepping up support to regulatory alignment to unlock the full potential of the CEPA. The EU will continue to support key sectors from trade diversification, infrastructure development, energy, to aviation safety.

President von der Leyen also referred to the benefits of the Economic and Investment Plan, launched in 2021, which already mobilized over EUR 550 million worth of investments through grants, blending and guarantees in Armenia. In line with the Economic and Investment Plan, the EUs Resilience and Growth Plan will step up support to strategic investments, in particular on connectivity infrastructure in transport, digital and energy, and invest in business development to boost jobs and economic growth. The Economic and Investment Plan has the potential to deliver economic dividends of peace including on regional connectivity, if and when conditions allow. The EU will also look at ways to support mobility.

The United States is working with Armenia in multiple sectors to enhance economic growth and reform, trade diversification and resilience. The United States will work with Armenia to attract further U.S. investment, streamline technology trade opportunities, increase cybersecurity cooperation, and expand technology infrastructure. The United States is committed to Armenias safe, reliable, and secure energy future and is working to support energy diversification and explore the feasibility of new civil nuclear power options that prioritize the highest nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation standards. The United States is committed to enhancing Armenias food security as well as facilitating the flow of agricultural products across Armenias borders.

Recognizing the continuing challenges that Armenia faces in supporting and socially including over 100,000 displaced persons and refugees, the European Union and the United States intend to continue providing support to Armenia in its efforts to provide housing, training, employment opportunities and psycho-social support to those who need it, and to ensure the dignified living conditions of displaced persons.

The EU swiftly mobilised EUR 18 million in humanitarian support and EUR 15 million in budget support since September 2023 to respond to the emergency and socio-economic needs of refugees. This brings the total allocation of humanitarian aid to the affected population to EUR 38,4 million since 2020. The EU stands with Armenia in addressing and supporting the long-term needs of refugees. The EUs Resilience and Growth Plan will also include budget support for the long-term economic and social inclusion of displaced people.

The United States has similarly announced more than $7 million in humanitarian support for displaced persons and refugees since September 2023. This funding brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance to nearly $31 million since September 2020. The U.S. assistance has provided life-saving food assistance, humanitarian protection, and emergency shelter and will continue to respond to the needs of the displaced persons and refugees. The United States will support Armenias efforts to minimize the strain on public services and infrastructure, and facilitate social cohesion and economic development.

A prosperous, sovereign, and democratic Armenia that develops its own partnerships and freely sets its own course will contribute to regional stability
Mathura MP and BJP leader Hema Malini on Friday said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had given a befitting reply to the Congress for a sexist remark its spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had made against her. The derogatory remark has snowballed into a major controversy with the BJP saying the Congress has touched a new low in showing disrespect towards women.

Speaking to News18, actor-politician Hema Malini said the BJP respects women while the Opposition thinks differently. Laying out her plans for Mathura, she said she is targeting a victory margin of 7 lakh votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Edited excerpts:

How is your election campaign going?

We went to Vishram Ghat where Lord Krishna killed Kans. It is very popular. Before starting my election campaign, I offer prayers at Vishram Ghat.

You have won the Mathura seat twice. What is your election plank this time?

Dreams I have for Mathura are not fulfilled yet. I want to make it a beautiful religious and tourist destination. Beautiful temples exist here. We have lot of places here where Lord Krishna has done leela. I went to Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was born. They keep their streets so well-maintained. Nobody bothers here, but I try my best. Basic needs like water and electricity have already been provided. The Chaurasikos Parikrama is most important. Right now, it is not good enough to walk, but a roadmap is ready for that. Nitin Gadkari ji is ready to do the project.

How do you react to the Congress party making sexist remarks against women while their leaders give slogans like Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon?

Narendra Modi ji says Nari Tu Narayani, that is our thought. Their (Opposition) thinking is different. Yogi Adityanath ji rightly replied on my behalf that it is an insult of MatruShakti.

When will the Parikrama Marg Project start?

We will start in this term. If I dont start, then it will fizzle out. I belong to Mathura. If you give me some other seat, I wont be interested.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath keeps dropping hints on the issue of Krishna Janmabhoomi

It is a legal battle, let the decision come. At the moment, the temple is very beautiful, but the battle is for some other thing. So if it gets cleared Lord Krishna will decide and start it off.

Locals are divided on the idea of Banke Bihari Corridor. Some dont want it.

They dont understand the benefits of the corridor once it comes up. It is a small space and we see a lot of rush. At times, it becomes a stampede-like situation. We will convince locals that nothing will happen to their businesses. Mathura citys economy is due to tourism so we have to think about it.

Cleaning Yamuna has always been an issue. Can you assure the people that in your next term, you will fight for it?

When I first became MP, my first question in Parliament was Yamuna Shuddhikaran. People told me you will never get water from Haryana. Many people helped me understand the problem. Most of the sewage is coming from Delhi. We have to go and speak to the Delhi government. We have also spoken to the Jal Shakti minister. We have closed 20 sewers flowing into the Yamuna. Just four are left to be closed.

What victory margin are you targeting?

My karyakartas are saying asking me to target 7 lakh victory margin. I have done some good work with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Allahabad High Court recently drew attention to the concerning proliferation of fraudulent manpower and recruitment agencies throughout the nation. The HC said that nowadays, everywhere in the country, such bogus agencies are mushrooming and preying on unemployed youth by falsely promising government job opportunities and overseas employment.

The bench of Justice Manju Rani Chauhan noted that the youth too, without knowing the hidden agenda, fall prey to such false lucrative offers and often end up paying huge amounts.

The court noted that such agencies often either disappear overnight with the amount collected from the victims or issue fake appointment letters to them.

In my firm view, these white-collar crimes, which have drastic effects, should be dealt with iron hands and severe punishment should be awarded to the culprits, Justice Chauhan said.

A criminal bail application was filed before the single-judge bench by one Himanshu Kanaujiya. The allegations against Kanaujiya were that he lured the informant with promises of employment and allegedly received Rs 1,60,000 in his account and an additional Rs 4,00,000 in cash. However, the informant claimed that Kanaujiya provided only a forged appointment letter.

A case was registered against Kanaujiya under Sections 406, 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the IPC.

In his plea for bail, Kanaujiya asserted that the accusations against him were unfounded. He further claimed to have already returned the money received in his account from the informants mother.

Based on the submissions presented before it and the documented evidence, the high court concluded that a cognisable offence was made out to proceed against Kanaujiya.

Therefore, considering the gravity of the offence, the evidence provided, Kanaujiyas level of involvement, and the potential severity of the punishment, the court denied him bail.

The very term unemployment will sound the death knell for the future of the youth of this nation. Every individual would like to stand on his own legs to avert the reverberations of the said word unemployment. Such untiring pursuit for employment by the youth is taken advantage of by certain sections/persons, the court said.
Amid the tension over scuffle between two groups, Cabinet Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha recently visited Bhoiwada area of South Mumbai.

It started with a spat between two groups on Shiv Jayanti (March 28). On March 31, it turned into a fight, with one group being beaten up by the other. Residents of Bhoiwada area reported the incident to the police station, but the police did not take any action. On the contrary, the police allegedly manhandled the victims and threatened to file a case against them, according to local residents. They then approached Lodha, seeking justice and a fair investigation.

Lodha interacted with the local residents and gave them confidence that such incidents wont be tolerated and strict action would be taken against the violent group.

Speaking to News18, Lodha said, Some sociopaths are trying to replicate the Malwani pattern all over Mumbai. This incident of Bhoiwada is part of it. We will not allow South Mumbai to become Malwani. Local residents met me and requested me to visit Bhoiwada. Acting on my instructions, the police have taken note of this incident. Police have obtained the CCTV footage of the area. They will take appropriate action after going through the entire footage.

Recently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on the orders of Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Lodha, demolished the illegal five-storey house of a criminal who carried out a knife attack on several people in Saki Naka. As per the instructions of the minister, the civic body tore down the rest of the structure and only let the ground floor stand.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday wrote to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj expressing grave concerns about the state of the much-touted Delhi model of health service delivery. He proposed the idea of initiating a white paper on the matter, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

In his letter, the L-G said he was appalled at the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Delhi government hospitals. It is indeed shocking that the much-touted Delhi Model of health service delivery lies in shambles- indeed it appears to be on life support ventilator.

Saxenas response came a day after Bharadwaj wrote to him asking him to order an inquiry into the non-availability of medicines and consumables in city government hospitals.

Bharadwaj had written to the lieutenant governor following news reports about lack of basic consummables in Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalya. Responding to the LGs letter, the Delhi government said shortage of medicines and cosnumables was being shown in its hospitals under a conspiracy.

In his letter, the Lieutenant Governor stated that he had invited Bharadwaj for discussions regarding healthcare-related matters of public importance on two occasions within the last week. However, you chose to disregard the invitation and instead offered some frivolous excuse for not attending the same, Saxena expressed.

I am afraid that you have run down the much publicised claims of your own Chief Minister and your predecessors in the department on the much glorified health model. I am surprised that hospitals in the national capital run by Delhi government are not equipped even with basic consummables like cotton. You have also highlighted the unavailability of orthopaedic doctor in one facility, Saxena wrote.

Saxena also accused Bharadwaj of making it a recurrent practice to cast the blame for any deficiency solely on senior officers and repeatedly address letters to me seeking disciplinary action against officers.

He clarified that the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) is responsible for recommending transfers, postings, and vigilance/disciplinary actions. This authority is chaired by the chief minister, who determines the agenda and schedules meetings for such matters.

Initiation of any such action is done by the NCCSA and you should have shared your concerns with the chief minister. However, the chief minister, for reasons best known to him, had chosen not to convene any meeting of NCCSA since the last six months, Saxena noted.

Referring to Bharadwajs letter to him, the Lt Governor said, The sole objective of such a communication is to shirk your own responsibility for lapses in administration and create a false narrative in public domain, projecting that all failures are attributable to anyone but you.

Instead of taking the issue head on, you have consistently chosen to shoot off misleading missives and indulge in media blame game, he said.

Last month, the Delhi High Court had admonished the health minister and the health secretary for not complying with judicial orders on enactment of a law to regulate clinical establishments, and had warned them that they could be sent to jail. Citing that instance, Saxena said the court was so anguished with the miserable situation of health infrastructure, that the division bench threatened you in open court with imprisonment.

This itself should have been reason enough for you to take corrective measures for smooth functioning in your department, he added.

He said that the sad situation points to a virtual collapse of health administration during the last ten years, while stressing that health is a subject which is wholly transferred to the elected government under the constitutional scheme of things in Delhi. I would once again urge you to demonstrate leadership and prepare a roadmap for serious action. A white paper on this subject could be a useful starting point. You could rope in specialists and experts for guidance, he said. Hitting back, the Delhi government accused the lieutenant governor of doing politics on the issue.

The Lt Governor is siding with the officers responsible for shortage of medicines. Only the Lt Governor can act against officers but this shows he does not want to act against them, the government said.

(With inputs from PTI)
The government will give a befitting reply to any terrorist who tries to disturb peace in India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday, sending a strong message to Pakistan.

If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truth India has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that, Singh said when asked about a report in UK newspaper The Guardian that claimed the Indian government ordered assassinations in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil.

The foreign ministry, in its response to The Guardian, has denied the claims made by the paper, reiterating an earlier statement that they were false and malicious anti-India propaganda. The ministry emphasised a previous denial made by Indias foreign minister S Jaishankar that targeted killings in other countries were not the government of Indias policy.

#Exclusive | Ghar mein ghus kar maarengey, says Defence Minister @rajnathsingh as he reiterates India will always give a befitting reply to terrorists, in a conversation with Network 18 Group Editor-in-Chief @18RahulJoshi#RajnathSinghToNews18 #India #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/JEDiIFoRrE News18 (@CNNnews18) April 5, 2024

Singh, in the interview, said: India wants to maintain cordial relations with its neighbour. Look at our history. We have never attacked any country or even occupied an inch of territory of any other country. This is Indias character. However, if someone tries intimidating India by fomenting terror on our soil, they will not be spared, he added.

PoK Integral Part of India

Speaking on Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, Singh said the region was, is and will always remain an integral part of India.

Be assured that the people of PoK will themselves demand that they be with India. You must have seen that there were a few demonstrations there since they want to merge with India. After the abrogation of Article 370, normalcy has returned to Kashmir and development has been fast-tracked.

View on AFSPA

The defence minister, while speaking to CNN-News18, said it was almost time for AFSPA to be revoked in the Valley but the Home Ministry would take the final decision on the same.

In an interview with the JK Media Group a few days ago, Home Minister Amit Shah had also said: We will also think of revoking AFSPA.

AFSPA gives armed forces personnel, operating in disturbed areas, sweeping powers to search, arrest and to open fire if they deem it necessary for the maintenance of public order.

He had also said the government has plans to pull back troops in the Union Territory (UT) and leave law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone.

Soon the police of Jammu and Kashmir will take care of law and order, and the troops will be withdrawn gradually. We have made a blueprint for seven years, and we working on strengthening the police of Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the violent incidents are handled by the police since they are at the forefront, and the central forces support them. Therefore, a change in the culture can be witnessed, he said, adding that earlier, the UTs police were not trusted, but today they are leading the operations.

Arunachal Pradesh

Singh, when asked about the Oppositions continuous questioning on China staking claim to Arunachal Pradesh, said the bloc should self introspect and not think about us. We are doing what is right.

Arunachal Pradesh was a part of India, is a part of India and will always belong to India, he said.

Asked if the government will do whatever needs to be done to ensure this, he said: Absolutely.
A heatwave is expected to prevail over east and peninsular India for the next two days, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Friday. The northeast region is also likely to receive intense rain and thunderstorm till April 9, the weather agency further noted.

On Monday, the IMD had forecasted that this summer will witness a longer number of heat wave days in many areas of central, northern plains and southern India. The weather department had also said that the country is set to experience extreme heat during the months of April to June, with the central and western peninsular parts expected to face the worst impact.

The heat wave conditions are very likely to be felt in isolated pockets over Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, North Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on April 5 and 6.

Hot and humid weather is also likely to prevail over Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the period of April 5 to 9.

On the other hand, heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh during April 5 to 9 over Assam and Meghalaya on April 5 and 6 and over Odisha on April 7 and 8.

Earlier, Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju also said that there are Lok Sabha elections in the next few days and precautions have been taken for the heatwave. We had a two-day meeting with State governments regarding preparations and issued an advisory for the same, he added.

While talking about the prevailing heatwave conditions, Rijiju said, According to our projections, a huge region of the country is going to be affected with heatwave including states like West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra also said that this time, 10-20 days of heat wave are expected in different parts of the country against a normal of four to eight days.
Mangalam gram panchayat in Puducherry is hitting the headlines after the social activists have helped save a centuries-old tree. According to Local18 Tamil, the owner of an Agraharam (the traditional house of the Brahmin (priest) community found in temple towns of South India) discovered a 100-year-old royal tree on his land. The owner wanted to remove the tree from the land.

At that time, the social activists passing nearby with their friends from a private organization and the Manvasana Youth Welfare Association came to know about this incident. They reached the spot and decided to cut down the ancient tree and relocate it elsewhere with the help of the landowners. This would ensure that the landowners work is also done successfully without harming the tree.

The tree was decided to be planted in the oldest shrine in Puducherry, Sri Gangavaraaga Nantheeswarar Temple. The main deity of this temple is Ganga Varaha Nandeeswarar, who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva facing West direction.

Three days after the decision was made to plant the tree in the complex of this temple, several JCB cranes and a tractor were used by community organizations, a cybercrime investigator named Keerthi, and villagers to uproot the tree and carry it on a truck. Following this, Maha Deeparadhana (a way to commence the Hindu poojas) was performed in front of the tree planted in the Thirukanchi temple by the temple priests.

The people present at the Maha Deeparadhana expressed their respect for the tree by folding their hands and one of them photographed the entire event. The video ended with one of the officials present at the spot watering the roots of the tree. Several social media users appreciated the social organisations that have worked effectively in the fulfilment of this work.

This event prompts the question of why trees are worshipped in Hinduism. According to religious scriptures when people plant and care for trees, they take rebirth as their children. Those who give trees for charity please the gods and as per popular beliefs, they are blessed with flowers and fruit.
The Indian Army said the infiltration bid by terrorists on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Friday morning indicates desperation on the part of Pakistan to fuel unrest in the peaceful Valley before the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

In a statement, the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said that an infiltration bid by terrorists was successfully foiled along the LoC in the Uri Sector in a joint operation led by the Indian Army.

The infiltration bid by terrorists indicates desperation on the part of Pakistan to fuel unrest in peaceful Kashmir Valley at a time when general elections have been scheduled and the democratic process is unfolding, a statement by the 15 corps said.

In the wee hours, the army had laid an ambush close to the LoC in the Uri sector of the Baramulla district after spotting a group of terrorists moving towards the Line of Control.

Numerous inputs were earlier received from multiple Intelligence agencies regarding terrorist groups planning and intending to infiltrate across Line of Control in Uri Sector. Based on these inputs, surveillance and counter-infiltration grid were reviewed and strengthened, the army said.

Own forces continuously tracked the hostile movement and established contact resulting in heavy exchange of fire, the statement further read.

While the operation was in progress, intermittent fire was also drawn from Pakistan forward posts, in the vicinity of the LoC, the army told News18.

Two terrorists were killed while two AK rifles, three magazines, four hand grenades, ammunition, and other war-like stores were recovered from them.

This was the first infiltration bid from Pakistan on the LoC in Kashmir this year so far. During the winter season when the snow sets in, infiltration attempts go down and pick up once the snow starts to melt and passes open up.

The GoC of the 15 corps Rajiv Ghai had recently visited the LoC to review the operational preparedness of the Army.

Chinar Corps Commander visited Artillery units on the LoC today to review their operational preparedness and innovative infusion of modern technology, the army had said.

He had urged the Gunners to remain in a high state of operational readiness and morale to take on forthcoming challenges.
Two unidentified terrorists have been killed after the Indian army foiled an infiltration bid in the Sabura Nala area of Uri in North Kashmirs Baramulla district. An exchange of gunfire was going on when the last reports came in from the area.

However, a top police source informed News18 that two terrorists have been eliminated and one of the bodies has been retrieved.

Officials said that during the wee hours, the movement of 2-3 terrorists was detected and an operation was immediately launched. He said that the group of infiltrators was challenged by the Indian army, leading to a gunfight.

During firefight two terrorists were killed, whose identities are not yet ascertained, he said.

This is the first infiltration bid from Pakistan on the LoC in Kashmir this year so far. During the winter season when the snow sets in, infiltration attempts go down and pick up once the snow starts to melt and passes open up.

The GoC of the 15 corps Rajiv Ghai had recently visited the Line of Control to review the operational preparedness of the Army.

Chinar Corps Commander visited Artillery units on the LoC today to review their operational preparedness and innovative infusion of modern technology, the army had said.

He had exhorted the Gunners to remain in a high state of operational readiness and morale to take on forthcoming challenges.

The infiltration has also taken place ahead of the Lok Sabha elections during which terrorists try to target political workers and leaders in Jammu and Kashmir to destabilize the political process. An exchange of gunfire was going on in the area.
A peon of a school has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl on the premises of the educational institute in Mumbais Santacruz area, an official said on Friday.

The official said the peon had been allegedly sexually assaulting the child for the past few months, but the crime came to light last week when she informed her parents about it.

Based on a complaint by the childs parents last Friday, the police registered a case against the peon for rape and sexual assault under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested him, the official said.

The peon was produced before a court, which remanded him in police custody till April 5, he added.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. On April 5th, at 5:05 p.m. in Chinari village (Tavush Province) and at 5:30 p.m. in Verin Shorzha (Gegharkunik Province), the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire from small arms toward Armenian combat positions, the defense ministry said.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia clarifies that the statement issued by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan claiming that on April 5th, at approximately 5:25 p.m., units of the Armenian Armed Forces fired in the direction of Azerbaijani positions located in the northeastern part of the border, is another disinformation.
The Supreme Court on Friday put an interim stay on an order of the Allahabad High Court that declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, unconstitutional and violative of the principle of secularism.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud issued notices to the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government and others over the pleas against the high court order and directed them to file their responses by May 31.

The court then posted the matter to the second week of July.

The object and purpose of Madarsa board is regulatory in nature and the Allahabad HC is not prima facie correct that establishment of board will breach secularism, the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said. The top court said HC has misconstrued provisions of the 2004 act as it does not provide for religious instruction and the purpose and character of the statute is regulatory.

Responding to the development, Uttar Pradesh Minister Danish Azad said, We all will study the decision of the SC. And whatever guidelines we have received for Madarsa education, we will definitely try to work on them. 2017 onwards, our government has taken good steps for Madarsa education, to make it better in every way. We have worked to mainstream the students of a madarsa.

The high court on March 22 declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, unconstitutional and violative of the principle of secularism, and asked the state government to accommodate current students in the formal schooling system. The high court had declared the law ultra vires on a writ petition filed by advocate Anshuman Singh Rathore.

The petitioner had challenged the constitutionality of the UP Madarsa Board as well as objected to the management of madarsa by the Minority Welfare Department, rather than the education department.

(With PTI inputs)
Indian cuisine has once again cemented its spot worldwide, as four restaurants have made it to the list of New York Citys top 100 restaurants for 2024. They were ranked by Pete Wells, the New York Times food critic.

Starting with Semma, located in Greenwich Village, which has been ranked 7th, five places up from the previous years rankings. The other restaurants include Dhamaka, located on the Lower East Side, at the 54th position; next comes the Temple Canteen, situated in Flushing, Queens, at the 80th rank; and Hyderabadi Zaika, based in Midtown Manhattan, stood at the 95th position. Notably, both Dhamaka and Temple Canteen have significantly improved their positions.
National Maritime Day, celebrated annually in India on April 5, honours those who spend months at sea, contributing to Indias trade. It also commemorates the inaugural voyage of the first Indian-owned ship. This year, the Government of India will celebrate the National Maritime Day alongside the Merchant Navy Week from March 30 to April 5. The National Maritime Day offers an opportunity to emphasise the role of the maritime industry in Indias economic growth and highlights the sacrifice of seafarers who not only run the trade but also partake in national security by deterring pirate attacks.

History and Significance

The National Maritime Day was first celebrated in 1964 by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. This year will mark the 61st National Maritime Day. The day not only celebrates Indias maritime might, but also commemorates the inaugural voyage of the first Indian-owned ship, SS Loyalty from Mumbai to London on April 5, 1919.

The maiden voyage of SS Loyalty symbolised Indias aspiration of becoming a key stakeholder in the maritime sector. The SS Loyalty also put a dent in the monopoly of the British shipping companies.

The day serves as a platform to highlight issues affecting the maritime industry such as ocean pollution, lack of global cooperation to ensure safe voyages, and improving working conditions for ship and port workers.

How it is celebrated

The National Maritime Day celebrations are held across the country, but major ports such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kandla, and Visakhapatnam see special government-supported events such as seminars, medical camps, and blood donation drives.

The National Maritime Day celebrations include observing the Merchant Navy Flag Day and the Wreath Laying Ceremony to honour the sailors who lost their lives in the First and Second world wars.

On National Maritime Day, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways presents the Sagar Samman Awards to those who display exceptional and outstanding all-round and leadership and outstanding bravery in the maritime sector.

The awards include the Sagar Samman Varuna Award, which is the highest category of award, the Sagar Samman Award for Excellence, and the Sagar Samman Award for Gallantry.

The best Indian ship-owning companies, maritime training institutes, and Indian Ports are also recognised with a number of awards.

Indias growth as an emerging maritime superpower

Today, India has become the 16th largest maritime country in the world, supported by about 200 non-major ports and 12 major ports.

As per a March 2024, press release by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, over the last 9 years, the number of seafarers has increased by 140 per cent.

Additionally, the Indian seafarers occupy 12 percent of international seafaring jobs. By 2023, the ministry wants this figure to touch 20 per cent.
Alia Bhatt has been on a roll with back to back commercial as well as critical success. From Gangubai Kathiawad to Darlings, Brahmastra to Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, the actress has also managed to create a space for herself amid the international audience with Heart Of Stone. The actress who is also enjoying motherhood with her daughter Raha might have scored her second international project, an Indian princess musical with Disney that will be helmed by Gurinder Chadha.

Renowned filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, known for her directorial successes like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, is currently immersed in the creation of a musical film centered around an Indian princess, a project in collaboration with Disney. Recent revelations have come to light regarding the primary cast members of this highly anticipated cinematic endeavor. As per a recent report from Mid-Day, Gurinder Chadha has been engaged in ongoing discussions with Alia Bhatt regarding a role in this project. A source from the portal revealed, The two have been in talks for a while. The final casting will happen only after the script is developed, but Alia is among the top casting choices.

The source from the portal also noted that leading an exciting international project like this would signify a major step for Alia in cementing her position on a global scale, especially following her debut in Hollywood with Heart of Stone last year. Should these plans come to fruition, Alia is said to kick off work with Chadha in the latter half of 2025.

In 2022, Deadline had announced that Disney had given the green light to an original musical inspired by a dynamic princess from Indian history. The screenplay for this project will be crafted by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges, with Chadha also taking on the roles of director and producer. However, details regarding the storyline are currently undisclosed.

On the work front, Alia is preparing for the upcoming release of the action thriller Jigra, directed by Vasan Bala and co-produced by Alias Eternal Sunshine Productions and Karan Johars Dharma Productions. This film, centered around a sibling relationship, features The Archies actor Vedang Raina.

Furthermore, Alia is set to commence filming for a standalone project within Aditya Chopras spy universe. Additionally, she will collaborate once again with her director from Gangubai Kathiawadi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for the grand saga Love & War, sharing the screen with her husband Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosts the prestigious MET Gala every year to celebrate moments in fashion. For three consecutive years, Deepika Padukone has graced the Gala red carpet as a Global Ambassador from India. However, seems like she is giving the MET a miss this year due to scheduling issues, as per sources.

Sources close to the development have revealed that Deepika Padukone is currently busy with the shoot of Singham 3 and the launch of Kalki 2898 AD, which is slated for May. Although Deepika is expecting her first child with Ranveer Singh, fans wanted Deepika to make a grand appearance at the MET.

A highly-placed source shared, Deepika Padukone has been a regular on the MET Gala Red Carpet. It is only natural for fans to anticipate her appearance at this years MET Gala, especially considering she is Indias biggest global brand ambassador. However, Deepika is in the midst of filming for Singham 3 which is slated to release later this year along with Kalki 2898 AD which is slated to release in May, both of which coincide with this years MET Gala. She will therefore not be attending this years event.

Deepika Padukone made her MET Gala debut in 2017 in a sleek slip gown by Tommy Hilfiger, marking the beginning of her journey as Indias global ambassador at the renowned fashion fundraiser gala. In the following years, we saw her donning extravagant ensembles, including a stunning red creation by designer Prabal Gurung in 2018 and a custom pink lurex Jacquard gown embellished with 400 three-dimensional embroidered pieces by Zac Posen in 2019.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Deepika Padukone will soon be seen in Rohit Shettys Singham 3 with Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff and Akshay Kumar. She will also be seen in Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Hasaan starrer Kalki 2898 AD.
South actor Jagapathi Babu expressed his enthusiasm recently for having worked with Salman Khan in the 2023 multi-starrer Kisi Ki Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. During the promotional event for his new movie Ruslaan, he shared his long-standing desire to work with Khan. Not only that, Jagapathi Babu also heaped praises at the superstar by calling him cool.

The promotion for Aayush Sharmas Ruslaan took place on April 5, where Jagapathi Babu remarked, as quoted by India Today, I was always looking forward with my arms open for Bollywood, and it happened with Salman Bhai. It was my dream, and it happened in 2016 (with Kisi Ki Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan).

He also mentioned, Wanting to collaborate with Salman has always been on my agenda, and Ruslaan presented that opportunity during its filming. Salmans positive response to my approach for Ruslaan was Itd be really good. That assurance was all I needed to dive into the project, and its been a fulfilling experience, Jagapathi shared.

When asked about his relationship with the Khan family, Jagapathi humorously responded, I am glad I am almost in the family. Of course, everybody knows that Salman bhai is so cool to work with and so is Aayush. So, I think I dont see much of a difference in working relationships. I really enjoyed doing both the films (Kisi Ki Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Ruslaan).

Salman Khan recently lauded the trailer of Ruslaan featuring Aayush Sharma. On social media, Salman commented, Aayush, can see the hard work, effort and dedication put into Ruslaan, no matter what, just keep giving it your best. Hard work will always pay off. God bless and wish you all the best. Roaring in cinemas on 26th April, 2024 .

The trailer shows Aayush being beaten up and tortured. In the voice-over, Aayush says that when someone fights for their identity, they either lose everything or they make sure that everyone remembers their name. The trailer shows us that the film is set in Mumbai and that Aayushs character is that of a music teacher.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Aayush had earlier shared about his struggles in the film industry despite being Salman Khans brother-in-law. He said, I know Im married into a film family but thats different. I saw the industry from the outside and it looked very glamourous. I felt things would be easy after the launch. I felt that one movie would change my life. However, that was the biggest bubble that was burst. Launch helps you but then you have to go there every Friday to prove yourself again and again.

Directed by Karan L Butani and produced by Sri Sathya Sai Arts, Ruslaan stars Aayush Sharma, Sushrii Mishraa, Jagapathi Babu, and Vidya Malvade. Its scheduled to be released on April 26.
Renowned for its cinematic grandeur, Kalki 2898 AD, directed by the visionary Nag Ashwin, has seized attention with the exciting revelation of its release date. The movie, starring acclaimed actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani in significant roles, guarantees an exceptional cinematic journey. Earlier this year, Disha Patani and Prabhas were in Italy to shoot for a song sequence for the film. And now Disha has finally dropped the Italy photo dump.

On Friday, Disha Patani took to her Instagram handle and dropped a bunch of pictures and video clips from her Italy trip. The slideshow starts with Disha covered in a thick purple blanket as she walks forward, followed by a picture where she can be seen standing alongside Prabhas. Another snap shows makeup artists sprucing up Dishas face before the shot. The photo dump also consisted of sun-kissed selfies of herself, lush green mountains and ocean and a selfie with Prabhas. She wrote the caption,

Italy photo dump.. @kalki2898ad it was 

Take a look:

Back in March, Snehzala, a popular paparazzi social media handle, shared the photo in which Prabhas and Disha can be seen in posing for the camera. Prabhas is wearing a red colour shirt and paired it with a black jacket. While Disha is covering herself with a grey colour blanket-like sheet. There is no official report that they are shooting for Kalki 2898 AD.

The director of the film, Nag Ashwin opened up about the timeline of the film. At the Synapse 2024 event in Gurgaon, Nag Ashwin revealed that the films timeline will commence with Mahabharat. He stated, The film starts with Mahabharat and ends in 2898 AD. It spans 6000 years in time. We tried to create worlds, imagining what they would be like while still keeping it Indian, and not make it look like Blade Runner. The film begins 6000 years behind 2898 AD is 3102 BC, which is when the last avatar of Krishna is believed to have passed.

Prabhas fans are eagerly anticipating his role in Kalki 2898 AD, a distinctive blend of the Mahabharat epic with time travel concepts. The makers assure an unparalleled cinematic experience, with the film scheduled for a May 8 theatrical release. Santhosh Narayanan serves as the music director and the high-budget production is under the helm of producer C Ashwani Dutt, associated with the esteemed Vyjayanthi Movies banner.

In a remarkable move, the creators of Kalki 2898 AD orchestrated an elaborate release date announcement with raiders across various Pan-India cities, such as Varanasi, Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Bhimavaram, Kashmir and Vijayawada. The raiders marched in unison, creating excitement and uniquely unveiled the scroll, proclaiming the films release on May 9, 2024.

Besides, Kalki 2898 AD garnered global acclaim with its groundbreaking debut at San Diego Comic-Con last year. The films highly anticipated release has captivated audiences worldwide, creating eager anticipation as it promises to transport viewers into a futuristic world filled with intrigue.
Munawar Faruqui enjoys a massive fan following and there is no doubt about it. Considering the same, will the stand-up comedian join politics soon? Munawar was recently asked the same during an event when he made it clear that he is not interested in it.

In a video that Instant Bollywood shared online, Munawar was asked if he has been getting offers from political parties to join them ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. To this, the Bigg Boss 17 winner laughed and stated that it was not the right place to discuss it. When asked if he plans to join politics soon, Munawar made it clear by saying, No, I am not interested. Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Instant Bollywood (@instantbollywood)

Interestingly, this comes days after Munawar Faruqui was detained with 14 others during a raid at a hookah parlour in Mumbai. The raid took place in Mumbais Bora Bazar. During the raid, the police found stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui and others smoking hookahs at the joint. We also have a video of their act. We detained Faruqui and others, but they were later allowed to go as the sections slapped against them were bailable, a senior police official told news agency PTI.

All those who were detained, including Munawar, were reportedly booked under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act along with IPC sections 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others). However, they were released in just a few hours.

Munawar Faruqui was also arrested in 2021 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during a stand-up show. He was in jail for 27 days before he was granted bail.

On the work front, Munawar Faruqui emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss 17 earlier this year. After Bigg Boss 17, Munawar was also seen in a music video titled Halki Halki Si. It was a romantic track which also featured Hina Khan.

Next, Munawar Faruqui will reportedly soon be seen in Khatron Ke Khiladi 14. However, there is no official confirmation regarding this as of now. The stand-up comedian was roped in for Rohit Shettys Khatron Ke Khiladi even for the 12th season. However, he had to back out of the show at the last moment due to visa-related issues.
Navya Naveli Nanda is the granddaughter of Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. She takes after her mother, Shweta Bachchan, and doesnt want to become an actress. Navya is an entrepreneur, and a podcast host and also works for her fathers business. While her equation with her mother and grandmother is always in the limelight due to her podcast, her dynamic with her father, Nikhil Nanda, remains private. Now, Navya has dropped a rare photo with her father.

Navya recently visited a site in Madhya Pradesh with her father to look over their agriculture-related family business. In the photo, she could be seen smiling as she walked next to Nikhil amid several tractors. Check out the post here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Navya Naveli Nanda (@navyananda)

Meanwhile, the latest episode of Navya Naveli Nandas podcast, What The Hell Navya, just dropped and we saw Jaya Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan and Navya talk about friendships. During the episode, Shweta Bachchan said that parents cannot be friends with their children. However, Jaya and Navya disagreed. This exchange has now gone viral across social media.

Shweta Bachchan said, I dont understand this parents are friends aspect that everyone is aspiring to these days. My children are my children and my friends are my friends. I will not talk to my children about certain things I talk to my friends about. I dont know why everyone likes to say, My daughter or son is my best friend.

Jaya Bachchan reacted to this and said, Its not like that, Shweta. But why cant your children be your friends? After a certain age, your children can be your friends. Shweta replied, No, mama. Theres always that thing, youre always a parent. You dont have that you know I think if they gave me a piece of their mind, I may listen to it. I may be resentful to it because Ill be like You are my child. What do you know? Navya Nanda then said that people can be friends with their family members. While Shweta disagreed, Jaya Bachchan agreed.
Rubina Dilaik marked her debut in Punjabi film with Chal Bhajj Chaliye which released in theatres on April 5. A day ahead of the films release, Rubina hosted a grand screening of her film which was attended by many celebrities. Among the notable stars were Jannat Zubair, Faisu, Karishma Tanna, and Rajiv Adatia. During the screening, the former Bigg Boss winner also indulged in a quick chat session with Instant Bollywood during which she revealed with whom she would want to elope if given a chance.

Rubina, when asked about the name of an actor with whom she would want to run away, replied, I would want to go on a vacation with Priyanka Chopra and I would just say Chal Bhajj Chaliye. As the journalist asked to name a male actor, Rubina said, Ranveer Singh. The actress, further, emphasised on the reason behind the same and noted, I think our fashion sense is quite similar. I really want to have a fashion face off on the streets of Milan with him.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Instant Bollywood (@instantbollywood)

Rubina Dilaiks Punjabi debut film Chal Bhajj Chaliye is directed by Sunil Thakur. It features Inder Chahal, Mahabir Bhullar, and Gurpreet Bhangu, among others apart from Rubina in the pivotal role. The movies trailer was released weeks ago and viewers had been waiting for its release since then.

Earlier, Rubina made her debut in the Hindi film industry with the movie Ardh. It featured her alongside Rajpal Yadav and Hiten Tejwani. The film was directed by Palash Muchhal. As far as her television career is concerned, the actress achieved the milestones of success with her unforgettable performances in shows like Ishq Mein Marjawan, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, Shakti: Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki and Chotti Bahu, among others. She went on to prove her mettle in reality shows like Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, Khatron Ke Khiladi and even won the title of Bigg Boss Season 14 winner.

On the personal front, Rubina is married to actor Abhinav Shukla. The couple became parents to twin daughters Jeeva and Eedha last year. The duo often shares adorable pictures with their kids, giving a glimpse of their fun-filled moments with the newborns.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to allocate about $8.5 million to address the housing needs and provide psychosocial support for forcibly displaced persons and refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, Erin McKee, the Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the United States Agency for International Development said during a press conference.

"We have gathered here to reaffirm our efforts in supporting a democratic and prosperous Armenia, as well as our ongoing commitment to democracy, economic stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in Armenia. The US Secretary of State announced this morning the allocation of over $65 million for significant new support to advance democracy, energy independence, food security, and economic integration. We are pleased to continue collaborating with the government of Armenia to strengthen these hard-won achievements," said McKee.

According to McKee, following the events in Nagorno-Karabakh in September, 2023, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to allocate approximately $8.5 million to address the housing needs and provide psychosocial support for displaced persons and refugees.
Kriti Sanons sartorial choices have always been ahead of the curve. The star actress has an impeccable sense of style, and her public appearances are proof of the same. The actress is currently basking in the success of Rhea Kapoors multi-starrer film Crew recently took everyones breath away, when she stepped out in a bedazzling dress and was papped in the process.

On Friday, popular paparazzo handle Viral Bhayani shared a clip that featured Kriti Sanon grabbing eyeballs in a black ensemble. Donning a black dress paired with shiny black boots, Kriti Sanon struck different poses for the shutterbugs. She accentuated her look with blue nail paint and she also obliged some fans with a selfie. Before entering her car, Kriti waved at the paps with a beaming smile on her face.

Take a look:

Meanwhile, Kriti Sanons Crew opened to a warm response from the masses upon its release last week. The film, over its first weekend, performed significantly well and concluded its first weekend in India with a collection of Rs 32.60 crore. However, on its first Monday, the film witnessed a 60 per cent drop in its collection, and the downward trend persisted with its earnings further decreasing from Tuesday to Thursday. As per Sacnilk.com, the film minted a total of Rs 3 crore on Day 7 of its release.

Crew, the all-female lead film, directed by Rajesh A Krishnan, has managed to earn Rs 43.75 crore in India till its seventh day. On the other hand, its worldwide collection stands at Rs 82 crore so far. Notably, the film witnessed a smooth landing at the box-office with a collection of Rs 62.53 crore worldwide.

Crew revolves around three air hostesses played by Tabu, Kareena and Kriti. The narrative of the film witnesses the three leads stumbling upon a dead passenger smuggling gold biscuits. What unfolds after they decide to steal the gold amidst the backdrop of their airline Kohinoor facing bankruptcy, forms the basic plot of the film.

Meanwhile, Crew, besides audiences, has been receiving praise from celebrities like Karan Johar, Tahira Kashyap and Shanaya Kapoor among others. Recently, Tahira Kashyap appreciated the film as she shared a glimpse of the film from inside the theater. It displayed the three divas performing on the song choli ke peeche. Tahira also posted a note with the snippet in which she wrote, What a pleasure this film was! Absolute delight! Laughed and had so much fun! Felt like a personal victory. Further, she also congratulated Ektaa Kapoor, Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon, Rhea Kapoor and others while also requesting them to make more films like the recently released comedy drama.

Earlier, filmmaker Karan Johar also showered the film with love and kind words saying, CREW was unapologetic and super fun. The girls killed it. Kudos to the powerhouse and my Gemini soulmate @ektarkapoor the fashionably forever filmmaker @rheakapoor the eternal fountain of genius talent @tabutiful the always awesome and super gorgeous @kritisanon and last but never the least my POO forever!! What a superstar you are my bebo @kareenakapoorkhan #girlpowerrules.
If there was one actor who revolutionised the concept of a villain in Hindi cinema, it had to be Amrish Puri. From playing ruthless crime lords to eccentric generals who want to take over the world, his sheer voice and towering screen presence instilled fear in the hearts of moviegoers. Despite playing a villain in countless films, Amrish Puri made sure he was never typecast as he brought about completely different shades of negativity in each of his roles. He changed his look and attire for each role and mouthed unique catchphrases in his baritone voice, his dialogue from Mr India,  Mogambo Khush Hua being the most famous.

But do you know that the very voice that became his unique selling point in films caused him rejection in the early days of his career? Amrish had quit his government job to become an actor. He came to Mumbai in 1950 to become an actor. His first screen test got him rejected because of his voice. Amrish Puri was working at State Insurance Corporation before entering the acting field. He worked as a clerk in the State Insurance Corporation for 21 years. But he was trying to fulfil his dream of becoming an actor. He started acting in Satyadev Dubeys plays at Prithvi Theatre.

Once he learned the rules of acting by doing theatre, his older brother Madan Puri, who was also a very successful character actor in Bollywood, helped his younger brother gain a foothold in the industry. In 1970, at 40, Amrish Puri got his first film Prem Pujari. After that, the movie Hum Panch was released in 1980, in which he played the role of a villain for the first time. Making his debut at the age of 40, Amrish Puri acted in more than 450 films throughout his career, mostly playing the villain but occasionally playing positive roles like a strict father or a kind-hearted good Samaritan.

Being a disciplined man, Amrish Puri was very punctual about time. There was an instance when he was doing a film with Govinda and Govinda reached the set 9 hours late. Amrish Puri reportedly gave Govinda an earful and they never worked together again. Do you know that Amrish Puri is the only Indian actor to work in a Steven Speilberg film? Amrish Puri played the main antagonist Mola Ram in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Steven Speilberg hailed the actor to have been the best villain ever. Amish Puri passed away on January 12, 2005, after a long battle with blood cancer.
Women in cinema have been objectified for years. For this, the film industry should be taken to task, as should the audience  whose tastes the industry caters to, however, there has been a shift in the characters essayed by women on the silver screen. Undoubtedly, female actors have managed to create an audience of their own and are also producing films, apart from investing in other businesses. A certain savvy has been embraced by them, given the fickle nature of the business. However, whilst the audiences taste and the film industry have evolved, in some measure, politics seems to be stuck in the item girl iteration of female actors, paired with the assumptions that follow.

In the past few weeks the Grand Old Party of India, which claims to be the protector of liberal values, has seen its senior leaders utter such despicable statements about female actors that it has been revelatory.

Commenting on the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, the scion of the Congress party, 54-year-old Rahul Gandhi made a point of highlighting the presence of Aishwarya Rai at the function. Never mind that the fifty-year-old icon was not there, but this didnt stop Rahul Gandhi from mentioning her repeatedly and embellishing his statement with a condescending comment about her dancing for the audience.

The statement, dripping with sexist innuendo and condescension, completely negated the illustrious and dignified presence Aishwarya Rai has held in the public domain over the last three decades. It is also an understood fact that she will not respond to such public jibes, making her an easy target for crude attacks. It is unclear if Rahul Gandhi, given the contentious past of the relationship between the Bachchans and the Gandhis, has a personal axe to grind or not, given his repeated targeting of Aishwarya Rai, now the Bachchan bahu. She certainly has not been the recipient of any largesse from the present government, even finding herself amid an ED investigation. But the complete lack of respect that Gandhi displayed for her and her profession indicates a deep-seated resentment and anger, towards not only her but the acting profession.

Whilst that commentary was somewhat obtuse, Supriya Shrinate, a former journalist and Congress spokesperson, who runs the partys social media operation, went a step further and in under 24 hours of Kangana Ranaut joining the BJP and being declared its candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, made a disgusting comment likening Mandi to a market place, where wares were sold and bought at a preferential rate. The implication was clear. Joining her in this distasteful conjecture was senior journalist Mrinal Pande, who once called out for her cheap commentary, and tried to backpedal.

Shrinate, realising the utter crassness and misogyny of the comment posted from her social media account, passed the buck on to some nameless member of her team, an explanation that no one bought. Kangana, not one to back down from a fight, replied in a calm and measured manner, knowing there was no need to be overly defensive. Shrinate dug herself a hole that she would have trouble climbing out of.

The dust had barely settled on this controversy when Randeep Surjewala, a senior member of the Congress, jumped in with a tasteless and frankly sleazy comment on septuagenarian actress Hema Malini, a multiple-time MP from Mathura. It is not possible to even quote what he said since it was so disgustingly inappropriate. It is alarming that the Congress continues to spout such misogyny about women from the film industry but faces no backlash from their liberal supporters.

The film industry is a male bastion and women who work in the field, be it in front of or behind the camera, have a career of struggle and often exploitation. Whilst things are improving, being an unregulated industry, there is still a long way to go. Women who achieve success in this business, do it after much struggle and personal challenges. When they transition to the world of politics, as two of the women mentioned in this article have, they bring with them a celebrity and connect with the public which can take years to build. For others, it puts them at an advantage, but that doesnt mean it has been easy for them to get to this point in their career.

We often have discussions about more women joining politics, but the open character assassination that follows an entry into the political arena is daunting. Our actresses are used to the gossip media and have had more exposure to conjecture and cheap innuendo, however, the ordinary woman, who views this interaction from the sidelines, feels intimidated and is discouraged from entering politics. The public shaming and humiliation are just not worth it for her and her family.

It is indeed tragic that not only men but women also are indulging in creating an environment that is toxic for other women. Female actors are role models, whilst the audience has matured enough not to ascribe them divine qualities, their achievements and struggles are acknowledged by the public, as is their talent, and with this comes a certain amount of respect. Gone are the days when actresses were viewed as a little more than the ladies of the night, but like in other instances, in this as well, the Congress is stuck in the past.

Advaita Kala is a best-selling novelist and award winning screenwriter. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
As a consequence of a series of developments in 2022, I happened to work on the topic of evacuations that the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership has carried out in the last about ten years. Naturally, the process began with understanding how the situation was since the early years of Indian independence. In the 1960s and 70s, Indians in the African continent found themselves at a strange crossroads. The rise of ultra-nationalism in countries like Uganda led to opposition from Indians who had built their lives in the African nation, often resulting in them being pushed to the borders.

Indians who had built their lives had to leave everything behind to other nations for the protection of their lives. Since they had Indian ancestry, many sought out support from the Indian government. However, as records suggest, instead of lending support, the government of the day derided and denied them perks which they perhaps sought from the country of their origin.

This government apathy had not gotten any better even in the 1990s. What is touted as the biggest airlift during the Gulf Crisis is in fact, a tragic case study of how India had failed its own Indians. This airlift also suggests how one forgets tragedy and tends to remember only heroism. If one looks back to find how the airlift finally evacuated Indians out of the Gulf, one would be filled with utter despair and be grateful for how far we have come.

Id also argue that even about 15 years ago, the situation of Indians caught in distress abroad was no good. While other global powers like the US, China etc, would evacuate their students quickly, India would crawl. However, whilst little understood in 2014, PM Modi and his governments response to support Indians caught in distress has in many ways become a hallmark of his governance model. Take the case of evacuating the nurses from the clutches of ISIS. Or, going the extra length and utilising all possible diplomatic and intelligence resources to save Prem Kumar, a Jesuit working in Afghanistan, whom the Taliban kidnapped. Both these cases unfolded in the early years of the Modi administration.

Of course, it was just the start of many other operations that India has organised in the last ten years to evacuate Indians and other nationals as well. A functional practice is to help Indians and whoever we can while we are it. Like assisting Americans, Nepalis etc. during Operation Raahat. Another important overarching principle is that no Indian is left behind.

I was in a conversation with a Polish diplomat who was stationed at the border in the first three months of the Russia-Ukraine War. While he was amazed at what India did, he argued that India had done a remarkable job by organising the repatriation of Indians across the world during the Covid pandemic days (which we called Operation Vande Bharat). Yet, Operation Ganga remains the most clinical and remarkably unique mission of all. When the war began in February 2022, there were about 24000 Indians, mostly medical students caught in the middle of the conflict. About two weeks earlier, US President Joe Biden shared with the NBC host that there was no way America could evacuate its citizens out of Ukraine if the war began.

In contrast, PM Modi initiated an evacuation mission with a two-pronged strategy  to move Indians westward, by land, into the neighbouring countries of Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Hungary and; evacuate them by air back to India. To do so, the Modi government utilised a whole-of-government and an all-of-society approach which means that different ministries of the government worked together, in tandem with other civil society organisations, corporates, societies and clubs working in the region.

Not just the Embassy of India in Kyiv, but Indian embassies in neighbouring nations and many diplomats from across the world (who were mobilised for the operation) pooled together their strengths to accomplish what even two years later amazes the world and observers. In fact, India especially sent two senior officers of the Indian Foreign Service in Delhi to evacuate Indians from Sumy which was on the eastern side of Ukraine and was a war zone at the beginning of March 2022. A Ukrainian businessman had joined the Indian evacuation efforts in those days and had reached Poltava, a little distant from Sumy, which was made a base for evacuations from Sumy. He shared how Indian cars were the only ones driving towards Sumy while everyone was going towards the west and away from Sumy. Uninterrupted intense calls with different stakeholders were going on around March 5, 2022. At a certain point, he says, all officers engaged in the operation failed to find a breakthrough. Important officers in Ukraine stopped picking up calls. But, then, something magical happened.

They got a call from the Indian authorities and a confirmation from both Russian and Ukrainian authorities. PM Modi had spoken to the leadership and brought into effect a break, a hiatus, a stop and an impasse in the Russia-Ukraine War. As a consequence of it, buses arranged by the Indians moved towards Sumy. But more happened. Not just Indians, but people of many other nationalities were moved out of Sumy to safer places, thanks to PM Modi and Indian efforts.

Arjun Singh Kadian is an academic and policy professional based out of offices in Haryana and Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Amid a war of words between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a behind-bars photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal placed between portraits of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar, the AAP on Friday organised a press conference at its party headquarters with a changed backdrop.

The new backdrop features behind-bars photos of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail along with the party symbol.

Bhagat Singhs Great Grandson Reacts to Arvind Kejriwals Jail Photo

The freedom fighters great-grandson, Yadavendra Singh weighed in on the row over Arvind Kejriwals behind-bars photo placed between Bhagat Singh, and Ambedkars portraits and stressed that any leader should not be compared with him.

If we look at the politics of today, it is turning personal. Politics is being done for personal benefitAny leader should not be compared with him (Bhagat Singh)Bhagat Singhs contribution was for the country and society. It wasnt personalIf AAP has done this by mistake, they need to correct it and remove the photo (of Arvind Kejriwal) placed between Dr BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh he said.

#WATCH | Faridabad, Haryana: On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals behind-bars photo placed between Bhagat Singh, Ambedkar portraits, great-grandson of Bhagat Singh, Yadavendra Singh says, If we look at the politics of today, it is turning personal. Politics is being done for pic.twitter.com/mBxqytCOo2 ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2024

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has sent a request to all MLAs, asking them to discuss the problems of the states people and resolve them, said Sunita Kejriwal as she read out her husbands message in a digital briefing. The backdrop drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the AAP of hurting peoples sentiments.

While the saffron party has alleged that Kejriwal was a symbol of corruption and demanded immediate removal of the photo, the AAP called the photo a mark of a struggle against BJPs dictatorship.

#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals wife, Sunita Kejriwal issues a video statement on behalf of him for the MLAs of Delhi.She says, Arvind Kejriwal has sent a message to all MLAs. Just because I am in jail, the people of Delhi should not suffer in any way. Every MLA should pic.twitter.com/htOouPYJhX ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

Kejriwal is a corruption accused and by putting up his photograph between those of patriots such as Shaheed-e-Azam (Bharat Singh) and Dr Ambedkar, the AAP has insulted their dignity, alleged Virendra Sachdeva, the BJPs Delhi unit chief.

                                           AAP       https://t.co/BrRbEjuIyi Virendraa Sachdeva (   ) (@Virend_Sachdeva) April 4, 2024

Senior AAP leader Atishi, on the other hand, alleged that the BJP-led Centre has sent Kejriwal to jail under false charges.

Kejriwal is the symbol of the current struggle against the BJPs dictatorship. His photograph at our offices is to remind us that the struggle against the BJP is no less than the freedom movement, she told reporters. There was a time when people of the country fought against the British rulers. Now we are struggling against the dictatorship of the BJP, she said.

She also said, The BJP has placed many objectionable hoardings across Delhi, at some places they have even used the photo of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We filed a complaint against this, six days back but surprisingly no action has been taken. Its worrying as it raises questions over the level playing field for Lok Sabha elections.

#WATCH | Delhi Minister & AAP leader Atishi says, The BJP has placed many objectionable hoardings across Delhi, at some places they have even used the photo of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We filed a complaint against this, 6 days back but surprisingly no action has been taken. Its pic.twitter.com/yaAN1d6DGq ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

The BJP, on the other hand, said the AAP should be ashamed of itself for putting up Kejriwals photograph among the portraits of patriots. The AAP has been constantly degrading political decorum by allowing the jailed chief ministers wife to sit and issue political messages from his official room and chair, Sachdeva said.

Since Kejriwals arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, Sunita Kejriwal has been attending digital briefings with large Tricolours and portraits of Singh and Ambedkar in the background, similar to the backdrop used during Kejriwals online briefings. Kejriwal is in judicial custody till April 15 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi governments now-scrapped excise policy.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a dig at Robert Vadra, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadras businessman husband, after he hinted at his political debut, showing interest in contesting from Amethi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The saffron party questioned Vadras credentials and said the Congress could not get over nepotism.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, From what he said, one thing is very clear that they (Congress) cannot come out of dynastic politics. What is he (Robert Vadra) apart from being the son-in-law of the Gandhi family that people will expect something from him? What kind of certificate do you (Robert Vadra) have? he asked.

#WATCH | On Robert Vadras statement, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, Whatever he said, one thing is very clear that they (Congress) cannot come out of dynastic politics. What he (Robert Vadra) is apart from being the son-in-law of the Gandhi family, that people will https://t.co/Y0FRlnUdOZ pic.twitter.com/YGZrnTUucK ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

Four power centres have been built here, one is of Sonia Gandhi, one of Rahul Gandhi, one is of Priyanka Gandhi, and one is of Kharge. These people have ruined this country because of nepotism and still they do not want to change themselves, he added.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also reacted to Vadras statement and took a dig at the Congress party.

Pathak said that the Bharatiya Janata Party had not received any application from his side, and if he will contest from Congress, it is a concern of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

#WATCH | On Robert Vadras statement, Uttar Pradesh Dy CM Brijesh Pathak says, We have not yet received any application from Robert Vadras side. If he has applied to the Congress Party then his mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, Bharatiya Janata Party has also not received any https://t.co/Y0FRlnUdOZ pic.twitter.com/hONzcb1VDI ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2024

Speaking to news agency ANI, Pathak said, We have not yet received any application from Robert Vadras side. If he has applied to the Congress Party then it is the concern of his mother-in-law, his brother-in-law. Bharatiya Janata Party has also not received any application.

BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya responded to Vadras comments and took to X (formerly Twitter) saying, Robert Vadra wanting to contest the Amethi seat reminds me of a saying in Hindi: When an elephant is stuck in a swamp, even a frog ends up kicking it. That is the state of the Congress party today.

Robert Vadra wanting to contest the #Amethi seat reminds me of a saying in Hindi: When an elephant is stuck in a swamp, even a frog ends up kicking it. That is the state of the Congress party today.@BJP4India @INCIndia @irobertvadra @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/91yoisVXRF Lahar Singh Siroya (Modi Ka Parivar) (@LaharSingh_MP) April 5, 2024

A DIFFERENT VIEW

However, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla differed from the collective view of BJP leaders and said the Saffron party would get defeated in Amethi.

BJP will be defeated in Amethi by over 50,000 votes. But if someone like Robert Vadra ji does contest, then the margin of defeat for the BJP may widen to 2/2.5 lacs, he wrote on X.

BJP will be defeated in #Amethi by over 50,000 votes. But if someone like #RobertVadra ji does contest, then the margin of defeat for the BJP may widen to 2/2.5 lacs. https://t.co/9TmO5nCR4N Tehseen Poonawalla Official (@tehseenp) April 4, 2024

ROBERT VADRA HINTS AT POLITICAL DEBUT

Congress is yet to announce the name of its candidate in the partys stronghold Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh but Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra on Thursday said the people of Amethi expect him to fight the Lok Sabha elections against BJPs Smriti Irani.

Vadra, the husband of Priyanka Gandhi, said the people of Amethi are not happy with sitting MP Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in 2019, as she is busying bashing the Gandhi family.

The people of Amethi expect me to represent their constituency if I decide to become a member of ParliamentFor years, the Gandhi family worked hard in Rae Bareli, Amethi and SultanpurThe people of Amethi are really troubled by the current Member of Parliament, they think they have made a mistake by electing her, he told ANI.

Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi in Parliament since 2002, lost the seat to BJPs Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by a margin of about 55000 votes but elected from Keralas Wayanad. The party has again fielded him from Wayanad amid growing demand that he contest from Amethi too. There are speculations as well about Priyanka Gandhi contesting from Rae Bareli but the partys high command has not taken the final call.

Meanwhile, Irani said the delay by Congress to declare their candidate from Amethi is a sign of their defeat.

It was not the first time Vadra expressed interest in contesting elections. In 2022, too, he said he was ready to make his political debut if people wanted him to do so. Vadra faces multiple corruption charges, including an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation relating to alleged money laundering in the purchase of a property in London in the United Kingdom.
After Delhi LG VK Saxena wrote to the Centre alleging that the Arvind Kejriwal government is trying to influence the justice delivery system, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has hit back saying courts are the last resort as the officers do not follow ministers directions.

The AAP government alleged that attempts are being made to encroach the jurisdiction of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) and even the lieutenant governor is not taking action against bureaucrats not following ministers orders.

Even after repeated instructions issued by ministers concerned, the Centres officers do not act and the lieutenant governor doesnt respond to requests by the ministers, the government said in a statement.

It is quite unfortunate that attempts are being made to encroach the jurisdiction of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). The Supreme Court has clearly stated that Delhi has a democratically elected government which is accountable to the people. Delhi cannot be subsumed as a unit of the Union, it added.

The AAP government further claimed that bureaucrats retain files with themselves indefinitely and do not follow the instructions of ministers.

Central officials stopped Delhi Jal Board (DJB) funds, Farishte scheme, Smog Towers initiative, due to which two crore Delhiites suffered loss. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the Union of India must exercise its powers within the boundaries created by the Constitution, it stated.

LGs Letter To Centre

The Delhi LG Secretariat on Thursday wrote to the Union home secretary over violations by the Delhi government and concerted attempts to mislead courts with the aim to influence the justice delivery system.

The Delhi government attempts to influence the justice delivery system through filing of motivated and premeditated petitions and presenting patently false affidavits, Raj Niwas officials said.

The letter from Lieutenant Governor V K Saxenas principal secretary cited various cases in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court and the alleged violations of the Delhi government with regard to its dealings with these courts.

Of late, there have been concerted attempts at misleading the courts, with an apparent aim of influencing the justice delivery system by way of filing motivated and premeditated petitions and trying to secure an endorsement of the same from the courts by presenting patently false affidavits, the letter alleged.

It said GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi) Vs the Lt Governor in various matters in different courts has become the prevalent norm rather than an exception.

The attempts obviously are, apart from misleading the courts, to create a false media narrative which maligns the constitutional office of Lt Governor in the public domain, said the letter sent to the Union home secretary with Saxenas approval.

The cases quoted in the letter include matters related to infrastructure in the Delhi High Court and subordinate courts, the release of funds for Delhi Jal Board and Farishtey scheme, DCPCR, classification of conforming and non-conforming wards related to the 2021-22 excise policy.

The letter is intended to apprise the home ministry of the developments in Delhi with regard to avoidable litigation in various courts, it said.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals wife Sunita is the best person to keep the party together in the prevailing circumstances. He also asserted that her presence has had a positive effect on the cadre.

Sunita Kejriwal has always said she is the messenger of Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently lodged in jail, Delhi Minister Bharadwaj stated, adding that her presence has had a positive impact.

She is delivering the messages of Arvind Kejriwal ji. This has had a great impact on our party cadre and among our sympathisers. We want to propagate it. In the present circumstances, she is the best person to keep the party together, Bharadwaj said.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi governments now-scrapped excise policy scam. He is in judicial custody till April 15.

His wife, Sunita Kejriwal has addressed three digital briefings so far, in which she read out his messages from the ED custody and Tihar Jail.

Bharadwaj further spoke about Sunita Kejriwals attendance at the INDIA blocs Loktantra Bachao rally on March 31 and said, BJPs strategy is that we arrested their leaders, now they will surrender before us. But when their wives come on the stage and say we will not surrender, it shows that they (leaders) might be in jail, but their families have not weakened. When Arvind Kejriwals wife was there (at the INDIA bloc rally), it made an emotional connect with the party cadre.

EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Heres what Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) told PTI on Sunita Kejriwal, wife of jailed CM Arvind Kejriwal, attending the INDIA blocs Loktantra Bachao rally on March 31.The politics of a party doesnt run just by its pic.twitter.com/pXPvCHqoGF  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 5, 2024

Asked if Sunita Kejriwal will campaign for the party in the Lok Sabha polls, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, We would love if this thing happens if Sunita ji does take part in campaigning but it is her personal decision.

On being asked whether there was some kind of message in Sunita Kejriwal taking the stage after her husbands arrest, the minister replied in the negative.

(With PTI inputs)
Defence minister Rajnath Singh in an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday indicated it was almost time for the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to be revoked in the Kashmir valley but said that the union home ministry would make the final decision.

AFSPA gives armed forces personnel, operating in disturbed areas, sweeping powers to search, arrest, and open fire if they deem it necessary for the maintenance of public order.

Now the time has come to decide that it can be removed; now the decision will have to be taken by the home ministry after the report comes. I said that the circumstances have become such that AFSPA can be removed but whatever action has to be taken in this regard will be taken by the home ministry, said Rajnath Singh.

An area or district is notified as disturbed under AFSPA to facilitate the operations of the armed forces.

In an interview with the JK Media Group a few days ago, home minister Amit Shah said: We will also think of revoking AFSPA.

The Centre introduced the Act in J&K in the 1990s as it believed several parts of the state were disturbed, and defence forces should be given power to maintain peace in the region.

The then J&K government declared Kashmir valley as a disturbed area under Section 3 of AFSPA. Later, in August 2001, it extended the provision to the Jammu province.

Shah had also said that the government had plans to pull back troops in the union territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir and leave the maintenance of law and order to the local police.

Soon the police of Jammu and Kashmir will take care of law and order, and the troops will be withdrawn gradually. We have made a blueprint for seven years, and we are working on strengthening the police of Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the violent incidents are handled by the police since they are at the forefront, and the central forces support them. Therefore, a change in the culture can be witnessed, the minister said, adding that earlier, the UTs police were not trusted, but today they are leading the operations.
Former Delhi deputy chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia has written another letter from Tihar jail to the people of his assembly constituency (Patparganj). Sisodia, arrested in the Delhi excise policy case, compared his imprisonment with atrocities committed by Britishers on freedom fighters and asserted he would soon walk out of jail.

Equating his fight for education with the freedom struggle, Sisodia emphasised that to be a developed country, good education and schools are necessary.

See you soon outside. Long live the education revolution, love you all. In the last year, I missed everyone. Everyone worked together very honestly. Just as everyone fought during the time of independence, similarly we are fighting for education and schools today. Despite the dictatorship of the Britishers, the dream of independence came true. Similarly, one day every child will get a proper and good education, he wrote.

Calling Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela his inspirations, the AAP leader said even Britishers put these revolutionaries in jail for many years on false charges.

The British were also very proud of their power. The British also used to put people in jail on false charges. The British kept Gandhi in jail for many years. The British also jailed Nelson Mandela. These people are my inspiration and you all are my strength. A good education and schools are necessary to be a developed country. Now I feel relieved after reading the news of the Punjab Education Revolution. My love for you all increased further after being in jail, he wrote.

The jailed leader said that in the last year, he missed everyone and thanked the people of his constituency for taking care of his ailing wife.

Seema gets emotional talking about all of you. You all take care of yourselves, he added.

Sisodia, whose role is being probed by both ED and CBI, is currently in judicial custody. his bail hearing is on April 6. Earlier, the CBI counsel had told the court that the investigation was at a critical stage and releasing Sisodia on bail might impede the ongoing probe or lead to his evasion of justice.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has referred to the tripartite meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The U.S. remains steadfast in helping Armenia strengthen its democracy and achieve economic prosperity and resilience through regional integration. In a meeting with Armenian and EU leaders, I announced our commitment to provide over $65 million towards this effort, US Secretary of State said in a post on X.
Apple is always on the lookout for new tech advancements and categories where it can succeed. The company has given up on the electric car project as per the latest reports but it seems to have something bigger lined up in the near future. The report from Bloomberg claims Apple is eyeing the home robotics segment which could include a robot that will operate as your helper in the house and follow your instructions.

The company is also planning for a robot with arms that sits on the tabletop, the report adds. Apple is utilising its hardware engineering, its AI, and machine learning division to come up with product design and solutions that could make this segment work.

Having said that, the robotics arm that Apple is likely to set up does not have a concrete timeline for any launches as most of the plans are in the early stage of research and development. Apple sees the home robots helping you with chores like washing dishes and even possibly cooking, which reminds us of the talking robot Rosy in the popular cartoon show the Jetsons from yesteryears.

It is interesting to see Apple shift posts from electric cars to robotics. It would have made a lot of sense for the company to bring EVs to the market as the technology streamlines to a broader category of consumers, and had given Tesla a tough run.

The rumours of Apple winding up that project and now work on robotics suggests it wants to compete in the tech circuit where the likes of Boston Dynamics have shown the need and possibly the demand for robots in the house and factories as well.

Having said that, Apples reportedly plans in home robotics is unlikely to be a cakewalk as the physics of developing the architecture to move the motor and the arms along with the display innards sounds like a challenge of its own. And the bigger question is how Apple intends to position these products and does it even see people spending big on a tech that might become mainstream in the next few years.
Two Australian tourists were extremely surprised when they discovered they had paid a staggering $100 (Rs 8,342) for two burgers, fries and a single soda during their stay at a hotel in Europe.

We believed there was a mistake, Maria Antoniou informed news.com.au. Maria and her partner Anthony were staying in Grindelwald, a picturesque village situated in Switzerlands Bernese Alps.

Switzerland is known for being one of the most expensive countries in the world. Despite this, its a popular destination for travellers because of its stunning scenery.

The couple had expected Switzerland to be pricey from their research. But Maria said seeing the high prices in person was even more surprising. She shared that the duo didnt shop much in Switzerland. However, she highlighted that the food prices were very high. Maria mentioned that if she were in Australia and was told that two burgers cost $150 (Rs 12,513), she would have left. She also explained that the expensive prices werent only at their hotel.

Maria noted that street food prices were comparable, except when buying from grocery stores, which many people opted for. During their trip, Maria and Anthony found Grindelwald, Switzerland, to be the most costly destination they visited. They also observed that Santorini, Greece, ranked as the second most expensive place they travelled to.

The couple, who have authored several travel guides for fellow Australians, shared that despite the expensive food, Switzerland should still be on everyones travel list. Maria said, Switzerland is one of the most stunning countries weve ever been to. No picture or video can truly show how beautiful it is. My partner and I cant wait to go back. Just make sure you save enough money before you go.

When Maria posted about her experience on her TikTok account (@mariaantoniouu21), other Australians were surprised by the high food prices in Switzerland. One person who visited Interlaken, a famous Swiss resort town, said, We bought three large meals from Burger King, and it cost us 210 Australian dollars. Another traveller on a tight budget revealed, I paid $15 (Rs 1,251) for a cup of noodles from my hostels gift shop.
Plants have feelings, and there is now evidence that they become emotional when wounded or stressed. Yes, you read that right! Scientists have recorded the sound of plants screaming" as they are harvested or uprooted. The sound is not the same as what humans make; it is a popping or clicking noise in ultrasonic frequencies that are beyond human hearing range. The researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel noted in a report published in Cell that the sound increases when the plant is stressed. The report also suggested that this could be one of the ways plants express their discomfort to the world around them.

Even in a quiet field, there are actually sounds that we dont hear, and those sounds carry information. There are animals that can hear these sounds, so there is the possibility that a lot of acoustic interaction is occurring," Lilach Hadany, an evolutionary scientist at the institution, spoke with ScienceDirect about the 2023 study.

Plants interact with insects and other animals all the time, and many of these organisms use sound for communication, so it would be very suboptimal for plants to not use sound at all," Lilach Hadany further said.

Check the video here:

When plants are stressed, they go through tremendous changes, one of which is the release of intense scents. They can also change colour and shape. However, Lilach Hadany and her team sought to know if plants could make noises.

To find out, scientists studied tomato and tobacco plants in both stressed and unstressed settings. Plants with their stems clipped or that were dehydrated were considered worried by them. The researchers then developed a machine learning system to distinguish between the sounds made by unstressed plants, cut plants, and dehydrated plants.

According to the Science Alert report, the team discovered that the sound of a disturbed plant was far too high-pitched for humans to hear and detectable within a radius of more than a metre. However, it is still unclear how the plants make the noises.

Stressed plants, on the other hand, make far more noise, generating up to 40 clicks per hour on average, depending on the species. Plants that are deprived of water produce a distinct sound. They begin clicking more before the plant shows visible signs of dehydration, increasing as the plant becomes more parched, and then decreasing as the plant withers away.
It may have been another day of flying for the passengers aboard the Indigo flight, but for Pradeep Krishnan, who was captaining the flight, it was no ordinary day. Krishnan, a pilot with the shipper, added a heartwarming moment to his aviation journey after he got the opportunity to pilot his family on the Chennai-bound flight flying from Chennai to Coimbatore.

This heartening moment unfolded when the pilot addressed the passengers and made a special announcement before take-off that his grandparents and mother too were among the passengers on that flight.

Welcoming his family in a mix of Tamil and English, the pilot said, Very happy to announce that I have my family travelling with me. My taatha, paati, and Amma are sitting in the 29th row. My grandfather is flying with me today for the first time.

I have travelled in the backseat of his TVS50 so many times, now it is my turn to give him a ride, he added.

The pilots speech brought tears to his mothers eyes, and she could be seen wiping her tears. Krishnan then encouraged fellow passengers to say Hi to his grandfather, who stood up to greet everyone in the cabin with folded hands. Passengers on the flight were overwhelmed to witness the touching moment, and they applauded the moment with bright smiles.

Sharing this special moment on Instagram, Krishnan wrote, The biggest flex of mine. Flying your family and friends is every pilots dream.

Have a look at the heartwarming video:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pradeep Krishnan (@capt_pradeepkrishnan)

The clip touched all the right chords with social media users online. Calling the moment sweet, proud and happy, internet users were in awe to see the wholesome moment. They couldnt hold back from praising the pilots thoughtful gesture, which made his grandfather even more proud. Till now, the video has pulled in over 59,000 likes and the numbers are still increasing.

Bro that was very thoughtful n sweet. Thats proudest moment for them all, a user commented.

An account remarked, Youre the show stealer of the Sky! Aye Captain.

The best thing seen on Instagram after very long time, added another user.

An individual posted, This is a very proud moment for you and your family Your victory is in happy tears of your moms eyes.

Such a sweet moment captured perfectly, said a user.

An Instagram user wrote, Wowww!!! Watta happy moment bro. @capt_pradeepkrishnan your mom is in happy n proud moment. Good to see this and really you are awesome bro keep rocking in this work. Just once in a while need to travel in the flight where you are inn. Enjoy the work keep up the same enthusiasm bro.

Back in 2018, Pradeep Krishnan got the chance to pilot his mother and grandmother on their first flight to Singapore. A video of their maiden trip went viral that showed the pilot walking up to his mother and grandmother seated on the flight to seek their blessings by touching their feet before taking off. Krishnans mother and grandmother waited six to seven years for the opportunity as they vowed not to travel on a plane until the pilot himself could fly them.
A seven-year-old video of Greeces elite guards, the Evzones, has gained steam on social media. With over 178,000 views on YouTube alone, the video shows the Evzones unique marching style. Nicknamed mid-air foot ballet" by some viewers, their high kicks and precise movements  similar to ones seen during the AttariWagah border ceremony  are captivating.

The Evzones traditional attire, including a white skirt symbolizing 400 years of Ottoman rule and heavy pom-pommed shoes weighing over 3 kilograms, adds to the spectacle. The video has sparked curiosity online, with many intrigued by the guards unique movements.

Notably, the elaborate march holds deeper significance. Stationed at the Greek Parliament, the Evzones stand guard for one-hour shifts, three times within 48 hours. Their movements, accompanied by the clinking sound of the 60 nails on their shoes, known as Tsarouchia, mimic the sounds of horses. Legend has it that King Otto, homesick for Bavaria, had his guards imitate the clatter of horseshoes to comfort him.

The Evzones, elite soldiers with a rich history, were originally light infantry and mountain units within the Greek Army. Today, the term specifically refers to members of the Presidential Guard stationed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens Syntagma Square. Despite primarily ceremonial duties, Evzones are meticulously chosen volunteers from the Hellenic Armys Infantry Corps. Identified as potential Evzones as early as basic training, candidates must meet a minimum height requirement of 1.95 meters (6 5").

Recognizable by their unique uniform, inspired by the clothing worn by Greek resistance fighters known as klephts, the Evzones have become an iconic symbol of Greek soldiers. The fustanella, resembling a kilt, is the most prominent feature of their attire. This distinctive uniform has made the Evzones popular worldwide, capturing the fascination of international audiences.
While job interviews can be tough, the opportunity to ask questions can be a game changer for the potential employee. This not only enables candidates to gain insight into the companys culture but also showcases their enthusiasm and curiosity. Despite this, many individuals struggle to formulate inquiries, fearing potential judgment or misconceptions by interviewers. Yet, with the contemporary workplace undergoing rapid transformations, asking relevant questions becomes increasingly crucial.

Aneesh Raman, Vice President and Workforce Expert at LinkedIn, underscores the significance of posing questions during interviews. Moreover, he advocates for candidates to ask a specific question that illuminates the companys commitment to investing in its employees future.

In a conversation with CNBC Make It, Raman said, The most important question to ask before you accept a job is: What is your culture of learning? We dont know so much of whats coming. But one thing we know is that organizations that build a culture of learning, and that have employees who lean into that culture of learning, are going to be able to adapt.

Aneesh Raman advises job seekers to observe how hiring managers respond during interviews. They often provide information about the onboarding process, cybersecurity and legal training and access to online courses. However, these details may not reflect the true learning environment. Raman suggests junior employees inquire about how managers promote a learning culture. He also feels young professionals often need guidance in understanding corporate language, culture, and meeting etiquette.

During the interview, Stephanie Conway, senior director of talent development at LinkedIn, suggested that its beneficial to ask about how learning and development align with the companys overall business objectives. She recommends asking why the position is available. Was the previous employee promoted within the same field? Did they have opportunities to train in different departments and move up in the organization?

Additionally, Conway advises candidates to consider talking with other team members to understand their experiences and growth. According to Conway, a company that prioritises employee training should have a track record of promotion and opportunities.
Prisoners at the New York jail have demanded facilities from the jail administration to watch the total solar eclipse on April 8. The prisoners of the jail have filed a court case as well. According to some of the inmates, it is their religious right to watch the solar eclipse. The interesting update is that inmates of more than one religion have made the same request on religious grounds.

Americans across 13 different states in the United States will witness the sky go dark in the day on April 8. The USA is going to witness the solar eclipse again in 2044. Millions of people around Canada, the United States, and Mexico will have the opportunity to watch this celestial event on April 8.

The inmates filed the lawsuit after the state corrections department in March that there will be no incarcerated movement in facilities from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and incarcerated individuals will remain in housing units except for emergencies.

Six prisoners from different religious beliefs have filed the lawsuit at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility. The prison lockdown on April 8 violates the constitutional rights as per the plaintiffs argument by preventing them from practising their religious faith. A solar eclipse is a rare, natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many, as per the report published in The Guardian.

The Commissioner of the Correctional Home issued a lockdown memo. According to his order, all the prisoners will remain in their barracks from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Though, they can see this moment from their window.

North America will experience this total solar eclipse. It is happening after a long 7 years. On Monday, the eclipse will cross North America, continuing over Mexico, the United States and Canada.

As per the data provided by NASA, the path of the eclipse will continue from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and travelling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Apart from these regions, the total solar eclipse will also be visible from small parts of Tennessee and Michigan
There are countless stories of a mothers unparalleled love and the extent she can go for her child. They say there is no love like the unconditional love of a mother. But a child is as much a part of the father as the mother. Generally, fathers are known to be reserved while expressing their love verbally and hence it is their actions that speak volumes. A heartening click of a father went viral proving that not all heroes need capes. He can be seen shouldering the responsibility of being a parent and handling his career with the utmost grace. The photo is bound to leave you emotional.

An X user shared a photo of a man with a child in a carrier sling, while he can be seen teaching a class full of students. Reportedly, the professor brought his child to the class because he recently lost his wife to childbirth. The tweet read, His wife passed away during childbirth. But he has taken responsibility for taking the child and college classes together. The real-life hero."

His wife passed away during Childbirth. But he has taken responsibility for taking the child and college classes together.The real life Hero. pic.twitter.com/0vcgb5BgLa  Anurag Tyagi (@TheAnuragTyagi) February 3, 2021

While this photo has gained a lot of headlines, there are a few media reports which claim the story to be untrue. As per a fact search, the professor is not carrying his child, but reportedly, it is the child of one of his students. He is carrying the baby to help the student concentrate in the class. As per reports, the man in the photo has been identified as Moises Reyes Sandoval, a resident of Acapulco, Mexico. When the caption was translated from Spanish to English, it read, I have a student, who has not dropped out of school despite her different roles, so I decided to carry her son, without interrupting the class to take notes. Acapulco".

The internet was impressed with the teachers thoughtful gesture for the student and lauded it. A user wrote, Your godchild is going to get jealous!!!" Another commented, Aww, this is excellent." One more wrote, Wow, what a good vibe!"
Shashank Singh, whom Punjab Kings reportedly signed by mistake at the last Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, unleashed his inner beast in the match against Gujarat Titans on Thursday, April 4. The batting all-rounder struck an unbeaten 61 off 29 balls when Punjab were chasing a challenging 200-run target at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Thanks to his fiery knock, PBKS wrapped up the away game on a triumphant note, registering a three-wicket victory.

Shashank Singh was able to create much buzz in December last year after the Punjab-based franchise secured his services at the base price of Rs 20 lakh for the 2024 IPL auction. The team management seemingly got confused by the name of the player and ended up signing the wrong one. After the deal was sealed in the accelerated round, PBKS owners Pretty Zinta and Ness Wadia urged the auctioneer, Mallika Sagar, to reverse it.

As the hammer had already come down, there was no chance for a U-turn. After the PBKS owners revealed their confusion, Mallika said, It was a wrong name? You dont want the player? We are talking about Shashank Singh. But the hammer has come down. Player No. 236 and 237 both went to you.

The franchise, however, later clarified the fact that they had purchased the Shashank Singh they wanted to. Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him on board and see him contribute to our success, PBKS wrote in an official statement.

No matter what happened at the mini-auction, the 32-year-old looks to have all the qualities to become a name of trust in the Punjab middle-order. Following his match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans, social media was flooded with hilarious posts and memes referring to PBKS decision at the auction.

One fan wrote on X, I really hope this is the Shashank they actually wanted to buy cause imagine buying someone by mistake and he turns out to be your best middle-order player.

I really hope this is the Shashank they actually wanted to buy cause imagine buying someone by mistake and he turns out to be your best middle order player. pic.twitter.com/7krBJZ3BLM Heisenberg  (@internetumpire) April 4, 2024

A post featured the reaction of Pretty Zinta after Shashank Singh guided Punjab Kings to secure the thrilling win over Gujarat Titans.

If you ever feel unwanted, remember Shashank Singh is winning matches for a team that didnt want him in the first place, shared a person on X.

If you ever feel unwanted, remember Shashank Singh is winning matches for a team that didn't want him in the first place.#PBKSvsGT pic.twitter.com/YxB21RGrP9  (@Prateekncmishra) April 5, 2024

Here are some other reactions:

When you accidentally buy Shashank Singh in auction and he turns out to be a match winner pic.twitter.com/VfJeheyD5f Sagar (@sagarcasm) April 4, 2024

Shashank Singh entering into Punjab Kings dressing roompic.twitter.com/yW5xtYcuRZ Desi Bhayo (@desi_bhayo88) April 4, 2024

"PBKS bought Shashank Singh" What they thought What they got pic.twitter.com/xQGH6UYB6j  firangi (@Maheshh_Dasari) April 4, 2024

the "mistake buy" for pbks is doing well than their actual buys #shashanksingh pic.twitter.com/N7oqEDPuKe SAMSONITE (@thesuperroyal) April 4, 2024

Apart from Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma also demonstrated their batting talent in the match against Gujarat Titans. Prabhsimran scored a 24-ball 35 while Jietsh and Asutosh showcased their big-hitting prowess, registering 16 and 31 runs respectively, in the end.
Despite the rainy weather, thousands of South Korean residents gathered with umbrellas and raincoats to bid farewell to their beloved Fu Bao, the nations first giant panda. Born in 2020 at Everland Theme Park near Seoul, Bao is the daughter of Ai Bao and Le Bao, who arrived from China in 2016. As reported by the Korean Herald, Fu Bao was carefully loaded in the specialized, vibration-free truck which roamed around the park for 20 minutes, allowing 6000 fans a final glimpse of the beloved animal. As per the agreement between South Korea and China, Fu Bao will now reside at the Shenshuping Panda Base. Baos caregivers, including Song Young-kwan and Kang Cheol-won, known as Fu Baos grandpa, thanked the public for their love and urged them to always remember Fu Bao.

Despite the recent loss of his mother earlier this week, Kang accompanied Bao on her journey to China and continued to care for her. In an emotional speech, he said, The day has come, the day you, Fu Bao, who gave hope and happiness to so many people from the day you were born and received so much love and support in return, embark on a long journey. I believe that you can do well wherever you are. Whether 10 years or a hundred years go by, you will always be our baby panda. I love you, Fu Bao. Ladies and gentlemen, Fu Bao is leaving soon. Please remember her, for a long time. Neither Fu Bao nor grandpa will forget you all and everyone please dont cry too much. I will be back after seeing her off well. Thank you all.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Korea Herald  (@thekoreaherald)

Reacting to the video, a user wondered, This is so sad, why cant she stay with the zookeepers, like her family. Another wrote, I dont know why but I had tears in my eyes. OMG his phone case is him and Bu Bao, a comment read.

An individual shared, I still remember when Fu Bao was just born and how little she was back then.

Another added, I believe Fu Bao will not forget him, the person who loves Fu Bao. Thank you for taking good care of Fu Bao.

One more wrote, I am so lucky to have seen her several months ago. She has such a sweet disposition and her family in Korea has been so good to her. I think the sadness is knowing how much they will miss her.

Amidst the emotional atmosphere, social media users raised concerns regarding Fu Baos treatment at the airport. According to the South China Morning Post, a staff member from the Chinese zoo was spotted inserting his finger through the containers breathing holes and touching the panda without wearing gloves. Additionally, Fu Bao was exposed to camera flashes from the media, which raised further questions about her health and safety. Meanwhile, as per protocol, before being transferred to the Shenshuping Giant Panda Base at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan, Fu Bao will spend a month in quarantine to ensure her well-being.
An expert has weighed in on what you should do if you spot this happening with your packet of meat.

An Aussie Aldi shopper has sparked a huge debate online after discovering an odd detail on her packet of chicken immediately after buying it.

After purchasing a packet of fresh chicken breast schnitzels from the supermarket she arrived home only to realise the package was swollen. Taking to social media she asked whether others thought the crumbed chicken pieces were still safe to cook and eat.

Would you still eat these? I was going to freeze them for later, she asked others on the Aldi Mums Australia Facebook page, which has a membership of more than 333,400 people, alongside a picture of the expanded packaging.

She added that the chicken was well within the used-by date on the packaging despite the unusually swollen plastic top.

The swollen packet confused one Aldi shopper who was unsure if the chicken inside was still safe to consume. Source: Facebook

Would you eat the chicken?

Debate in the comments raged over whether the chicken was still safe to eat, with dozens weighing in with what they would do.

These packs usually swell up when they have been out of the fridge too long. Id do a smell check before you freeze them, one person advised.

I wouldnt do it. It usually means it has been left out of the cold, another added.

A grocery store employee chimed in saying that packaged food shouldnt be sold if it looks like this, adding: I would take that back.

But not everyone thought it was an issue, with plenty of others saying there was nothing wrong with it.

They are always like that. I have four like that in the fridge right now ready to make for dinner, one person commented.

The ones I buy are like that too. All good, we are still alive, shared another.

Another shopper commented that the meat packets were meant to look like that. Meanwhile, others said the simple "smell test" would quickly let her know whether the chicken was ok to eat.

Why you shouldnt eat it

However, Senior Research Microbiologist at Quantal Bioscience, Sandra Olivier, who has more than 20 years experience in the field, says food inside swollen packages should not be eaten  even if it smells ok.

The appearance and/or smell of any food product cannot always be relied upon to decide if it is potentially unsafe to eat, she told Yahoo News Australia.

A microbiologist says consumers shouldn't hesitate in returning the chicken if they are unsure. Source: Getty

You should always store food according to the manufacturer's instructions and eat food within the date markings.

"However, if you do observe refrigerated packaged food that is uncharacteristically bloated, discard or return it to the store if it is still within the best-before or use-by date.

The Australian Chicken Meat Federation also advises any consumer concerned about unusual packaging should return it to the store of purchase.

Why does this happen?

Numerous causes can lead to packaging swelling, from a loss of temperature control at some point in the retail chain to groceries being left in a hot car.

But Olivier says there are a couple of things that can cause unusually bloated packaging, which consumers should be aware of.

Firstly, it should be understood that some foods that are sold in flexible packaging may be deliberately filled with gas by the manufacturer and can appear bloated, she explains.

The food packaging process can make packages seem bloated, but if they don't look right, the product shouldn't be consumed. Source: Open food facts

This process is called modified atmosphere packaging and is commonly used in food packaging to maintain product shelf life.

However, uncharacteristically bloated packaged food can be a sign of gas production caused by the product. This is not limited to refrigerated packets of chicken, but can be seen in many types of food in flexible packaging.

In some cases, this gas production could be a result of microbiological activity  the growth of microorganisms in the product.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Israeli authorities said the nation will allow temporary aid deliveries via its border with the northern Gaza Strip. The announcement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office on Friday comes after US President Joe Biden warned that US policy will depend on how Israel reduces civilian harm in Gaza.

The announcement comes as international pressure mounts on Israel after it took responsibility for a strike that killed seven employees of US-based charity World Central Kitchen.

Biden and Netanyahu held a tense, 30-minute call on Thursday where Biden condemned the strike that killed seven employees of US-based charity World Central Kitchen. He said the strikes were unacceptable and called for an immediate ceasefire.

Biden told the Israeli Prime Minister that US policy will depend on Israel taking specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, a statement by the White House said.

Israel will allow the temporary delivery of humanitarian aid through Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint, the statement from the prime ministers office said, referring to a port about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Gaza and a land crossing.

According to Fridays statement, the Israeli authorities will also allow increased Jordanian aid through Kerem Shalom, a border crossing in southern Israel.

This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war, the Israeli PMO added.

Directly after Israels announcement, the White House welcomed the moves to increase aid flow to Gaza, and called for them to be fully and rapidly implemented.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since the start of the war, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing humanitarian aid deliveries and warning of catastrophic levels of hunger.

Israel has denied throttling aid deliveries.

The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israels retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,037 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
As the issue concerning Kachchatheevu heats up in India, the Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda has said it is not unusual to hear such claims and counterclaims about the 285-acre island during the election season.

In 1974, India, under the Congress government, ceded the island to Sri Lanka, followed by the pact on fishermens rights in 1976. The controversy surrounding the transfer and the restricted rights has intensified ahead of a general election in India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has raised concerns about how Sri Lanka has detained more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and 1,175 fishing vessels over the last 20 years.

It is the election time in India, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Kachchatheevu, Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday. I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area, Devananda said. The statements on reclaiming Kachchatheevu from Sri Lankas hold has no ground, the Sri Lankan minister said.

Overlooking national interests

This remark came two days after Sri Lankas Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said the issue was settled 50 years ago and there was no need to revisit it. There is no controversy. They are having an internal political debate about who is responsible. Other than that, no one is talking about claiming Katchatheevu, he told the domestic Hiru television channel on Wednesday. I dont think it will come up, he said, adding that no one had yet raised the question of a change in the status of the island, located 33 km off Indias coast in the Palk Strait that divides the neighbours.

READ MORE: Sri Lanka Says Katchatheevu Issue Settled 50 Years Ago, No Need To Revisit It

Back-to-back statements from Sri Lankan politicians came days after the Narendra Modi government targeted the Congress Party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974. The BJP has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island.

The Sri Lankan minister said according to the 1974 agreement fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976. Accordingly, fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighbouring waters. Devananda stressed, There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari  it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources  it is 80 times bigger than Kachchatheevu, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement.

Tamil Nadu should know the truth

Stepping up his attack against the DMK, Jaishankar alleged on Thursday the regional party was very much a party to the then Central governments negotiations with Sri Lanka on Katchatheevu island and the outcome five decades ago. As the issue continued to dominate the poll campaign in Tamil Nadu, Jaishankar claimed that agreements could be reached between India and Sri Lanka on the island after the then DMK government was kept in the loop.

I think what is most important is that the people of Tamil Nadu should know the truth. How did it happen? It happens because when the Central government was negotiating this issue, they were actually consulting the then state government, which was led by the DMK, but that was kept as a secret. So, DMK was very much a party to these negotiations, very much a party to this outcome, the Minister said, responding to a query during an interaction with the media here.

Citing documents that became public via the RTI, he said what they showed was that from 1973 onwards, the then Central government and Foreign ministry held continuous and detailed consultation with the Tamil Nadu government and the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi personally on this matter. And in fact, the position of the DMK was, Okay, we agree with all of these, but you know, in public, we will not support it. So, in public, we will say something else, but actually we are with you, Jaishankar claimed, while taking a dig at the DMKs claim that they were the champions of Tamils and fishermen.

(With agency inputs)
The widow of a renowned British-Indian doctor, who passed away in 2021, has made claims of medical negligence in her husbands treatment of a rare condition. Prof Amit Patel, described as a pioneer in stem cell transplantation, was admitted to hospital in Manchester in August 2021 with flu-like symptoms suspected to be linked to a throat infection, the Daily Mail reported.

Despite medical intervention, his condition worsened and doctors diagnosed him with Stills disease, a rare inflammatory condition leading to a potentially deadly immune disorder called HLH. His wife Shivani Tanna, who is a general practitioner, expressed dismay at the hospitals lack of understanding of HLH, despite Patels expertise in the field. She recounted their challenges, including the struggle to access critical medical information.

Despite initial treatment with steroids, Patels condition deteriorated, prompting discussions about discharging him for outpatient care. However, his condition worsened further, leading to his transfer to intensive care. Dr. Tanna described the harrowing experience of watching her husbands health decline, exacerbated by the hospitals understaffing and apparent disregard for their concerns. Despite efforts to save him, including a lung biopsy and sedation on a specialist ECMO machine, Prof Patel tragically passed away on October 28, 2021.

He was exceptionally brilliant as a doctor, and an amazing human being, his widow told the hearing. He was probably one of the most knowledgeable and best doctors that the UK had, said his widow, who expressed regret at not being able to transfer him to a top London hospital. During a hearing into Patels premature death, questions were raised about the hospitals handling of the British-Indians case. Dr. Simon Watts, a hematologist involved in Patels care, acknowledged gaps in communication and decision-making during the hearing into his premature death.

Professor Patel was a graduate of Medicine from Imperial College London, where he also completed his PhD in Clinical Science and Molecular Genetics at what is now the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS). He completed National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Academy of Medical Sciences-funded postdoctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Research, and clinical academic training in London, mainly at the Royal Marsden and Hammersmith Hospitals. His legacy as a pioneering figure in stem cell transplantation and cancer research was celebrated by colleagues at Imperial College London, who mourned the loss of a brilliant clinician, researcher, and teacher.
The Pakistani government attempted to interfere in Canadas federal elections to counter Indias growing global influence, the countrys spy agency said in documents made public on Thursday night.

In 2019, Government of Pakistan officials in Canada attempted to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics with the aim of furthering the Government of Pakistans interests in Canada, according to an unclassified summary written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), documents presented as part of an inquiry into foreign interference contain stark assessments. The inquiry is probing meddling in the federal elections of 2019 and 2021. Notes in the reports caution about uncorroborated, single-sourced, or incomplete summaries. CSIS Director David Vigneault stressed that intelligence may not always be factual and might need further investigation.

The Pak governments foreign interference against Canada was primarily to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter Indias growing global influence, read one CSIS assessment. In 2019, CSIS said the Canadian government conducted a threat reduction measure ahead of the vote to reduce the foreign interference threat posed by the Government of Pakistan. The situation was monitored and assessed to have effectively reduced the threat of interference, CSIS wrote.

Canadas spy agency in the past also named other countries including China, Russia, and India in the election meddling probe. But New Delhi has strongly rejected such claims. We have seen media reports (of) Canadian commission inquiring into foreign interferences. We strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections, it is not the government of Indias policy to interfere in the democratic process of other countries, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a regular press briefing in February.

Jaiswal said it was Canada that interfered in Indias internal affairs. In fact, quite the reverse, it is Canada who has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them, and we continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns, Jaiswal said.
A Somalian man strangled to death his heavily pregnant Swedish girlfriend in a suspected case of honour killing, Swedish police officials told news outlets. The man, who remains unnamed, killed Swede Saga Forsgren Elneborg because he was too ashamed to introduce her to his Muslim family, prosecutors have alleged.

This is Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim and his girlfriend Saga Forsgren Elneborg.They live in Sweden. Saga is now dead because Mohamedamin murdered her when she became pregnant with his child. The murder took place in an honor context because the man wanted to preserve or pic.twitter.com/JAlKzpWR5o  Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) April 4, 2024

She was found dead at her home in the Swedish city of Orebro on April 28 last year and was 20 years old and seven months pregnant when she was strangled to death possibly with a lamp cord. Her unborn child died in her womb. The man has been identified as Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim on social media outlets by some accounts that focus on crime news. CNN-News18 could not independently verify the name of the Somali man.

The accused, her boyfriend, was charged with her murder last week. He was not charged over the death of their unborn son. The unborn child weighed almost 1.8 kilos and measured 1.5ft from head to toe.

The Swedish police officials released a 1,000-page dossier which contained photographs of the crime scene  her bedroom, and the lamp cord, which they are suspecting to be the murder weapon.

Prosecutors alleged the man grew up in a home where dating a white woman is not okay and believed that they should date a woman of the same culture. It is said he hid his two-year relationship with Saga as his family would not accept it.

[Sagas boyfriend] has killed Saga Forsgren Elneborg by suffocating and strangling her by means of pressure on her neck with an impact on the trachea and the blood supply to the head, Elisabeth Anderson, the prosecutor, was quoted as saying by The Sun and Aftonbladet.

The murder took place in an honour context because the man wanted to preserve or restore his and his familys honour by killing the woman who was carrying his child, she further added.

The text messages exchanged between the couple shows him telling Saga would reveal their relationship and break the news of her pregnancy to his family.

Feels like I can almost feel my heartbeat all the way down to my stomach, Saga said in an SMS in a bid to reassure him. Prosecutors also said that some of the messages she sent him on the night she was murdered went unanswered.

Swedish media outlets said there is no evidence suggesting his family was either involved in the killing or that they asked for it.

Text messages seen by the prosecutors show that the suspect suggested Saga to get an abortion. I know we can make it, but I wont be able to keep my family. If it had been possible, there would have been no problem with keeping the child, he told her.

She was so happy. She would move to a new apartment and start her life as a mother. This is the worst thing imaginable, Nerikes Allehanda, Sagas mother, was quoted as saying by Swedish news agencies. She said her daughter was excited about becoming a mother.

She clicked selfies of her baby bump and bought a crib, toys and clothes for her unborn child.

The suspect has denied any wrongdoing and will go on trial on April 15. The trial will last at least 15 days.
Pro-Russian separatists in Moldova claimed Friday that an explosive drone hit a military base, without causing injuries or major damage, three weeks after an allegedly similar incident.

Today at 1435 GMT, a kamikaze drone attacked a military base of the ministry of defence of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic in the district of Rybnitsa, six kilometres from the Ukraine border, the ministry for state security in the self-declared breakaway region said in a communique.

The target was a radar station that suffered minor damage. A group of investigators is on-site, it added, without directly blaming Ukraine.

Transnistria  a thin swathe of land between Moldova and Ukraine  broke away from Moldova in 1992 after a brief conflict.

Russia still has 1,500 soldiers based there, according to official figures, which it says are part of a peace-keeping mission.

Moldova said authorities were analysing all the images and information related to the purported attack.

The string of provocations in the region aimed at sowing panic and tension continues, including by drawing attention to the region, Moldovas reintegration bureau said in a statement published on Telegram.

On March 17, Transnistria claimed that a drone fired from Ukraine hit a military base in its capital Tiraspol, accusations that Moldova denounced as an attempt to provoke panic.

Meanwhile, Ukraine had accused Russia of being behind the attack with the aim of destabilising Moldova.

Russia has since the 1990s supported the breakaway region, which is largely Russian speaking, unlike the rest of Moldova where Romanian is the main language.

Moscow frequently accuses Moldova and Ukraine of planning attacks on Transnistria, whose leaders in February asked for protection against what they said was rising pressure from Moldova.

Transnistria borders the Ukrainian region of Odesa, which Russian forces failed to occupy in the early months of their offensive in Ukraine.
Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Saturday thanked India for its gesture to renew the quota, allowing the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the island nation.

I sincerely thank EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for the renewal of the quota to enable #Maldives to import essential commodities from India during the years 2024 and 2025, Zameer said in a post on social media platform X.

This is truly a gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong commitment to further expand bilateral trade and commerce between our two countries, he said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded to Zameers post, saying India stands firmly committed to its Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies.

I sincerely thank EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for the renewal of the quota to enable #Maldives to import essential commodities from India during the years 2024 and 2025.This is truly a gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong  Moosa Zameer (@MoosaZameer) April 5, 2024

Neighbourhood First

The newly approved quantities of essentials have been allowed under the unique bilateral mechanism between the two countries, even as ties between Male and New Delhi remained tense in recent months. Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) is Indias policy or doctrine of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. Indias Neighbourhood First Policy underlines the renewed primacy that the country seeks to attach to its neighbouring countries.

In a statement on Friday, the Indian mission in Male announced that the decision to boost exports was made in response to a request from the Maldivian government to meet the increasing demand for essential commodities in the island nation. The move came even as the ties between the two countries have turned sour under the Mohamed Muizzu government.

River sand, eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice

The Indian high commission said the quota for river sand and stone aggregates, vital for the burgeoning construction sector in the Maldives, has been raised by 25% to 1,000,000 metric tons. Moreover, there has been a 5% augmentation in quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour, and dal (pulses).

The quota for river sand and stone aggregates, crucial items for the booming construction industry in the Maldives, have been increased by 25% to 1,000,000 MT. There has also been an increase of 5% in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and dal (pulses), the Indian mission said in a press release.

The high commission said the move underlines Indias steadfast commitment to fostering human-centric development in the Maldives, aligning with its Neighbourhood First policy. Despite global restrictions on the export of rice, sugar, and onions from India last year, India continued to provide these crucial commodities to the Maldives.

India, a leading exporter of rice, sugar and onions, has imposed some curbs on exports of these food commodities to keep a lid on local prices ahead of the general election starting in April. Maldives, which has traditionally had close ties to India, is believed to be pivoting towards Beijing since the new Muizzu was elected in October on a promise to end the countrys pro-India stance.
The Israeli military said Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission.

The victims  who were distributing food that had been brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor  were killed in three air strikes over four minutes by an Israeli drone as they ran for their lives between their three vehicles. The findings of a retired generals investigation into the Monday killings admitted a series of grave mistakes and violations of its own rules of engagement.

Click Here To Read The Report

This incident marked a somber admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the US, of not doing enough to protect Gazas civilians from its war with Hamas. The findings are likely to renew skepticism over the Israeli militarys decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict  a charge Israel denies.

The conclusion of the investigation regarding the incident in which @WCKitchen employees were mistakingly targeted by IDF forces was presented to IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi yesterday.Measures taken following the tragic incident include: the dismissal of the pic.twitter.com/mw4U8gjA71  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 5, 2024

World Central Kitchen

Its a tragedy, the militarys spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters. Its a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldnt have happened and we will make sure that it wont happen again. Meanwhile, the food charity World Central Kitchen on Friday called the investigation and disciplinary actions important steps forward.

However it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement, the statement said. Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.

The US-based charity demanded that an independent commission investigate the killing of its seven aid workers in Gaza, saying the Israeli military cannot credibly probe its own failure. World Central Kitchen said they want an independent commission to investigate the killings after the Israeli military admitted their deaths in a series of three drone strikes Monday was a tragic mistake.

Read World Central Kitchens statement about the preliminary findings of IDFs investigation into their own strikes that killed seven members of our team on April 1, 2024: https://t.co/AfdypLYYET pic.twitter.com/ga5ekWFOGQ World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 5, 2024

Rules of Engagement

According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli armys rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit. But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorised the drone strikes on the convoy based on one majors observation, from drone-camera footage. That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said. The Israeli army said the colonel and the major were dismissed, while three other officers were reprimanded. It said the results of its probe were turned over to the militarys advocate general, who will decide whether the officers or anyone else involved in the killings should receive further punishment.

The killings were condemned by Israels closest allies and renewed criticism of Israels conduct in the nearly 6-month-old war with Hamas. The aid workers were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian American dual citizen, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. Their Palestinian driver also was killed. The investigation found two major areas of wrongdoing.

Areas of Wrongdoing

The report faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants. The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike for acting with insufficient information. The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman. It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse.

The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding atop one of the trucks. After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman in one of the cars. The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon. The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well. It did the same thing when survivors scrambled into a third car. Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words World Central Kitchen because it was nighttime.

(With agency inputs)
Imran Khans wife Bushra Bibi has not been given any poisonous substance, her physician has said following a medical checkup after allegations by the ex-prime minister that the former first lady was poisoned while incarcerated at his private residence which was turned into a sub-jail.

On April 2, Khan during the hearing of the 190 million pound Toshakhana corruption case in Adiala jail informed Judge Nasir Javed Rana that there had been an attempt to poison the former first lady and added that she had marks on her skin and tongue as a side effect of the poisoning.

I know who is behind it, the 71-year-old former prime minister said, without naming anyone. He said that if any harm came to 49-year-old Bushra, the Pakistan Army chief (Gen Asim Munir) should be held responsible as members of an intelligence agency were controlling everything at his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad and Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

At this time, there is no evidence of Bushra Bibi being poisoned, Dr Asim Yousuf said while speaking to Geo News, adding: We are not conducting any medical test to ascertain administration of any poisonous substance to Bushra Bibi as no such symptoms are detected.

The physician said that Bushra Bibis health deteriorated after taking a meal two months ago. However, she started consuming less food due to health issues, he added.

The physician added that he was unaware of her actual health issues that happened two months back.

Dr Yousuf said that medical tests should be conducted by keeping her age and to check for any health problems including stomach-related issues.

He said that he would meet Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party the incarcerated founder on Saturday.

Regarding Khans health, Dr Yousuf confirmed that the former premier was doing well now, however, his appetite was not normal after recovering from a minor illness.

During her interaction with journalists before the court appearance, the former first lady had also claimed that three drops of toilet cleaner were mixed in her food on the eve of Shab-e-Meraj. She said the food and water served by the jail authority tasted bitter.

Responding to a question, Bushra said that someone had told her in jail that toilet cleaner was mixed in her food. She, however, refused to disclose the name of the official. My eyes swell up, I feel pain in my chest and stomach, the former first lady had claimed.

Earlier in January, Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case about the illegal sale of state gifts which the former premier received during his term.

Toshakhana is a department under the cabinet division in Pakistan that stores gifts and other valuables received by officials. The officials must report all the gifts they receive to the department.

Khan was lodged in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi while Bushra Bibi, convicted in two different cases, was incarcerated at the Bani Gala home after it was declared a sub-jail.
There is a calculated all-out attack by foreign forces on Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, top intelligence officials told CNN-News18. The officials mentioned above said that foreign forces are raking up unrelated issues during elections and criticised the habit some foreign news media outlets have of defaming Narendra Modi.

Foreign forces are trying hard to stop PM Modi from securing his third term, the officials said.

The aforementioned officials reactions come after a UK-based daily citing Pakistani intelligence officials said India ordered the killing of some terrorists on Pakistani soil and has been doing so since 2020.

The officials said that it is important to note the timings of the media leaks on Pakistan killings and Khalistani separatist-terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun assassination plot where the US claims India ordered the assassination of the Khalistani leader.

India is committed to protecting its boundaries and we are doing this in a professional manner. Indian intelligence agencies are not rogue agencies. They work under a strict charter of Indian safety and sovereignty, the officials said.

No foreign media ever took up the issue of infiltration in Kashmir and funding by Pakistan ISI so far. No foreign media is talking about the stability of 140 crore Indians in the last ten years. No foreign media is talking about the illegal expansionism policy of China towards India, the officials pointed out while speaking to CNN-News18. They said that the media leaks are deliberate in nature.

The officials said that India has raised the issue of Pakistan-based terror groups with all of its allies.

India raised the issue of Pakistan based terror groups to all working partners including the UK and the US but they never checked with Pakistan. We have given 33 locations in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. (There has been) no action, the aforementioned officials said.

No one talked to Pakistan, they further added.

The officials said that Indias strong foreign policy shift in recent years has also angered these foreign forces. They said decisions taken in the last three years with respect to international developments have been taken keeping Indian interests in mind.

We have managed cheap fuel from Russia and saved huge foreign exchange. We have gone all out for Israel which is troubling another part of the globe. There is a huge push for the Make in India initiative and capacity building. This is also troubling these foreign manufacturers who are flourishing only in Indian markets, the officials said.
An influx of tourists in Japan's famous geisha district has left a sour taste in the mouths of locals, prompting a new $100 fine.

While Japans popularity as a holiday destination has grown exponentially over the last few years  kicking Bali out of the top spot as Aussies favourite hotspot  an influx of tourists has left a sour taste in the mouths of locals, prompting a new rule banning visitors from select areas.

An outcry from residents living in Kyotos famous geisha district called Gion urged the citys government late last year to take action amid a surge of complaints the areas quaint streets have become a theme park.

An influx of tourists in Japan's famous geisha district has left a sour taste in the mouths of locals, prompting new signs threatening a $100 fine. Source: Getty Images

As a result, this month signs were installed that tell tourists to stay out of our private streets, local official Isokazu Ota said. Visitors, armed with cameras and hoping to get a glimpse of geisha and their maiko apprentices wearing their ornate kimonos, will now be greeted with warnings of a 10,000 yen fine, which comes to about A$100.

The signs say in both Japanese and English: This is a private road, so you are not allowed to drive through it, although the keep-out warning is aimed mainly at pedestrians, not cars, as the Japanese wording refers to generically passing through".

While the ban covers several blocks of Gion, the districts public streets will remain open to tourists, so the ancient capital will still be teeming with visitors from around the world  as experts warn other countries could introduce similar new laws in a bid to crack down on travellers.

Visitors, armed with cameras and hoping to get a glimpse of geisha and their maiko apprentices wearing their ornate kimonos, are irritating locals. Source: Kyodo News via AP

More countries could crack down on tourists

I think we are going to see an increasing tendency for this pattern of places saying, look, make sure you behave respectfully in these environments, travel expert and editor at large for Finder, Angus Kidman, told Yahoo News Australia on Friday.

Noting similar tourist rules in Bali and Amsterdam, there is a growing trend of popular holiday destinations trying to find that fine line between not deterring tourists, but encouraging them to be mindful and behave, Kidman said.

A sign saying 'Manners in the Gion-machi south district' is seen posted in the Gion area of Kyoto. Source: AFP via Getty Images

The other angle where we are going to see, I think, is more sort of control over these things in some of the more isolated places that are popular, but not so resourced to [cater to] heaps of tourists, then you try and control how many people come in, he added.

We see this happening even in Australia with some of the smaller coastal towns that are not very busy for a large chunk of the year but then suddenly over the summer holidays, it absolutely crowds out.

This week, a controversial sign reading Hometown not tourist town! was spotted in Denmark, WA, and promptly removed shortly after it gained criticism.

Why are tourists becoming a bigger problem?

There are two main reasons tourists have now become a bigger issue, Angus said, with one being an increase in people heading overseas following the Covid-19 pandemic.

So places that hadnt dealt with this for a while, are suddenly going, wow, theres this pent up demand exploding and crowds are coming in and they werent prepared for it, he explained, adding he believes the second source of tension is smartphones and social media.

The aim is to share this stuff on social media quickly so I think theres more aggression about doing that than there used to be. Theres less of a sense of, Hey, maybe I should think carefully. Maybe I should ask. Theres this view that the world is there to be photographed. And if I want to photograph it, thats my entitlement.

More popular holiday destinations could implement similar rules, experts have warned. Source: Kyodo News via AP

So thats what has fed into it perhaps becoming a more visible problem than has been in the past.

Also, with more people getting their travel advice online, there is less effort among tourists to educate themselves about the country theyre planning to visit, Joseph Cheer, a professor of Sustainable Tourism and Heritage at Western Sydney University, told Yahoo.

One of the reasons why tourists often do things that might be unacceptable to local residents is because of a lack of awareness and education about the cultural differences between the country they come from and the country they're going to, he said, adding travellers have a responsibility to understand the cultural and social norms of the place theyre going to and behave accordingly.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The discovery of arsenic-laced powder in letters sent to judges of Pakistans Supreme Court and high courts has raised concerns over the safety of the top judiciary and exposed the dark underbelly of the countrys notorious spy agency ISI.

The current judicial row is linked to a conflict between current and former chiefs of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), according to exclusive inputs obtained by CNN-News18. The forensic report recently revealed the presence of arsenic in the suspicious powder found in envelopes delivered to judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC). These letters, sealed with cello tape and bearing threatening messages, raised alarms as they accused the judges of being responsible for the nations problems.

It is believed that six judges took a drastic step to write the letter, after the advice of former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed. This revelation, expected to unravel in the coming days, is also connected to the sacking of IHC puisne judge Shoukat Aziz Siddiqui. Two days before the revelation of arsenic-laced letters was made, the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned an October 2018 notification, which led to the dismissal of Siddiqui. His dismissal stemmed from serious allegations leveled by Justice Siddiqui against Faiz, including alleged pressure to sentence former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017.

As the judicial row unfolds, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged a thorough probe into the matter. The government of Pakistan, with a sense of responsibility, will investigate this, Sharif stated during a cabinet meeting. The letters, delivered to the judges offices, contained references to Tehreek-i-Namoos Pakistan and included the English term Bacillus Anthracis. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has registered cases in Islamabad and Lahore in response to the alarming discovery.

The gravity of the situation deepened as it emerged that the powder was also found in letters addressed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and other senior justices. Earlier, the envelopes were discovered by the Pak judges personal staff during routine mail checks, triggering immediate action from the Islamabad High Court registrar. Reports of six IHC judges expressing concerns about alleged interference by the countrys security apparatus in judicial matters have added to the controversy.
British police on Thursday opened an investigation following a complaint by an MP who was amongst a dozen men targeted in a honeytrap sex-messaging scandal.

Police said they had opened the inquiry after the men were allegedly targeted by seductive text messages that often included explicit photographs.

Conservative MP William Wragg admitted to The Times newspaper that he was responsible for leaking the telephone numbers of the men targeted.

The 36-year-old told The Times that he had given in to the demands made by a user of a gay dating app to whom he had sent intimate photographs.

I was worried because he had stuff on me. Ive hurt people by being weak. I was scared. Im mortified, Wragg, who has already announced he will not stand for re-election, told The Times.

According to news website Politico, which initially revealed the scandal, the men targeted included three MPs  including a member of the government  two political journalists, a television presenter and employees of political parties.

The Guardian newspaper identified a 13th person, a former government advisor.

In each case, a certain Abi or Charlie contacted the target and claimed to have met him at a political event before becoming annoyed at not being remembered, insisting that the pair had flirted.

This was often followed up by sending the target an explicit photograph.

The Times said two MPs had sent back similarly intimate photographs.

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson told AFP it was investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.

Enquiries are currently ongoing, the spokesperson added.

While some MPs have suggested a hostile foreign state could be behind the scam, experts contacted by Politico said it was more likely the work of criminals seeking compromising material.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed serious concern over reports that Israel was using artificial intelligence to identify targets in Gaza.

This remark came after a report in the Israeli magazine +972 claimed that Tel Aviv has used artificial intelligence to identify targets in Gaza  in some cases with as little as 20 seconds of human oversight. Separately, in a post on X, the UN chief also renewed the call for the unconditional release of all hostages still held by Hamas and other groups.

I renew my call for the unconditional release of all hostages still held by Hamas & other groups.I have met with many of the family members of those being held captive & even former hostages themselves. I carry their anguish, uncertainty & deep pain with me every day. https://t.co/qgKlHucP22  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 5, 2024

READ MORE: Israel Dismisses Two Officers Over Drone Killing Of Gaza Aid Workers; US Charity Demands Independent Probe

Guterres said that he was deeply troubled by reports that the Israeli militarys bombing campaign includes Artificial Intelligence as a tool in the identification of targets, particularly in densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties. No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms, he said.

The +972 report claims that the Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties. In a rare confession of wrongdoing, Israel on Friday admitted a series of errors and violations of its rules in the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, saying it had mistakenly believed it was targeting armed Hamas operatives.

READ MORE: UN Rights Body Adopts Gaza Resolution; India, 12 Other Countries Abstain

On the same day, a resolution was adopted by the UNs top human rights body, condemning the alleged use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in Gaza. The resolution, which also called for an arms embargo on Israel, was adopted by 28 votes in favour, six against, and 13 abstentions including India.

The 47-member Human Rights Council backed a call to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel, the occupying Powerto prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights.

(With agency inputs)
Under the shroud of secrecy, researchers from the University of Washington conducted a groundbreaking experiment on April 2, to employ the cloud brightening technique in combating climate change.

Performed atop a decommissioned aircraft carrier in San Francisco, the experiment involved the release of a mist of salt particles into the atmosphere using a specialised device akin to a snow machine. This project was carried out as part of a covert project known as CAARE (Coastal Atmospheric Aerosol Research and Engagement).

Whats cloud brightening?

The experiment involved enhancing the brightness of clouds to increase their reflectivity, thereby reducing the amount of sun rays absorbed by the Earths surface. According to The New York Times, the goal is to temporarily lower temperatures in targeted areas, particularly over oceans where sea temperatures are on the rise.

Every year that we have new records of climate change, and record temperatures, heat waves, its driving the field to look at more alternatives, Robert Wood, the lead scientist for the team from Washington University, was quoted as saying by NYT. Even ones that may have once been relatively extreme, he added.

First Proposed By a British Physicist

This concept of using clouds as a natural mirror to deflect solar radiation was first proposed in 1990 by British physicist John Latham. Latham envisioned a fleet of 1,000 ships traversing the globe, dispersing seawater droplets into the air to manipulate cloud properties and mitigate solar heat absorption. The underlying principle of the cloud brightening technique hinges on the scattering of sunlight by tiny aerosol particles suspended in the atmosphere.

By dispersing vast quantities of minuscule saltwater droplets into the air, researchers aim to enhance cloud reflectivity and diminish the amount of solar energy reaching the Earths surface. However, the success of such endeavors relies heavily on the precise control of particle size and density. Scientists must meticulously calibrate the aerosol spray to ensure optimal reflectivity, according to the report. Despite the potential promise of cloud brightening as a tool to combat global warming, experts remain cautious about its long-term implications.

Concerns

Concerns persist regarding the unpredictability of climate responses to artificial modifications, with fears of unintended consequences such as shifts in precipitation patterns and disruptions to marine ecosystems. It is believed that organisers of Tuesdays test maintained tight secrecy over the details, fearing opposition from critics. While the current US government supports research into various climate interventions, including marine cloud brightening, it distanced itself from the California study.

In a statement to NYT, the White House clarified that the US government is not involved in the Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) experiment in Alameda, CA, or any other location. This response came despite the release of a federally mandated report on solar geoengineering last June. Solar geoengineering is an umbrella term that describes methods of reflecting sunlight away from the Earth to cool the atmosphere.

David Santillo, a senior scientist at Greenpeace International, is deeply skeptical of proposals to modify solar radiation. If marine cloud brightening were used at a scale that could cool the planet, the consequences would be hard to predict, or even to measure, he said. You could well be changing climatic patterns, not just over the sea, but over land as well, he said. This is a scary vision of the future that we should try and avoid at all costs.
A meeting of the UN Security Council was briefly interrupted as a rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New York area Friday. The UNSC meeting on the situation in the Middle East was briefly interrupted as diplomats in the room felt the quakes tremors.

#BREAKING: Youre making the ground shake! UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East, UN News X handle posted along with a small video where Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of non-profit Save The Children was making a point about the sufferings of the women and children in Gaza.

#BREAKING: Youre making the ground shake! UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/1F8TZBHKKu UN News (@UN_News_Centre) April 5, 2024

The United States Geological Survey said the 4.8 magnitude hit seven kilometres north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Its impact was felt across New York City and other areas in the state. The New York Police Department said there were no damages or injuries reported. The New York City Fire Department said the quake hit about 10:30 a.m., with the department receiving reports of shaking buildings.

We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability, the department said in a statement. There are no major incidents at this time. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York, New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day, she wrote.

The Indian in New York said that it is in touch with members of the Indian diaspora. So far no Indian national has been reported to be hurt. Any member of the Indian-American community affected by the earthquake may please DM us or write to us on madad.newyork@mea.gov.in, the mission said.

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake with epicenter near Readington, Hunterdon, County in New Jersey was felt in the region. @IndiainNewYork is in touch with members of the diaspora. No Indian national is reported hurt so far.Any member of the community affected by the  India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) April 5, 2024

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also being briefed on the situation. Deputy Mayor for communications in the Mayors Office Fabien Levy said that while there are no reports of major impacts at this time, were still assessing the impact. People in the area took to social media platforms like X to report experiencing the tremors.

(With agency inputs)
A Sydney woman's warning comes as authorities plea with fishers to clean up after themselves across the city.

An inner city council is warning locals "to keep their pets on a leash at all times" while walking them along a popular harbourside foreshore, after a concerned resident "picked up six fishing hooks at the dog beach" in a single day, which she said highlights the need for special tackle bins in the area.

The Sydney woman, from Glebe, said if a dog were to swallow a discarded fish hook it could result in a "very big vet bill"  or worse. The woman's warning comes as authorities plea with anglers in general to clean up after themselves across the city, reminding people that "police conduct regular patrols around ferry wharves" and "heavy penalties apply if you are caught doing the wrong thing."

Posting on social media, the Glebe local called on the City of Sydney council to install tackle bins at Blackwattle Bay to avoid pets or children coming into contact with dangerous fishing equipment.

A Glebe woman has called on the City of Sydney council to install fish tackle bins after she said she found six discarded fish hooks in a single day. Source: Facebook

Woman's stark warning after deadly discovery

"Be careful with your dogs around the foreshore," she said. "Yesterday I picked up six fishing hooks at the dog beach and this morning I found this with the lure still attached. Speaking from experience, it's a very big vet bill if your dog decides to have a chomp.

"City of Sydney please install tackle bins like this one around Blackwattle Bay," she posted, sharing a picture of a tackle bin from an unknown location.

People responding shared their similar experiences at the spot. "I picked up a line and hook yesterday at the beach further around, towards Blackwattle Bay. Looked like it had been washed ashore," a man said.

"Last time that happened to my dog, cost me $3000," a woman wrote. "Disgusting, and a lack of respect for everyone using the foreshore," another frustrated local said.

Council weighs in on tackle bin request

Yahoo News Australia asked the City of Sydney council whether they had any plans to install tackle bins in the area in response to the woman's pleas. A spokesperson said "anglers are responsible for disposing of their rubbish" encouraging them to dispose of unwanted tackle in the park bins already provided..

"We recognise the environmental importance of a clean and healthy harbour and we work to minimise the litter and pollutants that flow into waterways," the spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

"Anglers are responsible for properly collecting and disposing of their rubbish. This will help protect marine life and pets while keeping this area looking its best. Bins are available within the parklands to dispose of rubbish, including fishing tackle.

"Along the Glebe Foreshore Walk dog owners are reminded to keep their pets on a leash at all times as this shared space also used by people walking and riding. The City of Sydney encourages residents to contact us directly if they have concerns about litter of any kind in our area."

Tackle bins like this one are in place around the city already, but not currently in Glebe. Source: Facebook

Fishers warned to obey rules in public spaces

Meanwhile, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries yesterday issued a statement urging fishers to act appropriately in public spaces.

"School holidays are here and many people and families will be using the Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River ferry wharves to destinations across the Harbour," the statement read.

"Recreational fishing is permitted on most of the wharves, however, signage on the wharves points out the rules for fishers to abide by while throwing a line from them.

The NSW DPI and Fisheries said "images such as this from Kissing Point ferry wharf are not a good look." Source: Facebook

"Images such as this from Kissing Point ferry wharf is not a good look. Remember: No fish remains or bait to be placed or left on wharf, or commuter seating. No knives to be left unattended whilst fishing at wharf (i.e knives are not to be in open view or unsecured when not in use)."

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The diver said she was 'heartbroken' knowing there was nothing she could do to help the shark.

A diver is "heartbroken" after finding a young shark struggling to swim due to a frisbee stuck around its body, forcing it to rely only on its tail as the beach toy slowly digs further into its skin inflicting wounds.

Last week Amelie Chipeauxwas was diving 45 minutes off the coast from Seal Rocks in NSW when she noticed a grey nurse shark "wasn't swimming right" and quickly got her camera out to record it passing by.

"I just saw the big ring and I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to do to be honest. As soon as she saw us she just swam away pretty quickly," she told Yahoo News. The almost two-metre female shark had a deep laceration on its head where the frisbee had ground down its skin and pushed into its body, with the toy also catching the shark's two pectoral fins, leaving them stuck and unable to move.

The grey nurse shark seen near Seal Rocks in NSW had a frisbee stuck around its body which has inflicted a deep laceration and hindered its pectoral fin movement. Source: Facebook

"You can see in the video the two pectoral fins stuck in the ring and it's actually starting to rip one of the fins off because she keeps trying to move," Chipeauxwas said.

"If I couldn't use my two arms it's going to make life a bit hard too."

Grey nurse sharks critically endangered in NSW

The population of grey nurse sharks have been "suppressed" in the state for several years now and the latest population record in the Mid North Coast, carried out by ecologist Dr Keith Bishop, noted only three of the species.

Plastics in the oceans pose a huge threat to the species, and the heightened appetite for social media content with the creatures is also considered to be a factor the species have to contend with.

Bishop called the latest sighting "bizarre" and pointed to a similar incident he had seen recently which involved a shark and a two-metre long fishing line coming out of its gills.

"This was quite distressing to see... plastics in the ocean are clearly a hazard!" he told Yahoo News.

The grey nurse shark was only able to swim by using her tail due to her fin movements being restricted. Source: Facebook

Simple steps go long way in protecting sharks

Simple behaviours like removing plastics from the ocean when you see any and correctly disposing of waste in the appropriate bin goes a long way in removing the amount of litter in the ocean.

"We just need to be mindful of our own waste and how we dispose of our rubbish," Chipeauxwas urged. "About 70 percent of all debris ends up in the ocean's eco system... and 8.3 million tonnes of plastic are discarded in the sea yearly!"

"I was devastated. I go diving with sharks everyday, I try to educate on the fact that they're not dangerous and are very important for the ecosystem. Seeing one like that was heartbreaking," she said.

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France will unveil advanced energy solutions at the Middle East Energy Exhibition (MEE), where 23 French electrical equipment manufacturers, adept at tackling the region's energy challenges, will take part.

Frances 2030 investment plan is a beacon of its commitment to pioneering sustainable energy solutions on a global scale. With 54 billion ($58.5 billion) earmarked for sector-wide decarbonisation, the plan is particularly resonant with the energy themes of the exhibition. Of this, 8 billion is specifically injected into the energy sector to foster the development of small nuclear reactors and green hydrogen projects, aligning with the global energy transition trends showcased at MEE.

By participating in Middle East Energy 2024, France showcases its proficiency in the energy sector while also underscoring its comprehensive dedication to sustainability, innovation, and advanced technology. This commitment marks a step towards a future that is both greener and more sustainable. Frances presence in the Middle East contributes meaningly to the growing demands for energy and the regions sustainable and innovative future," explained Axel Baroux, Managing Director of Business France Middle East.

Sustainable transport

The transportation sector's 4 billion investment in creating electric and hybrid vehicles, alongside low-carbon aircraft, mirrors the innovative energy solutions presented at the exhibition, reinforcing France's leadership in sustainable transport.

This financial commitment is expected to considerably lower greenhouse gas emissions, targeting a 35% reduction in the industrial sector from 2015 levels, and pave the way for a 40% decrease in energy consumption through efficient building renovations and increased heat pump production.

These concerted efforts, set to be highlighted at the Middle East Energy 2024, exemplify France's proactive role in shaping a carbon-neutral future, showcasing the nation's significant strides towards achieving a more sustainable and energy-efficient global ecosystem.

French prowess in the UAE

France, known globally for its research & development expertise and a rich landscape of SMEs and ETIs, remains a key contributor to the energy sector. Leading companies such as Schneider Electric, EDF, ENEDIS, Engie, Veolia, and TotalEnergies Solar epitomise this leadership. The French Pavilion at the Middle East Energy 2024 embodies this commitment, showcasing comprehensive solutions spanning smart grid technologies, renewable energy integration, and advanced energy storage systems.--TradeArabia News Service
The difference sounds small but has meant a significant change in responses from residents.

Food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins have been the source of controversy in many local governments across the country after their introduction meant general rubbish bin collections were in most cases pulled back to fortnightly.

Feedback from that community in one council area has so far seemed vastly different to responses from residents in other areas, with outrage and frustration replaced with thanks and praise. "Community response to the new service has been overwhelmingly positive," a Fairfield Council spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia of its western Sydney initiative.

The difference? Fairfield has decided to leave general rubbish bins the same size and with the same weekly pick-up schedule, even after starting their FOGO collections.

Mayor of Fairfield Frank Carbone (pictured) announced the move to the green bins this year. Source: Facebook

The seemingly small detail caused immense controversy in the Inner West Council previously, which rolled out FOGO bins in late 2023 and received an onslaught of backlash from residents reporting overflowing bins and "rotting food" left due to reduced general rubbish removal.

So much was the backlash that the Inner West Council voted to reinstate a "free, opt-in" weekly collection of general rubbish months after the original implementation.

Reason for keeping weekly general rubbish removals

Fairfield Council explained their local government area (LGA) has "the largest families per household compared with the rest of NSW". "That is why we decided to leave general waste bins the same size and picked up weekly," the spokesperson said.

With the size of families in mind, the LGA says they provide "the largest and most frequent general waste bin service" with "some of the lowest waste charges". The council hopes residents embrace the new FOGO service so it can contribute to lowering rubbish collection costs even further.

"Green waste and food waste costs much less to recycle than going to landfill, and this will keep our waste charges low."

When asked if they will eventually move to fortnightly general rubbish collections like other councils, the spokesperson said, "Any wider change would be guided by the future needs of Fairfield City households."

Residents celebrate 'no change to red bin'

The western Sydney residents living within Fairfield City Council have shared their praise for the FOGO rollout in local groups after green bins began to appear in the area over the last two months.

"Can't wait for the green bin to arrive. Thank you Fairfield Mayor for taking note of what the residents asked for  no change in the red bin," one responded excitedly after the Council shared information about the change online.

"So happy the red bins still stay the same but we get a green waste bin, we are very lucky to live in a community," another exclaimed.

While those from councils nearby claimed to be envious of the Fairfield rollout, tagging their councils so they could "take note". "Liverpool City Council take note! The red bins remained the same size! Not like ours," one said.

Just one of the Australian councils introducing FOGO

FOGO bins are being rolled out council by council as they look to meet the federal government's target of halving the amount of organic waste sent to landfills by 2030.

Most who have added the new bin for food organics, like in Bassendean in Western Australia and the Yarra Ranges in Victoria have also reduced general rubbish removals, causing "teething issues" in the introduction.

The 2019 National Waste Action Plan, where FOGO is derived from, drives the implementation of seven targets, including the below:

Reduce total waste generated by 10% per person by 2030

Recover 80% of all waste by 2030

Phase out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2025

Halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030

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Dr John Mushayavanhus policy-engaging maiden RBZs bold, robust and positive Monetary Policy Statement [MPS] delivered today has justified its delay.

The MPS is based on the correct policy assumptions and the correct factual background analysis; and the ZiG, as a structured gold backed currency, is indeed the correct financial remedy with the best chance of getting Zimbabwe out of the quagmire of the currency-trap that it put itself in 2009 when it ill-advisedly dollarized its economy under the guise of adopting a multi-currency system.

But, and this is a very big but, the ZiG remedy will work and break the country's 15-year old currency jinx only and only if  come rain or shine  the monetary authorities and the government ensure by all means available and necessary that they scrupulously keep at least the following two fundamental policy decisions in the MPS delivered today:

1. The auction system has been replaced by a refined interbank foreign exchange market under a willing-buyer-willing-seller (WBWS) trading arrangement. Following this development, a transparent price discovery mechanism is now in place in the interbank market. The Bank will continue to provide trading liquidity to the market using the 25% surrender proceeds from exports; [paragraph 147, page 63 of the MPS].

2. ZiG shall at all times be anchored and fully backed by a composite basket of reserves comprising foreign currency and precious metals (mainly gold), received by the Reserve Bank as part of in-kind royalties and kept in the vaults of the Bank. Foreign currency balances will be accumulated through market purchases from the 25% surrender requirements as well as sale of some precious metals received as royalties; [paragraph 161, page 66 of the MPS].

While it is never easy for government in general and anywhere, and it will therefore not be easy for the Government of Zimbabwe in this case; not least because of the seductive temptation of quantitative easing; the authorities must nevertheless religiously and ruthlessly ensure that they observe, defend and keep the above two policy decisions at all times.

Doing so will most certainly win the government and the state the much needed public confidence in the economy and society; which public confidence has been eroded by the trust deficit that clearly exists between government and the public.

The simple yet hitherto imponderable fact is that Zimbabwe must come to terms with the fact that dollarization in 2009 cursed the Zimbabwean economy.

When the Zambian kwacha and the Mozambican metical were respectively battered, back in the day, in more brutal ways than the Zimbabwean dollar was in 2008; the authorities in Zambia and Mozambique stayed the course and kept the faith in their national currencies.

In Zimbabwe, there was panic in 2009, and the cardinal sin of dollarizing the economy was then committed, cluelessly. The rest is history, but a very painful history.

The measures announced in todays MPS have the possibility and capacity to get Zimbabwe out of the currency curse of dollarization. The measures mark a major first, it is critical to take the rest of the steps; going forward.

All what is needed is to keep the will behind the policy thrust of the MPS delivered today, and for that will to pave the way for the successful implementation of the MPS! He was writing on X
GOVERNMENT has set aside US$575m to bolster the structured currency set to be unveiled today as it moves to ensure the unit survives after its predecessors failed to perform the fundamental functions of money.

The proposed structured currency comes on the back of a sharp depreciation of the local currency against the United States dollar.

The Zimdollar has been elbowed out as a medium of exchange with eight out of 10 transactions being conducted in the greenback, according to data from national statistics agency, ZimStat. Revealing the support yesterday, government said it had gold worth US$175 million as well as foreign currency reserves of US$100 million and US$300 million held by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Treasury, respectively.

RBZ governor John Mushayavanhu yesterday said he had verified the the assets that the central bank owns, in particular, the cash holding of the gold and other reserves that are in the vaults when he assumed office.

Upon taking over, I showed the HE (His Excellency, Mnangagwa) the gold that is in the vaults at the central bank that we have 1,1 tonnes of gold, which you saw, he said.

We also have other precious minerals in the vaults, diamonds and so forth, which if converted to gold, are equal to about 0,4 tonnes of gold. That makes the total of part of our gold in the vaults converted to gold 1,5 tonnes.

Mushayavanhu said the central bank had one tonne of gold which is held offshore.

So, in total, when you talk of gold in reserves, other precious metals, youre talking of 2,5 tonnes, and converted to US dollars, and todays price, will be about US$175 million.

Over and above that, I have also confirmed the cash balances held by the central bank, about US$100 million. So those are the assets I have taken over at the central bank, Mushayavanhu said.

Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion permanent secretary George Guvamatanga added that the government had another US$300 million held in different private banks.

His Excellency also instructed that we could not have a government without reserves. So, over and above the instructions that came to the central bank, they also came to the Treasury, he said.

And, if you allow me, Your Excellency, just for today, to mention that the government of Zimbabwe, not in the central bank, but in several private banks is sitting on reserves of US$300 million.

He said this could be easily verifiable.

Guvamatanga said the reserves were more than enough to back the proposed structured currency.

There are government reserves and central bank reserves and if we put that together, we have more than adequate capital cover which is between the Reserve Bank and the government of Zimbabwe, he said.

So, the total is more than enough for those who are asking to say, do we have adequate reserves?

The reserves are about four times less than what the central bank estimates is circulating in the informal sector at a time when government requires billions of dollars in capex.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the introduction of the new currency during his first Cabinet address at State House in February this year.

The structured currency will curb the rapid depreciation of the Zimdollar which had depreciated by about 79%, year to date, to US$1:ZWL10 927,52.

The local currency had depreciated by more than 700% last year to close the period at US$1:ZWL$6 104,72.

Since then, the local currency has depreciated by nearly 142% to US$1:ZWL$26 412,72.

UK-based economist Chenayimoyo Mutambasere yesterday said the reserves were inadequate, adding that the move was ill-timed.

The last budget statement was set at US$10 billion and this budget already understated social welfare which is now exacerbated by the drought and cholera situation, she said.

This latest structured currency gimmick will only serve to profit the political elite as we have observed in the last years. It is an irresponsible, ill-timed strategy.

Economist and a member of the central banks Monetary Policy Committee Persistence Gwanyanya advised the public to wait for the Monetary Policy Statement being released today for details on the rollout of the structured currency.

Let us not give the wrong impression to the market by commenting irresponsibly on this sensitive matter. Let us give time to let the monetary policy be announced so that we know what actually the structured currency is all about, he said.

I want to advise my colleagues not to comment recklessly and ill-advise the innocent society so that they take the wrong stance. For now, I will reserve my comment until the monetary policy is announced. We need to be careful because we might depress the market.

Typically, a structured currency is a set of guidelines that govern a currencys exchangeability with other currencies as well as provide a backing system to preserve its value.

This will be the fourth time the government has tried to introduce a stable legal tender in the country after bearer cheques, bond notes and the Zimdollar.

Meanwhile, legislators this week called on Ncube to explain to Parliament the run-away foreign currency exchange rate.

The lawmakers made the call during the Question and Answer Session on Wednesday arguing that Zimbabweans were suffering due to the galloping exchange rate.

Proportional Representation legislator Tabeth Murwira said: People are being troubled because of the exchange rates which are going up on a daily basis. As I speak, the exchange rate is 1:45 000. What is governments policy on that?

Chikanga legislator Lynette Karenyi-Kore said lawmakers had been waiting for Ncube for a long time, adding that his address was long overdue.

Things are not well out there, the minister should come as soon as possible so that we know what he has under his sleeve, she said.

In his contribution, Marondera Central legislator Caston Matewe said RBZs foreign currency auction system was not functional.

We want to know where these rates are coming from because it is not working and has not been happening. The minister has to be honest and answer questions as they come and not joke around when people are suffering in this country.

Acting leader of government business in Parliament Amon Murwira said government was working hard to stabilise the economy.

Our policy is to see and try by all means that our currency is strong. There are a lot of steps which are being taken but these steps will be articulated by the Minister of Finance in the shortest period of time, he said.

However, National Assembly deputy speaker Tsitsi Gezi said Ncube would address the House soon.

The Minister of Finance will bring a ministerial statement, so we should leave it at that, she said. Newsday
For Gweru, a town whose traffic is perpetually slowed by numerous roundabouts and where life is generally on a crawl, the spectre of police officers brandishing assault rifles, mounting horses and vicious dogs swarming a central business district (CBD) station is a rarity.

On a normal day, the police station, tucked in the CBD, passes for an ordinary one- storey building frequented by men and women clad in uniform.

But on Thursday, as the rumour of the arrest, after three years on the run, of Peter Dube, after killing two people and injuring another two, the heavy police presence sent chills down the spines of many who wanted to have a glimpse of him.

Known by many Gweru residents as a maverick car dealer and businessman, Dube was escorted to court in leg irons and handcuffs, showing all and sundry his eventual taming or annihilation by the law.

The atmosphere was even tense at the court as Dube was escorted under heavy police guard.

Ordinary residents, relatives of the deceased who were allegedly shot and killed by Dube, his own relatives, journalists, all jostled for a glimpse of the most wanted suspected killer.

And at exactly 2pm, Peter was in the dock waiting for a prosecutor to lay charges on him.

Gweru provincial magistrate, Ms Beauty Dube took no time to hear Peters case before a packed gallery where she charged him with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to April 17.

The accused was advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

More details about Dubes escape emerged yesterday.

He is said to be of Mozambican extraction, but his parents moved to Zimbabwe, leaving behind the bigger family there.

After committing the crime in April 2021, Peter reportedly drove to Beitbridge where he left the vehicle and crossed on foot.

He spent three days in South Africa before proceeding to Eswatini and later Mozambique where he is originally from.

So, after the shooting, it is believed that he escaped to Mozambique via Mvuma, Chinhu, Murambinda, Nyazura and Rusape.

In Mozambique, the original family took care of him and arranged documents for him under the name Armando Quenete Muchanga.

Using the new name, he allegedly went into South Africa where he met some close family members and even gave them cash for his first wife and childrens upkeep.

When Peter committed the crime in April 2021, he went to Mutare and crossed into Mozambique on foot where he stayed with his relatives. He is originally from that country, but is now Zimbabwean, said a source.

It emerged that thereafter, he became uncomfortable with the number of Zimbabweans in South Africa, some of whom he felt would easily identify him and moved to the mountain Kingdom of Eswatini.

From there he moved to Ireland, where he breached the law before being deported to Mozambique. It is understood that in Ireland where he used three identities, including the Zimbabwean one, when it fitted him.

Mrs Agnes Chiduku, whose son was allegedly shot and killed by Dube, could be seen sobbing outside the court as for the first time in her life, she met the suspect responsible for her only son, Shelton Chidukus death.

I am still heartbroken. When I saw this man (Peter),it felt like the tragic incident occurred yesterday when it actually happened some years back.

I thank God the long arm of the law has finally caught up with this man. I am still in pain, she sobbed.

On the other hand, Advance, younger brother to Dube, could be seen discussing with some relatives.

Advance, who spoke on behalf of the family when the tragic incident occurred in 2021, yesterday declined to comment.

The State case is that on April 22, 2021 at around 11am, Chiduku, Mudungwe, Nyasha and Nyaradzo allegedly went to Masvingo to collect the latters passport.

Peter Dube, the court heard, who had married Nyasha as a second wife got wind that the four had gone to Masvingo without his knowledge and this did not go down well with him since he was suspecting infidelity between his wife and Chiduku.

At around 8pm, the same day, Dube allegedly armed himself with a Zastara pistol and proceeded to number 11, Bensam Flats, Main Street, Gweru where Nyasha resided.

Since Dube suspected Nyasha of having an affair with Chiduku, an altercation ensued which prompted him to go downstairs and shoot Chiduku who was seated on the drivers seat of a Toyota Hiace once on the front left shoulder. He died instantly.

The court heard that Mudungwe who was downstairs with Chiduku tried to run up the stairs before Dube shot her once on the left cheek near the nose. She collapsed and died instantly.

Dube went upstairs to number 11 Bensam Flats where Nyasha and Nyaradzo were.

The court heard that Dube allegedly shot Nyasha once on the right cheek and the bullet pierced the left side of her neck, removed her right molar tooth and landed on the upper side of her shoulder.

After shooting Nyasha, Peter allegedly turned on Nyaradzo before shooting her once above the left ear and the bullet protruded through and ruptured her right eye.

Nyasha and Nyaradzo are lucky to be alive as they were ferried to Gweru Provincial Hospital where surgeons successfully operated on them.

After the incident, Dube allegedly fled to Mozambique, South Africa, before relocating to Eswatini, where he changed his identity.

Dube then travelled to Ireland, where he was arrested in Dublin last year for violating the countrys immigration laws.

Peter was allegedly using a fake identity and when he was arrested in Dublin, he refused to be deported to Zimbabwe, claiming that he was a Mozambican citizen named Armando Quenete Muchanga.

He was then deported to Mozambique and authorities there established that he was, indeed, a Zimbabwean.

They deported him to the country. Herald
A dog missing in California since the summer turned up more than 2,300 miles away in suburban Detroit. Police in Harper Woods, Michigan, responded to a call about a stray dog last week, picked up the terrier mix, and contacted an animal welfare group. The Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society said it quickly discovered that the dog, Mishka, had an identity chip implanted in her with information about her owner, per the AP. Mehrad Houman and his family live in San Diego but were planning to travel to Minnesota when the call came in. He landed there, then drove 10 hours to Michigan for a reunion with Mishka, the adoption group said on a Facebook post with pictures and video.
A pair of glasses has been found in the search for a glasses-wearing Tennessee teenager with autism, last seen 40 days ago. Sebastian Rogers, 15, was last seen Feb. 25 at his home in Hendersonville, a city 10 miles northeast of Nashville. His mother said she went to wake him for school the following morning and found him gone, per USA Today. The latest:



Glasses: Chief Deputy Eric Craddock with the Sumner County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that a pair of glasses had been "found in the last few days," per the Independent. Sebastian wears glasses, though police couldn't definitively say whether these belonged to him.

Chief Deputy Eric Craddock with the Sumner County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that a pair of glasses had been "found in the last few days," per the Independent. Sebastian wears glasses, though police couldn't definitively say whether these belonged to him. The search: Authorities actively searched for Sebastian for more than a week, sometimes blasting his favorite song, "Eye of the Tiger." An estimated 10,000 miles had been searched as of March 26. A landfill in Kentucky, where trash from Hendersonville is taken, was searched as a precautionary measure.
Unfairly or not, Victoria Beckham (aka "Posh Spice") is often pegged as the aloof, unapproachable member of the Spice Girlsbut she's not the one who's been booted from the UK girl band's group chat. The Cut notes that Melanie Brown, whose stage name is Mel B, first suggested her persona non grata status in the message chain in 2019, during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in which she talked about a possible reunion. "We are wanting to do something and we are, but I can't really tell you, because I'll get kicked out of the WhatsApp group again," she said at the time. "So I have to be really careful."

She added, "I'm a very honest person, so I can't lie." Fast forward to this week, when the topic was broached again, this time on the British program This Morning. The New York Post notes that ITV host Alison Hammond brought it up, asking Brown on Thursday, "I heard you got kicked out of the WhatsApp group?" Brown acknowledged as much, saying, "That always happens to me, because I say things. You know, I get so excited when it comes to [the] Spice Girls." It sounds, however, like Brown isn't actually on the outs with her bandmates, as she went on to gush about the group's 30th anniversary and look back on their career together.

"We've got a lot to celebrate," said Brown, 48. "The fact that we're all still healthy and living life and all talking still. It's nice, so I can't say anything else to get myself kicked out!" The Spice Girls split in 2000, though they briefly reunited in 2012 to perform at the Summer Olympics in London. Beckham, meanwhile, has put the kibosh on reunion rumors. "We do have a group chat. I do speak to all the girls," the 49-year-old told Radio France in a recent interview. "It would be lovely for us to do something to celebratea dinner or a lunchand reminisce, but, yes, it will not be any more than that." More from Mel B's interview here. (More Spice Girls stories.)
British lawmakers who may have been targeted in a sexting scam were urged Friday to go to police, after a senior Conservative admitted disclosing the personal phone numbers of some colleagues to an unknown individual who held "compromising" material on him. William Wragg, who chairs the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee in Parliament, told the London Times that he'd handed over the phone numbers to a man he met on Grindr, after he'd sent intimate pictures of himself, per the AP .

Wragg, 36, told the Times that he was "scared" and "manipulated" into giving his colleagues' numbers to the unknown individual. "I gave them some numbers, not all of them," he said. "I got chatting [with] a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures." Wragg added: "We were meant to meet up for drinks but then didn't. Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn't work now. I've hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I'm mortified." Treasury Minister Gareth Davies urged those affected to go to the police.

"Will Wragg has rightly apologized for the action that he took, but I think it's clear to anybody hearing about the situation that he was in, people react in different ways," he told Sky News. The "honey trap" sexting scam has been described as "spear phishing," a type of cyberattack that targets specific groups. It involves scammers pretending to be trusted senders in order to steal personal or sensitive information. Wragg's revelation came after days of speculation, stoked by an article in Politico, that a number of current and ex-parliamentarians had been contacted by an unknown number on WhatsApp, detailing prior meetings with politicians, in efforts to acquire personal or sensitive information.

story continues below

The report said some of those targeted were sent naked images, with at least two reported to have responded by sending images of themselves. "If you ever feel like you're in a compromised position, if you ever feel like you're being blackmailed, then you should go to the police immediately," Davies noted. Leicestershire Police have confirmed they're investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a local lawmaker last month. (More sexting stories.)
A selfless volunteer who helped coordinate a massive search effort to locate lost dog Milo has described the heartwarming moment the little animal was finally found, 17 days after he went missing from pet couriers at Melbourne Airport.

The five-year-old terrier was headed to the United Kingdom on March 18 with his owner Jason Whatnall, but managed to evade the care of handlers at AeroPets Animal Transport at Tullamarine Airport while he was being moved from his cage.

AeroPets said it advised the owners of what happened immediately, who then came in and helped with the search for a few hours. "The owners of Milo then took a flight out of Australia," the company told media.

Jason Whatnall (left) with his partner Nick and Milo. Source: Facebook

Heartbroken dog owner seeks help on social media

In the days that followed staff were deployed to the area and had "handed out hundreds of flyers to neighbourhoods and businesses" to assist, and even "put food and cameras out at night".

A distressed Whatnall contacted Melbourne woman Bianca Jade  who has been an administrator of the community group Lost Pets North and Inner Suburbs for the past decade  who helped facilitate an almost three week-long search effort in the Tullamarine area.

Professional animal rescuer Nigel Williamson was also called in, setting up a cage and playing a recording of Whatnalls voice over a speaker in the hope of luring Milo in.

After weeks of sightings but no solid evidence, the team were becoming desperate, knowing that little Milo would likely be starving and dehydrated.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Bianca said it wasn't until day 16 when they finally made progress, spotting Milo's footprints in a paddock. "We started getting some people ringing up saying that they'd seen him [in a field]...so we went out and looked," she said.

"I'd just been there the other day, to check the cameras we had set up and that's when we had our first sighting of him on the camera.

Traps were laid to find Milo, who was missing for 17 days. Source: Facebook/ 7News

"A person from AeroPets had put some food out near, and Milo had come out just after he left, and ate the food. It probably was only a 10 second snippet [on camera] and then he was gone again. That was like our first proper sighting."

Milo found in field of shipping containers

Bianca said Milo had "figured out the whole field" in which he was eventually located on Thursday night, finding his own little hiding spots in shipping containers.

"We hadn't canvassed that area with flyers or anything, because we didn't think he was there. We didn't know. So we set that the dog trap up that evening," she recalled. "Prior to that, both myself and the guy from AeroPets were just walking around this field and we thought, 'oh, we'll put a food station down here because there's heaps of footprints'.

"And we came back around and we saw some ravens, and I was like, 'what's that?' and he's like, 'what?' and I said 'what's that under the ravens, what is that? Is that a fox?' And he's said 'it's Milo'.

Milo went missing under the care of pet courier company AeroPets. Source: Facebook

Having walked himself into the dog trap, Milo had lost about a kilo of weight when he was located, was dehydrated and presented with a temperature, though overall his condition wasn't too bad, Bianca said, adding that she spoke with Whatnall on the phone earlier today, who she said was ecstatic.

Dog owner thanks those involved in massive search effort

Posting on social media, Whatnall thanked all involved for their incredible efforts.

"Bianca Jade has seriously been amazing," he said. "So many hours on the scene, checking food stations, camera footage and more. Can't thank you enough for taking the time to help find Milo."

Little Milo was rushed to a vet after being located. He'll be given a few days to recover before he's flown over to the UK next week.

"Jason was contacted by the CEO of another pet company called Petraveller, which was just around the corner from AeroPets," Bianca said. "They said they would fly Milo over there for free, so Milo went to the vet and the guy from AeroPets went and stayed there with him, it was pretty late at night by the time he got there.

Milo will be flown over to the UK to meet his owners next week. Source: Facebook

Milo to be flown to UK next week

"Today he's being moved under the care of Petraveller and he's with one of the handlers there and they're looking after him. So they're gonna let him decompress for a couple of days. Get some food into him, getting him drinking, let him settle down.

"And I think they're planning on flying him out possibly Monday, so he should be in the UK by Wednesday."

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If the New York City Police Department forced you to remove a religious head covering between 2014 and 2021, you could be in for a payout. The city has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their hijabs for mug shots, making them feel "exposed and violated,' the New York Times reports. Lawyers estimate that more than 3,600 people who had to remove head coverings for mug shots will be eligible to file claims for payments of between $7,824 and $13,125. City law department spokesperson Nick Paolucci said that the settlement, which needs to be approved by a judge, was "in the best interest of all parties" and that the lawsuit had led to "a positive reform for the NYPD."



The plaintiffs. In separate incidents in 2017, Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz were forced to remove head coverings after they were arrested by the NYPD for alleged violations of protection orders, the Times reports. The lawsuit states that Clark "wept and begged to put her hijab back on" at police headquarters. It states that Aziz sobbed as she was forced to remove her head covering in front of dozens of male police officers and inmates. Both women said they were arrested because of bogus protective orders filed by abusive family members.
The diggers' hoes scrape the brown soil, looking forand often findinghuman bone fragments. The women then wipe the bone pieces with their hands as others watch in solemn silence. The digging goes on, a scene that's become familiar in a verdant area of southern Rwanda, where the discovery in October of human remains at the site of a house under construction triggered another search for new mass graves believed to hold victims of the 1994 genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi, the AP reports. Since then, Rwandan authorities say the remains of at least 1,000 people have been found in the farming community in the district of Huye.

As Rwanda prepares to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide next week, continuing discoveries of mass graves are a reminder not only of the country's determination to reconcile with its grim past but also of the challenges in achieving lasting peace. The head of a prominent genocide survivors' group and several other Rwandans said the discoveries underscore that more needs to be done for true reconciliation. Rwanda has made it a criminal offense to withhold information about a previously unknown mass grave. For years, perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, including those who served prison terms and were later released, have been urged to speak up and say what they know, per the AP.

Yet the mass graves are still mostly found by accident, leading to new arrests and traumatizing survivors all over again. The October discovery led to the arrest of Jean Baptiste Hishamunda, 87, and four of his relatives. After the remains of six people were discovered under his home, diggers started going through his entire property, finding dozens and then hundreds more remains as their search extended to other sites in Huye. An estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed in massacres that lasted over 100 days in 1994. The genocide was ignited when a plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, a member of the majority Hutu, was shot down in the capital Kigali. The Tutsi were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president. Enraged gangs of Hutu extremists began killing Tutsi, backed by the army and police.

(More Rwanda stories.)
After he said in an interview last week that the bombing campaign in Gaza is a "very big mistake," Donald Trump's allies provided assurances that he'd revert to his old Israel-supporting ways if elected president again. But Trump's change did not appear to be a one-time thing Thursday when he twice avoided a direct answer on whether he's "100 percent with Israel" on its war against Hamas. Taken together, the comments are a clear split from Republicans' stance on Israel's right to defend itself, the Hill reports, as well as a reminder of Trump's stated ambiguity on certain national security issues.

Trump, who's largely avoided discussing the issue, told radio host Hugh Hewitt that Israel is "losing the PR war" by posting images of destruction on social media, per Politico. The presidential candidate said similar things to Israeli reporters last week, including that "Israel has to get better with the promotional and with the public relations because right now they're in ruin." The CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition is among those who said Trump's statements won't hurt him with Jewish voters. "Trump is giving the Israelis a blank check to finish the job and eliminate Hamas but be cognizant of the fact that time is not their ally and each day that passes public opinion is getting worse," Matt Brooks said.

One of Trump's former White House national security advisers told the Hill not to expect Trump to commit to any specific foreign policysaying his actions toward Israel will depend on what would help him. "At bottom, Trump doesn't have a national security policy," John Bolton said. "He sees things primarily through the prism of, 'Does this benefit Donald Trump?'" Bolton added. (More Donald Trump stories.)
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Locals are angry that wildlife habitat is rapidly being destroyed to make way for new houses.

As you drive into one of Australias most popular seaside towns, tourists are greeted with a sign warning koalas are crossing. But locals are concerned about the future of wildlife habitat in the area after significant numbers of trees were felled nearby.

An image shared with Yahoo News shows an area directly behind the sign where development has begun. The destruction began in March, impacting a long section of bushland at Blueys Beach on the Mid North Coast in NSW thats slated to become a new housing development.

Koalas are listed as endangered and face extinction in NSW by 2050, with habitat loss a major contributor to their ongoing demise.

Trees have been chopped down on Boomerang Drive, Blueys Beach. Source: Supplied

Related: Koala habitat bulldozed by developer for new car park

Yahoo News has been unable to reach the developer, and the Mid North Council isnt in a position to comment because its currently investigating the impact of the tree removal. But locals aren't staying as tight-lipped and some are keen to speak out.

Having that koala sign there right in front of where theyve decimated that dense bushland is insane, one man told Yahoo News. A picture paints a thousand words, a homeowner from a nearby town added.

Tradesmen among locals upset by development

Kian, a local businessman, told Yahoo the removal of the trees has been the talk of the town.

Anyone you speak to in this area, even our tradesmen are just in shock. My daughter said her school teacher came into class in tears because the area was full of birdlife and possums. It was a nice, pristine coastal area, he said. Weve got national parks and lakes everywhere, but when you turn into Blueys now its that development that you see.

A survey conducted 20 years ago identified potential koala habitat at the site, and the landowner later agreed to protect sections of the property. While tree removal undertaken in March was approved, the developer was also required to comply with stormwater management and erosion and sediment control.

"Council compliance staff have attended the site and spoken with the developer and contractors about how the work has been undertaken and the immediate risks the site poses to the environment," MidNorth Coast Council said in March.

Yahoo does not allege the developer has breached any conditions placed upon its project, or that koalas were living in the habitat which was felled.

NSW coast rapidly transformed from forest to housing sites

Like many NSW residents, Kian is concerned about the transformation of bushland into housing developments. Much of the forest along the coast between Sydney and the Victorian border has already been destroyed by the state governments forestry corporation, bushfires and developers, and Kian is worried pristine areas further north are now being wiped out.

I moved here 18 years ago to get away from big crowds, and enjoy the nature and the beaches. But you can just see this is happening across all the beautiful little coastal spots across NSW, he said. Since Covid all these developments seem to have accelerated. Things are rapidly changing for the worse, but I dont know how you stop it.

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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs, lauded His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas paternal care and keenness to ensure a dignified life for orphans in Bahrain, underscoring his unwavering support.

HH Shaikh Nasser expressed profound gratitude to HM King Hamad on the occasion of Arab Orphan Day. Highlighting the pivotal role of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF), HH Shaikh Nasser praised the governments dedication under the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in facilitating the Foundations efforts.

The Foundation endeavors to provide comprehensive care to Bahraini orphans, ensuring their well-being and integration into society. In a similar vein, the Secretary-General of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation, Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, extended heartfelt appreciation to His Majesty for his continuous support in creating an enabling environment for Bahraini orphans.

He emphasized HM the Kings compassionate approach, ensuring that no orphan feels neglected or deprived in the kingdom. Instrumental role Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa underscored the instrumental role of HH Shaikh Nasser in spearheading charitable initiatives aligned with His Majestys vision. He praised HH Shaikh Nassers commitment to providing holistic support to orphaned individuals, fostering their happiness and well-being.

Since its inception, the RHF has been steadfast in delivering essential services, including education, healthcare, and vocational training, to Bahraini orphans. The Foundations collaborative efforts with various entities aim to enhance its impact and expand its reach to those in need, both domestically and internationally.

The Foundation remains dedicated to financial sustainability, ensuring its continued humanitarian efforts to aid vulnerable individuals within Bahrain and extend relief to affected communities worldwide.
AFP | Belgrade

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A two-year-old girl who disappeared in eastern Serbia last week was killed after being struck by a car and two suspects have been arrested, authorities said Thursday, following a frantic search for the missing toddler.

Danka Ilic went missing on March 26 in the eastern city of Bor, prompting Serbian authorities to use for the first time its version of an Amber alert system for child abduction emergencies.

The system sends nationwide text messages about the incident to raise the alarm.

"The police have arrested two individuals who have killed the little girl. As far as I understand, both of them have confessed to the crime," President Aleksandar Vucic told government officials in a surprise announcement during a special session.

"What kind of monsters are we dealing with?" he added.

Serbia's interior ministry later confirmed the president's account.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, representatives from the ministry said Ilic died after being hit by a car just minutes after walking away from the outside of the family's home, while her mother was inside.

The driver of the car and the passenger later disposed of Ilic's body in a local landfill.

"Both suspects admitted to the crime and provided a detailed description of how they committed it," Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic told reporters.

"The police continue intensive work on this case and are searching the area to find the body," Gasic added, saying it was possible that one of the suspects might have moved the child's body days after the crash to another location.

Hopes rose over the weekend after a video surfaced of a young child at a metro station in Vienna that sparked speculation Ilic might be in Austria, where a large Serbian diaspora community lives.

On Sunday, Interpol also flagged the case, issuing a Yellow Notice that alerts officials about a missing person.

The child's mother, Ivana Ilic, had told Serbian media this week that the family continued to "hold on" amid the search.

"We are waiting for all this to end, hoping for the best," she told the local Serbian news outlet Nova.

Abductions of children remain relatively rare in Serbia, despite social media users pumping out conspiracy theories about the selling and trafficking of adolescents in the Balkan nation.
A lawsuit filed by the city of Auburn and town of Owasco against New York state agencies will be heard in Albany, not Cayuga County.

Timothy Mulvey, an assistant attorney general who is representing the state, requested a change of venue after the lawsuit, which challenges the state's handling of Owasco Lake watershed rules and regulations, was filed in Cayuga County Supreme Court.

In a court filing prior to the appearance Thursday, Mulvey argued for the change because the state Department of Agriculture and Markets is one of the defendants. He cited a state law that requires proceedings against certain agencies, including Agriculture and Markets, to be heard in Albany County Supreme Court.

Earthjustice, which is representing the city, town and Owasco Watershed Lake Association in the lawsuit, argued against the state's motion and attempted to drop Agriculture and Markets from the case.

But during the first court appearance Thursday, Acting Cayuga County Supreme Court Judge Jon Budelmann granted the change of venue. The decision moves the case to Albany County Supreme Court.

Nate Garland, the city of Auburn's corporation counsel, explained at the city council meeting Thursday that the lawsuit "was not impaired" by the change of venue. He thinks there remains a strong case against the state.

"We may be taking some trips to Albany to hear this matter in front of a justice of the Supreme Court for the county of Albany," he said.

The city of Auburn, town of Owasco and Owasco Watershed Lake Association filed the lawsuit in January amid attempts to update the watershed rules and regulations. There was a local effort to strengthen the rules after toxins from harmful algal blooms entered the drinking water supply in 2016.

Auburn and Owasco officials jointly approved the proposed changes and submitted them to the state Department of Health for review. When the agency responded nearly three years later, much of what the local entities proposed was omitted from the revisions.

The lawsuit accuses the state Department of Health of not following the Public Health Law, which outlines how watershed rules and regulations should be updated, and violating the state constitutional right to clean water and a healthful environment that was approved by voters in 2021.
VANCOUVER, BC, April 5, 2024 /CNW/ - British Columbia's Dr. Martin (Marty) Spencer is being presented with the prestigious ASCRS Foundation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian award that honours individuals around the world who demonstrate exemplary dedication to humanitarian efforts with a focus on addressing cataract blindness and disability. The award includes a $100,000 USD cash prize that Dr. Spencer has earmarked for Vancouver-based eye care charity Seva Canada whose board he co-chairs and their US sister organization Seva Foundation.

Nepali mother seeing her 2-year-old son for the first time after bilateral cataract surgery by Dr. Martin Spencer for Seva Canada. The mother told Dr. Martin Spencer that he had given her divine eyes. (CNW Group/Seva Canada Society)

43 million people worldwide are living with blindness, 80% of which can be treated or prevented. Dr. Marty Spencer, based on Vancouver Island, has devoted much of his life to ensuring there are trained eye care professionals in low-income countries that can provide their own communities with high-quality eye care today and in the future.

Few people are more revered by eye care providers, particularly ophthalmologists in Asia and Africa, than Marty. His work epitomises international development with dignity, where Dr. Spencer's success is measured by their success and the growth of their dignity as professionals, long after he has gone home. "I measure my success, not by the number of surgeries that I do, but the number of surgeries being done after I leave."  Dr. Marty Spencer

"I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the ASCRS Foundation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award. This recognition not only symbolizes the collective efforts of those committed to eradicating cataract blindness and disability, but underscores the importance of sustained, impactful humanitarian service. I share this honour with the dedicated teams at Seva Canada and Seva Foundation, whose collaborative spirit propels our shared mission forward. Together, we will continue to make strides in restoring sight and improving countless lives around the world."

For almost 40 years, Marty has travelled to India, Nepal, the Tibetan Areas of China, Madagascar, Malawi, Cambodia, and Guatemala to train local ophthalmologists on surgical techniques, often at his own expense. He's also designed several instruments for cataract surgery making it more efficient and streamlined for low-income settings, as well as two intraocular lenses (artificial lens implant used in cataract surgery). Marty has also published and lectured extensively on topics related to cataract surgery, particularly in low-income countries. He also developed an innovative surgical technique (manual sutureless cataract surgery) which became a global standard technique for decades.

"In the early 1980s, when the eye care community in most high-income countries argued that the new transformative, intraocular lens techniques were too expensive for most people in India, Marty ignored their advice, got on a plane, loaded it with equipment and became legendary as one of the first Western ophthalmologists to go to India to train in-country ophthalmic professionals in the use of current techniques," said Dr. Ken Bassett, Seva Canada's program director

In the 1990s Marty was a key player in the creation of Aravind Eye Care System's Aurolab, which is an Indian manufacturing facility that reduced the cost of intraocular lenses from over $300 to less than $3.

"My favorite story is from a long time ago from an eye camp that we trekked into in the foothills of Everest. There was a woman there that lived a 10 days walk away from the eye camp and she was blind in both eyes from cataracts. She had delivered her baby two years before but had never seen her son. Her husband led her on the 10-day walk to the eye camp where I operated on both her eyes. After her bandages were removed and she saw her son for the first time she said 'you have given me divine eyes.' I still get choked up thinking about it. I actually got a picture of her with her hand on her child's head. And there've been many stories like that  seeing the patients' faces afterwards is unbelievable," said Dr. Marty Spencer.

His work has earned him recognition at home too. In 2016 Dr. Spencer was awarded the Governor General's Sovereign Medal for Volunteers for his unwavering commitment to ensuring everyone  regardless of their income, location, gender or religion has access to high-quality eye care.

Marty's work has been transformative to eye care programs worldwide and through them, transformative to so many people who are now able to see. He is the embodiment of 'Seva' or selfless service and an inspiration to us all.

Dr. Spencer will formally receive his award during the 2024 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, April 5 - 8, 2024, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/DrMartySpencerAward

About Seva Canada:

Seva Canada is a Vancouver-based charitable organization whose mission is to restore sight and prevent blindness in low- and middle-income countries. Since 1982, Seva has given the power of sight to more than 5 million people through life-changing surgeries and has provided eye care services including glasses and medicine to millions more.

We work with local partners to create sustainable eye care programs that achieve long-term change, are culturally sensitive and reach those most in need - women, children and people living in extreme poverty and isolation.

We work in Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Madagascar, Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda.

Charity Intelligence named Seva Canada one of the Top 100 Charities for the 6th year in a row in 2023.

SOURCE Seva Canada Society

Deanne Berman, Seva Canada, [email protected], 1-877-460-6622, Seva.ca
A man was convicted Friday of fatally stabbing a New York resident behind the Bergen Town Center in 2021, authorities said.

Augusto Perez, of North Bergen, was found guilty by a jury of aggravated manslaughter and hindering apprehension by suppression of blood evidence connecting him to the crime, according to a statement from the Bergen County Prosecutors Office.

At around 6:05 p.m. on on Feb. 16, 2021, police received a 911 call of a stabbing in the lot of the Bergen Town Center, a large mall with indoor and outdoor access stores and restaurants, authorities previously said. The shopping center currently houses about 85 stores, its website says.

When officers arrived, they found a trail of blood on the exterior of the mall leading to a pool of blood around Omar Cruz, 64, of Albany, New York, according to a criminal complaint.

Cruz was found in the sprawling parking lot behind the Ulta Beauty store in the shopping center with multiple stab wounds, slumped over near a pile of snow, the complaint stated. Police asked Cruz if he knew who stabbed him and he responded with Perezs name.

Shortly after he was found, Cruz was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he later died, the office said.

An investigation led to Perezs arrest at his home the next day, authorities said.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
An investigation is underway after a Paterson man died in his cell at the Bergen County Jail.

Staff at the jail found Qadir McCrae, 29, unresponsive in his cell around 3:15 a.m. on March 26, according to Bergen County Prosecutors Office Deputy Chief Jeff Angermeyer.

Lifesaving measures were immediately initiated, emergency medical personnel responded to the scene, and he was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center, said Angermeyer. He was pronounced died at 3:56 a.m.

Angermeyer said he was being held on charges of manufacturing and distributing drugs out of Passaic County.

McCrae had been transported on March 11 to Bergen County jail from St. Joseph hospital where he had been treated for a gunshot wound after a shooting on March 6 near Broadway and Main Street in Paterson.

The Office of the Medical Examiner has not determined his cause of death, according to Angermeyer.

The Office of the Attorney General, which investigates in custody deaths, said the Bergen County Prosecutors Office is handling the investigation.

Members of the McCrae family could not be reached for comment.

The funeral is scheduled for Friday evening, according to his obituary.

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Deion Johnson may be reached at djohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Instagram at @DeionRJohnson or X @DeionRJohhnson
A simmering dispute over the date the Jersey City school district observes the Muslim holiday Eid erupted into an ugly war of words at an interfaith religious dinner Thursday.

You have some nerve coming here, Councilman Yousef Saleh, who is Muslim, told school board President DeJon Morris at an interfaith Iftar dinner held by the Al Huda Islamic Center.

Saleh and others in the Muslim community have expressed frustration with the school boards decision to not change the day off for the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of Ramadan, from April 8 to the official dated derived from the lunar calendar, April 10.

Saleh and Morris agree that the councilman then apologized for his response during his brief remarks at the Iftar dinner, but little else that transpired since then. The bickering reignited a short time later at the dinner and the pair continued their argument like everyone else these days  on social media.

The dinner was attended by a number of elected officials, including two of the men running to be the next mayor and one running to be the next governor. No matter whos right, it wasnt a good look for either of them, said one of the dinners attendees who asked to remain anonymous.

Salehs speech was more of a backhanded apology, they said. Saleh and Morris are not helping each other. Both of them have a propensity for not stopping, just not saying enough is enough. Who has to have the last word?

Jersey City Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop chimed in on social media with a false equivalency, likening the April 8 Eid observance to taking off Dec. 22 for the Christmas holiday. Unlike Eid, Christmas is always Dec. 25.

When brought to the BOEs attention they dug in and refused to change the date ... It is escalating now. Of course, people are offended, Fulop posted on X.

Morris, a new member who took over leadership of the school board by ousting the board president and vice president, claimed in a lengthy Facebook post Saleh followed the speech by verbally insult(ing) and verbally attack(ing) me even deeper. He said Saleh referred to him as a disgrace and told him you need to leave or watch what happens. 

Are you threatening me Councilman Yousef J. Saleh?, Morris said in his version of the events. I reminded him that not only am I an elected official, but Im also a 20-year veteran police detective. He should caution himself.

In Salehs version, the councilman extended my hand in an olive branch and (Morris) refused. I then asked (Morris) if he could make sure this did not happen again next year and he absolutely promised that he would make sure to never change it, ever, and that he would make sure it was celebrated on the wrong date in perpetuity.

Morris, who said he plans to file an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint, said Saleh misheard him because he was shouting. Morris has continued to post about the event, referring to Saleh as a bully.

I said its too late to change the date this year, but next year we will work on it, Morris said in a text to The Jersey Journal on Friday.

Saleh is sticking to his version, saying he heard Morris clearly.

He is calling me a bully and look at the words he uses, Saleh said referring to Morris calling him a disgruntled school girl. It is almost misogynistic  what about all the little girls in the district?

The controversy began at a March school board meeting when Vice President Younass Barkouch  who has since been replaced as VP  urged the board change the date marking the holiday since it is a long day of feasting and prayer after fasting for a month.

A day later, Morris said the board calendar was approved last year, and to alter the observance date for 27,000 students and 6,000 employees less than two weeks before the holiday would cause an enormous disruption. The district is allowing Muslim students to take off April 10 as an excused absence.

I believe that was an extraordinary compromise for the last minute, Morris said in March. We love all of our Muslim scholars and we support and respect our Muslim community.

The event Thursday was attended by numerous Jersey City political figures, including Fulop, West Side Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, Bergen-Layfayette Councilman Frank Gilmore, Council President Joyce Watterman, Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, District 2 Hudson County Commissioner Bill ODea and Barkouch.

Islam Elgahari and Zack, who declined to give his last name, sat with Morris and Saleh at the dinner and told The Jersey Journal that Salehs version of the events was accurate.

In my opinion, a person like that who disrespected the community should have never been invited to such an event, Zack said about Morris.

ODea did not speak about the altercation, but said in the future the school district should block off the expected days Eid might land on. When the date becomes apparent, the district can act according and prevent this mistake from happening.

Gilmore told The Jersey Journal he hopes to sit down with both Morris and Saleh to clear the air. He believes this dispute over Eid just got too personal.

The bigger issue is we get it right, Gilmore said about Eid. I think once everyone takes a deep breath and unpacks what transpired, I think we can find a lot of common ground and get things done.
The early morning fire was small and it was contained to a single apartment, but six families  a total of 24 people  were displaced from their Jersey City homes Friday.

And the building ownership doing very little to help them relocate, at least temporarily, one of the tenants in the Dr. Lena Francis Edwards Apartments at 455 Ocean Ave. told The Jersey Journal.

Judy Pringle and her five kids, ages 2 to 13, were camped out in the lobby of the building Friday afternoon, hoping to hear from Genesis, which owns the building, about assistance.

She had bags of wet clothes that needed to be laundered and $800 from the American Red Cross for food, lodging and other necessities, but had not yet figured out where they would stay.

Jersey City firefighters responded to the top floor of the five-story building at 2:30 a.m. and quickly contained the fire, but the water damage forced the evacuation of five other apartments.

With five kids, Pringle said shes afraid the $800 will not get her past the weekend.

I appreciate the Red Cross, Pringle said. My issue is strictly with management.

Pringle said the displaced families asked if they could be placed at one of Genesis other apartment buildings, but that idea was rejected. Officials with Genesis say they are working with Hudson County, other local agencies and the Red Cross to help the tenants temporary assistance.

It was not clear when the repairs would be completed and Genesis given approval to allow the tenants to return.

Residents in the building say they have complained to management about the tenants of the apartment where the fire started, citing an alleged hoarding situation and activity in the apartment all hours of the night. But management ignored the complaints, they said.
New York Mets reliever Michael Tonkin lasted three outings and six total games with his new team.

On Friday, the Mets designated the right-hander for assignment to make room for Julio Teheran, according to reports. The Mets, who signed Tonkin to a major league deal in December worth $1 million, have a week to trade Tonkin or pass him through waivers.

BUY MLB TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER

After a two-inning scoreless outing in the teams 3-1 Opening Day loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, Tonkin has worn some bad results in his past two outings, both losses on his record. In those games against the Detroit Tigers, he yielded a total of six hits and eight runs, though only two were earned. Per Statcast, he allowed an expected batting average of .313 and an expected slugging percentage of .556, a further indication of how hard he was getting hit.

According to MLB.com, Teheran could start Monday when the Mets visit the Atlanta Braves.

Tonkin, meanwhile, will likely be finding himself in a new uniform soon.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Two people affiliated with Rutgers University were hospitalized Friday following an early morning shooting near the campus in New Brunswick, authorities said.

Police responded shortly after 2 a.m. to a report of several gunshots fired in the area of Easton Avenue and Hamilton Street, according to university police.

As a result, a victim, who is affiliated with Rutgers University, was struck by a stray bullet within her private residence, police said in a statement.

Police did not say if the victim was a Rutgers student.

The victim was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, located a few blocks away, police said.

A second victim, who is also affiliated with Rutgers University, arrived at the hospital with injuries related to the shooting, the statement said. It was not clear whether the second victim had also been shot.

The conditions of the victims was not immediately available Friday morning. No arrests has been made and university police said a description of a shooter or shooters was limited at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call New Brunswick police at 732-745-5217.

A spokeswoman for Rutgers said the university has been in touch with the victims and their families, offering support and assistance during this time.

The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority, the university said in a statement. The Rutgers University Police Department, in collaboration with the New Brunswick Police, will be increasing police presence in the area of the incident.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A tree worker was electrocuted Thursday afternoon after he came into contact with a power line in Morris County, police said.

When police were called to 95 Taylortown Road in Montville at 3:48 p.m., they found the worker and removed him from the tree with the help of other first responders, Montville Police Chief Andrew Caggiano told NJ Advance Media.

The worker, who was not identified, was rushed to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Caggiano said.

The incident is still under investigation. No other information was released Thursday night.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
The families of two firefighters who perished last July aboard a burning cargo ship at Port Newark have filed a $50 million wrongful death complaint in federal court that charges negligence, carelessness and recklessness on the part of the city, the shipping company and others led to the untimely deaths of the men.

The lawsuit, filed late Thursday, claimed Newark failed to properly train and equip the veteran firefighters to deal with the dangerous conditions they faced aboard the Grande Costa dAvorio when fire swept through the car-carrying vessel. It also alleged its owners, Grimaldi Deep Sea of Naples, Italy, operated the ship in an unreasonably dangerous and unseaworthy condition.

Also named in the lawsuit was the terminal operator where the ship was berthed and the company that loaded thousands of used vehicles on board, along with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Port Newark.

Augusto Augie Acabou, 45, and Wayne Bear Brooks Jr., 49, died on the night of July 5 after they were trapped on Deck 10 of the freighter filled with 1,200 highly combustible junk cars and trucks bound for West Africa.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the NTSB  the National Transportation Safety Board  as well as state, local and other federal agencies. Hearings were held earlier this year.

But a months-long inquiry by NJ Advance Media found that the states largest city was unprepared to fight a major fire at one of the nations largest ports. That report was based on interviews with firefighters and marine fire experts, public records and court filings, hours of radio traffic, and harrowing internal incident reports that were only provided after attorneys for the news organization compelled Newark to release them. It found that Newark firefighters and command officers responsible for helping safeguard one of the countrys busiest ports had minimal to no training for dealing with shipboard fires. Firefighters were sent deep into the ship the night of the incident  even after commanders were told that the crew of 28 had all been accounted for and that no lives were at stake, according to those incident reports  rather than simply containing the fire, cooling it down, and suppressing it, as response teams would later do.

The complaint by the families, filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, charged that the citys fire department not only failed in its training to suppress fires on board ocean-going ships, but negligently ordered firefighters to board the Grande Costa dAvorio, without sufficient manpower, equipment, training and/or knowledge.

Attorney Mark Apostolos of Sullivan, Papain, Block, McManus, Coffinas & Cannavo in Hackensack, who represents the families, said no amount of money would bring back the lives of the two men.

But this lawsuit seeks to obtain justice for the tremendous loss their families have suffered. We also hope that it serves to bring about change so this kind of tragedy never happens again, he said.

The city, Grimaldi Deep Sea, and attorneys for Ports America, the company that oversaw the ship-loading operation and American Maritime Services, a subcontractor that conducted the ship-loading operation, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Port Authority spokesman said we are not able to comment on ongoing litigation.

The filing comes months after the families served notice they planned to sue.

Why did 2 firefighters die in a ship fire that looked so routine?

Inside the desperate search for 2 firefighters trapped on a burning ship

Fatal N.J. port fire exposes growing and deadly business of shipping junk cars overseas

In two weeks of hearings held in January by the Coast Guard and the NTSB, there was graphic testimony on the mistakes that were made on the night of the fire, and the hellish conditions on board as disoriented firefighters unable to see in the thickening smoke amid closely packed vehicles tied down to the deck began running out of air as they tried to make their way out.

Michele Brooks, the widow of Wayne Brooks, and Miguel Acabou, the younger brother of Augie Acabou, who had attended those hearings every day, said much of the testimony had been extremely upsetting to them.

Acabou was found entangled in the lashing straps securing the vehicles on board. Search teams found Brooks against an interior column, more than 200 feet from the port stairwell, not far from an escape trunk that could have led him to safety had he known it was there.

Both had run out of air.

Even before a battalion chief made the decision to check out the conditions deep below decks aboard the Grande Costa dAvorio  an order experts testified should never have been given  there were significant problems with equipment, manpower, and a lack of knowledge about marine firefighting, hearing officers were told. Those issues, compounded by lapses by the ships crew as well and problems with its fire suppressions system, led to tragedy as a small fire turned into a big fire.

Those who appeared before the inquiry included ranking officers of the Newark Fire Department and its former chief, members of the ships crew and its captain, as well as longshoremen who had been loading the 692-foot freighter.

Fire burning on board the Grande Costa d'Avorio in July.Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard

The fire started when a 16-year-old Jeep Wrangler, modified with a steel push bar on the front, erupted in flames as it was being used to shove an inoperable Toyota Venza on board. The longshoreman behind the wheel of the Jeep said he heard a loud clunk, describing the sound like a wrench being dropped to the floor. Then he saw what looked like flaming fireballs dripping from the bottom of the vehicle.

That was almost certainly the last moments of a badly overheated transmission, according to Matthew Hartnett, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The ship was equipped with a CO2 fire suppression system  typically intended for emergencies while at sea  that required closing all watertight doors, evacuating the crew from those spaces, and flooding the compartments below decks with carbon dioxide to starve the fire of oxygen. But the freighter was in the process of loading vehicles when the fire broke out and crew members were unable to seal off the vessel because of a malfunctioning hatch they could not close.

Augusto Acabou, left, and Wayne Brooks Jr. Both were promoted to captain following their deaths.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media

The complaint argued that the inoperable fire suppression system rendered the freighter unseaworthy. It also noted that the control panel used to operate the watertight door leading to the compartment where the fire broke was inside the compartment itself. To shut the door, a crew member would have been forced to entrap themselves within the burning compartment, making the ship defective and dangerous and otherwise unfit for service.

The teams loading the vessel, the complaint alleged, were negligent in using a defective vehicle to push the cargo on board, despite known mechanical issues.

As for the city, the complaint claimed Newark failed to provide the proper training to respond to shipboard fires.

In testimony before the Coast Guard, Newark Battalion Chief Al Maresca, who had been among the first on the scene when fire broke out, said he had never before fought a shipboard fire in his 36 years with the department and never had any shipboard firefighting training.

The complaint said the fire department was negligent in ordering firefighters, including the men who died, to board a vessel and suppress a fire for which they were not sufficiently trained and or equipped to suppress, and failed to provide the appropriate manpower to fight it.

The families sought $50 million on all counts.

__

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Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL.
Very little damage was reported around New Jersey after an earthquake shook the Northeast corridor from Maryland to Massachusetts Friday.

Damage assessments are being conducted around the state after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that originated in Hunterdon County shook New Jersey early Friday morning.

The United States Geological Survey identified the epicenter of the quake was about 4 miles northeast of Whitehouse Station.

Hunterdon County director of Emergency Management Brayden Fahey said Friday morning the county dealt with an immediate spike in emergency calls when the earthquake hit at around 10:30 a.m. but that no serious injuries or significant damage was initially reported following the incident.

The county is in the process of inspecting bridges that were under construction and the New Jersey Water Supply Authority was inspecting dams at the Round Valley and Spruce Run reservoirs. Fahey also said the reservoir in West Amwell was being inspected for damage as well by Suez, the operator of the reservoir.

No evacuations have been reported, according to Fahey with only a few reports of gas leaks in private residences. Fahey added that some county buildings were closed as a precaution.

Hospitals in the area have not reported any significant damage and JCP&L has not reported any significant power outages either, Fahey said.

In Newark, three buildings were evacuated on 7th Avenue Friday, displacing 25 adults and three children, officials said. No injuries were reported, according to authorities.

Newarks city buildings, recreations centers and city hall were closed Friday as well, officials said.

The city is currently inspecting buildings for any potential damage and power outages, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage said.

The county administration and records building in Morris County was closed Friday due to a gas leak as a result of the earthquake, Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Paul said.

Paul added that there hasnt been significant reports of damage or injuries in the county, but that the county would be checking in with municipalities to asses damage.

The county also plans to check in with senior care centers to ensure certain infrastructure such as generators didnt shuffle too much during the earthquake and break a gas line that could lead to issues later on during a power outage, Paul said.

There were no reports of significant damage to hospitals in Morris County and Paul said they have already been in touch with the Red Cross if evacuations become necessary.

No damage has been currently reported in Camden County, according to county spokesman Dan Keashan.

The Department of Public Safety along with the Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation, Keashan said.

PATCO and NJ Transit rail lines were closed as a precaution to inspect the integrity and safety of infrastructure, but PATCO trains were back up and running by noon Friday. Rail services for NJ Transit was also back in service around lunchtime Friday, but operating on a 20 minute delay.

The New Jersey State Police said Friday afternoon that damage assessments to state buildings were ongoing, but that no significant damage had been reported.

Hudson County had no reported damage or evacuations, said deputy emergency management coordinator George Johns. Port Authority operations were temporarily paused, but have resumed, he said.

The Port Authority cleared runways at all of the agencys airports, officials said.

Personnel were briefly evacuated from the Air Traffic Control tower at Newark Liberty International Airport following the earthquake, but Federal Aviation Administration staff have returned to the control tower, according to Port Authority Officials.

Bridges and tunnels including the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, George Washington, Bayonne and Goethals bridges as well as the Outerbridge Crossing did not suffer any physical or operational damage according to preliminary inspections, officials said. Engineering staff, maintenance crews and police are completing ongoing inspections, authorities said.

The AirTrain at Newark Liberty International Airport remains out of service as inspections continue, officials said. Shuttle busses are being provided as an alternate service.

Editors Note: This article was updated with information from the Port Authority and Newark Police Department.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X
For years, frustrated workers have pleaded, without success, for state leaders to completely ban smoking inside Atlantic City casinos  one of the last indoor public places where lighting up is still legally allowed in New Jersey.

On Friday, they stopped begging and sued.

A group known as Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) that has been fighting for a ban and the United Auto Workers union, which represents thousands of dealers at three casinos in the city, filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to end an exemption in state law that permits Atlantic Citys nine gambling halls to have smoking sections.

New Jersey installed the Smoke-Free Air Act outlawing smoking inside most of its public places, including restaurants and bars, in 2006. But casinos were carved out and have been allowed smoking sections on 25% of their floors ever since. That effectively applies only to Atlantic City, the sole place in the state where casinos are allowed and long considered the East Coasts gambling mecca.

The lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Mercer County, aims to strike down the loophole in the anti-smoking law as unconstitutional. Workers argue in court documents that the state has allowed casinos to knowingly force employees to work in toxic conditions, causing some to suffer life-threatening illness and death from inhaling secondhand smoke.

It names both Gov. Phil Murphy and the state commissioner of health, saying they have failed to protect the employees and provide them with their constitutional rights to safety and equal protection, while illegally giving casinos special treatment.

The workers and union leaders marked the suit during a rally on the steps of the Mercer County Civil Courthouse in Trenton.

Today, we get off our knees and stand up, said Lamont White, a CEASE leader and a dealer at the Borgata casino after leading the crowd in a sing-along of Twisted Sisters 1984 hard rock anthem Were Not Gonna Take It.

We offered them the carrot, and now they get the stick.

Casino workers and one of their unions just filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to ban smoking inside Atlantic City casinos.



The soundtrack at their announcement in Trenton: Twisted Sister, naturally.



Senate candidate Andy Kim was on hand to cheer them on. pic.twitter.com/kQkCb7d9J9  Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) April 5, 2024

Ray Jensen Jr., assistant regional director of the UAW union  which represents dealers at the Ballys, Caesars, and Tropicana casinos  said lawmakers in Trenton wont do their jobs, so were going to take the decision out of their hands and into a courtroom.

No profit margin, real or imaginative, can justify poisoning human beings, Jensen added. No one should have to choose between their health and their house payment.

Dan Vincente, the unions regional director, said its about doing whats morally right.

Politicians in New Jersey for 18 years, both Democrats and Republicans, have said to the working people of this state: Your lives do not matter as much as anyone elses, Vincente said. They have subjected you to working conditions that are not acceptable anywhere else but in this state.

Today, we are done asking politely.

A bill to bar casino smoking has failed every legislative session since 2007. Murphy temporarily stopped smoking there during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, but that was lifted after a few months.

The most recent push for a ban, spearheaded by CEASE and UAW, appeared to gain steam last year, as more than half of the lawmakers in the state Legislature sponsored the bipartisan measure and committees held public hearings.

But casinos powerful lobby has continually pushed back, saying a ban would cause smokers to gamble in other states and lead to lost jobs, profits, and tax revenue.

Leaders of another union, Unite Here, which represents 10,000 bartenders, waitresses, housekeepers, and other casino workers in Atlantic City, also oppose the move, as do local chambers of commerce.

Several sponsors dropped off the bill this winter, noting theyre open to a compromise offered by the casino industry for enclosed smoking rooms with better ventilation and a rule that employees could not be forced to work in them. Top sponsors and several workers, however, said employees health would still be at risk.

The proposed ban (S1493) took a big step forward in January, when the state Senates health committee advanced it. Still, its unclear whether the measure would have enough support to pass the full Legislature and make it to Murphy.

The governor has said he would sign the bill into law because its the right thing for health, despite valid concerns about casinos losing business.

Murphys office declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday, referring to the governors past remarks.

The Casino Association of New Jersey, which represents the seven casino operators and all nine casinos in Atlantic City, did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the suit.

The association has pointed to a study it funded which found a smoking ban could cost the industry 1,000 to 2,500 jobs.

Earlier this week, Donna DeCaprio, president of Local 54 of the Unite Here union, said Atlantic Citys core business  winnings from in-person gamblers  continues to struggle and eliminating smoking would make it worse.

Alarm bells should be ringing in Atlantic City and in Trenton as to both the short-term and long-term negative economic trends, DeCaprio said. Representatives in the New Jersey Legislature must understand the perilous economic situation at hand for my members, and indeed all workers in Atlantic City.

State Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, told NJ Advance Media in December that casinos have come a long way with proposed changes and said a full ban could be devastating to those workers and our economy.

Supporters of a ban counter that a 2022 study by the C3 Gaming Group, an independent firm that measured the impact on casino revenues during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, found the dire predictions of economic demise were overstated.

Nancy Erika Smith, a high-profile New Jersey attorney representing the workers and the union, said the first thing in the state Constitution is you all have a right to safety, not everybody but you. She argued you cant have a law that excludes people and favors corporations.

This is indefensible, Smith said at Fridays rally.

Also on hand was U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, a South Jersey congressman running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate this year.

Kim has headlined another recent headline-grabbing lawsuit, against New Jerseys controversial county-line primary ballot design, in which a judge has granted his request for an injunction blocking the system for this years Democratic primary.

Ive had a little bit of experience lately with lawsuits and taking legal action, Kim told the crowd. And we won.

I stand with you.  If I dont want people smoking in the United States Capitol when Im working, you dont need to have people smoking where youre working.

Twenty other states  including neighboring New York and Delaware  have barred smoking in casinos, according to the advocacy group Americans for Non-Smokers Rights. Pennsylvania is also considering a ban. Las Vegas allows smoking in its gambling halls.

Vincente, the UAW leader, said the union is poised to make similar legal pushes in Pennsylvania and other states if legislative efforts stall.

New Jerseys going to be the template, he said.

A hearing on the lawsuit has already been set for April 25, a spokesman for the plaintiffs said.

State Sen. Joe Vitale, D-Middlesex, a lead sponsor of the bill for a full ban in New Jersey, supports the suit, calling it a brilliant strategy.

The state of New Jersey has failed casino workers in Atlantic City for 18 years, Vitale said. We let a false argument about economics subjugate our duty to protect the people we serve and in doing so, we allowed corporations to poison their employees for nearly two decades.

The lawmaker said he plans to push for a vote on his bill in the Legislature regardless of the suit.

We still have to move forward, he said.

Other legislative leaders declined to comment.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Susan K. Livio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @johnsb01.
Gov. Phil Murphys administration has yet to announce whether the governor will reappoint a vocal critic of New Jerseys weed industry to the states Cannabis Regulatory Commission, and the delay is raising concern from social justice groups.

Charles Barkers term as a cannabis commissioner is up this month, and the Murphy administration this week declined to comment on what the governor plans to do. Barker could not be reached for comment.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission was set up to oversee the states rollout of legal weed and is in charge of issuing state licenses to businesses that grow, sell and manufacture. The commission also determines testing compliance procedures for businesses.

Barker has often said the industry and state Legislature havent done enough to support those harmed most by the War on Drugs and has consistently voted against policies he believes benefit large cannabis companies too much. Last year, Barker said the future of New Jerseys cannabis market needed to include home cultivation of cannabis, which is opposed by state Senate President Nick Scurari, D-Union.

Supporters who requested anonymity say they are concerned Barker will not be reappointed because of his outspoken nature. In addition, the NAACP this week released a statement backing him.

His stance on social justice issues, criticism on the lack of licenses, and his concern in regards to ensuring that the tax revenue gets to the communities that were most harmed by the failed War on Drugs have been exemplary, New Jersey NAACP President Richard Smith said. We anticipate that the Governor and the State of New Jersey will do the right thing.

The CRC has five commissioners who were appointed three years ago by the governor and legislative leaders. The other four include its chair, Dianna Houenou, Vice Chair Sam Delgado, Krista Nash and Maria Del Cid-Kosso.

Legislation dictates that the commissioners serve on staggered terms. Houenou, Nash and Delgados appointments expire in April 2026. Del-Cid Kossos term expires April 2025. Barkers term is the shortest.

The positions are full time and the commissioners are prevented from other outside employment as a hedge against potential conflicts of interest. By law, Houenous position can go up to $141,000, and other members can be paid up to $125,000.

The governor can nominate new commissioners or seek to reappoint existing ones. Some of those nominations are subject to approval by the state Senate, including Barkers.

It was civil rights organizations threat to sue the Murphy administration that led to Barkers appointment three years ago.

The initial appointments to the commission did not include a Black man. The civil rights groups said they wanted Houenou, a Black woman, to stay on the commission, but wanted more diversity to represent those who were on the receiving end of the most cannabis arrests.

They said the state was violating a clause in the legal weed law requiring the commission hire someone from a state or national organization with a stated mission of studying, advocating, or adjudicating against minority historical oppression, past and present discrimination, unemployment, poverty and income inequality, and other forms of social injustice or inequality.

Civil rights organizations argued that Houenou didnt meet the requirement because she was coming directly from the governors office.

Barker came with experience from U.S. Sen. Cory Bookers office, but was also a member of the National Action Network, the civil rights organization founded by Rev. Al Sharpton.

His is a much-needed voice on the commission, and I dont think it is a reach to say that his voice and leadership contributed a great deal to the strides that have been made in terms of a commitment to social equity, said Racquel Romans-Henry, Policy Director for Salvation and Social Justice.

Declining to reappoint Barker would be seen as a betrayal, said Rev. Steffie Bartley, a National Action Network regional director based in North Jersey. Bartley also served as a member of the Murphy administrations Task Force for the Continued Transformation of Youth Justice.

Because of his voicefulness, because hes letting us know these things are happening  thats why hes there, Bartley said.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commissions next public meeting is slated for Thursday.

Jelani Gibson is a cannabis and politics reporter for NJ.com. He can be reached at jgibson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jelanigibson1 and on LinkedIn.
Summers coming and so are those impromptu cookouts, where youre going to need to feed all the those hungry friends.

A portable grill is the ideal solution to serve up some tasty barbecue no matter where your weekend plans take you. These compact grills have lightweight designs that transport easily, so you can take them to the beach, ballpark, camping and more.

These portable grills come in both charcoal and gas models, so you can cook with your preferred fuel type and they offer roomy cooking surfaces so no one in the crowd goes hungry.

Related: The best flat top grills to buy in 2024, according to reviews

But with so many different portable grills on the market, it can be challenging to decide which one to buy.

To help, here are some of the most recommended portable grills available, including models from Weber and Coleman.

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Dawn Magyar can be reached at dmagyar@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, seen addressing the Legislature in Baton Rouge on Jan. 15, 2024, touted the potential benefits of the controversial $2.5 billion sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to one of the country's largest insurers, Elevance Health of Indianapolis, in a speech Jan 30 to the Louisiana Hospital Association.
(Informacion remitida por la empresa firmante)

In 2023, the Adelaide Group accelerated its development and maintained above-target performance levels

NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adelaide Group achieved an aggregate turnover of 400 million in 2023, recording 18% growth compared with 2022. These results exceed the targets set and the Group's strategic ambition of achieving turnover in excess of 400 million by the end of the IMPACT24 Plan.

The Group is pursuing its internationalisation policy with 25% of its business now conducted outside France through new acquisitions in Europe. Over the past 4 years, the Group has made 9 acquisitions or equity investments.

At the same time, the Group is stepping up its innovations and its digitalisation by bringing in new differentiating services for its clients.

"Our position as an independent insurance broker enables us to prosper by ensuring very sustained growth, and to reconcile a tailored approach and profitability. We are proud of these achievements, which bear witness to not only our teams' unfailing commitment but also the robustness of our group", Jacques Verlingue, Chairman of the Adelaide Group.

Verlingue, the subsidiary specialising in corporate protection, recorded an aggregate turnover of 285 million in 2023, up 19%, of which 50% was organic growth. Around 35% of its business is generated outside France on the back of its external growth strategy, which has led it to set up new businesses in Italy and in the United Kingdom.

Generation, which specialises in managing Health and Life Insurance contracts, is consolidating its growth with an 18% increase in comparison with 2022, achieving a turnover of 102 million in 2023. With this growth comes a larger customer base, with over 2.4 million beneficiaries covered by Health insurance and 1.1 million covered by Personal Accident. Insurance individual branch has recorded promising growth with over 150,000 members. Over the same period, Generation has continued its expansion, opening a new establishment in Saint-Nazaire.

In 2023, Cocoon, which specialises in the distribution of health and personal protection insurance for individuals, expanded its management teams with the arrival of Fanny Ridet as CEO. With a turnover of 13 million euros, Cocoon aims to become a recognised stakeholder in the digital and ethical distribution of supplementary Health insurance solutions.

"We are thrilled to see the Adelaide Group maintaining a dynamic growth curve and exceeding the objectives of our ambitious strategic plan. Our results continue to make steady progress and amply illustrate our commitment to offering our clients a steadily growing added value" Gilles Beneplanc, CEO, Adelaide Group.

Adelaide reaffirms its ambition to become a leading broker in Europe through its model

A year before the Impact24 strategic plan officially comes to a close, the Adelaide Group is recording vigorous growth in line with its objectives, and a sound financial performance.

"Our performances are proof of our commitment to our European strategy. These results confirm our ability to offer an alternative to large global or financialized brokers" Benjamin Verlingue, Deputy CEO, Adelaide Group.

An upcoming change in governance, marked by innovation and growth

In 2024, a major change lies ahead in the group's governance as Benjamin Verlingue is set to succeed Jacques Verlingue as its chairman. This transition will guarantee continuity and reflect the firm intention to maintain the group's independence and spirit of innovation.

With a current team of over 2,500 employees, Adelaide has set out to recruit over 250 new talents in 2024.

About the Adelaide Group

The Adelaide Group specialises in insurance consultancy, intermediation, distribution and management. It is geared towards enabling its clients to run their businesses through effective risk management, by helping them protect their operations and their employees. For over 90 years, the Group has been growing to become one of the main players in insurance brokerage in France, with three thriving companies: Verlingue, Generation and Cocoon with the objective of building a major family-owned and independent insurance brokerage group with a European reach.

2,500 employees 3,000m in negotiated premiums2.4 million policyholders with health insurance cover and 1.1 million with life insurance cover Located in 5 countries: France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy

www.adelaidegroup.fr

Press contact

Agence EpokaLucie Fortinlfortin@epoka.fr+33(0)619687018

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-adelaide-group-announces-18-turnover-growth-for-2023-302109210.html
Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong-based airline, has announced incredible getaways and holiday packages for the Eid holiday and beyond.

With special booking fares open until April 12, with travel periods spanning from March to May and August to October, Cathay Pacific has invited travellers from GCC to explore bustling city centres the white-sand beaches of some of Asias most captivating cities.

Hong Kong

At the heart of Cathay Pacifics offering lies the vibrant city of Hong Kong, a melting pot of rich culture, incredible cuisine and breathtaking landscapes that are in exceptional bloom in Springtime.

Whether its basking in the iconic skyline from The Peak, savouring the art of dumpling-making and indulging in local delicacies, or exploring the lively Mong Kok shopping district, Asias World City offers an array of experiences.

Thrill-seekers and Disney fans alike can embark on an exhilarating trip to Hong Kongs homegrown theme park, Ocean Park and the world-famous Disneyland, while art lovers can opt to bask in the citys creative pulse in local galleries and museums.

With more iconic attractions such as the Ngong Ping 360 and Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong ensures an unforgettable trip for every visitor.

Shanghai and Beijing

China offers a wide spectrum of experiences, from urban escapes to countryside wonders and a strong cultural heritage spanning millennia. The pleasant springtime weather makes it an ideal time to explore the streets of Shanghai and Beijing, where ancient tradition perfectly intertwines with modern marvels.

From the Great Wall of China to the picturesque Huangshan Mountains and the tranquil waters of the Xi (West) Lake of Hangzhou, travellers can expect an array of unique experiences.

Narita and Tokyo

Whether its for embarking on a leisurely getaway or a business trip, Japan is a popular destination for UAE travellers. Narita and Tokyo are within easy reach for those wishing to immerse themselves in the rich traditions and modern marvels of these dynamic cities.

Tokyos futuristic landscape and lush parks are just a few of the fascinating destinations and unparalleled experiences awaiting curious tourists.

With cherry blossom season in full swing from March to early April, cities across the country transform into picturesque wonderlands, attracting visitors from across the globe to witness the breathtaking beauty of the blooms.

From the historical treasures of Kyoto to the buzzing gastronomic atmosphere of Osaka, each destination promises a diverse mix of cultural immersion and unmatched escapades.

Seoul

With a spectacular blend of centuries-long traditions, vibrant culture, and delicious culinary adventures, South Korea has it all for the modern traveller. From peaceful temples, and seaside escapes, to lively cities buzzing with stunning skyscrapers, Korea offers UAE adventure seekers the ultimate all-in-one destination.

Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of Korea's most iconic royal palaces, is known for its stunning architecture.

Han River is ideal for a leisurely cruise; and Myeongdong is renowned for its boutiques and street food stalls.

Beyond the capital, visitors can head to Busan for its coastal charm, or explore ancient sights in the towns across Gyeongju, Incheon and Daegu.

Manila

With over 7,000 islands to explore, the Philippines is a tropical haven of natural wonders and modern landmarks.

It offers acres of coastal and rural wonders alongside cities adorned with the friendliest smiles.

Explorers can visit Spanish-era monuments in Manila, enjoy the magnificent Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River or choose to indulge in the sun-kissed beaches of Cebu while enjoying fresh exotic fruits or a sumptuous feast prepared with local ingredients.  TradeArabia News Service
VALPARAISO  Repeatedly saying how senseless it was to fire a gun during a dispute over a parking spot, Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer sentenced a 33-year-old Portage man Friday to a year of probation and the opportunity to reduce his offense from a felony to a misdemeanor.

"People should not be shot over parking spots," Clymer said.

Benjamin Altieri, who was found guilty by a jury in February on a felony count of criminal recklessness, apologized Friday for his actions.

Prosecutors sought two years of probation, but defense attorney Jesse Harper requested less, arguing that Altieri has no prior criminal record and will be prohibited from pursuing improved employment with a felony on his record.

Prosecutors also requested restitution of $5,681, but at Harper's request, a hearing was set for May 24 to take a closer look at that amount.

Portage police said Altieri was in the heat of a parking dispute with a neighbor when he pulled out a handgun and fired several times in a sweeping motion.

Driver fatally shot himself following routine traffic stop, Hammond police say "During the stop, the officers detected the smell of narcotics from within the vehicle," according to police.

The neighbor reportedly told police he he did not think the gun was real at first because "who would do something like that?"

It was only after he began walking back to his house in the 6900 block of Medora Avenue that he felt pain in his right thigh and realized he had been shot.

Jurors cleared Altieri of a more serious charge of battery by means of a deadly weapon, records show.

The injured man reportedly told police that Altieri parked his 2008 Jeep in front of his mailbox, so he responded by parking his 2015 GMC Sierra on the side of the Jeep in the street. This set off an argument between the men.

Altieri said he first fired a warning shot into the ground "because he was in my yard," the arrest report says.

Clymer told Altieri Friday that as a convicted felon, he is no longer to be in possession of a gun.
A tip on a poacher hotline resulted in the recent arrests of two Lake County men on allegations of violating various hunting laws, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Ryan Jinkerson, 46, of Lowell and Randy Kirk, 34, of Winfield face multiple charges of and related to poaching deer, the DNR said.

E.C. pastor sent 13 from Venezuela to live in illegal basement apartment, Hammond says "The City of Hammond is not open to this type of illegal criminal activity and he has placed people in significant harm, including children."

They are charged with illegal taking of deer, hunting with the aid of a motorized conveyance, providing false information to a deer check station, failing to check in deer, hunting deer without a license, hunting without consent of landowner, hunting deer by the aid of bait, unlawful taking of a federally protected species, unlawfully placing surveillance cameras on private property and hindering a conservation officer, all of which are misdemeanors, according to the DNR.

"The investigation stemmed from information provided via TIP (Turn in a Poacher), a hotline for reporting such crimes, received late last year."

Driver fatally shot himself following routine traffic stop, Hammond police say "During the stop, the officers detected the smell of narcotics from within the vehicle," according to police.

Both men surrendered after conservation officers filed the charges and issued arrest warrants, the DNR said. Each posted a $750 bond.

"Conservation officers remind the public that wildlife belongs to all Hoosiers. If you see illegal activity or want to report possible illegal activity, contact TIP at 1-800-TIP-IDNR (800-847-4367) or tip.IN.gov. Doing so will help conserve wildlife for future generations."
CROWN POINT  On the first day of Anthony Carr's murder trial, a deputy prosecutor told the jury the case was about "love, murder and lies."

"What comes along with that? Jealousy," Deputy Prosecutor Tara Villarreal said in closing arguments Thursday morning. "Anthony Carr murdered Brittany Smith on Dec. 3, 2022, because of jealousy."

Three days later, a jury found him guilty. They deliberated for about two hours, said Lake County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Myrna Maldonado.

Defense attorney Kenneth Elwood said Carr plans to appeal the verdict.

"I really believe in my client's innocence, but certainly respect the jury's verdict," Elwood said in a text message.

Jurors heard evidence and witness testimony about the volatile relationship between Carr, 41, and Smith, who dated for six months before Smith was found dead on Dec. 3, 2022, slumped against a wall in her bedroom in the 6100 block of Noble Avenue in Hammond. She died from gunshot wounds to her face and head, forensic pathologist Dr. Zhou Wang said at trial.

Prosecutors showed the jury text messages between the two that were sent a couple months prior to her death in which Smith and Carr make multiple mentions of how he kicked down her door and threatened her family.

Smith's mother, Frances Morton-Howard, testified Monday that she heard the two arguing on the phone the night before the homicide. She said Carr would often stay at his mother's house when the two were in a fight, which she said was frequent.

Phone records showed Carr traveled from Smith's home to his mother's residence and then to multiple bars in Hammond. Villarreal said a witness testified Wednesday that Carr had a weapon with him when he came into Home Plate Pub late Dec. 2.

At one point, Carr called a friend and asked for a ride to Smith's house in the early morning hours of Dec. 3. His cellphone data places him in the area between 4:45 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. A neighbor said he heard multiple shots fired around that time, possibly around 7:30 or 8 a.m.

Witnesses said in the hours after the homicide, they saw Carr in tears. Carr said he "messed up" and "might go to jail for the rest of his life."

"All the evidence points toward one person," Villarreal said. "And that person is Anthony Carr."

Elwood said the times and locations asserted by the prosecution are approximate. He said Carr was captured on video footage at 7:23 a.m. about five blocks from Smith's residence, which is consistent with phone data that shows he had left Smith's residence by then. Carr told police in an interview shortly after the homicide that he was in that area to sell drugs.

This was before Smiths neighbor said he heard the shots fired, Elwood said. During cross-examination, the neighbor said the shots could have been fired later than 8 a.m. He wasn't totally sure.

"The facts are the facts," Elwood said.

He also said he believes police were predisposed to think Carr was a suspect because Morton-Howard told police that "he did it" when they first arrived at the scene.
VALPARAISO  A new trial date of June 3 has been set for a 64-year-old Portage man, who was injured so badly at the Porter County Jail that his trial scheduled for this week had been cancelled.

Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer set the new date Friday morning for Richard Cooley during a short hearing.

Defense attorney Russell Brown Jr. told the court that Cooley has undergone a medical evaluation and it was determined he does not need surgery to treat his injuries.

The determination clears Cooley medically for trial, Brown said.

Cooley was involved in a "physical altercation" March 26 at the jail that required him to be taken to the hospital, according to a motion to continue the trial filed by Brown.

Cooley was placed in the medical ward after being returned to the jail, Brown said.

The Porter County Sheriff's Department has said the incident is under investigation, after which time the department will consult with the county prosecutor's office.

Driver fatally shot himself following routine traffic stop, Hammond police say "During the stop, the officers detected the smell of narcotics from within the vehicle," according to police.

Cooley is accused of pressing a gun to the chest of his wife, 47-year-old Dana Cooley, during the morning of Feb. 13, 2023, and pulling the trigger, which resulted in her death.

Cooley claims the shooting was an accident.

But the results of an autopsy paint a different picture and determined she died from a single gunshot wound to her chest, police said.

"This gunshot wound was a hard contact wound to the chest, meaning the gun was pressed against her chest," the charging document says. "This determination was based upon soot with no stippling and inferior hard contact muzzle abrasion on the wound itself and soot present on the shirt that Dana Cooley was wearing at the time she was shot."

"This information is contrary to the version of events as told by Richard Cooley," police said.

This is the second delay in the trial. It was set to get underway in August, but was derailed by the discovery of a last-minute witness.

Brown said prosecutors discovered the new witness shortly before the August trial date and thus he needed time to investigate as part of his preparation.

Two weeks had been set aside for the trial and Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Harry Peterson had said he anticipated taking five to six days to present evidence against Cooley.
John Sinclair, a counterculture activist whose nearly 10-year prison sentence for sharing joints with an undercover police officer was cut short after John Lennon and Yoko Ono sang about his plight at a protest rally, died on Tuesday in Detroit. He was 82.

His publicist, Matt Lee, said the cause of his death, in a hospital, was congestive heart failure.

As the leader of the White Panther Party in the late 1960s, Mr. Sinclair spoke of assembling a guitar army to wage total assault on racists, capitalism and the criminalization of marijuana. We are a whole new people with a whole new vision of the world, he wrote in his book Guitar Army (1972), a vision which is diametrically opposed to the blind greed and control which have driven our immediate predecessors in Euro-Amerika to try to gobble up the whole planet and turn it into one big supermarket.

He also managed the incendiary Detroit rock band the MC5. Their lyrics  Im sick and tired of paying these dues/And Im finally getting hip to the American ruse  were a kind of ballad for the cause.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. delivered a fond tribute to former Justice Sandra Day OConnor on Thursday, celebrating her legacy as the first woman on the Supreme Court and her commitment to advancing civics and civility after her retirement.

During an award ceremony at Duke University to recognize her contribution to civics education, Chief Justice Roberts reiterated his admiration of his former colleague, a crucial swing justice who was often referred to as the most powerful woman in America. He eulogized her in December shortly after her death at 93.

Sandra Day OConnor expanded the public image of what it meant to look like a judge, he said. She sounded the alarm about the growing lack of appreciation of what it means to be a citizen.

For her work in civics education, she was recognized on Thursday with the Bolch Prize for the Rule of Law, an award that has often been given to honor judges, including former Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, for lifetime achievements. The award was accepted by her son Scott OConnor.
 [  ]  2024-04-05 05:06:13 .

all is fair in love and war Unpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict. used to describe a situation in which people do not follow the usual rules of behavior and do things that are normally considered unfair. "All is fair in love and war", a proverb attributed to John Lyly's Euphues Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israel mistakenly killed seven people working for the aid charity World Central Kitchen in a Gaza airstrike; killed citizens are from Australia, Britain and Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. "Unfortunately in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said in a video statement. "This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence." I also remembered six people of Canadian ground force were killed by the US air force's friendly fire in Afganistan. There was no substantial penalty to the US pilot firing the friendly air-to-surface missile (ASM) Though there exists the saying: All is fair in love and war Biden Tells Netanyahu Israel's Strike On Aid Workers Was 'Unacceptable'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is facing challenges on multiple fronts, with his domestic support appearing to erode at a time when international fury and frustration over the war in Gaza have reached new heights.

The Israeli leader has come under sharper criticism from allies like the United States as the civilian death toll climbs in Gaza, and the Israeli militarys killing there this week of seven aid workers has heightened global anger.

On Thursday, President Biden and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken both suggested that American support for Israel was not unconditional in remarks that laid bare the growing divisions between Washington and Jerusalem.
Six months of war in Gaza

It will be six months this Sunday since the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war between Israel and Hamas. More than 32,000 Palestinians have died, people in Gaza are desperate for aid and dozens of Israeli hostages are still being held there.

My colleague Amelia Nierenberg spoke with Patrick Kingsley, our Jerusalem bureau chief, to understand the state of the war.

Amelia: How close are we to a deal, or a meaningful pause in the fighting?

Patrick: We are at an impasse.

Cease-fire negotiations are stuck for several reasons, but in large part because Israel wants to limit the ways in which Hamas could regroup during a temporary truce, whereas Hamas wants the kind of truce that would allow it to reorganize on the ground.
Workers at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Alabama have petitioned federal officials to hold a vote on whether to join the United Automobile Workers, the union said on Friday, a step forward for its drive to organize workers at car factories in the South.

The union is trying to build on the momentum from the contracts it won last year at Ford Motor, General Motors and Stellantis, which gave workers at the three Detroit carmakers their biggest raises in decades.

The U.A.W. is also trying to organize workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee and a Hyundai factory in Alabama, establishing a bigger presence in states that have drawn much of the new investment in automobile manufacturing in recent decades. A vote at the Volkswagen plant is scheduled for April 17 to 19.

The drive has taken on added importance as Southern states like South Carolina and Georgia attract billions of dollars in investment in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing. The U.A.W. is trying to ensure that jobs created by electric vehicles do not pay less than jobs at traditional auto factories.
Marty Davis, the wealthy Minnesota head of a kitchen countertop manufacturing company, is a steadfast supporter of former President Donald J. Trump. He contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to help elect Mr. Trump in 2020, and encouraged him to fight to overturn the 2020 election results.

Shortly after Mr. Trumps social media company said in October 2021 that it planned to go public by merging with a cash-rich shell company, Mr. Davis was one of the first to lend the fledgling business millions so that it could stay afloat until its merger closed and finance the launch of its Truth Social platform.

Mr. Davis gave Trump Media & Technology Group a $5 million loan, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. His loan was part of $40 million Trump Media raised from more than a dozen private investors, some of whom have helped finance efforts to elect Mr. Trump and are now likely shareholders of his social media company.

Its not uncommon for start-ups to seek out wealthy investors for financing, but the stock holdings raise questions about the potential for conflicts of interest and undue influence over Mr. Trump should he return to the White House.
Ten years ago, when Dev Patel started thinking about making the film that would eventually become his feature directing debut, Monkey Man, he was not getting offered roles that, in his words, had any sort of ass kickery involved or coolness.

I think if I was to feature in an action film back then, the roles I was getting were more akin to the comedic relief, sidekick, the guy that can hack the mainframe, he said in a phone interview. (Indeed in 2014, he was playing a tech-savvy character on the TV series The Newsroom and was about to reprise his role as the sweet but goofy romantic hero in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.)

In Monkey Man, however, Patel is not relegated to the sidelines. He plays Kid, a young man who slashes, punches and shoots his way through elite circles in a fictional Indian city. He seeks revenge on behalf of his mother, who was brutalized by a police chief now working for a corrupt politician, who is in turn supported by an evil guru. Inspired by the tales of the half-monkey Hindu god Hanuman, Kid takes on those in power who are abusing members of lower castes. The film, which was released Friday, is both Patels homage to the action genre, an obsession that started when he watched Bruce Lees Enter the Dragon (1973) as a child, and an attempt to remake it in his own image, wanting to tell a politically charged story with a hero who looks like him.
Rest in Peace

Stream it on Netflix.

The sleek suspense of a mob thriller and the big, dramatic swings of a telenovela combine to produce something truly unpredictable in Rest in Peace, by the Argentine director Sebastian Borensztein. We first meet Sergio (Joaquin Furriel), a handsome business owner and beloved husband and father, as hes tearing up at his daughters lavish bat mitzvah; in moments, the mood shifts, when he spots a menacing stranger eyeing him from a corner and faints. As his wife, Estela (Griselda Siciliani), soon discovers, Sergio is drowning in debt and facing threats from a mysterious, ruthless lender. Their picture-perfect existence is on the verge of shattering  and then it does, albeit not how either of them (or the viewer) might have expected.

A tragic accident offers Sergio a way out of his predicament, though at the cost of his life with his family. The twists of the film are best left unspoiled, because Borensztein and his fine cast (Siciliani is majestic, in particular) achieve an impressive series of tonal tilts in the course of a narrative that eventually spans decades. Just when you think a cat-and-mouse game is about to begin, the film douses you in endearing romantic and familial drama; just as surprisingly, danger creeps back into the narrative. The result is a movie whose genre pleasures are undergirded by genuine emotional heft.

Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege

Stream it on Ovid.
This weekend, 13 movie theaters around the country will be showing Coup de Chance, a brisk French-language thriller about a bored wife in Paris who cheats on her wealthy, aloof husband with an old high school classmate, triggering fatal consequences.

Minus the opening credits and certain trademark elements  jazzy score, moneyed setting, themes of murder and luck, dry cosmopolitan banter  a typical viewer could watch the movie without knowing it is the 50th film directed by Woody Allen.

The foreign language (one in which Allen is not fluent  his original script was translated for filming), the absence of the kinds of American stars that typically crowd Allens casts, the low-key reception with which this milestone has been greeted: All suggest the awkwardness surrounding this new release by a filmmaker as distinctive as he is polarizing.

We just continue to do what weve been doing, and were happy that its opening, Letty Aronson, Allens sister, who has produced his films since 1994, said in an interview this week. She said Coup de Chance was financed in Europe, and declined to disclose its backers.
More than 150 Jewish actors, filmmakers and other artists signed an open letter that was published on Friday in defense of remarks about Jewishness and the war in Gaza that the director Jonathan Glazer made in his Oscars acceptance speech for The Zone of Interest, his film about the Holocaust.

Glazers speech has become one of the most hotly debated in Oscars history, drawing an open letter of strong denunciation from other Jewish film professionals last month and now one of support.

Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, Glazer, who is Jewish, said at the Academy Awards on March 10. Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?

The new letter expresses support for Glazer. In his speech, Glazer asked how we can resist the dehumanization that has led to mass atrocities throughout history, it says. For such a statement to be taken as an affront only underscores its urgency.
Atlantic City casino workers have tried unsuccessfully for years to persuade New Jersey lawmakers to outlaw smoking on gambling floors. On Friday morning, they took their efforts to court.

In a lawsuit filed in State Superior Court in Mercer County, groups representing thousands of casino employees accused state legislators of giving special treatment to casino owners by allowing them to let people smoke inside their facilities. The state has allowed casinos to knowingly force employees to work in toxic conditions, the workers argued in court documents, and as a result, casino workers have experienced life-threatening illness and death.

Pretty much the worst thing we hear on this job is, Can I have an ashtray? Lamont White, who has worked as a card dealer at numerous Atlantic City casinos since 1985, said in an interview. Pretty much every worker in New Jersey is protected, except for casino workers.

The lawsuit was filed against Gov. Philip D. Murphy and the states acting health commissioner, Kaitlan Baston. It asks the court to strike down the legal loophole exempting casinos from the statewide ban on indoor smoking.
A newspaper columnist was accused of being deceitful. A lawyer and political activist was challenged to show her face at the funeral of a fallen officer. And a city councilwoman became the target of an apparent vote her out campaign.

The combative comments  all posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter  were nothing new for a site that has become synonymous with personal attacks and insults. What was unusual was the source: executives from the New York Police Department.

The defund crowd who will cry boo hoo to 9-1-1 when they need us, John Chell, the chief of patrol, wrote on X on March 31, complaining about a critical column written by Harry Siegel of The Daily News. The problem is that besides your flawed reporting is the fact that now we are calling you and your latte friends out on their garbage.

The aggressive stance  while consistent with the often antagonistic approach taken by Mayor Eric Adams and his circle of loyal aides  is a sharp departure from typical police protocol, and some former Police Department and city officials say many of the responses go too far.
In 1999 a Florida lawyer, Anuraag Singhal, represented a man convicted of gunning down a police officer. Singhal had to somehow persuade a jury that his client, Jeffrey Lee Weaver, should face life in prison rather than the electric chair, the punishment the hard-charging prosecutor sought.

I hope you can find some love in your heart for Jeff Weaver, and I hope youll let him die in prison, Singhal said, according to a report in The Sun Sentinel, the local newspaper. The article described tears rolling down his cheeks and his voice breaking with emotion as he pleaded for Weavers life. Singhal won the day. A divided jury recommended life in prison.

Singhal was clearly a very talented attorney and a man on the rise. He would become active in conservative legal circles, joining the local chapter of the Federalist Society. In 2019, President Donald Trump appointed him to a federal judgeship in Florida. He was confirmed that December with a bipartisan Senate vote of 76 to 17. Evidently no one raised a peep about his defense of a man who killed a police officer or his pivotal role in reducing the mans sentence, despite Republican posturing about protecting law enforcement.

Among the Democratic senators who voted to give Singhal this lifetime appointment were three centrists who often burnish their bipartisan bona fides and tough-on-crime credentials: Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, both of Nevada, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ezra klein

From New York Times Opinion, this is The Ezra Klein Show. Earlier this week, we did an episode on how to use A.I. right now. Now, I want to turn the question around and look at how A.I. is being used on you right now. One of the conversations has been sticking in my head was with this person in the A.I. world who was saying to me that if you look at where use has been sticky, if you look at where people keep using it day after day, youre looking at places where the product doesnt need to be very good. Thats why its really helpful for college and high school students, college and high school papers  theyre often not very good. Thats sort of their point. Its why its working pretty well for a very low-level coding tasks. That kind of work doesnt need to be very good. It gets checked and compiled, and so on. But theres something else that it is working really well for, which is spewing mediocre content onto the internet. And the reason is that a lot of what is on the internet right now isnt very good. Its point is not to be good  spam isnt very good, marketing emails arent very good, social media bots arent very good. Frankly, a lot of social media posters even when theyre not bots are not very good. There are all kinds of websites and internet operations that are filler content designed to give search engines something to index  filler content structured to do well in a Google result so people click on it and then see an ad. Something youre going to hear a lot of in this episode is the term S.E.O., and that is what were talking about: Search Engine Optimized. Things that are built to rank highly in Google and Bing just to get somebody to click on the website. It doesnt always matter to that person if they read the website. But into this comes A.I. Over the last year, Google and the big social platforms  they have been flooded with A.I. spam, flooded with fake news sites filled with stolen or made up stories. There are TikToks of A.I. voices reading random text off of Reddit, nonsensical YouTube videos for kids. Its no novel observation to say the internet has felt like it is in a state of decay for a while. Google search results, Facebook, Twitter, or X, YouTube, TikTok  all of it felt better, more human, more delightful, more spontaneous, more real a few years ago. So what happens when this flood of content hits this decaying internet? And then  and I actually think this is the harder, weirder question  what happens when this flood of A.I. content gets better? What happens when it doesnt feel like garbage anymore? What happens when we dont know if theres a person on the other end of what were seeing or reading or hearing? Should we care? What if that content is actually better than a lot of what were getting right now? Is that an internet we want to be on or not? My friend Nilay Patel is the co-founder and editor in chief of the tech news site The Verge, and host of the great Decoder podcast. And I got to be honest, I cant tell from this conversation if Nilay is more or less optimistic than me because he seems to think A.I. is going to break the internet. But he seems kind of happy about it. Before we get into the actual conversation here, we are nominated for a Webby  speaking of hopefully good things on the internet  in the Best Interview Talk Show category. We are up against Oprah here, so we are decided underdogs, but this is a voting category so if were going to win, we need your help. You can vote using the link in the show notes or go to vote.webbyawards.com And as always, if you want to email me with guest suggestions or thoughts on the episode, that is ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. [MUSIC PLAYING] Nilay Patel, welcome to the show.

nilay patel

Thank you for having me. This is very exciting.

ezra klein

Lets just begin with the big question here, which is what is A.I. doing to the internet right now?

nilay patel

It is flooding our distribution channels with a cannon-blast of  at best  C+ content that I think is breaking those distribution channels.

ezra klein

Why would it break them?

nilay patel

So most of the platforms the internet are based on the idea that the people using those platforms will in some sort of crowdsourced way find the best stuff. And you can disagree with that notion. I think maybe the last 10 years have proven that that notion is not percent true when its all people. When you increase the supply of stuff onto those platforms to infinity, that system breaks down completely. Recommendation algorithms break down completely, our ability to discern what is real and what is false break down completely, and I think importantly, the business models of the internet break down completely. So if you just think about the business model of the internet as  theres a box that you can upload some content into, and then theres an algorithm between you and an audience, and some audience will find the stuff you put in the box, and then you put an infinity amount of stuff into the box, all of that breaks. My favorite example of this is Amazon, which allows people to self-publish books. Their response to the flood of A.I. generated books was to limit the number of books you can upload to three books in a day. This is really  like thats a ridiculous response to this. It just implies that the systems that weve built to organize audiences and deliver the right thing to the right person at the right time, theyre not capable of an increase in supply at the level that A.I. is already increasing this.

ezra klein

Thank you for bringing in the supply language. So, Ive been trying to think about this as this supply and demand mismatch. We have already had way more supply than there is demand. I wasnt buying a lot of self-published Amazon books. Is the user experience here actually different?

nilay patel

I think thats a great question. The folks who write the algorithms, the platforms, their C.E.O.s, they will all tell you this is just a new challenge for us to solve. We have to out what is human, what is A.I.-generated. I actually think the supply increase is very meaningful. Like, maybe the most meaningful thing that will happen to the internet because it will sort out the platforms that allow it to be there and have those problems, and the places that dont. And I think that has not been a sorting that has occurred on the internet in quite some time, where theres two different kinds of things. The example that Ill give you is, every social media platform right now is turning into a short-form video Home Shopping Network. LinkedIn just added short form videos. Like, theyre all headed towards the same place all the time because they all have the same pressures.

ezra klein

Didnt we already pivot to video a couple years ago?

nilay patel

We pivoted to video  I actually love it when LinkedIn adds and takes away these features that other platforms have. They added stories because Snapchat and Instagram had stories, and they took the stories away because I dont think LinkedIn influencers want to do Instagram Reels, but now theyre adding it again. And what you see is those platforms, their product  the thing that makes them money  is advertising, which is fine. But they dont actually sell anything in the end. They sell advertising. Someone else down the line has to make a transaction. They have to buy a good or a service from someone else. And if you dont have that, if youre just selling advertising that leads to another transaction, eventually you optimize the entire pipe to the transaction to get people to buy things, which is why TikTok is now  like all of TikTok is TikTok Shop, because they just want you to make a transaction. And that those platforms are going to be most open to A.I., because that is the most optimizable thing to get people to make a transaction. And I think real people will veer away from that.

ezra klein

So I want to hold on to something that youre getting at here. Which, to me, is one of the most under-discussed parts of A.I., which is how do you actually make money off of it? And right now, there are not actually that many ways. So, what you can do is you can pay some money to the big A.I. companies. So you get the pro-version of their models. There is a certain amount of enterprise software flying around. You can subscribe to versions of Microsoft Copilot, or theres going to be more things like that, where you can subscribe to something that is supposed to get you to buy the next iteration of Slack or whatever the enterprise software is. But it is hard to not notice that a lot of the A.I. is being built by companies that exist on advertising. Google has a huge A.I. program, Meta has a huge A.I. program, and advertising is fundamentally a persuasion game. They are trying to persuade you to do something with the advertising to buy something. And right now, its pretty bad. I always think its funny how long after I make a significant purchase I will be advertised to make that purchase again. Its like, you just bought a fair amount of luggage, would you like any more luggage from the same company you already bought it from? Its a very weird  but if this gets good, what is that? What are safe business models and what are very unethical ones, because when we talk about harms and benefits from A.I., how people are making money off of it is going to be a pretty big intermediary there.

nilay patel

Yeah, Ive been talking to a lot of C.E.O.s of web companies and email companies on Decoder for the past year. I asked them all the same question, why would you start a website? Why would you send an email? And so, you asked the C.E.O. of Squarespace or Wix or we just had the C.E.O. of MailChimp on the show. And her answer is a little terrifying. Like, maybe openly terrifying. Shes like well collect enough data on you, and then well know exactly when to send you an email so that you buy the right thing at the right time. And well just have A.I. automate that whole process. So you come to the website for your local dry cleaner or luggage store, you type in your email address to get the 10 percent off coupon, we look at what you were looking at. And then somewhere down the line when some other data broker has told us that you searched for a flight, we will send you a precisely targeted generated email that says youre going to Paris? Buy this suitcase that matches your style from our store at this dynamically generated price.

ezra klein

But how is A.I. changing that at all because that sounds to me like the thing that is already happening.

nilay patel

So, this is what I mean by the increase in scale. Thats the dream. This is supposed to be what actually happens, but they can only do it in broad cohorts, which is why you get the luggage email after youve bought the luggage email or the luggage ad, after you bought the luggage ad. They know you are a person who used a Wi-Fi network in a certain location at a certain time, they can track that all over the place. They know what youve searched for. They know that you went and made a luggage transaction. You are now categorized into people who are likely to buy luggage, whether or not that loop was closed. You put some luggage in a shopping cart. But thats still a cohort, they can only do that broadly. And these cohorts can be pretty refined, but they can only do it broadly. With A.I. the idea is we can do that to you individually  the A.I. will write you an email, well write you a marketing message, will set you a price. That isnt 100x increase the amount of email that will be generated. So now our email algorithms will be overflooded with commercial pitches generated by A.I. And this sort of makes sense, right? It makes sense for a Google to want to be able to dynamically generate A.I. advertising across the entire web. It makes sense for Meta to invest massively in A.I. so that when youre watching Instagram and you scroll a dynamically generated Instagram video, that is an ad just for you appears. And all of that is down to their belief in targeting  their absolute belief that they can sell more products for their clients by targeting the ads more directly. And you are in that uncanny valley, where the targeting doesnt actually work as well as it should and no one will admit it.

ezra klein

When I get spammy advertising I dont really think about there being a human on the other end of it. Maybe to some degree there is, but it isnt part of the transaction happening in my head. There are a lot of parts of the internet that I do think of there being a human on the other end  social media, reviews on Amazon, books  I assume the person who wrote the book is a person. How much of what Im currently consuming may not be done by human in the way I think it is, and how much do you think thats going to be in a year, or two, or three years?

nilay patel

Im guessing your media diet is pretty well human-created because I know that you are very thoughtful about what you consume and what signals youre sending to the algorithms that deliver your content. I think for most people 

ezra klein

My moms, lets use my moms.

nilay patel

Moms are good. I would love to take my moms phone and throw it into the ocean and never let her have it again. I openly fear what content comes through my mother through WhatsApp. It terrifies me that I dont have a window into that. I cant monitor it. The same software I want to use to watch my daughters internet consumption, I would love to apply it to my parents because I dont think they have the media literacy  theyre much older  to even know, OK, this might be just some A.I.-generated spam thats designed to make me feel a certain way. And I think that is the heart of whats coming. I think right now its higher than people think, the amount of A.I. generated noise, and it is about to go to infinity. And the products we have to help people sort through those things, fundamentally our intention with that. Google is the heart of this tension  you can take any business at Google and say what happens when the A.I. flood comes to you? And I dont think theyre ready for it.

ezra klein

How can they not be ready for that?

nilay patel

Because theyre the ones making it. This is the central tension of  in particular, I think Google. So, Google depends on the web, the richness of the web is what Sundar Pichai will tell you. He used to run search, he thinks about the web. He cares about it, and you look at the web and youre like, you didnt make this rich at all. Youve made this actually pretty horrible for most people most of the time. Most people  if you search Google to get a credit card, that is a nightmarish experience  like, fully nightmarish. It feels like getting mugged. We just went on vacation. And I googled a restaurant review in Cancun, and I got about halfway through the actual review when I realized it was sponsored content by Certified Angus Beef. And just in the middle of this review, theyre like this restaurant uses this kind of beef and heres why its great. And I was like  this is  I read an ad. And Google should have told me that this was an ad. Like, this isnt useful to me in any way  like, Im discarding this. I dont want this anymore. I dont think Google can discern what is good or bad about the web. I dont think Google has reckoned with how its incentives have shaped the web as a whole. And I certainly dont think that people who are making Google search can say A.I. is bad  A.I. content is bad, because the whole other part of Google that is making the A.I. content cant deal with that.

ezra klein

This helps explain a story that I found very strange. So, 404 Media, which is a sort of newer outlet reporting on tech. They found that Google News was boosting stolen A.I. versions of news articles  and were seeing this all over. An article by me or by some other journalist shows up in another place, very slightly rewritten by an A.I. system, with an A.I. generated author and photo on top of it. So, were seeing a lot of this. And when 404 Media asked Google about this, Google News said that for them, it was not a really relevant question whether an article was by an A.I. or a human. That struck me as a very strange thing to say, to admit. Is your view that its because their business is in the future replacing human-generated content with A.I., and saying thats good  like, thats the thing happening at the center there?

nilay patel

Yeah. Fundamentally, I think if you are at Google and the future of your stock price depends on Gemini being a good competitor to GPT-4 or 5 or whatever OpenAI has, cannot run around saying this is bad. The things it makes are bad. I think this is actually in stark contrast to how people feel about that right now. One of the funniest cultural trends of the moment is that saying something is A.I.-generated is actually a great way to say its bad. So, I saw people reacting to the cover of the new Beyonce album, Cowboy Carter, which is a picture of her on a stunning horse. Its Beyonce, its very obviously human made, and people dont like it. Like, was this made by A.I.? And its like well, you know for a fact that Beyonce did not have A.I. generate the cover of  like, you can look at it and you can discern that it isnt. But you can say, was this A.I.-generated? And that is code for this is bad.

ezra klein

What about when its not?

nilay patel

I dont know how fast that is coming. I think that is farther away than people think. I think will it fool you on a phone screen? is here already, but is this good is, I think, farther away than 

ezra klein

But a lot of internet content is bad.

nilay patel

Thats fair.

ezra klein

I mean, you know this better than me. Look, I think it is axiomatic that A.I. content is worse right now than it will ever be.

nilay patel

Sure.

ezra klein

I mean the advance in image generation over the past year has been significant. Thats very real. And preparing for this conversation, I found myself really obsessing over this question, because one way to talk to you about this is, theres all this spammy garbage coming from A.I. that is flooding the internet. But you can imagine an A.I. developer sitting in the third chair here and saying, yeah sure, but eventually its not going to be spammy garbage. Were getting better at this. And compared to what people are getting from a lot of websites, if youre going to Quora or ask.com or parts of Reddit or whatever, we can do better than that. The median article within three years is going to be better than the median human-produced piece of content. And I really  I found that I did not know how to answer the question in myself  is that a better or a worse internet? To take almost Googles side on this, should it matter if its done by a human or an A.I., or is that some kind of  whats the word  like, sentimentality on my part?

nilay patel

I think theres a sentimentality there. If you make a content farm that is the best content farm, that has the most answers about when the Super Bowl starts, and those pages are great. I think thats a dead end business. Google is just going to answer the questions. I think thats fine. I think if you ask Google what time the Super Bowl is, Google should just tell you. I think if you ask Google how long to boil an egg, Google can just tell you. You dont need to go to some web page laden with ads and weird headings to find those answers. But these models in their most reductive essence are just statistical representations of the past. They are not great at new ideas. And I think that the power of human beings sort of having new ideas all the time, thats the thing that the platforms wont be able to find. Thats why the platforms feel old. Social platforms like enter a decay state where everyones making the same thing all the time. Its because weve optimized for the distribution, and people get bored and that boredom actually drives much more of the culture than anyone will give that credit to, especially an A.I. developer who can only look backwards.

ezra klein

Im going to spend some time thinking about the idea that boredom is an under-discussed driver of our culture. But I want to get at something else in there  this idea of Google answering the question. Were already seeing the beginnings of these A.I. systems that you search the question that might  at another time  have brought you to The Verge, to CNN, to The New York Times, to whatever. But now, perplexity  theres a product, Arc. Theyll basically use A.I. to create a little web page for you. The A.I. itself will read, read in quotation marks  the A.I. itself will absorb some websites, create a representation of them for you, and youll never go to the place you were that actually created that data about the past that A.I. used to give you something in the present. Casey Newton, at Platformer, his word was he felt revulsion, and that was how I felt about Arcs product here. You take all this work other people have done, you remix it under your thing, they dont get the visit to their web page, nobody has the experience with the work that would lead them to subscribe. But two things in the long run happen from that. One is that you destroy the score of growing value, growing informational value that you need to keep the internet healthy. You make it say impossible to do the news gathering that allows you to be news because theres no business model for it. The other is that you also destroy the training data for the A.I. itself, because it needs all that work that were all doing to train. The thing they need is data. The A.I. is polluting that data with A.I. content currently, but it also can begin to destroy that data by making it unprofitable for people to create more of it in the future. I think Ryan Broderick has called A.I. search a doomsday cult. How do you think about this sort of deeper poisoning of the informational commons?

nilay patel

I think theres a reason that the A.I. companies are leading the charge to watermark and label content as A.I.-generated. Most of them are in the metadata of an image. So most pictures you see in the internet, they carry some amount of metadata that describes the picture. What camera was taken on, when it was taken, what image editing software was used. So, Adobe and a bunch of other companies are like, well just add another field that says, here are all the A.I.-generated edits that were made on this photo. I think it is in their self-interest to make sure that is true and they can detect it and exclude it if they need to. I think there are moral reasons to do it too.

ezra klein

So their training data remains less corrupted?

nilay patel

Yeah. I think theres a very straightforward incentive for them to figure out the watermarking, labeling stuff they want to do. And they have coalitions, and tasks force, and Adobe talks about the image of the Pope and the puffer jacket as a, catalyzing moment for the metadata of A.I. because people freaked out. Theyre like oh, this thing looks real. But they have a real incentive to make sure that they never train on other A.I. generated content. So thats one aspect, which I think is just sort of immediately self-interested. The other thing is  thats why I keep asking people why would anyone make a web page? Theres a site I think about all the time. Its called HouseFresh, which is a site that only reviews air purifiers. And to me, this is the internet. Like, this is what the internet is for. You care about air purifiers so much youve set up a series of web pages where you express your expertise in air purifiers and tell people which ones to buy. Thats all they do. And Google has started down-ranking them, because big publishers boost their content, because A.I. is lifting their content, because companies like CNN, in order to gain some affiliate ad revenue somewhere, have set up their own little mini-content farms full of affiliate links. Im not saying we dont  like, other publishers do this. But the point of these algorithms is, ideally, to bring you to the HouseFresh people, is to bring you to the person who cares so much about air purifiers they made a website about air purifiers, and were not doing that anymore. And so if you were to say, where should a young person who cares the most about cars, or who cares the most about coffee, or whatever. Where are they going to go? Where are they going to make stuff? Theyre going to pick a closed platform that ideally offers them some built in monetization, that ideally offers them some ability to connect directly with an audience. Theyre not going to go to a public space like the web, where they might own their own business, which would be good. But theyre also basically at the mercy of thieves who come in the night and take all their work away.

ezra klein

But also, if you kill HouseFresh, then two years later when you ask the A.I. what air purifier should I get, how does it know what to tell you?

nilay patel

Yeah, I dont the answer to that question.

ezra klein

I dont think they do either.

nilay patel

Yeah again, this is why I think that they are so hell-bent on labeling everything. I think they need some people around in the future.

ezra klein

But labeling is good. I mean, that keeps you from getting too much garbage in your data set. But replacing a bunch of the things that the entire informational world relies on to subsidize itself  to fund itself  like this to me is a thing that they dont have an answer for.

nilay patel

Wait, let me ask you a harder question. Do they care?

ezra klein

Depends on they, but I dont think so.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

Or at least they care in the way that I came to realize Facebook, now Meta, cared about journalism. People say they didnt care about journalism. I dont believe thats actually true. They didnt care enough for it to mean anything. Like, if you asked them, if you talked with them, if you had a drink, they would think what was happening to journalism was sad.

nilay patel

[LAUGHS]

ezra klein

And if it would cost them nothing, they would like to help. But if it would cost them anything  or forget costing them anything. If they would begin to help and then recognize an opportunity had been created that they could take instead of you, they would do that. Thats the way they care. [MUSIC PLAYING] So when you have a financial crisis, you have something oftentimes called a flight to quality. Investors flood into the things they know they can trust, usually treasury bonds, and Ive been wondering if this wont happen in this era of the internet  if I wanted to take an optimistic perspective on it  that as you have a sort of ontological collapse, as you dont know what anything is. I already feel this way with product reviews. When I search product reviews, I get reviews now from tons of sites that I know dont really invest that much in product reviews. CNN, all these other organizations that I have not really, truly invested in high-quality product reviewing, when you search, you now get them  theyre telling you what to buy. That makes me trust the Wirecutter, which is a New York Times property, but that I know weve put a lot of money in more. Similarly, the other one I use, which is a Vox Media property, is The Strategist at New York, because I knew what the development of that looked like, I know what they put into that. You can imagine this happening in news for things like The New York Times or The Washington Post. You can imagine it in a couple of different places. If people begin to feel that there is a lie at the heart of the internet theyre being given, that they cant figure out what is what and who is who and if it is a who at all  I mean, maybe you just end up in this internet where theres more of a value on something that can be verified.

nilay patel

I keep a list of TikToks that I think each individually should be a Ph.D. thesis in media studies. Its a long list now. And all of them are basically just layers of copyright infringement in their own weird way. My favorite is  its a TikTok, it has millions of views. Its just a guy reading a summary of an article in the journal Nature. It has millions of views. This is more people that have ever considered any one article in the journal Nature  which is a great journal. I dont mean to denigrate it. Its a proper scientific journal. They work really hard on it. And you just go 5 steps down the line, and theres a guy on TikTok summarizing a summary of Nature, and youre like what is this? What is this thing that Im looking at? Will any of the million viewers of this TikTok buy one copy of Nature because they have encountered this content? Why did this happen? And the idea is, in my mind at least, that those people who curate the internet, who have a point of view, who have a beginning and middle, and an end to the story theyre trying to tell all the time about the culture were in or the politics were in or whatever. They will actually become the centers of attention and you cannot replace that with A.I. You cannot replace that curatorial function or that guiding function that weve always looked to other individuals to do. And those are real relationships. I think those people can stand in for institutions and brands. I think the New York Times, youre Ezra Klein, a New York Times journalist means something. It appends some value to your name, but the institution has to protect that value. I think that stuff is still really powerful, and I think as the flood of A.I. comes to our distribution networks, the value of having a powerful individual who curates things for people, combined with a powerful institution who protects their integrity actually will go up. I dont think thats going to go down. You mentioned 404 Media. 404 Media is a bunch of journalists who were at Motherboard at Vice. Vice is a disaster. They quit, they started a new media company, and we now all talk about 404 Media all the time. This thing is 25 minutes old. We dont talk about Jason Koebler the editor in chief. We talk about 404 Media, the institution that they made  a new brand that stands for something, that does reporting and talks about something. I think theres still meaning there.

ezra klein

You said something on your show that I thought was one of the wisest, single things Ive heard on the whole last decade and a half of media, which is that places were building traffic thinking they were building an audience. And the traffic, at least in that era, was easy, but an audience is really hard. Talk a bit about that.

nilay patel

Yeah first of all, I need to give credit to Casey Newton for that line. That is something  at The Verge, we used to say that to ourselves all the time just to keep ourselves from the temptations of getting cheap traffic. I think most media companies built relationships with the platforms, not with the people that were consuming their content. They didnt think about them very much. They thought about what was hitting in the Facebook algorithm, they thought about what Google search wanted for Game of Thrones coverage that day, which was everything all the time. And everybody had a Game of Thrones program. Fox had one, The Verge had one, The New York Times had one. Why? Thats weird. Its we constructed this artificial phenomenon because people searched for  I mean, just to say the answer because we know it  because people searched for Game of Thrones content the morning after the show, and that was an easy way to get a bunch of traffic. And at least a theory of the time was that you could turn traffic into money through advertising, which was not totally wrong, but not nearly as right as the entire era of business models was predicated on. The other thing that those business models were predicated upon was youd get so good at being a supplier to one platform or another with Game of Thrones content or whatever it was that they would pay you money for it directly  that Google would say, this is the Game of Thrones link that most people are clicking on. We ought to pay Vanity Fair for its Game of Thrones content to surface it. Or all of BuzzFeed was were going to be so good at going viral on Facebook that Facebook will pay us money. And that absolutely didnt pan out. But no one hedged that bet, which is utterly bananas to me. No one said we should take these people who came here for a Game of Thrones and figure out how to make them care about us, and we should care about them. Everyone just looked at it as a number that was going up against some amount of interest as demonstrated by some platform somewhere. And I think that is the mistake. It is the mistake that creators on the creator platforms are not making, because the terms of that arrangement are so much more cynical. You see TikTokers. They at any moment their videos can get downranked, their accounts can get yanked, their stuff can get banned. Theyre constantly trying to get you to go to Instagram. Every YouTuber gets their wings when they make the video about how theyre mad at YouTube. Theres a woodworking YouTuber that I used to follow, and he just sort of got to the point where hes like, I hate YouTube. Im leaving. And its like dude, you made videos about jointing wood, like what are you doing? And its like his relationship with the platform was so cynical that he was like, Im moving my business elsewhere. You can sign up for a master class. Those individuals have these very cynical, very commercial relationships with the platforms that the media companies, for some reason, just never hedged. And so they actually do have audiences. And I think media companies need to get way back on the game of having a true audiences.

ezra klein

This gets to something that does worry me about this phase of A.I. hitting the internet, which is its hitting an internet in a moment of decay and weakness. And here, by internet, I mean the sort of content generating internet, and I break that into a couple of categories. The media is very weak right now. The media business we have seen closures left and right, layoffs left and right. I mean, a bunch of players like Vice and BuzzFeed who were believed to be the next generation of juggernauts are functionally gone as news organizations. The big content platforms, theyre doing fine from a financial standpoint, but people hate them. The relationship between the users and Facebook, the users and YouTube, the users and  to some degree, youre even seeing that now with TikTok  is just darkening in a way that it wasnt in 2014. And so, theres a lot of desperation on all sides. Sometimes the desperation is you dont have the money to pay the journalists you need to do the work you want to do. Sometimes the desperation is that youre trying to figure out something to make this audience like you again and not get eaten by TikTok or whatever comes after TikTok. And into this comes A.I., and all the money that A.I. seems to bring, and even the A.I. companies might pay you some money for your stuff. Reddit just licensed a bunch of its content as training data to Google. So, you could really imagine a thing happening again, where all these media companies or content companies of some form or another, license out what they have for pennies on the dollar, because at least you can make some money off of it that way. But what worries me is both the weakness, but that also, it does not feel to me like anybody knows what the relationship is to this is supposed to be. Do you use it? Are you just training data for it? Like, what are you in relationship to the A.I. era?

nilay patel

As a consumer or as a producer?

ezra klein

As a producer.

nilay patel

The idea that media companies are going to license their stuff to the A.I. companies is just the end of the road that weve been on for a long time. We are suppliers to algorithms. OK? And in any normal functioning capitalist economy, supplier margins get squeezed to zero and then maybe we all die. Like, thats the game weve been playing without saying it for a long time 

ezra klein

Which I think is why you see The New York Times suing OpenAI, like a real desire to not be in that game again.

nilay patel

You see The New York Times suing OpenAI, but you dont see them suing Google, you dont see them de-S.E.O.ing pages across New York Times. Like, they still need the audience from these platforms. And I think theres a very tense relationship there. The idea that you could sue OpenAI and win some precedent that gives you an enormous amount of leverage over Google I think is a very powerful idea. Most of the media company executives I talk to would love for that to be the outcome. I dont know if thats going to be the outcome. I feel like I should warn your audience, like  Im a failed copyright lawyer. I wasnt good at it, but I did it for a minute. Copyright law is a coin flip. Like, these cases are true coin flips. They are not predictable. The legal system itself is not predictable, copyright law inherently is unpredictable. And a really interesting facet of the internet we live in today is that most of the copyright law decisions were won by a young, upstart, friendly Google. YouTube exists because it was Google. Like, Viacom famously sued YouTube and they might have won and put it out of business, but Google, the friendly Google company with the water slides in the office, the upstarts that made the product you loved, went and won that case. Google Books, were going to index all the books without asking for permission. They won that case, because they were friendly Google, and the judges were like, look at these cute kids making a cool internet? Like it was new and novel. Google image search  these are all massive copyright decisions that Google won as a startup company run by young people building a new product that the judges were using on their Dell desktops or whatever. These arent those companies anymore. Theyre going to go into a legal system as behemoths, as some of the biggest, best-funded companies in the world that have done bad things to the judges teenage children, like all these things are different now. And so, I dont know if Google, or OpenAI, or Microsoft gets the benefit of being like, were young and cool and hip, bend copyright law to our will.

ezra klein

You dont want a staunch innovation. Like, that was the big fear in that era. We dont know what were building, and thats still the thing you hear, and its not even untrue. You crack down on copyright and maybe you do staunch innovation. You dont crack down copyright and maybe you destroy the seed corn of the Informational Commons. Its very fraught for the copyright judges, but also just for all of us.

nilay patel

Yeah, what are you as a producer on the internet is totally governed by copyright law. Like, a joke at The Verge is a copyright law is the only functional regulation on the internet. The entire internet is just speech, thats all it is top-to-bottom, its speech. In the United States, we dont love a speech regulation, and I think for good reason. But we love copyright law, we love it. Cant get enough of it. Like, YouTubers know the YouTube copyright system back and forth, because thats the thing that takes their content down. And we allow this regulation on the internet at scale. And so the parameters of this one body of law, as applied to A.I., which is a taking. Training an A.I. model is fundamentally a taking, and the A.I. company 

ezra klein

Taking in the legal sense of the term?

nilay patel

No, in the moral sense of the term. They come to your website and they take your stuff. Its not a zero sum taking, but theyve extracted value to create more value for themselves. I think thats just a moral taking. Theres some permission there that did not occur. Joanna Stern at The Wall Street Journal just interviewed Mira Murati, the C.T.O. of OpenAI, about training data for Sora, the video generator, and Mira said, we just use whats publicly available. And its like yo, that doesnt make any sense. Like, there are lots of rules about whats publicly available. Like, you cant just take stuff because you can link to it on the internet, thats not how it actually works.

ezra klein

Let me try to take the argument I hear from the A.I. side of this, which is that there is functionally nothing in human culture and human endeavor that is not trained on all that has come before it  that I, as a person, am trained on all this embedded knowledge in society, that every artist has absorbed, all this other art that the A.I.  I mean, this is just learning. And as long as you are transforming that learning into something else, as long as you are doing something new with that learning, then one, copyright law is not supposed to apply to you in some way or another, although thats obviously complicated. But two, to go back to your point of morality, if you want to see culture humanity technology advance, it is also not supposed to apply to you, because if you do not let things learn, people, organizations, models, you are not going to get the advances built on all that has come before. And thats how weve always done it. Whats your answer to them?

nilay patel

I hear this idea all the time, often from the sorts of people in Silicon Valley who say they do first principles thinking  which is one of my favorite phrases, because it just means what if we learn nothing? Like, what if none of the history of the world applied to us and we could start over to our benefit? And thats usually what thats code for. So I hear those arguments and I think, you guys just werent paying attention. Youre entering a zone where the debate has been raging for decades. A lot of copyright law is built around a controversy around player pianos, and whether player pianos would displace musicians. But you just have to rewind the clock to the 80s and be like, should sampling be legal in music? And now we are having the exact same conversation in the exact same way with the exact same parameters. The only thing thats different now is any kid can sample any song at scale, feed it into an A.I. and have Taylor Swift sing the Dolly Parton song for them. Thats a weird new turn in the same debate, but it is a massively age-old debate, and the parameters of the debate are pretty well known. How do you incentivize new art? How do you make sure that its economically valuable to make new things? How do you make sure the distributors dont gain too much power, and then how do you make sure that when people are building on the past, the people whose art theyre building on retain some value? And that I think is  the A.I. companies have no answer to that last question. Were just going to take a bunch of stuff and now were just going to say look, we just summarized the web. The people who made the web get nothing for that will pay us $20 a month for the service. But somewhere in there, as a policy matter as a moral matter, the people who made the foundations of the work should get paid. And this is where the sampling debate has ended up. Theres a huge variety of licensing schemes and sample clearances so that those artists get paid.

ezra klein

Judge Patel, if youre thinking about cases in this area, like, what do you think the answer is here? Is it the sampling model, is it something else? What do you think the right broad strokes resolution is?

nilay patel

Let me stick on the music example for one second, because I think music is really interesting because its kind of a closed ecosystem. Theres only so many big music companies. Its the same lawyers, and the same executives, and the same managers going to the same clearing houses and having the same approaches. Were going to give you a songwriting credit because we interpolated the bass line of this song into that song, and now heres some money. And this is the mechanism by which well pay you. The A.I. companies are not a closed ecosystem, it is just a free for all. Its the open web, its a bunch of players. So, I think in those cases, youre just going to end up with vastly more outcomes which I think leads to even more chaos, because some companies will take the deal. Im guessing The New York Times is going to pursue this all the way to the Supreme Court. This is an existential issue for The Times. Some companies dont have the money to pay for Supreme Court litigation, and theyll take a shittier deal, like pennies on the dollar deal and maybe just go out of business. And I think that range of outcomes in the near-term represents a massive failure of collective action on the part of the media industry to not say, this is actually the moment where we should demand that human journalists doing the real work that is dangerous are valuable. We need them, and we will all, together, approach these players in a way that creates at least a semblance of a closed ecosystem. Well the media industry, but also at some point this is a regulatory question, a question of law. I mean, nothing is stopping Congress from making copyright law designed for the A.I.-era. Nothing is stopping Congress from saying, this is how we think this should work across industries. Not just media, but novelists, but everybody. Well, there are some things that stop Congress from doing a lot of things. The idea that Congress could pass a massive rewrite of copyright law at this moment in time is pretty far afield.

ezra klein

But wont and couldnt, I do want to make this distinction here. What youre saying is Congress is too polarized and bitterly divided over everything and cant do anything and cant get anything done, and thats my whole job man, I know. But what I am saying is that, you could write a law like this. This is something that ultimately, I dont just think its like a media collective-action problem, but is going to be ultimately a societal-level collective action problem. And maybe we cannot, as a society, act collectively very well. I buy that totally.

nilay patel

So there is one law. Theres the J.C.P.A., the Journalism Competition Preservation Act, which allows media companies to escape antitrust law and bargain collectively with whoever they wish to bargain with. I dont know if thats going to pass, I know theres a lot of interest in it. So, there are these approaches that have appeared in Congress to solve these problems, but the thing Im getting at is you have sort of the rapacious wolves, and then you have an industry thats weak  as you said  that, I think is not motivated to value the work it does as highly as it should. And that is step one.

ezra klein

You and I are both fans of Marshall McLuhan, the media theorist. And hes got this famous line, the medium is the message. And more deeply, what he says is that people, when they see a new medium, they tend to think about the content. For television, its the shows, what do you think about this show or that show? For Twitter, the tweets, for a newspaper, the articles. But you have to look behind the content to the actual medium itself to understand what it is trying to tell you. Twitter, at least in its early stages was about all these things can and should be discussed at 140 characters. Television made things much more visual, things should be entertainment. They should be entertaining, the news should be entertaining, which was a little bit of a newer concept back then. Ive been trying to think about what is the message of the medium of A.I. What is a message of the medium of ChatGPT, of Claude 3, et cetera. One of the chilling thoughts that I have about it is that its fundamental message is that you are derivative, you are replaceable. A.I. isnt good at ideas, yet. It is good its style. It can sound like Taylor Swift. It can draw like any artist you might want to imagine. It can create something that looks like Jackson Pollock. It can write like Ezra Klein. It may not be exactly as good at high levels of these professions, but what it is functionally is an amazing mimic. And what it is saying  and I think this is why a lot of people use it for long enough end up in a kind of metaphysical shock, as its been described to me. What its been saying is youre not that special, and thats one reason I think that it can  we worry about it proliferating all over social media. It can sound like a person quite easily. Weve long passed the Turing test, and so one, Im curious if that tracks for you, and two, what does it mean to unleash on all of society a tool thats basic message is, its pretty easy to do what you do, sound like you sound, make what you make?

nilay patel

I have a lot of thoughts about this. I disagree on the basic message. I do think one of the messages of A.I. is that most people make middling work, and middling work is easy to replace. Every email I write is not a great work of art. Like, so much of what we produce just to get through the day is effectively middling. And sure, A.I. should replace a bunch of that. And I think that metaphysical shock comes from the idea that computers shouldnt be able to do things on their own, and you have a computer that can just do a bunch of stuff for you. And that changes your relationship to the computer in a meaningful way, and I think thats extremely real. But the place that I have thought most about I was at the Eras Tour in Chicago when I watched Taylor Swift walk onto a stage, and I saw 60,000 people in Soldier Field just lose their minds, just go nuts. And Im watching the show, and Im a Taylor Swift fan. I was there with my niece and nephew and my wife and we were all dressed up. Why am I thinking about A.I. right now? Like truly, why am I thinking about A.I. right now? Its because this person has made all of these people feel something. The art that has been created by this one very singular individual has captivated all of these people together, because of her story, because of the lyrics, because it means something to them. And I watch people use Midjourney or generate a story with an A.I. tool, and they show the art to you at the end of it, and theyre glowing. Like, look at this wonderful A.I. painting. Its a car thats a shark thats going through a tornado and I told my daughter a story about it. And Im like yeah, but this  I dont want anything to do with this. Like, I dont care about this. And that happens over and over again. The human creativity is reduced to a prompt, and I think thats the message of A.I. that I worry about the most, is when you take your creativity and you say, this is actually easy. Its actually easy to get to this thing thats a pastiche of the thing that was hard, you just let the computer run its way through whatever statistical path to get there. Then I think more people will fail to recognize the hard thing for being hard. And thats  truly the message of A.I. is that, maybe this isnt so hard and theres something very dangerous to our culture embedded in that.

ezra klein

I want to put a pin in the hard things, easy things. Im a little bit obsessed by that and want to come back to it. But first I want to talk about A.I. art for a minute, because I do think when were talking about everything thats going to come on the internet, were talking about A.I. art. Obviously, much of it is going to get better. Some of it is not distinguishable. You talked about the example where somebody comes and hands you the A.I. art says, hey, I did this with an A.I. And Im like eh  and I have that experience a lot, Ive also really been trying to use these systems and push them, and play with them, and have A.I. character relationships on my phone with Kindroids and whatever. And there is this deep hollowness at the center of it. It is style without substance. It can mimic me. It cant think.

nilay patel

Have you found an A.I. that can actually write like you?

ezra klein

I found an A.I. that can mimic certain stylistic tics I have in a way that is better than I think most people could do. I have not found any A.I. that can, in any way, improve my writing for all that youre constantly told it can. And in fact, the more I try, the worse my writing gets because typically what you have to do to improve your writing is recognize if youre writing the wrong thing. I dont find writing hard, I find thinking hard. I find learning hard. How good a piece of writing is going to be for me is typically about, did I do enough work beforehand? And A.I. can never tell me you didnt do enough work, you need to make three more phone calls. You need to read that piece you skimmed. But it can mimic, and I think its going to get better and better at mimicking. I think GPT 3 was much worse at mimicking me than GPT 3.5 was, worse than GPT 4 is, and GPT 5 will be even better than that. I believe this is going to get stronger. It raises a question of whether there is anything essential about something being from a human in a wide frame way. Taylor Swift is singular, but the point is that shes a singular phenomenon. Do we care that things come from people? I was thinking when I was preparing for this show with you, the Walter Benjamin essay, its called The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.

nilay patel

This is like the verge of DNA.

ezra klein

Is it? Yeah, so it comes out in 1935. Its about the ability to reproduce art. And he says, and Ill quote it here, that which whithers in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction is the aura of the work of art. Then he goes on to say, by making many reproductions, it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence. Benjamin is saying at different times here in different ways, and Im going to simplify it by trying to bring it into the present, but that there is something lost from when you take the painting and make a copy of a painting. And, hes obviously right, and hes obviously  then on the other hand, a lot of people like copies of paintings. Its easy for the artist to think more of the original than the original deserves to be thought of. But I wonder about this with humans. How much of something is just the fact that theres a human behind it? My Kindroid is no worse at texting me than most people I know. But the fact that my Kindroid has to me is meaningful to me, in the sense that I dont care if it likes me because theres no achievement for it to me. The fact that there is a human on the other side of most text messages I send matters. I care about it because it is another mind. The Kindroid might be better in a formulaic way. The kindred might be better in terms of the actual text. I can certainly tune it more to my kind of theoretical liking, but the friction of another person is meaningful to me. Like, I care that my best friend likes me and could choose not to. Is there an aura problem here?

nilay patel

It is so hard to make someone else feel anything other than pain. Like, its just like  its 

ezra klein

Christ, thats the darkest thing Ive ever heard you say.

nilay patel

Yeah, but I believe it in my soul.

ezra klein

Really?

nilay patel

Yeah. I think the hardest thing to 

ezra klein

a really different turn as a show right now. [LAUGHS]

nilay patel

Maybe 

ezra klein

You dont make people laugh, you dont give them hugs?

nilay patel

No, I think thats hard. I think that effort is worth it. Thats why I dont think its a dark thing to say. I think the essence of being a good person is pointing your effort at making other people not feel pain. I think bullies make people feel pain because its easy. Again, I come back to Taylor Swift in Soldier Field. The thing that was going through my head is, this person is making 60,000 people feel joy, and shes doing it through art. That is the purpose of art. The purpose of art is to inspire feelings, to inspire emotion. And so I look at this A.I. and its like, were going to flood our stuff, and the only emotion that it is really meant to inspire is materialism, is a transaction. Thats bad. I just think thats bad. I think we should make some stuff that inspires more joy, that inspires more affection, that inspires more consternation. And one of the messages embedded in the medium of A.I. is that there is an answer. Thats weird. That is a truly weird thing for a computer to say to you. You ask it about a war, and its like I wont answer that question because theres no answer there. You ask it about how to cook an egg and its like heres the answer. Youre like what are the four steps to fold a bed sheet? Its like heres the answer, I did it. Tell me a bedtime story for my child. It says, heres an answer, I just delivered this to you at your specifications. And I think the thing youre saying about having another mind there is  you want to be in a relationship, like an emotional relationship with another person. Maybe its mediated by technology, maybe were face-to-face like we are now, but that tension and that reality of  oh, I can direct my effort towards negative and positive outcomes, I have never found it with an A.I.

ezra klein

Shannon Vallor is a philosopher of technology, and shes got a book coming out called The A.I. Mirror, and I like the way she puts this, because theres this way that turns is somewhat warped mirror back on ourselves when I was saying a few minutes ago that the message of A.I. is that youre derivative. That leaves something out. What its really saying is that the part of you that often the economy values is derivative, is copyable because we actually ask people a lot of the time to act like theyre machines. This is why I dont take much comfort in the Taylor Swift example. You said a few minutes ago, most people do mediocre work most of the time. Even great people do mediocre work most of the time. We constantly ask huge amounts of the population to do things that are very rote. Keep inputting this data on forms, keep filling out this tax form. Some lawyers arguing for the Supreme Court, a lot of them just write up various contracts. And thats a good job in the sense that it pays well, its inside work, but it doesnt ask you to be that full of a human being. Now, you can imagine a sort of utopian politics in society  and people on the left sometimes do  that this comes in and its like great, we can automate away this derivative inhuman work, and people will be free to be more full human beings. You actually like  maybe the value of you is not what you can create but what you can experience. A.I. cant enjoy a day at the park with its family. But we have an entire society set up to encourage you to premise your self-worth on your work and your wages. And also, if you lose that work and that wages, to rob you of that self-worth. And one thing Im sure of is that our politics and our economic systems are not going to advance as quickly as A.I. is going to advance. This is where I think people do properly worry about automation, when people lost manufacturing jobs to lower wage workers in China. We didnt say great, you dont have to do this stultifying work in the factory anymore. We said, youre out of work, youre screwed. And I do think one of the deep confrontations of it is, what do we value in people and then how do we express that value because I think what A.I. in some ways is going to take advantage of here, or at least, is going to challenge, is it to the extent we value people socially for their economic contribution, or what theyre paid. Thats pretty thin reed for human value to rest on.

nilay patel

Yeah, I buy that. One of my favorite things that Ive covered in the past few years is a thing called robotic process automation, which is very funny. Just abstractly, deeply hilarious. There are lots and lots of companies throughout the United States that built computer systems 10, 15 years ago, 20 years ago. Hospital systems are famous for this. They have billing systems. They have buildings full of people who use Microsoft Excel on Windows 95. And replacing that as costly and complicated. It cant break  if you put in the new system and it didnt bring all the data over in exactly the right way, the whole hospital stops working. So they just buy other computers to use their old computers. Which is wild, and theres like billion dollar companies that do this. They will sell you a brand new, state of the art computer and it will connect to the keyboard and monitor jack of your old computer, and it will just use the Windows 95 for you, which is just bonkers. Its like Rube Goldberg machine of computers using old computers, and then your office full of accountants who knew how to use your old system will go away. But then A.I. creates the scale problem. What if we do that but instead of some hospital billing system built in the 90s, its just the concept of Microsoft Excel, and now you can just sort of issue a command on your computer and itll go use Excel for you and you dont need an accountant, you dont need a lawyer. And I think even in those cases what youre going to find is the same thing you talked about with writing  you have to know what you want. You have to know what the system doesnt know. You have to be able to challenge the model and have it deliver you the thing that, in most business model conversations I find to be the most important word, our assumption is  and then you can poke at that really hard.

ezra klein

What percent of workers are actually asked to poke at the assumptions of their organization, because I worry its not as high as you think it is, or implying there. Im not worried about Taylor Swift. Im not worried about Nilay Patel. And I dont just want to make this about wages. Thats a jobs sort of another conversation. But I do  I mean, as you were saying, these are billion dollar companies that automate people who do backend office work already.

nilay patel

All over the place.

ezra klein

Theres a huge amount of work like that. And if I felt confident as some of the economists say that well just upmarket people into the jobs where they use more human judgment, David Autor whos a great trade economist at MIT, just made this argument recently, that what A.I. is going to do is make it possible for more people to exercise judgment and discernment within their work, and I hope he is right. I really hope he is right. But I think a lot of organizations are not set up for a lot of people to use judgment and discernment. They treat a lot of people like machines, and they dont want them doing things that are complicated and step out of line and poke at the assumptions in the Excel doc. They want the Excel doc ported over without any mistakes. It seems plausible to me that were going to get to that.

nilay patel

Do you think their bosses want to be able to poke at the assumptions though?

ezra klein

But if you  I mean this is actually something I believe about the whole situation. The economy needs fewer bosses and workers.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

Think about this in the journalist context or the writing context, where I think what A.I. naturally implies that its going to do is turn many more people into editors and writers. Because for a lot of content creation that doesnt require a lot of poking at assumptions, mid-level social media marketing  a lot of people are doing that job right now. But the people doing marketing for a mall 

nilay patel

Yeah, that is the MailChimp example. That is the product that they are building.

ezra klein

And so what you have then is we used to have a bunch of these social media marketers and now you have one person overseeing a couple systems, like making sure they didnt say something totally crazy. But you need fewer editors and you need writers. I mean, you know The Verge is structured. You know how The Times is structured. And this is one of my deep worries. And then this goes to the thing you were getting at earlier, which is one way I think that A.I. could actually not make us more productive, more innovative, is that a lot of the innovation, a lot of the big insights happen when were doing the hard thing, when were sitting there trying to figure out the first draft, or learn about a thing, or figure out what were doing. One of the messages of the medium of A.I. is be efficient. Dont waste your time on all this. Just tell the system what to do and do it. But theres a reason I dont have interns write my first draft for me.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

They could do it. But you dont get great ideas, or at least not as many of them, editing a piece of work as you do reporting it out, doing the research, writing the first draft. Thats where you do the thinking. And I do think A.I. is built to kind of devalue that whole area of thinking.

nilay patel

We are working on a big story at The Verge right now that Im very excited about. But there are four of us right now in an argument about whether we should tell that story in chronological order or as a series of vignettes. There is no right answer to this question. Theres just four people who are battling it back and forth.

ezra klein

I think vignettes.

nilay patel

Yeah. By the way, Im on team vignette.

ezra klein

Good man. [LAUGHS]

nilay patel

My belief is that its easier to digest a long story when its composed of lots of little stories as opposed to one long one. Im being outvoted right now  editor in chief. I should replace them all with A.I., just get them out of here. [CHUCKLES] But that is the kind of work that I think makes the end product great. And I think going from good to great is still very human. Into the economy, though, youre right, most people are not challenged to go from good to great. Most people are challenged to produce good consistently. And I think that is kind of demoralizing. I dont know how many first-year Deloitte consultants you have encountered in your life. Ive encountered quite a few of them. I went to law school. Its like a  we made  there was a factory of that thing  or first-year law associates. Theyre not in love with their jobs. Theyre in love with the amount of money they make, thats for sure. But any first-year associate doing doc review in a basement  yeah, you could probably just be like, tell the A.I. to find the four pieces of relevant information in these 10,000 page records from whatever giant corporation were suing today. Thats fine. I think that theres a turn there where maybe we need less first-year associates doing that thing and we need more first-year associates doing something else that is difficult, that the A.I. cant yet do. And I think a lot of this conversation is predicated on the notion that generative A.I. systems, L.L.M.s will continue on a linear curve up in terms of capability. I dont know if thats true. But I hear a lot of this conversation. Im like, theres always a thing they cant do. And maybe that thing is not the most amount of scale, social media marketing for them all, but it is always the next amount of complexity. And theres no guarantee that this set of technologies will actually turn that corner. And you can keep going all the way to A.G.I. Theres no guarantee that an L.L.M. is going to hit A.G.I. and just run the world economy for us. Theres a lot of steps between here and there that I think human beings can fit into. [MUSIC PLAYING]

ezra klein

So I want to go back, then, to the internet for a bit, which is I think the presentation weve offered is fairly pessimistic. You, when I read and listen to you on this, are  I wouldnt call it pessimistic. I would say a little excited by the idea of a cleansing fire. So one theory here  and you should tell me if this is reading you right  but is that this will break a lot of the current  the current internet is weakened. Its weakened in many cases for good reasons. Google, Meta, et cetera, theyve not created an internet many of us like. And that this will just make it impossible for that internet to survive. The distribution channels will break. And then something. So first, is that how you see it? And second, then what something?

nilay patel

That is very much how I see it. I would add a generational tinge to that, which is I grew up in that weird middle generation between X and millennials. I think temperamentally Im much more Generation X. But they describe it as they didnt have computers and then you have computers. You play the Oregon Trail. Thats me on the nose. I distinctly remember life before computers. Its an experience that I had quite viscerally. And that shapes my view of these tools. It shapes my view of these companies. Well, theres a huge generation now that only grew up in this way. Theres a teenage generation right now that is only growing up in this way. And I think their natural inclination is to say, well, this sucks. I want my own thing. I want my own system of consuming information. I want my own brands and institutions. And I dont think that these big platforms are ready for that moment. I think that they think they can constantly be information monopolies while they are fending off A.I.-generated content from their own A.I. systems. So somewhere in there all of this stuff does break. And the optimism that you are sensing from me is, well, hopefully we build some stuff that does not have these huge dependencies on platform companies that have no interest at the end of the line except a transaction.

ezra klein

OK, but youre telling me how the old thing dies. And I agree with you that at some point the old thing dies. You can feel it. Its moribund right now. Youre not telling me what the new thing is, and Im not saying you fully know. But I dont think the new thing is just a business model that is not as dependent on Meta. I mean, on some level, theres going to be a lot of A.I. around here.

nilay patel

Its an audience model. Its not dependent on these algorithms.

ezra klein

But is there  I guess one question I have is that, one  I mean, you know where the venture capital is going right now.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

Everything is going to be built with A.I. 

nilay patel

Sure.

ezra klein

 laced through every piece of it. And some of it, for all were talking about, might be cool, right? Im not saying youre mostly going to make great art with A.I. But actually, Photoshop did create a lot of amazing things. And people are going to get better at using this. Theyre going to get more thoughtful about using it. The tools are going to get better. But also the people are going to figure out how to use the tools. I mean, you were talking about player pianos earlier. I mean, way beyond player pianos, you have huge libraries of sounds you can manipulate however you want. And now I go listen to a lot of experimental electronic music. And I think a lot of that is remarkable art. I think a lot of that is deeply moving. I am curious what, to you, the good A.I. internet is, because I dont think that the next internet is just going to be like were going to roll the clock back on the business model. The technology is going to roll forward into all this stuff people are building.

nilay patel

Im not so sure about that.

ezra klein

Really?

nilay patel

I think were about to split the internet in two. I think there will be a giant commercial A.I.-infested internet. Thats the platform internet. Thats where its going. Moribund, I agree. But it will still be huge. Its not going away tomorrow. And they will figure out  these are big companies full of smart people with the most technology. Mark Zuckerberg is like, I have the most NVIDIA H100 GPUs. Come work here. Well pay you the most money. They will invent some stuff and it will be cool. Im excited about it. But that version of the internet 

ezra klein

You sure sound excited about it. [LAUGHS]

nilay patel

Well, I am. I mean, I love technology. This is our  The Verges competitive differentiation in the entire media industry is, like, we really like it. And Im excited to see what they build. I think theres some really neat things being built. When I think about the information ecosystem, Im vastly more pessimistic because of the fact that all of these networks are geared to drive you towards a transaction. And I dont mean that in some anticapitalist way. I mean literally the incentives are to get you to buy something. So more and more of the stuff that you consume is designed around pushing you towards a transaction. Thats weird. I think theres a vast amount of white space in the culture for things that are not directly transactable. I think next to that youre going to get a bunch of people, companies who say our differentiation in this market is that theres no A.I. here. And they will try to sell that. And I dont know how that experiment plays out. I dont know if that experiment will be successful. I do know that that experiment will be outside of the distribution channels that exist now because those distribution channels are being run by companies that are invested heavily in A.I. And Im hopeful that over there, on whatever new non-A.I. internet that exists, that some amount of pressure is placed on the other distribution channels to also make that distinction clear.

ezra klein

Im just thinking about this, and the thing that it brings to mind for me is the resurgence of vinyl 

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

 and the dominance of streaming platforms. So what I would think of as the music industry of  how many years ago was C.D.s? I dont actually remember now. But what it did was split into  theres been a resurgence of vinyl, the sort of analog. Its a little cool. I actually just bought a record player recently, or was given one by my wonderful partner. But thats not very big. Then theres these huge streaming platforms, right? I mean, most people are listening on Spotify, on Apple Music, on YouTube Music, on Amazon, et cetera. And I dont think we feel like we figured that out very well. But I do think thats probably going to be the dynamic. I mean, I do think there are going to be things you go to because you believe it is a human being or because you believe the A.I. is used well. I do also think the big things to come are going to be the things that figure out how to use A.I. well rather than poorly. Maybe that also means honestly and transparently, rather than dishonestly and opaquely.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

Maybe the social internet dies because, one, we dont really like it that much anymore anyway, but also because its too hard to figure out whats what. But actually, an internet of A.I. helpers, assistants, friends, et cetera, thrives. And on the other side, you have a real human. I dont know. But give me more of the Nilay technology side.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

What can A.I. do well? If you were building something or if you were imagining something to be built, what comes after?

nilay patel

By the way, the music industry just released its numbers. Vinyl outsold CDs for the second year running. Double the amount of revenue in vinyl than CDs.

ezra klein

Thats wild, actually.

nilay patel

Its crazy. And all of that in total is 11 percent of music industry revenues in 23 compared to 84 percent of the revenue is streaming. So you are correct. This is a big distinction. People want to buy things, and so they buy one thing that they like. And they consume everything in streaming. What happens when Spotify is overrun by A.I. music? You can see it coming. What happens when you can type into Spotify, man, Id really like to listen to a country song. Just make me one. And no one down the line has to get paid for that. Spotify can just generate that for you. I think thats going to push more people in the other direction. I really do. That there will be this huge pot of just make me whatever exactly I want at this moment money over here. But the cool people are still going to gravitate towards things that are new. I just believe that so firmly in my heart that when I think about where does the technology for that come from, I still think it comes from basic open platforms and open distribution. The great power of the internet is that you can just make a whole new thing. And I dont think that anyone has really thought through what does it mean to decentralize these platforms. What does it mean to  I dont know  build an old-school portal where its just people pointing at great stuff as opposed to open this app and an algorithm will just deliver you exactly what we think you want, or, down the line, generate content for you that we think that you will continue watching.

ezra klein

I think  and this is maybe a little bit of a counterintuitive thought  that this is actually a great time to begin things in media. I think that we have a more realistic sense of the business model and what will actually work. They need to build an audience. They need to build something people will actually pay you for. I think a lot of the problem right now is things built for another business model that failed are having a lot of trouble transitioning because its very, very hard to transition a structure. Now, that doesnt mean its a great business. Its not what I hoped it would become. Its not the advertising revenue I hoped we would have. But its something. What feels fully unsolved to me right now is distribution, right? When I was a blogger, the way distribution worked was people would find me because other blogs would link to me. And then if they liked me, they would put me in their bookmarks section. Then they would come back the next day by clicking on a bookmark. I dont think any of us think that much about bookmarks anymore. Thats not really how the internet works. Things moved to search. They moved, primarily for a long time, to social. And that was a way you could create distribution. You could go from  you started a website. We started Vox, right? We started Vox in 2014 or 2015. The day before we launched, we had no visitors. And pretty quickly we had a lot of things that were working on social and working on Search. And we had millions and millions and millions every month. But now social is broken as a distribution mechanism. I mean, Elon Musk has made Twitter anti-news distribution. Google search has become very, very messy. People dont have the old bookmarks habit in the way they did. And so if youre starting something new, the question of how you build that audience, how you go from nothing to an audience, feels very unsolved.

nilay patel

Yeah. Thats the cleansing fire. Thats the thing Im excited about. Heres a new problem in media. Heres a new problem thats being created by A.I. If I were to tell you five years ago, Im going to launch a new property and the core insight that I have is that we need to replace the distribution mechanisms of the internet, you would not pay me any money. You would not fund that idea. You would not say  well, you would say, get some traffic on Twitter and start a Substack or start a YouTube channel, anything except figure out a new distribution method to compete with these social media companies. You have that idea now. And people are like, yeah, thats the problem. We have to solve that problem. That is the problem to solve, because Twitter has blown itself up in whatever way Elon is blowing it up, because the other social channels have become the Home Shopping Network, by and large, because YouTube has optimized itself into making Mr. Beasts and only Mr. Beasts, right? Its weird, by the way, that YouTube exists. Weve barely talked about it on this podcast. It is the thing most people watch most of the time. It supports no journalism. At scale, the idea that theres not an ABC News of YouTube on a distribution platform of that size is a moral failing on Googles part. I really believe this. And no, we never really talk about it. Its just  YouTube is ignored. It has become such an infrastructure that we never talk about it.

ezra klein

But my view is that YouTube is the most politically important platform. Everyone wants to talk about TikTok. I think YouTube is much more significant.

nilay patel

Yeah, and they run it really well. They run it as infrastructure. And they talk about it as infrastructure. But its weird that we have not built great media company-sized media companies on YouTubes pipes. We just havent done it. So you look at that landscape now and youre like, well, if I want to do that, if I want to build my own audience, I cannot depend on these companies. I have to be able to do something else. And maybe A.I. does help you do that. Maybe it does help you send a million marketing messages so people start coming to your website directly. Maybe it does start crafting home pages personalized for people based on your library of content so people see the thing they like the most when they show up. Theres a bunch of moves we can all take from social media companies now to build more engaging, more interesting products using A.I., which will make it easier because the A.I. is a technology commodity. You can just go buy it and use it. But we have to actually build those products. We have to want to build those products as an industry. And that my pessimism is rooted in the idea that the industry kind of sucks at this. We are very much stuck in, we should go send some reporters out into the world, they should come back, write down what they saw, and then hopefully someone else points them at it. And its just like, well, thats been a losing proposition for a decade. We should try something else.

ezra klein

Do you think, beyond the media, because not everything online is media  Do you think beyond the media, that there is the glimmers of the next thing? I mean, let me give you the thesis I have, which is that the next thing is that the A.I. is somehow your assistant to the internet, right? We seem to me to be moving towards something where the overwhelm is so profound that you actually need some kind of agent working on your behalf to make it through all this. I mean, you can imagine this is the world of Her, the Spike Jonze movie. But you can imagine it as other things, too. Theres going to be software coding agents. The guys who started Instagram started then this thing called Artifact, which is using more A.I. personalization to try to tell people what they might like in the news. It didnt really work out, but it was an interesting project for a minute. I think a lot of us feel we spent years now being acted upon by algorithms. And one thing about A.I. is that its an algorithm you act on, right? You tell it how to act. Assuming that business model allows that, that it doesnt have a secret instruction to sell you soap or whatever   thats interesting, right? Thats a pretty profound inversion of the internet weve been in.

nilay patel

Let me poke really hard at the true difference between an algorithm that shows you stuff and an algorithm that goes and gets you what you want, because I dont know that theres a huge difference in the outcome of those two different processes. So for example, I do not trust the YouTube Kids algorithm. I watch my daughter watch YouTube.

ezra klein

No, why would you?

nilay patel

It is just a nightmare. I dont know why we let her do it, but we did. And now were in the rabbit hole and thats life. I mean, shes five. And I will literally say, are you watching garbage? And shed be like, I am, because she knows what I think is garbage. Shes much smarter than the YouTube Kids algorithm. And then shes like, can I watch a little more garbage? This is a real conversation I have with my five-year-old all the time. I would love an A.I. that would just preempt that conversation. Just watch this whole iPad for me and make sure my kid is safe. Thats great. But that is a limitation. It is not an expansion. And I think the thing that Im seeking with all of these tools is how do we help people expand the set of things that theyre looking at.

ezra klein

Well, let me push on this for a minute, because for a long time a lot of us have asked people, the social media companies  that I have, Im sure you have  why dont you give me access to the dials of the algorithm?

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

Right? I dont want to see things going viral. If theres a virality scale of 1 to 10, I want to always be at a 6, right? I dont want to see anything over a 6. And I cant. I wish I could say to Google, I would like things that are not optimized for S.E.O. I just dont want to see recipes that have a long personal story at the top. Just dont show me any of them.

nilay patel

Yeah.

ezra klein

But I cant do that. But one of the interesting things about using the current generation of A.I. models is you actually do have to talk to it like that. I mean, whether I am creating a Replika or a Kindroid or a Character.AI, I have to tell that thing what it is supposed to be, how I want it to talk to me, how I want it to act in the world, what it is interested in, what kinds of expertise it has and does not. When Im working with Claude 3, which is the A.I. I use the most right now, I have one instance of it, that Im just like, you are a productivity coach and you are here to help me stay on task. But I have another where Im getting some help on, in theory, looking at political science papers, so its actually not that good at that. But this ability to tell this extraordinarily protean algorithm what I want it to do in plain English, that is different, right? The one thing that A.I. seems to make possible is an algorithm that you shape in plain English, an agent that you are directing to help you, in some cases, maybe create the internet, but much more often to navigate it. Right now it is very hard for me to keep up on the amount of news, particularly around the amount of local news I would like to keep up on. If there is a system that I could say, hey, heres some things Im interested in from these kinds of sources, that would be very helpful to me. It doesnt seem like an impossible problem. In fact, it seems like a problem that is inches away from being solved. That might be cool.

nilay patel

I think thatd be great. Ive known you for a long time. I think you have a unique ability to articulate exactly what you want and tell it to a computer. [LAUGHS] And you have to scale that idea, right? You have to go to the average  our mothers and say, OK, you have to tell the algorithm exactly what you want. And maybe theyll get close to it, maybe they wont, right?

ezra klein

You dont feel like mothers are able to tell you what they want?

nilay patel

[LAUGHS] I like that idea a lot. I think fundamentally that is still an A.I. closing the walls around you. And I think the power of the recommendation algorithm is not expressed in virality. Its actually to help you expand your filter bubble. Heres a band youd never heard of before. Heres a movie you never thought of watching. Heres an article about a subject that you werent interested in before. I think TikTok, in its 2020 TikTok moment, was terrific at this. Everyone was going to sing a sea shanty for five minutes, right? Why do we suddenly care about this and its gone? And it was able to create cultural moments out of things that no one had ever really thought of before. And I want to make sure, as I use A.I., that Im actually preserving that, instead of actually just recreating a much more complicated filter bubble.

ezra klein

I think its a good place to end. Always our final question, for the Nilay Patel recommendation algorithm  what are three books youd recommend to the audience?

nilay patel

Well, Im sorry, Ezra, I brought you six.

ezra klein

Did you really?

nilay patel

Is that allowed?

ezra klein

Did you actually bring six?

nilay patel

I didnt bring six physical books, but I have six recommendations for you.

ezra klein

Damn. All right, go through them quick, man.

nilay patel

Theyre in two categories. One is the three books that I thought of and three books from Verge people that if people are interested in these ideas are important. So the first one is The Conquest of Cool by Thomas Frank, one of my favorite books of all time. It is about how advertising agencies in the 60s co-opted the counterculture and basically replaced counterculture in America. Ive thought about this a lot because Im constantly wondering where the punk bands and rage against the machines of 2024 are. And the answer is that theyre the mainstream culture. Its very interesting. Love that book. It explains, I think, a lot about our culture. Two is Liar in a Crowded Theater by Jeff Kosseff, which is a book about the First Amendment and why we preserve the ability to lie in America. I am very complicated thoughts about the First Amendment right now. I think social media companies should do a better job protecting my kid. I also think the First Amendment is really important. And those ideas are crashing into each other. Third, I love the band New Order. I know youre a music fan, so I brought you a music recommendation. Its Substance: Inside New Order by Peter Hook, who is the bassist of New Order. This band hates each other. They broke up acrimoniously, so the book is incredibly bitchy. Its just a lot of shit-talking about the 80s. Its great. But inside the book, he is constantly talking about how the technology they used to make the music of New Order didnt work very well. And theres long vignettes of why the songs sound the way they do because of how the synthesizers worked. And that just brings together all the ideas I can think of. So those are the three outside of The Verge universe. But there are three from Verge people that I think are very important. The first is Everything I Need I Get From You by Kaitlyn Tiffany, whos one of my favorite Verge expats. It is about how the entire internet was shaped by the fandom of the band One Direction. And I think this is totally underemphasized, underreported that fandoms are actually what shape the internet. And a lot of what we think of as internet culture is actually fandom culture. And so Kaits book is really good. The other, obviously, I have to shout it out is Extremely Hardcore by Zoe Schiffer, who basically wrote about the downfall of Twitter. And I think understanding how a social network works  these are lots of people making lots of decisions, and it was just dismantled. And now you can see how the social network broke. And I think we take these things for granted. And then the third is Beyond Measure by James Vincent, which is a history of the systems of measurement and how political they are. And it is one of my favorite books because it is  you just take this stuff for granted. And you look at it, and youre like, oh, this was deeply, deeply acrimonious.

ezra klein

Nilay Patel, youre saving the internet through blogging again. Your podcast is Decoder. Thank you very much.

nilay patel

Thanks, man. [MUSIC PLAYING]

ezra klein
On Oct. 15, 2000, HBO aired the first episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Now in its 12th season, the show was created by and stars the comedian Larry David, playing a fictionalized version of himself navigating life in Los Angeles. On the show, Larry is opinionated, loudmouthed and often abrasive. Hes also, according to the New York Times critic Wesley Morris, a 21st-century Emily Post, dispensing wisdom about etiquette in the modern world. Morris joins the culture editor (and Curb Your Enthusiasm fan) Melissa Kirsch to discuss what one of televisions brashest characters can teach us about manners.

On todays episode
In February 2020, when Krystle-Jayne Mei-Ying Ng first saw the dating app profile of Hanna Sophia Rinderknecht-Mahaffy, one crucial detail struck her: her listed height.

Ms. Rinderknecht-Mahaffys profile on Her, a dating app for L.G.B.T.Q. women and nonbinary people, said that she was 6-foot-6. For Ms. Ng, who is 5-foot-2, the height difference was a deal-breaker. So after connecting on the app, she messaged her to find out: Was she really that tall?

Turns out, it was a typo. Ms. Rinderknecht-Mahaffy, who is actually 5-foot-6, was new to the online dating scene and still getting the swing of things. With her height fears assuaged, Ms. Ng asked Ms. Rinderknecht-Mahaffy out on a date.

The next day, they met at Victrola Coffee Roasters in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. At the time, Ms. Ng called herself a serial dater. Ms. Rinderknecht-Mahaffy had never met up with a match from a dating app before.
Though Tanya Tanwar Sareens brother died in 2015, she feels he had a hand in introducing her to her future husband.

Taj helped put us in each others path, she said. He probably got tired of my making bad decisions, she added with a laugh.

Maj. Taj Sareen, a jet pilot in the Marine Corps, was killed when the aircraft he was piloting crashed on his way back from deployment in the Persian Gulf.

In November 2021, a group of Major Sareens former squadron mates came to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Allen Szczepek, a retired lieutenant colonel, reached out to Ms. Sareen in advance to arrange a visit with her family, and she flew in to join them. (Her parents split their time between Las Vegas and Hillsborough, Calif., where she lived.)
There seems to be a secret ingredient to stage success this season: a stint on Succession.

So many Succession alums are onstage in New York and London that the shows creator, Jesse Armstrong, has been dashing from theater to theater, trying to catch the work of his colleagues. On a recent trip to New York, he saw four shows featuring Succession alums, including a revival of Henrik Ibsens An Enemy of the People, one of the hottest tickets on Broadway thanks to its star performer, Jeremy Strong, and The Effect, an Off Broadway play written by Lucy Prebble, who is also among the producers and writers of Succession. In London, Armstrong saw The Picture of Dorian Gray, a critically-acclaimed, one-woman adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic starring Sarah Snook, and is booked to see Long Days Journey Into Night, starring Brian Cox.

We took a lot from New York theater, Armstrong said, nodding to the many stage actors and playwrights who helped make Succession a success, and I hope this season we are giving something back.

Arian Moayed, who played the investor Stewy Hosseini in Succession and starred in a Broadway revival of Ibsens A Dolls House last year, theorized that the show had some theater-like attributes. Part of what was cool about the show was that we shot it in a very one-act-y kind of way, said Moayed. There are so many Succession alums onstage that one small downtown theater company in New York, Bedlam, advertised its current show, The Assassination of Julius Caesar as told by William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, as STARRING NO ONE FROM SUCCESSION.
The nomination of the first Muslim American to a federal appeals court judgeship is in deep trouble in the Senate, leaving President Biden with a painful choice between withdrawing the name of Adeel Mangi or trying to overcome the opposition at the risk of losing the chance to fill the crucial post before the November elections.

Three Democrats have said they intend to oppose the confirmation of Mr. Mangi to the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in response to objections from local law enforcement groups. He has also faced what his backers label an unfounded bigoted assault from Republicans who have accused him of antisemitism and sympathy with terrorists.

If Republicans remain united against him, as expected, and the Democrats cannot be persuaded to change their position, Mr. Mangi would lack the votes to be confirmed.

The showdown is a new obstacle for the Biden administration and Senate Democrats as they try to fill as many federal court openings as they can before November. It has also angered Democrats who believe Mr. Mangi, a litigator from New Jersey and partner in a New York law firm, has been subjected to a baseless and ugly assault by Republicans because of his religion.
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As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Harlem always seemed like a magical place. I learned about the Studio Museum in Harlem and artists like Alma Thomas and Romare Bearden. Langston Hughess poems were featured on posters in my local library, and everybody knew Duke Ellington because of his signature tune, Take the A Train, written by Billy Strayhorn. There were the Apollo Theater, where Ella Fitzgerald first sang, and dance troupes like the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theater of Harlem. Harlem was synonymous with the arts. But what I didnt know was how that had come to be.

My senior thesis in college was on the dinner party that launched the Harlem Renaissance. It was amazing to me that a group of creative giants had prioritized art to serve as a case study in marrying talent to opportunity. The people I knew often said that art could make a difference, but the Harlem Renaissance showed me it was truly possible. In the early 1920s, Black Americans were excluded from many of the fields in which other Americans were building bases of power and generational wealth: from the unions to Wall Street and Congress. But as the historian David Levering Lewis noted, no exclusionary rules had been laid down regarding a place in the arts. Here was a small crack in the wall of racism, a fissure that was worth trying to widen.

So on March 21, 1924, two Black academics, Alain Locke and Charles S. Johnson, invited more than 100 guests to the Civic Club in Manhattan with a grand plan to give young Black artists a shot at the kinds of opportunities theyd rarely had before: book deals with major publishing houses, their artwork on display in museums, their songs on radio and Broadway rotation. The party was, as we wrote about it recently in the Times, a major success. In the decade afterward, more than 40 major works by Black Americans were published. Levering Lewis wrote in When Harlem was in Vogue that no more than five Black American writers published significant books between 1908 and 1923.
When the Judicial Conference, the national policy-making body of the federal courts, announced last month that plaintiffs would no longer be able to engage in judge-shopping  choosing to file major lawsuits at courthouses where they could be sure that a sympathetic judge would hear them  the policy sounded like a done deal.

Instead, the policy turned out to be guidance, rather than a binding rule. Conservative politicians are encouraging judges to reject it, while Democrats are pushing to make the policy mandatory. And some Texas judges have stated that they will make up their own minds about what to do.

Its very unusual for a conference policy to become a political firestorm like this, said Jeremy Fogel, a retired federal judge who served in the Northern District of California. I think that is unprecedented.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, swiftly condemned the new policy, which would deprive conservative activists of a potent weapon in their legal arsenal, one that they have wielded with great success in rolling back abortion rights and some Biden administration policies.
Lou Whittaker, a patriarch of the nations foremost mountaineering family, who helped to make climbing broadly accessible by building a trusted guide company and creating a tourism industry on Mount Rainier, died on March 24 in Ashford, Wash., a town at the base of that mountain. He was 95.

The cause was congestive heart failure, his son Peter said.

In spite of his many accomplishments in the business, culture and sport of mountaineering, Lou was not the best-known Whittaker. That distinction belongs to Jim, Lous identical twin brother, who was the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in 1963, and the longtime chief executive of the outdoor gear company REI. Jim is something of an alpine John Glenn  the doer of a feat of will and skill considered transcendent in the 1960s, a friend of the Kennedy family and the subject of action-shot portraits on the cover of Life magazine.

Lous sons, too, have become prominent climbers: Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI), the guiding company that Lou co-founded, is now run by Peter and employs his brother, Win, as a veteran guide.
Twenty-six minutes.

Thats how long it took New York City officials to send out an emergency alert about the earthquake that rattled the region on Friday morning.

By the time the alert went out at 10:49 a.m. to the more than 1 million New Yorkers who had signed up for the Notify N.Y.C. service, word of the earthquake had already spread on social media. A Wireless Emergency Alert was sent more broadly even later, with many New Yorkers reporting receiving it after 11 a.m., about 40 minutes after the earthquake had hit.

The response by the administration of Mayor Eric Adams comes after criticism over his handling of past emergencies. During major flooding and an onslaught of wildfire smoke last year, Mr. Adams was denounced for not giving residents adequate warning.

Zach Iscol, the citys emergency management commissioner, defended the administrations response at a news conference on Friday, arguing that officials needed time to confirm that the shaking was an earthquake and to put out the proper guidance before sending the alert.
President Biden will announce a new effort on Monday to reduce or eliminate student loan debt for millions of borrowers, an election-year attempt to revive his goal of providing large-scale relief for Americans struggling to pay off their college loans, a person familiar with the plan said Friday.

Mr. Biden is expected to preview new regulations by the Education Department targeting millions of borrowers, including those whose loans have ballooned because of accrued interest and others who can demonstrate financial hardship impeding repayment, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the regulations have not yet been formally proposed by the department.

The proposed regulations are set to be published over the next few weeks. Mr. Biden will speak about the effort during a visit to Wisconsin on Monday, which will coincide with an event on student loans with Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia.

The push is a recognition by Mr. Biden and his allies of the disappointment felt by his supporters  especially young voters  when the presidents first attempt to wipe out student debt was blocked by the Supreme Court last summer. The court said that the government exceeded its authority under federal law when it attempted to cancel up to $400 billion in student loans.
Outrage over a strike by the Israeli military that killed seven aid workers in Gaza has supercharged resistance among congressional Democrats to sending arms and fresh military funding to Israel.

The mounting concern has added uncertainty to a pending foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel that has been stalled in the House for months. It has also fueled calls by Democrats for the administration to stop sending Israel offensive weapons already in the pipeline, some of them for many years.

Until recently, the $14.1 billion President Biden requested in the fall for Israels war against Hamas was regarded as a popular and bipartisan sweetener to a broader spending package that includes $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, which faces stiff resistance from many House Republicans. But that dynamic appears to have shifted substantially in recent days, particularly after the killing on Monday night of aid workers for the anti-hunger organization World Central Kitchen.

Forty House Democrats including Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, sent a letter on Friday to Mr. Biden and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken expressing displeasure with their approach to Israel. The group called on the Biden administration to deny Israel weapons until the completion of an inquiry into how the strike happened and tie any new aid to conditions to ensure it is used in compliance with U.S. and international law.
Melania Trump, who has been mostly absent from public view while her husband, Donald J. Trump, campaigns for president this year, will appear at a fund-raiser at Mar-a-Lago on April 20 for the Log Cabin Republicans, the groups president said.

The event, which was first reported by Politico, is a return of sorts to the political arena for Mrs. Trump, who has consistently stayed away from campaign events.

Mr. Trump has insisted for months that Mrs. Trump would join him on the trail. He invokes her often during his rallies, to cheers from the crowd, even as she has not traveled with him. And she did not join him at a Super Tuesday party at Mar-a-Lago, the couples home in Palm Beach, Fla.

Last month, Mrs. Trump made a rare public appearance with Mr. Trump, accompanying him when he cast his ballot during Floridas primary. When asked if she would appear more regularly this year, Mrs. Trump replied, Stay tuned.
Would a merger between Mar-a-Lago and Camelot prove irresistible for American voters?

That is a question former President Donald J. Trump has weighed as he considers possible options for his running mate, repeatedly asking advisers and associates in recent weeks about the idea of selecting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his No. 2, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Those close to Mr. Trump do not consider Mr. Kennedy a true contender for the position. Mr. Kennedy, a scion of Democratic royalty, is also already running against Mr. Trump and President Biden as an independent candidate, and he told The New York Times that he would not entertain joining the former presidents ticket.

Im flattered by the thought, but its not a course I would consider, Mr. Kennedy said in a text message.

Instead, Mr. Trumps queries about Mr. Kennedy suggest that the former president remains in the initial stages of his vice-presidential selection process.
An author who defected from North Korea has won a defamation lawsuit that he filed in South Korea against a fellow defector who accused him of rape and the broadcaster that first reported her allegations.

The South Korean Supreme Court last month upheld a lower courts ruling in favor of the author, Jang Jin-sung. Mr. Jang sued his accuser, Sung Sel-hyang, and the TV channel MBC in 2021, after MBC aired reports about Ms. Sungs accusations.

The lower courts October ruling found Ms. Sungs allegations to be false and ordered her, MBC and two other defendants  an MBC reporter and Ms. Sungs husband  to pay Mr. Jang a total of 47 million won, or $35,000, in damages. It also ordered MBC not to rebroadcast its 2021 reports about Mr. Jang or post them online.

Mr. Jang, who fled North Korea in 2004, is one of the most internationally recognized defectors from the North, best known for his 2014 memoir Dear Leader.
The Israeli police said they arrested eight people at the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, where thousands of Muslim worshippers had come for dawn prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan amid heavy security.

The police said that the eight people had been arrested for participating in incendiary chants and endorsement of terrorism. It did not provide further details.

The mosque is one of the holiest sites for Muslims and is part of a compound that is sacred to Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. It has long been a chronic flashpoint in tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

Concerns have run high that it could be the site of violence during Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims and one that has taken on added significance during the war in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said that the United States was looking for results in response to news that Israel would open up more routes for aid to flow into Gaza.

The Israeli decision to allow aid to enter through new routes came after President Biden made it clear in a call with the Israeli prime minister on Thursday that U.S. support for Israel would depend on its next steps to alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Mr. Blinken called Israels agreement to establish new aid routes positive developments on Friday, but he immediately added that the United States would be looking to see if Israel would make allowing more aid into the enclave a priority. One measure of Israels commitment, he said, will be the number of trucks that are actually getting in on a sustained basis.

The real test is results, and thats what were looking to see in the coming days and the coming weeks, he told a news conference in Brussels on Friday, adding, Really, the proof is in the results.

Israel has been under rising pressure from U.S. officials and humanitarian agencies to increase the number of crossings into Gaza for aid as the United Nations warns that a famine is looming.

On Thursday, President Biden stepped up the pressure in a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying future U.S. support for Israel depended on how it would address his concerns about a high civilian death toll and widespread hunger.

Hours later, the Israeli government announced additional aid routes, including through the port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing, a checkpoint between Israel and northern Gaza.

I asked them to do what theyre doing, Mr. Biden told reporters on Friday.

But the Israeli statement offered few details, and it was not immediately clear when those new routes would open  or how much aid could pass through them. In addition, moving aid through the Erez border crossing into northern Gaza is likely to present logistical hurdles, since most aid has been stored in Egypt, on the opposite side of the coastal enclave.

Aid officials also welcomed the news with caution, saying they needed to see how and when the new measures would go into effect.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said the news about more aid routes was positive. But, of course, we will have to see how this is implemented, he added.

The World Food Program said on Friday that it would seek to clarify with the Israeli authorities their security and logistics arrangements so we can move swiftly to exploit any new opportunity to feed more Gazans as famine takes hold.

And Germanys foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, echoed calls from humanitarian organizations for Israels government to carry out the new moves quickly.

No more excuses, she wrote on X.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said that the new measures were simply not enough and that urgent efforts are required to immediately end hunger.

Gazan children and infants are dying of malnutrition, he wrote on X.

Since the start of the war, Israel has limited aid entering Gaza to two tightly controlled border crossings: Kerem Shalom and Rafah, both in the south of the enclave.

Most of Gazas international aid passes through warehouses in Egypt near El Arish, not far from the city of Rafah, which straddles the border with Gaza. Some aid has also been delivered through a different route from Jordan.

From El Arish, the trucks carrying aid have typically undergone security checks on the Egyptian side of the border in Rafah.

Aid agencies have faced challenges at every step of the delivery process, from lengthy Israel inspections at the border crossings to violence while distributing aid to Palestinians within Gaza.

Israeli checks on goods entering Gaza aim to weed out items that could potentially be used by Hamas. Aid officials have said the inspection process causes significant delays, while Israel has argued that disorganization by humanitarian groups and diversions of shipments by Hamas were to blame for any bottlenecks.

Mr. Blinken said Friday that the United States would be looking to see whether the bottlenecks and other delays at crossings are being resolved.

The most dire shortages are in northern Gaza, where hungry people have swarmed trucks carrying food and where aid groups say they have struggled to deliver supplies because of Israeli restrictions and widespread lawlessness.

Matina Stevis-Gridneff , Gaya Gupta and Johnatan Reiss contributed reporting.
Follow live updates on the Israel-Hamas war and the Middle East crisis.

Iran vowed on Friday to avenge Israels killing of senior commanders and other officers of its elite Quds Force, at a public funeral held for the dead men, elevating fears of open war but leaving unsaid how it would retaliate or when.

U.S. officials in Washington and the Middle East said on Friday that they were bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on Monday in Damascus, Syria. U.S. military forces in the region have been placed on heightened alert. Israel has also placed its military on high alert, according to an Israeli official, canceled leave for combat units, recalled some reservists to air defense units and blocked GPS signals.

Two Iranian officials who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly said that Iran had placed all its armed forces on full high alert and that a decision had been made that Iran must respond directly to the Damascus attack to create deterrence.

Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime, Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander in chief of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, told the crowd in Tehran attending the funeral of the officers killed in Damascus. We warn that no act by any enemy against our holy system will go unanswered and the art of the Iranian nation is to break the power of empires.
A series of Israeli failures, including a breakdown in communication and violations of the militarys own rules of engagement, led to the deadly airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza this week, senior Israeli military officials said on Friday.

The military officials said that the officers who ordered the strikes on the aid convoy had violated the armys protocols, in part by opening fire on the basis of insufficient and erroneous evidence that a passenger in one of the cars was armed.

The attack prompted a wave of international outrage and renewed questions about whether Israeli forces on the ground in Gaza properly vet targets before unleashing deadly force. Israel has come under increasing pressure over the high civilian death toll in its six-month war in Gaza. The strikes on the aid workers prompted President Biden for the first time to say he would leverage U.S. aid to influence the conduct of the war against Hamas.

On Friday, the Israeli military announced that two officers  a reserve colonel and a major  would be dismissed from their positions. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli militarys chief of staff, had also decided to formally reprimand the head of Israels southern command as well as two other senior officers, the military said in a statement.

The military said the grave mistake had stemmed from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.

Its a tragedy, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli militarys chief spokesman, told reporters in a briefing on Thursday night. Its a serious event that were responsible for, and it shouldnt have happened.
A grandmother taken captive during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel probably was killed when an Israeli helicopter, responding to the Hamas-led assault, fired on the vehicle in which she was being held, Israels military said on Friday.

The revelation about the abduction of the grandmother, Efrat Katz, 67, came on the same day that Israeli military officials detailed failures that led to deadly airstrikes this week on a convoy of aid workers in Gaza.

Ms. Katzs kidnapping from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 was captured on video that showed her squashed in the back of a pickup truck along with her daughter and two grandchildren.

The military said Friday that an inquiry into air force actions on Oct. 7 as it responded to the attack found that one of the combat helicopters that took part in the fighting fired at a vehicle that had terrorists in it  and that, in retrospect, also carried hostages.
McDonalds said it would buy back all of its 225 franchised restaurants in Israel, weeks after the company warned that boycotts and protests over the Israel-Hamas war had hurt its business in the Middle East.

The deal, announced on Thursday, would bring all of the stores under the direct management of McDonalds Corporation. The company did not disclose terms of the deal but said the chains 5,000 workers in Israel would keep their jobs.

The move highlighted the deepening political polarization that multinational corporations face during the war, including claims and counterclaims by activists and companies about what both sides say are disinformation campaigns.

McDonalds operations in the region slumped when the franchises in Israel, run by Alonyal Limited, began donating thousands of meals to Israeli soldiers after the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7.
360viewPR is named US PR firm for Tahiti Tourisme, the organization responsible for marketing The Islands of Tahiti. The agencys scope on the account is destination press office services, consumer and trade media relations, broadcast communications media events, influencer relations and crisis communications. 360view PR is working in collaboration with tourism marketing consultancy Miles Partnership, which is serving as official agency of record for consumer, trade and PR services in the US. We selected 360viewPR as our public relations partner because of their relationships with top-tier outlets, their expertise in travel and tourism and their track record of producing successful public relations strategies for destinations, said Miles Partnership SVP Jay Salyers.

5W Public Relations is named PR AOR for luxury hotel, NH Collection Dubai The Palm. As the property enters its second year of operation, the agency will focus on media relations campaigns, targeting such sectors as luxury hotel and hospitality, design/architecture, travel and general consumer lifestyle. 5WPR will also facilitate press trips to showcase the hotel's amenities and views. The hotel is the first in Dubai to offer vegan-friendly rooms, showcasing its commitment to sustainability and catering to the evolving preferences of modern travelers. As we celebrate our inaugural year, NH Collection Dubai The Palm is proud to partner with 5WPR, an esteemed agency that shares our commitment to luxury and innovation in hospitality," said NH Collection Dubai The Palm general manager Manish Jha.

PAN Communications is partnering with Vercara, a leading provider of cloud-based services that secure the online experience, which rebranded from Neustar Security Services in 2023. PAN has expanded on its initial content marketing and PR efforts to incorporate a broader slate of marketing services, including earned media and thought leadership, research, organic corporate and executive social media, and account-based marketing. PR and demand generation often operate in siloes, but PAN delivers an integrated approach that connects these efforts through a creative, connected story across our channels, said Vercara CMO Alice Palmer.

Trevelino/Keller signs on to support Barnacle Parking, producer of The Barnacle, an intelligent parking enforcement solution with motorist self-release capabilities, in strategic marketing, brand awareness and earned media efforts. Barnacle Parking empowers parking operators, business owners, corporate campuses, healthcare organizations and municipalities to redefine and enhance the parking enforcement experience for both enforcers and motorists, while visibly driving compliance. We partnered with Trevelino/Keller based on their vast experience helping similarly sized brands scale, said Barnacle Parking chairman Colin Heffron.
THE future is looking brighter for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Tipperary after six teams competed with 10 others from schools across Munster at the 2024 BD STEM Stars competition run by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), one of the worlds leading med-tech companies.

Students and teachers were excited by this years entries at the competition, held at BD Research Centre Ireland (RCI) facility in Castletroy, Limerick.

Tipperary had the biggest cohort of finalists for any one county, with six teams in total drawn from three schools, Borrisokane Community College, St. Josephs College, Borrisoleigh and Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles.

St Josephs Community Colleges two entries included one on tackling atrophy, the gradual degeneration of cells in the body, and the other on measurement of potassium levels in blood in a public setting.

Borrisokane Community Colleges entries included an app for monitoring and altering on the use of e-cigarettes in school toilets and a second one aimed at helping teenage girls track their menstrual cycle, moods and energy levels.

Ursuline Secondary School developed an at home device that tests for Thyroid levels in blood to save people from travelling to hospitals for regular tests, and developed a second portable device that acts as circulation massager targeting people with blood circulation and related issues.

BD Enterprise Project Manager and competition organizer, Fionnagh Tsang said, The standard across Munster this year was extremely high, we were very impressed by the level of innovation coming out of Tipperary and the range of areas covered. Well done to all who took part.

Said St Josephs Community College, Borrisoleigh teacher Mary Gorey, Im super proud that we had two teams make it to the finals. The great thing about the competition is that large groups are allowed enter as traditional schools science competitions accept only two or three person teams. The BD STEM Stars competition allowed six to eight students so everyone really felt their skillset was valued.

The BD 2024 STEM Stars Award, which is supported by the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB), is the biggest such awards programme in Munster. The competition was launched five years ago by BD, one of the worlds largest med-tech companies, to promote and encourage participation in STEM subjects for second level students. The brief given to students was to devise solutions that positively impact on and advance the world of healthcare.

In addition to the competition, students received a tour of the BD high-tech (RCI) facility before the announcement of the winners and presentations were made by Senior Manager, Design Assurance Engineering at BD RCI Dr John Carey and BD RCI Site Lead Sean Wall.

Mr Wall said, This is a special day for all of us at BD and one we look forward to with great excitement as we get to see the incredible pool of STEM talent thats coming through in second level schools. We set out with this project five years ago to encourage awareness of the potential of STEM to improve the world of healthcare and to see where we have arrived at, with so many schools and incredible talent taking part, makes it a journey worthwhile.

Donncha O Treasaigh, Director of Schools at Limerick and Clare ETB said: The promotion of STEM among students is a very important objective of ours at the ETB and having one of the worlds leading med-tech companies weigh in with a competition like this is something that we are very privileged to have in the Munster area. There has been a huge response from the schools, and this is a competition we see going from strength to strength. I also want to complement the BD team on this as the scale and reach of the competition gets bigger and more exciting every year.

BD RCI is a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the University of Limerick campus that develops innovative technologies to improve biomedical discovery, clinical diagnosis of disease, and the delivery of care for patients and health care workers. It currently employs 370 experts in software development, software testing, systems engineering, mechanical and electronic engineering, project management, quality and biosciences including immunology. The diverse, collaborative team brings together people from 43 countries working in multidisciplinary teams to solve problems and advance the world of health.
A detector dog has helped Revenue discover a huge cache of illegal drugs worth almost half a million euro.

James the dog aided Revenue officers examining parcels at a premises in Dublin yesterday (Thursday April 4), where 24kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of 480,000 was discovered.

The illegal drugs were found in two parcels originating from Spain and destined for addresses in Dublin.

Additionally, 4,860 litres of wine with an estimated value of over 59,200 was also seized at Rosslare Europort on Wednesday April 3.

The illegal red wine - branded 'Doppio Passo Primitivo Rosso 2022' - was found during the search of an accompanied trailer which had disembarked a ferry from Cherbourg, France.

It represents a potential loss to the Exchequer of more than 31,700

The driver of the load has been questioned.

Investigations into both seizures are ongoing.

The seizures are part of Revenues ongoing operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity.

If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.
A single victim of investment fraud in Ireland lost approximately one million euro, according to gardai.

The loss happened within the last two years and the person was just one of about 1,000 victims of investment fraud over the previous four years.

Overall, there has been a significant increase in investment fraud in Ireland that has seen 25 million euro stolen from people last year.

Gardai said that 25,360,000 euro was reported stolen in 2023, almost equal to the same amounts stolen in 2021 and 2022 (14 million euro and 11.5 million euro respectively).

In the first two months of this year, more than 55 people have reported investment fraud, double the number of reports in January and February last year.

People are being advised to be alert to criminals posing as investment managers and trying to fool someone into investing money in schemes and projects that do not exist.

Gardai said that sophisticated criminals are taking advantage during the cost-of-living crisis by cloning webpages and targeting victims through online and social media adverts, promising once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to instantly invest with fast and large financial returns.

It said more than 965 people have reported incidents of investment fraud to Gardai in the four-year period from January 2020.

On Friday, Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said there was a concern the crime was under reported because of embarrassment.

He added: There is absolutely no doubt this is organised crime.

Increasingly the victims are male; last year 69% of victims were male and the vast majority of those affected are over 40.

In May 2023 a man in his 40s clicked on a social media link advertising investment opportunities and entered contact details.

He was later contacted by phone from a person purporting to be from a reputable financial institution about purchasing bank bonds, and was defrauded of 100,000 euro.

During 2023, a man in his 60s reported that he had been contacted online about investing with a British financial institution and then had 300,000 euro stolen after transferring funds.

Gardai said that in January 2024, a man in his 70s based in the east of Ireland reported that he had more than 190,000 euro stolen after he invested the money in what he thought was a legitimate British company.

Earlier this year, a man in his 50s had 121,000 euro stolen through investment fraud.

The victim understood that he was legitimately engaged in online trading and was communicating with someone online who had encouraged him into it.

Gardai said this was a particularly sophisticated crime as the victim had access to an online trading app and believed that he could see his funds being traded  but the app itself was fake.

They urged people not to respond to pop-up or social media ads or messages with claims about investment returns and to ignore unsolicited cold calls about investments.

They also asked people not to invest until they get reliable financial and legal advice and to check the regulatory status of companies via the Central Bank of Ireland website.

Some of the advertisements use fake and manipulated testimonials from celebrities to encourage people to follow through with the fraud investments.

For example, people have reported manipulated adverts featuring Tanaiste Micheal Martin and former RTE news anchor Anne Doyle.

Recently, the ads can even be videos edited with lip movements synced to dubbed audio.

Speaking at a briefing at the GNECB headquarters in Blanchardstown, Mr Cryan said the money taken through the frauds is hard to track as it very quickly leaves the jurisdiction.

Asked where the fraudsters are operating from, he said this was also hard to determine but there was no doubt that some of the organised criminals were in Ireland.

He added: A lot of the victims will talk about people with very well-spoken British accents. That is a common denominator across a lot of the investment frauds.

The fraud investigator said the bad actors, who often follow scripts, appear to know what theyre talking about on investments and cryptocurrencies.

Mr Cryan said: People are always going to be attracted to the promise of big profits.

That is why these sophisticated, fraudulent investments are on the rise.

Those affected by this type of crime are ordinary people who really unfortunately can lose their life savings, nest eggs or a retirement lump sum.

Investment fraud can quite easily happen, the fraudster will sound convincing and claim to have insider knowledge, but they are following a well-rehearsed script, theyre prepared for potential questions and they tend to be excellent actors.

They may purport to be working with a reputable firm and may even quote authorisation numbers or give the real address of a legitimate firm, but this is all a (ploy).

I strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim in the past or who has more recently become a victim of investment fraud to please come forward and speak with us in any Garda station.
The towns of Langdon in northeastern North Dakota and Morden in southern Manitoba province were once mirror images of each other.

In the 1950s they each had populations hovering around 1,800 people. These prairie communities separated by an international border and around 40 miles of farmland were both incorporated in the 1880s as railroads expanded westward. The new towns were peopled with mostly European immigrants settling to farm the fertile land of the Red River Valley region.

Today, the two couldnt be more different.

Morden has grown to a population of nearly 10,000 while Langdons has plateaued at its 1950s numbers after a slight rise in the 1980s. Most of Mordens growth has come in the past two decades.

Comparing Walhalla, North Dakota, and Winkler, Manitoba, a similar story of divergent paths emerges. Just 20 miles apart, their 1950s populations were both around 1,400. Today, Winkler is now approaching 14,000 residents while its neighbor to the south has shrunk to under 900.

Digging deeper into those southern Manitoba numbers shows a picture of a region that in the past two decades focused intensely on retaining population and supporting manufacturing and entrepreneurs. After building that foundation, the communities leaned heavily on targeted recruitment of skilled labor from abroad to fill open positions.

Active immigrant recruitment

In just the last year, 630 new immigrants arrived in Morden, according to Mayor Nancy Penner, part of a shift in demographics that emerged over the past 15 years.

Its kind of fun to walk down the streets and look at the schools and see the changing demographics, Penner said. Its good. Its a healthy community that we have and very welcoming. Thats what everybody says, that they all feel so welcome here.

Growth has also come from recruitment across Canada to fill the needs of manufacturing companies there, with cabinet, trailer and window manufacturing among the leading companies.

Penner says a targeted recruitment and selection process allowed under Canadian immigration policies has helped, as has the citys establishment of its own immigration office and how it connects with both provincial and federal immigration office programs. Winkler has its own local immigration office as well.

Morden wants people who migrate there to stay in jobs and grow the community, Penner said, not leave for other cities. Immigrant retention rates there hover around 85%, she added.

That really says something about the selection process that we go through, Penner said.

Shelly Voth, immigration coordinator for Morden, works through the Canadian federal and Manitoba provincial points-based nomination systems when screening applicants, and coordinates with local companies to determine their exact needs. In the end, the Morden office eventually only choses about 3% of the applications they review.

The touchy part is trying to pick those nominations that actually want to live in Manitoba and actually want to live in a rural area, Voth said. If they have Vancouver in mind, and theyve applied through Mordens program, theyre not going to stay.

The program also has exploratory visit components, with potential immigrants fitting the bill for the visit. Applicants also need a minimum amount of liquid funds before arriving in the community, so they dont face economic uncertainty as soon as they arrive.

There are also requirements for minimum levels of English language proficiency, even for lower-level jobs, Voth said.

Some of them will be job hunting as soon as they get here, Voth said. Some of them will have connections to jobs, depending on what their process was.

Jason Dyck, economic development officer for Morden, said one aspect often overlooked is that while immigration is a big part of the story of the towns growth success, business needs are the primary driver.

There's high demand and lots of job vacancies in the region, and our industry here needs those people to grow their shop floors and grow their production capacity, he said. One of the natural advantages of this area that a lot of places don't have is manufacturing.

Selecting candidates twho are going to be the right fit for Morden is a big part of it too, Dyck said, so officials try to ensure theyre comfortable with small town life before they come.

Housings tight, so we have a bunch of transition apartments to allow them to have a space to live for a period while they get on their feet, getting into their job, and then finding an appropriate place to live, Dyck said.

The city along with businesses there also works to support a welcome wagon approach, with a van ready to pick applicants up at the airport, to bring them to furnished transition housing with a short supply of food, blankets and bedding available. New arrivals are also enrolled into Canadas health care system, further easing the transition.

It is kind of what we do to bridge that gap so that people are feeling welcome from the beginning, Voth said.

Canadian case study

Some in North Dakota believe lessons can be learned from our nearby neighbors to the North.

Dawn Mandt, executive director of the Red River Regional Council, said shes been interested in organizing a tour for years to the Morden-Winkler area to glean potential ideas for development in the northeastern part of the state, but discussions were scuttled once COVID-19 hit.

It would be very exciting for our small towns and most definitely for our employers, Mandt said. We have this Canadian case study to use as a model -- study what worked, what didn't.

Based on data from the state that Mandt recently reviewed, around 33,000 immigrants now call North Dakota home, primarily filling needs in health care, education, manufacturing and agriculture. Others fill positions through programs such as the temporary agricultural worker H2A program.

Many of the recruitment campaigns that exist, however, dont focus on retention, and that may be a detriment for local communities, according to Mandt.

Often the foreign-born solutions we are seeing are temporary or seasonal solutions, which taxes our communities even more as these people are not long-term community members while absorbing any remaining available housing that was here, she said.

Housing, infrastructure challenges

Housing availability is problematic in most communities across the North Dakota, presenting a hurdle for any new immigrants or Americans relocating to the state to fill open positions. It is also increasingly an issue in southern Manitoba.

Morden and Winkler are seeing their share of housing challenges, particularly after years of annual 3% or greater growth, along with limitations to growth from wastewater treatment capacity, leaders there said. But theyve also been proactive about zoning and working with the community to plan for future growth.

To encourage development we make sure we work very hard on development fees and zoning bylaws and rules crafted in partnership as much as we possibly can with the people who are going to be doing the work, said Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens.

This means the manufacturing base in the area also invests in land development to ensure adequate housing supply, knowing that in order for their businesses to expand, the communities would need to as well, Siemens said.

Ultimately everything starts with a job, he said. If youve got a job, if you have that opportunity, theres a reason to come here.

Siemens also said two planned wastewater projects for Winkler would likely be finished before 2025, allowing for possible growth of around 10,000 more residents over the next 15 or so years.

Looking for opportunity

Shannon Duerr, executive director of the Cavalier County Job Development Authority, said she wasnt as up to date on developments north of the border, but did describe a similar situation when it comes to housing, infrastructure and workforce needs.

Langdons current industrial park is full and the city is looking for a new park for potential development and theres not a lot of room for expansion in town. Housing and workforce shortages also impact the area.

Duerr said towns in the county need to find a way to grow, and as part of that are looking at capitalizing on tourism related to the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area being developed into North Dakotas 14th state park.

We would definitely like to grow too, Duerr said. We want to make sure we're doing it in a smart way.

Mandt sees immigration as one solution to the net migration loss occurring in small towns like Langdon and Walhalla and other across North Dakota over the past 75 years or so.

We have 1,500 jobs to fill in our region ... in small towns ... in the foreseeable future, Mandt said. Without population growth, we will continue to see our companies expanding and potentially relocating elsewhere.
Washington: President Joe Biden threatened on Thursday to condition support for Israel's offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians, seeking for the first time to leverage US aid to influence Israeli military behavior.



Biden's warning, relayed in a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, followed a deadly Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers that spurred new calls from Biden's fellow Democrats to place conditions on U.S. aid to Israel. Israel said the attack was a mistake.

The US president, a lifelong supporter of Israel, has resisted pressure to withhold aid or halt the shipment of weapons to the country. His warning marked the first time he has threatened to potentially condition aid, a development that could change the dynamic of the nearly six-month-old war.

Biden "made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," the White House said of the leaders' phone call. It said the call lasted about 30 minutes.

The president "made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps," the White House said in a statement.

Washington is Israel's top weapons supplier and the Biden administration has mostly provided a diplomatic shield for it at the United Nations.

At a briefing after the call, White House spokesperson John Kirby declined to elaborate on any specific changes the US would make in its policy toward Israel and Gaza.

He said Washington hoped to see an announcement of Israeli steps in the "coming hours and days."

By suggesting a shift in US policy toward Gaza was possible if Israel did not address the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave, Biden channeled his own frustration along with mounting pressure from his left-leaning political base in the Democratic Party to stop the killings and alleviate hunger among innocent civilians.

Asked about possible changes in US policy, Netanyahu spokesperson Tal Heinrich told Fox News: "I think it's something that Washington will have to explain".

Later, the White House welcomed moves by Israel to open the Ashdod port and Erez crossing to increase deliveries of humanitarian assistance and to step up deliveries from Jordan directly into Gaza.

But these steps, said White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson, "must now be fully and rapidly implemented."

On Monday, Israel launched an attack that killed seven workers with the World Central Kitchen group, founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres. Andres told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that the Israeli attack had targeted his aid workers "systematically, car by car.

Israel said on Thursday that it would adjust tactics in the Gaza war after describing the attack as the result of a misidentification and that inquiry findings would be made public soon.

The White House had described Biden as outraged and heartbroken by the attack but, prior to Thursday's call, the president had made no fundamental change in Washington's steadfast support for Israel in its conflict against Palestinian Hamas militants.

During the call, Biden "underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians," the White House said. Biden urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal to bring home hostages captured by Hamas in its deadly Oct. 7 attack that triggered the Israeli offensive, it added.

In Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel "must meet this moment" by surging humanitarian assistance and ensuring the security of those who provide aid.

"If we don't see the changes that we need to see, there'll be changes in our policy," Blinken told reporters.

A US official said the threat of policy changes applied only to the US demand that Israel do more to protect and aid civilians but not to Bidens urgency for a ceasefire.

Last Straw

Islamist fighters of the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel retaliated by imposing a total siege on Gaza, then launching an air and ground assault that has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, say health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Biden, who has described himself as a Zionist, supported Israel staunchly in the early days of its retaliation.

But as the Gaza death toll rose and the war widened with new fronts in Lebanon and Yemen, his administration began pushing for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid access. Last month, the U.S. abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote demanding a ceasefire, drawing Israeli anger.

Biden also faces deep Democratic anger over his handling of the Gaza war, a dynamic that could depress support for him in November's election contest against Republican former President Donald Trump.

Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies in Washington, said the strike on WCK aid workers "was the last straw."

"This call was the long-promised 'come to Jesus conversation' that Biden said last month he would have with Netanyahu," Blumenfeld said.
The killing of aid workers in Gaza is absolutely appalling. They belonged to World Central Kitchen (WCK), a charity whose staff undertook considerable risk to provide food for civilians in war-torn Gaza.



The Spanish founder of WCK, Jose Andres, accused the Israelis of targeting the aid workers because the charity had been coordinating their movements with Israeli authorities, making them fully aware of their movements. Mr. Andres accused Israel of targeting the aid workers "systematically, car by car. Taking a hiatus from killing mostly women and children (and now aid workers) in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's head of a coalition government including ultra-right wing nationalists, took two days off for hernia surgery.

Meanwhile, the White House refuses to say whether Israel will face any consequences for this latest outrage. The ship bringing the aid to the Palestinians unloaded 100 tonnes from a total of 340 tonnes but given the killing of colleagues and the impossibility of any delivery of the remaining cargo, then returned to Cyprus with 240 tonnes still on board. Why should innocent women and children with no definite connection to Hamas (who led the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel) suffer the consequences?



President Biden said he was "outraged" by the attack on aid workers. He called for a swift investigation that "must bring accountability". He added that bringing aid was "so difficult" because Israel had "not done enough to protect Palestinian civilians".

In one form or another, other world leaders are questioning Israeli's actions in a similar way. The Spanish in particular because WCK founder, chef Jose Andres, is a Spanish-American.

Despite all the outrage, there is no indication that President Joe Biden will withhold, suspend or restrict military aid to Israel that in effect has killed over 37,000 Palestinian civilians. It is part of a ten-year commitment to supply $38 billion or $3.3 billion per year (more than any other country) in aid to Israel, and Mr. Biden is a staunch supporter.

U.S. officials are also hiding behind the fact that weapons transfers were approved before this Israel-Hamas war began. It may be so but others say there are all kinds of ways of slowing down the process.

For example, Biden's fellow Democrat, Sen. Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, said last Sunday, "We have a situation where the Netanyahu government continues to rebuff the president of the United States time and time again, ignoring reasonable requests... And what do we do? We say we're going to send more bombs."



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"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August, 2018)

"A Vote for 'ABBB' (Any Body But Biden) is a Vote for Trump and Republo-Fascism." (S. Jonas, March, 2024)

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(For maps, see Click Here iatlas.com/maps/europe/19390823/)

The Situation in Eastern Europe, Now

"Europe is in a 'pre-war era' reminiscent of 1939 and nobody will feel safe if Ukraine is defeated by Russia, Donald Tusk has warned." (Mr. Tusk is a former president of the European Council and last October was elected prime minister of Poland. His party and allies replaced a Far-rightist government that had ruled the nation for eight years.) "Well," as I said in the title of this column, "no." In terms of what the situation in Eastern Europe (and Central Europe as well) really was in 1939, there are few if any similarities.

Mr. Tusk is of course referring to Russia's war on Ukraine, which began in 2022. He reflects a fear that somehow "Putin's War," seems to have no end in sight (unless the U.S. Trumpublican Party, led in the Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson, succeeds in denying it the arms it desperately needs to keep the war going). Unlike in 1939, to its East Poland does not share a common border with Russia proper, but rather with a close Russian ally (?puppet-state) Byelo-Russia, with Ukraine, and with that strange, cut-off piece of Russia (left over from the pre-World War II East Prussia), Kaliningrad, which is so small, and is cut-off from Russia proper, by itself cannot be regarded as a threat to Poland. And so, exactly how would the situation in Eastern Europe be "reminiscent" of 1939? Well, not very.

Certainly, on paper, and at the landing end of missiles, Mr. Tusk's Poland certainly has something to fear from Russia. But as for a land war? Well, "hardly" would appear to be the right word. Russia, obviously a much larger country than Ukraine, with (on paper at least) a much larger army than Ukraine's, should have been able to roll right over it. (The comparative populations are 145,000,000 or so to 44,000,000 or so). But the Russians haven't been able to do that. In fact for the most part the battle lines are similar (not precisely the same to-be-sure) to what they were at the start Putin's "Special Military Operation [SMO]." I have previously described this invasion as an attempt by Putin to "Make the World Safe for Plutocracy." And so, I will not discuss that topic further here, except to say, once again, that the situation in Eastern Europe does not resemble that of 1939 at all.

Eastern Europe in 1939

The "situation in Eastern Europe in 1939" actually in part goes back to a diplomatic/military operation that took place at the end of the 18th Century, the Partition of Poland between the Prussia, the Russian Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thus, Poland as a nation disappeared from the map of Europe until it was restored to its existence over a century later by a combination of the victory in World War I over Prussia and Austria-Hungary by the Western Powers in World War I, and (ironically) by the defeat of the Russian Empire by Prussia in the same conflict. The victors' Treaty of Versailles (1919), restored the nation of Poland and thus re-configures the borders of Eastern Europe. In so doing, it did leave behind one territorial anomaly which came to play an important role in starting the next World War: "East Prussia." It was a piece of the former Prussian Empire that had been connected directly to the Prussian Empire, but was now left as part of the new, renamed nation of Germany, separated from it however, by a goodly chunk of Polish territory.

As is well-known, once Hitler and the Nazi Party took over Germany in 1933, very early on they began re-armament (which had been forbidden to it by the Versailles Treaty). But the Western Powers did nothing to deal with that development (a policy called "Appeasement"). Nazi Germany's first overtly military operation was to "Remilitarize the Rhineland" (1936), an action explicitly prohibited by the Versailles Treaty. Again, the Western Powers did nothing. Then, in 1938 came the Munich Agreement, which gave a goodly chunk of Western Czechoslovakia to the Nazis, without a fight. The British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, famously advertised the Agreement as "Peace in our Time." But, as it happened it, was quickly proven to be nothing of the sort, when a few months later, in March 1939 Nazi Germany occupied eastern Czechoslovakia, that is "Slovakia," without a fight.

(As it happened, operating outside of its borders had begun in 1937, when Germany, in cooperation with Mussolini's fascist Italy, had begun to aid the fascist revolutionary force in Spain, led by Francisco Franco, while the "democratic" Western Powers, including the United States, refused to sell arms to the elected government of the Spanish Republic. Only the Soviet Union did, in an effort that was limited in part by distance and German/Italian control of the Mediterranean.)

But what was real objective for the Western European powers at "Munich?" As described in some detail in a book referenced just below, it actually had nothing to do with "peace in or time," but rather with maintaining Hitler in his policy of a "Drang nach Osten" --- his "Drive to the East" (which was actually an extension of Prussian Imperial policy from the 19th century). As I described it in a column ostensibly on Obama administration policy (comparing it in a way to British "appeasement" --- but rather of the Republicans and their then-further-to-the-Right supporters), what really happened at "Munich," went as follows.

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What Really Happened at "Munich;" and why there is nothing that is "1939-like" going on in Europe at the Present. [The following text, with certain slight modifications, is drawn from that earlier column of mine.]

In 1995, the historians Clement Leibovitz and Alvin Finkel published a book entitled In Our Time: The Chamberlain-Hitler Collusion (New York: Monthly Review Press). He (Chamberlain) wasn't attempting to appease Hitler. Based on both official sources that became available under the [British] Official Secrets Act and other correspondence and dispatches, the authors told us what was really going on between the British and German governments of the time. He was attempting to make a deal with Hitler to have him point his guns in one particular direction, to include as targets neither the United Kingdom's Home Islands nor the British Empire at large [with protection for the French and their colonial empire thrown in].

It turns out that what Chamberlain was really trying to achieve at Munich had everything to do with: A) trying to keep Hitler focused on his much-touted "Drang Nach Osten" ("Drive to the East") in order to achieve the destruction of the Soviet Union, and B) preventing the Red Army of that nation from taking up a prominent place in Central Europe. [Just check out the geographical extension of Czechoslovakia into Central Europe in 1938.] For the Soviet Union had pledged to the Czechs, who had a well-equipped and trained army of their own ready to fight the Wehrmacht, full ground and air military support. As the deadline for the threatened German invasion approached, the Red Air Force had many planes warming up ready to attack the Nazis from just a couple of hundred miles away, just awaiting a "yes" from the Czech government. But, under enormous pressure from the British and French governments, that final "go" never came from it. The Red Air Force stayed on its runways and the Czechs were left to the tender mercies of the Nazis, giving up the first non-German territory seized by them in the run-up to World War II.

Chamberlain thought that he had a long-term deal. As for the event of the following March (Hitler fully occupied the Slovakia portion of the former nation), well, for the Brits and the French, wasn't Hitler just continuing the desired Drang Nach Osten, wasn't he ? But then, in the summer of 1939, Hitler raised the ante by threatening to invade Poland over what was called the "Polish Corridor" that separated Germany from its long-held slice (pie-shaped, actually) of old Poland and Russia, called "East Prussia." Again, the Soviet Union, which by this time was getting very concerned with German expansionism accompanied by increasingly virulent anti-Soviet propaganda, offered to protect Poland militarily .

They were trying hard to negotiate a mutual defense-pact with the British and the French. But a major condition was that the Poles had to agree to let Red Army units move right up to the Polish-German border. However, the last thing that the far right-wing Polish government of the time wanted was to have the Red Army in its living room. When the Soviet Union finally gave up trying to make an anti-fascist alliance with the Western Powers, in order to give themselves some breathing room-and-time, they concluded the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact on August 25, 1939. The strongly "anti-Communist" Poles then suddenly found the Wehrmacht in their living room. As it happened, for self-protection, the Soviets invaded on Sept. 17, !939, and its government went out of existence.

It has become clear from the British government papers and related documents that Chamberlain, as mentioned, had hoped to reach a deal with Hitler that would allow/coax him to destroy the Soviet Union, which Chamberlain hated only slightly less ardently than did Hitler. The deal would be not to contest his drive to the East militarily, in return for a pledge to leave Great Britain and the British Empire intact. However, Chamberlain never did get that deal. He got a good deal more, in fact, than any of his British Conservative political and economic supporters had bargained for. On September 3, 1939 the British and the French were forced to go to war with the Germans over the invasion of Poland because of a mutual aid pact that they did have with the Poles. Poland, sending horse cavalry out to fight Hitler's Panzer tanks, fell quickly. A front was opened in the West, but nothing much happened on it until the Nazis launched their surprise "Blitzkrieg" invasion of France on May 10, 1940. World War II was truly underway.

Nevertheless, during the winter of 1940, with his nation ostensibly at war, Chamberlain continued, secretly, to attempt to negotiate with Hitler to achieve his joint aims. The way Hitler negotiated with Chamberlain on the Czech situation and why Hitler refused to seriously negotiate with him on the proffered deal, unless he could get a complete capitulation as he had done at Munich, led directly to the Nazis' May 10 invasion of France, then "Dunquerque," then the Battle of Britain, then the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union ("Barbarossa" which did not conclude in the way that Chamberlain has hoped it would), and so on and so forth.

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The bottom line here is that in fact what is going on in Eastern Europe now has absolutely nothing in common with what went on in that region between 1938 and 1941. My guess is that Mr. Tusk, presumably a very well-educated man, surely knows that. But he also knows that the knowledge of history is at a pretty low level among his people as well among most of the people of Central and Western Europe. And for the historical knowledge of most U.S.? Well, I did want to end this rather gloomy column with a joke. So do forgive me for that.

Next week, we shall consider some of the differences and similarities in the United States between 1939 and the present. And unlike the situation in Eastern Europe, there are certainly some similarities.
Biden's Pier in Gaza Could Make U.S. Builders and Protectors Sitting Ducks for Terrorist Missiles and Drones, Expanding the War

By Robert Weiner and Ben Kearney

President Biden and the Pentagon's emergency mission to establish a pier in Gaza, a goal of which the President stated in his State of the Union on March 7th is intended to provide mass humanitarian assistance -- a worthy and necessary goal -- to the 2.3 Million people currently displaced and nearing famine. But as the United Nations passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire on March 25th, what's to stop terrorists from firing missiles at the pier to kill military personnel? Short answer, there isn't.

With the recent Israeli drone strike on April 1st that killed seven aid workers, the plan hangs in a sea of doubt. Peter Semler, the Chief Executive Editor and Owner of Capitol Intelligence Group, told us, "The Israeli hit on the WCK [Work Central Kitchen] was a gift to Hamas and Iran."

The danger of Biden's pier in the Mediterranean Sea at Gaza could make U.S. builders and protectors sitting ducks for terrorist missiles and drones. If just one U.S. army member is killed whilst building the pier, the United States will become more and more invested in the war, just like Vietnam. Former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said in an interview with the New York Times , "The Biden humanitarian efforts in Gaza so far may make a few people in the United States feel good. But, this is applying a very small Band-Aid to a very big wound."

Some military experts have noted the plan lacks detail, is dangerous to troops, and leaves out that aid is already at and seems ready to increase at the Gaza borders. However, inspections, lack of security, and incidents where Israel has been accused of attacking aid workers, Palestinians, and Hamas thefts of supplies have prevented those critical deliveries.

Retired U.S. Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said on March 13th, "Biden is committing the United States military to conducting a highly complex, very expensive, low-production operation to bring food into the strip -- when Biden could massively increase the amount of food into the strip with far less effort or expense: demand that Israel merely open the damn gates and roll the hundreds of trucks awaiting entry right now."

Now several ships are traveling together and are nearing Gaza in the coming week. However, building won't start until the middle of this month with a May completion date for the pier and the causeway. However, Biden addressed in his State of the Union, "Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren't caught in the crossfire."

An Associated Press report on March 9th cites claims by the Biden administration that the "Israeli government will maintain security at the pier and protect it from any attacks by Hamas." No U.S. troops will step foot into Gaza during the proposed plan to build the pier within sixty days.-- they will stay out on the pier. So, if Israel and the U.S. joint-collaborate on building the pier, terrorists can go after both of them together in one fell swoop.

There have been few direct sea arrivals into Gaza, a place with no port infrastructure and blockaded by the Israeli navy since 2007. The Department of Defense's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) plan, presented by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, is to establish an "approximately 1,800-foot-long causeway that will be attached to the shore, and a group of logistic support vessels and barges that will transport the aid from the pier to the causeway. Once the aid has reached the two-lane causeway, it can be transported to the land and distributed to Gaza."

Ryder assured that the DOD is focused on the security of its personnel and working with partners in the region to "ensure that the aid that is delivered can be distributed in a safe and secure way". This would also include a contribution of more than 1,000 American troops, adding more people to become sitting ducks if an attack is carried out on the pier. This appears to be war expansion incrementalism-- a la U.S. "trainers" in Vietnam at the beginning.

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The North Dakota University System will look at policies on withholding the release of a student transcript because of student debt as it targets helping former students complete a college degree.

During a discussion Wednesday in a State Board of Higher Education meeting in Minot, student debt, from parking fines to student loans, was identified as a barrier that keeps people from going back to school, the North Dakota Monitor reported.

For many of these students, with some college, no degree, many of them have last interacted with us when we sent a bill collector after them, and we wont even provide their transcript, Dickinson State University President Stephen Easton said.

Board member Kevin Black suggested that it be looked at by the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. John Warford, chair of that committee, said it has a working group examining people with some college credit and no degree and it could be taken up there.

More than 100,000 North Dakotans age 25 or older have some college credits but no degree, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

North Dakota also is a state with significant workforce challenges, and upskilling the states residents came up several times during the meeting.

A main tenet of a University System strategy review to be presented to Gov. Doug Burgum next week is RUN-ND, or Retool and Upskill Now. That would include helping students complete more short-term credentials, stackable certificates that build on previously earned credentials, and helping people finish degrees.

Bismarck State College President Doug Jensen said when examining the population that has some college credit living in the Bismarck-Mandan area, unpaid fees came up as a barrier.

Book fees, parking tickets, small little debts, Jensen said. So I think we need to look at that.

Lisa Johnson, the NDUS vice chancellor of academic and student affairs, said if there is money owed by a former student, that is flagged if they try to transfer to another school. She said individual campuses have policies on releasing transcripts.

Johnson and Meredith Larson, an attorney in the North Dakota Attorney Generals Office, said the trend has been moving away from withholding transcripts.

There are universities that feel strongly or colleges that feel strongly about withholding transcripts. But its been the advice of legal counsel to discontinue that practice, Larson said.

Johnson said NDUS staff would be looking at recommendations, which could include setting up a repayment plan before releasing a transcript.

Federal guidelines came out that did discourage the withholding of academic transcripts for outstanding debt, suggesting there are other mechanisms, instruments for debt collection, Johnson said.

Easton said he recognizes that it may be a touchy subject in North Dakota where he feels there is significant opposition to student loan debt relief.

If were going to be serious about going after this population, we have to identify a politically viable solution to the reality that many of those some-college, no-degree individuals have debt, Easton said. Were bright people; we can come up with solutions to that.
Sunriver Brewing of Bend came away with the most hardware Thursday night at the ninth annual Oregon Beer Awards, capturing 12 medals and earning Large Brewery of the Year honors.

Also with an outstanding showing at the ceremony, held at Southeast Portlands Revolution Hall, was Great Notion Brewing. In a rare sweep, the Portland brewery took all three medals in the Hazy or Juicy IPA category  and added on a silver in Imperial IPAs. The tally earned Great Notion its first Medium Brewery of the Year honor.

And Grand Fir Brewing, after last year being named Best New Brewery, this year took home the Small Brewery of the Year crown, winning four medals, including three golds and a silver.

The Oregon Beer Awards, which celebrates and promotes the states best beer and breweries, began in 2015 and has grown to become Oregons most prestigious brewing industry competition. It featured 1,088 entries from 124 breweries across the state, with entries left unidentified to more than 80 judges from across various parts of the industry.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Pilsner

Gold: Pilsner, pFriem Family Brewers

Silver: King Crispy, Deschutes Brewery

Bronze: Rivermark, Sunriver Brewing

Golden, Blonde, and Other Light Ales

Gold: Van Henion Kolsch, Van Henion Brewing

Silver: Sunrise Surfer, Pelican Brewing

Bronze: Deseo, Sunriver Brewing

Hoppy Lager

Gold: Wonder Wander, Hetty Alice Brewing

Silver: Lets Play! Level Beer

Bronze: Sun Streak, Sunriver Brewing

Light German and European Lagers

Gold: Short Sands, Fort George Brewery

Silver: Carnelian Eyes, ForeLand Beer

Bronze: Let Them Drink Pilsner, StormBreaker Brewing

Dark German and European Lagers

Gold: Secret Secret, Wayfinder Beer

Silver: Stout Lager, Oregon City Brewing

Bronze: Schwarzbier, Von Ebert Brewing

International Lagers

Gold: Japanese Lager, pFriem Family Brewers

Silver: Bad Hombre, Level Beer

Bronze: Bochi Bochi, Crux Fermentation Project

Stout and Porter

Gold: Heartwood Stout, Grand Fir Brewing

Silver: Motherboard Milk Stout, Binary Brewing

Bronze: Lava Lands, Sunriver Brewing

Classic UK Styles

Gold: First Chair, Culmination Brewing

Silver: Drop Top Amber Ale, Widmer Brothers Brewing

Bronze: Breakside ESB, Breakside Brewery

Classic North American Styles

Gold: Upside Brown, Falling Sky Brewing

Silver: Arago Amber, 7 Devils Brewing

Bronze: Checkered Flannel Brown Ale, Mt Tabor Brewing

Belgian Beers, German Wheat Beers, and Traditional Brett Beers

Gold: Zoigl-Weiss, Zoiglhaus Brewing

Silver: Olafs Warm Hugs, Two-Shy Brewing

Bronze: Lily, ColdFire Brewing

Red Beers

Gold: StormWalker Irish Red, Falling Sky Brewing

Silver: Groundlings German-Style Alt, Arch Rock Brewing

Bronze: Doc McLoughlin Scottish Ale, Oregon City Brewing

Strong Beers

Gold: Breakside LIFE barleywine, Breakside Brewery

Silver: Bucket Hat Bob Barleywine, Away Days Brewing

Bronze: GILTINE, Oak Union Brewing

Sessionable Hoppy Beers

Gold: Bondi Beach Party, Sunriver Brewing

Silver: Foxglove, Grand Fir Brewing

Bronze: Breakside Woodlawn Pale Ale, Breakside Brewery

India Pale Ale

Gold: Breakside Bayside IPA, Breakside Brewery

Silver: Breakside Thriving Metropolis, Breakside Brewery

Bronze: West Coast Hospitality, Sunriver Brewing

Hazy or Juicy IPA

Gold: Dead End, Great Notion Brewing

Silver: Haze Cadet, Great Notion Brewing

Bronze: Return to Space, Great Notion Brewing

Imperial India Pale Ale

Gold: Breakside Double Wanderlust, Breakside Brewery

Silver: Super Ripe, Great Notion Brewing

Bronze: Critical Few, Sunriver Brewing

Dark Hoppy Beers

Gold: Redside, Grand Fir Brewing

Silver: Cinder Beast, Sunriver Brewing

Bronze: Imperial Red Ale, Steeplejack Brewing

Barrel-Aged Beers

Gold: Kentucky Kilt, Alesong Brewing and Blending

Silver: Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine, pFriem Family Brewers

Bronze: Wood Series: Applejack Brandy Quad, Sunriver Brewing

Barrel-Aged Stouts

Gold: Breakside Are You Afraid of the Dark? Breakside Brewery

Silver: Wood Series: Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Stout, Sunriver Brewing

Bronze: Matyroshka 24 w/ Vanilla, Cacao, Date, Almond, Fort George Brewery

Flavored Beers

Gold: Midnight Crave, Bevel Craft Brewing

Silver: Mamut, Great Notion Brewing

Bronze: Friars Festivus, Monkless Belgian Ales

Fruit Beers

Gold: Heart Island, Grand Fir Brewing

Silver: Sunset Serenade Raspberry Hibiscus Saison, MadCow Brewing

Bronze: Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter, pFriem Family Brewers

Coffee and Smoke Beers

Gold: Rauch Marzen, Von Ebert Brewing

Silver: Bamberg Obsession, McMenamins Old Saint Francis School

Bronze: Mocha Cow, Sunriver Brewing

Experimental and Historical Beers

Gold: Agrio Morado, 10 Barrel Brewing Co

Silver: Paloma, Migration Brewing

Bronze: ODDLY SPECIFIC, Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery

American Sour Beers

Gold: The Beer Formerly Known as La Tache, The Ale Apothecary

Silver: Riviera, 10 Barrel Brewing

Bronze: Lilikoi No Ka Oi, Oregon City Brewing

Mixed-Culture Beers

Gold: Forest Flor, Upright Brewing

Silver: sitka spruce, nebuleus

Bronze: i would like a refund, nebuleus (Living Haus Beer collab)

Fruited Mixed-Culture Beers

Gold: corner slice, nebuleus (Ruse Brewing collab)

Silver: Raspberry Parliament, Alesong Brewing and Blending

Bronze: Cerise Rouge, ColdFire Brewing

Fresh Hop Pale Ales and India Pale Ales

Gold: Bondi Fresh Hop- Strata, Sunriver Brewing

Silver: Fresh Hop Crystal Double Wanderlust, Breakside Brewery

Bronze: Fresh Hop Mosaic Volatile Substance, Von Ebert Brewing

Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ales and India Pale Ales

Gold: Sediments of Memory, Ruse Brewing

Silver: Papyrus Iris, Ruse Brewing

Bronze: Fresh Hop Talus Logic, Breakside Brewery

Other Fresh Hop Beers

Gold: Fuzztail Fresh Hop Luminosa, Sunriver Brewing

Silver: Altered State, Wayfinder Beer

Bronze: Dad Moon Rising, Ruse Brewing

Large Brewery of the Year: Sunriver Brewing Company

Medium Brewery of the Year: Great Notion Brewing

Small Brewery of the Year: Grand Fir Brewing

2024 OBA ACADEMY WINNERS

These are non-beer categories chosen by the Oregon beer industry at large through a voting application process that is followed by collecting ballots and tallying the winners, organizers of the Oregon Beer Awards said.

Best New Brewery: Obelisk Beer

Best Bottle Shop: Belmont Station

Best Beer Bar or Taphouse: The BeerMongers

Best Brewpub Experience: Fort George Brewery

Best Labels/Branding: Wayfinder Beer

Craft Advocate of the Year: Ben Edmunds

Hall of Fame: Darron Welch

Regional Brewing Company of the Year North Coast: Fort George Brewery

Regional Brewing Company of the Year Willamette: Block 15 Brewing

Regional Brewing Company of the Year Central: pFriem Family Brewers

Regional Brewing Company of the Year Eastern: Barley Browns Brew Pub

Regional Brewing Company of the Year Southern: Arch Rock Brewing

 Andre Meunier has been writing about Northwest beer and cider since 2016; reach him at 503-221-8488 or ameunier@oregonian.com, and sign up for his weekly newsletter, Oregon Brews and News. Instagram: @oregonianbeerguy
The U.S. solicitor general wants time to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to narrow a court order barring Grants Pass from enforcing its public camping ban that has roiled cities across the West on how to deal with rising homelessness.

The federal government has a stake in the issue as the countrys largest property owner to protect people from unconstitutional policing while also ensuring cites nationwide can respond appropriately and humanely to public health and safety issues caused by encampments, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote this week in a friend-of-the-court brief.
A Portland firefighter who snatched a man off a downtown street for stealing off-the-books cannabis from the firefighters hemp store in 2021 was sentenced to 7 years in prison Friday.

A Multnomah County jury last month found Douglas Bourland, 48, guilty of two counts of first-degree kidnapping for forcing Colbey Fleishman into his SUV and confining Fleishman overnight in a cargo container.

Fleishman told the jury he had stolen $40,000 of cannabis from Bourlands Oregon Hemp House in Portland  but the firefighter couldnt report the break-in because he wasnt licensed to sell pot at the store.

Fleishman said he knew where the pot was stored because hed been buying it out the back door.

Fleishman was celebrating the heist on Aug. 14, 2021, when Bourlands associate, Edward Simmons, lured him outside and stuffed Fleishman into an SUV.

Bourlands chief grower, Hong Lee, testified that he roughed up Fleishman in the back seat  warning him that the pot belonged to a vengeful cartel  until Fleishman revealed where hed stashed the cannabis.

The firefighter locked Fleishman inside a cargo container with a final warning: El Jefe is going to see you in the morning. In reality, there was no cartel boss, just empty talk designed to scare Fleishman, according to trial testimony.

Police were already searching for Bourland based on a tip from a ride-share driver who witnessed the initial abduction outside a downtown steakhouse. Bourland was driving Lee and Simmons back into town from his Estacada farm where he grew hemp and cannabis when they were pulled over and arrested by Portland police.

Lee talked immediately, leading officers back to Fleishmans metal prison hours later, while Bourland clammed up and asked for a union rep, according to trial testimony. Union officials wearing their Portland Fire Bureau insignia also attended the trial, at one point drawing a complaint from the prosecutor.

On Friday, Bourland embraced tearful family members as the hearing concluded.

Circuit Judge Angela Lucero warned him that Oregons mandatory minimum sentencing law required him to serve his punishment without time off for good behavior.

Ballot Measure 11 is hard time, so you will serve day for day, Lucero said.

Portland Fire & Rescue spokesperson Rick Graves said the bureau fired Bourland on Friday.

His termination is consistent with city and bureau rules concerning felony convictions for employees, as well as the seriousness of the underlying conduct, Graves said.

Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.

Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe.
Ray Rau, Tillamook police chief and former chief in Nyssa, was convicted of official misconduct Wednesday for tampering with evidence.

He was sentenced to 10 days in jail and must give up his certification as a law enforcement officer that he has held since 1995. As a result, he can no longer work as a police officer in Oregon.

Rau turned himself in after court proceedings on Wednesday to begin his sentence.

He was chief of the Nyssa Police Department from 2012 until resigning in 2021 to take the Tillamook job. He had been elected to the Nyssa School Board just two months before resigning the city post.

Rau, 57, pleaded no contest in Tillamook County Circuit Court to first-degree official misconduct for removing methamphetamine and second-degree official misconduct for removing money from the evidence locker at the Tillamook agency on two occasions. A no contest plea means Rau wasnt admitting to the crimes but agreed prosecutors could prove he was guilty.

He was convicted of taking the meth and the money from the evidence locker sometime between October 2021 and April 2023 with intent to obtain a benefit.

But at a hearing in Tillamook County Circuit Court, Rau insisted he had simply made a mistake while trying to protect an evidence technician from harmful exposure to drugs.

I dont lie and I dont steal, Rau said as he stood before Circuit Judge Sheryl Bachart.

Rau was put on paid leave from his Tillamook job last May as an investigation into evidence tampering got underway. Tillamook County District Attorney Aubrey Olson asked the state Justice Department to handle the matter, resulting in charges against Rau last August.

The investigation prompted Olson to dismiss criminal charges against some defendants and move to vacate convictions against others already found guilty. She has declined to elaborate on the circumstances and didnt respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment.

Tillamook City Manager Nathan George said in an email Wednesday that he was working on gathering information about Raus status as a city employee. The city website on Wednesday no longer listed Rau as part of the police departments force.

Colin Benson, assistant attorney general who prosecuted Rau, described in court how an evidence technician last April discovered methamphetamine missing. He said Rau told the employee he needed the meth for canine training in Nyssa.

Benson said the employee doesnt find plausible the explanation and sent a text message to her supervisor.

According to Benson, Rau explained the evidence circumstance to the supervisor and then to the city manager.

The Oregon State Police audited the evidence lockers at the police department. The audit report has never been released.

Rau was convicted of taking money held in evidence that was taken from a Tillamook woman who had been arrested by city police. Court records didnt specify how much money was taken and Benson didnt address that in his presentation.

Christine Mascal, Raus attorney, said at the hearing that Rau is an honest man who destroyed two crack pipes with small amounts of fentanyl that were held by authorities for two non-prosecutable cases.

He did this because he thought he was doing the right thing, she said. He did the right thing in the wrong way.

She didnt address the meth or the money that were stolen.

Rau picked up the theme of employee safety when he addressed the judge.

He said he destroyed fentanyl on two occasions after hearing officers talk about the drug. He said the fentanyl had been found on the streets.

Rau said the departments evidence technician had just returned from having a baby and he wanted to spare her exposure to the drug.

I got super protective of my staff and made a mistake, Rau said.

He said he put the fentanyl into a mixture of windshield cleaner and other fluids. He then put that into the trash.

His explanation puzzled the judge. When she asked why he didnt do that with other fentanyl in police possession, Rau said, I didnt get into that. He said his actions in the two instances were spur of the moment.

Bachart seemed surprised by the explanation and wondered whether experts would agree with his methods. She noted he dumped the mix into the garbage.

I guess you werent as worried about the sanitation workers, she said.

She said his explanation that he was trying to protect his staff doesnt make any sense.

Prosecutors didnt offer their own explanation for Raus actions.

I dont think youre here because you did the right thing, the judge noted.

Rau didnt address the theft of the money in his remarks to the judge.

She said his actions put a stain on the Tillamook Police Department at a time when the public already distrusts law enforcement.

It is a stain and it stays there and does not get removed, Bachart said.

She said the community would demand he face consequences for betraying its trust. She said the community would be watching to see what punishment is given to a police chief who punishes others for bad decisions.

Benson, the prosecutor, recommended Rau get 15 days in jail, noting how unusual it is for those convicted of misdemeanors to get such a sentence. Raus attorney argued against that.

There is no purpose in this man to serve any jail time, Mascal said.

Rau acknowledged the impact on his agency.

What Ive done embarrasses them and thats wrong, he said.

He said he was completely and utterly broken by the prosecution and that he now has a disabling medical condition. I just want to move past this.

Rau started his law enforcement career in 1995 as a corrections officer at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton. He joined the Milton-Freewater Police Department in 1997, subsequently worked for the Sandy Police Department, and then spent eight years with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. That state agency trains and licenses law enforcement officers.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of the judges surname.
A 56-year-old man drove into a Medford parking lot late last month in a white BMW and sold fentanyl and explosives to an undercover federal agent for cash, according to a federal affidavit.

Now Wesley Allen Armstrong Jr. is accused in federal court of dealing explosives without a license and distribution of fentanyl, among other charges.

The undercover agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives paid $3,000 to Armstrong for eight cast explosives, seven non-electric shock tube detonators and another $300 for 3.1 grams of fentanyl, according to the affidavit. They also found a gun and a scale in Armstrongs car, the affidavit said.

Federal agents set up the sting after receiving information about Armstrong from by the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team, known as MADGE, the affidavit said.

After his arrest, Armstrong told investigators that he had obtained the explosives as payment during a previous fentanyl sale, and knew that they were stolen, an ATF agent wrote in the affidavit. Its unclear where the explosives had been stolen from.

Armstrong has a prior 2018 conviction from San Diego, California, for drug distribution, a felony. He also is now charged with possessing a gun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke has ordered him to remain in custody pending trial.

-- Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, or on LinkedIn.

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Just five school districts in Oregon currently offer a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program subsidized by the U.S. Army  Salem-Keizer, Madras, Reynolds, Lebanon and Oregon City.

Now, some school board members are proposing that Portland Public Schools become the sixth.

What [students] learn in JROTC could lead them to a career that furthers them down their path to take care of themselves and their family, and better serve their communities, said school board vice-chair Herman Greene, the programs most vocal champion.

At first blush, the concept looks like a round-peg-square-hole situation for one of the countrys most liberal urban areas, especially one without a nearby military base anchoring the economy.

At a school board meeting this week, the idea drew full-throated condemnation from some audience members, who charged that it would pave the way for vulnerable students to join the military instead of other, less dangerous fields.

Unions representing teachers and support staff oppose the idea, and have questioned why the district would start such an effort when budget cuts portend the loss of teaching positions in other areas.

The goal of JROTC has always been, and continues to be, military recruitment, board members of the Portland Federation of School Professionals wrote in a March 21 letter to school board members. Teaching a child a trade is very different than starting a child down a path of indoctrination meant to include every aspect of life. In a period where the district has cut positions for the arts, libraries, and other electives, it is highly improper to bring in a JROTC class and call it [career-technical education].

Greene said the district wouldnt mandate that high schools offer the program. Instead, it would give high school principals the option to include it as part of their schools career-technical education offerings, he said.

Students would not be automatically enrolled in the program, he said, which a New York Times investigation in 2022 found was the case for thousands of students around the country.

JROTC is not for everyone, but it may be for someone, he said at Tuesdays board meeting. And for those people that it is for, we shouldnt be the ones standing up to say, You dont need to do that.

At least two school board members  Greene and Michelle DePass said armed forces-affiliated supporters of Junior ROTC had offered to pay their way to visit a military base to see basic training facilities firsthand as they considered whether to bring the program to the district. A third school board member, Julia Brim-Edwards, said shed been asked to go but that paying her expenses was not mentioned. All three said they had declined the offer and DePass has said she opposes bringing the program to Portland schools.

A review of the Junior ROTC courses offered by the Salem-Keizer school district shows an curricular emphasis on leadership, physical fitness and community service, along with extracurricular activities including competitive drill, air rifle, physical fitness teams and color guard. As students progress through the program at North Salem High School, higher-level courses include instruction on topics that include American military history, the constitutional role of the U.S. armed forces and career planning.

In Oregon, as elsewhere in the country, Junior ROTC programs are more likely to be located at schools with a high population of students of color and those who come from poorer families. Pentagon officials have said that the programming is not intended as a recruiting tool, though 20% of new recruits to all branches have previously been enrolled in such a program.

Under the program, courses must be taught by veterans. Districts are responsible for at least half of their salaries, plus benefits and employment taxes; the military picks up the rest. But in order to draw that financial support, the Pentagon requires that at least 10% of students at a school be enrolled in the program, or at least 100 students, whichever is less.

Pentagon requirements regarding who can teach the program and what curriculum materials they use means a lack of local control over the courses, other districts told Portland Public Schools staff charged with researching background information on whether Junior ROTC would be a good fit for Portland.

Other districts also reported that the program had helped to provide needed structure for some students, whom they said benefited from its emphasis on leadership training and community service.

A study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit think-tank funded primarily by the federal government, found that the programs led to higher graduation rates and lower suspension and discipline issues for participants.

This year, the Junior ROTC drill team at Oregon City High School was invited to compete in a national competition, a first for the school, which has had the program in place for more than two decades.

Its factors like that, Greene said, that have driven his support.

But Sylvia McGauley, a former Reynolds High School teacher who has written critically about that schools Junior ROTC program, said she questioned the focus of the courses.

Its about teaching students to give and obey orders, she said. It has nothing to do with restorative justice or consensus building or collaboration. Our unhoused population is filled with veterans with mental health problems as a result of their time in the military. It is a real risk to encourage our students to do this.

Portland Public Schools has historically had an uneasy relationship with the military. Nearly 30 years ago, the school board banned military recruitment in high schools because of the now-defunct dont ask, dont tell policy that discriminated against gay students. It was one of only a handful of districts in the country to ban the recruitment.

A few years later, federal law superseded that, requiring that military recruiters have access to public high school campuses. In 2011, the school board passed a resolution allowing anti-war activists to set up stations next to military recruiters to provide a counterpoint for students.

The Portland school board is expected to vote later this spring on whether to allow principals to decide to offer the Junior ROTC program.

 Julia Silverman covers schools and education policy for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She can be reached via email at jsilverman@oregonian.com. Follow her on X.com at @jrlsilverman.
The story about a Eugene man who narrowly missed being struck by a runaway saw blade has already received national attention, and now The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has gotten into the act, too.

(The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs at 11:35 p.m. weeknights. The show also streams on Philo, which offers a free trial; on Fubo, which also offers a free trial; and on Paramount Plus.)

During his monologue on the episode that aired Thursday night, host Colbert joked about the terrifying true experience of a man whose close call was caught on video footage that has rocketed around the media landscape.

In the footage, a man is seen walking into a convenience store, and just as he closes the door, a fast-moving runaway saw blade comes hurtling at the door, missing the man by mere seconds.

Its jaw-dropping, so perhaps its no surprise that Colbert made mention of the amazing incident. In his monologue, Colbert referred to My colleagues in Oregon, at KGW-8, Eugenes news leader, which then segued into a KGW report, which showed the video footage.

As local viewers know, Colbert got the KGW part wrong, since KGW-TV is the NBC affiliate thats based in Portland, not in Eugene.

After the KGW report aired, Colbert said, Wow, that is either a freak accident, or that guy is the target of a very inefficient assassin.

Colbert went on, For more on this story, we turn to KEZI 9, Eugenes news commander. The clip from the KEZI report featured a reporter standing outside the store, noting that where the saw blade hit wouldve been right here, at the beginning of my torso.

Which means, Colbert said, it could have been a real tragedy, or the worlds fastest bris, referring to the traditional Jewish circumcision ritual.

The audience laughed, but as The Oregonian/OregonLive reported, the man, whose name is Shane Reimche, found the experience traumatic.

Reimche has become a global celebrity of sorts since the incident, with interview requests from news outlets across the world, as The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Related: Eugene man who survived a runaway saw blade now struggling with panic, stress, he says

But the fame has not compensated for the extraordinary stress he says hes felt since his brush with death, The Oregonian/OregonLive story continues. Hes had trouble sleeping, waking up every 30 minutes in a panic. A few days after that saw blade just missed him, he was in the living room of his home when his cat bumped its head into a coffee table, and the sound made Reimche jump, sweat and panic, he said.

 Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist

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Egis, a leading international group in the consulting, construction engineering and mobility sectors, has

been awarded a contract for the landmark Souq Al Mubarakiya Development and Reconstruction Project in Kuwait.

Building on the successful pre-design and design project management phase of the project, Egis will

now serve as the construction management consultant.

Led and financed by Kuwait Finance House (KFH) with Alghanim International (AGI) as the main contractor and Gulf Consult (GC) as the design consultant, this project aims to revitalize and preserve the historic market's unique 120-year-old heritage.

A significant landmark in Kuwait, Souq Al-Mubarakiya played a pivotal role in shaping the country's political, commercial, and social history.

Egis will oversee the reconstruction of 17 buildings, along with a complete upgrade of the infrastructure

network to meet current standards and comply with the latest regulations.

Its previous scope included project management of the pre-design and design phase of the project working alongside a team of architectural and heritage specialists, said the company in a statement.

Following a fire that partially damaged portions of the landmark, the design ensures the reconstruction adheres to modern specifications while meticulously preserving the historical significance of this treasured site, it stated.

"Egis brings a long history of technical expertise and project management experience to the Souq Al-

Mubarakiya Development project," remarked Khaled ElMir, the Country Managing Director at Egis in Kuwait.

"We are committed to collaborating closely with all stakeholders to deliver this significant project to the highest standards, ensuring the revitalized Souq becomes a cherished landmark for generations to come," he stated.

According to him, Egis has been a cornerstone of Kuwait's development since 1992, providing engineering consultancy across diverse sectors including buildings, infrastructure, roads and bridges, waste management, and more.

With a proven track record of successful collaborations with government entities, ministries, municipalities, and private organizations, Egis is committed to shaping Kuwait's future.

KFH Chairman Hamad Abdulmohsen Al Marzouq said: "We are delighted to celebrate the launch of

the reconstruction project for the area damaged in the Al Mubarakiya fire."

"This follows the successful completion and approval of the design phase by the relevant advisory team dedicated to addressing the effects of the incident," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A massive chunk of hardened snow tumbled into the void below him as Roscoe Shorey dug his fingers into the edge of the cornice in a desperate attempt to stop his fall.

He couldnt hold on, leaving deep gouges in the snow as he slid off the edge and plummeted about 1,200 feet, landing in an avalanche triggered by the piece of the cornice that had fallen from under him at the top of Mount St. Helens. The mass of snow carried him deeper into the crater.
Bad news for, well, almost everybody: Apparently, Oregon is in the top 10 across the country when it comes to quality roads.

Oregonians, or at least those familiar with the gravel roads and potholes of Portland, will know this cant be good for anyone driving in states 11 through 50.

This research was done by experts at personal injury lawyers Munley Law  why is an unanswerable question  that looked at acceptable road miles in each U.S. data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics between 2011 to 2020 and then calculated the average rate of acceptable road quality.

Oregon landed at No. 10.

The award for best in the country goes to Idaho, which scored 94.78% on average acceptable road miles. And lets give that to Idaho. They dont get much.

After Idaho, comes Georgia with an average of 94.5% acceptable road miles, Tennessee with 94.17%, North Dakota with 93.96%, Nebraska with 92.47%, Wyoming with 91.51%, Kentucky with 91.24%, Alabama with 90.77%, Montana with 89.6% and finally, Oregon, with an average of 89.44%.

Interesting company. No comment on the company.

But spare a thought for last place New Jersey, which cant catch a break. New Jersey isnt just a punchline to every joke told by a New Yorker. It also has a rating of 50.71% acceptable roads. This must be what Bruce Springsteens Thunder Road is really about.

 Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com or @lizzzyacker

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Authorities in Oklahoma have expressed suspicion of "foul play" in the disappearance of two women from Kansas who failed to arrive to collect children last week.

Two Women Fails To Collect Children, Reported Missing

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling together to pick up children on Saturday, but they never reached the designated location, according to the Texas County Sheriff's Office. Instead, their vehicle was discovered abandoned near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in rural Texas County.

According to the advisory, the women never reached the pickup location, and their vehicle was later discovered abandoned in a county in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, responsible for probing the case, announced that proof from the abandoned vehicle reveals the involvement of foul play. The bureau highlighted that the search for the missing women continues, and no arrests have been made thus far.

Although it remains unclear whose children the two women were intending to collect, it is presumed that Butler and Kelley were friends, as indicated by the state bureau.

Family members have revealed earlier in the week that Butler had been entangled in a challenging custody dispute. Court records indicate a custody case started in late March 2015 and ended almost a month later.

The OSBI is persuading anyone with added details to come forward and help in the investigation.

Read Also : Body of Missing California Hiker Discovered at the Foot of Waterfall

Oklahoma Officials Suspect Foul Play in Disappearance of Two Women

In a declaration, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) announced, "Based on the information obtained from the victim's vehicle, our investigators believe there was evidence to indicate foul play."

"We are still searching for these victims and there are no arrests at this time." Hunter McKee, the public information manager at OSBI, conveyed concern for the safety of the women declaring, "We believe they are in danger because we have not heard from them in, coming up on three days now."

The OSBI has restricted the circumstances as a "suspicious disappearance case" and is cooperating with the Texas County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and other law enforcement agencies in the investigation.

Veronica Butler is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall with red hair and green eyes, and she has various tattoos containing a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and a sunflower on her left shoulder.

Jilian Kelley has brown hair, blue eyes, and a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm. Her last observed attire consisted of a long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and tan or beige shoes.

Jilian Kelley is the spouse of Heath Kelley, the present pastor of Hugoton First Christian Church, who is set to become the new minister at Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska.

Willow Christian Church has arranged a time of prayer for the safe return of Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler.

Anyone holding details concerning the locations of the missing females is pressed to contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation via email at tips@osbi.ok.gov or by phone at 1-800-522-8017.
In Tennessee's state court, a group comprising doctors and women sought to halt the enforcement of the state's nearly complete abortion ban in cases involving serious pregnancy complications.

Coalition Aims to Stop Implementation of State's Total Abortion Ban

Representing seven women who were refused abortions due to complications and two doctors, attorneys argued before a panel of three judges in Nashville's Twelfth Judicial District Court that the medical exemption within the state's abortion prohibition was too ambiguous, leading physicians to reject patients in need of urgent care.

Linda Goldstein, an attorney representing the plaintiffs from the Center for Reproductive Rights, stated, "Doctors are denying or delaying abortion care in cases where even defendants concede that it would be legally permissible."

On the other hand, Whitney Hermandorfer, representing Republican Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti's office, acknowledged the unfortunate nature of such pregnancy complications but emphasized their rarity.

She alleged that the state's medical exemption permits doctors to exercise "reasonable medical judgment" to stop pregnancies to avoid death or important and irrevocable danger to pregnant individuals.

Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal, part of the three-judge panel, conveyed difficulties in interpreting the statute, noting its inadequacy of clarity and approximate terms, specifically concerning what constitutes a "substantial" danger of wound.

Tennessee's near-total abortion ban came into effect in August 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative-most decision earlier that year to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which approved abortion nationwide in 1973.

Read Also : Arizona Abortion Rights Amendment Supporters Assert They Exceeded Signatures for 2024 Ballot

Tennessee Lawmakers Integrated Specific Medical Exemption Into Legislation

Among the fourteen states that have implemented almost complete abortion bans, Tennessee's legislature included a specific medical exemption to the law in August 2023.

However, a coalition of women and doctors challenged this exemption in September, contending that it violated the state constitution due to its narrow and vague scope, echoing similar cases in states like Texas, Idaho, and Oklahoma concerning emergency medical exceptions to abortion bans.

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider arguments from President Joe Biden's administration on April 24, asserting that a federal law guaranteeing patients emergency access to "stabilizing care" supersedes Idaho's near-total abortion ban.

During the recent proceedings, Goldstein highlighted doctors' concerns in Tennessee, who feared legal repercussions and recommended patients seek medical care out of state due to the lack of clear guidance provided by the medical necessity exemption for providing life-saving or health-preserving abortion care.

One plaintiff, Nicole Blackmon, lacked the means to travel and, upon learning at 15 weeks of pregnancy that her fetus had a condition incompatible with survival, was compelled to continue her pregnancy, resulting in the birth of a stillborn baby at 31 weeks.

The nonprofit filed the lawsuit in September on behalf of Blackmon, six other women facing significant health complications who were denied abortions, and two obstetrician-gynecologists who assert that severe penalties hinder their ability to provide care.

In November, the state of Tennessee filed a motion to dissolve the case, citing governmental privilege. The complainants are suing not only the state but also the state's attorney general, the Board of Medical Examiners, and the board's president.

The Center for Reproductive Rights has filed similar lawsuits and complaints in Texas, Idaho, and Oklahoma, as more states adopt restrictive abortion bans or lack facilities for women to access abortion services.
In a now viral video of one of the impacts of the Taiwan earthquake, maternity nurses were seen swiftly securing newborn babies in their tiny cots as the hospital building swayed.

When Taiwan's eastern coast was shaken by an earthquake early Wednesday morning, a team of nurses at Ma Cherie Postpartum Care Center in Taipei sprang into action without hesitation.

Caught on video during the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck just before 8 a.m., the nurses rushed into a room to shield approximately twelve newborns in their care.

Rather than seeking refuge for themselves, these maternity nurses quickly repositioned all the incubators, relocating them to the center of the room away from potentially dangerous walls.

Their swift actions aimed to safeguard the infants as the room trembled violently from the seismic activity.

Maternity Nurses' Heroism

Video footage released on April 4 captured the tense moments at Ma Cherie Maternity Centre in Taipei, Taiwan.

The harrowing footage shows two nurses carefully holding tiny cots containing newborns during the tremors to ensure the safety of precious newborns.

A third nurse quickly joined in, helping to steady the beds and ensuring the safety of the infants. With swift thinking, one nurse managed to secure a cot's wheel, preventing any potential harm to the babies during the earthquake chaos.

With quick thinking and steady hands, they secured the cots and stabilized them amidst the shaking, showcasing their bravery and commitment to their young charges.

Chen Ting-Chin, the supervisor at Ma Cherie Maternity Centre, described the mix of fear and determination felt by the nursing staff.

Ting-Chin shared the natural fear experienced by the maternity staff during the earthquake. "Of course, we felt scared, very scared," she expressed, emphasizing the instinctual priority placed on the babies' safety above all else.

Reflecting on the intense moment, Aly, a nurse, stated that there was no time for fear when the earthquake struck. "Our immediate focus was ensuring the safety of the babies," she affirmed, highlighting the nurses' unwavering commitment to their young charges.

Head nurse Elaine recounted the adrenaline-fueled response of the nursing team, describing it as an instinctual drive to protect the newborns. "Those in the healthcare field can understand," she remarked, hopeful that their actions would inspire compassion and empathy in others.

Powerful Taiwan Earthquake

On Thursday, April 4, rescue teams mobilized to reach over 600 individuals in eastern Taiwan following the most powerful earthquake to hit the island in decades.

The number of injured surpassed 1,000 as aftershocks continued to jolt the region a day after the 7.4 magnitude quake struck near Hualien County, causing significant devastation including building collapses and landslides.

The discovery of the tenth victim's body at Little Zhuilu Trail in Hualien County on Thursday added to the grim toll of casualties.

Despite the scale of the earthquake, the reported death toll remains relatively low, with 10 fatalities, 1,067 injuries, and 42 individuals still unaccounted for.

Additionally, 663 people are stranded but maintain communication with rescue teams, according to Taiwan's National Fire Agency.

Although numerous rescues were conducted overnight, rescue operations primarily focused on freeing individuals trapped in a quarry in Hualien and reaching those isolated in nearby mountainous areas, known for their popularity among hikers and tourists.

By midday Thursday, all 64 individuals stranded at the Heping quarry had been successfully evacuated, as confirmed by the fire agency.
YouTuber and well-known beauty influencer Aspyn Ovard allegedly filed for divorce on the same day of their third daughter's birth.

Ovard, aged 27, submitted divorce paperwork to Salt Lake County's Third District Court on April 1, citing unspecified reasons for the separation as per court documents.

Coinciding with the divorce filing, Ovard shared the news of her third daughter's birth on the same day.

In a social media update, she mentioned that the baby arrived six weeks ahead of schedule, although the newborn's name has not been publicly disclosed.

Shocking Divorce Filing

Ovard initiated legal proceedings for separation on the same day she publicly revealed the arrival of their third child. This couple, also parents to daughters Cove and Lola, exchanged vows in October 2015.

Recently, the YouTuber shared a TikTok video where she engaged in chores while disclosing that her newborn is under neonatal intensive care.

She candidly discussed the challenges of delivering her third child, documenting her hospitalization for induction, which later led to her discharge home.

Post-birth, the baby was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and is reportedly in stable condition, as per Ovard's TikTok updates.

While Ovard announced her daughter's birth in April, the specific date remains undisclosed. Subsequently, Ovard has uploaded several TikTok videos from the hospital focusing on her newborn, including one featuring Ferris.

As of now, the divorce remains unconfirmed by both parties. Allegedly, the divorce rumors surfaced on Reddit when a fan shared purported divorce documents. Ovard and Ferris have refrained from public comments on the matter.

YouTubers Aspyn Ovard and Parker Ferris

Ovard, aged 27, established her presence on YouTube back in 2010 under the moniker HauteBrilliance. She commenced vlogging about her daily experiences while still in school, later transitioning to a collaborative channel with Ferris.

In October 2015, Ovard tied the knot with Ferris in a picturesque outdoor ceremony, marking their union when she was 19 years old. They currently reside in Salt Lake County, Utah.

Initially, Ovard's YouTube content focused on vlogs, makeup tutorials, and beauty tips during her high school years, with Ferris frequently featuring in videos such as boyfriend tags and comedic skits like makeup challenges.

One of her channels garnered 2 million subscribers, initially shared with Ferris before reverting to her sole ownership in March 2024. Another channel, which she paused in March 2022, amassed over 3 million subscribers.

Ferris has played a crucial role in Ovard's social media journey, from video editing to content creation for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. He also assisted in managing Ovard's clothing brand, Luca + Grae, until its temporary hiatus.

Ovard has acknowledged Ferris's support in parenting their daughters, whom she has recently kept more private. Ferris often collaborated with Ovard in videos, showcasing snippets of their daily lives on their previously shared channel.

The news of their divorce filing came as a surprise to fans who have followed Ovard and Ferris's online journey for years. Prior to their recent addition to the family, the couple shared glimpses of their babymoon on TikTok.
The new AppleTV+ documentary Girls State released today, offering a glimpse into the future of American politics through the eyes of 500 teenage girls from across Missouri. Produced and directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine (Boys State, The Mission), the film centers a week-long immersion where these young women navigate the complexities of democracy, from grassroots campaigning to forming a Supreme Court.

Following the success of Boys State, Moss and McBaine found themselves compelled to explore the untold story of Girls State. We felt that there was unfinished business, Moss reflects, we were interested in how the girls would practice politics, address the issues consuming us all, and confront the divisions of our country.

With a nod to the uniqueness of each genders experience, the filmmakers consciously avoided replicating Boys State, opting instead to allow Girls State to be its own entity. As parents of teenage daughters, Moss and McBaine brought a personal dimension to the project, understanding the dynamics perhaps more intimately than before.

Central to the documentarys success are the young women themselves, who Moss describes as having the vulnerability, charisma, and confidence to invite us in. Casting became a process of meeting numerous individuals until the right characters revealed themselves, allowing the story to unfold organically through their experiences and interactions.

While Girls State offers an intriguing political narrative, it also provides a safe space for dialogue and discussion, even on the most divisive issues. McBaine emphasizes the importance of these spaces, where young individuals, still flexible and open, can engage in constructive dialogue despite differing political views. However, the filmmakers noted a shift in 2022, with a noticeable increase in caution when discussing politics, reflecting broader societal trends of polarization and division.

I will say that this film was shot in 2022, Moss explains. We noticed a lot more caution in getting into talking about politics, even from the four years earlier when we filmed Boys State. I cant tell you whether that was just girls versus boys or just 2022 versus 2018.

Reflecting on the future, Moss and McBaine express both concern and optimism. While acknowledging the intractable problems facing society and the failures of the adult political establishment, they draw hope from the optimism and activism of the girls they encountered. McBaine highlights the frustration felt by many young people towards the current political gridlock and emphasizes the need for fresh perspectives and new voices to break through the stagnation.

Indeed, the girls featured in Girls State embody a generation unbound by traditional party affiliations, with many expressing fluid political identities. They are acutely aware of the limitations and challenges facing women in politics, yet remain determined to effect change and redefine what is possible politically.

I think that what gave us hope is that these girls we met are not cynical, Moss says. Theyre optimistic. Theyre throwing themselves into understanding the process of democracy, the messiness of democracy and finding their voice.

In Girls State, Moss and McBaine have once again produced a balanced documentary which serves as a testament to the power of youth, optimism, and dialogue in shaping the future of democracy. Through their lens, viewers will see a generation poised to challenge the status quo and forge a path towards a more equitable and just society.

Girls State, directed and produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, is currently streaming on AppleTV+.
Ghanaian students on scholarship in Hungary are calling on the government to pay their stipends owed for over 6 months.



The Ghana Students Association in Hungary expressed in a press release that the Ghanaian government has failed to fulfill its crucial responsibility of providing monthly stipends to approximately 215 students, including undergraduates, masters, and PhDs.



According to them negligence has had profound consequences on students' academic performance and mental well-being.



On the contrary, the Hungarian government has commendably fulfilled all its obligations stipulated in the scholarship agreement.



However, the constant rise in living costs in Hungary exacerbates the hardships faced by students. Despite continuous appeals, the students have yet to receive their owed stipends.



The timely disbursement of stipends and allocation of book allowances at the start of the academic year are essential to restoring hope, enabling academic success, and fulfilling the dreams of these bright Ghanaian students.



Unfortunately, the students have been left in dire straits for the past six months.



They are therefore pleading with the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat to expedite their processes for paying the stipends.





Source: Sika Ayim/ Peace FM Newsroom









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 Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has destroyed two 40-footer container loads of substandard baby diapers imported into the country.



The diapers, which were seized from markets, were shredded at Atadeka near Ashaiman in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality in the Greater Accra Region. The Head of the Enforcement Directorate of the FDA, Vigil Edward Prah-Ashun, said the products were retrieved from traders during market surveillance exercises in the region from January till date.



Mr Prah-Ashun recalled a joint statement released in July last year by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the FDA and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) warning the public about the increased importation of unregistered disposable baby diapers into the country.



In that statement, he said, businesses had been given a grace period till December last year to regularise their businesses.



Surveillance

Mr Prah-Ashun said from January, this year, the regulatory authorities started monitoring the market for such disposable baby diapers and realised there had been an influx of some that did not meet the regulatory, packaging and labelling standards.



The FDAs Head of Enforcement said as a result of the market surveillance, the FDA seized the consignment of diapers for safe disposal, explaining that the seizures were based on the health implications of using such substandard baby diapers which could endanger the health and well-being of babies and children.



Mr Prah-Ashun said, for instance, a girl-child using any of them could pick up an infection which could develop into cases of infertility in adulthood, while the boys could develop cancer of the testes based on the chemicals used in producing the substandard baby diapers.



He, therefore, urged the public to buy only registered baby diapers properly packaged and labelled and not the loose ones which had been exposed to the vagaries of the weather.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana has been ranked as Africas fifth best-governed country, surpassing other West African countries, with near-perfect scores for rule of law, press freedom, and political rights.



It took the position with an index of 61.7, translating to Grade B, defeating Senegal, the closest West African counterpart, which was ranked sixth with a grade of C and an index of 53.6.



According to the latest ranking by the World Economics, a UK-based research organisation, Mauritius reigns supreme on the top in Africa as the best governed nation, with the country receiving an index of 69.3, translating to a grade of B.



Namibia was ranked second with a grade of B and an index of 69.1, South Africa was ranked third with a grade of B and an index score of 65.5, and Botswana was ranked fourth, ahead of Ghana, with a grade of B and an index of 65.1.



Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Libya, and Chad round off the bottom three.



Libya sits squarely in last place with a grade of E and an index of 15.4 followed by DRC with grade E and an index of 21.6 and Chad with an index of 23.2.



World Economics ranks good governance using four primary indexes namely corruption perception, rule of law, press freedom, and political rights.



The governance index assigns equal weight to all four criteria established by the researchers.



According to World Economics, all index numbers have been rebased and are shown on a scale of 0-100. Governance: 0 = poor governance; 100 = as excellent as it gets. Corruption Perception: 0 = bad; 100 = good. Rule of Law: 0 = low rule of law; 100 = high rule of law; Press Freedom: 0 = low press freedom; 100 = high press freedom; and Political Rights: 0 = low political rights; 100 = high political rights.



The grade definitions are A: Very good, B: Good, C: Average, D: Poor and E: Very Poor.



Global Rankings



Denmark, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, and Sweden were ranked first, second, third, fourth, and fifth globally. Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg, Canada, Germany, and Iceland, Estonia, Australia, and the United Kingdom follow in that order.



Ghana is ranked 48th, ahead of countries such as Argentina, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brazil, Senegal, Malawi, Indonesia, India, Tunisia, Cote dIvoire, United Arab Emirates, Benin, Rwanda, Kenya, Morocco, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Turkey, and Egypt.



World Economics



After more than a decade of dedicated research, World Economics has created a set of new databases that provide a radically different perspective on the realities of global economic growth in 150+ nations, which is extremely relevant and useful to investors.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Hon Akosua Fremah Osei - Opare has received widespread admiration and approval for her impressive leadership performance for the past seven years as the first female Chief of Staff.



Being the first female Chief of Ghana in the history of Ghana, she has been acclaimed for setting the pace for women to take up challenging roles in the political sphere.



This came to light when Dressers International a Non-Governmental Organization as part of their women empowerment program inspiring participants to take up active politics touched on women who have been involved in active politics



Among the women who are believed to be changing the narrative when it comes to politics was the Chief of Staff of the Republic of Ghana, Hon Akosua Fremah Osei- Opare who according the dressers who is making a lasting impact.



The organizers believed its high time women got involved in active politics and taking up challenging positions like their male counterparts without hiding behind the scenes.



Some of the participants who spoke to Peacefmonline Sampson Kwame Nyamekye said the current policies by the government are as results of the contributing role of the Chief of staff.



The group emphasized the chief of staff's unwavering determination in achieving goals, her strong leadership qualities, and her unwavering focus on driving positive change.



They commended her for consistently going above and beyond in ensuring that tasks are efficiently executed and objectives are met saying her industriousness has not only resulted in successful outcomes but has also inspired others to strive for excellence.



Her dedication serves as a shining example of the impact that hard work and a strong work ethic can have in achieving success.



The group highlighted her unwavering presence at every event, demonstrating her dedication and vitality.



Some of the participants who spoke to the media emphasized her fitness for another appointment despite her age adding that age should never be a barrier to one's abilities.

Source: Samson Kwame Nyamekye/ Hello Fm









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Note: The article was updated to include a statement from Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania.

Almost 16%!

Thats the rate increase for residential customers one company that provides natural gas in Pennsylvania has requested.

Under the proposal, the total monthly bill for a Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania residential customer using 70 therms of gas would increase from $118.16 to $136.92, an increase of 15.9%.

For Columbias commercial customers, the total monthly bill for a small commercial customer using 150 therms of gas would increase from $196.43 to $226.24, an increase of 15.2%. Rates for a small industrial customer using 1,215 therms of gas per month would increase from $1,281.25 to $1,452.98, an increase of 13.4%.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is investigating the rate increase request.

On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted to investigate the rate increase request filed by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Inc., which provides natural gas distribution services to approximately 444,200 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in portions of 26 counties across western and south-central Pennsylvania.

The Commission voted 5-0 to investigate the request, which was filed on March 15. On March 20, the Office of Consumer Advocate had filed a formal complaint.

The changes proposed by Columbia Gas would produce an overall operating revenue increase of $124.1 million per year, a 15.8% increase.

Columbia Gas had announced that the rate changes would go into effect on May 14, but the PUC suspended the increase.

Todays action by the Commission suspends the rate increase request for up to seven months and the case will now be assigned to the PUCs Office of Administrative Law Judge for an investigation and recommended decision, the PUC said in a news release.

A final decision by the commission on the rate increase request is due by Dec. 14.

Columbia Gas provided the following statement:

Columbia Gas filed a rate adjustment request with the Pennsylvania Pubic Utility Commission (PUC) on March 15 to provide us with the opportunity to continue investing in the safety of our natural gas distribution system by replacing aging underground pipe, such as bare steel, wrought iron and first-generation plastic. Economic development of the 26-county area that Columbia Gas serves in Pennsylvania benefits greatly from this investment.

The PUCs vote to investigate the rate adjustment request is a normal step in the regulatory process. Under our filing, the new Columbia Gas distribution rates determined by the PUC would not become effective until mid-to-late December 2024. Even if the request is approved as filed, the total average residential customer bill would still be 24 percent lower than it was 20 years ago when adjusted for inflation.

We have a responsibility to continue the safe and reliable operation of our natural gas system, and that includes assessing the financial needs to continue our critical infrastructure replacement program to maintain safe operations. We take our commitment to our local communities seriously, and were proud of the more than 700 full-time employees and 1,050 contractors across the state of Pennsylvania who comprise the Columbia Gas team. They continue to work tirelessly to keep our customers safe every day.

Columbia Gas also said it offers a wide array of assistance and energy efficiency programs to help customers save money and energy, and encourages customers to visit www.columbiagaspa.com/assistance. The company also encourages customers to go to www.columbiagaspa.com/ratecase to learn more about the rate case filing.
Note: The story has been updated.

M&T Bank is looking for up to 45 entrepreneurs to participate in its third Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab.
By WILL WEISSERT, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is expected to get a firsthand look Friday at efforts to clear away the hulking remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one of the nations main shipping lanes.

Biden will receive updates from the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. Eight workers  all immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador  were filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed in the middle of the night of March 26. Two were rescued, but the bodies of only two of the six who died have been recovered.

The president plans to meet with the families of the victims.

Biden said last week that the Key bridge was one Ive been over many, many times commuting.

Officials have established a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of this month and to restore normal capacity to Baltimores port by May 31, the White House says.

Thats important since longer delays in reopening shipping lanes could send shockwaves through the economy. As much as $200 million in cargo normally moves through Baltimores port per day, and it is the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.

Of more immediate concern might be covering the costs of cleanup and building a new bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration has provided $60 million in quick release emergency relief funds to get started. Exactly how much the collapse will cost is unclear, though some experts estimate recovery will take at least $400 million and 18 months.

37 1 / 37 Bridge collapses in Baltimore, Md.

Biden said within hours of the collapse that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Dan Meuser called a promise made so quickly after the disaster outrageous, telling Fox News Channel, The first reaction, in fact the only reaction, tends to be to spend.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was more amenable to Bidens call, likening the bridge collapse to assistance that flows after natural disasters and saying the federal government will step up and do the lions share of funding. But authorization is likely no slam-dunk in Congress.

The funding questions carry political implications as Biden squares off with former President Donald Trump in Novembers election.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore gestures at a rendering of the bridge collapse while explaining the depth of two temporary channels opened to get smaller vessels around the bridge collapse at a news conference on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Dundalk, Maryland. (Dan Belson/Baltimore Sun/TNS, file)TNS

The bridge collapse also has thrust into the national spotlight Marylands Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, 45, a leading voice in Bidens reelection campaigns effort to energize young voters on the 81-year-old presidents behalf.

Meanwhile, federal officials are poised to release within days the preliminary findings of their investigation into the bridge collapse, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as they werent authorized to discuss the probe. Its unclear what the investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, will conclude.

The transportation safety board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bloomberg News contributed to this report.
The families of two firefighters who died in July aboard a burning cargo ship at Port Newark in New Jersey have filed a $50 million wrongful death complaint in federal court that charges negligence, carelessness and recklessness on the part of the city, the shipping company and others led to the untimely deaths of the men.

The lawsuit, filed late Thursday, claimed Newark failed to properly train and equip the veteran firefighters to deal with the dangerous conditions they faced aboard the Grande Costa dAvorio when fire swept through the car-carrying vessel. It also alleged its owners, Grimaldi Deep Sea of Naples, Italy, operated the ship in an unreasonably dangerous and unseaworthy condition.
The Philadelphia chapter of a Muslim civil rights group is urging Gov. Josh Shapiro to join his counterparts in California and New Jersey in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and encouraging a change of course on how America is conducting itself in the conflict.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Philadelphia issued a statement explaining how the Pennsylvania governors words and actions over the past six months have caused harm and hurt to Muslim, Arab and pro-Palestinian Pennsylvanians. It says it is time for the governor to move beyond the performative and step into meaningful action.

Because they believe the governor has failed to take a genuine interest in their deep-seated discontent, some board members of CAIR-Philadelphia chose not to accept an invitation for iftar, a meal in which Muslims break their fast during Ramadan, at the Governors Residence this week.
Its a move seemingly pulled from an old episode of Looney Toons.

A porch pirate disguised themselves as a garbage bag in a sly attempt to swipe a package from a doorstep that was left at a front door.

And its all been captured on video.

The bizarre theft took place outside Omar Gabriel Munozs home in Sacramento County, California, on March 29.

Munozs door camera footage captured a person crouched underneath a garbage bag, approaching the front door and stealing the package.

The only part of the persons body that can be seen are the feet, which are wearing white sandals.

Munoz told Storyful he got a notification that his package had been delivered but when he got home from work, he was confused because he couldnt find it.

He even thought the wind might have blown it away, but after checking his camera footage, he discovered what really happened.

Munoz told Fox Digital that two iPhone chargers from the online retailer Temu were inside the package, worth about $10.

At first I was kinda angry but when I saw the video again, I was laughing because people [these] days have a lot of creativity, Munoz said.

He also added that he had just moved there from San Jose, where he had a package stolen before.

When asked if he had anything to say to the suspect, Munoz admitted that the crafty act was a good one.

Munoz said he didnt report the theft to authorities because he thinks, they have more important things to do and just placed another order.
A television actor has been missing for several days after authorities named him as a suspect at large in a recent domestic violence incident.

Cole Brings Plenty, 27, plays Pete Plenty Clouds on the Paramount+ show 1923, a spin-off of the successful western show Yellowstone.

Cole Brings Plentys uncle, Moses J. Brings Plenty, plays Mo on Yellowstone.

Police in Lawrence, Kansas, said on Tuesday that they responded to a report on Sunday about a female screaming for help but that the suspect fled the scene before they arrived.

An investigation identified Cole Brings Plenty as the suspect and police submitted an affidavit to the district attorney for his arrest as this is a domestic violence incident.

Traffic cameras, however, showed him leaving the city right after the incident, traveling southbound on 59 Highway in a white Ford Explorer, according to NBC News.

Cole Brings Plentys family became concerned after he missed an appointment with his agent and have reported him as missing. They also believe he has turned off his cell phone.

Moses J. Brings Plenty shared an image of a missing persons flier about his nephew on Instagram.

The actors father, Joesph Brings Plenty Sr., has been posting updates about the efforts to locate his son on his Facebook page.

I pray today we find [my] son. I pray wherever he is, his will is as strong as his love for the people around him. I pray for the searchers, the relatives that gathered, I can see how stressed they all seem, I pray we all stay strong, he wrote in his latest post. Son, you have a lot of people who have love for you. Come home son, family loves you and misses you.
Members of the Dauphin County Prison Board held a town hall in Harrisburg on Thursday night, answering questions and taking comments from a crowd of more than 35 people regarding the current state of the Dauphin County Prison.

An abundance of topics were discussed, including  but not limited to  racial discrimination within the Pennsylvania prison system, medical and mental health services within the Dauphin County Prison, various issues regarding correctional officers, the treatment of inmates, and the quality of food served.

This was the first town hall held since the Prison Board approved a resolution at its February meeting to begin holding them every quarter as a way for community members to meet with and pose questions to the jails leadership.

Answering the questions were Dauphin County Prison Warden Gregory Briggs, Sheriff Nicholas Chimienti Jr., Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo, Dauphin County Controller Mary Bateman and Prison Board Solicitor Frank Lavery Jr.

Members of the Dauphin County Prison Board held a Q&A with members of the community on Thursday, April 4.Madison Montag

Rev. Earl Harris, the founder of Black Wall USA and among the first speakers, addressed the racial and socioeconomic discrimination that he said plagues prisons throughout the United States, Pennsylvania and Dauphin County.

The prison system in Dauphin County is built off the backs of Black and brown people, he said.

Harris, and other members of the community, also spoke about the disproportionate number of Black and brown people who are incarcerated in Dauphin County and called for all jails to be abolished.

Another woman in the crowd called the prison system a modernized slave trade, and shared her thoughts on the abusive authority within the Dauphin County Prison.

When will you start prosecuting the liars? the woman asked Chardo, speaking about police officers and correctional officers who she said frequently lie during testimony and on official records.

Chardo responded to the comments by emphasizing the importance of holding offenders of violent and sexual crime and said police officers can be placed on lists to restrict from testifying, if applicable.

I agree with you that too many people are in the jail, but as long as we have murders and rapes, we will have a jail, Chardo said.

Multiple attendees also noted their concerns regarding healthcare within the Dauphin County Prison, including people being given the wrong medications, undrinkable water and being denied necessary medication for several days.

There is too much sickness, said Rev. Brenda Alton.

The board members said they are hopeful a third-party audit of the current healthcare system within the prison  provided by PrimeCare Medical Inc.  will begin within the next 30 to 60 days.

The lack of mental health care within the Dauphin County Prison was another topic directly addressed by a member of the board.

Prisons are not hospitals, Douglas said. We cannot continue to send people who need mental health care to Dauphin County Prison and expect different results.

Another frequently mentioned issue during the meeting was the current deficit of 60 correctional officers within the Dauphin County Prison and how the funding for those positions is being used.

A majority of those who attended spoke out against the potential hiring of 18-year-olds as correctional officers. Douglas spoke for both sides of the argument, explaining how state correctional facilities start their hiring process at 18, but agreed there are many points to be made against hiring correctional officers that young.

Several of PennLives reports on the Dauphin County Prison were also mentioned throughout the meeting, including the recent correctional officer from the prison who was charged with simple assault and official oppression.

Emotions ran high when Amanda Arbour, a local advocacy leader, questioned the criminal involvement of other correctional officers who did not intervene.

Chardo said there is no duty to intervene in Pennsylvania law, but said correctional officers could still be punished if their actions violated policies.

Stop trying to track who PennLive is talking to and try to stop this from happening again, Arbour said, referencing another PennLive report in which power was cut in two of the prisons segregation blocks.

Shortly after, Chardo and Arbour found common ground after emphasizing the difference between a morally wrong action vs. an action that can lead to criminal charges in Pennsylvania.

Family members of Justin Lee Cofield, who died in the Dauphin County Prison at the age of 33 on Feb. 23, also spoke about the poor conditions throughout several aspects of the prison.

Board members wrapped up the town hall by inviting everyone in attendance to join them for any prison board meetings and said a similar event to Thursdays meeting would be scheduled in the coming months.

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams was among those who attended.
By JENNIFER PELTZ, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)  An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with residents across the Northeast reporting rumbling in a region where people are unaccustomed to feeling the ground move.

The agency reported a quake at 10:23 a.m. with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia. U.S.G.S. figures indicated that the quake might have been felt by more than 42 million people.

Residents across central Pennsylvania, including in Dauphin, Cumberland and Lancaster counties, reported feeling the quake.

Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro tweeted: My team and @PEMAHQ (Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency) are actively monitoring the situation and in contact with counties on any damage. We will keep Pennsylvanians updated.

A map of reports from people who felt the New Jersey earthquake, April 5, 2024. (U.S. Geological Survey)the U.S. Geological Survey

New York Citys emergency notification system said in a social media post more than 30 minutes after the quake that it had no reports of damage or injuries in the city. Mayor Eric Adams had been briefed on the quake, his spokesperson Fabien Levy said, adding, While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, were still assessing the impact.

At a coffee shop in lower Manhattan, customers buzzed over the unexpected earthquake, which rattled dishware and shook the concrete counter. I noticed the door trembling on its frame, said India Hays, a barista. I thought surely there couldnt be an earthquake here.

People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other areas of the Northeast reported shaking. Tremors lasting for several seconds were felt more than 200 miles away near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

Advance software engineer Dan Ferrante shared this video from his New Jersey house, which is five miles from the epicenter:

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on X that the quake was felt throughout the state. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day, Hochul said.

Philadelphia police asked people not to call 911 about seismic activity unless they were reporting an emergency.

Felt the #earthquake?



Earthquakes in the eastern U.S. are felt over a MUCH bigger area than the West Coast.



Why?



Eastern U.S. has older rocks. They were subject to extreme pressures and temperatures. Theyre denser and so shaking travels much farther.



Example: pic.twitter.com/Yxmv2ytb7f  Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) April 5, 2024

The shaking stirred memories of the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake that jolted tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada. Registering magnitude 5.8, it was the strongest quake to hit the East Coast since World War II. The epicenter was in Virginia.

That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and Capitol and rattled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Pennsylvania officials on Thursday were celebrating a federal decision on electrical transformer production that saved the jobs of more than 1,100 steel plant workers.

For months, Butler County officials and workers at the Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works plant were kept waiting as the U.S. Department of Energy weighed a rule change that would have essentially shuttered the plant.
Want a say in the news? Email Claudia at todayinpa@pennlive.com to have your thoughts on the stories covered here or on PennLive heard.

You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit!

Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | April 5, 2024

A DA plans on pursing the death penalty against a man who killed three of his relatives before fleeing to New Jersey. As areas like Bucks County are hit with heavier ran, officials tackle flood insurance premiums. Theres a whole lot of bugs coming soon, but Pennsylvanias not a pitstop for them. And the states favorite cocktail can make you feel like a true class act.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too.

As sponsored by Renewal by Anderson of Central PA.
Former President Donald Trump will return to Pennsylvania next weekend with an appearance at a fire hall in Lehigh County.

Trump is slated to speak at 7 p.m. on April 13 at the Schnecksville Fire Hall, 4550 Old Packhouse Road in North Whitehall Township, his campaign said Friday.
Palestinians stand near a World Central Kitchen vehicle on April 2, 2024, after three aid vehicles were targeted by Israeli strikes. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

President Joe Biden said he was outraged by the Israeli militarys attacks that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers traveling in three vehicles in Gaza on April 2, 2024, and called for Israel to conduct a swift investigation into the strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he deeply regrets the mistake and that Israel would undertake an investigation. World Central Kitchen, one of the few international aid groups operating in Gaza, announced shortly after the attack that it would suspend its operations in Gaza.

This attack was not, as Biden pointed out in his remarks on April 2, a stand-alone incident. More than 180 other aid workers have been killed since the start of the Israeli invasion in October 2023, according to the United Nations. Most of them were Palestinians working with the United Nations.

More broadly, attacks on aid workers in many wars, including those in Syria, Mali, Myanmar and Afghanistan, have been on the rise since the late 1990s, according to the nonprofit group Aid Worker Security Database. In 2023, 237 aid workers were killed, kidnapped or wounded, marking a sharp rise from the 35 humanitarians who faced the same fate in 1997.

The Conversation U.S.s politics and society editor, Amy Lieberman, spoke with Elizabeth Stites, a scholar of conflict, violence and humanitarianism at Tufts Universitys Feinstein International Center, to better understand what is behind the rise in aid worker attacks and the implications of the World Central Kitchen workers deaths.

Why has it become more dangerous for aid workers to operate in conflict zones?

Overall, the targeting of aid workers has expanded in war. Aid workers used to be considered off-limits. Now, many more aid workers are being killed.

But there are also many more aid workers than there used to be, and we are delivering aid in different ways.

Increasingly, in a lot of conflicts, like in Gaza, fighting is taking place within cities, where civilians live and where aid workers are based. There have also been rising numbers of attacks on hospitals, schools, internal displacement camps for civilians and other civilian places, which are supposed to be protected, humanitarian spaces.

What are humanitarian spaces, and why does this matter?

A humanitarian space is used primarily by civilians and is a place that, according to international law, should not be targeted during a war. All of this has been thrown out the window in the context of Gaza, where hospitals have been directly targeted and destroyed.

There is also the idea that aid workers are meant to be neutral and able to do their jobs without political interference, with the goal of saving lives and livelihoods. This idea of true objectivity is almost a utopian idea. In the Afghanistan War, for example, aid was funded by the U.S., which was a party to the conflict. From the Talibans perspective, this wasnt neutral; this was U.S. aid, and the U.S. was one of the fighting forces.

There are only a few organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which make staying out of conflict politics their modus operandi  and even they struggle. This is partially because, among other reasons, many armed actors dont trust the neutrality of aid.

In Gaza, aid is completely politicized in terms of where food or medical supplies goes, who is taking it in and how it gets there. This makes it incredibly difficult for aid workers to do their job and for civilians to get what they need to survive.

What else has shifted about aid worker attacks and responses to them?

Aid workers are attacked in a lot of places, but the amount of attention this receives differs greatly based on the nationality of the aid workers in question. In 13 years of conflict in Syria, relatively few foreign aid workers have been killed, because most foreign donors are not willing to risk having their citizens in these places. Instead, the international organizations operate remotely, meaning it is local staff from national organizations delivering the aid and, as a result, taking the risks.

These local staff are working in war zones and trying to protect and provide for the families in these same war zones, something very few foreign aid workers ever have to contend with. It is these same local staff who are being killed while trying to provide aid to their fellow citizens, friends and neighbors.

How are aid workers typically assured they will be secure in a war zone?

This can look different in various conflicts. In a situation like Gaza, there would have been multiple levels of conversation and security protocols, likely starting with the aid workers themselves. After they finished unloading their trucks, they would likely have radioed their security officer to check if they were good to go. That security officer would then talk to his or her official Israeli military contacts, as well as with any local sources, to make sure it was safe.

It sounds like the World Central Kitchen workers were in direct contact with IDF and had clearance from them to travel. The World Central Kitchen workers were traveling along one of Israels preapproved aid delivery routes. We know that they were in clearly marked vehicles and were targeted anyway  whether it was intentional or not remains to be seen.

How is the Gaza conflict different from other wars in terms of aid worker attacks, and what could this mean for future humanitarian work there?

These attacks are increasingly routine, unfortunately, in war. There have been more than 180 local aid workers killed since the start of the conflict.

For me, these recent deaths raise the question of what type of aid worker we care about and why. Six of the World Central Kitchen workers who were killed were foreigners, which is one reason why I think we are paying attention. Possibly the fact that some of these World Central Kitchen workers were from influential countries like Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. may turn up the heat on the Israeli military and shine a spotlight on this  but I think it will fade relatively quickly.

Israel has also come out and said it was a mistake. That is an interesting aspect to follow, and we will see if that results in maybe a brief expansion of humanitarian space to allow better access to civilians, to encourage international aid groups to come back to Gaza.

A photo supplied by Getty Images that was published originally with this story described one of the two people in it as a World Central Kitchen aid worker who had been killed in Gaza. That was incorrect information and we removed the photo.

Elizabeth Stites, Associate Research Professor of International Relations, Tufts University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Imagine that a madman broke into the house next door, rummaged, and pillaged and set the place on fire, all while the neighbors watched.

Imagine the terror youd feel wondering where the madman would strike next, and whether the neighbors would just stand and watch him destroy your house, as well.
The wait and time for speculation is over, as the Philadelphia Phillies and MLB Shop revealed the teams City Connect jerseys, which will serve as the Phils fifth jersey option for the 2024 season. Through leaks and even player comments hyping them up this week, the City Connect jerseys are now officially on sale on the Phillies MLB Shop.

The jerseys are beautiful, Jose Alvarado told Todd Zolecki from the Phils official site leading up to the Friday release. The jersey will complement the Phillies stable of four uniforms with their home whites with red pinstripes, home powder blue uniforms, home creams and road grays. The Phils will debut their new City Connect jerseys for their April 12 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park.

The headliner of the City Connect Phillies jersey is Bryce Harper and his No. 3 in the blue and yellow color scheme. Other options include Trea Turner and Zack Wheeler, all of which are available in mens, womens and youth sizes.

The Phillies City Connect hoodie from Nike.MLB Shop

A slew of other new City Connect offerings are available beyond the jerseys, with a variety of takes on the font, colors and design schemes. Highlights include the City Connect fleece pullover hoodie ($84.99), the City Connect Fuse Name and Number shirt ($39.99), and the City Connect Game Time Full Zip-Up Bomber Jacket ($199.99). The Phillies MLB Shop has plenty more items available, as well.

The Phillies City Connect player name and number shirt from Nike.MLB Shop

The City Connect jerseys are designed to take elements from each teams home city to create a totally unique jersey, often with color and design schemes far afield from the teams normal jersey schemes. Leaked images depicted Philadelphias City Connect jerseys in advance of the launch, prompting more speculation about the look.

I really like them, Bryce Harper told MLB.com. I think this is going to be something that is very cool for everybody. I think once people see the jersey and the entire uniform, theyre going to like the look. Theyll like how it all comes together.

The jersey combination will officially come together on the field April 12, but fans can purchase replica jerseys and other Phillies City Connect items starting Friday, exclusively on MLBShop.com.
WATCH: PokerNews Podcast: Mike Matusow Talks Smack, Phil Laak is Back & 2024 WSOP is Close!

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In the 824th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by PokerStars, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz & Kyna England come to you from Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas to discuss the latest poker news, stories, and gossip.

That includes diving into old-school legends Mike Matusow and Phil Laak being back in the poker spotlight, the former having crushed on Hustler Casino Live (HCL)  including being a part of a big set-over-set hand  and the latter returning to High Stakes Poker. That opened up a discussion on the Poker Hall of Fame, and whether or not either of those players deserve to be in.

From there, the crew discusses chopping in poker, which was spurred by poker pro Nick Pupillo negotiating a kind chop in the WPT Rolling Thunder Mystery Bounty Event. Hear their thoughts on chopping in general, as well as some fun chop stories.

Kyna then gives props to her Game of Gold costar Olga Iermolcheva, who was recently featured on a magazine cover, explains the meaning behind her Team Hotdog hoodie, and reveals she'll be attending the upcoming RGPS Reno. Finally, the crew wraps things up by looking ahead to the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) by sharing what events they're most excited about.

Did you know the PokerNews Podcast is no longer just audio? That's right, we've added a video show as well that you can view on the PokerNews YouTube Channel.

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Its looking very much as if ex-president Donald Trump is pulling the old Republican-shadow-presidency-to subvert-the elected-presidents-foreign-policy card.

This is an old trick of Republicans; theyve been doing it since Nixon, and theyve been getting away with it because Democrats have historically been too timid and outplayed by the Machiavellian maneuvers of people who appear willing to prolong a war if it means a political advantage for them.

Heres whats happening:

Trump spoke privately with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the New York Times reported this week. About what? They arent saying.

On Thursday we learned that Jared Kushner secretly met with Israels far-right wing Prime Minister Netanyahu on December 21.

Netanyahus diary, which has become public due to a lawsuit, reveals a meeting he did not previously report: The Israeli Prime Minister hosted Jared Kushner in Tel Aviv, on December 21.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told Greg Sargent at The New Republic that the Trump-Saudi relationship is absolutely crying out for serious scrutiny.

Given that Raskin also just exposed the way in which Rep. James Comer (R-KY) is helping Russia attack America by laundering their disinformation through a U.S. House investigation, the situation is even more alarming.

Its also rather obvious. And it would be great if we could stop pretending we dont see whats happening in front of our faces. We already know that Trump is using House Republicans to block the President of the United States foreign policy as it pertains to Ukraine. We know that Trump is getting House Republicans to obstruct the Presidents border policies because Trump thinks it will help win if the border is in chaos.

The voters arent getting the full benefits of the President they elected. They are being robbed, again, because Republicans do not care what the voters want. The will of the people is of no interest to Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

Based on Trumps 2016 history, his efforts to get Ukraine to investigate his political opponent while president, and the current facts, its likely Trump is undermining the President of the United States foreign policy on purpose for personal political gain.

There are very few  if any  reasons to suspect this isnt true. Its how Donald Trump operates, it is how the Republican Party has operated for decades, and we have several recent instances of meetings between foreign principles and Trump and his surrogates.

Trump, in his uniquely brazen way, is likely participating in the corrupt Republican tradition of sabotaging U.S. foreign policy while in opposition for narrow partisan gain. The Dem tradition is to ignore it, with predictable consequences, Brian Beutler wrote in Off Message.

How should President Biden handle this if it is indeed happening?

If there is an area where Democrats can grow and expand in the Trump era and post-Roe landscape, it is in their messaging.

While not everyone can be a John Fetterman (D-PA) and still win in their district, the Democratic base is hungry for backbone and a pugnacious embrace of all of the authority given. Theyre tired of electing Democrats only to see them cede to Republican seizures of power.

For too long, Democrats have let the beltway scold them into working with Republicans, which translates too often into letting Republicans hold the country hostage, appropriate power not given to them, and pilfer basic human rights. Democrats have rightfully worked with Republicans to save the country, but they must not succumb to Republican authoritarianism. There is no legitimate middle ground between democracy and autocracy.

The base needs to know that the power they work so hard to vest in their candidates will pay off; that their interests and rights will be fiercely defended  including their right to elect a president and have *that* persons foreign policy be the one they get.

The voters should get the foreign policies of the person they elected. Anyone interfering in that has contempt for the will of Americans.

The current facts are: Donald Trumps actions are undermining the U.S.. He poses a danger to the U.S.. He poses a danger to freedom. He poses a danger to democracy. He tried to steal the most fundamental right from a majority of Americans. He stole classified documents and left them in spaces accessible by his paying guests. He shared military secrets. He incited a deadly insurrection against the U.S. in an effort to hold on to power the voters did not give him. He has recently been found liable for fraud and rape.

This is not a man known for his integrity, honesty, or character. We have no reason to assume the best of this person.

Lets not have a repeat of 2016, where Democrats sat on their knowledge of what Trump was doing with Russia. When running against a strongman, special care needs to be taken to not appear weakened by that person, so how this information  if it is indeed happening  is shared with the public matters.

The message should be: Donald Trump is so scared of Joe Biden that hes begging other countries to fight his battle for him.

And:



Donald Trump is weakening America for his own political gain and he thinks American voters are too stupid to understand what hes doing.

What do you, the voters, think? Will you let him get away with this, again?

Donald Trump is a conniving backstabber. He cant be trusted.

What do you, the voters, think? Will you let him get away with this, again?

Donald Trump thinks that betraying his country will help him get elected.

What do you, the voters, think? Will you let him get away with this, again?

If Democrats want to succeed against encroaching authoritarianism, they need to be bolder. They need to message strength and power, while maintaining the egalitarian values of the Democratic Party.

Its time to take a *temporary* page out of the Republican playbook.

A Special Message From PoliticusUSA

If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here.

We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value.

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Kyle Larson raced to his Cup Series-high sixth victory of the season Sunday to easily advance to the third round of NASCARs playoffs, winning on the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson led a race-high 62 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, beating Christopher Bell by 1.511 seconds. It was Larsons second victory of the playoffs, but hes the first championship-eligible driver to win in the round of 12. The playoff field from 12 drivers to eight, and those knocked out were the Team Penske drivers of Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing and Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing. All four Hendrick drivers  Larson, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott  advanced. Read moreLarson dominates at The Roval to lead all 4 Hendrick cars into next round of NASCAR playoffs
DAUFUSKIE ISLAND  Author Roger Pinckney XI lived a storied life.

From a childhood exploring the many sea islands surrounding Beaufort to a 15-year stay in the Minnesota wilderness and an eventual return to a remote Lowcountry island, Pinckneys adventures were big, his convictions loud and his books uniquely southern.

Pinckney died April 3 at age 77.

Pinckney wrote stories tied to the Lowcountry, often advocating for the areas Gullah culture and residents while speaking out against development. His books were reflections of changing communities and a call of preservation for Daufuskie Island, a sea island between Hilton Head Island and Savannah with no bridge connecting it to the mainland. Its a place he would call home in the final decades of his life.

Born and raised in Beaufort, Pinckney first stepped foot on Daufuskie as a toddler with his father, the county coroner. He journeyed northwest in adulthood, heading for Alaska but settling in Minnesota. There he built a cabin by hand and lived largely off the land, where he stayed for more than 15 years.

Pinckney went through multiple marriages and raised a family before his return to Beaufort County in the late 1990s. His first book, Blue Roots, was published in 1998. It explores Gullah voodoo and folk magic.

He married his fourth wife, Amy, in 2010 and raised two stepsons on Daufuskie.

John Burbage describes Pinckneys return to the Lowcountry as a traditional heros story.

The young hero leaves homes, goes off and comes back with something very special, Burbage said. In this case, it was his ability to tell stories and share them with people back home.

Burbage is a writer, editor and co-founder of Evening Post Books, which published multiple of Pinckneys works, including Reefer Moon, Blow the Man Down and Washed in the Blood. He also went to school with Pinckney. Beaufort High School, he notes, churned out two well-know authors at the time: Pat Conroy and Pinckney.
If Donald Trump loses the election, to hear him and his campaign tell it, the fate of the Republican Party should be the least of our concerns: His defeat would spell the end of the nation itself and all that we hold dear. Read moreGoldberg: What would the GOP look like if Trump loses again?
MARS BLUFF  The bomb fell at approximately 4:19 p.m. on a Tuesday.

The nuclear weapon carried by an American crew 15,000 feet above ripped through the air and crash-landed on the Gregg family farm just outside of Florence. Ten feet and 7,600 pounds of metal and TNT. A blast that severed the spring day in two. Shrapnel, mud and splinters arcing into the air.

Helen Gregg Holladay can still see it. She closes her eyes, remembering.

The bomb blew a crater 50 feet wide and 25 feet deep. It leveled the nearby pine forest and mangled the family car. The Greggs home crumpled with Holladays mother inside. Siding peeled back like skin. Pieces of the ceiling scattered across the kitchen table.

People dont realize how bad that impact was, said Holladay, who was 6 at the time. It was a miracle that we lived through it.

Today, youd barely know anything had happened.

The bomb site, steps away from an advancing subdivision, is hidden by overgrowth. Cats sometimes patrol the edge of the crater, stepping over twigs and leaves. The hole has shrunk, and most days its filled with water, aluminum cans bobbing at the edge, looking for all the world like a forgotten swimming hole.

Its one of the oddest episodes in South Carolina history : an atomic bomb  thankfully unarmed  accidentally dropped by an American bombing crew on a farm in the rural Pee Dee in 1958. Yet as time takes its toll and interest fades, the site could disappear forever.

That gives me night terrors, historian Steven Smith said. He worries the site  located on private property in a neighborhood across from Francis Marion University  wont survive the increasing development and apparent lack of interest.

Oh, no, man, he said, his voice shuddering. Thats the only one like it in the history of mankind.

Smith and others worry that if the site fades, so will the memory of the incident  a unique example of how the Cold War impacted South Carolinians in their own backyards.
The Erie County District Attorneys Office on Friday announced a Buffalo man has been charged in an extremely rare kidnapping of a 26-year-old woman from the driveway of her Cheektowaga residence in the early morning of March 2.

Abel Gebrehawaria, 24, was arraigned Friday morning on a charge of second-degree kidnapping, a violent felony, following a grand jury indictment, said acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane in a news conference. The defendant, who is held without bail, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. A future court date has not been determined.

The DAs Office alleges Gebrehawaria tracked the woman to her home after she left an establishment in downtown Buffalo.

She had no idea she was being followed until she got into her driveway, Keane said.

The defendant parked on George Urban Boulevard, startled her as she exited her car and pulled her into the back seat of his SUV despite her efforts to free herself, Keane said. About eight to 10 houses down the street, the victim, who was not identified, managed to escape by grabbing the steering wheel and jerking the vehicle onto the curb, Keane said. The kidnapper chose to let the woman go and fled the scene, he added.

She was smart, and she fought, Keane said. Thats why shes here today and able to tell the story.

Keane said stranger abduction attempts are unusual in Western New York. He and the countys Special Victims Bureau Chief Lynette Reda could not recall a previous instance locally of stranger abduction, Keane said.

Its important to point out how rare this kind of situation is, said Keane, who began his term as acting district attorney after John J. Flynn ended his second term as district attorney early to become a partner at Buffalo law firm Lippes Mathias. We just havent seen this  its rare to have total stranger abduction like this.

The acting district attorney praised the thoroughness of Cheektowaga Police Departments investigation, which included interviews with the victim and witnesses, as well as camera footage from nearby businesses, other drivers and the Buffalo Police Department.

It was a nightmare for our victim, said Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Coons. Hopefully this is the start of the end of the nightmare for her.

Coons drew particular attention to the investigative work of Detective Lt. Justin Haag and Detective Eric Derby.

Keane said the defendant and victim did not know each other. Coons said Gebrehawaria was not known to his department prior to this investigation, and the chief declined to comment on why the aggressor might have targeted the woman.

I think the message here for the public is to be alert, be aware, Keane said.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-05 08:00:19

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DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Agronomics (LSE:ANIC), a leading listed company focused on the field of cellular agriculture, is pleased to announce that it has invested US$ 10 million in its portfolio company Liberation Labs Holding Inc. ("Liberation Labs") as part of a wider US$ 12.5 million financing round with participation from existing investor Siddhi Capital. The investment was made in the form of a Secured Convertible Promissory Note ("SCPN"), a form of convertible debt, for the continued construction of its facility in Richmond, Indiana in advance of Liberation Labs' Series A round (a "Qualified Financing"). The SCPN will convert into the same instrument and terms as the Qualified Financing which is anticipated to raise a minimum of US$ 37.5 million through a combination of debt and equity. The investment was made using cash from the Company's own resources.Including this SCPN, Liberation Labs has now raised US$ 33.5 million in equity-linked instruments and has formal commitments for non-dilutive funding totalling a further US$ 55 million. This includes US$ 30 million in equipment financing and a US$ 25 million loan from Ameris Bank which is backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture via the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program.Liberation Labs is seeking to become the industrial biotechnology industry's global fabrication partner through the design, build and operation of Bio3, its purpose-built biomanufacturing platform. This platform will address the critical bottleneck which fermentation companies face. Liberation Labs broke ground in June 2023 on its first facility which when complete will have 600k litres of fermentation capacity. Today, the project is approximately halfway through its build programme and, subject to completion of the Qualified Financing, is expected to be commissioned in Q1 2025. This site, located in Richmond, Indiana which has the potential to be expanded by an additional 4 million litres of capacity was selected considering several key metrics such as access to sugar inputs, utility rates, cost and availability of labour, regulatory environment, availability of government incentives.Including the SCPN, Agronomics has invested US$ 17.6 million in Liberation Labs which, subject to audit, is currently carried at a book value of 25.7 million. This position represents approximately 14.8% of Agronomics' last stated Net Asset Value, including post-balance sheet date adjustments. Agronomics now holds 37.5% of Liberation Labs on a fully diluted basis.Mark Warner, CEO and Co-Founder of Liberation Labs said:"The new funding from Agronomics and Siddhi Capital comes as we continue to make significant progress in building out our operations team and advancing facility construction - including the installation of key equipment like fermenters and spray dryers. Each day we're closer to our goal of unlocking the potential of domestic manufacturing of novel proteins for both food and industrial use. We greatly appreciate the continued support of our major funding partners." Jim Mellon, Executive Chairman of Agronomics added:"Liberation Labs continues to deliver on the project milestones of its launch facility in Indiana. We have huge confidence in the team's ability to execute and believe that Liberation Labs will become the first company in Agronomics' portfolio to be cash generative." About Liberation LabsLiberation Labs is commercializing precision fermentation with a global network of purpose-built manufacturing facilities that enable the next wave of biotechnology advancements to produce bio-based consumer products at scale. We combine modern technology with fit-for-purpose design to bring reliable and cost-effective solutions that meet customer demand across the world. More information is available at www.liberationlabs.com In the year to 31/12/23, Liberation Labs reported a loss of US$ 7.1 million and as at 31/12/23 had net assets of US$ 12.7 million.About AgronomicsAgronomics is a leading listed company focussing on investment opportunities within the field of cellular agriculture. The Company has established a portfolio of over 20 companies in this rapidly advancing sector. It seeks to invest in companies owning technologies with defensible intellectual property that offer new ways of producing food and ingredients with a focus on products historically derived from animals. These technologies are driving a major disruption in agriculture, offering solutions to improve sustainability, as well as addressing human health, food security and animal welfare. A full list of Agronomics' portfolio companies is available at https://agronomics.im/ THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU No. 596/2014) AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND SUCH PERSONS SHALL THEREFORE CEASE TO BE IN POSSESSION OF INSIDE INFORMATION.AgronomicsLimitedBeaumontCornish LimitedCanaccord Genuity LimitedCavendish Capital Markets LimitedPeterhouse CapitalLimitedSEC NewgateThe CompanyNomadJoint BrokerJoint BrokerJoint BrokerPublic RelationsJim MellonDenham EkeRoland CornishJames BiddleAndrew PottsHarry PardoeAlex AylenGiles BallenyMichael JohnsonCharlie CombeLucy WilliamsCharles GoodfellowBob HuxfordAnthony Hughes+44 (0) 1624 639396info@ agronomics.im +44 (0) 207 628 3396+44 (0) 207 523 8000+44 (0) 207 397 8900+44 (0) 207 469 0936agronomics@ secnewgate.co.uk This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ lseg.com or visit www.rns.com SOURCE: Agronomics Limited
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LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 /All Care Therapies, a leading provider of speech, occupational, and physical therapy services, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Therapy Blocks, a well-respected therapy business specializing in early childhood intervention and developmental therapy, located in Las Vegas, Nevada.Since its establishment in 2018, Therapy Blocks has built a strong, local reputation for providing high-quality services to children with physical and mental disabilities. Over the past six years, Therapy Blocks has grown to three locations in and around the Las Vegas area, employing over 80 tenured practitioners and administrative staff.Therapy Blocks was awarded the Best of Las Vegas 2020 and Best of Las Vegas 2021 by the Review Journal and the 2021 Best Small Business Award by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. The Pentagon also awarded Therapy Blocks an honorary military award for its service and dedication to active members and veterans of U.S. military branches.By acquiring Therapy Blocks, All Care Therapies will be able to expand its range of services and provide even more comprehensive care to its pediatric patients. "We are excited to welcome Therapy Blocks into the All Care Therapies family," said Amit Dhir, founder and CEO of All Care Therapies. "Their expertise in offering a hybrid model of care aligns perfectly with our mission of increasing access to care and providing personalized therapy programs that improve outcomes and enhance the patient experience." The acquisition of Therapy Blocks is a significant milestone for All Care Therapies, bringing the size of its network to over 325 therapists, reflecting the company's commitment to growth and innovation in the speech, occupational, and physical therapy industries. All Care Therapies looks forward to integrating Therapy Blocks into its operations and further expanding its reach in local communities.About All Care TherapiesEstablished in 2019, All Care Therapies is revolutionizing access to speech, occupational, and physical therapies. Our virtual care-delivery technology, powered by SLP Tele, connects patients with more than 200 Speech Language Pathologists online and is offered in multiple languages. With a multitude of therapy modalities, procedures, and rehab programs, our occupational and physical therapists are prepared to treat a wide variety of diagnoses. Whether it's treatment online through the All Care Therapies platform or in-person at one of our care facilities, we are significantly lowering the barriers to access highly trained therapists.To learn more about All Care Therapies, visit www.allcaretherapies.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram @All_Care_Therapies.Media Contact: All Care TherapiesEmail: inquiries@ allcaretherapies.com Contact InformationDonna Panero VP of HRdonna.panero@allcaretherapies.com 305-798-2786SOURCE: All Care TherapiesView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-05 02:50:13

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Carepool Acquires Mobility4All in Twin Cities and Starts Service ImmediatelyMINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2024 / Carepool makes rideshare traction in the Twin Cities by acquiring Mobility4All. All of the current riders have had a smooth transition and will now enjoy expanded business hours (6 a.m.-12 a.m. to start). Carepool will start providing rideshare services on Monday, April 8.Carepool Logo logoCarepool was founded in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2018 by CEO Josh Massey, specializing in providing rideshare services to aging and disabled adults.Massey has purchased the Twin Cities-based Mobility4All accessible ride service. Its motto is: Providing hand-to-hand and door-thru-door trips for people who want or need a higher level of care. This fits Carepool's philosophy while adding more technology in the process, like real-time text messaging. With the purchase of Mobility4All, Carepool will be providing rideshare services in eight states.Mobility4All's customers are able to use Carepool immediately with no lapse in services. Riders will be able to call and book their rides as they have, with the ability to book through the web app. Carepool created rideshare-like technology with the State of Wisconsin's health and human services departments, focusing on the needs for people with disabilities and older adults. Its model solved rural and wheelchair transportation gaps."As I spoke with someone from the State of Wisconsin about having a rideshare service in this space, I thought adding an 'e' to the word 'carpool' seemed to fit well for company's name," Massey said. "At Carepool, we truly care." Massey's inspiration to start a rideshare company came when he lived in Chicago and owned a technology consulting company. Rideshare was a game changer, but some experiences were much better than others. Massey envisioned a way to expand the technology with caring drivers across the Midwest. Rideshare would help aging adults and passengers with special needs, including his grandmother who lived in rural Wisconsin and faced challenges visiting his grandfather in a memory care facility."It hit close to home when I heard my 90-year-old grandmother was on Medicaid and taking long bus rides to see my grandfather for an hour, making for seven exhausting hours of travel," Massey said. "I thought, why can't we tweak the rideshare model to also serve those in rural and suburban areas?"What sets Carepool apart is its software platform that allows for recurring rides, designed to sync directly to drivers' calendars and with Medicaid/Medicare programs and insurance payers, as well as hospital systems, offering "door-through-door service." Passengers' special needs are saved to their profile so drivers will know how to handle each customer's unique situation.Carepool's drivers are able to assist customers inside their home or medical facility with getting into the rideshare vehicle. Carepool's pay rates provide more earning power for its drivers, which includes a set customer pickup rate and 2x more per mile compared to other rideshares in the Twin Cities area."Helping others, making a livable wage and having that caring profile is what really matters for Carepool," Massey added.Customers can call Carepool at 1-833-268-2688 to order services or go to www.carepool.us/riders to log into the app and order rides. Drivers can go to www.carepool.us/drivers for more information about how to apply.Watch Laura's testimonial video and find out why she's happy with Carepool's Rideshare services.Contact InformationDarryl SellersDirector of Public Relationsdarryl@ carepool.us (612) 834-2793SOURCE: CarepoolView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-05 23:01:10

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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP informs investors that the firm has filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit against agilon health, inc. (NYSE:AGL) ("agilon" or the "Company"). This action, captioned Hope v. agilon health, inc., et al., Case No. 1:24-cv-00305, was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and expanded the class period which was pled in a first-filed case in that same Court. After the Hope action was filed, another case was filed against agilon in another Court, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which even further expanded the class period as pled in the Hope action as that case is brought on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired agilon common stock between April 15, 2021, and February 27, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period").Important Deadline Reminder: The first-filed action in the Western District of Texas issued a notice of its filing pursuant to the federal securities laws which triggered the deadline of May 20, 2024, for any investors who purchased agilon common stock to seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. The filing of the Hope Action does not change the May 20, 2024, lead plaintiff deadline.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR AGILON LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/agilon-health-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=agl&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERELEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: MAY 20, 2024CLASS PERIOD: APRIL 15, 2021, THROUGH FEBRUARY 27, 2024CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:Jonathan Naji, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Email at info@ ktmc.com DEFENDANTS' MISCONDUCTagilon is a healthcare and technology company that acts as an intermediary between physician groups that provide medical services to senior citizens and Medicare and Medicare Advantage insurers. One of agilon's key financial metrics is "medical margin," which the Company defines as medical services revenue less medical services expenses.The Class Period begins on April 15, 2021, which is the day after the Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC and the first day agilon shares were publicly traded in connection with the IPO.Throughout the Class Period, Defendants repeatedly touted the strength of agilon's medical margin. Additionally, Defendants downplayed the significant cost pressures on the Company's medical margin and profitability. For example, on June 7, 2023, just days before other health insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc. reported significant increases in medical costs, Defendant Bensley, speaking at an analyst-sponsored healthcare conference, reported that Defendants "expect this year to generate somewhere around $550 million of medical margin," noting that the Company has seen "steady progress on medical margin upwards." Investors began to learn the truth about the cost pressures impacting agilon's medical margin and profitability on November 2, 2023, when the Company announced its third quarter 2023 financial results after the market closed. Critically, agilon reported a net loss of $31 million for the third quarter of 2023 and slashed its fiscal year 2023 medical margin to a range between $455 million and $470 million. Defendant Sell also assured investors that agilon's more conservative approach to guidance "should reduce the risk of negative claims development next year." On this news, the price of agilon common stock declined $3.78 per share, or more than 22% over two trading-days, from a close of $16.89 per share on November 2, 2023, to close at $13.11 per share on November 6, 2023.After several additional disclosures in November 2023, investors more fully learned the truth about the cost pressures on agilon's medical margin and profitability before the market opened on January 5, 2024, when agilon updated its fiscal year 2023 financial results and provided its initial outlook for 2024. Critically, agilon further slashed its 2023 medical margin guidance more than $100 million, to a range between $340 million and $360 million, due to "higher-than-expected medical costs." This represented a decline of more than 34% from the $550 million in medical margin it had predicted. On the related investor guidance call, Defendant Sell acknowledged that agilon "failed to recognize these elevated cost trends" and had "a data and analytics gap that led to [the Company] being late in both recognizing the magnitude and source of the utilization shifts." Defendant Sell further indicated that the increased cost trends were expected to persist through 2024. Also on January 5, 2024, Defendant Bensley announced that he would retire in 2024. On this news, the price of agilon common stock plummeted $3.45 per share, or nearly 29%, from a close of $12.08 per share on January 4, 2024, to close at $8.63 per share on January 5, 2024.Finally, on February 27, 2024, agilon disclosed that its 2023 medical margin had in fact come in at just $299 million for the year - far lower than the range of $340 million to $360 million provided just a few weeks prior. Furthermore, agilon slashed its 2024 medical margin guidance by 27%. On this news, the price of agilon common stock dropped from $6.48 per share when the market closed on February 27, 2024, to $6.04 per share on March 1, 2024, a 7% decline on abnormally heavy volume of a three-day period. In subsequent days, the price of agilon stock continued to decline, falling to a low of just $5.66 per share on March 6, 2024, more than 85% below the Class Period high.WHAT CAN I DO?agilon investors may, no later than May 20, 2024, 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 agilon investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.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 a
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MAPLE GROVE, MN / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / FS Cut & Color and Dessange North America are proud to announce the relocation of its North American headquarters to Maple Grove, Minnesota. This strategic move marks a significant milestone as the FS brand approaches its 50th anniversary and the relaunch of the new FS Cut & Color branding.New Logo FS Cut & Color logo in RedThomas Boitz, CEO of FS Cut & Color and Dessange North America, spearheaded the development of the Minnesota Region and highlights the decision to move the headquarters was driven by several key factors. Boitz reiterated that the FS vision is to strengthen and modernize the brand with a strong organization consisting of great talent and a support system of state-of-the-art tools and resources in a new central location."Minnesota has historically been a hub for hair care brands, and we see tremendous potential for growth. The shift for growth and excellence is already underway, and FS is positioned to expand the brand with increases in salon openings across North America," said Boitz."The relocation of our North American headquarters to Maple Grove underscores our confidence in the region and our dedication to serving our customers and partners with excellence. We are committed to providing the resources necessary to support this relocation and growth strategy," added Boitz.The new headquarters in Maple Grove will serve as the epicenter of operations for FS, with the goal to drive innovation, expansion, and collaboration across the organization. The ongoing commitment is to continue to advance FS brand structure benefits across all FS salons and offer a great opportunity for new franchisees to join in on the success.For more information about FS Cut & Color, please contact: Marketing@ dessange-inc.com or visit Fantasticsams.com About FS Cut & Color:FS Cut & Color is a leading hair salon franchise known for its exceptional service, affordable prices, and innovative styling solutions. With a legacy of close to 50 years, FS Cut & Color has earned the trust of millions of customers nationwide.Contact InformationFarida Abdelmonsifmarketing@ dessange-inc.com SOURCE: Dessange Group North AmericaView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-05 19:01:34

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / GMV Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "GMV") (TSX-V:GMV)(OTCQB:"GMVMF") is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of a non-brokered private placement. The first tranche raised gross proceeds of $221,100 from the issuance of 1,474,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.15 per Unit. The total private placement will raise up to $300,000 in gross proceeds with the issuance of up to 2,000,000 Units.Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.25 until April 7, 2025.The Company paid finder's fees totalling $10,071 in cash and 67,140 warrants (the "Finder's Warrants"). Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.25 until April 7, 2025. All finder's fees are subject to compliance with applicable securities legislation and TSX Venture Exchange policies. All securities issued in this closing of the Private Placement are subject to statutory four month hold periods expiring on August 6, 2024. The Private Placement remains subject to obtaining final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.One "related party" to the Company (as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") participated, subscribing for 80,000 Units for proceeds of $12,000 and representing approximately 7.8% of the funds raised. Participation by such related party in the Financing constitutes a related party transaction as defined under MI 61-101. Since the Common Shares acquired by the related party is under $2.5M, the issuance of securities is exempt from the formal valuation requirements of Section 5.4 of MI 61-101 pursuant to Subsection 5.5(c) of MI 61-101 and exempt from the minority approval requirements of Section 5.6 of MI 61-101 pursuant to Subsection 5.7(b) of MI 61-101.The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to advance exploration activities at the Company's 100% controlled Mexican Hat gold property located in S.E. Arizona, advance exploration at the Daisy Creek Lithium project, as well as for general working capital.About GMV Minerals Inc.GMV Minerals Inc. is a publicly traded exploration company focused on developing precious metal assets in Arizona. GMV, through its 100% owned subsidiary, has a 100% interest in a Mining Property Lease commonly referred to as the Mexican Hat Property, located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA. The project was initially explored by Placer Dome (USA) in the late 1980's to early 1990's. GMV is focused on developing the asset and realizing the full mineral potential of the property through near term gold production. GMV. Recently updated its National Instrument inferred mineral resource to 36,733,000 tonnes grading 0.58 g/t gold at a 0.2 g/t cut-off, containing 688,000 ounces of gold.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS___Ian Klassen, PresidentCautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking InformationThis news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. 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 as described in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.For further information please contact:GMV Minerals Inc.Ian KlassenTel: (604) 899-0106Email:info@ gmvminerals.com SOURCE: GMV Minerals, Inc.
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~ Q1 Silver-Equivalent Production Up 16.1% Over Previous Quarter ~VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Guanajuato Silver Company Ltd. (the "Company" or "GSilver") (TSXV:GSVR)(OTCQX:GSVRF) is pleased to announce consolidated production results for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Production results are generated from the Company's wholly owned El Cubo Mines Complex ("El Cubo"), Valenciana Mines Complex ("VMC"), and San Ignacio Mine ("San Ignacio") in Guanajuato, Mexico, the El Horcon Mine ("Horcon") in Jalisco, Mexico, and the Topia Mine ("Topia") in Durango, Mexico.Q1 2024 Production HighlightsProduction during the quarter of 987,312 silver-equivalent ounces ("AgEq*") is the best quarter in the Company's history since production began at the Company's El Cubo mines complex in Q4 2021; production is derived from 428,279 ounces of silver; 5,384 ounces of gold; 879,242 pounds of lead; and 922,927 pounds of zinc.Tonnes milled increased by 20.1% over the previous quarter; a total of 165,079 tonnes were processed among GSilver's three production facilities.Average silver and gold recoveries increased to 88.6% and 89.2% respectively as compared to 84.5% silver recovery and 88.8% gold recovery in Q4, 2023.James Anderson, Chairman and CEO, said, "Q1 generated our best production performance to date and continues the trend of demonstrable quarter-over-quarter increases in precious metals production. In 2023, we made significant capex investments aimed at improving efficiencies across all of our producing assets; the impact from these improvements is now being realized as evidenced by our strong start to the year. We look forward to building upon our success as we continue to grow Guanajuato Silver into a prominent producer of silver and gold." Silver equivalents are calculated using an 88.72 (Ag/Au), 0.04:1 (Ag/Pb) and 0.05:1 (Ag/Zn) ratio for Q1 2024; silver equivalents are calculated using an 85.10:1 (Ag/Au), 0.04:1 (Ag/Pb) and 0.05:1 (Ag/Zn) ratio for Q4 2023; silver equivalents are calculated at 80:1 for Q4, 2021.Q1 2024 Production Demonstrates Significant Improvements Over Previous QuarterTotal tonnes milled was up 20.1% over the previous quarter; the increase in total milled tonnage was partly due to the processing of mineralized material from the Company's El Horcon mine and from the processing of 3rd party gold and silver (See GSilver news release dated January 17, 2024 - Guanajuato Silver Commences Processing 3rd Party Gold and Silver at El Cubo). During the quarter, 117,043 silver-equivalent ounces were generated through the processing of 3rd party mineralized material, and 59,914 silver-equivalent ounces were generated from the processing of stockpiled material at Horcon.Gold production of 5,384 ounces in Q1 denotes a 22.5% increase from the previous quarter; this increase was primarily the result of increased tonnage over the quarter coupled with strong gold recoveries of 89.2%.Silver production of 428,279 ounces in Q1 was an 8.4% increase from the previous quarter; silver production for the quarter generated 43.3% of total AgEq production.At Topia, lead production of 879,242 pounds in Q1 was up 5% over the previous quarter; zinc production declined 4% to 922,297 pounds. During Q1, 2024, Topia generated 288,579 silver-equivalent ounces, which represented 29.2% of total production. Topia is the only polymetallic mine within Guanajuato Silver's asset portfolio; all of the Company's other mines are pure precious metals producers.Silver equivalents are calculated using an 88.72 (Ag/Au), 0.04:1 (Ag/Pb) and 0.05:1 (Ag/Zn) ratio for Q1 2024; silver equivalents are calculated using an 85.10:1 (Ag/Au), 0.04:1 (Ag/Pb) and 0.05:1 (Ag/Zn) ratio for Q4 2023. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimates. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures.Technical Information Reynaldo Rivera, VP of Exploration of GSilver, has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Rivera is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM - Registration Number 220979) and a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Rivera has verified the data that supports the technical information disclosed in this press release by reviewing production reports from each of the Company's mining operations.About Guanajuato Silver GSilver is a precious metals producer engaged in reactivating past producing silver and gold mines in central Mexico. The Company produces silver and gold concentrates from the El Cubo Mine Complex, Valenciana Mines Complex, and the San Ignacio mine; all three mines are located within the state of Guanajuato, which has an established 480-year mining history. Additionally, the Company produces silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates from the Topia mine in northwestern Durango. With four operating mines and three processing facilities, Guanajuato Silver is one of the fastest growing silver producers in Mexico.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS"James Anderson"Chairman and CEOFor further information regarding Guanajuato Silver Company Ltd., please contact:JJ Jennex, Gerente de Comunicaciones, T: 604 723 1433E: jjj@ GSilver.com Guanajuato Silver Bullion Store Please visit ourBullion Store , where Guanajuato Silver coins and bars can be purchased.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Forward-Looking StatementsThis news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, which relate to future events or future performance including, but not limited to, growth of the Company's operating presence within Mexico, improvement in overall efficiencies at its Mexican mining operations, the addition of a new source of mineralized material from El Horcon, the impact of significant capex investments aimed at improving efficiencies across all of producing assets, the growth of Guanajuato Silver into a prominent producer of silver and gold, and the Company's status as one of the fastest growing silver producers in Mexico.Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and expectations and are based on information currently available to and assumptions made by the Company; which assumptions, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business
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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP( www.ktmc.com) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against HireRight Holdings Corporation ("HireRight") (NYSE:HRT). The action charges HireRight 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 HireRight's materially misleading statements and omissions to the public, HireRight's investors have suffered significant losses.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR HIRERIGHT LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/hireright-holdings-corporation?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=hrt&mktm=r LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: JUNE 3, 2024CLASS PERIOD: pursuant and/or traceable to HireRight's October 2021 iPOCONTACT 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 as well as the firm itself which is continuously awarded for the successful results we've achieved. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.In addition to representing investors in cases where the fraud has been revealed, Kessler Topaz also represents whistleblowers - persons who expose wrongdoing to those in positions of authority or to the public- in cases brought under federal and state qui tam statutes, and through financial fraud whistleblower programs, such as those run by the SEC, CFTC and IRS. If you have information about fraud against government programs (such as Medicare), or violations of federal securities, commodities, tax or anti-foreign bribery laws, contact Kessler Topaz at (866) 369-7779 or at wbinfo@ ktmc.com or go to https://www.ktmc-whistleblower.com DEFENDANTS' ALLEGED MISCONDUCTOn October 6, 2021, HireRight filed a registration statement with the SEC in connection with the IPO. On November 1, 2021, HireRight filed a prospectus with the SEC in connection with the IPO, which incorporated and formed part of the registration statement (the "prospectus" and, collectively with the registration statement, the "Offering Documents"). That same day, pursuant to the Offering Documents, HireRight's common stock began publicly trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HRT.Pursuant to the Offering Documents, HireRight issued approximately 22 million shares of its common stock to the public at the Offering price of $19.00 per share for proceeds to the company of approximately $399 million after applicable underwriting discounts and commissions, and before expenses.The complaint alleges that the Offering Documents were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and was not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing its preparation. Specifically, the complaint alleges the Offering Documents made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) HireRight was exposed to customers with significant employment and hiring risk and the company derived greater revenue growth from existing client hiring than from new client hiring; (2) as a result, HireRight's revenue growth was unsustainable to the extent that it relied on the stability of its current customers' hiring and/or the profitability of securing new customers; (3) accordingly, HireRight had overstated its post-IPO business and/or prospects; and (4) as a result, Defendants' statements about the company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.At the time of the filing of the complaint, HireRight's common stock continued to trade below the $19.00 per share IPO price.WHAT CAN I DO?HireRight investors may, no later than June 3, 2024, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPor other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPencourages HireRight investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. The class action complaint against HireRight,Deutsch v. HireRight Holdings Corporation, et al., Case No. 24-cv-00371, is filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.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, LLP(484) 270-1453280 King of Prussia RoadRadnor, PA 19087info@ ktmc.com SOURCE: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / RayonierOriginally published on Rayonier.com Rayonier purchased its first forest property in Nassau County, Florida, in the late 1930s. Since then, it has had a strong presence in the county. Company leaders reflect on our past and future in Nassau County.Ever since Rayonier bought its first forest property in Nassau County, Florida, in the 1930s, our stories have been intertwined. Together, we have strived to be the best stewards of our community and the land within it.As Nassau County celebrates its bicentennial this year and Rayonier prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2026, Rayonier leaders reflect on the 87-year history of Rayonier in Nassau and our vision for the company's future here.It's a topic that excites everyone on our team-our voices are warm with pride when we talk about how we helped the community recover from the Great Depression and how we've adapted and evolved over the decades.In 2017, we built our company headquarters at Wildlight, even further solidifying our relationship with the community.Over the years, a unifying ethic has emerged and only grown stronger: this company, through its leaders and team members, considers itself a corporate citizen of Nassau, with a responsibility and a commitment to contribute to the community's well-being.Healthy Economic Growth Since 1937Mike Bell, Rayonier's Vice President of Public Affairs, describes our company's relationship with Nassau County as one built around economic growth and constant reinvention. Mike looks to the past to illustrate how this legacy was built.When Rayonier first came to Nassau in 1937, the local economy had been devastated by the Great Depression. At that time, the community relied on a small number of agricultural products to survive. When Rayonier built a manufacturing plant on Amelia Island, it diversified Nassau's economy and created high-paying jobs that strengthened the community.At first, the War Production Board took over the manufacturing plant to help make nitrocellulose, which was used in explosives, bullets, and rocket propellants during World War II. And as in many communities, that assistance in wartime production helped to stabilize the County's economy.Later, when Rayonier was able to use the facility as a pulp and paper mill as it had originally intended, the local economy began to flourish. For one thing, those manufacturing jobs were some of the highest-paying jobs in the County. But there was also an indirect economic impact throughout the supply chain."Rayonier helped sustain the region because we drew timber supply from a large radius," says Mike. "That supported a lot of folks-tree growers, loggers, trucking companies-even if they weren't working at the plant." In the 1930s, Rayonier also entered the timber business in the region when we began to buy land throughout Northeast Florida to ensure a steady supply of wood for our mills. We started a cycle that continues today: planting, harvesting and replanting our pine forests to provide a sustainable resource."Through our dedicated reforestation efforts, we are now growing our fourth generation of trees on much of our property in Nassau County," Mike says.Together, the mills and the well-managed forests helped Nassau County increase its tax base and create a foundation for healthy economic growth.Rayonier has changed over time and now we no longer own manufacturing plants. We spun the pulp mills out into a separate public company now known as RYAM, but those mills are still operating and sustaining the County through taxes and high-paying jobs. They also support the timber industry in the region.Now, we continue to grow timber, own and operate a real estate subsidiary and are involved in a number of non-timber related businesses on our land base."Rayonier is still here because we keep reinventing ourselves," says Mike.Reinvention may be in our nature at Rayonier, but certain principles have remained consistent throughout our history. One of these, Mike says, is Rayonier's legacy of promoting sustainable economic growth in the communities where it operates-and that's especially true in Nassau County.Sustainable Forests Support NassauDirector of Operations Jeremy Flood leads our Coastal Resource Unit, which manages timberland in and around Nassau County. He says it can be difficult for people to realize the economic impact forestry continues to have in the region."You might not see it when you drive around on the paved roads," Jeremy says. "But if you take a bird's eye view of the County, you see mostly forests and Rayonier owns a significant portion of those undeveloped areas." Today, we own 121,000 acres in Nassau County, which has roughly 415,000 acres of land altogether. Much of our land is timberland that we manage for a sustainable supply of wood over the long term."We're just now cutting the trees we planted when I started my career," Jeremy says. "Forestry is unique because it takes that kind of forward thinking to provide for the future." Jeremy credits Rayonier with giving him early insight into the industry. His family moved to Nassau County when he was young, and he got to know several Rayonier employees as he joined the community."I found forestry in part because I had this influence of Rayonier folks-they were people I respected and looked up to," he says. "It's been a rewarding career. In forestry, you're managing what's naturally on the landscape, using wisdom and science to organize it and make it efficient." Jeremy is proud to be a forester because of the many benefits to natural ecosystems. With modern science-based management practices, our forests provide clean water, clean air and critical wildlife habitat, all while supplying society with important products like lumber, plywood and paper."I hope people see a lot of the good that's already been done here by Rayonier," Jeremy says of Nassau County. "And I hope in the future they'll see the six or eight generations of forestry still happening behind the scenes." Some Nassau County residents are already able to see behind the scenes as customers with Rayonier's Hunting & Recreation Program.In this program, Rayonier land is open to residents and visitors to Nassau for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and foraging. Currently, we have more than 900 customers in Nassau who are accessing our land to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends.Wildlight: Sustainable Community DevelopmentIn 2007, Rayonier's relationship with Nassau entered a new chapter when the County's leadership approached our company to establish a public-private partnership, the result of which is the W
PR-Inside.com: 2024-04-05 16:02:05

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Route1 Inc. (TSXV:ROI) (the "Company" or "Route1"), an advanced North American provider of turn-key engineering and professional services, today announced that it will report its financial results for the three-month and fiscal year period ended December 31, 2023 after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.The Company will hold a conference call and web cast to provide a business update on Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 4:30 pm Eastern Time.Participants should dial Toll-Free 888-506-0062 or Toll/International 973-528-0011 at least 10 minutes prior to the conference call and web cast. The participant access code is 232702. For those unable to attend the call, a replay will be available at Toll-Free 877-481-4010 passcode 45656until 4:30 pm on April 25, 2025 .The webcast will be presented live at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2167/50358 About Route1 Inc.Route1 Inc. is an advanced North American engineering and professional services company using data capture technologies. We bring security and operations together with real-time actionable intelligence to enhance safety and security, drive greater profitability and improve operational efficiencies. With a deep-rooted background in software development, network operations, and cybersecurity, Route1 brings a unique and valuable approach to the turn-key engineering and professional services arena. Route1's services follow a complete life-cycle model, ensuring the evolution of your technology to meet your desired outcomes. Route1 is listed in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ROI. For more information, visit: www.route1.com For More Information, Contact: Tony BusseriPresident and Chief Executive Officer+1 480 578-0287 tony.busseri@route1.com This news release, required by applicable Canadian laws, does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.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. 2024 Route1 Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted or otherwise used in whole or in part or by any means without prior written consent of Route1 Inc. See https://www.route1.com/terms-of-use/for notice of Route1's intellectual property.This news release may contain statements that are not current or historical factual statements that may constitute forward-looking statements or future oriented financial information. These statements are based on certain factors and assumptions, including, expectations regarding the expected growth in the value of support contracts for the LPR business, price and liquidity of the common shares, competition for skilled personnel, expected financial performance and subscription-based revenue, business prospects, technological developments, development activities and like matters. While Route1 considers these factors and assumptions to be reasonable, based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the market demand for the Company's products and services and risk factors described in reporting documents filed by the Company. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of these and other risks and should not be relied upon as a prediction of future events. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or future oriented financial information to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Estimates used in this presentation are from Company sources. Past or forecasted performance is not a guarantee of future performance and readers should not rely on historical results or forward-looking statements or future oriented financial information as an assurance of future results.# # #SOURCE: Route1 Inc.
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2024 / Sassy Gold Corp. (CSE:SASY)(OTCQB:SSYRF)(FSE:4E7) ("Sassy" or "the Company") is pleased to provide further information on its ongoing uranium property acquisitions in the Western United States, strategically positioning Sassy as the most dominant landholder with multiple past producing mines and deposits in Lisbon Valley, Utah, historically the state's most productive uranium district.Highlights:Sassy's binding LOI's announced March 1, 2024, now include a Utah state lease contiguous to the claims comprising the Central Lisbon Project (without change to the terms of the Transaction); The total Lisbon Valley land package to be acquired by Sassy (North Lisbon and Central Lisbon) encompasses approximately two-thirds of this entire past producing district (16 miles long and up to 1 mile wide) which was responsible for 78 million pounds of uranium production between 1948 and 1988, 9% of total U.S. domestic uranium produced during that period (see attached map), mostly from the lower member (Moss Back) of the Chinle Formation (source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32); Significant new discovery potential exists in the underlying and under-explored Cutler Formation which hosts massive sandstone units and was determined to be an economic host in the late 1970's (source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32); Except for the Jackpile-Paquate area in Cibola County, New Mexico, the Lisbon Valley in Utah has produced more uranium than any area of similar size in the United States. In addition to uranium, more than 24 million pounds of vanadium oxide (V2O5) was associated with some of the ores, especially in the central and southern parts of Lisbon Valley (source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32).Mr. Mark Scott, Sassy President and CEO, commented: "We are proceeding toward completion of the definitive agreement announced March 1. Utah is one of America's most friendly and dynamic jurisdictions for business and also features the country's only operating conventional uranium mill, Energy Fuels' White Mesa. Not only is the Independence Property permitted for small-scale production, but this deal gives us dominance in the critical Lisbon Valley District where there is exceptional exploration upside. We're assembling a team with the ability to unlock the value of these assets, highlighted by 14 past producing properties, and leverage the opportunity for Sassy shareholders." Lisbon Valley Video"We've been able to get nearly all of Lisbon Valley tied up. We think that has tremendous potential." - Kyle Kimmerle, Sassy uranium property vendor (Utah and Colorado) and underground mining contractor for Energy Fuels' Pandora mine.Click on the link below to learn more:Lisbon Valley MapSassy Utah Uranium Video"We're in kind of a niche market for sure." - Kyle Kimmerle.Click on the link below to learn more.Moving Forward in Lisbon ValleyThe uranium deposits in the Lisbon Valley district form a mineralized belt approximately 16 miles long and up to one mile wide on the southwestern flank of the Lisbon Valley anticline, one of several northwest trending salt anticlines in the Paradox Basin. Sassy's deal to acquire the Kimmerle Mining LLC properties would give it control over most of this belt.A 5-mile-long portion of the south-central part of the ore belt has been removed by erosion, leaving about 6 miles of large deposits to the northwest (the area largely covered by Sassy's ongoing acquisitions) and an additional 5 miles of scattered smaller deposits to the southeast. The cluster of nearby coalesced deposits at the north end of the belt (Lisbon to LaSal No. 2) has produced 43.8 million pounds of uranium oxide (U3O8), and the cluster in the center of the belt (Big Buck 4 to Ash) has produced 23.6 million pounds U3O8 (source: Chenoweth, 2006, Utah Geological Association Publication 32).Economic production potential for the Lisbon Valley Chinle deposits may exist in the known deposits present in the past producing mines which were shuttered in 1984 and beyond. Bringing these resources current to today's NI-43-101 standards and the incremental expansion of these resources through routine production planning processes may bring new life to the Lisbon Valley Chinle-hosted deposits.Even greater potential may yet exist in Lisbon Valley's known and as-yet-undiscovered Cutler hosted deposits. As these Cutler deposits do not occur within the Chinle belt, they are not limited to the relatively narrow width of the Chinle belt. Past exploration within the northern half of the Lisbon Valley has generally been focused on the Chinle belt, so here the potential to locate additional deposits in the Cutler Formation west of the Chinle is quite promising and has been accomplished previously.Investors are cautioned that a Qualified Person (as defined in NI-43-101) has not done sufficient work to verify the historical drilling data. Additional work, including confirmatory drilling and logging, will be required to confirm and update the historical drilling and logging data, including a review of data integrity, assumptions, parameters, methods, and testing. Historical exploration data do not meet reporting requirements as prescribed under NI-43-101. Sassy is not treating the historical data as current, and it should not be relied upon.Qualified PersonThe technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Ian Fraser, P. Geo. Mr. Fraser is the Qualified Person responsible for the scientific and technical information contained herein under National Instrument 43-101 standards.About Sassy Gold Corp.Sassy is an exploration stage resource company currently engaged in the identification, acquisition and exploration of high-grade precious metal and base metal projects in North America, and uranium properties in the Western United States. Sassy owns 100% of the Foremore Project located in the Eskay Camp, Liard Mining Division, in the heart of Northwest B.C.'s prolific Golden Triangle. Sassy also holds a 20% interest in the Highrock Uranium Project in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin, and significant equity positions in Gander Gold Corp., Galloper Gold Corp., and MAX Power Mining Corp., giving the Company and its investors direct and indirect exposure to gold, copper, lithium, and uranium.Caution Regarding Forward Looking StatementsThis news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of
A recent report by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) on Nigerias education revealed that one in five of the worlds out-of-school children is Nigerian.

According to the report, despite primary education being officially free and compulsory, approximately 10.5 million children aged 5-14 in Nigeria still need to enrol in school.

This is particularly concerning in the northern regions, where various cultural and socio-economic barriers present a formidable obstacle to reintegrating out-of-school children into the educational system.

In the face of these challenges, a groundbreaking initiative has emerged in Kano, spearheaded by the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigerian Education (PLANE).

The new initiative aims to revolutionise education in northern Nigeria by equipping teachers and other stakeholders in the educational sector. It seeks to increase school enrollment and learning outcomes in northern Nigeria.

The Accelerated Learning (AL) project, launched in April 2020 and funded by UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and British Council, has received acclaim for its efforts to transform learning experiences in Kanos colleges.

Led by a consortium of organisations, including DAI and the British Council, in collaboration with Teaching at The Right Level (TaRL), the AL project has gained momentum in Kano and has drawn praise from educators and stakeholders.

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Structure

Beyond Kano, PLANE operates at the federal level and in five states, including Kaduna, Jigawa, Yobe, and Borno. It focuses on strengthening education systems and optimising government expenditures.

Commenting on the structure of the initiative, the British Council said, We are only focused on the Accelerated Learning (AL) part, which it implements with Teaching at The Right Level (TaRL) organisation.

The programmes strategic interventions encompass foundational skills development, emergency education, and community-centred initiatives to foster sustainable improvements in Nigerias education landscape.

Beyond focusing solely on educating children, PLANE ensures that stakeholders, including teachers and guardians, receive immersive training to equip them with the necessary tools for seamless task execution.

We attended a series of training. We started with a nine-day training. Then, after the nine-day training, we went on field trips and then for another four-day refresher training for this programme, shared Mallam Abubakar Sanim, a teacher, reflecting on the comprehensive training sessions conducted as part of the AL project.

School principals and teachers have also hailed the initiative as a game-changer in the educational landscape.

A school principal in Kano, Fatimah Muhammed, said, PLANE Accelerated Learning is one of the greatest things to happen to education as far as my experience and involvement in the whole project are concerned. Because the accelerated activities are what is needed at this right time.

Participants in the AL project have undergone rigorous training sessions, which have equipped them with the tools necessary for effective program implementation.

They added that the structured approach of the project, which includes student assessments and tailored instruction, has led to significant improvements in literacy rates among participating students.

Other teachers like Bashiru Ahmadu have also commended the projects inclusive nature, particularly its dual-language method, which allows instruction in students mother tongues before transitioning to English.

He said: Initiatives like the AL project offer hope for a brighter future. They demonstrate the potential to address systemic issues and pave the way for equitable access to quality education for all children in Nigeria.

Beyond Kano, PLANEs interventions extend to federal and state levels, focusing on bolstering education systems and fostering sustainable improvements across Nigeria.

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The King Kosoko Memorial Museum, located in Ereko, Lagos Island, has been commissioned.

The Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John, commissioned the museum on Thursday afternoon.

The museum houses over 200 relics from King Kosoko, who ruled Lagos from 1845 to 1851.

Oba Kosoko died on 15 April 1872 and was buried on 25 April 1872. He reigned as Oba of Lagos and later became the Oloja of Lagos after returning from Epe.

The ancient palace of the late king was upgraded to a museum by the Kosoko family in April 2022, about five years after its rehabilitation.

It was built in 1862 for the late Lagos monarch as part of the treaty to return him to Lagos, where he was exiled and made an Oloja.

Speaking at the grand launch on Thursday in Lagos, the minister pledged President Bola Tinubus support for cultural tourisms transformative power to spur economic growth.

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Kosoko (head of the Kosoko family) Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, known as the Oloja of Lagos-elect, hosted the event, attracting a diverse cultural enthusiast audience.

The grand opening of the King Kosoko Memorial Museum was graced by top government officials, royal fathers, captains of industry, members of the press, and distinguished guests, underscoring the importance and support for the preservation and celebration of Nigerias cultural heritage.

Remarks

Before the ministers speech, the Oloja took the minister and her entourage on a detailed and intriguing tour of the rich collection of artefacts ranging from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to the colonial history of Lagos.

In her speech, the minister noted that The King Kosoko Memorial Museum preserves and showcases our forebears legacies, echoing stories of resilience, creativity, and cultural diversity that shape our identity.

She said: In a rapidly evolving world, we must hold onto our roots, preserving the stories, traditions, and values that make us who we are. The King Kosoko Memorial Museum is a testament to our commitment to preserving our rich cultural heritage for future generations.

We cannot hide our heritage, we cannot hide our identity, we cannot hide our culture. We should promote our culture online through digital media and traditional media. I am going to see the president next week. I am sure he has been here. I will share with him what I experienced and let him know. I hope he insists on the preservation and the needs; I know he will support, and I can assure you that. Together, let us embark on this journey.

She added that museums, beyond artefacts, serve as beacons of enlightenment, fostering understanding and appreciation of our past while guiding our future steps.

The minister added that in a world of globalisation and technological advancement, institutions like this museum project authenticity, reminding us of our countrys beauty and complexity.

Renewed Hope Agenda

With a vision to contribute to the knowledge economy, she also noted that the museum is part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, promising a bright future for cultural tourism in Nigeria.

Ms Ade-John affirmed the governments commitment to harnessing the immense potential of cultural institutions to bolster the national tourism agenda.

She maintained that collaborating with the museum will present more opportunities to promote cultural tourism, drive economic growth, and foster social cohesion.

Through an alliance with the Federal Ministry of Tourism, the King Kosoko Memorial Museum can realise its potential as a driver of sustainable tourism development, said the minister.

The minister outlined three key areas of collaboration between the King Kosoko Memorial Museum and the Federal Ministry of Tourism.

She stressed that these encompass developing innovative strategies to showcase the museums rich heritage to domestic and international tourists through press coverages, curated tours, festivals, and targeted promotional campaigns.

Additionally, providing training programmes and workshops to enhance museum staffs professionalism and skills as custodians of Nigerias heritage was emphasised.

Lastly, the minister said facilitating cultural exchange programs with international partners to promote Nigerian culture globally will attract visitors, noting that such initiatives would attract visitors and serve as platforms for dialogue and mutual enrichment.

Plans

In his speech, the museums chief curator, Mr Olojo-Kosoko, shared insights into the museums plans.

He said the last time they experienced a visit as such was decades ago.

The Oloja stated, We spent 17 months assembling the museum. We want to do our little so that the government can support us.

The next thing is to begin the upgrading, which will be sectional to enable researchers to make their findings.

We need finance, but we will see what we can do and what can come from this. We currently have private consultants, and we will keep their names private.

Kosoko died on April 15, and every year, we have this gathering to remember him. This year, we will celebrate what we call the Alliance. That is the collaboration between the Fulanis and Kosoko. We will also celebrate the return of Kosoko to Lagos, he said.

He expressed the Kosoko dynastys aspiration to serve as a model rather than compete with other entities in the state.

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The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday fixed 9 April to sentence controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, for Naira abuse.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro reserved ruling on Bobriskys ruling after the social media celebrity pleaded guilty to a four-count charge brought against him by the EFCC.

The judge ordered Bobrisky to be remanded in EFCC custody pending sentence.

The hearing began at 11:55 a.m. with Sulaiman Sulaiman appearing for the EFCC while Ayo Olumofin appeared for the defendant.

Mr Awogboro directed Bobrisky to unveil his face, which was covered with a black hijab. He complied.

The charge, marked FHC/L/244c/2024, originally contained four counts of naira abuse and two counts of alleged money laundering.

But before it was read to the defendant, Mr Sulaiman prayed the court to strike out counts five and six concerning alleged money laundering and arraign Bobrisky on counts one to four.

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We have an agreement with the defendant which will lead us to withdraw counts 5 and 6. In this circumstance, we humbly urge the court to strike out counts 5 and 6. Leaving count 1 to 4 alive, Sulaiman said.

Granting his prayer, Mr Awogboro then struck out the two counts and ordered that the now four-count charge be read to the defendant.

Bobrisky pleaded guilty to each of the four counts.

 Yes, I am guilty, he said when the registrar asked if he understood the charge read to him.

Evidence

Mr Sulaiman then reviewed the facts of the case and called an EFCC Assistant Superintendent, Bolaji Temitope, as his witness.

Prompted by the prosecution, the witness explained how they found the incident.

Mr Temitope said: The EFCC received intelligence of individuals who are in the habit of spraying Naira during parties in Lagos. Based on this, the EFCC set out an operation team to monitor and observe the activities of individuals in the habit of doing so.

We usually visit event centres and monitor social media pages where the Naira is abused. During the exercise, we came across videos on social media where the defendant was seen abusing the Naira.

Our team then viewed the video and burnt the same on CD. Consequently, an invitation letter was forwarded to the defendant. When he honoured the invitation. The defendant was shown a video where he was spraying money on Segun Johnson. He confirmed that he was the one in the video.

An event at the Island Circle mall was also shown to the defendant. A total of 400k was spent. The defendant was also shown another video in Aja Junction, Ikorodu and an event centre at Ikeja. He admitted to spraying money in all the videos. He then offered his statement in writing.

A video clip was shown to the witness, confirming the defendants statement.

The statement and videos were tendered without objection.

The court admitted them as exhibits and marked them Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.

That is the case of the prosecution, and we pray the defendant will be convicted as charged my lord, the prosecutor told the judge.

In a bench ruling, Mr Awogboro held: The defendant is convicted as charged.

First-time offender

But Bobrisky pleaded for mercy, saying he was unaware that spraying money at parties was a crime.

He said: I am a social influencer with over five million followers. Im not aware of the law. I wish I could be given a second chance to use my platform to educate my followers about the spraying of Naira.

Ill not repeat this. I regret my actions, my lord. Im a first-time offender.

His lawyer added that he had turned a new leaf and prayed the judge to grant Bobrisky a non-custodial sentence and an option of a fine.

The charges comprised four counts of naira abuse and two counts of suspected money laundering.

In the first count, Bobrisky is alleged to have tampered with N400,000 by spraying the same while dancing at a social event at the IMAX Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos on 24 March.

The offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.

In count two, Bobrisky, between July and August 2023 at Aja Junction, Ikorodu, is said to have tampered with another sum of N50,000 by spraying the same at a social event while dancing.

In count three, Bobrisky, in December 2023, at White Steve Event Hall, Ikeja, also sprayed and tampered with another sum of N20,000 while dancing.

Count four also accused Bobrisky of spraying and tampering with another sum of N20,000 while dancing at another event in Oniru, Victoria Island.

Penalty

Earlier, Mr Awogboro struck out the money laundering allegations (counts five and six).

Bobrisky appeared before the court on a six-count charge brought against him by EFCC, bothering on naira abuse and other offences.

Following the conviction, Bobrisky faces three possible penalties: serving six months in prison, paying a fine of N50,000, or both.

According to Section 21 (1) of the CBN Act 2007, a person who tampers with a coin or note issued by the Bank is guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable for imprisonment for a term not less than six months or to a fine not less than N50,000 or both such fine and imprisonment.

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Nollywood actress Simi Gold, convicted of Naira mutilation in February, has shown solidarity with her friend, embattled crossdresser Bobrisky, whose sentence has been deferred to a later date.

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday found Bobrisky guilty of Naira abuse and fixed 9 April to sentence him. He is being remanded in custody.

The striking similarities between Simis legal ordeal and Bobriskys current situation are hard to miss. Both faced scrutiny over their interactions with the Naira, and their close friendship further strengthened the connection between their stories.

Unlike Bobrisky, whose offence was spraying wards of Naira at four different events, the actress was guilty of selling the redesigned notes for profit and stepping on it at a party in February 2023.

The 31-year-old cosmetologist was arrested after the video of her in action surfaced online.

She was subsequently arrested by the ICPC and later handed over to the EFCC.

In February, she was sentenced to jail for six months for Naira mutilation. She would later pay a N300,000 fine before her release.

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Bobrisky, a first-time offender facing a four-count charge, stood before the court on Friday morning, where Justice Abimbola Awogboro struck out the money laundering allegations (counts five and six) initially levelled against him.

More solidarity

In response to these developments, Simi did not shy away from empathising with Bobrisky, who now identifies as a woman.

In one post on her Instagram page, she reassured Bobrisky, Nothing do you, my friend, youre coming out of this stronger, with your head up.

In another, she expressed her affection, writing, sending you loads of love, my sweetheart, along with a picture of them at a function.

However, beyond their friendship, Simi and Bobrisky now share a similar fate: their legal troubles with the EFCC.

Bobriskys infamous Best Dressed Female award at Ajakaju (Beasts of Two Worlds) movie premiere at Film One Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos on 24 March, not only earned him heavy flak but cost him some goodwill.

Similarly, Eniola Ajao Ajakaju producer has also reached out to Bobrisky in a terse Instagram note adding that she woke up sad.

She also said Bobrisky has learned his lessons and pleaded with the EFCC to help.

While at it, she hinted that the sequel of the movie would be released.

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Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has appointed a top aide of former governor Nasir El-Rufai as the Director-General of the state-owned media corporation, KSMC.

Ahmed Maiyaki was the special adviser to Mr El-Rufai on community relations and engagements for four years, from 2019 to 2023.

Before then, he had been the Director-General, Media to Mr El-Rufais predecessor, former governor Ramalan Yero.

Mr Maiyakis appointment is widely viewed as a step by Governor Sani to calm tension in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

There was a storm in the party early this week after the governor publicly complained about the huge loans taken by Mr El-Rufais administration, saying repayment of the loans had made the government unable to pay salaries to civil servants.

The squabble that followed the governors remarks has consumed the APC women leader, Maryam Suleiman, who was suspended for defending Mr El-Rufai on the issue.

More appointments were announced on Thursday by the governor.

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Nuhu Goroh-Shadalafiya was nominated as the Chairman of Kaduna State Legislative Service Commission, subject to confirmation by the state House of Assembly.

Ibrahim Adamu was appointed as the Managing Director, Kaduna Market Development and Management Company, while Idris Aminu was named as the Managing Director, Kaduna State Power Supply Company and Bamai Nehamiah as the senior special assistant to the governor on security.

According to a statement by the governors spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu, all the appointments take immediate effect.

The appointments are based on the proven track records of the appointees, and their commitment to the service of Kaduna State. These strategic appointments reflect the administrations commitment to harnessing the brightest and innovative minds to move Kaduna State forward.

While congratulating the new appointees, Governor Uba Sani urged them to be diligent and fashion effective strategies and operational plans to move the state forward. He wished them Gods guidance in the discharge of their duties.

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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) says that if safety precautions are not taken, Nigerians in Abuja, Kano, and many other northern states are likely to suffer heat strokes due to the scorching heat waves.

Heat stroke, also known as sunstroke, is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is unable to control its temperature.

According to the meteorological agency, tomorrow, 6 April, residents of these states might suffer extreme heat, which would make them prone to heat-induced conditions.

In an advisory issued on Friday, NiMET classified the 36 states into 5 categories: Normal, Caution, Extreme Caution, Danger and Extreme Danger. This is based on the degree of heat waves expected.

Heat stress sets in again. The general public should take necessary precautions, NiMET warned.

Abuja, Kano, Sokoto, and Kogi states were categorised under Extreme Danger, and residents were advised to take precautionary steps as they were likely to experience heat or sunstroke.

Some other states in this category are Kebbi, Katsina, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba, Niger, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Benue, and Kwara.

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NiMET also warned Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Enugu, Edo, Ogun, Plateau, Borno, Imo, Abia, and Cross River to be prepared for increased heat waves, although the possibility of heat stroke is less likely compared to states in the red zone.

Nigerias heat wave

For weeks, Nigeria has been experiencing severe heat waves, with temperatures rising to about 40C in some parts of the country, and previous weather projections showing that the situation might persist for a while.

NiMET, in February, predicted that temperatures would hit 41C in the North and 39C in the South on some days between March and May.

This, according to the agency, will result in dehydration, which could cause fainting, chickenpox, measles and heat rashes. People could also experience heat-related illnesses such as respiratory issues and increased vulnerability to chronic conditions.

The recent advisory from NiMET predicts the likelihood of heat stroke, considered the worst heat-related illness.

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heat stroke occurs when the bodys temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. In such a situation, the body temperature can rise to 41C or higher within 10 to 15 minutes.

This illness can result in a permanent disability or death if an affected person does not receive emergency treatment.

Possible precautions

NiMet advised Nigerians to always stay hydrated as a way of preventing heat stroke.

In its latest advisory, the agency urged residents of states categorised under Extreme Danger to drink lots of water and stay in air-conditioned areas.

It also warned parents against leaving their children in closed or parked vehicles.

For the outdoors, use a hat and sunshades. Keep infants well-aerated and hydrated.

Wear light, breathable clothing to reduce the effect of high temperatures. Reduce strenuous physical activity during peak heat hours (Stay indoors as much as possible between 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m.

Public awareness campaigns and education about heat stress risks and preventive measures are essential, the agency noted.

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Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education, Isiaka Gboyega, says Nigeria will ensure the sustainability of the student loan scheme and avoid the path taken by the United States.

Mr Gboyega said the current debt crisis rocking the US student loan scheme should not deter Nigeria from implementing its own scheme, stating that some countries have successfully implemented the scheme without running into crisis.

The lawmaker stated this on Thursday during a press conference on the Student Loan Act recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

US student loan crisis

The US loan scheme has become a major political discourse recently as millions of Americans are grappling with mounting unpaid student loans.

As of December last year, President Joe Biden administration had written off nearly $138 billion in student debt for almost 3.9 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions.

The 3.9 million beneficiaries are still a far cry from the 43 million people targeted by Mr Biden, who had during the campaign years ago promised loan forgiveness.

However, the president is facing obstacles in the planned loan forgiveness.

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In June 2023, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority last year when it announced that it would cancel up to $400 billion in student loans.

The Biden administration had said that as many as 43 million Americans would have benefitted from the loan forgiveness programme; almost half of those borrowers would have had all of their student loans forgiven.

Despite the challenges with the scheme in the US, Mr Tinubu promised the introduction of the student loan during his presidential campaign in 2023.

The Access to Higher Education Act, 2023, otherwise known as the Student Loan Act, was signed into law by President Tinubu as soon as he assumed office in 2023.

But many Nigerians criticised the law, describing it as a Greek gift, even as they condemned the eligibility criteria for applicants and the repayment plans.

Two weeks ago, Mr Tinubu sent the legislation back to the National Assembly with clauses to address some of the challenges in the previous law. Within seven days, the two chambers passed the new bill as proposed by the executive.

We can be better than USGboyega

While acknowledging the challenges the scheme is facing in the US, Mr Gboyega said just because that the scheme is facing a debt crisis does not mean that Nigerians would encounter similar experience.

He stated that some countries in Latin America have successfully managed the scheme for years without falling into crisis.

Whatever that is happening in the US has not discredited the scheme. Yes, there are challenges, and there are challenges everywhere. America does not have the best of what we have.

I am aware of that, but it has not taken away the benefit of the loan scheme. What is important is for us to learn from their mistakes. This scheme has been in existence in Colombia since 1951. The scheme is quite popular in Latin America, he said.

On the impact of unemployment on repayment of the loans, Mr Gboyega said the country must work to address the challenges associated with unemployment.

He said the inclusion of vocational training schools shows that the government is committed to addressing unemployment.

The lawmaker insisted that there are sufficient clauses to protect unemployed graduates in the scheme.

Unemployment is there, that is an issue. Our prayer is that we are able to produce the right kind of people that can add to productivity. Dont forget that this loan scheme covers tertiary and vocational schools. They are all covered under it.

Under the law, repayment starts after two years of NYSC. We dont pray and expect that the unemployment level would continue the way it is, he said.

Why private schools are exempted Gboyega

The lawmaker also reacted to the exclusion of private schools from the scheme, stating that the demand for student loan schemes in private schools would be low.

He noted that the fund may in the future create funds to address the needs of the private schools.

For anyone that has the capacity to send his/her children to wheresome of those private schools, you would agree with me that the need for a loan of this scheme is probably minimal, he said.

Section 23 of the Act states that only students in public schools are eligible for the scheme.

READ ALSO: Key amendments Tinubu administration introduced into Students Loans Act Presidency

An applicant for a loan under this Act must be a citizen of Nigeria;

Have secured admission into any university, polytechnic, college of education school established by the Federal Government or State Government, or a vocational or skills acquisition school licensed by the Federal Government.

The government has yet to announce a date for the commencement of the scheme.

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The ECOWAS Parliament on Thursday nominated Barau Jibrin, the Nigerian deputy senate president as acting speaker of the sub-regional parliament.

Mr Jibrin emerged as speaker at the inaugural session of the sixth Legislature of the Parliament held in Abuja.

He was also elected as the first deputy speaker of the body.

Adjaratou Coulibaly from Cote D Ivoire was elected as the second deputy speaker; Alexander Afenyo-Markin from Ghana was elected third deputy speaker and Billay Tunkara from Gambia was elected as fourth deputy speaker.

The speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament is usually elected on rotational basis.

The Speaker of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS was actually zoned to the Republic of Togo according to the rotational system established by Decision A/DEC. 6/06/06 of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

But during the inauguration of the assembly, the delegation of the Republic of Togo was absent.

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The absence necessitated Edwin Snowe JR, from Liberia to be elected as temporary speaker to preside over the inaugural session of the Parliament and conduct election of the four deputy speakers of the Parliament.

After the inauguration, Mr Snowe announced that the Nigerias deputy senate president who is also the 1st deputy speaker will act as speaker of the Parliament pending when the Togolese delegation is inaugurated.

President Bola Tinubu attended the opening ceremony.

M Tinubu, chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government called on member countries to unite and shun any form of division within the region.

Lawmakers from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote D Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone were inaugurated as members of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The Parliament, also known as the Community Parliament, is one of the institutions of the ECOWAS. It is the Assembly of Peoples of the Community, serving as a forum of dialogue, consultation and consensus for representatives of the people of West Africa to promote integration.

It was established under Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS revised treaty of 1993 and it has 115 seats.

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The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has advised mining companies to emulate the international best practices of the Segilola gold project to develop the sector.

He expressed the commitment of the federal government to support mining companies that place a premium on local content in their operations.

Speaking during a site tour of the Segilola Resources Operating Limited (SROL), an indigenous gold mining company in Ilesha, Osun State, the minister lauded the extensive work that has gone into the facility, expressing delight that over 95% of its staff are Nigerians, urging other operators to take a cue from them.

 It gladdens my heart that this is a wholly Nigerian project, and that is very commendable. Yes, you have contractors, experts, and technical professionals, which is expected in any project of this magnitude, but it is essentially a Nigerian project. That for me is very remarkable and worthy of emulation by other potential investors, local or foreign alike,  Mr Alake added.

Mr Alake commended the companys tenacity of purpose and efficient methods deployed to push through with its vision, despite daunting challenges at inception.

Stressing that his focus has been to redirect local and international attention to the mining sector, the minister revealed that implementing his 7-point agenda will reposition the mining sector.

I have made sanitising the security of mining environment one of the critical points of my 7-point agenda. Recently, as part of the process of actualising that policy, I had to unveil the creation of minees marshal. They have a base in all the states of the country, with the command structure in my office, and in fact, that has thrown some sanity into the operating environment of the mining sector. Reports reaching us indicate that illegal miners are already fleeing their sites, even before operations reach a crescendo, the minister affirmed.

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Emphasising the imperative of harmonious relationship with host communities, Mr Alake lauded SROL for overshooting its community development targets, urging mining companies across the country to follow suit to ensure safer, unfettered operating environment which will culminate in maximum beneficiation for both operators, the host communities and government.

In his remarks, the MD/CEO of Segilola Resources, Segun Lawson, stated that the company is a world-class project powered by Nigerians, appealing for support from the Federal Governnment to enable it scale up, and contribute better to the economy of the country.

The minister, in his response, pledged the support of the Federal Government for SROL, particularly because it promotes local content and positively impacts the host community with developmental projects.

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The Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abubakar Sulaiman, has called for amendments to legislation bordering on security to allow more womens participation in security management in Nigeria.

Mr Sulaiman, a professor, who made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference, said there was a need for a deliberate move to increase womens involvement in the countrys security sector.

He decried the low involvement of women in the security architecture of the country, saying the abilities of women were untapped in the fight against insecurity ranging from the violent ones like terrorism, banditry, kidnapping to civil disturbances, among others.

According to Mr Sulaiman, the institute was working with UN Women to sensitise the National Assembly and relevant security agencies on the need to change the narrative.

The DG lamented the attitude of the 9th National Assembly which rejected most of the gender-related bills meant to drive gender inclusivity in the governance structure of the country.

Mr Sulaiman expressed the hope that the current national assembly under the leadership of Godswill Akpabio has promised to give adequate attention to all bills and policies meant to promote gender inclusion.

Indeed, Nigerias security sector institutions are major actors not only in the prevention and response to security issues in Nigeria but also to strategic conflict resolution and peace building initiatives.

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While these security sector institutions strive to achieve their mandates over the years, huge gender gaps are visible in their policies and operational procedures at all levels, as well as their enabling legislations.

Yet, ensuring womens meaningful representation in the security sector is critical to building an inclusive, responsive, and accountable security sector that reflects diversity of the community it serves and better respond to their needs.

This has been increasingly identified as a key strategy and supported by global normative frameworks, including the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000), among other international instruments.

As a result of this, there is need to review the security sector institutions legislation to become more gender-responsive

It is against this backdrop that I am pleased to inform you all that NILDS, with the support of the UN Women is implementing the Enhancing Gender Responsive Security Operations and Community Dialogue Project II, he said.

Mr Sulaiman said that the collaborative project aimed to work with the National Assembly and identified security sector institutions on the need to make their laws more gender-responsive.

He said the project also sought to strengthen gender-responsive security sector policy reforms and implementation of gender policies adopted by target security institutions.

The UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, congratulated NILDS on the successful review of some security laws in the country.

She said the Armed Forces Act, Nigeria Police Act and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Act had been reviewed from a gender perspective, with support from UN Women.

She said the need to present the bills for the amendment of the Acts by the 10th National Assembly could not be over emphasised.

Ms Eyong, represented by the Programmes Manager, Peter Macha, said the positive response from some members of the national assembly on the agenda was encouraging.

I, therefore, call on all the legislators and other stakeholders to support the amendment of these security laws to further enhance a gender-sensitive environment, for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in the security sector institutions and the society at large.

These progressive actions undoubtedly align with provisions of Nigerias National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, National Gender Policy and several other policy and legal frameworks, he said.

(NAN)

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The Enugu State Government has alleged that some hoodlums, on Friday, destroyed several machines and other equipment being installed to ensure water supply in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this during a press briefing in Enugu on Friday afternoon.

In the wee hours of today, at about 2:00 a.m., hoodlums in astonishingly large numbers invaded the site of the ongoing installation of new ductile water pipes near the Holy Ghost Cathedral in Enugu, where they unleashed havoc and destruction on machines and other equipment, Mr Onyia, a professor, said.

The vandals were however successfully repelled by security operatives deployed to the site before reinforcement came from the Ogui Police Station, he added.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Enugu State government has been installing water pipes and other equipment in many parts of the state as part of the efforts to reticulate water across parts of the state.

The government, in late March, threatened to prosecute those who vandalise water facilities in the state.

Worsening situation

Speaking during the press briefing, Mr Onyia regretted that the acts of vandalism of water facilities and other infrastructure by some unpatriotic individuals in the state appear to have worsened.

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The incessant attacks on public infrastructure such as water galleries, electrical fittings on solar lights attached to water facilities, damage of both high pressure and distribution pipes by hoodlums, have delayed the reticulation of water to the good people and residents of the state and in some cases denied innocent citizens access to potable water with a huge cost on the government for replacement, he said.

The SSG said apart from water facilities, some reckless truck drivers have been destroying kerbs on newly reconstructed roads in the state.

The government hereby states that such acts of vandalism will henceforth be treated not only as economic sabotage but also as acts of terrorism for which the offenders will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

For the avoidance of doubt, the actions of these saboteurs constitute various serious offences under the Criminal Code Cap 30 Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004. These offences include stealing, malicious damage, amongst others which are punishable by various terms of imprisonment and fine. The State Government will not hesitate to bring the full weight of the law on the perpetrators of these acts, he stated.

Mr Onyia restated the resolve of the government to protect all public facilities by reinforcing security surveillance around them as well as prosecuting those who engage in their destruction.

Task force on surveillance

The SSG appealed to residents of the state to take ownership of the facilities by protecting them and reporting acts of vandalism to the state government for immediate action.

He announced that the state government has constituted a task force on surveillance and protection of public assets in the state.

The committee will be led by officers and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and supported by other security agencies. They are to commence their assignment immediately, he said.

Background

Before he was elected governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah repeatedly promised to end water scarcity in the state within 180 days.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that water scarcity in Enugu has been a recurring problem for decades despite huge financial investments by successive state governments and international organisations.

Mr Mbah, on 25 November 2023, which was the deadline, inaugurated a water scheme in the state, declaring an end to water scarcity.

But despite the inauguration, many homes were yet to have access to water in the state.

Some homes with access to water complain that the water has not been consistent in recent times.

The state government has consistently said that the activities of vandals were frustrating their efforts to make water available in all homes in the state.

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The Mandate Secretary of the Transportation Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chinedum Elechi, has called on the Coalition of FCT Associations of Tricycle and Motorcycle Operators (COFATRIMO) to follow the designated routes allocated for their operations in the territory.

In a statement on Friday by Ughamadu Ifeanyi, the deputy director of information at the FCT Transportation Secretariat, Mr Elechi stressed the importance of maintaining order in the city.

He drew parallels between Abujas significance and global capitals like Washington DC, Paris, and London, stating, Abuja is to Nigerians what Washington DC is to Americans, what Paris is to the French, and what London is to the British. We must make things work here.

Mr Elechi reiterated the necessity of route restrictions during a recent working visit by the coalition, warning that the enforcement team of the secretariat would impound any tricycle or motorcycle found violating these restrictions.

Despite the crushing of over 8,000 motorcycles since 2021, Mr Elechi noted that riders continued to replace them, raising concerns about potential misuse beyond motorcycle business.

He emphasised that the crushing of confiscated motorcycles would persist until riders complied with operational rules within the territory.

However, Mr Elechi assured the secretariats commitment to strengthening the coalition, sanitising, and regulating their operation for the benefit of the citys residents.

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Enforcement and cooperation

Abdulatif Bello, director of the Department of Road Traffic Services, expressed apprehension over the misuse of tricycle and motorcycle for criminal activities.

He urged coalitions heads to ensure strict adherence to assigned routes to prevent clashes with the enforcement team.

Appeal for consideration

But the leader of the coalition, Chilenye Ekwuru, appealed for their members to be accommodated in the new transport policy of the administration.

He urged Mr Elechi to advocate for a warning system before the confiscation of motorcycles for route violations.

Additionally, Mr Ekwuru pleaded for consideration during the administrations palliative sharing, citing the financial strain faced by their members in maintaining vehicles.

Mr Elechi reassured the coalition of the secretariats support in regulating their operations for the benefit of the citys residents.

He urged all operators to comply with operational regulations within the city.

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President Bola Tinubu says Nigerias economy is at a turning point and will require the steadfast support of the private sector for sustained growth and prosperity.

Speaking during Iftar on Thursday in Abuja with members of the Nigerian business community, the president expressed gratitude for their support and pledged to engage with them more frequently.

I would have summoned you before now, not during Ramadan, because you are a very valuable part of my constituency.

There is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the private sector. If the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth, no prosperity, no employment or development. No matter how flowery the speeches are, not even a mushroom will grow.

Thank you for persevering. We are at a turning point in our economy. I do not have to do a quadratic equation to illustrate all of that to you. I just want to appreciate you for your endurance and perseverance, the president said.

Sharing insights from his visit to the New York Stock Exchange in 2023, President Tinubu noted Nigerias self-belief and determination to drive economic transformation from within.

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At the New York Stock Exchange, I appealed to foreign investors to consider Nigeria as a prime investment destination.

At the end of my remarks, I told them we only want them to show their face and diversify Nigerias economy not as if we cannot do it ourselves.

Tony Elumelu walked up to me and thanked me for making that statement. We can do it. Nigeria is a self-believer and can always deliver on its own. We know our first name and our last name. Our first name is: Spirit, and our last name is: Can do.

President Tinubu reiterated his commitment to fulfilling his mandate, emphasising that he cannot afford to underperform, given the trust placed in him by the electorate.

I have no reason to underperform as the elected president of the country because I campaigned for the job.

I cannot complain about the job. I appreciate the gesture, and what you have told me this evening is very inspiring. Cut the costs. Fix the bends. Summon courage. Save the money, but push the economy. We will be there.There are some countries that have failed. There are some countries that have succeeded. In our time, in my time, all of us must work together to succeed. Thank you very much, the president concluded.

In separate remarks at the Ramadan dinner, industrialists, bank executives, and entrepreneurs pledged their support towards the success of the administrations economic programmes.

Mr Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings, assured the President that the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in the country is solidly behind him.

Your transformation journey to turn around the economy and businesses are very appropriate for the country.

We appreciate what you are doing. We know the journey will not be smooth, but given the will, we will get to the Promised Land.

We admire your decisiveness, and we appreciate what you are doing. You are extremely passionate about taking Nigeria to the Promised Land.

On behalf of the OPS, we want to assure you that we are 100 percent with you. We have engaged with your ministers and associates; we share ideas, and we support them. We know that under your leadership, you have the ability to heal Nigeria permanently, Mr. Elumelu said.

Allen Onyema, chief executive officer, Air Peace, charged business owners and manufacturers to work towards bringing down the cost of products and services.

Citing the example of Air Peace in reducing the cost of air tickets to London, Mr Onyema thanked President Tinubu for improving the ease of doing business in the country.

President Tinubu is thinking of the Nigeria of the future. The ease of doing business is coming back gradually. I can attest to that in the aviation sector because of the people you appointed to head that sector.

I can also attest to what our High Commission in the United Kingdom did in making Air Peace flights into Gatwick Airport a possibility, he said.

Stella Okoli, pharmacist and founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical Company, urged the president to look into providing more support for the pharmaceutical industry in the country to make it self-sufficient and self-financing.

Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

April 4, 2024

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In New York, we think of the SUNY system as a leader not only in education, but in many other areas as well  innovation, job creation, economic development. There is one emerging area where SUNY still has enormous untapped leadership potential  renewable energy.

As the operator of over 40% of state-owned buildings, SUNY is uniquely positioned to help New York meet our ambitious climate goals. We can tap into this potential with a $90 million investment in this years state budget to allow SUNY to take on a major decarbonization plan based on geothermal heating systems at the University at Buffalo and SUNY Purchase. This plan would not only advance New Yorks climate goals, but also create clean energy construction jobs and build New Yorks skilled workforce.

Geothermal systems have been utilized at SUNY buildings across the state for decades. What has been lacking until now are thermal energy network projects that tie together multiple buildings. These networks use water pipes to transfer heat in and out of buildings, allowing them to recycle excess heat from one building to be used in another. The result is a reduced reliance on the electrical grid, and a system that is more cost-efficient and eco-friendlier than traditional heating and cooling systems.

Multi-building campuses are prime candidates for the transition to thermal energy networks. The University at Buffalo is planning to utilize one to decarbonize its South Campus. The zero-emissions system would eliminate the campus largest source of emissions, reduce its energy usage by 30%, and provide long-term cost savings. SUNY Purchase would see a massive reduction in carbon emissions as well. The college would eliminate more than 65% of its greenhouse gas emissions from the more than 45 buildings on its campus. UB is also hopeful its work can be expanded to bring efficient, emissions-free heating and cooling to the surrounding community. These neighborhoods would benefit from cleaner air, lower energy bills, and new construction jobs.

While this budget appropriation would benefit these two institutions, it would have greater effects. Supporting these transformative projects would signal that the workforce at New Yorks utilities will play a key role in implementing the states climate agenda. It would also make SUNY a model for other institutions and communities looking for cost-effective ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Crucially, SUNYs role as the countrys largest integrated system of public higher education also means that this $90 million investment could be leveraged to support clean energy workforce training, career development, and research to help spur a broader national transition to geothermal networks.

The state budget is often referred to as a declaration of our priorities for the coming year. For a fraction of the money that will be spent in this years budget, we can show the country that New York is serious about being a national leader in the transition to clean energy.
The Police Command in Katsina State has dismissed as false, the report making the rounds in social media that eight persons died in a stampede during the distribution of palliatives.

This is contained in a statement issued by the commands Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abubakar Aliyu, on Thursday in Katsina.

Katsina State Police Command is aware of the recent misinformation making the rounds in social media alleging the deaths of eight people at GRA Katsina as a result of a stampede.

We wish to categorically clarify the misinformation in circulation, he said.

He said Following a thorough investigation and verification of the facts surrounding the matter.

We can confirm that on April 3, 2024, a former gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Yakubu Lado-Danmarke, shared alms/palliatives to some members of the public at GRA Katsina.

As a result of which the venue of the distribution was heavily crowded thereby obstructing vehicular movement and public thoroughfare.

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However, he said, the command made adequate deployment of personnel to the venue to ensure a seamless distribution process and the safety of the members of the public.

According to him, nobody died during the distribution of the palliative.

Mr Aliyu said that the Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Abubakar-Musa, therefore urged the public to always rely on credible sources of information and official statements from the command for accurate and verified information.

The CP further cautioned the public against sharing unverified information, especially on social media platforms for peace in the state.

The command remains committed to providing timely updates and transparent information on matters concerning public safety and security, he quoted the CP as saying.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian army has contradicted itself on the recovery of arms and ammunition reportedly snatched from 17 soldiers who were murdered on 14 March by suspected residents of the Okuama Community in Delta State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Commanding Officer of 181 Army Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain and 13 soldiers were ambushed and murdered in the state.

The troops were attacked while responding to a distress call arising from a clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in the South-southern state.

The contradiction

The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, had earlier said the slain commanding officer of 181 Army Amphibious Battalion and his team went to the Okuama unarmed because it was a peacekeeping mission.

They (the slain soldiers) were deployed there legally. And it was because the commanding officer felt that the threat was not all that high, that was why he went there with his team to discuss with the individuals (Okuama residents). He did not go there armed. If that gallant officer had gone there armed, he would have erased everybody in that place.

But he felt these were the people he knew. These are Nigerians that he could talk to and when he (the commanding officer) stepped up to talk to them (the community members) with his team, they (the soldiers) were rounded up and shot, Mr Musa, an army general, had said.

The army chief spoke on Wednesday when he appeared as a guest on Arise TVs The Morning Show, monitored by PREMIUM TIMES.

But in an apparent contradiction, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs of the army, Nosakhare Ugbo, announced later on Wednesday that the army had recovered some arms and ammunition snatched from the slain soldiers, Vanguard newspaper reported.

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Arrests will be continually made. This is an issue under investigation, but l am telling you that our equipment, our arms and ammunition, we are still searching for them (weapons). We have got some, we have not got others, the search is continuing, he said.

Mr Ugbo, a major general, spoke during the armys Civil-Military Cooperation Media Chat in Asaba, the state capital.

There is an investigation and the (Okuama) community is helping the investigators to lead to the solution of recovering our arms, and also helping us to identify and arrest all of the perpetrators of the dastardly act. So, let us be patient. With time, everything will come out, he added.

The army chief explained that like others, reporters do not have access into the Okuama Community because investigation was still ongoing in the area.

It is a crime scene. Even in civil crimes, you will tape it everywhere. That is a crime scene. Investigation has not been concluded. So, l dont think it will be appropriate for anybody to go there and interfere with the investigation, he said.

Safety of detained Delta monarch

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Defence Headquarters, on Thursday, declared eight suspects wanted over the murder of the army personnel.

The traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Clement Ikolo, was among those declared wanted.

Mr Ikolo has since surrendered himself to the police in the state from where he was whisked away to the Nigerian army Headquarters in Abuja for questioning.

The monarch was still at the army custody as of the time of filing this report

Asked about the safety of the monarch, Mr Ugbo said: The traditional ruler, l believe, is safe. They are still questioning him; he is still under investigation.

Every other issue around Okuama is still under investigation and l assure you that at the end of the investigation, whatever will unfold will be brought to the fore. Everyone will be informed on the outcome of the investigation.

Army to declare more suspects wanted

Mr Ugbo, during the interview, suggested that apart from the initial eight suspects, more suspects could be declared wanted by the military authorities.

As l told you, the investigation is on. Probably tomorrow, they (investigators) may see other names. As the investigation unfolds, more facts will emerge, and new people might be called for questioning, he said.

Search of Clarks home

There were reports recently that military personnel conducted a search on the residence of a Niger Delta leader, Edwin Clark.

Reacting, Mr Ugbo said what happened was part of the ongoing investigation, stressing that if nothing incriminating was found in Mr Clarks residence, he would not be prosecuted.

In the first instance, l said it is an ongoing investigation. If during the investigation, they find that l have something, l am sure they will come and ask me questions or they will search me. If ,during the search, they find nothing, they will let me go, he stressed.

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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has imposed sanctions on the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for wrongly applying the new electricity tariffs on some residents of the Nigerian capital.

The sanctions include a N200 million fine and a directive that the wrongly billed customers should be appropriately refunded.

The sanctions were announced in a Friday statement by the NERC management following complaints by several Auja residents who tried to buy electricity units days after a tariff increase was announced.

NERC had on Wednesday ordered the immediate upward review of electricity tariffs from Wednesday, 3 April.

The NERC Vice Chairperson, Musiliu Oseni, who disclosed this while speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday explained that only electricity customers in band A would be affected by the increase.

He noted that the increase would not affect Bands B, C, D and E while noting that the number of customers previously on Band A has been reduced.

Band A customers are offered an average daily electricity supply of 20 hours, although many complain they do not get up to that.

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The official said the Band A consumers represent 15 per cent of the population but consume 40 per cent of the nations electricity.

Accordingly, he said, power distribution companies (DisCos) will be allowed to raise electricity prices to N225 ($0.15) per kilowatt-hour from N68.

But following the new tariff regime announcement, Abuja residents on other bands who tried to buy electricity units were also made to pay the new charges although the AEDC attributed the wrong charges to a system glitch.

Apologising in a statement on Thursday, the AEDC said it was aware of the wrong charges faced by some Band A customers who tried to recharge their meters following the new tariff regime.

This is to inform customers across the Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) franchise that we are aware of the wrong charges faced by some Band A customers who tried to recharge their meters following the new tariff regime.

This was due to a system glitch caused by the reclassification of some Band A Customers who have now been downgraded to Band B due to the number of hours of electricity supply enjoyed over the past few weeks.

These erstwhile Band A customers who vended were charged the new tariff of N225 per Kilowatt Hour. Our team is working to identify the customers affected and all excess charges will be refunded, it said.

It said the situation also saw some Band A customers who are now charged N225 vend at the old rate.

Once the glitch is resolved, the AEDC said this category of customers will now recharge their meters at the new rate of N225, which will ensure they enjoy a minimum supply of 20 hours daily.

Sanction

NERC, in its statement on Friday, said it has taken enforcement action against the AEDC for non-compliance with the Supplementary Order to the April 2024 Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024 for AEDC.

This decision follows a detailed review and customer feedback, which revealed that AEDC had applied the new tariff to all customer bands, contrary to the Order, which was designed to ensure fair billing practices, the commission said.

The commission mandated AEDC to reimburse all customers in Bands B, C, D and E respectively who were billed above the allowed customer categories/tariff bands provided in the Order.

Reimburse through the provision of the balance of customer tokens that the affected customers would be entitled to receive at the applicable rates and all token reimbursements shall be issued to the affected customers by 11 April 2024.

Pay the sum of N200,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) as a fine for the flagrant breach of the Commissions Order and file evidence of compliance with the directives in a & c with the commission by 12 April 2024, the electricity regulator said.

The action by the Commission underscores its commitment to protecting consumer rights and ensuring equitable practices within Nigerias electricity sector, the statement said.

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Bandits killed 19 persons and injured several others at Agojeju-Odo community in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi on Thursday.

A community member alleged that a running battle between militia groups in parts of Benue and some bandits led to the onslaught on the sleepy towns of Agojeju-Odo, Ajokpachi-Odo, Bagaji and environs.

They destroyed farm produce with ease in an attempt to draw the communities into the conflict, he said.

The Special Adviser on Security to Governor Usman Ododo, Jerry Omodara, confirmed the incident on Friday when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja.

He said the governor had ordered a thorough investigation of the incident.

The killing of 19 innocent and armless residents of the community by alleged hired militiamen is very callous, unacceptable and condemnable.

The area is now calm, however, following the deployment of security operatives, who are keeping vigil there, he said.

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Mr Omodara said property, especially houses, vehicles, and crops, were destroyed in the attack.

He called on the people of Agojeju-Odo and neighbouring communities to remain calm as government and security agencies were on top of the situation.

The police spokesperson in Kogi, Williams Ovye-Aya, also confirmed the attack and assured that security operatives were keeping vigil over the community to forestall further attacks.

A tactical response team of the police, the military, and members of vigilance groups has been deployed in the area. Normalcy has since returned to the troubled community.

Investigation into the incident has started to bring the perpetrators to book, Mr Ovye-Aya assured.

(NAN)

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has denied producing the investigative report containing an alleged misconduct of the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The Force Spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in Abuja, on Friday.

He said the document alleged fraudulent misrepresentation, certificate forgery, examination malpractice, and perjury against Mr Aiyedatiwa did not originate from it.

We wish to clarify that the said document did not originate from the Nigeria Police Force. The alleged signatory, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, does not have the authority to release such a report on behalf of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) or any other such Departments within the Nigeria Police Force, he stated.

Mr Adejobi said the Force is currently investigating the origin of the said document and the circumstances surrounding its circulation.

We urge the public to exercise caution and refrain from spreading unverified information that could potentially tarnish the reputation of individuals or public officials, he added.

Read the full statement

PRESS RELEASE

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AIYEDATIWAS ALLEGED RESULT CASE: POLICE UNAWARE OF CIRCULATED REPORT ON ONDO GOVERNOR,

We will investigate the Source.. FPRO

The Nigeria Police Force wishes to address the recent circulation of a document purportedly containing conclusions of an investigation into allegations against the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The document alleges fraudulent misrepresentation, certificate forgery, examination malpractice, and perjury against the governor.

We wish to clarify that the said document did not originate from the Nigeria Police Force. The alleged signatory, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, does not have the authority to release such a report on behalf of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) or any other such Departments within the Nigeria Police Force.

The Nigeria Police Force is currently investigating the origin of the said document and the circumstances surrounding its circulation. We urge the public to exercise caution and refrain from spreading unverified information that could potentially tarnish the reputation of individuals or public officials.

Furthermore, we assure the public that any official communication or report regarding investigations conducted by the Nigeria Police Force will be released through appropriate channels.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,

FORCE HEADQUARTERS,

ABUJA

5th April, 2024

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The Special Investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe the activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria under the Muhammadu Buhari administration has completed his assignment and sent a final comprehensive report, the presidency said on Friday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the appointment of the investigator, Jim Obazee, last year. Some of his findings are being used to prosecute the former central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.

According to a statement by spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu thanked Mr Obazee for answering the call of duty while wishing him success in his future endeavours.

President Bola Tinubu thanks Mr Jim Obazee, former Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), for his services as the Special Investigator of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other related entities, upon his appointment on July 28, 2023.

The President commends Mr Obazee for his dedication and professionalism in handling the complexities of this critical national assignment.

After the conclusion of the assignment and the submission of a final comprehensive report, and with the winding up of all apparatuses used during the scope of the task which terminated on March 31, 2024, the investigation is formally closed, with all appropriate law enforcement and regulatory agencies already conducting follow-up action, Mr Ngelale wrote.

Backstory

President Bola Tinubu had, on 28 July 2023, designated Mr Obazee as a Special Investigator to scrutinise the operations of the CBN and associated bodies.

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Mr Tinubu said the appointment was based on the fundamental aim outlined in Section 15(5) of the Nigerian constitution, in line with the nations anti-corruption campaign.

The president instructed Mr Obazee, who served as the chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) from 2011 to 2017, to promptly take measures to enhance the integrity and transparency of crucial Government Business Entities (GBEs) and prevent financial leakages in the CBN and related GBEs.

Additionally, he mandated Mr Obazee to produce a comprehensive report detailing the extent of public funds currently held by corrupt individuals and entities, whether private or public.

In December 2023, Mr Obazee uncovered 593 bank accounts in the United States, United Kingdom, and China. These accounts were found to hold Nigerian funds without the necessary authorisation from the board and investment committee of the bank during the tenure of Mr Emefiele.

The investigator also uncovered instances where billions of naira were purportedly stolen from the CBNs accounts, including a fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million, equivalent to about N2.9 billion at the official exchange rate of N461 to a dollar at that time.

In his report, Mr Obazee recommended the prosecution of Mr Emefiele and at least 13 other individuals, including his deputy governors, for alleged financial misconduct.

His report also revealed that the controversial redesign of the Naira that stifled productivity and led to chaos in October 2022 was neither recommended by the Board of the CBN nor approved by the then President, Muhammadu Buhari, contrary to the provisions of Section 19 (1) of the CBN Act, 2007.

It was a conspiracy against the Nigerian people and specifically the political class by the then CBN Governor (Mr Godwin Emefiele) and one of the erstwhile CBN Deputy Governors (Mr Folashodun Shonubi). The idea was that Mr Shonubi (claiming interwoven challenges) and Mr Godwin Emefiele designed and approved the currency on 19th October 2022.

It was indeed meant to frustrate the political class and make their election agenda very difficult. It turned out to be a huge punishment to Nigerians and the Nigerian Economy coincidentally, the report read.

Mr Obazee also identified other offences, including fraudulent use of Ways and Means to the tune of N26.627 trillion; fraudulent intervention programmes, fraudulent expenditures on COVID-19, and misrepresentation of presidential approval on the NESI Stabilisation Strategy Ltd, among others.

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The House of Representatives is set to resume at the newly renovated green chamber after two years of renovation, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

The decision to resume at the newly renovated chamber was revealed on Thursday via a circular by the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Danzaria.

The House was scheduled to resume on 16 April from its Eid-Fitr break but has now postponed its resumption till 23 April so the main chamber can be readied for use.

In the statement issued late Friday, Mr Danzaria said the adjustment in resumption date is necessary to allow for the completion of renovations to the chamber of the House of Representatives, ensuring its readiness for plenary sessions, henceforth.

The spokesperson of the House, Akin Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), confirmed the plans by the lawmakers to resume at the newly renovated chamber.

The renovation of the chamber started sometime around April 2022. Since then, the lawmakers have been using a makeshift chamber in one of the committee rooms.

Renovation of the Complex

In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari approved N37 billion to renovate the National Assembly Complex.

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This was contained in the budget of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), which maintains the complex.

The approval had generated outrage from Nigerians, who criticised the humongous amount for the renovation. Also, some lawmakers condemned the allocation for the renovation.

However, following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the government reviewed the allocation for the rehabilitation project to N9 billion, with the project to be done in phases.

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported that the federal government awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the National Assembly complex to Visible Construction Limited for the sum of N42 billion.

According to the report, the renovation will include architectural, mechanical and electrical.

EDITORS NOTE: This post has been updated based on new information received after its publication.

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Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), will on April 15 open their defence at the states governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja against the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Murtala Ajaka.

The three-member tribunal, chaired by Ado Birnin-Kudu, fixed the date on Friday after SDP and Mr Ajaka, the petitioners, closed their case.

The petitioners closed their case after calling 25 witnesses as against 400 witnesses they initially proposed to present to prove their petition.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is also expected to offer its defence in the matter with two witnesses.

It would be recalled that the SDP and its governorship candidate in the 11 November 2023 poll, are challenging Governor Ododos victory in the election.

In the petition, INEC, Mr Ododo and APC are listed as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.

Fridays hearing

When the case was called on Friday, INEC, Ododo and APCs lawyers opposed the move by Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to lead the witness, Edidiong Udoh, a Digital Forensic Expert, in evidence.

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Chief Kanu Agabi, a SAN; Alex Iziyon, a SAN; and Emmanuel Ukala, also a SAN, who appeared for INEC, Mr Ododo and APC, respectively, argued that the petitioner did not list the name of the witness in their proof of evidence and that the witness statement on oath was not front-loaded alongside the petition.

They also contended that the petitioners only served the reports of the witness analysis report on them 20 minutes before the commencement of the proceedings.

But Mr Okutepa insisted that the forensic expert was listed on page 56 of the petition as item 10, adding that his statement was also front-loaded.

He, however, admitted that the report was served on the respondents a few minutes to the proceedings.

The lawyer, therefore, prayed the tribunal to allow him to lead Mr Udoh in evidence and stand down the matter for 30 minutes for the respondents to study the report.

Forensic analysts testimony

Mr Udoh, who described himself as a digital forensic expert living in Port Harcourt in Rivers State, begged the tribunal to allow him amend paragraph 7, line 3 of his statement on oath, which he submitted on 12 January, before adopting it.

The particular words that I used were not proper. I said, There was some very suspicious software. I applied to change it to there was no suspicious software used, he prayed.

But Messrs Agabi, Iziyon and Ukala disagreed with Mr Udohs oral application.

If this kind of amendment is permissible, then there is no kind of amendment that cannot be permissible, Mr Agabi said.

The judge asked them to reserve their objections for their final written addresses.

Messrs Iziyon and Ukala, who backed Mr Agabis submission, agreed to raise the objection at the appropriate time.

While giving evidence, Mr Udoh said he had 12 certificates in support of his qualifications.

And when Mr Okutepa sought to tender the certificates of the witness as exhibits, the respondents lawyers objected.

They queried why the counsel only sought to tender photocopies of the certificates without supporting the documents with the original copies.

The witness responded that he forgot to come with the original certificates.

The originals were mistakenly left in my office in Port Harcourt but I have them, Mr Udoh said.

Although the tribunal refused to admit the photocopies, the petitioners lawyer pleaded, insisting that the certificates were personal documents and that they could be admitted.

The tribunal chairperson, Justice Birnin-Kudu, admitted the documents and urged the counsel for the respondents to reserve their objections till the final written addresses.

While being cross-examined, the witness was asked if he was the only one that worked on the report, and he said seven other experts worked on it with him.

His attention was drawn to the fact that he did not signify the names of these experts in the report and that their signatures were not also included.

Mr Udoh responded that his name and signature were on the report because he was the team leader.

Eight of us conducted the analysis. As digital forensic experts, our qualifications are identical.

I signed the report as the team lead. The reason I did not include their name is because I was the team lead, he said.

The witness was also asked if he knew the meaning of BVAS machine and what it contained.

He said BVAS machines were designed to store information on accredited voters and registered voters and any other information.

The respondents counsel asked if such information included Form EC8A and he said, yes, it may include it.

The respondents lawyer then asked if all the snap shots of BVAS Machine that were included in his report contained Form EC8A.

Mr Udoh said the snapshots were only for accredited voters and registered voters.

He said INEC guidelines provide what BVAS should contain and Form EC8A is one of them.

When asked if he examined the ballot papers and if his findings on the ballot papers were contained in his report, he responded in the negative.

He, however, confirmed that INEC gave him the voters register but that he could not remember the number given to him.

A major discrepancy observed during the hearing was that figures reflected in the witness report conflicted with the figures contained in SDPs petition.

But he said he did not depend on the petition to write his report.

The witness, who was said to have used the word dactylography in his report, was asked if he knew its meaning.

Mr Udoh said he knew the meaning as a fingerprint expert.

His attention was then brought to his curriculum vitae, as tendered, which did not contain the certification in dactylography.

When asked if he knew that there was a certificate for experts in dactylography, he said he did not know.(NAN)

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has started reviewing the developments leading to the discharge of Bello Adoke in the fraud case involving the controversial Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245, widely known as the Malabu Oil deal.

Mr Adoke, who was the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in the former President Goodluck Jonathans administration, was charged alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar; Rasky Gbinigie; Malabu Oil and Gas Limited; Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited; Shell Nigeria Extra Deep Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited over the Malabu oil scam.

They were arraigned in 2020 on a 40-count amended charge.

But, the judge, Abubakar Kutigi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, on 28 March, upheld the no-case submissions made by all the defendants in the case.

The court said the prosecuting agency, the EFCC, filed a poorly drafted charge against the defendants. It also held that the government failed to substantiate allegations of fraud against Mr Adoke and his co-defendants.

Action to follow review

Reacting to the courts ruling, the EFCC on Friday said it is reviewing the conduct of the prosecuting counsel, Offem Uket.

The anti-graft agency had admitted that it had no evidence to sustain the charges against the defendants.

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The review will entail exploration of the option of appeal and possible change of counsel in view of the Commissions dissatisfaction with the handling of the case by Uket, a statement from the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said.

Mr Oyewale, however, clarified insinuations of compromise of the case by EFCC, saying the review had no relationship with the speculations.

EFCC is not obliged to embrace such narratives as it neither accused any of the parties of any unsavoury conduct nor made any conclusive statements about any investigation on the matter, he stated.

He advised the public to ignore effusions of mischief makers on the matter and await the next course of actions.

In his ruling, the judge said the EFCC failed to substantiate allegations of bribery and money laundering against the defendants, prompting the striking out of the case.

The judge further noted that the government failed to provide credible evidence linking Mr Adoke and his co-defendants to the alleged crime.

I have carefully gone through the evidence produced by PW1 Mohammed Sani Abacha, Professor Peter AkpeThere is no evidence led by the prosecution to show how the defendants prevented the payment of tax by Malabu to the Nigerian government, the judge had ruled.

He cautioned the government to desist from instituting such frivolous charges in the future.

The judge said the allegation of illegal tax waivers granted to Shell and Eni remains unproven by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) or any authority.

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The Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Muhuyi Magaji, who was suspended by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Friday, has appealed against the ruling.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Danladi Umar, had on Thursday in Abuja, ordered Mr Magajis suspension following allegations of misconduct preferred against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

Delivering the ruling, Justice Umar, who dismissed Mr Magajis motion, held that the tribunal had the competence and jurisdiction to hear the case.

He directed Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to appoint the most appropriate officer to take over as acting chairman of the commission, pending the hearing and determination of the case.

He held that Mr Magaji cannot continue to discharge the duties and responsibilities of his office while facing trial, to avoid any interference with the case.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mr Magaji, through his counsel, Adeola Adedipe, approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

In the notice of appeal dated and filed 5 April by Mr Adedipe, the senior lawyer gave five grounds why the appeal should be allowed and the CCTs ruling be set aside by the appellate court.

He argued that the CCT erred in law, when it denied his client a right to fair trial, fair hearing and right to be presumed innocent, by making an order directing him to step aside as the chairman of PCACC, thereby determining his guilt, at an interlocutory stage.

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He described the ruling as a miscarriage of justice.

He also argued that the tribunal erred in law, when without the requisite jurisdiction, it granted the reliefs sought by CCB, giving specific orders to Governor Yusuf and SSG, knowing fully well that they are not parties to the present charge as constituted; it thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

He further said that the tribunal erred in law when it adjudged Mr Magaji as capable of interfering with CCBs witnesses in PCACC, even though no material evidence was put forward to support such a speculative claim.

The lawyer argued that the tribunal erred in law when it acted without jurisdiction and denied the embattled PCACC boss of a right to fair trial by making far-reaching findings which were speculative and prejudicial in nature.

Moreover, Mr Adedipe submitted that CCT erred in law, acted without jurisdiction and denied Mr Magaji a right to fair hearing, when it raised and determined issues of purported contradictions in his counter affidavit.

Mr Adedipe, in a motion on notice with charge number: CCT/KN/01/2023 dated and filed on 5 April before the tribunal, also sought an order for stay of execution of the order delivered on 4 April pending the determination of the appeal lodged at the Appeal Court.

He also sought an order of injunction restraining the CCB from executing, implementing the orders and decisions made by the tribunal, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.

NAN reports that the CCB had, on 16 November 2023, arraigned Mr Magaji before the CCT on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged conflict of interest, false declaration of assets, among others.

Mr Magaji, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts and was admitted to bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties.

But Mr Magaji had, in a motion filed by Mr Adedipe, challenged the competence of the CCB to prosecute him.

Mr Adedipe, who gave two prayers, predicated the argument on six grounds.

The senior lawyer argued that a High Court of Kano State presided over by Justice Farouk Adamu had, on 28 August 2023, restrained the CCB from interfering in the affairs or taking any step in connection with the functions, duties and affairs of his client until the matter is dispensed with.

He restated that in the Kano matter, CCB was the 2nd defendant and that the court directed parties to maintain status.

He said the prosecution undermined the order by preferring the instant charge against Mr Magaji.

He argued that filing the charge against Magaji in the face of Exhibit B presented before the tribunal was a recourse to self-help.

He, then, prayed the panel to strike out all the processes filed by the CCB, including the oral submission, for non-compliance with the mandatory provision of Paragraph 13(2) of the CCT Practice Direction 2017 which gave three days for a party to respond to any process served on them.

Mr Adedipe stated that the prosecution was served with their motion for more than 30 days before they responded.

He urged the tribunal to stop the CCB from proceeding with the charge.

(NAN)

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I have been very concerned over the past year as incidents of antisemitism have significantly increased in our country and around the world. Of course, this situation has not been improved by the tragic recent events in Israel and Gaza. But to me these are entirely separate issues. Regardless of how one might feel about what is going on in Israel and Gaza, there is no justification for Jewish people living in our country and community to experience fear and uncertainty as they worship and go about their daily lives.

Though I am not Jewish, I felt moved to attend two services recently at Congregation Shir Shalom on Sheridan Drive in Williamsville. Each time I was accompanied by a friend. The first thing we noticed is that there is an armed guard at the entrance to the synagogue. There is no armed guard at the entrance to the church I attend. Why should this congregation, gathering for worship, prayer, and fellowship, feel the need for such protection? It is just wrong and should not be necessary in America where everyone should be free and supported to worship according to their beliefs and traditions.

Those two experiences made it clear to me and my friends that the members of Congregation Shir Shalom are warm, welcoming, faith-filled, family-oriented, and engaged in the community in which they live. They are not strangers; they are our neighbors. In my faith, we are told to Love your neighbor as yourself. Buffalo is known as The city of good neighbors. It is time for us to care for our Jewish brothers and sisters and to counter any evidence we see of antisemitism in our local community and in our country.

Robert Poczik

Clarence
Four members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiites, were feared dead after a clash with the police in Kaduna on Friday.

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when the IMN members were conducting a procession in solidarity with Palestinians in the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel.

It could be recalled that the state government had prescribed the group from operating in the state years back.

According to IMN leaders, 20 other members sustained injuries in the incident.

The state leader of IMN, Aliyu Turmizi, said they were peacefully rallying to show support for the people of Gaza, similar to actions in many Western countries opposing the Gaza conflict.

He said their processions were usually peaceful but that the police often attacked them, as happened this Friday.

We are only out to show our support to our Palestinian brothers in Gaza; that was when the police attacked us. The information reaching me now is that four of our members were martyred, and about 20 others sustained injuries, he said.

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According to him, the group was still compiling the names of the victims, vowing that the group would not be deterred from supporting the Palestinians.

However, the police denied killing any member of the group, stating that their personnel did not use live ammunition while dispersing the group from the streets.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, said three police officers sustained injuries while trying to disperse the IMN street procession.

According to him, the IMN members used stones, catapults, and locally made guns to attack the police.

We received information that the members of the Prescribed IMN were going to hold a massive protest in the state, and the command deployed its men to strategic places to prevent them from blocking the road, especially Ahmadu Bello Way in Kaduna.

On sighting our deployed men, the IMN members started throwing stones, catapults, and locally made guns at our men, leading to three of our men sustaining injuries and now receiving treatment at the police clinic, he said.

He said the police used tear gas to disperse the members and arrested eight of them.

Mr Hassan listed the items recovered from the suspects as three locally fabricated guns, catapults, and other dangerous locally made weapons.

Reacting to the alleged killing of four IMN members, the police spokesperson said, If they claimed four of their members were killed, where are the bodies, and which hospital were they taken to? How can we identify them? Our men didnt use live ammunition but only used tear gas to disperse them, he said.

He also stated that an investigation into the clash was ongoing.

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the Nigerian Parliament, like other parliaments, has a huge role to play in ensuring that the country meets its long-term climate ambitions. However, the path ahead demands more than legislative frameworks and oversight. It calls for a paradigm shift in how Nigerian MPs perceive their role in climate action. The urgent need for education and technical support for these MPs cannot be overstated. Their enlightenment is crucial for Nigeria to not just meet but exceed its climate ambitions.

Between 23 and 27 March, the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The IPU, founded in 1889, is the worlds oldest parliamentary body, predating even the United Nations. It has 180 members, 14 associate members, and six geopolitical groups (Africa Group, Arab Group, Eurasia Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Twelve Plus Group). The IPU, which focuses on advocating for parliamentary actions for the global good, has recently begun to use its vast platform to address climate change issues, particularly the role that parliaments can play in addressing climate change.

Indeed, parliaments are central to the achievement of not only the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and associated climate change resolutions and targets. Aware of this, the UN Convention on Climate Change approved the formation of the Parliamentary Group as one of the Informal Groups of the Convention, with the Parliamentary Group bringing together Members of Parliaments and Parliamentary networks since COP26 in Glasgow, to ensure the greater and more impactful participation of MPs, first in the COP processes, and also in their own respective constituencies.

The important roles of parliaments in driving climate action are framed by their constitutional duties of representation, legislation, and oversight. MPs, as representatives of the people, are best positioned to communicate with their constituents and advocate for their needs to the government.

As the world grapples with climate change, parliamentarians have continued to play a critical role in driving climate action. For example, parliaments have passed legislation to guarantee that countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The first of such was the Climate Change Law of the United Kingdom of 2008. Subsequently, several other countries, including Mexico, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, etc., have enacted their own climate change laws. All of these laws have one thing in common: each parliaments focus has always been on the countrys unique peculiarities and approaches to meeting its climate change obligations. Thus, for high-emitting countries, the focus has been on mitigation, while low-emitting countries have often focused on adaptation measures and leveraging climate action for sustainable growth.

In Nigeria, the parliament passed the Climate Change Bill in 2021, which was later signed into law by the President. Through this action, the Nigerian Parliament provided the country with the legal framework for a push for net zero between 2050 and 2070. Furthermore, the creation of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) by the Act helps the country in its drive for coordinated action in order to meet its climate change goal

Yet, legislation is not all that parliaments do in terms of climate action. In developed countries, parliaments have been conspicuously active in driving the ambitions of their governments through debates, summons to committee meetings, interrogation of actions during oversight missions, and through the appropriation of funds. For instance, between 2023 and now, the European Union Parliament has adopted a number of rules and policies to help meet the Unions long-term climate change goals. Some of these include a broadening of the scope of the Net-Zero Industry Act to include the entire supply chain; a new rule to help with the decarbonisation of the transport sector, etc.

Closer home, in Africa, as part of its Post-Legislative Scrutiny, the Kenyan Parliament, in the build-up to Africa Climate Week 2023, amended the countrys Climate Change Act to make provisions for carbon market mechanisms, in line with the countrys new vision of finding the intersection between climate action and sustainable development.

In Nigeria, the parliament passed the Climate Change Bill in 2021, which was later signed into law by the President. Through this action, the Nigerian Parliament provided the country with the legal framework for a push for net zero between 2050 and 2070. Furthermore, the creation of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) by the Act helps the country in its drive for coordinated action in order to meet its climate change goals, in the context of the countrys economic diversification and sustainable development.

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the Nigerian Parliament has a critical role to play in ensuring that all stakeholders do their parts. This could take the form of oversight and the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the processes. It is also the role of parliament to ensure that the funds necessary to drive action are appropriated annually. To this end, every annual Appropriation Bill and Supplementary Appropriation Bill submitted by the Executive ought to be rigorously vetted

While experts work to figure out pathways to achieve these, the Nigerian Parliament has a critical role to play in ensuring that all stakeholders do their parts. This could take the form of oversight and the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the processes. It is also the role of parliament to ensure that the funds necessary to drive action are appropriated annually. To this end, every annual Appropriation Bill and Supplementary Appropriation Bill submitted by the Executive ought to be rigorously vetted to be sure that climate change considerations are mainstreamed.

Evidently, then, the Nigerian Parliament, like other parliaments, has a huge role to play in ensuring that the country meets its long-term climate ambitions. However, the path ahead demands more than legislative frameworks and oversight. It calls for a paradigm shift in how Nigerian MPs perceive their role in climate action. The urgent need for education and technical support for these MPs cannot be overstated. Their enlightenment is crucial for Nigeria to not just meet but exceed its climate ambitions. This is where the narrative must evolve  from awareness to action, and from participation to leadership.

This is necessary because, despite the critical role of parliaments in climate action, not many of the MPs in Nigeria are knowledgeable about climate change and the important role they have to play in driving action. If the countrys long-term goals are to be achieved, Nigerian MPs must be fully aware of their responsibilities and roles and judiciously play their part.

Chukwumerije Okereke is professor of Global Governance and Public Policy, University of Bristol UK, and director Center for Climate Change and Development, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Nigeria.

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First, we must agree on a set of standard operating procedures (SoPs) that must be followed by DisCos to guarantee the up time promised against each tariff band imposed. Second, we must agree on a grievance reporting mechanism to be used if and/or when the SoPs are not followed. Third, we are putting the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on notice that we will expect them to act as our Ombudsman

The myth goes that if you put a frog in a beaker of water and heat it up ever so gradually, with no sharp rises in temperature, because reptiles adapt to the temperature of their surroundings, the frog would adapt rather than jump out. This will continue even though the temperature rises, until the frog is eventually too weak and allows itself to be boiled alive. The essence of the boiled frog syndrome, according to Dr. Prada, is that when our living conditions deteriorate gradually, we adapt to these conditions instead of getting rid of them, until we are no longer strong enough to escape. Power outages have crept up on us as Nigerians and we have consistently adjusted ourselves to the situation and tolerated the condition, but will this price hike now boil us alive?

The Boiled Frog Syndrome also reminds me of Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), who was a prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany. At first (1920s and early 1930s), he was not initially against Nazi ideas and right-wing political movements. However, after Hitler came to power in 1933, Niemoller spoke out against the impact of the Nazi policies on the Protestant Church. He soon ended up in Nazi prisons and concentration camps from 1937 to 1945. He was the one who said, First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.

At the start of these outages in the late 1950s and through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, our forebears said, thank God at least we can afford candles and kerosine lanterns; they adapted and did not speak up for those who could not afford even those basic energy sources. Today, Nigerians are high consumers of candles and, according to statista.com, the candle market in Nigeria is experiencing a surge in demand due to the countrys frequent power outages. In 2024 we will spend N237.25 billion (US$189.8 million) in the candles market segment, which is projected to experience an annual growth rate of 2.33% (CAGR 2024-2028).

The trend continued and worsened in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and generators became a status symbol that separated the haves from the have-nots. We said nothing, because somehow we adjusted and bought kerosene, petrol, and diesel-fuelled generators, rather than reject what was becoming our new normal. A recent report suggests almost 47 per cent of urban Nigerians and over 27 per cent of rural Nigerians rely on generators for their electricity.

The price hike in the electricity tariff from N68/kWh to N225/kWh, effective immediately, is another sharp rise in the water temperature; are we no longer strong enough to escape? Will we be boiled alive like the proverbial frog? As we can see, I beta pass my neighbour is not just a name for a certain size of generator favoured by small businesses, it is also a mantra that describes the mindset of the boiled frog: so long as I can find a way to adjust and survive, even if just in the short-term, I am fineat least I am doing better than my neighbour.

These dirty energy sources have left us with severe health and safety hazards. We are reminded of the greenhouse gases emitted and the permanent damage we are doing to the planet. The effects of climate change are no longer deniable as we have all suffered the sustained heatwave in most parts of Nigeria so far in 2024 and the delays to the onset of the rains. These heavy and weighty matters are for another day, but I must draw our attention to how we have tolerated the gradual deterioration in our living standards for decades spanning the Electricity Company of Nigeria (ECN), Nigeria Electric Power Authority (NEPA), and the eventual unbundling of the utility into GenCos, a TransysCo and DisCos.

When in 2022, diesel costs rose sharply from about N280/litre to over N890/litre, the cost of switching from fossil fuel-based energy sources to renewable sources like solar, with storage in lead-acid batteries, started to appear accessible. Quietly, we began to jump out of the beaker to install solar panels and inverters to escape being boiled alive. Now in the mid-2020s, we have become sophisticated users of green energy, solar-powered inverters, and a range of energy store-and-release devices which we thank God that we can afford, and we have refused to speak up for the downtrodden, the poor and the needy. Why? Because I beta pass my neighbour.

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Having said that, we have still retained electricity from the national grid and our generators as backup sources to recharge our inverters, whenever the energy outage needs exceed what we can replace from our stored energy sources. We thought we jumped out of the beaker, but soon realised that we needed to move to lithium battery storage and lots of it to enjoy the same mod cons we could with electricity from the national grid. We were forced to continue paying the high diesel costs and using expensive energy to recharge but we are adjusting. All we have done is jump from frying pan to fire adapting to the conditions without getting rid of them.

The price hike in the electricity tariff from N68/kWh to N225/kWh, effective immediately, is another sharp rise in the water temperature; are we no longer strong enough to escape? Will we be boiled alive like the proverbial frog? As we can see, I beta pass my neighbour is not just a name for a certain size of generator favoured by small businesses, it is also a mantra that describes the mindset of the boiled frog: so long as I can find a way to adjust and survive, even if just in the short-term, I am fineat least I am doing better than my neighbour. Herein lies the insidious and devastating serum that lulls the frogs into a state of coma, instead of infusing them with a sharp sense of urgency. This is the time for a new ethos, it is the time for us all to say, I am my neighbour, and my neighbour is me.

I am my neighbour, and my neighbour is me, means we should be willing to share information, work with each other and report so that we evolve this into an integrity movement to demand accountability from the DisCos. The fifth and final step is to use the data and evidence collected to promote risk-based interventions in collaboration with the FCCPC and regulators in the power sector to get redress for Nigerians.

Has anyone conducted a study on what small businesses pay to access energy in Nigeria versus their counterparts in the rest of Africa? Do we know how much outage and down time they each must suffer compared with us in Nigeria? It is time our policy advocates took up the challenge to put facts and figures together for a campaign. It is time to get rid of this condition, for us and for our neighbours, before we totally lose all strength to act!

Twenty hours plus at N225/kWh is expensive but if that means dependable electricity, it could be a solution. According to a resident of one of the Housing Estates in Lekki, Lagos that opted to pay a higher tariff in exchange for guaranteed 20 hours plus of power, theyve promised 20h+ since they put us on Band A and what we got was dependable excuses and blame trading for performance below par. Why should this N225/kWh announcement be different from what we have experienced? Nothing has been mentioned in the publications so far. So, without a clear call-to-action, it will be the same water, the same frogs, only that the temperature will be increased to 225 from 68 in the same bath.

First, we must agree on a set of standard operating procedures (SoPs) that must be followed by DisCos to guarantee the up time promised against each tariff band imposed. Second, we must agree on a grievance reporting mechanism to be used if and/or when the SoPs are not followed. Third, we are putting the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on notice that we will expect them to act as our Ombudsman in a timely and effective manner to get us redress from these DisCos (including on compensation and, where necessary, consequences for not living by the agreed SoPs). Fourthly we must gather our independent data and evidence around outages and breaches of the SoPs so that the impact of the high tariffs on our lives and livelihoods is reliably documented. I am my neighbour, and my neighbour is me, means we should be willing to share information, work with each other and report so that we evolve this into an integrity movement to demand accountability from the DisCos. The fifth and final step is to use the data and evidence collected to promote risk-based interventions in collaboration with the FCCPC and regulators in the power sector to get redress for Nigerians.

As a famous Area Father once put it, Our mumu don do!

Soji Apampa is co-founder, The Integrity Organisation; email: soji.apampa@integritynigeria.org

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Some appointees of the former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Ikpeazu governed the state from 2015 to 2023 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former governor failed to get Okey Ahiwe, the PDP governorship candidate, to win the 2023 governorship election in Abia State.

Mr Ahiwe lost to Alex Otti, who won the election under the platform of the Labour Party (LP).

Defection

The Leadership newspaper reported that Mr Ikpeazus former commissioners and chief of staff were among some top PDP members who defected to the APC on Monday.

The former appointees who defected were the immediate past Chief of Staff to Mr Ikpeazu, Anthony Agbazuere, a professor; the former Commissioner for Information, Chikamnayo Eze; the former Commissioner for Public Utilities, Eze Nwanganga; and the former Commissioner for Environment, Sam Nwogu.

Others were the former Commissioner for Commerce, Godwin Nna and the former commissioner representing Isiala-Ngwa North-South and Osisioma Local Government Areas on the Board of Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Uzor Ihuka.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

The defection of the PDP members to the APC was announced during a meeting of party leaders convened at the instance of Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Nigerias minister of state for Labour and Employment.

The meeting was held at the residence of the minister in Isuochi, Abia State.

Mrs Onyejeocha and the National Welfare Secretary of the APC, Donatus Nwankpa, received the defectors into the party.

At the meeting, Mrs Onyejeocha, who addressed the new APC members, expressed her gratitude for their decision to join the party.

She said she was reluctant to convene a meeting since she assumed office as a minister because she found herself in a new work environment and had to focus on her new assignment before making certain decisions.

I can see some very experienced and seasoned politicians here. I am convinced with the faces I am seeing here today, because they are people who will always win elections in their areas, she said.

No plan to join APC, Ikpeazu reacts

The defection of the PDP members to the APC has sparked speculations, with many suggesting Mr Ikpeazu sanctioned the defection of his former appointees as part of the grand plan to team up with the APC to wrestle power from the states ruling party, LP.

But reacting, Mr Ikpeazu said, contrary to the speculations, he has no plan to leave the PDP but will rather stay with others to rebuild the party in the state.

The former governor spoke while addressing members of the PDP at a meeting of party leaders in Umuahia on Thursday, according to a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES by his former Commissioner for Information, John Kalu.

Mr Ikpeazu, according to the statement, called for unity of purpose among members of the PDP in the state to ensure that the party quickly returns to winning ways.

The former governor said that the exit of some of his former appointees to the APC remains their personal choice.

We must all take individual responsibility for our (PDP) performance in the 2023 elections even as our party is going through self-cleansing at the moment. I will remain in PDP and will never be found wanting in my responsibilities to our party and its rebuilding process.

Those who want to leave will leave no matter what you do but loyalty is also about the realisation that at some point this party has been good to you. It is now time for sacrifice, especially from those who previously benefitted from our party in one way or another as we must all join hands to reposition it, he said.

Nobody can kill PDP in Abia

In his address, the State PDP Chairperson, Asiforo Okere, appreciated members who have remained steadfast in supporting the party, especially after their loss in the 2023 elections and reminded them that the party still maintains a majority at the state House of Assembly.

Mr Okere announced that the National Working Committee of the party has extended the tenures of elected ward executives by three months in an acting capacity.

He also announced the constitution of three committees to handle peace and reconciliation in the party among others.

On his part, the senator representing Abia Central District, Austin Akobundu, said while people were free to leave and join another political party, the PDP in Abia State is a movement that nobody can kill.

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This MIPTV 2024 is extremely special, full of nostalgia above all. It will be the last MIPTV ever, with 61 editions -Mipcom is in its forties- and the RX FRANCE announcement of replacing MIPTV next year by MIP LONDON, a full new event held in late February, simultaneously with the LONDON SCREENINGS nothing to do with MIPTV.

But well this year, what? We have MIP DOC, MIP FORMATS and MIP DRAMA first in the weekend, pushing the idea of The unscripted week, that the Cannes event has posted the last decade.



More or less people being the last edition? Lets see during the week. On one hand, some people say they want to attend as it is the last time. MIPTV till the end would be the second event of the calendar after Mipcom, last year with 5600 participants from 86 countries. For independent companies in Europe, the event is to attend for sure. But, on the other hand, MIPTV has been involved into a negative trend for years, and the announcement should deep the not coming. We imagine 4500/5000 people this April, with good push of the AVOD/FAST sector, whose summit was the great success at last MIPTV.



Last existential comment is it fine the RX decision of replacing MIPTV by a London event in February? We would have liked to see the same MIPTV in time and format, but in another city, with lower costs.



The problem was not the attendance or the traffic, it was the cost-benefit outcome due to Cannes costs of booths, logistics, hotels, etc. An the always unfair comparison to Mipcom. But well, lets see MIP LONDON next year. We agree, it is easier to perform well with a brand-new event than to revert an existing one. And London is now the epicenter of the high-end European content industry.

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Strategic collaboration will strengthen Spain's open and ethical AI initiatives to stimulate economic and technical efforts

MADRID, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, and the Senior Vice President of IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Director of IBM Research, Dario Gil, met this afternoon at the Moncloa Complex, where they celebrated the new agreement reached between the Executive and IBM that will allow the development of foundational models for Artificial Intelligence, native in Spanish and co-official languages. During the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Jose Luis Escriva; the director of the Office of Economic Affairs of the Presidency of the Government, Manuel de la Rocha, and the president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, Horacio Morell, they shared challenges and initiatives that are opening up in the field of artificial intelligence and supercomputing.

From left to right, Horacio Morell, General Manager IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel; Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Dario Gil, IBM Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research; and Jose Luis Escriva, Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function of Spain, at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid, headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of Spain. Dario Gil (left), IBM Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, converses with Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, during his meeting in La Moncloa Palace in Madrid, headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of Spain.

Afterwards, the Government of Spain, through its Ministry for Digital Transformation, the Civil Service, and IBM today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote their collaboration in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI supercomputing, advance the development and practical deployment of open, ethical and responsible generative AI in Spain, and sharing the vision to create a leading suite of foundation models including both large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs), proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages.

During the meeting at La Moncloa, the President stressed that agreements such as this one demonstrate Spain's commitment to accelerate the ethical and responsible use of AI, particularly in the public sector, with great impact on productivity for many sectors of the economy and on Europe's strategic autonomy.

The document was signed today in Madrid by Dario Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, and Jose Luis Escriva, Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service of the Government of Spain. Tapping into IBM's open-source AI framework, communities will be able to shape and contribute to the Spanish LLM, that will also include co-official languages (Catalan, Basque, Galician and Valencian) increasing innovation, transparency and safety while ensuring a more cost-efficient yet technologically competitive position in the market. The collaboration also reflects the intention to develop AI-enhanced techniques to accelerate the discovery, development, and validation of new materials to increase the sustainability of the semiconductors value chain.

"AI positions us at the threshold of a new industrial revolution, with a very significant potential impact in terms of productivity gains for a large number of economic sectors and in providing better public services to our citizens," said the minister Jose Luis Escriva. "The Government of Spain is promoting a useful and ethical development of the opportunities offered by this technology. IBM, with its experience, knowledge, and resources, is an excellent partner to accompany us in our vision."

"IBM shares this bold vision to accelerate the Government of Spain's AI strategy and to be the national AI partner for Spain," said Dario Gil, IBM SVP and Director of IBM Research. "We will leverage IBM's deep investments across the entire AI stack, from compute to models, we will enable an open community to drive the full potential of AI technologies. Together, we will work to foster the responsible use of AI to drive sustainable growth in Spain, and all Spanish speaking countries worldwide."

Spanish is the second leading spoken language in the world (6.2% of the world's population1). One of the priority areas under this MoU is to collaborate in a leading suite of foundation models, including both large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs), proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages. Creating models that are entirely designed in Spanish will enhance AI sustainability by reducing biases and providing competitive alternatives for the Spanish industry. These models will be refined using advanced tuning and alignment techniques, encompassing innovative methods that facilitate direct community enhancements and foster an ecosystem of AI creators and builders, utilizing assets developed through this collaboration.

Recent advances in generative AI and AI supercomputing hold tremendous promise for governments and economies who can realize the productivity gains enabled by these technologies. With this collaboration, the Government of Spain is taking decisive action to seize this opportunity with timely and transformative commitments to invest in the AI revolution.

The coordination within the government institutions in this field will facilitate both widespread use of AI across national, regional, and local economies, as well as the timely and sufficient resources needed to build competitive advantages within a rapidly evolving AI-driven commercial landscape. This includes investment in human capital (upskilling and tooling) and community-driven adoption of AI to ensure that the productivity benefits and economic gains can positively impact across the economy of Spain, from small-medium sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises and the public sector.

Taking this into account, the Memorandum of Understanding is based on five principles;

Promote the development of a suite of foundation models, including both large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs), proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages. Collaborate on the research and development of a full stack generative AI platform, including software built on open-source frameworks and tools as well as infrastructure enabling hardware diversity. Promote national and regional AI strategies through a cooperative approach that promotes a responsible use of the foundation models and the associated generative AI platform. This collaborative effort aims to benefit the public sector and SMEs throughout Spain . Foster an ecosystem of AI creators and builders, utilizing assets developed through this collaboration, to establish Spain as a global leader in AI. Develop AI-enhanced techniques to accelerate the discovery, development, and validation of new materials to advance the sustainability of the semiconductor industry value chain.

An additional priority described under this memorandum is to collaborate on the research and development of AI technology for supercomputing applications.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media Contacts:

Brittany Forgione

Director, Marketing & Communications

IBM Research

Brittany.Forgione@ibm.com

Miguel Gimenez de Castro

Communications Leader

IBM Spain, Portugal Greece & Israel

Miguel.gimenezdc@ibm.com

References:

1 https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/Comunicacion/Noticias/Paginas/Noticias/20231030_MINISTERIO06.aspx

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380109/FCR_1597.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380108/FCR_1583.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2319830/IBM_LOGO_1.jpg
Whether Serving the Pro or DIYer, 84 Lumber Provides Top Quality Lumber, Name Brand Building Materials and Expert Service

EIGHTY FOUR, Pa., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 84 Lumber is celebrating do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) across the country by partnering with Pittsburgh-area influencer and contractor Steve Ford as he tackles DIY projects around his home. Videos of Ford's projects will begin streaming starting on April 6, National DIY Day, via 84 Lumber's TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

While 84 Lumber is the nation's largest privately owned supplier of building materials  84 Lumber is not just for builders.

Steve Ford, licensed contractor & HGTV personality Ford has been working on his Carnival Project renovation with 84 Lumber since the fall of 2022. This is a complete building renovation located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 84 Lumber is an incredible resource, with knowledgeable, hands-on associates ready to help.

"Our stores are open to the public and we take enormous pride in helping the serious DIY'er," said 84 Lumber Vice President of Marketing Amy Smiley. "84 Lumber is an incredible resource, with knowledgeable, hands-on associates ready to help."

With DIY being more popular than ever, 84 Lumber is ready to support the nonprofessional with the same level of service as it offers its trade professional customers.

"Whether you're a pro or weekend warrior, the quality of the materials you use directly impacts your success," said Ford. "Reliable, trusted suppliers like 84 Lumber with quality products are the silent partners in any project. The 84 Lumber team is extremely helpful and professional. They deliver the best service for every job."

Ford will post about his newest home projects, including framing his bedroom, bathroom, and utility room. Ford has been working on his "Carnival Project" renovation with 84 Lumber since the fall of 2022. This is a complete building renovation located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Steve Ford is not your average contractor. He has starred in several HGTV hits like "Home Again with the Fords" and "Restored with the Fords," where he and his younger sister, Leanne Ford, lovingly restored older homes. He has also managed large-scale projects, including store and restaurant design, residential renovations, and restorations. Ford represented 84 Lumber on an episode of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated radio show dedicated to home improvement tips, ideas, and problems, hosted by Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete. The show airs on over 450 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, as well as by podcast.

Typically observed on the first Saturday of the month, National DIY Day was started in the United States in 2016 by the Craft Box Girls team to celebrate creators and inspire people to tackle projects independently.

"The best way to observe this holiday is to select a DIY project and begin working on it," said Smiley. "It can be something as simple as replacing trim or as complex as building a pergola. Whatever the need, the 84 Lumber team is here to assist."

To learn more, visit www.84Lumber.com or follow 84 Lumber on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. #NationalDIYDay. To find the nearest 84 Lumber store, visit www.84lumber.com/store-locator/.

ABOUT 84 LUMBER

Founded in 1956 and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 84 Lumber Co. is the nation's largest privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components, and industry-leading services for single and multifamily residences and commercial buildings. The company operates 320 facilities which include stores, component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, and engineered wood product centers in 33 states. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, decking, and drywall. A certified national women's business enterprise owned by Maggie Hardy, 84 Lumber was named one of America's Largest Private Companies by Forbes and also made the Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest-Growing Companies in 2023. For more information, visit 84lumber.com or join us at Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn .

SOURCE 84 Lumber
Kiely's hire comes just after Fast Company named FINN Partners a 2024 Most Innovative Company

NEW YORK, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Global independent marketing and communications agency FINN Partners today announced that Kathy Kiely has joined the agency as Senior Partner. In her role, Kiely will focus on building new client relationships, focusing particularly on companies with a strong presence on the East Coast. Kiely reports to founding Managing Partner Noah Finn, who also heads FINN's 350-person Global Integrated Marketing group.

Advertising Veteran and Growth Leader Kathy Kiely Joins FINN Partners as Senior Partner Focusing on the East Coast Post this Kathy Kiely, Senior Partner at FINN Partners

Kiely has deep roots in the agency, brand, and marketing communities. She formerly served as a managing partner and creative director at Arnold Advertising and launched the Boston office of Deutsch Advertising, in addition to spending 18 years at the helm of The Ad Club of New England. Kiely also served as CMO, Vice President of Marketing and Advertising for Bertucci's. Her campaign work has earned her 11 gold Effies and numerous Hatch and Clio Awards.

"Joining FINN was an easy decision. FINN leadership is comprised of the best and brightest in the business, and they understand the value of bringing strategic problem-solving and creative leadership to a role focused on growth," Kiely said. "FINN's collaborative model enables us to all work together on behalf of clients from day one."

Today's business leaders in every sector face constant, fast-paced changes in market conditions, technology, and competitive threats. "Increasingly, they need a single full-spectrum integrated marketing agency with a fast and flexible operational model that can take on any challenge," Noah Finn said. "Kathy will build relationships with clients looking for FINN Partners to bring them a competitive advantage."

On March 19, 2024, Fast Company named FINN Partners one of its 2024 Most Innovative Companies, noting that "fighting for a more equitable, sustainable world is at the core of FINN Partners mission."

"FINN's commitment to building a purpose-driven agency, combined with its significant sector expertise in health, financial services and technology positions the agency for growth," said Noah Finn. "Kathy will help us connect with leaders who share our commitment to innovation, strong relationships, strategic problem solving, and award-winning creative."

ABOUT FINN PARTNERS

Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, FINN Partners has grown from about $24 million in fees to almost $200 million in fees during the past 12 years, becoming one of the fastest-growing independent public relations agencies in the world. Recognized as one of Fast Company's 2024 Most Innovative Companies and PRovoke Media's 2024 Best Agency to Work For and 2022 Agency of the Year, the full-service marketing and communications company's record-setting pace results from organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the FINN world through a common philosophy. With more than 1,400 professionals across 34 offices, FINN provides clients with global access and capabilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition, FINN provides its clients with access to top-tier agencies worldwide through its membership in the global network PROI.

Headquartered in New York, FINN has offices in: Atlanta, Bangalore, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Delhi, Denver, Detroit, Dublin, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Guam, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jerusalem, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Madison, Wisc., Manila, Mumbai, Munich, Nashville, Orange County, Paris, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Singapore, Vancouver and Washington D.C. Find us at finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.

Contacts:

FINN Partners:

Celia Jones, Global Chief Marketing Officer

[email protected]

+1 773 885 9781

SOURCE FINN Partners
CARLSTADT, N.J., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a testament to the power of community and shared purpose, a collective of New Jersey roofing companies has announced a unique partnership with Business Givers International (BGI), a network of purpose-driven business professionals.

This collaboration will see a portion of profits from every project completed by the participating companies  NJ roofing company (including its affiliates 1Call Restore LLC, Roof4Roof, Pro Commercial Cleaning, Window Depot, Jersey West Roofing, Hoboken Roofing Company, Bayonne Roofing, McGrotty Roofing ProCommercial Cleaning services and ER Barrett Roofing)  dedicated to supporting BGI's impactful community projects.

This partnership is rooted in a shared passion for giving back. Inspired by a humbling trip to Colombia in 2007, Chuck Anania, Founder of NJ roofing company and Roof4Roof, witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of poverty and inadequate housing. Roof4Roof was born from a desire to make a difference, leveraging a portion of company profits to provide free emergency roofing and home repairs to families in need, both in New Jersey and overseas. Pro Commercial Cleaning, another affiliate, echoes this commitment through its philanthropic support of St. Jude Children's Hospital.

"We believe in the power of community," says Anania. "By joining forces with BGI, we can amplify our impact and create positive change on an even larger scale. Every project we complete becomes an opportunity to help families rebuild their lives and create a brighter future."

BGI, too, recognizes the potential of collective action. Their network fosters connections, personal growth, and a spirit of collaboration, with a core principle being charitable giving.

"We are thrilled to welcome this group of dedicated and socially responsible companies to our organization," says Chuck Anania, president of BGI. "Their commitment to excellence and generosity aligns perfectly with our mission, and together, we can make a real difference in the lives of those in need."

Are You a Business Giver? To learn more about how you can support this cause and the incredible work of BGI and its partners, contact us at [email protected] and (973) 262-0467. Join us in making a difference, one project at a time!

SOURCE NJ Roofing Company
Mew has been an integral part of the Club for over two decades. His passion for fostering positive change began with his first project with Community Partners in 2002. His roles include joining the Social Enterprise Board in 2005, becoming Co-Chair of the Social Services Committee, and working on the Board Governance Committee. He was elected Executive Vice President of HBSCNY last July.

Mew's Community Partners clients have included the Center Against Domestic Violence, National Council of Jewish Women, the Osborne Association, the Klingenstein Center at Columbia Teachers College, and Southampton Fresh Air Home. Mew has also regularly volunteered with the HBSCNY Small Business Partnership Initiative.

"I hope to build upon Clare Peeters's vision, passion and unwavering commitment to the Club and its mission. She has been an exemplary leader," said Mew.

Outside of the Club, Mew is an independent management consultant. He previously was an Executive Vice President at Bozell Worldwide (Advertising), Inc., where the Chrysler Corporation was his primary client. His commitment to giving back is further exemplified by his work as Treasurer of the Carnegie East House, as director of the James Lenox House Association, as Council member of the Yale Club of New York, and several other nonprofit board positions.

"We are excited by Calvin Mew's election as the HBS Club's new president and thank Clare Peeters again for her leadership over the past three years. Calvin brings a passion for the work of our dedicated alumni and many programs serving the greater New York community," shared Deborah Farrington (MBA 1976), HBSCNY Board Chair.

Besides Harvard Business School, Mew was educated at Yale University, Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. He is an occasional guest preacher at Norfield Congregational Church (Weston, CT) and Rowayton United Methodist Church (Norwalk, CT).

About the HBS Club of New York

The Harvard Business School Club of New York is committed to fostering the professional and personal development of its members through educational activities, networking opportunities with other HBS alums, and service to the school and community.

Media Contact:

Maureen Friar

929-596-4077

[email protected]

SOURCE Harvard Business School Club of New York
Having achieved CE Mark for sales in Europe and the UK, ThinkSono is now collaborating with Clarius on clinical studies in the United States to prepare for FDA submission

VANCOUVER, BC, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarius Mobile Health, a leading provider of high-definition handheld ultrasound systems, and ThinkSono, a pioneering medical technology company specializing in ultrasound artificial intelligence (AI) guidance solutions, are introducing a new AI-guided ultrasound system in Europe, which will improve the efficiency of detecting deep vein thrombosis (DVT). ThinkSono Guidance, an AI App that pairs with Clarius ultrasound scanners, recently attained Class llb CE mark regulatory approval.

ThinkSono Guidance enables non-ultrasound trained healthcare professionals to use the Clarius handheld ultrasound scanner to collect DVT exam data for a qualified clinician to review. This can speed up the diagnosis from several hours to as little as 15 minutes. (PRNewsfoto/Clarius Mobile Health)

DVT is a blood clot found commonly in the leg and is a leading cause of preventable hospital death in Europe and the United States. Patients often wait for hours or days for test results performed by ultrasound-trained clinicians. ThinkSono Guidance enables non-ultrasound trained healthcare professionals to use the Clarius handheld ultrasound scanner to collect DVT exam data for a qualified clinician to review. This can speed up the diagnosis from several hours to as little as 15 minutes.

"Clarius has been an invaluable partner in helping us bring ThinkSono Guidance to market quickly to help non-ultrasound trained staff such as nurses improve the DVT pathway by scanning for DVTs at the bedside," says Fouad-Al Noor, CEO and Co-founder of ThinkSono. "Our App integrates seamlessly with Clarius scanners through the research SDK, which sends streams of real-time data to the ThinkSono App that in turn providing instant guidance to users as they perform an ultrasound exam. Our partnership with Clarius has been vital in running our clinical studies."

Further clinical studies are currently underway in the United States at NYU Longone Health and Temple Health, these are based on the successful multi-site clinical trials held in Europe last year, which were used to obtain the Class IIb CE mark for the ThinkSono Guidance System.

ThinkSono purchased their first Clarius scanner in 2017 and were the first partner to use the Clarius Cast API, developed for researchers and AI companies to help bring technologies to market more quickly by leveraging easy access to real-time ultrasound data to train AI algorithms and deploy AI solutions. ThinkSono now uses Clarius' Solum software development kit (SDK), enabling the company to create a bespoke solution tailored to their DVT application. ThinkSono will be marketing and selling the complete DVT solution including a Clarius ultrasound scanner directly starting in the UK, Germany and Greece.

"Working closely with ThinkSono since the inception of their company, when they utilized our first-generation high-performance scanners, has been a delight," says Kris Dickie, Chief Technology Officer at Clarius. "Seeing unique AI tools like theirs being developed for commercial use on our platform truly validates the technology beyond the already broad clinical segments that Clarius currently serves."

The Clarius SDK suite empowers third party developers to seamlessly integrate AI-powered ultrasound software with Clarius handheld ultrasound systems, the Clarius App, and the Clarius Cloud exam management platform. It provides a set of tools enabling developers to quickly take their solution from code directly to the clinician's hand without creating custom hardware.

About Clarius Mobile Health

Clarius is on a mission to make accurate, easy-to-use, and affordable ultrasound tools available to all medical professionals in every specialty. With decades of experience in medical imaging, the team knows that great ultrasound imaging improves confidence and patient care. Today, AI-powered Clarius handheld wireless ultrasound scanners connect to iOS and Android devices, delivering high-resolution ultrasound images traditionally only available with bulkier, high-end systems at a fraction of the cost. Almost 4 million high-definition scans have been performed using Clarius wireless handheld scanners. Clarius scanners are available in over 90 countries worldwide. Learn more at www.clarius.com.

Clarius Media Contact

Marie-Claire Charlton

Director of Marketing

[email protected]

Phone: +1 (778) 800-99754 ext. 148

About ThinkSono

ThinkSono has developed the world's first real-time Ultrasound AI software to enable non-ultrasound healthcare staff to perform DVT scans. This technology addresses the worldwide unmet medical need for better DVT detection.

With several patents granted and multiple peer-reviewed papers published in prominent journals such as Nature Digital Medicine, ThinkSono has demonstrated its leadership in the Ultrasound AI space. The company aims to enable any healthcare professional to use the power of ultrasound and increase the universal access to ultrasound imaging.

ThinkSono Media Contact

Email: [email protected]

Regulatory information

Refer to the electronic Instructions for Use which contain the regulatory classification (Class IIb) and intended purpose of ThinkSono Guidance in the EU in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/745: www.thinksono.com/ifu

ThinkSono Guidance is not FDA cleared, and thus will not be available in the U.S until full clearance is obtained. Please contact [email protected] for more information on the ThinkSono Guidance System.

SOURCE Clarius Mobile Health
FRANKLIN, Tenn., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (NYSE: CHCT) today announced that on Tuesday evening, April 30, 2024, after the market closes, it will report results for the first quarter of 2024.

On May 1, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time, Community Healthcare Trust will hold a conference call to discuss earnings results, quarterly activities, general operations of the Company and industry trends. Simultaneously, a webcast of the conference call will be available to interested parties via an Internet link at www.chct.reit under the Investor Relations section. A webcast replay will be available following the call at the same Internet site address.

Conference Call Details

Domestic Dial-In Number: 1-888-347-1332

International Dial-In Number: 1-412-902-4278

Canada Toll Free: 1-855-669-9657

Replay Conference Call Details

Domestic Dial-In Number: 1-877-344-7529

International Dial-In Number: 1-412-317-0088

Canada Toll Free: 1-855-669-9658

Conference ID: 4857450

Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated is a real estate investment trust that focuses on owning income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services in our target sub-markets throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had investments of approximately $1.1 billion in 193 real estate properties (including a portion of one property accounted for as a sales-type lease and two properties classified as held for sale). The properties are located in 34 states, totaling approximately 4.3 million square feet in the aggregate.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to the historical information contained within, the matters discussed in this press release may contain "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, pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expects", "may", "will," "should", "seeks", "approximately", "intends", "plans", "estimates", "anticipates" or other similar words or expressions, including the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and can include future expectations, future plans and strategies, financial and operating projections or other forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Because forward-looking statements relate to future events, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the control of Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated (the "Company"). Thus, the Company's actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements. Some factors that might cause such a difference include the following: general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of the Company's common stock, changes in the Company's business strategy, availability, terms and deployment of capital, the Company's ability to refinance existing indebtedness at or prior to maturity on favorable terms, or at all, changes in the real estate industry in general, interest rates or the general economy, adverse developments related to the healthcare industry, changes in governmental regulations, the degree and nature of the Company's competition, the ability to consummate acquisitions under contract, catastrophic or extreme weather and other natural events and the physical effects of climate change, the occurrence of cyber incidents, effects on global and national markets as well as businesses resulting from increased inflation, rising interest rates, supply chain disruptions, labor conditions, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and/or new and ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas, and the other factors described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company intends these forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of this press release and undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

CONTACT: Bill Monroe, 615-771-3052

SOURCE Community Healthcare Trust Incorporated
SAN ANTONIO, Chile, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chilean state-owned company will invite specialized companies to construct the breakwater and complementary works for the country's main port project.

Puerto San Antonio Eduardo Abedrapo Bustos

As part of the port development policy promoted by the State of Chile, Empresa Portuaria San Antonio has started the International Call of Expression of Interest for the Construction of Breakwater and Complementary Works for Puerto Exterior. This project will feature two berthing fronts, each 1,730 meters long, and a total cargo transfer capacity of 6 million TEU, which amounts to over 60 million tons annually.

The works to be considered in the expression of interest include the construction of a breakwater of approximately 4 kilometres in length, dredging around the future dock, filling of platforms and complementary works such as roads and railroad access to the terminals.

Interested parties may be companies with proven experience in the development of large port works and/or marine dredging, being able to demonstrate such experience individually or as part of a consortium.

Moreover, an informational meeting with interested international companies will be held on April 23rd in Madrid, Spain, led by Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile, Juan Carlos Munoz. "As a government, we have committed all our efforts to advance towards a more efficient, agile, and sustainable cargo transport system. With this call, we are not only opening up the market and attracting private investment, but we are also moving forward in consolidating Chile's leadership in port matters within the region," the minister added.

The chairman of the Board of Directors of Empresa Portuaria San Antonio, Eduardo Abedrapo, stated that the beginning of the International Call of Expression of Interest process is a significant advancement for the future of San Antonio's and Chile's port development. "Puerto Exterior is a national project. As a public company, we have the duty to seek the best allies for each of the stages, being essential to call upon qualified suppliers, both Chilean and foreign, to carry out the various works that will allow the future port to operate optimally, efficiently, securely, and sustainably", he remarked.

The general manager of Empresa Portuaria San Antonio, Ramon Castaneda, noted, "We believe there will be many specialized companies, both national and international, interested in participating in the execution of these works, which constitute a major engineering and construction challenge".

Interested companies seeking more detailed information about this invitation and possessing proven experience should contact the Empresa Portuaria San Antonio via email at [email protected]

Expressions of interest, together with the background of the relevant experience indicated, must be submitted until May 31st, 2024.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380194/Puerto_San_Antonio.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2380195/Puerto_San_Antonio.jpg

SOURCE Puerto San Antonio
Renewable energy integration, regulatory support & incentives, and decentralization & microgrids are the factors that drive the growth of the market.

PORTLAND, Ore., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Energy Storage System Market by Technology (Pumped Hydro Storage, Battery Energy Storage, Compressed Air Energy Storage, and Flywheel Energy Storage), Application (Stationary and Transport), and End-Use (Residential, Non Residential, and Utilities): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the "energy storage system market" was valued at $198.8 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $329.1 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023 to 2032.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A280994

Prime determinants of energy storage system market growth

The global energy storage system market has experienced growth due to several factors such as renewable energy integration, regulator support & incentives, and decentralization & microgrids. However, lack of standardization and perception of risk hinder market growth. Moreover, investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and rural electrification initiatives provides opportunities for expanding the energy storage system market.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2023 $198.8 billion Market Size in 2032 $329.1 billion CAGR 5.2 % No. of Pages in Report 250 Segments Covered Technology, Application, and End-Use. Region Scope North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA Country Scope U.S., Canada, Mexico; Germany; UK; France; Italy; Spain; China; Japan; India; South Korea; Australia; Brazil; Saudi Arabia; South Africa. Drivers Renewable energy integration Regulatory support and incentives Decentralization and microgrids Opportunities Electric vehicle charging infrastructure Rural electrification initiatives Restraints Lack of standardization Perception of risk

The flywheel energy storage segment is expected to grow faster throughout the forecast period.

By technology, the pumped hydro storage segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than four-fifths of energy storage system market revenue. It is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period The combination of reliability, efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness has positioned pumped hydro storage as a dominant technology in the energy storage system market, particularly for grid-scale applications where long-duration storage and grid support services are critical. However, the flywheel energy storage segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.3% from 2023 to 2032. The increase in innovation and development of medical devices for diagnosis in hospitals have led to an increase in the demand for flywheel energy storage devices which has a positive impact on the energy storage system market.

The stationary segment is expected to lead the trail by 2032

By application, the stationary segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly four-fifths of the energy storage system market revenue, and is estimated to dominate during the forecast period. Stationary energy storage systems command a significant market share due to their versatility, reliability, and broad applicability across various sectors. These systems offer a scalable solution for storing excess renewable energy, optimizing grid performance, and providing backup power during outages. With advancements in technology, such as lithium-ion batteries, stationary energy storage systems have become increasingly cost-effective and efficient, making them attractive for utilities, commercial enterprises, and residential consumers. However, the transport segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2032. The rapid growth of the transport energy storage system market is primarily fueled by the global shift towards electrification in the transportation sector. As governments, industries, and consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability and seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there's a growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

Procure Complete Report (250 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/energy-storage-system-market

The utilities segment dominates the market by 2032

By end-use, the utilities segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than four-fifths of the energy storage system market revenue, and is estimated to dominate during the forecast period. The high demand for energy storage systems in utilities' end-use arises from the imperative to optimize grid operations, manage peak demand efficiently, integrate increasing levels of renewable energy sources, and enhance grid resilience. Utilities rely on energy storage to mitigate intermittency issues associated with renewables, ensuring a stable and reliable power supply.

However, residential segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.0% from 2023 to 2032. The residential energy storage system market is experiencing rapid growth due to several key factors. Firstly, the increasing adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems among homeowners has created a need for energy storage solutions to maximize self-consumption of solar energy and provide backup power during grid outages. Additionally, advancements in battery technology, coupled with decreasing costs, have made energy storage systems more accessible and affordable for residential consumers. This has spurred widespread interest and investment in residential energy storage solutions, ranging from lithium-ion batteries to emerging technologies like flow batteries and hydrogen storage.

The Asia-Pacific segment is expected to dominate the market by 2032

By region, Asia-Pacific held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the energy storage system market revenue, and is estimated to dominate during the forecast period. However, the Asia-Pacific segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2032. The combination of growing energy demand, renewable energy deployment, supportive government policies, technological advancements, and a thriving supply chain is fueling the high demand and rapid growth of the energy storage system market in the Asia-Pacific region.

For Purchase Inquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/A280994

Leading Market Players: -

Scheider Electric

SMA Solar Technology AG

Exide Industries Ltd.

SK Holdings

Autobat

Enerbrax Acumuladores Ltda

Eguana Technologies

Imergy Power Systems

Ionotec Ltd

Tata Power

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the energy storage system market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Trending Reports in Energy Storage System Industry:

Grid Scale Battery Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

Solar Energy Storage Market: Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031

Thermal Energy Storage Market: Global Opportunity Analysis, 2020-2030

Hydrogen Energy Storage Market: Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027

Battery Storage Inverter Market: Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032

About us:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact us:

David Correa

1209 Orange Street,

Corporation Trust Center,

Wilmington, New Castle,

Delaware 19801 USA.

Int'l: +1-503-894-6022

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
CHICAGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Feeding America has announced three newly elected board members to its National Board of Directors. Kofi Bruce, General Mills' Chief Financial Officer, Julie Butner, President and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, and Rita Carreon, Vice President for Health at UnidosUS, start their two-year terms on July 1, the beginning of Feeding America's 2025 fiscal year.

"We are poised, as a nation, to change the face of hunger in this country materially and sustainably by the end of this decade. Along with the evidence of readiness shown in every community that I've visited, the fact that the Feeding America Board of Directors is comprised of people of such renown, exemplary commitment and talent continues to speak of my optimism around our ability to do so. The excellence and insights of the Board will be enhanced if further with the addition of our three newest members." said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. "Kofi, Julie, and Rita are experienced and trusted advocates for thriving communities. They each bring unique skills and perspectives to our work to ensure everyone has access to the food and resources they need to thrive. I look forward to advancing our mission in collaboration with these incredible individuals and continuing to deepen our commitment to seeking guidance from neighbors facing hunger."

Kofi Bruce serves as General Mills' Chief Financial Officer, after joining the company in 2009 as Vice President, Treasurer. He previously served in a variety of senior management positions with Ecolab and Ford Motor Company. Bruce is an executive sponsor of General Mills' Black Champions Network, which focuses on the growth, development and success of Black employees, and General Mills' Veteran's Network, which champions a culture of belonging that engages and supports veterans, service members and military family members. He also serves as a board of director member for Partners in Food Solutions, a non-profit focused on strengthening food security, improving nutrition, and increasing economic development across Africa .





serves as General Mills' Chief Financial Officer, after joining the company in 2009 as Vice President, Treasurer. He previously served in a variety of senior management positions with Ecolab and Ford Motor Company. Bruce is an executive sponsor of General Mills' Black Champions Network, which focuses on the growth, development and success of Black employees, and General Mills' Veteran's Network, which champions a culture of belonging that engages and supports veterans, service members and military family members. He also serves as a board of director member for Partners in Food Solutions, a non-profit focused on strengthening food security, improving nutrition, and increasing economic development across . Julie Butner serves as President and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, which serves thirteen counties in North Texas in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States . Butner has led the food bank to develop innovative strategies to fulfill the food bank's mission to alleviate hunger and improve health. As a result of her leadership, the food bank has increased and diversified its donor base, while making historic investments in building the capacity of the food bank to meet the growing need. Before joining the Tarrant Area Food Bank in January 2020 , Butner held executive leadership roles in the healthcare and hospitality industries, specifically focused on food and nutrition, operations and business development. Butner also served as a Captain in the United States Army during Operation Desert Storm.





serves as President and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, which serves thirteen counties in in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in . Butner has led the food bank to develop innovative strategies to fulfill the food bank's mission to alleviate hunger and improve health. As a result of her leadership, the food bank has increased and diversified its donor base, while making historic investments in building the capacity of the food bank to meet the growing need. Before joining the Tarrant Area Food Bank in , Butner held executive leadership roles in the healthcare and hospitality industries, specifically focused on food and nutrition, operations and business development. Butner also served as a Captain in Army during Operation Desert Storm. Rita Carreon is Vice President for Health at UnidosUS, a national nonpartisan and non-profit Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC . Carreon oversees the organization's strategic direction in health, including community engagement and programming, addressing social determinants of health, and advancing health equity. She helped lead a cross-component team on the public health response for COVID-19 through UnidosUS Esperanza Hope for All campaign. She works in close partnership with UnidosUS Affiliates, public and private partners, and other stakeholders to advance access to quality and equitable healthcare. Carreon's expertise and interests include improving health and quality of care for diverse communities.

The Feeding America Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of individuals from both private corporations and non-profits. The group helps to set and guide Feeding America's strategic direction to help fulfill the vision of an America where no one is hungry. As part of a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, Feeding America helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year.

Contact

Emily James

Feeding America

About Feeding America

Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment.

We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit www.FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.

SOURCE Feeding America
ForeFront Helps Food Brands Exceed New EPR, Retailer Packaging Requirements

CHICAGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ForeFront Supply Chain Solutions is proud to supply the first polyethylene bag in the US with 30% post-consumer recycled content produced from FDA-compliant resins. This is the highest level of PCR available in flexible food packaging, which exceeds multiple new extended producer responsibility (EPR) and retailer regulations. ForeFront aims to support food manufacturers seeking compliance before packaging producer responsibility officially begins July 2025.

ForeFront Supply Chain Solutions released a poly bag that contains 30% post-recycled content and meets new EPR and retailer packaging requirements. At left is a 3D mockup of the poly bag on a loaf of bread that features a certification seal from SCS Global.

Concerns about packaging sustainability have risen dramatically in recent years; Illinois and ten other states introduced bills related to ERP, and five states have already enacted legislation. Government compliance aside, major retailers are also demanding sustainable packaging. By 2025, Walmart will require 100% recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable private brand packaging, including packaging with 20% post-consumer recycled content.

Brands that do not comply with post-recycled content packaging requirements risk heavy fines or having their products pulled from store shelves. Unfortunately, Gartner research predicts that 90% of brands will not meet their sustainability packaging goals by next year.

"Understanding the nuances of regulations can be challenging and time-consuming, which is where we can help," explains Crystal Skipworth, ForeFront's Marketing Supervisor. "Most of our customers started their businesses because of a product they loved, not because they were enthusiastic about government and retailer compliance."

ForeFront's new post-recycled content bags are certified and independently verified by SCS Global Services  the world's leading testing, inspection, and certification company  and offer extra benefits, including reducing the use of fossil fuels and lowering the carbon footprint of the packaging. PCR content film can be combined with 10% post-industrial recycled or bio-based content.

These bags are the latest addition to ForeFront's sustainable flexible packaging solutions, which include a high-tear and puncture-resistant film that widens the operating window during bakery packaging to generate less waste and downtime. Contact their team and learn more at their website at www.forefrontscs.com.

About ForeFront SCS

ForeFront Supply Chain Solutions has been a leader in the packaging industry for over 40 years, designing solutions for food manufacturers that gain their brands national recognition. ForeFront implements leading practices related to packaging, including art and logo design, management of nutritional ingredients and compliance, and data-driven inventory forecasting. By managing these services in-house, ForeFront helps launch products to market faster, driving their customers to the forefront of their industries, ahead of their competitors.

Media Contact:

Crystal Skipworth

[email protected]



SOURCE ForeFront Supply Chain Solutions
GWANGJU, South Korea, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Western North America seems to be experiencing more extreme weather events more frequently. From scorching droughts to torrential floods, the climate is changing rapidly, with no signs of slowing down. From 2011 to 2015, California and neighboring states experienced extended periods of drought, while 2017 saw heavy rains trigger catastrophic floods.

This study explores the impact of human-induced climate change on Northern Hemisphere winter weather, highlighting the dominant role of specific teleconnection patterns and the influence of greenhouse gas emissions.

These events are linked to specific weather patterns. The atmosphere is like a network of interconnected pathways that determine how weather systems move and interact across the globe. In the Northern Hemisphere, there are three such major teleconnection patterns that affect winter conditions: the Pacific North American pattern (PNA), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the North American winter dipole (NAWD). However, the understanding of how these patterns change over time and their connection to climate change remains limited.

To better understand this phenomenon, a group of scientists led by Professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering Jin-Ho Yoon and including Ph.D. student Jueun Lee from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology recently conducted a study to examine the reasons behind changes in these patterns. Their findings have been published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science on 7 March 2024.

The scientists employed a sophisticated Community Earth System model that there is a regular influence of the NAWD for over 70 years (1951-2020), which is in contrast with the fluctuating influence from PNA and minor impacts from NAO. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a strengthening negative correlation between the PNA and the NAWD: as one exhibits a positive phase, the other tends to exhibit a negative phase. "This projected intensification of large-scale atmospheric circulation in a warming climate is expected to likely escalate extreme hydroclimatic events in mid-latitude regions like California near western North America," explains Dr. Yoon.

The weather system is like a network of dominos, where one piece can trigger a chain reaction and set off a series of unforeseen events. Using extensive models and numerical simulations, the scientists deduced that these changes in how the PNA and the NAWD interact can be traced back to variations in the jet stream, a band-like flow of air high up in the atmosphere. As the climate warms, the jet stream changes, influencing patterns such as the PNA and the NAWD.

The study notably shows that greenhouse gas emissions play a significant role in driving the shifts. "Climate models consider a range of factors affecting the atmosphere, including changes in greenhouse gas concentrations resulting from human activities. By running simulations with and without the influence of greenhouse gases, we can compare the results and see how they differ," explains Dr. Yoon. The scientists observed an association between higher greenhouse gas levels and the variations in the jet stream: the gases drive the northward drift of the Asia-Pacific jet core. Aided by mountain-related lifting over the Alaskan Range, contributing to the formation of potent high-pressure systems in the vicinity. This phenomenon strengthens the winter stationary wave throughout western North America.

Simply put, the study shows that the rise in temperatures caused by greenhouse gases is changing how air moves in the atmosphere. This, in turn, affects the weather patterns that influence winter conditions in western North America and contribute to recent more frequent extreme weather events.

Reference

Title of original paper: Evolving winter atmospheric teleconnection patterns and their potential triggers across western North America

Journal: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00608-2

About the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)

Website: http://www.gist.ac.kr/

Contact:

Chang-Sung Kang

2 62 715 6253

[email protected]

SOURCE Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)
Mana Up & Shopify partner to bring Hawai'i's Aloha Market to Manhattan for new, unique pop-up experience

NEW YORK, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mana Up announces the first-ever Aloha Market in Manhattan, a three-day Hawai'i-themed immersive shopping event that will be held April 26 - 28. Held at Shopify NY in SoHo, this new pop-up will offer only unique products from over 40 Hawai'i creators and entrepreneurs, plus will feature live tastings, demonstrations and community programming.

Mana Up co-founders, Meli James & Brittany Heyd Mana Up features many unique products from Hawaii's emerging entrepreneurs, makers and artisans.

Aloha Market is presented by Mana Up, an award-winning Hawai'i-based economic development initiative, along with Shopify, the leading global commerce company. This event will also feature iconic Hawai'i brands, Hawaiian Host Group and Kahala.

"Hawai'i has transformed into a growing hub of innovative and world-class products, and this event is an exclusive opportunity to introduce exceptional Hawai'i-made items and incredible entrepreneurs to New York City," says Meli James, co-founder of Mana Up.

With a mission to expand the economy and grow jobs for the people of Hawai'i, Mana Up has seen 85 companies graduate from its annual business accelerator program.

Following the Maui wildfires crisis in August 2023, massive resources and efforts have been dedicated to rebuilding the island's economy. Aloha Market will highlight Maui companies and share their captivating stories in a special feature presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

This event will offer attendees the chance to enter prize giveaways, such as the "Ultimate Hawaii Vacation," which includes two roundtrip tickets to Hawai'i on Hawaiian Airlines, a hotel stay at Sheraton Waikiki, and a shopping spree at House of Mana Up.

Central to the event is the ongoing partnership between Mana Up and Shopify, which aims to expand the presence of Hawai'i brands in new markets through e-commerce.

"Aloha Market represents a continuation of our partnership with Mana Up that started in 2018. At Shopify, we're grateful that our platform has been able to help emerging Hawai'i businesses bring their products to the world," said Chris Schmicker, brand marketing director at Shopify.

Aloha Market Powered by Mana Up details:

Where: Shopify NYC Activation Space, SoHo | 131 Greene Street New York, 10012

When: Friday, April 26 through Saturday, April 27, 2024 ; 10:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday, April 28, 2025 ; 10:00am to 4:00pm

through ; and ; Admission: Free (select events will be ticketed)

For more information and to RSVP, visit https://newyork.shopify.com/manaupalohamarket .

About Mana Up

Mana Up is an accelerator and venture fund for Hawaii-based products growing to markets globally, with the mission to increase economic opportunity and jobs for the people of Hawaii. To date, 85 local companies have participated in the six-month accelerator program that provides expansion opportunities and helps solve business challenges. For more information about the accelerator program, visit www.manauphawaii.com, and to shop House of Mana Up, visit https://houseofmanaup.com .

About Shopify

Shopify is the leading global commerce company that provides essential internet infrastructure for commerce, offering trusted tools to start, scale, market, and run a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for speed, customization, reliability, and security, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers online, in store and everywhere in between. Shopify powers millions of businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Mattel, Gymshark, Heinz, FTD, Netflix, Kylie Cosmetics, SKIMS, Supreme, and many more. For more information, visit www.shopify.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Courtney Liu

Communications & Marketing Manager

808.497.5387

[email protected]

SOURCE Mana Up
An AI (Artificial Intelligence) sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai

By John Revill

ZURICH (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence will lead to many companies employing fewer people in the next five years, staffing provider Adecco Group said on Friday, in a new survey highlighting the upheaval AI will bring to the workplace.

Some 41% of senior executives expect to have smaller workforces because of AI technology, Adecco said in a report based on a survey of executives at 2,000 large companies worldwide.

Generative AI, which can create text, photos and videos in response to open-ended prompts, has spurred both hope it could eliminate repetitive tasks and fear it will make some jobs obsolete.

Tech companies, including global giants Google and Microsoft, have embarked on a wave of layoffs in recent months as they shift their focus to systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's chatbot Gemini.

The Adecco survey is one of the largest into the AI topic, and follows a 2023 World Economic Forum study which said 25% of companies expected AI to trigger job losses, while 50% expected the technology to create new roles.

But while most senior executives surveyed by Adecco say AI is a game changer, the vast majority say they have not made enough progress in adopting the technology.

"Almost all jobs are going to be impacted by AI one way or another," Adecco CEO Denis Machuel told Reuters. "AI can be a job killer and it can also be a job creator.

"Ten years ago there was this big fear many jobs are going to be destroyed by digital, when actually lots of jobs have been created by the digital world," he said. "Between jobs created by AI and jobs destroyed, we believe this is going to be balanced."

Companies needed to prepare for the disruption by training their staff to work with AI, Machuel said, rather than relying on recruiting specialists from outside.

Adecco polled businesses in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Canada, Australia and Singapore. Sectors covered included defence, pharma, healthcare, industry and logistics.

Story continues

The Swiss company, which uses AI itself, for example in helping create resumes for clients, also sees the technology offering "massive opportunity" in its work with customers.

"We already engaged in training and up-skilling people on behalf of our clients," Machuel said. "We've sold a lot of consulting projects and the ramp-up that we see on that is quite interesting."

(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
TEMPE, Ariz., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Economic activity in the hospital subsector grew in March for the seventh consecutive month after contracting twice in the previous four-month period, with 35 consecutive months of growth prior to that, say the nation's hospital supply executives in the latest Hospital ISM Report On Business.

The report was issued today by Nancy LeMaster, MBA, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Hospital Business Survey Committee: "The Hospital PMI registered 52.3 percent in March, a 4.3-percentage point decrease from the February reading of 56.6 percent, indicating a seventh consecutive month of growth after a contraction in August. The Business Activity Index expanded for the seventh consecutive month. The New Orders Index remained in expansion for the seventh straight month, and the Employment Index also stayed in expansion territory. The Supplier Deliveries Index remained in expansion (which indicates slower delivery performance). The Case Mix Index registered 51 percent, a decrease of 1 percentage point compared to the February figure of 52 percent. The Days Payable Outstanding Index contracted in March after expanding for five consecutive months, registering 49.5 percent, down 1 percentage point from the 50.5 percent reported in February. The Technology Spend Index reading of 57 percent is an increase of 3 percentage points compared to the 54 percent recorded in February. The Touchless Orders Index registered 52.5 percent, up 1.5 percentage points from the 51 percent reported in February."

LeMaster continues, "The revenue issues caused by the Change Healthcare cybersecurity breach were top of mind for several Hospital Business Survey Committee respondents. The incident impacted health systems of all sizes. Although the Days Payable Outstanding Index contracted slightly in March, panelists from affected systems indicated expanded payment terms will be sought to help cope with cash flow issues. There was no consensus on volume growth in the month. Some respondents indicated surgical volumes were down at their facilities, while others indicated volumes were steady. There were multiple mentions of mergers and acquisitions used to increase volumes versus organic growth rates. Back orders and product substitutions continued but received less attention than in previous months. Some panelists noted ongoing efforts to replace contract labor with permanent employees, while there was also mention of continued pressures to limit hiring whenever possible."

Hospital PMI History

Month Hospital PMI Month Hospital PMI Mar 2024 52.3 Sep 2023 57.0 Feb 2024 56.6 Aug 2023 47.5 Jan 2024 61.5 Jul 2023 53.3 Dec 2023 62.5 Jun 2023 51.5 Nov 2023 59.8 May 2023 49.1 Oct 2023 52.1 Apr 2023 55.3 Average for 12 months  54.9 High  62.5 Low  47.5

About This Report

The information compiled in this report is for the month of March 2024.

The Hospital PMI was developed in collaboration with the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM), an association for the health care supply chain profession, and a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association (AHA).

The data presented herein is obtained from a survey of hospital supply executives based on information they have collected within their respective organizations. ISM makes no representation, other than that stated within this release, regarding the individual company data collection procedures. The data should be compared to all other economic data sources when used in decision-making.

Data and Method of Presentation

The Hospital ISM Report On Business is based on data compiled from hospital purchasing and supply executives nationwide. Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month. For each of the indicators measured (Business Activity, New Orders, Employment, Supplier Deliveries, Inventories, Prices, Prices: Pharmaceuticals, Prices: Supplies, Backlog of Orders, Imports, Inventory Sentiment, Case Mix, Days Payable Outstanding, Technology Spend, and Touchless Orders), this report shows the percentage reporting each response and the diffusion index. Responses represent raw data and are never changed. Beginning in January 2021, the Report On Business staff and consultants are gathering market information to better validate the Exports Index. Exports Index data are still being collected.

The Hospital PMI is a composite index computed from the following, equally weighted indexes: Business Activity, New Orders, Employment and Supplier Deliveries. Diffusion indexes have the properties of leading indicators and are convenient summary measures showing the prevailing direction of change and the scope of change. A Hospital PMI index reading above 50 percent indicates that the hospital sub-sector is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally declining. For the sub-indexes, except Supplier Deliveries, an index reading above 50 percent indicates that the sub-index is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally contracting. A Supplier Deliveries Index above 50 percent indicates slower deliveries and below 50 percent indicates faster deliveries.

The Hospital ISM Report On Business survey is sent out to the Hospital Business Survey Committee respondents the first part of each month. Respondents are asked to ONLY report on U.S. operations for the current month. ISM receives survey responses throughout most of any given month, with the majority of respondents generally waiting until late in the month to submit responses to give the most accurate picture of current business activity. ISM then compiles the report for release on the fifth business day of the following month.

ISM ROB Content

The Institute for Supply Management ("ISM") Report On Business (Manufacturing, Services, and Hospital reports) ("ISM ROB") contains information, text, files, images, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, and any other materials or content (collectively, "Content") of ISM ("ISM ROB Content"). ISM ROB Content is protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other laws, and as between you and ISM, ISM owns and retains all rights in the ISM ROB Content. ISM hereby grants you a limited, revocable, nonsublicensable license to access and display on your individual device the ISM ROB Content (excluding any software code) solely for your personal, non-commercial use. The ISM ROB Content shall also contain Content of users and other ISM licensors. Except as provided herein or as explicitly allowed in writing by ISM, you shall not copy, download, stream, capture, reproduce, duplicate, archive, upload, modify, translate, publish, broadcast, transmit, retransmit, distribute, perform, display, sell, or otherwise use any ISM ROB Content.

Except as explicitly and expressly permitted by ISM, you are strictly prohibited from creating works or materials (including, but not limited to tables, charts, data streams, time-series variables, fonts, icons, link buttons, wallpaper, desktop themes, online postcards, montages, mashups and similar videos, greeting cards, and unlicensed merchandise) that derive from or are based on the ISM ROB Content. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the derivative works or materials are sold, bartered, or given away. You shall not either directly or through the use of any device, software, internet site, web-based service, or other means remove, alter, bypass, avoid, interfere with, or circumvent any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices marked on the Content or any digital rights management mechanism, device, or other content protection or access control measure associated with the Content including geo-filtering mechanisms. Without prior written authorization from ISM, you shall not build a business utilizing the Content, whether or not for profit.

You shall not create, recreate, distribute, incorporate in other work, or advertise an index of any portion of the Content unless you receive prior written authorization from ISM. Requests for permission to reproduce or distribute ISM ROB Content can be made by contacting Rose Marie Goupil in writing at: ISM Research, Institute for Supply Management, 309 W. Elliot Road, Suite 113, Tempe, AZ 85284-1556, or by emailing [email protected]; Subject: Content Request.

ISM shall not have any liability, duty, or obligation for or relating to the ISM ROB Content or other information contained herein, any errors, inaccuracies, omissions or delays in providing any ISM ROB Content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. In no event shall ISM be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages, arising out of the use of the ISM ROB. Report On Business, PMI, Manufacturing PMI, Services PMI, and Hospital PMI are registered trademarks and trademarks of Institute for Supply Management. Institute for Supply Management and ISM are registered trademarks of Institute for Supply Management, Inc.

About Institute for Supply Management 

Institute for Supply Management (ISM) is the first and leading not-for-profit professional supply management organization worldwide. Its community of more than 50,000 in more than 100 countries manage about US$1 trillion in corporate and government supply chain procurement annually. Founded in 1915 by practitioners, ISM is committed to advancing the practice of supply management to drive value and competitive advantage for its members, contributing to a prosperous and sustainable world. ISM empowers and leads the profession through the ISM Report On Business, its highly-regarded certification and training programs, corporate services, events, and assessments. The ISM Report On Business, Manufacturing, Services, and Hospital, are three of the most reliable economic indicators available, providing guidance to supply management professionals, economists, analysts, and government and business leaders. For more information, please visit: www.ismworld.org.

The text version of the public Hospital ISM Report On Business is posted on ISM's website at www.ismrob.org on the fifth business day* of every month at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The next Hospital ISM Report On Business featuring April 2024 data will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

*Unless the New York Stock Exchange is closed.

Contact: Rose Marie Goupil

Report On Business Analyst



ISM, ROB/Program Manager



Tempe, Arizona



+1 480.752.6276, ext. 3005



Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Institute for Supply Management
Recognition establishes IHG as one of the best places to work in the US

ATLANTA, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has been named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2024 List by Great Place To Work and Fortune magazine, coming in at No. 28. Earning a spot means that IHG Hotels & Resorts has surpassed rigorous benchmarks, establishing itself as one of the country's best places to work.

IHG Hotels & Resorts Named to Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for workers, which were validated against employee survey responses.

Rani Hammond, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: "This ranking serves as an important benchmark as we continue to create a performance-led culture at IHG, leveraging the power of our exceptional talent to deliver on our goals and priorities as a business. I'd like to thank all our colleagues for their commitment and care and for sharing their perspectives on what makes IHG a great place to work. It is paramount to all of us as a leadership team to ensure that IHG continues to be an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and feel welcome."

IHG's commitment to being a top employer is evidenced by its unique culture and by the company offering a wide array of benefits in the US that support the diverse needs of each of its employees and their families. Beyond competitive pay and benefits, colleagues can also expect recognition for their hard work, a healthy working environment, and the right work-life balance.

Making the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is highly competitive. Ranking is determined by employee survey responses and more detailed essay submissions that provided greater insight into IHG's culture. Honorees were selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifier.

Michael C. Bush, CEO, Great Place To Work, said: "It's in times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves. In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these companies, the 100 Best, relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender, or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity, and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most."

Alyson Shontell, Editor-in-Chief, Fortune, said: "Fortune is pleased to have collaborated once again with Great Place To Work to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For. We congratulate all the organizations included in this year's ranking for creating positive work environments and value for their employees, especially during this period of economic uncertainty."

This recognition aligns to IHG's Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan, which includes a set of ambitious sustainability commitments to drive change for people, communities, and the planet. To learn more about IHG's commitment to responsible business, visit www.ihgplc.com/en/responsible-business.

To view open jobs available at IHG, visit www.careers.ihg.com.

About IHG

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 19 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has more than 6,300 open hotels in over 100 countries, and a development pipeline of over 2,000 properties.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 345,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG One Rewards. To download the new IHG One Rewards app, visit the Apple App or Google Play stores.

For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Great Place To Work selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list by analyzing survey responses of over half a million employees who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The survey contained 60 employee experience questions that make up the Great Place To Work Trust Index. Companies also submitted essays about their workplace benefits and employee support programs, which were validated against employee survey data. As of the Aug. 2, 2022 deadline for this list, Great Place To Work surveyed companies employing 7.5 million people in the U.S. and received 1.3 million survey responses. Of those, over half a million responses were received from employees at companies who were eligible for the 2023 100 Best and this list is based on their feedback. Great Place To Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All Methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America's largest ongoing annual workforce study. Read the full methodology.

To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, we have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Our employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything we do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all.

Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Fortune

The Fortune mission is to change the world by making business better. We achieve that by providing trusted information, telling great stories, and building world-class communities. We measure performance by rigorous benchmarks. And we hold companies accountable. Our goal is to make Fortune a force for good through its second century and beyond. For more information, visit www.fortune.com.

SOURCE IHG Hotels & Resorts
NEW YORK, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts from NYU Langone Heart are presenting their latest clinical findings and research discoveries during the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2024 Annual Scientific Session & Expo, held April 6 to 8 in Atlanta.

Among the topics presented:

how air pollution exposure may affect nationwide heart attack outcomes

whether certain blood markers help assess risk for patients with chronic coronary disease

why invasive wire-based tests to diagnose heart disease affecting the smallest blood vessels in women cannot be replaced by more easily obtained visual estimates

older adults' perceptions regarding the use of mobile health applications for cardiac rehabilitation

understanding limitations in relying on heart failure identification from the electronic health record

Additionally, Harmony R. Reynolds, MD, director of the Sarah Ross Soter Center for Women's Cardiovascular Research at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, has received the 2024 Bernadine Healy Leadership in Women's CV Disease Award in recognition of her contributions to the greater understanding of cardiovascular disease in women. On April 8 Dr. Reynolds will be formally awarded and honored during this year's convocation ceremony.

"We are immensely proud of Dr. Reynolds for receiving such a prestigious award, acknowledging her significant contributions to the field of heart disease in women," said Glenn I. Fishman, MD, the William Goldring Professor of Medicine and director of the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "The ACC conference serves as a place for our faculty to explore, learn, and share all the latest advancements in the field. This year's outstanding group of presentations is a testament to the division's commitment to always deliver world-class care to our patients."

At this year's meeting, faculty from the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology will participate in more than 70 presentations, on-demand discussions, and poster sessions during the conference. They will also be available for media interviews to discuss innovative and noteworthy scientific developments emerging from the conference. Below are some of the highlights.

Poster Presentation: The Association Between Air Pollution and In-Hospital Myocardial Infarction Outcomes in Nationwide Dataset

Saturday, April 6, 11:45AM

Jonathan Newman, MD, MPH, clinical research director in the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Heart, medical student Luke Bonanni, and their colleagues investigated how air pollution affects patients hospitalized for heart attacks across the United States. The team looked at two types of pollutants, fine particulate matter and ozone. Within a large dataset, they found that higher exposure to fine particulate matter was linked to higher chances of dying in the hospital after a heart attack. However, the association was not the same with ozone.

"This suggests that patients at risk for heart attack should be aware of local air quality and limit exposure, particularly during periods of poor air quality," said Dr. Newman. "Exposure reduction could be accomplished with wearing an N95 mask, closing windows or limiting outdoor activity, and using indoor portable air cleaners."

Poster Presentation: Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Burden and Circulating Biomarkers in Patients with Chronic Coronary Disease in the ISCHEMIA Trials

Sunday, April 7, 10:15AM

Carine Hamo, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, and colleagues at NYU Grossman School of Medicine set out to understand the link between lifestyle and heart disease. The analysis, part of the ISCHEMIA Trial, focused on patients with chronic coronary disease (CCD) and examined how their lifestyle and health conditions affected certain biomarkers in their blood.

Biomarkers can serve as clues to help clinicians understand what's happening inside the body. In this study, Dr. Hamo and colleagues looked at biomarkers related to heart stretch, injury, inflammation, and platelet activity. By analyzing blood samples from 752 adults, they aimed to uncover how cardiometabolic risk factorssuch as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesityaffect these biomarkers. The team found that patients with poorly controlled risk factors had higher levels of the biomarkers associated with heart injury and inflammation.

"By understanding these connections, we can better assess a person's risk of heart disease and tailor treatments accordingly," said Dr. Hamo. "Interventional studies are needed to determine whether better optimization of comorbidities can mitigate heart injury and inflammation."

Poster Presentation: Perceived Usability of Mobile Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Among Older Adults

Sunday, April 7, 1:15PM

Digital health applications are revolutionizing the way we approach healthcare, but how user-friendly are these mobile apps, especially for older adults? John A. Dodson, MD, MPH, director of NYU Langone's Geriatric Cardiology Program, medical student Kirra Borello, and colleagues, aimed to answer this question by examining the perceived usability of mobile health cardiac rehab (mHealth-CR) among older adults.

The study, part of the ongoing RESILIENT trial, focused on patients 65 and older with ischemic heart disease. Dr. Dodson and team used a System Usability Scale Survey to measure the usability of mHealth-CR app. The survey had participants rate various aspects of usability on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater usability. Results indicated that older adults found the mHealth-CR app relatively easy to use, with an average score of 68.8 out of 100. However, the study also revealed some disparities in usability. Older adults who were Hispanic or non-White, as well as those with more osteoarthritis, tended to rate the app less usable.

"While mHealth-CR holds promise as a viable option for cardiac rehab in older populations, these findings highlight the importance of addressing disparities in technology access and usability, especially among older adults from diverse backgrounds," said Dr. Dodson.

Poster Presentation: Visual Estimates of Coronary Slow Flow Are Not Associated with Invasive Wire-Based Diagnosis of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction

Sunday, April 7, 2:15PM

When it comes to heart health, understanding the intricate workings of blood flow within the coronary arteries is crucial. Nathaniel R. Smilowitz, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, and colleagues conducted a study aimed to explore the relationship between visual estimates of coronary slow flow and invasive wire-based diagnoses of coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients with ischemia and nonobstructive coronary arteries (INOCA).

The team enrolled over 100 adults, the majority of them women, with stable ischemic heart disease who underwent invasive coronary angiography. They excluded patients with significant blockages in their major coronary arteries. During the procedure, the angiograms were carefully examined for signs affecting the smallest blood vessels. Additionally, all participants underwent coronary function testing using advanced techniques to measure coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR), two key indicators of microvascular function.

The study found that visual estimates of coronary slow flow were not associated with abnormal CFR, abnormal IMR, or a diagnosis of coronary microvascular dysfunction as determined by invasive wire-based testing. This leads to the conclusion that invasive wire-based tests to diagnose heart disease affecting the smallest blood vessels in women cannot be replaced by more easily obtained visual estimates.

"The study highlights the importance of utilizing advanced diagnostic tools to better care for patients with ischemic heart disease," said Dr. Smilowitz.

Poster Presentation: Getting to the Heart of the ProblemChallenges with Diagnosing Heart Failure from the Electronic Health Record

Sunday, April 7, 3:15PM

Amrita Mukhopadhyay, MD, the Eugene Braunwald, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology; Sharon Klein, MD, an internal medicine resident; and colleagues looked into why it may be challenging for physicians to identify which patients have heart failure from the electronic health record (EHR). The team found that difficulties were broadly related to two areas: challenges in relying on imperfect definitions of heart failure, including vague symptoms and reversible cardiac conditions; and challenges using EHR data, such as accessing data from other institutions and finding scattered information within the system.

"This highlights the inherent limitations in relying on heart failure identification from the EHR, emphasizing the need for substantial improvements in data capture and quality for quality improvement and research initiatives in this area," said Dr. Klein.

Harmony Reynolds, MD, Presented with the Bernadine Healy Leadership in Women's CV Disease Award

The Bernadine Healy Leadership in Women's CV Disease Award was created in honor of the work and memory of Bernadine Healy, MD, the first woman to direct the National Institutes of Health and the first physician to lead the American Red Cross. Dr. Reynolds received the award for her outstanding contributions to research and care related to heart disease syndromes that primarily affect women. Her research is focused on understanding what makes heart attacks in women unique and the best methods of detection and treatment.

"It is humbling to receive an award named for Dr. Healy, who has played such a transformative role in women's health research, and who happens to be the mentor to my mentor, Dr. Judith S. Hochman," said Dr. Reynolds. "When I think of the work the ACC has so generously recognized with this award, I want most of all to thank my patients. Thank you for sharing your stories and showing me what I need to study and why it matters. There is so much more for us to do, and I look forward to continuing to work together to improve the lives of women."

Media Inquiries

Katie Ullman

Phone: 646-483-3984

[email protected]

SOURCE NYU Langone Health
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Miller Family Wine Company (MFWC), owned by one of California's premier winegrowing families, is pleased to announce its national partnership with Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), effective April 2, 2024.

MFWC is known for its prestigious Bien Nacido Estates and acclaimed national branded wine labels, Butternut, J. Wilkes, Pandemonium, optik, Ballard Lane, Smashberry, Barrel Burner, Volunteer, Hand on Heart and Reciprocity wines. Through this strategic partnership, MFWC is set to broaden its distribution network to 27 states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

"We're thrilled to embark on this new journey with RNDC," says Crystal McIntyre, National Sales Manager. "This partnership is not just a strategic alliance; it's a collaboration with a like-minded business who shares our vision for growth, excellence, and an expanded portfolio that will open new doors to wine lovers across the country."

Adds Nicholas Miller, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, "Our family company's success has centered around a legacy of sustainability, family and quality, along with an overall commitment to finding new ways to grow and improve. Joining forces with RNDC marks a new chapter for MFWC, creating more opportunities to expand consumer awareness of our award-winning brands."

"With our shared commitment to family and sustainability we are excited to join forces nationally with Miller Family Wine Company," said Dave Lane, Chief Supplier Excellence and Growth Officer. "Together, we look forward to sharing their growing portfolio with enthusiasts nationwide."

Miller Family Wine Company

Miller Family Wine Company is a division of the Thornhill Companies  the industry-leading umbrella brand of one of California's premier winegrowing families, the Miller Family, who have been farming California's Central Coast for five generations. Miller Family Wine Company includes the prestigious Bien Nacido Estates and acclaimed national branded wine labels such as Butternut, J. Wilkes, Pandemonium, optik, Ballard Lane, Smashberry, Barrel Burner, Volunteer, Hand on Heart (non-alcoholic wines) and Reciprocity organically grown wines, in addition to control label brands for prominent retailers across the U.S. and the French Camp vineyard in Paso Robles. For more information on Miller Family Wine Company, please visit www.millerfamilywinecompany.com.

About Republic National Distributing Company

As a top beverage alcohol distributor in the nation, RNDC's national reach helps suppliers by building strategic relationships with on- and off-premise customers to elevate their brands and reach their target consumers. RNDC currently operates in the District of Columbia and 39 states across the United States. To learn more, visit www.rndc-usa.com or contact Kanchan Kinkade, Vice President, Corporate Communications at [email protected].

SOURCE Miller Family Wine Company
Medicare's "In the Home" Policy for Coverage of Mobility Assistive Equipment Limits Employment and Community Access for People with Disabilities

MANCHESTER, N.H., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- New Hampshire based organizations Mobius Mobility and ABLE NH are partnering together to urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") to update a harmful and outdated coverage policy. Disability advocacy group ABLE NH and iBOT power wheelchair manufacturer Mobius Mobility call upon CMS to review its "in the home" limitation for coverage of mobility assistive equipment (MAE).

The iBOT Personal Mobility Device by Mobius Mobility: with six modes to meet different occasions, in an iBOT a user can climb curbs and stairs, balance on two wheels, and travel through rough terrain like sand and snow to provide a truly unique experience in mobility.

Twenty years ago, CMS decided that coverage of MAE is reasonable and necessary only for activities of daily living occurring inside the home, such as "toileting, feeding, dressing, grooming, and bathing." This CMS regulation has caused coverage denials for people who use wheelchairs as their only means of mobility. This regulation has negatively affected psychological health (i.e., loneliness and social isolation) and resulted in secondary health conditions, as well as lack of fair access to preventive health services, employment, and participation in everyday community life.

In addition, CMS's "in the home" limitation stifles important innovation in mobility technology. MAE developers cannot afford to innovate when Medicare will only reimburse for the basic mobility needed to navigate inside the confines of a home. The lack of new technology and innovative products in the wheelchair industry is clear evidence of the negative impact of CMS's outdated policy. This affects Medicare beneficiaries and privately insured individuals alike.

Mobius Mobility is both a manufacturer of innovative MAE and a Participating Provider with Medicare for the iBOT. The iBOT features six different operating modes and allows users to climb curbs, traverse sand, snow, and other rough terrain, and even climb stairs. As the only mobility device available in the United States with all these capabilities, the iBOT is a game changer in overcoming issues that most wheelchairs and insurers fail to address  equal access and opportunity for all.

The January approval of Mobius Mobility's ability to bill Medicare for some iBOT elements helps improve the affordability of the device. However, the "in the home" requirement from CMS must change to drive optimal health outcomes and allow for further coverage of the iBOT and other modern mobility technologies on the market.

"The technology that we all use in our lives today has grown leaps and bounds from what we used 20 years ago," Jill Kolczynski, Director of Reimbursement and Product Management for Mobius Mobility said. "Unfortunately, Medicare's 'in the home' rule restricts coverage based on an outdated view of people with disabilities. CMS's overly restrictive position affects not only Medicare beneficiaries, but most in the private insurance market as well. As a result, innovative mobility technologies like the iBOT are rare and will continue to be until there is a clear path forward for reasonable reimbursement for these products."

ABLE NH, a disability justice organization serving New Hampshire, stands together with Mobius Mobility on this effort for CMS to reevaluate its coverage policy. "Full participation in one's community does not start or stop with activities of daily living inside the home," Sarah Tollefsen, Executive Director of ABLE NH, said in a statement. "Full participation requires access to the right equipment, so that people with disabilities can ensure health equity through access to medical care, financial equity in meaningful employment and education, and social equity with recreation and volunteerism."

With their outdated policies, CMS has failed to align its programs with the landmark of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which guarantees the rights of people with disabilities to live in the community. "While this bureaucratic status quo has persisted for far too long, Mobius Mobility and ABLE NH continue to push for meaningful progress," Lucas Merrow, CEO of Mobius Mobility said. "Now it's time for CMS to do their part, and they have the ability to do so."

If you are interested in more information about how the iBOT helps wheelchair users access their communities, or to schedule an interview with Mobius Mobility's CEO, contact Mobius Mobility by emailing [email protected], or calling 1-833-346-4268 ext. 6860. Visit www.mobiusmobility.com.

Mobius Mobility delivers the iBOT PMD to provide people with disabilities greater access to the world around them. Since 2019, Mobius Mobility has manufactured the iBOT PMD in Manchester, New Hampshire USA. The iBOT PMD has been cleared by the FDA for sale in the USA, and is CE marked for availability in Europe via our distribution partner 2KERR, with expansion to other international regions underway.

Boldly challenging broken systems, ABLE NH delivers justice and protects human rights for people impacted by disability who face barriers to education, employment, healthcare and civic engagement. Standing for Advocates Building Lasting Equality in NH, ABLE NH advocates for the civil and human rights of children and adults with disabilities. The organization promotes full participation by: improving systems, connecting families, inspiring communities, and influencing public policy.

SOURCE Mobius Mobility
Hosted by the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) at Congress & Expo, Oak Creek Homes emerged victorious in the Small Volume Manufacturer of the Year  Three Plants or Less, Manufactured Home Design- Multi-section, and Manufactured Home Design  Single-section categories. This recognition underscores OCH's unwavering dedication to excellence and innovation.

Standing out among 86 contenders across 17 categories, Oak Creek Homes showcased exceptional products, service, creative solutions, and state-of-the-art homes tailored to today's buyers. Dwayne Teeter, COO, expressed gratitude for the recognition, stating, "We are honored to receive these awards, which validate our dedication to crafting homes that exceed expectations in construction, quality, design, and durability."

Small Volume Manufacturer of the Year  Three Plants or Less

Founded in 1971 by CEO Buck Teeter, Oak Creek Homes offers a diverse range of high-quality factory-built homes and commercial structures. OCH operates two ENERGY STAR certified manufacturing facilities in North Texas. Oak Creek Homes of Ft. Worth, operating since 1993, has built over 27,500 homes and undergone a recent $2 million expansion, increasing weekly production to 35 floors. It is the only factory in Texas licensed to build multiple types of residential and commercial structures, including park model tiny homes. Oak Creek Homes of Lancaster, operational since 1992, is one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the U.S., specializing in HUD homes and commercial units. Oak Creek homes are known for their durability, withstanding tornadoes and hurricanes. Hear customer stories.

Manufactured Home Design  Multi-section The Swan L52EP8

The Swan, built at Oak Creek's Fort Worth Plant, is the largest multi-section home in the Smart Cottage Series. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1292 square foot multi-section home is long, slender, and elegant, just as its name implies. Enjoy the view from any room in the house, as well as from the standard 8-foot front porch! There are tower dormer window bump-outs in both the Living Room and Primary Bedroom, providing more living space. The Primary bath features a spa-like retreat with a huge walk-in tile shower. Like all Oak Creek homes, The Swan is builtstrong, heavy, and ready for any weather.

The Swan L52EP8 can be built as a manufactured or modular home and can even be placed on piers for coastal applications, making it versatile! The Swan can fit anywhere  in the city, country, a community, or along the lake or beach! See pictures, the floorplan, and take a virtual tour here:

The Swan is a popular choice for those seeking an affordable, quality-built home without breaking the bank. Its unique exterior design is a showstopper and blends effortlessly with streets lined with million-dollar homes. The Swan comes with a variety of decor choices and customizable options.

Manufactured Home Design  Single-section  The Crane J68EP8

Introducing Oak Creek Homes' largest single-section Smart Cottage, fittingly named The Crane, built at Oak Creek's Fort Worth Plant. The Crane J68EP8 has truly elevated the concept of "Affordable Luxury" to new heights. Not many manufactured home builders can construct a quality home sturdy and heavy enough to be lifted into the air by a crane and securely positioned on beams. Hence, the name "Crane".

The 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom Smart Cottage, spanning 1190 square feet, was originally built for a community near Denton, in North Texas. Its contemporary design was a collaborative effort between Dave Zulejkic of First Step Homes and Oak Creek Homes, tailored to seamlessly integrate this manufactured home into a 2-story structure with a garage and storage space below, adding an additional 1190 square feet of functional area. The Estancia Toro Perezoso community was highly impressed with the design and incorporated over 100 Smart Cottage: Cranes into their upscale development. Presently, approximately a dozen homes have been installed and are available for purchase, with construction in progress for several more.

The Crane offers comfort and convenience with its 8-foot covered front porch and luxurious interior features, including tall banks of windows, a full-size kitchen with an optional island and 6-cabinet pantry, and a spa-inspired primary ensuite with double sinks and a walk-in tile shower. Take the virtual tour of this community's Crane model: https://oakcreek.online/Toro-Crane.

The floorplan has proven to be immensely popular and is now available as a single story setup at our 19 Oak Creek home retail centers across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Explore every room of the Crane and take a video tour here:

Summary

In conclusion, Oak Creek Homes' triple win at the 2024 Excellence in Manufactured Housing Awards underscores the company's unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. With over five decades of experience and a legacy of quality craftsmanship and forward-thinking design, Oak Creek Homes continues to set the standard for excellence in the manufactured housing industry. Explore their range of manufactured and modular homes at www.OakCreekHomes.com.

About Oak Creek Homes

Oak Creek Homes is part of the vertically integrated American Homestar Corporation. Explore the company's rich history here.

Contact Us

If you have questions or would like more information about starting a partnership with Oak Creek Homes in your community, development, or RV Park, please feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to talk with you to see how we could best fit your community's needs.

Media Contact:

Enica Jordan, Director of Marketing

(888) 396-3901

[email protected]

SOURCE Oak Creek Homes
OSLO, Norway, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Photocure ASA (OSE: PHO), The Bladder Cancer Company, announces that President and Chief Executive Officer, Dan Schneider will present a corporate overview and host 1-on-1 meetings with investors at the 23rd Annual Needham Healthcare Conference being held virtually April 8-11, 2024.

Presentation Details:

Date: April 11, 2024

Time: 10:15am ET (4:15pm CET)

Webcast Link: https://wsw.com/webcast/needham117/pho.ol/2531984

About the Needham Healthcare Conference

The 23rd Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference will feature leading public and private companies in the Biotechnology, Specialty Pharmaceuticals, Medical Technology, and Diagnostics sectors.

About Photocure ASA

Photocure: The Bladder Cancer Company delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. Our unique technology, making cancer cells glow bright pink, has led to better health outcomes for patients worldwide. Photocure is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). For more information, please visit us at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com

For further information, please contact:

Dan Schneider

President and CEO

Photocure ASA

Email: [email protected]

Erik Dahl

CFO

Photocure ASA

Tel: +4745055000

Email: [email protected]

David Moskowitz

Vice President, Investor Relations

Photocure ASA

Tel: +1 202 280 0888

Email: [email protected]

Media and IR enquiries:

Geir Bjrlo

Corporate Communications (Norway)

Tel: +47 91540000

Email: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/photocure/r/photocure-to-participate-in-the-23-rd--annual-needham-virtual-healthcare-conference,c3956899

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Photocure
NEW YORK, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of JBS S.A. (OTC: JBSAY) resulting from allegations that JBS may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased JBS securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=22976 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On February 28, 2024, Reuters published an article entitled "New York sues meatpacking giant JBS over climate claims." The article stated, in pertinent part, that "JBS, the world's largest beef producer, was sued on Wednesday by New York state's attorney general, which accused it of misleading the public about its impact on the environment in order to boost sales. Attorney General Letitia James said JBS USA Food Co, the Brazilian company's American-based unit, has "no viable plan" to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, making its stated commitment to achieving that goal false and misleading."

On this news, JBS' American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") fell $0.22 per ADR, or 2.4%, to close at $9.02 per ADR on February 28, 2024.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
Kimberly Keen Joins the North County Office in San Diego to Focus Exclusively on Family Law

SAN DIEGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Moore, Schulman & Moore, APC is excited to announce that Kimberly Keen is joining San Diego's Family Law experts. "Kimberly is a great addition to our team. Not only does her experience make her a great asset for our firm but the way she connects with clients and provides personalized service makes her a great asset for the people who trust us with their family law needs," says Moore, Schulman & Moore Founding Partner, David Schulman.

Kimberly Keen - Super Lawyers 2024 Rising Star Recipient

Kimberly's legal prowess and professional achievement are recognized by Super Lawyers 2024 with its Rising Stars award. Less than 3% of attorneys receive this peer nominated distinction.

"Working at Moore, Schulman & Moore gives me the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best attorneys in the business and have a supportive environment where I can do my best work," explains Keen.

Kimberly employs a results-oriented and pragmatic approach to her cases, to limit the emotional and financial costs of protracted litigation. Kimberly prioritizes settlement but understands that litigation can be necessary, and welcomes the opportunity to utilize her litigation skillset in the courtroom. She has experience working with high-asset and high-conflict cases in all areas of family law, including prenuptial agreements, paternity, dissolution litigation, post-judgment modifications, and contempt proceedings.

Kimberly earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of law. Her academic and leadership skills were apparent from the start of here academic career, landing her the Dean and Professor of Law Donald Weckstein Scholarship and the University of San Diego Student Leader Scholarship. With her strong academic performance Kimberly could have practiced any type of law she wanted, but family law gave her something no other practice area could. "With family law I actually get to know the people I am helping. It is extremely gratifying to empower people to resolve challenging issues in the most stressful times of their lives. That personal connection inspires me even more to get the best possible results for my clients," says Kimberly.

The San Diego native makes giving back to the community a priority. From helping victims of domestic abuse get restraining orders at the North County Family Justice Center to putting together legal presentations for the San Diego Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, Kimberly gives her time to help those who can't afford their own attorney. "Kimberly embodies everything we want in an attorney on our team. She is committed to her community, her clients and her craft," says Moore, Schulman & Moore Founding Partner, Erik Moore.

About Moore, Schulman & Moore, APC.

Moore, Schulman & Moore, APC provides trusted legal guidance for people going through a divorce and other family law matters. Their award-winning San Diego divorce lawyers have generations of experience and Board-certified attorneys ready to guide you through whatever issues you are facing. They are equipped to take on any divorce while providing efficient and cost-effective family law solutions for family-related legal issues. Moore, Schulman & Moore, APC is distinguished as a Top Tier 1 firm by U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Firms for 2023 and Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating: AV Preeminent. Learn more at http://www.msmfamilylaw.com.

Contact: Lynn Stuart

[email protected]

(858) 243-6988

SOURCE Moore, Schulman & Moore, APC
Hiring up, unemployment down and employers step up the search for new tech talent

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Employers accelerated their hiring of technology workers and expanded their search for new tech talent in March, according to analysis by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.

Technology companies added an estimated 6,000 workers last month, CompTIA's analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data reveals.1 Job growth was led by new hiring in technology services, software development, cloud infrastructure and related positions.

"With all key tech employment tracking metrics in the positive for the month, it's a welcome return to stability." Post this

Technology occupations throughout the economy increased by 203,000 for the month.2 That pushed the unemployment rate for tech occupations back down to 3%.

Employers also added 191,000 new job postings for tech positions, an increase of 8,000 from the previous month and the highest volume since August 2023. In total, there were an estimated 438,000 active tech job postings in March.3

"With all four key tracking metrics in the positive for the month, it's a welcome return to stability in the tech employment data," said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA.

Opportunities to work in tech are present across the map. New York, Washington, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco had the highest volumes of job postings in March. Other metropolitan markets saw notable month-over-month increases, including Lansing (MI), Providence (RI), Hartford (CT), Raleigh (NC), Kansas Coty (MO) and Boise (ID).

By occupation category, software developers and IT support specialists saw the largest increases in openings from February to March.

The job posting data also affirms that there are a variety of paths to a job in technology. CompTIA's report shows that 46% of all tech jobs postings in March did not specify that candidates have a four-year degree. Percentages were higher in certain job categories, such as IT support specialists (78%), network support specialists (66%) and web UI/UX designers (62%).

Jobs in artificial intelligence (AI) or for occupations that require AI skills accounted for 41% of March postings in the emerging technologies sub-category.

The "CompTIA Tech Jobs Report" is available at https://www.comptia.org/content/tech-jobs-report .

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world's leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech. https://www.comptia.org/

Media Contact

Steven Ostrowski

CompTIA

[email protected]

630.678.8468

1 Labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job posting data from Lightcast may be subject to backward revisions.

2 Monthly occupation level data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tends to experience higher levels of variance and volatility.

3 Active job postings include open postings carried over from previous months and new postings added by employers.

SOURCE CompTIA
LINCOLN, Neb., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1890 Initiative, LLC ("1890"), a leading name, image, and likeness ("NIL") collective dedicated to helping student-athletes in Nebraska, announces the Big Red Rally in collaboration with News Channel Nebraska (NCN), the state's premier in-state television and radio network.

Husker fans and anyone in the community are invited to tune in to the Big Red Rally, a fundraising event for 1890 on Friday, April 19th, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. This event offers a unique opportunity for viewers and listeners to enjoy exclusive Husker experiences and lend support to Husker student-athletes.

"Excitement is revving up for the Big Red Rally, and we think everyone who supports Husker student-athletes will appreciate this event," said 1890 President Matt Davison. "We're pleased to be working with Nebraska News Channel to extend access to this event to communities across the state."

"At NCN, we are deeply invested in the well-being and success of our local communities," said NCN CEO Andy Ruback. "Collaborating with 1890 for the Big Red Rally allows us to leverage our extensive media reach to support and celebrate Husker sports, reflecting our commitment to Nebraska's heritage and future."

The Big Red Rally will stream live via several NCN outlets, and interviews will be posted on NCN's Facebook page. Visit www.newschannelnebraska.com for online access on rally day, or tune in to one of these Nebraska FM radio stations: Ol' Red (99.5) in Fairbury, ESPN (104.1) in Hastings, KIMB (104.3) in Kimball, B103 (103.1) in Nebraska City, 94Rock (94.7) in Norfolk, and The Big Boy (98.7) in Sidney.

Anyone seeking to support Nebraska student-athletes are encouraged to visit www.1890nebraska.com and click the big red Contribute Now button or text NEBNIL to 801801.

Information and updates are also available on all 1890 social media channels:

About 1890 Initiative

1890 Initiative, LLC, was founded to provide Nebraska student-athletes opportunities to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness (NIL) while positively impacting the Nebraska community. 1890 is dedicated to assisting Nebraska student athletes in getting the most benefit from NIL.

Contact 1890

1125 Q Street, Suite 401

Lincoln, NE 68508

1890Nebraska.com/Contact-Us

About Flood Communications

One of the largest news operations in Nebraska, Flood Communications delivers hyper-local news and high-quality programming to radio, TV and digital audiences across the state, reaching more than 500,000 homes and 500,000 social media followers. Its stations include: News Channel Nebraska, Telemundo Nebraska and eighteen radio stations. News Channel Nebraska is the only in-state, independent television network of its kind in America. Telemundo Nebraska is the state's first network affiliate to deliver live, local Spanish news to Nebraska's nearly 300,000 Hispanic residents. Flood Communications connects communities across the state by covering important events, supporting worthy causes and continuing to look ahead, envisioning the future of communications. To learn more, visit www.FloodComm.com.

SOURCE 1890 Initiative
Scores of Businesses and Workers Losing Money In The Wake of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

BALTIMORE, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, six lives have been presumed to be lost and economic distress has deeply impacted the Baltimore community. In response to this devastating event, The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler are ready to help those affected by the widespread hardship resulting from this catastrophe.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge has not only led to the loss of lives but has also caused significant economic strain on shoremen, dock workers, and numerous businesses at the port. Attorney Steven Heisler recognizes the urgent need for legal support for those affected by this tragedy and is committed to seeking justice on their behalf. He represents companies that do business at the port and those that are an integral part of the maritime waterfront.

Attorney Steven Heisler, along with experienced admiralty maritime law co-counsel, is prepared to fight for the rights of victims and their families. Steven's co-counsel represented local and state governments and businesses against the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, recovering hundreds of billions of dollars.

"We understand the profound impact that the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge has had on the Baltimore community," said Steven Heisler. "Our firm is here to provide support and legal guidance to those who have been affected, whether they are impacted dock workers, damaged businesses at the port or companies that do business along the waterfront."

If you or someone you know has been impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, including businesses located at or near the Port of Baltimore, dock workers, bridge workers or longshoremen/teamsters, please contact The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler immediately at (410) 625-4878 or online. The firm is prepared to fight for the compensation and justice that victims deserve.

About The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler

Based in Baltimore, our law offices proudly serve all citizens of Maryland, with a particular affinity for Baltimoreans. As residents ourselves, we are deeply invested in the city's well-being. Led by experienced injury lawyer, Steven Heisler, we are tireless advocates for our clients. Steve is a former golden gloves boxer and union organizer for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local #7. A business owner himself, Steve understands how an environmental disaster can cripple a business. Deeply invested in Baltimore, The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler feel it is their duty to represent and fight for those impacted by the devastation of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. We will pursue compensation and justice for individuals and businesses harmed by the collapse.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler
DENVER, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Luxe Room , a leading Colorado med spa and aesthetics company, has clinched the #1 spot on Inc. Magazine's 2024 Regionals: Rocky Mountain Fastest-Growing Private Companies list, showcasing a remarkable 2,800% revenue growth over two years. This achievement highlights the med spa's commitment to quality, exceptional patient outcomes, and innovative services in the highly competitive aesthetics industry, along with its significant contribution to the economic growth in the Rocky Mountain region.

Brad Mathers and Danielle Mathers, founders of The Luxe Room.

In an unprecedented display of growth and innovation, The Luxe Room has clinched the #1 spot on Inc. Magazine's esteemed Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain list for 2024. This accolade celebrates the most significant achievers among private companies in the vibrant economies of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. The Luxe Room's remarkable 2,800% revenue increase over two years sets a new benchmark for success in the region.

Brad Mathers, Co-CEO, expressed, "This exciting accolade honors our extraordinary team, who embody our core ethos of prioritizing customer satisfaction above all else. Their professionalism and unwavering dedication to providing exceptional client outcomes are the true driving forces behind our growth, and the significant impact we've been able to make in a highly-competitive industry."

Danielle Mathers, Co-CEO of The Luxe Room, complemented this sentiment, stating, "Our leadership in the Rocky Mountain region is a testament to our team's exceptional commitment to clinical excellence and transformative patient outcomes. Every achievement we celebrate is directly linked to our team's unwavering commitment to not only uphold but also enhance the quality of care we deliver. Our deep appreciation goes out to them for their continuous drive towards excellence, guaranteeing that our patients experience unparalleled care."

For an in-depth look at The Luxe Room and the complete list, visit https://www.inc.com/regionals/rocky-mountain

The Luxe Room, a leading Med Spa based in Colorado with locations in Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins, is at the forefront of the aesthetics industry. Known for its exceptional injectable treatments that deliver stunning, natural results, The Luxe Room employs a team of top-tier RN/NP/DNP nurse injectors and licensed medical estheticians. These professionals excel in using innovative and proprietary techniques to enhance clients' natural beauty. With a comprehensive suite of services, including injectables and laser treatments, The Luxe Room is renowned for its commitment to achieving the beautiful, natural-looking results that clients seek.

SOURCE The Luxe Room
The Tradeshow included exclusive experiences and brought together more than 500 international partners

MIAMI, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic made its triumphant return to Miami, FL this week with its DR Tourism Tradeshow. The event, which took place on April 3 at the JW Marriott Marquis, showcased the undeniable charm of the Dominican Republic and its adventure offerings, further establishing its position as a premier tourist destination.

This year, the Dominican Republic Tourism Tradeshow welcomed over 500 travel agents from North America and Latin America, as well as over 70 co-exhibitors, including Puntacana Resort & Club, Casa De Campo, Cap Cana, Marriott, Sky High Dominicana, Hodelpa Hotels & Resorts, Karisma Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Inclusive Collection, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, Banco Popular Dominicano, Banreservas, Majestic Resorts, and Runners Adventures, among others.

The American market represents 85 out of every 100 airline arrivals to the Dominican Republic and has been instrumental in post-pandemic growth. Attendees hailed from Canada, the United States, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and Mexico. The event facilitated over 1000 business meetings, resulting in the signing of 41 agreements between airlines and tour operators.

In its second edition, the Dominican Republic Tradeshow, organized by the Ministry of Tourism, served as a platform to promote tourism, conduct business, and elevate the country's profile among industry leaders and a diverse audience of travelers. The event kicked off with the traditional Roadshow, where the Minister of Tourism shared detailed information about the country's history, growing tourism landscape, and various attractions. Additionally, attendees enjoyed an immersive experience of the Dominican Republic featuring artistic and gastronomic activations while participating in training sessions, tastings, and agreement signings.

"We are proud to have showcased the Dominican Republic's truly unique culture, landscapes, and hospitality at our second edition Tradeshow in Miami, connecting with our international partners who play a vital role in curating exceptional experiences for our tourists. Through fruitful collaborations, both local and international, we've laid the groundwork for initiatives that aim to attract more visitors and boost spending on unforgettable experiences," said David Collado, Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic. "We have seen an incredible response from attendees, and we are eager to continue building on these opportunities, ensuring that our country remains a top destination for travelers worldwide."

Among the international partners who attended were Expedia, Hopper, Air Canada, Westjet, Transat Tours Canada Inc, Northstar Travel Group, Cruise Planner, Travel Planners Intl, Travel + Leisure, PGA Tour Media, Voyages En Direct, Trip Voyage / Trip Central, Travel Brands Canada, Viajes El Corte Ingles Latam, Rcd Hoteles, Despegar.com, Destination Weddings, Virtuoso, Jetblue, etc.

For more information about Tourism in the Dominican Republic, visit https://www.godominicanrepublic.com/.

Media Contact:

5W Public Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic
TOKYO, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TIER IV , a pioneer in open-source software for autonomous driving (AD), Autoware *, is excited to announce the launch of the TIER IV Autoware Partner Program. This new initiative aims to equip partners engaged in autonomous driving with essential training to effectively utilize Autoware, culminating in official certification. Certified partners can benefit from business collaboration opportunities in TIER IV's projects as well as expedite their own ventures leveraging TIER IV's solutions.

Companies worldwide are tackling challenges such as driver shortages and accident reduction with autonomous driving. TIER IV, championing an open-source approach, collaborates with global partners through the Autoware Foundation to promote the rollout of autonomous driving.

While Autoware is accessible to all, developing safe and reliable AD systems requires specialized skills to customize solutions that meet the needs of different vehicles and applications. A significant challenge lies in the scarcity of personnel skilled in these areas of expertise.

The TIER IV Autoware Partner Program directly addresses this gap by providing training in the design, deployment and assessment of AD systems with Autoware. Upon completing the training, participants will be certified as TIER IV Autoware Partners, enabling them to get involved in TIER IV-led projects or expand their own businesses with enhanced support from TIER IV.

"The TIER IV Autoware Partner Program is rooted in TIER IV's vision to reimagine intelligent vehicles, and we believe it is a vital catalyst for creating a sustainable ecosystem where everyone can contribute to propelling AD systems," stated Shinpei Kato, founder, CEO and CTO of TIER IV. "We are committed to fostering technical capabilities within our partner companies, aiming to accelerate the rollout of autonomous driving."

Comments from partners

"This Program will play a crucial role in further expanding the Autoware ecosystem," said Yang Zhang, founding board director of the Autoware Foundation. "We are witnessing a rapid increase in the adoption of Autoware open-source initiatives. We expect similar developments by global partners leveraging Autoware-based autonomous driving systems. They will undoubtedly benefit from the TIER IV Autoware Partner Program."

"TIER IV's autonomous driving technology powered by Autoware is anticipated to play a pivotal role in the future of autonomous driving, and we think this new program is a great initiative," said Tsuyoshi Ishima, sales director of Smart Robotics . "Through this program, we are committed to nurturing our engineering talent and advancing our technical expertise. We will also accelerate our efforts in hardware development to harness the full potential of Autoware."

"We are partnering with TIER IV to develop adaptive autonomous driving AI," said Takuya Fukatsu, CEO of Proxima Technology. "We believe the extensive support provided through this program is very beneficial for partners like us, fortifying and deepening our collaborative efforts with TIER IV."

"FUJISOFT is dedicated to making broad contributions to advanced technology in the field of automobiles, actively supporting the evolution of mobility," said Junichi Isogimi, director of ASI business department, operating officer of FUJISOFT . "Our collaboration with TIER IV is geared towards accelerating the rollout of autonomous driving through the widespread adoption of TIER IV's cutting-edge solutions. Through collaboration, co-creation, and mutual prosperity with TIER IV, we look forward to creating new dimensions of value and making meaningful contributions to society."

"At 4th.ai, we are committed to realizing a world where everything and everyone can seamlessly travel anywhere. Central to achieving this vision is the widespread adoption and continual evolution of Autoware," said Motoyuki Suzuki, CEO of 4th.ai . "Through the TIER IV Autoware Partner Program initiative, a group of companies striving for the rollout of autonomous driving can contribute to accelerating the adoption and evolution of Autoware. We believe that this collective momentum will propel us toward a future where fully autonomous driving transforms our society, enabling limitless possibilities for seamless mobility."

"Hitachi Industrial & Control Solutions is adopting Autoware technologies as a member of the Autoware Foundation," said Masaki Endo, general manager, connective engineering group, Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions . "By combining our expertise in technology development for CASE, functional safety and security with Autoware technologies, our goal is to advance the adoption of safe and secure autonomous driving services. Through the TIER IV Autoware Partner Program, we are confident that autonomous driving developers can swiftly acquire technological capabilities on par with TIER IV Autoware Partner Program, speeding up the development of autonomous driving systems."

Through this initiative, TIER IV reinforces its commitment to driving the future of autonomous mobility, offering partners the tools and support necessary to lead the industry forward.

*Autoware is a registered trademark of The Autoware Foundation.

About TIER IV

TIER IV , the pioneering force behind the world's first open-source software for autonomous driving Autoware , offers a range of advanced AD products and solutions, encompassing both software and hardware across multiple platforms. The company is steering the development of safe and efficient autonomous driving technology, aiming to reimagine intelligent vehicles through the art of open source. A founding member of the Autoware Foundation , TIER IV conducts cutting-edge research and development in collaboration with partners worldwide, harnessing Autoware to accelerate the rollout of autonomous vehicles that will benefit society as a whole.

Media Contact

[email protected]

Business Inquires

[email protected]

SOURCE TIER IV, Inc.
The stamp was dedicated by Amber McReynolds, vice chair of the Postal Service's Board of Governors. Also attending were Susan Ford Bales, Betty Ford's daughter; Marty Massiello, CEO of Eisenhower Health; Dr. Joseph Lee, president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation; and Tessa Voss, also of the foundation.

"It is fitting for the Postal Service to honor Mrs. Ford this way, because she was an outspoken and enthusiastic supporter of women's rights and aspirations. Our organization has a proud record of providing opportunities for women throughout its history," said McReynolds. "The first female postmaster, Mary Katharine Goddard, took office in Baltimore all the way back in 1775, and today, more than half of all postmasters are women."

"With this magnificent stamp, the Postal Service and the American people pay tribute to a woman of extraordinary courage and candor, to a transformative first lady, and to a devoted wife," said Bales. "In so doing they honor a woman that, today and in my every tomorrow, I am so proud to call Mom."

"There are times when courageous people stand up and change the conversation for America. Betty Ford did that for both breast cancer and addiction  replacing shame and isolation with dignity, community and equitable care," Lee said. "Thanks to her, millions of people in this country felt seen for the very first time. And that is why Betty Ford is a national treasure, and why all of us feel inspired for a lifetime to carry her charge."

Ford was born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer on April 8, 1918, in Chicago. At the age of 2, she moved with her family to Grand Rapids, MI, where she spent her childhood. Young Betty began dancing at the age of 8 and excelled, moving to New York City to study under the legendary Martha Graham and joining her troupe to perform at Carnegie Hall. She returned to Grand Rapids and married William C. Warren in 1942, divorcing him in 1947.

A couple of months after her divorce, she began dating a local lawyer, Gerald R. Ford. They married on Oct. 15, 1948, while he was running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Three weeks later, he won, and the couple would spend the next 28 years in Washington, DC. They welcomed four children from 1950 to 1957.

Gerald Ford rose to the role of House minority leader in 1965. On Oct. 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned, and two days later, Ford was nominated to replace him, assuming the office on Dec. 6. As the Watergate scandal deepened, President Richard Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, making Gerald Ford the first U.S. president who had never been elected president or vice president.

The self-assured new first lady quickly ingratiated herself to the American public through interviews displaying her humor and characteristic frankness about controversial issues.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Ford underwent a mastectomy on Sept. 28, 1974. While the medical issues of previous first ladies weren't always disclosed, Ford chose to share the story of her operation for the once-taboo medical condition. The awareness she brought caused a spike of self-examinations leading to a rise in reported cases that became known as the "Betty Ford blip."

Ford fought openly for women's rights, often conflicting with the stances of her husband's Republican Party. She campaigned tirelessly for the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have mandated constitutional equality for all Americans, regardless of gender. The first lady wrote letters, called senators and representatives, and traveled across the country to lobby for the amendment's passage. She persuaded her husband to appoint more women to his administration than any previous president and lobbied him to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court or as his running mate. "I do not believe that being first lady should prevent me from expressing my views," she said.

Ford began taking prescription pain pills for a pinched nerve in her neck in 1964 and, over time, developed a substance use disorder that involved misuse of her medication as well as alcohol. In 1978, she entered the Naval Regional Medical Hospital in Long Beach, CA, for treatment. As with her breast cancer, she publicly acknowledged her illness, putting a face to the disease and forever changing the American public's perception of the issue.

In 1982, Ford and Leonard Firestone, a former ambassador and family friend, established the Betty Ford Center substance use disorder treatment center, which is now part of the nonprofit Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. She agreed to lend her name to the center, hoping to destigmatize substance use disorder treatment at a time when it wasn't spoken about openly  especially by women  and options for treatment were scarce. Ford served as chair of the board of directors and was frequently seen at the center.

Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using a detail from the official 1977 White House portrait by Felix de Cossio. The oil-on-canvas portrait, which is part of the White House collection, courtesy of The White House Historical Association, shows Mrs. Ford seated, wearing a pale blue chiffon dress. "Betty Ford" is written in white across the bottom of the stamp, with the word "Forever" positioned at the upper-left side.

The Betty Ford stamp is being issued in panes of 20 and is a Forever stamp, meaning it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1ounce price. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #BettyFordStamp.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter; Instagram; Pinterest; Threads and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

National contact: Martha Johnson

[email protected]

Local contact: Natashi Garvins

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
The space start-up is expanding the economic potential of low-Earth orbit by building infrastructure to support manufacturing in microgravity

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Varda Space Industries, Inc., the world's first in-space manufacturing and hypersonic Earth re-entry logistics company, today announced the completion of a $90 million Series B funding round, led by Caffeinated Capital, with participation from Lux Capital, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and Khosla Ventures. Varda has raised $145 million to date.

Since opening its office doors in 2021, Varda has successfully launched and reentered its first hypersonic reentry capsule, the W-1, which was the first ever commercial spacecraft to land on U.S. soil when it returned in February. The capsule's payload included an experiment to reformulate Ritonavir, a well-known antiretroviral drug primarily used to treat HIV.

By processing pharmaceuticals and other materials in microgravity, the near-weightless conditions found in low-Earth orbit, Varda offers a unique environment not available through terrestrial pharmaceutical processing. In addition, Varda's cost-effective, end-to-end orbit and reentry system is the first commercial offering of its kind, making it possible for industry to access space to advance all manner of reentry related technologies through rapid testing and data generation.

"Over the past 15 years, many of the largest biopharma companies in the world, through research on the ISS, have shown the huge potential of microgravity. Varda is their first pathway to commercialize this work, and we're pleased to see our investors recognize that potential," said Varda President Delian Asparouhov.

In addition to the successful reentry of the W-1 capsule earlier this year, the Varda team has also published on the discovery of a third form of the HIV drug Ritonavir, as well as the development of a hypergravity crystallization platform, which has shown ways that gravity can be used as a variable in small molecule therapeutics formulation and development. Varda's second vehicle, W-2, is scheduled to launch this summer.

"Access to microgravity means Varda can help partners develop unique pharmaceutical formulations not otherwise possible. Varda offers a path to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry, potentially leading to reductions in healthcare costs and better patient outcomes," said Varda CEO Will Bruey. "We have built our platform's capabilities and rapid cadence to be specifically tailored for the pharmaceutical industry and we are excited to finally bring the value of microgravity to the masses."

Varda's capsule is modular by design and in addition to flying pharmaceutical processing payloads, Varda's spacecraft can also be utilized by a wide variety of partner payloads; offering the ability for users such as the US government to test materials and systems through both space and reentry environments. Varda aims to eventually launch capsules on a monthly cadence, making space research, development, and orbital manufacturing accessible to a range of terrestrial industries.

"In the world of deeply ambitious startups, you almost never see anyone say, 'Here's my plan, I'm going to go get it done,' and it actually happens. Varda is one of the few that gets it done, which is why we are thrilled to continue supporting them," said Raymond Tonsing, Founder and Managing Partner at Caffeinated Capital.

About Varda:

Varda Space Industries is expanding the economic bounds of humankind by designing and building the infrastructure needed to make low Earth orbit accessible to industry, from in-orbit production equipment to reliable and economical reentry capsules. Varda was founded in January 2021 by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov. The company operates out of El Segundo, California, with 90+ employees, as well as office and industrial production space. You can follow Varda on X (@vardaspace) and LinkedIn .

For Investor Inquires

[email protected]

For Media Inquires

[email protected]

SOURCE Varda Space Industries Inc.
HOUSTON, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Visual Comfort & Co. is delighted to reveal a new partnership with the iconic legacy brand Schumacher, set to premiere at the Spring High Point Market from April 12 to 18, 2024.

This collaboration is a natural fit  Visual Comfort, a leader in the lighting design industry, and Schumacher, the venerable American design house. With over 130 years of dedication to design excellence and a commitment to timeless style, Schumacher brings its signature aesthetic to a range of hanging shades, wall sconces, and table and floor lamps. The collection features expertly crafted fabric shades structured with Schumacher's iconic patterns, promising to elevate interior spaces with unparalleled elegance and sophistication.

Dara Caponigro, the Creative Director of Schumacher, expresses her excitement about the collaboration, "I am so proud to see it come to life. It was hard narrowing down our fabrics for this collaboration, but working with the Visual Comfort Team was a dream, and it was interesting to see what they responded to." Dara adds, "The candelabra shades run the gamut from playful to classic to contemporary and are an excellent way to infuse personality into a room without overwhelming it. The choices will appeal to both minimalists and maximalists - there's nothing like pattern to elevate your mood and wake up a room."

Visual Comfort will host a book signing event with Dara Caponigro as a special offering to celebrate this wonderful partnership. Meet Dara at the Visual Comfort showroom on Sunday, April 14, 2024, between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. The first 100 attendees will receive a signed copy of her latest book, Decorate Like a Decorator, All You Need to Know to Design Like a Pro.

Visual Comfort & Co. is thrilled to showcase its latest collection with Schumacher at the forthcoming Spring High Point Market. The company is also delighted to unveil new product offerings across its designer collections, featuring fresh designs incorporating trending elements like woven and natural materials, textured glass, and cordless portables.

Visual Comfort & Co. Showroom

Commerce & Design Building

201 W. Commerce Avenue, 2nd Floor

High Point, NC 27260

About Visual Comfort & Co.:

Visual Comfort & Co. is the world's premier resource for decorative lighting, architectural lighting, and ceiling fans, collaborating with the most talented and influential designers and brands in the industry. With a diverse portfolio of designer lighting collections and over fifty showrooms across the US and UK, Visual Comfort & Co. continues to set the standard for luxury lighting.

About Schumacher:

Founded in 1889 in New York by Parisian Frederic Schumacher, the company has been synonymous with style since it began. Still family-owned, Schumacher continues to uphold its namesake's insatiable passion for beauty, thirst for quality, and quest for innovation. From fabrics, wallcoverings, and trim to furniture, rugs, and pillows, each of Schumacher's wide-ranging collections is united by a respect for classicism and an eye for the cutting edge. Presently, Schumacher has 17 showrooms in the United States and plans to open two more in 2024. It also has locations in London and Paris and is opening another one soon in Milan. Schumacher is part of a growing stable of design companies in the portfolio of its parent company, FS&CO, which also includes Patterson Flynn, Backdrop and Frederic Media. Learn more about Schumacher at schumacher.com and @schumacher1889.

For more information about Visual Comfort & Co. and its latest collections, please visit www.visualcomfort.com.

For press inquiries, please contact:

Sabrina Hames, [email protected]

SOURCE Visual Comfort & Co.
TORONTO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Caroline Codsi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Women in Governance (WiG), her team and guests joined Luc Fortin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Montreal Exchange (MX) & Global Head of Trading, TMX Group, to open the market and celebrate a major milestone for WiG: 1 million employees in Canada and the United States working in a Parity Certified organization.

Women in Governance Opens the Market Friday, April 5, 2024

WiG's Parity Certification enables organizations to close the gender gap at every level. With the support of its partners Accenture, Mercer and WTW, WiG evaluates and guides organizations on their journey towards parity, taking into account intersectionality and the multiple facets of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At its launch in 2017, 17 prestigious organizations had enrolled in the Parity Certification. To date, WiG has certified 123 organizations, including the most prestigious ones in the FP500.

CNW sponsored announcement. To learn more visit www.newswire.ca.

SOURCE Toronto Stock Exchange
The European Commission should reverse its controversial decision to appoint Markus Pieper as envoy for small and medium-sized business (SMEs), a grouping of non-governmental organisations said in a letter sent today (5 April).

The letter adds to pressure on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the hire, after Euronews exclusively revealed MEPs and her own Commission colleagues questioning the decision to hand a 17,000-per-month taxpayer-funded job to a member of her German political party, the CDU.

Piepers political affiliation and nationality suggest the President has favoured her political ally for one of the Commissions senior civil service posts, said the letter, from a grouping of campaigners led by Transparency International EU.

There is no room for potential conflicts of interest in the recruitment of Commission officials, said the letter, also signed by Friends of the Earth Europe, The Good Lobby and Corporate Europe Observatory, who together also requested "that an investigation into potential breaches of the Commissioners Code of Conduct during this recruitment process be immediately launched.

The letter cites media reports that Pieper had scored lower than other candidates in recruitment tests, and questions whether the EUs founding treaty and Charter of Fundamental Rights were breached.

The Commission has strenuously denied any claims of foul play, as von der Leyen campaigns for a second term in office  an appointment that would likely require support from multiple other political parties.

The Commission has full confidence in the fact that the procedures were followed and that the person who was ultimately selected was selected based on his performance during the entirety of the selection process, Eric Mamer, the Commissions chief spokesperson, told reporters on Thursday (4 April).

There have been no negative comments following that decision to appoint Pieper, which was formally made in January, Mamer said, adding that Pieper had still not signed a contract or agreed a start date.

But that stands in contrast to significant criticism from MEPs and von der Leyens own senior lieutenants, and confusion over what procedure applies.

Thierry Breton, Paolo Gentiloni, Josep Borrell and Nicolas Schmit  Commissioners from France, Italy, Spain and Luxembourg  have asked for the issue to be reviewed soon by the Commissions highest decision-making body, the College.

Lawmakers from the European Parliaments Green, Liberal and Socialist groupings are also preparing to formally ask von der Leyen to rescind the appointment, when discussing the Commissions budget on 10 April.

Official guidance says senior Commission appointments should be proposed in agreement with portfolio Commissioners  though in this case Breton clearly has reservations.

A Commission spokesperson told Euronews that, irrespective of the published guidance, it was established practice to submit lead candidates for senior jobs merely after consulting the relevant Commissioner, implying Breton wouldnt need to have consented.
Canadian soldiers were deployed to Kandahar province as part of the countrys mission in Afghanistan. Canada's combat role ended in 2011. (The Associated Press - image credit)

WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers

A female former Afghan interpreter who worked for the Canadian government in Kandahar, Afghanistan is suing a Global Affairs employee and the Canadian government for millions of dollars, alleging she was the victim of sexual assaults between 2011 and 2013.

The woman's civil suit seeks $1.75 million from the defendant for punitive damages, mental suffering and loss of future or past economic gain. She is also seeking more than $1 million in damages from the federal government.

The federal government hired the interpreter in 2009 to help with the International Security Assistance Force, the multinational military mission that included Canada. She was 15 years old at the time.

The woman's identity was previously subject to a publication ban, but the former interpreter successfully sought to have that ban lifted.

"I have determined that the way to reclaim my voice will be by telling my story and empowering other women who are facing, have faced, similar injustices to do the same," she said in court documents.

Lawyers for the unidentified Global Affairs employee being accused of sexual assault have filed a statement of defence denying the allegations. CBC News is not naming him because he has not been charged criminally and the allegations have not been tested in court.

The Lester B. Pearson Building on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, headquarters of Global Affairs Canada. (Wikipedia)

The woman has asked CBC News not to use her name because of the nature of the allegations. She is not named in the court documents.

"I became the only female interpreter at Camp Nathan Smith. While working on the base, and without realizing what was happening, I was groomed by a senior Government of Canada official," the woman said in a statement issued to CBC News.

"As a result of my work with Canada, my life was under threat by the Taliban," the statement continues. "I was eventually lucky enough to be chosen to come to Canada. This individual offered me a place to stay in his home in Canada and ultimately went on to abuse me. What was supposed to be a beautiful story has become horrific and life-changing."

Alleged abuse began as 'father-daughter' relationship

In court documents, she alleges that the defendant, employed by Global Affairs Canada, began what she describes as a "father-daughter" relationship while they were working together at the Camp Nathan Smith base in Kandahar.

She says the nature of the relationship changed and cites a number of incidents she said took place on the base, when the man began kissing her on the forehead or rubbing her back. She also alleges he showed her pornography in the presence of an American colleague.

The former interpreter says the defendant offered to help her take advantage of the special immigration program for Afghans who wanted to come to Canada and invited her to live with him and his family in Ottawa. She said the defendant spoke to her father about bringing her to Canada when they were both still in Afghanistan.

The woman says she arrived in Canada in October of 2011 and moved into the man's home in November, when she was 17. She alleges the abuse started almost immediately and continued over the course of two years, often inside the family home. She says it was never consensual.

The statement of claims says that, even after she moved out of the defendant's home, the abuse continued, accompanied by threats. She says the defendant told her that if she ever reported the abuse to anyone, he would send videos and pictures of their sexual activity to her father in Afghanistan.

Having been raised under an Afghan honour code that strictly forbids sexual activity before marriage, the woman says she feared she could put her life and the lives of her family members at risk if she spoke out.

She also alleges the defendant claimed that, because of his position in the government, she would not obtain Canadian citizenship and could be deported if she reported him.

Defendant denies inappropriate relationship

In the statement of defence filed by his lawyers, the defendant admits he knew the plaintiff but says he did not know her age. He says he did allow her to live in his home with his wife and children in 2011.

The defendant denies that "he carried on a sexual, romantic or inappropriate relationship with the plaintiff." He says he did not inappropriately touch her or engage in physical sexual conduct with her, nor did he threaten or attempt to intimidate her. His lawyers say they have no further comment because the matter is before the courts.

A Global Affairs Canada spokesman said Friday afternoon the department is unable to comment because the matter is before the courts.

The federal government claimed in its own statement of defence that "at no time did the interpreter formally or functionally report to " the defendant.

The government says in its statement of defence that it denies any knowledge of the allegations and did not owe the woman a duty of care "at any material time."

Woman claims she was taken to Montreal and sexually assaulted

The woman's allegations are specific, graphic and detailed. Her statement of claim says that, due to her background and lack of sexual "literacy," she often didn't even understand the nature of what was happening.

She alleges that after she once complained of being hungry to the defendant, he "told her that he would give her food if she made out with him." She says she did not understand this phrase and the man proceeded to forcibly kiss her.

On another occasion, the woman alleges she was taken to Montreal against her will and sexually assaulted in a hotel by the defendant. She says she suffers from depression and post traumatic stress and that her ability to work has been affected.

The defendant's statement of defence says he is still an employee of Global Affairs Canada.
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Moscow, April 5 : Governor of Russia's Murmansk region Andrei Chibis, who was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting in the town of Apatity on Thursday, is in a "serious condition".

Chibis, 45, is in a serious condition and is being operated on in the intensive care unit, Yuri Shiryaev, chief doctor of the Apatity-Kirov Hospital, was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying on Friday.

The attacker, identified as Alexander Bydanov, was detained by security guards on the spot.

According to the governor's spokesperson, the attack happened suddenly and the perpetrator did not make any demands or shout any slogans. He was quickly apprehended by a Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) officer.

Investigation is underway to determine the causes and motives.
Lucknow, April 5 : Eight officers have been 'relieved of their duties' after 30 passengers, detained on suspicion of smuggling gold, fled from the custody of customs officials at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport.

Lucknow, April 5 (IANS) Eight officers have been arelieved of their dutiesa after 30 passengers, detained on suspicion of smuggling gold, fled from the custody of customs officials at Lucknowas Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport.

The incident happened on Tuesday. These officers have been replaced, the spokesman of the customs department said.

After a tip-off from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence that some passengers were arriving with illegal gold and cigarette sticks worth Rs 3.5 crore from the UAE, the suspects were detained at the airport after disembarking from the Sharjah-Lucknow flight on Monday morning.

According to reports, Airport Assistant Commissioner A.K. Singh lodged a case against all absconders at the Sarojini Nagar police station on Wednesday.

The incident raised concerns about the effectiveness of security protocols at the airport and prompted calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the escape.

The DRI detained and questioned 36 passengers who disembarked from the aircraft. Some passengers, including a woman, confessed to concealing gold in their stomachs.

Subsequently, the DRI transferred the passengers to the customs department on Tuesday. However, the other suspects managed to escape from custody. During interrogation, some passengers admitted to concealing gold in their stomachs. Chaos ensued later that afternoon, with one passengeras health deteriorating. In the meantime, the other passengers pushed CISF personnel and fled the scene.
Los Angeles, April 5 : Actor and comedian Danny McBride recalled accidentally hearing Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. going method on himself and staying in character as he went to take a bathroom break in between takes.

Downey Jr. played a method actor in Ben Stiller's comedy 'Tropic Thunder', where McBride played an explosives expert and was given an earpiece to communicate with the set as his character was perched in a watchtower above the production.

The earpiece was connected to the microphones of several of the cast and crew down below.

"I guess during one of the takes, they had left Downey's mic on, and so I'm sitting up there, and I'm like, 'Oh, I can hear what he's saying'," McBride said in a GQ video interview, reports variety.com.

"He was talking to people, and he was in character the whole time. And then I even watched him walk back to his trailer and saw it from down there, and he was talking to himself...," he said.

"He made up a song about how he was gonna go p*** in character for no one else's benefit except for his own," McBride added.

Downey starred in the film as an egotistical Australian thespian, who takes method acting to an extreme by undergoing "pigmentation alteration" surgery to darken his skin in order to play a soldier in a war movie.
Jaipur, April 5 : Refusal to contest Lok Sabha elections by at least two Congress leaders, despite being nominated by the party, poses serious questions for the main opposition party in Rajasthan.

Notably, senior Congress leaders such as former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and party's state chief Govind Singh Dotasra are also not contesting the polls.

However, Rajasthan Congress General Secretary Swarnim Chaturvedi claimed that the BJP is "spreading the misconception that no senior leader is ready to contest Lok Sabha elections".

"The BJP workers are spreading a misconception that seniors are not contesting. Former Speaker C.P. Joshi is contesting from Bhilwara and former ministers, including Udailal Anjana, Murari Lal Meena, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Govindram Meghwal, Brijendra Ola and Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, are also contesting elections. They are all senior Congress leaders," he told IANS.

"Congress stands strong in Rajasthan and this time, it won't be a cakewalk for the BJP to sweep all 25 seats," Chaturvedi added.

So far, three Congress leaders have publicly expressed their unwillingness to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Of them, two have withdrawn their candidature while one is still in the contest.

Congress leader Sunil Sharma, who was nominated to contest from Jaipur, offered to return the ticket after a controversy emerged over his alleged connection with 'Jaipur Dialogue', a pro-RSS organisation. His ticket was cancelled and former state minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas was given the ticket.

Sudarshan Singh Rawat, who was nominated by the Congress from Rajsamand, refused to contest the election citing personal reasons. In a letter to the party state president Govind Singh Dotasra, Rawat expressed his displeasure over making him a candidate without his consent.

After Rawat's refusal, Congress fielded Damodar Gurjar, who was earlier the party's candidate from Bhilwara. The party has now given the Bhilwara ticket to C.P. Joshi.

Congress candidate from Jhunjhunu Lok Sabha constituency, Brijendra Ola, joined the league of Sharma and Rawat claiming he was not interested in contesting polls and had never asked for a ticket. He, however, has not taken back his candidature.

Congress' Jaipur candidate Khachariyawas during his campaigning even said that he has become weak after Assembly polls and thus needs people's help.

Congress insiders said that the party leadership was left aghast over his statement and said declaring himself weak during campaigning is like accepting defeat before contesting the election.

The state Congress General Secretary said that there are reasons for these leaders withdrawing candidature and issuing such statements.

"Sharma refused candidature over Jaipur Dialogue controversy while Rawat had personal issues so he refused to contest polls," said Chaturvedi.

About Ola, he said: "Yes it's true that he did not ask for a ticket and was contesting because the party gave him a ticket."

On Khachariyawas remarks, Chaturvedi said, "Khachariyawas lost Assembly polls due to his high-handed image and now he wants an image makeover and so he made such a remark to build a soft image."

"Mark my words, Congress will not allow BJP to make a clean sweep and will give a tough fight on at least 10 seats," he added.

Meanwhile, senior journalist Prakash Bhandari said, "Congress workers are getting demoralised with prominent faces walking out of the contest. Surprisingly, state leaders like Gehlot and Dotasra are unable to keep party workers motivated. Their confidence level has gone down."

He further said that the onus of this situation "lies with Sachin Pilot who talks big but is scared of fighting the election".

"Gehlot at least fielded his son, but what is Pilot's contribution? He has not done anything to prevent the exodus of Congress leaders... He could have set the example by contesting the election. People are discussing that Gehlot has made his son a scapegoat, but at least being a leader, he has shown the way to other workers. But Pilot has only been talking and has done nothing to set an example for other leaders," he added.
Lucknow, April 5 : Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has not fielded any candidate from Uttar Pradesh, its Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh will campaign extensively for the INDIA bloc candidates.

"I have spent the past six months in jail but this has only strengthened our resolve. We will take this message to the entire country that it is only AAP which has preferred to go to jail rather than compromise in its fight against BJP," he told IANS on Friday.

Sanjay Singh was released on Wednesday from jail where he had been lodged in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

Known as the political strategist of the party, Singh will also begin touring states where the party is either contesting elections or has offered support to the INDIA bloc.

"Workers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and even Andhra Pradesh have come to Delhi to meet me after I left the jail. BJP has put our entire leadership in prison. The morale of our cadre has been low but we are on track to face these elections," Singh said.

The AAP leader said he was quite astounded by the stream of people from Opposition parties like Congress moving to BJP and added that despite all the pressure, AAP members have held out against the ruling party even as their entire top brass is in jail.

Sanjay Singh is expected to travel to Uttar Pradesh soon where he will meet senior members of the INDIA bloc.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, walks past Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September, 2023. Documents tabled at the federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference Thursday showed Canada's spy agency believed India attempted to interfere in the 2021 federal election. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

The governments of India and Pakistan attempted to interfere in Canada's federal elections in 2019 and 2021, Canada's spy agency said in documents made public late Thursday night.

In 2021, the government of India had "intent to interfere and likely conducted clandestine activities," including using an Indian government proxy agent in Canada, according to an unclassified summary written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Two years earlier, in 2019, "Government of Pakistan officials in Canada attempted to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics with the aim of furthering the Government of Pakistan's interests in Canada," CSIS wrote.

The stark assessments are contained in documents that were tabled as part of the federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference. The public inquiry is examining possible meddling by China, India, Russia and others in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

The reports all bear notes of caution about the summaries being possibly uncorroborated, single-sourced or incomplete. CSIS Director David Vigneault told the public inquiry that intelligence is not necessarily fact, and said it may require further investigation.

Pakistan a 'limited foreign interference actor'

The government of Pakistan's foreign interference against Canada was "primarily to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter India's growing global influence," read one CSIS assessment, noting that Pakistan was a "limited foreign interference actor" in 2019 and 2021.

In the case of the 2019 election, CSIS said the Canadian government conducted what it called a "threat reduction measure" ahead of the vote, meant to "reduce the foreign interference threat posed by the Government of Pakistan."

"The situation was monitored and assessed to have effectively reduced the threat of interference," CSIS wrote.

David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency, appears at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions hearings, in Ottawa on Feb. 1. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

India supported pro-Indian candidates

CSIS alleges that in 2021, the Indian government's foreign interference activities "were centred on a small number of electoral districts." The government of India targeted those ridings, CSIS wrote, because there was a perception by India that "a portion of Indo-Canadian voters were sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan political stances."

The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement with the goal of carving out an independent Sikh nation in the northern Indian state of Punjab. The Indian government has long maintained that the Punjabi independence movement undermines India's national security.

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The CSIS summary goes on to say that it has amassed "a body of intelligence" that indicates a government of India "proxy agent may have attempted to interfere in democratic processes" by providing illegal financial support to pro-Indian candidates.

"Any such financial contribution could have remained unknown to the candidate," CSIS said.

The CSIS memo does not identify the specific ridings or candidates that may have been subject to India's meddling in 2021.

CSIS describes the proxy agent as "a specific individual who takes explicit and/or implicit direction from a foreign state while obfuscating the link between influence activities and a foreign state."

Proxy agents are based in Canada and don't necessarily have to belong to a specific diaspora community, CSIS explains, and "are witting participants in furthering the objective of the foreign state in specific circumstances."

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The documents are a series of unclassified summaries of intelligence primarily authored by CSIS, with "input and agreement" from the Communications Security Establishment  Canada's other spy agency which focuses on electronic surveillance  Global Affairs Canada, the Privy Council Office, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Public Safety Canada.

Pakistan and India have not been the focus of testimony during this phase of the foreign interference public inquiry, which began last week. The proceedings have largely been geared toward alleged foreign interference by China. But the two South Asian countries have come up in other documents tabled at the inquiry.

A public summary of a classified CSIS briefing provided to political parties dated June 2019 lists India and Pakistan among other state actors that could engage in meddling in Canada.

Redacting a word that appears right before the word "Pakistani" in a sentence, the briefing goes on to say "Pakistani officials in Canada have likely tried to clandestinely influence and support Canadian politicians of Pakistani descent, with the aim of furthering Pakistani interests in Canada."

Three of the five paragraphs about India in that briefing note are largely redacted, but it notes "Indian officials have utilized a network of contacts, which includes politicians, academics, businesspersons, media personalities and community leaders, to monitor Canadian-based individuals that are of interest to the Government of India."

CSIS also wrote it has observed that there have been "Indian interference activities targeted at Canadian Members of Parliament, Provincial Legislative Members... outside the scope of regular diplomatic norms."

In July 2021, the Security Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force  a Canadian government body consisting of senior civil servants from the RCMP, CSIS, Global Affairs and the CSE  held a briefing to political parties about lessons learned from the 2019 election.

SITE wrote that in 2019, it observed "foreign interference activities targeting certain ridings and candidates in relation to the election, directed largely from China, and to a lesser extent from India and Pakistan, through the use of human agents."

The document, went on to say that "none of the activities met the threshold to pursue criminal investigations."

The document had a section about Pakistan, which was completely redacted.

On India, SITE said in that briefing the country is "actively conducting foreign interference and targets Canadian political figures. Working through Indian officials in Canada, India engages in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians in order to advance its political interests.

"India is interested in engaging its diaspora in Canada to shape political outcomes in its favour."
Jaipur, April 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Rajasthan on Friday for the second time in the last four days.

The PM will address a public meeting in Churu. The BJP has fielded Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia from Chruru, who is set to make his electoral debut.

Devendra Jhajharia won the Paralympic Gold medal twice in 2004 and 2016.

On April 2, PM Modi launched the BJP-led NDA's campaign in the state from Kotputli.

The BJP leaders said that Friday's visit of PM Modi will change the situation in Churu and this seat which is considered tough as of now will become a safe seat.

PM Modi will reach Churu at around 11.30 a.m. and address a mammoth gathering.

It needs to be mentioned here that PM Modi gave the slogan 'Desh Nahi Jhukne Doonga' in the last election from Churu.

During the last Lok Sabha polls, he addressed the first election meeting from here after the surgical strikes. On Saturday, PM Modi will be in Pushkar where he will address an election meeting in support of BJP's Ajmer and Nagaur candidates.

Churu will be witnessing a tough contest. The BJP fielded Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia after cancelling sitting MP Rahul Kaswan's ticket.

A miffed Kaswan later quit the party and joined the Congress, which gave him the ticket. Kaswan accused former leader of the opposition Rajendra Rathore of getting his ticket cut.
New Delhi, April 5 : The Delhi Police have taken cognizance of a viral video showing dangerous stunts being performed in a Mahindra Scorpio with tinted glass, on the city's busy roads and issued various challans to the SUV driver, an official said on Friday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said that acting swiftly on viral "videos of stunt driving" on twitter, a man identified as Anshul Chaudhary, a resident of Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, was nabbed by Shastri Park police station team.

The accused was prosecuted under relevant sections of the MV Act, with a challan amounting to approximately Rs 12,000. "He committed the crime of creating reels to upload them on social media platforms in order to become famous," said the DCP.

On Wednesday, videos of a black Mahindra Scorpio SUV, with tinted glass, performing dangerous stunts on a busy road went viral on Twitter.

"Taking cognizance of the same, a police team immediately alerted concerned SHOs to keep track of the movement of the said vehicle in their areas. A black Mahindra Scorpio SUV, with a fancy registration number plate and Z-black tinted glass, was intercepted by the team," said the DCP.

The vehicle is taken to Shastri Park police station.
Amravati : , April 5 (IANS) A letter-war has erupted between Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Y. Ambedkar and his younger sibling Republican Sena chief Anandraj Y. Ambedkar over the Amravati (SC) Lok Sabha constituency, creating uncertainty as to which party will contest the reserved seat.

The 'tu tu-main main' style of bickering has raised a question mark -- and eyebrows -- on the entry of the so-called 'third factor' in Amravati (SC) seat which is being hotly contested by actress-turned-politician, the sitting MP Navneet Kaur-Rana on a MahaYuti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA bloc's Congress MLA Balwant B. Wankhade.

The Republican Sena President Anandraj Ambedkar abruptly jumped into the fray and filed his nomination three days ago, irking the VBA.

Suddenly, on Thursday Anandraj Ambedkar had a change of heart and announced he was withdrawing in favour of Prakash Ambedkar's VBA to avoid the opposition vote-split.

In a statement, he revealed how he had sought the support of VBA which has a common agenda with the Republican Sena of fighting the BJP-RSS ideology and the alleged moves by the current government to change the Constitution by aiming for 400-plus LS seats.

However, since the VBA did not respond to his friendly overtures, he decided to contest solo in Amravati (SC), against the VBA's nominee Prajakta T.Pillewan and the other candidates.

Hours after Anandraj Ambedkar's decision to contest and withdraw from the race, the VBA state President Rekha Thakur issued a statement extending its support to him and asked him not to withdraw his candidature.

The present situation has turned embarrassing for both groups -- while Anandraj Ambedkar claims he has withdrawn his nomination papers, the VBA's nominee Prajakta T. Pillewan did not file her nomination forms before the last date (April 4).

"Since we decided to support the Republican Sena, our candidate did not file the nominations. The ball is now in the court of Anandraj Ambedkar so he has to decide," VBA vice-president Siddharth Mokle told IANS.

"There's still no decision whether I shall contest this seat or not My party will decide what's to be done," Anandraj Ambedkar said to IANS.

In another letter, the VBA and Republican Sena have pointed accusing fingers at each other for the scenario arising out of a purported miscommunication between the Ambedkar siblings.

The present status is two dedicated Dalit parties led by the descendants of the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar may be left out of the polls in the parliamentary constituency reserved for Dalits, though the picture could clear by Monday.

However, the BJP's headaches are still not over as a ruling MahaYuti ally, the Prahar Janshakti Party (PHP) chief Omprakash B. Kadu, alias Bachhu Kadu has publicly vowed to defeat Kaur-Rana at all costs and is campaigning furiously against her.

On her part, Kaur-Rana has openly appealed to all the parties and groups opposed to her to sink their differences and support her candidature to strengthen the hands of PM Narendra Modi for a third term.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Kochi, April 5 : In a jolt to the Pinarayi Vijayan government, the Kerala High Court on Friday through an interim order directed the Centre to issue the necessary orders for a CBI probe into the death of a second year BVSc student, Siddharth.

The veterinary student was found hanging in his hostel room at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookode, in Wayanad on February 18.

Following a huge protest from Opposition parties, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on March 9 ordered a CBI probe into the incident.

However, the order from the state government failed to come, which forced Jayaprakash, father of the student to approach the High Court.

On Friday, the court while appreciating the state government for announcing a CBI probe, asked why there was a delay.

The counsel for the CBI informed the court that they were yet to get any directions to take over the case, following which the court in its interim order directed the Centre to see that the necessary orders were given at the earliest so that the CBI could begin its probe.

So far, 22 accused, including several SFI activists, have been arrested in connection with the case, and the Vice Chancellor, Dean, and the Assistant Warden of the institute have been placed under suspension.

Jayaprakash said that he is now happy that things are moving in the right direction and expects that the CBI probe will bring out the truth behind what happened to his son.
New Delhi, April 5 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a 'provisional attachment order' under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, attaching assets valued at Rs 40.37 crore belonging to Vikram Homes Pvt. Ltd as part of a bank fraud case linked to Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan, the promoters of HDIL, along with others.

According to the ED officials, the attached assets are in the form of one commercial property consisting of office units in the Kaledonia Building, Andheri East, Mumbai.

The financial probe agency had initiated an investigation based on an FIR registered by the CBI (ACB), Mumbai under various sections of IPC, 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan and others for siphoning off the loan to the tune of Rs 200 crore sanctioned by Yes Bank to one Mack Star Marketing Pvt. Ltd.

Initially, following a complaint lodged by Mack Star Marketing Pvt. Ltd, the NM Joshi Marg Police Station in Mumbai initiated a new FIR under multiple sections of the IPC, 1860. The allegation suggested that the Wadhawans illegally and fraudulently sold numerous office units in the Kaledonia building, owned by Mack Star Marketing Pvt. Ltd, resulting in a wrongful loss of over Rs 300 crore to Mack Star.

The ED said that their probe in the case revealed that Wadhawans illegally and fraudulently transferred one commercial property of Mack Star located in the Kaledonia building, Andheri East, Mumbai to Vikram Homes Pvt. Ltd, a company which is owned by Late Satya Pal Talwar and Dharam Pal Talwar, without any actual payment to Mack Star.

"Thus, Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan cheated Mack Star Marketing Pvt. Ltd. by illegally selling the above-mentioned properties without the consent of the majority shareholder (DE Shaw Group which holds 83.36 per cent shares) of Mack Star Marketing Pvt. Ltd," the statement issued on Friday read.

ED had earlier attached properties worth Rs 203.99 crore. The total attachment in this case now stands at Rs 244.36 crore.
Nagpur : , April 5 (IANS) In a significant development, the dreaded ex-mafia don-turned-politician Arun Gulab Gawli is set to be freed prematurely from the life term he is undergoing in Nagpur Central Jail, as per a Bombay High Court order, here on Friday.

A division bench comprising Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Vrushali Joshi has allowed a criminal re-petition filed by Arun Gawli challenging the rejection of his previous plea claiming premature release given a government notification of January 10, 2006.

"Gawli's application was rejected on grounds that the state government had come up with a fresh notification on December 1, 2015, by which a convict under the MCOCA Act was held entitled to the benefit of the policy decision," his lawyer Mir Nagman Ali told IANS shortly afterwards.

The state had registered Gawli's petition on the ground that the 2015 notification specifically excludes the convict under MCOCA from the benefits of the policy.

It contended that even the 2006 notification makes it clear that convicts under laws like the NDPS, TADA, MPDA, etc., are not entitled to the 2006 policy benefits, explained Adv. Ali.

After hearing both sides, the court directed the state to decide on Gawli's release within four weeks from Friday, paving the way for his premature release from the jail where he has spent 16 years, added Adv. Ali.

Originally based in Mumbai and dreaded as the don of Dagdi Chawl, Arun Gawli, 69, served as an MLA (2004-2009).

He was arrested in 2006, underwent a trial, was found guilty and convicted to life imprisonment in jail in 2012 for the murder of a Shiv Sena leader Kamlakar Jamsandekar.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Srinagar, April 5 : Another terrorist was killed on Friday in the Uri sector of the Line of Control (LoC) where an infiltration bid was foiled by the security forces, said officials here.

The officials said the terrorist was killed during the operation against an infiltrating group in Sahura Nala in the Uri sector taking the number of killed to two.

After noticing suspicious movement on the LoC, the security forces challenged the group of infiltrating terrorists in the early hours of Friday.

In the resulting firefight, one terrorist was initially killed while another was killed as the operation progressed.

"The infiltration bid has been foiled. Searches are now going on in the area," officials said.

The identity of the slain terrorists is being ascertained, officials added.
Bengaluru, April 5 : Independent sitting MP from Mandya Parliamentary Seat Sumalatha Ambareesh has joined the BJP party on Friday at the party headquarters in Bengaluru.

Karnataka election in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, former chief minister B. S. Yediyurappa, State President B.Y. Vijayendra, the Leader of the Opposition B. Y. Vijayendra, former CM D. V. Sadananda Gowda extended Sumalatha Ambareesh a warm welcome to the party.

Addressing mediapersons, Sumalatha Ambareesh said that joining the BJP was a matter of pride for her.

"I am not thinking of my political career at this juncture. I have decided to join the BJP in the interest of my district, state and the nation," Sumalatha Ambareesh said.

In the last five years, I have learnt many things as a Member of Parliament.

"My late husband Ambareesh was in the Congress party for 25 years. I used to observe politics from a distance. My biggest inspiration is the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His leadership, vision and dreams... I got inspiration whenever he made speeches in the Parliament. I learnt from his speeches. I am convinced that joining the BJP is a wise decision," she said.

"Prime Minister Modi has a vision of taking the country to new heights in 2047 when India completes 100 years of independence. I want to be part of that journey," Sumalatha Ambareesh said.

She also stated that a new chapter has started in her political career.

Sumalatha Ambareesh also clarified that she will take up campaigning for the party wherever she is asked to.
Kadapa : , April 5 (IANS) The murder of former minister, YS Vivekananda Reddy in 2019, has taken centre stage in Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency as his niece, YS Sharmila Reddy on Friday launched her poll campaign with a fresh tirade against her brother and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, for allegedly shielding the killers.

Accompanied by Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Sunitha Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief and party candidate for Kadapa seat launched the campaign bus yatra.

The cousins slammed Jagan Mohan Reddy for once again fielding YS Avinash Reddy from Kadapa, despite the CBI naming him and his father, YS Bhaskar Reddy, as accused in Vivekananda Reddy's murder.

Accusing her brother of promoting the politics of murder, Sharmila Reddy said if politics of murder is to be put to an end, people should defeat him and Avinash Reddy.

She reiterated that Jagan Mohan Reddy has once again fielded the killer of their 'chinnanna (uncle)'.

Sharmila Reddy, daughter of former chief minister, late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, said she embarked on the poll campaign with the blessings of her father, the love of her mother and as per the last wish of 'chinnanna'.

She alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy was misusing power to shield the killers.

"I am contesting from Kadapa to make sure that the killer does not enter the legislature again. I am fighting for justice," she said, targeting cousin Avinash Reddy, who is seeking re-election for a third-consecutive term.

The Congress leader said Jagan Mohan Reddy mortgaged the state's interests, including special category status for Andhra Pradesh and the Polavaram project with the BJP government at the Centre.

On her part, Sunitha Reddy appealed to the people to elect Sharmila in this fight for justice for her father Vivekananda Reddy.

On the first day of her campaign, Sharmila Reddy will cover seven mandals in Badvel Assembly segment.

The Congress party had on Tuesday named Sharmila as the party candidate from Kadapa.

The same day she offered tributes at the samadhi of her father at Idupulapaya. She said Vivekananda Reddy's last wish was to see her contest for Lok Sabha from Kadapa.

Former minister and MP, Vivekananda Reddy was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula town of Kadapa District on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections.

The 68-year-old was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him, just hours before he was to launch YSR Congress Party's election campaign in Kadapa.

Though three Special Investigation Teams (SITs) conducted the probe they failed to solve the mystery.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Sunitha, who raised suspicions about some relatives' involvement.

The CBI filed a charge sheet in the murder case on October 26, 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary charge sheet on January 31, 2022.

In April, 2023, the CBI arrested Vivekananda Reddy's cousin YS Bhaskar Reddy, father of YSRCP MP from Kadapa, Avinash Reddy. The CBI claimed that both Avinash and Bhaskar Reddy conspired to eliminate Vivekananda Reddy because he was against fielding Avinash Reddy from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and wanted Jagan Mohan Reddy to instead field his mother Vijayamma or sister Sharmila.

However, the father-son duo denied the allegation. Avinash Reddy was granted anticipatory bail by the Telangana High Court on May 31, 2023.

Addressing an election rally in Kadapa District last week, Jagan Mohan Reddy had accused Opposition parties of a role in the murder and remarked that people should know who is behind the murder and who is shielding the culprits.

Jagan Mohan Reddy also stated that his sisters Sharmila and Sunitha are playing into the hands of his opponents.

The YSR family has been representing Kadapa Lok Sabha since 1989 when YSR was first elected from here. He retained the seats in 1991, 1996 and 1998.

When he moved to the Assembly his brother Vivekananda Reddy was elected from Kadapa as Congress candidate. Vivekananda Reddy retained the seat in 2004.

In 2009, Jagan Mohan Reddy made his electoral debut with a victory from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat. After the death of his father and subsequent developments in ruling Congress, he floated YSR Congress Party and retained the Kadapa seat with a record majority in 2011.

In 2014, Jagan started focusing on Pulivendula Assembly seat, also a family stronghold and left Kadapa Lok Sabha seat for cousin Avinash Reddy.

The Congress on Tuesday announced its first list of five candidates for Lok Sabha and 114 candidates for Assembly elections. Simultaneous polls to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats are scheduled on May 13.
New Delhi, April 5 : In FY24, the realty sector sectoral index soared with a remarkable 132.5 per cent return, securing its position as the top-performing sector of the year, according to Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company.

The auto sector continued its upward trajectory and surged by 4.9 per cent in March, leading as the top performer, while the IT index saw a 7.5 per cent decline, marking it as the worst performer.

Nifty Next 50 has continued its streak as the top performer with a 2.8 per cent growth. The index has seen consecutive growth during the last 3 Months, 6 Months and 1 year of 13.65 per cent, 34.61 per cent & 60.39 per cent respectively.

Nifty Smallcap 250 and Nifty Microcap 250 indices have shown growth of 85.12 per cent and 63.07 per cent for the past year, respectively. However, these indices witnessed -4.24 per cent, and -6.22 per cent change respectively for March 2024, as per Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company.

The Financial Services, Consumer Discretionary and industrial sectors were the top three contributors to the overall returns of the Nifty 500, resulting in a positive impact of 1.1 per cent.

Crude oil prices surged for the third consecutive month, climbing by 6.3 per cent in March. The recent surge has been due to Ukraineas drone attack on Russian refineries and extended production cuts by OPEC. In March 2024, the yellow metal reached a new all-time high and witnessed a rise of 8.1 per cent. In FY24, Bitcoin rose by 150.2 per cent and Ethereum by 100 per cent, showcasing notable growth in the cryptocurrency market, the research said.
Companies in Japan are offering their allergy-prone employees a subsidised tropical escape to regions with lower pollen counts.

In Japan, where hay fever is a significant issue affecting employee productivity, some companies are implementing innovative solutions to alleviate symptoms and enhance worker efficiency, The Washington Post reported.

An IT company, Aisaac, provided financial support for employees suffering from hay fever to temporarily relocate to areas with milder symptoms, such as Okinawa, the report said.

Naoki Shigihara, an employee of the company was quoted as saying: I definitely felt the symptoms going away, and the fact of just being in Okinawa was great. Shigihara is a 20-year-old engineer who has used the companys policies by relocating to the tropical southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

The initiative is reportedly aimed to combat the impact of hay fever on work performance, with some employees reporting increased focus and productivity during their remote work trips.

In a study conducted in 2020 involving Japanese hay fever sufferers, approximately 80 per cent reported that their symptoms significantly reduced their productivity.

Similar programmes are emerging in other companies, with around 20 per cent of workplaces now allowing remote work during hay fever season and some covering the associated costs, according to a survey by Japans ministry of economy, trade and industry.

The hay fever season in Japan, reaching its peak from late February to mid-April, isnt merely an inconvenience for individuals grappling with allergies, sneezing, and itching throughout spring. It constitutes a significant public health concern, imposing a considerable economic burden on Japan as millions of workers annually succumb to hay fever-related illnesses during this period.

Hay fever prevalence is notably higher in Japan compared to the US, attributed in part to reforestation policies post-World War II.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida last year acknowledged hay fever as a national disease affecting productivity as well. He said it had a huge impact on productivity.

The government is now making efforts to mitigate hay fever by cutting down cedar trees, increasing production of anti-allergy medications and replacing cedar trees with other trees that produce less pollen.

Mr Kishida was quoted as saying by The Japan Times last year in October: We will aim to resolve hay fever, which is a social issue, andrevitalise local communities through the promotion of forestry.

Mr Kishidas initiative include policies to stimulate demand for cedar products in construction, increase the use of foreign workers in forestry, and subsidise the acquisition of advanced logging machinery.

The governments long-term goal is to halve the nations pollen count within 30 years by expanding cedar tree logging.

Last year, pollen levels in Tokyo surged to their highest in almost a decade.

According to a Guardian report, roughly 40 per cent of the Japanese population reportedly suffers from hay fever symptoms, such as itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing, triggered by the widespread shedding of pollen from the countrys abundant cedar and cypress trees at the beginning of the year.

The Japan Times reported that last year, Intage, a marketing research and analysis firm, revealed that sales of treatments like anti-inflammatory nasal sprays surged by over 100 per cent in the week starting from 27 February. Similarly, sales of anti-allergy eyedrops witnessed an increase of 233 per cent.

This year, pollen allergy season started a little earlier than usual in Japan, according to Mainichi, due to the warm winter.

Iwao Yamashita, chairperson of Yamashita Medical & Dental Clinics, which operates two clinics in Tokyo, was quoted as saying by the outlet that he began to see patients complaining of hay fever symptoms in early January this year. I thought it was a cold considering the time of year, but it turned out to be pollen allergies. My impression is that it is a few weeks earlier than usual.
Kolkata, April 5 : Some people are deliberately trying to equate the recent developments at Sandeshkhali with the movements in Singur and Nandigram that took place during the rule of the Left Front government in West Bengal, observed Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee on Friday.

"Sandeshkhali cannot be equated either with Singur or with Nandigram. Some events took place locally at Sandeshkhali. The accused were arrested also. We have arrested people like Sheikh Shahjahan," CM Mamata Banerjee said while addressing a rally at Tufanganj.

Tufanganj comes under Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency which is going for polls in the first phase of the general elections on April 19.

To recall, during the previous Left Front regime, the Trinamool Congress spearheaded a movement against land acquisition for industry at Singur in Hooghly District and Nandigram in East Midnapore.

While at Singur, the movement was against the proposed small car project of Tata Motors Limited there, at Nandigram the stir was against the proposed chemical hub by Indonesia-based Salim Group.

However, at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas, which was on the boil for quite some time in the recent past, the movement was by women against a section of the local Trinamool Congress leadership, who were accused of land grabbing and sexual harassment.

Earlier, speaking at the Tufanganj rally, the CM, without naming anyone, also targeted the former judge of Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who is contesting as a BJP candidate from Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency in East Midnapore District.

"You are responsible for termination of services of several individuals. Now you will be tried in the people's court," CM Banerjee said.

She once again issued an appeal to the people not to apply at the CAA portal.

"Remember, once you apply there you will no longer be a citizen of the country. I am determined to stop implementation of the CAA and NRC in West Bengal," CM Banerjee said.

On Thursday while addressing a rally at Cooch Behar, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, accused Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress of misleading people on the CAA issue.
Kolkata, April 5 : The decision of Nawsad Siddique, the sole representative of the All India Secular Front (AISF) to step back from contesting from the critical Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency at the last moment, has come as a major surprise to many in West Bengal's political circles.

Kolkata, April 5 (IANS) The decision of Nawsad Siddique, the sole representative of the All India Secular Front (AISF) to step back from contesting from the critical Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency at the last moment, has come as a major surprise to many in West Bengalas political circles.

For quite some time Nawsad Siddique, who is virtually the face of the party in West Bengal, had been vocal about his earnestness to contest against Trinamool Congress General Secretary and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Diamond Harbour, Abhishek Banerjee.

In fact, understanding the fact that Nawsad Siddique contesting from the minority-dominated Diamond Harbour constituency would make Abhishek Banerjeeas battle quite tough, the Congress and CPI(M) had in-principal agreed to back the AISF candidate.

The BJP, too, had been watching the developments in Diamond Harbour closely and had not announced its candidate from the constituency.

However, the sudden decision of the AISF leadership on Thursday to field Majnu Lashkar, a greenhorn in electoral politics, from Diamond Harbour has come as a surprise for many.

Some explanations for not fielding veteran Nawsad Siddique have been floated by the AISF leadership.

The first explanation put forward is that if he stands from Diamond Harbour, he will be restricted to that constituency and will not be able to campaign as the face of the party in the other 13 Lok Sabha constituencies where the AISF has fielded candidates.

The second argument is that the party wants to prepare its field for the 2026 Lok Sabha polls under his leadership and hence it wanted to expand his reach.

However, political observers say that a long-term political equation is behind the AISFas last moment decision to take Nawsad Siddique out of the contest.

They say that Nawsad Siddiqueas constant expression of interest in contesting from Diamond Harbour has created a major hype on how difficult his presence would make it for Abhishek Banerjee to win.

Now in case Nawsad Siddique suffers a defeat, his popularity and his partyas position will receive a jolt. This possibility, political observers say, might have played a role in the AISF taking such a major decision.
New Delhi, April 5 : The Delhi High Court recently refused to grant bail to a man implicated in a fake currency case.

The accused, identified as Irshad alias Bhuru, was allegedly involved in the supply and distribution of fake Rs 2,000 notes. Counterfeit notes worth Rs 3 lakh were reportedly seized from his premises.

Presiding Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted the severe implications of circulating counterfeit currency on the nation's economy, security, and the general public's welfare.

Noting the gravity of the offence, Justice Sharma stressed the need for the judiciary to adopt a stringent stance in such matters.

The court also elaborated on the broader dangers associated with counterfeit currency, noting its role in enabling money laundering, terror financing, and other organised crimes.

Moreover, the innocent individuals who might unwittingly handle such money face substantial financial and reputational risks, along with potential legal consequences.

"It is further observed that individuals who unknowingly come into possession of counterfeit currency also face significant risks and repercussions. Innocent consumers and businesses may unknowingly accept counterfeit money in transactions, only to later discover that they have been defrauded or cheated," the court said.

It added: "This can lead to financial losses, legal liabilities, and damage to reputations, particularly for businesses that unwittingly accept counterfeit currency as payment for goods or services."

Despite the defence counsel's claims of wrongful implication and accusations of evidence tampering by the police, the court found the allegations and the recovery of counterfeit notes from Irshad's premises compelling enough to reject the bail application.

The arrest took place on June 22, 2023, from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, where the police found 150 fake Rs 2,000 notes in the accused's possession.

Considering the overall facts, circumstances of the case, the seriousness of the offence, and the recoveries from the house and shop of the accused, the court did not grant bail to the applicant at this stage.
Nagpur : , April 5 (IANS) In a politically significant development, the dreaded ex-mafia don-turned-politician Arun Gulab Gawli is expected to be freed prematurely from the life term he is undergoing in Nagpur Central Jail, as per a Bombay High Court order, here on Friday.

A division bench comprising Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Vrushali Joshi has allowed a criminal application filed by Arun Gawli challenging the rejection of his previous plea claiming premature release given a government notification of January 10, 2006.

"Gawli's application was rejected on grounds that the state government had come up with a fresh notification on December 1, 2015, by which a convict under the MCOCA Act was held entitled to the benefits of the policy decision," his lawyer Mir Nagman Ali told IANS shortly afterwards.

After hearing both sides, the court directed the state to decide on Gawli's release within four weeks from Friday, paving the way for his premature release from the jail where he has spent 16 years, said Adv. Ali.

The well-known criminal lawyer added that unless the state plans to appeal against the order, Gawli is likely to walk out of jail within a month (early May).

The state had registered Gawli's petition on the ground that the 2015 notification specifically excludes the convict under MCOCA from the benefits of the policy.

It contended that even the 2006 notification makes it clear that convicts under stringent laws like the NDPS, TADA, MPDA, etc., are not entitled to the 2006 policy benefits, explained Adv. Ali.

Reacting to the development with political ramifications, Council for Protection of Rights (CPR) President Barrister Vinod Tiwari said that the government failed miserably to give advantage of its own GR to release senior citizen convicts languishing in jails in cases similar to Arun Gawli.

"However, considering the politically sensitive scenario at present, the Maharashtra government should ensure that for security reasons, Gawli is not set free at least till the Lok Sabha election results are declared," cautioned Tiwari.

Originally based in Mumbai and dreaded as the don of Dagdi Chawl, Gawli, 69, served as an MLA (2004-2009), and is popularly known as 'Daddy' to one and all.

He was arrested in 2007 for the killing of a Shiv Sena leader Kamlakar Jamsandekar in March of that year, underwent a trial, was found guilty and convicted of life imprisonment in jail in 2012.

The 2006 GR stipulated that all senior citizen jailbirds, 65-plus and who have completed at least 14 years in jail shall be entitled to a premature release -- and Gawli fulfils both the criteria, plus he is weak and infirm, Adv. Ali told the media later.

In Mumbai, Gawli's family members said they are thrilled by the high court verdict and are preparing to welcome their paterfamilias 'Daddy' back home after a long absence.

"We are very delighted All the people in and around Dagdi Chawl are also making celebration plans as soon as his arrival is known from our legal team," his brother Pradeep Gawli told IANS.

At home in jail for around 16 years, Gawli had been granted parole-furloughs around 13-14 times when he came to spend time with his clan at his land-mark 'mini-kingdom' Dagdi Chawl, at Byculla, in a corner of south Mumbai.

The recent parole included his high-profile trip to attend the swansong Navratri (October 2023) festival hosted at Dagdi Chawl before it was vacated for demolition to make way for a swank new redeveloped housing project.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Thiruvananthapuram, April 5 : The Congress's Kerala unit on Friday urged CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury to rein in Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as he is constantly attacking their party leader Rahul Gandhi but "paying obeisance" to PM Narendra Modi.

Congress' acting state chief M.M. Hassan said while the CPI-M, through its poll manifesto, has come out with programmes to strengthen the INDIA bloc, this does not seem applicable to Vijayan.

"Vijayan is working against the views of the CPI-M as he is doing everything which will help the BJP. He is constantly attacking Rahul Gandhi and paying obeisance to Modi. Itas high time that Yechury intervenes and reins in Vijayan," he said.

"Itas come to a stage where Vijayan doesnat wish the INDIA bloc to come to power as he wants the BJP to retain office. This is because Vijayan has about half a dozen cases against him and he knows he can be safe only if the BJP is in power," Hassan alleged.

Hitting out at the Kerala Chief Minister for "spreading lies" against Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader said that Vijayan claims that Rahul Gandhi has not spoken against the CAA, "but the truth is Rahul has 18 cases in various states because he protested and spoke against CAA".

"Vijayan revels in spreading lies against Rahul," he added.

Hassan also said that the CPI-M's poll manifesto is clear on issues, "but Vijayan moves in the opposite direction as one saw in the budget of his government".

"While the manifesto is clear on the higher education system, Vijayan took an opposite stand by batting for foreign universities. Likewise, while the manifesto describes the UAPA as a draconian law, Vijayan is using that against people," he added.
Itanagar, April 5 : The security forces confiscated over Rs 5.48 crore in cash in the three weeks since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force in poll-bound Arunachal Pradesh, where simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assembly would be held in the first phase on April 19, officials said on Friday.

The officials said that the flying squads and the static surveillance teams deployed by the Election Commission in different parts of Arunachal seized over Rs 5.48 crore in cash, while the cumulative value of the cash and other seized items, including liquor, drugs, expensive metals, and freebies, stood at over Rs 14.05 crore during this period.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 16 after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in four states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha.

According to an election official, the surveillance teams along with the police seized cash amounting to Rs 1 crore from Longding district, Rs 22.20 lakh from Itanagar Capital Region, and another Rs 16.10 lakh from East Kameng district during vehicle-checking on Thursday night.

The Income Tax Department is looking into the matter of cash seizure, he said.

According to the official, following the direction of the Election Commission to curb amoney culturea during elections, carrying cash amounting to more than Rs 50,000 is not permitted without valid backing documents.

Elections to the two Lok Sabha seats -- Arunachal West and Arunachal East -- and 50 of the 60 Assembly seats in Arunachal will be held on April 19.

Ten ruling BJP candidates for the Assembly polls, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, have already won their respective seats without any contest.

The counting of votes for the Assembly elections will be held on June 2, while the results of the Lok Sabha elections will be announced on June 4.
Hubballi, April 5 : Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday criticised Congress for using "indecent" language in politics, while highlighting that his party has never done so.

Speaking to reporters after garlanding the statue of Babu Jagjivan Ram in Hubballi on the occasion of his 117th birth anniversary, the union minister criticised Karnatka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Karnataka Chief Minister had recently accused the NDA government at the Centre of not releasing the drought relief fund.

"When Siddaramaiah was a part of the JD(S), he used to speak ill of Sonia Gandhi, but now, he bows down before her and immature Rahul Gandhi to impress them," Pralhad Joshi said.

"Does Siddaramaiah, who opposed the candidature of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge for the post of PM, have love for Dalits?" Pralhad Joshi asked.

Slamming Siddaramaiah, he said that in the BJP, the selection of presidents and office bearers does not happen based on family politics.

"Every matter is discussed in detail," he said.

"Those who made Mallikarjun Kharge the President of AICC for the sake of namesake are criticising us," he said.

"During the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Congress party chanted the slogan of Jai Sri Ram out of fear. However, it is now argued that merely chanting this slogan will not help to alleviate hunger or poverty," Pralhad Joshi added.

"Why is the Congress party emphasising guarantees? They are advertising the provision of 10 kg of free rice under the Anna Bhagya guarantee scheme, even though they have not provided a single grain of rice," he claimed.

"Shouldn't we inform the public about the BJP government's accomplishments and projects?" he asked.
Kolkata, April 5 : Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Friday ordered a judicial probe into the complaints of rampant corruption and violence in the different state universities in West Bengal.

The move by the Raj Bhavan came a day after the Governor recommended the removal of Bratya Base as the state Education Minister on charges of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by attending the meeting of a Trinamool Congress-affiliated body on the premises of a state university in Malda district.

Sources in the Raj Bhavan said the Governor decided to order a judicial probe into the affairs of the state universities after several complaints were received alleging that the educational institutions were being used for political activities.

The Raj Bhavan has also communicated that the allegations will be looked into by a one-member committee comprising a retired judge from the Supreme Court or the Calcutta High Court.

The affairs of the state universities, where the Governor is the Chancellor by virtue of his Chair, have been a contentious issue between the state secretariat and the Governoras House.

The tiff broke out after the Governor appointed interim vice-chancellors at some state universities, which had been running headless for quite some time.

On March 30, a convention of the Trinamool-affiliated West Bengal College & University Professors' Association (WBCUPA) was held at the Gour Banga University in Malda district, which was attended by Education Minister Basu, who is also the WBCUPA President.
Lucknow, April 5 : They are small parties and many of them do not even have a presence outside Uttar Pradesh. Yet, for most of them, these elections have high stakes because their future in UP politics depends on their performance in these elections.

These smaller parties are caste-centric groups and the BJP plans to earn the support of their respective caste groups in the polls.

To begin with, the Rashtriya Lok Dal which recently snapped ties with Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP-led NDA, is working overtime to ensure success in the polls so that it can consolidate its relationship with the BJP.

The RLD, a Jat-centric party -- has been given two seats in UP -- Baghpat and Bijnor.

The BJP mainly allied with RLD to strengthen its position in western UP.

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, on the other hand, is also said to be eyeing a berth in the union cabinet as he had managed a Rajya Sabha seat during his alliance with SP.

The RLD has nine members in the state assembly.

The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is another party that prides itself on its following among the Rajbhar community.

The SBSP, which has six legislators in the UP assembly, has been given the Ghosi Lok Sabha seat and its president Om Prakash Rajbhar has fielded his son Arvind Rajbhar on the seat.

Om Prakash Rajbhar is known as a troublemaker. He created trouble for BJP in 2019 and quit the alliance to join SP. After the 2022 assembly polls, Rajbhar made uncalled-for statements against the SP and snapped ties.

He laboured for several months before the BJP finally took him back into the fold.

Ghosi will now decide the extent of influence he wields over the Rajbhar community.

The Apna Dal (S) is one of the BJP's most trusted allies in Uttar Pradesh. The Apna Dal (S), led by union minister Anupriya Patel, contested and won two seats, both in 2014 and 2019. The Apna Dal (S), according to sources, is seeking four seats but the BJP is willing to give only two seats. The seats have not yet been announced.

The Apna Dal (S), is a Kurmi -centric party and has been instrumental in helping the BJP expand its base among non-Yadav OBCs.

The Nishad Party, which claims to be the custodian of the riverine community in the state, is still clamouring for an entry into the parliament on its own symbol.

Party president Sanjay Nishad insists that his vote bank has an influence over 27 Lok Sabha seats but the BJP, as of now, is in no mood to give seats to the Nishad Party.

Sanjay Nishad's son Parveen Nishad is a sitting MP from Sant Kabir Nagar on a BJP ticket and the party has again named him as its candidate for 2024 polls.

The Apna Dal (K), a breakaway faction of Apna Dal (S) is now placed on nowhere land. Led by Krishna Patel, the party snapped ties with Samajwadi Party over seat sharing, expressed its desire to join the NDA and finally ended up in alliance with AIMIM.

The party's future is a matter of speculation because the lone MLA, Pallavi Patel, was elected in 2022 on a SP symbol.

Some other smaller parties like Azad Samaj Party, led by Chandra Shekhar, Jansatta Dal led by Raghuraj Pratap Singh a.k.a. Raja Bhaiyya and Swami Prasad Maurya's Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party are contesting on their own without support from bigger parties.
Agartala, April 5 : The Election Commission has suspended a Special Police Officer (SPO) in the West Tripura Parliamentary constituency for participating in election campaigns, violating the model code of conduct, officials said on Friday.

An election official said that SPO Suman Hossain, posted at the Sidhai police station in West Tripura district, was suspended on Thursday for participating in an election campaign and a political event at Mohanpur subdivision earlier this week.

Superintendent of Police, West Tripura, Kiran Kumar K., issued the suspension order based on an investigation report submitted by the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) concerned.

SPOs are like village defence volunteers used to boost the grassroots level policing and were inducted as "helping hands" following a 2001 law to assist the regular police force in anti-insurgency activities.

They also played a crucial role in the development of tribal areas. After the over-four-decades-long militancy was tamed in Tripura, the SPOs were deployed in regular police work and law and order enforcement.
Guwahati, April 5 : A 55-year-old woman surrendered before the police in Assam's Dibrugarh district after she allegedly killed her 35-year-old son after reportedly facing abuses from the latter repeatedly, officials said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday night in the Ghuguloni Bongali area of the district, where the woman, identified as Kanjulata Gogoi, hacked her son to death with a machete before surrendering before the police.

The family members claimed that Kanjulata had discussed the matter with them multiple times in the past after she was repeatedly abused by her son, Baba Gogoi, ever since her husband died.

"Gogoi used to verbally and physically attack her nearly every night. However, things went too far on Thursday night when she killed her in self-defence," a family member claimed.

Following the incident, Baba Gogoi was rushed to a government hospital where the doctors declared him dead, the police said.

Dibrugarh district ASP Sizal Agarwal said that Kanjulata has been taken into custody for the murder of her son.
East London : , April 5 (IANS) South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has been reprimanded for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Women's T20I against Sri Lanka in East London for her aggressive send-off after dismissing Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu.

Kapp was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match."

In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Kapp's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in 24 months, the ICC informed in a statement on Friday.

The incident occurred in the 13th over of Sri Lanka's innings, when Kapp, after dismissing Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, used inappropriate language and gestured in the direction of the pavilion.

Kapp admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Shandre Fritz of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Jacqueline Williams and Thomas Mokorosi, third umpire Kerrin Klaaste, and fourth umpire Lauren Agenbag levelled the charge.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player's match fee, and one or two demerit points.

It is to be noted that when a player reaches four or more demerit points within 24 months, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. Also, two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player. The Demerit Points will remain on a player or player support personnel's disciplinary record for 24 months from their imposition following which they will be expunged.
Rajkot, April 5 : Union Minister, Parshottam Rupala, visited the Ma Ashapura temple on Friday in Rajkot, the Lok Sabha constituency which has become a focal point amid the ongoing controversy raging in Gujarat involving the senior BJP leader.

Parshottam Rupala has triggered a row by claiming that erstwhile amaharajasa succumbed to persecution by foreign rulers and even married off their daughters to them. The Kshatriya community in Gujarat has strongly objected to his remarks.

Though he later apologised to the Kshatriya community, urging calm and reconciliation and acknowledged the community's long-standing support to the BJP, but the damage had been done by then.

Despite multiple apologies by Parshottam Rupala, the demand for his ticket cancellation persists.

The controversial remarks by the BJPas candidate were made during a March 22 event organised by the Dalit community.

In response to the uproar, Gujarat BJP chief, CR Patil, appealed to the Rajput community, urging them to demonstrate magnanimity by forgiving Parshottam Rupala.

CR Patil emphasised the need for forgiveness in light of Parshottam Rupalaas apologies and confirmed that BJP leaders would engage directly with Kshatriya representatives to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, former Gujarat Chief Minister, Shankersinh Vaghela, has called for the BJP to reconsider Parshottam Rupalaas candidacy for Rajkot, cautioning that any potential backlash from the Kshatriya community would squarely fall on the shoulders of the BJP high command and the Gujarat government.
Bengaluru, April 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday gave a call to the party workers in Karnataka to ensure that BJP's 'Mission 370' is fulfilled in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

'Mission 370' aims to achieve 370 seats for the BJP in the upcoming polls by securing 370 more votes for the party at every polling booth in the country.

Speaking virtually with the BJP Karyakartas from Karnataka as part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot' initiative, the Prime Minister also appealed to the party workers to reach out to the beneficiaries of various Central government schemes and make the reels of their stories viral on social media.

"This programme (Mera Booth Sabse Majboot) shows how important booth-level workers are to me. To win Lok Sabha elections, we must first win the booths. Remember, at every booth, we must get 370 more votes this time.

"Make a list of the voters and find out who will be available for polling and who all have other plans. Those having other plans must be convinced to cast their votes first. Also, proper arrangements must be in place for the voters with physical disability," the Prime Minister told the Karyakartas.

Interacting with the participants, the Prime Minister asked Supreeth Bhandari, a party worker from Udupi, how is he meeting the first-time voters and the beneficiaries (of different schemes).

"Are you interviewing them and making reels? Are you putting those reels on social media? These are the new tools for campaigning, which must be used," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also asked the party workers to get the statistics of booth-level voting trends of the last three elections, and study the voting pattern to ensure lead for the party.
Leh, April 5 : Ahead of the proposed protest march to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by Ladakh climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on April 7, authorities in Leh on Friday imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC.

Demanding statehood and inclusion in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, protesters have called for the aPashmina Marcha to the Changthang area close to the LAC between India and China.

Leh District Magistrate Santosh Sukhdeva, citing reliable inputs of apprehension of breach of peace and public tranquillity in the district received from the Senior Superintendent of Police, said, in an order, that it is desirable that any breach of peace, disturbance to public tranquillity and danger to human life should be immediately prevented.

Exercising powers vested in him under Section 144 of CrPC, 1973, the District Magistrate said that no procession/rally/march etc, can be taken out by anyone without the prior approval from the DM in writing.

"No one should use vehicles mounted or other loudspeakers without prior approval from the competent authority. No public gathering without the prior approval of the competent authority shall be allowed. No one shall make any statements, which have the potential to disturb communal harmony, or public tranquillity and which may lead to law and order problems in the district," the order read.

It called on all persons to ensure that they follow the model code of conduct and that all the activities are according to the law, warning that any violation of the order will invite punitive action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
Kolkata, April 5 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the murder of BJP leader Bijoy Krishna Bhunia at Moyna in West Bengal's East Midnapore district in May last year.

A single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta directed the NIA to take over the investigation within the next 15 days, as he also sought a report on the matter to be submitted by April 24.

During the hearing, Justice Sengupta also expressed his displeasure over the Union government's 'reluctance' to pay heed to the recommendations from various quarters seeking an NIA probe into the matter.

To recall, Bhunia was killed at Moyna in May last year.

Initially, the Calcutta High Courtas single-judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ordered an SDPO-level probe into the matter.

However, later there were allegations of a 'flawed probe' into the matter by the state police.
Thiruvananthapuram, April 5 : Senior BJP leader and the party's in-charge for Kerala, Prakash Javadekar, on Friday accused the CPI-M and Congress of instilling fear in the minds of the voters ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Kerala goes to the polls on April 26 to elect 20 Lok Sabha members. The results will be out on June 4.

"Fearing poor performance (in the elections), the CPI-M and Congress are resorting to various methods. Reports have surfaced that in Kannur, two people were injured after the crude bombs they were making exploded.

"These are not things used during temple festivals, but to create terror. One of the injured persons was seen with CPI-M candidate (from Badagara LS seat) K.K. Shailaja. The CPI-M has resorted to such terror tactics as it knows it will lose the elections," Javadekar said.

He also accused the Congress of taking help from organisations such as the SDPI, the political wing of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), out of the fear of losing the polls.

The SDPI had openly pledged its support to the Congress, but after a furor broke out, the latter denied having any alignment with parties such as the SDPI.

"Both these parties (CPI-M and Congress) are trying to create problems. So we have decided to bring all such cases to the notice of the Election Commission," Javadekar said.

Meanwhile, the latest news is that one of the two persons injured in the bomb blast in Kannur has died.
Aizawl, April 5 : Mizoram Chief Minister and Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) President Lalduhoma on Friday reiterated that his party would not ally either with the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc.

Addressing party workers, he said that the ZPM would deal with the NDA and the INDIA, keeping in mind the interest of Mizoram, the Mizo people, their traditions, and their culture.

He said that the ZPM would support any government at the Centre for the interests of Mizoram and its people and its candidate, if elected, would maintain a neutral stand in the Parliament.

"Our representative in the Parliament would be given a free hand in opposing any moves of the Central government which are prejudicial to the interests of Mizoram, Mizo traditional culture, and religion," Lalduhoma said, asserting that the ZPM and the Mizoram government would oppose any proposals or steps that can harm the interests of the Mizo people, including their religious and cultural practices.

Rajya Sabha member and opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) candidate for the state's sole Lok Sabha seat, Vanlalvena, in a separate election campaign event, said that he had opposed the legislations and policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre inside and outside the Parliament during his three-and-a-half-years tenure.

The 54-year-old parliamentarian said that though the MNF is an ally of the NDA, he would continue to maintain a strategic relationship with the BJP-led alliance considering the issues relating to Mizoram and Mizo people.

He noted that when the Central government earlier asked the MNF government in Mizoram to push back the Myanmar refugees who fled their country after the military coup in February 2021 and took shelter in the state, it not only refused the direction but also provided them relief and shelter on humanitarian ground.
Chandigarh, April 5 : Veteran Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said the party's manifesto would prove to be a roadmap to ensure justice and fair participation for every section, and that is why it has been named the "Nyayapatra".

He said each of its promises would be implemented when the Congress government is formed.

Hooda, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, called upon all Congress leaders and workers to take this Nyaypatra to every home and every person during the election campaign.

He expressed happiness that the suggestions given by his committee in the party's Udaipur and Raipur convention to improve the condition of farmers have found a place in the Nyayapatra and expressed gratitude to the party's high command and manifesto committee.

He said the Congress has accepted the biggest demand of farmers and has promised loan waiver and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP). Apart from this, the announcement of giving annual assistance of Rs 1 lakh to every woman from a poor family, and a daily wage of Rs 400 to MNREGA workers is also included in the Nyaypatra.

Hooda said the announcement of equity and justice for the youth, farmers, women, and workers was made in the "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra" under the leadership of former party chief Rahul Gandhi and the party has included 25 guarantees in the manifesto to implement them.
Bengaluru, April 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday gave a call to the party workers in Karnataka to ensure that BJP's 'Mission 370' is fulfilled in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

'Mission 370' aims to achieve 370 seats for the BJP in the upcoming polls by securing 370 more votes for the party at every polling booth in the country.

Interacting virtually with the BJP Karyakartas from Karnataka as part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot' initiative, the Prime Minister also appealed to the party workers to reach out to the beneficiaries of various Central government schemes and make the reels of their stories viral on social media.

"This programme (Mera Booth Sabse Majboot) shows how important booth-level workers are to me. To win Lok Sabha elections, we must first win the booths. Remember, at every booth, we must get 370 more votes this time.

"Make a list of the voters and find out who will be available for polling and who all have other plans. Those having other plans must be convinced to cast their votes first. Also, proper arrangements must be in place for the voters with physical disability," the Prime Minister told the Karyakartas.

Interacting with the participants, the Prime Minister asked Supreeth Bhandari, a party worker from Udupi, how is he meeting the first-time voters and the beneficiaries (of different schemes).

"Are you interviewing them and making reels? Are you putting those reels on social media? These are the new tools for campaigning, which must be used," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also asked the party workers to get the statistics of booth-level voting trends during the last three elections, and study the polling pattern to ensure lead for the party at every polling booth.

"April 6 is the Foundation Day of the BJP. We have done great work in the last 10 years, and there's a need to carry that forward in service of the people. In Karnataka, the 'BJP will cross 400-mark' slogan is being raised from every house," the Prime Minister said, adding: "Also, the message of what the BJP has done in the last 10 years for the cultural upliftment of the country should reach every home."

During the interaction, PM Modi also called upon the party workers to meet the voters and explain to them how the Congress government is betraying the people of Karnataka.

"Visit every house for 30 minutes, and convince the people. Talk to the youth, women, and farmers about their issues and the benefits being extended to them by the Central government. Maintain a diary or make notes on your cellphones. If you want to win a booth, you will have to win the hearts of the voters," the Prime Minister told the party workers.
Israels airstrike on an Iranian Embassy compound in Syrias capital has spurred fears of a renewed aim at U.S. interests in the region, despite American officials claiming no advanced knowledge of the attack.

Former U.S. officials and experts say the strike, which Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said killed two senior members and five officers Monday in Damascus, could mean renewed attacks on American troops and bases in Iraq and Syria by Tehran-backed proxies.

Such attacks, which spiked after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, died down in early February in the wake of a massive U.S. retaliatory assault against the militia groups.

Washington ordered those strikes after an attack by Iranian aligned militants killed three U.S. service members at a small base in Jordan in January.

But though the U.S. has denied any involvement in the Damascus strike  which happened during the day on a diplomatic building near Irans Embassy  being Israels biggest ally could put Washington in the crosshairs of any retaliation from Iran.

Experts agreed, however, that any Iranian response would likely be carefully calibrated to avoid a costly all-out war involving the U.S. or its key regional ally.

By not responding, Iran looks weak, both its own forces and to its allies, said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But it seems to me that Iran is also very cautious about getting into an escalatory spiral either with the United States or with Israel.

He predicted a strike on an empty facility or an increase in missiles lobbed toward Israel, something they can categorize as a response, but that they will calculate is unlikely to ratchet up tensions.

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The Pentagon indicated that officials were concerned Israels strike against Iran may increase the risk to U.S. troops in the region, as theyve made it very clear and [via] private channels to Iran that we were not responsible for the strike that happened in Damascus, deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Tuesday, a day after the strike.

I will reiterate: The U.S. had no involvement in that strike. And we had no knowledge about it ahead of time, she added.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the airstrike  the most significant such attack on Iranian interests since the start of Israel-Hamas war  but Singh said the U.S. assessed that Israel was responsible.

And the top U.S. Air Force commander for the Middle East, U.S. Air Forces Central head Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, warned Wednesday that American troops were in danger in the region.

Grynkewich told reporters that the Houthis in Yemen, an Iranian proxy that has attacked commercial ships and Navy vessels in the Red Sea, are more difficult for Tehran to control and not quite as responsive to direction compared to other militias in Iraq and Syria.

That same day, the USS Gravely and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces destroyed an inbound antiship ballistic missile and two drones launched by the Houthis in Yemen toward Gravely in the Red Sea. No injuries or damage was reported, according to a CENTCOM press release.

Israel also appeared to be preparing for blowback from the strike Thursday, when its military announced it was suspending leave for reservists.

Further ratcheting up concerns of a looming Iranian response, Tehrans leaders have threatened retaliation.

We will make them regret this crime and other similar ones with the help of God, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a statement Tuesday. Israel will be punished by the hands of our brave men.

Following that threat, U.S. troops in southeastern Syria destroyed an attack drone, though it was not clear whether the American forces were the drones intended target, The New York Times reported.

William Wechsler, senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council, said he expected Iran would retaliate in some way, but downplayed concerns of a major response.

He said Iran will probably work to achieve what they see as a symmetrical response to this, while at the same time, trying not to provoke the kind of war that would risk the existence of their proxy in Lebanon, referring to Hezbollah, a militant group and political party backed by Tehran.

Iran does not want a regional war, Wechsler said. I think that they are happy with the current level of violence in this. It would surprise me if they would want to change that strategically by going against American forces in a significant way.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Kolkata, April 5 : Five persons have been arrested in Asansol in West Bengal's West Burdwan district for allegedly gang-raping a minor girl student, police said on Friday.

Two other accused in the case are absconding.

The five persons arrested, on a complaint filed by the victim's father, have been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (Pocso) Act.

Local police sources said that the victim, a Class 9 student, has been admitted to a local hospital where she is undergoing treatment now.

As per the complaint filed by her father, the girl went out of the house on Thursday night to relieve herself and went missing since then. The family members started searching for her and by early morning, she was spotted and rescued from a secluded place in the locality.

As per her account, she was picked by a group of seven local hawkers and assaulted. The police immediately launched a search and arrested five of the seven accused. Operations are on to track the two other accused.
Washington, April 5 : A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit eastern parts of the United States on Friday morning with the epicentre in Lebanon, New Jersey, 50 miles (80 km) from New York.

There were no reports of casualties or damage to property.

Tremors were felt right up to the nationas capital Washington DC and the states of Maryland and Virginia.

"The President has been briefed on the earthquake, which had an epicentre in New Jersey, and he is in touch with his team who are monitoring potential impacts," the White House said in a statement.

"The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more."

President Joe Biden also spoke to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy about the quake. The White House said that the President said his administration is in touch with state and local officials and will provide assistance if needed.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey Governor, told CNN that it felt like a "small explosion".

He was working in his home office at the time and felt his house shake and it lasted several minutes.

Many office buildings were evacuated in New York City as a precautionary measure. Air travel is likely to be impacted as ground operations were halted at airports.

Earthquakes are common on the East Coast, but they are of relatively lower intensity and frequency than the West Coast.

The US Geological Survey has said: "The eastern US is not immune to damaging earthquakes. This hazard has been known since colonial days when damaging earthquakes occurred off Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in 1755 and near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1774. The largest earthquake in the eastern U.S. was the magnitude 7 earthquake in 1886 near Charleston, South Carolina, and significant earthquakes have occurred in more recent years, such as in Delaware in 2017 and North Carolina and Puerto Rico in 2020, confirming that earthquakes can strike unexpectedly in many areas of the eastern US and its territories."
Patna, April 5 : The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) on Friday joined the RJD-led Mahagathbandan in Bihar and has been allotted the Gopalganj, Jhanjharpur, and Motihari Lok Sabha seats for the coming elections.

The RJD has given those three seats to the Mukesh Sahani-led party from its own quota.

In a joint press conference here, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said: "Today is an important day in the politics of Bihar. Mukesh Sahani has joined the grand alliance in Bihar. He has struggled for the extremely backward caste community over the years in Bihar and fights for them. We welcome him in the grand alliance."

"As per the seat-sharing formula of the INDIA bloc, the Congress is contesting on 9 seats, the Left parties are contesting on 5 seats, and the RJD is contesting on 26 seats. Now, we have decided to give 3 seats to the VIP from our own quota in Bihar. These seats are Gopalganj, Jhanjharpur and Motihari," he added.

"Those who are claiming to win 400 seats in the country, I want to tell them that we will defeat them in Bihar. This state will give a surprise result in this election," he said.

Tejashwi Yadav also said that this alliance would not be only for the Lok Sabha election but would stay in for the next Assembly election as well.

On his part, Sahani said: "We are the people who follow the path of Lalu Prasad Yadav. He was the person who always fought for the poor and backward-class people of the state. BJP had broken my party. The governments of Delhi and West Bengal have given the reservation to the Nishad community but the Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand governments refused."

"Now, we are part of the INDIA bloc in Bihar and we will not contest only on three seats in Bihar but we are contesting on all 40 seats. We are the alliance partner of the RJD, the Congress, and the Left parties and we will support every candidate of the INDIA bloc to win. This Lok Sabha election will give surprising results. We will win all 40 seats in Bihar," he added.
New Delhi, April 5 : Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, on Friday said he met Adani Group's Founder and Chairman, Gautam Adani, and had a detailed discussion that not only focused on existing investments but also future collaborations in various fields like renewable energy and critical minerals, among others.

In a post on X, the Australian envoy said he had an "extended meeting" with the Adani Group Chairman.

"I had an extended meeting with Chairman Gautam Adani today, covering his existing investments in Australia and future collaboration on #renewables, critical minerals and rooftop solar," Green wrote on the social media platform.

Adani Australia owns and operates Abbot Point Terminal which has been exporting Queensland coal responsibly for more than 35 years. The port is a modern, high volume, fast turnaround port complex with natural deep water, and is a multi-user port facility that currently has the capacity to throughput up to 50 MTPA (million tonnes per annum), according to the companyas website.

Adani Renewables Australia's first solar farm Rugby Run near Moranbah was officially opened in October 2019, supplying 65MW of renewable energy powering about 23,000 Queensland homes.

More than 247,000 solar panels have been installed, which generates 185,000 MWh of power each year, according to the company.

Adani Mining Private Ltd is an Australian mining company that operates out of regional Queensland. Adani Miningas flagship development is the Carmichael mine and rail Project. The Carmichael Project is a thermal coal mine and rail project, which will transport coal from the Galilee Basin to countries in Asia, including India, delivering thousands of jobs for Queenslanders in the process.
Mumbai, April 5 : Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan on Friday accused the Congress leaders of holding him responsible for the Lok Sabha ticket distribution talks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVS) allies for being a 'soft target'.

Chavan, who recently quit the Congress and joined the BJP, was replying to media reports on Congress leaders holding him responsible for its seat-sharing arrangements with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) in Maharashtra.

He said the criticism was unwarranted, as the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) have outsmarted the Congress in the seat-sharing arrangements.

"Maharashtra Congress leaders have no decision-making ability. But they go on criticising me for the present situation. I am being made a soft target. Let them say anything about me, it won't make any difference," said Chavan.

"It has been a month-and-a-half since I left the Congress and it's ridiculous that these people are still criticising me," he said.

"Looking at media reports, it seems the Congress has miserably failed in seat allocation. This failure will turn into defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Some Congress leaders are blaming me for the same, which is ridiculous. They are just passing the buck on me as they cannot face the wrath of the Congress office-bearers, ticket aspirants, and party cadres," Chavan said.

"When I was in the Congress, I tried to get the good seats for the party. I had taken a firm stand not to give the Bhiwandi seat in the Konkan region to any other party. Even the Hingoli seat would have been retained. The same goes for Sangli. I was also insisting that the Congress must get three seats in Mumbai," said Chavan.

While the Sangli and Hingoli seats will be contested by the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (SP) has announced its nominee for Bhiwandi this time.

"There is a lot of anger among the Congress workers after it failed to field its candidates from these three seats," Chavan claimed.

"What Maharashtra Congress lacks is diplomacy and business acumen. The leaders are simply not interested in seat sharing," he added.
Amaravati, April 5 : Narsapuram MP K. Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, who resigned from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) recently, joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday.

The MP from Narsapuram, who was denied a ticket by the BJP to contest again from the same constituency, formally joined the TDP in the presence of party President N. Chandrababu Naidu at a public rally at Palakollu in West Godavari district.

On the occasion, he said that with the TDP chief's initiative, he was once again among the people and would remain indebted to Chandrababu Naidu and the people. He predicted that on June 4, Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan would create a sensation.

Raju, who resigned from YSRCP in February this year, was aspiring for a BJP ticket as Narsapuram was one of the six Lok Sabha seats allotted to it under the seat-sharing agreement among the TDP, the Jana Sena, and the BJP.

However, he was denied a ticket by the BJP as he had not formally joined the party and it fielded Srinivasa Varma.

Welcoming Raju into the party, the TDP President said that he had fought for five years against "psycho" (Andhra CM Y.S.) Jagan Mohan Reddy to save democracy.

Naidu alleged that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had stopped Raju from entering his own constituency and the police had tortured him the whole night.

"Dictator Jagan has suppressed the opposition and those who questioned his anarchies in these 5 years. Many people have been illegally arrested and faced worse situations, and some people have committed suicide," he said.

Raju, on February 24, resigned from the primary membership of the YSRCP, telling party President and Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy that his multiple efforts to get him disqualified from his parliamentary membership haven't yielded the desired results.

The MP had said in January 2022 that if the YSRCP failed to get him disqualified, he would resign and contest a by-election.

Raju, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Narsapuram on a YSRCP ticket in 2019, raised the banner of revolt in 2020 by openly criticizing the party policies. It was in July 2020 that YSRCP submitted a disqualification petition against him to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The party leaders had brought to the Speaker's notice that Raju had been making statements against the party. They said his conduct was highly questionable and he lost the moral right to continue as a member of the House representing the party. He was also accused of hobnobbing with the leaders of the opposition party and using unparliamentary language against Jagan Mohan Reddy and other party members.
Mumbai, April 5 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has conveyed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the NCP is keen to contest the Nashik Lok Sabha seat on its poll symbol 'clock'.

The NCP has also made it clear that senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal will be its candidate from Nashik.

A senior NCP leader said, "During his meeting with BJP's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday night, NCP President Ajit Pawar strongly pleaded for an early decision on the party's claim over the Nashik seat. He also sought the intervention of Fadnavis to hold talks with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, so that the party can formally announce Chagan Bhujbalas nomination from Nashik."

The NCPas move comes at a time when the Shiv Sena is reluctant to forego its claim over the Nashik seat, especially with sitting Sena MP Hemant Godse having already launched his campaign.

Hemant Godse, who recently put up a show of strength seeking renomination, has urged CM Shinde to not only retain the Nashik seat, but also field him from there.

However, a final decision on this count is still pending.

Meanwhile, Bhujbal said, "I am ready to contest (from Nashik) if the party nominates me. I am also confident of winning the seat. And if I donat get the ticket, I will work for the MahaYuti candidateas victory."

However, BJP sources have reportedly informed CM Shinde about a negative poll survey in case Godse is renominated from Nashik.

At the same time, the BJP has also said that the Nashik seat can be retained by the MahaYuti if Bhujbal, who is a veteran OBC leader and the founder of Samata Parishad, is nominated from there.

This is because there are over six lakh OBCs, five lakh Marathas, 3.5 lakh Muslims, and voters from other communities, including Brahmins and backward classes, in Nashik.

The BJP leadership has communicated to both the Shiv Sena and the NCP that Bhujbal has bright poll prospects as he would be in a position to get votes not only from the OBCs, but also from other communities while playing up the development plank and the 'Modi Ki Guarantee' card.

Incidentally, three BJP legislators have also extended their support to Bhujbal after strongly opposing Godseas renomination fearing his defeat.

The BJP also feels that since the name of Nashik has been derived from the Hindu epic Ramayana, voters can be approached in a big way riding on the Ram Mandir wave, especially during the coming Ramnavami celebrations.

Polling in Nashik is slated for May 20, and the results will be out on June 4.
Bhopal, April 5 : Madhya Pradesh unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president VD Sharma on Friday called the election manifesto of Congress a bunch of false promises, while criticising the grand old party over corruption.

"It's a guarantee of injustice, not justice," Sharma, who is contesting his second Lok Sabha election from Khajuraho constituency, told mediapersons.

"Will those who robbed the entire population of their rights by committing scams and corruption while in power give full rights to half the population?" Sharma questioned.

The Congress on Friday released its poll manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, making various promises, including 50 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, if it comes to power at the Centre.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in the presence of senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, released the election manifesto of the party, focusing on five "pillars of justice" and 25 guarantees under them.
Hyderabad, April 5 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday warned of protests if the Congress government in Telangana fails to come to the rescue of farmers whose crops have dried up due to non-release of water.

The Leader of the Opposition also warned that after water flow in the Godavari river crosses 20,000 cusecs, he, along with the farmers, will undertake a march to release the water.

He warned that if the state government fails to repair the Medigadda barrage (a part of the Kaleshwaram project) and provide immediate relief to farmers, he and 50,000 farmers will march to Medigadda.

His challenge came after inspecting dried-up crops in parts of the united Karimnagar district and interacting with the affected farmers. He emphasised that following the Lok Sabha elections, his party and the farmers will launch a massive agitation against the state government's criminal negligence in repairing the Medigadda barrage, leading to agricultural distress.

KCR, as Rao is commonly known, accused the Congress government of intentionally neglecting the barrage repairs for political gains, and warned of a building farmer agitation due to the government's failure to fulfil promises, leading to distress and suicides among farmers.

He reiterated that the farmers were suffering due to the policies of the government and crops have dried up in almost all villages. Claiming that crops over 15-20 lakh acres were affected, he demanded the government immediately come to the rescue of affected farmers by paying Rs 25,000 per acre.

Reiterating his claim that 209 farmers died by suicide since Congress came to power in the state, he demanded that the government pay compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to their families.

KCR said the Congress leaders had challenged him to send a list of deceased farmers within 48 hours but the list was sent to the Chief Secretary within four hours. He alleged that the present situation in the state's agriculture sector was due to the inefficiency of the Congress government as the "administration, including the Chief Minister, lacks understanding of water and project management".

He highlighted the benefits brought by the Kaleshwaram project to the Karimnagar district but expressed concern over recent crop losses due to water mismanagement and criticised the Congress for failing to fulfil electoral promises, attributing drought-like conditions to their governance.

KCR said the crops dried up due to the government's failure and the farmersa borewell motors got burnt due to lack of quality power.

The BRS chief warned the government that his party would not keep quiet if it continued to neglect farmers and weavers and urged the Congress to focus on governance instead of political stunts and fulfil electoral promises. He criticised Congress leader K.K. Mahendra Reddy's insensitive remarks on weavers after he suggested they sell condoms and papads if they lacked work.

KCR condemned the government for failing to provide drinking water despite substantial investments in projects like Mission Bhagiratha by his government and demanded free water supply to all citizens dependent on water tankers.

He dismissed the BJP's prospects in Telangana, citing their poor performance in previous elections and losing more than half of the Assembly segments.
Gurugram, April 5 : A team of Jaipur Police arrived here on Friday to record statements of at least 5 Bangladeshi nationals who were detained for their alleged involvement in an international kidney transplant racket.

The detained Bangladeshis had allegedly come to India to donate and receive kidneys.

"A team of Jaipur Police came here to record and gather information about an illegal kidney transplant racket. The Gurugram Health Department will cooperate with the team if they require any information," said a senior Health Department official.

On Thursday, a joint team of the Gurugram Police, CM Flying Wing and the Health Department Gurugram busted a major international kidney transplant racket in Gurugram's Sector 39 area. A raid was conducted at Hotel Babel Palace.

The racket involves the sale and purchase of fake no-objection certificates (NOCs) for organ transplants. Police here claimed that the action came after their Rajasthan counterparts shared information about the alleged racket.

Meanwhile, three staffers of three leading hospitals have also been arrested by Rajasthan Police in Jaipur on April 2.

The Gurugram Police have also registered a case based on a complaint by the Gurugram Health Department. During the investigation, the officials came to know that the kidney transplant surgeries were carried out at Fortis Hospital in Jaipur.

A Bangladeshi national told the police that they were brought to Gurugram by Mohammed Murtaza Ansari, a resident of Ranchi who allegedly took Rs 10 lakh from kidney recipients and gave 2 lakh Bangladeshi Taka to the donors.

The Bangladeshi national told the raiding team they had contacted Ansari, the alleged middleman through an online advertisement about kidney transplantation, who arranged their documents to come to India.

An FIR was registered against Ansari and others under Section 19 of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 (TOHO Act), and IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 120B (criminal conspiracy) at the Sadar Police Station Gurugram.

"The police are looking for the absconding Ansari, the kingpin of the alleged racket. The matter is under investigation," said a senior police officer requesting anonymity.
Hyderabad, April 6 : The Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Friday condoled the passing away of the first Telugu TV news reader, Shanti Swaroop.

Swaroop, who started reading news on Doordarshan in 1983, passed away in Hyderabad on Friday at the age of 74. He breathed his last at a private hospital, where he was admitted two days ago after suffering a cardiac arrest.

A well-known face on television for Telugu viewers, he started reading news on November 14, 1983. There was no teleprompter then and he used to read the news from a paper script.

Swaroop served in Doordarshan till 2011.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said in his condolence message that as the first generation news reader, Swaroop became a household name for Telugu people.

The Chief Minister also remembered the services rendered by the news reader to the Telugu media, as he conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed grief over the demise of Swaroop, saying the pioneering efforts of Shanti Swaroop from the days of limited technology inspired many newscasters.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, G. Kishan Reddy, former Telangana Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and leaders from various political parties also condoled the demise of Swaroop.
New Delhi, April 6 : A Delhi court on Friday granted interim bail to three accused in a money laundering case related to the alleged Chinese visa scam.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a charge sheet in March before the Special PMLA court against Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram and his former chartered accountant S. Bhaskararaman in the case.

Chidambaram has not moved the bail application before the trial court, and his anticipatory bail is pending before the high court.

The court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet last month and issued summonses to the accused.

Besides Chidambaram, Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Ltd, Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd and others are also named as accused in the case.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court on Friday granted interim bail to each accused person on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. The judge also granted time to the ED to file a reply on the regular bail applications of other accused persons. The next date of hearing is May 2.

The financial probe agency had initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The investigation by the ED revealed that Chidambaram allegedly received illegal gratification of Rs 50 lakh through his close aide Bhaskararaman in exchange for facilitating the approval for the reuse of Chinese visas by Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd.

"This company was involved in establishing a power project in Mansa, Punjab. Officials from the company approached Karti P. Chidambaram to assist in obtaining approval for visa reuse from the Ministry of Home Affairs, where his father served as Home Minister," a senior ED official had said.

The official had said that the modus operandi employed in this case involved the company issuing a Rs 50 lakh cheque to an entry operator for fictitious services, and the entry operator then provided Rs 50 lakh in cash to Bhaskararaman.

"Subsequently, S. Bhaskararaman invested this cash sum of Rs 50 lakh into Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Ltd, a company controlled by Karti P. Chidambaram. Over time, the value of this investment increased to Rs 1.59 crore, constituting proceeds of crime under the provisions of the PMLA," the official had said.
Jaipur, April 6 : The 'vote-from-home' facility for senior citizens above the age of 85 and for people with over 40 per cent disability commenced in Rajasthan on Friday for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Rajasthan's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta said the facility is being provided to eligible voters of 12 constituencies, which will go to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Voters enthusiastically exercised their franchise sitting at home, he added.

Kamla Devi, 93, a resident of Jaipur's Banipark, exercised her franchise from home.

"I had started avoiding voting as had to face problems in walking... However due to this humanitarian initiative of the Election Commission, today I am able to exercise my franchise while sitting at home," she said.

Kamala Devi said that the initiative will infuse a new energy towards elections among the elderly.

N.R. Mathur, 87, also took advantage of the facility. After voting, Mathur said that he is happy that the Election Commission has respected the seniors by bringing the polling facility to their house.

Retired Judge V.S. Dave, 92, a resident of Banipark, also expressed gratitude to the Election Commission after casting the vote from his home.

Besides Jaipur, many elderly and disabled persons used their right to franchise in different parts.

Differently abled Jagdeep Singh, 24, of Hanumangarh said that he had gone to the booth and voted in the Assembly elections. However this time, he didn't have to go polling station to exercise his franchise.

The home voting facility will continue till April 13.

Election officials said that 36,558 voters have opted for home voting in the first phase on 12 seats, including Jaipur, Sikar, Ganganagar, Bikaner, of which 27,524 are senior citizens and 9,306 are people with disabilities (PwDs).

CEO Gupta said that 76,636 eligible voters have opted to vote from home for all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. This includes 58,954 elderly voters and 17,682 PwDs.

The Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26.
The New Press publisher Ellen Adler will step down from her longtime role later this year. In a note sent to staff on April 4, Adler wrote that she will leave TNP at the end of September, which coincides with her 21st anniversary at the press. Its time for a change! she wrote.

Adler first joined TNP as a board member in 2001, when she was heading up Berlitz Publishings trade business. In 2003, she was named deputy director of the nonprofit press, which focuses on publishing books for a progressive audience. Since joining TNP, Adler has been a leader in the independent publishing community, and the press was an early supporter of the Independent Publishers Caucus. In 2021, she was named PW Person of the Year in recognition of her work guiding TNP to a string of record years during the Covid crisis.

Among the books Adler has edited are Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Hochschild, which was a National Book Award Finalist in 2016; Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women by Susan Burton and Cari Lynn, the NAACP Image Award winner and Stephan Russo Goddard-Riverside Social Justice inaugural winner; and Who's Raising the Kids? Big Tech, Big Business, and the Lives of Children by Susan Linn, which received a starred PW review when it was released in 2022.

The books and authors weve been privileged to publish, the challenges weve metalong with being a part of the vibrant independent publishing and bookselling worldshave all made TNP a wonderful place to be, Adler wrote to the TNP staff.

A successor for Adler will be named at a later date.
Among ancient civilizations who regarded solar eclipses as an evil omen, the sight of the cosmic phenomenon would have been cause for despair. But for many enthusiasts traveling thousands of miles to see the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, the opposite is true.

I'm not in any way religious at all. But [the eclipse is] almost as close to a religious moment as I think you can get, says Sarah Marwick, a 51-year-old doctor based in the U.K. It makes you feel enormous and tiny at the same time.

Marwickwho has seen six eclipses in the last 25 years in the Arctic Circle, China, France, Libya, the U.S., and Zimbabweis an eclipse chaser, or umbraphile. The neologism cannot be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but the word, meaning shadow lover, is used to describe the people who flock across the globe for a chance to see the moon obscure the sun. Eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA. But solar eclipses are a much rarer phenomenon to see than lunar eclipses because they are only visible from a small area of the Earth each time they occur.

If it's 10 seconds or several minutes, it doesnt matter. It's always too short for you, says Tunc Tezel, a 46-year-old civil engineer from Turkey who has seen 13 solar eclipses and three lunar eclipses since 1999. He is traveling more than 6,000 miles from Istanbul to Houston this April. The light comes back, and then you start to think, When's the next one? Where's the next one? I think I need to see another one.

For many, the obsession with eclipses began in childhood. Growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, one of the big things that I remember seeing were the two great comets we had, says 35-year-old Aditya Madhavan, who has been chasing eclipses since he saw the great American solar eclipse in 2017. Others credit science teachers who inspired their love of space. But for most, the eclipse bug bit soon after they saw their first.

Read More: How Astrologists Are Preparing for the 2024 Solar Eclipse

Its hard to say how many people identify as an umbraphile. On Facebook, a public solar eclipse chasing group has nearly 21,000 membersan increase of about 13% since March. Not all of them are enthusiastssome join to advertise their product or offer accommodations to see the eclipsebut filmmaker Nelson Quan, a member, says he noticed an explosion in interest after the 2017 eclipse. Because these eclipses are in these narrow paths and certain places in the world, you kind of meet the same people, says Quan, who directed a documentary about eclipse chasing called Chasing Shadows.

In 2023, for instance, some 20,000 people traveled to Exmouth, Australia for the eclipse. That town had a population of 2,800. Take a place like Australia. You think, Australia is a big country? Well, yes, it is. But when the eclipse only hits the tip of it in Exmouth, it becomes a very small country, says Mandie Adams, a 59-year-old landlord working in real estate.

Quan says the first online umbraphile community he remembers was a group on Yahoo called the solar eclipse mailing list, which included leaders of the previous generation of eclipse chasers, like astrophysicist Fred Espenak, otherwise known as Mr. Eclipse; cartographer Michael Zeiler, creator of GreatAmericanEclipse.com; and Xavier Jubier, the mastermind behind an interactive Google Maps site that details the timing and phases of an eclipse.

Now that the community has grown, amateurs and newly-identifying eclipse chasers are using online platforms to share lodging plans, ask for tips, and recount tales of past trips abroad. Of the ten eclipse chasers TIME spoke to for this story, two traveled only in the U.S. for the 2017 eclipse and for this years astronomical event, six are traveling from other countries to see the April 8 eclipse in the U.S., and many already had plans to see the next total solar eclipse in 2026, with the most popular destination being Spain. We are trying to do anything we can to see these eclipses as long as it's possible, says Tezel, a moderator of the Facebook group. Maybe we are a bit more dedicated or a bit crazy. You decide.

The most significant barrier to becoming an eclipse chaser might be the cost. Atlanta-based Madhavan paid $14,000 to travel to Antarctica via ship for an eclipse in 2021and wasnt able to see that eclipse due to cloud cover. The eclipse tourism industry is gaining traction. This year, Delta Air Lines is marketing flights for eclipse chasers to see the event from the sky and a $1.5 billion economic boom is expected to impact states in the 115-mile wide path of totality.

Read More: Why These Passengers Are Flying up to 30 Hours to See Four Minutes of the Eclipse

Olivier Steiger, 65, says he strategically plans his eclipse trips to save costs. To maximize his time for his buck, Steiger plans on spotting other natural phenomena on this trip: hes going to follow the northern lights for a few nights before heading to the U.S. for the eclipse, and hopefully do some storm chasing and see a tornado in Texas afterwards. Steiger says it's cheaper to travel within Europe, and he can usually spot deals depending on where he wants to go. For this trip, he is driving down from Switzerland to Milan to take a cheaper flight to Iceland, before flying to Denver and then driving down south.

Marwick, a mother to two children, says the cost of traveling with her family dictates her destination, accommodations, and length of time away from work. If you've got a family, there's a difference between taking a flight to Toronto that costs $400, or one that's, you know, going to be $3,000 to Texas, and much longer time, she says.

Read More: Helpful Tips for Planning Your Solar Eclipse Trip

Being frugal has allowed Adams, based in England, to backpack through Chicago, Nashville, Austin, and Fort Worth during the four weeks leading up to the eclipse. I don't go for luxuries back home. I don't go out and buy handbags and expensive clothes, she says. I want my money to be for experiences like the eclipse.

For many umbraphiles, traveling for an eclipse will be their one extended vacation of the year. It kind of is an excuse for us to get out of the country and go to places that maybe we wouldn't have been before, says Madhavan. Tunzel, who has a copy of the Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses, which has maps of eclipse paths through 2035, jokingly refers to his catalog as his vacation planner.

This year, Madhavan is traveling to Torreon, Mexico for the first time, but has also gone to countries like Australia in 2023 for an eclipse that only lasted for around a minute. We traveled halfway around the world for [about] 56 seconds of totality, which makes it sound really crazy, he says, but the sun itself and the phenomena that we saw around this eclipse were just beautiful.

That moment is never guaranteed, but the anticipation is worth it. It's like a calling, says Tezel. We drop everything, meet that eclipse happens, and then we go back to what we are doing in our normal lives. And then the cycle begins again.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
Oravel Stays, the parent company behind the travel tech brand Oyo, is eyeing to clock Rs 100 crore in Q4FY24 profit after tax (PAT) and a 20 per cent revenue growth for FY24, according to informed sources.

Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

These numbers were part of an internal review meeting between founder Ritesh Agarwal and senior management earlier this week, where he spoke about the companys profitability trajectory and growth in business.

In a review meeting with Oyos leaders, Agarwal said this 3X sequential growth in profit is a result of steady topline growth and improved user confidence, said the source.In an email response to Business Standard, the company said, This appears to be from an internal provisional discussion.

"We do not have any official comment to offer.

After becoming net profitable since the second quarter of the current financial year, Oyo has been recording bottom-line growth each quarter.

The company had marked its maiden profitable quarter with a PAT of over Rs 16 crore in Q2FY24 after which it doubled its PAT to around Rs 30 crore in Q3FY24.

Oyo will conclude the financial year with a 20 per cent revenue growth. In calendar 2023 alone, the company added about 5,000 hotels and homes each, many of which were going online for the first time.

"Theres still untapped potential for growth as more and more small hotels and homes embrace technology in the coming years, said the source.

Recently, the IPO-bound company shared that it clocked Adjusted (Adj) EBITDA of Rs 750 crore in calendar year 2023 and expects to clock Adj EBITDA of Rs 1,000 crore in FY24, surpassing its earlier projected Adj EBITDA estimate of Rs 800 crore for FY24.

The company optimised its operating cost by 15 per cent in Q3FY24 compared to the same period. It last filed its Annual Accounts for FY23 and these updates are unaudited.

According to the source, Agarwal also reiterated the firms plans to focus on its international expansion.

Oyo has focus on four regions  India, Europe, Indonesia and Malaysia.

"They are deepening their presence in Bali, added the source.

Oyo recently secured a Rs 200 crore credit line from JP Morgan to fuel the expansion of the Oyo Accelerator Programme.

Launched in March 2023, the programme empowers over 700 hotels and over 85 small and first-generation hoteliers from across the country, enabling them to expand their business and achieve long-term profitability.

The company has also increased its focus on spiritual tourism, recently opening 65 properties in Ayodhya and announcing intent to open 50 homestays in Puri in Odisha.

The companys target for 2024 is to open over 400 properties in spiritual destinations in India.

It is also focusing on opening Sharia-compliant hotels in Southeast Asian destinations such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Congratulations are officially in order for Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinsonthe couple have welcomed their first child together, with Waterhouse announcing the news in the most adorable Instagram post imaginable on April 4.

The brand new mama shared a screenshot of a Polaroid picture in which she can be seen cradling her little one in a swaddle dotted with hearts, captioning the shot, welcome to the world angel. Though she didnt share any details about her new bundle of joyincluding babys name or date of birthits clear by the photo that shes soaking up all that newborn goodness in spades.

Waterhouse, 32, announced she was pregnant last November, revealing the news onstage at the Corona Capital Music Festival in Mexico City. She showed off her stomach and joked to the crowd of her ultra-glam stage ensemble: I decided to wear something particularly sparkly because I thought it might distract you from something else thats going on. Im not sure if its working.

Though the couple keeps a low profile, the Daisy Jones & the Six star did make some outings throughout her pregnancy, including looking gorgeous and glowy on the red carpet at the 2024 Emmy Awards in January. She rarely makes public appearances with Pattinson, but theyve reportedly been dating since July 2018. In December, a source told PEOPLE that the couple is engaged, but its unclear whether theyre already married or will be setting a date sometime soon. (And good for them for keeping some things out of public viewno need for prying eyes if you dont want em!)

Plenty of commenters on Waterhouses post joked about their baby hitting the genetic lottery, with one person writing, This baby has no idea who their parents are. Some jokingly asked if the baby is a Pattinson or a Pattindaughter, and others even asked if the babys name is Renesmee, referring to the Twilight baby shared by Pattinsons character Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewarts Bella Swan. Leave it to the internet to always have jokes, right?

All jokes aside, heres hoping that Pattinson and Waterhouse are enjoying the first weeks of new parenthood with their little love.
'I have been trying to make a movie for seven years. I got a chance only now.'

'I have taken my script to every office from Dharma to Tips to Eros.'

'I have narrated my script to every actor possible. Nobody believed me.'

'Because of OTT, people like me are finally getting a chance to make something.'

IMAGE: Vivek Gombre in Lootere.

It is only fair that being around the industry has to rub off on its children.

Jai Mehta started out playing production assistant on his father Hansal Mehta's films, and even co-directed the acclaimed Web series, Scam 1992.

Now, he turns solo director for the gritty hijack drama, Lootere, which has been getting wide acclaim and has ended Jai's long wait of seven years to helm a project.

"I have been taught to never say no to work. My idea was if I'm getting a job, even if the job is for a spot boy, I'll do it. I just wanted to be on set for a movie, in whatever capacity possible," Jai tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com in the first of a two-part interview.

How did the idea of Lootere come along and what fascinated you about this subject?

The idea was not exactly mine.

It was an idea developed by Anshuman Sinha and Shailesh Singh.

Anshuman had come with a story idea to Shailesh, who's our creator and producer. Then Shailesh brought Vishal Kapoor and Suparn S Verma on board to develop the show.

They had written one version of it. Then Disney+Hotstar was brought on board. It's only after one year of them working on it, that they came to me.

Scam 1992 had released in October 2020, and Shailesh sent me a message in December. When he told me about this idea, my first question was: 'Hotstar is on board with this show?

He said, yes.

I think that was my first surprise.

It intrigued me because I felt if the platform is interested about making something that is so different, that means people are willing to try new things.

Was there any hesitation about the fact that the plotline was similar to Captain Phillips?

That is exactly what I felt when I read the first episode. Then I started reading more and felt there was so much more.

Initially, there were a lot of references and things that were clearly inspired but that's where I come in.

I worked on the script again with Vishal and Suparn, and we kept writing on set as well.

It just kept growing and growing, and the world was getting more and more dense because the more we kept diving into the characters, the more interesting it got.

Was the series shot in Somalia?

No, we shot in South Africa.

None of us were able to travel to Somalia because there are travel restrictions.

It's not that people have not been there, but it was too much of a risk to take with a crew of 70-80 people there.

I had to find the next best alternative.

The biggest challenge of shooting in South Africa was finding the locations that resemble Somalia.

I remember when Black Hawk Down had released, it was criticised heavily for its inaccurate depiction of Mogadishu (the capital of Somalia) and the people were showed almost like barbarians.

Mogadishu is like any other big city. It is like Pune or Nagpur.

Somalia may be a barren country, but Mogadishu has universities, students, smart phones, the TikTok culture...

It was a land of art, culture and music, which is why music became a very important part of this show.

We live in times where, as film-makers, our research has to be accurate.

IMAGE: Jai Mehta with his father, Hansal Mehta. Photograph: Kind courtesy Jai Mehta/Instagram

Did you ever feel like meeting a real pirate as a part of research for the show?

No, it never crossed my mind.

Ultimately, there's a studio involved and there are certain protocols that must be followed.

If this were a feature film and if I was producing it myself, these are risks I would have taken.

But in this case, there's enough information out there on the Internet.

There are lots of books, documentaries, news articles...

Were you disappointed with the weekly run format, as audiences will not have the intended engaging experience?

When I was first told about this weekly run format, I was surprised because this is not something we had intended on initially.

But when I sat and thought about it, I realised this may be good for the show. At the end of the day, people are impatient to see more. That is a good reaction.

All the best shows, like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Chernobyl or The Last of Us, have been weekly drafts.

This is a good thing because it makes the show longer and also keeps the conversation longer.

IMAGE: On the sets of Lootere. Photograph: Kind courtesy Jai Mehta/Instagram

Just like your father's projects, the show is front-lined by actors known for their talent, rather than featuring stars. Was it a conscious decision on your part?

Maybe. I have never seen actors as stars.

The thing is, our process is very meritocratic.

If you are right for the role, you will get it.

It's not about who brings on the most marketing, who has the most followers on Instagram. That doesn't matter.

It's all about talent and merit.

IMAGE: Jai Mehta with his father, Hansal Mehta, who he calls Hansal Sir. Photograph: Kind courtesy Jai Mehta/Instagram

You assisted your father and other film-makers before becoming a director yourself. Was that your ambition all through?

Yes, I did want to be a director.

But there was a time when I was offered a bunch of (acting) roles.

I remember auditioning for Kai Po Che for Rajkummar's (Rao) role. But then the producers changed and they eventually got Rajkummar for the role.

So you also wanted to be an actor.

No. But I have been taught to never say no to work.

My idea was if I'm getting a job, even if the job is for a spot boy, I'll do it.

I just wanted to be on set for a movie, in whatever capacity possible.

I won't lie that the prospect of acting was a little fascinating.

But when I started assisting Anurag Kashyap, I realised that (film-making) is a different high.

I wanted to be able to feel that sense of fear and vulnerability, that excitement that people will finally see what I have worked on three-four years. I wanted end-to-end control.

Being an actor, your involvement is very little. Once you're done with your performance, you don't have much of a say in how the film shapes out.

Also, I feel like if I were an actor, I would have been a very controlling one.

I would have asked questions that most directors don't like to hear.

They would never cast me again. (Laughs.)

IMAGE: Kangana Ranaut and Hansal Mehta during the promotion for Simran. Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar

At what point, did you feel that you were ready to head a project? What were the struggles to get there?

I felt that after Simran.

I was the co-producer and associate director with Hansal Sir.

Shooting the film was not exactly easy. Hansal Sir and Kangana (Ranaut, the lead actor in Simran) did not see eye to eye, so I kind of became the mediator.

That's when I realised that I'm ready to take responsibility.

A lot of people don't know that I have been trying to make a movie for seven years. I got a chance only now.

I have taken my script to every office from Dharma to Tips to Eros, you name it.

I have narrated my script to every actor possible.

Everybody rejected me.

Nobody believed me.

Because of OTT, people like me are finally getting a chance to make something.

Even for Scam 1992, which I co-directed with Hansal Sir, I had to test for. It was not something that came to me easily.

Nobody had thought Scam 1992 would be a hit. Initially, it was a very risky prospect.

I feel we didn't do anything different in Scam that was not already done in Shahid, or Citylights, or Aligarh, or Omerta. The only difference is that this was finally something that people watched.

The OTT platform gave us the opportunity to take our work to a wider audience.

If they had watched our films, maybe they would have enjoyed those too.
'One is happy. The moment one starts criticising the BJP, ED, IT and CBI comes to one's house.'

IMAGE: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case, is currently imprisoned in the Tihar jail. Photograph: AAP/ Facebook

The room at the entrance of Indian Police Service officer-turned-politician Nikhil Kumar's bungalow Sopan on Boring Road in Patna is lined with large painted portraits of his family members who have been in Indian politics.

His grandfather Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha was a member of the Constituent Assembly and Bihar's first deputy chief minister.

One of Patna's well-known colleges down the road from the house is named after him and is popularly known as 'AN College.'

His father Satyendra Narayan Sinha was Bihar chief minister and a seven-time member of Parliament from Aurangabad, Bihar.

His mother Kishori Singh was an MP. His wife Shyama Singh also was an MP from Aurangabad.

Among the portraits is a group picture of India's governors along with then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and then President Pranab Mukherjee. Mr Nikhil Kumar, who served as governor of Nagaland [2009-2013] and of Kerala [2013-14], is in the picture.

The portraits line two parallel walls, underneath them are sofas for visitors where well-wishers discuss the denial of a ticket to Mr Kumar in muted voices.

A former director general of the National Security Guard, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and police commissioner of Delhi, Mr Kumar joined the Congress two years after retirement and was elected MP from Aurangabad in 2009.

He is disappointed about not being fielded by the Congress because the seat went to INDIA alliance partner, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, in the seat sharing arrangement, but maintains a dignity about it.

"I subscribe to the ideology of the Congress. Others are welcome to subscribe to the ideology of the current party, but this ideology runs counter to the idea of India," Mr Kumar tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in the concluding part of the interview.

Part 1 of the Interview: 'The electorate is not allowed to think'

IMAGE: Nikhil Kumar, fifth from right, lights a diya at an event. Photograph: Kind courtesy Mr Nikhil Kumar's office

Why did you decide to take up a political career after your long career in the IPS? Were you inspired by your parents?

As a government servant, I was never swayed by politics even though I belonged to a political family.

My family has a history of over 100 years in politics. After retirement, I waited for two years and then joined the Congress party.

When I joined the Congress, it was not in very good shape. It had been in the Opposition for some time after Narasimha Rao's tenure when there were non-Congress governments at the Centre for several years.

I was under pressure from my constituency and other people also. They all wanted me to join politics and carry on the tradition of my family.

I was not a hard boiled politician, but I did what my people wanted me to do.

How different was politics from your parents, your wife and your time to what you see now?

There is a clear difference in what the country was like under Congress rule and non-Congress rule.

The ideology of the Congress is different from that of the current ruling party. What the ruling party is doing as far as the economy is concerned is building upon the base laid by the Congress party during the Narasimha Rao government when Dr Manmohan Singh was the finance minister. The Indian economy picked up and successive governments have only added to it.

Had the Congress government not liberalised the economy, I don't think successive governments would have been able to take decisions affecting the good health of the economy.

Those who belong to the Congress subscribe to the ideology. Others are welcome to subscribe to the ideology of the current party, but this ideology runs counter to the idea of India.

You can't have an ideology that cuts at the very root of the idea of India.

The policies of the ruling party are an attempt to divide the country. This division is not going to be helpful for the country. We have experienced the division of this country once before with devastating results.

We have to stick to the fact that there is an idea of India and this idea has to be protected. The current dispensation is attacking this very idea which is unacceptable.

IMAGE: Nikhil Kumar with supporters. Photograph: Kind courtesy Mr Nikhil Kumar's office

There are so many Congress politicians who have joined the BJP. Has it ever occurred to you to join the BJP?

Never. I might tell you that it is not that I have not been approached. I am too much of a Congressman to think about leaving it, no matter what the condition the party maybe in.

You have known the Nehru-Gandhi family, how different are the present Nehrus from the ones that preceded them? Have you interacted with Rahul Gandhi?

Rahul Gandhi is a very simple, straightforward, person. He means what he says. He belongs to a family that people expect to play a role in India's politics and that is why he is in politics.

He demonstrated the fact that he cares for the country by walking 4,500 kms from Kanyakumari to Kashmir -- and now from east to west. How many people will do that?

He had everything going for him when the UPA was in power. He could have become a minister and was told so a number of times. His seat was two seats away from me in Parliament and I once had a long chat with him and asked him to join the government, but he said that would be wrong on his part.

He could have become something in the government, but he chose not to until he understood the whole country. I think that is a very principled stand.

Not many people can do that and I think he has inherited this quality from his father.

What do you see as the future of the Congress?

It is a cycle. We were on top and are no longer. The cycle is moving. The Congress has the ability and will power to overcome handicaps. It might take some time. Let us wait for the impending Lok Sabha elections to see what the results are.

IMAGE: Nikhil Kumar spends time with supporters.

As a former IPS officer, how do you see the deployment of central agencies against the BJP's political adversaries?

Not only as an IPS officer, but as a citizen of this country we are all watching how the BJP is utilising the agencies of the government.

If you take an overview of the people who have been investigated or charge-sheeted or against whom cases have been registered -=every one of them happens to be from the Opposition parties. I don't think it is a mere coincidence. Unfortunately, it is the decision of the ruling party.

In the past ten years have you come across any case that has ended in a conviction?

It is to create a furore and public impression that all these things are being done. As long as I am friendly [with the BJP] I am happy, the moment I start criticising you, the ED, IT and CBI comes to my house.

Look at former J&K governor Satyapal Malik who served as governor to several states, including Bihar. As long as he was governor, all was okay. Once he started making statements against the government, some agency or the other started raiding his house.

His statement was that they can raid my house, but will not find anything except some dhotis and kurtas.

This is the most unhindered use of the agencies and it is most obvious against Opposition parties.

The Opposition has said that almost 95% raids have been against Opposition parties. You have been in the IPS, can the agencies refuse the government's diktats?

The agencies act on complaints and have to act upon them. These agencies have to work on the basis of the information given to them. I will not say that the IPS or other officers are at fault.

They are only doing what they are expected to do when a set of information reaches them.

IMAGE: Nikhil Kumar listens to grievances. Photograph: Kind courtesy Mr Nikhil Kumar's office

Or is it that the politicians against whom investigations are being launched have skeletons in their cupboards and the agencies' actions are justified?

Then there should be some positive conclusion. The cases should be tried in a court of law and should lead to a high rate of conviction. How many cases have been prosecuted? How many have been charge-sheeted?

The Opposition has said that investigations are put on limbo once an Opposition leader facing such raids joins the ruling party.

Pick up a newspaper and see who has joined the BJP and it becomes too obvious.

What is your gut feeling about how the Congress will fare nationally?

It will not fare as badly as people expect. It will fare better. There are three states held by the Congress and we have number 2 positions in almost all states.

The important statistics is the difference in the votes polled by both parties in the last election. The difference is about 3.5% to 4%. This country has a solid block of supporters for the Congress.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'Congress leaders who are making strategy for the Congress to win elections have not even won a class monitor elections.'

'When you have not contested school monitor elections, what will you know about the ground reality?'

IMAGE: Gourav Vallabh joins the Bharatiya Janata Party within hours of quitting the Congress party, April 4, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

One of the harshest critics of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress' national spokesperson Gourav Vallabh has not been seen on television or giving interviews for the last four months.

Suddenly he sprang to life on Thursday, April 4, 2024, only to announce that he was quitting the Congress; within hours he had joined the BJP.

It came as a shock for many because Vallabh is known to be a no-nonsense guy who took on his opponents in the BJP in television debates with gusto.

In a viral video clip, Vallabh questions his then BJP counterpart Sambit Patra who said India would become a $5 trillion economy by 2024.

He asks Dr Patra: How many zeroes are in a trillion?

Dr Patra is at a loss for an answer.

"The Congress does not want new people or new ideology. They only want to criticise the government and run away. This model of development, the people of India will not accept," Gourav Vallabh tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, explaining why he left the Congress for the BJP.

When my editor asked me to interview you because you were joining the BJP, my first reaction was this is fake news. Because the Sun can rise in the West, but Gourav Vallabh can never join the BJP was my thought.

You were the harshest critic of the BJP, so how did this happen?

Congress leaders and allies abuse Sanatan Dharma day in and day out. This is not acceptable. No one should criticise any religion because it is not acceptable.

Secondly, by not going to the pran pratishthan of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, Congress leaders proved that they have no idea what is the emotion of the nation and what is the mood of the nation.

I have raised this question on every platform of the party and seeing that nothing was being done to address my concern I quit the party.

But the pran pratishthan happened on January 22.

I have been saying this openly in the party forum since then.

I have met each and every leader of the Congress party to express my reservations for the last four months.

Every wealth creator is being abused by the Congress party.

If Air India has been brought by an Indian corporate they abuse that corporate group.

One Parsi group CEO praised the Modi government, then the Congress started abusing that Parsi group CEO. Abuse industrialists like Adani-Ambani day in and day out. Whoever creates wealth in India, he is being abused by the Congress party.

India is one of the most unequal countries in terms of wealth. Is this right, you feel? We are a poor country with an affluent elite

I agree with you that we are an unequal society. But you answer me, by abusing wealth creators will there be equality in society?

You (Rahul Gandhi) bring down wealth creators every now and then. If this goes on, wealth creators will run away from India to some other country.

The jobs they are creating will get stopped and will be created in some other country.

But where are the jobs being created?

I am saying the Congress is behaving in a way that whatever jobs that we are creating will also be not created.

I am not saying 100 percent youth are employed.

I interviewed Acharya Pramod Krishnam who was expelled from the Congress and he said the same things what you are saying.

Even after the Acharyaji episode I went to every Congress leader and told them to hear out what he is saying and pay attention to those issues.

I had stopped participating in TV debates as a Congress spokesperson for the last four months.

I knew what was going on in the party and I was concerned about it.

I wanted that to change and lent my voice to it in the party forums. Unfortunately, no one listened to me or gave any importance to my concerns over the way the party was heading.

Expelled Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said in Mumbai that there are only five leaders who run the Congress party. Is it true?

Only one man runs the Congress and he is not from the Gandhi family. He is not even (Congress president Mallikarjun) Kharge.

He has no ground connect. His knowledge is zero. I don't want to name him because I don't want to comment on individual names.

One can figure out who you are pointing to. What magic does he have?

I have no idea. He is a worthless man for me. He has no ground connect. He does not understand economics. There is no place for new people in the Congress party (because of him).

Twenty five years ago if one man was making the Congress party's election manifesto, the same man is making it even today.

If he was so important and a visionary, why would the Congress have lost the elections?

Twenty five years ago the man who was the media in-charge of the Congress party, the same man is the media in-charge of the Congress today.

These Congress leaders who are making strategy for the Congress to win elections have not even won a class monitor elections.

When you have not contested school monitor elections, what will you know about the ground reality? They only give lectures due to which the Congress will not benefit in any way.

Those who are on the ground and know the mood of the nation or emotion of the nation are not decision makers of the Congress party.

The AICC has become the All India Chaaploos(sycophants) Committee. It is no longer the All India Congress Committee.

The Congress party is run by personal assistants of ex-UPA (United Progressive Alliance) ministers.

What about secularism? Have you now abandoned it?

The Vision 2047 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not a communal example, but a secular example.

The Vision 2047 of Prime Minister Modi speaks about development of each Indian and how to increase their per capita income.

India will not progress if you give gaalis (abuses) to its economic policies of liberalisation which results in the growth of the country's GDP.

You cannot criticise an individual if s/he goes and clicks a picture with Prime Minister Modi.

The country runs on constructive criticism and the Congress is running away from constructive criticism.

When you joined the Congress in 2017, what were your expectations?

I joined the grand old political party thinking a new person like me will be accepted with new ideas and I will get a new role in the party.

The Congress in its Udaipur resolution said 50 percent of party posts will be given to people who are below the age of 50.

Show me a place where this has been implemented.

Show me any Pradesh Congress Committee leader who is less than 50 years old.

Show me any District Congress Committee leader who is below 50.

Show me any Congress candidate who got a ticket to contest who is below 50 years of age.

The truth is, the Congress does not want new people or new ideology. They only want to criticise the government and run away. This model of development, the people of India will not accept.

You cannot criticise the Congress because you were given a chance to contest elections from Jamshedpur and then Udaipur.

My dear friend, I did not ask for those tickets to contest the elections.

The Congress was not getting any candidate to contest against the chief minister of Jharkhand (Raghubar Das) so they put me forward in Jamshedpur. I put in my best efforts to contest.

Similarly in Udaipur, the Congress had faced defeat six consecutive times and I was sent to contest elections over there. I went and contested the seat there too. [He lost both the elections].

You shot into the limelight when you took on BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra over the $5 trillion economy. When do you expect that to happen?

India will become a $5 trillion economy and we will achieve our mission of Vision 2047 of Prime Minister Modi.
Right to apprenticeship, legal guarantee for MSP, passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, a nation-wide caste census and scrapping of Agnipath scheme are among the promises made by the Congress in its Lok Sabha polls manifesto released on Friday.

IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge along with party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram and K C Venugopal releases the party's manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections during a press conference, at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Friday, April 5, 2024. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

The manifesto, focusing on five "pillars of justice" and 25 guarantees under them, was released at the AICC headquarters in the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

In the 45-page document titled 'Nyay Patra', featuring pictures of Kharge and Rahul and Bharat Jodo Yatra, the opposition party said it would implement 10 per cent quota in jobs, educational institutions for economically weaker sections (EWS) for all castes, communities without discrimination if it comes to power.

The party also promised full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, besides giving special status to Andhra Pradesh, full statehood to Puducherry, and to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, to declare that the lt governor shall act on the aid and advice of council of ministers of NCT, Delhi.

It also promised to fill nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels in the central government and said the Rajasthan model of cashless insurance of up to Rs 25 lakh will be adopted for ensuring universal healthcare across the country.

The Congress will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC if it comes to power in the general elections beginning April 19, the party promised.

The party also said it will conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census ensuring equitable distribution among all sections as per their population. It said it will review all laws that interfere with the right to privacy and make suitable amendments to various laws to uphold the right to privacy.

Rejecting the 'one nation, one election' idea, the Congress promised that elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies be held as and when they are due in accordance with the Constitution and the traditions of a parliamentary democracy.

It also promised to restore the voters' trust in the election process by amending election laws and ensure that VVPAT slips are tallied with EVMs.

The Congress said it will review the new education policy brought by NDA.

It also promised to enact a law on bail that will incorporate the principle that 'bail is the rule, jail is the exception' in all criminal laws. It further promised to introduce comprehensive prison reforms.

"The 2024 general election presents an opportunity for radically changing the style and substance of governance that has been in evidence in the past decade of Anyay Kaal. We appeal to you to look beyond religion, language and caste, choose wisely, and install a democratic government that will work for all the people of India," the Congress said in its manifesto while appealing to people to vote for it.

It said it guarantees a new 'right to apprenticeship act' to provide one-year apprenticeship to every diploma holder or graduate below age of 25, under which apprentices will get Rs 1 lakh a year.

It also promised to provide financial assistance of Rs one lakh cash transfer to a woman of poor households under the Mahalakshmi scheme.

"We will reserve one-half (50 per cent) of central government jobs for women starting in 2025.

"We will increase the wage under MGNREGA to Rs 400 per day. MGNREGA funds and workers may also be deployed to build public assets such as classrooms, libraries and primary health centres," the party said.

Besides, it said it will give legal guarantee to Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

"We will immediately restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. We will amend the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to include the tribal areas of Ladakh," the party stated in the manifesto.

It said it will launch an urban employment programme guaranteeing work for urban poor in reconstruction, renewal of urban infrastructure.

The party said in the document that it would abolish the Agnipath programme and direct the armed forces to resume normal recruitment to achieve full sanctioned strength.

It noted that in last 10 years the BJP has done tremendous damage by misusing the brute majority enjoyed by it in Parliament to make laws that violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India as well as the fundamental principles of law-making, namely, necessity, consultation, reasonableness and proportionality.

"We promise that all anti-people laws passed by the BJP/NDA without proper parliamentary scrutiny and debate, especially those relating to workers, farmers, criminal justice, environment & forests and digital data protection, will be thoroughly reviewed and changed. We will carry out complete investigations of the Electoral Bonds Scam, the reckless sale of public assets, the PM CARES scam, repeated intelligence failures at the highest levels and corruption in major defence deals," it said.

"I urge everyone to have a close look at our manifesto and you will see a shandaar tasveer (beautiful picture) of our country in it," Kharge said while addressing the gathering.

"We will open the doors to the poor when we come to power....PM Modi is taking our people and claiming '400 Paar' MPs," he added.

Only those who have done something and have fear are quitting the party to join the BJP, he said.

Kharge also wondered what kind of level playing field is there when the principal opposition party's accounts have been frozen.

Rahul Gandhi said this Lok Sabha election is a fight between forces who are trying to "destroy" the Constitution and democracy in the country and those protecting them.

He said it is a much closer contest than propagated by the media, and expressed confidence of winning the polls.

"We do believe that it is very important once this fight is won that we look after the interests of the vast majority of our people," he said, claiming that this is not a nation that will be run by 2-3 people and neither by monopolies.

Asked about who will be the prime ministerial face, Gandhi said, "INDIA bloc has decided that we are together fighting an ideological election, after winning the election, who will be the leader, the PM, the whole coalition will jointly decide."

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "After a decade of Anyay Kaal, this Nyay Patra, centred on the theme of justice, will lay the path for an India that is more prosperous and equitable for all."

Manifesto committee chairperson and senior party leader P Chidambaram said the primary concern of all and what the country needs is "jobs, jobs, jobs".

AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party will take its manifesto to the grassroots level and will hold public rallies in Jaipur on Saturday afternoon and Hyderabad in the evening, where top leaders would address.
A meeting of the UN Security Council was briefly interrupted as a rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New York area Friday morning.

The UN diplomats were in the Security Council chamber for a meeting on the situation in Gaza.

Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children US, was making a point about the sufferings of the women and children in Gaza when the tremors were felt in the room. Diplomats were seen looking around each other and the room fell silent.

Was that an earthquake, she asked, to which Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour, who was sitting next to her replied, Yeah.

You're making the ground shake, he said to her, sending light peels of laughter.

Madam President, Am I ok to continue? Soeripto asked before continuing with her statement.

#BREAKING: You're making the ground shake! UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East, UN News X handle posted along with a small video where Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of non-profit Save The Children' was making a point about the sufferings of the women and children in Gaza.

The United States Geological Survey said the 4.8 magnitude hit seven kilometres north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Its impact was felt across New York City and other areas in the state.

The New York Police Department said there were no damages or injuries reported.

The New York City Fire Department said the quake hit about 10:30 a.m., with the department receiving reports of shaking buildings.

We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability, the department said in a statement. There are no major incidents at this time.

"A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York," New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X.

"My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day," she wrote.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also being briefed on the situation. Deputy Mayor for communications in the Mayor's Office Fabien Levy said that while there are no reports of major impacts at this time, we're still assessing the impact.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a post on X that Our region just experienced an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, with an epicentre near Readington in Hunterdon County.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the earthquake, which had an epicentre in New Jersey, and he is in touch with his team which is monitoring potential impacts.

The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more, she said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi allegedly owned by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his associates, the federal agency said on Thursday.

IMAGE: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Photograph: ANI Photo

The ED had filed a charge sheet against the 48-year-old Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and four others -- Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Raj Kumar Pahan, Hilariyas Kachhap and Binod Singh -- on March 30 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi.

The court took cognisance of the prosecution complaint on Thursday, the ED said in a statement.

The ED requested the court for confiscation of the 8.86-acre plot.

Soren was arrested in this case by the ED in January after he was questioned at his official residence in Ranchi.

He resigned as the chief minister shortly before his arrest. He is in judicial custody and currently lodged in the Birsa Munda central jail in Ranchi's Hotwar.

The money laundering investigation stems from multiple first information reports (FIRs) registered by Jharkhand Police in land 'scam' cases against several people, including government officials.

The prime accused in the case is Prasad, a former Jharkhand revenue department official and custodian of government records, who is alleged to have 'misused' his official position by providing assistance to several people including Soren in their activities linked to illegal occupation, acquisition and possession of proceeds of crime in the form of landed properties, the agency said in its statement.

'A racket of land mafia is active in Jharkhand which used to forge the land records in Ranchi,' it claimed.

During the probe, the ED said, it was found that the ownership records of lands had also been 'forged' to extend favours to the said land mafia and subsequently, on the basis of forged land records, such land parcels were sold to other persons.

'Original land records of ownerships are either tampered or concealed to facilitate unlawful acquisition, possession and use of such properties,' it said.

Prasad, the ED said in its charge sheet, was a member of a syndicate which was involved in acquiring lands by fraudulent means which included tampering with original government registers, falsification of government records and manufacturing fake documents.

The land that is alleged to have been acquired by Soren is about 8.86 acres in size and located at Baragain Anchal, Bariyatu Road in Ranchi.

It was valued at Rs 31,07,02,480 as per urban residential property rate of Rs 3,50,680 per decimal, stated the ED charge sheet, which was accessed by PTI.

The agency said Soren was in the 'possession' of this immovable asset since 2010-11 in a 'camouflaged and concealed' manner.

It also accused Soren of 'misusing his power and influence' to create 'parallel and false evidence' since he was issued the first summons for questioning in this case on August 7, 2023 for appearance a week later.

The agency said they have recorded the statement of a person identified as Baijnath Munda and his cousin Shyamlal Pahan who claimed that the land, which Soren is alleged to have taken over, 'was originally owned by his ancestors and was forcefully acquired by Shibu Soren (Hemant Soren's father) and Hemant Soren' and their complaint in this regard was not accepted at any police station due to their (Sorens) 'high influence'.

The ED said the land allegedly 'acquired' land was a 'Bhuinhari' property that cannot be transferred or sold to anyone under general situation and 'Mundas' and 'Pahans' were the owners of such land assets.

'Since this 8.86 acre property was vacant and no construction was done on it, Hemant Soren, in connivance with others, got hold over his property illegally by asserting it as 'Bhuinhari' property and the earlier persons having possession of the said land were evicted...,' the ED claimed.

The agency claimed Soren and Prasad were 'knowingly' a party in the activities connected with acquisition, possession, concealment and use of proceeds of crime as well as projecting the said proceeds of crime (8.86 acres land) as untainted property.

Accused Pahan, Kachhap and Singh 'knowingly assisted' Soren in his activities connected with the proceeds of crime.

Soren, in his statement to the ED, denied having any link to the said property and said he had no relation with Prasad.

The ED said during its searches at a residential house 'under use and control' of Soren in Delhi on January 29, Rs 36.34 lakh cash, a BMW car and incriminating documents were seized.

It said Soren said in his statement to the agency that he used this car the same day. The agency claimed the former CM purchased it by personally visiting the vehicle showroom.

The ED said it has arrested 16 people in the case including IAS officer and former Ranchi district collector Chhavi Ranjan, Amit Kumar Agarwal and Prem Prakash.
India on Friday abstained in the UN Human Rights Council on a resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and also demanded that Israel immediately lift its illegal blockade on the strip.

IMAGE: Palestinians who were hurt in Israeli strikes run outside their house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 11, 2023. Photograph: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Meanwhile, India voted in favour of the UN Human Rights Council's Resolution, supporting the "right to self-determination for Palestinian people."

The draft resolution on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice' was adopted by the Geneva-based Council with a vote of 28 in favour, 6 against and 13 abstentions.

India abstained on the resolution, along with France, Japan, Netherlands, and Romania among others. Those voting against the resolution included Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany and the US.

Countries voting in favour of the resolution included Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Qatar, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

The resolution demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, end its occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and stressed that all efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be grounded in respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The resolution also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance, in particular through crossings and land routes, and for the urgent restoration of basic necessities to the Palestinian population in Gaza.

It demanded that Israel immediately lift its illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment and siege. It condemned Israeli actions that may amount to ethnic cleansing, and called upon all States to take immediate action to prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza.

It further condemned the targeting of civilians, including on October 7, 2023 when Hamas carried out the terror attack against Israel and demanded the immediate release of all remaining hostages and detainees as well as ensuring immediate humanitarian access to the hostages and detainees in line with international law.

The UNHRC adopted a second resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

India, however, voted to support the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people (statehood).

"Draft resolution A/HRC/55/L.13 on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination was ADOPTED," the UNHRC posted on X.

Only two countries voted against the resolution, including the US and Paraguay.

Moreover, three countries abstained from voting, including Albania, Argentina and Cameroon.

Earlier on Friday, the UNHRC adopted an anti-Israel resolution, and in response, the Israeli ambassador walked out of the plenary session in protest at the end of her speech, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

The UNHRC adopted a resolution on Friday calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip at the end of the 55th Council session.

In the resolution adopted today, the UN condemned Israel for the war in Gaza but made no mention of Hamas or its crimes on October 7.

The resolution equates the abductees with detainees suspected of terrorist activity. It also goes against Israel's right to defend itself.

Furthermore, the resolution provides legitimacy for Palestinian 'resistance' to the 'occupation,' calls for an arms embargo on Israel, and blatantly disregards the supply of weapons to Hamas by Iran and its allies.

Following the adoption of the resolution, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar, left the hall in protest.
India and Pakistan had tried to "interfere" in Canada's federal elections in the 2019 and 2021 general elections, the Canadian spy agency has alleged, according to a media report on Friday.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Blair Gable/Reuters

An unclassified summary by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service alleging the interference was tabled as part of the Federal Commission of Inquiry examining possible meddling by China, India, Russia and others in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

According to the document, attempts were made by India and Pakistan to interfere in Canada's elections, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

India has strongly rejected as "baseless" allegations of its interference in Canadian elections and asserted that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs.

According to Canadian media reports, Canada's federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference is looking to examine allegations of meddling by India in the last two general elections.

"We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into ...We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi in February.

"It is not the government of India's policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs," Jaiswal said.

In 2021, the government of India had "intent to interfere and likely conducted clandestine activities," including using an Indian government proxy agent in Canada, the CSIS alleged in the documents.

Two years earlier, in 2019, "Government of Pakistan officials in Canada attempted to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics with the aim of furthering the government of Pakistan's interests in Canada," the report cited the CSIS documents.

The spy agency alleges that in 2021, the Indian government's foreign interference activities "were centred on a small number of electoral districts."

The Indian government targeted those ridings because there was a perception by India that "a portion of Indo-Canadian voters were sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan political stances," the CSIS document said.

The CSIS has amassed "a body of intelligence" that indicates a government of India "proxy agent may have attempted to interfere in democratic processes" by providing illegal financial support to pro-Indian candidates, the document said.

"Any such financial contribution could have remained unknown to the candidate," CSIS said, without identifying the specific ridings or candidates that may have been subject to India's alleged meddling in 2021.

CSIS Director David Vigneault told the public inquiry that intelligence is not necessarily fact and it may require further investigation while all documents caution about the summaries being possibly uncorroborated, single-sourced or incomplete, according to the report

The foreign interference public inquiry proceedings, which began last week, have largely been geared toward alleged foreign interference by China. However, Pakistan and India have come up in other documents tabled at the inquiry.

According to the report, a summary of an October 2022 meeting between CSIS and the office of the commissioner of Canada Elections -- the agency that enforces Canada's federal election laws -- said "the two main state actors involved in the last election were China and India."

A public summary of a classified CSIS briefing provided to political parties dated June 2019 also lists India and Pakistan, among other state actors that could engage in meddling in Canada.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations last year of a 'potential' involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.

Days after Trudeau's allegations, India announced temporarily suspending the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country.

India has rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and accused Canada of giving space to Khalistani extremists targeting India.

India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
A latest report on the health scenario in India on Friday indicated a significant growth in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the nation and said the country was witnessing fastest rise in cancer cases.

Image used only for representation. Photograph: Pixabay.com

On average, at least one in three Indians today were pre-diabetic, two in three were pre-hypertensive and one in 10 were depressed, the 4th edition of Apollo Hospitals' flagship Health of Nation Report on World Health Day 2024, said.

The report sheds light on the concerning rise of NCDs in India, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health issues, all of which significantly impact the nation's overall health, the hospital said in a release in Chennai.

Particularly alarming was the escalating incidence of cancer in India compared to global rates, making India the 'cancer capital of the world', it said.

The annual report predicted a potential surge in healthcare burdens due to conditions such as pre-diabetes, pre-hypertension, and mental health disorders manifesting at increasingly younger ages.

Highlighting the importance of regular health screenings, the report underscores their role in reducing blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI) levels, thereby lowering the risk of cardiac-related ailments.

Apollo's data further found that while there continued to be a need to increase the penetration of health checks in India, people are increasingly choosing more comprehensive health checks today than before, a positive step towards safeguarding one's health and wellness.

Dr Preetha Reddy, vice chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, said the importance of health in our nation's development cannot be overstated.

"With our Health of Nation report, we hope to draw attention and awareness to the ever-increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and strongly believe that the entire healthcare ecosystem and the nation needs to come together and have a unified outlook so that we can combat NCDs in the truest sense," she said.

The findings demonstrated a significant need for immediate interventions to fight, prevent and reverse the growing epidemic of cancer, diabetes, hypertension and obesity among others. The need to educate the public and create individualised preventive healthcare solutions has never been greater, she said in the release.

"By prioritising investments in health infrastructure, promoting preventive healthcare measures, and addressing health inequities, I am confident that we will be able to unlock the full potential of our nation and pave the way for inclusive and sustainable development," Preetha Reddy further said.

Dr Madhu Sasidhar, president & CEO, Apollo Hospitals said the significant rise in NCDs represented a profound shift in the global health landscape, posing formidable challenges to individuals, communities, and nations. Innovation in preventive healthcare and boosting accessibility must become a priority for the entire healthcare industry.

"From our AI-backed preventive healthcare programme to a vast screening footprint, we are committed to leveraging the power of technology to improve disease prevention, increase the accuracy of diagnoses, and create world-class patient-centric treatment methodologies that shape the future of healthcare," Sasidhar said.

Apollo Hospitals' ProHealth Score aimed at increasing awareness about the contributing factors to this health crisis and advocate for proactive measures to address the growing impact of NCDs on the population.

Most common cancers in order of occurrence in India are Breast, Cervix and Overy in women and Lung, Mouth and Prostrate in men with the median age for cancer diagnosis in India is lower than other countries. Despite this, cancer screening rates in India remain very low, the release stated.

Some of the key findings of the report include obesity incidence has increased from 9 per cent in 2016 to 20 per cent in 2023, Hypertension incidence increased from 9 per cent in 2016 to 13 per cent in 2023 and high proportion of Indians were also at risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
The statements coming out of India on 'reclaiming' Kachchatheevu island from Sri Lanka have 'no ground', the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has said.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets people during a public meeting in Salem, Tamil Nadu. Photograph: ANI Photo

The senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician's comments came days after the Narendra Modi government targeted the Congress Party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island.

"It is the election time in India, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Kachchatheevu," Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday.

"I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area," Devananda said.

The statements on 'reclaiming' Kachchatheevu from Sri Lanka's hold has 'no ground', Devananda has said.

The Sri Lankan minister said according to the 1974 agreement fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976.

Accordingly, fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighbouring waters.

Devananda stressed, "There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari - it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources -- it is 80 times bigger than Kachchatheevu, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement."

Devananda as the fisheries minister has faced pressure from the local fishermen in recent months.

The local fishermen have led widespread protests to stop illegal fishing by their Indian counterparts in the Sri Lankan waters. They say the bottom trawling by the Indians is harmful to Sri Lankan fishing community interests.

So far this year, at least 178 Indian fishermen and 23 trawlers have been arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy.

Devananda, an ex-Tamil militant who now leads the Eelam People's Democratic Party, was named a proclaimed offender by a court in Chennai in 1994.

On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) steered clear of the row surrounding Katchatheevu island.

To a volley of questions on the Katchatheevu issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent comments on the matter.

"I would like to tell you that on the issues that have been raised, the external affairs minister has spoken to the press here in Delhi and also in Gujarat clarifying all the issues," he said.

"I would refer that you please look at his press engagements. You will get your answers there," Jaiswal said in New Delhi.
In a jolt to the opposition's INDIA bloc in Madhya Pradesh, nomination of the Samajwadi Party's candidate from Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, Meera Yadav, was on Friday rejected by the returning officer.

IMAGE: Samajwadi Party's candidate from Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, Meera Yadav. Photograph: Courtesy Meera Yadav on Facebook

The development left the SP fuming with its chief Akhilesh Yadav terming it a "blatant murder" of democracy and demanding judicial probe.

Meera Yadav would challenge the rejection in the High Court, her husband Deep Narayan Yadav said.

Congress, the main Opposition party in the BJP-ruled state, had left the Khajuraho seat for SP as per the seat-sharing arrangement within the INDIA bloc.

Polling will be held for the seat in the second phase, on April 26.

The Panna district collector, who is also the election returning officer, rejected Meera Yadav's nomination as she had not signed the 'B form' and also failed to attach a certified copy of the 2023 assembly elections voters' list, a senior official said.

The BJP has fielded its state unit president and sitting MP Vishnu Dutt Sharma who is seeking a second term from Khajuraho.

Yadav's husband Deep Narayan told reporters that they would move the high court against the returning officer's order.

"The form was verified yesterday after scrutiny. There is a rule that if there is any discrepancy, it is the duty of the returning officer to get it rectified even if the candidate is illiterate," he said.

"Yesterday, the form was found to be alright. Today, two shortcomings were pointed out. First, the voters' list attached with the form is not certified or it is old. Signature was supposed to be made at two places, but it was made only in one place," he added.

Yadav also claimed that they did not get a certified copy of voters' list till April 3, and hence attached a copy that was available.

"We requested him (collector) that we still had time as we had come before (the deadline of) 3 pm, and it could be rectified. He should have told us yesterday about it and we could have done it by now," Yadav added.

To a question, he said there were 15 other candidates in the fray, and "we will support one of them after consulting our senior leaders." The election will be contested under any circumstances, he added.

Taking to X, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted,'" The rejection of INDIA bloc's SP candidate from Khajuraho seat was a blatant murder of democracy.

"It is being said that it (nomination form) was not signed. Why the officer looking after '(such things) accepted the form. This is all just excuses and frustration of the defeated BJP," he stated.

There should be a judicial probe as the rejection of a candidate's nomination is a crime in democracy, Yadav wrote.

Notably, the SP had announced on March 30 that Manoj Yadav, who belongs to Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh, would be given ticket from Khajuraho. But two days later, it replaced him with Meera Yadav, a local face, to take on V D Sharma who had won Khajuraho seat by more than 4.5 lakh votes in 2019.

Meera Yadav had won from Niwari assembly seat, part of Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, as SP candidate in 2008. Her husband Deep Narayan was the SP MLA in 2007 and 2012 from Garautha in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, which shares a border with MP's Niwari district. He has also been the SP's Madhya Pradesh unit chief.

The BJP has been winning the Khajuraho seat since 2004.
Amidst the lingering aftermath of ethnic conflicts, the women traders at Manipur's iconic 'Ima market' -- the only market in the world run entirely by women -- have expressed a deafening lack of enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

IMAGE: Women hold a candlelight vigil to remember those who lost their lives in the Manipur violence, in Imphal on October 3, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Questioning the relevance of the electoral process amidst the ongoing turmoil, the women traders from various market associations, are contemplating a boycott of the polls with their major grievance being -- 'the nation forgot Manipur'.

Nema Devi, a seasoned fish vendor at the market, reflects the sentiment shared by many, emphasising the absence of tangible change despite months of unrest.

"Even 11 months after the violence, there has not been a resolution and no restoration of peace. We continue to live by the rule of taking one day at a time. Living in continuous fear and going ahead with our usual lives.

"What will change with the elections? The nation, the government, everybody forgot Manipur," 52-year-old Devi, who has been running the shop in the market for over a decade, told PTI.

Debjani, a fruits and vegetables vendor, succinctly said, 'Elections nai chahiye' (elections not needed), echoing the prevailing scepticism.

At first glance, the 500-year-old 'Ima Keithel' is much like any other popular market.

Lines of vendors selling everything from fresh fruit to fish and fabrics from dusk until dawn.

But after walking through its long lanes with more than 4,500 stalls spread across three multi-story buildings and a sea of surrounding tin shacks, one unique aspect becomes hard to ignore: every single trader, without exception, is a woman, a fact they take pride in.

The famous market was also the theme of the state's Republic Day tableau this year.

Priya Kharaibam, a third-generation pottery trader, questioned the purpose of elections if the status quo remains unchanged.

"If everything has to go on the way it is going on, why do we need elections? What will change?" she asked.

Against this backdrop, a traders' group in the market called Manipur Keithel Phambi Apunba Lup, has opted to abstain from engaging in election-related activities, citing governmental disregard for the populace's well-being.

"The decision to hold the elections shows that the government has no concern for the life and property of the common people. The people of the state have been witnessing a cycle of violence arising out of conflict between two communities for the last 11 months.

"We have been facing immense hardship due to the protracted violence," said Yumnam Ibeyaima, General Secretary of the traders' body.

The unfolding crisis stemming from clashes between the Meitei and tribal Kuki communities has claimed over 200 lives, with thousands displaced and living in camps.

Asem Nirmala, General Secretary of another traders' body in the market called Lukmaisellup, lamented the lack of governmental responsiveness to the prolonged crisis, emphasising the urgent need for solutions over elections.

"This is the time for solutions. This is not the time for elections. These polls are being enforced at the very wrong time.

"We are contemplating whether we should either not vote or vote in unison against the government in power and give other parties a chance and see if there is restoration of peace. I am trying to counsel the women in the market but they are not keen on voting," she told PTI.

Some traders find themselves at a crossroads, contemplating whether to vote collectively against the incumbent government in pursuit of peace restoration.

As many as 75 'Imas' or 'mothers' (elderly women traders) from the famed market had visited Delhi in June last year and staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding a solution and opposing any territorial division of the state on ethnic lines.

Expressing disillusionment with the electoral process, Kunjang Phema, a fabric vendor, highlights the failure of elected representatives to address their grievances effectively.

"Why do we choose a representative? So our voices are heard and acted upon. If that has not happened in such a critical situation when will it happen? Why should we vote? We are still contemplating whether to vote or not but if you ask us if we have faith in elections? No," says Phema, who was part of the group.

The elections for two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26.

While Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase on April 19, the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will vote in Phase 2 on April 26.

The Election Commission has announced that the displaced population will have the opportunity to cast their votes from relief camps.

The effort to facilitate voting for the displaced offers a glimmer of hope amidst the prevailing despair, as the state grapples with deep-seated unrest and a yearning for lasting peace.

Amidst the prevailing unrest and feelings of abandonment, the traders' voices echo a profound sense of disillusionment with the government's response to Manipur's plight.

"The government cannot see that Manipur is burning, it feels like it is some state outside India and hence peace here is not on their agenda. Why should we impose our faith in such a system which has abandoned us at this crucial time? Despite the huge deployment of forces, we do not feel safe in our own homeland," said K Dhaneshori.
Dropping references to the demolition of Babri Masjid, the killing of Muslims in Gujarat riots and Hindutva, and tweaking the reference to Manipur's merger with India are among the latest set of revisions in school textbooks made public by the National Council of Educational Research and Training.

IMAGE: Students and guardians gather to buy new books for new session in Kolkata. Image used only for representation. Photograph: ANI Photo

Reference to the abrogation of Article 370, replacing the term "Azad Pakistan" with Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and revising a paragraph defining the Left as those who prefers state regulation over free competition" are also among the changes.

While NCERT did not comment on the topics being dropped, officials said the tweaks are part of the routine updation and are not linked to the development of new books as per the New Curriculum Framework. The changes have been made in Political Science and Social Science textbooks of classes 11 and 12, besides others.

According to a document detailing the changes prepared by the curriculum drafting committee of the NCERT, the reference to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement has been tweaked "as per latest development in politics".

Chapter 8 on Secularism in class 11 textbook earlier said, "More than 1,000 persons, mostly Muslims, were massacred during the post Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002."

It has been changed to more than 1,000 persons were killed during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002. The NCERT's rationale behind the change is

in any riots, people across communities suffer. It cannot be just one community.

In chapter seven of the Political Science textbook of class 12 (Politics in India since Independence), the Council has revised a paragraph to include a reference to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The earlier paragraph was, "While most of the states have equal powers, there are special provisions for some states like J&K and the states in the North-East". The revised version adds one line in the end of the paragraph saying, "However, Article 370 that contains special provisions for J&K was abrogated in August 2019".

On Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the earlier textbook stated "India claims that this area is under illegal occupation. Pakistan describes this area as Azad Pakistan". The changed version says, "However, it is the Indian territory which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan and called as Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir."

The NCERT's rationale behind the alteration is that the "change that has been introduced is in complete concurrence with the latest position of the Govt of India in regard to Jammu and Kashmir".

On Manipur, the earlier textbook stated, "The Government of India succeeded in pressurising the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949, without consulting the popularly elected Legislative Assembly of Manipur. This caused a lot of anger and resentment in Manipur, the repercussions of which are still being felt."

The changed version says, "The Government of India succeeded in persuading the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949."

In chapter 8, Recent Developments in Indian Politics, references to the "Ayodhya demolition" has been dropped.

"What is the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the Ayodhya demolition for the nature of political mobilisation?" has been changed to "What is the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement?".

In the same chapter, references to the Babri Masjid and the politics of Hindutva were dropped.

The earlier paragraph read: "Fourth, a number of events culminated in the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya (known as Babri Masjid) in December 1992. This event symbolised and triggered various changes in the politics of the country and intensified debates about the nature of Indian nationalism and secularism. These developments are associated with the rise of the BJP and the politics of 'Hindutva'."

This was changed to: "Fourth, the centuries old legal and political dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya started influencing the politics of India which gave birth to various political changes. The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Movement, becoming the central issue, transformed the direction of the discourse on secularism and democracy. These changes culminated in the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya following the decision of the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court (which was announced on November 9, 2019)."

In chapter 5 titled "Democratic Rights", a reference to the Gujarat riots was dropped in the caption to a news collage.

The earlier version was  Do you notice references to the National Human Rights Commission in the news collage on this Page? These references reflect the growing awareness of human rights and struggles for human dignity. Many cases of human rights violations in diverse fields, for instance, Gujarat riots, are being brought to the public notice from across India.

This was changed to Many cases of human rights violations in diverse fields are being brought to the public notice from across India.

In Chapter 3 of the textbook, the Council revised the definition of the Left in a box item. The existing version states that the Left often refers to those who are in favour of the poor, downtrodden sections and support government policies for the benefit of these sections.

Whereas, the revised version says, Left often refers to those who are in favour of state control of the economy and prefers state regulation over free competition.

"Both left and right are defined at conceptualize operational level, the rationale given by NCERT said.

The NCERT had last week communicated to CBSE schools that new textbooks have been developed for classes 3 and 6 while the textbooks for other classes as per NCF remain unchanged.

However, the series of changes will now be introduced in the books which are yet to hit the market even as the new session has already begun.
An Indian-origin man whose 11-year-old son was branded with a hot iron rod as part of a religious ceremony in 2023 has sued a Hindu temple in the US state of Texas and its parent company seeking more than USD 1 million in damages.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Courtesy, Sri Ashtalakshmi Hindu Temple, Texas

Vijay Cheruvu, a Fort Bend County resident, said his son was branded with a hot iron rod during a religious ceremony at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Hindu temple in Sugarland, Texas in August last year.

According to a lawsuit filed this week in Fort Bend County, the boy suffered extreme pain and permanent disfigurement.

Cheruvu is seeking more than USD 1 million in damages in the lawsuit against the temple and its parent organisation, Jeeyar Educational Trust (JET) USA, Inc.

I was shocked. I didn't know how to handle it. My primary concern is for my son's well-being, Cheruvu said at a press conference in Houston.

He said his son was branded in two spots on his shoulder in the shape of a Hindu god, Vishnu.

The lawsuit claims that over 100 people participated in the ceremony at the Ashtalakshmi Temple off Synott Road in Sugar Land in August. Three of those participants were children, including Cheruvu's son.

Cheruvu's attorney, Brant Stogner, said the boy was branded in both shoulders, resulting in extreme pain and permanent disfigurement, and subsequently developed an infection as a result of the branding.

The boy attended the ceremony with his mother and was branded against his will and without the knowledge or consent of his father, according to Stogner, who said branding, tattooing or scarring a child is illegal in Texas even with parental consent.

"This is happening basically in our backyard over here, so that's the reason we filed the lawsuit," Stogner said.

"We want to make sure our community is aware of this and want to make sure it doesn't happen to anybody else, anybody else's child or any child at all."

The child was not identified, but attorneys read an impact statement from the boy.

"I was so surprised. I did not know that anything was going to happen like this. I was shocked when they did it on my shoulder and it hurt so much that I almost cried," he said in part.

"They knew what they did was very wrong because they told me to keep it secret from everyone else. But I had to tell my dad when the pain got worse and it became infected," he said.

Cheruvu says that his son was taken to the temple by his ex-wife. The son was branded, but the mother was not.

"He goes to see a therapist. He's so deeply scarred, mentally scarred, and then there's all the pain," said the father.

When the temple was contacted, there was no response to constant calls or emails.
'One needs to understand what kind of means the BJP use to bring other party leaders in their party.'

'They are unscrupulous politicians and money plays an important role.'

IMAGE: The INDIA parties's Loktantra Bachao Maharally in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's support at the Ramlila maidan in New Delhi, March 31, 2024. Photograph: Amit Sharma/ANI Photo

After Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, Congress leaders shared the stage with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi to showcase the INDIA (India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc's solidarity with it.

However, in Punjab, the same INDIA grouping has withered away because the Congress, the principal Opposition party in the state, has refused to have an alliance with AAP which is in power.

Last week, the Congress got a jolt when its Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu, quit the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Three former Congress leaders -- Captain Amarinder Singh, Sunil Jakhar and Bittu -- are now in the Punjab BJP.

Will this trouble the Congress which won eight out of Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 in the face of the Modi wave in North India?

Can the Congress maintain the same tally or do better in the 2024 general election?

"In the latest survey that we got, the Congress has 32 percent of votes in the state. AAP is at 25 percent and the BJP is at 20 percent. Akali Dal is 17 percent," Pratap Singh Bajwa, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab assembly, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com. The first of a two-part interview:

How do you assess the Congress chances in Punjab?

We are having a four-cornered contest in Punjab: The Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP.

I feel we are going to do extremely well, taking into account an analysis of the last three elections.

There is a 65 percent vote in Punjab that is secular and nationalist. We are well placed.

What do you mean by the secular nationalist vote in Punjab?

In the 2022 Punjab assembly elections we got 23 percent votes and AAP got 42 percent votes. The total comes to 65 percent of votes, and this I call the secular nationalist votes of Punjab.

In the state assembly elections of 2017, when Captain Amarinder Singh won, we had 41 percent votes and AAP had 22 percent votes. This adds up to 63 percent of secular nationalist votes.

In the 2019 general elections the Congress had 40 percent of votes.

So what I am saying is that the BJP has only a certain section of votes in their favour (in the cities).

The Akali Dal is an agrarian party which has a section of Punjab rural voters.

On the contrary, the Congress gets its votes from all sections of society. We get Sikh, Dalit, backward class and Hindu votes, which is one of the mainstays of the Congress party.

Traditionally, in Punjab, the Congress is seen as a protector of minorities as the Hindus are minorities and the Sikhs are in a majority.

So you are writing off AAP completely?

I am not writing off AAP.

I am saying in the latest survey that we got, the Congress has 32 percent of votes in the state. AAP is at 25 percent and the BJP is at 20 percent. Akali Dal is 17 percent.

If the Congress is leading as per the survey you mentioned, why are MPs like Ravneet Singh Bittu quitting? Don't you feel party workers' morale gets affected by leaders moving to the BJP?

There is a lot of anti-incumbency for Bittu from Ludhiana. He was never in touch with his electorate. He did nothing for his constituency.

There are two types of politicians. Ones who are wedded to the ideology of the party, and others who are wedded to the goods of office.

Bittu, because of his late grandfather (chief minister Beant Singh who was assassinated by terrorists) was provided with Z plus security by the central government. He was given good paraphernalia by the government.

I feel there was arm-twisting adopted by the BJP for Bittu as they must have told him to join them or all his facilities by the central government will be withdrawn.

He has been enjoying those facilities for the last eight to 10 years.

You must remember that my father (Satnam Singh Bajwa) was assassinated by terrorists in 1987 with five other people. I was also a target of terrorism in 1990 and escaped death.

I too got eight former ministers and MLAs from the BJP and three from Akalis to the Congress party in Punjab.

IMAGE: Ravneet Singh Bittu with BJP national President J P Nadda at his residence in New Delhi, March 26, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

But the news highlight is that Congress leaders are leaving in hordes and joining the BJP in Punjab.

You must understand that I was given security by the central government. And when I got those BJP leaders into the Congress party my security was demoted from Z to Y plus. You just see how the BJP central government is behaving with Opposition leaders like me.

Recently Punjab farmers were badly injured by the Haryana police in firing. One boy died and 300 of them were badly injured on the Punjab-Haryana borders. I was doing a press conference on February 29 on the atrocities committed by central forces on the farmers of Punjab. That very day the whole of my security apparatus was withdrawn by the central government. And I am the Leader of the Opposition.

I believe Bittu and others must have been told that if you want to avail security facilities, come to the BJP or your security will be withdrawn.

What keeps you in the Congress, then?

The Congress ideology keeps me in the party.

My father laid down his life for the nation and I am in the Congress from 1978.

When (terrorist) Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was at his peak I was Punjab Youth Congress president, taking him on.

I have worked with four chief ministers of Punjab as a cabinet minister and in various other ranks. I was Pradesh Congress president from 2013 to 2016. I defeated Vinod Khanna from the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat in 2009. Subsequently, I was also a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2016-2022.

Why is there so much infighting within the Congress in Punjab?

There are minor differences among Congress leaders. The rest is propaganda against the Congress party on national television.

There are no major differences among the senior ranks of the Congress in Punjab.

Yesterday (April 3) we got Dr Dharamvir Gandhi in the Congress party from AAP. He was one of the senior-most ideologues of AAP. He was AAP leader in the Lok Sabha in 2014.

So, the point is, lots of political leaders from different parties are joining the Congress and lots of them are leaving too.

You have to understand the BJP modus operandi on those who are leaving the Opposition ranks.

You know what they did to the Shiv Sena and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) in Maharashtra.

One needs to understand what kind of means the BJP used to get their job done and bring other party leaders in their party or form an alliance with those parties.

They are unscrupulous politicians and money plays an important role.

What the BJP did in Maharashtra they are doing in Punjab!

The BJP knows that a majority of Sikh farmers are not going to vote for them because of farm protests.

The BJP has presence only in the cities of Punjab. They have no presence in rural Punjab and 70 percent of Punjab is rural.

Sushil Kumar Rinku was an MP from Jalandhar and an AAP leader. He quit the party and soon puts his photo with 11 commandos protecting him on his Facebook profile. He was displaying those commando photos as if they are some Nizam jewels.

The problem with the BJP in Punjab is that they are not getting good candidates to contest elections.

The same thing is happening with its alliance partner, the Shiv Sena (Shinde), where they are not getting good candidates so they are getting actor Govinda into their party.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia has written a letter from Tihar Jail to the people of his assembly constituency, comparing his plight with the atrocities committed by the Britishers against freedom fighters and asserting his commitment to education.

IMAGE: Manish Sisodia at Rouse Avenue Court. Photograph: ANI Photo

The former deputy chief minister, who has been arrested in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, also expressed hope that he will be out of jail soon.

'Will meet you soon outside. The British rulers had also arrogance of power and they sent people to jail in false cases,' he said and added that Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who spent many years in jail, were his inspiration.

Sisodia's bail hearing is scheduled in a Delhi court on Saturday.

In the letter to people of his assembly constituency Patparganj in east Delhi, Sisodia, said a struggle for good education and schools is underway like people fought for freedom of the country.

'Education revolution Zindabad. Love you all,' Sisodia, who also served as education minister in the Kejriwal government before his arrest, said in the letter.

Sisodia said his love for the people of his constituency has increased while being incarcerated and that they were his strength.

Despite the dictatorship of the British rulers the dream of freedom was realised. Similarly, every child will get good education one day, Sisodia said.

Good education is necessary for a developed country, he added.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita is the best person to keep the party together in the prevailing circumstances and asserted that her presence has had a "positive effect" on the cadre.

IMAGE: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal issues a video statement on behalf of him for the MLAs of Delhi, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi, Bharadwaj, who is also a cabinet minister in the Delhi government, said Sunita Kejriwal has always said that she is the "messenger" of the Delhi chief minister who is currently in jail.

Noting that the politics of a party does not revolve just around its manifesto, Bharadwaj said the support base and the emotional connection between the cadre and the top leadership also plays a crucial role in keeping an organisation together.

Sunita Kejriwal's presence has had a positive impact, he asserted.

"She is delivering the messages of Arvind Kejriwal ji. This has had a great impact on our party cadre and among our sympathisers. We want to propagate it. In the present circumstances, she is the best person to keep the party together," Bharadwaj said.

Sunita Kejriwal has addressed three digital briefings so far, in which she read out his messages from the ED custody and Tihar jail.

In a political debut of sorts, she read out his message at the INDIA bloc 'maharally' on March 31.

"Wives of three of our leaders -- Satyendar Jain, Sanjay Singh, Arvind Kejriwal -- attending the rally sends a big message. BJP's strategy is that 'we arrested their leaders, now they will surrender before us'. But when their wives come on the stage and say "we will not surrender," it shows that they (leaders) might be in jail, but their families have not weakened. When Arvind Kejriwal's wife was there (at the INDIA bloc rally), it made an emotional connect with the party cadre," he stressed.

Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy, is in judicial custody till April 15.

Singh was granted bail in the same case while Sisodia was in jail. Jain is in jail in connection with a separate money laundering case.

Asked if Sunita Kejriwal will campaign for the party in the Lok Sabha polls, he said, "We would love if this thing happens... if Sunita ji does take part in campaigning but it is her personal decision."

On further prodding whether there was some kind of "messaging" in Sunita Kejriwal taking centre stage after her husband's arrest, the minister replied in the negative.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who too was arrested in the excise policy case and received bail on Wednesday, had met Sunita Kejriwal immediately after getting out of jail and was seen touching her feet.

Talking about it, the minister said if someone's elder brother is in some difficulty, he is duty-bound to look after his family.

"This is our culture. The BJP was saying that there would be fights among the party members after Kejriwal's arrest. Sanjay Singh considers Arvind Kejriwal his family, his elder brother. So, he touched her (Sunita Kejriwal) feet. We are working as one unit and one family," he said.
If terrorists try to disturb peace in India or carry out terror activities, a befitting response will be given and if they run away to Pakistan, India will enter the neighbouring country to kill them, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday, referring to New Delhi's assertive approach to deal with cross-border terrorism.

IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives to chair the BJP manifesto committee meeting ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections, in New Delhi, April 4, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The defence minister was responding to a question on a report by British newspaper The Guardian that claimed Indian intelligence agencies carried out assassinations of terrorists in Pakistan as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019.

"If terrorists from the neighbouring country try to disturb the peace in Bharat or try to carry out terror activities in Bharat, we will give them a befitting reply. (Koi bhi terrorist hamare parosi desh se yadi hamare Bharat ko disturb karneki koshish karega, yahan par yadi atankbadi harkate karega, toh uska muh tod jabab denge)," Singh told CNN News 18.

"If they run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them (Yadi woh bhag kar Pakistan mein jayega, toh Pakistan mein ghus kar marenge)," he said.

Singh said India has the strength to take stern action against cross-border terrorism and Pakistan has started realising it.

The defence minister supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments that "Bharat" would not be a mute spectator.

"Whatever the prime minister has said is absolutely true. And India has that strength and Pakistan has also started realising this," Singh said.

At the same time, he said India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours.

"Whatever it is, they are our neighbouring countries. Look at the history. Till date, we neither attacked any country in the world nor tried to occupy an inch of land of any country. This has been the nature of India.

"But if anyone shows India angry eyes again and again, comes to India and tries to promote terrorist activities, we will not spare them," he said.

In the past, Pakistan had accused India of carrying out assassinations on Pakistani soil. But India had denied all the charges.

Asked about the possibility of removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Kashmir, Singh said the Union home ministry has to take a decision on it.

"Now the time has come to decide. The decision will have to be taken by the home ministry after a report comes. I had said that the circumstances have become such that the AFSPA can be removed but whatever action has to be taken in this regard will be taken by the home ministry," he said.
A blast that claimed the life of one person and seriously injured another near Panur in this north Kerala district on Friday stirred up political waters in the state with both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party blaming the Communist Party of India-Marxist for it, while the Left party denied any involvement in the incident.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo

The Opposition Congress alleged that the blast, which occurred around 1 am according to the police, happened during the manufacturing of country-made bombs by some CPI-M supporters.

The BJP accused the Left party of trying to create terror by using bombs.

The ruling CPI-M, meanwhile, denied the allegations and said that the two persons involved in the incident were also accused of attacking workers of the Left party, and therefore they were no longer considered as part of the political organisation.

The CPI-M's Panoor area committee, in a statement, also said that while the Left party has been trying to maintain peace, its political opponents are deliberately spreading "propaganda" that the injured were party workers to mislead the people.

Sherin, a resident of Kaivelikkal, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. The other injured person, Vineesh, lost one palm and is in critical condition, according to the police.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly VD Satheesan blamed the CPI-M for the incident and alleged that the Left party was using its workers to manufacture country-made bombs and worsening the law-and-order situation during the elections.

Senior BJP leader and the party's Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar claimed that CPI-M is taking refuge in terror as it is losing support among the people.

He also attacked the Congress over the support offered to it by the Social Democratic Party of India and said it was a grim situation before the elections on April 26 in the state.

"Both the LDF and UDF are taking the help of terror outfits, and the Bharatiya Janata Party will approach the Election Commission to take appropriate measures and more vigilance," Javadekar said in a statement.

He claimed that both the Congress and CPI-M are "upset" with the increase in support at the ground level for the BJP.

Satheesan, in his statement, also questioned whether Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan was indeed in charge of the Home Department as a similar incident had occurred in Thiruvananthapuram just two days ago.

On Wednesday, two teenagers were seriously injured when a country-made bomb they were allegedly making exploded in a vacant land at Horizon Park near Mannanthala in Thiruvananthapuram.

One of them lost both his palms, and the other suffered partial damage to one palm. Two others who were with them sustained minor injuries.

Police revealed that all four teenagers were between 17 and 18 years old and had been involved in various criminal cases.
12 of the 20 MPs with the highest winning margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls have not been re-nominated by their parties for the 2024 general elections.

IMAGE: A Bharatiya Janata Party supporter shows the victory sign at an election meeting in Bettiah, West Champaran, Bihar. Photograph: ANI Photo

Uncertainty is the only certainty in Indian politics, something that the MPs of Karnal and Vidisha have recently found out.

Both the representatives -- Karnal's Sanjay Bhatia and Vidisha's Ramakant Bhargava -- have joined the league of MPs who, despite winning their seats with huge margins in 2019 polls, have been denied tickets by their party.

Only eight of the 20 MPs with the highest winning margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls have been re-nominated by their parties for the 2024 general elections.

Bhatia, for example, was the second on the list of MPs with highest winning margins in 2019. He had won the Karnal seat on a BJP ticket by 656,142 votes. For the 2024 elections, the BJP has decided to field former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal.

Bhargava, 16th in the pecking order, has made way for former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the Vidisha seat.

The Election Commission, in its 'Atlas' for the 2019 general elections, calculates winning margins by deducting the votes of the runner-up in a constituency from the votes that the winner received.

On the top was the BJP's Navsari (Gujarat) candidate C R Paatil. He polled 972,739 votes and had trumped Dharmeshbhai Bhimbhai Patel of the Congress, who secured 283,071. The victory margin was huge at 689,668 votes -- the highest across 543 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

Paatil, who is also the BJP's Gujarat unit chief, is contesting again from Navsari. He had won the seat in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

Bhatia and Bhargava, meanwhile, were first-term MPs.

But the number of terms too does not guarantee a party ticket.

For example, for Rajasthan's Bhilwara seat, the BJP replaced Subhash Chandra Baheria, its two-term MP from the constituency, with Damodar Agarwal for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2019, Baheria's win margin was 612,000 votes, the fourth highest in the country.

Of the 20 MPs with the highest win margins, leading lights of their respective parties, such as Gandhinagar MP Amit A Shah and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Sriperumbudur MP T R Baalu will contest from their respective constituencies again.

But prominence too is no insurance for a ticket, something that Ghaziabad MP and former Indian Army chief V K Singh has found out. The BJP has replaced him with Atul Garg.

In 2019, General Singh's victory margin was 501,500 votes, the 17th highest in the country.

Eleventh on the list of high win margins in 2019 was the BJP's Diya Kumari, who won Rajasthan's Rajsamand seat by 551,916 votes. Kumari vacated it after she won the Rajasthan assembly polls in December 2023 and is now the state's deputy chief minister.

Meanwhile, the BJP's Vadodara MP Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt's case is intriguing. In 2019, she had recorded the fifth-highest win margin.

She first won from Vadodara in a by-poll after Narendra Modi vacated the seat in 2014, retaining the Varanasi seat. For the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP announced her name for the seat in its first list. However, after party workers protested, it replaced her with Hemang Joshi.

In 2019, the DMK's P Velusamy won the Dindigul seat by 538,972 votes, the 14th-highest win margin. However, the DMK has asked the Communist Party of India-Marxist for a swap.
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Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
An opposition party activist is also arrested in examples of clampdowns on critics of Cambodias government.

Villagers meet with Koet Saray (L), president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association, in the forest where they are hiding in northern Cambodias Preah Vihear province, March 21, 2024.

In two separate incidents, Cambodian police on Friday arrested the leader of a student organization and a senior opposition party activist in the latest examples of clampdowns on critics of the government or official policies.

Koet Saray, who spoke to reporters last month in defense of a group of 100 villagers who recently fled to a forest in northern Cambodia, was pushed into a car by about 10 police officers at the offices of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association.

It was unclear what charges were being brought against Koet Saray, who was taken to Phnom Penh Municipal Police headquarters for questioning. Police didnt allow anyone to finish reading the arrest warrant, according to the groups secretary general, Thorn Sakada.

First I thought the police wanted to ask him simple questions, he said. Then they asked Koet Sary to come downstairs. When he got downstairs, they pushed him into a waiting car.

Villagers in the forest where they are hiding in northern Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, March 21, 2024. (Koet Saray via Facebook)





Koet Saray is president of the association, which advocates for good governance and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Last month, he visited villagers near the Thai border and then gave a series of interviews to media outlets, including Radio Free Asia, in which he spoke about the villagers dire living situation. He also posted photos on social media.

The villagers began living in a forest in Preah Vihear province following a violent March 6 clash with hundreds of police and other security forces.

Police stand together with shields and helmets in Kulean district in Cambodias northern Preah Vihear province on March 6, 2024. (Citizen journalist)





RFA was unable to reach Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesman Sam Vicheka for comment on Fridays arrest.

Koet Saray was previously arrested in 2020 when he and another activist planned to lead a protest at Phnom Penhs Freedom Park to demand the release of union leader Rong Chhun.

He was a Buddhist monk at the time. Authorities defrocked him before his court appearance, charged him with incitement and sent him to Prey Sar prison. He was released in 2021.

Candlelight Party official arrested

Meanwhile, Phnom Penh police arrested a senior Candlelight Party activist Dang Bunhak at his home on Friday morning, the party said in a statement.

No warrant was presented during the arrest, according to the statement.

This is yet another intimidation tactic to threaten peoples spirits in order to discourage them from being involved with politics and to provoke a bad environment, the party said.

The National Election Committee ruled last May that the opposition Candlelight Party couldnt compete in last Julys national elections, citing inadequate paperwork. But the party still hopes to field candidates in the provincial, municipal and district council elections scheduled for next month.

Later on Friday, Phnom Penh Municipal Police issued a statement saying Dang Bunhak has been accused of fraud after police received complaints that he registered candidates without their consent.

Additionally, another top Candlelight Party official  Teav Vannol  is facing a defamation lawsuit and was summoned to appear in court on Wednesday, party officials said.

The lawsuit filed by a government lawyer is based on comments Teav Vannol made to Nikkei Asia in February during a trip to Japan that were critical of Prime Minister Hun Manet.

RFA was unable to reach Teav Vannol, the partys president, for comment on the lawsuit on Friday.

Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Reports emerge of police patrols in locations that laid flowers for late premier Li Keqiang last year.

People honor their ancestors at a cemetery during the Qing Ming festival in Hong Kong, April 4, 2024.

As people of Chinese descent mark the passing of loved ones at the grave-sweeping festival Qing Ming this week, the rituals for the dead have also prompted political statements from the living, amid social media reports of police patrols in areas that saw spontaneous mass mourning for late former premier Li Keqiang last year.

Qing Ming has long been marked by dissidents in a bid to honor the memories of people who have fought for human rights and justice, while police often move in swiftly either to forestall graveside commemorations or to detain those trying to get to politically sensitive sites, as part of a nationwide "stability maintenance" operation.

Years after the disappearance of prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng his wife Geng He, who escaped to the U.S. with her son and daughter in January 2009, vowed to make offerings to her husband's spirit outside the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco every year on Qing Ming, based on the assumption that he must be dead, as a protest against official silence on his fate.

Not far from San Francisco, veteran democracy activist Zhao Changqing posted to his X account: "Suddenly I remembered that today is Qingming Festival! Its drizzling in the Greater Bay Area Stop on the side of the road and post a rain map to commemorate  All the loved ones Ive lost before!"

Along with a photo of rain on a car windshield, Zhao wrote that he wanted to remember the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, as well as late 2010 Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo and late rights lawyer Li Baiguang "who died for their democratic ideals" and "all compatriots who have died for China's progress, such as ... Li Keqiang."

Floral tributes

Zhao wasn't the only person thinking about late former premier Li Keqiang, whose sudden death following his early retirement in sparked a wave of mass floral tributes in cities across the country last October and November.

Current affairs commentator Cai Shengkun reposted a video clip of a sea of funereal white and yellow wreaths outside the late premier's former residence in Anhui's Hefei city that appeared to date from soon after Li's sudden death.

Cai said "nearly 3 million people" had traveled to pay their respects to Li over the course of two days in Hefei, the provincial capital of Anhui, last year.

"Hefei mourns Li Keqiang at Qing Ming!" Cai wrote on his X account, adding that Hefei taxi drivers had last year refused to accept money for taking passengers to Hongxing Road, while flower shop owners had provided floral tributes to mourners "at cost."

"A supermarket owner moved boxes of mineral water to sell at the roadside, and passersby conscientiously scanned the QR code to buy water," he wrote. "Several of my young friends in Hefei went to the subway station to serve as volunteer guides in their spare time."

"This was the people of Hefei ... paying their highest respects to someone from their town," he wrote.

According to the X citizen journalist account "Mr Li is not your teacher," someone also left a floral tribute to Li under the statue of Sun Yat-sen in the northeastern city of Shenyang on April 4, although "the flowers disappeared an hour later."

On the same day, police in the central city of Zhengzhou were patrolling Qianxi Square "to prevent people from mourning Li Keqiang during the Qingming Festival," the account said in a caption along with a video clip of the square.

Another social media post reported that police were stationed every 10 meters, or 33 feet, along the Bianhe River Bridge in Suzhou in the eastern province of Anhui to forestall anyone thinking of leaving a tribute to Li Keqiang.

RFA was unable to verify these reports independently, but the locations mentioned did see mass spontaneous floral tributes to Li last year.

Disguised protest

Beijing-based dissident Ji Feng said the tributes to Li, both past and present, were a form of disguised protest against the current leadership under ruling Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

"People need an outlet for their grievances," Ji said. "The greatest sorrow of our nation is that we always lose the people who aren't too bad."

He cited the mass outpouring of popular mourning for late ousted premier Hu Yaobang in April 1989 that sparked weeks of pro-democracy protests on Tiananmen Square that summer, in which Ji also took part.

"Hu Yaobang also did some bad stuff in government, but he was better than the rest of them," Ji said. "He overturned a lot of miscarriages of justice [left over from the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution]."

He said late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang also wasn't perfect as a leader, but was widely mourned when he died after being held under house arrest for years following his fall from power in the wake of the 1989 student-led protests on Tiananmen Square.

Beijing-based commentator Si Ling said Li is also seen as one of the better leaders of recent years in China.

"Li Keqiang was relatively clean when he was in power, and people still miss his scientific approach to economic policy," Si said.

"Now the entire political current is taking a sharp turn to the left, and people are deeply disgusted by this," he said.

"People's mourning of Li Keqiang is an expression of the quality of life they had back then ... it's an expression of nostalgia," Si said.

Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou attends a ceremony at the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi, April 4, 2024. (Ma Ying-jeous office)

Tomb of the Yellow Emperor

Meanwhile, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou marked Qing Ming with a visit to the tomb of the Yellow Emperor, the mythical figure from whom Chinese people are said to descend.

Ma, whose Kuomintang party once ruled China, fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war to Mao Zedongs communists in 1949, ruled as an authoritarian dictatorship for several decades before being voted out in democratic elections in 2016, called on the islands young people to remember their Chinese roots following the lavish ceremony at the Huangdi Mausoleum, flanked by Chinese Communist Party officials.

I hope that young Taiwanese people will keep in mind the root of their nation in Chinese culture, as well as the pride of being the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, Ma told reporters on Thursday.

Mas repeated trips to China have been criticized by Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party as undermining its government, because his insistence on a Chinese identity for Taiwan shores up Beijings territorial claim on the island.

Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, nor formed part of the 73-year-old Peoples Republic of China, and most of its 23 million people have no wish to give up their sovereignty or democratic way of life to be ruled by China, according to multiple public opinion polls in recent years.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin.


The island continues to be rocked by aftershocks following Wednesdays 7.2 magnitude quake.

Workers carry out operations at the site where a building collapsed, following the earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan April 4, 2024.

Rescue teams in Taiwan continued to look for missing people following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit eastern Hualien county on Wednesday.

The quake killed 10 people, injured 1,123 and left 684 people stranded after boulders blocked roads, the Central Disaster Response Centre said Friday.

Around 200 people near the quakes epicenter are staying in shelters, with the main road to Taipei still closed.

As of Friday afternoon 13 people were still missing.

Rescue workers are still trying to reach hundreds of people trapped in tunnels that run through Hualien countys mountains.

The Taiwan government has set aside the equivalent of US$9.37 million to aid the recovery. The money will be used to provide subsidies for Hualien residents and cover quake-related expenses.

Business is getting back to normal with chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing restarting 70% of its production lines as of Thursday morning.

But Taiwan continues to be rocked by aftershocks, with 365 reported as of Thursday afternoon. Two aftershocks on Wednesday measured 6.5 and 6.2.

Japans foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said Friday that Tokyo would provide Taiwan with US$1 million to support rescue work and recovery from the quake.

China offered its condolences for the quake and offered to provide assistance, although Taiwan turned it down.

Some Chinese netizens even suggested that the Peoples Liberation Army should land on the island to provide disaster relief. The comments were subsequently deleted from the Weibo microblogging site.

Edited by Elaine Chan.
The 50-meter-tall, 70-meter-long (164-foot-tall, 230-foot-long) tower is part of the Changbai Millennium Cliff City built in 2021 in the town of Malugou in the Changbai Korean Autonomous County in Chinas northeastern province of Jilin.

A gigantic steel tower in China  part of a tourist attraction with views into the North Korean city of Hyesan  that leans almost over the Yalu River between the two nations could be demolished after several tense interactions between Chinese tourists and North Koreans below, residents in both countries told Radio Free Asia.

The 50-meter-tall, 70-meter-long (164-foot-tall, 230-foot-long) tower is part of the Changbai Millennium Cliff City built in 2021 in the town of Malugou in the Changbai Korean Autonomous County in Chinas northeastern province of Jilin.

The towers glass-floor bridge that looks over the river and into Hyesan is the tourist complex main attraction. Using binoculars, visitors can peer into North Korea to catch a glimpse of life in one of the worlds most isolated countries.

The complex also has a ferris wheel and a catapulting swing ride that launches visitors towards the border.

Chinese tourism to North Korea has been shut down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the tower was a popular attraction that offered glimpses of North Korea for just 7 yuan (US$1).

Illegal structure

But the tower ceased operations on March 15, a resident of Chiangbai, who requested anonymity for personal safety, told RFA Korean. He said authorities shut it down for safety reasons and he does not know when it will operate again.

North Korean authorities considered the steel tower an illegal structure that violates the border management agreement and have insisted on its demolition, the resident said.

A 164 tall, 230 long glass-bottomed bridge, at left, is part of the Changbai Millennium Cliff City, Changbai Korean Autonomous County, China. (Google Earth)

The tower is popular among the tourists who come to China to visit Mt. Paektu, he said.

The peak, which straddles the border between China and North Korea, is the tallest mountain on the Korean peninsula and is considered the setting of myths about the origin of the Korean people.

The tower was built by a wealthy businessman from Yanji city in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture with his own money, he said.

If you climb up the steel tower, which is designed to be climbed on foot, you can observe living conditions in Hyesan City, Ryanggang Province, North Korea, as vividly as if you were seeing it right before your eyes.

Throwing rocks and bottles

A contributing factor behind its closure appears to be a series of hostile exchanges between people on the tower and those below, another Changbai resident said.

In September last year, three North Korean border guards aimed their automatic rifles at tourists on the steel tower, he said.

In another incident, a North Korean college student threw rocks in the direction of the tower when tourists were taking pictures of him  who then responded by throwing water bottles and banana peels at the student, an official from a judicial agency in North Koreas Ryanggang province said.

The North Korean side issued a warning to Chinese public security agencies that if this repeatedly occurs, a conflict between the two countries could develop later, he said.

A sign was installed on the tower that told visitors not to shout or throw objects at any North Koreans they could see.

And at one point, officials from both sides met and blamed each other, so reached no conclusion, the second Changbai resident said.

Because of the tower, people on the ground feel almost like zoo animals, the North Korean official said.

Since our living conditions are so poor in North Korea, they are taking pictures from the steel tower as if they are observing a group of uncivilized animals, he said.

The North Korean side argues that the tower violates an agreement signed in 2009 that says neither North Korea nor China can install propaganda materials that slander each other or threaten the regime on the border, nor can they place facilities that insult or hate the other side on the border, he said.

They are asking the Chinese side to demolish the tower completely, he said.

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.
Residents are barred from drinking or bathing in the water, and many of the fish are dead.

A tanker truck that was carrying sulfuric acid is seen after it overturned April 3, 2024 near the town of Luang Prabang in northern Laos.

A tanker truck carrying sulfuric acid from northwestern Laos to a Chinese rare earth mining company flipped over on Wednesday, spilling its contents into a tributary of two major rivers and devastating the local ecosystem, residents said.

The accident, which occurred at a gas station in Phouxang village, near the seat of Luang Prabang province, highlights lax oversight of foreign investment in Laos, where companies flock to exploit the countrys natural resources with little regard for their impact on the environment and local communities.

An eyewitness to the spill who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told RFA Lao that the acid had flowed into an area creek before continuing downstream to the Khan River, which passes through the town of Luang Prabang, and into the Mekong River.

All kinds of fish, both big and small, have died, he said, noting that authorities had issued a provincial-wide ban on entering the rivers, collecting water to drink from them, or eating locally caught fish.

After the truck flipped over, chemicals flowed  [into] the rivers  Many people said that the chemical was sulfuric acid being transported to a mining operation.

The truck had been transporting the sulfuric acid from a plant in Oudomxay province to China's Kuang Jian Sin Sengsavang Rare Earth Development Company in Xieng Khouang province.

A 35-year-old resident of Phouxang village told RFA that the accident caused a lot of smoke  like burning trash, and said it had led to the worst pollution of the Khan River in her lifetime.

Impact on health

A resident of nearby Hian village noted that a bridge across the Khan River supports a pipe that supplies water to the area.

I hope that the acid doesnt seep into the water pipe, she said. Its concerning because its very hot this time of the year and children regularly bathe in the river. Some of them saw a lot of fish floating  and may have eaten them before the warning was issued.

The company that manages water for Luang Prabang township issued a notice to the public saying that the spill had occurred far from its plant and had not affected the urban supply.

An official from Luang Prabang provinces natural resources and environmental department confirmed the release of some kind of chemicals into area waterways that had killed a lot of fish.

He said that the public had been forbidden from water-related activities because the chemicals can have a dire impact on peoples health.

Another provincial official told RFA that authorities are testing samples of the water to determine how to proceed.

Plant not liable

RFA spoke with an employee of the plant that produced the sulfuric acid in the flipped tanker who said that once the chemicals are loaded for transport, their company is no longer liable for any accidents.

At that point, it's the shipping and mining companies that are responsible, he said.

However, were monitoring the impact of the spill on the people and the environment, he added, noting that the site of the accident had been cleared by midnight on Wednesday.

The employee said that while sulfuric acid is very toxic, its strength becomes diminished once it is diluted with water.

He said his plant only supplies sulfuric acid to mining companies that are authorized by the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Attempts by RFA to contact Kuang Jian Sin Sengsavang Rare Earth Development Company, the Chinese mining company, went unanswered by the time of publication.

An official from the Xieng Khouang government confirmed that the firm is mining rare earth in the province.

Rare earth mining

Rare earth minerals are important in the production of high-end technology such as cell phones, computers, and satellite and aerospace technology, with much of the international trade in the minerals controlled by China.

Foreign-invested farming, mining, and development projects in Laos have sparked friction over cases of environmental pollution and land often taken without proper compensation, leaving villagers fearing retaliation if they speak out.

In 2022, Lao government officials cleared Chinas Tong Lee Seung Industrial Development Company to dig for rare earths on farm and grazing land in Xieng Khouang provinces Phaxay district.

Much of the land was already in use for farming and grazing cattle, prompting a dispute over compensation.

China is Laos largest foreign investor and aid provider, and its second-largest trade partner after Thailand.

Translated by RFA Lao. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
Beijing is likely motivated by concerns for Chinese development projects in the region, including gas and oil pipelines, experts say.

Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing (C) and China's ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai (R) take part in a ceremony on the eve of the Lunar New Year, in Yangon on January 21, 2023.

A Chinese delegation has traveled to Myanmar in a bid to end the conflict between the junta and the Arakan Army in western Rakhine state, Beijings envoy to the United Nations said Thursday, but observers suggest there will be no peace unless the military regime makes significant concessions.

In November, the Arakan Army, or AA, ended a ceasefire agreement with the military that had been in place since the military seized control of Myanmar in a February 2021 coup.

Since then, the ethnic army has dealt junta forces a series of defeats, capturing the Rakhine townships of Pauktaw, Minbya, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun, Myebon, Rathedaung and Ramree, as well as Paletwa township in neighboring Chin state.

Nearly 200 civilians have been killed and more than 500 injured in five months of fighting in Rakhine state, reporting by RFA has found.

Beijing wants to play a constructive role in stabilizing the situation in Rakhine state as soon as possible, Geng Shuang, Chinas deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said at a U.N. Security Council briefing in New York. He said a Chinese delegation had arrived in Myanmar, although he provided no details on who was leading the group or who they had met with.

Pro-junta media reports said Chinas Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Deng Xijun arrived in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw on April 1 and held talks with junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on border security issues and combating online scam gangs.

Chinas ambassador to Myanmar in Yangon, Chen Hai, recently met with former junta chief Than Shwe and other leaders of his military regime, the Chinese Embassy said Friday in a post to its WeChat page.

Chen also met with Than Shwes Deputy Vice Senior General Maung Aye and former President Thein Sein, as well as Than Than Nu, the daughter of Myanmar's first Prime Minister U Nu, the embassy said.

Beijing is working to strengthen the bilateral relationship as part of efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Myanmar, it said.

Chinas motivations?

Beijing is likely motivated by concerns for Chinese development projects in Rakhine state, which include the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone, and gas and oil pipelines that cross from Rakhine to Chinas Yunnan province, said Pe Than, a veteran Rakhine politician and former lawmaker.

The junta may also have asked China to mediate as it continues to lose ground in the state, he said, but suggested that China doesnt have enough influence over the AA to end the conflict.

The engagement will only be successful if the AA wins major concessions, he said.

The key points of negotiation need to mainly focus on the interests and opportunities for Rakhine state, instead of simply giving an order to stop, he said.

Myanmar's military junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun speaks during the information ministry's press conference in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 23, 2021. (Reuters)

A political commentator and former military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told RFA that Beijing is looking to intervene in the conflict because Myanmars development is directly related to Chinas interests.

If Myanmar falls apart  they cant continue their projects on roads, pipelines and railways, he said. Furthermore, they dont want Myanmar to be ruled by the [shadow] National Unity Government, which is close to the U.S.

Attempts by RFA to contact AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha for his response to Geng Shuangs comments went unanswered Friday, as did efforts to reach junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun and junta Attorney General Hla Thein, who is also the spokesperson for Rakhine state.

Mediation in Shan conflict

In late October, the AA, along with the Taang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA  together known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance  launched an offensive known as Operation 1027 against the military in northern Shan state, which borders China.

It seized 16 cities before agreeing to a ceasefire in China-brokered talks on Jan. 11.

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops patrol a captured military junta camp in northern Shan state, Myanmar, Oct. 29, 2023. (AFP)

An ex-military official later said it was not sustainable and less than a week after the agreement, both sides were accused of violating it in a skirmish.

At the end of February, the two sides met again in the Chinese city of Kunming for talks that focused on reopening parts of the border with China that had been shut down during the fighting and preserving the ceasefire.

RFA sent an email to the Chinese Embassy in Yangon requesting comment on China's intervention in the Rakhine state conflict and the Chinese delegation's visit to Myanmar, but had yet to receive a reply as of the time of publishing.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
The capture comes days after a meeting between the junta and Chinese envoy.

An ethnic army captured a town near the Chinese border, less than a week after officials met in Myanmars capital to discuss cooperation between the two countries, residents told Radio Free Asia on Friday.

Myanmars military junta, which seized all major governmental seats in a 2021 coup detat, invited a Chinese envoy to Naypyidaw on Monday to discuss the Kachin Independence Armys mass seizure of military camps and subsequent fighting on the border. Some border gates in Kachin state have still not been reopened, political analysts and residents told RFA.

The rebel group has captured 60 junta camps since fighting began on March 7 and now controls portions of two major trade routes in Myanmars northern Kachin state, one of which runs along Chinas border.

The Kachin Independence Army, headquartered in border town Lai Zar, captured another major city nearly 160 kilometers (100 miles) south on Thursday. Rebel troops have occupied the city since March 29, but were not able to negotiate the juntas surrender until Thursday, Lwegel residents said.

All administration departments under the junta have been sealed off and their staff have left the city, a resident told RFA on Friday, adding that Kachin troops are now deployed throughout the city.

"The city has been seized. Kachin Independence Army troops have arrived in the city, he said. All administrative departments have been closed, and Kachin national flags were seen in some places. Soldiers and the police are still trapped.

In addition to Kachin national flags hanging on the General Administration Department, market and hospitals in the city, they have also issued notices that only authorized personnel will be allowed at border gates and administrative departments, he added. Soldiers and other military personnel in Lwegel have been relegated to a junta base nearby.

RFA contacted Kachin states junta spokesperson Moe Min Thein for comment on the militarys surrender, but he did not respond by the time of publication.

Kachin Independence Army information officer Col. Naw Bu told RFA that although the former administration staff had left, the anti-junta groups administrative processes had not yet started in the citys 21 government offices.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
Most residents had left the village to avoid getting caught up in armed conflict before the attack.

Houses burn following a naval attack from a nearby river by the military junta, in Dhamma Tha village, Kyaikmaraw township, in southern Myanmars Mon state, March 27, 2024.

Junta artillery shelling in the southern part of Myanmar killed five people and burned down an estimated 400 homes, the first major attack in relatively peaceful Mon state since the February 2021 military coup d'etat, residents said.

Naval vessels fired heavy weapons at Dhamma Tha village in Kyaikmaraw township from the Gyaing River on March 27-28, killing a 12-year-old child, two women and two others, according to the Mon State Federal Council, or MSFC, a political organization representing the people of the state.

More houses went up in flames after junta troops barred fire trucks from entering the area, destroying about one-third of the villages more than 1,000 homes, residents said.

Houses burn following a naval attack from a nearby river by the military junta, in Dhamma Tha village, Kyaikmaraw township, in southern Myanmars Mon state, March 27, 2024. (Mi Jandai Mon via Facebook)

The village  the native home of the leader of an ethnic Mon armed resistance group that declared war against the junta in February  was the first community in the state to suffer significant damage in more than three years after the military toppled the elected government.

The Myanmar military's power grab triggered a wave of resistance by insurgents and ethnic armed organizations across the country. In response, junta forces have targeted civilians, viewing them as a support base for armed resistance groups, resulting in thousands of deaths and mass displacements.

The junta attacked Dhamma Tha village, even though Nai Banyar Lel, deputy leader of the anti-junta New Mon State Party-Anti-Dictatorship group, or NMSP-AD, and his family do not live there, said Mi Su Ta, head of the MSFCs Humanitarian and Relief Department.

It was a very crazy and inhumane attack on the village, he told Radio Free Asia. It was also a terror attack on civilian targets.

Houses burn following a naval attack from a nearby river by the military junta, in Dhamma Tha village, Kyaikmaraw township, in southern Myanmars Mon state, March 27, 2024. (Mi Jandai Mon via Facebook)

Residents said most people fled the village to avoid getting caught up in armed conflict before the deadly shelling occurred, and returned afterwards only to see houses they had built with money they earned from blue-collar jobs in Thailand and Malaysia in ashes.

More than 10,000 people who lost their homes fled to Mawlamyine, capital of Mon state and the countrys fourth-largest city with an estimated population of 438,000.

Suppressing 'the revolutionary spirit'

Dhamma Tha village is close to Kawt Bein village police station in Kawkareik township of neighboring Kayin state, which was captured by the Karen National Liberation Army  an ethnic armed group that controls parts of Mon state  and joint revolutionary forces on March 25, and to Ta Ra Na village where junta troops are based.

NMSP-AD spokesman Nai Banya Mon said the military council retaliated against Mon resistance forces and Mon communities for their strong support of the seizure of Kawt Bein police station.

It was concluded that the village was set on fire to suppress the revolutionary spirit of the Mon people, and the military might have considered this tactic to crack down on the resistance movement of the Mon people, he said.

Houses burn following a naval attack from a nearby river by the military junta, in Dhamma Tha village, Kyaikmaraw township, in southern Myanmars Mon state, March 27, 2024. (Mi Jandai Mon via Facebook)

Area resistance groups said the junta has reinforced its troops so they dont lose the Ta Ra Na village police station near Dhamma Tha village to resistance fighters.

The military council has not issued a statement about the shelling of the village.

RFA could not reach Aung Myat Kyaw Sein, Mon states natural resources minister and spokesman under the junta, for comment.

Junta forces, including pro-regime militias, burned about 79,000 civilian homes across Myanmar between February 2021 and December 2023, according to the independent research group Data for Myanmar.

Translated by Aung Naing for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Labor rights abuses look set to surpass these if the trend set in the first three months of 2024 continues, unions said.

When factory workers at Hong Miao Garment factory asked for a wage increase in 2023, junta soldiers were called to pressure them.

Employees in Myanmars manufacturing sector reported three times as many labor violations in 2023 than the year before, according to a labor advocacy groups report.

Nearly 75% of factories accused of workplace violations are owned by Chinese nationals, according to the March 30 report in Myanmar Labour News.

Reports increased from 164 to 438 in just one year, and factories committing these workers rights abuses jumped from 124 to 166, said Kyaw Gyi, founder of the Myanmar Labour Society. That trend in foreign investment surged by as many as 100 factories between 2022 and 2023.

The workers have lost trust in the complaint mechanisms and it resulted in more abuses on the workers. Various forms of abuse in the workplaces have risen, Kyaw Gyi told Radio Free Asia. For example, before the coup, if apparel factory workers had to complete 100 orders, the workloads have been tripled now.

The seizure of ministries and other government roles by Myanmars military during the 2021 coup detat has caused a lack of oversight for much of the manufacturing sector, union leaders told RFA. In addition to driving down wages and union-busting, junta-affiliated labor officers have created a lack of accountability for managers, who often rely on junta soldiers to intimidate workers attempting to negotiate or protest.

In response to ongoing allegations of dismal working conditions and a public outcry, several large international brands have already vowed to begin withdrawing from the country in the three years following the coup due to deteriorating conditions.

Despite vowing to withdraw from the country, factories supplying brands like H&M, Zara and Primark continued to be among the most frequently cited by workers for reducing wages, forcing employees to work overtime and endure verbal abuse by management.

However, these brands are among the most affected by public pressure, providing an incentive to improve working conditions, union leaders and labor advocacy groups said.

To the extent that Western brands have pulled out unquestionably this has given carte blanche to factories to drive down labor conditions and increase violations of Burmese labor law and trade union rights, said Dave Welsh, Myanmar country director of labor rights group Solidarity Center.

In a climate where the rule of law and industrial relations are absent, there is leverage in having Western brands that are vulnerable to pressure, present, Welsh said.

To stay or to go

Despite these challenges, workers are still concerned about the absence of the major manufacturers, who they say are more invested in finding a resolution than smaller local firms, where breaches of contract are rife.

I understand, its a controversial issue, the brands staying in the country or leaving from Myanmar, said Thurein Aung, a labor activist in Myanmar. My concern is that when the multinational brands leave Myanmar, it is almost impossible to protect worker rights.

Multinational brands that have chosen to stay in the country after the coup have similarly collected a laundry list of complaints from workers.

German sportswear company Adidas was cited in relation to four supplier factory violations in 2023, while other factories producing for European brands have been documented as repeat offenders. A factory for Denmarks Bestseller was accused of eight different violations, including forcing pregnant women to resign and bribery between factory staff and labor officials. In spite of that, the factory will continue to supply Bestseller in 2024.

Bestseller did not respond to RFAs enquiries by the time of publication.

Violations continue to rise

In the past, collecting and publishing evidence of abuses could result in positive action from brands and factories, even if it was only temporarily. But in 2023, many factories stopped responding to complaints at all, said Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar president Khaing Zar Aung.

The factories come to understand the brand will not leave the country because they are making a profit. So the factories now do not care about their violations in the media, she said. So we cannot have many changes and improvements in the factories after posting [about these issues].

And while 2023s numbers concern labor advocacy groups, reports in the first three months of 2024 look set to be on track to surpass them.

As of March, the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar had received 114 complaints of labor and human rights abuses involving 169 brands, the vast majority stemming from the countrys garment sector.

Violations are the same, the verbal abuse, illegal dismissal, not paying overtime or not paying minimum wage, forced labor, sexual assault, giving pressure and intimidating and the violation of the employment contract, Khaing Zar Aung said. The data shows us that the situation is worse and worse, day by day.

Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
Japan looks set to be unveiled as a 'partner' of the defense pact between Australia, the UK and the US next week.

The United States can no longer go it alone on defense technology innovation and the production of military hardware, with foes like China and Russia already outpacing U.S. capabilities in some key areas, an Australian diplomat said in Washington on Friday.

The comments came as a deadline looms within weeks for U.S. President Joe Biden to sign-off on a deal approved by Congress last year for Australia and the United Kingdom to be able to import sensitive American military technology without requiring a license.

The controversial deal is central to Pillar 2 of the AUKUS security pact between the three allies, which envisions a seamless defense industry across the countries to allow them to jointly develop new defense technologies and produce more military hardware.

Pillar 2 was opposed by some American lawmakers, who said it could make it easier for Chinese spies to obtain U.S. defense secrets, and was even stymied by the U.S. State Department, which argued existing licensing arrangements provided adequate access to allies.

However, Paul Myler, the soon-to-depart deputy head of the Australian Embassy in Washington, told an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that such bureaucracy was a relic of the past.

Paul Myler, the soon-to-depart deputy head of the Australian Embassy in Washington, speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies April 5, 2024 in Washington. (Image from CSIS video)

Myler said the United States had long resisted sharing defense technology secrets with allies, because it was operating off a legacy playbook from the Cold War that aimed to defeat the Soviet Union by preserving Americas global superiority in military innovation.

This superiority was protected by a complex export-control regime that allowed for exports to U.S. allies and partners, but kept know-how and manufacturing capability strictly in U.S. hands, he said. That strategy worked while the U.S. maintained its technological superiority.

But three decades after the Cold War, Myler said, Americas defense industrial base was often struggling to produce hardware like nuclear submarines, while its foes were increasingly matching its capabilities.

Almost all of those Cold War-era technologies have now proliferated, he said of the once closely-guarded innovations. In some instances, Russia and China are outpacing U.S. and allied capabilities.

Looser U.S. export controls protected by better Australian and British security was the only fix, he said, so each AUKUS country can take advantage of the innovative and productive capacities of the others without fears that military secrets will fall into the wrong hands.

Pillar 2

Biden must decide by mid-April whether to approve the Congress-passed measure to authorize Australia and the United Kingdom for exemptions from the strict export controls.

A top State Department official said earlier this year that the two countries were on their way to convincing American officials that safeguards had been put in place to protect sensitive military technology.

They are doing what they need and we're doing what we need to put in place all the steps that have to happen so that we can certify, Bonnie Jenkins, the under secretary of state for arms control, told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Feb. 14.

I feel very confident that we will certify, she said.

A seamless AUKUS defense industrial base also looks set for some further expansion, with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell indicating on Wednesday there could be news after next weeks visit to Washington by the leaders of Japan and the Philippines.

Then-U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, July 18, 2023. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Its true that there are other countries that have expressed an interest to participate, under the right circumstances, Campbell said.

I think it was always believed when AUKUS was launched that, at some point, we would welcome new countries to participate, in particular, in Pillar 2, the No. 2 American diplomat said. I think you'll hear that we have something to say about that next week.

The beans may have been spilled by the U.S. ambassador to Japan in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published the same day, though.

Biden has injected new energy into the Quad and launched the Aukus defense pact with the U.K. and Australia, Rahm Emanuel wrote, with Japan about to become the first additional Pillar II partner.

Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Hundreds of Tibetans line the streets of Dharamsala to pay their respects.

Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Maha Nayaka Thero (L), leader of the Sri Lankan delegation, presents relics of the Buddha to the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, April 4, 2024.

A delegation of Sri Lankan Buddhists on Thursday presented relics of the Buddha to the Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamsala, India, in a gesture that was celebrated by hundreds of Tibetans who lined the streets with silk scarves and flowers.

The relics  fragments of the Buddhas bones and teeth  have immense historical and spiritual significance, connecting Buddhist worshippers to the legacy of Buddha, a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived during the 6th and 5th centuries BCE and whose teachings formed the key tenets of Buddhism.

Tibetans along the streets paid their respects as the relics made their way to the Dalai Lamas residence.

The leader of the Sri Lankan delegation, Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Maha Nayaka Thero, said the relics were presented to the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader on behalf of the entire Sangha community in Sri Lanka as a token of their immeasurable gratitude and admiration for his role in accomplishing more for Buddhism than anyone in history.

This marks a special momentous occasion for the entire Buddhist community in the world because we were able to gift the holy, authentic, sacred relics of the Buddha as a token of appreciation for His Holiness the Dalai Lamas kindness, wisdom and compassion towards the entire humankind, he said.

The Buddhist community reveres the Dalai Lama as a living Bodhisattva  a being who is on the way to becoming enlightened  making him the only eligible person in the world to whom to give the authentic and holy relics, he added.

Maha Nayaka Thero is head of Amarapura Sambuddha Sasanodaya Maha Nikaya, a sect of Theravada Buddhism, which is practiced in Sri Lanka and other parts of Southeast Asia.

The world needs peace

The Dalai Lama waited outside the gate to his home to receive the relics and welcome the Sri Lankans, as monks chanted prayers and staged a formal welcome, and artists performed Tibetan songs and dances.

On a practical level, the world needs peace, and thats the core of the Buddhas message, the Dalai Lama said.

However, Im prepared not to mention Buddhism as such, but to emphasize secular ethics and universal values, crucial among which is compassion, he said. The important thing is to have a warm heart.

The relics of the Buddha are carried up to the Dalai Lamas residence in Dharamsala, India, April 4, 2024. (Tenzin Woser/RFA)

The delegation, including Damenda Porage, founder-president of the Sri Lankan-Tibetan Buddhist Brotherhood, said it was a long-held wish to offer the relics to the Dalai Lama as a gift.

Six years of planning

The event was the culmination of six years of planning and preparation, with the assistance of the 7th Ling Rinpoche, the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas tutor, accelerating the fulfillment of the presentation of the relics, the delegation said.

The items presented to the Dalai Lama are part of 21 authentic relics that have been preserved for several generations at the Sri Lankan Buddhist temple of RajaGuru Sri Subuthi Waskaduwa Maha Viharaya in Waskaduwa, near the capital Colombo.

These sacred relics, discovered during the British reign in India in the Piprahwa excavations, hold profound significance for millions of Buddhists worldwide, the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader said.

After the Buddhas passing, the relics were divided and enshrined in stupas in eight kingdoms, including the ancient city of Kapilavastu, which was known as the capital of the Shakya kingdom where the Buddha spent the first 30 years of his life.

These relics were later discovered at an excavation at Piprahwa, a modern-day archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh, India, or what was earlier known as Kaplivastu, during the British reign in India.

In 1898, British official William Peppe presented them to the Sri Lankan monk, Waskaduwe Sri Subhuti Mahanayake Thero, who took the Kapilavastu Buddha relics to Sri Lanka.

Additional reporting by Tenzin Woser for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Tibetan monk Pema of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba county, southwest China's Sichuan province, is seen in an undated photo. RFA has blurred the other monks in the photo to protect their identities.

Chinese police arrested a Tibetan monk from Kirti Monastery for staging a solo protest while holding a portrait of the Dalai Lama on the streets of Ngaba county in southwest Chinas Sichuan province in March, two sources from inside Tibet and one from the exile community told Radio Free Asia.

Buddhist monk Pema, who was working as a teacher for the preliminary Buddhist study section at Kirti Monastery, also shouted slogans against Chinese policies in Tibet during his protest on Pawo Road, or Martyrs Road, and was immediately arrested, said the sources who requested anonymity for safety reasons.

Pemas detention is the latest in a slew of arrests Chinese authorities have made over the years of Tibetans who have been charged with possessing a portrait of the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists.

Possessing photos of the Dalai Lama, who has resided in exile in northern India since 1959, is considered an act of separatism and has been a punishable offense in Tibetan-populated areas of China for decades.

Following Pemas arrest, Chinese authorities intensified restrictions at the monastery and the surrounding area in Ngaba, called Aba in Chinese and which lies in the historical Amdo area of Tibet, with a large deployment of security forces to the area, the sources said.

Currently, there is no information on where he is being detained and about his well-being, said a source from inside Tibet, adding that Pemas family members have been kept in the dark about his situation.

When RFA contacted Ngaba county police for information on Pemas whereabouts and the charges leveled against him, an official there said he had no knowledge of the monk.

Pema, who hails from Suruma village in Ngaba county, was studying Buddhist philosophy, in addition to serving as a teacher for the preliminary Buddhist study section at Kirti Monastery.

Another Buddhist monk, Tenzin Khenrap, 29, was arrested last July in Nyagchu county in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan province for possessing a photo of the Dalai Lama on his mobile phone along with other books and documents published outside Tibet. His whereabouts remain unknown.

In June 2023, authorities arrested Tibetan monk Lobsang Thabkhey, 54, who served as a librarian in Kirti Monastery, on charges of republishing books from the exiled Tibetan community and for contacting people outside the region.

In February of the same year, authorities arrested Tsultrim, a Tibetan man from Tsaruma township in Ngabas Kyungchu county, after they discovered pictures of the Dalai Lama on his mobile phone. He was detained until April, after which he was sentenced to two years in prison by the People's Court of Ngaba.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi and edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
The city of Nha Trang has experienced a series of poisonings in recent years.

In a case of suspected food poisoning in Vietnam, an elementary school student died after eating breakfast at an eatery in front of her school on Friday, while about three dozen other pupils who did the same fell ill and had to be hospitalized, officials said.

The fifth-grader who died had fainted inside Vinh Truong Primary School in the southern city of Nha Trang at about 6:55 a.m., according to the citys Peoples Committee.

School staff quickly administered first aid and called an emergency number for assistance. The student was taken to Khanh Hoa Provincial General Hospital, where she died.

Though the exact cause of her death is unknown, the student was suffering from an underlying heart disease, according to the provincial Department of Health in a report by Voice of Vietnam, a state-controlled news website.

In all, about 37 students from two schools  Vinh Truong Primary School and Tran Hung Dao secondary School  were taken to hospitals for emergency treatment, according to Vietnams Tuoi Tre News.

Relevant bodies are investigating the incidents.

String of cases

In recent years, Nha Trang, which is about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, has had several cases of food poisoning.

In March, nearly 350 diners at the restaurant Tram Anh Chicken Rice showed symptoms of food poisoning after eating rice and chicken, most of whom had to be hospitalized, according to Tuoi Tre News.

In 2023, nearly 400 students at a school were sickened in what the Khanh Hoa Department of Health later identified as salmonella poisoning, the report said.

On Friday, 28 students from Vinh Truong Primary School and Tran Hung Dao Secondary School were still being monitored and treated at the hospitals.

A Vinh Truong Primary School official told Vietnamese media that the students ate rice with chicken, chicken sandwiches and egg sandwiches at the indoor eatery.

Translated by Anna Vu for RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Four Israeli soldiers were killed and dozens were injured, seven critically, when a "swarm" of Hezbollah drones hit an army base near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina in one of the bloodiest attacks on the country since October 2023.

Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military early on October 14 said the attack took place at an army base some 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv. It did not immediately provide further details.

CNN had earlier reported that the United Hatzalah rescue service said it had "provided assistance to over 60 wounded people in various conditions -- some of them in critical, serious, moderate, and light condition."

National emergency service Magen David Adom (AFMDA) said at least 67 people were injured in the attack in Israel's Haifa district.

Hezbollah -- which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing -- claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched a "swarm of attack drones" at a military training camp in Binyamina.

Iran-allied Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel but, because of Israel's sophisticated air-defense systems, most have been shot down or have caused little damage and few casualties.

Earlier in the day, angry UN peacekeepers said Israeli forces had smashed into a gate of one of their bases in Lebanon, causing about 15 minor injuries.

"At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the position's main gate and forcibly entered the position in the Ramia area," said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding that the Israeli forces left after about 45 minutes.

Israel later claimed the tanks had come under fire when they crashed into the base gate.

The action came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UN peacekeepers must "immediately" pull out of the combat zone in southern Lebanon and directly addressed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones," Netanyahu said, accusing Guterres of making UNIFIL soldiers "human shields" and "hostages of Hezbollah."

"Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately," he said.

UNIFIL is a 9,500-strong mission created in 1978 tasked with monitoring a cease-fire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Forty nations that contribute to UNIFIL said in a joint statement on October 12 that they "strongly condemn recent attacks" on the peacekeepers. The United States and European leaders have demanded Israel stop firing at the peacekeepers, with U.S. President Joe Biden on October 12 saying he was "absolutely, positively" telling Israel to stop.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's massive missile strike on Israel on October 1.

Biden on October 13 said he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts "to defend Israel."

Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said the system will help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's missile attacks. The THAADs are similar to Patriot missile systems but can cover wider areas and require about 95 soldiers to operate, analysts say.

"It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias," Ryder said.

The French presidency on October 13 said President Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call, told counterpart Masud Pezeshkian it was Tehran's "responsibility" to back efforts to lower tensions in the Middle East. The Iranian presidency also reported the call, saying the sides discuss ways to end the conflict but also using heavily belligerent language toward Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on October 13 said Tehran was prepared for a "war situation," although he stated his government desired peace.



"We are fully prepared for a war situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not want war, we want peace and we will work for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon," he said while on a visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.



Israeli warplanes hit a 100-year-old mosque in a village of Lebanon near the border early on October 13, a day after a marketplace was hit in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.



Lebanon's Health Ministry reported deadly strikes in other areas of the country, including one on a Shi'ite Muslim village in a mostly Christian mountainous area.



Hezbollah said it launched rockets at Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory on October 13 as ground troops conducted incursions into the country's south.

A Hezbollah statement claimed it targeted a "gathering" of Israeli forces in the village of Maroun al-Ras "with artillery shells."

Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on October 12 as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, an important holiday on the Jewish religious calendar.



The escalation comes as Israel is also conducting fresh attacks in Gaza and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month.



Palestinian medical officials said on October 13 that an Israeli strike killed a family of eight and wounded seven others in the central Gaza Strip.



The attack late on October 12 hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a couple and their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 23, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken.



Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets in Gaza nearly every day for more than a year into the war with Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.

The Israeli Army said in a statement on October 13 that forces operating throughout the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours had attacked about 40 targets and killed dozens of militants.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are allies of Iran. Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran's missile attack on October 1, which Tehran said was launched in retaliation for Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.



Washington believes Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on October 12, citing unnamed U.S. officials.



There is no indication that Israel will target Irans nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.



Araghchi said there would be "no red line" for Iran in defending its citizens from the potential strikes.



"While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests," Araghchi wrote in a post on X on October 13.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
SOFIA -- A new book in Bulgaria paints a picture of criminality during the communist era as being far worse than Bulgarians knew at the time.

In From Thefts To Murders. Criminal Offenses In Bulgaria (1944-1989), Sofia-based historian and educator Stefan Ivanov sets out to debunk misconceptions, fueled by decades of secrecy and propaganda, that the Soviet satellite was a haven from the kind of violent crime that plagued Western, capitalist societies.

Using official data from communist-era archives on murder, rape, robbery, and terrorism, Ivanov shows that crime under communism was far worse than contemporary accounts suggest. While there was a surge in serious crime immediately after the fall of communism, Ivanov and other experts suggest that the lack of transparency before 1989 led to disappointment in the postcommunist era and misplaced notions of previously living in a safer world.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service, Ivanov described "a myth that's based on a distorted public memory because people tell themselves, 'But we lived very well, we came home at night without being afraid, we didn't lock our doors.'"

"They believe this because they didn't have the information and they didn't know the real picture," he said.

Much of his research involved official Interior Ministry files and other documents that were off-limits to the public before the fall of communism, and much of the material in the book is previously unpublished.

In both absolute numbers and per capita annual figures, there were twice as many violent deaths in the four decades of communist rule than in the years since the ousting of longtime leader Todor Zhivkov, a former police chief, in November 1989.

In 1945, for example, there were 509 murders in Bulgaria -- excluding political killings. The lowest number of murders he counted was 111 in 1961. During the last decade of communism, 1980-89, there were between 159 and 210 murders every year, or an average of 195. That is more than twice the annual average of the most recent decade available in the Interior Ministry archives, 89 murders in 2012-21, according to RFE/RL research.

In international terms, the numbers also looked more dire than Sofia was letting on. Communist Bulgaria had between 2.3 and 6.6 intentional homicides per 100,000 citizens, according to Ivanov. Murder rates in developed countries in the same period were between 1.9 and 2.8 per 100,000, he says, and in developing countries, the rates were between 3.5 and 5.8 per 100,000.

In light of such data, Ivanov said, "We can conclude that in the period under consideration, intentional killings were a bigger problem [for Bulgaria] than for most European countries."

Ivanov unearthed multiple instances in which Bulgarian authorities appeared to keep a tight lid on serial killings and other violent tragedies that could reflect poorly on society.

In a notable case from October 1979, Bulgaria's national police force, the People's Militia, received a report of a gruesome discovery: Officers called to the basement of an abandoned building in the capital found a bloodied, disfigured corpse. The victim, listed in the police report as a 19-year-old woman of "easy" virtue, had suffered 35 stab wounds to the chest, neck, and back. Even investigators were shocked at the brutality of the crime.

Before he was caught, her 23-year-old murderer -- who had worked for a spell within the Interior Ministry -- would kill five women in all, with the fifth corpse surfacing the following April in a small lake in West Park, a wooded area overlooking Sofia. The man had also committed numerous rapes, assaults, robberies, and other crimes. Aware of the murders but under the tight control of the Bulgarian Communist Party, the media never reported details of the killer or his crimes.

Similar silence surrounded the cases in 1954 of a 26-year-old man who confessed to a staggering 512 rapes; and a series of murders in the 1980s by a killer from the southern village of Rozovo. In 1984, the public learned next-to-nothing about terrorist attacks in the Black Sea resort city of Varna and Bulgaria's second city of Plovdiv.

"Public memory and people's personal expectations very seriously diverge from the actual picture that is described in these documents," Ivanov told RFE/RL.

His findings reveal several periods of rising crime. For instance, thefts increased during the period of collectivization in 1944-59, when communist authorities were aggressively confiscating agricultural lands from owners. "Basic goods" like food and clothes were being stolen -- and kept rather than resold, according to the Interior Ministry figures -- which Ivanov says points to a more prolonged food crisis in Bulgaria after World War II than in much of the rest of Europe. "People stole to eat and to have clothes to wear," he said.

Other figures not made public under communism point to a connection between collectivization and mass migration from agricultural areas to Sofia and other big Bulgarian cities. "This is also a criminogenic factor and increases the number of crimes," the author said.

Ivanov argues that censorship and the official concealment of information about criminality, including acts such as terrorism that targeted society more broadly, served to lull the public into a misleading sense of security. "People lived in the deceptive calm that everything was OK and that made it easier for criminals [to operate]," he said.

Tihomir Bezlov, a crime researcher and senior analyst at the Center for the Study of Democracy, a public-policy institute in Sofia, praises Ivanov's book and said part of what makes it "profoundly engaging" is that many of its statistics were hidden from view for so long. "Consequently, the average Bulgarian citizen often perceives the communist era as a time devoid of crime," Bezlov said. "For instance, [the book] delves into the presence of serial killers, a topic no one talked about before 1990."

Bezlov said Ivanov's interviews with former investigators, close tracking of specific cases, and "descriptions of unchecked violence against suspects" all shed light on communist-era crime and how it was solved in Zhivkov's Bulgaria.

But he expressed doubt "that one or even several books can alter the tendency to romanticize the past."

Bezlov also says he was struck by the disparity revealed in Ivanov's book between the size of the People's Militia, which was the criminal police agency with around 10,000-12,000 officers, and State Security (DS), Bulgaria's equivalent of the Soviet KGB, and its 200,000 or so agents. "In this context, State Security ranked third in the Soviet bloc, trailing behind [in size] the East German Stasi and the Romanian Securitate," Bezlov said.

There is little doubt that the lack of news and statistics on murder, robbery, and other crimes hid much of it from the eyes of the public, Bezlov says, but it was also because "socialist societies were believed to be fair, with minimal poverty and unemployment." The lack of media coverage of crime before 1990 is "a crucial factor [that] warrants investigation," he said, especially since it "stands in stark contrast to the media landscape after 1990" with its headlines and newscasts dominated by crime.

Bezlov said many Bulgarians' perceptions of life after communism were "influenced by the significant trauma of high crime rates in the 1990s," when the murder rate was a "staggering" 5.8 per 100,000, nearly on par with the United States, which in 2022 had 6.3 murders per 100,000 people.

The current rate in Bulgaria is a moderate 1.3. Nevertheless, Bezlov added, "individuals residing in Bulgaria still harbor the perception that crime rates in the country remain alarmingly high."

Ivanov, too, notes the rise in crime in the initial years of democratic transition. But, he added: "Nothing starts by itself. All this is a process."

Written and with reporting by Andy Heil based on reporting by Georgi Angelov of RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service
Hastings College hosted an awards ceremony Friday, April 5, to recognize 52 outstanding young writers from across Nebraska as an affiliate of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

College faculty and Kiara Nicole Letcher, the author of Scream Queen and soon-to-be-released Oxblood, hosted a workshop for recipients on campus, followed by the ceremony, during which Letcher spoke.

Of all recipients this year, 12 students received 14 Gold Key awards, which allows their work to advance to the national competition where it will be judged by a panel of leading creative professionals. Three students also had work nominated for the American Voices Award, which recognizes students with an original, authentic voice. National jurors will select one nominee from each region for the national American Voices Award.

The 14 Gold Key and 42 Silver Key entries were also published by Hastings College Press in a book titled Best Nebraska Teen Writing 2024. Students will receive a copy of the book, as well as certificates, scholarships and other items during the awards ceremony.

The 52 students receiving honors is the most since Hastings College began sponsoring the program in 2019. Last year, which also set a record for awards, saw 39 students receive honors.

Students from all 93 counties of Nebraska and age 13 and above were invited in the fall to submit original work in any of the Awards writing categories. Works are then judged by a panel of Hastings College faculty, staff and students.

Area students receiving awards were:

 Taylor Beierman, Boone Central High School (Albion); Critical Essay: Honorable Mention

 Erinn Briggs, Lakeview Junior-Senior High School (Columbus); Novel Writing: Honorable Mention
American aviator Lowell Smith faced a difficult choice as he led a squadron of four seaplanes over the Pacific Ocean in early 1924. To the south, a wall of "snow and squalls" rose between them and Japanese territory. To the north, clear skies stretched toward the remote Komandirskiye Islands of Soviet Russia. Smith opted to "take our chances with the Bolsheviks rather than face the wrath of the storms," and banked his aircraft toward Soviet territory.

Smith was one of eight pilots attempting the first circumnavigation of the world by airplane. The world-girdling attempt was intended largely to rekindle public interest in flying at a time when the United States was lagging behind European development in the aviation industry.

The mission required a team of pathfinding military staff to set off ahead of the planes and compile intelligence reports that noted possible landing sites and local quirks of weather for far-flung refueling sites. U.S. diplomats then reached out to the 22 countries the aviators would need to pass through, and a network of resupply vessels and stations was prepared. The project was predicted to cost some $100,000, the equivalent of around $1.7 million today.

On April 6, 1924, four Douglas World Cruiser biplanes specially adapted for the task set off from Seattle, Washington. The aircraft were named after the four American cities of Boston, Chicago, Seattle and New Orleans. The mission quickly ran into serious trouble when the Seattle crashed into a mountainside in Alaska. The two pilots survived the crash and found their way to civilization after several harrowing days in the wilderness.

With the never-before-flown waters between Alaska and Japan becoming increasingly unsettled as the planes neared, Lowell Smith and the other Americans secretly discussed the option of meeting a refueling vessel off the Komandirskiye Islands in Soviet territory. It was a shorter flight than the stretch to Japanese waters but Washington at the time had no diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union and the entire country had been carefully avoided during the planning stage of the expedition. Relations with Moscow were icy after the United States had landed thousands of troops inside Russia amid that country's civil war six years earlier.

The American planes flew for hours over the featureless Bering Sea, pointing their noses toward Soviet territory, "wondering all the time what the Russians would think when they saw three giant planes swoop down out of the sky in this remote region where ships only come about once a year," Smith recalled. When one of the Soviet islands was finally spotted, Smith wrote, "that bleak bit of land out there in the Bering Sea sure looked good to us."

As soon as the planes landed, in sight of a settlement bristling with communications towers, a boat filled with "bearded men" set off from the island. As the rowboat drew near, some of the American pilots remained inside the cockpits of their bobbing seaplanes ready to flee, but the interaction between the men of two hostile countries was cordial. The Russians apologized for not inviting the Americans onto shore but explained they needed permission from Moscow before they could do so. The following day, Soviet leadership refused the Americans clearance to step ashore, but the island's servicemen sent out a boat to deliver a jug of vodka as a gesture of goodwill before the refueled Americans departed for Japan.

From the Bering Sea, the flyers swung toward the steamy climes of southern Asia. On one long flight, pilot Erik Nelson recalled his mind wandering into an imagined future in which the sky was filled with planes, "passing me in the sky with passengers making weekend trips between Shanghai and San Fransisco." If such a future were to transpire, the aviator imagined, "the airplane was to be the agency that would bring the races of the world into such intimate contact with each other that they would no more feel inclined to wage wars..."

On approaching Multan in today's Pakistan, the heat was so severe the pilots quipped that the city might be renamed "Molten." A British welcoming committee presented the sunburned Americans with ice-cold lemonade. One later recalled raising the frosty glass to his cracked lips: "I have had many delicious drinks in my life," the pilot wrote, "but none compare with that one in Multan."

From Asia the fleet headed over Persia and the Middle East and toward Europe, where they flew over the World War I battlefields of Romania, still pockmarked from explosions and littered with the wreckage of military equipment. Bucharest was admired by the men as a "clean and snappy-looking place," with "numerous cafes and cabarets, and many well-dressed and attractive-looking girls."

The final geographical colossus the men faced was the open ocean of the North Atlantic. Several U.S. naval vessels positioned themselves along the flight path ready to assist if any of the planes got into trouble.

On August 3, the Boston was forced to land in choppy seas in the middle of the North Atlantic. The pilot and mechanic aboard were both rescued by a naval vessel but their plane collided with the rescue ship and eventually sank.

The unimaginable danger of the Atlantic crossing is captured in pilot Lowell Smith's description of one foggy patch of iceberg-littered ocean: "We were traveling along at a speed of 90 miles an hour (150 kilometers per hour), and could see only between 100 and 150 feet (30-45 meters) ahead," he wrote. "So use your own imagination as to how soon a plane traveling at that speed could use up the distance that we could see, and then try and figure out how little time was left us to sight a berg ahead, decide which way to turn, and then execute the maneuver."

When the planes finally arrived on American soil, they were greeted by frenzied crowds of well-wishers who had been following newspaper reports of their progress around the world. In Santa Monica, some 200,000 people turned out to greet the airmen.

"As we crawled out of our cockpits, the crowd went wild. With a roar, they knocked down the fence. They knocked down the police. They knocked down the soldiers," Smith wrote. "People were tearing bits off our clothes and snipping off buttons for souvenirs. One lady cut a chunk of my collar with a penknife. And another got hold of my ear -- I suppose by mistake."
One year ago, Hamas -- the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip -- carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, the deadliest in the countrys history.

In response, Israel launched an aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas and rescue the 251 hostages taken by the group.

Israel has expanded its war in recent weeks by invading Lebanon and launching air strikes targeting Hezbollah, the armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

RFE/RL spoke to Lior Yohanani, manager of quantitative research at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based independent research center, which on October 7 released a wide-ranging survey of Israeli public opinion after one year of war.

RFE/RL: Can you explain what your study found as to how Israelis view the past year since Hamas's October 7 attack?



Lior Yohanani: Well, I think Israelis still don't see October 7 as an event that's over. Sure, the actual horrific events of that day ended, but Israelis are still living with the consequences.

There are two main aspects to this. First, since October 7, Israel has been in this multifront war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight. And then, of course, there is the issue of the hostages still being held in Gaza. So, we're seeing a sharp drop in people's sense of personal security. Almost three quarters of the public feel less safe compared to before October 7, and that's despite a year of war and some significant military achievements. On the flip side, we're also seeing that most people say their lives have returned to normal when it comes to things like work, media consumption, and family and social gatherings.

Another thing we're noticing is that the Israeli public is giving pretty low marks to all the political and military leaders for the performance since October 7. For example, almost two-thirds of Israelis are rating Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's performance since then as poor or not good.

RFE/RL: How has Israel's involvement in a two-front conflict, in both Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a confrontation with Iran affected public opinion among Israelis?



Yohanani: It's tough to answer that question, because we're at the point where things could go in a few different directions. In the last few weeks, we've seen a major escalation in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and just last week, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which Israel is expected to respond to. In a survey we just did recently, we asked whether Israeli society and the military could handle fighting on two or more fronts for an extended period of time, and the results were pretty striking. Over 70 percent believe that yes, both Israeli society and the military can handle that kind of prolonged fighting. So, while the situation is complex and evolving, there seems to be a strong sense of resilience and capability among Israelis, even in the face of these multiple threats. But of course, public opinion could shift depending on how events unfold in the coming weeks or months.



RFE/RL: Is there support for Netanyahus response to October 7? Is there debate in Israeli society, as well as political circles, over Netanyahus strategic choices?



Yohanani: First of all, it's important to say that the Israeli public has largely supported significant military operation against Hamas in Gaza. That said, the Israeli discourse around the October 7 events, the ongoing war, and especially toward Prime Minister Netanyahu, is very polarized between right-wing supporters on the one hand and left and center supporters on the other.

People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term."

So, on the left and the center, there is a high level of distrust and suspicion toward Netanyahu and his government. For instance, Netanyahu's apparent reluctance to pursue a deal for returning the hostages in exchange for ending the fighting in Gaza is seen by large parts of the public, even on the right, as resulting from Netanyahu's dependence on far-right, ultranationalist members of his government who refuse any compromise or ceasefire.

Now for a long time, Netanyahu and his ministers argued that only significant military force would lead Hamas to compromise and release the hostages. Now, with military attention and resources shifting to the north, people are asking, where is this massive military force that was supposed to bring the hostages home?

One question we have asked several times since October 7 in our polls is what should be the main goal in Gaza: Dismantling Hamas or bringing back the hostages? And as time goes on, public opinion is increasingly supporting the return of hostages. In our current survey, 62 percent saw bringing the bringing back the hostages as Israel's main goal, while only 29 percent pointed to dismantling Hamas as the primary objective.

RFE/RL: How do ordinary Israelis see the question of the remaining hostages amid the continued protests by the hostages' families?



Yohanani: As I mentioned before, most of the public supports a deal to release the hostages, even if it means ending the war and withdrawing the military forces from Gaza. There's this widespread feeling that we've left the hostages behind, and that's really hitting at our sense of solidarity, which is a deep and fundamental value, I think, in Jewish history in general and in Israel society in particular.

At the same time, the campaign run by the Hostages And Missing Families Forum has become very politicized. Many right-wing supporters see it as weakening Israel. As time goes on, we're seeing more and more harassment of protesters who support bringing the hostages back. There are cases of passersby cursing, even hitting and throwing eggs, at hostages' families. In our latest survey, we asked about the effectiveness of the protests and actions taken by the hostages' families.

Despite most of the public feeling empathetic toward the hostage issue, only less than a third think these actions are actually helping to advance a deal for the hostages' release, while almost 40 percent think they're actually hurting the cause. So, you've got this complex situation where people want the hostages back, but there is disagreement and some backlash about how to make that happen.

RFE/RL: Can you explain the reasons behind the apparent contradiction in views regarding prioritizing a negotiated return of the hostages, or destroying Hamas?

Yohanani: You're right to point out that apparent contradiction. Let me break it down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, a clear majority of the public sees a deal to release the hostages as the main goal. But there is a big gap between political camps on this issue. In the center and left, about 80 percent support the deal for the hostages' release, while the opinions on the right are evenly split. So, for most of the left and center, the fighting in Gaza has run its course. They feel most military objectives have been achieved, and Hamas's military power has been significantly weakened. From their perspective, continuing the fight now only puts the hostages at greater risk.

It's important to know that about half of the right-wing also shares this view of prioritizing the hostages' release, but the other half of those on the far-right thinks dismantling Hamas is more important.

Why? For a couple of reasons.

First, there's a security stance that Hamas must be wiped out and not allowed to recover. There is also a very strong sentiment of revenge, with minimal consideration for the cost, whether it's the lives of the hostages, soldiers, let alone innocent civilians in Gaza. Another significant component openly discussed in religious nationalist circles is the return of Jewish settlement to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuated Jewish settlements from there in 2005.

RFE/RL: Is there public confidence that Israel will ultimately be able to remove the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah and come out of this conflict with greater prospects for a peaceful and stable near-term future?



Yohanani: Right now, the Israeli public isn't showing a lot of optimism. In our current survey, when we asked people if they're optimistic or pessimistic about Israel's future, we found more pessimists, 48 percent, than optimists, 45 percent.

I also think it's important to note that a peaceful future, as you put it, or peace in general, isn't really a common concept in the current Israeli discourse. I would say the hope of Israelis is that the military actions against Hezbollah and Iran will lead to a situation where Israel's existence isn't in question, and that Israeli military superiority will prevent events like October 7 from happening again. So, it's less about peace in the traditional sense, and more about security and deterrence. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term.
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed a controversial law allowing officials to register organizations as "foreign representatives," ending a decade-long campaign to pass a law echoing Russian legislation on "foreign agents."

That these efforts spanned three different Kyrgyz administrations -- one, albeit, cut short by political unrest -- has strengthened the belief of many that the law that will enter into force next week exemplifies Moscow's influence over its smaller, Central Asian ally.

But the move against foreign-funded civic groups also fits neatly with the political agenda of Japarov's power-centralizing government, which has already proven its willingness to crack down on critics harder and more often than its recent predecessors.

Neither of these trends portends well for local civil society or Kyrgyzstan's already tattered reputation as an exception in a deeply authoritarian region.

But for the career activists that now find themselves in the crosshairs of the new law, there are other questions to be asked -- both immediate and long-term.

'Now They Will Start Working Openly'

After signing the On Noncommercial Organizations law on April 2, Japarov hit back at suggestions by international advocacy groups that NGOs might be persecuted under the new legislation and accused local nonprofits of lying to their foreign partners about the intentions behind the bill.

Japarov's words in a Facebook post should probably be taken with a pinch of salt, though, given that he accompanied these comments with others about NGOs that were patently false -- including that such organizations had never before registered with the government or reported their earnings.

"Now they will start working openly," wrote the president, who did not provide any examples of these transgressions. "There won't be a mess like before."

Under the wording of the new law, local NGOs that receive foreign funding and carry out "political activities" in Kyrgyzstan will now be recognized as "performing the functions of a foreign representative" and should register as such.

This designation will make them eligible for unannounced inspections from law enforcement, which inevitably makes them more vulnerable to getting shut down.

Organizations carrying the "foreign representative" brand should, moreover, report quarterly to relevant government agencies on the use of funds received from abroad, as well as on their general activities and management every six months. Meanwhile, officials from the Justice Ministry will have the right to sit in on their meetings and events.

Dinara Oshurahunova, a longtime rights defender and election monitor, told RFE/RL that the main focus of the law would be "organizations that deal with political rights" like her own organization, Civic Initiatives, which monitors and works with parliament.

Now Oshurahunova has decided to begin the laborious process of liquidating her group, due to her belief that the foreign-representative designation will put staff at risk and lead to further degrees of discrimination and ostracization.

"The term 'political activities' can be applied to anything -- it can be applied to research, public polling, and activities that are enshrined as rights under the constitution. My organization informs citizens how to appeal to lawmakers, so that is a political activity. Training also qualifies as a political activity."

The law's text lists a number of spheres where NGO work would not be considered political, including science, culture, art, health care, and social support for disabled persons.

At the same time, it is unclear whether even organizations such as these, what Oshurahunova calls "social NGOs," will be able to pursue advocacy that could be construed as "forming public opinion" without earning the foreign-representative badge.

And the law's definition of "dissemination, including using modern information technologies, of opinions on decisions made by government bodies and policies" would appear to make it impossible for any media outlet registered as a nonprofit to apply for foreign grants without automatically becoming a "foreign representative."

There are currently around 29,000 noncommercial organizations of various types in Kyrgyzstan, more than half of which are registered in the capital, Bishkek.

More Cooperation With Russia, Less With Other Countries?

In addition to criticism from international rights organizations, the new law has been rebuked by the United States and the European Union.

Washington said the law "has the potential to limit or end the operation of organizations that are delivering critical assistance to the Kyrgyz people -- including U.S. assistance that is implemented by local and international NGOs."

The European Union said that "legislation that restricts civil society organizations' ability to operate freely could have a negative impact on the Kyrgyz society and their cooperation with international partners, like the European Union."

The New York-headquartered rights monitor Human Rights Watch on April 4 criticized the EU for "dithering" over the Kyrgyz bill, as well as failing to respond adequately to renewed attempts in fellow ex-Soviet republic Georgia to pass a similar law.

"The EU had ample opportunity to press the authorities to reject this bill. Kyrgyzstan benefits from privileged access to the EU internal market tied to respect for international human rights conventions: conventions this law clearly contravenes," the HRW wrote.

One country that the raft of international statements on the law will not bother much is Russia.

Moscow has openly railed against the "pro-Western, anti-Russian" activities of NGOs in neighboring countries, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu name-checking Central Asia in particular and noting in February that Moscow had taken "preventative measures" in the region.

Analyses of the Kyrgyz law carried out by the legal clinic Adilet and the media fact-checking outlet Factcheck.kg found that it had been overwhelmingly cribbed from the Russian "foreign agents" law passed in 2012.

In a report four years after the Russian law's passage, Amnesty International wrote that "more than a [100 Russian] organizations have seen their funding shrink, their reputations tarnished, and their staff intimidated," and reported that 27 of the 148 organizations that had been included on Russia's registry of foreign agents had disbanded over that period.

And there have been many more closures and liquidations since then.

From 'Foreign Representatives' To 'Undesirable Organizations'?

At the moment, there is a key difference between the Kyrgyz and Russian legal definitions.

That is because in 2022, just months after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law that expanded the "foreign agent" net to include individuals instead of just organizations.

Kyrgyzstan has not gone that far yet, and lawmakers removed one of the most criticized aspects of the law -- stipulating punishment of NGO leaders and their staff of up to 10 years in prison in regards to particular crimes -- ahead of the final reading of the bill last month.

But civic activists see plenty of potential for copycatting in the near future.

Leila Nazgul Seiitbek, a Kyrgyzstan-born rights campaigner who chairs the Vienna-based Freedom for Eurasia nonprofit, points out that the Kyrgyz law in its current state would not be enough to prevent individual citizens cooperating with larger international rights groups.

"For this reason I think they may eventually pass an 'undesirable organizations' act, which Russia passed [in 2015] after the law on foreign agents," Seiitbek told RFE/RL. (Note: The Russian Justice Ministry has included Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on its register of "undesirable organizations," a decision made by the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office on February 20.)

Nurbek Toktakunov, a human rights lawyer who has represented some of Kyrgyzstan's most famous political prisoners, agrees that the crackdown on civil society and free speech in Kyrgyzstan might not have peaked yet.

"Japarov and [national security chief Kamchybek] Tashiev are tough politicians. They tested us, and saw that people got frightened. And so they went a little further. They understood that our civil society is mostly cowardly, mostly just talk and grant-eating."

Toktakunov, whose rights organization Precedent has received money from Western donor organizations in the past, says he now plans to cease cooperation with foreign donors in order not to be subject to the law.

But that doesn't mean he is giving up his cause.

"I'm a citizen, which means I'm a politician. I'll keep criticizing. I'll search for internal resources to continue our work. I'll work with local businessmen. They need human rights and the rule of the law in Kyrgyzstan more than the West does. In fact, I think all of us Kyrgyz citizens need human rights and the rule of law," he told RFE/RL.

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service contributed to this report
The mother of a Moscow terror attack suspect says her son worried that he would get caught in a Russian police raid as his resident permit neared expiration. Gulrakat Mirzoeva claims her son Dalerjon Mirzoev, one of four Tajik men accused of carrying out the attack on March 22, is innocent. At least 144 people were killed in the attack.
Dozens of Ukrainian drones targeted sites in western Russian regions and elsewhere early on April 5, including an airbase that's home to a squadron of Sukhoi fighter bombers.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Drones attacked the military airfield in Morozovsk in the Rostov region of Russia, according to Russian Telegram channels and the governor of the region, Vasily Golubev.

Golubev said the drones attacked in the evening of April 5 and claimed that Russian air defenses had shot down more than 40 targets.

Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 bombers were stationed at the airfield, according to a source familiar with the situation cited by RFE/RL. The aircraft have been used to drop guided bombs on Ukrainian military positions and frontline cities.

"At least six military aircraft of the Russian Federation were destroyed, eight more were damaged," the source said, adding that about 20 soldiers were wounded or killed.

The attack was a joint operation of Ukraine's Security Service and military, the source said.

There was no independent corroboration of the claim; one prominent, closely watched Russian war blogger cast doubt on it. But if true, the attack would be among Ukraine's most successful cross-border strikes.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed it downed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one that was reported in the Saratov region, where the Engels air base is located. Video posted to Telegram and other social media overnight showed antiaircraft defenses firing into the night sky near another air base closer to the Ukrainian border. The videos could not be immediately verified.

The ministry made no mention of damaged or destroyed aircraft.

In the western Kursk region, at least four buildings were damaged by drones, but no casualties were reported, the regional governor reported in a post to Telegram.

Ukraine, which rarely comments on its targeting of Russian sites, said nothing publicly on the drone strikes.

Russia also fired drones and ballistic missiles in an attack on southern regions, Ukraine's air force said on Telegram.

Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration in Zaporizhzhya, said four people were killed.

"Regarding the operational situation in Zaporizhzhya as of now four people have died, more than 20 people have been injured. Currently, everyone is provided with the necessary medical assistance!" Fedorov said on Telegram.

Officials in Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, reported new explosions early on April 5, which damaged four cars and an apartment building, but no casualties were immediately reported.

Kharkiv has been pounded by Russian attacks in recent weeks, crippling the citys power grid and stoking fear among residents.

Rescuers and municipal workers continued cleaning up wreckage from a Russian drone attack a day earlier that killed at least three emergency workers who had been responding to an earlier attack.

On the battlefield, Russian forces have continued to make incremental gains, and were reportedly on the verge of entering Chasiv Yar, a small city that sits astride a major east-west rail link.

Russian war bloggers said troops had entered the city's outskirts as of April 5, a claim that could not be immediately verified.

Ukraine denied that Russian troops had entered Chasiv Yar. Andriy Zadubinniy, spokesman for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, said the situation in the city was difficult and fighting continued, but there were no Russian troops in the city.

Russian troops have been targeting Chasiv Yar after pushing west out of the industrial city of Avdiyivka, which they captured in mid-February after a costly, monthslong campaign.

Capturing Chasiv Yar, which is located on relatively high ground, would allow Russian forces to threaten another railway town, Kostyantynivka, and potentially threaten larger, more strategic cities further north, like Kramatorsk or Slovyansk.

Ukrainian forces have been rushing to build trench lines and fortify defenses to slow the Russian westward advances. Ukrainian and Western observers say Russian forces are suffering major losses of troops and equipment, but continue to grind down smaller, depleted Ukrainian units.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on the Russian claim that Russian troops were on the verge of entering Chasiv Yar, but commanders have said publicly that the fighting there is difficult. In its daily update on April 5, Ukraines general staff listed general fighting across the front line, but nothing specifically about Chasiv Yar.

Ukraines struggles with artillery and ammunition are caused by slowing Western weapons deliveries, mainly the result of political infighting in the United States, where congressional lawmakers have struggled to agree on a new $60 billion package of aid.

During an online briefing on April 3, Ukraine's foreign minister called again for urgent deliveries of air defense systems, which he said were crucial in warding off the increase in attacks.

"The peculiarity of the current Russian attacks is the intensive use of ballistic missiles that can reach targets at extremely high speeds, leaving little time for people to take cover and causing significant destruction," Dmytro Kuleba said.

"Patriot and other similar systems are defensive by definition. They are designed to protect lives, not take them," he said.

The commander of Ukraine's ground forces warned last week that Russia was building a group of over 100,000 soldiers in advance of what may be a major offensive this summer.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
Former RTE Midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly is in talks with the Independent Ireland about the possibility of running as a party candidate in this summers European elections, the Roscommon Herald understands.

A source close to the party confirmed to the Herald that it is in talks with Mr Mullooly but "no deal has been done yet.

A well-known community activist and currently the Just Transition tourism activator with Longford County Council, the Lanesboro native retired from RTE in 2021 after 27 years of service.

Formed last November, the Independent Ireland party comprises three deputies, Roscommon-Galway Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice, Michael Collins from Cork and Limericks Richard O'Donoghue.
By Grainne Ni Aodha and Cillian Sherlock, PA

Simon Harris has pledged to be a mature leader of the three-party government while also helping his party reconnect with its core values.

The newly appointed Fine Gael leader is to outline some of his priorities at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis being held in Galway city this weekend.

He admitted his party has a real job to renew its focus on a number of issues, and referenced the pressure points facing farmers and small businesses.

Fine Gael leader Simon Harris with Martin Heydon, Paschal Donohoe, Hildegarde Naughton and Helen McEntee in Galway, ahead of the Ard Fheis (Brian Lawless/PA)

He also pledged to bring finality to the RTE saga, said there was merit to considering a cap on pay of department secretaries-general, and took aim at Sinn Fein on housing.

During a key Ard Fheis speech on Saturday evening, he said he would be appealing to three different cohorts: Fine Gael voters, those who used to vote for the party but had stopped and the people who would never in a month of Sundays vote for Fine Gael, and thats alright too.

I do think theres a real job for this party to reconnect and renew our focus on a number of issues. And I do think the farming community for example, are really hurting at the moment, he said on Friday, flanked by Fine Gael ministers.

Addressing the 11 Fine Gael TDs who have said they will not seek re-election, he said that he doesnt get this adding that politics can be gruelling on people.

Addressing the housing crisis, he hit out at the main opposition party Sinn Fein, criticising their plans to abolish the Help-to-Buy grant on the basis that it could contribute to house price increases.

If talking about housing were to fix it, wed have an oversupply of housing in this country, Mr Harris said.

Fine Gael leader Simon Harris (centre) with other Fine Gael ministers during a doorstep at the Clayton Hotel in Galway, ahead of the 82nd Fine Gael Ard Fheis (Brian Lawless/PA)

Id love (Sinn Fein housing spokesperson) Eoin O Broin and (Sinn Fein leader) Mary Lou McDonald to sit down in the kitchen of one of those newly built houses and look that young couple in the face and tell them why they dont believe that that couple wasnt entitled to their own money back, he said of the grant.

I dont fear Sinn Fein, I dont fear debating them, Im looking forward to it, and I welcome their new-found interest in me.

A vote will be held in the Dail on April 9th to appoint Mr Harris as Taoiseach, which he is expected to win.

The reshuffle of Fine Gael ministers is expected to take place immediately afterwards.

Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney said he is standing down from Cabinet, and on Friday Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys was appointed the partys new deputy leader, replacing Mr Coveneys party role.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said that she would like to keep her current portfolio.

The Fine Gael Ard Fheis is being held in Galway city this weekend (Brian Lawless/PA)

Speaking in Galway on Friday, Mr Harris has refused to say whether Ms McEntee will stay in Cabinet.

He said: We have an extraordinarily talented team of ministers, and ministers of state and people who would like to be ministers of state and ministers, and over the coming days Ill be putting together the very best, and my colleague and friend Minister McEntee is a very important part of the Fine Gael party.

He added: I believe in trying to bring diversity of viewpoints into Cabinet. Lots of people have different talents, different strengths. I think we are at our best as a party when we try to harness all of those differences.

You just never know what Irish politics can bring. There will be people who are rightly delighted next week and therell be people who feel a sense of personal disappointment.

Despite the upheaval within his party, he has pledged to bring stability to the coalition government with Fianna Fail and the Green Party.

Under my leadership, you wont be turning on the telly to see the leader of Fine Gael about to announce an election.

Bhi an deis againn inniu casadh le ceannaire ur Fhine Gael @SimonHarrisTD ina chead chruinniu mar cheannaire ar an phairti.



Phleigh muid cursai Gaeltachta, oideachas, tithiocht agus #PleanFais leis agus ag suil le gniomh sa bhliain ata romhainn. Guimid gach rath air sa rol nua. pic.twitter.com/UV6dSqtRyl  Conradh na Gaeilge  (@CnaG) April 5, 2024

Im very clear in relation to mature, responsible leadership and that means that this government intends to go to full term, he said.

The people who want an election  well absolutely have an election around next March.

As Galway has a large Gaeltacht, or an Irish language-speaking region, Mr Harris was asked about his fluency and admitted that he doesnt have much Irish.

But he said he had met with the Irish group Conradh na Gaeilge on Friday and intends to take Irish language classes.

Speaking out on a canvas in Salthill in Galway on Friday evening with local councillor Clodagh Higgins and MEP Maria Walsh, Mr Harris appealed to small businesses: We have your back.

Its been a surreal couple of weeks, its beginning to sink in now. I know the enormity of the challenge we have to face, he said.

Yes, multinational jobs are so important and were so proud of them, but we want to be on the side of small businesses and on the side of communities, he said, which was met with applause.
Two Russian citizens have pleaded guilty to smuggling sensitive aircraft parts from the United States to Russian companies.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that according to court documents, Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedinx, both of whom reside in Miami-Dade County, Florida, conspired with each other and several others to evade U.S. export laws and regulations to send aircraft from the United States to Russia.

The scheme began in or about May 2022, a few months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and enhanced U.S. sanctions on Russia.

For one year since then, the Russian smugglers obtained orders for various aircraft parts and components from Russian commercial airline companies, and acquired them from U.S. suppliers, including a supplier based in Arizona, and exported them to Russia. The defendants admitted to knowing the items were controlled and required a license from the Department of Commerce to export, according to the Department of Justice.

The U.S. authorities foiled attempts to export multiple shipments of a carbon disc brake system used on Boeing 737 aircraft, it says.

In total, throughout the conspiracy, American bank accounts associated with MIC P&I LLC, a company controlled by Patsulya, received at least $4,582,288 from Russian airline companies through Turkish bank accounts to purchase aircraft parts and components.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Shares of GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc. (GCTS) were surging more than 80 percent in pre-market on Friday after the provider of 5G and 4G LTE semiconductor solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabian Oil Group Aramco.

The partnership aims to design and co-develop chipsets and modules tailored for LTE, 5G and the NTN spectrum in order to support the localization of wireless end-user devices and IoT manufacturing throughout Saudi Arabia, the company said in a statement.

GCT shares had closed at $5.73, down 16.47 percent on Thursday. The stock has been trading in the range of $5.00 - $56.00 in the last 52 weeks.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The flags of Finland and Sweden, NATO's two newest members, were unveiled alongside those of 30 other member states at the Pentagon.

The flag unfurling ceremony was held on Thursday, as the alliance marked its 75th anniversary.

Sweden and Finland both applied to join the alliance in May 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.

Finland officially joined the alliance exactly one year ago today after receiving unanimous approval from the member states, as is required to join the alliance. Sweden became NATO's newest member in March.

Their accession brought an end to longstanding military nonalignment by the two Nordic countries, as Russia's aggression once again threatened peace and stability on Europe's eastern flank.

"Putin's reckless and lawless invasion of Ukraine has brought war back to Europe on a scale that NATO's founders had hoped to consign to history," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement. "Today, the world needs NATO as much as ever."

Officials from Sweden and Finland underscored their commitment to the alliance as their flags were unfurled at the Pentagon.

"For us, strong defense, being a strong member of NATO, contributing to the 360 degrees of NATO security is something that we have internalized, and we take it seriously," said Mikko Hautala, Finland's ambassador to the U.S. "I think you will see it in all of our actions now and in the future."

Jonas Wendel, Sweden's deputy chief of mission to the U.S., said his country's membership, along with Finland's, will create a more predictable geopolitical outlook and add to peace and stability throughout Europe.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
An earthquake of 4.8 magnitude has hit New Jersey, rattling buildings across parts of the Northeast Friday morning.

Areas in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York were shaken by the quake, which is rare on the U.S. East Coast, reports said.

The quake's epicentre was 7 kilometers north-east of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to United States Geological Survey.

The New York City Fire Department was quoted as saying that the quake was first felt at about 10:30 a.m. local time.

No casualties or major damage have been reported initially, the New York Police Department said.

The UN Security Council's New York headquarters also reportedly felt the tremor, where a meeting on Gaza was being held at the time.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
A 76-year-old man from Montreal, Canada, had to be rushed to the hospital after a rodent bit two of his fingers while he was attempting to remove it from the toilet bowl.

The man sustained bites to his fingers while trying to extract the rat from the toilet, which initially seemed like a minor injury. Upon arriving at the hospital, he received basic wound care and a tetanus booster at the ER before being sent home.

However, 18 days later, he returned to the hospital, experiencing severe fever, headaches, and abdominal pain, as described in a report from the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the man was suffering from multiple organ failure, kidney damage, and signs of sepsis.

After running various tests, doctors diagnosed him with leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that is transmitted from animals to humans.

It was determined that the rat's bite had introduced the bacteria into the man's body through the wound, which was potentially contaminated with urine containing the bacteria from the rat's mouth.

Doctors treated the Canadian man with antibiotics and steroids, leading to his eventual discharge from the ICU after three days. This case emphasizes the need for individuals to exercise caution when dealing with rodents as they can pass on dangerous infections to humans.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
It was Nexon that started the trend of offering a sunroof with lower trims and today, Tata Altroz is the most affordable sunroof-equipped vehicle in India

Sunroofs! A necessity in countries with hardly any sunshine, it has found significant popularity in India, a country with scorching and sunny atmosphere across 90% of its topography. A Sunroof is often touted as a premium feature that will elevate ones vehicular ownership experience. The demand is such that a sunroof today, can either make or break a product too.

OEMs have been responding to the demand for a sunroof by offering it across a diverse range of trims and variants. Slapping a lower-end trim level with a sunroof has been proving profitable for OEMs as well. In April 2024, here are all the vehicles offering a sunroof under Rs. 10 lakh.

1. Tata Altroz  XM (S) Petrol MT  Rs. 7.45 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

A Tata vehicle boasting a sunroof for the most affordable price in India across all segments reflects the brands journey in understanding the market. Altroz is a premium hatchback that rivals Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20. Tata offers sunroof with Altroz right from the XM (S) Petrol MT variant that costs Rs. 7.45 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi).

Theres a lot to like about Altroz as it is among the very few vehicles in India to score 5 Star crash rating. Altroz is also the only hatchback in India to pack a diesel engine and the only premium hatchback to pack twin-cylinder CNG technology for a usable boot. Were expecting Altroz Racer to launch soon in India as well.

2. Kia Sonet  HTE (O) 1.2 Petrol MT  Rs. 8.19 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

HTE (O) is the most recent addition to Sonets variant lineup that was launched a couple of days ago. Based on base HTE trim, HTE (O) trim demands a price tag of Rs. 8.19 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi). Kia Sonet HTE (O) 1.2 MT is the most affordable offering with a sunroof among all the vehicles marketed as crossover/SUV.

3. Hyundai Exter  SX 1.2 Petrol MT  Rs. 8.23 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

Exter is the most affordable vehicle in Hyundais lineup packing a sunroof. With Exter, Hyundai is offering a sunroof starting from SX trim, which is one trim below top-spec SX (O). Exter is a crossover vehicle that was launched last year and it is positioned below Venue. Exter SX 1.2 Petrol MT variant packing a sunroof costs Rs. 8.23 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi).

4. Tata Punch  Accomplished Petrol MT Sunroof  Rs. 8.35 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

There is no doubt that Punch is currently Tatas rockstar and has been a blockbuster hit where sales are concerned. Tata Motors is offering a sunroof with Punch right from the Accomplished trim which is one trim below top-spec Creative. Punch Accomplished Petrol MT Sunroof variant costs Rs. 8.35 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi).

5. Hyundai i20  Sportz (O) Petrol MT  Rs. 8.73 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

After Exter, i20 premium hatchback is the second most affordable vehicle in Hyundais lineup to get a sunroof. In particular, it is the new Sportz (O) Petrol MT variant launched a couple of months ago that is the most affordable variant with i20 to feature a sunroof. Where pricing is concerned, i20 Sportz (O) Petrol MT costs Rs. 8.73 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi).

6. Mahindra XUV300  W4 1.2 Petrol MT  Rs. 8.66 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

XUV300 is on the verge of getting a major facelift. Not just that, it will change its name as well and will be known as XUV 3XO with the launch of facelift. While facelifted model is rumoured to feature a panoramic sunroof, current XUV400 packs a sunroof right from the W4 1.2 Petrol MT variant that is priced at Rs. 8.66 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi).

7. Tata Nexon  Smart+ S Petrol 5MT  Rs. 9.8 Lakh (Ex-Sh, Delhi)

The most popular sub 4m SUV in India, Tata Nexon, is the pioneer that started the sunroof in lower trims concept with XM (S) trim on pre-facelift model. Currently in its latest facelift guise, Nexon is offering a sunroof right from its base Smart trim (Persona). Called Smart+ S Petrol 5MT, this variant is priced at Rs. 9.8 lakh (ex-sh, Delhi).
The Piedmont Environmental Council is pleased to announce todays launch of Solarize Piedmont 2024, a campaign that makes home-based solar installation cheaper and easier for homeowners and business owners in Albemarle, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock counties, and the City of Charlottesville. Solarize Piedmont is part of the broader Solarize Virginia program managed by the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP). Now in its 10th year, Solarize Virginia pre-vets and selects high-quality solar installers at discounted rates and provides free satellite assessments of a homes suitability for solar power. Three free virtual information sessions will be held on: Tuesday, Apr. 9 at 12 p.m., Wednesday, May 15 at 6 p.m., and Monday, June 3 at 3 p.m. Register for these sessions at solarizeva.org/events.

Solarize Piedmont runs through June 30. Those interested in exploring their solar options can learn more and sign up, commitment-free, at pecva.org/solarize by June 30. Once a participant signs up, the process is initiated by LEAP with a complimentary solar satellite assessment to ensure the property is right for solar. Then, one of three vetted campaign installers, already selected through a competitive bidding process, will make a site visit to gather all necessary information and provide a customized proposal unique to each home and its energy usage.

Dylan Cooper, a 2017 Solarize Piedmont participant, said: We did the setup work through the summer. The panels were put on in August. By September my electric bill was down to $19, whereas in July it was $150. It has been a great decision and I hope others make it too.

Why Go Solar?Solar power protects owners from rising utility costs, provides energy security and independence, and reduces polluting fossil fuel emissions, which helps advance Virginias clean energy and air quality goals. Plus, a 30% federal tax credit allows homeowners and businesses to save more than ever on solar, battery backup and electric vehicle chargers.

The tax credit, plus savings realized through the Solarize Virginia competitive bidding process, make this a great opportunity to go solar. And with significant projected increases in energy bills, now is an ideal time to add solar to your home and protect yourself from rising utility rates, said PEC Energy and Climate Policy Analyst Ashish Kapoor. I encourage everyone to increase energy independence and invest in your homes energy future through the Solarize Piedmont program. Six years ago, when I calculated how much I had paid in electricity bills over the years, I made the choice to go solar. My savings have accumulated since then and my investment will rise in value as energy rates go up, he said.

Whats the Process?Now through June 30, those interested in exploring their solar options can learn more and sign up at pecva.org/solarize. Once a participant signs up, LEAP initiates a complimentary solar satellite assessment to ensure the property is right for solar. Then, one of three vetted campaign installers, already selected through a competitive bidding process, will make a site visit to gather all necessary information and provide a customized proposal unique to each home and its energy usage.

If and when a contract is signed, the installer will obtain all necessary permits, order materials and equipment, and schedule and complete the installation. LEAP provides ongoing customer support and education throughout the solar installation process to make the experience as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. There is absolutely no commitment until, and if, a contract is signed with an installer. This years installers within PECs service area are Convert Solar, Solar Energy World, and Nova Solar.

Since the Solarize Virginia program launched in 2014, 1,301 households have installed over 12 megawatts of solar across the state (with a value of almost $35M)! As residential energy rates continue to rise in the region and fossil fuels continue to impact the Commonwealth, the cost savings and emission-free power from photovoltaic systems make solar a great investment for both today and tomorrow.
Steppe Cement said in an update on Friday that in the first quarter of 2024, it sold 175,383 tonnes of cement, generating KZT 3.78bn (6.69m) in revenue.

The AIM-traded firm said that marked a decrease of 18% in volume and 23% in revenue compared to the first quarter of 2023, where 214,832 tonnes were sold for KZT 4.94bn.

It said the average price per tonne of cement, excluding VAT, in the first quarter was KZT 21,545, down 6% year-on-year, while the ex-factory price for the first three months of 2024 stood at KZT 18,835 per tonne, down 2% compared to the first quarter of last year.

Steppe Cement's market share dipped to 11.5% in the first three months of 2024 from 12.7% in the same period of 2023.

The company cited increased transportation costs and low margins from shipments to Kazakhstan's southern region.

Despite operating at full efficiency, Steppe Cement said it had opted to build up clinker inventory in preparation for the upcoming summer season rather than engaging in sales at reduced prices during the smaller winter market in the northern regions.

Notably, clinker production jumped 25% compared to the first quarter of 2023, positioning the company favourably for the high-demand summer season.

In the broader market context, Kazakhstan saw a 12% decrease in cement sales during the first quarter compared to the same period in 2023.

Cement exports from Kazakhstan decreased 6%, primarily due to reduced exports to Uzbekistan.

Imports, constituting 4% of the market, remained stable, with the majority sourced from Russia.

Looking ahead, Steppe Cement estimated Kazakhstan's cement market demand for 2024 to be 11 million tonnes per annum, representing a 5% decrease from 2023 figures.

At 1118 BST, shares in Steppe Cement were down 15.04% at 17.42p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
An earlier Easter break slowed the decline in UK retail footfall, fresh data revealed on Friday, with total footfall declining by 1.3% year-on-year in March, although wet weather still kept a lid on growth.

The data from BRC-Sensormatic IQ was an improvement from the steeper 6.2% decline seen in February, although it still suggested a persistent challenge for the retail sector.

Footfall on the UK high streets decreased 1.5% year-on-year in March, improving from the 9.3% decrease recorded in February.

Similarly, footfall in retail parks dropped by 3.5% in March compared to the same period last year, up from a 5.8% decline in February.

However, there was a modest increase of 0.3% in footfall at shopping centres, marking a slight recovery from the 7% decrease seen in February.

Looking at regional trends, Wales experienced a marginal increase of 0.4% year-on-year, while Northern Ireland saw a notable rise of 4% compared to March 2023.

In contrast, both England and Scotland saw declines in footfall, with England experiencing a 1.6% decrease and Scotland a 0.9% decrease year-on-year.

Overall UK footfall declined in March as the wet weather kept shoppers indoors, said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium.

Northern Ireland and Wales bucked the trend while shopping centres across the UK also saw a year-on-year increase in footfall, primarily driven by the start of the school holidays.

The early Easter meant footfall rose across the UK in the final week of March, particularly in English cities such as Birmingham and Liverpool, but this was not enough to reverse the overall decline over the course of the month.

Dickinson said that as the next general election neared, the figures highlighted how vital it was for all parties to include a clear and comprehensive plan for growth in their manifestos.

As the 'everywhere economy', retail serves all of us, providing the products we need as well as local jobs and investment.

Instead of imposing burdensome costs on the industry, parties should focus on reforming business taxes and improving planning policy to help put life back into communities up and down the country.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
The number of households seeking help to deal with court action over their unpaid energy bills has doubled in the last year, according to Citizens Advice. The charity said suppliers were increasingly opting to take their customers to court to recover their energy debts, which could ruin household finances for years. It said the use of legal action to pursue unpaid bills appeared to have increased since the industry regulator, Ofgem, introduced strict restrictions on the forced installation of prepayment meters.  Guardian

Small businesses such as care homes, and enterprises including charities and faith groups, will be granted new protections to guard against rogue energy brokers using rip-off deals to secure hidden commission fees. The measures mark the first big step by the government and the industry regulator to bring unregulated energy brokers to heel after a growing outcry over aggressive sales tactics and undisclosed commissions, which have inflated costs for small businesses.  Guardian

Men who work entirely from home are more likely to get overlooked for promotions and pay rises than women who do the same, academics have found. A survey of 937 UK managers by the University of Warsaw found that bosses were 15pc less likely to promote men who worked from home full-time compared with their peers who were entirely office-based, and 10pc less likely to increase pay. They are much more likely than their female colleagues to be overlooked, with bosses saying they were 7pc less likely to promote home-working women than those in the office and 8pc less likely to give pay rises.  Telegraph

The global music industry is fighting back against the use of artists work by technology companies to power artificial intelligence. Companies, including Sony and Universal, have launched a website that will both allow labels to protect their copyright and also warn technology businesses that are trawling their content not to use or distribute their work illegally.  The Times

A former senior executive at Accenture is suing the consulting giant and several of his former colleagues, including the firms chief executive, for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination in a claim valued by experts at up to 100 million. Peter Lacy, 45, had been with Accenture for 15 years and worked as its chief responsibility officer and global sustainability services lead when his lawyers claim he was abruptly dismissed from the 4.3 million-a-year role in March last year.  The Times
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaines reelection rally in Charlottesville on Thursday was disrupted by protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Multiple people, young and old, stood up in the middle of the Virginia Democrats speech at the CODE Building in downtown Charlottesville, interrupting it for two minutes before they were escorted out the door.

Where is your condemnation? Where is the cease-fire? What about standing up for Palestinian children, the 14,000 that have died? shouted one woman, the first of several to rise during a campaign event publicizing Kaines run for a third term in the U.S. Senate.

Standing at the podium, Kaine offered to speak with the protesters after the event.

Charlottesville is just one of many stops on Kaines planned campaign tour that launched Tuesday in Richmond and has already twice been interrupted by protesters demanding a cease-fire in Israels ongoing war against Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Upcoming stops in Alexandria, Blacksburg and Newport News present similar opportunities for similar interruptions.

The protests are evidence of fractures in the Democratic base. There are growing concerns that many of the voters Democrats rely on will withhold their votes come November because of the United States response, or lack thereof, to a war that has killed roughly 33,000 people  disproportionately Palestinian  since Hamas deadly surprise attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 of last year. Hamas still holds more than 100 hostages  disproportionately Israeli  that it captured on Oct. 7.

Could that outrage hurt Kaine and Democratic Party leader President Biden at the ballot box?

The situation in Gaza is so much more important than my election, Kaine told The Daily Progress. I dont worry about Gaza because of my election. I worry about Gaza because I want Israel and Palestine to live peacefully side by side and I dont want civilians to suffer. That is a thousand times more important than my election.

Since Hamas Oct. 7 strike, Israel has laid siege to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, a 141-square-mile territory where almost half of the population is under the age of 18. Of the estimated 33,000 killed in the war, the United Nations has reported that women and children make up 70%. Children, specifically, account for more than 13,000 deaths, according to the UN. With both an Israeli and Egyptian blockade in effect and limited assistance from Arab neighbors, international agencies say famine in Gaza is imminent.

In February, Kaine and other Democratic senators wrote Biden a letter voicing their urgent support for your Administrations ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a release of hostages in tandem with a cease-fire. He was also among those who introduced a Senate resolution calling for the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. More recently, Kaine urged Biden to send only defensive weaponry to Israel, prioritizing them over offensive weapons that risk significant harm to civilians and a further deepening of the Gaza crisis.

On Thursday, Kaine said that he wants both a cease-fire and a hostage release, saying one would not work without the other.

Weve been tantalizingly close, but were not there yet, he said.

After Oct. 7 but before Israel launched its offensive, Kaine met with Israeli officials, including its U.S. ambassador.

The world is going to be watching to see how you do the humanitarian aid because they know Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas that celebrated that attack and says theyll do it again, Kaine recalled saying. But Gaza isnt Hamas. Palestinians arent Hamas. Theyre under the thumb of Hamas.

Since then, Kaine has been dissatisfied with Israels humanitarian aid, saying the U.S. needs much more dramatic cooperation from Israel to get aid to civilians.

He noted that U.S. troops from Fort Eustis in Newport News have been deployed to build a pier in the eastern Mediterranean so the U.S. can deliver more aid.

We need to up the pace of it, but we need Israel to be much more cooperative and we just need to push and push until we get some satisfaction, he said.

For some voters, that may not be enough.

Charlie Martinez was among the protesters who stood during Kaines speech. He told The Daily Progress he did not coordinate with other protesters in the crowd, and wanted to remain respectful so that he would have the opportunity to speak with Kaine after the event. Kaine did give him time, which Martinez thanked him for, although he was not satisfied with the senators response.

Martinez pointed to the Senates recently passed $1.2 trillion spending plan that includes an annual U.S. security commitment of $3.3 billion for Israel. According to Martinez, Kaine told him that there are other avenues to protect Gazans besides cutting off funding for Israel.

I believe the senators heart is in the right place. I believe he wants to do the right thing, Martinez said. I believe hes tied into the special interests and all the interests involved. And sadly, he cant vote against the problem. The only way to stop the problem is to turn off the tap of weapons and money thats going to Israel.

You cant say, 'I want you to stop killing people but heres some more bullets,' Martinez said.

The same day as Kaines Charlottesville visit, Biden appeared to escalate his rhetoric on the matter. In a White House readout of a call Biden had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden called Israels recent bombing of an aid convoy ran by charity group World Central Kitchen unacceptable and said that an immediate cease-fire is essential.

That World Central Kitchen bombing killed seven aid workers. Roughly 200 aid workers have been killed since Oct. 7, according to the UN.

In the call between the two leaders, Biden said Israel must implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps, according to the White House.

As of the moment, Martinez is planning to either not vote or vote for a third-party candidate. One way Democrats could sway him is by cutting off U.S. funding to Israel.

Then maybe I would consider it. But it has to happen now, he said. Look how many kids have died already. Kids die all over the world, and we cant be responsible for all of it. But this we are directly responsible for. I am, you are, he is, all of us are, because we pay for it.

Unlike Republicans, the war puts Democrats in a difficult political position, according to Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginias Center for Politics.

Bidens Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, does not face the same pushback from his own party, despite supporting similar measures or showing no interest in supporting any measures whatsoever.

Gaza divides Democrats in way that doesnt divide Republicans, Kondik told The Daily Progress. Trump gave an interview this morning and, as he often does, danced around what hes been saying over Israel. Republicans arent protesting him on his stance.

He sees Biden and other prominent Democrats softening on their support for Israel. If they fully withdraw support, however, that could upset other sections of the Democratic coalition. In the meantime, leading Democrats such as Kaine are likely to continue facing backlash from their own supporters who demand a cease-fire.

The best thing you could say for Democrats is there is time on all this. Time to rebuild the base, and to hope that this is not a driving issue that hurts them in September, October and November, Kondik said.

For those who have been demanding a cease-fire for months, their outrage is unlikely to dissipate come Election Day unless there is a significant change in the U.S. governments approach to Israel. Biden, Kaine and others might see that dissatisfaction in vote totals.

This is the most important thing happening right now, Martinez said. Every day I call his office or Sen. Mark Warners office or congressman Bob Goods office and explain to them that its wrong to kill children. Stop voting for money that is going to kill children.

Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire just this past Monday. The matter divided Council and had to be brought to a vote twice before passing. Supporters of the resolution say their goal is to bring more pressure on legislators such as Kaine to broker an end to the violence in Gaza.
Sara Farizan Ryan La Sala

Sara Farizan (she/her) is an Iranian American author of the YA novels Here to Stay, Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel and If You Could Be Mine. Dead Flip (Algonquin Young Readers) follows Cori and Maz, friends who grew apart after their friend Sam's disappearance. Then, five years later, Sam reappears--the same age as the day he vanished.

Ryan La Sala (he/they) writes about surreal things happening to queer people. He is the author of Reverie and Be Dazzled. In The Honeys (PUSH/Scholastic), genderfluid teen Mars's twin sister, Caroline, dies under horrific circumstances. Mars decides to attend Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy in her place and befriend her old friends, a group of girls dubbed the Honeys. They are beautiful and terrifying--and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death.

Here, the authors discuss Dead Flip and The Honeys, investigating gender expression and identity.

Ryan La Sala: One thing that I picked up on in both our books--and maybe this is because you and I are in the rainbow together (though not in the same band of the rainbow)--is the monolith of girlhood and how it's a trap. I loved, loved, loved that in Dead Flip we get to see Cori grow up and against this model. As a young girl, Cori is called a tomboy and told she needs to grow out of the behavior. Then in the present day she deals with the fallout of who she's formed herself into just to get by. And then we see her come to terms with the fact that this is not what she wants: she wants to embrace that "tomboy" part of herself. I wanted to hear from you about the parallel here--in The Honeys, Mars is also examining the monolith of girlhood but they're trying to find a way into it while Cori is trying to find a way out.

Sara Farizan: I think Mars sees the cracks in both girlhood and boyhood and the binary of summer camp in general. I think the girls' camp is so much more appealing and inviting to Mars, and they see it as more evolved in some ways, too. It's the difference between being welcomed into a group, and being a part of a group but not feeling welcome. Or the difference between being welcomed, but not understanding the rules.

La Sala: Right! Cori feels trapped in this definition of girlhood. She never made the choice for herself. But the expectations were there, nonetheless.

Farizan: And for Cori, it's also that she's attractive and that she has this older sister who is a hyper-sexualized, hyper-feminine '80s trope. Cori feels this pressure to get with the program and adopt the behaviors that she's learned from her girlfriends and sister. But her sister is trapped in this role--and she knows it. Cori learns that the way to get out of certain traps is to use what other people see as the gifts she's been given. So she learns that if she's going to survive high school without anyone learning her faults or her big secret, she can't have people thinking of her as the friend of the "missing ghost boy."

Going back to our discussion about being welcomed into groups: Cori attends a sleepover at one point where she learns the behaviors and the rules of the girls. Or she wants to learn but it feels foreign to her. You see this with Mars, too. When people say things like, "Boys will be boys," Mars challenges them. The boys in Mars's camp are saying suggestive things about the girls' bodies and there's no authority figure to stop them. Mars calls the boys out and makes them confront their sexist actions.

La Sala: This happens in the girls' camp, too: people tell Mars consistently that his sister wasn't like other girls. Mars bristles at this because Mars thinks, "Maybe she was!" But maybe there is no monolith to begin with and people haven't taken the time to look and investigate. Mars is begging everyone to take a closer look. Mars especially wants people to look a little harder at the Honeys and what they're hiding--the Honeys are aware of this monolith, and they use it to their advantage. It helps them put a division between them and the world.

Similarly, Caroline gets told by a guy who's trying to flatter her that she's not like the other girls. Caroline's gobsmacked by this, because every choice she's made is to try to be like other girls.

Farizan: And she sees that she can be like "other girls" but still be denied so much. There's so much vitriol around young people appropriately fitting into the mold of girlhood and there are things imposed upon those that identify with girlhood that they didn't get to choose. Cori finally realizes that no matter what she does or however she behaves, ultimately, the game is rigged.

La Sala: And that the "other girl" is propped up by the patriarchy--she's just there to make it really hard for everybody else to exist in her orbit.

Farizan: I think both of our books are saying, "There is no way for you to be, other than yourself."

La Sala: Right.
photo: Huascar Medina

Izzy Wasserstein is a queer and trans woman, educator, and the author of two poetry collections and the short story collection All the Hometowns You Can't Stay Away From. Her novella These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart, just published by Tachyon, is a noir techno-thriller of fractured identity and corporate intrigue. Wasserstein shares a home with the author Nora E. Derrington and their animal companions.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

In the near future, a trans woman returns to her old commune to investigate her ex's death, but she's haunted by faces from her past.

On your nightstand now:

An ever-expanding list of books in various stages of completion. Currently that includes I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia, and Stephen Graham Jones's Don't Fear the Reaper.

Favorite book when you were a child:

C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair, which was my favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia books, and may have been the reason I'm still obsessed with fantasy adventuring and role-playing games.

Your top five authors:

If you ask me this on a different day, you might get different answers! But at least for today, my list includes Octavia Butler, who taught me so much about world-building and the ways that power differentials shape every community and interaction; Ursula K. Le Guin, who did more than any other author to open me up to new ways of thinking, and even when I disagree with her, she's always worth arguing with; N.K. Jemisin, whose Broken Earth trilogy begins with an audacious promise, and then finds an even more audacious way to keep it; China Mieville, who writes weird, politically complex books that haunt me; and Jorge Luis Borges, who once turned a grievance with another poet into the classic story "The Aleph"--may we all put our petty complaints to such great use!

Book you've faked reading:

James Fenimore Cooper's The Deerslayer, a book I spent weeks trying and failing to complete for an undergraduate class. In the end I ignored most of the middle of the book and flipped through the end. It did, however, lead me to Mark Twain's famous "James Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," so at least it had one positive effect.

Book you're an evangelist for:

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's Hard to Be a God, which is simultaneously a warning about the dangers of fascism and a critique of the Soviet government. It's strange, unsettling, and masterful, and hasn't found as wide an audience (at least in English) as it deserves.

Book you've bought for the cover:

I don't know that I've ever bought a book for its cover, since I am constantly buying more books than I have time to read, but I can say that I think I'd have bought the excellent Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs for its cover if I hadn't already had it on my to-read list.

Book you hid from your parents:

I don't know that I ever actually hid a book from my parents--I was a very rule-oriented kid--but I am very glad that they never paid attention to the content of the Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman that I was reading.

Book that changed your life:

Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. That's a book that has so much to say about gender, war, religion, and winter itself. It also has one of the best last pages in history. It re-wired my brain, and I'll always be grateful for it.

Favorite line from a book:

Asking me to pick a favorite line is like asking me to pick which of my animal companions is my favorite; spoiled for choice, I'll share a line I adore from The Left Hand of Darkness:

"I certainly wasn't happy. Happiness has to do with reason, and only reason earns it. What I was given was the thing you can't earn, and can't keep, and often don't even recognize at the time; I mean joy."

Five books you'll never part with:

Le Guin's The Dispossessed, which teaches me something new every time I read it; R.B. Lemberg's The Four Profound Weaves, which is gorgeous, meditative, and essential; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the first science fiction novel and still essential reading; Eavan Boland's heartbreaking, life-affirming poetry collection Outside History; and bell hooks's Teaching to Transgress, a book every teacher should (re)read.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It's a dark academia book, a portal fantasy, and so much more. It's also one of those books where describing it can't do it justice. I'd love to experience it again for the first time.

Book you are desperate to read:

I can't ever get enough books about marginalized people who get to be as complex and messy as white men are allowed to be. If that book also has chosen families and a "there's only one bed" moment, so much better!
Maruti Suzuki India Limited has achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing the cumulative production mark of over 3 crore units, a feat accomplished in a record-breaking time of 40 years and 4 months. This achievement, which underscores the company's significant contribution to the automotive sector, is aligned with the Indian government's 'Make in India' initiative.

The production milestone encompasses vehicles manufactured across Maruti Suzuki's manufacturing facilities located in Gurugram, Manesar (Haryana), and Hansalpur (Gujarat). Notably, the Indian operations have emerged as the fastest among all Suzuki production bases globally, since the commencement of production in December 1983.

Suzuki Motor Gujarat, a wholly-owned subsidiary, has produced over 32 lakh vehicles. Among the vehicles that played a pivotal role in achieving this milestone, the iconic M800 stands out with over 29 lakh units. Other top contributors include popular models like Alto 800, Alto K10, Swift, Wagon R, Dzire, Omni, Baleno, Eeco, Brezza, and Ertiga. Maruti Suzuki's Haryana-based facilities have contributed over 2.68 crore vehicles to this milestone, while, a wholly-owned subsidiary, has produced over 32 lakh vehicles. Among the vehicles that played a pivotal role in achieving this milestone, the iconic M800 stands out with over 29 lakh units. Other top contributors include popular models like Alto 800, Alto K10, Swift, Wagon R, Dzire, Omni, Baleno, Eeco, Brezza, and Ertiga.

Maintaining its leadership position in the domestic market since its inception, Maruti Suzuki attributes its success to a strong foundation built on relevant products, advanced technologies, an extensive sales and service network, and a robust supplier ecosystem. The company commenced exports in 1987 and currently contributes nearly 40% to the total vehicle exports from India.

Expressing gratitude to its customers for their unwavering support, Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, emphasized the role of loyal customers in the company's journey since 1983. He credited the agile workforce and value chain partners for their continuous support in meeting customer needs and maximizing production.

Mr. Takeuchi reiterated the company's commitment to 'Make in India' and announced plans to invest further in increasing annual production capacity to 4 million units by FY 2030-31. This will involve setting up two new greenfield manufacturing plants with a capacity of 10 lakh units each in Kharkhoda, Haryana, and Gujarat. Additionally, Maruti Suzuki aims to expand its model range from the current 18 to 28 by FY 2030-31 to cater to growing customer demand and aspirations.

Presently, Maruti Suzuki sells 18 models through its NEXA, ARENA, and Commercial retail channels, catering to diverse customer preferences. Furthermore, the company exports its product range to nearly 100 countries worldwide, solidifying its position as a global automotive player.
The American Red Cross is assisting after a mobile home fire displaced residents in Lebanon.

Firefighters responded to the 3800 block of Weirich Drive for a structure fire call at a mobile home park in the early morning hours of Friday, April 5, according to a news release from the Lebanon Fire District.

A Place to Sleep, episode 5: Lebanon How did the last couple of elections change the way East Linn County interacts with its unho

The first unit to arrive found heavy smoke coming from the roof area, the release states, and firefighters entered the home in an offensive fire attack mode.

Encountering heavy smoke, fire crews called for a positive pressure fan and horizontal ventilation to help clear the structure, according to the release, which states a quick search for occupants was performed as firefighters made their way to the seat of the blaze.

A fire official noticed flames from an exterior wall located near a wood burning stove inside the building, the release states. Additional personnel arriving at the scene reportedly extinguished the exterior fire while others worked on the inside.

Fire crews were at the location for around 2  hours, overhauling, clearing smoke and investigating.

No life-threatening injuries were reported, but a firefighter was evaluated after sticking a nail into their hand, according to the release.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  After an earthquake rattled New York City, many Staten Island parents rushed to pick up their kids from public school buildings.

The tremors were felt about 10:25 a.m. Reports of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake were felt across Staten Island Island, in other boroughs like Brooklyn and Manhattan, in Toms River, New Jersey, and along the East Coast like Pennsylvania and Boston, according to the Weather Channel.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It wasnt just humans who were rattled by the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt Friday morning across the Northeast.

The tremors were recorded at 10:25 a.m., and lasted for about 15 seconds from the quake, which originated in New Jersey, roughly 45 miles west of Manhattan.

The lemurs expressed warning vocalizations, which they do to alert other lemurs of any strange occurrences. They were loudly expressing their alarm calls this morning, Ken Mitchell said.(Courtesy of the Staten Island Zoo)

Staten Island Zoo Executive Director Ken Mitchell said some of the boroughs favorite furry and aquatic friends -- including the resident groundhog, Staten Island Chuck -- used their animal instincts when the entire facility started shaking.

Im pleased to report that the Zoo and its collection of 817 animals were safe and sound during the earthquake today, Mitchell said. There was no damage of any kind. Our animals reacted according to their own natural instincts.

And the lemurs made sure to alert their fellow zoo animals at the first sign of the tremors.

The lemurs expressed warning vocalizations, which they do to alert other lemurs of any strange occurrences. They were loudly expressing their alarm calls this morning, Mitchell said.

Im pleased to report that the Zoo and its collection of 817 animals were safe and sound during the earthquake today, Ken Mitchell said.(Courtesy of the Staten Island Zoo)

He noted that several of the Zoos birds swooped low in their exhibits, which is a natural behavior to move out of harms way or away from predators.

Our fossa and some of the other animals moved a bit closer toward their holdings, he said. And our reptiles didnt react at all.

And Staten Island Chuck -- the Zoos most well-known resident -- felt the rumble and stayed true to his nature and remained on firm ground in his burrow, Mitchell said.

ONE OF THE STRONGEST N.Y. EARTHQUAKES

While earthquakes registering at low magnitudes are not uncommon in the area, Fridays event was serious enough to prompt emergency alerts from state and federal officials, and early pickups by concerned parents at local schools.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was the to strongest quake felt in New York in over a decade and one of the strongest throughout the entire region in the past 100 years.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Borough residents were left rattled Friday by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake felt from Pennsylvania to Boston.

Tremors originating out of New Jersey were recorded at 10:25 a.m., and lasted for about 15 seconds.

While earthquakes registering at low magnitudes are not uncommon in the area, Fridays event was serious enough to prompt emergency alerts from state and federal officials, and early pickups by concerned parents at local schools.

Here are the key things to know:

There have been no reports of injuries or structural damage on Staten Island, according to a law-enforcement source.

Mayor Eric Adams and top city officials held a media briefing at noon. New Yorkers should go about their normal day, Adams said.

An aftershock earthquake was felt on Staten Island around 6 p.m. Officials said it registered 4.0 magnitude. Smaller aftershocks have been reported in New Jersey and New York state throughout the day.

Here is a time-stamped look at how the dramatic morning unfolded on Staten Island:

7:07 p.m.  NOTIFY NYC NOTES POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER AFTERSHOCKS

Following the 4.0 magnitude aftershock earthquake, Notify NYC shared that New York City residents can continue with usual activities. However, New Yorkers should remain aware as more aftershocks may still be experienced.

UPDATE: Aftershock confirmed by USGS. More aftershocks may still be experienced. NYers can continue usual activities: Safety tips: https://t.co/HazC1grfnx. Call 311 to report damage. https://t.co/MlFk1K7qVP  NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) April 5, 2024

6:04 p.m.  AFTERSHOCK EARTHQUAKE FELT ON S.I.

Shaking was felt in homes and buildings on Staten Island and throughout New York City. An aftershock earthquake has occurred in the NYC area, according to the citys Notify NYC alert system. The Advance/SILive.com has received reports from Dongan Hills, Midland Beach, Oakwood and New Springville.

An aftershock earthquake has occurred in the NYC area. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured. More info: https://t.co/rBNkZS0w3Q  NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) April 5, 2024

3:54 p.m.  ANIMALS OK AT STATEN ISLAND ZOO

Staten Island Zoo Executive Director Ken Mitchell said some of the boroughs favorite furry and aquatic friends  including the resident groundhog, Staten Island Chuck  used their animal instants when the entire facility started shaking.

Im pleased to report that the Zoo and its collection of 817 animals were safe and sound during the earthquake today, Mitchell said. There was no damage of any kind. Our animals reacted according to their own natural instincts.

Click here for more on the Zoo.

3:26 p.m.  NO DISRUPTIONS AT 2 HOSPITALS

Staten Islands two hospital systems reported no disruptions Friday.

Spokespersons for Staten Island University Hospital and Richmond University Medical Center both issued statements saying the earthquake had minimal impact to SIUHs two campuses in Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay and RUMCs in West Brighton.

Click here for more on the hospitals.

2:56 p.m.  HOCHUL: AFTERSHOCKS REPORTED

Gov. Kathy Hochul said three much smaller aftershocks have hit the New York region after Friday mornings earthquake: 1.8 magnitude at 12:31 p.m., 2.0 magnitude at 1:14 p.m., and 2.0 magnitude a few minutes ago.

Following this morning's 4.8 magnitude earthquake, 3 much smaller aftershocks hit our region: 1.8 magnitude at 12:31pm, 2.0 magnitude at 1:14pm, and 2.0 magnitude a few minutes ago.



Aftershocks of these sizes are normal and are not expected to cause further damage.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024

Buildings Department Commissioner James Oddo speaks during a press briefing on Friday, April 5, 2024.NYC.gov

12:21 p.m.  BUILDINGS COMMISH ODDO SPEAKS

James Oddo, the Buildings Department commissioner and former Staten Island borough president, said his department has not seen an influx of calls about damage, but is still bringing on additional construction and engineering professionals to deal with any issues that may arise over the weekend.

This is a time for that tried and true saying if you see something say something, so to New Yorkers, we at the Department of Buildings are concerned about some of the downstream possibilities, cracks that you might see that may materialize or manifest in a week or a month, or scaffolding, retaining walls, he said. If you see something that is problematic please call 311.

Click here for more on Oddos remarks.

12:19 p.m.  MAYORS PRESS BRIEFING

Mayor Eric Adams held an afternoon press briefing during which he informed residents of the five boroughs that there werent immediate concerns, but to be on the lookout for aftershocks and take the appropriate precautions.

New Yorkers should go about their normal day, Adams said. We are still assessing the situation and will continue to update the public...If you feel an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck and take cover under a solid piece of furniture next to an interior wall or in a doorway.

There are no major impacts or safety events reported in New York City as a result of the earthquake, Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol said.

Also, there is no indication that any of our buildings were compromised, Schools Chancellor David Banks said.

Click here for more on the mayors briefing.

12:07 p.m.  MTA OPERATING SAFELY AND NORMALLY

MTA services are operating safely and normally following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake felt throughout our region this morning. Initial inspections show there was no damage to any MTA infrastructure, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely. Thank you for riding with  MTA (@MTA) April 5, 2024

12:02 p.m.  STRONGEST N.Y. QUAKE IN YEARS

During an emergency briefing, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state is taking Fridays earthquake extremely seriously, as this is believed to be the strongest quake felt in New York in over a decade.

There is always the possibility of aftershocks and Ill get to that in a moment, but we have not felt the magnitude of an earthquake this level since about 2011, the governor said.

Click here for more on Hochuls remarks.

11:52 a.m.  OFFICIALS WARN OF AFTERSHOCKS

Officials issued a warning on the emergency alert system that aftershocks might be felt. NYers can continue usual activities, the alert said. Here is what to do in an earthquake.

Officials issued an aftershock warning.Staten Island Advance

11:49 a.m.  ISLANDERS REACT

I thought maybe my roof was coming down, because I need to do a roof repair, said Bukola Akano of Stapleton. It was very scary. The whole street, everybody is out.

I heard my liquor bottles shaking first, said Stapleton resident Danny Franke. Then I felt the whole house shaking. I immediately came outside to see if the neighbors felt it. Its older housing, so you always have to worry.

I left California and I never thought Id have another earthquake, said Russ Anixter, a native of San Francisco who now lives on Staten Island. This one was longer than any Id ever experienced. I wasnt there for the 1989 quake, but this is the biggest one Ive ever felt.

Said Christine Weber of Westerleigh:

I was still in bed, but the cat stood up all of the sudden and it sounded like a freight train when it comes into the station. I didnt feel it so much because Im in a memory foam bed but everything on my dresser made noise. Im going around the corner to have a cup of coffee or my neighbor because Im a little shaky.

11:43 a.m.  WHERE QUAKE WAS FELT

The United States Geological Survey posted a graphic depicting where the quake was felt along the East Coast.

Update on the earthquake that occurred around 10:25AM. Here is a graphic of where the earthquake was felt. This is from the https://t.co/Ph3WQqtRjG website. pic.twitter.com/yc1cybv9pz  NWS Albany (@NWSAlbany) April 5, 2024

11:25 a.m.  PRESIDENT BIDEN BRIEFED ON QUAKE

President Joseph Biden has been briefed on the earthquake, which has an epicenter in New Jersey, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more.

The President has been briefed on the earthquake, which had an epicenter in New Jersey, and he is in touch with his team who are monitoring potential impacts. The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more.  Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) April 5, 2024

11:22 a.m.  FDNY: NO MAJOR INCIDENTS AT THIS TIME

As officials continue to look for reports of injuries or damage, the FDNY posted that there are no major incidents at this time. We will continue to monitor.

Around 10:30 AM, FDNY received reports of building shaking. We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability. There are no major incidents at this time. We will continue to monitor.  FDNY (@FDNY) April 5, 2024

A parent takes her children home from school on Friday, April 5, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)Jan Somma-Hammel

11:10 a.m.  SOME PARENTS SIGN CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL

The Advance/SILive.com has received reports of many parents signing their children out of school after the earthquake.

One woman could be seen leaving Laurie Intermediate School (I.S. 72) in New Springville with two children.

When asked if she was taking her kids home, she said, yes, Im scared.

Click here for more.

11:02 a.m.  SCHOOL BUILDING RESPONSE TEAMS ASSEMBLE

The NYC Department of Education is assembling its building response teams to ensure all of our students and staff are safe.

. @NYCSchools is aware of the earthquake that was just felt across the city. Our building response teams have assembled out of an abundance of caution, & we are working closely with our agency partners, including @nycemergencymgt, to ensure all of our students and staff are safe  Nathaniel Styer (@necs) April 5, 2024

10:59 a.m.  MAYOR TO HOLD BRIEFING AT NOON

Mayor Eric Adams and senior administration officials will be holding a briefing to discuss the impacts of the earthquake at noon.

.@NYCMayor and senior administration officials will be holding a briefing to discuss the impacts of the earthquake at 12 PM at @nycemergencymgt HQ. Schedule to follow.



You can stream online at https://t.co/jCxUgT3gwj. https://t.co/HfAscjU0I5  Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 5, 2024

10:52 a.m.  STATEMENT FROM BP FOSSELLA

Borough President Vito Fossella issued the following statement:

It looks like a 4.8 magnitude earthquake was felt through all five boroughs, and beyond.

We have been in touch with the Mayors office and New York City Office of Emergency Management. As of right now, there have been no reported impacts to municipal services, no reported damages and no reported injuries.

We will monitor the situation and remain in regular contact with all appropriate agencies and officials.

10:49 a.m.  FDNY STATEMENT

The FDNY has released the following statement:

Around 10:30 AM, FDNY received reports of building shaking. We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability. There are no major incidents at this time. We will continue to monitor.

10:47 a.m.  NYPD ASKS 911 BE USED FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY

As authorities monitor Staten Island for structural damage and injuries, the NYPD issued a statement asking borough residents to use the 911 system only to report emergencies in relation to this incident.

Yes we felt it too, we ask that you ONLY CALL 911 TO REPORT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OR PERSONAL INJURY in relation to this incident. Thank You!!  NYPD 123rd Precinct (@NYPD123Pct) April 5, 2024

10:47 a.m.  MAYOR ADAMS: EPICENTER OF LEBANON, N.J.

Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the city felt a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Lebanon, N.J.

New York City just felt the impacts of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Lebanon, New Jersey. @NYCMayor is being briefed. While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, were still assessing the impact.  NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) April 5, 2024

10:43 a.m.  OAKWOOD RESIDENT PRAYING IT WOULDNT GET WORSE

One Oakwood resident described standing by his bedroom window when he felt the vibrations.

I live near Hylan Boulevard, so at first I thought it was a big truck passing by, he said. But this was stronger, and lasted longer. I knew after three seconds that this was different. I could feel the whole house shake under my feet. It lasted about 10 seconds, and I just kept praying it wouldnt get worse.

10:42 a.m.  COUNCILMAN REPORTS DAMAGE IN HOME

City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) posted photos on social media showing items that broke in his home during the tremors. Among the items was a Winston Churchill bobblehead.

Legit earthquake damage. RIP Winston Churchill & Chris Mullin.

(Mullin was a nice gift from @JamesAGagliano ) pic.twitter.com/FLWPxLUbJ4  Joe Borelli (@JoeBorelliNYC) April 5, 2024

10:38 a.m.  I THOUGHT IT WAS A SEMI-TRUCK

I was sitting down in my room, and all of a sudden everything started shaking, I thought maybe it was a semi-truck coming down my block, said Mariah, a Rosebank resident. But I proceeded to ask my friends and family in different neighborhoods all over Staten Island if they had felt it. They all confirmed it was a small earthquake.

10:34 a.m.  STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR

Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued a statement:

My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York.



My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024

10:33 a.m.  SOUNDED LIKE STAMPEDE IN NEW DORP OFFICE

Said a borough resident from her office in New Dorp:

We were sitting here in the building and all of a sudden it sounded like people were moving furniture, in like a stampede. The walls were vibrating.

10:31 a.m.  WEATHER CHANNEL CONFIRMS 4.8 MAGNITUDE QUAKE

The Weather Channel has confirmed a 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the Northeast, with effects felt in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston.

BREAKING: 4.8 magnitude earthquake reported in the Northeast. Shaking felt in New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. Story coming.  The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) April 5, 2024

10:29 a.m.  EARTHQUAKE FELT ON STATEN ISLAND

An earthquake was felt on Staten Island just minutes ago. The tremors were felt around 10:25 a.m. and lasted about 15-20 seconds, rattling homes.
UPDATE: Following an alert to stay indoors, NYC said NYers can continue usual activities.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After a 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled New York and New Jersey, New York City officials sent a text alert saying residents should stay indoors.

The alert sent to all smart phones said: New York City area residents are advised to remain indoors, and to call 911 if injured.

On Friday morning, around 10:20 a.m., a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, or about 45 miles west of New York City, shook Staten Island and much of the Northeast region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS tracks data on all recorded earthquakes, even those with low magnitudes below 2.0 that often go unfelt by residents.

According to the FDNY, there are no immediate reports of injuries on Staten Island at this time.

As authorities monitor Staten Island for structural damage and injuries, the NYPD issued a statement asking borough residents to use the 911 system only to report emergencies in relation to this incident.

Mayor Eric Adams is holding a press conference at 12 p.m. in Brooklyn.
Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what youre gonna get. And Forrest Gumps mama was right too, both about life and cinema. The silver screen has yielded a slew of catchphrases in our lifetime, from pithy (Ill be back) to punchy (Frankly my dear, I dont give a damn).

A few years back, to salute the Hollywood century, the American Film Institute chose the top 100 quotable film quotes, with Rhett Butlers earlier farewell to Scarlett OHara the winner. Second went to Don Corleones Im going to make him an offer he cant refuse.

No other movie matches this local classics linguistic legacy.

Catchier nominees included Casablancas toast (Heres looking at you, kid), 007s introduction (Bond, James Bond), Dorothys dread (Were not in Kansas any more) plus Jerry Maguires plea: Show me the money! Of course, that same drama also lent us the line from Renee Zellwegers own Dorothy: You had me at hello.

Several films in fact, like Casablanca and Star Wars, and the Terminator franchise, have embedded multiple quotes in our psyche. Though here in Australia, there is one clear winner, as a recent phone call reminded me.
Ambition has defined Kip Williams eight years as Sydney Theatre Companys artistic director, and enough of that ambition was realised for his tenure to have been acknowledged as a significant step up from that of his predecessor, Andrew Upton.

Williams ambition will primarily live in many theatre-goers memories thanks to his cine-theatre productions, the apotheosis of which was his 2020 adaptation of Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Sydney Theatre Companys artistic director Kip Williams. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Cine-theatre  his innovative use of videoing on-stage action and simultaneously live screening it, as an adjunct to conventional staging  began with Tennessee Williams Suddenly Last Summer in 2015, a production that may well have played a part in his securing the artistic directorship in 2016.

Aged just 30, Williams was STCs youngest appointee to the role. Thereafter, cine-theatre became something of a trademark  to the fury of some and fascination of others.
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Eating outBrisbane Teeny Korean-inspired cafe opens from pair of Greca and Yoko veterans In a former Coorparoo trophy shop, its set to serve egg drop brioches, omurice with prawns, and eggplant rice, with a small-producer wine list (and shop) to come. Matt Shea April 5, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Brisbanes restaurateurs have for years lamented this citys relative lack of smaller tenancies. It can be a drag on a healthy hospitality scene: smaller venues equal smaller overheads and provide an opportunity, say, for a pair of young chefs with limited backing to throw an idea at the wall and see if it sticks. Leaham Claydon and Jianne Jeoung outside Snug in Coorparoo. Tammy Law Snug, thankfully, is exactly that. Leaham Claydon and Jianne Jeoung used to be on the frontlines of Jonathan Barthelmesss Yoko and Greca restaurants  neighbouring riverside spots that, every lunch and dinner of the year, flex their way through hundreds of diners (Jeoung left Greca in 2021 to cook at Otto, Clarence and then Niky; Claydon finished up as head chef at Yoko on Valentines Day). In short, theyre a pair of young guns who would be welcomed into just about any kitchen in the city.

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14.5 / 20 Review This elevated south-side spot may be Brisbanes best-value restaurant Now, though, theyre out on their own, unveiling this charming Korean-inspired cafe and (soon) wine bar in a pocket-sized former trophy shop in Coorparoo. Size was a struggle, Claydon says. It was really important we found something this size because the rents can be crazy. And something this size in the city wouldve been $1500 or $1600 a week. If you can only fit so many seats inside, thats pretty hard to do. But we felt if we did something quality, people would travel for it. Look at Mountain River [Patisserie, in Runcorn]. Its packed every day. People will travel for a good product, so we wanted something small enough where we could focus on quality. Snug occupies a cosy former trophy shop in Coorparoo. Tammy Law

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Snug opened last week, serving St Ali coffee and a selection of pastries baked by the Gold Coasts Brasserie Bread. But a food licence is expected any day, and Claydon and Jeoung will begin serving dishes such as a scrambled egg drop brioche with mozzarella, omurice with prawns and a lemon mentsuyu sauce, and Korean-style creamed corn with artichokes and provolone. There will also be house-baked soft pretzels and salt butter rolls. The concept was inspired by an early 2023 trip to Korea, during which Claydon and Jeoung realised they wanted to open their own venue. Snug is serving St Ali coffee and pastries from the Gold Coasts Brasserie Bread until the upcoming launch of its first food menu. Tammy Law Beforehand, we thought, We should do something eventually, Jeoung says. But that trip, we thought, For sure, we have to find [our own venue]. Locals there support small businesses. Its pretty full-on but they make enough money. They do what they want to do and theyre very unique. Our whole experience there was, Were going to do it. Were going to do something for ourselves.

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Snug occupies a fetching green tenancy just off Chatsworth Road in Coorparoo. A straightforward fit-out  mostly handled by Claydon and Jeoung themselves  is dominated by a spacious dining counter built out of red-stained Tasmanian blackbutt that runs the length of the venue. Benches line the walls, the prime spot at the bifold windows that look out upon the surrounding houses and apartment blocks. Theres also smart hand-fired tableware produced in Daejeon by Jeoungs family. A liquor licence will follow the food. Expect a rotating list of small-producer wines (along with a small wine shop in a downstairs basement space) alongside an evening menu that will include Appellation oysters, raw fish with shiitake mushrooms and wild sesame, pressed bulgogi served with banchan (Korean-style vegetable sides), and eggplant rice finished with spring onion and a spicy soy. Snug will eventually open late, serving wine and a short menu of Korean-inspired plates. Tammy Law But even in its abridged form, Snug has already been a hit, with Coorparoo and Camp Hill locals descending on the venue during its first weekend.

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It was 280 people on Friday and then just kicked on from there, Claydon says. People are particularly excited for the wine bar, Jeoung adds. Theyd come past when we were getting ready and ask what we were up to, and then say, Great, I need somewhere local where I can just walk home. Open Mon-Tue 6am-3pm, Thu-Fri 6am-3pm, Sat-Sun 7am-3pm. 321 Chatsworth Road, Coorparoo. instragram/snug.bne

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Entitled #NotJustADaughter, the draft manuscript describes Higgins initiation into a work-hard play-hard culture in Canberra after joining the office of then defence industry minister Steven Ciobo in late October 2018. She writes that she was determined to fulfil a silent promise to make her mother proud for the sacrifices she had made after having Brittany at the age of 17. First meeting with the infamous group known as The Big Swinging Dicks (Porter, Keenan, Tudge and Ciobo) in minister Ciobos office, Higgins writes of her early days in Canberra. Serving them drinks then being invited to join them at Public Bar after work on Wednesday.

Higgins alleges that Ciobo threw a Christmas party where he was lining up staff, including Higgins, and pouring whiskey directly into their mouths. The whole event had an almost Wolf of Wall Street hedonism about it, she writes, referring to the wild parties that featured in the 2013 Hollywood movie on stock fraudster Jordan Belfort, though there is no reference to the politicians using drugs in Higgins manuscript. Lisa Wilkinson (left), Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins. Credit: Steven Siewert, Rhett Wyman Higgins adds that at a Christmas party for Coalition staffers she was found red-eyed by Ciobo because she had been crying about work pressures, and the minister started laughing, mistakenly assuming she had taken the opportunity to get high. Of a later Coalition Christmas party she writes: Standard debauchery just older, wiser and more tired.

Higgins describes parliamentary friendship groups as an unofficial free pass to drink with lobbyists and says her offices post-question time ritual was to break out a bottle of wine or champagne. She recalls Liberal staffers working from 6.45am until 8pm, wearing polished suits and pencil skirts with their heels on, hair curled. Looking like they are all about ready to go on air and present on Fox News  the modern day, working, Stepford wife. In a chapter titled You cant go home again, Higgins makes a reference to a strange hand holding move that occurred with a state MP and says she was warned by a former colleague about being careful of getting too deep into the Canberra scene.

A photo of the white dress Brittany Higgins wore on the night of the alleged assault, tendered in evidence in Bruce Lehrmanns Federal Court defamation case. Credit: Federal Court of Australia Not to sleep around or get caught up in everything that happens there, Higgins says. Higgins also accuses former Liberal MP Andrew Laming of playing with the buttons on my blazer. The document outlines innocence, horror and triumph as the major themes of the 90,000-word memoir. Higgins gives a detailed account of the night before and morning after the alleged rape by Lehrmann, as well as flashbacks that occur after the incident. She recalls the moment she awoke with her dress hanging loosely around my midsection like a belt in the then office of Senator Linda Reynolds.

I tried helplessly to regain the modesty I realised has been lost, she writes. Tears began to stream down my face. Im at work, Im at parliament, why am I here. [sic] Higgins describes stumbling into the ministers bathroom to throw up. I dropped back onto the floor, desperately clutching the toilet as I wretched up the bile in my stomach. I felt like a seagull covered in oil. Heavy and awash, at the whim of currents stronger than myself. I looked down at my white dress, stained and marked.

Higgins references the day former prime minister Scott Morrison named Grace Tame as Australian of the Year as the pivotal moment she decided to come forward with her story. The book also offers a window into Higgins relationship with Sharaz, as well as the journalists who broke the rape allegations, Wilkinson and News Corp reporter Samantha Maiden. David often told me I was like an animal rescued from the RSPCA, so braced for abuse that when someone tries to pet you  your instinct is to hid [sic] away, Higgins writes. He wasnt wrong. Higgins writes the pair drew on her experience as a media adviser and Sharazs as a producer to war-game strategy when dealing with politicians and the press gallery.

David had become my strength. I couldnt imagine facing this onslaught without his implicit support and love, she says. He had lost so much during all of this; his job, his home, his friends, his anonymity. It was a debt that I would never be able to repay. Higgins claims there were fights between Network Tens program The Project and Maiden about when to break the story for maximum impact. Lisa Wilkinson and Brittany Higgins.

She describes staying with Wilkinson and her husband, Peter FitzSimons, a columnist for this masthead, as like residing with her temporary adopted parents. Loading Higgins details her angst as she waited for senior female Liberal Party figures to act as her political saviour and take the reins of the movement she had begun. It was still just me, facing what felt like an immovable force, she writes, adding that she had been forced to decide between her dream career and a chance at justice. Honestly, I feel like a B-Grade Grace Tame. She exists outside and beyond the political bubble. Court case closed, awarded and revered.

Here I am in the mud with the pigs  fighting for control of the daily news cycle. Ten alleges that Auerbachs evidence, if accepted, forms the basis of a submission that Lehrmann lied to the court when he said last year that he did not give documents to Seven. Higgins documents, including text messages, were handed over to the Australian Federal Police under a search warrant as it investigated her claim that she was sexually assaulted by Lehrmann in Parliament House in March 2019. The pair were political advisers at the time. Auerbach has claimed Lehrmann gave him 2300 pages of Higgins text messages with an ex-boyfriend in December 2022, and Ten has invited Justice Michael Lee to infer that Lehrmann gave Seven the entire prosecution e-brief in his criminal trial. If Lehrmann did leak material that he acquired as part of the criminal trial process, Ten alleges his conduct amounted to a contempt because he breached an implied obligation not to use the material for a purpose unrelated to the trial.
Brisbane was different to Australias other capital cities in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The links between politics and police, subsequently laid bare in Tony Fitzgeralds 1989 report into corruption, triggered a youthful popular culture yearning for change.

Outside the Hotel Brisbane are Victor Bryce, Bobby Maclot, David Dodo Donald, Alan Randall, Tim Simmonds, Gary, an unidentified woman, Brian Battley and Peta Lloyd. Credit: Paul OBrien

Suburban dances were being raided and closed by police, cars and flats were searched and students routinely arrested, forcing young people to look elsewhere for fun, leaving a cultural shadow.

Hair was cut short. Hippies were out and some idea of a punk change already seen in Britain and the US, led by the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, was breathing hard in Brisbane.
Children aged 14 to 17 were responsible for 18,729 offences last year. Most of the offences, police say, were committed by bored youngsters looking for kicks. They say 94 per cent of cars stolen during aggravated burglaries are recovered, showing they were taken for joyriding, not profit. This doesnt alter the trauma victims suffer when a gang bursts into their home in the middle of the night. To the householders, they are not kids but dangerous criminals terrorising families. We know a small number are chronic offenders, who are arrested and then bailed to offend again. They dont know or dont care that they are mortgaging their futures.

Loading Police have no trouble catching them, but we have yet to find the key to stopping them. If the youths are not committing crimes for profit, then what is the reason? According to Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson: Much of the child and youth offending were seeing is mindless and driven by the pursuit of notoriety or social media likes. So if the stick isnt working, we have to get rid of the carrot. Take away the offenders chance to win social media fame.

One of the key components in the broken windows theory of law enforcement is not to ignore the small stuff. Fix the broken windows and clean up the graffiti, so the offenders get no lasting satisfaction from their destruction. It is the same with social media. Paterson wants the giant platforms to work with police to take down these posts to reduce the incentive for these kids to commit further crimes and also to reduce copycat crime. In one case, a crime filmed in Western Australia resulted in a wave of similar offences spreading across the Northern Territorys Top End. Police alone cant stop a crime wave. It is always a police, courts, community and business collective that makes change. Paterson is right, and the big social media platforms know it. They need to accept that they have blood on their hands if they dont act.

When Richard Pusey posted the 2020 video he took of four dying police officers after a crash on the Eastern Freeway, it took many hours for the online platforms to remove it. Loading Surely, they can produce a permanent block on this bottom dweller. There is nothing he could possibly say or do that should be of the remotest interest to anyone. For most of us, the first place  after the family home  where we learned how to behave in a cohesive society is school. I benefited from a rudimentary form of musical therapy during my early development years. While mucking around in class, a primary school teacher hit me in the head with a guitar. It worked. This mastheads education editor, Robyn Grace, reports that assaults in schools continue to rise: the number of alleged assaults involving 10- to 16-year-olds jumped 61 per cent from 262 in 2022 to 421 in 2023.

The Australian Catholic Universitys annual principals survey shows nearly half the respondents reported being assaulted by students. Some headmasters feel the need to wear body cameras to record the incidents to prove to helicopter parents that their little Johnny is not a victim, but a junior psychopath. The attacks on teachers is a further sign of the devaluation of authority figures. School assaults posted on social media result in gang paybacks, often in the streets outside schools. Adults joined a school friend chat group to threaten to slash one of the kids outside the playground. Street gangs watch school fight videos to recruit new members the way AFL scouts check the vision from junior footy games. In the city, police seized 10 machetes from one gang. They have found stolen knives and other weapons hidden in shopping mall planter boxes to be recovered from pending attacks.

There is a growing trend for underage offenders to use stolen cars as weapons to run over their rivals. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton says Victoria is the protest capital of the world, with our serial demonstrators flocking to the streets as keenly as social influencers to an opening night. In less than six months, police have used up nearly 8000 shifts to oversee protests on the Gaza-Israel war. Meanwhile, police stations are closing at night because of a lack of staff. Loading

No longer is it about expressing an opinion but drowning out the opinion of others. They all support freedom of speech. Theirs, not yours. Global warming protesters stop traffic on a freeway, causing a build-up in emissions from thousands of idling vehicles. The leaders of the group came from interstate, raising the question: how did they get here? Surely, not on a fossil fuel-guzzling jet, nor on the back of a donkey (animal cruelty/methane emissions), electric car (rubber tyres made by industrial cartels) or on foot (runners made in a third-world sweatshop). Perhaps they arrived on an ocean-going gondola made of sustainable balsa wood to avoid injuring migrating whales. Alternative groups turn up to yell at each other, then post on social media. Do any of these megalomaniacs with megaphones think they manage to change one opinion?

One group has recently changed tactics, turning up wearing goggles and balaclavas and allegedly carrying bottles of urine. So, unless they got lost on the way to deliver a specimen to the pathology office before heading to the ski fields, they clearly want to provoke violence. Riot police move in to control a violent protest in the Melbourne CBD in September 2021. Credit: Justin McManus The group with equipment for a confrontation shows that the ensuing violence was not a byproduct, but the purpose. Police believe they have been studying online videos to replicate methods used in international protests turned street brawls. They used street signs as barricades and hurled chunks of concrete at police. Riot police went to level two (trust me, you dont want to see level three), firing gas rounds, soft projectiles and using flash-bang distraction devices. Individual frontline cops are targeted and provoked in the hope of filming any reactions and attempts made to humiliate them with online posts. How does that promote your cause?

Compare this with Invasion Day marches. Police say they are well-organised, peaceful and purposeful. Decent people making a powerful point is persuasive. Disguised people throwing insults and rocks are not. Melbourne Invasion Day demonstrators. Credit: Chris Hopkins (I once tried to organise a mass rally for the apathetic. No one turned up.) We have to accept some responsibility for the world we have built. I was on a train the other day and a self-entitled yob was sprawled out  feet on a seat  taking four spaces. When I moved into his space and suggested he sit up, then plonked down opposite, he reacted as if someone had licked his lollipop. A short  and entirely entertaining  glaring match ensued (I may look 93 years old, but I am surprisingly sprightly) until he saw a gap, retreated to take up the four seats opposite, occasionally vaping for good measure.

People chose to stand and look away rather than call him out. A walk becomes an obstacle course with people in full stride, staring at their phones as if it is a compass on an expedition, expecting others to detour around them. Hop in a car, and you will miss the lights as the motorist ahead is more interested in a dancing cat video than traffic flow. Until we as a collective are prepared to set a standard and stick to it, the majority will continue to be intimidated by a minority. Recently two teenage girls were harassed by a man on a train. When they changed carriages, he followed in a slow-motion but deeply sinister chase. Then strangers on the train blocked his way while others yelled at him to leave the girls alone. It gave the girls the chance to jump onto a platform. He was a serial, mentally disturbed offender responsible for eight attacks, and is now in custody.
The next 10 years will be dominated by Millennials and Gen Zs, RedBridge Group director and former Victorian Labor deputy campaign director Kos Samaras said. Anyone who doesnt get ahead of that curve will find winning elections very difficult. A breakdown of Resolve polling undertaken for this masthead in March shows most voters aged 18 to 34 agree with Minns housing policies. While slightly under one-third of those polled remain undecided, only 15 per cent disagree. Labor think the politics of it is that they can win younger voters or stop the tide of younger voters going to the Greens, said Liberal MLC Chris Rath, who has taken up the position of being the partys pro-development voice. Housing Minister Rose Jackson says internal research shows a 10 or more point gap between Baby Boomers and Millennials when it comes to comprehensive action on housing affordability, underscoring the divide between young and old.

But she rejects suggestions that the governments approach is a cynical political ploy, saying theres a moral imperative to stop Sydney hollowing out, ensuring not only those with money and property can enjoy living here. NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson. Credit: Rhett Wyman The potential age dynamic at play for the 2027 and 2031 elections is evident across nine marginal seats across Sydney  Balmain, Winston Hills, Epping, Oatley, Drummoyne, Ryde, Holsworthy, East Hills and Riverstone  where the median age is 40 and under. The LGAs encompassing these electorates have all recorded 15 per cent or more jumps in rental prices over 2023, emphasising the upward pressure on the housing market. Millennials and Zoomers will determine whether Minns can see out his vision for housing reform.

Short-term risks The first litmus test of Minns series of policies will be in September when voters go to the polls for council elections. With the fight over housing heating up, it will be the first opportunity for communities affected by the governments transformational development program to reward or rebuke Labor for taking the initiative. The September local government elections will be an interesting test of whether this idea of YIMBYism [Yes in my backyard] among Gen Zs and Millennials is basically a developer astroturf campaign or theres actually a real constituency, one senior Labor source said.

Regardless of any hypothetical housing backlash, Sussex Street is bracing for a bad result. Structurally, insiders believe the party is at a high watermark after internecine conflicts stopped the Liberal Party from running in several LGAs at the 2021 election. But sources suggest a true shocker could prompt reconsideration of how the party tackles housing policy. Well be looking at it. I dont think its going to be decisive in one way or another. But a bad result will force a rethink, the source said. SEC Newgate associate partner Jeremy Vine says the council elections will provide a good indication of the strength of the NIMBY insurgency, saying the election of anti-development councillors could make Minns life difficult. These councillors will be wedded to the campaign platform that got them elected so walking back from these positions would be extremely difficult, he said.

So far, Minns has relished creating a dichotomy between YIMBYs and NIMBYs  routinely putting Liberal and Greens MPs in the latter camp. His adversarial approach, combined with a good cop, bad cop dynamic between Planning Minister Paul Scully and Jackson, has helped them thread the rhetorical needle: advocating the necessity of uplift, while simultaneously rejecting the suggestion that Sydney suburbs will fundamentally change as a result. On Friday, this masthead revealed Scully would give councils in the 39 transport-oriented development (TOD) zones six months grace to formulate alternative plans that would deliver the same amount or more housing  what onlookers described as the government buying time. The prospect of changing the electoral map One only has to look to Melbourne to see the potential political benefits of the government backing development, according to Samaras. Densification along the Frankston train line, in the citys south-east, transformed genuine marginal seats into safe Labor electorates.

Labor insiders foresee similar gains to be made in Sydney. In areas where youre shifting the structure of electorates: thats Ryde, Oatley, Drummoyne  areas where people who right now cant afford to get in and are more predisposed to voting for Labor, one Labor source said. Its a prospect that some Liberal MPs fear, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, with one saying the governments housing push in Ryde appeared hellbent on overturning the wafer-thin 54-vote deficit to establish a Labor stronghold. Herein lies the Coalitions dilemma: try and match Labor on being pro-development and risk permanently shifting the demographics of traditionally blue seats, or oppose and risk being branded NIMBYs by a generation of voters who see housing as a tier one priority. One senior Liberal source said while commendable, taking complete ownership of the housing crisis created a serious political risk for Minns ahead of the 2027 election.

A failure to deliver on the ambitious housing targets of 75,000 homes per year, he said, would be used against the government, foreshadowing an uncomfortable conversation with voters if property prices continued to grow out of reach. Christopher Rath has urged his NSW Liberals colleagues to ignore complaints from residents opposed to new housing. Credit: Rhett Wyman However, a Liberal source warns the potent line of attack for the Coalition will go begging if MPs continue to oppose developments. I just dont think we have any credibility to attack him on missing the 75,000 housing target, if were also out there constantly talking about specific development proposals that we want to block in our own individual electorates, the source said. Rath argues the party needs to see the upside of potential development, seeing particularly fertile ground if a considerable amount of the new supply coming onto the market was privately owned, owner-occupied.

As Liberals, we need to reframe the debate towards home ownership and away from housing affordability. It is diabolical for society, and for the Liberal Party electorally, if we see a hollowing out of the middle class because home ownership rates have fallen off a cliff, he said. Opposition planning spokesman Scott Farlow has been tasked with trying to find a middle ground between Rath and the partys more NIMBY MPs. He believes any political gains of more housing could be overshadowed by the accompanying pressure on infrastructure as places became denser, noting the existing pressures on schools and traffic in suburbs slated for uplift. I dont know how theyre necessarily going to be able to deliver all the additional infrastructure with the money theyve got, he said.

Heterogeneous housing tastes Samaras said there was a risk in assuming all Millennials wanted to live in high-rise apartments in inner-city suburbs, noting those looking to start or grow their families were likely to move into three-bedroom apartments, or houses with backyards. Its the group in the middle who will be most challenging from a housing policy perspective, he said. Polling by the Susan McKinnon Foundation in 2023 showed the task the government had in even convincing Millennials of the upside of apartment living, with respondents overwhelmingly resistant to building apartment blocks of four storeys or more in their suburbs. Even Gen Zs had a slightly negative view of apartments above four storeys.
Six months ago tomorrow, Hamas furtive and obscene October 7 attack, replete with murder, rape and kidnapping, prompted widespread sympathy for Israel. Yet, as the war in Gaza has dragged on, claims and counterclaims of atrocities, killings and bombings and dashed hope of a ceasefire make it increasingly hard to maintain that support.

But the Israel Defence Forces indiscriminate killing of seven humanitarian workers from England, Poland, Palestine, dual American-Canadian nationals and Australias Zomi Frankcom, has erased empathy around the world and for the first time the support of Israels most reliable ally, the United States, has been jeopardised.

The IDF claimed targeting the aid convoy had been a mistake and the result of a misidentification, but the White House said US President Joe Biden has made it clear to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the need to implement steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers and that future US policy would be determined by Washingtons assessment of Israels response. Previously, Biden has supported Israel, even when other governments sought to exert more pressure, and his stance marks a sharp change as for the first time, strings have been attached to continued US support.

Bidens threat to reassess US policy, which centres largely on the supply of weapons to Israel, has some slight effect. Netanyahu reportedly agreed to open a crossing in northern Gaza to allow in more aid.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Police Force, tasked with ensuring safety, security, and efficient traffic management across the island, acknowledges the pressing issue of persistent parking violations. Despite concerted efforts to address this concern, the police recognize the need for further action and public cooperation.

It has become evident that a segment of the populace neglects to adhere to traffic laws and parking regulations, resulting in significant challenges for pedestrians and motorists alike. Parking on sidewalks obstructs pedestrian pathways, posing safety hazards and inconveniencing visitors and residents navigating through Philipsburg and other island areas.

For instance, past incidents along the Boardwalk have highlighted the detrimental effects of unauthorized parking, where vehicles encroached upon pedestrian areas designated for leisure and recreation. Similarly, observations near the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) reveal the alarming trend of vehicles obstructing emergency access routes and leaving little space for pedestrians, compromising safety and traffic flow.

The Sint Maarten Police Force emphasizes the critical importance of public cooperation and adherence to the laws governing our island. While enforcement measures are necessary to deter offenders, the broader community must also be educated about the potential dangers of unauthorized parking in prohibited areas.

The consequences of improper parking extend beyond mere inconvenience; they jeopardize the safety and well-being of our citizens. By disregarding designated parking spaces and obstructing pedestrian walkways, individuals not only violate traffic regulations but also compromise the accessibility and safety of public spaces.

In light of these concerns, the Sint Maarten Police Force urges all residents and visitors to exercise responsibility and respect for the law when parking their vehicles. Let us work together to uphold the integrity of our roadways and ensure the safety and convenience of all who traverse our island.

KPSM Press Release.
AI a 'game changer' but company execs not ready: survey



Zurich, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



A majority of corporate executives across leading economies believe artificial intelligence will be a "game changer" for their industry but admit their leadership teams lack the knowledge to understand AI's risks and rewards, a study showed Friday.

Adecco, the world's biggest temporary staffing agency, and Oxford Economics conducted a survey to see how companies are preparing for a technology that is growing fast but also raising concerns about what it means for jobs.

Around 2,000 CEOs, chief financial officers and other executives in companies across nine countries were surveyed between October and December.

The poll found that 61 percent believe AI is a game changer for their industry, with the figure rising to 82 percent in the tech sector and 51 percent among automakers.

But 57 percent "lack confidence in their leadership team's AI skills and knowledge", the report found.

Adecco chief executive Denis Machuel said companies bosses must be ready for the AI transition.

"Almost all kind of jobs will be impacted, more or less, even leadership jobs," Machuel said in a telephone conference.

"One thing that this survey helped us reflect upon is what leaders have to embark on. If us leaders are not AI ready, how can you make sure that your workforce is AI ready?" he said.

The rise of generative AI is expected to transform an array of jobs, heling to simplify tasks, but it has also raised concerns that it could take away work done by humans.

The survey showed that 41 percent of executives say they will employ fewer people within five years because of the technology.

At the same time, 66 percent said they will recruit AI specialists externally while 34 percent said they will train existing staff to fill the technological gap.

"The 'buy' mindset could exacerbate skills scarcity and create a two-speed workforce," the report warned.

"Only half of leaders say they will redeploy employees affected by AI. Organisations must urgently rethink this approach, building relevant skills within the organisation to ensure continued employability of today's workforce," it said.

An IMF report has found that 40 percent of jobs globally will likely be impacted by AI technology. In advanced economies, the figure rises to 60 percent of the workforce.

"Our research shows that many leaders don't have a clear understanding of the disruption that lies ahead," Machuel said in Adecco's report.

"Responsible, human-centric talent strategies will be paramount to manage growing pains and build the right workforce for success, all while creating opportunities for personal growth," he said.

noo/lth/js




Meta asks US judge to toss blockbuster antitrust case



Washington, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Facebook giant Meta on Friday asked a federal judge to dismiss a case from a powerful US antitrust authority that could see the social media juggernaut forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.

The lawsuit, filed in December 2020 by the Federal Trade Commission, centers on Meta's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, which the FTC argues stifled competition in the market for social networks.

In the usual practice of trying to have the case dismissed before reaching trial, Meta said in a motion that its acquisitions were "good for consumers and businesses" and won approval by the FTC when they were made.

"The FTC reviewed both acquisitions years ago and allowed them to close. The decision to revisit done deals is tantamount to announcing that no sale will ever be final," Meta said in a statement.

Meta also argued that TikTok and YouTube were absent in the FTC's definition of the social media market, "ignoring many of the most popular activities people engage in on Facebook and Instagram."

The crux of the FTC's case claims Meta achieved a "monopoly power" by acquiring these potentially rival platforms.

The case suffered a setback in June 2021 when a judge dismissed the initial complaint. However, the FTC refiled with an amended suit in August 2021, successfully surviving Meta's attempt to have it thrown out.

The FTC has until May 30 to offer a counter-argument to Meta's plea to the judge; no trial has been set for the case.

A trial win by the FTC could reshape the online landscape, potentially landing a major blow to Meta's dominance of the social media ecosystem.

The FTC and the US Department of Justice, which shares antitrust enforcement, have launched a series of blockbuster cases against US tech giants in recent years.

The case against Google over its dominant search engine could be decided by a federal judge by the end of the year.
Danish strait closed over navy missile malfunction



Copenhagen, April 4 (AFP) Apr 04, 2024



An important shipping strait between two Danish islands was closed for several hours on Thursday after a missile malfunction on a navy frigate, the military said.

The malfunction happened during a missile test on the Niels Juel frigate in the port of Korsor, west of the capital Copenhagen, which created the risk of a missile launch.

"The problem happened during a compulsory test where the launcher had been activated" and could not be deactivated for several hours, the Danish Defence Command explained in a statement.

As long as the launcher was not deactivated, there was "a risk that the missile would be fired and would travel several kilometres", the military said, adding however that there was no risk of the missile exploding.

The Great Belt shipping lane, which separates the islands of Zealand and Funen, and air traffic over it were closed between mid-afternoon and 8:00pm (1800 GMT).

Road traffic on the bridge between the two islands was not suspended, however.

The incident happened a day after Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen sacked Chief of Defence Flemming Lentfer after having "lost confidence" in him.

Poulsen said he had not been informed about a malfunction on a Danish frigate sent to the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping against attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Spanish NGO halts Gaza aid work over deadly attack



Barcelona, April 4 (AFP) Apr 04, 2024



The Spanish NGO Open Arms, which with World Central Kitchen chartered the first boat that arrived in Gaza on a special sea corridor from Cyprus, suspended its operation after the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli air strike.

Open Arms, whose ship returned to the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Wednesday, condemned the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers as "an incomprehensible act of violence".

The workers were moving food and supplies sent in a second shipload from Cyprus when their convoy was attacked on Monday.

"With the arrival yesterday of the Open Arms boat in Larnaca, Cyprus, the mission in the humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip with World Central Kitchen is suspended following the devastating attack suffered by the convoy," Open Arms said in a statement.

The NGO, which said 200 tonnes of food and supplies were delivered in the first shipment in March, expressed sorrow over the deaths.

"We demand answers and accountability for this unacceptable attack," Open Arms director Oscar Camps said in the statement.

World Central Kitchen, founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, has suspended its work in Gaza because of the attacks. These have increased pressure on Israel over its treatement of Gaza's civilian population.

Israel has expressed regret over the attack and promised a transparent inquiry.

But major international aid groups have said it is now nearly impossible to work in Gaza, where Israel launched its military operation in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign to destroy Hamas has killed at least 33,037 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Palestinian territory.
US denies secret bases in Venezuela-Guyana border row



Washington, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



The United States on Thursday denied Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's claim that Washington is building secret military bases in Essequibo, an oil-rich region of Guyana that Caracas claims as its territory.

"There's no plans for a secret military base," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

He urged both sides to abide by an 1899 court ruling on the border "and to do it peacefully," he added.

Maduro on Wednesday alleged secret US military bases in Essequibo, calling them an "aggression" and saying they were built "to prepare for an escalation against Venezuela."

Maduro's provocative remarks came as parliament held a ceremony commemorating a recent law laying out the defense of Guyana Essequibo, four months after a controversial, non-binding referendum overwhelmingly approved the creation of a Venezuelan province in the disputed region, sparking fears of a military conflict.

Guyana's foreign ministry called Venezuela's move to claim Essequibo an "egregious violation of the most fundamental principles of international law."

The dispute over Essequibo -- which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana's territory and has been administered by Guyana for more than a century -- intensified in 2015 after the discovery of oil deposits by US-based energy giant ExxonMobil.

Tensions soared after December's referendum. Days later, US forces held joint US-Guyana military exercises.

Both countries pledged last year not to use force to settle the border dispute, which is currently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Milei reignites debate on Argentine dictatorship, military



Buenos Aires, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



President Javier Milei's government has rekindled debate over Argentina's military dictatorship by questioning the number of its victims, while also seeking a greater role for the armed forces in tackling ongoing security issues.

This week, at an event with veterans of the Falklands War that Argentina lost to the United Kingdom in 1982, Milei lashed out at what he said was a policy under previous governments of "harassing and humiliating" the military.

"That time is over," he said. "They will have the respect that has been long denied to them."

But Milei, a political outsider who won the presidency in November, is also facing pushback -- both on the streets and from some of his own conservative allies, including his vice president.

His comments at the Falklands event came after his government recently released a short documentary questioning the number of the 30,000 victims that rights groups estimate disappeared under the 1976-83 military junta, which employed brutal tactics to crack down on leftist dissent.

And, last month, Milei announced he was planning a legal reform that would allow the armed forces to intervene in domestic security operations.

The measure is aimed at fighting what the government dubs "narcoterrorism" in Rosario, a city mired in drug violence 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of the capital.

"The country has to be able to leave its wounds behind and move towards the future. The armed forces today are an integral part of our democracy," said Security Minister Patricia Bullrich.



- 'Drug traffickers in flip-flops' -



The effort to give greater powers to the army has hit a sensitive nerve, and is rejected by large sectors of society across the political spectrum.

Vice President Victoria Villarruel, who comes from a military family and has close ties to the armed forces, has spoken against Milei's plan, saying: "The role of the armed forces is not to fight civilians."

Villarruel's criticism comes even as she has also questioned the number of missing and backs the "two demons theory" which justifies the violence meted out by the military regime as having been necessary to combat leftist guerilla groups.

Critics argue that this theory minimizes state violence from the junta era, such as torture, disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the theft of babies from pregnant prisoners.

Since 1991, the army in Argentina has only been allowed to provide equipment and technical support to the police, without intervening directly in domestic affairs.

"We have to ask ourselves if the level of drug violence in Rosario warrants the use of the armed forces. Here we are talking about drug traffickers in flip-flops," said Jorge Luis Vidal, a specialist in public security management and the fight against drug trafficking.



- 'The full story' -



Efforts to change the role of the armed forces coincide with a review of their actions during the dictatorship and its victims.

Milei argues that 8,753 people went missing under military rule, far less than the 30,000 estimated as disappeared by rights groups and parties across the political spectrum.

The president's figure is closer to the 8,961 recorded in the report by the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (Conadep), published in 1984 and described as "an open list."

Marcela Perelman, a researcher at the Center for Legal and Social Studies, told AFP "this is not a new discussion, it has happened in other political eras."

She said the debate was not about uncovering the truth, but "accusing the victims of a lack of information that in any case is the state's responsibility."

In the video released by the government on March 24, the 48th anniversary of the coup, the government called for "the full story" of the dictatorship to be told.

That same day tens of thousands of people protested across the country, holding up signs reading "They are 30,000," in one of the biggest demonstrations marking the anniversary in years.
South Korea to launch second spy military satellite next week



Seoul, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



South Korea will launch its second domestically made military spy satellite in the United States next week, Seoul's defence ministry confirmed Friday, in its latest move to better counter nuclear-armed North Korea.

The announcement comes after Seoul in December confirmed the successful launch of its first military spy satellite, which was carried by one of Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.

The latest developments intensify a space race on the Korean peninsula after the North launched its own first military eye in the sky in November last year.

Local reports saying the launch is scheduled on April 7 in the US are "correct", a spokesperson for Seoul's defence ministry told AFP Friday, adding more details will be shared next week.

Seoul's second spy satellite is set to lift off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, also on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

Its first satellite has transmitted high-resolution images of central Pyongyang to the authorities in Seoul and is expected to commence its full mission stages as early as June, according to Seoul's Yonhap news agency.

Seoul plans to launch a total of five spy military satellites by 2025 to better monitor the North.

Once all five satellites enter orbit and commence their mission, the South Korean military will have the capability to monitor key facilities in North Korea using imagery sent around every two hours, according to a report by Seoul's government-run broadcaster KTV.

North Korea, meanwhile, has claimed its spy satellite in orbit has sent images of a US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and "major target" sites across South Korea.

The North's successful launch of the "Malligyong-1" was Pyongyang's third attempt at putting such a satellite in orbit, after two failures in May and August last year.

Seoul has said the North received technical help from Moscow for the launch, in return for supplying weapons for use in Russia's war with Ukraine.

Experts have said putting a working reconnaissance satellite into orbit would improve North Korea's intelligence-gathering capabilities, particularly over South Korea, and provide crucial data in any military conflict.

So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.
Norway to nearly double defence budget over next 12 years



Oslo, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Norway, a NATO member bordering Russia, said on Friday it planned to increase its defence budget by 83 percent over the next 12 years.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said that in order to take account of the "degraded security situation in our part of the world", he was proposing to devote an extra 600 billion kronor ($56 million) to the army between 2024 and 2026.

It was a "historic effort", he said,

"A stronger defence system here will act as a deterrent to those who seek to threaten our security and our allies," Store said when he presented the government's defence white paper from onboard a navy frigate.

"Our starting hypothesis is that we will have to face a more dangerous, more unpredictable neighbour for many years," he said of Russia.

Norway and Russia share a 198-kilometre (123-mile) land border in the Far North and a sea border in the Barents Sea.

Oslo, a member of the NATO military alliance, plans to order five new frigates, at least fifty submarines, up to 28 vessels of different sizes, maritime surveillance drones, helicopters and deep strike weapons, according to the white paper.

The number of brigades in the territorial army will rise from one to three.

Brigades operating anti-aircraft systems will double to eight and an earlier decision to shut the maritime patrol air base in Andoya will be reversed.

Budget Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said the defence budget would rise from 91 billion kronor this year to 166 billion in 2036.

It represents three percent of Norway's gross domestic product (GDP), up from this year's two percent, which is NATO's minimum threshold.

The centre-left minority government needs the support of other parties to get the bill approved.

The main opposition conservative party has already sent out a positive signal and said the white paper constitutes "a good basis for negotiations".
US, China resume talks on safe military interactions



Washington, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



The United States and China held talks this week on safety in interactions between their armed forces for the first time in more than two years, the US military said Friday.

The resumption of the talks came after US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed at a summit in November to restore military-to-military communications and ease tensions between the two countries.

US and Chinese military representatives met for the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group in Hawaii from Tuesday through Thursday -- the first such meetings since a virtual event in late 2021, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement.

The agreement is INDOPACOM's "primary means to directly discuss air and maritime operational safety" with China's military, US Army Colonel Ian Francis, the head of the American delegation, said in the statement.

"Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA -- and with all other military forces in the region -- is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication," Francis said, using an abbreviation for the People's Liberation Army -- China's military.

INDOPACOM said that during the meetings this week -- the latest in a series that dates back to 1998 -- US and Chinese officials "reviewed safety-related events over the last year, and discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism."

The United States has repeatedly highlighted incidents in recent years in which it says Chinese warplanes and ships have operated in an unsafe manner around American and allied aircraft and vessels.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned prior to Biden and Xi agreeing to resume military-to-military talks that accidents have the potential to spiral out of control, especially in the absence of open lines of communication between American and Chinese forces.
Russian forces up pressure on Ukraine's eastern front



Kramatorsk, Ukraine, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Ukraine warned on Friday that a key frontline town was coming under "constant fire" from advancing Russian troops as Moscow it had captured another small village.

Russia's advances on the battlefield came as Ukraine said it had destroyed at least six military planes at a Russian airbase in one of its largest overnight drone attacks in weeks.

Buoyed by their advantage in manpower and arms, Russian forces are on the offensive.

The Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region appears to be their next major target.

"The town has become even more dangerous," the head of the Chasiv Yar military administration, Sergiy Chaus, told AFP on Friday during an interview in the nearby city of Kramatorsk.

"If before there were moments when you could hear silence in the town, now there is no silence... There is constant fire" he said.

Both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers with links to the armed forces said on Friday that Russian troops had reached the outskirts of the town.

Chaus declined to comment on those reports. He said there were around 770 people still living there.

"There is not a single building left intact," he added.

Chasiv Yar is an important logistics hub for Kyiv's forces and sits a few kilometres west of Bakhmut, which was flattened by months of artillery fire before it was captured by Russia last May.

Russia has recently secured its first territorial gains since seizing Bakhmut and is now trying to press onwards against Ukrainian units hobbled by delays in the supply of vital Western military aid.

- Airbase attacked -



Further to the south, Russia's military claimed on Friday to have captured the small village of Vodiane, on the outskirts of Donetsk city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that his forces had "managed to stabilise our positions" and had halted Russian advances, despite a "shortage of shells and a significant slowdown in supplies".

With its troops on the defensive, Kyiv has stepped up its aerial attacks on Russian territory, targeting both military sites and energy facilities in an attempt to knock out Russia's fuel and equipment supplies for its invasion.

Kyiv fired more than 50 drones at Russian territory overnight, Russia's defence ministry said on Friday, one of its largest attacks in weeks.

A security source in Kyiv told AFP that a drone strike on the Morozovsk air base in Russia's southern Rostov region had destroyed at least six Russian planes and "another eight were heavily damaged".

"This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the Russians," the source said.

There was no immediate response from Moscow and AFP was unable to verify the claims.

Russia said 44 of the 53 drones Kyiv fired overnight targeted the southern Rostov region, which borders Ukraine and is the location of several military sites, including the command headquarters for the invasion of Ukraine.

Rostov governor Vasily Golubev said on Friday that investigators were injured while inspecting a drone that had been downed near the air base.

"In the Morozovsk district, not far from the airfield, an explosive device in one of the downed drones detonated around noon, injuring eight people according to preliminary data," he said in a post on Telegram.

He said earlier that the attack inflicted only "insignificant damage" to a power station and blew out windows in an apartment building.

Russia rarely comments on Ukrainian claims of successful strikes.

- 'Completely destroyed' -



Both sides also reported shelling and injuries in frontline towns and villages.

The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) humanitarian organisation said a 3:00 am Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian-held town of Pokrovsk had "completely destroyed" its office in the town.

In a post on X, MSF said it "condemns this attack on the office, which supports its emergency medical humanitarian assistance".

Ukrainian police said five civilians were wounded in the strike.

Other Ukrainian drone attacks in the early hours of Friday targeted Russia's Belgorod and Kursk border regions, as well as Saratov and Krasnodar.

In Saratov, the governor said a drone had targeted Engels, a city around 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the border.

Engels is home to a major Russian air base that has previously been hit.

Ukraine's air force meanwhile said Russia launched five missiles and 13 drones at its territory overnight.

Kyiv said it downed the 13 drones but did not say anything about the missiles, which targeted the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Russia's defence ministry said on Friday that a recent wave of attacks against Ukraine was "retribution" for Kyiv's attempts to hit its own energy facilities.
CORRECTED: US, China resume talks on safe military interactions



Washington, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



The United States and China held talks this week on safety in interactions between their armed forces for the first time in more than two years, the US military said Friday.

The resumption of the talks came after US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed at a summit in November to restore military-to-military communications and ease tensions between the two countries.

US and Chinese military representatives met for the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group in Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday -- the first such meetings since a virtual event in late 2021, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement.

The agreement is INDOPACOM's "primary means to directly discuss air and maritime operational safety" with China's military, US Army Colonel Ian Francis, the head of the American delegation, said in the statement.

"Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA -- and with all other military forces in the region -- is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication," Francis said, using an abbreviation for the People's Liberation Army -- China's military.

INDOPACOM said that during the meetings this week -- the latest in a series that dates back to 1998 -- US and Chinese officials "reviewed safety-related events over the last few years, and discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism."

The United States has repeatedly highlighted incidents in recent years in which it says Chinese warplanes and ships have operated in an unsafe manner around American and allied aircraft and vessels.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned prior to Biden and Xi agreeing to resume military-to-military talks that accidents have the potential to spiral out of control, especially in the absence of open lines of communication between American and Chinese forces.
Israeli fire 'most likely' killed woman hostage on Oct 7: army



Jerusalem, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



An Israeli investigation found Friday that an Israeli woman who had been seized during the October 7 attack was "most likely" killed when a combat helicopter fired on her kidnappers' vehicle.

Efrat Katz and most of the militants in the vehicle were killed when the Israeli aircraft fired on them on October 7, the army investigation said.

The helicopter "fired at a vehicle that had terrorists in it, and which, in retrospect, based on the testimonies, also had hostages in it," the army said in a statement.

"As a result of the fire, most of the terrorists manning the vehicle were killed, and most likely, Efrat Katz ... was killed as well."

The "tragic and unfortunate" event occurred at a time of "fighting and conditions of uncertainty," Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said in the statement.

"The commander of the air force did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew, who operated in compliance with the orders in a complex reality of war."

The army statement said the mistake occurred because surveillance systems could not distinguish hostages from kidnappers once in a vehicle, and that "the shooting was defined as shooting at a vehicle with terrorists".

Katz, 68 at the time of Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel, was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz close to the Gaza border.

Her daughter Doron Katz-Asher and her two children were taken hostage during the attack, but were later released on November 24.

Katz's partner Gadi Moses and his ex-wife Margalit Moses were also taken hostage during the attack. She was later released but Gadi is believed to remain in captivity in Gaza and still alive.

The Hamas attack resulted in the death of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Palestinian militants took more than 250 hostages, of whom 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli army says are dead.

Israel responded to the Hamas attack with a relentless offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 33,091 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Bosnians commemorate Sarajevo siege victims with shoe trail



Sarajevo, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Thousands marched through Sarajevo on Friday following a "memory" path made up of over 11,500 pairs of shoes, each representing a victim of the siege of the Bosnian capital which started 32 years ago.

The commemoration began with a tribute to several hundred children killed during the 44-month siege, with youngsters laying flowers around a monument in the city centre, an AFP journalist saw.

"Behind each pair of shoes is a lost life," Ahmed Kulanic, director of the Sarajevo Memorial Centre, told reporters.

Only the funeral music of trumpets from a balcony could be heard as cars stopped for half an hour on the city's main road.

Participants proceeded down one of Sarajevo's main streets towards the old town, passing 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) of rows of shoes belonging to children, men, women and soldiers.

The shoes were donated by local residents and will later form a memorial exhibit that is currently under construction, Kulanic added.

Some 11,541 people were killed and more than 50,000 injured by Bosnian Serb forces during the siege, the longest in the history of modern warfare, according to official figures.

"I had forgotten the day when I unconsciously let a tear roll down my cheek. And now, this morning, it has happened," Zlatko Dizdarevic, editor-in-chief of the award-winning daily Oslobodjenje during the siege, told AFP.

The exhibition "makes me understand how we forget certain extremely important things that determined our lives", Dizdarevic added.

For Sarajevo's mayor Benjamina Karic, commemorating the start of the siege is about "building a culture of remembrance" and "teaching" young people "what happened in Sarajevo and Bosnia, so that they can appreciate the value of peace and freedom".

"We want to send a message of peace, we want to send a message to Europe and to the world that we do not want any more children to be killed in the year 2024 in Gaza or Ukraine," said Karic, who was born a year before the siege of Sarajevo began.

Bosnia's 1992-1995 war claimed 100,000 lives.
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That a monthly fall should occur following five consecutive months of growth is not entirely unexpected, particularly in view of the reset the market has been going through since interest rates began to rise sharply in 2022.
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Colorado state Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton, talks to well-wishers before the first Republican primary debate for the 8th Congressional District seat last Jan. 25, in Fort Lupton. (Gazette file photo)
Energy company Santos is to partner with Papau New Guinea operator Telikom PNG in developing what is described as an evolving telecommunications landscape in the liquid natural gas (LNG) and Santos project facilities and communities through a ten-year partnership.

A co-location agreement was signed between Telikom PNG CEO, Amos Tepi, and Santos Country Chair PNG, Leon Buskens last week in Port Moresby. This collaboration will be an enabler for Telikom to expand its network into Santoss upstream field sites by leveraging Santoss existing telecommunications fibre and tower infrastructure.

Telikom PNG can now proceed with deployment of 4G LTE connectivity across Santos 14 communications sites and towers located at Kikori in Gulf Province, Ridge and Moro in Kutubu, Southern Highlands Province and Hides in Hela Province.

During the signing Buskens said that Santos was pleased to collaborate with Telikom PNG to venture into fibre infrastructure and 4G LTE to boost internet connectivity whilst driving innovation and economic growth at Santos' field operations and LNG-impacted project areas.

Buskens said this initiative is in line with Santos commitment to the PNG governments aspirations in its National Content Policy framework by supporting telecommunications as a tool to boost local landowner businesses and strengthen community connectivity.

Santos can now give Telikom permission to use sites to transmit from its equipment located on the transmission towers and will be given a redundant link via Telikoms terrestrial network. Telikom will access Santos optical fibre link between Iagifu Ridge and Port Moresby, and take advantage of cost-effective network expansion into Gulf, Southern Highlands, Hela and Western Provinces.

Santos is a global energy company with operations across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the United States. It is a major LNG supplier in Asia.
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St. Louis County Library will host a Community Autism Expo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at the Florissant Valley Branch. Information will be available for families with children on the autism spectrum, representatives from area organizations will discuss their services, and library staff will share resources available at the library. The Expo is free and open to the public.

The Florissant Valley Branch is located at 195 New Florissant Rd., South. Florissant, MO 63031.

Attendees will learn about services and resources available for individuals and their families, especially for young adults who are navigating their entrance to adulthood. Participating local support agencies include:

Artists First; Autism & Behavioral Spectrum; BJC HealthCare; Easter Seals Midwest; Freddie Ford Family Foundation; Judevine Center for Autism; The Leadership School; Legal Services of Eastern Missouri  Childrens Legal Alliance Program; LifeBridge Partnership; Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education; and Missouri Parents Act (MPACT).

Also scheduled to participate are:

Navigate STL Schools; soQuiet; Special School District of St. Louis County; SLU  Interdisciplinary Center for Autism Services; Starkloff Disability Institute; STLCC-Florissant Valley  Access Office; St. Louis Arc; and UMSL  Office of Inclusive Post Secondary Education (OIPE).

Attendees will also learn more about resources available at the library such as Sensory Story Time, which provides a soothing environment for children to enjoy a story and other fun activities. SLCL also provides Sensory Bags to help lessen sensory overload for kids and adults during visits to the library.
JEFFERSON CITY  A cold snap in January is being blamed for damaging $14 million worth of cutting-edge equipment at the University of Missouris new research facility in Columbia.

A university spokesman confirmed Friday that the low temperatures caused a broken water pipe in the $221 million Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, which was opened in 2021 after an expedited 28-month construction schedule.

Water from the pipe damaged six of the facilitys high-powered microscopes, which are used to help researchers develop new medicines, technologies and treatments.

Included among the damaged machines is a scanning electron microscope and a dual-beam microscope.

It was damage to significant equipment, university spokesman Christian Basi told the Post-Dispatch.

Workers are still assessing the damage and attempting to determine if the imaging machines will need to be completely replaced or if they can be repaired with new parts.

The complexity of those machines is very large, Basi said.

For now, Mizzou officials believe insurance will cover the losses, but Basi said attorneys are reviewing whether legal action may be appropriate.

Were continuing to investigate that area. We are also asking that question as well, Basi said.

The 265,000-square-foot, four-story building, which includes offices and laboratory spaces, was designed by Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell. The construction manager was Whiting-Turner of Maryland.

Significant financing for the construction of the building and its equipment came from federal pandemic emergency funds. The state also pumped in money to help jump-start construction.

During testimony to Missouri lawmakers in 2020, University of Missouri President Mun Choi said the facility would be a center for finding treatments for cancer and heart disease.

Choi said the project has also attracted grants to pay for work on improving skin cancer treatments and building new biomedical devices.

When completed, the university called the NextGen building the single largest research investment on campus.

The goal is to bring crucial lab research into new life-changing interventions, medicines, technologies and treatments that are designed to improve an individuals health based on conditions arising from unique genes, environment and lifestyle, the university said.

During the January cold snap, temperatures in Columbia plummeted to below zero levels and held for several days, causing water pipes to break in other buildings as well. Windchill levels reached minus 20.

In the aftermath, the damage to the building was fixed rather quickly, but the machines affected were deemed unusable.

The research using those machines is certainly impacted, Basi said.

Other equipment is still functioning, including a 25-ton magnetic resonance imaging machine that produces high resolution pictures used for research. A similar, but less powerful MRI machine also was not damaged.

Basi said it could take several months to determine what will happen with the damaged equipment.
Indonesian telco XL Axiata says it continues to be plagued with theft of its broadband routers by scammers, with the latest case occurring in Medan and Binjai on the island of Sumatra.

XL Axiata revealed earlier this week that in January 2024, the North Sumatra Regional Police, with the help of the Criminal Investigation Unit, arrested five people involved in embezzlement, fraud, and illegal use of STB and ONT XL Home devices.

Four of the suspects allegedly posed as XL Home officers visiting customers' homes using fake XL Home ID cards. They would inquire about extending internet services. If the payment wasn't made, they would confiscate the customers XL Home device and terminated the subscription.

"Our team made arrests based on reports from the community to XL Axiata partner employees regarding individuals posing as XL Home officers attempting to take STB devices under false pretenses, said head of Sub-Directorate III Jatanras Polda North Sumatra, Kompol Bayu Putra Samara, S.I.K., M.H. in a statement. This report gained credibility with video evidence of the fake officer taking the STB.

The police also seized a total of 15 STB and ONT units as evidence. The suspects face charges of theft, fraud, and detention.

This isnt the first time XL Axiata has been targeted by this particular scam. In November last year, Garut Resort Police arrested five individuals running the same con in Karangpawitan District, Garut Regency.

XL Axiata spokesperson Reza Mirza reminded XL Home or XL SATU Fiber customers to ask for a letter of assignment from XL Home or XL SATU Fiber officers visiting the house, and call the official complaint hotline to verify their identity.
April 5, 2024: In Ukraine, battles are often decided by who has the most artillery ammunition. Currently Russia produces about 2.5 times more artillery shells than the US and the EU can supply to Ukraine. Russian ammunition factories produce 250,000 artillery munitions per month. Thats about three million 152mm shells a year.

The US and Europe can only produce about 1.2 million 155mm shells a year. The United States is trying to increase production of 155mm shells to 100,000 a month by the end of 2025, i.e., 21 months from now. This is less than half what Russia produces each month. When it comes to artillery munitions its a manufacturing war. Russia currently produces about ten thousand 152mm shells per day, while Ukraine produces only 2,000.

Russian artillery ammunition factories work around the clock, using 12-hour shifts and paying bonuses to skilled workers who can keep it up. Russia has about 3.5 million people working for defense firms. Thats an increase from about 2.5 million before the war. Russia is also importing ammunition 152mm shells from other nations that produce it. Iran sent about 300,000 shells in 2023. North Korea sold Russia over a million 152mm shells, but many of those shells turned out to be defective. That was because the shells were old, as they were taken from North Korean war reserves of munitions. North Korea is a very poor country and manufacturing standards for artillery ammunition are not high. North Korea lacks the proper raw materials to produce artillery shells and workers at munitions manufacturing factories are poorly managed and treated poorly in terms of pay and fringe benefits.

Meanwhile European NATO nations have sent purchasing agents to nations worldwide that have stockpiles of 155mm shells they might sell if the price was right. The Czech republic found several hundred thousand 155mm shells for sale overseas but the Czechs needed help raising the money required to make the purchase. Its basic economics. The more a scarce resource is in demand, the higher the prices. NATO member Latvia managed to purchase 800,000 155mm shells and that ammunition will soon arrive in Ukraine.

European NATO members told Ukraine they would deliver a million shells by March 2024 but only managed to obtain half that number. Russia never expected to have problems with artillery ammunition supplies when they invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Russia expected to win the war in a few months and never expected to run out of ammunition. The war was not over in a few months. Russia ran out of artillery munitions by the end of 2022 while Ukraine was supplied by NATO with massive amounts of 155mm artillery ammunition. Ukraine has also revived its artillery munitions production of 152mm shells. This is the caliber used by Russian-designed artillery which Ukraine still uses as well. NATOs current 155mm munitions are more effective and reliable than Russian-made projectiles. For Ukraine to push the Russians out of its territory it must attack and that requires more artillery support than when defending.

The NATO countries supplying all this ammunition have a problem because they eventually ran through most of what they had available. The United States supplied most of that and now has to replace its reserves of 155mm shells stockpiled for a major war. While European NATO nations dont have to worry about their major threat, Russia, while they rebuild their war reserves, the Americans have to plan for potential conflicts elsewhere, like China, North Korea, and Iran. The Americans can still do so because supporting Ukraine does not degrade American naval or air power. A war with China would not become more difficult because of American military aid to Ukraine. The same is true for potential conflicts with China, North Korea, or Iran as both of them have plenty of powerful local near-peer opponents like South Korea, Japan, the Arab gulf states, and Israel who would be American allies in such conflicts and can deal with China, Iran or North Korea when provided with American air and naval support. American ground forces are also available for a Pacific campaign where American forces could get by with less artillery munitions than they planned to use. South Korea is a major weapons and munitions producer for its own military as well as export customers.

The U.S. also found that it takes several years to ramp up production of artillery munitions and five or more years of increased production to restore the reserves of 155mm shells already sent to Ukraine. Artillery munitions are still being sent to Ukraine, but not in the massive quantities seen during the first eight months of the war. Ukraine has managed to repair its own production facilities after Russia damaged them early in the war and is now manufacturing a lot of the basic small arms, artillery and mortar ammunition its troops use. European NATO nations have sent Ukraine most of their available 155mm shells in addition to a lot of weapons and combat or support vehicles. This was justified by the fact that NATO exists to protect NATO members from a Russian attack. The Russians did attack, but started with Ukraine, which wanted to join NATO, before moving on to nearby NATO nations. Russia has wrecked its military power and economy with this invasion of Ukraine and its economy wont recover for a long time. The Russian response was to quickly convert to a wartime economy where civilian consumer production was converted to production of weapons and munitions. Russian leaders now depict NATO as the aggressor because of its support for Ukraine. Russia had long depicted NATO, a mutual defense organization, as an aggressor. Now, with NATO support for Ukraine the main obstacle to Russian victory, NATO can be accurately described as part of the problems Russia is encountering in Ukraine. It is easier for Russia to ignore the fact that they invaded Ukraine. With Russia losing, the government describes Russia as being in danger. This is odd logic but makes sense to many Russians.


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April 5, 2024: The American Zumwalt-class DDG-1000 destroyers have turned into a very expensive experiment into how not to build a new class of warships. Because of the high cost, which was eventually about $8 billion per ship, only three were ordered. Note that a Virginia class SSN (attack submarines) costs about $4 billion each.

Construction of the Zumwalts began in 2011. Only one of the three is in service, and limited service at that. The second ship is in the water but still having weapons and equipment installed. The third ship is also in the water but not completed and is undergoing sea trials to make sure it can operate at sea. All three Zumwalts wont be in service until 2025. Their problems are many, but the key ones are an overly ambitious design and a willingness to keep spending more money to make it work. The previous Burke-class destroyers worked and cost $2 billion each.

The U.S. Navy encountered seemingly endless problems and delays in getting the first of three new DDG-1000 class stealth destroyers into service. The original date for being fully operational was 2021 but that soon slipped to 2025 or later. The delays stem from continued efforts to deal with a list of 320 serious deficiencies compiled after the first Zumwalt completed sea trials in early 2016. All this increases costs and those have risen annually since construction began. Those unanticipated, but not unexpected, increased costs are the reason the ships cost more than three times what the earlier Burkes did. So far Zumwalt is not as effective as the latest Burkes.

At this point the total cost for the DDG-1000 program will be over $23 billion, meaning each of the three DDG-1000s to enter service will probably cost about $8 billion. This includes $10 billion in research and development, which was to be spread over 32 DDG-1000s. Even so, that would have been $312 million per ship. Among its many failures, the most notable one was the inability to get its two 155mm guns operational. The DDG-1000 was designed mainly to provide gunfire support for marines but comparable new and better technology, like the HIMARS vehicles that carry six guided missiles each. The marines found that HIMARS vehicles carried in amphibious support ships, could be brought to the helicopter flight deck, and fired at targets on land or even other ships. Amphibious support ships carry a battalion of marines along with a lot of support equipment. These ships have helicopters for transporting the marines ashore plus some landing craft for moving combat and support vehicles as well as supplies to shore. Among the vehicles was one or more HIMARS, which is seen as a flexible artillery weapon.

The navy abandoned the custom gun system for Zumwalt and is replacing those two guns with four 2.2 meter missile tubes designed to house C-HGB, or Common Hypersonic Glide Bodies missiles. The C-HGB is a collaborative development between the Army and Navy to develop a missile that can hit any target in the world using a non-nuclear warhead.

This significant shift in the mission profile of the Zumwalt destroyers underscores a broader strategic shift within the U.S. Navy. Originally designed for more traditional armaments, the Zumwalt and its sister ships will now be at the forefront of deploying non-nuclear hypersonic missiles.

The modifications on the first Zumwalt Began in 2023. The conversion cost $155 million and is to be completed by late 2025. A second of the three Zumwalts will undergo a similar modification.

Replacing the 155mm guns was not the only modification to Zumwalts. In 2017 the air defense systems were upgraded. This involved a $100 million upgrade of the fire control systems to handle the new RIM-175 SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles. The Zumwalts were designed as multi-purpose vessels able to carry out anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and land attack missions. Land attack was to be carried out by two 155mm guns firing GPS guided shells. These shells could accurately hit targets over a hundred kilometers inland. The navy auditors found that the 155mm shells would be too expensive if only three Zumwalts could be built. The two 155mm guns are being replaced with hypersonic missiles that can hit ships or land targets. The new SM-6 antiaircraft missiles are effective against other ships as well as aircraft.

The SM-6 is an upgrade of the older SM-2 in that it can now do everything better, especially the way it handles surface targets. This capability was developed in 2017. A test was conducted using a retired U.S. frigate as a target. One SM-6 missile sank the ship. This was made possible because of modifications to the SM-6 guidance system. SM-6 entered service in 2011 and anti-ship capability was added later. The initial order for SM-6 was for 1,200 missiles. These are replacing all the older SM-2s, which entered service in 1979 and SM-3s, an advanced version of SM-2 that shoots down ballistic missiles. The SM-2 ER, which entered service in 1980, was also capable of being used against ships. SM-6 has a longer range and more effective guidance and resistance to countermeasures like jamming than the SM-2 and is meant to deal with aircraft, cruise missile and ballistic missiles more effectively as well. Max range of the SM-6 was initially 240 kilometers but quickly increased to about 340. The longer range and higher speed of the SM-6 make it particularly effective against other ships. The SM-6 is basically the existing SM-2 anti-aircraft missile with the more capable guidance system of the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, as well as general improvements in the electronics and other components.

The upgrade also enabled Zumwalts to use the Maritime Strike variant of the Tomahawk cruise missile. This version received a new guidance system that enables the cruise missile to hit moving ships at sea. This version can also hit land targets as well and has a range of 1,700 kilometers. The anti-ship version needs some other ship, aircraft, or satellite to determine the general area where the target is. Zumwalts have 80 VLS (Vertical Launch Tubes) containing either anti-ship, cruise, or anti-aircraft missiles. Now the mix of missiles will be SM-6, SM-3 (the anti-missile version) or Tomahawk. The new VLS cells are larger so they can handle the new hypersonic missile.

The Zumwalt class was designed with stealthy superstructure that deceives enemy radars to believe they have spotted a much smaller ship. In reality Zumwalts are huge, at 14,000 tons. This means a destroyer that is 194 meters long, and 25.5 meters wide. The crew of 150 sailors operates a variety of weapons, including the 155mm guns being replaced with large hypersonic missiles, 80 VLS cells, two 30mm automatic cannons for close-in defense, six torpedo tubes, a helicopter, and three helicopter UAVs. Zumwalt has sonar, Aegis radar, electronic warfare equipment, and the ability to shoot down ballistic missiles.

Zumwalts proved too expensive to build in the quantities desired. Many other nations do not have the procurement problems the U.S. Navy is suffering from. Attempts to fix the U.S. Navy procurement mess constantly run into political opposition and that is another matter altogether. In 2009 the navy decided to build only three of the Zumwalts instead of 32. To cope with the loss of new destroyers the navy resumed building older DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class destroyers. It was a matter of cost. The new Zumwalt destroyers and slightly larger versions designated as cruisers would cost more than $4 billion each if built in large quantities. The Burkes cost $1.9 billion each. The last of 62 original Burkes was ordered in 2002 and the last of those entered service in 2011. But by 2019 the new Burkes were entering production. Currently there are 71 with plans for 19 more if the navy can get the money. The DDG-51 is less than half the cost of the Zumwalts, but some navy officials believe that, in the long run, the larger and more expensive Zumwalts would be a better investment. The key problem here is the inability of the Navy to control costs, and cost estimates, and the inability of the DDG-51s to provide space for new technologies.

Cutting the Zumwalt order to three ships meant the GPS guided shell for the 155mm guns was too expensive at about a million dollars a shell. The first Zumwalt was supposed to enter service in 2016 and the initial sea trials were promising. But the problem began to appear in the many new systems and technologies in the Zumwalt. At this point all three are not expected to be in service until the late 2020s. Experience with the Zumwalts, the Seawolf SSN, Ford class carriers and smaller LCS or littoral combat ships indicated that the navy has not yet fixed its fundamental inability to design and build new ships. The navy plays down how serious this problem is, but the seriousness of the problem is only made worse by the Chinese success at building new ship classes much more quickly and on budget. The U.S. Navy used to be able to do this and the loss of that capability continues to be the most serious threat the navy faces and the one too few navy leaders are willing to take on, partly because much of the problem is Congressional interference prompted by defense contractors. Congress uses its power over flag rank promotions to have its way here.
Remittances are in the news yet again, this time in the shape of LemFi, a cross-border payment solution that allows people in the diaspora to send and receive funds back home. LemFi has announced that it has secured the approval of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to operate remittances in Kenya.

LemFi, formerly Lemonade Finance, provides a mobile app that enables Kenyans in other countries to send money home. As the Techpoint Africa news service explains, Kenyans in the United Kingdom, the US and Canada, for example, can send funds to Kenya in minutes via financial institutions such as M-Pesa, mobile money wallets, and bank accounts, with no fees.

The LemFi app also provides a Kenya shillings wallet offering, allowing users to fund their accounts with mobile money and to open accounts. Users can exchange their shillings for a number of foreign currencies including US dollars and British pounds.

In Nigeria LemFi is licenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria as an International Money Transfer Operator. This enables it to directly partner with banks to deliver its services and conduct inbound money transfers to Nigeria in line with regulations. It also operates in Ghana and recently signed a new deal with Visas Cross-Border Solutions division to expand its operations into new global markets like China, India, and Pakistan.

With the new Kenyan licence, the company says it can focus its resources and efforts on providing secure and efficient services while adhering to CBK's regulatory framework.

LemFi is part of a burgeoning and highly competitive remittance market. Less than a month ago we reported that, in LemFis home market of Nigeria, neobank Kuda had won a licence allowing it to offer remittance and multi-currency wallet services to Africans living in Canada.
Idaho lawmakers headed home for the week after largely finishing their business Wednesday, which included passing the contentious transportation budget and library legislation. Theyll be back next Wednesday.

Notably, there is still a Division of Welfare budget that needs to be passed and an issue with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation budget that may need to be addressed when the Legislature reconvenes.

ITD

The primary delay of adjournment of the 2024 session was a fight over the Idaho Transportation Department budget, which included intent language that would withdraw from a planned sale of the agencys vacant headquarters. In the end, the Legislature narrowly approved the budget, effectively tanking the deal and providing money to instead rehabilitate the building that has been empty since a 2022 flood.

The House and Senate leaders were in stark opposition to each other on this issue, which caused some tension and waylaid what is typically not a controversial budget. House Speaker Mike Moyle has vocally opposed the sale of the State Street campus, and Senate Pro-Tem Chuck Winder, who is a former chairperson of the Idaho Transportation Board, has been supportive of the agencys decision to sell the campus and opposed to the method of going back on it.

The Senate on Wednesday voted 18-17 after no debate to pass HB 770, which was the third attempt at the budget, and just $200 less than the original appropriation bill that had died in the Senate previously.

Ive never seen an Idaho Department of Transportation budget be that contentious, said Senate Majority Leader Kelly Anthon, R-Burley.

The first version of the budget, HB 723, passed the House by one vote and then was rejected by the Senate by a single vote on March 28, with all of the opposition focused on tanking the deal and whether the budget-writing committee had authority to do it.

The budget writers of the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee (JFAC) met quickly to pass an almost identical budget, with a $100 reduction. This second version of the budget was ruled out of order after Winder presented a parliamentary analysis from Secretary of the Senate Jennifer Novak, because it was too similar to the rejected legislation.

A third version of the budget was then approved by JFAC and sent to the House, which moved to quickly pass it in a 37-31 vote, and then the chamber recessed until Wednesday, leaving its fate up to the Senate.

Anthon and Sen. Geoff Schroeder, R-Mountain Home, changed their votes from the original budget to help the new version pass.

Anthon said ahead of the first vote on the agency budget, he had been asked by Winder to reject it, which he did.

But he said he looked further into it after the first vote and decided he should vote with the majority of his caucus. He said nothing in it would negatively affect his constituents, was unconstitutional or was anything I cant stomach with my conscious.

Thats kind of a unique thing for the majority leader, he said.

Schroeder did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The group of developers that had been selected as buyers sent an emailed statement in response to the Legislatures move.

The Idaho Legislature sent a clear message to the free market: Dont do business with us, the statement from Hawkins Company chief executive officer Brian Huffaker said. All of Idaho  citizens and businesses alike  should be concerned. We hope legislators and the media pay attention to how much money this decision costs the state over the next few years in terms of the millions already spent moving ITD, extensive renovation, remediation, missed job creation and lost revenues. We expect people will hold our lawmakers accountable.

Huffaker, on behalf of his company, the Pacific Companies, and FJ Management, called on Gov. Brad Little to veto the bill. They wrote that they have had an agreement with the state to buy the land since March 21.
Women in Australias chemistry industry have another chance to enhance their STEM careers through the 2024 Chemistry Australia CEW Woman Leader in STEM scholarship.

Chemistry Australia is delighted to announce its partnership with Chief Executive Women (CEW) to enable a rising woman leader in the chemistry sector to attend the Women Transforming Leadership Program at Oxford University, UK.

This initiative, driven by the Chemistry Australia Board and funded by its member companies, extends to employees of Chemistry Australia member companies and their supply chain partners, as well as candidates from the national chemistry industry.

To qualify, applicants must hold a mid- to senior executive position with 5-10 years of leadership experience and receive endorsement from a senior manager or Board member. Applications for the scholarship are now open on the CEW website.

Applications for the scholarship are now open on the CEW website.

Chemistry Australia CEO Samantha Read said it is a great pleasure to offer this incredible experience to women in the Australian chemistry industry once again.

The scholarship is an excellent opportunity for a woman leader in our industry to take the next step in her career and contribute to the transformation of our dynamic and strategically important sector, said Ms Read.

Even if you have applied previously, we encourage you to re-apply for the 2024 scholarship, and open up new leadership opportunities for your career in chemistry.

CEW Chair, Scholarships Committee Deidre Willmott said women are substantially underrepresented in both STEM education and STEM careers, with women holding fewer than 10 per cent of leadership positions in STEM related industries.

In answer to this imbalance, we are proud to launch the 2024 Chemistry Australia CEW Woman Leader in STEM Scholarship, which is an amazing opportunity for a woman leader to study at Oxford Said Business School, Ms Willmott said.

Last years scholarship recipient, Kira McGrath, Manager  Manufacturing Technology at Orica Australia, said she encourages any mid-career female leaders considering applying for the scholarship to embrace the opportunity.

What are you waiting for? Like me, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose so put your best foot forward and apply, said Ms McGrath.

Kira found the scholarship to be a fantastic chance to advance her leadership skills and build her professional networks.

The scholarship was amazing, and I gained some enlightening insights during my time at Said Business School at Oxford University.

The course provided clarity through reflection and challenged me to push myself outside of my comfort zone. Being awarded this scholarship has elevated my visibility and will have a lasting impact on my career.

More information about the scholarship can be found at the CEW website. The deadline for nominations is Monday, May 20th.

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Heres a recap of recent funding developments from Australia and beyond.

Constantinople Secures $50 Million Series A

Fintech company Constantinople has raised $50 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was spearheaded by Dutch internet investment firm Prosus Ventures, with backing from existing Australian investors Square Peg and AirTree. The Sydney-based startup, established in 2022 by former Westpac managers Macgregor Duncan and Dianne Challenor, previously raised US$23 million (A$32m) in a Seed round in May 2022 but did not announce the funding until 12 months later. At the time, it set the record for Australias largest venture-backed Seed raise. This marks Prosus second investment within a month, following its participation with AirTree in a $12.6 million Seed raise for healthcare startup Kismet.

Skyflow Raises $30 Million for Data Privacy in AI

Data privacy vault company Skyflow has raised $30 million to extend its Series B funding, with Khosla Ventures leading the round, along with prior investors Mouro Capital, Foundation Capital, and Canvas Ventures. The investment follows revenue growth of more than 210% and rapid adoption in the emerging market of sensitive data protection for Large Language Models (LLMs). Skyflow is a data privacy vault designed to simplify how companies isolate, protect, and govern their customers most sensitive data.

Northern Territory Government Invests $10 Million in Co-Investment Fund

The Northern Territory government has launched a $20 million business investment fund in partnership with Darwin investment firm Paspalis Corporation. The Territory government is contributing $10 million through the Local Jobs Fund, matched by Paspalis, with funding of up to $5 million available for domestic and international businesses intending to establish operations in the Territory and create new jobs. The Paspalis Co-Investment Fund will concentrate on sectors such as advanced manufacturing, logistics and defence, technology, mining and exploration, space, and primary industries.

Femtek Raises $1 Million in Seed Funding

Femtek has secured $1 million in Seed funding to provide women with better data regarding their menstrual cycle. The round was led by startup incubator and early-stage investor Arcanys Ventures, alongside Philippine-based software outsourcing and a Swiss office, which also has an office in Melbourne, led by managing partner Frederic Joye. Techstars and Australian angels provided follow-on investments. Femtek has developed a smart ring aiming to revolutionize menstrual health by generating health insights based on hormonal conditions and a womans life stages.

Investment in Australian Student-Founded Startups Surpasses $1.2 Billion

University students are increasingly venturing into entrepreneurship, with student-founded startups raising over $1.2 billion since 2012. The launch of Australias first student-run venture capital fund is set to further escalate investment in this domain. NextGen Ventures, launching this week, has thoroughly analyzed VC and student founders data, documenting their success and the rise of entrepreneurialism in the tertiary sector. According to the NextGen Ventures report, the number of university students aspiring to become founders has tripled compared to a decade ago.

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You are here: Business

People visit the booth of BYD at the 91st Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)



China's new energy vehicles (NEVs) captured a 62 percent share of the global NEV market in the first two months of this year, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association.

Additionally, China has achieved a remarkable 70 percent market share in the global plug-in hybrid market during the January-February period.

Citing data indicating that global automobile sales reached 12.65 million units in the first two months, including 1.9 million NEVs, Cui emphasized China's pivotal role in the automotive industry's green transition.

Cui attributed China's robust performance in the Southeast Asian market to a strong domestic supply chain, resulting in increased domestic sales and exports.

Continuing the growth trend observed in 2022, when China's NEV market share exceeded 60 percent of the world total, the country further solidified its market leadership in 2023 by surpassing 9 million units both in production and sales, marking nine consecutive years at the forefront of the global NEV market.




Coffee prices rose by 5% from VND98,100 ($3.93) per kilogram last week to a new all-time high of VND102,800 on Thursday.

They have more than doubled from last Aprils VND49,000, Phan Minh Thong, chairman of agricultural products exporter Phuc Sinh Group, said.

Prices are also skyrocketing in the global market, with May Arabica KCc1 futures contract rising to an unprecedented $4,500 per ton and May Robusta LRCc2 to $3,802 on Thursday.

Exporters said a supply shortage has created huge demand for Vietnamese coffee beans among roasters globally, leading to the surge in prices.

In the domestic market, merchants are struggling to procure beans amid dwindling supply as many farmers have already sold their entire stocks.

The record low inventories are one of the main reasons for the rise in prices, according to Nguyen Hai Nam, chairman of the Vietnam Coffee Cocoa Association.

Global production has declined due to droughts in coffee-growing countries caused by climate change and the El Nino phenomenon, he said.

Increased shipping costs due to disruptions caused by tensions in the Red Sea are also driving up prices, he added.

Financial services company Marex Group has predicted a global shortage of around 2.7 million bags of robusta coffee in the 2024-25 season due to a decrease in production in Vietnam.

The countrys exports in 2023-24 would decrease to 1.4 million tons, it forecast.

In the first quarter of this year Vietnam exported 799,000 tons of coffee, up 44% year-on-year, for $1.9 billion, according to data from the General Department of Customs.

The average price is currently at $3,181 per ton, up 43.5% from a year earlier.
Some 66% of Thai businesses operating in Vietnam are interested in expanding, the highest ratio for any country in Southeast Asia, a survey by lender HSBC has found.

They were followed by companies from Malaysia (58%) and Indonesia (55%), the ASEAN Business Sentiment survey, which polled 600 companies from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, said.

Of the Thai businesses, 93% were confident about growing their company in Vietnam, behind only Vietnamese (98%) and Singaporean (95%) businesses.

Thailand continues to be a major contributor of FDI in Vietnam, being the ninth biggest investor with $14 billion.

In August last year Thailands second largest lender, Kasikornbank, said it would invest $1 billion in Vietnam by 2027.

The fourth largest bank, The Siam Commercial Bank Public Company, has announced plans to buy out consumer loan company Home Credit Vietnam for around EUR800 million ($866 million)

Most Southeast Asian businesses (87%) want to invest within the region for geographical proximity and cultural similarities.

Vietnam last year attracted $36.61 billion in FDI, up 32% from 2022.
VN-Index closes in red for third straight session

An investor looks at stock prices on the screens at a brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Vietnams benchmark VN-Index plunged 1.04% to 1,255.11 points Friday after declining in the previous two sessions.

It closed 13.14 points lower after losing 3.2 points on Thursday.

Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, rose 5.6% to VND25.193 trillion ($1.01 billion).

The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 26 tickers fell.

GVR of Vietnam Rubber Group saw the biggest decline, plumetting 4.8%, followed by VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail with a 2.4% drop and SSI of brokerage SSI Securities Corporation, down 2.3%.

Only two blue chips gained, including VPB of private lender VPBank with a 0.8% growth and MWG of electronics retail chain Mobile World, which went up 0.6%.

Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of VND25.83 billion, mainly buying NVL of property developer Novaland and MWG of Mobile World.

The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, dropped 1.14% while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market fell 0.4%.
Colleagues and friends line up to bid farewell to Lt. Gen. William Burleson after he relinquished command of Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  A three-star general bid an emotional farewell to hundreds of U.S. and South Korean soldiers as he relinquished command of Eighth Army during a ceremony here Friday.

Lt. Gen. Willard Burleson handed command to Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve and will soon retire after 36 years of military service. LaNeve comes to Eighth Army from U.S. Army Forces Command, where he was special assistant to the commander at Fort Liberty, N.C.

The group of soldiers that you see here out in front represent the nearly 35,000 American and Korean soldiers and civilians that are part of Eighth Army today, Burleson said, standing before a formation of over 400 soldiers, a Stryker vehicle and a Patriot missile launcher.

Burleson took command of Eighth Army on Oct. 2, 2020, and during his tenure continued large-scale military exercises by U.S. and South Korean troops aimed at deterring North Korea. The allied forces held their largest live-fire military drill in May.

Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve receives the Eighth Army colors during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve gives his first speech as Eighth Army commander at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) U.S. Forces Korea commander Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, outgoing Eighth Army commander Lt. Gen. Willard Burleson and incoming commander Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve inspect troops at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Friday, April 4, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

Burleson, previously the assistant chief of staff for operations for U.S. Forces Korea and commander of the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., was commissioned in 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy. He went on to serve with the 82nd Airborne Division in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

His last day as a soldier will be June 1, according to a readout of his retirement certificate.

In his final remarks as commander, Burleson highlighted the alliance forged from the 1950-53 Korean War.

The [South Korea]-US alliance that we have today stands as a testament to the sacrifices of those who have come before us, he said. Those who gave their lives and the thousands that are still missing, they must be remembered, always.

Burleson, his voice filled with emotion, said he was proud to be an American soldier and that his service in South Korea has been an honor of a lifetime.

His son, Army Capt. Matthew Burleson, said he was incredibly proud of his father.

I was always unsure of what I was going to do, but seeing him and living this life, I couldnt think of a better job to be in, he told Stars and Stripes at the ceremony.

LaNeve, in his first speech as Eighth Army commander, described Burleson as a longtime friend, mentor and leader that I have the utmost respect for. I will work hard to maintain the momentum youve established for Eighth Army, he said.

LaNeve, whose promotion to lieutenant general took effect Friday, was commissioned from the University of Arizona in 1990. His previous assignments include command of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty and the 7th Army Training Command in Grafenwohr, Germany.

Eighth Army is headquartered at Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas, roughly 40 miles south of Seoul.
Several students are treated at the Khanh Hoa General Hospital in Nha Trang for suspected food poisoning, April 5, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thuy Linh

Many students from two schools in Nha Trang in central Vietnam were hospitalized Friday for suspected food poisoning after eating breakfast.

The Khanh Hoa General Hospital received 20 students in the morning, with 17 from Vinh Truong Primary School and three from Tran Hung Dao Middle School. Another student was taken to the Phuc Sinh General Clinic.

By noon, a total of 28 students from the two schools had been admitted to hospital, according to the Nha Trang People's Committee. All patients showed symptoms like vomiting, stomachache and difficulty breathing after eating breakfast. The meals, including chicken rice, sushi and fast food, were bought by the students' families from various stores in the area.

Doctors suspected that the students suffered from food poisoning.

One fifth grader died at the hospital in the morning, but a representative of the Department of Health of Khanh Hoa Province, home to Nha Trang, said her cause of death "was not food poisoning."

The deceased girl had a heart condition, according to the health department. Before she was hospitalized, she ate sushi, then she said she felt tired and fainted.

"The patient was admitted when her heart and breathing had stopped," the health official said.

The rest of the students are stable and are being monitored.

Tran Thanh Tan, a parent of a hospitalized student from Vinh Truong Primary School, said his child ate chicken rice at a store in front of the school. By around 8 a.m., his child and some of their classmates suffered stomachache.

The police of Nha Trang is cooperating with the Vinh Truong Ward Peoples Committee, the medical sector and other relevant authorities to extract statements from certain food stores that had sold meals to the students.

Last month, around 369 people in Nha Trang suffered from food poisoning after eating chicken rice at a local store.
Entrance to Fort Cavazos, Texas, where two soldiers each face a court-martial in the shooting death of a sergeant. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas  Two soldiers and their sergeant got together on the night of Aug. 26 at a house on post where they drank heavily. It ended with one dead from a gunshot wound and the other two disagreeing about how it happened, according to evidence discussed Friday in court.

Spcs. Nicholas Lowery and Rene Heber told agents for the Army Criminal Investigation Division on Aug. 27 that they watched in horror as Sgt. Alfredo Martinez shot himself dead at Fort Cavazos. However, Lowery changed his story during an 11-hour interview with CID agents on Sept. 7, where he told an investigator that he shot Martinez.

Lowery is charged with unpremeditated murder and two counts of obstructing justice, according to court documents. Heber is charged with accessory to murder after the fact, accessory to involuntary manslaughter after the fact and obstructing justice, according to the 1st Cavalry Division. Both men have pleaded not guilty, according to online court records.

An autopsy on Martinez could not determine the manner of his death and prosecutors said they could not find a motive or racial bias in evidence that included 14 electronic devices.

All three soldiers were assigned to the divisions Sustainment Support Brigade.

In Fridays hearing at the Finkelstein Judicial Center, attorneys argued before military judge Lt. Col. Joseph Venghaus about what evidence should be included in Lowerys court-martial in August and what consultants the defense can hire to build its case.

The defense asked the judge not to allow Lowerys Sept. 7 confession in the trial, arguing he was not properly read his rights and was under duress. As part of his rights, Lowery was told he was under investigation for manslaughter, and he is now charged with murder, said Benjamin Young, a defense attorney for Lowery.

They asked, Did you intend to murder him? Young said. This was an illegally performed rights advisal.

CID Special Agent Bryce Dunn testified he had Lowery read aloud the rights afforded to him before the interrogation began and believes the soldier knew he could leave at any time. He was afforded several bathroom and cigarette breaks, which is in part what made the interview so long, the agent said.

While Lowery never asked to leave, he complained several times about the lack of air-conditioning in the building on a hot September day. The buildings cooling unit was broken, and Dunn said he told the soldier all the rooms were the same temperature.

For the first roughly nine hours, Lowery stuck to his story that Martinez shot himself, and even walked agents through the events of the night in a recreation of the room built by CID. Dunn left the interview at about hour nine, he said.

Lowery then requested to speak with him again, questioning Dunn about the repercussions of saying untrue things in an interview. It was then that Lowery told Dunn he shot Martinez and walked special agents through a different scenario of the night in the recreated scene.

The judge did not decide during the hearing whether the confession can be used, nor did he decide whether the defense can hire an expert on digital forensics, which would allow Lowerys legal team to comb through cellphones and electronic devices on their own.

Lowery is due in court April 25 and his court-martial is scheduled to begin Aug. 5. Heber has a hearing April 15 and his court-martial is scheduled to begin May 20.

Thayer.rose@stripes.com

Twitter: @Rose_Lori
U.S. Army Pacific commander Gen. Charles Flynn speaks to reporters during a media roundtable at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on April 3, 2024. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO  The U.S. Army will field newly developed missiles in the Indo-Pacific region this year with additional types in the pipeline, its Pacific-area commander told reporters on a recent visit to the Japanese capital.

Im not going to discuss what system and Im not going to say where and when, Gen. Charles Flynn said during a media roundtable Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy. Im just saying that there will be a long-range precision fires capability.

The U.S. and allies Japan and the Philippines are gearing up for a potential fight with China, which boasts a formidable missile force, around Taiwan or in the South China Sea.

In November, Flynn told reporters at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada that the Army would deploy a limited number of Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles to the region, according to a Nov. 19 report in Defense One.

Land-based Tomahawks, with a range of over 1,500 miles, were banned under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. But the U.S. pulled out of the treaty in 2019, due to Russian non-compliance, and the Marine Corps established its first Tomahawk unit in July 2023 at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Im not going to say where or when we will deploy in 2024, Flynn said in Japan. Theres actually multiple systems in development.

Flynn during the Tokyo roundtable mentioned the Typhoon launcher, which is designed to fire the SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles. That system has a hypersonic capability, he said, referring to missiles that can travel faster than five times the speed of sound.

Flynn also spoke about the long-range, anti-ship Precision Strike Missile, which is set to reach initial operating capability this year.

This new surface-to-surface weapon system will deliver enhanced capabilities to attack, neutralize, suppress and destroy targets using missile-delivered indirect fires out to 499+ kilometers (310+ miles), manufacturer Lockheed Martin wrote on its website.

We shoot HIMARS in a number of these countries today, Flynn said in Halifax. This is just a different missile to put into it. So, I dont necessarily think we need to have an agreement (with other countries) ahead of time.
Engineers from the Texas National Guard construct concertina wire barriers on the bank of the Rio Grande in support of Operation Lone Star on May 23, 2023. (Texas National Guard photo by Spc. Savion Johnson)

A Texas National Guard soldier, deployed in support of the states mission at the border with Mexico, faces human smuggling charges after leading police on a high-speed car chase, state law enforcement officials said.

Army Spc. Savion Johnson faces charges of evading arrest, smuggling of persons and unlawful carry of a weapon after his March 31 arrest in Brackettville, Texas, the states Department of Public Safety said Friday. The evading arrest and smuggling charges are felonies in Texas.

Johnson, 26, is accused of turning his vehicle around near a Border Patrol checkpoint and initiating a high-speed car chase with state police. He stopped briefly during the chase to let a young Hispanic man out his vehicle, the Texas Tribune reported, citing court records. The chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph and spanned some 15 miles, and finally ended after Johnsons vehicle drove over spike strips set up by law enforcement, according to the Texas Tribune.

Deputies from the Kinney County Sheriffs Office assisted in the apprehension, a spokesman for the county said Friday. Sherrif Brad Coe told CNN that Johnsons military uniform and helmet were found in his vehicle at the time of his arrest.

Johnson was on active duty in support of Operation Lone Star, the state-led law enforcement mission aimed at curbing illegal activity between legal ports of entry across the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, according to state law enforcement officials.

The Texas Military Department, which oversees the states Army and Air Force National Guard, declined to comment on Johnsons status, citing state law.

Texas law for releasing information about Guard members is one of the strictest in the country. It prohibits releasing a service members name, rank, job title, awards and confirmation that the person is serving on a state or federal mission. When lawmakers debated the laws passage in 2015, troops were deployed at the border and lawmakers said releasing the information made troops vulnerable to Mexican drug cartels.

Army Spc. Savion Johnson, 26, faces charges of evading arrest, smuggling of persons and unlawful carry of a weapon after his March 31, 2024, arrest in Brackettville, Texas, the states Department of Public Safety said. (Kinney County Sheriffs Office)

The federal National Guard Bureau also declined comment on Johnson, however a defense official confirmed Johnson was supporting the Texas mission and not a separate federal border operation.

Johnson appears to have been working as a photographer for the Texas Army National Guard. Several photos showing Guard troops supporting Operation Lone Star last year are credited Texas National Guard photo by Spc. Savion Johnson on the Pentagons Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued a statement accusing Johnson of being a traitor and criminal if the allegations against him are proven true.

We have zero tolerance for Texans who violate laws that directly contradict the mission we are seeking to achieve, Abbott said. The accuseds illegal smuggling may subject him to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 10 years. He deserves more.

Johnson is not the first service member facing accusations of human smuggling in Texas. In July 2023, an active-duty soldier and a Louisiana National Guard member were arrested and accused of smuggling migrants in separate incidents in Kinney County, officials said at the time.

Stars and Stripes reporter Rose L. Thayer contributed to this report.
Adm. Stephen Koehler salutes as he arrives to take command of U.S. Pacific Fleet at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on April 4, 2024. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii  A naval aviator and former commander of 3rd Fleet assumed command of U.S. Pacific Fleet during a Thursday ceremony in Hawaii.

Adm. Stephen Koehler replaces Adm. Samuel Paparo, who is slated to take the reins of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command next month.

Paparo will replace Adm. John Aquilino, who has headed Indo-Pacific Command since April 2021.

During remarks at the pier-side ceremony, Aquilino was effusive in his praise for Paparo and Koehler, describing them as the worlds greatest warfighters.

Pacific Fleets area of operation encompasses roughly 100 million square miles, spanning from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south.

The fleet consists of about 200 ships, 1,500 aircraft and 150,000 uniformed and civilian personnel.

Adm. Stephen Koehler, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, left, speaks with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino after a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on April 4, 2024. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)

Koehler is a 1986 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, according to his official Navy biography.

He was designated a naval aviator in March 1989 and has flown more than 3,900 hours in F-14 Tomcat and F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, making 600 carrier landings.

Among his career commands were the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and Carrier Strike Group 9.

His tours supported operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve and Freedoms Sentinel.

He was a deputy commander for Pacific Fleet and commanded the San Diego-based 3rd Fleet. Most recently, he was director for strategy, plans and policy with the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.

Speaking at Thursdays ceremony, Koehler noted the many foreign officials in the audience.

Our alliances and partnerships are the unbreakable bedrock of our national security, he said.

Adm. Samuel Paparo arrives at a ceremony April 4, 2024, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam where he turned over command of U.S. Pacific Fleet to Adm. Steve Koehler. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)

The United States and Pacific Fleet will continue to be the North Star, the guiding light for those nations, Koehler said.

We will continue to be the partner of choice for all like-minded nations, he said. We will continue to provide constant, credible and capable combat power throughout the Indo-Pacific while continuing to build and hone our warfighting edge.

Koehler takes command of Pacific Fleet at a time the region is undergoing trends toward disorder, Paparo said.

Those trends are being ushered in by a revisionist, revanchist and expanding [China], a ruthless Russia, an intractable North Korea and violent extremist supporters who believe in the logic of power rather than the power of logic, Paparo said.

In this contested environment, deterring conflict is our highest duty, he said.
(iStock)

I tooted the horn before pulling out onto our street. My husband waved, with the dog standing nearby. I wouldnt see them again until Sunday afternoon.

When our military family was active duty, I was content taking a couple of trips a year. But now, as a retired military spouse that doesnt move anymore, I depend on weekend getaways to break up the monotony of normal civilian life.

I had planned this trip with my high school girlfriends months ago, and my excitement was building. In four hours, Id arrive in the Catskills, and meet up with Patrice, my best friend since ninth grade, and three other girlfriends whom I hadnt seen much since we graduated from high school in 1984  Andrea, Peggy and Ann.

As my GPS rattled on, I thought of the tote bag in the trunk containing a mother lode of high school memorabilia: my old yearbooks, photographs, journals and dog-eared notes passed in study hall. My hoarding tendencies had paid off after all.

While making my way to Upstate New York, I envisioned our rental house. The Airbnb photos depicted a spacious, Swiss-style chalet, seemingly plucked straight out of the Alps, in a gorgeous sylvan setting, with a charming warming hut and an outdoor hot tub.

Were going to have a blast, I thought, imagining us as unrealistically stylish, thirty-something actresses, flipping locks of shiny hair, flashing brilliant white teeth, wearing slouchy cotton sweaters and well-worn Levis, drinking fine wines around an open fire in front of a spectacular mountain backdrop.

It was a bad habit of mine  imagining things to be far better than reality  that set me up for disappointment.

That cold, drizzly afternoon, I drove my car through dreary, mud-splattered towns, past abandoned motor lodges and rinky-dink diners. Over a bridge and up a hill, I turned onto an unpaved dead end road, and finally, onto our rental property as directed by my GPS. You have arrived.

Wait, what? I said, peering bug-eyed out of the smeary windshield of my car. This is it? The small, wood-sided house looked nothing like the photographs online.

Itll be fine, my best friend said, laughing. Patrice had driven up from Pittsburgh with Peggy. Soon, Andrea arrived, followed by Ann, who surprised us by wearing her old cheerleading sweater.

I was prepared to impose a strict activity schedule to combat awkward silences. However, the chatter never stopped. Conversation and laughter flowed for hours on end as if wed never left high school. Food and drink appeared in a haphazard, chaotic dribble throughout the night, until the table was piled high with burnt pizza burgers, wine glasses, pierogis, peanut butter confection bars, buffalo chicken dip, cheese and crackers, chips, yearbooks and photographs.

Oh, my God, listen to this! each of us yelled before reading lines from an old note or yearbook autograph. Our adolescent scribblings expressed the immature sentiments of our teen years: The dance is in two days and no one has asked me yet! I hate Chemistry! Did you tell him I like him? Gag me with a fork! Ill never get a boyfriend! Shes so FAKE!

Although wed made plans to explore the Catskills on Saturday, we barely made it out of our pajamas. Pots of coffee led to Bloody Marys and mimosas. This time, the table was heaped with bagels, sweet rolls, quiche, fruit and again our yearbooks. That afternoon, while snow fell over the Catskills, we sat around a roaring fire in the warming hut, singing along to The B-52s, The Go-Gos, The Squeeze, U2, Prince, Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, The Police and more.

That night, although we were all reluctant to stuff our imperfect 57-year-old bodies into bathing suits, we got in the hot tub. Like a water-filled time machine, the hot tub transported us back in time. Bobbing in the bubbles, we were 15 again, cracking juvenile jokes and busting each others chops.

On my Sunday drive home, I noticed that overnight, the trees had been encased in thick layers of ice, glittering like silver sequins in the bright sunlight. It occurred to me that the weekend hadnt disappointed me after all. In fact, reality was even better than Id imagined.

Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com and in Lisas book, The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com. Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@gmail.com
Airmen wear virtual reality goggles during the simulation of a major earthquake at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 28, 2024. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Earthquakes are routine, unscheduled events in Japan, and an annual safety fair at this airlift hub in western Tokyo aims to prepare new arrivals for that eventuality.

To get a taste of what a major quake feels like, airmen, eight at a time, donned virtual reality goggles aboard a simulator during the March 28 event outside the Yokota Community Center.

The VR experience gave them a first-person view of the events before, during and after an earthquake, eliciting a range of reactions, from stern expressions to laughter. Onlookers got a taste of the action, too, via a large screen attached to the simulator.

It was a pretty cool and very real experience, said Senior Airman Kaitlin Cerda, a mental health technician for the 374th Medical Group. I feel like it prepared me more to set up my house more for earthquakes.

Days later, a 7.4-magnitude quake on Taiwan served as a reminder that a deadly temblor can strike the region at any time. At least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. It spurred tsunami alerts and mandatory evacuations at U.S. bases on Okinawa.

On Jan. 1, a 7.6-magnitude quake off Japans Noto Peninsula, about 175 miles from Yokota, killed more than 200 people and left thousands homeless.

Airmen wear virtual reality goggles during the simulation of a major earthquake at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 28, 2024. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A second earthquake simulator at the base safety fair placed people inside a mock dining room that shook violently for several minutes. They huddled beneath a table to avoid objects that could fall in an actual earthquake.

Nearby, yet another simulator allowed people to practice escaping from a burning home filled with smoke.

What we are hoping for is risk management awareness, as well as getting a firsthand experience to what some of these emergencies might actually look like, Maj. Nick Reed, the 374th Airlift Wings chief safety officer, said at the event.

They help better prepare service members in case something does happen and help save their lives.

Earthquakes werent the fairs only focus. A car-crash simulator catapulted riders forward to illustrate the importance of wearing seatbelts. During a motorcycle safety exhibition, several Air Force and Japanese police riders demonstrated the skills required to maneuver powerful two-wheelers around potential hazards.

Approximately 200 people, including safety teams from Yokota and off-base Japanese agencies, turned out for the five-hour fair.

We are glad to see a lot of people are interested in safety, said Fussa traffic safety officer Samizo Masakazu.
The Marine Thrift Store at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, was closed by the base commander on March 15, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan  The thrift store on this air station south of Hiroshima recently closed its doors by order of the base commander.

Col. Richard Rusnok notified the manager of the Marine Thrift Store by letter on March 15 that he was revoking her nonprofit organizations authority to run the store.

I no longer believe the Marine Thrift Store operation serves the needs of the community, Rusnok wrote to Terry Lemus-Willis, who runs the nonprofit responsible for the thrift store.

The letter, which Lemus-Willis posted on the stores front door, references a current situation at the shop without offering specifics.

I understand the stores current situation is a result of numerous factors, and I very much appreciate your efforts to serve the MCAS Iwakuni community, Rusnok wrote. However, I do not believe all the issues related to store operations can be fully resolved under its current structure.

Lemus-Willis said she was given no further information about the reasons for closing the store. Base spokesman 1st Lt. Aaron Ellis provided no further details in a March 27 email response to questions from Stars and Stripes.

The building is base property, and the commander has the power to close the shop, Lemus-Willis said by phone Wednesday.

I feel bad for the community, she said.

The thrift store, which sells donated household goods such as clothing, kitchen ware and childrens toys, opened for business in 2017.

Last year, under the previous management, the store donated $10,000 to the base Boy Scout troop, to M.C. Perry High School for a senior trip and to help fund a Thanksgiving dinner for single Marines, among other projects, Lemus-Willis said.

She said the nonprofit lacked a board of directors when she took over, so she rounded up volunteers to serve as officers and board members of the organization.

Lemus-Willis said she reduced the price of items in the shop in response to complaints from patrons about prices set by the previous management.

The last manager priced all the items high but the new manager was trying to fix everything and she was making it way better, Mia Hamilton, whose spouse, Christopher Hamilton, is a civilian employee on base, said by Facebook Messenger on Thursday.

Even when we sold things at $1 or 50 cents, it was still making money, Lemus-Willis said.

Amber McClenney, president of the Yokota Spouses Club, which runs the thrift shop at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, said she was disheartened to hear about the Iwakuni closure.

These endeavors are seen as providing benefits to the entire installation community, she said by Facebook Messenger on March 27. This time last year, the Spouses Club at the Air Force Academy faced a similar situation without prior warning or explanation.

Rusnok understands that many in the community rely on MCAS Iwakunis thrift store, Ellis said in his email.

We are currently exploring options to establish a new thrift store upon dissolution of the current store, he wrote, adding that a new thrift store will not be associated with or managed by Marine Corps Community Services.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane is pictured in undated photos released by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division July 6, 2023. Lane, a U.S. soldier stationed in Ansbach, Germany, was reported missing last year. The Army announced April 5, 2024, that Lane had been found and taken into custody. (Army)

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany  A U.S. soldier initially listed as missing and spotted last year at an Air Force base in Germany under an assumed name has been found and taken into custody, an Army statement said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane, 31, a helicopter repairer assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, was reported missing June 27 after he failed to show up for duty.

It was later discovered he had tried to access Ramstein Air Force Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center four days prior under the name David Hersher.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane, a U.S. soldier stationed in Ansbach, Germany, had been reported missing since June 2023. The Army announced April 5, 2024, that Lane had been found and taken into custody. (U.S. Army)

Ramstein is located about 125 miles west of Lanes duty station in Bavaria.

We are thankful that Staff Sgt. Lane has been found, brigade commander Col. Ryan Kendall said Friday in a statement. We are grateful for the collaborative efforts of the German Polizei and Army [Criminal Investigation Division]. Lane would not have been found if it wasnt for the help our host nation provided.

Lane was apprehended with help from Ansbach and regional police in the vicinity of the southwest German city of Trier, CID spokesman Thomas Hamilton III said Friday.

No further details regarding Lanes discovery and capture were available Friday, according to brigade officials and Hamilton, who added that the investigation into the case is ongoing.

Lane was spotted last year on June 23 in his vehicle at brigade headquarters on Katterbach Kaserne, a CID statement July 18 said.

Later that day, Lane, wearing a blue T-shirt and portraying himself as a civilian, attempted to access Ramstein Air Base.

He was last seen at 3:18 p.m. entering a gate at nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Army officials at the time declined to say whether he received treatment at the hospital, citing medical privacy rules.

Lanes car was found abandoned two days later near Urbach in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, about two hours north of Ramstein, the CID statement said. His last known location was the Koblenz main train station on June 29.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced he had gone missing July 4. Notices of his disappearance have been up at military post offices in Germany ever since, asking for help in finding Lane.

If charged and convicted of desertion under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Lane faces a maximum of five years in prison, pay forfeiture, reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge.

burke.matt@stripes.com @MatthewMBurke1
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (L) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at their meeting in China, April 4, 2024. Photo by VNA

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday when they affirmed the leading importance of the Vietnam - China relations in each country's foreign policy.

The event, part of Son's official visit to China, was the first meeting between the two foreign ministers since their countries agreed to elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The ministers held that since the historic visits by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China in October 2022 and by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam in December 2023, bilateral relations have developed strongly and obtained important results. Particularly, the two sides' senior leaders agreed to identify a new status for the countries' relations, and issued a joint statement on continuing to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Son and Wang affirmed the leading importance of the Vietnam - China relations in each country's foreign policy, stressing the need to enhance coordination and effectively carry out the high-level agreements and common perceptions so as to unceasingly develop bilateral ties in a healthy, stable, and sustainable manner.

They agreed to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and meetings, reinforce cooperation between the two Parties, and work together to properly organize high-level diplomatic activities between the two countries in 2024, the 16th meeting of the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, along with dialogue, exchange, and cooperation mechanisms in the fields of defense - security and justice.

The officials also agreed to foster and improve the effectiveness of economic and trade partnerships, with priority given to promoting strategic transport connectivity, facilitating socio-economic exchanges, and contributing to Chinas cooperation with Southeast Asia.

They concurred in increasing people-to-people exchanges, boosting communications about the countries traditional friendship as well as each countrys achievements in reform and opening, and stepping up exchange and cooperation mechanisms between Vietnamese and Chinese localities.

Vietnam and China will keep strengthening coordination and mutual support within multilateral frameworks, continue working closely with each other in land border management and protection in line with the three legal documents on land border and related agreements; actively open, upgrade, and recognize pairs of border gates; and accelerate the building of smart border gates, they noted.

With regard to sea-related issues, the two sides underlined the importance of seriously implementing the agreements and common perceptions reached between the two Parties and countries leaders on properly controlling and settling differences; fully, comprehensively, and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and joining ASEAN countries in promoting negotiations and soon finalizing a substantive, efficient, and effective code of conduct (COC) in the waters that matches international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Son asked both sides to bolster balanced and sustainable economic - trade cooperation.

He called on China to continue facilitating and increasing the import of Vietnams agricultural products, create conditions for early establishing some trade promotion offices of Vietnam in Chinese localities, and actively tackle problems of some industrial cooperation projects. He also proposed China speed up railway connection with northern Vietnamese provinces, expand economic corridors in the "Two Corridors, One Belt" region to Chongqing of China, soon set up a working group for tourism promotion, increase commercial flights, and further boost people-to-people ties as well as exchanges between border localities of the countries.

Wang, also Director of the Office of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee's Commission for Foreign Affairs, asked the two sides to foster the strategic connectivity between the "Belt and Road" Initiative with the "Two Corridors, One Belt" framework, and tighten economic, trade and investment links.

China will actively consider expanding the import of goods, farm produce, and aquatic products from Vietnam, he said, noting that it supports road transport connectivity and the building of smart border gates to facilitate customs clearance; supports stronger educational and tourism ties. The country will coordinate more closely with Vietnam at regional and international multilateral forums, he added.

Also on April 4, Son examined the pilot operation of the landscape site of Ban Gioc (Vietnam) - Detian (China) Waterfalls.
A video screen grab shows a Russian tank fireing in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 4, 2024. According to reports on Friday, April 5, Ukraine is claiming to have destroyed six Russian jets during a drone attack. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

Ukrainian drones attacked a military air base in western Russia in a long-range strike aimed at curbing Moscows ability to hit its territory with guided bombs.

Six jets were destroyed and another eight significantly damaged in the attack on an airfield near Morozovsk in Russias Rostov region situated nearly 186 miles away from Ukraine-controlled territories, according to a Ukrainian person familiar with the joint operation by the countrys security service, SBU, and its military. About 20 Russian servicemen were killed or wounded, the person said, asking not to be identified as the matter is sensitive.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it downed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight including 44 in the Rostov region, without elaborating on any damage. The drones were targeting Morozovsk district, which hosts the airbase, regional governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram. The attack damaged a power substation in the area, temporarily leaving 600 residents without electricity.

Later on Friday, Golubev said, eight Russian investigators at the site near Morozovsk airfield were injured after an explosive device on a downed drone detonated.

The pro-Moscow military blogger Rybar, which has more than 1.2 million subscribers on Telegram, posted about the airbase attack, but said no jets were damaged. Aside from Morozovsk, Russian air defense also downed Ukrainian drones headed toward airbases in Yeysk, Krasnodar region, and Engels, Saratov region, Rybar said.

Ukraine has been trying to offset its lack of air force and long-range weapons by using explosive-laden drones, reaching ever further into Russia. Refineries and airfields used by President Vladimir Putins air force have been frequent targets, though other industrial and military sites have been struck as well.

While Russia has made regular use of guided bombs against Ukraines frontline troops, it also recently stepped up attacks with the highly destructive weapon against the countrys second-largest city, Kharkiv.
An Israeli soldier carries artillery shells at a staging area in Sderot, Israel, in November 2023. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

Calls for an international arms embargo on Israel gained backing from Algeria to Vietnam in a vote at the United Nations top human rights body Friday, adding to a movement that has seen several European nations pause the sale of weapons and key U.S. allies such as Britain and France debate it.

But so far, the movement lacks the clear support of two countries that supply almost all imported weapons to Israel: the United States and Germany. Both voted against the nonbinding resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council this week.

The United States and Germany supply roughly 99 percent of all arms imported to Israel, according to an analysis published in March by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

By SIPRIs estimates, Israel imported 69 percent of its arms from the United States and 30 percent from Germany from 2019 to 2023. Thats partly a reflection of where arms manufacturers are located but also a result of government policy. U.S. aid to Israel comes largely in the form of grants for use on U.S.-made military equipment. The German government, meanwhile, has made export approval of German-made arms for Israel a priority.

Both President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expedited arms shipments for Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks on the country that left 1,200 dead.

The United States is the key to arms restrictions having any significant impact on Israeli policy, said Seth Binder, an expert at the Project on Middle East Democracy.

There are signs that leverage can work. During a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Biden told the Israeli leader that there needed to be specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, the White House said in a statement.

Only hours later, Israels war cabinet announced new measures to allow more aid into Gaza, including the opening of the Erez border crossing, a move humanitarian groups had requested for months. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he hoped that was a sign that the Biden administration had indicated it was serious about potentially curtailing support for Israel.

The goal is not to stop all arms transfers. The goal is to use the leverage of arms transfers to enforce our legitimate demands, Van Hollen said in an interview.

We went through a period where the Netanyahu government ignored the demands of the United States, and we sent 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, he added. I hope were now at a point where we are not providing a blank check.

Others say the United States should go beyond threats. In a letter released Thursday, the Elders, a group of 12 global rights leaders chaired by former U.N. high commissioner for human rights Mary Robinson, said the United States should spearhead an arms embargo.

As Israels closest ally and its largest provider of arms, the United States of America must lead the way, the groups statement said.

More than 160 humanitarian organizations and rights groups have signed on to a call for an arms embargo, first issued Jan. 24. New signatories joined after Israeli airstrikes killed seven members of a World Central Kitchen aid convoy Monday, highlighting the dangers of humanitarian operations in Gaza.

National and regional governments in Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have suspended arms sales to Israel, citing concerns about international humanitarian law. The Japanese firm Itochu announced in February that it would end its partnership with a major Israeli defense contractor in response to a ruling by the International Court of Justice.

In Denmark, human rights groups last month sued the government to block the export of weapons and other military equipment to Israel, while French lawmakers wrote to President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to demand a similar move.

Among the strongest reactions has been in Britain, a key ally of both Israel and the United States. There, the deaths of three British citizens in the strike on the World Central Kitchen workers have stoked public outrage. More than 800 legal experts wrote to the government this week to say that the country needed to halt arms exports to Israel to avoid complicity in grave breaches of international law.

Enough, read Thursdays front page of the Independent, which said it was time to do whatever it takes to stop the war.

Fridays resolution at the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council passed by a vote of 28 to 6, with 13 abstentions. As a nonbinding resolution, however, it is unlikely to have practical impact on arms sales to Israel.

The United Nations can impose mandatory arms embargoes on nations through a Security Council vote, as it did on apartheid-era South Africa. However, the United States holds veto power. As a result, there is almost no chance of a U.N. arms embargo against Israel, said Jennifer L. Erickson, an arms-control scholar at Boston College.

Erickson added that the European Union could implement a bloc-wide arms embargo, as it has done in other cases. But this would still in practice require the consensus of all the E.U. member states, Erickson said - meaning Germany would have to agree.

The United States has been the most significant supporter of Israels military by far, providing billions of dollars of aid annually. Most of it falls under the Foreign Military Financing program, which provides grants to purchase U.S. military goods and services.

German arms exports to Israel surged tenfold last year compared with 2022, hitting $354 million. Of that, roughly $22 million was offensive weapons, including 3,000 portable antitank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition for machine guns, submachine guns, or other fully automatic or semiautomatic firearms. Most exports were approved after Oct. 7.

The German governments unflinching support is based on the notion that Israels security and right to exist are part of Germanys historical responsibility and reason of state, a formulation first used by Angela Merkel in 2008.

I think with that declaration in 2008, Germany really put itself into a straitjacket and sort of voluntarily gave away its options, said Daniel Marwecki, author of Germany and Israel: Whitewashing and Statebuilding.

Unlike the United States, Germany is a party to the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which could prohibit the sale of certain arms to Israel if there was a risk they could be used to break international humanitarian law. Domestic law could provide an additional constraint. On Friday, human rights lawyers in Germany filed an urgent court appeal, demanding that the government cease authorization of war weapons for Israel, in accordance with the countrys War Weapons Control Act.

Amanda Klasing, director of advocacy at Amnesty International USA, said her organization is trying to make the case to the U.S. government that its arms shipments to Israel are violating international obligations. There is enough evidence to leverage existing law and policy to suspend arms transfers, she said. Ultimately, it is a political choice to keep sending arms.

The United States has supplied Israel with numerous shipments of heavy weaponry that has been used in Gaza since Oct. 7, including heavy bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munition systems that can be fitted to turn them into guided weapons.

The United States used an emergency provision to rush 155mm artillery ammunition to Israel in December, said Binder of the Project on Middle East Democracy. If Israel did not receive a resupply of these shells, it could not have conducted operations in the same way.

The State Department authorized the transfer of 25 F-35A fighter jets and engines last month. A judge in the Netherlands recently ruled that there was a clear risk that serious violations of humanitarian law of war would be committed by F-35s used by Israel and blocked the export of parts for the jets.

White House national security adviser John Kirby told reporters this week that the State Department was continuing to review Israeli actions in Gaza but that officials havent found an incident yet that has pointed to a violation of international humanitarian law.

The State Department and the Department of Defense both have mechanisms for assessing whether U.S. arms are being used to breach law, the former of which was put in place by the Biden administration last year.

In February, Biden issued a national security memorandum that expanded upon those rules, adding an annual report to Congress about whether recipients of U.S. arms are meeting the standards. Nonprofit organizations that track the use of U.S. arms in Israel have said the process has been burdensome and unclear.

Ellen Francis contributed to this report.
The hospital ship USNS Mercy returns to its homeport at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego in February after completing a deployment in the Pacific. (Megan Alexander/Navy)

WASHINGTON  A group of Democrats in the Senate is urging President Joe Biden to consider deploying two Navy hospital ships to provide medical aid to the devastated Gaza Strip.

The senators are proposing the U.S. send the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as part of a ramped up effort to supply desperately needed medicine and medical equipment to civilians in the war zone.

The two Navy ships would provide 2,000 hospital beds as the territory faces famine and a lack of functioning hospitals due to Israels fight against Hamas militants.

The crisis on the ground has only worsened after Israeli raids on hospitals, and continued fighting has created fuel shortages that put hospitals out of commission, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Biden. Doctors now worry that their only options are displacement, detention or death.

Five senators signed the letter, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont.

src="https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/24534200-20240403-letter-to-president-biden-re-step-one-of-operation-gaza-relief/?embed=1&responsive=1&title=1" title="2024.04.03 Letter to President Biden re step one of Operation Gaza Relief (Hosted by DocumentCloud)" width="700" height="905" style="border: 1px solid #aaa; width: 100%; height: 800px; height: calc(100vh - 100px);" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-forms allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox" > They stressed the U.S. could do much more to help people suffering in Gaza and said the Biden administration needs to use all available resources to drastically increase humanitarian support. Americans who fled Gaza as well as medical personnel who worked there have described dire medical conditions, even by the standards of war-ravaged regions, according to the letter. Medical staff are treating patients on floors instead of beds and one doctor was forced to amputate his nieces leg at home without anesthesia after she was hit by an Israeli tank. One woman gave birth in a latrine by her tent while another gave birth in the streets amid rubble. Sixteen of the 22 health centers operated by the United Nations are no longer operational and the last remaining hospitals do not have the medicines and supplies needed to be considered fully operational, according to the letter. No hospitals have the capacity to provide critical trauma care. The senators said Biden should mobilize airlifts of medicine and medical equipment directly to the remaining functional hospitals in Gaza and work with allies to establish additional field hospitals. The U.S. has recently helped fund one field hospital in Rafah and there is room to expand on that progress, they wrote, referring to a facility set up in the southern Gaza Strip. Norfolk, Va. (December 21, 2022) - USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) returns home to Naval Station Norfolk after completing ship support for Continuing Promise 2022, Dec.21, 2022. Continuing Promise 2022, a joint, multi-national military and civilian effort, provided humanitarian assistance to partner nations in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility by providing medical care to people in need. ( Ryan Carter/Navy ) The senators said the U.S. also needed to seek assurances from the Israeli government that it will protect medical infrastructure and personnel. The World Health Organization has documented 410 attacks on health care in Gaza since October that have killed nearly 700 people and damaged nearly 100 facilities. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas-led raid into southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of nearly 250 others. The war in Gaza has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the enclave, according to Gazan health authorities. A sea change is desperately needed, senators said. It is critical that the United States leverage its unique capabilities to urgently and dramatically ramp up medical support to the people of Gaza. The U.S. military is heavily involved in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza through ongoing air drops of meals and the construction of a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to provide food and other supplies. The pier is expected to be completed within weeks. shkolnikova.svetlana@stripes.com Twitter: @svetashko

Svetlana Shkolnikova Svetlana Shkolnikova Svetlana Shkolnikova covers Congress for Stars and Stripes. She previously worked with the House Foreign Affairs Committee as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow and spent four years as a general assignment reporter for The Record newspaper in New Jersey and the USA Today Network. A native of Belarus, she has also reported from Moscow, Russia.

related stories 2 US ships in Mediterranean as Pentagon sticks to timeline for Gaza aid corridor

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The MV Roy Benavidez gets underway March 21, 2024, from Newport News, Va., heading to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to support the humanitarian response mission in Gaza. (Ryan Carter/Navy)

NAPLES, Italy  Two U.S. military ships carrying the supplies needed to build a humanitarian aid corridor off Gazas shore are moving closer to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, as the Pentagon works with aid groups to begin deliveries as early as the end of this month.

The logistics vessel USAV General Frank Besson entered the Mediterranean on Wednesday, U.S. European Command said in an email to Stars and Stripes.

The ship, which left the U.S. on March 9, is carrying supplies to build an 1,800-foot-long causeway that would work in tandem with a floating Navy-built and operated dock. The structure would deliver as many as 2 million meals daily into Gaza, EUCOM said.

USAV General Frank S. Besson, an Army logistics ship, headed eastbound near Gibraltar April 3, 2024, towards the eastern Mediterranean. (X/Michael J. Sanchez)

MV Roy P. Benavidez, assigned to the Military Sealift Command and carrying modular pieces for the pier system, was traveling south of the Italian island of Sardinia on April 1, according to a USNI News fleet tracker published the same day.

Full operational capability of the dock and causeway was expected by the end of April or early May, matching the 60-day estimate announced in March, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Defense Department, told reporters Thursday at a Pentagon briefing.

The DOD still was working with the U.S. Agency for International Development and other groups to finalize the details on how the food would be received and distributed, Ryder said.

USAV General Frank S. Besson, an Army logistics ship, prepares to depart Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., March 9, 2024, en route to the eastern Mediterranean, less than 36 hours after President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza by sea. (U.S. Central Command)

An April 1 Israeli airstrike that killed seven humanitarian workers and resulted in some aid agencies suspending their operations in Gaza hasnt made the job easier, Ryder said Thursday.

But that has not deterred us from continuing to work with groups and (non-governmental organizations) to come up with solutions, he said.

Four other Army ships  USAVs Monterrey, Matamoros, SP4 James A. Loux and Wilson Wharf  still are en route, EUCOM said.

On Friday, those vessels were at port in the Canary Islands, Gibraltar-based ship watcher Michael Sanchez said. He estimated, based on a relatively slow speed, the ships could travel the 680 nautical miles to the the Strait of Gibraltar in as little as three days.

Military Sealift Command ships USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez and USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo still were in the U.S., loading supplies and equipment for the Navy dock on April 1, according to the USNI report.

The Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore project includes a large floating dock to be built by the Navy about 3 miles off the Gaza shore. Cargo would be transported from the dock by Navy ferries to the Army causeway, according to a DOD statement on March 20.

No U.S. service members would be on the ground in Gaza. Israel would provide security on shore, Ryder said.

The construction is expected to take several weeks to build and test before cargo moves ashore, according to EUCOM.

U.S. Central Command would continue to provide meals and water via air drops to Gaza in coordination with partner organizations and nations, unless directed otherwise.

Also on Thursday, the National Security Council announced in a statement that Israel had agreed to open the port of Ashdod and the crossing at Erez to facilitate the distribution of aid into Gaza. Ashdod is about 23 miles north of Erez.
Mikhail Robin Wicker, 37, faces charges that he defrauded the government of about $100,000 in benefits after he claimed he was a highly decorated Marine Corps veteran, Purple Heart recipient and prisoner of war in Iraq, according to an indictment filed April 2, 2024, in a Minneapolis district court. (File)

Mikhail Robin Wicker purportedly spent more than a decade telling the people of Dilworth, Minn., that he once served in a Marine Corps unit that suffered one of the highest casualty rates of the Iraq War.

Federal prosecutors say he lied to Dilworth and to the federal government, to the tune of about $100,000 in veterans benefits.

Wicker, 37, never served in the military, according to an indictment filed Tuesday in a Minneapolis district court.

Prosecutors charged Wicker with theft of government funds, wire fraud and providing a false military discharge certificate. He also faces a charge of false use of military medals after fabricating a Purple Heart certificate, an honor given to troops killed or injured by enemy action.

Wicker received health care benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs as part of a scheme that ran from 2015 to 2020 in which he said he suffered from PTSD from his service and from injuries to his shoulder, knee and wrist related to a roadside bomb blast, prosecutors said.

The government accuses Wicker of submitting forged documents, including the fraudulent Purple Heart certificate, in 2016 as part of his disability benefits application.

After receiving about $1,000 a month for disabilities, Wicker applied for education benefits and used them to attend a nearby university, court documents said.

Wicker, who lived in the town of 4,600 people in northwest Minnesota, told people he had been a highly decorated prisoner of war from his time with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, according to the court complaint.

Forty-six Marines and two Navy corpsmen serving with 3rd Battalion in Iraq were killed during a roughly nine-month activation in 2005, according to They Called us Lucky, a book written in 2021 by Arizona congressman Ruben Gallego, who served in the regiment as a lance corporal.

Wicker made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday. A jury trial is scheduled for June 10.
As many European countries attempt to diversify professions and age groups, Vietnamese laborers are shifting direction in the context of traditional markets losing their appeal.

Intending to work abroad in his final year of college, Bui Phan Hoai Vu, 24, decided to choose Germany after exploring various markets two years ago.

Vu said countries that have long attracted Vietnamese workers like Japan and South Korea are no longer appealing, while the procedures are too complicated.

"I chose to go to Germany, with the initial cost of VND150 million (US$6,250), which is equivalent to other countries," he said.

Besides the nursing profession deployed by the Overseas Labor Management Bureau under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, no company has been licensed to send workers to Germany.

Therefore, Vu chose to study culinary arts, with 70% of the time spent practicing at restaurants, and the rest attending school without any fees.

The total weekly time for learning and practicing is not more than 40 hours. The monthly wage working at the restaurant is 1,000 euros (US$1,084).

After paying taxes, social insurance, Vu receives 800 euros. Deducting food and accommodation costs of 500 euros, he still manages to save some money. Every month, he sends VND3-5 million ($120-200) back to his family in Vietnam.

Vu said compared to the minimum monthly wage of 2,400-2,600 euros in Germany, the income of vocational study workers is quite low.

"However, this period only lasts for two years. Upon graduation, with a diploma, I will become an official worker, enjoying a much higher salary," said Vu.

Instead of taking the vocational study route to find work opportunities in Germany like Vu, many choose European countries that have official labor recruitment cooperation with Vietnam such as Russia, Romania, Poland, and Hungary to work.

Nguyen Duc Nam, Chairman of Sona International Manpower Supply & Trading JSC, said that the traditional markets of his company are Japan and South Korea. However, for several years now, the company has been seeking contracts in Europe.

"While Japan limits the age for laborers and procedures to go to work in South Korea are complicated, some European countries like Romania are quite easy-going," he said. "General laborers, without high skill requirements, just need to be of eligible age and in good health to have opportunities."

Workers join a metal cutting and welding practice class organized by Sona International Manpower Supply & Trading JSC to get ready for working in Lithuania and Rumania. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong

Each year, the company sends 200-300 workers to several European countries. The salary depends on the profession. The cost of sending workers abroad is not more than one month's salary under the contract for each year of work, excluding language and vocational training fees, he added.

Nguyen Thi Huong, who oversees recruitment at Traco labor export company in HCMC, said that in the past 2-3 years, workers have tended to look for jobs in Europe instead of Japan.

"The reason is the deep depreciation of the yen, and the costs in Japan are increasing. Meanwhile, many European countries are thirsty for manpower, so the policy to attract immigrant workers has changed a lot," Huong said.

For example, to attract skilled labor, the German government has made it possible for foreigners to be naturalized after only five years, instead of eight as before.

At the same time, foreigners also enjoy equal work and welfare benefits as locals. For Vietnam, the labor ministries of the two countries signed an MOU in labor and employment in January, opening even more cooperation opportunities.

According to the Overseas Labor Management Department, some Vietnamese companies are sending workers to more than 10 European countries. Depending on the needs of the host country, workers will have different jobs and salaries. Currently, Romania is the country that receives the most Vietnamese workers with over 4,000 people, 90% of whom work in the construction and industrial sectors.

The lowest salary for general workers is $650 per month, and for those with skills, $800-1,000.

Companies in Russia have demands to recruit factory workers, food processors, and industrial machine operators, with the average monthly income at $500-700 for laborers to work eight hours per day and 22 days per month, excluding overtime.

Similarly, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland also need skilled general workers in the industrial and agricultural sectors. The basic salary ranges from $500-750 per month.

For the European market, most workers are provided with accommodation and travel expenses. Round-trip flight tickets at the beginning and end of the contract are covered by the employers.

Contracts last for two or three years and can be extended.

Nguyen Nhu Tuan, Deputy Director of the Information and Communication Department of the Overseas Labor Management Department, believes that Europe is an attractive destination for Vietnamese workers thanks to its modern living environment, good income and working conditions, and the possibility to stay and work for a relatively long time.

"However, when working in Europe, workers will face issues like colder weather, less work in winter, and larger cultural differences compared to Asian markets," Tuan said."In addition, Vietnamese must compete with workers from other countries within the European region, as well as workers from developing countries at the same level."

Tuan added that companies sending workers to work in Europe are facing a major challenge of workers running away to a third country. Therefore, the selection of labor for export must be very strict.

"Conversely, workers wanting to go to Europe easily turn to intermediary groups and brokers with big promises, and are easily deceived," Tuan added.
The case against Ayo Egbon (37) was further adjourned for DPP directions when he appeared in Dublin District Court

AN alleged money launderer had the proceeds of a romance fraud totalling more than 255,000 in a bank account, it has been alleged .

The case against Ayo Egbon (37) was further adjourned for DPP directions when he appeared in Dublin District Court.

Mr Egbon, with an address at Broomhill House, Swords Road, Dublin is charged with a money laundering offence.

He is accused of acquiring, possessing, using, or converting 255,472, allegedly in a Permanent TSB account in his name, knowing or reckless to it being proceeds of crime, between February 2017 and February 2020.

The accused was charged in February this year following a Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) investigation.

When Mr Egbon came back before Dublin District Court today, Judge Gerard Jones asked the prosecuting garda for a summary of the case.

The court heard it was alleged the accused laundered 255,000 into his Permanent TSB account, the proceeds of a romance fraud. The alleged injured party was in Finland, the garda said.

The accused had lost his job because of the case and was now training to be a truck driver, his barrister Kevin McCrave said. Mr Egbon was signing on at a garda station as part of his bail conditions and the judge reduced this requirement to once weekly, at Mr McCraves request.

He had been granted bail at his first court appearance in February. Under conditions, he had to surrender his passport, reside at the address given, and not to go on any internet dating or matchmaking sites.

He was warned not to apply for alternative travel documents. He was granted free legal aid following a defence application.

The accused has not yet entered a plea to the charge which is under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

The DPP has not directed yet whether the case can be dealt with at district court level or will have to be sent to the circuit court, which has tougher potential sentencing powers on conviction.

The maximum potential sentences on the charge are one year in the district court and 14 years in the circuit court.
Peter Dube had gone on the run in 2021 after allegedly gunning down his second wife, her suspected lover and a female friend.

Peter Dube is led away after his arrest

An alleged on-the-run killer who had been living in Ireland under an assumed name has denied all charges after appearing in court in Zimbabwe.

Peter Dube was formally charged in court yesterday in connection with an alleged love triangle murder on April 22, 2021 which sent shockwaves across the African country.

The former car dealer was accused of two counts of murder and two of attempted murder amid heavy security as he appeared before the Gweru Magistrates Court today.

After the murders, Dube went on the run to South Africa before making his way to Europe.

He was ultimately discovered living under the assumed name, Xolile Mtsali, in a West Dublin.

The African businessman had been housed at an asylum centre in West Dublin when arrested by gardai on June 14 last year.

Yesterday, Dube denied all the charges during his first appearance in court.

During the brief hearing, Dube was told he was have to apply to the High Court if he was looking for bail .

He was remanded in custody until April 17 for a further court appearance.

According to allegations presented in court, Dube is said to have fatally shot Shelton Chiduku on April 22, 2021, at Bensam Flats along Main Street in Gweru.

Peter Dube is led away after his arrest

It is claimed the fatal shooting occurred after Dube accused Shelton Chiduku of having an affair with his wife, Nyasha Nharingo.

After allegedly gunning down Shelton Chiduku, Dube allegedly also shot dead his wifes best friend, Gamuchirai Mudungwe.

He is also alleged to have shot his wife Nyasha Nharingo and her sister Nyaradzo Nharingo who both survived.

Nyasha Nharingo sustained a gunshot wound to her right cheek, with the bullet causing further damage as it travelled through her neck and shoulder.

Similarly, Nyaradzo Nharingo, Dubes sister-in-law, survived the ordeal after being treated for injuries sustained above her left ear, which resulted in the loss of her left eye.

After the shooting, Dube is believed to have fled to neighbouring South Africa before relocating to Eswatini.

Local media has reported that while in Eswatini, Dube changed his identity to Xolile Mtsali before travelling to Ireland where he sought asylum.

His luck ran out while he was in Ireland and he was arrested in June this year for violating that countrys immigration laws, Zimbabwean.com reported last year.

Dube was then deported to Mozambique by Irish officials after he claimed that he was a Mozambican using identity and travel documents with the false name Armando Quenete Muchanga.

However, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, together with Interpol, discovered he had faked his identity, and he was later arrested in that country.

This week, Dube was flown back to Zimbabwe, having been deported from Mozambique for falsifying national identity and passport documents, where he is facing charges of murder, attempted murder, and violating immigration laws.

He was immediately arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and placed in handcuffs in what was described as a significant breakthrough in the case, according to local media reports.

Peter Dube has not been extradited but has been deported from Mozambique due to fake identity and travel documents so these are the facts on the ground, Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told local media.

The African businessman who had entered Ireland under the alias Xolile Mtsali had been housed at an asylum centre in West Dublin when arrested by gardai on June 14 last year.
Customs officers discovered the drugs when Daljeet Singh (52) was stopped for a routine check at the port on Wednesday, a court heard

A UK delivery driver was found with 1.1 million worth of cannabis concealed in cardboard boxes in the back of a van after arriving in Dublin Port on a ferry, it is alleged.

Customs officers discovered the drugs when Daljeet Singh (52) was stopped for a routine check at the port on Wednesday, a court heard.

He was remanded in custody when no bail application was made on his behalf today.

Mr Singh, of New Birmingham Road, Oldbury, England is charged with possession of cannabis with intent to sell or supply.

Garda Stephen Flynn told Dublin District Court he arrested the accused at New Custom House, Dublin Port on April 3 and brought him to Store Street station.

The accused was detained under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act and his detention was extended twice before he was charged last night.

Mr Singh made no reply after caution and was handed copies of the charge sheets, Gda Flynn said.

Judge Gerard Jones asked the garda for an outline of the allegations.

Gda Flynn said the accused, an English national, arrived into the port in his own commercial Mercedes van on Wednesday.

He was stopped by customs officers for a routine check and in the course of this, 55kg of cannabis herb was allegedly found concealed in cardboard boxes in the back of the van.

The cannabis had a value of approximately 1.1 million, the garda said. The accused was on his own in the van at the time.

Defence solicitor Michael French said Mr Singh was not making a bail application at this time but said he would notify the prosecution in advance of any future application.

Applying for free legal aid, Mr French said the accused was a delivery driver earning 300 per week and was not a man of means. The judge granted legal aid after hearing there were no garda objections.

Gda Flynn said he was satisfied with the accuseds identity and the address he had given.

Mr Singh was not required to speak during the brief hearing and has not yet indicated how he intends to plead.
Gardai are clamping down on drug dealers on electric motorbikes

Dublin gardai have arrested a youth after drugs and cash were seized in an overnight operation.

Eight individuals were detained in total during the ongoing clampdown into motorbike drug dealing on the north side of the city.

A garda spokesperson said: Two electric motorcycles seized by Gardai from Ballymun as part of ongoing policing efforts targeting anti-social behaviour at a local community facility in Ballymun.

During the operation, eight individuals were also detained for drug searches, resulting in the seizure of quantities of cocaine, heroin, and cannabis herb, along with a sum of cash.

Additionally, two stolen bicycles and an electric scooter were recovered.

One male youth was subsequently arrested under the Misuse of Drugs Acts and charged.

One social media user responded: Thank you for your service! If you could, please come and take a look in D1 Summerhill. Plenty of them every single day!

This follows on from a similar operation in Finglas on Wednesday which saw two youths arrested after a scrambler chase across a park and the recovery of 80,000 worth of Xanax.

"Of course, the lads tried to discard the bag when they saw our car, gardai said.

"We blocked their exit with a unit on standby on the opposite side of the park.

A garda statement to sum up the week on friday said:

"It's been busy week in Dublin.

We've yielded results in 20 separate operations across the city targeting serious crime and the supply of illegal drugs.

Ten firearms and drugs worth over 5million, some of which are photographed here have been seized.

Seized handgun

Seven of these ten firearms were seized yesterday in the Clondalkin area along with cannabis and cocaine with a combined estimated value of 200,000 and 100,000 in cash.

On the same day, during a search of a vehicle on Beresford Street, Dublin 7, Gardai attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team seized cannabis worth an estimated 200,000.

Two males in their 30s were arrested at the scene.

A subsequent search of a residence in Finglas led to the seizure of cannabis to the value of 300,000, and a male in his late 20s was arrested.

Another follow-up search at a business premises in Dublin 12 on Tuesday resulted in the recovery of cannabis herb and cocaine with a value of 3million.

We do this work day in day out to save lives and keep communities safe from crime.

Those same efforts will long continue and we will never be deterred from rattling the criminal networks that try to operate in our communities.
The Dutch hotel worker says the fact that she had contact with a major drugs trafficking figure wanted by the US is bizarre.

A hotel worker who received glowing praise from Dapper Don Christy Kinahan on a Google review has said: "I think I impressed him more than he impressed me.

Last week, an investigation by the Sunday Times and Bellingcat revealed how Christy Kinahan snr left a digital footprint as he travelled across the globe posing as an aviation broker.

They detailed how he had been using a Google Reviews profile with the alias Christopher Vincent to post images and comments on the places he had visited.

Christy Kinahan Snr tweeted in support of Putin

Despite being a high-profile target for international police forces across the globe, Kinahan regularly left reviews of restaurants, cafes and hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The drug traffickers comments included a glowing review of a hotel in Breda in the Netherlands in 2022 where he praised the service he received from a staff member, called Barbra.

He wrote how he was leaving a special mention of Barbara because she was extremely helpful, efficient and professional.

Now the Dutch news organisation, RTL News, has tracked down the hotel worker and asked her about her dealings with the Dublin crime godfather.

Barbara says the fact that she had contact with a major drugs trafficking figure wanted by the US is bizarre.

However, she says does not remember Kinahan and she had no idea who he was at the time.

"I think I impressed him more than he impressed me. I have already welcomed and entertained thousands of different guests in my work. I am happy that this guest was also satisfied, she says.

During the investigation, it was revealed how Kinahan has been leaving Google reviews on establishments, which coincide with his reported movements.

Some reviews even show a reflection of what appears to be Kinahan Sr himself, according to the in-depth study.

This is all in spite of a $15 million bounty from the US Government for any information leading to his arrest, a joint investigation by investigative journalism group Bellingcat and The Sunday Times revealed this weekend.

Some of the reviews left by Kinahan Sr are short, with one example left for a restaurant in Istanbul in August 2022: The restaurant is chic and plush, the service was good but not outstanding.

Comments relating to business networking conferences in Zimbabwe, watching sunsets and discussing business in South Africa were also left, revealing some of his activities.

Posters targeting Christy Kinahan and his two sons Daniel and Christy Jr

The investigation stresses that no reviews outside of the UAE have been posted online since the US issued a wanted notice for Kinahan Sr in April, 2022.

Some of the reviews up to that point appear to show his reflection in windows or mirrors with reviews posted from the profile.

The investigation revealed that one review from the account left for The Cycle Bistro Jumeirah in Dubai saying the staff were pleasant and helpful led to the discovery of an online photograph of him and his son Christopher Jr.

In 2021, the Sunday World revealed how Kinahan snr was prolific user of LinkedIn and Twitter under the name of 'Christopher Vincent'.

He was using the name to control a network of companies and drum-up new business in the UAE, where he described himself as a 'senior consultant' involved in aviation.

'Dapper Don' Christy Kinahan Sr

Kinahan snr also regularly used the social media accounts to support pro-Russian propaganda and anti-vax theories.

Amongst his many enemies were the 'mainstream media', 'big pharma' and US President Joe Biden, while TD Clare Daly, actor Russell Brand and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin are held out as shining lights.

In a Twitter posting, under the handle of @CVBizbroker, the 'Dapper Don' wrote: "I must say that #VladimirPutin puts up an absolutely compelling and coherent argument. It hasn't changed would be that some of our leaders would show themselves to be erudite and well educated in #statecraft #russia #ukraine #nato.

He regularly posted theories about Joe Biden's son, Hunter, as well anti-vax, fringe theories on the Ukrainian war and media "disinformation."

He writes: "I am not claiming that they are right or wrong. I am saying that we have been too quick to accept propaganda aimed at Russia rather than inspect the facts. Nobody it would seem has a franchise on the truth."

Christy Kinahan Snr was also not a fan of the US President.

He also has repeatedly posted about Joe Biden's son, Hunter, and the allegations made against him.

"The Hunter Biden laptop story is gathering traction, with Joe Biden on record as having said that the story is "untrue". We cannot say that Biden2020 was elected on a lie, but it's fair to say Joe Biden was elected having told lies."

The infamous mob boss also took to social media to launch an extensive defence of Dublin MEP Clare Daly after she blasted the EU and NATO for their supplying weapons to Ukraine.

"She has said it all and I totally agree with her assessment."
Because they work within the walls of our prisons, the wider community dont get to see first-hand the vital job prison officers do.

OVER 130 new prison officers graduated this week after completing a Higher Certificate in Custodial Care.

The officers, 133 in total, have already been placed in prisons across the system as well as the Irish Prison Service Escort Corp and Operational Support Group.

Speaking at the groups graduation ceremony, Justice Minister Helen McEnee said: "I am honoured to congratulate our graduates for reaching this milestone and to thank them for their commitment.

Over the course of their training, they will have gained the knowledge and skills to carry out their work in a professional and meaningful way, and to show patience, compassion, and strength under challenging circumstances.

Because they work within the walls of our prisons, the wider community dont get to see first-hand the vital job prison officers do.

Helen McEntee with the graduates

But they are the front line of a system that makes our communities safer, not just through providing secure custody in our prisons, but also by providing the care and rehabilitation that often vulnerable people in custody need to be able to make the right choices and lead meaningful lives when they are released.

Director General of the Irish Prison Service Caron McCaffrey echoed the Ministers comments stating: Prison officers play a vital security role while also serving as catalysts for positive change, guiding individuals in custody towards rehabilitation.

Together, we envision a safer community through excellence in a prison service built on respect for human dignity.

The graduation ceremony occurred as it was also confirmed this week that a sum of 93million has been allocated by Government to create an additional 670 prison spaces.

Of the 93 million funding allocation, 49.5 million is being allocated to the Irish Prison Service between this year and 2026 to further increase prison capacity and address current capacity constraints in the prison estate.

Preparatory work is to commence this year on four projects in Cloverhill, Castlerea, Midlands and Mountjoy prisons, with construction expected to start on a phased basis between 2025 and 2027.

The Department of Justice said the Irish Prison Service is also currently advancing a number of short term projects which separately have the potential to provide an additional 95 spaces in 2024.
The fund is trying to raise money to help Sarahs family with expenses

Friends of beloved bartender Sarah McNally who was murdered in New York have set up an appeal to help the family of the Longford woman.

The GoFundMe appeal was launched ahead of her funeral in Ireland on Monday.

Marcin Pieciak (36) of 76th Street in Glendale, Queens, has been charged with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree after the stabbing last weekend.

The GoFundMe page states: We are fundraising for the funeral and associated costs for the family of Sarah McNally. Sarah was a beloved bartender from Queens, who was taken from us far too soon.

"We hope to support Sarahs family in Ireland and raise funds in honor of her memory here in New York.

"Everyone that knew Sarah knows how special and kind she was, how she would remember the little things about each and every person that she met.

The appeal refers to how Sarah was so beloved by her Ceili House family and the locals in the neighbourhood where she lived.

Sarah McNally

We hope to raise funds to support her family in their time of grief and show them how deeply loved she is by her New York Family, the appeal adds.

All funds will be sent directly to her Mam, Dorrie OConnor.

Details about a memorial mass will follow, the page concludes.

Pieciak remains in hospital suffering from his own stab wounds, which witnesses said he inflicted on himself after attacking McNally.

Both were rushed to a hospital after the horror incident, with McNally succumbing to her wounds before she arrived.

Queens Criminal Court Judge Julieta Lozano has ordered the defendant to appear in court today.

Ms McNally will be reposing at Glennon's Funeral Home, Ballinalee Road on Sunday, April 7 from 5pm concluding with prayers at 8pm. Mass of The Resurrection at 11am on Monday in St.Mel's Cathedral will be followed by a private cremation .

On her death notice on RIP.ie, it states that the death has occurred of Sarah McNally of New York & Longford Town, Longford who (died) tragically on March 30.

"Sadly missed and remembered with love by her family, her loving mother Dorrie, dear father Des, grandmother Kathleen OConnor, aunts, uncles, relatives, extended family and a wide circle of friends in Longford and New York, the notice reads.

McNally had moved to New York a decade ago and had been living with her boyfriend for several months at the time of her murder.

While reports suggested there had been no history of domestic violence, the New York Daily News revealed that Pieciak had previously been arrested for domestic violence.

Funeral details are expected to be announced later today.

The fundraiser can be found here.
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Julieta Valls Noyes recently traveled to Ethiopia and Chad where she met with senior government officials, humanitarian leaders, and refugees to discuss the growing humanitarian and migration crises in both Central and Eastern Africa.

During her meeting with Chads Prime Minister Succes Masra, Assistant Secretary Noyes announced more than $47 million in humanitarian assistance for Sudan and neighboring countries:

That amount of money brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for people in Sudan and neighboring countries to more than $968 million since last fiscal year. The United States is the leading humanitarian donor to the Sudan emergency response. Now, we are committed to working with other members of the international community to help alleviate the suffering of over 1 million refugees forced to flee their homes due to violence, with more arriving daily, as I saw during my visit.

Both Ethiopia and Chad are playing essential roles in the Sudan response and broader humanitarian efforts, said Assistant Secretary Noyes:

Since early 2023, Ethiopia has welcomed nearly 50,000 refugees from Sudan. At a time of great instability in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopias support for displaced populations remains absolutely critical. ... The Government of Ethiopia has worked closely with humanitarian actors to establish new refugee sites and provide essential, life-saving aid to the tens of thousands of new refugee arrivals.

Assistant Secretary Noyes expressed the United States deep appreciation for the generosity of the people and the Government of Chad throughout their long history as a refugee host country.

Most recently, Chad has embraced the immense challenge of welcoming over half a million refugees  and over 100,000 returnees  in less than a year. We remain steadfastly committed to supporting vulnerable people in Chad, in particular the over 1.1 million refugees and asylum seekers. U.S.-supported programs ... will support protection, shelter, water and sanitation, education, and more, for refugees, host communities, and others affected by the crisis in Sudan.

Preventing famine and long-term catastrophe in Sudan will require both a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, stressed Assistant Secretary Noyes. We in the United States are committed to work with the governments of Ethiopia and Chad, and with international and local partners, to provide life-saving support to the millions of people affected by the devastating conflict in Sudan.
Well-placed sources say Moyna  found dead in his Belfast home last Saturday  was responsible for up to two dozen murders during the Troubles.

The Nortorious Shankill butcher Lenny Murphy was one of the five UVF gunmen on the ground the day of the Ballymurphy killing

Gerard Hucker Moyna was a member of the IRA and later the IPLO

Well-placed sources say Moyna  found dead in his Belfast home  was responsible for up to two dozen murders during the Troubles.

But despite spending two lengthy terms in prison on either side of the border, he was never charged or convicted of taking a single life.

But as the conflict developed, an open secret emerged in republican and loyalist paramilitary circles in west Belfast.

Even the dogs in the street knew Clonard-born Moyna had gunned down Lenny Murphy, the leader of the notorious Shankill Butchers.

During the mid and late 1970s, Murphy and his UVF gang were responsible for a vicious murder campaign against Catholics that left two dozen dead after being brutally mutilated.

After Murphy was jailed for 12 years for firearms offences, his gang continued their gruesome terror.

The Butchers gang was finally rounded up and jailed just as Murphy was released. But Murphy immediately returned to the murder business.

In response, the IRA leadership hand-picked 25-year-old Hucker to exact revenge on him.

UDA boss Jimmy Craig offered to provide overnight accommodation for the two-man IRA team tasked with taking out Murphy, as part of a plan to save himself from Provo assassination.

Craig knew Murphy had a girlfriend living in the staunchly loyalist Glencairn, whom he visited once a day, although the times varied.

Gerard 'Hucker' Moyna pictured before he died

Moyna was given a Sterling sub-machine-gun  also supplied by Craig  and his accomplice was handed a 9mm pistol. Moyna stepped outside to test-fire the weapon before settling down for the night.

With only one driveable route in and out of Glencairn, Craig also devised a fail-safe plan to alert him that Murphy was on his way.

Hucker and the other IRA man made their way to the dark blue van which had been specially customised with spy holes and other modifications.

Murphy always parked his yellow Rover at the rear of the property.

As he pulled up, the blue van adjusted its position so its back doors faced Murphys car. Suddenly the doors flew open and the two IRA men stepped out brandishing weapons.

Sources close to Moyna say he gave Murphy just enough time to realise he was about to die before pulling the trigger and hitting his target 22 times.

The Shankill Butchers boss was ripped to pieces. Seven bullets hit his head. Others went through his heart, right lung and other vital organs.

Ten years after his serial killing career began, Hugh Leonard Murphy was dead, aged 30.

No tears were shed in Catholic areas of Belfast  and even some loyalists were quietly relieved.

But the biggest smile was on the face of UDA boss Craig. He knew that he had just purchased life-time immunity from IRA assassination.

Following the shooting, the blue van drove to nearby Harmony Bridge which crosses the Forth River. The IRA men parked it sideways, ensuring vehicular access to the bridge was denied, before setting fire to it.

And from there, they made their way on foot to a safe house on the outskirts of Ligoniel.

At the same time, Craig was held captive in a house in the Catholic Clonard district, but was released soon after.

It was obvious Craig wasnt the only party with an insurance policy that day.

Six years later, the UDA executed Craig as he played pool in an east Belfast bar. The loyalist terror group accused him of treason and involvement in the murder of other loyalists, including John McMichael and Lenny Murphy.

The Nortorious Shankill butcher Lenny Murphy was one of the five UVF gunmen on the ground the day of the Ballymurphy killing

Moyna was born in the Clonard district of west Belfast in 1957. His parents Frank and May settled in the area after moving there from his fathers native Mayo. Both were devout Catholics.

His mum May was Hungarian and pictures of Hucker as a youngster reveal traces of his eastern European genes.

Young Hucker loved the close-knit Clonard community. As a 12-year-old in 1969, he witnessed Orange mobs accompanied by RUC officers burning out his friends and neighbours as the Troubles erupted before his eyes. It had a huge impact on him.

Days later, the British army arrived. This, too, conditioned Huckers outlook.

He became totally committed to violent Irish republicanism. While still a schoolboy, he lobbed a live grenade into the back of an army jeep. And when he was old enough, he joined the Provos.

In 1989, Moyna made his first trip to Croke Park to watch his beloved Antrim play in the All-Ireland hurling final.

At a checkpoint on the way back, a British army captain demanded to know Huckers occupation. Im a professional assassin, he replied.

After a lengthy stint behind bars for firearms offences, Moyna parted company with the IRA. He joined the Irish Peoples Liberation Organisation, a breakaway from the INLA.

Hucker even travelled with later-murdered IPLO boss Patrick Sullivan  a former French Foreign Legionaire  on a bungled weapons-buying mission to Paris.

But after handing over 20,000 cash to a French gangster, all they received in return was a van load of childrens toys. Disgusted by the humiliation, Hucker went on a solo drinking spree and ended up broke and sleeping rough on the Parisienne streets.

Further embarrassment was to come when he was flown back to Belfast courtesy of the British Embassy.

Tensions in the IPLO over missing money and guns were rising, and on August 18, 1992, Belfast-born leader, 36-year-old Jimmy Brown, arrived from Dublin in the hope of patching things up.

Unknown to Brown, a friend in the Provos had told Hucker to be careful as he believed Brown planned to take him out. As a precaution, Hucker kept a Webley revolver in his waistband at all times.

After collecting an IPLO associate in Ardoyne, Brown drove his green Ford Orion up the Falls Road, where he spotted Hucker at Clonard Street.

He pulled the car over, rolled the window down and shouted: Hucker, can I have a word with you?

Hucker looked across at Browns car before walking in its direction. But as he drew close, he unzipped his jacket, pulled out the Webley and shot Brown three times in the face.

Browns passenger opened the door and took to his heels. But Moyna calmly replaced the revolver, zipped up his jacket and walked off.

It later emerged Moyna walked into a bar and ordered a pint before heading home for a shower.

Moyna was also a father of four and a well-loved partner, grandfather and great grandfather.

And Hucker was also hugely popular among his many friends and neighbours. His funeral will take place on Thursday in St Pauls Church on the Falls Road.
An Englishman, an Irishman and a Welshman walk into a pub.

No, this is not a joke, but a typical Piarere Young Farmers Club meeting.

The thriving Waikato club has a cosmopolitan membership, a 50/50 male/female ratio, and many non-farmers.

Club chairman Mark Whelan and vice-chair Abbey Thompson laugh that the secret of success is dont talk farming.

Piarere YFC has a footprint stretching from Waharoa to Putaruru, and Piarere to the Kaimai Range.

And yes, club meetings are held at a pub  the Okoroire Hotel. There is a monthly business meeting, where items such as events and fundraising are discussed, and a Monday catch-up over a beer.

YFC caters for those aged 16-31, with the Piarere club boasting about 50 members.

And some wouldnt know what a cow looks like, says Mark.

Membership spans the agri-community, with Piarere YFC including a teacher, a butcher and a racing greyhound owner.

Mark Whelan is a sales consultant for dairy herd improvement specialist CRV, while Abbey Thompson is a Sustainable Dairy Associate with Farm Source.

Along with a strong UK influence in the membership  Mark is originally from Ireland  the United States and South Africa are also represented at Piarere YFC.

It brings people together, says Abbey and Mark.

Mark joined Hamilton-based CRV in 2021 after a stint in the South Island.

I pretty much knew no-one when I came here, he says while speaking to Coast & Country News in Matamata. A friend told me to come along (to Piarere Young Farmers Club).

Mark says he immediately found that he was talking to like-minded people at the club.

He became vice-chairman in 2022 and was elected chair at the clubs annual meeting in November.

Abbey Thompson is a Matamata local, growing up on a family farm.

She joined Young Farmers when studying at Massey University and linked up with the Piarere club in 2021 after returning to Matamata the previous year.

Paintball was a club activity at the time, which got her hooked.

The following year she became Piarere YFC treasurer, assuming the vice-chair role also at the October changeover.

Abbey and Mark say the clubs major annual fundraiser is covering silage stacks and picking up hay.

It helps farmers and is the clubs main source of income.

A non-profit organisation, the club ploughs the money back into activities for members including ten-pin bowling and of course paintball, Piarere YFC tee-shirts.

There are also Waikato/Bay of Plenty YFC interclub events such as netball and dodgeball, along with a composite stock judging/clay bird shooting/fencing competition.

Go-karting is similarly enjoyed with neighbouring clubs.

Adding to the funds, Piarere club members pitch in with their Waikato colleagues in covering a giant silage stack annually at Gordonton.

The most high-profile event on the calendar is the annual Young Farmer of the Year contest, which started in 1969.

For the Piarere club, the path to potential national glory starts with the regional final in Ngatea in April.

Abbey is on the organising committee for this event, while Mark is competing.

The seven regional finalists go on to the coveted national final, hosted in Hamilton for three days in July next year.

Among the past winners is current Waikato MP Tim van de Molen, who claimed the national title in 2013.

Mark and Abbey say Piarere YFC has links to ag-based organsiations such as the Rural Support Trust, DairyNZ, Dairy Womens Network and Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

The club also regularly engages speakers on a variety of topics including legal matters and industry training.

Club membership has doubled in the last 18 months, which they put down to the fun stuff at the heart of Piarere YFC activities.

We keep it pretty light-hearted.

YFC FACTS

New Zealands first Young Farmers clubs were established in Feilding and Auckland (1927)

By 1937 there were 118 clubs across the country.

Many went into recess during World War Two, but by 1948 the number had reached 306.

Also in the late-1940s, a partnership organisation  the Country Girls network - was formed.

In 1972 the two groups combined to become the Federation of Rural Youth.

A year later it became the New Zealand Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and in 2003 it changed again to New Zealand Young Farmers.

At present there are more than 1700 members in 63 clubs around New Zealand.

The nationwide organisation now also includes a TeenAg membership for secondary school students and an NZYF Alumni Network for former members over the age of 31.

The Alumni Network was launched in 2022 as a way for NZYF members to still stay connected with the organisation.

Network members are able to retain a link via mentoring/advising clubs if they need support; by making donations to the organisation; or sharing opportunities with current NZYF members such as internships or jobs associated with the rural sector.
A New Zealand ultra-runner is attempting to become one of just five people to run across America and Australia in their lifetime.

Nick Ashill is planning to run almost 4000km across Australia - starting April 15 - to raise money for the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ.

Ashill says despite having arthritis in his knees and hips, and titanium rods and screws in his right leg and pelvis, he is more motivated than ever to complete this run.

"Every step I take in April, May and June will symbolise the everyday struggles and challenges faced by those living with a respiratory condition.

"Yes, I want to prove to myself that I can complete another cross-country run, but, more importantly, I want people to know about the cause I am running for."

Ashill's run across Australia comes nearly seven years after he was left for dead in a ditch following an incident during a charity run across the United States.

It was on day 81, when Ashill was struck by a vehicle in what appeared to be a deliberate hit-and-run.

After a long and arduous recovery, he returned to the US in mid-2022 to the scene of the hit-and-run to finish the 5400km run that ended so abruptly.

On April 15, Ashill will start his journey at Cottesloe Beach in Perth and will finish at Bondi Beach in Sydney. He estimates it will take him about 70 days.

"I am not an elite runner. I am just an ordinary person wanting to do something extraordinary," Ashill says.

"Running 5400km across the US was not conventional - Australia will be no different, but what drives me is a yearning to help others living with respiratory disease.

"The memory of my mum and the fight she endured every day to breathe is a constant reminder of the importance of the Foundations work."

Ashill lost his mother to the rare lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), in 2015. IPF affects about 3 million people worldwide. There is no cure.

Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says Ashills commitment to honouring his mothers memory by supporting others with respiratory diseases is admirable.

"Losing a loved one is never easy, but Nick continues to show strength and determination in his bid to help others.

"We are grateful for his ongoing support in our mission to help 700,000 Kiwis living with a respiratory condition in New Zealand."

Ashill's run is supported by Friends of the Foundation Silver partner, Comfortech.

To support Nick's incredible effort, visit www.nickrunsaustralia.org.nz
Legal action has been threatened against Kawerau District Council if it introduces fluoride to its water supply - but the council also faces a hefty fine if it doesn't add it.

Mayor Faylene Tunui acknowledged the councils position during the public forum of a recent council meeting, when about 17 people attended to push the anti-fluoridation message.

We really are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The council is one of 14 around the country that has be given a directive from the Director General of Health to add fluoride to the town water supply by July 1.

Tunui said the consequences of not doing so would include a fine of up to $200,000.

Community member Skarlett Starr asked the council to request an extension to the directive from the Director General.

There are people here that are prepared to seek legal recourse should you go ahead in the current situation. You are currently at odds with the law. You have left yourselves grossly exposed to litigation, she said.

Starr and five other speakers had, in December, presented a petition to the council signed by 722 people opposed to having fluoride added to the town water supply.

At last weeks meeting, Starr asked the council to represent their concerns to the Director General of Health and join Nelson, Rotorua Lakes, Whangarei and Horowhenua councils in looking to ask for an extension to the directive.

You need to respect and acknowledge our rights in law to express our request to you to not medicate us against our wishes, she said.

Water fluoridation is an effective, safe and affordable way to prevent and reduce tooth decay, the Ministry of Health website states.

Starr was accompanied by Nelson lawyer Sue Gray, who is known for her campaign against the Government's Covid-19 measures.

Gray spoke about the many obligations on council, including representing the people of their community.

Its not just the one obligation to comply with the Director Generals directive.

She also discussed a High Court decision in November last year, in a case brought by New Health New Zealand. The outcome was that the Director General of Health had been told to take the Bill of Rights Act into account when issuing directives.

Gray said members of the Nelson community opposed to fluoride in drinking water had formed a Clean Water Coalition.

Nelson council had asked the Ministry of Health whether it would provide funding if Clean Water Coalition took council to court and they were given an extension to the directive to consider their options.

Deputy mayor Aaron Rangihika asked whether any groups had actually filed against their councils in court.

I would encourage them to, he said.

Gray said most communities were waiting for the response from the High Court case.

Tunui said the council had received a letter from the Director General of Health in February stating that the directive was still in place.

The council was therefore still legally required to continue to install and commission the required infrastructure and start fluoridating the water supply.

She felt Kawerau ratepayers were not in a position to be able to afford a potential $200,000 fine.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Hes a Filipino, with a Spanish name, who speaks English with an American accent that lives in Papamoa and owns an Italian restaurant. Phew!

And despite living in New Zealand for 30 years  with a mix of cultures flying all about him  its Mark Luceros Filipino roots that will triumph this month at his Pizza Library as he shelves the dough to bring a Boodle Fight for a night.

The origins

A traditional Boodle Fight in the Philippines is where a communal feast is served on banana leaves and eaten without utensils.

Mark says the Boodle Fight was invented in the Philippine Military around World War II.

They didnt have any plates, forks, knives or whatever to carry around.

"So what they did have, they spread on the ground and put all the food they hunted there with rice.

"Usually because they hunted in the forest, they barbecued [meat], and ate communally with their hands.

Thats when the fight for food would begin.

You got a whole bunch of food there and youre hungry, and if youre slow, you lose out.

Camaraderie & cuisine

As part of the Flavours of Plenty Food Festival, Mark and wife Cathy will host a Boodle Fight at their Mount Maunganui Pizza Library.

I think therell be a bit of culture shock, but I dont want to shock people too much, say Mark.

If they want to try eating with their hands, I will have gloves available.

Otherwise people can tuck in with spoon, fork and knife.

Whats traditionally in a Boodle Fight is of course rice, barbecued chicken, seafood, pork  all sorts!

Mark Lucero with a tasty platter of food that is traditionally served in a Boodle Fight. Photo: John Borren.

Marks says the Boodle Fight is about sharing food with others and camaraderie.

Basically what were trying to do is to introduce people to Filipino cooking.

Cook Asian kai

Sharing his food, culture, and Filipino history with people, Mark also wants to introduce people to cooking Asian kai.

A lot of Kiwis love Asian food and they eat Asian foods in restaurants, but they dont know how to cook it themselves.

"And I want to show them how you can cook it really easy.

So Mark will invite people on an Asian food store field trip to get them started.

Ive been all over the world and [Filipino food] is still the best.

"Its my comfort food.

And his favourite thing about his Filipino culture?

Mark says its the peoples hospitality.

When you come into somebodys house we have a greeting called Kumain Ka Na? which literally means Have you eaten?

"If you say  No, not yet  we will feed you to death!

To see what else is on offer in the Flavours of Plenty Festival,

visit: www.flavoursofplentyfestival.com/
The Meat Industry Association says New Zealand exported red meat products worth $932 million during February, with demand from the United States helping to offset the weak Chinese market.

Overall, red meat exports in February were up 10 per cent on the relatively low export value recorded in February 2023, largely due to a rise in sheepmeat and beef exports, particularly to the United States.

Sheepmeat exports increased to nearly all major markets, except for China, where the volume fell by 8 per cent to 19,401 tonnes.

Beef exports increased by 20 per cent overall to 48,431 tonnes.

This was 15 per cent above the average for February exports over the last five years and included a 4 per cent increase to China.

The EU and UK markets saw an increase in both volume and value for beef.

So far this year, New Zealand has exported 998 tonnes of beef to the EU, worth $19.8m, a 38 per cent increase in volume and a 16 per cent increase in value compared with the first two months of last year.

The average free-on-board (FoB) value of beef exports to the EU is $19.83/kg, more than twice the $8.31/kg average for beef exports.

Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says increased export volumes to the US are helping to offset lower demand from China.

In February, the US accounted for nearly the same proportion of overall exports as China  28 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

However, the results from the high-value EU market highlight how the limited quota for beef in the Free Trade Agreement is a real missed opportunity for companies to develop a valuable market to help boost economic returns for the sector and the country.

Sheepmeat

Sheepmeat exports totalled 41,850 tonnes. This was an 18 per cent increase on the low volume exported last February but was still below the average for February exports for the previous five years.

The value of sheepmeat exports increased by 9 per cent, with an increase in the value of exports to most markets. China was the exception with the value of exports dropping by 24 per cent to $101 million.

Volumes to the US increased by 74 per cent to 4262 tonnes with the value up 54 per cent to $68 million, a record monthly volume and near-record value.

While the per kilogram value of exports has dropped from the high levels of last year, it demonstrates that there is still strong demand for sheepmeat in the US, even if cost-of-living pressures mean that consumers may be switching to more affordable cuts.

Sheepmeat to the UK increased 41 per cent by volume to 3316 tonnes and 35 per cent by value to $30m compared to 2023 but this was still only half the $59 million achieved in February 2022.

Beef

Beef exports increased by volume and value to most major markets.

Exports to the US rose 43 per cent to 18,849 tonnes, just ahead of China at 18,649 tonnes.

Value also increased by 20 per cent to $406m. The US led the way with exports up 55 per cent to $162m, and exports to Japan were up 34 per cent to $26m.

Despite the small increase in the volume of beef exports to China, the value dropped three per cent to $137m.

Exports to the UK rose 336 per cent by volume from the low pre-FTA February 2023 results to 408 tonnes, and 598 per cent by value to $6 million, making it the eighth-largest beef market.

The Korean market was an exception with beef exports down 20 per cent by volume to 1280 tonnes and 19 per cent by value to $10 million.

Fifth quarter

The value of fifth-quarter exports dropped eight per cent from last February to $166m.

Exports of edible offal rose by 23 per cent to $32 million and hides and skins by 40 per cent to $26 million.

However, this was offset by decreases in exports of casings and tripe, which fell by nine per cent to $30 million, tallow which was down 48 per cent to $21m, and blood products, which were down 30 per cent to $19 million.
Roading contractors are putting the final touches on the new bridge at Cambridge Road in Tauragna.

This means the road, which sits between Bethlehem and Tauriko, will open to traffic later this month.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown says this marks a significant milestone in the 6.8km Takitimu North Link expressway project.

He says this is one of eight bridge structures on the project, with the first three nearing completion, which is excellent progress.

In an update post on Facebook, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi provides aerial images showing the the road's progress.

"As you can see in these new photos, we're completing the approaches to the bridge in preparation for the final road seal, line marking, and street lighting to be installed," the post reads.

"Thanks again to our neighbours for your support while we've been doing this work.

"The team has finished some complex work to tie-in the new bridge thanks to the closure of a section of Cambridge Road since January this year."

Find out more about the next phase of work on Cambridge Road on our website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/.../takitimu.../cambridge-road/
Almudena Nogues Malaga Friday, 5 April 2024, 11:29 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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A dozen provinces across Spain will be on alert this Friday (5 April) for wind, rain and waves, on a day marked by rising temperatures, according to the national forecast from the state weather agency (Aemet).

On the Andalusian map, the day has dawned in Cadiz with a yellow warning for coastal phenomena. Until 9pm, the Strait of Gibraltar area will be affected by easterly winds of between 50 and 61 kilometres per hour (force 7) and offshore to the south of Trafalgar point on a day marked by the arrival of a system of fronts associated with storm Olivia (named by the Portuguese Meteorological Institute) which will approach the extreme northwest of the Spanish mainland, increasing cloudiness.

In Andalucia, Aemet forecasts cloudy skies today, with high clouds. Intervals of low clouds and morning mist. From the afternoon onwards, there is a probability of 'calima' dust in suspension and temperatures will rise. Seville and Jaen will record the highest maximum temperatures (30C), while minimum temperatures will remain particularly high in Almeria and Cadiz, with 14 and 15 degrees respectively.

Heat, 'calima' haze... and rain?

"Storm Olivia will pass over Andalucia. What will be likely from Saturday onwards is the entry of a 'calima' again in our region, with the highest concentration on Sunday and Monday. It is likely that on Sunday there will be some light showers accompanied by deposits of mud deposits in the provinces of Huelva, Cadiz and Seville, and this will be due to the passage of a front that is not very active", said Malaga weather expert Jose Luis Escudero in his SUR blog 'Tormentas y Rayos' (Storms and Lightning).

Deposits of mud

Aemet agrees with Escudero's forecast and points to Saturday for "cloudy skies with high clouds, tending to very cloudy in the evening when weak precipitation is not ruled out in the far west that may be accompanied by deposits of mud," the state agency warned. The 'calima' haze, it points out, could be thicker at the end of the day and minimum temperatures will rise. The Levante will also blow strongly along the coast of Almeria and the Strait of Gibraltar, with occasional very strong gusts.

"In the province of Malaga, maximum and minimum temperatures will also rise. Olivia will favour a warm air mass affecting us from tomorrow, which will raise the thermometers in some parts of the Guadalquivir Valley to 30 degrees. Likewise, there is a probability of a coastal mist on Saturday," added Escudero.

Sunday, same scenario

On Sunday, the scenario is very similar. Aemet forecasts for the region show "cloudy skies with medium and high clouds, without ruling out light rain on the Atlantic slope, locally moderate, which may be accompanied by storms and mud deposits". "Rainfall is more likely in the northwest of the region and during the early morning, opening clearings from west to east throughout the day," added the state agency. There will also be a lull in the wind and there will be intervals of moderate easterlies on the Mediterranean coast during the early hours of the morning.

"In Malaga we will have medium and high clouds on Sunday with the passage of the aforementioned front. For the moment, no mud precipitation is expected in the province", concluded Jose Luis Escudero.
EP Friday, 5 April 2024, 12:31 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The period to file tax returns for 2023 in Spain (Declaracion de la Renta) is now open. The national tax agency, AEAT, reporting to the Ministry of Finance, expects more than 4.2 million tax returns to be filed in Andalucia for the 2023 tax year, of which more than half (2,826,356) will be returned in rebate (more than 1.9 billion euros).

A total of 3,485,673 individual tax returns will be filed across the region (1.8% more than the 2022 tax campaign) alongside 747,650 joint tax returns (a drop of 1.2%). As regards the new wealth tax (Patrimonio), AEAT expects to receive 33 million euros from the 13,596 tax returns that will be filed in relation to this tax, a huge difference to just two returns filed for 2022, a variation of 1,550%.

Breaking this down by province: 378,913 tax returns are expected in Almeria, 1.2% more than in the previous year; Cadiz, 443,329 (1.2% up on 2022); Cordoba, 394,894 (up 1.3%); Granada, 464.311 (up 1.2%); Huelva expects 274,068 returns, (up 1.4%); Jaen, 329,929 (up 1.3%); Malaga, 810,352 (up 1.3%) and in Seville, 934,495 (up 1.2%). In the Jerez de la Frontera tax office alone (Cadiz), tax officials expect 131,756 returns (1.2% more than in 2022) and in Ceuta and Melilla, 35,302 and 35,976 respectively.

Time frame

The window for filing personal income tax returns online for 2023 (IRPF 2023) opened on Wednesday 3 April and continues until 1 July. Tax rebates will begin, as always, within 48 hours. The main new feature of this round of income tax returns will appear next month. The tax authorities are launching a special assistance plan in May to help over-65s living in small towns and villages throughout Spain to prepare and file their tax returns, as explained in a central government press release.

This year, 23,281,000 tax returns are expected to be filed, an increase of 1.2%, of which 14,614,000, almost 63%, are expected to render the taxpayer eligible for a refund. That total rebate nationally is estimated to be 11.65 billion euros. As to the taxpayers owing some tax (7,092,000 returns for an estimated amount of 18.9 billion euros), as in previous years they do not have to make the first payments until the tax return window closes.

The filing period will end on 1 July for both returns with taxes to pay and returns eligible for a rebate, although the deadline for taxes to be paid by direct debit will end on 26 June. The telephone service for the preparation and filing of tax returns ('Le Llamamos' plan) will begin on 7 May, with appointments available from 29 April, and the one-to-one service in tax offices will begin on 3 June, with appointments available from 29 May. The special plan for the over-65s in the smallest municipalities will start on the same dates as phone-based 'Le Llamamos' plan.

This year the main assistance services continue to be made available in advance: the taxpayer can obtain a reference number to file their return from 12 March; from 19 March, they can both download and view all personal tax data; the mobile app has been updated for this round of tax returns and the first batch of helpful guidance and information has been released both on the app and the agency's electronic office online.

This added content includes specific sections providing a simple explanation of the extended deductions for maternity and childcare expenses, the new deductions for electric vehicles and recharging points, and the refund system for members of mutual societies on presentation of proof of having applied for said membership.

Thanks to this advanced prep, more than 1.6 million taxpayers have already accessed their tax data and a similar number have obtained their reference number to work on and then submit their tax return. This gives them the opportunity of more time to prepare and file the return, if they so wish, from the very first day through 'Renta Web'. This in turn speeds up any rebate that might correspond to them.

The key new feature to this campaign, however, is the aforementioned assistance to people aged over 65 who are fiscally resident tax in a small town or village. This service will begin on 7 May, with appointments available from 29 April, and will be open to senior citizens living in more than 500 municipalities in the 46 provinces of Spain. The reason for selecting these locations, (full list of places available month end online at AEAT's electronic office), is that these are mostly towns with less than 3,000 inhabitants that have no tax office, no regional advice service nor a town hall providing the much-needed guidance during the tax return window.
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment at the training exercise.

SUR in English Gibraltar Friday, 5 April 2024, 16:51 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RGR) has concluded its annual firing camp, Ex Jebel Tarik, in the UK and has returned to Gibraltar.

In the training exercise, which took place from 27 February until 28 March, the regiment took part in marksmanship drills, tactical exercises, and team-building activities.
SUR in English Gibraltar Friday, 5 April 2024, 16:53 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The Sun Princess of Princess Cruises had its inaugural cruise call in Gibraltar on Monday.

The cruise ship arrived at the Port of Gibraltar at 7am from its previous port of call in Civitavecchia, Italy, and departed later the same day at 5pm to Cartagena, Spain, as part of a 20-day tour of the Mediterranean.

The passengers disembarking in Gibraltar were greeted with music from a band in the cruise terminal on arrival.
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Oddly, a Scottish doctor is commemorated as a saviour of Spanish bullfighters. Busts of Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) were featured outside two of Spain's major bullrings. Fleming invented penicillin and as a result many injured matadors, who may otherwise have died from infections, survived.

But now our beloved soft cheeses teeter on the brink of extinction. The culprit? An overdependence on a single strain of the Penicillium camemberti fungus. The French National Centre for Scientific Research has issued a sobering warning, highlighting the imminent loss of microbial diversity, a vital element in cheese production that lies at the heart of French culinary artistry. The strain has been replicated by vegetative propagation only since the 1950s, before which Camemberts still had grey, green or in some cases orange-tinged, moulds on their surface.
Eugenio Cabezas Torrox Friday, 5 April 2024, 16:41 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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At his age he ought to be studying or working in something related to tourism, as his parents do; his dad runs a sunbed business and his mum is a cook. But 17-year-old David Tome Gonzalez from Torrox has had "a dream and vocation" to be a goat farmer since he was a child, despite not having been raised among animals or having close relatives involved in goat farming. The teenager spoke to SUR surrounded by the ten goats of the Malaga breed that he already has on his small farm located very close to the old N-340 on the eastern Costa del Sol.

"I've been doing this since the end of 2022, but I've loved goats since I was little," said Tome. "It's something I've been passionate about since I was a child; I preferred to go and see the goats rather than play in the park with my friends."

His elder brother Salva, like his parents, Salva and Toni, also works in the tourism sector. Only one of his father's relatives, whom he never met, was a goatherd. Tome and his vocation made the headlines recently after he uploaded a video to his Facebook account in which he told his story; it quickly went viral.

Not surprisingly his example has provided a real boost for local livestock farming, an area that is so short of young people to take over the profession; and it comes just as the industry is suffering from drought and low prices, leading to the recent protests.

Although, for the moment, his farm is a very small one, "for self-consumption", Tome dreams of having a much larger herd in the coming years. To this end, he is already thinking of setting up another family farm in the area.

As to the huge reaction that his video and story have had, the young goat farmer admitted that he "never" imagined that it would have those consequences.

"I did it because I plucked up the courage to let people in Torrox, Spain and all over the world know that there are still young enthusiastic livestock farmers who want to make this their profession," said Tome, for whom the protests of the farming sector in recent weeks "seem very good, because we have to talk and communicate".

In his opinion, they cannot "sell a litre of milk at prices that do not even pay the production costs, because behind a herd of goats there are many families, who get up early and watch over the health of these animals". Tome acknowledged that it is "a very hard day-to-day job, but at the same time a beautiful one". For this reason, the Torrox teenager calls on politicians to "help the farming sector more, because it is essential".

"They should help young goat farmers because we are going to be in danger of extinction; it is a very tough job, you have to like it from the heart, as I do, but without help you can't achieve your dream and this beautiful profession is going to come to an end," said Tome. The young farmer said his parents "at the beginning" asked him why he wanted to do that for a living and told him "to make do with one goat".

"I started with one, but look where I am now, I've got my own pen full," he said proudly, hugging one of the kids.

Although his family warned him that, for the moment, this only means "expense", Tome considers it to be "his happiness".

"If you like goats, you can't be satisfied with just one, you have to have a herd; I enjoy looking after them," said the teenager.

"They told me to go on studying, but I don't like studying; I've realised that I like goats and I want to make them my profession," he said. His parents have now realised that it is "his vocation". "Everything is not based on money; money always comes and goes," he said.

At the end of 2022, Tome had just three goats and now he keeps a dozen. "I like to see them grow from young to old, which is very beautiful," he said, preparing to milk one of the females he owns. "I milk them by hand, up to twice a day," he explained. "I have goat-farming friends who have given me good advice: 'keep going', they tell me; this is hard, but it's a nice job, a family can live off it well if you know how to manage it, but if you don't, it's true that you can eventually become unstuck," he pointed out.

Support from the mayor

Mayor of Torrox Oscar Medina showed his full support for David Tome at a reception held recently at the town hall. In the simple and emotional act, which was also attended by first deputy mayor Paula Moreno and part of Tome's family, the mayor offered the municipal administrative resources of the local agriculture department so that the youngster can fulfil his dream.

"This is your home," said Medina, after presenting David with a symbolic shepherd's crook.
Tony Bryant Colmenar Friday, 5 April 2024, 16:38 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The province of Malaga has secured itself as a favourite destination for digital nomads thanks to its climate, strategic location and high quality of life. It is also becoming extremely popular for musicians looking for a quiet location to live, where they can record their music while also having the benefit of the extensive live music scene that exists on the Costa del Sol and in inland towns.

One of these is Guy Roberts, a British musician and composer who, after spending a large part of his life living in Ibiza, now lives in Colmenar. The 59-year-old musician has set up a recording studio in his home, where he writes and records in what he calls an "idyllic setting", and he is also beginning to establish himself on the local live music scene.

Born in Farnham, Surrey, in 1965, Guy moved to Ibiza with his parents and his twin brother, Miles, in 1970.

The youngster's musical inspiration came from his uncle, a country and blues musician who had relative success in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden.

"My uncle would turn up at our house and we would have these incredible parties where he would play and sing. He turned up one day on a motorbike with a guitar on the tank and a Swedish girl on the back, and I thought, this is the lifestyle I want," Guy tells SUR in English, bursting into laughter.

It was his "finger-picking" uncle who gave Guy and his brother their first guitars when they were just eight years old. He showed them how to tune the guitar, and taught them three chords, which was enough to get them started.

Guy's family moved back to the UK in 1979, but the budding musician never felt comfortable living outside Spain, which prompted his decision to return to Ibiza a few years later.

Cult status in Hamburg

He formed a band with his brother and they were soon spotted by a music manager, who invited them to go to Germany to make some demos that would eventually be released as records in Germany.

"The band was called Double Take. We never had a number one hit, but we did gain a cult status on the 1980s pop scene of Hamburg," the musician explains.

However, the band split up after Miles returned to live in the UK, but Guy stayed in Germany and got married and had a family, a marriage his parents opposed.

During the late 1980s and early '90s, he continued to perform and record, and his songs caught the attention of Warner Chappell Music, the global music publishing arm of the Warner Music group. Although he began writing songs destined for the charts, he says that he never really enjoyed it as much as live performance.

"I've enjoyed writing and recording over the years, but this is really secondary, as my main passion is performing live. They wanted me to write songs for the German charts, but it was a very backward way of making music, because you would be keeping an eye on what the charts were doing, hoping that you could break into that. I found it odd," he says.

Teaming up with Ibiza-based composer and keyboard player Johnny Hockin, Guy recorded his first solo album in Ibiza in 2020, which he says is "like a diary" that describes "turbulent times". Prior to the recording, Guy had been preparing to perform in Italy at the coveted Live Nation concert, but the pandemic struck, which prompted him to start working on the recording.

At home in Colmenar

It has taken him less than three years to settle into his new surroundings, setting up a recording studio in his home so he can continue doing what he loves most, making music. He has certainly settled into the local way of life, while enjoying all the aspects that it offers.

"I am completely at home sitting in a cafe with all the din and paper on the floor. The louder, the better. I am completely happy in these surroundings, so when it was time to move, mainland Spain was the obvious choice," he says.

Guy Roberts can be seen performing at Eddy's Music Factory (Churriana) on Friday 12 April.
An aerial view of the recently developed road network of the 'dry port' in Antequera.

Ignacio Lillo Friday, 5 April 2024, 12:03 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The large, highly-anticipated Andalusian freight hub next to the Malaga-Madrid high-speed train line in Antequera has finally opened after 20 years in the making.

Junta president Juanma Moreno officially opened the site, dubbed the 'dry port' today (5 April) following nearly two decades of paperwork and construction.

The man behind the project is veteran Malaga businessman Domingo de Torres, founder, among others, of the company Acotral. He told SUR the project first came to light in 2006. In a conversation, the mayor of Antequera at the time, Ricardo Millan, asked Torres for an idea to boost the municipality, and he suggested building a dry port.

At the beginning, such an infrastructure was largely unknown in Andalusia.

A site of this nature was unknown in the area back then, and so a group of project promoters, together with the councillor, went to Madrid and Zaragoza to find out exactly what investment it would take.

The proceedings begin

After three years of talks, the PSOE-governed regional government decided to pilot the initiative in 2009 - that was the beginning of a very long administrative process to authorise the project, under the governments of Manuel Chaves, Jose Antonio Grinan and Susana Diaz.

In 2015, the project and declaration of regional interest were approved. But it would take almost a decade from the start, until 2018, for the hardest phase of the bureaucracy to come to an end. In September of that year it was announced the special development plan for the Antequera dry port had already received final approval from the Junta de Andalucia. Months of successive phases of public information, allegations and environmental authorisations were left behind.

The process, which was carried out by the Junta, took from 2009 to 2020

In January 2019, Juanma Moreno became president of the Junta. Then the last hurdle remained, which was the project's final approval. This came a year later in 2020, finally allowing construction to start.

From dispatches to the field

Later that year the Antequera logistics area, which had received the commercial name of Megahub Andalucia, entered a new phase after French multinational Groupe IDEC took a large stake in the company Puerto Seco de Antequera. In 2023, it became the majority shareholder and responsible for its management. With the current distribution, IDEC holds 56.5% of the company, while Domingo de Torres holds 38.5% and GED Capital (an investment fund) holds the remaining 5%.

The company, which has a global presence, is currently managing these facilities, with the aim of making the megahub self-sufficient and even able to supply electricity to its surroundings.

The French IDEC group currently holds more than half of the company, in which Domingo de Torres remains a shareholder

In April 2021, the Consejeria de Fomento, through the Agencia Publica de Puertos de Andalucia (APPA), awarded the contract for almost 34.7 million euros to the joint venture formed by Guamar and Rofez Construcciones to carry out building work of the first phase. The work, with an initial completion period of 20 months, would last until the end of December 2023.

This first phase includes creating plots, building access and internal roads (which have required several viaducts); an interchange for traffic, a wastewater treatment plant, sewerage and water supply networks. The last step was taken by the regional ministry of public works at the end of March, when it awarded a contract for the drafting of the projects for the future intermodal terminal, where the transfer of freight from lorry to train and vice versa will take place.

The drafting of the construction project has one of the highest consultancy budgets contracted in recent months, 572,235 euros, with the winning bidder Civis Consultores Asociados. They will be tasked to design the connection with the rail corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network, as well as the platform of the intermodal terminal, on an area of 18 hectares.

Time for meganaves

Since January this year, the project has entered a radically different scenario, in which the IDEC group has redoubled its commercial efforts for the implementation of the first companies that will have their headquarters on the 37 hectares of logistics land already developed.

The promotion plan, Dry Logistic 40, offers, for sale or rent, very large platforms of around 42,000 square metres, which will be connected to the Costa del Sol, the ports of Malaga and Algeciras and inland Andalucia, something the market lacked until now.

The most eagerly awaited news now is to know which companies will be the first to set up in this first phase of the 'dry port'

This first area will offer a payload of five tonnes/m, a clear height of 12 metres, three levels of tertiary spaces, a concrete structure, 44 loading bays, a road system and a state-of-the-art fire-fighting system, as well as several plots for inter-service centres.

The most eagerly awaited news now is to know which companies will be the first to set up; how many jobs they will generate, as well as the renewable energy production measures installed to make the Antequera 'dry port' self-sufficient.
Javier Almellones Axarquia Friday, 5 April 2024, 08:13 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Alfarnate and Periana in the upper Axarquia, on the eastern side of Malaga province are both celebrating their local produce this weekend. While Periana will be painting the town gold to celebrate its verdial olive oil, otherwise known as 'liquid gold', Alfarnate will be seeing things through rose-tinted glasses as it pays tribute to its cherry blossom during its Sakura festival. As there are just 17 kilometres between Periana and Alfarnate, combining the two festivals is the perfect combination for a weekend getaway in the easternmost area of Malaga province.

Sakura is the Japanese word used to refer to the cherry blossom and the village will be decorated in pink and all things Japanese on Sunday 7 April. Along with the festivities in the village itself, there are plenty of walking opportunities to enjoy including Las Pilas circular route.

Zoom Early arrivals in Periana can enjoy a miller's breakfast. Diputacion de Malaga

Alfarnate town hall has programmed various activities that reflect Japanese culture, including bonsai techniques, geisha make-up, martial arts, samurai, origami and live demonstrations of Japanese cooking. There will also be a market. Sakura starts at 10am and will finish at around 5.30pm.

Just 15 minutes by car is the town of Periana where its olive oil festival is taking place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April. There will be a traditional miller's breakfast of coffee with bread, cod, beans and, of course, local verdial extra virgin olive oil (Evoo) for early birds (9.30 am on Saturday and at 10am on Sunday).

On Saturday there will be a guided walking route through an olive grove in the morning as well as an olive oil tasting session and a live cooking demonstration by Sabor a Malaga (in Spanish). On Sunday, there will be live Verdiales music as well as a DJ, stalls selling local olive oil and other artisan products and a free paella tasting at lunchtime.

The town's two olive oil mills, San Jose Artesano in Mondron and San Isidro Labrador in Periana will be open for olive oil sales.

Zoom Verdial variety extra virgin olive oil is known as the liquid gold of the Axarquia. Diputacion de Malaga

Another event to complete the weekend is a performance of the Passion Play (El Paso) in nearby Riogordo on Saturday evening, which had to be postponed due the rain last weekend. It starts at 5pm and tickets can be bought beforehand or on the day. For further information on where to buy tickets visit: www.elpasoderiogordo.es.

What to visit

Ruta de las Pilas. This circular route is one of the best ways to enjoy the springtime scenery of Alfarnate, which at this time of year offers the intense colours of the cherry blossom. Where: Departure indicated in front of the local cooperative.

Lavadero de la Cruz. Until a few decades ago this enclave was fundamental to the daily life of Periana, as it was here that the village women used to wash their clothes by hand. Now restored, it has become one of the highlights of the village centre. Where: Calle Cerco.

Source of the river Guaro. Located in the Guaro district of Periana, the river is flowing again after the recent rains. See it by travelling from Periana to Alfarnate via Puerto del Sol along the MA-156 road. Where: Next Guaro (Periana).

Oil mills. During this weekend you can visit the oil mills of San Jose Artesano, in Mondron (Periana), and San Isidro Labrador, in Periana town. In both cooperatives you will be able to buy verdial and picual variety olive oil . Where: Mondron and Periana.

Where to eat

Cristobal. A temple of traditional Alfarnate cuisine, just a few metres from Santa Ana church. Tapas, Iberian sirloin steak, croquettes, mojetes (mushrooms and scrambled eggs) are among the options. Where: Calle Sacristia, Alfarnate. Telephone: 684 149 962.

La Taberna de Cati. Paellas are among the specialities of this bar in Periana which must be ordered in advance. Lobster, rabbit, fish and a vegan option are available. Fried and grilled fish, Iberian pork, beef and meatballs in almond sauce are also on the menu. Where: Paseo de Bellavista, 35, Periana. Telephone: 656 905 996.

Where to stay

Cortijo Las Monjas. Offering panoramic views of the upper Axarquia and surrounded by olive groves, the accommodation offers around six comfortable apartments where guests can relax, escape and even take part in some of the many activities on offer, including yoga retreats, hiking, theatre and musical performances. Where: Cortijo Las Monjas, s/n. Ctra. MA-4102, Km 7.1 29710 Periana. Telephone: 635 425 077 www.cortijolasmonjas.com
The new brand will be located in the central square of the fashion complex

Juan Soto Friday, 5 April 2024, 15:28 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Fans of fashion and luxury designer brands are in luck. Michael Kors, one of the world's leading labels, is about to open its first outlet shop in Malaga city. The American company is going to open its doors in McArthurGlen Designer Outlet centre, located next to Plaza Mayor.

The company has already started fitting out the store, which will be located in the central plaza of the complex, between Tumi and Roberto Cavalli (behind Starbucks). The Michael Kors shop will feature both men's and women's collections, but will specialise in accessories.

The new fashion company will occupy a 370-square-metre store - one of the largest in the centre - with its opening opening up the chance for 13 people to be employed. Although the opening date has not yet been officially announced, the company's aim is to open its doors to the public on Thursday 18 April.

It's great news for the retail sector, as it will be the first physical Michael Kors shop to open in Malaga city and the only outlet in the province. Michael Kors is a world-renowned, award-winning designer of luxury accessories and clothing. The firm was founded in 1981, has over 500 shops in more than 85 countries around the world, as well as distribution to the world's leading department stores.

Today, the company produces a range of products under the Michael Kors Collection, Michael Michael Kors and Michael Kors Men brands. These products include accessories, footwear, watches, jewellery, men's and women's ready-to-wear, swimwear, eyewear and a full line of fragrances.

New openings

In addition to the American brand, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet has welcomed two other luxury labels: Stone Island, which opened last week, and G-Star, which will open next summer.

Italian brand Stone Island is a fashion chain specialising in sports-casual clothing for men with a nautical aesthetic. They have also opened in the central square, between Furla and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Founded in 1982, Stone Island was considered the founder of the casual look in Italy. At first it was inspired by sailor and military clothing, although nowadays it is more committed to innovation. Until now, their clothes were only available at El Corte Ingles in Puerto Banus.

Dutch brand G-Star will open its doors next summer in the outlet centre. The Amsterdam-based chain specialises in men's and women's denim. They do not currently have any shops in Malaga city.
Almudena Nogues Friday, 5 April 2024, 16:45 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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One of Malaga's great cocktail bars, Speakeasy The Pharmacy, is packing its bags. Located in calle Garcia Briz it has outgrown the premises with the owners looking for more space and greater comfort for its customers.

The bar, which boasts the golden aesthetics of the great Gatsby era has moved, but not very far, from number 3 to number 1 on the same street. The Pharmacy will now occupy what used to be the coffee shop Mr Nilsson, which closed last Good Friday after five years.

"The opportunity came up and we didn't think twice. At weekends our premises are too small and for operational reasons - to be able to continue growing - we needed to take this step," pointed out Elias Bentolila, head of the art deco business that opened its doors back in 2018. With the change, The Pharmacy will first of all gain space: "We will go from 130 square metres to about 200, which will give us many more possibilities," the bartender pointed out. It will also allow the business to expand its offer and host everything from private events to workshops and masterclasses.

"On the top floor we want to set up an immersive bar that allows the customer to have a more interactive experience"

Bentolila said the aim is to open its doors in June. The initial idea is to create two distinct spaces. The ground floor would maintain the original speakeasy atmosphere. The speakeasy concept, which originated in the 1920s, goes back to alcohol prohibition in the United States, and its hallmarks are dim lighting and relaxed jazz music in the background.

"We want to create an access system with keys or passwords to reinforce the feeling of a secret bar," Bentolila added.

Zoom Details of one of the cocktails of The Pharmacy.

Meanwhile, the upstairs floor will focus on the philosophy they were already committed to in The Pharmacy - a tribute to the world of botany that draws on the ancient use of alcohol and distillates for the production of tonics in apothecaries. But the premises will have a new feature: "We want to set up an immersive bar that offers the customer a different, more interactive experience," Bentolila said.

The entrepreneur was studying business management and administration when distillates crossed his path while he was working in bars on weekends. His passion made him travel around the world to visit the great cocktail meccas, from London to Berlin to New York. The journey ended with the opening in Fuengirola of the Speakeasy Jazz Club & Cocktails, which is today a cult venue on the Costa del Sol. In spring 2018, his younger brother made his debut in Malaga city opening The Pharmacy. It has won the award for Best New Cocktail Bar in Spain at Diageo's prestigious World Class Competition.
Irene Quirante / Juan Cano Malaga Friday, 5 April 2024, 10:43 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Guardia Civil officers on the Costa del Sol are investigating a shooting incident that rocked the early morning stillness of La Cala de Mijas on Thursday morning, sources have revealed.

About a dozen shots were fired at a business in Calle Encina about 2.30am on 4 April. The suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle with the lights switched off. Police attended the scene of the shooting and found no one was injured.

The bullets appear to have been aimed at a shop located at street level on Calle Encina, despite it being part of the El Albero residential estate. Police investigators suspect the shooters could be sending a warning, sources told SUR.

Second shooting on the Costa del Sol this week

This is the second shooting in Malaga province so far this week, after shots were fired in Marbella in the Nueva Andalucia area during the early hours of Tuesday 2 April. A 21-year-old man was hit by at least two shots in the kneecap and genital area and was rushed to hospital.

That incident was the fifth shooting in Marbella since last February and the third to result in injury. Before those involved opened fire, there was allegedly some sort of struggle in the street where two men appeared to try to snatch a bag from someone. National Police are investigating the incident.

Investigators have already solved two of the five shootings in Marbella in almost two months. Three people were arrested for their involvement in a shooting in the early hours of 10 February, when a young Swedish man was gunned down in what is believed to be a clash between Swedish gangs. Two of them were imprisoned.

Two men have been sent to prison after a shooting that took place at a restaurant on 11 March. They sprayed the windows of a business with bullets and then fled the scene on a motorbike.
Vietnams agro-forestry-fishery exports likely to hit 54-55 billion USD (Photo: vneconomy.vn)

In the first quarter of this year, total export turnover from the sector was estimated at 13.53 billion USD, up 21.8% year-on-year.

Four agricultural commodities recorded an export value of over 1 billion USD each and had impressive year-on-year growth rates, including wood (2.32 billion USD, up 26.8%), vegetables and fruits (1.23 billion USD, 25.8%), rice (1.37 billion USD, 40%), and coffee (1.9 billion USD, 54.2%).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development predicts that Vietnam will see many opportunities in rice export this year, and ship over 8 million tonnes of the grain abroad.

The Vietnam Food Association forecasts a bright outlook for rice export in 2024 as demand from major consumer markets in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, and China and Africa increases due to concerns that the El Nino phenomenon will last until mid-2024. Domestic rice prices are also predicted to remain high.

Vegetable and fruit exports are also expected to surpass the record set in 2023 to possibly hit 6.5 - 7 billion USD.

Recently, the Plant Protection Department requested localities and their relevant agencies to review growing areas and packaging facilities for fresh coconuts and frozen durians exported to China, with an aim to speeding up the process of opening the market for Vietnamese fresh coconuts and frozen durians to China and preparing all conditions for registration of planting area and package facility codes after the two countries sign related protocols.

If Vietnamese frozen durian and fresh coconut are allowed to be shipped to China early, fruit and vegetable exports will continue to have a strong breakthrough, said Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Vietnam's rice exports forecast to surpass 8 million tonnes this year. (Photo: VNA)

In the first quarter, Vietnam saw an increase of 1.9% in fishery exports to 1.86 billion USD.

Experts said that the sectors markets have not completely recovered, as there are still challenges, barriers, and competitive pressures with other countries.

Therefore, Vietnamese businesses need to be ready to face challenges and overcome barriers, and proactively seek customers from international seafood fairs and expos in the US, Europe, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to be able to recover and thrive sooner.

Two-month durian exports reach same level as entirety of 2022

By the end of February, Vietnam had exported more than 41 thousand tonnes of durian, approximately the same amount exported throughout all of 2022, said Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

Vietnamese durian exports accounted for 31.8% of Chinas total import turnover of this product, according to the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The country has currently more than 112,000 ha of durian under cultivation, accounting for 9% of its total fruit tree area, with a yearly estimated output standing at 863,000 tonnes. The main importers of this fruit include China, Thailand, Japan, and the United States.

The signed protocol on phytosanitary requirements for Vietnamese durian exported to the Chinese market has created an opportunity for the nation to develop its durian industry in a modern, quality, safe, and sustainable manner, the agency said.

According to the department, the successful entry of frozen durian products into the Chinese market will serve to create an important step forward for the Vietnamese durian industry. Indeed, the nations durian industry is likely to surpass Thailand and dominate the Chinese market if Vietnamese growers focus on renovating cultivation techniques and improving the quality of products, it added.

By the end of February, Vietnam had shipped more than 41 thousand tonnes of durian, approximately the same amount exported throughout all of 2022 (Photo:congthuong.vn)

The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has so far approved 708 farming areas and 168 packaging facility codes for Vietnamese durian products.

The department has therefore asked relevant localities and agencies to intensify inspection and supervision over growing areas and packaging facilities in a bid to strictly control the overall quality of exported agricultural products, whilst timely detecting and promptly handling related violations and cases of fraud.

It also incentivizes co-operation between farmers and businesses on the principle of equality and win-win collaboration in the development of agricultural value chains with close linkages between production, processing, and consumption.

The countrys major durian-growing areas include the Central Highlands with more than 52,000 ha, which accounts for about 47% of the total area, the Mekong Delta region with 33,000 ha (about 30%), and the Southeast region with 21,000 ha (about 19%).

Last year witnessed the nation export 595,000 tonnes of durian to China, marking up 98.6% of the total durian export volume. During the two-month period, the country exported more than 41,000 tonnes.

China is widely viewed as the major export market for Vietnamese durian, accounting for more than 90% of the country's total exports. Vietnamese durian is gradually penetrating new markets such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, and the EU.

Tuna exports to Poland skyrocket by 786% during two-month period

Vietnamese tuna exports to Poland during the first two months of the year surged by 786% to reach more than US$2 million against the same period from last year, Radio the Voice of Vietnam quoted the information of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Currently, Poland accounts for nearly 2% of Vietnams total tuna export turnover and is the fourth largest consumer of Vietnamese tuna within the EU.

Most notably, canned tuna and frozen tuna meat/loin are two popular product groups in the Polish market, with canned tuna being the main export item in the reviewed period, duly accounting for 91% of the total export value.

Nguyen Ha, a VASEP expert, revealed that there remains positive signs ahead for Vietnamese tuna exports to the market as Poland's tuna imports have been increasing significantly over the past four years.

Tuna exports to Poland skyrocket by 786% during two-month period (Photo: VOV)

In fact, Poland is also a major provider of tuna for many EU member countries, such as Germany, Romania, and Italy.

Although the market has not yet put up technical barriers, local businesses are advised to tighten the quality of their products before exporting to this market, Ha noted.

Furthermore, firms have still encountered difficulties in terms of exporting tuna to Poland or other EU member nations due to the yellow card imposed by the European Commission (EC) on Vietnam for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

This move will make local firms face a general shortage of domestic raw materials and challenges when importing raw materials. Vietnamese businesses are required to diversify raw material sources of tuna to boost exports to the market in the coming time.

Da Nang to host Vietnam-ASEAN festival

The first ever Vietnam-ASEAN festival is scheduled to take place from August 3 to August 4 in the central beach city of Da Nang, said Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

The event will feature a range of traditional dishes such as pho (noodles) of Vietnam, chili crab of Singapore, and fermented tea leaf salad of Myanmar, all of which will be prepared by eateries from ASEAN member countries.

An exhibition aimed at introducing the culture and history of Vietnam and ASEAN member countries, as well as a workshop on promoting co-operation relations between Da Nang and ASEAN partners, will also get underway.

Furthermore, art performances featuring national identities of ASEAN member countries and sporting exchanges are expected to attract plenty of visitors to the function.

Traditional food from ASEAN countries will be presented at the festival. (Photo: VOV)

Following this, Da Nang will also play host to the Vietnam-Japan festival from July 4 to July 7, whilst the Vietnam-Republic of Korea festival will run between August 16 and August 18.

The events aim to introduce the characteristics of culture and cuisine of the ASEAN community, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to local and international visitors, whilst simultaneously enhancing understanding, friendship, and co-operation between Vietnam and foreign countries./.
Hector Barbotta Friday, 5 April 2024, 15:40 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The Costa del Sol railway connection has finally found a place in the Andalusian political agenda. The Andalusian parliament will in next week's plenary session demand the Spanish government make public its existing studies on the possible options for a railway connection linking Malaga city to the western Costa del Sol.

The move comes after the Spanish minister for transport ruled out extending the local railway line to Marbella.

In January 2018, during the last stage of the Partido Popular government, the then minister of public works, Inigo de la Serna, presented in Marbella a series of studies analysing the possible options to bring the railway connection to the Costa del Sol town and Estepona. Five options had been analysed, of which the ministry opted for two with costs of 2.37 and 3.85 billion euros.

The project was then forgotten, despite money being set aside in the general state budget to fund these reports for several years. Since 2005, this accumulated to almost 8.5 million euros. However, when questioned about it, minister of transport Oscar Puente said, "There is not a single piece of paper."

Now, the Partido Popular group in the Andalusian parliament will use one of its two quotas for the next plenary session to present a motion demanding the Spanish government make public, as a matter of urgency, the content and progress of the different studies held by the ministry on the Costa del Sol railway line.

Planning

It is also proposed to include in these studies the planning of the Andalusian Mediterranean rail link, with the first phase linking Malaga with the Campo de Gibraltar. The motion will also include a request to temporarily suspend the toll on the AP-7 until there is a satisfactory public transport system in the area as an alternative to private vehicles.

Unique situation

The motion states there is no other area in Spain similar to that of Malaga and the Costa del Sol which lacks public transport options. The coast between Nerja and Manilva - 170 kilometres of coastline - is the third major urbanised stretch in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona.
Cristian Reino Friday, 5 April 2024, 11:43 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Catalan police have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the murder of his five-year-old son who was stabbed to death on Wednesday in the Catalan province of Girona on Wednesday.

The boy's mother, 30, was also stabbed in the attack and was admitted to hospital in a stable condition.

The incident, being treated as a case of gender-based violence, took place at their family home in the small town of Bellcaire d'Emporda at 5am on 3 April.

After the boy's mother was stabbed, she still managed to call for help by knocking on the door of her neighbours, who then raised the alarm with the Catalan police. The alleged murderer fled, until hours later when he was arrested by regional police in the town of Albons, very close to Bellcaire.

Town mayor Josep Molinas said: "As a small town, we don't like to wake up to such bad news as this."

The Spanish ministry of equality confirmed on Thursday that this was being treated as a case of domestic violence. This is the fifth case of a child being killed as a way of hurting their mother in Spain this year.

In January, a man murdered his two children, aged seven and ten, and then died by suicide in the Horta neighbourhood of Barcelona. It is not yet confirmed, but the investigation also pointed to a crime of domestic violence in a bid to harm the mother.
Eva Esteban Valladolid Friday, 5 April 2024, 15:48 | Updated 17:46h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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"At the moment it is not affecting other species, but little by little it will own the rivers," predicts the Valladolid representative of the Castilla y Leon fishing and casting federation Roberto Carlos Valdivieso, about the growing presence of catfish in the main rivers of the northern Spanish province. Although he calls for calm and insists that at present this predator "is not a problem", he points out that it is an invasive species that has been "established" in Valladolid "for three or four years".

In the Duero, he says, they can be found "almost all along its course". In the Pisuerga, it's much the same story. "The San Miguel del Pino area is where it is most common to go fishing. In the Pisuerga, in Valladolid itself, there have only been a few and in Simancas there have also been a few already," Valdivieso says, adding that they have been spotted in Valladolid for a number of years now and weigh at least twenty kilos.

However, they can be even bigger, like the one caught on Monday 1 April by Sergio Rodriguez and Adrian Hidalgo in the vicinity of Villanueva de Duero. These two Valladolid-born fishermen, who have shared their hobby for almost two decades, had gone to Villanueva de Duero to catch pike.

They knew that there were "some catfish" there, but not as big as the one they caught in the Duero: 1.70 metres long and weighing around 35 kilos. "We didn't expect it, it was a coincidence," they agree, while highlighting the complexity of the catch. "The area where we were fishing was a bit complicated, quite high, with very long rods and against the current it's more difficult when it comes to catching fish," they explain.

But it didn't stop there. Enthusiastic and still surprised by the size of the catfish they had just caught, they tried again and caught another one, also large although "a little smaller". The explain that they had never caught one before "either in the Duero or in the Pisuerga". They knew they were present but admit, "We didn't think they were this big. They've been around for four days and they're already like this."

The fisherman, his only rival

Like the representative of the Valladolid fishing federation, Sergio and Adrian believe that native species will begin to suffer the consequences of the presence of catfish sooner rather than later. "Especially species such as carp or barbel, the population will decrease over the years," says Adrian. "With the pike it will end because it is their competitor, and with the barbel we will see, because it is growing abysmally," continues Sergio.

They all agree that catfish, once introduced into the waters, are practically impossible to eradicate. "They will gradually become the masters of the river and wipe out all the species. There will come a time when they will regulate themselves, as has happened in the Ebro, in Mequinenza," says Valdivieso, while stressing that the only threat that this invasive species may have today are fishermen.

"We have little information because we are fishing where we can and there are many areas of the river that we don't know, where the fish don't get disturbed. In both the Pisuerga and the Duero, one or two percent is fishable, so if you have ten kilometres, fishermen can only access twenty metres," explains Valdivieso.
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The talks between the Vietnamese and Chinese foreign ministers in Guangxi province on April 4 (Photo: VNA)

The event, part of Minister Bui Thanh Sons official visit to China, was the first meeting between the two foreign ministers since their countries agreed to elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The ministers held that since the historic visits by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China in October 2022 and by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam in December 2023, bilateral relations have developed strongly and obtained important results. Particularly, the two sides senior leaders agreed to identify a new status for the countries relations, and issued a joint statement on continuing to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Minister Bui Thanh Son and Wang affirmed the leading importance of the Vietnam - China relations in each countrys foreign policy, stressing the need to enhance coordination and effectively carry out the high-level agreements and common perceptions so as to unceasingly develop bilateral ties in a healthy, stable, and sustainable manner.

They agreed to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and meetings, reinforce cooperation between the two Parties, and work together to properly organise high-level diplomatic activities between the two countries in 2024, the 16th meeting of the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, along with dialogue, exchange, and cooperation mechanisms in the fields of defence - security and justice.

The officials also agreed to foster and improve the effectiveness of economic and trade partnerships, with priority given to promoting strategic transport connectivity, facilitating socio-economic exchanges, and contributing to Chinas cooperation with Southeast Asia.

They concurred in increasing people-to-people exchanges, boosting communications about the countries traditional friendship as well as each countrys achievements in reform and opening, and stepping up exchange and cooperation mechanisms between Vietnamese and Chinese localities.

Vietnam and China will keep strengthening coordination and mutual support within multilateral frameworks, continue working closely with each other in land border management and protection in line with the three legal documents on land border and related agreements; actively open, upgrade, and recognise pairs of border gates; and accelerate the building of smart border gates, they noted.

With regard to sea-related issues, the two sides underlined the importance of seriously implementing the agreements and common perceptions reached between the two Parties and countries leaders on properly controlling and settling differences; fully, comprehensively, and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and joining ASEAN countries in promoting negotiations and soon finalising a substantive, efficient, and effective code of conduct (COC) in the waters that matches international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Minister Bui Thanh Son asked both sides to bolster balanced and sustainable economic - trade cooperation.

He called on China to continue facilitating and increasing the import of Vietnams agricultural products, create conditions for early establishing some trade promotion offices of Vietnam in Chinese localities, and actively tackle problems of some industrial cooperation projects. He also proposed China speed up railway connection with northern Vietnamese provinces, expand economic corridors in the Two Corridors, One Belt region to Chongqing of China, soon set up a working group for tourism promotion, increase commercial flights, and further boost people-to-people ties as well as exchanges between border localities of the countries.

For his part, Wang asked the two sides to foster the strategic connectivity between the Belt and Road Initiative with the Two Corridors, One Belt framework, and tighten economic, trade and investment links.

China will actively consider expanding the import of goods, farm produce, and aquatic products from Vietnam, he said, noting that it supports road transport connectivity and the building of smart border gates to facilitate customs clearance; supports stronger educational and tourism ties. The country will coordinate more closely with Vietnam at regional and international multilateral forums, he added.

Also on April 4, Minister Son examined the pilot operation of the landscape site of Ban Gioc (Vietnam) - Detian (China) Waterfalls./.
Syracuse, N.Y.  An Oneida County man convicted of breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is back in federal custody after probation officers said he broke conditions of his supervised release.

Probation officers said Eric Bochene broke conditions of his release when he was arrested in his hometown of New Hartford in February on charges of third-degree assault, recklessly causing physical injury, endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree criminal mischief.

Bochene was charged with hitting his minor daughter in the face, probation officers said in court documents. Her injuries required stitches, they said.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., signed off on a warrant for his arrest on March 13.

Bochene also failed to participate in mental health treatment, complete any community service hours and make monthly restitution payments of $100 since his sentencing in November, according to probation officers

He was sentenced to 90 days in federal prison with 12 months of supervised release for the charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building. He was also ordered to pay $500 in restitution, complete 60 hours of community service and complete mental health treatment.

A detention hearing has been scheduled for Monday in Syracuse federal court.

Based on his criminal history, Bochene could face 3 to 9 months in federal prison for breaking conditions of his release, probation officers said.

Bochene previously told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that he went to D.C. as an independent journalist. He was pictured with rioters inside the Capitol and was arrested after tipsters outed him to investigators.

He insisted on representing himself during court proceedings, firing his court-appointed lawyer and proposing a fee-schedule for himself that could have cost the government up to millions of dollars.

Bochene again rejected a court-appointed lawyer after his latest arrest, according to court filings. A federal public defender has been appointed as stand-by counsel.

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, smoke fills the walkway outside the Senate Chamber as supporters of President Donald Trump, including Eric Bochene, far right, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers inside the Capitol in Washington. Bochene is one of at least five people charged in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 who have chosen to defend themselves in court, brushing aside federal judges repeated warnings about the risks of trying to navigate their high-stakes cases without an attorney. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)AP

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at falba@syracuse.com.
Salina, N.Y.  A Liverpool elementary school teacher pleaded not guilty Thursday night to charges she kicked a student with special needs in December.

Melissa Harrington, 47, was arraigned in Salina town court on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a felony.

Investigators from the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office said in court papers that Harrington, a kindergarten teacher at Elmcrest Elementary School, kicked the student several times in the hip area until he cried on Dec. 20.

Dozens of people packed the Salina courtroom in support of Harrington. Many wore yellow in solidarity.

Pat Guida, a retired teacher from the Liverpool school district, said she was shocked to hear Harrington was accused of hurting a student. She said she was in Florida when she heard about the charges and cut her trip short to come and show support at the arraignment.

Kicking a student, she said, would be completely out of character for Harrington, who she said was a mentor for her when she was first hired. Guida said Harrington is an involved, caring and engaging teacher.

Never in my wildest dreams would I think (she) would do anything abusive to a kid, Guida said.

Harrington was suspended from the school district in February when an investigation began into the reported abuse. A district spokesperson did not respond to a call or email for more information on her work status.

As of Thursday, Harrington is still listed as a teacher at Elmcrest on the districts website.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at falba@syracuse.com.
An Albany County Supreme Court judge yesterday struck down marketing and advertising regulations, ruling that cannabis regulators advertising standards are arbitrary and capricious.

Judge Kevin Bryant wrote a decision on Wednesday that invalidated the Office of Cannabis Managements entire slate of adult-use regulations, but amended his decision on Thursday to void only the rules banning third-party advertising.

Bryants ruling came from a lawsuit filed by cannabis-focused tech company Leafly Holdings, adult-use retailer Stage One Dispensary and a customer who uses Leafly to make informed decisions about her cannabis purchases.

It is the finding of this court that the administrative record and affidavits submitted in support of the agencys action constitute a post-hoc rationalization  rather than the necessary showing that the agency considered sufficient evidence, Bryant wrote.



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In his decision, Bryant wrote that regulators essentially wrote and approved stringent regulations regarding third-party platforms without demonstrating any factual basis.

Leaflys lawsuit, which was filed in mid-September, argued that the OCMs regulations surrounding non-plant-touching third-party platforms would essentially bar Leafly from doing business in New York.

In a court petition alleging the regulations are unlawful, Leafly cited several rules, including one that prohibits retail dispensaries from paying for marketing or promotion through a third-party platform, marketplace, or aggregator that lists cannabis products for sale; and one that prohibits licensees from contracting with a person or entity performing any function or activity directly involving the licensed activities authorized for the license type.

In his decision, Bryant noted that Leafly submitted comments outlining their concerns with these rules when the OCM and Cannabis Control Board were considering draft regulations, but regulators went ahead and approved them without addressing the problems Leafly identified.

Bryant also found deficient the evidence OCM attorneys presented defending the rules. OCMs filings included an article from Yale Law Journal entitled, Did Ticketmasters Market Dominance Fuel the Chaos for Swifties? and an article from Mission and Local entitled, Restaurants left on their own after SF nixed delivery fee cap.

Notably, there is no foundation in the record for any of these articles, nor is there any basis for this Court to pass on the accuracy of this information or the reasonableness of the conclusions set forth therein, Bryant wrote.

The OCM did not submit any documents or transcripts showing how they developed the regulations regarding third-party marketing, Bryant wrote.

Additionally, the judge wrote, there is no indication any of the articles the OCM submitted as rationality for the regulations were ever brought before the CCB, or considered during deliberations.

In point-of-fact, there is nothing in the record to establish precisely how OCM developed the regulations, which staff members participated in the process or how they addressed the litany of issues that were raised, Bryant wrote.

Bryant called the regulations impermissible restrictions on petitioners right to free speech, and unconstitutionally vague.

Its not the first time a court has expressed frustration with the OCM.

Bryant previously oversaw a lawsuit filed last summer, and notoriously issued an injunction that prevented regulators from approving most new dispensaries. During that case, Bryant repeatedly criticized regulators and their attorneys for sloppy rulemaking and inaccurate court filings.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- A small earthquake centered just west of New York City rattled windows in Upstate New York just after 10:20 a.m. today.

Desks shook in a classroom in Syracuse. Central New York residents in Syracuse, Manlius, Cicero and Clay felt it. A sewing table rattled in Camillus; a couch waved back and forth in Pennellville. Computers shook at Upstate Medical Center. A chair rolled across the floor in Kirkville. Lights flickered in Liverpool.

Walls and windows rattled near Utica. Dogs barked in Poughkeepsie; dogs trembled in Oneida and Syracuse. Wall-mounted televisions in Canastota wobbled.

Some people felt multiple waves; others none. Residents at first ascribed the shaking to a sudden gust of wind, a washing machine on spin cycle, a large truck rumbling nearby. In Rome, one man said it sounded like an elephant running through the house.

It was noticeable but not very strong in Central New York, about 200 miles from the quakes epicenter, which was 45 miles west of New York City.

Two Baldwinsville residents waiting for a plane at the Newark Airport said it was so strong they thought a plane had hit the terminal.

Did you feel it? Send your reports to the Syracuse.com breaking news desk.

You can also file a report with the U.S. Geological Survey.

There have been no reports of injury or damage yet. The U.S. Geological Survey said a 4.8-magnitude earthquake generally doesnt cause damage.

It is large enough to be strongly felt, especially in the East, where earthquake shaking travels through the crust more efficiently than it does out West, the agency said on X.

The quake was felt from Maine to Washington, D.C., the USGS said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in news conference today that there have been no reports of serious damage or life-threatening situations. State agencies are continuing to assess all major infrastructure for damage, she said.

Flights at John F. Kennedy and Newark airports are currently grounded as the safety of the air-traffic control towers are assessed, she said.

Hochul said that the White House has reached out to offer any aid the state needs. She said that the state will continue to track the possibility of aftershocks.

The USGS says theres a 46% chance of an earthquake of 3 to 4 on the Richter scale happening in the next week, and a 16% chance of one of at least 4 magnitude.

Earthquakes of 3 or 4 are considered small.

The last earthquake of this magnitude felt in New York State was in 2011, Hochul said.

New York City officials sent a text alert to phones in the area advising people to stay inside, according to SIlive.com. The New York Police Department asked residents to call 911 only to report injuries or structural damage, according to the report. Mayor Eric Adams is holding a press conference at noon, according to the report.

The Richter scale measures the amount of energy released in an earthquake, which happens when tectonic plates below ground abruptly slip past each other.

The scale ranges from 1 to 10. That scale is logarithmic, so every step is 10 times more powerful than the last. For example, an earthquake measuring 6 on the scale is 10 times more powerful than one measuring 5.
Dunkirk, N.Y.  No, the timing isnt ideal. But emergency repairs on the New York State Thruway cant wait  even for the total solar eclipse.

An approximately 17-mile stretch of Interstate 90 will close this afternoon in Western New York to give crews a chance to remove part of a severely damaged overpass, the Thruway Authority has announced.

Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, the eastbound lanes of the highway will be shut down from Exit 60 (Westfield) to Exit 59 (Dunkirk). The closure will allow construction crews to take down part of the North Road overpass over the Thruway  a bridge near the town of Portland that has been hit by at least three overheight trucks since the beginning of the year, the Thruway Authority said.

The long stretch of I-90 east is expected to reopen around 7 a.m. Saturday. I-90 west will remain open during construction.

The 14-hour closure of the highway could cause delays for travelers heading to the Buffalo area for the eclipse. About 1 million people are expected to flock to Erie County to witness the once-in-a-lifetime celestial event; traffic jams are expected.

An approximately 17-mile stretch of Interstate 90 east will close from 5 p.m. Friday, April 5 to 7 a.m. Saturday, April 6, 2024, between Westfield and Dunkirk, N.Y. to allow crews to repair a severely damaged bridge over the New York State Thruway. Credit: Thruway AuthorityCredit: Thruway Authority

During the 14-hour closure, travelers will be diverted off the Thruway. The 18-mile detour will direct traffic from state Route 394 east to US-20 east and Route 60 north before guiding motorists back onto the Thruway at Exit 59 in Dunkirk.

The Authority is working with state, county and local authorities on this operation, which will take place rain or shine, the Thruway Authority said.

To check for traffic delays before, during and after the eclipse, visit 511NY or the Thruways traffic map.
During the first quarter of this year, the China-Laos Railway handled some 1.38 million tonnes of import and export goods, up 33.6 percent year on year, a quarterly record high, said Kunming Customs on Thursday.

The import and export goods transported via the China-Laos Railway have expanded from 583 varieties in the first month of its operation to about 3,000 varieties now.

Over the years, the railway's train operations have become more intensive. It began operations with two trains per day, and has since increased to 20 trains per day, according to the customs authorities.

As a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the 1,035-km China-Laos Railway connects Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with the Laotian capital Vientiane. It began operations in December 2021.
The article on the Dien Bien Phu Victory published on LUnione Sarda (Screenshot photo)

According to the Vietnam News Agency, in the article entitled Vietnam, the Lesson Still Applies Today, Antonio Barracca, the author, highlighted that Vietnam, a poor, predominantly agricultural nation then, managed to defeat the armies of two world powers.

The author visited Vietnam just a few years after the war ended. At that time, Hanoi was an agricultural city with few light bulbs to illuminate deserted streets populated by bicycles during the day. The only important buildings were those of the French colonization.

He underlined that the Dien Bien Phu battle in 1954 ended with the total victory of Vietnam, became a decisive battle ending the invasive war in Indochina. It led to the signing of the peace agreements concluded on 21 July 1954, according to which France had to accept to withdraw its troops from the entire Indochina.

On April 30, 1975, Vietnam once again defeated US troops and completely liberated the south and reunified the country, noted the author.

He emphasized that in these wars like that of Vietnam, it is the strongest who must put an end to the war if we want right and not wrong to prevail./.
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abaliga BHPian

Join Date: May 2023 Location: Mangalore Posts: 252 Thanked: 829 Times

Re: Skoda Octavia 2.0 TSI DSG Review



Highlights:

- This was the last Octavia delivered in Mangalore! We purchased this car only because it was being discontinued and were not in a rush as our Ecosport was running trouble free with only 25k on the odometer, Skoda was selling this without any discounts despite the rumors on the discontinuation! I was hardly able to bargain as I was not ready to walk away from buying the car (I knew it was unlikely to be launched again, even if relaunched getting it as a CKD with 2.0 TSI is a fat chance).

- Car has run only 6K in its first year! too less for my liking, but I have enjoyed every kilometer I have driven it.

- Extremely well built and worth every rupee we paid for (despite being priced slightly higher than desired, it is hard to find a car that is as good for a budget of 35-40 lakh on road today).

- Though looks are subjective, Octavia has a timeless design with a nice 3 box silhouette, something that cannot be beaten by any of the SUVs/Crossovers.

- Absolutely no issues to report, has proven to be a reliable companion till date(knock on wood), hopefully it remains that way throughout my ownership (I do not plan on selling the car for the next 10-12 years)!

- Extremely high safety standards, has received 5 Stars from Euro NCAP, L&K has 2 additional airbags for rear seat occupants in addition to the standard safety suite.



Service Experience:



- 1st year service was uneventful, I was charged around 12k that included Oil change (did not get the car washed and declined the wheel alignment), I did not let the car out of my sight for the entire 3 hours it was at the workshop and was standing outside the workshop door to respect their rules, I had informed the SA to not go on a test drive without me being present, Tafe Access Mangalore honored my requests without any hesitation.



Likes:



- Minimalistic dashboard design with high quality bits that should age well (Not withstanding the piano black inserts that are impossible to be kept scratch free).

- Sweet powertrain with 190PS and 320 NM of torque that can keep most enthusiasts happy. Only fly in the ointment being the wheel spin and torque steer raising its ugly head when one floors the gas pedal. RS tune for the engine with an AWD would have given a 330i/li a run for its money!

- Cushy ride quality at higher speeds, Low speed ride is a bit stiff though, may be the stock Goodyears are to be blamed.

- Decent space for folks with average build, taller folks will find it a bit cramped in the rear seat that is if a person above 5'10" is seated in the front.

- Retractable sun blinds for rear windows and rear windshield (missing on 3 series).

- Well designed digital instrument console with round dials (I hate the new age angled designs!).

- Powered trunk lid and an accommodating 600 litre boot.

- Compact turning radius that is shorter than our previous ride (Ecosport), very maneuverable for a 4.7m car.

- Did I mention good fit an finish inside out already? its hard to find this level of quality for the price I paid these days.

- DSG performs very well in most situations (97%), at times one can feel the jerks at speeds below 30 kmph as the box is hunting for the right gear to be in, this can be noticed only by keen observers.

- Neutral handling characteristics (nowhere as fun as our Ecosport was, but that had a harsh ride), the ride and handling balance on the Octavia is appreciated more than the fun we could have on the Ecosport.

- Very refined overall, NVH levels are very well controlled even at 3 digit speeds, Motor sounds sweet when revved! This is one reason we had to drop the VAG 1.5 TSI cars from contention, I hate the boomy nature of 1.5 TSIs at revvs higher than 3.5k rpm, wish VAG sorted this out (their 1.2 TSIs sounded much better at higher rpms too).

- Ground clearance at 137mm is more than adequate, as long as one is not rushing through speed breakers/potholes, this is easily manageable, the suspension tune does not let the car scrape its belly easily.

- Full LED head lights and tail lights that look nice when lit up.

- Ambient lighting for the dashboard gives the cabin a premium vibe.

- Well thought out dash cam port behind the IRVM is a blessing, no warranty issues stemming out of aftermarket installation!

- Wireless car play and Android auto are standard.

- Wireless phone charger is standard as well.



Dislikes:



- Ingress/Egress is a little tricky for seniors, not as comfortable/easy as some of the monocoque crossovers.

- Stitching on the seats and the steering is not consistent, hard to notice, but keen observers can find minor anomalies (I am nit picking here).

- Single digit fuel economy for the most part, bumper to bumper drive will yield only 7-7.5 kmpl, one can get a decent 10-12 kmpl if the average speed is above 30 within city limits, Highway economy is decent at 15-16 kmpl if one is a saint, although we (myself and my dad) have not been able to fetch more than 10-11 kmpl on a highway run where one is driving fast (within speed limits), the car gulps fuel if one is slowing down frequently and picking up speed quickly! Turbo petrols are not meant for high mileage users.

- Driving range with a relatively thirsty motor and 50 litres tank is limited to about 500 kms (Tank capacity should have been at least 60 litres).

- 205/55 R17 size tyres are skinny, I find the profile and the diameter to be adequate for our roads, but the width should have been 225mm at the minimum! Will definitely need better rubber next time around.

- Absence of physical HVAC controls is a trend I hate, however, there is an option to add a widget on the home screen of the infotainment for HVAC controls including the blower speed which makes it easier than navigating across menus.

- Wheelspin on aggressive launches, typical trait of a front wheel drive, I feel this dilutes the premium car experience at times.

- Low beam on the head lights were awful, this is despite the upgraded headlights for L&K, I got the beams raised a bit during the first service, have not been able to test whether there is any improvement as yet.

- Unacceptable cost cutting measures like not providing ambient light, soft feel plastics on the rear door pads (although the general quality of door pad plastics is superior all around).

- I do not mind the absence of sunroof, but not providing ventilated seats on a car that costs almost 38 big ones is unacceptable.

- Requirement of minimum 95 Octane fuel, finding this was tricky on our 2200 kms trip from Mangalore to Shirdi, ended up fueling regular 91 Octane fuel 2-3 times, luckily the motor performed well regardless of the octane rating! Availability of good quality high octane fuel is always on the back of my mind during road trips as some owners have faced issues with this motor being sensitive to fuel quality. Also, the fuel cap says the car is only E10 compliant, God help us if there is no availability of E10 fuel in the country few years down the line.

- It was cheap of Skoda to delete the extremely desirable Canton music system and the child lock controls from the driver door! As if these deletions were not enough, Skoda increased the prices subsequently adding insult to injury, I am an audiophile and greatly appreciate quality music, deletion of the Canton system is something I still cant get my head around after owning the car for a year, the stock music system is alright but not great, I guess I will bite the bullet eventually and upgrade the speakers and install a sub.



All in all, I am very happy with the purchase, 4th generation Octavia is an excellent offering that can give the luxury German Marques a run for their money! Brand Octavia has been the default choice for enthusiasts who are on a budget, unfortunately for many of them, the car is discontinued as of today, I am hoping this will be re-introduced soon (has to be in the CKD form as it does not make any sense as a CBU!) as this was the car that had established Skoda in India.



I would also like to urge Skoda India to manage the lead time required for procuring parts of their CKD options better, Have heard too many stories of delays over 3 months, this is simply unacceptable in a globalized world with a super fast supply chain.



And finally, Here are some pictures I have clicked over the past year, please do not mind the quality as all of them were clicked on my phone, Thank you all!















































































Having completed 1 year since we welcomed our 2023 Octavia L&K 2.0 TSI, I would like to share my ownership experience of this very special car with the esteemed forum members and viewers- This was the last Octavia delivered in Mangalore! We purchased this car only because it was being discontinued and were not in a rush as our Ecosport was running trouble free with only 25k on the odometer, Skoda was selling this without any discounts despite the rumors on the discontinuation! I was hardly able to bargain as I was not ready to walk away from buying the car(I knew it was unlikely to be launched again, even if relaunched getting it as a CKD with 2.0 TSI is a fat chance).- Car has run only 6K in its first year! too less for my liking, but I have enjoyed every kilometer I have driven it.- Extremely well built and worth every rupee we paid for (despite being priced slightly higher than desired, it is hard to find a car that is as good for a budget of 35-40 lakh on road today).- Though looks are subjective, Octavia has a timeless design with a nice 3 box silhouette, something that cannot be beaten by any of the SUVs/Crossovers.- Absolutely no issues to report, has proven to be a reliable companion till date(knock on wood), hopefully it remains that way throughout my ownership (I do not plan on selling the car for the next 10-12 years)!- Extremely high safety standards, has received 5 Stars from Euro NCAP, L&K has 2 additional airbags for rear seat occupants in addition to the standard safety suite.- 1st year service was uneventful, I was charged around 12k that included Oil change (did not get the car washed and declined the wheel alignment), I did not let the car out of my sight for the entire 3 hours it was at the workshop and was standing outside the workshop door to respect their rules, I had informed the SA to not go on a test drive without me being present, Tafe Access Mangalore honored my requests without any hesitation.- Minimalistic dashboard design with high quality bits that should age well (Not withstanding the piano black inserts that are impossible to be kept scratch free).- Sweet powertrain with 190PS and 320 NM of torque that can keep most enthusiasts happy. Only fly in the ointment being the wheel spin and torque steer raising its ugly head when one floors the gas pedal. RS tune for the engine with an AWD would have given a 330i/li a run for its money!- Cushy ride quality at higher speeds, Low speed ride is a bit stiff though, may be the stock Goodyears are to be blamed.- Decent space for folks with average build, taller folks will find it a bit cramped in the rear seat that is if a person above 5'10" is seated in the front.- Retractable sun blinds for rear windows and rear windshield (missing on 3 series).- Well designed digital instrument console with round dials (I hate the new age angled designs!).- Powered trunk lid and an accommodating 600 litre boot.- Compact turning radius that is shorter than our previous ride (Ecosport), very maneuverable for a 4.7m car.- Did I mention good fit an finish inside out already? its hard to find this level of quality for the price I paid these days.- DSG performs very well in most situations (97%), at times one can feel the jerks at speeds below 30 kmph as the box is hunting for the right gear to be in, this can be noticed only by keen observers.- Neutral handling characteristics (nowhere as fun as our Ecosport was, but that had a harsh ride), the ride and handling balance on the Octavia is appreciated more than the fun we could have on the Ecosport.- Very refined overall, NVH levels are very well controlled even at 3 digit speeds, Motor sounds sweet when revved! This is one reason we had to drop the VAG 1.5 TSI cars from contention, I hate the boomy nature of 1.5 TSIs at revvs higher than 3.5k rpm, wish VAG sorted this out (their 1.2 TSIs sounded much better at higher rpms too).- Ground clearance at 137mm is more than adequate, as long as one is not rushing through speed breakers/potholes, this is easily manageable, the suspension tune does not let the car scrape its belly easily.- Full LED head lights and tail lights that look nice when lit up.- Ambient lighting for the dashboard gives the cabin a premium vibe.- Well thought out dash cam port behind the IRVM is a blessing, no warranty issues stemming out of aftermarket installation!- Wireless car play and Android auto are standard.- Wireless phone charger is standard as well.- Ingress/Egress is a little tricky for seniors, not as comfortable/easy as some of the monocoque crossovers.- Stitching on the seats and the steering is not consistent, hard to notice, but keen observers can find minor anomalies (I am nit picking here).- Single digit fuel economy for the most part, bumper to bumper drive will yield only 7-7.5 kmpl, one can get a decent 10-12 kmpl if the average speed is above 30 within city limits, Highway economy is decent at 15-16 kmpl if one is a saint, although we (myself and my dad) have not been able to fetch more than 10-11 kmpl on a highway run where one is driving fast (within speed limits), the car gulps fuel if one is slowing down frequently and picking up speed quickly! Turbo petrols are not meant for high mileage users.- Driving range with a relatively thirsty motor and 50 litres tank is limited to about 500 kms (Tank capacity should have been at least 60 litres).- 205/55 R17 size tyres are skinny, I find the profile and the diameter to be adequate for our roads, but the width should have been 225mm at the minimum! Will definitely need better rubber next time around.- Absence of physical HVAC controls is a trend I hate, however, there is an option to add a widget on the home screen of the infotainment for HVAC controls including the blower speed which makes it easier than navigating across menus.- Wheelspin on aggressive launches, typical trait of a front wheel drive, I feel this dilutes the premium car experience at times.- Low beam on the head lights were awful, this is despite the upgraded headlights for L&K, I got the beams raised a bit during the first service, have not been able to test whether there is any improvement as yet.- Unacceptable cost cutting measures like not providing ambient light, soft feel plastics on the rear door pads (although the general quality of door pad plastics is superior all around).- I do not mind the absence of sunroof, but not providing ventilated seats on a car that costs almost 38 big ones is unacceptable.- Requirement of minimum 95 Octane fuel, finding this was tricky on our 2200 kms trip from Mangalore to Shirdi, ended up fueling regular 91 Octane fuel 2-3 times, luckily the motor performed well regardless of the octane rating! Availability of good quality high octane fuel is always on the back of my mind during road trips as some owners have faced issues with this motor being sensitive to fuel quality. Also, the fuel cap says the car is only E10 compliant, God help us if there is no availability of E10 fuel in the country few years down the line.- It was cheap of Skoda to delete the extremely desirable Canton music system and the child lock controls from the driver door! As if these deletions were not enough, Skoda increased the prices subsequently adding insult to injury, I am an audiophile and greatly appreciate quality music, deletion of the Canton system is something I still cant get my head around after owning the car for a year, the stock music system is alright but not great, I guess I will bite the bullet eventually and upgrade the speakers and install a sub.All in all, I am very happy with the purchase, 4th generation Octavia is an excellent offering that can give the luxury German Marques a run for their money! Brand Octavia has been the default choice for enthusiasts who are on a budget, unfortunately for many of them, the car is discontinued as of today, I am hoping this will be re-introduced soon (has to be in the CKD form as it does not make any sense as a CBU!) as this was the car that had established Skoda in India.I would also like to urge Skoda India to manage the lead time required for procuring parts of their CKD options better, Have heard too many stories of delays over 3 months, this is simply unacceptable in a globalized world with a super fast supply chain.And finally, Here are some pictures I have clicked over the past year, please do not mind the quality as all of them were clicked on my phone, Thank you all! Last edited by Aditya : 4th April 2024 at 21:54 . Reason: As requested
NomadSK BHPian

Join Date: May 2023 Location: Riyadh Posts: 512 Thanked: 3,404 Times

Re: ADAS dangerous in India | Sudden, unexpected braking causes rear-end collision



https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...onda-city.html (Problems & Advantages of ADAS in the Honda City)







Quote: 2] Emergency Braking Issue on really steep climbs



Now this has not happened once but twice. Both the times the car was slowly climbing a steep stretch of road (the types where you need to get out of a parking on a lower level). I would say on both the instances I would say the climb was really steep (Maybe more than 45 degrees). {Please don't say that the city doesn't have that kind of approach angle lol. It was a gradual climb}.

When on the most steep part, the emergency brake warning went off and the car braked to a complete stop. After talking to a couple of friends we came to the conclusion that maybe the camera can not comprehend the steep climb and it came to the decision that the car was about to crash into road itself. I know it sounds dumb but we couldn't come to any other conclusions. I am going to tell this issue to the Service Centre on my next visit and will update what they say. Also please let me know if anyone else has had this. Looks like a similar incident has been discussed recently on this thread for Honda City. Thats a serious serious safety concern, as far as I know such system detects obstacles based on radar, camera and Lidar inputs. Last edited by NomadSK : 3rd April 2024 at 22:55 .
What just happened? It's not just China that is replacing Windows on government PCs. Germany's most northern state, Schleswig-Holstein, has begun moving from the popular OS to Linux while also switching from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice. The state's Minister-President Daniel Gunther said the move from proprietary to open-source software was being made to ensure independence, sustainability, and security.

"In addition to improved IT security, cost-effectiveness, and data protection, the use of open-source software also enables seamless collaboration between different systems," officials said. "Alongside open-source software development, the goal is to release future development results of the country under free licenses."

The 30,000 employees of Schleswig-Holstein's local government will be moving to Linux and LibreOffice as the state pushes for what it calls "digital sovereignty," a reference to non-EU companies not gathering troves of user data so European firms can compete with these foreign rivals.

LibreOffice developer The Document Foundation celebrated the move with a post that highlighted the use of the term digital sovereignty, noting that proprietary, closed software can't be studied or modified, meaning it is very difficult to know what happens to users' data.

The Document Foundation added that with open-source software, local governments maintain full control, study its source code, make changes they require, and deploy it entirely on their own infrastructure. The organization also questioned why local governments should use taxpayers' money to buy proprietary software from a single vendor.

Question! Why should local governments use taxpayers' money to buy proprietary software from a single vendor? And what happens to citizens' data? A solution is to move to free software like Linux and LibreOffice  which is what Schleswig-Holstein is doing: https://t.co/P7cQJwEP7u pic.twitter.com/OuIHPlSteV  LibreOffice (@LibreOffice) April 4, 2024

Schleswig-Holstein's email servers, directory, and telephony software is also going open-source, with plans to use Nextcloud, Open Xchange/Thunderbird, and the Univention Active Directory (AD).

Speaking about the restrictions associated with proprietary software, the state's government said that "We have no influence over the operational processes of such solutions or the handling of data, including the possibility of data outflows to third-party countries."

The plans to go open-source were drawn up by Schleswig-Holstein back in 2021. At the time, one of the several reasons for the switch was Windows 11's hardware requirements. The jump to LibreOffice had a deadline of 2026  there was no date set for ditching Windows.

The move could see other government agencies in Germany and the rest of Europe also drop propriety software for open-source alternatives, particularly as the European Commission recently found that its use of Microsoft 365 infringed several key data protection rules.

Munich, the capital of German state Bavaria, switched from Windows to Linux-based LiMux in 2004, though it switched back in 2017 as part of an IT overhaul. Wanting Microsoft to move its headquarters to Munich likely played a part in returning to Windows, too.

The move comes soon after China introduced new guidelines that will phase out US processors and software, including Windows, from its government computers and servers.

Last month saw Andres Freund, a PostgreSQL developer at Microsoft, discover malicious code that could break sshd authentication, potentially posing a huge threat to Linux. Thankfully, it was caught early.
A hot potato: Just in case all the previous reports haven't painted a grim enough picture, another survey into the impact artificial intelligence will have on jobs over the coming years has been published. The takeaway is that around 41% of senior executives say they expect their workforces to decrease in size as a result of the technology.

Adecco Group, the world's second largest Human Resources provider and temporary staffing firm, asked 2,000 senior execs at large companies worldwide about the effects AI will have on their businesses, making it one of the largest surveys of its kind.

Companies in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Canada, Australia and Singapore from sectors including defence, pharma, healthcare, logistics, and more took part. The main finding was that just over 4 out of 10 executives said they expect to have fewer people working at their businesses due to generative AI.

Another finding was that while most of those surveyed said AI would be revolutionary and game changing, the vast majority added that they had not made enough progress when it came to adopting the technology. Adecco CEO Denis Machuel said companies should prepare for AI's impact by training employees to work with the technology rather than recruiting specialists.

"Almost all jobs are going to be impacted by AI one way or another," Machuel told Reuters. "AI can be a job killer and it can also be a job creator."

"Between jobs created by AI and jobs destroyed, we believe this is going to be balanced," Machuel added.

AI companies and those in charge of introducing the technology to their organizations like to push the narrative that it will reduce the time workers spend on mundane tasks while improving efficiency and be a useful collaborative tool, but we're yet to see any reports suggesting it won't result in massive job losses globally  Elon Musk thinks it could lead to the end of all human employment.

A similar survey that was carried out last month by Beautiful.ai, which makes AI-powered presentation software, questioned over 3,000 managers. It found that almost half of all participants said they are hoping AI can replace employees with cheaper artificial intelligence tools in 2024. Most respondents said they believed AI would provide an opportunity to lower salaries, while 12% said they are using AI in hopes of downsizing and saving money on workers' pay. Furthermore, just under half said they think AI tools will fuel wage declines across the country.

Other AI-focused surveys include one from September that predicted the technology would replace over 2 million US jobs by 2030. An earlier study claimed that generative AI could affect 300 million jobs globally.

Masthead: Wikkimedia commons
A hot potato: For the second time in just over six months, Microsoft has issued a warning about China's use of generative AI to sow disruption in the United States during this election year. State-sponsored groups, working with the backing of North Korea, are also expected to target elections in South Korea and India having launched a similar campaign during Taiwan's presidential election in January.

Microsoft's report, titled East Asia threat actors employ unique methods, notes that Chinese campaigns have continued to refine AI-generated or AI-enhanced content, creating videos, memes, and audio, among others. While their influence might not be too impactful right now, it may prove increasingly effective down the line as it becomes more sophisticated, Microsoft said.

Back in September, analysts from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center highlighted a campaign by Chinese operatives that used generative AI to create content (see example below) for social media posts focusing on politically divisive topics, including gun violence and denigrating US political figures and symbols.

The latest report examines some of the conspiratorial content created using generative AI pushed by Chinese social media accounts. This includes a claim from Beijing-backed group Storm 1376 in August 2023 that the US government had deliberately started the Hawaii wildfires using a military-grade weather weapon. The same group published conspiracy theories relating to the Kentucky rail derailment in 2023 and tried to stoke discord in Japan and South Korea.

Storm 1376 was highly active during the Taiwanese elections in January, which is being referred to by Microsoft as a "dry run" for the upcoming elections in other countries. It posted fake audio of Foxconn founder Terry Gou, who had dropped out of the race in November, endorsing another candidate. The group also posted several AI-generated memes about eventual winner William Lai, who is pro-sovereignty. There was also an increased use of AI-generated news anchors, created by TikTok owner ByteDance's CapCut tool, in which the fake presenters made unsubstantiated claims about Lai's private life, including that he fathered illegitimate children.

One of the biggest problems with fighting realistic generative AI being used to spread misinformation is that many people refuse to believe it's fake, especially when this content conforms to their beliefs and values.
Concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment have grown recently amid the ongoing job cuts in the technology sector.



AI has already cost thousands of jobs, and this tendency may continue. UPS and IBM CEOs have announced that AI-driven automation may harm specific jobs. Moreover, a McKinsey poll found that 25% of business professionals foresee AI-related layoffs.



Google dismissed hundreds of key engineering and hardware employees, including voice-activated assistant developers, on January 10.



In an email, Google advised impacted staff to apply for available opportunities to stay employed. The memo states that people who are unable to find new employment have until April 9th to take action. The Tech giant laid off thousands in 2023, starting with a 6% worldwide staff decrease (approximately 12,000 individuals) in January.



To address this mounting AI issue, tech giants Cisco, Google, Microsoft, and IBM launched the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium. Cisco leads the collaboration, which investigates AI's influence on employment and provides AI training, per TechCrunch.



The ITC's initial goal is to assess AI's impact on 56 ICT jobs and suggests training. These jobs were chosen for their strategic relevance in ICT and AI-induced transformation.

AI to Continue Impacting Tech Jobs

The consortium's goals are encouraging, but industry-led attempts to address tech job cuts are still doubtful. IBM and Intel have pledged to train millions of people in AI, but analysts say demand for AI-related jobs may be stagnant.



As the ITC prepares to publish its conclusions this summer, doubts remain regarding the consortium's long-term plan and practical goals. Given the changing nature of AI technology and its effects on the workforce, stakeholders expect specific efforts to prevent job losses and boost workforce growth.

(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A two-armed robot called "ADAM" prepares a cup of coffee for a customer at Botbar coffee shop on May 31, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Notably, layoffs hit technology, media, finance, and retail in 2023. Big companies including IBM, Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and Dow cut employment, according to Business Insider.

Employment remained grim in 2024, with April offering little relief. Almost 40% of company owners expect layoffs this year, and 50% expect hiring freezes, according to ResumeBuilder. The study of 900 CEOs from companies with over 10 workers cited recession fears as a major factor.



AI was another major contributor to job cutbacks, with 4 in 10 respondents planning to replace humans with AI. Dropbox, Google, and IBM have announced AI-related layoffs.

Dismissed Workers Struggling in Shifting Job Market

Notably, as tech firms adapt to changing market dynamics and improve operational efficiency, the workforce confronts problems due to economic instability and the rapid use of AI technology. Software engineers and data scientists, long prized for their expertise, now face unclear career prospects. The sector has changed, forcing many to consider leaving in pursuit of better chances, according to CNBC.



Roger Lee, founder of Layoffs.fyi, highlighted the changing dynamics, noting that securing a new position in the tech sector has become increasingly challenging. Sales professionals and recruiters are shifting away from tech roles, while even engineers are facing compromises such as accepting positions with reduced stability, tougher work conditions, or diminished compensation packages.



Data from Comprehensive.io, a compensation tracker he recently contributed to, supports Lee's claim that tech salaries have largely plateaued over the past two years.
Google sued a group of crypto scammers for defrauding over 100,000 users by posting misleading investing and crypto trading applications to Google Play. The tech giant sees this legal action as the first of its kind to set user protection standards.



In the Southern District of New York case, the defendants allegedly misrepresented their name, location, and app kind to Google to publish fake apps. Google's network of fraudsters is facing civil RICO and breach of contract allegations. The online juggernaut claims they uploaded at least 87 bogus apps to defraud consumers, according to CNBC.

Google's general counsel, Halimah DeLaine Prado, called this legal move a major step against crypto scams. She stressed that the tech firm is dedicated to protecting users via "teams that work around the clock to detect fraud and spam and abuse."

Beware of Crypto Apps Online

Yunfeng Sun and Hongnam Cheung have been accused of running the crypto scam since 2019. The alleged fraudsters used SMS messages, internet advertising videos, and affiliate marketing to get victims to download their programs.



These applications on Google Play claimed users had balances and investment returns. However, users were unable to withdraw their funds. Google contends that the promise of easy money deceived consumers.

The complaint names TionRT, a fake crypto exchange app. A Sun-affiliated developer released the app to Google Play in 2022 and crypto scammers ignored victims' complaints about withdrawing money.



Google claims it suffered considerable losses more than $75,000 from these fraudulent actions and seeks a permanent injunction against the defendants to protect users.

Read Also : New York City's AI Chatbot Under Fire for Dispensing Inaccurate Advice to Businesses

Rising Online Scams Worldwide Alert Authorities

The FBI released a report recently highlighting the growing threat of financial crime on the internet in the US, with losses expected to reach $12.5 billion in 2023-a notable 22% increase from the year before.



The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, which reports cybercrime directly, reported 880,418 complaints in 2023, a 10% increase over 2022, according to KTLA.



Timothy Langan, the FBI's executive assistant director, noted that bad actors may conduct large-scale fraud schemes, ransom our money and data, and threaten national security. He stressed that hackers, motivated by profit or state-sponsored goals, might disrupt key services across industries.



The FBI said that "phishing" scams, which send fraudulent emails requesting personal and financial information, were the most common cybercrime in 2023. Hackers recorded personal data breaches, extortion attempts, tech support scams, and product non-payment or non-delivery, demonstrating cybercriminals' various strategies.



One notable crypto scam that TechTimes reported was The HyperVerse, which targeted investors in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. When it crashed in January, it left many without cash.



According to reports from Nepal, HyperVerse investors, some of whom accepted bank loans, are in tremendous anguish, with some expressing suicidal thoughts and self-harming due to their inability to withdraw funds.



Former BlockChain Global employees Sam Lee and Ryan Xu, Australian blockchain entrepreneurs, founded HyperVerse, a subsidiary of HyperFund.



In 2022, a UK-based HyperVerse marketer visited five African nations, offering blockchain technology to millions worldwide despite regulatory warnings identifying it a "scam" and a "suspected pyramid scheme." The scam's global expansion incentivized recruiting new members, focusing on the unexplored markets of developing nations.
Ford is recalibrating its approach: the rollout of Electric Vehicles faces delays, prompting a strategic shift towards prioritizing Hybrids. Notably, the highly anticipated release of the three-row SUV Electric Vehicle is now postponed until the year 2027.

Postponement of Highly Anticipated EVs

Ford recently announced delays in releasing some of its highly anticipated electric vehicles, signaling a renewed focus on hybrid technologies. Among the affected models is the long-awaited three-row SUV EV, originally slated for release next year but now postponed until 2027.

Ford attributes this delay to the desire to capitalize on emerging battery advancements. Additionally, the next-generation electric pickup codenamed "T3," faces a delay from late 2025 to 2026. This vehicle's production occurs at the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center assembly plant within Ford's BlueOval City complex.

Despite ongoing efforts, Ford is still installing stamping equipment necessary for producing the truck's sheet metal.

Ford remains steadfast in its commitment to mitigating the impact of the launch delays on its Canadian workforce. This commitment underscores the company's dedication to its employees amidst challenges in production.

Focus on Hybrid Initiatives

With these revelations, Ford has unveiled a fresh initiative for hybrid automobiles. It intends to integrate hybrid powertrains across the Ford Blue lineup by 2030.

Despite the aforementioned setbacks and the shift towards hybrid vehicles, Ford asserts its unwavering commitment to EVs and continues to progress with the construction of battery plants in Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Nevertheless, it's widely acknowledged that the EV market hasn't flourished as companies anticipated. Whether it's due to the high initial cost, unreliable charging infrastructure, or the disqualification of some EVs from federal tax breaks, the reasons abound.

Perhaps consumers are simply deterred by certain aspects, including leadership dynamics within the industry. Nevertheless, while the deceleration is evident, it might be slightly exaggerated.

According to Reuters, Ford experienced an 11% decline in Electric Vehicle (EV) sales in January, signaling a challenging start to the year.

However, the company has since witnessed a notable resurgence, with EV sales surging by an impressive 86% throughout the first quarter compared to the previous year.

This remarkable rebound suggests a significant turnaround in Ford's EV sales trajectory and underscores the company's ability to adapt and respond effectively to market dynamics.

Also read : Ford Pauses 2024 F-150 Lightning Shipments for Quality Inspection

Despite this positive trend, Ford's EV portfolio suffered a loss of $4.7 billion in 2023. Ford's president and CEO, Jim Farley, emphasized the company's commitment to expanding a profitable EV business. Last year, Ford announced plans to delay or cancel $12 billion in electric vehicle spending.

The impact of today's announcements on Ford's goal to ramp up production to 600,000 EVs per year remains uncertain. However, customers in the US and Canada can now utilize Tesla Superchargers, addressing some concerns about infrastructure.
Disney+'s password sharing crackdown was made news a while ago, and it was said to take place this 2024, with the renowned streaming service looking to require users not in the same home to have their account. This follows the successful anti-password sharing policy that Netflix implemented last year, which helped the company see more subscribers creating accounts.

The new direction of Disney+ will also have Hulu join it and effect the same policy, looking to drive more of the business with new subscribers.

Disney+ Password Sharing: When Will it Take Effect?

The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger revealed in an interview with CNBC earlier today that the password sharing crackdown is coming to Disney+ and Hulu, laying out the timeline for the changes.

In June, we'll be launching our first real foray into password sharing. Just a few countries in a few markets, but then it will grow significantly with a full rollout in September. Bob Iger

This means that starting this June, select regions will get to see the anti-password sharing policy take effect, and it will see its entire implementation by September. However, Iger did not reveal which countries or regions would specifically experience the policy change, particularly when it would take effect in the United States.

Disney Plus and Hulu Are Following Netflix's Strategy

That being said, the company's password-sharing crackdown will begin in around two months, by June, and before the year ends, Disney+ and Hulu will have done what Netflix started in 2022.

For now, there are still no specifics and technicalities regarding how Disney would change password sharing, especially if it were the same as Netflix.

Password Sharing Crackdown

Back in 2016, Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings revealed that he had no problems with account owners sharing their passwords with friends, families, or people who pay for one subscription on the platform. However, that changed around 2022 when the company first started its anti-password sharing policy which was piloted in regions outside the US.

In 2023, Netflix effected the password-sharing crackdown in the United States and, eventually, the rest of the world, where one account belongs to one household only. This was a successful move for Netflix as it reportedly gained 5.9 million new subscribers in only a few months since it took effect in March last year.

The next platforms that announced this were Disney+ and Hulu, the once separate platforms that were owned by the same Walt Disney Company, later announcing its merger.

Anti-password sharing crackdown is growing, and next to Disney+ and Hulu, Warner Bros. Discovery's Max is also joining the changes in its policies. Disney's password sharing first took place in Canada and is now moving to the United States and the rest of the world, starting this June with unspecified select regions first and then taking effect by September for its global audience.
London-based students are calling for artificial intelligence-centered education that focuses more on preventing fake nudes rather than solely focusing on test cheating. The calls came after fake nudes of students were created and spread, prompting an ongoing investigation by the London Police.

Pupils at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School started sharing photos of themselves that had been changed by AI. According to school officials, photos of kids have been altered with artificial intelligence from social media sites to make them appear nude.

First reported by CBC, According to every student surveyed, there should be a school suspension if the offending kid or students are found out.

(Photo : Andres Siimon from Unsplash) Deepfakes are already dangerous since they can mislead people, but when paired with a banking trojan, things just get worse for the side of the victims.

One of the students who claimed to have been the victim of AI-generated photographs of themselves in the nude states that she feels ashamed of her friends' behavior even though she is unsure of the perpetrators. The minor says it is "super frustrating," and they want people to think it is not them, but it remains embarrassing even if they know it is not them.

The adolescent claimed that while teachers warn pupils against using artificial intelligence to cheat on exams and papers, they rarely discuss the more cunning and inventive methods in which it may be applied.

Griffin Gardner, 15, a ninth-grader, reported that he had heard reports of female students in grades 9 and 11 being singled out.

Gardner says he has not seen the pictures, but he does know those who have. He continues, saying that to stop AI from getting worse, the general public needs to learn more about it. He goes on to say that some are spreading it merely to garner attention and to make other children feel uncomfortable.

Read Also: Twitch Rolls Back Artistic Nudity Changes, Reevaluating Recent Policy Updates

US on AI-Generated Nudes

Cases around the world regarding fake AI-generated nudes only continue. Just last month, a third-grade teacher was detained after being found in possession of child porn and AI-generated child porn made using three pupils' yearbook images.

The accused was Steven Houser, a 67-year-old teacher at Beacon Christian Academy in New Port Richey who teaches science to third graders, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Another case saw middle school pupils at Beverly Hills Schools producing and distributing AI-generated nude photos with other kids' faces on them in February. The Beverly Hills Unified School District was made aware of the creation and dissemination of the AI-generated images after allegations from concerned kids.

Australia Jails First AI Offender

While in Australia, the first person in his state to exploit child abuse material generated by AI was a man from Tasmania. After obtaining, sharing, and downloading hundreds of pieces of illegal AI-generated content, the 48-year-old man was found guilty.

On March 26, 2024, the Gravelly Beach man entered a guilty plea for having access to and possession of child abuse materials after being taken into custody and facing charges.

As part of a Tasmania Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (TAS-JACET) investigation, the Australian Federal Police claim that this is the first conviction in Tasmanian history involving AI-generated material meant for child exploitation.

Related Article: AI-Altered Nude Photos of High School Students Alarm Parents in Canada

(Photo : Tech Times)
The massive bid of Coinbase in Canada which started last year now reached "Restricted Dealer" status, with its Canadian operations said to be the second-biggest of the company next to the US. In Canada's case, Coinbase's crypto exchange is now the biggest platform registered in the country, with the company doing so despite its massive scrutiny in the US.

It also follows the new policies for cryptocurrency in Canada, as set up by the Canadian Securities Administrators and signed by the Ontario Securities Commission.

Coinbase Gets 'Restricted Dealer' Status in Canada

Coinbase announced its latest development in its Canadian operations, with the country's CSA now grating them a "Restricted Dealer" status, making it the first international company to achieve this feat. This also follows Coinbase's dedication to regulatory compliance in the country, following its pre-registration undertaking in March, and formal launch in August 2023.

"This is a significant milestone in Coinbase's journey in Canada," said Lucas Matheson, CEO, of Coinbase Canada. "We're excited to continue working with stakeholders across Canada to accelerate the adoption of digital assets, foster economic empowerment, and reshape the financial system."

With this status, Coinbase upholds following its laws, sharing its beliefs regarding centralized crypto intermediaries to be under the regulation process.

Coinbase is Now Canada's Biggest Registered Crypto Exchange

The goal of the US-based company is to grow and offer more opportunities for the cryptocurrency market in Canada, to thrive in the future.

To date, Coinbase is hailed as the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the Great North, one that adheres to its laws and is regulated by the CSA.

Coin base's US Scrutiny and Global Operations

Coinbase has long faced US scrutiny and lawsuits, particularly with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its operations in the country. In one fight, the SEC alerted the US-based crypto exchange about a possible lawsuit behind the newly launched service in 2021, Coinbase Lend, particularly as it was not registered as a 'security,' which the company disputed.

In 2023, there were significant run-ins between Coinbase and the SEC, with one centering on a Wells Notice, as revealed by the company's SEC filing, regarding potential violations of protecting investors.

On the other hand, the massive crypto exchange crackdown of the SEC which targeted both Binance and Coinbase was launched last year.

Coinbase has since gone against the SEC over their lack of response regarding the crypto industry regulation, despite pushing for regulation against the company.

The US has looked closely at Coinbase's status in Canada, under its new crypto policy, to which it was given a restricted dealer status, now operating as the largest crypto exchange in the Great North.
Vimeo reportedly has a new CEO with a familiar face, Philip Moyer, a Google Cloud senior executive who oversees artificial intelligence (AI) has been named by the video platform provider.

Since July 2019, Moyer has served as vice president of Alphabet's Google Cloud's Strategic Industries division. Moyer was Director of Financial Services at Amazon Web Services before joining Alphabet.

In addition, Moyer held the position of CEO of two financial technology firms: Cassiopae, a French software provider for the commercial banking industry, and Edgar Online, a provider of financial data, analytics, and disclosure management solutions.

(Photo: PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images) A visitor walks past the Google Cloud logo at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 28, 2023.

Before that, he worked at Microsoft for 15 years, managing industry teams, services organizations, and global customer teams.

He began his career at GE Aerospace as a software engineer for nuclear submarines. Moyer graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in computer science.

According to Reuters, Adam Gross, an interim CEO and board member, will be replaced by him; Gross will stay on the board following the changeover.

In extended trading, Vimeo's shares allegedly increased by 1.71%. On May 6, Vimeo will release its first quarter financial results.

Read Also: Microsoft Hires Inflection AI Co-Founders to Lead Consumer AI Unit

Vimeo's CEO Shake-Ups

The announcement was made just under a year after Vimeo's nine-year CEO, Anjali Sud, departed the organization. During her tenure as an executive at Vimeo, Sud said the company had difficulties in its growth.

However, to make a video a strategic tool for enterprises, she must continue the company's shift from serving consumers to helping businesses as it pursues this new course.

The appointment of Vimeo's new CEO also comes just one month after the platform for sharing videos unveiled Vimeo Central, a safe video center driven by AI.

Vimeo Central, intended for company executives and their groups, is said to enable staff members to interact via video, derive useful information from a single source of truth, and develop into a more cohesive and effective team.

Vimeo Acquisition Fallout

According to Bloomberg, Vimeo was about to be acquired by Italian mobile app company Bending Spoons SpA, but negotiations over a price broke down.

Banks were in talks with Milan-based Bending Spoons over funding a potential acquisition of Vimeo. A representative for Bending Spoons declined to comment.

Vimeo, a New York-based company, did not return calls or emails seeking comment. In 2021, Vimeo separated from Barry Diller's IAC Inc. Since the share began trading, the price has fallen by over 90%.

In 2022, Bending Spoons, a prominent mobile app developer in Europe, acquired Evernote Corp., a note-taking app. The company declared in January that it was buying Meetup.com, a platform for local events.

According to people familiar with the subject, Bending Spoons is searching for further acquisition opportunities following a fundraising round that valued the Italian company at approximately $2.6 billion.

Related Article: Google I/O 2024 is Coming this May 14What to Expect?

(Photo: Tech Times)
Artificial intelligence's demand for more computing power, more data centers, and more electricity is currently "underestimated," says global cloud compute provider CoreWeave.

An underestimation that will eventually cause stress and restraints to the world's current power grid system.

The prediction comes from CoreWeave co-founder Brian Venturo. He claims the data center demands that CoreWeave receives daily are "absurd," with several requesting entire campuses.

According to the co-founder, supply networks that have traditionally supported highly physical businesses are not designed to handle the speed at which the market is moving.

He believes that with more "megacampuses," electricity grids will be stressed, and political disputes will increase.

(Photo by Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images) Data centers like this one power artificial intelligence but also contribute to global warming.

The surge in generative AI is driving demand for data centers, making Roseland, New Jersey-based CoreWeave one of the hottest IT businesses.

Venturo expressed concern about the infrastructure needed to meet the demand, saying, "It worries me." According to Venturo, the power requirement of AI is like a sprint that needs all the money in the world.

He adds that the difficulty of renovating outdated data centers is another factor driving up demand for new ones. Such expansions are not feasible with the current infrastructure powering the data centers.

He concludes that there are simply a lot of physical obstacles in this situation that are challenging to overcome quickly.

Read Also: AI Electricity Demand Could Make Execs Rely More on Fossil Fuel Power

OpenAI's AI Power Demand Solution

While Venturo's claims are certainly on the bleaker side, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recognizes AI's power demand, recently claiming that a breakthrough in nuclear fusion is what the world needs to overcome it.

Altman has reportedly invested hundreds of millions of dollars in fusion. He has said in recent interviews that the technology of the future, considered the holy grail of renewable energy, may one day provide the enormous amounts of electricity needed for next-generation artificial intelligence.

Some experts claim that Altman's focus on a future energy breakthrough shows how unwilling the AI business is to confront the question of how it will meet AI's fast-growing energy consumption soon.

According to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam researcher Alex de Vries, it is consistent with a widespread propensity for wishful thinking regarding climate action.

The scientist goes on to say that rather than hoping for the impossible, it would be far wiser to concentrate on what we now have and what we can achieve today.

AI Data Center Restriction

Consequently, AI data centers are currently restricted by governments worldwide due to their power demand. Recently, China, Singapore, and Ireland have restricted the construction of new data centers to meet stricter environmental regulations.

The largest threat to future projects is Ireland, which cloud computing companies created as a hub for server farms due to its low tax rate and convenient access to high-capacity subsea cables for worldwide internet traffic.

Restrictions on new data connections to the electricity grid in 2021 by the country's energy and water authority resulted in last year's denial of permits for new projects for data center companies Vantage, EdgeConneX, and Equinix.

Regulations in Germany and Loudoun County, Virginia, USA, have also put restrictions on permits for data centers that are close to residential areas or require them to recycle the waste heat they generate and input renewable energy into the grid.

(Photo: Tech Times)
An artificial intelligence-centered curriculum could reportedly be on the horizon for California's Orange County Department of Education, as pursued by two administrators who are, consequently, AI specialists.

AI specialists Kunal Dalal and Wes Kriesel work at the Orange County Department of Education. They are responsible for simplifying the process of introducing AI into the curriculum.

The pair reportedly enrolled in the district close to the end of 2023, per OCDE Newsroom. Dalal collaborates closely with 1,200 OCDE employees, and Kriesel deploys AI in 29 schools.

(Photo: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images) This photo, taken on February 14, 2013, shows a young computer expert studying at an internet security training center of Seoul's state-run Korea Information Technology Research Institute (KITRI).

Kriesel engages students in meaningful dialogue by utilizing artificial intelligence technologies. He provided an example of how ChatGPT might be applied in a fifth-grade classroom.

Some find the technology astounding, but others believe AI should be outlawed because it could impair creativity and critical thinking.

While calls for an AI curriculum in the US are more creatively inspired, students from London are calling for AI education to help prevent its misuse, specifically AI-generated nudes.

AI Education Call in London

Students at a London Catholic School began posting altered images of other students. School officials have reported that artificial intelligence has been used to manipulate images of children from social media sites so that they appear nude.

A fifteen-year-old ninth-grader named Griffin Gardner claimed to have heard tales of female pupils in classes 9 and 11 being picked out.

Although Gardner claims not to have seen the images, he is aware of people who have. He goes on to add that more education regarding AI is needed to prevent its development. He continues by saying that some people are only spreading it to attract attention and unnerve other kids.

Florida proves to be well ahead in AI education as the University of South Florida recently unveiled its plans to offer an AI-dedicated college that would offer new undergraduate and graduate programs focused on AI.

The announcement is reportedly an attempt to establish Florida and the Tampa Bay area as national leaders in AI, implying it is a remedy to the ongoing shortage of AI skills. The University is set to be one of the first colleges in the country and the first in Florida.

To prepare students for highly sought-after careers, the college envisions offering undergraduate and graduate programs that align with the state's Programs of Strategic Emphasis and USF's strategic plan.

Additionally, the college wants to facilitate faculty research that leads to scientific discoveries or technological advancements, build industry partnerships, and promote ethical considerations and trust amid society's ongoing digital transformation.

The First AI Degree

The Department of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution, also recently announced that it will offer the first AI degree for an institution of its caliber this year.

The degree, which is formally known as a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence, is offered at a time when AI is becoming more prevalent in practically every facet of society.

The degree is the first of its sort among Ivy League universities and among the earliest AI undergraduate engineering programs in the United States. The initiative is funded by Rajendra and Neera Singh, two digital visionaries and philanthropists.

(Photo: Tech Times)
NASA has announced plans to launch three Black Brant IX sounding rockets as part of the Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) mission during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.



These rockets will take off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility launch range in Virginia, with launch windows scheduled to open at 2:40 p.m. EDT.

The APEP Sounding Rockets

The APEP sounding rockets are set to launch approximately 45 minutes before, during, and after the peak local eclipse time to study the effects of the eclipse on Earth's upper atmosphere.



The targeted launch times for the three rockets are 2:40 p.m., 3:20 p.m., and 4:05 p.m., but these times may be subject to change.



The launches will be livestreamed on the Wallops YouTube channel, starting at 2:30 p.m. Weather permitting, the launches may be seen in the mid-Atlantic region. However, spectators are reminded to wear solar safety or "eclipse" glasses when viewing the sun to protect their eyes.



Members of the public are invited to witness the rocket launches and partial eclipse at the NASA Wallops Visitor Center. The center will open its gates from 1-5 p.m., offering solar-related activities, expert insights from NASA sounding rocket specialists, and demonstrations of data collection during the eclipse using the Observer app.



Eclipse glasses and pinhole viewers will be available, along with food trucks serving a variety of refreshments.



A designated sensory-friendly quiet area will be provided at the visitor center for guests who may require a quieter environment.

Read Also : NASA is Inviting Citizen Scientists to Snap Pictures of Clouds During the April 8 Eclipse





How the Eclipse Will Affect the Ionosphere

The APEP mission aims to study how the sudden disappearance of sunlight during the eclipse affects the ionosphere, a region of Earth's atmosphere crucial for radio signal transmission and satellite communications.



By launching rockets at different intervals surrounding the eclipse, scientists hope to gather data on atmospheric disturbances and validate predictive models.

The ionosphere, located between 55 to 310 miles above the Earth's surface, plays a vital role in reflecting and refracting radio signals. Understanding its behavior during events like solar eclipses is essential for ensuring the reliability of communication systems, according to the space agency.



NASA's targeted rocket launches allow scientists to collect data at specific times and altitudes of the ionosphere, which may not be feasible with satellite observations alone.



The APEP rockets will measure charged and neutral particle density, electric and magnetic fields, and deploy secondary instruments to enhance data collection efficiency.



In addition to the sounding rockets, other teams across the United States will contribute to ionospheric measurements using high-altitude balloons and ground-based radars.



Collaborative efforts between research institutions aim to refine existing models and gain a comprehensive understanding of ionospheric dynamics during the eclipse.




Elon Musk's social media platform X has warned its users about a potential decrease in their follower counts as the company embarks on a mission to eradicate spammers and bots from its network.

In an announcement via X's Safety account, the company revealed its intention to undertake a "significant, proactive initiative" starting Thursday to purge accounts that violate X's rules against platform manipulation and spam.

X Warns Users that They May Lose More Followers

"Today, we're kicking off a significant, proactive initiative to eliminate accounts that violate our Rules against platform manipulation and spam. While we aim for accuracy in the accounts we remove, we're casting a wide net to ensure X remains secure and free of bots. As a result, you may observe changes in follower counts," X said in a post.

The company's safety initiative aims to ensure the platform's security and integrity by weeding out accounts engaged in manipulative or spammy behavior.

While striving for accuracy in identifying and removing such accounts, X acknowledges that there may be fluctuations in follower counts as a consequence of this cleanup effort.

X's Recent Appointments to its Safety Team

This initiative follows closely on the heels of X's recent appointments to its safety team. Kylie McRoberts, an existing employee at X, has been appointed as the Head of Safety, while Yale Cohen, previously associated with Publicis Media, has joined as the Head of Brand Safety and Advertiser Solutions.



Kylie McRoberts, now leading X's safety efforts, has been pivotal in advancing safety measures on the platform. Her contributions include enhancing transparency in moderation practices, bolstering security features, and establishing a Safety Center of Excellence in Austin.



McRoberts will oversee a global Safety team tasked with developing tools and policies to safeguard the platform and its community.



Yale Cohen brings extensive experience in global digital standards to his role as Head of Brand Safety and Advertiser Solutions at X.



"We're building a global town square, where safety and freedom of speech can and must coexist. Our Safety team is a vital component of X's success, and we are committed to investing in and growing this team," X said in a statement.

Grok Is Now Available for X Premium Users

In related news, Elon Musk has confirmed that Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by his venture xAI, will be available to all X premium users.



Previously exclusive to premium+ subscribers, Grok's accessibility has now been expanded to X premium members, marking a shift towards enhancing subscription-based offerings amidst a changing advertising landscape.



X Premium, priced at $8 per month or $84 annually, offers users access to a range of premium features, including Grok. Musk's decision to broaden Grok's availability aligns with his strategy to diversify revenue streams and reduce the platform's reliance on traditional advertising models.



Read more about this story here.
Nvidia, the leading US chipmaker, is teaming up with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, a major Indonesian telecommunications player, to establish a cutting-edge $200 million artificial intelligence (AI) center in the heart of Southeast Asia's largest economy, Nikkei Asia reports.

Planned to be situated in Solo, Central Java, this pioneering AI hub is slated to be operational by the end of 2024, according to statements from Indonesia's Communications and Informatics Ministry. The collaboration between Nvidia and Indosat represents a deliberate effort to meet the region's growing demand for digital growth.

Indosat to Strengthen Indonesia's AI Sector

Deputy Minister Nezar Patria highlighted the significance of the partnership, emphasizing its strategic nature. "This collaboration is very strategic, and we hope that there will also be technology transfer so that we are not just users, but can later become part of the AI players that are taken into account both regionally and at the global level," said Patria.

Indosat, the country's second-largest mobile network operator, aims to bolster Indonesia's AI sector by enhancing technological infrastructure and nurturing local talent. With plans for a state-of-the-art center of excellence in Surakarta, Indosat is committed to pioneering AI development in Indonesia (via Reuters).

The choice of Surakarta as the site for the AI center was deliberate, as explained by Budi Arie Setiadi, Indonesia's Communication Minister. "Why in Surakarta? Because they are ready, have good human resources and 5G infrastructure," said Setiadi.

Nvidia's expansion into Indonesia aligns with its broader footprint across Southeast Asia, with recent partnerships in Singapore and Malaysia. This move signifies the growing importance of the region in the global AI landscape.

(Photo : BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: A car motors in front of a Indosat building in Jakarta 05 December 2005. Nokia Corp said it has won an order from Indonesia's Indosat to expand its GSM network in Bali and Java with the two parties having a three year agreement, signed in June this year.

AI's Impact on the Southeast Asian Market

The economic impact of AI in Southeast Asia is projected to be substantial, with forecasts suggesting a significant boost to the region's GDP by 2030.

In Indonesia alone, the economic impact of AI is estimated to reach a staggering $366 billion by the end of the decade, marking nearly one-third of the total impact in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Furthermore, Nikkei tells us that other conglomerates are also capitalizing on Indonesia's rapid digital transformation. Sinar Mas recently announced a joint venture with South Korea's LG CNS to enter the data center and cloud business in Indonesia, further underscoring the country's potential as a tech hub.

The establishment of the AI center in Indonesia not only reflects the growing prominence of AI in driving economic growth but also positions the country at the forefront of technological innovation in the region.

With the deployment of Nvidia's Blackwell chip, powered by advanced Tensor Core GPU technology, Indosat is poised to propel Indonesia into a new era of sovereign AI and technological advancement, redefining the possibilities of AI cloud services in the nation.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.
Basically Homeless, a prominent YouTube content creator, has ingeniously crafted a cost-effective alternative to the high-end Apple Vision Pro.

Utilizing components sourced from a secondhand store, the YouTuber known for his DIY (do it yourself) stuff, has successfully replicated essential features of the authentic product, including hand gesture capabilities.

DIY Tech Project Unveiled

The Apple Vision Pro is the newest VR headset that is capable of incorporating VR and AR in a single device. It's a magical wearable anyone can dream of-from capturing spatial images to accessing apps, it holds limitless capabilities.

On April Fools' Day, IGN unveiled a video showing Virtual Boy Pro which resembles an Apple Vision Pro. This is interestingly appealing but it looks heavy based on its design. Fortunately, it's just a prank product. However, a homemade VR headset is not a joke anymore.

According to NDTV, a YouTuber was able to create his own version of Apple Vision Pro through his latest DIY technology project.

By affixing a helmet with a monitor, camera, and PC, Basically Homeless demonstrated how easily accessible components can be transformed into innovative tech solutions. He only proves that anything can be made from scratch-even if it looks impossible.

How the Crowd React to the DIY Apple Vision Pro

The YouTube audience has responded enthusiastically to Basically Homeless' replica VR headset, flooding the comments section with praise for its features and design.

Many viewers express admiration for the YouTuber's creativity and resourcefulness, hailing them as a top content creator on the platform. It might seem to be a knockoff version of Apple's VR headset, but the process it takes to finish it is beyond commendable.

One user even speculated that Basically Homeless' invention could potentially challenge Apple's dominance in the tech industry, reflecting the widespread acclaim garnered by the DIY project.

Apple Vision Pro in Medical Innovation

Meanwhile, in the field of medical innovation, the Apple Vision Pro continues to make strides. eXeX, a developer of medical software, recently disclosed the successful utilization of the Apple Vision Pro in a groundbreaking surgical procedure known as reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

This innovative procedure, aimed at improving muscle function by repositioning the ball and socket joint in the shoulder, marks the inaugural use of the Apple Vision Pro in such operations.

During the surgery, the device was operated by a nearby technician responsible for managing setup, inventory, and procedural instructions, highlighting its versatility beyond traditional medical equipment.

In other news, the iPhone maker launched the Spatial Personas that work like Meta's AI avatars. Just imagine the exact replica of yourself in 3D. That's what it looks like digitally.
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has hit New York City. The earth shocks were also felt in New Jersey on Friday morning.

According to Kathy Hochu, the current Governor of New York, the team is now assessing the extent of damage by the said calamity.

On her X account, she says that she will notify the public once there are already updates about the earthquake.

New Earthquake Hits US Anew

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center, as per Variety's report, says that around 10:23 AM ET, the earthquake was spotted northwest of Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The seismic activity even affected the buildings across Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Although the earthquake is categorically recognized as moderate in magnitude, it's the biggest earthquake to hit New York City to date.

Aside from NJ and NY, the earthquake also extended its coverage to some parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Earlier this year, New York City experienced a minor earthquake with a magnitude of 1.7. It struck the Queens around 5:45 am. Fortunately, no person was injured at the time of the event.

Taiwan Earthquake is Much Worse

(Photo : An Rong Xu/Getty Images)

LIEYU, TAIWAN - FEBRUARY 04: An Island that lies inside Taiwan's territory is seen with the Chinese city of Xiamen in the background on February 04, 2021 off the coast of Lieyu, an outlying island of Kinmen that is the closest point between Taiwan and China.

In another report by CNN, Taiwan was recently hit by a strong earthquake which resulted in 1,000 injured individuals.

The 7.4 magnitude quake was something not to be underestimated. It ravaged the Hualien City, leaving it with the most noticeable damage in the country. Authorities reported that at least 10 people died due to landslides and building collapses.

While it's indeed a big earthquake, Taiwan managed to keep a low casualty count. As of now, 42 people are missing, according to the National Fire Agency of Taiwan.

Animals Can Predict Earthquake

Although seismologists have advanced tools to know if an earthquake will approach, they do not exactly detect the exact place and time where the calamity will strike. However, the animals can predict that it's coming through their unusual behavior.

The most obvious sign that an earthquake is coming is the appearance of random animals out of their home. You will notice snakes, insects, centipedes, and other animals.

According to scientists, animals can sense earthquakes because their sensitive fur can detect ionization in the air. This makes it easier for them to smell the gases emitted by quartz crystals before the quake happens.

Even if you're not living in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the area where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, you're not spared these catastrophes. That is why it's important to know the survival tips before, during, and after a quake happens. To know more about these life-saving guidelines, click here.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced significant changes to its policies regarding digitally altered media, particularly in light of the upcoming US elections.

The latest announcement comes amid concerns over the spread of misleading content, including deepfake videos and AI-generated material.

Meta to Start Labeling AI-Generated Content

(Photo : SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)

This picture taken on March 25, 2024, shows the Meta (former Facebook) logo on a smartphone in Mulhouse, eastern France.

Starting in May, Meta will introduce "Made with AI" labels for AI-generated videos, images, and audio posted on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. This expansion of the labeling policy aims to provide users with more transparency about the origin of such content.

Additionally, Meta will implement separate and more prominent labels for digitally altered media that pose a high risk of deceiving the public. This marks a shift in approach, moving from outright removal of such content to keeping it up while providing viewers with information on how it was created.

The decision follows criticism from Meta's oversight board, which described the existing rules on manipulated media as "too narrow." The board highlighted the need for a broader but less restrictive" approach to addressing manipulated content, including videos altered without the use of AI.

(Photo : TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Meta, Facebook's parent company, introduces "Made with AI" labels for digitally altered media, addressing concerns over misleading content ahead of the US elections.

Meta's Move to Address Manipulated Content

Speaking with Reuters, Monika Bickert, Vice President of Content Policy at Meta, noted that the changes are based on feedback from the oversight board and extensive consultations with experts and the public. Bickert emphasized the importance of transparency and context in combating manipulated media.

Meta's decision also reflects broader concerns about the impact of AI technologies on online discourse, particularly in the context of elections. With political campaigns increasingly utilizing AI tools, there is a growing need for platforms like Meta to effectively police deceptive content.

The decision comes after extensive consultation with stakeholders globally, including over 23,000 respondents in 13 countries, the majority of whom expressed support for warning labels on AI-generated content.

Public opinion research conducted by Meta found strong support for warning labels on AI-generated content. A large majority of respondents favored such labels, particularly for content depicting individuals saying things they did not actually say.

The company's updated policy will continue to enforce community standards, removing content that violates guidelines on voter interference, harassment, violence, and incitement. Fact-checking processes will also remain in place to identify and demote false or altered content.

Meta's revised approach to deceptive content aims to strike a balance between freedom of expression and the need to protect users from harmful misinformation. By providing users with more information about the origin and nature of the content, the company hopes to empower them to make informed decisions while navigating its platforms.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.
Lets talk about Iceotope.

Good for the planet. Great for the bottom line. A reimagining of data center cooling, from the cloud to the edge.

Thats basically a longer-form tagline for Iceotope, a provider of well-engineered precision liquid cooling technology solutions. In order to min-max its mission to sustainably reimagine liquid cooling  which, by the way, the data center liquid cooling market has experienced explosive growth as of late, according to MarketsandMarkets  highly configurable and scalable solutions must be brought to the fore by strong industry leaders.

This is why Iceotopes precision liquid cooling solutions succeed.

Heres a two-part context filler, for any unaware:

Firstly, precision liquid cooling eliminates the need for traditional air-cooling infrastructure. Essentially, a small amount of dielectric coolant is precisely targeted to remove heat from a servers hottest components; no hotspots that slow down performance, no wasted physical space, and minimal water consumption needs. This leads to significant savings without compromise to serviceability. Iceotope cites that this reduces energy use by up to 40% and water consumption by up to 96%. (All with the same rack-based architecture as air-cooled systems, to boot.)

Secondly, (and to keep this short and sweet), curiosity-driven leadership that smartly empowers industry progress. This is precisely where the following news comes into play:

Earlier today, Iceotope announced that it is officially welcoming Christian Belady as its new Senior Advisor. Moreover a new U.S. headquarters has been established in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) in Raleigh, North Carolina, to open the door for greater collaboration opportunities with partners and customers. Tacked onto this expansion portion of the announcement are the additional appointments of Jason Low as Iceotopes Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, and Rachel Canales as Vice President of Strategic Alliances.

Belady, who most recently served as the Vice President of Data Center Research at Microsoft, comes with high marks from David Craig, Iceotopes CEO:

David Craig, CEO of Iceotope, said: Christian is one of the most respected figures within the data center industry. His expertise in developing some of the largest data center footprints in the world comes at the perfect time for Iceotope. We see demand for liquid cooling exploding as data centers seek more efficient and effective cooling methods to accommodate advanced workloads and solve for higher rack densities and greater power demands. We are thrilled to have Christian join us on this journey.

Overall, Belady is a seasoned data center industry vet  he also led in previous roles at the likes of HP, Texas Instruments, Convex Computers and IBM  who is ready to serve Iceotope well.

Things like the demand for AI have reset the clock in the data center industry, and the emergence of new power and cooling solutions has become paramount to enable continued growth, Belady explained. Clearly, liquid cooling will play a role in this future, but the industry must work together and develop stronger standards.

Iceotope and its leadership team, Belady added, have a vision to do just that with their precision liquid cooling technology. Not only do they believe in a plug-and-play heterogeneous environment, but they also have a technology that can be used for servers, power supplies and JBODs to enable higher densities for all SKUs. Im very excited to be a part of this effort.

Notably, Iceotope is reportedly planning to roll out new technologies later this year (in tandem with the responsible growth of its global footprint), and well keep yall updated as we learn more.

Edited by Greg Tavarez
Recordings off Hawaii: Researchers are filming sex between humpback whales for the first time

West Indies: a total of eight tonnes of cocaine intercepted at sea in one week

We tested Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max: the best way to make your TV smarter

Gofio, the Canarian restaurant that lost its Michelin star in December and shines more than ever

Cattle lick each other - but not every cow also licks every other one

The patient should be observed by a specialist: herbalist - about the medicinal use of plants

Ito Jakuchu's newly discovered scroll-shaped masterpiece may have been created when he was 76 years old

The first high-speed rail Spring Festival transportation on the China-Vietnam border: there is an endless stream of passengers as it draws to a close

More than 20,000 blue and white porcelain specimens were unearthed from the Yuan Dynasty ship cargo site in the Poyang Lake waters of Duchang, Jiangxi

Spartak and Zenit tied in the match of the 19th round of the RPL in St. Petersburg

The debuts of Pedro and Ugalde, the rescue of Khlusevich and Ignatovs post: Zenit and Spartak tied in the 19th round of the RPL

Fernando Alonso and the long faces at Aston Martin: "We have four teams ahead of us"

They investigate the president of the FIA for withdrawing a sanction from Alonso and returning him to third place in Saudi Arabia in 2023

Champions League: in the midst of Mbappe psychodrama, PSG plays for its future against Real Sociedad

The popularity of flower viewing tours across the country has soared. What are the popular destinations for spring outings?

Development and security should be pursued with both hands! Government work report delivers new signal for real estate

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Uber Eats will introduce autonomous robots in some areas of Tokyo from the 6th

A tractor unit on the A-6 ends with police charges and causes serious traffic problems near Benavente

(Interview with the Two Sessions) Justin Lin hits back at the theory that Chinas economy has peaked: He will not follow in Japans footsteps

(Interview with the Two Sessions) Justin Lin hits back at the theory that Chinas economy has peaked: He will not follow in Japans footsteps

Ushakov said that BRICS is ahead of the G7 in terms of purchasing power parity

(Voice of the Two Sessions) He Xiaopeng: It is recommended to speed up the commercialization process of flying cars

Fengyun-4 B star officially takes over from A star to provide services to more countries jointly building the Belt and Road

Bloomberg: Macron will announce France's participation in the purchase of shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Toopi Organics: the company that relies on urine to do without fertilizers

Nuclear and war in Ukraine at the heart of Emmanuel Macron's visit to the Czech Republic

Four former Twitter executives sue Musk for more than $128 million in severance pay

Demonstratively provocative in nature: what is known about the NATO Nordic Response exercises in Finland, Sweden and Norway

The Liberal Democratic Party and the Rikun Democratic Party are adjusting the schedule for the House of Councilors Political Ethics Inquiry, expected to be held as early as next week

Hyeres: after a shooting near a nursery, the town hall posts two police officers near the establishment

On the eve of March 8, Putin thanked the women participants in the special operation

Digital dementia and anxiety: psychologist - about the risks of constant use of gadgets

 Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Ceremony bids farewell to tilting symbol of Taiwan quake



Hualien, Taiwan, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Fruit, flowers and incense paper were laid on a table Friday as authorities prepared a ceremony before demolishing a precariously tilting building that has become a symbol of Taiwan's biggest quake in 25 years.

The glass-fronted Uranus building, located in Hualien, the city nearest the quake's epicentre, is a 10-storey mix of shops and apartments that has stood for nearly 40 years.

Wednesday's magnitude-7.4 earthquake caused it to tilt at a 45-degree angle, its twisted exterior quickly becoming one of the most recognisable images to emerge from the disaster.

By Friday, authorities said they would start taking it apart, first preparing a table of offerings in front of the building to ensure a smooth demolition and to "soothe the lost souls" of those killed in the quake.

Chips, instant noodles, bottles of soda, and folded piles of paper money for the dead were set alongside baskets of flowers and a container holding incense sticks.

"(We) offer sacrifices and pray for blessing for the demolition work of the Uranus building," an announcer said over a loudspeaker.

Traditional cultural rites like blessing a new home or providing offerings to spirits after buying a plot of land are commonplace in Taiwan.

Hualien county chief Hsu Chen-wei and other officials wearing construction vests each lit a joss stick and bowed to the building.

"The Uranus was built in 1986. All structures age due to time, earthquakes and many other conditions," she told reporters later.

"We hope to complete the demolition within two weeks so Hualien people can return to their regular lives. We hope that everyone will not be in such a panicky situation," Hsu said.

Workers then began using a pink crane to smash the glass windows covering the building's exterior, revealing the inner brick facade as rain started to drizzle.

By around 1 pm, a severe aftershock hit the city, alarming the construction team as the building appeared to lean more perilously forward.

Accelerating the process, workers began inserting giant metal bars to stabilise the structure.

Inside an exposed upper-storey floor, a piano could be seen lying on its side, surrounded by debris from an apartment damaged by the massive tremor.

So far, at least 10 people are known to have died from the quake, with more than 1,100 injured -- though authorities have not specified the severity of the injuries.

Hundreds remain stranded around Taroko National Park -- some in a hostel, others in a luxury hotel, on local hiking trails and a school cut off by landslides.

A network of tunnels traverses the mountainous region, with key roads leading to the park now blocked by falling rocks and earth.

Rescue teams have been mobilised from all over Taiwan and have deployed helicopters, search drones, and small teams on foot with dogs to look for those still missing.

"Rescuers are not giving up, as the search continues in the mountains for earthquake survivors," said Taiwan's vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim, calling them the "true heroes of a resilient Taiwan".
Wilders party drops 'Nexit' pledge in EU election manifesto



The Hague, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders appears to have dropped demands for a referendum on a "Nexit" -- the Netherlands leaving the European Union -- according to his party's manifesto for upcoming European Parliament elections published Friday.

The Freedom Party (PVV) led by Wilders won a stunning victory in Dutch national elections in November and polls indicate will likely top the June 6-9 European vote in the Netherlands.

While the manifesto for the November election stated clearly: "the PVV wants a binding referendum on Nexit", such a pledge was absent from the European manifesto.

Wilders initially struggled to persuade other parties to join him in a coalition -- mainly because of his anti-Islam and anti-EU views, including the Nexit pledge.

But his pledge not to seek to be prime minister unlocked talks between his PVV and three other centre-right parties that are ongoing -- and likely to last several more months.

Friday's European manifesto was still fiercely eurosceptic, stressing: "No European superstate for us... we will work hard to change the Union from within."

"Cooperating with other countries is fine, but while keeping our national sovereignty and identity," said the programme.

The PVV called for an end to the "expansion of unelected eurocrats in Brussels" and took aim at a "veritable tsunami" of EU environmental regulations.

"It's up to us to decide whether we eat meat, take a plane, or drive a petrol car. Not Brussels," says the manifesto.

The PVV failed to win a single seat in 2019 European Parliament elections but surveys show they are likely to win most seats in the 2024 vote.

The party is part of the Identity and Democracy grouping, which also has France's National Rally and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as members.

Far-right parties are seen making significant gains in the European Parliament elections.
Climate activists escape jail over London Heathrow drone protest



London, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



The co-founder of environmental pressure group Extinction Rebellion escaped jail on Friday for plotting to fly drones near London's Heathrow Airport in protest at expansion plans.

Roger Hallam and other protesters wanted to shut down the busy aviation hub to publicise their opposition to the construction of a third runway, their trial at a court in west London was told.

But police swooped to thwart the climate activists' plans, throwing up a sweeping security cordon and making several arrests.

Hallam, 57, was found guilty by a jury at Isleworth Crown Court of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance after a four-week trial that ended in December.

Co-defendant Larch Maxey, 51, was convicted of the same charge, while a third protester, Michael Lynch-White, 33, pleaded guilty. A fourth protester was cleared.

Prosecutors said the trio did not want to cause a crash, harm or endanger the public but instead cause "chaos", with the aim of shutting Heathrow until the government reversed its backing for a third runway.

The defendants said they only wanted to attract publicity for their protest, which was motivated by concern about climate change and called Heathrow Pause.

Judge Martin Edwards said a small number of drones flown during the protest in September 2019 did not disrupt flights.

He sentenced Hallam and Maxey to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months. Lynch-White was given a 17-month jail term, suspended for 18 months.

All three were also ordered to carry out unpaid community work.
Heavy rainfall ruptures dike in Russia



Moscow, April 5 (AFP) Apr 05, 2024



Massive rainfall has ruptured a dike in the Russian city of Orsk, authorities said Friday, prompting hasty evacuations in the surrounding area.

According to the city authorities, more than 4,000 houses and some 10,000 people are in the affected area near the border with Kazakhstan, and at risk of being flooded.

Local authorities had earlier already asked residents in several streets to evacuate, according to the TASS news agency.

According to the Interfax agency, rescuers are currently working to repair the dike in the city of 220,000 residents.

The Orenburg region has been lashed with heavy rainfall, with more than 1,800 homes in 95 localities flooded, and more than 3,000 people evacuated, the governor's press service said Friday.

Russia is regularly impacted by extreme weather events, which has been exacerbated by climate change.
Mirvacs sale of its half share of its Sydney skyscraper to the Singapore-based Keppel REIT is considered by investors as the starting pistol sounding for a new inflow of cash to Australia from offshore players.

Under the deal, Mirvac Wholesale Office Fund has sold a 50 per cent interest in 255 George Street in Sydney to Keppel REIT for $363.8 million, being a 9 per cent discount to book value.

Mirvacs chief executive of funds management, Scott Mosely, said Keppel REIT is a highly valued and aligned capital partner. Mirvacs fund will retain a 50 per cent interest in the asset and work with Keppel REIT as a co-owner.

Mirvac has sold a half share in the tower at 255 George Street. Credit: Louise Kennerley AFR

The sale is subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval, with settlement expected in the next six months.
Mining giant Rio Tinto is planning to set new targets to address its impacts on the natural environment, as the industry comes under intensifying scrutiny for the scars it leaves on ecosystems and its contribution to biodiversity loss.

Rio Tinto, one of Australias largest miners, is part of a consortium building a huge new mining province in the forested Simandou mountains in the West African nation of Guinea, where there are fears for the survival of an endangered species of chimpanzee.

The Simandou mountains in Guinea contain high-grade iron ore. Credit: Rio Tinto

The Simandou iron ore project involves the construction of a 552km rail line to transport ore from the mines to a new deepwater port on Guineas Atlantic coast.

Speaking at an investor meeting in London, Rio Tinto chairman Dominic Barton said he had travelled to Guinea with two other directors in March, and met with four civil society groups that provided feedback about Rio Tintos operations and areas where the company needed to improve.
However, there are no straightforward explanations to be found in A Shining, the slim new novella from recent Nobel laureate Jon Fosse. Rather, Norways literary polymath dares the reader to make of it what they will unaided by authorial guidance. The narrative unfurls in spitfire bursts, an expanding and contracting incantation, its sentences folding into each other, or themselves, with the awe-inspiring beauty of a murmuration.

Opting for the latter, he sets off on foot into the forest only to lose his way. His thoughts start to circle back on themselves; short, sharp, contradictory. He is hungry. He is cold. He is tired. And then he sees it. A shimmering humanoid shape emanating from the distance, heading towards him. Its a surreal shift that both defies and demands interpretation, a tantalising invitation to curiosity and doubt.

An unnamed man drives through a secluded Norwegian forest, making random turns until he reaches a dead end. His car becomes bogged. He thinks about the road, recalling the abandoned farmhouse and cabin he passed along the way. It begins to snow, and he tosses up between staying in the car with the heating on or getting out and searching for someone to help tow him out.

Its a far cry from the 750-page sentence that makes up the seven volumes of Fosses magnum opus, Septology. Rather, this is language at its most spare and unadorned, bare branches off which the reader must hang meaning. Everything you experience is real, in a way, the narrator tells us. And you probably understand it, too, in a way. But it doesnt matter either way.

Credit:

Like much of Fosses more recent work, A Shining is replete with religious symbolism, and it is tempting to read it as a Christian death allegory informed not only by the authors beliefs  he converted to Catholicism in 2012  but his own experience. When Fosse was a child, he fell over on the family farm and severed an artery in his wrist. He remembers seeing a shimmering light as his parents rushed him to the hospital.

This transitional cliche does not escape the narrator of A Shining. Unable to make sense of the stunning whiteness, he wonders if perhaps its an angel of God, but soon dismisses the idea. If hes dying, he isnt ready to admit it. Or, like the narrator in Max Frischs existential classic, Man in the Holocene, is simply unaware. Here the forest becomes a liminal space, an ethereal netherworld where life and death dance to the thrum of Fosses swirling staccato.

Whatever comfort the narrator has found in the warmth of the glowing shape and its promise to walk alongside him is soon lost when, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanishes into the darkness. But he is not alone. Two people appear, his parents who have been looking for him. Like the glowing presence, they offer little guidance out of his predicament. They bicker. The father is mostly silent. A glimpse, perhaps, into the narrators fractured relationship with his family. One more figure appears from the shadows, a man dressed in a formal jacket and tie, without shoes. He might be death, or an undertaker, here to make the necessary arrangements.
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 Im talking to a 71-year-old coffee farmer who lives near Kona in Hawaii. Hes got a small operation there on around four hectares of land, and also grows macadamias. Before life on the farm he was an emergency medicine doctor, a flight surgeon with the US navy and a jet pilot. What has any of this got to do with a story about Radio Birdman, the iconic band that burned brightly for a short time in the mid-70s, then reformed 20 years later and is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary with an Australian tour? Well, that coffee farmer is none other than Deniz Tek, the bands co-founder, lead guitarist and spiritual figurehead. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he was in exactly the right place at the right time to witness local incendiary bands of the late 60s such as The MC5 and The Stooges. When he moved to Sydney in 1972 to study medicine at the University of NSW, he started playing in bands, eventually linking up with intense long-haired frontman Rob Younger, bass player Warwick Gilbert, drummer Ron Keeley and keyboard player Pip Hoyle, forming a group influenced by the loud, intense, uncompromising rock and roll they all loved. Sometimes it was like going into battle, Deniz Tek says of the early Radio Birdman shows. Credit: Graeme Webber In those pre-punk days, Radio Birdmans musical style, volume and attitude werent exactly appreciated by many of the publicans and bookers in the Sydney scene. Sometimes it was like going into battle, Tek recalls. Things would get physical at our earlier shows. If we didnt comply with what the management wanted us to do, sometimes they would sick the bouncers on us. We just wanted to play and do our thing without compromising, but what we were doing wasnt going over very well with the establishment.

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It got to the point where they decided to open their own place in 1977, founding The Funhouse at the Oxford Tavern in Sydneys Taylor Square. It became their nerve centre and a clubhouse for like-minded bands and their fans. There was a sign above the door that read: One buck  no trendies. Looking back, Rob Younger sees the Funhouse rules as a little embarrassing. Younger drew up a manifesto, outlining the kind of bands that were not wanted at the Funhouse. The criteria included fashion choices (no platform shoes, overalls or hippie gear) and, most importantly, musical taste, outlawing bands who played Status Quo, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen, ZZ Top, Bad Company, and, with hilarious specificity, Ted Nugent post-1972. Loading I see it as humorous now, and a little embarrassing, says Younger, from his home on the NSW south coast. We were incorporating peoples music tastes and a dress code, which I know is terrible. But the intention back then was that theres something happening here, and certain people wont be interested. In retrospect it was fairly carelessly worded, but we were trying to generate something for ourselves. The bands shows whipped up a fanatical fanbase, with followers adopting the groups striking, mysterious symbol on armbands, patches, badges, T-shirts (and eventually, tattoos) and holding fists aloft like power salutes, reaching a peak with the bands youth anthem New Race (theres gonna be a new race, kids are gonna start it up). There were criticisms at the time that the group was flirting with militaristic and even fascistic imagery, something that still makes them bristle.

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That was just absurd, says Younger. Its not what we were about at all. It was all about like-minded people getting together and letting off steam. Deniz Tek (left) and Rob Younger on stage during Radio Birdmans heyday. Credit: Andrew Needham The band was eventually signed to US major label Sire, joining like-minded labelmates The Ramones, The Saints and The Flamin Groovies, and flew to England to tour in early 1978. The label almost immediately went into financial difficulties, at the same time as the groups interpersonal relationships fell apart. By the end of the year it was all over. But, as it turned out, it was just lying dormant. In 1996, they reformed for the Big Day Out and in 2007 they were inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame. Younger Australian bands including The Vines and The Chats have claimed them as a major influence, while Silverchair (along with Tim Rogers of You Am I) performed a rousing live version of New Race at the 1995 ARIAs, a teen anthem performed by teenagers. Anthony Albanese wearing a Radio Birdman T-shirt in 2018. Credit: Twitter Birdman has fans in high places. In 2018, Anthony Albanese stood up in parliament and sang their praises while urging the ABC to buy and screen Descent into the Maelstrom, a documentary about the band. Albanese said that Radio Birdman, along with The Saints, cemented the foundation of Australian punk rock. Radio Birdmans visceral performances, attended by thousands, are an important part of Australian musical history, he said. And now, a half-century since they formed, the group  featuring original members Younger, Tek and Hoyle  are doing an anniversary tour that is being billed as their final performances. But as fans of John Farnham know, the end is not always the end. Or is it?

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It could be a Dame Nellie Melba situation, says Younger. If it is the end, then thats fine. But Id be happy to do the odd gig here and there later. Tek is more circumspect: What we do is very physical and we dont want to be a bunch of old guys on stage sitting in chairs. We all share the idea that it has to be at full power. That cant go on for too much longer. Its just a reality. Weve all got health problems of one kind or another, and the horizon in front of us is a lot closer than the one behind us. Radio Birdman today, from left: Jim Dickson (bass), Dave Kettley (guitar), Rob Younger (vocals), Deniz Tek (guitar), Pip Hoyle (keyboards), Nik Reith (drums). Credit: Anne Laurent One thing is certain. The legend of Radio Birdman has only grown over the decades. How do they perceive that kind of adulation? We dont want to be a bunch of old guys on stage sitting in chairs. Deniz Tek The words legendary and legacy  I dont handle them that easily, says Younger. It sounds conceited to take on those terms. You are what you are. I dont walk around thinking Im a legend. I look in the mirror and mostly Im appalled. Its been blown up over the years, says Tek. I know we were a great rock and roll band on a good night. But thats all it was.

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After 13 years and 89 productions the Sydney Theatre Companys artistic director Kip Williams will bow out of the flagship company by the end of the year, turning his eye to Londons West End and Broadway.

Williams, who Andrew Upton once declared as theatres next big thing, has announced to the STCs board that the 2024 season would be his final as the companys full-time artistic director. In 2025, Williams will direct a single production for STC and tour an adaptation of Dracula, which will premiere in July.

Kip Williams will step down as the Sydney Theatre Companys full-time artistic director at the end of 2024. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

While he has programmed the 2025 season, set to be launched in September, he told this masthead that a big chunk of his next year will focus on preparing for Broadway the Michael Cassel-produced West End hit, The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Successions Sarah Snook in the lead role.

It became quite clear to me that responsibility of programming 2026 would be too great with that time away, he said. Its been a really big decision given how long Ive been with the company and what the company means to me.
Former NSW energy minister Matt Kean has resigned from a ginger group founded to promote action on climate change within the Coalition, over what he says is a shift away from its original principles to become a nuclear advocacy organisation.

Kean says the Coalition for Conservations rhetoric on nuclear energy has shifted since the former president of the Nationals, Larry Anthony, whose lobbying firm SAS has represented fossil fuel companies, joined the organisation as chair, and the energy millionaire Trevor St Baker came on as a member of its advisory board.

Former NSW energy minister Matt Kean has resigned from a ginger group founded to promote action on climate change within the Coalition. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

It went from an organisation focused on a diverse range of clean energy solutions to an organisation singularly focused on nuclear energy, Kean told this masthead.

The groups chief executive officer and founder Cristina Talacko said she regretted Keans decision to step down as an ambassador but rejected his view that its advocacy for nuclear undermined its conservation mission.
Premier Chris Minns has all but killed off the prospect of installing a roof on Sydneys 83,000-seat Accor Stadium in Olympic Park, dismissing it as a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have at a time when the budget is stretched.

The premiers resistance to a roof is in stark contrast to advocacy from stadium body Venues NSW, which is finalising a business case for the $300 million-plus project. It also puts him at odds with the Las Vegas epiphany of Sports Minister Steve Kamper, who has said the government was seriously looking at the roof.

Chris Minns on Friday. Credit: Nine News

Shadow treasurer Damien Tudehope seized on the apparent gulf between Minns and Kamper on Friday, saying the government should be providing cost-of-living relief for families, not fighting amongst themselves about the stadium roof.

The business case will also investigate the option of a fixed, non-retractable roof at Accor (also known as Stadium Australia, its unbranded name), which would be substantially cheaper.
Two people have been found injured and two others are believed to be missing after a boating accident on the Gold Coast.

Police say a tinny crashed into a harbour marker in Runaway Bay, a suburb on the Gold Coast, about 5am on Friday.

The impact threw one man overboard but trapped another man in the boat before it crashed into a moored catamaran.

Catamaran skipper David Crossley said he was woken by a roaring engine before he heard a bang.

I ran up on the deck and [the boat] was going around and around in circles, he told reporters on Friday.

The captain initially thought the tinny was unmanned while it spun out of control but then saw an injured man on board.

Crossley said he jumped in his dinghy and towed the tinny to South Stradbroke Island, raising the alarm with emergency services.

The 36-year-old man who had been thrown from the boat managed to swim to shore and was found at Paradise Point by emergency services while the 34-year-old man was treated at South Stradbroke Island.

Both were taken to Gold Coast University Hospital with serious arm and leg injuries, with media reporting one of the men was in an induced coma.

Police are still searching the water after receiving unconfirmed reports two people remain missing.

Weve got conflicting versions, Gold Coast Water Police Senior Sergeant Peter Venz told reporters on Friday.

The gentleman that was onboard the vessel stated there were four people on board.

The person who was ejected into the water says there were two people.

The investigation is continuing.
Not the Israel I once admired As I grew up, Israel and her peoples were the good guys. So much suffering through the Holocaust and beyond. They doggedly pursued Nazi war criminals in the name of justice. They sought justice after the Munich Olympic attack, and sought to free their own at Entebbe. Mossad was regarded as a highly trained bunch of patriots. After the inexcusably obscene Hamas attacks, I expected Israel to again seek justice for their own. I expected rescue missions to recover hostages amongst other measured responses. But this not what Israel did. Bombing hospitals is not justice. Nor is imposing starvation. Food and water are not weapons. The Israeli scorched earth policy has and will cost them plenty. Once the sympathetic underdogs/victims, they are now the mass murderers, the perpetrators, the child killers. We, along with the USA and others must cease such aid immediately. Humanitarian aid must take its place. The tragic events of this week means that this aid must be UN protected. Greg Wharton, Doncaster

The military analyst Rodger Shanahan, ( Israels disregard to the the world , 5/4), rightly takes the Israeli military to task for its current indiscriminate tactics in Gaza. Significantly, though, he acknowledges that the international community has long ignored Hamass long-held practice of putting the Gazan peoples lives at risk by militarising civilian areas in conjunction with tunnel systems. The pressing reality here is that Israel is now fighting for its very existence. The asymmetric military tactics employed by a stateless player, Hamas, as seen in the October 7 kibbutz attacks, are being bankrolled by Iran, a brutal and deeply misogynistic theocracy with a hegemonic hold now over much of the Middle East. Israel, for all of its imperfections, has been the only functioning democracy in a region which, since the 1920s, has been home to oil-rich dynastic regimes for whom liberal and humane values are mostly an anathema; and where Palestinian refugees are hosted under cynical sufferance. Those who empathise with the plight of Palestinians in Gaza should not, by extension, frame Hamas operatives as being freedom fighters. In the current tragic circumstances, Irans proxy fighters are the primary bad actors. Jon McMillan, Mount Eliza

Palestines innocent need evacuation

There is great community concern for the citizens of Gaza. However, all the letters, tweets, posters, demonstrations and remonstrations are achieving very little.

Does it not make sense to protect people before they are injured or starved? Why is there not a world-wide movement to evacuate the women and children to other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman or UAE? An Arabic-speaking country would be a great advantage. Temporary evacuation has been offered in other conflicts. Why is this any different?

Pia Brous, Armadale

THE FORUM

Hamas martyrs

The letters published April 3 on the Gaza war lambasting Israels counter-attack on the Hamas-controlled territory are ill-informed and ignore that Hamas opposes the very existence of Israel.

Hamas, and its associated terrorist groups, have consistently shown genocidal intent upon the Jewish population of Israel. Letter writers ignore the realities of the urban warfare in such a densely populated area. Mistakes are made, such as the targeting of the aid convoy because of faulty intelligence and the killing of three escaped hostages by their own troops. Such incidents happen in the fog of war.

Hamas, despite the evidence to the contrary, consistently denies its military infrastructure is hidden in civilian buildings. Further, contrary to the laws of war, its fighters wear no uniforms and hide amongst the population to launch attacks, using their own people as human shields.

One correspondents assertion that 30,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed is wrong. Hamas only gives the total number of deaths and does not distinguish between uninvolved civilians and fighters and those who are giving logistical and operational support to them (estimated at 7000 to 10,000). To Hamas, all those killed are martyrs, whether they wished it or not.

It suits Hamas to have civilians die, especially women and children, to have international pressure put on Israel to stop the war.

Other letter writers call for Israel to be held to account. A pity that they do not call for Hamas to be held to account.

Harry Kowalski, Ivanhoe

Impose sanctions

Why did it take so long for Joe Biden to say it is unacceptable to kill aid workers when 200 have already been killed? Enough talk and outrage has gone on. The only action now is for Biden to stop the supply of arms and place sanctions on Israel. Australia should also impose sanctions.

Mira Antoniou, Brighton

Blood money

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to read that Israel may offer compensation to the family of Zomi Frankcom. If this is true, its a bit quick to offer money as some form of reparation for the unnecessary and avoidable death of a loved one. It smacks of blood money.

The oppositions attempts to explain it away as a tragedy of war is loathsome.

Netanyahu and his government are responsible for authorising this disproportionate response to atrocities by Hamas. Its gone too far, and weve lost another innocent life, one of our own, and no amount of money can compensate for the grief and loss. The only way to ameliorate this tragedy and the thousands of others is to stop the war.

Pier Paolo De Carlo, Ascot Vale
Former prime minister Tony Abbott says the Liberal Party should recruit more women and ethnically diverse MPs to improve the fortunes of a party grappling with the task of reflecting modern Australia.

The 28th prime minister urged his party to look to the UK Conservative Party, which created an A-list of female and diverse candidates without quotas, and now boasts Hindu Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and cabinet ministers Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch  described by Abbott as robust conservatives in the most diverse cabinet in history.

Tony Abbott said the Liberal Party would better reflect Australia with more female and ethnically diverse MPs. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

As the number of Liberal women in federal parliament languishes at a three-decade low, Liberal women are speaking out about the failure to reverse a problem identified by election reviewers Jane Hume and Brian Loughnane as a major factor in the 2022 defeat.

The partys candidate selection season is in full swing but there are scant examples of new women being endorsed to run in safe seats, leading to radical calls for open primaries in which non-party members pick aspiring MPs.
Members of the Kennedy clan have made something of a habit over the decades of being present, Forrest Gump-like, at critical junctures in history. Joseph Kennedy, the familys domineering patriarch, served as US ambassador to the UK in the run-up to World War II. John F. Kennedy was president when, during the Cuban missile crisis, the Cold War came frighteningly close to turning thermo-nuclear hot.

Robert Kennedy had a cameo role during the McCarthy era, working as a lawyer for the red-baiting Republican Senator, Joseph McCarthy. On the day of the moon landing in 1969, the morning papers also carried front page news that Senator Ted Kennedy had driven a car off a bridge at Chappaquiddick, a late-night accident in which a young campaign worker, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the flame-thrower in waiting. Credit: Bloomberg

Now Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the third-born child of RFK and the nephew of the former president, is running for the White House in the most important election of the post-Civil War era. Once again, then, a Kennedy is in the cockpit of history. Though the focus, inevitably, has been on the rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, this scion of Americas most famous political dynasty, a direct descendant of Camelot, could ultimately become the kingmaker.

Kennedy is polling strongly. In a hypothetical three-way contest with Trump and Biden, one survey put him at 22 per cent. Obviously, he is not going to win. Nonetheless, that is the highest level of support for any third-party candidate since Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire and proto-Trump, who shocked the political establishment in the 1992 election when he mounted an unexpectedly disruptive challenge against George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton.






March 1982 Broken Windows The police and neighborhood safety



by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling

I n the mid-l970s The State of New Jersey announced a "Safe and Clean Neighborhoods Program," designed to improve the quality of community life in twenty-eight cities. As part of that program, the state provided money to help cities take police officers out of their patrol cars and assign them to walking beats. The governor and other state officials were enthusiastic about using foot patrol as a way of cutting crime, but many police chiefs were skeptical. Foot patrol, in their eyes, had been pretty much discredited. It reduced the mobility of the police, who thus had difficulty responding to citizen calls for service, and it weakened headquarters control over patrol officers. Many police officers also disliked foot patrol, but for different reasons: it was hard work, it kept them outside on cold, rainy nights, and it reduced their chances for making a "good pinch." In some departments, assigning officers to foot patrol had been used as a form of punishment. And academic experts on policing doubted that foot patrol would have any impact on crime rates; it was, in the opinion of most, little more than a sop to public opinion. But since the state was paying for it, the local authorities were willing to go along. Five years after the program started, the Police Foundation, in Washington, D.C., published an evaluation of the foot-patrol project. Based on its analysis of a carefully controlled experiment carried out chiefly in Newark, the foundation concluded, to the surprise of hardly anyone, that foot patrol had not reduced crime rates. But residents of the foot patrolled neighborhoods seemed to feel more secure than persons in other areas, tended to believe that crime had been reduced, and seemed to take fewer steps to protect themselves from crime (staying at home with the doors locked, for example). Moreover, citizens in the foot-patrol areas had a more favorable opinion of the police than did those living elsewhere. And officers walking beats had higher morale, greater job satisfaction, and a more favorable attitude toward citizens in their neighborhoods than did officers assigned to patrol cars. These findings may be taken as evidence that the skeptics were right- foot patrol has no effect on crime; it merely fools the citizens into thinking that they are safer. But in our view, and in the view of the authors of the Police Foundation study (of whom Kelling was one), the citizens of Newark were not fooled at all. They knew what the foot-patrol officers were doing, they knew it was different from what motorized officers do, and they knew that having officers walk beats did in fact make their neighborhoods safer. But how can a neighborhood be "safer" when the crime rate has not gone down--in fact, may have gone up? Finding the answer requires first that we understand what most often frightens people in public places. Many citizens, of course, are primarily frightened by crime, especially crime involving a sudden, violent attack by a stranger. This risk is very real, in Newark as in many large cities. But we tend to overlook another source of fear--the fear of being bothered by disorderly people. Not violent people, nor, necessarily, criminals, but disreputable or obstreperous or unpredictable people: panhandlers, drunks, addicts, rowdy teenagers, prostitutes, loiterers, the mentally disturbed. What foot-patrol officers did was to elevate, to the extent they could, the level of public order in these neighborhoods. Though the neighborhoods were predominantly black and the foot patrolmen were mostly white, this "order-maintenance" function of the police was performed to the general satisfaction of both parties. One of us (Kelling) spent many hours walking with Newark foot-patrol officers to see how they defined "order" and what they did to maintain it. One beat was typical: a busy but dilapidated area in the heart of Newark, with many abandoned buildings, marginal shops (several of which prominently displayed knives and straight-edged razors in their windows), one large department store, and, most important, a train station and several major bus stops. Though the area was run-down, its streets were filled with people, because it was a major transportation center. The good order of this area was important not only to those who lived and worked there but also to many others, who had to move through it on their way home, to supermarkets, or to factories. The people on the street were primarily black; the officer who walked the street was white. The people were made up of "regulars" and "strangers." Regulars included both "decent folk" and some drunks and derelicts who were always there but who "knew their place." Strangers were, well, strangers, and viewed suspiciously, sometimes apprehensively. The officer--call him Kelly--knew who the regulars were, and they knew him. As he saw his job, he was to keep an eye on strangers, and make certain that the disreputable regulars observed some informal but widely understood rules. Drunks and addicts could sit on the stoops, but could not lie down. People could drink on side streets, but not at the main intersection. Bottles had to be in paper bags. Talking to, bothering, or begging from people waiting at the bus stop was strictly forbidden. If a dispute erupted between a businessman and a customer, the businessman was assumed to be right, especially if the customer was a stranger. If a stranger loitered, Kelly would ask him if he had any means of support and what his business was; if he gave unsatisfactory answers, he was sent on his way. Persons who broke the informal rules, especially those who bothered people waiting at bus stops, were arrested for vagrancy. Noisy teenagers were told to keep quiet. These rules were defined and enforced in collaboration with the "regulars" on the street. Another neighborhood might have different rules, but these, everybody understood, were the rules for this neighborhood. If someone violated them, the regulars not only turned to Kelly for help but also ridiculed the violator. Sometimes what Kelly did could be described as "enforcing the law," but just as often it involved taking informal or extralegal steps to help protect what the neighborhood had decided was the appropriate level of public order. Some of the things he did probably would not withstand a legal challenge. A determined skeptic might acknowledge that a skilled foot-patrol officer can maintain order but still insist that this sort of "order" has little to do with the real sources of community fear--that is, with violent crime. To a degree, that is true. But two things must be borne in mind. First, outside observers should not assume that they know how much of the anxiety now endemic in many big-city neighborhoods stems from a fear of "real" crime and how much from a sense that the street is disorderly, a source of distasteful, worrisome encounters. The people of Newark, to judge from their behavior and their remarks to interviewers, apparently assign a high value to public order, and feel relieved and reassured when the police help them maintain that order.



S econd, at the community level, disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked, in a kind of developmental sequence. Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing. (It has always been fun.) Philip Zimbardo, a Stanford psychologist, reported in 1969 on some experiments testing the broken-window theory. He arranged to have an automobile without license plates parked with its hood up on a street in the Bronx and a comparable automobile on a street in Palo Alto, California. The car in the Bronx was attacked by "vandals" within ten minutes of its "abandonment." The first to arrive were a family--father, mother, and young son--who removed the radiator and battery. Within twenty-four hours, virtually everything of value had been removed. Then random destruction began--windows were smashed, parts torn off, upholstery ripped. Children began to use the car as a playground. Most of the adult "vandals" were well-dressed, apparently clean-cut whites. The car in Palo Alto sat untouched for more than a week. Then Zimbardo smashed part of it with a sledgehammer. Soon, passersby were joining in. Within a few hours, the car had been turned upside down and utterly destroyed. Again, the "vandals" appeared to be primarily respectable whites. Untended property becomes fair game for people out for fun or plunder and even for people who ordinarily would not dream of doing such things and who probably consider themselves law-abiding. Because of the nature of community life in the Bronx--its anonymity, the frequency with which cars are abandoned and things are stolen or broken, the past experience of "no one caring"--vandalism begins much more quickly than it does in staid Palo Alto, where people have come to believe that private possessions are cared for, and that mischievous behavior is costly. But vandalism can occur anywhere once communal barriers--the sense of mutual regard and the obligations of civility--are lowered by actions that seem to signal that "no one cares." We suggest that "untended" behavior also leads to the breakdown of community controls. A stable neighborhood of families who care for their homes, mind each other's children, and confidently frown on unwanted intruders can change, in a few years or even a few months, to an inhospitable and frightening jungle. A piece of property is abandoned, weeds grow up, a window is smashed. Adults stop scolding rowdy children; the children, emboldened, become more rowdy. Families move out, unattached adults move in. Teenagers gather in front of the corner store. The merchant asks them to move; they refuse. Fights occur. Litter accumulates. People start drinking in front of the grocery; in time, an inebriate slumps to the sidewalk and is allowed to sleep it off. Pedestrians are approached by panhandlers. At this point it is not inevitable that serious crime will flourish or violent attacks on strangers will occur. But many residents will think that crime, especially violent crime, is on the rise, and they will modify their behavior accordingly. They will use the streets less often, and when on the streets will stay apart from their fellows, moving with averted eyes, silent lips, and hurried steps. "Don't get involved." For some residents, this growing atomization will matter little, because the neighborhood is not their "home" but "the place where they live." Their interests are elsewhere; they are cosmopolitans. But it will matter greatly to other people, whose lives derive meaning and satisfaction from local attachments rather than worldly involvement; for them, the neighborhood will cease to exist except for a few reliable friends whom they arrange to meet. Such an area is vulnerable to criminal invasion. Though it is not inevitable, it is more likely that here, rather than in places where people are confident they can regulate public behavior by informal controls, drugs will change hands, prostitutes will solicit, and cars will be stripped. That the drunks will be robbed by boys who do it as a lark, and the prostitutes' customers will be robbed by men who do it purposefully and perhaps violently. That muggings will occur. Among those who often find it difficult to move away from this are the elderly. Surveys of citizens suggest that the elderly are much less likely to be the victims of crime than younger persons, and some have inferred from this that the well-known fear of crime voiced by the elderly is an exaggeration: perhaps we ought not to design special programs to protect older persons; perhaps we should even try to talk them out of their mistaken fears. This argument misses the point. The prospect of a confrontation with an obstreperous teenager or a drunken panhandler can be as fear-inducing for defenseless persons as the prospect of meeting an actual robber; indeed, to a defenseless person, the two kinds of confrontation are often indistinguishable. Moreover, the lower rate at which the elderly are victimized is a measure of the steps they have already taken--chiefly, staying behind locked doors--to minimize the risks they face. Young men are more frequently attacked than older women, not because they are easier or more lucrative targets but because they are on the streets more. Nor is the connection between disorderliness and fear made only by the elderly. Susan Estrich, of the Harvard Law School, has recently gathered together a number of surveys on the sources of public fear. One, done in Portland, Oregon, indicated that three fourths of the adults interviewed cross to the other side of a street when they see a gang of teenagers; another survey, in Baltimore, discovered that nearly half would cross the street to avoid even a single strange youth. When an interviewer asked people in a housing project where the most dangerous spot was, they mentioned a place where young persons gathered to drink and play music, despite the fact that not a single crime had occurred there. In Boston public housing projects, the greatest fear was expressed by persons living in the buildings where disorderliness and incivility, not crime, were the greatest. Knowing this helps one understand the significance of such otherwise harmless displays as subway graffiti. As Nathan Glazer has written, the proliferation of graffiti, even when not obscene, confronts the subway rider with the inescapable knowledge that the environment he must endure for an hour or more a day is uncontrolled and uncontrollable, and that anyone can invade it to do whatever damage and mischief the mind suggests." In response to fear people avoid one another, weakening controls. Sometimes they call the police. Patrol cars arrive, an occasional arrest occurs but crime continues and disorder is not abated. Citizens complain to the police chief, but he explains that his department is low on personnel and that the courts do not punish petty or first-time offenders. To the residents, the police who arrive in squad cars are either ineffective or uncaring: to the police, the residents are animals who deserve each other. The citizens may soon stop calling the police, because "they can't do anything." The process we call urban decay has occurred for centuries in every city. But what is happening today is different in at least two important respects. First, in the period before, say, World War II, city dwellers- because of money costs, transportation difficulties, familial and church connections--could rarely move away from neighborhood problems. When movement did occur, it tended to be along public-transit routes. Now mobility has become exceptionally easy for all but the poorest or those who are blocked by racial prejudice. Earlier crime waves had a kind of built-in self-correcting mechanism: the determination of a neighborhood or community to reassert control over its turf. Areas in Chicago, New York, and Boston would experience crime and gang wars, and then normalcy would return, as the families for whom no alternative residences were possible reclaimed their authority over the streets. Second, the police in this earlier period assisted in that reassertion of authority by acting, sometimes violently, on behalf of the community. Young toughs were roughed up, people were arrested "on suspicion" or for vagrancy, and prostitutes and petty thieves were routed. "Rights" were something enjoyed by decent folk, and perhaps also by the serious professional criminal, who avoided violence and could afford a lawyer. This pattern of policing was not an aberration or the result of occasional excess. From the earliest days of the nation, the police function was seen primarily as that of a night watchman: to maintain order against the chief threats to order--fire, wild animals, and disreputable behavior. Solving crimes was viewed not as a police responsibility but as a private one. In the March, 1969, Atlantic, one of us (Wilson) wrote a brief account of how the police role had slowly changed from maintaining order to fighting crimes. The change began with the creation of private detectives (often ex-criminals), who worked on a contingency-fee basis for individuals who had suffered losses. In time, the detectives were absorbed in municipal agencies and paid a regular salary simultaneously, the responsibility for prosecuting thieves was shifted from the aggrieved private citizen to the professional prosecutor. This process was not complete in most places until the twentieth century. In the l960s, when urban riots were a major problem, social scientists began to explore carefully the order maintenance function of the police, and to suggest ways of improving it--not to make streets safer (its original function) but to reduce the incidence of mass violence. Order maintenance became, to a degree, coterminous with "community relations." But, as the crime wave that began in the early l960s continued without abatement throughout the decade and into the 1970s, attention shifted to the role of the police as crime-fighters. Studies of police behavior ceased, by and large, to be accounts of the order-maintenance function and became, instead, efforts to propose and test ways whereby the police could solve more crimes, make more arrests, and gather better evidence. If these things could be done, social scientists assumed, citizens would be less fearful. A great deal was accomplished during this transition, as both police chiefs and outside experts emphasized the crime-fighting function in their plans, in the allocation of resources, and in deployment of personnel. The police may well have become better crime-fighters as a result. And doubtless they remained aware of their responsibility for order. But the link between order-maintenance and crime-prevention, so obvious to earlier generations, was forgotten. That link is similar to the process whereby one broken window becomes many. The citizen who fears the ill-smelling drunk, the rowdy teenager, or the importuning beggar is not merely expressing his distaste for unseemly behavior; he is also giving voice to a bit of folk wisdom that happens to be a correct generalization--namely, that serious street crime flourishes in areas in which disorderly behavior goes unchecked. The unchecked panhandler is, in effect, the first broken window. Muggers and robbers, whether opportunistic or professional, believe they reduce their chances of being caught or even identified if they operate on streets where potential victims are already intimidated by prevailing conditions. If the neighborhood cannot keep a bothersome panhandler from annoying passersby, the thief may reason, it is even less likely to call the police to identify a potential mugger or to interfere if the mugging actually takes place. Some police administrators concede that this process occurs, but argue that motorized-patrol officers can deal with it as effectively as foot patrol officers. We are not so sure. In theory, an officer in a squad car can observe as much as an officer on foot; in theory, the former can talk to as many people as the latter. But the reality of police-citizen encounters is powerfully altered by the automobile. An officer on foot cannot separate himself from the street people; if he is approached, only his uniform and his personality can help him manage whatever is about to happen. And he can never be certain what that will be--a request for directions, a plea for help, an angry denunciation, a teasing remark, a confused babble, a threatening gesture. In a car, an officer is more likely to deal with street people by rolling down the window and looking at them. The door and the window exclude the approaching citizen; they are a barrier. Some officers take advantage of this barrier, perhaps unconsciously, by acting differently if in the car than they would on foot. We have seen this countless times. The police car pulls up to a corner where teenagers are gathered. The window is rolled down. The officer stares at the youths. They stare back. The officer says to one, "C'mere." He saunters over, conveying to his friends by his elaborately casual style the idea that he is not intimidated by authority. What's your name?" "Chuck." "Chuck who?" "Chuck Jones." "What'ya doing, Chuck?" "Nothin'." "Got a P.O. [parole officer]?" "Nah." "Sure?" "Yeah." "Stay out of trouble, Chuckie." Meanwhile, the other boys laugh and exchange comments among themselves, probably at the officer's expense. The officer stares harder. He cannot be certain what is being said, nor can he join in and, by displaying his own skill at street banter, prove that he cannot be "put down." In the process, the officer has learned almost nothing, and the boys have decided the officer is an alien force who can safely be disregarded, even mocked. Our experience is that most citizens like to talk to a police officer. Such exchanges give them a sense of importance, provide them with the basis for gossip, and allow them to explain to the authorities what is worrying them (whereby they gain a modest but significant sense of having "done something" about the problem). You approach a person on foot more easily, and talk to him more readily, than you do a person in a car. Moreover, you can more easily retain some anonymity if you draw an officer aside for a private chat. Suppose you want to pass on a tip about who is stealing handbags, or who offered to sell you a stolen TV. In the inner city, the culprit, in all likelihood, lives nearby. To walk up to a marked patrol car and lean in the window is to convey a visible signal that you are a "fink." The essence of the police role in maintaining order is to reinforce the informal control mechanisms of the community itself. The police cannot, without committing extraordinary resources, provide a substitute for that informal control. On the other hand, to reinforce those natural forces the police must accommodate them. And therein lies the problem.



S hould police activity on the street be shaped, in important ways, by the standards of the neighborhood rather than by the rules of the state? Over the past two decades, the shift of police from order-maintenance to law enforcement has brought them increasingly under the influence of legal restrictions, provoked by media complaints and enforced by court decisions and departmental orders. As a consequence, the order maintenance functions of the police are now governed by rules developed to control police relations with suspected criminals. This is, we think, an entirely new development. For centuries, the role of the police as watchmen was judged primarily not in terms of its compliance with appropriate procedures but rather in terms of its attaining a desired objective. The objective was order, an inherently ambiguous term but a condition that people in a given community recognized when they saw it. The means were the same as those the community itself would employ, if its members were sufficiently determined, courageous, and authoritative. Detecting and apprehending criminals, by contrast, was a means to an end, not an end in itself; a judicial determination of guilt or innocence was the hoped-for result of the law-enforcement mode. From the first, the police were expected to follow rules defining that process, though states differed in how stringent the rules should be. The criminal-apprehension process was always understood to involve individual rights, the violation of which was unacceptable because it meant that the violating officer would be acting as a judge and jury--and that was not his job. Guilt or innocence was to be determined by universal standards under special procedures. Ordinarily, no judge or jury ever sees the persons caught up in a dispute over the appropriate level of neighborhood order. That is true not only because most cases are handled informally on the street but also because no universal standards are available to settle arguments over disorder, and thus a judge may not be any wiser or more effective than a police officer. Until quite recently in many states, and even today in some places, the police made arrests on such charges as "suspicious person" or "vagrancy" or "public drunkenness"--charges with scarcely any legal meaning. These charges exist not because society wants judges to punish vagrants or drunks but because it wants an officer to have the legal tools to remove undesirable persons from a neighborhood when informal efforts to preserve order in the streets have failed. Once we begin to think of all aspects of police work as involving the application of universal rules under special procedures, we inevitably ask what constitutes an "undesirable person" and why we should "criminalize" vagrancy or drunkenness. A strong and commendable desire to see that people are treated fairly makes us worry about allowing the police to rout persons who are undesirable by some vague or parochial standard. A growing and not-so-commendable utilitarianism leads us to doubt that any behavior that does not "hurt" another person should be made illegal. And thus many of us who watch over the police are reluctant to allow them to perform, in the only way they can, a function that every neighborhood desperately wants them to perform. This wish to "decriminalize" disreputable behavior that "harms no one"- and thus remove the ultimate sanction the police can employ to maintain neighborhood order--is, we think, a mistake. Arresting a single drunk or a single vagrant who has harmed no identifiable person seems unjust, and in a sense it is. But failing to do anything about a score of drunks or a hundred vagrants may destroy an entire community. A particular rule that seems to make sense in the individual case makes no sense when it is made a universal rule and applied to all cases. It makes no sense because it fails to take into account the connection between one broken window left untended and a thousand broken windows. Of course, agencies other than the police could attend to the problems posed by drunks or the mentally ill, but in most communities especially where the "deinstitutionalization" movement has been strong--they do not. The concern about equity is more serious. We might agree that certain behavior makes one person more undesirable than another but how do we ensure that age or skin color or national origin or harmless mannerisms will not also become the basis for distinguishing the undesirable from the desirable? How do we ensure, in short, that the police do not become the agents of neighborhood bigotry? We can offer no wholly satisfactory answer to this important question. We are not confident that there is a satisfactory answer except to hope that by their selection, training, and supervision, the police will be inculcated with a clear sense of the outer limit of their discretionary authority. That limit, roughly, is this--the police exist to help regulate behavior, not to maintain the racial or ethnic purity of a neighborhood. Consider the case of the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago, one of the largest public-housing projects in the country. It is home for nearly 20,000 people, all black, and extends over ninety-two acres along South State Street. It was named after a distinguished black who had been, during the 1940s, chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority. Not long after it opened, in 1962, relations between project residents and the police deteriorated badly. The citizens felt that the police were insensitive or brutal; the police, in turn, complained of unprovoked attacks on them. Some Chicago officers tell of times when they were afraid to enter the Homes. Crime rates soared. Today, the atmosphere has changed. Police-citizen relations have improved--apparently, both sides learned something from the earlier experience. Recently, a boy stole a purse and ran off. Several young persons who saw the theft voluntarily passed along to the police information on the identity and residence of the thief, and they did this publicly, with friends and neighbors looking on. But problems persist, chief among them the presence of youth gangs that terrorize residents and recruit members in the project. The people expect the police to "do something" about this, and the police are determined to do just that. But do what? Though the police can obviously make arrests whenever a gang member breaks the law, a gang can form, recruit, and congregate without breaking the law. And only a tiny fraction of gang-related crimes can be solved by an arrest; thus, if an arrest is the only recourse for the police, the residents' fears will go unassuaged. The police will soon feel helpless, and the residents will again believe that the police "do nothing." What the police in fact do is to chase known gang members out of the project. In the words of one officer, "We kick ass." Project residents both know and approve of this. The tacit police-citizen alliance in the project is reinforced by the police view that the cops and the gangs are the two rival sources of power in the area, and that the gangs are not going to win. None of this is easily reconciled with any conception of due process or fair treatment. Since both residents and gang members are black, race is not a factor. But it could be. Suppose a white project confronted a black gang, or vice versa. We would be apprehensive about the police taking sides. But the substantive problem remains the same: how can the police strengthen the informal social-control mechanisms of natural communities in order to minimize fear in public places? Law enforcement, per se, is no answer: a gang can weaken or destroy a community by standing about in a menacing fashion and speaking rudely to passersby without breaking the law.



W e have difficulty thinking about such matters, not simply because the ethical and legal issues are so complex but because we have become accustomed to thinking of the law in essentially individualistic terms. The law defines my rights, punishes his behavior and is applied by that officer because of this harm. We assume, in thinking this way, that what is good for the individual will be good for the community and what doesn't matter when it happens to one person won't matter if it happens to many. Ordinarily, those are plausible assumptions. But in cases where behavior that is tolerable to one person is intolerable to many others, the reactions of the others--fear, withdrawal, flight--may ultimately make matters worse for everyone, including the individual who first professed his indifference. It may be their greater sensitivity to communal as opposed to individual needs that helps explain why the residents of small communities are more satisfied with their police than are the residents of similar neighborhoods in big cities. Elinor Ostrom and her co-workers at Indiana University compared the perception of police services in two poor, all-black Illinois towns--Phoenix and East Chicago Heights with those of three comparable all-black neighborhoods in Chicago. The level of criminal victimization and the quality of police-community relations appeared to be about the same in the towns and the Chicago neighborhoods. But the citizens living in their own villages were much more likely than those living in the Chicago neighborhoods to say that they do not stay at home for fear of crime, to agree that the local police have "the right to take any action necessary" to deal with problems, and to agree that the police "look out for the needs of the average citizen." It is possible that the residents and the police of the small towns saw themselves as engaged in a collaborative effort to maintain a certain standard of communal life, whereas those of the big city felt themselves to be simply requesting and supplying particular services on an individual basis. If this is true, how should a wise police chief deploy his meager forces? The first answer is that nobody knows for certain, and the most prudent course of action would be to try further variations on the Newark experiment, to see more precisely what works in what kinds of neighborhoods. The second answer is also a hedge--many aspects of order maintenance in neighborhoods can probably best be handled in ways that involve the police minimally if at all. A busy bustling shopping center and a quiet, well-tended suburb may need almost no visible police presence. In both cases, the ratio of respectable to disreputable people is ordinarily so high as to make informal social control effective. Even in areas that are in jeopardy from disorderly elements, citizen action without substantial police involvement may be sufficient. Meetings between teenagers who like to hang out on a particular corner and adults who want to use that corner might well lead to an amicable agreement on a set of rules about how many people can be allowed to congregate, where, and when. Where no understanding is possible--or if possible, not observed--citizen patrols may be a sufficient response. There are two traditions of communal involvement in maintaining order: One, that of the "community watchmen," is as old as the first settlement of the New World. Until well into the nineteenth century, volunteer watchmen, not policemen, patrolled their communities to keep order. They did so, by and large, without taking the law into their own hands--without, that is, punishing persons or using force. Their presence deterred disorder or alerted the community to disorder that could not be deterred. There are hundreds of such efforts today in communities all across the nation. Perhaps the best known is that of the Guardian Angels, a group of unarmed young persons in distinctive berets and T-shirts, who first came to public attention when they began patrolling the New York City subways but who claim now to have chapters in more than thirty American cities. Unfortunately, we have little information about the effect of these groups on crime. It is possible, however, that whatever their effect on crime, citizens find their presence reassuring, and that they thus contribute to maintaining a sense of order and civility. The second tradition is that of the "vigilante." Rarely a feature of the settled communities of the East, it was primarily to be found in those frontier towns that grew up in advance of the reach of government. More than 350 vigilante groups are known to have existed; their distinctive feature was that their members did take the law into their own hands, by acting as judge, jury, and often executioner as well as policeman. Today, the vigilante movement is conspicuous by its rarity, despite the great fear expressed by citizens that the older cities are becoming "urban frontiers." But some community-watchmen groups have skirted the line, and others may cross it in the future. An ambiguous case, reported in The Wall Street Journal involved a citizens' patrol in the Silver Lake area of Belleville, New Jersey. A leader told the reporter, "We look for outsiders." If a few teenagers from outside the neighborhood enter it, "we ask them their business," he said. "If they say they're going down the street to see Mrs. Jones, fine, we let them pass. But then we follow them down the block to make sure they're really going to see Mrs. Jones."



T hough citizens can do a great deal, the police are plainly the key to order maintenance. For one thing, many communities, such as the Robert Taylor Homes, cannot do the job by themselves. For another, no citizen in a neighborhood, even an organized one, is likely to feel the sense of responsibility that wearing a badge confers. Psychologists have done many studies on why people fail to go to the aid of persons being attacked or seeking help, and they have learned that the cause is not "apathy" or "selfishness" but the absence of some plausible grounds for feeling that one must personally accept responsibility. Ironically, avoiding responsibility is easier when a lot of people are standing about. On streets and in public places, where order is so important, many people are likely to be "around," a fact that reduces the chance of any one person acting as the agent of the community. The police officer's uniform singles him out as a person who must accept responsibility if asked. In addition, officers, more easily than their fellow citizens, can be expected to distinguish between what is necessary to protect the safety of the street and what merely protects its ethnic purity. But the police forces of America are losing, not gaining, members. Some cities have suffered substantial cuts in the number of officers available for duty. These cuts are not likely to be reversed in the near future. Therefore, each department must assign its existing officers with great care. Some neighborhoods are so demoralized and crime-ridden as to make foot patrol useless; the best the police can do with limited resources is respond to the enormous number of calls for service. Other neighborhoods are so stable and serene as to make foot patrol unnecessary. The key is to identify neighborhoods at the tipping point--where the public order is deteriorating but not unreclaimable, where the streets are used frequently but by apprehensive people, where a window is likely to be broken at any time, and must quickly be fixed if all are not to be shattered. Most police departments do not have ways of systematically identifying such areas and assigning officers to them. Officers are assigned on the basis of crime rates (meaning that marginally threatened areas are often stripped so that police can investigate crimes in areas where the situation is hopeless) or on the basis of calls for service (despite the fact that most citizens do not call the police when they are merely frightened or annoyed). To allocate patrol wisely, the department must look at the neighborhoods and decide, from first-hand evidence, where an additional officer will make the greatest difference in promoting a sense of safety. One way to stretch limited police resources is being tried in some public housing projects. Tenant organizations hire off-duty police officers for patrol work in their buildings. The costs are not high (at least not per resident), the officer likes the additional income, and the residents feel safer. Such arrangements are probably more successful than hiring private watchmen, and the Newark experiment helps us understand why. A private security guard may deter crime or misconduct by his presence, and he may go to the aid of persons needing help, but he may well not intervene--that is, control or drive away--someone challenging community standards. Being a sworn officer--a "real cop"--seems to give one the confidence, the sense of duty, and the aura of authority necessary to perform this difficult task. Patrol officers might be encouraged to go to and from duty stations on public transportation and, while on the bus or subway car, enforce rules about smoking, drinking, disorderly conduct, and the like. The enforcement need involve nothing more than ejecting the offender (the offense, after all, is not one with which a booking officer or a judge wishes to be bothered). Perhaps the random but relentless maintenance of standards on buses would lead to conditions on buses that approximate the level of civility we now take for granted on airplanes. But the most important requirement is to think that to maintain order in precarious situations is a vital job. The police know this is one of their functions, and they also believe, correctly, that it cannot be done to the exclusion of criminal investigation and responding to calls. We may have encouraged them to suppose, however, on the basis of our oft-repeated concerns about serious, violent crime, that they will be judged exclusively on their capacity as crime-fighters. To the extent that this is the case, police administrators will continue to concentrate police personnel in the highest-crime areas (though not necessarily in the areas most vulnerable to criminal invasion), emphasize their training in the law and criminal apprehension (and not their training in managing street life), and join too quickly in campaigns to decriminalize "harmless" behavior (though public drunkenness, street prostitution, and pornographic displays can destroy a community more quickly than any team of professional burglars). Above all, we must return to our long-abandoned view that the police ought to protect communities as well as individuals. Our crime statistics and victimization surveys measure individual losses, but they do not measure communal losses. Just as physicians now recognize the importance of fostering health rather than simply treating illness, so the police--and the rest of us--ought to recognize the importance of maintaining, intact, communities without broken windows. Copyright 1982 by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. All rights reserved.

The Atlantic Monthly; March 1982; Broken Windows; Volume 249, No. 3; pages 29-38.


China's healthcare security system provided medical assistance to 250 million patients in 2023, according to the country's National Healthcare Security Administration.

The medical assistance program, a key part of China's healthcare security system that ensures basic medical services for the vulnerable population, was piloted in the country's rural and urban areas in 2003 and 2005, respectively.

According to the administration, China's medical assistance funds increased from 1.38 billion yuan (about $194.5 million) in 2005 to 74.5 billion yuan in 2023.

The medical assistance program has expanded its coverage to a wider group of individuals. Through 20 years of development, the program has honed its targeting methods and made them more efficient, it added.

Currently, in most parts of China, patients living on subsistence allowance or in extreme poverty no longer need to pay a minimum medical bill amount, as required in the past, to receive medical assistance. Furthermore, the medical assistance funds now account for a higher ratio of the medical costs, according to the administration.
Bankhall Whisky releases Cigar Malt

Bankhall Whisky, a brand by Halewood Artisanal Spirits, has announced its newest blended malt whisky.

Bankhalls range is blended from whiskies from Halewood Artisanal Spirits three distilleries in England, Scotland, and Wales. Helming the project is master blender Jillian Boyd

Boyd joined Halewood in September 2023, having previously worked at whisky blending house Compass Box. Speaking on her appointment, at the time Boyd commented: I am so excited to be joining the Halewood business. They have such an incredible line up of emerging whisky brands from all over the UK, and a commitment to producing new and innovative whiskies and blends.

Billed as a premium offering at an affordable price, the existing Bankhall range featured its British Single Malt and British Malts.

The latest addition, Cigar Malt, was created to pair with cigars. Blended from single malt whiskies and matured in new American oak casks, Bankhall says the new whisky will cut through the dark earthiness of cigar smoke.

The tasting notes provided by Bankhall highlight sweet and spice flavours of clove, cinnamon, caramel, and vanilla.

5 April 2024 - Lucy Schofield
BJP claims to induct 1 lakh Cong workers in coming days!





Bhavana Aparajita Shukla

Upbeat ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have gotten off the blocks swiftly and have already shifted their focus towards campaigning, with prominent leaders strategising at the grassroots level to secure victory for their respective parties and set a target of induction of lakhs of new members from rival Congress party. Recently, political circles have witnessed the defection of big leaders of Congress to the BJP. Congress is seeing the exodus at district, tehsil, block and booth levels across the State. It will continue. Now, its workers in lakhs of numbers going to take BJPs membership, as per State BJPs statement.

Expressing partys ambitious plan, State BJP President V D Sharma claimed to registered a historic achievement on April 6. He stated that at least one lakh workers of Congress across the State are going to cross over to the BJP. Modi Ka Parivar is growing at the fastest pace in Madhya Pradesh, Sharma said. Earlier, he had said I think around 50,000 workers, including influential leaders unhappy with Congress, have already joined the BJP. Sharma, seeking a second term in Lok Sabha from Khajuraho seat. Last month several Congress leaders from Chhindwara including sitting MLA, Mayor and tribal leader Vikram Ahake and municipal corporation Chairperson Pramod Sharma joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) .

Leaders from Malwa region e.g. former Congress MLA Antar Singh Darbar and his colleague from Indore, Pankaj Sanghvi and Sanjay Shukla others joined the BJP. While Congress could convince only a few BJP leaders e.g. Former Madhya Pradesh MLA and ex-BJP leader Laxman Tiwari who joined the Congress in Bhopal on Monday, hours after the opposition party saw another high-profile exit from its ranks in Chhindwara, the home district of former CM Kamal Nath.
India successfully carries out night launch of nuclear capable





NEW DELHI :

INDIA has successfully carried out a night launch of new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni Prime from the Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, boosting the countrys strategic deterrence capability. The Defence Ministry said, the test-flight was carried out on Wednesday evening and it met all the trial objectives, validating the reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations. The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), carried out the flight test of the missile that has a strike range of 1,000 to 2,000 km.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, SFC and the Armed Forces for the successful test flight and stated that the successful development and induction of the missile will be an excellent force multiplier for the military. Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with the DRDO, conducted the successful flight-test of new generation ballistic missile Agni-Prime from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha at around 1900 hours on April 3, the Ministry said. The test met all the trial objectives validating its reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations, including two downrange ships placed at the terminal point, it said. The launch was witnessed by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Strategic Forces Command and senior officials from the DRDO and the Indian Army. General Chauhan and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of the SFC and DRDO for the successful flight test.

Last month, India successfully carried out the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) under its Mission Divyastra. By carrying out the test, India joined a select group of nations having such a capability. The MIRV feature ensures that a single missile can deploy multiple war heads at different locations. Agni-V missile has a range of up to 5,000 km and it can bring almost the entire Asia, including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe under its striking range. In June last year, India successfully carried out the night launch of the Agni Prime In April last year, India successfully carried out the maiden flight trial of an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile from a ship off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal as part of its ambitious ballistic missile defence programme.
Kasturba Hospital embarks on major upgradation, set to enhance ICU and Emergency facilities





By Kriti Shah

In a bid to enhance patient care and treatment efficiency, Kasturba Hospital in Bhopal BHEL area is gearing up for a significant upgrade of its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency facilities. The administration of the hospital in a conversation with The Hitavada shared plans to shift these crucial departments to a new building, equipped with modern amenities and state-of-the-art technology. Dr Arpana Tiwari, the Chief Medical Services (CMS) of Kasturba Hospital, shed light on the rationale behind the move, emphasising the limitations posed by the previous infrastructure. In the old building, there was limited scope for the development of ICU facilities. However, with the transition to the new building, we now have ample space to expand and enhance our services, stated Dr Tiwari. The upcoming shift to the new building promises a host of improvements for patients and medical staff alike. One notable upgrade includes the automation of ICU beds, allowing for remote control and real time monitoring, thereby facilitating streamlined patient care. Additionally, the ICU will witness an increase in bed capacity, from 14 to 16 beds, with the incorporation of four separate cabins for enhanced privacy and comfort. Dr Arpana Tiwari highlighted that the Central monitoring systems is being installed alongside patient beds, enabling attending doctors and nurses to swiftly assess vital signs and other crucial parameters through their console on their desks.

This real-time monitoring capability is expected to instill a sense of trust among patients and their families, as medical professionals will be in close proximity, closely monitoring their condition. Furthermore, the hospital administration has announced measures to ensure infection control and streamline treatment processes. Dr Tiwari shared that previously, full-time attendance by family members was permitted in the ICU, but now, strict limitations in visiting timing will be imposed to optimise patient care. Patients will be provided with gowns, and only one attendant will be allowed in the room at a time, equipped with appropriate protective gear. Simultaneously, plans are underway to revamp the Emergency or Casualty section, with a focus on optimising patient flow and accessibility. The new building will feature a separate entrance for the Emergency department, minimising unnecessary crowding and ensuring quick access to critical care services. Additionally, the Emergency section will witness an increase in bed capacity from 8 to 11, along with the provision of modern monitoring equipment and dedicated spaces for minor procedures.
Katchatheevus Importance





By Lt General M K Das

AHITHERTO unknown island called Katchatheevu, located between India and Sri Lanka coastline, has become an issue of controversy recently. Katchatheevu means barren island in Tamil and it proves Tamil origin of the island. This uninhabited island measures just 1.15 sq km or 285 acres and is located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. In the sea waters or maritime domain, India has rightful claim of 12 nautical miles (equal to 22 km) of territorial maritime zone. It means that India exercises sovereignty over 22 km of sea from the coastal boundary, be it fishing, oil exploration or air space over it. The concept of maritime boundary is similar to land border between the nations but islands located in between sometimes are claimed by two neighbouring nations. The case of Katchatheevu island is similar. Historically, the island belonged to various Tamil dynasties and came under the control of British Ceylon in 1921, Ceylon being the earlier name of Sri Lanka. Post Independence, the island remained in the background with Sri Lanka claiming stake on it based on a Catholic church located in this uninhabited island where devotees go twice a year.

Both Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen continued to fish around this island with minor friction in between. Cut to the year 1974. Indian Armed Forces had achieved spectacular victory over Pakistan in December 1971 war, leading to the birth of a new nation called Bangladesh. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had emerged as a powerful leader in Asia and amounts Non-Aligned Nations. By the year 1974, Opposition to the Congress rule had acquired good momentum. But it is safe to assume that militarily, Sri Lanka posed no threat to India. Therefore surprisingly, the tiny island was given away to Sri Lanka in 1974 as part of maritime boundary agreement but with the provision for Indian fishermen to access it. Not a great thing to agree as such an arrangement would lead to friction between the fishermen of the two countries. No wonder that 1976 agreement between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Sri Lankan counterpart Sirimavo Bandaranaike more or less ceded the island to Sri Lanka. It may be noted that India was under Emergency during this period and most of the Opposition political members were imprisoned. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the agreement was not based on consultative process with the Opposition. While some former diplomats who were involved in framing the agreement have given their views, I do not find views of any maritime expert including senior Naval veterans about the chain of events then. I have a feeling that the security perspective may been given a miss.

It is understandable that China was not a big economic and military power then but the importance of Indian Ocean Region is well known from the security perspective. But there is some merit in ignoring our long-term security interest in the region. Fishing in the high seas is critical for the livelihood of fishermen and since the coastal boundary is not demarcated as done for the land boundary, Indian fishermen in the past have entered into the sea waters apparently controlled by Sri Lanka. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar quoted that in the last 20 years, 6184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka and their 1175 fishing vessels seized. But we also know that these detained fishermen are released after diplomatic negotiations but it does cause misery to the fishing community. With the ascent of China as a maritime power with particular interest in the Indian Ocean Region, such actions of the past, even when done in good faith, severely impact the security concerns of India. Chinas strategic String of Pearls initiative which involves creation of network in the Indian Ocean Region aimed at encirclement of India. Sri Lanka and Maldives are key to Chinese strategy and China has made deep inroads in creating a network of military and commercial establishments and projects in these countries. It is here that even tiny islands become important from the strategic and security perspective.

China has even constructed artificial islands in the South China Sea where it has maximum maritime dispute with other nations like Vietnam and Philippines. Therefore, any maritime conflict would see utilisation of small islands in the Naval warfare. A parallel can be drawn from our Andaman & Nicobar Island where again a large number of small islands are going to be operationally critical. This brings me to the larger security strategic community in our country. Today we have large number of think tanks and strategic experts and these do provide valuable inputs to the decision makers. The problem is in the political/executive domain where only a handful of politicians including MPs have in-depth strategic knowledge. In developed nations, a large number of politicians specialise in matters military and in fact grill senior military officers in live public debate. As an aspirational developed nation by the year 2047, India has to develop serious strategic culture with a healthy mix of competent military officers, diplomats, politicians and effective think tanks. As India is bound by some past agreements, all the agencies involved in the security domain should work out necessary safeguards in the national interest. And where essential and critical in the national interest, we should be prepared to re-negotiate.
Nagpur Customs officials seize 2.937 kilograms of narcotics drugs at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport





Business Reporter

The Nagpur Customs officials busted one big case at Nagpur International Airport, and seized 2.937 kilograms of narcotics drugs worth approximately Rs 8.81 crore. A 45-year-old pax resident of Chennai, Tamil Nadu coming from Uganda via Doha by Qatar Airways flight QR-590 arrived in Nagpur airport at 3 am on April 4, was intercepted by Customs Officials when he was walking through the green channel without declaring anything to Customs. However, the alert and vigilant officers of Customs at Nagpur airport on passengers profiling noticed his abnormal behaviour and therefore he was thoroughly checked by the officers, in which suspicious items including one dummy propeller and two plate shaped disc were found in his baggage. Thereafter, when the dummy propeller and discs were cut open for checking, it was found that, white and yellow coloured powder substance was filled inside the propeller and discs. On testing with the drug detection kit, the white and yellow powdered substance was found to be methaqualone.

Immediately, the pax was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The Customs Officers were acting upon the direction from the Commissioner of Customs, Sanjay Kumar and under the guidance of the Additional Commissioner, Peeyoush Bhati. The team of officers of Nagpur Customs was led by their Assistant Commissioner Charanjeet Singh and Anjum Tadvi. The team of Customs Officers involved in the case includes Superintendents Manish Pandharpurkar, Prakash Kapse, Anju Khobragade, Rajesh Khapre; Inspectors Aditya Bairwa, Vishal Bhopte, Abhijeet Naruka, Priyanka Meena, Krishna Kant Dhakar and Hawaldar Shailendra Yadav.

Further investigation is under progress by the officers of Nagpur Customs under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The Nagpur Customs Commissioner Sanjay Kumar has also informed that Customs Officers are very attentive and vigilant and with their efforts Nagpur Customs stopped 9 number of attempt of gold smuggling and confiscated 12 kgs of gold valued 8 crore (approx.) and 6 accused involved in gold smuggling were also arrested during the last financial year 2023-24. This is with the continuation of their drive against smuggling, wherein in recent past nine cases of attempt of gold smuggling was booked by Nagpur Customs.
Partial relief to 3 BJP leaders





By Bhavana Aparajita

Shukla

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed a special courts order for the issuance of bailable warrants against former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and State BJP President V D Sharma in a criminal defamation case. The court noted that the two leaders are contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and are busy with it. The special court here had on Tuesday issued bailable warrants against Chouhan and Sharma for not furnishing undertakings in the criminal defamation case filed by Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha. Earlier on Tuesday Jabalpurs Special MP-MLA Court had issued a bailable warrant in the defamation case against former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, State BJP chief V D Sharma and MLA Bhupendra Singh. The three leaders did not get relief from the court in the defamation case of Rs 10 crore filed by Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha. The court also rejected the application given by Chouhan, Sharma and Singh to appear on June 7. The court has now ordered the three leaders for personal appearance on May 7. Special Judge Vishveshwari Mishra issued this order.

At the same time, the court said that all senior leaders of BJP should ensure compliance with the orders of the court and present exemplary conduct among the common people. Non-compliance of court orders due to personal busyness will affect the mental state of the common people. The lawyer appearing on behalf of Chouhan, Sharma and Singh presented an application in the court, in which he wrote that he is a senior leader of BJP and elections are going on at present. Therefore, due to his busy schedule, he is unable to appear in the court himself. The court expressed displeasure over the application and rejected it and reprimanded the lawyer. Now the next hearing of the case is scheduled on May 7, in which the three leaders will have to be present in person. A defamation complaint of Rs 10 crore filed by Rajya Sabha member Tankha in MP-MLA Court Jabalpur against the three BJP leaders.
Preparations for PMs visit discussed in meet





Staff Reporter

To discuss preparations for ensuring road show of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in the city, an important meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party was held at party division office, on Thursday. State PWD Minister, Rakesh Singh chaired the meeting. Addressing a huge gathering of party leaders and workers, Minister Rakesh Singh said it is a proud moment for every party worker that the worlds most influential leader and our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is arriving in Jabalpur from the perspective of the Lok Sabha elections. He said the Prime Minister will meet the public and conduct a road show from Bada Phuhara to Miloniganj, on April 7. The State PWD Minister said that when partys supreme leader is arriving, it becomes our responsibility to make every programme organised on his arrival grand and to accord a grand welcome to the Prime Minister with dignity and according to tradition of Sanskardhani.

BJP leaders claim that after Prime Minister Narendra Modis road show, enthusiasm will reach its peak among the BJP family and those who vote for the BJP. As a result, in the current elections BJP will win the Jabalpur Lok Sabha seat with a significant increase in votes compared to the victory margin in the previous elections. Those attended the meeting were City President Prabhat Sahu, Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Valmiki, Nandani Maravi, MLA Ajay Vishnoi, Abhilash Pandey, Sharad Jain, Sadanand Godbole, Swati Godbole, Sushila Singh along with party workers.
Delhi Bureau

SITTING Amravati MP Navneet Rana, who was recently inducted in BJP and announced as their official candidate from the reserved constituency for scheduled castes in Amravati region of Maharashtra, got a last minute relief as the Supreme Court restored her scheduled caste certificate in its verdict in New Delhi on Thursday. Pronouncing the order on the last day of nomination for the seat, the apex court set aside the Bombay High Court verdict in 2021 on a plea seeking cancellation of her caste certificate dated 13th August 2013, issued by a deputy collector in Mumbai stating she belonged to Mochi caste. An apex court bench comprising justices J K Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol upheld the validity of the caste certificate issued to Rana, saying in the instant case, the of Ranas caste certificate. Adsul had contended that Rana obtained the certificate using forged and fabricated documents that were acquired using the influence of her husband Ravi Rana, an MLA.

Both Chamar and Mochi castes figure in chapter 2 of The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) order, 1950. The Chamar caste also figures among the notified scheduled castes list of Punjab. Mochi is a sub-caste of the Chamar community that deals with leather business. The Chamars usually process the hides, while the Mochis make leather products from them. Rana, who joined the BJP some time back, had won the Amravati Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate backed by Sharad Pawars NCP in 2019. She has been nominated by the BJP to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the seat this time. In its order of June 8, 2021, the Bombay High Court had also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the Amravati MP, saying the records indicated that she belonged to the Sikh-Chamar caste.

A division bench of the High Court had also directed her to surrender the certificate within six weeks Allowing Ranas appeal against the HC order, a bench comprising justices J K Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol said that the High Court should not have interfered with the report of the Scrutiny Committee on her caste certificate. Upholding the validity of the caste certificate issued to Rana, the top court said, In the instant case, the Scrutiny Committee duly considered the documents before it and passed its decision complying with principles of natural justice. It did not merit any interference (by the Bombay High Court) under Article 226. In light of the discussions, the instant appeal stands allowed and the High Court order is set aside, Justice Maheshwari said while reading out the operative part of the judgement. A detailed judgement is awaited.
Santosh Pandey files nomination papers for Rgaon LS seat





Staff Reporter

RAIPUR,

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai once again issued a challenge to the Congress leader Dr Charan Das Mahant, daring him to strike him with sticks in Rajnandgaon while addressing public meeting held before the nomination papers filed by BJP Lok Sabha Candidate from Rajnandgaon, Santosh Pandey on Thursday. Chief Minister Sai emphasised that the remarks made by Charan Das Mahant and the Congress about striking Prime Minister Modi with sticks are tantamount to hitting the people of Chhattisgarh. Sai asserted that if the Congress has the courage, they should strike his head with a baton first. He questioned whether it is appropriate for the Congress to speak in such a manner about the Prime Minister, who tirelessly works for the welfare of 140 crore Indians. Sai criticised the Congress for their past derogatory remarks about Prime Minister and vowed that the public would once again give a fitting response to such statements. Highlighting the failures of the previous Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel, Sai accused Baghel of deceiving the public during his tenure. He pointed out instances of corruption and mismanagement under the Congress rule, including the imposition of taxes and involvement in illicit activities.

Sai contrasted these with the achievements of his own government, which has swiftly fulfilled promises made to the people, such as providing housing for the poor and ensuring fair prices for farmers produce. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his dedication to the welfare of the nation, Sai urged the public to support Modi for a third term as Prime Minister. He called for electing Santosh Pandey as the Member of Parliament from Rajnandgaon to ensure BJPs victory in all 11 seats in Chhattisgarh. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao also criticized the Congress for its abusive language against Prime Minister Modi. He called for the confiscation of the security deposit of the Congress party and urged the public to vote for BJP to uphold national interests. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma condemned the statement made by Dr Charan Das Mahant, asserting that the people of Rajnandgaon would respond strongly in the Lok Sabha elections.

He highlighted the achievements of the BJP government and urged voters to support Santosh Pandey to create history in Rajnandgaon. BJP candidate Santosh Pandey emphasized the need to remember the failures of the Congress government and urged voters to support BJP for a better future. He criticised the Congress for its discriminatory decisions and vowed to represent the interests of all communities in Rajnandgaon. Pandey officially submitted his nomination papers in the presence of Chief Minister Sai, Deputy Chief Ministers Sao and Sharma, and other BJP leaders, signaling the beginning of his campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in Rajnandgaon.
Shindes veiled attack on Uddhav





CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJI NAGAR,

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday launched a veiled attack on his former party head Uddhav Thackeray, quipping that its better to travel by helicopter and do farming than take photos from it. Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, was in Hingoli for the filing of nomination of his newly announced party candidate Baburao Kadam. Earlier, the party had fielded sitting MP Hemant Patil for the seat. Addressing a rally, Shinde said, Im criticised for travelling by helicopter (to a farm) and doing farming. But why is there so much pain when the son of a farmer becomes a chief minister? It is better to travel on a helicopter and do farming than do photography from it, he said. The CM added, When I engage in farming, my hands reach the soil and Im connected to it.

Talking about the Maratha reservation, an issue that kept his Government on edge on several occasions, Shinde said, We have given our word to the Maratha community regarding the quota and our Government fulfills its promises. Some individuals are trying to gain political mileage out of this issue. Ashok Chavan joining BJP has given booster dose to party, says Fadnavis: The induction of former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has given a booster dose to the BJP in Nanded, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.

Fadnavis was addressing a BJP rally in Nanded after party colleague and sitting MP Pratap Patil Chikhlikar filed his nomination papers. Chikhlikar had defeated Chavan, who was with the Congress at the time, by more than 40,000 votes in the 2019 polls. Chikhlikar had got 43 percent votes when Chavan was contesting against him. Now, Chavan is with us and Chikhlikars vote percentage will go above 50. Chavan joining BJP has given a booster dose to the BJP in Nanded, Fadnavis said.
More than 40 businesses will exhibit at The One For Me production of the 34th annual Bahamas Bridal Show, organized by Buttons Bridal & Formal Wear and Bahamas Events & Sports, which will be held at the Baha Mar Convention Center on Sunday, April 7. PHOTO: BAHAMAS BRIDAL SHOW
The House of Representatives has on Wednesday, disclaimed recent comments attributed to the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, concerning the Petroleum Industry Act through one of the members, Hon. Cyril Hart who represented him at the 2024 Society of Petroleum Engineers Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (SPEOLEF) held recently in Abuja.

He had said the lack of necessary investment in the nations oil and gas sector is an indication of the rejection of the Petroleum Industry Act, which was attributed to the speaker as his representative at the event.

Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Akin Rotimi, gave the clarification via a Disclaimer Press Statement titled: Clarification on statements regarding Petroleum Industry Act.

Hon. Rotimi in the disclaimer statement also underscored the need to address and refute assertions made by Hon. Hart, suggesting a lack of confidence in the Petroleum Industry Act.

He said: It has been brought to our attention that certain statements attributed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, have been circulating in various media outlets.

In order to uphold transparency and accuracy, we find it necessary to provide comprehensive clarification and context regarding these matters.

The statements in question purportedly emanated from Rep. Cyril Hart, who represented the Speaker at the 2024 Society of Petroleum Engineers Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (SPEOLEF) convened in Abuja. While it is acknowledged that Rep. Hart delivered remarks at this esteemed forum, it is crucial to underscore that his expressions therein were conveyed as his personal opinions and viewpoints.

It is incumbent upon us to stress that the views articulated by Rep. Hart do not reflect the official stance of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, nor do they constitute the collective perspective of the House as an institution. The House of Representatives operates as a diverse body with members holding a broad spectrum of opinions and viewpoints on various matters of national interest.

In light of recent discussions at the SPEOLEF regarding Nigerias oil and gas sector, as well as the implications of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), we acknowledge the concerns raised by some stakeholders.

However, it is imperative to address and refute assertions suggesting a lack of confidence in the PIA.

The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) represents a milestone achievement in the reform of Nigerias oil and gas sector, aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the management of our nations valuable natural resources.

It is the result of extensive deliberations, consultations, and collaboration among stakeholders across various sectors, including government, industry players, civil society organisations, and the public.

Contrary to claims of widespread scepticism, the PIA has garnered significant support from reputable industry experts, international partners, and investors who recognize its potential to unlock opportunities for sustainable development and growth in Nigerias energy sector.

The Act provides a framework for addressing long standing challenges, such as regulatory inefficiencies, revenue management, and community engagement, thereby fostering a conducive environment for investment and innovation.

While it is acknowledged that concerns may exist regarding certain provisions or implementation mechanisms of the PIA, it is essential to approach these issues through constructive dialogue and engagement, rather than resorting to blanket assertions.

The House of Representatives remains committed to overseeing the effective implementation of the PIA, and making amendments as necessary, ensuring that the interests of all stakeholders are safeguarded and that the objectives of the Act are realised for the benefit of the Nigerian people.

We urge media outlets and the public alike to exercise prudence and diligence in attributing statements to the appropriate individuals and entities, as misrepresentation or misinterpretation can undermine the integrity of public discourse and democratic processes.

For further inquiries, clarifications, or requests for official statements from the House of Representatives, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of the House Spokesman/ Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.
President Bola Tinubu has expressed unquenchable spirit of Nigerians, their positive attitudes and self-belief that they can overcome all odds.

The President spoke during Iftar in Abuja with members of the Nigerian business community.

Recounting his speech at the New York Stock Exchange when he visited in 2023, President Tinubu said Nigerians have the self-belief and determination to drive economic transformation from within.

''At the New York Stock Exchange, I appealed to foreign investors to consider Nigeria as a prime investment destination.

"At the end of my remarks, I told them we only want them to show their face and diversify Nigerias economy not as if we cannot do it ourselves.

"Tony Elumelu walked up to me and thanked me for making that statement. We can do it. Nigeria is a self-believer and can always deliver on its own. We know our first name and our last name. Our first name is: Spirit, and our last name is: Can do."

Tinubu thanked members of the business community for their support and pledged to engage with them more frequently.

He said Nigeria's economy is at a turning point and will require the steadfast support of the private sector for sustained growth and prosperity.

''I would have summoned you before now, not during Ramadan, because you are a very valuable part of my constituency.

''There is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the private sector. If the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth, no prosperity, no employment or development. No matter how flowery the speeches are, not even a mushroom will grow.

''Thank you for persevering. We are at a turning point in our economy. I do not have to do a quadratic equation to illustrate all of that to you. I just want to appreciate you for your endurance and perseverance, the President said.

"I have no reason to underperform as the elected President of the country because I campaigned for the job.

"I cannot complain about the job. I appreciate the gesture, and what you have told me this evening is very inspiring. Cut the costs. Fix the bends. Summon courage. Save the money, but push the economy. We will be there.There are some countries that have failed. There are some countries that have succeeded. In our time, in my time, all of us must work together to succeed. Thank you very much, the President concluded.

In separate remarks at the Ramadan dinner, industrialists, bank executives, and entrepreneurs pledged their support towards the success of the administrations economic programmes.

Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, who spoke first, assured the President that the Organized Private Sector (OPS) in the country is solidly behind him.

Other speakers were Allen Onyema, Air Peace chairman, Stella Okoli, CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Innocent Chukwuma, CEO of Innoson Motors, Tope Shonubi of the Sahara Group.
The delayed disclosure of the deaths of the police officers in Delta State reveals systemic shortcomings within the Nigeria Police Force, perpetuating a troubling narrative of opacity and disregard for both public trust and the welfare of officers' families. Beyond a mere bureaucratic delay, this instance underscores a fundamental failure of leadership and ethical responsibility, where the imperative of maintaining a polished image outweighs the imperative of transparency and accountability.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, bereaved families found themselves not only grappling with the profound loss of their loved ones but also navigating a vacuum of information and support from the very institution their relatives served. This lack of timely communication and empathetic outreach from the police authority speaks volumes about a culture that prioritizes optics over human connection, leaving grieving families isolated and disheartened.

Moreover, the delayed disclosure not only deepened the anguish of the affected families but also ignited a groundswell of public outrage and indignation. Citizens, already disillusioned by pervasive corruption and impunity, viewed this incident as yetanother manifestation of institutional failure and negligence. The stark contrast between the swift response of the military in analogous circumstances only served to exacerbate these sentiments, amplifying calls for accountability and reform within the police force.

The recourse to social media platforms like Facebook to express grievances reflects not only the power of digital connectivity in amplifying dissent but also the profound alienation felt by citizens from traditional avenues of recourse and redress. The heartfelt posts and pleas for justice from grieving family members underscore the human toll of institutional opacity and underscore the urgent need for systemic change.

The subsequent protests outside police headquarters in Benin, led by Kola Edokpayi, represent a palpable expression of collective frustration and disillusionment. Beyond mere demands for answers, these demonstrations symbolize a broader yearning for a more accountable and responsive policing apparatusone that is grounded in principles of transparency, empathy, and integrity.

In hindsight, had the police force demonstrated a modicum of professional and ethical responsibility, promptly notifying and extending condolences to the families of the fallen officers, it could have mitigated some of the anguish and resentment that followed. However, the failure to do so not only deepened the wounds of the bereaved but also eroded trust in the very institution tasked with upholding law and order.

This incident underscores the importance of transparency and timely communication by law enforcement agencies. In contrast to the secrecy initially surrounding the incident, the military's prompt disclosure of similar events highlighted the necessity for openness in such matters.

Moving forward, it is imperative for the Nigeria Police Force to prioritize transparency and accountability to regain the trust and respect of both the public and the families of fallen officers. Timely communication not only fosters empathy but also demonstrates a commitment to justice and honoring the sacrifices of those who serve.

The public and President Bola Tinubu's recognition of the sacrifices made by the military through gestures like awarding scholarships and providing housing in Delta State is commendable. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that similar support could have been extended to the police. The delay in disclosing the deaths of the police officers suggests a desire to maintain a certain image, rather than prioritizing equitable recognition of sacrifice. This disparity highlights the need for transparency and integrity in all facets of public service, ensuring that every fallen hero is honored and supported regardless of their affiliation. As we strive for a fairer and more just society, it's essential to uphold transparency and accountability at every level.

Therefore, it is imperative for authorities to prioritize transparency over image management in all facets of public service. Only by doing so can they rebuild trust with the communities they serve and ensure that the sacrifices of all officers, regardless of their affiliation, are duly acknowledged and honored.

Amidst the heart-wrenching grief expressed by the families of the fallen officers on social media platforms, a pervasive sense of betrayal and anger simmers beneath the surface. The prolonged silence from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) about the incident serves as a painful reminder of the lack of transparency and accountability within law enforcement agencies. As families poured out their sorrow and lamentations on various Facebook accounts, their anguish was compounded by the realization that the truth had been concealed from them for several weeks.

The delay in disclosing the deaths of the police officers paints a grim picture of a system plagued by deception and misinformation. While the families grappled with the devastating loss of their loved ones, they were left in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. The NPF's failure to open up about the incident only deepened the wounds of the grieving families, fueling feelings of mistrust and resentment towards the authorities entrusted with ensuring their safety.

Furthermore, as the truth gradually came to light, fueled in part by the outcry of grieving families and concerned citizens, the extent of the deception became painfully apparent. The revelation that the NPF had withheld crucial information for weeks, before revealing the full extent of the incident underscores a blatant disregard for transparency and integrity. It underscores the need for a fundamental overhaul of law enforcement practices to prioritize honesty and accountability above all else.

In the face of such egregious betrayal, the families of the fallen officers and the public at large demand answers and accountability from the NPF. The pain and anguish caused by the deception cannot be understated, and only through genuine acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a commitment to transparency can the wounds begin to heal. As calls for justice reverberate through the streets, it is imperative that law enforcement agencies heed the cries of the people and work tirelessly to rebuild the shattered trust between the guardians of justice and those they are sworn to protect.

Additionally, the revelation that the ambush on the police officers occurred prior to the incident involving the military amplifies concerns about the delayed disclosure of the police officers' deaths. It raises questions about the transparency and responsiveness of law enforcement authorities, especially in the face of such grave circumstances. The families of the fallen officers and the public are left to wonder why it took so long for the police to acknowledge and address the tragedy, particularly when the safety and security of officers are at stake.

This sequence of events underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review of law enforcement protocols and procedures to ensure timely and transparent communication in times of crisis. It highlights the critical importance of prioritizing the safety and well-being of all officers and ensuring that they receive the support and recognition they deserve for their sacrifices. Only by addressing these systemic issues can law enforcement agencies rebuild trust with the communities they serve and uphold the principles of transparency and accountability that are essential for maintaining public confidence in the justice system.

As the nation moves towards reforming its policing system, there is a growing consensus that a transition to state policing is imperative. It is hoped that the incoming state police forces will embody principles of autonomy, transparency, and accountability to a degree not seen before.

Central to this vision is the concept of complete autonomy for state police forces. These entities must not be beholden to any federal commission or control but rather answerable solely to their respective state governments and legislatures. This independence is crucial in ensuring that policing priorities align closely with the unique needs and challenges faced by each state.

Moreover, transparency must form the bedrock of the new state policing paradigm. Transparency entails not only open communication with the public but also a commitment to honesty and accountability in all aspects of law enforcement operations. It is through transparency that trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve can be cultivated and maintained.

Furthermore, empathy must be ingrained within the ethos of state police forces. Policing is fundamentally a service-oriented profession, and officers must possess a deep understanding of and compassion for the communities they serve. Empathy fosters positive interactions between law enforcement and citizens, leading to greater cooperation and mutual respect.

Crucially, the era of lies and deception must come to an end with the advent of state policing. Honesty must be upheld as a non-negotiable principle, with the dissemination of accurate information being paramount. By eschewing falsehoods and embracing transparency, state police forces can build credibility and foster trust among the populace.

Training will play a pivotal role in shaping the culture of state police forces. Officers must undergo comprehensive training programs that emphasize the values of transparency, empathy, and truthfulness. This training should extend beyond technical skills to encompass ethical decision-making, community engagement, and conflict resolution.

In sum, the transition to state policing represents a historic opportunity to reimagine law enforcement in Nigeria. By prioritizing autonomy, transparency, empathy, and honesty, state police forces can emerge as trusted guardians of public safety, accountable to the communities they serve. It is through these principles that the vision of a fairer, more just, and more secure society can be realized.

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi, born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, is an American-based police and prison scientist, forensic psychologist, public policy psychologist, and legal psychologist. Hes a government advisor on forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA and the founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation for Psychological Health. With a significant role in introducing forensic psychology to Nigeria through N.U.C. and Nasarawa State University, hes also a former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological Association. Hes taught at esteemed institutions like Florida Memorial University, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University, and more, and is currently an online faculty member at Weldios University, Nexus International University, and Walden University. [email protected]
A member-led professional advocacy group, EnterpriseNGR, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the Africa Roundtable of Financial Centres  a chapter of the World Alliance of International Financial Centres, in Mauritius, Morocco and Rwanda.

The recently signed MoU, in Mauritius, brought together EnterpriseNGR, the Economic Development Board of Mauritius, Casablanca Finance City Authority, and Rwanda Finance Limited to foster collaboration, promote investment opportunities, and drive sustainable development within the financial centres of its member countries and Africa at large.ort the exchange of best practices between members, enhance visibility regionally

According to a statement from EnterpriseNGR on Thursday, it was joining forces with the three countries to specifically pursue five key objectives, such as: Jointly strengthen the competitiveness of financial centres in Africa. Collaborate through projects, research papers, communiques, and events to position the African Continent, demonstrate the myriad of investment opportunities, and showcase the role that financial centres play within the African Continent.

Conduct joint initiatives to supp and internationally, and provide African financial centres with a unified voice regionally and internationally. Facilitate the development of dialogue with major financial centres outside the African Continent and build communication channels with African institutions, including regulators and policymakers, as well as African financial services industry associations, and advocate for regulatory coordination amongst members of the Africa Roundtable to promote cross-border investments and financial services.

While speaking on this collaboration, the Chairperson of the Africa Roundtable, Mr Ken Poonoosamy, noted that, The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC represents a pivotal stride in fostering synergy among financial hubs within the African sphere, with the shared objective of catalysing economic advancement across the continent.

Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of EnterpriseNGR, Ms Obi Ibekwe, represented by the Director of Policy & Public Affairs, Mr Lami Adekola, applauded the development.

It is a historic achievement, and EnterpriseNGR fully endorses the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC and is excited for the immense opportunities it represents for Nigeria and the African continent. Our collaboration with the four African countries promises to bolster financial competitiveness on the Continent and amplify Africas global presence. We will leverage this Roundtable to unlock the full potential of African financial centres to drive prosperity and development for our nations and beyond," she said.

EnterpriseNGR became a member of WAIFC in 2023 during the WAIFC board meeting hosted by TheCityUK in London.
Rebels within the BJP in Bardhaman-Purba Lok Sabha seat, who are serving the party since long, have demanded immediate replacement of Asim Sarkar, the party candidate.

The party and the cadres have termed Sarkar a parachute leader. Veteran BJP leader Santosh Roy of Memari, who served as the partys state convenor for 16 Assembly seats, in his social media page demanded: The infiltrators have crowded the BJP after 2019 and most of them dont have political skills or mindset and this can be verified with the present office bearers, where 90 per cent were simply intruders and dont bother to know ABCD of the BJP. Still, 148 Trinamul Congress deserters were honoured by offering tickets. He and his party colleagues ridiculed the BJP for fielding Asim Sarkar in Bardhaman-Purba seat this time.

The rebels have gone to write walls against Sarkar in certain areas like Ausgram, Purbasthali, Memari and Jamalpur. In Jamalpur, Sarkar was denied entry to certain villages too. Sarkar said, Im a simple living man and have been fielded here to serve a pool of 25 lakh residents in the constituency. It is because the party found me suitable.

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Dilip Ghosh, BJPs candidate from neighbouring Bardhaman Durgapur seat said on the issue, Some problems have cropped up there but soon well sort it out.
Governor C V Ananda Bose today is believed to have recommended to the state the removal of the state education minister Bratya Basu from the council of ministers allegedly on grounds for violating electoral MCC (model of code of conduct), sources at Raj Bhavan claimed.

The apparent reason behind such recommendation as sources in the know claimed stemmed from the fact that Mr Basu, who was present at a meeting of the professors body allegedly owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamul Congress of the Gourbanga University, Malda, had reportedly discussed political things among others as being president of the organisation, violating MCC in force now.

Mr Basu, however, ridiculed the alleged move saying, Violation of MCC if any it is the prerogative of the political parties to bring it to the notice of the EC, which would look into it. By raising such an accusation he has misused his constitutional post and proved his political identity.

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Peerless Hospital announces the launch of humanoid robotics for the first time in eastern India, the latest technology for hip, knee and shoulder replacement with 3D robotics, AI platform and mixed reality with Hololens powered by Microsoft.

Total knee replacement is done for irreversible damage to the cartilage of the knee joints leading to pain and progressive deformity. This alters the mechanical/physiologic alignment of the limbs.

In total knee replacement the alignment of the limbs are corrected and the damaged joint surface is resurfaced with the help of conventional instruments taking reference from the patients bony landmarks.

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Over the years, doctors started getting better at alignment with improved instruments. Achieving the perfect alignment improves the longevity of the implanted joint and function of the joint.

Peerless Hospital was the first to launch CAOS (computer assisted operating

system) to achieve maximum perfection in alignment and precision, CAOS was adopted by Peerless Hospital almost two decades ago. This is like a GPS system with navigation. A tracker is placed in the knee and an infra-red camera which gives out a passive array helps determine the position of the knee, calculate the angle of deformity correction and the surgery is performed using advanced instruments. This computed navigation surgery improves the mechanical alignment leading to better function.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that a strong government is needed to make the country the worlds third largest economy. Addressing a mammoth election rally at Raas Mela ground in Cooch Behar Mr Modi today said:  We need to bring Indias economy to third position globally. For that a strong and stable government should be formed at the Centre. Delhi needs a strong government, not a weak government.

Keep in mind while voting that this is the countrys election, Mr Modi added. Today, the whole world says Modi is the world leader, can take big decisions. But I am just a public servant, the Prime Minister said. Showcasing his dream Viksit Bharat, Narendra Modi said: Peoples dreams are Modis guarantee. Where others hopes end, Modis guarantee begins. Fulfilling the dream of 140 crore people is Modi guarantee.

Congress had given the slogan of eradicating poverty. But the BJP government has lifted 32 crore people out of poverty in ten years. After five hundred years, the Ram temple has been built in Ayodhya. BJP government has taken tough steps to prevent corruption and terrorism. Abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir was possible because the intention was right, Mr Modi said.

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The progress that has been made in ten years is a trailer, there is still a lot left. Theres a lot for Bengal to look forward to, he said. Attacking the Trinamul Congress over the Sandeshkhali issue, the Prime Minister said: A desperate TMC is trying to save the culprits in Sandeshkhali. The culprits will be punished and they will be in jail for life.

The Prime Minister also said: INDIA alliance is doing false politics and spreading false propaganda about CAA. Citizenship to all is Modis guarantee. TMC, Congress and Left will try to scare you, dont worry, trust me. They fight each other here but work together in Delhi, he added
After the rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Cooch Behar today, the Trinamul Congress reacted sharply to what the PM said.

The PM did not utter a single word on such a massive storm that wreaked havoc in Jalpaiguri, some parts of Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. In reality, the PM has no liking towards people of north Bengal, said Kunal Ghosh, adding, The PM speaks of corruption and shelters the likes of Narayan Rane, Suvendu Adhikari, Praful Patel among others. He just came to fool people. This is his guarantee.

Education minister Bratya Basu said, Mamata Banerjee has increased Lakshmir Bhandar amount and for Asha workers too. This is her guarantee. What Modi does is he supports Brij Bhushan Singh. Has he forgotten Manipur? The PM said today, this is a trailer. It took him 10 years for making a 15-20 seconds trailer? Trailer of lies, deceit, jumlas.

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The Trinamul Congress also talked about BJPs failure to produce a white paper on Awas Yojana funds exposes their lies. On March 14, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had issued an open challenge to the BJP to produce a white paper proving that the BJP-led Central government has given money to Bengal after their humiliating electoral defeat in 2021.

By Thursday afternoon, #ReleaseWhitePaper emerged as the leading trend. Within a short span, the hashtag ascended to the 2nd position nationally, eclipsing the hashtag on Modis Bengal visits, a clear indication of AITCs prominence compared to BJP.

The party strongly condemned the BJP-led Centre for the economic blockade and blamed the Union government for the hardships faced by the people of Jalpaiguri following the devastation caused by the recent storm.

Kunal Ghosh said, Abhishek Banerjee had asked for a white paper from Prime Minister Modi and BJP. Despite coming to Bengal 21 days after the challenge, he failed to produce the document. Today, the PM said in his speech that the Central government has approved funds for 40 lakh homes. He is contradicting his own governments ad which was published a few days ago and claimed the figure to be at 4.69 lakh.
EET Retail, the retail division of EET Fuels, is pleased to announce the appointment of Narayan Bhatra as Chief Executive Officer.

Narayan was previously Chief Retail Officer at Nayara Energy, Indias second-largest oil and gas company and that countrys fastest-growing private fuel station network.

He has over three decades of experience in the energy sector including management roles with Essar and Reliance Industries across India and Africa.

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EET Retail has plans to develop a significant portfolio of Essar-branded fuel retail outlets within three years as part of its vision to become the UKs retailer of choice to consumers.

EET Retail will have a pan-UK presence and grow its network of outlets across all regions and markets, including identifying opportunities for potential acquisitions to accelerate its growth.

In the age of new mobility, EET Retails long-term strategy includes offering a range of low-carbon, high-quality fuels including serving the needs of drivers preferring e-mobility. These fuels will be offered in an environment that has a tailored selection of customer offerings, including non-fuel options.

Narayan Bhatra commented: I am excited to be joining EET Retail now. It has a clear and very ambitious vision for growth, as well as the potential to create a truly market-leading proposition for low carbon high quality fuels, given EET Fuels huge investment in its decarbonisation plans at Stanlow, as well as building a world-leading hydrogen production facility.

Deepak Maheshwari, CEO of EETFuels, said: We are embarking on this exciting journey of growth and innovation in the retail sector in the UK and are confident in Narayans leadership. EET Retail plans to deliver best-in-class fuel outlets, creating a network of partnerships that are focused on Essars customer-first belief. Narayans appointment marks a significant milestone for EET, and we are excited about the opportunities ahead under his leadership.

EET Fuels forms part of EET which is committed to playing a key role in the decarbonisation of the UK economy, and has ambitious plans to build an energy transition park at its site in the North West and to become the UKs first low-carbon process refinery. This aligns with the UK Governments Ten Point Plan on the Green Industrial Revolution and with its British Energy Security Strategy.

Tony Fountain, Managing Director of EET, said: EET Fuels is a key part of Essar Energy Transition and we are committed to maintaining a strong, secure manufacturing base for fuels in the North West and across the UK. Our approach provides our customers with the assurance of working with a partner that is committed to decarbonising our production processes, playing our part to ensure that the UK delivers on its climate change goals and enhancing energy security. I look forward to working with Narayan to share this industry-leading commitment with our retail customers.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to notify a scheme for investment and trading in sovereign green bonds in the IFSC, Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday.

The decision was taken at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the apex bank.

With a view to facilitating wider non-resident participation in sovereign green bonds, a scheme for investment and trading in these bonds in the IFSC (International Financial Services Centre) will be notified very shortly, he said.

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This will allow eligible foreign investors in the IFSC to also invest in such bonds.

The governor also highlighted that a scheme for investment and trading in sovereign green bonds by eligible foreign investors in IFSC is being notified separately in consultation with the Government and the IFSC Authority.

It may be noted here that based on an announcement in the Union Budget for FY 2022-23, the government of India has Sovereign Green Bonds in January 2023.

These bonds were also issued as part of the government borrowing calendar in FY 2023-24.

At present, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) registered with SEBI are permitted to invest in SGrBs under the different routes available for investment by FPIs in government securities.

As per the report, the government plans to borrow Rs 12,000 crore through the issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds in the first half of the current financial year.

According to the Budget Estimate, the government is planning for gross market borrowing of Rs 14.13 trillion for 2024-25. Out of this, Rs 7.5 trillion, or 53 per cent, is scheduled to be borrowed in the first half.

At present, GIFT IFSC is the maiden international financial services centre in India.

Recently, the International Financial Services Centres Authority has allowed remote trading by foreign stock broking firms on Gift IFSC exchanges.

With this arrangement, such firms will be allowed to trade directly on the stock exchanges on a proprietary basis, without a broker-dealer even if they do not have a physical presence at Gift IFSC in the form of a physical office or staff.

Such entities will be referred to as Remote Trading Participants, or RTPs.

At present, countries such as Singapore, Japan, Israel, and the US allow remote membership of brokers.
Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal has alleged that the basic character of SP was to threaten and bully and to promote criminals in the elections.

Brij Lal said SP leader Shivpal Yadav threatening voters by settling accounts for not voting in Budaun, exposes the reality of the party.

A video of Samajwadi Party candidate from Budaun Shivpal Yadav is being circulated on the internet media in which he is allegedly threatening the people who did not vote to settle their accounts. It is very clear from this statement that criminals, mafia and rioters are close relatives of SP, the former UP DGP told media persons here on Friday.

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One of Mayawatis most-trusted officers and a prominent Dalit face, retired IPS officer Brij Lal, who joined the BJP in 2015, said that it was not hidden from anyone how SP acts in the elections.

The brutal murder of BJP worker Neeraj Mishra, who opposed booth capturing in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, is not hidden from anyone, he said and claimed that the SP leader who talked aggressively about a BJP candidate in front of Akhilesh Yadav in Kannauj, also has the support of the SP chief.

He also said that this was not the first time that SP leaders were making such statements.

The public has seen and tolerated their actions. In the 2022 assembly elections, at least one of their candidates in every district has been a criminal or a famous goonda of the area. It is not hidden from anyone how SP leaders spread anarchy in the entire state even before the results of 2022 elections were declared, Brij Lal alleged.

He also said Imran Masood, who made violent remarks against PM Narendra Modi, is the candidate of INDI alliance from Saharanpur. Nahid Hasan, who was responsible for gangsterism and migration in Kairana, is the shadow candidate of SP-Congress alliance as his sister is just fighting over his name.

The INDI coalition is a proponent of the One District One Mafia. They should not forget that Modi ji is running the government in the country and Yogi ji is running the government as the Chief Minister of BJP in the state. They know very well how to treat goons and mafia, the former policeman warned the criminals.

Brij Lal said that the people of the state have also been continuously treating the INDIA bloc adversely since 2014. In 2017 Assembly elections, 2017 Municipal body elections, 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 2022 Assembly elections, 2022 Municipal body elections, the public is continuously voting in favour of BJP to prevent the return of SP anarchy.

This time too, the public will shut down the criminal and anarchist thinking of the SP leaders. Voters blessings will again remain with the BJP and it will win 80 seats under the leadership of PM Modi, he asserted, exuding confidence
Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is receiving a lot of positive responses to his work in the recently released film Aadujeevitham, wrapped up the shoot of his upcoming film titled Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil on Thursday.

The Malayalam film has been directed by Vipin Das, and is in the comedy genre. It narrates the story of a young man entangled in a series of misfortunes during a wedding ceremony, ultimately leading him to marry a woman who has enraged the groom.

Sharing pictures from the final day of shooting, the team bid adieu with a promise of a fun-filled entertainer. The caption reads: Thats the final wrap! #GuruvayoorAmbalaNadayil. We hope that it will be a fun-filled entertainer. See you soon. May 2024 worldwide release.

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The film has been produced under Prithviraj Sukumarans own banner, Prithviraj Productions, and also features Nikhila Vimal, Anaswara Rajan, Basil Joseph, and Yogi Babu in pivotal roles.

Meanwhile, Prithviraj also has the Ali Abbas Zafar directorial Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, in which he essays the antagonist named Kabir.

The film also stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. It is set to debut in cinemas on April 10 where it will clash with the Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan
Yadvinder Sandhu, a relative of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, has expressed anger over a portrait, showing a behind-bars portrait of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, hanging between the pictures of the revolutionary freedom fighter and architect of the Indian Constitution, B R Ambedkar.

Expressing his outrage, Sandhu said an attempt has been made to compare Kejriwal with the legends.

This morning, a video of Sunita Kejriwal (wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) came in which a photo of Arvind Kejriwal was put on the wall along with Bhagat Singh and Baba Saheb Ambedkar. I felt awful after watching this. An attempt was made to compare him with the legends. I would ask the Aam Aadmi Party to refrain from such activities, he said on a news channel.

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The saffron party has alleged that Kejriwal was a symbol of corruption and demanded immediate removal of the photo while the AAP said the photo of Kejriwal behind bars was a mark of a struggle against BJPs dictatorship.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared his anger in his post on social media.

I share the anger and sentiment of Yadvinder Singh Sandhu, the grandson of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. How can Arvind Kejriwal Ji compare himself with the great freedom fighter? Shaheed Bhagat Singh fought for India whereas Kejriwal is openly supporting all Anti-India Forces!

He said this was not the first time that sitting CMs, ministers and people holding high-ranking posts were arrested on serious corruption charges.

He said the agenda of Maoists & Tukde-Tukde gang against India was well exposed. How is it that some foreign elements are raising voices only for Kejriwal? Agenda of Maoists & Tukde-Tukde Gang against India is well exposed.

Clarifying on this, AAP minister Aatishi emphasised that Kejriwal is the symbol of the struggle going on against the dictatorship of the BJP.

Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, delivered a video message on April 4, reading out a statement written by the AAP chief while he was in jail. The backdrop prominently featured an image portraying Arvind Kejriwal in a jailed context, positioned alongside the iconic figures of Bhagat Singh and Baba Ambedkar.

The AAP on Friday held a press conference at its party headquarters with a changed backdrop which featured behind-bars photos of Delhi CM Kejriwal along with the party symbol Broom.
Alleging that a false narrative is being set afloat about the Citizenship Amendment Act, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday underlined that CAA neither seeks to deprive any Indian citizen of his or her citizenship, nor does it exclude anyone from applying for Indian citizenship as before.

Claiming that CAA facilitates acquisition of Indian citizenship for minorities in the neighbouring countries, he asked How can this reprieve, healing touch to those persecuted in our neighbourhood on account of their religious commitment be discriminatory?

Addressing the 2023 batch IAS officer trainees at the conclusion of Phase-I of their professional course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, the Vice-President said CAA applies to those who arrived in India on or before 31 December 2014 and is not an invitation to influx. We have to neutralise these narratives. These emanate not out of ignorance, but out of a strategy to run down our nation, he added.

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He asserted that India does not need any sermons from anyone on this planet on the point of equality. Asking the countries to look within, he highlighted that some countries are yet to have a woman president, while we had a woman Prime Minister before even the UK had. The Supreme Court in other countries completed 200 years without a woman judge, but we have.

He asked the young minds to rebuff such strategised orchestration of factually untenable anti- national narratives aimed at tainting and tarnishing our glorified and robust constitutional bodies.

Stating that governance has taken a turn for the better in recent years, the Vice-President said that privileged pedigree is now sulking in the bye lanes. Democratic values and essence is deepening as equality before law is being enforced in an exemplary manner and corruption is no longer a trading commodity. Earlier this was the only mechanism to passage to a contract, recruitment, opportunity, he added.

Stating that some privileged pedigree earlier thought that they were immune to legal process and law cannot reach them, he asked, how can someone in a democratic country like ours be more equal than others?

Observing that the corridors of power have been sanitised of corrupt elements who extra legally leveraged decision making, the Vice-President noted that the country has been pulled out of despondency. India has become a land of hope and possibility. Stating that there is an upbeat mood all over the nation, he asserted that India is no longer a nation with a potential or a sleeping giantit is on the move.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Azerbaijan's military forces held final discussions on the achievements of the first quarter in accordance with the training plan approved by the Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, for 2024, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

First, a minute of silence was observed in honor of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and martyrs who gave their lives for Azerbaijan's independence and territorial integrity, followed by the performance of the country's national hymn.

"The meetings discussed the work done in the first quarter of 2024 to increase unit combat capability and organize service-combat activities, as well as reports on completed tasks and the state of combat training, troop service, logistics support, and military discipline.



The meeting participants were informed of the duties assigned to the Azerbaijan Army by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, as well as the tasks of the Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, regarding the further improvement of the organization of service-combat activity, troops' service, and combat duty," the ministry said.

Finally, the servicemen who stood out in military service based on the first quarter's results were awarded.

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The Congress on Thursday launched a manifesto titled Nyay Patra for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 with a slew of promises, including nationwide caste census, minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, and 30 lakh government jobs.

The manifesto also promises the abolition of the Agnipath scheme and assures Rs one lakh dole to every poor woman per year if voted to power at the Centre.

The Nyay Patracovering 25 guarantees under five Nyay (Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay) was released by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the presence of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former party president Rahul Gandhi, and senior party leaders, P Chidambaram and KC Venugopal. Partys general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present on the occasion among others.

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Speaking on the occasion, the Congress chief said the Nyay Patra will be remembered as a document of justice in the history of the countrys politics. We will take the social and economic momentum of the country forward. We will open the closed doors of development for farmers, the poor, labourers, women, and deprived sections. This is our pledge, he asserted.

Referring to the five pillars of the Nyay Patra, Kharge informed the audience that there are 25 guarantees under it and everyone will be benefited.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress chief said, Narendra Modi always criticises the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government led by Manmohan Singh. But, in those 10 years, Congress took many steps, including MGNREGA, RTI, and the Food Security Act. In comparison, Modi could not do even a single work during his 10-year tenure.

Accusing the government of misusing the Central probe agencies, Kharge, who is also the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said, Opposition leaders are jailed, the penalty imposed (by Income Tax Department) on Congress. Is this the level playing field? It is necessary to save the democracy and Constitution, and oust the autocratic Modi government.

Echoing similar sentiments, Rahul Gandhi said, This election is about those who are trying to destroy the Constitution and protect democracy in this country Vs those who are trying to protect the Constitution and protect democracy in this country.

Once this fight is won, we will look after the interests of the vast majority of our people. This election is a fundamentally different one. I dont think democracy has been as much at risk as it is today, he said.

Taking on the prime minister, Gandhi said, Narendra Modi has created a financial monopoly by capturing all the institutions like ED and CBI. All the information about electoral bonds has come out.

This is a much closer election. We are going to fight an excellent election. We are going to win this election, he added.

Replying to a question, Chidambaram, chairman of the Congress manifesto committee, said, The Congress guarantees are concrete guarantees. In contrast, Modis guarantees are only meant to ensure that he is guaranteed a third term.

In its manifesto, Congress stated that it has been most vocal of the progress of the backward and oppressed classes and castes and promised to conduct a nationwide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-caste and their socio-economic condition. It also vowed that the reservation of 10 per cent in jobs and educational institutions for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will also be implemented.

For the youth, the party promised to fill nearly 30 lakh vacancies in the Central governments besides a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one-year apprenticeship to every diploma holder or graduate below the age of 25. The apprentices will get Rs one lakh a year.

We will abolish the Agnipath programme and direct the Armed Forces to resume normal recruitment, it said.

For women, the Congress vowed to launch a Mahalakshmi scheme to provide Rs one lakh per year to every Indian family. The amount will be directly transferred to the account of the oldest woman of the household.

The party said it would give a legal guarantee to the MSP every year as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

The Congress also promised to increase the wage under the MGNREGA to Rs 400 per day.

The party also vowed to amend the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and make defection an automatic disqualification of the membership in the Assembly or in Parliament.

Among other major promises made in the manifesto include the replacement of the GST enacted by the BJP government with GST 2.0 which will not burden the poor, end the cess raj and repair Indias international image that has been damaged by the present dispensation.
The Congress on Friday promised to restore the status quo ante on borders with China and made it clear that engagement with Pakistan depends fundamentally on Islamabads willingness and ability to end cross-border terrorism.

In its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections released at the party headquarters, the Congress said it would work to repair Indias international image that has been damaged by the present governments intolerance of dissent and suppression of human rights.

The grand old party said it would pay greater attention to Indias immediate neighbours and reestablish the primacy of the countrys special relationships with Nepal and Bhutan and strengthen them.

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We will enhance economic and cultural relations between India and Bangladesh, which are the two most populous countries in South Asia. We will work with Sri Lanka to restore political and commercial relations between the two countries and help Sri Lanka resolve its political issues especially with the Tamils. We will repair relations with the Maldives and work with Myanmar to protect the political and human rights of the people of Myanmar, the manifesto said.

The party said it recognises that national security is not enhanced by chest-thumping or exaggerated claims but by quiet attention to borders and resolute defence preparedness. There was a consensus on foreign policy since Independence. Unfortunately, in many areas, foreign policy under the BJP/NDA government has witnessed marked departures from this consensus, notably on the ongoing Gaza conflict. Congress pledges to restore Indias global reputation as a voice of peace and moderation in world affairs, it added.

In a chapter on national security, the Congress party said the Chinese incursions in Ladakh and the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 represented the biggest setbacks to Indian national security in decades. On 19 June 2020, PM Narendra Modi gave a clean chit to China that considerably weakened our negotiating position. Despite 21 rounds of military level talks, Chinese troops continue to occupy Indian territory and deny Indian forces access to 26 out of 65 patrolling points, equivalent to an area of 2000 sq km in eastern Ladakh, it said.

The party claimed that the absence of a formal National Security Strategy has led to ad hoc and personalised policy making. We will reverse the decline in defence expenditure as a proportion of total expenditure and will ensure that sufficient funds are allocated and spent to meet the requirements of the armed forces, it added.

The party said it would put down with a firm hand hate speeches, hate crimes and communal conflicts. The party said it is strongly opposed to extra-judicial illegal measures like mob lynching, police encounter killings and bulldozer justice. We will stop them immediately and punish the perpetrators in accordance with law, it said
Promising progress and prosperity for the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the development work done till now was just a trailer and in the coming days, the BJP will work with full vigour to take the nation forward.

I want to tell you that all weve done the development work till now, is just a trailer. These days, when we go to big hotels to eat food, they first bring a few appetizersso what Modi has done (till now) is an appetizer. We have to take the country forward, Modi said while addressing a rally at Churu in Rajasthan which goes to polls on April 19.

He said the BJP will not just release a manifesto but will come up with Sankalp Patra.

BJP definitely does what it says. Unlike other parties, BJP does not just release a manifesto, we come up with Sankalp Patra. Most of the resolutions we mentioned in 2019s Sankalp Patra have been fulfilled, he said as the Congress released its manifesto in Delhi.

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Modi said the BJP had helped the women of minority community by bringing the law on Triple Talaq, which makes the practice of instant divorce among Muslims a punishable offence.

The law on triple talaq is helping our Muslim sisters. My Muslim mothers and sisters should understand that triple talaq was a threat to their livesModi has not only protected you but Modi has protected every Muslim family.., he said.

The PM said when he came to Churu on 26th February 2019, the country had carried out an air strike in Balakot. We had taught a lesson to the terrorists. At that time I had said I would not let Mother India bow downWhen our army carried out surgical strikes and air strikes, Congress and the people of this Ghamandia alliance were asking for proof. 

He pointed out that dividing the country and insulting the army is the identity of the Congress Party.

He said that Aaj dushman ko bhi pata hai yeh Modi hain, yeh naya Bharat hai, yeh naya Bharat ghar mein ghus kar maarta hain(today, even the enemy knows that this is Modi, this is the new India and this new India will enter your house and kill).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the Congress governments never gave armed forces a free hand to retaliate and the enemy could leave after the attack, but the enemy now knows it is Modi, a New India, which will enter your home and punish you.

Addressing a huge BJP election rally in Churu in Rajasthan, he said he had come to Churu on 26 February 2019 when India had just undertaken the Balakot air strike and taught a lesson to terrorists.

I had said in Churu and am repeating it today saugandh mujhe is mitti ki, mein desh nahin mitne doonga, mein desh nahin rukne doonga, mein desh nahin jhukne doonga; mera vachan hai bharat ma ko, tera sheesh nahin jhukne doonga (I swear by my land, I will not let my country be destroyed, or slow down, or bend; I promise Mother Bharat, I will not let you down), the prime minister said.

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When the surgical strike took place, he asked what did the Congress and its allies say. Members of the Ghamandia coalition were seeking proof of the surgical strikes, he said. The Congress is just known for the insult of the armed forces and Partition of the country, he said.

As long as these INDIA bloc people were in power, they did not give a free hand to the armed forces, he said. The jawans were waiting for One Rank One Pension; the Congress did not accept it and it was implemented by his government, he contended.

Over the national interest, the Congress gave preference to appeasement, he said, adding these people said in court that Lord Ram is an imaginary figure. In the Ram Lalla consecration in Ayodhya, the whole nation was celebrating Pran Pratishtha, and the Congress was making fun of peoples faith. The Congress has always paid a price for such acts.

Now, it is learned, the Congress has issued an advisory to its units to keep quiet on the Ayodhya issue, he said. The party is scared of even talking about Lord Ram. This country cannot accept this insult of peoples faith, the prime minister said.

When these dynastic corrupt are being made to account for their corruption, they have formed a coalition, he said. I say bhrashtachaar hatao, they say bhrashtachari bachao, he said. Mr Modi asked, What should be done, should the country be free of the corrupt or not; has corruption not ruined the country, is it wrong to continue the campaign against the corrupt?

The crowds approved that the action should continue.

The Ghamandia coalition members are not holding election rallies these days but rallies to save the corrupt persons, Mr Modi said. There was a recovery of Rs 300 crore from just one Congress MP. ED has seized property worth over Rs 1 lakh crore in the last 10 years, the Prime Minister said.

Should the corrupt not spend their lives in jails? Modi will not be scared by any falsehood campaigns against him, I can tell these corrupt families. The congress and its allies only worry about their own interest, they have no respect for Dalit or are deprived of their welfare, the prime minister said.

He said Congress never respected B R Ambedkar, denied him Bharat Ratna, and imposed an Emergency. The backward classes commission was not given constitutional status, while the BJP government gave to India Dalit Presidents and the first tribal woman President, whom the INDI alliance tried its best to defeat.

He said what the BJP says, it implements. Like other parties it does not come out with just manifestoes, it releases a Sankalp Patra, a list of firm proposals. Our last Sankalp Patra in 2019 is nearly implemented fully. Even two years after Covid, we pursued all our promises, he said.

He said Shekhawati jawans were martyred in Jammu and Kashmir. His government finished Article 370 there. The Teen Talaq provision was ended and it is benefiting Muslim women and ending much uncertainty for relatives of young married Muslim women.

Parliament passed the law for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha. The BJPs sankalp patra is now accepted as a document of guarantees, the prime minister said.

The prime minister said years of Congress misrule had convinced people there was no hope for the country. But in 2014, you gave a chance to this son of a poor family to serve you. Modi does not accept defeat or disappointment. Modi decided things must change, he added.

For him, the country was his family, he said. We worked with honesty. The Covid crisis came and the world thought India would not only destroy itself but also others. Out of the crisis, India emerged as the fifth-largest economy in the world. We could also make excuses. But challenging the challenges is peculiar to our land. We worked and showed results, he said
National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Friday asked Congress and NC activists in J&K to work in tandem to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

Dr Abdullah, who is campaigning for the Congress candidates on the Jammu and Udhampur seats, said that it was inevitable for both the parties to work hard, honestly and dedicatedly for making the congress candidates successful.

Dr Abdullah, who held a meeting of the Congress and NC functionaries of the Jammu parliamentary constituency at his residence here, also called for greater coordination between workers of the two parties right down to booth level.

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Congress candidate Raman Bhalla, NC Additional General Secretary Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta, were among those present in the meeting.

As a political party, its the biggest sin to desert the cause of the people when they are suffering the worst nightmare in their life. This is what BJPs local teams have done in the lure for power and luxuries. This ensuing parliament elections are about making our voices heard in the parliament, BJP is trying its best to stop peoples credible voices from reaching the parliament by creating divisions, he said.

They are trying extra time to divide us on the basis of religion, region and language. We have decided to fight BJP and its ecosystem unitedly for the causes of people when they are suffering the worst-ever tyranny and oppression, Dr Abdullah said.

He further said: The BJP is trying its best to deviate from its failure on curbing unprecedented unemployment, rising disparity in society, misuse of power and subjugation of the democratic institutions as never before, untold suffering of the farmers and artisans, and unabated crackdown on the voices of dissent, is fanning hatred and creating divide among communities.

Take it from me, the BJP will suffer its biggest ever defeat in the 2024 elections. People are full of disgust and resentment against them. They are waiting for their moment to dethrone it. Let the elections take place. People will punish them for lying to them, for hoodwinking them and for undermining their unique identity, he said.
In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Friday rescued 27 Bangladeshi fishermen, stranded on their fishing boat at sea.

At about 1130 hrs, the ICG Ship Amogh, during patrol at the Indo-Bangladesh International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), sighted a Bangladeshi fishing boat (BFB) Sagar II, adrift inside Indian waters. The ICG ship launched a boarding team to investigate.

During investigation, it was revealed that the boat had a steering gear breakdown for the last two days and had been adrift since then, which led to the boat drifting inside Indian waters. The BFB had 27 crew/fishermen onboard.

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The ICG technical team tried to identify and rectify the defect, but it was observed that the rudder of the boat was completely damaged and could not be repaired at sea. As the sea state and weather conditions were conducive, it was decided that the distressed boat will be towed to the Indo- Bangladesh IMBL and handed over to another Bangladeshi fishing boat operating across IMBL or to Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ICG and the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

In the meantime, ICG regional headquarters at Kolkata established communication with Bangladesh Coast Guard and informed them about the incident and plan of action.

Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship (BCGS) Kamaruzzaman was deployed by BCG for towing of BFB. BCG Ship Kamaruzzaman arrived near the IMBL at about 1845 hrs. ICGS Amogh handed over the 27 Bangladeshi fishermen along with their boat to BCG ship Kamaruzzaman.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condemned the national broadcaster Doordarshans decision to screen the controversial film The Kerala Story on DD National channel.

Chief Minister Vijayan issued a strongly-worded social media post a few hours after Doordarshan listed the movie for 8 pm on Friday on DD National. He said that Doordarshan should immediately withdraw its decision to screen the film.

The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film Kerala Story, which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections. Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred. Vijayan posted on X on Thursday.

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The CM said that Doordarshan must not degrade into a puppet that dances to the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar and demanded the Union Government not to use the platform to disparage Kerala. He said that the people from diverse religious backgrounds coexist harmoniously in the spirit of brotherhood in the state.

Keralas ruling CPI-M and Opposition UDF moved the Election Commission of India against Doordarshan telecasting the controversial movie The Kerala Story. Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan on Friday moved the ECI to bar Doordarshan from broadcasting the movie.

Satheesan sent a letter to the Election Commission of India on Friday, seeking to direct Doordarshan to withdraw from its decision to telecast the extremely malicious The Kerala Story movie.

As you are aware, The Kerala Story is a propaganda film based on extremely false promises and attempts to paint a bleak picture of the people of the state. I believe this is part of Sangh Parivars poisonous agenda to divide the country along communal lines, Satheesan said in his letter.

The CPI-M has urged the Election Commission to give directives to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Prasar Bharati Corporation and Doordarshan not to telecast the movie through any of its channels including DD National, either on Friday or any other day before all phases of Lok Sabha elections are over.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists held a dharna in front of the Doordarshan Kendra in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday morning, demanding that the national broadcaster rescind its decision to screen the controversial movie.
The Kerala High Court on Friday urged the Union Government to notify CBI probe into the death of veterinary student Sidharthan immediately.

A single bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said that delay can defeat the ends of justice and affect the entire investigation.

He urged the Union Government to issue notification under Section 5 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act without delay for entrusting the investigation into the death of Sidharthan with the CBI.

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Each day delay can cause serious prejudice to the petitioner (father), to the deceased and undue benefit to the perpetrators of the crime.Therefore, it is upon 1st respondent, Union of India to issue immediate notification under Section 5 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.Obviously immediate action is necessary and appropriate notification ought to be issued, said the court.

The court orally observed that delay in entrusting the investigation with the CBI would cause serious prejudice and affect the entire investigation.

It also enquired if the Union Government could delay the issuance of notification entrusting the investigation with the CBI once the State Government had issued a notification sanctioning the CBI investigation.

The court further stated orally that the State Government also must ensure that all documents were forwarded to the Union Government without delay after sanctioning the CBI investigation.

Jayaprakash T, father of deceased Sidharthan J S, second year Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University campus at Pookode in Wayanad district moved the Kerala High Court seeking a direction from the Union Government to entrust the investigation with the CBI based on a government order issued by the State Government.

The plea was filed alleging delay on the part of the State Government in forwarding the essential documents to the Union Government for taking further action for entrusting the investigation with the CBI.

Sidharthan, second year veterinary student the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode campus in Wayanad, was found dead inside the hostel after a brutal ragging and assault allegedly by the SFI leaders on February 18. Sidharth was reportedly beaten up by SFI leaders at four places in the college premises. However, the SFI has denied the allegations.
The BJP has made elaborate arrangements for the mega NDA rally to be addressed by Prime minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday.

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with other leaders of BJP and NDA partners will join the rally to be held at Radha Soami Satsang Vyas Ground.

After the rally in Saharanpur, the PM will hold a road show in Ghaziabad. The PMs roadshow will be held from Malwari chowk to Choudhury roundabout on Ambedkar Road. The PM will seek support of BJP candidate Atul Garg through this road show.

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The BJP, which faced defeat in Saharanpur Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 elections, does not want to leave any stone unturned this time. This seat remains a challenge for the BJP to conquer the political field.

In the last ten days, there is a queue of star campaigners of BJP in Saharanpur, while the opposition seems to be silent right now. No star campaigner from the opposition has yet visited the district.

Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak made his election debut here on March 27, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on March 28 and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in Deoband on March 31. Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh has also been active in the district for the last several days.

Former UP Chief Minister Mayawati will come to the district on April 14 to launch the party campaign, whereas from the SP and the Congress side, no star campaigner has come to the district so far. Campaigning in the seat will end on April 17 evening with polling on April 19.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. An Iranian Airlines plane has been transporting weapons to Armenia, Trend reports via Telegram channels.

According to channels, the weapons are actively delivered by a Boeing-747 cargo plane over five days.

Previously, in January of this year, a freight car convoy from Iran to Armenia was documented. Two Hino cars were seen moving through Julfa village, Iran. They carried unknown cargo wrapped in tarpaulin.

The caravan of vehicles traveled from the Nourdoo border gate to the Armenian Agarak customs checkpoint around 19:55-20:15 (GMT +3), and then from Meghri to Lichk village in Armenia between 21:17 and 21:31.

The shipments took place at night, and the cargo was concealed from inquisitive eyes with a tarpaulin, leaving no mistake about its military intent.

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A day before his bail hearing comes up in a Delhi court, jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia penned a letter addressed to the people of Delhi thanking those in his assembly constituency of Patparganj for taking care of his ailing wife.

His second letter from Tihar Jail penned in Hindi surfaced on Friday, in which he compared his imprisonment with those who were put behind bars by the British during the freedom movement.

See you soon outside. Long live the education revolution, love you all. In the last one year, I miss everyone. I remembered everyone in the last one year. Everyone worked together with honesty. Just like everyone fought at the time of independence, similarly, we are fighting for good education and schools. The dream of independence had come true even after British dictatorship. Similarly, one day every child will get proper and good education, Sisodia said in his letter dated March 15, to people from his Patparganj assembly constituency.

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Comparing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre with the British Raj, Sisodia said that he was inspired by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

The British were also very proud of their power, the British also used to put people in jail on false charges. The British kept Gandhi in jail for many years. Nelson Mandela was also jailed. These people are my inspiration and you all are my strength, Sisodia wrote.

Sisodia stressed on the importance of having good education and schools to be a developed country.

To be a developed country, it is necessary to have good education and schools. I am happy that education revolution took place in Delhi under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. Now, reading the news of education revolution in Punjab gives me relief, Sisodia said.

Thanking people for taking care of his wife, Sisodia shared that she gets emotional while narrating about them.

My love for you has increased after being in jail. You took great care of my wife. Seema gets emotional while talking about all of you. All of you should take care of yourselves, he wrote.

Sisodia is being probed by the Directorate of Enforcement and the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.

The former Delhi deputy chief minister was arrested by the CBI on February 26 last year and will be produced for bail hearing tomorrow.
In a blistering attack on the opposition parties, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that unlike in previous governments where sugarcane payments were delayed to farmers for prolonged periods extending from five to 10 years, today payments are being made to them within a week.

Addressing the Vijay Shankhnad rally at Gateway International School grounds along with RLD chief Jayant Choudhary, Yogi expressed his honour in visiting the revered land of the eminent son of Mother India and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.

He underscored the significance of the upcoming elections, particularly in light of Chaudhary Charan Singh being posthumously conferred with Indias highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, as a champion of farmers causes.

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CM Yogi commended Prime Minister Modi for acknowledging and incorporating the values and principles of Chaudhary Saheb into the political discourse, implementing welfare schemes for the benefit of farmers, thereby honoring millions of food providers and instilling pride in the people of Uttar Pradesh.

The Chief Minister made the remarks while seeking votes in favour of joint candidate of the BJP and the Lok Dal Dr. Rajkumar Sangwan.

Describing Baghpat as the land of heroes and freedom fighters, CM Yogi emphasised its historical significance dating back to the Mahabharata era, where the seeds of resistance against injustice and oppression were sown. Notably, Baghpat was among the five villages sought by Lord Krishna for the Pandavas during his visit to the court of Hastinapur five millennia ago. However, Duryodhana didnt even give five villages and forfeited societys blessings, culminating in the war, Yogi remarked.

The Chief Minister said, The upcoming elections in Baghpat are slated for April 26 for which the BJP and the RLD have jointly fielded a competent candidate. He thanked RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary for nominating an ordinary man from Baghpat, Dr. Rajkumar Sangwan, who embodies the values championed by Chaudhary Charan Singh. Noting the enthusiasm among voters, he urged the people to intensify efforts to mobilise support for Sangwan leading up to the polling day.

Drawing attention to the incumbent MP, Dr. Satyapal Singh, CM Yogi noted his unwavering dedication to Baghpats development. Upon assuming office, he swiftly navigated developmental initiatives through bureaucratic channels in a record time, the CM pointed out.

Highlighting Baghpats strategic connectivity via five highways and the effective implementation of the Har Ghar Nal Yojana, the Chief Minister assured prompt payment of sugarcane prices within a week, a departure from the prolonged waiting periods in the past.

Underscoring the imperative of development for securing a prosperous future for upcoming generations, he highlighted the collaborative efforts of RLD and BJP as essential for Baghpats progress. Furthermore, he criticised previous administrations for neglecting Baghpats youth, who were left disenfranchised despite their aspirations for government employment.

CM Yogi emphasised the rapid strides India has made under PM Modis leadership, elevating the nations global stature and ensuring safety for its citizens. He hailed the eradication of terrorism and Naxalism, highlighting the improved security for women, entrepreneurs, and businesses, coupled with a conducive environment for trade and investment.

Encouraging heightened engagement in the upcoming elections in Baghpat, he underscored the importance of reaffirming support for the Modi government by electing Dr. Rajkumar Sangwan. Given the expansive nature of the constituency, CM Yogi urged BJP workers to canvass tirelessly on Dr. Sangwans behalf, stressing the need for seamless coordination between BJP and Lok Dal volunteers. To propel the developmental agenda, he called for unified efforts from all stakeholders. Additionally, CM Yogi emphasised the significance of voting and extended hospitality to attendees.

Present at the event were notable figures, including RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, MP Dr. Satyapal Singh, Dr. Rajkumar Sangwan, BJP District President Tejpal Upadhyay, and other senior officials from the BJP and the RLD.
The subject of physics was very interesting to me in high school because I could relate what I was studying in physics with events in my daily life: various kinds of motion, boiling and freezing of water, generation and propagation of sound, colours in a rainbow, operation of a light bulb and so on. When I entered Presidency College as a physics honours student, one of the subjects in our first years curriculum was thermodynamics.

In this course, I encountered for the first time in my life a totally abstract concept: that of entropy. It was abstract because I could not point to any specific property of any object which I could measure, perhaps with a very sophisticated instrument in the physics lab and say that its entropy was of a certain amount. Entropy was defined only by a mathematical formula; an incremental change in entropy of a substance was an incremental increase in its amount of heat divided by its absolute temperature. Remarkably this entity had all kinds of implications in the transformation of heat energy into work, even though we could not quite define it in words.

There was a somewhat vague interpretation of entropy though. Entropy of a system was supposed to be a measure of disorder or randomness in the system. Although this statement was never proved and therefore had to be taken for granted by our faith in physics, it added to the mystique of the concept of entropy; the concept of disorder was equally fascinating and did not seem to be directly connected to heat transfer. Typically, many students of physics and engineering lose interest in the subject of thermodynamics at this point. They would only want to learn how to solve certain problems in a mechanical way, following examples in the book.

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They do not find it worthwhile to spend their time pondering the concept and debating its significance with their classmates. We owe it to our professor, Shyamal Sengupta (SS) at Presidency College, for generating an intrigue about entropy. SS had a personality which could be described as a combination of a poet and a philosopher. He introduced the concept of entropy to us in a way that suggested it was from another world. It almost seemed like understanding entropy was a little bit like understanding God! I believe that his teaching had a profound impact on his students which no one fully appreciated at the time.

It made us realize that we belonged to a special group; a group which had the ability to go beyond the obvious and the ability to think about and appreciate the brilliant abstract concepts that physics offered. It also forced us to explore our own full potential in this respect and prepared us for more abstract and difficult concepts to come later in our studies, especially those of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Appreciating entropy was the first test in separating the men from the boys, so to speak: the ones who were intellectually sophisticated enough to pursue the mysteries of the universe from the ones who were studying physics just to get a college degree and a job.

There was a silent understanding among the members of the first group about this and this realization also provided a life-long unifying force among them! They developed the belief that only their classmates who shared their passion about entropy would be the ones who could truly understand them. The concept of entropy shook up our brain cells and enhanced our confidence. As abstract as the concept of entropy was the second law of thermodynamics, which stated that the entropy of the universe could never decrease! What does it even mean when you have difficulty in grasping the meaning of entropy in the first place? If nothing else, it made us think beyond anything we had learned up to that point in our education. It was also amazing how many different interpretations existed for the concept of entropy and in how many ways the second law of thermodynamics could be formulated.

It was a formidable task just to understand that these different formulations were indeed equivalent. One of my college friends once jokingly asked me: Basab, do you lose sleep worrying that the entropy of the universe is continuing to increase every second? It sounds almost as bad as the increase in population on this earth or increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; but is there something really alarming about ever increasing entropy? Would the earth cease to function normally if the total entropy exceeded a certain threshold? Could it be that global warming or nuclear disasters such as the ones in Fukushima are somehow a consequence of this law?

The argument could be made that if we could convert heat energy directly into work with one hundred per cent efficiency, something the second law of thermodynamics precludes, we would have no exhaust gasses full of carbon dioxide or spent nuclear rods lying around in a nuclear plant. On a more intellectual level, since the second law of thermodynamics is not symmetric with respect to direction of time, it has been proposed to supply an explanation of the difference between moving forward and backwards in time, such as why the cause precedes the effect (the causal arrow of time). Perhaps there is something even more profound about this law. Perhaps it is only a special case of a much more universal principle which applies not only to the inert objects that physics deals with, but also to living objects. We can easily correlate the law with the fact that it is easier to create clutter than order. Perhaps it also implies that it is easier to be noisy and chaotic than calm and quiet and it is easier to hate than love.

I am also fascinated by the term entropy because I find myself entrapped in the concept! It is such an exotic name and unlike almost all other terms used in physics, such as force, energy, work, power, inertia, resistance, current, pressure etc., it has no usage in our everyday language. Apparently, the name entropy was coined by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius from the Greek word tropos which means transformation. Clearly the transformation involved here is the transformation of heat into work. When I was teaching a freshman level introductory physics course after my PhD, I had occasional discussions with a colleague of mine, who was also teaching the same course, about how to make the course more interesting to the students and we both agreed that interjection of humour would be appropriate.

He told me that, in one of his tests with multiple choice answers, one of the questions was What is entropy? As possible answers he included: a) Amount of heat in a system; b) Measure of disorder of a system; c) Measure of temperature of a system and d) Name of a stripper downtown. When I thought about his last answer, I felt that it was probably not a far-fetched idea to think of a seductive temptress as an embodiment of entropy. She mesmerized us, appeared before us in a variety of different ways, dared us to explore her, prepared us for future interactions with damsels like her and most importantly, separated the men from the boys!

(The writer, a physicist who has worked in industry and academia, is a Bengali settled in America.)
It was in 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Tesla facility in Palo Alto, California and Elon Musk took him for a tour of his electric car plant, convincing the PM that electric vehicles are going to be the next big disruptor. Nearly a decade later, the Tesla is set to come to  and be made in  India.

The tech billionaire is finally sending a team of experts to scout for a possible location to set up a $2-$3 billion EV plant in the country.

Reports say that on top of the Tesla CEOs mind are three states  Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu  which have an EV infrastructure in place, as well as ports which make it easier for the electric car giant to export cars.

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The credit goes to PM Modis persistent efforts in convincing Musk to look at India as his next big destination to establish a Tesla Gigafactory and export EVs to the rest of the world. In June last year, PM Modi met Musk in the US and appreciated his efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors.

The Prime Minister invited Musk to explore opportunities in India for investments in the electric mobility sector. After meeting the Prime Minister, Musk started exploring setting up his own supply chain ecosystem in India, thus producing cheaper electric cars that might even start from Rs 20 lakh.

In Musks own words, He (PM Modi) really cares about India because hes pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something that we intend to do and were just trying to figure out the right timing.

PM Modi really wants to do the right thing for India. He wants to make sure that the advantage from investments accrues to Indias advantage, which is, you know, obviously, thats the job, the billionaire told reporters after meeting the PM.

India has more promise than any large country in the world, he added.

Last November, Union Minister Piyush Goyal also visited Teslas state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in California. He posted on X that it was extremely delighted to see talented Indian engineers and finance professionals working at senior positions and contributing to Teslas remarkable journey to transform mobility.

Also proud to see the growing importance of Auto component suppliers from India in the Tesla EV supply chain. It is on its way to double its component imports from India, the Union Minister added.

The Tesla owner, however, apologised to Goyal for not being able to meet him as he was unwell.

In the new EV policy announced last month, the PM Modi-led government has reduced the customs duty to 15 per cent, albeit with certain riders. A minimum investment of Rs 4,150 crore (about $500 million) will be needed to set up EV manufacturing facilities, production will start within three years and reach 25 per cent DVA (domestic value addition) by three years and 50 per cent DVA within 5 years at the maximum, according to the new EV policy.

This now paves the way for Musk to enter the Indian market.

Indias EV market has the potential to achieve over 40 per cent penetration with $100 billion revenue by 2030. This growth is expected to be driven by strong adoption (over 45 per cent) in both two-wheeler (2W) and three-wheeler (3W) categories, with four-wheeler (cars) penetration projected to grow to more than 20 per cent, according to a recent report by Bain & Company and Blume Ventures.

India is also making progress in building its EV charging infrastructure to phase out diesel vehicles in a stipulated time frame. Additionally, government initiatives like the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme have further incentivised EV adoption.
Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating the theft of as much as $30 million from a money storage facility in Los Angeles, according to local media.

Law enforcement sources told local KABC television station that the burglary happened at a GardaWorld facility in Sylmar, a suburban neighbourhood in the San Fernando Valley, on Easter Sunday.

The thieves broke into the facility undetected  without setting off alarms  by going through the roof and somehow getting into the money storage area, which may have been a vault, said the report, citing officials briefed on the investigation.

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The company that owns the building did not discover the massive theft until Monday morning, the report added.

Law enforcement sources were quoted as saying by the major local newspaper, Los Angeles Times, that the break-in was among the largest burglaries in city history when it comes to cash, and the total surpassed any armoured-car heist in the city as well.

The burglary occurred Sunday night at the facility where cash from businesses across the region is handled and stored, said the report, adding that the break-in was described as elaborate and suggested an experienced crew of burglars who knew how to gain entry to a secure facility unnoticed.

The prior largest cash heist in Los Angeles was on September 12, 1997, with the robbery of $18.9 million from the former site of an armoured facility in the city, according to the report of the newspaper.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. A working group on inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will be established, Trend reports.

The issue was addressed in the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan's draft decision titled "On election of heads of working groups on inter-parliamentary relations of Milli Majlis," which was tabled for consideration during the current session of the Parliament.

Javanshir Feyziyev, a member of Parliament, is suggested to lead the working group.

The document was put to a vote and passed after some discussion.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel


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Immediate Xport AI is a crypto trading platform receiving positive feedback from users and trading experts. The platform is said to be developed using the latest cutting-edge technology that simplifies trading and enables traders to make informed decisions. The creator of this platform also claims that the system automates most of the tasks and carries out the trading according to the performance of the market. In this Immediate Xport AI review, I will be verifying whether the said claims are valid with the available information.

Visit Immediate Xport AI

We are in an era where trading has changed the way we look at financial opportunities. With the advent of crypto trading, different opportunities to make financial advancements have also increased. However, to make the right moves in trading, a trading application or software becomes crucial. There are various trading platforms available today but traders look for a platform that simplifies trading and gives traders insights on where and when to make the right move. In this review, I will be analyzing all the specifications of Immediate Xport AI, and find out if it is worth the hype.

Immediate Xport AI Review - Quick Stats

 Our Rating: 4.85/5



 Free Demo Trading Account: Yes



 Minimum Deposit: $250



 Trading Fees: None



 Account Fees: None



 Supported Cryptocurrencies: LTC, XRP, BTC, ETH & More



 Advertised Success Rate: 87%



 Available in: All Geos except US

Try Immediate Xport AI For Free

What Is Immediate Xport AI?

Crypto trading can be quite demanding  especially for short-term traders. Analyzing the charts, being up to date with all the developments, and conducting the trades on your own can easily get very tiring.

To make things go smoother, many traders use sophisticated AI tools to automate some parts of trading. This is exactly what Immediate Xport AI aims to do.

By monitoring the markets for you, the app can detect profitable opportunities in the market and even open sell or buy positions for you. While its main focus is on cryptos, Immediate Xport AI can also trade many other assets  Forex, indices, stocks, and even commodities, just to name a few.

Click Here To Try Immediate Xport AI For Free

How Does Immediate Xport AI Work?

Immediate Xport AI mainly assists users in tracking market trends and making informed trading decisions.

It uses quantum computing to analyze vast amounts of market data and then uses AI and machine learning technologies to predict market movements and identify potentially profitable opportunities.

Who Is Immediate Xport AI For?

Lets get this out of the way  Immediate Xport AI trading app is for everyone.

It does not matter whether you are just getting started or have been trading cryptos for years; an app like this can make your life much easier.

First, its very easy to use  beginners wont have any issues navigating through it. Secondly, its very customizable, allowing experienced traders to retain control over their trades, create or amend strategies, and be in charge.

For example, if you are not comfortable with the app conducting trades for you, you can simply use it for market analyses and take care of other details on your own. Alternatively, you can let the app do all the work for you.

Start trading cryptos with 0 fees at Immediate Xport AI

How To Register On Immediate Xport AI?

To open an account on the Immediate Xport AI trading bot, traders and investors have to complete a few simple steps. The registration process and other crucial steps involved are listed below:

Step 1- Provide basic details and register an account

The Immediate Xport AI platform requires basic details such as name, email ID, place of residence, phone number, and a strong password to activate a trading account. Provide these details in the registration form and submit it. Wait for the verification of the entails by the team. Once found legitimate, the Immediate Xport AI team will send a confirmation mail to the given mail ID you can access to get into the software. So, account registration will be complete.

Step 2- Deposit Funds

To start your trading journey on the Immediate Xport AI platform, you must deposit funds in your trading account. The minimum deposit to be made is $250 which can be gradually increased. It is wise to start with the minimum deposit amount as trading involves risk and you need time to explore the platform. Once you get the grasp, you can invest bigger amounts. The funds can be invested via any payment options available on Immediate Xport AI. Also, the capital deposited can be withdrawn at any time with no extra cost or other hassles.

Step 3- Begin Trading Journey On Immediate Xport AI

Once your Immediate Xport AI account is ready for use, you will have a personal account manager for complete assistance throughout your trading journey. You can choose between manual or automated mode and execute profitable trades. Once the strategies and parameters are fixed, the trading bot will do the rest of the work for you. These include market analysis, tracking price movements, comparing price data, generating signals, alerting risks, news, updates, and so on.

Immediate Xport AI Review: Key Features

Trading Strategies

Immediate Xport AI uses High-Frequency Trading (HFT) strategies. These strategies involve the use of complex algorithms to trade assets at a rapid pace.

The platform is capable of executing thousands of trades per minute, capitalizing on arbitrage opportunities that arise when theres a price difference of a cryptocurrency across different exchanges.

Variety of Cryptos Supported

Whether you want to trade well-known cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH or go with lesser-known options, Immediate Xport AIs got you covered. Here are some of the digital coins you can trade here:

 Bitcoin

 Ethereum

 Litecoin

 Ripple

 Bitcoin Cash

The platform also supports cryptocurrencies like Cardano, Solana, and popular meme coins Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.

Immediate Xport AI Fees

Unlike other automated trading tools that charge high subscription and trading fees, Immediate Xport AI is completely free to use  and there are no hidden fees whatsoever.

Security

The Immediate Xport AI platform employs industry-standard security measures to protect user data and funds. These include:

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): An extra layer of security by requiring users to provide two types of identification before accessing their account.

Encryption: This ensures that any data transmitted between the user and the platform is unreadable to any unauthorized individuals.

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Immediate Xport AI Pros And Cons

Immediate Xport AI Pros

Automation At Its Best

Immediate Xport AI crypto bot is like your own personal trading assistant. It uses AI and a custom OLAP cube to handle the heavy lifting of crypto trades.

This means you can kick back while it does the grunt work  analyzing trade patterns, spotting profitable opportunities, and executing orders.

More Than Just Crypto

With Immediate Xport AI, youre not just stuck with cryptocurrencies. You also get access to Forex currency pairs, commodities, and other assets. Having an all-access pass to the world of trading gives you the chance to mix things up and potentially reduce risk.

Works 24/7 for You

This bot doesnt sleep  its constantly scanning global markets and keeping an eye on crypto prices in real-time.

Its like your own personal market watchdog, ready to pounce on profitable trading opportunities as they arise. Furthermore, the Immediate Xport AI trading platform claims an impressive 87% success rate.

Easy to Use, Free of Charge

Dont be scared if youre new to crypto trading. Immediate Xport AI has a user-friendly interface thats easy to navigate.

Its designed to make your trading experience as smooth as possible, even if youre just starting. The trading platform is free and only requires a $250 initial deposit to get started.

Safe & Secure Trading App

In the online trading world, security is a big deal. Immediate Xport AI understands this. As we found, it offers robust security measures to keep your investments and personal info safe from cyber threats.

Leverage Up to 4000:1

Want to maximize your trading potential? Immediate Xport AI has got you covered.

The platform offers an impressive leverage of up to 4000:1. This means you could control a trade worth 4000 times more than your original trade. Its like supercharging your trading power, but remember, while leverage can increase profits, it can also increase losses. So, make sure to use it responsibly.

No Hidden Fees

With Immediate Xport AI, what you see is what you get. All it takes is a minimum deposit of $250 to get started.

Immediate Xport AI Cons

Not Supported In the United States and Cyprus

Immediate Xport AI - Ratings

Lets dive into the world of Immediate Xport AI, a trading robot platform thats making waves in the financial market. Our Immediate Xport AI review will focus on six key benchmarks: Variety of Markets, Payout Speed, Security Measures, Fees, User Reviews, and Customer Support.

Lets have a closer look at it.

Variety of Markets: 5/5

One of the highlights of Immediate Xport AI is the wide range of markets it supports. The platform lets you trade not just cryptocurrencies but also Forex, indices, stocks, and more.

Such diversity provides traders with a lot of opportunities to diversify their portfolio, earning Immediate Xport AI a full score.

Payout Speed: 4.5/5

The payouts at Immediate Xport AI are not bad, but theyre not the best either. Most of the withdrawals are processed within 24-48 hours here, which could use an improvement.

Security Measures: 5/5

Immediate Xport AI takes its users security seriously. The platform utilizes encryption to keep its users data safe, combined with 2FA and secure servers at multiple locations worldwide, including London, Sydney, Oman, and Singapore.

Fees: 5/5

With no lurking hidden charges, the platform provides transparency that traders appreciate, warranting another perfect score.

Customer Support: 4.75/5

You can reach out to the support team around the clock, any day of the week. The team is professional, and while the response times are not instant, they are pretty close. A solid rating overall!

Final Verdict - Immediate Xport AI Scam?

Immediate Xport AI Is Not A Scam

From detailed analysis, Immediate Xport AI turns out to be a genuine crypto trading bot. Here is a quick summary of all the important aspects of the platform we have discussed in this Immediate Xport AI review.

Immediate Xport AI is a new web-based trading software. It has been designed to support efficient trading across various asset classes including mainstream cryptocurrencies and other assets like stocks, CFDs, and forex pairs. The system uses artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms, and sophisticated tools to simplify all trading processes and thereby save time.

The account registration process on Immediate Xport AI is uncomplicated and transparent. The mandatory initial investment to be made is just a minimum deposit of $250. With time, traders can increase this amount and utilize the most out of the profitable trade opportunities that come up.

Immediate Xport AI does not demand additional charges from users which means that the bot is affordable. Different payment options are available that are safe and problem-free. The platform claims to have a high success rate and the positive user responses point to this. So, on the whole, Immediate Xport AI seems to be a genuine trading platform that traders at all proficiency levels can use to make their trading smoother and more profitable.

Try Immediate Xport AI For Free

Immediate Xport AI - FAQs

Is Immediate Xport AI trustworthy?

The Immediate Xport AI app seems trustworthy as it uses the latest technologies, follows strict safety protocols, and has received positive reviews.

What about the Immediate Xport AI registration process?

The Immediate Xport AI registration process is uncomplicated and transparent. It can be completed in just a few minutes.

Is Immediate Xport AI SSL encrypted?

Yes. The Immediate Xport AI system uses SSL encryption to protect user data from cyber attacks. Traders can use two-factor authentication to safeguard their information.

Which are the different trading modes available on Immediate Xport AI?

The two main trading modes available on Immediate Xport AI are manual and automated. Based on your skill set, you can choose any mode and begin trading.

How much is the initial investment required for trading on Immediate Xport AI?

The initial investment required for trading on Immediate Xport AI is $250 which can be increased gradually with time.
Election Commission on Friday issued notice against Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi based on a complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The poll body has reportedly asked the AAP leader to respond by Monday afternoon. The notice comes a day after Atishi and other AAP leaders met Delhis chief election officer.



The Election Commission has reportedly sent notice to Atishi based on BJPs complaint that the AAP leader has violated the model code of conduct and making unsubstantiated allegations against the BJP.

On Thursday, after meeting Delhis chief election officer, Atishi told presspersons, The BJP has placed many objectionable hoardings across Delhi, at some places they have even used the photo of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We filed a complaint against this six days ago, but, surprisingly no action has been taken. It's worrying as it raises questions over the level playing field for Lok Sabha elections. Atishi said they would raise the issue with the Election Commission if the Delhi CEO fails to take action.

However, she said, Even the ECI doesn't give time to meet the opposition leaders. This Lok Sabha elections are becoming historic for all the sad reasons.

-with agency inputs.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Friday said the senior leadership of the BJP hatched a conspiracy to put Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal behind bars in the excise policy case.



Addressing a press conference two days after coming out of jail, Singh accused the BJP of pressurising Raghav Magunta, who is an accused-turned-approver in the Delhi excise policy case, into giving a false statement against Kejriwal.

The Delhi chief minister was arrested on March 21 in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Singh, who was also arrested in connection with the case, said action was taken against Raghav Magunta's father--YSR Congress Party Lok Sabha MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy--on September 16, 2022. "He was pressurised into giving a false statement against Kejriwal but when he refused, his son Raghav Reddy was arrested. After continuous questioning, Raghav Reddy changed his statement against Kejriwal and became a part of a larger conspiracy," Singh alleged.

"A big conspiracy has taken place to put Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal behind bars. The BJP is responsible for the liquor scam and the senior leadership of the party is involved in this," he charged. No immediate reactions from either the BJP or the Reddys were available.

Singh further said Kejriwal is an honest leader and wants to provide the best healthcare and education to the people of Delhi. "Kejriwal has led a life of honesty...he aims to provide good education to the children and good health facilities to the people of Delhi," Singh said.
Former deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa, who was summoned to Delhi by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to quell the dissent within the Karnataka BJP over ticket distribution, returned to Bengaluru on Thursday morning after Shah allegedly called off the meeting. On his return, the veteran leader from Shivamogga, asserted that he would go ahead with his plan to contest as an independent candidate from Shivamogga. I am confident of defeating the partys official candidate and sitting MP B.Y. Raghavendra, said Eshwarappa, who is miffed over his son Kantesh being denied a ticket to contest from Haveri after the BJP chose former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to contest from the seat.

In an exclusive interview to the Malayala Manorama, the Kuruba leader has alleged that the state BJP was in the clutches of Lingayat strongman and former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his sons, and that his contest and the subsequent victory would be the answer to the sidelining of Hindutva leaders in the state.

Q/ Did Amit Shah summon you to Delhi?

A/ On Tuesday, I got a call from Rajesh ji, the organising secretary of BJP. He told me Amit Shah wanted to speak to me. He asked me why a senior leader like me wanted to be the rebel candidate. I explained to him all the reasons for my contest. So, he asked me to come to Delhi for talks on Wednesday night. If he had not called me, I would not have gone to Delhi. After I landed in Delhi, I called Amit Shah's office number. Rajesh ji told me I was supposed to go to Amit Shah's residence. But after I called the office twice to fix the meeting, and after waiting for long, I was informed that Shah had called off the meeting saying there was no need for the meeting now.

Q/ What do you make of it. What is Amit Shahs stance on your contest?

A/ He had asked me to come to Delhi and, at the last minute, he called off the meeting. So, I am of the opinion that he, too, is in favour of my contesting the election from Shivamogga.

Q/ Did you convey your decision to Amit Shah?

A/ Of course. Even before I left for Delhi, during my phone call with Amit Shah, I had told him not to give me any direction to withdraw from the contest. He told me he was not giving any direction but a prayer. I told him I would come to Delhi but would not withdraw from the contest. Since Amit Shah did not meet me, it has made my decision easy. I will not be defying him too. I believe God created this conducive situation. I will file my nomination on April 12.

Q/ Will you go ahead and contest as an independent or will you change your decision, considering there is still time for filing the nomination?

A/ I will contest 100 per cent.

Q/ You have claimed that the party workers would back you and not the official party candidate B.Y. Raghavendra

A/ Yes. The party workers too feel the dynasty politics of the "father and sons" (Yediyurappa and his sons Raghavendra and Vijayendra) should come to an end as they have sidelined the Hindutva ideology and all the Hindutva leaders.

Q/ What is your grouse against B.S. Yediyurappa?

A/ It is not just my opinion, but of most party leaders and partyworkers that the father and sons have been creating trouble for all the Hindutva leaders in the state. They have done injustice to leaders like C.T. Ravi, Pratap Simha, Anant Kumar Hegde, Sadanand Gowda and myself. The party workers are prepared as it is a fight for justice.

Q/ The central election committee has the final say in candidate selection. Why are you blaming only Yediyurappa or his son?

A/ It is true that the central committee takes the final decision. But the central leaders are today overdependent on Yediyurappa. For instance, the state president's post was lying vacant for six months. Yediyurappa demanded that his son be made the state party chief and he remained adamant.

Ironically, the central leaders who have been opposing dynasty politics in the country don't feel that the state BJP has become a "Appa-Makkala" (father-sons") party. The father is a central election committee member, one son is an MP, the other is an MLA and the state chief. Is Karnataka not part of India? Why this exception to the rule?

Q/ Does the BJP central leadership feel Yediyurappa is indispensable to the party?

A/ Perhaps, the leaders believe so. Yediyurappa has misled the party high command into believing he is indispensable. He has been projecting himself as the undisputed Lingayat leader.

Q/ Does this imply that the central BJP leadership does not rely on non-Lingayat leadership?

A/ You have ask this question to the BJP leadership. If you ask me, my decision to contest as a rebel is to fight this very false belief that BJP cannot look beyond Lingayat community and Yediyurappa.

Q/ Did the party not consult the state leaders before selecting the candidates? Was Kanthesh Eshwarappa's name recommended at all?

A/ After state-level consultations, we sent three names from each constituency. But, in some constituencies, the committee ignored all three names and Yediyurappa picked candidates of his choice. For instance, in Haveri, my son (Kanthesh) was one of the three candidates picked by state leaders along with Basavaraj Bommai. Yediyurappa promised me that he would ensure that Kanthesh gets a ticket and that he would campaign for him to ensure his victory. In fact, during the core committee meeting, Bommai had refused to contest citing he had undergone a surgery and wanted to rest. He also recommended Kantesh's name in the meeting in my presence saying Kantesh was a young leader from the backward class. But Yediyurappa decided to give the ticket to Bommai.

Q/ Why is Kantesh not contesting as an independent candidate?

A/ Kantesh is too young to take on Yediyurappa's son Raghavendra, who is the sitting MP. I am determined to defeat Raghavendra to send a strong message. I am very confident of winning.

Q/ As a backward class leader, a contemporary of Yediyurappa with the RSS background, you did not assert your leadership in the state. Even your political experiment - Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, to take on fellow Kuruba and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by uniting the backward classes - fizzled out. Do you regret it?

A/ It was Yediyurappa who had vehemently opposed the brigade too, as uniting the backward classes and SC, ST to favour the BJP would diminish his stature in the party and strength leaders like myself. Even central leaders stood with him. It was our bad luck.

Q/ You have always complied with the party's diktat. What triggered your revolt this time?

A/ When Yediyurappa floated KJP and quit the party, I was the energy minister. I stepped down and took over the reins of the party. I was denied a ticket during the last assembly polls. I have always obeyed the BJP and the RSS diktat in the interest of the party. But this time, I could not put up with so much injustice. So, I am contesting the polls.

Q/ Who will support you in Shivamogga?

A/ All the Hindutva leaders are supporting my decision, but nobody is doing it openly. Though they agreed that my move was justified they are not brave enough to openly admit it. In Shivamogga, many Sangh pracharaks have started campaigning for me. All Hindu outfits, Hindu Jagarana Vedike members, RSS activists in Shivamogga and Byndoor are supporting me.

Q/ When the BJP was defeated in the assembly polls last year, there were allegations that Yediyurappa was responsible for the party's defeat in several seats especially in the Lingayat belt. What changed now that the party is again relying on Yediyurappa to win the Lok Sabha polls?

A/ There have been allegations (against Yediyurappa). Nothing has changed. I fail to understand why central leaders continue to give preference to Yediyurappa.
The Indian government carried out targeted killings in Pakistan as part of its wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil, according to a report by UK-based Guardian. This reportedly involves the assassinations of 20 individuals in Pakistan since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen.

However, the claims were rubbished by the Ministry of External Affairs.



The report, published Thursday, quoted Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives who claimed that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) began to carry out such assassinations as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019. Guardian also claims to possess detailed documentation that allegedly hints at RAW's direct involvement in these activities, which also covers Sikh separatists in the Khalistan movement.



The report quoted Pakistani investigators who claimed these deaths were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These sleeper cells reportedly paid millions of rupees to local criminals or poor Pakistanis to carry out the assassinations. Indian agents also allegedly recruited jihadists to carry out the shootings, making them believe they were killing "infidels".



Two Indian intelligence officers, who spoke to the newspaper, added that RAW's shift to focusing on dissidents abroad was triggered by the Pulwama attack in 2019. "After Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance," an unnamed Indian intelligence operative told the Guardian. "We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source." He added that such operations required needed approval from the highest level of government.



The officer added that India drew inspiration from intelligence agencies such as Israels Mossad and Russias KGB, which have been linked to extrajudicial killings on foreign soil. He added that the killing of the Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018 in the Saudi embassy, had been directly cited by Raw officials.



"It was a few months after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi that there was a debate among the top brass of intelligence in the prime ministers office about how something can be learned from the case. One senior officer said in a meeting that if Saudis can do this, why not us?" he told the Guardian.



The report also quotes two separate Pakistani intelligence agencies which claimed they suspected Indias involvement in up to 20 killings since 2020. They pointed to evidence which included witness testimonies, arrest records, financial statements, WhatsApp messages and passports. The Guardian added that the documents could not be independently verified.



The meetings of RAW handlers overseeing the killings are also said to have taken also place in Nepal, the Maldives and Mauritius. "This policy of Indian agents organising killings in Pakistan hasnt been developed overnight," said a Pakistani official. "We believe they have worked for around two years to establish these sleeper cells in the UAE who are mostly organising the executions. After that, we began witnessing many killings."



However, Pakistan had been reluctant to publicly acknowledge the killings as most of the targets are known terrorists and associates of outlawed militant groups that Islamabad has long denied sheltering.



MEA Statement



The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denied all the allegations, reiterating an earlier statement that they were "false and malicious anti-India propaganda". In a statement to Guardian, the MEA emphasised a previous denial made by Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar, that targeted killings in other countries were "not the government of Indias policy".


BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The West's ongoing influence over Armenia delays the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijann, the former Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan and head of the IMZA Social Development Support Public Association in Turkiye, Hulusi Klc told Trend.

According to him, Armenia's consent to hold a trilateral meeting with the European Union and the US, while peace with Azerbaijan was so close, demonstrates that it is not a serious state.

"Armenia consented to participate in the meeting today because it does not care about peace and stability in the region. Neither the European Union nor the US has a seat in this region. The fact that the European Union and the US want to enter the region and make decisions regarding the region is a manifestation of disrespect. The West can temporarily take Armenia under its security umbrella, but Armenia is a country in this region and should be able to get along well with Russia, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Distant countries will not benefit the region. Armenia will not benefit either. We know very well that the desire of the European Union and the US to interfere in the affairs of this region without knowing the region does not come from good intentions," Klc said.

He noted that the EU and the US, which, despite four UN resolutions and 30 years of occupation of Azerbaijani lands, did not take any steps and did not try to find a solution, now make it clear that they are very anxious about Azerbaijan's restoration of its territorial integrity.

"We hope that the West will abandon such behavior and move Armenia to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan," Klc added.

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In line with its persistent attack on the Narendra Modi government over the alleged violation of the spirit of the Constitution through several legal changes and the diminishing of the autonomy of the Constitutional institutions, the Congress has in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections pledged to review all the anti-people laws that have been passed in the last ten years.

In the last ten years tremendous damage was done by the BJP/NDA by misusing the brute majority enjoyed by it in Parliament to make laws that violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India as well as the fundamental principles of law-making, namely, necessity, consultation, reasonableness and proportionality, says the manifesto released on Friday.

The Congress has accused the Modi government of diminishing the principles of the Constitution, and the manifesto has a chapter dedicated to the theme. It is titled, 'Defending The Constitution', and it comprises a host of issues such as restoring freedom of speech, which includes full freedom of the media, de-criminalising the office of defamation, end to the arbitrary and indiscriminate suspension of the Internet, review of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and removing the provisions that restrict freedom of speech and expression and that violate the right to privacy, reviewing laws that interfere with the right to privacy, and non-interference with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, to travel and reside in any part of India.

It says all anti-people laws passed by the BJP/NDA without proper parliamentary scrutiny and debate, especially those relating to workers, farmers, criminal justice, environment and forests and digital data protection, will be thoroughly reviewed and changed.

In the backdrop of the recent scrapping of the Electoral Bonds scheme by the Supreme Court and the revelations that have been made with regard to the donors and the donations received by the parties, the Congress' manifesto pledges to carry out a complete investigation of the Electoral Bonds Scam. It also promises probes into the reckless sale of public assets, the PM CARES scam, repeated intelligence failures at the highest levels and corruption in major defence deals.

The party, which has accused the Modi government of undermining the importance of Parliament and not allowing the opposition to have its say on the floor of the house, states in its manifesto that it will ensure that the two Houses of Parliament will each meet for 100 days in a year and the great traditions of Parliament that prevailed in the past will be revived and scrupulously observed.

The manifesto rejects the 'one nation, one election' idea. It promises to strengthen the autonomy of the Election Commission, the Central Information Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Commissions for SC, ST, Minorities and OBC, and other constitutional bodies. It also promises to restore the Planning Commission.

With regard to the issue of whether the EVM can be trusted, it says it will amend the election laws to combine the efficiency of the EVM and the transparency of the ballot paper.

Also, in the backdrop of several of its leaders having switched over to the BJP, the Congress promises in its manifesto that it will amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and make defection an automatic disqualification of membership in the Assembly or Parliament.

In the wake of the alleged misuse by the government of the investigating agencies, the Congress' manifesto states that the party will ensure that the police, investigation and intelligence agencies will function strictly in accordance with law. It says they will be brought under the oversight of Parliament or the state legislatures.

We promise to put an end to the weaponisation of laws, arbitrary searches, seizures and attachments, arbitrary and indiscriminate arrests, third-degree methods, prolonged custody, custodial deaths, and bulldozer justice, the manifesto says.

In view of the alleged misuse of the stringent bail provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to target opposition leaders, the Congress manifesto promises a law on bail that will incorporate the principle that bail is the rule, jail is the exception
With over two weeks remaining for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party will release the party's manifesto on Friday. Sources within the party claim the focus of the manifesto will be on the five 'pillars of justice' and youth.

The manifesto would be released by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.



The Congress will stress 'Paanch Nyay' or five pillars of justice, including 'Yuva Nyay', 'Naari Nyay', 'Kisaan Nyay', 'Shramik Nyay' and 'Hissedari Nyay' in the manifesto. The party will also give guarantees to the people as part of its poll promises for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.



Another focal point will be the youth. Besides the 'right to employment', more youth-centric initiatives are likely to be included in the manifesto. The party will also propose stringent punishment for those responsible for paper leaks in examinations besides measures to bring transparency in government recruitment.



The party manifesto would also focus on a legal guarantee to a minimum support price and caste-based census in the country. It is also likely to give thrust on welfare measures like providing financial assistance to marginalised sections of society and ensuring that they get justice and be part of the state welfare measures.



Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have highlighted the guarantees earlier too.



Kharge, who is actively campaigning, on Thursday launched the "Ghar Ghar Guarantee" initiative, under which it aims to reach out to eight crore households across the country. Kharge launched the initiative from Usmanpur, Kaithwada in the North East Delhi parliamentary constituency and distributed pamphlets on the Congress's "Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee".



Rahul Gandhi too highlighted the party's "guarantee card" to a woman. He posted on X: "Our Paanch big guarantees are -- Pehli Naukri Pakki: Every educated youth will have their first job guaranteed with Rs 1 lakh salary; Mahalakshmi: One woman in every poor family will be given Rs 1 lakh every year; Sahi Daam and Karz Mukti: Loan waiver and legal status to MSP, according to the Swaminathan Commission's formula."



"Shram Ka Samman: Rs 400 per day, National Minimum Wage, including for MGNREGA; Ginti Karo: Every individual and every community to be counted through a nationwide census to ensure social and economic equity."



"The Congress will empower every youngster, woman, farmer, worker and marginalised citizen of India," Gandhi asserted. "We will ensure the benefits of the nation's progress are not cornered by a few, but rather reach every household," he said.


The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Friday, said it identified the main accused who carried out the blast at the Brookfield outlet of Rameswaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1.

According to the agency, the prime accused has been identified as Mussavir Hussain Shazib and his co-conspirator as Abdul Matheen Taahaa. Both hail from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

"As part of efforts to locate and arrest the absconding accused persons, NIA conducted searches on 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Further, rewards of Rs 10 lakh on each of the absconders was declared," the agency said.

NIA has been summoning and examining all of the acquaintances including college and school friends of the absconding and arrested accused, it said.

The case being terror incident, any information on the identity of the witnesses may apart from hampering investigation may also put to risk the individuals being summoned. Also, unverified news items hamper effective investigations in the case. NIA requests the cooperation of all in arrest of absconding accused persons, a statement from NIA read.

BJP worker detained?

Meanwhile, citing a media report, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said in a X post that the investigating agency detained a BJP worker in connection with the blast. However, the NIA statement does not contain such information.

According to the minister, BJP worker Sai Prasad of Tirthahalli has been detained by the agency. Do you need any more proof than this that the saffron terrorism, he asked and demanded an answer from the party leadership.

The state BJP leaders who have blamed the Rameshwaram bomb blast case on the Congress government without considering the issue of national security must now answer, he said.
Kerala's ruling CPI (M) and opposition UDF, led by Congress, have rallied against Doordarshan's decision to telecast the controversial "The Kerala Story" movie on April 5.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday slammed the broadcaster, stating the move would only "exacerbate communal tensions" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The movie had run into trouble for its content, which showed Hindu women being coerced into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic State. Though the makers claimed it was based on true incidents, the Kerala government had called it a distorted attempt.



Now, the Doordarshan's decision to telecast the movie has been condemned by the state's Left government, which asked the national broadcaster not to become a "propaganda machine" for the BJP and the RSS. "The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film 'Kerala Story', which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections."



"Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred," Vijayan said in a post on X.



The CPI(M) also asked the public broadcaster to withdraw its decision to telecast the movie, urging the channel not to stand with the "BJP's attempt to polarise" the secular Kerala society.



The party alleges that the decision to screen the controversial movie ahead of the general elections was a means to advance BJP's political agenda since the party was unable to make inroads in Kerala society. "This amounts to challenging Kerala. Kerala had witnessed strong protests when it was released. The censor board itself had removed 10 scenes from the movie," CPI(M) said.



The Opposition led by the Congress party criticised the move, with opposition leader V D Satheesan calling it a "collection of untruth."



"The strategy of the Sangh Parivar administration led by Modi is to create division within secular society by screening the film 'The Kerala Story', which is a collection of untruth. Understanding that the politics of division cannot be used in Kerala, Sangh Pariwar using Doordarshan, a central government institution, for political gain cannot be accepted," he lashed out at the Centre.



He said the decision to screen the movie ahead of the polls was a violation of the Election Code of Conduct and that the party would approach the Election Commission of India against it.


Israel has announced it approved the opening of two routes into Gaza to allow more humanitarian aid into the territory after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a tense phone conversation with US President Joe Biden on Thursday.

On Friday, Israel announced the Erez Gate in northern Gaza will be temporarily re-opened for the first time since the start of the war. The Ashdod Port will also be temporarily opened for humanitarian deliveries. Israel will also increase the amount of aid from Jordan moving through the Kerem Shalom crossing.



This comes as Biden issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu: protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza or Washington could rein in support for Israel in its war against Hamas militants. Though the White House did not say exactly what steps it wanted Netanyahu to take or detail the consequences, analysts say Biden could have threatened to slow U.S. arms transfers to Israel or to temper U.S. support at the U.N.



However, Israel's announcement of opening aid routes was welcomed by the White House, which called for Israel to immediately implement them.



"As the President said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.



Israel's decision to open the aid routes comes as international pressure mounts on Netanyahu, especially in the wake of the attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers. Though Israel admitted it was a mistake, Netanyahu's statement that "these things happen in war" triggered a global outrage.



Israel was already facing growing isolation over the way it had conducted its war against Hamas in Gaza, where more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed. While globally he faces ceasefire calls, domestically the families of the hostages who remain in Gaza accuse him of not prioritising their release.



Analysts see this as a significant move. "The president, in effect, is saying meet these humanitarian needs or I will have no choice but to condition (military) assistance," Dennis Ross, a veteran U.S. diplomat now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told Reuters.



As for Biden, the change in US stance was significant in the wake of the upcoming elections. Biden has seen his support base erode over the Israel policy with progressive Democrats expressing disappointment at the Palestinian civilian death toll.


A meeting of the UN Security Council was briefly interrupted as a rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New York area Friday morning.

The UN diplomats were in the Security Council chamber for a meeting on the situation in Gaza.

Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children US, was making a point about the sufferings of the women and children in Gaza when the tremors were felt in the room. Diplomats were seen looking around each other and the room fell silent.

Was that an earthquake, she asked, to which Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour, who was sitting next to her replied Yeah.

You're making the ground shake, he said to her, sending light peels of laughter.

Madam President, Am I ok to continue? Soeripto asked before continuing with her statement.

#BREAKING: You're making the ground shake! UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East, UN News X handle posted along with a small video of the above incident.

The United States Geological Survey said the 4.8 magnitude hit seven kilometres north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Its impact was felt across New York City and other areas in the state.

The New York Police Department said there were no damages or injuries reported.

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said in a post on X.

The New York City Fire Department said the quake hit about 10:30 a.m., with the department receiving reports of shaking buildings.

We are responding to calls and evaluating structural stability, the department said in a statement. There are no major incidents at this time.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also being briefed on the situation. Deputy Mayor for communications in the Mayor's Office Fabien Levy said that while there are no reports of major impacts at this time, we're still assessing the impact.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a post on X that Our region just experienced an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, with an epicentre near Readington in Hunterdon County.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the earthquake, which had an epicentre in New Jersey, and he is in touch with his team which is monitoring potential impacts.

The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more, she said.
Luis Montenegro was sworn in as the new prime minister of Portugal in Lisbons Ajuda Palace on Tuesday, once again ushering in a fractured minority government. The slim margin of Montenegros victory has in fact left his leadership position vulnerable. The composition of the present Social Democratic Party (PSD) government, which incorporates members from the People's Party (CDS), together forming the Democratic Alliance (AD), has its major hurdle in governing, directly or indirectly with Chega. Especially because there are no major ideological differences between these parties. Well, in certain cases the Prime Minister should count on the Socialist Party (PS) to pass legislation. But the political balance has shifted decisively to the right, with the Democratic Alliance (AD), Liberal Initiative (IL), and Chega parties securing an absolute majority.

In the present complex political dance of Portugal, the true measure of this government's quality will go beyond the professional qualifications or personal characteristics of its ministers; it is solely based on the policies it enacts. Since the end of the dictatorship in 1974, Portugal has mostly followed a "left-wing" policy, for the first time it has seen such a drastic right shift, with of course Chega rising to power. Left-wing observers argue that a well-executed right-wing program does not equal a commendable government. Right-leaning supporters, on the other hand, believe that a government's worth is determined by its ability to improve economic and social conditions, regardless of how progressive its administration is perceived to be.

In today's political climate, the concept of a technocratic governmentled by experts who appear to be above the fray of ideological battles has been met with scepticism. The question on many minds is whether such an expert-focused-government can be trusted with the reins of power over critical economic, social, and cultural decisions without unchecked authority. This debate had been in the limelight since PSDs victory.

On the left side, the political scenario is a mosaic of partiesPS, Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Left Bloc (BE), Livre, and PeopleAnimalsNature (PAN)- each with its distinct ideological perspective, making it challenging to present a united front against the right-wing majority. It's worth noting that the AD's economic strategies will likely capitalize on the monetary caution and surpluses left behind by the PS, which previously chose to follow European Union orders rather than address domestic demands. Several left-wing parties have already signalled their intention to oppose the governments agenda, though this does not necessarily rule out their support for individual policies that align with their ideologies.

The current cabinets makeup is in line with Montenegros vision and reflects the approach of his ally and former prime minister of Portugal, Pedro Passos Coelho during the era of Troika-imposed austerity. The predominantly right-wing ministers suggest the kind of policies that will be pursued, likely receiving the nod from conservative and neoliberal factions, especially considering their service under the premiership of Passos Coelho. For example: Nuno Melo, the Minister of Defence and acknowledged militarist, is expected to support the EU and NATO's aggressive policies. Pedro Reis, the newly appointed Minister of Economy and a recipient of Cavaco's commendations, advocates for minimal government interference. Paulo Rangel, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, appears unlikely to challenge the sovereignty sacrifices associated with EU membership. The Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, advocates for public-private partnerships. Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, may consider a second privatization of TAP (Portuguese National Airlines) following the Atlantic Gateway debacle. However, there is one minister who stands out from the pattern is Margarida Blasco of Internal Administration, from whom some expect a degree of resistance to the more extreme tendencies of police unions.

Although the government officially took office on April 2, it is widely acknowledged that the support of Chega is essential for its operational viability. The governments longevity will depend on its skill in balancing the demands of Chega with the periodic support from the PS. The ministers are walking a political tightrope, dealing with the complexities of ideology, policy, and public opinion. Their profiles and previous roles provide insight into the likely direction of governance, indicating a period of conservative and neoliberal policies mixed with instances of cross-party cooperation. Managing these various forces while guiding the nation through a phase of right-wing ascendancy will be the political story of Montenegros phase.
Justice Madan Lokur

Bail, not jail is not a slogan, but the manifestation of a right to personal liberty given to an arrested person, flowing out of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The basis of this is the internationally accepted principle that a person is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately, certain crimes have led to the introduction of a reverse onus on an accused person with the result that there is no presumption of innocence. Examples of crimes providing for a reverse onus include economic offences, possession of commercial quantities of drugs and terrorist offences.

Historically, economic crimes have always held a special place in India. Conservation of foreign exchange and smuggling activities led to a law authorising the executive to preventively detain a person violating the provisions of the law. The law is draconian and the Supreme Court has delivered several judgments holding the executive to account and ensuring that the procedures for detention are rigorously followed. Wherever the executive fails to adhere to the strict letter of the law and judgments of the courts, the order of preventive detention is quashed. A similar rigorous interpretation is given to the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, which is also draconian. The message sent out by the courts is that personal liberty is not to be trifled with and in matters of detention, procedural law is as important as substantive law.

The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on February 23, 1990, calling upon member states to adopt money-laundering legislation and programme. Acting on the resolution, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was enacted by Parliament in 2002. As the title of the law suggests, it essentially relates to economic crimes and is a special law. There can be no doubt that crimes relating to money-laundering need to be dealt with sternly and expeditiously. In matters of arrest (section 19) and bail (section 45), therefore, the law has introduced some rather stringent provisions.

Section 19 of the Act empowers officers of the Enforcement Directorate to arrest a person who may be guilty of an offence under the Act. However, the section also provides that the arrest can be made only on the basis of material which gives the officer reason to believe that the person is guilty and that belief is recorded in writing. In addition, the officer is obliged to immediately forward a copy of the order along with the material to the adjudicating authority in a sealed envelope. Unfortunately, it appears that the courts have not examined whether this important procedural requirement has been rigorously followed by the arresting officer. If not followed, judgments of the Supreme Court would enable the appropriate court to quash the order of arrest. In addition, the reasons are justiciable (as in cases under the Income Tax Act) and must be objective and not subjective. This, too, is not being considered.

For the grant of bail (section 45), the law introduced the concept of reverse onus (on the accused person) and also required the accused to satisfy some conditions before he could be granted bail by an appropriate court. These conditions were not in keeping with the spirit and intent of the law, and the Supreme Court found them manifestly arbitrary in Nikesh Tarachand Shah vs Union of India (2017). The law has since been amended.

Section 45 of the Act (as amended) came up for consideration before the Supreme Court in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary vs Union of India (2022). On this occasion, the Supreme Court held that the law, as amended, is reasonable and has a direct nexus with the purposes and objects sought to be achieved by the 2002 Act and does not suffer from the vice of arbitrariness or unreasonableness. This judgment of the Supreme Court is pending review.

The law as it now stands is that reverse onus continues and the conditions earlier objected to by the Supreme Court continue, though with some appropriate modifications. This law is now used to keep persons accused of money-laundering in prison and making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for them to get bail.

There are a few aspects of the law that continue to trouble. First and foremost is the procedure for arrest. Then, the concept of reverse onus that virtually requires an accused to prove his innocence rather than for the prosecution to prove his guilt. Third, enormous delays by the ED in completing its investigation. It is for these reasons that some persons are in judicial custody for several months and in a couple of cases for more than a year. The view of the ED is that it is not easy to trace the money trail in the crime of money-laundering. While this may be correct, should a person accused of money-laundering remain in prison for an indefinite period without strong evidence implicating him of the crime? Suspicion that the crime of money-laundering has been committed, however strong, cannot take the place of evidence. To deprive a person of his liberty for an indefinite period, under these circumstances, is a violation of the human right of an accused guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution.

In short, the jurisprudence of arrest and bail under the PMLA deserves to be revisited, and quickly.

Lokur is a former Supreme Court judge.
Inconclusive:

According to the latest reports, field tests to find the reason for the deaths failed to prove beyond doubt that bird flu claimed the penguins' lives. Further tests are being done. (Representational image | AFP)
New Delhi (India), April 5: Thousands of students every year often go through the dilemma of choosing a career between an MBA and a PGDM. These aspirants choose such courses for their further studies, as they offer immense career opportunities. A university usually provides a management degree in business administration. Similarly, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management is available in private colleges and universities.



Students want to choose the best career in business and management after completing graduation. They find it challenging to choose the right career option that helps them to find the best job in the long run. This is why you need to know the essential differences between the two most popular courses. Ultimately, it boils down to one's personal preference, which might become clear once you read this post.



What is PGDM?



The All India Council approves the Post Graduate Diploma in Management of Technical Studies. This program is completed in two years. In India, approximately five hundred institutions have received approval for offering PGDM courses in B-School. These institutions, including the JIMS Technical Campus, are responsible for designing their curriculum and upgrading it. When required, they will conduct their examination to evaluate their students. The curriculum is usually designed keeping in mind the ever-evolving industry demand so that the students get well placed.



Career Scopes after PGDM



Management Consulting - Consultancies actively recruit PGDM graduates for roles in strategy, operations, risk, and technology consulting. It provides the chance to work on key business issues.



Marketing & Sales - Consumer goods, telecom, and tech companies hire PGDM grads for marketing and sales leadership roles like Brand Manager, Category Manager, Sales Manager, Regional Sales Head, etc.



Financial Services - Investment banks, commercial banks, and financial institutions recruit PGDM graduates for roles in corporate finance, equity research, trading, credit analysis etc. High pay but demanding work.



Operations & Supply Chain - Manufacturing, automotive, and logistics companies hire PGDMs to oversee production operations, inventory, logistics and implementing process improvements.



Information Technology - IT firms and tech startups recruit PGDM graduates for product development, product management and technology consulting roles. Requires technical aptitude.



Human Resources - PGDMs are valued in HR roles across sectors for manpower planning, recruitment, training, policy making, organizational development etc.



Entrepreneurship - PGDMs also use their business education to set up startups in diverse sectors, from food and beverage to fintech to e-commerce.



Analytics & Market Research - Research agencies and companies across sectors value PGDMs for data crunching and making data-driven business decisions.



What is an MBA?



Universities offer the Master of Business Administration as a postgraduation degree program authorized by University Grants Commission. The program lasts for two years. The majority of universities grant permission to colleges to affiliate and teach the MBA program. This course is offered by over 5500 colleges and institutions throughout India. After five to ten years, the majority of colleges often alter their curricula. When we discuss placements, this renders the course needless and redundant. In general, student earnings are lower than those of their PGDM counterparts.



Career Scopes after MBA



Consulting - Top consulting firms highly seek MBA Program in Business Analytics. Consulting provides the opportunity to work on challenging business problems across various industries.



Investment Banking - Banks and financial services firms recruit MBAs for investment banking roles which involve helping companies raise capital, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, etc. These roles are highly analytical and involve long work hours but offer high compensation.



Marketing/Brand Management - Consumer goods, technology, and pharmaceutical companies recruit MBAs for brand manager roles, which oversee marketing strategy for brands/product lines. This offers the chance to work closely with sales, research and development, advertising, etc.



Operations/Supply Chain Management - Manufacturing firms, retail organizations and logistics companies hire MBAs to identify and implement process improvements to improve efficiency and cut costs. These roles provide the chance to work with strategy and technology.



Product Management - Technology companies hire MBAs as product managers to guide product strategy and development. This role requires strong technical aptitude along with business skills.



Entrepreneurship - Many MBAs use their business education and network access to start their ventures across diverse industries, from technology to consumer goods. Accelerators at MBA schools provide support.



Corporate Leadership - Business education equips MBAs to rise into leadership roles like Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, etc., within organizations.



Which Should One Go For MBA or PGDM?



Given the current state of affairs, students would be better off choosing PGDM courses from JIMS Technical Campus because they emphasize real-world application and are more in line with the demands of the labour market. There's a chance that the student will learn and get expertise with a greater range of business topics than an MBA because the material is tailored annually.



Also, unlike MBA, PGDM's hands-on, experiential learning approach gets you ready for tackling real-world field challenges. On the other hand, an MBA Program in Business Analytics is the better option if worries about the typically high costs of management degrees exist.



Conclusion



Students who wish to follow one of the stated programmes but are having trouble deciding which one would work best for them can use this page for help. According to what the courses have in store for the students who choose to pursue them, the article highlights the key distinctions between the two programmes.



Every distinction between the two courses that sets them apart has been covered. As previously said, there is a larger chance of students pursuing PGDM in light of business developments in 2024. However, with the help of this article, students may choose a job that is more appropriately suited for them by learning more about the requirements and potential benefits of each of these courses.



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

PWR
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Armenia is committed to the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan, said Prime Minister of Armenian Nikol Pashinyan, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the press conference ahead of the joint EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting to be held in Brussels today.

"We are committed to the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity within the Almata declaration of 1991. We are also fully committed to the delimitation of borders and unblocking transit routes," he said.

Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join the US-EU trilateral meeting with Armenia in Brussels, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to discuss US and EU support for Armenia's economic resilience as it works to diversify its trade partnerships and address humanitarian needs.

He added that the meeting in Brussels is intended to focus on the economic sustainability of Armenia.
Mumbai, Apr 5 (PTI) After acting against two non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) following concerns on their business practices, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said there is no "system-wide" problem with such lenders.

Addressing the customary post-policy press conference, Das said it is not fair to perceive the actions "which came on consecutive days last month" as a "spate" of regulatory interventions.

"As a part of the supervision, we take regular review of all players, particularly the major players. I don't want to say that this is a system-wide problem because we have supervised all the players. The action is only in outlier cases," Das said.

Earlier, he also said the country's financial sector is "stable".

He said if the RBI officials find some deviation or non-compliance during the supervision process, the first attempt is for sensitisation of the entity's management on a bilateral level to take the corrective action.

"Where we see the problems are huge, or the problems are persistent, then only we act," he said, explaining the trigger for the regulatory actions.

It can be noted that on March 4, the RBI asked IIFL Finance to stop sanctioning or disbursing gold loans with immediate effect, and followed it up by barring J M Financial from giving loans against shares and debentures immediately on observing issues in loan processing and governance.

Later in the month, the central bank invited tenders appointment of auditors to undertake special audits at both the firms.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Das said there are over 9,000 registered non-bank lenders and the RBI has acted against only two of them, along with a payment bank.

Therefore, it will not be correct to perceive this as a spate of actions, he said.

Meanwhile, Das said the central bank will release a framework on FinTech Self-Regulatory Organization by this month-end, and the first of such bodies will come into existence this year itself.

Deputy Governor Swaminathan J said it is necessary for banks to monitor the end use of funds as per the regulations, and added that the central bank will take action against entities if it finds an "egregious" violation.
Male, Apr 5 (PTI) At the request of the Maldives government, India has allowed the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25, the Indian High Commission said here on Friday, displaying a strong commitment to supporting the human-centric development in the archipelagic nation.

Announcing this through a post on social media platform X, the Indian High Commissioner said that this was being done under a unique bilateral mechanism under which the quotas for each of these items have been revised upwards.

The approved quantities are the highest since this arrangement came into effect in 1981, the notice by the mission said.

The announcement comes amidst a diplomatic row between the two countries since November last year when President Mohamed Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took the oath and within hours demanded India to repatriate its 88 military personnel from his country.

The relations further deteriorated when three Maldivian officials made crass comments after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted photos and videos of the Lakshadweep Islands resulting in a heavy backlash by Indians, including many celebrities. #BoycottMaldives campaign resulted in a significant decline in Indian tourists to the island nation too.

The 1981 India and Maldives trade agreement provides for the export of essential commodities. According to the records from the Indian High Commission, growing from modest beginnings, India-Maldives bilateral trade crossed the USD 300 million mark for the first time in 2021, which further crossed the USD 500 million mark in 2022.

India emerged as Maldives 2nd largest trade partner in 2022 and the largest in 2023. Indian imports from the Maldives primarily comprise scrap metals while Indian exports to the Maldives include a variety of engineering and industrial products like drugs and pharmaceuticals, radar apparatus, rock boulders, aggregates, cement and agricultural produce such as rice, spices, fruits, vegetables and poultry produce etc, it said.

According to Fridays announcement, there has also been an increase of 5 per cent in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and dal (pulses).

Last year as well, India continued the export of rice, sugar and onions to the Maldives despite a worldwide ban on export of these items from India. "India remains strongly committed to supporting human-centric development in the Maldives, as part of its 'Neighbourhood First policy, it said.

The quota for river sand and stone aggregates, crucial items for the booming construction industry in the Maldives, has been increased by 25 per cent to 10,00,000 MT each, it added.

Surrounded by the ocean, the islands in the Maldives and the many atolls dont have enough river sand to support their construction industry, hence the need for importing sand and stone aggregates to the country.
Houston, Apr 5 (PTI) An Indian-origin man whose 11-year-old son was branded with a hot iron rod as part of a religious ceremony in 2023 has sued a Hindu temple in the US state of Texas and its parent company seeking more than USD 1 million in damages.

Vijay Cheruvu, a Fort Bend County resident, said his son was branded with a hot iron rod during a religious ceremony at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Hindu temple in Sugarland, Texas in August last year.

According to a lawsuit filed this week in Fort Bend County, the boy suffered extreme pain and permanent disfigurement.

Cheruvu is seeking more than USD 1 million in damages in the lawsuit against the temple and its parent organisation, Jeeyar Educational Trust (JET) USA, Inc.

I was shocked. I didnt know how to handle it. My primary concern is for my sons well-being, Cheruvu said at a press conference here.

He said his son was branded in two spots on his shoulder in the shape of a Hindu god, Vishnu.

The lawsuit claims that over 100 people participated in the ceremony at the Ashtalakshmi Temple off Synott Road in Sugar Land in August. Three of those participants were children, including Cheruvu's son.

Cheruvu's attorney, Brant Stogner, said the boy was branded in both shoulders, resulting in extreme pain and permanent disfigurement, and subsequently developed an infection as a result of the branding.

The boy attended the ceremony with his mother and was branded against his will and without the knowledge or consent of his father, according to Stogner, who said branding, tattooing or scarring a child is illegal in Texas even with parental consent.

"This is happening basically in our backyard over here, so that's the reason we filed the lawsuit," Stogner said.

"We want to make sure our community is aware of this and want to make sure it doesn't happen to anybody else, anybody else's child or any child at all."

The child was not identified, but attorneys read an impact statement from the boy.

"I was so surprised. I did not know that anything was going to happen like this. I was shocked when they did it on my shoulder and it hurt so much that I almost cried," he said in part.

"They knew what they did was very wrong because they told me to keep it secret from everyone else. But I had to tell my dad when the pain got worse and it became infected," he said.

Cheruvu says that his son was taken to the temple by his ex-wife. The son was branded, but the mother was not.

"He goes to see a therapist. Hes so deeply scarred, mentally scarred, and then theres all the pain," said the father.

When the temple was contacted, there was no response to constant calls or emails.
Guangzhou (China), Apr 5 (AP) US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called Friday for a level playing field for American companies and workers as she began a five-day visit to China in one of the country's major industrial and export hubs.

Yellen told Wang Weizhong, the governor of Guangdong province, that it's important for the U.S. and China to have open and direct communication on areas of disagreement.

"This includes the issue of China's industrial overcapacity, which the United States and other countries are concerned can cause global spillovers, she said.

Yellen, the first Cabinet-level official to visit China since President Joe Biden met Chinese leader Xi Jinping last November, has telegraphed that she will raise what the U.S. considers to be unfair Chinese trade practices, a concern shared by many European countries.

Before talks with the governor, she met with American, European and Japanese business representatives to hear their concerns, ahead of what will likely be tough talks on trade and other issues with senior Chinese government officials.

On Friday, Yellen also plans to speak with American business leaders and take questions from them in the auditorium of a marbled convention center in the Baiyun District of Guangzhou.

I've heard from many American business executives that operating in China can be challenging, Yellen says in prepared remarks to be delivered at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in China on Friday afternoon.

Citing a recent survey by the Chamber that found that a third of American firms in China say they have experienced unfair treatment compared to local competitors, Yellen says the U.S. has seen China pursue unfair economic practices, including imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive actions against American companies.

I strongly believe that this doesn't only hurt these American firms: ending these unfair practices would benefit China by improving the business climate here. I intend to raise these issues in meetings this week, she says in her speech.

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province, a Chinese manufacturing and export hub that is home to telecom giant Huawei and BYD, China's largest EV maker. Huawei has been hit hard by U.S. restrictions on semiconductor exports to China and is at the vanguard of Chinese efforts to become self-sufficient and a leader in technology.

Yellen will head to Beijing next.

Eswar Prasad, a trade professor at Cornell University, expects Yellen to push Beijing to bolster domestic consumption and ensure fair competition in new technology sectors, especially green energy and electric vehicles, along with adequate market access for U.S. companies.

"Concerns about China attempting to export its overcapacity and simultaneously making a big push into these sectors will be top of mind for the U.S. delegation, he said.

China has pushed back against the overcapacity concerns expressed by both the U.S. and Europe.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said earlier this week that the growth in Chinese EV and solar exports is conducive to green development globally and the result of the international division of labor and market demand.

He accused the U.S. of interfering with free trade by restricting technology exports to China.

As for who is doing non-market manipulation, the fact is for everyone to see, he said. The U.S. has not stopped taking measures to contain China's trade and technology. This is not de-risking,' rather, it is creating risks.

Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing  an alliance of businesses and the U.S. Steelworkers union  told The Associated Press ahead of Yellen's trip that there is a limited amount of expectations we should have about the Chinese government and how it responds; one thing that Yellen hopefully can and should say is that the U.S. is prepared to use all the tools that we have available through policy to ensure that China's industrial overcapacity doesn't negatively harm our economic and national security interests.

The Alliance released a report in February that says the introduction of inexpensive Chinese autos to the American market could end up being an extinction-level event for the U.S. auto sector. The U.S. auto sector accounts for 3% of America's GDP, according to the report.

Yellen told reporters Wednesday during an Alaska refueling stop en route to Asia that the U.S. won't rule out tariffs to respond to China's heavily subsidized manufacturing of green energy products. (AP)

AMS
Houston, Apr 5 (PTI) A 41-year-old man convicted of shooting and killing two people, including an Indian, in the US state of Oklahoma in 2002 has been executed, the state's first execution of the year.

Michael Dewayne Smith was executed on Thursday by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester town, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement.

Smith had been on death row for the murders of 24-year-old Indian store clerk Sharath Pulluru and 40-year-old Janet Moore in separate incidents on February 22, 2002.

Oklahoma Attorney General released a statement after Smith was declared dead, saying: "I am grateful that justice has been served."

"I pray that today brings some measure of peace for the families of Janet Miller-Moore and Sharath Pulluru. It has been a long and difficult 22 years for their loved ones, and my heart aches over the agony they have endured," he said.

I want the people of Oklahoma to know that the victims of Michael Smith were good and decent people who did not deserve their fate," Drummond said.

Sharath, a bright young man with a generous spirit, was the first in his family to come to the United States to pursue an education. He was fun to be around, was an inspiration to his family, and had a promising future," he said.

He added that the two were murdered because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. "That was all. I am grateful that justice has been served, he said.

In a statement, the Pulluru family said, "Sharath was the life of our family. We are a very close family and his sudden death in such a violent manner has affected our families' lives every day since. He will forever live in our hearts. We are thankful justice was served today."

The family of Moore also released a statement declaring that "justice has been served" and thanking authorities for pursuing the punishment over the past 22 years.

"It does not go unnoticed or in vain, as we were constantly reminded this is justice for a loss that has caused a ripple for generations to come," the family wrote.

When asked if he had any last words, Smith responded, "Nah, I'm good," the US media reported.

Before his execution, Smith said in a statement: "My life is on the line. Despite new evidence, my attorney Mark Henricksen has informed my family that he will be filing no further appeals on my behalf. I am releasing this statement to demand that Mr Henricksen do his job and fight for my life."

Smith is the first person to be executed this year and the 12th to be executed in Oklahoma since the state resumed carrying out death penalties in 2021.

The nearly seven-year hiatus came after a series of problems arose during executions.

In 2014, a condemned prisoner writhed in apparent pain for 43 minutes before dying from a heart attack. The next year, a prisoner being executed told witnesses "It feels like acid" and "my body is on fire".
Washington, Apr 5 (AP) President Joe Biden is expected to get a firsthand look Friday at efforts to clear away the hulking remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one of the nation's main shipping lanes.

Biden will receive updates from the US Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. Eight workers  all immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador  were filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed in the middle of the night of March 26. Two were rescued, but the bodies of only two of the six who died have been recovered.

The president plans to meet with the families of the victims.

Officials have established a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of this month and to restore normal capacity to Baltimore's port by May 31, the White House says.

That's important since longer delays in reopening shipping lanes could send shockwaves through the economy. As much as USD 200 million in cargo normally moves through Baltimore's port per day, and it is the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.

Of more immediate concern might be covering the costs of cleanup and building a new bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration has provided USD 60 million in quick release emergency relief funds to get started. Exactly how much the collapse will cost is unclear, though some experts estimate recovery will take at least USD 400 million and 18 months.

Biden said within hours of the collapse that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.

Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Dan Meuser called a promise made so quickly after the disaster outrageous, telling Fox News Channel, The first reaction, in fact the only reaction, tends to be to spend.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was more amenable to Biden's call, likening the bridge collapse to assistance that flows after natural disasters and saying the federal government will step up and do the lion's share of funding. But authorization is likely no slam-dunk in Congress.

The White House announced Friday it is asking Congress to authorize the federal government to cover 100 per cent of the collapsed bridge cleanup and reconstruction costs, rather than seeking funding through a separate, supplemental funding request.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young noted similar techniques were used for recovery and rebuilding efforts that received bipartisan congressional support in 2007, when a highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed during evening rush hour, killing 13 people.

We are asking the Congress to join us in demonstrating our commitment to aid in recovery efforts, Young wrote.

The funding questions carry political implications as Biden squares off with former President Donald Trump in November's election.

It's the second major disaster along the country's busy northeastern hub in as many years. Last summer, an overpass along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia caught fire and collapsed after a tanker truck slammed into it. Federal and state officials moved quickly on temporary repairs and ultimately reopened that section of the highway faster than expected.

But the cleanup and repairs in Baltimore will take far longer and be far more costly, making the chances it is a net political positive for Biden  especially in time for Election Day  far murkier.

That hasn't stopped the Biden administration from championing anew a USD 1 trillion-plus public works package that cleared Congress in 2021.

Let's not forget, that infrastructure law is now going to really deal with infrastructure in a generation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this week. She contrasted that with the Trump administration, which she said turned the issue "into a joke" by making frequent promises to secure infrastructure funding but doing "absolutely nothing.

The bridge collapse also has thrust into the national spotlight Maryland's Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, 45, a leading voice in Biden's reelection campaign's effort to energize young voters on the 81-year-old president's behalf.

The president himself has travelled the country showcasing construction projects on highways, bridges and tunnels.

In 2022, he arrived for an event in Pittsburgh just hours after a bridge nearby collapsed. Promoting the public works package also has allowed the president to lean into his love of train travel and many years commuting to and from Washington on Amtrak as a Delaware senator.

Biden said last week that the Key bridge was one "I've been over many, many times commuting." (AP) RUP

RUP

RUP
Ankara, Apr 5 (AP) Turkish authorities have arrested two people suspected of providing information to the Israeli spy agency, a top official said Friday, in the latest in a series of such arrests in Turkiye.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the suspects allegedly gathered information about people and companies of interest to Israel and passed on the data and documents to Israeli intelligence officials.

Six other people who were also detained in the operation, codenamed Mole-3, were released following questioning, Yerlikaya said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

We will never allow espionage activities that target our national unity and solidarity to take place within the borders of our country, Yerlikaya said.

The minister did not provide further information on the suspects. Dozens of people, including private detectives, have been detained in Turkey since January on suspicion of spying for Israel, mostly on Palestinians living in Turkiye.

Turkiye and Israel had normalized ties in 2022 by reappointing ambassadors following years of tensions. But those ties quickly deteriorated after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with Ankara becoming one of the strongest critics of Israel's military actions in Gaza.

In December, the head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency said that his organization was prepared to target the militant Hamas group anywhere, including in Lebanon, Turkiye and Qatar.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Israel of serious consequences if Israel pressed ahead with its threat to attack Hamas officials on Turkish soil. (AP) GRS

GRS
Washington, Apr 5 (AP) For the first time in nearly two years, US and Chinese defense officials met this week to discuss unsafe and aggressive ship and aircraft incidents between the two militaries in the Pacific region, restarting a dialogue that Beijing abruptly ended in a dispute involving Taiwan.

The meeting, which was Wednesday and Thursday in Hawaii, came as Washington and Beijing work to expand communications between the two world powers and ease escalating tensions.

Military-to-military contact had stalled in August 2022, when Beijing suspended all such communication after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own.

The thaw in relations between the two countries got a kick-start last November when US President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. About a month later, Gen CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Chinese counterpart in a video call  in the first senior military-to-military contact since the Pelosi visit.

Other top-level talks have continued, including a call earlier this week between Biden and Xi, and a visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that began on Thursday.

The resurgence of senior military leader discussions includes the relaunch of routine engagements, including the China-US Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meeting, which was this week in Hawaii, and the bilateral Defense Policy Coordination Talks, which were held earlier this year.

The maritime meeting is focused on unsafe and unprofessional incidents involving the US and Chinese militaries while the coordination talks focus on broader policy issues. This week's meeting included personnel from Indo-Pacific Command, US Pacific Fleet, US Pacific Air Forces and the People's Liberation Army. This is the first time since 2019 that the meeting was held in person; there was a virtual meeting in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to officials, this week's meeting included about 18 senior military and civilian officials from each side. The US and China delegations each brought up several specific incidents over the past several years that they believe raised operational safety concerns, and the group discussed them.

"Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA - and with all other military forces in the region - is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication.," said the head of the US delegation, Army Col Ian Francis in a statement.

Francis, who is the director for Northeast Asia policy at US Indo-Pacific Command, said the US is encouraged that the People's Liberation Army is honoring its commitments to the maritime agreement.

Two US officials said that they've seen a reduction in the number of unsafe incidents by Chinese military aircraft and ships over the past several months. They said the meeting was a way to make sure that the trend continues and that overall safety is increased in the region for troops who operate there. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings are private.

The US has consistently viewed military communications with China as critical to avoiding any missteps between their armed forces and to maintaining a peaceful Indo-Pacific.

Pelosi became the highest-ranking American lawmaker to visit Taiwan since 1997, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich traveled there. Her visit sparked a surge in military maneuvers by China. Beijing dispatched warships and aircraft across the median line in the Taiwan Strait, claiming the de facto boundary did not exist, fired missiles over Taiwan itself, and challenged established norms by firing missiles into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

During the following two years, US military officials repeatedly objected to a range of unsafe intercepts by Chinese aircraft in the Pacific and other dangerous incidents.

Last October, the Pentagon released footage of some of the more than 180 intercepts of US warplanes by Chinese aircraft in the previous two years. And military officials said the number was more than the total amount over the previous decade  a trend they called concerning.

In one instance last year, a Chinese pilot flew within 10 feet (3 metres) of a US Air Force B-52, which was conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace.

China's defense ministry, meanwhile, has criticized the US for what it calls interference in both Taiwan and the South China Sea, charging that American arms sales to Taiwan are making the situation more dangerous. (AP) NPK

NPK
Islamabad, Apr 5 (PTI) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called his new Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, felicitating him as the two top diplomats exchanged views on issues like trade, economy and counter-terrorism.

In a message on X, Foreign Minister Dar stated he was pleased to receive a congratulatory telephone call from Secretary Blinken.

Discussed key bilateral issues and reaffirmed commitment to work together to promote cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, investment and counter-terrorism. Looking forward to continued collaboration between the two countries, he said.

The telephonic conversation came days after President Joe Biden, in a letter to newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on March 29 highlighted that the ties between the two nations were critical for bilateral and regional peace and security.

The enduring partnership between our nations remains critical to ensuring the security of our people  and people around the world and the United States will continue to stand with Pakistan to tackle the most pressing global and regional challenges of our time, the letter said.

Sharif on Sunday wrote back to Biden, saying that Pakistan was ready to work with the US on the shared targets of international peace and regional security.

Pakistan is willing to work with the US towards a common goal of global peace and security and development and prosperity of the region, he said, adding that cooperation in the energy sector and Green Alliance Framework initiative between the two countries was welcome.

The exchange between the top leadership of the two countries came after Sharif came to power through a controversial election held on February 8 that his opponent, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, alleged was rigged.

However, the letter by Biden and the subsequent call by Blinken indicates that the US is ready to engage with the new leadership of Pakistan and support it in dealing with security and economic challenges.

Cash-strapped Pakistan needs a new loan from the International Monetary Fund, which is not possible without the crucial support of the US.

Similarly, it has been facing a renewed threat by the Taliban from Afghanistan and wants international backing to deal with the threat.

With this context, the exchanges between the two nations come at a critical juncture and help the Pakistan government to establish its international legitimacy despite opposition at home.

The two sides are apparently trying to reset ties, and US Ambassador Donald Blome said on March 15 that Pakistan was considered an important partner and expressed hope in working with the newly elected government to continue building stronger bilateral ties.
Guangzhou (China), Apr 5 (AP) US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen kicked off a trip to China on Friday with a morning meeting to hear the concerns of American, European and Japanese business representatives in the world's second-largest economy, ahead of what will likely be tough talks on trade and other issues with senior Chinese government officials.

Yellen, the first Cabinet-level official to visit China since President Joe Biden met Chinese leader Xi Jinping last November, shook hands with the heads of the American and European chambers of commerce in China after arriving for the meeting in the southern industrial hub of Guangzhou.

She has telegraphed that she will press concerns during her five-day China trip about what the US considers unfair Chinese trade practices, a concern shared by many European countries.

Eswar Prasad, a trade professor at Cornell University, expects Yellen to push Beijing to bolster domestic consumption and ensure fair competition in new technology sectors, especially green energy and electric vehicles, along with adequate market access for US companies.

"Concerns about China attempting to export its overcapacity and simultaneously making a big push into these sectors will be top of mind for the US delegation, he said.

China has pushed back against the overcapacity concerns expressed by both the US and Europe.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said earlier this week that the growth in Chinese EV and solar exports is conducive to green development globally and the result of the international division of labour and market demand.

He accused the US of interfering with free trade by restricting technology exports to China.

As for who is doing non-market manipulation, the fact is for everyone to see, he said. The US has not stopped taking measures to contain China's trade and technology. This is not de-risking,' rather, it is creating risks. (AP) SCY

SCY
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on additional measures to ensure the activity of the Alat Free Economic Zone, Trend reports.

Based on part 3 of the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan On the Establishment of Alat Free Economic Zone and Organization of its Activity numbered 1032 dated May 22, 2020, the part of the land plot with the area of 4312.56 hectares belonging to the state property located in the administrative territories of Garadagh district of Baku city and Salyan district and established as the territory of Alat Free Economic Zone, indicated in the land management plan drawn up by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, attached to this order, is to be transferred to the authorized structure of the Alat Free Economic Zone.

The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the authorized structure of the Alat Free Economic Zone are entrusted to solve the issues arising from the present decree.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Washington, Apr 5 (AP) The levels of the crucial heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached historic highs last year, growing at near-record fast paces, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Carbon dioxide, the most important and abundant of the greenhouse gases caused by humans, rose in 2023 by the third highest amount in 65 years of record keeping, NOAA announced Friday. Scientists are also worried about the rapid rise in atmospheric levels of methane, a shorter-lived but more potent heat-trapping gas. Both jumped 5.5 per cent over the past decade.

The 2.8 parts per million increase in carbon dioxide airborne levels from January 2023 to December, wasn't as high as the jumps were in 2014 and 2015, but they were larger than every other year since 1959, when precise records started. Carbon dioxide's average level for 2023 was 419.3 parts per million, up 50 per cent from pre-industrial times.

Last year's methane's jump of 11.1 parts per billion was lower than record annual rises from 2020 to 2022. It averaged 1922.6 parts per billion last year. It has risen 3 per cent in just the past five years and jumped 160 per cent from pre-industrial levels showing faster rates of increase than carbon dioxide, said Xin Linsday Lan, the University of Colorado and NOAA atmospheric scientist who did the calculations.

Methane's decadal spike should terrify us, said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who heads the Global Carbon Project that tracks worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide but wasn't part of NOAA's report. Fossil fuel pollution is warming natural systems like wetlands and permafrost. Those ecosystems are releasing even more greenhouse gases as they heat up. We're caught between a rock and a charred place.

Methane emissions in the atmosphere come from natural wetlands, agriculture, livestock, landfills and leaks and intentional flaring of natural gas in the oil and gas industry.

Methane is responsible for about 30 per cent of the current rise in global temperature, with carbon dioxide to blame for about twice as much, according to the International Energy Agency. Methane traps about 28 times the heat per molecule as carbon dioxide but lasts a decade or so in the atmosphere instead of centuries or thousands of years like carbon dioxide, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Carbon dioxide and methane levels have been higher in the far ancient past, but it was before humans existed.

The third biggest human-caused greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, jumped 1 part per billion last year to record levels, but the increases were not as high as those in 2020 and 2021. Nitrous oxide, which lasts about a century in the atmosphere, comes from agriculture, burning of fuels, manure and industrial processes, according to the EPA.

As these numbers show we still have a lot of work to do to make meaningful progress in reducing the amount of greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory Director Vanda Grubisic said in statement.

Companies across the globe last year pledged massive  almost complete  cuts in methane emissions from the oil and gas industry in a new initiative that could trim future rises in temperature by a tenth of a degree Celsius. And the EPA issued a final rule to reduce oil and gas industry generated methane emissions.

But the past five years, methane levels have risen faster than any time in NOAA record-keeping. And recent studies have shown that government efforts to track methane are vastly underestimating the pollution going into the air from the energy industry.

Studies of the specific isotopes of methane in the air show much of the increased methane is from microbes, pointing to spiking emissions from wetlands and perhaps agriculture and landfills, but not as much the energy industry, Lan said.

I'm still mostly concerned about carbon dioxide emissions, Lan said.

Carbon dioxide emissions going into the air from burning fossil fuels and making cement hit an all time high last year of 36.8 billion metric tons, twice the amount spewed into the air 40 years ago, according to Global Carbon Project. But about half of what's coming out of smokestacks and tailpipes are temporarily sucked up and stored by trees and oceans, keeping it out of the atmosphere, Lan said.

Methane doesn't have that temporary storage that carbon dioxide has, Lan said.

The shift last year from a three-year La Nina, the natural cooling of parts of the central Pacific that changes weather worldwide, to a warm El Nino, played a role in dampening methane's increasing rate in the air and spiking carbon dioxide levels, Lan said.

That's because methane's biggest emissions comes from wetlands, which during a La Nina is wetter in much of the tropics, creating more microbes in the lush growth to release methane, Lan said. The La Nina ended mid year last year, giving way to a strong El Nino.

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere tend to rise higher during hotter El Ninos, but the current one is starting to peter out, Lan said. (AP) NPK

NPK
Islamabad, Apr 5 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed all the security agencies to ensure fool-proof security arrangements for the Chinese nationals working on various projects in the country.

He chaired a meeting about the security situation in the country more than a week after five Chinese and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide attack in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Last Tuesday, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Chinese engineers in the remote Besham area when they were being driven to a construction site of the Dasu Hydroelectric power station in Kohistan district of the same province.

According to a statement, the prime minister said he had decided to personally review the meetings with respect to the overall security of the country, especially the security of the Chinese citizens.

Sharif said the war against the menace of terrorism will continue till its complete eradication from the country.

He directed the interior ministry to uproot terrorism from the country and to increase collaboration with the provinces to further improve the provincial anti-terrorism departments.

The prime minister also instructed the ministry to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for the regular audit of the security SOPs (standard operating procedures).

He was briefed in detail by the interior ministry about the overall law and order situation of the country and the performance of the ministry.

The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, senior officials of the security agencies and other concerned high officials.

On Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari called on Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong and asserted that Pakistan would take all measures for the security of the Chinese nationals employed on various projects in the country.

China expressed concern about last week's attack and demanded the safety of their nationals working on various projects in Pakistan.

Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects under the aegis of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Colombo, Apr 5 (PTI) The statements coming out of India on "reclaiming" Kachchatheevu island from Sri Lanka have "no ground", the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has said.

The senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician's comments came days after the Narendra Modi government targeted the Congress Party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The BJP has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island.

It is the election time in India, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Kachchatheevu," Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday.

I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area, Devananda said.

The statements on "reclaiming" Kachchatheevu from Sri Lankas hold has "no ground," Devananda has said.

The Sri Lankan minister said according to the 1974 agreement fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976.

Accordingly, fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighbouring waters.

Devananda stressed, There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari - it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources - it is 80 times bigger than Kachchatheevu, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement."

Devananda as the fisheries minister has faced pressure from the local fishermen in recent months.

The local fishermen have led widespread protests to stop illegal fishing by their Indian counterparts in the Sri Lankan waters. They say the bottom trawling by the Indians is harmful to Sri Lankan fishing community interests.

So far this year, at least 178 Indian fishermen and 23 trawlers have been arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy.

Devananda, an ex-Tamil militant who now leads the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party, was named a proclaimed offender by a court in Chennai in 1994.

On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) steered clear of the row surrounding Katchatheevu island.

To a volley of questions on the Katchatheevu issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent comments on the matter.

"I would like to tell you that on the issues that have been raised, the external affairs minister has spoken to the press here in Delhi and also in Gujarat clarifying all the issues," he said.

"I would refer that you please look at his press engagements. You will get your answers there," Jaiswal said in New Delhi.
New York, Apr 5 (AP) Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has called him a threat to democracy. Former national security adviser John Bolton has declared him unfit to be president. And former Vice President Mike Pence has declined to endorse him, citing profound differences.

As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a third time, he is being vigorously opposed by a vocal contingent of former officials who are stridently warning against his return to power and offering dire predictions for the country and the rule of law if his campaign succeeds.

It's a striking chorus of detractors, one without precedent in the modern era, coming from those who witnessed first-hand his conduct in office and the turmoil that followed.

Sarah Matthews, a former Trump aide who testified before the House Jan. 6 committee and is among those warning about the threat he poses, said it's mind-boggling how many members of his senior staff have denounced him.

These are folks who saw him up close and personal and saw his leadership style, Matthews said.

The American people should listen to what these folks are saying because it should be alarming that the people that Trump hired to work for him a first term are saying that he's unfit to serve for a second term.

Yet the critics remain a distinct minority. Republican lawmakers and officials across the party have endorsed Trump's bid  some begrudgingly, others with fervor and enthusiasm. Many aides and Cabinet officials who served under Trump are onboard for another term, something Trump's campaign is quick to highlight.

The majority of the people who served in President Trump's cabinet and in his administration, like the majority of Americans, have overwhelmingly endorsed his candidacy to beat Crooked Joe Biden and take back the White House, said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung.

Still, the Biden campaign has trumpeted the criticism of former Trump officials in statements and social media posts, hoping to convince at least some Republican voters  including those who backed other candidates during the GOP primary  that they cannot support his candidacy.

Those who worked with Donald Trump at the most senior levels of his administration believe he is too dangerous, too selfish and too extreme to ever lead our country again  we agree, said Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa.

In many ways, the schism among former Trump officials is an extension of his time in the White House. Friction was constant as Trump's demands ran into resistance from some officials and aides who refused requests that they found misguided, unrealistic and, at times, flatly illegal. Firings were frequent. Many quit.

Staff upheaval was particularly intense in the chaotic weeks after the 2020 election as Trump worked to overturn his election loss to Biden. Trump summoned supporters to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, as his falsehoods about a stolen election became the rallying cry for supporters who violently breached the U.S. Capitol. Many people serving in the administration quit in protest, including Matthews.

Trump's attempt to remain in office included a bitter pressure campaign against Pence, who as vice president was tasked with presiding over the count of the Electoral College ballots on Jan. 6. Trump was adamant that Pence should prevent Biden from becoming president, something he had no power to do. Pence had to flee the Senate chamber on Jan. 6 as rioters stormed the building to chants of Hang Mike Pence!

Pence recently said he cannot in good conscience endorse Trump because of Jan. 6 and other issues, despite being proud of what they achieved together.

And Pence is not alone.

Esper, who was fired by Trump days after the 2020 election, clashed with the then-president over several issues, including Trump's push to deploy military troops to respond to civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd by police in 2020.

In a recent interview with HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher, Esper repeated a warning that Trump is a threat to democracy and added, I think there's a lot to be concerned about.

There's no way I'll vote for Trump, but every day that Trump does something crazy, the door to voting for Biden opens a little bit more, and that's where I'm at, Esper said.

Among Trump's most vocal critics are former aides who worked closely with him in the White House, particularly a trio who gained prominence testifying about the Jan. 6 attack and Trump's push to overturn the election.

The group includes Matthews, former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin and Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. They have given a series of interviews in recent months opposing their former boss.

"Fundamentally, a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it, and I don't say that lightly, Griffin told ABC in December.

John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, had his own long falling-out with Trump. Kelly, in a lengthy October statement to CNN, described Trump as a person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators and has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.

Olivia Troye, a former Pence adviser who left the White House in 2020, and former press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who resigned Jan. 6, are both outspoken critics who said they didn't vote for Trump in 2020.

Even Bill Barr, Trump's former attorney general who has not ruled out voting for him again, has referred to Trump as a consummate narcissist who constantly engages in reckless conduct that puts his political followers at risk and the conservative and Republican agenda at risk.

Still, the ranks of former Trump officials opposing his bid are greatly outnumbered by those who are supportive.

Linda McMahon, who headed the Small Business Administration under Trump, is co-chairing a major fundraiser for the former president on Saturday in Florida, along with former Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

McMahon is also chair of the board of The America First Policy Institute, which is packed with supportive former Trump officials and has been described as an administration in waiting for a second Trump term.

The institute is headed by Brooke Rollins, Trump's former domestic policy chief, and counts Pence's national security adviser and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg among its chairs, along with former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Trump's U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, and former National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow.

Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has campaigned for Trump, as has former Housing Secretary Ben Carson, who called him a friend of America.

Trump's also got the backing of former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, former Interior Secretary and Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, and Russell Vought, who ran Trump's Office of Management and Budget.

Vought said in a post on X that Trump is the only person I trust to take a wrecking ball to the Deep State.

Trump supporters are also quick to dismiss critics in the party.

Carmen McVane, who attended Trump's rally Tuesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said those who speak negatively against Trump or refuse to endorse are RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only, and will only help Biden and Democrats.

There's a lot of RINOs who don't do what they're supposed to do, McVane said. It's time for everyone to back who we have and go full force ahead. (AP) AMS
Raipur, Apr 5 (PTI) The elder brother of Raipur's Congress mayor Aijaz Dhebar was arrested by the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau /Economic Offences Wing in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

Businessman Anwar Dhebar was held on Thursday evening and was remanded in ACB/EOW custody till April 8 by special judge Nidhi Sharma, said Deputy Director (Prosecution) Mithlesh Verma.

The special judge asked the ACB/EOW to follow the guidelines of the Supreme Court during the course of custody, he added.

It is the second arrest in the case by ACB/EOW after Arvind Singh. As many as 70 persons, including several leaders of the Congress and companies, were named in the FIR registered by the ACB/EOW in January 2024 in the alleged liquor scam.

The FIR, based on a report by the Enforcement Directorate which has also been probing the case, was lodged under Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.

The ED, in its report to the ACB/EOW, had claimed criminal acts were committed by certain senior officials in connivance with private and influential persons to cause loss to the state and earn illegal profits for themselves in the liquor trade.

The ED had said its probe revealed a criminal syndicate was operating in Chhattisgarh, which was extorting illegal commission in the sale of liquor and was also involved in unauthorised sale through government liquor shops.

In July last year, the ED submitted a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in a PMLA court in Raipur in which it claimed Rs 2161 crore of corruption money was generated in the alleged 'liquor scam' that began in 2019 in Chhattisgarh (when Congress was power in the state).

This syndicate comprises senior bureaucrats, politicians, their associates and officials of the excise department. as per the ED.

Dhebar was arrested by the ED in the case in May last year. He was granted interim bail in October 2023 by the Supreme Court in the money laundering case.
Guwahati, Apr 5 (PTI) Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a local court here, claiming that various statements made by the BJP leader have damaged his public image and the party.

The case was filed by Borah in the court of civil judge (senior division) cum assistant sessions judge no 1, Kamrup Metro, on Thursday.

Besides Sarma, a leading vernacular daily of the state and its editor have been made respondents in the suit.

Borah has alleged that Sarma's statements on numerous occasions, claiming that the Congress state chief will leave the party soon, has led to a dent in his public image and also harmed the party.

The CM has been claiming that Borah will join the BJP by early next year, which has been refuted by the opposition leader.
Kolkata, Apr 5 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Eastern Region at 5 pm.



CAL 12 WB-VARSITY-GUV-PROBE

*Governor claims Bengal varsity campuses mini-Sandeshkhali, orders judicial probe

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday claimed that university campuses in the state have become mini-Sandeshkhali, and ordered a judicial enquiry into the alleged violence, corruption and misuse of varsities for political purposes, a Raj Bhavan official said.



CAL 11 MG-NPP-CAA

Voted for CAA in Parliament because Meghalaya was exempted: Agatha Sangma

Shillong: Agatha K Sangma, the incumbent Lok Sabha MP and National People's Party candidate for Tura, on Friday said she supported the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Parliament because Meghalaya was exempted from its provisions.



CAL 10 BH-CONGRESS-JOIN

Bihar minister Maheshwar Hazari's son joins Congress

Patna: Bihar minister Maheshwar Hazari's son Sunny Hazari joined the Congress here on Friday, fuelling speculations that he may be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls.



CAL 9 ELECTIONS-WB-MAMATA- RALLY

Mamata slams Modi over comments on atrocities on Sandeshkhali women

Jalpaiguri: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks about atrocities against women and corruption, asserting that the TMC and her government had taken stern action against the culprits involved in alleged sexual abuse of women in Sandeshkhali.



CAL 8 ELECTION-WB-FORCES-EC

Posting central forces' route march details on EC website not enough, say TMC, CPI(M)

Kolkata: The TMC and CPI(M) on Friday criticised the Election Commission's decision to publish details of central forces' route marches on its website, asserting that it doesn't adequately demonstrate transparency.



CAL 7 ELECTIONS-AS-GAURAV

On campaign trail: BJP will lose if number of selfies with me converts into votes, says Gaurav Gogoi

Majuli: Welcomed by scores of supporters who showered flowers, played dhols and hugged him during the campaign, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi expressed confidence that he will win the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat, saying BJP MP Topon Kumar Gogoi will definitely lose if the number of selfies clicked with him by the people converts into votes.



CAL 5 ELECTIONS-AR-CASH-SEIZURE

EC teams seize Rs 1 crore cash from vehicle in Arunachal

Itanagar: The flying squad and static surveillance team deployed by the Election Commission in Arunachal Pradesh seized Rs one crore cash from a vehicle in Longding district, a police officer said.



CAL 3 ELECTION-WB-MURSHIDABAD-PROFILE

CPI(M) state secy Salim's candidature brings Murshidabad LS seat to limelight

Murshidabad: A relatively backward area which often witnesses violence during elections, West Bengal's Murshidabad constituency has attained significance this Lok Sabha polls with the CPI(M) fielding its state secretary Mohammed Salim.*
Ranchi, Apr 5 (PTI) The Jharkhand BJP has called for a CBI probe into the alleged theft of land records from the city's registry office, claiming it occurred as part of a larger conspiracy to conceal a land scam following the filing of a chargesheet by the ED in the case involving former chief minister Hemant Soren.

State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo made the demand during a press conference, asserting that the theft raises questions about the Champai Soren government.

"It seems to be a part of a big conspiracy to hide the land scam, as the theft took place after the ED filed a chargesheet in the land deal case involving former chief minister Hemant Soren. The theft of land records puts the Champai Soren government in question. So, we demand a CBI inquiry in the matter," Shahdeo said.

Shahdeo claimed that the theft took place in the registry office on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Bandhu Tirkey, working president of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC), also urged for stringent action in the case, highlighting the apparent collusion between land robbers, brokers, and officials.

Suspecting involvement of officers, staff and security guards of the registry office, Tirkey called for their immediate dismissal and a thorough investigation into their assets and connections.
Imphal, Apr 5 (PTI) Amidst the lingering aftermath of ethnic conflicts, the women traders at Manipur's iconic 'Ima market' -- the only market in the world run entirely by women -- have expressed a deafening lack of enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Questioning the relevance of the electoral process amidst the ongoing turmoil, the women traders from various market associations, are contemplating a boycott of the polls with their major grievance being -- "the nation forgot Manipur".

Nema Devi, a seasoned fish vendor at the market, reflects the sentiment shared by many, emphasising the absence of tangible change despite months of unrest.

"Even 11 months after the violence, there has not been a resolution and no restoration of peace. We continue to live by the rule of taking one day at a time. Living in continuous fear and going ahead with our usual lives.

"What will change with the elections? The nation, the government, everybody forgot Manipur," 52-year-old Devi, who has been running the shop in the market for over a decade, told PTI.

Debjani, a fruits and vegetables vendor, succinctly said, "Elections nai chahiye" (elections not needed)", echoing the prevailing scepticism.

At first glance, the 500-year-old "Ima Keithel" is much like any other popular market. Lines of vendors selling everything from fresh fruit to fish and fabrics from dusk until dawn.

But after walking through its long lanes with more than 4,500 stalls spread across three multi-story buildings and a sea of surrounding tin shacks, one unique aspect becomes hard to ignore: every single trader, without exception, is a woman, a fact they take pride in.

The famous market was also the theme of the state's Republic Day tableau this year.

Priya Kharaibam, a third-generation pottery trader, questioned the purpose of elections if the status quo remains unchanged.

"If everything has to go on the way it is going on, why do we need elections? What will change?" she asked.

Against this backdrop, a traders' group in the market called Manipur Keithel Phambi Apunba Lup, has opted to abstain from engaging in election-related activities, citing governmental disregard for the populace's well-being.

"The decision to hold the elections shows that the government has no concern for the life and property of the common people. The people of the state have been witnessing a cycle of violence arising out of conflict between two communities for the last 11 months.

"We have been facing immense hardship due to the protracted violence," said Yumnam Ibeyaima, General Secretary of the traders' body.

The unfolding crisis stemming from clashes between the Meitei and tribal Kuki communities has claimed over 200 lives, with thousands displaced and living in camps.

Asem Nirmala, General Secretary of another traders' body in the market called Lukmaisellup, lamented the lack of governmental responsiveness to the prolonged crisis, emphasising the urgent need for solutions over elections.

"This is the time for solutions. This is not the time for elections. These polls are being enforced at the very wrong time.

"We are contemplating whether we should either not vote or vote in unison against the government in power and give other parties a chance and see if there is restoration of peace. I am trying to counsel the women in the market but they are not keen on voting," she told PTI.

Some traders find themselves at a crossroads, contemplating whether to vote collectively against the incumbent government in pursuit of peace restoration.

As many as 75 'Imas' or 'mothers' (elderly women traders) from the famed market had visited Delhi in June last year and staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding a solution and opposing any territorial division of the state on ethnic lines.

Expressing disillusionment with the electoral process, Kunjang Phema, a fabric vendor, highlights the failure of elected representatives to address their grievances effectively.

"Why do we choose a representative? So our voices are heard and acted upon. If that has not happened in such a critical situation when will it happen? Why should we vote? We are still contemplating whether to vote or not but if you ask us if we have faith in elections? No," says Phema, who was part of the group.

The elections for two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26.

While Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase on April 19, the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will vote in Phase 2 on April 26.

The Election Commission has announced that the displaced population will have the opportunity to cast their votes from relief camps.

The effort to facilitate voting for the displaced offers a glimmer of hope amidst the prevailing despair, as the state grapples with deep-seated unrest and a yearning for lasting peace.

Amidst the prevailing unrest and feelings of abandonment, the traders' voices echo a profound sense of disillusionment with the government's response to Manipur's plight.

"The government cannot see that Manipur is burning, it feels like it is some state outside India and hence peace here is not on their agenda. Why should we impose our faith in such a system which has abandoned us at this crucial time? Despite the huge deployment of forces, we do not feel safe in our own homeland," said K Dhaneshori.
Shimla, April 5 (PTI) Former Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday termed the Congress manifesto as a bundle of lies and said 10 guarantees were given during the assembly polls in the state also but these were not implemented after coming to power.

Thakur, who is the leader of opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, alleged that the Congress is not serious about implementing the promises. The people will reject the Congress party in the polls, a statement issued here said.

The BJP leader also hit out at Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for making "uncalled for and undesirable comments" on the Congress rebels. Such allegations will not stick for long and Sukhu's prestige will be hurt, he added.

These rebels were forced to quit the Congress as they were being insulted and humiliated, he added.

Meanwhile, BJP Mahila Morcha chief Vandna Yogi blasted the Congress party leaders for making "anti-women remarks" during its rallies and through social media.

Taking strong cognisance of the "derogatory" words used for the women by the Congress leaders, she said the Congress party has gone off track and its leaders seem to be mentally ill.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The petition of the head investigation department of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan to extend the detention of French citizen Martin Ryan, accused of espionage in Baku, has been considered, Trend reports.

The petition was satisfied at the trial in Sabail District Court, and the detention term of the French citizen was extended for another 4 months.

To note, Martin Ryan was detained in Baku by officers of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan on December 4 last year.

As a result of the criminal investigation, two employees of the French Embassy were declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan for activities inconsistent with their diplomatic status and contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

The case uncovered a wide spy network of French intelligence, including individuals embedded in prestigious international organizations.

In an interview with the AFP news agency, Martin Rian's father, Richard Ryan, commented on the growing scandal against the French intelligence services and blamed French intelligence for the incident.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Thane, Apr 5 (PTI) A court in Maharashtras Thane district has acquitted four persons accused of robbery and purchase of stolen jewellery.

Additional sessions judge Amit M Shete acquitted Mukhtar Sheru Husain, Mohammad Afsar Sayyad, Ajij Hafij Sayyad and Kantilal Anandji Shah who were booked under sections 392 (robbery) and 413 (dealing with stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code.

The copy of the order issued on March 18, was made available on Thursday.



Three accused were from Kalyan, while Shah, a goldsmith, was from neighbouring Mumbai.

Additional public prosecutor Sanjay More informed the court that on January 23, 2016, three persons snatched the chain of a woman who was travelling with her husband on a two-wheeler in the Mumbra area of the district.

The chain was later sold to a goldsmith, he said.

The judge in his order noted that the entire case was based on circumstantial evidence.



The investigation officer utterly failed to carry out the probe in the proper sense, due to which the accused are getting the benefit of the doubt, the order stated.
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking implementation of the 2012 recommendations of the Election Commission regarding the cooling-off period to prevent public servants from contesting polls immediately after retirement or resignation.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sandeep Mehta allowed petitioner G V Harsha Kumar, a former parliamentarian, to withdraw the plea with liberty to approach the appropriate authority.

The plea had sought directions to the EC and the Centre to implement the 2012 recommendations of the poll panel and the July 2004 report of the Committee on Civil Service Reforms to prevent government servants from contesting elections to the legislature, parliament or state assembly on a political party ticket, immediately after retirement or resignation from service, by imposing a cooling-off period.

It had also sought a direction from the Centre to grant one pension to the bureaucrats who have served as members of assembly and parliament.

The plea was filed in the apex court through advocate Sravan Kumar Karanam.

"This report was of 2012," the bench observed, adding, "You want to withdraw or argue?".

The counsel said he would withdraw the petition.

The plea said the petitioner had served as a Member of Parliament of Lok Sabha between 2004 to 2014.

It said the EC in 2012 and the committee appointed by the Centre for Civil Service Reforms had recommended cooling-off period for bureaucrats and public servants entering into politics and contesting elections.

"But despite these recommendations were made two decades ago, they are not being implemented resulting several bureaucrats, judges obtain voluntary retirement from the public service and choose to contest elections immediately by joining a political party without a cooling-off period," it said.

"The officials/public servants who would have helped by way of unlawful means were rewarded by certain political parties by way of offering them tickets to contest in the assembly and parliament elections," it claimed.

The plea said that civil servants/judges often have access to sensitive and confidential information during their tenure and allowing immediate transition to a political role may raise concerns about the misuse of privileged information for personal or party gain.

"A cooling-off period ensures that civil servants have the necessary time to disassociate themselves from their previous roles and responsibilities," it said.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
Hyderabad, Apr 5 (PTI) Launching a sharp attack on the ruling Congress in Telangana over alleged farmers' distress and non-implementation of its election promises, BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday demanded that the government take immediate steps to provide relief to the ryots and vowed to fight on behalf of the people.





Speaking to reporters at the district headquarters town of Sircilla after a visit to the fields where the crops allegedly withered away, he alleged that the situation was due to the "incompetence" and mismanagement of the Congress government.





He said many water bodies were full of water during the previous BRS regime.





"What do we see today? The pain that was witnessed in Telangana before 2014 (during Congress rule, prior to BRS coming to power) is being seen again today. The scene before 2014 was demand for water tankers, women fighting on the streets for water," he said.





Congress came to power making "irrational" promises but deceived people by not fulfilling any of them after forming the government, he alleged.





"Shamelessly, they made four-five promises today (in the AICC manifesto). There is no district in Telangana where crops have not withered away. This situation cropped up because inefficient people are ruling," Rao said.





He claimed that crops have withered away in 15 to 20 lakh acres and that it was a result of the government's failure in water management. Erratic power supply made it difficult to operate agriculture motor pumps.





Some state ministers talked about scanty rainfall as the reason for crop failure but many districts had witnessed above normal rainfall, he claimed.





"Except for government failure, there is no other reason for this situation," he said.





He attacked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for seeking details when BRS had alleged that 200 farmers had died during the first 100 days of the Congress government.





The BRS had sent the list of the farmers immediately to the government, he said.





Rao demanded that the government provide Rs 25 lakh each to the family members of the farmers who passed away. He sought an ex-gratia of Rs 25,000 per acre of crop that withered away.





Rao said he would lead a protest with 50,000 farmers if the government fails to repair Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project and provide water to farmers.





Some piers of the Medigadda barrage had suffered damage during the BRS regime last year.





The BRS had come under attack from other parties over the damage to the piers and the current Congress government has sought the help of National Dam Safety Authority on the way forward.





Rao further alleged that problems of farmers exacerbated due to the government's failures, including not releasing water for cultivation on time, erratic supply of power, non-implementation of 'Rythu Bandhu' investment support scheme for farmers and not fulfilling the farm loan waiver as promised.





"Today, agriculture in Telangana is reaching a situation of crisis because of your antics," Rao said.





Rao also attacked the Congress government for non-implementation of promises and schemes, including bonus on MSP for farmers and providing one tola gold to women at the time of marriage.
Bengaluru, Apr 5 (PTI) The Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd has completed the supply of over 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink worth approximately Rs 55 crore to various states and union territories for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with the biggest share going to Uttar Pradesh.

The Karnataka government undertaking has been manufacturing the ink since 1962, solely for the Election Commission.

The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will kick off on April 19 with the counting of votes set to take place on June 4. Assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

The company said it had supplied over 25.98 lakh vials of indelible ink worth approximately Rs 36 crore for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to various states and union territories. The highest supply as per order was to Uttar Pradesh, which received 3.64 lakh vials back then and the lowest for Lakshadweep at 125 vials of ink.

As against the previous Parliamentary elections, there has been an increase of 2.2 per cent in the supply of indelible ink this time.

According to the Election Commission, as of January, India has a voter base of nearly 97 crore out of which a maximum of over 15.30 crore are in Uttar Pradesh and a minimum of 57,500 in Lakshadweep.

"As on today, 26.55 lakh vials of indelible ink have been dispatched to all the states and union territories. The highest order was from Uttar Pradesh and as per demand, 3.58 lakh vials of ink has been supplied to UP while Lakshadweep with the lowest demand has been supplied with 110 vials of ink, the company's Managing Director K Mohammed Irfan told PTI.

The ink, which leaves a deep purple mark, is applied on the left forefinger of a person as proof that he or she has cast the vote to prevent multiple voting.

According to the data shared by the company, Maharashtra has been supplied with 2.68 lakh vials, West Bengal 2 lakh vials, Bihar 1.93 lakh vials, Tamil Nadu 1.75 lakh vials, Telangana 1.50 lakh vials, Madhya Pradesh 1.52 lakh vials, Karnataka 1.32 lakh vials, Rajasthan 1.30 lakh, Andhra Pradesh 1.16 lakh vials, Gujarat 1.13 lakh vials, Kerala 63,000 vials, Punjab 55,000 vials, Haryana 42,000 vials, Delhi 35,000 vials, Jammu and Kashmir 30,000 vials.

Similarly, Jharkhand received 75,380 vials, Himachal Pradesh 22,000 vials, Manipur 8,000 vials, Chandigarh 1,500 vials and Goa 5,000 vials among other states and union territories.

A 10 ml vial of ink can be used to mark the fingers of around 700 people. A polling station has around 1,500 voters.

According to EC, over 12 lakh polling stations would be set up across the country for the polls.

Irfan said the indelible ink is exported to more than 25 countries, including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa and the Maldives.

However, as different countries follow different modes for applying the ink, the company supplies the ink as per customer specifications.

In Cambodia and the Maldives, for example, voters need to dip his/her finger into the ink, while in Burkina Faso it is applied with a brush; nozzles are used for its use in Turkey.
Chandigarh, Apr 5 (PTI) Five people were killed and as many others were injured when their mini-truck collided with a trailer truck in Punjab's Faridkot district on Friday, police said.

The accident occurred on Kotkapura-Moga road when a mini-truck carrying 10 passengers collided with a trailer truck, they said.

Five people, including two women, died on the spot and the five people injured were taken to the hospital for treatment, police said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, they said.
Jaipur, Apr 5 (PTI) A 45-year-old man allegedly committed suicide after jumping into a well in Kotputli-Behror district over pressure from money lenders, police on Friday said.

A note was recovered from the deceased, they said.

The incident occurred in Harsora village on Thursday night when the man identified as Vijendra Yadav, a property dealer by profession, was reported missing by his family members who began searching for him, police said.

Yadavs body was found in a well on Friday along with a note from his pocket stating that some people were mounting pressure on him for money due to which he took the extreme step, police said.

However, he did not name anyone in the note, they said.

The body has been sent for post-mortem and further investigation is underway, police said.
Chennai, Apr 5 (PTI) Housing finance company Aptus Value Housing India Ltd has donated Rs 1 crore to Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Charitable Trust under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the company said.

The funds would be used towards education, healthcare and skill development by the Trust, a press release said, on Friday.

Aptus Value Housing Finance India Ltd, Founder and Executive Chairman, M Anandan presented the cheque to Kanchi Kamakoti Math Sankaracharya, Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal at a function held recently.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The petition of the head investigation department of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan to extend the detention of French citizen Martin Ryan, accused of espionage in Baku, has been considered, Trend reports.

The petition was satisfied at the trial in Sabail District Court, and the detention term of the French citizen was extended for another 4 months.

To note, Martin Ryan was detained in Baku by officers of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan on December 4 last year.

As a result of the criminal investigation, two employees of the French Embassy were declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan for activities inconsistent with their diplomatic status and contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

The case uncovered a wide spy network of French intelligence, including individuals embedded in prestigious international organizations.

In an interview with the AFP news agency, Martin Rian's father Richard Ryan, commenting on the case of the growing scandal against the French intelligence services, blamed French intelligence for the incident.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei published a tweet in Hebrew overnight Wednesday threatening revenge for the assassination of Mohammad Reza Zahadi, the senior commander in the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for Lebanon and Syria, earlier this week.

With G-ds help, well cause the Zionists to rue their crime of aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the post said in Hebrew.

Of course, the Iranian consulate in Damascus was actually a terror stronghold  an IRGC headquarters being used to plot terror attacks against Israel and Western targets. The Israel-based IntelliTimes blog quoted intelligence sources as saying that the property was not identified as a consulate like other Iranian diplomatic properties in Latakia and Aleppo that were officially identified in maps or in Iranian Foreign Ministry publications as consulates. The place that was attacked was used as an IRGC headquarters to host staff members from the Revolutionary Guards.

Israel is preparing for a serious retaliatory attack on Israel, including possible attacks by Iranian proxies in the region with cruise missiles or waves of suicide drones and even attempts by terror squads to infiltrate Israels borders, chas vchalilah or a direct ballistic missile attack from Iran.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
A group of leftist anarchists calling for the recruitment of yeshivah bochurim protested outside Yeshivas Slabodka in Bnei Brak on Friday morning and made a racket with shouts and bicycle horns.

The noise was disturbing the bochurim from learning and they asked the protesters to leave, who impudently responded that they refuse to leave until the Rosh Yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, come out and talk to them.

HaRav Landau was scheduled to leave for an emergency meeting of all Roshei Yeshivos throughout Israel  so the bochurim came up with a creative solution, which they implemented with the help of the police.

They approached the yeshivahs cook, R Yossi Rosenfeld, an elderly man with a long white beard, who was busy preparing food for Shabbos in the yeshivah kitchen. At the request of the bochurim, he agreed to put on a hat and long coat and dress up as the Rosh Yeshivah and be escorted to the car waiting outside.

At the sight of the Rosh Yeshivah surrounded by his talmidim, the leftists blew their horns loudly, taking out their ire on on the leader of the yeshivah world. They then left the area, allowing HaRav Landau to safely leave to the meeting.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The IDF has removed two senior officers and censured several top commanders in response to the deadly drone strike on aid workers with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization in the central Gaza Strip. The incident occurred earlier this week and was investigated by the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, an independent military body.

The probe found that the strike was ordered despite a low level of confidence that the vehicles carried Hamas gunmen, though the officers did not realize the vehicles as belonged to WCK when the strike was ordered.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi ordered the removal of Col. (res.) Nochi Mendel, chief of staff of the Nachal Infantry Brigade, and the brigades firepower coordination officer. Additionally, Halevi reprimanded the commander of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, and other officers.

The IDF acknowledged that the attack was a serious mistake that stemmed from a serious failure in identification, decision-making, and open-fire regulations. The military expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life and emphasized its commitment to upholding the values of the IDF, the laws of war, and avoiding harm to innocents.

To prevent similar incidents, the IDF will brand aid vehicles with special stickers visible with thermal cameras. The WCK vehicle had a sticker of the organizations logo, but it was not visible to IDF drones at night.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir predictably responded with anger over the IDFs disciplinary decisions. The chief of staffs decision to remove senior officers amounts to the abandonment of troops in the middle of a war, he wrote on X, adding that it was a grave mistake that conveys weakness.

World Central Kitchen isnt satisfied with the investigation either, saying in a statement that it demands the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
An investigation by the IDF has determined that Efrat Katz, 68, was likely killed by Israeli Air Force helicopter fire on October 7 while being kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. The findings were presented to Katzs family today.

According to the probe, an IAF helicopter opened fire on a car carrying several terrorists during battles in southern Israel on October 7. It was later revealed that the vehicle also had Israeli hostages, including Katz. The IDF says that most of the terrorists were killed in the shooting, along with Katz.

The investigation found that the militarys surveillance systems were unable to distinguish between Israeli hostages and Hamas terrorists in moving vehicles, leading to the shooting being classified as a strike on a vehicle carrying terrorists.

IAF Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar stated that he found no fault in the helicopter crews operation, as they acted in compliance with orders in a complex war zone.

Katzs body was later recovered and she was buried on October 25 in Kibbutz Revadim.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Ofcom says new rules should stop customers from facing sky-high roaming bills

Almost a fifth of people are not aware that they could be racking up extra data roaming charges while holidaying abroad, data claims.

Regulator Ofcom said that 19 per cent of people aren't aware of the potential charges, while 18 per cent fail to research roaming charges ahead of their visits abroad.

These people are set to benefit from new roaming rules that are set to come into effect from October.

Under the new regulations, Ofcom says the UK mobile users will be protected from accidentally building up massive roaming bills in foreign countries.

Costly: Heading abroad could see you build up a massive data roaming bill if you are paying on standard rates

Mobile providers will have to inform customers when they begin roaming, and provide them with the necessary information about how they can use their phone abroad.

It said this will include explaining any fair use limits or time limits on their data services, informing them that they can add a spending limit, and directing them to further information on roaming.

According to Ofcom, the new rules will also prevent inadvertent roaming, which can see customers' devices roam to a network in a different country even if they have not crossed the border.

Before the UK left the EU, mobile operators were required to inform customers when they began roaming, and there was a worldwide 45 data roaming cap in place. This is no longer the case, though many operators still choose to let customers know when they begin roaming and have kept a cap in place.

As many as 14 per cent of UK customers said they had experienced this, with people who live in Northern Ireland being particularly affected.

Some on the south coast of England have also found their phones connecting to French networks.

Ofcom's new rules will mean that people are alerted when they begin roaming.

Cristina Luna-Esteban, director of telecoms consumer policy at Ofcom, said: 'The last thing holidaymakers want when returning from a trip abroad is an unexpected mobile phone bill. At the moment, some customers aren't getting clear information from their provider to help them manage their mobile use and plan their spend.

'Our new protections will mean you're told what it'll cost when you start roaming, so you can be confident that there won't be any surprises when it comes to your mobile bill while on holiday.'

Clarity: From October, providers will be required to inform customers when they begin roaming

With the new regulations not set to roll out until October, and with summer on its way, millions could still be at risk of losing out to roaming charges.

Over the Easter period alone, Uswitch says as many as 8.1 million will be heading abroad, and could land themselves with hefty roaming bills if they fail to plan ahead.

In fact, Uswitch research shows that 61 per cent don't check their providers' roaming policy before travelling, and 66 per cent aren't aware of its fair usage policy.

Fair usage policies prevent customer's from overusing a network and is often capped below what they pay for in the UK.

Pushing over the fair usage cap will trigger special charge rates, meaning that customers can easily rack up a bill without realising they have breached the policy.

Almost a quarter of Brits, 23 per cent, are planning to visit high-cost roaming countries this year, such as South Africa and Egypt.

According to the switching service, a person visiting China for a week and using 1GB of data per day, could leave with a roaming bill of more than 40,000.

How to avoid roaming charges this summer

Before the new rules come into effect, those travelling abroad are still at risk of being stung by an eye-watering bill if they don't take the right precautions when it comes to their phone.

'Using your phone abroad has become just as essential as packing your toothbrush for most travellers,' says Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch. 'But nobody wants to find their holiday buzz ruined by a shock mobile bill,'

Switching SIM: Ernest Doku suggests looking into short-term and eSIMs as cheaper options

Holiday-goers should make sure to check their network's roaming policy before going abroad, Doku said. While roaming in EU countries is still straightforward, of the four main network providers in the UK, only O2 charges no extra fees for doing so.

Three, EE and Vodafone all add at least 2 per day for contract customers.

Various other providers, such as BT Mobile and Giffgaff, offer free roaming in Europe.

'Even if you and somebody else you know are with the same network, your individual roaming deal or fair usage allowance could be different to theirs. This all depends on what contract you have, so we would always recommend checking your tariff,' Doku said.

Outside of the continent, however, things are a bit more tricky. Customers will have to buy an expensive data roaming pass from their provider. These are also available for European travel to avoid daily rates.

The alternative is to take the hit of standard roaming rates, which are likely to eat into your bank account even more quickly.

'While Uswitch supports Ofcom's recent announcement of improved protections around clarity, there is still virtually nothing to stop providers from charging enormous sums when you use your phone abroad,' Doku said.

What is a travel eSim?

Another option is to buy a temporary digital Sim card, which allows you to connect to a local network in the country you are visiting.

Doku added: 'There are some great deals around, so it's worth looking into a short-term Sim or travel eSIM as a cheaper option.

'In the simplest terms, an eSim is short for "embedded Sim" and replaces the need for a physical 'card' to be inserted into a phone and is able to provide all your connectivity settings digitally.

'ESims make it easier to change networks, so if you are roaming abroad you can easily connect to the local network without having to add or swap a physical card for your device.

'You can hold multiple Sim profiles on your device, so if you're regularly switching numbers or travelling to different locations, you'll be able to keep them all safely in digital format, and not risk carrying around - and potentially losing - several small cards.

'If in doubt, contact your provider to talk about roaming caps and what your current deal will allow you to use as well as how much this will cost.'
The shock ripples continue to flow from the news that Thames Water, the privately-owned supplier to London and the South East, has been declared 'uninvestible' by its shareholders.

Advisers are working to restructure the debt-laden business, but it may yet have to be temporarily renationalised. Yesterday its parent company defaulted on interest payments on a 400million bond.

The reverberations have affected shares in Pennon, Severn Trent and United Utilities, the industry's three quoted companies which, like Thames Water, have an appalling record on both leaks and pollution.

Splashing out: Some investors are seeking out companies that are endeavouring to improve supply and environmental standards

But the crisis at Thames Water seems to be turning a spotlight on their strengths. Not only are their debts much lower, they are also felt to be more resilient, thanks to their quoted status.

Pennon is a member of the FTSE 250, and Severn Trent and United Utilities are FTSE 100 constituents.

The publicity surrounding Thames Water is also having a wider effect, at home and worldwide, encouraging some investors to seek out companies that are endeavouring to improve supply and environmental standards.

Caroline Langley, deputy manager of the Quilter Cheviot Climate Assets fund says: 'Population growth, urbanisation, and climate change are intensifying the strain on systems worldwide.'

These trends lie behind the forecasts from the US analytics group Precedence that the global water sector, worth an estimated 261billion in 2023, could grow to 457billion by 2032.

Key beneficiaries of this expansion, it is argued, will be the quoted players in the UK and elsewhere since the transparency required by a listed status obliges a water company to be 'more community and environmentally-minded'. Or so John Moore of wealth manager RBC Brewin Dolphin, contends.

The arguments in favour of listed water companies come amid calls for all water companies to be returned to public ownership.

But it is hard to see how any government would contemplate such an outcome, given the funds required to remedy decades of underinvestment in infrastructure.

For example, the cost of eliminating combined sewer overflows ranges from 350billion to as much as 600billion.

These bills provide another argument that water companies require the access to long-term capital that only a stock market listing can provide.

Until the outlook becomes clearer, it seems worth hanging on to Pennon, Severn Trent and United Utilities.

This uncertainty means more investors will be looking outside the UK, however. Dan Boardman-Weston of BRI Wealth Management says: 'The world will have an increasing problem with water as a result of population growth, urbanisation, increased affluence and poor infrastructure. We invest in JO Hambro's Regnan Sustainable Water and Waste fund which backs companies providing solutions.'

Among this fund's holdings are US groups Core & Main and Xylem, the global water treatment group. Its shares have risen by 46 per cent over the past six months to $128, but analysts at BNP Paribas are targeting a further increase to $150.

Holdings at the Quilter Cheviot Climate Asset fund include the appropriately-named Waters, another US multinational which specialises in water testing.

The Thames Water scandal may make you wish to stay away from water.

But it may be wise to be positioned for the affair's repercussions.

Tougher environmental impact regulations may result, which is causing me to contemplate dipping a toe (as it were) into the shares of Halma, the FTSE 100 company. It has six businesses, all dedicated to the conservation and improvement of water.

Halma's shares stand at 2270p. But brokers UBS have recently tipped them as a buy with a target of 2700p which would certainly justify my, er, splashing out.
Investment: Britons put an unprecedented 7bn into equity funds in the first quarter of the year

Savers continue to desert British stocks despite piling record amounts of money into equity funds, it was revealed yesterday.

Industry figures show Britons put an unprecedented 7billion into such investments in the first quarter of the year as they looked to cash in on rising stock markets.

A record 5.7billion was ploughed into North American equity funds over the three-month period, according to the figures from global funds network Calastone.

But at the same time, UK investors withdrew 2.1billion from domestic holdings.

Contrasting the relative attractions of US and UK funds, Calastone head of global markets Edward Glyn said: The US earnings recession is over.

Profits are once again on the up. UK equities are certainly cheap. But investors worry where the growth is going to come from.

The figures come amid soul-searching in the City and among investors about the health of the London stock market and the low values put on British companies.

That has left London-listed firms vulnerable to foreign bidders in what Peel Hunt this week described as a feeding frenzy.

Peel Hunts Charles Hall warned that if the relentless assault continued, the FTSE Small Cap Index could cease to exist by 2028 because there will be no firms left outside the top 350 that make up the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250.
Crackdown: The Eras Tour concert film starring Taylor Swift is among the shows available on Disney+

Disney has launched a crackdown on password sharing in an effort to boost sign-ups and revenue.

The media giant's chief executive Bob Iger said its streaming platform Disney+ will start taking action against freeloaders in June before a 'full rollout' in September.

Many major streaming services are hit by password sharing  where users share their log-in details with family and friends not in the same household, enabling them to access content without paying  despite it being against platform rules.

The Eras Tour concert film starring Taylor Swift is among the shows available on Disney+ along with the Star Wars movie and drama Shogun.

Disney's decision comes after fellow streaming giant Netflix attributed a recent jump in subscribers to its own recent crackdown on password sharing.

'Netflix is the gold standard in streaming,' Iger said. 'They've done a phenomenal job.'
Britain must cut stamp duty on share trading to revive the flagging stock market, according to leading City brokers.

Peel Hunt urged ministers to address the 'penal level' of the tax in the UK as it set out reforms needed to boost share ownership and drive up valuations of London-listed firms.

The head of research at Panmure Gordon, meanwhile, warned of the 'very real negative economic impact' caused by stamp duty as it deters investment in UK stocks.

Warning: Peel Hunt urged ministers to address the 'penal level' of the tax in the UK as it set out reforms needed to boost share ownership and drive up valuations of London-listed firms

The comments echo calls by the bosses of investment giants Abrdn, AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor in The Mail on Sunday last weekend.

The clamour over stamp duty comes amid mounting fears that low valuations have left London-listed stocks vulnerable to predators looking to snap up firms on the cheap. Peel Hunt this week warned the FTSE Small Cap index could disappear by 2028 due to the takeover 'feeding frenzy'.

Separate figures showed investors have withdrawn cash from UK funds that invest in London-listed shares for 34 months in a row, lowering valuations.

Investors pay 0.5 per cent in stamp duty on the price of UK-listed shares they buy  but the tax does not apply to the purchase of shares in foreign companies.

It means a saver who buys 10,000 of shares in FTSE 100 giants such as Rolls-Royce or Marks & Spencer pays 50 in tax but they pay nothing at all to make the same investment in New York-listed Disney or Nvidia.

Peel Hunt head of research Charles Hall said that 'addressing the UK's penal level of stamp duty versus other markets' would breathe fresh life into the London exchange.

Simon French, chief economist and head of research at Panmure Gordon, added: 'Countries around the world are engaged in a battle for investment to fuel energy innovation, technology, infrastructure and life science research.

'Stamp duty acts as friction to that investment coming to UK stock markets. This has a very real negative economic impact to productivity and growth in UK plc.'

Abrdn chief executive Stephen Bird branded the tax 'as unpatriotic as it is economically destructive' and argued 'its removal could be the single biggest boost to UK share ownership'.

Interactive Investor boss Richard Wilson warned 'we are taxing the stock exchange out of existence'. The FTSE Small Cap Index  which is made up of companies on the UK main market that are not big enough to be in the FTSE 100 or FTSE 250  has seen its numbers drop from 160 in 2018 to 114 last year.

The number is set to dwindle further with haulier Wincanton, lender Virgin Money and housebuilder Redrow among the 12 companies that agreed to be taken over in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Meanwhile, there were just 300million of new listings in London in the first quarter compared with 4.3billion across Europe, meaning companies leaving the UK stock market are not being replaced.

'If we extrapolate the current trend line, then the last company will leave the FTSE Small Cap in 2028,' said Peel Hunt's Hall, adding the pace of takeover activity was now 'relentless'.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Azerbaijani police has found ammunition in Khankendi city, liberated from Armenian occupation, a source in the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs told Trend.

The ministry reported that three automatic rifles, two rifles, five grenades, 37 ammunition magazines, 3,148 cartridges of various calibers and additional ammunition, as well as six communication devices, were recovered on the scene.

Following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan began operations in November 2020 to clean its lands of mines, booby traps, and other weaponry left behind by illegal Armenian forces.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Military grenades have been found in Jabrayil, the press service of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs of Barda told Trend.

While on patrol in Dash Veysalli village whereabouts, Jabrayil District Police Department servicemen recovered 23 "F-1" and "RGD-5" hand grenades.



The investigation into the case is going on.

Following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan began operations in November 2020 to clean its lands of mines, booby traps, and other weaponry left behind by illegal Armenian forces.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. A delegation headed by Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Petr Gorodov has arrived on a working visit to Azerbaijan to participate in a five-party meeting of representatives of the Prosecutor General's Offices of the Caspian littoral states upon the invitation of Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, Trend reports.

At the bilateral meeting at the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan, Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev emphasized that friendship and cooperation relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are strategic, and due to joint efforts and the political will of the heads of state, bilateral relations between the countries are successfully developing in all directions.

The Prosecutor General noted the high level of cooperation between the Prosecutor's Office and law enforcement agencies of the two countries, as well as in other spheres, noting that effective cooperation has been observed in recent years in the spheres of legal assistance in criminal cases, extradition, and scientific and educational activities.

Aliyev also underlined that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity was fully restored under the leadership of the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and today, with the attention and care of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, reconstruction and construction works are being carried out in Karabakh at a rapid pace.

The Prosecutor General also emphasized that the holding of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Azerbaijan, which is one of the most prestigious international events, once again testifies to the great trust and respect of the countries of the world towards Azerbaijan and the growing authority and strong positions of our country in the world.

Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome, Petr Gorodov noted the exemplary nature of the longstanding close ties between the two countries, as well as between the prosecutor's offices of the two friendly and partner states. Emphasizing the importance of the five-sided meeting of representatives of the Prosecutor General's' Offices of the Caspian littoral states, he expressed confidence that this format would contribute to the continuation of productive interaction.

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan Mikhail Yevdokimov also took part in the meeting.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:PHB  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 347,213 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 97% from the previous sessions volume of 176,693 shares.The stock last traded at $18.34 and had previously closed at $18.35.

Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $18.40 and a 200 day moving average of $18.15.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Mosley Wealth Management bought a new stake in Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the first quarter worth approximately $204,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 3.8% during the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 25,782 shares of the companys stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Investors Network Inc. bought a new position in shares of Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $559,000. Finally, Moller Wealth Partners lifted its stake in shares of Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 4.9% in the first quarter. Moller Wealth Partners now owns 36,481 shares of the companys stock worth $661,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares during the last quarter.

Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Company Profile

The Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (PHB) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the RAFI Bonds US High Yield 1-10 index. The fund tracks a fundamental-weighted index of high-yield US corporate bonds that must be rated between B3\u002FB- and Ba1\u002FBB+. PHB was launched on Nov 15, 2007 and is managed by Invesco.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population continues active employment programs for residents resettled in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation following the 'Great Return' program, Trend reports.

The Agency, with the support of the Special Representative Office of the President of Azerbaijan in Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan districts, organized a labor market in Aghali village of Zangilan district for the first time.

The active employment event was attended by 26 employers from the public and private sectors, and 253 vacancies in various fields were presented.

The Agency's Deputy Chairman of the Board, Jamaladdin Guliyev, an employee of the Special Representation of the President of Azerbaijan in Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan districts, Agil Gurbanov, got acquainted with the vacancies offered to residents at the fair. Additionally, it was noted that one of the main issues that remains the focus of attention within the framework of the 'Great Return' program is meeting the needs of employers for personnel in the territories liberated from occupation.

The residents participating in the fair were provided with information about vacancies and job duties. CVs of applicants were accepted and reviewed, and registration of eligible candidates was carried out.

The participants were also provided with information about active employment measures implemented in the territories liberated from occupation.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Azerbaijan becomes a transit hub for Uzbekistan, thanks to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route - the Middle Corridor, Furqat Sidiqov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the US, said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the Caspian Policy Center (CPC) event held in Washington DC.

"The Middle Corridor, a project supported by the US, provides Uzbekistan with access to Azerbaijan, which, in turn, becomes a transport hub for us," he said.

According to the ambassador, Central Asia can serve as a bridge connecting Eurasia and South Asia, boasting a market with over 3 billion people, which could be interesting for the US.

"We are currently experiencing a period of significant changes in supply routes and economic structures. US businesses now require access to new markets, and Central Asia has the potential to fulfill this need," Sidiqov added.

The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.

The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye before reaching Europe.

The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.
There has been a significant increase in investment fraud in Ireland that has seen 25 million euro stolen from people last year.

Gardai said that a total of 25,360,000 was reported stolen in 2023, which is almost equal to the same amounts stolen in 2021 and 2022 (14 million euro and 11.5 million euro respectively).

In the first two months of this year, over 55 people have reported investment fraud, double the number of reports in January and February last year.

People are being advised to be alert to criminals posing as investment managers and trying to fool someone into investing money in schemes and projects that do not exist.

Gardai said that sophisticated criminals are taking advantage during the cost-of-living crisis by cloning webpages and targeting victims through online and social media adverts by promising once in a lifetime opportunities to instantly invest with fast and large financial returns.

It said over 965 people have reported incidents of investment fraud to Gardai in the four-year period from January 2020.

Increasingly the victims are male; last year 69% of victims were male and the vast majority of those affected are over 40.

In May 2023, a man in his 40s clicked on a social media link advertising investment opportunities and entered contact details. He was later contacted by phone from a person purporting to be from a reputable financial institution about purchasing bank bonds and was defrauded of 100,000 euro.

During 2023, a man in his 60s reported that he had been contacted online about investing with a British financial institution and then had 300,000 euro stolen after transferring funds.

Gardai said that in January 2024, a man in his 70s based in the east of Ireland reported that he had over 190,000 euro stolen after he invested the money in what he thought was a legitimate British company.

Earlier this year, a man in his 50s had 121,000 euro stolen through investment fraud.

The victim understood that he was legitimately engaged in online trading and was communicating with someone online who had encouraged him into it.

Gardai said this was a particularly sophisticated crime as the victim had access to an online trading app and believed that he could see his funds being traded  but the app itself was fake.

Gardai have urged the public not to respond to pop-up or social media ads or messages with claims about investment returns and to ignore unsolicited cold calls about investments.

They also asked people not to invest until they get reliable financial and legal advice and to check the regulatory status of companies via the Central Bank of Ireland website.

Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said: People are always going to be attracted to the promise of big profits.

That is why these sophisticated, fraudulent investments are on the rise.

Those affected by this type of crime are ordinary people who really unfortunately can lose their life savings, nest eggs or a retirement lump sum.

Investment fraud can quite easily happen, the fraudster will sound convincing and claim to have insider knowledge but they are following a well-rehearsed script, theyre prepared for potential questions and they tend to be excellent actors.

They may purport to be working with a reputable firm and may even quote authorisation numbers or give the real address of a legitimate firm but this is all a (ploy).

I strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim in the past or who has more recently become a victim of investment fraud to please come forward and speak with us in any Garda station.
Police in the Netherlands have warned locals to be careful of a group of Irish scammers who swindled 550 from a Dutch pensioner for power washing his house.

Dutch police in the suburb of east Amstelland south of Amsterdam took to social media last friday to warn other residents to be wary of accepting on-the-spot service offers from Irish gangs after they scammed multiple pensioners in the area. You may have already encountered them, the police in the suburb of east Amstelland south of Amsterdam said on Facebook.

The police warned on Facebook of "English-speaking handymen" calling door-to-door, offering services such as cleaning driveways, painting, and gutter repairs. Police also said that the scammers "often have simple brochures, usually do not use quotes and they often speak English with an Irish accent."

According to the Dutch police, "after performing these services, they ask for an unreasonable amount and do not hesitate to threaten you if you do not want to pay the amount.

The alert was published following reports that a local 67-year-old man Theo came forward to say he had been intimidated into giving five Irish scammers 550, following threats of damage to his moped. The man, who lives in nearby Nieuw-Sloten told cops that five Irishmen called to his door three weeks ago.

Theo said the group claimed to be cleaning driveways and houses in the area and offered to do his house. "They said they were working in the area and still had stuff left to work on," Theo said. "They all had a professional installation, ladders and a pump with them.

The pensioner agreed to accept their work but enquired about the price. It all went very quickly, but they said that they were willing to do it for ten euros per square metre".

The men got to work, and once they were finished knocked on the victim's door and demanded a payment of a whopping 550, a much higher price than their initial offer of 10 per metre. Theo was shocked and queried the price  and said the Irishmen started to intimidate him.

"They kept talking about my scooter and whether I was afraid it would be set on fire", the victim said.

Other locals have claimed to have had similar run ins with the group, and local Police have now urged homeowners in the area to ring 112 if the Irish gang approaches them.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, April 5. The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) considers Turkmenistan a potential member, Trend reports.

According to an official source, this opinion was expressed by the Secretary General of the GECF, Mohamed Hamel, during a meeting with the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Qatar, Myratgeldi Seyitmammedov.

During the meeting, the Secretary General of the organization presented to the Ambassador a comprehensive overview of the role of the GECF as an international governmental organization that promotes dialogue and cooperation between member countries, international organizations, and consumer countries.

He noted that Turkmenistan, which has huge reserves of natural gas and is a key exporter of natural gas, could consider it advantageous to join the GECF and participate in its activities.

Furthermore, both sides expressed their desire to explore opportunities for cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and the GECF.

The GECF is an intergovernmental organization that provides a framework for exchanging experience and information among its member countries.

With the current number of GECF member countries, it occupies a dominant position in global energy markets, representing 69 percent of global gas reserves, 39 percent of realized production, and 40 percent of global gas exports.

Moreover, the GECF member countries collectively account for more than half of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports (51 percent).

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
More than 130 Irish troops arrived home from Syria on Friday, marking the end of the Defence Forces 10 years of peacekeeping in the area.

Ireland has now withdrawn its troops from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), who are deployed to monitor the border between Israel and Syria.

The group arriving at Dublin Airport included 133 troops of all ranks, consisting of 16 officers, 116 enlisted personnel and one chaplain.

The 68 Infantry Group was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Clear.

To all the family and friends travelling to Dublin Airport to welcome home personnel from Syria, the flight is on time and we are hoping to welcome them into the arrivals hall at 1400hrs Looking forward to seeing you all there and giving them the welcome they deserve!  pic.twitter.com/C2rohCLetG  Oglaigh na hEireann (@defenceforces) April 5, 2024

The group has a wide range of capabilities including armoured force protection, patrolling and mobility, surveillance, communications, medical and operational expertise.

There were emotional scenes at the arrivals area of Terminal 1, as hundreds of excited family members waited for their loved ones to return home.

Partners, parents and children held home-made welcome home signs, while others waved Irish tricolour flags.

Lisa Cunningham and her three-year-old daughter, Lucy McManus, held a welcome home daddy sign as they waited for her partner and Lucys dad, Neill McManus to arrive through the doors.

Ms Cunningham, who was joined by her mother, Carmel, said it was a long six months.

The family will travel back to their home in Athlone, Co Westmeath, on Friday evening.

Ms Cunningham said: We are waiting on my partner and Lucys dad, Neill. Hes been away in Syria for six months. We are really excited that he is coming home today.

Its difficult at the start when he leaves, you find your own routine and you miss them. But luckily we can speak to him every day through video call and text messages. It makes all the difference.

Especially with Lucy I am sure he probably feels like he misses out on a lot more. We miss him but he also misses out on a lot.

He is very tired from travelling so we will go home, probably get a bite to eat but we have no immediate plans. We might just chill this week and have some family time.

Mr McManus told the PA news agency: We are all happy to be home safe and sound. I really missed the family. Spending time together as a family is a big thing.

Its a great feeling to be home, especially back to little Lucy and we can enjoy our time off and spend family time together.

We have a month off so we will enjoy that as best we can.

Amanda Work and her daughter, Grace, patiently wait on her son, Conor Byrne, to arrive home.

Mr Byrne, from Galway  who is based at Athlone barracks, has been in the Defence Forces for six years.

Ms Work said: Conor has been out in Syria for six months. When hes away its not too different as he lives in Athlone and we live in Galway, but we do miss him travelling up and down to see us.

But its great, we have face-time and texting. He texts us every day.

Its very easy to stay in contact with him.

We are now going home to surprise his granddad as his granddad is ex-army and he doesnt know he is coming home today. Then we have another surprise after that, which Conor doesnt know about.

Mr Byrnes girlfriend, Maria Smith from Kildare, was also waiting on him.

Its difficult being away from each other, as we live together and I find that quite tough. But as we can video call its okay, she said.

Times were tough in the last week especially as the internet was down so we havent been able to been in contact as much. But we make it work.

I miss his company and I found the winter very tough because its dark and cold and I cant lite a fire to save my life, so I rely on him a lot I realised.

Im also not from Athlone, I find it tough being away from my own family. It is hard.

Conor has a month off and we are away to Vienna next weekend.

Lieutenant Clear described Syria as an interesting, beautiful and historic country.

It was a great place to serve, he said.

When you serve overseas that is the ultimate test of what we do. Its the ultimate environment of where we can test our skills and show what we are capable of.

He added: I will take it easy for a little while. Its great to be back.

We conducted the withdrawal very successfully.

Today is a day for saying what a professional group I was part of and what an honour it is to be a officer to serve with those people and be the representative for them front and centre.

Its a very proud day for me and for the Defence Forces. Weve done a really good job in a challenging environment and done with pride.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, April 5. The total cash withdrawn from ATMs in Turkmenistan in January 2024 amounted to 1.06 billion Turkmen manat, equivalent to $303 million, Trend reports.

Data from the Central Bank of Turkmenistan show that these figures are 17 percent more than on the same date in 2023 (905 million Turkmen manat, or $259 million).

The largest volume of cash withdrawals through ATMs in the first month of this year was carried out by customers of the Dayhanbank State Commercial Bank of Turkmenistan for a total amount of 438 million Turkmen manat ($125 million), which is 30 percent more than in the same month of 2023, which amounted to 336 million Turkmen manat ($96 million).

Furthermore, the total amount of cash withdrawn through ATMs in Turkmenistan for the whole of 2023 amounted to 22.33 billion Turkmen manat ($6.38 billion), which is 13.8 percent more than in the same period of 2022 (19.61 billion Turkmen manat, or $5.6 billion).

Meanwhile, according to the Central Bank of Turkmenistan, the official exchange rate of the Turkmen manat against the US dollar on March 30, 2024, is set at 3.5 manat per USD.
This morning we note another report about missed opportunity is directed toward local progressives . . . And here's our only problem with this bit of journalism?!?

NOBODY IS ASKING KC TENANTS ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT LOST REVENUE & COMMUNITY BENEFITS FOR KANSAS CITY'S EAST SIDE!!!

KC Tenants fought against $260-MILLION worth of assistance mostly directed at the East Side. Any complaints should be directed toward this activist group when it comes to replacing that cash.

Instead . . . KCUR seems happy to share typically patronizing content that's always intended to tug at the heartstrings of progressive middle-class white people . . .

If we can't get a resolution on this, I think it's gonna have a tremendously negative impact on historic 18th & Vine from the standpoint that the ballpark would've brought a level of commerce to this district that is sorely needed,Kansas Citys Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick said. And not just the district, but the East Side overall, an area that has been often overlooked, undervalued and underserved.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Again . . . We notice the local rate of killing continuing to ramp up as the weather turns nicer.

The latest count . . .



The homicide marks the 36th homicide of the year in KCMO compared to 45 homicides at this time last year.

Here is the first report:



Homicide 5600 blk E 31st



This afternoon around 1 PM officers were dispatched to the 5600 blk of east 31st on a sound of shots.



Upon arrival they located an adult male victim in a vehicle suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Officers performed life saving measures and summoned EMS to the scene. EMS declared the victim deceased.



This is being investigated as a homicide. Detectives are trying to determine what led up to the shooting.



Investigators are gathering evidence and interviewing any potential witnesses.



If anyone has any information they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.



We are committed to assisting victims of violent crimes through use of Missouris Protection Program for Victims/Witnesses of Violent Crime. Funding for temporary, or even permanent relocation, may be available but is subject to pre-approval by the States administering agency.



We are working with Partners for Peace in all our homicide investigations to monitor risks for retaliation and provide social services to affected residents.

#############



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Man found shot to death Friday in a car in east Kansas City, Missouri A man was found shot to death Friday afternoon after Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department officers were sent to East 31st Street and Topping Avenue on a report of gunshots being fired.

Kansas City police investigating homicide near 31st, Oakley Around 1 p.m. Kansas City police responded to a sound of shots call in the area of E. 31st Street and Oakley Avenue.

Developing . . .


BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Azerbaijani Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and a World Bank delegation led by senior energy specialist Roger Coma Cunill as well as specialist Stephanie Gil have discussed the acceleration of the joint AZURE project related to the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani ministry.

The sides discussed integrating renewable energy sources with a capacity of up to 2 GW into the power system, financing measures for connecting solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 1 GW by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), and linking solar power plants in Azerbaijan with capacities of 315 MW and 445 MW, set to commence construction in 2024, to the power grid.

Furthermore, the meeting assessed progress within the "Support to Energy Efficiency Fund and National Renovation Program Road Map" component of the "Energy Efficiency and Climate" technical assistance project, in collaboration with the World Bank's AZTAF program.

Additionally, discussions covered various aspects of energy cooperation with the World Bank.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Yesterday . . . We discussed that state of courthouse negotiations with our friend Pete Mundo.

Sure, our conversation was a bit gossipy and fun. And now it's news fact.

Yes, even if she deleted her VERY TELLING note.



Check-it:



Following county residents voting down a tax measure to help fund a new stadium for the Royals and renovate the Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium, the wife of Royals owner John Sherman said the teams are done working with the county and threatened a move to Kansas.



Unfortunately neither team will work with Jackson County again, Marny Sherman posted Wednesday on Facebook, as captured by KMBC in Kansas City.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Royals owner's wife threatens move to Kansas as stadium battle gets ugly The wife of Royals owner John Sherman said the teams are done working with the county and threatened a move to Kansas.

Wife of Royals owner John Sherman reacts to election, says 'no more Jackson County for sure' Marny Sherman said the area would be lucky if both teams ended up in Kansas.

Developing . . .
A local prog blog is offering insight into the search for "gender-affirming" care . . . Here's their consideration of the sitch:



"Families with trans kids on both sides of the state line watch with trepidation. If care options in Kansas go away, families in Missouri will also lose their nearest outlet for care. Parents in both states will be forced to choose between discontinuing their childs treatment or searching for it in a city elsewhere in the country."

However . . .

TKC is not a doctor and we don't have any advice, just compassion for families going through difficult times . . . But it seems to us that support for families in crisis is abundant in both states even if the treatment doesn't include experimental hormone therapy or surgery.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
A tourist from China switched a used water bottle with a new souvenir flask at the British Museum, causing a stir on social media. This incident happened in mid-March and became widely known after being shared on Xiaohongshu, a popular platform in China.

Tourist's Behavior Sparks Embarrassment Among China's Online Community

In a recent incident that has attracted widespread attention, a visitor from China was caught on video swapping a used water bottle for a new souvenir flask at the British Museum. This event took place in mid-March and quickly spread across social media, sparking a lot of discussions.

The video was first shared on Xiaohongshu, often called China's Instagram, by a user who was shocked by what they saw.

According to South China Morning Post, the user expressed disbelief at the tourist's actions, emphasizing how disappointing it would be for someone to find a used bottle instead of the expected brand-new flask. This incident has led to a wave of embarrassment among netizens in China, with many calling the behavior "disgusting" and "shameful."

The water bottle left behind by the tourist had both English and simplified Chinese characters on it, which is why online detectives are sure it came from China. More specifically, the bottle was linked to the Xinfu branch of the Bank of Jinzhou in Liaoning province, suggesting it was probably a free promotional item.

However, it's important to note there is no definitive proof the tourist is from mainland China, as simplified Chinese characters are used in other parts of the world too.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been concerns about the behavior of some tourists from China while abroad. The Chinese government has frequently reminded its citizens to behave well when traveling. Despite a significant drop in the number of Chinese tourists going abroad since the pandemic, this incident has reignited discussions on the importance of respectful behavior at international landmarks.

Related Article: China Faces Extreme Weather Challenges During Lunar New Year Travel

This flask swap incident at the British Museum has not only caused embarrassment among netizens in China but also brought out the ongoing conversation about tourist behavior and the impact it can have on a country's image abroad.

China Tourists' Misbehavior Raises Global Concern

In 2013, tourists from China were in the spotlight for not behaving well while traveling abroad. Stories of their actions, like faking marriage certificates for discounts and improper public behavior, spread quickly online in China, causing many people to feel upset and embarrassed. This led to serious discussions about why some Chinese tourists act this way.

Experts say that traveling overseas is still new and exciting for many people in China. As per Reuters, they might not know the rules of other countries because they are not used to traveling. For example, a young boy from China wrote his name on an ancient temple in Egypt, causing a big upset.

The Chinese government has noticed these problems too. They want Chinese tourists to act better when they visit other places. The government has even put out rules for good behavior, like dressing right and not being too loud in public.

More than 83 million Chinese tourists went abroad in the year before, showing how much Chinese people like to travel. Officials and experts believe that as Chinese tourists travel more, they will learn and start to behave better.
Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, shared a sneak peek of a new Avatar land that might be coming to Disneyland Resort. This big news was part of Disney's yearly meeting with its shareholders.

Even though the new Avatar project at Disneyland has not been officially announced, Iger's presentation included concept art showing what the designers are thinking about. The reveal happened during a discussion about many new ideas for the company, especially its theme parks.

Disneyland Might Get an Avatar-Themed Land

Disneyland is already thinking about growing bigger, and the new Avatar land could be a part of this expansion. This plan, known as DisneylandForward, needs a final yes from the city council of Anaheim later this month.

As per Theme Park Insider, if the council agrees, Disneyland could use new areas for attractions like Avatar. Besides Avatar, Disney also mentioned that lands based on popular movies like Frozen, Zootopia, and Black Panther might be added to Disneyland Resort if the expansion goes through.

The news came out after a vote where Disney shareholders decided not to let investor Nelson Peltz join the company's board. After the vote, Iger talked about different projects happening across Disney. The Avatar land is just one of the many exciting things that might be added to Disneyland, making it an even more magical place to visit.

This new addition would not only bring the world of Avatar to life but also could introduce visitors to other beloved stories through new lands. Disneyland is looking forward to possibly expanding its magic with these new worlds, awaiting the city council's decision with hope.

Related Article : World of Frozen Opens at Hong Kong Disneyland, Bringing Arendelle to Life

Disneyland to Update Classic Autopia Ride with Electric Cars

Disneyland is planning to update one of its oldest rides, Autopia, by switching its gas-powered cars to electric. This change aims to make the ride quieter and cleaner. Since its opening in 1955, Autopia has been a hit, especially with young kids driving for the first time. However, its loud noise and bad smell have made it less popular among some visitors.

The Disneyland Resort confirmed this week that it's working on making Autopia electric, as Cinema Blend shared. This move is part of the theme park's effort to use cleaner energy. Disneyland's spokesperson, Jessica Good, explained that they are exploring technology to make this switch in the next few years. Currently, Honda sponsors Autopia, but with many car companies now offering electric vehicles, the door is open for new sponsorship opportunities.

Bob Gurr, the Disney legend who designed the original Autopia, also supports this change. He believes it's time for the ride to reflect the future of cars, fitting its location in Tomorrowland, a place meant to showcase future technologies.

There's no set timeline for when the electric cars will debut. Disneyland may close Autopia temporarily for the update or replace the cars gradually, similar to how Universal Studios Hollywood updates its trams. This announcement might lead to similar updates at Disney's other parks, like Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland Speedway in Orlando.
In Singapore, a travel blogger's negative review calling the city-state the "most boring country" she's ever visited has sparked a lot of talk online. The vlogger, known as "ninas_travels_" on Instagram, shared a video last Thursday that quickly became her most viewed post, with over 2 million views.

In it, she criticized Singapore for its traffic, high-rise buildings, and what she sees as a lack of natural beauty and vibe. She also mentioned high prices and her disappointment with the local food, especially as a vegetarian.

Singapore Locals Enraged After Traveler's Harsh Comments

Many people in Singapore have come forward to defend their country against these claims. They argue that the vlogger didn't fully explore what Singapore has to offer.

Some suggested that Nina Gerhards, the traveler who made comment on her IG post, should have visited places like Pulau Ubin or the Southern Islands for a less "manicured" experience of nature, as reported by Malay Mail.

Others pointed out that Singapore is known for its modern architecture, vibrant cityscapes, and diverse food scene, which might not have been to the blogger's taste but are beloved by many.

The debate showed the different things people look for when they travel. While some agree with the vlogger's points, noting that Singapore can be expensive and may not suit everyone's tastes, others have shared their own positive experiences. They talk about enjoying Singapore's food, its mix of cultures, and its history.

This discussion shows that travel experiences are very personal. What one person might find boring, another could see as fascinating. As the online debate continues, it's clear that Singapore, like any other destination, can't please everyone, but it certainly has a lot to offer to those willing to explore it.

Related Article : Singapore Tourism Sees Decline in International Visitor Arrivals for Third Consecutive Month in October

Australian Tourist Shares Her Take on Shopping in Singapore

An Australian visitor, known on TikTok as _jessiecarr, recently shared her surprise at the high prices while exploring one of Singapore's most upscale shopping centers, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, during her solo trip.

According to Asia One, in her video from Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, Jessie highlighted the presence of luxury brands such as Bottega Veneta, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton, noting the lack of affordable options for the average shopper.

Despite finding a few less expensive brands like Lululemon, Bath & Body Works, and Sephora, Jessie humorously remarked that she felt out of place among the lavish settings, including a cafe with gold teapots. Her journey through the mall ended at a food court, situated beneath even more high-end stores, leading to her light-hearted plea for escape.

The post struck a chord with netizens, some of whom joked about the mall's extravagance, while others sympathized with her findings, suggesting more budget-friendly shopping destinations in Singapore such as Suntec City and Vivo City.

Some people said that anyone can visit Marina Bay Sands but if looking for some cheaper stores to eat, they can try local spots instead.
In January, a passenger named Lisa Archbold was escorted off a Delta Air Lines flight for wearing a T-shirt without a bra. The flight was from Salt Lake City to San Francisco. Archbold, represented by well-known attorney Gloria Allred, is now urging the airline to revise its dress code policy. Delta Air Lines apologized to Archbold after the incident, which has sparked a broader conversation about dress codes on flights.

Delta Air Lines Faces Call for Dress Code Policy Change After Passenger Incident

Lisa Archbold boarded her Delta Air Lines flight as usual, but the situation quickly changed. A gate agent told her that her outfit, a loose white T-shirt, was "offensive" and "revealing." She was allowed back on the plane only after covering up with a button-up shirt she had around her waist.

Feeling targeted and humiliated, Archbold stated, "I wore the same clothing any man might wear. I also have a chest smaller than many men on that flight. Where does Delta draw the line," as quoted by Business Insider. This incident led her to seek legal counsel from Gloria Allred, a lawyer known for tackling high-profile women's rights cases.

Allred challenged Delta's policy in a letter to the airline's president, questioning the enforcement of dress standards that might cause "an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance." She is seeking a meeting to find a practical solution to this policy issue.

Delta Air Lines has responded by apologizing to Archbold, acknowledging the controversy surrounding the enforcement of its dress code. This is not the first instance of airline passengers being scrutinized for their attire, indicating a larger debate over what is considered appropriate dress on flights.

Related Article : Delta Air Lines Flight Turns Back Due to Maggot Infestation from Passenger's Bag

Delta Air Lines Dress Code Controversy Sparks Debate

Delta Air Lines is under scrutiny after reports surfaced of women being almost removed from flights for not wearing a bra. The airline's Contract of Carriage, updated on March 12, outlines reasons for removing passengers, including conduct or attire that offends others. Notably, the policy suggests passengers could be removed for their choice of clothing, sparking a debate about dress code standards.

Recently, a 38-year-old Archbold, held a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, revealing she was singled out by Delta staff at Salt Lake City Airport in January for boarding a flight without a bra.

Delta's policy states removal can occur if a passenger's attire causes offense. In a report released by The Independent, Allred argues this policy is unfairly applied, noting men are not required to cover up in the same way. The incident has raised questions about gender equality and the enforcement of dress codes by airlines.

Although there are no current plans for a lawsuit, Allred seeks a meeting with Delta's president to discuss updating policies to better reflect modern values and standards, bringing up the ongoing debate around dress codes in the aviation industry.
Heading to Hallstatt, Austria, and wondering what's on the agenda? Well, you are in a perfect place because this place is a bucket lister's dream come true! Picture yourself chilling by a crystal-clear lake, surrounded by towering mountains - that's Hallstatt for you, but there's so much more to do than just snap pictures.

Think ancient salt mines where you can dive deep into history, or getting your mind blown by views from the Skywalk that will make you feel like you are on top of the world. And for the culture vultures, the town's got charm in spades, from its adorable market square to the cozy, cafe-lined streets.

Aside from these things, what else can you do in this wonderful place? Let's see!

Soak Up the Charm of Hallstatt Village

Walking through Hallstatt is like stepping right into those postcards you see at souvenir shops. This village packs a serious punch with its old-world vibe, showcasing narrow alleys and classic Alpine houses that look like something out of a fairy tale. Spend a few hours wandering around, soaking in the serene atmosphere and snapping pics that'll make your friends super jealous.

Hop on the Ferry for a Lake Adventure

Starting your Hallstatt trip with a ferry ride across its stunning lake is like unlocking the first level of an epic adventure game. The moment you board the ferry, you are treated to views that are out of this world. The water's so clear and calm, it's like a giant mirror reflecting the sky and mountains around.

Trust me, this is the chill vibe you need to kickstart your Hallstatt journey. Plus, you might get lucky and have the whole ferry to yourself if you catch the early morning ride. It's the perfect intro to the scenic beauty that Hallstatt is famous for.

Dive Deep into History at the Salt Mines

The salt mines in Hallstatt are ancient, making them a must-visit spot for anyone intrigued by history. These mines take you on a journey back in time and show you why Hallstatt's pretty much the OG salt supplier of the ancient world. You get to explore the dark tunnels, learn about the mining life back in the day, and yes, slide down a miner's slide. It's like being part of a real-life history lesson, but way cooler.

Catch the Best Views from the Skywalk

Once you have explored below, it's time to head up and see Hallstatt from above at the Skywalk. The view from up there is unreal - it's like standing on top of the world, looking down on one of the most picturesque scenes you will ever see. The lake, the town, and those gorgeous mountains all come together in a panorama that will make you want to stay up there forever. It's the kind of spot that makes you realize just how beautiful this planet really is.

Chill at the Market Square

The market square in the heart of Hallstatt is where the action's at. It's surrounded by these colorful buildings that look like they have come straight out of a fairytale. Grab a coffee, sit back, and just enjoy the vibe. On market days, you can snag some local goodies and chat up the friendly locals. It's the perfect place to soak up Hallstatt's lively atmosphere and maybe even pick up a souvenir or two.

Take a Hike to the Echerntal Waterfall

If you are up for a bit of adventure, the hike to the Echerntal Waterfall is where it's at. The trail takes you through some seriously gorgeous nature, leading to a waterfall that's both stunning and soothing. It's a bit of a walk, but every step is worth it for the views and the peaceful vibes. Plus, it's a great way to work off all those delicious Austrian pastries you will be eating. The waterfall is a natural masterpiece, showing off the wild side of Hallstatt that's just waiting to be explored.
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The father of the man killed by police on Friday says his son needed help for a mental illne
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Azerbaijan has a promising percentage of plant cover in mountainous areas, Director of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Center at Azercosmos Space Agency Ismat Bakhishov said during an event themed "Climate Change View from Space" in Baku, Trend reports.

The vegetation cover in mountainous areas is 90.4 percent, which is a very good sign for Azerbaijan, whereas the global average is 76 percent, he explained.

To note, a new electronic platform, which consists of five sections in two languages, was launched to the public on 5 April. The information published here, based on Azersky satellite data, will contribute to raising awareness of climate change.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova has condemned the detection of a combat drone in the south of the country near the border with Ukraine.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry wrote about this on the social network X, Ukrinform reports.

"We strongly condemn the re-discovery of the wreckage of a military drone used by Russia during the attack on Ukraine. The previous incident occurred only two months ago," the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry added that Moldova is on the side of Ukraine.

As reported by Ukrinform, on April 4, in the south of Moldova, 500 meters from the border with Ukraine, the wreckage of a drone was found again. Fragments of the drone with the inscription "Geranium-2" on the wing were found near the village of Etulia, Vulcanesti district.

Read also: Ukraine intercepts all incoming Shahed drones overnight Friday

On February 11, in Moldova, near the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, not far from the village of Etulia, Vulcanesti district, the border police found fragments of a Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle. The drone attack took place on the night of February 10 in Izmail district, near the border with Moldova.
Ukraine has proposed introducing a ban on air transit to Russia and Belarus in order to limit the economic potential of the aggressor.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stated this at a joint briefing with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte following a bilateral meeting, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Sanctions and confiscations. I am grateful to Lithuania for its leadership on the sanctions track," Shmyhal said.

The Prime Minister noted that the agreement reached by the Baltic States in January on the unified regional application of sanctions enhances their effectiveness and efficiency.

"Today we would like to propose a new initiative, new sanctions - a ban on air transit to the Russian Federation and Belarus," he informed.

The Prime Minister explained that such an initiative is aimed at limiting the economic potential of the aggressor, as well as increasing the sanctions pressure on the enemy.

As reported by Ukrinform, Lithuania will purchase 3,000 drones of its own production for Ukraine, as well as allocate 15 million euros for rehabilitation programs for wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
Kherson was visited by a Lithuanian delegation, including parliamentarians and manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported on Facebook by the head of the Kherson Regional Military District Administration Oleksandr Prokudin.

"I met with the Vice Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr. Paulius Saudargas, and Lithuanian parliamentarians," the statement reads.

As noted, during the meeting in Kherson, they discussed the priority needs of the region: the arrangement of shelters in educational institutions before the start of the new school year, accelerating the pace of demining and military equipment.

Prokudin said that the Lithuanian delegation included manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles. He offered cooperation in testing new developments.

The head of the regional military administration also said that there are agreements to furnish two shelters and a center for children's psychological rehabilitation. And soon Lithuanian dentists will visit the communities of Kherson region.

Prokudin also presented gratitude to the Lithuanian volunteer organizations that constantly work in the region, handed over a personal invitation to the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Victorija Chmilyte-Nielsen, as well as a chess table, as Ms. Victoria is a European chess champion and once participated in competitions in Kherson.

Prokudin also reminded that Lithuania is a powerful voice of support for Ukraine, both in terms of military assistance and on Ukraine's path to full membership in the EU.

As Ukrinform reported, in September 2023, a Lithuanian delegation visited the de-occupied territory of Kherson region, the Kalynivka community.

In the de-occupied Kherson region, it is planned to resume the educational process in 15 institutions in the next academic year, where children could study at least in a mixed format.
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Published April 4, 2024

CAPTION: Dr. David W. Pittman, Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (left) and Dr. Ronald Berry, President of ULM (right), signed an Education Partnership Agreement on March 25, 2024, at the ERDC facility in Vicksburg, Miss.

MONROE, LA  The University of Louisiana Monroe signed an Education Partnership Agreement (EPA) with The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) on Monday, March 25, 2024, in Vicksburg, Miss. The EPA provides a framework for pursuing cooperative educational collaborations between ULM and the ERDC, including the sharing of laboratory equipment and cooperative research programs.

This relationship will open opportunities for faculty, staff, and students at ULM to put into practice what we teach. To serve others alongside ERDC is a great honor and we look forward to the new horizons that will be realized from our collaboration, said Dr. Mark Arant, ULM Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Our ERDC team is excited to highlight this new Educational Partnership Agreement with the University of Louisiana Monroe, said Robert D. Moser, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Technical Manager for the ERDC. Its been a pleasure to get to know the ULM team and see their commitment to academics, workforce development, and improving our local communities here in the mid-south. From environmental toxicology to meteorology, hydrology, construction, and computer science, there are many technical fields that I hope we can further strengthen our collaborations on, continued Moser.

According to the text of the agreement, The supportive relationship between ULM and ERDC is established in recognition of the importance of science and technology education to the future political and economic well-being of the nation as well as the importance of ULM to the business, industrial, and government institutions in this region.

The purpose of the partnership is to encourage and enhance study in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Current programs at ULM that may participate in this partnership include Unmanned Aircraft Systems Management, Strategic Communications, Public Administration, Educational Leadership, Master of Business Administration, Atmospheric Science, Toxicology, Computer Science, and more.

Examples of ways this partnership will be executed include ERDC making laboratory personnel available to teach science courses or to assist in the development of courses and materials for ULM, including ULM faculty and students in laboratory and research projects, and providing academic and career advice and assistance to students of ULM. The program will also be marked by the mutual sharing of resources and information.

The Educational Partnership Agreement will remain in effect for five years.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Azerbaijan's Azercosmos space agency hopes the electronic platform Climate Change from Space will contribute to the success of the COP29, Chairman of the Board of Azercosmos Samaddin Asadov told reporters, Trend reports.

Asadov made the remark on the sidelines of an event themed A View on Climate Change from Space in Baku.

Furthermore, open data will be a useful source of information for our researchers, scientists, youth, and students working on climate, our water resources, and the Caspian Sea, for analytics, statistics, and forecasting, he said.

To note, a new electronic platform, which consists of five sections in two languages, was launched to the public on 5 April. The information published here based on Azersky satellite data will contribute to raising awareness of climate change.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in November this year. The decision was made at the plenary meeting of COP28 held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Within two weeks Baku, having become the center of the world, will host about 70-80 thousand foreign guests.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for Conference of Parties, which is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Approximately, 198 countries are parties to the convention. Unless the parties have decided otherwise, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. One of the most important strategic directions for the development of Azerbaijan is the use of alternative energy sources, ecologist and professor Chingiz Ismayilov told Trend.

He mentioned that there is potential for this in Azerbaijan.

"Alternative energy sources will increase the weight of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan's energy balance. The availability of alternative energy sources is important. But it is also important to attract investors to this sphere, define partnerships with the private sector, make ancillary investments, and attract modern technologies," he emphasized.

According to the ecologist, alternative energy sources have both positive sides and economic difficulties.

"The cost of electricity from renewable energy sources is thus higher than production from conventional energy sources. Large investments are needed to develop this area. The location of renewable energy power plants is also very important. The projected potential of alternative energy in Azerbaijan is 157 GW in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea (35 GW in shallow basins and 122 GW in deep basins). For this reason, it is more appropriate to build wind farms on the coasts and islands. First of all, it is necessary to attract specialists to the territory where the station will be built and conduct an assessment," he added.

To note, the technical potential of renewable energy sources amounts to 135 GW on land and 157 GW at sea. The economic potential is estimated at 27 GW, including 3,000 MW for wind energy, 23,000 MW for solar energy, 380 MW for bioenergy potential, and 520 MW for the potential of mountain rivers.

The total power generation capacity of Azerbaijan is 8320.8 MW, and the capacity of renewable energy power plants, including large hydroelectric power plants, is 1687.8 MW, which is 20.3 percent of the total capacity.

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In response to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona's recent plea to extend financial aid deadlines, state officials and education leaders express mixed reactions and concerns about the implications of further delays.

Pushback Against Federal Request

Cardona's letter urging state governors to extend aid deadlines until the end of May has sparked criticism from state higher education officials and national association leaders. While some agree with the necessity of extending deadlines due to the ongoing challenges with the FAFSA rollout, others criticize the tone and timing of the request, particularly in light of recent calculation errors.

According to Catherine Brown, senior director of policy for the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), pushing deadlines back is essential to prevent students from being penalized due to FAFSA flaws. However, some stakeholders feel that Cardona's directive came across as insensitive, prompting questions about the Department of Education's handling of the situation.

Moreover, concerns have been raised about the potential burden on state budgets if additional funding is required to accommodate increased state grant aid. The financial strain on states, already grappling with various economic challenges, adds complexity to the decision-making process regarding aid deadlines.

State Responses and Considerations

Despite reservations about the federal request, several states have demonstrated flexibility in adjusting their aid deadlines in response to ongoing FAFSA issues. States like Texas and California have already moved their deadlines multiple times, but officials remain cautious about further delays.

In Texas, where the completion rate for FAFSA and state aid applications remains below target, officials are monitoring Cardona's deadline request. However, concerns about the impact of extended deadlines on students' decision-making processes and access to resources are driving cautious decision-making.

Marlene Garcia, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, emphasizes the importance of timely aid information for students to make informed decisions about their college studies. While mixed-status student issues have been addressed, Garcia believes maintaining the current deadline is crucial for facilitating the college selection process.

Meanwhile, stakeholders continue to advocate for improved communication and collaboration between federal and state entities to address FAFSA-related challenges effectively. Transparent dialogue and coordinated efforts are essential to navigating the complexities of financial aid distribution and ensuring equitable access to higher education opportunities.

Challenges and Consequences of Deadline Extensions

While some advocate for further deadline extensions, others caution against potential consequences, such as delaying students' access to essential resources and support. Extending deadlines beyond May could disrupt the decision-making process for graduating seniors and undermine efforts to promote college access and affordability.

As states navigate the complexities of FAFSA processing and financial aid distribution, finding a balance between accommodating students' needs and maintaining effective timelines remains a significant challenge. Ultimately, state officials and education leaders must weigh the trade-offs and implications of deadline extensions to ensure equitable access to higher education opportunities for all students. Collaborative efforts and proactive measures are crucial in addressing the evolving needs of students and families during these challenging times.
The University of Texas at Austin has made the decision to close its Division of Campus and Community Engagement (DCCE), formerly known as the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, resulting in the layoff of over 40 employees from the department. An additional 20 employees from other divisions are also facing termination, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Response to SB 17 and Legislative Pressure

The closure of the DCCE comes in the wake of increased legislative scrutiny over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Texas higher education institutions. Lawmakers, including Republican state Senator Brandon Creighton, warned that failure to comply with SB 17, an anti-DEI bill, could lead to legal repercussions or funding cuts. Creighton expressed concerns about institutions simply renaming offices or titles to circumvent the law, emphasizing the need for genuine compliance.

In response to legislative pressure and the requirements of SB 17, UT Austin president Jay Hartzell stated that the university had been assessing its post-SB 17 operations, leading to the conclusion that restructuring was necessary to align with the new legislation. Hartzell emphasized the need to streamline operations, optimize resources, and refocus on core academic activities such as teaching and research, leading to the decision to close the DCCE.

READ ALSO : Texas Ban on Diversity Initiatives Reflects Trend Across GOP States

Controversy Surrounding Layoffs and Division Closure

The layoffs and closure of the DCCE have sparked controversy and condemnation from various groups, including the Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Texas NAACP. These organizations argue that UT Austin was already SB 17-compliant before the layoffs and division closure and accuse the university of retaliation against employees associated with DEI initiatives.

According to the joint statement released by the AAUP and the Texas NAACP, the terminated employees were no longer in DEI-related positions at the time of their layoffs, suggesting that the actions were intended to punish individuals based on their past association with DEI efforts. The manner in which cuts were made in the DCCE is also criticized, with allegations of racial and ethnic discrimination in the decision-making process.

As UT Austin faces scrutiny and backlash over its handling of DEI initiatives and compliance with SB 17, the university is likely to face continued pressure from both legislators and advocacy groups, highlighting the ongoing debate surrounding diversity and inclusion in higher education institutions.

Future Implications and Challenges

Further developments regarding the fallout from the closure of the DCCE and the implementation of SB 17 are anticipated in the coming weeks. UT Austin may face additional legal challenges or public scrutiny as stakeholders continue to assess the impact of these decisions on campus culture and diversity efforts. The university administration will need to navigate carefully to address concerns raised by various groups while ensuring compliance with state legislation and maintaining its academic mission.

The closure of the DCCE underscores the complex and evolving landscape of DEI initiatives in higher education, with institutions grappling with legislative mandates, budgetary constraints, and shifting priorities. As UT Austin moves forward, it will need to balance the demands of compliance with SB 17 with its commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive campus community, navigating a path that promotes equity and access for all students and staff.
House lawmakers are set to scrutinize the ramifications of the flawed launch of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in an upcoming hearing scheduled for next week. The hearing, organized by the House higher education subcommittee, aims to assess the impact of FAFSA rollout mishaps on students, families, and colleges.

Concerns Over FAFSA Failures

Lawmakers from both political parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the troubled implementation of the new FAFSA system, which has been plagued by numerous issues and delays. The Government Accountability Office has initiated two separate investigations into the matter, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. The upcoming hearing marks the beginning of what may evolve into a series of inquiries into what the subcommittee has labeled as the "FAFSA Fail."

Republican representative Burgess Owens of Utah, who chairs the subcommittee, criticized the Department of Education's handling of the FAFSA rollout, citing poor communication, negligence, and incompetence. Owens emphasized the detrimental impact of FAFSA delays on millions of students, leaving them uncertain about their academic prospects and devoid of necessary guidance and support.

Democratic representative Frederica Wilson of Florida, serving as the senior Democrat on the subcommittee, echoed concerns over the FAFSA rollout. Wilson emphasized the importance of identifying the root causes behind the delays and glitches to ensure seamless execution of educational policies. The subcommittee aims to gather insights from witnesses during the hearing to address obstacles hindering students' access to education.

READ ALSO : States Grapple with Federal Plea to Extend Financial Aid Deadlines

Evaluating FAFSA Processing Errors

The Department of Education commenced processing FAFSA applications last month, significantly later than usual, triggering widespread observations of errors by financial aid professionals. Instances of incorrect transferal of tax information onto forms and miscalculations of students' aid eligibility have been reported. These errors are expected to prolong the wait for students to receive information from colleges regarding their expected financial aid.

As policymakers and administrators work to establish robust educational frameworks, ensuring smooth execution is imperative. The subcommittee's hearing seeks to shed light on the factors contributing to the operational challenges faced during the FAFSA rollout. By addressing these issues, lawmakers aim to facilitate greater accessibility to education for all students and eliminate barriers obstructing their academic pursuits.

Looking Ahead: Reforming FAFSA Policies

Beyond the immediate concerns surrounding the FAFSA rollout, lawmakers are contemplating reforms to prevent similar issues in the future. Proposed measures include enhanced oversight of Department of Education procedures, stricter accountability mechanisms, and increased transparency in communication with stakeholders. Additionally, there is growing bipartisan support for measures to streamline the FAFSA application process and improve user experience for students and families.

Efforts to reform FAFSA policies are driven by a shared commitment to ensuring equitable access to higher education opportunities. Lawmakers recognize the pivotal role of financial aid in facilitating college affordability and reducing barriers to entry for underrepresented groups. As such, the subcommittee's hearing serves as a critical step toward addressing systemic challenges and fostering positive changes in federal student aid programs.
UNODC enhances the capacities of Central Asian border and migration services officers in authenticating travel documents

From 11 to 13 March, UNODC organized a regional training on verification of the authenticity of travel documents in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, for 27 mid- and senior-level officers from Central Asian border and migration services officers.

The training aimed to equip the officers with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively tackle challenges encountered during document inspections at checkpoints, thereby strengthening their ability to counter cross-border crime.

During his opening speech, H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Sasaki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Turkmenistan, highlighted Japans invaluable partnership with UNODC globally, including in Central Asia and the crucial need for collaboration in combatting global issues like drug trafficking and organized crime, underscoring the importance of united efforts.

I believe that this workshop will enhance the knowledge and skills necessary for effective border control and that the exchange and collaboration among participants will continue after the training. Japan remains committed to supporting the endeavors of Central Asian countries in advancing social and human security, showcasing our dedication to shared responsibilities within the global community, he emphasized.

Major Yakub Akmuradov, the Head of the Information and Management Department at the Central Office of the State Border Service of Turkmenistan, expressed his gratitude to UNODC for their enduring partnership. He highlighted the successful implementation of various targeted projects within their systemic bilateral partnership, including high-level training courses and workshops that significantly bolstered the capabilities of border officers.

One of the key initiatives of our project is to establish an institutional platform for regularly conducting interdepartmental and interagency training courses at national and regional levels. In 2023, we organized six specialized trainings, benefiting a total of 160 law enforcement officers from the region. I am optimistic that this training will play a crucial role in strengthening UNODCs regional initiatives to enhance law enforcement capacity for effective border control, remarked Yusuf Kurbonov, UNODC International Programme Coordinator.

The training, led by international expert from the Federal Republic of Germany and national experts, covered a variety of topics, such as identifying features of counterfeit documents, various printing techniques, forgery methods, advanced security features, including optically variable ink, optically variable magnetic ink and LASINK, and technologies for detecting forged documents.

Practical sessions allowed officers to hone their document examination skills using tools, such as magnifiers and ultraviolet light. Discussions on real-life case studies at airports and land borders further enriched their learning experience.

At the conclusion of the training, participants received certificates and expressed gratitude towards UNODC and the trainers for the valuable insights gained.

This training was part of the UNODC Regional Project on Enhancing Cross-Border Cooperation by Strengthening the Capacity of Border Liaison Offices in Central Asia of Sub-programme 1 Preventing and Countering Transnational Organized Crime of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022  2025.

This strategic endeavor, designed to strengthen the capacity of border crossing points and foster cross-border cooperation by promoting the concept of Border Liaison Offices and developing information and communication networks for border agencies, is made possible through funding provided by the Government of Japan.

Read more about the project

For further information, please contact:

Nurangez Abdulhamidova

Communications and External Relations Specialist

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia

Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government will establish new Danish schools in remote areas of Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and other areas of the country including Islamabad where the children will get state of the art free education, boarding, and food facilities

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Apr, 2024) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government will establish new Danish schools in remote areas of Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and other areas of the country including Islamabad where the children will get state of the art free education, boarding, and food facilities.

He was talking to the participants of the iftar-dinner hosted by him in honour of orphaned children and children with special abilities at the Prime Minister House on Thursday.

Besides he also announced to establish state of the art hospitals in Islamabad, AJK and GB.

The prime minister, on the occasion, taking keen interest in the children, interacted with them and inquired about their well-being.

"I am happy to meet the cute children came from various institutions including SOS and Hassan academy," he said adding today the children were the chief guests while he was their host.

During his interaction with the children, the prime minister said he found them very intelligent who will join different professions in future and will play key role in the country's development and prosperity.

He said no doubt, the parents were the biggest blessings, but the Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH was also born with no father and his mother passed away when he was only six years old.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Apr, 2024) Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 6 to 8 April 2024, during the last days of Ramazan. This would be the prime ministers first foreign visit since assuming his office.

During his visit, he will perform Umrah and offer prayers at the Masjid Nabwi Al-Sharif, a press release issued by the Foreign Office Spokesperson said on Friday.

The prime minister is also expected to meet the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and discuss issues of mutual interest.

The leaders will also exchange views on regional and global developments.

The prime minister will be accompanied by ministers for foreign, defence; finance, information and economic affairs.

Pakistan and KSA have longstanding fraternal relations rooted in religious and cultural affinity. The people of Pakistan have the deepest respect and regard for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.

The leadership of both countries is committed to advancing the fraternal ties and mutually rewarding economic and investment relations.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Russia said Friday that its recent strikes on Ukraine were a "response" to Ukrainian attacks on its energy sector, which Kyiv has frequently targeted in drone attacks

Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Apr, 2024) Russia said Friday that its recent strikes on Ukraine were a "response" to Ukrainian attacks on its energy sector, which Kyiv has frequently targeted in drone attacks.

Moscow has launched almost daily strikes on Ukraine's power grid since late March, repeating its campaign of aerial bombardment that plunged millions into darkness in 2022 and early 2023.

The Russian defence ministry said it had carried out 39 strikes against Ukraine since March 31 "in response to attempts by the Kyiv regime to damage facilities in the oil and gas and energy sectors of Russia".

It said the strikes targeted Ukraine's energy sector and fuel depots as well as "enterprises of the military-industrial complex" and air defences.

Ukraine has fired dozens of drones at Russian energy facilities including oil refineries since the conflict began, sometimes hundreds of kilometres from the border.

Russian strikes on Ukraine's power stations since late March have caused "billions" of Dollars in damage and prompted emergency blackouts in several regions.

Separately, Moscow's defence ministry said it had captured Vodiane, a village about five kilometres (three miles) northwest of Donetsk city in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow has made multiple gains on the eastern front in recent months as Ukraine faces ammunition shortages and hold-ups to aid from its biggest ally Washington.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Germany's Bonn will host a climate change conference on June 313 as part of the 60th session of the subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Trend reports via UNFCC.

Events in Bonn include sessions on 'Linking the Technology Mechanism and the Climate Financial Mechanism', 'Annual Global Dialogue on Climate Stocktaking', 'Dialogue on Ocean and Climate Change', 'Dialogue on Climate Empowerment', and 'Dialogue on Children and Climate Change'.

Bonn will also host the 8th meeting of the Paris Capacity Building Committee (linked to the UN Paris Climate Agreement) and a total of about 20 events on the global climate agenda.

"The high-level events in Bonn were endorsed in March 2024 by the "Troika" of Climate Summit Presidents - the UAE (COP28, held in December 2023), Azerbaijan (COP29, to be held in November 2024 in Baku), and Brazil (COP30, in 2025)," the statement of the UNFCCC noted.

Particularly, Bonn will focus on the national contributions (NDCs) of countries to combat global warming.

Representatives of Azerbaijan will participate in all events in Bonn, as Baku will host COP29 on November 1124.

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The 12-month grace period for student loan borrowers ended on September 30. The "on-ramp" period helped borrowers who are struggling to make payments avoid the risk of defaulting and hurting their credit score.

"The end of the on-ramp period means the beginning of the potentially harsh consequences for student loan borrowers who are not able to make payments," said Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director at the Student Borrower Protection Center.

Around 43 million Americans have student loan debt, amounting to $1.5 trillion. Around eight million of those borrowers had enrolled in the SAVE plan, the newest income-driven repayment plan that extended the eligibility for borrowers to have affordable monthly student loan payments. However, this plan is currently on hold due to legal challenges.

With the on-ramp period and a separate program known as Fresh Start ending and the SAVE plan on hold, student loan borrowers who are struggling to afford their monthly payments have fewer options, added Yu. Student loan borrowers who haven't been able to afford their monthly payments must consider their options to avoid going into default.

If you have student loans, here's what you need to know.

What was the on-ramp period?

The Education Department implemented this grace period to ease the borrower's transition to make payments after a three-year payment pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this year-long period, borrowers were encouraged to keep making payments since interest continued to accumulate.

"Normally, loans will default if you fall about nine months behind on making payments, but during this on-ramp period, missed payments would not move people towards defaulting and then being subject to forced collections. However, if you missed payments, you still be falling behind ultimately on repaying your loans," said Abby Shaforth, director of National Consumer Law Center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project.

Since this grace period has ended, student loan borrowers who don't make payments will go delinquent or, if their loans are not paid for nine months, go into default.

Borrowers who cannot afford to make payments can apply for deferment or forbearance, which pause payments, though interest continues to accrue.

What happens if I don't make my payments?

Borrowers who can't or don't pay risk delinquency and eventually default. That can badly hurt your credit rating and make you ineligible for additional aid and government benefits.

If a borrower missed one month's payment, they will start receiving email notifications, said Shaforth. Once the loan hasn't been paid for three months, loan servicers notify to the credit reporting agencies that the loan is delinquent, affecting your credit history. Once the borrower hasn't paid the loan for nine months, the loan goes into default.

If you're struggling to pay, advisers first encourage you to check if you qualify for an income-driven repayment plan, which determines your payments by looking at your expenses. You can see whether you qualify by visiting the Federal Student Aid website. If you've worked for a government agency or a non-profit organization, you could also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives student debt after 10 years.

What happens when a loan goes into default?

When you fall behind on a loan by 270 days  roughly nine months  the loan appears on your credit report as being in default.

Once a loan is in default, it goes into collections. This means the government can garnish wages (without a court order) to go towards paying back the loan, intercept tax refunds, and seize portions of Social Security checks and other benefit payments.

What if I can't pay?

If your budget doesn't allow you to resume payments, it's important to know how to navigate the possibility of default and delinquency on a student loan. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid.

If you're in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for deferment or forbearance  allowing you to temporarily suspend payment.

To determine whether deferment or forbearance are good options for you, you can contact your loan servicer. One thing to note: interest still accrues during deferment or forbearance. Both can also impact potential loan forgiveness options. Depending on the conditions of your deferment or forbearance, it may make sense to continue paying the interest during the payment suspension.

What is an income-driven repayment plan?

The U.S. Education Department offers several plans for repaying federal student loans. Under the standard plan, borrowers are charged a fixed monthly amount that ensures all their debt will be repaid after 10 years. But if borrowers have difficulty paying that amount, they can enroll in one of several plans that offer lower monthly payments based on income and family size. Those are known as income-driven repayment plans.

Income-driven options have been offered for years and generally cap monthly payments at 10% of a borrower's discretionary income. If a borrower's earnings are low enough, their bill is reduced to $0. And after 20 or 25 years, any remaining debt gets erased.

What is the latest with the SAVE program?

In August, the Supreme Court kept on hold the SAVE plan, the income-driven repayment plan that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts.

Eight million borrowers who had already enrolled in the SAVE plan don't have to pay their monthly student loan bills until the court case is resolved. Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected.

The next court hearing about this case will be held on October 15.

What happened with the Fresh Start program?

The Fresh Start program, which gave benefits to borrowers who were delinquent prior to the pandemic payment pause, also closed on September 30. During this limited program, student loan borrowers who were in default prior to the pandemic were given the opportunity to remove their loans from default, allowing them to enroll in income-driven payment plans, or apply for deferment, among other benefits.
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US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have what the White House describes as a candid and constructive call.

Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington.

That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen said her government is coordinating efforts to respond to Wednesdays deadly earthquake on Taiwans east coast. The self-governing island that China considers its territory experienced a magnitude 7.4 earthquake on Wednesday, marking the strongest quake in 25 years.

"Immediately after the earthquake, we initiated a disaster relief program at both the city hall and the ward office. Our focus is on ensuring public safety for both people and buildings."

At least 10 people died and more than 1,000 are reported injured.

Residents of Japans Okinawa Islands fled to high ground on Wednesday after the earthquake in Taiwan triggered tsunami warnings. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that a tsunami wave of 30 centimeters or about 1 foot was detected about 15 minutes after the earthquake.

North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday. South Koreas military said the launch is related to a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile, which can fly about 600 kilometers before plunging into the sea.

Indonesias president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, paid a visit to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday. Prabowo stated his intention to further strengthen relations between the two countries, as well as deepen security and economic cooperation.

You have chosen China as the destination of your first post-election visit and made a special trip to China during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Prabowos visit to Japan came two days after his visit to China, where he expressed his desire for close ties to Chinese President Xi Jinping. This visit to China marked his first overseas visit since winning the election last month.

US President Joe Biden discussed key issues with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a call Tuesday. Biden reiterated his request for China to refrain from interfering with the upcoming US Presidential election. VOAs Anita Powell reports.

The White House described Tuesdays phone call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping  which follows their in-person meeting last year  as candid and constructive.

This time, the two covered a range of issues they had previously discussed in November,

including joint counternarcotics efforts, military communication, and the risks of artificial intelligence.

"We believe that there is no substitute for regular communication at the leader level to effectively manage this complex and often tense bilateral relationship. Both presidents agreed to pick up the phone and speak when needed.

Xi, in a statement, said both leaders found the phone call to be candid and constructive. But he stressed that disagreements remain  notably about the status of Taiwan, which China claims.

The China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize, and this is welcomed by both societies and the international community. On the other hand, the negative factors of the relationship have also been growing, and this requires attention from both sides.

The White House said Biden reiterated  but did not advance  previous concerns about Chinese interference in the upcoming U.S. election. Xi did not mention the topic in his account of the call.

Just last month, the British parliament voted to impose sanctions over Beijing-linked hacks of its Electoral Commission and parliament. U.S. intelligence officials have also warned lawmakers that Chinese hackers are preparing to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to the U.S.

Chinas government last month showcased how it uses digital tools to bolster  not hamper  democracy. But analysts point to a state-sponsored Chinese influence campaign  known as Spamouflage  that does the opposite and encouraged Biden to push back.

There needs to be very clear and consistent communication about election interference. And I don't just mean hacking into voting systems, which in itself is obviously one of the most heavy-handed forms of election interference, but even the ones that involve manipulating public opinion in deceptive ways, or even just trying to discourage people from voting, which we have seen from operations that have been linked to China in the past.

The White House did not say when the two leaders would next speak  but Xi, in his statement, said he welcomed this weeks visit to China by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington.

Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories.

Im Chris Casquejo.

Finally, we take you to South Korea, where a large crowd of fans braved steady rain Wednesday morning to bid a final goodbye to Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in South Korea. That was in 2020, and shes now on her way to a new home in China.

Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly.
Six months into the war in Gaza, the killing of a group of aid workers by an Israeli air strike summed up both the dire humanitarian crisis and the lack of a clear way out of a conflict that is leaving Israel increasingly isolated.

The attack on Monday night that killed seven staff of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group, including six foreigners, has angered even some of Israel's closest allies, adding to growing pressure for an end to the fighting.

Israel's military has acknowledged the strike was conducted mistakenly by its forces and apologized for the "unintentional" deaths of the seven, who included citizens of Britain, Australia and Poland, a dual U.S-Canadian citizen and a Palestinian colleague.

But that has done little to ease growing alarm abroad, where public opinion even in traditionally friendly countries like Britain, Germany or Australia has swung against the Israeli campaign in Gaza, launched after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who has come under growing pressure from his own supporters to end the fighting, said he was outraged by the convoy attack. On Thursday, following a call with Netanyahu, the White House demanded "concrete and measurable steps to reduce civilian harm" and said future U.S. support would be determined by Israel's actions.

Increased aid access

On Friday, Netanyahu ordered the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel as well as increased access for Jordanian aid through the Kermen Shalom crossing in southern Gaza.

With Gaza in ruins, most of the 2.3 million population have been forced from their homes and now depend on aid for survival, a bitter humiliation during the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims around the world consume traditional Ramadan meals and desserts to break their fast after sunset.

"We had some hopes before Ramadan, but that hope vanished the night before the fasting month began," said 33-year-old Um Nasser Dahman, now living with her family of five in a tent camp in the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population is now sheltering.

"We used to be well enough off before the war, but we've become dependent on what limited aid there is and our relatives," she said, via messaging.

Even before the attack on the convoy, Israel had been isolated diplomatically, with the U.N. General Assembly calling repeatedly for humanitarian cease-fires, and under heavy pressure to step up aid deliveries in Gaza, where aid groups say famine is imminent.

While Israel says its forces have killed thousands of Hamas fighters and destroyed most of its fighting units, months into the war, Israeli troops are still battling groups of fighters in northern and central Gaza, in areas that had apparently been cleared in the early stages of the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far resisted pressure to change course, insisting that Hamas remains an existential threat to Israel that must be destroyed before lasting peace can return.

"Victory is within reach. It's very close, and there is no substitute for victory," he told a delegation of Republican Congress members in Jerusalem on Thursday, appealing for more budget support, hours before the call with Biden.

Cycle is repeated

The Israeli public has largely continued to support the war aims of destroying Hamas and bringing home 134 hostages still held in Gaza. But Netanyahu himself faces a growing protest movement and demands for new elections that opinion polls indicate he would lose heavily.

"I feel strongly that all those outside of Israel calling for a cease-fire do not understand the situation here," said Wendy Carol, a 73-year-old writer and start-up founder from Jerusalem. "We've had so many incursions and invasions and we will stand as a democratic Jewish country."

Nevertheless, she said: "I do not trust the prime minister. He is a divisive force in this nation and many, many people feel that way, of all backgrounds."

While peace talks have been going on, hopes of a breakthrough that could secure a pause in the fighting and enable the return of the hostages have been repeatedly dashed and Hamas leaders say they can keep fighting for much longer.

"Six months have passed and Al-Qassam Brigades is still able to keep up the fight against the Zionist occupation army," said senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri.

The war was launched after a Hames-led attack in which more than 250 hostages were seized and some 1,200 people killed, by Israeli tallies, in the worst single day loss of life in Israel's history. The campaign has been the bloodiest ever for the Palestinians, with more than 33,000 killed so far, according to Gaza health authorities.

More than 250 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground invasion, in addition to almost 350 who were killed on October 7.

Palestinian casualty figures do not generally distinguish between fighters and civilians, and Israel says more than 10,000 fighters have been killed, a figure not confirmed by the militant groups. But more than a third of the dead have been children, according to United Nations figures.

The scale of the casualties has caused mounting global alarm and demands for a halt but for people in Gaza, the wait continues.

"I believe everything has an end, the war will end," said Um Nasser Dahman in Gaza. "But when?"
President Joe Biden toured the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, pledging government support in rebuilding the span and reopening the harbor to full capacity.

"I'm here to say your nation has your back and I mean it," Biden said. "We're going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible."

The bridge was destroyed in the early morning of March 26 when a cargo ship lost power and collided with a support structure. The span collapsed within seconds, killing six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time.

The president said he was "absolutely committed" to ensuring that those responsible for the accident would pay to repair the damage and "be held accountable to the fullest extent the law will allow."

But he said his administration would also "support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the businesses and commerce that is here now."

The accident halted vessel traffic in the Port of Baltimore, a potentially serious blow to both the regional and national economies.

The president toured the destruction from the air as well as the ground, meeting with officials who briefed him on the response and recovery efforts. Those he spoke to included Maryland Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief General Scott Spellmon.

"From the air, I saw the bridge that's been ripped apart, but here on the ground I see a community that's pulled together," he said.

The White House said the president also met Friday with the families of the victims near the bridge.

Last week, the White House released $60 million in federal "quick release" emergency relief funds for Maryland's initial costs and announced the U.S. Small Business Administration would provide low-interest disaster loans to eligible businesses impacted by the accident.

The Biden administration is asking Congress to authorize further government funds to rebuild the bridge. However, some Republicans in Congress have called for such funding to be offset by cuts to other government spending.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday it expects to open a limited access channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of the month. The agency said the channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Africa's leading diamond producer, Botswana, has written to the Group of Seven leading industrial countries seeking to reverse an initiative requiring all producers to send gems to Belgium for certification. This follows G7 move to prevent the import of diamonds mined in Russia.

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi told diplomats in Gaborone Wednesday the G7 traceability mechanism poses an unfair burden on African diamond producers.

The G7 is an informal grouping of seven of the worlds advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. They have required since March 1 that all diamonds entering G7 countries be sent through Antwerp, Belgium, to determine their origin.

The controls are meant to prevent Russian diamonds out of global markets amid concerns the revenues will be used to finance Russia's Ukraine war.

"We cannot agree to an attempt to undermine our quest for development by taking charge and responsibility of our own value addition of our resources," Masisi said. "Because if you make Belgium, Antwerp the single node for verification, gosh, what impudence. When we mine our diamonds here and we are certain they are mined here and you add another layer of cost, delay and time and risk to direct interaction with customers and clients and you take them still to Antwerp, its not acceptable."

Masisi said African diamond producing countries were not consulted by the G7 before the measures were introduced in March.

"When the G7 made these propositions, that are inimical to our interests and particularly Botswana because we are one of the largest producers at least outside Russia," he said. "They were essentially regulating our industry completely without our participation. You cant do this without engaging us, particularly Botswana. They did reach out and send people here. The engagement was pretty patronizing. They had essentially made up their minds."

Masisi said he is lobbying other leaders to protest the controls.

Botswana, together with Angola and Namibia, two other African diamond producers, sent a letter protesting G7s move but there has been no response.

We wrote a letter, we authored the main letter, we shared it with other producing countries namely Namibia and Angola and we asked them to be co-signatories and with minor amendments we all co-signed and sent it to G7 and we have not gotten a response. Apparently they say they are consulting but the requirements have kicked in and luckily the World Diamond Council has also protested because there has been serious disruption to the flow of diamond trade, and cost implications and delays.

Masisi said Botswana in particular already has advanced verification and traceability systems.

The G7 move is seen as undermining the Kimberley Process, an existing commitment to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain.

The African Diamond Producers Association is very right to protect their interests," said Jaff Bamenjo, coordinator of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition, which acts as an observer of the Kimberly Process.

"That is legitimate. However, the G7 is also right to protect the values and principles they cherish and defend. The main issue to us, as the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition, is how much we accommodate the legitimate concerns of each other. That is the question. But I should say, the G7 in my opinion, from the very onset made a mistake not to consult the African diamond producers right from the initial stages."

Belgian-based diamond industry researcher Hans Merket told VOA traceability measures are necessary but that there is also a need to respond to African producers concerns.

"A serious advancement of traceability in the diamond trade is long overdue," Merket said. "Too many actors have been overtly comfortable in a lack of transparency for many years. I think delays in the implementation of the scheme in the first month were a growing pain and have already been partly resolved after some adaptations. The added costs I think are also manageable given that the scheme only applies to more valuable diamonds of about 1 carat."

More than 100 diamond businesses recently wrote a letter to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre expressing concerns over delays in customs clearance of diamonds since the G7 introduced the traceability measures.
Several human rights organizations say China has intensified persecution against human rights lawyers and their family members in recent months, as the ailing wife of a lawyer is denied access to her pension and medical insurance, while the children of two lawyers are repeatedly forced by local authorities to drop out of schools.

VOA has reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment but has yet to receive a response.

On March 31, 16 human rights lawyers and dissidents in China called for donations to Chinese human rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng, whose family struggles to pay for his wifes mounting medical bills because she hasnt been able to access social insurance or her pension.

Zhous wife has been disabled since suffering a serious stroke in 1995. Since Zhou was sentenced to seven years in jail for inciting subversion of state power in 2015, which was part of the Chinese governments nationwide crackdown against more than 300 human rights lawyers, his wife hasnt been able to regularly pay for her social insurance or properly handle her retirement application.

Before his arrest, Zhous law firm would pay for his wifes social insurance and he would take care of everything she needed, said Ren Quanniu, a Chinese human rights lawyer familiar with Zhous situation.

But after he was arrested, her social insurance payment was suspended and no one could help her complete the retirement process in 2017, which caused her to lose access to the social insurance and pension, he told VOA by phone.

As a result, Zhous wife cant be reimbursed for her mounting medical bills and her rapidly deteriorating health is increasing pressure on her family.

Her overall health condition deteriorated since Zhous arrest in 2015 and it became even more serious since the start of 2024, Ren said, adding that she has been in the intensive care unit of a local hospital in Henan Province since February.

Like many human rights lawyers in China, Zhou lost his license after he was detained, and since his release in September 2022, he hasnt been able to find a stable job to support his family. Since he can no longer work as a lawyer, his family has lost their only source of income, Ren added.

With no income to pay his wifes medical bills, Ren said the human rights lawyers community wants to support his family by calling for public donations. His wife is probably hanging by a thread, so we hope to do whatever we can to help support his family through this difficult period, he said.

Forced to drop out of school

Other human rights lawyers families are experiencing repeated forced evictions, while schools are repeatedly turning away their children due to pressure from local authorities.

Wang Quanzhang, a prominent human rights lawyer sentenced to four and a half years on charges of subversion during the 2015 crackdown, has been evicted by landlords or hotels more than a dozen times since last April. He said the forced evictions are part of Chinese authorities retaliation against him and his family.

The 2015 crackdown is known in China as the 709 crackdown because it began on July 9, 2015. On that date, Chinese authorities began targeting independent legal advocates and arrested hundreds of lawyers.

The authorities think our community has been trying to humiliate them, so they want to use all the means at their disposal to punish human rights lawyers, Wang told VOA in a phone call.

Apart from the forced evictions, Wang said his 11-year-old son has been turned away by schools several times over the last year. Since we were forced to move to new places so frequently over the last year, its been difficult for my son to remain at the same school for long enough, he said, adding that some schools would turn away his son due to pressure from authorities.

Wang tried to send him abroad for schooling last year, hoping to protect him from the harassment.

When we tried to leave China last October, the customs officers stopped my son and the daughter of another human rights lawyer and said they werent allowed to leave the country since they could be a threat to national security, he said.

Since then, Wang and his family moved to the southern province of Guangzhou and tried to admit his son to a private academy recommended by his friends.

After just a week, close to 20 people suddenly showed up at the academy to conduct inspection and following their repeated harassment, the academy was forced to move to a more discreet location, Wang said.

Since its unclear when his son may return to school, Wang is signing him up for some online classes to make sure he is still learning something. The authorities know my son is my biggest weakness so they try to make it difficult for him to go to school, hoping it could stop me from criticizing them, he told VOA.

Some human rights advocates say the Chinese government has increased the level of persecution against Chinese dissidents and their families in recent years. Yu Zhenyang, the son of detained human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan, was briefly detained and has tried to commit suicide twice since last November.

Under Xi Jinpings rule, persecutions against the children of Chinese dissidents have increased and its now a new normal, said Zhou Fengsuo, a former Tiananmen student leader and executive director of New York-based organization Human Rights in China. He spoke to VOA by phone.

During a Universal Periodic Review, held by the U.N. Human Rights Council in January, Chinas top diplomat in Geneva said Beijing is dedicated to safeguarding the rights of specific groups and implementing four consecutive cycles of outlines for children's development.
A Serbian journalist is being harassed and threatened after a fake video circulated online in which he appears to make an offhand comment praising a war criminal.

Dinko Gruhonjic, a media professor and a journalist for the local news website Autonomija, had participated in a regional festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia, last year.

Then last month, a manipulated video of that appearance circulated online. In it, Gruhonjic appears to say that he is pleased to share a name with Dinko Sakic  a commander imprisoned for his role overseeing a World War II concentration camp.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute, or IPI, says that Gruhonjic "has been the target of a public lynching campaign including threats of physical violence" since the doctored video was shared online.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also commented on the video, Gruhonjic told VOA.

"Vucic addressed my case: in his own style, holding a knife in one hand and a flower in the other, claiming that no one should harm me. But, on the other hand, saying I should be ashamed of the statements I made. Which, in fact, I did not make," said Gruhonjic.

36 attacks this year

The threats reflect a wider trend in Serbia. The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia or NUNS has documented 36 attacks on journalists so far this year. These include four physical attacks, one attack on property, 17 cases of journalists being pressured and 14 instances of verbal threats.

So far, three people have been arrested on suspicion of threatening Gruhonjic and a second journalist  Ana Lalic-Hegedis  who appeared at the same festival.

An arrest also was made in the case of Vojin Radovanovic, a journalist at the daily newspaper Danas, who received death threats via Instagram in 2023.

"When I received a death threat, in which it was said that I should be killed as an example, I realized that such people should be prosecuted as an example to others who think it is OK to make death threats to someone only because you don't like the way they work," Radovanovic told VOA.

The journalist, who covers politics and media issues, said authorities should take all threats seriously.

Just a few months after police arrested the person suspected of sending the death threat, a different individual made threats against Radovanovic's media outlet, saying it should be set on fire.

Radovanovic said the threats come from an "environment in which critically oriented journalists are considered as someone who gets in the way."

Neither the Serbian Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime responded to VOA's requests for comment about the harassment of Gruhonjic and other journalists.

Threats cause suffering

Serbia ranks among the Council of Europe member states with the highest number of attacks on journalists, according to an annual report by partner organizations to the Council of Europe's platform that promotes the protection of journalism and safety of journalists.

Referring to the wider trends across Europe, Teresa Ribeiro, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, told VOA, "Threats and attacks on journalists are not only causing suffering, destruction and in the worst case loss of life, they also lead to self-censorship and undermine the credibility of public authorities and public trust in the media."

Ribeiro said that media freedom is possible only in an environment where journalists are able to work without fear of reprisal.

"Without this, there can be no quality and independent journalism, nor can there be a lasting and well-functioning democracy and informed citizenry," said Ribeiro.

She added that OSCE states have an obligation to ensure media freedom. To ensure that it is upheld, she said, all attacks  both physical and online  must be "swiftly and effectively investigated and prosecuted."

Attila Mong, from the nonprofit the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, said a lack of accountability for attacks makes the situation worse.

"Despite some efforts, such as the establishment of working groups for the safety of journalists, it is evident that more needs to be done to comprehensively address these issues," Mong told VOA.

Mong cited a court decision in February to acquit four former secret police who had been convicted of the 1999 murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija.

At the time, the CPJ called the acquittal a "huge blow to justice."

The rise in attacks is resulting in a decline in Serbia's ranking on media and human rights indexes. The country registered the biggest drop in the EU-Balkans region on the World Press Freedom Index last year. Serbia fell 12 places, to 91 out of 180 countries, where 1 shows the best media environment.

The watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the index, notes that Serbia has a solid legal framework but that journalists are under political pressure and face threats.

This article originated in VOA's Serbian service.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso has visited the Garadagh solar power plant with a capacity of 230 MW within the framework of familiarization with the energy system of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov wrote on X, Trend reports.

''The President of the Republic of Congo was provided with detailed information about this first-largest solar power plant in the Caspian region and the CIS, as well as about other megaprojects implemented jointly with Masdar and our country's course on green energy. Cooperation on the exchange of experience in the field of renewable energy sources was discussed," the minister noted.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Iran reiterated its pledge Friday to punish Israel at a funeral for seven officers killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian Embassy compound in Syria this week.

State television showed demonstrators carrying pictures of those killed and banners with slogans such as "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."

The dead included one of Iran's top soldiers, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was visiting the Iranian Embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday.

"No act of the enemy against the sacred Islamic republic will go unanswered," Major General Hossein Salami, the IRGC commander-in-chief, told the crowd gathered in Tehran. "Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime."

Former Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei, commenting on the possibility of retaliation against Israel, said, "The decision has been made. It will definitely be implemented," according to the semi-official Tasnim new site. He did not elaborate.

The funeral coincided with the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day, during which Iran stages large state-sponsored pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rallies nationwide.

The leader of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala, took part in the Tehran rally, Iranian media reported.

The airstrike was the boldest and deadliest attack in a series that have killed Iranian officials in Syria since December.

Iran warned of harsh retaliation, raising the specter of a wider war and prompting the Israeli armed forces to suspend leave for all combat units Thursday, a day after they said they were mobilizing more troops for air defense units.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday his country would harm "whoever harms us or plans to harm us."

In Tehran, the coffins of two of the killed Iranian officers were displayed as people intoned religious mourning chants and waved the Palestinian flag. All seven officers were expected to be buried later Friday.

Iran's Jerusalem Day rallies are held annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in support of Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state in territories captured by Israel in a 1967 war.
One day following U.S. President Joe Biden's warning to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that he will change policy unless Israel adjusts its war conduct, Israel took steps to allow more aid in and announced the dismissal of two officers in connection with the airstrike that killed seven international aid workers in Gaza earlier this week.

In a statement announcing the conclusion of its investigation into the April 1 incident, the Israel Defense Forces said a brigade commander and brigade chief of staff would be dismissed. A brigade commander, a division commander and the head of the southern command received reprimands.

The IDF said the officers misidentified three aid vehicles operated by the international food aid group World Central Kitchen, believing a Hamas gunman was hiding in the trucks. The strikes, they said, were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures.

Speaking from the tarmac prior to his departure from Brussels Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is reviewing very carefully IDFs investigation report and will be discussing further with Israeli officials and with humanitarian organizations.

Its very important that Israel is taking full responsibility for this incident, he said. Even more important is making sure that steps are taken going forward to ensure that something like this can never happen again."

The IDF released its report shortly after Blinken, speaking earlier Friday alongside European leaders, demanded a public accounting of the killing of the World Central Kitchen team.

Israel earlier announced it was taking steps to further facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, including reopening the Erez crossing, the only passenger terminal to travel in and out of Gaza.

It is also allowing humanitarian aid shipments to be processed through its Ashdod port, which would allow more aid coming in from Jordan. The government did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.

Blinken welcomed Israels announcements to open Erez and Ashdod but said, The real test is results.

What were looking to see in the days and weeks ahead is prioritization, surging humanitarian assistance, sustaining it and getting it to people who need it, making sure that those who are providing it are safe and secure, and maximizing every effort to protect civilians  those who are caught in this crossfire of Hamas making, he said. We just cant have so many people caught in that crossfire, killed, injured going forward.

He underscored that almost 100% of the population is acutely food insecure and warned Washington will be watching that indicators of potential famine are reversed.

Bidens demands

Opening up more entry points to increase humanitarian aid is one of several things that Biden told Netanyahu needed to happen in days during a tense call between the two leaders Thursday.

Asked Friday whether he had threatened to withdraw military aid to Israel, Biden replied, I asked them to do what theyre doing.

The White House said the attack on the WCK convoy had shaken Biden and was the impetus for the call.

The president, according to the White House readout of the call, pushed other demands, including better protection of civilians and aid workers, along with movement toward an immediate cease-fire in the nearly six-month conflict. He said the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable.

Continued U.S. support for Israels war with Hamas will be determined by how Israel adopts new measures to meet these demands, National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby reiterated to reporters on Friday.

Kirby again sidestepped questions on whether the United States would cut off military aid to Israel.

Our Gaza policy will be affected greatly by our assessment of how the Israelis meet these commitments over time in a sustainable way, he said. As for the conditioning aid, I am simply not going to go into greater detail about the conversation between the two leaders.

Bidens stern demands to Netanyahu marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy.

His calls for an immediate cease-fire amount to pressure on Netanyahu to loosen his demands of Hamas to achieve an agreement for a hostage exchange, said Martin Indyk, former U.S. Ambassador and distinguished fellow in U.S.-Middle East diplomacy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

It is not the usual call for a pause or a time-limited ceasefire, he said in a social media post. Biden wants a ceasefire now.

Hamas insists that conditions for a cease-fire included a full and permanent Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in return for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza since the October 7 attack by its militants. Israel had said it is seeking only a temporary truce to free hostages.

Meeting with Muslim doctors

Days before he made demands to Netanyahu, Biden met with a group of Muslim community leaders, including three doctors who provided assistance in Gaza  his first meeting with people who had been on the ground since the war began.

He also met Wednesday with Senator Bernie Sanders, a Jewish lawmaker from Biden's own Democratic Party and vocal critic of Israel's war conduct and U.S. support for Israel.

In response to VOAs question, Kirby said the meetings helped shape Bidens decision to press Netanyahu.

He acknowledged Bidens concern and frustration has been growing regarding Israel's war conduct and that the presidents decision was informed by conversations he had with people who have their own views and their own experiences.

The seven WCK victims held various nationalities, including a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, Jacob Flickinger. Kirby did not elaborate when asked to respond to criticism that Flickingers death moved Biden in a way that the deaths of 33,000 Palestinians did not.

Beyond questions of why Biden drastically ramped up pressure only after the killing of international aid workers, the IDF strike itself represented a failure in IDF's "tactical and operational discretion," said Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Middle East analyst from Gaza and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

It is more than just the strike on an American Canadian that moves the president, he told VOA. It is an egregious and a horrendous example of the continued operational disregard for the welfare of Gaza civilians and humanitarian staff, he told VOA.

The U.S., Israels key ally, has steadfastly supported the Jewish states war against Hamas, which began after the militant groups October 7 terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages.

Israels subsequent counteroffensive has killed more than 33,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel says the death toll includes several thousand militants.

Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
The publisher of a small Kansas newspaper that police raided in August is suing officials involved in the act, accusing them of violating the newspaper's First Amendment rights.

When police in Marion, Kansas, raided the newsroom of the Marion County Record and the home of its publisher, Eric Meyer, the move was met with widespread condemnation from press freedom groups.

Meyer said he wanted to file the lawsuit because the raid on his weekly newspaper has major implications for press freedom across the United States.

"We're the plaintiffs in this, but really, the plaintiff is American democracy," Meyer told VOA. "They're trying to silence criticism  silence anything other than the voice they want to hear. And we just can't let that stand. We wouldn't be doing our duty as Americans."

During the August 11 raid, security footage showed police seizing computers, cell phones, hard drives and other devices from the newsroom. And in the Meyer household, footage reveals Eric's 98-year-old mother, Joan, co-owner of the newspaper, confronting police during the raid on their home.

The lawsuit, which Meyer filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Kansas, also alleges that the stress of the raid caused his mother's death the day after.

After the raid, Joan "repeatedly told her son that her entire life was meaningless if this is what Marion had become," the lawsuit said.

The nearly 130-page lawsuit, which Meyer said took some time to put together, is the fourth filed by current and former newspaper staffers over the incident.

Police defended the raid, saying they were responding to an identity theft complaint.

Meyer disagrees.

"This was an attempt by people to weaponize the criminal justice system for personal gains," he said.

The newspaper was investigating the police chief who led the raid. Gideon Cody eventually resigned in October after body camera footage revealed him rifling through files about himself.

"It's clear as anything that we didn't do anything wrong," said Meyer, who estimates the case won't be resolved until 2026.
The American Society of International Law has honored Roya Boroumand, the executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, or ABC, with the 2024 Goler T. Butcher Medal.

Boroumand was saluted for her dedication to promoting human rights and democracy in Iran, according to an announcement on the centers Instagram page.

The prestigious award recognizes the ABC director's "commitment to the rigorous, objective documentation of human rights violations in the service of justice and accountability under international law," the announcement said.

The medal is named after Goler T. Butcher, the distinguished African American scholar and Howard Law School international law professor, who served as assistant administrator for Africa at the U.S. Agency for International Development and was a leading advocate for ending global hunger.



Since 1997, the American Society of International Law has given the Butcher Medal to distinguished individuals for their "outstanding contributions to the development or effective realization of international human rights."

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran. It was founded to ensure that human rights in Iran are promoted and protected without discrimination.

Following the assassination of Abdorrahman Boroumand in Paris, his daughters, Roya and Ladan Boroumand, founded ABC.

Abdorrahman Boroumand, an Iranian political activist and leader of the executive committee of the National Movement of the Iranian Resistance, was assassinated on April 18, 1991. He was fatally stabbed in the lobby of his Paris apartment.
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NATO members pledged to boost Ukraines air defenses against Russian attacks as the alliance marked its 75th anniversary Thursday, following a two-day summit of foreign ministers in Brussels. Members, however, did not agree on any specific military aid deal for Kyiv, as Henry Ridgwell reports.
Counterterrorism police in Pakistan are investigating a series of mysterious letters sent to at least 18 superior judges this week, along with a suspicious powder. No trace of those behind it was immediately identified.

Police officials reported Friday that they had increased scrutiny and surveillance of visitors and roads leading to court buildings and official residences of judges in Islamabad and provincial headquarters.

The letters came a week after six Islamabad High Court judges jointly wrote to the Supreme Judicial Council, which governs Pakistani courts, alleging persistent intimidation and interference in judicial proceedings by the countrys military-run spy agency.

The threatening letters were first received by all eight justices of the federal high court in the capital on Tuesday. The next day, four Supreme Court judges, including Pakistans Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and six high court judges in the provincial capital of Lahore received similar letters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged in a televised speech to his cabinet meeting on Thursday that his government would thoroughly investigate and solve the mystery of the letters that were sent to various judges with a suspicious powder in them.

An official police complaint has stated that the sender of the letters threatening judges identified itself as Tehreek-i-Namoos-i-Pakistan (the movement for the honor of Pakistan), a previously unknown group.

The text assailed the countrys justice system and mentioned the phrase bacillus anthracis with a sketch of a human skull and bones. Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, a disease deadly to livestock and, occasionally, to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States.

The Pakistani English-language DAWN newspaper reported the letters threatened that the substance in the envelopes was a warning for others to repent or face the consequences.

Judges letter

In their letter to the Supreme Judicial Council a week earlier, the six Islamabad High Court judges accused operatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, of subjecting them and their relatives to intimidation, coercion, torture and other abuses.

They said the purpose of the intimidation was to seek favorable rulings in politically consequential lawsuits, including those related to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The ISI and the powerful military have not responded to the allegations.

The allegations prompted Sharif to appoint a retired judge to a one-member special inquiry commission to probe the militarys alleged meddling in judicial affairs. But the former judge quickly recused himself, saying the Supreme Court was the right forum to investigate the matter.

The chief justice of Pakistan subsequently formed a seven-member Supreme Court bench and held a preliminary hearing on the judges letter Wednesday.

We cant just shut our eyes. It is happening. Lets not pretend that nothing is happening, said Athar Minallah, one of the justices on the bench, during the initial proceedings. We have to take this thing very seriously. What [the judges] have pointed out is [the] normalization of a culture of deviance on the part of the state.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 29.

The military in Pakistan is notorious for its suspected role in making or breaking elected governments in Pakistan. The powerful institution has staged three coups and directly ruled the country for over three decades since Pakistan gained independence in 1947.

Army generals are accused of meddling in politics even when not in power to deter efforts that could curtail the militarys largely unquestioned powers.
Deputy Minister of Human Rights of Myanmars shadow government, the National Unity Government (NUG), Aung Kyaw Moe told VOA that the Myanmar people distrust the ruling military leader's recent claim that he is interested in restoring democracy in the country. In a recent interview with VOA, the minister, also the NUGs first Rohingya minister, called for caution in assessing Chinas efforts to facilitate the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and delved into the Rohingyas aspiration to align themselves with the Rakhine people against the junta, which overthrew a democratically elected government in 2021.

The following interview has been translated into English and edited for length and clarity.

VOA: The Myanmar juntas senior general, Min Aung Hlaing, gave a speech at their Armed Forces Day parade on March 27th in which he claims he is holding power only temporarily to strengthen democracy. What is your opinion on that?

Aung Kyaw Moe, NUG Deputy Human Rights Minister: The main leader of the military junta is Min Aung Hlaing. Almost every word that comes out of his mouth belies his intentions. From day one, when he first attempted to seize power, he has not been accountable for his words, and there is no accountability within the organization he leads. Therefore, listening to his words would be a waste of time and only serve to exhaust people seeking a genuine political solution.

His political vision and the reality he faces are completely opposed. When the military attempted to seize power, their political calculation did not anticipate such a collective resistance from the public. They never expected such widespread opposition. This latest statement, although insincere, is calculated to craft a narrative that he can present to the international community, one that is more likely to be accepted by countries allied with them. This narrative is also an attempt to deceive the people amidst a rising political tide against his military government. However, the people are aware of the misinformation spread by the junta, and they wont believe these false messages.

VOA: Senior General Min Aung Hlaing also said in his speech that, by the end of this year, they will complete a new accounting of the voter pool in Myanmar. He didnt say exactly when an election would be held but said that to hold this election, there must be unity between the people and the military. How do you see the prospects for unity before a new election?

Aung Kyaw Moe: That election would be rigged  a fake election. They consistently claim that they view the election as a political exit strategy from their attempted seizure of power. Firstly, they haven't been able to accomplish anything, let alone prepare for an election. Secondly, we already have a parliament composed of representatives elected by the people, who clearly emerged victorious in 2020. With this mandate from the people and the parliament, the junta have no justification for calling another election during this term. The public doesn't accept it, ethnic revolutionary organizations don't accept it, and democracy activists don't accept it. Such statements by the junta cannot be tolerated in the current intense political climate in Myanmar.

VOA: The United Nations has taken the lead in addressing the Rohingya crisis, but China has also gotten involved, for example, in the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh back to Myanmar. How do you see China's role in the Rohingya crisis going forward?

Aung Kyaw Moe: It's undeniable that China holds significant sway in Myanmar's political landscape as a neighboring superpower. However, China needs to understand that the transition towards the rule of law in Myanmar is not a threat to its interests. Regarding the Rohingya, China calculates its interests carefully. The Rohingya issue doesn't directly affect China's borders, but Chinese investments in Rakhine State, including deep-sea ports and the Shwe Gas natural gas pipelines project, are substantial. Perhaps China's desire for peace and stability in Rakhine State aligns with its national interests. However, China's attempts to garner international acceptance for the military junta, potentially by facilitating Rohingya repatriation, could grant the junta the legitimacy it seeks in international relations. It's also plausible that China is indirectly creating diplomatic room to legitimize the junta.

VOA: Currently, the Rohingya community remaining in Rakhine faces pressure from both the junta and the Arakan Army (AA), particularly during the AA's recent offensive, which saw military tactical positions and entire towns being occupied. The Rohingya are essentially caught in the crossfire between the military junta and the AA, as the group seeks autonomy from Myanmar's central government in Rakhine state. Given this complex situation, how do you perceive the possibility of coexistence between these two communities, especially considering the differing perspectives on ethnic identity?

Aung Kyaw Moe: There are two crucial aspects to consider here. Firstly, as a government member and a Rohingya myself, in the complex political landscape of Myanmar, I see my individual and collective rights intricately linked to my identity and circumstances. In a political environment shaped by identity, the promise of equality means little if we're denied the right to identify ourselves as we choose. Hence, the assertion of our Rohingya identity is essential for safeguarding our rights and cultural heritage.

Secondly, peaceful coexistence hinges on addressing political aspirations accurately. While we strive to dismantle the junta and forge our own destinies, it's imperative to avoid replicating the very racism we condemn. Our unity must be grounded in moral integrity and responsibility, not reactive emotions. When addressing organized provocations by the junta, our response should prioritize the common interests of all ethnic groups in Rakhine state. By aligning with the Rakhine people's interests, we counter the junta's attempts to marginalize us, and we uphold our collective well-being. Embracing moral principles and responsibilities empowers us to resist exploitation by the junta while fostering genuine unity based on shared values and aspirations.
An independent with no political experience but a very famous name has mounted a long-shot independent bid for the White House and has gathered some support from Americans unhappy with the presumptive major party nominees.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 70, is the son of the former New York senator and U.S. attorney general and is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. He's an environmental attorney and is perhaps best known for espousing conspiracy theories about vaccines.

Analysts say there is little likelihood Kennedy could win the presidency. But in a race that might be decided by a few thousand votes in a handful of swing states, as the past two presidential elections were, Kennedy could become a spoiler.

The context here is that the two major party candidates, Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, are actually pretty unpopular, Chris Jackson, a senior vice president with the public opinion research company Ipsos, told VOA. Joe Biden's approval rating is barely at 40%, and Donald Trump, in favorability rating scales that we see, his numbers tend to be in the mid-30s.

What RFK Jr. basically is is a place for those people who don't like either man to go to voice that dissatisfaction.

Significant percentage

In polls released this week by The Wall Street Journal, Kennedy appears to be receiving significant support from voters in several swing states that are likely to figure closely in who becomes the next president.

In Nevada, 15% of voters said that they would cast a ballot for Kennedy, as did 13% of voters in Arizona, 12% in Michigan, and 10% in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Kennedy fared less well in Georgia and Pennsylvania, with 8% and 7%, respectively.

The difficulty now is determining whether Kennedy is pulling more votes from one candidate than the other. The Journals polling seems to suggest he is drawing votes away from both candidates, but slightly more from Trump.

In the polls, voters were asked to choose from a list of candidates that did not include Kennedy, and then to choose again from a list to which Kennedy had been added. In five of the seven swing states polled, Trump lost a higher percentage of voters to Kennedy than did Biden. But in most cases, that difference was around 1 percentage point, well within the polls margins of error.

However, some earlier polls suggested that Kennedy was taking more votes from Biden than from Trump, and many well-known polling averages continue to suggest that is the more likely scenario.

More data coming

Drew McCoy, president of Decision Desk HQ, an organization that gathers data on elections in the U.S., said it is becoming increasingly clear that Kennedy, who was seen by many as a vanity candidate when he announced a run for the White House last year, may play a significant role in the races outcome.

Pollsters are coming to the awareness that including Kennedy in their ballot is going to be more of a necessity than maybe it seemed to be three or four months ago. So, I think were going to see more data, McCoy told VOA.

That does not mean that Kennedy is likely to win the presidency, or even a particular state, McCoy said.

What people will be looking at is what his impact is going to be in some of these closer states  the battleground states that we all know and expect to be following again, McCoy said. His ability to draw votes, and how well he performs versus the other candidates, is going to be the really interesting thing.

Little-known candidate

Kennedys share of the vote may also change as voters become more familiar with him and his policy positions.

Kennedy himself is very poorly defined in terms of what his background actually is and what his stances on things actually are, Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball at the University of Virginias Center for Politics, told VOA.

Basically, he's a guy with a famous last name in an election where a lot of people don't like the two major party candidates, Kondik said.

Kondik also pointed out that historically, third-party candidates tend to do worse than their polling suggests they will. As voters consider the likely outcome of the election, the allure of an outsider candidacy tends to wane.

Some of that is going to fade away as people focus on the actual two people who can win the election, he said.

A very public history

Born into one of the most famous political families in the United States, Kennedy was just 14 when his father was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968, a race he was considered likely to win. Just five years earlier, Kennedys uncle had also been assassinated.

Kennedy's youth and early adulthood were marked by drug abuse. After being kicked out of two boarding schools for drug use as a teen, he earned degrees from Harvard University, the London School of Economics and the University of Virginia School of Law.

He was briefly an assistant district attorney for Manhattan in the early 1980s but resigned in 1983 after failing the New York State bar exam. That same year, he was arrested on charges of heroin possession.

In the years after his arrest, Kennedy carved out a new identity for himself, becoming a prominent legal and environmental activist associated with Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to cleaning up New Yorks famously polluted Hudson River.

In the decades that followed, he found considerable success as an attorney and advocate for environmental causes, winning several notable court cases against major corporations.

Vaccine controversies

In the early 2000s, Kennedys name became increasingly associated with a growing movement of Americans who believe that many common vaccines given to young children cause a variety of health problems and other conditions, including autism.

His anti-vaccine stance became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was a regular source of misleading information and a frequent critic of public health authorities.

In recent years, Kennedy has trafficked in a number of other conspiracy theories, often accusing shadowy cabals of businesspeople and billionaires of orchestrating U.S. policy behind the scenes.

Since his 40s, Kennedy has been affected by spasmodic dysphonia, a disorder that affects the larynx and makes the voice quaver.
The U.N. secretary-general warned on Friday that children are dying in Gaza from hunger and dehydration and said a quantum leap in the delivery of lifesaving aid is urgently needed.

When the gates to aid are closed, the doors to starvation are opened, Antonio Guterres told reporters.

He said as the six-month mark in the war between Israel and Hamas approaches on Sunday that the speed, scale and inhumane ferocity of the war mark it as one of the deadliest conflicts for civilians, aid workers, journalists and medical personnel.

Six months on, we are at the brink: of mass starvation; of regional conflagration; of a total loss of faith in global standards and norms, he said. Its time to step back from that brink  to silence the guns, to ease the horrible suffering and stop a potential famine before it is too late.

He reiterated his condemnation of Hamas October 7 terror attack on Israel and his calls for the unconditional release of all the hostages still held by Hamas and other armed groups.

The secretary-general acknowledged that in the aftermath of Mondays deadly strike on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy, which killed seven aid workers, the Israelis have pledged to allow a substantial increase in humanitarian aid distributed in Gaza.

I sincerely hope that these announced intentions are effectively and quickly materialized because the situation in Gaza is absolutely desperate, he said.

Israel said on Friday that it will temporarily open the Erez crossing into Gaza and allow aid shipments to be processed at its Ashdod port  requests humanitarians have been making for months.

Children search rubble for food

U.N. Security Council members condemned the strike on the World Central Kitchen team during an emergency session on Friday to discuss the risk of famine and attacks against aid workers. Israel announced the dismissal of two officers involved in the strike earlier Friday.

Many council members noted that more than 220 aid workers have been killed since the conflict began, most of them Palestinians.

What is so unsettling about the deaths of our colleagues from World Central Kitchen is that they did everything they were supposed to do, and they were still killed, Janti Soeripto, president and chief executive of Save the Children U.S., told the council.

She said her organization, like other aid groups, shares the coordinates and movements of its workers with the Israeli military and COGAT  the Israeli government agency responsible for coordinating with aid groups.

And we do not get on the road if we do not have confirmation that they have been received and that our movement is deconflicted, she said.

Just back from Gaza, Soeripto described seeing malnourished children searching for food, many of them climbing barefoot over glass and debris.

Running around desperately looking for food and water because not enough is being allowed into Gaza, she said. They were visibly, demonstrably malnourished.

She said nearly 350,000 children younger than 5 are at risk of starvation in Gaza.

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said it is lies that his government limits aid entering Gaza, and despite the tragic incident involving the WCK workers, Israel will go on coordinating and securing aid missions into Gaza.

Slovenia, joined by Algeria, Guyana and Switzerland in calling for Fridays meeting, said perhaps the council should have met in Gaza to understand the level of desperation and the risk of famine.

"Waiting for a famine declaration will not change anything on the ground, unfortunately, Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Zbogar said. But we know what will  an immediate cease-fire.

After months of paralysis, the 15-nation council agreed to a resolution on March 25 demanding an immediate cease-fire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It has yet to be implemented and Ramadan ends next week.

Some council members expressed concerns that food is being used as a weapon of war  a potential war crime. Others criticized Israels recent decision prohibiting the U.N.s main aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA, from conducting distribution missions to northern Gaza, where famine-like conditions may already be present.

We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse their decision and allow UNRWA to deliver lifesaving services to the people in the north, Guyana Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said.

In northern Gaza, the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF, says one in six children is acutely malnourished and at least 31 people, including 28 children, are believed to have starved to death in recent weeks.

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour appealed to the council take concrete action to prevent more Palestinian deaths.

Action is needed now at every level, with every means possible, he said.
A Turkish aid worker was killed Thursday in Somalia in an attack claimed by the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab militant group.

The attack took place on the outskirts of Mogadishu as vehicles carrying Turkish and Somali aid workers and their security guards were heading toward a displaced persons camp to deliver food aid.

Witnesses and police said a roadside explosion hit one of the vehicles, killing two people  a Turkish worker and a Somali colleague.

In a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the Verenel Association, the Turkish aid agency delivering the food, confirmed that its Somalia representative, Abdurrahim Yoruk, was killed in the attack.

"Brother [Abdurrahim Yoruk] was martyred in the bomb attack carried out at 11:30 on 4.04.2024, targeting the team of our Verenel Association, which carries out its work in Somalia within the scope of Humanitarian Aid Activities," the post said.

A spokesperson for Somali police, Major Abdifatah Aden Hassan, condemned the attack and said the aid workers targeted were delivering food to needy people fasting during Ramadan.

"To target defenseless people who came to assist the Somalis with a landmine shows the brutality of the Khawarij [militants]," Hassan told journalists in Mogadishu. "Khawarij," which means "a deviation from Islam," is a term Somali government officials sometimes use to describe al-Shabab.

Turkey has been a major partner of Somalia since 2011 when then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Somalia at the height of a deadly famine. Since then, Turkey has been helping Somalia with humanitarian assistance and budgetary support.

Al-Shabab, which opposes Turkish support of the Somali government, has carried out multiple attacks that claimed the lives of Turkish nationals conducting civilian work in Somalia.

In one al-Shabab attack, on December 28, 2019, two Turkish engineers working on a road construction project were among at least 80 people killed in a truck bomb.

The attacks did not hamper relations between Turkey and Somalia. This February, Somalia and Turkey announced signing the Defense and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, which was widely celebrated in Somalia.

Under the agreement, Turkey will build, train and equip the Somali navy, according to Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who described Turkey as a "true and reliable brother."

Last month, the two countries signed a deal to explore for oil and gas that further strengthens cooperation, according to officials from both countries.

Al-Shabab, in a statement, rejected the defense and economic cooperation agreement, calling it "unlawful."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The European Commission has greenlit a 350 million initiative by Germany aimed at bolstering the production of renewable hydrogen, Trend reports via the Commission.

This initiative, facilitated through the innovative "Auctions-as-a-Service" tool of the European Hydrogen Bank, aligns closely with the objectives outlined in the REPowerEU Plan and the European Green Deal Industrial Plan. By facilitating this scheme, Germany aims to not only reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels but also accelerate the transition towards sustainable energy.

Key Details of the German Scheme:

Germany formally notified the European Commission of its proposal to implement a 350 million scheme focused on supporting renewable hydrogen production through the "Auctions-as-a-Service" tool within the European Hydrogen Bank. This approved initiative is poised to bolster the construction of up to 90 MW of electrolysis capacity, with an anticipated production of approximately 75,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen. Such efforts align with Germany's ambitious target of achieving at least 10 GW of domestic electrolysis capacity by 2030, contributing significantly to the EU's broader goal of reaching a minimum of 42.5% renewable energy production by the same year, with aspirations of reaching 45%.

Transparent and Competitive Process:

The allocation of aid under this scheme will be conducted through a rigorous competitive bidding process overseen by the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Bidding officially concluded on 8 February, with the Agency presently engaged in the evaluation and ranking of project proposals from Member States. Notably, support provided through this German initiative will be accessible to companies intending to establish new electrolysers within Germany.

Form and Duration of Aid:

Under this scheme, financial aid will be disbursed in the form of direct grants per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced, with a maximum duration of ten years. Beneficiaries are mandated to demonstrate adherence to EU criteria governing the production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs). This entails demonstrating a commitment to the deployment or funding of additional renewable electricity necessary for the production of hydrogen supported by the scheme.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
The U.N. Human Rights Council overwhelmingly adopted a resolution Friday calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Only six countries voted against the resolution, which passed with 28 votes in favor and 13 abstentions.

The council chamber erupted in a wild burst of applause when the results of the vote were announced to the glee of the many countries that supported the resolution and to the dismay of those that did not.

The Human Rights Council has just adopted a resolution supposedly addressing accountability and justice, Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israeli ambassador to the U.N., told reporters after the vote.

The ambassador told journalists that the councils adoption of the resolution clearly shows that Israelis do not matter, the murder of Jews does not matter, the hostages do not matter, the rape of Israeli women does not matter.

Where is the accountability for the Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism? she asked.

The resolution calls upon all states to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel. It demands that Israel immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment, and calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Pakistans ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Bilal Ahmad, introduced the draft resolution on behalf of the OIC, the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation. He said the resolution responds to egregious human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the Gaza Strip, and to Israels disregard for international law.

The preamble reflects this councils grave concern at war crimes and crimes against humanity in the [occupied Palestinian territories] and the [International Court of Justices] determination that the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation face the plausible risk of genocide, he said.

In an emotional address to the council before the vote, Ibrahim Khraish, the Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, decried the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

We need you all to wake up and stop this genocide  televised live across the world, killing thousands of innocent people. This must be stopped, he said.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Michele Taylor, agreed that far too many civilians have been killed in the Gaza conflict.

The protection of all civilian life is both a moral and strategic imperative and Israel has not done enough to mitigate civilian harm. We continue to express grave concern at the unprecedented loss of life and the lack of adequate humanitarian assistance that has placed men, women, and children in Gaza on the brink of widespread starvation, she said.

Despite this critical review of Israels conduct of the war, Taylor said the U.S. could not vote for the resolution because it contained too many problematic elements.

For example, there is no specific condemnation of Hamas for perpetrating the horrific October 7 attacks, neither is there any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions. ... The text makes no distinction between hostages who were brutally abducted by a terrorist organization that heeds no international law  and are likely experiencing repeated sexual violence, and detainees whose fate is regulated and governed by legal processes. Let me be clear: these groups are not equivalent, she said.

More than a dozen countries took the floor in vocal support of the resolution. Besides the U.S., Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi and Paraguay voted against the measure. France abstained.

The Israel ambassador expressed her disappointment at the lack of support from European countries, naming Belgium, Luxembourg and Finland as countries that supported a resolution that did not condemn Hamas.

This council has long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas, said Ambassador Shahar. It has become a shield for terrorists. It has turned a blind eye to any acts of violence against Israelis and Jews.

This resolution is a stain on the Human Rights Council and on the United Nations as a whole, she said.
U.S. and Chinese defense officials met this week for the first time in nearly two years to talk about unsafe and aggressive incidents between the two militaries ships and aircraft in the Pacific region.

The talks, which ran from Wednesday through Thursday in Hawaii, mark the restart of a dialogue Beijing abruptly ended following then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own.

Chinese officials have criticized U.S. support for Taiwan as interference.

U.S. officials said the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working group reviewed safety-related events over the last few years and discussed ways to sustain operational safety and professionalism between China and the United States.

We've observed a reduction in unsafe behavior between us and PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] aircraft and vessels over the last several months, so we're encouraged by that, one U.S. official told reporters on the condition of anonymity because they lacked authorization to discuss the meetings before their conclusion.

The United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific wherever international law allows, and we take this responsibility seriously. Open, direct and clear communications with the PLA  and with all other military forces in the region  is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication, the head of the U.S. delegation, Army Colonel Ian Francis, said in a press release.

Last November U.S. President Joe Biden met with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. The first senior military-to-military contact since Pelosis visit to Taiwan was made about a month later, when the top U.S. military officer, General CQ Brown, spoke with his Chinese counterpart in a video call.

Officials said this week's meetings included about 18 senior officials from each side.

Beijing has asserted its desire to control access to the South China Sea and bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary. Biden has said U.S. troops would defend the democratic island from attack.

Following Pelosis visit to Taiwan in August 2022, Chinas military has surged aggressive actions around the island  repeatedly crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait with its warships and aircraft  and firing missiles both over Taiwan and into Japans exclusive economic zone.

Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, testified in October 2023 that there had been more than 180 reckless intercepts of U.S. military aircraft by Chinese aircraft in the past two years, more intercepts than U.S. officials had seen in the entire decade before that.

And when you take into account cases of coercive and risky PLA intercepts against other states, the number increases to nearly 300 cases against U.S., allied and partner aircraft over the last two years, Ratner said.

In one of the instances, a Chinese pilot flew within 3 meters (9.8 feet) of a U.S. Air Force B-52 in international airspace over the South China Sea.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has suggested that the U.S.-U.K.-Australia trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS may soon be expanded to include other Indo-Pacific nations.

AUKUS was established in 2021 in the face of China's increasingly assertive presence in the Indo-Pacific. Talks about other countries joining the group or participating in what is called Pillar 2 have been circulating for more than a year.

"It was always believed when AUKUS was launched that, at some point, we would welcome new countries to participate, particularly in Pillar 2," Campbell said while speaking Wednesday at an event hosted by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

The first pillar of AUKUS was to provide Australia with a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet, and the second pillar is to collaborate on advanced capabilities such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, advanced network capabilities, hypersonic capabilities, electronic warfare and underwater capabilities.

Campbell added that other countries have expressed interest in participating in AUKUS when the time was right.

"I think you'll hear that we have something to say about that next week," he said.

Trilateral summit next

Next week, U.S. President Joe Biden will host a trilateral summit with Japan and the Philippines. Biden will also have a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Campbell said the summit with Japan is expected to "historically" upgrade security cooperation relations, including the joint development of defense supplies.

According to Nikkei Asia, Campbell revealed on March 21 that the U.S.-Japan talks are expected to discuss technical cooperation between Japan and AUKUS.

According to the report, Campbell said Japan had made it "very clear" that it had no interest in participating in the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine project. But, he said, "there are clearly areas that Japan could bring substantial capacity to bear in security and technological pursuits that advance common goals in the Indo-Pacific."

Campbell told Nikkei Asia that those areas include advanced robotics, cyber initiatives and some work in anti-submarine warfare.

At Wednesday's event, Campbell noted that several countries in the Indo-Pacific region are undertaking critical research and development in areas Pillar 2 focuses on, including hypersonic capabilities, long-range strikes, undersea capabilities and cyber.

AUKUS to JAUKUS?

As China's provocative actions have escalated in recent years, AUKUS has begun to set its sights on more countries.

During a "2+2" meeting between Japan and Australia in December 2022, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said that AUKUS could involve Japan.

In August 2023, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British House of Commons stated that AUKUS should invite Japan and South Korea to join.

Last November, former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso suggested during a visit to Australia that Japan join the group, which could be named JAUKUS. He said that would help send a unified signal on the Taiwan issue.

Australia and New Zealand also raised the possibility of New Zealand joining the second pillar of AUKUS after a ministerial meeting between the two countries in February.

Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst in defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI, said the second pillar of AUKUS could draw on the strengths of Japan, New Zealand, Canada and even South Korea, but not necessarily as full members.

"Rather than bringing in these states as full AUKUS members, it's better to bring them in on a project-by-project basis within pillar two areas of priority  for example, robotics and A.I., autonomous systems, advanced undersea warfare, electronic warfare, quantum technologies, and hypersonics," Davis told VOA via email.

"It also opens up opportunities to add in some new priority areas  for example, space-related areas, where these states can make a great contribution."

Bronte Munro, an analyst in the ASPI office in Washington, told VOA that Japan is an increasingly suitable candidate for joining AUKUS, noting major changes in its defense policy in response to the perceived Chinese threat. These include amendments to laws prohibiting the export of lethal weapons.

Munro said Japan's manufacturing of advance semiconductors is critical for technology leadership, and the inclusion of Japan can help "secure semiconductor supply chains more explicitly for AUKUS partners."

However, there are doubts in some circles about the wisdom of expanding AUKUS in view of the risks involved in sharing and transferring advanced technologies.

Andrew Hastie, the shadow defense minister of the Australian opposition party, told the U.S. media outlet Breaking Defense on March 28 that AUKUS' focus should remain with the three countries already involved to ensure a seamless "transfer of the very sensitive secrets and intellectual property that's involved with the heart of Pillar 1 and Pillar 2."

When asked at the CNAS event whether Japan has established a security architecture to integrate into the second pillar of AUKUS, Campbell pointed out that the U.S. has been involved in "a series of engagements with Japan both on the intelligence side and in security spheres to encourage Japan to take on increasingly more strenuous activities that protect their intellectual property, that hold government officials accountable for the secrets they are trusted with."

"It's fair to say that Japan has taken some of those steps, but not all of them," he said. "And we believe that ultimately, it is in our interest to share as much information and other technologies ... with close partners like Japan to allow for a deeper, more fundamental alliance," said Campbell.

He announced that "One of the things that I think you'll see next week are steps, for the first time, that will allow the United States and Japan to work more collaboratively on joint development and potentially co-production of vital military and defense equipment.

"The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of our engagement in the Indo-Pacific."

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
During a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden told Netanyahu to improve the humanitarian situation and the safety of innocents in the Palestinian enclave. White House National Security Adviser John Kirby said If Israel does not change how it is carrying out its war in Gaza, the U.S. will change its policy toward Israel. Within hours, Israel opened three humanitarian routes for aid. We talk with Nomi Bar-Yaacov, an associate fellow of the International Security Program at Chatham House. NATO discussed a $108 billion fund for Ukraine's military. And at the 2024 New York International Auto Show, to no ones surprise, the electric car stole the show.
A heatwave in Vietnam is worsening environmental conditions in the Mekong Delta region, and farmers and gig workers have told VOA the heat is causing grueling working conditions and cutting crop yields.

The heatwave is fueled by the El Nino weather pattern causing hotter and drier conditions in Vietnam. Le Dinh Quyet, head of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center, told local news outlet VnExpress that peak temperatures hit the South early this year due to the El Nino and a heatwave that started early March is expected to continue through April and delay the start of the rainy season.

Vo Quang Tuong, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City Open University specializing in Hydrology, told VOA by email April 2 that the El Nino is "expected to exacerbate extreme weather and climate events like heat waves, floods, and droughts."

In Ho Chi Minh City, a driver with the Grab ride-hailing service in his 60s told VOA that the heat was difficult to bear midday while carrying passengers on his motorbike.

"You feel the heat reflecting from the asphalt and the sky," he said in Vietnamese on March 8. "This combination makes the heat unbearable."

Another Grab driver, in his 20s, told VOA the same day in Vietnamese that he starts working after 4:00 p.m. to stay out of the sun during the hottest hours. "I don't think it is worth working under the crazy heat.. I don't think we should sacrifice our health," he said.

Decreased crop yields

Tuong, the Ho Chi Minh City lecturer said, "Vietnam should be prepared for low rainfall, leading to drought, saltwater intrusion, and water shortages."

The soaring temperatures, lack of rainfall, and increased salinity are already posing challenges for farmers.

A 46-year-old selling vegetables at an outdoor market in Ho Chi Minh City on March 19 said that although he waters his crops three times daily, the soil dries quickly in the heat.

This March is much hotter," he said in Vietnamese. "My vegetables are dying from the heat. The crop yields dropped 30% to 40% compared to the past."

In the Mekong Delta, the country's southernmost region made up of 12 provinces and Can Tho City, saltwater is intruding into freshwater sources.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, a salinity rate of 4 grams per liter is expected to reach 24 to 40 miles inland between April 1 and 10 while most plants can only cope with one gram of salinity. The Delta is reliant on the Mekong River for fresh water, which flows through five countries before it reaches Vietnam, splits into nine tributaries and meets the sea.

Local outlet VietnamNews reported that authorities are building dams, dredging canals, encouraging farmers to store water in ponds in their orchards, and setting up 77 free water supply sites in coastal Tien Giang province.

A 42-year-old rice farmer in the Mekong Delta Province of Long An told VOA he expected crop yields will be 20% to 30% lower than normal this year.

"In other years, I did not have to add water to the rice field but this year I have to do it once every five to seven days," he said, during a phone call in Vietnamese on March 20.

This March is too hot, my skin got burned. I have to be in the field from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. to work," he said, adding that the majority of his day is spent extracting well water for his rice fields.

Resource competition

For Brian Eyler, co-lead of the Mekong Dam Monitor at the Stimson Center in Washington, the biggest threats to the Mekong Delta are caused by humans and complicated by China's control of the largest dams and cooperation among the five lower Mekong countries.

During a public talk in Ho Chi Minh City on March 19, Eyler said that decades of damming, sand mining, and groundwater extraction pose an existential threat to the river.

"This is a river undergoing a heart attack," he said of the disruption to the river's natural ebb and flow.

Eyler said that out of the hundreds of dams built on the Mekong, the biggest are two Chinese hydropower dams which are large enough to "see from outer space" and make "severe changes" to the river.

Although there are solutions to restore the Mekong, Eyler said he sees shrinking space for hope. He said that cooperation is limited and although the Mekong River Commission was founded in 1957 to work with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage the sustainable development of the river, the organization lacks power.

"There's not enough water to go around these days  resource competition is increasing," Eyler told VOA.

A new Cambodian project could "drive a wedge between Cambodia and Vietnam," according to Eyler. Cambodia plans to start building a 111-mile waterway, the Funan Techo Canal, which would connect Phnom Penh with key ports and cut off Vietnam's grip on the shipping industry. ((https://www.voanews.com/a/villagers-near-proposed-canal-in-cambodia-worry-and-wait/7552864.html))

"Shared resources like the Mekong need to be governed in a smart way otherwise there's a race to the bottom," Eyler said. "It's starting to really look like those last days are here in a very profound way."
Slowly but surely, the Islamic State terror group seems to be regaining its footing in Syria, launching new and brazen attacks against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Just-released data from U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces across the Middle East and South Asia, puts the number of Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq at about 2,500  more than double estimates from late January.

And a series of new studies is adding to the concern.

The nonprofit Counter Extremism Project (CEP), in a report released earlier this week, counted at least 69 confirmed attacks by the Islamic State group, also known as IS, ISIS or Daesh, in central Syria last month.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 84 Syrian soldiers and 44 civilians, and more than doubled the total number of confirmed IS operations for all of 2024.

"March was, by every metric, the most violent month of ISISs Badia [central Syrian desert] insurgency since late 2017, when the group first lost control of its territory," according to the CEP report.

"The unique and alarming difference in March was the scale of attacks against security forces," the report added. "ISIS cells successfully and consistently targeted regime outposts and ambushed patrols, frequently capturing and executing soldiers."

And at a time when most of the world is focused on Islamic States Afghan affiliate, blamed for the deadly attack last month on a concert hall near Moscow, CEP is not alone in its warning about the groups Syrian operatives.

A separate report this week published by the pro-Kurdish Rojava Information Center (RIC), found IS maintained a high tempo of attacks in parts of Syria nominally controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF.

RICs monthly sleeper cell report counted 27 Islamic State attacks in March, following 26 in February and 16 this past January.

The RIC report also noted a heavy focus by IS on targeting SDF troops and locations, including at least three attacks from March 7 through March 15.

The concerns about the upswing in IS attacks across Syria are not new.

Officials with the SDFs political wing told VOA this past January that the terror groups activities had "increased significantly," both in areas patrolled by the SDF and in areas overseen by the Assad regime.

An intelligence assessment compiled by the United Nations and issued in January, based on information from member states, likewise warned IS was poised for a possible resurgence.

The U.N. report said Islamic State still likely had between 3,000 to 5,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq, adding that the central Syria desert had become "a logistics and operations hub with 500 to 600 fighters."

Still, many U.S. officials have expressed skepticism about the nature of the rebirth of IS in Syria.

The terror group is "struggling in many ways to mount a major capability that is relevant to the United States," said National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid during an appearance this week on the In the Room podcast with terrorism analyst Peter Bergen.

And the Worldwide Threat Assessment, issued last month by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, cautioned that while IS remains a centralized global terror organization, "it has been forced to rely on regional branches in response to successive leadership losses during the past few years."

Despite such differences, many counterterrorism officials and independent analysts agree Islamic State is still nowhere near reasserting itself in a way that resembles the terror groups heyday six to eight years ago, when it controlled large swaths of Syria and Iraq.

Some caution, though, that even modest growth is reason for worry.

"The Islamic State always maintained capacity, even though it lost its control of Mosul and Raqqa and other strongholds," said Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"It was never truly defeated  because we never do enough to actually defeat them," Roggio told VOA. "And in places like Syria, it's extremely difficult because who do you work with, who do you partner with to do that?"

The U.S. partner in northeastern Syria is the Kurdish-led SDF, charged not only with conducting ongoing operations to counter IS but it has also been responsible for a series of prisons holding some 9,000 former IS fighters and for overseeing security at displaced persons camps, like al-Hol, which remain home to tens of thousands of IS wives and children.

Further complicating matters, the SDF has increasingly found itself in conflict with Turkish forces, who view it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, labeled as a terror organization by both Ankara and Washington. And some 900 mostly U.S. special forces in Syria have been distracted by recent drone and rocket attacks targeting U.S. bases by Iranian-backed militias.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and its SDF allies have little reach into parts of central Syria, where forces loyal to the Assad regime battle Islamic State cells with Russian support.

U.S. officials have long criticized those Syrian and Russian efforts as insufficient.

"The Russians really, in my estimation, are in the same mode as the U.S.," Roggio said. "They're doing enough to keep the Assad regime propped up and keep them alive and keep the pressure on the Islamic State. But they have bigger fish to fry in Ukraine."

"They're not devoting the resources and the energy to defeat the Islamic State in Syria," he added.

And some former officials warn that any goodwill between Russia and the U.S. when it comes to battling the Islamic State has long since dried up.

"Its [Russias] been consulted," said Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations counterterrorism official who currently serves as a senior adviser for CEP. "And now we seem to have lost that."

"That is a problem because some of the people who are best equipped to analyze and predict what might happen are not playing ball," Fitton-Brown told VOA following last months IS attack in Russia.

The Kremlin is "capable of helping in this if they wanted to, but they dont," he said.

Experts and analysts warn these sorts of problems provide IS with fertile ground to grow its forces and its operations.

For now, though, those efforts still seem to be in the early stages.

"ISIS is not poised to capture major cities  and likely will be unable to capture smaller strategic objectives," the CEP report said. "However, Marchs attacks appear to show a pattern in which ISIS cells have seized control over much of the 'empty' space outside hardened regime positions."
The Iranian-backed Houthis have fired dozens of long-range missiles at Israel since the war in Gaza began, most of which have been shot down. As the war continues, there is concern the Houthi attacks could spark a regional confrontation. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen.
Belgian lobbyist Frederic Baldan filed a criminal complaint against President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on 5 April 2023 for "usurpation of functions and title", "destruction of public documents", "illegal interests-taking and corruption". Subsequently, Hungary and Poland joined. However, at the initiative of new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Warsaw announced that it was withdrawing its complaint.

Hungary and Poland are simultaneously being sued by Pfizer, this time for non-payment for doses ordered on their behalf by the European Commission. The Brussels court issued a first provisional judgment on 3 April 2023 and must now rule on the merits.

At stake in the complaint is the 20 billion, and potentially 35 billion, contract between the EU and the multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer. In addition, millions of doses of anti-Covid mRNA drugs (mislabeled as "vaccines") worth $4 billion were lost.

The complaint centers on a text message exchange, revealed by The New York Times, between von der Leyen and Pfizer boss Albert Bourla.

Journalist Alexander Fanta (Netzpolitik.org) tried in vain to get a copy of the text messages. Efforts by the EU Ombudsman, Emily OReilly, have failed. The New York Times has filed a complaint against Ursula von der Leyen under Articles 41 and 42 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which grant a right of access to documents of the European Parliament, Council and Commission.

A directive requires national public prosecutors to notify the European Public Prosecutors Office of cases for which they believe it could be competent. However, one year later, the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) has still not responded to the notification submitted to it by the Brussels Public Prosecutors Office.

The laws do not impose any deadlines.

The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) is not a community body, but a body of enhanced cooperation. Only 22 out of 28 states recognize it. But neither Hungary or Poland. Romanias Laura Codruta Kovesi has been appointed Prosecutor General by the Commission following negotiations with the European Parliament.

The EC presidents husband, Heiko von der Leyen, has suddenly become a director of Orgenesis, a company that has played a central role in the EUs vaccination campaign. Yet, Orgenesis and Pfizer have the same major shareholder. In 2022, the European Commission awarded 320 million in grants to Orgenesis. The revelation of these subsidies led Heiko von der Leyen to resign from his position.

This case comes as Ursula von der Leyen is seeking a second term at the helm of the European Commission.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the COP29 Organizing Committee Samir Nuriyev met with Director General of the Central and West Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Eugene Zhukov, Trend reports.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Asian Development Bank and the process of preparation for COP29.

Samir Nuriyev noted that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Azerbaijan's cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, emphasizing that the country highly appreciates this cooperation. He underlined the projects implemented in Azerbaijan in the direction of the development of a green transition agenda.

Referring to the preparatory activities for CO29 under the leadership of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Samir Nuriyev informed the interlocutor about the work carried out by the country to organize this prestigious event at a high level.

Congratulating Azerbaijan on its election as the party to host COP29, Eugene Zhukov emphasized the work done by the COP29 chairmanship in a short period of time. He underlined that the Asian Development Bank intends to closely cooperate with our country in connection with COP29 and provide technical support.

Zhukov expressed satisfaction with the successes achieved by Azerbaijan in the fields of economic diversification and green transition and stressed that the Asian Development Bank is ready to contribute to this process.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
A timeline of the Dev Patel passion projects many delays and production troubles and the rumors about why Netflix dropped it. Photo: Universal Pictures

This article was originally published on April 5, 2024. Monkey Man is now available to stream on Peacock.

Monkey Man, the directorial debut of actor Dev Patel, synthesizes Asian martial-arts movies and Hindu imagery for an action-revenge drama in the vein of John Wick. But its release this Friday from Universal Pictures wasnt always the plan. The film was originally billed as a Netflix Original before it got bumped off the streamers annual release calendar  twice. Then, without warning, an electric first trailer dropped in January along with news of a wide theatrical rollout, thanks to producer Jordan Peele, the director of Get Out. It appears that at some point, Netflix backed out and sold the film to Universal. One report claims the streamers reluctance was rooted in anxieties over the films depiction of the political landscape in India, where the story is set.

Monkey Man sees Patels unnamed character (referred to as Kid) going on a revenge spree against the corrupt operatives of an Indian political party who attacked his village when he was a child. Set in Yatana  a fictional version of Mumbai  the movies villain is the head of a right-wing religious movement and has financial ties to the aforementioned party. As Kid fights his way up the partys structure, Patels lens widens to capture hints of poverty and fanaticism in ways that reflect Indias current climate of religious extremism. Patel may not always succeed in his critique of authoritarianism, but that critique may have been direct enough to influence the films trajectory behind the scenes, including its jump from Netflix to Universal and even more recent changes, as seen in the movies trailers.

Getting Off the Ground

October 29, 2018: The world first gets word of Patels plans a few days before the American Film Market, where his revenge-thriller concept will be presented to potential buyers ahead of filming. According to Variety, Monkey Man is set to follow a character who emerges from prison to grapple with a world marred by corporate greed and eroding spiritual values. The latter half of that description is accurate to the final film, though theres no prison plotline.

January 22, 2020: Patel makes a trip to Mumbai to scout shooting locations. According to the Mumbai Mirror, he also plans to meet with potential producers. Meanwhile, the forthcoming pandemic looms.

October 21, 2020: As Monkey Man gears up to shoot, the Times of India reports that because of Indias rising COVID cases, the production will move to Indonesia instead.

December 16, 2020: Cameras finally roll on Monkey Man in the Indonesian city of Batam.

December 18, 2020: Patel breaks his hand on set, as revealed by the actor-director at the films SXSW premiere. This kicks off a grueling filming process  as he further detailed in a recent Reddit Q&A  involving everything from swinging cameras around on ropes to gluing together the pieces of breakaway tables in between takes.

February 3, 2021: Volker Bertelmann is hired as the films composer. Bertelmann, who records under the name Hauschka, also wrote the music for the Patel-starring Lion. He does not end up being the credited composer on Monkey Man.

February 26, 2021: After more than three months in Indonesia, Monkey Man wraps production.

Netflix Gets Involved

March 12, 2021: With filming complete, streaming giant Netflix strikes a $30 million deal at the European Film Market, the Berlin Film Festivals annual bazaar connecting producers with buyers and investors. Deadline reports that the movie is backed by companies Bron Studios (Joker) and Thunder Road Pictures (John Wick), while an industry insider describes Patels footage as John Wick in Mumbai.

March 12, 2021: Deadline also reveals the movies supporting cast: Hollywood actor Sharlto Copley (District 9) and Indian stars Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Sikander Kher (Woodstock Villa), and Pitobash Tripathy (Million Dollar Arm).

February 3, 2022: With postproduction underway, Netflix announces Monkey Man as part of its 2022 release slate. The news, relayed via the companys blog Tudum, includes the prison tidbit as part of the films synopsis.

April 15, 2022: The Times of India reports there are plans for additional shoot dates in India involving Dhulipala and Kher.

August 25, 2022: The additional production wraps in Mumbai.

Postproduction Troubles

January 23, 2023: After the rest of 2022 passes without an update on the films release, Monkey Man is announced as one of Netflixs 2023 releases with the same logline.

Sometime before July 2023: Bertelmann is replaced as composer, according to a postproduction source who spoke with Vulture. Jed Kurzel is the films final credited composer, but this source claims he was actually the third composer hired for the movie. The band Son Lux (which worked on Everything Everywhere All at Once) was brought in to work on the score but was replaced within about a month. Son Luxs reps had no comment on the groups involvement.

Also before July 2023: Netflix decides to return Monkey Man to its producers.

July 2023: By this point in the year, talent agency CAA (which represents both Patel and Thunder Road) has begun shopping Monkey Man as a sales title, according to a source in the world of film-festival programming.

Monkey Man (and Monkeypaw) Revealed

January 26, 2024: The first trailer for Monkey Man drops, courtesy of Universal Pictures. This is the first time its publicly revealed that Netflix is no longer distributing the movie. Deadline reports the film is being released through Jordan Peeles Monkeypaw Productions, which has a deal with Universal, noting that Peele was taken by Patels vision and felt the film deserved a big-screen release. Theres no mention of why Netflix decided to let the movie go.

January 27, 2024: The blog World of Reel reports that Netflix sold off the film because the depiction of its villain, a Hindu nationalist politician, might draw the ire of Indias Hindu right-wing extremists, who support the countrys current majority government. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.

Color Theory

March 11, 2024: Monkey Man premieres at SXSW to a standing ovation (though this critic was less enthused). The films plot appears to have changed from its initial synopsis; there is no story line about Kids time in prison.

dev patel on the monkey man standing ovation at sxsw:



i didnt think anyone would show up 

pic.twitter.com/k8Td4UBYrg  sylvia (@newromantics02) March 29, 2024

March 21, 2024: As hype builds, Universal releases a second trailer.

March 23, 2024: Twitter user @computer_atulya notices a minor change with major implications between the two trailers for the film so far. In the first trailer, the posters for the films fictitious political party are orange  or saffron  a color associated with Hinduism and frequently used to represent right-wing Hindutva/Hindu nationalist movements. In the second trailer, and in the final film, these posters have been edited to appear red, leading to speculation that Universal might be hoping to soften potential blowback. Universal declined to comment on this change.

the new trailer shows that they've changed the colors of the evil political party from saffron (hindu nationalist BJP) to red (communist party) https://t.co/HYFrhNqcV8 pic.twitter.com/te2NKTYy2p  atulya  (@computer_atulya) March 23, 2024

March 31, 2024: Monkey Mans planned April 19 theatrical release in India  a date that appeared on ticketing websites but was intended as a placeholder, according to a Universal spokesperson  is delayed, Bollywood Hungama reports. The movie hasnt yet undergone the censorship certification required of all theatrical films released in India, but the report notes that this process is expected to take time. On Twitter, Universal Pictures India posts an update that the film will arrive in cinemas soon. Whether it makes it to Indian theaters in one piece, or at all, remains to be seen.

April 5, 2024: On the day Monkey Man hits theaters in the U.S., the Wrap reports that Netflix dropped the movie because its political undertones may have spooked the streamer. The film is expected to make $1314 million in its opening weekend.
If it hadnt been obvious before, its obvious now: John Wilkes Booths escape plan might have had some flaws. On paper, it would look something like this:

Shoot Lincoln Ride away ??? Arrive in Richmond and be greeted as a hero

But the thing about getting to Richmond is you cant keep losing your way and lopping back to Maryland. Thats the problem Booth and Herold face as A Man of Destiny opens, though the moments before the problem becomes apparent provide some telling insights into Booths character. He almost enlisted, but that kind of service to the cause wasnt for him, in part because he didnt dig the uniforms. That said, hes prepared to accept a high-ranking position once he reaches his destination. It just makes sense. Yet once their situation becomes apparent, Booth decides to put on whatever uniform he needs to wear to survive.

The episodes title could be a reference to Booths delusions or could refer to a new player on the Manhunt scene, an intense man introduced sitting in the rain. If you dont want any spoilers, dont look up the name Boston Corbett, played here by William Mark McCullough, though its not hard to figure out what role hell play in the story. Corbetts a character who might seem too far-fetched if he didnt really exist. That reference to him slicing off his ball sack because of God? True. (Its even more grisly than that summary makes it sound.) Corbett also worked as a milliner, an occupation that, in the 19th century at least, involved exposure to occasionally mind-warping chemicals, hence the expression mad as a hatter (though Lewis Carroll wouldnt invent the Mad Hatter until later in the century). Corbett, an Englishman who named himself after his new home, did lose his wife and found himself tortured by base desires and put himself into the hands of God. And Gods hands will soon take him to a fateful spot.

In Washington, other men are reshaping American history. After saying Im fond of the institution of slavery, Andrew Johnson tries to sell his watered-down version of Reconstruction to some powerful Southerners. It doesnt fly, particularly the land grants that give freed men and women a leg up in the post-war world. The look on Johnsons face suggests the promise of 40 acres and a mule might not be a lasting one.

Its hard to see Stanton going for this, but Stantons busy elsewhere, intensifying the search for Booth and Herold, whose advantage seems to be drying up. Booths leg isnt getting any better, and Herold doesnt know where hes going, but they have reached Virginia, and those uniforms might help disguise them. After all, there are a lot of defeated Confederate soldiers wandering around. And though Stanton seems like the sort who would question every single one of them if he could, Johnsons betrayal brings him back to Washington to fight.

Its not the first time hes championed land grants: Inspired by the petitions of the formerly enslaved, he made land grants a plank of Reconstruction and drew up a plan for coastal lands that made sense, even bringing General William Tecumseh Sherman (Alex Collins) to his side. Its logistically possible and, beyond that, its fair and American. But Johnsons not interested in any of that and, ultimately, Stanton agrees with Eckert that he should stick around to temper Johnsons worst instincts rather than resign.

Its the pragmatic choice, but a later scene in which Mary learns she has to give up the land that made her so proud illustrates how policy decisions can have devastating consequences on the ground. Left with nothing, she returns to Mudd in the hopes of reclaiming her job. Instead, she gets the promise hell ruin her and a beating thats, mercifully, not depicted onscreen. As this happens, Mudd is on Stantons mind as well. New intel suggests that Booth already knew the doctor and where to head to have his injury treated.

This is, again, contrary to the depictions of Mudd as a good, misunderstood doctor, which still persists in the popular imagination. It also seems to be far closer to the facts of Mudds life. Mudd starts to fall apart under Stantons questioning even before a search turns up Booths monogrammed boot. This also opens up the opportunity for Mary to tell all she knows, earning Stantons thanks and directions to the Arlington camp where she and her brother might have the best shot at starting a new life, though without the land they were promised.

Meanwhile, Booth and Herold arent having an easy time of it. After taking shelter with a Black family, they hook up with a group of legitimate Confederate soldiers, one of whom immediately spots Booth as a phony. Called a coward, Booth decides to reveal himself as Lincolns killer. Loudly. And in front of a bunch of people. Booth lives to perform for an audience, no matter what the risk. So, it comes as a shock that the soldiers arent impressed with his deeds. Some, in fact, are repelled by them. It only takes one, however, to point them toward a friendly who can offer them shelter.

Jetting from here to the ferry crossing where Booth and Herold made their passage, Stanton receives a hot tip from a ferryman who witnessed Booths performance. One conversation with the man who pointed Booth toward a friendly, and Stantons off to the nearby Garrett farm, where a delirious Booth is being tended to by a comely farmers daughter who thinks hes a hero. Am I in heaven? he asks. (Again, dont Google Booth Garrett farm if you dont want spoilers.) But, as the episode draws to a close, it looks like Stanton might not be well enough to make it to the finish line himself.

Codes and Clues

 This is another fine episode of Manhunt, albeit one in which its hard to ignore some of the structural creakiness that comes from trying to squeeze a lot of history into less than two weeks of story. Mary seems to receive her land grant, then lose it, then return to Mudd, then turn on Mudd in the course of a couple of days. In reality, the land grants created by Shermans Field Order No. 15, which would have provided land for about 40,000 Black Americans, were revoked in the fall of 1865, not April, days after Lincolns death. If anything, this makes it even more tragic, given the time it allowed for freed people to make plans for the future. But its also outside the scope of Manhunts timeline. Dramatically, it makes sense to depict it here. But its probably best not to think too hard about the condensed timeline, just as its best not to try to figure out how Stanton made it from the trail, back to Washington, on to Mudds farm, then back on the trail again so quickly.

 The idea of a Cabinet member sticking around to temper a presidents worst impulses sounds another note of contemporary resonance, doesnt it?
The Old Oak. Photo: Zeitgeist Films

In 1984, the British filmmaker Ken Loach made one of his most beautiful and underdiscussed pictures, an hour-long television documentary called Which Side Are You On?, about the miners strikes that were gripping the United Kingdom at the time. Produced for the storied ITV series The South Bank Show, Loachs film consisted mostly of songs and poems (and, occasionally, cartoons) written or performed in honor of the striking miners by ordinary workers and their families. Deemed too political for TV at the time, it did finally get shown after winning an award at the Berlin Film Festival. (You can watch it on YouTube here.) By that point, the strikes had already been broken  a defeat that forever undercut the British trade union movement and announced the victory of Thatcherism and unchecked capitalism.

Many would say that the ghosts of those miners strikes still haunt Britain today. They certainly haunt Loachs latest and perhaps final film, The Old Oak, a spare and moving drama about a dying village in Northeast England that greets a group of Syrian refugees with a mixture of racism, contempt, and puzzlement. Framed photos from the strike adorn the abandoned back room of the titular local pub, which we are told is the last remaining gathering place in this depressed town after the closures of the church hall, the theater, and the community center. The pubs owner, T.J. Ballantyne (played by Dave Turner, a retired fireman who belatedly began acting after consulting on Loachs 2016 film, I, Daniel Blake), is himself the child of miners  he lost his father in an accident many years ago  and hes one of the few in the village who dont yell expletives or throw dirty stares at Yara (Ebla Mari) and her family as they arrive by bus in this strange new place.

The year is 2016 (pre-Brexit), and the economic despair surrounding these characters is one of the reasons why Yara and her family are here in the first place. The housing is dirt-cheap, and theyve been placed there by a nonprofit organization that also provides them with basic needs, which in turn provokes the ire of impoverished neighbors who think these outsiders are leeching off other (presumably whiter) people in need. Charity begins at home, one pissy neighbor tells the kindly, overworked, exhausted volunteer Laura (Claire Rodgerson) as she brings the Syrians some bags of donations. See what Ive got? Its nappies. Theres a baby, she responds, making it clear that nobodys gaming any system here  everybodys just trying to survive on the barest essentials.

The Old Oak largely focuses on the growing friendship between T.J. and Yara, a relationship that starts in terse fashion. An amateur photographer who began by taking pictures in the refugee camp where she lived for two years, Yara wants to find the drunk hooligan who broke her camera when they first got off the bus so he can pay to have it fixed; T.J. knows who the man is, but he doesnt want to get involved. As the guy who dutifully serves pints to whoever comes into his bar, including a gaggle of old chums who spend all day working themselves up into a lather about the immigrants invading their shores (theyre like a soused Greek chorus from hell), T.J. clearly doesnt want to put himself out there one way or the other: I say nowt, just keep me mouth shut, he tells Laura as they drive around town in his van dropping off charity supplies to needy families. We know T.J.s hearts in the right place. He might not want to find the yob who broke Yaras camera, but he will offer her one of his own. She doesnt want another camera, however. The one she has was a gift from her father, who was taken from them back in Syria, his fate still unknown.

When his racist pals ask to use the back room to have a public meeting about how theyre feeling, T.J. coolly refuses: Theres nay heating in there, the plumbings knackered, and the electrics are fucked, so thats a nonstarter, he tells them. He says much the same when Yara and Laura ask him if they can use it to bring the Syrians and local families together for a free meal. Of course, T.J. will eventually relent. We can tell that from the way he speaks lovingly of the miners strike and reflects on those black-and-white photographs in his run-down, abandoned back room, which slowly becomes a metaphor for the untapped power of community.

Loach has announced his retirement from filmmaking a couple of times in the past, and he did so again when The Old Oak premiered at Cannes last year. He does appear to mean it this time: The man is 87 years old, and he notes (correctly) that directing is arduous, physical work. The relative simplicity of The Old Oaks narrative and its limited locations perhaps speak to that as well. The film has a graceful simplicity. Its cast of nonprofessionals (some of them refugees themselves) perform with little adornment or unnecessary emoting. The story and the situations it presents are sad enough; theres no need for flashy expressions, no needy pleading for our sympathy.

Loachs late period has been a lot more fruitful than most artists. Of course, few films can compare to his early work, to the strident poetry and power of such masterpieces as Kes (1969), Cathy Come Home (1966), and Land and Freedom (1995), or to witty, gritty mid-period dramas like My Name Is Joe (1998) and Sweet Sixteen (2002)  movies that inspired generations of artists and activists. But the directors later efforts have evinced a clarity that, at its best, makes for a compelling moral vision of modern life, in which political ideas emerge organically from the recognizable, everyday troubles depicted onscreen.

The Old Oak (which was written by Loachs longtime collaborator Paul Laverty) completes a loose trilogy of works that began with I, Daniel Blake, a slow-burn drama about the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of Britains failing social safety net, and continued with 2019s stomach-turning look at the gig economy, Sorry We Missed You, which followed the increasing humiliations faced by a middle-age e-commerce delivery driver. In those movies, the characters seemed to be hopelessly alone, their lives balkanized by ruthless, faceless systems that forced everyone to compete against one another  be it for a paycheck, a gig, or a social service.

By contrast, the people of The Old Oak slowly begin to realize that they have one another. If those other films were about the fragmentation of daily life, this one seems to understand that there is power in (a) union, as there was in Which Side Are You On?, with its portrait of collective art performed in the service of others in pubs and community centers all across Northern England. The new film also recalls Loachs Jimmys Hall, another picture about the renovation of a gathering place intended to bring a divided, downtrodden populace together for camaraderie and understanding. As one of the characters in that film put it: The language of brotherhood, it spreads like wildfire in a world of rampant greed. With The Old Oak, Ken Loach goes out with one last, full-throated call for brotherhood and solidarity. Its the most hopeful the old soldiers been in years.
Dev Patel in Monkey Man. Photo: Universal Pictures

This review was originally published on April 5, 2024. Monkey Man is now available to stream on Peacock.

One day, Dev Patel will surely direct a great movie. He clearly has the talent, as evidenced by Monkey Man, a feverish action-revenge thriller thats more notable for its bravura editing and impressively grimy, up-close-and-frightful fight scenes than for its story or its stabs at political resonance or any layered portrayal of its protagonist. None of these other things would matter, of course, if they didnt matter to the movie itself. As an action flick, Monkey Man is often quite entertaining, but it keeps distracting you with images of the film its trying, and often failing, to be.

Monkey Man will prompt comparisons to John Wick, egged on by the picture itself, which directly and indirectly references Chad Stahelski and David Leitchs now-classic Keanu Reeves revenge shoot-em-up. (It also nods to any number of Indian, Indonesian, and Hong Kong action films, as well as a variety of hazily remembered straight-to-video movies.) But the protagonist this time isnt a legendarily cold-blooded assassin. Known only as Kid (Patel), hes a bare-knuckles boxer in an ape mask whose specialty, it seems, is getting the crap kicked out of him by bigger, stronger, better fighters  a hapless, impulsive nobody. But hes also biding his time in the underworld of Yatana (a fictional stand-in for Mumbai), seeking to get closer to the higher echelons of power.

Soon, hes ingratiated himself into the employ of Queenie Kapoor (Ashwini Kalsekar), a restaurateur/pimp/dealer who provides any number of not-so-clandestine services to the wealthy, and we begin to sense the Kids true target. Hes got a simmering vendetta against the citys chief of police (Sikandar Kher), who is closely allied to a Hindu nationalist organization, the Sovereign Party, led by a self-fashioned guru named Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande) who pretends to have a life of modesty but is clearly just another pious hypocrite. (The Sovereign Party of the film has a strong real-world resemblance to Indias ruling BJP, which will likely lead to some censorship and release problems for the movie in India, particularly as the country enters an election period.)

The Kids beloved mother (Adithi Kalkunte) was, we learn, killed during the removal of a group of villagers from their forest home by authorities. The film delivers this backstory in dreamy dribs and drabs, but we get the idea fairly early on; whats left are just the heartbreaking and grisly details. We do also get sweeter flashbacks, to our young hero being taught about the ways of the forest by his mother, learning about the bravery of the monkey-god Hanuman and dreaming of being just like him.

Elsewhere, my colleague Siddhant Adlakha has detailed the troubling reverberations of the films appropriation of loaded religious imagery in its tale of righteous violence. While this certainly wouldnt be the first time an action movie has targeted the powerful while indulging in the very mythologies those in power like to exploit (just ask anybody who lived through the 1980s), what stands out in Monkey Man is the extent to which Patel repeatedly cuts to this stuff, including dream visions, historical paintings, multiple scenes of his protagonist praying, and one scene that seems to suggest that our hero is in fact becoming Hanuman, or at least getting his power from the monkey god.

Patel seems eager to elevate his genre potboiler into the realm of deeper meaning and spiritual gravitas. Which is a shame, because hes got an otherwise perfectly good genre potboiler on his hands. Monkey Mans close-quarter fight sequences  filled with eye-gouging and nut-punching and head-smashing and what must be a world record for throat-stabbings  have a welcome immediacy, thanks partly to the fact that the hero isnt, at least at first, particularly good at fighting. Combined with the rhythmic editing, the eclectically poppy score, and the saturated color palette, it all makes for a pleasantly frantic experience.

What is missing from the movie is  and I cant quite believe Im writing this  Dev Patel, the actor. A supremely talented leading man, hes one of those performers who mixes great range with great presence. All this was on full display in 2019s The Wedding Guest, a now somewhat-forgotten Michael Winterbottom action-romance that proved Patel could be a genre lead, mixing his usual charm and depth with an alluring physicality. Hes got even more physicality in Monkey Man, and its clear hes spent a ton of time trying to get these action scenes right, both as performer and director. But we so rarely glimpse Patels face at rest in this hectic, stylized film. The flashback structure, with its constant temporal leapfrogging and nightmare visions and bursts of music, does most of the emoting for the character, so the movie is not cold, exactly. But in the search for visceral thrills, something seems to have faded into the background: a sense of depth, or inner life. And no, the overload of spiritual imagery doesnt quite cover for it.

Action movies do this all the time, to be fair. Keanu Reevess John Wick was stoic to a fault; Liam Neesons characters calmly suffer; Arnold Schwarzenegger was a stone-faced killer. At their best, their films build symphonies of mayhem out of those single notes. But Monkey Man clearly aspires to something more, something transcendent and meaningful. And when youve got such a great talent in the lead, it seems like a waste not to use him. Somebody should remind Dev Patel the director that Dev Patel the actor can do a lot more than this.
Photo: Ashley Markle for New York Magazine

On a rainy early-spring evening, a parade of Barbie dreamgirls and gays make their way to see Nicki Minaj, the sound of high heels crunching on the pavement. Its the first night of her run of Northeast shows on the Pink Friday 2 World Tour at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While walking toward the venue, a woman in a layered pink miniskirt, a bikini top, and Lucite coral kitten heels bumps into someone who is demonstrably not a Minaj fan: gray hoodie, jeans, a distinct lack of Big Cunt Energy. The other person doesnt even notice, but this woman clocks the disrespect. You aint a Barb, she says mostly to herself as she hobbles along the pavement. You an ugly bitch.

Taylor Swift has her Swifties, Beyonce has her Beyhive, and Nicki Minaj has her Barbz, a notoriously brutal fan base whose members will do anything for their icon. Barbz have publicized the numbers and addresses of Minajs critics in the media, have harassed the woman who accused Minajs husband of sexual assault, and have sent graphic messages to a former Barb who left the standom for disagreeing with Minaj.

In January, Megan Thee Stallion released Hiss, which featured a hotly contested line  These hoes dont be mad at Megan / These hoes mad at Megans Law  that was perceived as a jab at Minajs husband, Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at knifepoint in 1994 when he was 16. Minaj went live on Instagram insulting Megan and making wisecracks about her late mother. The Barbz took it a step further, threatening to deface and vandalize Megans mothers grave. It got so bad that the cemetery reportedly had to beef up security after Barbz leaked the location of her burial site online.

So suffice to say it isnt the best time to be a Barb. And there is perhaps no star who interacts directly with their fans as much as Minaj. That creates its own type of parasocial relationship, beyond simply loving a musician and feeling close to them through their lyrics: If you speak even slightly ill of Minaj on TikTok, she will find it, and she will comment, even if you preface your critique with your Barbdom.

Lately, attention around standom in general has reached a new fever pitch. Donald Glover made a whole Amazon show about it, Swarm, while some artists are trying to relitigate their relationships with their stans  Britney Spears has had to tell her Instagram followers to relax and let her live, and Doja Cat has been hostile to the concept of an organized fan base. But Minaj leans in and treats the internet like a normal person who doesnt enjoy being insulted online, as if she didnt have 229 million Instagram followers who would join her in the response.

Is all this energy worth it? Could a Nicki Minaj show be so spectacular that it inspires this level of ugly, terrifying fealty?

Photo: Ashley Markle for New York Magazine

Before the concert even starts, paramedics wheel away a young woman in a mysteriously wet minidress as she vomits into a paper cup. Her sister is crying  theyre going to miss the show. The crowd varies dramatically throughout the sold-out arena: plenty of Gen-Z kids too young to buy beer, elder millennials who grew up with Minaj, some Gen-X-ers who admire Minajs do-whatever-you-want attitude.

Joseph Jojo DiMaria, 16, came to the tour decked out in a floor-length off-shoulder pink gown and knee-high matching pink gladiator heels with fluffy bows and dangling heart-shaped rhinestones. Hes here with his friend and former babysitter Teresa Brennan, 24. She snaps at him to cut it out when he gawks too long at a man walking by. Youre not old enough, Brennan says. DiMaria bats his long eyelashes.

DiMaria identifies as a Barb and nothing less. A fucking Barb is the one that defends Nicki Minaj no matter what. A Barb is there 24/7 for the queen. He delivers these words like a pledge of allegiance. I hang my Barb flags on my camp bunk at my autistic summer camp.

Brennan nods. Every year, since he was, like, 13.

The Barbz live in Gag City, an inside joke between Minaj and her fans, which started in the lead-up to her fifth album, Decembers Pink Friday 2, mostly in response to frenetic and inconsistent information about the albums release date and the tour. Fans shared AI-generated art of a futuristic all-pink world, waiting for Minaj to gag them with the record. I ask Barbz what Gag City is. Answers vary from I have no idea to

a beautiful city with abortion and gay rights to Gag City is everything, baby!

According to them, Gag City is under attack  by nebulously defined haters, by Cardi or Megan fans, by a music industry that wants to deny Minaj the success she deserves. (Why no Grammys? Some Barbz consider this nothing short of a conspiracy against the queen.) But the reality is that while plenty of Minaj songs are blockbuster singles (her and Ice Spices Barbie World closed last summers Barbie), and while her albums are largely commercially successful (Pink Friday 2 debuted at No. 1), her online rants and complicated personal life appear to have irreversibly impacted how shes perceived. Barbz see Minaj as sweet, sensitive, and generous  they cite unspecific examples of her supposedly paying for Barbz college tuitions on X  but beyond her own stans, shes more frequently viewed as cruel, virulent, and unhinged.

Whatever Gag City is, getting there is expensive. Ajadi John, 19, and TJ Harris, 20, both flew to Newark for the show  Harris from Virginia and John from the Virgin Islands. Those flights and tickets and new outfits arent cheap: The concert experience is costing John around $3,000. It sounds crazy, he concedes. (Harris didnt even realize his friend had spent so much; he gapes at him when he shares the grand total.)

The two are among the more muted Barbz here, even though theyre dressed for peak Barbdom, Harris in clear pink sunglasses with silver stars, John in a bright-pink Kirby letterman jacket and white Louis Vuitton sneakers. Most of the crowd got the same memo about the dress code  high-femme Barbie queer Harajuku futuristic Madonna-and-whore pink girlie cunt fantasy. This show isnt just a chance to see Minaj perform. Its a chance to be seen by other Barbz, to show off your dedication based on presentation, to prove your allegiance by dropping a few hundred at the steadily emptying merch table. At one point, DiMaria bolts away from me and Brennan and after a group of 20-somethings rapping Romans Revenge in order to join in. Everyone should know how well he knows these words.

Photo: Ashley Markle for New York Magazine

Mary Tapican, 23, a Starbucks supervisor, and her boyfriend, Dante Saunches, 24, flew in from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the show. Tapican is a fiercely devoted Barb and an immigrant from the Philippines  Minaj was the first female rapper she ever heard. A breakup when she was 13 coincided with 2014s The Pinkprint. That Pinkprint era just spoke so many words to me: I dont need you to love myself, she says. This isnt just Tapicans first Minaj concert; its her first live show ever.

Saunches is doing what a lot of men here are doing  playing Ken to all these Barbies. He likes Minajs music, though he wouldnt categorize himself as a Barb, despite the matching black-and-pink motorsport-inspired outfit hes wearing with his girlfriend. The Nicki fervor, he says, is far louder in person than he understood from afar. People are actually ride or die, he says. It doesnt matter where she goes or what she does; shell always be the sunlight in the darkness for everybody here.

Tapican is one of very few Barbz here willing to admit to fighting online in defense of Minaj. Her latest spat was in the YouTube comments of one of Cardi Bs music videos. Someone was like, Oh, she wrote this. But I was just like, Did she, though?  she says. (Cardi is often accused of using ghostwriters for her lyrics.) For Tapican, showing up to see Minaj live is one way to support her fave; going at it with Cardi fans is another. Of course, Ill pick Nickis side, but it has to have some kind of truth to it, she says.

Online, Barbz will often eat their own if it means defending Minaj, but at this concert, theres a little room to be critical. Shes always late, says John, the Virgin Islands teen, talking about Minaj like shes his annoying friend whos always pulling up to brunch when the bill comes. I spent $3k! You cant be coming out late and stuff. As soon as it hit eight, you gotta be there! (Minaj wouldnt hit the stage until around 10 p.m.) Most of the Barbz I spoke to said that theyre not a big fan of Minajs husband but add that its not their place to judge. I dont know the whole story, says William Marcjanik, a fan from Bergen County wearing an I am Kenough pullover. No one knows the guy. Theyre all gonna be like, Sex offender? Write him off. Maybe hes actually a great guy but he fucked up 20 years ago. DiMaria doesnt want to talk about Petty, but Brennan does. Hes not great, she says, wincing. DiMaria takes a few steps back from me and my recorder. You gotta take that out, he says. Nicki sees this interview, shes not going to be hugging me. He warns me, with a wink, against writing a negative review of the show or of the Barbz, pressing a pink-gloved hand on his chest in terror. Theyll find your family. They did it before. Theyll do it again.

Photo: Ashley Markle for New York Magazine

A lot of these Barbz are still listening to Cardi and Meg  just quietly. Several of them said their greatest wish is for a drama-free era: If only the girls could just get along, record a super-hit, and let us all live in peace. When Barbz do, in brief moments, criticize Minaj, they do it while looking around nervously at other fans in the venue. What if someone hears them? What does a citizens arrest look like in Gag City?

The Barbz here seem to agree, though, that theres almost nothing Minaj could do to put them off. The only two good reasons to stop being a Barb? Homophobia or murder. She would never, Brennan says to DiMaria, who nods deeply. Marcjanik says not even cannibalism would stop him from being a Minaj fan. Shed have to kill her baby, Debie Silpa, 54, told me. If she cuss someone out, I dont care. They probably deserve it. Silpa respects Minajs strength, her boss attitude, and the fact  and Barbz do treat this as undeniable fact  that Minaj writes her own raps. I think shes very gentle inside. She just has a strong personality like us, Silpa says, motioning to her and her very tall friend, head-to-toe in pink and rhinestones and lashes. We dont put up with no shit either.

When Minaj finally takes the stage several hours late, she receives applause so thunderous it feels like the arena might rip clean in half. Rumors of Minajs poor live performance have been grossly exaggerated. She raps almost every word, rarely using a backing track. (Her guest, Fivio Foreign, did his entire minutes-long performance with one.) Her performance is crisp and boisterous and funny and sexy. She pulls people out of the crowd and asks them to sing, snatching the microphone away in mock disgust when theyre not operatic enough. She hurls T-shirts into the crowd with a velocity that you might reserve for a snowball fight. (Sorry, she says absently when she hits someone in the face.) The crowd loves being shit on by their queen. She doesnt really do choreography, and the stage production is limited compared to, say, the Renaissance World Tour, but she doesnt need to do too much; Minaj is ruling a kingdom for two hours every night of this tour.

As she raps they need rappers like me / so they can get on their fucking keyboards / and make me the bad guy, from Chun-Li, the crowd screams it back at her. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for never leaving me, she tells them.
Nell Tiger Free in The First Omen. Photo: 20th Century Fox

This article was originally published on April 5, 2024. The First Omen began streaming on Hulu on May 30, 2024.

At some point, we should probably have a conversation about how our culture has now given us, within the span of two weeks, two separate horror movies in which young American nuns arrive in Italy only to discover a sinister plan by a demonic faction of the Catholic Church to impregnate women  with a biological heir to Jesus Christ in Immaculate and, now, with the Antichrist in The First Omen. And no, Im not really giving anything away about The First Omen, a prequel to Richard Donners Gregory Peckstarring 1976 classic, The Omen, about an American couple who discover that their son, whom they secretly adopted in Rome, is the child of Satan. (It could also be a prequel to the now-forgotten Liev Schreiberstarring 2006 remake of that film, I suppose, but The First Omen specifically references the Gregory Peck version, which until now was probably the only good Omen movie.)

The stuff you see in horror films is not sui generis, the great Wes Craven told me back in 2007. He was speaking at the time about how the popularity of the so-called torture-porn genre and the resurgence of gore was linked to the shocking images coming out of the forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a unique time in American history, where the government has admitted to torturing people, he said. The culture cannot help but reflect that atmosphere. In other words, why should anyone have been surprised that the horror genre, already a psychological barometer of American society, began giving us images of torture right around the time the real world became filled with such images?

So why should anyone be surprised that suddenly, in the wake of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade, as state after state attempts to enact religious laws depriving women of bodily agency, America is getting horror movies about people forced into monstrous births by religious institutions worried about their growing irrelevance? Whether its from a direct desire to be topical or a subconscious need to make our anxieties tangible, horror throws our world back at us.

The First Omen, directed by Arkasha Stevenson from a screenplay by herself, Keith Thomas, and Tim Smith, even makes a point of incorporating whats happening in the society at large into its genre tale of creepy occurrences behind cloistered walls. In this case, the year is 1971, and the city of Rome has been seized by protests. Driving through the city, young novitiate Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) asks her mentor, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), about the turmoil. For the workers, its about conditions and wages, he replies. For the students, its a rejection of authority. He goes on to add that the Church is among those institutions in which these young people have lost trust and faith.

The film will go on to cut between the chaos in the streets and the chaos in Margarets mind. Shes always been beset by ghastly, unnatural visions, were told, and she becomes intrigued by Carlita Skianna (Nicole Sorace), one of the girls at the orphanage where she serves. Carlita is quiet, and odd, and unable to play with others. The nuns often send her to the Bad Room, a sort of solitary confinement for unruly girls. Margaret sees something of herself in the girl and tries to forge a bond with her. When a rogue priest (Ralph Ineson) warns her that Carlita might well be marked with the sign of the Beast, and that she might have been bred by the Church specifically to give birth to the Anti-Christ, Margaret is in denial. We know that the priest is telling the truth not just because this is an Omen movie but also because we saw him receive this information in a gruesome opening scene featuring the never-not-unsettling Charles Dance.

Look, this is a ridiculous story. It will surely leave you with more questions than it answers, especially since it has to both feed into the existing Omen and set up its own sequel. (Fox, acquired and gutted by Disney a few years ago, could use an active horror franchise.) But like the best studio horror directors, Stevenson understands that were not here for logic. The First Omen is soaked in style and mood with images that are both textured and shocking and that tap into tantalizingly visceral fears. Black veils wrapped around agonized faces. Monstrous figures lurking behind closed curtains. Grimy claws pawing at delicate female flesh. Drawings on walls that whisper dark nothings. Black habits hung on hooks that come to life with a burst of wind and a queasy glance. If horror is all about loss of control, about feelings of helplessness conjured in the audience to reflect the helplessness of the characters, then this is a true horror film.

Immaculate and The First Omen both borrow  musically, visually, atmospherically  from Italian horror and giallo. Even the performance styles are more heightened than in the typical genre flick; the actors in these movies have clearly been encouraged to go wide-eyed and loud. Despite the silliness on display, these movies work as expressive, expressionistic dream journeys. They have their share of momentary scares, but theyre at their best when working a deeper, more lasting sense of terror, logic and character development be damned.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The World Bank has pledged to ramp up its investments in climate-health initiatives, Trend reports via the Bank.

Reportedly, this commitment comes as a response to the escalating threats posed by climate change to public health and well-being.

Through its pioneering Climate and Health Program, the World Bank aims to embed climate considerations within its extensive $34 billion health portfolio, which spans operations in over 100 countries.

The World Bank says it is dedicated to assisting countries in fortifying their health systems to anticipate, detect, prepare for, and respond to climate-related risks and disasters. This effort involves implementing climate-informed surveillance and early-warning systems, enhancing the capacity of health workforce in climate-health strategies, and bolstering the resilience of healthcare infrastructure.

Recognizing the imperative of reducing carbon footprints in the health sector, the World Bank is facilitating the transition towards low-carbon, high-quality service delivery. This entails initiatives such as adopting clean, renewable energy for healthcare infrastructure and fleets, as well as promoting the use of low-carbon medicines and equipment.

The World Bank is spearheading efforts to tackle the underlying drivers of climate change and its adverse impacts on health. This involves fostering collaboration across sectors to scale up interventions in areas such as One Health, water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and energy efficiency.

The World Bank's proactive stance has already yielded significant results, with substantial climate-related health investments spanning more than 100 countries. Notably, 80 percent of these investments are channeled towards adaptation interventions, including urgent nutrition support, establishment of surveillance systems, and the development of emergency response centers.
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Kaspersky's solutions prevented more than 10,000 attempts by users in Azerbaijan to go to phishing and scam pages on the topic of cryptocurrencies in 2023, Kaspersky Lab's official representative in Azerbaijan Mushvig Mammadov told Trend.

He noted that the number of cyberattacks in Azerbaijan has increased recently, and even the Interior Ministry has started to urge the population to be more vigilant in this regard.

"Attackers are constantly adapting their schemes to the current news agenda. The topic of cryptocurrencies is one of the most prominent in the financial sphere. Therefore, fraudsters often bet on it. All over the world, phishers actively mimic various popular crypto exchanges. For example, we have seen pages that mimic the sites of Binance, Bybit, Huobi, and CommEX. Usually, they offer, for example, to allegedly immediately link a cryptocurrency wallet to the platform or enter your credentials from the account at the crypto exchange itself. In 2023, our solutions have prevented more than 10,000 attempts to transfer users in Azerbaijan to phishing and scam pages on the topic of cryptocurrencies," Mammadov said.

According to him, attackers can use several social engineering techniques at once: sending letters on behalf of organizations (the sender's name is very similar to the official one) or speculating on a popular topic.

"On scam pages, where users are encouraged to go from the letters, may refer to well-known personalities. At the last stage (where attackers offer to invest a certain amount of money to earn many times more in the future), fake positive reviews of other participants are placed for persuasiveness. You should always be careful and double-check information on the Internet, especially when it comes to easy earnings, shares, cryptocurrency, and generous payouts," the official representative of the company added.

He recommends paying attention to the website address: if the domain name differs from the original one even by one letter (for example, "rn" is used instead of "m"), it is a reason to be wary.

"Check whether all the buttons on the site work; the fact is that attackers often do not copy the entire site but create one or more fake pages. It is worth using a reliable security solution on your device; it will prompt you if the user tries to go to a phishing resource," Mammadov concluded.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Warning: this report contains the name and image of Cleveland Dodd, with his familys permission.

The corrections worker who found Cleveland Dodd, the first juvenile to die in WA youth detention, after he self-harmed says the prison unit where the incident happened was set up to fail.

Youth custodial officer Daniel Torrijos discovered Cleveland unresponsive inside his cell in the troubled youth wing  Unit 18  in a high-security adult prison in the early hours of October 12, 2023.

Cleveland Dodd, 16, (inset) died after self-harming in his cell at the youth Unit 18 wing of Perths maximum-security Casuarina Prison.

The 16-year-old had made eight threats to self-harm in the hours before Torrijos unlocked his cell door at Casuarina Prison.
Woodside and fertiliser manufacturer Yara are looking to bury under the sea carbon emissions from the Norwegian companys Pilbara plant.

Yaras plant on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha emits the equivalent of 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, turning gas into ammonia to make fertilisers and explosives, the seventh-biggest industrial carbon polluter in Western Australia.

Yaras plant produces 840,000 tones of ammonia a year, about five per cent of global trade. Credit: Yara

Yara Pilbara general manager Laurent Trost said carbon capture and storage (CCS) could cut emissions from the ammonia plant and its nearby explosives plant by 75 per cent.

Ammonia is made from splitting gas into carbon dioxide and hydrogen, then combining hydrogen and nitrogen to produce the final product.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 5. A plenary session of the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) will be organized in Kazakhstan on May 1317, Trend reports, referring to the country's Ministry of Transport.

The event, featuring delegates from 65 countries, international organizations, and representatives of Central Asia, will focus on advancing harmonized regulations in the realm of unmanned aviation.

The participants will deliberate on proposals for regulatory framework enhancements concerning the utilization of unmanned aircraft systems across four distinct working groups: licensing and operations, airworthiness, risk management, and regulation of autonomous operations.

JARUS is a group of experts from national aviation authorities throughout the world who are creating ideas to regulate the use of unmanned aircraft systems.

In July 2023, Kazakhstan became the 66th member of this organization. Currently, the country is the vice chairman of JARUS in the Asia/Australia region.

JARUS serves as a platform for sharing knowledge, experience, and best practices in the field of unmanned aviation regulation and solving current problems.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
 Flash

A UN Security Council briefing on the situation of Rakhine State of Myanmar is held at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 4, 2024. China on Thursday pledged to continue to play "a constructive role" in stabilizing the situation on the ground as soon as possible in Myanmar's Rakhine State, amidst the recent renewal of fighting. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

China on Thursday pledged to continue to play "a constructive role" in stabilizing the situation on the ground as soon as possible in Myanmar's Rakhine State, amidst the recent renewal of fighting.

Addressing the UN Security Council briefing on the situation of Rakhine State of Myanmar, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, detailed China's stance on the ongoing conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

With recent escalations drawing international concern, Geng emphasized the conflict as Myanmar's internal affair, urging the global community to respect Myanmar's sovereignty and facilitate dialogue among the involved parties.

"As a friendly neighbor of Myanmar, China has been closely following the developments in the Rakhine State," Geng stated, highlighting China's dedication to promoting peace through "multiple channels."

A Chinese delegation is currently in Myanmar to mediate and communicate, demonstrating China's proactive approach to resolving the conflict, said the ambassador.

Geng reiterated China's deep connection with Myanmar and its commitment to supporting Myanmar's stability, development, and well-being. "China's policy of friendship with Myanmar extends to all people of Myanmar," he affirmed, promising continued assistance and "a constructive role" in seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis in the Rakhine State.

The ambassador expressed appreciation for Bangladesh's support to refugees from the Rakhine State since 2017.

Recognizing the challenges in repatriation exacerbated by the conflict's resurgence, Geng praised the foundational work by Myanmar and Bangladesh, supported by regional countries and the UN, to facilitate the return of displaced individuals.

"China has been actively undertaking diplomatic efforts to facilitate repatriation," Geng mentioned, reaffirming China's commitment to assist both nations in achieving an early resolution to the repatriation issue.

Highlighting China's long-standing relationship with both Myanmar and Bangladesh, Geng voiced opposition to proposed sanctions on Myanmar, arguing they would "only aggravate hostilities and confrontation." Instead, he advocated for dialogue, mutual understanding, and trust-building measures to create a conducive environment for repatriation and conflict resolution.

Geng also pointed out the essential role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the process, commending its positive progress in engaging Myanmar and providing humanitarian aid.

He urged continued international support for ASEAN's leadership, emphasizing respect for the "ASEAN way" of solidarity and dialogue.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 5. The portfolio of joint projects between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan includes 60 projects with an investment volume of over $2.5 billion, Trend reports.

This was stated during a meeting between the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

President of Kazakhstan noted that the governments of the two countries are actively working to implement the agreements reached. The corresponding road maps are being systematically implemented, and work is underway on signed agreements and trade contracts.

According to him, good indicators of mutual trade turnover remain. At the end of last year, it amounted to $4.4 billion. Joint projects are being implemented in the fields of industry, energy, transport and logistics, and agriculture. The construction project of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation is progressing successfully.

Noting the symbolism of the meeting in Khiva, Tokayev noted with satisfaction the successful development of bilateral cooperation in all areas.

He believes that the Kazakh-Uzbek tandem is a vital necessity, and only together and jointly can the sustainable development of the two countries be ensured.

In this regard, Tokayev supported the adoption of the Strategic Partnership and Alliance Program between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan until 2034.

In addition, during the meeting, the presidents exchanged views on a wide range of issues of economic interaction, including increasing mutual trade, cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, water management, and the IT industry.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 5. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin and First Deputy Minister of Communications of Pakistan Ali Sher Mehsud have discussed cooperation in the transport and logistics sector, including the International North-South Transport Corridor, for final access to the Pakistani seaports of Karachi and Gwadar, Trend reports.

According to the parties, access to Pakistani ports will provide access to African and Southeast Asian countries for Kazakhstan.

During the meeting, the importance of developing regional interconnectedness for increasing trade, economics, investment cooperation, etc. was especially noted.

As a result of the negotiations, an agreement was reached on the practical implementation of measures aimed at enhancing cooperation in the transport and logistics industry, including holding expert meetings in preparation for the next meeting of the Special Working Group on Transport and Regional Connectivity of Kazakhstan and Pakistan.

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan presented an invitation to the 11th meeting of the ministers of transport of the SCO member states and the 1st meeting of the ministers of transport of the SCO and EAEU member states in May of this year.

The foundation of the North-South corridor was laid based on an intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000.

In total, 13 countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkiye and Ukraine) have ratified the agreement.

The North-South corridor includes various modes of transport: rail, road, and inland waterways. The infrastructure of this route provides flexibility and a variety of transport routes. The corridor also facilitates international trade and the development of cooperation between the regions it connects.
Olivia Kelleher

A memorial mass is to be held on Saturday for an Irish man in his 40s who died in a swimming accident earlier this year on a beach south-west of Perth in Australia.

In February, the family of Damien Lucey placed a white rose at the exact spot where he entered the water on January 8th, 2024.

The native of Cork was last seen in the sea at Honeycombs Beach, in Busselton. He got in to difficulty and his calls for help were heard by two passers-by. Despite extensive search efforts, his body has yet to be found.

In a notice on Rip.ie his family said that they would like to thank the Land and Water Police departments in Dunsborough, the Smiths Beach Surf Life Saving Club and Damiens friends for their support and kindnessin the wake of the tragedy.

Mr Lucey was living in Perth at the time of his passing.

He had previously resided in Rosewood in Ballincollig and in Ballinhassig in Cork. He was predeceased by his father Jimmy.

Damien is survived by his mother Frankie, his siblings Gretta, Marie, Carol, Patrick and Eleanor.

A memorial mass will take place at noon on Saturday in the Church of St Mary and St John in Ballincollig.

In the aftermath of the accident, friends of Mr Lucey set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money to support his family as they made the journey to Australia in a bid to recover his body.

The organisers of the page said they were grateful for the overwhelming generosity shown to the grieving family.

You are all so kind and the donations and words of support have been so appreciated.

"Thanks to your generous donations, Damien's Mother Frankie and his siblings were able to travel to Perth to aid in his search and meet with his Perth friends and colleagues. As in Cork, the support in Perth has been enormous and search efforts unwavering.

Mr Lucey was fondly remembered by Ballincollig AFC, where he was a former player and by friends both in Australia and Ireland.

Police in Perth said in a statement that an extensive search was conducted involving local police, water police, several Volunteer Marine Rescue groups, Surf Life Saving and a rescue helicopter.

At this stage police have deemed that, tragically, the 42-year-old man drowned at Honeycombs Beach. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
A Sinn Fein councillor has said tougher legislation is needed to deal with motorists who litter.

Cllr Gerry Murray made the comments at last week's meeting of Mayo County Council's Environmental Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) following a presentation by the council's environmental awareness officer Sharon Cameron about the new litter management plan for the county.

As part of the consultation phase, a survey was undertaken that received 492 replies, with almost one-quarter of these coming from Ballina. People aged 45 to 54 were best represented with 149 respondents compared to 84 under the age of 18 and just 24 aged between 18 and 34.

Some 389 people said litter was a problem in their area and nature and biodiversity were most impacted by litter. Respondents said better enforcement was the best way to improve litter. A total of 327 respondents said they had never seen someone littering while only 60 people said they have reported a littering incident. Some 267 people said they never reported such an incident while 49 said they would be willing to write a written statement to assist the council in securing a prosecution under the Litter Pollution Act.

Charlestown-based Cllr Murray said it was remarkable that the Green Schools campaign has been running for 25 years and little has changed in relation to littering.

A few generations have gone through Green Schools and yet littering continues. The amount of litter on the two national primary routes in Charlestown is astonishing. We need better legislation and a points regime for drivers who litter. It is shameful. Green Schools hasnt brought the cultural change we need.

Cllr Murray said littering can be fatal for livestock.

The animal loses weight and the farmer doesnt know whats wrong until the animal dies and the vet opens them up and there is plastic wrapped around their intestine."

Cllr Martin McLoughlin said the cost of littering to the local authority and therefore to the ratepayers and taxpayers should be publicised in the local media to encourage people to report littering.

Ms Cameron said she is aware she will never completely solve the problem of littering but is encouraged by the younger generation.

Well never get inside the minds of people who litter, there will always be littering and there will always have to be systems in place to deal with it. But there is huge interest in programmes like Green Schools. I had a 13-year-old at a programme the other day who would be comfortable in this room with the knowledge he has about the environment. Young people are leading the way and it is encouraging.

It was agreed a letter would be sent to the Minister for the Environment regarding tougher legislation for motorists who litter.

Ms Cameron said the council would now draft the new litter management plan before bringing it back before the SPC.
After the successful acquisition of Genfitt, Kramp says it has plans to establish a new state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Mayo.

The company said this underscores its commitment to expansion and innovation in the region.

However, the proposed move has been met with some unease in Kiltimagh where the companys Mayo warehouse is currently located.

Local councillor Adrian Forkan raised the matter at a recent meeting of Mayo County Council.

Kramp which is Europes largest specialist in spare parts and accessories for the agricultural industry, acquired Genfitt last year.

In line with its ambitious growth plans, Kramp has identified the need for a new warehouse facility to support great service to customers in Ireland towards the future. Recognising that the current warehouse does not align with its ambitious vision, the company is actively searching for a suitable location to build a new facility, said the company in a statement.

Ronan Egan, commercial director of Genfitt, said the aim is for the new facility to be located close to its current location.

The team in Genfitt is central to Kramps success, and as such, the company is prioritising the proximity of the new facility to the current location to ensure minimal disruption to the team and operations. Kramp remains committed to Co Mayo.

"We are proud to call Co Mayo our home and are excited to continue our partnership with the local community," said Mr Egan.

"Our ongoing conversations with the County Council and the IDA reflect our shared commitment to sustainable growth and economic development. Kramp is aiming to find a new location as soon as possible, obviously depending on the official procedures and the availability of proper land for our needs, he added.

As part of its expansion plans, Kramp anticipates doubling its workforce in the coming years.
There has been a mixed reaction in Swinford to the news that the German retail chain Aldi is seeking planning permission to develop a single-storey supermarket at Newpark.

The proposed premises will include a foodstore, off-licence and an overall floor area of 1,908 square metres including a retail area with a plant room, warehouse area and freezer store of 1,356 square metres. The new supermarket will be located on a site near the existing Tesco supermarket and will be served by 112 car parking spaces, including seven disabled-accessible spaces and four electric vehicle bays.

Some concerns have been raised locally that the Newpark location already has a lot of traffic, while there are also fears that the town centre will suffer if this development goes ahead.

Fianna Fail Cllr Adrian Forkan said there are positives and negatives to a new Aldi supermarket and the employment it would offer.

There is a process there and it is there for a reason and people who want to object to it or people in favour of it can have their say, he added.

Cllr Forkan said that if Aldi is granted permission then there needs to be "a level playing field" for smaller shops in the town centre.

The council have compulsorily acquired large amounts of land in the middle of Swinford town to develop car parking and a car parking site, that has to be developed as soon as possible with the likes of these guys coming in, he added.

Sinn Fein local election candidate John Sheahan said he is very concerned about the impact the new supermarket would have on footfall in the town centre.

When Tesco came to Swinford a number of years ago it took a lot of footfall out of the town centre and obviously if there is an Aldi across the road (that will add to that), he said. With the cost of living crisis, a lot of people may welcome that but Id be very concerned about the three grocery businesses in the town and people in the food trade and the negative effect it may have on them.

Cllr Sheahan said they are family-run businesses that have been operating in the town centre for generations.

Submissions may be made in writing to Mayo County Council within five weeks of receipt of the application by the local authority.
Shell to Sea campaigner Maura Harrington has paid tribute to her friend and mentor, the late Sr Majella McCarron.

One of Irelands most tireless environmental and human rights defenders, Sr Majella McCarron, passed away recently at the age of 85.

She first came to prominence during her work on behalf of the Ogoni people in Nigeria whose lands were destroyed by oil production. She became an international voice for Ogoni leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa, during his imprisonment and after his execution.

The Fermanagh native supported people in Erris who were opposed to the Corrib Gas project and also backed the successful campaign against fracking in Co Leitrim.

She had a major role in Erris. Personally, she was mentor and my friend, said Maura Harrington.

She fondly remembers Sr McCarron making her way from Dublin to Belmullet via public transport in December 2000 for the first meeting of what was then called the One voice for Erris group.

She made her way here to inform people really of what could they expect from large multinationals given her past experiences, said Ms Harrington.

Majella was a staunch friend and supporter of Shell to Sea since its inception, Ms Harrington stated.

Majellas sense of justice and her tenacity in pursuing causes of rights, of which there were many, was incredible, she added.

Ms Harrington said she will miss her friend forever. She has left an enormous and worthwhile legacy behind her."
Unless you are living under a stone, you should have noticed a sickening new trend that is emerging from the darkest recesses of the internet. Media savvy extremists and terrorists, not content with perpetrating atrocities, are now broadcasting their rampages live for a disturbed but fascinated global audience. Death has become a spectacular, interactive event - a real-time window into the gunmen's twisted psyches as they livestream carnage in visceral detail.

We first glimpsed this grotesque phenomenon in New Zealand with the Christchurch mosque shooter in 2019. That deranged racist killer strapped on a GoPro camera, announcing his murderous intentions on fringe online havens before livestreaming his assault on Facebook as it unfolded. Disturbingly, he encouraged an online community of fellow misfits to spread his sick video across the web.

The clip went viral despite media bosses' belated efforts to remove it, and soon it had been replicated and remixed into memes fetishising the killer. Just a month later, he inspired a copycat with the Poway synagogue shooting, where another disturbed young man tried and failed to capture his act on camera. An unnerving new ritual was seeping from the web's underbelly.

But last week in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, this mutated into something altogether more pernicious. The terror attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue wasn't just a rampage - it was conceived as grand-scale performative violence designed to shock, thrill and terrorise a global virtual audience. A video shot by gunmen who carried out the deadly attack on a Moscow concert was posted on social media accounts typically used by the jihadist group Islamic State. The video, which lasts a minute and a half, shows several individuals with blurred faces and garbled voices, armed with assault rifles, rampaging through the crowded auditorium, killing at least 133 people.

Multiple cameras awaited the gunmen, courtesy of myriad iPhones and Android devices, held aloft by still disbelieving attendees as the carnage unfolded. Within minutes, chat rooms and encrypted forums across the dark web crackled with countdown clocks and back-channel broadcast links.

Our increasingly digitised culture has grown accustomed to relentless exhibitionism and oversharing online. We've normalised the foul spectacle of the self-broadcast to immoderate excess. Illustration: Conor McGuire

We are witnessing a potential revolution in atrocity pornography. No longer solo bedroom slayers, these new executioners have become degenerate death vloggers, piping stomach-churning live sadism to an audience in real time.

As shocking as it sounds, maybe we shouldn't be too surprised. Our increasingly digitised culture has grown accustomed to relentless exhibitionism and oversharing online. We've normalised the foul spectacle of the self-broadcast to immoderate excess. It was only a matter of time before that voyeurism fetish found its ultimate extreme.

While that broader context helps explain these massacrers' mutant appeal, it can never excuse or normalise their depravity. Live streamed killing remains a line no civilised society can accept being crossed, however unexpected. The fact that this spectacle occurred at all represents a collective failure of our social platforms.

Media platforms are falling utterly short when it comes to live horror shows. They need more competent moderation, faster breach responses, and ethical responsibility toward human life over livestream availability. In the aftermath, their vows to do better will ring painfully hollow. Bitter recriminations will abound over their facilitation role, whether direct or passive.

It is understandable, then, that governments have felt compelled to act, with harsh penalties enforcing decisive shutdowns for any social platform airing live-streamed violence unchecked. For today's web giants, the new regulatory regimes may seem excessive, even existential. But at some point, emerging media has to face its responsibilities. If social media platforms won't self-police against glorified murder, democratic societies must step in.

It's a tough call. In Ireland, we are wrestling with the complexities of legislation that might constitute the death of free speech online. Live streaming sends such considerations into the moral stratosphere. Perhaps at its molten core, the livestream issue simply exposes the ugly truth about social media's psyche - that it has enabled and profited from the spread of hatred and depravity to the furthest fringes.

Whatever path is taken, it has to be a more intelligent, ethical, and humanised approach than the carnage-baiting apathy we've seen. Society cannot allow such flagrant human dignity and decency breaches to go unchallenged. Whether through stern regulation or a road to Damascus self-awakening, our social platforms must sever all ties of collaboration with the death streams now threatening to course through the digital underground.

For now, the digital feed may have frozen on Krasnogorsk. But this grim trend has only just hit its opening atrocities. Another massacre broadcast surely awaits in the wings if no action is taken - coming soon to your phone screen, ready to trap you in its sickening high-definition close-ups of human ruination.

We cannot tune out and let the internet's dark heart keep pumping out these aberrations into an oblivion of disinterested moderation. Our collective vigilance has already slipped, and inevitably, they'll flood through again in lurid living realities none of us can unsee. Blood and screams made hyper-real, translated directly from rupturing normality into the palm of every phone.

As media consumers, we can refuse to become passive spectators to this live-streamed obscenity. To consume these ungoverned broadcasts of human atrocity as mere viral content is to accept their normalisation, their insidious creep into the mainstream.

A line has been crossed that cannot be allowed to dissolve into a grotesque new status quo. The spectacle of death lived to trend another day in Krasnogorsk. But this cannot become our unforgivable future - multimedia slaughter feted on each sordid and well-planned stream. We must say enough is enough and summon the moral fortitude to repel these broadcasts of depravity back into the swamps of malign hatred and inhuman cruelty from whence they crawled.

That starts with holding accountable all who brokered this wretched transaction - the hosts who aired the murders and the gunmen gratified by the bloody spectacle. And it continues in vigilance over ourselves, too - in refusing to let these snuff experiences colonise our consciousness or addict us to their lurid impact as mere news.

Death must never become a live-streaming indulgence. We are no passive viewership to be softened up for these exhibitions of human extinguishing. However extreme or desensitised the web's inhabitants believe they have become, such depravity has no place on our civilised networks or collective spaces.

If left unchecked, these spectacles of death demean us all. We are obligated as a society to be their active resistance, shunning the corrosion of their sinister opportunism and rejecting utterly their false promises of dark catharsis through the debasement of human suffering as an event. They are snakes, and we cannot allow them to slither further into the light.

There is no place in civilised discourse for another Krasnogorsk. There is no harbour to be given among unsuspecting consumers to these broadcasts of the summarily executed. Starve them of the exposure that sustains them. Excise them utterly from temptation's reach. Only with such resolute moral conviction can we overcome this path to human degradation the terrorists crave in the 15 minutes of stolen fame. Only through unwavering vigilance against their toxic proliferation can the recognition of the sanctity of human life that has characterised western civilisation for millennia ultimately prevail.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 5. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are setting up a joint venture to develop the Trans-Afghan route, Trend reports.

This topic was discussed during the meeting between President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Thus, the parties welcomed the plan to form a joint venture between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan's railway authorities. It was stated that the joint venture will participate in the development of the Trans-Afghan route.



In addition, Tokayev and Mirziyoyev hailed the provision of cargo terminals on the Kazakh-Chinese border and in Uzbekistan on a mutually beneficial basis for coordinating cargo transit via the China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan corridor.



It was highlighted that the project will help improve bilateral trade and the volume of commodities moved, as well as create favorable conditions for increased cargo transportation in the southern direction.

The parties also discussed issues of ensuring stability and security in the Central Asian region.

The Trans-Afghan railway project, first suggested by Uzbekistan in December 2018, proposes to extend the Afghan rail network from Mazar-e-Sharif to Kabul, then to Nangarhar province, where the railway will cross the Torkham border and enter Pakistan via Peshawar. Once in Pakistan, products will be unloaded and transported to the Pakistan rail system, where they will finally arrive at the Pakistani seaports of Karachi, Gwadar, and Qassim.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, April 5. Kyrgyzstan exported 10,058 tons of oil products to Turkiye in January 2024, which is five times more than in the same month of 2023 (1,997 tons), Trend reports.

According to Kyrgyzstans statistical bureau, the value of the exports totaled $6.148 million, increasing by 2.7 times over January 2023s figures ($2.236 million).

The majority of Kyrgyzstan's petroleum products were exported to Turkiye in January of this year. Uzbekistan followed with 1,204 tons valued at $376,200, while China ranked third with 968 tons worth $979,100. The UAE closely followed, buying 861 tons valued at $962,500.

Overall, Kyrgyzstan exported 14,677 tons of oil products in January 2024, which is a 34.5 percent increase compared to the 10,914 tons exported in the corresponding month of 2023. The total value of exports amounted to $10.280 million, which is a 58.5 percent increase compared to January 2023 ($6.487 million).

Kyrgyzstan's foreign trade turnover totaled $1.168 billion in January 2024, increasing by 36.8 percent compared to January 2023. Exports totaled $181.3 million, showing a 46.6 percent increase year over year. Imports increased by 35.1 percent from January 2023 to $987.5 million.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, April 5. Representatives from the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan and Germany's Landesbank Baden Wurttemberg (LBBW), a commercial bank, discussed trade financing development issues in Kyrgyzstan, Trend reports.

According to the National Bank, the meeting discussed Kyrgyzstan's current economic position and future prospects, as well as the country's banking sector development results in 2023 and compliance with international sanctions.



As part of the tour, the LBBW held a session on sanction compliance and foreign payments for National Bank staff and commercial banks in Kyrgyzstan. Representatives from the EBRD and KPMG International Limited also attended the event, where they shared insights into compliance function development trends and practical implementation advice.

Kyrgyzstan's commercial banks shared their experiences in sanction compliance and compliance control overall during the seminar.

LBBW is a federal bank of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany, ranking among the top ten largest banks in the country.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, April 5. Membership in the National Bank of Tajikistan in the Banking and Sustainable Finance Network (SBFN) of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) is an important step to advance the development of the green financing market in the country, SBFN Global Coordinator Rong Zhang said, Trend reports.

According to the bank, the announcement came during discussions between representatives of the IFC, SBFN, and Firdavs Tolibzoda, Chairman of Tajikistan's National Bank.

Rong Zhang underlined that this collaboration solidifies the National Bank of Tajikistan's dedication to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into the country's financial sector.

She stressed the importance of SBFN member countries, particularly financial institutions, redirecting capital towards endeavors with positive environmental and social impacts to enhance ESG standards.

During the meeting, Chairman Firdavs Tolibzoda highlighted the National Bank of Tajikistan's efforts to incorporate ESG principles and manage climate risks, aiming to foster a robust green financing market.

To note, the National Bank of Tajikistan formally applied to join SBFN with the approval of the Tajikistan government. On December 8, 2023, SBFN officially confirmed the National Bank's membership in the network.

SBFN was established by IFC in 2012 and, as of December 2023, collaborated with 84 banks and industry associations across 66 countries worldwide.

Members of this network collaborate within different thematic working groups at various stages to implement sustainable financing measures, execute national initiatives following international practices, and contribute to the advancement of sustainable financing in their respective countries.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, April 5. Amonatbonk, a state savings bank of Tajikistan, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have discussed the implementation of the Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures Program (BRACE) in the country, Trend reports.

As per Amonatbonk, the meeting, which involved the Chairman of Amonatbonk, Alijon Salimzoda, and the head of ADB's working group, Dai Chang Song, concluded with both parties agreeing to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

According to the ADB, the BRACE program aims to assist the government of Tajikistan in implementing measures to stabilize economic fluctuations. Its focus lies on providing support to financially vulnerable individuals, particularly those facing heightened risks, while ensuring sufficient funding for these endeavors.

The primary objective is to foster societal inclusivity by extending additional aid to those in greatest need, thus bolstering the economy's resilience against challenges.

The program entails $50 million in funding from the ADB, directed towards enhancing support for vulnerable groups and fortifying economic resilience.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 5. Russia'sUtair Airline will start performing flights to Uzbekistan's Samarkand from April 30, Trend reports.

According to the airline, flights to Samarkand from Tyumen (Russia) will be performed once a week, on Tuesdays.

The flights will be operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Earlier, Utair airline increased the number of flights from St. Petersburg to Samarkand. Now, the flights are conducted three times a week.

The flights will be operated on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Meanwhile, the airline conducts flights to Samarkand from Moscow, Samara and St. Petersburg.

Utair is a Russian airline headquartered at Khanty-Mansiysk Airport and with hubs at Surgut International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport. It provides regular domestic and international passenger services, scheduled helicopter services, and extensive charter flights using fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to support the oil and gas business in western Siberia.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. Uzbekistan has become an IT hub for US businesses, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the US Furqat Sidiqov said, Trend reports.

He spoke at the Caspian Policy Center (CPC) event held in Washington, DC.

"Uzbekistan has become an IT hub for US businesses. We have the most developed IT parks in Central Asia. Now a lot of sourcing companies and center calls are working for US businesses. Right now, we have more than 100,000 young Uzbeks engaged in IT services," the ambassador said.

According to him, Uzbekistan's IT exports amounted to more than $500 million last year. A total of 70 percent of it went to the US market.

"More than 100,000 people are working full-time in IT parks. But because of US companies, Uzbek students have so-called half-time work. Because of that, they have incomes in the amount of $1,000 per month," Furqat Sidiqov added.

Meanwhile, the volume of mutual trade turnover between both countries grew by 30 percent by the end of 2023. The number of successfully operating US companies in the Uzbek market is also growing.
Former district nurse who sexually assaulted disabled elderly patient in her home is jailed

This article is old - Published: Friday, Apr 5th, 2024

A former district nurse who sexually assaulted a vulnerable and disabled elderly patient in her home has been jailed.

Robert Neill, of Fronheulog Hill, Bwlchgwyn in Wrexham, appeared at Mold Crown Court today (Friday April 5) where he was sentenced for sexual activity and inciting sexual activity with a woman with a mental disorder.

The 62-year-old, formerly employed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, admitted the offences and was jailed for 14 years, as well as being given a further four years extended on licence.

The entire incident, which occurred in November 2022, was caught on CCTV.

The camera had been installed in the victims home by her family following concerns about her safety.

It was when a family member reviewed the footage that they saw Neill sexually assaulting her.

The police were informed, and he was arrested the following day, before being charged in July last year.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jane Burns said: This is a truly shocking case against a vulnerable and disabled victim who was violated by Neill in her own home.

He abused his position of trust and has caused deep distress to the victim and her family, who I commend for their bravery and dignity throughout this investigation.

I hope todays sentence provides them an opportunity for some closure knowing he is being held accountable for this disgraceful crime.

Carol Shillabeer, Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: These offences are truly appalling, and an abuse of trust by the healthcare professional.

I am so sorry for the significant distress the patient and her family have experienced as a result of his actions.

As soon as we were made aware of the staff members arrest he was immediately suspended from work and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

We have fully supported and worked closely with the police on their investigation.

A nurse is clearly in a position of trust and whilst events such as these are incredibly rare, we have reviewed our processes and implemented some changes.

Now that all the information is available to us, we will consider if there are any further measures we can take to help prevent anything like this happening again.

We will continue to work closely with both the patient and her family and do all we can to continue to support them.

Operation Unite is the North Wales Police response to tackling violence against women and girls. More information is available here
Politicians optimistic for further improvements at Gwersyllt Station

This article is old - Published: Friday, Apr 5th, 2024

Local politicians have met with Network Rail representatives to discuss the recent renovations at Gwersyllt Station.

Wrexhams Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths arranged to meet with Network Rail representatives at the station, along with Welsh Labour Community Councillor, Sheelagh Mackenzie Jones, who has been campaigning on behalf of Gwersyllt residents.

A number of improvements have been carried out at Gwersyllt Station, including the opening of a new access point to Platform 2 off Station Court.

New signage has been installed and improvements have been made to the highway and footpath linking Station Court, High Street and Hope Street.

The changes have been implemented due to the increase of train services along the Wrexham to Bidston line.

However, Network Rails decision to close the passenger crossing between platforms has proved unpopular with many residents.

Lesley Griffiths MS, who has been working with Cllr Mackenzie Jones on the issue, said: Passengers could previously cross between platforms but due to the planned increase in trains running along the Wrexham to Bidston line, Network Rail has closed the barrow crossing and locked the platform end gates.

This is to ensure the safety of all passengers, which is paramount, and whilst I am aware there is some disappointment locally, I understand it is highly unlikely that this decision will be reversed.

People with mobility scooters, wheelchairs and prams have been particularly affected and after visiting the station, it is clear further improvements need to be made.

Network Rail confirmed to Ms Griffiths it is working alongside Wrexham Councils Highways department and is looking to provide alternative and safer access to both platforms.

Lesley Griffiths MS added: Although passengers can still reach Hope Street Bridge via steps leading from the platforms, there is no pavement at the access to the steps and visibility is poor.

The pavement on the other side of the road is narrow and the road is busy so I can fully understand pedestrians concerns.

The improvements already made at Gwersyllt Station are welcome but I was pleased to hear the work is ongoing.

Both Cllr Mackenzie Jones and I will continue to monitor developments.
Tree planted to commemorate 50th anniversary of North Wales Police

This article is old - Published: Friday, Apr 5th, 2024

A silver birch tree has been planted on the grounds of the North Wales Police Headquarters to commemorate the forces 50th anniversary.

Whilst policing has taken place in the region for over 160 years, North Wales Police as we now know it was officially formed on 1 April 1974.

It was created when the new counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd came into existence. The force served the geographical areas of both the new counties as had its predecessor, the Gwynedd Police, which had been formed on 1 October 1967 by the merger of the former Flintshire, Denbighshire and Gwynedd Constabularies, the latter having been the police force for Caernarvonshire, Anglesey and Merionethshire.

The tree planting ceremony in Colwyn Bay saw Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman unveil a plaque commemorating 50 years of North Wales Police.

A 10ft tree was chosen to match the existing trees on the grounds of headquarters.

They can grow up to 24 metres tall and are of great value to wildlife such as small birds that are attracted by the abundant seeds and insects that it hosts.

The tree planting ceremony is one of many events being held throughout the year to celebrate our 50th anniversary, said Chief Constable Blakeman.

Activities are planned over the summer with attendance at shows and events and our popular North Wales Police Open Day will return to Colwyn Bay in September.

Were also working with NARPO (National Association of Retired Police Officers) to arrange a concert which will be held at the Rhyl Pavilion in October as well as our Force Awards in November.

Whilst much has changed since 1974, our core values remain the same  protecting people from harm, catching criminals and keeping our communities safe.

North Wales Police has changed in several ways over the last 50 years, changes which have been necessary to maintain and improve our policing services.

Technology has advanced to transform how we work today and assist us in solving crimes quicker  officers can view images and retrieve information at the touch of a button, weve invested heavily in the latest Drone technology and our fleet have modernised with electric vehicles being introduced onto the roads.

Of course, equality for women has come on leaps and bounds  a female Chief Constable would have been unthinkable 50 years ago.

Now women are able to carry out every role in the force without restriction  from Firearms Officers to dog handlers, from Crime Scene Investigators to Custody. The opportunities these days are endless.

Our passion and commitment to helping to keep our communities safe has remained the same over the last 50 years.

One key thing weve always been able to rely on has been the support of the communities we serve.

The contribution made by the communities of North Wales in helping us to fight crime cannot be underestimated and I would like to thank everyone for their support.

I am proud of the modern force we have today, and I am extremely proud to lead an organisation full of dedicated and hardworking officers, staff and volunteers who are committed in delivering the best possible service to our communities.

To take a trip down memory lane and to find out all the latest information on the 50th anniversary celebrations follow #NWP50 on social media channels and keep up to date by visiting the North Wales Police website.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 5. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Khiva Gilam carpet factory, Trend reports.

According to the Uzbek president's office, the presidents examined the production process and showroom. They also visited the exhibition of Uzbek products under the 'Made in Uzbekistan' brand organized at the factory.

During the meeting, the presidents instructed relevant ministries and agencies to share experience and develop trade and cooperation.

Meanwhile, trade turnover volume between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan amounted to $581.8 million from January through February 2024. The exports amounted to $166.2 million, while the imports - $415.3 million during this period.
Mexico is attempting an economic balancing act between the United States and China, but without success.

Due to US attempts to sanction China and nearshore production, Mexico has surpassed China as Washingtons top trading partner. Mexico is now also the USs second largest export market. The US is the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico, accounting for roughly 40 percent of the total of US$36 billion in 2022, and is increasing its investments.

By way of example, in February, Amazon's computing services subsidiary Amazon Web Services announced that it will invest $5 billion in an infrastructure cluster in the central Mexican state of Queretaro. The investment is higher than the $4.5 billion Tesla previously pledged to invest in its factory near Monterrey in the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, the state with the highest total gross production.

Presidents Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Donald Trump sign the launching of the USMCA trade accord, July 8, 2020 [Photo: White House, Shealah Craighead]

But even as the Mexican and American economies further integrate, China has reacted to the 2023 fall of US imports from China of over 25 percent by focusing on Mexico. China has become Mexicos fastest-growing foreign investor, more than quadrupling its investment in the last four years. In the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon, Chinese corporations are now responsible for over a third of foreign investment.

In another example, 12 Chinese-owned companies currently operate in one small central Mexican state, Aguascalientes, providing more than 4,000 jobs in the auto, textile, service and clean energy sectors.

Chinese Tier 1 supplier Xinquan Automotive, which manufactures car interiors for luxury brands. recently announced a $100 million investment in its Aguascalientes plant. Xinquan opened its facility in Aguascalientes in 2021 with an initial investment of $40 million and capacity to produce 600,000 luxury car parts annually. This is the second time the company has decided to increase investment, after a previous $30 million expansion a year ago.

Mexico currently imports about nine times as much as it exports to China. After Russia, Mexico is the second largest recipient of Chinese cars, which are increasingly popular in Mexico.

The Mexican auto industry produced more than 922,000 cars from January to March, but 90 percent are exported; only the remaining 10 percent are sold domestically. Since that is not enough to supply the domestic market, 60 percent of cars are imported.

But just as investments from the worlds two largest economies boomed, Mexico in August decided to increase tariffs between 5 and 25 percent on a total of 392 products from countries with which it does not share a free trade agreement, including China. This will impact around 90 percent of Chinese exports to Mexico and remain in effect until July 2025.

This is plainly a response to persistent and intense American pressure.

The intention of Chinese companies to open vehicle assembly plants in Mexico has particularly alarmed lawmakers in the United States, who view Chinas investments as an attempt to take advantage of Mexicos permissive trade compact with the US and Canada and thereby avoid the impact of US tariffs on China.

We are told that China will attempt to enter the US market by skirting Washingtons trade sanctions through slapping a made in Mexico sticker on parts and products assembled in Mexico.

There are widespread warnings that Chinese vehicles built in Mexico, which would qualify for government credits to consumers, will flood the US market.

It is likely that quality electric vehicles from China, such as those produced by electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD, that retail at a considerably lower price than US vehicles, would be popular.

Particularly hysterical is the current claim that the Chinese Communist Party will be collecting data on US citizens through tracking devices in smart vehicles.

The Biden administration has said it will investigate such cars, citing potential national security risks. The Commerce Department is in fact issuing a notice of a proposed rule making that will launch an investigation into national security risks posed by such vehicles from China and other countries considered hostile.

American imperialism, in league with its Canadian minion, seeks a fortress North America against China, and even Europe, in its march to war. Forcing Mexico to align itself with this aggression is seen as key to its success.

In order to maintain its close relationship with the US, still the countrys closest security partner, currency lender and largest foreign direct investor, Mexico will capitulate, as it has in kowtowing to US demands for crackdowns on immigrants.

At a North American summit in 2021, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) called for stopping China, making clear his alignment with the US-led war drive against Beijing.

His administration is moving to cancel the lithium concessions of Chinese lithium giant Ganfeng, forcing the Chinese company to indefinitely postpone its plan to start mining the battery metal in Mexico.

The US-Mexico-Canada trade accord, which was signed by Lopez Obrador, Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau, not only increased the minimum components of vehicles that must be produced within the region but prohibits the signing of trade agreements with non-market economies, a classification aimed against China.

Despite the populist AMLOs occasional nationalistic bluster, Mexicos government will fall into line, in service to its own billionaires, and ultimately the American ruling oligarchy.

The American and Mexican working classes have no interest whatsoever in the plans of their respective ruling classes. In the final analysis, their fundamental interest lies in uniting, together with the working class internationally, to overthrow capitalism and end its mad drive to destruction.
A heatwave in the West African region of Guinea has reached extraordinary levels in the early months of 2024, affecting millions of people living in Nigeria, Cote dIvoire, Sierra Leone, Togo, Liberia, Ghana, Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

Demonstrators in Lagos, Nigeria demand action on climate change in November 2019. [AP Photo/Sunday Alamba]

The heatwave has produced dangerously high Heat Index (HI) levels, which calculate the combined effects of actual temperatures with relative humidity. High humidity increases the risk of heat-related morbidity because it reduces the bodys ability to cool itself down through sweat. It can make 40C feel like 50C.

Compounding the danger is that this event has occurred early in the year. Heat warnings for the Guinea region are not often issued to the population until March-April, when the hottest season usually occurs.

Public health experts from Nigeria have warned that these hot humid conditions increase the risk of death and serious adverse health outcomes such as strokes and respiratory issues, especially for outdoor workers.

Systematic under-reporting of the effects of such a heatwave makes it difficult to assess the full impact on peoples lives. One of the authors of a World Weather Attribution (WWA) study of the extreme heat event, Maja Vahlberg, described heatwaves as a silent killer. They do not leave an evident trail of destruction but they are incredibly deadly, especially for vulnerable people with existing chronic health conditions.

In some media reports, people report that the heat has made it very difficult to work. They feel like theres no air, faint from the heat and feel dehydrated all day. Doctors reported increases in patients presenting for heat-related illness in recent weeks.

One Nigerian man said enduring this heat without air conditioning or fans was like being trapped in an oven.

The livelihoods of workers as well as their health is being impacted. An Uber driver in Lagos who has been forced to bear the heat without air conditioning in his car to save on fuel costs said: I am concerned about my health, but I am willing to go to any length to pay off my car and put food on the table.

An Ivory Coast cocoa farmer described the heat as unbearable and worried that the heat and corresponding lack of soil moisture would damage the mid-year harvest.

The link between heatwaves and increased mortality/morbidity has been well substantiated scientifically. A 2022 systematic review of 32 studies found that cardiopulmonary-related diseases were the main causes of heat-related impacts globally, especially affecting children, the elderly, and people with underlying cardiovascular or respiratory conditions.

These serious and debilitating impacts are the result of an increasingly warming world, caused by decades of fossil fuel emissions from corporations with no regard for the impact on millions of ordinary people around the world.

The WSWS recently reported on record global temperatures observed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. 2023 was the first year in recorded human history of average global temperatures exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. January and February of 2024 were also above this threshold.

However, it is not immediately clear if a specific extreme weather event can be linked to climate change. To determine this, researchers in the field turn to the peer-reviewed methodology of attribution science.

Previous studies by WWA, an international team of climate scientists, demonstrated that for a number of extreme events, climate change has been largely responsible for their exceptionality, such as the ongoing Amazon River Basin drought.

A new report published by the WWA on March 21 concluded that the humid heat in southern West Africa was about 4C hotter due to human-induced climate change.

The report found that not only the severity but also the frequency of such an event is exacerbated by climate change. The analysis found that on the lower end of estimates, this type of heatwave has become at least 10 times more likely because of climate change.

The study warned that if the Earth warmed an additional 0.8C, these events could become a further 3 to 10 times more frequent and a further 2.3 C hotter. That would expose the population of West Africa to dangerous levels of humid heat every two years.

The report outlined some strategies and adaptation measures to combat these rising dangers. First, better reporting was necessary to measure how heatwaves affect the population. The impacts of heatwaves in southern West Africa were severely undercounted, which does not mean there were no impacts but suggests limited awareness about heat risks.

The researchers recommended that to limit the magnitude of death and poor health from extreme heat events, there should be a focused effort to improve the monitoring and research on the effects they have on human health.

Better adaptation was also needed, especially in impoverished regions where people have limited access to basic needs like water and energy. (In Nigeria, for example, at least half of its 200 million people have no access to a stable energy source to power their homes.)

As temperatures rise, consistent access to energy will be even more important for basic services like air conditioning to keep people from overheating. Solar energy has been identified by researchers as the best solution to Nigerias energy crisis.

Such a commitment to renewable energy, however, would require significant up-front financial resources. The WWA study noted that rich countries havent yet met the promises they have made to help developing countries become more resilient to the growing risks of climate change.

Imperialist countries such as the United States certainly have the money to pour into military spending to support genocides and build up nuclear arsenals.

As well as climate adaptation, additional warming must be limited by drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The major capitalist powers, driven by insatiable corporate profit demands, are those most responsible for these emissions, and for the failure of any global agreements to slash them.
On Monday night, the Israel Defense Forces killed seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza in a series of three airstrikes on their vehicle convoy. The aid workers were citizens of the United States/Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland and Palestine.

The attacks used precision airborne munitions that directly targeted the roofs of the vehicles, which displayed large logos clearly identifying their occupants as humanitarian workers.

A man displays blood-stained British, Polish, and Australian passports after an Israeli airstrike, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, April 1, 2024. World Central Kitchen workers who were killed in the Israeli airstrike included three British citizens, Polish and Australia nationals, a Canadian-American dual national and a Palestinian. [AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana]

Spokesmen for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden claimed, absurdly, that the three airstrikes were the result of a mistake and misidentification. These claims, echoed in the media, have fallen apart in the face of mounting evidence that the strikes were carefully targeted.

In an interview with Reuters, restauranteur Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, said the workers were targeted systematically, car by car. Andres rejected the claims by the United States and Israel that the strikes were unintentional, saying, categorically no.

The purpose of this attack, as explained by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, was to make it so that donors would pull out, and civilians in Gaza could continue to be starved quietly.

Doctors Without Borders declared in a statement:

We do not accept the narrative of regrettable incidents.  We do not accept it because what has happened to World Central Kitchen and MSFs convoys and shelters is part of the same pattern of deliberate attacks on humanitarians, health workers, journalists, U.N. personnel, schools, and homes.

These attacks are only the latest in a series of Israeli murders of aid workers, with nearly 200 killed so far. Additionally, Israel has systematically attacked starving people as they attempt to receive food at food distribution centers in a series of flour massacres.

After six months of Israeli blockade, the entire population of Gaza faces hunger, and the United Nations and World Bank have warned that famine is imminent. Dozens of children have already died from malnutrition, and humanitarian organizations have warned that deaths from famine will soon eclipse the number killed by bombs.

The response of the Biden administration to the murder of the aid workers was to defend Israel, deny the murders are a violation of international law and reject any international investigation into the massacre.

Asked Wednesday whether there were any changes to the presidents policy toward Israel and Gaza as a result of yesterdays strike, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre declared, Nothing has changed.

In an earlier statement the same day, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby asserted, We make no bones about the fact that Israel is going to continue to have American support for the fight that theyre in to eliminate the threat from Hamas.

On Thursday, Biden held a half-hour conversation with Netanyahu devoted to dealing with the diplomatic fallout from the massacre. The public readout of the call reported that Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

These statements were immediately proclaimed as a major policy change by the US media. But in a subsequent press briefing, White House officials stressed, again, that nothing had changed. John Kirby said Biden made it very clear to the prime minister that the United States support for Israels ability to defend itself from a range of threats, not just Hamas, remains ironclad. Asked if the call was an ultimatum, Karine Jean-Pierre said, No.

In other words, Bidens demands were intended to cover up the US policy of funding, arming and defending the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and ensuring that there is no accountability for the military leaders and civilian policymakers responsible for the murder of the aid workers.

The US supports the criminal actions of the Netanyahu regime because the Gaza genocide is part of a systematic US-Israeli military campaign throughout the Middle East aimed at dismantling all resistance to imperialist domination of the region.

Since October 7, the United States has provided over 100 separate arms shipments to Israel, all sized to fall below the threshold necessary for congressional authorization and approval. Last week, the US responded to Israels massacre of over 400 people at Al-Shifa Hospital by sending another batch of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. On Monday, the day Israel massacred the World Central Kitchen aid workers, the Biden administration approved the transfer of thousands more bombs.

The Gaza genocide, now six months old, marks a major milestone in the criminalization of imperialist foreign policy, in which systematic mass murder, starvation and genocide are being normalized as routinely used methods.

The same week as Israel murdered the World Central Kitchen aid workers, a group of Israeli and Palestinian journalists revealed the existence of Lavender, an artificial intelligence system used by the Israel Defense Forces to select targets for bombings that have led to the deaths of thousands of people since October 7.

The system has been used to mark thousands of Gazans as targets for extrajudicial murders. It detects when the targeted victims are at home with their families, then generates orders for the Israeli air force to bomb them, in the process blasting their families and bystanders. Each strike can permissibly kill up to 20 bystanders for every one individual targeted, and in some cases, the killing of up to 100 bystanders is authorized for a selected target.

For half a century, actions by the state of Israel have been used by Washington as a precedent for US policy. The most significant example is the doctrine of targeted killings, or state-organized assassinations, which was developed by Israel before being adopted by the United States, including against its own citizens.

What Israel is doing against the population of Gaza today, its imperialist backers will do in the near future. The actions of the Zionist regime in the current genocide will set a precedent for the use of high-tech weapons, including those imploying artificial intelligence, to commit war crimes on a massive scale, coupled with mass starvation against rebellious urban populations.

The eruption of war, genocide and political repression are not an aberration. Imperialism, as Lenin noted, is not merely a policy, but rather a specific historical stage of capitalist development. Opposition to imperialism is, therefore, a revolutionary question, aimed not at pressuring a government, but at replacing capitalism with socialism.

All efforts to oppose the Gaza genocide by appealing to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and individual capitalist governments have failed. It is not a matter of appealing to the capitalist governments responsible for these crimes to change course, but rather turning to the working class and fusing the struggle against war with the developing struggles of workers all over the world against inequality and exploitation.
The pseudo-left organization Socialist Alternative, which has long functioned as an auxiliary arm of the Democratic Party, supporting the presidential candidacy of Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020, is moving to back the presidential campaign of Professor Cornel West in the 2024 elections.

Professor Cornel West, who is running for U.S. president as a third-party candidate in 2024, speaking in Los Angeles last year [AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes]

Most recently, in an article published last month on its website headlined, The Two-Party System Is Killing UsCan We Build An Alternative? Socialist Alternative points to Wests recently formed Justice for All party as a potential mass working-class left party. In reality, the Justice for All party is devoid of any clear political program and was established primarily as a vehicle for West to obtain ballot status.

Socialist Alternative first declared its support for West last year, when the former Democrat and former member of the Democratic Socialists of America was seeking the presidential nomination of the Green Partyafter initially announcing he would seek the nomination of the Peoples Party, a political operation set up by former Sanders supporters. West later bowed out of the Green Party contest and said he was running as an independent. None of these political gyrations have given pause to Socialist Alternative.

On June 16, 2023, the Socialist Alternative Executive Committee hailed Wests campaign, declaring that his candidacy has the potential to offer a sorely needed left alternative for working people and the oppressed. In that statement, there were no less than 15 separate references to Bernie Sanders. The Executive Committee lamented:

The loyalty of Sanders and the Squad to the Democratic Party has been used in service of vicious attacks on workers, including the blocking of the railroad workers strike, and it has profoundly undercut the ability to organize movements of working people, squandering the momentum Bernie generated with his campaigns political revolution against the billionaire class.

The real concern was that Sanders and the Squad in Congress, which Socialist Alternative had openly supported and campaigned for, have become so discredited by their association with the Democratic Partys policies of war, genocide and austerity, that they can no longer fulfill their function as the Democratic Partys left fig leaf.

In August, Socialist Alternative announced a Students for Cornel West campaign, writing, We need systemic change, and Cornel Wests campaign offers us an opportunity to fight back.  To be effective, we need Cornel Wests campaign to have a mass grassroots character. Young people have a central role to play in building the initial grassroots momentum that can draw in larger and larger layers of people hungry for change. Socialist Alternative has since campaigned for West on every campus where it has been active.

In an article from November, Socialist Alternative raised similar concerns about left and progressive voters who are sick and tired of the Democrats false promises and called for West to step into the void caused by the likely upcoming election between two widely despised candidates, the would-be Fuhrer Trump and genocide Joe.

The organizations support of the West campaign as a left-wing, pro-worker opposition to the Democrats and Republicans is aimed at misdirecting the growing number of workers and youth in the US turning their backs on the Democratic Party.

The political record of Cornel West

The Democratic Party is currently waging an all-out war on third parties and independent candidates, including the West campaign, in an effort to keep them from getting ballot status. This does not, however, mean that West represents a genuine challenge to the two-party system.

Kshama Sawant [Photo: Seattle City Council]

Any serious review of Wests record would both undercut the ability of his campaign to keep this immense anger tied to the dead-end of bourgeois politics and expose the reactionary role of Socialist Alternative.

West has spent decades promoting and endorsing Democratic politicians. He joined the DSA in the 1980s and served as its honorary chair. He campaigned for Jesse Jackson in the 1980s, and endorsed Barack Obamas 2008 campaign before raising criticisms following the election.

West has made limited criticism of the Democratic Party, calling Obama a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs. West, as well as Socialist Alternative, participated in the political fraud known as the Peoples Party, formed in 2017 on the basis of pressuring Sanders to launch a new party. Both West and Socialist Alternative also backed Sanders presidential campaigns.

In 2016 West and Socialist Alternative switched to supporting Green Party candidate Jill Stein after Sanders endorsed Clinton. In 2020, they went separate ways, with West calling for a vote for Biden in the general election. Socialist Alternative backed Green Party co-founder and 2020 presidential candidate Howie Hawkins.

The Green Party operates as a pressure group oriented toward the Democratic Party. During elections, the Greens corral votes for Democratic candidates, arguing that their presence pressures Democrats to take more progressive political positions.

If there is any consistent thread in Wests transition from one political alliance to another, it is his opposition to Marxism and the building of a party of the working class. In his book The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism, West explicitly rejected Marxism and the working class as a preordained historical agent, and deliberately avoided using terms like capitalism and socialism.

As the WSWS explained in an earlier comment on Wests campaign:

Wests philosophy belongs to the school of American pragmatism as it was developed in particular by Richard Rorty, with whom West studied while at Princeton in the early 1970s. Pragmatism has different varieties, all revolving around a denial of the possibility of objective truth, and, bound up with this, a rejection of history as a law-governed process. In its modern forms and especially in the writings of Rorty, pragmatism is directed explicitly against Marxism and Trotskyism, which insists that the working class is an objectively revolutionary force, that the same contradictions that led to revolution in the 20th century persist at a higher level in the 21st, and that the basic task is to build a socialist leadership in the working class.

Cornel Wests pragmatic approach to politics and theory entails an eclectic mixture of Black nationalist, racial and identity politics, which he combines with openly religious and irrationalist conceptions. He sees his political allies not only among the pseudo-left open and tacit backers of the Democratic Party but also libertarian and openly far-right forces.

This is most evident in his position on the pandemic, which has adapted to the anti-scientific positions of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others. As the WSWS noted in an article published yesterday, West lists as one of his demands on his website, Convene a federal panel of scientists and experts to study the safety and utilization of vaccines for infectious diseases.

In an interview with far-right comedian Jimmy Dore last September, West stated, I think the kind of concerns that you and RFK Jr. and others have certainly are well-grounded.

More recently, West took part in a panel hosted by the far-right Libertarian Party of California, during which he solidarized himself with candidates who call for the abolition of the income tax and an end to all regulations on corporations.

Cornel Wests politics can only serve to sow confusion and disorientation among the millions of young people and workers who are confronted with the danger of nuclear war, genocide and fascism.

Behind Socialist Alternatives support for Cornel West

The orientation by Socialist Alternative toward Cornel West is not an accident. It arises from the entire historical trajectory of the organization, which arose out of a rejection of Trotskyism.

Socialist Alternative emerged from the Committee for a Workers International (CWI), an international group organized around the British renegade from Trotskyism, Ted Grant. Grant broke in 1950 from the Fourth International after refusing to oppose the renegacy of Jock Haston, a leading figure in the British section who declared that the Fourth International had no right to claim to be the leadership of the international working class.

Like Michel Pablo, whose revisionist program was rejected with the founding of the International Committee of the Fourth International in 1953, Grant promoted the conception that the Stalinists or some movement besides the revolutionary working class would overthrow capitalism. Grants followers joined Pablos International Secretariat in the aftermath of the 1953 split. They advocated that the Trotskyist movement liquidate itself into what Pablo called the real mass movement: Stalinist and social democratic parties and bourgeois national movements. In their view, there was no basis for the independent existence of the Fourth International and the independent mobilization of the working class.

Grant later broke with the Pabloite organization in 1965, which was by then known as the United Secretariat following its reunification with the American Socialist Workers Party in 1963. He led the establishment of the CWI in 1974, but on a Pabloite perspective. Grants group, the Militant Tendency, claimed that the Labour Party could bring about socialism through state nationalisation of industry and other reformist measures and focused on winning positions for its members within the apparatus. This did not save the group from being expelled from the Labour Party in the sweeping purge of the left carried out under party leader Neil Kinnock.

The British group eventually split in 1991 as Grant opposed running candidates against the Labour Party even after the expulsions. An anti-Grant majority retained control of the British group and the CWI. Its American supporters established Socialist Alternative. This group eventually broke with the CWI in 2019 and founded International Socialist Alternative without addressing any of the fundamental historical and political issues behind the CWIs anti-Trotskyist perspective of subordinating the working class to the existing labor bureaucracies.

Socialist Alternative first gained national prominence in 2013 with the election of Kshama Sawant to the Seattle City Council. While many of her voters undoubtedly sought to express hostility to the two-party system, Sawants campaign put forward a mildly reformist program indistinguishable from that of certain Democratic Party candidates and received the endorsement of various union bureaucrats who had collaborated closely with the Democratic Party to push through austerity contracts.

As the WSWS explained in 2013, Socialist Alternative and similar groups represent a tendency within bourgeois politics. The difference between them and political operatives working directly within the Democratic Party is tactical in character. We further warned that the group was attempting to build a movement modeled on Syriza in Greece, which in subsequent years implemented the largest austerity ever seen within the country.

Over the last 10 years this assessment has been confirmed. Socialist Alternative endorsed various Democratic candidates and temporarily entered the DSA. Now, it is supporting West and his campaign to put the pressure and bring to bear so that the politicians who are on the inside have spaces to breathe.

This same political and social orientation is evident in Socialist Alternatives intervention in the mass protests against the genocide in Gaza. While both Socialist Alternative and West condemn the systematic slaughter of civilians and are using demagogic rhetoric to denounce Biden, the only political solution they present is the perspective of pressuring the Biden administration to end the very bloodshed it has been funding for months.

In an article from December 23, Socialist Alternative excitedly pointed to what it describes as signs that Biden somewhat shifted his public statements towards Netanyahu. The group wrote, What is missing is an organized force that can turn the widespread anti-war attitude among working and young people into a sustained movement prepared to disrupt business as usual. This is ultimately what will have to be built in order to force the Biden administration to put even an inch of meaningful distance between himself and the bloodshed in Gaza.

In an article published at the beginning of February, How We Fight For A Ceasefire, Socialist Alternative wrote, not without cynicism, that the movement against the genocide had an important impact because it created an enormous headache for Biden, changed the terrain of the 2024 election and played at least a partial role in the tanking of Bidens approval.

Then the article went on to declare that what is now needed was more public pressure on the Democrats! It argued, Making Bidens culpability undeniable is crucial; the only way they will make concessions is if we raise the stakes by bringing the social power of the working class to bear.

When the article referred to the working class, it really meant the nationalist, corporatist trade union bureaucracy. The organization praised the UAW and other union bureaucracies that have worked systematically with the Biden administration to preempt the eruption of strikes that would threaten US imperialisms war agenda.

The politics of both Socialist Alternative and West, entirely oriented toward pressuring the Democratic Party, expresses their hostility to the struggle to build an independent socialist party within the American and international working class. In backing Cornel Wests presidential campaign, Socialist Alternative expresses the social interests not of workers and young people, but of affluent sections of the middle class and those who want to become part of that social layer.

Whatever their radical rhetoric, their principal concern is to preempt a challenge to capitalism, US imperialism and one of its principal instruments of class rule and warthe Democratic Partyfrom the working class.
Michael Dewayne Smith, 41, was executed Thursday morning, April 4, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He was convicted and sentenced to death for two separate murders in February 2002: Janet Moore, 41, and Sharath Pulluru, 22. He spent over 20 years on death row.

Michael Dewayne Smith [AP Photo/Oklahoma Department of Corrections]

Smith was the first person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 12th since the state resumed capital punishment in 2021 after a nearly seven-year hiatus that came in response to a series of ghastly so-called botched executions. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board rejected Smiths bid for clemency last month and the US Supreme Court denied his last-minute appeal.

Smith was executed by lethal injection using a three-drug cocktail of the sedative midazolam, the paralytic vecuronium bromide, and potassium chloride to induce cardiac arrest. When asked for final words, he said only, Nah, Im good, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Smith appeared to shake briefly and attempted to lift his head from the gurney after the first drug was administered, AP reported. He then took several short, audible breaths that sounded like snores or gasps. Oklahoma DOC Director Steven Harpe said after the execution that Smith appeared to have some form of sleep apnea.

A doctor entered the death chamber at 10:14 a.m., shaking Smith and declaring him unconscious. He appeared to stop breathing about a minute later and was declared dead by the doctor before prison authorities pronounced him dead at 10:20 a.m.

Smith maintained his innocence during a clemency hearing last month. He apologized to the victims families, but in the course of a tearful 15-minute address insisted, I didnt commit these crimes. I didnt kill these people. I was high on drugs. I dont even remember getting arrested.

Mark Henricksen, Smiths attorney, argued that his death sentence should be commuted to life in prison because he had been in a PCP-induced haze when he confessed to the police. He also argued that Smith was intellectually disabled, based on his clients IQ scores, and that this disability was further impaired by years of drug abuse.

Smiths family also maintained his innocence and delivered a petition to Governor Kevin Stitts office the day before his execution, pleading for him to stop it, based in part of new evidence which they claimed showed that witnesses were being coerced during Smiths trial. The Republican governor was not moved by their appeal.

Prosecutors had previously said Smith was a gang member who killed his victims for revenge. They said he killed Moore because he was looking for her son, who Smith thought had given his identity to police, and killed Pulluru because he thought the convenience clerk had disrespected his gang.

Rev. Don Heath, chairman of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said in a statement: Michael Smith was a troubled and vulnerable young man with intellectual disabilities. He was ill-served by advisers who encouraged him to proclaim his innocence instead of accepting responsibility for his crimes. That cost him any chance for clemency. He needed mercy and forgiveness and got none.

Jeff Hood, Smiths spiritual adviser, wrote on March 1 that Smiths intellectual disabilities, based on numerous psychological evaluations, made him ineligible for the death penalty. Hood referred to the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Atkins v. Virginia, which held that it is a violation of the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment to execute death row inmates with significant mental disabilities.

An IQ, or intelligence quotient, score is an estimate of intelligence based on standardized tests that is widely viewed as abstract and inexact. Modern results of IQ tests categorize approximately two-thirds of the population scoring between 85 and 115, and about 2 percent each above 130 and below 70. Smith reportedly received IQ scores of 76 and 79, which the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (OCCA) claimed failed to meet the states threshold of intellectual disability. The court also denied an emergency stay of execution for Smith based on the claim that untested forensic evidence might undermine his conviction.

Oklahoma death row inmate Darrin Pickens, with IQ scores similar to Smiths, was granted relief under Atkins by the OCCA in 2005, demonstrating the arbitrary nature of such evaluations in determining an individuals eligibility for the death penalty. It is an unscientific measure utilized by state authorities to decide whether a man or woman should live or die based on their mental abilities.

The death penalty is overwhelmingly meted out against workers, the poor and oppressed, a reality recognized by the US justice system but roundly rejected as a reason to put an end to the barbaric practice.

In 2016, the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit denied Smith relief from execution, despite observing the condemned man,

submitted affidavits from family members recounting details of Mr. Smiths childhood: that his father and other family members imposed harsh physical discipline or abuse; that his father was an alcoholic and abusive toward his mother until his parents separated when Mr. Smith was approximately two years old; that Mr. Smith was introduced to drugs and gangs at a young age by his brothers, that Mr. Smith was born with a swollen area on his head, was delivered by forceps, and suffered other head injuries as a child; and that Mr. Smith was sexually abused by an older woman when he was seven or eight years old.

Oklahomas courts have demonstrated their contempt not only for the 121 men and three women sent to their deaths in the years since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Their hostility extends as well to the prison execution team (the majority of whom, not to their credit, are volunteers) who administer the deadly drugs, and the state officials who preside over lethal injections.

In 2021, the OCCA scheduled an unprecedented 25 executions in under three years, aimed at depopulating the states death row by 58 percent. Just days before Smiths execution, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the court to require 90 days between scheduled executions to combat trauma, staffing shortages, and ensure the state doesnt have another botched execution.

At a hearing to consider Drummonds request, OCCA Judge Gary Lumpkin told ofcials that the correctional staff tasked with carrying out executions need to suck it up and man up. He told the attorney general that he does not believe the sympathy stuff.

We set a reasonable amount of time to start this out, and yall keep pushing it and pushing it and pushing it, Judge Lumpkin added. Whos to say next month you wont come in and say I need 120 days? This stuff needs to stop, and people need to suck it up, realize they have a hard job to do, and get it done in a timely, procient manner.
Freight train at a station in Northbrook, Illinois on October 12, 2022. [AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh]

Federal regulators finalized a new rule Tuesday requiring rail companies to operate with at least two-person crews. The rules are based on an initial proposal from 2022 made by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which had rejected a similar rule in 2019 under the Trump administration.

Ostensibly, the rule requires all rail companies to maintain at least two people, an engineer and a conductor, on all trains as a safety precaution. Rail workers and rail safety experts have long noted that the drive by companies to reduce costs by implementing one-person crews would have disastrous consequences, especially for trains carrying hazardous materials.

The new rule requires railroads to staff every train operation with a minimum of two crewmembers (including a locomotive engineer and an additional crewmember who will typically be a conductor) that travel with the train and can directly communicate with each other even if one crewmember is not in the locomotive cab, with certain one-person train crew exceptions permitted under specified circumstances.

The Teamsters Rail Conference praised the rule, with the union calling it a huge step forward in protecting our nations railroads and thanked President Biden for listening to workers.

But the devil is in the details, and the two-person crew rule is full of loopholes and exceptions that make the regulation largely toothless.

Exceptions in the rule allow Class II and Class III carriers, the smaller regional and local rail lines, to roll over existing one-person crews if they were put in force two years prior to the implementation of the rule, and they may submit a request for one-person crew allowances pending a safety review by the FRA. Passenger and tourist rail lines are also subject to exceptions that allow for one-person crews.

None of these exceptions are based on any objective information about safety, but are entirely driven by the fact that these groups of rail carriers have already implemented one-person crews in many cases and the FRA does not wish to interfere with this cost-cutting process for smaller rail lines. It is an entirely profit-driven move designed to help smaller rail companies keep their costs down and eliminate jobs.

Under these exceptions, the one-person crews are permissible if the train is equipped with an alerter, a device designed to stop a train if the lone operator becomes unresponsive, and they must follow minimum federal regulations to (1) prevent uncontrolled train movements if a one-person train crew were to become incapacitated; (2) maintain communication between a railroad employee ... and the one-person train crewmember to convey operational instructions and ensure the one-person crewmembers personal safety; (3) track the location of a train operated by a one-person crew in case communication is lost and a rescue operation needs to be initiated; and (4) establish protocols that ensure rail employees can take mitigation measures that provide a level of safety that is as safe or safer than a two-person train crew operation to address certain situations, such as an accidental or non-accidental release of any hazardous material, with the one-person train crew operation.

Point four is incredibly vague and open ended, allowing for a significant amount of room for rail carriers to implement policies that meet the language of the regulation but do not actually uphold safety. Connected to this is language that, FRA has modified the risk assessment requirements, allowing a railroad to make its determination either quantitatively or qualitatively, or both, rather than only quantitatively as expressly proposed. In other words, the rail carrier can make a written case to the FRA on the safety of its policies without having to actually prove they are safe.

Most significant, however, is that The requirements in this final rule will not apply to a train operation controlled by a remote control operator, even if that remotely controlled train is operated by a one-person train crew.

The FRA explained it decided not to apply this final rule to a train operation controlled by a remote control operator because it has existing safety requirements for these operations and because there are other reasons mentioned later in this discussion of comments and conclusions. Those comments were largely from industry representatives with an economic motive to obtain every exception to the rule possible.

Exceptions for remote control operations are a huge victory for the rail carriers. Remote control operations require less labor, allowing for reduced ground crew staffing, particularly for line switching, saving the company money. However, there are questions about the real safety of remote control locomotives.

There have been multiple cases of rail workers being injured or killed by a remotely controlled train. In Februrary 2022, a switchman for BSNF in Denver, Colorado was working as a remote control operator helper when the train suddenly decelerated, throwing the worker onto the track where he was struck and killed by the train.

This past fall, a carman in Walbridge, Ohio was struck and killed by a remotely controlled locomotive that was being controlled from the rear of the train. Both incidents were investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and found to have been preventable, with remote control determined to be a factor in the deaths.

According to the FRA, several unions opposed the remote control exception, including BLET, SMART-TD and TTD, but they did not seek FRA to regulate remote control operations through this rulemaking and instead requested a separate safety review of remote control locomotives by the FRA.

But now they are praising federal regulations that are full of loopholes and exceptions undermining the very safety they claim the rules uphold. The union bureaucracy is continuing the role that it played in 2022, where workers demanded national strike action against one-man crews, among other key demands. Instead, the bureaucracy first tried and failed to push through a sellout contract brokered by the White House. Then they stalled, giving Washington time to pre-emptively ban a strike and impose the contract workers had rejected.

Almost immediately afterward, the major Class I railroads moved toward implementing one-man crews, with Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific announcing plans for pilot programs to replace the conductor with a ground-based expediter.

The new rule even leaves the door open for one-person crews on Class I railroads, containing language that specifies how a railroad may petition FRA for special approval of a one-person train crew operation not covered by an exception. It adds, Each petition for a train operation with a one-person train crew that is not permitted under  218.125 through 218.129 [subsections covering the previously mentioned exceptions] must contain sufficient information for FRA to determine whether approving the operation described in the petition is as safe or safer than a two-person minimum train crew operation.

In other words, the rule is less a ban on one-person crews as it is a procedure for obtaining approval for them from the federal government.

This did not stop the rail industry from bemoaning even the most modest of regulatory interferences. Association of American Railroads CEO Ian Jefferies complained, FRA is doubling down on an unfounded and unnecessary regulation that has no proven connection to rail safety. Instead of prioritizing data-backed solutions to build a safer future for rail, FRA is looking to the past and upending the collective bargaining process.

Relationships with the unions have been a sticking point for the rail companies in their criticisms of the rule. While it provides ample exceptions, the rule interrupts any understandings the rail carriers had made with their union bureaucrat counterparts in securing contract permission for one-person crews, which would have been more advantageous and customizable for the carriers in their ongoing assault on safety and jobs.

How much the FRA will choose to open this backdoor to one-person crews remains to be seen, but the existing exceptions and the endorsement of remote control operations as an alternative will open massive attacks on worker safety and jobs. Remote control in particular will be used as a spearhead to attack jobs across all crafts, as the carriers move to severely cut down on their current workforce.

The rule demonstrates that the defense of safety and jobs cannot be handed over to the pro-corporate Biden administration and union bureaucracy. Both have worked to block strike action by railroaders, impose pro-company contracts, and now implement a toothless regulation that will open the way for one-person crews and extensive implementation of remote control operations. It is only the rank and file who can oppose these attacks on rail workers and organize to demand adequate safety measures and job protections.
 Flash

U.S. President Joe Biden is pictured during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 4, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel will depend on Israel's steps to protect civilians in Gaza.

During a high-stakes phone call, Biden emphasized to Netanyahu that Israeli strikes on humanitarian workers delivering aid to Gaza and "the overall humanitarian situation" in Gaza are "unacceptable," according to a readout of the call issued by the White House.

Biden "made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," said the readout.

The president, according to the readout, "made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."

Biden also urged Netanyahu to both implement "an immediate ceasefire" with Hamas and "conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home," the readout said.

The call was the first between the two leaders after Israeli forces carried out an airstrike Monday, killing seven members of charity group World Central Kitchen (WCK) en route to distributing food to civilians in Gaza. The strike evoked international condemnation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Biden said he was "outraged and heartbroken" by the deaths of the humanitarian workers from the WCK.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The EU welcomes Armenia's efforts in the fight against circumvention of sanctions against Russia, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trend reports.

She made the remark at the press conference ahead of the joint EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting underway in Brussels today.

"I welcome Armenia's efforts in circumvention of our sanctions against Russia. In particular, to make sure that lethal equipment and technologies do not end up in the hands of the Russian military. this shows that the EU and Armenia are increasingly allied in values and interests," she said.

Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join the US-EU trilateral meeting with Armenia in Brussels, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to discuss US and EU support for Armenia's economic resilience as it works to diversify its trade partnerships and address humanitarian needs.

He added that the meeting in Brussels is intended to focus on the economic sustainability of Armenia.
The UK Minister of State for Veterans Affairs Johnny Mercer is seeking to challenge a legal decision compelling him to hand over the names of those who told him about alleged war crimes by UK special forces in Afghanistan.

The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, which opened last October at the Royal Courts of Justice in Londonand at which he appeared last monthhas been hearing evidence of scores of unlawful killings carried out by British special forces in Afghanistan, as well as the deletion of electronic confirmation of these war crimes and whitewashing through internal inquiries.

Mercer told the inquiry that he believed members of the Special Air Service (SAS) had engaged in dozens of unlawful killings of Afghan civilians during night raids between 2010 and 2013. He repeatedly refused to hand over names of the multiple officers who he claimed had told him about allegations of the killings by UK forces and their cover-up.

23/10/2023. London, United Kingdom. Minister of State (Minister for Veterans Affairs) Johnny Mercer [Photo by UK Government / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Among the claims made by Mercer was that he received a direct account from a serving member of the Special Boat Service (SBS) of being asked to carry a drop weapon, which Mercer explained were non-NATO weapons carried by UK Special Forces units that could be planted on the body of those killed during a mission. This is used to justify the killing on the grounds that the unarmed victim had posed a threat to military personnel.

Former soldier Mercer also told the inquiry he had gradually become aware of the SAS allegations on his last tour of Afghanistan in 2010 and then been given two specific warning by former colleaguesone a senior officerin 2017 after he had become an MP.

In refusing to disclose the names of his sources, Mercer told the inquiry: The one thing you can hold on to is your integrity and I will be doing that with these individuals, adding The simple reality at this stage is, Im not prepared to burn themnot when, in my judgement, you are already speaking to people who have far greater knowledge of what was going on.

The chairman of the inquiry, Lord Justice Charles Haddon-Cave, called Mercers decision completely unacceptable and warned him: You need to decide which side you are really on, Mr Mercer. Is it assisting the inquiry fully and the public interest and the national interest in getting to the truth of these allegations quickly, for everyones sake, or being part of what is, in effect a wall of silence...?

Sir Haddon-Cave then gave Mercer 10 days to reveal the sources behind the allegations or potentially face a prison sentence. He had until April 5 to comply or April 3 to lodge an appeal, which he has subsequently done. The court is now considering this application.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks office refused to comment specifically on Mercers case before adding that individuals should of course comply with public inquiries.

Mercer is a right-wing politician deeply implicated in the crimes of British imperialism. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery after graduating from Sandhurst in June 2003, he served three tours in the US-led occupation of Afghanistan (20012021) as a liaison and training officer with Afghan forces, attached to a Special Forces unit, and as a co-ordinator of artillery and air strikes in support of ground operations. He retired in December 2013 with the rank of captain.

Since 2015, Mercer has been a member of parliament for the ruling Conservative Party, nailing his reactionary credentials to the mast by declaring his twin political ambitions to be the safeguarding of the interests of military veterans and the dismantling of a massive welfare state. He has clashed with Tory leaders over policy related to the armed forces several times in the past.

In May 2019, Mercer announced that he would no longer vote for any laws that the then cabinet of prime minister Theresa May presented before parliament (with the exception of Brexit-related legislation) until new laws were implemented which would end the practise of prosecuting British military veterans who had previously been deployed to Northern Ireland as part of Operation Banner (1969-2007).

Omitting deaths due to the collusion of the British Army with illegal loyalist paramilitaries, the British military is believed to have killed well over 300 people during Operation Bannerhalf of whom were unarmed civilians, and 61 children. Just four soldiers were ever convicted of murder while on duty in Northern Ireland. All were released after serving two or three years of life sentences and allowed to rejoin the Army.

In April 2021, Mercer was dismissed by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson after notifying the Chief whip of his intention to resign his position as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State because of his apparent disagreements with the proposed Overseas Operations Bill, again because for Mercer it failed to prevent possible prosecution of British service members who were deployed to Northern Ireland.

On this occasion, Mercers band of brothers sense of loyalty has caused more serious problems for the government, disrupting its stage management of an inquiry it never wanted, but was forced into following publicly aired allegations of war crimes. Mercer is in a position to know that any leads given to the inquiry will not be followed up in a serious investigation but used as scapegoats to protect the chief criminalsthe people who have far greater knowledge of what was going on he referred to.

The British military played the lead supporting role in the US-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan (20012021). This dirty colonial war, which was characterised by mass murder through air strikes and night raids, is by conservative estimates believed to have led to the deaths of at least 175,000 civilians since 2001. The true death toll, when including those caused indirectly by the war, is thought to be closer to a million.

Confirming further attempts to prevent evidence of war crimes spilling out from Afghanistan, hundreds of former Afghan elite forceswho fought alongside UK soldiers in counter-insurgency operationsare being prevented (due to a veto exercised by UK Special Forces HQ) from gaining refuge in Britain, following the Taliban takeover of the country.

Lighthouse Reportsin conjunction with the BBC, the Independent and Sky Newsrecently published the series, which verified dozens of cases in which the Taliban has beaten, tortured or killed former commandos who served in two special forces units trained and funded by the UK.

Commenting on the series, Action on Armed Violence, which records, investigates and disseminates evidence of armed violence against civilians worldwide, said: The leaked documents point to a controversial policy where Special Forces had veto power over these applications, often leading to automatic rejections without further scrutiny. This arrangement has drawn criticism for its potential conflict of interest, especially as the UKs Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan gains momentuma probe that these Afghan veterans could significantly inform.

Former senior investigators from the Royal Military Police (RMP) told the BBC that special forces leadership repeatedly stood in the way of them interviewing Afghan troops in the course of their investigations between 2012 and 2019.

The level of obstruction was so overt that in 2014 the RMP formally requested the military prosecutor charge a high-ranking UK Special Forces officer with perverting the course of justice after he terminated an interview with an Afghan soldier regarding allegations of war crimes. The Service Prosecuting Authority declined to take up the case.
In the weeks following the death of Kurt Hourigan and serious injury to Connor Smith at Ballarat Gold Mine in Victoria, further detail has emerged about longstanding safety concerns at the facility.

Hourigan and Smith, employed by a third-party contractor, were operating handheld air-leg drilling equipment when the section of mine they were working in collapsed on March 13. The practice, which places workers dangerously close to the rock face they are drilling, had not been used at the Ballarat mine for almost a decade before it was reinstated in 2023.

Kurt Hourigan [Photo: Facebook/Kurt Hourigan]

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) revealed on Wednesday that an internal memo issued by the mines then operator in the first half of last year had declared that the globally accepted standard, that we dont work under unsupported ground, was dated.

The memo made explicit the real reason management opposed the use of basic safety precautions: Ballarat Gold Mine is not currently a financially viable business and the high level of ground support is a significant contributor to the cost of production.

Rejecting a blanket approach to ground support measures, the memo asserted that miners themselves should have the responsibility and the authority to effectively manage the ground within their work area.

In other words, workers were expected to put their health and lives at risk in order to bolster the bottom line of the failing company, which had entered voluntary administration in March 2023.

A significant contributor to the mines financial woes was the failure of Shen Yao, the Singaporean holding company that owned the operation from 20122023, to invest in sufficient storage for mine waste. As a result, the mine was unable to produce saleable refined gold for months on end in late 2022. The operation was acquired late last year by Victory Minerals, which is in turn owned by another Singaporean company, Chrysos.

According to the ABC, five key personnel have been sacked since the mine entered administration, including the mine manager, a senior mining engineer, two geotechnical engineers and the head of safety. An additional two engineers resigned last June.

One of the sacked geotechnical engineers told the ABC he was let go within weeks of warning management that the reintroduction of air-leg mining without minimum standard ground supports could lead to rockfall-related injuries.

In a May 2023 email, sent in response to the memo, the engineer wrote: Who will be responsible, or proven negligent, and ultimately be liable?  This is all about duty of care to my fellow workers  to ensure that we all get home to our families each night.

By the following month, management had found a new consultant to sign off on the safety of air-leg mining without surface support.

It is not yet clear what supports, if any, were in place in the section of the mine where last months fatal collapse occurred. But Ronnie Hayden, Victorian branch secretary of the Australian Workers Union (AWU), told the ABC, If the ground was supported, it wouldnt have given away like that.

According to the ABC, another incident occurred in the same part of the mine in July last year, when a surveyor was almost hit by a falling boulder. A second geotechnical engineer who previously worked at the mine said he was not aware of any significant investigation into the potentially fatal near miss.

He told the ABC, these things shouldnt [happen] in a proper, well-regulated mine. He continued: When you have that sort of incident happening, you need to stop and re-evaluate what youre doing  and whether you beef up your ground support.

Criticising the companys assertion that miners themselves could be solely responsible for their own safety, he explained that the geology of a mine was intricate and complex  something that has to be looked after by experts.

Further underscoring the dangerous character of this approach, another engineer who left the operation last year told the ABC that even the day-to-day oversight of hand-drilling operations was inadequate: There was a gent set up as foreman for air legging but he was also actively mining.

There should have been a full-time foreman ensuring work was meeting all needs, geotechnical, vent, safety  and he should not have been part of the air leg contract crew.

Hayden also denounced the arrangement, declaring Its up to the mine manager to make sure that the conditions are safe, not the individual performing the task.  When they put in proper ground support, theyre making sure that its safe for the workers to perform the task.

Haydens comments conveniently ignored the role of the AWU in enforcing unsafe conditions at the mine. When workers repeatedly raised safety concerns, over a period of years, the union responded by sending in officials to pronounce the site safe and keep workers on the job.

In March 2023, when the administrators took over, the AWU welcomed the change, claiming that the mines financial troubles and its poor safety record were due to the previous management. But when the new regime brought in contractors to reintroduce air-legging, the union leadership did nothing to stop it.

While experts who objected to the practice were sacked, along with other personnel critical to the safety of miners, the AWU bureaucracy ensured that workers did not strike or carry out any other industrial action that might disrupt the mines operations.

Even in the wake of Hourigans death, Hayden made clear that the AWU will not deviate from this path of collaboration with the financial interests of management. He told the ABC-TVs 7.30 program, We will absolutely work with this mine to make sure that it can be profitable and that our members are safe while they are doing the job.

The AWU bureaucracys total commitment to the first half of that sentence, and the completely false character of the second half, was starkly expressed when it did nothing to prevent the reopening of the mine, less than 48 hours after the fatal collapse.

This was approved by WorkSafe Victoria, the government safety regulator, with the collapsed section remaining temporarily cordoned off while it conducts an investigation. The abrupt reopening is a stark expression of the pro-business character of the state safety regulators, and a clear indication that this investigation will be yet another whitewash, resulting in nothing more than a slap on wrist for the mines owners.

Attempts by management and the union bureaucracy to herd workers back onto the job in dangerous conditions must be opposed and strike action taken immediately where necessary to protect miners health and lives. This is impossible, however, within the framework of the trade unions, which do not represent workers but serve as an industrial police force of management and governments.

To improve safety and put a stop to preventable deaths in the mining industry, workers need to take matters into their own hands. Rank-and-file committees, democratically controlled by workers, must be built in every workplace to assess conditions, formulate demands and enforce safety measures.

These committees must reject the conception that the safety of workers is a luxury, only available when profits are rosy. Last months death of a 37-year-old father and the injury of his 21-year-old coworker are a grim illustration of the consequences of this approach.

Above all, this poses the need for a political alternative to capitalism, under which workers interests are completely subordinated to the profit demands of big business. This means taking up a fight to establish workers governments that would implement socialist policies, including placing the mines, along with the banks and major corporations, under public ownership and democratic workers control.
In appearances Tuesday before a closed-door audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a public rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, fascist ex-president Donald Trump intensified his hate campaign directed at immigrants.

Ex-President Donald Trump speaks during a rally Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Reno, Nevada. [AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez]

He defended his previous references to migrants as animals. This was combined with warning that migrants were destroying America. This is country-changing, its country-threatening, and its country-wrecking, he said.

Trump claimed that President Joe Biden has instituted an open borders policy, even though the current anti-migrant regime at the US-Mexico border is a continuation of the savage, anti-democratic policies carried out under the Trump administration. He branded Joe Bidens border bloodbath as the cause of rape, murder and the spread of deadly drugs like fentanyl.

The campaign swing through Michigan and Wisconsin, both expected to be closely contested in November, was Trumps first since he clinched the Republican nomination with the exit of his last remaining opponent, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

In Michigan, Trump addressed an invitation-only group of Republican officeholders and police, with press reporters allowed to attend as well. In Wisconsin, the rally was open to the public but poorly attended. The Green Bay Press-Gazette and the local NBC affiliate both reported a crowd in the hundreds, with turnout affected both by heavy snow and by primary day in Wisconsin.

The fascistic character of the speech was demonstrated in repeated denunciations of Marxism and characterizing his opponents as communists. Added to this was open antisemitism, not only in his usual references to globalists, a code word for Jews among white supremacists, but in his declaration that election day, November 5, will be called something else. Christian visibility day. When Christians turn out in numbers no one has ever seen before. Lets call it Christian visibility day.

Trump speaks of the upcoming election in increasingly apocalyptic terms, declaring, We will drive out the globalists. We will cast out the communists. We will throw out the sick political caste. We will rout the fake news media. We will liberate our country from the tyrants and villains. We will take back our country on November 5, 2024, the most important day in the history of our country.

He added, This country is finished if we do not win this election. I heard someone say that if we do not win, this may be the last election our country ever has. This comment is perhaps better interpreted as a confirmation of Trumps own intentions if he wins.

Trump made a series of specific pledges of measures of mass repression to be instituted on the first day of his new administration if he wins the November election. This included, the largest domestic deportation program in American history. He also howled, I will ask Congress to send a bill to my desk ensuring that anyone who murders a police officer will receive immediately the death penalty.

As usual, Trump placed a flagrant fabrication at the center of his Michigan speech. He cited the killing of Ruby Garcia, a young Grand Rapids woman, whose body was recently found on the side of a major highway. Police have charged 25-year-old Brandon Ortiz-Vite with the murder, describing him as a former boyfriend. Ortiz-Vite came to the United States from Mexico as a child, and was protected under the DACA program until he was deported in 2020. He returned illegally to the country where he has lived most of his life.

Trump claimed to have been in contact with the family, suggesting that they were in agreement with his denunciation of migrant crime. But Garcias sister Mavi, speaking for the family, said this was not true. He did not speak with any of us, so it was kind of shocking seeing that he had said that he had spoken with us, and misinforming people on live TV, she told a local television station.

Nobody really speaks about when Americans do heinous crimes, and its kind of shocking why he would just bring up illegals, she continued. What about Americans who do heinous crimes like that?

The Republican National Committee added its voice to the barrage of invective against migrants. It launched a website with the URL bidenbloodbath.com, which is headlined, A VOTE FOR BIDEN IS A VOTE FOR AN INVASION. The statement declares that a vote for the incumbent president is a vote to allow criminals to invade our nation and attack Americans.

The website goes on to state, in screaming all-caps, THERE IS BLOOD ON BIDENS HANDS. This does not refer to the real crimes of the Biden administration, including all-out support for Israeli genocide in Gaza and the instigation and escalation of the US-NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Instead, it refers to the phony claims that migrant crime is sweeping America, although far fewer immigrants in percentage terms face criminal charges than US citizens.

The response of the Democratic Party to Trumps single-minded focus on demonizing migrants has been to follow suit, albeit at lower volume and with less openly provocative rhetoric.

The Democratic congresswoman from Grand Rapids, Hillary Scholten, said that Trump was expressing legitimate public fears. When you see someone who is killed in our community and you recognize that there was a person here who did that who shouldnt have been here, youre right to question our system of keeping Americans safe, she said.

Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow repeated the line of the Biden White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who have denounced Trump for pressuring congressional Republicans to block an anti-immigrant bill that initially passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote.

There are very real security concerns at the border, and on February 7th of this year, Senate Republicans had a chance to vote for a tough, effective, bipartisan bill to address those challenges, she said. Fifty-five days later, were still waiting for that bill to pass, adding that Trump told them to stop the bill.
On Wednesday, the Russian and French defense ministers, Sergei Shoigu and Sebastien Lecornu respectively, spoke via phone, with Shoigu offering talks to end the war in Ukraine and criticizing French plans to send troops to that country. Shoigu also pressed Lecornu about possible French involvement in the March 22 terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow.

This undated photo provided Thursday January 5, 2023, by the French Army shows AMX-10 RC tanks. [AP Photo/Jeremy Bessat/Armee de Terre]

While French and Russian sources gave sharply conflicting accounts of the call, French officials unambiguously rejected Russias offer of peace talks. Backed by its NATO allies, Paris is pressing on with plans to send troops to Ukraine that can only lead to war between nuclear-armed states.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry statement on the phone call, There was a noticeable willingness to dialogue over Ukraine.  The starting point could be the Istanbul initiative for peace.

There were conflicting reports on which initiative Shoigu meant. Russian sources referred to a proposal for peace talks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made last month, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Turkey. French sources raised the peace deal between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Turkey in April 2022, a deal that then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson forced Ukrainian officials to abandon.

Shoigu also warned Lecornu, according to Russian accounts, that if Paris sent troops to Ukraine, this would create problems for France itself.

About the Crocus City Hall attack, Shoigu told Lecornu that Russian investigators have proof of Ukrainian involvement and said: The Kiev regime does nothing without the approval of its Western supervisors. We hope that, in this case, the French special services were not behind this.

French officials immediately denied any interest in Ukraine peace talks. Shoigu was ready to resume dialog over Ukraine, French defense officials told AFP, but France neither accepted nor proposed anything on Ukraine. Even though it was discussing a phone call it had just placed to Russias defense minister, the French Defense Ministry baldly told Le Monde: This call must not be seen as an attempt to reopen a channel for communication with the Russians.

Nevertheless, the call had been initiated at Frances urgent request, according to Russian and French reports. Conscious of the disturbances the phone call could cause, the French defense ministry warned several of its European counterparts of the call and contacted them after it was over, in particular to avoid Russian attempts at manipulation, Le Monde reported.

The struggle against terrorism is a priority of the government, it has nothing to do with Ukraine, French defense officials said. They pointed to the horrific attack in Moscow, by ethnic Tajiks reportedly loyal to the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group, that claimed 144 lives and left 551 wounded.

Lecornu recalled that France is open [to] stepped-up exchange with Russia on anti-terrorism operations, they added, and told Shoigu that France has no information allowing to link this attack to Ukraine.

They also said that Lecornu demanded that Moscow cease all attempts to exploit the Crocus City attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry communique confirmed that Lecornu was concerned about political fallout from the Crocus City attack. Lecornu, it said, constantly argued that Ukraine and the Western countries were not implicated in the terrorist attack, placing responsibility for the attack on ISIS. ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), is an earlier name for the Islamic State group.

The Shoigu-Lecornu call must be taken as a warning of the imminent danger of escalation of the NATO-Russia war in Ukraine. This danger comes not mainly from the post-Soviet capitalist regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but from France and its NATO allies. Frances rejection of Shoigus offer of peace talks refutes propaganda presenting Russia as a threat to all of Europe and shows that NATO, not Moscow, is driving the war.

The French government is preparing war with Russia behind the backs of the people, based on lies and distortions. No one in Paris has revealed what Lecornu said on Ukraine. But it is hard to believe that Lecornu called Shoigu, who exercises leadership over Russias war in Ukraineand so, potentially, of operations to destroy the French army, should it deploy therejust to discuss intelligence-sharing for police work against terrorists.

Based only on official French statements, however, it seems the main message Paris is sending to Putin is that discussion of the Moscow terror attack is unacceptable.

France openly armed Islamist militias during wars that NATO launched in 2011 in Libya and Syria. However, French officials and media downplayed these links after Islamist terrorists carried out two bloody attacks in Paris in 2015. Macrons predecessor as president, Francois Hollande, imposed a two-year state of emergency that suspended basic democratic rights, strengthened Islamophobic neo-fascist forces, and led to a vast build-up of police powers now used to assault and imprison workers engaged in strikes or protests.

Yesterday, Macron, Hollande and other French officials denounced Shoigu for suggesting a possible French link to the Moscow attack. Hollande went on France Inter public radio to call for a break in relations with Russia. He said: You saw how Russia exploits such discussions and even suggests that France could have supported the Moscow attacks.  My recommendation is: no contact with Russia.

Macron attacked Shoigus remarks as bizarre and threatening at a poolside press conference for this summers Olympic games. Claiming without any evidence that Russia could target the 2024 Olympics, Macron said of the Moscow attack: It is ridiculous to say that France, that Ukraine could be behind it.  But its manipulation of information and part of the arsenal of war as Russia uses it today.

In reality, US officials own statements raise the question of potential NATO involvement in the Moscow attack: they immediately claimed, without any investigation, that Ukraine was not involved and blamed IS-K. But IS-K recruited many soldiers and spies of the pro-NATO Afghan regime that fought the Taliban, and who went underground when the Taliban took Kabul in 2021. French secret services, which participated in the NATO occupation of Afghanistan, has extensive contacts among such forces.

Even before the Kremlin has made any concrete allegation linking France to the Crocus City Hall attack, Hollande and Macron are trying to pre-empt political fallout from revelations about their links to Ukraine and Islamist groups. They are doubling down on plans to attack Russia, even if this means risking nuclear war.

This exposes the bankruptcy of the Russian capitalist regimes attempt to use its current battlefield superiority in Ukraine to negotiate a deal with the NATO imperialist powers, which it routinely calls its Western partners.

Timofei Bordachev, an official of the Valdai Club where Putin meets international financiers and politicians for discussions, laid out this perspective for the pro-Kremlin news site Vzglyad. He applauded Shoigus call with Lecornu, saying: In this context, it is important that Russia fully demonstrated its willingness to engage in constructive dialog, even with countries that have recently caused a scandal with their statements.

The failure of Shoigus peace feelers shows that there is no constructive dialog with imperialism, which seeks not dialog, but war and world hegemony. The Putin regime, employing a modified version of the bankrupt conception of peaceful coexistence with imperialism of the Stalinist regime that dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991, is at an impasse. Its battlefield successes against the NATO-backed Ukrainian regime only bring it closer to overt war with the NATO alliance.

The only way to halt the war is to mobilize the mass opposition in the working class. Polls show 68 percent of Frenchmen, 80 percent of Germans and 90 percent of Poles oppose sending troops to Ukraine. This sentiment must be mobilized by building an international, socialist anti-war movement in the working classin the NATO countries, and in Russia and Ukraine.
Efforts to rescue 13 Russian miners trapped 410 feet underground came to a halt on Monday. The men, who were buried by a rockfall at a gold operation in Amur oblast on March 18, are now presumed dead, killed either by the initial mine collapse, flooding of the shafts, or lack of food, water and air. There will be no attempt to recover their bodies, which, located at a depth of approximately 30 stories, are unreachable.

Picture of a memorial for the killed miners that has been circulating on Russian social media

In a statement released on April 1, Pokrovsky AGK, a branch company of mine owner Petropavlosk PLC, declared that the effort to free the men was called off because the lives of rescuers and mine workers involved in the operation are at risk of death. Emergency crews feared a second collapse would bury those attempting to save the trapped miners.

Bore holes drilled over the course of the last two weeks reveal water throughout the underground tunnels. There is, as seen in a video shot by an individual on the scene, extensive flooding around the mine opening. As the films narrator explains, an entire lake gave way at the site.

Rescuers were unable to pump out these massive volumes of liquid, which are mixed with rock and ice. After initially declaring that they needed to remove 9,000 cubic meters of material to reach the miners, authorities later revised that number upwards by a magnitude of 21.5 timesto 194,000.

Speaking to the press on Monday, presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov described the end of rescue efforts as not good news and blithely went on to declare, But the situation is what it is.

The dead miners, primarily contract workers from outside of the Amur region, ranged in age from 31 to 58. The mother of Rolan Sharipov of Bashkortostan told the press outlet Prufi that authorities had promised her they would pull out every single one [of the miners]. Her daughter-in-law, wrecked by the loss of a husband his mother describes as always smiling, never depressed, has yet to tell their young children that their father is not returning. At the age of 31, Sharipov, the son of a miner, had already been laboring underground for nearly a decade.

Acting on cue, various guilty parties, from government officials to the mine operators, have issued their heartfelt condolences to the families. Parents, spouses and children have been promised the equivalent of a years worth of the dead mens salaries. Offspring under the age of 18 will reportedly receive a monthly payment equivalent to their fathers wage until they reach maturity. Pokrovsky AGK also made mention of providing for the orphaned childrens medical and educational needs, although it is unlikely that any of the miners families will holding their breath for that one.

According to the website Mojazarplata.ru, Russian miners earn on average somewhere between 33,498 and 59,587 rubles a month, about $363 to $645. In addition to receiving these pittances, families will also get, so authorities say, insurance payouts and pension and welfare benefits. Should any of these be forthcoming, they will amount in total to another few hundred dollars a month at most.

Furthermore, the parent company of mine owner Pokrovsky AGK has been making its way through bankruptcy and restructuring for the last several years. Undoubtedly, financiers will see payments to the relatives of dead miners as an expense with which one can dispense should the opportunity present itself.

The treatment of the miners families has been appalling from the outset. Despite the fact that five of the trapped men were from Bashkortostan, no government official from the region contacted their relatives to alert them about what had happened. The wife of 33-year-old Emil Valikhanov told the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty last week that she learned of the disaster from the media. The uncle of another miner reported the same thing, adding, our souls have been torn apart during these nine days. In another instance, a mother was simply given a phone number to call to get updates.

Last week, families who had been brought to the disaster area and deposited at a location some distance from the mine demanded to go to the rescue site. From there, they reported the official all hands-on-deck narrative to be a lie. The equipment is just standing there. No one is doing anything. On the television, they show the absolute opposite. Why are they wasting time? one declared, according to an article on March 29 in Novye Izvestia.

The family of miner Vadim Nikolaev, age 32, issued a desperate appeal last week to President Vladimir Putin, asking him to take direct control over the rescue effort. They lie on TV. They do not tell the story as it really is. Time is being wasted, people may die, please help!!! Please help!!! We beg you!!! Putin did nothing.

Now that the miners are dead, authorities in Bashkortostan, the oblast from which five of the victims came, moved themselves to declare that a memorial will be erected in a local park. Criminal charges are also being brought against the mine director, who has been detained, and two officials from a government regulatory agency. They gave the gold operation a clean bill of health in 2022 and 2023.

Alexei Biryukov, the managing director at Pioneer, faces up to seven years in prison for knowing, according to the local branch of the Russian Investigative Committee (IKRF), that work in the mine was being carried out in the presence of a water body (a pit filled with water) within the field. He did not organize measures to drain the quarry, despite the fact that this is a violation of safety regulations, said the IKRF in a statement issued last week.

In addition, authorities from Rostechnadzor, Russias Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision, are facing accusations of a careless and negligent attitude to their official duties, failing to exercise their authority to halt violations, refusing to authorize the administrative suspension of the mines operations, and allowing the company to conduct work at the hazardous production facility with gross violations.

That these individuals are responsible for the miners deaths is undoubted. The Russian mining industry is notorious for disregarding health and safety measures and regulatory officials are almost uniformly on the take.

But the sudden discovery by government authorities of a handful of criminals at the Pioneer mine and among officials in the Amur region is a coverup. Behind Pokrovsky AGK stands one of Russias largest gold mining corporationsPetropavlovsk PLCwhich itself is currently under the oversight of a British financial restructuring firm. They too are guilty, as are the governments regulatory bodies as whole, as is the whole state apparatus.

The entire extractive industry in Russia is a death and injury mill, with accidents of varying scale happening every month, if not more frequently. An explosion at an iron mine last week in Sverdlovsk, which is thousands of miles to the west of the Pioneer gold operation, killed one miner and injured another five, three seriously.

These conditions exist broadly throughout the Russian economy. According to the countrys Federal Service for Labor and Employment, in 2022 alone there were 4,639 industrial accidents, of which 991 were fatal and 298 involved multiple workers at once. The Federation of Independent Trade Unions, an outfit with close ties to the state and the corporations and hardly inclined towards truthful reporting, puts those numbers even higher. According to it, there were 5,563 industrial accidents in Russia in 2022. Nearly 1,300 workers were killed in these events.

Russias notoriously unsafe mines do not actually rank highest in regards to workplace injuries and deaths. This place is taken by the construction industry, followed by manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture, forestry and fishing, notes the website Attek in its analysis of official data.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. The meeting in Brussels is another attempt to drag the South Caucasus into a geopolitical confrontation, Russian Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

We consider the high-level meeting in the Armenia-US-EU format held in Brussels on April 5, 2024 as another attempt by the collective West to drag the South Caucasus into a geopolitical confrontation. Irresponsible and destructive interference of extra-regional forces in the affairs of the South Caucasus, the desire to drive a wedge between the countries of the region and their neighbors could result in the most negative consequences for stability, security and economic development in the region, provoke the emergence of new dividing lines, as well as an uncontrollable increase in tension, the statement said.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the West wants to turn Armenia into an instrument for the implementation of its extremely dangerous plans in the South Caucasus.

We know that Washington and Brussels  under ephemeral promises  are seeking Armenias withdrawal from the CSTO and the EAEU, the withdrawal of the Russian military base and border guards. We call on the leadership in Yerevan not to allow the West to deceive itself and lead the country along the wrong path, which is fraught with the emergence of a security vacuum, serious problems in the economy and outflow of population, the statement said.

The department emphasized that the volumes of grant support announced in Brussels cannot be compared with the multi-billion dollar benefits that Armenia continues to receive from interaction with Moscow and within the EAEU and the CIS.

It is these factors that in recent years have ensured a multiple increase in trade turnover (four times since 2018) and, as a result, record economic growth and an increase in the well-being of the population. We confirm our commitment to comprehensively deepen and expand relations with Armenia on the principles enshrined in the fundamental bilateral documents and agreements through common integration associations. We are convinced that the progressive development of the Russian-Armenian alliance will contribute to the realization of the fundamental interests of the peoples of Russia and Armenia, strengthening regional security and stability, Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The department said that the West is also not abandoning attempts to destroy the fundamental basis of the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization - a set of trilateral statements by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan for 2020-2022, providing for measures to unblock transport and economic ties, delimit the border, prepare a peace treaty, strengthen trust through contacts of social activists and experts.

It was under pressure from Washington and Brussels that official Yerevan suspended the implementation of these agreements, on many of which, in particular on the issue of lifting the mutual transport blockade, the parties were close to mutually acceptable solutions. Moscow remains ready to assist in every possible way in achieving the long-awaited peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Problematic issues of both a regional and bilateral nature in the South Caucasus must be resolved in accordance with the principle of regional responsibility, agreed upon during the second meeting of the 3+3 Consultative Platform on October 23, 2023 in Tehran, of which Armenia was also a participant. We urge external sides to respect these agreements, and the authorities in Yerevan, when building their foreign policy line, to take into account the concerns of neighboring states, Russian Foreign Ministry said.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the High Representative and Vice-President of the EU Josep Borrell, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the head of USAID Samantha Power and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met on April 5 in Brussels.

Among other things, following the meeting, it was stated that the EU will put forward a Sustainability and Growth Plan for Armenia for the period 2024-2027 worth 270 million euros.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 5. In accordance with the decree of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye is ending the visa-free regime for citizens of Tajikistan who have regular foreign passports, Trend reports.

This decision, published in the official government gazette Resmi gazete, was made on the basis of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection and comes into force from the moment of its publication.
Actress Anastasiia Ziurkalova started acting at the age of ten and played the main roles in high-profile Ukrainian melodramas ("Snow Love, A Winter's Night's Dream", "Women's Intuition", "To You, the Real One", "Aurora").

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In an interview with OBOZ.UA, the actress, who has been living in Canada for more than two years, explained why she suddenly disappeared from the screens at the peak of her popularity, commented on rumors of a conflict with director Oksana Bairak, with whom she had worked extensively, and spoke about her current life in the country where she found temporary refuge from the war.

Anastasiia Ziurkalova is from Kyiv. The girl's father is an entrepreneur, and her mother is a famous gymnast, and world champion Oksana Omelianchyk. Nastia started acting in movies when she was 10 years old. The future movie star's father accidentally heard about the casting of young actresses for the melodrama "Snow Love, or A Winter's Night's Dream" by director Bairak. Nastia was chosen among hundreds of applicants. The director later cast her in the lead roles in four more of her films. The role of a girl from Pripyat in the movie "Aurora" was written specifically for Ziurkalova.

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Part of the filming took place in Kyiv, and large-scale scenes of evacuation after the Chornobyl accident were shot in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. Later, the filming process continued in Los Angeles. One of the main roles in the film was played by Hollywood actor Eric Roberts. In 2006, "Aurora" tried to compete for an Oscar in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category, but did not win.

And then, at the peak of her popularity, Anastasiia suddenly disappeared from the screens. Rumors circulated about the actress's conflict with the director Bairak. However, Ziurkalova denies this: "You know, my mother or grandmother sometimes send me articles about me from the Internet with all sorts of rumors. Journalists like to write things like: "Where did this girl disappear to?" And I just live my life. As for Oksana Bairak, we did not quarrel. It's just that we haven't been in touch for many years, and somehow we lost touch. However, we have never had any conflicts, not over any issues."

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"I don't follow her work, what she does," adds Ziurkalova, who hasn't played a single role with Bairak, who called her her movie daughter, since "Aurora". Regarding the anti-Ukrainian stance that the director has taken after the Russian invasion, Nastia has the following thoughts: "The whole world sees what is happening to Ukraine, and everyone understands where the truth is. And when you hear about support for the aggressor country, it's strange, to say the least."

Ziurkalova explains her absence from the movie screens for some time as follows: "When I was filming a lot, I was a child, and then I started to grow up. Most of my time began to be taken up with my studies  I was always an excellent student. Later I entered the Kyiv National Linguistic University. I have always been interested in languages, and I thought that getting this education was a good choice."

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However, two years later, she was forced to give up her studies to become a translator because her love of acting won out: "I heard that the workshop of the legendary Ukrainian teacher, People's Artist of Ukraine Mykola Rushkovskyi was being recruited. And I turned my life in that direction." She had to leave her studies at the linguistic university: "I regretted it, to be honest, because it would have been very nice to have a diploma from such a university. But even in those two years of study, I got a lot out of it, it's a good university. I wanted to continue my studies there, but I just couldn't physically do it. The Theater University is from 9 am to 10 pm, no exaggeration. You are all there."

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Ziurkalova made her debut on the theater stage in the lead role in the production of "Antigone" by the famous director Igor Slavinskyi at the Kyiv Academic Theater Workshop "Suzirya". For some time Anastasiia was an actress in this theater. Then she had performances in other theaters (Mykola Rushkovskyi's Theater Workshop, the "Actor" Theater, and the Theater of the Young People's Theater) and acted in films.

The full-scale invasion caught Ziurkalova in the suburbs of Kyiv. "The day before, on February 23, I had a performance in the theater. Everyone was in a very anxious mood, but I didn't want to believe in bad things. And then it turned out that it was the last performance I had ever given in Kyiv... Then came February 24, a terrible day, like for everyone else. At five in the morning, I received a phone call from my father. He said: "Pack your things and come to us. We live outside the city, I live separately, but not far from my parents. I remember well the fear that just chained me up  I had never felt anything like that in my life. You can act a lot, have acting experience on similar topics, imagine what it might be like, but the reality was much more frightening."

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"I remember that after the full-scale war started, for another eight months, maybe even a year, I thought I wouldn't be able to go on stage," Anastasiia continues, "because it all seemed so fake compared to the real feelings we were all experiencing. I thought that no one would be interested in acting in Ukraine for some time."

In March 2022, the actress moved to Canada: "My brother Ivan has been living here for several years. With what heart was I going? At first, I didn't even want to think about it, it was very difficult to decide. But then I packed my things in one day. I had only one suitcase in my hands, half of which was occupied by a camera  I have long been fond of photography."

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Anastasiia now lives in Toronto: "I'm continuing my acting career, though I had to start from scratch. I found a movie agent and am writing self-tests. In the summer, I already had one theater project. Recently, I did a voiceover, a small one, but it's still acting. I earn my living by working as a waitress at Cineplex VIP, which is the largest movie theater chain in Canada. There are places where you can come, order a delicious meal, and watch a movie. This is an incredibly interesting job because I get to observe people and life here a lot. In addition, I have the opportunity to regularly watch new movies for free. This is also a plus."

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Nastia has not been in Kyiv for more than two years: "I have seen my mother, but not my father. We only talk on video. I miss my parents very much. We used to have a tradition where I would go to their house on weekends, bake a cake, and bring them something delicious. Now I miss this kind of live communication. Because just making a phone call is one thing, and it's quite another thing to come to your parents' house, where you lived most of your life. I miss it very much, my friends and the fact that I used to do more acting. I don't know how long I will stay here. The war showed me that life can turn upside down quite unexpectedly. I never thought that one day I could pack up and go to the other side of the world, but it happened."

In Canada, Ziurkalova already has her social circle: "I have Canadian friends. I'm also incredibly happy to have found some friends here from Karpenko-Kary University. From time to time, I attend networking events organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Filmmakers' Union, which allow me to find new contacts, and it's great. And of course, I have a brother here. I don't know what I would do without him. When I first arrived, I lived with Ivan, and this year we have already moved away."

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"My brother studied at a culinary college here," says Nastia, "and worked in various restaurants for a while. Now he is interested in other things. He went into IT, trying his hand at it. It's not easy, because you have to work several jobs. But that's the way of life in Toronto, many people do both. You have to be able to spin around here. You know, people often ask me: is this your older brother? That's the thing, he's the younger one. My parents always told him in his childhood that he should follow my example because I was older. It's like in all families. And then there was the war, and he made such an adult manly decision: to call me to his side. The first year he helped me so much  I felt incredibly supported and proud of him."

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"I find it very funny to hear someone say that they are tired of the war in Ukraine while abroad," says Anastasiia, commenting on talk of a certain fatigue with the war in Ukraine in the world. "However, the further away from the epicenter of the war, the less people feel our pain  it's true. There is less concern and less front-page news. However, we cannot blame people for this. When I first moved here, I walked the streets, looked at people smiling at me, and thought: why are they so happy? They are just living their lives in a good, safe country. Do you understand? But Canada, as you know, has perhaps the largest Ukrainian diaspora, so it is one of the most active countries that continues to promote all the programs to help our country."

Talking about how she has adjusted to life abroad, Nastia admits that some things remain a "painful issue." "When I first moved, everything was complicated and not what I was used to. Even ordinary food didn't taste good. Everything tasted different. I miss our dairy products. They have it all here, but it's not the same as here. Toronto is an international city, you can find anything you want here: Asian, Indian, anything. But for Ukrainian products, you have to travel and look for them. Some stores sell our products: cheese, candy, chocolate, canned food, and even a "Kyiv" cake. However, it all takes some time to get there  it's not as fresh as in Ukraine."

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Recalling her incredible movie success as a child, Nastia admits that she doesn't watch her films now: "It was a good experience for me to be on a movie set, to be part of a big interesting process. Later, this was one of the reasons why I decided to become an actress. It's very cool that it happened in my life, but I'm moving on. I am developing, and I even think that now, at this stage of my life, I am interested in other things besides acting. When I was younger, studying at university, I thought that acting was my whole world. And it limited me a lot as a person. Now I realize that maybe it's time to look in other directions. But I'm not giving up acting in any way, because I love it so much."

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Angelina Jolie accuses Brad Pitt of abusing her prior to 2016 plane incident in new legal filing

The War of the Rose goes on as actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie continue to battle in court following their infamous 2016 split.

The two are still fighting over their shared French winery, and in a new April 4 filing obtained by NBC News, Jolie's legal team has accused Pitt of abusing her prior to the well-documented 2016 private plane incident that ended their relationship.

While Pitts history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the familys September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him, her legal team claimed in the April 4 filing.

Pitt's team did not comment.

A day after the filing, on April 5, a source close to Pitt told NBC News: "This is a pattern of behavior  whenever there is a decision that goes against the other side they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction.

There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody.

The allegations come nearly 20 years after Pitt and Jolie first connected in 2004 while making Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

At the time, the two were both firmly embedded in their own family lives: Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston (they split in 2005) and Jolie was a single mom of Maddox, whom shed adopted from Cambodia in 2002.

But then Pitt and Jolie felt sparks  and went on to become one of the most talked-about celebrity couples of all time.

Brad was a huge surprise to me, Jolie told Vogue in 2006 (via People magazine). Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened.

After becoming partners, the couple added more children to their brood: Zahara Marley (adopted in 2005), Shiloh Nouve (their first biological child, born in 2006), Pax Thien (adopted from Vietnam in 2007), and twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline (their second and third biological children, born in 2008).

I was 26 when I became a mother, Jolie told Vogue in 2023. My entire life changed. Having children saved me  and taught me to be in this world differently.

Meanwhile, Pitt said in the 2020 Oscars press room (via People) that he wants his kids to do what makes them happy. I want them to follow their bliss, follow their passions, whatever theyre most interested in. Its about guiding as you can.

So while Pitt and Jolie wouldnt marry until 2014, as TODAY reported, they were child-centric almost from the beginning. And marriage, surprisingly, changed the relationship, as Jolie told TODAY in 2014.

We got married with our (six) children and they were part of the ceremony, she said. It was all of us agreeing to be together and to just commit to this life together. Not because we had to  because we were absolutely sure we felt that much of a family.

However, two years after the wedding, Jolie filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

The divorce filing came quickly on the heels of an incident on an airplane. Over the following decade, Pitt and Jolies separation was protracted and fractious, involving allegations of judicial interference, a winery and more.

Angelina Jolie with five of her children at the

Heres a timeline of Angeline and Brad Pitt's divorce.

Summer 2016: Angelina Jolie says 'things got bad'

Cracks were appearing in the Jolie/Pitt marriage two years after they tied the knot, as she revealed in a 2017 cover story for Vanity Fair. Things got bad, she told the magazine, but clarified to then say things became difficult.

In the article she mentioned developing hypertension and Bells palsy, in which the muscles on one side of her face began to droop. Acupuncture helped her to recover.

Sometimes women in families put themselves last, until it manifests in their own health, she said.

September 2016: The airplane incident

An apparent major break for the family came after an incident on a private aircraft that year.

Details were kept under wraps for years, but NBC News obtained the FBI report of the incident in 2022, following a Freedom of Information / Privacy Act lawsuit brought by Jane Doe. (An attorney for Jane Doe said that she wouldnt comment on who the woman was, but noted that the client wanted the records for years but has been stonewalled and has had to resort to court action to receive needed records. )

As the FBI report described, Pitt and Jolie were traveling with their children in September 2016, a two-week trip that ended in Los Angeles International Airport. Pitt appeared to take issue with Jolies parenting, and when she asked him what was wrong he reportedly said, That kid looks like a f------ Columbine kid.

They retreated to the back of the plane to continue the argument. According to the FBI report, Jolie said that Pitt grabbed her by the head and shook her, then grabbed her shoulders before punching "the ceiling of the plane" repeatedly. One child saw the altercation and asked Jolie if she was all right, according to the report.

No, Mommys not OK, Pitt allegedly yelled back. Shes ruining this family. Shes crazy.

After further physical interaction between them both, Pitt spilled wine and beer on furniture and Jolie, who was under a blanket with her children, according to the FBI report. When the plane landed, they did not deplane with him. Jolie said Pitt shouted, F--- you all. Im f------ leaving you," according to the report.

In a later cross-complaint filed against Pitt in 2022, Jolie gave more details, NBC News reported. According to the filing, Jolie said Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face and also grabbed her and shook her.

No criminal charges were pursued in the incident, but Jolie filed for divorce on September 19, the Associated Press reported.

November 2016: Brad Pitt cleared of child abuse charges

After the divorce filing, Pitt was investigated by the Department of Child and Family Services, and in November 2016 he was cleared of any wrongdoing, NBC News reported.

In September, Pitt and Jolie had both agreed to a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) safety plan, which was a temporary custody agreement over their children. They each agreed to individual counseling. Pitt gave up drinking and began spending time in Alcoholics Anonymous, he told the New York Times in 2019.

I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges, he said then.

December 2016  January 2017: The custody battle gets serious

As the DFCS report was being investigated, Jolie and Pitt began ramping up arguments about custody schedules, as ET reported. Pitt filed for joint custody. Lawyers asked for more therapy sessions for Pitt. Pitts lawyers said he wanted to see his children before the end-of-year holidays began.

In December, ET reported that Jolie had been granted physical custody of all six of the children, with Pitt being allowed to have therapeutic visits with the kids (determined by the family therapist), according to ET and The Guardian.

Early in 2017, the soon-to-be-exes released a joint statement saying they agreed to keep the divorce proceedings private, as ET reported.

The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues, a statement from both actors read. The parents are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.

May 2017: Brad Pitt speaks out, saying his journey is 'self-inflicted'

In one of his first longform interviews since he and Jolie split, Pitt told GQ that he was lonely and spending time with his bulldog Jacques.

I see where one spouse literally cant tell their own part in (a split), and is still competing with the other in some way and wants to destroy them, and needs vindication by destruction, and just wasting years on that hatred, he said. I dont want to live that way.

Meanwhile, Jolie said in a 2017 Vanity Fair story, Were all just healing from the events that led to the (divorce) filing. (The kids have been) very brave.

August 2018: Angelina Jolie fires back about child support

In 2018, Jolies attorney said that Pitt had paid no meaningful child support since separation, in a brief from Los Angeles Superior Court that NBC News obtained.

Arrangements around the childrens expenses have been informal, the brief said, and indicated that Jolie wanted to obtain a retroactive child support order.

April 2019: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are officially single

A judge ruled in April 2019 that the pair's marriage was officially over.

Pitt and Jolie and requested a bifurcated judgement, ET said, which gave them both single status while the divorce was finalized.

Angelina Jolie with daughters Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt at the

January 2021: 'The War of the Rose' begins

Among the holdings Pitt and Jolie shared, Chateau Miraval Winery was one of the most personal. The pair purchased the property for around 25 million Euros in 2008, and it later became a major flashpoint in their ongoing battles.

A Vanity Fair article in June 2023 revealed that Jolie contacted Pitt in January 2021 about her decision to sell her interest in the winery because it was a business focused on alcohol.

Even now impossible to write this without crying, Jolie wrote. Above all, it is the place we brought the twins home to, and where we were married over a plaque in my mothers memory. A placewhere I thought I would grow old. But it is also the place that marks the beginning of the end of our family.

US-ENTERTAINMENT-PREMIERE-UNBROKEN (Robyn Beck / Getty Images)

She added, Miraval for me died September 2016, and everything I have seen in the years since has sadly confirmed that.

Pitt agreed to pay her $54.5 million to buy her out of Miraval in February  but the transaction wasnt completed as custody battles reared their head again. Ultimately, Jolie sold her interest to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler for $67 million, Vanity Fair reported.

May  July 2021: Brad Pitt gets joint custody of children  almost

In May 2021, Pitt was given joint custody of the children in a judge's tentative ruling, NBC News reported.

However, an appeals court ruled in Jolies favor a couple of months later, disqualifying the judge from the case. His decisions were vacated.

The Associated Press reported that the appeals court ruled that the judge, John Ouderkirk, was disqualified because he failed to disclose a business relationship with Pitts attorneys.

August  October 2022: Winery suits continue, details emerge over 2016 airplane altercation

In August, the FOIPA documents from the FBI report about the 2016 airplane incident were made public.

That October, Jolie included what she described as abusive behavior by him on that plane in the cross-complaint against Pitt about the winery, reported The New York Times.

(Jolie) has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day, her lawyers wrote in the cross-complaint.

But when Pitt filed this lawsuit seeking to reassert control over Jolies financial life and compel her to rejoin her ex-husband as a frozen-out business partner, Pitt forced Jolie to publicly defend herself on these issues for the first time.

November  December 2023: Zahara Jolie goes to college, Jolie plans a move overseas

Now 18, Pitt and Jolies daughter Zahara went to Spelman College in 2022, and joined Alpha Kappa Alpha as her sorority  emphatically indicating that she was Zahara Marley Jolie  not Pitt  when announcing her choice, according to Essence.

In a chat with The Wall Street Journal in December, Jolie revealed she intended to leave Los Angeles and spend more time at a home she has in Cambodia, crediting the extended divorce proceedings for her decision.

Its part of what happened after my divorce, she told the newspaper. I lost the ability to live and travel as freely. I will move when I can.

April 2024: New court filings from Jolie accuse Pitt of physical abuse before the 2016 plane incident

The former couple's ongoing legal dispute over Chateau Miraval has continued into 2024.

Jolie's legal team filed a motion seeking to release communications they said would prove Pitt didn't let Jolie sell her shares of the winery to him unless she agreed to a more onerous and expansive nondisclosure agreement.

Her legal team claimed in the April 4 filing: While Pitts history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the familys September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him."

Her team went on to say in the filing that Jolie did not press charges for the prior abuse, of which the documents do not outline, as she believed the best course was for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the post-traumatic stress he caused.

Her filing also alleges that Pitt refused to seek domestic violence counseling.

Pitt's team did not comment on the April 4 filing, though Pitt's team has previously denied the allegations and a 2016 DCFS investigation into Pitt cleared him of wrongdoing, NBC News reported at the time.

A source close to Pitt told NBC News that this "pattern of behavior" happens when "there is a decision that goes against the other side" and "they consistently choose to introduce misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction.

There was a lengthy custody trial that involved the entire history of their relationship and a judge who heard all the evidence still granted him 50/50 custody.

In a statement to TODAY.com, Jolies lawyer pointed to the ongoing lawsuit and allegedly onerous NDA as the reason for bringing her allegations to light.

Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolies interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA. By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family, Jolies attorney, Paul Murphy, said in the statement. After eight months of delays, this motion asks the Court to force Mr. Pitt to finally produce that evidence.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska said that the carefree smile of her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, would mean to her that the worst is over. In her opinion, it is a good mood that will indicate the victory of the Motherland.

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Zelenska does not claim that her husband has not smiled at all since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. She wants to see the emotions of the "pre-war era". The first lady said this in an interview with the Slovenian magazine OnaPlus.

"I dream of seeing a carefree smile of the pre-war era on my husband's face. It would mean that the worst is over, that we have succeeded. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the death and destruction will finally be over," she explained.

Another dream of the first lady is to be able to spend a lot of time with her family, which is currently occupied by work. Earlier, she said that she rarely sees her husband because of scheduling overlaps, and her children, 19-year-old Oleksandra and 11-year-old Kyrylo, meet him for about a few hours once a week. Therefore, the family is very rarely together.

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Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, the security of the presidential family has become the most important issue for the Zelenski, which is why the first lady hardly sees her friends. She was able to meet with her friend Olena Kravets only recently for the first time in three years, and only for a few minutes.

"I dream of being with my family not only when I have time, but as much as I want. I dream of seeing my friends wherever and whenever I want," she said.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that in the same magazine, Olena Zelenska emphasized the importance of Ukraine's victory in the war with Russia, and the defeat of the aggressor country is necessary for the whole world. In her opinion, otherwise, the consequences will affect everyone.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were Hollywood's golden couple and were together between 2004 and 2016 - Getty Images/Francois Durand

Angelina Jolie has accused former husband Brad Pitt of having a history of physical abuse towards her.

Once Hollywoods golden couple, the two actors separated in 2016 after Pitt was accused of being drunk and aggressive on a plane during a family trip from France to California.

But, in a court document obtained by CNN relating to a legal battle over a French winery they once jointly owned, Jolies lawyers claim he was also abusive to her before the plane incident.

In the legal filing with Los Angeles Superior Court, Jolie, 48, claimed she tried to sell Pitt her stake in the Miraval wine business but negotiations broke down over a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Her lawyers claim Pitt conditioned the sale on his ex-wife signing a NDA that prohibited Jolie from speaking [other than in court] about Pitts abuse of Jolie and their children by attempting to tie Pitts personal reputation to Miravals business.

The lawyers added that the 60-year-olds history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the familys September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles. However, they did not provide details of other incidents.

The document also stated that Jolie didnt press charges over the alleged altercation on the plane because she believed the best course was for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the post-traumatic stress he caused.

Pitt and Jolie got together in 2004, were married in 2014, and separated in 2016 - Getty Images/Gareth Cattermole

The former couple are parents to Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and 15-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

The FBI previously investigated the plane incident and Pitt was neither arrested nor charged. In legal documents from October 2022, his spokesperson disputed Jolies account of the incident.

His spokesperson said then: Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didnt do.

The ongoing legal fight over the winery, located at Chateau Miraval in the south of France, follows the Oscar-winning actresss decision to sell her half to a company controlled by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021.

Pitt, the star of films such as Fight Club, Seven and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, sued Jolie in 2022 for allegedly breaking an agreement he said they had made not to sell without obtaining approval from the other.

Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016 after the plane incident. They were declared legally single in 2019 and a joint custody arrangement was established in 2021.

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The BBC defended itself against claims that its coverage of Kate Middletons cancer diagnosis was excessive and insensitive, saying Friday that it was guided by the significance of the story.

As part of our analysis, we examined the intense speculation there had been in the preceding weeks about the princesss health, the broadcasters statement reads. We also reported on Catherines request for privacy and detailed the statement from Kensington Palace regarding the princess having the right to privacy in relation to her medical issues.

The statement also acknowledges not everyone would have approved of the approach we took. It concludes that the network always gives careful consideration to its editorial decisions.

Speculation around Middleton started in March. At that point, the member of the Royal Family had not been seen in public in months following an abdominal surgery. Middleton then posted a photo of her family on social media that internet sleuths quickly determined had been digitally altered.

The photo gaffe became such a big deal that the global news director of Agence France-Presse, one of the worlds biggest news agencies, told the BBC that Kensington Palace was no longer considered to be a trusted source. A video of Prince William and Kate Middleton shopping was later leaked, which caused another wave of speculation.

Following the flurry of Photoshop-related conspiracy theories surrounding the Royal Family, Middleton revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer in late March. In her video announcement, the Princess of Wales noted that it has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family. She is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy and is in the early stages of treatment.

We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment, Middleton said. For now I must focus on making a full recovery.

The post BBC Defends Against Accusations That Kate Middleton Cancer Diagnosis Coverage Was Excessive and Insensitive appeared first on TheWrap.
Plus, everything you need to know about the new series starring Andrew Scott.

Netflix

If last years unhinged Saltburn was not enough to sate your appetite for vaguely homoerotic, hyper class-conscious stories about conmen and grifters, then have no fear, for Netflixs new Ripley limited series is finally here.



Based on Patricia Highsmiths seminal series of Tom Ripley novels and written and directed by Oscar winner Steven Zallian, this updated take on the familiar grifter series finds Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) traveling to Italy to convince Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), a rich trust fund kid, to return to New York. Once in Italy, however, Tom quickly falls for this life of leisure himself and decides to do anything to maintain it, leaving a long line of dead bodies and stolen identities in his wake. A slow-burn thriller that interrogates matters of class, gender, and sexuality, this new version of Ripley is sure to be Netflixs next hit.

Heres everything we know about the new show.

How Can I Watch Ripley, and the Trailer?

Though Ripley was initially ordered by Showtime back in 2019, Netflix picked up the rights to the series last year, after all episodes had finished filming. All episodes are now streaming.

What Is Ripley About?

Based on Patricia Highsmiths popular novels, Ripley, according to its official logline, follows Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, [who] is hired by a wealthy businessman to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. Toms acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit.

Netflix

How Is the 'Ripley' Series Different Than 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' Movie?

Highsmiths novels have been adapted for the screen before  most notably, for 1999s Oscar-nominated The Talented Mr. Ripley. But unlike that Anthony Minghella classic, which starred Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Netflixs Ripley is able to dive deeper into Tom Ripleys inner-world. With eight hour-long episodes (instead of two hours), the series has much more room to breathe, allowing for plenty of new insights into this elusive character and his particular quirks.



Netflix

Andrew Scott has also tried to separate his Tom Ripley from previous versions of the character. You dont play the opinions, the previous attitudes that people might have about Tom Ripley, he told Vanity Fair earlier this year. You have to throw all those out, try not to listen to them, and go, Okay, well, I have to have the courage to create our own vision and my own understanding of the character.

Still, the biggest change is probably aesthetic. While The Talented Mr. Ripley captivated audiences with its vibrant color, capturing the beauty of summer in Italy (and of Matt Damon in a Speedo) with lush depictions of sunny beaches and expensive boats, Netflixs Ripley strips all the color away, opting instead for striking black-and-white cinematography that immediately heightens the tension. The switch helps to highlight the original noir-inspired elements of Highsmiths novels without sacrificing any of the visual grandeur of the story itself.

Who Is In the 'Ripley' Cast?

Ripley is led by the immensely talented Andrew Scott, who eagle-eyed television fans may recognize as the Hot Priest from Fleabag. Fresh off his starring role in last years devastating All of Us Strangers, Scott stars as Thomas Tom Ripley, a grifter and con-man who once again is hired to travel to Italy to convince the son of a wealthy man to return home to New York.

The son in question, Richard Dickie Greenleaf, is played by Johnny Flynn, who you may recognize from Emma. An aspiring artist who has developed a fondness for life on the Italian countryside despite his fathers wishes for him to take over the family business, Dickie is carefree and relaxed  at least until Tom Ripley somewhat mysteriously enters his life.

Netflix

Dakota Fanning, meanwhile, plays Marge Sherwood, Dickies maybe-girlfriend, who has gotten used to her life in Italy with the youngest Greenleaf. While Dickie initially falls for Toms charms, Marge, an aspiring author, never gets used to Toms intrusion in their lives.

The cast is rounded out by musician-cum-actor Eliot Sumner as Freddie Miles, a friend of Dickie and Marges, who is immediately skeptical of Tom; Maurizio Lombardi as Pietro Ravini, an Italian inspector hired to investigate the murder of one of Toms victims; Margherita Buy as the landlord for a fancy apartment Tom rents in Venice; John Malkovich as Reeves Minot, who Tom meets at a swank party; and Kenneth Lonergan as Herbert Greenleaf, Dickies father, who is largely responsible for setting Tom on this destructive journey in the first place.

Will There Be More Ripley?

Ripley was ordered as a miniseries, so we can safely assume that these eight episodes mark the beginning and end of Tom Ripleys story in this iteration. Of course, streaming companies love a hit, so depending on audience reception, its also possible that Netflix will choose to extend Toms story despite this. For now, there is no word of a continuation. But if theres one thing we know about Tom Ripley, its that this con-man has an endless supply of new lives.

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Here comes the bride, again!

Getty

More than a decade after tying the knot to Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively is back in a wedding dress. However, don't get too excited  the couple isn't renewing their vows (at least not to our knowledge), but rather, Lively's character in A Simple Favor 2, Emily Nelson, is getting married.



Shortly after Amazon MGM Studios announced that there would soon be a sequel to the 2018 comedy thriller, filming kicked off in Capri, Italy, with a waterfront wedding. In photos exclusively obtained by The Daily Mail, Lively wore a white strapless gown with a corseted bodice, 3-D floral detailing, and a voluminous skirt while standing at the altar across from actor Michele Morrone, who plays a wealthy Italian businessman in the film.



Getty

She accessorized her wedding dress with arm-length opera gloves and a long veil, and styled her blonde hair in a sleek, side-parted bun.



Lively's co-star Anna Kendrick was also visible in a few of the snapshots, as it was also confirmed that she would also be reprising her role as Stephanie Smothers in the sequel. For her part, Kendrick wore a strapless beige cocktail dress covered in a colorful floral print.



Related: Blake Lively Said Her Brother Tricked Her Into Becoming an Actress

Getty

According to a synopsis, A Simple Favor 2 sees the "return of Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emilys extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square."



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Come for the swimwear, stay for the cutest pics of her kids.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Just in time for the weekend, Chrissy Teigen is offering up vacation inspiration with her latest Instagram post. The cookbook author, TV host, and mother is back in Thailand to visit her mom and is posting some amazing photos to give even the most seasoned travelers a major case of FOMO. Teigen's post included snapshots of her wearing a tiny black bandeau bikini embellished with little tassels and some of the most adorable photos of her kids.

Instagram/ChrissyTeigen

"My homeland is magic  winding down dump," she captioned the carousel. After the initial bikini snap, which showed her balancing her son Wren Alexander on her hip while on a boat, subsequent photos showed her husband, John Legend; her mother Vilailuck "Pepper" Teigen; and the couple's other children, Luna, Esti, and Miles. Pepper moved back to Korat, Thailand, earlier this year.

Related: Chrissy Teigen Thought Her Card Would Get Declined on a Date With John Legend

Teigen also posted on her Instagram Stories, which showed photos of herself applying sunscreen.



Do I look insane?, she wrote over the photo, adding, "Yes."

People notes that the trip coincides with the kids' spring break, so don't feel too bad if your past week hasn't included canoe rides, boat trips, and Thai noodles  which all also appeared in Teigen's post.

Instagram/ChrissyTeigen

Today reports that Teigen's post also came with an outpouring of support for her openness about sharing unedited photos. I feel like this picture is unedited (you look beautiful), but alsothank you! Typing as I just finished a midnight grilled cheese whilst booking an orange theory class tmrw, a fan wrote in the comments on Teigen's post. Thank youuu, Teigen responded.

Other comments echoed the sentiment, with messages like "Every woman looking at this photo of one absolutely stunning mother is thinking THANK YOU!!!! and Imagine if all the most beautiful women in the world shared unedited pictures on social media. Thats the world I want my little girl growing up in Thank you Chrissy" filling the comments section.



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Critics are calling Netflix's 'Ripley' a stunning Hitchcockian thriller. But like its criminal anti-hero, it ends up overstaying its welcome.

Netflix's "Ripley" offers up a fresh take on Patricia Highsmith's famous chameleon-like conman.

The show, which premiered Thursday, has gotten mostly positive reviews from critics.

However, some reviewers have said the series unfolds too slowly and has some crucial flaws.

Netflix's "Ripley" has arrived. The eight-episode series premiered Thursday on Netflix and is a fresh take on Patricia Highsmith's chameleon-like conman, who the world was first introduced to in her 1955 novel, "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

Audiences are likely to be familiar with the overall plot of the series, which has been written and directed by Steven Zaillian, best known as the writer behind "The Irishman," "Schindler's List," and "Moneyball."

Like Anthony Minghella's 1999 sun-dappled adaptation, which starred Matt Damon in the central role, and the French take on the story "Purple Noon" released in 1960, "Ripley" follows the titular grifter (Andrew Scott) as he ingratiates himself into the life of two wealthy Americans living la dolce vita on a never-ending vacation in Italy.

Critics have praised the series, citing its striking film noir visuals and compelling cast performances. But for some, the pacing of the show is an issue; the slow, almost languid nature of the episodes (the longest of which clocks in at 76 minutes) means it's not necessarily one you could  or should  sit down and binge in one go.

Here's a rundown of what reviews for "Ripley" have been saying.

The series is a slow-burn thriller that might not work for everyone.

Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn, and Andrew Scott in "Ripley." Netflix

As many critics have pointed out, "Ripley" indulges in every minute of its almost eight-hour run time. It may take a few episodes to engross audience members, but it's well worth the ride.

The Financial Times' Dan Einav noted that the series "takes its time to establish each location with a scene-setting collage of images," pointing out "wonderful details like the liver-spotted hand of a bus driver shifting gear to climb up towards Dickie's village and the bubbles of champagne in Ripley's glass as he acclimatises to a new life."

"The careful mapping of Tom's every move, whether in furtherance of his deceit or the covering up of his crimes, allows the tension to mount exquisitely," Lucy Mangan wrote for The Guardian.

"This kind of meticulous artistry deserves equally attentive viewing," Lena Wilson argued for IGN, adding: "Despite streaming in full on Netflix, 'Ripley' works best when watched in moderation."

However, Aramide Tinubu, writing for Variety, disagreed, arguing that "the episodes are painfully overlong and full of dead space."

"'Ripley' unfolds too slowly  as the trail of events attracts the attention of an Italian detective (Maurizio Lombardi)  while creating the risk that some people will bail out before the series reaches the good stuff," CNN's critic Brian Lowry stated.

Andrew Scott offers a mesmeric take on a familiar character  despite being much older.

Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in "Ripley." Netflix

In her review of the series for BBC, Caryn James wrote that Andrew Scott "brings a hum of sinister energy to the role of Tom Ripley."

The New York Times's Mike Hale said the Irish actor "does a meticulous job of portraying Ripley's transition from shifty timidity to insolent confidence, from lost boy to aesthete, through subtle shifts of expression and posture."

"Charismatic and scary in equal measure, Scott has never been better, and he's aided in his exceptional cause by Zaillian, whose writing is razor-sharp and his direction just as assured," the Daily Beast's Nick Schager said in his review.

But, as Daniel Fienberg wrote in his review for The Hollywood Reporter, Scott is "too old" to play the fledgling sociopath.

"It's one thing for Tom Ripley to be an unformed if still protean grifter at 21 or 22, but another thing still to be scraping by without an identity at 35," he argued.

The monochrome palette of the series adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf in "Ripley." Netflix

Zaillian, along with Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit  known for his frequent collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, including "There Will Be Blood" and "Magnolia"  has shot the series in crisp, moody black-and-white, a decision that many reviewers praised.

"In an era where huge TV budgets often equate to cheap-looking visuals, Ripley is staggeringly, starkly beautiful," John Nugent wrote for Empire.

Cary Darling, writing for The Houston Chronicle, said that Elswit's monochrome palette is "almost a character of its own, one that throws the story into a sharp, film-noir relief."

Writing for Collider, Remus Noronha stated: "Every shot in 'Ripley' is perfectly composed, worthy of being showcased in a gallery as high art."

Dont expect similarities to Matt Damon's "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in "Ripley." Philippe Antonello/Netflix

Ultimately, "Ripley" feels like it has been cut from an entirely different cloth to that of the 1999 film version of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," which is the best-known adaptation. Most reviewers agree that distinction is a good thing.

"The story may revolve around imitation, but 'Ripley' is a show determined to do its own thing," Einav wrote in his review for the Financial Times.

"'The Talented Mr. Ripley' has often been adapted in a way that felt sweaty, hot, and impassioned  this one is ice cold, drained of color and most human emotion. The choice really serves the reading of Ripley as an amoral creature, someone who doesn't cross boundaries of right and wrong as much as he never even considers them," reads the RogerEbert.com critic Brian Tallerico's review of the series.

Instead, it appears to be interested in older cinematic references.

Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in "Ripley." Netflix

As many reviewers pointed out, Zaillian's main point of reference for the series may have been the work of Alfred Hitchcock, the filmmaker best known for "Psycho," "The Birds," and "Strangers on a Train" (the last of which was adapted from another of Highsmith's novels).

"'Ripley' plays as if it were a Hitchcock series Hitchcock never made," reads the BBC review.

Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall called it "a masterpiece of Hitchcock-style suspense."

All eight episodes of "Ripley" are now streaming on Netflix.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cross-border fintech is hot right now. The cross-border payments market is forecasted to reach over $250 trillion by 2027, according to the Bank of England. And experts say fintechs are giving banks a run for their money (pun intended) here, especially in the business-to-business sector where artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain come into play  all emerging technologies fintechs love.

So its no surprise that one of the trends among Y Combinators Winter 2024 batch of nearly 30 fintech startups is how to more easily move money globally. Heres a rundown of what I saw during this week's YC Demo Day:

Numo

Numo

Numo's verified profile is attached to each invoice sent. Image Credits: Numo

What it does: Offshore bank for international contractors

Numo focuses on payroll systems and banking for remote and international contractors. Users get a U.S. bank account and access to low-cost local payment rails. CEO Derrick Wolbert met co-founders Reuben Balik and Q Carlson while at Hologram.com, a global cellular network. Wolbert said the company stitched together the best carriers in each market so that users can withdraw their funds instantly in their local currency. The startup tested this first in Nigeria and already has 1,000 users signed up and 330 contractors who were verified by Numo. Wolbert called Numo financial infrastructure for the new generation of tech workers.

Cleva

Cleva, Y Combinator, YC Demo Day

Image Credits: Cleva

What it does: U.S.-based banking for Africa

Similar to Numo, Cleva provides a U.S. bank account where users, even those who are non-residents, can receive funds and then convert them into their local currency. Co-founder Tolu Alabi previously built cross-border issuing and banking products at Stripe, while co-founder Philip Abel built multi-region infrastructure at companies, including AWS and Twilio. Alabi said that one of the drivers for the startup was the fact that about 70% of people in Nigeria lost their wealth last year due to currency devaluation. With Cleva, Africans can receive dollars from anywhere in the world, Alabi said. This market is quite large, $18 billion, she said. Theres really no bigger proof of the market like reaching profitability, and thats exactly where Cleva is  six months after launch. It is also generating $120,000 in monthly revenue.

xPay

xPay, Y Combinator

Image Credits: xPay

What it does: International payments API for businesses in India and Southeast Asia

xPay acts as an international reseller and enables merchants to start selling internationally right away, without a U.S. bank account or entity, CEO Aniket Gupta said. The company touts that it can help companies sell into the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia with one integration and in one-tenth the time. xPay launched four weeks ago and already has 25 signed contracts and more than 200 people on the waiting list. Could this be a potential future Stripe acquisition? Well have to wait and see. But for now, the company expects to process $5 million in annualized transaction volume by the end of the month.

Swift

Swift, Y Combinator

Image Credits: Swift

What it does: Instant money movement anywhere in the world

Moving money from account to account still takes days, so two engineers, David Lalor and Rakeeb Hossain started Swift to provide a unified API for risk-free instant funding, according to the company. They are building instant account-to-account international transfers to speed up the flow of over $150 trillion that goes through banking rails each year. Swifts first product is an instant deposit API for brokerages and digital banks that is already running on Venmo, Zelle and FedNow.

Infinity

Infinity, Y Combinator

Image Credits: Infinity

What it does: Cross-border banking for small businesses in India

We heard from a lot of childhood friends during the past two days, so it was refreshing to see two siblings form a company. In fact, for Sourav Choraria and his brother, Sidharth Choraria, this is their second startup together after a health tech startup they sold. Sourav is the former head of growth at wealth management giant Paytm Money, and Sidharth is a former project manager at Amazon who helped launch its Appstores in-app purchase SDK.

Now the pair is building in the fintech space with Infinity. The company built a treasury management platform and is now adding multi-currency accounts and global payments. Businesses in India account for $700 billion in cross-border trades per year, and Infinity makes 1% from those transactions. That $7 billion prospect translates into a huge opportunity. In three months, Infinity secured 110 customers and is growing 20% week over week, according to Sourav.

Our goal is to create a financial oasis for cross-border companies, Sourav said.
Dorinda Medley recently shared some thoughts regarding Leah McSweeneys lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen. For the uninitiated, Leah filed her lawsuit against her former employer in late February.

The suit alleged that producers encouraged alcohol consumption on the set of Real Housewives of New York. That was problematic for Leah as a recovering alcoholic. Perhaps more shocking, however, was the accusation that Andy encouraged cocaine use with Housewives.

Allegedly, these Housewives would fall in Andys good graces. These allegations caused Andy to threaten legal action against Leah. With the legal matters still ongoing, multiple Housewives have commented on the matter. Dorinda is the latest to opine.

Dorinda challenges the claims against Andy

Leah McSweeney is suing Andy Cohen and Bravo for allegedly preying on her alcohol problem while shooting #RHONY and #RHUGT https://t.co/AurFkaAtTu  Chadwick (@ohchadwick) February 28, 2024

I just didnt understand it at all, Dorinda told Us Weekly. I mean, listen, I was there [at Bravo] for six years. Ive always worked very well with production in every city. And for me, it was work and I had a lawyer. I read the contract, I signed, I did my work and I left. So, I was very surprised by all that.

Of particular confusion to Dorinda were Leahs claims against Andy and his treatment of talent. Dorinda found these claims confusing since Andy didnt spend much time with Housewives. I dont really see Andy, she said. Its not like we hung out with Andy. Thats the weird part of it.

Dorinda stated she was not going to live in a fantasy and say that reality TV work is always perfect. However, she acknowledged that she always had a positive ongoing relationship with my production people. Of course, it might be worth acknowledging the bias on both sides. Leah was let go from Bravo while non-complaining Dorinda was offered opportunities, even after RHONY.

The Real Housewives of New York is streaming on Peacock.

TELL US  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF DORINDAS RESPONSE TO LEAHS LAWSUIT? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SUIT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

The post Dorinda Medley Doesnt Understand Leah McSweeneys Lawsuit Against Andy Cohen appeared first on Reality Tea.
Fridayy almost didnt make it.

After a slew of airline troubles, the Haitian-American artist finally got to Miami, only then to go to the wrong Miami Dade College campus. But as Fridayy stood among a mix of Haitian students, faculty and fans, he clearly explained the significance of his visit to MDCs Carrie P. Meeks Entrepreneurial Education Center.

Its important to touch my people, Fridayy said, his diamond chain glistening off the fluorescent lights. I like touching the people, being around the people, especially my Haitian people. I just wanted to feel the energy.

The Grammy-nominated artist made a guest appearance in Liberty City Thursday evening as part of a meet-and-greet with MDCs Haitian community before his first Miami show on Friday. Attendees not only took pictures but asked questions to the Philadelphia-born singer. Fridayy also received a certificate of appreciation from Miami-Dade County for his artistry.

I like his story and the way hes using his talent to really promote Haiti and embracing his Haitian roots, said Rolaindjy Desir, a recent Haitian-American graduate of MDC.

Grammy-nominated Francis Leblanc, left, known professionally as Fridayy, a Haitian-American singer, songwriter, and record producer, who made a personal appearance at Miami Dade College - Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center, waits to take pictures with student/fans on Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Miami, Florida. On the right is Wanda Tima, founder of LUnion Suite, a social media platform dedicated to positive news, features, and subjects regarding Haiti.

Born Francis Leblanc, Fridayy was first exposed to music in the sanctuary thanks to his fathers role as a pastor. Music, he recalled, was a form of discipline in his family so began to learn a bit of everything  piano, bass, trumpet, drums, guitar and, of course, singing  all at the tender age of 6.

My dad forced me to play music, I aint gone lie, Fridayy said with a slight chuckle. Every Haitian parent is going to teach discipline in some way and that was his way: He used to make me read music, be in the band. If I didnt want to practice, Id get whooping.

That practice eventually transformed into passion around the age of 14 when he learned how to produce and record himself. That began a journey that culminated with him recording a track entitled GOD DID  in his bedroom  and handing it off to DJ Khaled. It would become one of the most popular tracks DJ Khaleds eponymous album, introducing Fridayy to the world alongside an all-star team that included Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, JAY-Z and John Legend.

I didnt have a dollar in my pocket when that song came out, Fridayy said. Khaled found me, he got that hook and I had the number one song in the world. I came out here to link up with Khaled and I performed that song at LIV. I played Khaled my album. That was the first time I was like Everything about to change for me.

Grammy-nominated Francis Leblanc, known professionally as Fridayy, is a Haitian-American singer, songwriter, and record producer, who made a personal appearance at Miami Dade College - Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center answers students questions on Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Miami, Florida.

Everything that has happened since  from his collaboration with Lil Baby to his producer credit on Chris Browns Breezy to even being sampled on Drakes latest album For All the Dogs  was a testament to his unique blend of R&B, gospel and hip-hop.

Still, one issue remained.

A lot of Haitians didnt even know he was Haitian, said Wanda Tima, the founder of LUnion Suite, a South Florida media company that caters to the Haitian community. And then the more he blew up, the louder he was about being Haitian, the more he told his story about having the same background that we did.

Anybody who still questions his Caribbean heritage needs to listen to his self-titled 2023 project Fridayy, which combines the hymns of a church choir with riddims rooted in the diaspora. Even the projects features  from Maverick City Music to Fireboy DML to Brown to Byron Messia  attest to that. Fridayy even did part of the opening verse on Done For Me in Creole.

Its just who I am, how I grew up, Fridayy said. I just decided to put it in the music. Thats the best way I know how to express myself.

And with his Haitian identity now front and center, it was only right that his brief discussion with students ended with a question about what can young Haitians do about their countrys turmoil. His response was reserved yet firm in that theres a lot of misconception about the root of the issues.

A lot of the stuff they put on the news, the white people put it in a [negative] way, Fridayy said. Some people dont even know that theres good parts in Haiti. So just education and whoever you meet, just explain to them whats going on.
NEW YORK  Former Bad Boy Records rapper G. Dep has been released from New York prison on Thursday after serving 13 years for a murder he committed as a teen.

The 49-year-old rapper, born Trevell Coleman, was granted clemency by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in December after serving 13 years of a 15-years-to-life sentence. Both the prosecutor on the case and the judge who sentenced Coleman approved of the decision.

In 2010, Coleman walked into the New York City Police Department's 25th police precinct and, in an effort to clean his conscience, confessed to shooting John Henkel, 32, during a robbery in East Harlem in 1993. He said he was unaware Henkel died in the shooting until years later.

Prior to his arrest, Coleman had hits with Special Delivery and Lets Get It, which helped popularize the Harlem Shake era. However, his career slumped after his 2001 debut album Child of the Ghetto.

While behind bars, Coleman earned an associates degree and facilitated anti-violence and sobriety counseling programs.

After being released from Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon Thursday morning, Coleman was met by friends and family before stopping at a local IHOP, with much of the proceedings documented on Instagram.

Im free at last, he said at the restaurant.

After his sentence was commuted, Coleman told All Hip Hop he plans to pursue a bachelors degree in business, but has also continued making music.

According to reports, hell be required to meet with a parole officer, get permission to leave the state and have no possession of weapons or drugs.
Forbes, a prestigious financial and economic magazine, has researched the wealth of all the world's billionaires under 30 to determine their main common feature. None of the young tycoons earned this money on their own.

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They all inherited wealth from older relatives. This is only the first wave of billionaire heirs, The Guardian writes.

There are already more billionaires in the world than ever before  2,781 people  and most of them are expected to pass on their wealth to their children in the coming decades. Currently, billions of dollars are managed by 15 rich people under 30.

Such heirs are, for example, 27-year-old Irishman Firoz Mistri and his 25-year-old brother Zahan, whose fortune is estimated at $4.9 billion due to their shares in Tata Sons. They inherited their 4.6% stake in the company in 2022 after the death of their father Cyrus Mistry.

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The youngest billionaires, including girls, are only 19 years old. Livia Voigt, who is worth $1.1 billion thanks to a 3.1% stake in WEG Industries, inherited money from her grandfather, as did her older sister, who is also on the list.

According to the consulting company Cerulli Associates, the younger generation will inherit a total of $70 trillion over the next 20 years.

Interestingly, there are still young and ambitious billionaires who have earned all their wealth on their own, but they are a little over 30. Ben Francis, the British founder of the Gymshark outdoor goods brand, is worth $1.3 billion at the age of 31.

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Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Was 'Afraid Ryan Anderson Was Going To Hit Her' During Explosive Fight

A new bombshell accusation is claiming Ryan Anderson made Gypsy Rose Blanchard so scared that she locked herself inside the bathroom one evening.

This latest claim comes after reports surfaced that Ryan was "controlling" and "jealous." He also "constantly guilt-tripped" Gypsy, according to a source close to the ex-convict.

Now, just days after Gypsy announced she was separating from Ryan, more claims are coming forward, with one of Gypsy's close friends detailing an explosive fight the couple had.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Announces Separation From Ryan Anderson

Instagram | Ryan Anderson

Everyone was shocked when they learned the news of Gypsy and Ryan's separation.

People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately, my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou, Gypsy Rose told her fans in a statement posted on her private Facebook page.

I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this," she continued. "I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself find who I am.

Days after Gypsy made the announcement, sources close to Gypsy claimed her estranged husband had become argumentative and that he was constantly making Gypsy feel like she couldn't do anything right. Now, another source close to Gypsy is coming forward to reveal what she says led to the separation.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Allegedly Locked Herself In The Bathroom

MEGA

According to Gypsy's friend, the night before she decided to leave the marriage, she had locked herself in her bathroom in Lake Charles, Louisiana because she was so scared of her estranged husband.

Ryan reportedly banged on the door late at night, screaming, "Let me in! Let me in!" leaving the 32-year-old scared for her life. That is when she knew their two-year marriage needed to end.

"He got in her face and screamed," her close friend and tattoo artist Nadiya Vizier told People. "Gypsy said that she was afraid he was going to hit her. He didn't  but that happened in the past with her mother. So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared."

"But she got to safety and called her lawyer, too," she added. "Ryan is a big guy, and she told me it was really scary."

The next morning, Gypsy reportedly packed up her belongings and took the long drive back to her father's home in Cut Off, Louisiana.

Gypsy Rose's Close Friend Is 'Glad' She 'Got Out Of This Situation'

Instagram | Gypsy Rose Blanchard

"I'm glad Gypsy got out of this situation," Vizier told the outlet. "She's such a good person. I'm glad she called somebody and got help that night."

After the news broke, Gypsy was seen hanging out with her ex-fiance, Ken Urker, prompting speculation something was going on romantically between the two. "There are so many rumors about her out there. I had to finally speak up," she expressed. "I want people to know she didn't leave Ryan for Ken. She left him because she wasn't happy anymore."

Blanchard's cousin Bobby Pitre also spoke out, claiming "It wasn't a genuine relationship" because "Ryan got in touch with Gypsy on a dare, and she took the bait, and it went from there."

Ryan Anderson Previously Gushed Over Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Instagram | Ryan Anderson

In January, shortly after Gypsy Rose was released from prison, Ryan Anderson spoke to People as he gushed over his wife.

"Gypsy and I have always been very open and honest with each other," Anderson told the outlet. "Even honesty to a fault. Gypsy wants to be so honest that she'll say things that hurt my feelings and vice versa. But that's one of the things I think that makes us stronger is that we are willing to lay it all out on the table. But also, one thing I love about us is after an argument, it's done. We hold no resentment."

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Wanted A Redo Wedding

MEGA

The ex-convict had previously said she wanted a "redo" wedding with Ryan since their first ceremony took place while she was still in prison. "We do plan on having a reception/redo wedding with all of our family and our friends and the dress and the cake and everything because we deserve that. I deserve that. He deserves that," she said at the time.

"Our prison wedding was just something to where we can make our vows to each other," she added.

The Blast has attempted to contact Ryan Anderson, but have yet to hear back.
Blanchard's close friend Nadiya Vizier and cousin Bobby Pitre talk exclusively with PEOPLE about her journey to find herself again

Mega / SplashNews; Jamie McCarthy/Getty (L) Ken Urker, Gypsy Rose Blanchard; (R) Ryan Anderson

Gypsy Rose Blanchard locked herself in her bathroom in Lake Charles, La. She was frightened, trying to pull herself together as her husband, Ryan Anderson, 36, banged on the door late at night.

"Let me in! Let me in!" he allegedly screamed, Blanchard's close friend tells PEOPLE, relaying Blanchard's account of the situation.

Blanchard, 32, was scared the tension could escalate. As Anderson allegedly pounded harder, Blanchard quickly called a relative to pick her up. She knew this was the end of her two-year marriage.



"He got in her face and screamed," says her close friend and tattoo artist Nadiya Vizier, 22, who is shedding light on what she says led to Blanchard's sudden separation from Anderson in late March, just three months after her prison release.

Related: Read PEOPLE's Cover Story on Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Prison Release After Murdering Mom: 'Ready for Freedom'

"Gypsy said that she was afraid he was going to hit her. He didn't  but that happened in the past with her mother. So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared. But she got to safety and called her lawyer, too. Ryan is a big guy, and she told me it was really scary."

(Anderson could not be reached by PEOPLE after multiple attempts. Blanchard's defense attorney Mike Stanfield didn't respond).

At dawn, Blanchard took her belongings and spent hours on a drive back to the home of her father Rod and stepmother Kristy's in Cut Off, La., to begin her new life again.



Raymond Hall/GC Images Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ryan Scott Anderson seen in New York on January 5, 2024.

Two years ago, Blanchard and Anderson married in a jailhouse ceremony in June 2022, while Blanchard was serving more than eight years in prison for plotting to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, in June 2015, with her then-boyfriend Nicholas "Nick" Godejohn, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

"Gypsy and I have always been very open and honest with each other," Anderson told PEOPLE in January. "Even honesty to a fault. Gypsy wants to be so honest that she'll say things that hurt my feelings and vice versa. But that's one of the things I think that makes us stronger is that we are willing to lay it all out on the table. But also, one thing I love about us is after an argument, it's done. We hold no resentment."

For decades, Blanchard's mother had abused and controlled her. It's believed Dee Dee had the psychological disorder Munchausen syndrome by proxy  a form of child abuse in which a caregiver might induce illness to draw public sympathy, care, concern and material gifts.

Dee Dee subjected her daughter to numerous unnecessary medical treatments and procedures throughout her childhood and adolescence based on false diagnoses. One of those was muscular dystrophy, which Dee Dee said required Blanchard to use a wheelchair, even though she was able to walk without any issues. Next came painful and unnecessary feeding tubes, a bogus epilepsy diagnosis and a falsehood that her daughter had leukemia, for which Dee Dee shaved her head often.

Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Set to Be Freed From Prison, Regrets Murdering Mother: 'She Didnt Deserve That' (Exclusive)

'She was on a leash'

Ahead of Blanchard's early release in December 2023, she braced herself for public scrutiny and fame. But she was most excited about her freedom and for life outside of prison with Anderson. She told PEOPLE ahead of her prison release that she planned to have another ceremony celebrating her marriage to the special education school teacher again  this time surrounded by friends and family with a wedding dress, cake and a party to boot. But that ceremony never transpired. A switch had flipped. There were problems in the marriage that couldn't be solved, according to Vizier.

Vizier says that Blanchard told her that throughout their relationship, Anderson had allegedly become more controlling and insecure over his wife.



"It was like she was on a leash," Vizier says. "What's the difference between being locked in a prison cell and feeling locked in her own home and marriage? She didn't want to put up with it anymore."



In February, when Lifetime took a break from filming their forthcoming series Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, the couple visited Blanchard's family, which became a source of contention before their blow-out fight afterward when Blanchard wanted to spend private time alone with her father.

Nadiya Vizier Nadiya Vizier (left) and Gypsy Rose (right) on January 12.

"But I'm glad Gypsy got out of this situation. She's such a good person. I'm glad she called somebody and got help that night," says Vizier, later adding: "There are so many rumors about her out there. I had to finally speak up. I want people to know she didn't leave Ryan for Ken. She left him because she wasn't happy anymore."



"It wasn't a genuine relationship," says Blanchard's cousin Bobby Pitre, who owns Sailor Bob's Tattoo Parlor, where Vizier has worked as an apprentice for a year. "Ryan did it on a dare. He got in touch with Gypsy on a dare, and she took the bait, and it went from there," he continues.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Ryan Anderson attend red carpet event on January 5, 2024.

In January, Vizier, who will be featured on the upcoming Lifetime show, met the famous couple for the first time at the shop, even though she has known Blanchard's father and stepmom since childhood since they have been close family friends for over a decade. Vizier says Blanchard and Anderson had been happy together  but something seemed off. "Ryan was kissing Gypsy a lot just to have it filmed. He'd say, 'Watch you all, come film us!' He was being very, very loud and just doing things in a way that just seemed like he was trying to show the world he was a good partner  like he wasn't using her or something. I guess it felt played up for the camera."

Shortly after her release, Blanchard said glowing things about Anderson. But in an interview with PEOPLE, she said she and Anderson had some personality differences. "I think the only fear that I have is honestly just making sure that we have good conflict resolve, which I feel I'm a very in-the-moment type of person, so I want to make sure if we argue, I want to clear it up right away," Blanchard said. "Ryan is more of the opposite, where he has to sit on things and think about it, then come back a couple hours later and resolve it. I think that that's one of my main concerns."

Nadiya Vizier Gypsy Rose Blanchard getting a tattoo on April 1, 2024.

While Blanchard received a tattoo of a unalome on her left forearm by Pitre, Vizier inked her stepmom with the same artwork in the same place  which is a Buddhist symbol for a path to enlightenment and self-awareness. "That didn't hurt at all, actually," Blanchard said on Lifetime's teaser on March 21 while Anderson stood by her side. "I'm a little emotional. This is an epic moment for us."

Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Mega / SplashNews Ryan Anderson, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Ken Urker

'Strong Bond' with Urker

Two months later, Blanchard and her ex-fiance Ken Urker started spending time together again. After he watched HBO's 2017 film Mommy Dead and Dearest, he wrote a letter to Blanchard in prison in 2018. They eventually became engaged but split up later. Last week, he visited from Texas, and on April 1, the two got matching husky dog tattoos that Vizier designed and completed in three minutes.

Nadiya Vizier Gypsy Rose (right) and Ken Urker (right) completed tattoos on April 1, 2024.

When the pair places their arms together, the dogs face each other. "For them, it was even more than their strong bond. It was very personal," Vizier says. "It was something that brought them together. Ken has a husky, and Gypsy loves them and wants one. They were very excited, happy and a little nervous getting it."

Leading up to Urker's visit, Blanchard sought friendship away from her estranged husband, who now has their dog Pixie. She desperately wanted a fresh start. In January, her parents held a crawfish broil party with a bonfire on the patio at their home, where Vizier sang "Hotel California" while Rod played guitar. She even taught Blanchard a few notes. In March, when she moved back home permanently, Vizier and Blanchard bonded over family trauma. Vizier had a difficult upbringing filled with abuse, too, and she believes her father was murdered in 2021 in Mexico.



"Gypsy didn't have any friends and never really experienced real friendship. I felt terrible," says Vizier. "I feel like a lot of people see her as some celebrity, but I just see her as a girl who had a rough, crazy past like me. She's honest, truthful, sweet and very kind. She's trying to start over again. I feel like all her life, friends have turned their back on her because of her story. I don't know what I would have done in her situation. She was chained to a bed and repeatedly abused. I want to help her have a better life here. She means a lot to me. I want the best for her."

Nadiya Vizier Sophia Vizier (left) Gypsy Rose and Nadiya Vizier (right) on March 27, 2024.

The two of them, along with Vizier's sister Sophia, went shopping at Walmart for leggings so Blanchard could work out at the gym, where she wants to tone her arms and improve her overall health. In the midst of all the major transitions in her life, Blanchard is also making a change to her physical appearance by undergoing rhinoplasty on April 5.

Related: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Reveals She's Getting Cosmetic Surgery: 'Wish Me Luck' (Exclusive)

But before surgery, Blanchard's spent the past week spending time with Urker. The pair dined, shopped at convenience stores, laughed, held hands and playfully embraced each other with their matching bracelets. They even drove to New Orleans and posed in front of the St. Luis Cathedral.

"Gypsy said she was doing good," says Vizier. "She had a really good time. They went on a tour and had so much fun. But I think at the end of the day, she wants people to respect her privacy and give her a break. She still gets so much hate and negativity online. She has not experienced what a lot of us have with social media or even dating. She's learning. She has a lot of new experiences in her next chapter."



Mega/SplashNews Gypsey Rose Blanchard and ex-fance Ken Urker in Lousiana in April 2024.

In an April 4 TikTok Live, Blanchard appearing for the first time on the platform since her separation, with Urker by her side. Urker said he and Blanchard are "just friends."

Addressing the rumors that she's pregnant with Anderson's baby, Blanchard said, "No, I'm on birth control, like what the hell?"

Urker playfully said, "We have not had any intimacy. We're just hanging out."



Pitre tells PEOPLE, "Gypsy realizes that Ryan isn't great, and she gets out of it. She's obviously in love with the first guy, Ken. You know? That's who she's been hanging out with. She obviously loves him."

But regardless of what the future holds with Blanchard's love life, Vizier believes her friend is on the right path. "I think she's looking for her happily ever after. I don't know if she realizes it's hard to find Prince Charming, but she deserves it. Ken makes her feel happy right now, even as friends," she says proudly. "That's what we all want for her  to enjoy her life."

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This image of Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their daughter Princess Aiko is as quirky as it gets on the family Instagram - Imperial Household Agency of Japan/Handout via Reuters

As any avid Instagram user knows, never leave anything to chance. To be successful, you must present the illusion of success, even if the most aspirational thing you did this week was buy a nine-pack of Cushelle. However basic your life may be, the photos you post must imply that its gilded.

For those whose lives are actually gilded, this doesnt present a problem. Cristiano Ronaldo has no problem providing his 627 million followers with photos of his exotic holidays, while barely a day goes by without Kim Kardashian regaling her 364 million followers with details of yet another lavish party. And then there is the Japanese royal family. The oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world has finally gone digital, launching its first official Instagram account, 15 years after the Windsors first joined social media.

The Japanese Emperor and Empress, far left and right, pose with the Kenyan president and his wife. The royals have just launched an Instagram account - Newscom / Alamy Stock Photo

As opulent as the lives of the venerable Naruhito family may be, alas, you wouldnt know it from the 22 desultory posts made public since the accounts launch on Monday. In 1926, when Japanese Emperor Hirohito ascended the Imperial throne, he was revered by millions as a living god. If his first Instagram post is anything to go by, his grandson Emperor Naruhitos vibe is more David Brent than deity. Flanked by his wife, Empress Masako, and his daughter, Princess Aiko, his Imperial Highness sits on a cream sofa dressed in a navy suit and lilac tie, all three wearing rictus grins that belong firmly in the pre-iPhone age, when the photographer commanded you to say cheese and woe betide you if your eyes were shut. Maybe Japans many decades of protectionism are to blame  clearly, when you cut yourself off from the rest of the world, you miss the social media memo.

Nor does the family seem to grasp Instagrams time-sensitivity: it might have been uploaded on April 1, but according to the brusque, businesslike caption, the photo was taken at a New Year celebration ceremony held at the palace of the Okinawa. Not that its 603,000 users are availed of the opportunity to post a comment: like Britney, comments are turned off.

If the family  the last notable royals to fully engage in the digital era  wants to engage with younger generations and increase their relevance, as is believed, they may have to try a tad harder. Even their handle, @kunaicho_jp, is disappointingly inauspicious. Nobody uses an underscore unless the name they actually wanted was already in use. Its like finding out the Kings email address is chaz_windsor75@hotmail.com.

While no one is expecting the Imperial family to suck in their cheekbones, pull a duckface and use the halo filter, some basic eye contact would be advisable. When theyre not pictured with frozen smiles, theyre pictured looking away from the camera, shot from a distance, so that the objects surrounding them  tables, carpets  become the focus. Their most recent post, accompanied by a Story (pay rises all round, digi team), promotes the cherry blossom for which Japan is so rightly famous. Its just a shame that all the branches in the foreground are bare. Could they not have found a more fecund, blossom-bedecked tree?

If they are looking for inspiration (or inspo, to use the language of social media), the Imperial family will find no shortage from their peers. Instagram is awash with accounts from major and minor royals, from the ever-smiling Danish royal family (@detdanskekongehus, one million followers) to our very own Prince and Princess of Wales (15.9 million followers  not to brag). The Swedish royal familys account (@kungahuset, 633,000 followers) might not have reached the golden million follower mark, but what it lacks in number it makes up for in breadth of content. King Carl XVI Gustaf, 77, and his glamorous wife, Queen Silvia, 80, appear equally at home posting photos of themselves in ceremonial garb as in casual waterproof clothing. On a snowy Easter stroll in Jamtland, they looked the quintessence of the quiet outdoors trend in their coordinating Gore Tex nylons.

If Emperor Naruhito wants to inject some levity into his account, he could do worse than follow Mike Tindall (@mike_tindall12)  not a royal, but married to one.

During the Platinum Jubilee, the former rugby player posted a pic of himself wearing his wife Zaras hat, in a post that garnered 32,000 likes.

While there is a certain old-world charm to Princess Aikos formal suits and pearls, if the young royal ever fancied experimenting with fashion, she could always look to 27-year-old Princess Olympia of Greece (@olympiagreece), a prolific Instagrammer who loves to regale her 300,000 followers with glossy selfies dressed in Saint Laurent, Burberry and Richard Quinn (all tagged, of course). Clearly, the strict protocols that prevent British royals from endorsing brands dont exist in Greece: Princess Olympia is a brand ambassador for Bulgari.

While Queen Rania of Jordans feed (@queenrania, 10.2 million followers) provides a judicious mix of duty, glamour and political statement, other royal accounts are less successful. The Monegasque royal familys account (@palaisprincierdemonaco) is somewhat stiff and staid: unsurprisingly, it has less than 100,000 followers. In a move that caused consternation among her fans, Princess Charlene of Monaco deleted her own Instagram account last August, citing a desire to give her children more privacy.

Every new digital venture has its teething problems, of course, and were sure the Naruhito family will soon find its stride. Before you can say Photoshopped, theyll be posting gym boomerangs, mirror selfies and flat lays of their #OOTDs (ask your kids). Until then, lets enjoy @kunaicho_jps retro charm. It may not be exciting, but at least it is authentic. In todays post-truth world, authenticity is one of the most prized and elusive qualities of all.

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Actors Joaquin Phoenix and Elliott Gould and producer Joel Coen joined more than 150 Jewish professionals in Hollywood who have signed an open letter in support of writer and director Jonathan Glazer, who was widely denounced for sharing his perspective on the Israel-Gaza conflict at the Oscars last month.

The letter, addressing concerns of silencing dissent, was shared Friday with Variety and was signed by a plethora of renowned artists, among them directors Todd Haynes and Mike Leigh; actors David Cross, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson; and writers Boots Riley and Tom Stoppard.

We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazers statement from the 2024 Oscars, the letter says, according to Variety. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.

Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israels escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation, the statement says.

Glazer, in his acceptance speech when the Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest won for best international feature film, said that he and his colleagues simply refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation.

Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel of the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist? Glazer said as he read from a piece of paper while trembling.

Though he found support in the following days from screenwriter Tony Kushner, a fellow Jew who said the conflict looks like ethnic cleansing to me, Glazer was slammed by many others in Hollywood who suggested he had cruelly conflated Israel with Nazi Germany.

Fridays letter notes that every signatory grieves for those affected on both sides of the war, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken, but it also condemns the silencing and suppression of free speech and dissent to follow.

Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism, it says.

The open letter concluded by stating that "Never again" means "Never again for anyone." Carlos Alvarez via Getty Images

Israels bombing campaign spawned widespread calls for a cease-fire from entities including the United Nations and from celebrities such as Scream actor Melissa Barrera, who was subsequently fired from the franchise, and Susan Sarandon, whose talent agency dropped her as a client.

The letter was also signed by three-time Oscar nominee Debra Winger, Room director Lenny Abrahamson, Barbie actor Hari Nef, former Focus Pictures CEO James Schamus and IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich, who say they believe their stance is morally sound.

We honor the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone, the statement concludes.

The letter was sent in the wake of Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat using air quotes in an interview as he spoke of innocent people in Gaza, former President Donald Trump urging Israel to get it over with, and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) arguing that the U.S. should place no conditions on Israel.

According to Gazas health ministry, more than 33,037 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7  most of them women and children. On Tuesday, aid organizations suspended operations in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes killed seven World Central Kitchen workers trying to bring food aid to besieged Palestinians.

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Johnny Flynn - Credit: Autumn de Wilde*

Johnny Flynn was murdered within a week of stepping onto the set of Ripley.

The British actor plays Dickie Greenleaf in the eight-episode Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmiths 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley and while he knew the character would meet an untimely demise in the story, he wasnt prepared for it to be within days of meeting Andrew Scott, who plays the title character.

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I was just getting to know Andrew and there he is bludgeoning me and cradling my dead body, Flynn tells Rolling Stone. It was a good icebreaker. So basically I got to die in the first week and then I could get on with the living bits.

Flynn initially auditioned to play Dickiea role made famous onscreen by Jude Law in Anthony Minghellas 1999 filmprior the the Covid pandemic. He devised an elaborate way to shoot audition tapes in his kitchen, reading all of the parts himself rather than asking someone else for help. Creator Steven Zaillian cast Flynn while he was in the midst of doing press for Autumn de Wildes whimsical take on Emma  and the actor still seems perplexed by how he ended up in Italy pretending to die on a boat. I dont know why he cast me, Flynn says, slightly laughing.

While Ripley exists in the shadow of the acclaimed 1999 film, the Netflix series as created, written, and directed by Zaillian, has a different approach to the story. Flynn recalls being initially concerned about the love for the film when he met with Zaillian, especially having not read the novel at the time, but was quickly put at ease.

Its a very different tone to the film, Flynn says. Which is great because its its own thing. In film adaptations they usually have to conflate things and create extra characters to tell part of the story that dont work unless you have a whole novel to do so. [In the film], they wanted the characters to live together for a lot longer, which made them more interesting. But the brilliance of the book is that Dickie gets killed quite early on and then the jeopardy is that Tom is being tracked and you dont know if hes going to be found out. Steve wanted to do something that was true to that aspect of the book in terms of the structure of the story.

The series, filmed on location around Italy, including in Atrani, Rome, and Capri, and in New York City, was shot entirely in film noir-style black and white. Its intended to pay homage to the cinema of the novels time period, a visual choice that also sets it apart from prior onscreen versions.

If you think about the film, its in the summer and everythings in bright colors, Flynn says. Steve wanted us to be the only people on the beach when Tom meets Dickie and Marge.

This specificity meant that Flynn and Scott, as well as Dakota Fanning, who plays Marge, were called into rehearse scenes sometimes several months before the actual filming would take place. At first, Flynn and Scott tapped into their theater backgrounds and used the rehearsals as an opportunity to explore their characters and to try new things in the scenes. Zaillian quickly put a stop to that.

He was like, What are you doing? Flynn says. The rehearsal was literally just to figure out where he was going to put the camera. We realized quite quickly that it was not for us. He knew what he wanted to do [and] he was just trying to make a final decision about which angle to shoot from. Steve had it all in his head. And thats what makes him great. He has the whole universe of the story in his mind before he starts doing anything else and talking to people about it.

It was a new way of working for Flynn, who deftly balances a career in theater, film and TV, and music. Before Ripley he played George Knightley in Emma and David Bowie in Stardust, an off-kilter biopic about Bowies first U.S. tour in 1971. He has an extensive resume on Londons West End, including productions of Jerusalem, True West, Richard III, and Twelfth Night, as does Scott. (Flynn also recently concluded a lengthy stint as Richard Burton in Sam Mendes The Motive and the Cue at the Noel Coward Theatre.)

Steve knew what he wanted, but also he trusted us, Flynn says. The piece is framed by the writing and the way its shot, and thats the storytelling devicenot a generated performance. So I think the process wouldnt have suited a lot of actors, who might have to really feel like theyre burning up and creating something new in that moment. But I realized that I could just trust the words and be in the scene and let it be without pushing too hard.

He adds, That need to be crazy and spontaneous and do something new and fresh is there on sets, and most projects that Im a part of, you see actors desperately trying to come up with something new and fresh. What I learned from this is that you can take the pressure off yourself and do something interesting and very nuanced to give the camera a chance to pick up something really deep from within your soul and the subtlety of what youre saying if you believe the words. And theres no better actor for that than Andrew.

The relationship between Dickie and Tom, which is complex and fraught with an undercurrent of sexual tension, and Flynn and Scott wanted to ensure there was a sensitivity between the characters, just as a sensitivity existed between the two actors. Flynn describes a softness to himself and ScottIts odd to be talking about myself like this, he notesthat could be translated onscreen.

Steve wanted a tenderness that you could believe was interpreted on Toms part as something romantic and some kind of soul connection, but its a very ambiguous one, Flynn says. Andrew and I always said we wanted it to feel like theres a quiet bond that you understand and thats not explained too much. Because youve got to know why theyre spending that time together. For Dickie, because of where he comes from and the schools he attended, theres a way to do things. You dont allow your crush on another boy to actually become anything else in the society hes part of, he says. The fact that Dickie wont budge on that means theres only one way forward for Tom. And Tom is like a shark, always moving forward.

A significant amount of the series dialogue occurs in Italian. Thanks to Zaillians intense attention to detail, the entire cast learned to speak the languagefluentlybefore production. Flynn took three to four hours of Italian lessons each week (Ive never had anything like it, he says). The actor did not take painting lessons to prepare for Dickies artistic pursuits, which are hilariously depicted in the episodes as poorly-made Picasso knock-offs. The humor of Dickies paintings undercut the seriousness of the visual tone, as do many of Scotts line readings throughout the show.

The fact that its funny is surprising and I loved that, says Flynn, who remembers him and Scott laughing when they saw the prop paintings. Its not billing itself as a comedy. But theres a dark humor to the books that it reflects. Theres a cruel aspect to her writing that is also very enjoyable.

Since filming Ripley, Flynn has stayed busy. He played a violent mobster in the 2022 film The Outfit, opposite Mark Rylance, and recently appeared in the 2023 World War II drama One Life, taking on the role of real-life hero Nicholas Winton alongside Anthony Hopkins. Between filming, hes recorded two albums with collaborator Robert Macfarlane, including last years The Moon Also Rises, which marked Flynns sixth LP. After a much-needed break, he and Macfarlane will hit the road for a U.K. tour in May.

Im not trying to be busy, but its almost too much, Flynn admits. One reason why it always feels particularly intense for me is because Ive got to juggle. Im very protective of the right to still be a musician. Its too hard to choose one, so it means I have to work hard to fit it all in.

After the tour, Flynn is unsure what the future holds. Hes building a recording studio in his house with the intention of filling it with a new sound. Hes taken on a composing gig, which he cant talk about yet, and hes writing a play. Flynn, Macfarlane, and artist Dave McKean also recently signed a deal to create a graphic novel retelling the Epic of Gilgamesh, set for publication in 2027. But for now, the actor is happy to finally lay Dickie to rest.

When a film or a TV takes a long time to come out theres a sense of closure when it finally does, Flynn says. Now, my slate is clear and theres a nice amount of clarity around that. I cant believe my luck to be pulled in all of these interesting directions and different experiences and different collaborations.

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Fox News

Trump pal Kid Rock, who abandoned his self-described tantrum of a feud with Bud Light late last year, is apparently keen on new targets for another right-wing outrage cycle.

Wearing a Budweiser hat Thursday on Fox News The Ingraham Angle, the musician, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, explained his desire to move on from his beef with the brewer, which had received backlash for simply marketing its product through a transgender social media influencer. Weve got bigger targets, he said.

Ritchie then identified a national chain of gyms, an ice cream brand, and a retailer.

John Oliver Rips Bud Light for Running Scared From Kid Rock

When you look at Planet Fitnesslike, what are they doing? Ritchie began, apparently referring to a reported incident last month at one of the gyms Alaska locations.

Multiple outlets outlined how a female member photographed another member, who she claimed was a man, shaving in the womens locker room. Planet Fitness then revoked the womans membership due to a violation of the companys policy about photographing other members.

Last month, Ritchie also spoke critically about Planet Fitness regarding the story while on comedian Theo Vons This Past Weekend podcast.

The gym shot back in a statement to the New York Post: Our gender identity non-discrimination policy states that members and guests may use the facilities that best align with the sincere, self-reported gender identity, it said.

Also warranting scrutiny, Ritchie said, was Ben & Jerrys. The Burlington, Vermont, ice cream maker has long had a reputation for promoting progressive causes, and it was not immediately clear if Ritchie was referring to anything specific about the brand.

Ritchie continued. I dont want to put a target on anyones back, he claimed, mere seconds after literally identifying bigger targets than Bud Light. He then called out retail giant Target, which sold Pride-themed clothing last year only to pull it from the shelves due to complaints and even threats.

But as for Bud Light, Ritchie said, I dont want to hurt peoples jobs and stuff like that when they dont have any dog in the fight.

It remains to be seen if or when hell come to the same conclusion about his latest foes.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Hollywood star Matt Damon recently shared a touching and intriguing story about his beloved pet cat, a rescue from Costa Rica. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Damon opened up about his furry friends journey. The cat went from being a stray in Costa Rica to becoming a cherished member of his family. The feline has also gone through some health scares.

Matt Damons cool cat was a stray in Costa Rica

During his time on the show, which was later shared on the series official TikTok account, Matt Damon recounted his encounter with a stray cat. It happened during his month-long stay in Costa Rica, and led to an unexpected addition to his household.

Initially just a stray Damon fed during his stay, the actor realized upon his departure that he couldnt leave the cat behind, given the bond they had formed. We were like, this guys gonna die now. Hes relying on us, Damon said, explaining his decision to bring the cat back with him to the United States.

However, the cats transition to his new home was not as smooth as anticipated. Shortly after settling in, the cat received a diagnosis of brain cancer, leading to a series of radiation treatments  per Parade Pets.

The cat received a grim prognosis, and went through a concerning phase of losing weight and walking in left circles upon moving to New York. However, the cats condition took a positive turn thanks to a treatment suggested by a cat neurologist named Chad. The neurologist advised trying steroids for the cat, a decision that, two-and-a half-years later, has left the cat thriving, much to Damons relief and surprise.

The revelation led to an amusing response from the audience and viewers online. Many expressed their desire to see a photo of Damons resilient, and now muscular, pet. The humorous narrative, combined with the emotional rollercoaster of the cats health scare, made for an inspiring story from Damon.

The post Matt Damon Reveals His Cat Is a Rescue From Costa Rica appeared first on CatTime.
Michael Douglas on Becoming Benjamin Franklin, Being Asked to Run for California Governor and Throwing Up Due to Stage Fright

When Michael Douglas was invited to play Benjamin Franklin in Apple TV+s Franklin, he immediately took out a $100 bill. I looked at Ben and thought, Ive got a long ways to go, the two-time Oscar winner tells Variety.

Douglas didnt just worry that hed have to spend hours in the makeup chair  the series took more than 160 days to shoot. He was also nervous that heavy prosthetics would hurt his performance. Your persona has gotta come through, he says.

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But Douglas fears were groundless. Director Tim Van Patten and producer Richard Plepler had no intention of hiding his face under a rubbery nose and jowls. They looked at me like, You schmuck. Were not going to do that to you, Douglas recalls.

Based on Stacy Schiff s A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, the show follows Franklins 1776 trip to Paris, where he hopes to persuade the king to fund Americas fight for independence. Noah Jupe co-stars as his grandson and traveling companion Temple. If we didnt get Frances support, who knows what would have happened, Douglas says.

You didnt use face prosthetics, but your hair is very long. Was it a wig?

I was a hippie in another life. When I was in college I had very long hair, so I grew it out. And once I got over the angst about the prosthetics and then got dressed like Benjamin Franklin, it was all much easier than I thought. I realized Im a celebrity, and Ben Franklin was a celebrity. Ben Franklin was playing a role, and he did a spectacular job. It was his first time out in diplomacy. He had a great sense of humor but was also a bit promiscuous. I would never have wanted to have been his wife.

In one scene, Franklin curses someone, saying, You bucket-headed lopcock! What is a bucket-headed lopcock?

You think I know! That was my first question when we were doing that scene. [Laughs]

Michael Douglas as Franklin  Franklin

The series explores how Ben Franklin influenced the formative years of our nation. What would he think about the state of U.S. politics today?

Hed probably have a heart attack. Democracy is hard. Its always changing shape. Its a very endangered species that always has to be protected.

Have you ever thought about running for office?

I was asked to run for governor of California many years ago during Pete Wilsons reign. I asked them, Why me? And they said, We need somebody who has the financial resources to support their campaign and somebodys who got a notoriety and a celebrity. I was like, Is this a kamikaze mission? I said, No, I dont think so.

After all these years, is there a genre you still want to tackle?

I always wanted to do a period piece, but I always thought my legs were too skinny. [Laughs] So I think Ive done them all now. This was an eight-month shoot. I had a lovely, lovely time. And all these French actors? I could just hug them all. They were great. Some actors get nervous, but I just embrace it.

Did you ever get so nervous that you were unsure of yourself?

I had terrible stage fright. I used to puke when I was in theater. I had a wastebasket offstage.

Youre turning 80 in September. Big plans to mark that milestone?

Catherine [Zeta-Jones] and I have the same birthday. Well be in Ireland, where shell be shooting Wednesday. So well probably have a small birthday but then probably rip it up when she gets finished.

Will we ever see you pop up in Wednesday?

Not this year. We do talk about doing different things. We finished Franklin in November of 2022. I took 23 off, which I really liked. I liked it so much that were well into 24 and Im not looking at anything right now. Im enjoying my time off.

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Theres a tendency in generational discourse to position young people as one of two archetypes: Either children are the naive, detached, irresponsible, phone-addicted, self-absorbed embodiment of all modern sinsor theyre the long-awaited antidote to the wells their ancestors have already poisoned. Neither portrayal is fair; neither portrayal is accurate. And while the new documentary Girls State never addresses this bifurcation directly, its framing of girlhood in the 2020s nevertheless touches on how challenging it is to hold two truths in the same hand in America. Especially when youre a kid. And especially when youre a girl.

Girls State, now streaming on Apple TV+, is the sibling documentary to Amanda McBaine and Jesse Mosss 2020 film Boys State. Both films chronicle gender-exclusive programs run by the American Legion veterans association, which challenges a competitively selected group of high school students to build a mock government in a week. Although Boys State was filmed in Texas, McBaine and Moss aim the lens at Missouri for Girls State, filmed on the Lindenwood University campus outside St. Louis in the summer of 2022.

The documentary endeavors to represent the Girls State program in its fullness, but does so through a handful of chief protagonists, each interviewed and selected prior to filming. They are buoyant and sanguine, but rarely uninformed, and they consider vying for a position of leadership in the Girls State government systemthe most acclaimed of which is governornot a mere resume-builder but a consequential honor. These students include, among others: Emily Worthmore, ambitious and warm, but concerned about her public speaking skills and conservative leanings; Cecilia Bartin, hungry to use her considerable charisma to tackle meaningful gender issues; the wry but practical Faith Glasgow, passionate about gun control and reproductive rights; the brilliant, grounded Tochi Ihekona, thrilled to counsel as Attorney General but wary of microaggressions; and Supreme Court hopefuls Nisha Murali and Brooke Taylor, who develop a deep friendship even whilst competing for the same chance to wear a justices robes. Together, these students ride the waves of dissonance that underscore a rah-rah-girl-power environment in which the Dobbs opinion has only just been leaked.

As they braid one anothers hair, chant anthems, and conduct Instagram election campaigns, these girls also turn a side-eye to the Boys State program taking place on the same campus. The boys have the privilege to walk alone; the girls must use a buddy program. The boys can dress more freely; the girls must police how much skin they expose. And the Boys State program, as Worthmore investigates later in the film, receives significantly more funding dollars than Girls State. These revelations do not undermine the value of Girls States empowerment bent, but they do teach the participants that a binary is just as often a double standard, and that girlboss language often does more to uphold the status quo than transform it. As the film continues, the protagonists learn that the issues theyre debating are almost never simplistic. That realization both terrifies and liberates, for its also true of them as individuals.

Curious about Girls States loaded point of view, I traveled to the True/False Film Festival in my hometown of Columbia, Missouri, to see the film. A few weeks later, I caught up with McBaine and Moss to better understand their approach. A version of our conversation is replicated below.

Whitney Curtis

Tell me a bit about your decision to follow up Boys State with Girls State, and why it felt so important to revisit this project while tackling a very different scene.

Moss: From the beginning, we thought about Girls State. We were actually talking to Texas Girls State while we were talking to Texas Boys State. The project, in our minds, was about young people coming of age in these divided times, and how they were making sense of the world around them. So we werent specifically focused on boys, but through the openness of [the Texas Boys State] program, we ended up with the boys and ended up with that film.

But we have two teenage daughters. We think a lot about young women and girlhood, and we always knew we wanted to make this film, that the project was incomplete. So there was a question of when and where and how, but not why.

It was interesting. For example, at Boys State, the boys would tentatively talk about abortion, but they were so uncomfortable that there were no women there, and they knew it probably wasnt, in a way, appropriate [for them to decide], and it presented to us the necessity of exploring that issue and other issues with young women. We hoped, perhaps naively, that in 2018, when we shot Boys State, that the countrys divisions would heal. We found through the beliefs of Boys State and into 2022, when we shot Girls State, that the countrys polarization was ever more extreme. The necessity of really getting back into it was clear to us.

Mcbaine: A couple of days before all these girls convened, the Dobbs case was leaked. So that was on everybodys mind going into that week; that was extraordinary.

Moss: We were really challenged, in a way, by the success of Boys State, and the idea of following up one documentary with a sequel, so immediately we called it a sibling. It was to release ourselves from the expectation of having to be the same but different, and we also engaged in small negotiations with ourselves about taking the risk to follow [Boys State] up. I told Amanda,Lets do it, if for no other reason than our daughter, whos 16, can work with us in production as a PA, and if its an absolute bombwhich it could beat least well have that experience together, and thatll be worth it. She can see what it is we actually do. Fortunately, it wasnt a bomb. Thereve been a few documentary sequels, but theyre often not very good, and so I think the sibling formulation was helpful for us.

What was it that ultimately brought you to Missouri for this film, given that Boys State was filmed in Texas?



McBaine: We knew we didnt want to stay in Texas. Partly because wed already talked to that program, but partly because its a big country and we wanted to experience another state. In the end, we ended up in Missouri, because the program there is really dynamic, run by a great group of women. We needed the program to be big, because the bigger the democracy, the more people involved, the messier and harder it gets to get organized. We needed that... For the first time, [Missouri Girls State] was running in parallel with the Boys State program, and I think that was compelling to us. We didnt know what that meant. In fact, they didnt know exactly what that meant, except that [there would be] a little bit of overlap at some point during the week. But what I didnt quite anticipate is how much the boys and girls were going to be talking to each other and therefore really comparing the programsand how different they were, actually, became such an interesting part of the week for our girls.

Missouri is interesting, politically: You have [Senator] Josh Hawley over here, and then you have [Representative] Cori Bush over here, and everybody in between. A lot of people on the coasts, maybe, dont know the political dynamic of Missouri, and thats interesting to us, too.

Courtesy of Apple TV+

How did you select the specific women that you worked with? I know that was all decided ahead of filming. So how did you narrow the pool down?



Moss: We were scared of following up Boys State, because those kids were so magnetic and complicated, lovable in all their complicated ways. But the moment we started talking to these girlsit was about four months before that [Girls State] week started, on Zoomwe realized we were going to find exceptional kids. I like to say that they really cast themselves amongst the many hundreds that we talked to. I think that they all have a unique combination of confidence and sophistication and ambition, politically, but also a vulnerability and an openness of spirit to invite the camera in, but still be themselves. Thats quite unique, I think.

Emily [Worthmore] says shes going to run for president. Ive never had a teenager announce that to me, and she was incredible. So we then visited in-person. I went to prom in Eldon, Missouri, as part of our immersive casting journey. We went to band practice with Emily. We did it all. Its a great project in its own right; its like an ethnography of teenage girlhood. They would show us their rooms, whats on their walls, their medals, their trophies, their plaques, all of it.

McBaine: Confidence is the other key part of this, because they are so young, and our project is intense, and Girls State is intense. Are they going to thrive in the session of the program, let alone having a camera follow them through that? So its really important that we do our due diligence and they do theirs, and we have a really good relationship with them, their families, and the program, when everything gets started because it goes fast.

Theres an inherent vulnerability to these women, and to the program itself, thats only enhanced by putting a camera on them. Theyre kids, and theyre figuring themselves out, and you dont necessarily want to put them in uncomfortable positions either now or later in life when they watch this film. How did you, as filmmakers, approach that challenge and responsibility?

McBaine: I couldnt have been the subject of a documentary as a teenager. I was still working out who I was, and what I thought. These kids do have an ability to look in the mirror and not fall apart, on some level, and they know theyre still growing. They have a sense of humor about themselves, to be honest. And now that these Boys State guys are in their twenties or something, now theyre real adults with real jobs, they love having this document of that time. One of the reasons were so drawn to this group, over and over and over again, is because they are still open. People, when they view this filmthe adults in the audience, the little kids in the audience, the grandmothers in the audienceyou [know you] are watching high schoolers, and everybody brings that view to what is being said. None of the laughs in our film are laughing at the kids.

Also, by the way, part of our process is sharing the film in rough cut form to all the kids, because thats critical for our process. We want everybody to be psyched to be on stage with us at the premiere.

Moss: I would just add, we built a much more female crew. Particularly the camera operators, it was important to pair these young women with female cinematographers. We felt like the gaze and the relationship was a way of being sensitive to the questions youre raising. I also feel like the audience can sense that intuitively, and that we can make promises and stipulations, but ultimately I think the evidence of that relationship is embedded in the film.

Having spent so much time with these women, and all of the questions that Girls State brings up about girlhood and our political system, what do you find yourself reflecting on most as this film goes out into the world?

McBaine: Theres so much fortitude thats on display here. There are limitations and theyre very real, and theres been slow progress in female representation in politics, but its slow. To me, thats one of the many unfinished promises of our country. I cant do a lot to change that, other than to keep pushing, and in my small way, by storytelling.

My takeaway, though, in hanging out with these young people, is theyre undaunted, and they have this fresh energy and this missionGen Z, in particularto push back against the negativity, I guess, of how my generation and Boomers are feeling about our country. They hold the reality but the optimism. It makes me remember that thats actually how I feel, too, about our country: Very critical, but also I still believe in the promise.

Moss: There is an optimism without naivete that we need to see, because if were going to have a political future that sustains our democracy, we need a generation that does things differently, and still has hope, despite all of the existential threats we face.

As a man making this film, theres a way in which it has made visible to me some structures that are normally invisible or perhaps I choose to look away from. And Im embarrassed to say, but frankly I was shocked to discover that the funding levels of [Missouri Boys State and Girls State were] not equal, and I do think it mirrors a structural inequality in our society. We know that. But I think to be reminded of it, and to let you make that discovery through the eyes of someone like Emily is, to me, the power of this film. The power of going on a journey with her is to see her see those things, and to feel them. Because we know if were going to change people, move people, they need to feel something, too.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Hilton, who has fought for systemic change regarding troubled teen programs around the globe, traveled to Jamaica to lend her support

Courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact Paris Hilton arrives in Jamaica

Paris Hilton is lending her voice to an issue close to her heart.

The entrepreneur mom, 43, traveled to Treasure Beach, Jamaica, on April 3 for a press conference addressing the seven American boys who have been held in the custody of the Jamaican Child Protection and Family Services Agency.

The boys, currently living in Jamaican group homes, were removed from Atlantis Leadership Academy, a "troubled teen" program, after the program was found to be mistreating students in a way "amounting to abuse," per NBC News.

Hilton  who has been deeply focused on her advocacy against institutional child abuse and neglect in youth residential programs  appeared alongside children's rights attorney Dawn J. Post, survivor Chelsea Maldonado, and attorney Michael McFarland to call for change.



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Courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact Paris Hilton delivers speech in Jamaica amid recent troubled teen news

Related: The Biggest Revelations from Paris Hilton's New Memoir, Including How Demi Lovato Helped Her Overcome Trauma

"My visit here is a show of support for the Jamaican action that has been taken and for encouraging the U.S. government at all levels to take this issue seriously and to act with urgency," Hilton said at the press conference.

"While we wait for the government to take action, survivors will continue to uncover this broken system and expose those who are putting profits over the well-being of our most vulnerable youth. We will protect the powerless ourselves."

Hilton expressed her gratitude "to local authorities for intervening to save American children." In addition to speaking out Hilton and her team are working closely with lawyers and advocates to offer support for the seven boys.

Courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact Paris Hilton converses with the impacted at Treasure Beach, Jamaica press conference

In her 2023 book Paris: The Memoir, Hilton talked about her traumatic time in a CEDU boarding school programs and even alleged she experienced sexual abuse the Provo Canyon School in Utah. In Paris, she details numerous attempts to escape the multiple "emotional-growth boarding schools" she attended during her high school years and her efforts to convince her parents to bring her home.

Paris recalled during one of her allocated 15-minute calls with her mom, she tried to explain, "This place is f---ed up! You don't even know!"

Courtesy of 11:11 Media Impact Carter Reum supports wife Paris Hilton in Treasure Beach, Jamaica

In 2021, Hilton called on President Joe Biden and Congress to enact reform for youth in congregate care and behavior-modification programs, as she detailed her experiences in the system for an op-ed published by the Washington Post.

"At all four facilities I was sent to in my teens, I endured physical and psychological abuse by staff: I was choked, slapped across the face, spied on while showering and deprived of sleep. I was called vulgar names and forced to take medication without a diagnosis," Hilton wrote, in part. "At one Utah facility, I was locked in solitary confinement in a room where the walls were covered in scratch marks and blood stains."

"Congress and President Biden need to enact a basic federal 'bill of rights' for youth in congregate care. Every child placed in these facilities should have a right to a safe, humane environment, free from threats and practices of solitary confinement, and physical or chemical restraint at the whim of staff," Hilton wrote. "Had such rights existed and been enforced, I and countless other survivors could have been spared the abuse and trauma that have haunted us into adulthood.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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On Friday, April 5, Russian occupation forces shelled Zaporizhzhia, a city near the frontline, once again. The strikes hit a residential area, causing civilian casualties.

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According to preliminary data, Putin's army used ballistic weapons to shell the city. This was reported by the secretary of Zaporizhzhia City Council Anatolii Kurtiev.

According to him, 6 people were injured in the shelling. In addition, 3 multi-storey buildings, 1 private sector building, a hostel, and a trade facility were damaged.

"The situation in Zaporizhzhia is dangerous again. According to preliminary data, 6 people were injured in the shelling. It is also known that 3 multi-storey buildings, 1 private house, a dormitory, and a commercial establishment were damaged," he said in a statement.

Kurtiev urged the citizens to be careful and respond to the alarms.

He also added that in case of damage to your home, you should report it by calling: 15-80 (from landlines) or from mobile phones (061) 787 15 80; (050) 414 15 80; (067) 656 15 80.

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As a reminder, Russian occupation forces shelled the village of Dolynka in the Pologivsky district of Zaporizhzhia region with artillery. A 12-year-old boy was injured in the attack.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Sir Paul McCartney is a fan of the Cowboy Carter rendition of his song, Blackbird, which he originally wrote in 1968.

I am so happy with @beyonces version of my song Blackbird,' McCartney wrote Thursday on Instagram. I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place. I think Beyonce has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!

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Beyonce called him to discuss the song before recording it. I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it, he wrote. I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I cant believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now. Anything my song and Beyonces fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.

McCartney cites the American civil rights movement as his inspiration for the song. I was sitting around with my acoustic guitar, and Id heard about the civil rights troubles that were happening in the 60s in Alabama, Mississippi, Little Rock in particular, McCartney told GQ in 2018 .

So that was in my mind, and I just thought, It would be really good if I could write something that if it ever reached any of the people going through those problems, it might give them a little bit of hope. So I wrote Blackbird. In England, a bird is a girl, so I was thinking of a Black girl going through this, now is your time to arise, set yourself free, take these broken wings.

Beyonces version of the song uses McCartneys original acoustic guitar track from the Beatles self-titled album (a.k.a. The White Album), and features Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, and Tiera Kennedy.

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The post Princes Iraq War-Era Plea for Peace, United States of Division, Finally Gets Wide Release: Stream appeared first on Consequence.

A rare Prince song has finally received a wide release. Titled United States of Division, the song originally arrived on July 4th, 2004 as the B-side to the Musicology single Cinnamon Girl, and only saw limited release on physical editions in the UK and Europe. Now, for the first time, its available on streaming platforms everywhere.

The wide release of United States of Division arrives via Sony, and was sourced from the original master tapes in Princes legendary vault.

Lyrically, as its title suggests, United States of Division is a political  albeit non-partisan  song, calling on everyone to stop fighting, put down their guns, and gather round and make love. Echoing the sentiments of its A-side Cinnamon Girl, which mourned the innocent loss of life and rise of racism that followed 9/11, the song interjects its dancey, feel-good refrains with pointed questions, like what is this rush to declare war? and what are we fighting for?

In one poignant and epically campy moment, Prince sings Why must I say God Bless America and not the rest of the world?/ Oh say can you see?/ I love my country but I love God more/ Every man, woman, boy, and girl, interloping the melody of the national anthem over the lyrical allusion to it. Throughout the whole song, of course, his vocals rest easy in a bed of irresistibly funky R&B; horns, backing vocals, wah-wah guitars, and all. Stream the single below.

The 20th anniversary of Musicology, Princes 28th album, will be celebrated on April 20th, and the release of United States of Division arrives in honor of the occasion. Additionally, the album itself is available on CD and vinyl along with a line of Musicology-related merch, which can be found on Princes website.

Meanwhile, Prince will be the subject of a few upcoming adaptations, including a new biopic produced by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) with a script by Bryan Edward Hill (Titans, Ash vs. Evil Dead). Additionally, it was announced in January that Purple Rain is being adapted into a stage production.

Princes Iraq War-Era Plea for Peace, United States of Division, Finally Gets Wide Release: Stream

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Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine is behind the TV remake - Chris Pizzello/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Legally Blonde will return to screens as a spin-off TV series produced by Reese Witherspoons production company.

The actress, who starred as sorority girl Elle Woods in the original 2001 romantic comedy film, is revisiting the story as her production company Hello Sunshine confirmed it was behind the TV remake.

While the plot remains under wraps, it is being written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who created TV series Gossip Girl starring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley and Ed Westwick.

The two also created teen drama The OC, starring Mischa Barton, Adam Brody and Olivia Wilde.

Were bringing Legally Blonde back to your screens in a spin-off TV series inspired by the film, production company Hello Sunshine posted on Instagram.

Currently in development with Amazon MGM Studios, the project has tapped Gossip Girl and The OC vets Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to write.

Legally Blonde, starring Witherspoon, Matthew Davis, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Coolidge and Selma Blair, became a pop culture classic after its 2001 release.

Witherspoon plays sorority girl Elle in pop culture classic Legally Blonde - HO/Reuters

In the film, Elle (Witherspoon) attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Davis) by studying at Harvard Law School, in the process overcoming stereotypes and triumphs as a successful lawyer.

The majority of the cast returned for the 2003 sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, where postgraduate Elle travels to Washington DC with the intention of persuading politicians to ban animal testing.

The second film ended with Elle setting her sights on the White House.

In 2020, Witherspoon confirmed a third Legally Blonde film was in the works, with US Office star Mindy Kaling and Brooklyn Nine-Nine creator Dan Goor set to co-write the script, after she initially announced the sequel in 2018.

A Legally Blonde musical based on the film opened in 2007 in San Francisco before transferring to Broadway at the Palace Theatre, while a West End production of the show opened in 2010 at the Savoy Theatre, closing in 2012.

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Suki Waterhouse says Robert Pattinson 'excels' in this parenting chore: 'He thinks it's fun'

Robert Pattinson loves being a dad.

Suki Waterhouse opened up on the 3rd hour of TODAY on Sept. 12 about her life as a mom of one to their 6-month-old baby girl and said the "Batman" star is really good at changing diapers.

"I would say I change more diapers, but diaper changing  he really excels at it and enjoys it," she said. "He thinks it's fun."

As for how she's been adapting to motherhood, Waterhouse said it has been "a lot" to get used to, especially with her career. However, she noted that she loves taking care of their daughter.

"It's just that love, just completely and utterly besotted. I didn't know that it would be this good," she said.

On April 4, Waterhouse shared the first photo of her baby online. She captioned the Instagram post, "Welcome to the world angel ."

Waterhouse and Pattinson are head over heels for each other. The under-the-radar couple were first spotted together in 2018. Then, in December 2022, they went public with their relationship when they made their red carpet debut at the Dior Pre-Fall 2023 menswear show in Giza, Egypt.

Both Waterhouse and Pattinson are actors originally from England. Pattinson got his start in the "Twilight" series and since then has made daring acting choices  whether he's playing the Batman or voicing a heron. Waterhouse was in "Daisy Jones & the Six" and another period drama, "Misbehaviour."

Read on for a full timeline of Waterhouse and Pattinson's relationship.

Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson at the Dior Fall 2023 Menswear Show on December 03, 2022 in Giza, Egypt.

2019: Robert Pattinson says he wants to keep his love life private

Pattinson was game to speak about his exes, like "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart, in an April 2019 interview with The Sunday Times,  but preferred to stay away from addressing his current partner head-on.

When asked to respond to rumors he was dating Waterhouse, he asked, Do I have to?

If you let people in, it devalues what love is," he said. "If a stranger on the street asked you about your relationship, youd think it extremely rude. If you put up a wall, it ends better."

Pattinson added that being a celebrity can interfere with his personal life.

I cant understand how someone can walk down the street holding hands, and its the same as when I do it and a hundred people are taking your photo. The line between when youre performing and when youre not will eventually get washed away and youll go completely mad," he said.

2021: Suki Waterhouse shows off a framed photo of her and Robert Pattinson

Waterhouse shared a photo of herself sitting in a room in 2021. Behind her, fans spotted a photo of her giving Pattinson a kiss on the cheek.

February 2022: Robert Pattinson mentions a 'girlfriend' in interviews

During his press tour for "The Batman," in which he had the lead role, Pattinson frequently mentioned a girlfriend without naming names.

In a February 2022 GQ interview, Pattinson said his girlfriend wouldn't stop talking to his repairman about his new movie.

The guy came around the other day and he just randomly started talking about what a DC fan he is, Pattinson said. And Im sitting there facing the other direction, and my girlfriend just keeps continuing the conversation with him. And Im looking at her like: Shut the f--- up! Why are you doing this to me? She was very entertaining. Just talking to an obsessive fan.

He referred to his "girlfriend" again during a February 2022 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live," and how her reaction helped him put the movie into perspective.

"It was really her reaction that changed the entire thing because Im pretty sure shes not normally into watching superhero movies, he said. Just seeing that it was capturing her attention the entire time ... then she just held my hand and just touched it ... I could feel a little tear. I was like, No way."

December 2022: Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse make their red carpet debut

Pattinson and Waterhouse attended the Dior Pre-Fall 2023 menswear show in Giza, Egypt, together.

For the event, Pattinson wore a cream suit over a brown turtleneck and Waterhouse donned a floor-length mauve gown that featured sheer, fluttery sleeves.

Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson, together.

February 2023: Suki Waterhouse opens up about her relationship

Waterhouse spoke about her relationship with Pattinson in a February 2023 interview with The Sunday Times, saying she's "shocked" to have been in such a happy relationship for so long.

Im shocked that Im so happy with someone for nearly five years, she said.

Im always incredibly excited when I see his name pop up (on my phone) or even a text, and I think he feels the same about me. Weve always got so much to say, and I find him hilarious," she continued.

May 2023: Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse attend the Met Gala

Months after making their red carpet debut, Waterhouse and Pattinson appeared at the 2023 Met Gala.

Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse at the 2023 Met Gala on May 1, 2023 in NYC.

To emulate the theme, which was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," Waterhouse showed up wearing a sheer floral dress while Pattinson donned a navy blue suit.

January 2024: Suki Waterhouse attends the Emmys ... and so does her baby bump

Amid rumors that Waterhouse was expecting the couple's first child, she appeared on the red carpet at the Emmys in January, seeming to confirm that she's pregnant.

Suki Waterhouse attends the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Waterhouse attended the awards show along with the cast of her show "Daisy Jones & The Six."

While speaking with Laverne Cox, who hosted the E! News red carpet that night, she said she had to alter the dress to fit her stomach.

I had to hold it for fitting  it was just me, like, holding it to my body, she laughed. So they had to take it apart and ... redesign this dress to make it make it fit the bump. But it does and Im really happy that it was so stunning.

April 2024: Suki Waterhouse shares first photo of her baby

On April 4, Waterhouse took to Instagram to announce the birth of her child.

For the post, she shared a Polaroid photo of her holding her baby in her arms and captioned it, Welcome to the world angel.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Rumors of King Charles Touring Australia amid Cancer Re-Emerge as Source Says Nothing Has Been Ruled Out

The King's nephew recently shared that the monarch is "hugely frustrated" that he "do everything that he wants to be able to do" amid cancer treatment

ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty King Charles and Queen Camilla at Trooping the Colour 2023

King Charles' first trip Down Under as monarch is still up in the air amid his cancer treatment.



After Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last month that the country is "preparing for a possible visit from His Majesty The King to Australia later this year," new reports say the King, 75, is prepping for the visit to occur this fall.



A royal source guides that nothing has been ruled out or in as they look ahead to the fall and planning continues for future engagements, but it is all subject to medical advice and there may be adaptations where necessary at the time. Overseas visits would not and could not be confirmed until nearer the time.

Before news of his cancer diagnosis, King Charles was widely expected to travel to Australia around the time of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which is being held in Samoa and scheduled to kick off on Oct. 24. Since Australia is a Commonwealth realm, they recognize the British monarch as their head of state.

"The King has shown his compassion for Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have shown compassion and support for the King following his cancer diagnosis," Albanese said last month. "The King, Queen and members of the royal family are always welcome in Australia. My government is engaging with states and territories on options for a possible royal visit."

Chris Jackson/Getty Images King Charles marks his 75th birthday on Nov. 14, 2023

Related: King Charles Receives Well-Wishes for Kate Middleton on Easter as They Both Undergo Cancer Treatment

A royal source recently told PEOPLE that the monarch and his team are thinking about a summer schedule amid "amplified confidence" in light of the sophisticated cancer treatment he is receiving, adding that the King is "positive" and his doctors "are optimistic."

While he's continued to work behind the scenes, King Charles' royal engagements have been restricted to small numbers of people since the palace revealed his cancer diagnosis on Feb. 5, However, towards the summer when the risk of airborne illnesses eases, larger events could take place outside  such as Trooping the Colour, the annual public celebration of the monarch's birthday set for June 15 this year.

"One thing that has been wholly undiminished is his appetite for work," the royal source added.

Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty King Charles and Queen Camilla attend Easter church on March 31, 2024

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Peter Phillips, the King's nephew, recently said the monarch is "very keen to get back to a form of normality."

I think, ultimately, he's hugely frustrated. He's frustrated that he can't get on and do everything that he wants to be able to do," Princess Anne's son said on Sky News Australia's The Royal Report. But he is very pragmatic, [and] he understands that there's a period of time that he really needs to focus on himself."

HOLLIE ADAMS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Camilla and King Charles after Easter church on March 31, 2024

Related: Kate Middleton and King Charles Bond amid Cancer Diagnoses: 'The Daughter He Never Had' (Exclusive)

In a promising sign of his progress, King Charles made his first major public appearance since his cancer news on Easter to attend church with members of the royal family. After the mass at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, the monarch and Queen Camilla briefly greeted members of the public on a surprise walkabout.

"Get well soon, Your Majesty," a woman said in a video shared to X by Rebecca English of the Daily Mail, prompting the King to reply, "I'm doing my best!"



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In Ripley, Italy isnt the colorful, postcard-perfect vision most people are used to seeing. Set during winter in the 1960sand based on author Patricia Highsmiths bestselling Tom Ripley novelsthe Netflix series is a foreboding tale imagined in black and white. It follows New York-based grifter (Andrew Scott) who is hired to convince a wealthy industrialists son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to leave Italy and return home to the States. While the story is injected with an underlying sense of danger, its full of beauty thanks to the many quaint towns and picturesque cities where it unfolds.

Filming took place at more than 200 locations and sets across Italy (with a few scenes shot in New York City), and eager travelers can visit many of them. Whether you want to live a waking dream in Atrani, settle into a Capri villa, or admire a Venetian palazzo , you can devise a delightful Italian getaway based on Ripley alone. Dive into the details below from the shows production designer David Gropman.

Courtesy of Netflix

Where Was Netflixs Ripley Filmed?

Filming for Ripley took place in Atrani, Capri, Anzio, Rome, Palermo, Naples, and Venice. Generally, each city portrays itself on screen. But a few placesincluding Dickies grand villa in Atraniexist in different cities. Many interiors were shot on location, while others were built on soundstages at the Rome-based studio Cinecitta .

Atrani

philippe antonello / netflix

When scouting a town for Dickie to settle in, Gropmanalong with writer-director Steven Zaillian and the locations teamhad a few requirements. Gropman tells House Beautiful: One was a beach that felt period correct, that didn't have too much on either side of it that would've made it problematic. Two was a good piazza that was able to take Tom from point A to point B to point C, and three, stairs and passages and alleyways to traverse to get up to Dickie's house.

They landed on Atrani, a small town with a population of about 800. Roughly an hour from Positano, where the novel is set, the towns main square, beach, and maze of corridors made ideal backdrops. The tiny village is vibrant and charming in real life, making it an excellent place for a relaxing visit.

While Dickies villa isnt located in Atrani, Marges home is portrayed as a residence in the town. We had to do a bit with the exterior of the house to get it period, but not a lot, Gropman says. And I just loved itthis perfect little square sitting at the top of Atrani.

Capri

Courtesy of Netflix

Dickies villa is portrayed by Villa Torricella on the island of Capriand yes, it's bookable on Airbnb . Both the interiors and exteriors were tapped to depict the aspiring painters Italian retreat. Overlooking the sea, the property is separated into three residences that boast vaulted ceilings, interior columns, and an array of patterned tiles. On the property, a loggia and wisteria-wrapped pergola cover multiple dining setups for enjoying meals al fresco. A white-columned gazebo adds to the villas grandeur.

philippe antonello / netflix

Villa Torricella is located right in front of the Hotel Excelsior Parco , which can also be spotted in the series. Gropman stayed at the hotel during filming and notes it's an easy walk to get from one to the other. Built in 1906 on the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, the luxury hotel comprises 11 rooms that are outfitted with Art Nouveau-style furnishings and decor.

Anzio

Lorenzo Sisti

Dickie and Tom venture to Sanremo, where they go to the beach and rent a boat. Those scenes were shot in Anzio, a seaside town located roughly an hour outside Rome. The fishing port is famous for its role in World War II history, Roman ruins, and seafood.

Rome

Courtesy of Netflix

In Rome, filming took place at Cinecitta Studios. Toms apartment interiors were built on soundstages there. Some of the furnishings were custom-made and inspired by real pieces the production team spotted while in the city, including a sofa they saw in a villa and a leather chair they spotted in a shoe store. The Italian capitals streets and landmarks also make onscreen appearances, from the Spanish Steps to the Victor Emmanuel II Monument.

Palermo

REDA&CO - Getty Images

Tom's obsession with the work of Caravaggioan Italian painter and notorious criminal who became famous for his unsettling, realistic workis heightened in Palermo when he visits the Oratory of San Lorenzo. Filming took place in the small chapel, where Caravaggio's "Nativity" altarpiece once hung before it was stolen in the '60s. A high-quality copy is currently in its place.

Select landmarks and historic spots further establish the Sicilian setting. Among them are the Cathedral of Palermo; Quattro Canti (also known as Piazza Vigliena), a Baroque square in the city's historic quarters; and Santuario di Santa Rosalia, a church and cave shrine.

Naples

lorenzo sisti / netflix

The exterior of Tom's hotel in Palermo is actually a historical site called Palazzo Sanfelice in Naples. Built by architect and painter Ferdinando Sanfelice, the Baroque palace is famous for its elaborate staircases, arches, and decorative ceilings. Dickie and Tom also view work by Caravaggio during a scene that was filmed at the Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples.

Venice

stefano c montesi / netflix

Tom's incredible palazzo in Venice is a real residence in the City of Canals. I was lucky enough, in my youth, to have designed Lasse Hallstroms Casanova, so I pretty much know every palazzo in Venice, Gropman explains. And when this came up, I was sure from the moment which palazzo I thought Tom should be in.

Known as Palazzo Contarini Polignac, the early renaissance building is just as grand in real life as it is on screen. It features soaring ceilings, impressive chandeliers, pastel stucco walls, damask wallcoverings, and grand pianos. We brought in probably all of the furniture that we used, but the wallcoverings were all original to the palazzo and the beautiful window and door details, all of that, Gropman says.

On the ground floor of the palazzo, there's a contemporary art gallery. In the past, the palazzo has been available to book for a stay. Currently, it doesn't seem like it's available, but perhaps it will be again in the future.

Along with the palazzo, Tom spends brief moments in the Piazza San Marco. The famous public square encompasses some of the city's top attractions including St Marks Basilica, the Doges Palace, the Museo Correr, the Campanile (the Basilicas bell tower), and the Torre dell Orologio.

You love filming locations. So do we. Lets obsess over them together.

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In just two weeks time, Taylor Swifts newest album The Tortured Poets Department will be released to the world.

Now, in anticipation of that new album, Swift partnered with Apple Music to create five different playlists in honor of some of the themes that will be on her new album.

The playlists seemingly follow the five stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance; a theory the Swifties have been toying with for quite some time, with each variant of the album connecting to one of the stages.

Taylor Swift has shared very little about her album after announcing it while accepting a Grammy earlier this year. She also has yet to release a single for TTPD, and people are waiting with bated breath.

If you missed it, in an ironic turn of events, Today reported last month that Swift and another very famous poet share a grandfather.

According to Today, the genealogy company known as Ancestry has discovered that Swift may have inherited her love of words. As Ancestry reports, the prolific songwriter is related to legendary poet Emily Dickinson.

Swift and Dickinson both descend from a 17th century English immigrant. Swifts 9th great-grandfather and Dickinsons 6th great-grandfather who was an early settler of Windsor, Connecticut, Ancestry told Today.

Taylor Swifts ancestors remained in Connecticut for six generations until her part of the family eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.

Interestingly this news comes just after Swift revealed her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department. The album, rumored to be a synth-pop album, with be released on April 19.

Ancestry continued, revealing, Taylor Swifts ancestors remained in Connecticut for six generations until her part of the family eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.

While its unclear if this is new information to Taylor, herself, ironically, Swift has been known to mention Dickson before. After receiving the songwriter-artist of the decade award two years ago, Swift told the audience, If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinsons great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, thats me writing in the Quill genre.

Fans also speculate that Taylors muse for her album Evermore was her cousin, Emily Dickson.

Incredible!
The post I Think We Can Officially Say Bruce Springsteen is Back appeared first on Consequence.

If you needed any proof that Bruce Springsteen is fully recovered from health ailments that derailed his 2023 tour (some of which may or may not have been the result of Larry David), look no further than the performance he and the E Street Band turned in at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California on Thursday night.

The show ran a grand total of three hours and 18 minutes and featured a sprawling 32-song setlist including several tracks that hadnt been played live in close to a decade. Whats more, Springsteens wife, Patti Scialfa, made her first appearance on the 2024 leg of the tour, joining her husband for performances of Tougher Than the Rest and Fire.

Get Bruce Springsteen 2024 Tickets Here

The setlist also included several notable covers, including John Lee Hookers Boom Boom, which opened the show; Jimmy Cliffs Trapped; the traditional Cajun waltz Jole Bloon; and the Top Notes Twist and Shout.

Of Springsteens own material, other notable songs played included Prove It All Night, The Promised Land, Hungry Heart, Backstreets, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), and Bobby Jean.

Springsteen and the E Street Band are only just getting started, as they have a number of tour dates scheduled in the US, the UK, and Europe through much of 2024. Tickets can be purchased here.

Bruce Springsteen Setlist (Kia Forum in Los Angeles, April 4th 2024)

Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker cover) (First time since 2016)

Lonesome Day

Prove It All Night

Trapped (Jimmy Cliff cover) (Tour debut)

Two Hearts

Ghosts

Letter to You

The Promised Land

Tougher Than the Rest (with Patti Scialfa) (First time since 2016)

Fire (with Patti Scialfa) (First time since 2017)

Hungry Heart

Jole Blon ([traditional] cover) (First time since 2017)

Spirit in the Night

No Surrender

My City of Ruins

Nightshift (Commodores cover)

Last Man Standing

Backstreets

Because the Night

Shes the One

Wrecking Ball

The Rising

Badlands

Thunder Road

Encore:

Land of Hope and Dreams

Born to Run

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Bobby Jean

Dancing in the Dark

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Twist and Shout (The Top Notes cover)

Encore 2:

Ill See You in My Dreams

I Think We Can Officially Say Bruce Springsteen is Back

Scoop Harrison

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Among hybrid workers who are not self-employed, 71% say working for home at least partially helps them balance their work and personal lives. Morsa Images via Getty Images

Four years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to shut down office spaces around the world, remote and hybrid work seems here to stay.

About a third of U.S. workers who can work from home now do so all the time, according to a Pew Research Center survey from March 2023. (The majority of U.S. workers  61%  do not have jobs that can be done from home, Pew notes.)

Still, there are a lot of work-from-home skeptics out there  most of them C-level business executives. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has remarked that engineers get more done in-office, and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that remote work doesnt work for those who want to hustle while calling all U.S.-based employees back into the offices in May 2021.

Companies that insist on mandatory full-time attendance at the office do so at their own peril; todays employees value the autonomy that comes with remote or hybrid work and are increasingly leaving workplaces that forget they have lives outside their 9-to-5.

In March 2022, Microsofts second annual Worker Trend Index found that 53% of respondents prioritize their health and well-being over work, and if unhappy, more than half of Gen Z and millennial respondents said [theyd] seriously consider switching employers over the next year.

Of course, working from home is not without its drawbacks. Many working women say they feel greater conflicts between their job and family roles while teleworking, and studies have shown increased rates of depression and anxiety during remote work. (Though its worth noting, most of the research was conducted while respondents were living through an active pandemic  stressful in its own right.)

Still, with increased social support and systems put in place by managers and organizations trained in managing hybrid teams, research also suggests theres plenty of benefits to working from home. Below, 10 studies and surveys that quantify just how game-changing remote work can be for employees and companies.

Remote workers experience a better work-life balance.

Prior to the remote work era, a healthy work-life balance often felt like a pie-in-the-sky goal for workers: nice to idly dream about but never quite attainable. Now, its more in reach: Among hybrid workers who are not self-employed, 71% say working for home at least partially helps them balance their work and personal lives, according to the Pew Research survey.

They dont feel micromanaged, either, despite being out of the office and outside the eyeline of their bosses. The same Pew survey found that employees who work from home at least some of the time (71%) say their manager or supervisor trusts them a great deal to get their work done when theyre out of the office.

Working remotely can halve an office workers carbon footprint.

Working from home isnt just good for your morale, its also pretty good for the planet. According to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, people who work remotely all the time produce less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of on-site employees.

Hybrid work arrangements help some, too. Working remotely two or four days a week reduced an individuals emissions by up to 29% compared with office workers.

In 2015, Xerox reported that its teleworkers drove 92 million fewer miles, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 41,000 metric tons.

Working remotely two or four days a week reduced an individuals emissions by up to 29% compared with office workers. FG Trade via Getty Images

Remote workers tend to eat more healthy  up to a point.

Research on remote work can be a little contradictory  is it good for your mental health or does it lead to depression?  so in December 2023, British researchers set out to interpret over 1,930 academic papers on teleworking and hybrid work arrangements.

What they found was that people working from home tend to feel lower rates of stress, eat healthier meals and have lower blood pressure.

The study, funded in part by the British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, pointed out some negatives, too. One of the studies reviewed found that 46.9% of employees working from home had put on weight. Another study put that number around 41%. Remote workers also tended to drink and smoke more.

A downside for workers: Remote employees work longer hours.

Though working from home is often equated with laziness and low productivity, the aforementioned British study found that remote workers tend to work longer hours and that their work is more likely to bleed into evenings and weekends. Regrettably, theyre also less likely to take sick time.

Another study  this one tracking more than 60,000 Microsoft employees over the first half of 2020  found that remote work led to a 10% boost in weekly hours.

One drawback was less collaboration. The Microsoft study, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, found that cross-group collaboration dropped by about 25% of the pre-pandemic level.

Less commuting time means more time for work.

Remote employees are working more because theyre spending less time stuck in traffic. One 2023 University of Chicago study looked at data from 27 countries and found that remote workers saved 72 minutes in daily commuting time. On average, employees spent about half an hour of that extra time engaged in daily work, which comes out to more than two hours a week.

Since the pandemic, some social scientists have highlighted the downside to eliminating the daily commute: In one 2022 study published in the Organizational Psychology Review, researchers argued that commutes are a source of healthy liminal space  a time free of constraints from work and home that gives people a chance to recover from the workday and mentally prepare for reentering the home.

Without the ability to mentally shift gears, people experience role blurring, which can lead to stress, the studys co-authors wrote in The Conversation. Without mentally disengaging from work, people can experience burnout.

Remote or hybrid work options may help with employee retention.

Worried about losing your employees to more enticing offers? Give them the chance to work from home. In 2019, video conferencing company Owl Labs surveyed 1,200 U.S. workers between the ages of 22 and 65 and found that remote workers were 13% more likely to stay in their current job for the next five years than on-site workers.

When asked if the opportunity to work remotely would make them happier, 83% of the survey respondents agreed, while 80% agreed that working remotely would make them feel like their employer cares.

People of color say theyre able to manage stress better working from home.

More Black professionals want flexible work policies than their white, Asian and Latino colleagues, according to a 2021 study conducted by The Future Forum, a research consortium organized by Slack.

Black workers reported a 50% increase in their sense of workplace belonging and a 64% increase in their ability to manage stress when they began working from home.

In the wake of the pandemic and office closures, many Black Americans spoke of how draining microaggressions in their office environments can be.

Most of my interactions with my co-workers are very focused on the work that were doing, and for me, I appreciate that, Christina, a Black software engineer, told HuffPost in 2021 after switching to remote work. Sometimes hearing your co-workers opinions on current events are not really the most inclusive opinion. Its nice that I dont have to delve into that with them.

Black workers reported a 50% increase in their sense of workplace belonging and a 64% increase in their ability to manage stress when they began working from home. FG Trade via Getty Images

Mothers and caregivers report higher rates of well-being with hybrid work.

A March 2023 study out of the University of Melbourne found that women  especially mothers and caregivers  reported improved well-being when theyre given the option to work from home. The researchers posited that such flexibility helps women balance paid employment with unpaid caregiving and household duties, which women disproportionately bear the brunt of.

Remote work has been a benefit for people with disabilities, too.

Workers with disabilities appreciate the option to work from home because it reduces transportation and accessibility challenges they face going into the office every day. It also allows them to better manage chronic health conditions.

Before COVID-19, work from home was generally not popular, and disabled people had to try hard to get these accommodations, Meenakshi Das, a software engineer focused on accessibility, told HuffPost in 2021. It took a pandemic for people to realize how accommodations are low-cost and totally doable, and I hope it stays that way.

Theres benefits for employers, too. Almost two-thirds of disabled employees believe they were more productive when working from home than at an office or external workplace, according to a 2023 study out of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Workers with disabilities appreciate working from home options because it reduces transportation and accessibility challenges they face going into the office. Dejan Marjanovic via Getty Images

Employees with flexible schedules tend to have better mental health.

Employees at workplaces that prioritize flexibility and higher job security are less likely to experience serious psychological distress or anxiety,according to a March 2024 study published in JAMA Network Open. The study, which polled more than 18,000 U.S. workers, defined job flexibility as the ability to adjust their own work schedule to meet personal demands.

Workers with flexible schedules were 13% less likely to experience daily anxiety, 11% less likely to experience weekly anxiety and 9% less likely to experience anxiety several times a year. The researchers also found that increased flexibility and job security led to reduced absenteeism  a win for everyone involved.

Related...
International sanctions have forced Turkey to cut its exports to Russia by a third. Some goods were used in the war with Ukraine, including electric motors, microchips, and machine parts.

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In the first quarter of 2024, export revenues to Russia decreased by 33.7% compared to the same period last year, Bloomberg reports, citing data from the Turkish Ministry of Commerce. This shows the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed by the US and EU on Russia.

A significant (by $1 billion or about a third) decline in exports of mechanical engineering products was confirmed by the head of the Association of Mechanical Engineering Exporters, Kutlu Karavelioglu. This has affected machine tools, pumps, and electric motors the most.

"In the face of growing pressure on the banking system and supply chains, no serious corporate equipment manufacturer will be able to maintain its previous interest in Russia," Kapavelioglu said.

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The decline in exports to Russia has occurred, among other things, amid Ankara's attempts to improve relations with Washington.

"We are seeing an ever-increasing regulatory scrutiny, especially of Russia's metals, mining, construction, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors," explains Tan Albayrak, sanctions and export control lawyer at Reed Smith.

Among the products being targeted are machine parts, chips, and circuit boards.

"Most of these products have both civilian and military applications. They can be used in a washing machine and a battle tank," Albayrak added.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Authentic Greek gyro heaven is in Taunton. What to order: Brockton Eats with Alisha

TAUNTON  Flavors from Greece are here in Taunton, from marinated gyros, flaky baklava and made-to-order pasta to fresh rice bowls with over 20 toppings  you might just find your new favorite here.

On this weeks installment of Brockton Eats with Alisha, were visiting a new town and seeing what the buzz is all about for one family-owned Greek restaurant.

These weekly lists of tidbits and food finds are not restaurant reviews but go beyond a bare-bones round-up. Staff writer Alisha Saint-Ciel gives tips and takes to help Brockton-area foodies find those mouth-watering hidden gems, old favorites and exciting new offerings.

George Tambasidis, owner of Grilla Greek Kouzina on Broadway in Taunton, slices a fabulous cone of pork for a gyro (or "turn") on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Looking for fresh flavors of the sea? Check out mouthwatering local seafood places: Brockton Eats with Alisha

What makes Grilla Greek Kouzina unique?

What I find unique about Grilla Greek Kouzina, located at 224 Broadway inTaunton, is the 80-year-old seasoning recipe passed down from owner George Tambasidiss grandmother. Knowing that generations of love have been passed down in the food here gives the restaurant an extra homey vibe.

Walking into the restaurant is like visiting Santorini, Greece, from the decor to the white and blue walls that remind you of fresh ocean water.

This restaurant is like a kiss of Greek paradise.

Though very much not a chain, it reminds me of Chipotle in this way: You can build and customize your pasta and rice bowl with over 20 toppings. Where else could you find that?

Customers can indulge in authentic Greek street food dishes with a modern twist.

Theres a lack of Greek presence in Taunton. We wanted to freestyle our own dishes because you know people eat with their eyes, and I promise you this will be the best gyro youve tasted, Tambasidis said.

Freshly cut toppings at Grilla Greek Kouzina, 224 Broadway, Taunton, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024

What's on the menu at Grilla Greek Kouzina?

The menu is filled with delicious creations from surf and turf gyro to horiatiki salad, lamb chops, skepasti, desserts shipped from Greece.

Gyros are an essential part of the menu, and they even serve the traditional gyro, which is made of pork instead of the Americanized version, a lamb gyro.

Lamb gyros are not the traditional gyros, according to Tambasidis, and thats the main reason he doesnt sell them.

You can try the classic gyro sandwich in chicken, steak or pork.

Employee Bobby Tran makes a skepasti at Grilla Greek Kouzina, 224 Broadway, Taunton, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. The Greek-style club sandwiches are made with pita bread, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, hand-cut potatoes and chicken or pork.

This beef gyro was made by Jennifer Mendes at Grilla Greek Kouzina, 224 Broadway, Taunton, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Craving some savory Indian food? Here's where to find sweet, smoky tastes of India: Brockton Eats with Alisha

Even the salad is 100% authentic, he said. Did you know Greek salads never have lettuce? Thats just an American version of a Greek salad.

What sets our business apart from others is how fresh our ingredients and food are. A lot of stuff we import right from Greece, which makes everything taste better. We import desserts from the #1 bakery in Greece, and I cant name another restaurant that does that, Tambasidis said.

Another unique aspect of the restaurant is all the sauces are made from scratch by Tambasidiss wife. Its a family affair here at Grilla Greek Kouzina, and they wouldnt have it any other way.

Baklava topped with honey is on the menu at Grilla Greek Kouzina, 224 Broadway, Taunton, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

The end goal?

The end goal for the business is to franchise and grow across the United States, serving Greek food the authentic way.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Grilla Greek Kouzina restaurant in Taunton serves up authentic gyros
The very best thing about grilled cheese (apart from its taste, of course) is that it's infinitely adaptable. We're not just referring to the abundance of extra ingredients you can add; you can also switch up the bread and cheese to give your sandwich a major upgrade. Of course, there will always be one combination that is the best of the bunch, or -- worse -- there are some combinations that can straight-up wreck a grilled cheese. And who would know more about sandwiches than Diana Manalang, chef and owner of New York City's Little Chef Little Cafe?

When Mashed asked Manalang to share her favorite bread-and-dairy combination, there was a clear winner: "Cheddar [...] I love putting it between some Pepperidge Farm thin-sliced white bread." When it comes to using thin-sliced bread, Manalang says it yields the "best cheese-to-bread ratio." As for pairing cheddar and white bread, it may seem like a simple combination, but there's a reason why these two home kitchen staples work so beautifully together.

Read more: 41 Must Try Hot Sandwich Recipes

Why Do White Bread And Cheddar Work So Well Together?

Grilled cheese sandwich on wood - Lauripatterson/Getty Images

When it comes to pairing different ingredients, even for something like cheese and bread, it's all about combining complementary flavors. White bread has a slight sweetness, which increases as you chew it (due to the amylase enzyme present in saliva that creates simple sugar from starch). This can be a bit too much on its own, or it can become saccharine when combined with a sweeter cheese like Swiss or Brie. Cheddar, with its tangy flavor, balances that sweetness and creates a fuller taste experience.

Even better, cheddar has some serious depth on its own. As this cheese ages, it subtly changes in taste and sharpness. A young cheddar, for example, is delightfully mild and creamy, so it would be ideal if you actually prefer your grilled cheese to have a bit of sweetness. Plus, if you prioritize a good melt when making a grilled cheese, a young cheddar will work to your advantage. Young cheddar is much stretchier when it melts due to its long protein strands and high levels of moisture.

On the other end of the sharpness scale, an aged cheddar is zestier and has a nuttiness that adds a depth of sophistication to the cheese. To maximize the potential of this combination, it's best to follow Diana Manalang's advice: "The sharper the better."

Read the original article on Mashed
City of Lynn Haven listed as a Top 10 place to live in Florida

LYNN HAVEN  The city of Lynn Haven has been recognized as one of Top 10 best places to live in Florida for 2024, according to an article from worldatlas.com.

Lynn Haven is known for its beautiful parks, outdoor attractions and events that keep the community engaged.

City of Lynn Haven

For those looking to move somewhere more affordable to raise a family, the town of Lynn Haven is a far cheaper alternative with an excellent atmosphere for raising young children, the article says.

More Lynn Haven Events: A moveable, and international, feast: Lynn Haven hosts first International Food Truck Friday

A.L. Kinsaul Park, Sharon J. Sheffield Park and Lynn Haven Bayou Park & Preserve are all popular destinations.

Along with high-rated schools, Lynn Haven has low crime rates, and the cost of living is nearly 5% lower than the US average and over 7% lower than the Florida average, the article says. For these reasons and more, Niche listed Lynn Haven as the #1 Best Place to Raise a Family in Bay County.

The list is not numbered. Lynn Haven was the eighth city listed. The others, in order, are Tallahassee, Gainesville, Marco Island, Naples, Pensacola, Longboat Key, Sarasota, Port St. Lucie and Cape Coral.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Top 10! Lynn Haven makes worldatlas.com list of best Florida places to live.
A mans arduous climb up the Boulders Flatirons in Colorado took an unexpected turn, prompting a call for rescue. Last Thursday, on Mar. 28, Austin Wolff started the ascent with his cat, Link, snug in a backpack. However, the journey extended past daylight hours, leaving them stranded in darkness. Luckily, they were rescued from the Flatirons after Wolff sought assistance from the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group.

Adventure cat needed to be rescued from top of the Boulders Flatirons

Wolff, his friend, and Link began their journey around 3:30 p.m., as Fox 31 reported. Anticipating sufficient daylight for their journey, they soon found themselves facing unexpected delays. As a result, they became stranded on top of the Flatirons during nighttime.

In the enveloping darkness, Wolff was with an inexperienced climber and lacked essential gear for the descent. Thus, recognizing the risk, he made the decision to call for assistance. Together, the two climbers and their feline companion endured the cold and darkness, awaiting the arrival of the rescuers.

Wolff recounted, It took a little bit of a hit on my pride to have to call someone. However, it definitely was the right call. There was no point in staying up there and risking our safety, my cats safety.

When rescue crews arrived, they were astonished to encounter the cat. Wolff may have omitted this detail during the initial call for assistance.

Arriving after midnight, the crews provided them with headlamps and safely lowered everyone to the ground.

In addition, the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group shared a photo, humorously captioning it as Moonlighting as MEOWtain Rescuers! Despite concerns, Link emerged unscathed. Wolff reassured that she stayed safe, adding she even dozed off and snored during the rescue operation.

Wolff adopted Link two years ago and diligently trained her to become an adventure cat. Together, the duo embark on hiking and climbing escapades, living up to their shared passion for outdoor exploration.

Moreover, they have already explored eight national parks, aiming to traverse all 63. Their upcoming destinations include Utah and Arizona.

The post Climber & Cat Rescued From Top of the Flatirons in Colorado appeared first on CatTime.
TechCrunch

Elon Musk unveiled a prototype of Tesla's Robovan on Thursday night during the company's We, Robot event in Los Angeles. The Robovan will be an electric, autonomous vehicle roughly the size of a bus, designed for transporting people around high density areas. "We're going to make this, and it's going to look like that," said Musk on Thursday night as the Robovan rolled towards center stage.
TikTok users have built a niche online community dedicated to normalising humans bond with crows.

Nicole Steinke, who posts as @Tangobird on TikTok, has taken her habit of feeding crows and turned it into video content - showing people how to interact with the chronically misunderstood birds. Steinke provides treats for a family of six crows called Waffles, Doc and Dotty, and their baby DocTok - the latter of which was named by Steinkes 284,000 followers.

She reportedly feeds the family twice a day from her apartment balcony in Alexandria, Virginia, primarily supplying them with peanuts, and occasionally walnuts and cashews, if she feels like treating them to something special that day. If theres no more food left, the family will flock to Steinke if they see her walking around her neighborhood.

Theyll surround her and squawk to get her attention, which can be alarming to bystanders who arent familiar with her penchant for crows. People think that death is coming, she told theMIT Technology Review. Theyre a bad omen, all that - kind of the same as a black cat.

However, online is a different story. Steinkes crows have become minor TikTok celebrities in the niche corner of the internet dubbed CrowTok, which has exploded in popularity in the past two years.

I have followers that follow for the bird noises, for their cats. I have fellow bird people who do wild bird watching, Steinke told the outlet. Once you get past the stigma, its hard not to be interested in them.

The CrowTok community isnt just centered around crows, but also birds within the Corvidae scientific family - which includes magpies and ravens. Her videos also focus on the bond between birds and humans, with birds often leaving tokens or gifts for humans who give them treats.

Each relationship between crow and human can vary from individual to individual, in part due to crow behaviour differing from families and regions. CrowTok emphasises how different the bonds can be, indicating that each bird has their own unique personality. In fact, scientists believe the intelligence of crows is compatible with human sensibilities; research indicates that, like humans, crows can recognise individual faces and think about their own thoughts.

Cornell ornithologist Kevin McGowan explained: Their social system is the most like Western human civilization of any animal that I know of.

The birds prioritise their families, while also interacting with fellow crows outside of their community - another trait they share with humans. Their ability to engage with others beyond their direct circle indicates a similarity with humans that scientists find noteworthy.

In her book Crow Cosmopolotics, Dr Julie Morley says that since crows are a synanthropic species - defined by the tendency to live close to humans and adapt to human ways of life - they have arguably co-evolved with humans. At times, their evolved behaviour has been a direct reaction to human actions, in particular, the bird species ultra cautious nature. Crows have a hard time trusting humans after they were hunted in the previous century for being dubbed vermin.

Crows have been paying attention to individual people more than perhaps any other bird, McGowan said, noting that crows can discern human intentions. The uptick in humans approaching and feeding birds is largely a recent development, one that McGowan has been encouraging for decades. However, the ornithologist cautioned that people shouldnt overdo it, adding: What happens is that people get too into this. And it makes the crows a nuisance.

Feeding a crow is a deep responsibility and shouldnt just be done for video content; it should be done with caution. If establishing a bond goes awry, it could lead to crows mobbing your neighbourhood. Humans should only establish a sense of trust and safety with the birds if they intend to routinely feed them. If not, experts advise against it.
Edna Jacksons aunt would be proud of her niece. A teacher, she and Edna often had intimate conversations, which, it turns out Edna took to heart.

After preparing her coffee I would take it to her. As I delivered it she would say, You have so much pizzazz!, Jackson recalled. Just hearing those words made me feel extra special and meant so much to me.

She spoke into my life and helped me keep dreaming.

Now, Jackson is passing that pizzazz along to youngsters herself through her nonprofit organization Ednas Creative Learning Center, home of the Freedom Learning Institute. Remembering her aunt, she is helping bridge the gap between growing up in an impoverished situation and getting an education that can change a youngsters life.

Jackson creates educational programs tailored to the individual needs of participants. They can do the lessons at home or at the center at 5632 Donnelly Ave.

Opportunity awaits anyone who will take it. I dare you to dream, she posts in her bio on the website.

And if they accept her dare, she will help them reach a better place in life. In all, shes helped over 400 youth since starting her program eight years ago.

Poverty was so real

Jackson, a Fort Worth resident for the vast majority of her life, has a passion for helping youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds get an education. She recalled experiencing such a challenge herself when she was a youngster.

As a young girl I dreamt of being beautiful and successful. Poverty was so real to me and so stressful, she said.

Recognizing the need for assistance in areas such as the Como neighborhood of Fort Worth, where she grew up and attended school, she placed her center there on Donnelly Avenue. Of course, help is available to young people from all over.

I identified a need, then I remembered the assistance I received while growing up, she said. We had the city of Fort Worth, community services, Circle T-Girl Scouts, UpWard Bound TCU, churches and many other personal neighbors. All these entities stepped in to support those like me that were disadvantaged and needed a pathway to access a better life.

And now she works with a variety of organizations herself to help youths find the joy she has in education.

Long before starting her nonprofit, Jackson had worked for the city of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth school district as an independent contractor. She serviced children in the arenas of fine arts, education tutorials, preparation for adult living skills, as well as collaborating with community-based nonprofit organizations and ministries.

Mostly that is what she is doing now. Ednas Creative Learning Center was born out of a passion for creative arts as well as creative learning, through community-based programming, she said.

I identified a great level of hopelessness within the community, and I knew if these barriers were removed more youth could succeed with support, she said. Over the years I have worked to provide underprivileged youth and adults with the instruction and opportunities to access a brighter future and the motivation to attain the goals they have identified for their lives.

This access is gained by providing programs such as arts and education, high school diplomas, STEM (Lego technology), aerobics, creative dance, sports, modeling and charm classes.

Longtime friend Gina McGee Saenz of Fort Worth said helping youth is what Jackson was made for.

We met when she was homeschooling her kids, and she was in my homeschool group. She and her sister had a location in Como that they used to provide after-school care and summer camps to the youth in their community, and my group would volunteer there sometimes, Saenz recalled. She always has a heart for children. Her mission, since I have known her, is to go directly into the communities of the underprivileged and give them hope, hope not just that they can rise above their circumstances but that someone truly cares about them.

Starts with children

Jackson has worked with students from birth to young adulthood, but her focus has been mostly on ages 5 through 12.

I consider these to be the most impressive years of ones life, she said.

Among the many ways she helps is assisting young people with getting into college. But before that, she brings out their creativity and self-confidence in a variety of ways.

For example, she noted that students who attended a STEM camp echoed how much they enjoyed the art of building with LEGOs, using their creativity.

Another testimony was from the Inner Princess Program, no doubt stemming from her own wishes as a child. Girls participate in charm and modeling activities, gaining social and emotional lessons through which they build self-confidence and communication skills.

Poverty and a lack of resources seems to keep many children from dreaming, and I believe creativity through the arts allows one to dream by affirming them, she said.

As I reflect on my relationship with Miss Edna, I think about how she has inspired me to follow my dreams and pursue a career I love, former Inner Princess participant Jaelan Price, also raised in Como, said. Her work with young ladies changes their outlook and exposes them to the countless possibilities ahead of them. Its a pleasure to know Miss Edna!

Price went on to graduate from All Saints Episcopal School, where she was also class president. She graduated from Elon University in North Carolina in 2023.

Expanding the nonprofit

In fact, Jackson has made similar arrangements to help children in other places, such as Detroit and Flint, Michigan, along with Tuskegee, Alabama. Through social media, she was contacted to help and, just as she saw locally, these cities have higher levels of hopelessness and despair in certain communities. When the opportunity arose to help, she, of course, didnt hesitate.

These characteristics were very evident in youth and young adults. When asked about their future they had no idea of what they wanted to do or direction of how to obtain support, she said.

Upon closer examination, she noticed that some areas there, just as here, lacked opportunities that would allow for connections and partnerships to be formed.

As for other communities in other cities, she said, These services can be offered anywhere there is a collaborative agreement arranged.

Among those who reached out to her is the Rev. Douglas Nicholson of Tuskegee. They met online about four years ago and he invited her to his city, where she met with him and other officials.

I became an active member of the Inner Princess Program and wrote the Inner Princess song. She became an activist for children in Tuskegee and Macon County, Nicholson said. Through her visits to Tuskegee, things started to change in our community. The first graduate from Freedom Learning Institute Tuskegee was my nephew Tyrone Taylor Jr., who now has a better job, and makes more money, thanks to the teachings of Edna Jackson.

Many young girls have become better students and better mentors due to Ednas mentorship. She became Queen Edna to many of the girls ,and gave them a willing mindset to believe in themselves.

Coming home

Jackson attended Western Hills High School in Fort Worth until her final semester, when she got married, transferred to and graduated from a military high school program in Schweinfurt, Germany in 1982.

Later, she attended college at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where her sister lived. Going through a divorce and wanting the best for her own children (two sons and a daughter), she enrolled and received an associates degree in health care management.

But she didnt stop there. She also became CPR certified, graduated from Wards Modeling School, graduated from Vogue Beauty School, became a dance instructor, and is a member of the Westside Association of Christian Home Educators.

While in Alaska my sister recognized a need for me to acquire skills for working, Jackson said. From the encouragement and support provided I completed the program.

She returned to the familiarity of her home, Fort Worth, in 1988 and settled into the workforce. But inside she always felt there was more she could do to help improve society, starting with young people.

Over the years she has worked with several community organizations, including the Fort Worth Parks and Recreation Department, Fort Worth ISDs 21st Century After-School Program, Focus In Life Ministries, House of Provisions, Womens Haven, and Como Lions Heart.

But nothing makes her happier than making a difference in the life of a young person.

Funding

Currently, Jackson said much of her funding for the nonprofit is self-provided. She does receive clothing donations from family and friends.

Of course, I welcome the needed support of funding  monetary donations, vehicles (cargo van, passenger van or trailer) food, clothing and household goods, volunteerism, prayer or whatever supportive resources, she said.

This is my passion, purpose and opportunity to impact society through love, education and collaborative efforts that bring about inspiration and power to be productive citizens. This requires all that will assist.
As Texans frantically prepare for Monday's solar eclipse, cooking may be the last thing on our minds. Whether you're hosting an event or enjoying the natural phenomenon with loved ones, here's some food deals.

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme has a Total Solar Eclipse doughnut available Friday, April 5 through Monday, April 8.

Krispy Kreme is introducing its all-new Total Solar Eclipse doughnut in celebration of the April 8 eclipse.

SunChips

SunChips may have "sun" as part of its name, but the snack brand won't be eclipsed during the event. The snack brand has a special eclipse-timed snack hitting right during the big event  and it won't be available in stores.

You can only get SunChips Solar Eclipse Limited-Edition Pineapple Habanero and Black Bean Spicy Gouda chips by going to SunChipsSolarEclipse.com beginning at 1:33 p.m. CST on Monday, April 8  approximately when the eclipse begins in the U.S.  to get a free bag, while supplies last.

SunChips Solar Eclipse Limited-Edition Pineapple Habanero and Black Bean Spicy Gouda chips will be given away on April 8 beginning at 2:33 p.m. ET at SunChipsSolarEclipse.com.

Total solar eclipses are rare and special events, and I hope people can take a moment out of their busy daily life to pause and enjoy the incredible sight. That's why I'm so excited that SunChips is commemorating this rare celestial event by offering fans a chance to get in on the fun with their exclusive Solar Eclipse flavor," said astronaut and researcher Kellie Gerardi, who teamed with the snack brand.

Astronaut Kellie Gerardi observes Earth during Virgin Galactic's "Galactic 05" mission, on Nov. 2, 2023. She performed research during the suborbital flight.

Solar eclipse forecast: Expect clouds, rain for Monday's solar eclipse. Here's the latest Austin weather forecast

Burger King

Here's a way to eclipse your appetite. On Monday, April 8, members of Burger King's Royal Perks loyalty program can text the word ECLIPSE to 251251 to get a special buy-one-get-one-free Whopper offer redeemable April 8-15 in the BK app or on the Burger King website. You can join the Royal Perks program in the app or on BK.com.

Burger King has a special buy-one-get-one-free Whopper offer for Royal Perks members on April 8.

Click here to find a Burger King near you.

Pizza Hut

On the day of the eclipse, Monday, April 8, get any large pizza for $12. You can create your own pizza (up to 10 toppings) or order any of Pizza Hut's recipe pizzas, as well as Thin N Crispy, Hand Tossed Pizza and Original Pan Pizza. (Offer good for carryout, dine-in and delivery.)

Pizza Hut will have $12 large pizzas available the on the day of the eclipse.

Click here to find a Pizza Hut near you.

People are also reading: Several Texas couples plan to tie the knot during solar eclipse weddings

Blue Moon

Fans of the Molson Coors-owned Belgian-style wheat ale can get a special Eclipse Sips kit ($25) to celebrate the eclipse. You get special black light coasters and a flashlight, four Blue Moon pint glasses and some "Moon Dust" to make your beer glow. The kits will be sold starting Wednesday, April 3, at 11 a.m. CST on the Blue Moon website (kits will arrive before April 8).

7-Eleven

7-Eleven is selling solar eclipse glasses at participating stores and will give members of its 7NOW Gold Pass subscription delivery service a free pair with any order between now and April 8, while supplies last. Then, all day on Monday, April 8, subscribers can get a whole pizza for just $3.

Benefits of 7NOW Gold Pass ($6.95 per month) include free delivery, double rewards points and more member perks. (Look for the 7NOW Gold Pass banner on the 7NOW app home screen to sign up.)

Click here to find a 7-Eleven near you.

Dippin' Dots

Order Dippin Dots online on April 8 and get 25% off. The discount is available online only at www.dippindots.com.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

To celebrate the eclipse, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is launching a special Punk Stargonaut collection of "four out-of-this-world flavors," including the pinkish Nebula Berry, tropical-flavored Cosmic Bloom, grape and currant-tasting Purple Star Born and Supermoon, a previously available flavor described as reminiscent of the taste of cereal milk.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is launching a special Punk Stargonaut collection of ice creams timed to the solar eclipse. When you order online, you can also get eclipse glasses. In stores, you can get popping candy Space Dust topping.

The collection becomes available at noon on Thursday, March 28, on the brand's website and comes with four pairs of Jenis branded eclipse glasses. That same day the flavors are also available in Jeni's locations, where you can add fizzy and popping Space Dust candy topping, and, starting April 5, get free Jeni's branded eclipse glasses.

Click here to find a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams near you.

More: Is the Texas power grid ready for the solar eclipse on Monday? Experts are optimistic

Marco's Pizza

From Monday, April 8, to Sunday, April 14, Marco's Pizza customers can get 50% off all menu-price pizzas using promo code ECLIPSE with orders made online and in the app.

Marco's Pizza has a 50% off pizza special for the eclipse from Monday, April 8, to Sunday, April 14.

Click here to find a Marco's Pizza near you.

Moon Pie

With a name like MoonPie, you know the snack brand would have something special planned. You can order a limited-edition MoonPie Solar Eclipse Survival kit ($9.99) with four chocolate mini MoonPies and two pairs of Eclipse Glasses on Shop.MoonPie.com. Glasses also sold separately for $1.99. (These limited-edition kits are available at all Dollar Tree locations, participating Walmart stores and select grocery stores, too, while supplies last.)

You can get the limited-edition MoonPie special blackout boxes of a dozen chocolate, vanilla or banana mini MoonPies for $37.99 online and in stores.

Also available online and in stores: a limited supply of special blackout boxes of a dozen chocolate, vanilla or banana mini MoonPies for $3.99.

Moon Pies were the snack of choice on Instacart during the last solar eclipse in the U.S. on Aug. 21, 2017. Searches for Moon Pies increased 2000% over its yearly average during the 7-day period leading up to that eclipse, the delivery service says.

Food plays such an important role in how we mark special moments  whether for holidays, sporting events or cultural moments  so it makes sense that people are looking for the perfectly-themed snack to add some whimsy and joy to their eclipse experience," said Instacarts trends expert Laurentia Romaniuk in a statement. "You heard it here first  the official snack of the solar eclipse is Moon Pies!

School closures: These Texas school districts have canceled Monday classes for the 2024 solar eclipse

The next highest snack to see increases during the 2017 eclipse period were black and white cookies, up more than 100%.

Oh, MoonPie has a fun pro wrestling-themed Sun Vs. Moon '24 video you can check out, too.

Perfect Bar

Timed to the eclipse, Perfect Bar is debuting a new flavor, Chocolate Brownie, with some specials. It will be 20 years until the next total solar eclipse in the U.S., so Perfect Snacks is giving shoppers 20% off the Chocolate Brownie Perfect Bar through April 12 (no promo code needed) on the website. Those within the eclipse's path of totality can get 50% off the Chocolate Brownie Perfect Bar on April 8 on the site (valid when you have signed up for text notifications).

Perfect Bar is debuting a new flavor, Chocolate Brownie, timed to the eclipse, and has special discounts on its website.

Online orders for Chocolate Brownie bars come with free Eclipse glasses, while supplies last. Chocolate Brownie bars are also available at select grocery stores and nationwide retailers such as Target and Walmart.

Insomnia Cookies

Insomnia Cookies is giving away one free classic cookie with a $5 purchase in-store or online on April 8. And the late-night cookie chain has brought back its limited-edition Moon Cookie Cakes for the eclipse. Available through April 8, the crescent-shaped cake is made with two classic cookie flavors (choices include M&M's and double chocolate mint).

Click here to find an Insomnia Cookies near you.

Raising Cane's

Visit a Raising Cane's that lies within the eclipse's path of totality and get a free Texas toast with every combo purchased. Also on the morning of Monday, April 8, visit the Raising Cane's website for a chance to win free Raising Cane's for 20 years (entries close at 10:59 a.m. CST). Every entry also gets a mobile code for a free toast, good April 8-14.

Click here to find a Raising Cane's near you.

Schlotzsky's

Schlotzsky's, which has more than 300 locations, will have $2.99 small The Original or Fresh Veggie sandwiches all day on Monday, April 8. (Deal is good in-store at participating locations only. Taxes, add-ons and extras excluded. Limit 10 per order per person. Catering excluded.)

Click here to find a Schlotzsky's near you.

People are also reading: Looking to buy solar eclipse glasses last-minute? Here are 4 large retailers selling them

Smoothie King

Smoothie King has a special eclipse-themed drink, too: the Eclipse Berry Blitz. The smoothie, available March 27 through April 8, is made with bananas, wild blueberries, apples, blueberry juice blend, white grape lemon juice blend, protein blend and blue spirulina, a blue-green algae powder.

Customers who buy an Eclipse Berry Blitz at a Smoothie King location within the path of the solar eclipse will also a free pair of Smoothie King-branded eclipse glasses (only available March 27-April 8 at participating locations within the eclipse's path of totality while supplies last).

Smoothie King has a special eclipse-themed drink, too: the Eclipse Berry Blitz. The smoothie, available March 27 through April 8.

Click here to find a Smoothie King near you.

Snapple

Just in time for the eclipse, Snapple has a new flavor, Elements Sun, with flavors of starfruit, orange, and nectarine.

Sonic Drive-In

Sonic Drive-In is serving the Blackout Slush Float, a new limited-edition drink timed to the eclipse  it's available through May 5. Made with flavors of cotton candy and dragon fruit, then topped with white soft serve and blue and purple galaxy-themed sprinkles, the float delivers an "out-of-this world experience," the fast-food chain says.

Sonic will also be handing out free solar eclipse viewing glasses with every purchase of the float, while supplies last.

The new Blackout Slush Float will be available nationwide at participating locations from March 25 to May 5, 2024.

Click here to find a Sonic Drive-In near you.

Twin Peaks Restaurants

The Dallas-based chain, which has about 115 locations in the U.S. and Mexico, is giving out free eclipse glasses on April 8; guests can also enjoy some "cosmic" brews and cocktails.

Click here to find a Twin Peaks near you.

Austin food deals: Get a taste of the 2024 solar eclipse with these food deals and specials near Austin

Tiff's Treats

The Austin-based cookie shop will deliver special eclipse mixes between April 1-8 with pre-orders available now. The cookie bundles, which come in varying counts from a dozen to a small tray of 72, feature lemon sugar cookies and double chocolate chip cookies. When stacked, the chocolate cookie looks like the moon covering the lemon sugar sun.

Tiff's Treats is now offering eclipse mixes featuring lemon sugar cookies and double chocolate chip cookies.

Click here to find a Tiff's Treats near you.

Kerbey Lane

From April 1-9, Austinites can enjoy a Kerbeyclipse Pancake, which is "a cocoa chocolate chip pancake baked inside a crisp buttermilk pancake topped with powdered sugar and Hersheys chocolate drizzle," according to a statement from Kerbey Lane.

Kerbey Lane's special Kerbeyclipse Pancake will be available from April 1-9.

Click here to find a Kerbey Lane near you.

Austin Beerworks

The beer company is producing a limited-time hazy IPA called In the Path of Totality in collaboration with Meanwhile Brewing Company and Zilker Brewing Company. Austin Beerworks is also part of a collective of bars across the U.S. that will be in the eclipse's path of totality. That includes spots in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio, Vermont, and more.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Solar eclipse 2024: See deals on Moon Pies, pizza and more in Texas
We are rivers, woods, mountains. Skyscrapers, sidewalks. Traffic. Solitude. A vibe. Cities, towns, villages, hamlets. Here, our photographers train their craft on what makes this place our place.

Check lohud.com every Friday to see where our photographer went for our newest lohud on location feature.

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A crossing guard assists children and adults leaving the Chatsworth Avenue Elementary School on March 4 in Larchmont. Public school children in Larchmont attend schools in the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, which serves the villages of Mamaroneck and Larchmont.

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Pedestrians walk March 18 along Chatsworth Avenue, which is one of several streets that make up the downtown area of the village. Boston Post Road, Larchmont Avenue and Palmer Road are the other main thoroughfares in the village.

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People have lunch recently in Stanz Cafe on Chatsworth Avenue. Owned and operated by Steve Weishaus since 1999, Stanz offers breakfast, lunch, a selection of wine and beers and house-made sodas.

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People walk on Chatsworth Avenue in Larchmont along the overpass looking down on the Metro-North train station as well as the New England Thruway, also known as I-95.

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Pedestrians walk recently on Boston Post Road. Also known as Route 1, Boston Post Road dates back to the 17th Century and was the first postal route connecting New York City and Boston. Along with passing through Larchmont, the route runs through the other communities along the Long Island Sound in Westchester County and Connecticut.

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John Minotti, owner of Sunshine Coffee Roasters on Palmer Avenue, bags freshly roasted coffee beans on March 4. Minotti, who opened his business eight years ago, roasts coffee beans in small batches daily. He recently opened a second location in Rye.

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Eddie Gilkrov cuts the hair of Luke Selvaggio, 12, at Jack's Barbershop on March 4. Jack's Barbershop has been in Larchmont for 20 years. Luke said he's been getting his haircut there since he was about 8 years old.

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A couple walks March 4 along Chatsworth Avenue. Located within the town of Mamaroneck on the Long Island Sound, the village has a population of approximately 6,500. The earliest known settlers of the area were the Siwanoy Indians. Larchmont was incorporated as a municipality in 1891.

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A woman and child walk toward one of the gazebos in Manor Park recently. Manor Park is a 13-acre park on the Long Island Sound and is managed by the Larchmont Manor Park Society.

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The Larchmont post office building on Chatsworth Avenue near the intersection of Boston Post Road was dedicated in 1937.

About Seth Harrison: A voracious consumer of the news and passionate about covering the news, Seth is also an admittedly obsessed, oft-injured marathon runner. Seth can often be found in New York City, often for work but mostly for pleasure, where he is constantly amazed that after living in the metropolitan area for most of his life, he continues to discover treasures of the city that he never knew existed.

Journal News photographer Seth Harrison.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Larchmont NY sights and places to visit: lohud on location
Representatives of the Cannes Film Market, Marche du Film, have denied the Russians' claim that they will participate in the event. The day before, Russian rapper Ptaha, who played the lead role in the movie "Brother 3," said that the film would be shown in Cannes.

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The organizers of the event were surprised by the propagandists' fake. The Marche du Film's Instagram page published a post stating that Switzerland had become an honorary participant in this year's market. In the comments, representatives responded to those who were concerned about the screening of propaganda films in Cannes.

"We are very surprised because the organization in question is neither an exhibitor nor an accredited company at Marche du Film. In addition, the Marche participants have not yet been confirmed and will only be announced at the end of April. The use of our brand and logo is prohibited," the statement reads.

ADVERTISIMENT

In addition, the organizers reminded the audience of the official position of the Cannes Film Festival: no Russians or persons associated with the Russian authorities will be allowed to participate in the events.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told how Putinists announced their participation in the Marche du Film. In particular, the propagandist and rapper Ptaha, who supports the occupation of Ukrainian territories by the Russian Federation, boasted about the fake news on social media.

ADVERTISIMENT

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Thinking of taking your dog or cat with you the next time you fly? For a growing percentage of the 90.5 million pet owners in the U.S., the answer is yes. But while the notion of boarding a plane with your pet may seem simple, the rules and restrictions around traveling with an animal can be confusing.

Eight major U.S. airlines allow pets to fly in-cabin as carry-ons. But flying with your pet takes research and planning, as pet policies vary from airline to airline, are steeped in restrictions, and are limited to specific countries and cities. You'll also have to pay an extra fee for your pet ranging from $95 to $200, depending on the airline and where you're flying. And restrictions often change.

For example, American Airlines recently revised its policies so passengers flying with pets may also bring one full-size carry-on or personal item. But the carrier prohibits carry-on pets on transatlantic and transpacific flights. Here's what you need to know when considering taking your fur baby with you on a plane.

Cargo, check-in or carry-on?

Most airlines offer three options for transporting animals: cargo, check-in or carry-on. But if your pet is larger than a bread box, your options are limited to the cargo or baggage check-in options, with very few exceptions.

Given that large canine breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers are among the most popular dogs in the country, the size restriction for in-cabin pet travel can be a major frustration for those who would rather not fly at all if that means putting their pet in cargo.

A 2023 Forbes Adviser survey of 10,000 U.S. dog owners found that 33% of respondents fly with their pets, while 37% listed not being able to bring their dog on a plane as their biggest annoyance. (You can learn more about the differences between cargo, check-in and carry-on options here, including warnings about the dangers involved when pets travel in the cargo hold.)

Carry-on pets

Even for pet owners whose animals are small enough to fly as a carry-on, traveling is no breeze.

"When I fly with him I have to go to the desk," Margaret Rauch, 44, told CBS MoneyWatch, referring to her 15-pound poodle mix, Soda. The New York City resident has taken Soda on dozens of flights to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Soda, now 4, was being fostered by a friend after being found as a stray puppy in 2021.

In addition to calling the airline in advance to register her dog for a flight, Rauch has to check in at the counter whenever she's traveling with Soda, so the airline agent can confirm her dog and pet carrier conform to the in-cabin pet requirements and that the flight hasn't already met its pet maximum.

Soda, a 15-pound poodle mix, has flown on dozens of trips to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his owner, New York City resident Margaret Rauch. / Credit: Margaret Rauch

Rauch, who said she would never consider putting Soda in cargo, applauded American Airlines' new policy, while noting that in her experience the one carry-on rule was rarely enforced.

"I feel the price is already high for what I get. Even with AA's rule change, I lose the underseat space," she said. "My dog creates no extra work for anyone."

Despite the added preparation, paperwork and hassle involved in flying with Soda  not to mention the unfriendly looks she occasionally detects from fellow passengers at the sight of her pet carrier  Rauch said, "It's absolutely worth it."

Asked how the experience could be improved, she pointed to early boarding for pet owners as something that would help.

"If you can get in early, get a seat and settle down, that is an accommodation I don't expect to see anytime soon but I think it makes sense," Rauch said.

Safety and comfort

For the many Americans who see their pets practically as family members, one of the most challenging aspects of flying is ensuring their animal's comfort and safety.

"The increasing humanization of pets, which involves treating them as part of the family rather than as mere animals, has increased the demand for pet travel services that are of high quality and can be customized to meet the specific needs of each pet," LinkedIn reported in December.

Among other tips, the U.S. Department of Transportation and animal experts recommend that you not feed your pet four to six hours before a flight and limit their water intake. Others also suggest keeping bottled water on hand at all times. Additionally, most airlines require certain vaccination and vet certification that your pet is healthy enough to fly. Individual countries also have their own requirements for pets to enter.

Not surprisingly, some airlines do better than others at handling pets. One of the best-rated carriers for pet travel is Alaska Airlines, which has repeatedly topped rankings, such as NerdWallet's Most pet-friendly airlines of 2024. In recent years, the airline also has maintained one of the industry's lowest incident ratings, according to Veterinarians.org. United Airlines and Delta are among the airlines with the highest incident rates, according to the pet information website.

On Rauch's first plane trip with Soda traveling home to New York, a layover in Miami led to the flight sitting on the tarmac for two hours. Calming treats are something that helps keeps her dog relaxed on flights. She also withholds Soda's food and limits his water intake up to five hours before a flight, which is also helpful given that he doesn't like using pet relief areas, which she said generally smell of urine and can be overwhelming for dogs. Flights between New York City and St. Croix are generally under six hours.

"I'm not sure how I'd handle a flight to Singapore," Rauch said.

Here's a rundown of U.S. airlines' pet travel policies, along with fees and and restrictions:

Alaska Airlines

Pet fee: $100

Pets allowed: Dogs and cats are the only pets allowed in-cabin on international trips and flights to Hawaii. Domesticated rabbits and small household birds are allowed as carry-on on domestic flights.

Destinations: Domestic and international, with additional requirements and documentation required for pets traveling to Hawaii or internationally.

See Alaska's full pet policy here.

American Airlines

Pet fee: $150

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats

Destinations:

Within the 48 contiguous U.S.The U.S. and Canada*AlaskaMexico*Puerto RicoSt. CroixSt. Thomas

*Additional special restrictions may apply. See American's full pet policy here.

Delta

Pet fee: $75-$200, depending on destination

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats, household birds

Pet friendly destinations:

U.S., Virgin Islands and Puerto RicoCanadaInternational destinations with the exception of Australia, U.K., Republic of Ireland and others.

Pets are not permitted on flights to Hawaii. See Delta's full pet policy here.

Frontier Airlines

Pet fee: $99

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and household birds

Destinations: Domestic flights and international flights to and from the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

See Frontier's full pet policy here.

JetBlue

Pet fee: $125

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats

Destinations: Domestic and international. See exceptions for international flights here.

See JetBlue's full pet policy here.

Southwest Airlines

Pet fee: $125 per pet carrier on the U.S. mainland; $35 per pet carrier between Hawaiian Islands

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats

Destinations: Domestic U.S. flights only. For travel to Puerto Rico, specific requirements may apply. For Hawaii travel, see rules and regulations here.

See Southwest's full pet policy here.

Spirit Airlines

Pet fee: $125

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats, birds (with the exception of flights to or from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) or rabbits (with the exception of flights to or from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

Destinations: Domestic flights including Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

See Spirit's full pet policy here.

United Airlines

Pet fee: $125

Pets allowed: Dogs, cats

Destinations: Domestic and international flights with a list of exceptions. United does not allow pets to fly to, from or through certain states and countries. View the list here.

See United's full pet policy here.

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  A new food truck will soon be rolling into Salt Lake City, and bringing with it a taste of Guatemala.

The grand opening for the food truck will be this Saturday  and itll be hard to miss, as the truck for Antojitos La Chapina is bright red, and will be surrounded by celebratory signs and decorations for the special day. You can find the food truck in the Smiths Pharmacy parking lot at 4065 S Redwood Rd, where food will be served from noon-6 p.m.



Jorge Jimenez and his family will be making and selling food for Antojitos La Chapina, a dream long in the making. Jimenez and his wife, Silvana De La Cruz, have both spent many years in the restaurant industry  Jimenez often on the service side and De La Cruz in the kitchen  so they thought why not combine their knowledge and experience?

Two Salt Lake City chefs named James Beard Award finalists

Antojitos La Chapina food truck. (Courtesy Jorge Jimenez)



With her cooking, its always been happy in this family, he said.



Even more, the goal of Antojitos La Chapina is to share the food of their homeland, Guatemala, with others.

Jimenez said that the familys business started with De La Cruz cooking for some friends, and grew from there, receiving a lot of support with people asking when they would open their own restaurant.



I talked to her and said I think its time because theres not an official place from Guatemala here Utah, theres just places that have a little bit of it, but not an official restaurant from Guatemala  Obviously, this is a big adventure, because I knew that opening a food truck a lot of hoops, a lot of permits you have to go through.

In December, Jimenez and De La Cruz brought their food to a holiday event  and all of it sold out within three hours.



It was like a tryout for us and everything went well. Then, we knew were able to do it, Jimenez said.

Now, just days before the opening of the food truck, Jimenez explained theyre both nervous and excited.

Feelings right now are all mixed in the air because its all excitement about the opening. At the same time, you cannot sleep because youre thinking about the details, he said. But  at the moment that we decided to start with this adventure, Im like, you know what? Its time to push forward  theres no going back.  We kind of are like those kind of people where we need something, we have to go get it. And we will keep pushing forward because sometimes one of the things is you dont even know what you are capable of until you have it in front of you.

Food from Antojitos La Chapina (Courtesy Jorge Jimenez)

Food from Antojitos La Chapina (Courtesy Jorge Jimenez)

Food from Antojitos La Chapina (Courtesy Jorge Jimenez)

Food from Antojitos La Chapina (Courtesy Jorge Jimenez)

Food from Antojitos La Chapina (Courtesy Jorge Jimenez)

Jimenez said they focus on keeping everything fresh. On the menu, youll find many staple foods from Guatemala, including shuco, otherwise known as a Guatemalan hot dog often sold as street food in the country.



Jimenez explained that theyll be serving their shuco with cabbage, guacamol, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and a mild green sauce on the side.



Another item theyre planning are enchiladas filled with ground beef, cabbage mixed with beets, pieces of boiled eggs and onions.



Theyll also have garnachas, which Jimenez described as fried tortillas with meat and cabbage.



Jimenez said this weekends opening is like a trial for them, and depending how it goes, they might add more items to the menu, including rolled taquitos or yuca with chicharron.



He also said theyre planning on having specials every weekend, introducing a different item each weekend.



Antojitos La Chapina will be open at the Smiths Parking Lot on Saturdays and Sundays from noon-6 p.m.



For updates, you can follow Antojitos La Chapina on Facebook and Instagram.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Illustration: Benjamin Currie/HuffPost; Photo: Marcia Windisch, Getty

Candida Batista is a Brazilian chef, Playboy model, wife and mother. She has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Prague and Vienna alongside renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsay. After becoming a mother, Batista found it challenging to meet the demands of a Michelin restaurant while taking care of a young baby. In this Voices in Food story, Batista stresses the urgent need for a cultural shift in the culinary industry to ensure the well-being of working mothers, so they dont have to choose between promising careers and personal life. After working as a chef in three countries, she realizes that this issue is global, not geography-specific.

What I love about cooking is that I get to share my history and culture, take ingredients and turn them into a unique dish for others to enjoy. The kitchen is an international environment because you can cook no matter what degree or country you come from. Its interesting to meet people from different backgrounds and listen to their stories, learn about how they work with food. (I went to Universidade Estacio de Sa in Rio De Janeiro and did an internship at a hotel in Copacabana. I also worked alongside a famous French chef and learned about the many different areas of kitchens.) But when I decided to go into culinary arts, I did not know that my career would involve working 100 hours a week.

In Prague, I got the opportunity to work at celebrity chef Gordon Ramseys new restaurant that earned a Michelin star. My typical day lasted 16-18 hours  it was madness! I did it because I was young and needed that experience. But once I decided to start a family, working in a Michelin kitchen was no longer an option. After I gave birth, I found it hard to go back to the same lifestyle. So I went to cook at the Brazilian Ambassadors residence, where we got weekends and holidays off. It paid the bills, but wasnt necessarily good for my long-term career as a chef. I wanted to cook at globally recognizable restaurants.

I hope one day, a healthier and more equitable work environment enables me and other working mothers to return to the restaurant kitchens we dream of.Candida Batista

When my daughter was in kindergarten, I hired a nanny but I was paying her more per hour than what I was making [as a chef]. At work, I was competing with younger, single guys who were willing to work more for less. But as a mom I wanted fewer hours, more money and a work-life balance, which seemed impossible. And not being able to find that balance caused depression. I felt I was not living my full potential professionally or as a mother. It was impossible to have it all.

If you tell your boss that you can only work 8-10 hours a day, they send you home for good. No one should work like that. I understood from some of the Michelin kitchens I worked at that executive chefs were chasing the stars, so they were there day and night themselves. But the cost was high for everyone involved. Even today, when I dine at such places, I enjoy the beautiful food, but feel sad for those who work there. They work long hours, sacrifice personal lives, and their months salary is less than the cost of dinner for four!

Working long hours is tough for new moms, but everyone else, too. A kitchen is a high-pressure environment. The staff is stressed, overworked and cannot complain. We need to present diners the best quality of food in a certain amount of time  it is very stressful to do that.

But there are ways to make the industry less stressful for everyone, especially working mothers. Recently, I consulted for a new restaurant opening in Vienna. I created a plan so that they could organize all kitchen tasks in a way that each staff person had timely shifts and breaks during the day. And the staff was told to step outside the kitchen, breathe fresh air and eat a proper meal. You cant expect someone to deliver their best when they have not slept, or are exhausted. When you work double shifts, you dont see your family and your personal relationship gets impacted. You get angry, and start arguments in the kitchen. A smart production plan will help minimize loads.

My typical day lasted 16-18 hours  it was madness! I did it because I was young and needed that experience. But once I decided to start a family, working in a Michelin kitchen was no longer an option.Candida Batista

Toxicity within the restaurant industry affects the mental health of workers. A 2019 survey by U.K.-based Paracelsus Recovery found that 81% of chefs struggle with debilitating stress levels. One in five hospitality professionals experiences depression, according to charity The Burnt Chef Project. An Australian study published in 2022 showed chefs were significantly more likely than the general population to commit suicide. I have worked at upscale restaurants in Brazil, Czech Republic and Vienna, and felt we were facing the same problems in all those countries.

Women address stress and depression differently, though. We talk about our feelings and are better communicators. Men are private. They may not even realize that they are depressed until they have a panic attack or get addicted to drugs or alcohol. This is why it is important to seek external help from organizations like Fair Kitchens and The Burnt Chef Project that emphasize the need for a healthy environment and offer support to the community. You will see that you are not alone, and there is no shame in accepting depression and expressing your feelings. Many of the kitchen workers are immigrants who dont have their families near. We often dont have time to make friends outside of work, and these kinds of forums allow us the opportunity to talk to experts anonymously online at our convenience, and receive professional help.

Being unappreciated and unaccommodated is what makes most female chefs leave their jobs. Discrimination against female chefs starts with the job interview. Employers are not supposed to, but still ask, Are you planning to have kids? Who will watch your kids during their school holidays? Working mothers often need to juggle more at home and at work. We are primary caretakers and when theres a sick child, we stay home. When we cant find a sitter, we take our kids to work. In the kitchen, women have to be tougher, have bigger balls and carry their own weight. There is no room for drama. Even when there is a personal crisis, like when my grandfather died, or when my baby had to go to the emergency room, I could not have a meltdown or cry. I had to finish my day, no matter what.

We need to give mothers flexible working schedules and benefits. Mothers should be given single daytime shifts (meaning 8-10 hours a day). In Austria, we get 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. The U.S. does not have a federal paid maternity leave program. Kindergarten is free in Austria. In Brazil, companies offer a benefit for child care. It helps ensure mothers feel their kids are safe and can plan their working schedule around child care. We need to have a support system of family and government like we have here in Austria. The cultural shift has to start with business owners. It may not make economic sense for them immediately, but having a team of happier employees will lead to less turnover and higher efficiency.

I am giving myself a mental break right now. Running my own private cooking business allows me the flexibility to cook when and what I want, and earn a fair wage for my skills. I can diversify my income and spend quality time with my kid. I hope one day, a healthier and more equitable work environment enables me and other working mothers to return to the restaurant kitchens we dream of.

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Keep it Simple: English as a second language spoken here, there, and everywhere

One of the quirky things I enjoy about traveling abroad is the variety of languages my ears hone in on as like-minded travelers from around the globe gravitate to the same places I have chosen to visit.

In Portugal, where I recently ended a five-week stay, it is a virtual Tower of Babel with a number of languages swirling about me in the streets, restaurants and shops I visit.

Michael Jones

English though, it seems, has become by default, the de-facto, go-to global language which can be heard, especially by those working in the service industry, just about anywhere in the world you please. From dusty little Himalayan Mountain villages in Nepal, to cosmopolitan European cities such as Lisbon in Portugal and Vienna in Austria, one can just about be assured they will be greeted by a waiter with a hello, how are you? in English, just about anywhere you set your travel compass.

The Queens English-speaking English, Scots and Irish notwithstanding, Europeans, it turns out, are quite proficient in their English speaking abilities; sometimes even better than me and my American friends. I recently discovered of its 450 million citizens more than 80 percent of Europeans are now proficient with English as a second language. Amazing!

As a result, we here in the United States can get by just fine about anywhere by putting all of our English only eggs in one basket; albeit they come in a variety of local accents from nasally Midwestern, to Southern drawls, to New England whatever, to Texas twang, and everything in between.

English speakers one and all across this great melting pot country of ours where immigrant languages, like everything else here, gets assimilated, mixed up, put in a blender and then spit out into this potpourri of American culture and old-school American-style English.

It is nice, though, to travel abroad and catch folks speaking in their native tongue rather than, in most cases, proper English; more proper than many of us here in the States speak it.

I enjoy listening in (ie, eavesdropping) to the couple seated next to me at the pizza joint in Lisbon, conversing in standard English with the waiter as he takes their drink order. And then, just as I have them pegged as a couple from London, Liverpool or elsewhere in Great Britain, once the waiter leaves to fetch drinks, they lean into each other and whisper conspiratorially in their native Italian, French, German, or on the rare occasion a delightful Dutch, shattering my preconception of their Englishness not as their first but second language.

In Lagos, my wife and I enjoy going out for a pre-dinner small beer at this tiny non-touristy neighborhood bar where the owner and most all her customers, locals through and through, converse only in the national language  the consonants, vowels and syllables bubbling into the after work air  foreign music to the ears of this American  as opposed to the nasally honking Midwesternese coming from the mouths of me and those around me back home at a brewery in Gaylord or Petoskey.

Anyway, I love to hear the different languages swirling about when traveling abroad, as well, I guess, listening to our wonderful basketful of regional accents when out and about here in the United States.

It reminds me that even though we are all unique and different, inside we are all quite the same; simply simple people trying to understand and accept those around us who we perceive as different, yet, above all, trying to get along with each other despite those differences.

Adios, ciao, adieu arrivederci, cheers, catch yall later, bye.

 Michael Jones is a columnist and contributor for the Gaylord Herald Times. He can be reached at mfomike2@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Keep it Simple: English as a second language spoken here, there, and everywhere
At the beginning of April 2024, KFC rolled out its newest round of menu items, including five new and returning flavors of Saucy Nuggets and one sweeter bite-sized offering  the chain's new Apple Pie Poppers. The dessert is the latest individually sized option to join the larger family-style dessert options on the chain's menu. They also represent a step toward expanding KFC's dessert menu offerings as a whole. This small twist on an apple turnover is a clever departure from the larger fried hand pies sometimes offered by many of KFC's competitors.

KFC invited Mashed to its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, to taste the Apple Pie Poppers along with a selection of other new menu items ahead of their release earlier this month. I tasted the new Poppers there, as well as at my local KFC restaurant, to see for myself what they're all about. I'll bring you everything you need to know about the new dessert offering  including what you can expect flavorwise, as well as the sizes the new dessert is offered in, the price, and nutrition information for this sweet new treat.

Read more: Ranking Fast Food Fried Chicken Sandwiches From Worst To First

Apple Pie Poppers Order Sizes, Prices, And Nutrition Information

apple pie popper in hand - Jenny Kellerhals/Mashed

Unlike the larger hand pies offered by other fast food chains, KFC's new Apple Pie Poppers come in two different order sizes -- a four-piece and a 10-piece order size. The four-piece option is roughly what you would expect from half of a regular-sized turnover. Meanwhile, the 10-piece option comes out to a little more than a regular-sized turnover's worth of dessert.

The price of the Apple Pie Poppers will vary depending on your store's location and whether you're ordering online or for delivery. Generally speaking, prices start at $2.49 for an order of four Poppers and $5.49 for an order of 10. Naturally, anyone who is looking to get the best bang for their buck might want to opt for the 10-piece Poppers, which has a lower cost per piece, though you may want to share that order with a friend.

Each Apple Pie Popper piece runs about 85 calories, making for a total of 340 calories for four, and 850 calories per 10-piece order. Gluten, wheat, and soy are the only listed allergens for the Poppers, which is good news for anyone looking for a dairy and egg-free dessert option. Additionally, a single Apple Pie Popper has 5 grams of fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 55 mg of sodium, 9 grams of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of protein.

Other KFC Dessert Offerings

KFC dessert options - Jenny Kellerhals/Mashed

There's a chance that you may have never ordered a dessert from KFC before, since the options have been relatively limited up to this point and the chain is widely known for its fried chicken. Furthermore, the two dessert options (other than the Apple Pie Poppers) currently available are relatively large and meant to be shared family-style. Depending on your location, you may have recently seen a larger-format Colonel's Homestyle Brownie on the menu, which serves up to nine people. Most locations also offer the Chocolate Chip Cake, which is a small chocolate bundt cake that's drizzled with icing, and serves roughly six to eight people. While not listed on the menu, my local restaurant also offers a Lemonade Cake in the same bundt style as the Chocolate Chip Cake.

The Colonel's Homestyle Brownie was introduced to the menu just before the holiday season, in November 2023, which is an ideal time to have a shareable dessert handy. The fan-favorite Chocolate Chip Cake has been on the menu for well over a decade, is made offsite by Cafe Valley Bakery, and is practically a steal at an average of $5.19 per cake.

Previously, the dessert menu also included chocolate chip cookies, a full-sized apple pie turnover, and even a chicken-flavored ice cream cone that was met with mixed reviews. KFC doesn't seem to eschew innovation, as the new Apple Pie Poppers are a return to individually-sized desserts for the brand, with the potential to grow the dessert menu in a new direction.

A Not-Too-Sweet Bite-Sized Treat, Perfect For Any Time Of Day

KFC Apple Pie Poppers - Jenny Kellerhals/Mashed

The bite-sized Apple Pie Poppers are a cute and clever addition to the KFC dessert menu, making for a dessert option that's much easier to share and snack on for a longer time than a single regular-sized apple turnover. As I tasted them, the freshly fried pie bites were crunchy and flaky  exactly what you would hope to expect from a fried apple hand pie crust. Inside, I found tiny pieces of diced apple that were suspended in a lightly spiced apple pie filling that was not too sweet or runny. I also noticed that the Poppers weren't overwhelmingly sweet, but leaned more towards buttery and crunchy, understandable given that there's a bit more crust than filling in each bite.

As someone who likes a dessert on the sweeter side, I'd probably toss my warm Apple Pie Poppers in a little bit of cinnamon sugar for some extra spice and sweetness, or even dip them in a little icing if I had any on hand. And while these bites are meant as a dessert, I'd gladly have a few pieces as a midnight snack, or even pop a few in the air fryer to reheat for breakfast  assuming there are any leftovers after I've filled up on all of that extra crispy fried chicken, that is.

Read the original article on Mashed
From Harry and Meghans home to your own, the latest kitchen must-have revealed

Hailey Bieber is one of the celebs who has a 'lazy' tap installed

The latest kitchen trend has found its way from Hollywood homes to British hobs thanks to Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Amanda Seyfried and even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Lazy taps installed above the cooker to make filling saucepans quicker and easier are the new must-have gadget, according to kitchen designers.

The taps, which can cost between 150 and 1,000, are breaking through into British kitchens after appearing on television shows and tours of celebrities homes.

Harry and Meghan appear to have one in their Frogmore Cottage kitchen, as seen in their 2022 Netflix documentary. Their renovation of the Windsor property cost at least 2.4 million of taxpayers money, which they have since repaid.

Harry and Meghan appear to have one in their Frogmore Cottage kitchen, as seen in their 2022 Netflix documentary

The appliance has been seen in fictional kitchens too.

Sex And The City spin-off And Just Like That featured Charlotte York, played by Kristin Davis, in her airy New York kitchen complete with pot filler tap.

Real-life New Yorker Seyfried revealed her tap in a tour of her property for Architectural Digest, saying it looks stunning in a kitchen and makes the room seem gourmet.

Amanda Seyfried revealed her tap in a tour of her property for Architectural Digest

Other fans include Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Jenner, who showed off her appliance in a similar video.

My pot filler, she beamed in a 2020 tour of her California home. I use this every day because Im a tea addict, so its perfect.

Emma Chamberlain, an American YouTuber with 12 million subscribers, also has a pot filler tap in her kitchen.

Jen Nash, head of design at Magnet, said the taps were now one of the biggest kitchen accessory trends of the year and claimed they can add a premium to property prices of as much as 3.2 per cent.

A pot filler flows approximately three to four gallons of water per minute, which is more than double the rate of a traditional sink tap, she told The Telegraph. This lets you fill larger pots very quickly so that you can get on with your cooking.

This convenience is driving their popularity in middle-class homes as well as celebrities, according to Nicolle Whyte, design director at shaker kitchen manufacturer Olive & Barr.

Typically, pot taps are seen in luxury kitchens, she said. However, due to their convenience, we are starting to see them becoming more popular in ordinary family kitchens too.

For those that cook a lot and often boil water for pasta, rice, etc, it makes a lot of sense and adds another layer of convenience, which for some homeowners is exactly what theyre looking for in a kitchen design.

Must-have addition

Helen Parker, creative director at bespoke kitchen makers deVOL, said the taps were now the must-have addition to a larger kitchen for big families and cooking enthusiasts, not just the wealthy.

Our customers are often happy to pay for this additional tap for functional and aesthetic reasons, in the grand scheme of things it is a little luxury that is not too expensive, she said.

It tends to be people who love cooking and put their money into the things that they are passionate about.

But what some call luxury, others call lazy - though that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Any labour-saving device in the kitchen could be called a lazy appliance  the dishwasher, the washing machine, etc  but eventually these new ideas become universal, said Nigel Palmer, of Rohl UK, the parent company of Perrin & Rowe.

The handcrafted brassware manufacturer saw demand for their 675 pot fillers increase by 10 per cent last year.

We want to spend our time in the kitchen focusing on food preparation. Anything that makes life simpler helps.

Tom Howley, design director at the eponymous bespoke kitchen designers, said the taps could be deemed lazy because they are essentially a second tap in the kitchen.

He said his firm had not yet seen big demand from British customers for what he described as a very American trend.

They are probably more an aesthetic fashion statement to finish your kitchen, he said.

The cost of the taps, even with plumbing and upmarket brass fittings included, is rarely much more than 1,500  a sum which is relatively minor if homeowners are already forking out for a complete four- or five-figure kitchen redesign.

If you were conducting a full kitchen refit, then the cost to install an additional pot filler tap would not have a huge impact on the overall investment, said Luke Shipway, head of product at kitchen appliance firm Caple.

The taps also mean you no longer have to wash up piles of dirty dishes before filling up your kettle, or as Mr Shipway put it: If you have a busy sink area you can also utilise the tap to fill a kettle for a quick tea break.

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Nias is a gnarly wave.

Youve seen the clips of Lagundri Bay, the perfect yet treacherous righthander on the Sumatran Island of Nias. Like the one time the boat got absolutely wrecked.

Around the corner, theres another wave. Not many surfers even give that one a go. But Matt Bromley is not like most surfers. And a handful of years ago, the South African charger caught what many called the biggest wave ever paddled in Indonesia.

In a new video, Bromley brings it back to that wave. He scraped into it no problem, made the drop look easy, then tucked in for the tube. Thats where things went wrong. The wave was roping far down the line, and Bromley had no chance of coming out.

With episode one of his worst wipeouts series, Bromley explained what happened next:

The foamball lifted me up, and exploded me so hard. Instantly, I was put hands and knees, facedown on the coral reef. The wave was pressing me down. I remember being stuck in this stance, just flattened on the coral reef.

Heavy stuff.

In the meantime, Bromleys still been charging  like near home at a shark-infested, seaweed-loaded slab in Cape Town. But that wave in Indo, it keeps calling him back.

It was an incredible experience, but man, that was scary, he said. That wave just keeps calling me back. Every time Ive been there, something amazing has happened. Its so mysto; every time I surf it, Im pretty much by myself. It keeps calling my name, because I know the best wave of my life is waiting to be ridden out there.

***

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Reporter April Helms reflects on 50 years of cosmic memories as her birthday approached on April 8, the same day as the solar eclipse.

It's not every birthday that one can expect a million people to come to your area to party.

Then again, it is my 50th birthday on April 8. That's certainly a big milestone and worthy of celebration. Now, for those who want to party with me, no presents but your presence, but I won't say no to angel food cake. Especially if it has whipped cream and strawberries, just like my great-grandma used to make it. Just skip the candles; I have no wish for my cake to compete with the sun.

Speaking of the sun, what is this I'm hearing? Something about a solar eclipse? And we are in the path of totality?

Now that you mention it, I think I did read something about this solar eclipse. Perhaps one or two (dozen) articles about it, even.

So, I guess those millions are not just coming for my golden anniversary around the sun, but for the sun itself. Just as well. I don't think my neighbors would appreciate if the throngs of people came flocking to my humble abode. At least I don't have to worry about a million party favors now.

A map showing the total solar eclipse's path through Ohio.

I first heard about the coming solar eclipse during the last solar eclipse we had, on Aug. 21, 2017. That afternoon, I was able to hang out with one of the classes at the former Woodridge Primary School as the area witnessed the partial eclipse of the sun. It was fun watching the eclipse (through a pair of special safety glasses, of course). It was even more fun watching the awe and excitement on the faces of the young students as they watched the sun disappear behind the moon's shadow and the sky darken to an eerie twilight hue.

Mother Nature even cooperated that day, parting the clouds long enough for us to actually witness the eclipse. Northeast Ohio has a bad habit of being overcast on days when the skies want to bestow something wonderous on us mere mortals, and that day had been mostly cloudy until just the right moment.

Later that day, I heard at the school that another eclipse would be coming our way in a few years, and this time, much of Northeast Ohio would be in the path of totality.

Oh? I had asked. When is this?

April 8, in 2024.

Wait, what?? I did the mental math and realized that this eclipse, the first total eclipse where this area would be the best spot to see this exciting event in more than 200 years, falls on my 50th birthday. How's that for coincidence?

Hard to believe that partial eclipse was seven years ago. Those young students I met at Woodridge Primary during that last eclipse are now in high school.

I feel old.

There are few things that make one reflect on both the brief span of time we live and the infinite nature of the cosmos as looking up to the skies. The heavens are constantly showering us with spectacular (and sometimes terrifying) phenomenon. Here are just a few of those moments from the past 50 years.

When I was in sixth grade, my Girl Scout troop, led by my mom, put together a yearbook for the sixth-grade class at Barber Elementary. This was also the year Halley's Comet paid us a visit. We were encouraged to create art for the yearbook. This was my contribution.

Halley's Comet

My sixth grade year was also the year that Halley's Comet passed close enough to Earth to be seen. Its path crosses near our humble planet every 76 years. That year was full of talk about the comet and its history, including how Mark Twain was born in 1835 and died in 1910  both years where Halley's Comet made its appearance.

I remember going to one of the parks and catching the somewhat blurry comet through the largest telescope I'd ever personally seen at that point in my life. Because I've always been more than a little vertically challenged, someone had to lift me up to peer through the eyepiece.

First lunar eclipse

I admit my memory is a bit fuzzy on this one, but I remember when I was younger, there was a lot of buzz on a lunar eclipse on a blue moon, which is generally defined and the second full moon of the month. I don't recall if this was a ful eclipse or a partial eclipse.

What I do recall is being wild with excitement as mom, dad and I headed to one of the local parks, I think Goodyear Metro Park. I recall the radio station playing a constant stream of moon-related tunes from the Chevy Chevrolet.

I was giddy with anticipation as I waited. Would the moon completely disappear? Would it actually turn blue? How long would it take?

As it turned out: no, no (it turned a deep red) and too long because I remember drifting off to sleep through a part of it. Ultimately, I remember feeling underwhelmed by the entire experience.

Perseid meteor showers

I could never completely tick off my many fond memories at Camp Ledgewood, a Girl Scout camp in Peninsula where I spent many a wonderful weekend and summer. I'd quickly lose count.

One fond memory was setting up tents near the lovely little pond on the campground, where we'd spend the night and stargaze. The camp was a fantastic place to marvel at the beauty of the cosmos. But there are usually a few days in late summer where the universe provides an extra show: the Perseid meteor showers.

These showers could be hit or miss. I remember years where we didn't see many meteors streak across our atmosphere. But I do recall one year where the meteors blazed across the sky consistently. It was a sight to behold!

This year's Perseid meteor showers are expected Aug. 11 and 12, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Hale-Bopp Comet

The appearance of the Hale-Bopp Comet in March 1997 left mixed feelings for me. On one hand, it was a spectacular sight in the night sky, easily visible without even binoculars. I remember watching the comet over several nights, marveling at its brightness even in the suburban areas. It was even more impressive than its better-known relative Halley's Comet and what I suspect Comet Kohoutek was supposed to be.

However, the bright comet left a dark mark, with the death of 39 people involved in the Heaven's Gate cult, led by Marshall Applewhite, who was one of the dead. The members believed that an alien spaceship rode on the comet tail of Hale-Bopp, and the best way to get on board was to drink vodka laced with barbiturates.

Other expected 2024 celestial events

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, we'll be getting another eclipse in June  this one a full lunar eclipse. On June 21 into 22, a day after the summer solstice.

Another lunar eclipse, a partial one, is coming in September. We should be able to see a partial lunar eclipse Sept. 17 and 18. It is expected to be a partial eclipse indeed: only about 9% of the moon, a small bite, will be covered by the Earth's shadow.

But the big one, of course, is going to be The Eclipse on April 8. On my birthday.

Now, I have lived in the Akron area all my life. I know the odds for blue skies are not good in this area. Early spring in Northeast Ohio is, as a late friend often put it, a near-constant shade of "relentless gray." I have a photo of second grade me shoveling snow that's about up to my knees on my birthday.

But one can hope, right? Maybe? For my birthday?

Reporter April Helms, who was often called a space cadet in her youth, can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 50th birthday aligns with eclipse to unlock trove of spacey memories
Befitting its title as the Sunshine State, Florida's sunny climate has made it an ideal place for orange trees to grow. Even though citrus trees aren't indigenous to North America, Florida offers all the elements needed for the crop to flourish: subtropical temperatures, a lot of rainfall, and a sandy soil that allows the water to drain properly. Farmers have been growing oranges in the state since these fruits were first brought to the U.S. in the late 15th century. However, the Great Florida Freeze of 1835 eradicated citrus farming in northern Florida, as well as in Georgia and South Carolina.

Two more freezes that occurred in December 1894 and February 1895 further prompted the industry to move to southern Florida permanently. Today, Florida is one of the country's largest citrus producers, yielding 45.1 million boxes of oranges between 2021 and 2022 (per the Florida Department of Agriculture). However, you'll rarely see local Florida stores selling homegrown oranges. Ninety percent of the state's yield is used for processing everything from frozen and canned orange juice to citrus by-products, and the fruits that are sold in retail markets mostly come from California.

Getting to try a Florida-grown orange would require looking for roadside stores and farmer's markets in the state where the remaining 10% get sent. It is a worthy endeavor, however. Florida grows around 150 varieties of oranges and the four most popular types among them are prized for their sweet, juicy flesh. They are navel, Valencia, Hamlin, and pineapple oranges.

Read more: 13 Simple Tricks To Pick The Best Fresh Fruit Every Time

Navel Oranges

Closeup of several navel oranges - Gomezdavid/Getty Images

Named after its belly button-like feature, navel oranges are ranked as the most popular orange variety. Easy to peel despite their medium-to-thick rind, they have a glossy, slightly pebbled peel. Navel oranges can have between 10 to 12 sections and they're known for their sweet and tangy flavor that's become the standard for orange juice. Their navel-like feature is actually an undeveloped second fruit that's a result of genetic mutation. The halted development of a "twin" fruit inside is also the reason why these oranges are seedless.

Navel orange trees are propagated through cutting and grafting, and their original source tree is found in Brazil. They were first introduced to the U.S. when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) brought back seedlings from South America in the 1870s. Navel oranges are great for adding to fresh salads since you don't have to worry about removing the seeds. They're also good for making orange-based marinades and sauces, especially when the recipe doesn't call for a specific type. You can use both the juice and zest to bake citrus-flavored goods.

However, when it comes to commercial juicing, navel oranges aren't the best choice due to their limonin, a compound that causes the juice to develop a bitter taste after getting exposed to oxygen for a few hours. You can still extract the juice for drinking at home as long as you plan to consume it immediately. When cooking with it, make sure to prepare the juice no longer than 30 minutes before it gets added to a dish. Navel oranges are available from November to June.

Valencia Oranges

A dish of Valencia oranges next to a pitcher of orange juice - Everyday Better To Do Everything You Love/Getty Images

Referred to as "juice oranges," Valencia oranges have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. Their flesh is also tender and juicy, making them ideal for commercial juicing -- especially since they contain little to no limonin. Their sections also contain very few seeds and they have a thin peel that's golden orange in color. However, since Valencia oranges are available from March to September, that means they ripen under the warmer weather of summer.

Exposure to heat and sunlight triggers the chlorophyll in the fruit's skin, which explains why these oranges sometimes develop green patches on their peel. This reaction doesn't affect their flavor, though. The skin also contains glands that store the fruit's fragrant oils, which is why you'll find their peel to have a leathery texture. These fruits are named after the coastal city of Valencia in Spain, which is also known as "The Orchard of Spain." In Florida, they make up  of the state's total citrus crop.

Because of their balanced flavor, Valencia oranges are great for eating raw. You can also separate the sections of the fruit to use as toppings for desserts, and they're perfect for making drinks and dressings since their juice doesn't turn bitter. Their flavor also complements pork so make your next marinade for pork chops or ham glaze with Valencia orange juice. Release the fragrant oils in the peel, too, by zesting them over pastries and other sweet treats. You can also dehydrate slices of this fruit and dip them in dark chocolate.

Hamlin Oranges

Five whole Hamlin oranges - Enlightened Media/Shutterstock

Another popular Florida-grown orange that's used for juicing is the Hamlin orange. It is named after A. G. Hamlin, the owner of an orchard in Glenwood, Florida, where a chance seedling of this variety was planted in 1879. It has a sweet and slightly tart flavor but is low in acidity. Hamlin oranges are smaller than both navel and Valencia oranges, with a thin rind and a smooth peel with very fine pits.

They also ripen earlier, with their harvest season starting in October and lasting until January at the latest. This fruit generally contains up to six seeds, although some may be seedless. Their juicy flesh and delicious flavor have made Hamlin oranges a worthy substitute for Valencia oranges, especially since the latter takes longer to ripen. However, most people find Valencia oranges to still produce better-quality juice in terms of sweetness and color. That shouldn't dissuade you from enjoying Hamlin oranges, though.

Eat them raw as snacks, use them to make OJ in the morning, and add their juice to your marinades and sauces to brighten them up. The fact that this type of orange is one of the most cold-tolerant ones is a good reason to appreciate it since oranges usually only flourish in warmer weather. When your favorite varieties aren't in season yet, Hamlin oranges can provide you that citrusy flavor you crave, along with a burst of vitamin C.

Pineapple Oranges

Whole and sliced pineapple oranges on a white background - Alexandrumagurean/Getty Images

You won't be the only one to get excited over the idea of a hybrid fruit between a pineapple and an orange, but that's not what this Florida-grown produce is. Pineapple oranges, which are sometimes referred to as pineapple sweet oranges, grow and ripen from November to early January, making them a mid-season fruit. This variety is believed to have originated from a seed that was planted in Sparr, Florida, after 1860. The fruit was originally named "Hickory," but because of its rich, sweet flavor and delicate scent, it was renamed "pineapple orange" around 1883.

Pineapple oranges have a finely pitted reddish-orange peel, a medium-to-thick rind, and tender flesh. Each orange typically contains anywhere between 15 to 25 seeds. Seedless varieties of the pineapple orange exist, though. One of them is the U.S. Seedless Pineapple, the development of which started in 1970, according to the USDA. By 1983, the variety had advanced enough to allow its propagation in a commercial grove in Osceola County, Florida.

Pineapple oranges rose in popularity after the freezes that had occurred from 1894 to 1895, especially with their appearance and their excellent flavor that's great for processing into juice. However, this type of orange isn't a cold-resistant one. Ripened fruits also tend to drop from the tree and they're susceptible to pitting due to stress. Despite these issues, pineapple oranges remain one of Florida's most popular citrus crops. Excellent for snacking, their juice can also be used for making drinks, salad dressings, and sauces.

Read the original article on Tasting Table
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has extended the National Security and Defense Council's sanctions against a number of Ukrainian and foreign companies  86 in total. Restrictions have also been imposed on Vadym Alperin, who is called the "king of smuggling."

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This is stated in the presidential decree of April 4. In addition, sanctions have been extended against other individuals suspected of smuggling. In particular:

Romanian and Ukrainian citizen Oleksandr Yerimichuk;

Romanian and Ukrainian citizen Yuriy Kushnir;

Ukrainian citizen Orest Firmaniuk;

Viktor Sherman, a citizen of Ukraine;

Andriy Popov, a citizen of Russia and Ukraine;

citizen of Russia and the Republic of Armenia Araik Amirkhanian.

The sanctions are imposed for a term of 3 to 10 years. They include, in particular:

blocking of assets;

restriction of trade operations;

restriction, partial or complete cessation of transit of resources, flights, and transportation through the territory of Ukraine;

prohibition of capital withdrawal from Ukraine;

prohibition of activities on the territory of Ukraine.

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The restrictions also apply to 86 companies associated with Ukraine's top smugglers. Most of them are Ukrainian companies, but there are also "representatives" of Russia and China.

In addition, 2 companies are registered in the temporarily occupied Mariupol, Donetsk region. And 3 are registered in Sevastopol.

All companies are subject to sanctions for a period of 3 to 10 years. They include, among other things:

freezing of assets;

complete cessation of trading operations;

preventing the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine;

prohibition of participation in privatization.

The case of the "smuggling king" Alperin is reopened

Earlier, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) overturned the closure of the case of the sanctioned Odesa businessman, the "smuggling king" Vadym Alperin, who was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship on April 14, 2021. The case concerned large-scale customs abuses and the creation of a criminal organization, which had been under investigation since 2019. Now the case will be heard anew, starting with the first instance of the HACC.

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"On March 22, 2024, the HACC Appeals Chamber upheld the appeal of the SAPO prosecutor against the decision of the HACC panel of judges of 12.10.2023 (that's when the Alperin case was closed  Ed.) to close the case based on paragraph 10, part 1, art. 28 of corruption at customs against 6 people whose corrupt acts in 2016-2017 during customs clearance of goods imported into Ukraine caused the state losses for more than UAH 60 million After hearing the arguments of the parties, the court of appeal upheld the prosecutor's position and ordered a re-examination in the HACC," the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

At the same time, the release does not mention Alperin's name, but according to journalist Oleh Novik, it is the case of the Odesa businessman. This is also indicated by the dates mentioned in the SAPO release.

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The court closed the criminal proceedings in the Alperin case in October 2023 by a decision of the same panel of judges: Chairman Oleksandr Semennikov, judges Andriy Nikiforov and Dmytro Mykhailenko. The reason was the expiration of the pre-trial investigation after the notice of suspicion.

As a reminder, according to the prosecution, Alperin created and headed a criminal organization that imported goods into Ukraine at a reduced customs value. The investigation claims that companies from Alperin's orbit imported goods under false documents.

The customs declarations indicated the understated value of the goods. Customs officers then rejected these declarations because of the false value of the cargo and adjusted the value of the goods with violations, which became the basis for canceling such actions in court.

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As a result, the goods were still imported into Ukraine at a lowered customs value, and the companies were refunded the financial guarantees they had transferred to customs officers to import the goods. This scheme at the Kyiv and Odesa customs offices became one of the largest in Ukraine and caused the state multimillion-dollar losses.

As OBOZ.UA reported, at the end of 2023, warehouses and offices of companies controlled by Alperin were searched in Ukraine. According to law enforcement, despite the sanctions, the businessman continued to coordinate tax evasion, money laundering, and smuggling in Ukraine.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
You start dating someone perfectly nice. Great personality, killer smilea mensch to bring home to Mom and Dad. Theres just one problem: Your significant other isnt embarrassing, but his Instagram is.

Its not just the decade-old selfies or the blurred concert pics; theres no shame in having only a few dozen followers or overindexing on latte art. But is this the kind of partner who can hold his own in an eventual engagement collab post? Will what friends and relatives see suggest someone with a good job, platinum airline status, and a taste for Bode chore coats? In an era in which a relationship progresses as much on social media as it does IRL, what happens when a partners digital presence lags behind his real world person?





For the writer and photographer Hannah Yoest, it was obvious from the beginning that her fiance Alec Dent had potential. Both worked in journalism at the time, and she followed him on Twitter, taking note of his sharp commentary. But when the two got serious, she put her foot down. While some women want their partners to delete an exs phone number, Yoest, 30, was interested in putting in motion a different kind of life change. She had noticed that Dents handle on Instagram was @thealecdent, and she had to insist. Hes not the kind of guy whos like, Im the person,  she says. Hes much more tasteful than that. And I thought his page should reflect it. Yoest has almost 30,000 followers on the platform. Dent, 26, has just over 250. He deferred to the expert.

One New York finance exec knew that she wouldnt be able to persuade her successful fiance to level up his Instagram, where he hasnt posted since 2018, she says. Instead she asked him to spruce up his companys website to reflect his accomplishments. His photo was out of date, and his bio didnt do justice to his genuine achievements. If her friends Googled him, she worried that they might be left with an inaccurate impression. (It was easier for Jane Austen. The Bennet sisters prospects didnt have to update their LinkedIn profiles.) The execs soon-to-be husband didnt necessarily share her concerns, but he wisely acted on them. When you would search him before, you couldnt find his company, you couldnt find his bio, she says. Now you search and see all the right links. Id like to take credit for his next fund.



Not all partners are so compliant. The author and speaker Chelsey Goodan has been begging her husband to revamp his social presence since the two met. His Facebook profile photo features him in a white tank top, holding a beer. He claims to have chosen it as a joke. But it has been up for so long that in the time its been live he has stopped drinking. Im like, What is happening?  Goodan says. Instagram is no better. His handle there is @666fooda riff on devils food that she knows he thinks is so clever. Goodan blames a generational divide (shes basically a millennial; hes a firm gen X) and the fact that he doesnt seem to grasp that social media is a kind of alternative resume. This man is a supercool music producer, she says. He has a Grammy, for heavens sake. Goodan says that he can do what he likes with his feeds, but when the two appear in photos together, she hesitates to tag them.

We live at a time when every aspect of our lives is curated online, and I think a relationship is a big piece of that curation. If youre not on the same page with your partner, that can lead to other issues in real life, says Madeline Hill, a social media strategist. Her advice to the aggrieved party in a couple is to frame a conversation around how it makes you feel. Youre so cringe, for example, is not an ideal conversation starter. Instead she recommends probing the deeper issues with a gentle opener: Is there a reason your presence is really chaotic?

In the end Dent cut the dreaded the from his handle and added a sleek middle initial. He has since archived several of his old posts and repopulated his feed with photos Yoest has taken. She didnt ask him to do it. He came to the realization all on his own.

This story appears in the April 2024 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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In the immortal words of child psychologist Jean Piaget, Play is the work of childhood; however, a new study proves that play isnt just beneficial for kidsit can positively impact working parents, too.

Research company Opinium, on behalf of LEGOLAND New York, asked 100 American CEOs about their thoughts on how employees who play with their kids at home translates to their work style, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.

We see parents getting fully immersed in the LEGOLAND New York experience and creating memories with their little ones through play every day. We had a theory that parents can translate this creative, imaginative, playful energy to their adult work lives too, Stephanie Johnson, Divisional Director of LEGOLAND New York Resort, tells Motherly. In the study, we saw that a majority of CEOs (68%) agree that play time with kids can lead to more creativity at work.

In addition to creativity, 79% of respondents believe play positively impacts innovation and culture in the workplaceand a staggering 94% of CEOs think play can help reduce employee burnout.

So what can companies do to ensure their employees are getting enough play in their lives? Offer PTO (Play Time Off)! The majority of CEOs who took the survey (66%) said they would consider offering benefits that encourage employees to play more, including time off to play. LEGOLAND is doing its part by launching a new initiative that motivates working parents to take the play time off by pledging to use it at LEGOLAND New York this summer. The first 10,000 participants will be entered to win parents play free entry codes for the park.

Setting aside time for play isnt the only way employers can empower working parents. The Fifth Trimester and Vivvi recently teamed up to publish a report called The R.O.I. of Caregiving Benefits that unearthed some remarkable statistics about how family-friendly practices in the workplace improve productivity and increase profits.

Nearly half of the respondents (42%) who considered leaving their job in the last year said they stayed because of how their employer supported their caregiving, and 59% said if they had back-up or subsidized childcare theyd be likely to stay with their company for at least four years. In turn, devoted employees result in more profits for companies. The case studies show that every $1 invested in caregiving benefits and culture drives $18.93, for an R.O.I. of nearly 18x.

These studies may produce differing types of data, but theres a common message: supporting working parents is good for business.
When is Passover 2024? What to know about the Jewish holiday of freedom

Display the seder plate and hide the afikomen: Passover will be here soon.

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is the most observed Jewish holiday. Known as the Festival of Freedom, it commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs.

The holiday occurs during the month of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, usually in March or April. It's observed with formally structured seders (festive, ritualized meals) among families, friends and communities and other sacred traditions.

But what is Passover? Should you wish a Jewish friend or coworker a happy Passover? Heres what you need to know.

What is Purim? Everything to know about the Jewish holiday, from costumes to hamantaschen

When is Passover 2024?

This year, Passover begins before sundown on Monday, April 22 and ends after nightfall on April 30 in the United States.

In the Hebrew calendar, Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which will always be a full moon because the Hebrew months are tied to the lunar cycle. The calendar used most often everywhere else, the Gregorian calendar, is based on a solar cycle and the two calendars don't quite match up. The Hebrew calendar moves forward about 11 days every Gregorian year.

Passover lasts for seven days. On the first and last days of Passover, work is not permitted. Many Jewish communities will hold seders the first two nights.

What is Passover?

Passover celebrates the birth of the Jewish nation, according to chabad.org.

The story of Passover comes from the Book of Exodus in the Torah (the Hebrew Bible), which details the life of Moses thousands of years ago and his holy mission to demand freedom for the Israelites, who had been kept in slavery by the Pharoah for 44 years. When the Pharoah repeatedly refused Moses' pleas and ignored his miracles, God sent a series of 10 plagues against the land. The final one slew the firstborn of every family in Egypt but passed over the houses of the Jews. Pharoah released them and then sent troops after them, but Moses led the Jews to freedom. Passover commemorates those events.

According to the Haggadah, a book used during the seder on Passover eve, Moses commanded all Jews to remember the day when God freed them from the house of bondage and made them a free people, and to tell their children.

Passover is celebrated by more than 6 out of 10 U.S. Jews, more so than Yom Kippur, according to a 2021 Pew Research report.

The Festival of Freedom: Passover recalls Jews' release from enslavement in ancient Egypt

How is Passover celebrated?

"Why is this night different from all other nights?"

That's the first of the Four Questions traditionally asked by the youngest child attending the Passover Seder, as part of the ritualized feast. The multistep ritual is usually held at the family's home and combines food, prayer, teachings, songs and games for fellowship and to pass on the story to younger generations.

Some Jewish families or groups will display a seder plate with symbolic foods that mark the holiday. Maror, or bitter herbs, represent the bitterness of slavery, for example.

Seders involve moving through a book called a Haggadah, which contains stories, prayers, poetry and other teachings in Arabic and Hebrew, occasionally with English translations. It is based on God's instructions in Exodus 10, "That you may tell in the hearing of your son and your sons son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord."

Different families or communities use different Haggadahs, but the point is the same. Jews are urged to imagine themselves as part of the story.

The Seder takes place the first night for Jews inside Israel, and the first two nights for all other Jews around the world.

I can't stop buying Haggadahs for my Seders. Here's why I'm obsessed with collecting them

I miss my parents' Seder: Laughter, drinking, singing and food

What are the Four Questions?

The section of the Haggadah popular with younger attendants is the Four Questions.

During this part of the dinner, the youngest child present (who can read) recites four questions to the rest of the group. Known in Hebrew as "Mah Nishtanah," these questions are:

On all other nights, we eat chametz (leavened foods) and matzah. Why on this night, only matzah?

On all other nights, we eat all vegetables. Why, on this night, maror (bitter herbs)?

On all other nights, we don't dip even once. Why on this night do we dip twice?

On all other nights, we eat either sitting upright or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline?

In a call-and-response format, after each question is asked the remaining dinner guests respond, explaining to the new generations how the traditions came to be and what they mean for the Jewish people.

What foods are eaten (or not eaten) during Passover?

Many Jews during Passover do not eat certain leavened foods, known as chametz, to honor the plight of the Israelites as they left Egypt. "Leveaned" means any food product made from wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt that has come into contact with water and been allowed to ferment and rise. That includes bread, pasta, beer, liquor and more. Homes are thoroughly cleared of all remaining leavened products before the holiday.

The Sedar plate is used to display six symbolic foods that help retell the miraculous story of Moses and the Passover as recorded in the Book of Exodus. The foods are:

Matzo , or unleavened bread, which is broken into pieces to represent the ancient Israelites breaking the shackles of slavery. The pieces also represents priests, Levites and Israelites, and commemorates the story in Genesis when Abraham and Sarah were visited by three angels and bread was hastily baked for their visit.

Parsley , or karpas in Hebrew, represents the slaves' back-breaking labor. It is dipped in salt water, representing the slaves' tears.

The Beitzah, a hard-boiled or roasted egg , represents the life cycle and the meat sacrifices brought to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem prior to the holidays. The egg is eaten after it, too, is dipped in salt water.

The lamb shank or bone represents the lamb sacrificed and eaten on the eve of the Exodus. The lamb's blood was used to mark the Israelite slaves' doorposts so that the final plague  death  would "pass over" their homes.

Bitter herbs , or "maror," traditionally consists of horseradish or romaine lettuce stems, and recalls the bitterness of the Israelites' experiences in captivity.

Charoset is a blended mixture of apples, pears, nuts and wine. It represents the mortar and bricks the Israelite slaves used in building for their Egyptian masters.

Popular Passover dishes include roasted chicken, gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, potato kugel, candied carrots and rack of lamb.

Matzo, kugel, and plenty more: 5 Passover recipes to whet your appetite

Sacred foods and dramatic storytelling: The joyous feast of Passover Seder

What is the afikomen?

Hiding matzo and having children find it during the Passover Seder is a tradition for most Jewish families. Jeremy Hogan | Herald-Times

The afikomen is the last thing eaten at many Passover seders.

The matzo is broken and the pieces eaten at different stages of the ritual. At the end, everyone must eat at least a small portion of matzo.

In some families, the afikomen is either hidden for children to find or "stolen" by the children to be ransomed back.

Should I wish someone a Happy Passover or other greetings? Is it appropriate to say "Happy Passover"?

If you want to greet a loved one who is celebrating Passover, Happy Passover is an appropriate sentiment.

You could also say chag sameach, which means happy holiday in Hebrew, or chag kasher vsemeach, which means have a happy and kosher Passover.

Pronounce the "ch" in these words with a strong H sound, like in "Loch."

I've been invited to a Passover Seder. What should I bring?

Gifts are appreciated, but avoid food unless it's been prepared in a Kosher manner in adherence to Jewish law or is labeled Kosher for Passover, according to Chani Benjaminson of chabad.org.

Safer gifts include fruit, flowers or Passover recipe books, Benjamin said.

What is Shavuot?

During Passover, a 50-day period begins called the Omer. At the end of it, Jews celebrate Shavuot.

According to the Jewish faith, Shavuot celebrates the time when Moses received the 10 Commandments and the Torah by divine revelation  for Christians, in this case, the Torah would be considered the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament  on Mount Sinai.

"The giving of the Torah was a far-reaching spiritual eventone that touched the essence of the Jewish soul for all times," explains Chabad.org. "'Shavuot' also means 'oaths,' for on this day Gd swore eternal devotion to us, and we in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to Him."

Jews who observe the holiday of Shavuot typically self-reflect during the 49-day "Counting of the Omer" period and work on their spiritual growth.

What is Shavuot? Everything to know about the Jewish holiday, the Feast of Weeks

Contributor: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Passover: Here's when Jewish Festival of Freedom begins in 2024
A local wedding photographer is making amends with the central Ohio community after recovering from substance abuse and depression that left dozens of his clients in the dark.

John Ferreira, 34, remembered seeing a Reddit forum post about him and his business "John R Photo" over two years ago, warning other users not to hire him and that he had taken payment for wedding photos and never followed through with the photos for his clients.

"People started bombarding me with phone calls, fake requests, harassing text messages, all that stuff," Ferreira said of the Reddit post. "I just completely disconnected and was dead-set on that was just what my life was going to be  no real will to live or do anything besides get high."

At the time of the Reddit post, Ferreira said, he was deep in the throes of drug and alcohol addiction. He had dozens of clients who he accepted payment from and had even taken their wedding photos.

John Ferreira is a former successful photographer who is making amends with the wedding clients he stiffed after drugs took over his life. He says he simply didn't show up for two weddings and was years late in delivering pictures to more than 30 other clients.

"I would try and do things that made me feel normal. One of the things that was familiar was shooting weddings, so I would still go, and I would shoot the gig," he said. "Once I would get back home, that was it. I would just sit there and exist  drunk. I just stopped doing the other half of the stuff for weddings."

Ferreira, who moved to Columbus in 2017 from Florida, got into photography as a hobby  and because he learned photographers could get into concerts for free. After taking photos of some shows, people began asking if he was a full-time photographer, so he turned it into a business.

Ferreira said he began heavily abusing alcohol after he fell into a deep depression following a sudden divorce, coupled with new stress from the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. From there, he said, he also began abusing crack cocaine.

"Drugs took over, and obviously the depression was tenfold," he said.

Making amends

Eventually, substance abuse and depression cost Ferreira his apartment on the South Side. He wasn't there when he was evicted, so by the time he came back all his belongings had been picked over by others. After being evicted from a second apartment, he began living out of a van and was homeless for about two months.

"I would think about all of this stuff that I had to fix, right. And it became so overwhelming," he said. "So my only solution was to keep getting high and drunk instead of just slowly trying to do it."

In 2023, Ferreira agreed to watch his friend's dog in Grove City while they were away, and his friend agreed to let him use his fiancee's car, which had tracking software. While Ferreira was using the car, his friend called him and asked him why the car was on the West Side of Columbus and why the vehicle had an extra 1,000 miles on it in just three days.

"Then he showed up at the crack house that I was staying at one day and just took the keys, and was like 'Go get f------ help,'" Ferreira said.

John Ferreira's intake photo at New Day Recovery in Youngstown.

A few days later, Ferreira checked himself into New Day Recovery in Youngstown and has been sober since. After getting sober, he started using his friend's laptop to edit and send photos he had taken for clients, finally completing the work people had paid for. In all, he had 36 weddings to complete, as well as birthday parties, engagements and other events that he shot.

Several of his former clients had opened a case with the Ohio Attorney General's Office, and he would often get calls from the office. One day while he was at New Day, he finally decided to answer. He gave the office a list of all the clients he had outstanding work for and chipped away at the work throughout 2023 until he had none left.

As he finished his commitments to the people expecting their photography, he said a majority of them seemed to be understanding and glad he has gotten the help he needed.

In late March, Ferreira made his own post to the Columbus Reddit forum, explaining how he had been working to make amends with his clients and that things can get better for people struggling. He even said he found another client through the post whose photos he needed to do.

"Redemption is possible," he said to The Dispatch.

Now over a year sober, Ferreira works at Ohio Addiction Recovery Center in Grove City as activities director, where he tries to show others struggling that an important tool for staying sober is having fun and enjoying yourself. He even said he looks forward to getting back into shooting weddings, concerts and other events.

One thing he hopes people take away from his experience is that people struggling with mental health issues and substance abuse aren't alone.

"My story's similar to so many other people's stories," he said. "Just because the damage that I caused was more widespread and felt in different ways doesn't make it different. Everybody has the bridges they burned, or the ones that are burning, the ones that are gone. The amends that need to be made if possible."

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Post substance abuse, Columbus wedding photographer makes things right
Seattles favorite bakery is coming soon, Boise. Order now for local pickup

Nothing personal, Boise, but we all secretly want to live in Seattle.

At least our taste buds do?

Because we have a serious thing for one of its bakeries.

After visiting the Treasure Valley to drop off orders in January, Piroshky Piroshky is slated to return again.

Seattles favorite bakery, as it likes to call itself, will be back Monday, April 15, for a preorder pickup event  this time from 5 to 7 p.m. at the same place: Barbarian Brewing, 114 E. 32nd St., Garden City.

Customers have from now until 3 p.m. Saturday, April 13, to order their favorite pies, rolls, cookies and other delicacies at piroshkybakery.com.

Goods will be frozen and shipped from Seattle on an air cargo plane. Piroshky Piroshky team members will distribute them to Idaho customers at the brewery pop-up event. Barbarian Brewing co-owner BreAnne Hovley said that the turnout and order quantity last time was pretty great.  All the boxes filled an entire U-haul truck.

With a flagship bakery in Pike Place Market, Piroshky Piroshky is known for delicious baked goods. Pike Place Market/Facebook

Its easy to understand why  at least when you peruse Piroshky Piroshkys menu. Try not to drool at the thought of sinking your teeth into a Smoked Salmon Pate Piroshky ($8), Chocolate Cream Hazelnut Roll ($6), Cinnamon Cardamom Braid ($6) or vegan-friendly Veggie Chipotle Piroshky ($7).

A one-of-a-kind, Eastern European-influenced bakery, Piroshky Piroshky has run its flagship Pike Place Market location for more than three decades, serving more than 10 million tourists and locals, according to a marketing email sent for the last visit.

In 2021, owner Olga Sagan told the Idaho Statesman that she started doing Washington pop-up events the year before to keep employees working during COVID-19 shutdowns. Selling goods online and expanding the idea to other states, Piroshky Piroshky suddenly had a new revenue stream.

Idaho has been a steady market. Last fall, Piroshky Piroshky visited in October and handed out orders at Clairvoyant Brewing Company in Boise.

Through the years, Piroshky Piroshkys email said, our bakery has received recognition far and wide, graced by the spotlight on Anthony Bourdains No Reservations and the Zimmern List on the Travel Channel. By recognizing the immigrant journey embedded in our creations, Smithsonian Magazine honored us as one of The 20 Most Iconic Food Destinations Across America. Each accolade is a testament to the flavors woven into our storys fabric.
Weather Update, April 8, 11:45 AM ET: The weather forecast in the story below still largely holds, but things are more unsettled in the southern US, with forecasts now calling for thunderstorms from Dallas up to Indianapolis. So, keep that potential danger in mind (and keep an eye on forecasts) when making eclipse plans.

Elsewhere, the best chance of good viewing along the path of totality is still in northeastern parts of the US (Buffalo, NY, Burlington, VT), along with southeast Canada (Niagara Falls and Montreal), according to Accuweather. However, as of this morning, Apple's weather app is indicating cloudy skies for many parts of the area, including Syracuse, NY and Jersey City, NJ. In the Midwest (Cleveland), there's a higher chance of rain than before (58 percent), but no storms currently predicted.

Original story continues below

On April 8, a solar eclipse will darken the skies. This is a rare astronomical event: The last North American total solar eclipse was on August 21, 2017, and there won't be another on visible on the continent until 2044. The path of totality  where the sun will be fully blocked by the moon  covers over 30 million people in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Those lucky folks may see the suns corona and a diamond ring  both dramatic sights. Other regions will experience partial eclipses, with the level depending on how close you are to totality. Watching the moon eat into the sun, even a bit, is still a spectacular sight.

So, which cities and regions will experience totality, and when? Whats the weather forecast in those areas? And if you do have a clear view, how can you safely watch and record the event?

Where in the US will you experience the solar eclipse totality, and when?

How to watch (and record) the solar eclipse

The good news is that many major centers are in the 100-mile-wide band of totality, so millions of people will be able to see a full solar eclipse. It follows a northeast path, so Mexicos Pacific coast will get the first views in Mazatlan starting at around 10:57 AM PDT (total eclipse starting at 12:07 PDT), followed by the city of Torreon (all times local).

The total eclipse moves into the United states at 12:10 PM CDT (Eagle Pass, Texas), then hits Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas  three out of five of the most populous Texas cities. From there, it moves into Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by select parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana (including Indianapolis).

How to watch (and record) the solar eclipse (NASA)

Ohio cities Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland get the full show, followed by Erie, Pennsylvania, then Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York along with Maine. Canada is in on the fun too, with parts of southern Ontario (Hamilton, Niagara Falls) and Quebec (Montreal) getting the totality, along with New Brunswick, PEI and finally, Bonavista, Labrador at 4:03 PM NDT (Newfoundland Time).

If youre elsewhere on the continent and cant travel, know that the closer you are to the band of totality, the more the sun will be obscured by the moon (this map shows how much of the eclipse youll get depending where you are on the continent).

An impressive list of major centers are within 200 miles of totality, so theyll get a 90 percent or better eclipse (Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Toronto, New York, Boston).

Anyone in the US south, midwest and northeast should get a decent spectacle, as will folks in Canadas southeast and Atlantic coast. Even if youre not in those regions, you might still see (and can capture) a mini eclipse.

How long will the 2024 solar eclipse last?

From the beginning when the moon first starts to cover the sun (partial eclipse) until the end when the two bodies part ways is a good long time  up to two hours and forty minutes in Dallas, and 2:18 in Caribou, Maine.

However, totality itself is brief, with the duration dependent on how close you are to the center of the totality band and the time of day. Its at just under four minutes in Dallas, less than three minutes in Presque Island, Maine and a mere minute and 12 seconds in Montreal. As such, youll need to be ready and hope that the skies are clear during that brief window.

Whats the weather forecast in my area?

Its still early for an accurate forecast, but a week is enough to get a general idea by region. Suffice to say, April isnt the ideal month for clear skies. That said, an eclipse can still be visible through light cloud cover, and even if its thick, the sky will grow dramatically dark.

Unfortunately, the odds of precipitation are indeed above average across most of the band of the eclipse. Forecasts predict that the chances for clear skies are better the farther northeast you live, the opposite of historical trends.

To wit, Dallas has showers forecast throughout the day (58 percent), which would mean continuous cloud cover and no clear view if that holds. That improves a bit when you get to Indianapolis (partly cloudy, 24 percent chance of rain), with things better still in Buffalo, New York (partly cloudy, 11 percent).

Things are looking good right now in Montreal, though, with mostly sunny skies and only a 9 percent chance of rain, and the same goes for Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Niagara Falls also figures to have decent weather during the eclipse (mostly sunny, 18 percent) and is in the path of totality, which has led to the city declaring a state of emergency out of caution. Officials estimate that a million people could pour into the area, creating potentially dangerous crowds.

How can I watch the solar eclipse at home?

Staring at the sun is obviously dangerous for your vision, and doing so during an eclipse can be just as harmful. Even though you may not feel discomfort immediately, you may damage your eyes via an affliction called solar retinopathy. That can lead to serious consequences like eye pain, blind spots, blurred vision and more.

How to watch (and record) the solar eclipse (American Astronomical Society)

To view it safely, you must purchase a pair of approved solar eclipse glasses based on an international safety standard called ISO 12312-2 (regular sunglasses wont do). That dictates the maximum luminous transmittance, along with the range of permissible wavelength transmittance (UVA, UVB and infrared).

Theres certainly still time to grab a pair if you dont have them already. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has many recommendations for manufacturers and vendors, both online and at retail chains.

Warby Parker, for one, is offering free glasses (limit two per person while supplies last). You can also find them at Staples, Lowes and Walmart, or online at B&H and multiple science and astronomy stores.

The AAS advises against searching for the lowest price on Amazon or eBay, however, in case you get a bad knock off. Before you buy a solar viewer or filter online, we recommend that you make sure that (1) the seller is identified on the site and (2) the seller is listed on this page, it says on its Solar Eclipse Across America site.

How to watch the solar eclipse safely without glasses

How to watch (and record) the solar eclipse (Canadian Space Agency)

Its possible to view an eclipse without glasses via indirect means, as well. The simplest way is by punching a small round hole in a piece of thick paper or cardboard, then positioning it so the sun shines through the hole onto the ground or a flat surface (you can also attach a piece of foil with a hole, as NASA shows here). That will project an image of the Sun's disc, letting you see the eclipse in real time.

The same pinhole principle would let you use anything with perforated holes, like a colander, projecting dozens of tiny eclipses on a surface. Trees can do the same thing, casting weird leaf shadows with little solar eclipse chunks out of them.

How to watch (and record) the solar eclipse (Benjamin Seigh/Wikimedia)

For a bit better experience, you can build a crude box projector. With that, the sun shines through a hole in tin foil onto a white card, and you can look through a larger hole at the card, with the sun behind you. The Canadian Space Agency explains exactly how to make that.

Never, ever view an eclipse directly through a pair of binoculars or a telescope, as thats a guaranteed way to damage your eyes. That said, you can use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to project the sun onto a piece of paper, as shown in this video.

How to take photos or video of the solar eclipse

Unfortunately, you cant just point your smartphone or camera at the sun to record the eclipse, as the brightness will overwhelm the sensor and ruin the image (and possibly damage the sensor). Luckily, you can shield your camera just as you do your eyes.

The cheapest way to do that is to buy an extra set of eclipse glasses, then cut out an eyepiece from one and tape it over the smartphone (or other camera) lens. That will reduce the light levels enough to see detail in the sun throughout the partial eclipse and totality.

You can also purchase dedicated smartphone solar filters like the VisiSolar Photo Filter, which are designed for cameras and not direct viewing. Another choice is the Solar Snap Eclipse App Kit, which also offers an app that aids in photographing the eclipsed sun. Its advisable to also wear solar glasses when setting up your smartphone or camera to protect your eyes.

If youre shooting the eclipse with a dedicated mirrorless or DSLR camera, youll need either a mylar, 16-stop ND (neutral density) or hydrogen alpha solar filter. Again, do not look directly into a DSLRs optical viewfinder at the sun if the lens doesnt have one of those filters attached (the electronic viewfinder on a mirrorless camera is safe).

To photograph the eclipse with a smartphone, turn the flash off and put the camera into ultrawide or wide mode so it stays in frame. Do NOT look directly at the sun to line up your camera if youre not wearing solar eclipse glasses.

Dont use the digital zoom to try to make the eclipse bigger, as youll lose resolution (you can zoom in later in your photo editing app). Once focus is set on the sun, use your smartphones focus lock feature so that it doesnt hunt for focus and blur the eclipse.

During totality, the diamond ring effect only lasts a split second, so use the burst mode of your camera or youll likely miss the shot. And try to capture RAW (rather than JPEG) images to keep the maximum detail possible for later editing. Some iPhone and Android smartphones have RAW capability built-in, if not, you can use a third-party app.

If you decide to capture video, youll need a filter as well, of course. But you should also use a tripod, as shooting handheld will induce blur and result in a shaky video. Even a cheap tripod will do the trick, along with a simple smartphone holder. Capture the highest resolution you can (4K or even 8K) at the highest quality possible. Youll also capture any cheering, shouting, etc.  a precious souvenir you can look back on again and again.

More resources

There are plenty of government and private sites with more information about the eclipse, starting with the AASs eclipse site, detailing things like eye safety, imaging, resources and even a totality app  an interactive map that shows what youll see at any location in North America for the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.

NASA also offers a dedicated site for the North American Eclipse, as does the National Weather Service and National Solar Observatory. A private site called Great American Eclipse is largely commercial, but does have a very useful map showing the band of totality and how much of the eclipse youll see depending on location, along with a comprehensive list of eclipse times and durations by city.

Update, April 5, 12:30PM ET: This story was updated after publishing to include more details about the total solar eclipse's path of totality.
Templeton is known for its rye whiskey, which it has sourced from MGP in Indiana since its founding in 2006. But in 2018, Templeton opened its own distillery in the Iowa town of the same name and has been making whiskey there ever sinceand it turns out its not just rye. Last week the distillery released Templeton Fortitude, the first bourbon and the first release to be entirely produced and aged in Iowa.

For years, the Templeton story centered around the period during Prohibition when bootleggers set up shop in Iowa, with the brand even claiming that the original Templeton rye whiskey was Al Capones preferred drink. In 2015, several class action lawsuits were filed against Templeton alleging that the company misled consumers about where the whiskey was actually produced (Iowa instead of Indiana) and intentionally mislabeled it as a small batch whiskey (although there is no legal definition for that term). The lawsuits were settled, the labels were changed, and this is now a part of whiskey legal history.

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Until now, the Templeton portfolio has consisted of rye whiskeys aged for four, six, and 10 years, along with a few cask finishes. None of the rye that is being distilled in-house has been dropped yet, which makes this bourbon release even more notable for the distillery. In keeping with the rye whiskey theme, Fortitude is a very high-rye bourbon: The mashbill is 55 percent corn, 40 percent rye, and 5 percent malted barley. While the rye is imported, the corn is sourced from local farmers located within 15 miles of the distillery, and the whiskey is mashed, fermented, distilled, and matured onsite.

We got an early taste of Templeton Fortitude Bourbon, and its a good first release. The whiskey was bottled at 92 proof and is non-chill filtered, which allows some extra flavor to shine through on the palate. There is no age statement, but its labeled as straight bourbon so it must be at least 4 years old (the flavor profile indicates a bourbon in the 4-to-5-year-old range). The mouthfeel is a bit thin and overall the palate is on the lighter side, but this is a tasty bourbon with a nice sweetness to it thats tempered with a good amount of spice from the high rye content. There are notes of honey, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, black pepper, Meyer lemon, and cinnamon on the palate, making this a suitable sipping bourbon that would also work very well in cocktails.

Templeton Fortitude Bourbon is just rolling out now nationally, so it might be difficult to find online at the moment. But check websites like ReserveBar, which currently has all of the rye whiskeys for sale, because it should be available there soon.

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I Talked To An Astrologer To Understand What's In Store For Us Ahead Of The Total Solar Eclipse, And Phew, I Don't Know If Youre Ready

I Talked To An Astrologer To Understand What's In Store For Us Ahead Of The Total Solar Eclipse, And Phew, I Don't Know If Youre Ready

Astrology is kinda having a moment right now. In just a little over a month, SZA, Kacey Musgraves, and Ariana Grande all sang about their Saturn returns on their new records.

A "Saturn return" happens when Saturn returns to the same spot in the sky as when you were born. According to astrology, it's usually a time of reflection on all your choices thus far, and can serve as a bit of a wake-up call  SZA sang about Saturn changing her for the better, Ariana sang about waking up and changing her life, and Kacey sang about getting rid of bad habits and people. Saturn returns happen every 27-30 years or so, which makes sense why SZA, Ari, and Kacey are reflecting on 'em a few years into their 30s (also being children of the 2010s millennial astrology boom). John Shearer / Will Heath / Todd Owyoung / Getty Images

Now, we're on the heels of a total solar eclipse next Monday, April 8th  and whether you're astrologically inclined or not, it's a big deal.

Solar eclipses happen when the sun, moon, and Earth line up. During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking daylight for a short period on Earth. Four solar eclipses exist  total, partial, hybrid, and annular. Total eclipses happen when the moon completely covers the sun. Space Frontiers / Getty Images

Solar eclipses are natural, visible phenomena that have fascinated humans since ancient history. According to NASA, the first recorded eclipse in human history may have been in 3340 B.C.E. in County Meath, Ireland. Since then, humans have constructed various supernatural and scientific explanations and reactions to these celestial events.

OK, so wait  what is the deal with eclipses though? Why does it feel like they're always some "rare" occurrence, but they've happened before? Didn't we just have one in 2017?

Every time we have an eclipse, I hear someone say, This wont happen again for another 150 years, but then the shit happens every year and a half.  Jason, ex Inferis (@benedictsred) March 30, 2024

Twitter: @benedictsred

First, contrary to popular belief  this guy is (kinda) correct. Eclipses are not rare; they happen twice a year ~somewhere~ on Earth. However, seeing them in the same place on Earth IS rare, and total eclipses are less common. For example, the last total solar eclipse in the US happened in 2017, and the next one visible in the US won't be until August 2044.

Leopatrizi / Getty Images

And, this total eclipse (now cueing "Total Eclipse of the Heart") is particularly special, at least that's what Rebecca Gordon, a New York City astrologer, author, and astrology school founder tells me. So, if you're like me and dabble with your birth chart occasionally, Rebecca helped break down what this total solar eclipse means, why it's special, and what it might mean for you.

Rebecca Gordon Astrology / Via rebeccagordonastrology.com

So, Rebecca, we know what a solar eclipse is, but astrologically speaking, what's their significance?

Rebecca Gordon: "In astrology, a total solar eclipse creates a breakthrough in your life and often an expedited evolution. Eclipses often bring a dramatic course correction in our lives such as the beginning of a new relationship, a job, or perhaps a move to a new location or the beginning of a new lifestyle. Usually, they happen in areas where we have already moved on though we are still going through the old motions.' The eclipse is a wake-up call for your body to catch up to where your soul is. Sometimes, we hang on to old patterns out of safety and fear and eclipses break us out into the vast unknown." Stan Honda / AFP via Getty Images

Ok, I kinda love that. I feel like we all need a wake-up call from time to time. How does a solar eclipse differ from a lunar eclipse?

Rebecca Gordon: "Every month, there is a new moon, followed by a full moon two weeks later, another new moon two weeks after that, and so on. A solar eclipse is essentially an extreme version of a new moon  its got the power of 10 new moons all rolled into one. The impact of a solar eclipse will ring out for the entire year, while a new moon sets the tone for that month. It can feel like many years compressed into a month, and that is called eclipse season." Mikroman6 / Getty Images

Didn't we just have a lunar eclipse?

Rebecca Gordon: "Yes, we had a partial lunar eclipse on March 25, 2024. Eclipses come in pairs, so whenever there is a solar eclipse, there is also a lunar eclipse either two weeks after or two weeks prior. Lunar eclipses are essentially 10x-powered versions of full moons. Full moons signify endings. So, a lunar eclipse will show you where you walked across the bridge, and now the bridge is in the water. There is no turning back. Lunar eclipses show patterns in your life that must come to an end. This could mean letting go of a habit, a relationship, a job, or anything else."

Ok, and if eclipses mark a big breakthrough moment, it kinda makes sense then that they have reportedly halted war, led to scientific discoveries, and occurred alongside historical events, such as the birth and death of kings, queens, and rulers. So, how do you think the total solar eclipse on April 8 might impact us?

Rebecca Gordon: "Eclipses have been known to coincide with major events that changed history. This eclipse is no exception. And because this one is in the fire sign of Aries, the message will be loud and clear. This solar eclipse happens on April 8, 2024, though the impact will reverberate for the entire year and perhaps many more. Eclipses send shockwaves into the future, so pay special attention to the opportunities and conversations entering your life within a month (plus or minus April 8). New ways of living begin." Dea / De Agostini via Getty Images

Eclipses have also evoked various meanings for different cultures throughout history  for some fear, for others rebirth, change, and growth. But it seems like an eclipse is kinda what you make it. Is a solar eclipse something to be feared, or embraced? How should we approach eclipse season?

Rebecca Gordon: "In the ancient world, eclipses were feared and seen as omens of sudden change, which is not far from reality. It is crucial that you have extra space and time in your schedule around eclipses as things will fly in from left field. You will need room to respond to these new opportunities. Get more rest, take more time out for meditation, go on walks, and give yourself room to process these beginnings and endings. If you don't know what is ready to change in your life, you may consider what you have outgrown, though you are still holding onto. Eclipse season can feel scary because it pushes us into the unknown." Afp Contributor / AFP via Getty Images

Rebecca compared the eclipse season to a faltering radio broadcast. She said, "The sun is like a radio station that broadcasts light and encoded information to Earth. When the moon crosses the sun during an eclipse, the radio station shuts down. By the end of the eclipse, that old station can no longer be found." It's like your life changes a station, and you must welcome the new music, despite it being unknown.

"It is best for us to approach the eclipse with a sense of curiosity, wonder, and openness to a new way of living," Rebecca told BuzzFeed. Luen Wantisud / Getty Images

So, I have to ask about myself  while I'm astro-curious, I certainly am no guru. After hearing about Saturn returns buzzing in popular music right now, I thought Huh, maybe I am going through my Saturn return too,' because things just feel a little out of whack. But I'm not in my Saturn return season. Could it be that the eclipse has something to do with it instead?

Rebecca Gordon: "Yes, based on your chart, you are not quite in your Saturn return yet, though you are directly in the solar eclipse line of fire. This eclipse occurs in the sky at exactly 19 degrees of Aries, and you happen to have a planet (Saturn) at 19 degrees of Aries. What are the chances! Also, this solar eclipse happens to be in your house of career meaning that April will put a lot of attention on your public persona and conversations now will turn the course of your life. This is a good thing, as it shines a light on you, revealing new talents and potential." Nbc / Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images

Oooh, I'm excited by this. All this time, I thought I was in my Saturn return, but really, I'm rather poignantly in the throes of eclipse season (at exactly 19 degrees of Aries!!!). Ok, enough about me though, let's talk about everyone else. What might the eclipse mean for different zodiac signs?

Alright, got it? Excited, nervous, scared, skeptical? Don't worry  according to Rebecca, it's natural. She said, "Eclipses force us to evolve beyond our comfort zone, and even if you resist, nature has a way."

Rebecca compared the process of change that might come about with an eclipse to that of a baby bird cracking out of its shell (and I kinda love that). She said, "There is a point when a baby bird cracks open its shell when it becomes too confining. This is not a choice, but an evolution. Eclipses speed up this process tenfold, so I would encourage you to be more curious about new directions and loosen the grip on what you know and have always done. Change is inevitable here, and its a lot more painful if we fight it. We may as well make room with open arms." Andrewgenn / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Alright, phew. Changes, reflections, and hard truths. Accept it with open arms. Got it. I think what I appreciate about astrology, is that even if you're like, "This is BS!," there's some truth in all these platitudes. Whether you believe in any of the spiritual interpretations of the eclipse or not, we can all take time to reflect on some truths we've been ignoring. Perhaps the eclipse season is just that perfect moment to do so.

Grant Faint / Getty Images

And look, while I just rattled off a whole convo with an astrologer, I'm a skeptic too. But I find beauty in the fact that ancient to modern cultures, tribes, and the present-day fortune cookie BuzzFeed quiz astrologists have all found connections through the stars, wondered about their existence, and questioned their meaning to our Earth.

Not to mention, no matter your take on the stars  from tracking time, dictating agriculture, and aiding in navigation, they definitely have had an important purpose for us Earthlings, even if you're less confident about their spiritual leanings. Historical Picture Archive / Corbis / Getty Images

And, to give the celestial some more credit, there's some wacky sh*t. Like, Rebecca told me about all the events that just so happened to occur during eclipse season, like women's right to vote (1919), the founding of the UN (1945), and the passing of the US Civil Rights Act in 1964. And apparently, there's a thing with the Royals and eclipses (soooo many have born and died on them, like what?).

To the skeptics, Rebecca told BuzzFeed, "Astrology is essentially just the correlation between astronomical events and life on Earth. Astrologers are skilled in pattern recognition. I feel its important to look at data and facts when it comes to eclipses, as these are some of the most striking correlations between celestial events and human experiences." Bettmann / Bettmann Archive

So there you have it! Do with the total solar eclipse season as you want. Take it, leave it, throw it in the trash, whatever  you'll have to face those hard truths one way or another!

For the astrologically inclined, you can keep up with Rebecca Gordon on Instagram and her website. And, if you're lookin' to understand your birth chart better, you can use her free guide.
Total Solar Eclipse Causes Surge in Pricing and Demand for Hotels, Airbnbs: What to Know as a Traveler

A hotel in Texas is charging $1,325.56 for a room, 10 times its usual rate, ahead of the eclipse on April 8

Getty A hotel room (left) and an eclipse viewer

While many are hoping to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse April 8, those traveling for the event may find that lodging in areas along the eclipses path is more than they were prepared to spend.

According to a press release from AAA, booking data shows that hotels in the most popular cities along the eclipses path of totality are 48% more expensive during the weekend ahead of the eclipse than they were at the same time last year.

The much-anticipated event, which marks the first total solar eclipse since 2017, will pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to NASA.

It will start at Mexicos Pacific coast, and then enter the U.S. in Texas. The eclipse will then move through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will then travel to Canada in Southern Ontario, and make its way through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

Airbnb tells PEOPLE the company has seen a 1,000% surge in demand for cities along the path of totality, from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada.



MARCO DE SWART/ANP/AFP via Getty Pupils, wearing protective glasses, look at the partial solar eclipse in Schiedam on June 10, 2021

Related: All About the Rare Total Solar Eclipse, Including Where It Occurs and How to See It

In fact, Airbnb rentals are nearly 90% occupied along the path of totality for the eclipse  and one out of four guests with a reservation the night before the eclipse have booked a stay along its path.

John Henderson, president of Days Inn by Wyndham, tells PEOPLE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts have seen bookings pace up by more than 100% for April 7 and 8, While he notes owners are seeing revenue increases, the company's North American hotels are franchised, which means they manage their own rates and inventory.



Getty A solar eclipse

Airbnb named upstate New York  including Lake Placid, Buffalo, Rochester and Niagara  at the top of its list of trending domestic destinations for U.S. travelers ahead of the eclipse. A search for flights from New York City to Rochester that weekend turned up results that were roughly five times the typical rates.



According to travel company Navan, the average hotel booking price in Niagara Falls is up 249% during the week of the eclipse, compared to the previous week.

Vermont is another hot spot for eclipse viewing.

A search for accommodations in the Green Mountain State showed even hotels and motels 150 miles south of the path of totality have increased prices by as much as 100 percent for the two nights in high demand: April 7 and 8.

The owner of Burlingtons South Side Inn, which is charging $1,585 a night for rooms that usually go for $120, told the New York Post that guests have even made up stories in an effort to snag a bargain.

A couple claimed they were coming to town for their daughters wedding that weekend, South Side owner Greg Nixon told the Post. They wanted a room [at the standard price]. We told them that we couldnt do it. I felt terrible. But, on the way out, the man said, Actually, there is no wedding. He was lying. He totally had me.



Related: The Rare Total Solar Eclipse Means Free Food at Chilis, Cracker Barrel and More

Waco, Texas, ranked third on Airbnbs list of trending destinations.

Forbes recently reported that even budget hotels in rural towns in Texas are charging rates above $1,000 for rooms during the big event.

For example, the Wine Country Inn in Fredericksburg, a few hours from Waco, was asking for $1,288.19 with taxes for a king room the night before the eclipse, which is more than eight times the cost later in the week. And The Inn at Uvalde wanted $1,325.56 for a room with a queen bed, which is 10 times its usual rate.

If youre still seeking a moment out of the sun  and havent yet booked accommodations along the eclipses path  Airbnb advises that its not too late.

They still have inventory available to book the night of April 7 in the following cities: Richardson, Texas; Syracuse, New York; Bloomington, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Kingston, Canada; Pflugerville, Texas; Henderson, Kentucky; Toledo, Ohio; and Rochester, New York.

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People are flocking to view the spectacle  in which the moon passes between the sun and Earth, obscuring the face of the sun  for good reason.

According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. wont happen for another 20 years; it's expected to occur on Aug. 23, 2044.



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Read the original article on People.
 Flash

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China-Vietnam relations achieved rapid development last year since the top leaders of the two parties jointly announced the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, giving a new meaning to the line "so profound is the friendship between Vietnam and China, because we are both comrades and brothers."

Since the beginning of this year, the top leaders of the two parties have exchanged new year greetings and maintained the momentum of high-level visits, while border provinces have pursued close cooperation and two-way personnel exchanges have achieved new breakthroughs, Wang said.

He added that China always regards Vietnam as a priority in neighborhood diplomacy, and stands ready to work with Vietnam to implement the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties, make solid plans for bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and jointly push forward the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future to a new level.

The two sides should focus on the six-point proposal on building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future and work together to promote cooperation in various fields, such as strengthening high-level strategic communication, accelerating the alignment of development strategies, and continuing to expand cooperation in the economic and trade investment, digital economy, green development, new energy and key minerals, according to Wang.

Calling on both sides to jointly safeguard international equity and justice and continue to support each other on issues concerning major common interests, Wang said that it is necessary to be vigilant against engaging in camp confrontations in the region and cobbling together various "small circles" to undermine regional peace and stability.

Bui Thanh Son said that as a neighbor, comrade and brother, Vietnam supports China's development and always regards China as the top priority and strategic choice of Vietnam's foreign relations.

Vietnam is willing to maintain close coordination with China, promote economic and trade investment, deepen sub-national cooperation, actively promote Vietnam-China friendship, build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that bears strategic significance, and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he added.

Vietnam adheres to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on Taiwan and issues related to Xinjiang and Xizang, opposes interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights and democracy, and will strengthen multilateral coordination with China to safeguard common interests, Bui Thanh Son said.

He added that Vietnam is willing to work with China to implement the high-level consensus between the two countries, properly manage differences, actively promote maritime cooperation and consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The two sides also exchanged views on other issues of common concern.
Out of eleven points proposed by the Hungarian side, five issues were agreed upon. This became known following an online meeting where the Ukrainian and Hungarian delegations discussed ways to address the main issues on the bilateral agenda.

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This was announced by the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, who headed the Ukrainian delegation. The Hungarian delegation was headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto.

In addition to them, the meeting was attended by: Vice Prime Ministers Olha Stefanishyna and Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Heads of the OP Ihor Zhovkva and Olena Kovalska, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Yevhen Kudriavets, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yevhen Perebiinis, Head of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Yulia Hryshyna, Head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration Viktor Mykyta, and Head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelenskyi.

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The report notes that the parties agreed on the previously developed positions on national communities.

"Discussions are ongoing, but the work will be completed as soon as possible," Andrii Yermak said.

In addition, he noted significant progress in expanding logistics and transportation capabilities at the common border.

"Trucks will be allowed to cross the Luzhanka-Beregsurany checkpoint without weight restrictions this month. In addition, a new checkpoint Velyka Palad-Nagyhodos will be opened to reduce queues on the border with Hungary," the head of the OP emphasized.

According to him, new prospects in social, economic, infrastructure and other areas will give both countries the opportunity to become richer and stronger.

"Joint working groups have been formed in each of the areas to look for effective solutions to problematic issues," Yermak summarized.

ADVERTISIMENT

As reported, on Wednesday, April 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Brussels. According to the Foreign Minister, the meeting was lengthy.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto admitted that Budapest was blackmailing Kyiv with the rights of Hungarians in Zakarpattia. That is why "at some point in the future," when the meeting promised by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was to take place, will not happen.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Veterans adore affordable units at Courtney Place: 'Im finally here where I need to be'

Army National Guard veteran Timothy Goodale is thankful for his new apartment at Courtney Place after spending the past few months couch-surfing.

Anthony Kinnon walked into his new two-bedroom apartment at Courtney Place for the first time this week, envisioning a place his 9-year-old daughter could someday visit.

I cant believe all the luxuries and amenities, said Kinnon, one of the first residents to move into the veterans housing complex across from the Withnell Family YMCA in downtown Salem.

By the end of the month, organizers expect the 34-unit complex to be at capacity, with built-in peer support and dedicated wrap-around services for residents.

I havent been involved in the veteran community, said Timothy Goodale, another resident. Thats probably why Im excited to be here.

Courtney Place provides affordable housing for low-income veterans, many of whom recently experienced homelessness. The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs said the state has about 1,500 homeless veterans, according to the most recent Point-in-Time (PIT) count, an estimate that officials believe to be low.

Goodale spent the past few months couch-surfing. Kinnon lived at VETcare Veterans Home, which provides secure housing and reintegration services for veterans experiencing homelessness.

Both are grateful for the stability Courtney Place provides.

Im using this basically to restart my life, Goodale said.

Courtney Place offers more than just housing, but a home for veterans

Organizers and supporters were relieved to finally welcome veterans into the four-story complex on the corner of Cottage and Court streets NE, nearly eight months after the "grand opening" celebration.

Supply chain issues related to electrical boxes for each unit put the actual opening on hold and subsequently delayed inspections. Before that, there were funding challenges.

Peter Courtney, the namesake for the facility, helped lock down $7 million in Oregon Lottery funds from the Oregon Legislature. U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley helped secure $2 million in federal funds, with foundation grants and community donations covering the remainder.

Four veterans cut the ribbon celebrating move-in day Courtney Place in downtown Salem.

The vision behind Courtney Place has been to provide more than just housing for veterans in need, but a home and place for them to navigate services and programs.

Far too often, our veterans face hardships and struggles, said AJ Klausen, a U.S. Marine veteran and the board president for Y Veterans Housing. Our duty is to honor and provide them with resources and support they need to not just survive, but we want them to thrive at Courtney Place.

A veteran must earn less than 60% of the median income set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or $35,160, to qualify for housing at the complex. Applicants are screened for credit, criminal and rental history and must provide their military records.

Monthly rent is $865 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,035 for a two-bedroom.

'I'm finally here where I need to be'

Kinnon, 44, served in the Army from 1998 to 2003, spending time in Germany, Kosovo and stateside. He was a cannon fire direction specialist, helping determine target locations for a field artillery unit.

His homeless journey started in 2022 after the Medford townhouse he was renting sold. After moving around and couch-surfing, he sought help through the Veterans Administration and eventually was sent to Virtue at the Pointe Recovery Center in Astoria.

Kinnon, a recovering alcoholic, received treatment for addiction and co-occurring disorders. He said he suffers from anxiety, PTSD and depression. After completing an aftercare program in Milwaukie, he spent time in the Portland area before coming to Salem.

Anthony Kinnon, center, was among the first veterans to move into Courtney Place in downtown Salem. Steven Diaz, left, and Steve Taylor were among the others.

While at VetCare, he worked on getting a drivers license, catching up on health care appointments and training to be a peer support specialist. He now has a peer support job with Project ABLE and is one year and two months sober.

Im finally here where I need to be, Kinnon said, adding that he hopes to be an inspiration for other veterans who may be struggling with homelessness and addiction. If I can do it, you can. There are people who care about you and many people and organizations that can help you achieve your goals.

'I've never had my own place'

Goodale, 28, served in the Army National Guard from 2014 to 2020, first in Alaska and then in Oregon. He had assignments in military police and the infantry and spent time as a cook.

Housing has been a challenge in recent years while attending Western Oregon University. He stayed with a friend after a roommate asked him to move out while he was recovering from colon surgery.

Couch-surfing, basically, Goodale said. Not quite homeless. I had a place to live.

He said he earned a marketing degree at Western Oregon and is self-employed. He often meets clients downtown, so the location of his new apartment at Courtney Place is ideal.

He moved in a desk and bed earlier this week and hoped to get some second-hand furniture for the combined living room and kitchen area.

Ive never had my own place, Goodale said. Ive always been either with family or friends or had roommates, so this is a nice start.

Residents sign 1-year lease at veterans housing complex in Salem

The Y Veterans Housing organization is a nonprofit formed to operate the complex. Andrew Holbert, a Marine veteran who served one tour in Iraq and has spent the past decade serving his veteran peers, is the executive director and one of two staff for the organization.

Holbert told the four veterans who cut the ribbon before moving in this week, including Goodale and Kinnon, to reach out to him if they needed anything, from silverware to a shower curtain.

Residents receive a membership to the YMCA across Cottage Street, and Goodale and Kinnon are eager to take advantage of free access to programs and services.

Both signed a one-year lease and hope to be able to afford to move on when it ends.

Theres other veterans who need it more, Goodale said.

Kinnon agreed, already saying he looked forward to being able to pass the torch to the next veteran.

In the meantime, he is taking classes at Chemeketa Community College and saving for a car, and he cant wait for his daughter to see his new apartment with a view of the Gold Man atop the Oregon State Capitol.

I think Salems going to be my home for a little while, he said.

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com, and follow her work on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Courtney Place in Salem provides housing security for veterans
Morocco has a lot of waves, and even more surfers.

So, when Juliette Lacome decided to fly south from France for some long right points, she knew exactly who to call to dial her in: Othmane Choufani.

In the edit above, Choufani and Lacome navigate sponges, speedbumps, and fairly hectic lineups during a small swell at Morocco's most popular haunts.

As you'll see, surfing is getting more and more popular in Morocco, and when the surf is only 3- to- 4 feet, everyone is out.

When it's double that size and rifling down the point?

Not so much.

While the waves are quite average (by Morocco's standards anyway), the pair manage to stack 3 minutes of clips on rippable, head high rights. While the crowds look intense, theres no better tour guide than Choufani, and he rolls out the red carpet for his good friend.

***

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Will $1.3 million fundraising haul give this Democrat an edge against GOP incumbent Valadao?

Rudy Salas  a Democratic former Assemblyman from Bakersfield who is running to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford  raised more than $1.3 million from more than 18,000 individuals in first three months of 2024.

Im truly thankful to have so many people believe in and donate to our campaign. said Salas in a statement announcing the fundraising haul.

Valadao and Salas are in a rematch of their 2022 race. Salas came within a 3% margin of Valadao in the November 2022 congressional election.

In the primary, Valadao received 32.7% while Salas got 31.3.6%, according to unofficial state election results. The state will certify the results by April 12.

Valadao and Salas advanced from the March 5 primary election that also included Republican Chris Mathys, a rancher and businessman; and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, in the left-leaning district.

The national Democrats threw their weight behind Salas for the primary instead of Hurtado.

People need a champion who will put the Central Valley first, just as I have always done, said Salas, who was born and raised in the Central Valley.

The Californias 22nd Congressional District, a Latino-majority voting district, includes most of Kings County and parts of Kern and Tulare counties.

The 47-year-old Salas, who served five terms in the state Assembly, is trying to become the Valleys first Latino elected to Congress.

According to campaign manager Kyle J. Buda, Salas now heads into the general election season with more than $750,000 cash on hand, which is more than double what Salas had at the same point in the 2022 cycle.

Our fundraising strength puts us in a position to reach voters with our message throughout the district, said Buda.

The 46-year-old Valadao, who has represented the area in Congress for the better part of a decade, raised $113,936, according to the Federal Elections Commissions. Candidates have until April 15 to report their fundraising through March 31.

Im once again humbled to receive the support of so many voters across the Central Valley, Valadao said in a statement sent to The Bee after the primary was called by the AP. Ill continue working hard to earn your support again in November.

Valadaos campaign couldnt be reached for comment regarding the money raised by Salas during the first quarter.

The 22nd Congressional District is one of several toss-ups for the House in California. A rematch between Rep. John Duarte, R-Modesto, and former Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, is taking place in the 13th congressional seat.

Duarte won by 564 votes in 2022.
1 in 3 Tri-Cities students chronically absent. Why are our schools doing worse than many?

Tri-City school districts are struggling to get students to attend class on a regular basis, and it could have lasting consequences for both the schools and the students.

Nearly 16,000 Tri-Cities students were chronically absent from school during the 2022-23 school year. Thats a population larger than many of the regions mid-sized school districts.

The figure makes up nearly one in every three students enrolled in class in the Kennewick, Pasco and Richland school districts.

The data was published this year by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and provides the first clear picture of student attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person learning and regular attendance practices.

Research shows regular attendance is a crucial factor in student achievement.

The National Center for Education Statistics shows students who attend regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not. Simply put, days spent away from class mean less learning opportunities.

In high school, attendance is a key indicator of how likely a student is to graduate.

Its especially important for kindergarten students, who build a knowledge base of skills theyll use to learn for years to come.

The chronic absenteeism rate in the Tri-Cities is more than 2.5-times higher than it was when compared with 2018-19, the last full school year with reliable data prior to the pandemic.

And chronic absenteeism rates in the Tri-Cities remain higher than state and national averages.

Heres a breakdown of last years data, showing how many students in each school district werent in regular attendance:

Pasco School District: 36%, or nearly 6,700 students

Kennewick School District: 30%, or nearly 5,700 students

Richland School District: 25%, or about 3,500 students

Nearly 16,000 Tri-Cities students were chronically absent from school during the 2022-23 school year.

Why students miss school

While many school districts  including Richland  saw year-over-year increases in attendance last year, rates havent begun to recover in Kennewick and Pasco. Its unclear why.

Specialists working with students say theres no one dominant reason why Tri-City students arent attending class as regularly as they used to, but systemic hurdles made worse because of the pandemic  including, for example, rising mental health issues and transportation challenges  remain a major contributing factor.

Every student and familys situation is so unique to them, said Amber Gonzalez, associate director of Communities in Schools Benton-Franklin.

Her organization has 31 full-time student support coordinators working in 33 schools around Prosser, Kennewick, Richland, Pasco and Finley.

Those workers address attendance and behavioral challenges for schools and individual students using an evidence-based model thats tailor made for each scenario.

Gonzalez said students are struggling with behavioral norms and regular attendance routines. Anxieties with grades, social interactions with peers and teachers, and sickness are also influencing students to ditch school more often.

The rising cost of living and struggles caused by unstable housing also are affecting students, Gonzalez said.

Weve had some older students who have been helping with bills, have been getting jobs and helping their families with child care, she said.

Richland High School students head home at the end of a school day in this 2022 file photo.

Washington students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10%  about 18 days  or more of the 180-day school year.

Regular attendance is defined by OSPI as having, on average, less than two absences per month, regardless of if they were excused or unexcused. And an absence is defined as missing at least half the school day.

Truancy is a narrower definition of absenteeism. It specifically measures days when students missed schools and recorded an unexcused absence.

OSPIs data includes all students enrolled for at least 90 days throughout the school year.

Schools across the U.S. have been grappling with record-low attendance.

More than a quarter of the 49 million U.S. public school students missed 18 or more school days during the 2021-22 school year, making them chronically absent, according to The Associated Press. That number was at just 15% prior to the pandemic.

Absenteeism and truancy rates have historically been highest among students who are homeless, come from low-income families or who are in the foster care system.

How Tri-City schools are helping

OSPI and school districts across Washington are mounting a full-court press to re-engage students after the COVID pandemic.

Tri-City school districts have said recently that addressing the rise in absenteeism rates is among their top priorities.

Studies indicate that the pandemic has profoundly impacted the health and well-being of our students, Pasco Superintendent Michelle Whitney said in a statement.

Changes in learning environments, health concerns and various disruptions have contributed to a rise in absenteeism. We acknowledge that absenteeism can impact academic progress, social connections and overall student success, she continued.

Pasco, which has the highest rate of irregular attendance in the Tri-Cities, is addressing the issue through a multi-faceted approach that includes creating supportive environments, supporting mental health resources including tele-therapy sessions, offering flexible learning options, increasing engagement with parents and keeping a closer eye on attendance.

Chairs are stacked on desks in an empty classroom.

School districts, including Richland and Kennewick, share many of the same early-intervention strategies used to catch students before their attendance gets worse, including notifying parents when their student has an unexcused absence.

Teachers, school counselors and building administrators also regularly work with students and families to address barriers and root causes of bad attendance.

The key to breaking the pattern of chronic absenteeism is working closely with the students family, said Shawna Dinh, Richland School Districts public information officer.

For the past few years, OSPI has been funding regional teams to support student attendance and engagement with pandemic funds called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER).

The teams scour attendance rates, grades and other data points to identity students who may be struggling, and then meet with them to find ways to resolve whatever challenges they may be facing to attend regularly.

The project has been pretty successful so far, Katy Payne, OSPI executive director of communications, said in a statement.

A bill introduced this past legislative session would have continued funding for the program, but it failed to pass or receive any money in the states supplemental budget. States and school districts have until the end of September to spend the rest of their ESSER money.

We are likely to make another request next year, but in the meantime we are continuing to provide professional development and technical assistance to districts across the state to learn how to build these early warning data systems and support their students and families to stay engaged in school, Payne said.

Malorie Kahls position is one thats funded under OSPIs attendance and re-engagement project.

She works as a regional engagement and attendance coordinator with Educational Service District 123, serving in-school specialists and counselors in Southeast Washington school districts from Prosser to Clarkston.

Although her program is ending, Kahl said shes optimistic that school districts and communities will rise to the occasion to reduce student absenteeism in the coming years.

Were in the first full year back without any restrictions. Theres a lot we can learn about this year, she said. Just figuring out what motivates students, learning about how we can be engaging is something that I believe all schools are grappling with a little bit.

Kahl said one motivator that keeps students across all demographics in school is a simple one: Positive interactions with adults and their peers.

Congestion in a main hallway as students change classrooms at Chiawana High School in Pasco.

Changes in addressing truancy

K-12 education is the paramount duty of the state, according to the Washington Constitution, and children have a guaranteed right to public education. With few exceptions, children between 8 and 17 are legally required to attend school.

Several days of unexcused absences can lead to serious legal proceedings, according to the Washington ACLU.

Schools can file truancy petitions against parents if their student have seven days of unexcused absences in a month or 15 unexcused absences in a year.

If a court finds the parent violated rights guaranteed to the student under the states Becca Bill, they can be fined up to $25 for each day the student is absent without an excuse.

But piling absences rarely lead to that. In most cases, after seven unexcused absences, parents and teachers schedule a conference to identify the reason for the students low attendance and establish a plan.

Schools offer academic help, credit retrieval opportunities, bilingual instruction, counseling, family therapy or 504 plans to help students get back on track.

If a student continues to miss classes, Tri-City schools then reach out to the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center to send a truancy officer out to conduct a home visit.

Escalating truancy can result in a petition and a subsequent hearing between the Community Engagement Board, parent and student. During these hearings, families are given information about attendance laws and discuss their reasons for non-attendance and the team works to help the youth and family develop an education success plan.

Since 2016, state laws and approaches toward truancy have shifted from a primarily punitive model to a support-driven model. That includes changes to state law that went into affect in 2021 striking a juvenile detention requirement for students who miss classes.

As a result of the shift, and because of the pandemic, Tri-City schools have been filing fewer and fewer truancy petitions to bring families in front of juvenile court. Figures provided by Benton-Franklin Juvenile Court Administrator David Wheeler support that.

During the 2018-19 school year, a total 713 petitions were filed with the Juvenile Justice Center.

In 2020-21, during the height of COVID, that number dipped down to a record low 41.

With less than three months left in this school year, only 103 petitions have been filed.
The Hesperia Unified School District will receive just over $1.8 million to help construct new school classrooms at Joshua Circle Elementary and Krystal School of Science, Math & Technology.

California state Sen. Scott Wilk announced that the State Allocation Board, of which he is a member, recently approved the new funding for the school district.

Sen. Scott Wilk helps secure $1.8 million for Hesperia Unified School District classroom construction at Joshua Circle Elementary and Krystal School of Science, Math & Technology.

Success in life starts in the classroom. Investing in our students, making sure they get the education they deserve in new, well-equipped classrooms, is vital to ensuring that early success, said Wilk. Quality education is something I care deeply about, and I am so grateful to see these funds invested in the High Desert community. Congratulations!

The funds were approved during the State Allocation Boards April 3 meeting, with $894,792 for Joshua Circle and $909,822 for Krystal.

We appreciate Senator Wilk's ongoing support for our region and our schools, Hesperia Unified School District Superintendent David Olney told the Daily Press. In addition to his work as a member of the State Allocation Board, Senator Wilk and his staff have been active in our community, listening to constituents, and seeking ways to support education.

State Allocation Board

The Office of Public School Construction is under the authority of the state of California's Department of General Services. As staff to the State Allocation Board, OPSC implements and administers a $42 billion voter-approved school facilities construction program.

As staff to the State Allocation Board, the OPSC implements and administers a $47 billion school facilities construction program. Its responsibilities include the following:

Processing and funding school facility construction grant applications

Assisting school districts throughout the life cycle of a school facilities construction project

Auditing school facility construction project expenditures

Accounting and reconciliation functions

Providing administrative support for the State Allocation Board

Preparing regulations, policies and procedures to carry out the mandates of the State Allocation Board

The State Allocation Board membership is composed of the director of finance, the director of the department of general service, the superintendent of public instruction, three members of the Senate, three members of the Assembly, and one appointee by Gov. Gavin Newson.

The board meets monthly to apportion funds to the school districts, act on appeals, and adopt policies and regulations.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Sen. Wilk secures $1.8 million for Hesperia Unified School District
1 dead, 2 injured after piece of crane falls on bridge in Florida

April 4 (UPI) -- A construction worker was killed and two people were hospitalized after a piece of a crane fell onto a bridge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thursday, according to firefighters.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Greg May said workers were erecting the crane near the Southeast Third Avenue bridge over the New River when "some type of failure" occurred around 4:30 p.m.

The crane was next to the top of a multistory building being built on Southeast Third Avenue when a platform supporting it became unstable, causing a piece to drop a few hundred feet onto the bridge.

"They were in the process of erecting the crane and moving it up one story when something happened to that piece," May told the Miami Herald, noting the crane, itself, did not collapse.

The reason the platform became unstable is under investigation.

One construction worker died in the incident. The piece of crane hit a car and injured a woman inside. Paramedics took her to Broward Health Medical Center in critical condition.

A second person who was on the bridge when the piece of crane fell was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

With the accident occurring right before rush hour and cars streaming out of downtown, Fire Chief Stephen Gollan said, "This could have been a lot worse."

The accident shut down traffic along Southeast Third Avenue in both directions. Boat traffic in the New River near the bridge also is shut down due to the draw bridge no longer working.
1 seriously injured in stabbing, temporarily impacting Uptown light rail station

1 seriously injured in stabbing, temporarily impacting Uptown light rail station

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  One person was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing Friday evening near an uptown Charlotte light rail station, Medic confirmed.

The Charlotte Area Transit System reported that the Blue Line trains were bypassing 7th Street Station, northbound only, due to heavy CMPD activity.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

As of 5:15 p.m. Friday, the 7th Street Station platform is back to normal service.

Medic tells Queen City News the person was transported to Novant Presbyterian with life-threatening injuries. No word on a possible suspect at this time.

Queen City News has reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police for further information.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A substitute teacher in Illinois is accused of having a sexual encounter with an 11-year-old student, police said.

Alley Bardfield, 32, of Mt. Zion, was arrested April 3 on predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13 years old and grooming charges, according to a April 4 news release from the Mt. Zion Police Department.

Bardfield was a long-term substitute sixth grade teacher in the Decatur Public Schools District.

The mother of the victim noticed her son was acting differently after he visited Bardfields house on March 29, police said.

The sixth grade student told his mother he had a sexual encounter with Bardfield that day, according to police.

In a joint investigation, the Mt. Zion Police Department and the Macon County Sheriffs Office reviewed text messages, social media, and a search of Bardfields home, establishing enough evidence to arrest Bardfield.

These allegations are shocking, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a person in a position of trust, police said.

McClatchy News reached out to Decatur Public Schools on April 4 for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Bardfield is detained at the Macon County Jail, records show.

Mt. Zion is about a 45-mile drive east from Springfield.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

NASA engineer believed to be serial rapist gains trust with credentials, officials say

Officer sexually assaulted 15-year-old girl he kidnapped on duty in Colorado, feds say

Man told 14-year-old he wanted to cut her open, preyed on 200 girls online, feds say
UPDATE: THURSDAY 4/4/2024 8:18 p.m.

(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.)  Phoenix has been found and is safe.

ORIGINAL STORY: 13-year-old missing from Stratmoor Hills area

THURSDAY 4/4/2024 8:13 p.m.

The El Paso County Sheriffs Office (EPSO) is asking for the communitys help finding a 13-year-old boy who left a relatives home in the Stratmoor Hills area on Thursday night, April 4.

EPSO said 13-year-old Phoenix was last seen near Clover Circle West wearing a black t-shirt, possibly with a Special Olympics logo on it. He was also wearing black pants with red striping down the leg, EPSO said.

EPSO said Phoenix is autistic and considered high risk, and he reportedly left his relatives home without a coat. He is described as having blonde hair and blue eyes, standing 54 tall and weighing 120 pounds.

If you see Phoenix or know where he is, call (719) 390-5555.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
'These 2 men are heroes to me': Fire survivor reunites with firefighters decades later

Christina Surgeon reads a newspaper article from 1972, when she survived a fire fought by Akron firefighters David Sullivan, left, and Larry Steele. Surgeon was 1 when the fire broke out, killing her mother.

In the early morning hours of May 17, 1972, a fire broke out at a row house located at 245 Kenmore Blvd., killing three children and injuring four other people, including another child.

Christina Surgeon, then 1 year old, suffered third-degree burns over 85% of her body when the fire spread to her building next door. She was saved when her uncle threw her out of a second-story window to Charles Sims who, along with Joseph Shir, had spotted the fire in its beginning stages while they were driving through the neighborhood.

Christina's 20-year-old mother was badly burned, dying 19 days after the disaster.

Shir and Sims did all they could to stop the fire. When it became clear that it was out of control, they began knocking on doors, trying to wake residents. Shir ran to the corner and triggered an alarm box, summoning the fire department.

Firefighters David Sullivan and Larry Steele responded.

Though neither of the retired Akron firefighters take credit for Surgeon's survival, she feels otherwise.

"And I mean, I could have been one of the little kids that they were body bagging, and my children wouldn't be here, my grandchildren wouldn't be here," Surgeon said. "So, these two men are heroes to me."

More than five decades later, Surgeon finally got the chance recently to thank them for their efforts that fateful day.

'The whole world's on fire'

Retired Akron firefighter Larry Steele shows an early photo of himself during an interview at the Kenmore Community Center in March. Steele's first working fire as a rookie firefighter was a horrific blaze where three children perished in a Kenmore Boulevard apartment.

The deadly Kenmore blaze was Steele's first working fire.

He'd participated in controlled burns of houses for training, but this was different. This was chaos  towering flames, smoke and alarms, people leaping from windows.

"The whole world's on fire," Steele recalled. "I mean, the whole world's on fire at three o'clock in the morning."

According to a Beacon Journal article reporting the tragedy, the blaze began in a pile of clothing stacked on a table left on the front porch as part of a weeks-long "porch sale."

Sullivan arrived ahead of Steele as part of a separate fire company.

"When we pulled up," he said, "the chief was waiting on the curb and said, 'Sullivan, get it round back, we got kids upstairs.'"

There was already a ladder waiting, used in an unsuccessful rescue attempt by Shir, Sims and Paul Blair, the stepfather of the children.

When Sullivan entered the room through a second-story window, he discovered it was too late.

The three children were dead.

Later, it was up to Steele and some of the other rookies to put the children into body bags.

"Jeez," Steele said, recalling the moment, "It's like you're watching  you're watching, not really there doing something, but you're watching; you're not part of it."

Reconnecting Kenmore fire survivor with her heroes

Christina Surgeon, center, with retired Akron firefighters Larry Steele, left, and David Sullivan March 12 in Akron. The firefighters stand on Kenmore Boulevard, where they fought the 1972 fire Surgeon survived. The blaze killed three children and Surgeon's mother.

After nearly 52 years, it was a Facebook post on the Kenmore Historical Society's page that brought Surgeon, Steele and Sullivan together again.

Sullivan and Steele say there's only one other firefighter still living who responded to the May 17 blaze. His name is Richard Marsh, said Sullivan, and he lives in an extended care facility in southern Ohio.

Surgeon saw the photo of the remaining apartments by chance.

"It was just weird," said Surgeon.

Reading the comments, Surgeon saw Sullivan mention that he had worked on the fire. The two got in touch, and Sullivan reached out to Steele, who eventually spoke with Surgeon.

Sullivan was stunned to hear from Surgeon. People thanking firefighters decades after the fact only happens in movies, he said.

"She's the first person who's ever acknowledged any thanks that I'm aware," he said. "And for it to be 52 years later, especially from this incident, for me, was cathartic, actually; it was just providence."

For Steele, hearing from Sullivan and Surgeon transported him back to the day of the fire.

"And the whole thing is just like yesterday, and you know, it was a doozy," he said.

Finding closure and peace

Retired Akron firefighter David Sullivan talks about a horrific 1972 fire where three children perished during an interview March 12 at the Kenmore Community Center in Akron.

Meeting in person last month at the Kenmore Community Center after 52 years provided a sense of catharsis for all three.

"That fire in particular traumatized me," Sullivan said. "I can't tell you why. It wasn't particularly the most gruesome scene I've ever seen. My first day on a fire, a little baby died in my arms. Firefighting is a tragic sport."

"It was kind of a nightmare," Steele said. "But then, she's here and she's okay."

Knowing that Surgeon survived changed something in Sullivan. It matters to firefighters, Sullivan said, that people live through ordeals like these.

"They swear to fight fires save lives, and when they can't do that, some of them carry it for a long time," he said, "and this particular one was the one for me.

"I have a piece within me that I didn't have before. Someone survived that fire. I had nothing to do with it, except to witness it. And I had to witness it, just to know that someone survived. And there's children there," he said referencing Surgeon's daughter and grandchild, "and they will have children. And it'll go on and on and on."

The knowledge that someone survived a such a horrific scene provided Sullivan and Steele with a sense of closure  closure that Surgeon shares.

Her life, she said, has been hard. Her son, Jamarrick Keyshawn Valentine, was murdered in in 2019. But meeting the two men who fought the fire that almost claimed her life helps her find some peace.

"Just to know that they were young at the time and for them to carry all this with them through the years, and then to hear them say that me calling and reaching out to them is healing for them, is healing for me," Surgeon said.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Firefighters and survivor of 1972 Kenmore fire reunite, find closure
An attack on the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region of the Russian Federation, conducted by the SSU together with the Defense Forces on the night of April 5, destroyed at least six enemy aircraft. Another eight were heavily damaged.

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This was reported by informed sources to OBOZ.UA. It is known that frontline bombers Su-27 and Su-34 were based in Morozovsk, which Russia uses to drop aircraft bombs on the positions of the Ukrainian military and frontline cities of Ukraine.

The results of the joint special operation  at least six Russian military aircraft were destroyed, and eight more were heavily damaged.

In addition, about 20 military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces became "two hundred" or "three hundred".

"This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the racists," the source said.

ADVERTISIMENT

According to OSINT analyst MT Anderson, Morozovsk was home to almost 30 " driers" from which the enemy was launching bombing strikes on the Ukrainian front. These are 26 Su-34s and three Su-30/35s.

Meanwhile, Russian media reports that the wreckage of one of the UAVs that attacked Morozovsk at night fell on a private house, smashing windows, damaging walls and a fence, and killing a dog. No people were injured.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that the Morozovsk airfield, where the 559th Guards Bomber Regiment of the Russian Federation is based, has been hit. In particular, in December, a Su-34 fighter jet was damaged there.

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Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  Two engineers working for the city of Tijuana have been missing for more than a week and foul play is suspected in their disappearance.

Jose Alfonso Guerrero Chavez and Ruben Acosta were working in a remote area of the city doing topography work surveying a future roadway project.

Both have not answered their phones since March 27, according to investigators who say they suspect foul play.

A colleague who requested anonymity said Guerrero Chavez called to tell him they had encountered people preventing them from flying their drones over the area and were asking them to leave.

The city is involved in the construction of several roads into a new residential project.

Friends and family of the missing engineers have organized an independent search for their loved ones.

Private groups who search for missing people have also joined the search.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

The College of Engineers in Tijuana is distributing flyers with pictures of the missing men hoping someone spots them.

The two engineers were working out of a purple Ford S-10 truck, which is also missing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Two women from California have been arrested after a nearly three-year murder and robbery investigation of a woman in Boulder City, according to police.

The crime was described by police as a follow-home robbery which happened in October 2021 when a Boulder City resident was followed home from Las Vegas to Boulder City, where the suspects robbed her purse.

During the robbery, police said the female victim fell to the ground and had severe head injuries. She later died in December 2021 from the injuries sustained during the robbery, according to Boulder City Police.

The Clark County Coroners Office ruled the death a homicide and a murder investigation then started.

During the nearly three-year investigation detectives served numerous search warrants which ultimately led to the identification of two suspects, both residents of Antioch, California, according to Boulder City Police. Open murder warrants for the arrests of both suspects were obtained in February.

On March 18, Angela Marie Crawford was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon. As of Thursday, Crawford was being held in Multnomah County Detention Center on a Nevada murder warrant and as of Thursday was awaiting extradition.

On March 19, Amoni Z. Ponnell-Fountain was arrested in Contra Costa County, California by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. She was extradited from Contra Costa County, California to Las Vegas, Nevada on March 30th. Ponnell-Fountain now faces charges of open murder, robbery, conspiracy of robbery, and credit/debit card fraud with intent to defraud.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Boulder City Police Department at 702-293-9224 or Crime Stoppers of Nevada at 702-385-5555.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
A 20-year-old college student went out for a jog in 1979 and never returned home, North Carolina officials said.

Now, 45 years after Tammy Sue Aldridge was discovered to be kidnapped and killed, the Alamance County Sheriffs Office said it has solved the cold case. It identified the suspect as Gary Laframboise, a man who had a friend living near the students jogging route along Deep Creek Church Road in Burlington, according to WGHP and ABC11, The News & Observers media partner.

I hope that this development and whats happened here will give the family a little bit of closure, Sheriff Terry S. Johnson said during an emotional press conference shared online Thursday, April 4.

The case dates to June 30, 1979, when deputies said Aldridge was abducted while jogging. During her captivity, she was allowed to call home twice and told her family she was OK.

But then a few days later on July 3, 1979, Aldridges body was found along a highway. Her ankles were bound, and she was still warm, the sheriff said, leading investigators to believe she hadnt been dead for long.

Aldridge died from strangulation and had been sexually assaulted, authorities said. A man previously was found not guilty in the case, and rightfully so, according to the sheriff and news outlets.

Mystery lingered until the case re-opened in 2020. Deputies reportedly started looking into Laframboise and discovered he had been accused in an unrelated kidnapping in October 1979, just months after Aldridges body was discovered.

Laframboise died in 2020, so deputies compared a DNA sample from the scene to one of his family members, Sgt. Dan Denton said in the press conference. They discovered it was a match, ending the decades-long search for clues.

Deputies during their press conference shared an age-regression photo of Laframboise and asked anyone with additional information to come forward. The sheriffs office also said it cant confirm whether the suspect acted alone.

The Alamance County Sheriffs Office didnt immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on April 5. The department is based in Graham, a roughly 25-mile drive east from Greensboro.

Submerged car with human remains found, NC cops say. It could solve 41-year cold case

Man vanished from NC home. Weeks later, his body is found in a creek, cops say

21-year-old mom identified as woman who was found dead in 1999. Mystery lingers in NC
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Three men are in jail after being accused of firing shots at a deputy during a pursuit in Mississippi, according to the Lafayette County Sheriffs Office.

The suspects have been identified as Shoundarius Bogard, Mykial Penilton, and Montrell Ramsey.

MS man charged with capital murder after death of infant

On Friday morning, deputies say they responded to Highway 7 North regarding an alarm at TGC Outdoors.

Reports state that a deputy who was already in the area saw a vehicle leaving the business and attempted a traffic stop.

That is when the suspects in the vehicle opened fire on the deputy while driving northbound on Highway 7. The suspects escaped into Marshall County.

The deputy was not injured during the shooting.

In collaboration with the Marshall County Sheriffs Office, Holly Springs Police Department, and Oxford Police Department, the three suspects were found and taken into custody.

MPD: Child abuse charge after teen found in house with guns, fentanyl

Deputies also say multiple firearms were recovered, which they believe were used during the shooting incident.

If you have any information regarding this incident, call the Lafayette County Sheriffs Office at 662-234-6421.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Three candidates for Las Vegas mayor have separated themselves from the field, but the majority of voters remain undecided as the June 11 primary election nears, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The poll also asked about support for using public money in the construction of an As baseball stadium, as well as Nevada voters opinion on the most important issue in the upcoming presidential election.

The Emerson College Polling/KLAS-TV/The Hill poll shows former U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley with the support of 16% of voters surveyed in the mayors race. City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman had 12% support and Councilman Cedric Crear had 7%.

Of the remaining eight candidates in the field of 11, Kara KJ Jenkins and Janiecia Fernandez got 2% of voters support. Six candidates got 1%: Deb Peck, Michael Pacino, Tera Anderson, Lynn Baird, Donna G. Miller and Daniel Joseph Chapman. Four candidates got less than 1%: Kolawole S. Akingbade, William Walls, III, Irina Hansen and Eric Thomas Medlin.

If one candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, they would win the mayors job outright. If that doesnt happen, the two candidates earning the most votes will advance to the general election.

The winner will take over for Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman, who is ineligible to run again due to term limits. She took over the job from her husband Oscar Goodman, who won election in 1999.

Its a nonpartisan race, but the poll asked voters about their support for Berkley, a Democrat and Seaman, a Republican. Berkley holds 27% support among Democrats, with Seaman garnering 24% from Republicans in Las Vegas. Additionally, a significant 70% of independent voters remain undecided. Despite 56% of voters overall yet to make a decision, this contest appears to be narrowing down to a three-horse race among the 15 candidates, according to Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.

And with todays news that the Oakland As will play three seasons at a minor league ballpark near Sacramento before their 2028 move to Las Vegas, the poll asked about support for using public money for the stadium.

A majority  51.6%  oppose using public money for stadium construction. Support came from 31.6% of voters polled and 16.7% were uncertain or had no opinion.

Union members, or those with a union member in their household, support public funding going toward the stadium at a higher rate than non-union members, 46% to 28%, Kimball said.

The economy remains the most important issue, but other priorities are shifting since a March 20 poll. The people polled in this survey were a narrower sample  500 people who are likely to vote in the Las Vegas mayoral election. In March, the survey was a broader sample  1,000 registered voters in Nevada.

With the narrower Las Vegas focus, the poll identified these issues as the most important to the 500 voters:

Economy (26%)

Housing affordability (18%)

Education (15%)

Crime (13%)

Immigration (9%)

Health care (8%)

Threats to democracy (8%)

Abortion access (1%)

Something else (2%)

The survey was conducted April 1-2 and has a credibility interval (similar to a margin of error) of +/- 4.3 percentage points.

This survey was conducted by Emerson College Polling and sponsored by Nexstar Media.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11)  Three buildings in Newark, New Jersey, have been deemed unsafe due to structural damage following Friday mornings 4.8-magnitude earthquake, according to the Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage.

The buildings are located on Seventh Avenue, officials said.

Read more: Earthquake shakes New Jersey

No injuries have been reported. At least 10 families, including 25 adults and three children, have been relocated, officials said.

The epicenter of the earthquake was more than 30 miles away, a statement from Frage said. All city buildings, including City Hall and recreation centers, are closed.

The citys closures do not affect police and fire facilities or personnel.

Authorities are currently inspecting other buildings in Newark for any potential damages and power outages, officials said.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
(KRON)Three Oakland residents were arrested and charged with device fraud and theft in Electronic Benefits Transfers (EBT), a system used in California to deliver public assistance benefits such as CalFresh, CalWORKs, and other food and cash aid benefits.

US Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and the United States Secret Service (USSS) in San Francisco announced the news on Thursday.

SF crime dropping ahead of Prop E, according to Mayor Breed

The complaints allege that the Oakland residents, all hailing from Romania, fraudulently withdrew cash with cloned cards. Cloned cards are debit cards, gift cards, or other devices with magnetic strips that have been encoded with information from legitimate EBT cards.

Prosecutors said the three Oakland residents obtained other account holders information through skimming, in which an individuals card information is recorded through an installed ATM keypad overlay before pulling cash out.

Since this is a government assistance program, many victims of the scheme are largely low-income families who depend on EBT benefits to buy food and other household necessities.

According to the USSS, from January to March this year, California reported a loss of over $22 million in Electronic Benefits Transfer theft.

Prosecutors said that if convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of ten years in prison on each charge.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
DOUGLAS COUNTY (KSNT)  The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) has identified the victims of a deadly crash on U.S. 24 Highway in Douglas County.

The KHP says the two-vehicle crash was first reported just after 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 on U.S. 24 Highway near N 2100 Road and close to the Jefferson-Douglas County line.

The first vehicle, a GMC Sierra, was traveling eastbound on the highway while the second vehicle, a Kia Soul, was traveling west on the highway. The GMC hit the Kia head-on in the crash, according to the KHPs crash logs. The Kia came to a stop in the road while the GMC stopped partially in the road facing south.

The Kia driver, 70-year-old Ronald L. Milano of Bennet, Nebraska, was killed in the crash. Two passengers in the Kia, 39-year-old Joshua Z. Milano and 33-year-old Patricia A. Milano of Lincoln, Nebraska, were also killed in the crash.

Man found dead in vehicle at I-70 rest stop in Geary County

The driver of the GMC, a 43-year-old man from Lawrence, was taken to a local hospital. While both drivers were listed as wearing their seat belts during the crash, the KHP was uncertain if the Kias passengers were wearing seat belts.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

Come On, Aileen

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon confounded legal experts with her latest ruling, denying Donald Trumps motion to dismiss the Mar-a-Lago indictment on a crackpot theory based on the Presidential Records Act.

In so doing, Cannon didnt put the issue to bed, the way you would expect most judges to. Instead she very narrowly ruled against Trump in a skimpy ruling of barely three pages while leaving the door open for him to raise the issue later at trial in a way that could doom the prosecution.

Heres what I found most concerning:

Cannon called the Mar-a-Lago case a complex case of first impression. It is neither. It is historically significant because it involves a former president. But legally, the case is not particularly remarkable. Trumps nonsensical defenses dont magically turn a relatively straightforward legal matter into a complex or unprecedented puzzle for her to solve. But her treating it as complex and without legal precedent provides an intellectually dishonest framework for all kinds of potential mischief that goes well beyond this one argument over the Presidential Records Act. Cannon can mess this case up in dozens of different ways with that kind of justification.

Cannon was defensive. Its never good when a judge is in a defensive crouch over their judicial skills, the law, or their handling of a case. Cannons terse and lightly reasoned ruling came one day after Special Counsel Jack Smith raked her over the coals about her handling of Trumps attempted use of the Presidential Records Act as a defense. In her ruling, she lashed back at him, mischaracterizing his position on the issue and then deriding it as unprecedented and unjust.

Cannon didnt bury Trumps Presidential Records Act argument for good. Trumps argument is the kind we often see judges dispense with categorically before trial in order to streamline arguments, eliminate distractions, and keep the case focused and on track. Cannon was not decisive here, giving Trump the chance to raise the PRA defense later, perhaps after a jury has been seated and jeopardy has attached, meaning Smith would have no avenue for appeal. Despite all the commentary you may be seeing, there is no obvious or surefire way for Smith to get around her on this. Risks abound, as does uncertainty.

After every Aileen Cannon post I write, I get lots of questions about why Jack Smith isnt moving to have her recused, taking her up on appeal already, or doing something else to dislodge her. I can assure you this is highly unusual conduct by a judge in a criminal case, and there are no easy answers here, either legally or practically.

Trump Loses Bid To Dismiss Georgia RICO Case

State Judge Scott McAfee denied Donald Trumps motion to dismiss his Georgia indictment on spurious First Amendment grounds.

Im No Saul Goodman!

Despite raising the Im no Saul Goodman! defense, Trump DOJ official Jeff Clark moved one step closer to being disbarred in DC for his participation in the scheme to overturn the 2020 election.

More Please

Arizona Republican Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs have each been subpoenaed in the fake electors criminal probe being conducted by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Politico reports.

The Chair Recognizes The Gentleman From Conspiracyland

In a piece taking a close look at the wild Jan. 6 conspiracies being promoted by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), the NYT captures the current moment: [Mo]re than three years after the attack, right-wing Republicans at every level continue to spread falsehoods about what happened on Jan. 6 and are now seeking to use those lies as a rallying cry to denounce the government, promote Mr. Trumps candidacy and rile up his supporters.

Quote Of The Week

January 6 must not become a precedent for further violence against political opponents or governmental institutions. This is not normal. This cannot become normal. We as a community, we as a society, we as a country cannot condone the normalization of the January 6 Capitol riot. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Washington, D.C., an 80-year-old Reagan-appointee who is taking the unusual step of mailing his sentencing statement for a Jan. 6 rioter to nearly two dozen of the defendants supporters.

About That Trump Appeal Bond 

Trumps $175 million appeal bond in the New York civil fraud case may not be sufficient under state law, and Attorney General Letitia James is asking questions.

You Dont Always Get To Pick Your Battles Or Your Allies

The biggest mind-fuck of the last quarter century in American politics is how the Republican Partys descent into Trumpian madness has created the unlikeliest of allies in the fight to save democracy:

KARL ROVE: January 6 was a stain on our history. And every one of those sons of bitches who did that, we oughta find them, try them & send them to jail. .. If [the Biden campaign] were smart, theyd take #J6 and go hard at it.@TheBeatWithAri @KarlRovepic.twitter.com/jGZLOb5RY3  Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) April 4, 2024

The Terrible Smearing Of Adeel Abdullah Mangi

Lydia Polgreen: Three Democratic Senators Are Stuck Indulging an Outdated Fantasy

An Important Data Point

The Alabama hospital at the center of the IVF legal battle there will discontinue providing IVF services at the end of this year, which at least partly answers a question floating around for the past few weeks: Was the law passed by Alabamas legislature to protect IVF from the state Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos are legally considered children sufficient to undo the damage wrought by that ruling?

The Mobile hospital discontinuing IVF attributed the decision to pending litigation and the lack of clarity of the recently passed I.V.F. legislation in the state of Alabama.

2024 Ephemera

Aaron Blake: Why Trump wants to game Nebraskas electoral vote, mapped

Politico: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. disavows a fundraising email describing Jan. 6 rioters as activists.

WSJ: No Labels abandons its effort to field a third-party candidate for president.

Biden Calls For Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza

TPMs Josh Marshall: The killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers has over the last two days triggered a wholesale shift across the U.S. political spectrum.

The Bulwark Of Democracy

Heather Cox Richardson on the 75th anniversary of NATO.

Its Country If I Say It Is

Could anything be in Tressie McMillan Cottoms wheelhouse more than Beyonces new country music album?

Big Country  the Nashville-controlled, pop-folk music that commodifies rural American fantasies  is the cultural arm of white grievance politics, she writes in an extended essay on the musical genre, race and gender, and history and power.

Read it, then check out her Spotify playlist, which covers a lot of very good ground. Ive been mainlining for a while her combo of classic hits and new stuff, or at least new-to-me stuff. Her playful (yet not) tagline for it is: Good music is in the liminal spaces between genres. Its country if I say it is. Emphasis on songwriting.

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About 32% of Milwaukee voters turned out Tuesday. Why that's not a predictor for November.

A woman casts her ballot for the spring and presidential preference election Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at The New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 2433 W. Roosevelt Dr. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to local races, voters everywhere will weigh in on two statewide referendum questions that ask about private funding in election administration and the role of election officials.

Milwaukee's 32% turnout among registered voters on Tuesday was lower than the city's top election official had hoped, but she doesn't consider it a sign of likely turnout come November.

Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall chalked up the turnout, which she had hoped would exceed 50%, to the races and issues on the ballot. The presidential primaries for Republicans and Democrats were already decided, the races for Milwaukee mayor and county executive were not highly competitive, and the two state election referendum questions on the ballot were not as easy galvanizing as issues like abortion or guns.

"There wasnt any big driver where anything felt like it was on the line for a significant number of voters," she said. "I don't think that that's necessarily going to be the case when we go into November."

The Nov. 5 election is expected to be a rematch between former Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden, who unseated Trump in November 2020.

Milwaukee turnout can have a key impact in statewide elections for Democrats, who count on the party's urban stronghold to help offset Republican turnout in more rural areas of the state.

More than 85,000 ballots cast in Milwaukee in Tuesday's election

In Tuesday's election, 85,516 ballots were cast. The city had 270,289 registered voters, not including same-day registrations, Woodall said.

Of those, 26,404 were absentee ballots that were processed at the city's central count location, 1901 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

"Central count" in Milwaukee and other municipalities across the state refers to a single location where that community's absentee ballot results are tallied. In Milwaukee County, eight communities, including the city of Milwaukee, use a central count location.

Milwaukee absentee results delivered to Milwaukee County Courthouse by 10 p.m.

City officials arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse by 10 p.m. with flash drives of absentee ballot results.

The city's absentee ballot results were published on the Milwaukee County Clerk's website about 11 p.m.

Milwaukee Election Commission personnel delivered thumb drives with absentee ballot results to the county election commission office shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Milwaukee Election Commission has budgeted for 100,000 absentee ballots for November election

Woodall has budgeted for about 100,000 absentee ballots for November's election, the bulk of which she expects to be used during early in-person voting.

She expected about 60,000 early in-person absentee voters, including people who return their already-completed absentee ballots to the early voting locations, plus 40,000 or so absentee ballots returned in the mail.

In the coronavirus pandemic in November 2020, she said 169,519 voters in Milwaukee cast absentee ballots while 78,176 went to the polls on election day.

The city has received grants, one for election equipment, from Washington, D.C., nonprofit Cities Forward. That grant will be used to purchase two high-speed machines known as "tabulators" for counting absentee ballots, 50 ExpressVote machines where voters use a touch screen to mark their ballots, cell phones for staff, security cameras and other equipment.

Woodall also said she was hoping the state Supreme Court would allow the return of absentee ballot drop boxes, which she expected would lead to higher return rates.

The court's new liberal majority last month agreed to hear a challenge to the state's absentee ballot drop box ban, which had gone into place under a July 2022 ruling by the then-conservative-controlled court. Oral arguments are scheduled for May 13.

She said if drop boxes do come back, she would plan to close them likely by 5 p.m. on election day because of the flood of ballots that came in at the last minute when they were open until 7:30 p.m. in 2020, further delaying reporting of the results.

"I'm hopeful the drop boxes will come back and I'm hopeful we can come up with a solution that maximizes their usage but without making us go late, late into the night," she said.

In Wisconsin, clerks cannot start processing absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on election day. For cities like Milwaukee that use separate central count facilities to process absentee ballots, starting on election day can delay the reporting of absentee results until late into the night.

And, in a city the size of Milwaukee, that can mean election results change when the absentee ballot results are reported.

That has fueled conspiracy theories about "ballot dumps" in the city in the middle of the night, a claim amplified by Trump to falsely imply his 2020 loss in the state was the result of illegal votes that were cast.

A bipartisan bill that would have allowed election clerks to start processing absentee ballots the day before Election Day and finish counting earlier died in the Republican-controlled state Senate earlier this year.

27 absentee voters returned incorrect ballots in four wards that experienced errors

In the weeks before the election, Election Commission workers accidentally sent 237 Milwaukee voters across four voting wards ballots meant for a ward other than their own.

The Election Commission ultimately sent correct ballots to affected voters and tried to reach them to explain what had happened, including via phone and door-to-door outreach, Woodall said.

Still, she said, 27 of those voters returned the initial, incorrect ballot they had received. That meant they did not get to vote in their district's races for the Milwaukee Common Council and Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

"They should have had an opportunity to choose a candidate, and they did not," she said.

96 ballots in Ward 236, of which six incorrect ballots were returned.

69 ballots in Ward 119, of which nine incorrect ballots were returned.

53 ballots in Ward 115, of which 11 incorrect ballots were returned.

19 ballots in Ward 116, of which one incorrect ballot was returned.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 32% Milwaukee turnout Tuesday not a predictor for November
Recently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have seriously sharpened the "oil needle" of the aggressor state with precision strikes on Russian refineries: according to various estimates, they managed to "knock out" from 10 to more than 15% of the production capacity of the Russian oil refining complex. However, Ukrainian strikes on Russian air bases and military airfields were no less spectacular and painful for Russia.

ADVERTISIMENT

On the night of April 5 alone, according to intelligence, six enemy tactical aircraft could have been destroyed and eight damaged at the Morozovsk airfield in Rostov Oblast, and this was not the only strike in recent times. OBOZ.UA investigated where else Ukraine has recently "clipped the wings" of the enemy army, what losses it has caused for the enemy, and how far Ukrainian drones can now reach.

In the war against Ukraine, Russia is actively using military aircraft that take off from airfields both in Russia and in the occupied part of Ukraine. At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, the occupiers also used Belarusian airfields for this purpose.

From all possible sites, the invaders take their fighters and bombers into the sky to launch missiles and bombs at the positions of Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, and critical infrastructure.

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It is not surprising that air bases and military airfields have been high on the list of targets for destruction from the very beginning.

And in this area, Ukrainian forces have made remarkable achievements, no matter how hard the Russian authorities try to conceal the real extent of losses and destruction.

Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region

The night of April 5 was an explosive night for residents of the Rostov region, particularly those living near the city of Morozovsk. According to local residents, they heard explosions at night and saw numerous flashes in the area of the military airfield of the same name.

And Ukrainians were waiting with bated breath for information about the results of the night's "fireworks," because, according to satellite images, almost 30 Russian aircraft were based at the airport the day before, on April 4.

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Official statements from local authorities were predictably disappointing: Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev boasted of "shooting down" "more than 40 UAVs" over the Morozovsk district, complained about damage to a power plant, and kept silent about the airfield.

This "gap" in informing the Russian population was filled by the Ukrainian special services, whose sources reported that at least six Russian aircraft were destroyed at the airfield at night, and about eight more were damaged. These are Su-27s and Su-34s from which Russia has been dropping bombs on Ukraine. They were "thinned out" as part of a joint operation by the SSU and the military of the Defense Forces.

The minimum distance from Morozovsk to the contact line in Ukraine is about 270-290 kilometers.

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Yeysk, Engels and Kursk

While the local authorities in Morozovsk acknowledged at least some damage, in other Russian cities, where explosions also occurred on the night of April 5, they were shy about the consequences of the "cotton".

Meanwhile, according to OBOZ.UA sources, the MID, together with the Armed Forces, attacked the airfield in the city of Yeysk: a drone destroyed two Su-25 aircraft and four invaders.

The distance from Ukrainian Mariupol to Yeysk is just over 70 kilometers across the Azov Sea. However, Mariupol is currently under Russian occupation, so Ukrainian soldiers would have to attack Yeysk from at least 140 kilometers away.

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According to preliminary data, 3 Tu-95MS strategic bombers were seriously damaged at Engels-2 airfield. Seven occupants were eliminated, including pilots of strategic bombers.

In addition, 7 enemy personnel, including strategic bomber pilots, have been preliminarily reported killed.

To get there, the drone flew at least over 600 kilometers.

The airfield in Kursk was also attacked at night, but the results are still being clarified. However, at night, terrified Russians posted videos of a massive fire at the arrival site.

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If we are talking about the "Khalino" airfield northeast of Kursk, it is about 100 kilometers from the extreme point on the Ukrainian border in the Sumy region.

Crimea, "Belbek" airfield

Unlike Morozovsk and the other Russian cities attacked by drones on April 5, missiles flew to the "Belbek" airfield in the temporarily occupied Crimea on January 31. At least three Russian aircraft were hit at the airport, which was once home to Ukrainian aviation and has been used by the invaders since 2014 for their purposes and against Ukraine.

But the Russians didn't get away with the planes. Analysts examined satellite images and concluded that two missiles hit the command post of the 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and another missile flew directly into the airfield's communications center.

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According to OSINT investigators, the attackers probably hit an underground command post, a communications center, and a radar station that supported the operation of the S-400 "Triumph" air defense system. Fuel and ammunition depots are also located nearby.

The Russian Ministry of Defense did not change its tradition and reported that "twenty missiles" allegedly flying over Crimea were "shot down" at the time. Moreover, according to the aggressor state, they were shot down by air defense systems, not by the airfield itself.

In total, this was at least the third arrival at "Belbek" during the full-scale war.

The distance that a Ukrainian missile would have to fly to hit the "Belbek" airfield is at least 229 kilometers from Kherson, where it would have to fly over the Russian-occupied territories, or about 290 kilometers if it were launched from the coast of Odesa so that the maximum part of the route would be over the sea.

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Crimea, "Saki" airfield

In particular, on January 6, the planes flew to Novofedorivka in the temporarily occupied Crimea. At that time, Russian air defense was operating near the "Saki" airfield, and locals heard explosions.

At the time of the attack, the 43rd Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Russian Air Force was based at this airfield.

The Defense Forces' strike destroyed the airfield's radar. And in the Crimean village of Hryshyno, ammunition depots were blown up at the same time, Ukrainian military intelligence claimed.

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The minimum distance to the "Saki" airfield from the government-controlled territories of Ukraine is 188 km.

Pskov

Ukrainians also surprised Russians on the night of August 30, 2023. Then explosions were heard on the territory of the Pskov airport, which is used by both civilian and military Russian aviation. The governor of the Pskov region did not deny it and confirmed that the airport had been targeted by drones. However, he did not provide details about the consequences of the attack.

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Instead, the MID quickly disclosed the results of the nighttime "raid": four Il-76s were destroyed and could not be restored. Two more enemy aircraft may have been damaged.

The distance from the extreme point of Ukraine's border to Pskov is more than 600 kilometers.

Other attacks by Ukraine and their consequences for the enemy

On December 5, 2022, as a result of explosions at two airfields, "Engels" in the Saratov region and "Diagilevo" in the Ryazan region, the Russian army lost two Tu-95 strategic aircraft used to launch long-range missiles at Ukraine, a Tu-22M3 bomber, and a fuel tanker. Ukraine's military intelligence used modified Soviet Tu-141 "Strizh" UAVs to hit targets hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

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August 2022 brought the first breath of war to the Novgorod region of the Russian Federation. "The "cotton" was delivered to the "Soltsy" military airfield, located 800 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Intelligence claims that two Tu-22M strategic bombers were destroyed and two other aircraft were damaged.

What can we say about the "Baltimore" airfield in the Voronezh region, which is much closer to Ukraine than the Pskov and Novgorod airfields. This base has been hit at least three times by the Ukrainian Defense Forces with Su-34s, which are actively used in the war against Ukraine.

However, while "Baltimore" did not disclose any reliable data on the consequences of the strike, the occupiers lost at least one Su-24 on August 16 at the "Hvardiyske" air base in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

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British intelligence is convinced that Ukraine's attacks on the occupiers' air bases have been a painful blow to the invaders. It is not only costly for Russia to restore its military fleet, but also extremely difficult.

An additional "bonus" of such strikes, in particular against facilities in Crimea, is the reduction of awareness and cover of Russian air defense over the occupied peninsula. In addition, Russia is slowly losing its ability to conduct air strikes against Ukraine.

Therefore, each such strike makes the return of the occupied territories of our country a little closer.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
A 37-year-old woman in Auburn Gresham, Chicago, is in police custody after 36 neglected cats and three dogs were rescued from her home.

Ashley Burrell kept the animals in her rental bungalow, deceiving the public into thinking that she ran a licensed cat rescue. Shed often solicit funds from neighbors and on social media to care for the animals. However, the neglectful state that the cats and dogs were found in told a very different story.

36 cats and 3 dogs rescued from South Side home

According to ABC7 Chicago, the Chicago Police Department, together with the Chicago Animal Care and Control team, looked at Burrells home on Tuesday, April 2. This came after receiving a report of possible animal cruelty.

Authorities found felines and dogs living in a filthy environment inside Burrells home and began rescue operations. Consequently, Burrell was arrested on a misdemeanor count of violating animal owner duties.

Erica Roewade runs Cats in Action, a non-profit advocacy and outreach group for outdoor cats. She witnessed as animal control removed the animals from Burrells home. In a lengthy Facebook post, Roewade shared: The house was in squalid, deplorable condition, with garbage and animal feces everywhere. Cats were living in the walls, and the stench and contamination issue was so terrible that Animal Control officers were seen entering the house in protective white suits.

Curiously, CBS News has reported that 26 cats were rescued from the home instead of 36. The outlet revealed that Burrell would constantly ask for financial donations from neighbors to help support the animals. Janice Cohl, a neighbor, told the news outlet: Every time she came to my house, it was $100 cash, always.

According to Cohl, Burrell would never provide vet records with receipts when people requested her to. This further fuelled Cohls and other peoples suspicions that Burrell wasnt providing and caring for the animals as she claimed.

Burrell risks facing additional charges as investigators continue looking into the case.

The post 36 Cats Rescued From Chicago Home, Woman Faces Charges appeared first on CatTime.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake centered near Lebanon, New Jersey

Getty Images The New York City skyline

A rare 4.8-magnitude earthquake was felt across the East Coast on the morning of April 5, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered near Lebanon, New Jersey. The earthquake struck just before 10:30 a.m. local time. Hours later, New Jersey and New York City felt a 4.0 magnitude aftershock, which struck about 7km (4.3 miles) southwest of Gladstone, N.J., per the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to the Associated Press, more than 42 million people were affected by the morning's quake  with shaking felt in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia and surrounding areas, The Weather Channel reported.

The shaking was felt as far north as Maine and as far south as Norfolk, Virginia, the USGS reported, per USA Today. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that City Hall shook but "everyone here is fine."

The Fire Department of the City of New York said in a post on X that there were no major incidents at this time," but they were responding to calls and evaluating structural stability.

Related: 5.1-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Ojai as Southern California Experiences Hurricane Hilary Tropical Storm

Around 11 a.m. ET, emergency phone alerts stated, "A 4.7-magnitude earthquake has occurred in the NYC area. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured."

Initially, the USGS reported a 4.8-magnitude quake, according to CNN. It was then adjusted to 4.7 before being revised back to 4.8. The agency said earthquakes are "uncommon but not unheard of along the Atlantic Coast."

Citing state data, NBC News reported that the earthquake was the strongest in the state in almost 250 years. It was also the strongest earthquake to strike the East Coast since a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Virginia in 2011.

The USGS said "a few minor aftershocks" have been reported, including the largest with a magnitude of 2.2 near the initial earthquake's epicenter, according to The New York Times.

Getty Images The New York City skyline

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a news conference, per CBS News, that while there are concerns about aftershocks, "New Yorkers should go about their normal day. First responders are working to make sure the city's safe."

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul shared in a statement on X earlier in the day. "My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy added in a separate post that the state has activated its State Emergency Operations Center. "Please do not call 911 unless you have an actual emergency."

Related: Magnitude 3.7 Earthquake Shakes Southern California on Earth Day

Murphy later clarified that there is only "limited damage" across the state, including Lebanon, ABC affiliate WABC-TV reported. However, Hochul and Adams warned about the likelihood of aftershocks, which are possible for the next week.

President Joe Biden had been briefed on the quake, and "he is in touch with his team who are monitoring potential impacts," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a post on X.

Biden, who spoke with Murphy, told reporters that the governor thought "everything's under control," according to USA Today. He added, Hes not too concerned about it, the governor of New Jersey, so things are all right.

Meanwhile, the quake impacted travel in New York City and New Jersey. Flights in the New York metro area were temporarily grounded, and the Holland Tunnel was closed for inspection, according to the New York Post. The temporary groundings at New York City's LaGuardia Airport and Newark Airport in New Jersey resulted in delays of up to 45 minutes, The New York Times reported.

Related: At Least 9 Dead and More Than 900 Injured After 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake in Taiwan Topples Buildings

Broadway shows are expected to go on as normal, the Broadway League announced on X. "Audiences may contact their point of purchase for their show if they have questions about their tickets in advance of the performance," the League added in their statement.

Stars like Busy Philipps and Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain reported feeling the earthquake on X too. "This is really nuts. Hope everyone is ok and that our buildings werent damaged ," Chastain wrote.

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Read the original article on People.
DENVER (KDVR)  Four people were arrested after authorities discovered human remains near Rifle the day after Christmas.

On Friday, the Garfield County Sheriffs Office posted on Facebook about the arrest.

What to expect: Gusts up to 80 mph possible on Saturday

On Dec. 26, 2023, law enforcement officers and members from Garfield County Search and Rescue searched the area near Fravert Reservoir for the body of a missing person after receiving multiple tips.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

It took authorities two hours to find the remains, which were later identified as Raul Perez, 43.

Based on the information, police believe the body had been left in the area since mid-summer of 2023, and authorities were investigating the case as a homicide.

On April 2, warrants with multiple charges were filed for four people associated with the incident.

1 killed, 1 injured in Glendale shooting

They are facing the following charges:

Angel Luis Cosme-Marquez, 55

First-degree murder

Conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree

Distribution of a controlled substance

Special offender  deadly weapon

Conspiracy  controlled substances  fentanyl

Tampering with a deceased human body

Three counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body

Tampering with physical evidence

Manuela Zapata-Castillo, 42

Conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree

Distribution of a controlled substance  fentanyl

Special offender  deadly weapon

Conspiracy  controlled substances  fentanyl

Three counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body

Tampering with physical evidence

Phillip Allen Johnson, 27

Tampering with a deceased human body

Accessory to crime

Three counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body

Tampering with physical evidence

Joseph Patrick Moffat, 29

Tampering with a deceased human body

Accessory to crime

Three counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with a deceased human body

Tampering with physical evidence

The bail is set at $50,000 to a million dollars cash only for each of them. Currently, all four are in custody.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A Las Cruces jury has found a 44-year-old man guilty in the shooting of a bicyclist back in 2022.

Christopher Gerzymisch, 44, was found guilty in the shooting of Daniel Alcala Garcia, according to a news release sent out by the Third Judicial District Attorneys Office.

Gerzymisch was charged with aggravated battery (deadly weapon); and battery with a five-year firearm enhancement.

Gerzymisch was found guilty on both charges and was remanded into custody, with sentencing to be held at a later date.

On Oct. 3, 2022, Las Cruces Police officers were called to the area of University and South Main about a gunshot victim. Several witnesses saw the victim riding his bicycle eastbound on University when a vehicle almost hit him. Garcia, the bicyclist, began yelling at the driver of the vehicle. Stopping the vehicle, Gerzymisch got out and pushed Garcia off his bike, according to the Las Cruces DAs Office.

Garcia got up, pushed back, and began to walk away. Gerzymisch then pulled out a handgun and began shooting at Garcia, according to the DAs Office.

Garcia was hit on the side of his face, the DAs Office said. Gerzymisch then drove away from the scene, according to the DAs Office.

Several witnesses were able to photograph the Texas license plate of the vehicle and help assist Garcia. Garcia was taken to a hospital by a bystander at the scene. Las Cruces Police were able to interview all the witnesses, including the victim who identified Gerzymisch from a photo line-up.

I want to thank the good Samaritan witnesses who assisted Mr. Garcia with their quick actions and responses. The arrest of Christopher Gerzymisch shows how important it is to get information from members of the community when trying to solve crimes, this case is an example of a witness at the scene utilizing technology and sharing that information to assist law enforcement, Las Cruces DA Gerald Byers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
It is not news that in recent years the political climate surrounding education policy has become increasingly polarized. Bipartisan cooperation, once a cornerstone of education reform, is now seen as weakness and a concession of values, rather than a strength. This shift poses challenges to advancing reforms and initiatives. A fresh approach is needed.

Rather than thinking about bipartisanship in the traditional sense, advocates should consider a cross-partisan approach. This means achieving policy success despite support across the political divide, not because of it. Advocates who seek cross-partisan success will need to think of ways to communicate and motivate policymakers based on what these political actors care about most  animating their core constituencies. Initiatives that offer wins for all involved, even from different ideological perspectives, can unite stakeholders around shared progress.

While achieving cross-partisan agreement in a divided political environment may seem daunting, there are successes to draw upon.

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Take civics education: a significant focus for both political parties, given that 80% of likely voters value it highly. States are rolling out civics mandates, like Indianas requirement for a sixth-grade course and Utahs grants for local pilot programs that promote innovation in teaching and learning. By signaling a renewed focus on civics and allowing for local control within state standards, these efforts gained broad appeal, promoting both national pride (an important value on the right) and civic engagement (an important value on the left).

Civics initiatives and other successful policies are characterized by several key practices:

Clear Communication and Broad Appeal: Policy initiatives must be easy to communicate in order to build a broad base of support. The success of the science of reading, for example, demonstrates the power of simplicity and relatability in communication. This initiative gained widespread traction when advocates articulated a clear, compelling message about the failures of reading curricula then in place and the importance of evidence-based literacy instruction. The problem and solutions were easy to understand and resonated deeply among voters spanning the political spectrum. With parents and teachers aligned, policymakers eagerly followed, resulting in swift legislative changes in 37 states.

Related

Its Time for a Ceasefire in the Civics Wars

Responsiveness to Local Concerns: It has been famously said that all politics is local. Policy solutions tailored to specific local problems can transcend political polarization. The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, for example, allows teachers licenses to be recognized in all 11 member states. This is of particular concern to military families, who relocate frequently, often across state lines. By responding directly to their unique needs, the compact earned cross-partisan support by solving a universally recognized, and highly local, problem.

Political Cover: When a change in policy is new or potentially controversial, it helps for there to be support or a mandate from a higher political or legal power. In the overhaul of Virginias history standards, for example, political cover was provided by an immovable deadline required by law, the support of the governor and a significant commitment to a public feedback process. After the bipartisan state Board of Education rejected the first draft, several months of work by board members, school officials and advocacy organizations produced a new version. The board held six public meetings around the state and took a leadership role in driving the process. Despite what began as a highly politicized process, new standards emerged because of the boards mandate  members didnt have the option to argue about their opinions, were required to act and had to do it together. While the undertaking was long and messy, it ultimately led to standards that were accepted by the board, the governor and the community, reflecting a compromise across differing viewpoints that was widely hailed in the media as a success.

Mutual Wins: In politics, everyone is trying to achieve a win for their side. A key to cross-partisan success is finding a path for each side to claim victory. Efforts to raise teacher pay, in states such as Arkansas, and enhance civics education, as in New Jersey and Georgia, demonstrate the potential for policies to deliver wins for all stakeholders. By identifying shared goals such as educational quality and civic responsibility, but allowing each side to prioritize those goals differently, these initiatives allow for political independence but ultimately arrive at the same policy destination.

Related

There is Agreement on Civics Education  If You Know Where to Look

Strategic Use of Media: It is undeniable that media is powerful in shaping public policy  for example, the influence of the Sold a Story podcast on reading instruction reforms. This piece of investigative journalism catalyzed a wave of legislation focused on evidence-based reading practices, showcasing how media can effectively accelerate educational reforms by highlighting research-backed solutions, elevating the voices of parents and teachers, and mobilizing public and legislative support.

A cross-partisan approach could be the new strategic imperative for success in education policy, both for legislative wins and the long-term benefit of children and communities. Different political actors may need to take different roads to the ultimate destination of a common-ground solution. But the success of all students, and the country, depends on getting there together.
DENVER (KDVR)  The number of pedestrian crashes rose quickly in the Denver metro in just two days.

Five people were struck between Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. Some of them were reportedly seriously hurt.

Denvers airport just announced its longest nonstop flight yet

Concerns have been growing at the intersection of South University Boulevard and Evans Avenue, next to the University of Denver. A vehicle crashed into three students near the university on Wednesday morning. Police said there were possible serious injuries and the driver was at fault.

Some students told FOX31 that crossing streets here is like playing a game of chicken.

I have had few cars turn toward me and stop, like when I have the right of way, DU student Ian Warren said.

Street safety is of concern after pedestrian crashes

Denver City Council Member Paul Kashmann spoke to FOX31 about safety improvements at the crossing in his district.

There is a project underway to redo the intersections at Evans and University, Evans and Colorado Boulevard, as well as Buchtel and University, Kashmann said.

Less than 24 hours after the crash near DU, another vehicle hit and seriously hurt a pedestrian downtown at 14th Avenue and Speer Boulevard. And then on Thursday afternoon, police in Wheat Ridge said another pedestrian was hit there, placing the driver at fault.

Crash at 14th and Speer

Pedestrian safety advocates say streets need to be redesigned to slow traffic down.

The faster a driver is going, the less likely they are able to see a pedestrian, the less likely they will stop in time before hitting a pedestrian, and the more severe that impact will be, said Jill Locantore, Denver Streets Partnership executive director.

Over at DU, where students were struck, many hope changes come sooner rather than later.

Safety changes planned for Evans and University near DU

A Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson said there are plans to improve Evans and University.

The improvements are part of a larger travel and safety improvement effort in the area, communications director Nancy Kuhn said.

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According to Kuhn, changes coming to the Evans and University intersection include:

A new dedicated right-turn-only lane on southbound University to westbound Evans. This will reduce pedestrian crossing conflicts at that northwest corner as vehicles will only be allowed to turn right when they get a newly installed green arrow.

Concrete sidewalk curb extensions added to the northwest, southwest and southeast corners to shorten pedestrian crossing distances

Sidewalk curb extension at the northwest corner provides space for a larger transit stop

(Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant pedestrian ramps provided at all corners

Traffic signal replacements and upgrades

Planned changes to the intersection of Evans Avenue and University

Kuhn said the public is invited to review the design plans through a self-guided, online public meeting open until April 19.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
(KRON)  The Alameda County Sheriffs Office arrested three men on Friday for the intended distribution of multiple pounds of fentanyl, seizing thousands in cash.

On Friday, detectives from the sheriffs office obtained search warrants in Oakland concerning an ongoing fentanyl sales investigation earlier in the morning, officials said.

During the operation, detectives recovered over 2 pounds of fentanyl and over $14,000 in cash, officials said. A weighted press used to form the fentanyl into bricks was also found.

According to officials, much of the proceeds from these fentanyl sales were sent to Honduras.

This quantity of fentanyl was enough to provide nearly 500,000 lethal doses of the powerful narcotic, the sheriffs office said, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The three men were arrested and booked into the Santa Rita Jail for drug-sales-related charges, officials said.

Efforts like this are crucial in maintaining the safety and well-being of the communities we serve, the sheriffs office said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Bartow Police Chief Andy Ray's last day on the job was Friday

Bartow Police Chief Andy Ray has resigned for health reasons and his last day was Friday.

In text messages between Ray and a Ledger reporter this week, it was clear he had preferred to stay if he could.

I had planned to be here for a couple of years, but I have a medical issue thats going to require surgery, so Im basically retiring from full-time work for good this time, he said. I hate it, but its necessary.

Before starting with the agency on Aug. 7, Ray had amassed 36 years in law enforcement and had been retired as chief of police in Auburndale since 2022. He began his career in 1987 as a deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

He had high hopes of taking the Bartow agency to the next level, he had told The Ledger after taking the helm.

Next steps

City Manager Mike Herr also had hoped Ray would help turn around the law enforcement agency following a consultants report showed the agency was in crisis and the State Attorneys Office was unwilling to use its investigations for prosecutions of major crimes.

Herr did not respond to texts and cell phone calls on Thursday or Friday. Nor was it apparent that an interim police chief had been named. The city website lists Capt. William Stevens and Capt. Stephen Walker as within the command staff structure.

According to Commissioner Laura Simpson, Walker would attend to any responsibilities the police chief would be needed for the interim.

At Monday's regularly scheduled meeting, the Bartow Commission approved an agreement with Strategic Government Resources Inc. to recruit a new police chief as well as a utilities director-city engineer following the unexpected death of Tony McKinley earlier this year.

The commission also heard from Herr at Mondays meeting when he said he wanted to form a leadership panel to vet potential candidates for the police chief position.

Among Herrs picks for such a committee were:

Bartow Fire Chief Jay Robinson.

Charlie Bird, Winter Haven's assistant city manager for public safety, who had served as police chief when Herr worked there.

Chris Nelson, chief of staff for the State Attorney's Office.

Consultant Jim Sewell.

Joe Holman, Polk County's deputy manager for public safety, who has also worked for the Sheriff's Office.

Herr suggested the commission form a diverse citizens' panel that would possibly contain a minister or member from a nonprofit group, a chamber member and a neighborhood resident. He also suggested an employee panel be formed.

Tight Lake Wales election: Incumbent Williams prevails by 4 votes in recount of City Commission election

Herr's comments preceded Ray's.

Ray provided a list of some of the accomplishments he has made during his short  nearly seven months  tenure with the Bartow Police Department. His report highlighted a vision for the agency for the next two years.

Community policing, new written policies and a code enforcement division within the agency were among the report's highlights.

Agency in turmoil

Herr had commissioned a consultant last year to evaluate Bartows police agency, and in June, the report used terms like turmoil  crisis in leadership ," among others.

The consultant's report said there existed an overwhelming lack of respect for former Police Chief Bryan S. Dorman. The report also faulted the departments training and equipment.

The department culture lacks a sense of urgency and is fostered by poor communication and low levels of trust in leadership, resulting in rapidly declining morale, the report said.

Further, the Emergency Communications Center was at a crisis point with employees working mandatory overtime and many employees working 140 hours every two weeks, the report said. And training, processes and equipment for the Field Training Officer program seem to be lacking or antiquated.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Bartow to conduct search for police chief after Andy Ray steps down
In the Ukrainian Crimea temporarily occupied by Russia, patriots continue to resist. This time, a new bold action was organized right at the "positions" of the Russian occupiers.

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The relevant photos were published by the Yellow Ribbon Telegram channel. It should be noted that the public resistance movement is constantly growing.

Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement left special notes at the so-called "firing positions" of the Russian occupiers in Yevpatoria.

They emphasize that the place of the Russian occupiers is not in the Ukrainian Crimea but in other places, such as Kolyma, Saransk, or Ulan-Ude. 10 years of occupation have not changed anything, and the Ukrainian resistance continues.

Patriots are convinced that sooner or later the Ukrainian flag will return to Crimea.

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As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

 Earlier, the representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea Tamila Tasheva said that the Russian occupiers are actively preparing for hostilities on the peninsula. In particular, the Russian army is digging trenches along the coast and arranging bomb shelters.

 The head of the Joint Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, Natalia Gumeniuk, said that the invaders would not be at peace in any part of the temporarily occupied Crimea, as Ukraine is serious about regaining all its territories.

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Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
SALEM, Va. (WFXR) The City of Salem Parks & Rec announced it will be hosting the 72nd Ernest Pig Robertson Fishing Rodeo at Lake Spring Park starting on Saturday, April 27.

This years rodeo will once again have Saturday fishing for various ages. Although participation is free, participants must bring their own fishing equipment and adults cannot fish for the children during the Saturday events. Each kid can catch up to six trout, and they must keep all the fish they reel in.

In addition, the rodeo is bringing back the always popular and exciting special needs and nursing home fishing days. Interested participants must pre-register.

Vintons 69th annual Dogwood Festival bringing live entertainment, family fun, and more!

Here is the Ernest Pig Robertson Fishing Rodeo Schedule:

Children ages 3-8: Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon

Special Needs Children: Monday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to noon

Nursing Home Residents: Wednesday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to noon

Children ages 9-12: Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The top angler will receive a trophy. Also, many businesses in the community have donated prizes that will be awarded to participants throughout each day.

For more information, call Salem Parks and Rec at (540) 375-3057.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
Procter & Gamble, the nations biggest laundry detergent seller, recalled 8.2 million Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods and Ariel Pods flexible bags Friday morning.

The outer packaging meant to prevent access to the contents can split open near the zipper track, posing a risk of serious injury to children and other vulnerable populations if the contents of the laundry detergent packets are ingested, as well as posing a risk of skin or eye injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall announcement said. Ingestion of a large quantity of any surfactant-containing household cleaning products can cause death among individuals with underlying health issues.

Procter & Gamble doesnt know of any injuries from the problem. It knows about four U.S. children who got to the laundry packs, three of which reported ingestion during the time period that the recalled lots were sold, but it is not known if these laundry packets came from recalled bags.

READ MORE: Walmarts electric food chopper recall after some users got sliced

This covers 12-count to 39-count bags of the following:

 Gain Flings (Original, Moonlight Breeze, Blissful Breeze, Spring Daydream, Plus Ultra Oxi, Plus Odor Defense)

The varieties of recalled Gain Flings

 Tide Pods (Original, Light, Spring Meadow, Clean Breeze, Free & Gentle, Oxi, Ultra Oxi, Plus Oxi Boost)

The varieties of Tide Pods recalled.

 Ace Pods (Clean Breeze, Spring Meadow)

The recalled Ace Pods

 Ariel Pods Alpine Breeze

The recalled Ariel Pods

P&G is offering refunds, replacements or a cabinet lock to put on your laundry detergent storage area. Though the recall notice says this applies only to U.S.-distributed products, the recall part of P&Gs website also includes spots for Tide and Gain Canadian consumers.

Unlike most companies making massive product recalls, P&G is making the customer go through some effort to find out if their detergent is included in the recall.

Consumers can fill out a form on the company website with the product barcode and upload a photo of the product lot code (on the bottom of the package) to validate your product is part of the specific lot codes impacted. Or, check out the list of lot codes on the P&G website.

For questions on this recall, reach out to Procter & Gamble on its website hyperlinked above or call 833-347-5764, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time, or 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time on Saturdays.
Eight men allegedly operated a beer heist ring that swiped cases of Corona and Modelo Especial valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars from distribution centers and rail cars in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

Seven of the men were arrested on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. The man who prosecutors believe was the ringleader, Jose Cesari, turned himself in to federal authorities on Thursday after being at large, a spokesman confirmed with CBS MoneyWatch.

Between July 2022 and March 2024, the men allegedly carried out dozens of heists, waiting until night to cut holes in the fences of distribution facilities or to snip the locks off rail cars to gain access to pallets of beer, according to an unsealed indictment. They then allegedly used a moving truck to transport the stolen beer to the Bronx, where it was inspected and then sold.

"Train heists harken back to the days of the Wild West and gunslingers riding horses, stealing loot from rail cars," FBI special agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said in the statement. "The romanticized image has nothing to do with the modern-day criminals we allege took part in a theft ring in New Jersey, New York, and beyond that targeted railyards and beverage distribution centers."

The arrested men  Kemar Bonitto, Justin Bruno, Miguel Cintron, Antonio Gonzalez, Luis Izquierdo, Wakiem Johnson and Deylin Martinez-Guerrero  were paid hundreds of dollars each night for helping Cesari steal alcohol valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, prosecutors allege.

Cesari, who was allegedly present at all the robberies, often used a police scanner to help keep a watch for authorities, prosecutors claim. Cesari, who made posts on Instagram trying to recruit others to join the ring, also allegedly robbed a railroad car full of beer at gunpoint in Queens, New York, last April, prosecutors claim.

"That dangerous and disruptive conduct  sometimes allegedly accompanied by the threat of violence  has left several beverage distribution and railroad companies ailing," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement on Wednesday.

If convicted, the men, whose ages range from 27 to 40, face between five and 20 years in prison.

Corona, a pale lager owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, began at a brewery in Mexico City in 1922. It's now sold in 180 countries and is one of the top selling beers in the U.S.

Modelo Especial, a pilsner-style lager that began nearly 100 years ago in Mexico, was bought by Constellation Brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2013.

Sales of Modelo spiked last summer when sales of top-selling beer Bud Light plummeted amid a social media controversy with trans rights activist Dylan Mulvaney. For a brief period last year, Modelo became the nation's top selling beer brand.

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KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Interstate 85 South closed from a crash near Kings Mountain Thursday evening.

According to N.C. Department of Transportation, the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. April 4. All southbound lanes are blocked at Exit 5 (Kings Mountain Blvd.)

As a result of the closure, traffic is backed up as far as five miles to the U.S. 74 interchange. The road reopened around 8:10 p.m.

Injuries from the incident are unknown at this time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adamss (D) invitation to stay at a migrant shelter during his visit to the Big Apple, calling it a gimmick in an interview on Thursday.

The invitation is nothing more than a gimmick, Abbott said during an interview on Fox Newss Hannity.

And what I will suggest to the mayor of New York is there are people dying on his watch, Abbott continued. Law enforcement officers are being gunned down by people that have been arrested 20 times, and he needs to take charge and make sure they keep behind bars dangerous criminals who are killing his fellow New Yorkers.

Abbott was likely referring to a New York City Police Department officer, Jonathan Diller, who was recently killed at a traffic stop by a man who had allegedly been arrested 21 times, nine for felonies. The suspect had been released from prison in September 2021 after serving nearly five years.

Adams announced Thursday that the city has continued to see a dramatic decline in crime, consistent with the year-over-year trend in most other large cities in the country.

Adams was asked Thursday about Abbotts scheduled trip to New York, where he spoke later that day at a Republican fundraiser.

Im going to offer him a stay in one of the HERRCs, so he can see what he has created and understand how we are treating people with the dignity and respect that he should have shown, Adams said during a press conference, referring to a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRC) set up to house migrants amid an influx in recent months.

Im not quite sure why hes here and what hes doing while here, Adams said. But hes going to see how you can manage the crisis with coordination.

The remarks are the latest escalation in the feud between the two public figures as they both have continued to deal with a surge in migration. Abbott has been sending buses of migrants to New York and has drawn criticism from Adams and others for deploying the tactic without giving notice.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Abilene ISD School Board announced Dr. John Kuhn as the lone finalist for the position of superintendent.

Kuhn brings extensive knowledge of public education and 27 years of experience as he transitions into the superintendent position, according to an AISD media release.

Abilene ISD Board of Trustees announced Dr. John Kuhn as the lone finalist for the position of superintendent Thursday.

He is serving as superintendent for Mineral Wells ISD where he has worked since 2016.

Kuhn previously served as superintendent of Perrin-Whitt Consolidated ISD and was a high school principal, assistant principal, teacher and bus driver in the Mineral Wells and Graford school districts.

Kuhn is a public education advocate in Texas and has extensive expertise in creating positive learning environments where students are able to improve academic outcomes and family engagement, supporting professional and personal growth of faculty and staff, strategic planning and innovative leadership, according to an AISD press release.

I am incredibly humbled by the trust placed in me by the AISD Board of Trustees, Kuhn said.

I take the charge of serving as AISD superintendent extremely seriously, and I look forward to working with the amazing team of educators in Abilene.

"The students of AISD deserve the very best education possible, and the staff deserve a leader who supports and celebrates them in their vital mission. I intend to be that person every day.

"I am beyond excited to get started and join the AISD team."

AISD Board President Daryl Zeller expressed his appreciation for the community's involvement throughout the candidate process.

"We are confident that Dr. Kuhn will exceed their expectations as we begin a new chapter of equipping learners for brighter futures in Abilene ISD," Zeller said.

Kuhn holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and master's and bachelor's degrees from Tarleton State University.

After the state-required 21-day waiting period, Kuhn will officially begin serving as AISD superintendent.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene ISD announces John Kuhn as lone finalist for superintendent
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  The Abilene ISD School Board of Trustees announced that Dr. John Kuhn has been named as the districts lone finalist for Superintendent of Schools on Thursday evening.

Dr. Kuhn has 27 years of experience in public education and currently serves as Superintendent of Schools for Mineral Wells ISD, a role he has held since 2016. Dr. Kuhn has also previously served as superintendent of Perrin-Whitt CISD and was previously a high school principal, assistant principal, teacher, and bus driver in the Mineral Wells and Graford Independent School Districts.

Dr. Kuhns areas of expertise include creating positive learning environments for all students to improve academic outcomes and family engagement, supporting the professional and personal growth of faculty and staff, and strategic planning and innovative leadership in education.

I am incredibly humbled by the trust placed in me by the AISD Board of Trustees, said Dr. Kuhn. I take the charge of serving as AISD superintendent extremely seriously, and I look forward to working with the amazing team of educators in Abilene. The students of AISD deserve the very best education possible, and the staff deserve a leader who supports and celebrates them in their vital mission. I intend to be that person every day. I am beyond excited to get started and join the AISD team!

Outgoing AISD Board of Trustee and current Board President Daryl Zeller shared his enthusiasm for the naming of AISDs lone finalist for Superintendent of Schools.

As a board, hiring a superintendent is one of our most important responsibilities, Board President Daryl Zeller said. We appreciate our community for sharing their voices with us throughout this process, and we are confident that Dr. Kuhn will exceed their expectations as we begin a new chapter of equipping learners for brighter futures in Abilene ISD.

Dr. Kuhns credentials include a doctorate in educational leadership from Texas A&M University-Commerce, as well as masters and bachelors degrees from Tarleton State University. He and his wife, Noelia, who is a diagnostician and former bilingual teacher, have three children.

Following a 21-day state-required waiting period, Dr. Kuhn will officially report to Abilene ISD to begin serving as Superintendent of Schools.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
Three weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case that will decide the fate of emergency medical exceptions to Idahos abortion ban, dozens of supporters of the law have weighed in  including numerous conservative think tanks, religious organizations and anti-abortion medical associations.

The court filings, called amicus or friend of the court briefs, are part of the case Idaho appealed to the Supreme Court late last year. In August 2022, shortly after the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Idaho over its near-total abortion ban. The federal government argued that the bans limited exceptions for abortion  when a pregnant person is at risk of death or in cases of rape or incest that have been reported to police  violates the federal Emergency Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA).

Amicus briefs are filed by parties who have a significant interest in a case but are not themselves involved. The briefs can influence the courts decision by showing the potential impact of case. They offer additional input, case law and context that may not be part of the legal parties arguments.

The briefs challenge numerous aspects of the case, from the need for emergency abortion to the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services to instruct health care providers to prioritize EMTALA over state restrictions, as it did in 2022. Health and Human Services Director Xavier Becerra said in a letter to health care providers that physicians must provide an abortion if they believe its the necessary stabilizing treatment for a medical emergency.

Since the Justice Department sued the state, various courts have changed course on whether to allow the emergency room abortion ban stand. In January, the Supreme Court quietly issued an order upholding the ban. Oral arguments in the case will take place in Washington, D.C., on April 24.

Forty-five amicus briefs  18 of them from proponents of Idahos abortion ban  have been filed in the case as of Thursday afternoon, some representing numerous stakeholders. The briefs are available to read online at the Supreme Courts docket page.

Anti-abortion groups say feds overstepped

Several briefs filed in support of Idahos abortion ban question whether the federal government overstepped its role by directing medical professionals to prioritize EMTALA, which prevents hospitals from turning away patients who cant afford care and requires them to stabilize anyone with an emergency medical condition.

Lawyers for several conservative groups  including the Idaho Family Policy Center, the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute and the National Right to Life Committee  told the court that the Department of Justice is twisting EMTALAs original purpose of preventing hospitals from refusing patients care.

In a joint brief with Advancing American Freedom and more than a dozen other organizations, an attorney for the Idaho Family Policy Center said the purpose of the 1980s act was not to create a Trojan horse for mandatory abortion even contrary to state law.

In its brief, the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, which is the lobbying arm of the conservative Claremont Institute, asserted that this case is not about abortion.

The centers brief said Health and Human Services tried to wield power that belongs to the states. Numerous family policy centers from states across the U.S. in a joint brief accused Health and Human Services of trying to federalize emergency health care.

Abortion is not health care

Several of the amicus briefs addressed the case from a different angle: They said that even in emergencies, abortions are not necessary to stabilize patients.

Abortion is not health care, said one brief submitted by lawyers for anti-abortion groups The Justice Foundation and First Rights Global. The brief said it was on behalf of more than 2,700 women who were hurt by abortions.

A cadre of Catholic organizations, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the anti-abortion nonprofit Charlotte Lozier Institute all claimed abortion is not a stabilizing procedure.

The Department of Justices argument disputes that assertion. In a separate brief, the American Medical Association and organizations representing emergency physicians and OB-GYNs said abortion can be the appropriate treatment in numerous emergency situations.

Abortion may be the necessary stabilizing care when continuing a pregnancy risks severe health consequences to the patient, like loss of uterus (and future fertility), seizures, stroke, vital organ damage and failure, and death, the medical groups brief said.

The groups said Idaho and its supporters are trying to gloss over a conflict between Idaho law and EMTALA by creating a new, non-medical definition of abortion that relies on the intent of a medical procedure. If the intent is to save the pregnant patients life, Idaho considers a terminated pregnancy a separation, but if the intent is to prevent organ loss, the same procedure is considered an abortion, the groups argued.

The Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare, a nonprofit representing hundreds of Idaho physicians, also asserted the need for abortion under EMTALA.

For some pregnant patients, abortion care is the necessary stabilizing care, the coalitions brief said. Yet (Idaho law) bars Idaho health care providers from providing this care until the patient is on the brink of death.

The Catholic organizations pointed to the churchs long history of providing health care and said providers are able to balance Catholic anti-abortion values with medical treatment. They said Catholic health care providers have stabilized patients for decades without resorting to the direct and intentional termination of the life of the unborn child.

Abortion is never necessary to protect the life of a pregnant mother, the groups brief said.

The church also argued that the Health and Human Services directive encroached on Catholic health care providers right to refuse to perform procedures they object to on moral or religious grounds. That argument was echoed by Lutheran organizations, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations and the Institute for Faith and Family.

The injury here is particularly insidious, forcing conscientious objectors to personally participate in a morally objectionable procedure  abortion, the Institute for Faith and Family brief said.

A brief submitted by attorneys general for nearly two dozen U.S. states, most of them Democratic, argued that EMTALA has never allowed for physicians to refuse stabilizing treatment based on religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
This week, the Florida state Supreme Court issued two rulings with significant ramifications for abortion access in the state. In one decision, the justices overturned decades of precedent by ruling that the state constitutions enumerated rights to privacy do not apply to abortion, which paves the way for a recently passed Florida law that bans the procedure at six weeks to go into effect beginning in May.

In their second ruling, however, the majority of justices found that a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy could go on the ballot. In other words, the state legislature has had its say, now Florida voters will have the chance to provide an electoral riposteand overnight, that pending ballot initiative becomes one of the hot tickets in an already heady election season.

But these decisions have major implications for abortion access not only in Florida, the nations third-largest state by population, but throughout the South as well. In 2023, more than 84,000 abortions were performed in the Sunshine State, with nearly 8,000 out-of-state residents obtaining an abortion in Florida.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former Democratic representative challenging incumbent Republican Rick Scott in the upcoming Florida Senate election, told The New Republic that she believes the two decisions by the state high court will not just be consequential for abortion access in the near futurebut will have long-term political implications as well, in her state and beyond.

This interview with Mucarsel-Powell has been condensed and lightly edited.





What were your initial reactions to the state Supreme Court decisions released this week?

I had a lot of mixed feelingsbecause by them upholding the 15-week abortion ban, we know that in 28 days, the six-week abortion ban will go into effect. And its a near-ban on all abortions with hardly any exceptions for incest and rape. And Im very concerned about the safety and the health of women in Florida and in the Southeast region. So many women from the Southeast region come [here] to receive care.

Im really concerned to see a rise in maternal mortality rates. And its an issue that, as someone that came from Latin America, I have seen what happens when women dont have access to this key critical reproductive health care. It affects, of course, Black women and Latino women disproportionately. And those are the first thoughts that came to my mind when I saw that.

And then at the same time, the good news is that Floridians are going to have the opportunity to make sure that they come out in November to protect their freedoms, their rights. This is an opportunity for us to make sure that we enshrine reproductive health care into the state constitution. But its not going to mean anything if Floridians come vote to make it a part of the state constitution to protect a womans reproductive health care and abortion care, if then Florida reelects Rick Scott [and] he goes back to the Senate and pushes the national abortion ban. And so I think that my race now is more critical than ever.

Do you think that engagement and interest regarding the ballot initiative on abortion will juice turnout in November, and perhaps get more people aware of your election and more excited about it?

Ive been in Florida now seeing this grassroots movement and the energized groups that have been on the ground, that actually obtained over a million and a half signatures to make sure that we put this amendment on the ballot in November, and it included [around] 150,000 Republican registered voters. And Ive been traveling across the state, and people in Florida are ready. Theyre ready to come out to vote and protect reproductive freedom, and theyre ready to retire Rick Scott.

Everywhere I go, people know exactly who Rick Scott is. And they know that hes someone that wants to push an abortion ban, that he proudly said he would have supported a six-week abortion ban if he was governor. And he also, of course, wrote that plan to sunset Social Security and Medicare. He wants to eliminate the [Affordable Care Act]. I mean, theres so many issues in front of Floridians, and they understand, very well, the stakes. And I think that we are going to see huge turnout because of the amendment, but also because of all these issues, and because we have been present in the state in all these communities, talking to them directly about what it would mean if Rick Scott gets back into the Senate.

[Authors note: When he was chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2022, Scott authored a proposal that would sunset all legislation after five years, including Social Security and Medicare. Under pressure from his own party, Scott later amended the plan to exclude entitlement programs.]

Florida has a significant Latino population, which has been critical in recent elections, but with whom Democrats have really struggled to engage. So how do you connect with Latino voters, but specifically on issues of abortion and reproductive care?

Im a Latina, and Ive been very present in my community for years before I was elected to serve in Congress, during Congress, after Congress. I have been speaking to our communities in Spanish radio, Spanish media, about issues that matter most to them. One of them is gun safety. Latinos understand what it means to live under government control, under political violence, political persecution. And I can tell you that my story is the story of so many Latinos living in South Florida, but also Floridians across the state. And so I feel very strongly that when you are present in our community, they come and vote for the person thats going to represent them. And thats what happened in 2018; its the same thing thats going to happen now in 2024.

[Authors note: Mucarsel-Powell was elected to the House in the blue wave of 2018.]

And lets remember one thing: Argentina, Colombia, Mexicovery conservative countries in Central and South Americapassed laws to protect access to abortion and reproductive rights. Because theres a direct link to violence against women when you dont have that care, that access to care, and also high levels of maternal mortality. And because of that, women organized in Latin America and were able to put pressure on the government to pass these laws. And so Latina women are Latinas for choice. They dont want the government interfering in these private matters. They dont want politicians making those decisions for them. Many of us have left that government to come to America to experience freedom and democracy. And that resonates because it resonates with me as a Latina, and it resonates with our communities in Florida.

[Authors note: Argentina recently legalized abortion, and the procedure is decriminalized in Mexico and Colombia.]

Do you think that the National Democratic Party should be investing more in Florida and paying more attention to your race specifically?

Im running because I want to represent all Floridians in the state. I have been called to serve. And I decided very early on that this is going to be my campaign to make sure that I have all the resources; that I have all the support inside of our state. Now I have also said that Florida is a state thats worth fighting for and investing in. I have been saying this even before I launched my campaign to run for Senate. We are 20 million Americans living in the state of Florida under extremists that are trying to hijack the state, that have tried to paint a facade that is completely false that our state is red. The extremists up at the topincluding Rick Scott, who is the poster child for extreme policies in Washingtondont represent our values. We are a third independent voters, a third Democrats, a third Republicans. We are a bright purple state, and we are ready to vote for our rights, to protect our rights and freedoms in November. And so it would be a huge mistake for anyone to underestimate who we are in Florida.

On the ballot language on abortion: That amendment would protect abortion rights through viability, around 24 weeks. Some abortion rights advocates worry that protecting abortion through viability isnt sufficient to ensure that everyone has abortion access. Do you believe that language, protection through viability, does enough to protect abortion rights?

Im focusing on fighting to stop the six-week ban on abortion, and I completely support the abortion ballot measure the way that its written.

This article first appeared in Inside Washington, a weekly TNR newsletter authored by staff writer Grace Segers. Sign up here.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  An affordable housing development for seniors experiencing homelessness celebrated its grand opening in San Diegos Nestor neighborhood on Thursday.

Nestor Senior Village has 73 affordable rental housing units and offers supportive services for seniors ages 55 and older experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It was built on land leased for 90 years from Nestor United Methodist Church.

San Diego mayor unveils homeless shelter plan  the largest yet

San Diego Countys Behavioral Health Services department will be the lead service provider for residents of 35 units who are specifically participating in the No Place Like Home program. Father Joes Villages will provide services for residents of the 38 other units.

According to Thursdays release by the San Diego Housing Commission, the studio units will remain affordable for 55 years for seniors with an income of up to 30% of San Diegos area media income, which is $28,950 a year for a single-person household.

Residents who will be living in the Nestor Senior Village were identified through the Regional Task Force on Homelessness coordinated entry system.

The commission awarded 73 rental housing vouchers to help residents pay their rent, as well as a $3.3 million loan toward the development. The commission said when a resident moves out of the development, the voucher will stay in place to help another senior experiencing homelessness.

Other services will be provided by Alpha Project Tenant Peer Support Services, San Ysidro Health, San Diego Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and Casa Familiar.

The village was a collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission with units developed by National Community Renaissance.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke at NATO headquarters in Brussels during events marking the 75th anniversary of the Alliance. He called on Ukraine's partners to provide air defense systems to Ukraine's defenders, and it seems he was heard.

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"I would not want to be a buzzkill, but my message today is Patriot," Kuleba said. He explained that the provision of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine depends only on NATO allies, "who have a lot of them."

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister explained to his partners why Ukraine needs Patriots now in detail, "Russia is increasingly using ballistic missiles in its attacks on our country, which can only be intercepted by these American systems.

Apparently, Kuleba managed to convince his interlocutors. The 75th anniversary of the Alliance and the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council turned into a search for air defense systems for Ukraine. After the events, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg noted that the member states "understand the urgency" of providing Ukraine with air defense systems. And some of them have agreed to examine their weapons stockpiles to see if they can provide us with more missile defense systems.

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"Several allies have already pledged to investigate what they can deliver. I can't say more specifically before they draw their conclusions, but there are several countries that may make announcements about such assistance in the coming days," the NATO Secretary General said.

Separately, Stoltenberg welcomed the allocation of about 600 million euros from Germany to support the Czech-led artillery initiative, the provision of 10,000 drones from the UK, as well as "even more missiles and armored vehicles" from France and a new military aid package for Ukraine from Finland.

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Kuleba also did not name all the countries that are currently deciding where to find and how to transfer air defense systems to Ukraine. However, he did mention several meetings in Brussels. Among them was a meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom. "We discussed Sweden's ability to strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend its sky from Russian air terror," Kuleba said.

Dmytro Kuleba also spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The parties discussed "immediate measures in response to Russia's missile terror." The Ukrainian Foreign Minister urged our American partners to find ways to provide us with additional Patriot air defense systems as soon as possible. "I am grateful to the Secretary for taking immediate steps to reciprocate this call," the minister said.

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Germany has also initiated a search for Patriot air defense systems that could be transferred to Ukraine, Minister Kuleba said. According to him, Germany is taking "immediate measures to analyze all systems available in the world, including Patriot batteries and other air defense systems, and is looking for possible combinations to supply these batteries to Ukraine."

In her turn, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock noted that the participants of the Council "clearly heard" the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

In this regard, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that words of unity and solidarity with Ukraine without significant arms supplies and security guarantees turn into cynicism. "Ukrainians have performed miracles and have repeatedly put the 'experts' in an awkward position. We should be grateful for such an ally, but instead of helping them win, we are asking them to fight with their hands tied behind their backs," Landsbergis said.

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As reported, Ukraine needs five to seven Patriot air defense systems from the United States. This will help weaken the enemy's army, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russian propagandists and some Western media claimed that in early March, the occupiers hit two Patriot launchers near Pokrovsk with an Iskander missile. However, the American Institute for the Study of War emphasized that they had found no evidence of this.

The aggressor country continues to "brag" about the alleged destruction of these air defense systems in Ukraine. In particular, the day before, the occupiers claimed that a strike on Kyiv on March 25 "destroyed" Patriot air defense systems at Zhuliany airport.

Between May 2023 and January 2024, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 25 Russian X-47 Kinzhal missiles using Patriot air defense systems. However, in general, these systems are not enough in our country.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
On the agenda: Salem City Council to vote on $325,000 settlement for former 911 dispatcher

The Salem City Council meets in 2023 at City Hall. The council is set to vote Monday on whether to authorize a $325,000 settlement to a former Willamette Valley Communications Center employee.

The Salem City Council is set to vote Monday on whether to authorize a $325,000 settlement to a former Willamette Valley Communications Center employee who sued the city last year and accused her supervisor of retaliating after she tried to attend the trial of a man accused of raping her.

The woman filed a $1 million lawsuit against the city and her supervisor, accusing them of whistleblower retaliation, violating her First Amendment rights and intimidating her for taking leave to testify in a criminal proceeding.

According to the complaint submitted by her attorneys, the woman was sexually assaulted by a man in Multnomah County in 2019. The man was charged with first-degree rape and was scheduled to go to trial in November.

In the months before the trial, the woman, who worked as a 911 call taker, applied for a promotion as a communication specialist III. She has worked for the department since 2018.

The promotional interview and written exam were scheduled for Nov. 9, the same week as the trial. When she told her supervisors that the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office needed her to testify at the trial and asked for a different exam date, her request was denied.

When the woman sent a follow-up email reiterating her decision to attend the trial and asking for the exam to be rescheduled, her supervisor canceled the promotion testing process.

Just before the trial, the man accused of raping her pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of second-degree sexual abuse and was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.

The Statesman Journal does not name survivors of sexual assault.

According to city records, the parties in the lawsuit agreed to resolve the litigation after court-supervised mediation last month.

"The parties have agreed to resolve all claims associated with the matter for a payment to (the woman) in the amount of $325,000 and other non-financial terms as agreed by the parties through mediation," city staff said in a report to council.

The terms include a neutral job reference for the woman and participation in a one-hour victims' rights training for certain city staff.

Other Salem City Council agenda items

A vote on whether to approve a $175,000 workers' compensation claim from the city's self-insurance claim fund.

A proclamation declaring April 9 National Library Workers Day.

A proclamation declaring April as Dark Sky Awareness Month.

The presentation of a plaque from FEMA leadership to the mayor recognizing Salem's achievement of a Class 3 in the Community Rating System program to reduce flood risk in the community and provide discounts on flood insurance premiums.

How to participate in the Salem City Council meeting

The meeting is at 6 p.m. It will be held in person in the City Council Chambers at the Salem Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. SE, and also can be watched on Comcast Cable CCTV Channel 21 or on the Salem YouTube channel in English/American Sign Language and Spanish.

Those wishing to comment in person can sign up on the rosters at the chamber entrance before the start of the meeting.

Written public comments on agenda items can be emailed by 5 p.m. Monday to cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net. Or preregister between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday at cityofsalem.net/Pages/Public-Comment-at-Salem-City-Council-Meeting.aspx to speak during the meeting via Zoom.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem City Council to vote on settlement for 911 dispatcher
Whats the forecast for the solar eclipse? Looks like clear skies for southern Illinois.

For an event as unusual as a total solar eclipse, enthusiasts hope more elements than just the moon and sun align.

In space, unusual solar activity might make the viewing experience extra dazzling. But on Earth, clouds and rain could mar the experience.

Clouds are obviously what everybody cares about, in terms of viewing the total solar eclipse, said Deirdre Dolan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center. For those who are going to southern Illinois, it looks like luck is on their side.

During the 2017 total solar eclipse, thick clouds settled over Carbondale and other parts of Illinois dampening the experience for many disappointed viewers.

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After Mondays event, the contiguous United States wont see another total solar eclipse for 20 years adding to the pressure of picking an optimum viewing spot.

Early predictions indicate southern Missouri, southern Illinois and central Indiana will have clear skies and offer some of the countrys prime observing locations.

But many meteorological factors  such as water vapor and air temperature  that combine to produce cloud cover can complicate and change forecasts as eclipse day approaches.

The sun is one of (the) main drivers of weather here on Earth, Dolan said. (It) is also responsible for convective-type clouds, meaning the sun heats the surface, the air rises, and then a cloud forms. So when you lose the sunlight, you can get a decrease in shallow convective clouds, which could increase chances of viewing the solar eclipse.

With a sudden loss of sunlight, like what will happen during totality, humidity increases briefly, temperatures drop and winds die down, which could dissipate any puffy, cotton-like convective clouds that are low to the ground.

During El Nino years like this one  when warming surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean lead to drier and warmer conditions in the northern United States and Canada  theres typically more cloud cover over the southern Illinois region in April, according to the National Weather Service. While this winters milder temperatures could lead to more evaporation in the Great Lakes that adds to the cloud cover, Dolan said winds are forecast to be blowing from the southeast so vapor likely wont be a factor.

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Dolan recommends viewers check live satellite data to stay updated on cloud cover over the Great Lakes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations website at star.nesdis.noaa.gov/goes offers publicly available images, updated every 5 minutes.

At 1 p.m. Central every day leading up to the eclipse, NOAA will be sharing updates on cloud cover on social media platforms for the Weather Prediction Center and the National Weather Service, as well as on the centers website homepage at wpc.ncep.noaa.gov.

Early precipitation forecasts for the day of the eclipse are also good news, Dolan said. There is a less than 15% chance of rain for certain parts of southern and eastern Illinois.

A storm system is forecast to move from the southern Rockies to the central Plains and the Midwest this weekend, which could affect travel for visitors and those planning to pitch tents.

It could be a little bit soggy, Dolan said.

Anybody who is traveling anywhere along the path of totality  Check the weather on your travel days as well as eclipse day to make sure that you can remain safe and that you are weather-aware the entire time, she said.

Will the sun put on a show?

While many may be concerned about the chances of bad weather on the ground, scientists say there are exciting viewing possibilities for space weather, or the activity happening on the solar surface which often influences conditions on Earth.

Unfortunately, we cant really tell whats going to happen on the day of, said Carina Alden, a space weather analyst with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Solar activity is much harder to predict compared to terrestrial weather.

This year, the sun is entering the middle of its 11-year cycle and its most active stage. Sunspots, the dark blemishes on the solar surface responsible for its magnetic action, will be at their largest and most intense. Though they are mostly indiscernible from Earth because of the suns brilliance, once the moon starts to dim the intensity of the star, viewers might be able to spot them.

Solar flares, too, will be dramatic and more noticeable as the sun is covered. And during this period of heightened activity, there is always the possibility for an explosion of plasma from its atmosphere.

Just like we have hurricane season, tornado season, we have periods of high solar activity and periods of low solar activity, said Bryan Brasher, project manager and media liaison at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.

Some major players  large sunspots that have led to a lot of recent activity on the suns surface  have recently rotated away from Earth, Alden said.

Which doesnt mean, necessarily, you wont be able to see anything when totality hits, she said. There may possibly be something else that pops up, but right now its pretty quiet.

Brasher said new sunspots might develop. And if theyre big enough, they would be visible through eclipse viewing glasses. But no promises there, he added.

What you need to know about next weeks total solar eclipse

The corona, the suns outermost atmosphere, usually resembles a pearly white halo around the moon during a total eclipse. But with this much solar activity, plasma streamers might make the halo spikier. The corona will look bigger and more intense than it did during the 2017 total eclipse.

During a total eclipse in 1860, an observer drew an active corona with streamers, but it also featured an interesting circular burst of plasma. He didnt know it then, but he had seen a coronal mass ejection happen just as the moon hid the sun. Experts believe it might be the only photographic or hand-drawn rendition of such a phenomenon occurring during totality.

Several factors would have to align for an explosion to happen at just the right time. Theres an even lower probability it would trigger a strong enough geomagnetic storm that coincides with the Earths magnetic field to make the northern lights visible farther south.

(Its) the most extreme example I can imagine  this would have to be like, a one in a million chance, Brasher said. It would require a lot of things to happen. But thats not outside the realm of possibilities.

In addition, other planets will be lining up next to the celestial protagonists: Jupiter will be visible to the upper left, and Venus to the lower right. Others might be visible but dimmer, including Saturn, Mars and Mercury.

Alden said shes just hoping that the sun gives us a little party while the moon is covering it.

Its all up to the sun, she said.

adperez@chicagotribune.com
Which airlines were most often delayed at Austin-Bergstrom airport in 2023?

AUSTIN (KXAN)  More than one out of every five arriving flights at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport were delayed last year.

The U.S. Department of Transportations Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) publishes delay and cancellation data for airports across the country.

How many passengers have flown through Austin-Bergstrom this year?

BTS uses arriving flights when reporting delayed and canceled flights. A flight is considered delayed if it arrives at the gate 15 or more minutes after the scheduled arrival time.

Of the almost 93,000 flights at AUS in 2023, 76.7% arrived on time, while 21.9% were delayed. A further 1.2% of flights were canceled, while 0.2% of flights scheduled to land in Austin were diverted to a different airport.

The figures are a slight improvement over 2022. In that year, 74.6% of flights were on time, 22.5% were delayed and 2.7% were canceled.

The airport as a whole saw an improvement in the percentage of on-time flights in the second half of the year. In June, about 70.1% of flights arrived on time. That improved to 82.9% in December.

The number of canceled flights also dropped off toward the end of 2023. In January, 3.8% of all scheduled arrivals were canceled  a total of 279 flights. That compares to 35 cancellations in October, November and December combined.

When looking at individual airlines, JetBlue Airways saw the most delays at AUS last year. More than a third of all arriving JetBlue flights were delayed by at least 15 minutes. That meant just 64.3% of flights arrived on time, an improvement over the 58.6% seen in 2022.

What new routes are coming to AUS in 2024?

Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance at AUS, with 82.9% of flights arriving on time in 2023. The airline was also the only to not report any cancellations in 2023. Delta Air Lines was second for on-time performance, at 79.4%, followed by Southwest Airlines at 78.0%.

When regional and subsidiary airlines are included, Endeavor Air was right behind Hawaiian, at 82.8%. The airline is owned by Delta and operates as Delta Connection.

Republic Airways, which operates flights as American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express, is the top offender in Austin for most canceled flights, with 3.5% of all arrivals canceled in 2023, and a further 2.3% diverted to another airport. Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines canceled about 2.2% of flights scheduled to arrive in Austin.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
A gate opens at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama on October 22, 2019. (File)

The Contract Review Committee approved five legal contracts for the Alabama Department of Corrections totaling $1 million to defend corrections officers accused of violence or neglect that led to the deaths of incarcerated people.

Each two-year contract is worth $200,000 at a rate of $195 per hour. The five contracts went to three attorneys.

Clay Crenshaw, the chief deputy attorney general, said the contracts allow the attorneys to continue representing corrections officers and the DOC for cases, with some of them going as far back as 2020. The cases are ongoing, and the legal services contract is set to expire soon, according to the accompanying committee packet.

Two of the contracts were awarded to Albert Jordan of Wallace Jordan Ratliff & Brandt, LLC, based out of Birmingham.

The first contract awarded to Jordan lists the plaintiff as Mary Abrams, but the case could not be located in PACER.

The second lawsuit was filed by Laventra Denise Rutledge, who alleged that five corrections officers at William Donaldson Correctional facility in Bessemer allowed his brother, Thomas Lee Rutledge, to die in prison from excessive heat in December 2020.

According to the lawsuit, Thomas Lee Rutledge was placed in a cell in which the temperature was reported to be between 101-104 degrees. He was later found unresponsive and his body temperature was recorded at 109 degrees.

Corrections claims the death is an accident, and says saying that the high temperature was an anomaly given that the outside temperature was below freezing. The department argues the incident could not be blamed on Corrections staff unless they intentionally acted to increase the temperature in the cell.

Two other contracts went to Philip Piggott of Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A. based in Montgomery to represent Corrections out of case in the Middle District of Alabama. According to the accompanying committee report, the plaintiff is Ed Parrish, but the case could not be located in PACER.

The Alabama Reflector reached out to the Attorney Generals Office and the DOC for comment regarding the cases that could not be found in PACER.

In a second case, Sondra Ray alleged that Corrections officers at Donaldson beat her son Steven Davis to death.

According to the complaint, a person who was incarcerated taunted Davis regarding sexual matters that escalated over a couple of days in October 2019. Davis then attacked the other individual who was taunting him with a plastic shank. Corrections officers intervened and Davis surrendered to the officers.

The lawsuit alleges that the officers assaulted Davis and stomped on his head, leading to his death.

The Alabama Attorney Generals Office, representing DOC said the facts do not rise to the level of what is alleged in the suit and are claiming absolute and sovereign immunity as well as qualified immunity for the corrections officers.

The fifth contract went to W. Allen Sheehan of Capell & Howard, P.C. for a lawsuit filed by William Smith, the father of Michael Smith.

According to the lawsuit, Michael Smith and another inmate at Ventress Correctional Facility in Clayton were involved in an altercation over a stolen pack of coffee in November 2019. Corrections officers intervened to return the two inmates to their cells, but Michael Smith was instead escorted to the hallway of the shift office separating two dorms.

The lawsuit says that Michael Smith became agitated while he was getting escorted, and says that one of the officers beat Michael Smith with a chair on his head and body until he was unresponsive.

The defendants denied beating Michael Smith, according to the response that was filed to the complaint.

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Alabama death row inmate stops fighting execution so victims and their families can get justice

Derrick Dearman says he remembers everything about the day he killed five people and an unborn child in 2016 (Greene County Sheriff's Department)

A man waiting on death row in Alabama, after murdering five people eight years ago, says he will no longer appeal against his sentence so that his victims families can have peace.

Derrick Dearman, 36, burst into a home in rural Citronelle in August 2016, armed with an axe and firearms.

He killed five people and an unborn baby, before kidnapping his estranged girlfriend and her 3-month-old baby.

Two years later, Dearman pleaded guilty, but he was still tried by a jury under Alabama law and sentenced to death.

Earlier this year, his appeal against the sentence was denied by the states Supreme Court, but in an interview with NBC News, Dearman says hes not fighting that anymore.

Now its time for the victims and their families to get the justice they rightly deserve to start the closure, he told the outlet. I have laid many nights thinking, what would I say to any of them if I ever had the chance, the opportunity to say something?

Thats part of the reason Ive made my decision to have my sentence carried out. Words dont have any weight in this situation, he continued.

The only thing I would say is that everyone that was hurt by the actions to forgive me, not for myself, but for them. That way, they will free their heart up to be able to truly heal.

The convict wrote to Alabama Governor Kay Ivery, as well as the states Attorney General, judges and others involved in the case, to explain his decision.

He had originally appealed for the sake of his family, he told NBC, and not for himself.

Dearman had handed himself in shortly after the killings, having been high on methamphetamine and angered by his estranged girlfriend Laneta Lester taking shelter in her brothers home.

That brother was Joseph Adam Turner, 26, who became one of Dearmans victims.

The others were Shannon Melissa Randall, 35; Robert Lee Brown, 26; Justin Kaleb Reed, 23; and Chelsea Marie Reed, 22, who was five months pregnant.

After he carried out the murders, Dearman put Ms Lester into a car along with her 3-month-old son and drove over the border to Mississippi.

When he came down from his high, he went to the police, with Ms Lester and the baby unharmed.

I remember every bit of it, he told AL.com. And it was like someone else had the steering wheel.

It was like being at the movie theatre or watching a movie and you want to turn your head or close your eyes because you didnt want to see that part or that scene because it was that scary or horrible and not being able to.

Dearman says he has opted for lethal injection when his time comes, although it is not clear when that might be.

At the moment, there are 165 people waiting on Alabamas death row, with some having waited since 1982.

Am I doing this because I cant live with myself? No, he added in his NBC interview.

I made this decision for different reasons. One of those reasons is so that all parties involved, not just the victims and their families but my family as well, can kind of get some closure and begin healing and moving forward.
A man in a red tie and blue suit holds his hands out.

Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, during a session on redistricting on July 19, 2023 in Montgomery, Ala. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama Senate Thursday approved legislation that would create procedures for excluding students from classrooms.

SB157, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, passed with unanimous approval from the chamber, though Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greenesboro, said he has reservations.

This bill is to try to support educators in the classroom, said Orr.

Under the bill, teachers would be able to exclude students from their classrooms starting in the 2024-24 school year for any of the following reasons:

Disorderly conduct

Obstructing teaching or learning process of others

Threatening, abusing, intimidating or attempting to intimidate education employees or students

Willfully disobeying an education employee

Using abusive or profane language against an education employee

Excluded students will be placed with the principal or their designee. The student can return to the classroom with a written certification that the student may be readmitted and says what, if any, disciplinary action was taken.

If the principal or designee finds that disciplinary action was necessary, they will provide written notice and a telephone call, if possible, to the parent or guardian.

If a student is excluded from the classroom twice in one semester and other classroom discipline was exhausted, they can be readmitted if there is a conference with the teacher, principal and, if possible, the parent or guardian and the teacher and principal agree on a discipline course going forward and the parent or guardian was informed.

If the behavior persists, upon the teachers request, the principal will administer the maximum punishment, including transfer to an alternative school.

The bill further outlines readmittance and suspension guidelines and an appeals process.

The bill states that teachers cannot be held civilly or criminally responsible, with some exceptions. The bill also outlines procedures for legal disputes with teachers.

Singleton said that some of the language was subjective. Singleton also brought up concerns about students with IEP, or special education plans. Orr said there was a section on students who need special allowances.

I just dont want those things to happen to students that are unintentional, Singleton said.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, who has sponsored bills on expulsion in the past, said he appreciated the work on the substitute and spoke about the due process part.

You got three levels in there, and I compliment you on that, he said.

The bill passed 34-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A Portland metro area high school has initiated talks to potentially change its mascot after community members called out its appropriateness  or lack thereof.

Aloha High School informed the public it was considering changing its mascot, a warrior, in a social media post shared on Tuesday.

Portland Art Museum shares sneak peek of renovations coming in 2025

The question around the appropriateness of the Aloha High School Warrior mascot, its branding and related traditions have been raised by some of our students and staff, an AHS representative wrote on Facebook.

State administrative rules prohibit public schools from depicting Native American names, symbols or imagery as their mascot.

Although AHS logo features a graphic of Kamehameha  the first king to rule the Kingdom of Hawaii  Beaverton School District Public Communications Officer Shellie Bailey-Shah told KOIN 6 the district and the school still believe it is important to discuss a potential mascot change with the community.

The school is gathering a committee of students, alumni, parents, employees and other community members to discuss the mascot change.

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According to Bailey-Shah, students were given additional context on the discussion earlier this week. Within the next several months, the committee will also give community members an opportunity to weigh in.

Applications for AHS mascot change committee are due on Friday, April 5.

Nationally and locally, organizations have grappled with changing certain names or mascots, often when they want to separate from a problematic past.

For years, the Kansas City Chiefs have been asked to change their name and logo. Some protesters argue the imagery depicts negative stereotypes of the Native American community.

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Portlands Lewis & Clark College also launched an online survey earlier this year, allowing others to give feedback on their Pioneers mascot. The college said people have questioned whether the mascot represents the values of the community.

Similarly, the former Portland Audubon dropped Audubon from its name to separate from its namesake who owned slaves and dismissed the abolitionist movement.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
When to take an alternate route? Lake County turnpike lane closures happening soon

This overhead photo, provided by Florida's Turnpike, shows construction in Lake County in February 2024.

If you're planning to take the turnpike overnight in the coming week, take note:

Turnpike Enterprise has scheduled overnight single-lane closures of the outside lane of southbound Florida's Turnpike at milepost 295.5 in Lake County for roadway maintenance activities from 9 p.m. Monday, April 8, to 5 a.m. Tuesday, April 9; and 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, to 5 a.m. Wednesday, April 10.

Drivers might experience delays traveling through the area and should seek alternate routes.

Tuning into news on the commute? WMFE rebrands to Central Florida Public Media

Travelers heading south on Interstate 75 wishing to access southbound Florida's Turnpike should consider exiting at State Road 44, traveling east on State Road 44 to U.S. 27, and traveling south on U.S. 27 to enter southbound Florida's Turnpike.

Schedule may change due to inclement weather or unforeseen conditions. For real-time traffic information, visit FL511.com before traveling,

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Lake County turnpike lane closures happening soon
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The Alzheimers Association West Texas Chapter will be granted a $54,000 check donated by Subaru El Paso on Sunday, April 7.

The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. the 1444 Airway Blvd., according to the Alzheimers Association.

The Alzheimers Association West Texas Chapter is extremely appreciative of this gift. This ensures that we continue accelerating research, drive risk reduction and early detection, and maximize quality care and support. By sharing the love, El Paso turned a darker shade of purple thanks to Subaru, said Valerie Sanchez, executive director of the Alzheimers Association West Texas Chapter.

According to a press release from the Alzheimers Association, Subaru has donated the check on behalf of their Subaru Share the Love event that donates to over 2,100 local charities.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
A new experiment designed to search the cosmos for its most mysterious "stuff," dark matter, has delivered its first results.

While the Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) developed by the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab hasn't turned up dark matter particles just yet, the new results place a tighter constraint on the type of characteristics scientists can expect such particles to have. The BREAD experiment itself also served up an exciting new recipe that could be used in the hunt for dark matter  a relatively inexpensive one that doesn't take up a vast amount of space.

BREAD takes a "broadband" approach to search for hypothetical dark matter particles called "axions" and associated "dark photons" across a larger set of possibilities than other experiments, albeit with slightly less precision.

"If you think about it like a radio, the search for dark matter is like tuning the dial to search for one particular radio station, except there are a million frequencies to check through," University of Chicago scientist and BREAD project co-leader David Miller said in a statement. "Our method is like doing a scan of 100,000 radio stations, rather than a few very thoroughly."

Related: What is dark matter?

A small experiment to tackle a big problem

Dark matter represents a huge problem for scientists because, despite the fact it makes up around 85% of the matter in the universe and its influence prevents galaxies from flying apart as they spin, we have little idea what it is made of.

That is in part because dark matter is effectively invisible; it doesn't seem to interact with light, neither emitting nor reflecting standard photons. That lack of electromagnetic interaction suggests that dark matter isn't composed of the protons, neutrons and electrons that comprise "normal matter" objects like stars, planets, moons, our bodies and the cat next door.

Though our telescopes can't detect dark matter directly, the stuff does affect stars, galaxies, and even light via its interactions with gravity. So astronomers can tell that something is there  they just don't know what it is. Knowing what to look for and exactly where to look is a different matter.

"Were very confident that something is there, but there are many, many forms it could take," said Miller.

This confusion has sent scientists on the hunt for different particles with strange properties that could comprise dark matter. One such candidate is the axion, a hypothetical particle with an extremely small mass. Should axions exist, they may interact with a so-called dark photon just as everyday matter interacts with "ordinary" photons. This interaction could occasionally prompt the creation of a visible photon under certain circumstances.

a man in a blue flannel shirt stands behind a tall silver cylinder in a laboratory

BREAD is a coaxial dish antenna in the shape of a curved metal tube that can fit on a tabletop. The experiment is designed to catch photons and funnel them to a sensor at one end to search for a subset of possible axions.

The full-scale BREAD experiment will see the equipment sit within a strong magnetic field, which the team says will increase the chances of the conversion of axons to photons. As a proof of principle, the team conducted a BREAD experiment minus the magnets needed to generate this field.

The proto-BREAD experiment ran at the University of Chicago for a month and delivered some interesting data, whetting the team's appetite for the full-scale experiment. The test results showed that BREAD was highly sensitive in the range of frequencies that the team had designed it to probe.

"This is just the first step in a series of exciting experiments we are planning," BREAD co-leader and Fermilab researcher Andrew Sonnenschein said. "We have many ideas for improving the sensitivity of our axion search."

The test also demonstrated that particle physics can be done on a tabletop as well as in huge particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which runs for 17 miles (27 kilometers) deep under the border between France and Switzerland.

"This result is a milestone for our concept, demonstrating for the first time the power of our approach," said Stefan Knirck, the Fermilab postdoctoral scholar who led the development and construction of BREAD. "It is great to do this kind of creative tabletop-scale science, where a small team can do everything from building the experiment to data analysis but still have a great impact on modern particle physics."

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The next stage of the BREAD experiment will see the apparatus transported to the magnet facility at Argonne National Laboratory. Additionally, facilities like SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, MIT, Caltech, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working on research and development with the University of Chicago and Fermilab for future recipes of the BREAD experiment.

"There are still so many open questions in science and an enormous space for creative new ideas for tackling those questions," Miller concluded. "I think this is a real hallmark example of those kinds of creative ideas  in this case, impactful, collaborative partnerships between smaller-scale science at universities and larger-scale science at national laboratories."

The team's research is detailed in a paper published late last month in the journal Physical Review Letters.
On the sidelines of NATO, a scenario for Ukraine is allegedly being discussed informally under the tentative title of "membership in the Alliance in exchange for territories." Partly, this idea emerged as one of the possible solutions to end the war, and partly it was born as a response to the possible rise to power in the United States of Donald Trump and the consequences of his presidency.

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More and more Western media outlets are publishing insights that Ukraine will not be invited to join the Alliance at the NATO summit this summer, while Ukrainians overwhelmingly believe in victory and are convinced that, following the war, our country will restore its territorial integrity within the borders established in 1991. What scenarios are currently being discussed in the West and what do the Ukrainian people want, OBOZ.UA writes.

Ukraine in NATO: is the entry "ticket" a part of the territories?

The idea of ending the war in Ukraine under the "territories in exchange for security" scheme is being floated on the sidelines of NATO, according to La Repubblica. The idea is that Kyiv should give up the territories occupied by Russia, and the controlled part of our country will be immediately accepted into the Alliance.

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"This is not a hypothesis that was officially discussed during the last NATO summit in Brussels. But, of course, it is a possibility that cyclically returns in all informal conversations. Even in the last few days. And this is becoming an engine for accelerating assistance to Kyiv," the publication said.

In recent days, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Ukraine will sooner or later join the Alliance, followed by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who spoke about Ukraine's approximation to NATO standards.

La Repubblica notes that the idea of "exchanging" territories for joining the Alliance, which some experts consider one of the real ways to end the war, has not yet been assessed politically, but no one is rejecting it. Not least because of the US elections in the fall of 2024, when Joe Biden may be replaced in the White House by Donald Trump. The same man who has repeatedly boasted that he would "instantly" end the war between Russia and Ukraine upon his return to the presidency  and most likely not in the way it should have ended for reasons of justice and international law.

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"In general, the plan would be to leave the occupied territories to the Kremlin. Crimea and the other four regions were conquered in the last two years. And then seal the borders. Allowing what is left of Ukraine to join NATO. A path that is very similar to what happened after World War II with West Germany. The German nation was divided in two, effectively handing over control of the eastern part of the USSR and at the same time incorporating the western part into the Atlantic Military Alliance in 1955," the newspaper writes.

At last year's NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the allies to accept Ukraine into the bloc as a response to Russian aggression. At the time, he heard promises that this would certainly happen in the future, but almost all NATO countries were in no hurry to accept Ukraine, fearing to be directly involved in the war.

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Now, the threat of Trump's return to the White House has changed the timetable. In particular, they are discussing the acceleration of assistance to Kyiv and the need to "cut off" this issue from political changes and uncertainty. Stoltenberg emphasized this, in particular.

"If this decision is indeed made, it is important that Ukraine retains as much territory as possible between now and the beginning of next year. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to provide Zelenskyy's army with weapons, ammunition, and possibly even people. The "Trump hypothesis" is causing some alarm in Europe, as it will still be a capitulation to Russian arrogance," the publication writes.

The journalists added that Russia is currently conducting offensive actions, and the Kremlin is intensifying its attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine under the pretext of a terrorist attack in the Moscow region. And there are fears in Europe that the occupation army will be able to break through the Ukrainian defense and seize new territories.

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Meanwhile, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not interested in negotiations with the current Biden administration: he is waiting for Trump to arrive, with whom he plans to reach an agreement. Until then, the aggressor state will try to seize even more Ukrainian territories at any cost. And the task of Ukraine and its Western partners is to prevent this from happening, the publication writes.

NATO summit in July: there will be no invitation

Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Alliance is preparing to hold the 75th anniversary summit of NATO leaders in July in Washington, DC. And contrary to Kyiv's expectations, Ukraine will not receive the desired official invitation to join the Alliance. The New York Times reported this with reference to unnamed NATO officials.

The reason for this reluctance is the fear of NATO member states that by accepting Ukraine into the bloc, they will be forced to fulfill the collective security agreement. And this, they say, "will draw the Alliance into the largest land war in Europe since 1945."

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However, the newspaper adds, member states want to demonstrate in another way that they support Ukraine "in the long term," so they are going to look for "some kind of middle ground, something closer to membership, but meaty enough to show that the Alliance supports Ukraine in the long term."

Western officials have not yet figured out what "meaty enough" can be offered by Western countries to Ukraine, which is being torn apart by Russia in a full-scale war.

Germany and the United States are among those who strongly oppose inviting Ukraine to negotiate NATO membership at the July summit. Berlin and Washington insist that this issue be "taken off the table" at the anniversary summit. However, both countries are in favor of giving Ukraine specific commitments that they can fulfill.

What Ukrainians want

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After two years of full-scale war with Russia, the vast majority of Ukrainians still believe in winning the war against the Russian occupiers. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Rating sociological group on February 17-21 this year.

At the same time, almost half of our fellow citizens strongly dislike the idea of Western officials exchanging territories for security: 45% of respondents believe that Ukraine will remain within the 1991 borders.

Another 16% are confident that Ukraine will return the territories it controlled before the full-scale invasion (before February 24, 2022), while the same number fear that Russia will manage to grab another piece of our country.

7% each believe that Ukraine will be able to return the occupied part of Donbas, but not Crimea, and vice versa  will de-occupy Crimea, losing part of Donbas.

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As a reminder, on April 4, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the goal of the Alliance members at the next summit. He assured that he had stated that Ukraine would eventually join NATO, as its support remained "firm" among member states. Therefore, the Alliance's goal at the upcoming summit is to "help build a bridge to that membership."

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced an "ambitious" timeline to partially reopen the Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore by the end of April and fully reopen it by the end of May, around two months after the Francis Scott Key Bridge plunged into the Patapsco River after it was struck by a cargo ship.

The announcement came the day before President Biden is expected to travel to the site of the bridge's collapse, as he urged Congress to approve federal funding for its reconstruction.

Engineers expect to open a "limited access" channel that would allow for one-way traffic into the Port of Baltimore, within four weeks, the Corps announced in a news release on Thursday.

The smaller channel would stretch 280 feet wide and 35 feet deep, less than half the width of the full channel. It would be accessible for barge container service and some roll on/roll off vessels carrying cars or farm equipment, according to USACE.

The permanent, 700-foot-wide and 50-foot-deep channel will reopen with normal capacity by the end of May, according to the "tentative" timeline.

The U.S. Army Cops of Engineers announced a 'tentative' plan to fully reopen the Fort McHenry Channel by the end of May.

Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, commanding general for the USACE, said authorities carried out "underwater surveys and detailed structural analysis" of the bridge's wreckage in the two weeks since the collapse. "A fully opened federal channel remains our primary goal, and we will carry out this work with care and precision, with safety as our chief priority," he said.

Spellmon said the timeline could change due to weather conditions and the state of the wreckage. These are ambitious timelines that may still be impacted by significant adverse weather conditions or changes in the complexity of the wreckage, he said.

We are working quickly and safely to clear the channel and restore full service at this port that is so vital to the nation," he added. "At the same time, we continue to keep faith with the families of the missing and are working with our partners to help locate and recover their loved ones.

Six construction workers died during the collapse after they plunged into the cold waters below the bridge. Rescuers pulled out two additional workers, but the six were declared dead after an hours-long search.

Divers discovered the bodies of Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, trapped in a red pickup truck submerged 25 feet deep in the river. The victims also included Miguel Luna, a father of three, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, 38, a father of two from Owing Mills, Maryland, Jose Lopez, a father of two, and Carlos Hernandez. The victims originally hailed from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the new timeline would provide "clarity and certainty" for the city's ongoing recovery efforts. "We and our partners across all levels of government have been pushing for a timeline, and now we have a target," he said in a press release.. "We must do everything we can to meet that target."

A timeline for the reconstruction of the bridge itself remains uncertain.

Listen: Complications remain for ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse | The Excerpt

More than 1,000 engineers initially deployed to remove wreckage

The Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 after a Singapore-flagged cargo ship called the Dali struck it in the early morning hours, sending it tumbling into the water within less than a minute. Officials were able to halt traffic across the bridge after the ship's crew sent out an emergency alert in response to a power issue.

In the wake of the crash, around 1,100 USACE personnel rushed to the scene to begin the heavy undertaking of removing the wreckage of the bridge. Authorities brought highly specialized equipment, including the Chesapeake 1000, the largest floating crane on the Eastern Seaboard.

Spellmon said last week that engineers would assess the debris before cutting it into pieces. Engineers warned that the rubble was sharp and "lethal," with some of it lying up to 50 feet below the water's surface.

On Sunday, Unified Command continued to cut up one side of the bridge's collapsed truss using two cranes weighing a respective 650 and 330 tons. Three dive teams also surveyed submerged sections of the wreckage.

The rubble, once removed, was transferred to a barge, according to the USACE. Unified Command also worked with Baltimore Gas and Electric to relieve pressure in an underwater natural gas pipeline that runs under the collapse site.

Biden to visit collapse site

President Biden plans to travel to the site of the bridge's collapse on Friday, according to the White House. In a letter released the same day, Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, asked Congress to authorize the federal government to pay for the total cost of the bridge's repair.

"The President has also been clear since day one about his commitment-that the Federal Government should cover any needed costs for reconstructing the bridge," she wrote. "While we continue to assess those costs alongside our federal and state partners, we are asking the Congress to join us in demonstrating our commitment to aid in recovery efforts by authorizing a 100 percent federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge."

The bridge cost $60.3 million to construct in 1977, the equivalent of around $316 million today. Officials say it could be rebuilt in less than five years, the time it took to build it initially, depending on funding, design plans, and the state of the wreckage under the water.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baltimore Key Bridge plans to reopen channel announced
Americans views on presidential power shift if their party holds the White House, a stance present on both sides of the aisle, a survey released Friday found.

About 2 in 10 Americans surveyed in The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Opinion Research poll said it would be a good thing if the next commander in chief could alter policy without waiting on the judicial and legislative branches.

But 39 percent of Democratic respondents agreed with the stance if Biden is reelected in November, as did even more Republicans, 57 percent, if former President Trump is back in the Oval Office.

Just 9 percent of respondents said the countrys checks and balances setup is working extremely well, pollsters noted.

A partisan split was also seen in views on whether an institution has too much power.

Close to half of GOP respondents said the White House has exorbitant power, while only 16 percent of Democrats, whose party currently holds the Oval Office, agreed, according to the poll.

About 6 in 10 Democrats also said the nations highest court, which includes six conservative justices, has excessive power. By comparison, 25 percent of Republicans agreed.

And about 4 in 10 respondents overall said the legislative branch has too much power, with Democrats controlling the Senate while Republicans have the majority in the lower chamber.

The poll was conducted March 21-25 with 1,282 adults. The margin of error was 3.8 points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Analysis-Why Japan is not giving up on fraught U.S. Steel deal

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The logos of Nippon Steel Corp. are displayed at the company headquarters in Tokyo

By John Geddie, Katya Golubkova and Anton Bridge

TOKYO (Reuters) - Days after President Joe Biden joined his election rival Donald Trump in voicing concern about a Japanese purchase of U.S. Steel, the manufacturer began touting the benefits of the deal on billboards near its factories from Alabama to Pennsylvania.

The billboards may be the most public signs of what some Japanese officials say in private - that despite high hurdles, Nippon Steel could still steer through the fraught $15 billion acquisition of the iconic American manufacturer.

The deal may well hinge on whether regulators avoid election-year politics by clearing the acquisition after Nov. 5, and, critically, on whether Nippon Steel can win over the influential United Steelworkers (USW) labour union.

Opposition from the Pittsburgh-based union has far-reaching implications in an election year where Pennsylvania is seen as a key battleground state.

The deal is effectively "on life support" after Biden's statement last month that U.S. Steel must remain domestically owned and operated, said David Boling, a former U.S. trade official in Japan who now works for consulting firm Eurasia Group.

Investors seem to agree. Biden's comment, which followed Trump's pledge to block the deal if he wins the Nov. 5 election, sent shares in both companies tumbling. U.S. Steel shares last traded at $41.10, well below the $55 per share price Nippon Steel has offered.

Nevertheless, it is still premature to declare the deal dead, four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters - a view shared by some analysts, consultants and lawyers. The White House declined to comment on whether Biden's statement meant the purchase could not proceed.

Ongoing regulatory reviews in the U.S. may serve to buy time, thereby delaying a final decision until after the election when the campaign rhetoric has dissipated, the officials and others said.

Furthermore, Nippon Steel could still take steps to ringfence its U.S. operations to ease concerns about foreign ownership.

And finally, the officials and others say, Nippon Steel could make its way through thorny talks and yet win over the steelworkers.

Publicly, Tokyo has sought to distance itself from the deal, saying it is a commercial matter - an approach widely seen as an attempt to play down any controversy ahead of a summit between between Japanese premier Fumio Kishida and Biden in Washington on April 10.

HIGH HURDLES

U.S. Steel's shareholders are due to vote on the acquisition on April 12, but with the firm's board having unanimously recommended shareholders approve, analysts expect it to pass.

The next real hurdle is regulatory. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government panel that vets deals on national security grounds, is reviewing the transaction. Nippon Steel said the deal is also being examined by antitrust authorities in several countries including the U.S.

An influential U.S. Senator on Tuesday urged the White House to probe Nippon Steel's exposure to its strategic rival China, a connection the firm has said is "very limited".

While by law CFIUS should complete deliberations within 90 days, in practice it can take much longer via an increasingly common process where parties withdraw and refile their applications, its latest annual report shows.

"There is unlikely to be a decision until after the election," said Bill Reinsch, a former U.S. commerce official now advising the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Biden's comments "have not torpedoed the proposed acquisition," he added.

Two of the Japanese officials said the timing of the deal ahead of the election has stifled debate about its economic merits and that a delay could help calmer heads prevail.

But taking Biden at his word, getting around foreign ownership concerns won't be easy.

Nippon Steel has been at pains to stress its "deep roots" in the United States. It has had a presence there since the 1980s and has 4,000 employees in the country.

Nick Wall, a corporate M&A partner with Allen & Overy in Tokyo, said U.S. regulators may grant conditional approval to the deal if the firm makes changes to the management structure or ensures senior personnel are U.S. nationals.

"There could be structures put in place to ensure its owned and controlled by U.S. people, even if the economic control lies in Japan," said Wall, who is not involved in the deal.

The sensitive defence sector provides one such example.

The American subsidiary of British defence contractor BAE Systems does business with the U.S. government under a special agreement where the influence and control of its foreign parent is restricted.

A Biden adviser said the policy question was "settled" by the president and that if the deal is to include foreign partners it would need a "different approach", declining to elaborate.

That puts the focus on the USW, which blasted the deal and both companies for not consulting it before the deal was announced. In a letter to its members on Tuesday, USW leadership called Nippon Steel's latest pledges to support workers a "collection of empty promises".

But a source close to Nippon Steel, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, said the union could be using the political situation to get better terms and appears to remain engaged in talks.

"There will be no problem to clear U.S. Steel shareholders meeting, anti-trust examination, and CFIUS examination, if they are handled normally," said Shinichiro Ozaki, senior analyst at Daiwa Securities.

"But the most important thing, both before and after Biden's statement, remains whether or not Nippon Steel can reach an agreement with USW."

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova, Yuka Obayashi, John Geddie, Anton Bridge, Tim Kelly, Yukiko Toyoda, Takemoto Yoshifumi in Tokyo, Trevor Hunnicutt and Andrea Shalal in Washington and Lananh Nguyen in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Another woman punched in the face on NYC street: NYPD

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11)  Another woman was punched in the face in a random attack on a Manhattan street, making that the 13th incident in recent weeks, authorities said.

In the latest incident, a man came up from behind a 33-year-old woman and hit her in the face near Union Square Park at around 4:30 p.m. on March 20, according to the NYPD. The woman suffered minor injuries and declined treatment at the scene.

The suspect ran off after the incident and remained at large, as of Friday, police said.

Queens man sets fake package to catch alleged porch pirate

Six people have already been arrested and charged with assault for similar attacks, according to the latest data from the NYPD. One of the perpetrators, Lydia Weil, 40, was arrested for two separate incidents, police said.

Weil allegedly pressed a lit cigarette on a 51-year-old womans face on West 31st Street at around 12:15 p.m. on March 27, authorities said. The victim suffered burns to the neck and face.

Five days later, Weil allegedly randomly kicked a woman, 22, in the thigh as she was walking into the Moynihan train station, police said.

Weil pleaded not guilty during recent arraignments in a Manhattan court. Her attorney could not immediately be reached Friday.

Several women posted videos on TikTok saying they were punched in the head while walking in New York City.

Halley Kate, an influencer with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, recently posted a video explaining how she was randomly assaulted. In the video, she said the punch knocked her to the ground. Kate had a large bump on her head in the clip.

Skiboky Stora, 40, was arrested in connection to the attack. Stora allegedly hit Kate on the head and knocked her to the ground while she walked down West 16th Street in Chelsea, police said. As mentioned in Kates TikTok video, Stora was walking his dog during the attack, police said.

Authorities also said Stora has been accused of attacking other women in the past.

Kates posting prompted other women to come forward. Not all of the incidents that were posted to social media have been reported, police said.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
The United States is in the middle of a culture war. Headlines are full of lawmakers and social commentators vilifying everything from pronouns to healthcare, to the books in grade school libraries, to youth sports, bathrooms, and beyond. It seems danger is lurking everywhere.

These national flare-upsmostly over gender, sexuality, and gender identityusually fade with time. Does anyone remember when the Teletubbies seemed to pose an existential threat to children? Or when the fictional Murphy Brown TV character raised the ire of a vice president forgasptrying to normalize single motherhood?

Unlike prior culture war moments, this one will not blow over in a few news cycles. LGBTQ+ people are on the receiving end of sustained legislative attacks and dehumanizing language at a scale not seen in nearly a generation.

Since 2015, state lawmakers have flooded legislative sessions with over 2,000 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, and last year earned the dubious distinction of the most anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced and passed (571 and 77, respectively) in American history. Months into the 2024 legislative session, over 475 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced, with more arriving each day. Far from hollow political performance, these bills undermine everything from healthcare administration to those in need to pre-empt local nondiscrimination ordinances, restrictions on public facilities, and more.

The impact of anti-LGBTQ+ animus is proving devastating to individuals, families, and businesses. The damage expands from schoolsa recent study showed a quadrupling of hate crimes among states with anti-LGBTQ+ billsto workplaces, where parents of LGBTQ+ kids are asking themselves, Career or safety? as they consider jobs in safer states.

The latest report released by Out & Equal examines how changing public policy has impacted the career mobility of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, with actionable steps employers can take to respond effectively. This national study of nearly 600 workers at mid- and large-sized businesses demonstrates that the losses and risks of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to businesses are material.

The report discovered:

94% of respondents feel LGBTQ+ equality has worsened in the last year.

Nearly one in four respondents reported hearing jokes about the LGBTQ+ community at work, with 84% reporting hearing jokes about transgender people specifically.

45% of respondents feel less safe in their states of residence because of changes in LGBTQ+ rights. A third of respondents have considered relocating.

Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is altering the experience of LGBTQ+ people and allies in the workplace. Businesses are at risk of brain drain and talent loss. In addition, there is a significant economic impact: US businesses lose approximately $1 trillion every year due to voluntary employee turnover. Replacing an individual employee can cost up to two times their annual salary.

While businesses fell short, there are viable, effective paths forward. From offering flexible/remote work options, employee support for out-of-state travel benefits, and programs to help employees struggling with the impact to companies actively engaging in public policy advocacy, businesses can and are strengthening their policies and practices with common-sense nondiscrimination protections.

Its encouraging to see businesses strengthen their policies and practices with common-sense nondiscrimination protections, equitable benefits, and belonging initiatives for the LGBTQ+ community. Today, 91% of the Fortune 500 have sexual orientation and gender identity protections within their nondiscrimination policies, 73% offer trans-inclusive healthcare benefits, and hundreds have joined business coalitions to affirm their support of LGBTQ+ equality under the law.

This work is not the caricatured woke business. These efforts are simply smart business practices.

Still, more needs to be done. This research is a wake-up call to employers to not back down from buffering their workforces and customers against these sustained attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

As lawmakers cut at the fabric of an inclusive society and economy, the cost of inaction is too great. Inclusion and belonging are essential to social cohesion and business growth. Now is the time to double down on that message inside their four walls and beyond.

Deena Fidas is the Managing Director & Chief Programs Officer at Out & Equal. For over 25 years, Out & Equal has been the premier nonprofit organization working exclusively on LGBTQ+ workplace equity, inclusion, and belonging. Learn more about them by visiting outandequal.org. Want to share an opinion on an issue? Have an inspiring personal story to tell? Learn more by visiting advocate.com/submit.



Views expressed in The Advocates opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
TechCrunch

Fidelity Investments, one of the world's largest asset managers, has confirmed that over 77,000 customers had personal information compromised during an August data breach, including Social Security numbers and driver's licenses. The Boston, Massachusetts-based investment firm said in a filing with Maines attorney general on Wednesday that an unnamed third party accessed information from its systems between August 17 and August 19 "using two customer accounts that they had recently established. We detected this activity on August 19 and immediately took steps to terminate the access, Fidelity said in a letter sent to those affected, adding that the incident did not involve any access to customers Fidelity accounts.
2023 Summer Youth participant Sidney Peters (left) poses with two other Summer Youth participants after working on social media content for Leon County.

Imagine getting paid for professional development, before you earn your high school diploma or college degree. For 27 young people looking further into their life paths, the opportunity is here  and its here now.

The Leon County Government has opened applications for its five-week Summer Youth Training Program, which is available for Leon County residents ages 14-24. The deadline for applying is 5 p.m. on Friday, April 19.

This years program will extend from Monday, June 10 to Friday, July 12 for students to have the chance to work under one of the countys departments. This experience pays $12 an hour for a 20-hour work week.

Sydney Peters, a third-year political science student at Florida State University, can attest to the programs value. The St. Petersburg native worked last summer in the Community and Media Relations Department.

She was on the lookout for summer jobs in local government after her first school year in Tallahassee when she stumbled upon an advertisement posted on FSUs job board.

Sidney Peters, 2023 Summer Youth participant, takes a photo of the Countys J.R. Alford Greenway Mountain Bike Progressive Skills Course.

Originally, Peters inquired about internship opportunities, but she was also encouraged to apply for the Summer Youth Program. The ambitious 19-year-old was accepted into both programs.

Since Peters began her internship about a month before the Summer Youth Programs official start date, she was already a pro during the first week of program training led by CareerSource Capital Region, a non-profit development organization for career seeking people servicing Gadsden, Leon and Wakulla counties.

I think its a great introduction to the workplace, especially for high school students entering the professional space for the first time, Peters told the Tallahassee Democrat. They go over structuring your resume, and all the basics like being to work on time, how to dress in an office setting, or if youre working for something like the EMT department, having your uniform set up. It was a lot of training about good habits in the workplace.

During her time in last years program, Peters was given the chance to focus on her personal strengths and career goals. Peters was most interested in social media management, and she said she was allowed the creative freedom to display her talents with the necessary guidance to ensure quality content.

Now, Peters works as a voter services assistant for the Supervisor of Elections office, a position she started in August, a month after her summer program ended. She credits the Summer Youth Training Program with being a stepping stone to the position she currently holds.

A Summer Youth participant reshelves books at the LeRoy Collins Leon County Main Library.

Leon County Public Information and Communications Manager Kianna Gilley said the program provides participants with the resources and guidance to expand on their skills and further develop their interests and career goals.

I would say this probably isnt your normal summer job, Gilley said.

Its more so making sure kids are placed within a career that they are interested in or maybe have thought about a little, but they dont really know if they want to go through with," she added. "This gives them the opportunity to be placed within a county department to see if thats something they are interested in and want to continue doing.

For more information

To learn more about Leon Countys Summer Youth Program, visit https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Government/Departments/Administration/Volunteer-Services/Summer-Youth-Training-Program.

Democrat writer Mycah Brown can be reached at MJBrown@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Applications are open for Leon Countys Summer Youth Training Program
Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEA) are feeling the pinch of dwindling funds after a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

For many, they cant make plans until the Statehouse is gaveled out for the session. Republican lawmakers are still working through the budgeting process, and there are funds still in flux from a planning perspective. Democratic leaders in both chambers discussed the issues AEA officials are making aware to them every since it was signed.

Heartland AEA says with its budget estimates back in January until now, it is planning to operate without $10 million that it originally thought would be there three months ago.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
NATO countries must support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is the only way to achieve sustainable peace.

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This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, April 4. According to him, if the allies provide Ukraine with "what it needs," the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to win new victories.

The Alliance Secretary General noted that several NATO partners have promised to review their stockpiles in the near future.

"They realize that they need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense systems as soon as possible. Allies will review their stockpiles to decide whether they can provide more of their systems, including Patriot, and spare parts to Kyiv," Stoltenberg said.

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However, the NATO Secretary General also acknowledged the likelihood that the Alliance will not be able to provide Ukraine with the necessary number of weapons to counter Russia.

"The scenario of a conflict in which Kyiv is defeated is possible. That is why NATO has no plans to send troops to Ukraine," Stoltenberg summarized.

As reported, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg initiated the creation of a five-year fund of allied contributions totaling $ 100 billion for Ukraine. The relevant package is to be signed by the leaders of the Alliance member states at the July summit in Washington.

It is worth noting that US Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary General Stoltenberg "discussed preparations for the upcoming meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers". In particular, the parties discussed mechanisms to strengthen NATO's political and practical support for Ukraine.

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Ark. Mom Accused of Making 7-Year-Old Walk Over 7 Miles to School Alone After He Missed Bus

Amber Nicole Thompson is charged with endangering the welfare of a minor

Craighead County Sheriffs Office Amber Nicole Thompson

An Arkansas mother was charged with domestic battery and endangering the welfare of a minor after police allege she forced her 7-year-old son to walk more than seven miles to school after he missed the bus.

Amber Nicole Thompson was arrested Tuesday, April 2, in Jonesboro after her son was found walking alongside the road, Craighead County Sheriffs deputies said in a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

Thompson allegedly told police it was not her problem that her son had to walk to school, according to the affidavit. She allegedly said her son was old enough to get himself up for school, the affidavit states.

Police claimed in the affidavit that the boy told a deputy that he had been sent to bed without dinner the night before by Thompson after he had gotten in trouble.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

When deputies arrived at the boys home, Thompson was still asleep, as were her two other children, according to the affidavit.

It is not immediately clear if Thompson has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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Read the original article on People.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Arkansas attorney general said a Thursday ruling by the state Supreme Court is a win for everyone.

The court affirmed a lower courts ruling that the voting machines used in Arkansas comply with state law.

Arkansas Supreme Court upholds lower court decision to vacate Pope County casino license

Attorney General Tim Griffin said the decision was important for voters and taxpayers.

This is a win for the voters and taxpayers of Arkansas as the State Supreme Court affirms what weve already known to be true: The voting process and machines used in Arkansas comply with state law, Griffin said. I thank the diligent work of Senior Assistant Attorney General Jordan Broyles in successfully defending the state in this matter.

Arkansas attorney general reminds voters of Election Integrity Unit as early voting starts

The case was originally filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court by Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative, Inc. and Conrad Reynolds against Secretary of State John Thurston, claiming that the machines did not comply with state law. The claim was that because voters could not verify their selections on a ballot prior to it being cast because it is a bar code, it was illegal.

The court did not agree after hearing testimony as to how the machines process works, including its use of a summary screen to indicate a voters choices before printing the bar-coded ballot.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin to file lawsuit to stop Biden administration student loan forgiveness

The opinion affirming the lower courts finding was under Associate Justice Courtney Rae Hudsons name, with Associate Justice Shawn A. Womack concurring. Associate Justice Barbara Webb dissented.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Voters cast their ballots at a polling location at Sequoyah United Methodist Church in Fayetteville on March 5, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower courts dismissal of a lawsuit that argued voting machines do not comply with state law.

Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative Inc. and its CEO Conrad Reynolds filed the lawsuit against Secretary of State John Thurston, the State Board of Election Commissioners and Election Systems and Software LLC in December 2022. A Pulaski County circuit judge dismissed AVII and Reynolds amended complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief last year.

The appellants argued that because voters cant read barcodes on printed ballots and the voting machine tabulator only scans the barcodes, voters cannot verify their vote selections as required by Arkansas law.

State law requires that voting machines permit voters to independently verify their ballots. Voters also must have the opportunity to change the ballot or correct an error before the ballot is cast.

Writing for the majority, Associate Justice Courtney Rae Hudson pointed to testimony from Daniel Shults, former director of the State Board of Election Commissioners, that described how voters can review and change their votes on the machine prior to printing their ballot as justices reason for affirming the circuit courts ruling.

The voter-verification requirement in  7-5-504 for the voting machine is accomplished because the statute is not specific as to which device or step in the process that the ballot review must occur, as long as the voter has the opportunity, according to Thursdays ruling.

We cannot ignore the definition the General Assembly provided. If we were to accept appellants argument, these statutory provisions would be rendered ineffective, and we will not interpret statutory language in such a manner.

Associate Justice Shawn Womack concurred without opinion, while Associate Justice Barbara Webb dissented.

This is a win for the voters and taxpayers of Arkansas as the State Supreme Court affirms what weve already known to be true: The voting process and machines used in Arkansas comply with state law, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement Thursday.

Reynolds, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, is still challenging the use of voting machines in Arkansas elections through a different avenue.

Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative sued Thurston and the Board of Election Commissioners in January, asking the state Supreme Court to certify two proposed constitutional amendments: one that would require all Arkansas elections be conducted with hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots and one that would limit absentee voting to people who can prove their inability to vote in person.

Griffin twice rejected proposals submitted by Restore Election Integrity Arkansas, the ballot question committee supporting the measures. Reynolds is the groups chief operating officer.

The states high court agreed on Jan. 18 to fast-track a hearing in the lawsuit.

We the People filed a motion of amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief Thursday afternoon. According to the brief, the legislature has overstepped its bounds, creating laws that cause irreparable harm to the citizens of Arkansas.

The brief argues two 2023 laws that require proposed ballot measures be approved by the state attorney general and canvassers to gather signatures from 50 counties instead of the constitutional requirement of at least 15 counties are unconstitutional.

We the People of Arkansas must stand up when our rights are being denied so that the powers reserved for us, and future generations, cannot be overthrown, the brief states.

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The post Arkansas Supreme Court affirms circuit court decision in voting machine lawsuit appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
ARLINGTON (DC News Now)  The Arlington Police Department (APD) announced a new measure to prevent car theft in the city, which they say will likely rise as summer approaches.

Arlington residents who park in the city while at work are eligible to receive a free steering wheel lock. Certain car models can also get an Apple AirTag.

Loudoun County Sheriffs Office: Armed man robbed woman on W&OD Trail

The makes and models eligible to get an AirTag are on the list of the most commonly reported stolen cars in Arlington County in 2023, including several models of Hyundai, Toyota, Kia, and Honda cars. Cars that appear on the 2022 Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles Nationally List are also eligible.

Police recommend crime prevention tips and strategies to keep yourself safe from theft, such as the 9 p.m. routine  a nightly security check to make sure cars are locked, exterior lights and security cameras are activated, and personal belongings have been removed from cars.

The anti-theft devices will be given away at two events the Arlington Police are hosting in the community.

Wednesday, April 17 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church parking lot, 830 23rd St. S., from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23 at Arlington Assembly of God parking lot, 4501 N. Pershing Dr., from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Army Corps: Lake Okeechobee releases to St. Lucie River in Stuart will not resume

Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River will not resume at this time, Maj. Corey Bell of the Army Corps of Engineers said Friday. However, low level beneficial releases to keep saltwater intrusion out of wells in the Caloosahatchee River watershed will begin Saturday because of dry conditions.

Lake O discharges have been on a routine two-week pause since March 30. Discharges to both Florida coasts were necessary to lower the level of Lake O before the start of the 2024 hurricane season June 1. Over 41 days, the lake level dropped slightly more than one foot  from 16 feet 4 inches to 15 feet 3 inches.

An aerial view of the St. Lucie River on March 12, 2024 showing the dark water from Lake Okeechobee discharges in Martin County.

Lake Okeechobee discharges

A total of 54.9 billion gallons of Lake O water has poured into the St. Lucie River since Feb. 17, according to Army Corps data. An additional 104.4 billion gallons has been sent west through the Caloosahatchee River.

Bell said one consideration was because of a South Florida Water Management District recommendation to stop discharges received March 27. Although Bell did not cite it, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast of Fort Pierce urged the Army Corps to stop discharges in a March 25 letter and a March 28 news conference that preceded a meeting of the Rivers Coalition, which formed in 1998 to stop Lake O discharges.

"It's time to be done with harmful discharges," SFWMD executive director Drew Bartlett told the Rivers Coalition that day.

Bell said high volume discharges to both coasts could resume later this summer depending on what the hurricane season brings. Forecasters from Colorado State University have predicted a potential record number of 23 named storms this season which is June 1 to Nov. 30.

The most recent discharges have had significant negative impacts on the estuary and the organisms living in it, said Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart. Extended discharges can lower salinity in the normally tidal, brackish river to lower than 5 parts per thousand. Low salinity allows algae to live and spread, and kills oysters and seagrasses, the main food of manatees.

Lake O water moving west to east often carries microcystin aeruginosa  technically a cyanobacteria commonly called "blue-green algae"  into the St. Lucie (C-44) Canal and eventually into the St. Lucie River.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has confirmed the algae contains the microcystin toxin in five locations since March 29, some in concentrations higher than 8 parts per billion, which the Environmental Protection Agency says is harmful to people, pets and wildlife to touch, ingest or inhale:

St. Lucie Canal (C-44) at the 96th Street bridge: 17 parts per billion

St. Lucie River at Four Rivers in Palm City: 11 parts per billion

St. Lucie River at the Harborage: 1.4 parts per billion

St. Lucie River at the Palm City Bridge: 0.92 parts per billion

St. Lucie (C-44) Canal at the Army Corps campground: 0.6 parts per billion

Follow up samples collected April 1-2 at these locations showed no sign of the toxin:

Port Mayaca Lock and Dam at Lake Okeechobee

St. Lucie (C-44) Canal at the Army Corps campground

St. Lucie Canal (C-44) at the 96th Street bridge

St. Lucie River at Four Rivers in Palm City

St. Lucie River at the Palm City Bridge

The health department advises people to take these precautions during discharges:

Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters where there is a visible blue-green algae bloom.

Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have contact with algae or water that's discolored or smelly.

Keep pets away from the area. Water containing algae blooms are not safe for animals. Pets and livestock should have a different source of water when algae blooms are present.

Do not cook or clean dishes with water contaminated by algae blooms. Boiling the water will not eliminate the toxins.

Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water, throw out the guts and cook fish well.

Do not eat shellfish in waters with algae blooms.

How to report algae blooms

DEP collects and analyzes algal bloom samples. Report algae sightings to DEP online or via its toll-free hotline at 855-305-3903.

Report fish kills to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at 800-636-0511.

Report symptoms from exposure to an algal bloom or any aquatic toxin to the Florida Poison Information Center at 800-222-1222.

Contact your veterinarian if you believe your pet has become ill after consuming or having contact with water containing cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). If you have other health questions or concerns, call DOH-Martin at 772-221-4000.

Ed Killer covers the environment and fisheries issues for TCPalm. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Army Corps: Lake Okeechobee releases to St. Lucie River won't resume
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  The Baton Rouge Police Department has released more details about a fight at a Tigerland bar that left one man dead.

Devin Repath, 26, died days after a March 23 fight at Freds Bar and Grill. The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroners Office ruled the manner of death as a homicide and said the cause was blunt force trauma to the head.

In April, police arrested Matthew Marsiglia, 21, and charged him with manslaughter.

According to arrest documents, officers responded to an incident at Freds Bar and found Repath lying on his back with head trauma injuries.

During an investigation, detectives watched surveillance footage that showed two groups of men speaking to each other. Arrest documents said that Repath walked behind several of his friends and punched a person in the head. One person charged at Repath but was restrained by his friends and the groups were separated.

A short time later, BRPD said, Repath was seen backing out of the bar and exchanging words with Marsiglia and another person. Police said Repath stopped in the parking lot and attempted to hit Marsiglia but he dodged it.

Man dead after fight at Tigerland bar, GoFundMe created to help his family

Repath then backs up several steps and Marsiglia then takes both hands and shoves Repath by the shoulders causing Repath to fall and strike his head on the parking lot pavement, arrest documents said.

Repaths friends tried to help and get the attention of authorities who were nearby. Police spoke with witnesses who said they saw Repath and Marsiglia exchanging words while leaving the bar but didnt know what was said.

The witness then observed Repath attempt to strike Marsiglia who ducked then Marsiglia pushed Repath to the ground, arrest documents said.

Police said Marsiglia was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison without incident.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  New Orleans police have arrested a man whos accused of fatally shooting a woman at a senior living facility.

The New Orleans Police Department reported officers responded to a call around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4 about a shooting in the 500 block of St. Maurice Avenue. It happened at Villa St. Maurice, a senior living facility run by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Earthquake in New Jersey shakes parts of Northeast

Officers found a woman with a gunshot wound and she was taken to a hospital by EMS, where she was pronounced dead.

Gerard Hill (Courtesy: Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office)

(WGNO/Chris Carter)

On Friday, April 5, the NOPD reported 68-year-old Gerard T. Hill was arrested at the scene and later charged in connection to the fatal shooting. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on one count of second-degree murder.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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*Attached video: NE Ohio sobriety checkpoints

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (WJW)  An Alabama man was arrested Monday after troopers found 176 fentanyl pills inside Easter eggs.

According to a press release on the Colbert County Sheriffs Department Facebook page, drug agents with the Colbert County Drug Task Force stopped a car in Tuscumbia, Alabama on April 1 around 11:45 p.m.

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The driver allowed troopers to search the vehicle, where they found two plastic containers with 176 fentanyl pills inside and a plastic bag with 1oz of spice synthetic cannabis.

According to the release, the passenger of the vehicle was identified as 29-year-old Jamarious Qualls, who had misdemeanor warrants for his arrest in the city of Sheffield.

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According to the release, Qualls was charged with drug trafficking and unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

He was taken to the Colbert County Jail, where he is being held on a $150,000 bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Assault rifles found in home of California middle schooler who threatened violence at school

Multiple firearms were found in a home in Riverside County after a 12-year-old middle school student allegedly threatened his classmates.

Deputies responded to a reported threat at Jurupa Middle School at 3:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the Riverside County Sheriffs Department.

After responding to the alleged threats, an investigation at a home on the 5000 block of Baldwin Avenue in Jurupa Valley turned up three assault rifles, a handgun and several hundred rounds of ammunition, authorities said.

Deputies subsequently arrested the child on suspicion of criminal threats, as well as 42-year-old Rolando Sida Sr. on suspicion of possession of assault weapons, unsecured firearms accessible to minors and child endangerment.

No additional details were immediately made available.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, contact Deputy C. Johnson at the Jurupa Valley Station by calling 9519552600.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
As a result of a joint operation of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, three military airfields in the territory of the aggressor country of Russia were attacked on the night of April 5. In particular, the airfields of Yeysk, Engels, and Kursk were attacked, and the occupiers suffered losses of personnel and aircraft.

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This was reported by OBOZ.UA sources. According to preliminary information, two Su-25 aircraft were completely destroyed as a result of a UAV strike on the airfield in Yeysk, Krasnodar Territory, Russia, and four occupiers were killed.

At the Engels-2 airfield near the city of Engels, Saratov region, three Tu-95MS strategic bombers were allegedly seriously damaged.

There are also preliminary reports of seven enemy personnel killed, including strategic bomber pilots.

The military airfield in Kursk was also attacked.

As a reminder, the occupiers also suffered losses at the airfield in Morozovsk, Rostov region, which was also attacked by drones at night. According to OBOZ.UA's sources, at least six aircraft were destroyed there, and eight more were heavily damaged. This airbase is home to Su-27 and Su-34 frontline bombers that drop chemical warheads on Ukraine.

ADVERTISIMENT

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

 On Friday night, explosions were heard in Engels, where the airbase is located, from which planes take off to bomb Ukraine. Local authorities claimed that the UAV was allegedly destroyed "without casualties or damage."

 It was also loud in Morozovsk, Rostov region, where an attack on the airfield was reported. Governor Golubev said that Russian air defense forces were repelling a "massive UAV attack."

 Morozovsk was allegedly home to nearly 30 " drones" from which Russia is launching bombing strikes on the Ukrainian front.

 Late the night before, the Russian Federation complained about an attack by an aircraft-type UAV in the Kursk region. The Russian Defense Ministry announced the elimination of eight drones in the region.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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NASA is looking for its next class of astronauts as the space agency ramps up its efforts to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon. While the public is free to apply online until April 16, the strict requirements mean that only a small sliver of the population has the flight or scientific expertise to be accepted. However, the prerequisites also prevent any billionaire aspiring to live on the lunar surface cant buy their way into the Artemis program.

The four requirements laid out by NASA sound simple, but they take years to complete. First, applicants must be U.S. citizens, natural born or naturalized. Second, prospective astronauts must hold a masters degree in an applicable STEM field, engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics, with three years of experience in said field. Alternatively, medical doctors can also apply after three years in residence. Neither Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, nor I meet this requirement. I dont have my own private space company, though.

Photo: NASA/GRC/Jef Janis

If you dont have a STEM masters degree, applicants can still be accepted with enough flight experience. Pilots must be certified Test Pilots and amass 1,000 hours in command of an aircraft, and 850 of those hours have to be at the controls of high-performance jet aircraft. Its not a surprise that military pilots are well-represented within the NASA Astronaut Corps.

The online application does note this isnt a remote job and that extensive travel will be required (which is kind of the whole point.) More importantly, astronauts must complete NASAs long-duration flight astronaut physical, undergo a thorough background investigation, and pass a drug test. The agency mentions that training for long-duration missions, like stints on the International Space Station, can take up to three years.

Americas astronauts are expected to brave the harsh vacuum of the final frontier for an annual salary of $152,258. The pay might not be impressive considering the responsibilities and potential hazards, but not many people can say that they have been to the Moon.

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Atlantic Beach Police looking for two men who stole credit cards to buy thousands worth of liquor

The Atlantic Beach Police Department needs your help identifying two men in connection with a theft. They are accused of stealing peoples credit cards from a local gym, and then using them to purchase thousands of dollars in liquor. And investigators say the suspects are not just targeting Northeast, Florida.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

JSO and Atlantic Beach PD are investigating at least three separate incidents. And all the victims came from the same gym -- the LA Fitness off Atlantic Blvd.

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Two suspects were captured on security cameras stealing credit cards and wallets from locked lockers at LA Fitness.

JSOs incident report says one theft happened in February, and the Atlantic Beach PD says they had two thefts last month.

Now, local gym members are on high alert after learning thieves are after their money.

We want it to be a safe place, but obviously its not, so we have to be more careful, LA Fitness member Marcelino Acevedo said.

Acevedo says he goes to this LA Fitness every day, but he takes extra precautions when using the lockers at the gym.

You need to bring your own key and your own lock, Acevedo said. Its not safe, not one bit. Not good.

One of the reports said a victim left his wallet in the driver-side door panel and locked his car. He put his keys and a gym bag inside a locker, and put a lock on it. But when he returned, the keys were missing. He found them inside the center console of his car and saw all his credit cards were stolen from his wallet. The report said the victim noticed, the lock was picked from the inside.

Police say the suspects used the credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars in liquor.

The three reports show one transaction of nearly $5,000 was made at a Total Wine and More at the Town Center in Jacksonville. And several other transactions of over $5,000 had been made from an ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

And its not just happening here. An ABC spokesperson said the crimes are happening across Florida from coast to coast.

In an emailed statement, the spokesperson said, ABC is working closely with detectives from multiple law enforcement agencies in Florida to help identify the people responsible for various thefts, and we feel confident police efforts and the publics help will lead to arrests.

I think its a dirty business, and they shouldnt be doing that because people work hard for their money, Acevedo said.

Action News Jax spoke with employees from the ABC near the LA Fitness off Atlantic Blvd, and they said all the stores are on high alert. The mens images have been shared with all employees, and they are told to double-check credit cards and IDs.

If you have any info on these suspects, youre asked to contact police. You can call JSO at 904-630-0500 or the Atlantic Beach Police Department at 904-247-5859. You can also contact Crimestoppers at 866-845-TIPS (8477) and remain anonymous.

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Aunt fatally shoots nephew for overstaying welcome at relatives home, Texas cops say

A woman is accused of shooting her nephew after she said he overstayed his welcome, Texas authorities said.

The Harris County Sheriffs Office said there were four adults in the Katy home  a married couple, the wifes daughter and the couples nephew.

An argument broke out in the home regarding the nephews living situation at the home, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during an April 4 news conference. The homeowner, 48-year-old Mei Huang Wolfe, felt that her nephew was no longer welcome at her home, according to Gonzalez.

The man had been staying with relatives after graduating college and traveling, Gonzalez said.

At one point during the argument, Wolfe grabbed a pistol and shot her nephew, deputies said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police did not immediately release the name of the deceased man.

Wolfe was arrested and charged with murder, according to deputies. Attorney information was not listed.

Katy is about a 30-mile drive west from Houston.

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DENVER (KDVR)  Aurora police are seeking information about a repairman after arresting him on suspicion of sexually assaulting two children in their own home.

Mohamad Arab Bin Shamsur-Alam, 37, was arrested by the Denver and Aurora Police Departments on March 27 on two counts of sexual assault of a child and two counts of enticement of a child. Further charges are pending.

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The charges stem from the summer of 2023 when Shamsur-Alam was working as a repairman at a home. Police allege that while there, he lured two young girls into the bathroom and sexually assaulted them. Investigators believe he also assaulted the children at an earlier time while doing maintenance there.

Shamsur-Alam was sentenced in 2020 for harassment, serving 60 days in jail. The charges were from 2019 offenses; Shamsur-Alam was originally facing charges of indecent exposure, harassment, sexual contact without consent and child abuse, according to the Colorado Courts website. Police say he exposed his penis to a young girl and pulled down the pants of a young boy. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail for the charges.

Mohamad Arab Bin Shamsur-Alam, 37, was arrested by the Denver and Aurora Police Departments on March 27.

According to the Aurora Police Department, Shamsur-Alam is a Rohyngan immigrant who speaks numerous languages including Burmese. Rohingya people are a stateless ethnic group from Myanmar. Police say they are concerned he may be targeting the Burmese community or other immigrant groups in Aurora.

Police also say Shamsur-Alam is exhibiting escalating behavior and investigators believe there may be additional victims who have had contact with him.

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The Aurora Police Department is working with community leaders to get this information to the Burmese and immigrant communities.

Anyone with information about Shamsur-Alam, or anyone who may have been victimized by him, is asked to come forward. Reporters can remain anonymous. Contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. The case number to reference is 23-223290.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Austin is Texas only city without a Poet Laureate, but local effort wants that to change

AUSTIN (KXAN)  The U.S., as well as some of its states and cities, have poet laureates  government employees who write commemorative works about important locations and events, as well as advocate for the professional literary community.

Texas has appointed a laureate yearly since 2003. The current Texas poet laureate is Amanda Johnston, of Round Rock.

Ada Limon named the 24th U.S. poet laureate

Most of the states major cities have their own, with one exception  Austin.

KB Brookins, an Austin poet, launched a petition to bring the issue to Austins City Council. They said that not having a poet laureate is a missed opportunity.

This person promotes literacy throughout the city, specifically via the art of poetry, Brookins said. Kind of like a cheerleader of sorts for the art of poetry, and also for the citys history, art and culture. Austin really prides itself on being the Music Capital of Texas and a big arts city. So I found that to be puzzling.

At the time of writing, the petition has 135 signatures. Some of the signatories include members of the City of Austin Arts Commission, local booksellers and artists, Johnston, and 2021 Texas Poet Laureate Cyrus Cassells (of San Marcos, Texas).

For decades, many local organizations have created and nurtured Austins poetry scene with little to no budget and recognition, yet, University of Texas at Austin has one of the most nationally recognized MFA programs, Austin Poetry Slam is one of the longest-running poetry events in Texas, and Austin markets itself as a mecca for Texas arts, the petition reads.

The petition asks for the city to:

Create an official Austin Poet Laureate program through the Austin Public Library;

Budget $50,000 every two years for the program; and,

Allow APL to make a committee to select the poet laureate.

I know from personal experience, [its easier] to get people to like an open mic than it is to get them to like a ribbon cutting or a political rally because people enjoy art, they want to be entertained, they want to be moved, Brookins said. A poet has the skill, the creativity at their disposal to make you feel moved about something that you see every day, like Barton Springs, or historical landmarks through East Austin.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Austria likely to be largely ice-free within 45 years as glaciers recede quickly, experts say

FILE - A group of hikers is on the way to the Jamtalferner Glacier near Galtuer, Austria, on Sept. 6, 2023. Austrian glaciers receded last year at a rapid pace, and the Alpine country is likely to be largely ice-free in 40 to 45 years as the process continues, experts said Friday April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

VIENNA (AP)  Austrian glaciers receded last year at a rapid pace and the Alpine country is likely to be largely ice-free in 40 to 45 years as the process continues, experts said Friday.

The Austrian Alpine Club said that, of the 93 glaciers its volunteers measured and observed, all but one receded in 2022-2023.

The 79 glaciers measured both last year and the previous year were an average 23.9 meters (78 feet) shorter than a year earlier, it said in an annual report. That was the third-highest figure of shrinkage in both the club's 133 years of measurements and in the past seven years. The retreat of 14 other glaciers was observed less precisely, for example by comparing photos.

The biggest retreat was that of Austria's biggest glacier  the Pasterze, in the Glockner mountain group in the southern province of Carinthia  which shrank by 203.5 meters (668 feet), a record for that glacier.

Gerhard Lieb, the co-leader of the club's glacier measurement service, said Austria's glaciers can no longer be saved and their disappearance in the coming decades is unstoppable.

The process of forming snow reserves at the upper ends of glaciers so that they can stabilize takes decades, "and the time is up, he added. "That means nothing can be done anymore.

There might be some remnants in shadowed locations  maybe at the Glockner glacier on the north-east side, some areas in the Oetztal valley, said the service's other co-leader, Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer. "But de facto, in 40 to 45 years all of Austria will be pretty much ice-free.

The experts, both of whom work at the University of Graz's geography institute, said that the continued existence of Austria's glaciers is down entirely to ice reserves from the past.

Kellerer-Pirklbauer said that a late but very long and warm melting period in 2023 was the main culprit in the latest numbers.

Last year's average figure for glacier retreat fell short of the record set in 2021-2022 of 28.7 meters (94.2 feet). But no glacier receded by more than 100 meters that year, and two did in the latest report: Alongside the Pasterze, Tyrol province's Rettenbachferner glacier was 127 meters (416.7 feet) shorter. Only one glacier, the Baerenkopfkees in the Glockner group, was unchanged in length last year.

Glaciers are masses of ice that form as snow and ice compact over centuries and then flow slowly over land. Their melting is one of the most notable indications of human-caused climate change, with glaciers around the world rapidly retreating.

Experts in neighboring Switzerland said in September that that country saw 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year on top of a 6% drop in 2022.
In what sounds like something straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster film, thieves managed to break into a San Fernando Valley money storage facility on Easter Sunday, breach the vault and take off with an estimated $30 million in cash, all without tripping a single alarm.

The March 31 heist, which is among the biggest in L.A.s history, occurred at a GardaWorld facility on Roxford Street in Sylmar that handles cash from businesses across Southern California.

This is mind-blowing bad, a Garda employee who did not want to be identified on camera told KTLA. You would never suspect it, $30 million in the Valley  gone.

The employee added that he had no idea there was so much cash inside the Sylmar facility.

While its unclear how thieves knew about the massive amount of money held in the facilitys safe, the break-in was considered complex, suggesting a highly experienced burglary crew.

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, thieves entered the building through the roof to gain access to the vault. Outside the vault itself, there were no obvious signs of the break-in, and officials at the facility werent even aware of the heist until the safe was opened Monday.

KTLA has also obtained footage of a big hole cut into the side of the building, which was later covered with plywood and has since been repaired.

Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have yet to comment on exactly how the burglary crew got away with the cash unnoticed.

KTLA drone footage showing a hole believed to have been cut by criminals during the March 31, 2024 break-in.

A close look at the boarded up hole in the building believed to have been made by the thieves on March 31, 2024. (RMG News)

A worker seen repairing a hole in the building believed to have been made by criminals on March 31, 2024. (KTLA)

A worker seen repairing a hole in the building believed to have been made by criminals on March 31, 2024. (KTLA)

GardaWorld Security van seen outside the companys Sylmar facility. (KTLA)

One law enforcement official with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments Major Crimes Bureau who is not on this case told KTLA that money storage facilities like GardaWorld in Sylmar have multiple layers of security and other fortified systems, including alarms and motion sensors.

Robert Clark, a retired Special-Agent-in-Charge at the FBIs L.A. Field Office, spoke with KTLA about what detectives are likely focusing on right now behind the scenes.

They will try to determine who had access to the facility, who was aware of the schedule and knew that the money would be in the facility and [for] how long, the security around the facility and how much time they would be able to have to gain access and be able to move such a large amount of money, Clark said.

Now one of the biggest heists in L.A. History, the retired FBI agent said that a loss this large is rare and it could be an inside job. He also believes theres a good chance the burglary crew will get caught.

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I think the likelihood is very high because you dont move that kind of money very quickly, he said. Its not like youre grabbing a couple of checks and running out the door. To be able to liquidate [it] would be very difficult. Youll have to have a team of individuals that do it.

As the investigation and the speculation continues, the LASD major crimes official who spoke to KTLA said theres also the possibility that it wasnt an inside job and may have just been an organized crew, criminals who did their homework and managed to pull off the record-breaking heist.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  Military honors will be conducted for unaccompanied veterans at the end of April in Bakersfield.

On April 23, a special ceremony will take place in honor of unaccompanied veterans interred at the Bakersfield National Ceremony. Starting at 10 a.m., music will be played by the Veterans Family Band, followed by a rifle salute and the playing of Taps soon after.

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Organizers urge the public to pay respects by standing in as family for the unaccompanied veterans.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
BALTIMORE, Md. (DC News Now)  The Baltimore Ravens and the Baltimore Orioles announced Friday that they were donating $10 million in total towards the emergency fund for the Key Bridge.

In a post on the X platform, the teams said that they would each be donating $5 million to the Baltimore Community Foundations Key Bridge Emergency Fund.

Officials plan to move cargo off ship that struck Baltimores Key Bridge

The resiliency of our city has once again been sorely tested. Under the leadership of Governor Wes Moore, and in collaboration with the Ravens, the Orioles offer this contribution to support those who keep our city, our state, and our country in business. Statement from Orioles owner David Rubenstein

According to the Baltimore Community Foundations website, donations to the fund go towards families, first responders, port workers, small businesses and memorializing the tragedy.

The Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 after a container ship struck one of its supports. Eight construction workers who were on the bridge at that time fell into the Patapsco River. Two were rescued, and response crews recovered two bodies a day after the collapse. The remaining four workers were presumed dead.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Baltimore shipping set to resume by end of April with full capacity by end of May

View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland

View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland

By Daniel Trotta

(Reuters) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday it expects to open a new channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April, freeing up commercial shipping blocked by a collapsed bridge, and then restore port access to full capacity by the end of May.

The main channel has been blocked by wreckage since the fully loaded container ship Dali lost power and rammed into a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six road workers and causing the highway bridge to tumble into the Patapsco River.

The Army Corps, part of a multiagency team responding to the Baltimore disaster, announced the plans one day ahead of a visit by President Joe Biden, saying that within four weeks the channel would be suitable for some roll-on/roll-off vessels that transport automobiles and farm equipment.

The Port of Baltimore ranks first in the United States for the volume it handles of autos and light trucks and farm and construction machinery, according to the state of Maryland. Most of that traffic has been suspended since the accident, though some terminal operations outside the affected area have resumed.

Earlier this week, two auxiliary channels suitable for emergency vessels, tugs and barges were opened on either side of the disabled ship, which is stuck beneath bridge debris with thousands of containers and a crew of 21 sailors still aboard.

But with depths limited to 11 feet (3.35 meters) and 14 feet, those two channels are too shallow for major cargo ships, which need a depth of 35 feet.

"USACE expects to open a limited access channel 280 feet wide and 35 feet deep, to the Port of Baltimore within the next four weeks - by the end of April," the corps said.

By the end of May, the corps said it expects to restore port access to its full capacity with a 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep navigation channel.

Before then, salvage crews must remove steel bridge debris from atop the Dali in order to extract it from the harbor, then clear the twisted metal and highway wreckage that fell into the water.

Ensconced within that debris are the bodies of four of the six highway workers who were killed.

The Biden administration has provided an initial $60 million in emergency funding to clear the channel and begin recovery, and Biden has said he would ask Congress to fund the complete rebuilding of the bridge.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Kate Middleton

The BBC is pushing back against public criticism over their coverage regarding Kate Middleton.

On Friday, April 5, the British public broadcaster responded to viewer and listener complaints over their reporting on the Princess of Wales, who announced her cancer diagnosis in a personal video message shared last month.

Despite being accused of covering the story in a way that has been described as "excessive and insensitive," the BBC released a statement to insist its coverage was always guided by "sensitivity."

While acknowledging that "not everyone would have approved of the approach we took," the BBC claimed in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter that its reporting "reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe."

As we know, news of Middleton's cancer diagnosis came in the wake of mounting speculation about her whereabouts and wellbeing after she underwent abdominal surgery in January. In her video to the public, the 42-year-old royal shared that she had already started a course of "preventative" chemotherapy.

A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024

"As part of our analysis, we examined the intense speculation there had been in the preceding weeks about the princesss health," the BBC continued in its statement. "We also reported on Catherines request for privacy and detailed the statement from Kensington Palace regarding the princess having the right to privacy in relation to her medical issues."

The outlet further claimed that their staff is sure to "always give careful consideration to the editorial decisions we make," while emphasizing, "our reporting made clear that this is a difficult time for the princess and the rest of the Royal Family."

"We have been mindful at all times to approach our coverage with sensitivity," the statement concluded.

Next: King Charles Makes History With Unprecedented Decision About Royals' Vacation Spot Balmoral Castle
The impact of the phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still being felt Friday as Israel responded to Biden's demand for accountability in the wake of the Israeli strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy that killed seven aid workers.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, attending a NATO meeting in Brussels, was dialed into Thursday's call at one of the most stressful points in the increasingly fraught relationship between the two allies.

As the ABC News State Department Reporter and Producer, I was traveling with Blinken and have this account and analysis:

PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden. (AP/Reuters)

MORE: Israel-Gaza live updates: IDF suspends 2 military commanders after World Central Kitchen attack, reports say

Behind the scenes before the call

Ahead of the conversation, the tension in the air was palpable -- and it continued to build throughout the day.

Even though the call was on President Biden's calendar, Blinken began the day planning for a full program at NATO's headquarters. But then he missed a scheduled event and barely squeaked into another (schedules at these events often run behind, but not on this level).

While a State Department official said Blinken managed to wedge in several pull aside meetings with his counterparts from key members of alliance as well as a productive meeting with the Ukrainian foreign minister, he also left a group meeting on Ukraine more than half an hour before it concludedopting to hole up in a private meeting room instead.

By mid-afternoon local time, it became clear that preparing for the Netanyahu call had become and all-hands-on-deck situation -- and an intensive one. Amid a frenzy of high-level calls, administration officials in Brussels and Washington worked furiously to get on the same page even while they were an ocean apart, according to sources familiar with the matter.

While these calls are quite often high stakes, usually working level engagement sets at least a rough expectation. Not so this time, officials said -- they were flying blind, with no idea how Netanyahu would react.

Officials described the call itself as fairly grueling, but said they walked away confident they had secured at least one win -- a promise from the Israelis to open up a number of portals into Gaza for humanitarian aid, as was announced not long after. (U.S. officials had been pushing for the Erez crossing on Gaza's northern border with Israel in particular to be opened for months but had seen no apparent progress until this point.)

But there's a challenging road ahead.

PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press conference after a NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, April 4, 2024, in Brussels. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Uncertain stakes

After the call, Blinken shed remarkably little light on the situation during his news conference (even by his careful diplomatic standards) declining to say any more on what the administration might do if Israel doesn't meet U.S. demands.

Diplomats often employ strategic ambiguity with allies and enemies alike, the argument for it being that if you keep expectations and potential consequences vague and you might get better results than if you spelled them out.

That could be at play here, but if so, it's only part of the story. Officials say key figures within the administration hold a wide range of positions regarding potential repercussions, challenging the U.S.' ability to form a cohesive strategy.

Cease-fire call

The White House readout of the call is the strongest statement from the administration delinking a cease-fire and a deal for the release of hostages in Gaza.

About six weeks ago, administration officials insisted that doing so would take all the air out of negotiations.

When I asked Blinken about this, he was vague, but an official says blurring the connection between the two has been a deliberate push and one directed by the White House.

Blinken also dodged on whether the administration sees Netanyahu as a limiting step for reaching an agreement, which is heavily implied by the president urging the prime minister "to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay."

This would be a shift, too. Up until very recently, administration officials insisted Netanyahu was empowering his negotiators.

Regardless, sources familiar with negotiations say Hamas is still a big hurdle -- and that despite intermediaries' confidence that its leaders will back off demands that would allow the group to remain in power after the conflict, it hasn't come to fruition.

PHOTO: Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (Ismael Abu Dayyah/AP)

MORE: Partner of World Central Kitchen worker killed in Gaza speaks out: 'We need the truth of what happened'

What has changed?

The secretary was first asked on Tuesday about the World Central Kitchen strike shortly after it happened -- and hours before the White House, the president and the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed their outrage over the deadly attack.

The French foreign minister was standing beside Blinken at the time and expressly condemned the strike, but the secretary was much more muted. He urged an investigation and voiced his grief over the deaths of the aid workers--but no outrage, no condemnation.

When I asked him what had changed on Thursday, I was expecting him to say that time had allowed the administration to evaluate the incident and come to a conclusion.

But instead, he responded by declaring that nothing changed -- insisting he was outraged from the jump but was initially motivated by "focusing on the human beings involved"  and for some unexplained reason couldn't take it a step further with condemnation for the act that killed them.

"I was focused on the -- the people, the individuals who had lost their lives, given their lives in service of their fellow human beings. That was what was motivating me in those initial comments," he said. "And I thought it was important as well to put the focus on that."

Behind the scenes with Blinken and the tense Biden-Netanyahu phone call: Reporter's notebook originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
I believe Cuba is at the tipping point: Are we in the U.S. ready to respond? | Opinion

In a now familiar scene, desperate families in Santiago and other towns in eastern Cuba took to the streets on March 17 to protest inhumane living conditions and the abject failures of the communist state.

Although the government quickly cut the internet, images emerged that are reminiscent of July 2021, when thousands of Cubans nationwide protested chronic shortages of food and electricity, inadequate health care, and severe government repression. On that occasion, the authoritarian government arrested and jailed hundreds of protesters  some for up to 20 years.

To Cubas dismay, the international community  including some traditional allies - overwhelmingly condemned the 2021 crackdown. The criticism appears not to have changed the governments behavior. One source, Justicia 11J, says security forces arrested dozens following the March protests, but not visible to the world.

Like other Cuban Americans, I have painfully watched Cubas slow-motion collapse for decades. It is apparent that Cuba has reached a tipping point.

The Castros are gone, and the Communist Party will never deliver on its revolutionary promises. It has exhausted all means of economic survival and hungry Cubans reject leaders they never elected. Patria y Vida (Homeland and Life!) is the protesters battle cry that unnerves Cubas dictators as they contemplate their own exit plans.

Is the U.S. ready to respond to a sudden collapse of the Cuban government? Is it prepared for a humanitarian disaster that could dwarf Haitis unfolding crisis? If there is a mass migration event, will we have the resources to respond? And, importantly, how will we ensure the transition best supports the Cuban people?

The bankrupt Cuban government has dug an immense hole. Early this year, it suspended a package of poorly conceived economic measures that had increased the cost of living for impoverished Cubans. Other reforms failed when revolution hardliners watered down measures to unshackle open markets and entrepreneurs. Cuba is also a chronic human rights abuser.

Despite claims its embargo undermines a Cuban economic recovery, the U.S. is actually one of Cubas largest suppliers of food and its major source of remittances. The failure is not due to U.S. policy - the fault lies with the fatally flawed communist model that has created millions of victims worldwide.

The distaste for Cubas government has spread. For decades, the government relied on diplomatic cover from a few partners, including some European countries. But after the 2021 crackdown, former allies, such as Spain, are now among Cubas chief critics. Even Cubas traditional comrade, Russia, having abandoned central planning and overstretched from its Ukraine campaign, appears unwilling to bail out Cubas archaic Marxist system.

In late 2023, the UN released a damning report documenting Cubas systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief, dispelling the governments weak attempts to portray Cubans as being free to worship as they please.

And the UN has become one of Cubas greatest critics for the human rights abuses suffered by thousands of Cuban doctors coercively sent to foreign countries as part of the Cuban governments desperate scheme to generate foreign exchange  those doctors lose all freedoms and are paid a pittance, earning the UNs label as modern-day slavery.

Forced migration to the U.S. is part of the playbook of Cuba and its partners, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Todays world is challenged by countless complex emergencies, but this one will happen 100 miles south of Florida.

I encourage our political and military leadership, as well as our development community, to closely monitor the unraveling situation in Cuba, and to put plans in place to ensure the U.S. and our neighbors are not caught short.

Teo A. Babun is the president and chief executive officer of Outreach Aid to the Americas, a non-profit religious organization dedicated to serving vulnerable communities in the American continent through humanitarian aid, development and the defense of human rights. He is the author of numerous books, the most recent being Faith and Freedom in Latin America.
Bellville Village Council has hired outside counsel for advice on mayoral situation

BELLVILLE  Bellville Village Council has retained outside counsel for advice on the situation with Mayor Teri Brenkus.

Council in March voted 6-0 to ask Brenkus to resign while also putting village Administrator Larry Weirich on paid administrative leave.

Brenkus answered a question about the matter on her Facebook page.

"... [C]ouncil is asking for my resignation over a personal relationship with a coworker (while staying completely professional) who has been separated for close to a year," she wrote. "Council asked us about our relationship, and we never denied it but confirmed it is true.

"There have been personal relationships that they have restructured for. I have never had to deal with dirty politics for the past seven years until now."

Teri Brenkus

Brenkus previously confirmed to a Richland Source reporter that the relationship in question involves her and Weirich.

Council President Justin Enix responded to News Journal questions by email.

"Council was made aware of a potential conflict of interest, as well as potential handbook violations, which led to placing the village administrator on paid leave and requesting the resignation of the mayor," he wrote.

Bellville Village Council working with lawyer from Cleveland firm

Enix said council has entered into a contract with Drew Piersall of the Cleveland law firm Zashin & Rich to "advise the village on this and other matters."

"Myself and the other council members are committed to the well-being of the village, its residents and our exceptional staff," Enix said by email. "We are steadfast in our commitment to transparency, integrity and public accountability."

Brenkus said she is still waiting for someone to talk to her.

"I don't know anything," she said. "They haven't discussed anything with me. The way I found out about this is from a reporter."

Brenkus is in her eighth year as Bellville's mayor. While she said she was shocked to be asked for her resignation, she plans to remain in office.

"I don't feel I did anything wrong, so I don't plan on resigning," Brenkus said. "I feel that somebody should contact me direct about what decisions were made and how we move forward."

When council met in executive session at Tuesday's meeting for "personnel and possible litigation," Brenkus said she was excluded.

"I typically am included in an executive session," she said.

Brenkus said she has heard council could pursue a recall election after the first year of her new term.

Matt Finfgeld, director of the Richland County Board of Elections, said he has never dealt with a recall election. He said he is waiting to get a legal opinion.

"The way I'm reading it, she cannot be recalled right now," Finfgeld said. "You have to be a year into your term."

Brenkus thanked her supporters on Facebook.

"My heart is overflowing," she wrote.

She told the News Journal she would like to see a resolution.

"I hope that we could come to an agreement and move forward with the work we have started," Brenkus said.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

X: @MarkCau32059251

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Bellville OH mayor has no plans to resign despite request from council
The Biden administration expressed deep concern Friday that Georgias government is pursuing another push for a Russian-inspired law criticized as targeting civil society groups, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and free speech.

The U.S. is deeply concerned by the Georgian Parliaments introduction of a reworked copy of last years foreign agents law, which requires NGOs and civil society groups receiving funding from international sources to register as foreign agents, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The draft legislation poses a threat to civil society organizations whose work benefits the lives of everyday citizens of Georgia in areas such as health, education, and social support, Miller said.

It undermines Georgias commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and risks pulling Georgia off its European path. We have made these concerns clear to the Georgian government.

On April 3, Georgias ruling parliamentary party, Georgian Dream, said it was reintroducing its 2023 foreign agents law, renamed as On Transparency of Foreign Influence. It had withdrawn the law the previous year amid domestic and international outcries.

Georgian Dream said the law is aimed at compelling transparency on funding for NGOs, specifically those it deems as supporting revolutionary processes and artificial attempts to cause unrest in the country.

The draft law is based on the same text as 2023s Foreign Agents law, Georgian Dream said in a statement, with one difference: defining what they view as foreign agents as an organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power.

Georgia, which has two separate territories under Russian occupation since 2008, is viewed as in the crosshairs of Russias expansionist goals, alongside the war in Ukraine. The Georgian government, ruled by the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party, is walking a fine line between keeping close ties with Moscow, even as it takes step to join the European Union, an effort viewed as supported by the majority of the population.

The European Union said Thursday the reintroduction of the foreign agents law raises serious concerns, and added that transparency should not be used as an instrument to limit civil societys capacity to operate freely.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden on Friday got a firsthand look at the damage from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and pledged to move heaven and Earth to rebuild the structure.

Im here to say, your nation has your back. And I mean it. Your nation has your back, Biden said, speaking with the wreckage of the collapsed bridge in the backdrop.

The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking, he added, referencing the six people who died when the bridge collapsed late last month.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, on Interstate 695, collapsed into the water after it was hit last Tuesday by the cargo ship Dali, which was headed to Sri Lanka.

The president said his administrations priority was to reopen the Baltimore Port, which is typically among the most active in the country and is key to commerce across the East Coast. He said officials expect the full channel will be reopened by the end of May.

The White House said Thursday that top administration officials have called major employers in the Baltimore area, including retail chains and distributors, urging them to retain workers in the aftermath of the bridge collapse.

And Biden called on Congress to do its part to address the fallout of the bridge collapse as Baltimore residents face questions about accessing schools, hospitals and offices.

Folks, were going to move heaven and Earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible, Biden said. And were going to do so with union labor and American steel.

White House budget director Shalanda Young wrote to congressional leaders Friday urging lawmakers to approve a 100 percent federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge, eliminating the need for the state to cover a portion of the project.

This authorization would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007, when the Congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota, Young wrote.

During his visit to Baltimore, Biden took an aerial tour of the collapsed bridge and received a briefing on response efforts from local, state and federal officials.

Among those in attendance were leaders from the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. Other officials included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) and Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

The president was also scheduled to meet with the loved ones of the six people who died when the bridge collapsed.

Moore, introducing Biden, praised the administrations response to the bridge collapse, noting officials were in touch with him shortly after the incident occurred.

I know our states largest city is being tested right now.  The people of Maryland are grateful to have a full partner in this work like President Biden, Moore said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Bidens 2024 reelection campaign announced theyd be opening seven general election offices across Georgia over the next two weeks.

According to the announcement, theyll be hiring 10 new staff members for the state campaign effort as well.

The offices are being opened in a joint effort between the presidential campaign for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Committee.

The power of organizing and early investments turned Georgia blue in 2020, leading to four years of progress under President Biden, Vice President Harris, and a Democratic Senate, Dan Kanninen, Biden-Harris Battleground States Director, said in the announcement. This team of operatives is battle-tested and ready to work together with organizers across the state to help President Biden win and defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA allies for the third election in a row. "

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In the announcement for the new offices said that Bidens primary opponent, former President Donald Trump, has no campaign presence in Georgia.

Heading up the new campaign effort is Jonae Wartel, a Marietta native. Wartel will be stepping into the role of senior advisor for Georgia on the campaign.

I couldnt be more excited to work with this talented group to help bring Georgia home again for President Biden, Jonae Wartel, senior advisor for Georgia, said in a statement. From creating more than 450,000 jobs in our state to capping insulin costs at $35, all of the progress weve seen over the past four years is because we delivered Georgia in 2020. Were going to make sure that Georgians know its President Biden working for us, lowering costs for our families and protecting our fundamental freedoms  while Donald Trump is only out for himself.

Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon provided the following statement to Channel 2 Action News in response to the Biden campaigns new office plans.

The Georgia Republican Party is working in concert with the Republican National Committee and the Trump Campaign to insure a strong win for President Donald Trump. Despite the recent announcement that the Democratic Party has hired out of state far-left activists who appear to have primarily helmed losing contests for public office around the country, we feel confident that our team is well prepared to put Georgias 16 electoral votes in President Trumps column in November, McKoon said, adding that the Georgia Republican Party hope[s] these newcomers to our state enjoy their time in the greatest state in the nation to do business and raise a family!

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While the exact locations of the offices were not in the announcement, the campaign released the following details on the 10 new staff members for the Georgia campaign:

Senior Advisor - Jonae Wartel is a Marietta native who served as Senior Advisor for the Georgia Senate Runoff election. Previously, she served as the 2020-21 Runoff Director and led the Democrats efforts to elect Senators Warnock and Ossoff. Jonae has held leadership roles with Stacey Abrams 2018 gubernatorial campaign, the Democratic National Committee and Organizing Corps. Additionally, she served in key management roles on the 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns.

State Director - Porsha White is a lifelong organizer and political strategist. She has worked on political campaigns on all levels, from mayoral to Presidential. In 2014, Porsha worked as the Public Policy Manager at Planned Parenthood Southeast, then became the National Political Director at Let America Vote. Recently, she was the Deputy Political Director for Deval Patrick 2020 before joining End Citizens United/Let America Vote as the Vice President of Voting Rights and State Organizing. Porsha is a native of Jackson, Mississippi, and is now a resident of Decatur, Georgia.

State Campaign Manager - Lacey Morrison most recently served as Campaign Manager for Katie Porters Senate Campaign. She previously worked as Regional Political Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, focusing on the Sunbelt, and she managed the congressional campaigns of Gina Ortiz (TX) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer. She started her career in the office of the Mayor of Columbus, Georgia and is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

General Election Director - Teddy Smyth currently serves as Executive Director of the Georgia House Democrats. He previously served as Georgia Recount Training Director and Southern Regional GOTV Desk in 2020 for the Biden-Harris campaign. Teddy worked in several positions for Cory Bookers 2020 campaign, including National Distributed Organizing Director and the New Hampshire Organizing Director. He has also worked as State Director for NextGen New Hampshire, Campaign Manager for Jennifer Caroll Foy for Delegate and Regional Organizing Director for North Carolina in 2016.

Trips Director - Ryan Stern is a Consultant for Progressive Capacity, where he has managed budget and operations for electoral and progressive organizations. Ryan has extensive experience in scheduling and advance for political candidates including as an Advance Lead for Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer. He has served in other campaign capacities including Senior Advisor for Cynthia Nixon for New York, Chief of Staff for Jim Johnson for Governor, Campaign Manager for a Baltimore Mayoral Race and Director of Advance for Cory Booker for Senate. He began his career on the 2008 Obama Campaign.

Data Director - Andy Love is a data analyst at Blue Action. He previously served as Senior Deputy Data Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia and as Deputy Data Director for the Democratic Party of Virginia. Andy has also worked at Data in Place, Carriage Services, and for the City of St. Louis and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

Voter Protection Director - Cecilia Ugarte Baldwin most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Cabinet Affairs to Governor Maura T. Healey in Massachusetts, championing and executing the Governors agenda in her inaugural year in office. Committed to social justice, equity and civil rights, Cecilia has supported the Democratic Partys election protection efforts since 2016, and most recently ran the voter protection program in Ohio for the 2022 midterm elections. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, Cecilia moved to Massachusetts to attend Boston University where she earned her B.S. from the College of Communication and subsequently earned her law degree from New England Law | Boston.

Deputy Director for Voter Protection - Liz Barrett has served Georgia since 2020 as a voter protection/election administration oversight advocate. In the 2022 cycle she was a Voter Protection Regional Manager for the Coordinated Campaign, and her track record includes working on behalf of the Democratic Party of Georgia and Fair Fight as an election administration oversight liaison. She has facilitated productive voter protection, election administration oversight, party introductions and relationships statewide to address voter challenges, election suppression, and extremists demands on our election system.

Press Secretary - Alice Nam most recently served as Deputy Communications Director for U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler. She previously worked as Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland and as Deputy National Press Secretary and Caucus and Surrogates Program Manager for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Alice attended Cornell University.

Deputy Communications Director - Marc Banks most recently served as Founder and Lead Consultant for MUSE Creative Commons. He previously worked as Deputy Communications Director for Stacy Abrams for Governor and as National Press Secretary for the NAACP. Marc also served as Senior Communications Manager for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. He has also worked in communications for the 135th Street Agency, the United States Senate, the Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement and Radio One.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
President Biden marked the 56th year since the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a statement paying tribute to Kings legacy and warning against the reemergence of political violence.

Fifty-six years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last breath in the cause to redeem the soul of our nation, Biden said in a statement Thursday, calling King one of his political heroes.

But then, an extremist  armed with a rifle in his hands and fueled by the poison of white supremacy in his heart  shot and killed a great American who loved his country so deeply to make it better  even greater  even when it didnt always love him back, Biden said. Dr. King and generations of foot soldiers known and unknown embody a patriotism that continues to inspire generations of Americans, including me.

Biden warned against the reemergence of political violence, saying it should be condemned universally and taught extensively to ensure it never repeats.

But on this day, and in this time, we all do well to remember another essential lesson about Dr. Kings life and legacy. All Americans  regardless of party or background  should be able to reject political violence and hate-fueled violence in any form, Biden said. We must condemn it, not condone it. We must confront it, not whitewash it. As we do, we must teach history and make history, not erase history. We must choose community over chaos.

Concerns about political violence have grown in recent years, in particular since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that resulted in multiple fatalities.

In a December poll, 83 percent of Americans said they were concerned about political violence. On Wednesday, a new poll revealed that more than 20 percent of Americans said they thought violence may be necessary to secure political objectives in 2024.

Biden also noted the influence King has had on his own life, noting that after Kings assassination, Biden left a prestigious law firm and became a public servant.

Since then, Ive seen the push and pull and progress and setback on everything he stood for from voting rights to jobs and justice for all Americans, Biden said. Ive had the greatest honor to serve as Vice President to the first Black President and now President with the first woman Vice President, as we carry forward his vision of a beloved community.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Biden administration is not backing calls for an independent, third-party investigation into the Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen (WCK), bucking demands from the nongovernmental organizations chief Jose Andres and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said Friday the administration is reviewing an Israeli investigation into the military strike against the WCK workers and was reserving judgment on whether an independent, international investigation would be needed.

Were going to reserve judgment on whether there needs to be another investigation, he said in a call with reporters.

Andres put out a statement Thursday calling for the U.S., Australia, Canada, Poland, and the United Kingdom to demand an an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the strike that targeted the WCK workers an unfortunate mistake. An initial investigation carried out by an Israeli military watchdog resulted in the army dismissing two officers and reprimanding three others.

But some Democratic lawmakers, consistently supportive of Israels right to self-defense in its goal to defeat Hamas, have expressed outrage over the Israeli strike on the aid workers and raised the need to impose more consequences.

The United States should join in the call for an independent and international investigation into Mondays strike on World Central Kitchen volunteers, in which an American was killed, said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.

Kaine added that the U.S. should hold back on sending offensive weapons to Israel and instead prioritize defensive weapons.

The killing of seven aid workers add to the more than 200 deaths of humanitarian aid workers killed in Gaza, and an estimated 30,000 Palestinians killed amid Israels war against Hamas, a figure that includes an unknown number of Hamas combatants.

Israel must have the capacity to defend itself against those  like Hamas  who would annihilate it. But more offensive weapons delivered at this moment will only further widen suffering in Israel, Gaza and the region, Kaine said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden will travel to Baltimore on Friday to get an update on the aftermath of the major bridge collapse in the city and outline federal response efforts in the 10 days since it fell.

Biden will get an update on the response efforts from the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers to remove the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the water and reopen the Port of Baltimore as quickly as possible. Biden will also receive an aerial tour of the federal and state response efforts.

He will be joined by various state and local officials, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) and Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

The president will also meet with the loved ones of the six people who died when the bridge collapsed, the White House said.

The president is expected to provide an update on federal efforts to aid the reopening of the port and the construction of the bridge.

He will highlight that $60 million in federal emergency relief funds were quickly approved for initial costs, that the Small Business Administration is providing low-interest disaster loans to eligible businesses, and that the Department of Labor approved Dislocated Worker Grant funding to support workers impacted by the collapse.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed Thursday that top administration officials have called major employers in the Baltimore area, including retail chains and distributors, urging them to retain workers in the aftermath of the bridge collapse.

White House budget director Shalanda Young also wrote to congressional leaders Friday urging lawmakers to approve a 100 percent federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge, eliminating the need for the state to cover a portion of the project.

This authorization would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007, when the Congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota, Young wrote.

We stand ready to work with Congress to ensure the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland has what it needs to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is critical to the Nations workers and economy, she added.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, on Interstate 695, collapsed into the water after it was hit last Tuesday by the cargo ship Dali, which was headed to Sri Lanka.

Biden has vowed that the federal government will foot the bill to rebuild the bridge, but that has been met with backlash from conservative spending hawks. The Department of Transportation has released $16 million for the bridge, which Jean-Pierre called a down payment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
With the wreckage of Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge behind him, President Joe Biden on Friday promised the city that the nation has your back in rebuilding the bridge and reopening its pivotal port.

Biden reiterated that the federal government would cover the full cost of repairs, even as conservatives in the House balk at the idea. But he added that the U.S. would pursue damages from responsible parties, without naming them.

My administration is committed, absolutely committed, to ensuring that parties responsible for this tragedy pay to repair the damage and be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law will allow, but I also want to be clear: We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that's here now, he said at the foot of the downed bridge, with the wind whipping behind him.

The presidents visit comes nearly two weeks after the mammoth container ship Dali plowed into the structure, causing much of the nearly 9,000-foot bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River and killing six construction workers. On Friday, he got an aerial tour of the bridge site with Gov. Wes Moore, received a briefing from emergency workers and met with family members of those killed in the collapse.



Biden, who said he traces his family back to the watermen who worked Chesapeake Bay in the mid-1800s, said that as a senator, he frequently used the bridge to commute between Delaware and D.C.

Part of the waterway is expected to reopen by the end of the month and a more significant channel to the port by the end of May, according to new estimates from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The president said the federal governments first priority is reopening the port and protecting the 20,000 jobs that rely on its commerce. He called on companies with employees in the area to stay open and maintain payroll. Some of them have already done so.

And the president pledged to move heaven and Earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible and were going to do so with union labor and American steel.



The administration and state officials have not yet released an estimated cost of the rebuild. Administration officials on Friday asked Congress to agree to cover 100 percent of the price tag, instead of requiring the state to contribute to the tab.

While Congress approved the same procedure in 2007 to pay for the reconstruction of a vital bridge in Minnesota, conservatives have already thrown up obstacles this time.

The House Freedom Caucus on Friday said that any funding for the bridge needs to be fully offset and suggested that, in exchange for any funding, the administration should lift its moratorium on natural gas export projects. Speaker Mike Johnson has separately condemned the gas export moratorium. The group also wants the administration to seek maximum liability from the Singapore-based ships owner upfront.

But the states largely Democratic congressional delegation is pushing for a speedy action in Congress.

We cant wait for those dollars, said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) shortly before Biden spoke.
How Biden can push Netanyahu to stop civilian deaths in Gaza

A sharp shift change has signalled one thing: Joe Biden has had enough.

Still reeling from the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza by Israeli strikes, the US president told Benjamin Netanyahu there will be consequences if he does not start protecting civilians.

During a tense 30-minute phone call, a frustrated Mr Biden told the Israeli leader he needs to to take immediate action to implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to stop harming innocent lives.

US policy, he said, will be determined by how Israel acts.

If Mr Netanyahu refuses to heed Mr Bidens warning and change his tactics, the world will be watching to see how America responds.

As Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser to Mr Obama has warned: Bibi obviously doesnt care what the US says, its about what the US does.

So what tools does Mr Biden have when it comes to getting a bullish leader like Mr Netanyahu to act?

Halting or restricting arms sales

The White House stopped short of directly saying Mr Biden would halt arms supplies to Israel or impose conditions on their use, but this is the most obvious - and likely most effective - weapon in Mr Bidens arsenal.

Despite pleas from some corners of his own party, the Democrat leader has long resisted curbing the flow of artillery and weapons to Israel, which is reliant on everything from US-made F-35 aircrafts to precision-guided bombs and artillery shells.

When they say therell be consequences, I think this is kind of the most, this is the most critical one, said Dan Arbell, a scholar-in-residence at the Center for Israeli Studies at American University.

They havent reached it [yet], but I wouldnt rule it out in the near future if the situation continues as it does, he told The Telegraph.

Steven A Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council of Foreign Relations, said there really (was) no other point of leverage for the United States other than restricting military aid.

Now that he [Biden] has essentially threatened action, he would be weak not to follow through if the Israelis do not perform, he said.

Subtle but powerful messaging

Rather than making overt, public moves to cut off arms deals, Mr Biden could also make subtle changes to hold-up contracts and frustrate Tel Aviv.

Sometimes the strongest signals are actually very quiet ones, said Natan Sachs, the director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Washington-based non-profit the Brookings Institution.

This could include slowing the provision of munitions or the approval of mundane contracts for spare parts.

At the working level thats often where you see the most powerful messaging and its one the security establishment the government take very seriously, he told The Telegraph.

While it might seem incremental, this would be a ratcheting up by the Americans and something the Israelis would take to heart.

Ramp up public attacks

Mr Biden and his cabinets remarks on Mr Netanyahu have become increasingly spikey in recent weeks.

The US president called this weeks killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers outrageous while Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the horrific attack.

Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer last month branded Mr Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and called for elections in Israel.

Mr Arbell expects critical statements and damning terminology to be used more frequently in the coming weeks.

However, he adds, this tactic only has so much mileage as people quickly get used to verbal attacks.

Stop protecting Israel

The US has been a staunch supporter and protector of Israel.

In February it vetoed its third UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

When the US did not veto a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip last month, Mr Netanyahu retaliated by cancelling a Washington meeting between his delegation and the Biden administration.

Continuing to abstain from future votes is potentially a valuable tool for Mr Biden.

If the Democrat leader shows waning US support for Israel, it could also influence other countries treatment of the Jewish state.

Some nations, for example, may stop short of condemning Israel for fear of upsetting its American allies.

If countries have less of a sense that America has Israels back, we better play nice it could make things harder for Mr Netanyahu, Mr Sachs adds.

Palestinian statehood

Palestinian statehood recognition, which is highly sensitive both internationally and domestically, is one of the least likely options Mr Biden could take.

While White House officials have said they are exploring policy options with regards to recognising a Palestinian state, such a move would have huge consequences.

Mr Arbell warned such drastic action could end up playing into Mr Netanyahus hands.

Hes at the lowest point in terms of Israeli public opinion and such a public confrontation could help him, he said.

The Israeli leader will be able to say its us against the world, he added.

While you cant rule it out, acknowledging a Palestinian state would be a major move with legal ramifications.

Such a drastic action is more likely to be carried out in very calculated way rather than as simply a means of ratcheting up pressure, Mr Sachs said.

I dont know which way theyll go, he told The Telegraph.

I think the anger towards Netanyahu, the exasperation towards Netanyahu is very genuine... Its brought even Biden to this moment.

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Its less than 24 hours since President Joe Biden bluntly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there would be consequences if the IDF does not take steps to protect Palestinian civilians and aid workers. And it appears Mr Netanyahu has taken notice.

According to White House officials, Biden used the conversation to unload months of growing frustrations with the Israeli leader. Netanyahus intransigent refusal to protect Palestinian civilians and the Israeli militarys callous disregard for the safety of those attempting to provide those same civilians with food and medical care has caused consternation in the White House. The deaths of seven aid workers delivering food to hungry civilians for the nonprofit World Central Kitchen in three targeted airstrikes were the final straw.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that Biden had made clear that absent changes in the protection of civilians on the ground, absent changes to the volume of humanitarian assistance getting in, absent any movement on a ceasefire that will allow hostages to get out and more aid to get in, absent ... a calming down, that he will have to reconsider his own policy choices with respect to Gaza.

If theres no changes to [Israeli] policy and their approaches, then theres going to have to be changes to ours, Kirby added.

One Biden aide who spoke to The Independent on condition of anonymity said the president was motivated to push Netanyahu to make changes after speaking with Jose Andres, the Washington-based celebrity chef who founded World Central Kitchen. The aide added that Biden considers Andres a personal friend.

For years, Netanyahu has operated with impunity when it comes to how his country treats Palestinians, confident that he has almost unconditional support from American leaders. Its no secret that being seen as anti-Israel in the US political system can be a kiss of death. Republicans in particular have pushed to make support for Israel a partisan issue.

Its in part because of that toxic dynamic that Biden has been hamstrung in his ability to push Netanayahu into changing course.

But the president may be hamstrung no longer.

Within hours of the call between the US president and the Israeli prime minister, Israeli officials announced the opening of another land crossing into northern Gaza. That opening should allow an influx of aid into a conflict zone that has been on the verge of famine for weeks now.

Additionally, early on Friday, the IDF released the results of a preliminary investigation into how its own highly-trained, professional soldiers could have fired three separate missiles into a trio of vehicles marked with the World Central Kitchen logo. It concluded that the grave mistake that took the lives of the aid workers had been a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli militarys chief spokesperson, told reporters in a briefing late Thursday that the attack on the aid convoy was a tragedy and a serious event that were responsible for. He reiterated that it shouldnt have happened.

The Israeli army said military prosecutors would evaluate whether anyone involved in the strikes should face a court-martial. It will also evaluate whether the two officers who were sacked as a result of their involvement in the strikes will be reassigned or dismissed from the service.

Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson, told reporters on Friday that Israels actions over the last 24 hours amounted to a good start. But he stressed that the US is still in a wait-and-see mode when it comes to evaluating Israels response to Bidens demands.

He repeatedly declined to opine on the substance of the Israeli investigation and said it was being reviewed by US officials.

What is really important to us ... is that these changes are verifiable, and they're sustainable, and that proper steps are taken to make sure that something like the strike that happened to the World Central Kitchen a few days ago can't happen again, he said. And so we're going to be looking in terms of strike procedures to make sure that they're doing everything they can to prevent another mistake like that.

Kirby also told reporters that the US is watching to see if the commitments Israel has made toward increasing humanitarian aid into Gaza remain sustainable.

Andres, the World Central Kitchen founder, has said he is thus far unsatisfied with the Israeli-led report and has demanded an external investigation. He may yet get one, depending on how the Biden administration views the Israeli probe, which was conducted by the countrys equivalent of an independent inspector general.

Netanyahus government may follow through on their commitments, which, in theory, would mean Biden wont have reason to change any policy towards Israel or Gaza. But just because there might not be any policy change doesnt mean theres been no change at all.

Its now no longer taboo for the US president to consider conditioning defence assistance on Israels behaviour on the battlefield.

Even if that doesnt happen, the fact that it can now be discussed openly in the White House might be the biggest change to come out of this war.
Biden steps up pressure on Israel  using the key levers available against an ally with strong domestic support

The fraying relationship between the U.S. and Israel over the latter countrys conduct of its war in Gaza got even worse on April 4, 2024, several days after Israel killed seven aid workers in a drone strike. President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and warned him that the U.S. would put conditions on future support for Israel based on how Israel addresses concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel must permit more food and other supplies into Gaza, the president said, and agree to an immediate cease-fire.

The Conversations senior politics and democracy editor, Naomi Schalit, spoke with American University foreign policy scholar Jordan Tama about the extraordinary threat Biden made to Netanyahu, whose country is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II.

What do you see happening here?

Bidens threat to set conditions on support for Israel based on Israels behavior in Gaza is a very important step. Clearly the threat got through to Netanyahu, because he immediately took a series of steps designed to try to address the U.S. concerns, from committing to opening aid corridors into Gaza to disciplining military officers associated with the deaths of the aid workers, although there has been no word on progress toward a cease-fire. Netanyahu certainly doesnt want to lose U.S. support.

At the same time, Netanyahu has a history of taking some superficial actions and making statements designed to placate the U.S. without necessarily following through. Or in some cases, he has taken a step or made a statement and then taken another action that undermines that first step and exacerbates the U.S. concern.

The Biden administration is going to need to monitor in a very concrete and close-up way what Israel is actually doing with allowing aid into Gaza and how it uses military force in Gaza. There are going to be bumps in the road and continuing questions about what Israel is actually doing and whether its actually meeting U.S. concerns.

A vehicle in which employees from the World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli drone attack in Gaza on April 2, 2024. Yasser Qudihe/Middle East Images via AFP

The White House summary of the discussion between Biden and Netanyahu referred to specific, concrete, and measurable steps that Biden wanted Israel to take. But there werent any specific details of those steps. Why?

Most likely, Biden was more specific than the publicly released summary was. But it would make a lot of sense for Biden to be conveying a threat at a relatively broad level and then Secretary of State Antony Blinken or other U.S. officials to be getting much more concrete and fine-grained in their conversations with the Israelis.

Its not necessarily advantageous for the U.S. at the presidential level to lay out benchmarks that are so specific. That then boxes in the U.S. Events can evolve, and you want the president to have some leeway in what steps hes going to take next.

But you need specificity in order for the threat to take hold and for the Israelis to realize, We really need to do X, Y and Z in order for the U.S. to be satisfied.

Its really politics to do it this way, isnt it? By not giving the specifics to the public, Bidens avoiding a situation where he can be humiliated by Netanyahu.

I think thats right. Its important for the president to maintain the ability to adjust the expectations and benchmarks a bit based on future events. If the president just says, We will stop aid to Israel if Israel does not allow X number of trucks into Gaza, well, maybe Gaza will need a different number of trucks two weeks from now than it does now.

So you want to set out the principle that the U.S. cares a great deal about aid getting into Gaza. If Israel doesnt allow sufficient aid into Gaza, we are going to restrict our support and we are going to continue to monitor conditions on the ground.

What are the U.S. options for ensuring that Israel deals substantively with the humanitarian crisis and works in good faith toward ending the war?

Military aid is not the only kind of support the U.S. offers or can offer to Israel. Its not the only thing that Israel cares about. But military aid is certainly very important. So one major way that the U.S. can condition support for Israel is by threatening to withhold military aid. And that has gradations, too. It can be restricting certain kinds of military aid that are likely to be used in Gaza and most likely to cause civilian harm there.

It can also mean delaying the delivery of aid as a further threat before you entirely cut it off. So there are different levers that can be pulled. But theres also diplomatic support. For instance, the U.S. has often helped protect Israel at the U.N. Security Council by vetoing resolutions that are critical of Israel. Recently, the U.S. only abstained rather than vetoing an important resolution. The U.S. can abstain or even support future resolutions that would put more international diplomatic pressure on Israel.

Public statements by the president are also important. So if Israel engages in further actions that the U.S. considers contrary to its goals, or harmful to civilian welfare in Gaza, the Biden administration or Biden can issue harsher public statements critical of Israel.

Theres even a forceful lever of imposing sanctions on certain Israelis, as the U.S. has done with a group of Israeli settlers who had committed violence in the West Bank. Theres the possibility that the U.S. could impose sanctions on other Israelis based on conduct such as human rights violations.

People gather for a Stand with Israel rally in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 13, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Is there a history of the U.S. making this kind of threat to other countries to withhold support?

Yes. Recently, the U.S. threatened to withhold military aid to Turkey if Turkey did not support Swedens accession to NATO, which seemed to induce Turkey to agree to Sweden joining NATO. A few years earlier, the U.S. was threatening to withhold support for Turkey if it purchased some weapons systems from Russia. The U.S. said No, youre a member of NATO, you need to rely on U.S. weapons systems. The U.S. threatened to withhold support for Pakistan at times in recent decades, based on the extent to which Pakistan was supporting U.S. counterterrorism goals in South Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan with regard to the Taliban throughout the post-9/11 years.

This is actually a very common story in the history of U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. has, and has had, many allies who are imperfect, just as the U.S. is. So this often raises this question of whether the U.S. should restrict support for them.

But none of these countries had the domestic support in the U.S. that Israel does.

Thats true. So this has a higher profile. It makes it more difficult for a president to threaten to withhold support. And it also means it gets a lot of attention when it happens. The amount of attention given to this action by Biden greatly outweighs the amount of attention given to U.S. relations with Turkey or Pakistan.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service

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Jordan Tama 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.
US President Joe Biden speaks at the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Headquarters while visiting the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Bruce Cotler/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

US President Joe Biden again pledged federal support to rebuild the bridge that collapsed in Baltimore near Washington during a visit to the site on Friday.

A cargo ship rammed into one of the support pillars of the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore harbour on March 26, causing it to collapse and killing six people.

Biden took an aerial tour to survey the wreckage on Friday.

"You know, from the air, I saw the bridge thats been ripped apart. But here on the ground, I see a community thats been pulled together," he said during a press conference.

"Our first is our priority to reopen the port. This is one of the nations largest shipping hubs. And its the top port in America both in importing and exporting of cars and light trucks -- the number one."

He said two channels had been cleared to allow for salvage work. A third channel for commercial traffic would open by the end of April while the full channel would open by the end of May, Biden added.

"Were going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible. And were going to do so with union labor and American steel."

Those responsible for the collapse would be "held accountable to the fullest extent the law will allow," Biden added.

According to initial findings, there was a problem with the ship's power supply before the accident.

A general view of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was collapsed after a cargo ship crashed into it. Bruce Cotler/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Outrage and indignation from the President of the United States and his aides, no matter how great, no matter how many times expressed or leaked to the press, will not save the suffering people of Gaza. Nor will they restore the high standing previously enjoyed by the Biden administrations foreign policy.

Neither, sadly, will more or else conversations between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu like the one that took place on Thursday.

The White House indicated that in the conversation, the president made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on reducing civilian harm, stabilizing the humanitarian situation, and protecting innocent civilians. There have been too many such conversations and too few constructive results.

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Shortly after the meeting, Israel did announce the opening of another crossing into Gaza to enable the flow of humanitarian aid. While positive, this is just one step among many needed to stop the mass tragedy in Gaza.

To achieve the big changes that are urgently needed, only additional concrete actionsthat thus far the U.S. has been reluctant to takewill suffice. Specifically, only an acknowledgement that providing arms to a murderer is irresponsibleand has made the United States complicit in the mass murder of innocents in Gazawill do that.

Only using all the tools available to the worlds most powerful nation to both influence Israel to end its brutal rampage in Gaza and to embrace the only path to peace in the regionone that serves the goal of establishing two secure states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinianswill do that.

Sadly, it seems every U.S. administration must have a foreign policy debacle in the Middle East. It ought to be a source of humility for U.S. policymakers. But instead it is an enduring blind spot, apparently afflicting even among the most conscientious and gifted members of the U.S. policy community, such as those that lead the Biden foreign policy team.

A woman mourns as Palestinians gather around the burned and destroyed Al-Shifa Hospital as Israeli forces withdrew in Gaza City. Dawoud Abo Alkas/Getty Images

George W. Bush committed the greatest foreign policy error in modern U.S. history when he invaded Iraq, an act that even today makes Benjamin Netanyahus bloody slaughter in Gaza pale in comparison. Barack Obamas sins were those of inaction, of inertia in the face of brutality in Syria and his failure to end the war in Afghanistaneven as many around him, including his vice president, were urging him to wind it down. Donald Trumps withdrawal from the Iran nuclear dealat the urging of Netanyahumade the region incalculably more dangerous and has enabled Iran to come to a point today where it is a borderline nuclear power, months away from possessing the ultimate weapon.

So, Biden is not alone in making a grave mistake in his Mideast policy. But his error is particularly poignant, because he understood so well the errors we have made before, and actively sought to avoid mistakes like those we have made in the past.

His error is painful both in terms of its consequences internationally and domestically, but also because it stands in such stark contrast to all the good achieved by this president. That includes the accomplishments of finally ending Americas forever wars, and ensuring the U.S. achieved the kind of real energy independence that would make us less vulnerable to the seemingly inevitable spasms of conflict of the Middle East.

And it included strengthening America by focusing on building our alliances in Europe and the Pacific, as well as repairing ties across the Middle East. And standing up to bad actors, like Vladimir Putin, and thus sending a message to all would-be aggressors that America would stand up to them and for the international order. And it included restoring decency to the American presidency after the crimes and excesses of Donald Trump.

Now, that entire legacy has been tainted by Bidens decision to embrace and empower a Netanyahu government that is neither a true ally of the U.S., nor a champion of the common values that have in the past (at least aspirationally) helped link the U.S. and Israel.

Netanyahu is corrupt. Netanyahu is a would-be autocrat who sought to dismantle Israels democracy. Netanyahu has brought extremists and terrorists into his ruling coalition. Netanyahu has systematically stripped away the rights of Palestinians and has been an active enemy of peace since he first arrived on the scene in Israeli politics. Netanyahu has openly sided with the MAGA extremist right in the U.S. and had a long flirtation with the other ethnonationalist autocrats of the world like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, and Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu has made Israel dramatically less safe with his empowerment of Hamas and his inattention to secure along the border with Gaza.

President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv. Miriam Alster/Getty Images

In short, Netanyahu should never have been trusted, empowered, or effectively given the ability to heavily influence through his actions Americas standing in the world.

While it was right and decent of President Biden to stand with the people of Israel in the wake of Hamas vile attack on that country on Oct. 7and while it is indisputable that Israel has a right to defend itself and that Hamas should be held to account and neutralized as a threat in the regionwithin days of that attack, America began to make critical errors.

Despite the advice of many, we essentially gave a monster and a thuggish regime carte blanche. Worse, once the onslaught in Gaza began and its ghastly human toll began to mount, we continued to provide Netanyahu with the weapons he usednot recklessly, events persuasively suggest, but with purposeto systematically obliterate Gaza, eliminate medical support and clean water for those who happened to survive, use starvation as a military strategy, and take far too few precautions to limit civilian collateral damage.

Israel undertook the collective punishment of the Palestinian people in the wake of the horrors of Oct. 7, and quickly exceeded many many times over the crimes of Hamas. Their anger was understandable. But their methods and goals were unjustifiable.

Hamas has never posed an existential threat to Israel. Much of Hamas strength came via actions approved by Netanyahuin a cynical ploy to divide and delegitimize Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Gaza. But no matter how many of its soldiers are killed, Hamas can never be fully eradicated.

The slaughter of innocents will only serve to produceas American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan showedmore anti-Israeli extremists. The Netanyahu governments approach has not only violated international law and shocked human decency, it has achieved precisely the opposite of its goalsweakening Israels economy, undercutting its standing, and, in a wholly unintentional grace note, restoring the worlds conviction that the two-state solution so long opposed by Netanyahu and his extremist clique was the only way forward if peace and stability were to be restored to the Middle East.

But still, as the civilian death toll grewto 10, 20, 30 times the death toll on Oct. 7as agony and famine began to ravage the innocent people of Gaza, and as both Israeli and American interests were being serially and gravely damaged, the U.S. continued to support Netanyahu, and defend the acts committed by his military. Ostensibly, this approach was taken to maintain influence with the Israelis so that we could ensure humanitarian aid would be provided, and that restraint against civilians would be honored as a goal. But none of that happened.

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Time and again, Netanyahu publicly rejected, ridiculed and condemned American goals.

He made it clear over and over that not only was he the worlds worst allya genuine monster and architect of horrific war crimesbut that he reveled in mocking and disregarding his number one sponsor. He would take American weapons and use them not only against the people of Palestine, but against American interests and Bidens standing. A man who wanted nothing more than to see Biden defeated this November was foolishly given enormous influence over the outcome of that electionto the detriment not only of Biden but of democracy in America.

Most recently, we have seen Israel attack and kill seven aid workers affiliated with the World Central Kitchen. The loss of their lives was no more or less painful than that of the other tens of thousands casualties of this war. But World Central Kitchen holds a special place in the hearts of American leaders, as a selfless provider of food to the needy in difficult conditions worldwide. Further, it is highly doubtful that the strike on WCK workers was an accident as Israel has claimed. Chef Jose Andres, the founder of the WCK, compellingly made this argument in a Reuters interview and in a recent column in The New York Times.

President Biden was, according to one report, outraged by this attack. And yet, the same article that reported his anger also stated that the U.S. would not be changing its Gaza policy. Another reported that on the same day as the attack, the U.S. approved provision of more bombs to Israel.

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At best, such a response looks weak and inert. But frankly, it also must be seen as insensitive and dramatically out of touch with a dark reality the U.S. has helped create. As it happens, it is also a view that is also out of touch with the perspectives of a majority of the American people.

At worst, however, staying the current course signals a willingness to be complicit in Netanyahus crimes against humanity. Continuing to provide offensive arms to Israeleven as these atrocities occur and the situation worsensonly underscores this view.

It is not just a bad look for the United States. It is a repudiation of all that the Biden administration has stood for throughout its string of successes and strong stands elsewhere around the world. It could become the defining error of the Biden presidency at precisely the moment when reelecting him is absolutely crucial to the preservation of our system of government here in America.

Relatives and friends mourn the death of Saif Abu Taha, a staff member of the U.S.-based aid group World Central Kitchen who was killed in an Israeli strike. Said Khatib/Getty Images

It is time for a change. To be honest, it is long past time. People I speak to within the administration know it. Outside experts, even those associated with past aggressive U.S. policies in the Middle East, acknowledge it.

The U.S. must stop the provision of offensive weapons to Israel until it agrees to a ceasefire, to surging aid to the people of Gaza, to a plan to empower new Palestinian leadership and to embark on a path to a two state solution.

We must enforce laws on our books that require us to stop providing military assistance to nations that use it in violation of international law. We must, as with all aid, condition our assistance generally to ensure Israel, like any other ally, uses it in ways that advance U.S. interests. Recognizing the threat posed by Netanyahu and the damage he has done, we should work via whatever legal means are available to encourage new elections in Israellike those called for by opposition leader Benny Gantzso that the Israeli people can make a better choice.

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We must move forward on the path to the day afterone that includes an end of Hamas as a viable threat and political force, as well as the release of the Israeli hostages held in hellish conditions for the past six monthsas argued by Vice President Kamala Harris and others.

We must stop the hand-wringing. We have pursued a course that has not only been wrong, but disastrously wrong for many months now. More heated conversations with Netanyahu and his extremist cronies and dim-witted lackeys like Ron Dermer clearly will not fix this.

Joe Biden must align his policies in Israel and Gaza with the values and objectives that have defined his policies elsewhere in the world. His advisors must urge him to do so.

It is time to actively undo the errors of the past six months. It is time to realign U.S. policies with not only our own interests, but those of both the people of Israel and of their Palestinian neighbors. It is time to return to the side of what is right and just and to begin the very hard work of cleaning up the damage we have helped to cause in the months since Oct. 7.

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Editors Note: The video above is previous coverage on this story.

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is expected to get a firsthand look Friday at efforts to clear away the hulking remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as cranes, ships and diving crews work to reopen one of the nations main shipping lanes.

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Biden will receive updates from the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers. Eight workers  all immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador  were filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed in the middle of the night of March 26. Two were rescued, but the bodies of only two of the six who died have been recovered.

The president plans to meet with the families of the victims.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge could rejoin Baltimores skyline in as little as two years or as many as 15, with some experts eyeing a number in between. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A Coast Gaurd cutter patrols in front of a cargo ship that is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge Wednesday March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. Recovery efforts resumed Wednesday for the construction workers who are presumed dead after the cargo ship hit a pillar of the bridge, causing the structure to collapse. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A plane gains altitude as a container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as night falls on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Sparrows Point, Md. The ship rammed into the major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds and creating a terrifying scene as several vehicles plunged into the chilly river below. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as night falls on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Sparrows Point, Md. The ship rammed into the major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds and creating a terrifying scene as several vehicles plunged into the chilly river below. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, speaks in Dundalk, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as officials announce that all six workers missing after a Baltimore bridge collapsed are presumed dead and the search for them has been suspended until Wednesday morning. Officials said that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as night falls on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Sparrows Point, Md. The ship rammed into the major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds and creating a terrifying scene as several vehicles plunged into the chilly river below. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A Coast Guard cutter passes a cargo ship that is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship his the bridge Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The container ship lost power and rammed into the major bridge causing the span to buckle into the river below. (Maxaar Technologies via AP)

A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Officials have established a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of this month and to restore normal capacity to Baltimores port by May 31, the White House says.

Thats important since longer delays in reopening shipping lanes could send shockwaves through the economy. As much as $200 million in cargo normally moves through Baltimores port per day, and it is the leading hub for importing and exporting vehicles.

Of more immediate concern might be covering the costs of cleanup and building a new bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration has provided $60 million in quick release emergency relief funds to get started. Exactly how much the collapse will cost is unclear, though some experts estimate recovery will take at least $400 million and 18 months.

Biden said within hours of the collapse that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Dan Meuser called a promise made so quickly after the disaster outrageous, telling Fox News Channel, The first reaction, in fact the only reaction, tends to be to spend.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was more amenable to Bidens call, likening the bridge collapse to assistance that flows after natural disasters and saying the federal government will step up and do the lions share of funding. But authorization is likely no slam-dunk in Congress.

The White House announced Friday it is asking Congress to authorize the federal government to cover 100% of the collapsed bridge cleanup and reconstruction costs, rather than seeking funding through a separate, supplemental funding request.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young noted similar techniques were used for recovery and rebuilding efforts that received bipartisan congressional support in 2007, when a highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed during evening rush hour, killing 13 people.

We are asking the Congress to join us in demonstrating our commitment to aid in recovery efforts, Young wrote.

The funding questions carry political implications as Biden squares off with former President Donald Trump in Novembers election.

Its the second major disaster along the countrys busy northeastern hub in as many years. Last summer, an overpass along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia caught fire and collapsed after a tanker truck slammed into it. Federal and state officials moved quickly on temporary repairs and ultimately reopened that section of the highway faster than expected.

But the cleanup and repairs in Baltimore will take far longer and be far more costly, making the chances it is a net political positive for Biden  especially in time for Election Day  far murkier.

That hasnt stopped the Biden administration from championing anew a $1 trillion-plus public works package that cleared Congress in 2021.

Lets not forget, that infrastructure law is now going to really deal with infrastructure in a generation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this week. She contrasted that with the Trump administration, which she said turned the issue into a joke by making frequent promises to secure infrastructure funding but doing absolutely nothing.

Woman, 28, to be euthanized in May after psychiatrists diagnosis: report

The bridge collapse also has thrust into the national spotlight Marylands Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, 45, a leading voice in Bidens reelection campaigns effort to energize young voters on the 81-year-old presidents behalf.

The president himself has traveled the country showcasing construction projects on highways, bridges and tunnels. In 2022, he arrived for an event in Pittsburgh just hours after a bridge nearby collapsed. Promoting the public works package also has allowed the president to lean into his love of train travel and many years commuting to and from Washington on Amtrak as a Delaware senator.

Biden said last week that the Key bridge was one Ive been over many, many times commuting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Biden to visit Baltimore bridge collapse site Friday; no effect from NJ quake is seen so far on recovery effort

BALTIMORE  President Joe Biden on Friday will take an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, meet with families of the six men killed and receive an update on the massive cleanup and rebuilding efforts that hes promised the federal government will pay for.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson at the information center for the bridge said officials were unaware of any impact from the the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that struck New Jersey Friday morning on the recovery efforts. The quake rattled parts of Maryland and other states. Citizens reported feeling the quake in Baltimore and Annapolis, as well as the Eastern Shore and Washington, D.C.

Biden, a Democrat seven months away from an election rematch with former Republican President Donald Trump, has vowed to support Baltimore since a 984-foot shipping vessel hit the Key Bridge, sending it tumbling into the Patapsco River on March 26.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore will join him on the aerial tour, and a host of federal, state and local leaders will participate in his briefing with the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers, a White House official said in a statement.

The operational update will include information on the work to clear the Port of Baltimore and reopening it to shipping traffic as soon as humanly possible, the official said.

The president is continuing to lead a whole-of-government approach to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the official said. As the president said within hours of the collapse: This administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way.

Bidens visit will come a little over a week after he pledged to fully finance the bridge cleanup and rebuild.

A $60 million down payment was approved within days, allowing for vital cleanup work as cranes began arriving and removing the debris.

The Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that it was pushing an ambitious timeline to return port access to normal capacity by the end of May. A channel 280 feet wide and 35 deep that would allow barge container service and some vessels to pass through could also be open by the end of April.

Meanwhile, the remains of four of the six men who were killed when the bridge came down remain in the water, and the 21 crew members on board the Singapore-flagged Dali are still on board.

State officials are planning on tapping federal emergency relief funds for a bridge-rebuilding process for which planning is already underway. Most of that can be approved by Biden, though some will need congressional approval. Maryland Democrats like U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, of Baltimore, have said theyve been in contact with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and others about securing the rest.

Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, in a letter to Congress last Friday, asked for them to ensure that the federal government pays for 100% of the costs. She said the administration would pursue any compensation for damages or insurance proceeds to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

The financial impact will be immense. Total costs for a new bridge could run high into the hundreds of millions, and insurance claims expected to reach $1 billion or more could make the collapse the maritime industrys largest-ever financial loss.

Other officials expected to join the president Friday will be U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Mfume, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. All are Democrats.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan and Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, chief engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers, will also be there, according to the White House. Fagan and Spellmon will join the aerial tour.

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(Baltimore Sun writer Christine Condon contributed to this report.)

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As workers continue efforts to cut apart and remove the twisted wreckage of what was once the Francis Scott Key Bridge, President Joe Biden vowed that he and his administration will not rest until a replacement span is rebuild and carrying vehicles across the Patapsco River once more.

Standing outside the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department headquarters not far from where the bridge once stood, Mr Biden repeated the promise he made in remarks delivered from the White House, mere hours after the container ship Dali struck one of the half-century-old spans supports, bringing it down and blocking all maritime traffic in and out of Baltimores harbour.

As Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and a bevy of other Old Line State dignaries looked on, Mr Biden said: Were going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge.

Addressing the people of Maryland, the president pledged that with the aid of the states congressional delegation, the country would have your back and the federal government would cover the cost of rebuilding.

He also paid tribute to the four highway workers, hard-working, strong, and selfless, who lost their lives when the bridge span they were repairing plunged from beneath their feet and cast them into the icy water just over two weeks ago.

Recalling how one of them, a man he identified as Carlos, had placed a call to his girlfriend to tell her he and his colleagues were taking a break to rest so the cement theyd just poured could dry, Mr Biden invoked the fallen workers last message as he said he would not rest until the cement has dried on the entirety of a new bridge.

(AP)

The presidents visit to the site of the collapse comes amid continuing questions as to how the promised rebuilding efforts will be funded.

Although Mr Biden has called on Congress to ensure that the federal government covers the entire cost of a new bridge to speed up the process of replacing the downed span, some Republicans have dismissed the idea and have instead suggested the federal government should instead first recover the costs from the owner of the Dali, the container ship which struck the bridges support after it lost propulsion early in the morning of 26 March.

Already, the Biden administration has poured $60m from an emergency fund into the initial salvage and recovery efforts led by the US Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal entities. And Mr Moore, the Maryland chief executive, announced another $60 million had been allocated from the states coffers when he spoke on Friday, just before the president took to the stage.

Mr Biden said those federal funds have been put to good use in implementing what he called the first priority of recovery  reopening the Port of Baltimore.

He said hed directed the Coast Guard, the Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers to remove the twisted wreckage that blocks the vital shipping channel as quickly as possible and as safely as possible, and he also reported that the Army has already announced plans to open a temporary channel for commercial traffic  including the roll-on/roll-off vehicle carriers that are the ports lifeblood  by the end of this month, with a full reopening of the ports shipping lane coming by the end of May.

President Joe Biden thanks first responders for their efforts during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Friday, April 5, 2024 in Dundalk, Md. (AP)

Continuing, the president said the government will also release $8m to make improvements at the Sparrows Point port facility on the far side of the bridge so it can take on more ships while work to clear the channel continues, as well as Dislocated Worker Grants and Small Business Administration loans to keep workers impacted by the port closure on the job.

He said businesses that rely on the port, including Amazon, Home Depot and Domino Sugar, had committed to keep their workforce on the payroll and their businesses in Baltimore while the cleanup continues.

I call on every company at and around the pointed the same thing  commit to stay ... were coming back soon, folks, he said, adding that his administration would work to rebuild the bridge as rapidly as humanly possible ... with union labour and American steel.

My administration is committed absolutely committed to ensuring that the parties responsible for this strategy pay to repair the damage and be held accountable to the fullest extent the law will allow. But also want to be clear. We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that's here now, he added.
Biden's Israel shift: not enough for Democrats, too much for Republicans

By Jeff Mason, Doina Chiacu and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden's demand this week that Israel improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and support a ceasefire drew sharp attacks both from frustrated political allies who said the U.S. president did not go far enough and opponents who said he went too far.

On Thursday in a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden threatened to condition U.S. support for Israel's offensive in Gaza on its taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians.

It was the first time that Biden, a Democrat and a staunch supporter of Israel, has sought to leverage U.S. aid as a way to influence Israeli military behavior.

The president has come under enormous pressure from his party's left wing to do more to address the humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinian civilians from Israeli attacks.

"There should not be a total blank check. We should not have a pattern where the Netanyahu government ignores the president of the United States and we just send more 2,000-pound bombs," Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, told Reuters.

Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Biden also should be more "publicly vocal" about U.S. expectations for the campaign in Gaza and take a new approach at the U.N. Security Council rather than blocking resolutions critical of Israel.

Other left-leaning politicians had similar complaints.

"One day the president is 'angry' at Netanyahu, the next day he is 'very angry,' the next day he is 'very very angry.' So what? At the same time there is support for more military aid (to Israel) in a supplemental bill," Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said on the Pod Save America podcast on Thursday.

"You cannot continue to talk about your worries about [a] humanitarian situation in Gaza and then give Netanyahu another $10 billion, or more bombs. You cannot do that. That is hypocritical, he said.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said there should be an immediate ceasefire. "I do not believe that opening up a new crossing into Gaza is enough," he said on MSNBC on Friday.

Israel has said it approved the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel, following the U.S. demands to increase humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza.

REPUBLICANS, HOSTAGE FAMILIES

While many Democrats criticized Biden for not going far enough, some Republicans, who have generally been more supportive of military aid for Israel, lashed out at Biden for his change in tactic.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton accused Biden of making the shift to aid his reelection chances. "To help his polls in Michigan, Joe Biden just strengthened Hamas's negotiating position. He effectively encouraged Hamas to hold out and not release the hostages. Shameful," Cotton said on X on Friday.

The Republican-led House Rules Committee announced on Friday that it would consider a resolution that "opposes efforts to place one-sided pressure on Israel with respect to Gaza, including calls for an immediate cease-fire," citing Biden's statement and his administration's decision not to use its U.N. Security Council veto to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Republican Representative Brian Mast, a member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement accused Biden of "trying to appease far-left lunatics by demanding Israel accept a ceasefire with terrorists."

Families of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 said a push for a ceasefire without their release could be dangerous.

"A ceasefire with no deal, or even a partial deal, could be a death sentence for our son and other hostages," Orna Neutra, mother of Omer Neutra, said Friday at a news conference with other hostage families in New York City.

UNTAPPED U.S. LEVERAGE?

The White House declined to spell out how U.S. policy would change if Israel does not meet Biden's demands.

Israel has received more U.S. foreign aid than any other country since World War Two, although annual assistance has been dwarfed for two years by funding and military equipment sent to Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion.

The United States has traditionally shielded Israel in the U.N. Security Council, and vetoed three draft resolutions on the war in Gaza. It has also abstained three times to allow the 15-member council to take action - most recently last month when it demanded an immediate ceasefire.

Israel took action right after Biden put his foot down, others noted, suggesting it should have happened sooner.

"Within hours of Biden threatening to suspend U.S. military aid to Israel, Netanyahu agrees to open a major crossing for humanitarian aid into northern Gaza, where starvation is widespread. Biden always had that leverage but wouldn't use it," said Kenneth Roth, former executive director at Human Rights Watch and now a professor at Princeton University's School for Public and International Affairs.

Asked by Reuters on Thursday why Biden had shifted his position, White House spokesperson John Kirby said the president had been shaken by the Israeli attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.

"I guess that some deaths count a whole lot more than others," said Patrick Gaspard, president of the progressive-leaning Center for American Progress think tank, comparing Biden's reaction to the deaths of the seven aid workers to the thousands already killed in the Gaza war.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, Patricia Zengerle, Doina Chiacu and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Heather Timmons and Leslie Adler)
Bottles of wine line shelves at a Fred Meyer grocery store in Anchorage on June 29, 2022. A bill pending in the Alaska Legislature would require posted warnings about the links between alcohol consumption and cancer. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

The link between alcohol and cancer has been established by medical professionals since the 1980s. But public awareness of that link is low.

A bill pending in the Alaska Legislature aims to change that.

The measure, House Bill 298, would require businesses that sell alcoholic beverages post signs warning of the cancer link. The cancer message, as proposed by the bill, would augment the currently required message warning that consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects.

The bill has no sponsors from the Republican-dominated House majority, and there is no Senate version. The prime sponsor, Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, said he had minimal expectations about its fate when he introduced it in January. When we filed it, we expected to not get a hearing at all, he said. To at least raise awareness about the alcohol-cancer link, he said, he issued a press release.

Then, as he describes it, something surprising happened: The bill started to move. Lo and behold, we got a hearing, Gray said. It got another hearing and advanced from the House Health and Social Services Committee to the House Labor and Commerce Committee.

Gray and his aide David Song discussed the public-awareness gap during a hearing on Monday in the second committee.

Alcohol-related cancers affect tens of thousands of Americans each year. Despite the longstanding medical fact that alcohol increases cancer risk, there has not been an accompanying change in public perception about the risks associated with alcohol consumption, Gray told the committee.

A 2020 survey by the National Institutes of Health found that 10% of respondents believed that wine drinking lowers cancer risks, which is false, Song told the committee. The cancer link for beer, wine and liquor consumption was acknowledged by only 24.9%, 20.3% and 31.2% of survey respondents respectively, he said. In contrast, about 90% of Americans say tobacco use causes cancer, a message imparted in warning labels required on tobacco products, he said.

So, in other words, the warning labels that connect a product with cancer do work in terms of increasing public awareness, Song said.

Along with tobacco use and obesity, alcohol use is one of the main cancer risk factors over which people have some control. The American Cancer Society links alcohol use to numerous types of cancer.

The bill introduced by Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, would replace the sign on the left, which is required by state law, with the new design on the right. Gray titled his bill the Alcoholoic Berverages and Cancer Act. (Graphic provided by Alaska Legislature)

The bill introduced by Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, would replace the sign on the left, which is required by state law, with the new design on the right. Gray titled his bill the Alcoholic Beverages and Cancer Act. (Graphic provided by Alaska Legislature)

A recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet that evaluated global cancer statistics ranked alcohol use as the No. 2 modifiable cancer risk.

Warning signs about the alcohol-cancer link are required in a few places. One is the Yukon Territory in Canada, Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America, told the committee. His organization favors a national rule requiring such signs as well as state efforts such as this bill, he said.

But there is also skepticism about the idea.

House Majority Leader Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, at a House Health and Social Services Committee hearing on March 12, said he has philosophical problems with the bill.

The question that comes to my mind is: How much obligation does the state have to inform people of the risks of legal activities? Saddler said.

The same arguments about alcohols cancer-related risk warnings could be made for injury-warning signs on bikes, cars, private airplanes or roller skates, Saddler said, presenting questions about whether there is a threshold for such warning requirements.

They are good-intentioned. But the road to, say, a cotton-wool state could be paved with good intentions, he said, using a term for bandages used over-protectively.

Gray said a constituent of his, a breast cancer survivor, brought up another concern: Although only a light drinker, he said, she worried that she and others might be blamed for bringing their cancers on themselves.

Those objections notwithstanding, Gray said the bill might attract support from majority members. I think theres a chance that we could get it to the floor, he said. If not, its substance could be added to a different bill, he said.

An amendment passed in the House Health and Social Services Committee that seemed to simplify the measure may have created a hurdle, however. The amendment changed the on-site requirement from three signs, as currently is in law, to two. Instead of requiring two separate signs warning against minors unlawful entry and use of alcohol, the bill as amended would combine warnings about minors into a single sign.

Replacing just one set of signs  the point-of-sale warning about health effects  would have cost under $10,000, too little to warrant a fiscal note describing costs to the state, Gray said. But replacing two types of signs, along with the need to mail new signs to remote sites, brings the estimated cost to around $25,000, Joan Wilson, executive director of the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, said at Mondays hearing.

That is enough to justify a fiscal note and, according to legislative rules, consideration by the House Finance Committee, Gray said.

If I wanted this to go to the floor, Id want to avoid Finance, which means Id want a zero fiscal note, he said.

The post Bill would require Alaska beverage sellers to post warning signs about alcohol-related cancer risks appeared first on Alaska Beacon.
The Rev. Earle J. Fisher, an activist and longtime resident of Memphis, Tennessee, is battling against yet another assault on Black economic and political progress by state Republicans.

Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, these efforts have ramped up, particularly in majority-Black Shelby County, the largest county in the state. Just last month, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a law repealing police traffic stop reforms in Memphis, which is in Shelby County and is where police officers fatally injured Tyre Nichols in 2023. Lee also signed a bill earlier this month overhauling the board of trustees at Tennessee State University, the states only public HBCU.

And now, the Tennessee House plans to vote on a bill that would ban local municipalities from using funds to study or disburse reparations to the descendants of formerly enslaved people. A companion bill already passed the state Senate during the last legislative session.

Its a white nationalist [legislature] with a supermajority, and its not lost on me or anybody who has been doing political organizing over the last several years that this is indeed who they are, Fisher told Capital B. When you are passing legislation to stop people from studying something, as a legislative body, it communicates that not only are you committed to injustice and inequity, but you are anti-truth.

Earlier this week, Fisher, along with other local organizers, met with national reparations-focused groups to discuss the bill and ways to fight back. A byproduct of that meeting: a petition that Fisher started on April 3  24 hours before the proposed House vote, which fell on the 56th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination in Memphis. The vote has been rescheduled for April 10.

Much is at stake in Tennessee. Last February, members of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners approved allocating $5 million to examine the feasibility of reparations. The red state also made national headlines last April, when Reps. Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones, both Democrats, were ousted from (and eventually returned to) the state House.

Pearson, who represents District 86, which sprawls along the Mississippi River and runs from Southwest Memphis through sections of downtown, said that Tennessees reparations battle is infuriating but hardly surprising, given that Republicans control the state.

This is the legislating of white supremacy and racism that we deal with here, he told Capital B, underscoring that this legislation is a terrible but accurate reflection of Tennessee. The push by the Republican Party in our state against reparations is really an effort to live in an ahistorical way  to not understand the past and its ramifications for the present day.

Supporters of the reparations study told Capital B last year that the attention would be a boon for the county, where the white median household income is more than twice the Black median household income.

When the Black community is a strong community, the greater community is also a strong community, said Edmund Ford, who was elected to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners in 2018. If you go back and look at the communities where dollars are being invested properly, those groups of people become stronger economically. And you know what else becomes stronger? The schools, the banks.

Shelby Countys reparations fight comes as the two remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre continue a reparations struggle of their own. On Tuesday, Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher  both 109 years old  entered the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking restitution for the 1921 attack that obliterated Tulsas Greenwood district, known as Black Wall Street.

Similar clashes are occurring elsewhere. In Florida, for instance, a bill would ban reparations for the descendants of slavery. And a Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill that would prohibit local municipalities from receiving federal financial assistance if they implement reparations laws.

Still, Tennessees impending vote wont stop Fisher and his coalition from pursuing other avenues.

Theyre seeking legal advice, gaining more signatures for the petition, and organizing the community ahead of the November elections. They also reached out to Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee for support. Hes on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, and co-sponsored a federal bill to create a commission to study reparations.

Sometimes you fight in Congress, and if you cant win in Congress, you got to fight in court. But in order to do any of that effectively, you got to organize in the community, Fisher said. At the end of the day, we have to look at some of these elected officials who are proposing these things  look at some of these races where some of the white nationalist congressmen could potentially be ousted and try to focus on that.

The post Black Residents Battle Against Tennessee GOPs Effort to Ban Reparations appeared first on Capital B News.
Blinken: Allies must 'double down' on defense aid to Ukraine

Ukraine's international partners, including the United States, need to redouble their efforts to locate and provide Kyiv with necessary resources as Russia builds up its defense-industrial base, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Brussels on April 4.

Foreign ministers, including Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba, convened for a two-day summit in Brussels to discuss strategies for increasing security asssistance to Ukraine on NATO's 75th anniversary.

"Based on what I heard today ... everyone, including the United States, is going to double back and, as necessary, double down on finding the resources that Ukraine continues to need," Blinken said.

Blinken also said that the United States was working on its own bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Kyiv signed security agreements with seven allied countries in 2024 and is currently negotiating 10 other deals.

The summit agenda included options for protecting aid to Kyiv from a potential second Trump presidency, including transferring the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), also known as the Ramstein format, to NATO control.

Kuleba also met with Blinken on April 4 to discuss Ukraine's energy sector, hit hard in recent Russian attacks, and battlefield needs.

Following the meeting, Blinken told reporters that NATO support for Ukraine remains "rock solid."

"Ukraine will become a member of NATO," he said.

NATO will hold a summit in Washington in July, at which the Alliance will "help build a bridge to that membership," Blinken said.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Blinken: Israeli offers to increase aid to Gaza may not be sufficient

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that Israels efforts to increase aid to civilians in Gaza are encouraging but may not be enough to meet expectations.

Blinken said opening more border crossings has the potential to help the civilians stuck in Gaza, but the U.S. also wants to see the Israeli military take tangible steps to protect civilians and aid workers, The Associated Press reported.

Israel announced Thursday that it would approve the opening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza.

The Israeli government said it would take immediate steps to open the Erez border crossing to increase aid and to prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and achieve the goals of the war.

We welcome the steps that have been announced by Israel, Blinken said. These are positive developments, but the real test is results, and thats what were looking to see in the coming days and the coming months.

Blinken also said the U.S. would like to see a better system for deconfliction and coordination so that aid can be safely delivered to and within Gaza, the AP noted.

Blinken added that there needs to be an independent, thorough and fully publicized investigation into the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers in a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier this week.

Earlier this week, Israel claimed responsibility for airstrikes, which drew international criticism and sparked the Biden administration to demand dramatic changes in the ongoing war.

President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, the first call since the deadly strikes. One of the workers killed was an American citizen.

Biden reportedly urged Netanyahu toward a cease-fire deal that would release the remaining hostages and said the strike was unacceptable. He said future U.S. support for Israel hinges on Israel taking more action to protect workers and civilians.

Hours later, Israel said it was taking steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid, including opening the border crossing, the AP reported.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Blinken says Israeli offers to increase flow of aid to Gaza are welcome but may not be sufficient

LEUVEN, Belgium (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the measures the Israeli government has announced to expand the flow of aid into Gaza are welcome but may not be enough to meet the Biden administrations demands for dramatic improvements in humanitarian conditions in the territory.

Blinken said that opening more border crossings, if fully implemented, has the potential to surge assistance to Palestinians caught in the fighting between Israel and Hamas. However, the U.S. also wants to see tangible steps to bolster the protection of civilians and aid workers, he said.

In addition, he called for an independent, thorough and fully publicized investigation into the recent killings of aid workers. Seven employees of the charity World Central Kitchen, including six international volunteers, were killed in multiple Israeli airstrikes on their three-car convoy in Gaza late Monday.

The military announced Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their role in the strikes on the convoy, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the armys rules of engagement.

The attack on the convoy was a grave mistake, the military said. The speed of the investigation and swift punishment of senior officers was highly unusual for the military, where charges against troops for alleged wrongdoing are rare.

The findings are likely to renew skepticism over the Israeli militarys decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict  a charge Israel denies.

The incident sparked international outrage and put Israel on the defensive about its conduct in its six-month-old war against Hama s.

We welcome that steps that have been announced by Israel, Blinken said. These are positive developments but the real test is results and thats what were looking to see in the coming days and the coming weeks.

At the same time, he said the U.S. wanted to see a better system for de-confliction and coordination so that aid can be safely delivered and distributed inside Gaza.

All of these things are critical and that really needs to be measured by results, Blinken told reporters in the town of Leuven, outside Brussels, where he was meeting with U.S. and European trade and commerce officials.

Israel's military has promised to conduct a speedy investigation into the killing of the aid workers. In initial comments, the Israeli army chief said earlier this week that the strikes were a result of misidentification, but did not elaborate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office announced early Friday that Israel would act to improve conditions, including reopening a key border crossing into northern Gaza, just hours after President Joe Biden told him in a Thursday phone call that future U.S. support for the war in Gaza depends on Israel taking more action to protect civilians and aid workers.

Netanyahus office said the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza, which was partially destroyed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, would temporarily reopen. It also said Israel would allow its Ashdod port, 22 miles (37 kilometers) north of Gaza, to be used to process aid shipments bound for the territory and allow increased Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.

Biden also told Netanyahu that reaching an immediate cease-fire in exchange for the estimated 100 hostages that are still being held in Gaza was essential and urged Israel to reach such an accord without delay, the White House said.

Israel declared war on Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attack, in which the militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages.

Israel's blistering air and ground offensive has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, an enclave that in parts remains under Hamas control.

The offensive has displaced more than 80% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.
India will receive two Russian-made warships in the next few months as the two countries work around U.S. sanctions that have complicated purchases of Russian arms, unnamed Indian officials told Bloomberg.

New Delhi has positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, calling for a diplomatic solution while fostering close economic ties with Moscow. India has become one of the chief buyers of Russian oil following Western sanctions, although pressure from U.S. sanctions increasingly threatens this trade.

At the same time, Ukraine has sought to engage India and obtain its support for President Volodymyr Zelenky's peace formula, as well as other economic partnerships.

One ship will likely be delivered to India in September, with another expected to arrive early next year, the senior officials said. The delivery of the vessels is reportedly two years behind schedule because of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Read also: India identifies major human trafficking network luring Indians to fight for Russia in Ukraine

The two frigates are part of an four-ship agreement signed between India and Russia back in 2018, according to Bloomberg's article published on April 5. The other two ships are being built in India in cooperation with Russia but are also experiencing delays due to war-related supply issues, the officials said.

U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine had impeded weapons deliveries to India for over a year as the countries grappled with finding a payment mechanism compliant with U.S. sanctions, Bloomberg wrote.

India and Russia were eventually able to bypass the payment problem, according to the outlet's sources, who didn't provide further details.

Russia remains India's largest supplier of military equipment, accounting for 36% of India's arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Read also: Russias war effort may not be as formidable as it looks

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Three months after Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized for disruptive conduct at a Denver theater, the Colorado Republican attended a glitzy Republican gala headlined by former President Donald Trump in Manhattan, where her behavior once again raised eyebrows.

At the December soiree, which was the New York Young Republican Clubs annual gala, multiple witnesses saw a server tell Boebert they would not bring her any more alcohol, with one witness telling CNN the server told the congresswoman they believed she had been overserved. Throughout the night, Boebert also kept attempting to snap selfies with Trump, who was sitting at the same table as her. Eventually, Trumps security detail stepped in and asked Boebert to stop, according to the witnesses, who attended the event and saw the interaction take place.

Trump, however, still gave Boebert his full and total endorsement last month, which Boeberts allies say is proof he clearly wasnt very bothered by the incident. They also say her boisterous and loud personality can sometimes be misconstrued, especially by people who dont know her well. CNN has reached out to Boeberts office for comment.

But as Boebert desperately fights to keep her congressional career alive, the MAGA firebrand will need to dispel concerns about her controversial behavior  and accusations of carpetbagging  as she tries to convince voters in an entirely new district that she is best suited to represent a rural seat in eastern Colorado. Her allies, though, insist her congressional reputation will not be defined by her personal life, even if not everyone always agrees with her style.

It hasnt encumbered her job performance, GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told CNN. Look, some of that stuff that popped up wasnt the best stuff to see. Even she acknowledges that. But none of us are perfect. Just because were elected officials doesnt mean were any more perfect than anybody else. Stuff happens. But I think she has been able to do her job, and thats all that matters at the end of the day.

For her part, Boebert is leaning on her record as conservative congresswoman. That record includes getting the Pueblo Jobs Act signed into law, a bill the congresswoman has said will create a thousand new jobs in the area. She also has been participating in dozens of forums in the district. And Boebert, who has a hefty campaign war chest, is already up with her first TV ad touting Trumps endorsement. But its a tricky balancing act for the embattled congresswoman as she tries to tone down her public image and prove she is a serious legislator without backing down from her identity as a flame-throwing MAGA warrior.

Every day is hard. Im not afraid of a challenge though, Boebert told CNN before the House left for a two-week break. I mean, I think thats what has always caused me to stand out because there is always something coming against me, always something in my way. And when times get tough, I get tougher.

I show that we can persevere and push through. I got my boys, I got my faith, she added.

Boebert has also faced personal challenges, including a recent health issue. The congresswoman underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot in her leg and has been diagnosed with May-Thurner syndrome, her campaign announced earlier this week. The campaign said Boebert is expected to make a full recovery.

Boebert gets boost in reelection bid amid political and personal challenges

Boebert has been navigating a political rollercoaster over the past few months. After narrowly defeating a Democrat last cycle, she opted to run in more conservative-leaning terrain in Colorados 4th district, where former Rep. Ken Buck had announced he was retiring, instead of seeking re-election to her current seat in the 3rd district.

Boebert says the decision to relocate was based on personal reasons  namely, wanting a fresh start following a messy and public divorce  and not politically motivated, though the move undoubtedly better positioned her re-election chances.

But Buck threw a wrench into her plans last month when he decided to resign early, teeing up a special election to fill the remainder of his term on June 25  the same day as the Republican primary for the general election this fall  and putting Boebert in an unenviable position.

If Boebert had decided to run for the vacant seat, she would have needed to give up her current one, a risky decision that would have also further shrunk the Houses already razor thin majority. But if the vacancy committee, which is made up of a panel of Colorado Republicans, had selected one of her primary competitors to fill the seat, it would have given that person a major edge in the primary contest.

Boebert ultimately decided not to run for the vacancy, and the gamble paid off: last week, the vacancy committee wound up selecting a placeholder candidate, Greg Lopez, who is not running this fall. The move provided a big and unexpected boost for Boebert, who had sent a letter to the committee before the meeting imploring them not to tip the scales by tapping someone who was also planning to run in the primary. Now, it becomes a more even playing field, which Boebert celebrated on social media.

Greg stepped up with a servant heart and a leadership mindset with accountability being his driving force, Boebert wrote on X after the meeting. I look forward to serving the remainder of the 118th Congress with my soon to be colleague!

But Boebert still has to prevail in the packed primary in June. Nearly a dozen Republican candidates have jumped into the race, though not all of them may appear on the ballot in June and only half a dozen are considered serious contenders. And sources close to Boebert believe a more crowded field of rivals may actually benefit Boebert by splitting up the rest of the vote.

Whoever wins the Republican primary is the heavy favorite to win this November, though at least one Democratic candidate running in the district believes it will be competitive if Boebert becomes the nominee. But even though its a reliable Republican seat, having Trumps endorsement is not enough to carry a candidate over the finish line, according to a GOP strategist familiar with the district, which is heavily populated with ranchers and farmers who see agriculture policy as a top priority. Boebert herself came to Congress by defeating a Republican congressman in the primary who was endorsed by Trump.

They all like Trump (in the district), they want someone supportive of Trump, but theyre not gonna vote based just off Trump, the strategist said. Youve got to say youre gonna work with him and you cant be anti-Trump, but his endorsement alone is not gonna win the race.

Boebert gets back up in feud with Buck

Still, Boebert has some powerful allies in her corner. Aside from Trump, she also has the support of Speaker Mike Johnson, who hosted a fundraiser for the congresswoman earlier this year and has made an effort to protect embattled incumbents in primaries, according to a source familiar with the event.

And the far-right House Freedom Caucus is also rallying around Boebert, whom they view as a crucial champion for their cause. Members have been encouraged to contribute to her campaign and some members are in talks about traveling out to Boeberts district to help support her, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The Freedom Caucus also took another step that was seen as running defense for Boebert. Days before Buck was set to leave Congress, the Freedom Caucus voted to boot Buck from their ranks. The official reason was cited as attendance issues, but many in the group  Boebert included  believe Buck purposely resigned early in an attempt to sabotage Boeberts re-election chances . And kicking him out of the group was seen as a form of symbolic payback, even if it had little practical impact.

Theres been discussion of his removal for a very long time now. He doesnt reflect the Freedom Caucus, and it hasnt for quite some time. And unfortunately, Ive had a front row seat, Boebert told CNN. He was somebody who I expected to be a mentor for me, but it just never happened. You know, he actually wrote my favorite political book, Drain the Swamp. And I think maybe I should send him a copy and he should re-read it.

Buck denies that the timing of his resignation was designed to kneecap Boebert in any way.

I did it because we dont have to have two separate elections and cost the taxpayers two separate elections, he told CNN. I have scrupulously avoided commenting on that race, just because I dont want people to think Im taking one side or the other.

While Boebert has publicly feuded with other Republican lawmakers  including GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene  she has found close allies inside the Freedom Caucus. GOP lawmakers who are close to Boebert describe someone who is fun to be around and is known to crack self-deprecating jokes about her situation. But whether thats a quality that will matter to voters remains to be seen.

Shes fun at a party. Shes been really cool. And shes probably made more jokes about her own stupidity in that movie theater than Ive heard elsewhere, one GOP lawmaker told CNN. I was critical of her at first, but now I am quite comfortable around her. To me, Lauren has gotten to be better.

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Plus, the FAA is also probing a "Dutch roll" incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration has opened two more investigations into Boeing. The first probe was prompted by an incident in which a 737 Max experienced a rare event known as a "Dutch roll," and the second, which also involves Airbus planes, follows a report that counterfeit titanium may have been used in some jet parts.

Boeing has faced heightened scrutiny since the start of 2024, with Congress calling on top executives to testify at a Senate hearing in mid-April over whether the companys corporate culture prioritized money-saving measures over safety in its production of the 787 Dreamliner and the 777 aircraft.

 What just happened?

In May, a Southwest flight from Phoenix to Oakland, Calif., experienced a Dutch roll at 32,000 feet midflight. A Dutch roll is when a planes tail slides and the aircraft starts rocking from side to side simultaneously, which impacts the planes stability, potentially throwing the aircraft off course or making it too difficult to turn. It is a rare situation, but pilots are trained on how to recover from it.

The May 25 flight did not result in any injuries to the passengers or crew.

An early report by the FAA found that there was damage to a unit that provides the backup power to the rudder, which controls the planes rotation and stability.

Separately, the New York Times reported on June 14 that a recent investigation by supplier Spirit AeroSystems found that counterfeit titanium, sold with falsified documents, was used to build parts for Boeing and Airbus jets. It is unclear how many planes may have parts made of counterfeit titanium and how it may affect the structural integrity of those aircraft.

Boeing has responded that most of its plane materials have been tested and remain unaffected. The aircraft that allegedly have components made with the material were built between 2019 and 2023 and include some Boeing 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner planes.

 Lets rewind. How did we end up here?

May 2024

The Seattle Times reports a second Boeing whistleblower died after spending two weeks in the hospital from a sudden infection. Joshua Dean accused Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems of ignoring manufacturing defects on the Boeing 737 Max model before being fired in 2023.

April 2024

FAA announces investigation into near-miss incident at LaGuardia Airport involving Southwest Airlines 737 on March 23.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 makes an emergency landing at Preston Smith International Airport after a small fire in the left engine.

Boeing pays Alaska Airlines $160 million to make up for losses the airline suffered following the mid-flight door plug blowout.

FAA announces investigation into claims made by new Boeing whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, an engineer who had worked on the 787 and 777 aircraft. He alleged that the planes were improperly fastened together and he was worried that after years of use, the planes could break apart mid-flight.

United Airlines claims the emergency grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner cost the company $200 million in the first three months of the year.

In a Senate hearing, lawmakers called multiple aviation safety specialists and former Boeing employees to testify. Witness Sam Salehpour, a quality engineer at Boeing, alleged that the company had ignored all of the issues hed flagged with the 787 aircraft and that he was subjected to threats of violence from my supervisor after he spoke out.

Read more from the Associated Press: Boeing put under Senate scrutiny during back-to-back hearings on aircraft maker's safety culture

March 2024

The FBI is investigating the Alaska Airlines flight in January in which a door plug blew off the plane midflight  and has told passengers they may be a possible victim of a crime.

The FAAs 737 Max production audit finds multiple instances in which Boeing allegedly did not comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.

In two separate incidents, a Boeing 777-200 loses a wheel during takeoff from San Francisco and a Boeing 737 skids off the runway after landing in Houston.

The next week, a prominent Boeing whistleblower  former employee John Barnett  dies by suicide while in Charleston, S.C., for a deposition for a lawsuit against Boeing.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner nosedives during a flight from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, injuring at least 50 people, on the same day a Boeing 777 flight from Sydney is forced to turn around due to a maintenance issue.

Another Boeing 777 is forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after pilots report a flat tire.

A Boeing 737 that took off from San Francisco later that week is found to be missing a panel during a postflight inspection.

Boeing sues Virgin Galactic, accusing it of stealing trade secrets.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announces he will be stepping down by the end of the year. The CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Stan Deal, is retiring and Boeings chairman, Larry Kellner, will not be seeking reelection as a board director.

A United Airlines Boeing 777 flight from San Francisco to Paris was diverted to Denver due to an engine issue.

A United Airlines Boeing 787 plane headed to Newark, N.J., from Tel Aviv, Israel, was forced to make an emergency landing at New York Stewart International Airport because of extreme turbulence. Seven passengers were taken to the hospital and 15 were treated on-site for injuries.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet from Honolulu to Anchorage, Alaska, was forced to turn back after a malfunctioning bathroom sink flooded the cabin.

Whistleblowers, nosedives and a DOJ investigation: Read more about Boeings March mishaps on Yahoo News

February 2024

The NTSB publishes a preliminary report that found the Alaska Airlines flight was missing four key bolts, which is why the door plug blew out.

January 2024

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experiences a door plug blowout midflight. The FAA subsequently grounds all Max 9 aircraft to investigate.

Read more from BBC News: Passenger describes being on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282

December 2023

Boeing urges airlines to inspect all 737 Max jets for potential loose hardware in the planes rudder control systems.

August 2023

Boeing reports a supplier quality issue with 737 Max planes involving improperly drilled holes.

October 2022

The FAA tells Boeing that some documents submitted for the certification review of the 737 Max 7 are incomplete.

March 2021

Chinas aviation regulator claims there are major safety concerns with the Boeing Max jets.

November 2020

The FAA allows Boeing 737 Max planes to fly again.

September 2020

An 18-month-long investigation by a House of Representatives panel concludes that Boeing failed in its design and development of the Max aircraft and was not fully transparent with the FAA.

Read more from Reuters: U.S. lawmakers fault FAA, Boeing for deadly 737 Max crashes

January 2020

Boeing suspends all 737 production.

 Boeing has had problems for years. Why is it being investigated now?

Weve known [about Boeing] for five years, Mark Pegram, father of one of the Ethiopian Airlines flight victims, told NPR in March. I think the rest of the world is finally waking up to it, that these werent just isolated incidents.

Boeing has paid billions of dollars in settlements since 2018, and the company and its leaders entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in January 2021 with the Department of Justice that has so far helped them avoid criminal prosecution.

Boeing paid $1.77 billion to compensate airline customers, $243.6 million as a criminal fine and $500 million for a compensation fund for family members of crash victims, CNN reported.

A yearlong FAA-commissioned panel review was critical of the safety culture at Boeing, and found that executives and employees were not aligned with what the safety standards were, according to a report released in February. The investigation also found that many employees were afraid of retaliation for speaking up.
Boeing's new chairman is trying to repair broken trust with some of its biggest customers

Boeing's new chairman is trying to repair broken trust with some of its biggest customers

Boeing's recent struggles have damaged its relationship with airlines.

Its new chairman is attempting to rectify the situation by reaching out directly to airline CEOs.

The company has come under heavy scrutiny since the Alaska Airlines blowout in January.

Boeing is on a mission to win back its customers' trust following the Alaska Airlines blowout.

Its new chairman, Steve Mollenkopf, has decided to reach out directly to chief executives at a number of major airlines in an attempt to ease their strained relations, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Boeing's reputation took a big knock following the January blowout incident, when a 737 Max 9 was left with a gaping hole in its fuselage after losing a door plug in midair, and the planemaker is facing increased scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA is now preventing Boeing from expanding production of the 737 Max to hold the company "accountable for its production quality issues."

And while 737 Max production is capped at 38 such aircraft a month  Boeing is actually making less than that, Boeing CFO Brian West said in March, per Reuters.

The slowdown in deliveries has irritated major airlines, some of which have had to change their plans for the busy summer travel season.

Southwest, for example, paused hiring as it expects to receive 46 new 737 Max jets this year, down from 79, Reuters reported.

Shortly before CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down at the end of the year, The Wall Street Journal reported that airline CEOs had requested a meeting with Boeing's board to voice their frustrations.

But Mollenkopf, a former Qualcomm CEO, decided to cancel formal meetings with the chief executives of some of its biggest customers  Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines  and instead reach out to them directly.

People familiar with the situation told Bloomberg that the four airline bosses wanted to air their grievances about Boeing's ongoing issues without Calhoun present.

Boeing declined to comment on the story.

It comes as Alaska Airlines said in a filing on Thursday that Boeing had paid it $160 million in compensation to account for the lost profits that came from the blowout incident and the subsequent grounding of its fleet of 737 Max 9 planes.

Read the original article on Business Insider
John Eastman sits in Fulton Superior Court in during a 2023 hearing. Jason Getz-Pool/Getty Images

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

So far, Donald Trump and his fellow defendants in the Fulton County election-racketeering case have managed to turn the spotlight away from their own alleged misdeeds to those of District Attorney Fani Willis. (And yes, Willis herself has helped make that possible.)

However, events last week in California involving John Eastman, a Trump lawyer, co-defendant and central figure in the alleged conspiracy, suggest that this reprieve may be temporary.

After a lengthy trial, a state bar judge in California found that Eastman conspired with President Trump to obstruct a lawful function of the government of the United States; specifically, by conspiring to disrupt the electoral count on January 6, 2021for purposes that are unlawful, criminal, or fraudulent.

As a result of his involvement in that criminal conspiracy, Judge Yvonne Roland suspended Eastmans law license and recommended that the suspension be made permanent, a decision that will be made later by the California Supreme Court.

Eastmans actions here in Georgia figured prominently in that decision.

In her ruling, Roland found that Eastman had submitted false filings to the U.S. Supreme Court and to the U.S. district court in north Georgia. In both cases, Eastman and Trump were attempting to toss some or all of the 5 million votes cast legally by Georgia citizens.

In those filings, Eastman had claimed that more than 66,000 underage voters had cast ballots in Georgia. It was a lie. He claimed that up to 2,560 inmates had voted illegally. That was a lie. He claimed that more than 10,000 dead people had voted in Georgia. They did not.

The bar judge in California also found that Eastman had conspired with Trump to strong-arm Vice President Pence into refusing to count the electoral votes of Georgia and several other swing states, which would have swung the election to Trump.

In defending his actions, Eastman told the California bar that he had a First Amendment right to speak out on such issues, and that as Trumps lawyer he had a duty to provide zealous advocacy on behalf of his client. Those are the same claims that Eastman has offered in defending himself against charges here in Fulton County.

However, the California judge bought neither argument. The First Amendment, Judge Roland wrote, does not protect speech that is employed as a tool in the commission of a crime. And while attorneys do have a duty to advocate zealously for their clients, they also have the duty to tell the truth while doing so.

Vigorous advocacy does not absolve Eastman of his professional responsibilities around honesty and upholding the rule of law, she wrote.

Until his involvement with Trump, Eastman had enjoyed a national reputation as a conservative constitutional expert. With his likely disbarment, that is now gone. In fact, it has been remarkable to see how many people of considerable credentials have thrown away their careers, reputations and perhaps even their freedom on behalf of a man as flawed as Trump.

You can say many bad things about Trump; trust me, Ive said most of them. But the man is not a hypocrite. He makes no pretense of high moral standards that he later violates; he claims no loyalty to principles or causes other than his own. Theres a peculiar, straightforward honesty to his dishonesty. Its part of what some people see as his charisma.

The Trump movement, on the other hand, is neck deep in hypocrisy. In Trumps service, constitutional scholars such as Eastman will twist and shred the very document they claim to revere. Evangelicals will set aside the faith by which they define themselves to defend a man who this week is sitting in a New York courtroom, trying to explain why he paid hush money to a porn star. Self-proclaimed patriots who wave flags and chant America First will attack the seat of our American republic, using those flags as lances against police officers. And because the human capacity for self-deception is so vast, few of them recognize how completely they have sold out what they supposedly hold so dear until its too late.

In a footnote to her 128-page ruling, the judge in California references a telling email exchange between Eastman and Rudy Giuliani. In the email, sent on Jan. 11, five days after the failed insurrection, Eastman seems almost melancholic. Their battle to overthrow the election has been lost, and the realization is sinking in that maybe they went too far, maybe there are repercussions coming.

First, Eastman tells Giuliani, two universities where he teaches have begun asking uncomfortable questions about his actions. Second, in an indication of how deep into delusion he has sunk, he asks Rudy to send along all the evidence he possesses proving it had been antifa, not MAGA, that had been responsible for inciting violence at the Capitol.

Third, Ive decided that I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works, he writes Rudy. At that moment he saw what his future might hold, but by then it was too late.

This story was published earlier by the Georgia Recorder, an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix.

The post Bookman: Eastmans law license suspension suggests peril for Trump, allies in Georgia RICO case appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
Polish farmers protesting at the Polish-Ukrainian border have temporarily suspended their blockade at the Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska crossing point, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported on April 5.

The farmers began blocking trucks at several border crossings in February in protest of Ukrainian agricultural imports and the EU's Green Deal.

"According to the information from our Polish colleagues, farmers, who restrain the traffic, will pass 15 empty trucks per day," the Border Guard's statement said as of 8:00 p.m. local time.

Earlier, Polish protestors resumed the blockade at the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv crossing, which had been temporarily unblocked till April 2.

The ongoing blockade has led to deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Warsaw. Protestors spilled Ukrainian grain on several occasions, sparking outrage in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived in Poland on March 28 to discuss the issue of the agricultural trade and the border with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk.

The two officials agreed to search for "mutually satisfactory solutions," such as a verification and control system for trade in agricultural goods.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Boyfriend stabs woman and her 6-year-old son, then traps them in burning home, cops say

A man is accused of stabbing his girlfriend and her 6-year-old son, then barricading them inside a burning home in Georgia.

Now, 32-year-old Donald Beck faces charges of murder and arson.

Shortly before 11 a.m. on April 1, firefighters rushed to the scene of a blaze with people trapped inside the house, the Grovetown Police Department said in a news release.

Rescuers found that Beck had broken the glass of a back window in the home, and they pulled him out, police said. He said there were other people still inside, but Grovetown Police Chief Jamey Kitchens told WRDW the man made additional comments that raised questions for investigators.

Shortly after that, he began making comments about you know, just let him die, things like that, which was suspicious, Kitchens told the outlet.

Inside the home, firefighters found the bodies of 47-year-old Karen Denise Boswell and her 6-year-old son Ethan Stephens, both with stab wounds from a kitchen knife, according to Columbia County charging documents.

They had collapsed on the couch, which Beck then set on fire, officials said.

They were discovered in the front of the home within debris, and investigators said Beck had barricaded the entrances and exits to the home.

Other children were living in the home at the time, police said.

Boswell spent a lot of time caring for her son, who had a rare condition called OEIS syndrome, or cloacal exstrophy, which affected the lower abdominal wall.

I have been the only parent to Ethan since he was born and its hard but me and him have fought this journey together, Boswell wrote in a GoFundMe to raise money for her son ahead of another upcoming surgery.

She said she had to take unpaid leave from work to spend time in the hospital with him, but she wouldnt trade it for nothing at all.

We got a long road ahead of us, she wrote March 8.

A couple of days prior to the fire, police were called to the couples home because of an altercation between Boswell and Beck that led to Beck accidentally cutting himself on a wine bottle, according to an incident report.

Beck told an officer he got upset with Boswell because of her past boyfriend choices and yelled at her about them because he cares about her, the officer said.

Boswell told the officer she was fine with Beck staying at the home and did not think there would be any further issues, according to the report.

Police told McClatchy News that Beck chose to exercise his Miranda rights and not make a statement. Investigators dont have a motive at this time.

Becks attorney information is not available in Columbia County records.

Grovetown is part of the Augusta metropolitan area in east Georgia.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

Man guns down girlfriend as kid watches, then kidnaps her 6-year-old, TN officials say

Unresponsive 6-year-old taken to fire station dies, Georgia cops say. Man charged

Boyfriend left ominous voicemail minutes before woman shot dead, New Mexico cops say

Man kills girlfriend with his 2-year-old home, 911 dispatcher on phone, CA cops say
Twenty-seven-year-old actor Cole Brings Plenty (Mnicouju Lakota) was found dead this morning at 11:45 a.m. in Johnson County, Kansas, according to the Kansas County Sheriffs Office.



Brings Plenty was founded in a wooded area near 200th and Homestead Lane. The investigation into his death is ongoing.

Brings Plenty, known for his role in the "Yellowstone" spinoff "1923," was declared missing on Monday, April 1, after missing a meeting with his agent.

Brings Plenty's vehicle, a white 2005 Ford Explorer with chipped paint, was seen leaving Lawrence, Kan. and heading southbound on U.S. Highway 59 on Sunday.

According to a Facebook post by the young actors father, Joseph Brings Plenty, authorities found video footage of Cole at a gas station in nearby Baldwin City. The footage was captured at 3:12 a.m. on Sunday. Baldwin City is approximately 30 minutes south of Lawrence.

Two months ago, Cole Brings Plenty and his uncle Mo Brings Plenty, a star on "Yellowstone," joined the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to advocate for Senate Bill 1723, bill to create a federal commission to investigate the assimilative policies against Native children during the United States boarding school era.

Deb Parker (Tulalip), CEO of NABS, told Native News Online on Friday evening her heart was crushed upon hearing the news of Cole's death.

"Cole joined our team as an advocate because he understood how historical trauma impacts us in our daily lives," Parker said. "He was open, honest, and one of the most caring young men we have had the opportunity to work with in Indian Country."

"We continue to lose our young Native men way too early," Parker continued. She gave this advice: "If you find yourself in a position that is unsafe, please dont stay silent. Please reach out until someone will listen to your story. There is help available."

Call StrongHearts Native Helpline at 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483).

Brings Plenty's case has drawn attention and caused speculation across social media, with posts and videos about his disappearance accumulating thousands of views and comments. It has also generated discussions of the Missing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis. American Indian and Alaska Native peoples are at a disproportionate risk for violence, murder, and going missing. Jurisdictional gaps and systemic apathy leave many of these cases unsolved.

This is a developing story.

About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. "

Contact: ewild@indiancountrymedia.com
Gareth Davies says Britain has 'one of the most robust systems of arms exports controls in the world' - THOMAS KRYCH/ZUMA PRESS WIRE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Legal advice on Britains arms sales to Israel is constantly reviewed, a minister has said, amid growing pressure on Rishi Sunak to suspend exports.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, was said to be resisting calls to halt arms sales to Israel despite warnings from senior lawyers that Britain would be in breach of both international and domestic law if exports continued.

Gareth Davies, a Treasury minister, said on Friday that the UK has one of the most robust systems of arms exports controls in the world.

When asked if the Government would stop the sale of arms to Israel, he told Sky News: It is enshrined in law through the Export Control Act of 2002 and that places on the Government a series of responsibilities to ensure that any licences that are granted by the Government cannot in any way be contributing or facilitating violations of international humanitarian law.

There are robust processes in place to gather evidence to assess that as well as advice that the Government receives and that advice is being constantly reviewed.

Mr Davies also appeared to rule out publishing the Governments legal advice on the issue, saying that it was a long-standing convention that confidential advice is not made public.

Lord Cameron is said to be resisting pressure to halt arms exports as it would not be a legal 'slam dunk' - JAMES MANNING/PA

It comes after Labour urged ministers to publish advice they may have received and suspend arms sales if there is a risk weapons could be used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law.

Alicia Kearns, the Tory MP and chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said that she was convinced the Government had concluded that Israel was not demonstrating a commitment to international humanitarian law but had refused to confirm that publicly.

Lord Dannatt, the former chief of the general staff, said on Thursday that Mr Sunak would do well to take note of a letter signed by more than 600 lawyers, which called on the Government to suspend sales.

I think their experience and their interpretation of the law, international law, needs to be taken very seriously, he told Sky News.

I think the British Government needs to do, as the Prime Minister has said, scrutinise very carefully what it is doing in terms of supplying equipment to Israel to make sure that we are staying on the right side of the law.

The Telegraph understands that Lord Cameron has been handed a government legal assessment on Israels actions in Gaza between December and January in the last fortnight.

One senior government source familiar with discussions said that the Foreign Secretary is said to have so far held off recommending a UK arms embargo because it is not a slam dunk legal case.

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Three years ago, I and several other people and organisations were sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This included seven parliamentarians along with other politicians in Europe, who were sanctioned for calling out the risk China poses to the UK.

In the years that have followed, the UK has become more dependent on China economically, despite the well-known fact that China has constantly broken the WTO rules in subsidising Chinese companies and uses slave labour to produce goods that undercut Western manufacturers. Yet we in the UK are becoming hugely vulnerable to an even bigger threat, one born out of advancements in biotechnology which is now being coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) in China.

Like other advanced technologies, genomics, when used legitimately, can help create new drugs to fight diseases like cancer. However, its dual-use potential means it can also be used to create targeted bioweapons or pathogens. Indeed, worryingly, the CCP has already used genomic data to profile ethnic minorities whilst using human embryos for performance modification.

The United States has now woken up to this threat, and recently introduced landmark legislation hampering the ability of foreign adversaries to collect the genomic data of US citizens. The bill, supported by Republicans and Democrats alike, prohibits Chinese genomics giants, such as BGI Group and MGI Tech, from accessing federal contracts.

Yet again, the UKs position in this debate is a mess. Last year, the Government admitted BGI was a danger point in the UKs science and technology ecosystem, yet it continues to allow BGI access to our genomics sector. The Governments refusal to confront BGI and MGI, echoing the weakness it showed over Huawei and Hikvision, risks repeating previous mistakes if we fail to appreciate the severity of the challenge.

Genomics is a $4 trillion industry, and strategic for the UKs prosperity. Allowing Chinese companies access undermines our security and our world-leading life sciences sector, which cannot compete on price with companies subsidised by the Chinese state.

Whilst BGI Group claims to be a private company, it nonetheless operates the Chinese governments key laboratories and national genebank. BGI is blacklisted by the Pentagon as a Chinese military company and has collaborated with the Peoples Liberation Army to develop pre-natal tests sold across the world and from which gene data is returned to China.

The US National Security Commission on AI has now concluded that BGI Group was acting as a DNA collection vehicle for the Chinese state. Astonishingly, our Government still hasnt classified genomics as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), leaving UK citizens and businesses exposed.

If large UK private healthcare providers like Bupa or Oxford Nanopore work with BGI or MGI, this will seriously undermine attempts to protect UK citizens.

The Governments language of de-risking on China is pointless without stronger guidance to private sector and research bodies that long-term costs to national and economic security outweigh the short-term gains of using cheaper Chinese firms. Worse, public contractors, such as Eurofins, already work with Chinese genomics companies like MGI, while still having access to sensitive contracts with the Ministry of Defence, National Crime Agency and Porton Down.

Too often, we have been left behind in recognising and acting on the threat China poses. The Government must show it can be trusted to make difficult decisions on national security questions.

Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP is a former Cabinet minister and leader of the Conservative Party

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11)  The Brooklyn Kindergarten Society (BKS) is advocating for increased funding for sensory gyms and occupational therapists in Brooklyn schools, particularly targeting early childhood education programs for children ages 3-8 with learning differences.

Theyre not going to be behind, and we do feel that first educational step is important, says John Linder, the Director of Development with BKS. The organizations mission is centered on ensuring all children have an equal first step in their education.

NYC wont provide solar eclipse glasses for students, school says

Linder is pushing for more resources in this area, explaining, We absolutely need more funding, the salaries arent cheap, building out the space is not cheap, wear and tear on equipment isnt cheap, we have to replace things regularly. We want to continue to keep the gym at its cutting-edge innovation.

Currently, six out of BKSs seven centers do not have a sensory gym  a specialized space with a variety of fun, manipulative activities that allow students to explore through their senses. Linder says a new sensory gym in Brownsville would expand their reach.

Having an additional sensory gym would allow us to expand our work, and potentially allow us to start to serve some of our siblings of our students, he says.

Linder emphasizes that these targeted services are essential interventions to support students in regaining the academic ground lost due to the disruptions of COVID-19. Coming out of COVID is, this has been an important tool for students to advance and learn, he says.

Occupational therapists like Colleen ONeill are making a difference with creative solutions. She emphasizes the importance of starting intervention as early as possible.

With our OT budget I created a sensory box for every classroom, ONeill shares. If we do early intervention and support them very young then theyll have those skills to generalize for the rest of their lives.

As the city faces decisions on how to allocate new funds, the restoration of 3K and pre-K funding is likely a top priority. But the question remains: Are programs that support the unique needs of young children with learning differences being considered as well?

The Department of Education has presented a range of existing programs and highlighted a new pilot initiative, but the fight for increased resources continues

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Bryan Kohberger sits with Anne Taylor, left, one of his attorneys, during a hearing in Latah County District Court, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho (AP)

An Idaho judge overseeing Bryan Kohbergers quadruple murder case slammed the suspects defence team for contacting potential jurors.

But Kohbergers defence attorney Anne Taylor argued that the commissioned phone surveys were an important part of her ongoing efforts to seek a change of venue for the trial, given all the local media coverage on the case.

Kohberger, 29, is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. He watched from the defence table on Thursday as the hearing became heated at some points.

The dramatic court hearing was held after prosecutors asked Latah County District Court Judge John Judge to issue an order prohibiting contact with prospective jurors outside of court, which was granted.

Ms Taylor claimed the judges decision to stop their phone surveys violated her clients right to due process by granting the request without hearing their side first, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Kohberger, 29, is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022 (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File)

But the judge defended his actions, saying he received the prosecutions request, issued the non-permanent order and promptly scheduled a hearing to discuss both sides of the case.

It seemed like there were some real, legitimate concerns about the survey, Judge told Ms Taylor. Now Im being accused of violating due process, which is a whole big issue for me.

Ms Taylor explained that she believed the defence should have been heard before the order was issued to stop the phone surveys they had commissioned to potential jurors.

And so were stopped from completing our comparative surveys  when were up against the deadline to get to our motion to change of venue, Ms Taylor said.

This survey was never intended to do anything but identify issues within the county to support or defeat our argument for venue change, Ms Taylor added. My issue is that the order was signed stopping our work without a chance to be heard.

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said that he had no problem with the defence commissioning responsible, proper surveys  but this survey cannot stand.

He said the issue is these particular questions asked in this particular survey.

Public defender Anne Taylor enters the courtroom for Bryan Kohbergers arraignment hearing in 2023 (Reuters)

Just because theyre put in the form of a question doesnt change the fact that they are affirmative representation of a fact, that if the listener was not aware of it now they have been tainted by it.

Your honour  those questions are disseminating, by means of communication, evidence expected to be presented (and) evidence that could be or would be inadmissible at trial, Mr Thompson told the judge.

He added that some of the questions contain representations of fact that are not true or that would not be offered at trial.

Thats completely reckless, he shouted. We have a group of at least 400 people in Latah County who have been exposed to this in violation of the non-dissemination order.

Mr Thompson was made aware of the phone surveys when a local resident contacted his office with some of the questions they received.

One asked: Have you read, seen or heard that Bryan Kohberger stalked one of the victims?

Another asked: Have you read, seen or heard if police found a knife sheath on the bed next to one of the victims?

It was followed up with: Have you read, seen or heard that DNA found on the knife sheath was later matched to Bryan Kohberger?

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed in November 2022 (Instagram)

Im not happy about the specific questions, especially ones that are false and people hear that and they just get an even worse sort of impression of Mr. Kohberger, Judge said.

There are also cases or questions that are very specific that are going to be major issues in the trial, and so Im really worried about that.

The judge did not make a ruling but set the next court date for Wednesday 10 April.

The judge said he also wants a hearing at least every month, noting the importance of cleaning up the legal proceedings.

Kohberger, a Ph.D. student at the nearby Washington State University, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The students were found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental house in Moscow on 13 November 2022.

The military-style knife, believed to be the weapon, has never been recovered, however, a knife sheath was found near one of the victims. That sheath contained a piece of DNA which was then matched to Kohberger, according to authorities.

A trial date for Kohberger has still not been set.
Buckingham Palace ploughs on with plans for Kings state visit to Australia

The King and Queen are expected to visit Australia in October - Paul Kane/Getty Images AsiaPac

Buckingham Palace is ploughing on with plans for the Kings autumn state visit to Australia following a successful start to his cancer treatment.

The King, 75, remains hopeful that he will be able to make the trip, which would include visits to New Zealand and Samoa, which is hosting the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (Chogm).

Palace aides are looking at the proposed schedule and will begin making tentative plans in the coming weeks, with site visits said to be in the pipeline.

However, sources cautioned that it was still early days and that such future trips were wholly reliant on how the King reacts to ongoing treatment in the coming months.

It is no great mystery that the King is keen to attend Chogm if he is able, one said.

Treatment continues and things are moving in the right direction

If he is able to go, of course he will go. Plans continue but there are no guarantees, we are still a long way off.

The King was in good spirits at the traditional Easter Matins service in Windsor on Sunday - Chris Jackson

The King is said to be feeling positive about resuming public duties after an encouraging response to the first few weeks of his cancer treatment.

His appearance at the traditional Easter Matins service at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, was considered a significant first step amid great hope and optimism from his medical team.

The monarch smiled broadly as he greeted members of the public after the service, shaking hands as he thanked them for their good wishes with a promise that he was doing his best.

The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in January, after undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

He immediately began a course of weekly treatment which proved so successful that his doctors adjusted their guidance on the level of public duties he is now able to undertake.

As such, the King is hoping to attend Trooping the Colour, his official birthday celebration, on June 15, as well as the 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day the previous week.

However, sources note that treatment continues and that caution remains the watchword.

The highly anticipated visit to Australia, alongside the Queen, would mark the Kings first trip to the country since his accession and the first by a ruling monarch since Elizabeth II in October 2011.

An invitation has been extended for him to attend Melbourne Cup on Nov 5, an event he first attended with Diana, Princess of Wales in 1985 before returning with Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, in 2012.

The King visited Australia in 2012 with Camilla - Morne de Klerk/Getty Images AsiaPac

The King has also been invited to The Everest race day in Sydney on Oct 19, when organisers hope he will be able to present the trophy for a race named in his honour, the King Charles III Stakes.

A visit is also expected to include attendance at the bicentenary celebrations of the New South Wales parliaments upper house.

Local tourism chiefs have also mooted trips to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, the Queen Victoria Building in the heart of Sydney and its iconic Opera House.

However, plans are likely to be scaled back with the tour closer to two weeks rather than three. A trip to Fiji is said to have been ruled out.

The Kings schedule, which typically involves six or seven engagements a day, would also be reduced to include significant downtime.

Chogm takes place between Oct 21 - 25.

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Buckle up for likely earthquake aftershocks, geologists say. Here's how the East Coast should prepare.

Geologists say the East Coast could be in for more earthquakes in the weeks ahead.

There's also a slim chance of aftershocks with a similar or larger magnitude, the USGS said.

To prepare, you should create an emergency plan, secure household items, and assemble a bugout bag.

Aftershocks could hit the East Coast following Friday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake, and millions of people in the region should prepare in the unlikely event the earthquake is bigger next time, the US Geological Survey said.

"There is a likely chance that there will be more felt earthquakes in the two or three range, and then a small chance that there could be another earthquake of similar or larger magnitude," Paul Earle, a seismologist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center, told reporters on Friday.

"You just need to be prepared," Earle added.

Already, a magnitude 4.0 aftershock hit just before 6 p.m. ET, USGS confirmed Friday.

Don't stand inside a doorway when an earthquake hits. It turns out that's just a survival myth.

Instead, you should drop where you are, cover your head and neck, ideally crawl under a table, and hold on until the shaking stops.

CDC

Possible aftershocks could be damaging.

"As a reminder, damaging earthquakes can occur in the future," Jessica Jobe, a research geologist with the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, said on Friday. "And no one can predict the exact time or place of any earthquake, including the aftershocks."

One of the most important things you can do to prepare, Earle said, is to create an emergency plan.

He said to be sure to move objects on shelves or walls that can fall on you, especially while you're sleeping. And, he added, have a plan for contacting your relatives in case of an emergency.

When making your emergency plan with members of your household, you should map out your evacuation route, coordinate who will retrieve emergency supplies and where they will be located, and devise a reconnection plan if you are separated, Business Insider previously reported.

Another great step to prepare for an earthquake  or any emergency  is to assemble a "bugout bag" that should include things like a first aid kit, an emergency radio, flashlights, medicine, and a gas and water shutoff tool.

In the event of a major quake, you should also keep at least one gallon of water per person on hand in case you become trapped in your home and lose access to your home's water supply.

Having a fire extinguisher in your home and enough non-perishable food to last a few days is also valuable for emergency situations.

The 4.8 earthquake that hit Friday was centered in New Jersey, about 30 miles west of Newark, but its effects were felt as far away as Boston, Philadelphia, and Maine.

The USGS said it's uncommon to have earthquakes in the region, but not unexpected.

It was the third-biggest quake ever recorded in New Jersey and the largest in the state in nearly 250 years, according to a 2019 earthquake mitigation report.

As of Friday afternoon, authorities hadn't reported any injuries or major structural damage caused by the quake.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Online food delivery platforms such as DoorDash and UberEats tack on fees to restaurants, hidden from consumers, that can drive up the cost of those deliveries. A California lawmaker has introduced a bill intended to make it easier for consumers to see exactly what the delivery services are charging.

However, the bills sponsor has ties to scandal-plagued former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and critics of the bill warn that it could provide major restaurant chains with access to competitor information.

Senate Bill 1490 would require platforms such as GrubHub, DoorDash and UberEats to disclose to their customers what fees are being charged, both to them and to the restaurants.

Currently, California law only requires that such platforms inform customers that restaurants are being assessed certain fees, but not the amount of the fee.

Its author, Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, said in a statement of support that customers and restaurants are paying high and often hidden fees when ordering through the big third-party delivery platforms.

She went on to say that by providing customers with this transparency, they can make informed decisions when ordering food from their favorite restaurants.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants have seen a dramatic shift in their sources of revenue, as fewer people are dining in and more are ordering in. According to Durazos office, online orders make up 30-40% of restaurant revenue now.

The largest online food delivery platforms abuse their leverage to impose high and hidden fees and actively cut restaurants off from their own customers, her office said.

The bill is sponsored by the Digital Restaurant Association, which lobbies on behalf of the restaurant industry.

Restaurants and customers alike deserve transparency to know exactly what fees are charged and who is receiving them, the DRA said in a statement of support for the bill.

The DRA has ties to former Uber executive Travis Kalanick, who resigned from his post at the ridesharing company in 2017. Under his watch at Uber, the company saw a string of complaints, including allegations of sexual harassment, according to the New York Times.

According to Financial Times, Kalanick has business ties with Tusk Holdings, the firm behind the Digital Restaurant Association.

A representative for Kalanick did not respond to The Bees media inquiry.

We believe SB 1490 could end up being a backdoor for large restaurant chains and Travis Kalanicks startups to access competitors business information, said Chamber of Progress Policy Director Ruth Whittaker in a statement.

The Chamber of Progress, a tech industry-funded, center-left group, opposes the bill.

Whittaker said that while SB 1490 has many well-intentioned proposals, she added that there are a few provisions that dont quite fit with the bills overall consumer focus and reveal the intentions of the bills corporate supporters.

Whittaker said the provision requiring platforms to share what fees restaurants are paying is unnecessary.

Consumers dont need or care about this information  when was the last time you wondered what kinds of fees your local pizza place pays to a third-party delivery service? she said.

However, major restaurant chains, which have the financial muscle to negotiate exclusive agreements with the platforms, would love to be able to see what kinds of fees their competitors are paying, Whittaker said.

The bill is set to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee later this spring.
In August 2022, Bruce Frankel's fiancee dialed 911 after Frankel began having a grand mal seizure. But instead of receiving medical help, a police officer burst into Frankel's home and tased him. Making matters worse, police engaged in an attempt to cover up their mistake by launching bogus charges against Frankel.

Frankel has now launched a lawsuit against the officers who tased him, arguing that their actions clearly violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

The ordeal began in the early morning hours of August 29, 2022, when 61-year-old Frankel began having a grand mal seizure in his home in San Anselmo, California. His fiancee, named in the complaint as Alice, awoke to Frankel's gasping and called 911, telling the operator that Frankel was having trouble breathing.

As she waited for medical help to arrivestill on the phone with 911Frankel's seizure stopped, but he remained disoriented. The complaint notes that he was now entering the "postictal stage of the seizure, when the brain is recovering, but the victim remains unaware of his surroundings and unable to understand directions."

Shortly after, Officer Kevin Sinnott of the Central Marin Police Authority arrived, and he rushed into Alice and Frankel's bedroom, attempting to restrain Frankel.

Sinnott "wrestled [Frankel] onto the bed, and attempted to handcuff him," the suit reads. "Just 25 seconds after his arrival, Sinnott's voice became angry, and he shouted to [Frankel], 'Stop. Stop fighting with me.' Alice responded loudly and emphatically: 'He's unconscious.' Sinnott argued with her: 'He's not unconscious. He's fighting.' Alice later warned, 'You're going to break his neck.'"

Sinnott then tased Frankel, causing him to hit his head on the bedroom furniture. Soon after, two more police officers and three EMTs arrived. Frankel was handcuffed and taken to a local hospital, still delirious.

The lawsuit alleges that the officers attempted to cover up their use of force by pinning false charges on Frankel. According to the complaint, one questioning officer "blatantly lied to [Frankel] in a final attempt to trick him into making an incriminating statement," telling him that "when the officer got there you started attacking him."

The suit also claims that Sinnott falsely told one of Frankel's doctors that he was "squaring up" to fight him when he arrived, slowing down Frankel's eventual seizure diagnosis.

Frankel was eventually booked into the Marin County Jail on charges of resisting arrest and battery. Afterward, he was released "still wearing nothing but his underwear and a disposable hospital outfit; he had no wallet, phone or money," the complaint states. "He did not remember Alice's phone number in the jail and they would not help him contact her, so he walked in his hospital slippers about a half mile to a gas station," where workers helped him call a taxi.

While the Marin County District Attorney's office eventually refused to formally file charges against Frankel, he has still suffered lasting harm from his treatment by police. In addition to the physical injuries he sustained from Sinnott's use of force, Frankel spent over $10,000 fighting the police's attempts to have him prosecuted.

Officers "submitted the false reports or caused them to be submitted in an effort to smear [Frankel's] reputation, preoccupy him with a criminal case, intimidate him, and prevent him from pursuing claims against them for improper and excessive use of force," the complaint states, adding that police "acted willfully with the wrongful intention of injuring [Frankel] and for an improper and evil motive amounting to malice."

The post California Cops Tased a Man Having a Seizure, Then Booked Him on Bogus Charges To Cover Their Mistake appeared first on Reason.com.
Did somebody say something about never letting a crisis go to waste? That may well have been on California Gov. Gavin Newsom's mind when he announced the installation of hundreds of surveillance cameras in Oakland to address public concerns about crime. Whether or not robberies and assaults decline because of police monitoring, you can bet those cameras will remain in place long after everybody has forgotten the reason for their existence.

Crime Fears Become an Excuse for Surveillance

"Building on public safety investments in Oakland and the East Bay, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has entered into a contract with Flock Safety to install a network of approximately 480 high-tech cameras in the City of Oakland and on state freeways in the East Bay to combat criminal activity and freeway violence," the governor's office announced Mar 29.

The surveillance plan essentially bypasses local authorities, involving a contract between the California Highway Patrol and Flock Safety to install and maintain 290 cameras along surface streets and 190 cameras along state highways. Still, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, a Democrat, embraced the announcement, saying "this new camera network will help us stop crime and hold more suspects accountable."

Discussing crime rates is a good way to start an argument. Data is self-reported by law enforcement agencies and always about a year out of date. Polling finds a majority of Americans concerned about crime, while the FBI reports most violent crimes declining as of 2022 (the most recent data) after a surge during the chaos of 2020 that broke from decades of declining rates. Robbery and property crimes, on the other hand, spiked upwards, according to the FBI. Evidence suggests further reductions in violence in 2023, though the data isn't yet complete.

But crime varies from place to place, which means that nationwide numbers don't tell the full story; people experience local conditions, not national averages. They respond to what they perceive. California is among the states bucking the positive national trend, according to state and FBI statistics.

"The violent crime rate increased 6.1 percent in 2022and the property crime rate increased 6.2 percent in 2022," according to the California Department of Justice's Criminal Justice Statistics Center. FBI state-level crime data agrees California saw an increase in crime that year. Oakland, in particular, has a problem.

"Overall, reported crimes in Oakland rose 18% in 2023 compared to 2022, with violent crime up 21% and property crime up 17%," the San Francisco Chronicle reported in March.

That resulted in a recall effort against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and a new chief for the Oakland Police Department. It has also meant an influx of California Highway Patrol officers to bolster local law enforcement, as well as the installation of hundreds of surveillance cameras.

Playing Politics With Public Concerns

Much of this is for show. Nobody expects the highway patrol will permanently patrol Oakland, just as nobody anticipates seeing National Guard troops in New York City subway stations for an extended period of time (FBI figures also show a rise in violent crime in New York for 2022, though state and New York City data show improvements since). In both cases, warm bodies in uniform were dispatched without much thought as to their use or coordination with local authorities.

"So far, they are mainly scenes of soldiers and troopers standing at subway entrances with combat rifles while police officers check bags," wrote criminal justice researcher and former cop Brandon del Pozo about the New York deployment, which left him unimpressed as to its necessity or effectiveness. "Where a government deploys its soldiers will always be politics by other means, whether their objective is to topple a foreign regime, or in this case, retake the Pelham One Two Three."

But long after the highway patrol uniforms leave the streets of Oakland, those surveillance cameras will still be there. They'll watch not just criminals who prey on their neighbors, but regular people going about their lives and, undoubtedly, breaking one of California's myriad laws, rules, and regulations. In the name of fighting crime, everybody will be monitored for years to come. The same can be said of New York City efforts to monitor subway riders after the National Guard troops go back home.

New York's High-Tech Surveillance

"New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward A. Caban today announced efforts being taken to make the Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) subway system safer by investing in new technology to detect firearms," Adams' office announced March 28, the day before Newsom unveiled the surveillance camera program.

The draft policy statement for the system specifies electromagnetic detectors equipped with cameras to capture the images of those suspected of carrying weapons. Video clips will then be automatically transmitted to police officers for their response.

Once those detectors are installed in subway stations, it's fair to assume they'll be there for years to come. Just like the California surveillance cameras.

It's worth noting that Newsom and Adams responded to fears of crime not by repealing laws that discourage self-defense or by otherwise freeing the public to respond to threats. They went directly to top-down surveillance systems that empower the government at the expense of the individual. In the surveillance state, everybody is a potential suspect.

The British Model

The end result might be something like the United Kingdom, where it's illegal to carry any weapon intended for self-defense, but the public lives under the watchful eyes of over 5 million surveillance cameras. Britons are also subjected to communications monitoring that Edward Snowden calls "the most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy." This was all implemented in the name of the public's own good, of course.

"Surveillance footage forms a key component of UK crime prevention strategy," comments Politics.co.uk. But the proliferation of cameras "in public places has fueled unease about the erosion of civil liberties and individual human rights, raising concerns of an Orwellian 'big brother' culture."

With regard to Oakland, Newsom promises "the cameras will assist law enforcement in addressing crime while protecting privacy interests." Maybe, though I wouldn't bet that privacy will be a priority for the people running and monitoring the cameras. But it's fair to say that, faced with very real public concerns about crime, the governor of California didn't let a crisis go to waste.

The post In California and Elsewhere, Fear of Crime Drives the Surveillance State appeared first on Reason.com.
A deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is accused of committing firearms crimes in connection with a motorcycle gang. (Rick Sforza / Associated Press)

For years, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Bingham had two jobs: as a law enforcement officer in the Inland Empire, and as the owner of a gun store in Twentynine Palms.

But authorities on Thursday said Bingham had more than two jobs  he had a double life that was complicated and illicit. He's accused of being a member of a local outlaw motorcycle gang and committing numerous firearms crimes in connection with the gang's enterprise, including stealing a shotgun from his own Sheriff's Department.

The case against the deputy is the result of a months-long probe by gang and narcotics detectives who uncovered a cache of 160 firearms in the lawman's home, including the stolen shotgun, according to a statement from the department.

Bingham, 45, was detained Thursday afternoon at his Twentynine Palms home and booked at around 1 p.m. in county lockup. He's being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

He could not be reached for comment, and it's unclear if he has an attorney.

The actions of this deputy are alarming and inexcusable; he not only tarnishes his badge but also undermines the integrity and credibility of the entire department," Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement. "Criminal behavior will not be tolerated, and we have placed him on compulsory leave effective immediately."

The investigation into Bingham began in January, when detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department confirmed that he socialized with and rode bikes with members of the motorcycle gang. The group's name was not publicly disclosed.

On a weekend in late March, investigators, along with the California Highway Patrol, conducted a traffic stop of Bingham and two other gang members. During the stop, investigators found him carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm. Bingham was arrested March 23 and later released.

During a subsequent search of Bingham's residence, authorities found 160 firearms, including an automatic assault rifle with an attached grenade launcher, as well as silencers and motorcycle-gang-related paraphernalia.

Authorities also found the shotgun that was allegedly stolen from the Sheriff's Department.

Bingham was charged Thursday with 10 felonies, including possession of a machine gun; possession of a short-barreled rifle; grand theft of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm; and participation in a criminal street gang. All 10 counts carry an enhancement for being done in association with a gang.

For years, Bingham had a side business running a gun store in Twentynine Palms called O'Three Tactical, according to public records and news reports.

The business shuttered in June 2021, with a message posted on the store's Facebook page stating, "After being unable to maintain any kind of inventory and hemorrhaging my own personal finances over the last year trying to keep our doors open, OThree Tactical will be permanently closing its doors."

He referenced a shortage of ammunition and firearms as one factor crippling the business.

"We had a good six year run, but all the drama that caused the last few hoarding issues hit a [major] artery, just like thousands and thousands of other small businesses," Bingham said, suggesting he was close to bankruptcy.

That year, former customers and a vendor brought him to court alleging unpaid bills or failing to provide firearms they had purchased. An ammunition vendor claimed it was owed just under $2,000 for ammo it had delivered, and another customer filed a small-claims action claiming that his approximately $6,000 order was canceled and that Bingham had kept the money in a business account. Both cases were dismissed.

In 2017, Bingham's personal and professional lives merged. That year, a former Marine machine gunner, Rafael Aikens, was accused of killing his onetime romantic partner, 32-year-old Christy McKissic, and her mother, Renee Metcalf.

At Aikens' 2019 trial, Bingham testified to arriving at the scene of the slayings, and also selling Aikens a .45-caliber handgun weeks before the double homicide, according to news reports on the trial.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The revelation that United Farm Workers would be representing workers at a Kern County company owned by the states wealthiest farming family should have been a triumphant moment for the storied union co-founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

Following decades of diminishing membership in the vast stretches of Californias farm fields, the UFW had seized on a new way to unionize workers, made possible by recent state legislation. Rather than hold a formal election at a company job site, union leaders had invited employees at Wonderful Nurseries, the nation's largest grapevine nursery, to off-site meetings where they were instructed in how to apply for $600 in federal relief for farmworkers who labored during the pandemic, as well as encouraged to sign cards authorizing the UFW to represent them at Wonderful.

Labor experts say the outcome of the UFW-Wonderful skirmish could have outsize ramifications on the future of unionizing farmworkers in California. (Max Whittaker / For the Times)

The UFW subsequently filed a petition with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, asserting that a majority of the 600-plus farmworkers at Wonderful Nurseries in Wasco had signed the authorization cards and asking that the UFW be certified as their union representative. It appeared to mark the UFW's third victorious unionization drive in a matter of months.

But within days, Wonderful  part of the farming empire owned by billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick  hit back with an explosive allegation: The company accused the UFW of using the $600 in federal relief as bait to trick farmworkers into signing the authorization cards. And it submitted nearly 150 signed declarations from nursery workers saying they had not understood that by signing the cards they were voting to unionize.

Stewart and Lynda Resnick in a 2016 portrait (Ryan Miller / Getty Images)

Claudia Chavez, a full-time employee of a labor contractor for Wonderful Nurseries, is among several workers who told The Times that they attended meetings where they understood that the UFW would help them claim the $600. She said she was given a card to sign, but didnt know that signing it was a vote for the union.

They said clearly  this I do remember  that it was $600 of aid for farmworkers who worked during COVID, Chavez, 43, said during an interview outside her Wasco home. But they never said, 'If you sign, were going to come to your work.

Union leaders have stood their ground, alleging that the company intimidated workers into making false statements and brought in a labor consultant with a reputation as a union buster to manipulate worker emotions in the weeks that followed.

Antonio De Loera-Brust, UFW's communications director, called the allegations that workers were tricked into signing union cards categorically false." The union has put forward other workers who said they understood what they were signing and believe that UFW representation would improve their pay and working conditions.

Still, what could have been a David-versus-Goliath tale has become something tangled and far more troubling. The UFW and Wonderful are locked in battle, each employing legal muscle and PR prowess, and will present their cases to the ALRB, the state agency charged with overseeing farm labor disputes and union elections.

Labor experts say the outcome could have outsize ramifications for the future of unionizing farmworkers in California. Though still an influential voice in Democratic leadership circles, UFW has seen its on-the-ground presence and sway plummet from its vibrant heyday in the 1960s and '70s. At its peak, UFW had about 80,000 members across hundreds of farms. Today, that number has fallen to about 5,000, with another 2,000 in the Teamsters or United Food and Commercial Workers International unions.

If Wonderful is found to have engaged in unfair labor practices, it could be subject to financial penalties. But if the union is found to have misled workers, it faces a blow to its credibility and its nascent resurgence could be stopped in its tracks.

One way or another it's going to have an impact on the ability of farmworkers to organize," said Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, project director at the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education. "If the union fails and its a setback to the organizing, it's going to be a long while before they can find a foothold to fight for farmworkers in California.

The UFW-Wonderful skirmish is in some ways an outgrowth of a longer-running clash between labor leaders and California's powerful agricultural interests over the UFW's efforts to streamline the unionization process.

For years, UFW leaders had argued that the process for unionizing work sites was stacked against them. Before the new system went into effect, farmworkers voted for union representation by secret ballot at a dedicated polling event, typically held on company grounds. The UFW contends that left workers vulnerable to employer intimidation.

In 2022, Assembly Bill 2183 sought to allow farmworkers to select labor representation through mail-in ballots or a system known as card check, which allows workers to authorize a union by signing cards off-site rather than voting in-person at a designated polling place.

Gov. Gavin Newsom had vetoed a similar bill the previous year, citing concerns specific to the integrity of the mail-in balloting. His team signaled he would also veto AB 2183. But President Biden publicly exhorted Newsom to sign the bill, and the UFW organized a 335-mile march from Delano to Sacramento to ramp up pressure.

Newsom signed the bill, under the condition that it be amended to limit certain aspects. In 2023, the law was amended to remove the mail-in ballot option and cap the number of work sites that could be petitioned through card check to 75. It took effect Jan. 1, 2023, and will sunset in 2028.

Under the new system, a union can seek to organize an agricultural work site without notifying an employer. Once union representatives gather enough authorization cards to constitute what they believe is majority support, the union files a petition with the state labor board and the employer. The ALRB must decide whether there is proof a majority of the bargaining unit employees support forming a union.

But as is playing out in the Wonderful case, that process can be appealed.

From the start, the new system has been shadowed by a lack of specifics on the responsibilities of the union and employers in the card check drive. It has taken the ALRB 10 months to publish proposed regulations for the new law, and growers say they feel theyve been playing a game with no rules.

UFWs first certification petition under card check landed in Stanislaus County in September when it sought to represent 250 workers at DMB Packing Corp., also known as DiMare, where it won 51% support. DiMare submitted several objections, including an allegation that the union obtained signatures through fraud and coercion. The ALRB found the allegations lacked evidence.

Guadalupe Luna, 55, said working conditions at the tomato packing company in Newman were miserable  that they had no health benefits, no paid time off and got paid 77 cents for every bucket of tomatoes collected. Before Luna arrived at the farm about a year ago, he said, he worked on a farm in Firebaugh where the UFW represented workers and they received benefits and better pay.

Though still an influential voice in Democratic leadership circles, the UFW has seen its on-the-ground presence plummet from its vibrant heyday in the 1960s and '70s. (Max Whittaker / For the Times)

Luna, who is on the bargaining committee for the union, said the UFW meetings he attended with co-workers were focused on the benefits of unionizing and did not include conversations about the $600 federal relief payments. The coworkers I spoke with, we talked and there wasnt that [confusion]." he said. "We just talked to them and explained the process."

DMB Packing President Jeff Dolan said the company is appealing the labor board's decision. Nonetheless, he said, negotiations with the UFW and workers have been cordial and positive.

In Fallbrook, 50 miles north of San Diego, the UFW submitted a petition in January to represent more than 70 employees at Olive Hill Greenhouses. According to the ALRB, no objections were filed, and both sides are at the table to negotiate their first contract.

Santiago Hernandez was among those eager to unionize workers at the Fallbrook nursery. He said he told colleagues to talk to a UFW organizer and explain what they wanted out of their jobs and decide if they wanted to support a union.

The first meeting, he said, was about starting a union and they received the authorization cards to consider. He said the last meeting he attended, where people could drop off the cards, also allowed people to sign up for the $600 in relief. He did not hear from colleagues about being tricked, he said, and felt it had been clearly communicated that the two were not linked.

The union is here to help farmworkers, not to screw with farmworkers," Hernandez said.

One of the largest employers in the Central Valley, the Wonderful Co. prides itself on its treatment of farmworkers, including paying above minimum wage and extending company benefits  like free use of its health centers and gyms  to full-time employees. Wonderful has also invested millions of dollars in farmworker communities in Kern County, building parks and schools and improving infrastructure.

The Resnicks, owners of FIJI Water, Wonderful Pistachios and POM Wonderful, are major political donors who have contributed more than $220,000 to Newsoms campaigns alone.

The workers at Wonderful Nurseries sprawling complex in Wasco tend to wine and table grapevines and nut tree rootstocks. In both the company and union narratives about the card check episode, the workers have been portrayed as pawns in a much larger game. The divergent narratives offer little room for a middle ground, for example whether there could have been some confusion in the meetings because of a general lack of understanding of the UFW's role.

One of the largest employers in the Central Valley, the Wonderful Co. has invested millions of dollars in farmworker communities in Kern County. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

There does seem to be general agreement that the organizing meetings for Wonderful employees incorporated discussion of both the federal relief payments and the unionization drive. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has authorized several organizations to distribute the one-time grants, including the UFW Foundation, which is separate from the labor union.

Rosa Maria Silva de Rodriguez, 40, who has worked at Wonderful Nurseries for five years, said she hosted several of the meetings at her home last year. She said she wants a union because she feels workers are being mistreated. The water provided in 5-gallon coolers was inconsistently refilled and cleaned, she said. She said shes had uncomfortable situations in which male coworkers made suggestive comments about women and she knew of no avenue for reporting it.

Silva de Rodriguez said it was clear at the meetings that the federal relief money was not tied to signing a union card. The UFW representative "always talked about the rights of workers, what it meant to form a union, to bring in a union, what the union would do, Silva de Rodriguez said.

Yet other workers interviewed by The Times spoke in equally heartfelt terms about feeling duped.

Maria Pedro, 27, makes $16.30 an hour as a seasonal worker for a labor contractor at Wonderful Nurseries. She likes that the work in the greenhouses is indoors  and therefore dependable, even when it rains.

Look, I just got home, and Im clean, Pedro said on a recent afternoon, as she sat at a table in her work clothes, khaki-colored pants and a black, long-sleeved shirt.

The workers at Wonderful Nurseries' sprawling complex in Wasco tend to wine and table grapevines and nut tree rootstocks. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

She described attending a meeting last year at a colleagues home in Wasco. She said a UFW representative was there to help Pedro and others apply for the $600 federal grant. As a single mother of three, the money would help her pay rent and buy diapers.

Pedro, who emigrated from Guatemala five years ago, said she had never heard of the union. But during the meeting, the rep explained that the organization helps farmworkers assert their rights. Pedro signed several documents. Among them was a white card emblazoned with the unions eagle logo that reads, in English and Spanish, I authorize the Union of Farm Workers of America to be my union representative to collectively negotiate an employment contract with my employer to improve my wages, working conditions and benefits.

The union rep never asked if the workers wanted to join the union and didnt explain the significance of the cards, Pedro said.

On Feb. 23, the UFW filed a petition with the ALRB to represent Wonderful Nurseries employees. Several workers, including people for and against unionizing, described attending meetings days later, led by an outside consultant, Raul Calvo, who has built a business advising farm companies on how to avoid unionization. The workers said Calvo told them about the unions entrance into Wonderful Nurseries and that once the contract was ratified, 3% of their paycheck would go toward union dues.

Pedro said it was only then that she realized that, by signing the card, she had voted for the UFW to represent her. Thanks to him, we understood what was happening, because the union never really explained what they did, she said.

If her name was on the petition, Pedro said, she wanted it removed and asked Wonderful for help. She was among the workers who signed a declaration.

Silva de Rodriguez, on the other hand, contends Calvo was the first to suggest employees were tricked. She said workers began admitting to supervisors that they had signed the union card and faced pressure to renounce their support. She said she has seen workers who once supported the unionization effort now protest against it.

"It bothers me, but at the same time, it gives me a bit more strength, because I am fighting for something fair, something fair for everyone," she said.

The union filed a charge against Wonderful Nurseries, alleging the company required workers to attend a captive audience meeting to urge employees to reject UFW representation. Wonderful Nurseries maintains it provided interested employees with factual information about the process and their rights.

Calvo confirmed to The Times he is working for the company but declined to answer questions about his role.

Read more: California fast-food workers form an unusual union in a bid for higher wages, better working conditions

The ALRB acknowledged receiving worker declarations on March 1 and called the allegations serious in nature. Three days later, the regional director of the labor board moved forward to certify the union's petition, determining the UFW had submitted 327 valid authorization cards from a bargaining unit of 640, establishing majority support.

The dispute crystallized last week when about 100 Wonderful Nurseries workers left work and traveled 60 miles north to the labor boards Visalia office. They sported the orange safety vests theyre required to wear at work and carried signs reading, We dont want a union! Listen to our voices. Dont ignore us.

While the company and two participants who spoke with The Times were adamant the demonstration was worker-led, the UFW has filed a charge with the board alleging that Wonderful Nurseries coerced workers into attending.

Last week, in yet another escalation, a Central Valley law firm that frequently represents the UFW filed charges with the state Civil Rights Department on behalf of seven workers, including Silva de Rodriguez, alleging that Wonderful Nurseries doesnt provide sexual harassment training, resulting in a hostile work environment.

Wonderful fired back, dismissing the charges as "bogus claims." In a statement, company President Rob Yraceburu said every manager, including those employed through third parties, is in compliance with all mandatory training, and that the company provided the UFW with its employee handbook, which includes its harassment policy, a week before the charges were filed.

Its getting harder to keep up with the fire hose of lies the UFW is pushing in their effort to divert attention from their fraudulent conduct in a vote decided by just seven votes, but where more than 150 farmworkers say they were misled," Yraceburu said.

Wonderful has appealed the UFW certification. The state labor board is expected to meet this month to consider the company's objections.

This article is part of The Times equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California's economic divide.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A woman washes pots amid the rubble in Rafah in southern Gaza on Friday. President Biden's phone message to Netanyahu: Israel must take "specific, concrete and measurable steps" to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. (Mohammed Abed / AFP via Getty Images)

Its a shame upon shame that it took the deaths of six foreigners in Gaza, humanitarian workers for the U.S.-based World Central Kitchen, to finally, maybe, shake President Biden to reconsider his acquiescence  his complicity  in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus apocalyptic war there.

By the time the convoy from chef Jose Andres organization was annihilated by an Israeli drone strike Monday  killing three Brits, a Pole, an Australian and a Canadian American, along with a Palestinian driver  nearly 33,000 Gazans were dead after six months of Israels pummeling, two-thirds of them women and children. More than a million more Gazans, half the strips population, have been displaced. Most of those refugees have targets on their backs, crowded as they are around Rafah, Gazas southernmost city, which Netanyahu says is next in his sights despite Bidens talk of red lines.

There are two more casualties of Netanyahus war. The first is the global goodwill toward Israel in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists from Gaza savagely murdered 1,200 Israelis and took more than 240 hostages, many of whom remain in Hamas hands. And the second: the international standing of the United States, given Bidens seemingly unquestioning support to date of Israels right-wing government.

That support is no longer unquestioned, at least. Not since Bidens reportedly tense call with Netanyahu on Thursday in which were told the president demanded that Israel take specific, concrete and measurable steps to alleviate civilian suffering and deaths in Gaza. U.S. policy hinges on Israels response, Biden told the prime minister. Also, Israel must agree soon to another hostage exchange with Hamas. For the first time, Biden called for an immediate cease-fire.

Still, so far Bidens words remain just that, words  which the self-regarding Netanyahu will likely dismiss to survive atop his extremist coalition.

Read more: Grief and anger as workers with Jose Andres aid kitchen killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

For months Bibi has snubbed Bidens admonitions to show restraint, to negotiate a hostage swap, to avoid a major assault on Rafah and to stop inhibiting the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which now faces famine and the collapse of medical care. But Netanyahu has paid no price for thumbing his nose at the nation thats been Israels main defender, financial backer and arms supplier for a half-century. Quite the opposite.

On the same day as the World Central Kitchen bloodbath, Bidens State Department reportedly authorized the transfer to Israel of thousands more bombs that Congress had approved long before the war against Hamas. The administration is now pressing Congress to approve the sale of F-15 fighter jets. The weaponry wouldnt arrive in Israel for years, but that prospect means Netanyahu can wage war now knowing more materiel is in the pipeline.

When the U.S. sells Israel weapons, it does so without conditions; it is the only U.S. ally to get such a deal, and Biden could modify that immediately.

Read more: Israel's religious right has a clear plan for Gaza: 'We are occupying, deporting and settling'

Only a day before Biden's phone call with Netanyahu, national security spokesperson John F. Kirby told reporters the administration was planning no change in its support of Israel. But afterward, Kirby and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken publicly echoed Bidens new message. As Blinken put it, "If we don't see the changes that we need to see, therell be changes in our own policy."

Were left to wait and see. Martin Indyk, a former Middle East envoy and U.S. ambassador to Israel, predicted we wont wait long. If Netanyahu doesnt soon make some dramatic moves, he said, Biden will be required by his own rhetoric to take sanctions.

Note that Indyk said dramatic moves. That doesn't describe Israel's initial steps. On Friday, Netanyahus war Cabinet agreed to temporarily open a single new crossing for aid into northern Gaza and to use an Israeli port, Ashdod, to receive assistance. And the Israeli Defense Forces dismissed two officers for the attack on the aid convoy.

Read more: California city council meetings stir up heated debate over calls for Gaza cease-fire

Biden, who fully two months ago said Israels military response to Oct. 7 was over the top, should not accept Band-Aid measures as compliance. As Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security advisor, wrote, Bibi obviously doesnt care what the U.S. says, its about what the U.S. does.

After a half-century at the center of U.S. foreign policy debates, Biden is steeped in this nation's tradition of bipartisan, unwavering support for Israel, even though hes experienced firsthand Netanyahus proclivity for driving a wedge between our two political parties and humiliating American presidents, especially Democrats.

President Clinton famously groused after being lectured by Netanyahu, Who the f does he think he is? Whos the f superpower here? In 2015, Netanyahu brazenly addressed Congress at House Republicans invitation to oppose Obamas multinational nuclear agreement with Iran. And five years earlier, Biden was Netanyahus victim, when Israel authorized new settlements in the West Bank, in violation of U.S. and international policy, just as the then-vice president arrived in Israel for an official visit.

Its an open secret that Netanyahu would like his fellow right-wing narcissist Donald Trump to return to power; he justifiably assumes Trump would give him carte blanche in Gaza. To that end, Netanyahu welcomes the erosion of Bidens support among Arab Americans and young voters because of the presidents backing for Israel.

Biden knows this, yet his support for Israel overrides his domestic political calculations. He also knows, however, that Netanyahus policies are not in Israels best interests, or the United States. He can take actions without waiting for Netanyahu's responses. Such as shelving for now the pending arms transfer and jet sales, or at a minimum, putting strict conditions on their use, as some senators have begun seeking. And getting Netanyahu's assurance that Rafah won't be razed and refugees there displaced yet again.

On Friday, Blinken said the real test is results in increased aid to Gaza. Thats essential but insufficient. If thats all Thursdays call accomplishes, its not enough.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Republican lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs have begun negotiations on the states budget, but a deficit and partisan infighting could complicate plans to have it done by next month like GOP leaders are hoping.

Arizonas budget is currently facing an estimated $1.7 billion deficit, due in part to a drop in tax collections. Chief among the drivers of the sagging revenue are individual income tax collections, which were far less than expected following the states implementation of a flat tax rate in 2023. And the expansion of the universal Empowerment Scholarship Account school voucher program has cost more than expected, and continues to exceed budget estimates.

The current years budget estimates the private school voucher programs cost at $625 million with a total enrollment of 68,380 students, but revised estimates place this years cost at around $723.5 million with an enrollment of more than 74,000.

I can confirm that budget conversations have started, but will decline to comment on details or timeline for the negotiations, Christian Slater, the spokesman for Hobbs, said in an email to the Arizona Mirror.

Republican legislative leaders this week expressed optimism about the negotiations, saying in a press release that they are anticipating finalizing a budget by the end of April. Last year, the state passed its budget in May, after weeks of negotiations between Republicans and Hobbs focusing on how to spend the roughly $2.5 billion surplus. A key strategy to getting a deal done last year was to divvy up the surplus among lawmakers and allow them to allocate the money to one-time projects.

But with the state operating at a deficit this year, many of the expenditures made in last years budget could wind up on the chopping block as lawmakers and the executive branch try to balance the states books.

Earlier this year, Hobbs released her proposed $16 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year that aimed to solve the deficit with a variety of proposals that Republicans said would be dead on arrival, especially calls to dramatically scale back the ESA voucher program.

The dynamics this year, with a deficit, are fundamentally different from last year, said GOP consultant Chuck Coughlin.

They just hit what they thought was the easy button last time, he told the Mirror. That is not going to happen this time.

But Prescott Senator Ken Bennett doesnt anticipate any clawbacks on those projects included in last years budget to get buy-in from conservative lawmakers. He said that doing so would be unfair because it would pick and choose which projects will come to fruition.

I think that, in retrospect, we probably shouldnt have put all $2.5 billion in on-hand dollars on the table for everyone to divy up and spend, Bennett said to the Mirror.

The bipartisan budget from last session was derided by some Democratic lawmakers who felt it didnt do enough for Democratic priorities. Some also decried the use of one-time monies for pet projects. Hobbs proposed budget for this year clawed back some of those projects, but Bennett said he believes that wont ultimately happen.

I dont think we will see so much clawbacking as much as delaying into the next fiscal year, Bennett said, adding that it will be more about cash flow management than cuts.

Bennett, who was Senate president from 2003 to 2007, has seen his fair share of tough budget talks as the state dealt with a divided government and economic uncertainty. The first budget he helped negotiate meant striking a deal with Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano to cut $120 million, which Bennett said was no small task.

Any agreements on tough budget situations is not a function of time, it is a function of cooperation, Bennett said, adding that he believes that even a tough budget can be negotiated fairly and fairly quickly.

Coughlin is not as optimistic.

Republicans are known for cutting things, so Im sure they will come to the table with cuts, Coughlin said, adding that those cuts will likely be to state agencies or fall within the governors policy priorities and will likely create further tension. Theyll come with cuts and shell come with clawbacks. Let the negotiations begin.

Coughlin also pointed to the Republican legislatures partisan makeup, in particular the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, whose members could act as a thorn in the side of negotiations or even approval of the budget.

That creates substantial problems, not just for (Hobbs) but for (House Speaker Ben Toma), because Tomas got to manage his caucus, Coughlin said.

The Arizona Freedom Caucus has at times butted heads with Republican leadership. Last session, during a contentious late night vote on the state budget, Toma and Freedom Caucus leader Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, butted heads.

Coughlin also said he does not believe that the projections by Republican leadership of finalizing a budget this month will likely come to fruition.

Theyre thinking theyre going to go in and propose a Republican budget and she is just going to have to swallow that, and I dont think she is, he said.

However, Coughlin said he doesnt anticipate any big policy wins for Hobbs, as he anticipates she is waiting to see what will change in the legislature come November of this year. In both chambers, Republicans only hold a one-seat majority.

The dice are going to get rolled in 24, and youre going to get a whole new cast of characters, Coughlin said. If Im Hobbs, I just try to get through this year.

Requests for comment to both Democratic and Republican leadership in the House and Senate went unreturned.

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When Candace Owens, the far-right political commentator, parted ways with conservative media company the Daily Wire in late March, the news unleashed something strange on the internet. Factions emerged to yell at each other about theology, censorship, and bigotry. Extremists chatted with establishment right-wingers in audio chatrooms on social media. Content creators wrote blog posts and produced YouTube videos with their take on one particular phrase: Christ Is King.

That phrase gripped the right for days, leaving movement leaders struggling with layers of infighting that proved difficult to parse for all but the most egregiously online people. It was also, for those tracking the rights strange coalition-building, a warning sign: The establishment conservatives pragmatic alliance with hateful white supremacist groups may finally be breaking under the awkwardness of having avowed antisemites in a pro-Israel movement.

There is no way to explain to a normal person whats happening on conservative Twitter right now, conservative Christian podcaster and writer Allie Beth Stuckey posted on X on March 25.

Christopher Rufo, the political strategist behind the anticritical race theory movement, agreed. Its getting insane, he wrote in a response to Stuckeys post. We have a problem on the Right.

Owens relationship with the Daily Wire had been rapidly deteriorating for a while, over antisemitism generally and the war in Gaza. Owens, who began hosting a talk show with the Daily Wire in 2021, has never displayed sensitivity on the matter of antisemitism: Back in 2022, she defended Kanye West even as he posted that he would go death con 3 on Jewish People.

But in November, after the war began in Gaza, her critical views on Israel became a problem for her colleagues. She highlighted the death of Christians in one Israeli airstrike. In one post, she wrote, There is no justification for a genocide. I cant believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state. (She is not the only far-right figure accusing Israel of pursuing a genocide; Infowars host Alex Jones has done the same. In his case, he vocalized a fear of Palestinian refugees coming to the U.S.)

Ben Shapiro, the co-founder of the Daily Wire, is Jewish and adamantly pro-Israel. In a Nov. 14 video responding to Owens comments, Shapiro said, Her behavior during this has been disgraceful. That interaction kicked off quite a feud.

Owens responded the same day by posting, cryptically, No one can serve two masters.  You cannot serve both God and money.

Shapiro responded: Candace, if you feel that taking money from The Daily Wire somehow comes between you and God, by all means quit.

Owens then called Shapiro unprofessional and emotionally unhinged, adding, You cross a certain line when you come for scripture and read yourself into it. Some thought the exchange smacked of antisemitism: that Owens was implying that Shapiros Jewishness made him serve money or that, as a Jew, he had no right to speak to her faith. The conflict soon escalated after Owens added a comment under her first post in the exchange: Christ is King.

The phrase Christ Is King has a very particular and ugly recent history. In January, the avowed white nationalist Nick Fuentes, leader of the Groyper movement of far-right, antisemitic provocateurs, gave a speech to his supporters about getting rid of Jewish power in America. When he proclaimed, We are here to say that America is not a Jewish nation; America is a Christian nation, he was met with chants of Christ Is King.

It wasnt the only time. The Groypers chanted the same phrase at the Million MAGA March in Washington in November 2020, for example. There is no question that for the group, Christ Is King is meant as an aggressive trolling of Jews, not a mild profession of faith. Fuentes has said that the phrase is the spiritual and moral foundation of his America First movementan explicitly antisemitic campaign. And in the months that followed Owens exchange with Shapiro, right-wing users on X took to posting the phrase as a reply to Jewish accounts, usually with an aggressively bigoted subtext.

Last month, Owens antisemitic comments grew more explicit. She claimed that there was a sinister ring of Jews in Hollywood. In an online feud with a famous rabbi, she liked a post on X asking if he was drunk on Christian blood again.

Fuentes was delighted. Candace Owens has just been on a tear lately, he said on his March 19 show. She has been in a full-fledged war against the Jews, and specifically some of these Zionist rabbis. And Ive been watching her evolution. Its been remarkable to witness.

On March 22, Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing posted an update on X: Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship. (Owens posted on X that she doesnt know Fuentes.)

During the weekend that followedthat of Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week in ChristianityChrist Is King trended on the platform, in part because of the holiday, and in part because of Fuentes gleefully pushing his followers to spam the site with a coded antisemitic rallying cry.

This was met with protest by some notable figures on the mainstream right, including several prominent conservative Christian podcast hosts; the CEO and managing editor of the conservative satire site the Babylon Bee; and Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, in addition to a number of people associated with the Daily Wire.

Several of these posts in turn were received with vitriol and mockery from antisemitic X users. In some casesFuentes was likely pleased to see thisthe critical posts were met with a backlash by people who either missed the context or were feigning ignorance. Other users, meanwhile, said they believed that people on the right should always assume that Christ Is King is said in good faith and that, regardless, speech should never be policed. Still others responded to the chaos by adding their own Christ Is King posts to the mix, as a stand against wokeism suppressing religious speech.

Taken together, it was often impossible to tell apart the ostentatiously pious from the confused, the trolls, or the hateful white nationalists.

And Fuentes people seemed to rise in legitimacy by their participation in the discourse. In a conversation on Twitter/X Spaces about the phrase hosted by a Turning Point USA contributor and show host for the Blaze, Boreing ended up in conversation with a group of notable right-wingers that included anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomerand Fuentes, who also took the opportunity to spew antisemitic nonsense. Some observers were shocked to hear Boreingagain, the CEO of the Daily Wire, a company that is so influential it has its own film studio and, now, streaming networktell Fuentes he wouldnt be opposed to debating him on a Daily Wire platform. I listen to your show quite often, Boreing said. I think youre one of the most talented people out there, and Im very concerned about some of the things that youre saying. On that same call, Fuentes praised Hitler as a statesman and complained that Jews run our society.

To Ben Lorber, a senior researcher at Political Research Associates, a think tank that monitors right-wing movements, this was a remarkable moment in showing just how far the window of acceptable discourse has shifted among establishment right-wingers. Turning Point USAs Charlie Kirk has discussed Jewish dollars funding cultural Marxism; Elon Musk has amplified a conspiracy theory claiming that Jewish people are promoting hatred against whites and bringing hordes of minorities into Western nations.

All these things were the stuff of 4chan a few years ago, Lorber said. Suddenly, its acceptable to think Jews shouldnt have leadership positions in America.

In another way though, the argument was literally an ancient one. The confusion echoed some of the oldest and ugliest sectarian conflicts in the Western world. Even as the news cycle itself amounted to a triumph for Fuentes and his trolls, the group succeeded by raising a question among Christian nationalists: If your animosity toward another religion and its adherents is based in your own religious beliefs, why is expressing that animosity not considered legitimate speechespecially when your political party claims to stand for religious freedom?

Undoubtedly, some of the backlash to Owens firing came from people who were purely hateful and gleeful at sowing chaosedgelords with a taste for offense. But the religious core of some of the backlash was visible in the response the Daily Wires Andrew Klavan received after he spoke up against harassing Jewish accounts with Christ Is King: When you use that phrase to mean God has abandoned his chosen people, the Jews, through whom he came into this world incarnate  you are quoting Scripture like Satan does in the Bible, he said. You are quoting Scripture to your purposes, and that to me is specifically wicked.

Andrew Torba, the CEO of the right-wing social network Gaba platform that welcomes open bigotry, slurs, and hate speechand self-proclaimed Christian nationalist, responded in his newsletter: First of all the Bible is very clear: Gods Chosen People are Christians, not unbelieving Christ-rejecting Jews. He, like many other participants in the conversation, was incensed that he was being told by his own allies not to publicly proclaim such beliefs. New sins are being fabricated from thin air not by the Christless pagans on the left, but by those who claim to be Christians on the conservative right.

Conservative Christians overwhelmingly support Israel, in part because of their fondness for the peoples of the Hebrew Bible. A smaller subset of evangelical Christians support Israel because they see it as necessary (along with the conversion of Jews) to pave the way for the Second Coming. Theres no simple unified stance within Christianity toward Jews and Israel. But there is one common stance, held by a large portion of churches, including the religions single largest denomination: the Catholic Church. The church is aware of the centuries of persecution against Jews that it fostered and the remaining modern-day dangers of antisemitic dogmas, and it officially rejects supersessionismthe theology Torba is promoting, which argues that Christians have replaced Jews as Gods chosen people.

Its dismissed at least in theory by most Christian traditions for being antisemitic, Zack Hunt, a Christian nonfiction writer and the author of Unraptured: How End Times Theology Gets It Wrong, wrote in an email. But in practice, at least among laity, but also many pastors, especially in fundamentalist and evangelical circles, theres an unspoken understanding that its basically true.

So, if you spent any time on right-wing social media during this debate, you saw a portion of those in the conservative movement arguing over not just whether they are allowed to say edgy things but whether they are allowed to openly profess that they, as Christians, view Jews as inferior at best and culpable in their saviors murder at worst. For leading Jewish conservatives, such as Shapiro, it must have been pretty unpleasant. But people who believe this are the bedfellows that people like Shapiro have chosen to make.

Now mainstream conservatives are forced to debate Is it OK that Jews dont believe in Jesus? Lorber, the researcher of right-wing movements, said. Is it OK to have Jews in your movement if its a Christian nationalist movement? Whats the place for people like Ben Shapiro?

So, while the war in Gaza naturally brought out conflicts between isolationists and Israel-supporting conservatives, it also revealedwith the help of internet trolls eager to erode religious pluralism on the rightthe fragility of the working relationship between extreme right-wing Christians and conservative Jews in their coalition.

A week later, the heat has died down. Conservative Christians were able to unite over a less dicey stance: condemning the Biden administration for celebrating National Transgender Day of Visibility, which this year fell on Easter Sunday. But the rift over Jews on the right was, for a week at least, exposedand it remains a raw subject. For the trolls who managed to occupy space alongside leading members of the right, it was a major victory.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  An arson attack on an Oklahoma City Salvation Army truck filled with basic necessities and bare bones donations bins has the self-funded organization worried what this could mean moving forward.

Oklahoma City Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Administrator, Aide McFarland told KFOR donation bins are typically filled to the brim everyday.

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Currently, we are running considerably low on these donations, she said. Today and several other days our bins are completely empty. We have nothing to process today. There is nothing we can sell.

The OKC Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center can serve up to 81 men/day. The program for rehabilitation is six months long.

They are able to come in here and receive services for little to no cost. They are welcomed by our staff with care and compassion. They receive clothing, food, lodging, counseling services, and spiritual counseling. They also are part of community programs where they go out themselves and do community service. We teach them how to live sober, how to gain independence again, how to have a sense of dignity and just self-worth, said McFarland.

Men, like Charles Ligon say this program saved their life.

Its changed my life forever. Its an experience that I cant really explain fully. It was a place I needed at that time in my life. Its changed my life forever and my sons life, everybody involved with me, said Ligon.

Now, Ligon serves his community by working at the OKC Salvation Army.

I think that Gods put a calling on my life for service and I believe that Im in the right spot for this season in my life. Hopefully Im doing all the right things and it feels like I am because a lot of good things are happening, added Ligon.

The rehabilitation program Ligon went through is 100% funded through clothing and furniture donations the OKC Salvation Army is able to resell at family thrift stores.

However, with a lack of donations, McFarland said theres a fear of shutting the program down.

When you have empty bins like these, how are you able to continue the funding in helping these men?, asked News 4 Reporter, Kaylee Olivas.

We cant. If we continue to have empty bins, we cannot continue to fund it. We dont have funding from the outside. We dont receive any government funding or the United Way funding. We dont receive any other funding. This is Oklahomans helping Oklahomans. This is the community saying with my clothes, with my shoes, with my old bedroom, that I am helping my neighbor, explained McFarland. Without your help, we cant continue.

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She believes the primary reason for the lack in donations is awareness since the Salvation Army doesnt pay for marketing or advertising.

In November, a man set one of the organizations trucks carrying backup donations on fire. The OKC Salvation Army says its still trying to recover from that.

Someones trash or discards is our treasure so that we can continue helping this community, said McFarland.

Ligon added the power of God will get them through this hardship. He and McFarland are pleading with Oklahomans for donations though.

OKC Salvation Army thrift store locations can be found at 1472 W. Lindsey Street in Norman and 2217 W. Edmond Road in Edmond.

To find donation drop off locations, visit the Salvation Armys website.

You can also call 1-800-SA-TRUCK to schedule a free donation pick up.

They dont even have to be home for us to come and get their stuff. They can just leave them at the front door. We will pick it up. They just call us, set it up. It doesnt matter if its just one bag, one little Walmart sack full of their stuff. We will come and get it. We want their things, said McFarland. We do make house calls.

If you or someone you know is in need of rehabilitation services, the OKC Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center is located at 2041 NW 7th Street.

If you are looking to get sober today, were ready, said McFarland.

The First Baptist Church will be hosting a clothes drive on behalf of the OKC Salvation Army Sunday, April 7 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The address is 301 NE 27th Street in Moore.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Three days after a 64-year-old Ave Maria cyclist was fatally struck and the driver fled the Collier County crash, authorities announced they impounded the suspected pickup in Hendry County.

After a deadly weekend on Manatee and Sarasota County roads that left at least four dead and three people injured, law enforcement officials are urging drivers to be vigilant.

Between March 22 and March 25, there were at least four traffic-related crashes in Manatee and Sarasota counties with multiple fatalities and injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crashes, three in Manatee County and one in Sarasota County, appeared to be a part of a trend of fatal traffic crashes in the region during the four days.

Troopers were also investigating two separate hit-and-runs in Collier and Highlands counties that killed two bicyclists. Media reports indicate there were three other vehicle crashes in Pasco, Polk and Hillsborough counties during the same weekend that led to more deaths, including a hit-and-run incident that killed an Alabama man visiting family.

"In all honesty, we have crashes all the time, it's just this weekend we had crashes that rose to the level of individuals losing their life," FHP Trooper Lt. Greg Bueno said.

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Bueno said it's possible that the number of crashes could be because of the influx of visitors in the area, including spring break and peak tourist season.

One local defense attorney thinks the increase could be because of a shortage of troopers on Florida state roads and interstates, spreading troops thin as they react to crashes rather than proactive measures. It's also possible a lack of attentiveness from drivers behind the wheel could be a factor.

Despite the weekend spike, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle's crash dashboard indicates that the number of total crashes in Florida has been on a slight decline since 2018.

Yet, roadway fatalities are on the rise. In 2018, there were about 2,917 fatal crashes across the state. In 2023, fatal crashes rose to 3,189.

In 2023, the recorded number of total crashes in Sarasota County was 6,820 with 58 fatalities and 4,026 injuries. The year before that, Sarasota County had 7,067 crashes with the same number of fatalities and slightly more injuries.

Manatee County had 6,414 crashes with 72 fatalities and 4,611 injuries in 2023 and 6,386 crashes with 69 fatalities and 5,095 injuries the year prior.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office had deputies assist with one of the fatal car crashes on March 24 when a single pickup truck overcorrected and hit a guardrail before ejecting both occupants, killing a Sarasota man and injuring the 49-year-old driver.

SCSO spokesperson Dana Judge said in an emailed response to the Herald-Tribune that the Sheriff's Office can't comment about the possible "spike" of crashes that occurred recently as they don't have the data yet.

"There are certainly a lot of vehicles on our roadways this time of year with peak tourist season, so that could potentially be connected," Judge said in the email. "Still, without the data, we cannot say anything for sure."

What we know about the crashes in Manatee, Sarasota counties

Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to a crash scene on Fruitville Road at Springbrook Farm Road in Sarasota County on March 24, according to a SCSO news release.

The crash occurred around 7:20 p.m. when a pickup truck, driving east on Fruitville Road, drove off the roadway and overcorrected to the left. The truck drove back across the roadway, colliding with the guardrail before overturning onto the north shoulder, according to an FHP release.

Both the driver, a 49-year-old Myakka woman, and the passenger, a 53-year-old Sarasota man, were ejected from the truck due to not wearing seatbelts. The 53-year-old man was transported to an area hospital where he died due to critical injuries, according to the news release.

Earlier morning on March 24 at around 1:52 a.m., troopers were called to a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 that left one man dead, and a 23-year-old woman critically injured after a 32-year-old man from Wimauma drove the wrong way on the Interstate.

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Around 12:35 a.m., troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash in Palmetto after a sport utility vehicle collided with a utility pole near I-75 after the truck didn't quite make a curve. The driver, whose identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Troopers are also investigating a hit-and-run in Manatee County that occurred at night on March 22 on State Road 70 near Caruso Road that killed a 28-year-old bicyclist who was crossing within the pedestrian crosswalk and was thrown from his bike due to the impact.

After the collision, the driver of the red sedan fled the scene, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. The bicyclist sustained serious injuries and was transported to Blake Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

On March 24, the FHP Traffic Homicide Division said it had located and impounded the suspected hit-and-run car from a home in Manatee County. No further details have been released.

Why have there been so many crashes and how can they be prevented

One local defense attorney, who has been practicing in the area for 20 years, raised concerns about road safety due to law enforcement being thinly stretched across the state from having troopers reassigned to different areas within and outside of Florida.

David Haenel, an attorney at The Law Place, said that if law enforcement is stretched thin, there's no proactive enforcement but more reactive measures. He added that troopers are being pulled in a million different directions trying to keep roadways safe.

"What you have is a rise in population since COVID, you have more people moving here, and you have less ability for proactive enforcement because you have fewer troopers available, so this is the effect that we're seeing at least in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, which is Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto counties," Haenel said.

A possible shortage of troopers within Florida wouldn't be a new issue, but one that has plagued the agency for almost two decades, according to previous reporting.

In 2008, a Herald-Tribune article focused on one lawmaker raising concerns about FHP staffing levels following a chain-reaction pileup on Interstate 4 in Polk County that claimed the lives of four people and injured 38 and indicated the agency was dealing with staffing shortages 16 years ago.

The story reported that the number of FHP officers in January 2008  1,600, with 150 positions vacant  was roughly the same as a decade ago, when the state had 1,740 troopers.

Currently, FHP is authorized for 1,982 sworn positions and 514 non-sworn positions, according to Bueno. However, it's not clear how many of those positions are currently vacant, and a records request for the information from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has not yet been returned as of Wednesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has committed to sending more Florida law enforcement to Texas to help with the fight against illegal immigration.

At a press conference outside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement office in Pensacola in February, DeSantis announced he was sending 76 FHP troopers and 50 additional members of the Florida National Guard to Texas.

Florida has already deployed over 100 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle troopers to the border, along with 200 Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, more than 700 guardsmen, and 20 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, according to reporting by the Pensacola News Journal.

Haenel said that despite the governor's efforts with raises and bonuses over the last few years to help with recruiting troopers to Florida, it's not been enough to retain them in the agency.

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"Then they jump ship," Haenel said. "So, you have individuals that really wanted to do traffic enforcement, and the next thing you know, they say, 'I can get a raise of 20K if I jump ship and go to a local Sheriff's Department.'"

While Bueno couldn't comment about whether there is a shortage of troopers in the state, he said that when troopers aren't responding to traffic crashes, they're going out to proactively enforce Florida traffic law.

"That's our duty and what we took a sworn oath to do," Bueno said.

Bueno emphasized that road safety also comes down to the individuals who get behind the wheel.

"What it all comes to is, again, a reminder to all motorists to be responsible behind the wheel, be well rested, sober, distracted-free and abiding by all traffic laws because we have pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycles all sharing the same roadways, along with 22 million of our other Floridians and millions of visitors from out of state," Bueno said. "So, at the end of the day, we all have to be responsible and on our best behavior and making good choices 100% of the time, anytime driving a vehicle."

Other local agencies also play a part in helping to address road safety, including the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota Police Department.

SCSO spokesperson Judge said that the department's traffic unit does periodic enforcement projects focused on areas where they have received complaints. She added that SCSO continues to work on several grant-funded projects that allow for extra enforcement within the county, including initiatives focused on construction zones, interstate speeding and aggressive driving.

Bueno said that at the end of the day, law enforcement needs the public's help in keeping Florida roadways safe. This includes having dinner conversations with young drivers about driving safely and holding family members and friends accountable, especially if you're a passenger in the car and notice them texting and driving.

"State troopers can't be everywhere, and, you know, it comes down to, we have a large volume of traffic traveling on all our roads every day," Bueno said. "And we have to take driving seriously ... we want to do everything in our power to mitigate as much as possible."

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 X: @GabrielaSzyman3.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Deadly weekend on Florida roads leads FHP to caution drivers
Mary Shelley was painfully young, a teenager in fact, when she published Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, and she was able to transfer all her contradictions and questions to the monster and his tale, all her essential needs and her feelings of marginalization and inadequacy. The reflection comes from Guillermo del Toro, from his book Cabinet of Curiosities. I was overcome by the Miltonian sense of abandonment, the absolute terror of an absurd life. Tragedy did not depend on evil. That is the supreme pain of the novel: tragedy does not need a villain, the tome reads.

The Mexican director not only knows what he is talking about, as an international expert in fantastic and horror literature and cinemathe so-called fantaterrorbut at the age of eight he was already compulsively drawing Frankensteins creature from James Whales film version. Now, at long last, he is fulfilling his childhood dream: he is in Toronto filming his own vision of the myth for Netflix. He is not the only participant in this resurrection, which has experienced a boom in film and in comics in recent years. Some of these approaches change the sex of the creator or the creature to broaden perspectives and address new themes, such as bad mother syndrome or the impossible search for the perfect man.

Emma Stone in 'Poor Creatures.'

After several years of vampires reigning supreme (that will continue; right now, a version of Nosferatu is being shot with stars), Frankenstein seems to be the trendy creature of the moment because of the ability to tell many things through it: Yorgos Lanthimoss Poor Creatures discusses feminism; the Turkish series Creature (released on Netflix) takes on religion. Del Toro is shooting his Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac plays the doctor; Jacob Elordi, of Priscilla and Saltburn, stars as the creature); Penelope Cruz is part of the cast that is about to start filming Maggie Gyllenhaals The Bride, which reimagines Whales second Frankenstein film the one about finding a mate  and stars Christian Bale as the monster in 1930s Chicago, where the resurrected (Jessie Buckley) is a murdered young woman; a Sherlock Holmes vs. Frankenstein movie has already been completed; and last February saw the release of Lisa Frankenstein, directed by Zelda Williams (daughter of Robin Williams) and written by Diablo Cody. Last year, more indie titles drawing on Shelleys work premiered: Laura Mosss Birth/Rebirth, and Bomani J. Storys The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.

A page from Sandra Hernandez's comic book 'Frankenstein.'

In her comic book Frankenstein (published last year by Bang Ediciones), Sandra Hernandez turns Frankenstein into a young medical student fascinated by the universes secrets. After various experiments, she brings to life a composite of different parts of dissected corpses. The result is horrifying, the student flees the laboratory and, rejected by his creator and by humanity, hatred rots the creature. When promoting her work, Hernandez noted: My version raises the issue of excessive ambition and how the fact of not bearing the consequences of our actions opens a kind of black hole in the soul. It also speaks to the rejection of the son by the mother, which transforms the victims into victimizers. And she observed: How is it possible that such a distorted and poor idea of this novel has reached us through films? I decided to change the protagonists sex because the metaphor of rejected motherhood was already served, and that is a question that adds even more horror to the story for what is supposedly unnatural and aberrant in something so human that is, bad mothers, which was already present in the novel Mary Shelley wrote at 18 years old.

Kathryn Newton, as the creator, and Cole Sprouse, as the creature, in 'Lisa Frankenstein.'

Whale, who created the first great Hollywood version in 1931, is responsible for the prevailing image of the creature, turned into a monster. After hiring Boris Karloff to play him, he sat at his worktable, as he described in interviews at the time: I made drawings of his [Karloffs] head, added sharp, bony ridges where I imagined the skull might have been joined. From those pencil sketches, makeup artist Jack Pierce sculpted the stout forehead and the scars and screws that have been intimately linked to the character ever since.

Boris Karloff on the set of 'Frankenstein.'

The new approaches have moved away from that movie character, from a creature that in the novel speaks and philosophizes. Santiago Lucendo, professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the UCM and author of Frankenpolitics: Mary Shelleys Monster as a Metaphor for Uncontrolled Power, explains: In that text I spoke of Frankenstein as a symbol of emancipation. However, every time you delve into the book you find more readings. It is a well that never runs dry. The feminist element was already in the original, but on the 200th anniversary of the publication, in 2018, there were multiple approaches such as Jeanette Wintersons Frankisstein: A Love Story [in which she even talks about transsexuality], and Elia Barcelo's more youthful El efecto Frankenstein [The Frankenstein Effect].

Jessie Buckley and Maggie Gyllenhaal, on the red carpet at the Oscars in March 2022, for 'The Dark Daughter.' They are now working together again on 'The Bride.' Eric Gaillard

Lucendo is attracted to another part of the novel that didnt make it into Whales version, The creatures learning and exploration. Hollywood took it out of that adaptation, as if it were taking the brains out of the novel. Instead, it is in Poor Creatures, both in the development of intelligence and its marvelous ingenuity. Its just that hes the first monster to speak, and all this time, in his [various] versions, hes been silenced. I believe in empathizing with the creature, as Del Toro did in The Shape of Water.

A Vibe

In the Los Angeles Times, Diablo Cody explains, Having worked in this industry for 20 years, I do believe there is a collective creative consciousness because Ive seen this happen so many times where suddenly a bunch of similar projects will surface. None of it was ever intentional, but theres a vibe. Her Lisa Frankenstein is structured as a 1980s horror comedy in which a lonely teenager, Lisa, encounters the reanimated corpse of a desirable 19th century beau, with whom Lisa had become obsessed in her hometown cemetery.

Guillermo del Toro, in the living room of his house with his Frankenstein collection.

In Birth/Rebirth, an anti-social funeral home worker, obsessed with bringing the dead she receives back to life, steals the corpse of a young girl only to have the babys mother, a nurse, join her in raising the undead. And in The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, the protagonist is a teenage girl who, frustrated by the violence in her community, resurrects her murdered brother. The director, Bomani J. Story, calls Shelley a queen in the Los Angeles Times, and explains that for his protagonist, whom her neighbors describe as a mad scientist, he drew inspiration from Shelley herself, his own sisters, and African American activists like Angela Davis and Tamika Mallory. In Poor Creatures, the creator (played by Willem Dafoe) is named Godwin, Shelleys maiden name. That films screenwriter, Tony McNamara, said before the Oscars that the Frankenstein element was the premise we knew we would preserve from Alasdair Grays book on which the film is based, although both he and Lanthimos were careful to not get caught in the weeds.

An image of the resurrection in 'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.'

All these directors are drawing on a legendary writer, Lucendo emphasizes: Shelley was the product of both her father and her mother, and she is part of a generation of gothic novel authors who combine that landscape with intellectual depth. At the same time, Shelley is unique; she even created her novel at a very special time, at the age of 18 at Villa Diodati in Switzerland, where she and her husband were visiting Lord Byron in the summer of 1816  the year without a summer  although the work was not published until January 1, 1818. Later editions conservatively retouched it.

The statue of Frankenstein's monster can be seen in Geneva, near where Mary Shelley wrote her work. FABRICE COFFRINI (AFP via Getty Images)

In film, television and theater adaptations have multiplied, some of which are especially brilliant, such as the one on the stage of the Royal National Theatre directed in 2011 by Danny Boyle, in which Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller traded the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his monster every night, a very interesting approach because it affects that double face, Lucendo says. In the end, Shelleys universe is not easily rendered. Those who approach it know it, and Del Toro himself will have to deal with his worst critichimselfbecause at the time he wrote: No adaptationand there are some majestic oneshas managed to capture its full essence.

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The Diocese of Charlotte unveiled plans to build a new cathedral after outgrowing the 85-year-old St. Patrick Cathedral in the Dilworth neighborhood.

Bishop Peter Jugis recently accepted the recommendation from a task force of church and lay leaders for a new cathedral, the Rev. Msgr. Patrick Winslow, local vicar general and chancellor, told The Charlotte Observer. This is a defining moment for the Diocese of Charlotte, Jugis told the Catholic News Herald.

While a location has not been determined yet, it will be in Charlotte. One of the locations being considered is the Diocesan Pastoral Center on South Church Street in uptown, a church official told The Charlotte Observer.

The cost of the project is unknown. But costs for cathedral construction have ranged from $31 million in Knoxville in 2018 to $190 million in Los Angeles in 2002, according to the Charlotte diocese.

After a site is found, construction would not begin until 2030 because of preliminary work needed to be doe before then, including identifying a site, getting an architect and determining the cost of the plan, Charlotte diocese officials said.

St. Patrick is one of the smallest cathedrals in the U.S. with seating for only 350 people  most places in America have between 1,000 and 3,000 spaces for worshipers or visitors.

Theres an overflow of people outside during events, Winslow said. But those are good problems to have and were happy to have them. We just have to meet the challenge, he added.

St. Patrick was built as a parish church in 1939, but it became the cathedral after the diocese was established in 1972. Cathedrals are the mother church and ceremonial seat of a diocese.

Construction for a new cathedral in Charlotte was put off for more than 50 years. We really wanted to focus on the people, the ministry and all the works that we needed to attend to, Winslow said.

Since then, roof and drainage work was completed to repair water damage to ceilings and walls that are aging. Parking and access to the cathedral are other problems for the landlocked site.

Winslow said a new cathedral would be the first cathedral built for the Charlotte diocese. It cant come too soon, he said.

Built in 1939, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte can no longer accommodate significant liturgical celebrations of the growing diocese. Bishop Peter Jugis recently accepted the recommendation of a task force to build a new cathedral to replace St. Patrick Cathedral.

Making plans for the cathedral

Fundraising for the Charlotte cathedral is expected to start in the next few years. The goal is to have a place big enough to hold between 1,000 to 2,000 people, Winslow said.

Out of 193 Catholic cathedrals in the U.S., 15 have been built or expanded in the past several decades. Six were in the South and serve a growing population of Hispanic families coming from the Midwest and Northeast, according to the Charlotte diocese.

The task force was formed more than a year ago to advise Jugis on whether a new cathedral was needed. To emphasize the need, local diocese officials noted that Charlottes cathedral was not much bigger than the one in Juneau, Alaska  which has a total population of just around 32,000 people.

For big events in the Charlotte region, other parishes outside of Charlotte, such as the St. Marks Catholic Church in Huntersville are used since they can hold more than 1,000 people, Winslow said.

The task force said the cathedral should be in the city because its the seat of the diocese, which serves 46 counties and 540,000 people in western North Carolina.

We are looking at all of our current assets, Winslow said. We want to make a wise and smart decision. One that is fiscally responsible and one that would serve the church and larger community.

The current cathedral will continue to function as a parish church, Winslow said. It will also have a proto-cathedral designation for being the first in Charlotte.

St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlottes Dilworth neighborhood is among the smallest cathedrals in the United States. Its going to be replaced.

About the Diocese of Charlotte

The Diocese of Charlotte provides services to followers and the public through 92 parishes and missions, 20 schools and more than 50 ministries.

It seems to be the right moment to recognize as a young diocese, this is the last stone in the foundation that we need to place, Winslow said about the cathedral project. Its our generations responsibility to meet that need.

The previous generations have helped lay the groundwork of becoming a diocese.

Built in 1939, St. Patrick Cathedral is among the smallest cathedrals in the United States and can no longer accommodate significant liturgical celebrations of the growing diocese. Bishop Peter Jugis recently accepted the recommendation of a task force of Church and lay leaders to build a new cathedral to replace St. Patrick Cathedral.

Other significant church buildings in NC

In July 2017, Raleighs new $46 million copper dome cathedral, the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, officially opened.

At the time, it was the first Catholic cathedral to open in the U.S. in decades, the (Raleigh) News & Observer reported at the time. The cathedral can seat up to 2,000 people, replacing a former parish church maintained as a cathedral that sat about 300.

And last spring, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced its first temple in the Charlotte region would go up in Weddington.

The one-story temple will be about 30,000 square feet, and is underway as as membership in the Mormon faith across North Carolina has been on the rise.
(ROCKY FORD, Colo.)  The Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) is investigating after a Rocky Ford home with people inside was heavily damaged by a drive-by shooting on the evening of Wednesday, April 3.

According to the CBI, officers with the Rocky Ford Police Department (RFPD) responded around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday to a home in the 0-100 block of Yucca Drive in Rocky Ford on reports of shots fired. RFPD officers and deputies with the Otero County Sheriffs Office (OCSO) responded, and discovered that people were present in the home when the shooting occured.

The CBI said no one inside the home was injured, however there was extensive property damage, and evidence of the shooting was also found nearby along the road. During a neighborhood canvas, the CBI said a small black SUV or sedan and a white sedan were seen speeding away from the area shortly after.

The CBI said it is unclear if these two cars were involved in the shooting or were simply fleeing the gunfire.

The CBI and RFPD are looking for anyone who may have information or video surveillance that could have captured cars leaving the area. If you believe you can assist with the investigation, you are asked to contact RFPD at (719) 254-3344.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
Charlotte Vietnam vet with PTSD says marijuana helps. Hell buy it at Cherokee dispensary.

Tony feels anxious most of the time.

He doesnt like the dark.

Noise bothers me, he said. I cant sleep.

Tony, a 75-year-old south Charlotte resident, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in the late 1980s, and its symptoms are with him to this day.

The retired U.S. Postal Service carrier from Long Island, N.Y., traces the condition to his service in the Air Force during the Vietnam War in 1970-71.

Over the decades, he argued with his postal bosses when he knew it was better to listen, learn and get along, he told The Charlotte Observer at his home Thursday. That was another sign of his PTSD, he said.

Smoking marijuana was the only remedy he found to calm his nerves, help him sleep and hold down a job as he and his wife raised their two daughters and son, he said.

His doctor agreed, Tony said, and last year signed the form he needed to get a medical cannabis card from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Control Board.

Tony a Vietnam veteran suffers from PTSD and has received a medical cannabis card. He is waiting for the Cherokee dispensary to open.

The card will let him buy product at the tribes cannabis superstore set to open April 20 in the North Carolina mountains. Hes one of more than 500 North Carolina residents who now have one.

He requested the Observer not publish his last name. Hes concerned he could be arrested for smoking a product thats illegal under N.C. law, he said.

Hes already booked a nearby hotel room and plans to walk through the dispensary doors when it opens at 10 that morning.

Called Great Smoky Cannabis Company, the dispensary is in the tribes refurbished old bingo hall at U.S. 19 and Bingo Loop Road, near Harrahs Cherokee Casino Resort. Thats in Cherokee, 46 miles west of Asheville in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The dispensary will open with high-quality tested products, according to a recent news release by Qualla Enterprises LLC, the tribes cannabis subsidiary.

Products on display at the Great Smoky Cannabis Company on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 during an open house.

Products include flower, vape items, edibles and topicals, officials said, and the selection will continue to grow and evolve each month.

The store will be the only place in North Carolina where such sales are legal.

554 N.C. residents have cannabis cards

As of Wednesday, Tony was among 554 North Carolinians who applied for and received medical cannabis cards from the tribes Cannabis Control Board. Only cardholders can buy at the dispensary.

They join 174 enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who also received cards, said Neil Denman, executive director of the board.

No patient cards have been issued to residents outside of the state so far, Denman said.

Several hundred more applications are under review and pending approval once we receive all necessary documentation, Denman said in an email.

The numbers, he said, are definitely lower than were expected, for both tribal members and N.C. residents.

But interest is starting to pick up since Qualla Enterprises, the tribes cannabis subsidiary, recently announced the dispensary opening date, he said.

The cards cost $100 annually for residents of North Carolina and other states and $50 a year for enrolled Cherokee members.

People apply for the cards through the Cannabis Control Board website, https://ebci-ccb.org/.

People need a doctor to sign a form confirming they have any of 18 conditions that the tribe says cannabis can help treat.

Can you take the cannabis back home?

Having a medical cannabis card doesnt entitle North Carolina residents to take what they buy at the dispensary off tribal lands and back to their homes, according to the Cannabis Control Board website.

Thats because cannabis remains illegal under federal and North Carolina law, the website explains.

Having the medical card also doesnt entitle a person to consume medical cannabis in public, according to the board.

Can you smoke the pot while driving on tribal roads?

Best to keep whatever you buy unopened in your trunk, just like with cans and bottles of alcohol, tribal prosecutor Cody White said during a tribal council work session in February.

He met his wife in Vietnam

Tony said he will drive from his and his wifes two-story townhome early on April 20 to the Cherokee dispensary.

Tony served in the Tactical Air Command unit of the Air Force and met his wife while serving in Vietnam. He returned to the country a year after completing his tour of duty to take her to America.

He and his family moved to Charlotte 18 years ago. He said he was tired of the noise in New York.

He chose Charlotte because of how nice a service member from Charlotte was to him while both were at an Air Force base in California, he said.

Tony was young and penniless when he entered the military, he said.

He wanted to buy a car one day, and his fellow serviceman co-signed a loan for him. The serviceman was always so pleasant and helpful, he said.

People in Charlotte are nice, he thought decades later when considering where to move.

He wants smokables with high THC levels

Smoking marijuana has always improved his symptoms, Tony said.

It helps a lot, he said. Im happy. I eat better. I sleep better. I think I do everything better.

At the dispensary, Ill look for smokable products with a lot of THC, he said.

THC is the main mind-altering compound in the marijuana plant.

Prescription medications never helped his symptoms, Tony said.

Decades ago, he said, I turned to marijuana, and its great.
Celebrity chef Jose Andres World Central Kitchen demanded an independent investigation into the Israeli drone strike that killed seven of its staffers  including an American  in Gaza this week, saying Israeli troops cannot be trusted to credibly review their own "failure."

The aid groups call for an outside inquiry came after the Israeli Defense Force announced Friday it had fired two officers and reprimanded other personnel after a preliminary probe found the shocking April 1 massacre was a grave mistake.

The deaths brought worldwide condemnation of Israels conduct in its six-month-old war with Hamas and pushed President Joe Biden on Thursday to issue an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Protect civilians and humanitarians, and allow direly needed aid into Gaza  or face a loss of U.S. military support.

We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues, Andres group said Friday. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters there were no plans for a separate U.S. investigation.

More: Israeli military fires officers for their roles in strikes that killed 7 aid workers

Israel promises new aid routes to starving Gaza

Andres call for an independent probe came as aid groups and governments said that Israeli plans to open new aid routes into Gaza  announced just hours after Biden got tough with Netanyahu  wouldnt be enough to prevent famine in the northern part of the coastal enclave, where the World Central Kitchen team had just unloaded 100 tons of food before they were killed.

It's not enough to prevent starvation in #Gaza, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X (formerly Twitter).

Israel said Thursday it would open its port in the southern city of Ashdod and, roughly 20 miles away, the border crossing between Erez and northern Gaza to aid shipments, among other measures.

More: 'Not working': Democrats press Biden to change course on Israel. $14 billion is at stake

Medics prepare the bodies of World Central Kitchen workers, who were killed in Israeli air strikes, for their return to their home counties on April 3, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. In a statement, the charity World Central Kitchen said that seven of its workers were killed by an Israeli air strike while driving in a convoy after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Israel issued a rare apology over the incident, calling their deaths a "grave mistake." The killed workers included both Palestinians and foreigners.

The aid group Oxfam said Thursday that residents of northern Gaza have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day, less than 12% of the recommended daily 2,100 calories, and a consortium of humanitarian organizations warned last month that famine was imminent. An estimated 50,000 children under five are acutely malnourished, the U.N. reported Friday.

Whether the new aid routes will make a dent depends on what kind of restrictions Israel places on the movement of supplies and people into northern Gaza, Scott Paul, humanitarian policy lead for Oxfam America, told USA TODAY.

More: Death of Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen crew marks a new low in Gaza war, aid workers say

Border aid bottlenecks

Case in point: With no electricity in Gaza to power water treatment plants, Oxfam dispatched thousands of drinking water testing kits and four water desalination units to Egypt for shipment into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. More than four months later, the group is still awaiting Israeli permission to bring them in, Paul said.

The default rule has been No, when it comes to allowing aid into Gaza, Paul said. It needs to be Yes. We need to flip it. Is there any basis for prohibiting the transport of any basic commodities or services?

Aid experts said Gaza needed a flood of medics to treat severe malnutrition, water engineers to prevent disease, and trusted security procedures to protect humanitarians and civilians. More than 30,000 civilians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, since Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people.

People and first responders search the rubble of a building that collapsed following an Israeli air strike in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on March 20, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

"What we are interested in...is sustainable, implementable, deconfliction processes, particularly when it comes to humanitarian organizations," Kirby said.

The Israeli announcement was a good first step, said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of the aid group MedGlobal, which works in Ukraine, Syria, Sudan and Gaza.

Sahloul led a MedGlobal delegation to the White House on Tuesday, where he and other Muslim-American doctors briefed Biden and top officials including Vice-President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on their experiences treating injured and malnourished children during a trip to Gaza in January.

Bringing 'reality' to the White House

We wanted to bring reality to the president, Sahloul told USA TODAY. He said he wants the humanitarian catastrophe and the deaths of civilians to stop.

These stories from the field can touch the heart, Sahloul said. I hope they helped him to push for a cease-fire two days later.

Dr. Thaer Ahmad was the lone Palestinian-American to take part in the White House meeting. He made a statement to the president and then asked to be excused. Asked on Friday about Bidens newly assertive tone with Israel, he said, I think they want to see results on the ground.

The U.N. reported ongoing fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups across Gaza overnight Thursday, and an aid worker in Rafah told USA TODAY that as many as 300 explosions could be heard a day.

Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, wrote on social media that Biden had boxed Netanyahu in by demanding swift, comprehensive changes. And if you dont do all this in the next few days I will condition military assistance to your war in Gaza, Indyk wrote, characterizing Bidens demands to the Israeli prime minister.

Bottom line: Bibi is screwed,'' Indyk said. ''He will have to bring this war to an end.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Central Kitchen says Israel's Gaza probe can't be trusted
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY)  The Chesapeake deputy who received Deputy of the Year honors after being seriously hurt in a Hampton shooting last year has also received a Purple Heart.

The U.S. Marshals Service presented Investigator Scott Chambers the honor before a celebratory dinner in Washington, D.C. on March 22.

The Chesapeake Sheriffs Office says just before that ceremony, Chambers noticed a man slump from an apparent stroke or epileptic event. The certified EMT was able to jump in help the man, and relay to medics that the man lost consciousness and suffered a sudden drop in heart rate/blood pressure after mixing alcohol and multiple prescription drugs. The man would recover at the hospital.

Previous: Chesapeake deputy injured in deadly Hampton shooting honored

Those actions earned Chambers a Life-Saving Award, which will be presented at Chesapeake City Council Chambers on April 18 at 2 p.m. Hell also receive Chesapeakes Deputy of the Year honor.

Chambers was also named Deputy of the Year by the Virginia Sheriffs Association after the January 11, 2023 incident in Hampton that left him in critical condition.

Investigator Scott Chambers receives a Purple Heart from the U.S. Marshals Service (Courtesy of City of Chesapeake

Chambers was part of a law enforcement team serving a search warrant to a man wanted in the killing of his wife. He would undergo two surgeries before being released a week later.

Chambers other honors related to the incident include Deputy of the Quarter, Medal of Excellence, Wounded in Combat Medal, and the Sheriffs Combat Cross Medal.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
CHICAGO  Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is leading a multi-city push calling on President Joe Biden to let long-term residents in the U.S. without legal permission work legally.

Johnson announced the effort to challenge President Biden to create a streamlined work authorization process for long-term immigrants living in the country illegally and recent migrant arrivals alike Thursday while speaking with more than two dozen top business, faith, labor, nonprofit and immigrant rights leaders.

The Work Permits for All campaign Johnson backed hopes to enable the roughly 450,000 people living in Illinois  the vast majority of Chicagoans who have lived in the city for an average of 15 years  to work and support their families and contribute to their communities, he said.

We are going to continue to urge President Biden to use every tool that is at his disposal to support our new arrivals and our undocumented residents, Johnson said. This is an international global crisis that requires a federal response.

The Chicago-led call for help has already found support from big cities such as New York, Denver and San Francisco, Johnson said. A letter making the request is being circulated among a coalition of 300 cities in an effort to gain broader backing before it is sent to Biden.

The call comes as Johnson leads Chicagos effort to house the more than 38,000 migrants who have arrived since August 2022, many sent via bus from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott. The mayor has repeatedly demanded the federal government support the expensive and otherwise unsustainable effort. However, little assistance beyond limited legal work permits for recent asylum-seekers has materialized.

Despite congressional gridlock on immigration, Biden has the ability to clear pathways to legal work, Johnson and the campaigns other supporters argued Thursday. Work permits would give Chicagoans in the country without legal permission dignity and stability while allowing new migrants to take care of themselves, they said.

But Johnsons call for help is far from his first. In a November White House lobbying effort made alongside four other big-city mayors, Johnson urged Biden to share $5 billion in aid. The same coalition that met Thursday also demanded Biden allow work permits for all in December.

Asked Thursday why he thinks the repeated appeals to Biden will now lead to a policy shift, Johnson argued change will come with continued pressure over time.

The organizing continues to grow, he said. The difference is today is a new day.

Stories of people struggling without work permits were on display at the roundtable discussion.

Carlil Pittman, executive director of Englewood gun violence prevention group GoodKids MadCity, highlighted the precarious position a lack of work permits puts on his wifes father.

There is a constant fear of feeling expendable. To be a taxpayer that does not benefit from this country even by having a work permit is not a just system, Pittman said.

Business and labor leaders described work authorization as a way to help Chicago attract businesses. Illinoisans, in the U.S. without legal permission, pay $1.5 billion in taxes each year, said Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition.

Johnson echoed the sentiment, flagging the potential for immigrants to fill in empty space and open jobs while growing Chicagos economy. He cut a clear contrast with critics who have argued amid spending on new migrants that the city should spend more on struggling long-term residents, especially in Black neighborhoods.

Migration is an opportunity, Johnson said. There are clear economic benefits to enabling immigrant communities to work.

There are forces here that are looking to divide us. Not under my watch. Theres enough here for everyone, he continued.

Many speakers pointed to the diversity of Chicagos residents here without legal permission and recent immigrant population. Although lots of people in temporary shelters come from Venezuela, Chicagos population lacking permanent legal status includes tens of thousands of Black people, Asian people and white people, they said.
In May of 2022, abortion rights activist Kimra Luna was arrested for using a megaphone at a protest in downtown Boise. Luna  who identifies as nonbinary  had used a megaphone at many protests before, so when police demanded that Luna turn it off, they ignored the officers.

I just kept chanting because I was like, Im not going to allow the police to intimidate me, Luna told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview. I kept chanting, I kept chanting, until eventually the police officers began ripping my megaphone out of my hands.

According to decades-old city code, using a megaphone at a protest is illegal, a violation of the citys noise ordinance. For decades, that law went largely unenforced  until the Boise Police Department apparently began to crack down in recent years, advocates say.

Sometime in 2021, officers began ticketing and at times arresting protesters who violated the law, Lisa Young, the director of the Sierra Club, told the Statesman.

Ive been an activist in this community for a long time, our lawyers have been working in this community for a long time, Young said. Boise is relatively small enough to where we know what happens in different protest spaces over the years, and we have never seen this prior to  essentially 2021. And then suddenly, the enforcement began  For those of us in the local advocacy scene, there was a notable shift.

As director of the Idaho Sierra Club, Lisa Young has used megaphones at Boise-area protests for years, according to court filings. Though the use of megaphones violates the citys noise ordinance, the law went largely unenforced until 2021, Young said.

The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy organization, sued the city this week over its noise ordinance, as well as its requirement that groups get permission from the city before holding a meeting in a city park. In its filing on Tuesday in federal district court, the Sierra Club argued that the laws vagueness and uneven enforcement were unconstitutionally limiting protesters freedom of speech.

Police in Boise have recently started ticketing protesters for using megaphones  and arresting them if they dont stop, the filing reads. Police are now using Boises ordinances to silence and chill protected free speech in public forums where it is the most protected: the streets, sidewalks, plazas, and parks of downtown Boise.

After their arrest in 2022, Luna was traumatized, Young said. At subsequent protests, when a fellow demonstrator tried to pass Luna the megaphone, Luna had a panic attack and wound up leaving the event because they were so distraught, they said.

Abortion rights advocate Kimra Luna was arrested after using a megaphone at a protest in 2022.

Whether protesters face arrest or just confrontation with an officer walking over telling you to turn off your device, the result is a chilling effect on protests, Young said.

In its filing, the Sierra Club alleged the city has disproportionately enforced the noise ordinance against left-leaning protesters, citing the ticketing of a demonstrator at a 2021 protest against police injustice; arrests at abortion-rights protests in 2022 and 2023; and the ticketing of a pro-Palestine protest in December.

The Sierra Club does not have data on when and how often the department has enforced the law, but has a sense anecdotally that right-leaning protesters have not faced the same enforcement, Young said.

We have observed instances where there are people using other loudspeakers at events that we do not see the police intervening on, she said. People have mentioned that, at the Pride event last year, there were some counter-protesters of some sort that were being really loud and using some kind of amplified sound device  kind of heckling some of the Pride events. To our knowledge, those people were not detained or anything, or asked to stop doing that.

Haley Williams, a spokesperson for the Boise Police Department, declined to comment on how the department enforces the law, citing the ongoing litigation.

Young emphasized that the suit is not just about allowing left-leaning protesters to demonstrate freely.

Our position in this case is we dont think anyone should be censored in this way, she said.

From what we can tell, the enforcement has been primarily directed at progressive activists  but just want to be clear: We think that everyone has this First Amendment right and should be able to exercise it.

In its filing, the Sierra Club asked the court for an injunction in the case in hopes that the organization would be able to use megaphones at youth climate strikes planned for April 19.
The Chinese government appears to be operating fake social media accounts impersonating U.S. voters and polling followers about their views on domestic political issues, according to a new report from Microsoft.

The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) has observed a small yet steady increase of additional sockpuppet accounts that we assess with moderate confidence are run by the [Chinese Communist Party], Microsoft wrote.

The accounts nearly exclusively post about U.S. domestic issues  such as drug use, immigration policy and racial tensions  and often ask followers if they agree, according to the report.

This tactic may be for the purpose of seeking further engagement, or possibly to gain insight into how Americans views on US politics, Microsoft said. More such accounts could be operating to increase intelligence gathering around key voting demographics within the United States.

In one instance, an account posted about a Senate proposal that sought to pair border funding with aid to Ukraine and Israel and asked followers, Whats your reaction? Another post criticized the Biden administration over a missing F-35 jet and asked, What do you think about this?

Actors linked to Chinese influence operations are also increasingly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce sleek, engaging visual content targeting the U.S., Microsoft said.

Amid wildfires in Maui last August, one such actor spread conspiratorial content alleging that the U.S. government deliberately set the fires to test a military-grade weather weapon.

It used AI-generated images of burning coastal roads and residences to make the content more eye-catching, according to the report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
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

Wicked Little Letters starts with a title card in loopy handwriting: This is more true than youd think. And so it is. The British comedy is based on the strange-but-true tale of a devout spinster and her neighbors in the small English town of Littlehampton, who start receiving profane anonymous letters in the early 1920s, just after World War I. A local cop named Gladys Moss gets a nice one. Dear Gladys, thank God they killed your father, you disgusting bitch... you dirty rabbit fucker. You deserve to burn in hell, you decrepit old whore. Such a letter could unsettle nearly anyone, yet in this tranquil community, it soon turned into a full-on police investigation.

Due to its setting, community spirit and nostalgic charm, Wicked Little Letters at first seems like its trying to revive the classic comedies of the late 40s and 50s by Londons Ealing Studios. While it aims to capture the eccentricity and social satire of that era, the film falls short. Director Thea Sharrock and screenwriter Jonny Sweet play it safe with a comedy that may appeal to a wide audience but lacks any daring. The stellar cast tries to elevate the film, but is ultimately unable to overcome the shortcomings of the script and direction.

Olivia Colman in a scene from 'Wicked Little Letters'

Olivia Colman shines once more playing a character who effortlessly transitions from sweet and vulnerable to fiercely enraged, revealing the hidden complexities within. In a world constrained by Puritanical mores, Jessie Buckleys character exudes a rebellious charm when she gets drunk in the local pub, drops F-bombs every few minutes and sleeps with a Black man. Their on-screen dynamic, though previously captivating in The Lost Daughter (2021), lacks the anticipated spark and flair. Timothy Spalls portrayal of Colmans tyrannical father rounds out a cast that strives to convey the struggles of the nascent womens suffrage movement of the early 20th century.

Thea Sharrock, known for her work as a theater director, narrates the tale of a sorority led by a female police officer (a term of the times) who is also a person of color. Despite its attempts at modernity, Wicked Little Letters falls short, failing to delve into the underlying theme of societal hypocrisy surrounding a scandal that made headlines, even reaching the Parliament. While some may appreciate the performances and laugh at the creative obscenities in the letters, discerning viewers seeking a witty Ealing-style comedy will immediately see that it doesnt quite measure up.

Wicked Little Letters Director: Thea Sharrock. Actors: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall. Genre: Comedy. Duration: 102 minutes. Release: April 5, 2024.

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(Bloomberg) -- South Korea is in talks with China and Japan to host a three-way summit in May, Japanese and South Korean media reported, restoring a process that has been on hold since 2019 due to the pandemic and political tensions.

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South Korea, which would likely host the long-delayed event, is looking to hold the summit in late May, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Friday, citing a government source it did not name. Kyodo News of Japan reported earlier the meeting could be held next month and discussions are set to touch on economic cooperation and regional issues  citing diplomatic sources it did not name.

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reiterated it has been in discussions for the three-way summit when asked about the reports and the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said it would release a date for the event when one has been set. South Korea has been pressing for months to resume the summit and foreign ministers from the three agreed in November to push for a meeting. But momentum has slowed since then.

Japans top government spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, told reporters Friday that Tokyo would work with China and South Korea for a summit.

The three-way discussions could follow a summit set for next week in Washington where Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is due to meet President Joe Biden. Their talks are likely to address mutual concerns about Chinas assertiveness in the region, securing supply chains for key items such as semiconductors that are less dependent on Beijing as well as the security threats posed by North Korea.

China has been feeling pressure as Japan and South Korea have been moving closer to Washington in recent years, with the three raising their security cooperation to some of their highest levels. Beijing, meanwhile, has clashed with the US over a range of issues.

Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone Tuesday, their first one-on-one communication since meeting in California last November. The leaders of the worlds two biggest economies have managed to maintain a veneer of diplomatic stability despite mutual suspicion between the countries and as their governments pursue export controls, sanctions and tariffs.

The US and its partners have been pressing China to use its influence on North Korea to rein in Kim Jong Uns nuclear ambitions. Beijing has been Pyongyangs biggest benefactor for years and called on Washington to press for peaceful developments on the Korean Peninsula.

--With assistance from Ryotaro Nakamaru.

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CENTRAL, La. (BRPROUD)  The City of Central announced that they are aware of water quality concerns from citizens but say that the water is safe to drink.

In a post made on April 3, the city said the mayor was aware of concerns about the amount of lead in the water. The city spoke to the Baton Rouge Water Company and said the drinking water has been tested regularly.

The water undergoes extensive purification methods to meet and exceed regulatory standards, providing a reliable source of clean and potable water for our community, the post said.

According to the city, the source of lead in the drinking water is usually related to the household piping system.

The city said water should run 30 to 45 seconds before filling a cup or pot to flush out any traces of lead from the pipes.

If you are concerned that your water has too much lead, it is recommended to contact Baton Rouge Water so they can make recommendations of how to test the water at the tap, the post said.

People living in Zachary can get flood risk data, resources online

The Mayor is aware of the concerns about water quality. After speaking with Baton Rouge Water Company, the allowable level in Louisiana for lead concentration in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (PPB) and our drinking water has been tested as required by the state on a regular basis. At home test kits check for the presence of lead. While any lead present is a concern for us, the water we drink is considered safe. Also, some test kits show the presence of lead at 5PPB. The source of lead in our drinking water is usually related to the household piping system. It is recommended to let the water run for 30-45 seconds before filling your cup or pot. This will flush the line of any water that trace amounts of lead have leached into. If you are concerned that your water has too much lead, it is recommended to contact Baton Rouge Water so they can test the water at the tap. The water company does not recommend filters, but you can install a filter at your faucet if you are concerned. Water distillers are also an option. Our drinking water is treated with chlorine per LDH regulations. There is robust debate about this practice even though it is the current method used to treat and deliver our drinking water. While trace amounts of fluoride and lead may be present in our drinking water, rest assured that rigorous testing processes are in place to ensure its safety. The water undergoes extensive purification methods to meet and exceed regulatory standards, providing a reliable source of clean and potable water for our community. City of Central on Facebook

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Blight, trash and tires. Eyesores are plaguing far too many neighborhoods in Memphis.

It makes it so hard to have pride in your community, Alexis Agnew said.

Agnew just moved to the Bluff City. While driving through South Memphis she was appalled at the blight, trash and litter piled on the side of the roads, clumped under bridges and tossed in abandoned lots.

It makes me angry. I have lived this way. I have lived in blighted communities, she said.

What upset her even more is that she didnt see the same thing when driving in other parts of the city like East Memphis.

Money equals power, and it shouldnt. Just because these areas dont have the money and economic investment, doesnt mean they dont deserve clean spaces, green spaces, Agnew said.

Its a problem others have also pointed out time and time again.

Its ridiculous I have to drive by it every day and see this. Let it have been Germantown, said Kerry Clay, a concerned resident in North Memphis.

Far too many have said theyre irritated, disappointed and discouraged.

But new efforts by the city are starting to have an impact.

We feel theyre frustrated. We hear it. We understand. We go to these community meetings, said Robert Knecht, who heads the Memphis Public Works division.

Knecht said his team is implementing new ideas that come from a new administration and from a blight task force created by the council.

He said they launched a pilot program, which zones in on hot spots for crime and code violations in each precinct. They started in Mt. Moriah.

We all recognize that crime and blight go hand and hand, Knecht said.

Police focused on the crime hot spots. Through an open records request, we found out their operations in Mt. Moriah resulted in 402 traffic stops and 35 arrests. They reported officers seized 15 guns and drugs including pills, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Meanwhile, Knecht said his team focused on cleaning up. They issued citations for exterior code violations, cut overgrown lots, cleared drains, fixed potholes and swept the streets. He said they now moved to the Airways Precinct area.

Its an overall effort to improve everything we can touch, he said.

Knecht said theyve also teamed up with non-profits for more community clean ups and more anti-littering curriculum in schools.

He said theyre still operating covert cameras that have helped them catch people illegally dumping. He admits though, they need more from the public.

About two and a half months ago, Robert Knecht called me, Crime Stoppers Executive Director David Brown said. We got to sit down and talk.

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About a year a half ago, the state law changed. It increased penalties to a felony when caught illegally dumping larger amounts like eight or more tires.

Since Crime Stoppers only works with felony cases, Brown says they were able to participate in a new illegal dumping reward program. It could launch as soon as July.

The city of Memphis needs to have less blight and criminal dumping happening right now. Its happening around the city, and we want to put a stop to it, Brown said.

The city will donate the $50,000 to start it. Tips will still be anonymous, and if they lead to an arrest or warrant, payouts could be $300-500.

Criminal dumping can be a starter crime into worse felonies, so thats a good reason to step up too, Brown said.

Studies have shown that blight and crime go hand in hand. Vacant properties are often stripped of valuables and become havens for squatters. Blight can hurt property values, which means less economic investment. Hope and pride are then lost.

A study conducted in Philadelphia showed that after cleaning up hundreds of vacant lots, crime, gun assaults and burglaries decreased in three years.

We want them to understand we are trying new things. We are tackling crime and blight comprehensively, which is new, Knecht said.

Theyre bringing new ideas to tackle a problem that continues to hurt neighborhoods that want and deserve more.

Its this vicious cycle, and it sounds so silly. Trash? Trash is the cause of this. Yes! Its the start of it, Agnew said.

She realizes shes new to the city and new to this fight.

When you get it cleaned up, they have pride in their communities. When they have pride in their communities, they want to continue, you know, to keep that good cycle going, she said. I would love if the community came together and said this is not acceptable and Memphians deserve better.

How to report issues in your neighborhood?

Litter:

Report a littering motorist by calling 52-CLEAN

Report illegally-dumped garbage and debris by calling the 311 Center at 901-636-6500 or dial 311

High Weeds and Grass:

Report high weeds and grass on vacant or occupied properties by calling the 311 Call Center at 901-636-6500

Problem Properties:

If it is a public nusiance, file a legal complaint or lawsuit under the Neighborhood Preservation Act T.C.A.  13-6-106(a) & 13-6-104

Report the property by calling the 311 Call Center at 901-636-6500

Storm Drains:

Report flooding by calling the 311 Call Center

Report improper waste disposal by calling the Storm Water Hotline at 901-636-6721

Graffiti:

If you witness graffiti vandalism, contact Memphis Police at 545-COPS. Otherwise call the 311 Call Center

Other Contact Numbers:

City Code Enforcement: 901-636-7464

Drain Maintenance: 901-357-0100

Environmental Enforcement: 901-636-4770

Sewage Stoppage Dispatch: 901-529-8025

 DO YOU NEED A STORY INVESTIGATED? WREG Investigators want to hear from you! Call our tip line at 901-543-2378. You can also send an email to newstips@wreg.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  City Rescue Mission of Lansing is opening another  bigger  location on West Kalamazoo Street. Its expected to double the shelters capacity  for both men and women.

Weve already discussed this with guests at Michigan Avenue, Laura Grimwood, Director of Community Engagement at the City Rescue Mission of Lansing told 6 News. And theyre excited about the new options theyre going to have over here.

City Rescue Mission on verge of huge expansion. (Image: City Rescue Mission)

City Rescue Mission on verge of huge expansion. (Image: City Rescue Mission)

One of the buildings used to be office space for the Michigan Correction Organization and will be a warm place for people to sleep, shower, do their laundry, and eat. The hope is that you could have as many as 300 people eating at this very spot, Grimwood said.

The $10 million project solves a big problem at the missions current 100-bed location on Michigan Avenue which is filling up almost every night. That space on West Kalamazoo will about double our space, double our capacity, which is a big need in the city for our homeless population, Brenton Barglof, Michigan Avenue shelter director told 6 News.

Taking the next step toward independence, and recognizing that yes they are people with needs, but they are people with needs, Grimwood said.

Construction is set to begin in August and officials said it should take about a year before services will be available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
Civil servants vote to strike over two days a week in the office

Civil servants at Britains official statistics body have voted to go on strike after being asked to work in the office for two days a week.

A total of 73pc of voting employees backed industrial action at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) because they want to keep the option of working from home full time.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which is spearheading the push for action, has called for urgent talks with ONS officials to resolve the dispute.

It previously argued that many workers only accepted a job at the ONS because of home working, saying that the plan to force workers to spend at least 40pc of their time in the office has caused considerable disruption, especially for staff with childcare and other caring arrangements.

Fran Heathcote, general secretary of PCS, said that ONS bosses had seriously undermined the trust and goodwill of their staff by seeking to drive this policy through in such a heavy-handed way. She called for the policy to be paused immediately.

It is the latest pushback from staff who want to continue working from home as bosses increasingly demand an end to remote practices.

Ministers have been trying to pressure Whitehall staff back into the office at least 60pc of the time, or three days a week for full-time staff, over fears that working from home has reduced productivity and increased waiting times for services.

Around 1,200 employees balloted for a strike but only half of that number voted, a turnaround which only just hit the legal threshold for a ballot.

An ONS spokesman said that the organisation has had a hybrid working model for several years, in line with the wider civil service.

He added: Face-to-face interaction supports collaboration and fosters learning and innovation, while some tasks can be done as effectively or even more effectively at home.

We are applying this flexibly to help balance business and personal needs, and have offered all colleagues extensive support.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Dana Williams, top, and Khalyson McDuffie, doulas with Birth in Color, a Virginia group that offers doula services for pregnant patients of color and training for local maternal health care workers to combat racial bias, participate in a doula simulation training session. Some states are mandating implicit bias training. (Courtesy of Kenda Sutton-El/Birth in Color)

This story originally appeared on Stateline.

Countless times, Kenda Sutton-El, a Virginia doula, has witnessed her Black pregnant clients being dismissed or ignored by clinicians.

One woman was told by doctors that swelling, pain and warmth in her leg was normal, despite warning the clinicians that she had a history of blood clots. Sutton-El urged her to visit the emergency room. Tests found the pregnant patient did indeed have a blood clot, a situation that can be deadly.

Some clients were told they werent doing enough to lose weight. After another client was treated dismissively when she paid for a visit in cash, Sutton-El posed as a patient and got the same response, making her wonder how many other Black women had been treated the same way.

The biggest thing is that theyre not being listened to, said Sutton-El, founder of Birth in Color, a nonprofit that offers doula services to expecting Virginians. Doulas support and advocate for pregnant patients. Theyre being dismissed or [clinicians] act as if the pain isnt there, or act as if the issue is normal, when its not.

As the United States contends with stark racial disparities in maternal health, experts are pushing states to mandate training for medical professionals to combat implicit bias, the prejudiced attitudes a person might hold without being aware of it. Lawmakers in more states are heeding that call.

Since 2019, at least five states (California, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey) have enacted laws mandating implicit bias training for maternal health care providers, according to Stateline research and an analysis by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Lawmakers in at least 20 other states have introduced legislation related to implicit bias training for general health care professionals.

Virginia lawmakers recently approved similar legislation, sending it to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. He has not said whether he will sign it.

The biggest thing is that theyre not being listened to.

 Kenda Sutton-El, Virginia doula and Birth in Color founder

The training can take different forms. Some courses are offered online, while others can be one-day workshops. Participants typically examine certain scenarios and learn about the history and harms of racial stereotypes.

Sutton-El argues that the training can make a huge difference. She said that one white doctor who completed the training recently told her how it had influenced his treatment of a Black patient. She recalled him telling her: I had your voice in my head that said, Follow the patient down the rabbit hole, because youll find out whats the real issue.

But others say implicit bias training can be insufficient or ineffective. Okunsola Amadou, a doula who founded Jamaa Birth Village, a midwifery clinic and maternal health nonprofit in Ferguson, Missouri, said bias trainings alone cant change a hospitals culture.

The ultimate problem with that is that it is barely the surface, Amadou said. If theyre not working with [Black maternal health] pioneers who are rooted in this work to help them restructure, then the click-and-go implicit bias trainings will not hold any weight at all.

Tiffany Green, an associate professor at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said her teams review of studies on anti-bias trainings in clinical settings found little evidence that it led to long-term behavioral changes.

Because racism isnt just an individual problem but a systemic one, Green said, institutions must combat bias at the organizational level. If done incorrectly, it can induce anger in white employees and exacerbate inequities, she said.

While there is evidence that providers racial stereotyping affects treatment, its not known whether or how bias trainings will impact pregnant patient health outcomes, she told Stateline.

Rachel Hardeman, health equity director at the University of Minnesota Center for Antiracism Research and a co-author of the study on Black and white doctors, developed the widely used Dignity in Childbirth and Pregnancy course offered online in states with training mandates, including California and Minnesota. For Minnesota, her team designed a course focused on bias against Indigenous women. She said the courses are designed for both clinicians and hospital management: People who may not be directly involved in patient care in the day-to-day but are involved in making leadership decisions.

Evidence of bias

There is ample research suggesting there is racial bias in health care.

Black women in the United States are nearly three times more likely to die of maternal health complications than white women, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Indigenous women are nearly twice as likely to die.

Research has shown implicit racial bias plays a role in those stark disparities. Examples of that bias include false beliefs that Black patients have higher pain tolerance and thicker skin, as well as long-used diagnostic tools  such as lung and kidney function tests  that have prevented proper diagnoses for Black patients.

A CDC study published last year found that nearly 1 in 3 Black, Hispanic and multiracial women reported mistreatment during pregnancy and delivery, such as receiving no response to requests for help, being shouted at, or being threatened with the withholding of treatment.

Another review, also published last year, analyzed 42 studies since 2014 and concluded that racial biases and structural racism contributed to maternal health complications for Black women. And a 2020 study found Black infants were twice as likely to survive when cared for by Black doctors.

A woman leaning on a large exercise ball being coached by a woman hovering above her.

Sequoi Phipps-Hawkins, standing, and Chelsea Watson, doulas with Birth in Color, participate in a doula simulation training session. (Courtesy of Kenda Sutton-El/Birth in Color)

Research by Hardeman and others has found that clinicians are more likely to describe Black patients as not compliant, agitated or aggressive. When such descriptions are included in a patients medical record, it can color the perceptions of other providers who consult it, influencing their interactions with the patient.

Hardemans courses include patient anecdotes that illustrate bias as well as strategies for curbing assumptions and practicing more empathy. The courses also include a history of racism in medicine, such as the gynecological experiments by J. Marion Sims, often called the father of modern gynecology, on Black enslaved people.

Given that history, many Black, Indigenous and Hispanic patients are wary of health care systems.

Were talking about the fact that our medical education system has been built within this history of racism, and so we have to be aware of it to undo it, Hardeman said.

We wanted to make sure that people walked away understanding that we all have a role in dismantling these systems, and it starts with educating ourselves, and then making sure that what were learning and what weve been educated on, were applying it to the way that we are interacting with different patients and their families.

Stalled legislation

But passage of a law doesnt always lead to immediate change.

A year and half after Californias law took effect in 2020, a California Department of Justice investigation found just 17% of providers surveyed had trained their entire staff. Nearly a year after the probe began and more outreach was conducted, completed training rates rose to 81%. New legislation introduced this year aims to strengthen the law by fining health care centers that fail to train their staff, and would extend training requirements to nursing staff.

In many states, implicit bias legislation has stalled before reaching the governors desk.

In Missouri, a bill introduced in 2022 died in committee. State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, a Democrat, reintroduced it this year. And in Georgia, lawmakers reintroduced this session a bill that would mandate implicit bias training for health care professionals in childbirth settings. Both of the reintroduced bills remain in committee.

Dr. Lethenia Joy Baker, an obstetrician and gynecologist in rural Georgia, often sees Black patients who specifically sought her out.

[They] say, I chose you, because you were the one Black woman in town, and I just feel more comfortable, she said. We have to think about the fact that theres such a lack of diversity in medicine, making training for everyone important.

We really need to unpack about the legacy of Southern slaves, and how we begin to move past that. So, I think that legislation is important around this topic, because lets just face it, that legacy is very painful, she said.

In South Carolina, Democratic state Rep. JA Moore and other Democrats have introduced implicit bias bills twice since 2020, but neither has passed. Moore said he plans to propose it again.

I will continue to fight like hell, Moore told Stateline, saying his aim is to address some of the challenges so many women have, specifically minority women, low-income women have, in the state of South Carolina.

South Carolina Black women were more than four times as likely as white women to die of maternal health complications in 2020, according to the states latest report. The states Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee found that discrimination contributed to more than a third of deaths from 2018 to 2020.

This is just another way in which we can try to change those numbers, Moore said. [Its] an opportunity to lead a dramatic change in these very horrific, disproportionately racialized health outcomes for so many citizens.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter.

The post To close racial gap in maternal health, some states take aim at implicit bias appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for the entire region starting at midnight Saturday until 10 a.m.

QUICK-LOOK FORECAST:

Few showers are possible through the early evening

Rain showers late Sunday

Eclipse weather trending better

>> TRACK THE LATEST CONDITIONS: Live Doppler 7 Radar

DETAILED FORECAST:

FRIDAY: Cloudy skies and a few sprinkles continue to hang around across the Miami Valley. Sprinkle chances will remain with us into early evening, then we should be dry. Clouds clear out tonight. Cold with lows at or below freezing. The growing season has started, so a freeze warning is in effect. Remember to cover any plants that may be damaged by a frost or freeze.

SATURDAY: Cold with frost Saturday morning. Mostly sunny skies turn partly cloudy into the afternoon. Cool with highs in the low to mid-50s.

SUNDAY: Frost is possible early. Clouds return during the day giving way to a chance for rain showers by the end of the day into the overnight. High temperatures will be warmer in the upper 50s.

MONDAY: (TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE) A very early morning shower is possible. A clearing trend in the cloud cover is expected into the afternoon. While I dont think well see crystal-clear blue skies at this point, I do think well have several breaks in the clouds. Hopefully, well have some luck right around total solar eclipse time a little after 3 in the afternoon. Warm. Highs in the lower 70s.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy and mild with highs in the lower 70s. There will be a chance for showers.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with showers. Perhaps a thunderstorm as well. Warm with highs in the upper 60s to near 70.

THURSDAY: Cloudy with rain and a few storms likely. Highs in the mid 60s.

FRIDAY: Drying out and clearing out. Partly cloudy with highs in the low to mid-60s.
Will it be cloudy during the solar eclipse? See the forecast for central Pennsylvania

Finally, April 8s solar eclipse is almost here. If youre excited for the big day, you likely already have your glasses ready, your travel plans lined up and maybe even a day off of work to see the total solar eclipse in all its glory.

However, theres one aspect of planning for the eclipse you cant control: the weather. An afternoon of overcast skies or rain might keep you from seeing the eclipse as intended and put a damper on the entire event. Although you cant change the forecast, looking ahead might give you a better sense of what you might see when you look up at the sky April 8.

Heres what you need to know about Mondays forecast if you hope to view the eclipse in central Pennsylvania.

Will it be cloudy in central PA during the eclipse April 8?

Cloud cover might dull the impact of a total solar eclipse and reduce its dramatic effect, but changes in daylight should still be noticeable.

State College should see partly cloudy skies Monday, according to AccuWeathers latest forecast as of Friday afternoon. The agency estimates 87% cloud cover on April 8, suggesting skies will be cloudy more often than clear, especially in the evening.

Unfortunately, it looks like were going to have to contend with some clouds, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told the Centre Daily Times on Friday. If it was the perfect world, the clouds would part between about 2 and 4 p.m. and there wouldnt be any issues. Its a tough call whether it will be a solid deck of clouds coming in, but I guess theres still some hope that maybe, at least at times, the sun would be uncovered in that time frame.

Models from the National Weather Service are a bit optimistic with estimates between 40% and 60% cloud cover for State College during the eclipse. Those models were used in an interactive New York Times tool that allows users to see cloud cover projections for their areas during the eclipse.

Kines said rain is not a big threat for Mondays forecast, but showers are more likely west of Centre County and cant be ruled out entirely. However, he expressed optimism that clouds moving from west to east might lighten up by the time they reach the State College area,

Thats another big question mark. I do think the clouds will be I dont want to say dissipating, but perhaps breaking up as they head eastward when they come in from the west, Kines said. Certainly, there could be breaks in the clouds. If you bought those glasses, dont throw them away yet. You still might be able to use them.

Though still cool, Mondays high temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit in State College should be comfortable enough to keep eclipse watchers outside. Winds in the area  settling at 5 mph with gusts up to 8 mph  should not be much of a bother, either.

April 8s total solar eclipse will completely block the suns light and create a 115-mile-wide path of totality across much of the U.S. Those outside the path will see a partial solar eclipse.

Partial obscuration in State College  when any part of the sun is blocked by the moon  will begin at 2:04 p.m. and end at 4:32 p.m., according to eclipse models. Obscuration will peak at 3:20 p.m. when roughly 95.5% of the suns surface area is covered by the moon.

AccuWeather has a good grasp on the outlook for cloud cover as April 8s eclipse approaches, but narrowing expectations for the middle of the afternoon is a challenge.

Its very challenging because youre not talking about the whole day, Kines said. Youre talking about roughly a two-hour window, and to be more precise, in that four- or five-minute time frame when the sun is mostly obscured. We could have sunshine all day long, but if theres a cloud that pops up right during the peak of the eclipse, youre screwed. Youre talking about a very small window there in the afternoon that most people are concerned about. On a normal day, youd get away with partly sunny or whatever, but that wont cut it on Monday.

Staying safe while watching the eclipse

Unless you are viewing a total solar eclipse from the path of totality, where the suns light is briefly blocked out entirely by the moon, you need to take precautions to prevent serious eye injury.

Even when the sun is partially obscured, an unprotected look for even a brief moment can result in vision loss or blindness as wavelengths of light damage your retina. The suns light can still damage your eyes during an eclipse when it might appear dimmer.

Solar viewing glasses are perhaps the most convenient way to safely view an eclipse. Eclipse glasses are often thousands of times darker than everyday sunglasses and should comply with international safety standards. Visit the American Astronomical Societys website to find safe and reputable supplies near you.

Glasses from the 2017 total solar eclipse or the 2023 annular eclipse can still work so long as they are in good condition. Otherwise, consider crafting your own pair using materials from around the house.

You could also craft a pinhole projector at home to view an eclipse indirectly. NASA recommends a project in this manner that lets sunlight shine through a hole in a sheet of paper to create a shadow of an eclipse on the ground.
CMPD provides few details about recent homicides, says police are seeking justice

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have reported eight homicides in the past two weeks but have offered few details.

Police Lt. Kevin Pietrus at a biweekly media briefing Friday morning said he didnt have any new information on several cases.

Those cases include:

The death of 17-year-old Fate Brannon, who was allegedly shot and killed March 29 by 28-year-old Marcus Dahn inside of a Jack in the Box restaurant on the corner of Hoskins Road and Brookshire Boulevard in northwest Charlotte. Dahn was arrested and was being held in the Mecklenburg County jail.

A man who died from injuries he sustained during a fight Wednesday at his apartment complex on Forestbrook Drive. His name has not been released.

The death of 36-year-old Cordarrell Houston, who was shot and killed March 26 in his home on Toddville Road in west Charlotte by someone who was outside.

Asked about whether or not the majority of these recent homicides were random acts, or involved the suspects knowing the victims, Pietrus said most crimes involve the parties knowing each other.

Most of the time, we see that parties are known to each other, and theyre generally not random acts of violence between people that are unknown to each other.

In the case of Brannon, Pietrus said there were no new updates, and that it is still an active investigation. Court records said a second suspect was involved. Asked if there was any information about the second suspect, and if Dahn knew Brannon, Pietrus said he wasnt aware of those details.

Similarly there were no new updates about the Forestbrook Drive apartment homicide. No arrests have been made.

But because the homicide occurred in an apartment complex, there were some witnesses CMPD was able to speak to, he said, and potentially more they havent gotten in contact with yet.

There were also no new updates about the homicide investigation into Houstons death.

On Saturday, CMPD announced Maiseo Caldwell, 19, and Quavon Strother, 18, were arrested and charged in connection to Houstons death.

The two teens were charged with, among other things, first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.

Pietrus was asked how CMPD planned to address the recent shootings into homes.

He said that most of the time, like other crimes, people involved know each other.

When CMPD gets involved, Pietrus said the department investigates each case and its facts, while also investigating them as a part of a bigger picture.

The goal is to see which cases are related to one another, what the motives are, and whether its retaliatory.

Pietrus said CMPD is concerned about each homicide that occurs.

He said that a large number of homicides occur from firearms, but not all.

It doesnt always look the same. It doesnt always happen in the same area of town. It doesnt always go down the same way, and so theres a wide range of means and methods and locations that these types of incidents occur, Pietrus said. All of them, at the end of the day, are the same in the sense that somebody has lost their life. And all of them are the same in the sense that were going to do everything we can to seek justice for that victim.
The government of Daniel Noboa on Thursday declared the Mexican ambassador to Ecuador, Raquel Serur, persona non grata in response to remarks by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in which he implied that Noboa won the elections thanks to the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio at the hands of organized crime hitmen. It is a measure provided by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and that implies that the ambassador must leave the country in a short period of time. It does not mean breaking diplomatic relations, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

There were elections in Ecuador, the candidate of the progressive forces was up, about 10 points, Lopez Obrador said during his daily morning press conference, referring to Luisa Gonzalez, the candidate for the Citizen Revolution party led by Rafael Correa, who has shown political affinity with the Mexican president. Then, a candidate who speaks badly of the candidate who is at the top is suddenly assassinated, and the candidate who was at the top falls, and the candidate who was in second place ascends, Lopez Obrador continued.

Creating a rarefied atmosphere of violence, to the extent that the candidates  and this is reported by all the media  [wear] vests to the debates [] Well, the candidate did not win and the most unfortunate thing is that the violence continues, that they just used the moment, added the Mexican president.

The government of Ecuador issued a response to Lopez Obradors statements: Ecuador is still in mourning over that unfortunate event, which shocked Ecuadorian society and was an attack against democracy, peace, and security.

The diplomatic impasse between the two countries comes a month after Ecuador requested permission to enter the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former vice-president Jorge Glas, who has been taking refuge there since December 17 to evade jail over two charges of corruption during his tenure in the Correa government, and another ongoing process being investigated by the Ecuadorian Attorney Generals Office.

Mexico did not authorize the police to enter the embassy to detain Glas. Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said doing so would violate the diplomatic immunity of our embassies. She also stated that her ministry is analyzing Glas request for asylum. We have not granted it, but we have not denied it either, she said, adding that she was looking into how much is political persecution and how much is really a legal and corruption problem, according to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
CNNs Phillip on No Labels: $70 Million just in a dumpster set on fire

CNN anchor Abby Phillip expressed amazement Thursday that the political group No Labels burned through tens of millions to recruit a third-party presidential ticket that never materialized.

Even if they had found the right personality, where was this thing going? Republican strategist Rina Shah asked during an appearance on Phillips prime-time CNN show. Im just not that surprised that it crashed and burned.

I mean, $70 million just in a dumpster set on fire, Phillip quipped, asking Rolling Stone columnist Jay Michaelson, another guest on the show, Where does this money go now?

No Labels announced Thursday it was abandoning its effort to recruit a candidate to run against President Biden and former President Trump in this falls presidential election.

No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House, the group said announcing the decision. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also running for president as an independent, and the Green and Libertarian parties are also expected to field candidates.

No Labels tried to convince former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) to join the ticket but were ultimately unsuccessful.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
JOHNSON COUNTY (KSNT)  Law enforcement is reporting Cole Brings Plenty, an actor listed as missing from Lawrence, has been found dead.

The Johnson County Sheriffs Office said in a press release that deputies were called at 11:45 a.m. on April 5 to the area of 200th and Homestead Lane. Upon arrival, they found an unoccupied vehicle.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

3 people killed in Douglas County highway crash identified

Deputies checking the nearby surroundings found a man dead in a wooded area. He was later identified as 27-year-old Cole Brings Plenty. Investigators are still on scene, including law enforcement from the Lawrence Police Department.

The investigation into his death continues. If you have any information to share regarding this case, call the Johnson County Sheriffs Office at 913-782-0720.

Brings Plenty was first reported missing following an alleged domestic violence incident in Lawrence on April 2. He has appeared in shows like Into the Wild Frontier, The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger and the Yellowstone spin-off series 1923, according to his IMDB page.

Missouri man found dead in vehicle at I-70 rest stop in Geary County

This is a breaking news story. More details will be added as they become available.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
International Court of Justice holds public hearings on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, in The Hague

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Colombia has asked the International Court of Justice to allow the country to intervene in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip, the court said Friday.

In its application, Colombia called on the court to ensure "the safety and, indeed, the very existence of the Palestinian people".

The ICJ, the highest U.N. court, can allow states to intervene and give their views. Several states have said they would also seek to intervene in the case but so far only Colombia and Nicaragua have filed a public request.

Last week ICJ judges ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies arrive without delay to Palestinians in Gaza.

In January the ICJ, also known as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the genocide convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel denies targeting Palestinian civilians, saying its sole interest is to annihilate the militant group Hamas. Lawyers for Israel have dismissed South Africa's case as an abuse of the genocide convention.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
DENVER (KDVR)  Colorado House Republicans introduced a resolution on Thursday that calls for the impeachment of Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

The resolution stems from the Anderson v. Griswold case recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices ruled on March 4 that former President Donald Trump could appear on the Colorado ballot for the 2024 primaries and general election. The ruling overturned a state supreme court ruling that said otherwise.

Colorado senator apologizes for behavior at Northglenn meeting, steps down from committee

The case was brought by six Republican and unaffiliated voters in Colorado in hopes of keeping Trump off of Colorados ballots. The contention was that Trump engaged in insurrection, and under the 14th Amendment, Section 3, he would be ineligible to run for the presidency.

Now a month after the Supreme Court ruling, Colorado House GOP members are seeking to impeach Griswold for agreeing with the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States. The resolution asserts that her past statements about Trump engaging in an insurrection are grounds for impeachment.

Jena Griswold responds

Griswold painted the resolution as a political game.

The Colorado Republican Party continues to focus on conspiracies and political games. I will not be intimidated by this baseless proceeding. While Republican House Legislators waste taxpayer dollars to score cheap political points, Ill be doing my job of ensuring every Colorado voter  Republican, Democratic, and Unaffiliated alike  can make their voices heard in free and fair elections, Griswold said in a statement.

She said the resolution is factually incorrect.

Donald Trump has been found by three courts to have engaged in insurrection. He was on the Colorado Republican Presidential Primary ballot, Griswolds release stated.

Trisha Calvarese, Democratic pick for special election, talks immigration

Those three courts were the Colorado Supreme Court, the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois and Maines Superior Court.

GOP cites reason for impeachment effort

According to the impeachment resolution, there are six articles on which the Colorado House Republicans hope to impeach Griswold. The articles all cite malfeasance in office for the following reasons:

For denying Trump the right to due process by making statements about his guilt for engaging in an insurrection when he has not, in any court of law, been found guilty of engaging in the alleged insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

For denying a free and open election by denying Coloradans the right to vote for the choice of president

For playing partisan politics in her office, which the article says should remain neutral and unbiased

For violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Colorado Constitution, her oath of office, the Colorado Revised Statutes and public policy by acting contrary to the public interest.

For demonstrating her unfitness for office by engaging in misconduct that will disrupt the 2024 Republican primary election in Colorado.

For abusing the publics trust and prejudicing the publics confidence in the Colorado Secretary of States office and the states elections systems by using official powers to subvert the lawful operation of her office to obstruct the fair and impartial administration of justice.

The resolution will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on April 9. The hearings testimony will be limited to four witnesses selected by the resolution sponsors, House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese and Rep. Ryan Armagost, and four witnesses selected by the chair in consultation with the secretary of state. Griswold will be allowed to testify for 10 minutes and respond to committee members questions.

House Speaker McCluskie responds

Colorado House Democrats fired back in a statement from House Speaker Julie McCluskie, who represents Colorados 13th District, which includes portions of Chaffee, Grand, Jackson, Lake, Park and Summit counties.

Hearing this resolution in the Judiciary committee will limit the time wasted on this topic, while respecting that it is a top priority for House Republicans to have it introduced and openly debated, McCluskies statement said.

Colorado lawmaker: Credit card tracking of gun purchases couldve saved sons life

In an age when misinformation and conspiracy theories attack the integrity of our elections, we believe a public hearing to set the record straight on this issue is in the best interest of our democracy. This resolution, by the sponsors own admission, is a political stunt to gin up MAGA support for House Republicans. Its clear that the minoritys primary complaint is that the Secretary of State shares the view of the Colorado Supreme Court that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States. Instead of protecting our democracy, Republicans are defending Trump, McCluskie concluded.

The House Democrats also noted in their response that in 2022, two-thirds of House Republicans voted to thank former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters  a prominent figure of the election conspiracy movement who is also facing a criminal trial  and the Jan. 6 rioters at the U.S. Capitol. The measure also disputed that President Joe Biden was duly elected.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
In the face of scathing, bipartisan criticism, the Colorado legislators who wanted to ban guns from a long list of "sensitive places" have reconsidered that constitutionally dubious plan. The original version of Senate Bill 24-131, introduced on February 7, would have made it a misdemeanor to carry firearms in more than two dozen types of public places, including parks, playgrounds, recreation facilities, zoos, museums, libraries, "public gathering[s]," medical facilities, banks, stadiums, amusement parks, bars, pot shops, college campuses, and houses of worship. The new version, unveiled this week, applies only to schools, polling places, and certain government buildings.

The amended bill also narrows the scope of the firearm restrictions by allowing carry permit holders to possess handguns in "parking areas" adjacent to "sensitive places." Under the previous version, guns would have been allowed in those parking lots only if they were "stored in locked containers in vehicles." That requirement would have had a far-reaching effect, banning guns from the parking areas of any mall or shopping center that happened to include a "sensitive place" such as a bar or a bank branch.

What happened? "The changes were made by the Senate Judiciary Committee, largely in response to concerns from Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat," Colorado Public Radio (CPR) reports. "He said the new version of the bill would have stronger legal standing, even after the U.S. Supreme Court undermined the basis of many gun laws in its 2022 Bruen decision."

In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Court held that states may not require residents to demonstrate a "special need" before allowing them to carry guns in public for self-defense. The decision also established a test for determining whether a gun control law is constitutional: It must be "consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."

Roberts' concern that the restrictions imposed by S.B. 24-131 would not meet that test was well-grounded. After Bruen, legislators in states that had to modify their requirements for carry permits were alarmed by the idea that residents would start exercising the right to bear arms. So they made carry permits easier to obtain but much harder to use, creating long lists of places where guns were not allowed. Federal judges in California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York have deemed at least some of those restrictions unconstitutional under Bruen.

Even the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which in December upheld several of New York's "sensitive location" restrictions, rejected the state's default rule against guns in all businesses open to the public unless the owner posts "clear and conspicuous signage" allowing them or "has otherwise given express consent." And California's similar law is on hold while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reviews the preliminary injunction that U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney issued in December. Oral arguments in that case, Carralero v. Bonta, are scheduled for April 11.

Despite all these warning signs, state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis (DLongmont), who introduced the bill in her chamber along with Sen. Chris Kolker (DCentennial), insisted that Colorado could not wait to see the ultimate results of the litigation. Carralero "could take another one or two years" to resolve, she said, and "we didn't want to wait two years, because we know how many incidents of gun violence occur in Colorado in one yearway too many."

That argument was puzzling for two reasons. First, Jaquez Lewis knew her bill was sure to provoke constitutional challenges, meaning it probably would not take effect anytime soon, if ever. Second, her claim that S.B. 24-131 would reduce "incidents of gun violence" was wildly implausible, given that neither mass murderers nor other violent criminals are known for their punctiliousness in following the law. The bill's impact would have been limited to law-abiding gun owners, the sort who bother to jump through the hoops necessary to obtain a carry permit. As David Kopel, a gun policy expert at Colorado's Independence Institute, noted in written testimony against S.B. 24-131, carry permit holders "are far more law-abiding than the general population."

The amended bill, which Roberts calls "very limited" and "very tailored," defines "sensitive places" in a way that is designed to jibe with what the Supreme Court has said on the subject. In the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court suggested that laws "forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings" are presumptively constitutional. The Court reiterated that point two years later in McDonald v. Chicago. In Bruen, it noted that "the historical record yields relatively few 18th- and 19th-century 'sensitive places' where weapons were altogether prohibited," mentioning "legislative assemblies, polling places, and courthouses" as examples. It saw no historical evidence of "disputes regarding the lawfulness of such prohibitions."

Given those references to "sensitive places," the narrower version of S.B. 24-131 is more likely to pass muster with the courts. But it does not seem to accomplish much.

The biggest change is the provision dealing with schools. As it stands in Colorado, concealed carry is often restricted in K12 schools and permitted with certain exceptions on state university campuses. The bill would replace those policies with a uniform ban that applies to colleges as well as K12 schools, whether public or private. By banning armed self-defense on college campuses, Kopel worries, that provision will make them "safe spaces for rapists and other violent criminals."

Concealed carry is already prohibited "inside the Capitol" under a law that applies to buildings with security screening. S.B. 24-131 makes that ban more specific. It covers "the chambers, galleries, or offices of the General Assembly"; the sites of legislative hearings or meetings; and the offices of any General Assembly "member, officer, or employee."

Courthouses also already prohibit guns. The bill would replace those judicial district rules with a statutory ban.

Guns likewise are often prohibited in local government buildings. The bill would establish a default rule that guns are not allowed in those buildings "unless permitted by a local government" under "an ordinance, regulation, or other law."

What about polling places? "Existing law prohibits openly carrying a firearm within any polling location or central count facility, or within 100 feet of a ballot drop box or any building in which a polling location or central count facility is located, while an election or any related ongoing election administration activity is in progress," the bill summary notes. "The bill prohibits carrying a firearm in any manner at those locations."

Despite the bill's limited reach, its sponsors are still promising that it will improve public safety. "The presence of firearms, often escalating minor disputes into deadly encounters, has left an indelible mark in our communities," Kolker said at a committee hearing. "This risk magnifies when firearms are introduced into environments where our children learn and play, leading to the possibility of misfire or an accidental discharge."

How often are children killed by guns that permit holders carried onto school grounds? Maybe never, since Kolker did not cite any examples to support his fear. But from 2016 through 2021, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment reports, 43 people of all ages died from unintentional firearm injuries in all settings across the state. Five of those accidental deaths (one per year) involved "children under the age of 9." Such accidents typically happen at home.

How often do carry permit holders get into "minor disputes" that escalate into gunfire? Not very, judging from data on permit revocations. "According to the Denver Police Department, there are about 10,792 active concealed-carry permits in Denver," Westword reported in 2022. "There was one revocation of a Denver permit in 2020, under the category 'mental illness or addiction.'" Based on statewide data, Kopel calculated that permit holders are "39 times less likely to be arrested than someone without a carry permit."

That reality was a good reason to doubt that even the broad restrictions contemplated in the original version of S.B. 24-131 would have measurably improved public safety. Now that the bill has been whittled down to a few largely redundant bans, the promises of its supporters seem even more fanciful.

The post Colorado Legislators Ditch Plan To Ban Guns in Dozens of 'Sensitive Places' appeared first on Reason.com.
DENVER (KDVR)  Colorado Sen. Faith Winter announced Thursday she will step down from her role as a committee chair and seek substance abuse treatment after apologizing for her behavior at a town hall meeting Wednesday night.

The state Senates assistant majority leader was a panel member at a packed Northglenn town hall meeting to discuss a mental health transitional living facility, where sex offenders could be living close to an elementary school.

Winter arrived late for the meeting and stumbled in her speech at points. Winter told The Colorado Sun she is seeking alcoholism treatment.

I deeply regret my behavior last night, Winter said in a statement on Thursday. I made a mistake and Im truly sorry for any inconvenience or discomfort I caused. I take full responsibility for my actions and I am committed to making things right.

Northglenn packs town hall, concerned over transitional living facility

Winter, a Democrat, represents District 25. That includes Northglenn and Broomfield, along with parts of Adams and Weld counties.

I especially apologize to the City of Northglenn and the citizens that came out  I deeply care about your thoughts and community. I am now under the care of medical professionals and receiving treatment for my substance abuse disorder, she said.

The senator added that she will be stepping down as chair of the Transportation and Energy committee to focus on my health.

I apologize to anyone who was affected by my actions and I appreciate your understanding. Thank you for respecting me and my familys privacy at this time.

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Winter was a bill sponsor of a measure in the 2022 legislature to increase the number of residential behavioral health beds in the state, which was of discussion as it supported the establishment of the facility in Northglenn.

Winter arrived 10 minutes after the livestream for the meeting started and seemed unaware that she was a member of the panel. At one point, an audience member asked her why she was scrolling her phone.

Im looking up some statistics, she said with a slight verbal stumble.

Winter said toward the end of the meeting that the bill was intended to increase the states capacity for mental health beds. She said that she would fill a late bill request on the matter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
An alleged failure to timely diagnose a veterans lung cancer at the Veterans Administrations Dorn Medical Center in Columbia has led to a settlement of $850,000 to his widow.

The settlement in the medical malpractice case of the late William Whitaker, an honorably discharged U.S. Army veteran, was approved by U.S. Judge Jacquelyn Austin at a Thursday morning hearing at the federal courthouse in Columbia.

Whitaker was 64 when he died in March 2022, more than 20 months after an initial VA hospital CT scan showed a small but suspicious mass in one of his lungs. He had served nine years in the Army, spent time in Germany and was a mechanic.

The federal government will pay the $850,000 to Whitakers widow, Anna Whitaker, from which $212,500 will go to the Columbia law firm of John Kassel, according to settlement documents. The lawyers fee in this case was governed by the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Anna Whitaker, who was married to William for 37 years, will split $603,000 received from the government with her adult son, William Alan Whitaker, according to the settlement.

Neither Dorn nor the federal government admitted any fault or liability.

We disagree with some of the facts... but we think the settlement is in the best interests of the United States, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Newman told the judge. Newman handled the governments case with fellow government attorney Kimberly Hamlett.

A complaint in the case said that William Whitaker, a former smoker who suffered from advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, went to the VA hospital in June 2020, where a CT scan found a small bulla, or blister, in the left lung.

The left lung findings were suspicious for cancer and required close follow up, the lawsuit said.

Whitaker had two more doctors visits, one of them a telephone consultation, with medical staff who should have followed up  but didnt  on the growth detected in 2020, the lawsuit said.

Finally, more than 18 months later, in February 2022, Whitaker went to the VA hospital emergency room suffering from chest pains, coughing up blood, tender breast lumps and weight loss.

An examination found a large mass in his left lung, the lawsuit said.

Doctors diagnosed him with stage 3 lung cancer. They began chemotherapy. But a month later, he was dead.

VA doctors failed in numerous ways to follow up on the suspicious growth found in Whitakers lungs in June 2020, the lawsuit alleged.

Earlier intervention would have led to diagnosis of cancer at a time when the cancer was readily treatable, the lawsuit said.

At Thursdays hearing, Austin, South Carolinas newest federal judge, told Anna Whitaker she was sorry for your loss and said she found the settlement fair and reasonable.

A spokesman for Dorn could not be reached for comment.
When Wade Jordan III hands keys to a family, he feels like hes the one getting to move into a new home.

Thats super exciting for me, said Jordan, an affordable housing developer in Columbus. Im able to put together a team of individuals that build these structures, and then it does what I love  it helps a family. I get joy out of seeing the end result.

Jordan, 44, is the founder and owner of WJ3Enterprises and began his journey to becoming an affordable housing developer in 2007 when he rented out one side of the duplex he owned.

Wade Jordan III, a local affordable housing developer, at his development in the Southern Orchards neighborhood on Columbus' South Side. Jordan went through the Affordable Housing Trust's Emerging Developers Accelerator Program, which helps teach minority and women developers how to create affordable housing projects in the city.

Fast-forward nearly 20 years later and hes a graduate of the Affordable Housing Trusts Emerging Developers Accelerator Program (EDAP) who is developing four duplexes in the Southern Orchards neighborhood on Columbus' South Side.

The program helps minority and female developers get the training and connections they need to begin developing affordable housing locally, and it's one of a growing number of similar programs across the country, said Collete English Dixon, executive director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

But it remains to be seen if programs like these  which began to spring up more after the 2020 murder of George Floyd Jr. by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and subsequent calls for more racial equity  will actually have the desired outcome, English Dixon said.

English Dixon believes to be truly successful and bridge the wealth gap, developers may have to diversify the types of housing they work on because it can take longer to develop  and thus profit  from affordable housing.

Wade Jordan III, a local affordable housing developer, at his development in the Southern Orchards neighborhood on Columbus' South Side. He is building four duplexes after going through the Affordable Housing Trust's Emerging Developers Accelerator Program.

"It is very much applaudable and supportable to have organizations want to provide these sorts of resources to help bridge that gap of exposure and opportunity for diverse developers," English Dixon said. "The jury is still out on what is the best way to provide this set of resources and have sustained outcomes."

Why create the emerging developers program?

The trust's six-month program began in May 2022 and is now working with its third group of participants. A total of 24 participants, including Jordan, graduated from the first two groups combined, while the current one has 15 participants, said Lark Mallory, president and CEO of the Affordable Housing Trust.

So far, graduates have created or preserved 79 units of affordable housing in the city, with another 22 units in development, Mallory said.

It was a vision of Mallory's to begin the program, which launched with funding from JPMorgan Chase ($150,000), Franklin County ($5 million) and the city of Columbus ($5 million).

Story continues

Recently, JPMorgan Chase donated another $500,000 to continue the program, said Mallory. The money is used on the classes, paying instructors a small stipend for conducting five free consulting sessions for each participant. Individuals also pay $1,250 to enroll in the program.

Housing is the hottest topic in central Ohio, Mallory said, in large part because of the lack of affordable housing.

Duplexes that Wade Jordan III, an affordable housing developer, is building in the Southern Orchards neighborhood on Columbus' South Side.

There is a need for an estimated 52,500 housing units for low- and moderate-income households in Franklin County, where many people in those income brackets spend more than half of their incomes on housing, according to a 2023 estimate by the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.

There are many great real estate developers in the area, but more are needed, Mallory said. Graduates can develop rental properties like Jordan or homes to sell affordably, though the cost of land and construction make it hard for developers to make home ownership affordable, she said.

Including more perspectives in housing development

Besides trying to address the lack of affordable housing stock, the program also brings diverse voices to the table to talk about and help solve the issue, she said.

"Different people are going to give you different perspectives," Mallory said, citing research that shows that greater diversity in staff makes for more profitable companies. "We need every tool possible."

Being a minority makes it tougher to break into an industry, Jordan said, as it often means there's not a lot of people like you doing the same thing.

Wade Jordan III walks through a duplex he is developing in Southern Orchards. It will be affordable housing.

Black and Hispanic real estate developers account for less than 1% of the industry, according to Grove Collective Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting group.

"This (emerging developers) program, it makes me included in the bigger picture," Jordan said. "It's very important for women and minorities to be able to develop things and bring their perspective."

The program, Jordan said, changed his life.

Jordan applied to be part of the first cohort but didn't make the cut. Instead, the trust funded one of his development projects, and he got accepted in the next group. The trust helped to fund two duplexes he built on the Hilltop before he was part of EDAP, and it is helping to fund the duplexes he is currently developing in Southern Orchards, Mallory said.

It's not unusual to see graduates of the program scale up their businesses and grow post-graduation, she said.

Wade Jordan III enters an affordable home he's developing in Columbus' Southern Orchards neighborhood.

An integral part of the program is helping developers build their networks, whether through the developers that teach the classes or through the education programs on developing multifamily rental properties available to all graduates, Mallory said.

"Every unit an EDAP graduate creates  that unit matters for that family. We've changed the situation for that family," Mallory said.

Destiny Lamar, 28, is a testament to that. She moved into one of Jordan's properties on the Hilltop in January with her two children, ages 12 and 9.

It's the first house the family has lived in, after years of renting apartments, and it's been a great experience, Lamar said. From the nice neighborhood, to the space, to working with Jordan, she has enjoyed the experience and feels like she was able to accomplish something for her children, who love the home.

"Coming from an apartment and going to a newly built house was just like, Wow!" Lamar said.

She thinks there should be more Black developers like Jordan, who she believes are more likely to rent to Black people. Lamar said she's found other developers who won't because of negative stereotypes.

"I do feel like there should be more Black people in the community that are able to get the opportunity to own houses and rent them out to others," Lamar said.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Affordable housing program help Columbus minorities, women develop
Column: He admitted to punching a reporter. A judge wished him "best of luck"

Tyler Laube, of Redondo Beach, walks to the entrance to the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse in Santa Ana. In a plea agreement, he admitted to repeatedly punching a journalist who was covering a rally in Huntington Beach in 2017. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dressed in a wrinkled blue suit and spotless black Vans, Tyler Laube glanced at me as he walked toward a courtroom on the ninth floor of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in downtown Santa Ana.

The 27-year-old was there to hear his sentence after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor for repeatedly punching a reporter during a pro-Trump rally at Bolsa Chica State Beach in the spring of 2017.

I was there to hope against hope that Laube wouldn't get a break yet again.

The reporter he assaulted? Frank Tristan, who was covering the rally for OC Weekly, where I was then editor in chief. As Tristan was being beat up by someone else, Laube rushed him, grabbed him by the jacket and pummeled his head and face before a black-clad protester pepper-sprayed Laube.

The California State Park Police didnt arrest Laube, who was on probation for his role in an armed robbery in L.A. County. Nor did they detain any of his fellow associates in the white supremacist fight club Rise Above Movement, who had attended the rally with anti-Semitic signs, chased down and stomped on anti-Trump protesters and giddily displayed their mayhem on social media. Instead, rangers handcuffed anti-Trumpers for using pepper spray in self-defense.

Laubes luck was only beginning.

Read more: Judge says prosecutors pick on far-right protesters, sentences alleged supremacist to time served

In 2018, federal prosecutors charged him and three other accused Rise Above Movement members  Robert Rundo, Robert Boman and Aaron Eason  with conspiracy to incite riots in Huntington Beach and at other Trump rallies. Laube pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the federal riots act and faced up to five years in prison.

A year later, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney dismissed the charges against Rundo, Boman and Eason, claiming they were "unconstitutionally over-broad." Carney allowed Laube to pull his guilty plea, then dismissed his case as well.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Carneys ruling in 2021. This time, Laube pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with the journalists federally-protected rights without causing injury, while Rundo and Boman proceeded with pretrial hearings (Eason had died of lung cancer).

In February, Carney once again tossed out the cases against Rundo and Boman, arguing that prosecutors were picking on them for their far-right beliefs while supposedly ignoring similar incidents by the far left. Would he grant grace to Laube anew?

A member of the white supremacist fight club Rise Above Movement assaults an anti-Trump protester during a 2017 rally at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach. Federal prosecutors charged four Southern California members the following with violating the federal riots act, only to have a judge drop charges against three of them. (Los Angeles Times)

The defendant was chubbier than I remembered, with a mustache that made him look like Lt. Dangle from "Reno 911." But Laube, a Redondo Beach resident, still wore his hair close-cropped, and his boyish face showed no signs of worry. He joined his attorney, John Neil McNicholas, at the defendant's table. An aunt and a friend sat on the benches as everyone waited for Carney to start the hearing.

Laubes saga has long infuriated me  and not just because I knew Tristan. In 2018, Tristan and I appeared togther on a 2018 "Frontline" episode to discuss the Rise Above Movement, but we haven't talked in years.

In an era where too many politicians declare the press the enemy, someone who had palled around with a white supremacist group had gotten away with physically striking a reporter. In fact, the only person who had been convicted over what happened in Huntington Beach seven years ago was Sacramento resident Jessica Aguilar. An Orange County jury found her guilty in 2019 of misdemeanor battery, and a judge sentenced her to 20 days in jail or 10 days of Caltrans work.

Her crime? Slapping Laube twice after he yelled "F you, bitch" two times at her.

Would Laube get a slap on the wrist yet again?

Read more: Violence erupts at pro-Trump rally in Huntington Beach

Prosecutors sought a six-month prison term for Laube, along with a year of supervised release, a $25 special assessment and a $2,000 fine. In a sentencing memo, they blasted Laubes failure to appreciate the leniency he has been shown thus far.

In a letter submitted to Carney, Laube said at the time in his life when he went after Tristan, he had no real guidance and [a] lack of self-discipline.

But not anymore: Ive used all the pain and suffering Ive endured in my lifetime and found a positive way to help other people learn from my mistakes by helping alcoholics become sober.

Carney  a former UCLA star wide receiver nominated to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2003  explained the sentencing guidelines in case he ever had to justify why there is a disparity if people felt the sentence was lenient. He then asked prosecutors if they wanted to say anything; they declined.

Next were McNicholas and Laube.

The attorney spun a tale out of a Charles Dickens novel. Laube grew up with an imprisoned father and a dysfunctional mother whose boyfriends regularly beat her in front of her son. A best friend died of a drug overdose. Laube became addicted to heroin and alcohol, which fueled a lengthy rap sheet that included driving under the influence, fighting in public, and carrying a switchblade.

Everything was out of control, McNicholas proclaimed, and his client had many more demons to fight when the federal government filed charges against him.

But Laube was now good, he insisted. Three years sober. Going to school and working full time as an electricians apprentice  but his grandpa died on Easter. That's why his grandma wasn't in attendance.

Hes trying to become an example to those with similar problems that he has, McNicholas concluded. Things seem to be working well for him right now.

Laube claimed he completely broke off ties with the Rise Above Movement after the Huntington Beach melee and had gone through therapy and counseling. He offered no apology.

I dont have room to mess up anymore, Laube quietly said. Im definitely a changed man.

He sat down. The jeweled studs on his earlobes sparkled. Good job, McNicholas whispered.

Carney asked for a few minutes to go to his chambers add a few more lines to a sentencing memorandum. Soon, his clerk passed out copies hot off the printer to reporters.

Laube had gotten off easy yet again.

U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, in a 2018 photo (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Carney's memorandum retold Laube's sad life and contained stills from Laube's attack on Tristan. Laube maintained that he went after Tristan  who was in his usual outfit of jeans, a black jacket and black hat  because Tristan "was dressed like a member of Antifa and was assisting someone who had harassed a supporter of President Trump," the judge wrote.

The person Tristan was helping was the OC Weekly photographer who had grabbed an American flag from a woman after she used it to smack another photographer in the face.

It was wrong to punch a journalist who was not engaging in violence, Carney continued. But the scene was chaotic  Mr. Laube himself had already been struck twice.

The sentence: time served for the 35 days Laube had spent in pretrial custody. One year supervised release. The $25 assessment, due immediately. The $2,000 fine? It would come in monthly installments. And if Laube couldnt afford his court-ordered substance abuse and mental health programs? He wouldnt have to pay.

No doubt, Carney concluded in his motion, the government and others will object to the Courts sentence, focusing entirely on Mr. Laubes past white supremacist beliefs and ignoring the violent conduct of Antifa and similar groups. But the Court cannot cast aside the Constitution.

The judge returned to the bench after allowing the media to read through his memorandum. Laube could appeal the sentence if he found it unjust  its not a difficult process," the judge said, then smiled.

Sir, I wish you the best of luck, he said. Youve come a long way  keep it up. Be careful who you associate with.

Read more: Judge clears charges against alleged white supremacists, says there's a bias against the far right

I stepped out of the courtroom to wait for Laube and McNicholas. The moment they saw me, their woe-is-Tyler act stopped.

I dont want to talk to you, Laube snapped when I asked how he was feeling. I revealed who I was, in case he didnt know, and asked if he had ever apologized to Tristan. His soft face had hardened into a scowl.

Im not answering any questions, he huffed, heading to the elevator with his aunt and friend.

Did he still hold white supremacist beliefs? His aunt scoffed.

Get away from him, snarled McNicholas as he walked toward Laube.

The Los Angeles Times is the worst newspaper, he thundered from the elevator as the doors began to close, and Im canceling my subscription!

I joined them, and they stepped out; so did I. We finally went up to the 10th floor, as I continued to pepper Laube with questions he didn't even acknowledge. So I turned to McNicholas and asked how he felt about his client getting such a light sentence for what he did to Tristan.

He didnt look like a reporter, McNicholas retorted. But he couldn't muster a cogent answer when I asked how journalists are supposed to look. I asked again if it was OK that Laube had pummeled a reporter, and McNicholas asked if I had seen the photos in Carneys sentencing memorandum.

I said I had and that I knew that Laube had called the woman who slapped him a bitch.

McNicholas stopped. Where did you find that?

When I replied that I had seen video footage, he accused me of being on the side of "leftists" and "antifa," as Laubes aunt pointed her smartphone camera at me.

Again, did McNicholas feel it was OK that Laube had attacked a reporter?

Its never good to beat up a reporter, he finally admitted, before accusing Tristan of supporting antifa. When I asked for evidence, McNicholas didn't respond.

He calmed down. It was an unfortunate incident, he grumbled, adding it was regrettable and that Laube shouldve never done it. McNicholas took questions from another reporter, excused himself and went into a conference room to meet Laube.

Laubes aunt approached me for my email, which I wrote down on a slip of paper. How did she feel about her nephews sentence?

She looked at me with a triumphant grin as the conference room door slowly closed.

I love it.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Jennifer, one of four ships operated by the U.S. NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Spains Open Arms, had arrived Monday morning from Cyprus and docked in front of the breakwater that its local partners in Gaza built in March from the rubble of Israeli bombardments. On board, they were carrying more than 300 tons of food, including one of great symbolic significance for Muslims during Ramadan: dates, the first thing eaten at sunset when the fast is broken with iftar. But when only about 100 tons had been unloaded, they were forced to set sail again, taking much of the food with them. Three Israeli missiles had just killed seven WCK aid workers, four of them Westerners.

In the communique confirming the death of its seven workers, the organization founded by the Spanish-American chef Jose Andres also announced the suspension of all its activities in Gaza. The announcement was followed the next day, Tuesday, by an analogous one from another NGO, Anera. On Thursday, another U.S. organization, Project Hope, said it was assessing the safety of its staff after suspending its work for three days.

The pause in humanitarian aid by these NGOs has raised fears that other organizations may follow suit at a time when Gaza is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe and insufficient food and water supplies are trickling in due to Israeli restrictions, especially in the north.

Israel announced Friday that it will reopen the Erez crossing in northern Gaza and allow humanitarian aid to enter  albeit temporarily  the port of Ashdod, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Palestinian enclave. It has also pledged to increase supplies entering the Strip through the southern Kerem Shalom crossing. This decision, which NGOs and the United Nations had been demanding for months in vain, came after U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day earlier that Washingtons continued support will depend on the measures Israel takes to protect civilians and aid workers.

Both the use of the nearby port of Ashdod and the opening of the Erez crossing could alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, provided Israel allows the entry of a significant amount of aid. The northern region of Gaza, where the Erez border crossing point is located, is the worst hit by what was defined in March as an imminent famine by international organizations. At least half of Gazans are suffering from extreme food shortages due to Israels refusal, with few exceptions, to allow food trucks from humanitarian organizations access.

According to a UN communique dated March 20, in the first two weeks of last month, Israel gave permission to enter northern Gaza to only 11 of the 24 food convoys that international organizations tried to send into the region. The rest were denied or postponed. Among the vehicles that obtained authorization were several belonging to WCK. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people out of a population of 2.3 million are barely surviving in northern Gaza, of whom at least 210,000 are on the verge of, or already suffering from, famine conditions. Videos posted on social media and by Palestinian journalists have shown Gazans preparing soups from grass or making bread from animal feed, which in some cases is toxic for humans.

In addition, on March 25, the Israeli authorities denied entry into the northern Strip of trucks belonging to the territorys main humanitarian organization, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Those living upstream of the Gaza River, which divides the Strip in two, were thus deprived of the agencys flour deliveries, on which over 1.8 million Gazans were reliant by March. The aid distributed by UNRWA accounted for 50% of all food reaching the north, according to the UN.

Israels veto of UNRWA was another step in the campaign against the agency by the Israeli authorities, who accuse it of being infiltrated by Hamas but without providing evidence. Israels claims of the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees in the October 7 attacks prompted 16 countries to suspend funding although several  Canada, France, Australia, Japan and the European Union, among others  have since reinstated it.

With UNRWAs funds depleted and the agency unable to access half of Gaza, the role assumed by food delivery organizations such as WCK and Anera had been gaining crucial weight. In mid-March, Jose Andres NGO claimed to have distributed nearly 200 tons of food in the north of the enclave. On March 1, WCK participated in an airdrop of 500 pallets of food and medicine in the same region. One of Aneras community kitchens is located in the northern Gaza town of Jabalia.

WCK has operated 60 community kitchens in central and southern Gaza, serving at least 43 million meals. Anera, in addition to the Jabalia kitchen, had six other such facilities in the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Younis. The organization has distributed over 23 million meals  150,000 a day  its president Sean Carroll told EL PAIS by telephone from the United States.

Guarantees for aid workers in Gaza

Carroll says Anera has been forced to choose between continuing to feed starving people and protecting its workers and the beneficiaries themselves. He added that if his aid workers are attacked, the people they are trying to help may also die. All we ask is that Israel gives us some guarantee that it will not attack us. Carroll, who says his aid teams are eager to get back to work, believes the call between Biden and Netanyahu could be very important in securing this commitment.

There are 23 United Nations agencies and dozens of international NGOs working in Gaza, as well as many more local organizations but food aid from WCK, Anera and, in the north, UNRWA is difficult to replace.

Last week, the UN International Court of Justice issued new interim measures against Israel, urging it to allow humanitarian aid, including food, into Gaza without delay. Material compliance with this order would be straightforward, were it not for the fact that Israel continues to ignore such requests from international aid organizations.

In March, UNICEF spokesman James Elder, who visited the Strip for a few days, recalled how, on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing at the Gaza border, long lines of trucks loaded with food awaited Israeli permission to enter. Another UN agency working in Gaza, the World Food Program, has repeatedly reiterated that it has sufficient food stocks to feed the more than two million Gazans once Israel opens the border crossings into the occupied Palestinian enclave.

Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, the UN reports one in three children under the age of two is already suffering from the most acute form of severe malnutrition: wasting, which occurs when the body is so depleted that it loses the ability to absorb nutrients. The condition is often irreversible.

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Here's how the legal departments of two hospitals, legislators in two states and even the Supreme Court turned a pregnancy emergency for Mylissa Farmer into a life-threatening nightmare.

Farmer, 41, was 18 weeks into her pregnancy when her water broke prematurely. Her doctor instructed her to go to her local hospital in Joplin, Mo.

There, the hospital's labor and delivery doctors determined that she had no amniotic fluid left. Her baby had "'zero' chance of survival" and she risked infection, blood loss and even death. The doctors advised her that they could help her undergo an "inevitable miscarriage," or she could wait, at risk to her life.

Obstetricians in Idaho live in constant fear.... Idaho's doctors have been warned that they are being tracked and scrutinized and they should fear prosecution for providing an abortion under any circumstances  even when medically necessary.

Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare

She chose the former, and then the hospital's legal department stepped in. Although Missouri's antiabortion law has exceptions when continuing a pregnancy might cause the mother's death or "irreversible physical impairment," the lawyers determined she was not quite there yet.

The doctors advised Farmer to go out of state, but the only hospital capable of handling her condition was in Kansas, which was then in the thick of a political campaign over a proposed antiabortion constitutional amendment.

She arrived at University of Kansas Hospital on Aug. 2, 2022, the very day the vote was taking place. There the doctors offered either to induce labor or end her pregnancy surgically. Then that hospital's lawyers stepped in. They forbade the doctors to provide any treatment at all, having ruled, according to a doctor, that it "was too risky in this political environment." Three days later, she reached a clinic in Illinois that performed the necessary treatment.

Mylissa Farmer's experience matches those of countless other women whose healthcare has been compromised by antiabortion state laws since 2022, when the Supreme Court in its so-called Dobbs decision overturned the guarantee of abortion rights established by Roe vs. Wade in 1973.

But there's more to her case. The refusal by two major hospitals to treat her emergency condition violated federal law  the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986, known as EMTALA.

The law, which was drafted to stop hospitals from "dumping" emergency patients without insurance by denying them treatment, requires all hospitals receiving Medicare funds  pretty much all hospitals  to provide all emergency room patients with the treatment required to "stabilize" their conditions before transferring them or sending them home.

Read more: Column: Two key antiabortion studies have been retracted as junk science. Will the Supreme Court care?

Investigations by Medicare inspectors last year concluded that the Joplin hospital and University of Kansas Hospital violated EMTALA when they released Farmer without providing the requisite treatment. The penalties run up to $50,000 per incident and the termination of the hospitals' Medicare contracts, but no actions have been announced.

There's no exception in EMTALA when the required emergency treatment is an abortion. And that has made EMTALA the newest target of antiabortion agitators and politicians. They claim that the Biden administration is using the federal law to promote or even mandate abortions in all cases, which is false.

The claim, however, has caught the eye of the Supreme Court, which has scheduled oral arguments April 24 in a case involving Idaho's antiabortion law and its manifest conflict with EMTALA.

The court's decision to take up the case alarmed abortion rights advocates when it was announced on Jan. 5. It looms even larger now: The court has signaled, though not guaranteed, that it will reject a right-wing challenge to the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, the key drug in medication abortions, but the Idaho case could give its conservative majority another crack at strengthening state antiabortion policies nationwide.

"There was a lot of press around the mifepristone lawsuit," says Michelle Banker of the National Women's Law Center, which is providing Farmer with legal representation. "This is a bit of a sleeper case."

The case is rooted in an advisory issued by Medicare authorities two weeks after the Dobbs decision overturned Roe vs. Wade. It emphasized to doctors and hospitals that when a pregnant woman arrived at an emergency room with a condition that required an emergency abortion, "the physician must provide that treatment."

Read more: Column: Red states are threatening to criminalize out-of-state abortions. These blue states are fighting back

When a state law prohibited abortion and didn't include an exemption when the life of the mother was threatened, the advisory said, "that state law is preempted " by the federal law. (Boldfaced emphases in the original.)

Antiabortion advocates instantly took up arms against the advisory. They scurried to federal court in Lubbock, Texas, which has a single active judge, Trump appointee James Wesley Hendrix, who obligingly blocked it with a permanent injunction. The government's appeal went to the notoriously right-wing U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the injunction.

The Texas case hasn't made it yet to the Supreme Court. It was outrun by the Idaho case, in which the federal government moved to block Idaho's antiabortion law to the extent it conflicted with EMTALA.

The conflict, as the government points out, is that the law requires doctors to perform an emergency abortion if necessary to prevent a patient's condition from deteriorating or to protect her from potentially severe or permanent injury. Idaho law forbids an abortion unless it's necessary to avert a patient's death. Doctors caught in this vise are in effect being told that they must allow a pregnant woman's condition to deteriorate until she is near death before they can act.

It wasn't entirely surprising that Idaho would become the battleground for the issue. The state is doing very well in the race to enact the most goonishly malevolent antiabortion policies. Its abortion law criminalizes abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with narrow exceptions for cases in which continuing a pregnancy would threaten the mother's life.

Idaho law also makes it a felony to help a minor leave the state for an abortion. (A federal judge has temporarily blocked the so-called abortion trafficking law while a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality proceeds.)

The state has claimed that its abortion law makes it a felony for a healthcare provider to refer a patient for an abortion out of state. (Also blocked, for now, by a federal judge.) Another state law exposes professors at Idaho public universities with jail terms of up to 14 years for teaching, discussing, or writing about abortion.

Read more: Column: Conservative attacks on abortion depend on a law that courts have snubbed for 150 years

Put all that together, and a ruling that it can flout federal law to protect its antiabortion credentials would be right up Idaho's alley.

In making its case, Idaho asserts that after the Dobbs decision the Biden administration "reinterpreted" EMTALA "to create a nationwide abortion mandate"  a mandate the administration only "discovered" nearly 40 years after EMTALA's enactment.

As the government points out, however, the mandate was always within EMTALA; it never had to be spelled out because the right to abortion became the law of the land via Roe vs. Wade 13 years before EMTALA was enacted. Until Dobbs, the role of abortion as an emergency treatment almost never came under question.

Antiabortionists maintain that Dobbs "caused a sea change in the law," as 5th Circuit appellate judge Kurt D. Englehardt, another Trump appointee, wrote for the three-judge appeals panel upholding the Texas injunction.

That was a cute bit of legerdemain. EMTALA didn't change as a result of Dobbs  it was healthcare laws in red states that changed to outlaw abortion. "It has always been the case that EMTALA has been understood to require abortion care when that's necessary to stabilize a patient's medical condition," Banker told me. "The only thing that's new is that Roe vs. Wade has been overturned."

Indeed, according to a friend-of-the-court brief filed by six former Medicare administrators and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, who served under both President Bush as well as Presidents Clinton and Obama, Medicare repeatedly issued public guidance stressing that abortion should be considered appropriate emergency treatment when warranted, even before Dobbs.

Read more: Column: As professionals flee antiabortion policies, red states face a brain drain

Idaho, like its apologists in the right-wing fever swamp, maintains that EMTALA "merely prohibits emergency rooms from turning away indigent patients with serious medical conditions" and doesn't mandate "any specific type of medical treatment, let alone abortion."

This is a crabbed and mendacious interpretation of the law. It's a cynical attempt to conflate the problem that prompted Congress to act  hospitals were turning away emergency patients without insurance, a process known as "dumping"  with the much broader law Congress enacted.

EMTALA explicitly protects "any individual" who presents at an emergency room, regardless of their financial or insurance situation. Hospitals aren't even allowed to inquire about the patient's financial or insurance status if that would delay examination or treatment.

Idaho's interpretation suggests that hospitals could simply keep indigent patients in their corridors, untreated, until they wasted away, without violating EMTALA. That's not what the law says. It explicitly mandates that hospitals "provide either ... such treatment as may be required to stabilize the medical condition" or transfer the patient to another facility that can provide the treatment  as long as the transfer itself won't harm the patient.

What does "stabilize" mean? The law defines the term as meaning that "no material deterioration of the condition" would result from discharging or transferring the patient. It also defines an "emergency medical condition" as one that, without treatment, would jeopardize "the health of the individual," or cause "serious impairment to bodily functions" or to any organ or body part.

Far from ignoring pregnancy issues, EMTALA has always explicitly covered women presenting with a pregnancy emergency. In those cases, the law says, the hospitals are bound to provide treatment that protects "the health of the woman or her unborn child."

The friend-of-the-court briefs piling up on the Supreme Court's EMTALA docket include several outlining the horrific moral and legal trap facing doctors caught between EMTALA and antiabortion state laws.

"Obstetricians in Idaho live in constant fear," states a brief filed by a coalition representing 678 Idaho doctors and other medical professionals. "Always at the back of their minds is the worry that a pregnant patient will arrive at their hospital needing emergency care that they will not be able to provide."

Under Idaho law, doctors face prison terms of up to five years and the loss of their medical licenses for following medical protocols unless "the patient is face-to-face with death." The federal and state laws are totally irreconcilable: Doctors confronted with an emergency pregnancy, the brief says, have the choice of complying with EMTALA and thus risking a stiff prison term and the end of their careers, or complying with state law and thus risking their patient's health or even causing her death.

What's worse, "the culture of fear surrounding Idaho's abortion laws has only exacerbated the struggle," the brief says. "Idaho's doctors have been warned that they are being tracked and scrutinized and they should fear prosecution for providing an abortion under any circumstances  even when medically necessary."

Is there any mystery why OB/GYNS are leaving Idaho by the score? Half of the state's 44 counties have no practicing obstetricians at all.

A solution, albeit a modest one, to the confusion over the responsibilities of obstetricians in antiabortion states would be for the Supreme Court to clarify that federal law prevails when it runs up against a more restrictive state law. Making that clear in Idaho would send a signal to Texas, Missouri and other states that a mother's life and health can't be legislated away.

The EMTALA case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to uphold science and morality on women's reproductive healthcare, as it appears to be preparing to do on mifepristone. But what if it follows that case by allowing states to sentence pregnant women to substandard emergency care?

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A construction worker was killed and two people were taken to the hospital after a portion of a crane dropped onto the Southeast Third Avenue bridge over the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Thursday afternoon, April 4, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

A construction worker was killed and two people were taken to the hospital after a portion of a crane dropped onto the Southeast Third Avenue bridge over the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Thursday afternoon, April 4, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the West Palm Beach-based company Kast Construction, plus Phoenix Rigging & Erecting LLC of Mableton, Georgia, and Maxim Crane Works LP of Wilder, Kentucky, after a portion of a crane fell onto the Southeast Third Avenue bridge in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday. A construction worker was killed, and three others were injured.

Prior to Thursday, Kast had been cited with two OSHA violations at other job sites in Florida.

In the past year, Kast has been the subject of three total OSHA inspections, including one in Sarasota in which workers on the 18th floor of a building were subjected to a 129-foot fall hazard without guardrail protections, according to online records. The company was initially penalized $14,063 before the penalty was lowered to $9,844.

In June, Kast was also cited after employees at a Tampa site were exposed to fall hazards of approximately 8 feet, according to OSHAs website. Per the citation, employees were performing work on an elevator when the company removed a guardrail system and did not provide adequate means of protection. Kast Construction was given a $15,625 fine.

The company holds the permit to the $87.9 million project site in Fort Lauderdale where the crane appeared to be located Thursday, though its unclear if the crane operation was being overseen by Kast or a subcontractor. Kast did not respond to the Miami Heralds requests for comment Thursday or Friday.

Jorge De La Torre, 27, was killed in Thursdays partial collapse while working on the project at 333 N. New River Drive, a 43-story apartment building. The collapse injured three others, including one person who was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Gregory May said in a press conference Thursday evening.

RELATED: 1 dead, 2 injured as Fort Lauderdale building crane fails, crushes cars on bridge

Kast was also inspected for safety purposes on Nov. 2 during a job at Legacy Hotels and Residences at 930 NE First Ave. in Miami; no details on that inspection were immediately available, but it remains open, according to OSHAs website.

This is not the first time the company has been associated with a fatality. In 2016, a 27-year-old worker with the company fell to his death at a West Palm Beach job site, the Palm Beach Post reported at the time.

Maxim Crane Works had a clean nose last year with OSHA inspections. But the company received a $17,775 penalty after receiving four violations in May 2022. The details of those citations were not readily available on OSHAs website.

Prior to that, the company received a $1,820 penalty for three violations. Maxim did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Herald on Friday afternoon.

Phoenix Rigging & Erecting last received an OSHA violation in August 2014 after a piece of metal broke off a sledge hammer and struck an employee in the chest, killing him. The company initially received a $14,000 penalty for two violations, but it was reduced to a $7,000 penalty when one of the violations was dropped. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last year, there were four fatal incidents involving cranes, according to OSHAs site. In 2023, OSHA released a report that revealed 297 crane-related deaths occurred between 2011 and 2017, with an average of 42 deaths per year over that period.

Miami Herald staff writers Grethel Aguila, David Goodhue and Omar Rodriguez Ortiz contributed to this report.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A new competition looks to find the best cannabis products in the state of Michigan and you can help decide.

Best in Grass, which has held competitions nationally, is now turning to the state level and focusing on Michigan in particular. The goal is to find the best product that is locally made in a variety of categories.

The competition begins April 6 and will feature 60 brands and more than 180 products that will contain an estimated 330,000 grams of cannabis.

Ive spent the past four years getting to know the vibrant Michigan cannabis community, which is a true standout among all of the cannabis-friendly states Ive visited coast to coast. When it came time to select a launch market for Best in Grass, we knew the Mitten State was the perfect location, Best in Grass co-founder Mark Kazinec said. As one of the largest cannabis markets in the US, Michigan consumers have shown up in droves for previous competitions. Were looking forward to tapping into that loyal audience and connecting with the cannabis community through Best in Grass.

The categories that will be judged include:

Best Indica Flower

Best Sativa Flower

Best Hybrid Flower

Best Infused Flower Moon Rocks

Best Pre-rolls

Best Solvent Infused Pre-rolls

Best Non-solvent Infused Pre-rolls

Best Rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges

Best Non-rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges

Best Solvent Concentrates

Best Non-solvent Concentrates

Best Gummy Edibles

Best Non-gummy Edibles

Best Syrups and Beverages

And there is a way for people to also be the judge themselves. The competition is looking for 2,600 volunteers to test out the products and grade them. Sampling kits go live at certain locations around the state on April 6. You must be 21 years or older to judge.

Each kit will cost between $75-280 depending on the category you choose from. Judging will take place from April 6 to May 19 and the winners will be announced at an award show on June 18 at the Royal Oaks Music Theatre.

If you would like to sign up to judge the competition or to find more information on it, visit the Best in Grass website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
An embattled Rhode Island developer, who has been sanctioned multiple times by the Rhode Island contractors registration board, had construction of his 38-unit condominium development in East Greenwich halted after the towns building official said he had grave concerns about the work being done there.

As a result, at least one prospective buyer has pulled out of their purchase at The Imperial on Greenwich, after reading details of the travails of Sathuan Sa in a Hummel Report investigation published in the March 24 Providence Sunday Journal. Sa also owes the state $283,000 in back taxes but continues to operate in Rhode Island.

Brad R. Ward, who became the full-time East Greenwich building official last fall, said he first visited Sas project on Greenwich Boulevard just south of downtown in early February. Ward was under the impression that Sa had engaged authorized third-party inspectors, so no one from the town had been onsite.

Construction was halted at The Imperial at Greenwich, a 38-unit condominium development in East Greenwich, because of "grave concerns" about the project by the town's building official.

When I walked through, I saw a lot of issues I thought were very concerning, Ward said in an interview this week. I went back and looked at the plan(s) and it verified my concerns.

Among them: Workers were making changes to the original design without approval or inspection.

Ward issued a stop-work order for the entire project, dated Feb. 29, that remains in effect today. In his letter, Ward told Sa that his inspection revealed there are numerous deviations from the approved plans.

Buyers back out of purchase after learning of Sa's history

Lauren Sharpe and her husband, who have a young son and wanted to get into the East Greenwich school district, had put down a $25,000 deposit for a two-bedroom unit at the Imperial. Sharpe said the completion date kept getting pushed back, a common theme with Sas projects.

At the same time, Sharpes husband was periodically searching online to learn more about Sas track record. He didnt see much, until a Google search brought up last months Hummel Report investigation outlining substandard work at two of Sas condominium projects in Providence that left owners on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars of remedial work.

I remember asking the realtor what else [Sa] had done, and she said [a project in] Boston, but didnt mention any of the work hed done in Rhode Island, Sharpe said. Were just really grateful that you came out with that article and the work youre doing on this.

Construction equipment sits idle at the site of the Imperial on Greenwich condominiums in East Greenwich, which is under a stop-work order by the town.

The real estate agent for the project sent Sharpe and other buyers an email last week that said, in part: We have run into recent delays with the town relative to the current inspections. As a result of the inability to coordinate some of these inspections with the town we are looking at mid-June as a more realistic timeline for obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy. We realize this may negatively [affect] your plans, if you need to back out due to timing please let us know within 10 days.

There was no mention that the town had issued a stop-work order that is still in effect. Sharpe and her husband jumped at the opportunity to get their money back and have found another condominium in East Greenwich.

My husband and I have been talking about it, and he said, Do you really want to be in an elevator installed by [Sa]?

Multiple problems at two Providence condo developments

Last months Hummel Report investigation focused on two troubled projects Sa developed in Providence five years apart: the 23-unit Chapel Hill East Condominiums on the East Side, which Sa converted from a former parochial school in 2019; and, more recently, a 23-unit conversion of the former National Casket Company into condominiums at 50 Ashburton on the citys north side.

Residents moved into 50 Ashburton on a temporary certificate of occupancy last fall after being assured their units would be ready last spring/early summer. They later found that the full certificate of occupancy was not issued until January, long after the temporary certificate had expired, and that Sa did work without permits after the CO was issued.

The City of Providence is investigating that, as well as repeated flooding that has happened on the first floor. The first flood, in January, left several inches of water on the ground floor, and a subsequent geyser erupted out of a pipe in the floor on the evening of Saturday, March 23, forcing residents to call the Providence Fire Department. They have incurred more than $12,000 in cleanup costs, and one resident has been displaced from her unit while flood damage is remediated. They say Sa blames the city.

The bathroom of a ground-floor unit at 50 Ashburton St. shows solid waste that backed up from the shower drain and toilet during the March 23 rainstorm. The City of Providence is investigating repeated flooding at the condo complex.

At Chapel Hill East, residents were able to obtain an arbitration award of more than $800,000 for the defective work and expense, but Sa is appealing it in Superior Court.

Should tax delinquency be among reasons to suspend a contractor's registration?

Many owners we spoke with wanted to know how Sa  who is well-known in city and town halls across the state, and at the Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board  can still be working, especially when he is 30th on the Division of Taxations top 100 tax delinquent list, at $283,000.

The contractors board has a list of 19 reasons, spelled out in state law, that would allow it to suspend someones registration, but back taxes are not one of them.

Hummel Report: Providence condo owners say developer's shoddy work cost them thousands. They want answers.

The Hummel Report asked House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi if that law needs to be amended. His spokesman responded: Speaker Shekarchi said if the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board would like to propose adding chronic tax delinquency to the list of reasons in state law allowing it to suspend a registration, he would be open to having such legislation be introduced and considered.

So we asked The Department of Business Regulation, which oversees the contractors board, about Shekarchis comments. Matt Touchette, a DBR spokesman, wrote in an email: DBR, alongside our partner agencies and policymakers in the General Assembly, remains willing to consider and discuss a range of policy responses to this complicated case  including improvements to requirements related to tax standing and real estate disclosures.

Complaints filed against real estate agent who markets Sa's properties

The owners at Chapel Hill East and 50 Ashburton also took issue with the real estate agent marketing their units, Debbie Gold of Coldwell Banker. Several have filed written complaints with the Department of Business Regulation, which licenses real estate agents in Rhode Island.

Judith Glynn sued Gold and Sa because delays in closing on her unit in 2019 cost her more than $60,000 in capital gains taxes. Glynn said she is also sending a letter to the head of Coldwell Banker in New England outlining her dealings with Gold.

Judith Glynn is suing developer Sathuan Sa and Debbie Gold, the Coldwell Banker agent who marketed her unit at Chapel Hill East, because of delays in closing that cost her $60,000 in capital gains taxes.

Gold, who has marketed Sas properties for 15 years, said she did not know about complaints about his shoddy work, suspensions of his contractors license, or tax delinquency. Im not aware of those things. Its not my business, she said in an interview.

Glynn says she has emails that say otherwise.

Touchette said once DBR receives a written complaint about a real estate agent, if it believes that the person has violated the law or regulations, the department may pursue enforcement action including license discipline and/or administrative fines.

It posts details of the actions it has taken against agents.

East Providence homeowner asks state: 'Why aren't you shutting him down?'

Debbie DeCarlo, of Riverside, contacted The Hummel Report after our investigation ran last month, saying she bought a single-family home Sa had renovated in 2018. He had not hooked up the gas when she moved in and had installed French doors that blew wide open in gusty wind.

I had water pouring through my electrical fixtures, and I had a roof that was leaking, even though it was brand new, DeCarlo said. He never sealed or insulated the crawlspace where he placed a bathroom above it, so my pipes froze the first time of cold weather.

DeCarlo said Sa initially came back and made an attempt to repair some of the things that were not done correctly, but then he disappeared. DeCarlo spent nearly $30,000 on remedial work but was awarded only $7,500 when she complained to the state contractors board.

Housing: RI sued a landlord over unsafe housing. Months later, the problems haven't been fixed.

There are all sorts of people who have been hoodwinked by him, DeCarlo said. When I went into [East Providence] City Hall, everybody knew his name. I walked into the Department of Administration, and they said theyd received a lot of complaints about him.

She said her biggest frustration was with the government agencies charged with overseeing and regulating his work. DeCarlo said a senior state building code official came to her house in an effort to mediate. You better take something, because you could get nothing out of this, she recalled him saying. DeCarlo said she responded: With all these claims, why arent you shutting him down?

DeCarlo said she was not surprised reading our story.

I hope hes held accountable for the work hes doing and that the state would step in and review his [registration]. I wanted to see it pulled. If you dont have a [registration], you cant get a permit, and if you cant get a permit, you cant build. We can go backward, or forward  they control this.

In East Greenwich, Ward said he is still waiting for corrections to the architectural plans at The Imperial. He has allowed a limited amount of work to go forward under strict supervision, including installation of sprinklers and plumbing in the basement.

I dont want to shut down any contractor, but I do want to make sure that everything is done in East Greenwich correctly, properly and according to plan, according to code. I had grave concerns on this project.

Lauren Sharpe said she was relieved to be moving on from The Imperial. I think we got lucky with the timing of all this.

The Hummel Report is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies, in part, on donations. For more information, go to HummelReport.org. Reach Jim at Jim@HummelReport.org.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: East Greenwich halts Sathuan Sa condo project over 'grave concerns'
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Local nonprofit Con Mi MADRE (CMM) will hold its 16th Corazon Awards on April 12 at the Junior League of Austin, celebrating its mission: Preparing young Latinas to enter college as first-generation students and preparing their mothers to support their college journeys.

This years honorees include St. Edwards University President Dr. Montserrat Fuentes, nonprofit CEO Sergio Rodriguez, and City of Austin Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes.

The honorees of Con Mi MADREs 16th annual Corazon awards. From left to right: Dr. Montserrat Fuentes, Sergio Rodriguez and Vanessa Fuentes. (Courtesy Con Mi MADRE)

In an email, CMM called the honorees extraordinary individuals and organizations who have made remarkable strides in fostering empowerment and education within the Latinx community.

2023: Con Mi Madre honors three Austin women for helping young Latinas achieve their college dreams

Dr. Montserrat Fuentes

Dr. Fuentes calls CMM a transformative force in the lives of young Latinas and the broader community, and that its mission is tied to St. Edwards Universitys own.

[We] share a common vision with Con Mi Madre in supporting and nurturing the talents of young Latinas in our community, she said in a statement. Our collaboration is rooted in the belief that education is the key to unlocking a brighter future, and together, we strive to align our missions to ensure that every young Latina has the chance to fulfill her potential and make a meaningful impact on society.

Dr. Fuentes will receive the Corazon Award.

Sergio Rodriguez

Rodriguez, CEO of The Hector and Gloria Foundation, will receive the Mariposa Award from CMM.

I am honored to be selected by Con Mi MADRE with their Mariposa Award this year and to be in the company of President Fuentes and Councilwoman Fuentes. Con Mi MADRE is Austins leading nonprofit serving Latinas and their mothers and their model has proven success, he said, in a statement to KXAN.

Vanessa Fuentes

For Councilmember Fuentes, CMMs mission relates to her childhood. When she was in school, her mother was also studying for her GED. She is also a first-generation college graduate.

When youre seeing your parent go through the education system alongside you and have that support, it really helps first-generation high school and college graduates, CM Fuentes said. Its these organizations that support educational attainment, that make all the difference.

She also said that groups like CMM are vital to filling gaps in the states education system, such as those created by Texas ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices in higher education (SB 17).

OutLaw: Texas law closes campus LGBTQ+ centers. Heres the student impact

When I was a first-generation college student at the University of Texas [in Austin], I participated in programs that were specifically focused for first-generation Latino students. They were absolutely vital in helping me navigate college and ultimately become a college graduate, CM Fuentes said.

She also notes that a UT Austin student reached out to her for support with an off-campus graduation. The students organization had been cut out of institutional support due to SB 17.

Here you have students who are trying to figure out where they can have a safe space just to celebrate the graduation, she said. Its unfortunate, its a misuse of time and misuse of priorities from the state legislature. And quite frankly, its frightening to think about that effort and what might come next.

CM Fuentes will receive the Con Mi MADRE Award.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Condemned inmate could face 'surgery without anesthesia' if good vein is elusive, lawyers say

A photo released by the Federal Public Defender, shows inmate Brian Dorsey at the Potosi Correctional Center, Washington County, Missouri. Dorsey is scheduled to be executed Tuesday, April 9, 2024, for killing two people in 2006. (Jeremy Weis, Federal Public Defender via AP)

ST. LOUIS (AP)  Missouri's execution protocol allows for surgery without anesthesia if the typical process of finding a suitable vein to inject the lethal drug doesn't work, lawyers for a death row inmate say in an appeal aimed at sparing his life.

Brian Dorsey, 52, is scheduled for execution Tuesday for killing his cousin and her husband at their central Missouri home in 2006. His attorneys are seeking clemency from Gov. Mike Parson and have several appeals pending.

A federal court appeal focuses on how Missouri injects the fatal dose of pentobarbital. The written protocol calls for insertion of primary and secondary intravenous lines. But it offers no guidance on how far the execution team can go to find a suitable vein, leaving open the possibility of an invasive cutdown procedure, Dorsey's attorneys say.

The procedure involves an incision that could be several inches wide and several inches deep. Forceps are used to tear tissue away from a vein that becomes the injection point.

It's surgery, said Arin Brenner, a federal public defender and one of the attorneys representing Dorsey. It would be surgery without anesthesia.

Brenner said Dorsey faces a higher-than-normal risk of needing a cutdown because he is obese. His veins also might be compromised because he is diabetic and a former IV drug user.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Andrew Bailey didn't comment but referred to the state's response to the appeal.

Cut-down procedures are rarely, if ever, used under Missouris execution protocol, the response stated. And in the event that a cut-down procedure were necessary, medical personnel have access to pain relieving medications.

Medication would be inadequate and if the procedure is necessary, Dorsey should receive a local anesthetic, said Megan Crane, another attorney for him.

It is extremely painful," Crane said. Even if given an oral pain relief or an opioid, that will not relieve the pain.

Lawyers for Dorsey say use of the surgical procedure would violate his constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment and also his right to religious freedom, because it would prevent him from having meaningful interaction with his spiritual adviser, including the administration of last rites.

The issue isn't theoretical. In Idaho, the scheduled execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech in February was halted after a medical team unsuccessfully tried eight times establish an IV. It is unclear whether, when or how the state might try again to execute him.

Missouri's execution process is shrouded in secrecy, so it's impossible to know if, or how often, cutdown procedures have been required. No independent observer sees the IV line inserted. The spiritual adviser doesn't enter the room until the preparation is complete. Witnesses sit in dark rooms with curtains drawn until corrections officers open them seconds before the drug is injected.

Attorneys for Dorsey wonder if a cutdown procedure was used in January 2023 when Amber McLaughlin was executed. It was believed to be the first execution of an openly transgender person in the U.S.

The Rev. Lauren Bennett of St. Louis served as McLaughlin's spiritual adviser. She recalled McLaughlin saying, Ouch, ouch, ouch. It hurts," but said McLaughlin was unable to explain the cause of her pain before her death.

Issues with the IV have been problematic in executions elsewhere.

In 2014, Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett was declared dead 43 minutes after his execution began, at times writhing in pain and clenching his teeth through the process. A state investigation showed that the execution team repeatedly failed to insert an IV line in his arms, jugular vein, foot and subclavian vein in the upper torso, before eventually running a line through a vein in Locketts groin.

The review found that Lockett died after the line came loose, and that the deadly chemicals were pumped into the tissue surrounding the injection site instead of directly into his bloodstream. There is no indication in the report that Lockett was ever given an anesthetic.

In 2022, it took more than three hours to execute Joe Nathan James Jr. in Alabama. The state said the process was delayed because of difficulties establishing an IV line. Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor of anesthesiology at Emory University and an expert on lethal injection who witnessed the private autopsy, said he saw multiple puncture sites on both arms and two incisions in the middle of the arm, which he said were indications of efforts to perform a cutdown. It's unclear if he received anesthesia.

Messages were left Friday with corrections officials in Oklahoma and Alabama.

Dorsey, formerly of Jefferson City, was convicted of killing his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Ben, on Dec. 23, 2006, at their home near New Bloomfield. Prosecutors said that earlier that day, Dorsey called Sarah Bonnie seeking to borrow money to pay two drug dealers who were at his apartment.

Dorsey went to the Bonnies home that night. After they went to bed, Dorsey took a shotgun from the garage and killed both of them before sexually assaulting Sarah Bonnies body, prosecutors said.

Sarah Bonnies parents found the bodies the next day. The couples 4-year-old daughter was unhurt.

In the clemency petition, 72 current and former state correctional officers asked Parson, a Republican and a former county sheriff, to commute Dorseys sentence to life in prison, citing his virtually spotless record of good behavior while in prison.

The Brian I have known for years could not hurt anyone, one officer wrote. The Brian I know does not deserve to be executed.

A spokesperson said Parson is still reviewing the clemency request.

An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court centers on the $12,000 flat fee for Dorsey's court-appointed trial attorneys. The appeal argues that with the flat fee, his lawyers had a financial incentive to resolve the case quickly. They encouraged Dorsey to plead guilty, but with no demand that prosecutors agree to life in prison instead of the death penalty.

Dorsey's attorneys also had asked the Missouri Supreme Court to stay the execution on the grounds that the Department of Corrections' acting director, Trevor Foley, has not been confirmed by the state Senate and is therefore unqualified to oversee an execution. The court denied that request Friday.

___

AP reporter Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  The Southeast Third Avenue bridge over the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale reopened Friday morning after part of a crane collapsed Thursday afternoon, killing a construction worker and injuring three people on the ground.

Fort Lauderdale Police identified the worker Friday as 27-year-old Jorge De La Torre.

A large, blue piece of steel from a crane at the Gables Riverwalk construction site at 333 N. New River Drive E. smashed into two cars on the drawbridge, landing on top of a van and crushing the passenger side of the vehicle. The front of a Tesla was also severely damaged.

The bridge was closed to boats and cars until about 9 a.m. Friday, when the city said both car and boat traffic was restored. No signs of the accident were evident on the bridge itself Friday morning except for a remnant of caution tape.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation with Phoenix Rigging & Erecting LLC, Kast Construction, LLC, and Maxim Crane Works LP, spokesperson Erika Ruthman wrote in an email Friday morning.

Kast Construction has received multiple OSHA violations over issues relating to falls and a lack of guardrails, records show.

In 2023, the company was fined two separate times, totaling over $20,000, for failing its duty to have fall protection standard.

Both times, investigators found that employees were walking on an unprotected side or edge and were not protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.

Because the investigation is open, no more details can be given, Ruthman wrote.

Phoenix Rigging & Erecting declined to give a comment. Maxim Crane Works also declined to comment, citing that the investigation is still active.

KAST Construction could not be immediately reached Thursday night or Friday morning.

Fort Lauderdale Police are working on gathering the information for the other involved parties, Detective Ali Adamson said.

When part of the crane fell, workers at the building were in the process of stepping the crane, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan said at a Thursday evening news conference, which is where sections are added to the tower crane to elevate it as the under-construction building grows taller.

Gollan said a platform that held equipment failed, sending the items from the platform down onto the bridge. The crane itself did not experience the failure, he said.

The construction worker who died had fallen with the load off of the side of the building, Gollan said.

The two who were hospitalized were in stable condition, one with only minor injuries, as of Thursday night. The third person who was injured refused to be taken to the hospital.

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz said his department will investigate the death of the worker.

John Uustal, a trial attorney with the law firm Kelley Uustal in Fort Lauderdale who often works cases involving product defects, said this could potentially be a $100 million case.

Its one of those situations where you look at it and say, How could this happen? he said. Its not supposed to happen in a modern civilized society; somebodys doing something very wrong. And there had to have been multiple levels of failure for this to happen.

It may have been a product failure and the product manufacturers at fault. It may be that the employer here on the job site was pushing the employees to do things that were dangerous.

Crane-related incidents are not new. In August 2023, a crane collapse near Mercy Hospital in Coconut Grove killed one person and injured four others. And on Dec. 5, 2022, a construction worker fell to his death when a crane tilted over on Interstate 95.

It does seem like its happening more and more, Uustal said.

-------

(Staff writer Angie DiMichele contributed to this report.)

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Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a group interview ahead of a planned summit next week with U.S. President Joe Biden, in Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday said he wanted to cooperate with South Korea and the Philippines, allies shared with the U.S., and even engage with North Korea to promote regional security.

"The current security environment is tough and complex, and we are at a turning point in history," Kishida said in a group interview. "Cooperation between Japan and the United States and like-minded countries is a very important issue," he added.

The Japanese leader spoke ahead of a planned summit next week with U.S. President Joe Biden, as the allies look for ways to counter China's growing influence in Asia and deter it from resorting to military action to resolve its disputes in the region.

The state visit to Washington, the first by a Japanese leader in nine years, is meant to showcase their close security and economic ties, with the two leaders expected to discuss cooperation on defence equipment and a possible upgrade in the U.S. military command structure in Japan.

That meeting will be followed by a trilateral summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

"Close cooperation between Japan, the U.S., and the Philippines is crucial for a free and open order based on the rule of law and for economic prosperity in the region," Kishida said.

Japan last year delivered four air defence radars to the Philippines and is negotiating a reciprocal access agreement with Manila that would make it easier for Japanese troops to train there.

A separate trilateral meeting between Kishida, Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the U.S. last year helped Tokyo mend relations with Seoul and bolster security cooperation.

Kishida has said he is also willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim "without any preconditions" in a bid to improve strained relations with the nuclear-armed regime.

Relations between the countries have been strained over disputes dating back to Japan's occupation in the first half of the 20th century, and by North Korea's past abduction of Japanese citizens.

"Establishing a fruitful relationship will not only benefit Japan and North Korea but will also contribute greatly to peace and stability in the region," Kishida said.

(Reporting by Yukiko Toyoda and Sakura Murakami; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Sonali Paul)
If you thought a price increase on Costco's beloved $1.50 hot dog and soda combo was the worst thing that could happen to the chain's in-house eatery, think again. On April 4, the food court at a Costco warehouse in Hawaii found itself in an unthinkable dilemma that, unlike a hot dog price hike, even harsh words from Costco's co-founder likely couldn't fix.

"Doomsday. Hotdogs are out of stock!" a Reddit user posted to the Costco subreddit on Thursday. This wasn't a delayed April Fool's Day joke, either. Along with their announcement, the user shared a photo of the food court menu at Iwilei Costco in Oahu, Hawaii, where stickers reading "Out of Stock" had been placed over the menu's photo of the combo.

Unsurprisingly, other Costco shoppers on the subreddit were up in arms about the ordeal. "IT'S HAPPENING! Grab the pitchforks and torches, my friends," one user joked. "Just as the Mayans predicted," another quipped, while a third announced hyperbolically, "Life has no meaning."

A fourth commenter chimed in to suggest that since the same store was also out of ice cream products, the outages could be explained by a broken refrigerator. Others on the platform, however, suspect that something bigger may be afoot.

Read more: 12 Rules Shoppers Must Follow At Costco

Some Redditors Believe Costco Is Experiencing A Hot Dog Shortage

Costco hot dog with condiments - ziggynumnums / Instagram

Back in 2021, another Costco member found that hot dogs were listed as out of stock on their local food court's ordering kiosk. We now know that the world did not end because of this; however, it seems that Oahu's April 4 hot dog outage wasn't just a one-off, as several commenters on the thread claimed their food courts were also out of the staple.

In yet another incident, X (formerly Twitter) user @GetRealJC, whose bio claims they're based in Nevada, shared on April 3 that their local Costco food court was operating without the $1.50 delicacy. Just three weeks earlier, on March 19, another Reddit thread cited the same experience at an undetermined location.

So, is this all just a coincidence, or is something bigger going on? One commenter on the March 19 Reddit thread suggested the latter. They claimed that their partner, an alleged fresh department manager at Costco, told them about a supply chain issue affecting the hot dogs' availability. "No new [wieners] getting shipped out for a least a couple weeks so whatever stores have in their coolers is it," they explained. Another commenter seemed to back this assertion but also claimed the shortage would only affect certain regions of the country. As of this writing, Costco has neither confirmed nor denied a hot dog shortage.

Read the original article on Mashed
History books date the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the second half of the 18th century in England and Wales. As a milestone, they place at its altar the steam engine devised by James Watt between 1763 and 1775. But the accumulation of millions of census records made over two decades by historians at the University of Cambridge (UK) will force the rewrite of manuals and encyclopedias: As early as the 17th century, English people engaged in agriculture ceased to be the majority in favor of other occupations, such as manufacturing or services. Before the Industrial Revolution, there had already been a revolutionary change in the make-up of the labor force.

The classic division of labor establishes a distribution by sectors whose importance has been changing over time: the primary sector, for those related to farming and fishing; the secondary sector, centered on manufacturing and fabrication; and the tertiary sector, that of services, which has been traditionally referred to as the white-collar sector. There were always workers in all three (to which should be added a fourth dedicated to research and technology). But in England and Wales, a complex transition took place at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the result of which was that primary activities, which had been the basic activities of all complex societies for millennia (since the Neolithic Revolution), were replaced by manufacturing and trade in manufactured goods. This new revolution, the Industrial Revolution, then spread to the European continent in the following century and, from there, to the rest of the world. Faced with this narrative, dozens of historians, supported by massive data analysis, have spent the last 20 years accumulating the evidence to rewrite history.

By cataloging and mapping centuries of employment data, we see a need to rewrite the story we have told ourselves about the history of Britain, says Leigh Shaw-Taylor, professor of economic history at Cambridge. We have discovered a shift towards employment in goods manufacturing that suggests it was already industrializing more than a century before the Industrial Revolution, adds the head of the Economies Past project, on whose website you can spend hours studying the evolution, chronology, geographical distribution and demographics of the Industrial Revolution. The site, its maps and statistics draw on 160 million documents from the early 14th century to 1911. Among them are parish archives, municipal archives, censuses, testamentary archives, death records... all in all details of several million people and what they did for a living.

This testamentary document from 1697 states that John Booth was a caterer of food and alcohol from Macclesfield in the county of Cheshire. The researchers have collected more than two million similar documents. Cheshire Archives & Local Studies

Research shows that as early as the 17th century, the agricultural labor force experienced a sharp decline while the number of people manufacturing goods increased: from traditional local craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, shoemakers and wheelwrights, to the explosion of networks of local weavers producing cloth for wholesale. Specifically, while the rest of Europe, including mighty France and the German kingdoms and territories, continued to rely on subsistence agriculture, the number of male agricultural laborers in Britain fell by more than a third (from 64% to 42%) between 1600 and 1740. By comparison, 200 years later, in the 1930s, during the Second Spanish Republic, 47.3% of Spaniards worked in the fields. At the same time, by the end of the 17th century, the proportion of the male labor force involved in the production of goods increased by 50%, representing as much as that dedicated to farming (from 28% to 42%).

The fact is that the changes in the distribution of the labor force began as early as the 15th century, with the proportion of people engaged in agriculture continuing to fall until, in the first half of the 18th century, there were already more people engaged in manufacturing than in farming or tending livestock. In fact, at the beginning of the 19th century, when industrialization began to spread to the rest of Europe, spurred on by the steam engine and mechanization, in England the number of workers engaged in manufacturing had already been stagnant for some time. In an example that history is not as linear as it seems, many parts of Britain were even deindustrializing, the researchers say in a note.

In fact, there were several moments when the revolution seemed to be going backwards. By the mid-18th century, around the time Watts was perfecting the Newcomen atmospheric engine to form the supposed engine of the Industrial Revolution, much of southern and eastern England had lost its long-established industries and had even returned to agricultural work. For example, Norfolk was probably the most industrialized county of the 17th century, with 63% of adult males employed in industry in 1700. The figure fell to 39% during the 18th century, while those engaged in agriculture went from 28% of the total to more than half. Overall, the proportion of men engaged in manufacturing remained flat throughout the supposedly early and central phase of the Industrial Revolution, only to drop sharply from the early 20th century to the present day, when barely 25% of the workforce is engaged in manufacturing.

The chapter of the history books that talks about the emergence of the service sector will also have to be changed. For millennia, the labor force of the third sector was limited to administrative and military personnel and little else. Only in the late stages of the various industrial processes did the white collars of bankers, salesmen, lawyers, insurance agents, educators, and health workers begin to broaden their base until they became, in todays societies, the majority. In todays United Kingdom, almost 75% of work is related to the service sector, while the percentage dedicated to the primary sector is residual. Throughout the course of the 19th century, the service sector almost doubled in size.

The graph shows the sharp decline of agricultural workers as early as the 17th century and how industrial workers surpassed them at the beginning of the 18th century. It also shows the accelerated rise of the service sector since the supposed beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Economies Past Project

Child and female labor

Another of the strengths of the project is that it has been able to separate and organize the data both by gender and by age. Thus, the researchers observed that female labor was central during the early stages of the revolution, but lost prominence during the 19th century and did not regain it until World War II. In 1851 in Easington, a village in the Durham coalfields, only 17% of adult women were employed. However, in one of the southern industrial centers  the hat manufacturing district of Luton  the figure reached 78%. We believe that adult female labor force participation was between 60% and 80% in 1760, and fell back to 43% in 1851, Shaw-Taylor details in a note. It didnt return to those mid-1800s levels until the 1980s.

When he wrote of children working in factories, Charles Dickens was only reflecting the harsh reality. Economies Past allows us to trace the relevance of child labor on the map of England and Wales. In the thriving textile mills of Bradford, in the north of England, more than 70% of girls between the ages of 13 and 14 were working in 1851. Sixty years later, this figure was still above 60%. Additionally, up to 40% of girls in the same area under that age were working in the looms. It was only with the introduction of legislation limiting child labor and instituting compulsory education for young children that their role in the Industrial Revolution was diminished.

I dont think our history takes anything away from the Industrial Revolution and the steam engine, the British historian clarifies in a post. What we are arguing is not that the Industrial Revolution did not take place between 1750 and 1850. What we are arguing is that the structural change in the labor force that was long assumed to have taken place between 1750 and 1850 actually ended in 1700. For Shaw-Taylor, this early industrialization paved the way for the technologically intensive Industrial Revolution (the shift to steam-powered machinery) that came later. In a second part of the project, which already underway, the researchers aim to determine why this decisive process in history began in England and Wales, and not elsewhere.

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GAYLORD  When the Otsego County board meets at 9:30 a.m. next Tuesday, April 9, commissioners and the public will gather once again in the Yuill Alpine Center at 800 Livingston Blvd.

"The county building room 100 has, for the last 20 years or more prior to COVID, been traditionally the meeting place for the board of commissioners. As the audience size increased and allowing for more space between attendees we moved the meeting to the (Otsego County) library. The library conference room can be reserved but it is on a first come, first serve basis. We missed out on the month of April and needed a different location until May, when we will go back to the library until the end of the year," said county administrator Matt Barresi.

This is the first floor conference room at the J. Richard Yuill Alpine Center where Otsego County commissioners held their board meetings at one time. The room had flooding on March 26. Because of a scheduling conflict, the current county board will meet at the Alpine Center at 9:30 a.m. on April 9.

The Alpine Center was constructed as a tuberculosis sanatorium in the 1930s. By 1960, with new treatments and drugs, the sanatorium was no longer needed and the hospital transitioned to a state facility for severely mentally handicapped patients.

In 1981, the Alpine Center closed as a center for the disabled as their care became community-based. In 1982, Otsego County purchased the 160 acres and six buildings for $1. The complex was renamed the J. Richard Yuill Alpine Center.

"If you look back in history, the board of commissioners at one time met at the Alpine Center first floor conference room. In fact, the hall leading into the conference room you may find interesting as it has several of the old board of commissioners group photos from boards in the 1980s and 1990s," noted Barresi.

He said it would have been interesting if the board was meeting in the conference room on March 26, since that was the day a pipe burst and the room was flooded. A company was called in and the problem was cleaned up, according to Barresi.

More: County looks to finalize cost estimate, finance options for new court building

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Beset by age, mold and other issues, the Alpine Center is being phased out. Last year, commissioners approved a proposal to move the court and other governmental functions out of the center. The county will utilize up to $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to construct a new building on land near the county dog park between Otsego and Illinois avenues in Gaylord.

"We have no agenda by holding the meeting at the Alpine Center, just that the space was available," Barresi said.

 Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: County board to return to Alpine Center for April meetings
County receives hundreds of thousands in grant money to redistribute food to community members in need: 'This project is a major win'

Montana's Gallatin County received a huge financial boost that will help keep food waste from going to landfills in two different ways.

The Department of Agriculture provided $400,000 to the county to improve composting capabilities at the local Logan Landfill. Furthermore, the money will be used to increase "food rescue operations," keeping items that would otherwise be thrown out by restaurants and distributing them to people in need.

The leftover food will go to food banks and a pay-what-you-can restaurant, ensuring that perfectly good meals will make it to the mouths of residents rather than contribute to methane pollution in landfills.

"This project will allow us to rescue usable food to feed folks in need in our community, compost food and green waste, and create a beneficial product for local residents and farmers, all while diverting the waste from our landfill," Gallatin Solid Waste Management District director Jim Simon said in a statement.

"This project is a major win for Gallatin County, and we are excited to work with our partners to get this project underway."

According to the Gallatin County government, 200,000 tons of waste were sent to the Logan Landfill in 2023. However, it's estimated that 35,000 to 40,000 tons of that was compostable waste.

While rotting food produces planet-warming gases when it decomposes no matter what, the type of gas it produces is important. If composted aerobically  like in compost bins, where the waste can access oxygen  it will release mostly carbon dioxide, which can be absorbed by surrounding plants and trees, as the Moonshot organization explains. If it rots in plastic bags and is buried below the ground at landfill sites, this anaerobic decomposition will produce more methane because of a lack of oxygen.

Methane is a much more potent gas than carbon dioxide in terms of global heating potential in the short term  leading to rising temperatures that increase the risk of extreme weather  so trying to compost as much as possible can mitigate the impact food waste has on the atmosphere.

The money in Montana will also help to rescue what the Human Resource Development Council  which operates local food banks and the pay-what-you-can restaurant, as well as other public services  hopes will be around 100,000 pounds of food, per the release.

"The need for more food in our food banks continues to grow with the high cost of living," Gallatin Valley Food Bank operations manager Jon Horn said. "It is important now more than ever for us to collect the excess food in our community and distribute it through a meal or our self-choice grocery store."

According to Feeding America, 80 million tons of food is wasted every year in the United States. With living costs rising and food scarcity a concern as crop production is affected by global heating, making the best of what we have is so important for food security and the health and well-being of citizens.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  A federal judge in San Diego ruled Wednesday that children held in open-air detention sites are considered to be under U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody and should not be made to wait outdoors.

The Southern Border Communities Coalition and its partners went to court against the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties arguing migrants are being kept in dire conditions while waiting to be taken to Border Patrol stations for processing.

Judge questions Border Patrol stand that its not required to care for children at migrant camps

Since last year, asylum-seekers have waited for prolonged periods along border barriers in San Ysidro, Calif., and the Jacumba desert 65 miles east of San Diego.

Border Patrol officials have said in the past that they do not have enough capacity at their stations to process all the migrants at one time and thats why some asylum-seekers have to wait until space opens up.

Company helping immigrants in detention ordered to pay $811M+ in lawsuit alleging deceptive tactics

But during this time, according to SBCC, migrants are being denied the ability to leave, and they are not provided adequate access to essential resources such as water, food, sanitation, medical care, and protection from the harsh elements.

The new ruling mandates CBP comply with its in-custody standards for children in their detention immediately.

A court update is expected May 10.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border

The courts decision to recognize CBPs custody of children in Open Air Detention Sites is a crucial step towards ensuring accountability and protection for vulnerable migrants, said Lilian Serrano, director of the SBCC. There are minimum standards that must be followed if CBP will be detaining families, children, and other people. We are pleased to see the federal court acknowledge this fundamental truth. Now we expect the agency to comply with the courts order immediately.

CBP says it is reviewing the courts ruling.

CBP will continue to transport vulnerable individuals and children encountered on the border to its facilities as quickly as possible. said a CBP spokesperson.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  A Nebraska man who was arrested at a Cowley College dorm on suspicion of making counterfeit money was charged Monday.

Lam Gok Kuany was charged with two counts of theft of property or services, two counts of attempted theft of property or services, and one count of possession of marijuana.

Court documents show the charges stem from incidents starting on March 1 and ending on March 28. Prosecutors allege Kuany used counterfeit currency at Braums, Dollar General and Taco Bell to purchase food and other items.

The Arkansas City Police Department said it had received reports over the past month of a man going into a local business and attempting to pay with what they believed was counterfeit currency.

Rashee Rice was driving Lamborghini in Dallas crash: attorney

Officers, in cooperation with Cowley College Campus Security, found over $28,000 in what is believed to be counterfeit currency. They also found suspected illegal substances and items associated with their use.

Following the arrest, Cowley College released the following statement:

Cowley College is aware of an arrest made on college property from a counterfeit investigation.

Officials will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement while following current institutional policy and procedure. Any questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the Ark City Police Department or the District Attorneys Office.

Please be assured that the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff are our top priority.

Kuany is next due in court on April 30.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
CHICAGO  An 18-year-old male and a 16-year-old boy are in the hospital after being shot multiple times in the citys Edgewater neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department.

CPD said the two teens were walking on the sidewalk in the 1100 block of West Catalpa Avenue around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when an unknown offender inside a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and opened fire in their direction before fleeing the scene of the shooting.

The 18-year-old was shot in the left leg and right arm, while the 16-year-old was shot in his left leg and left arm.

Police said both victims were taken to St. Francis Hospital in good condition.

1 dead, 2 hurt after multi-vehicle crash blocks eastbound lanes on I-94 in Northwest Indiana

Police have no one in custody as Area Three detectives continue to investigate.

If you or someone you know has information that can help lead the Chicago Police Department toward making an arrest and conviction in the investigation of this incident, anonymous tips can be filed online with CPD at cpdtip.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Update 2:45 p.m. - The News Leader spoke with Senator Mark Obenshain about Craigsville and the budget. More information was added after publication.

CRAIGSVILLE  I know most of you are aware of the bill [the governor] has in there. If he does sign it, it will help the town stay incorporated. If he doesnt sign it, we might be looking at other things.

After missing last months meeting due to broken water lines, Craigsville Mayor Richard Fox gave the Craigsville Town Council a nervous update on Thursday.

The Virginia Department of Corrections announced Augusta Correctional Center would be closing in December and Craigsville started preparing. As explained by Fox in January, the sewer treatment plant was owned by the Department of Corrections but was built with loans that passed through Craigsville.

Of the two loans, the first has been paid off, and the second, 30-year loan is 10 years into its repayment process. The contract included a clause stating that the plant and the debt would come back to the town if the prison closes, like what is happening now.

The remaining total is about $1.6 million. This means the town is on the hook for approximately $6,900 a month.

Fox said he was against a rate increase in January, which begs the question  can the town find the funds?

If that doesn't happen, [the town] would be probably turned back over to the county itself, Fox told The News Leader. Right now, I don't think that they're interested in taking it, in the respect of $2 million budget a year, in the middle of this courthouse deal. I'm hoping that the governor signs this and we can get this moving on and not put that burden on them either.

If the city cant pay its bills, it risks the same consequences that nearly fell on Pound, another Virginia town. As reported by The Washington Post and Cardinal News, the General Assembly and Youngkin approved a bill to end the town's charter as it was unable to pay its bills, properly handle criminal evidence, or stop its legal infighting. Later, the General Assembly approved and Youngkin signed a bill that repealed the legislature's previous action, returning the town to itself.

For Craigsville, this is where the Virginia General Assembly comes in. In the budget bill, under Office of Finance, item 261, paragraph H, there are two sentences that will determine whether Craigsville will remain a town or not.

The entire text reads as follows, Included in the appropriation for this item is a total amount not to exceed $3,800,000 the first year from the general fund to be utilized towards loan payoffs of water and wastewater infrastructure debt incurred by the Town of Craigsville. The Department of Treasury is directed to utilize funds from the appropriation in this paragraph to directly pay lenders of the Town through which water and sewer infrastructure was financed.

Senator Mark Obenshain told The News Leader Youngkins budget initially included an annual payment to the town, allowing them to continue paying on the debt service as the bills come due. Obenshain and Delegate Chis Runion then spoke with the House and Senate appropriations and finance staff, Craigsville's staff and representatives, and Augusta County representatives to confirm the best way to handle the transition.

We all concluded that it would be better for the town, and for the state, for the state to simply assume that obligation, defease those bonds, essentially pay those bonds, said Obenshain.

According to Fox, the money would pay off the towns sewer plant, the water plant, and a water system upgrade. The town owes $1.6 million for the sewer plant and about $830,000 on the water treatment plant.

We took all this stuff on good faith, Fox said. We borrowed the money from the federal government to do this water system upgrade. All in all together, it's roughly $3.8 million to pay everything off and keep the town moving."

Currently, the fate of the budget is up in the air. both the House of Delegates and Senate passed H.B. 30, the budget bill. Whether or not Governor Glenn Youngkin vetos the bill remains to be seen.

Im just praying that he'll go ahead and sign it, said Fox. We can keep the town incorporated, keep it going, and take care of things the way that we do. We've got a lot of obligations in the community to try to keep it livable for the people. We've got a good community. Things are going really well here at the moment. I hope that signage takes place, and we can move on from here.

When asked if he was worried about the funds getting a veto, Obenshain said no.

This is something upon which I think everybody has said grace. This is not one of the controversial items, said Obenshain. He explained there is uncertainty generally surrounding the budget, but finished by saying, Nobody needs to hyperventilate. We're going to, I believe, get a budget. I believe that this will survive the process. That bond will be taken care of.

Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? Its welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

More: Local drug dealer has 30-year prison sentence significantly reduced following appeal

More: Bucking national trend, Virginia courts continue indiscriminate shackling of juveniles

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Craigsville's incorporation on the line in state budget negotiations
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Crime Stoppers of Las Cruces-Dona Ana County is offering a $1,000 reward for information that helps identify a person of interest in a shooting that resulted in the death of a man at a home on Graham Street on Thursday, Feb. 15, according to the Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD).

1 man dead, another injured after shooting in Las Cruces

LCPD says that in the early morning of Thursday, Feb. 15, the person of interest arrived at the home located at the 900 block of Graham Street as the passenger of a dark blue Cadilac.

The driver of the Cadilac was 29-year-old Jose Joey Antonio Juarez III, according to LCPD.

LCPD says investigators learned that Juarez and the person of interest got into some type of altercation with a 34-year-old man who was at the home.

During the altercation, at least one round was discharged, striking Juarez who died from his injuries at the scene, according to LCPD.

LCPD says that the person of interest fled from the scene on foot. A surveillance camera captured an image of him.

The 34-year-old man also left the home and went to MountainView Regional Medical Center with an injury that was not life-threatening, according to LCPD.



Since they arrived at the home together, its presumed that Juarez and the person of interest were friends, said LCPD.

Anyone with information that can help identify the person of interest is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Las Cruces-Dona Ana County.

Crime Stoppers allows tips to be provided anonymously.

Anyone with information that can help in this case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Tips can also be provided through the Las Cruces Crime Stoppers app, P3 TIPS. The app is available through the App Store on most devices.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Is the current Congress the least productive of our lifetime? So far, yes.

Donna Brazile

Statement: The current Congress is the least productive in our lifetime.

From fruitless speaker votes to recurring threats of government shutdowns, the 118th Congress has had its share of challenges. But is it the least productive Congress in history?

Thats what former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile said during a recent roundtable on ABCs "This Week."

Donna Brazile

During a segment on March 24, former Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said a flurry of impeachment efforts had hurt the current Congress credibility. The secretary of state, the defense secretary, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, the attorney general, the FBI director, the homeland security director and the president have all been targets, he said.

Brazile thanked Buck for his congressional service and said the current Congress is "the least productive in our lifetime."

Brazile, who is 64, didnt define "our lifetime," and the 118th session of Congress ends in January 2025.

But the historical data say she has a point.

The 118th Congress "is certainly on track to be the least productive in modern history," said Matthew Green, a Catholic University of America political scientist.

We asked Quorum, a public affairs software company, to crunch the official congressional data for us. It found that through March 26, the 118th Congress had enacted 42 bills, meaning that identical bills were passed by the House and Senate and then signed by the president. That was just 0.4% of the 11,877 bills introduced.

This is easily the smallest number through that date as far back as the 101st Congress, which met in 1989 and 1990.

The closest contender during that period was the 113th Congress, in 2013 and 2014, which enacted 86 bills  more than twice as many as the current Congress to date.

Data compiled by Southern Illinois University political scientist J. Tobin Grant and published by Georgetown Universitys Government Affairs Institute found that the 112th Congress was "the least productive since the Civil War," referring to final numbers. That post was written before the 113th Congress was complete, and it turned out that the 113th Congress was even less productive than the 112th.

Since the 113th Congress was downright busy compared with the 118th, its safe to say theres no one alive who has experienced a Congress that has enacted fewer laws than the current one. Although theres time left for an unprecedented frenzy of lawmaking, presidential election years are notorious for fostering little bipartisan legislative cooperation.

One structural reason for the 118th Congress low legislative output is divided government. A Democrat holds the presidency, the Republicans hold the House (narrowly), and the Democrats hold the Senate (also narrowly).

From 1947 to 2015, there were six congresses in which Republicans held one chamber and Democrats held the other; Georgetowns Government Affairs Institute found that these split congresses enacted 27% fewer laws than those with unified partisan control, regardless of which party controlled the White House.

Like the current Congress, the previous record-holder for the fewest laws enacted, the 113th, had a Democratic Senate and a Republican House.

John Frendreis, a political science professor emeritus at Loyola University Chicago, added that another complicating factor for the 118th Congress is its narrow margins. The Democrats have a 51-49 edge in the Senate, and most Senate legislation needs to clear a 60-vote procedural hurdle, giving the minority significant leverage.

In the House, the Republican majority has hovered in the low single digits, depending on vacancies.

Such a narrow margin "aggravates the normal tendency of divided government to make it more difficult to pass legislation," Frendreis said. "Without some negotiations, most things passed by the House on partisan votes are dead on arrival in the Senate."

The GOPs slender edge in the House enabled a rebellious minority of the party to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October 2023. Besides causing chaos, this ouster cut into legislative time, forcing three weeks of failed votes to replace McCarthy.

University of Utah political science professor James Curry said a productive Congress need not be synonymous with an effective Congress, since not all bills are of equal importance.

"Some laws are longer, and some are shorter," Curry said. "Some do just one thing, while other laws are collections of dozens and dozens of separate policy proposals that at one point were separate bills, but were combined for enactment."

Steven Smith, an Arizona State University political scientist, said a better measure might be the number of pages enacted in public law.

"The number of pages per bill enacted has been large for some time," he said. "Simply moving appropriations from a dozen separate bills each year, 24 per Congress, to omnibus or minibus formats can radically affect the number of pages per bill enacted."

Joshua Huder, a senior fellow at Georgetowns Government Affairs Institute, said that although some bills have broader reach than others, even with that caveat, "the takeaway is the same: On the whole, this Congress is historically unproductive."

Brazile expressed hope that the 118th Congress pace will accelerate.

"As a former Hill staffer, I follow the Congress more than the courts and the executive branches of government," she wrote PolitiFact in an email. "While they have moved on the budget and more, theres still sufficient time to address some important issues before taking another long recess to celebrate the 4th of July and the upcoming party conventions."

PolitiFact's ruling

Brazile said the current Congress is "the least productive in our lifetime."

Its too early to know where the current Congress will end up in the number of laws enacted, as the session doesnt end until January 2025. But through March 26, the 118th has passed half as many bills in about 15 months as any previous Congress did through that date going back to 1989.

A longer look at the data shows that someone would need to go back to at least the Civil War to find any competitor for enacting the fewest laws.

We rate this claim Mostly True.

Our sources

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: PolitiFact: Current Congress is the least productive of our lifetime
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides will discuss with the head of the European Commission on Sunday an unprecedented surge in arrivals of mainly Syrian refugees this week on the island and he will then visit Lebanon on Monday, officials said.

Authorities say they have been inundated by irregular crossings of Syrians in small boats in recent days, counting at least 800 arrivals since March 31. Another 22 people arrived on Friday.

Cyprus, the European Union's easternmost state, has been lobbying hard for the bloc to boost assistance to Lebanon, which it says is the starting point of almost all the irregular crossings. They are occurring against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East.

More than 2,000 people made the 100 mile (161 km) sea crossing in the first three months of the year, compared to 78 over the same period in 2023.

Christodoulides will meet the president of the EU's executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the sidelines of a conference in Athens on Sunday, officials said, before travelling to Lebanon on Monday.

"The situation is exceptionally difficult," said Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. He, the interior minister and the head of the military are due to accompany Christodoulides to Beirut.

Cyprus has in the past offered technical assistance to Lebanon to contain migrant outflows and says that, while the neighbouring state needs much more assistance, it should be contingent on better coordination on migration.

It also wants the EU to declare some parts of Syria safe, which Cyprus says could assist returns under strict conditions.

Cyprus has long been a refuge for people fleeing conflict in Lebanon, Syria and beyond. It took in thousands of Lebanese refugees fleeing the outbreak of civil war in the 1970s and the two countries have traditionally enjoyed close relations.

(Reporting by Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Hi, have you got any generators? Youre the twentieth person to come in today asking. I dont have any left and you can save your money because there wont be a war, replies Sagi, a sales clerk at an appliance store inside the large shopping mall in Malja, Jerusalem. Sagi points to a shelf stocked with capsule coffee-makers and adds: That was all full of transistor radios. We havent had any left since the war started [in October], but this week more people have been coming in asking for them. They ask mostly for lighting systems [that dont require electricity].

The exchange highlights the concern among Israels population on Thursday, with purchases of canned food, water, and electricity generators, as the feeling grows that Iran will launch an attack Friday in retaliation for the assassination of one of the senior Iranian military commanders in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, as well as two other high-ranking military officers and several other members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on Monday in a strike on the ambassadors residence in Damascus presumed to have been carried out by Israel.

The Israeli military is on high alert: it has cancelled leave for all combat troops, called up Air Force reservists and reinforced anti-missile defenses. The Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem on Thursday staged a mock mass casualty scenario and military correspondents on television, while calling for calm, reminded viewers that they have 11 minutes to reach a bomb shelter in case of a missile launch from Iran, or several hours if it is a drone attack. There are no scenes of panic and no lack of people on the street, but families with particularly large shopping bags are a common sight.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Tehran at a political and security Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem: For years Iran has been working against us both directly and through its proxies, and therefore Israel has been working against Iran and its emissaries, both defensively and offensively, he said. We will know how to protect ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle that whoever hurts us or plans to harm us, we will harm them.

With rumors of an imminent attack circulating on social networks and Telegram and WhatsApp groups in Hebrew, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the military instructions for the civilian population have not changed, as is usually the case in the face of a war scenario. There is no need to buy generators, gather food and withdraw money from ATMs, he said.

In Malja, a teenage girl listens to the message and explains to someone on the phone that she is going home without a generator because Hagari has just said there is no need. Aviad is less confident. He is 40 years old and leaves the supermarket with his two children. His cart is not overflowing, but he has plenty of large bottles of Coca-Cola and water, packaged bread that is heated in the microwave, and a dozen eggs. An elderly woman who prefers not to give her name pays for a flashlight and an external cell phone battery at a hardware store called Home Center. I have one at home, but I dont know if it works or, at my age, what batteries it needs, she says. I came in today because of how the situation is, yes.

Situation is the word by which many Israelis abstractly refer to the Middle East conflict. The sales clerk, Silvia, explains that they are now displaying three new products next to the checkout counter: a small emergency lamp that operates without electricity, external cell phone batteries and matches, usually aimed at religious Jews because they are used to light Shabbat candles.

The weight of several unsettling elements has changed the mood in just 24 hours, even though no political or military leader has formally made a statement on an imminent attack by Tehran. The head of the military intelligence services, Major-General Aharon Haliva, has issued a warning to his officers: I have told you more than once that it is not certain that the worst is behind us, and we have complex days ahead of us.

GPS signal disruptions

Navigation apps  Israels Waze or Google Maps  have started to fail in places like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, displaying the location as Beirut or Cairo. This is due to alterations to the GPS signal made by the Israeli military to hinder attacks. It has happened in the past when approaching the border with Lebanon or Gaza, but not in the center of the country. The army has recommended Israelis manually set their location in the Home Front Command app to correctly receive alerts of incoming projectiles and drones.

Following the attack in Damascus, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that Israel will pay a heavy price. Similar threats have not always been fulfilled in the past, as after the 2020 U.S. assassination in Iraq of General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Al Quds force and considered the most powerful person in Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The response, moreover, could come at Israeli embassies abroad or through Irans allies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, or militia groups in Iraq. Tehran calls it strategic patience: waiting to see when and how to respond to an attack like the one Israel carried out on Monday.

In Israel, however, rumors have spread that the retaliation will take the form of an unprecedented missile barrage from Iran itself this Friday, as it is Quds (Jerusalem) Day, the day of solidarity with the Palestinians that Iran celebrates every year on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Amos Yadlin, former head of the Israeli intelligence services, told Reuters that he would not be surprised if it was the day chosen, although he called on the population not to panic or run to the shelters.

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Czechia explains how Russia is trying to arrange sabotage on European railways

Czechia has stated that Russia made "thousands" of attempts to interfere with European railway networks as part of a campaign to destabilise the EU and attempt sabotage of critical infrastructure.

Source: Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport of Czechia, in an interview with Financial Times

Details: He suspects Russia of "thousands of attempts to weaken our systems" through cyberattacks since Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kupka said that Russia had been hacking into the signalling systems and networks of the Czech national railway operator Ceske drahy.

Previous cyberattacks have disrupted ticketing systems and raised concerns that successful interference with signalling systems could lead to serious accidents.

Financial Times also cited a report published last March by the EU Agency for Cybersecurity, which highlighted threats to transport.

It mentioned "attacks against railway companies with an increasing rate, primarily due to Russias invasion of Ukraine." The report noted major cyberattacks by "pro-Russia hacker groups" on railway companies in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Estonia.

In turn, the Czech cybersecurity agency NUKIB has warned of an increase in the number of cyberattacks in recent years.

"One of the last years prominent trends has been the growing interest of malicious attackers in the energy and transportation sectors," the report, which was published in July, said.

Background: In early March, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) warned of the growing risk of attackers using artificial intelligence to influence the European Parliament elections in June with disinformation.

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DA: Man intentionally ran down woman with car in road rage incident near Hopkinton pub

A man is facing criminal charges after investigators say he intentionally ran down a woman with his car in an apparent road rage incident near a pub in Hopkinton on Thursday night.

Ryan Sweatt, 36 of Milford, is slated to be arraigned Friday morning in Framingham District Court on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, operating to endanger, and a marked lanes violation after he allegedly struck a 26-year-old woman with his car near the parking lot of Cornells Irish Pub on Hayden Rowe Street, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Hopkinton Police Chief Joseph Bennett.

A preliminary investigation indicated that Sweatt was driving a Honda Civic on Route 85 when he became engaged in an apparent road rage incident with another vehicle around 6:30 p.m., Ryan and Bennett said.

At some point, some of the occupants of the other vehicle, including the victim, exited the car. Sweatt subsequently made a U-turn at a high rate of speed and struck the victim in the roadway, Ryan and Bennett said in a statement.

The victim, whose name hasnt been released, was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.

State troopers assigned to the DAs office are assisting Hopkinton police with the ongoing investigation.

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

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HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  A woman found dead inside her car in Horry County is the second member of her family to die under violent circumstances in recent years.

Katelyn Bennett, 33, of Conway, was found dead in a car with a gunshot wound after the car crashed into a ditch Wednesday afternoon along Gore Road and Highway 905. Horry County authorities have begun a death investigation and are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

The Horry County Coroners Office confirmed to News13 on Friday that Bennetts father, 54-year-old David John Bennett, was shot and killed in November 2016. Authorities said he was shot once in the chest and died while he was sitting behind the wheel of his taxi. That shooting happened in the area of Dillon Street and Grainger Road in Conway.

Two people were later charged and convicted in David Bennetts killing.

Tranique Prinze Livingston was sentenced to 30 years in prison in March 2019 after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter under an Alford plea. He had been charged with murder. Under an Alford Plea, the person does not admit guilt but acknowledges that a jury would likely convict them based on the evidence.

Lloyd Edward Pertelle III, who was 18 at the time David Bennett was killed, was charged with accessory after the fact to felony murder. He was sentenced to one to six years in prison but that since was suspended to five years of probation, according to Horry County court records.

At the time of her fathers death, Katelyn Bennett told News13 she was still in shock over losing her father.

I cant believe Im here right now doing this, It hits me, it comes and goes. I dont know how Im going to do this now. I just want my daddy back. Thats what I want. My sister came from New Hampshire. She hasnt seen him in six years, and she saw him for the first time, cold.

This is a developing story. Count on News13 for updates.

* * *

Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA)  Members of the community are still reeling after Quaker Oats announced it will close its Danville factory in June, resulting in more than 500 jobs lost.

We do not make this decision lightly: Quaker Oats says reason behind Danville factory closure

State lawmakers including State Representative Brandun Schweizer (R-Danville) and State Senator Paul Faraci (D-Champaign) have worked with local resources to help the transition into new jobs.

I am stunned and immensely saddened by the news that the Quaker Oats factory is closing after 65 years of doing business in Danville, Schweizer said. This is devastating to our community, to the families that depend on the income they receive from the factory, and also to our local economy.

Faraci said he is working with Danville Area Community College and Vermillion Advantage to make sure all employees can be trained for other positions in the city.

The closure of Quaker Oats is a devastating loss for Danville, Faraci said. Ill make sure the state provides every resource available for the workers affected by this.

Quaker Oats expands salmonella recall to more products

Faraci also said workers can call (217) 442-5252 or visit his Danville office at 201 N. Vermilion St., Suite 323 in Danville for help navigating resources from the state.

Danville Mayor Rickey Williams is already building a collaboration of resources in one places for the affected employees.

Any time you work together, youre going to be more effective than if you go at it alone, Williams said.

Vermilion County Works president Chuck Jones says the collaborative effort will take shape in the form of in-person and remote workshops.

At these meetings we want to be able to give workers the information they need to get through the next couple of months, Jones said. So whether theyre whether whether their goal is to get a job right away or whether their goal is to seek retraining to start a new career.

Leaders are hopeful the Danville community will rebound.

Despite this setback, I remain hopeful that Danville will emerge stronger and more resilient, Schweizer said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A new data dashboard paints a stark picture of the housing crisis in Kent County.

The Housing Stability Alliance data dashboard aims to provide the information local organizations need to help address the crisis Kent County, like many parts of the country, is facing. The alliance, an organization with almost 130 stakeholders, set out years ago to keep data on housing in Kent County transparent, Housing Kent President Eureka People told News 8.

Housing Kent just came along in the last couple of years to steward that vision to life and create the data dashboard, which is a powerful new tool to really facilitate a clear picture of the housing system, its issues and to facilitate a community-wide conversation across sector on how we could partner together to achieve solutions, she told News 8.

She said her team has been excited about the feedback it has gotten on the dashboard, with everyone from housing providers and grant makers to the business community finding it useful. Other local municipalities have reached out to Housing Kent asking for advice on putting together their own dashboards, People added.

Housing Stability Alliance housing crisis data dashboard

Gathering the data was a collaborative effort, People said, with community partners getting data from places like the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Michigan courts.

We also established some really strong partnerships with data organizations that have proprietary data related to housing that they freely gave access to us, even apart from any data sharing agreement. It really was  another collaborative effort, People said. It showcases the beauty of what can happen when we pull together multiple resources for a single cause in our community and abroad.

The data is set to be updated annually on a rolling basis. Right now, its updated manually, but People said the team is hoping to eventually automate the process.

Inside WOODTV.com: Housing crisis in West Michigan

The dashboard takes a look at three key factors: homeownership affordability, rental affordability and homelessness.

One of the key stories that we want people to take away from the dashboard is that affordable housing is scarce, if not nonexistent, in many places in Kent County whether youre a homeowner or a renter, People said.

People also noted that while the housing crisis is significant, it could get worse.

One of the most salient pieces of data is really related to the homeownership growth compared to the wage growth, in that stark gap that keeps growing, People said. Because even if the market flattens out, the homeownership growth rate, thats still going to be a significant gap to close and its not going to close anytime soon.

According to the dashboard, an entry-level home in 2001 was around $66,000 and the median annual wage was $27,480. Two decades later in 2022, the entry-level home price is $205,000, while the median annual wage is $42,730.

In just seven years, between 2015 and 2022, the price of an entry-level home increased by 126%, while wages only grew by 26%, the dashboard shows. Right now, the median wage is 31% below what someone would need to buy an entry-level home.

Housing Kent found no part in the county where a resident can afford a typical entry-level home while making the median wage.

Kent Countys housing crisis: Meet the team orchestrating the work

And the dashboard found that while renting was once an affordable alternative to homeownership, renting has become perilous  nearly half of Kent County renters (46%) are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their incomes toward housing.

The dashboard says rent is rising faster than wages in Kent County, and residents need to make $47,840 a year to afford the median rent, $5,110 more than the current median annual wage.

Rising housing costs have led to a spike in homelessness, the dashboard says. It shows that Kent County has one of the highest homeless rates in the state, at 188 people who are homeless for every 100,000 residents.

Next-door Ottawa County has a rate of 72 unhoused individuals for every 100,000 residents; Wayne County, 94, Muskegon County, 91.

Kalamazoo County has the highest rate in the state, the dashboard shows, at 243 per 100,000. Calhoun County, Lenawee County and a combined Ingham and Eaton counties had about the same rate as Kent County.

Kent Countys housing crisis: What can you do?

The 2023 point-in-time homeless count, done annually in January, found 1,239 unhoused individuals throughout Kent County, a 35% increase from two years prior, the dashboard says. The point-in-time count from January 2024  not included in the dashboard  found a slight decrease in homelessness.

The 2022 data in the dashboard also says that around 4,500 people in Kent County experienced homelessness at some point that year, and 61% of those were homeless for the first time.

In all three key factors, Housing Kent found racial disparities. In 2022, 76% of white households were homeowners, compared to 34% of Black households, a gap that has held steady since 2017. There has been some progress for Hispanic of Latino households, with a growth from 46% of household homeowners in 2017 to 54% in 2022.

For those renting their home, 54% of Black renters and 51% of Hispanic or Latino renters are housing cost burdened, compared to 42% of white renters. And 29% of Black renters and 24% of Hispanic or Latino renters are severely housing cost burdened, compared to 19% of white renters.

Kent Countys housing crisis: How did we get here?

Black people were also eight times more likely to experience homelessness compared to white residents in Kent County, the dashboard shows. The nightly homeless rate found a rate of 8.9 unhoused individuals for every 1,000 Black residents; 2.3 for every 1,000 Hispanic or Latino residents; 1.1 for every 1,000 white residents.

People said she hopes the data dashboard will serve as a community call.

We really need to bring more intentionality to how we partner together on solutions and share resources, to really think about how to do this differently if we want to achieve the outcomes that we all hope to see in housing, she said.

To check out the full data set from the Housing Stability Alliance dashboard, go to housingkent.org.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.


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Update, April 16: David Chang apologized on his podcast after his company Momofuku was widely criticized for attempting to trademark the term chili crunch."



First and foremost, I want to apologize to everyone in the AAPI community whos been hurt or feels like Ive marginalized them or put a ceiling on them by our actions, Chang said in an April 12 episode of his podcast. Theres a lot of chefs that Im friends with. Theres a lot of people that are upset, customers, and thats the last thingliterally the last thingthat I wanted to happen.

I spent the greater part of my adult life trying to bring light to Asian food, Asian American food, Asian identity, what it means to be Asian American. I understand why people are upset and Im truly sorry.



He continued, clarifying the history of the name of their product, Chili Crunch: Had I known, or Momofuku known, that chili crunch was a tautology, basically the same as chili crisp, we would have never named it chili crunch."



David Chang's spicy, umami-packed chili crunch has become an industry leader, but the Momofuku Goods founder was previously looking to dominate the market altogetherincluding the term "chili crunch" itself.

The Michelin-starred chef's food empire sent out cease-and-desist letters with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to brands that use the phrase "chili crunch" or "chile crunch" on their product labels, the Guardian reports.

New York City-based Malaysian food brand Homiah, soup dumpling purveyor MiLa, and more companies were slapped with the legal letter for using the terms. Chang is reportedly the "owner of all trademark rights" of "chili crunch" and "chile crunch." But some people in the food industry believe the words should be considered too generic to trademark.

According to Homiah founder Michelle Tew, whose Malaysian chili crunch recipe was passed down in her family, the paperwork argues that consumers might confuse her chili crunch with Momofuku'sdespite the fact that the products' labels look nothing alike. The cease-and-desist letter states that Tew's company has 90 days to stop using the "chili crunch trademark."

"The phrase that I would use to refer to Momofuku in this case, is a trademark bully," Homiah's lawyer Stephen Coates told the Guardian. "This is a clear case of them picking on small businesses with a letter campaign hoping theyll cave because of the financial pressure."

Tew described the legal action as a "punch in the gut," and added that, "If Kraft Heinz hit me up [with a cease-and-desist] it would have been so distressing, but the fact that it was Momofuku makes me feel really, really sad."

"I've always been a Momofuku fan and supporter. Momofuku Ssam Bar was the first 'nice' restaurant I visited as a freshman after moving to the US over a decade ago. The next year, I requested a Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake from my sister as my birthday present. And since then, I've stocked my pantry and freezer with countless Momofuku products," Tew wrote on LinkedIn. "I was shocked and disappointed that a well-known and respected player in the Asian food industry would legally threaten mea one-woman show operating on a much smaller scalefrom selling a product that is part of my family's history and culture."



A spokesperson for Momofuku told Today.com that the term "chili crunch" was originally chosen to set the product apart from similar condiments. When we created our product, we wanted a name we could own and intentionally picked Chili Crunch to further differentiate it from the broader chili crisp category," they said.



MiLa co-founder Caleb Wang was also hit with a cease-and-desist letter from Momofuku. "Its particularly disappointing because the AAPI food founder community is a small, collaborative space, and theres a sort of were all in this together mentality," Wang told Delish. He wishes they had a chance for a productive conversation before the legal letters were sent.



"We chose Chili Crunch as a straightforward, descriptive name since we had set out to create just that, a chili oil with the crunchiest bits of garlic and shallots in it. This is a widely recognized name in the category and easily understood by consumers shopping for the condiment," Wang said.

Popular chili sauce maker Fly by Jing evaded a cease-and-desist letter from Momofuku thanks to the company's use of the term "chili crisp." But founder Jing Gao is standing up for fellow AAPI-owned businesses.



"The 'chile crunch' trademark should never have been granted. Just like 'chili crisp,' it is a generic and descriptive term for a culturally specific condiment, one that has existed in Chinese culinary culture for hundreds of years," Gao wrote in a post on social media.

Gao went on to proclaim her support for Homiah and others in the "traditionally marginalized" space. "I am disheartened to hear that Momofuku is using a trademark with a validity that is tenuous at best to go after numerous brands including small, minority women-founded businesses. This kind of action, if successful, sets a dangerous precedent for the squashing of fair competition, not to mention how ridiculous it is to try and take ownership of a generic cultural term," she wrote.







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With days left in the Maryland General Assembly session, legislative leaders of both chambers agreed to budget items that will increase taxes on cigarettes for education funding and increase fees on electric vehicles for transportation funding.

A cigarette tax of $1.25 per pack was approved by a conference committee of the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Thursday afternoon. The funding is projected to increase funding for the states education law by $86.2 million in fiscal year 2025.

A surcharge for electric vehicles was also approved at a rate of $125 for a registration of a zero-emission vehicle and $100 for a plug-in electric vehicle. Those fees are projected to add $5.4 million each year to the states transportation funding for the next five fiscal years.

Maryland state Del. Ben Barnes, D-Anne Arundel/Prince George's, speaks on the House floor in Annapolis on March 21, 2024. Barnes chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

Its a great compromise, said state Del. Ben Barnes, D-Anne Arundel/Prince Georges, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, during the conference committee held in Annapolis where members of the House and Senate agreed to the revenue increases. We share values, noting both funding for a robust transportation system and a world-class education system.

At the end of the day, budgets are what we care about, said state Sen. Guy Guzzone, D-Howard, who chairs the Senates Budget and Taxation Committee, after Barnes spoke.

More: Bridge collapse: Limited channel opens near port. Senate committee passes emergency bill.

General Assembly session scheduled to end on Monday

News of a tentative agreement reached Wednesday (and confirmed on Thursday) by the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Budget and Tax Committee drew responses from legislative leaders of both chambers and both parties.

While we are pleased that the more broad-based and draconian tax increases have been avoided - no increases in the vehicle excise taxes, no elimination of the vehicle trade-in credit - it is important to keep in mind that new revenues do not come from the government, said House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, R-Allegany, in an April 3 release, upon the announcement chambers' agreement, Any tax or fee increase comes from the pocket of hardworking Marylanders.

In this file photo, House Minority Leader Del. Jason Buckel, R-Allegany, speaks during a Ways and Means Committee hearing in Annapolis, Maryland on Feb. 2, 2023.

The majority party leadership also hailed the agreement in an April 3 release.

We remain committed to developing a comprehensive approach to transportation in the future this interim, said House Speaker Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, and Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, in a joint statement on April 3, confirming a deal. The agreement also keeps Maryland competitive and primed for economic growth in the year ahead.

Budget includes for workers, businesses impacted by bridge collapse

The conference committee approved a transfer of up to $275 million from the states Rainy Day Fund to support the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act, a state legislative effort backed by Ferguson and state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, R-Baltimore County, to support workers and businesses affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last month.

The agreed upon approximately $63 billion annual budget must be approved by both chambers before reaching the governors desk for final approval. This years session of the Maryland General Assembly session is scheduled to conclude on Monday, April 8.

More: Moore's Maryland budget boosts child care, education. What to know.

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Maryland Senate, House leaders agree to budget deal to boost revenue
Robert Kahn, a Dayton-area holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 100.

Before calling the Miami Valley home, Kahn was born in Mannheim, Germany in 1923.

Many people who have gone to the National Museum of the US Air Force may have walked by a piece of history that belonged to Kahn without noticing.

Kahns violin, which symbolizes one of the most barbaric acts of anti-Semitic violence, is on display at the museum.

On Nov. 9, 1938, also known as Kristallnacht or Night of Broken Glass, 15-year-old Kahn was on his way home when he saw a mob of nazis throwing furniture and other belongings from his familys apartment through windows onto the yard below.

While Nazis destroyed Kahns apartment his mother locked herself in one of the rooms while his father was beaten in front of him, according to Marshall Weiss with the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

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When Kahn asked the Nazis to stop, they made him pick up his violin, took him to the balcony, and ordered him to play happy German songs.

Before fleeing from Germany to America, Kahn hid the violin in the attic of his familys apartment.

While in America, Kahn served in the U.S. Air Force in WWII and established a life in Dayton.

When he returned from war Kahn wrote the janitor of his familys apartment building in Mannheim. The janitor found the violin and sent it to him in America.

For him that violin symbolized the event. The event where his family was brutalized and split up and where he had to witness that. Throughout his long life, Mr. Khan realized that the violin was emblematic of not just his story but a wider story of suffering and brutalization and it could help people to understand why the Second World War was fought, Doug Lantry, historian and curator at the National Museum of the US Air Force.

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Lantry and Weiss said this marked the start of Kahns journey of talking about the trauma and experiences he witnessed as a Jewish man in Nazi Germany.

The violin was put on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force around 20 years ago.

During his lifetime Kahn spoke to hundreds of student groups and was very active in his community.

He was not a bystander, he was an upstander, Weiss said.

In 2016 Kahn published The Hard Road of Dreams: Remembering Not to Forget about his and his familys experiences in Nazi Germany.

Weiss said the book was Kahn purging it from his soul onto the page.

Services will be held for Kahn at 3 pm on Sunday, April 7 at Temple Israel. Internment at Riverview Cemetery followed by a memorial meal for family and friends at Temple Israel.




















Kharkivs 1.3 million residents face an average of six hours without electricity daily. Recent attacks by Russia have damaged power plants and substations, leading to widespread power outages and inoperable electric water pumps. Ukraines second largest city is bearing the brunt of another Russian assault on the countrys energy sector.

Its the second Russian campaign targeting the Ukrainian power grid, following a sustained assault from October 2022 to January 2023 that left millions of Ukrainians without essential services for months. This type of bombing, labeled a war crime by the European Commission (EC), led allies to hasten supplying top Western air defense systems to Ukraine, including the American Patriot, the German Iris-T and the Norwegian NASAMS.

Military aid to Ukraine is ebbing, particularly from the United States. President Joe Bidens $60 billion security aid bill for Kyiv has been stalled for months by House Republican infighting. This has had a visible impact on the battlefield, leading to weaker anti-aircraft capabilities. In 2023, the Ukrainian Air Force intercepted 80% of Russian missiles, but this has dropped to 60% in 2024.

Pedestrians use their phones for light during a blackout in Kharkiv. Cristian Segura

Give us the damn Patriots, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba bluntly said in an interview with Politico. If we had enough air defense systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also called on the United States to unfreeze the stalled security aid. The Patriots are needed to defend Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. And we need anti-aircraft guns to protect people, infrastructure, homes and dams. Russian missiles havent been delayed like our aid packages.

Kharkiv doesnt have the anti-aircraft defenses that Kyiv has, said Alexei, a mechanic who works near the Zmiivska thermal power plant that was heavily damaged in a March 22 bombing. Kyiv is well-protected, but Kharkiv is vulnerable due to its proximity to Russia: enemy territory is just 40 kilometers away. Anti-aircraft defenses struggle to intercept Russian missiles. But Alexei says they are better prepared compared to the winter of 2022. He now has a diesel generator in the garage to provide power to his apartment.

Veteran military officer Alexander Shilin highlights that in addition to missile defenses, Kharkiv lacks anti-aircraft machine guns to counter enemy drones.

Drone interceptions down

Russia used multiple waves of drones to bomb the city on April 4. At least four drones made it through to city center, causing four deaths and 12 injuries. The attack led to a power outage for 350,000 people throughout the province. Ukraine successfully intercepted 11 of 20 drones  a 50% success rate compared to the countrys usual 90%.

Andrii lives on the city outskirts in a 1970s Soviet apartment block. From 8 am to 4 pm, theres no electricity, spotty cell service and intermittent water supply. He cant use the trolley anymore because its powered by electricity. On the bright side, Andrii says the city now has more public charging points for phones and computers. At home, hes prepared with solar-powered lights, rechargeable battery-powered lamps, and a 30-liter water tank for emergencies.

Not everyone feels optimistic. Marina Stoliarchuk is a public official who believes things are worse now than in the previous two years of war. Although the weather is getting better with spring approaching, daily bombings and long power outages have weakened her resolve. Nina Mishina, who lives near the Zmiivska power plant, says that many of her neighbors have once again left the city.

Rumors and propaganda

Other people we talked to said they havent seen anyone evacuating the city. Russian propaganda outlets reported a mass exodus from Kharkiv, prompting Mayor Igor Terejov to publicly deny the evacuation rumors on April 1. In Kharkiv, we have around 1.3 million residents, and neither the army nor us see any reason to evacuate. Its all part of a Russian psychological operation to scare and stress our people. EL PAIS confirmed that the city has not been evacuated.

Kharkiv is swirling with rumors, particularly from Russian sources, about a potential offensive on the city. The bombings of the power grid have heightened paranoia, but neither NATO nor the Armed Forces have spotted Russian troop concentrations signaling a blitz of Kharkiv. Ukraines National Security Council refuted the rumors in a statement on March 28. Russia does not have the resources to launch an offensive on Kharkiv. All their fables about being poised to surround the city are part of a propaganda campaign of fear, said Andrii Kovalenko, head of the National Security Councils unit for combating disinformation.

Kharkiv building damaged by a Russian kamikaze drone attack on April 4, 2024. Global Images Ukraine (Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Defense Ministry intelligence, reiterated on April 3 that rumors of an offensive on Kharkiv is nothing more than Russian psychological warfare. Oleksandr Sirski, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, warned in a March 29 interview that a Russian siege of Ukraines second-largest city cant be ruled out, but said it would be a fatal mistake for the invaders.

President Zelenskiy said Ukraine responded to the Kremlins assault on its power grid by launching drone strikes against 16 Russian oil refineries. Hoping to prevent a global surge in oil prices, the U.S. urged Kyiv to desist. In a recent Washington Post interview, Zelenskiy argued that he could check Russian attacks on Ukraines energy grid only by making Russia pay a similar price. Before they start criticizing, people should visit Kharkiv to see how we survive without electricity or water. Russia only understands force.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said it was investigating a barricade situation in Southeast D.C. Friday afternoon.

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The barricade was located in the 3100 block of Naylor Road. MPD said it received a call around 3:30 p.m. for a simple assault before it turned into a barricade situation.

In MPDs post made at 10 p.m. on the platform X, it said the situation had been resolved.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Police were looking for a man accused of trying to rob a D.C. bank on Friday morning.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) released surveillance images of the suspect. The attempted robbery happened at a bank in the 400 block of North Capitol St. in Northwest D.C.

(Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Police Department)

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MPD said the man pictured approached a teller at the bank around 9:25 a.m. and gave the teller a note that demanded money.

Police said that he fled without getting any money.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A picture of what the Fresno Police Department says is the suspects vehicle in a deadly hit-and-run in the city was released on Friday.

The release follows the incident which took place early Thursday morning. No arrests have been announced.

1 dead in Fresno hit-and-run, no arrests made

According to the Fresno Police Department, the pedestrian was hit and killed shortly after midnight Thursday morning in southeast Fresno. Police say the suspect vehicle was traveling southbound on Chestnut Avenue and struck the pedestrian as he was in the southbound lanes south of Clinton Avenue.

The vehicle continued southbound on Chestnut Avenue towards Cambridge Avenue.

According to investigators the suspect vehicle made a U-turn and went northbound on Chestnut Avenue past the collision scene  and then eastbound on Clinton Avenue and left the scene.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect vehicle was captured on surveillance video. No arrests have been made at this time.

Officers say the suspect vehicle is a white four-door sedan. If you have any information contact the Fresno Police Department at (559) 621-7000.

The identity of the man killed has not been officially released.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Debates in Congress may delay US aid for Ukraine further  Reuters

The infighting between Republicans in the US House of Representatives and the threats to remove speaker Mike Johnson from office may further delay the long-awaited decision on American funding for Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Reuters

Details: It is expected that when the House of Representatives returns from recess on 9 April, Johnson will reveal the details of the project of the aid for Ukraine which he would deem acceptable for Republicans as well, so the project may finally be approved in both chambers.

But hardline Republicans are demanding to take into account the issue of border security with Mexico and provisions and spending cuts. They want Johnson to hold off until he has legislation that can win support from most of his narrow majority.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, ally of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, threatens to initiate the removal of Johnson from his office, claiming that he allegedly ignores the partys interests.

The initiative will most likely have no support, but some sources say the situation may change if Johnson suggests a project of aid for Ukraine that will be supported by Democrats more than by Republicans, and will accept no amendments.

There are concerns that it may even take months to achieve a real consensus among the Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Almost two months have passed since the Senate approved a US$95 billion compromise aid package which also included funding for Ukraine. Johnson has so far refused to bring that bill up for a vote.

The US Congress is expected to have few productive weeks left before lawmakers turn most of their attention to presidential elections.

Background:

Mike Turner, the chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee, expressed certainty that the aid for Ukraine would gain "support of the majority" after the Congress resumes work on 9 April, stressing Johnsons promise to make the funding for Ukraine a priority after recess.

Johnson announced that the aid package for Ukraine would include "some important innovations", including the possibility of extending a US loan to Ukraine.

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Many of us remember where we were a decade ago  Sunday, April 13, 2014  when we heard the news of the shootings at the Kansas City Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom. We learned through calls, texts and media outlets, and  while still in disbelief  we called our loved ones to make sure they were OK. I vividly remember my hands trembling as I dialed my sisters number to call and make sure everyone we knew was safe.

Unfortunately, we live in a world with all-too-frequent shootings, but they seemed so distant. Not this time. The Jewish Community Campus has always served so many Kansas City families, far beyond the Jewish community. It was, and continues to be, a home away from home for so many. But on that day, it was the scene of shocking violence. By the end of this antisemitic, hate-fueled attack, three innocent souls were murdered, and the community was left shaken and grieving.

In the 10 years since that devastating day, antisemitic incidents across the country have steadily increased year over year. Even before the unspeakable attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, antisemitic incidents were at record highs. The unfathomable cruelty of Hamas attack on Israel is a painful new chapter in Jewish history. With it has come an explosion of antisemitism, resulting in a real, existential fear for the Jewish community worldwide  and right here at home.

The Jewish community, including myself, have found ourselves responding to the real-world impacts of antisemitic tropes going viral, even on celebrity social media channels. We are being viciously attacked simply for being Jews.

Around the country and the world, Jewish businesses and institutions are being boycotted and vandalized. Jewish college students are barricading themselves in buildings to escape antisemitic mobs. Mass rallies shout Strike, strike, Tel Aviv, Globalize the intifada and Resistance is justified, referring to the brutal rape, torture and massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7. Jewish students in our region have told me they are scared to be identifiably Jewish on campus. Just last week, I checked out a newly published book at our local library to find Hitler was right and Europe without Jews is all we want written on the pages.

Many in our community are now wondering: Will we always be safe here? When will we know when its time to leave? We know all too well that when antisemitism goes unchecked, it metastasizes. It not only leads to violence and the expulsion of Jews in public life  it infiltrates the tissues of a society, sowing hatred of and division among all communities, and eroding public trust in our democratic institutions. We know antisemitism was and continues to be a growing problem, but we need the wider community to know it, too.

The Jewish community should not have to fight antisemitism alone. Eradicating it will require a whole-society approach, the courage to lead and the innovation to try something weve never done before.

Here in Kansas City, we have an opportunity to take tangible action to ensure our region is a safe haven from hate. That starts with arming ourselves with the knowledge, the networks and the blueprints to affect real change. I urge leaders throughout Kansas City to attend Driving Out Darkness in the Heartland: 2024 Summit on Combating Antisemitism on April 15 and 16. This one-time event will bring national leaders and experts from around the country to provide in-depth education on this age-old phenomenon, and participants will help create a plan of action to combat antisemitism in our region.

It is here in Kansas City, among our fellow leaders, that we will strive for progress for a better world for us  all of us.

Micah Levine is a pulmonary and critical care physician and a member of the board of directors for the Jewish Community Relations Bureau | American Jewish Committee.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Friday that the current approach is not working in Gaza, and he called to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged strip and provide only defensive weapons to Israel going forward.

Kaine said he remains deeply distressed by the more than 33,000 Palestinians who have been killed as Israel fights against the militant group Hamas, along with the tens of thousands of displaced Israeli citizens in northern Israel and the roughly 100 Israeli hostages still believed to be held alive in Gaza.

The senator, who sits on both the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, stressed that more needs to be done to protect innocent life and get aid into Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of a potential famine in the north.

The amount of aid allowed by Israel to enter Gaza has been painfully slow and dramatically inadequate, Kaine said in a statement.

While he acknowledged Israel has opened a new border crossing for aid delivery, he said that should have happened months ago and the move follows a similar pattern of lengthy delay from Israel.

The comments from Kaine, a key ally of President Biden, represent a growing a shift toward a more critical tone among Democrats as there is mounting concern in the party about the war in Gaza, which began in October following a deadly Hamas attack in Israel that killed more than 1,100 people, with another roughly 250 kidnapped.

Those Democratic concerns rose this week after the Israeli military killed seven aid workers with the charity aid group World Central Kitchen (WCK) in a strike Israel said was a mistake.

In the wake of the WCK attack, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said she would move to block the potential sale of F-15s to Israel. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) also signaled an openness to conditioning military aid to Israel this week, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has for months called to condition aid.

Kaine said Friday he supports calls to ensure U.S. security assistance cooperates with humanitarian relief efforts, but added the current approach is not working with Israel and that the Biden administration must use every tool at its disposal to ensure that sufficient aid reaches Gaza.

My daily involvement in this matter since October convinces me that Israel is falling far short of this requirement, he said of ensuring humanitarian aid is getting into Gaza.

Kaine also repeated his call to only provide defensive weapons in all arms sales to Israel, while withholding bombs and other offensive weapons that can kill and wound civilians and humanitarian aid workers.

Israel must have the capacity to defend itself against thoselike Hamaswho would annihilate it, he said. But more offensive weapons delivered at this moment will only further widen suffering in Israel, Gaza and the region.

Biden has also pushed Israel to minimize civilian deaths and get more aid into Gaza. The president this week had a tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the WCK strike, which sparked some of Bidens harshest comments yet.

Israel said it would open the new border crossing in northern Gaza just hours after the phone call. The Israeli military on Friday also punished two officers responsible for the WCK strike after a preliminary investigation found the attack should not have happened. The military mistakenly assumed the WCK staff were Hamas fighters, according to the preliminary investigation.

WCK and some other aid groups suspended operations in Gaza after the strike. More than 200 aid workers have died in Gaza since the war began.

Kaine said there should be an independent investigation into the WCK strike, but the White House on Friday said it was not backing those calls for an outside review at the moment.

The U.S. has been trying to get more aid to Palestinians through airdrops and through an effort to build a pier off the coast of Gaza, which is expected to come online by early May.

On Friday, Kaine said the WCK strike raises questions about whether the U.S. can safely partner with these groups to deliver aid from a marine pier into Gaza.

U.S. troops involved in such a mission will likely include Virginians, he said. They shouldnt be in harms way as they provide life-sustaining aid, but the unfolding events in the region show that even a humanitarian aid mission carries real danger.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(The Hill)  A trio of House Democrats introduced legislation to rename a Miami prison after former President Donald Trump.

Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) introduced legislation Friday to change the name of the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida to Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.

Donald J. Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted, with 88 offenses in four criminal cases to date. MAGA Republicans have proven themselves unwilling to solve real problems that face our country, Garamendi said in a news release accompanying the announcement.

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I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to our former president, Donald J. Trump, than renaming the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago in his honor.

The bill comes in response to a measure introduced by a group of Republicans earlier to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after the former President.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), who sponsored the bill to rename the airport, said there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing Welcome to Trump International Airport as they land on American soil.

Changing the name of the federal prison after the former president would be a more fitting option, Connolly said in the news release.

When our Republican colleagues introduced their bill to rename Dulles after Donald Trump, I said the more fitting option would be to rename a federal prison, Connolly said.

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I see no reason to wait. Donald Trump faces nearly 100 felony charges, he continued. He has been found liable of sexual abuse and, subsequently, for defaming the victim of that abuse. He has been fined hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud case. It is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name.

The former president faces 88 criminal charges across four indictments.

Trump faces charges in Florida alleging he mishandled classified records and attempted to obstruct the governments retrieval of the records after he left the White House in 2021.

The former president faces charges of election interference in Georgia and in a D.C. federal court. He also faces charges in a New York hush money case alleging he falsified business records.

Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings, Moskowitz said. But hes never had his name on a federal building before and as a public servant I just want to help the former president. Help us make that dream a reality.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A trio of House Democrats introduced legislation to rename a Miami prison after former President Trump.

Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) introduced legislation Friday to change the name of the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida to Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.

Donald J. Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted, with 88 offenses in four criminal cases to date. MAGA Republicans have proven themselves unwilling to solve real problems that face our country, Garamendi said in a news release accompanying the announcement.

I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to our former president, Donald J. Trump, than renaming the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago in his honor.

The bill comes in response to a measure introduced by a group of Republicans earlier to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after the former President.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), who sponsored the bill to rename the airport, said there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing Welcome to Trump International Airport as they land on American soil.

Changing the name of the federal prison after the former president would be a more fitting option, Connolly said in the news release.

When our Republican colleagues introduced their bill to rename Dulles after Donald Trump, I said the more fitting option would be to rename a federal prison, Connolly said.

I see no reason to wait. Donald Trump faces nearly 100 felony charges, he continued. He has been found liable of sexual abuse and, subsequently, for defaming the victim of that abuse. He has been fined hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud case. It is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name.

The former president faces 88 criminal charges across four indictments.

Trump faces charges in Florida alleging he mishandled classified records and attempted to obstruct the governments retrieval of the records after he left the White House in 2021.

The former president faces charges of election interference in Georgia and in a D.C. federal court. He also faces charges in a New York hush money case alleging he falsified business records.

Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings, Moskowitz said. But hes never had his name on a federal building before and as a public servant I just want to help the former president. Help us make that dream a reality.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In response to a Republican proposal to rename an airport near Washington, D.C., after former president Donald Trump, a trio of House Democrats on Friday pitched renaming a federal prison after Trump instead.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) noted that Trump faces nearly 100 felony charges stemming from four criminal cases against him.

It is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name, Connolly said in a press release. I hope our Republican friends will join us in bestowing upon Donald J. Trump the only honor he truly deserves.

The legislation by Connolly, along with Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.), would rename the Miami Federal Correctional Institution as The Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.

The bill makes fun of Republicans for their much more sincere proposal last week to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after their leader.

In my lifetime, our nation has never been greater than under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) said in a release on Monday. As millions of domestic and international travelers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing Welcome to Trump International Airport as they land on American soil.

Reps. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) co-sponsored Reschenthalers bill.

Dulles airport, in northern Virginia, is named after John Foster Dulles, a Republican who served as Secretary of State for Dwight Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959.
The Scoop

Some senior House Democrats are encouraging their leaders to get behind separating Ukraine aid from a broader foreign aid package, a Democratic aide told Semafor.

The push has intensified in recent days, the aide said, as Democrats grow increasingly uncomfortable with Israels prosecution of the war on Hamas in Gaza.

Currently, the Senate-passed foreign aid bill  including $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, and funding for allies in Asia  is subject to a discharge petition in the House that many House Democrats have signed onto. But the petition has fallen short of the 218 signatures necessary to force a vote on the House floor, in part because House progressives are opposed to the Israel aid in the bill.

The exact mechanics of how they would separate Ukraine and Israel aid were unclear, but could involve using a discharge petition to force a vote on a new bill.

Asked about the developments, a House Democratic leadership aide told Semafor that Democrats have stressed the urgency of passing Ukraine aid and offered a variety of different thoughts about how best to do it. The aide insisted, however, that Democrats agree that the Senate-passed aide package should come to the floor.

Know More

Some progressives have made clear they will not sign onto the discharge petition due to the inclusion of Israel aid. We cannot stand by and allow children to be bombed, to die of starvation, or to see their entire families wiped out, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. said earlier this month in remarks first reported by Semafor.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, has resisted taking up the Senate bill. Instead, he is preparing a package that would turn some Ukraine aid into loans, allow the U.S. to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv, and reverse the Biden administrations pause on new liquified natural gas terminals.

The path forward for that measure is uncertain because of growing Republican resistance to Ukraine funding, leading some Democrats to believe a discharge petition to force a vote on a bill is the best course. The White House has also encouraged the House to take up the Senate-passed measure, emphasizing the urgency of the situation on the battlefield for Ukraine, which has had to ration ammunition.

We need to make sure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russias aggression, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters this week. And there is a way to get Ukraine what they need. All the speaker has to do is put that national security supplemental on the floor.
The European Unions Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans, states that the situation in Gaza, under Israeli strikes and with hardly any access to humanitarian aid, is absolutely atrocious and beyond comprehension. Koopmans defends the need to stop the conflict and find a sustainable solution. A Dutch lawyer and diplomat who had been working on the peace process for almost three years and has had to recalibrate the EUs plans after the Hamas attacks of October 7, Koopmans proposes a comprehensive project, with security guarantees for Israel it will only make peace if it feels safe enoughand a free Palestine. He also urges food deliveries to the Strip, where children are dying of hunger, to end the killing and to free the hostages.

Question. The situation in Gaza is critical. The deaths of civilians, journalists and humanitarian workers, many of them turned into targets, are counted in the tens of thousands. What else needs to happen to start the peace process?

Answer. The peace process was already necessary even before October and all the terrible things that have happened since then. Israeli air strikes are known to have killed nearly 33,000 people, not counting those lying under the rubble. And there are tens of thousands of injured. There are also hostages who are still, six months later, inside the Hamas tunnels; thats terrible too. And now Gaza is facing an imminent famine, or it may even already be happening. There are reports that dozens of children have died from hunger or lack of food. The situation is absolutely atrocious and incomprehensible. The European Union has been clear and united in the necessity of an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a lasting ceasefire, because this situation is just not acceptable or sustainable for anyone. We now need the start of a peace process, which we already needed before October 7, when the completely condemnable and atrocious Hamas terrorist attacks took place. The urgency is evident.

Q. There are those who accuse Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza. You are a lawyer, do you believe what is happening is legal?

A. We have international courts, and the International Court of Justice is currently dealing with this issue. Lets leave it in their hands. My job now is to be a diplomat and work for peace. But the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, has already been very clear on this subject since the early days after the attacks, and I fully subscribe to it: cutting off access to water and food is illegal, as is the expansion of settlements. All that is obvious.

Q. With the current terrible situation, do you see any window of opportunity for dialogue and a peace plan?

A. Yes. Although I say it with a feeling of tragedy, because no one wants to build something positive over such rubble of horror. It is very difficult to think about tomorrow when today is so terrible. We need to bring food to the starving children, stop the killing and free the hostages. This is urgent today, but we must prepare for tomorrow and for a sustainable peace solution.

Q. If the ceasefire finally occurs, what is the roadmap you have designed?

A. No more roadmaps, no one believes in them anymore. We are approaching this by what we call reverse engineering: we must start with the last step, the day after peace is signed, when there would be a secure Israel next to a free Palestine. For that next day, we need to have an incentive package ready that we are working on with the Arab partners (Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League). It doesnt just mean opening an embassy or exchanging diplomats, it goes beyond that. It means an Israel integrated into the Arab region. It means regional free trade agreements, water, energy, climate change. There will have to be security guarantees for Israel from Europe, the United States and other countries. And once there is a state, Palestine, that addresses the needs of the Palestinians, the UNRWA [UN Palestinian refugee agency] will no longer need to exist. In addition, there will be a peace fund to which Europeans and Americans and many others will contribute. Perhaps imagining the actual day of peace between Israelis and Palestinians alone will not bring peace, but it will bring it closer. We need them to negotiate their own agreements, but we can make peace more attractive for them.

Koopmans, during the interview. Delmi Alvarez

Q. How can you make it more attractive to the Israelis, when they do not even listen to the ceasefire requirements or the warnings from the United States, a key actor?

A. Its terribly difficult. I understand, to the extent possible from the safe environment in which we live, the trauma of the October attacks. And I also see the trauma from which Israel emerged, which is part of its identity, but also a core part of the genuine fear that Israelis had for their country, for their future. It is our responsibility to help Israel find a secure future. But we also see that the security response of the last 30 years did not work. Building so many walls and having the strongest army in the region did not prevent the attacks of October 7. We need a secure Israel alongside a free Palestine. Otherwise, Palestine will be a stateless territory. And that is dangerous. There are many elements of the peace commitment that will be very positive for Israel, diplomatic, commercial, economic.

Q. With its abstention in the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. allowed a resolution to pass demanding an immediate ceasefire, but then said that it was not binding...

A. A Security Council resolution is binding. Israel and Hamas must abide by it. Regarding full access for humanitarian aid, which was also required, it is obvious that Israel does not respect that resolution. It is not being implemented and that is unacceptable. It goes against everything the European Union stands for. We see children die of hunger because it is not applied.

Q. Are you worried about regional escalation?

A. A lot. It is extremely dangerous, and this is a euphemism for the region, because what does dangerous mean when so many people in the region have already died because of this conflict? And we see the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, with Iran and with the Houthis in the Red Sea. Nor should we forget the situation in the West Bank, where more than 400 people have died, the vast majority Palestinians. The current escalation of fighting must stop.
DENVER (KDVR)  Denvers weather will stay warm and breezy at the end of the workweek. Strong wind and dry conditions will increase fire danger ahead of weekend showers.

Fire weather warnings are set to go into effect on Friday. These are for dry conditions, low humidity and strong wind gusts that could lead to rapid fire spread. Please avoid any outdoor burning or activities that could produce a spark.

Rockies forecast: What to expect at the home opener

Weather tonight: Partly cloudy, breezy

Thursday night will stay partly cloudy and breezy. Wind gusts will pick up out of the southeast up to 30 mph. Low temperatures will only fall to the mid-40s, more than 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year.

Weather tomorrow: Breezy, warm

Friday will be warm and breezy. High temperatures will again climb to the mid-70s. Wind gusts will be strong at times, reaching over 40 mph and elevating fire danger.

Looking ahead: Saturday showers, cooler

Showers move into the forecast this weekend. These will start as snow in the mountains Friday night into Saturday, with accumulations through Sunday reaching 2-8 inches.

Pinpoint Weather: Snow totals by April 7

Showers and cooler temperatures will move into the Front Range on Saturday along with a strong breeze.

FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up for weather alerts from the Pinpoint Weather team

High wind watches are set to go into place this weekend for the Front Range mountains and foothills, Interstate 25 Corridor and adjacent plains. West winds will increase to 35-45 mph with gusts up to 75 mph possible.

It will be a cooler start to the week with highs in the 50s Monday and Tuesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
A 45-year-old deputy sheriff with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department has been arrested and charged with numerous felony counts, including weapons violations and being a member of a criminal gang, authorities announced on Thursday.

The investigation into Deputy Sheriff Christopher Bingham, a resident of Twentynine Palms, and his association with an outlaw motorcycle gang began in January 2024, according to a SBSD news release.

When the 45-year-old was spotted on March 23 riding his motorcycle alongside two other gang members, authorities, with assistance from the California Highway Patrol, conducted a traffic stop on the trio.

During a search of Binghams person, a loaded, unregistered firearm was located, officials said. Bingham was arrested and booked at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

Detectives with SBSDs Gang and Narcotics Division then executed a search warrant at the deputys residence, where 160 firearms, including a fully automatic assault rifle with attached grenade launcher, were discovered.

Authorities also found silencers, a stolen SBSD shotgun, other destructive devices and gang paraphernalia.

After the San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office filed charges of possession of a machine gun, a short-barreled rifle, a stolen firearm, silencers and grand theft, along with participation in a criminal street gang, a warrant for the deputys arrest was issued.

Bingham was taken into custody on April 4 at around 1 p.m. He was booked at the West Valley Detention Center. His bail was set at $500,000.

The arrest comes on the heels of several other high-profile incidents within the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department.

Sheriff's deputy in Southern California arrested on weapons, gang charges

On April 2, deputies shot and killed a 17-year-old boy armed with a knife who was having a mental health crisis. Less than a month before that incident, on March 9, deputies shot and killed a 15-year-old boy with autism, whose family is now suing the department.

In late March, cellphone video captured a deputy brutally beating and kneeing a suspect in the face as several other deputies held the man down.

Earlier this week, newly released video of a September 2022 shootout between deputies and Anthony Graziano, who had abducted his teen daughter, appears to show deputies fatally firing on the 15-year-old girl as she was attempting to surrender and escape her father.

In a press conference earlier this week, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said all of the incidents, along with the deputies actions during them, are under investigation.

As for Bingham, the 45-year-old Twentynine Palms resident was placed on leave and his case was referred to the district attorney.

The actions of this deputy are alarming and inexcusable; he not only tarnishes his badge but also undermines the integrity and credibility of the entire department, Dicus said. Criminal behavior will not be tolerated.

Anyone with information regarding Binghams case is asked to contact SBSDs Gang and Narcotics Division at 909-387-8400. Those wishing to remain anonymous can use the WeTip Hotline at 800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
DeSantis makes a cryptic comment about great people coming to Seminole Hard Rock guitar hotel. It suddenly makes more sense.

A comment from Gov. Ron DeSantis about a big act this weekend that vaguely sounded like a plug for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood now makes a little more sense.

It seems related to presidential politics, and DeSantis not-at-all-disguised interest in making another bid for the Republican nomination in 2028.

Politico on Friday detailed a two-day Investor Appreciation Retreat for DeSantis donors at the Hard Rock. Its sponsored by Fight Right, one of the super political action committees formed to support DeSantis unsuccessful 2024 candidacy.

At the event on Friday and Saturday, DeSantis backers can attend panels, enjoy late-night cigars and cocktails outdoors, share feedback, hear from DeSantis wife, Casey, and hear the governor over dinner, Politico reported.

Details about the event (Politico posted copies of the agenda) seem to explain a cryptic comment DeSantis made Thursday at an event in Davie.

His official business in South Florida was signing legislation spelling out how the state would allocate almost all of its share of gambling profits from a deal DeSantis struck with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which is finally starting to produce significant dollars.

Among those who appeared with DeSantis at the bill-signing ceremony was Marcellus Osceola Jr., chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. He praised the gambling deal, the use of the money, and DeSantis for everything that you do.

After Osceola spoke and DeSantis returned to the mic, the governor brought up the Seminole Hard Rocks guitar-shaped hotel, which, at 450 feet tall, can be seen from miles away.

Who do we have comin to town? And you have a, the big act this weekend at the Hollywood, at the guitar? a broadly grinning DeSantis asked.

Osceola: Weve got somebody there.

DeSantis: You got somebody there, yeah? They bring in some great people. I mean, its unbelievable the number of great concerts that theyre able to have.

Related Articles

(Technically, the concerts are at Hard Rock Live, an arena thats part of the casino-hotel-shopping complex. Its website shows nothing scheduled for Friday night when the DeSantis donors are there. Saturday is stand-up comedian Kevin James, and on Sunday, Alabama performs.)

Campaign finance reports show dozens of contributions from people associated with Seminole Gaming, the Seminole Hard Rock and Hard Rock International to DeSantis campaign. Seminole Gaming also contributed to Never Back Down, a different pro-DeSantis super PAC.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Facebook, Threads.net and Post.news.
Editors Note: Some people may find the content of this article disturbing.

Update at 2:30 p.m.

MT. ZION, Ill. (WCIA)  WCIA has learned that the family of the boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by his substitute teacher has hired attorneys to represent them in court.

Cunningham Lopez LLP, a Chicago-based law firm, confirmed they were retained by the family and that they will be pursuing legal action against not only Alley Bardfield, but Decatur Public Schools. Attorneys accused the school district of failing to ensure the safety and well-being of its students.

Single Urbana School Board applicant to be appointed, fill vacancy

The law firms full statement can be read below:

On April 3, 2024, Alley Bardfield was arrested on charges of grooming and predatory criminal sexual assault of our client. The accused abused her position as a sixth grade teacher to exploit our clients trust and engage in reprehensible acts. Ms. Bardfields actions have had a profound and lasting impact on our client, which will likely lead to

significant physical, emotional, and psychological challenges. The perpetrators predatory actions have left our client with permanent injuries that have greatly disrupted his and his familys daily life. As a result, we will be pursuing justice not only against Ms. Bardfield but also the school district as a whole, which failed to properly train and supervise in order to ensure the safety and well-being of its students. We are determined to hold both the perpetrator and the school fully accountable under the law. Cunningham Lopez LLP

MT. ZION, Ill. (WCIA)  A sworn police statement obtained by WCIA is revealing new information about a sexual assault that allegedly happened between a Decatur Public Schools substitute teacher and one of her 6th grade students.

Alley Bardfield, 32, was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation by the Mt. Zion Police Department and Macon County Sheriffs Office. The statement, signed by Detective Corey James and provided by the Macon County Circuit Clerks Office, laid out the grounds for the arrest.

The statement from James revealed that the 11-year-old boy spent the night at Bardfields home, staying with her for 25 hours from March 29 to March 30. James said that the boys mother noticed him acting differently after he returned home. The next day, she checked his phone and found CashApp payments and social media messages between him and Bardfield. The payments totaled $700 over the past few months and the messages included a photo of her son and Bardfield flipping off the camera.

When the mother confronted her son about this, James said the boy disclosed that he had unprotected sexual intercourse with Bardfield. The boy was later interviewed on April 3.

When the interviewer asked him what he was there to speak about, the boy said he was there because he was sexually assaulted by his teacher.

Paxton high school, police investigating threat to school safety

In that interview, James said the boy disclosed that the night of March 29, when he was spending the night at Bardfields residence, he was in Bardfields bedroom. The boy provided more details on the sequence of events that occurred between him and Bardfield, leading up to the two having sex. The boy also indicated that Bardfield told him she would exchange nude photos with him on Snapchat.

James said that after the interview, the boy was allowed to communicate with Bardfield through text in the presence of his mother and law enforcement officials. Later, the two talked through a phone call and FaceTime with officers listening via court-authorized eavesdropping.

During this time, Bardfield and the boy discussed birth control and pregnancy via text message. Bardfield then advised the boy to delete the message and asked to talk to him on the phone. On the phone, James said Bardfield could be heard telling the boy that she could not get pregnant. Bardfield agreed to see the boy again and gave instructions on how the two could communicate on social media moving forward. Before ending the conversation, James said Bardfield stated that she missed the boy a whole lot.

Christian Co. juvenile arrested for stolen firearm

Bardfield was arrested at her home later in the day on April 3. James said that during a mirandized interview, Bardfield admitted to having sexual penetration with the boy and exchanging nude photos with him, but said that the boy had made sexual advances on her. She also told officers that she paid the boy when he would ask her for money.

Since news of the arrest broke on Thursday, Bardfield has been fired from Decatur Public Schools and was arraigned on a Class X felony count of predatory criminal sexual assault. She is due back in court on April 17.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
2 shot at South Salt Lake TRAX platform, suspect on the loose

This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post with more information as it becomes available.

UPDATE, 5:11 p.m.: Two people were shot today, April 4, on a TRAX platform at the Meadowbrook Station. The suspect is still on the loose, UTA confirmed.

One is in critical condition and the other in serious condition, according to UTA.

READ NEXT: Experience Utah wildlife like never before at new, multi-million dollar Hogle Zoo exhibit

ORIGINAL STORY: SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (ABC4)  There is a large police presence on a TRAX platform in South Salt Lake.

Due to that police activity, UTA said to expect possible major delays on all TRAX lines.

Additionally, a bus bridge is being activated between Millcreek and Murray North, UTA said.

There is no further information available at this time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Located in the horn of east Africa, Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is the world's 12th-largest nation and the oldest independent country in Africa. It also lives by a calendar that runs seven years behind the rest of the world. EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP/Getty Images

Double high fives to Saint Augustine of Hippo, the philosopher and theologian from the ancient Roman kingdom of Numidia in Northwest Africa, who pondered and penned these prescient lines way back in 397 C.E.:

What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.

Surely in the ocean of our collective consciousness we all resonate with his sense of the ambiguity of time and the abysmal lack of human language to express what "time" even is in the first place. But buckle up and prepare to be mind-boggled (and pretty impressed) as we explore and try to grasp some facts about how Ethiopia calculates time.

How Is Time Measured Differently in Ethiopia?

Most of us use the Gregorian (aka Western or European) calendar marked with 12 months comprising 28 to 31 days each. We measure time based on four distinct seasons, and our new year rolls around like clockwork one week after Christmas on each and every January 1.

Not in Ethiopia.

According to the Ethiopian calendar (aka Ge'ez or Geez calendar) a year consists of 365 days, six hours, two minutes and 24 seconds. That adds up to 13 months, 12 of which have exactly 30 days each. The 13th month (called pagume  from the Greek epagomene  meaning "days forgotten when a year is calculated") has only five or six days. Once every four years, the six hours add up to 24 hours and become the sixth day in a leap year. And once every 600 years, those two minutes and 24 seconds add up to one whole day and become a seventh day, which the Ethiopians call rena mealt and rena lelit.

Messing with our heads even further, the Ethiopian calendar is several days behind the Western calendar. While that may seem bizarre, it's actually not super strange for some countries to have their own calendar  for example, Israel officially uses the Jewish calendar and Saudi Arabia has an Islamic calendar.

But what about a country with its own unique way of telling time? Turns out, Ethiopia guages the whole concept of time differently: Instead of a 24-hour day, Ethiopia is the only country in the world with a 12-hour time system. And this is where it gets really complicated.

A show of hands if you'd like someone from Ethiopia to break this down for us?

Meet Genet Teka, born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city. An aspiring student and a server at one of Atlanta's most culturally diverse and iconic eateries, The Flying Biscuit, Teka came to America in 2013  leaving most of her family behind in Ethiopia  to live with her aunt and cousin and work her way through school with an eye toward becoming certified in IT. Luckily for us, she agreed to help us understand how her home country measures time.

How Does the Ethiopian Calendar Work?

But before she begins, here's the real gobsmacker: The Ethiopian calendar is seven years and eight months behind the Western calendar. It's 2016 in Ethiopia.

Genet Teka of Addis Ababa, please help!

[Note that we spoke with Teka in 2023, so when she references 2015, that's because the interview took place when the year in Ethiopia was, well, 2015.]

"First thing to understand," explained Teka, "is that Ethiopia has 13 months and all of them have 30 days  except the last month, which has 5 days, or 6 days during a leap year. So when it was September 11 (aka Meskerem, "a gift of jewels," Ethiopia's New Year) on the Gregorian calendar, it was the first day of the first month on the Ethioipian calendar. Note that doesn't mean that it will be the first day of the second month again, let's say for example, on October 11, because even though the Ethiopian calendar has consistent 30 days in its 12 months, the number of days in a month changes to between 28 and 31 days on the Gregorian calendar. That's what creates the date difference as well as the month difference," says Teka.

Confused? Stay with us ...

"So, say today on the Gregorian calendar is the second month, 11th day of the year 2023. But on the Ethiopian calendar it's the sixth month, fourth day of the year 2015. If we look at the next month for example, the third month, 12th day of 2023 on the Gregorian calendar will be the seventh month, third day, of 2015 on the Ethiopian calendar," clarifies Teka.

The Ethiopian calendar shows the month of February for 2015, and also for the year 2023 on the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopian Calendar

Ethiopia Also Gauges Time Differently

So, what about the 12-hour Ethiopian clock? How exactly does that work?

Daylight is the key to understanding how Ethiopia keeps time. Because it lies about 15 degrees north of the equator, that close proximity means that the days remain relatively consistent throughout the year. So while most of the world begins the new day at midnight, Ethiopia begins the new day at dawn.

"The day pretty much starts at 12 o'clock when the sun rises, and midday is 6 o'clock, and the end of the day is 12 o'clock when the sun sets. People living over there don't really use a.m. or p.m. ... For example, if they're going to meet someone at 2 p.m. American time they would say, 'Let's meet at 8 o'clock in the afternoon.' Or they might not even mention the afternoon part because the other 8 o'clock is in the middle of the night  so it's automatically understood it's in the daytime," says Teka. "For the sake of clarity, 12 o'clock sunrise is 6 a.m., 4 o'clock is 10 p.m., 6 o'clock midday is 12 p.m., 2 o'clock at night is 8 p.m., 6 o'clock midnight is 12 a.m. and so on."

Got all that? Wait, there's more.

Dawn to dusk is the first 12-hour cycle, called the daytime cycle  and dusk to dawn is the second 12-hour cycle, called the nighttime cycle. Because of this dawn-to-dusk and dusk-to-dawn cycle, local time in Ethiopia is six hours behind East Africa Time (EAT). So, that means that 7 a.m. EAT is 1 daytime hours in local Ethiopian time.

Make sense, or is your hair on fire? It actually kind of does make sense and is even practical in a country where the length of the days doesn't vary a lot from season to season. But it must be a bit confusing to anyone who has their watch and other devices set to East Africa Time.

Ethiopians in Addis Ababa celebrate the arrival of their new millennium on Sept. 12, 2007, more than seven years after the West celebrated it in 2000. Ethiopians proudly follow the Julian calendar, which puts the birth of Christ seven and a half years later than the more commonly followed Gregorian calendar. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

So what's the history behind all this, and how do the people of Ethiopia apply their unique calendar and time difference when relating to the rest of the world?

Long story short, the Ethiopian calendar is based on the ancient Coptic calendar and is seven years and eight months behind the Gregorian calendar, due to alternate calculations in determining the birth date of Jesus. The calendar begins counting days from 7 B.C.E. onwards, while other calendars start with the birth of Jesus on 1 C.E. The Roman Catholic Church heavily influenced many countries that use the Gregorian calendar, but Ethiopia was never colonized and kicked out all the missionaries. Since it didn't accept outside influences, it has continued to use its own historic calendar to this day.

"People who live in Ethiopia mostly use the Ge'ez calendar unless they're doing anything globally, in which case they use the Gregorian calendar. Otherwise the difference doesn't really affect us other than having to switch calendars back and forth when needed," Teka explains.

"Most people, especially in the countryside, don't really use the Gregorian calendar because they don't care that they're behind more than seven years. And those who do use the Gregorian calendar may or may not know the history of why it's behind," says Teka. "Ethiopia has a different Christmas day than most of the rest of the world, except Coptic Orthodox Christians  who celebrate it on January 7 or on the Ethiopian calendar Christmas  or Genna, is celebrated on Tahisas 29."

Ms. Teka, our "time traveling" citizen of Ethiopia, continues.

"The way I think about it is that time is just a reference  just a human construct. I mean, we might say it's 2015 in Ethiopia, but in reality we all live in the present time. Therefore, even though it sounds like Ethiopia is behind seven years and eight months literally  it's just the way our calendar is calculated and doesn't mean that people over there are really living in the year 2015."

Now That's Interesting



Ethiopia isn't the only country with a notably different calendar. Thailand's calendar is based on Buddha, not Jesus, and is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. So in Thailand it's already 2567!

Original article: Did You Know It's 2016 in Ethiopia Right Now?

Copyright  2024 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company
Jeff Hilke and Scott E. Duncun, both Missouri residents, dont consider themselves heroes.

But after the two men sprang into action, saving lives before a funeral at a chapel in Eldon on April 21, 2021, theyre being recognized for their acts of heroism.

Everyone keeps calling me a hero, Hilke said.  I just dont consider myself a hero. I just did what I needed to do that day to keep everybody safe, just as I was trained to do... theres people that do a lot greater things in this world than what I did.

Hilke, of Jefferson City, and Duncan, of Kansas City, are both recipients of the Carnegie award, presented by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. The award is given to civilians in Canada and the United States for risking death or serious injury in an attempt to save others. Its been given to 10,422 people since it began in 1904.

Duncan, who stepped in to help Hilke, didnt expect to also be awarded, saying to me, the hero of this whole thing was Jeff.

If he had not have been there and engaged when he did, more of my family may have been dead. I wouldnt have been able to control my brother on my own.

A photo of Jeff Hilke, one of the Missourians who received the Carengie Medal for Heroism.

Instincts took over

Hilke, a funeral director at Hedges, Scott, Millard Funeral Home, was not supposed to be at work that day. But he was handling paperwork with the wife of the deceased, Susan Duncan, and the deceaseds daughter when he heard a co-worker scream his name.

Thats when he saw a man with a gun. Brad Duncan, the son of the deceased, allegedly entered the service armed, and tried to force his ex-wife outside.

If I just stopped to think, I dont know what wouldve happened, Hilke said. I just kept running and didnt stop until I got to him and grabbed the gun. Instincts took over.

Hilke was a reserve deputy with the Cole County Sheriffs Office, where hed served for 28 years. He said this was the most tense situation he had ever been involved in, and credited his ability to able to handle that heated moment to his law enforcement training.

The suspect had assured his family he wouldnt show up that day for the service. He had been somewhat estranged from his mother for the previous six or seven years. His ex-wife, however, was at the ceremony with their daughters.

He walked through the back door of the chapel and started down the front aisle, Susan Duncan, his mother, said. He walked over and grabbed a hold of (his ex-wife) and she said let go of me, and all at once I saw a gun in his hand.

Hilke ran to the front of the chapel and slammed the armed man up against the wall, trying to keep the gun pointed away from everyone.

A photo of Scott E. Duncan, one of the Missourians who received the Carengie Medal for Heroism.

Scott E. Duncan, Brads brother, saw Hilke was losing his leverage, as Brad Duncan started to force the weapon down from the ceiling, endangering the entire family. Thats when Scott E. Duncan stepped in and the three struggled for control while the others, including the ex-wife, fled the building.

I was scared to death,  Susan Duncan said. Theres no excuse for what Brad did. Im just glad nobody was (seriously) hurt.

Scott E. Duncan left his hand between the hammer and the pin on the .45 to keep it from firing. The three fell over, and knocked the table with the ashes and and all the photos set up for the funeral.

Hilke was at the bottom of the pile, gasping for air when the gun fired. The bullet hit the floor and ricocheted up into the ceiling. The magazine fell out, and Brad Duncan reached for a spare magazine in his pocket to reload, but Scott E. Duncan held his arm down.

It seemed like it took forever, but Im sure it was only a couple minutes, but when youre in a gun fight like that, it seems like forever, Hilke said.

Officials arrived and were able to gain control over the suspect, who was arrested. Hilke suffered a broken sternum and bruised ribs from the struggle. As the chaos dissipated, the smell of pepper spray in the chapel still lingered, so the ceremony was moved into the foyer.

Brad Duncan was found guilty in 2023 of first degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon, and was sentenced to 34 years in prison.

And now Jeff Hilke and Scott E. Duncan, the two men whose quick actions ensured no one died that day, are learning to live with the recognition that comes with being honored as heroes.
Say goodbye to your best friend's neighbor's great aunt's Disney+ account. Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an interview with CNBC that the streamer is cracking down on password sharing worldwide this summer. The company enacted the same restrictions for Canadian subscribers last fall.

The move is hardly a surprise, as Disney's CFO Hugh Johnston shared the plan during an earnings call in February. "Paid sharing is an opportunity for us. It's one that our competitor is obviously taking advantage of, and one that sits in front of us. We've got some very specific actions that we're taking in the next couple of months." Disney-owned Hulu started its own crackdown on password sharing on March 14, and both streamers' terms of service explicitly ban people from using other customers' login information (Though its latest announcement indicates Disney is actually ready to enforce it).

Streamers across the lineup are restricting password sharing, and it seems to be working  for them, not us. According to analytics firm Antenna, Netflix's United States signups increased by 102 percent during the first four days after the rule went into effect, compared to the 60 days prior. There were an average of 73,000 new signups daily, far outpacing cancelations. Max will also start restricting sharing this year, fully cracking down in 2025.

Disney+ will start its clampdown in some countries come June, expanding to a second wave of countries in September. It's unclear as of now which group the US is in, but Disney will likely provide a breakdown when the dates get closer. Disney+ currently costs $8 monthly with ads and $14 monthly for ad-free viewing.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is putting up billboards around Florida hitting former President Trump on abortion after the states top court paved the way for a ban on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy to take effect.

The effort, which was shared first with The Hill, will include billboards in the Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach areas. The billboards will run in both English and Spanish, and read, Abortion is banned in Florida thanks to Donald Trump. He wont stop until its banned nationwide.

Donald Trump is the reason that millions of women across Florida and millions more across the U.S. can no longer make decisions about their own bodies, and hes proud of it, DNC spokesperson Jackie Bush said in a statement to The Hill. As Trump campaigns on a plan to ban abortion nationwide, women in states like Florida are ready to fight back and make their voices heard at the ballot box this November to put a stop to Trumps assault on their rights and freedoms.

The billboard campaign comes days after a Florida court upheld the states 15-week ban on abortion. The decision also means a separate six-week ban will be triggered and will take effect May 1  banning abortion at a point of gestation before many women know they are pregnant. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the six-week ban into law last year, just before he announced his presidential run.

As Florida bans legal abortion, where will 84,000 women go?

The court also ruled to allow a ballot measure to go before voters in November that would protect abortion access in the state.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has not weighed in on the court ruling. Asked about his thoughts on the six-week ban earlier this week, Trump said he would be making a statement on abortion next week, though he provided no further specifics.

The former president has repeatedly dodged questions when asked whether he would sign a national abortion ban if reelected, instead claiming he would find a solution to unite the country on an extremely divisive issue. He has said he supports exceptions for cases of rape, incest and life of the mother.

At the same time, Trump has frequently said he is responsible for terminating Roe v. Wade through his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices.

Abortion has been a major motivator for Democratic voters in the nearly two years since the Supreme Court decision overturned the federal right to abortion access, and President Biden and his campaign have used it as a rallying force heading into Novembers general election.

The Biden campaign released an ad Tuesday following the Florida decision, focusing specifically on Trumps comments taking credit for ending Roe v. Wade.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Doctors Without Borders says office in Donetsk Oblast 'bombed and completely destroyed'

Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization that provides help in conflict zones, reported on April 5 that its office in Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast was "bombed and completely destroyed."

Settlements in the Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast, such as Pokrovsk, suffer from daily Russian attacks due to their proximity to the front line. Heavy fighting continues in Donetsk Oblast as Russia seeks to occupy the entire region.

The organization's office in Pokrovsk, around 50 kilometers northwest of the Russian-occupied regional capital, Donetsk, came under attack at about 3 a.m. local time, Doctors Without Borders said on Facebook.

The office's employees were not wounded, but five local residents who were nearby at the time suffered injuries, according to the report.

"We condemn the attack on the office that provided emergency medical humanitarian aid to people in Donetsk Oblast," the organization added.

"Doctors Without Borders calls for the protection of its facilities, as well as civilians, humanitarian organizations and health care workers."

Read also: Ukraines angels who look after, evacuate civilians left in front-line Donbas

"The attack on our office is far from an isolated incident," said Vincenzo Porpiglia, Doctors Without Borders' emergency coordinator in Ukraine. "Destruction of civilian infrastructure has been a characteristic feature of this war for a long time."

In his morning update on the consequences of Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin reported that two people had been killed and another nine had been injured, including five in Pokrovsk.

Filashkin also said that 17 houses had been damaged in the Pokrovsk attack.

Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2014, local and international charities and volunteers have been risking their lives to help civilians in front-line areas. This is not the first time they have come under attack.

A Russian FPV (first-person-view) drone reportedly struck a volunteer's car in the front-line town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 26, destroying a part of humanitarian aid for locals.

In September last year, two foreign volunteers were killed, and two more were hospitalized when their car was struck by Russian shelling while driving through Chasiv Yar.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with residents reporting they felt rumbling across the Northeast. The agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, or about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia. The Fire Department of New York said there were no initial reports of damage.

New York City experiences numerous small earthquakes each year, according to experts. Normally, people dont feel them. But the one that shook the Big Apple on Friday morning made the ground and buildings shake for a few seconds in several boroughs of the city, especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan, including at the United Nations headquarters, where a Security Council meeting on the war in Gaza was underway.

The quakes magnitude was more than three times the last one recorded last January, which was a magnitude 1.7 and had its epicenter in Queens ( NY). The impact of Fridays tremor has been felt in several cities across the Northeast, from Philadelphia to Boston. A magnitude of 4.8 is significant for the region, but it is not considered serious. However, through an emergency alert sent to cell phones half an hour later, residents in the city were asked to stay indoors and to call 911 in case of personal injury.

People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other areas of the Northeast reported shaking. Tremors lasting for several seconds were felt over 200 miles away near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. Several airports on the East coast grounded flights immediately.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on X that the quake was felt throughout the state. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day, Hochul said.

The shaking stirred memories of the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake that jolted tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada. Registering magnitude 5.8, it was the strongest quake to hit the East Coast since World War II. The epicenter was in Virginia.

That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and Capitol and rattled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

New York City may not be known for its seismic activity, but it is not an isolated phenomenon. Earthquakes usually begin at a depth of between 3.5 and 12.5 kilometers underground and the one recorded on January 2 originated at a depth of about five kilometers.

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What does a DEI ban mean on a college campus? Here's how it's affecting Texas students.

University of Texas junior Isabel Bellard was part of the Fearless Leadership Institute, a program that supported Black and Hispanic female students. The program helped her find a community on campus with shared experiences and gave her access to opportunities she wouldn't have otherwise had, such as taking her first-ever flight to New York to network with businesses.

Then on Jan. 1, the state's anti-DEI law went into effect. The legislation signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last year banned Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices and initiatives at public universities and colleges.

At UT Austin, that meant the leadership institute shifted to support all women regardless of ethnicity. The university's Gender and Sexuality Center became the Women's Community Center. And the Division of Diversity and Campus Engagement, of which both programs were a part, morphed into the Division of Campus and Community Engagement to comply with the law.

This week, the university began laying off at least 60 staff members, according to two people with knowledge who spoke to the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the terminations publicly. In an email to the university community Tuesday, UT Austin President Jay Hartzell said that in implementing changes required under the law, the university would close the new campus division altogether and eliminate programs that "now overlap with our efforts elsewhere."

Bellard said she found out Tuesday that the leadership institute that meant so much to her was on the chopping block. An hour after Hartzell's email, Bellard said she saw the program's website was removed from UT's server.

Ashley Awad participates in a protest to defend diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Texas, April 5, 2023. The Austin chapter of Students for a Democratic Society held the protest and advocated for more funding for multicultural programs and hiring more tenure-track faculty of color.

The loss of the institute and other DEI programs is a crucial one, she said.

"Black people at UT, when they get here as students, the first question is where are all the other Black people?" Bellard said.

Only 4.5% of UT students in the fall 2023 semester were Black, according to a university fact-sheet. Black students were not allowed to attend UT until the 1950s.

"Most Black students, they're one of maybe two, maybe three other people of color in the room and so that creates this really isolating space for people of color," Bellard said. " "FLI was actually the space that said, 'Hey, there is a space for' you."

What is happening at UT Austin provides a revealing glimpse of what eliminating DEI initiatives can mean at the campus level, to individual students and student communities. A growing number of higher education institutions are grappling with state anti-DEI laws and protests from students and faculty who say the programs help improve student diversity and bring them a sense of belonging on campus.

At least 82 bills seeking to slash higher education DEI initiatives have been introduced in 28 states and the US Congress, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's DEI legislation tracker. A dozen have been signed into law, including in Alabama, Florida, and Utah.

Amid a state DEI ban: The University of Texas lays off dozens of employees

University of Texas Austin students: 'We didn't see this coming'

Lacey Reynolds, a junior at UT and the president of the Onyx Honors Society, said she attended an emergency meeting with hundreds of students Tuesday night to process the news and action items.

"We didn't see this coming," Reynolds said. "We had no idea we would be hit this hard."

All students are affected by this, Reynolds said, adding that students are planning to stand up for staff members being let go  many of whom felt like "families away from home."

"It's really hard right now being a student leader, when the people who you would seek advice from have lost their voices," she said. "Being a Black president at a predominantly white school during a fight that people are now starting to call 'Jim Crow 2.0.,' I would say it's extremely difficult, very heavy."

Students against legislation to ban DEI in colleges and universities gathered for a sit-in at the Texas capitol on March 23, 2023. Texas passed legislation banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public colleges and universities.

Shocked and angry, UT senior Amanda Garcia, an organizer for Texas Students for DEI, also attended the student emergency meeting Tuesday.

Over the summer and fall, Garcia said she had been in meetings with administrators and student groups to discuss how SB 17 would be implemented on campus. But, she said, she had no idea this was coming.

"Up until this point we had believed the administration was in some ways willing to work with us," Garcia said.

The loss of the division and staff members comes after UT Austin shuttered the Multicultural Engagement Center; ended a program to support undocumented students, and cut its sponsorship of student groups at the center, including the Afrikan American Affairs, Asian Desi Pacific Islander American Collective, Latinx Community Affairs, and Native American and Indigenous Collective.

Garcia said the groups are now running GoFundMe accounts to make up for thousands of dollars lost from their budgets.

UT's Division of Diversity and Campus Engagement 'a national model'

The university's Division of Diversity and Campus Engagement was "a national model for integrating diversity and community engagement into the core mission of a university," according to an in-house description of the department in December.

In an impact report last year, articles described how the division was working to support students academically and professionally and how the division's work enhanced the university's strategic plan, "Change Starts Here."

"We know that many people of different groups and identities need to be at the table to solve the worlds biggest challenges and dream up new innovations for a better tomorrow," the report says. "That is why our units are supporting and uplifting diverse talent in an effort to make The University of Texas at Austin the worlds most impactful public university."

The University of Texas has laid off at least 60 staff members who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion-related positions, according to two people with knowledge of the terminations.

Hartzell, the university president, said in his email Tuesday that the university found that restructuring and rebranding the Diversity division wasn't enough.

"We have concluded that additional measures are necessary to reduce overlap, streamline student-facing portfolios, and optimize and redirect resources into our fundamental activities of teaching and research," he wrote.

Nineteen of the division's programs have been relocated to other divisions, including the Sweatt Center, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, Advise Texas, First Generation Longhorns and Disability and Access. The Women's Community Center is not on that list.

Hartzell said the Division of Student Affairs would work to make student-facing services available through the end of the semester.

The Texas NAACP and the Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors released a joint statement decrying the university's actions, saying the division had already been modified to comply with the anti-DEI and dismantling it "appears to be an inappropriate and unnecessary." They called on the university to be more transparent about the moves and the related layoffs.

Multiple elected officials and social justice groups have also called on UT-Austin to reinstate the eliminated positions and programs.

UT students not giving up, pledge fight on DEI programs

Garcia said students are mobilizing and coming together in "unprecedented" ways to figure out how to support staff members who were laid off and move forward.

"We're more determined now than ever," they said. "I think they really underestimated how much these staff members meant to students."

Bellard also said that students will fight for staff members and for the return of programs that were integral to her experience at UT.

"In order for any marginalized students to be treated fairly at the University of Texas, because they weren't accepted for so long, diversity and identity-specific programs and partnerships are critical in developing students' sense of belonging" on a campus where white students are the majority, she added. "If I was a freshman, I'd be considering transferring and getting my degree from a different university."

Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez. Lily Kepner can be reached at lkepner@statesman.com or on X @lilykepner.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: DEI ban at University of Texas following SB17 rattles campus community
AUSTIN (KXAN)  The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said an Austin man was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison in connection with a fatal smuggling attempt.

The DOJ said 27-year-old Joseph Alex Hernandez was charged with one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences for the charges are expected to run concurrently.

Hernandez pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 23, 2023, and was later sentenced in a San Antonio federal court, according to the DOJ.

The department said on April 24, 2022, Hernandez evaded during an attempted traffic stop, reaching speeds between 90 and 100 mph. The DOJ said a rear tire on his vehicle gave out, and he lost control, resulting in the vehicle crashing after flipping multiple times.

According to the DOJ, Hernandez was transporting 13 undocumented noncitizens during the chase.

Three of the passengers were airlifted from the scene and the rest were transported via ambulance to local hospitals, the DOJ said. Several days later, two of the smuggled migrants died in the hospital from their injuries.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Donald Trump on Thursday accused President Joe Biden of being higher than a kite, and insisted that any debate with him should be drug-tested. (Check out the clip below.)

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump revived his baseless insinuation that Biden used cocaine, this time during his fiery State of the Union speech last month.

A baggie of the drug was found last summer in a heavily trafficked area of the White House. Without evidence, Trump accused both Hunter Biden and his father of using the stash. But the Secret Service said it could not finger the culprit.

Asked by Hewitt whether he thinks Biden will agree to a debate before their expected rematch in November, Trump replied: I dont think so, but I hope he does ... You know that white stuff that they happened to find, which happened to be cocaine in the White House? I dont know, I think somethings going on there, because I watched his State of the Union, and he was all jacked up at the beginning. By the end, he was fading fast. Theres something going on there.

I want to debate, Trump continued. And I think debates, with him at least, should be drug-tested. I want a drug test.

Hewitt asked the presumptive GOP nominee if he was suggesting that Biden is using cocaine.

I dont know what hes using, but that was not  hey, he was higher than a kite, Trump replied.

Hes obviously, hes being helped some way, because most of the time he looks like hes falling asleep, Trump added. All of a sudden, he walked up there  and did a poor job  but he was all jacked up.

In a statement to Forbes, Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa dismissed Trumps comments as a bizarre outburst, while noting his toxic agenda.

WATCH:



Donald Trump to Hugh Hewitt:



I'd debate Biden...if he's drug tested. pic.twitter.com/FqNBwb4t03  Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 5, 2024

Trump has repeatedly called on Biden to debate him, after declining to participate in any of the Republican presidential primary debates.

Biden said last month that a debate would depend on the former presidents behavior.

Trump also declared that Biden should take a drug test before their 2020 debates.

Related...
By now, you've probably heard it all when it comes to Monday's solar eclipse: Don't stare at the sun. Prepare for traffic.

But Gov. Mike DeWine and other state officials held one more news conference on Friday to ensure Ohioans are prepared. The 124-mile-wide path of totality will cross the Buckeye State from southwest to northeast, briefly blanketing cities like Dayton, Mansfield, Akron and Cleveland in darkness.

"The last time Ohio experienced a total solar eclipse was 1806," DeWine said. "Edward Tiffin was governor, the capital was in Chillicothe and the state was only three years old. The next total solar eclipse in Ohio won't happen until 2099. There's certainly no better place to experience the eclipse than in the birthplace of aviation."

State officials expect anywhere from 150,000 to 575,000 visitors, in addition to the 7.2 million Ohioans who live along the path of totality.

Gov. Mike DeWine demonstrates how to wear eclipse glasses during a news conference at the Ohio Emergency Operations Center in Columbus on Friday.

DeWine activating Emergency Response Center for eclipse

DeWine also announced Friday that he's activating the Emergency Response Center beginning Sunday until at least Tuesday, a precaution that will allow state agencies to coordinate if problems come up. At this point, the governor is not activating the Ohio National Guard, but members will be on standby if needed.

"We don't always have a lot of time leading up to events, so having 200 years in the making has been very helpful," said Sima Merick, director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

Here are some tips and other information to keep in mind as you get ready for Monday.

Don't wear eclipse glasses while driving

Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks reminded motorists not to wear eclipse glasses while on the road they aren't sunglasses, after all.

"Don't wear your eclipse glasses while driving," he said.

You also shouldn't pull over on the side of the road to view the eclipse.

Traffic is expected to be the worst immediately afterward, when people decide to hit the road and head home. Officials are encouraging people to hang back and enjoy other activities or even spend the night where they watch the eclipse. For those who brave the roads:

Be patient.

Make sure your gas tank is full.

Bring a cell phone charger, snacks, water and a paper map.

If you travel with family or friends, make sure you have a plan in case you get separated.

Bring water and food for pets if they accompany you, and build in stops for them along the way.

Travelers can monitor traffic conditions at ohgo.com. The OHGO app is also available to download on the Apple and Google app stores.

Don't stare at the sun

It's not safe to look directly at the sun, even through a camera lens or telescope, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Make sure you're equipped with proper eyewear and be aware of online scams for eclipse glasses.

The American Astronomical Society has a list of approved glasses vendors.

Gov. Mike DeWine and other state officials discuss eclipse preparations during a news conference at the Ohio Emergency Operations Center in Columbus on Friday.

How people who are visually impaired can enjoy eclipse

Ohio is offering LightSound technology at state parks and wildlife areas for people who are blind or have low vision. It uses sonification to convert light data into audible tones, which tells listeners where the moon is throughout the eclipse. The devices will be connected to speakers so groups can experience it together.

LightSound will be available at the following locations: Alum Creek State Park, Buck Creek State Park, Delaware State Park, Delaware Wildlife Area Shooting Range, East Harbor State Park, Findley State Park, Geneva State Park, Grand Lake St Marys State Park, Headlands Beach State Park, Hueston Woods State Park, Indian Lake State Park, John Bryan State Park, Kelleys Island State Park, Lake Loramie State Park, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Malabar Farm State Park, Maumee Bay State Park, Mohican State Park, Mosquito Lake State Park, Mt. Gilead State Park, Portage Lakes State Park, Punderson State Park, Pymatuning State Park, Spring Valley Wildlife Area Shooting Range, Sycamore State Park, Van Buren State Park, West Branch State Park, Wildlife District Three Office, Wingfoot Lake State Park.

You can help Ohio DNR

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is asking eclipse-viewers to document what they notice about wildlife before, during and after the eclipse. Nocturnal animals may start stirring, while other critters could start making noise.

Those who are interested can share their findings on iNaturalist.

"There's not a lot of great data," Ohio DNR director Mary Mertz said. "There's a lot of anecdotes, but not a lot of great, solid data on what happens. We think crowdsourcing this and using new technology is an opportunity to gather that data."

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: Solar eclipse 2024: Ohio activates emergency center, shares final tips
This article was originally published in Houston Landing.

Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles will require roughly two dozen schools to cut 12 percent of their budgets next year, initiating a painful but expected process meant to bring campus-level spending in line with declining enrollments.

The cuts will target schools not participating in Miles New Education System next year, whose budgets are managed by campus principals. HISD manages the budgets of schools in the NES program and funds them at a significantly higher level than other schools.

On Tuesday, HISD provided half of the districts principals with preliminary information about their campus budgets for next year and plans to provide information to the other half Wednesday. Most of HISDs roughly 140 non-NES principals will have to make cuts in their spending, capped at a 12 percent reduction, due to decreases in the number of students attending their schools.

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Roughly 25 schools will have to slash the maximum 12 percent, while about 35 schools will see increases to their budgets, Miles estimated in a Monday interview with the Houston Landing. That leaves dozens more schools to reduce spending between 1 and 12 percent. HISD declined to say which schools will be subject to the steepest cuts.

The tough financial pill stems from a decision by Miles to end HISDs pandemic-era policy to insulate schools from budget cuts, even when their enrollment and attendance decline. With pandemic relief money set to soon run out and with HISD expected to run a $250 million to $300 million deficit this year, Miles said it is time to bring spending in line with student counts.

People have known this is coming, Miles said. If theyve lost 100 kids, they are going to have to cut some staff. At some point, we do have to stop paying for kids who actually arent there.

In recent years, HISD has lost about 32,000 students, down from about 216,100 in 2016-17 to 183,900 in 2023-24. Since the policy of not reducing schools budgets based on attendance went into effect, more than 150 schools have lost 12 percent or more of their student enrollments, including more than 60 non-NES schools.

In total, the cuts will save about $15 million across the district, Miles said. The savings represent a small component of extensive cuts and efficiencies Miles has said he plans to make next year. However, they represent the first time Miles has outlined plans likely to result in widespread staffing reductions at the campus level.

Due to a lengthened school year in 2024-25 and a dramatic increase in the number of overhauled schools paying teachers salaries $10,000 to $20,000 above their typical rates, HISD plans to spend an additional $114 million on staff next year, including $74 million at NES schools, according to Chief of Human Resources Jessica Neyman. Miles has said he plans to present a draft budget proposal for next years spending to HISDs board of managers in May.

Schools undergoing Miles transformation, which typically have a quarter to a third more employees than other HISD schools, also will be subject to limited staffing cuts if they have lost students, Miles said. He estimated NES schools could lose one to two non-teaching roles.

Former Love Elementary Principal Sean Tellez, who resigned in early March, said he thinks the cuts fall unfairly on schools not participating in Miles overhaul program. The end of the policy insulating campuses from attendance-related budget cuts did not surprise him, because former HISD Superintendent Millard Houses administration had warned it was coming. However, he thought the whole district would be subject to the painful spending decisions, rather than just the half not participating in Miles NES program.

As a principal, Tellez had to make budget cuts, including last year reducing the work hours of the Love Elementary nurse and librarian, eliminating a technology role and cutting a front office worker. If he were forced to eliminate 12 percent of his spending, he would have to cut at least one teacher and it would be virtually impossible to keep students from feeling the losses, he said.

The overwhelming vibe, or feeling, amongst the non-NES principals has been, because were not NES, were going to have to bear the burden of this increased budget for NES schools and were going to be on our own, Tellez said.

Researcher Chad Aldeman, who previously served as policy director at Georgetown Universitys Edunomics Lab and now runs the organization Read Not Guess, studies school enrollment and staffing trends nationwide. Across the country, most school districts have seen increasing numbers of staff-per-student ratios since the pandemic, mostly due to student headcounts falling faster than staffing levels, he said, creating looming budgetary difficulties.

However, while making cuts to balance staffing levels may be necessary in many instances, it rarely is straightforward, Aldeman explained.

Lets say you lose 20 students across an elementary, theyre not going to be all in one grade.  So, you might lose two students or two-and-a-half students from every grade, and you cant just reduce your staff by one fourth-grade teacher, Aldeman said. None of these things are fun. Theyre not good for kids.

Miles said he empathizes with principals now facing dreaded decisions, but said he had no other choice. HISD is easing the process for principals by covering certain expenses, such as approved curricular materials, he said.

Ive been a principal, Ive been a charter school principal, and I know what it is to have to do a budget and I know what a cut looks like, even a 10 percent cut, Miles said. If I can protect the classroom from any cut, thats what were going to do. But we do have to live within our means now.

This article first appeared on Houston Landing and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
A crash report released by the Texas Department of Transportation on Thursday provided further insight into the fatal wreck involving a concrete pump truck and a Hays district school bus carrying 44 prekindergartners and 11 adults.

While most of the details in the report were previously known, the crash report states that Jerry Hernandez, the driver of the FJM Concrete Pumping truck, was heading east on Texas 21 on March 22 when he swerved into the westbound lane.

A Hays district school bus driving west on the highway, returning from a field trip to a zoo in Bastrop, then swerved to the right to try to avoid the truck but was unsuccessful, according to the report filled out by Texas Department of Public Safety investigators. The impact caused the bus to flip counterclockwise and do a complete rotation before landing upright.

Hernandez continued driving in the westbound lane, the report said, causing another vehicle behind the bus to swerve into the eastbound lane to avoid being struck by the concrete pump truck. It was previously unreported that there was a fourth vehicle involved in the incident.

Hernandez then hit a Hyundai being driven by 33-year-old Ryan Wallace, a doctoral student at the University of Texas who died as a result of the collision.

A graphic shows the trajectory of the four vehicle involved in March 22, 2024, crash where two people where killed, including a prekindergartner student.

The report states that Hernandez, 42, continued driving through the westbound lane, going through a guardrail before ultimately turning the concrete pump truck over on its side.

The other victim in the crash was Tom Green Elementary pre-K student Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, who was 5 years old.

Hernandez initially told investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety that he only got about three hours of sleep the night before, in addition to smoking marijuana before bed and then taking cocaine at 1 a.m. The crash report obtained Thursday notes that a toxicology report is pending from a blood sample taken from Hernandez.

Last week, Hernandez was charged and arrested with criminally negligent manslaughter in Bastrop County.

Federal transportation authorities said Hernandez was an "imminent hazard to public safety" behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, citing alleged drug violations and a failure to complete "any treatment plan" last year, according to an order from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration disqualifying his commercial driver's license.

According to charging documents for Hernandez, Francisco Martinez Jr., the owner of FJM Concrete Pumping LLC, told investigators he did not verify the status of Hernandez's commercial license or his driver's history prior to employing him. Despite these violations and the resulting "prohibited" status of his commercial driver's license, Hernandez was permitted to operate the concrete pump truck in Texas.

In October 2021, Martinez was ticketed for employing an unlicensed driver. On Tuesday, Martinez pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor offense and paid the then-delinquent $316 ticket, closing the case, according to Hays County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace John Burns.

Reached by the American-Statesman Thursday afternoon, Martinez declined to comment and deferred questions to his attorney, Thomas Fagerberg. Messages to Fagerberg were not immediately returned.

A defense attorney listed in Bastrop County online court records as representing Hernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: DPS report offers new details of fatal Hays school bus crash
HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD)  Dredging work along the outer harbor in Holland will begin this weekend.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District says The King Company won a $901,000 government contract to dredge both the Holland and Grand Haven harbors this spring. Work on both harbors is expected to be finished by the end of May.

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In Holland, crews will remove approximately 31,000 cubic yards of sediment out of the harbor and place it in a deeper section of the lake approximately 1,200 feet south of the harbors southern breakwater.

The public is urged to avoid areas actively being dredged and follow all posted warning signs. Lights and sirens will mark the discharge pontoon in the nearshore area, the USACE said in a statement.

Holland Harbor is maintained by the USACE under the authority of the Rivers and Harbors Act. The harbor must maintain a depth of at least 23 feet at the harbor entrance and at least 21 feet throughout the inner channel.

Dredging starts on Muskegon Channel

Maintaining commercial traffic to Holland is an important part of our maintenance dredging in West Michigan, Liz Newell Wilkinson, operations manager at the USACE Grand Haven Office, said in a statement. Keeping the shipping channel open provides a receiving port for the city and a safe harbor of refuge for vessels seeking shelter on Lake Michigan.

The Grand Haven Harbor was also dredged last year, pulling 141,000 cubic yards of sediment from the outer harbor. Dredging was temporarily paused in July after high concentrations of E. coli at North Park Beach in Ferrysburg prompted a no body contact warning.

The USACE announced last month that The King Company has also started dredging work on the Muskegon Channel. Crews will remove approximately 133,000 cubic yards of sediment from the channel. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of June.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Read the full story on The Auto Wire

Driver Records Himself Standing Through Sunroof While Speeding

We see people do a lot of stupid things in their cars, especially in this age of social media. So when we first saw the story from Clermont Police Department out of Florida about a guy who was speeding while standing through the sunroof in his car, recording the stunt on his cellphone, we naturally assumed he was doing it all for TikTok or Instagram.

Teens ram stolen Camaro into California deputies.

It turns out the guy was a little more old fashioned than that, at least according to what police say. They claim the suspect, Joseph Ellis, sent the video out in a text message. Maybe someone else posted it on social media after he was caught and arrested.

Police say Ellis was going 77 mph in a 45 mph zone in the area of HWY 27 and Hooks Street. To be going that fast, even in a 75 mph zone, and not only take your feet off the pedals and your hands off the steering wheel, but to stand on the seat and up through the sunroof is one of the dumbest things weve ever heard about. And thats really saying something.

Seriously, dont do this unless you have a death wish. There are so many ways a stunt like this can go wrong.

According to police, Ellis had an open container of alcohol and some Oxycodone in the car, so were thinking he was probably intoxicated and thats why he was acting so dumb.

But Ellis apparently has a history of making poor decisions. Clermont Police Department says he had bonded out of jail for multiple felony crimes in other jurisdictions. Were pretty sure the terms of his bond wouldnt allow for him to be drinking and driving, let alone doing a stupid stunt like this. And he recorded the whole thing just to make sure police have all the evidence they need.

Thankfully an officer spotted him performing the stunt and was able to pull him over without incident. This could have ended so much worse.

Image via Clermont Police Department/Facebook

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PLOVER  Drivers traveling along Portage County B, between Post Road/State 54 and Interstate 39 in the village of Plover, will encounter lane reductions and closures, construction vehicles and detours in the area starting Monday and continuing until late November.

The Portage County Highway Department detailed the project timeline in a news release Thursday afternoon that included additional information about planned road improvements along Portage County B, travel routes and business access during construction.

Heres what readers need to know about the project.

What road improvements are planned?

Road construction on Portage County B, between Post Road/State 54 and Interstate 39, begins Monday and has a targeted completion date of Nov. 22, the highway department said.

The stretch of construction will include two separate projects. The section between Hoover Avenue and Interstate 39 will see replacement of the deteriorated concrete pavement. The section between Wisconsin Avenue and Hoover Avenue is being reconstructed from a rural to urban design and will get new curb and gutter or asphalt shoulders, widened pavement median, new concrete sidewalk and an asphalt multi-use path. That section will also see intersection reconstruction at the intersection with Mecca Drive to add traffic signals, according to the highway department.

Traffic signal upgrades also are planned at the intersection of Portage County B and Hoover Avenue.

Expect lane closures and reductions during construction

The project will progress through stages and public vehicle access will vary based on which stage the project is in.

The first stage begins Monday and is expected to be completed by mid-June. This stage will include a total closure of the eastbound traffic lanes between Hoover Avenue and Interstate 39, while the westbound lanes will be reduced to one lane. In the second stage of the project, the lane closures will reverse and both westbound lanes will close and one eastbound lane will open.

Access to Village Park Drive from Interstate 39 is expected to be restored by June 17.

The stretch between Wisconsin Avenue, which is one block east of Post Road, and Hoover Avenue will have one lane open in the work zone in each direction through the duration of the project that will maintain access to roads and driveways on both sides of Portage County B.

The intersection of Portage County B and Hoover Avenue will be closed entirely from mid-June to the end of the month. During that 14-day period, Portage County B will only be open from Wisconsin Avenue to Iber Lane.

From July 1 until the completion of the project, which is currently planned for late November, reduced lanes will be open in the work zone.

Use detour routes to avoid construction zone

Road construction on Portage County B, between Post Road/State 54 and Interstate 39 in the village of Plover, begins Monday, April 8 and has a targeted completion date of Nov. 22.

The posted detour route for drivers coming from the west end of the project would take them along State 54 East to Interstate 39 North, which can be used to reconnect with Portage County B to the east. Drivers coming from the east end of the construction project, would travel the reverse route.

For people who need to visit business location in the construction area north of Portage County B and east of Hoover Avenue, near the interstate, use Hoover Avenue and turn into the parking lot between Metro Market and WoodTrust Bank. Locations south of Portage County B can be accessed via Maple Drive.

Businesses west of Hoover Avenue will still be accessible via Portage County B.

What else should I know about the Portage County B road construction project?

The project is receiving 80% of its funding for design and construction through the Wisconsin Department of Transportations Surface Transportation Program-Urban, which is a mix of state and federal funds.

The Portage County Highway Department will post weekly updates about the project on their website: https://www.co.portage.wi.gov/283/Highway-Department.

More local news: Where can I view Monday's solar eclipse in Wausau, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield?

Local election news: 5 incumbents lose seats on Portage County Board in Tuesday election

Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA-TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @ErikPfantz.

This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Portage County B road construction project starts Monday in Plover
Drones of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence and Armed Forces strike 3 air bases in Russia, destroying and damaging aircraft

Three air bases in the territory of Russia have been damaged by drones on the morning of 5 April as a result of a joint operation by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: a source of Ukrainska Pravda in DIU

Details: The source reported that three Tu-95MS strategic fighter jets were likely significantly damaged as a result of the attack on the Engels-2 airbase.

Quote: "We also have information about the death of seven soldiers at the airbase. Early reports say that the pilots of strategic bombers may also be among the people killed."

A military airbase in the town of Yeysk was also struck. Early reports say two Su-25 aircraft were completely destroyed there, and four Russian soldiers were killed.

In addition, a drone attacked a military airbase in the city of Kursk.

Previously: On the night of 4-5 April, multiple strikes were reported in the territory of Russia.

A source of Ukrainska Pravda reported that the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), jointly with the structures of Ukraines Defence Forces, was behind the attack on the air base in the Russian town of Morozovsk. Reportedly, at least six aircraft were destroyed.

Background: Officially, Ukraine's Defence Intelligence does not comment, confirm or deny who and what is hitting Russia's military targets.

At the same time, DIU stressed that military facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation are legitimate targets for Ukraine, against which Russia has treacherously unleashed a war of aggression.

Andrii Yusov, a representative of DIU, praised the progress in Ukrainian drone production and projected that UAVs will further attack military targets in Russia and that their range will increase.

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Following a tense phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Israel says it is taking steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, including reopening a key border crossing into northern Gaza, where international organizations have warned about a looming famine.

Netanyahus office announced the plans on Friday, hours after Biden told him that future U.S. support for the war in Gaza depends on Israel taking more action to protect civilians and aid workers. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be allowed in.

Later on Friday, Israel also announced the dismissal of several officers involved in the deadly strike against a convoy of humanitarian aid workers that resulted in the deaths of seven people and triggered international outrage.

Biden and Netanyahu spoke by telephone on Thursday for the first time since the death of seven international aid workers from the disaster relief organization World Central Kitchen (WCK), founded by the Spanish-American chef Jose Andres, in an Israeli attack in the Strip. The conversation lasted less than 30 minutes, according to the White House.

The conclusions of an internal Israeli army investigation into the bombing released Friday reveal a chain of serious errors and present some unanswered questions. The report, led by Major General Yoav Har-Even, was delivered to WCK and the ambassadors of the countries of origin of the victims. Har-Even expressed the Israel Defense Forces deep sorrow about the incident and stated that the troops did not identify the vehicles as associated with the NGO, despite the fact that they bore the organizations logo visibly on their roofs and they had previously informed the Israeli army of their route and schedule using the United Nations system. Following a misidentification by the forces, the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers, the report states.

The army admits the attack was carried out following a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures of the IDF. The military authorities have dismissed a brigade chief of staff with the rank of reserve colonel and a brigade fire support officer with the rank of major. The report also formally reprimanded other senior commanders including the brigade commander, the commander of the 162nd division, and the overall chief of the Southern Command. No other measures, such as courts martial, have been mentioned.

A general view of the Erez Crossing with the Gaza Strip in the background after the Israeli Cabinet approved its reopening. Hannah McKay (REUTERS)

Just hours after the phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, Israel announced it would open the border crossing of Erez, in northern Gaza, and allow the use of the port of Ashdod for direct aid deliveries. This increase in assistance will avert a humanitarian crisis and is essential for the continuation of combat and for achieving the goals of the war, said a statement from the Israeli Prime Ministers Office.

The Erez border crossing, which was attacked on October 7, was the only one that a few thousand Palestinians could cross to work in Israel, go to hospitals, or visit relatives in the West Bank without having to go through Egypt. Since no one is permitted to cross it anymore and it was damaged in the Hamas attacks, it will be improvised into a goods crossing.

Erez faces directly north into the area of Gaza where at least 210,000 people are on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations. Its opening is not only important because of that, but also because the few convoys that Israel has been allowing in by land from the south risk assaults by hungry crowds or armed groups along the way.

Israel will also once again allow humanitarian aid in through the port of Ashdod, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the Strip. It is one of the most important ports in the country and was the natural entry point for goods into Gaza until October 7. Since that date, the decision to use hunger as a weapon of war, and the fact that a majority of the population opposes letting humanitarian aid into Gaza while there are still Israeli hostages held there, led to its closure. Ultra-nationalist groups have demonstrated there to prevent humanitarian access, just as there have been protests at the only Israeli crossing through which aid was entering on a regular basis: Kerem Shalom, which faces the south of the Strip. The supplies will enter through three border crossings: Erez and Kerem Shalom, with Israel; and Rafah, with Egypt. Israel will also significantly increase access to aid provided by Jordan, an important ally of Washington.

The White House reacted to the news with a call for quick results. These steps, including a commitment to open the Ashdod port for the direct delivery of assistance into Gaza, to open the Erez Crossing for a new route for assistance to reach north Gaza, and to significantly increase deliveries from Jordan directly into Gaza, must now be fully and rapidly implemented, said National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson. As the President said today on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers.

Bidens message marks a sharp change in his administrations steadfast support for Israels war efforts, with the U.S. leader for the first time threatening to rethink his backing if Israel doesnt change its tactics and allow much more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers, the White House said in a statement following the leaders call. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these steps.

But the U.S. did not mention the possibility of imposing conditions on the military aid that it provides to Israel, something that the Biden administration has systematically ruled out since the beginning of the war, despite growing internal frustration with Israels actions in Gaza.

The presidents warning represents his biggest rebuke since the beginning of the war and evidences the U.S. governments growing discomfort with a conflict that has resulted in more than 33,000 Palestinian civilian deaths, with thousands more wounded and over one million at risk of starvation.

The attack against WCK workers has particularly resonated in the United States for various reasons. Among the deceased was an American-Canadian citizen. And the founder of WCK, Jose Andres, is not only a celebrity chef but someone with important connections in political circles in Washington: everyone who is anyone in the capital has been to one of his restaurants, and the chef is a personal acquaintance of Biden himself, with whom he spoke immediately after the tragedy.

Imposing conditions on military aid

Internal pressure for the White House to make a move is increasing. Bidens main ally in the Upper House, Senator Chris Coons, who describes himself as a friend of Israel, said Tuesday in statements to CNN that the point has been reached to impose conditions on military aid from the United States to Israel. And on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an independent investigation into the convoy strike.

But while Washingtons rhetoric on Israel is increasingly harsh, the fundamentals of its policy toward its ally have not changed. On Monday, before the attack against WCK aid workers, the Biden administration authorized sending more than 2,000 bombs to Israel, half of them weighing more than 200 kilos, according to CNN. Last week, Biden approved the transfer of another two thousand 1,000 kilo bombs without going through Congress.
Durham paid $2.25M to family of woman killed in police chase that city still defends

Recently obtained court documents reveal that the city of Durham paid $2.25 million to the family of a 24-year-old mother who died after a man being chased by city police T-boned her car.

City officials, however, still stand behind the controversial August 2018 police pursuit, a city attorney says. During the chase, a driver in a stolen car drove the wrong way around the downtown loop, sped through multiple neighborhoods, ran 14 red lights and cruised through seven stop signs before striking and killing Brooke Lyn Maynard.

Police officers involved in the pursuit did their jobs to protect the public from a gun-wielding carjacker, John Roseboro, senior assistant city attorney, wrote in an email to The News & Observer this week.

Maynard, a sheriffs deputy who worked at the Durham County Detention Facility, died after that driver struck her car at an intersection near the former Northgate Mall. In June 2020 her family filed a lawsuit contending Maynard died due to the police departments reckless disregard for others safety.

The only thing they were concerned about was catching this carjacker at any cost, and that cost was Brooke Maynards life, said attorney Donald Strickland, who represented the family with Duke University law professor Donald Beskind.

The settlement should send a message to the city and other jurisdictions about the dangers of police chases and the importance of evaluating risks, the attorneys said.

Roseboro, the city attorney, sees it differently. As the settlement agreement states, he said, the payment wasnt an admission of fault, but a payment to avoid the inconvenience, burden and expense of continued litigation.

Tomaris Parker, the man who led police on the chase, is legally and morally responsible for Maynards death, not the police, he wrote in the email. Parker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2019 and is expected to be released from state prison in 2041.

Tomaris Parker, in orange, is charged with second-degree murder after he led police on a chase that ended in a crash that killed 24-year-old Durham County detention officer. On right, Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews and Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood attended Parkers first appearance hearing Monday, Aug. 6, 2018.

The terms of the settlement, which the city agreed to in August 2023, marks by far the highest police-related claim that the city had agreed to pay since at least 2012, according to public information requests.

The settlement was initially sealed at the familys request, the familys attorneys said. It was unsealed following public records requests, including one from The News & Observer, attorneys involved said. NC Lawyers Weekly first reported on the settlement.

Stolen car leads to crash

On the morning of Aug. 2, 2018, a woman who had been smoking crack at a friends house agreed to drive Parker to get more drugs in her mothers 2007 charcoal gray Honda Accord, according to the familys lawsuit.

On the way, Parker told her to get out, pointed a gun at her and cocked it. She reported the car stolen about five hours later, according to court documents.

At 7:30 p.m. Officer T. Feren spotted the stolen Honda on Elizabeth Street and instructed Officer R. Gurley, who was in training, to follow it, according to a lawsuit.

When Feren activated the police lights and siren, the Honda sped away. What followed was an 11-minute chase that included a second police car carrying two officers, including another trainee.

Police Cpl. M.J Hamilton provided supervision and direction, which is police department policy.

Durham officers can chase a fleeing vehicle when they believe the person committed a violent felony and poses an immediate threat of serious injury if not apprehended immediately, according to the departments general orders manual.

Chases should stop when the lead officer determines that the hazard outweighs the need to arrest the person, or if police know who they are chasing and can move to apprehend a suspect at a later date.

Around 7:45 p.m. on the warm Tuesday night, Maynard was driving her Hyundai Sonata down Duke Street through a green light at the West Club Boulevard intersection, according to the lawsuit. She had childrens clothes and other items in the car that she was moving to her new home.

After Parker ran his final red light, he slammed the Honda into Maynards drivers side door at 71 mph, according to the lawsuit.

Despite wearing a seatbelt, Maynard, who would have turned 30 this month, didnt survive.

Three others were also hurt, police reported after the crash, including two others in another car and a man in Parkers car.

Was it gross negligence?

The city agreed to a cash settlement with Maynards family after Durham Superior Court Judge Michael OFoghludha denied the citys motion to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit in August 2022.

The order would have allowed the case to go to trial, if it survived an appeal by the city. That was a big if, attorneys on both sides said.

The Court of Appeals has rejected arguments contending police chases meet the standard of gross negligence, which requires proof of a reckless disregard for the safety of others.

No standing opinion from North Carolina higher courts has found a police chase to be grossly negligent, Roseboro said.

OFoghludhas judgment pointed out the appeals court track record on that topic, but it also noted various questions in the Durham case that he thought a jury should consider.

Some included whether it was reckless for the police chase to unfold in central Durham, North Carolinas fourth largest city.

According to the plaintiffs evidence, the high-speed pursuit unfolded on major streets, through downtown, even driving the wrong way around the Ramseur Street loop, along North Carolina Central and Duke University campuses, by two shopping centers and through four neighborhoods before a foreseeable crash, the judge noted.

Maynards family initially sought $7 million from the city, Strickland said. After the judges ruling, the city appealed, a process that includes mediation.

When the city offered a sizable settlement, Strickland said the attorneys didnt want to risk Maynards daughter losing out on a settlement that could make a real difference in her life.

We couldnt take the chance, he said.

Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. She has worked for newspapers for more than 15 years. The N.C. State Bar Association awarded her the Media & Law Award for Best Series in 2018 and 2020.

In the Spotlight designates ongoing topics of high interest that are driven by The News & Observers focus on accountability reporting.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Over 1,000 people across the country died in the last decade during encounters with law enforcement while officers were using less lethal force, such as a stun gun or different restraint techniques. At least two of those deaths happened in El Paso.

KTSM brought you the story of Daniel Diaz in September. He died after being tased and beaten by seven El Paso Police officers in April 2021. Now, thanks to a nationwide investigation by the Associated Press and PBS Frontline News documenting police use of force, we bring you the story of Ray Lara.

Just after 3:30 a.m. on the morning of July 28, 2020, UTEP Police responded to a call of a naked man running down Mesa Street near Sun Bowl Drive.

The caller told responding officers the man appeared to be in distress and kept saying, Theyre going to kill me. He attempted to get into the passenger side of her car. In a report later released by the Texas Rangers, the woman explained she thought Lara possibly had schizophrenia because a family member had schizophrenia and displayed some of the same actions.

About ten minutes after the initial call, UTEP Police located Lara in a parking lot on Mesa, near the Village Inn and across from UTEP PD Headquarters. He was running naked and saying someone was chasing him. Visibly distressed, officers claim he was not listening to their orders and used a stun gun to immobilize him.

Officers eventually laid Lara on the ground and attempted to carry him to a police unit, and when he refused to get inside, they placed him on the ground on his stomach. After nearly seven minutes of struggling, he lay unresponsive.

The responding paramedics from the El Paso Fire Department arrived and began giving Lara CPR to no avail. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

INVESTIGATION

The autopsy report obtained by KTSM shows the cause of death as Acute Methamphetamine Toxicity with a contributing factor of Physiological Stress Associated with Physical Restraint.

People who are who are very heavily intoxicated on methamphetamine, you know, their hearts pumping so fast that its not uncommon for the adrenaline that they raise that they inject into their system on top of the acute matter, meth, amphetamine intoxication to their body, their heart cant handle the methamphetamine, plus the adrenaline that comes with a police interaction, District Attorney Bill Hicks explained to KTSM.

Texas Rangers interviewed Laras sister, who told investigators she suspected he was using methamphetamine and had recently become paranoid someone was after him.

Hed moved into the nearby Mesa Inn hotel, where hotel staff described him as quiet, nervous, and passive. Lara told desk staff repeatedly, The voices told me to, and became agitated when explaining vents in the room were exposing him to smoke from what he believed were burning wires. After his death, investigators found his mattress against the room window and furniture rearranged.

The Associated Presss efforts to obtain the full report and camera footage of the incident were met with pushback from the University. UTEP wrote to the Texas Attorney Generals office, arguing that they did not have to release the information to AP journalists.

Similar to the case of Daniel Diaz, whose family had to obtain a judges court order to compel El Paso Police to release video and documents in his 2021 death.

Dying for Answers: Dannys Story

The Attorney Generals office ultimately decided that UTEP should release body camera footage, but it didnt have to release specifics of its investigation into the officers conduct. However, the AGs response to UTEP revealed substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations in their investigative report.

When KTSM reached out to UTEP about any misconduct or changes in police policy after the incident, we were sent a short statement from UTEP Officials stating,

The University Police Department follows standard protocols; no policy or procedure changes were made. UTEP Officials

The released documents from the Texas Rangers report also showed a significant discrepancy. In the state-mandated Custodial Death Report submitted by UTEP Police after Laras death, there is no mention of officers holding a knee to Laras back. The Rangers report states otherwise, Officer Chairez stated he placed his knee in the middle of his back to gain control of him at which time the subject began kicking his feet and moving around under Officer.

The District Attorneys Office decides whether law enforcement officers are prosecuted for potential misconduct. However, there are many factors to consider when weighing the evidence.

The case against the person who assaulted the officer is going to go to one set of prosecutors, and then the case against the officer is going to go to a different prosecutor so that we can, as much as possible, not have, you know, the bias of, hey, weve got to go get the bad guy and forgive the good guy. The unbiased look of the officers answers, Hicks explained.

Hicks points out that their findings are presented to a Grand Jury for final review.

If the assaultive conduct of the officer has resulted in harm to a citizen, then they review the case, make sure they have all the information they need, and then they take that case to a grand jury, said Hicks.

In the case of Ray Lara, former District Attorney Yvonne Rosales, who was in office then, did not prosecute the UTEP officers.

According to the APs investigation, police rely on tactics such as physical holds, blows, and stun guns to restrain suspects, but if misused, those can turn deadly.

They were just simply holding the person still. And it wasnt that they had him in a neck hold. There werent restricting his breathing, Hicks said of Laras case. They werent doing anything other than trying to hold him still. And the persons intoxication, along with the adrenaline rush, was too much for his body to handle. And he died.

The suppression of information and lack of reports from local law enforcement agencies are all issues that the AP report states are clouding the overall reporting of people who have died during encounters with police  even those that were not supposed to be lethal.

And so, you know, for me, we certainly will prosecute anyone who violates the law, Hicks reiterated.

None of the seven El Paso Police officers involved in the death of Daniel Diazs case in 2021 faced consequences. The fate of the UTEP police officers is unknown.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Nature enthusiasts and bird watchers are in for a treat. The George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center offers a rare opportunity to watch bald eaglets transform into fledglings from the comfort of their homes.

For the next 11 to 12 weeks, viewers can embark on a journey to witness the wonders of nature in real-time through a live stream camera poised over a bald eagle's nest in Bartlesville.

This fascinating window into the lives of America's national symbol is accessible at www.suttoncenter.org/live-bald-eagle-nestcamera. This initiative is part of the Sutton Center's education and outreach aimed at fostering an appreciation for wildlife conservation.

The center's bald eagle recovery project is instrumental in the resurgence of these majestic birds across the southern United States. From a daunting start in 1985 when there were no known nesting pairs in Oklahoma, the project's vision catalyzed the growth of the bald eagle population, which now boasts more than 350 monitored nest territories statewide and even extends into neighboring states.

This nest, which recently hatched three eaglets, is one of several under the vigilant eye of the center's nest cams, which started in 2005 with the first cam installation in Tulsa.

"The success of the Sutton Center's programs would not be possible without our dedicated supporters," Dr. Lena Larsson, Executive Director of the Sutton Center, said. "As we celebrate 40 years of achievements, we continue to share what we learn about birds and strive to protect them for the generations to come."

This year's Bald Eagle Nest Cam has been made possible through the support of the Duke Energy Foundation.

Those inspired by bald eagles and the center's commitment to avian conservation can find further information on current projects at www.suttoncenter.org.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Watch 3 bald eagles grow up online with the Sutton Centers nest cam
Early voting began on Friday for next week's National Assembly election in South Korea, a contest widely seen as a referendum on the administration of current President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

SEOUL, April 5 (UPI) -- South Korean voters turned out in record-setting numbers for early voting Friday ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, which are widely seen as a midterm referendum on the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Voters began casting ballots at 3,565 polling stations nationwide in a two-day early voting period before the main vote on Wednesday for the 300-member National Assembly.

When the polls closed at 6 p.m., some 6.91 million people, or 15.61% of eligible voters, had cast a ballot, according to the National Election Commission. It was the highest figure ever in early voting for a general election and well above the 12.04% turnout at the same time four years ago.

Yoon's People Power Party is aiming to take the majority in the National Assembly, which is currently dominated by the opposition Democratic Party.

In 2022, the conservative Yoon narrowly edged out his opponent Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party by a razor-thin margin. A Democratic Party-led bloc has held 180 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly since 2020, however, severely hampering Yoon's domestic agenda.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, cast his ballot Friday morning in Daejeon. Photo by Yonhap

A poll released last week by Gallup Korea showed the PPP with greater support than the Democratic Party, at 37% to 29%. But Yoon's party would need to flip more than 30 seats to take control of the parliament, widely considered a tall order.

That task is made more difficult as Yoon has been saddled with low approval ratings over his handling of a wide range of issues from sky-high housing prices and soaring food costs to concerns over the country's plunging birth rate, which is the lowest in the world.

More than 15% of eligible voters cast a ballot on Friday, a record high, in an election that is driven by domestic issues such as sky-high housing costs and soaring food prices. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

Last week's Gallup Korea poll saw his support drop from a recent high of 39% to 34% ahead of the election.

Yoon has also been at the center of a standoff with striking trainee doctors that has dragged on since February, while his administration has been beset by corruption allegations, including a highly publicized scandal around First Lady Kim Keon Hee accepting the gift of a Dior bag.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose domestic agenda has been hampered by opposition control of the National Assembly, cast his ballot Friday morning in Busan. Photo by Yonhap

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is facing corruption challenges of his own and is currently facing trials over a range of charges including bribery.

Next week's result will play a large role in Yoon's ability to press ahead with his agenda over the remaining three years of his mandatory single five-year term.

Early voting will continue Saturday before the main vote is held on Wednesday. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

On the domestic front, Yoon has long been aiming to push through economic reforms that include taking on labor unions and reducing regulations on businesses. He has had more success establishing his agenda on the foreign policy front, where Seoul has taken a harder line against North Korea and strengthened security cooperation with the United States and Japan.

Yoon cast his vote early Friday morning in Busan while on an official visit to the city.

Lee also voted early in the central city of Daejeon.

"In the end, it's up to the people to decide, and I would like to ask you to vote early today and tomorrow," Lee said. "If you give up your sovereignty, if you give up your vote, all that you give up goes to a few vested interests."

While South Korea's political landscape is dominated by the two main parties, a wild card this year is the rise of third parties in recent polls. The progressive Rebuilding Korea Party, led by disgraced former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, has emerged as the third most popular party and is drawing voters disillusioned with the status quo.

In the last Gallup Korea poll, the party -- which was only formed in February -- had 12% support, highlighting the possibility of gaining enough seats to play a spoiler role in the tightly contested parliament.
(KTLA)  An Easter Sunday burglary at a San Fernando Valley money storage facility netted thieves as much as $30 million in cash in an operation that has, at least for now, left authorities baffled, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The March 31 heist, which is among the biggest in L.A.s history, occurred at an undisclosed Sylmar facility that handles cash from businesses across Southern California, L.A. police shared with The Times.

While its unclear how thieves knew about the massive amount of money held in the GardaWorld facilitys safe, the break-in was considered complex, suggesting a highly experienced burglary crew that managed to breach the building through the roof and gain access to the vault without activating the alarm system.

Armored trucks are parked outside the GardaWorld facility in the Sylmar section of Los Angeles on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Thieves stole as much $30 million in an Easter Sunday burglary at a Los Angeles money storage facility in one of the largest cash heists in city history. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

GardaWorld, according to its website, is a long-standing security partner of choice to some of the most prominent brands, Fortune 500 corporations and governments.

Your map of the eclipse path of totality is wrong, these experts say

There were no signs of the break-in outside of the vault itself, and officials at the facility werent even aware of the heist until the safe was opened Monday.

Officials at the Sylmar facility alerted LAPD and detectives from the departments Mission Division arrived to search for and gather evidence.

Law enforcement sources told The Times that the burglary is one of the largest cash heists in the citys history and that the $30 million theft beats any armored-car robberies in Southern California.

In a July 2022 heist, jewelry exhibitors who hired Brinks Security Company to transport their merchandise from Northern to Southern California were robbed of what they claimed was $150 million in jewels.

While parked at a rest stop in Lebec, one of the security guards on duty was sleeping as the second guard was eating a meal inside the truck stop.

Thats when thieves seized the opportunity to grab nearly two dozen bags of vintage jewelry, gems and luxury watches from the tractor-trailer.

Nude body of missing California woman found in Arizona desert a month after she called 911

After the victims took legal action against the security company, Brinks retaliated with a suit of its own, disputing the value of the stolen merchandise.

No arrests have been made in that case.

As for the record-setting burglary in Sylmar, police told KTLA that they are not currently providing any information on the case. An official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation would only confirm that they are working with LAPD on the matter but would not comment further.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
COSHOCTON  Even though Coshocton County will be just outside the path of totality, many people locally will be looking to the sky on Monday to see the solar eclipse.

The partial eclipse will begin in Coshocton County at 1:57 p.m. and end at 4:28 p.m. Maximum eclipse will be at 3:14 p.m. and in the 98% to 99% range of totality. It will last for about 3 minutes.

Oliver Johnson, 8, and his father, Stephen Johnson, of West Lafayette work on a craft at the Coshocton County District Library during a presentation for youth on the upcoming solar eclipse. Kids colored in chalk on a circle and then spread it out with their fingers onto a black piece of construction paper to replicate how the sun's corona looks during a total solar eclipse.

Anyone looking up at the eclipse, even from inside a motor vehicle or house through a window, will need certified solar viewing glasses. Glasses are available for purchase online and at many local stores. They are also free through some outlets, such as the Coshocton County District Library.

The library has held several eclipse related programs over the past month to ready residents for the event. This has included children's and adult programs on the science of eclipses, general information sessions at the main library and branch in West Lafayette and a historical retrospective of eclipses, including the last total solar eclipse seen in Ohio.

Tom O'Grady, instructor of Observational Astronomy at Ohio University, speaks at a historical retrospective of eclipses over time during a recent program in Coshocton.

Not since Tecumseh

The last total solar eclipse in Ohio was in 1806. Tom O'Grady, instructor of Observational Astronomy at Ohio University, said details are scarce, but there is a long told tale relating that eclipse to the famed Native American Chief Tecumseh.

Then future President William Henry Harrison was governor of the Indiana Territory at the time and was isolating different tribal leaders and buying their land. Tecumseh was trying to unite the tribes of the area to prevent the loss of more native land. Despite his success, Harrsion was feeling threatened by Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, or The Prophet, who had prophetic visions and dreams.

Harrison issued a statement that if Tenskwatawa was really a prophet he should do something to demonstrate his powers, like making the sun stand still in the sky or the rivers to stop flowing. O'Grady said even back then, people could predict when eclipses would happen and Tecumseh found out about one upcoming.

Tenskwatawa made an announcement that in 50 days the hand of the Great Spirit would hide the sun. After it happened, Tecumseh commanded the Great Spirit to release the sun.

O'Grady said even though scientists were tracking eclipses, the average person still didn't know about it.

"Fifty days later when that happened, why would you doubt anything that guy had to say again? This wasn't on the six o'clock news," O'Grady said of Native American reaction to the event. "They got a little street cred, you might say, for calling that one 50 days out."

Bethany Clark and her children Arden, 11, and Olivia, 10, of West Lafayette work on a craft at the Coshocton County District Library during a presentation for youth on the upcoming solar eclipse.

Children learn about the eclipse

Spanish astronomer Jose Joaquin de Ferrer traveled to the U.S. to view the 1806 eclipse. He later coined the term corona, or Spanish for crown, for the most outside layer of the sun's atmosphere, which can be seen during a solar eclipse. He made a sketch of it from his observations.

During a recent children's program at the Coshocton County District Library, children made their own sketches by drawing with chalk on a circle and then spreading it out with their fingers on a piece of black construction paper.

"We always don't get to see that because it's so light, but in complete darkness it's one of the few times we get to see that," Youth Services Librarian Corazon Britton told the kids.

Youth Services Librarian Corazon Britton of the Coshocton County District Library demonstrates the shadow made on the earth during and eclipse to children for a recent youth program. A flashlight shined a light on a ping pong ball positioned between the flashlight and a globe.

Another activity was using a flashlight to shine a light on a ping pong ball in front of a globe. The shadow produced replicated an eclipse and showed how narrow the band could be.

Britton encouraged the youth to be safe and not view the sun without proper cover. For those who wear glasses, they should put their eclipse glasses on over their regular glasses.

"Whether there is an eclipse or not, we know not to look up at the sun. It could cause damage to our eyes and we always want to be safe as possible," she said.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Eclipse history: Coshocton library program looks back at 1806 eclipse
Eclipse in Hudson Valley: Why are red and green the best colors to wear?

Planning to watch the eclipse from the lower Hudson Valley, or traveling upstate to see it in the path of totality? You may want to raid your closet for some Christmas clothes before you venture out.

Why?

Red and green colors work with the science of a solar eclipse, creating the Purkinje effect, and change how viewers perceive colors. In low-light conditions, red and green may be the best colors to wear to stand out.

Here's what to know ahead of Monday's eclipse.

Watch the eclipse in Hudson Valley Where can I watch the 2024 solar eclipse in the Lower Hudson Valley and New York?

What is the Purkinje effect?

The Purkinje effect, named after Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkinje, states "as light intensity decreases, red objects are perceived to fade faster than blue objects of the same brightness."

The solar eclipse as seen from Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.

The phenomenon creates the perception that reds and yellows will seem to fade while greens and blues appear brighter during the eclipse.

"This Purkinje effect during the coming eclipse will turn the whole experience from just watching the sky go dark to a real-life science demo on your clothes," said online retailer Solar Eyeglasses.

What colors should I wear during an eclipse?

During a total solar eclipse, the sky will darken, making colors look different. Our eyes become more sensitive to colors in the bluish-green part of the spectrum.

Warm colors like red will be less visible as they resemble the grey surroundings, while green will stand out brighter. According to Space.com, red and green are complementary colors, meaning they enhance each other's intensity when viewed together. Therefore, wearing red and green clothing during a solar eclipse can help maximize our ability to perceive details and contrasts in low-light conditions.

During a total solar eclipse, the sky will darken, making our eyes become more sensitive to colors in the bluish-green part of the spectrum. Reds and greens compliment each other and will help eclipse watchers perceive details in low-light conditions.

Wearing red and green will have the greatest impact if large numbers of people dress in these colors, according to experts. This is ideal for group viewing or public viewings at venues like parks, libraries or museums.

What colors should I avoid wearing during an eclipse?

Avoid wearing neutrals like black, white or grey, as these colors will blend in with the eclipse's shadow.

The total solar eclipse is April 8, 2024. To see when it'll peak in your area, check out this interactive map.

New eclipse map excludes some NY towns New solar eclipse totality map now excludes some NY towns. What it means for Hudson Valley

Where can I view the eclipse in Westchester, Rockland?

The Westchester Parks Conservation Division is hosting five viewing events at local parks from 2-4 p.m. on April 8.

The events will be held at locations in North White Plains, Rye, Katonah, Yonkers and Cross River.

The Parks Department said each location will provide solar eclipse viewing glasses for attendees. Attendance and parking are free.

Rockland is hosting an eclipse event at Haverstraw Bay Park between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on April 8.

Solar eclipse viewing glasses for attendees will be provided.

In the Hudson Valley, Bear Mountain State Park, Minnewaska State Park and Rockefeller State Park Preserve are on the expansive list of New York state parks hosting eclipse events on April 8.

Arizona Republic reporter Tiffany Acosta contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Why are red and green the best colors to wear for the eclipse?
Economy Ministry: Allies donate over $700 million in demining aid to Ukraine

Ukraine has received over $700 million for humanitarian demining projects for 2022-2027 from international partners, the Economy Ministry announced on April 4.

The announcement came on International Mine Risk Education and Assistance Day, observed globally on April 4 to raise awarness of mine threats and promote demining efforts.

"Through joint work, it is possible to return land to productive use, protect the population from the effects of explosive hazards, and strengthen the mine action system in Ukraine," the ministry said.

The ministry identified the United States, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, and E.U. countries as key donors, among other partners.

Demining efforts will be carried out by the government in coordination with leading experts in the field and emergency response services, the ministry said. Leading coordinators include the country's Sectoral Working Group, which brings together donors, and the Mine Action Cluster, relaunched in March 2024 to be "a platform for programmatic coordination of relevant actors."

Ukrainian officials have reported that nearly a third of Ukraine's land, totaling around 174,000 square kilometers, has been mined since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Deep minefields between Ukrainian troops and entrenched Russian positions Ukraine played a significant role in halting the 2023 counteroffensive and preventing the liberation of occupied territories.

The ministry said on April 4 that mine-related explosions have killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.

Lithuania announced in July 2023 that it would assemble a coalition to assist Kyiv in its demining programs. The coalition currently includes about 20 countries.

Read also: Russia is covering Ukraine with landmines. Clearing them will be extremely difficult

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
On Monday, seven humanitarian workers with World Central Kitchen lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza amid the war that Hamas began with its Oct. 7 onslaught of murder, rape and kidnapping. Israel and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu (who will be talking with President Biden today) must explain how this airstrike happened, and guarantee that avoiding civilian deaths will be a priority in weighing military actions.

War is hell, and war is, to some extent, chaos. It is not possible to fight a war with a 100% certainty that no errors will be committed in the fog of conflict. Yet that doesnt mean accepting an all-or-nothing approach  that either a military maintains a perfect record of avoiding collateral damage, an all-but-impossible standard, or it is free to let loose without much care for the people caught in the crossfire.

There is a wide gulf in between, and moral armed forces, as the Israel Defense Forces hold themselves to be, are expected to hew as closely as they can to the minimization of wanton destruction.

The distressingly high level of civilian Palestinian casualties is due to Hamas diabolical embedding of their terrorist fighters among the populace. The intention is to make Israels war-fighting very difficult. And that is the challenge that the IDF must meet: to attack and destroy Hamas while sparing the bystanders, a challenge it is not always meeting.

Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, is in agreement, saying flatly that this is not a stand-alone incident, and that the killing of aid workers is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.

The IDFs contention that this was an error borne out of misidentification and miscommunication is troubling as World Central Kitchen has been successfully sharing their coordinates directly with the military for weeks to avoid being targeted. In the aftermath, IDF sources told Haaretz that this could be because commanders on the ground are making their own decisions outside the chain of command.

It is incumbent on Israel to find the cause and have some accountability for the personnel at fault here for hitting an aid convoy. While correct that the cause of the whole war lays with Hamas aggression, that cannot be a shield against the grave responsibilities that come with being a modern and very well-equipped military operating in a civilian-dense area.

Rather than seeing accountability as a detriment to the war effort, Netanyahu and the military brass should see it as a boon. The impression that the leadership is not in control of troops operations and decision-making on the ground will only further undermine the war effort and global credibility, as will the ever-increasing risk of humanitarian disaster from famine in Gaza. World Central Kitchen was one of the aid organizations most active in staving off starvation; with it and several other groups suspending operations, that catastrophe draws closer.

For the aid to flow once more, aid groups have to trust that their people will be reasonably safer, or at the very least wont be targeted in military operations. Only a full accounting of this tragedy and the implementation of safeguards against another will rebuild this trust.

___
It was a burglary right out of a movie. The few details that the Los Angeles Police Department have provided so far seem to have been taken from a Hollywood script. The hit took place on the night of Easter Sunday at a money storage facility in an industrial area of Sylmar, a suburban neighborhood north of Los Angeles. The burglars entered through the roof and somehow avoided the companys sophisticated alarm system. They took $30 million from the vault, making it one of the largest heists in the citys history.

The case has already become a headache for the authorities. The robbery was so well executed that the people in charge of the facility did not realize that the money was gone until Monday morning. The company, Canadian GardaWorld, has not made any public statements.

Police detectives and FBI agents have been investigating since Monday, and sources familiar with the investigation told the L.A. Times that they believe the perpetrators had previous experience with this type of robbery, as it appears to have involved a very elaborate plan that required knowledge about how to enter heavily guarded facilities while going unnoticed.

The burglary has received extensive local news coverage, with an ABC-7 TV news helicopter flying over the storage facility and revealing a cut in one of the walls of the building, covered with plywood.

The $30 million is only an approximate figure provided by the authorities. The FBI reported on Wednesday that its agents are analyzing the companys information to find out the exact amount that was stolen. It has caught the attention of investigators that the thieves knew that there was such a large amount of cash in that building. GardaWorld has 26 other similar facilities in California in which they store cash.

The burglary is one of the largest cash heists in Los Angeles history. In 2022, the driver of a Brinks big rig transporting jewelry fell asleep. It took 27 minutes for a group of thieves to take advantage of the situation and extract the valuable cargo, which was valued at almost $100 million. No one has been arrested.

As for cash thefts, in September 1997 five thieves broke into a warehouse and made off with $18 million in $20 bills. They filled a U-Haul truck until the money was up to their waists. One of the gang members was arrested and led investigators to the others, but it took almost three years to capture them.
For Floridians caught up in the emotional and legal tumult of Mondays conflicting duo of Supreme Court abortion rulings, we have a suggestion: Take a break, and have some pot.

Or at least take the time to peruse the equally complex  but far more amusing  ruling that will let voters weigh in on whether marijuana should be legalized for all Floridians over the age of 21. (The question, designated Amendment 3, authorizes adults to buy up to three ounces of marijuana for personal use, even if they dont have a medical condition that qualifies them.)

Mondays pot ruling: LOL

In her majority opinion, Justice Jamie Grosshans provided a judicial smackdown of epic proportions. She didnt restrict herself to needling Attorney General Ashley Moody, who asked the court to block the marijuana amendment from the 2024 ballot. In a separate concurring opinion, Grosshans effectively trolled her fellow justices who tried in vain to shore up Moodys argument.

From the start, Moodys case for knocking the marijuana amendment off the ballot were weak. She and the friend of the court groups who backed her challenge tried and failed to nitpick the ballot question to death. Among their arguments: Florida voters might not understand that marijuana is still illegal under federal law, or that the state will have to write the rules under which pot can be obtained by Floridians over the age of 21.

Grosshans response: Perhaps you might want to invest in a dictionary. (She actually recommends a few.) Voters are perfectly capable of figuring this one out for themselves, she wrote, using the common meaning of words like allow and license. She swept aside another frankly idiotic argument that the amendment doesnt meet the single-subject requirement because it talks about the sale and use of pot: Allowing businesses to distribute personal-use marijuana, and authorizing individuals to possess it, are logically and naturally related, she wrote. Legalization of marijuana presumes the product will be available for the consumer.

She didnt conclude with Well, DUH. But did she really need to?

The weedy reality

Nor did she need to recap marijuanas current status in Florida: Recreational pot is available right now, for anyone with the money and time to pursue it and the moral ambiguity to evade the intent of the amendment.

Ironically that means voters were essentially hoodwinked in 2016, when they signed off on a supposedly highly restrictive amendment allowing very sick Floridians to buy medical marijuana under tightly controlled conditions.

Thats  not how things worked out.

Thats not the fault of voters, or the organizers of the 2016 ballot question. Its entirely the fault of state regulators and legislators who determinedly looked the other way as Floridas medical-marijuana industry cranked into high gear. Instead, state leaders focused almost entirely on what they saw as the real issue with medical marijuana  which powerful interests would be allowed to get rich first, and how much they could rake in.

Meanwhile, nobody was paying attention to how the guardrails on the 2016 ballot question were being flattened. That amendment required pot users to get a signoff from a doctor that they met the requirements specified in the amendment, which included debilitating health conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis and legitimate cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. The 2026 amendment left one loophole, by includig ailments of a similar kind or class.

At first timid and then bold, the industry stretched that phrase to the breaking point. As we observed in a July editorial: Questions like Do you have cancer? Multiple sclerosis? Parkinsons? gave way to Do you have depression? Anxiety? Stress? Uh  writers cramp?

The majority opinion didnt really go into that, but Florida voters are capable of seeing that reality for themselves. That makes voter approval of the 2024 amendment likely, and further underscores the courts ruling that voters have a right to expand protections to recreational pot usage.

____

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com
Eight Muslims held in Jerusalem over expressing support for terrorism

Muslim worshippers pray in the old city on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, ahead of Laylat-al-Qadr (the night of destiny), believed in Islam to be the night when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

Eight Muslim worshippers were arrested in Jerusalem on Friday after morning prayers at the Noble Sanctuary, also known as the Temple Mount, Israeli police said.

The Israeli citizens are suspected of expressing support for terrorism and terrorist organizations. The suspects are four residents from the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem and four people from the north of Israel.

Arab Israelis make up around 20% of Israel's almost 10 million inhabitants.

The police statement said it was regrettable that Israeli citizens would misuse religious occasions and holy places. Their behaviour also had a negative impact on the many Muslims who did not take part in calls for terrorism, police added.

Thousands of believers took part in morning prayers on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

According to Israeli media, dozens chanted support for the Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has been at war with Israel since launching a major terrorist attack on the Jewish state in October.

Israeli and Palestinian reports said Israeli police used tear gas at the site with the help of a drone.
Democratic campaign organizations stubbornly insist that Florida is their best Senate pickup opportunity in 2024  less a booming declaration of confidence, more a reflection of the impossibly tough map.

But on Monday, the Florida Supreme Court tossed a grenade into the campaign cycle, perhaps scuttling, at least for a year, the politics of a state that many on the left have increasingly written off as too red and getting redder. The court both allowed a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights onto the ballot in November, and upheld a 15-week ban, which will soon give way to a six-week one.

Testing Dobbs Juice

The Biden campaign seized on the courts abortion-related decisions, declaring the state winnable on both the Senate and presidential level in a memo distributed to news outlets.

For the Biden campaign and Senate Democrats, its good strategy to act like they think the state is in reach whether or not they actually do; at the very least, they can hope to unnerve Donald Trump and Republicans enough that they feel compelled to burn money there.

But the Democratic optimists will retort that abortion politics have upended our electoral dynamics since Dobbs, that every single time abortion has been on the ballot since the ruling, its won  even in states as red as Kansas and Kentucky.

Daniel Smith, a voting rights expert at the University of Florida who has researched the effect of other ballot initiatives on election turnout, has found that an initiative in a presidential cycle typically results in a turnout boost of about one percent. Trump won Florida in 2016 by 1.2 percent, and in 2020 by 3.4.

The turnout bump is not as great during presidential elections, Smith told TPM, comparing it to the ballot initiative effect during midterms, when fewer people vote to begin with. But in this cycle, enthusiasm is not as high as it was in past elections  measures such as these could certainly drive people to the polls who might otherwise sit it out.

The Biden campaign centered its Florida pitch on reproductive freedom, tracking with lessons Democrats have learned from other cycles featuring ballot amendments. Florida in particular has a rich history of voting for progressive ballot measures  a minimum wage hike, re-enfranchising people who served out felony sentences  while in the same breath voting for Republican candidates opposed to those things.

For the left, Michigan and its abortion rights amendment is the anecdote to that troubling pattern.

Look at Michigan in 2022: The governor, secretary of state and attorney general ran on both voting rights and reproductive freedom  that was hugely significant, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, told TPM.

The implementation of the six-week ban will also likely galvanize voters by moving the threat from the theoretical to the actual. Florida is the second largest abortion provider in the country, according to activists in the state, and was long the only haven in the abortion desert of the southeast.

Designed To Be High

Yet Florida comes with an extra gauntlet that no other state has had to face: while ballot referenda usually require just a simple majority, Florida has a 60 percent threshold for an initiative to pass.

That would have been enough to doom the abortion rights proposals in Michigan in 2022 and Ohio in 2023, both of which passed with about 57 percent (ironically enough, Floridas 60 percent threshold, pushed in part due to opposition from lawmakers and then-Gov. Jeb Bush to a voter-passed initiative to build high-speed rail in the state, passed with 58 percent of the vote).

Other states have attempted, unsuccessfully, to similarly limit voter power by requiring a supermajority to amend their constitutions. Ohio Republicans tried (and failed) to lift the threshold in a special election cobbled together specifically to thwart the abortion amendment.

Its a steep climb. The organizers behind the Florida initiative will have to surpass the work done by abortion advocates in other purple-to-red states. Its not only 60 percent, but 60 percent in the third largest state in the country, said Andrea Mercado, executive director of Florida Rising and one of the organizers behind the ballot initiative.

But Florida organizers have proven themselves adept at building expansive coalitions: The felon re-enfranchisement amendment in 2018 passed with 65 percent and the 2020 minimum wage hike passed with just under 61.

And abortion isnt your grandmothers ballot amendment.

A 60 percent threshold is high, its designed to be high, Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School and former White House senior policy advisor for democracy and voting rights, told TPM. But 60 percent is not unachievable for an issue with as much public salience as this one.

Guarding Against Republican Interference

Perhaps the most fundamental question about the abortion amendment is whether state Republicans will let it go into effect, even if it does surpass those imposing hurdles.

Never underestimate what the Florida legislature will do when it comes to implementation, even of constitutional amendments, Smith said. Weve seen, time and time again, this effort to thwart the supermajority will of the people.

After the felon re-enfranchisement amendment passed with a broad mandate, Republican lawmakers quickly passed a law requiring that the reentering civilians pay off a whole host of fines and fees first (while not bothering to create any database for people to find out how much they might owe), and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) activated election police to hunt down those who had registered while wrongly believing they were qualified to do so. DeSantis and other Florida leaders are now being sued for their attempts to thwart the amendment.

Mercado, who also worked on the felony voting amendment, said that the organizers took pains this time to make the amendment as ironclad as possible.

It was important for this initiative to have literally dozens of lawyers write the strongest possible language to prevent their ability to undermine the initiative once it passes, she said. Thats why the language was crafted the way that it was  we really anticipated every possible thing they could do to undermine the language, then constructed it accordingly.

Anti-abortion foes will likely pursue litigation, as well as legislation, to stymy the amendment if it passes.

If this were to become part of the Constitution, it will be litigated forever, Chief Justice Carlos Muniz said offhand during a hearing on the proposal text.

Organizers are ready for that too.

We know there will be legal attacks and legal strategies  our lawyers are prepared for that, Mercado said. We cant let knowing they will attack us or sue us or legislate stop us from protecting abortion access in the third largest state in the country.
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) An electrical malfunction led to a fire at Willow Charter Academy School Thursday evening, according to the Lafayette Fire Department.

Lafayette firefighters responded to a fire alarm activation at 6:01 p.m. after the alarm monitoring company called it in. Upon arrival, responders discovered light amounts of smoke coming from the roof and a light haze in the halls after getting in the school.

Deadly 18-wheeler, separate multi-vehicle crashes on I-10 eastbound Thursday

Firefighters searched the school and found water in the gymnasium that was coming from the storage room. Firefighters were able to put out the fire that was burning slowly.

The storage room was moderately damaged by the fire and water. The sprinkler heads activated as well due to the heat from the fire, making water travel throughout the gym, nearby classrooms and hall.

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Only one part of the school was damaged, according to LFD. No one was in the school at the time of the incident. Fire officials said the fire was accidental.

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The Ohio Emergency Management Agency is warning people hit by recent storms of home repair scams.

>>RELATED: Sheriffs deputies warning of scams related to Logan County tornado damage

The agency said people should be mindful and its not unusual for scammers to knock on doors to offer their services, a spokesperson said.

Unfortunately, there are individuals who take advantage of Ohioans who need home repair work after severe weather, said Governor Mike DeWine. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant and take their time to properly vet home repair companies.

The EMA said some people who knock on doors are reliable contractors, others may have you pay for work that does not get done or is not up to par.

>>RELATED: BBB warning of possible repair scams following this weeks tornadoes

They offer some tips if this has happened to you:

Check online to see if the company has the required licensing. You can visit the Better Business Bureaus website for more information.

Ask for a business card and information about the company and the work they do.

Tell them you need more time to consider the offer; if the contractor tries to pressure you into accepting their services immediately, you should report it as a potential scam.

Cleanup continues from last months tornadoes that hit the Miami Valley, including an EF3 Tornado in Logan County.

Severe weather also impacted parts of Ohio on Tuesday.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine sports a pair of eclipse glasses while talking to reporters at the Ohio Emergency Operations Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, April 5, 2024. DeWine activated the center on Friday to assist communities before, during and after Monday's total solar eclipse, which could draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the state. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Ohio is pulling out all the stops for Monday's total solar eclipse, as it braces for potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors.

I have to say, we don't always get a lot of time leading up to events, Ohio Emergency Management Agency Director Sima Merick said at a news conference Friday. Right? So having 200 years in the making has been very beneficial.

At the event, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said it was 1806, just three years into Ohios statehood, when a total eclipse last crossed the states path. The world's next total solar eclipse will grace the northern fringes of Greenland, Iceland and Spain in 2026  but the next time for Ohio won't be until 2099.

DeWine said he has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center beginning Sunday, so that it will be up and running before, during and after Monday's celestial event to help communities navigate any issues that arise.

Adding somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 tourists to the states existing population could stress government agencies. He will have the National Guard on standby throughout the weekend, but has stopped short of activating soldiers in advance, he said.

Again, this is simply a precaution. We think its smart to be ready, he said. Were hoping that the planning for the eclipse will ensure that everyone has a great day.

A host of other state agencies  the state departments of Transportation, Public Safety, Health and Natural Resources, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio National Guard  will all be present at the emergency operations centers, and most are also surging resources toward the event.

If emergency officials are viewing the eclipse as they would a major weather event, the Department of Natural Resources is looking at it as if a major fireworks display were taking place in each of its 23 state parks and five wildlife areas all at the same time, director Mary Mertz said. All 300 of the state's commissioned wildlife officers will be on duty this weekend. Extensive park programming around the eclipse, including hundreds of activities and viewing events, begins Saturday.

Ohio is curtailing highway construction projects headed into Monday, so that maximum lanes are available to accommodate heavy traffic, Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks said. Officials encouraged travelers to pack extra snacks and water, for both themselves and any pets they have along; phone chargers; and paper road maps in case of cell service disruptions.

Besides traffic, eye damage is the other major risk associated with the eclipse. Marchbanks also noted that people should not drive in their eclipse glasses.

Col. Charles Jones of the Ohio State Highway Patrol advised planning, preparation and patience in relation to the eclipse. Stopping along the highway to view the eclipse is both illegal and dangerous, he said.

Travelers might consider delaying their trips home for several hours after the eclipse, to allow crowds and traffic to dissipate, if not staying overnight, DeWine said.
When Bobo received a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with the results of his asylum application, he asked his boss Frank Fumich to open and read the letter.

After all, Fumich, the CEO of Express Catering, Inc., an airline catering company, had played a big role in his application, hiring an immigration lawyer to help Bobo seek asylum in the U.S.

Video from last April of Bobo and Fumich celebrating after learning Bobo's asylum request had been granted recently went viral after Fumich shared it on TikTok on Monday.

PHOTO: Bobo celebrated with his boss Frank Fumich after learning he was granted asylum by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (Frank Fumich via Storyful)

In the video, Fumich can be seen tearing up as he opens the letter, before both he and Bobo break into big grins.

"The first thing I see is it says 'Asylum Approval,'" Fumich says, before the two share a bear hug.

Bobo, who did not wish to share his last name, has been working for Fumich's company as a catering agent for the last three years, delivering catering supplies to aircraft at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Fumich told "Good Morning America" in an email that he felt compelled to help his employee three years ago after he asked him about his story and learned Bobo had left Cameroon and had been separated from his family for five years at the time.

"As a husband and father, I couldn't imagine being separated from my family for five years. And he was such a great worker and I appreciated him. I wanted to help him and knew he couldn't afford a lawyer on his own  so I offered to find one," Fumich wrote.

MORE: Mom reunited with her son after 40 years in an emotional meeting

PHOTO: Bobo celebrated with his boss Frank Fumich after learning he was granted asylum by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (Frank Fumich via Storyful)

Seven months after he received his asylum approval, Bobo was able to reunite with his wife and daughter, who traveled to the U.S. from Cameroon. Fumich was there to witness their reunion at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

"We were all nervous and excited," Fumich recalled. "It took his wife and daughter three hours to pass through U.S. Customs, so we were about to pull our hair out by the time they finally walked out! But their reunion went just like we imagined it would in a movie!"

MORE: Woman helps mom reunite with family after 65 years

Fumich said he hopes Bobo's story inspires people to help others where they can.

"I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to help. I hope people see this and try and pay it forward," Fumich wrote. "It certainly doesn't have to be as big as hiring lawyers and spending money  small acts of kindness can start as ripples and turn into tidal waves."

Employee shares emotional celebration with boss after asylum request approved originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
All passengers on a Boeing 737 are safe after the plane's takeoff was delayed at the Lubbock Preston Smith Airport in Texas on Thursday evening due to a reported engine fire, the latest incident to occur on a Boeing 737 aircraft.

Southwest Airlines flight 1928 was preparing to depart to Las Vegas but returned to the gate before takeoff for a reported engine fire, according to a city of Lubbock news release. The flight crew reported a possible engine fire shortly after the plane taxied from the gate. Lubbock Fire Rescue responded and was on standby as the plane returned to the gate on its own power.

Lubbock is located in the northwest part of the state, about 124 miles south of Amarillo and 345 miles west of Dallas.

In a social media post, the fire department said Aircraft Rescue Firefighting units were on the scene and confirmed the fire was contained to a single engine, with operations underway around 6:30 p.m. to extinguish it.

After the fire Thursday, the city said runway 17R was closed for cleaning and inspection. The airport urged travelers to check with their airline for up-to-date flight status information.

In a statement to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, Southwest estimated that the travelers, who were put on another plane, would arrive in Las Vegas about three hours behind schedule.

This file photo shows the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Texas.

Other issues found recently on Boeing 737 planes

The engine fire at the Lubbock, Texas airport is the latest issue to be found recently in a Boeing 737 aircraft.

In January, a left door plug flew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 flight. The flight was headed to Ontario, California, from Portland when the incident occurred. The plane returned to Portland with all passengers and six crew members, who deplaned safely. The incident caused the Federal Aviation Administration to ground approximately 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets.

In February, a United Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft from Nassau, Bahamas to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey experienced "stuck" rudder pedals on its landing roll, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released in March.

The same month, Ed Clark, the head of Boeing's 737 Max program, exited the company immediately, Boeing's CEO said in a memo to employees.

On March 8, passengers that had landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas had to evacuate after the United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane tilted and rolled onto the grass from the taxiway. No one was injured, but passengers had to use emergency stairs and were bussed to terminals.

On March 15, a panel was found to be missing on the underside of a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane after it had landed in Medford, Oregon, the Associated Press reported. No injuries were reported on the flight, and the plane had already arrived at its destination in San Francisco, when a post-flight inspection found the missing panel.

Still, experts insist it's safe to fly, despite the months of heightened tension around air travel.

We dont have to worry that theres something systemically wrong with aviation, Clint Balog, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, previously told USA TODAY.

After the blowout of the Alaska Air plane in January, people have become more aware of aviation incidents than they were in the past, said Laura Einsetler, a captain at a major U.S. airline and author of the Captain Laura blog.

One aspect is that now with social media and the internet, were seeing every single thing that we can possibly see thats happening around the world," she told USA TODAY last month. "The perception is that more things are happening when at the same time, 2023 was actually the safest year in our industry of all time.

Contributing: Zach Wichter, Krystal Nurse and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Boeing engine fire delays Southwest flight at Lubbock, Texas airport
An engine on a Southwest Airlines jet caught fire before taking off from Texas. FAA is investigating

FILE - Southwest Airlines plane prepares to land at Midway International Airport, Feb. 12, 2023, in Chicago. Federal officials are investigating a reported engine fire that forced a Southwest Airlines plane to cancel takeoff and return to the gate at the Lubbock, Texas, airport on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

DALLAS (AP)  Federal officials are investigating a reported engine fire that forced a Southwest Airlines plane to cancel takeoff and return to the gate at the Lubbock, Texas, airport on Thursday.

Southwest said Friday that pilots received an indication of a possible engine issue, and the Boeing 737 taxied back to the terminal at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.

The Lubbock fire department said online that it confirmed there was a fire in one of the two engines that needed to be extinguished.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident.

The flight was headed to Las Vegas with 154 passengers and crew of six on board, Southwest said. The airline flew in a replacement plane from Dallas to complete the trip later Thursday night.

The plane was a Boeing 737-800, an older model than the 737 Max. The engines are made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and France's Safran S.A.
After a landmark decision by an Okaloosa County judge who ruled that Escambia County's local option retirement plan for county commissioners was unlawful compensation, Escambia Clerk of Court and Comptroller Pam Childers asked commissioners who enrolled in the plan to return the money theyve already received from it.

Childers made the request during Thursdays regular board meeting.

She briefly recounted how the issue wound up in litigation, saying that she was asked if the plan was legal, and she replied that it was not. Childers then read Judge William Stones ruling upholding her decision to withhold payments into the record of the meeting, prior to her ask.

I am formally and publicly requesting that the repayment of the funds back into the county's treasury, said Childers. I would hope that we could work cooperatively on this and jointly communicate with (the Florida Retirement System). It is not in the best interest of Escambia County as a whole to further pursue this dispute with the district court of appeals. This was a long and costly, an unnecessary litigation.

Escambia County Commissioners Steven Barry, Jeff Bergosh, and Lumon May did not respond to Childers request. Bergosh has never participated in the local option retirement plan, but Barry and May did, along with former Commissioner Robert Bender.

Escambia County Clerk of Court Pam Childers consults with her legal team before a hearing before Judge William Stone on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024.

Escambia Commissioner Mike Kohler, who also has not enrolled in the plan, supported Childers request. He said the money she requested should not only be returned, but that the county should not appeal Stones decision.

Kohler was elected after the lawsuit began and was the only commissioner to vote against an annual rate increase under the local retirement plan for senior-level managers in August, citing the plan's exorbitant rates.

Sometimes you're the nail and sometimes you're the hammer, and this week the board's been the nail, Kohler said. I'd like to see the board work with the clerk. I've told you that publicly, I obviously didnt support that, but I hope we can move on collegially.

Is this something that we could entertain giving back? Kohler asked.

Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno said that it was an issue they could discuss, but nothing more was said and there was no discussion of her ask.

Childers also requested that her disbursement staff once again have access to OpenGov, a software system used by Escambia County that offers cloud software for public sector accounting, planning, budgeting, citizen services and procurement.

She said their access was turned off immediately after a conversation between her internal auditor and a member of the county staff on a procurement matter, several months ago.

This action is costing my staff time, and it inhibits our ability to efficiently audit and timely process payments, Childers said. In the name of transparency, I would appreciate your cooperation for access to systems. I show the same respect to you.

Kohler asked Moreno why Childers no longer had access to the system, and he replied the decision was made by a former department director without any permission or discussion with administration.

According to the clerks office, Bender would need to return $102,089.23 to the county, Barry owes $28,098.84, and May owes $24,857.74. Childers said those amounts are for the principal only. The entire account, plus interest, will be required to pay back.

Under the county's current policy, commissioners participating in a local retirement plan  in addition to their $98,501 salary  would be entitled to the county contributing 58.68% of that yearly salary to their personal retirement account. That amounts to $57,800 annually.

Former Commissioner Robert Bender began participating in the plan in 2019, and Commissioners Steven Barry and Lumon May began participating in the plan after their reelection in 2020.

Childers blocked contributions to the local retirement plan for county commissioners in 2022.

Escambia County sued Childers to force her to authorize the payments, arguing the retirement program was authorized under a Florida law passed in the late 1990s and that Childers lacked the authority to block the payments. The case has proceeded slowly over the last two years before winding up in a trial to establish the facts of the case in February.

Stone ruled that the key law cited by the county did not apply to county commissioners because they were elected officers, and the term the law uses is "county personnel."

Stone also said the county lacked the authority to compel Childers to make the payments. He said he could end his order there, but he also wanted to resolve the question of whether the plan constituted unlawful compensation.

Stone said the local plan does harm to the FRS and maintains that the health of the FRS is a concern mentioned in the Florida Constitution.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia Clerk wants commission to return "unlawful" retirement funds
An earthquake rattled the tristate area on Friday morning, shaking from Philadelphia to Boston.

It had a magnitude of 4.8 and an epicenter 30 miles west of Newark, New Jersey, per the USGS.

The rare quake halted travel at nearby tunnels and airports as workers checked for damage.

A rare earthquake outside New York City rattled the tristate area on Friday morning.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck at 10:23 a.m. ET and had a magnitude of 4.8, with an epicenter about 30 miles west of Newark, New Jersey.

A 2019 report on earthquake mitigation suggests the earthquake would be the third biggest in recorded New Jersey history and the largest in nearly 250 years.

The quake was felt up and down the East Coast, with reports of shaking from Norfolk, Virginia, and Philadelphia to Boston and Maine, USGS geologists said.

In a press briefing, Paul Earle, a USGS seismologist, said millions of people felt the quake.

New York City experienced an earthquake on Friday. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

"A quake this size typically is only going to last a second or two," Earle said. "This is a relatively small quake."

Earle said it was likely there'd be smaller aftershocks in the area and a "small chance there could be another earthquake of similar or larger magnitude." An aftershock could hit weeks or months from now, he added.

Earle advised people to "be prepared" and to "drop, cover, and hold" if there is more strong shaking.

"Make sure for earthquakes like this that you have no objects that can potentially fall on you while you're sleeping," he said.

Jessica Jobe, a USGS research geologist, said it would be unusual for the quake to have left cracks at the surface, based on how deep the earthquake was.

Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey said the state had set up an emergency operations center, and Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said her state was "assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred."

The New York Police Department said it had received no reports of injuries from the quake, and the New York City Fire Department told Business Insider that it was "still monitoring" the situation.

Ground stops were issued at Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flightradar24 said flights bound for Newark were held on Friday morning as workers inspected the runway for damage.

The Holland Tunnel between New York and New Jersey was temporarily held for inspection. It was quickly cleared, and all lanes were open.

At a press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, "At this point, we do not have any reports of major impacts to our infrastructure or injuries."

While earthquakes in New York City are rare, North America is home to some of the world's biggest. In 2011, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Virginia, marking the last major rattler to hit the East Coast. That quake was felt as far as Toronto.

There were more than 130 earthquakes across the world in the past week with a magnitude greater than 4.5, according to the USGS.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Estonian intelligence forecasts increase in intensity of hostilities in Ukraine in coming weeks

The Intelligence Centre of the Estonian Defence Forces has indicated in its weekly report that Russian troops are continuing to maintain the pace of their operational advance and initiative on the Luhansk and Donetsk fronts.

Source: Estonian public broadcaster ERR, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Russian forces have increased the number of mechanised units due to improved weather conditions and passability. They also commenced the reorganisation of units along the entire war zone. In this regard, the Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre believes that the intensity of hostilities may increase in the coming weeks.

In addition, Estonian intelligence believes that the threat of hostilities in Ukraine's northeast may grow. The Russian Armed Forces are continuing terror bombings and sabotage activities in Ukraine's north.

Mining activities are ongoing in the area.

Ukraine reportedly persists in its deep strikes on Russian oil refineries, demonstrating its ability to hit targets in the deep rear. To date, Ukrainian activities have been systematic and create conditions for the isolation of Crimea in the future, the intelligence centre noted.

Russian forces are maintaining pressure on the Kupiansk-Makiivka-Siversk line on the Luhansk front. Russian troops are continuing offensive actions on the Makiivka front near the village of Terny in order to take control of the Zherebets River coastline. Although Russian soldiers are holding the initiative, no significant progress has been made.

No significant changes have been observed on the Avdiivka front. However, it remains the main focus of Russia's offensive actions. Their advance to the west of the war-torn town of Bakhmut can be considered insignificant. Pressure towards the settlement of Chasiv Yar has also increased, but with little success. Russian forces are maintaining pressure to the west and southwest of Donetsk and looking for gaps in Ukrainian defences.

Russia has eased its pressure in the area of the village of Robotyne.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops are continuing to hold a foothold on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River, the intelligence centre added.

Background:

UK Defence Intelligence reported that Russia had increased the number of attacks on the Novopavlivka front but to no avail.

Earlier, UK intelligence reported on Russia's unsuccessful attempts to disguise its military facilities to prevent Ukraine from destroying them.

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Margaritis Schinas is the European commissioner for promoting the 'European Way of Life' - JULIO MUNOZ/SHUTTERSTOCK

An EU commissioner has sparked anger by quipping that Gibraltar is Spanish while dismissing the chances of a Brexit deal for the Rock before a June deadline.

Gibraltar espanol, said Margaritis Schinas, when asked about the sensitive negotiations in Seville which have dragged on for years over 18 rounds and counting.

The slogan, which means Gibraltar is Spanish and dates back to the Franco era, is chanted by those who claim the Rock is a colony and rightfully belongs to Spain.

Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the Spanish wars of succession. In a 2002 referendum, 98.97 per cent of Gibraltarians voted down a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, which continues to claim the territory.

Spain has not demanded sovereignty over the Rock as part of the Brexit negotiations, which makes the EU chiefs joke particularly ill-judged given the sensitivities over the issue.

I can more comfortably say Gibraltar espanol after Brexit, said Mr Schinas, the commissioner for promoting the European Way of Life.

And its not just the only area where things are better after Brexit.

UK and EU negotiators are striving to secure a deal creating a post-Brexit common travel area between Spain and Gibraltar before Junes European Parliament elections.

The elections precede a change of leadership in the EU institution that would delay further talks. Failure to get a UK-EU deal done before the vote could leave Gibraltar facing no deal full border controls on movements to and from Spain.

Unfortunate and incomprehensible

Mr Schinas, who is Greek and speaks fluent Spanish, said negotiations had lasted longer than expected.

I dont believe there will indeed be a result before the European elections, and I think some involved in the negotiation wanted to project a certain optimism that is not reflected in reality, he said in comments that were branded very unfortunate and incomprehensible by a furious Madrid.

The European Commission is handling negotiations with the UK on Spains behalf but Madrid will have the final say on whether to accept a deal brokered by Brussels.

Mr Schinas was the commissions chief spokesman during the Brexit negotiations and vice president of the EU executive in Brussels.

He is not in charge of negotiations over Gibraltar, which are being handled by Maros Sefcovic, the Slovak commissioner, who agreed the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

Border control power

London, Brussels and Madrid have agreed on the broad outline of a deal that will grant the Rock membership of the EUs passport-free Schengen zone.

Gibraltar police and the EUs Frontex border agency will police the territorys border at its airport and ports, under the proposed agreement.

Negotiations have been complicated by sensitive sovereignty issues, including a Madrid power grab for joint management of Gibraltars airport, which includes an RAF base.

Mr Schinas also doubted whether British negotiators would ultimately accept officers from Frontex policing the airport.

Our British friends believe that Frontex is very European, Mr Schinas told Spanish reporters over breakfast on Thursday morning.

Negotiations progressing as planned

Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, insisted negotiations were progressing at a good pace.

I have spoken with Commissioner Schinas regarding those statements he made, which seem very unfortunate and incomprehensible to me because Commissioner Schinas is not at all involved in the dossier of the withdrawal agreement concerning Gibraltar, Mr Albares told Spanish TV.

David Jones, a former Cabinet minister, said: Schinas has let the cat out of the bag. The EU clearly intends the negotiations to result in Spanish sovereignty over the Rock.

He underestimates the resolve of both the United Kingdom and the people of Gibraltar.

As Chief minister Fabian Picardo has made clear, Gibraltar is British, British, British, and that is the way it will stay.

Late on Thursday night, the European Commission, under pressure from Madrid, distanced itself from Mr Schinas remarks.

It said Mr Sefcovic was in charge of the talks which were proceeding as planned and entering a sensitive phase.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said that did not mean there had been a breakthrough in the negotiations, which remain deadlocked.

Spanish authorities have not imposed full border controls with Gibraltar since Brexit took legal effect at the end of 2020, but have warned that the situation cannot continue indefinitely.

They have allowed the free flow of Gibraltarians and Spaniards to and from the Rock, including around 15,000 Spain-based workers who are essential to the Gibraltarian economy, providing much-needed employment.

Those workers are essential to the Gibraltarian economy, which offers much-needed employment to the poor Spanish region neighbouring the Rock.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States and European Union will continue to support Armenia and ethnic Armenians from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, leaders from both sides of the Atlantic pledged as they were meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday.

Azerbaijan took control of the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, prompting a mass exodus of its ethnic Armenian population.

"We're committed to further growing our support to Armenia's democratic and economic resilience", said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, adding Washington was backing the country's efforts for more food security, digital infrastructure and diversification of its energy sector.

"And we will continue to support the 100,000 ethnic Armenians displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region. This is central to Armenia's long-term stability", Blinken added.

Armenia is a treaty ally of Russia and traditionally Moscow's closest partner in the South Caucasus, but the two sides' relations have sharply deteriorated in recent months.

Yerevan has sought to build ties with the West, blaming Russia for failing to defend it from Azerbaijan, its neighbour and longtime rival, as well as distancing itself from Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russia, Azerbaijan and Baku's close ally Turkey had criticised the Brussels meeting, saying it would not help the cause of peace in the South Caucasus, a strategic region criss-crossed by oil and gas pipelines.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels, Blinken and EU president Ursula Von der Leyen and the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said economic integration between countries in the South Caucasus region - in particular in the energy and telecoms sectors - was vital for ensuring the zone's stability.

"The European Union and Armenia are increasingly aligned in values and interest", Von der Leyen said, referring to the bloc's efforts to help Armenia boost its security capabilities and efforts "to make sure that lethal equipment and technologies do not end up in the hands of the Russian military".

"(...) our relations are developing on a positive track, they are stronger than ever", Borrell added.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis in Brussels, Felix Light in Tbilisi; Writing by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Alison Williams)
EU top justice official: Special tribunal for Russia's war in Ukraine may be created by end of year

An international special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for war crimes committed in Ukraine may be created by the end of this year, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders told Deutsche Welle.

Ukrainian officials have documented thousands of war crimes committed by Russian forces, including deliberate attacks on civilians, attacks on cultural sites or medical institutions, torture, and deportations.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported on March 18 that Ukraine had collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes.

A political declaration, published by the Restoring Justice for Ukraine conference on April 2 and signed by 44 countries, condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine and advocates for the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russian crimes.

"We are discussing this tribunal with various international actors," Reynders said in a comment for Deutsche Welle on the sidelines of the conference, which was held in the Netherlands.

Read also: Ukraines fight to bring Russian leadership to justice puts legal systems to ultimate test

"Two main options are now being considered  an international tribunal based on a multilateral agreement or a simplified solution based on a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe."

Reynders believes that the creation of the tribunal is at the last stage, according to Deutsche Welle's article published on April 5.

"The next step is a matter of political will. Now is just the beginning of the year, and by the end of the year, this should become possible," he said.

The declaration also called on Russia to pay compensatory damages for crimes inflicted on Ukrainians and supported exploring the use of frozen Russian assets to pay these damages.

According to the document, the Netherlands extended conditional offers to host both the tribunal and a compensation mechanism.

Read also: EU top justice official: We arent waiting for wars end to prosecute Russian crimes

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova from the Czech Republic is sworn in at the European Court of Justice. Jourova is expecting further allegations with regard to possible covert payments from Russia to European politicians as part of a disinformation campaign. Thomas Frey/dpa

European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova is expecting further allegations with regard to possible covert payments from Russia to European politicians as part of a disinformation campaign.

Czech newspaper Denik N has reported that far-right politician Petr Bystron, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the German parliament, was suspected of having contact with pro-Russian internet platform Voice of Europe (VoE) and may have accepted money.

The Prague Cabinet recently placed the site on a national sanctions list. Bystron was born in then-Czechoslovakia before moving to Germany.

"I am convinced that what we know now is just the tip of the iceberg," Jourova told Czech newspaper Hospodarske noviny on Friday.

She assumes that Russia is paying far more politicians or people with influence in the European Union than previously known.

"Of course, we [as politicians] don't have the tools to determine who they are, but secret services are prepared to reveal the information and tell the public - and that's a good thing," she remarked.

Jourova, who is Czech, said that different levels of national security across EU member states made the situation complicated.

"Whether it is actually a case of corruption must of course be decided by investigators and judges," the commissioner for values and transparency added.

Bystron told dpa that the media reports were "unproven accusations and allegations."

In a statement to the AfD party leadership, which dpa has seen, he wrote: "At no time did I receive money or cryptocurrency from an employee of VoE (or any Russian)."
Evacuation at an Orange Beach Condominium: what we know

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WKRG)  The City of Orange Beach posted an evacuation notice at Wind Drift condominiums informing residents of the unsafe conditions and the possibility of a collapse.

We all said a prayer: Woman recalls meeting Foley hit-and-run victim shortly before SUV struck, killed her

Many people have returned home Thursday even though it is unclear if the problem has been resolved.

A reliable source told News 5 there was some concrete work under the building, and a worker noticed a column that did not look right and called 911.

Orange Beach police and fire rescue were called to assist in an evacuation around 10 p.m. Wednesday. City officials said there are 42 units at the Wind Drift.

We spoke with some guests staying at the condominium, who did not want to be on camera. They were forced to find a hotel for the night and did not have any indication as to when they could move back to their rental.

Engineers were brought in on Thursday to inspect and work on the building. We spoke with a few condo owners who said they were told to sign a waiver to continue their stay. Right now, there is no word on whether the column is fixed.

UPDATE: Teen seriously injured after stabbing behind Jackson High School, police say

We reached out to the property manager who told us they are not taking any situation like this one lightly due to the condo collapse that occurred in Miami, Florida, in 2021.

This is a developing story. News 5 will provide updates as more information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
As the country hurtles towards the alarming prospect of a Labour government so dominant the Opposition should comfortably fit in three minibuses, true-blue Conservatives find themselves crying out for a Mrs Thatcher to take the wheel. How cruelly ironic, then, to discover that were Margaret Hilda Roberts to put herself forward as a candidate today, she would be rejected by Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ). Too Thatcherite, dont you know.

Astonishingly, a Telegraph investigation has revealed that excellent candidates who share the beliefs that used to unite the Tory faithful are being overlooked in favour of midwit ministerial favourites and Sunak sycophants who wouldnt know a tough immigration policy if it mugged them.

CCHQ denies this. But successful small-business people, a barrister and an epidemiologist are among those who have told us that, during their assessment at Tory central office, they gathered their sort was not wanted. Even though it was precisely their sort  pro-Brexit, strong borders, smaller state, low taxation  that secured a great election victory in 2019.

And, no, this is not just sour grapes. Passionate Tories with impeccable credentials, like Aman Bhogal and David Campbell Bannerman (a former member of the European Parliament for goodness sake), find themselves sidelined in favour of Davina Dripping-Wett, a parliamentary aide with no proven experience but a willingness to genuflect before the leftist creed of diversity and inclusion that is cordially loathed by any actual Conservative.

Ms Dripping-Wett is allowed to contest a seat because she is easily controlled by the cabal of senior Tory Social Democrats who, we are told, are plotting to exclude the Right of the party after the general election annihilation. A bit like putting the cowboy builders who left a gaping hole in your roof, and brown stuff spewing out of your sewer, in charge of future restorations.

With Reform UK surging in the polls on a centre-Right manifesto, and with clear evidence in recent by-elections that lifelong Tories feel too betrayed by vapid Lib-Demmery to vote Conservative, you might have thought it would be a teeny bit tone deaf to install yet more One Nation types as candidates. But no. Incredibly, that is the yellow Tories plan. And they are getting away with it on the sly. Like a magicians audience, Tory party members are given the illusion of choice, but on too many occasions the correct card has been picked for them.

Another cunning ruse is to leave a lot of current safe seats without a candidate (Basildon and Billericay, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Chatham and Aylesford, Solihull West etc) unfilled for months. An endangered minister, no matter how useless or unpopular, will be parachuted in at the last minute. Whats that, you cant stand Jeremy Hunt? Tough.

True blues arent allowed anywhere near a members vote, just in case the silly old Conservatives make the wrong decision.

One Telegraph reader who has asked not to be identified has told me he has the enthusiastic support of his local association, but CCHQ has blocked him from the approved candidates list. There are words for this, and none of them is democracy.

Give us policies we want

Once the trounced Rishi has departed for California, the centrist MPs who, if things go according to plan, will dominate what is left of the parliamentary party, will block any leadership candidates on the Right. Even though they are the ones who will take us out of the ECHR and slash legal immigration  the policies most Conservatives, indeed most people, in Britain want.

How arrogant, how repellently devious and condescendingly de haut-en-bas. What a final kick in the teeth for Conservatives who have generously donated money and time to advance a cause that is precious to them, but nothing more than a vehicle to power for the believe-nothing, Nick Clegg tribute band.

As for Lord Frost, I can hardly express the depths of my disgust at CCHQs alleged treatment of him. There is a reason why Conservative gatherings around the country are packed when David Frost is the guest. He speaks for millions of us who feel politically homeless. In his weekly column in this newspaper, more in sadness than in anger, Lord Frost has patiently tried to give Downing Street constructive advice on how to avoid driving the party off a cliff. He says nothing that the opinion polls arent already shouting. He cares about the future of his party, and his country. Nonetheless, it seems he has been banned from putting himself forward as a candidate by a couple of cocky, unelected Sunak apparatchiks who exercise vast influence over the composition of the parliamentary party. The same geniuses who picked the online-dating flasher William Wragg.

Given a choice between Lord Frost and Davina Dripping-Wett, who are disillusioned Conservatives more likely to turn out to vote for? But they wont be given that choice. On purpose. Because internal party victory is now more important than trying to win the great ideological struggle.

Remember this: The process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner: I stand for consensus?

Now, that was a prime minister. If the yellow Tories reckon they can get away with banning true-blue Maggies from standing as Conservatives, they better think again. We see your game. And we are going to take her party back.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2024 - 22:59 | World, All

Two more bodies were discovered Friday in Taiwan in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, as the government ratcheted up search and rescue efforts before the critical 72-hour window to find survivors ends the next morning.

The powerful quake, registering magnitude 7.2 according to Taiwan authorities and 7.7 according to the Japanese weather agency, struck the self-governed island Wednesday, leaving about 1,100 people injured and more than 600 people stranded in remote areas.

The two bodies found Friday will not be included in the official death toll, which currently stands at 10, until their identities are confirmed, officials said.

In the aftermath of the disaster, authorities have been scrambling to restore roads to rescue stranded people.

In a mountainous region in Hualien County, 10 people still remained unaccounted for, while 82 people, including those with health issues, were airlifted by helicopter, according to the officials.

Many among the airlifted were Taiwanese, while others included Japanese, U.S., Hong Kong, Malaysian and Singaporean citizens, according to data from Taiwan's rescue authorities.

Two Japanese women, a mother in her 60s and her daughter in her 40s, were rescued from a mountainside hotel in the Taroko National Park in the county, they told reporters.

The two, who did not sustain any injuries, were traveling in Taiwan from their home in New Zealand.

The authorities continued delivering food and water, as well as other items necessary for survival, by helicopter to hundreds of people who were stranded at the hotel in Taroko and pupils and teachers of a boarding school.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Friday in Tokyo that Japan will provide $1 million in aid to Taiwan for disaster relief and recovery work through the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.

In Hualien City, workers began demolition of a residential building tilted precariously by the quake. Taiwan prosecutors are probing whether faulty construction was a contributing factor.

Related coverage:

Japan to extend $1 million aid to quake-hit Taiwan

Taiwan quake injured toll rises to 1,100 with 15 missing, 10 dead
Governor Tony Evers is shown here after signing a bill requiring the teaching of Asian American and Hmong American contributions and histories in K-12 curriculum. He signed the bill at a ceremony at Jones Elementary School in Wausau April 4.

A bill that the Wisconsin Legislature passed last month that requires public schools to include education on Asian American and Hmong American history is now law.

Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill April 4 in Wausau that expands current law  which already requires teaching the histories of American Indians, Black Americans and Hispanics  to include the histories of Hmong Americans and Asian Americans.

The Hmong and Asian American communities are a critical part of our states history, culture, economy, and our future," Evers said in a news release. "Its important that we celebrate our shared histories and honor the people who help make Wisconsin the state it is today."

The bill was introduced in 2023 and comes after similar previous bills had been introduced in 2020 and 2021 but did not get out of the Legislature.

Evers' signing of the bill comes in addition to proclaiming April to be Hmong Heritage Month "in accordance with national observances," the news release said.

In addition to the April 4 signing, Evers has also signed bills in the past related to the Hmong community.

In 2021, Evers signed a bill designating May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day in Wisconsin. Last month, Evers signed a bill ensuring Hmong veterans can have their veteran status on their driver's license or identification card "by adding to the definition of 'veteran' any person who was admitted to the United States under the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act," the news release said.

Yee Leng Xiong, the executive director of the Hmong American Center, said in a tweet April 4: "Today marks a historical and monumental moment as we come together to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event: Governor Evers signing the bipartisan bill to include Hmong and Asian American histories in the K-12 school curriculum! This will have an impact on generations to come!"

Democratic State Rep. Francesca Hong, from Madison, who was elected as the first Asian American state legislator in 2020, said in a tweet April 4: "Beyond words. Today, Governor Evers signed AB 232/ SB 240 into law. Now, every Asian American student in Wisconsin can look forward to learning about their heritage in the classroom. A massive, massive thank you to the bipartisan coalition that made this happen."

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers signs Asian American, Hmong American history bill into law
Former narcotics officer Gerald Goines leaves a Houston courtroom on Aug. 26, 2019. Goines had been charged in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas Steve in a botched drug raid in January 2019. Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, reindicted a former Houston Police Department officer on two murder charges Wednesday, one week after a judge had dismissed similar charges against him.

Gerald Goines led a 2019 drug raid on Jan. 28, 2019, that became known as the Harding Street raid. Police say Goines, a narcotics officer, lied in a search warrant by inventing a confidential informant who had reported buying heroin at the home of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, 58. Officers executed a no-knock warrant at the home and killed Tuttle and Nicholas; they found only small amounts of cocaine and marijuana but no heroin.

Goines attorneys argued the previous indictment was flawed and did not provide a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense,Houston Public Media reported. State District Judge Veronica Nelson dismissed the charges on March 27.

The new charges were adjusted to address those concerns, a spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorneys Office said, according to Houston Public Media.

Goines is alleged to have had a history of corruption, and Harris County prosecutors have said that every case in which he was involved must be reexamined. Kim Ogg, the district attorney, told the Houston Chronicle in 2020 that more than 160 convictions that relied on information given by Goines could be overturned.

In a federal lawsuit filed earlier this year, Goines is accused of falsifying drug charges for 15 years by planting drugs as well as by lying in affidavits, police reports and in court.
Ex-lawmaker sentenced to 15 years in jail in absentia in gas scheme corruption case

The High Anti-Corruption Court sentenced in absentia former Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko to 15 years in prison with a confiscation of property, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said on April 5.

Onyshchenko was found guilty of organizing the so-called "gas scheme," one of the largest corruption schemes in Ukraine's history, which caused losses to the country in the total amount of about Hr 3 billion ($76.5 million).

Onyshchenko headed a criminal group that embezzled more than Hr 1.6 billion ($40.8 million) from the sale of natural gas between January 2013 and June 2016, according to the investigation.

As a result, the state-owned public joint stock company, Ukrgazvydobuvannya, suffered losses of about Hrn 740 million ($19 million), which were received by companies controlled by Onyshchenko, according to NABU.

Another defendant, Onyshchenko's financial director, Olena Pavlenko, was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison with a confiscation of property.

The investigation established the involvement of 29 people in the gas scheme. Eight suspects pleaded guilty and accepted plea agreements.

Onyshchenko has been hiding from justice abroad since 2016. He was detained and placed in custody in Germany in 2019. The German court refused to extradite Onyshchenko to Ukraine. He was denied political asylum and asked to leave the country.

In 2021, the ex-lawmaker said he had obtained Russian citizenship.

Read also: Bail reportedly paid for Ex-Presidential Office advisor suspected in corruption scheme

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Classes were canceled at Johnson C. Smith University on Thursday and Friday to allow students to attend scheduled events for the inauguration of the schools 15th president Dr. Valerie Kinloch.

The university is hosting the official inauguration ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday at 10 a.m.

Kinloch graduated from JCSU in 1996. Since then, shes held positions at the University of Pittsburgh and Ohio State University in Columbus.

In the two years before her appointment, Kinloch served on the schools board of trustees. She was selected unanimously for this new role.

Queen City News sat down with Kinloch in a one-on-one interview to discuss the direction she wants to take the school.

She described herself as a student-first leader, saying she remembers feeling cared for by all faculty and staff while she was a student at JCSU and wants to ensure current and future feel the same.

When I make decisions, I am thinking about students. When I am about to decide on something that will change the trajectory of our institution, I never do that without thinking about and talking with students. One of the things that they want me to do is to be who I am and to listen to their voices and perspectives, said Kinloch.

Kinloch also said she hopes to elevate JCSU into conversations not just locally, but nationally and internationally.

When we talk about economic empowerment, when we talk about community change, preservation, gentrification, when we talk about businesses, when we talk about black health and black wealth, when we talk about the ways in which we already give back to communities, but now we have to understand the connection between what do we do in communities and what we do at this university, those are the types of conversations I want to position Johnson C. Smith in, she said.

Kinloch replaced Clarence Armbrister following his retirement last summer.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
By David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed a "new era" of U.S.-Japan strategic cooperation on Wednesday, laying out a series of projects from co-development of missiles to manned moon landings with an eye on aggressive actions by China and Russia.

In a joint statement from a Washington summit, they said their aim was to build a global security partnership "fit for purpose" for complex, interconnected challenges. Biden called it the most significant upgrade since the U.S.-Japan alliance, which was first signed in 1951, began.

WHY DO THE COUNTRIES WANT TO IMPROVE MILITARY COORDINATION?

Japan and the U.S. confront a range of threats that call for closer coordination.

Topping the list is China's growing military and the threat it poses to Taiwan, just over 100 km (62 miles) from Japanese territory. Another is North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenal, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the fallout from Israel's war in Gaza are also shared concerns.

Japan plans to bring its military under a new joint command structure by March 2025 and says it is in discussions about ways to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. and South Korea.

WHAT IS THE MILITARY UPGRADE?

Unlike in Japan's neighbor South Korea, where U.S. and South Korean troops can operate under a unified command of a four-star general, U.S. air, land and sea forces in Japan are currently under a three-star commander subordinate to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (Indo-PACOM.)

The arrangement dates to a time when Japanese forces were concerned only with self-defense and the U.S. military considered Japan little more than a rest and resupply platform for operations elsewhere. It means U.S. commanders in Japan have no strategic decision-making powers and authority largely limited to managing bases and personnel, rather than working with Japanese counterparts.

Sources with knowledge of the planning have told Reuters Washington will consider appointing a four-star commander to match the rank of the head of the new Japanese headquarters that will oversee all of Japan's military operations. Experts say a U.S. officer of that rank could lay the groundwork for a future unified Japanese-U.S. command.

The leaders said details would be worked out by their foreign and defense ministers, who meet later this year, but U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said this week Biden would give Kishida a "complete commitment ... to match Japan's upgrade of its own operational command, with an upgrade of our operational command."

HOW IMPORTANT IS JAPAN TO THE UNITED STATES?

Washington calls Japan its "cornerstone" ally in the Indo-Pacific and says it is a global partner too after security law changes over the past decade that have moved it away from a U.S.-authored pacifist constitution that shaped its defense planning after defeat in World War Two.

The country hosts 54,000 American troops, hundreds of U.S. aircraft and Washington's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier strike group. Bases in Japan allow the United States to project military power across the region and hem in Chinese influence.

They would be vital should China move against Taiwan, a major worry for Japan given Taiwan's position in key trade routes and production of cutting-edge semiconductors needed for the high-tech products Japan relies on to generate its wealth.

Japan has pledged to double defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product, which could make it the world's third-biggest military spender. Its plans include procuring hundreds of cruise missiles that can strike targets 1,000 km (620 miles) away.

Japan has also become important to the U.S. as a potential production base for munitions, including Patriot PAC3 anti-missile systems that will be re-exported to Ukraine, and for its shipyards, which are becoming key repair and refit yards for U.S. warships.

WHAT OTHER STEPS ARE PLANNED?

Biden and Kishida announced plans to upgrade defense communications networks and to network U.S., Australian and Japanese capabilities to counter air and missile threats.

Additionally, they will establish a forum on defense industrial cooperation to identify areas for co-development and co-production of missiles and maintenance of U.S. warships and aircraft.

Another step will be the establishment of a working group for fighter pilot training, including AI and advanced simulators, and co-development and co-production of jet trainers.

The two leaders also announced that Japanese astronauts will participate in NASA moon-landing missions.

WHAT OBSTACLES ARE THERE TO CLOSER COOPERATION?

The joint statement also said the existing three partners in the AUKUS defense project are considering cooperation with Japan on advanced capabilities and technologies across a range of areas including quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, artificial intelligence and cyber technology.

However, officials and experts have stressed the need for Japan to take the steps to improve its intelligence apparatus, cyber defenses and rules for guarding secrets, which remain weak links.

In February, Japan said it would introduce economic security legislation to allow it to classify more information as confidential and ask employees at companies with access to it to undergo security clearance checks. It has also said it will bolster cybersecurity.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in Tokyo and Idrees Ali and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee and Matthew Lewis)
A well-known Boise restaurateur was charged with a felony sex crime and arrested Wednesday by the Boise Police Department.

Jose Fabrizio Sanchez Vazquez faces a charge of lewd conduct with a child under 16, according to online jail and court records. Boise police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman by email that they began investigating Sanchez Vazquez in March and learned that the alleged sex crimes occurred over several months in 2023.

Williams said Sanchez Vazquez was arrested in the 7700 block of West Overland Road, which appears to mean at his Boise restaurant, La Garnacha Que Apapacha.

At a hearing Thursday, 4th District Judge David Manweiler set Sanchez Vazquezs bond at $200,000, falling in line with the prosecutions request. Sanchez Vazquezs attorney argued that he had significant ties to the community and asked bail to be set at $50,000.

Shawn Kelley, a legal intern for the Ada County Prosecutors Office, said Sanchez Vazquez admitted to having sexual relations with the victim, who is 15 years old, on several occasions. The victim, who used to work for his restaurant, is 28 weeks pregnant and Sanchez Vazquez is the father, according to Kelley.

Kelley said text messages discovered by law enforcement between Sanchez Vazquez and the girl showed that she asked Sanchez Vazquez for child support, to which he denied that he was the father. When the victim said Sanchez Vazquez was the only person shed been with, he agreed to put her back on his companys payroll, even though she didnt work there anymore, according to prosecutors.

La Garnacha Que Apapacha started as a Nampa food truck in 2020 before opening as a brick-and-mortar restaurant at the Boise Spectrum last summer. The popular restaurant specializes in birria, a traditional meat stew often used in tacos. Garnacha Que Apapacha recently revealed on social media that in addition to the Boise restaurant, it planned to return to Nampa with a new food truck in May.

If convicted, Sanchez Vazquez could face up to life in prison, according to state law.

The conduct here is extremely alarming because he used his position as an employer to take advantage of someone he admitted to doubting whether or not she was an adult, Kelley said.

Reporter Michael Deeds contributed.
By Miya Tanaka, KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2024 - 20:01 | All, World, Japan

The United States seeks to modernize the command structure of its decades-old security alliance with Japan to deal with a "much more assertive China" including toward Taiwan, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said Friday as the two countries look to discuss the issue at an upcoming summit in Washington.

Speaking ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to the United States next week as a state guest, where a series of agreements are expected to showcase the robust ties of the close allies, the ambassador told reporters, "We are literally in the first chapter writing a new era."

Without going into the details of how the military command framework will be modified, Emanuel said, "The change is to deal with a series of challenges -- ones we know and ones we don't know, and you have a much more assertive China, not just in the Taiwan Straits."

The envisioned change is not meant "for just one contingency," but "it's built around the security in the Indo-Pacific," he said, also touching on China's repeated incursions into Japanese waters around the Senkakus, a group of East China Sea islets controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing, and clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea.

Concerns have also grown over a possible invasion of Taiwan by Beijing, which views the self-ruled democratic island as its own territory.

"We believe whatever we do working with Japan in this new fashion will better enhance the way we do a plan," the ambassador said.

According to sources close to the matter, the modification to the alliance would involve strengthening the authority of the U.S. Forces Japan, which has so far lacked operational control of military units in the Asian nation with its role largely focused on administering the status of forces agreement governing U.S. personnel stationed there.

Currently, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, has authority over forces assigned to its vast area of responsibility that includes Japan, and the different time zone and physical distance has been seen as not efficient for interaction with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

The revamp is expected to come in conjunction with Japan's planned setup of a joint headquarters by March 2025 to unify the command of its ground, maritime and air forces.

Apart from defense issues, cooperation in areas including technology, space and clean energy is expected to be on the agenda when U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Kishida for talks and a state dinner on Wednesday. It will be the first visit to the United States by a Japanese prime minister as a state guest since 2015.

The ambassador also said the United States and Japan plan to set up a "central depot" of resources to respond to natural disasters and climate events in the region, recalling the powerful earthquake that rocked central Japan on Jan. 1 and one that recently hit Taiwan.

"We haven't done this with any other country. We don't know where it will go, etc.," he said, but noted that the idea is to basically put medical resources, tents, water and other items in a warehouse so they can be "deployed immediately" and "anywhere in the region" that is affected by a disaster.

Related coverage:

Japan signs contract with U.S. on Tomahawk missile purchase

Japan, U.S. arranging summit around April 10: sources

U.S. to provide Japan quake support including through military: envoy
Jessy Kurczewski, the Wisconsin woman who was convicted of fatally poisoning her friend with a chemical found in eye drops, was sentenced to spend the rest of her life behind bars on Friday.

Kurczewski, 40, will be eligible for parole after 30 years in a state prison, a judge ruled.

She was also sentenced for a pair of theft convictions, to 10 years each, but those sentences will be concurrent with her conviction of first-degree intentional homicide.

At Fridays sentencing hearing, a Court TV stream showed one of victim Lynn Hernans friends, James Kelieher, tell a judge that he wished Kurczewski could receive the death penalty and that he hopes she will rot in hell.

The devil awaits you, he added.

Kurczewski has maintained her innocence from the jump, reportedly testifying for nearly two hours and repeatedly insisting Hernan died by suicide.

It is a lot to be accused and convicted of murder when I didn't do it, she said through tears, according to WISN. It wont bring her back and it won't make her life any easier. Youre holding me responsible for what she did. Those are her decisions. Her choices. Her actions.

Kurczewski was said to have stolen almost $300,000 from the 62-year-old beautician Hernan before poisoning her in 2018 and trying to stage the death as a suicide-by-overdose.

That plan nearly worked for Kurczewski, as local police initially said the death of Hernan, who was found unconscious in her home surrounded by pill bottles, was an overdose.

A probe into Kurczewski was launched, however, after a toxicological report found Hernan had a fatal dose of tetrahydrozoline, the main chemical in eye drops, and Kurczewski acted suspiciously with authorities.

Cops Say She Poisoned a Friend With Eye DropsThen Staged a Suicide

That investigation uncovered the horrifying reality of the situation, with police claiming that Kurczewskia down-on-her-luck gambling addict with a history of fraudhad duped Hernan out of thousands before convincing her to to make herself the sole heir to Hernans estate.

Kurczewski had told police that Hernan was acting weird in her final weeks alive, suggesting she may have been suicidal. Others, including neighbors, pushed back against that claim, saying they couldnt believe Hernan would overdose on drugs, accidentally or purposefully.

Adding to the suspicions surrounding Kurczewski, authorities said shed been repeatedly calling the local medical examiner inquiring about the toxicology report for Hernan.

In July 2019, a year after Hernans killing, cops executed a search warrant at the home Kurczewski shared with her boyfriend. Officers took her to jail on a probation hold linked to a past violation, and detectives interviewed her six times over the next 10 days.

In those interviews, detectives said Kurczewski told an array of stories, talking about the various illegal and legal controlled substances that she claimed Hernan would use and abuse throughout her life.

In that questioning, detectives told Kurczewski that they believed someone poisoned Hernan and staged the scene to make it appear as an overdose, to which Kurczewski adamantly denied killing Hernan, said a criminal complaint.

Kurczewskis attempts to concoct an explanation for Hernans death appeared to only go downhill from there, with her suggesting Hernan must have staged her own suicide. Cops didnt buy that explanation, and, shortly after, Kurczewski was arrested in connection to the slaying.

During her trial, prosecutors exposed Kurczewskis crippling gambling addiction that they suggested led her to kill in order to maintain it. Prosecutors said Kurczewski stole $290,210 from Hernan, spending more than $50,000 in less than a year at two Wisconsin casinos.

Jurors reached an unanimous verdict to convict Kurczewski on Nov. 14 after just hours of deliberation. Her sentencing had been delayed because her attorneys dropped her as a clientsomething that became a theme for Kurczewski, who burned through eight attorneys since June 2021.

In putting Kurczewski away for life, Judge Jennifer Dorow reminded her that she wont even be eligible for parole until shes much older than what Hernan was at the time of her death.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Claim:

Kyle Rittenhouse scored so low on the ASVAB test, which is required for enlistment into the U.S. Armed Forces, that he was permanently disqualified from serving in the Marines.

Rating:

Rating: Mixture

What's True:

It's true that Rittenhouse attempted to join the U.S. Marines in 2020, but was "disqualified from serving after discussing his options with recruiters," according to a statement given to The Washington Post by Marine Corps spokesperson Yvonne Carlock.

What's False:

There is zero verifiable evidence that Rittenhouse was permanently disqualified from serving because of a low ASVAB test score (the test can be retaken multiple times).

What's Undetermined:

It's unknown how far Rittenhouse got into the enlistment process, including whether he even took the ASVAB test. Moreover, it has not been revealed what the actual reason was for his disqualification.

Starting on April 1, 2024, numerous accounts on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared and reposted a photo with an email claiming to show that Kyle Rittenhouse, the then-teenager who shot and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020, had failed the U.S. Marine Corps entrance exam so badly that he was permanently barred from enlisting in the service.

I know lots of people who didnt qualify for the job they wanted, but being banned from even trying again and not even sent to a prep program is pretty unique. Especially when recruiting is so low. pic.twitter.com/WQqQ8gtNw2  james stout (@jamesstout) April 2, 2024

The claim spread rapidly across social media, with accounts either defending or mocking Rittenhouse's actions. We set out to determine whether this email was authentic and whether the claim it supported was true:

This email is supposedly from a Kenosha Police Field Report, which Snopes is attempting to obtain. We have cropped the image to allow for greater readability. (X user @ChasinWhiteCaps)

In a profile on Rittenhouse written less than a week after the events in Kenosha, The Washington Post reported that he had attempted to join the Marines in early 2020 but was "disqualified from serving after discussing his options with recruiters." Yvonne Carlock, the service spokesperson who talked to the Post for the story, did not explain why he was disqualified, citing privacy guidelines. Needless to say, there was no mention of a "low test score."

Snopes reached out to Carlock to confirm her statement to The Washington Post and also contacted the Marine Corps for confirmation that Rittenhouse had attempted to join the Marines and was disqualified, but as of this writing we have not received replies.

We set out to determine if the email image was real. Our first lead came from a Reddit post. In the comments section of the post, one user claimed the email originated from a particular page in the Kenosha Police Department's field report on Rittenhouse's actions in August 2020. Snopes sent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Kenosha Police Department and the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department asking for a copy of the field report.

We did receive our FOIA documents from the Kenosha Police Department in mid-May 2024, but did not find the email in question inside that copy of the report, so we were unable to confirm the email's origin or authenticity.

However, we are able to fact-check the main claim circulating online, regardless.

Is a Low Test Score the Reason Rittenhouse Was Barred from Enlisting?

We found no reliable evidence that Rittenhouse was permanently disqualified from enlisting in the Marines because of a low test score.

The ASVAB test is a required test for everyone who wishes to enlist in any branch of the U.S. Military. Therefore, if Rittenhouse attempted to join the Marines, he would have been required to take the test  if he got that far into the process.

But the ASVAB test is not something you're only allowed to take once, according to the U.S. Army's website:

You can take the ASVAB test multiple times (though there are rules regarding how frequently). After your first attempt, you must wait one calendar month to retake the test. Your third attempt can be administered no earlier than six calendar months after your second test.

Therefore, it doesn't make sense to claim that a low ASVAB score would permanently disqualify someone from enlisting in the Marines. While we are unable to ascertain why exactly Rittenhouse was disqualified from serving (there are multiple theories out there, each of which we investigated), we can say that based on the rules of the U.S. military, he would not have been permanently disqualified because of a bad ASVAB score.

We have not been able to confirm that Rittenhouse even took the test.

What We Know About the 'Low Test Score' Email

As noted above, we submitted a FOIA request for a copy of the Kenosha Police Department field report that was allegedly the source of the email. Under Wisconsin's Open Records Law, police departments and sheriffs must either deliver requested documents "as soon as practicable and without delay," or inform the interested party that the request has been denied. If they choose to deny the request, they must write and explain why. Information Snopes found on the Kenosha Police Department's website suggested that we would hear back within 10 business days, which is the standard time estimate given for Freedom of Information Act requests.

In the meantime, we tracked down posts on X that showed an additional set of emails that allegedly came from the same document. We now had a list of the names of five FBI agents. Snopes was able to find public information confirming three of them were indeed FBI employees. A fourth showed up in Google search results, but did not appear on the linked pages. The fifth individual, Rebecca-Lynn Laufer (from whose account the email was allegedly sent), was the only individual we could not find any public information about. This level of detailed accuracy signifies that either this is a highly detailed fake, complete with the names of real FBI employees, or it is real.

Next, we looked for the source of the information. One X post by David Hancock, who claimed that he advised Rittenhouse during the latter's trial for homicide but had since regretted his actions, credited the image to another X account run by a man named Paul Prediger.

In Kenosha, Rittenhouse shot and killed two people, and injured a third. Prediger, formerly known as Gaige Grosskreutz, is the man Rittenhouse wounded but did not kill. Snopes reached out to Prediger, Hancock and Rittenhouse for comment. Prediger provided a copy of a 938-page report from the Kenosha Police Department on Rittenhouse, which contained the email in question on page 572.

When we received our FOIA documents from the Kenosha Police Department, we found that it was similar but not identical to Prediger's copy. We did not find the email in question inside the FOIA version of the report we received and still cannot confirm that it is genuine.

Sources:

Armus, Teo, et al. "Before a Fatal Shooting, Teenage Kenosha Suspect Idolized the Police." Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2021. www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/27/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-shooting-protests/.

"ASVAB Test & Preparation." Goarmy.Com, https://www.goarmy.com/how-to-join/steps/asvab.html. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Attorneys for Man Shot during Protest in Kenosha Say Kyle Rittenhouse Is Evading Them." PBS NewsHour, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/attorneys-for-man-shot-during-protest-in-kenosha-say-kyle-rittenhouse-is-evading-them.

"Https://Twitter.Com/ChasinWhiteCaps/Status/1775215543345152056?t=bXkATrDsKusuyBLdA5IZ7w." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/ChasinWhiteCaps/status/1775215543345152056?t=bXkATrDsKusuyBLdA5IZ7w. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/DanLamothe/Status/1299054126446321664." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/DanLamothe/status/1299054126446321664. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/DaveHan06/Status/1774751376889057282?t=7SPMuO1FwhUVnA30w79byg." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/DaveHan06/status/1774751376889057282?t=7SPMuO1FwhUVnA30w79byg. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/Daybreaker/Status/1774986889067364539." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/daybreaker/status/1774986889067364539. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/Jamesstout/Status/1775163288990429628." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/jamesstout/status/1775163288990429628. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/Joekassabian/Status/1775187855934914724." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/joekassabian/status/1775187855934914724. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/realTuckFrumper/Status/1775267238616113355." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/realTuckFrumper/status/1775267238616113355. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Https://Twitter.Com/RyanShead/Status/1774586223295946995." X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/RyanShead/status/1774586223295946995. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

"Man Who Survived Rittenhouse Shooting Seeks Name Change." AP News, 30 Sept. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/kyle-rittenhouse-wisconsin-shootings-kenosha-e4e1dbad9f01dbe7503800672908a302.

u/Dookie1. "Kyle Rittenhouse Is Banned from Joining the Military Because He's Too Dumb." Reddit.Com/r/Behindthebastards, 3 Apr. 2024, https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/comments/1bu4grq/kyle_rittenhouse_is_banned_from_joining_the/.

Uphues, Bob. "Cops Recognized." Riverside Brookfield Landmark, 11 Apr. 2017, http://www.rblandmark.com/2017/04/11/cops-recognized/.

"Wisconsin Open Records Law." Ballotpedia, https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_Open_Records_Law. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

Updates:

May 24, 2024: This page was updated to reflect what we did and did not learn from the FOIA document received from the Kenosha Police Department. Accordingly, the rating was updated from "Research in Progress" to "Mixture."
Fact Check: Posts Claim Contents of 'Ashley Biden's Diary' Have Been Verified. Here Are the Facts

Claim:

A diary authored by U.S. President Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, describes showers taken with her father when she was a child as "probably not appropriate."

Rating:

Rating: True

Note: On April 29, 2024, Snopes changed the rating of this fact check from "Unproven" to "True" based on testimony provided by Ashley Biden. In an April 8 letter to a New York judge requesting jail time for one of the two people convicted of stealing her diary, Biden wrote "I will forever have to deal with the fact that my personal journal can be viewed online."

Previous versions of this fact check noted "strong evidence" that the diary existed, but argued that no source had authenticated the contents of the pages published online, writing that "the authenticity of photographs purported to be from a diary is a separate question from the factual existence of a diary."

Ashley Biden's letter to the court, in Snopes' view, provides that authentication.

Since 2023, various right-leaning accounts on X (formerly Twitter) have shared an old video containing audio of a phone call between Ashley Biden, the daughter of U.S. President Joe Biden, and operatives of Project Veritas  a political organization that claims to practice journalism.

As Snopes discussed in detail in March 2023, that phone call is part of a suite of evidence that suggests Project Veritas came into possession of a diary that authentically belonged to Ashley Biden. Project Veritas, nevertheless, withheld publication of the document.

Instead, a month before the November 2020 U.S. presidential election, a right-wing blog named The National File published what it claimed was "a copy of the complete diary of Ashley Blazer Biden, the 39-year-old daughter of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, dating from during the 2020 presidential campaign."

An often cited page from that "leaked diary," which chronicled its author's addiction recovery in intimate detail, makes reference to sexual trauma and poses questions in search of an explanation for being "hyper-sexualized @ a young age." Along with mentions of not liking to visit a certain family's house, "being sexualized" with a female friend, and "having sex with friends @ a young age," the author noted taking "showers with my dad (probably not appropriate)."

Legal proceedings that occurred later make it clear that the National File document came from Project Veritas. The Intercept reported in September 2022 that a Project Veritas employee provided the alleged diary to the National File in October 2020, when Project Veritas had reservations about publishing it.

Project Veritas, court testimony indicates, paid $40,000 for this alleged diary. As reported by The Associated Press in August 2022, the document had come into the possession of two people after one moved into an apartment previously occupied by Ashley Biden:

Ashley Biden was moving out of a friend's Delray Beach home in spring 2020 when she stored the diary, tax records, a digital device with family photos, a cellphone and other items there, prosecutors said in a court filing. They said [Aimee] Harris then moved into the same room, found the items and got in touch with [Robert] Kurlander, who enthused in a text message that he would help her make a "ton of money" from selling it, adding an expletive before "ton."

Harris and Kurlander pleaded guilty in August 2022 to conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines in their sale of the document to Project Veritas. According to Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe in August 2022, his organization could not confirm the diary it received belonged to Ashley Biden.

In April 2024, the New York Times published a letter that Ashley Biden wrote to the Judge in Harris' case as part of her sentencing process in which Biden referenced the harm caused by the publication of photographs of her journal online, confirming that the words published online were hers while noting that they have been misinterpreted:

After being the victim of a crime in my early twenties, I developed PTSD. The journal that was stolen was part of my efforts to heal. I am a private citizen, targeted only because my father happened to be running to be President. In other words, the extensive work I have done to move past my trauma was undone by Ms. Harris's actions.  Although this criminal act happened more than three years ago, because of the publicity it drewexactly as Ms. Harris intendedI am constantly re-traumatized by it. I will forever have to deal with the fact that my personal journal can be viewed online. Repeatedly, I hear others grossly misinterpret my once-private writings and lob false accusations that defame my character and those of the people I love.

Harris was sentenced to one month in prison. Kurlander has yet to be sentenced.

Because published court documents including the written testimony of Ashley Biden herself demonstrate the reality of the diary, the claim that it has been "confirmed" is True.

Sources:

"2 Florida Residents Plead Guilty in Scheme to Sell Ashley Biden's Diary." Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2022/08/25/2-florida-residents-plead-guilty-in-scheme-to-sell-ashley-bidens-diary/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

Howley, Patrick. "EXCLUSIVE SOURCE: Biden Daughter's Diary Details 'Not Appropriate' Showers With Joe As Child." National File, 24 Oct. 2020, https://nationalfile.com/exclusive-source-biden-daughters-diary-details-not-appropriate-showers-with-joe-as-child/.

Ryan, Grim. "A Project Veritas Employee Leaked Ashley Biden's Diary." The Intercept, 7 Dec. 2022, https://theintercept.com/2022/09/07/project-veritas-ashley-biden-diary-leak/.

Goldman, Adam. "Woman Sentenced to Month in Prison Over Theft of Ashley Biden's Diary." The New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/us/politics/project-veritas-ashley-biden-diary.html.



Updates:

April 29, 2024: The rating of this fact check was revised from "Unproven" to "True" based on a letter authored by Ashley Biden as part of court proceedings and published by The New York Times on April 9, 2024.

May 14, 2024: The wording of the claim has been slightly revised to make it more specific.
Fake officer lies about womans husband being killed in Walmart shooting, NC cops say

A man in a law enforcement uniform had a North Carolina woman convinced her husband had been killed at Walmart  until she was able to contact her husband, according to investigators in North Carolina.

He was very much alive.

Turns out the story and the officer were fake, the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office said in an April 5 news release.

The motive behind the bizarre scenario remains a mystery, but a search is ongoing for the suspect, officials said.

It happened around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Winsome Forest subdivision, about a 15-mile drive north from Greensboro.

The female (said) that a man, dressed in uniform-style attire resembling a law enforcement officer, came to her door and told her he was there to report to her that her husband had been killed in a shooting at the Madison Walmart. The man called her husband specifically by name,the sheriffs office said.

Upset by the news, the resident phoned a friend. Confused and upset but still believing the man to be an actual law enforcement officer at the time, she told him her friend was on her way over. At this time, the man quickly left the area.

The woman was soon after able to contact her husband and learned he was fine and nothing about the story was true, officials said.

Deputies are searching for a man in his late 30s or early 40s, around 6 foot 3 inches tall, with a medium build and light-colored hair.

He was seen driving a silver Dodge Charger that bore markings similar to a N.C. Highway Patrol vehicle, officials said.

Tips can be offered via Rockingham County Crime Stoppers at 336-349-9683, officials said.

Rockingham County is along the Virginia state line.

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Gunfire erupts on I-85 when four drivers begin chasing each other, NC sheriff says

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Families in northern Gaza forced to survive on a less than a can of beans a day

Palestinian toddler Leila Jeneid, who is suffering from severe malnutrition, receives treatment at Kamal Adwan Hospital as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues (Reuters)

Families in northern Gaza are being forced to live on less than a can of fava beans a day, Oxfam has said, as senior UN officials described malnourished newborns so small that they weigh little more than a kilo.

More than 300,000 people are still believed to be trapped in the north of the besieged strip, which has seen the worst of Israels ferocious bombardment and where little to no aid has been getting in.

There, since January, families have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day, according to Oxfam  less than 12 per cent of the average recommended daily calorie intake.

Israel is making deliberate choices to starve civilians, said Amitabh Behar, Oxfams international executive director.

Imagine what it is like, not only to be trying to survive on 245 calories  day in, day out  but also having to watch your children or elderly relatives do the same.

It comes as some aid agencies have said they will have to pull back from Gaza over concerns for the safety of their staff after Israeli forces admitted killing seven employees of food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) in a drone attack despite the fact that the aid workers were travelling in a deconflicted area. Israel has since promised to open three new aid corridors.

WCK has served over 30 million meals inside Gaza, and its work has formed a major part of the response to the looming famine. The charity has had to suspend its operations over safety concerns in the wake of the fatal bombing.

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN coordinator for aid in the occupied Palestinian territory, says that a third of all children under the age of two in Gaza are malnourished (Reuters)

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN coordinator for aid in the occupied Palestinian territory, who visited Gaza recently, said the pullback by aid agencies in response to the killing of the seven WCK aid workers  along with more than 220 others since October  had come at the worst time given the hunger crisis.

He said that right now a third of all children in Gaza under the age of two are malnourished.

Food assistance to combat famine is desperately needed everywhere. It is a time of great hardship and suffering, he told The Independent after returning from a visit to Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the only facilities in the war-ravaged north that is still treating newborns and children.

There he described visiting neonatal wards where there were multiple babies in a single incubator. He said he had seen skeletal toddlers, and newborn babies, drowning in their nappies, who weighed little more than a bag of sugar.

Every single child was in a terrible condition  the dehydration, the emaciation was unimaginable. Some of the children were so skinny you could see their ribcages, he said.

There was a newborn who weighed just 1.2kg and was tiny inside his [nappy]. I saw his small spindly legs coming out of the bottom. His hand was no bigger than my thumb.

Israel launched its heaviest bombardment yet of Gaza, along with a crippling siege, in retaliation for the 7 October massacre by Hamas on southern Israel, where militants killed at least 1,200 people and took another 240, including children, hostage.

Palestinian health officials in the Hamas-run territory say that Israels bombing has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them women and children.

Now aid agencies fear that starvation will be the next major killer to stalk the besieged strip. Over a million people are suffering an extreme level of hunger, according to a UN-backed report.

Some aid agencies have said they will have to pull back from Gaza over concerns for their workers safety after Israeli forces admitted killing seven employees of food charity World Central Kitchen in a drone attack (Reuters)

Israel has been accused by multiple UN agencies and aid groups of being responsible for a man-made famine because of its restrictions on aid going into and through Gaza  including aid being stopped at the southern entry point from Egypt, and convoys going to the north being barred or turned back.

Israel has vehemently denied the presence of famine in Gaza as well as accusations that it is using hunger as a weapon of war. Cogat, the defence ministry body charged with coordinating with the Palestinians, has repeatedly told The Independent that there are no limits on aid deliveries to Gaza.

But under searing pressure from the international community, in particular its closest ally the US, the Israeli government announced on Friday that it would finally reopen its first land crossing into northern Gaza and temporarily allow supplies for the territory to come in via the port of Ashdod in southern Israel.

It did not say when the Erez crossing would open  and many fear, in the wake of the killing of the WCK workers, that there are still not sufficient security guarantees to allow safe passage of the aid even if it does get in.

This strangulation of food and medical supplies has meant, according to Oxfams analysis, that families in northern Gaza have been subsisting on a few hundred calories a day since January. There, children are already dying from starvation and malnutrition, worsened by disease.

Israel is making deliberate choices to starve civilians

Amitabh Behar, international executive director, Oxfam

Oxfam said that hunger and its effects are exacerbated by the near complete destruction of civilian infrastructure  including hospitals, water and sanitation services, and community health support  which has left people even more vulnerable to disease.

Gazas agriculture industry has also been destroyed  and so the small amounts of fruit and vegetables that are available are prohibitively costly. Specialist nutrition products and centres to treat malnourished children are also difficult or impossible to find.

Mr McGoldrick said that access for aid is still limited, and that aid agencies need the sort of security and protection that clearly does not exist.
The families of American citizens kidnapped by Hamas in Israel nearly six months ago told NBC News Lester Holt on Thursday that they decry the killings of innocent civilians in Gaza and pleaded with the international community to remain focused on the plight of their loved ones still in captivity.

Theres not a single person here who does not want to make sure that the people that are living in Gaza are safe [and] that they are taken care of, said Liz Hirsh-Naftali, the great-aunt of Abigail Mor Edan, a 4-year-old girl who was released from Hamas captivity in late November.

But where we are now is that we are a humanitarian group that is looking out, because we have to, for these hostages.  We have no choice, Hirsh-Naftali added. She was referring to herself and the 11 other people who had assembled in New York for a group interview nearly half a year after Hamas militants stormed their homes and kibbutzim.

Hirsh-Naftali and others strongly condemned an Israeli military strike earlier this week that killed seven people working for a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza. (Israel said the killings were a "grave mistake.") The families gathered Thursday shortly after President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was unacceptable, according to the White House.

Liz Hirsh-Naftali (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

Gillian Kaye, the stepmother of Israeli American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, denounced the horrific loss of life in the Gaza Strip since the start of Israels retaliatory military campaign, saying in part: How can you not look at [Gaza] and not feel unbelievable sympathy for the suffering thats going on there?

But amid the brutal toll of the Israel-Hamas war, Kaye said she is concerned the world is starting to forget about the people who were violently captured in southern Israel on Oct. 7, igniting a brutal conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip, jeopardized the stability of the Middle East and provoked intense political divides around the world.

Gillian Kaye and Jonathan Dekel-Chen (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

Here we are, with our innocent loved ones hostage for 181 days, hidden in tunnels.  They kind of disappear in this horror thats going on, and theres no question that it feels like the world is moving on, Kaye said. Its hard to struggle with that.

Hirsh-Naftali implored Netanyahu and Hamas leadership to reach a deal to stop the bloodshed and free the hostages. Hes been talking for many months about how important hostage release is, she said, referring to the Israeli prime minister. We dont have any more time for talking.

The families said they appreciated the Biden administrations commitment to securing the release of their loved ones. Kaye said they have all had an extraordinary amount of access to key figures in the U.S. government, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns.

Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer Neutra was kidnapped by Hamas militants, said he nonetheless believes both the U.S. and Israeli governments should be doing more to free the hostages.

Ronen Neutra (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

They need to pull every lever, Neutra said, and it hasnt been done, or else we would have had our dear ones back home.

Rachel Goldberg, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was recorded on video being loaded onto a pickup truck with one of his arms blown off, said she believes many people do not realize that the 134 people believed to remain in Hamas captivity come from all backgrounds and faith traditions.

You very rarely hear about the eight Muslim Arabs being held with our eight American citizens as hostages. You very rarely hear about the seven young men from Thailand who are Buddhist [and] who are still being held with our hostages, Goldberg said.

I think theres been a lot of noise, Goldberg added, and you dont hear about all the different people from 25 different nations who are Christian, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus.

The families are anguished over the fates of their loved ones, starved for news about their condition and left fearing the worst. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Sagui, said he has grown increasingly scared that dozens of the hostages are already dead, describing the issue as a national crisis.

Rachel Goldberg (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

I live my life in agony, in sadness, said Yael Alexander, mother of hostage Edan Alexander.

In some cases, the worst has already happened. Joel Napchan is mourning the death of his cousin's son Itay Chen, a 19-year-old who was believed to have been kidnapped on Oct. 7 but was actually killed that day, with his body abducted, according to his parents. Andrea Weinstein lost a sister, Judith Weinstein, and a brother-in-law, Gad Haggai.

The people who are still waiting for the safe return of their loved ones said they cannot afford to lose hope. Emily Wesolowski, whose uncle Keith Siegel remains in captivity, said there is no alternative to hope.

Yael Alexander (Vanessa Leroy / NBC News)

I have seen these families, Hirsh-Naftali said. If they did not have hope, I dont know how they could get up every morning.

CORRECTION (April 5, 2024, 4:55 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the last name of a 4-year-old girl who was released from Hamas captivity last year. She is Abigail Mor Edan, not Idan.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  Private Adrian Matthew Turner, a 24-year-old Upstate soldier, was killed during a training exercise at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Moore in Georgia on March 22.

Fort Moore soldier returns to Olympic shooting events for Paris

His family said he was in weapons training with his unit when he suffered a fatal gunshot wound.

Hed be the one to help an old lady cross the street or something like that, to carry your groceries to the car, anything he can do to help, hed just reach out and help and thats just how he was, said Felix Jim Turner III, Adrians father.

Turner was born and raised in Duncan, and his father said he enlisted in the Army and went to boot camp at Fort Moore on January 31 because he wanted to follow in his relatives footsteps by serving his country.

He said Id like to be like them, they served their country and Id like to serve my country, said Turner. He just always had a love and attraction for that, and Ill always be proud of him for that, my baby boy what can I say.

Turners loved ones are using memories of him as a way to get through this loss together.

I wouldnt wish this on my biggest enemy, no, burying my parents was very rough but they say thats the way of the world, this isnt, said Turner. This is not the way of the world.

Special Olympics Maine founder accused in lawsuit of grooming, sexually abusing boy

They said theyll miss his intelligence and kindness the most.

I was always telling him how proud I was of him, very smart, he would just sit and read the dictionary just to read and Id go how do you spell this word, what does it mean, because youd have to ask Adrian, said Turner.

While Turners family knows not everyone knew him the way they did, they said regardless, his loss impacts so many.

The world has lost a great gift, I know he could have contributed greatly, he had many different areas he wanted to go into, and he was so smart he could have gone into any of them, but the world has lost a lot, said Turner. I know I may be biased but thats true, they have lost a lot.

The army is still investigating Turners death.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2024 - 22:58 | World, All

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told China's Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday that the two countries should closely communicate on industrial overcapacity and economic actions related to national security as among issues of concern.

Yellen's remark at the opening of the meeting with He, China's economic policy chief, in Guangzhou, southern China, comes as she has expressed concerns about overproduction of Chinese electric vehicles that are flooding the global market, amid intensifying rivalry between the two nations.

"It also remains crucial for the two largest economies to seek progress on global challenges like climate change...and to closely communicate on issues of concern such as (industrial) overcapacity and national security-related economic actions," Yellen said. "It is what the world and our citizens expect of us."

The treasury secretary also said the United States is seeking "healthy economic" relations, emphasizing that such ties "must provide a level playing field for firms and workers in both countries."

The Chinese government's support for domestic EV makers has helped them to become dominant in the world electric car market. China has reportedly admitted having excessive EV production capacity.

He said at the meeting that both sides need to properly respond to key concerns in bilateral economic relationship. The vice premier also expressed hope that an investment environment that will benefit companies of the two countries will be created, according to Hong Kong media.

Prior to Yellen's China visit, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference Wednesday the recent increase in China's EV, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products exports is "a result of international division of labor and market demand" and has "contributed to the green development of the world."

Yellen, who arrived in Guangzhou on Thursday on a six-day visit to the country, will hold a second round of talks with He on Saturday and meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Sunday, according to the Treasury Department. She is slated to meet People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng on Monday.

Yellen and He previously held talks in San Francisco last November. Yellen visited China in July last year for the first time after assuming the treasury secretary post in 2021.

Related coverage:

Biden, Xi confirm need for enhanced dialogue despite differences

OPINION: U.S.-China relations: Filoli summit and beyond
Family is searching for answers in March 16 disappearance of Steven Bert of Sugarcreek

SUGARCREEK  When the Sugarcreek police entered Steven Berts apartment on March 16, they didnt find the 28-year-old or his newly purchased vehicle. They did find his packed suitcase, phone and computer.

His suitcase was packed ready to leave the next day for his new job, said his 30-year-old sister, Melissa Bert of Massillon. All his extra shoes were left. All his camping stuff. Nothing was gone.

Melissa said her brother had just gotten a promotion with his employer in northeast Ohio that would have entailed traveling across the Midwest to assist in the companys auctions of lightly damaged, salvage, and clear-title vehicles.

Steven Bert

On the day Steven went missing, he was supposed to meet his sister and mom, Lisa Bert, for a bon voyage lunch.

He was going to get my mom and go pick up his rental car to travel for his new job, then we were going to meet, said Melissa. But she called us on our way down saying she hadnt heard from him, and he wasnt answering his calls. So, we said wed swing by his house.

Melissa said when she and her boyfriend arrived, he didnt answer the door so they called the Sugarcreek police. When police entered his home, they quickly discerned he wasnt there. He had left his cell phone, and his bags were packed according to the original plan.

We were worried right away, said Melissa. This is unusual for him. Were all close, so if he wasnt going to show up, he would have reached out to us.

Sugarcreek Assistant Chief Brian Dalton said Stevens vehicle was found March 19 in Missouri, three days after he was reported missing.

Sugarcreek Assistant Police Chief Brian Dalton said Steven Bert's vehicle was found March 19 in Missouri, three days after he was reported missing. Bert's family is trying to find him.

It was abandoned on the side of the road, he said. Its the last bit of physical evidence of his whereabouts.

Melissa said there are no family or other known connections to Missouri.

We dont know anyone out that way, she said. Weve checked his Facebook, Xbox  hes not been talking to anyone. Theres nothing to even figure out why hed go that way.

Melissa said theyre not sure what hes wearing but assume since his regular shoes were still in his apartment that he had on his work clothes and work boots.

Thats why the GoFundMe photo has him in his work clothes, she said. He wears the yellow reflective shirts for work.

The GoFundMe has been created to assist in the impound fees associated with his vehicle in Missouri.

Were trying to get his car out of impound and theres a $50 a day charge, said his mother, Lisa. As of last week, the charge was more than $1,000.

Melissa said they were traveling to Missouri over the April 5 weekend to retrieve it, having to rent a car to do so.

Im worried to death, said Lisa. Hes a very loving, caring son. He always remembers my birthday. You need something, hes there.

Hes always had a big heart. He was always a happy-go-lucky kid. He just ran through life with his head thrown back laughing  were just baffled.

Melissa said her brother Steven has no mental health issues and has never been involved in drugs. She said there isnt anything in his life that they would flag as amiss. In fact, everyone theyve spoken with described Steven as someone who got along with everyone.

We dont know what to think, said Melissa. Weve gone through every scenario in our heads. Its so confusing to us.

If anyone has any information about Steven Berts whereabouts, they should contact the Sugarcreek Police at 330-852-2212.

We really just want to know that hes safe, said Melissa. And that nothing has happened to him.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Sugarcreek man disappeared March 16; family looking for answers
A man crashes his car into the barricade at an FBI field office after reportedly posting about the QAnon conspiracy theory. The latest in a string of dangerous incidents at FBI facilities comes as new statistics show public threats have again spiked in early 2024.

Meanwhile, a trial begins in San Diego that could help define the movement known as Antifa. And far-right influencer Chaya Raichik, who runs Libs of TikTok, is added to a database of known extremists.

Its the week in extremism.

As Atlanta FBI is attacked, threats against public officials spike

On Monday, a man drove into the security barrier at the FBI field office in Atlanta after a confrontation with officers. While the motive for the apparent attack is not yet known, researchers found the man detained in the case had likely posted conspiracy theories and talked about joining a militia online. The incident comes as new data, provided exclusively to USA TODAY, shows prosecutions of threats against public officials is set to hit a new record this year.

WIRED magazine reported Wednesday that Ervin Lee Bolling, a former Navy submarine technician, likely used social media accounts that posted about the QAnon conspiracy theory and also wrote Just looking for a good militia to join.

Initial reports said police found no weapons in Bollings vehicle. But the attack mirrors a similar incident in August 2022 when a man attempted to storm the Cincinnati FBI office. That man was wearing body armor and carrying an AR-15 rifle. He was shot and killed.

USA TODAY has been reporting about the significant rise in violent public threats in recent years. A team of researchers at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center at the University of Nebraska Omaha, which tracks federal prosecutions under laws against threats, found 2024 is on track to surpass 2023, which was a record year.

In the first three months of 2024, at least 30 people in 18 states were federally charged, according to the researchers. The cases include threats made against law enforcement personnel, elected officials and elections officials, and health care and education workers. The total number of prosecutions in 2023 was 77.

Unfortunately, were on pace for another record-setting year in threats against public officials, Gina Ligon, who leads the research team told USA TODAY. Were seeing both an increase in violent talk and a laser focus by federal prosecutors to take on these types of cases.

Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey argues that defendants in the case were part of an organized conspiracy under the banner of Antifa.

Landmark trial could define if Antifa is a gang

As USA TODAY reported this week, the trial is underway of two men accused of violence in a protest in San Diego three years ago. The trial centers on whether the defendants acted as part of a conspiracy, under the banner of the far-left activist movement known as Antifa, and experts say the outcome will help define how the controversial group is defined.

In opening arguments Tuesday, defense attorneys sought to distance their clients from the multiple acts of violence in Pacific Beach on Jan. 9, 2021. Using video and photo evidence, they showed that the protesters who were attacked by anti-fascists carried knives, used offensive language, and goaded counter-protesters into attacking them with bear spray.

Prosecutors portrayed the defendants as members of a shadowy organization  Antifa  whose members gathered under banners to attack patriots who were just trying to exercise their First Amendment rights.

As USA TODAY previously reported, the protesters who clashed with Antifa that day included people identified by activists as white supremacist agitators. At least one has a criminal record and has long been involved with neo-Nazi groups.

Two people connected to local far-right groups in San Diego also appeared at the courthouse on Wednesday afternoon and were involved in a vocal argument in the corridor outside the courtroom with a local activist who was there supporting the defendants. After bailiffs broke up the altercation, Judge Daniel Goldstein reviewed security footage and then ordered the two people to leave the building.

Investigation: California statehouse candidate says she didn't join Capitol riot. Video shows otherwise

Chaya Raichik founded the Libs of TikTok social media channel.

Libs of TikTok influencer added to SPLC list of extremists

Chaya Raichik, the far-right influencer who runs the social media account Libs of TikTok, has been added to the Southern Poverty Law Centers Extremist Files, a catalog of domestic and international extremists that includes white supremacists and other anti-LGBTQ+ activists.

Libs of TikTok, as USA TODAY reported last year, has posted information in dozens of cases that directly preceded bomb threats against hospitals, schools and other public facilities. Raichik has said the account merely reposts the content that other liberal users have already posted  thus the name  but the posts also mock the LGBTQ+ community, and sometimes encourage followers to contact the original posters.

According to the SPLC, Raichik helped revive in right-wing propaganda the anti-LGBTQ+ groomer slur, which implies that all LGBTQ+ people are pedophiles. She spreads the anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theory that groomers have infiltrated every social institution with the intent of sexualizing children.

Statistic of the week: Six

Thats how many Republican members of Congress wrote to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin this week, urging him to investigate far-left extremism in the US military.

The call comes after Aaron Bushnell, a member of the Air Force, set himself on fire and died in front of the Israeli embassy in February. Bushnell had posted in anarchism-related forums on Reddit.

USA TODAY has been reporting on the militarys sputtering three-year effort to combat extremism, an effort the Congresspeople referred to in their letter to Austin:

Your dedication to rooting out extremist behavior within our ranks has been well documented, they wrote. It is with this shared commitment in mind that we urge your attention toward the equally pressing issue of left-wing extremism among active-duty service members and veterans."

Will Carless is a national correspondent covering extremism and emerging issues. Contact him at wcarless@usatoday.com. Follow him on X @willcarless.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ervin Lee Bolling held in FBI attack in Atlanta; criminal threats rise
A Shelton-based seasonal greens producer must pay $1.85 million in back wages and damages to nearly 700 workers after a federal court found they violated workers rights and federal law.

Judge Benjamin H. Settle ordered Continental Floral Greens to pay the sum on March 26 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma, according to court records.

The U.S. Department of Labor, which filed its case against Continental, says Continental makes Christmas wreaths and season greens for major retailers such as Costco, Publix, Target, Trader Joes, Walmart and Wegmans.

Federal law requires employers hiring workers from outside the U.S. on temporary non-agricultural visas to ensure safe working conditions and pay the legal prevailing wage, including overtime, Regional Solicitor of Labor Marc Pilotin said.

Employers must also accurately represent the terms and conditions of those jobs so that U.S. workers have a full and fair opportunity to work those jobs. Continental Floral failed on all counts.

When reached for comment, Continentals director of human resources Julianne Fritz said in a statement that the company was disappointed with the ruling.

We deeply value our customers, employees and the communities we serve, Fritz said. Furthermore, we continue to hold the H2A and H2B work programs in high regard.

The Labor Department first began investigating Continental after a van carrying 14 migrant workers crashed into a tree in Cowlitz County on Nov. 2, 2022, according to a news release and court records. Four Salvadoran workers reportedly suffered serious injuries in the crash and were transported to a Longview hospital.

Investigators in the departments Wage and Hour Division later determined the Continental employee at the wheel was not certified to drive the van and several passengers did not wear seatbelts.

Washington State Patrol later charged the driver with negligent driving, according to the release. Meanwhile, investigators continued to look into the company and uncovered violations that went beyond the crash, Labor officials say.

In their complaint, the department accused Continental of denying hundreds of workers overtime pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay when an employee works more than 40 hours in a workweek.

The department also alleged Continental submitted fraudulent information about wages, housing and transportation on job orders to bring foreign workers into the country.

These actions violated the federal H-2B worker program which permits businesses to employ temporary visa workers and provides protections for similarly employed U.S. workers, according to the release.

Additionally, the release says the Labor Department determined Continental violated the Migrant and Season Agriculture Workers Protection Act by failing to do the following:

Inform workers of employment conditions;

Provide complete wage statements;

Pay wages when due;

Ensure safe and healthy housing;

Provide temporary workers with safe transportation.

The court order requires Continental to pay $880,000 in unpaid overtime wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The company must also pay workers $74,000 in additional back wages due to violations of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. Lastly, they must pay $40,000 in penalties to the department.

Thomas Silva, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Seattle, said his division plans to use every tool at their disposal to make sure U.S. and H-2B workers are protected as required by law.

The Wage and Hour Division is committed to holding employers accountable so that vulnerable workers come home safe and properly compensated at the end of every day, Silva said.

Continental has farms, facilities and offices in California, Florida, North Carolina as well as Oregon and Washington, according to its website.

Employers and workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially at its toll-free helpline at 866-487-9243.
The pandemic brought health disparities in the U.S. into the spotlight but since then dozens of rural hospitals nationwide have shut down.

Now, it can be difficult trying to access timely health care in rural areas.

Its something Chloe Burke knows all too well. During a congressional hearing in Texas last month she shared her story about a close call.

I lived three miles away from one of the biggest medical centers in our country, yet I could not receive the dire surgery I needed to save my life, said Burke.

On Capitol Hill, one bipartisan proposal aims to improve access by increasing training opportunities for medical students. It would create a nationwide grant program for medical schools and community-based clinics to offer more hands-on experience in those underserved communities.

Lawmakers say the goal is to encourage more medical students to work in rural areas after graduation.

If you have training programs in rural communities that increases the care thats delivered in those communities, said Dr. Kevin Bennett, director of the South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare.

Dr. Bennett said this legislation is a good first step but he believes there are still some major hurdles like expensive medical school debt.

You tend to not get paid as well in a rural community because volumes are lower, and our healthcare system pays by volume and not for taking care of populations right now, said Dr. Bennett.

Until the financial side of medical training is addressed, Bennett said it will be difficult to place more doctors in rural communities.

You can make 50% more by working in the suburbs, thats hard to turn away, especially when you look at all the other amenities that are available there, he said.
Class I railroad operators will have to maintain two-person crews on most train routes under a new mandate by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) finalized Tuesday.

The final ruling codifies train crew staffing rules at a federal level, with the intent to ensure that freight and passenger rail operations are governed by consistent safety rules in all states. The rule is essentially the status quo for most of the countrys largest freight railroads like CSX, BNSF and Union Pacific, which already typically staff their trains with two workersan engineer and a conductor.

More from Sourcing Journal

The requirement was part of a larger bipartisan safety bill introduced by U.S. lawmakers last March, called The Railway Safety Act of 2023, but that legislation has toiled in the Senate ever since.

On a state level, 11 states now have two-person crew mandates: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Illinois also passed a law, but a federal judge ruled that it was preempted by federal law.

Common sense tells us that large freight trains, some of which can be over three miles long, should have at least two crew members on boardand now theres a federal regulation in place to ensure trains are safely staffed, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in a statement. This rule requiring safe train crew sizes is long overdue, and we are proud to deliver this change that will make workers, passengers and communities safer.

The FRA reviewed and considered 13,500 written comments received during a 146-day comment periodin addition to the testimony from a one-day public hearingto finalize the rule.

One-person crews havent been wiped out entirely with the mandate. Those seeking approval for one-person operations must submit an annual report to the FRA summarizing the safety of the operation.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is not thrilled with the ruling, citing a lack of evidence connecting crew size to rail safety. The association observed that FRA abandoned a similar rule in 2019, with the federal agency determining that there was not enough data to support the need for more than one person in the cab of a train.

FRA is doubling down on an unfounded and unnecessary regulation that has no proven connection to rail safety, said AAR president and CEO Ian Jefferies in a statement. Instead of prioritizing data-backed solutions to build a safer future for rail, FRA is looking to the past and upending the collective bargaining process.

The FRA argues that a second crew member performs important safety functions that could be lost when reducing crew size to a single person. Without the final rule in place, the FRA says railroads could initiate single-crew operations without performing a rigorous risk assessment, mitigating known risks, or even notifying the agency.

Unions like the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the Teamsters, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO all applauded the decision.

Support for a two-person crew goes hand in hand with concerns about employment within the rail transportation sector. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 153,000 people were employed by the sector in January 2024, up 6.7 percent from the 143,400 two years prior. But total employment is still down at a 26.4 percent clip from the 208,000 working in the field in January 2015.

The move comes as beleaguered Class I railroad Norfolk Southern is under fire from an activist investor, Ancora Holdings, which wants to overhaul the companys board and replace CEO Alan Shaw.

As part of its shakeup proposal, Ancora says every train operating on a mainline would have a two-person crew, calling it one of the very best ways to enhance operational safety and empower operators to identify, assess and resolve problems.

Like the AAR, Shaw has been opposed to the two-person crew mandate. The East Palestine, Ohio train derailment that set off the rail safety conversation last year had three crew members on boardan engineer, a conductor and a traineesuggesting that the number of crew members didnt prevent the accident from happening.

Instead, the AAR is vouching for extensive employee training and private investments in technology and infrastructure to improve rail safety. The lobbying group highlighted how these decisions have already driven tangible results, noting that the casualty rate for Class I railroad employees has dropped by 63 percent since 2000, reaching an all-time low in 2023.

Additionally, the association said the overall train accident rate is down 27 percent since 2000 and 6 percent since 2022.
NEW YORK  Federal authorities are investigating whether New York City Mayor Eric Adams received free flight upgrades from Turkish Airlines in the latest revelations of an ongoing corruption probe focused on the mayors 2021 campaign.

The new details, reported Friday by The New York Times, suggest the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York are looking at conduct from Adams himself in addition to several others close to him whose homes were raided by federal agents in November.

No one has been charged in the inquiry, but federal authorities are eyeing trips to Turkey that Adams took as Brooklyn borough president where he was upgraded to Turkish Airlines top passenger category, according to the Times.

The FBI declined to comment, while the Southern District did not immediately respond.

Adams campaign referred comment to Brendan McGuire, who was once Adams chief counsel in City Hall and now represents him as an attorney at WilmerHale.

As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade, McGuire said in a statement. Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a just and timely conclusion to this investigation.

Multiple reports have suggested investigators are looking for evidence of collusion between the Turkish government and the 2021 campaign.

And on Nov. 2, FBI agents fanned out across the city to conduct several searches and interviews, including at the homes of former Turkish Airlines executive Cenk Ocal, who served on the mayors transition committee, as well as Adams chief fundraiser and his longtime liaison to the Turkish community in New York City.

That liaison, Rana Abbasova, was instrumental in helping Adams develop a close relationship with Turkish Airlines during his years as borough president, according to the Times, which cited internal emails showing Abbasova setting up meetings between Adams and airline executives. Federal prosecutors believe some of the flight upgrades were arranged by Ocal in conjunction with Abbasova, the report noted.

And as POLITICOhas reported, the relationship appeared to be a strong one. In 2019, for example, Adams was photographed at a Turkish Airlines event holding hands with two executives  including Ocal over a sheet cake.

Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond. And Abbasovas attorney, Rachel Maimin, declined to comment.

Federal investigators, who seized several of Adams electronic devices in November after confronting the mayor on the street in dramatic fashion, are also looking into whether the fire department improperly expedited a safety inspection for the newly built Turkish Embassy in 2021.

At the time, Adams had won the Democratic primary and was on a glide path to clinching the general election. He made a call to the then-fire commission to inquire about the project, which Turkish officials were racing to have opened in time for a visit from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey.

Emily Ngo contributed to this report.
Melissa Mohr is the Figge Art Museums interim executive director, as the institution undertakes a nationwide search for a new chief executive.

Figge executive director Michelle Hargrave is leaving her position, effective April 17, 2024. Head of the Davenport art museum since 2019, Hargrave will take on the role of executive director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Michigan.

Michelle Hargrave, executive director of the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, will step down April 17, 2024.

A native Michigander, she received an undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and also holds a masters of art from The Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design, and Material Culture.

A 2004 Knox College alum, Mohr has been an integral part of the Figge for nearly 15 years, serving as the museums director of education. Holding an M.A. in art history from the University of Iowa, she brings to this role a rich background in art history, complemented by her distinguished leadership achievements, the Figge said in a recent announcement.

As a Museum Leadership Institute NextGen Fellow and a recurrent speaker at conferences hosted by prestigious organizations like the American Alliance of Museums, her thought leadership and expertise are widely acknowledged in the museum sector and by the Quad Cities community, the Figge said.

Melissa Mohr has been the museums education director since 2012.

Aleeza Singh, the museum board president, has expressed full confidence in Mohrs appointment, stating, Melissa embodies the spirit and dedication that the Figge Art Museum stands for. Her comprehensive understanding of our operations, vision, and community makes her the ideal leader for this interim period.

Upon accepting this role, Mohr shared her enthusiasm and commitment to the museums mission.

It is a profound honor to assume the role of interim executive director at the Figge Art Museum, she said. It is my utmost priority to ensure that we continue the incredible work of preserving the momentum weve built, while also maintaining our community engagement and thriving during this transitional period.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
In the fight for due diligence, multinationals didnt get to make the law

In the fight for due diligence, multinationals didnt get to make the law

24 April marks an important day in the global fight for corporate accountability. That day in 2013 saw the Rana Plaza textile factory building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,134 workers.

This catastrophe was the result of a system of corporate impunity that still exists to this day.

A system in which multinational companies can organise and profit from the exploitation of workers in global value chains, without taking any responsibility for their safety and the violation of their rights.

The Left demands justice for all victims of corporate crimes. This is why, five years ago, I proposed a European due diligence legislation to tackle corporate impunity in line with the call of human rights and environmental defenders.

On 24 April, while the families of the Rana Plaza victims gather to remember their loved ones, in Strasbourg, the European Parliament will finally vote on this law to hold multinationals accountable and make sure that such tragedies never happen again.

People and the planet have won

Up to now, EU rules havent held companies responsible for the abuses they commit.

While we enjoy our fancy phones and fast-fashion garments in Europe, governments have been turning a blind eye to how these goods are made, how the workers who sew our clothes in Asia or other parts of the world are being paid, whether those who assemble our electronic devices work in decent conditions, whether child workers produce the chocolate we buy in our supermarkets, or if forests are illegally cut to use the wood for the furniture we buy.

We must end Europes hypocrisy. The EU must back up its claims to be a global champion of human rights and take real action.

It has been a fierce battle against an immense corporate lobby seeking to continue business as usual with claims of ignorance over how their products are being made and wanting to put their profits before human rights.

Bangladeshi mothers cry for their missing ones while holding their photos at the site of the collapsed Rana Plaza building in Savar near Dhaka, August 2013 - A.M. Ahad/AP

For five years, weve been pushing for this due diligence legislation to end corporate impunity and oblige companies to respect human rights and the environment throughout their supply chain.

Five years of constant ping-pong between the European Commission, the European Parliament and member states in the European Council, where countries such as France and Germany wanted to water down the text to the point of making it meaningless.

It has been a fierce battle against an immense corporate lobby seeking to continue business as usual with claims of ignorance over how their products are being made and wanting to put their profits before human rights.

Make them pay

The new EU corporate due diligence law requires companies to prevent, cease and mitigate human rights and environmental abuse in their entire value chains.

Multinationals that continue to profit from exploiting people and nature will face fines of up to 5% of their worldwide net turnover.

At the same time, victims of such abuses will have access to justice before EU courts and will have the right to claim reparations.

We will continue to the bitter end of this battle, begun five years ago, to defend workers' rights and the environment in the face of multinationals' crimes.

A recruiter from Foxconn talks to job applicants outside the factory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province, February 2010 - AP/AP2010

The scope of the law goes beyond the companies' primary operations in Europe and makes them legally liable only when a crime is committed.

According to this legislation, all major companies operating in the EU must prevent, stop and remedy violations committed by their subcontractors and suppliers. This includes undignified working conditions and pollution.

Keeping up the fight

The Left sought more ambitious measures, such as including all large companies and banks in the scope of the directive, as well as strengthening climate due diligence.

However, we faced strong resistance from right-wing forces, corporate lobbies and some member states, who attempted to reject the entire legislation.

Let it be known that the far right and part of the right simply refused to protect human rights from corporate crimes.

Let it be known that the German government, caving under the pressure of German liberals, watered down climate protection and even attempted to reject this legislation altogether.

Let it be known that French President Emmanuel Macron had banks excluded from this Directive to allow BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and others to keep profiting from corporate crimes.

Still, Im also proud of all of us who have stood up for human rights and the planet and won an ambitious draft.

We will continue to the bitter end of this battle, begun five years ago, to defend workers' rights and the environment in the face of multinationals' crimes.

I will continue to fight so that, every 24 April, we can pay our respects to the Rana Plaza victims and honour their memory in the knowledge that we did our own due diligence and took action to defend people against corporate greed.

Manon Aubry (La France Insoumise, France) is a Member of the European Parliament and co-chair of the Left.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2024 - 09:38 | World, Feature, All, Japan

A nonprofit organization founded by a Japanese man three decades ago is having an impact on child development in the Philippines, with personnel dedicated to teaching poor children life skills and self-awareness to enable them to blossom into adulthood.

The NPO, called ACTION (A Child's Trust is Ours to Nurture), is the brainchild of Hajime Yokota, 48, who founded it in 1994 and continues to lead it today. The projects, which are often referred to as "interventions," are aimed at problem children and youth in residential care facilities and impoverished communities.

"The aim is to equip children with life skills so they will be able to positively cope with life's challenges," Yokota told Kyodo News in a recent interview.

In late January, the NPO wrapped up a program on life skills intervention, or LSI, for children and youth in a poor urban community in the capital of Manila, the staff expressing gratitude that their methods for helping children are paying off -- and being appreciated all the more by the kids who have participated.

"For children in residential care facilities, the LSI will help ensure their successful reintegration to their families and communities," Yokota said.

ACTION's project officer Pia Silva-Llana said she was pleasantly surprised to hear the positive feedback from kids participating in the program.

"It's really good to hear that. I didn't expect them to notice," she said, referring to comments from youth participants, including Gwyneth and Vanwillson Tinao, siblings who said they appreciated the efforts the staff has made to "let us understand what our good choices should be."

Vanwillson, 11, and his 13-year-old sister Gwyneth said the NPO's constructive approach to breaking up fights, for example, is welcomed compared with the heavy-handed scolding techniques administered by teachers at their school.

"Adults usually just tell children what not to do...That's why they would repeat those (bad) actions because they don't understand and they don't know how to do other things that are positive," said Silva-Llana, who is among the facilitators of the LSI initiative that began in 2022 in the port city of Navotas.

The kids are fond of the sessions since the staff is there to listen to them about their concerns and problems, she said. This is often not the case at home or school, she suggested, saying the kids' parents "don't hear them out when they want to share what they've done in school."

Aside from helping the kids manage their emotions, the NPO's staff introduces activities that allow for the discovery and sharing of their interests and talents, increase self-awareness and improve communication skills with others to bolster their confidence.

The program also puts a heavy emphasis on problem-solving and effective decision-making, Silva-Llana said.

"The kids are enticed to attend because our activities are play-based," said Silva-Llana. Coloring and drawing activities as well as free snacks also keep the kids occupied.

Reign Belangel, 12, said she is no longer as shy as she was prior to joining the weekly sessions, while her brother, Rham, 11, has changed his ways, avoiding the use of foul language, fighting other children and stealing money from his mother, he said.

The NPO has developed four LSI modules, catering to the 5-8, 9-12, 13-16 and 17-18 age groups. A total of 16 communities in Metro Manila and in the region immediately north have adopted the programs, which are endorsed by the inter-agency Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council.

"We hope that one day, all Filipino children will be trained on LSI and become contributing members of society," Yokota said.

A Japanese version of the program was introduced to children's care facility staff in Tokyo in February, with the intent of achieving widespread use in Japan in the future, he said.

ACTION has also set up an initiative to train people caring for children in rehabilitation residential care facilities, making houseparenting a job avidly sought after by social workers. Social workers and houseparents are trained in imparting life skills to children, many of whom have run afoul of the law.

Supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Philippine government's Department of Social Welfare and Development successfully implemented it as a training program in 2019.

"It is significant to ensure that the personnel are trained so they can help in the caring, healing and teaching of children," Yokota said of the houseparenting program.

"Training (them) and other staff members prevent children from reliving past trauma. Topics such as children's rights, positive discipline and managing stress are included in the training."

Through other programs such as karate, dance, hairstyling and massage therapy, children learn occupational skills that will potentially benefit them when they reach adulthood.

Yokota's involvement in the welfare of Filipino children in impoverished communities and rehabilitation facilities stems from his administrative work in camps following his 1994 trip to Zambales province, located north of Manila, at the age of 17.

At the time, the area was still reeling from the effects of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991, and Yokota saw the need to rehabilitate the families and communities, especially the children, including at an orphanage he visited.

Yokota's passion for helping led him to establish ACTION in Tokyo that same year and he was able to mobilize Japanese youth to help in the improvement of residential care facilities and communities in the area. The NPO's activities were initially concentrated in Zambales but were later expanded to cover some areas in Metro Manila.

Today, ACTION says it aims to create a suitable environment for children to achieve their goals and maximize their potential, which it strives to do through its programs directly catering to children and to people caring for children in residential care facilities and communities.

In December, the NPO was honored by the social welfare department for its outstanding contributions as an outside support agency in the Philippines.

"I would like us to become an organization that can be recognized as a safety net for children in residential care facilities and youth rehabilitation facilities," Yokota said.

"When children face various difficulties in their lives, we want them to see ACTION as an option to escape poverty," he added. "I want them to feel that there are adults who will not betray them."

Related coverage:

FEATURE: Man fills void in rural Japan city by opening movie theater

FEATURE: Wife of slain foster home head still fighting for truth 5 years on

FEATURE: New families sought for children with disabilities via adoption
Finnish minister says now is not the time to discuss gun laws after child shooting

By Anne Kauranen

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland already has quite "strict" firearms legislation and now is not the right time to discuss tightening it, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said, following a school shooting this week in which a 12-year-old boy shot three classmates.

A 12-year-old boy on Tuesday brought a relative's revolver to Viertola school near Helsinki, shot dead a fellow sixth-grader and severely injured two others.

Finnish interior ministry data show there are more than 1.5 million licensed firearms and about 430,000 licence holders in the nation of 5.6 million people, where hunting and target shooting are popular pastimes.

Finland's rate of civilian firearms per capita was the highest among European Union countries, a study by Small Arms Survey found in 2018, but Rantanen said the high number of guns does not make Finland "a gun violent country".

"The police investigation is in its early stages, and even if they make swift progress, this is by no means the right time to comment on whether we should tighten our gun legislation," Rantanen told Reuters late on Thursday, adding that the time for political conclusions would come later.

The permit for the .22 calibre revolver used in Tuesday's attack belonged to a relative of the suspect, police said, adding this kind of gun is typically used in target shooting.

Gun owners are required by law to keep their weapons locked away.

RESERVISTS

The number of shooting practitioners has increased in Finland since neighbouring Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Finland's defence is built on conscription which is compulsory for all men, and reservists are encouraged to practise shooting to maintain their skills.

In Finland's four-party, right-wing coalition Rantanen represents the nationalist Finns Party, which has opposed stricter gun laws, and she said her party's line had not changed.

There have been no major calls from opposition parties to tighten gun legislation since Tuesday's shooting.

Finland will continue to ensure that reservists can practise shooting and to protect shooting and hunting as pastimes as they have a long history in the country, Rantanen said.

"I can say generally of our gun legislation that it is quite good and strict to begin with, but then there is the question whether it is abided by," she said.

The chairman of the Finnish parliament's defence committee, Jukka Kopra of the National Coalition Party, echoed Rantanen's words, saying discussing gun laws now would be "artificial".

"We need to explore ways to help young people and prevent them from doing such things in the future," Kopra told Reuters.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Editing by Gareth Jones)
The First Black-Owned Childrens Bookstore In Raleigh Forced To Shut Down Due To Death Threats And Hate Mail

The First Black-Owned Childrens Bookstore In Raleigh Forced To Shut Down Due To Death Threats And Hate Mail | Photo: Maurizio Siani via Getty Images

Liberation Station, the Black-owned childrens book store in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, is being forced to shut down after nearly a year in business  during which the store received numerous death threats.

As Blavity previously reported, Victoria Scott-Miller, a Black entrepreneur, opened Liberation Station alongside her husband, Duane Miller, in June 2023. They celebrated the brick-and-mortar location being a hub for Black children where they can see themselves represented in literature books.

However, several months after opening, Victoria said her family began receiving death threats. On Monday, she shared a post from the bookstores official Instagram account, explaining to her followers why the beloved childrens store will soon close.

Since September, weve faced numerous threats following the opening of our store. Some we brushed off, while others included a disturbing phone call detailing what our son Langston wore when he was at the shop alone, Victoria wrote in the posts caption.

In response, weve been strategizing within our means to avoid being targeted. This has involved frequently changing our operating hours, generating content after hours, and taking turns between my husband and me to oversee the store. Despite the challenges, our bookstore has brought immense joy, and weve been determined not to become another headline of controversy. Weve worked tirelessly to create a safe space not just for our community but for our own family as well, she continued.

In January, when another tenant approached us about a potential move, we reached out to our landlord to inquire where this information originated. When we explained our concerns about the threats wed been receiving, instead of offering assistance, we were informed that our unit would be showcased to potential new tenants leading up to our potential departure, she said.

Despite having to close its doors, Victoria said this will not be the end of Liberation Station. She vowed to continue her mission to provide her community with books to educate the youth.

This response unfortunately echoes the encounters weve faced since we embarked on this journey, one that has exacerbated since being downtown. The significance of our location cannot be understated, as it serves as a vital access point that we must carefully consider. While April 30th will mark our departure from 208 Fayetteville St, it certainly wont mark the end of Liberation Station Bookstore. There is so much more work to be done, Victoria concluded.

News One reported that Liberation Station will continue operating as a business until April 13, after which all inventory will be donated to local nonprofit charities.
First lady Jill Biden traveling to St. Louis next week

ST. LOUIS  First lady Jill Biden will travel to St. Louis next week for a fundraising event for her husbands re-election campaign.

Dr. Biden will arrive at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Monday afternoon.

Shell deliver remarks at an event for the Biden Victory Fund.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
This handout photo provided by World Relief shows emergency food being distributed by World Food Programme (WFP) and World Relief in Kulbus, West Darfur, Sudan, end of March 2024. The United Nations said Friday, April 5, 2024, it has begun distributing food in Sudans war-ravaged Darfur province for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border operations, but the population still faces widespread starvation unless more help arrives. (World Relief via AP)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  The United Nations said Friday it has begun distributing food in Sudans restive western Darfur region for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border deliveries in March, but the population still faces widespread hunger unless more help arrives.

The yearlong conflict between military and paramilitary forces in Sudan is causing one of the world's worst hunger crisis. About a third of the country's population, or 18 million people, face acute hunger, the U.N. food agency says, with the most desperate trapped behind the front lines. They include 5 million who face starvation, the U.N.s World Food Program has said.

In Darfur, where some of the worst fighting is underway, the situation is particularly severe.

Two aid convoys crossed the border from Chad into Sudan in late March, the WFP said, adding that it has been unable to schedule further shipments. The current deliveries are expected to reach about 250,000 people and last for a month.

Hunger in Sudan will only increase as the lean season starts in just a few weeks. I fear that we will see unprecedented levels of starvation and malnutrition sweep across Sudan, said the WFP's top envoy to Sudan, Eddie Rowe.

The U.N. warned in March that some 222,000 children could die from malnutrition in the coming months unless aid needs are urgently met. The U.N. appeal for $2.7 billion for Sudan was less than 5% funded as of last month.

Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April last year when clashes erupted in the capital, Khartoum, between the countrys military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary group known as Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting quickly spread across the nation, especially urban areas but also the restive western Darfur region. Thousands of people have been killed, including between 10,000 and 15,000 people, when paramilitary forces and allied Arab militias rampaged through a Darfur town last year.

The fighting in Darfur, with brutal attacks from the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces on ethnic African civilians, is reviving fears of another genocide, back in the early 2000s, when as many as 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes, many by government-backed Arab militias.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court say there are grounds to believe both sides in the conflict are committing war crimes.

The Sudan war is also spilling into neighboring countries. More than half a million new refugees from Sudan have arrived in Chad, bringing the total population of refugees there to 1.1 million, the U.N. said in March. The arrivals have strained resources among the existing refugee population there.

A U.N. spokesperson told The Associated Press on Friday that aid for all refugees in Chad is set to run out soon.

Were just distributing the final aid we have and once thats finished, as it stands right now, all distributions will stop, said the spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  The former San Diego Metropolitan Transit System employee who accused Nathan Fletcher of sexual misconduct said during a hearing on Friday she is very close to securing new counsel after parting ways with her second set of attorneys last month.

Grecia Figueroa filed to substitute her counsel in favor of self-representation on March 22, days before discovery hearings were slated to begin in the lead up to a trial next year. She later explained this was an interim measure while she sought out new representation.

Details about why she dropped her last attorney, Jessica Pride, were not provided, although it seemed to be somewhat of an amicable split with the lawyer appearing at several hearings last week as a courtesy.

Timeline: Unfolding of the Nathan Fletcher scandal

On Friday, Figueroa told the judge hearing the case, Matthew Branner, that Fletchers decision to pursue a defamation counterclaim last week put a bit of a snag in her conversations with a new attorney she is hoping would represent her.

However, she did say she was hopeful by the next scheduled discovery hearing on April 26 to have the lawyer on board. Branner did express a bit of uneasiness at that timeline, given that the hearing will be on motions filed by her former counsel.

I am expecting the new lawyer to be up to speed on those motions, he said. The first thing that person ought to do is call counsel to talk about scheduling and see if theres any way to resolve any of these issues.

Proceedings around Figueroas lawsuit have been riddled by delays since it was filed last year, mostly over issues about what documents and other evidence should be included in the scope of the case.

The former Supervisors attorneys have accused Figueroa of causing these improper delays multiple times in the process of document disclosure, including at least one attempt to get over $10,000 in legal penalties against her due to these issues.

At least one of these hurdles, a subpoena sought by Fletcher to Meta Platforms, Inc., was cleared by the court last Thursday. In a tentative ruling ahead of the hearing, Branner agreed that certain steps Figueroas previous attorneys had taken appeared to be a delay tactic.

The hearing last week came one day after his attorneys accused Figueroa of destroying evidence, prompting Branner to place a temporary restraining order on her cell phone.

Figueroas now-former attorneys have pushed back at these claims by Fletcher in court filings, saying that she had been working to produce all documents and evidence requested by his counsel as quickly as possible.

Figueroas bombshell lawsuit against Fletcher and MTS stems from at least two instances of alleged sexual assault by the former Supervisor while he was serving as chairman of the MTS Board of Directors, before she was then fired by the transit agency.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Fletcher stepped down as the MTS chairman and announced his resignation from the Board of Supervisors, effective after a stint in an out-of-state rehabilitation center for treatment of substance abuse and post-traumatic stress.

Fletcher has denied the allegations of sexual assault, but did admit to an intimate relationship with Figueroa that he described as consensual.

Fletcher files defamation countersuit against accuser in sexual assault case

His attorneys have pursued messages between the two of them since, with a batch released in January and again in his defamation suit filed last month that appeared to show at least some degree of a reciprocal relationship online.

As far as MTS goes, the transit agency has also held that Figueroas firing had nothing to do with her allegations against Fletcher, which officials have said they did not know about until after her termination was initiated. An MTS-requested independent investigation affirmed those claims that her firing was not a result of retaliation, rather due to issues with her performance.

It is unclear at this time how Figueroas change of counsel may impact the timeline of when her case may head to trial, given the extra three weeks she was given by the court on Friday. As it is currently scheduled, the trial is supposed to begin in February 2025.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Flight to Alaska Turns Back to Hawaii After First Class Lavatory Sink Floods Cabin with 4 Inches of Water

The incident caused flight attendants to mop up the water with stacks of paper towels

Getty Images Stock image of view inside a plane

A flight traveling from Hawaii to Alaska had to turn back after a bathroom sink soaked the aircraft's floor.

Alaska Airlines Flight 828 departed from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport at 10:16 p.m., on Friday, March 29, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.

The Boeing 737 Max 9 jet was headed to Anchorage when "an issue with water from the lavatory sink shortly after takeoff" occurred, the airline said in a statement to PEOPLE.

On-flight video footage captured by passenger Dustin Parker and shared with Alaska News Source showed flight attendants using paper towels to soak up the water that had traveled throughout the center aisle.

Related: Alaska Airlines Flight Arrives at Portland Airport with Open Cargo Door and Pets Inside

There was probably two to four inches of standing water that swooshed out as soon as you opened that front door of the lavatory," Parker told the outlet. "I would say an hour and a half into the flight is when we noticed the water and it was significant. The entire floorboards of that airplane [were] completely wet.

FlightAware data shows that the plane was in the air for two hours and 18 minutes, traveling only 842 miles of its 2,783-mile flight before heading back to Honolulu.

Alaska Airlines told PEOPLE that the aircraft arrived safely at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport around 12:30 a.m.

"Unfortunately, due to a lack of available aircraft for a swap, the flight had to be canceled. We promptly reaccommodated our guests on alternative flights. We apologize to our guests for the inconvenience this caused and commend the crew for their actions to ensure the well-being and comfort of our guests," their statement added.

Frontpoint/Getty Stock image of seats on an airplane

Related: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun Will Step Down Following a Series of Safety Issues

The incident occurred days after the airline issued a statement regarding its use of Boeing airplanes.

"For nearly 60 years, Alaska Airlines has flown Boeing airplanes. We share more than a hometown with Boeing; we share a passion for flying and a commitment to safety," the Monday, March 25 statement read.

"We know the people behind the planes, who have dedicated their careers over these decades to make air travel better and safer. Alaska Airlines is committed to Boeing, and we will do everything we can to contribute to the critical work under way to ensure excellence in production quality and safety," the airline continued.

In early January, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which was using a 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft, had to make an emergency landing after a door plug detached mid-flight.

Stephen Brashear/Getty Image of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While Alaska Airlines' fleet of 737-9s was grounded following the incident, the FAA cleared them to return for service later that same month. The incident, however, also launched a criminal investigation and caused three of the passengers to sue the airline and Boeing for $1 billion.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
The potential fallout from Floridas looming six-week abortion ban is likely to reverberate across the entire country, and abortion access groups are preparing for an imminent crisis.

The state Supreme Courts ruling Monday to uphold the current 15-week ban and allow a six-week ban to take effect May 1 will effectively shut off abortion access in the South, where neighboring states already enforce near-total abortion bans or severe restrictions.

There were 84,000 abortions performed in Florida last year, including thousands for women who needed to travel from out of state, according to state data.

Come May 1, almost all of those women will need to find somewhere else to go.

The Southeast cant absorb that number with the clinics that are available, said Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

Floridas new law will be one of the most restrictive in the country and effectively amount to a complete ban: Six weeks gestation is before many women know they are pregnant, and the state will still require two in-person visits with the abortion provider 24 hours apart.

The state also bans doctors from prescribing abortion pills through telemedicine, requiring them to be dispensed in-person by a physician. The new law includes exceptions for rape and incest but requires anyone claiming those exceptions to provide a copy of a police report, medical record or court order.

Advocates warn the law will shutter clinics and force women to travel hundreds of miles across state lines  if they can afford it. Travel is a significant barrier for low-income women, who may wind up carrying their pregnancy to term regardless of complications.

For people living in the southern part of the Sunshine State, the closest clinic where someone can get an abortion after six weeks is in Charlotte, N.C., an 11-hour drive from Miami.

North Carolina bans abortion after 12 weeks and six days of gestation, while also requiring a 72-hour waiting period. For someone experiencing a pregnancy complication beyond 12 weeks, the closest states are likely Virginia or Illinois.

People who need abortions will not have them with this ban. I think thats just inevitable, said McKenna Kelley, a board member with the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund.

Were cutting off the remaining place that people could go to access abortion in the Southeast. And I think thats going to have really negative consequences.

Abortion fund organizations, which help people cover expenses for abortions, and providers like Planned Parenthood said they have been planning for the state to trigger a six-week ban for more than a year.

But still, advocates said there just isnt capacity elsewhere to handle the expected influx of people needing care.

People are absolutely going to be left behind, said Stephanie Loraine Pineiro, executive director of the Florida Access Network. The reality is, theres no amount of resources that could adequately fund the travel and support that people needing to leave their community for abortion care will need.

The end of Roe v. Wade made abortion care much more expensive, as the patchwork of state policies has forced people to travel further than before. Loraine Pineiro said the current 15-week ban has stretched her fund so thin that it only serves Florida residents.

Florida Access Network has helped fund abortions for women both inside and outside the state since 1996. After the 15-week ban was imposed in 2022, just before Roe was overturned, the fund experienced a 235 percent increase in requests for support.

We were being bombarded with requests from people all over the South, and as an organization based in Florida, the decision was, like, we need to focus on our community in Florida, Loraine Pineiro said.

Serra Sippel, interim executive director of The Brigid Alliance, a national abortion fund that prioritizes helping women who are at least 15 weeks pregnant, said they helped more than 195 women and girls from Florida travel out of state in 2023. The average cost to travel for care was roughly $3,000, and the average distance traveled per person was about 1,800 miles round-trip, Sippel said.

Democratic-led states that protect abortion have seen a surge in traffic since Roe fell, and advocates in Florida and elsewhere are predicting further strain on those resources.

Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said she is anticipating spending at least $100,000 more per month to be able to sustain the coming surge.

We have not turned anyone away in almost five years, but we are very close to having to scale down or turn people away based on this ruling, Jeyifo said.

Jeyifo noted Illinois has loosened restrictions and expanded protections for patients and providers, but the challenge now is money.

Weve created these conditions in our state for so-called health care refugees. But our biggest concern right now is that we will not have the funding to pay for them, and then it will only be people of means who have the ability to travel out of state, to access care, to actually get to care, Jeyifo said.

Advocates in Florida and across the country are hopeful that voters will turn out in November to pass a ballot measure legalizing abortion in the state up to the point of viability.

But Floridians will be living with the six-week ban for seven months by the time the election occurs. Even if the measure passes, it wouldnt take effect until January.

Jeyifo said shes frustrated to hear people talk about the politics of the ballot measure  which Democrats say may help mobilize voters  rather than about the people who are going to be most impacted by the strict abortion ban.

Were seeing glee from so many people, you know, Were going to have a ballot amendment, Floridas back in play now! And thats going to be on the backs of people for at least the next nine months that will not be able to access common essential lifesaving, life-affirming health care, Jeyifo said.

What about the people who are going to be suffering throughout this process? You know, is anyone paying attention to them?

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(The Hill)  The potential fallout from Floridas looming six-week abortion ban is likely to reverberate across the entire country, and abortion access groups are preparing for an imminent crisis.

The state Supreme Courts ruling Monday to uphold the current 15-week ban and allow a six-week ban to take effect May 1 will effectively shut off abortion access in the South, where neighboring states already enforce near-total abortion bans or severe restrictions.

There were 84,000 abortions performed in Florida last year, including thousands for women who needed to travel from out of state, according to state data.

Come May 1, almost all of those women will need to find somewhere else to go.

The Southeast cant absorb that number with the clinics that are available, said Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

Floridas new law will be one of the most restrictive in the country and effectively amount to a complete ban. Six weeks gestation is before many women know they are pregnant, and the state will still require two in-person visits with the abortion provider 24 hours apart.

Did Oregon pull the plug too soon on drug decriminalization?

The state also bans doctors from prescribing abortion pills through telemedicine, requiring them to be dispensed in person by a physician. The new law includes exceptions for rape and incest but requires anyone claiming those exceptions to provide a copy of a police report, medical record or court order.

Advocates warn the law will shutter clinics and force women to travel hundreds of miles across state lines  if they can afford it. Travel is a significant barrier for low-income women, who may wind up carrying their pregnancy to term regardless of complications.

For people living in the southern part of the Sunshine State, the closest clinic where someone can get an abortion after six weeks is in Charlotte, N.C., an 11-hour drive from Miami.

North Carolina bans abortion after 12 weeks and six days of gestation, while also requiring a 72-hour waiting period. For someone experiencing a pregnancy complication beyond 12 weeks, the closest states are likely Virginia or Illinois.

People who need abortions will not have them with this ban. I think thats just inevitable, said McKenna Kelley, a board member with the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund.

Were cutting off the remaining place that people could go to access abortion in the Southeast. And I think thats going to have really negative consequences.

Abortion fund organizations, which help people cover expenses for abortions, and providers like Planned Parenthood said they have been planning for the state to trigger a six-week ban for more than a year.

But still, advocates said there just isnt capacity elsewhere to handle the expected influx of people needing care.

People are absolutely going to be left behind, said Stephanie Loraine Pineiro, executive director of the Florida Access Network. The reality is, theres no amount of resources that could adequately fund the travel and support that people needing to leave their community for abortion care will need.

The end of Roe v. Wade made abortion care much more expensive, as the patchwork of state policies has forced people to travel further than before. Loraine Pineiro said the current 15-week ban has stretched her fund so thin that it only serves Florida residents.

Florida Access Network has helped fund abortions for women both inside and outside the state since 1996. But after the 15-week ban was imposed in 2022, just before Roe was overturned, the fund experienced a 235 percent increase in requests for support.

We were being bombarded with requests from people all over the South, and as an organization based in Florida, the decision was, like, we need to focus on our community in Florida, Loraine Pineiro said.

Serra Sippel, interim executive director of The Brigid Alliance, a national abortion fund that prioritizes helping women who are at least 15 weeks pregnant, said they helped more than 195 women and girls from Florida travel out of state in 2023. The average cost to travel for care was roughly $3,000, and the average distance traveled per person was around 1,800 miles roundtrip, Sippel said.

Democratic-led states that protect abortion have seen a surge in traffic since Roe fell, and advocates in Florida and elsewhere are predicting further strain on those resources.

Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said she is anticipating spending at least $100,000 more per month to be able to sustain the coming surge.

We have not turned anyone away in almost five years, but we are very close to having to scale down or turn people away based on this ruling, Jeyifo said.

Judge rejects groups attempt to open safe injection site in Philadelphia

Jeyifo noted Illinois has loosened restrictions and expanded protections for patients and providers, but the challenge now is money.

Weve created these conditions in our state for so-called health care refugees. But our biggest concern right now is that we will not have the funding to pay for them, and then it will only be people of means who have the ability to travel out of state, to access care, to actually get to care, Jeyifo said.

Advocates in Florida and across the country are hopeful that voters will turn out in November to pass a ballot measure legalizing abortion in the state up to the point of viability.

But Floridians will be living with the six-week ban for seven months by the time the election occurs. Even if the measure passes, it wouldnt take effect until January.

Jeyifo said shes frustrated to hear people talk about the politics of the ballot measure  which Democrats say may help mobilize voters  rather than about the people who are going to be most impacted by the strict abortion ban.

Were seeing glee from so many people, you know, were going to have a ballot amendment, Floridas back in play now! And thats going to be on the backs of people for at least the next nine months that will not be able to access common essential lifesaving, life-affirming health care, Jeyifo said.

What about the people who are going to be suffering throughout this process? You know, is anyone paying attention to them?

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 6, 2024 - 00:38 | All, World

The U.S. and Chinese militaries held talks on air and maritime operational safety for the first time since 2021, the Pentagon said Friday, as Washington and Beijing continue efforts to ease tensions and keep their rivalry under control.

The two-day meeting through Thursday took place in Hawaii, based on an agreement reached between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in mid-November near San Francisco to reopen direct military-to-military talks at several levels, according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

The talks of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working group were held between representatives from the command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Pacific Air Forces and their Chinese military counterparts.

According to the U.S. command, the representatives reviewed some specific safety-related cases over the last few years and discussed how best to ensure "maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism."

"The United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific wherever international law allows, and we take this responsibility seriously," Army Col. Ian Francis, the command's director of Northeast Asia affairs, said in a statement.

Francis, who headed the U.S. delegation, added that "open, direct, and clear communications" with the Chinese military, as well as with all other forces in the region, "is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication."

The United States and China last held talks under the framework, dating back to 1998, in December 2021, meeting virtually.

Despite numerous areas of contention, the two world powers have recognized the need to prevent competition from turning into direct conflict.

High-level military communication channels had been closed since Beijing shut them down to protest a visit to Taiwan made in August 2022 by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and often engages in shows of force by sending warships and fighter jets near the self-ruled democratic island.

Since the Biden-Xi summit, according to senior U.S. officials, the number of unsafe military interactions between the United States and China has reduced significantly.

But the Chinese military continues to be aggressive against Taiwan as well as the Philippines in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire body of water.

Related coverage:

U.S.-Japan alliance upgrade needed amid "more assertive China": envoy

Janet Yellen voices concern about EV overproduction to China's vice premier
TALLAHASSEE  The landmark Florida Supreme Court decisions to allow a six-week ban on abortion to take effect in a month but also let voters decide whether to guarantee access to abortion have given Democrats a sliver of hope that the state could be winnable this presidential election year.

Democrats see a path forward they havent seen in years, bolstered by the strategy of attacking former President Donald Trump on abortion.

They anticipate party members will come out in record numbers to vote to overturn the six-week ban and make abortion legal for up to 24 weeks. And leaders believe they also will come out to vote on an amendment to allow adults to buy and smoke recreational marijuana.

And theres the added attraction of Trump on the ticket again.

Its huge. Its a perfect trifecta of issues to get people off the couch and to the ballot box, said Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Broward County. He predicted a record turnout in November.

The Supreme Courts ruling to allow the abortion amendment also signals DeSantis waning power since dropping out of the GOP presidential primary, Jarvis said.

He had a tremendous amount of control over the court with five appointees that share his conservative political views, Jarvis said. Is he going to care? Is he going to stay engaged or will he be upset that his Supreme Court didnt deliver?

One of the justices, Charles Canady, is married to Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, one of the two main sponsors of the six-week abortion ban. Canady, not a DeSantis appointee, voted to allow the amendment on the ballot and to let the six-week ban take effect.

DeSantis five appointees were divided: Justices John D. Couriel and Carlos Muniz voted to place the abortion amendment on the ballot. Justices Renatha Francis, Meredith Sasso and Jamie Grosshans voted against putting the amendment on the ballot.

Voters will get to decide in November under Floridas merit retention system whether Francis and Sasso should stay on the bench.

Even so, Republicans, who maintain a huge advantage of almost 1 million registered voters, are planning to push back with everything theyve got and by appealing to voters with more moderate views on abortion.

It is extreme in its scope. It is the product of, really, abortion-rights activists who have crafted this well beyond where most Floridians will find themselves, including Floridians who would consider themselves pro-choice, said House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. When you dig into this amendment, they would find it to be far, far more extreme than anything else in the country or even around the world.

Renner and Attorney General Ashley Moody say the amendment could allow on-demand, full-term abortions, an allegation that advocates deny. The amendment doesnt provide a specific time limit on abortions, but it is assumed to ban them after 24 weeks, after which most doctors agree a fetus can be considered viable.

The ballot language says in part that No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the speaker and bill sponsors are just tone deaf.

Continuing to highlight their extreme, dangerous positions  will ultimately hurt them because the people of Florida overwhelmingly dont support these policies, Eskamani said. This doesnt reflect the opinion of most Floridians.

The Yes on 4 group behind the abortion petition collected more than a million signatures to earn a place on the November ballot. A Pew Research Center poll shows 56% of Floridians think abortion should be legal in most or all cases, a survey that included Democrats, Republicans and independents.

That same politically diverse coalition will ensure Florida remains a beacon of freedom in the South, said Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, and the last Democrat to win statewide office in 2018. Florida voters understand that voting yes on Amendment 4 in November is our last line of defense.

The amendment must get 60% of the vote to be adopted.

Until Mondays 6-1 ruling in the case regarding the six-week ban, Floridians had one of the most ironclad protections for abortion due to its privacy clause. But the Supreme Court decision undid decades of case law and legal precedence by saying the privacy clause didnt apply to abortion, even though the people who pushed for it said that is exactly what it was intended to protect.

Democrats blame Trumps three appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court for helping to overturn Roe V. Wade two years ago, which took away the national right to abortion and placed access into the hands of each state.

That made it easier for the Florida Supreme Court to rule the states privacy clause did not protect a womans right to an abortion.

In the past, Trump has proudly owned his part in ending national protections for abortion rights.

But asked Wednesday by a reporter in Michigan whether he supported the six-week ban, Trump replied that hed be making a statement on abortion next week.

A year ago, Trump called Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to sign the six-week ban into law a big mistake.

DeSantis signed the six-week ban into law in the middle of the night without a public ceremony and largely refused to talk about it as he campaigned for president. Asked if he supported a nationwide ban on abortion, he would avoid answering the question.

He also has avoided discussing the Supreme Courts decisions this week despite several public appearances.

The Biden campaign this week put out a new ad in Florida attacking Trump on his views on abortion, part of its $30 million campaign targeting voters in battleground states.

The ad starts with a clip of Trump saying, For 54 years theyve been trying to terminate Roe v. Wade, and I did it. And Im proud to have done it.

Biden says in the ad that Trump ran in 2016 to overturn Roe v. Wade, and now hes running to pass a national ban on a womans right to choose.

He ends by saying he wants to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again so women nationwide have a guaranteed right to choose.

Donald Trump doesnt trust women, Biden says. I do.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign manager, said Trump will do everything in his power to try to enact an abortion ban if reelected.

She said his agenda is out of step with 80% of Americans who oppose a nationwide ban. Two of three voters said abortion would be an important issue in the 2024 election, she added.

Were clear-eyed about how hard it will be to win Florida, but we also know that Trump doesnt have it in the bag, Rodriguez said during a news conference with reporters.

She also said that his campaign was disorganized and running out of money.

It was Donald Trump who enabled Republican extremists to pass draconian bans  like the one that just got upheld in Florida  that are hurting women and threatening doctors, said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Biden-Harris 2024 National Advisory Board member. Make no mistake, reproductive freedom is on the ballot this November.

_____
A new Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed Florida law could force Gainesville to forbid people from sleeping on public property.

The anti-public camping bill, heralded by state Republicans and DeSantis, will prohibit municipalities from allowing camping on public property. It will instead force municipalities to provide a designated specific public space for camping along with mental health resources, bathrooms and security.

Proponents of the legislation, including DeSantis, see it as a way to ensure homeless people have the resources needed to get back on their feet, while creating cleaner and safer streets. Critics say the law, which goes into effect Oct. 1, unfairly targets and harms a vulnerable population.

We have decades of evidence that shows that tickets and jails don't do anything to get people off of the street, said Jon DeCarmine, executive director of Grace Marketplace. I don't expect this bill to have any positive impact on vulnerable people who are on the streets. To the contrary, it is very likely to make both their lives more difficult and life more difficult for the communities that are now trying to interpret this law in some way.

After the clearing of a homeless camp at nearby Paisley Lynch Dog Park, tents began popping up on a sidewalk across the street on Southeast Fourth Place in Gainesville, Fla.

More: Alachua County homeless service providers at risk of losing significant funding

More: City commissioners reallocate $700,000 to homeless services, address downtown encampment

In February Gainesville officials largely cleared out a homeless encampment on Southeast Fourth Place, tagging peoples belongings with notices that they needed to move from public right-of-ways or their property would be removed by city staff.

At the time, city staff was able to ask people to move from sidewalks and roads, but not other public areas. This new law, however, would have forced them to do so.

In response to concerns over the growing encampment, commissioners also voted to allocate $700,000 to help curb homelessness in the city. The money has gone toward creating 10 new shelter beds at Grace Marketplace, with 10 more being created in the coming months.

The issue that pops up most often is when people can't or won't come into shelter, DeCarmine said. Then we need to start looking at other arrangements like street outreach services, direct housing placements, or any other opportunities to get somebody off the street and into housing.

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward said it is still unclear what exactly this new law will mean for the city. He pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up a case from Oregon and will rule on whether a local government can make it illegal to sleep outside when adequate alternative shelter is not available.

Floridas law, notably, will not ticket unhoused people, but rather the municipalities for allowing them to sleep in undesignated public areas.

I don't want to make guesses at what the court is likely to do and exactly how that will work with this new law. Like many of the things that we've seen come through the Florida Legislature over the last two years, it's not particularly clear, Ward said. It makes some broad assumptions and some broad requirements but leaves a lot up in the air.

Some points of uncertainty Ward pointed out are the extent to which the county will be involved, and the fact that these designated camping sites will not allow drugs or alcohol despite the prevalence of them among chronically unhoused people with mental health conditions.

He said he hopes to get clarity soon on the questions he finds unanswered in the law.

I hope to actually speak with the representative who brought it forward because I don't think anybody had ill intent with this, I'm not starting from that position, Ward said. I think that they probably just didn't coordinate with first responders who had experience in these areas and with local lawmakers who had experience in these areas, because if they had, they would have written this bill differently.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: City may soon prohibit sleeping on public property due to new law
Florida schools ponder how long they can continue free meals for all

The big story: Students across Florida and the nation began receiving free school breakfast and lunch during the pandemic.

Though the format for funding the cafeteria meals changed in the ensuing years, many districts continued the service. At least one is finding it difficult to keep up with the costs.

Pasco County school district officials said a perfect storm of rising prices, shrinking subsidies and fewer purchases of ala carte items has them reconsidering their participation in the program. Read more here.

Hot topics

Autism awareness: Families are contemplating whether to leave their Palm Beach County private church school after its pastor canceled Autism Awareness Week activities, calling them demonic, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Bus rides: The Hillsborough County school district is working to fill about 200 bus driver vacancies, WFTS reports.  Several Miami-Dade County parents are upset after 13 children were left behind at a field trip, WSVN reports.

Charter conversion: Alachua County residents have several unanswered questions about a proposal to convert three schools into charters, including the fate of the school meals program, the Gainesville Sun reports.

Employee discipline: Two Leon County high school employees were fired amid allegations they provided alcohol to minor students during a cheerleader travel trip, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

School closures: The Duval County school board wants to hear more public input as it decides which schools to close because of capacity concerns, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Student protests: Students have ended their 17-day hunger strike protesting the University of South Floridas investment strategies, after some of the participants fell ill.

Year-round schooling: The Alachua County school board has tabled discussion of moving two schools to a year-round academic calendar, Main Street Daily News reports.

From the court docket ... A North Carolina judge denied Florida State Universitys motion to dismiss a lawsuit the Atlantic Coast Conference has filed against the school.

Dont miss a story. Heres a link to yesterdays roundup.

Before you go ... Enjoy alternate takes of classics? Check out this ska version of Duke Ellingtons Caravan.
The husband of Floridas Senate president died after falling while the couple were hiking in Utah on Monday, according to a memo sent to her colleagues on Wednesday. John Passidomo was 72.

A real estate lawyer and former vice mayor of Naples, Passidomo fell and suffered massive trauma to his head, among other very serious injuries, Sen. Dennis Baxley, the Florida Senates president pro tempore, said in the memo.

Baxley noted that Passidomo and his wife, President Kathleen Passidomo (R), were law school sweethearts looking forward to celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary in September.

With great sadness, President Pro Tempore Baxley provided the following update on behalf of President Passidomo. 



Please join us in praying the grace and peace of God, our Father, our hope and comfort in times of distress, will be with the President.https://t.co/dnWZlp9Qcj pic.twitter.com/5AuClmuXA7  Florida Senate (@FLSenate) April 3, 2024

The trip to visit several national parks in Utah was one of many great adventures they shared during five decades together, Baxley said. Their last few days together were marked by many special moments, beautiful scenery, and wonderful reflections on their lifetime.

After his fall in Bryce Canyon National Park, Passidomo was airlifted to a regional trauma center, where Sen. Passidomo was told he would not survive. Their three daughters quickly flew out to Utah, and were with him when he died, Baxley said.

The senator added that Sen. Passidomo had lost the love of her life, and is absolutely devastated by this sudden and unexpected accident.

Funeral plans would be forthcoming, according to Baxley. He asked his colleagues to join him in prayer for Sen. Passidomo and her family during this unimaginable time of sorrow, and in the difficult weeks and months ahead.

In addition to serving as vice mayor of the city of Naples from 1990 to 1992, Passidomo was a city council member, and served stints chairing both the Community Foundation of Collier County and the Economic Development Council of Collier County.

Former state Sen. Garrett Richter (R) told the Tallahassee Democrat on Thursday that the Passidomos were two of the finest people that ever stepped foot in Collier County and walked among our community.

Sen. Passidomo, 70, is a former city council member herself, and served as a state representative from 2010 to 2016. She has represented Floridas 28th District since 2016, and was elected president of the state Senate in 2021.

The Florida Legislature closed its 2024 session on March 8.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Forecast for South Jersey calls for some sun, breezy conditions on Friday, April 5

The turbulent weather which has settled over parts of South Jersey all week will continue on Friday, April 5, as the mixed-bag forecast calls for early sun leading to afternoon clouds and an overall chilly day.

If youre getting ready to head out for the day or just want to know what to expect, heres a look at the forecast from the National Weather Service.

Whats the weather in South Jersey?

While the rain has mostly moved out of South Jersey, people will now have to contend with chilly conditions and below-average temperatures on Friday, said Alex Dodd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"There will be breaks of sun Friday morning, but otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy and chilly," Dodd said. "It will be more blustery than Thursday, and temperatures will struggle to get up to 50 degrees.

"There may even be a pop-up shower later Friday afternoon," Dodd added. "Any showers will be brief. There will be a little bit of a breeze, with occasional gusts over 20 mph, but nothing too serious."

South Jersey forecast

Dodd said weekend temps in South Jersey should begin to creep back to seasonal, and will trend a few degrees higher than temperatures in Bucks County and Philadelphia.

"It looks like high pressure is going to gradually build and take over through Sunday, so we will have a little bit of a breeze and it will be fairly cool on Saturday," Dodd said. "Temperatures should get into the upper 50s in the afternoon hours, because there will be less clouds.

"Sunday will be mostly sunny, with very light winds, and highs will finally be getting back to close to normal."

According to the National Weather Service's 7-day outlook for South Jersey, Sunday's temperatures should reach the up 50s.

No rain is expected in South Jersey through the weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures on Friday, April 5, should reach the low 50s in the Delaware Valley.

SJ forecast for Thurs., April 4 Forecast for South Jersey calls for some sun, then rain, hail for Thursday, April 4

Stay tuned for further updates as weather conditions may vary throughout the day. Remember to check back tomorrow for the latest weather forecast for the area.

Damon C. Williams covers trending and regional developments for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: What to expect from South Jersey weather on Friday, April 5
Solar Eclipse that will take place across parts of the United States and Canada on April 8, at Niagara Falls, New York

Solar Eclipse that will take place across parts of the United States and Canada on April 8, at Niagara Falls, New York

By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) - Cloudy skies forecast for Monday could spell disappointment for many of the millions of North Americans hoping to glimpse the continent's first total solar eclipse since 2017, possibly turning this spellbinding celestial phenomenon into a dud.

Some regions that more typically experience fair skies in April within the "path of totality" - the narrow corridor where the moon can be seen obscuring the entire face of the sun - appear to have the gloomiest weather outlook for Monday.

Much of Texas, considered prime eclipse-viewing territory by many traveling there for the occasion, was predicted in forecast models on Friday to have cloud cover of 60%-80% on eclipse day.

Parts of northern New England, by comparison, looked far more promising. The probability for clear skies was also improving across the middle Mississippi Valley and western Ohio Valley, including Indianapolis, according to the National Weather Service.

"I'm pretty disappointed," Gary Fine, 81, a retired photographer from Los Angeles who booked air fare and hotel reservations for Dallas several months ago, said on Friday as packed for his trip.

Fine briefly considered switching to a New England itinerary as forecasts of overcast conditions emerged in Texas, but he decided that was too costly and difficult. "We'll just go with our original plan and hope for the best," Fine said.

The reversal of fortune is attributed to a storm system moving through the U.S. upper Midwest and an associated cold front, according to Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, a branch of the weather service.

Seasonal climate patterns "would suggest that New England and the Ohio Valley would be cloudiest in April, and the southern part of the eclipse path would be the most clear. It just so happens with this weather system it's almost the exact opposite," Weiss said.

Where clear skies prevail, skywatchers along the direct path of the eclipse will be treated to the rare spectacle of the moon appearing as a dark orb creeping in front of the sun, briefly blocking out all but a brilliant halo of light, or corona, around the sun's outer edge.

The period of up to 4 1/2 minutes of totality in the sky will be ushered in by a number of other eerie eclipse effects.

Some stars will twinkle at midday as twilight abruptly descends, sending temperatures dipping and faint waves of "shadow bands" flickering over the landscape. Birds and other wildlife, reacting to the sudden darkness, may fall silent and still.

Fine, who said he had witnessed two other total solar eclipses in his lifetime, described the experience as "awe-inspiring" and "breathtaking."

Eclipse enthusiasts were expected to flock to cities and towns along a slender zone averaging about 115 miles (185 km) wide slicing through Mexico into Texas and across 14 other U.S. states, then into Quebec and four more provinces of Canada.

An estimated 31.6 million people live in the path of totality, compared with roughly 12 million in the last total solar eclipse that traversed the contiguous United States in August 2017, according to NASA.

But less-than-ideal weather forecasts have stirred anxiety for people who have made travel plans, some booking expensive airline and hotel reservations to get what they hoped would be the best possible view.

As of Friday, according to the Weather Prediction Center, clouds were most likely to impede U.S. viewing from Texas into Arkansas, and possibly in Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York. Overcast skies are likewise expected for much of Mexico.

The best chances of clear viewing in the U.S. lie in the northern corners of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as parts of Canada, and from southern Missouri to central Indiana, the center said.

Weiss also said the forecast would likely change by Monday, though current predictions leaning heavily one way or another will probably harden by then.

"I check it three of our times a day," Fine said of the Dallas weather forecast as he was packing for the trip.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Will Dunham)
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed former Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as his special envoy for Myanmar, a United Nations spokesperson said on Friday, as the country faces renewed violence.

Bishop, who was Australian foreign minister from 2013 to 2018, replaces Singaporean diplomat Noeleen Heyzer, who stepped down from the role in June last year.

Myanmar has been in crisis since the army took power from Aung Suu Kyi's elected government on Feb. 1, 2021.

The military is facing its biggest challenge since first taking power in the former British colony in 1962, fighting on multiple fronts to contain uprisings in several parts of the country and stabilize an economy that has wilted since the coup.

Myanmar is locked in a civil war between the military on one side and, on the other, a loose alliance of ethnic minority rebels and an armed resistance movement spawned out of the junta's bloody crackdown on anti-coup protests.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, editing by David Ljunggren and Richard Chang)
NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  A man from Anthony, New Mexico, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for a kidnapping that took place in 2021. Jeffrey Steven Clay, a former employee and school principal with the El Paso Independent School District, was sentenced after his May 2023 conviction on one count of kidnapping and one count of transportation for illegal sexual activity.

According to the indictment, in August 2021, Clay offered to give the victim a ride to her friends house in El Paso. Instead, Clay took the victim to his residence in Anthony, handcuffed her, beat her, and raped her. When Clay drove the victim away later that day, she escaped from the vehicle at a traffic light and ran to a convenience store for help.

Former Albuquerque Public Schools bus driver pleads guilty to three cold-case rapes

Once he is released from prison, Clay will face 10 years of supervised release and will have to register as a sex offender. The victim will have a restitution hearing in May.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill.  A Crystal Lake woman has pleaded guilty to conducting a mushroom grow operation.

Corinne Breskovich, 43, was sentenced to two years of felony probation. Several other charges against her have been dropped.

Police arrested Breskovich and her husband, Christopher Hopp, in February 2023 after allegedly finding drugs, guns, and child pornography in their home.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Sources: Crystal Lake couple, business owners charged after guns, drugs, child porn found in home

At the time, the couple had just purchased the Dairy Mart in Huntley, which they no longer own.

Hopp is set to be in court later this month. Court records obtained in February showed Hopp was charged with 15 counts, including production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, unauthorized videotaping, possession with intent to deliver psilocybin, unlawful possession of psilocybin, possession of a firearm with a revoked FOID, possession of a firearm without a valid FOID, possession of ammunition without a valid FOID, and child endangerment.

WGN-TV also confirmed through sources that Hopp allegedly videotaped a minor on multiple occasions in a home and the victim did not know she was being recorded while she was undressed in a bedroom and bathroom.

Read more: Latest Chicago news headline

Sources also told WGN-TV in February that investigators also found a psilocybin mushroom grow operation in the basement of the home. Investigators recovered more than 200 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin mushroom seeds, along with drug paraphernalia, including a scale, and several thousand in cash.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Autauga-Prattville Public Library Director Andrew Foster demonstrates how a magnifying machine works in the Alabama section of the library on Feb. 23, 2024. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)

The former director of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library sued the librarys governing board this week, alleging his termination came after the board violated Alabamas Open Meetings Act.

Andrew Fosters lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Autauga County Circuit Court, came just over two weeks after the Autauga-Prattville Public Library Board of Trustees fired him at a March 14 meeting. The claims, should they be proven valid in court, would invalidate decisions made and pave a path for Foster to be reinstated.

The motion to convene the March 14, 2024 executive session of the Board was made by Defendants without stating any purpose for the executive session, according to the first count of the lawsuit.

Foster asked the court to reinstate him, declare that the Open Meetings Act was violated and assess a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.

Christopher Weller, Fosters attorney, sent a letter to board members and board attorney Laura Clark on March 21 demanding that his client be reinstated as the librarys director, and that board chair Ray Boles and Clark apologize for correct, and retract statements that allegedly defamed Foster.

Clark has since been replaced as the librarys attorney in representing the library in suit related to Foster. She has also refused to retract statements she made about Foster in a response she sent March 26.

Both Foster and Weller said Boles requested Fosters resignation or face termination on March 14, accusing him of releasing confidential information to the public. Foster said he was responding to an open records request from a media outlet.

Wellers letter states that Boles became agitated during the meeting. He also asked Foster if he was recording the meeting. Foster said he was, and Boles then told him it was a major violation of the law.

Foster refused to sign a prepared letter of resignation after consulting with his attorney. Board members then moved to terminate him.

After meeting for about 20 minutes, the trustees returned to open session and proceeded to terminate Foster and adjourned the meeting. In a statement left for the press, the board accused Foster of sharing confidential information but also included an additional reason scrawled in pen, violation of criminal law, over the recording. Alabama is a one-party recording state and the board did not offer evidence of a crime being committed.

Fosters lawsuit alleges board members misstated the purpose of the meeting, which was supposed to be to discuss the character of an employee, but was instead a conversation about Fosters job performance.

It also alleged that members discussed matters in executive session that were not included in the motion to go into executive session, and that the board had already decided to end Fosters employment with the library even before convening the March 14 meeting. The proof, the complaint alleges, is in the statement that Boles released to the media.

The premeditated nature of the press release was further evidenced by the addition by Defendants of certain handwritten words regarding events that occurred during the March 14, 2024 executive session of the Board, the statement reads.

Another count deals with a meeting that took place two days after Fosters termination, where Tammy Bear, a library employee, was appointed interim library director. The notice for that meeting was published at 10 a.m. March 15 for a meeting that took place the following morning. That is less than 24 hours that is required based on rules in the Open Meetings Act.

Issues regarding the library have embroiled and divided Prattville and Autauga County for more than a year. A parent last year objected to a book that used inclusive pronouns other than male or female.

Critics of the library organized a group called Clean Up Alabama. Members began to read passages from books they believed contained sexually explicit material and were inappropriate to be included as part of the collection.

Another group, Read Freely Alabama, organized in opposition and accused Clean Up Alabama of trying to remove books for having LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The two groups have clashed at city council and county commission meetings, urging local elected officials to adopt their views.

Clean Up Alabama won out, managing to convince county commissioners to appoint board members largely sympathetic to their cause. Board members then adopted a new set of policies during the February 2024 meeting.

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The post Former Prattville library director sues governing board over termination appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in South Korea, arrived on Wednesday night in Chengdu, China's Sichuan Province.

Earlier on Wednesday, thousands of panda lovers gathered at Everland, South Korea's largest theme park in Yongin, to say goodbye to the country's top panda celebrity.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Former Tillamook police chief convicted after controlled substances taken from evidence locker

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A former Tillamook police chief was convicted on Wednesday after he was accused of taking controlled substances and money from an evidence locker.

Former Tillamook Police Chief Raymond Rau initially faced official misconduct and theft charges stemming from an Oregon State Police audit of Tillamook Police Department in May, which found missing or apparently tampered evidence in 83 cases going back to 2006.

Oregon homebuyers need a six-figure salary to afford a typical home, study finds

On Wednesday, Rau entered a no contest plea for first-degree and second-degree official misconduct charges, and his charges for second-degree and third-degree theft were dismissed, according to court documents.

Rau was placed on a three-year bench probation and must surrender his Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certification. As a condition of his probation, Rau was sentenced to jail for 10 days.

Rau was previously on a month-long leave while officials conducted an investigation into his departments handling of evidence between October 2021 and April 2023.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Fox NewsHarris Faulkner falsely suggested that PresidentJoe Bidens re-election campaign used artificial intelligence to alter a clip of his rival, allegingDonald Trumps remarks didnt happen the way the Dems say it did.

But Trumps anti-immigrant remarks in the Biden campaign clip are unedited from a slightly longer video of the former presidents speech.

The host on Thursday claimed the Biden-Harris HQs X account was under fire for selectively editing a clip of Trumps recent remarks on the killing of Laken Riley.

The Democrats say, Please dont call them animals, theyre humans. I said, No, theyre not humans, theyre not humans, theyre animals, said Trump as he touched on the suspect in the killing, who officials say unlawfully crossed into the United States.

You got that, right? asked Faulkner before playing an extended version of the clip featuring what Trump actually said.

The 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia who was barbarically murdered by an illegal alien animal. The Democrats say, Please dont call them animals, theyre humans. I said, No, theyre not humans, theyre not humans, theyre animals, he said in the longer version of the video.

First of all, how in the world did they edit all those words together to even put something like what they had, thats amazing, said Faulkner, who noted that shes pretty good at editing as a journalist.

What are they using? AI?

Fox News host Harris Faulkner falsely suggests that the Biden campaign used AI in a clip they posted that is literally just a clip of Trump calling migrants "animals" pic.twitter.com/azdmO94siM  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 4, 2024

The Biden-Harris HQ later mocked Faulkners report by calling the network desperate for sharing an unedited, verbatim clip of the former president.

No, this is not AI, @FoxNews. This is the presumptive Republican nominee for president, the account wrote in another post.

No, this is not AI, @FoxNews. This is the presumptive Republican nominee for president:



Trump: Democrats said please dont call immigrants animals. I said, no, theyre not humans, theyre animals https://t.co/p1yedIhd8upic.twitter.com/35yTmtKTBA  Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) April 4, 2024

Related...
The attacked happened outside the gates of College Arthur-Rimbaud in Montpellier - APF/Pascal Guyout

A 14-year-old girl was severely wounded and left in a coma after being beaten outside her school by three other teenagers over what, her mother suggested, could have been down to un-Islamic behaviour.

The French government has launched an investigation over the attack in the southern city of Montpelier, which has caused political uproar across the country.

It came days after the head teacher of a Parisian school resigned following death threats after she asked a student to remove her Muslim veil, sparking widespread outrage.

The victim, named as Samara, is now out of her coma but was seriously wounded in the attack on Tuesday afternoon outside the Arthur Rimbaud College in Montpellier. The school is in the La Mosson-La Paillade district, a low-income suburb with many residents of immigrant origin, prosecutors said.

One of the accused is a girl from the same school, also 14, who was arrested on Wednesday and admits to having beaten the victim, Montpellier prosecutors said in a statement late on Wednesday. The two other minors arrested are aged 14 and 15.

The victims mother, Hassiba, said: I dont actually understand this childs reasons for constantly attacking Samara, but there is something.

I think its... the fact that [Samara]... is maybe a little more liberated than some students, she told broadcaster BFMTV.

Samara wears a bit of make-up. And this young girl [who attacked Samara] wears a veil. All day long, she called her a kouffar, which means miscreant in Arabic. My daughter dresses in European style. All day long there were insults, she was called a kahba, which means c--t in Arabic. It was physically and psychologically unbearable.

The victims mother accused this classmate of being the sponsor of the attack and claimed that this schoolgirl had been suspended for two days in June 2023, having published a photo of her daughter on social networks calling for her to be raped.

All women have a right to dress as they wish

Suggestions the incident may have been related to religion sparked a flurry of reaction from politicians.

Marine Le Pen of the hard-Right National Rally took direct aim at Islamism, which is attacking our children.

Its time to declare war on this totalitarianism that is attacking our children, she said.

Jordan Bardella, the partys president, added: Schools are facing an Islamist offensive and an outburst of violence that must be stopped as a matter of urgency.

Francois-Xavier Bellamy, candidate for centre-Right party the Republicans, denounced what he called the serious violence against pupils, teachers and headmasters adding: Our education system is going through an existential crisis, but the denial has not stopped.

Valerie Pecresse, conservative president of the Paris region, said she was appalled to hear Samara had been targeted by the Islamist dress police, saying the teenagers behind it were the same as those who chase unveiled Iranian women in the streets of Tehran.

On the Left, MP Sandrine Rousseau denounced an absolutely, totally sexist attack pointing out that all women have the right to dress as they wish.

Olivier Faure, the Socialist Party leader, said: No one should be troubled for their religious or civic opinions. Our collective duty is to protect all our fellow citizens from the obscurantists who attack our freedoms. Samaras attack is a disgrace.

Far-Right warned against exploiting the attack

On Thursday evening, the victims mother said that on the day of the attack she had been called by her daughters head teacher to warn her that a group of young people were waiting for her outside the school. Following this call, I called the school office twice, asking them to keep Samara inside the school. But she said the staff member responsible was unreachable.

And at 4pm my daughter, [having had] no information, went out as usual to catch the school bus ... she was thrown into the lions den, she told the Touche pas a mon poste ! programme on the C8 channel. However, she warned against the exploitation of [her] daughters suffering by the far-Right.

Despite the outcry, the reasons for the attack remain unclear.

According to a group of pupils interviewed on Thursday by an AFP journalist as they left the Arthur Rimbaud secondary school, what happened had nothing to do with a certain way of dressing.

Le Parisien cited the mother as also suggesting the attack may have been an act of revenge for posts on a fake Snapchat account in her daughters name in which classmates were ridiculed with filters such as rabbit ears.

We owe the truth to Samara

Nicole Belloubet, the education minister, said she had launched an administrative inquiry to establish the reality of the facts and who is responsible, adding that she would draw all the consequences once it was completed.

We owe the truth to Samara, to the family and of course to our institution, said the minister, promising that she would not fail.

I can assure you that my arm will not tremble, I will know how to take my responsibilities, said Mrs Belloubet, adding, however, that she did not want anything at this stage to prejudge the conclusions of the investigation.

President Emmanuel Macron said that there was no justification for a teenage girl to have been assaulted by several young people her own age, while indicating that he would be very cautious at this stage.

I like to comment on things, especially to make decisions when I am sure of the facts, the president said. I am therefore awaiting the full and complete return of the work of the courts, but also of the prefecture and the education authority.

In a separate incident, a 15-year-old teenager was beaten up by several people on Thursday afternoon in Viry-Chatillon south of Paris as he left his secondary school and hospitalised in a life-threatening condition.

The controversy erupted as a 15-year-old teenager died on Friday afternoon after being beaten up by several people on Thursday south of Paris as he left his secondary school following a music lesson.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation for murder and violence in a group in the vicinity of a school. The perpetrators are at large.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
French soldiers to take part in Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Members of the Gendarmerie's Garde Republicaine and the British Army's Scots Guards during rehearsals on Friday for Changing the Guard - Aaron Chown/PA

France will become the first non-Commonwealth country to take part in the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Monday.

Members of the Gendarmeries Garde Republicaine will join 40 soldiers from the Scots Guards for a parade celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.

The Band of the Grenadier Guards will perform both countries national anthems and a medley of Anglo-French music during the ceremony, hailed as a symbol of the strength of the relationship between our two countries.

The French troops joined their British counterparts for rehearsals at Wellington Barracks in London on Friday.

Lt Col James Shaw, who designed the event, said: This is a sign of the strength of our relations. The French are some of our closest friends. And who knows when we might need each other?

Practice has been relatively straightforward. The French look great and were in a really good place for Monday. Were super excited for this historic moment.

The 11am ceremony will see the group of soldiers traditionally relieved by a new detachment of troops before an audience of 40 VIPs.

They will be inspected by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, on behalf of the King, alongside Helene Duchene, the French ambassador to the UK.

Other guests will include General Sir Patrick Sanders, the UK Chief of General Staff, and General Pierre Schill, the French Chief of the Army Staff.

French and British military personnel at Wellington Barracks in London during rehearsals for the Changing the Guard ceremony on Monday - Aaron Chown/PA

While the 32 members of the Gendarmerie will march on and off the famous palace forecourt, they will not take the place of their British counterparts in guarding the King - an honour reserved for members of the British Armed Forces and Commonwealth troops.

Squadron Chief Guillaume Dewilde, who will lead the French detachment, said: I am extremely proud to have been asked to share this moment with our British friends.

We are like siblings, and to celebrate this moment together is a symbol of the strength of the relationship between our two countries.

Opportunity to demonstrate our close relations

Garrison Sgt Maj Andrew Stokes, who was responsible for the ceremonial training, added: It is crucial for everyone in Nato to have a strong relationship.

And this is an opportunity to both celebrate the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Entente Cordiale and also demonstrate our close relations with the French.

Our first rehearsal went really well so were not nervous at all. It will be a wonderful celebration and an opportunity for the public to witness such a spectacle.

A similar guard change attended by President Emmanual Macron will be held at the Elysee Palace in Paris earlier on Monday.

Sixteen soldiers from Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards will join troops from 1er Regiment de la Garde Republicaine to provide the Presidential Guard, marking the first time a foreign state has guarded the French presidential residence.

They will be accompanied by two musicians from the Armys Household Division Bands.

The Ministry of Defence said the inclusion of French personnel at Buckingham Palace formed part of a longer-term programme of joint UK-French activity to celebrate the two nations historic military and diplomatic ties throughout 2024.

It will include military sporting events, participation in each others air shows, and major events in Normandy this June to commemorate the heroic service of Allied veterans who fought to liberate France from Nazi occupation.

The MoD said it would serve to further strengthen the long-standing military and security partnership between Britain and France.

It comes after the Kings hugely successful state visit to France last September, which was designed to rejuvenate the Entente Cordiale post-Brexit.

The agreement was signed in London in April 1904 by Lord Lansdowne, the British foreign secretary, and Paul Cambon, the French Ambassador.

The landmark treaty helped thaw cross-Channel relations by settling long-standing disputes in countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Siam, Madagascar, the New Hebrides, West and Central Africa and Newfoundland.

It set the foundations for future diplomatic and military cooperation between the two countries which led to the alliance during the First World War.

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FT: Czechia warns Russia is trying to sabotage railways in Europe

Russia is actively trying to sabotage European railways by hacking into their signaling systems, Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka said to the Financial Times (FT) in an interview published on April 5.

Russia has engaged in a variety of disruptive behavior toward Europe, often using its cyber capabilities to target civilian infrastructure. Estonia and other countries have accused Russia of being responsible for a recent uptick in GPS jamming emanating from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Reuters reported, citing sources, that Russia may have been responsible for jamming the satellite signal of a Royal Air Force airplane used to transport U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps as it flew by Kaliningrad in March.

Kupka said that Russia has made "thousands of attempts to weaken our (railway) systems" since the beginning of the full-scale war.

"It's definitely a difficult point . . .(but) I'm really very satisfied because we are able to defend all systems (from) a successful attack," Kupka added.

Russia has also been accused of jamming GPS signals in nearby countries such as Finland as far back as the 2010s.

Read also: The Invisible War: Inside the electronic warfare arms race that could shape course of war in Ukraine

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FILE PHOTO: Scenes of destruction in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas

By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday urged the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas militants to agree to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal ahead of a fresh round of talks this weekend in Cairo.

CIA Director Bill Burns will lead the U.S. delegation to the Cairo talks, a U.S. official said.

A senior Biden administration official said Biden wrote letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on the state of the hostage talks and "he urged them to secure commitments from Hamas to agree and abide by a deal."

Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday during which they discussed ongoing hostage negotiations and the round of talks in Cairo.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Biden told Netanyahu to empower his negotiators in Cairo so that a deal can be reached as soon as possible.

The United States and its allies view a ceasefire as essential to allowing more humanitarian aid to get into Gaza amid fears of famine among the Palestinians there.

Under the most recent proposal, Israel and Hamas would agree to a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of sick, elderly and wounded hostages held by Hamas. Progress on a deal has been stalled for weeks.

"This basic fact remains true: There would be a ceasefire in Gaza today had Hamas simply agreed to release this vulnerable category of hostages  the sick, wounded, elderly, and young women," the senior Biden official said.

"The onus is on Hamas to release the hostages and bring relief to the people of Gaza through a prolonged ceasefire," the official said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet the families of the hostages at the White House on Monday, the official said.

Kirby said there were no plans by the United States to conduct an independent investigation into the killings of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.

The Israeli military dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the killing of the aid workers in a Gaza airstrike this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure.

Netanyahu had briefed Biden in their phone call on Thursday on the general findings of Israel's inquiry into the incident. Biden warned Netanyahu that Israel must take steps to address civilian harm and humanitarian suffering or else Washington will take unspecified steps in response.

Israel also announced it was opening the Ashdod port and Erez crossing to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.

Asked if he had threatened to withhold military support for Israel, Biden told reporters on Friday: I asked them to do what theyre doing."

(Reporting By Steve Holland, Katharine Jackson and Jeff Mason; Editing by Howard Goller and Bill Berkrot)
Gaza is redefining the Christian vote. Biden and Trump better listen.

On April 4, 1967, at the Riverside Church in New York, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. mustered all his preachers might to damn the Vietnam War.

Declaring my conscience leaves me no other choice, he thundered that it was all Americans moral duty to speak out against the conflict.

His "Beyond Vietnam  A Time to Break Silence" speech was the beginning of the end for President Lyndon Johnsons warmongering term.

It was also the moment Black Christianity went mainstream  showing, after years of Ku Klux Klan atrocities, that it possessed the might to send shockwaves through the highest corridors of power.

King had struck at the heart of the trauma of racial injustice by creating a moral framework rooted in Christian values to confront it, successfully fighting and reducing prejudice by arguing that the principles of love, unity, nonviolence and peace were the very fabric of our universe.

Today, as the Gaza conflict rages, with its death toll spiraling above 30,000, we are again bearing witness to this phenomenon.

Religious leaders are united on Gaza humanitarian crisis

As political leadership flounders on Gaza, Black pastors have demanded that President Joe Biden wake up to the horrors being inflicted in the territory  calling for a cease-fire through full-page ads in The New York Times, open letters and protests.

Black Christians, a key bloc in President Bidens support base, look at the Gaza Strip and see not only a territory wrought with bloodshed and starvation, but also a legacy of injustice inflicted by decades of trauma and repression.

Its far from the first time they have done so.

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In 1979, Andrew Young, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called on Americas Black clergymen to take on the Palestinian plight as their own: We've reached the situation where in order to be liberated ourselves we must respond to the total liberation needs of people all over this planet.

But there is an even more remarkable transformational taking place, one that could have huge repercussions for American politics.

The reawakening of a moral conscience among African American communities sparked by the Gaza conflict is now no longer limited to Black churches. It is expanding to Americas religious communities at large.

A rally of Mennonites on March 27, 2024, outside the Mishawaka office of Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., calls on the congressman to work for a cease-fire in Gaza.

From Washington, D.C., to California, there is a growing peace movement led by multidenominational Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

Only 10 days into the violence in Israel and Gaza, the Quaker organization Friends Committee on National Legislation joined a coalition of more than 70 interfaith and nongovernmental organizations to demand a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Most voters want Gaza cease-fire. Do Jewish, evangelical faithful agree?

The sheer volume of pushback from religious groups is because Gazas horror is not one confined to Muslims, or groups with liberal or Democratic ideologies. It has become a touchstone for the moral convictions that underpin all faiths, all around the world.

Pope Francis urged world leaders to find an end to the conflict. Groups such as the Muslim World League (MWL)  the largest Islamic nonprofit organization in the world  petitioned the release of hostages and called for a cease-fire. More than 30 rabbis and rabbinical students staged a protest at the U.N.

As MWLs secretary general, Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, said while he called for an unprecedented Muslim-Jewish coalition: Our task now, as faith leaders who reach billions, is to spread messages of peace from every synagogue, mosque and church around the world, messages which explicitly seek to acknowledge the other. 

Partnerships among faith bodies are being forged in the face of Gaza. And in America, traditional Christian Zionist circles and steadfast Republican supporters are waking up, too.

Evangelicals  a bedrock of support for former President Donald Trump  have seen support for Israel plummet by 50% among their younger age groups.

And following the devastating attacks on Catholic and Christian churches in Gaza in December, Americas largest ecumenical body, the National Council of Churches, signed a letter demanding a cease-fire.

Biden can't win in 2024 without heeding calls for peace

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the White House on April 2, 2024, call for an Israeli cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

This activism blended across denominational lines is the product of hard-won historical traditions, theological reevaluations and a response to urgent social justice issues  including the devastating police brutality thats terrorized African American communities for generations.

Events that sparked movements like Black Lives Matter have galvanized communities across the United States, including mainstream Christian groups, who now view faith as inseparable from pressing moral and social issues.

This is especially true among younger generations, with more than half of millennials and Generation Z worried about racial justice.

Biden's Gaza policy is election issue: Wisconsin voters reminded Biden his support of Israel is a problem. He's not listening.

Unlike the 1960s, social media is now providing ever-larger windows into human suffering, and whether its George Floyd or Gaza, youth from all denominations are viewing moral and social issues as their religious  and political  calling.

But its going to take more than Biden joining TikTok to win back these voters. The results from Super Tuesday reveal that not only will we see a Trump-Biden rematch, but that policies around the worsening situation in Gaza will heavily impact the final ballot results.

The more than 100,000 uncommitted votes during Michigans Democratic primary and the 19% of Democrats in Minnesota refusing to cast their vote for Biden are just the tip of the iceberg.

The phenomena of Black Christian activism seeping into mainstream Christian movements and impacting both Biden and Trumps campaign cannot be underestimated.

The cracks in Trumps support base are even on display among right-wing mouthpieces, with Islamophobic conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and pro-Russia MAGA influencer Jackson Hinkle turning on each other over the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Nathalie Beasnael

Right now, we are witnessing a radical transformation of Americas political and electoral landscape as it continues to merge with Muslim and Arab Americans, Jews and others who are demanding peace and a change in policy priorities. That is something neither candidate can afford to overlook.

Ultimately, Dr. King did not change minds without also understanding the conditions of the heart. Political leaders will come and go; those who survive the scrutiny of time recognize that this call for peace and equality is universal.

Nathalie Beasnael is a Faith Elder at the Christ Citadel International Church in Los Angeles, where it has been serving a largely African American congregation for more than three decades. She holds an honorary doctorate in Divinity and has been a longstanding African American Christian activist.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christian leaders want Gaza ceasefire. Biden and Trump should listen
GBI asking for publics help to solve cold case murder of Ga. mother

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is asking for the publics help to solve a decades-old cold case.

Cheryl Williams Frady, 44, was found unresponsive in her basement bedroom at her home in Dawsonville on April 5, 2008. Authorities determined she had suffered from a gunshot wound and that she was dead.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Frady lived with her mother and stepfather at the time. She was last heard from at around 1:30 a.m. the day she died.

The GBI said at the time that they didnt have many leads.

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Frady left behind two adult daughters and a son who was 11 at the time of her death.

Her stepsister, Melanie Young, told the Dawson County News in 2009 that Frady had gone through a divorce before her death, but had been online dating.

This is total speculation on my part, but whoever this was, they knew intimate things about her -- where she lived, where she slept in the house, Young told the paper.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI tip line at 800-597-8477.
Geert Wilders arrives in The Hague for discussions about the formation of a new cabinet - ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP

Hard-Right firebrand Geert Wilders has dropped his pledge for a Brexit-style referendum for the Netherlands in an attempt to form a government.

The veteran populist whose party won the most seats in the Dutch general election after promising to hold a Nexit referendum on leaving the EU and introduce a ban on mosques, Islamic headscarves in public buildings and possession of the Koran.

But having gained 37 seats  short of the required 76-seat majority  Mr Wilders has struggled to find mainstream conservative parties willing to join a coalition government led by his Freedom Party (PVV).

He has gradually dropped swathes of anti-Islamic policies and even promised not to be prime minister in the hope of unlocking talks between the PVV and three other centre-Right parties.

The latest concession in a move to the centre ground has seen his promise of a binding referendum on Nexit scrubbed from the partys manifesto ahead of the European parliamentary elections in June.

Instead the populist remains fiercely opposed to a European superstate, with a pledge to work hard to change the Union from within.

Co-operating with other countries is fine, but while keeping our national sovereignty and identity, the manifesto added.

The move brings the PVV in line with Europes other eurosceptic heavyweights, such as Marine Le Pens National Rally in France and Germanys AfD, which have all withdrawn promises to quit the EU in favour of a more reformist approach to the bloc.

Ahead of the European elections, Mr Wilders has called for an end to the expansion of unelected eurocrats in Brussels and promised to campaign against EU environmental regulations.

Its up to us to decide whether we eat meat, take a plane, or drive a petrol car. Not Brussels, his manifesto states.

Migration strategy

It also calls for a Dutch opt-out on EU asylum issues and an extremely restrictive migration strategy.

The radical Farmers movement (BBB) and centre-Right New Social Contract and Party for Freedom and Democracy all favour co-operation with Brussels.

With support for Ukraine seen as widely positive by Dutch voters, PVV has also promised to give its backing to Kyivs fight against the Russian aggressor.

Last month, an Ipsos I&O poll found the hard-Right party could win 25 per cent of the Dutch vote on June 6, roughly the same as it won to become the largest party in the November general election.

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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 Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

NANNING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China-Vietnam relations achieved rapid development last year since the top leaders of the two parties jointly announced the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, giving a new meaning to the line "so profound is the friendship between Vietnam and China, because we are both comrades and brothers."

Since the beginning of this year, the top leaders of the two parties have exchanged new year greetings and maintained the momentum of high-level visits, while border provinces have pursued close cooperation and two-way personnel exchanges have achieved new breakthroughs, Wang said.

He added that China always regards Vietnam as a priority in neighborhood diplomacy, and stands ready to work with Vietnam to implement the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties, make solid plans for bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and jointly push forward the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future to a new level.

The two sides should focus on the six-point proposal on building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future and work together to promote cooperation in various fields, such as strengthening high-level strategic communication, accelerating the alignment of development strategies, and continuing to expand cooperation in the economic and trade investment, digital economy, green development, new energy and key minerals, according to Wang.

Calling on both sides to jointly safeguard international equity and justice and continue to support each other on issues concerning major common interests, Wang said that it is necessary to be vigilant against engaging in camp confrontations in the region and cobbling together various "small circles" to undermine regional peace and stability.

Bui Thanh Son said that as a neighbor, comrade and brother, Vietnam supports China's development and always regards China as the top priority and strategic choice of Vietnam's foreign relations.

Vietnam is willing to maintain close coordination with China, promote economic and trade investment, deepen sub-national cooperation, actively promote Vietnam-China friendship, build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that bears strategic significance, and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he added.

Vietnam adheres to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on Taiwan and issues related to Xinjiang and Xizang, opposes interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights and democracy, and will strengthen multilateral coordination with China to safeguard common interests, Bui Thanh Son said.

He added that Vietnam is willing to work with China to implement the high-level consensus between the two countries, properly manage differences, actively promote maritime cooperation and consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The two sides also exchanged views on other issues of common concern. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)
Military enlistment offices will begin calling up citizens from the military register who have reached the age of 25 to provide personal data, undergo medical checks, and fill out relevant documents, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Force said.

The General Staff made the announcement after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law lowering the minimum age of compulsory military service from 27 to 25.

The military said that based on the provisions of the new law, citizens who have reached the age of 25 can now be included in the military register.

The Verkhovna Rada voted in May 2023 to lower the minimum age of compulsory military service to 25. Only men who are over the age of compulsory military service, as well as men aged 18-25 who had previous military experience, can be mobilized for the war effort.

Ukraine's government aims to update the legal framework around mobilization in order to ramp up its number of available troops in 2024.

The Verkhovna Rada is now considering a new draft of the mobilization law after its initial, contentious version was withdrawn. More than 4,000 amendments to the bill have been submitted since its passing in the first reading.

The General Staff pointed out that one of the provisions in the new mobilization bill is the replacement of conscript service with basic military training. The bill also offers recruits to choose a year of their basic military service before they reach the age of 24.

Read also: Zelensky signs decree on transferring some conscripts to reserve in spring 2024

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Milesburg Borough has had a tough start to 2024  between the bulk of the borough staff leaving in January and two council members resigning in the months to follow, the borough has been facing an uphill battle trying to rebuild.

Most recently the boroughs planned special meeting on March 27 was canceled. The council last met on March 11, when the borough council president resigned and the meeting could not continue due to lack of quorum, with two members absent.

In recent months, many residents have spoken up at borough council meetings about transparency issues and concerns about how the local government is being run.

Milesburg resident Bryce Taylor recently spoke about the issues during a Centre County Commissioners meeting, saying that while he knows the commissioners cant do much to help, getting the word out still helps.

Things here have seemed to turn south pretty quickly, Taylor told the CDT. The borough has had two council members resign in as many months, weve got another two other council members who are abstaining from the meetings and because of those absences, a quorum cant be held. When a quorum cant be held, nothing gets done and that puts our borough in real jeopardy.

The two council members absent from recent meetings  Greg Ritter and Pete DeLosa  did not respond to a request for comment.

Theres nothing in our code that can make these two abstaining borough members attend the meetings and I fear that if something doesnt change soon, were going to be witnessing Milesburg Borough fall apart in real time, right in front of our own eyes, Taylor said.

Ruth Baird, a frequent attendee of the borough council meetings, shares his concerns.

With all these resignations going on and all of the drama, its really hard to figure out who to trust, Baird said. It feels like there are a lot of shady dealings going on over the years and Im genuinely worried about the future of this town. Ive lived here my whole life and have never seen the borough like this  its sad and frustrating.

There was even a petition started by borough resident Holly Smith, calling for the resignation of all borough council members to restore trust in our local town.

The boroughs solicitor, Tracey Benson, did not respond to a request for comment.

What can Milesburg residents do?

According to a spokesperson from the Pennsylvania Municipal League, while the situation is dire, there isnt much that residents can do aside from making their voices heard.

Unfortunately, there isnt a lot that just one resident can do to get these members to show up  especially if theres nothing in their code enforcing it, the spokesperson said. However, there have been instances where enough public outcry has led to the eventual resignation of a local government leader.

If the residents hope to spark change, they should attend the meetings and let their voices be heard, the PA Municipal League spokesperson said.

Thats Taylors goal, too.

Ive been in contact with a ton of different organizations to try and find something that we can do to alleviate this issue but there really isnt a lot, Taylor said. I went to a (Centre County) commissioners meeting and was basically told the same thing. Now Im trying to do all I can to get the word out about this to the other residents living here.

He also said that while the borough is in disarray, it isnt nearly to the point where higher governmental intervention is needed.

On paper, this boroughs situation doesnt look as bad as it really is, which is why Milesburg Borough isnt high on the priority list of any government organization that could help us, Taylor said.

The next scheduled borough meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Monday. If theres no quorum and that meeting cant be held, Taylor said hell next look to gather residents for a potential town hall meeting to discuss the future of the borough and what more citizens can do.

Regardless, Taylor is encouraging residents to attend the meeting and speak up about their frustrations.

I highly recommend any Milesburg resident who is fed up with our council members to attend Mondays meeting, Taylor said. Come to the meetings, speak up, stay engaged and see these things happen with your own eyes  the more eyes we have on this borough, the more likely it is that something is going to be done about these issues.
Former President Donald Trumps demand to dismiss the RICO election interference case on the grounds that his actions were protected by the First Amendment was shot down by a Georgia judge on Thursday.

Judge Scott McAfee ruled that the sprawling case against Trump and more than a dozen codefendants can go forward despite the claim that his effort to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election amounts to constitutionally defended speech.

Even core political speech addressing matters of public concern is not impenetrable from prosecution if allegedly used to further criminal activity, McAfee wrote in a 14-page ruling.

McAfee noted that he is required to assume the indictment accurately describes the defendants actions when deciding any pretrial effort to dismiss the case.

The judge agreed with prosecutors that even normally protected speech can in some cases be used to carry out criminal conspiracies, especially when coupled with actions like Trump carried out.

The defendants expressions and speech are alleged to have been made in furtherance of criminal activity, McAfee said.

Trumps defense lawyer Steve Sadow said he disagreed with the ruling but noted that it leaves the door open to raise the issue later if and when the case eventually goes to trial.

Trump is accused of engineering a sprawling plot to steal the 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere. The probe was launched after Trumps shocking call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger demanding that he find just enough votes to let him beat President Biden.

The indictment also accuses Trump and his acolytes of bullying Atlanta election workers and ginning up slates of fake pro-Trump electors, among other actions designed to overturn his election defeat.

The ruling is similar to one made by federal District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan that rejected Trumps effort to toss the election interference case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

McAfee has not yet set a date for a trial of Trump.

The former president faces three other possible criminal trials, including a New York trial set for April 15 on charges he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, a scheme that prosecutors say was hatched to help him win the 2016 presidential election.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked for the trial to start in August. Trump has demanded that it be put off until after the November election, when he hopes to win a return to the White House.

The Atlanta case was essentially put on hold for a couple of months while McAfee considered Trumps effort to oust Willis over her affair with top lieutenant Nathan Wade. The judge allowed her to stay on the case, although Wade was forced to step aside.

_____
A 24-year-old woman visiting Biloxi from Georgia was arrested Thursday after authorities said she pretended to be a Harrison County Sheriffs Deputy and scammed two people out of thousands of dollars.

Sharontay Rice, of Savannah, faces two counts of false pretense, the Harrison County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

Rice posed as a deputy and called victims on the Mississippi Coast to demand they pay her to avoid arrest, police said.

On Thursday, police learned that two victims met the suspect at the Biloxi Courthouse and lost about $28,000 in the scam, according to the Harrison County Sheriffs Office.

Authorities identified Rice as a suspect and used a warrant to search her hotel room, the news release said.

They said they found over $28,000 during that search.

Law enforcement will never collect money from citizens, the Harrison County Sheriffs Office warned. The Sheriff asked anyone who receives a suspicious phone call to report it.

Mississippi Coast residents have faced similar scams in the past. In 2020, Biloxi Police warned residents of scam in which a caller claimed to be a police department employee and demanded the victims purchase gift cards of more than $1,000 because of outstanding bench warrants. In 2017, Jackson County residents received calls from a man posing as a Sheriffs department employee and demanding people pay court fines over the phone.

Authorities booked Rice at the Harrison County Jail, where she remained Friday without bond pending an initial appearance in court.
A general view of the factory of the company Knauf Integral KG, which belongs to the Knauf Group. Jan Woitas/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

The German gypsum manufacturer Knauf said on Friday that it has not supplied goods to Russia nor has it exported goods from Russia since Russia started its war with Ukraine in February 2022.

A Knauf statement, which also said that the firm is not delivering any construction materials from the European Union to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, comes after a German public broadcaster reported that journalists had discovered the name Knauf on sacks of plaster in Mariupol.

The report, in the ARD program Monitor, said that an authorized Knauf dealer had advertised that he had built a residential building project on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Defence using Knauf building materials.

A member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in parliament, Roderich Kiesewetter, criticized Knauf and other companies, saying they are "cementing Russian power" there, according to the show.

Sanctions law expert Viktor Winkler told the Mainpost newspaper that he had so far seen "no violation of the applicable sanctions by Knauf" and therefore "expressly warned against a witch hunt."

On the internet portal Verfassungsblog.de, Winkler wrote that the outrage over the transactions was understandable, but the general astonishment over the gaping sanctions gap was not.

The EU's sanctions policy was a "patchwork quilt," with no recognizable standards or plan. Timber was sanctioned immediately. But "diamonds as an extremely important source of income for Russia only now. The import of steel is banned, exports are not," and there is chaos in gas, oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). "The examples could be extended endlessly."

Knauf operates a plant near Kiev and 14 production facilities with 4,000 employees in Russia. The family-owned company condemns Russia's war against Ukraine and complies with all sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"We reject in the strongest possible terms the accusation that we are not doing this," [complying with sanctions] the statement reads. Knauf produces building materials, but is not involved in construction projects as a builder or investor.

"Knauf does not have any direct supply contracts with consumers or processors of Knauf products in Russia. Our products reach end customers there via many different dealers who are independent of Knauf. We have no influence on how and where end customers use our products."

A spokeswoman for the German Economy Ministry said, "the relevant investigating authorities must now clarify the exact facts of the case very quickly."

These include the Customs Criminal Investigation Office and the public prosecutor's offices. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said rebuilding Mariupol, which was destroyed during the Russian full-scale invasion, serves Russia's propaganda. Anyone taking part in this must ask themselves whose they are actually working for.
Girl, 5, at Chicago migrant shelter recovering from tuberculosis, her father says, as city officials confirm small number of cases

CHICAGO  The worried father stood watch throughout the night Monday as his 5-year-old suffered through a strong fever. He put rags on her forehead, forced her to drink sips of water and tried to calm her down.

The Venezuelan man said he had pleaded for help from staff that night at the city-run migrant shelter on Ogden Avenue where they are staying, but he was told hed have to pay for the ambulance himself.

Because I dont have a work permit or any money, I didnt have any way to pay for it, said the man who didnt want to share his name out of fear of being kicked out of the shelter for talking to reporters.

On Tuesday afternoon, he said his daughter tested positive for tuberculosis, apparently one out of a small number of confirmed tuberculosis cases in migrants at city-run shelters. The Chicago Department of Public Health declined to answer questions on the exact number of migrants with active cases of tuberculosis and which shelters were affected.

The father told the Tribune that hours after the girls fever was at its peak, health care officials sent the mans daughter to the hospital. She stayed there for days, he said, and then was given medication and released back to the West Loop shelter.

My daughter should not be in a shelter right now, he said. The hospital told me she needs to have a high level of medical care  an area where there is a low risk of infection.

According to Jacob Martin, a spokesperson for CDPH, there have been tuberculosis cases detected in shelters since migrants first were bused to the city in 2022, but almost all are latent cases. In shelters, migrants who have active cases of tuberculosis are assigned a nurse case manager who conducts a contact tracing investigation. The city has yet to confirm any cases in Chicago which resulted from exposure to new arrivals, Martin said.

Martin emphasized that there is no tuberculosis outbreak, and no cause for public concern. Its still unclear how many active cases have been detected in shelters in recent days.

It is absolutely not an outbreak, Martin said. In order for us to characterize something as an outbreak, we need to have evidence of person-to-person transmission, which we do not have.

Its the latest infectious disease confirmed to reach shelters after a measles outbreak last month leading to questions about the health and safety of the nearly 9,700 migrants who live in close quarters in 21 shelters run by the city and state.

Since March 7, there have been 56 cases of measles in Chicago, including 33 children under the age of 4, according to the CDPH.

Tuberculosis is a serious bacterial infection that usually attacks the lungs, but can spread to other parts of the body. Its rare, but 100 to 150 cases are detected in Chicago each year. The disease usually requires several hours of prolonged contact for airborne transmission and is treatable with antibiotics.

Latent tuberculosis is when a person is infected but remains asymptomatic and non-contagious, according to the CDPH. In around 5% of those cases, the bacteria will reactivate, causing symptoms later in life.

Martin said it was important to note that an estimated 10% to 20% of residents of Central and South America have latent TB infection, which is asymptomatic and not transmissible to others, but does result in a positive TB test.

More than 38,500 migrants have arrived in Chicago since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing new arrivals from the southern border in August 2022.

Given how many people are exposed to tuberculosis in certain developing countries, its not surprising or concerning to see cases in shelters, according to Emily Landon, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Chicago Medicine and the hospitals executive medical director of infection prevention and control.

Im surprised by how few cases that weve seen, actually, Landon said. (Tuberculosis) doesnt pose a huge risk to the public, certainly not as much as measles does.

The disease is usually diagnosed with a blood test and chest X-ray, and a patient is considered noncontagious after two weeks of taking an antibiotic.

The vast majority of cases that we do see are people who contracted it years and years ago, and it reactivates in their body and they get sick, but its not because they got it from somebody else, Martin said.

Though its considered less infectious than measles, theres still a chance for primary cases to develop in crowded shelters, according to Bessey Geevarghese, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital.

The risk is definitely highest with close encounters, Geevarghese said. So, you know, especially in the shelters, where theres a lot of people and people may already have latent tuberculosis, theyre slightly at higher risk.

At a shelter in Pilsen Thursday afternoon, few migrants had heard of tuberculosis cases. But some had grown alarmed after watching the news and finding out of another contagious disease spreading in the heavily populated spaces, they said.

We dont want the same thing that happened with measles to happen again, said Alejandra Hernandez, a mother of three young children. They (the city) should let us know as soon as possible for us to find ways to protect our children.

Hernandez said that her children were all vaccinated against tuberculosis but that nonetheless she is worried about how or if the infectious bacterial disease could affect other migrant children.

What also makes tuberculosis difficult to navigate is its longer incubation period, which can make contact tracing difficult, experts said. People can be infected but not have any symptoms for up to a month.

Im hoping that the health department is doing a really good contact tracing to make sure that they identify anybody thats exposed, and make sure that theyre screening those people sooner than later, Geevarghese said.

When migrants first arrive in Chicago at landing zones, theyre screened for acute medical issues, including symptoms of tuberculosis, according to Martin. Those who exhibit symptoms are sent to local hospitals and receive further evaluation.

New arrivals are also screened for vaccine eligibility, including measles, the flu and COVID-19. While there is a tuberculosis vaccine, its mainly used in countries where the disease is more common. It also doesnt guarantee immunity.

Still, Landon said she felt confident in the citys ability to detect and prevent active tuberculosis cases.

Theres a lot of concerns with shelters, but I dont think everybody getting TB is one of them, Landon said. Thats probably not high on my list of things that are concerning.

Meanwhile, the father of the 5-year-old said his daughter is recovering. She was given medicine to take for the next four months, he said.

But he remains worried. He said almost all of the children at the shelter have a cough or a cold. All three of his children are sick, and he wishes the shelter staff provided more care.

On Thursday, a friend gave him $10 so he could buy soup for his daughter.

____
CLINTON, S.C. (WSPA)  South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has ordered flags on all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff Friday in tribute to Clinton firefighter Michael Vinson.

Vinson died Sunday morning while responding to a call when the fire engine he was inside was involved in a crash at the intersection of Springdale Drive and Willard Road in Clinton.

Another firefighter was injured along with the driver of another vehicle.

Statesville fire training exercise to close road all day Friday

McMasters order also requested that flags be lowered to half-staff at all city and county government buildings, as well.

I have ordered all flags on state buildings to be lowered to half-staff tomorrow in honor of Firefighter Michael Vinson, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty this week, McMaster wrote in a social media post. Please join us in praying for his family as we remember his life, service, and sacrifice.

Vinsons funeral is set for 2 p.m. Friday at Union Baptist Church at 536 Old Quaker Church Road in Laurens. There will be an overflow area at Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church on Chestnut Ridge Road.

A funeral procession will leave Kennedy Mortuary in Laurens at 1 p.m. and will travel to Union Baptist Church.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Governor Whitmer to release book titled True Gretch: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between in July

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Governor Whitmers book, True Gretch: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between will be published on July 9, 2024.

Officials for Simon & Schuster said the governors book will highlight her unconventional honesty and include insights into what guided her through the pandemic.

In a news release, Simon & Schuster claimed the book will contain, showdowns with high-profile bullies, and even a kidnapping and assassination plot.

Simon & Schuster to publish Governor Whitmers book, True Gretch: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership and Everything in Between. (Photo: SIMON & SCHUSTER)

They describe the book as inspiring and say she shares principles and instincts that have shaped her career from her early days as a lawyer and legislator to Governor of Michigan in 2018.

In this moment, our world is thirsty for compassion, empathy, big ideas, and the grit to get shit done. No matter who you are, or what you hope to achieve, I hope this book will help you find the good and use it to make a difference. Ill be doing the same alongside you, said Governor Whitmer.

Mindy Marques, Vice President and Executive Editor at Simon & Schuster said in the news release, Weve been watching Whitmer carve a hugely successful path in these divisive times, and we are thrilled to be publishing her book. She is the very rare politician who can make change and find humor in politics, and her first book is as unconventional as she is.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
The parents of three Ocean Springs Middle School students want the school district and others to pay, accusing them of failing to protect the students from criminal acts by substitute teacher Keshawn Belcher, according to court filings.

The parents outline the allegations against Belcher in three individual lawsuits filed against Belcher, the school district, the temporary employment agency Kelly Services, Inc., and other unnamed defendants.

The school district has a contract with Kelly Services, Inc., to hire substitute teachers at Mississippi Coast schools. Kelly Services sent Belcher to work as a substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School for five days in April 2023, during which time he allegedly committed crimes against students.

The parents ask for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in three individual lawsuits filed in state court.

You send kids to school expecting them to be able to develop into healthy adults and then something like this happens over sheer negligence, said Donald Medley, the Hattiesburg attorney representing the three families. If they had done their due diligence, this could have been avoided.

Belcher has remained jailed in Jackson County since his arrest in April 2023 on felony charges of child exploitation and molestation involving the Ocean Springs students. The case is pending grand jury review for indictments that could include additional allegations of criminal wrongdoing.

In the lawsuits, the parents accuse the school district and Kelly Services of negligence in hiring, failure to investigate and prosecute misconduct, and failure to properly train and hire qualified people to monitor teacher activities.

They accuse Belcher of false imprisonment, harassment, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and allege that Belchers actions exceeded all bounds of decency and is far beyond what is tolerated in a civilized society.

The Sun Herald is not identifying the parents who filed the lawsuits to protect the identity of the minor students. The Sun Herald does not identify victims of sex crimes.

Additional lawsuits for parents of other victimized students are expected to be filed later on.

A lawsuit represents one side of a a story. Neither Belcher, the school district, nor Kelly Services has responded to the allegations against them.

Keshawn Trevyune Belcher Jackson County Adult Detention Center

New details emerge

After his arrest, Ocean Springs police said Belcher allegedly used Snapchat to communicate with students and send them inappropriate sexual content and videos of himself.

New details about Belchers actions toward students in Ocean Springs and elsewhere in South Mississippi surfaced in court filings and other records obtained by the Sun Herald since then.

The Ocean Springs Middle School lawsuits involved three students: two girls and one boy.

In one case, a then 13-year-old Ocean Springs Middle School student was allegedly held against her will and molested by Belcher after he summoned her to his classroom on the premise that he was going to help her with an assignment.

When the girl got there, Belcher was the only person in the room and blocked the girl from leaving when he grabbed her face and started kissing her and touching her body inappropriately, the records say

The girl said she couldnt get away because Belcher held her in his grip, the lawsuit says.

When the school bell rang and momentarily distracted Belcher, the girl managed to escape his grasp and run out of the classroom, the records say. The girl then reported what had happened to her parents and the school.

In a separate incident, Belcher is accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a then-12-year-old student at Ocean Springs Middle School. He later messaged her on Snapchat and social media, asking if he could stop by her home to watch TV with her, but the girls parents wouldnt allow it.

Subsequently, the records say Belcher made sexual remarks to the girl at school and asked her to perform oral sex on him.

In a third incident, this time involving a then 14-year-old Ocean Springs Middle School student, Belcher is accused of sending inappropriate messages over Snapchat to the young boy.

In one exchange, for example, Belcher sent the boy a text saying that he was horny before following that up with an image of himself naked and then a video of himself masturbating, the records say.

The young boy reported what had happened to his father, who reported the incident to Ocean Springs police.

A prior run-in, this time in Gulfport

In addition to the incidents at the Ocean Springs school, Belcher had encountered problems before while working as a substitute teacher in the Gulfport School District.

That case involved an incident with students while Belcher served as a substitute teacher at North Gulfport Middle School in September 2022.

Gulfport police responded to the school after the principal and assistant principal learned from a student that Belcher had just exchanged cell phones with students in a class he was teaching so he could look through the phones. In exchange, the report said, Belcher gave the students his phone and told them they could look through his pictures.

In Belchers camera roll on the phone, the students found nude pictures of Belcher.

When Gulfport police went to the school, an officer noticed a knife clip on one of Belchers pants pockets. When he confronted Belcher about it, Belcher pulled a knife out of his pocket and gave it to the officer.

The police officer asked Belcher if he had any other knives on him, and Belcher pulled a second knife out of a second pocket and handed it to an officer.

The Gulfport police officer then asked Belcher again if he had any other knives on him.

Belcher told the officer only then that he had a third knife attached to his lower left ankle. The officer searched Belcher for any additional weapons but couldnt find any others, the report said.

Afterward, the police officer remained in the principals office while the principal asked Belcher about the cellphone exchange with students.

Belcher told the students they could look through his pictures after they started asking him questions like whether he was married and had a family.

The officer then interviewed a student who reported seeing a nude picture of Belcher on his phone. The student told police she and other students saw the picture of Belchers genitalia while scrolling through images on his phone.

The student said she and others found the pictures by scrolling through Belchers camera roll.

Belcher later told police that he didnt think the students would scroll that far back on his camera phone and find the nude pictures of himself and others of himself and a female engaged in sex on the camera roll.

Gulfport police found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing regarding the cellphone incident, and the principal did not wish to pursue a weapons charge against Belcher for the knives he had on him at the school.
By Renee Maltezou

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine Egyptian men who were on board a migrant boat that sank off Greece last year, killing hundreds of people, are to face trial next month, accused of people smuggling, Greek judicial sources said on Friday.

The circumstances of the sinking of the Adriana in June remain a source of dispute between the Greek authorities and groups supporting the rights of survivors and migrants - meaning the trial could be the first opportunity to officially hear the accounts of some of those present at the time.

Survivors have accused the Greek coastguard of capsizing the boat. The authorities, which monitored Adriana for hours, say it overturned when a coastguard vessel was about 70 metres away. The coastguard service has denied any wrongdoing.

It remains unclear what happened in the time between the coastguard being alerted to the presence of the vessel and when it capsized.

In a report in December, EU border agency Frontex - which had spotted the boat from the air before the coastguard - said that Greek authorities failed to reply to its follow-up calls and its offers for assistance. It said it could not conclude what caused the Adriana to capsize.

The overcrowded fishing trawler was carrying hundreds of migrants from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt when it sank off the southern town of Pylos, in international waters, on its way from Libya to Italy. Some 104 men survived and only 82 bodies have been recovered.

It was the worst disaster in years and again highlighted the dangers for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

The nine Egyptian men, in pre-trial detention since June, have been charged with causing the incident, participating in a criminal organisation, migrant smuggling and other charges, one of the sources told Reuters. They have denied any wrongdoing. The trial is set to begin on May 21 in Kalamata.

Rights groups have opposed their detention.

"These survivors deserve support, not persecution. It's time to drop the charges," said NGO Legal Centre Lesvos.

Last year survivors recounted how a doomed attempt by the Greek coastguard to tow the trawler capsized the vessel. Their statements contradict the accounts of the Greek government and the coastguard, which said the boat had refused assistance.

In September, 40 survivors filed a lawsuit against Greek authorities accusing them of failing to intervene to rescue those on board and causing the vessel to capsize.

(Editing by Alison Williams)
This photo shows Chinese herbs at the Amway booth at the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- With a sizable consumer base and a relentless drive for innovation, China's healthcare market has extended its allure to global enterprises, prompting many to expand their investments and boost their footprint.

According to Milind Pant, CEO of Amway Corp., a multinational specializing in health and wellness, China has remained the company's largest, fastest-growing and most important strategic market for over 20 years.

Amway China has seen a sales growth of 7 percent annually on average over the past three years, Pant said, adding that the company will continue to invest in China.

Last year, the company announced an investment of 600 million yuan (about 84.57 million U.S. dollars) in transforming and upgrading its production base in south China's Guangzhou, and it plans to invest in its first organic farm in China this year.

"China's advantage presented by complete industry chains and innovative ecosystems are now widely recognized and highly regarded by multinationals," Pant said.

Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer, a German pharmaceutical and agribusiness giant, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing China's significance as a key market and a vital hub for innovation for the company.

He said that China has outstanding universities, a great source of talent and rapidly developing scientific innovation enterprises.

In 2023, Bayer inaugurated an open innovation center in Yizhuang in southern Beijing, and it plans to establish a China center for innovation and partnership in Shanghai in 2024.

This year, China has put developing new quality productive forces, featuring high-tech, high efficiency and high quality, on top of its agenda. Consequently, foreign-invested companies in the health sector are taking proactive steps to capitalize on this shift.

Pascal Soriot, CEO of British biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, described this shift as "tremendously exciting and important in the field of healthcare."

For over 30 years, the company has maintained a presence in China and during this period, the country has emerged as a significant growth engine, Soriot noted.

"We are here because China is at the forefront of using artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology and renewable energy to shape the future of healthcare, and we believe that Chinese-born innovation can help millions of patients worldwide," he said.

AstraZeneca recently concluded an agreement to invest 475 million U.S. dollars in the construction of a new small molecule factory in Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province, which will focus on sustainable manufacturing. Last year, it announced an investment of 700 million U.S. dollars for an inhaled medicine manufacturing site in Qingdao.

Christophe Weber, president and CEO of Takeda, said that data and digital technologies, including AI, will continue to play an important role in reshaping healthcare ecosystems.

Last year, Takeda launched the Digital Innovation Academy with Fudan University's Intelligent Medicine Institute to promote the integration of digital products into the research and development process for medicines.

China announced the launch of the "artificial intelligence plus" initiative at the annual sessions of the country's top legislature and top political advisory body, also known as the "two sessions," held in March.

According to Zhang Qingjie, head of digital enablement and head of AI at KPMG China, multinationals can take advantage by forging cooperation with Chinese firms on digital economy and AI technologies to gain a better understanding of the Chinese market and its technological environment as well as share China's innovation achievements.

"We are making targeted investments in data, digital and technology in China to unleash the power of new technology for the future of health care," Weber said, China is well equipped to expand its digital healthcare ecosystem in order to enhance health outcomes and boost patient accessibility. 
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of Donald Trump and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, delivered a new plea for cash from Trump supporters  asking for money even from those who dont have it right now.

If you cant afford a donation today, I ask that you would save it for a later date, she pleaded in a new video posted online by PatriotTakes, which monitors right-wing media. But if you could donate even as much as $5, it will go a long way.

RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump tells supporters who cant afford a $5 donation to save up and donate later. pic.twitter.com/kXBsodEQUO  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) April 4, 2024

Trump is part of a new leadership team at the RNC as the former president solidifies his control over the organization. The New York Times reported last month that a new shared fundraising agreement ensures that some of the money raised will go to the fund paying Trumps substantial legal fees.

If his fundraising matches 2020, he could get as much as $32 million to pay for his lawyers and other expenses related to his four criminal cases, according to a HuffPost analysis.

Trumps critics put her on blast over the new plea for money for a billionaire candidate:

Grifty grifters gonna grift while the griftin' is good. https://t.co/Zcn01brv2M  Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) April 4, 2024

Billionaires asking people to save up $5 so they can pay for the billionaires fraud trial just doesn't sound very Christian to me. Well, Joel Osteen Christian, but not real Christian. https://t.co/CHKCW9QIdl  Machine Pun Kelly  (@KellyScaletta) April 4, 2024

Lara Trump recently posted a picture out celebrating at an expensive sushi restaurant. Were talking likely $100/plate for a party over 5.



But sure, save up that $5, MAGA supporters. The Trumps need it. pic.twitter.com/Jrk0MvFVwY  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) April 4, 2024

Lara Trump is begging folks for their last $5 for #TrumpTheDictators legal bills.



If people dont have it, then they should save up.



Gross.pic.twitter.com/BAqiUEwYPD  Art Candee  (@ArtCandee) April 5, 2024

Why does a self-proclaimed billionaire need money from poor people?



It's all about the grift. #GOPGriftershttps://t.co/bx4yU0bN52  Juror Number 12 -- He's G U I L T Y!   (@ResistAmerica) April 4, 2024

Imagine the level of sociopath you have to do this with a smile while your fraudster father in law pretends to be a billionaire & lives in multiple gold leafed pimp palaces. https://t.co/BU8l8vFq6e  Spiros Ghost (@AntiToxicPeople) April 4, 2024

The Trump campaign has spent over $368,000 thus far,... on a "fashion consultant" for Melania Trump - even though she HASN'T APPEARED at a SINGLE CAMPAIGN EVENT.



That's a lot of money- so you Trump supporters living paycheck to paycheck,... are going to have to dig deeper. https://t.co/hzx3eHwBcK  Roshan Rinaldi (@Roshan_Rinaldi) April 4, 2024

"Tell your grandma to forgo her medications for a few months & fork over the cash. It's expensive trying to keep my father-in-law out of prison." https://t.co/vvdlDyMPE8  Tom Chapman   (@realTomChapman) April 5, 2024

These people have no idea!!



How much more money can the Trumps grift off Maga?



All it will be used for is paying his legal bills and lavish parties at Mar-a-lago! #TrumpIsNotFitToBePresidenthttps://t.co/V8h1fKabUH  Sunsun Girly (@sunsungirly) April 5, 2024

"Save up your money to give to us".



This should make it clear which political party works for the poor, and which political party expects the poor to work for it. https://t.co/Ns7cg4CMj2  Jim Griffith (@JimGriffith_SV) April 4, 2024

Buddy can you spare a dime? https://t.co/ea3CCms2mN  Cap'nJack Democracy Defender (@CapnJack_1270) April 5, 2024

MAGA - Lara Trump asking if you cannot afford to donate today, please send $5 and donate later.



Begging, panicked, grifting  Did Trump just improve his net worth to $5 billion!!! He hates spending his money. pic.twitter.com/jYZncaVmnc  Native Texan (@santafelife) April 4, 2024

Hey Everybody! Lara Trump is asking those of you who cant afford to send Donald Trump via the #RNC $5 today to please give up some necessities, like clothes or food for your kids, dental care, etc and save up to send him your money later! #MAGA! #Trump2024!  https://t.co/Mkxi9696mn  DamonMast  (@DamonMast) April 4, 2024
The ground rules are changing in Georgia elections. Again. Here are voting law changes

For the second election cycle in a row, the ground rules will be different when Georgia voters head to the polls in November.

The General Assembly passed the most far-reaching election law changes last month since 2021, when the legislatures Republican majorities enacted a sweeping election system overhaul following Democrat Joe Bidens narrow victory in the Peach State in 2020 and the capture by Democrats of both of Georgias U.S. Senate seats in January 2021 runoffs.

The passage of most of the following five bills came primarily along party lines:

Senate Bill 189 - Makes it easier to file mass voter challenges; eliminates QR codes from paper ballots; eases requirements for third-party presidential candidates to get on Georgias ballot.

House Bill 1207 - Allows fewer voting machines on election days; requires poll workers to be U.S. citizens; allows closer access for poll watchers.

Senate Bill 368 - Prohibits campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

House Bill 974 - Requires secretary of state to set up a statewide system to scan and post paper ballots at a minimum resolution; requires more audits of statewide election results.

House Bill 1312 - Reschedules state Public Service Commission elections following a ruling in a lawsuit accusing the current system of violating the federal Voting Rights Act.

Senate Bill 189 and House Bill 1207 have drawn the most criticism from legislative Democrats and voting-rights advocates, so much so that the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia has threatened to sue if Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signs Senate Bill 189.

The 12-section bill was cobbled together last month after many of its provisions had failed to move when introduced earlier in the 2024 session as separate measures.

What opponents find most objectionable is a provision establishing probable cause - an easier burden of proof to meet - as the standard for filing a successful voter challenge. In 2022, Republican activists filed thousands of voter challenges in Democratic-leaning counties only to see local election boards dismiss the vast majority as baseless.

Opponents of Senate Bill 189 say they expect to see even more challenges this year once Senate Bill 189 becomes law.

We are making voter challenges easier to bring and easier to sustain, state Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, said on the House floor before the bill gained passage on the last night of this years legislative session. Mass voter challenges do not clean the rolls. They hurt eligible voters.

Access to the ballot is at the heart of our democracy, added Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia. This election Frankenbill violates the National Voter Registration Act. We are committed to protecting Georgia voters.

Republicans say this years election bills are aimed at restoring election integrity, citing claims of widespread voter fraud lodged by GOP officials after the 2020 election. Those claims were subsequently dismissed by courts that found no widespread fraud.

Whats crazy to me is the idea that anybody in this chamber would be OK with a fraudulent vote canceling your legal vote or anybodys legal vote, Rep. John LaHood, R-Valdosta, chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee, said on the House floor. Fraud makes votes not matter. What this does is make sure your legal vote does matter.

Our bill actually makes the process of challenging more difficult, added Rep. Victor Anderson, R-Cornelia. It actually is designed to clarify what constitutes a valid challenge and constitutes an invalid challenge.

House Bill 1207 takes Republican-led efforts to reduce the supply of voting machines an additional step. After absentee ballot drop boxes were made widely available leading up to the 2020 elections because of the pandemic, the passage of Senate Bill 202 in 2021 limited the number of drop boxes.

The new legislation would give local election superintendents discretion to allow fewer voting machines on Election Day than current law requires, depending on the voter turnout they expect.

The legislature ignored the input of election directors from across the state about these provisions and how it would impact their ability to conduct elections ... in the name of solving problems that do not exist, said Anne Gray Herring, policy analyst for Common Cause Georgia.

While both Senate Bill 189 and House Bill 1207 passed along partisan lines, Senate Bill 368 sailed through the Senate unanimously and cleared the House with only two no votes. To Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, prohibiting campaign contributions from foreign nationals was the most important of the election bills.

This commonsense measure defends Georgia elections, Raffensperger said. Voters deserve assurance that their elections remain free from foreign influence.

House Bill 974 was less controversial than Senate Bill 189 and House Bill 1207, drawing support from many legislative Democrats.

Still, some Democrats expressed frustration with the bills election audit requirements.

Weve done audit after audit. Weve done study after study, said Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Atlanta. Our elections are secure. There is no widespread voter fraud.

House Bill 1312 was forced upon the General Assembly by a federal lawsuit charging the current system of electing the five members of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) statewide rather than by district dilutes Black voting strength in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

While the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals subsequently upheld the current system, the case forced the cancellation of PSC elections in 2022 and again this year. House Bill 1312 rescheduled the elections for 2026 and 2028.

Democrats complained the new schedule would let commissioners who normally serve six-year terms stay in office for eight years or longer. Republicans countered that they had no choice because of the court case.

While most of the bills would take effect in time for the November elections, a provision in Senate Bill 189 eliminating QR codes from paper ballots wouldnt become law until 2026. Thats to give the secretary of states office time to develop new technology to replace the QR codes.
Gun-toting Bronx migrant squatters were in custody but set free because processing centers were crowded: officials

A migrant squatter crew that terrorized a Bronx neighborhood were in federal custody but cut loose because of overcrowded processing centers  allowing them to run amok in the Big Apple.

The Venezuelan migrants evaded justice over and over even after one was set for deportation, another was charged with attempted murder  and eight suspects were nabbed in the Bronx with drugs and guns in their possession, leaving neighbors shaken and the landlord fearing for his life.

Officials have since rounded up all but one of the crew, who remained on the loose Thursday.

One of the eight Venezuelan citizens remains at large, ICE Spokesperson Marie Ferguson said Wednesday night, although she did not name the suspect.

Ferguson said the US Border Patrol in Texas detained four of the group  Yoessy Pino Castillo, Yojairo Martinez, Javier Alborno and Yerbin Lozado-Munoz  between September 2022 and May 2023.

But they were released because of overcrowding chaos at the Laredo Sector Enhanced Centralized Processing Center in Laredo, Texas, and the Central Processing Center in El Paso, she said.

Meanwhile, Johan Cardenas Silva was ordered to be deported  but was released seven months later from the Stewart County Detention Center on an order of supervision and told to report to New York.

Federal agents escort a person out of a home in the Bronx where illegal migrant squatters have been living in the basement on April 3, 2024. Matthew McDermott

The NYPD raided the multifamily Bronx dwelling on March 27. James Keivom

All five ditched their processing appointments, and elected instead to gather in a house on Hull Avenue in the Bronx, where neighbors claim they ran a drug-dealing operation.

While they were free on the streets, several of the migrants racked up a laundry list of crimes ranging from criminal possession of loaded firearms to burglary  and even assault and the attempted murder charge.

Hector Desousa-Villalta, who illegally entered the country through Texas on May 3, was arrested on Aug. 28 for first degree assault with a weapon and attempted murder, but the charges were dropped after his accuser refused to corroborate, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.

Despite those charges, Desousa-Villalta was cut loose in Bronx Criminal Court despite the district attorneys request that he be held on nearly half a million dollars bond.

Hector Desousa-Villalta had previously been taken into custody by border agents. Obtained by NY Post

Guns, drugs, ammo and scales were all recovered inside the Bronx home.

Identified by neighbors and the apartment landlord as the leader of the gun-toting migrant squatter drug ring, Desousa-Villalta sparked the NYPD bust on March 27 after he pulled a a 9 mm CZ pistol and pointed it at someone in an alley near the house, police said.

A guy in a car with Florida plates pulled up and he was threatening these guys. And they all came out with their guns and somebody called the cops, said neighbor John Colby, 67.

When cops went in the house, they allegedly found four guns and several bags of drugs that led them to charge each of the migrant occupants.

Ask any of the neighbors here, all night theyre going back and forth with this delivery service, delivering the drugs and the guns and its all out in the open and its all non-stop crazy, Colby said.

But after publicity from the bust, federal agents barged into the multifamily dwelling yet again and arrested Castillo, Martinez and Desousa-Villalta, who had apparently returned to the home after being cut loose following their March 27 arrests, law enforcement sources told The Post.

Two men and a woman were arrested by federal agents during Wednesdays raid in the Bronx. Matthew McDermott

At the check-ins, migrants are supposed to file a claim, that could be for asylum, and let officials know where they are staying. Matthew McDermott

One of the squatters, still unidentified by authorities, remains on the loose and his whereabouts unknown  leaving the landlord of the Bronx house fearing for his life.

I am now scared. I cant even be here. They are out there walking around. I am scared, I am in danger, the landlord told The Post, claiming the tenants from Hell once threateningly drew their fingers across their necks at him when he called the police.

On the advice of an officer, he has put up plywood across all the windows and doors of the home in hopes that it will prevent the loose squatter from returning yet again to harass him.

I am still scared, they can still come here, they can still get to me.
What happened at North Star High School? Here's what we know.

BOSWELL  Officials still didn't know Friday afternoon what sickened several North Star High School students Thursday morning.

There are no indications carbon monoxide or any other gases, nor any chemical or environmental issues, caused the students to become sick, according to North Star School District administrators, the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Multiple rounds of testing were conducted in the school throughout the day Thursday, and an environmental response team from the EPA in Philadelphia arrived late Thursday. On-scene coordinators and chemists from the EPA conducted specialized tests and air sampling in various areas of the high school, including the school library, where the first students became ill.

A mobile lab and environmental response team from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency came from Philadelphia to conduct air sample testing at the North Star High School on April 4 and 5.

None of those specialized air sample tests have shown any levels of concern, said Kevin Clark, an on-scene coordinator with Region III of the EPA.

North Star administrators said Friday morning they were aware of 26 students who were evaluated on Thursday for symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness and lethargy after being in the school. However, UPMC Somerset records show the hospital received a total of 41 patients, all of whom were treated and released as of 8:15 a.m. Friday, according to Sarah Deist, senior manager, public relations for UPMC.

District Superintendent Louis Lepley said in addition to working with local fire departments and emergency crews since the beginning of the incident, North Star has been in contact with UPMC Somerset, various toxicologists and specialists, personnel from Peoples Gas, the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services and the state and federal environmental agencies to confirm that there were no air quality issues at the high school.

Everybodys been working together and collaborating through the entire day yesterday to make sure that our students were safe and make sure that our building was safe, he said.

Throughout the day, we had ongoing testing (and) we also deferred questions to the emergency specialists to ensure that we could remain open and continue the education process. That message was relayed that we were good to go and that there didnt seem to be a threat of gases (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide) or anything else that would endanger students and/or staff.

A second round of testing was continuing on Friday in an abundance of caution, Clark said.

An update posted Friday afternoon on the high school's Facebook page said that, "To date, all air quality readings have been negative for any chemical or environmental conditions of concern inside the building."

Inside the EPA's mobile lab, on-site coordinators and chemists test air samples that were collected from different locations inside the North Star High School.

Lepley said the district administration does not yet know why the students became ill Thursday, but since the EPAs additional test results show no issues or concerns, plans are to reopen the high school on Monday for classes as usual.

There will be additional carbon monoxide detectors installed around the school for continued monitoring, and the schools police officer will be conducting an internal investigation as well, he said.

We hope that parents, students and staff will be put at ease, Lepley said. Our No. 1 concern is the safety of our students and staff. We wouldnt ever put our students or staff members in harms way.

Studying the sun: How did Berlin Girl Scout Elliot Blubaugh become an Eclipse Investigator?

What happened at North Star High School?

Students at North Star High School were under a flexible instruction day Friday while officials investigated.

According to Somerset County 911, the Boswell and Stoystown volunteer fire departments and the Somerset Area Ambulance Association were dispatched at 8:28 a.m. Thursday to the high school because several students had passed out.

The North Star High School, 400 Ohio St. in Boswell

Then at 12:12 p.m., the Somerset County Career and Technology Center called Somerset County 911 to report more students from North Star who were bused there for vocational training were also feeling sick.

Cloudy or not? What does the forecast look like for Monday's total solar eclipse? Here's what we know.

The students were examined, and some were taken to UPMC Somerset for further testing, according to an announcement released on social media by the North Star School District late Thursday.

Based on information first shared by area hospitals, initial testing focused on carbon monoxide; however, results did not indicate elevated levels in the building, the announcement read.

As of 10:30 p.m. (Thursday), all further air quality sampling and investigation results have been negative. Responding agencies continue to investigate the building using specialized equipment looking for a potential cause for the illness.

High water: Where did the heavy rain cause problems in Somerset County? Here's a look.

In addition to the initial fire department and EMS personnel response, the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were at the high school overnight Thursday conducting additional testing.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: No cause found so far for multiple North Star students with sudden illness
(KRON)  The South San Francisco Police Department arrested a Hayward man for allegedly robbing and kidnapping a South San Francisco business on Thursday.

On March 15, South San Francisco police officers and detectives investigated an armed robbery and kidnapping that occurred at a business on the 100 block of Terminal Court.

According to police, a man threatened the business with a gun before bounding the employees of the business. The man then forced them into a room before stealing a substantial amount of cash and fleeing the scene, police said.

Through investigation, detectives identified the suspect as Carlos Gonzalez, 37, of Hayward.

On Tuesday, detectives obtained a search warrant for Gonzalezs neighborhood in Hayward. Gonzalez was under arrest for robbery and kidnapping. He was later booked into the San Mateo County Jail, police said.

This investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Evans at 650-877-8900 or tips@ssf.net.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Heading to the mountains this weekend? Heres what CHP says you can do to prepare

The California Highway Patrols Sonora Office reported a dramatic increase in calls for service in the past two days and urged Stanislaus County residents to take precautions when traveling into the mountains.

CHP Sonora responded to 83 calls between 2 p.m. on Thursday and 8 a.m. on Friday  a 337% increase from the average number of calls the office receives during the same time period, according to Officer Joshua McKernan.

In Modesto, cold temperatures and precipitation brought rain and hail on Thursday. In Sonora, it brought 6.6 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

McKernan said that an early-spring snow can cause an increase in road hazards because pine trees have regrown their leaves, which buckle the branches that support them.

No fatalities or major injuries were reported from any of the collisions, crashes and stuck vehicles called in, but McKernan said there are a few things residents should do before traversing snowy mountain roads.

What do you need to do?

McKernan said its crucial to have snow traction devices on your vehicles tires. These include chains, cables, socks or other products approved by the California Department of Transportation to help you drive safely in icy conditions. The tires themselves should be rated for snow to avoid traction loss.

Even if you have four-wheel-drive, or all-wheel-drive, youre required to at least carry snow traction devices with you, said McKernan, who added that residents should check to see if chains are required along their route before they set off.

CHP also recommends just slowing down when driving during or after inclement weather.

One of the big factors is people drive too fast in inclement weather which makes you slide more in the rain but then snow is even worse, said McKernan. So slow down and then (make) sure you have a larger space buffer.

McKernan urged drivers to pack extra warm clothes, blankets and water in case drivers get stuck on a less-traveled road and have to wait for them to respond. He added that drivers should also top-off on gas before they come up.

The NWS forecasts that frost conditions in the Sonora area will continue through the weekend.
A Black funeral director backed down the Henderson Chamber of Commerce a century ago and prompted the chamber to act against its own nature.

Chambers of Commerce, as a rule, dont favor new restrictions on private property rights, but in 1924 the local chamber passed a resolution asking the Henderson City Commission to enact a zoning ordinance. The city didnt get around to doing that until Dec. 3, 1947. More about that in a moment.

But lets start at the beginning. The controversy began before The Gleaner made its first mention of it on April 8, 1924, at the end of an article about the recent city commission meeting. W.A. Gaines, whose full name was Wallace Arkansas Gaines, had recently purchased the property at 18 S. Elm St. -- adjacent to the First Missionary Baptist Church --and was planning to erect a funeral home and garage on the site, which is across the street from Central Park.

Neighbors in the vicinity objected. The city commission, and the city attorney, told the critics that Gaines has complied with the city ordinance in the type of buildings he proposes to construct and there is no legal way to prevent him following his plans.

A few days later the chamber lodged a formal objection to the project, according to The Gleaner of April 11, and further recommended that the mayor and commissioners take steps toward a zoning law for Henderson, which will prevent future and further invasions of the residential districts by such enterprises.

The Gleaner of April 12 carried a story about a tense meeting at the chamber office, in which City Attorney F.J. Pentecost was called on the carpet and asked to explain himself for selling the property to Gaines.

Wallace Arkansas Gaines as he appeared in the Lexington Weekly Leader of Sept. 8, 1897.

The meeting was an informal one and started off stormy and threatened to break up in a squall but the participants settled down after hearing the explanation Pentecost offered.

Mr. Pentecost said he was compelled to bid on the property when it was sold at a master commissioners sale to protect an interest he had in the property and sold it for the same reason. After his clear and full explanation, those present had a better understanding of the matter.

Deeds show he acquired the property June 8, 1923, for $5,000 and sold it to Gaines Feb. 2, 1924, for $3,500.

There was a modest rental house on the north end of the 100-by-122-foot lot and a large lawn was between it and the First Missionary Baptist Church. Gaines had already bought steel girders and other material for construction.

Those attending the chamber meeting, and other neighbors, decided to pledge $6,000 to buy the property from Gaines.

The Gleaner of April 13 concentrated on the city commissions position on the zoning ordinance question.

We are already looking into the matter, said Mayor Clay F. Hall. We have been making inquiries of the various second- and third-class cities of the state. We expect shortly to hear from them within a week or so.

The two city commissioners, J.H. Hart and J.W. Johnson, did not shed much further light.

I have no opinion in the matter, said Hart. I dont know whether it would be constitutional or not, said Johnson.

The Gleaner of April 24 reported Gaines had a crew of men at work on the building  and that the attempt to buy the property from Gaines had ended in a stalemate.

Immediately after news got abroad of the new owner, protests were made against the location of the business in that section, devoted solely to residences and church purposes.

Phelps Lambert, who lived at 117 S. Elm St., along with other neighbors, were incensed at the invasion of their neighborhood by the colored undertaker and they asked him to name a price. Gaines said he would accept $8,517.

Lambert said the committee, believing the figure too high, asked Gaines to itemize the amount he had spent since he became owner and, according to Lambert, Gaines refused to do so. Gaines, according to Lambert, said he had been out $2,800 over the purchase price, but did not furnish the committee a statement of the total amount.

Keep in mind that all the while this was taking place the Ku Klux Klan was making public appearances every week or so in Henderson County. (Ill be writing more about the KKK in next weeks column.) Ive seen no indication, however, that Gaines received any threats from the KKK in regard to this disagreement.

There are several possible explanations for that. One, Gaines was an Evansville resident and had incorporated his Evansville funeral home in 1918. He also had one in Paris, Kentucky.

Another possible explanation is that Gaines had been a regional player in Republican politics since at least 1882 and had been appointed to federal patronage positions by Presidents Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley, according to the Notable Kentucky African Americans Database.

The NKAA noted that Sam J. Roberts, editor of the Lexington Leader, in an 1898 letter to President McKinley called Gaines the most trusted lieutenant among the Negroes in the campaigning for delegates and electoral votes and is the recognized Negro leader of Kentucky.

Republican presidents held the White House throughout the 1920s.

Considering that Gaines also owned multiple businesses and property in several states, you might conclude he was no one to trifle with.

An 1897 book by W.D. Johnson called Prominent Negro Men and Women of Kentucky makes it clear he not only stood up for himself but also was reliable for his strong fealty to his race.

Gaines was born April 15, 1858, in Dayton, Ohio, and while still a teenager he quit school and with a partner built a factory in Sunbury, Ohio, to manufacture wagon parts. Health reasons prompted him to move to Covington in 1875, where for years he was a member of the Republican Executive Committee of both Kenton County and the city of Covington.

He reached the highest levels of the Masons and the Odd Fellows orders, But the society in which he takes greatest interest, is the United Brothers of Friendship. This is due, no doubt, to Mr. Gaines interest in the advancement of his race, this being distinctly a Negro organization.

W.D. Johnsons book also gives a more personal view of the man: Mr. Gaines strong forte is that of oratory. He has a great command of words, an easy flow of language and a graceful mode of gesture, all combined making him one of the most eloquent and effective orators in the state of Kentucky.

In manner, Mr. Gaines is gentlemanly, suave and gracious, winning friends at every turn and holding them by his upright character and his hospitable nature.

Gaines died Aug. 3, 1940, in Evansville and is buried in Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell.

The funeral home he built at 16 S. Elm St. lasted for five decades and was bought by First Missionary Baptist Church in 1976, which uses it as an annex.

75 YEARS AGO

Luther Skaggs, a name well-known locally because hes one of two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from Henderson County, was running for county clerk in 1949, according to his announcement in the April 10 Gleaner.

He was honored for conspicuous gallantry while fighting the Imperial Japanese Army July 21-22, 1944, at Guam.

I shall never forget the rousing reception given me by the people of Henderson and Henderson County in 1945, he said.

That rousing reception didnt translate into votes, however. Results of the Aug. 6 election showed Glenn A. Wilson as the winner 4,013 to 808.

50 YEARS AGO

A wildcat strike at Anaconda Aluminums Sebree smelter was called illegal because it was in violation of the companys contract with Local 142 of the Aluminum Workers International Union, according to The Gleaner of April 11, 1974.

Workers began leaving their posts about 4 p.m. and at 11 p.m. the same day Sheriff J.T. Southard served a restraining order on the workers who remained at the plant gates.

The Gleaner of April 16 said the strike lasted four days and approximately 60 people involved were suspended.

Spokesmen for the striking miners said they acted because a compatriot had been fired without union representation.

The Gleaner of May 7 reported six of the men involved pleaded guilty to contempt charges and were each fined $1.

25 YEARS AGO

A photo in The Gleaner of April 9, 1999, depicted Marvin Duncan, owner of Sole-Mans Shoe Repair on South Main Street, chatting with friend and customer Allen Thurman Jr. while enjoying the nice weather.

Theres a lot of pairs (of shoes) in there but not any big enough for Junior, Duncan said with a laugh as Thurman looked around.

Duncan said he had been in the shoe repair business for nearly 57 years.

Readers of The Gleaner can reach Frank Boyett at YesNews42@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Henderson history: Black undertaker stirred up Chamber of Commerce in 1924
Her son was last seen badly hurt, being loaded into a Hamas truck: One mother details her 6-month agony

Her son was last seen badly hurt, being loaded into a Hamas truck: One mother details her 6-month agony

JERUSALEM  Rachel Goldberg-Polins mantra is the same now as it was six months ago.

I love you. Stay strong. Survive, she urges her son, Hersh, one of the more than 130 hostages seized half a year ago by Hamas who have still not been returned from the Gaza Strip.

She repeats those words constantly  whether she is out for a walk in her neighborhood or looking at the poster of her son in their Jerusalem home on Shabbat mornings.

You can make it through this, and you are going to have a long, beautiful life, Goldberg-Polin said, 54, recounting the words that she often tells her son in her head.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin with his mother and father in an undated family photo. (Courtesy of the Goldberg-Polin family)

Goldberg-Polin spoke with NBC News in a modern office space that is tucked into the industrial area of Jerusalem and doubles as the headquarters of the familys campaign to bring the young man back home. It belongs to a friend and has been transformed into a war room of sorts. The fight: To bring Hersh home safe.

Like dozens more Israelis, Goldberg-Polin has not been able to have a real conversation with her child since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.

Her familys story offers a glimpse into the plight of the hostages families, six agonizing months into the war launched in the wake of that stunning assault. With talks for a cease-fire deal stalled and little to no information about what is happening with the hostages, or even if they are still alive, the families have led protests pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government to prioritize their loved ones.

Pretend to be human

Goldberg-Polins quest began with piecing together what happened to her son, from survivors accounts, what the family was told by the authorities and GoPro footage shot by a Hamas militant.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was taken hostage by Hamas at the Supernova music festival in the early morning hours of Oct. 7.

Trying to run away with his friend Aner Shapira, the two hid in a nearby roadside bomb shelter with 27 other people. But the militants threw hand grenades and sprayed gunfire into the bunker, killing many and injuring others, including Hersh. Survivors and footage from the Hamas GoPro camera that was shared with the family revealed that Hersh had half of his left arm blown off before he was loaded into a truck and taken to Gaza.

His last text messages to his parents after the attack started and before he was taken hostage were: I love you and Im sorry.

Hersh Goldberg Polin Supernova Music Festival (Supplied to NBC News)

Goldberg-Polin and her husband, Jonathan Polin, are operating on the assumption that their son is alive and that he may have even received medical help in Gaza. But six months into his captivity, they are bearing the trauma of uncertainty about his fate.

We have to pretend to be normal if we want to function, Goldberg-Polin said. First thing in the morning, I always say to myself  And now pretend to be human. And I get out of bed and I put on this costume of being a person Its kind of like someones holding a branding iron on your back and you cant let anybody know.

Goldberg-Polin was wearing that costume in her interview last month, though the steely calm written across her face is betrayed by a small piece of masking tape emblazoned across her heart.

The sticker on her gray shirt bears the number of days her son has been held in Gaza  163 when she spoke with NBC News, though it has now been 181.

Its a conversation starter, Goldberg-Polin said, but also a reminder about the unbearable wait that families like hers have to endure. It makes people stop and it makes people really ask and question and push themselves to come up with  how are we allowing this to continue to happen?

Such trauma knocks you completely out of your world like a metaphorical truck that hits you from behind, she said, while healing can come from finding a way to adapt to this new reality.

But Goldberg-Polin is still stuck in limbo.

The problem that all the hostage families are going through is that the truck is still on us, she said.

Hersh Gioldberg Polin parents (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file)

Hamas released more than 100 hostages as part of a cease-fire deal in November, but Goldberg-Polin said that they have had no news on her sons well-being or even proof of life since Oct. 7 besides hearing that he would not be part of that earlier exchange.

Truce talks that have taken place since then have not resulted in any new movement on the hostages. Hamas has frequently claimed that some of them have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, and three hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in December, adding to the agony for the families back home.

Goldberg-Polin has taken her advocacy for her son and other hostages to the United Nations and around the world. She has met Pope Francis, tech mogul Elon Musk and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and has also given speeches, attended events and fought to keep the hostages at the top of the international agenda.

But as the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip grows, Goldberg-Polin said that she fears the hostage issue has become conflated with what is happening in the enclave right now.

After more than 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7 attack, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza vowing to wipe out Hamas and rescue the hostages.

Six months later, more than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry, with thousands more feared trapped under the rubble and presumed dead. The assault has precipitated a humanitarian catastrophe and warnings of imminent famine, driving mounting international outrage and accusation of genocide.

Kidnapping of Hersh Goldberg-Polin (Courtesy of the Goldberg-Polin Family)

Goldberg-Polin sees it as innocent people paying the price on both sides, and she doesnt champion the suffering of the other.

Im happy that Im upset when I see that the other side is also in pain, that Im not celebrating their pain because that would mean that Im not human anymore, she said.

She said she hopes that there is a mother like her on the other side who may be trying to help Hersh, she said.

Goldberg-Polin read out a poem she wrote, called One Tiny Seed, at the U.N. a few months ago. The poem is about hoping to share tea with mothers in Gaza one day and watching their children live out their lives in peace.

Our sea of tears, they all taste the same, her poem reads.

Goldberg-Polin is convinced that Netanyahus government should compromise in order to stop the suffering on both sides. Getting Hersh and other hostages out will come at a high price for Israel no matter what happens, she added.

But I actually think thats something that we should be proud of, and its something that we should embrace, that we value life and that its who we are, she said.

The price of not bringing the hostages home would be so much higher, Goldberg-Polin said, because then Israel wont be able to recognize itself.

I think that this truck thats been on us, its on our chest, but its on parts of the rest of the country as well  maybe a toe, maybe a finger, maybe an ear lobe, but its on all of us, she added. And we are not going to be able to move on from the trauma of Oct. 7 until all these people are home.

Shira Pinson reported from Jerusalem, Matthew Kwiecinski from Chicago and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Planning on observing the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8? Then the National Weather Service has good news for you.

"Overall, the weather conditions are looking pretty favorable for Monday," said Alex Dodd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "High pressure will still be in place along the East Coast, which should promote clear skies.

"Temperatures will warm up into the low 60s," Dodd added. "It should be a good conditions, all in all, for observing the solar eclipse."

Will it rain Monday during the solar eclipse?

Dodd said there is a very much remote chance of rain Monday afternoon throughout the Delaware Valley.

"The one fly in the ointment is the warm air approaching west from the mountains could produce rain late Monday, and that warm air could also lead to a spread in high cloud coverage," Dodd said. "The way it looks right now is that Bucks County will probably be OK for observing. If anything, it'll be just enough to dim the sun.

"The high clouds will be the only thing that that might cause some problems, but at this point, it's looking like those clouds will be high enough and thin enough to not cause too much trouble."

Heads up, total solar eclipse, blue supermoon and 'devil comet' coming in 2024

When will the solar eclipse be best viewable in Bucks County?

Tracking the solar eclipse? Trying to plan your viewing party. We have you covered as you figure out the best time to observe nature's high-tech phenomenon. Just use your ZIP code.

Star watchers can also follow the solar eclipse using USA Today's interactive solar eclipse tool.

Tracking the 2024 solar eclipse: What time is the solar eclipse? What to know and what youll see in Bucks County

Erie in direct path of solar eclipse; how to best observe there

While Bucks County and most of Pennsylvania are in the path of the eclipse, Erie in northwestern part of the state is in the path of totality and expects big crowds for the 3 minutes and 42 seconds event.

In Erie, people are encouraged to find places other than the bayfront to view the eclipse because the downtown traffic could be gridlocked on April 8.

Observing the solar eclipse in Erie: The solar eclipse's path of totality travels through Erie. All you need to know to watch it Monday.

Pennsylvania Turnpike will keep all lanes open at the Cranberry Interchange

The Pennsylvania State Police are prepared for the extra traffic the solar eclipse will bring to Erie.

"The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will be keeping all lanes of traffic open heading to and from Erie on I-79 via the Cranberry Interchange (Exit #28) and adding additional maintenance personnel in the event of an emergency," read a portion of PennDOT's news release. "To assist Pennsylvania residents and out-of-state visitors traveling to Erie, which will experience one of the longest period of darkness, PennDOT has developed an event specific 511PA page  www.511pa.com/eclipse24."

Solar eclipse guide for motorists: Checking out the solar eclipse next month? Don't park on highways, gather at rest stops

PennDOT will remove cars from highways; will break up viewing parties at rest stops

The Pennsylvania State Police will not allow motorists to pull over on the highway to view the solar eclipse, nor will they allow people to gather at any of the state's 17 service plazas.

What else to know for the solar eclipse: Checking out the solar eclipse next month? Don't park on highways, gather at rest stops

"Pennsylvania State Police will remove disabled vehicles from interstates in northwestern Pennsylvania and post troopers at each exit to keep traffic moving," read PennDOT's news release. "People gathered at rest stops will be directed to view the eclipse elsewhere."

Damon C. Williams covers trending and regional developments for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County weather forecast for April 8 solar eclipse
HELSINKI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced on Friday that she would resign from her current position to run for president in the June election, according to Iceland's national broadcaster RUV.

Jakobsdottir made the announcement in a Facebook video. She said in her video that many people have recently encouraged her to run for president and she decided some time ago not to run in the next parliamentary elections.

Born in 1976, Jakobsdottir has been prime minister since Nov. 30, 2017.

In Iceland, presidential elections occur every four years, and this year's contest is scheduled for June 1. Incumbent president Gudni Johannesson has announced he will not seek a third term. The number of presidential terms is not restricted by law in Iceland.

Eligible candidates must collect a backing of at least 1,500 advance signatures to be able to enter the race. The presidential election takes place on a simple majority of votes basis. Candidates must be Icelandic citizens and at least 35 years of age on election day.

Historian Gudmundur Halfdanarson told RUV that the prime minister's decision to run for president is unprecedented. He noted that not even a minister has attempted to transition directly from a ministerial role to the presidency, let alone the prime minister.

Jakobsdottir has also been the chairperson of the Left-Green Movement since 2013. However, RUV noted that in her Friday video speech, she did not say whether or for how long she would continue as chairperson.

The coalition cabinet also comprises the Independence Party and the Progressive Party.

Currently, over 60 individuals have announced their intention of entering the presidential race, embarking on the task of collecting the requisite signatures of support to formalize their candidacy. 
High tide and seaweed hid 3,000-year-old fortress in Ireland  until now. See it

The ruins of an ancient fortress were recently discovered on a small island along the west coast of Ireland.

Stone ramparts dating to the late Bronze Age were found stretching across a causeway connecting mainland Ireland to Collanmore Island, located in Clew Bay.

Its a fascinating site, Michael Gibbons, an independent archaeologist who made the discovery, told McClatchy News.

Uncover more archaeological finds

What are we learning about the past? Here are three of our most eye-catching archaeology stories from the past week.

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Discovering the ramparts

The ancient ruins went undocumented for years, largely because theyre usually submerged under the sea.

Only about once a month, at low tide, is the entire structure visible, Gibbons said. And even then, its been obscured underneath layers of seaweed  a cash crop harvested by locals.

But, in early 2024, Gibbons was granted permission to clear the seaweed, revealing two parallel ramparts, each spanning more than 600 feet in length, and one faced with large limestone blocks.

The limestone ramparts extend over 600 feet, the archaeologist said.

Both structures have been heavily eroded due to rising sea levels and now only stand several feet high.

But when they were constructed  likely around 1000 B.C.  they would have been formidable defensive structures capable of controlling access to and from the island, Gibbons said.

Much else about the site remains unknown, Gibbons said, adding Were really at the beginning of any sort of research on it.

However, numerous Bronze Age hill forts have been found throughout the country, which could provide valuable context for the newly discovered ruins.

The ramparts would have controlled access to the island, Gibbons said.

Irish Hill Forts

More than 100 Late Bronze Age hill forts of various sizes have been discovered in Ireland, including on mountaintops, near lakes and on the coastline, Gibbons said, adding Ive found lots of them.

In addition to their outer walls, some of these forts contained large stone houses, which could measure 26 feet wide. Some also contained ramparts with their own chambers, gates with defensive features and staggered entrances.

Most of them appear to have been built during an intensive episode of construction that lasted about 200 years.

These were major tribal centers in their own day in a world with warring tribal kingdoms left right and center, Gibbons said.

While these forts certainly kept enemies at bay, they likely also served ceremonial purposes, Gibbons said.

As Ireland moved into the Middle Ages, many of the larger Bronze Age forts were handed over to churches.

Gaelic lords who spent their time killing each othernow want(ed) to get into heaven, Gibbons said.

Later on, in the 12th and 13th centuries, when the English appeared in Ireland, they took over control over some of the forts, making their own additions.

So sometimes youll have this palimpsest of conquest and control, Gibbons said. You can have multiple structures on one site.

Today, many of these structures survive thanks, in part, to an old Irish belief that ruins are inhabited by spirits.

In western Ireland, in particular, there was a reluctance to damage anything that had a hint of antiquity, because the belief in the spirit world was very alive in Gaelic culture, Gibbons said.

Additional research, including infrared imaging, will be conducted at the site, Gibbons said. So far, no other large stone structures have been found, but the traces of abandoned villages have been located nearby.

Several underground bunkers  left from WWII  unearthed at park in Belgium. See them

2,800-year-old recycling bin discovered in ruins of Britains Pompeii, photos show

Prehistoric workshops  with axes and other stone artifacts  found in Egypt. See them
In 1973, historian Russell Weigley described the American way of war as a strategy of annihilation. Such a strategy aims to identify a single, clear objective, a decisive battle or series of battles where victory will force the enemy to surrender. Gens. Grant and Sherman demonstrated this approach during the Civil War, and Americas victories in World War II established a deep reservoir of conviction in both the military and the public to support the strategy of annihilation.

Many Americans todayin the aftermath of the war on terror and as a result of unforeseen blowbackare less taken with strategies of annihilation as the way to wage war than they were half a century ago. Unfortunately, lessons learned painfully on the battlefield have not kept strategies of annihilation from seeping into American politics and culture. Over and again we see binary framings that allow for no outcome other than a decisive victory by one side or the other.

The debate about the crisis in higher education provides the latest example, where the pursuit of an illusory ideological victory undermines urgently needed efforts to redesign universities and colleges as centers of learning.

This crisis has been building for a long time. Concerns about the cost of higher education have grown steadily more pronounced over the past several decades, with the proportion of Americans who feel college is affordable dropping by almost half, from 39 percent to 22 percent between 1985 and 2011. In 2017, Republicans views toward higher education shifted noticeably, with a majority saying for the first time that they felt colleges and universities had a negative influence on society. While Republicans were more likely to cite concerns about the politicization of campus culturereflected in the sharp decline in the number of faculty who identify as conservative, for exampleversus affordability, the net effect is that by 2023, confidence in higher education had collapsed.

Hamas terror attacks against Israel on October 7, and in particular the failure of many university leaders to adequately respond to the surge in antisemitism that followed, brought an acute degree of urgency to the situation. For many Americans, including those who had been less engaged on the issue, it appeared as though an illiberal campus culture that seemed to justify, and in some cases celebrate, the brutal killing of innocents was on full display.

While rightly critiquing rigid orthodoxies on many campuses and the indefensible nature of some of the views expressed there following October 7, too many calls for reforming higher education have adopted a strategy of annihilation in how they frame the situation. This was evident, for example, in investor Bill Ackmans argument for how to fix Harvard, which rests primarily on eliminating DEIdescribed by Ackman as a powerful movement that has not only pervaded Harvard but the educational system at largeas the core objective.

Such strategies were gaining traction before October 7. They featured prominently with Floridas Stop W.O.K.E Act, for example, which the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression argued against out of concern that it would effectively trade one orthodoxy for another. But it is now increasingly common to see calls for wholesale changes in personnel, based upon their perceived ideology, as a precondition for improving higher education.

The problem with this framing is that strategies of annihilation will almost certainly fail to improve our universities. To be successful, such strategies require there to be clear-cut sides, which do not exist in higher education despite attempts to say otherwise. Most Americans primarily think about college in instrumental rather than ideological terms. Most people do not want universities to be woke or anti-wokethey just want them to carry out a set of functions, especially to help students secure work and embark on successful careers.

Furthermore, while research shows a strong liberal bias among students, professors, and administrators, views are far from monolithic. Even on hot-button issues, most peoples views are more fluid and uncertain than rigidly fixed. But strategies of annihilation make it easy to see adversaries everywhere. This causes reformers to overreach, alienate potential partners, and drive further tumult and extremity on campuses.

Finally, strategies of annihilation in higher education are self-defeating. The worldview of a student or faculty member should not be the top concern in a free society. Individuals can hold a wide range of views, even ones the broader society disagrees with. As the Cato Institutes Andrew Gillen points out, attempting to eliminate any ideological movement would undermine the very goal of promoting a more open and robust learning environment.

In short, there can be no decisive political battle won in our campus culture wars. But there is clearly a fraught environment on many campuses. What strategy should reformers pursue?

One solution starts by changing the analogy from war to organizational design. The path forward for higher education does not involve defeating enemies, but rather reinvigorating a focus on what we might call a universitys core capabilities, to borrow a term from management scholars. With this framing, the salient question is not what do people believe but rather, what is the job to be done. A core capabilities framework prioritizes the services, experiences, and products that colleges need to deliver to their students, parents, faculty, and other relevant audiences. This emphasis shifts the conversation from an individuals psychology and political views to how universities are governed and managed.

An organizational design approach offers a more promising path to invigorating higher education, in part because it better diagnoses the situation. Although its common in an era of hyper-polarization to view different settingsthe business world, campuses, churchesas simply containers for a massive culture war, each setting is in fact distinct. With higher education, a large part of todays crisis has to do with what we might call capability creep, where institutions lose sight of their most important capabilities, especially those related to delivering learning that is relevant, accessible, and affordable, and instead emphasize other capabilities, such as those related to advocacy.

Consider the growth in centers and institutes across universities. The University of Pennsylvanias Environmental Innovations Initiative, for example, lists 34 different centers or institutes connected to addressing environmental challenges. This reflects a common situation in higher education, where an array of centershoused within but existing slightly independent from the institution itselffocus on addressing a contemporary policy or social issue. Any one such center might not exert much influence on the institution, but as they grow in stature or increase in number, they can change the institutions strategic calculus, causing it to emphasize advocacy over learning.

A strategy of annihilation seeks to cut such efforts off because of their perceived politicized nature. Not only would such a wide-sweeping change likely cause a backlash, it could also undermine work that many on campus might view as a core capabilityfor example, partnering with industry for mutually beneficial research.

A strategy of organizational design would instead start with a series of questions to identify how such centers or institutions serve or subtract from core capabilities. These questions include: What core capabilities are the centers explicitly tied to? Who makes decisions about the centers activities? How transparent is the decision-making process and how reflective of the universitys stakeholders is the decision-making team? This approach enables higher education leaders to identify and support the structures and strategies that best deliver on the most important capabilities and to reform or eliminate those that do not.

A similar example could be applied to endowments and investments. Over the past decade, approximately 3 percent of U.S. higher education institutions, representing 39 percent of endowment assets, have divested from fossil fuel companies. When viewed as a problem of ideology, it sets the stage not just for rollbacks, but counter-divestment efforts. Such efforts, while holding opposite goals, are similar in that they create governing structures that permit the use of the endowment for ideological goals.

An organizational design approach would instead assess the situation through the lens of core capabilities and decision-making processes. Rather than imposing any ideological litmus test, higher education leaders would consider what jobs the university needs the endowment to do, the governance structures best suited to execute those jobs, and the impact different options would have on the broader institution. This is the kind of approach that led then-Harvard President Drew Faust to caution against fossil fuel divestment in 2013: Conceiving of the endowment not as an economic resource, but as a tool to inject the University into the political process or as a lever to exert economic pressure for social purposes, can entail serious risks to the independence of the academic enterprise.

This framing applies to conflicts over free speech and expression on campus as well. Adopting clear principles in support of free speech, pluralism, and robust debate, such as those associated with the Chicago Statement, could be a sensible step for many institutions. But for any set of principles to be effective, they have to be embedded into decision-making systems that apply holistically across the institution. Its not just a matter of resolving what kinds of speakers the institution allows, but also addressing who gets to make these decisions, how the institution resolves conflicting demands, and how it applies such principles more broadly across campus activities.

The need to consider university activities holistically underscores another virtue of strategies of organizational design, namely their simplicity. At their most basic level, such strategies involve a straightforward set of steps: identify core capabilities; shape decision-making and management structures to best execute those capabilities; ensure transparency and accountability; and assess, iterate, and improve. At a moment when trust in higher education is so low and tensions so high, reformers must fight efforts to add complexity and stick to a process that can be clearly communicated to all.

Being simple does not mean any of this will be easy, however. There are always trade-offs and conflicts to resolve. Different groups demand different capabilities from higher education. Faculty and industry partners might hold contrasting expectations about how much an institution prioritizes preparing students for careers versus preparing them for the responsibilities of citizenship, for example. Considering the diverse array of interests universities have to account for, from students and parents to faculty and donors, the process of organizing around core capabilities will never be neat and tidy. And it will play out differently for each institution based on its unique context.

But while acknowledging these risk factors, a strategy of organizational design provides any institution with a clear pathway forward that is more actionable and less freighted with ideology than strategies of annihilation. Strategies of annihilation pushed for today might generate headlines, but they will fail to transform higher education.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Last year, the Village of Hinsdale marked its sesquicentennial birthday, bringing additional attention to an already historically conscious Chicago suburb looking to preserve a facade of its past.

Tuesday night the Hinsdale Village Board approved an ordinance amending titles 2, 9, and 14 of the Hinsdale Village Code, concerning Boards and Commissions, Building Regulations, and Historic Preservation respectively.

The rules primarily, but not exclusively, concern homes located within the Robbins Park Historical District, roughly 120 acres of land southeast of downtown Hinsdale consisting of more than 360 residential buildings.

Chief among changes is the creation of a design review meeting with an Ad Hoc Historic District Design Review Team for applicants seeking to demolish or relocate their building if it resides in Robbins Park or is listed as a landmarked property.

Between 2001 and 2006, 20 buildings were registered as landmarked properties, including the Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge and Burns Field Warming Shelter.

A new review team will be created for each application and include a member of the villages Board of Trustees; teams are intended to provide design feedback, education, guidance and advice to property owners, according to the ordinance.

Im not sure that the point of this is to be an exhaustive study, the real point is to just let the homeowner know that this is an architecturally significant home and here are the high points as to why, Hinsdale Village Board President Thomas Cauley said Tuesday.

Appointment of a review team must be completed within 15 days of filing an application, teams have 15 days to provide recommendations, and the mandatory design review process must be completed within 60 days. Cauley said this time frame is arbitrary and subject to change over time.

This is meant to make a homeowner, who maybe is from outside the community, aware of the significance of the home, Village Board Member Matthew Posthuma said. The goal is to give them an overall picture, not to give them every single detail.
The house at 308 East Madison St. in Ann Arbor was once the home of Raoul Wallenberg, a University of Michigan alum who disappeared after being detained by the Soviets in 1945.

The former home of a World War II hero credited with saving thousands of Jewish people during the Holocaust may face the wrecking ball to make room for more dorms at the University of Michigan.

U-M alum Raoul Wallenberg was born in Sweden and educated in Paris and at U-M before serving as a diplomat across World War II-era Europe.

Wallenberg disappeared after being detained by Soviet forces in 1945, but his legacy lives on among the U-M community. The university announced the establishment of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to combat antisemitism in December. U-M also has a Wallenberg memorial and a Wallenberg medal, with medal recipients presenting annual lectures.

"As a Swedish diplomat stationed in Budapest in 1944, while Hungarian authorities were actively cooperating with the Nazis to deport the citys nearly half-million Jews to their deaths, Wallenberg became determined to save as many people as he could. It is estimated that 100,000 Jews were saved because of his fearless efforts," said Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Zekelman Holocaust Center.

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg circa 1937.

The University of Michigan is embarking on the new dorm project amid a student housing crisis fueled by record enrollment and high demand for affordable housing.

The Ann Arbor campus saw 53,065 students enroll in the fall 2023 semester, including 7,466 first-year students  a 3% increase in undergraduate enrollment and a 2% increase in total enrollment from 2022, according to U-M. The university currently features 15 residence halls on its Ann Arbor campus.

U-M is working on the New Central Campus Residential Development, set to wrap up by summer 2026. The Board of Regents approved the $631 million project in September, with the Wallenberg home falling within the two-block construction area. The project will feature a 2,300-bed and 900-seat dining hall campus housing, with five residence halls, green courtyards and quadrangles, and a pedestrian walkway.

A historic building mark on the house on 308 East Madison St. in Ann Arbor denotes that this Dutch Colonial was once the home of Raoul Wallenberg, a University of Michigan alum who disappeared after being detained by the Soviets in 1945.

The historic home sits at 308 E. Madison St. in Ann Arbor. The five-bedroom, three-bathroom Dutch colonial home was built in 1910, according to Zillow.com.

The new housing complex will feature a dedication to Wallenberg, the university said in a statement.

"Raoul Wallenberg is a world hero and the university is extraordinarily proud of our connection to him. As such, space within the phase two development will be named in his honor," U-M said in the statement. "We dont have additional information to share at this time but will be happy to keep in touch and update you as the project develops."

Wallenberg's legacy will live on beyond his former campus residence, Mayerfeld said.

"We know how proud the University of Michigan is to call Raoul Wallenberg an alumnus. We, too, share in that pride," Mayerfeld said. "More important to his legacy than his student housing, however, is the opportunity to learn about the difference one person can make."

A timeline for the start of construction and a potential impact on the Wallenberg house is yet to be determined.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Raoul Wallenberg home in Ann Arbor to be demolished for U-M dorms
They hit the jackpot: How so-called burglary tourists use visa waivers to target luxury US homes

Carol and Jeff Starr celebrated their daughters wedding last month with a bit of irony: neither was wearing their own wedding rings at the ceremony. Thieves had broken into their Southern California home last spring and cleaned out a safe full of jewelry.

They hit the jackpot, Carol Starr told CNN.

The couple had locked their own rings in a 6-foot-tall safe, where they also secured heirloom jewelry passed down from Carols late mother.

My mother loved beautiful things and she wanted to leave a legacy through jewelry, Carol Starr said. She bought some beautiful antique jewelry, museum-quality jewelry.

Orange County, California, prosecutors allege a group of thieves hid in the hillside adjoining the Starrs home, watched them leave with visiting relatives, and made their move.

They came over our fence, they broke through a window in the upper bedroom and came through that window, Jeff Starr told CNN. And then immediately started working  on the safe.

The total loss: a staggering $8 million, the family estimates.

You dont feel safe in your own home anymore, said Carol Starr, who is thankful no one returned home during the burglary. I get so emotional and so mad when I think about what could have happened.

Prosecutors say the break-in is part of a larger issue in which so-called burglary tourists enter the United States from countries that qualify for visa waivers, allowing a visit of up to 90 days without a traditional tourist visa. When the suspects arrive  most often from South America, prosecutors say  they join sophisticated burglary rings that prey on luxury homes.

In some cases, the suspects lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged, said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. They take advantage of the fact that most people dont have window sensors or motion detectors on their second floors. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.

Some of the burglary suspects have used ghillie suits, like the one seen here, to camouflage their movements. - Orange County D.A.

Spitzer said the stolen goods are often sold quickly and the money is sent back to the suspects home country. Most often, thats Chile, he said, which is now the only remaining South American country that qualifies for the Department of Homeland Securitys waiver program, known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA.

The problem extends beyond California. Last month police in Scottsdale, Arizona, reported they arrested three Chilean nationals in connection with what authorities called a burglary series in the city.

Within the last year, police in Baltimore, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Nassau County, New York, were among those announcing arrests in cases of luxury home burglaries linked to Chilean nationals in the US on visa waivers.

While there is no formal tally of the number of crimes committed by burglary tourists, the number appears to be, at minimum, in the hundreds. Ventura County, California, alone attributed 175 residential burglaries to transnational theft groups between 2019 and mid-2023.

Not all Chileans are coming to the United States on this 90-days tourist program  not all of them are committing crimes, Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther noted in a March news conference. Im not saying that they are  But what were getting is hundreds, hundreds if not thousands coming in through the visa waiver program that are committing residential burglaries in dozens and dozens and dozens of cities and neighborhoods around the country. This is not a Scottsdale issue, this is not a Valley issue, this is not an Arizona issue. This is a national issue.

Walther added: We have to be willing to start asking some hard questions of our federal government about the visa waiver program.

Seeking answers from South America

Rama and Balakrishna Sundar built their dream home overlooking the ocean in Dana Point, California. After alleged burglary tourists broke in through a bedroom window last year, they are trying to re-build their peace of mind.

We want to move away from here and I dont feel very secure at all, Rama Sundar told CNN.

The burglars also took a sledgehammer to an elevator door, perhaps thinking a safe was behind it, Balakrishna Sundar said. When the alarm company was notified, the burglars fled with nothing valuable. The suspects were Chilean nationals, and at least one of them was out on bail for another crime, according to a complaint filed in Orange County.

Spitzer, the district attorney, has been a vocal critic of Chile, claiming it isnt releasing background information on those granted visa waivers, which hinders prosecution here in the US.

If we dont know the criminal background of these individuals  then we cant tell the judge anything or represent anything about the background, he said. Which means the person is released on no bail and they never come back again to answer for the charges.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer speaks during a news conference in Santa Ana, California, on May 16, 2022. - Jae C. Hong/AP

The Chilean government did not respond to CNNs request for comment.

The Department of Homeland Securitys website says the waiver program is vital for expanding economic and cultural ties. More than 40 countries qualify for the program.

In a statement to CNN, the department acknowledged it is deeply concerned with some individuals who travel to the United States and engage in criminal activity, but adds Chilean officials have responded by improving operational cooperation with DHS to prevent travel  by known criminal actors.

The agency also noted it is expediting biometric information sharing between the US and Chile that, once fully implemented, will give US officials access to the criminal histories of travelers.

In March, Spitzer sued the US State Department, demanding to see the details of a bilateral security agreement for preventing and combating serious crime that it signed with Chile in July.

Wheres the proof in the pudding? said Spitzer. How come were not seeing a significant diminishment of these burglaries?

The Sundar family also questioned the level of urgency on this issue in Washington.

I want a politician to go through this experience and he may feel exactly as I feel, Balakrishna Sundar said.

Theyre supposed to help us, his wife added. Its very annoying and disturbing.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Homeless creep with 33 prior busts who keeps getting set free nabbed again  this time for groping 4 women in NYC spree: cops

A homeless creep with 33 prior busts who keeps ending up back on the street was arrested again for a series of perverted groping attacks on women in Manhattan, cops and prosecutors said.

Tyheem Menardy, 26  who cops said groped four women last week  was arrested Wednesday just days after he was nabbed in a bicycle robbery but promptly set free because the charges against him werent bail eligible.

The creeps lengthy rap sheet includes busts for assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, grand larceny, robbery, trespassing and resisting arrest, authorities said. He also was accused in two other groping incidents, according to police.

But it didnt appear he had spent any time in the New York prison system, according to records.

In his latest spree from March 24-29, the touchy criminal was slapped with charges of forcible touching and sexual abuse, according to police and a complaint filed in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Menardy  who was riding a gray bike allegedly rolled up to a woman on Allen Street on the Lower East Side and grabbed her buttocks around noon March 24, the complaint said.

Tyheem Menardy, 26, groped four women in a Manhattan spree last week, cops and prosecutors said.

Then minutes before 10 a.m. March 26, the creep allegedly approached a 34-year-old woman from behind at Ninth Avenue and West 16th Street in Chelsea and touched her private area, police said.

The victim began to record the offender as he took off, according to the complaint.

He targeted his next victim, a 52-year-old woman, at 10 a.m.  grabbing her buttocks as she walked at West 18th Street and 10th Avenue, cops said.

Then around 3:30 p.m. March 29, he was riding a Citi Bike when he approached another woman and grabbed her buttocks on East 29th Street near Second Avenue in Kips Bay, the complaint states.

Menardy has 33 prior arrests, including previous raps for forcible touching, cops said. NYPD

Menardy turned around and looked at the woman before he made a getaway on the bike, according to prosecutors.

He was arrested that same day for stealing a Citi Bike by force  leaving the rider with bruises, soreness and pain, according to the court document.

It wasnt clear if it was the same bike he allegedly used while groping his final victim.

However, the charges linked to the Citi Bike theft  third-degree robbery, third-degree assault and petit larceny  were not bail-eligible and Menardy was granted supervised release.

Menardy has prior arrests for assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, grand larceny, robbery and burglary, among others, cops said. NYPD

He is set to reappear in court in connection to that case on May 6, according to the Manhattan DAs Office.

Menardy was previously arrested on Jan. 26 for allegedly grabbing the breast of a 31-year-old woman in Irving Place in Gramercy Park, sources said.

And on May 5, 2020, he allegedly groped a 32-year-old womans buttocks at Fulton and Nassau streets, sources said.

Menardy was ordered held on $2,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond in connection to his latest groping busts, the DAs Office said.

He is scheduled to reappear in court next Tuesday.
Have you by chance heard of the gas line replacement project that Enbridge, formerly known as Dominion, is conducting across Northeast Ohio?

If not, get ready  its most likely coming to a town near you.

You would know if youve heard of it. Or, you probably would have at least had the creeping suspicion something was afoot when work crews posted up in your yard and began digging away.

Theresa "Tess" Bennett

Thats how it started for us. Last week, as I sat in the kitchen with my son  ironically planting seeds on my never-ending mission to beautify our yard  a crew with trucks rolled up and began tearing it apart.

I didnt know what they were doing, but I figured it was something I had received notice of and forgot about, so I merely watched in annoyance as the crew began to work.

The real frustration didnt start until later that day, when my husband called to let me know our gas and heat were out. Little did I know that was just the beginning of a frigid week.

My experience with Enbridge

Stephanie Moore, a communications consultant with Enbridge, confirmed we had in fact received notice of this work in the form of one mail flier and one email, both sent roughly a month and a half before the work started, and neither of which we recall getting.

The flier explains that when crews arrive, they will turn off gas service for a period of time to perform the work: For this reason, a Dominion employee or an authorized contractor will attempt to notify you prior to this work to coordinate our project schedule.

As far as I know, we were not contacted again before crews started work.

And before crews could turn off our gas, it went kaput on its own.

So began the absurdity of trying to restore access to our heat, stove and dryer.

From my rudimentary understanding of the situation, water was getting into in the old line, which we were still connected to, and needed to be pumped every few hours until we were hooked up to the new line. If it wasnt pumped in time, our gas shut off, and crews needed to come into our house to restore it.

Much to our chagrin, crews didnt come regularly. Every time we realized the fans hadnt kicked on, we started the maddening cycle all over again: Call Enbridges emergency line to explain the situation; have a crew come out to pump the line and turn our gas back on; ask progressively more assertive questions about how and when this will be resolved; receive reassurance without results; repeat.

After six days of calling Enbridge roughly three times a day, juggling times for them to come over (and usually receiving no notice when they were on their way), eating takeout, watching my plants slowly wither away from the cold and bundling up my 2-year-old son each night before bed, our message finally made it to the right people.

A crew showed up the Monday after Easter to connect us to a higher pressure gas line and end the runaround. It was after a holiday weekend, so perhaps that was part of the holdup; but it was also, as my husband pointed out, the first business day after I had reached out to Moore about writing this article.

Whatever the reason for their sudden urgency, it did the trick. We are back in business with our natural gas  at least for now.

We do still have a giant hole in our yard, though.

This hole was left by Enbridge crews in Tess Bennett's front yard as a part of its natural gas pipeline replacement project. The hole is supposed to be filled in and landscaped once the work is complete.

What should homeowners expect?

Moore tells me my case is not typical. In fact, she said our experience is reported in less than 1% of Enbridge's projects.

So, if Enbridge begins replacing the pipeline in your yard, the process will likely go smoother.

By the end of 2023, Enbridge had replaced more than 2,350 miles of gas lines, about 42% of its planned 5,500 miles in its $4 billion project.

Replacements are underway in three different areas of Cuyahoga Falls, Moore said, and more will be coming for the city, as well as Akron, Barberton, Canton and Copley.

Enbridge has 538 miles of pipeline left to replace in Summit County, 331 miles left in Stark, 40 in Portage and 16 in Medina. The company expects to be able to replace 150 miles of pipeline a year, Moore said.

Our main issues in this whole situation revolved around communication. Moore said in addition to a mailer, residents should receive biweekly emails (if their email address is on file) and a reminder via an automated phone call a week before the project starts. Contractors onsite should also be able to answer questions, she said, and use door hangers to communicate to the customer based on the needs of the project.

For us, these communications appeared to be sorely lacking. The only evidence we have of any of those communications is a single email.

But in all fairness, Beacon Journal photographer Phil Masturzo, a fellow Cuyahoga Falls resident, said he had no issues with communication or gas outages when the pipeline in his yard was replaced. So, perhaps we were truly that unlucky 1%.

If you haven't received any communications about this project yet, Moore recommended checking that the contact information on your customer profile is correct. She also suggested submitting concerns on their website.

Oh, and it sounds like someone should be coming to take care of that hole in my yard, too.

Learning lessons

My experience was perhaps a rite of passage as a homeowner. Utilities have outages. Big problems do happen.

But it was also, to be completely transparent, a learning lesson (or several). It was the first experience in my life where I have, for an extended time, gone to bed cold, where my son has gone to bed cold, where Ive been seriously limited in my access to a hot meal.

The place of privilege from which I write does not escape me. I see even what a privilege it is for me to have connections within Enbridge who could have potentially helped move my situation along, and for me to have a column to use to tell people about my experience.

What was our major inconvenience is someone elses reality all day, every day. Ultimately, Im lucky to be able to write about this from the other side.

Everyone deserves to have utility problems that are, at their very worst, an inconvenience.

Reach Theresa Tess Bennett at tbennett@gannett.com.

Home With Tess: A swearing toddler is all fun and games until its your own

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Enbridge pipeline replacement project brought atypical gas outages
COLOMBO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and six others were injured after a lorry collided with a wild elephant and toppled in Polonnaruwa, North Central Sri Lanka, on Friday, police said.

The police said there were eight people in the lorry when the accident took place, and the injured were admitted to regional hospitals.

The police are conducting further investigations.

There were 2,557 deaths resulting from 2,200 fatal traffic accidents in Sri Lanka in 2023, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said recently. 
BELOIT, Wis. (WFRV)  One person is dead following a report of a gunshot early Friday morning in southern Wisconsin.

The Beloit Police Department says theyve launched a homicide investigation following the call that came in at around 1:30 a.m. for a gunshot victim in the 1400 block of Nelson Avenue in the city of Beloit.

30+ semi truck tire rims stolen from Wisconsin business, suspect arrested for Felony Theft week later

After officers from the department arrived on the scene, they located the victim, who was suffering from the gunshot. First aid was rendered, but the victim eventually died from the gunshot. Their identity is being withheld pending family notification.

Authorities say that the Beloit Police Departments Special Operations Division is investigating this incident, with detectives working to gather evidence and interview witnesses to determine the circumstances around the homicide.

Beloit Police says no suspects have been apprehended, and the motive behind the homicide remains under investigation.

This tragic loss of life deeply saddens us, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims loved ones, said Beloit Chief of Police Andre Sayles. Our department is committed to utilizing all available resources to apprehend those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions.

Barn housing dozens of chickens in Sheboygan County considered total loss after fire

The Beloit Police Department is urging anyone with information related to this incident to come forward and assist law enforcement in bringing justice to the victim and their family.

No additional details were provided.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Police have identified a man killed on Columbus south side in late March  and are asking for help identifying a person of interest in the case.

Columbus police identified the victim, who was found unconscious on March 29 at Parsons Avenue and East Whittier Street, as 61-year-old Dwayne Dowdell. After being called to the intersection, officers found Dowdell bleeding from the head. He died the next day.

It still is not clear how Dowdell was injured. On Friday, police released an image of someone detectives have identified as a person of interest.

(Courtesy Photo/Columbus Division of Police)

Rockmill Brewery acquired in foreclosure auction by couple who married on site

Police ask anyone with information on the case, including the person of interests identity, to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730, Det. Lowell Titus at 614-645-4059, or submit an anonymous tip to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
BEDFORD, Va. (WFXR)Local veterans from the Korean and Vietnam service eras will be traveling to Washington D.C. on April 12 for free as a part of the Central and Southwest Virginia Honor Flight program.

The Honor Flight Network launched in 2005 and has escorted over 295,000 veterans to memorials created in their honor at no cost, each veteran is accompanied by a trained volunteer guardian who assists them in any way possible, including pushing wheelchairs, carrying belongings, or simply joining in a day of celebration and reflection.

The trip will depart from the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford on Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to return to the memorial on Sunday, April 14. The hub will be bringing veterans from Virginia their memorials and will be the journey of a lifetime for many who were properly thanked.

RELATED STORY: Honor Flight: The trip of a lifetime

On this trip, Honor Flight will be taking two Korean War and 15 Vietnam War Veterans.

The fifty-three years of pent-up frustration, disappointment, and at times anger that Vietnam Veterans experienced, generated by the unexpected and undeserved negative treatment received upon our return home has to an immeasurable degree been erased by my Honor Flight experience, said Vietnam Veteran Philip Wallace, who participated in an Honor Flight trip in Oct. 2023. This past weekend clearly established for me that our service is respected and that people like all of you involved in our trip have made it possible for us Vietnam Veterans to accept that we honorably served our country.

To apply as a veteran or a guardian on future trips or for more information, visit www.cswvirginiahonorflight.org.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
"Horrific pattern": US Ambassador reacts to Russian missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink has reacted to the Russian missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia, which left three killed and dozens injured.

Source: Bridget Brink on Twitter (X), European Pravda reports

Brink called Russia's actions "a horrific pattern" that was intended to kill rescue workers and journalists who arrived at the scene.

Quote: "Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia today, killing 3 people with missile strikes timed 40 minutes apart  a horrific pattern apparently intended to kill first responders [and] journalists on the scene," she said.

Brink stressed that Russia must be held accountable for these crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia today, killing 3 people with missile strikes timed 40 minutes apart - a horrific pattern apparently intended to kill first responders & journalists on the scene.



Russia must be held accountable for these crimes against Ukrainian civilians. pic.twitter.com/S0IJe2b1q7  Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) April 5, 2024

Background: On Friday, 3 civilians in Zaporizhzhia were killed and 19 injured in the Russian attack on the city. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said Russian forces had initially struck Zaporizhzhia with three missiles, followed by two more.

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Hospital Administrator Stole a Man's Identity: How the Fallout Led Victim to Be Sent to Psychiatric Facility

Matthew David Keirans spent more than 30 years pretending to be William Donald Woods and the man whose identity he stole, went to jail for it

Johnson County Jail, AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley, File Matthew David Keirans (L), worked for years as a high-level administrator at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa (R).

In 2019, William Donald Woods walked into a national bank in Los Angeles and said his identity had been stolen and he could not pay the large debts that had been accrued under his name.

He brought his social security card and an authentic state identification.

But, federal prosecutors in Iowa say, Woods, who was homeless at the time, could not answer a set of security questions connected to the account, and the bank called the Los Angeles Police Department.

The LAPD contacted who they believed to be the actual Woods in Wisconsin, and that man faxed them what prosecutors now say was a series of phony identification documents, telling them by phone that he had not authorized anyone in California to access his bank accounts.

Police arrested Woods  charging him under the name Matthew David Keirans  on two felony charges and held him without bail at the Los Angeles County Jail Aug. 20, 2019.

Throughout criminal proceedings, Woods never wavered: he was not Matthew Keirans.

A California state court ordered him to use only their true name, Matthew Keirans, per the order cited by Iowa prosecutors.

Referred to as California Bill in the criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Woods would spend 428 days in jail, and, when a judge determined that he was not competent to stand trial, he was forced to spend another 147 days at a California mental hospital. Iowa prosecutors say the court also ordered him placed on psychotropic medication.

Now prosecutors say law enforcement got it wrong.

Johnson County Jail Matthew David Keirans

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Another man, dubbed by prosecutors as Wisconsin Bill, is in fact Matthew David Keirans, 58, a high-level Iowa City hospital administrator, who had stolen the mans identity more than 30 years ago after the two worked together at a hotdog cart in Albuquerque, N.M., in the late 1980s.

And California Bill had unjustly spent 575 days detained after he proclaimed his own identity and didn't waver.

Keirans pleaded guilty Monday, April 1, to one count of false statement to a national credit union administration insured institution and one count of aggravated identity theft, per a press release from the Northern District of Iowa U.S. Attorney's Office.

Keirans used Woods identity for every aspect of his life requiring identification for more than three decades, per the complaint.

In 2013, Keirans was hired under his Woods alias at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa, using false documents, including, per prosecutors: a fictitious I-9 form, social security number, date of birth, and other identification documents in his victims name. (He later worked at there remotely from Wisconsin.)

AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley, File The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa

He also took out eight vehicle and personal loans totaling more than $200,000 from two Iowa credit unions, using Woods name, social security number, and date of birth. He also kept deposits at the national bank, where the actual Woods was arrested in his first attempt to report him.

Meanwhile, Woods, who was released from jail in 2021, after pleading no contest to the false charges in exchange for time served, began to investigate the man whose chicanery led to his being thrown in jail.

Coming across Keiranss employment, in January 2023, Woods contacted the hospitals security department, who in turn called local law enforcement.

In a July interview with the detective, Keirans, who had pretended to be Woods for more than half his life, called Woods crazy and said he needed help and should be locked up. During Woods incarceration, Keirans had called the LAPD and citys district attorneys office numerous times per prosecutors, requesting updates on Woods prosecution.

But Keiranss identity theft scheme unraveled, prosecutors say, after DNA evidence proved an elderly man in Kentucky  who both Bills claimed to be their father  was in fact Woods father.

Keiranss sentencing has not yet been slated, but prosecutors say he could spend as little as two years or as much as 32 years behind bars for the decades-long identity theft. He could also be fined $1.25 million.

His lawyer, Christopher J. Nathan, did not respond to PEOPLEs request for comment in time for publication.



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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The Hospitals of Providence (THOP) Transmountain Campus is the first hospital in El Paso to earn the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), recognizing its emergency department, according to a press release sent by THOP.

Emergency departments earning Level three GEDA distinction have demonstrated high standard of care to the elderly, improved staff and education, have geriatric-focused policies and protocols and improve quality of outcomes and development, according to THOP.

This is a tremendous achievement for our team, but most importantly for the patients that we serve and in ensuring we are meeting and exceeding the needs of our senior population. said Dr. Goldstein, emergency medicine specialist and ER medical director for the Transmountain Campus. Our interdisciplinary team is committed to providing a comprehensive approach for caring for older adults.

According to ACEP, older people present unique needs, and outcomes that are in need to specific specialized care. Equipment and protocols tailored to these unique needs helps deliver emergency treatment efficiently and effectively, said THOP.

Congratulations to our entire team for their steadfast commitment to elevating and improving the level of care for our senior population. said David Byrd, chief executive officer for the Transmountain Campus. This recognition solidifies our teams ongoing commitment in providing the highest standards of care to every population we serve.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
A Democratic lawmaker said he is optimistic about talks to achieve a six-week pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas and allow for the release of Israeli hostages following conversations with negotiators in Egypt and Qatar.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) said he returned Friday from a trip to the region earlier this week hopeful that a temporary pause is within reach.

President Biden on Thursday pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to reach a deal with Hamas that would allow for a massive scale-up of humanitarian delivery to the beleaguered Gaza Strip and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The U.S. has been working for months with Israel, Qatar and Egypt to negotiate with Hamas over the terms of a deal of a cease-fire, with negotiators in Cairo this week and weekend working to secure a deal.

All the parties I know are working around the clock to make it happen, Gottheimer said. Dual American and Israeli citizen and Israeli military soldier Edan Alexander, who is a constituent of Gottheimers, has been held hostage by Hamas since being kidnapped by the group during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

While its believed that Hamas is holding around 100 Israelis hostage, it is unclear how many are alive.

Gottheimer said his impression in meeting with negotiators was that all parties were fully engaged and focused on the negotiations but he raised concern about recent reports over Hamass participation.

I just read some news coming out saying that Hamas had rejected the latest round of offerings and exchanges. Which right now, unfortunately, as the negotiator explained to me, there was a lot of this back and forth. I saw the negotiations going on in real time, Gottheimer said.

A Hamas official on Thursday said there had been no progress and blamed Netanyahu as an obstacle in the talks.

Hamas has reportedly demanded a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent cease-fire, the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza and a massive influx of humanitarian assistance. It is also demanding the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The Biden administration has acknowledged that Hamas has earlier proposed non-starters and at times has not been serious in negotiations. But Bidens remarks to Netanyahu signaled a more forceful stance from the White House on the challenge that the Israeli leader is posing to the negotiations. Netanyahu has pushed for keeping up military pressure on Hamas as a way to secure the release of hostages, but has had little to no success.

The IDF has succeeded in retrieving at least three hostages held by Hamas. But the IDF mistakenly shot and killed three hostages that had escaped Hamas on their own. A week-long cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in November saw Hamas release of more than 100 hostages.

Updated at 4:10 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Three Democratic congressmen want to rename a federal prison in Miami after former President Donald Trump.

U.S. Reps. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, Jared Moskowitz of Florida and John Garamendi of California introduced a bill on Friday that would turn the Miami Federal Correctional Institution into the Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.

The bill has virtually no chance of passing the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Connelly, its lead sponsor, said it came in response to a measure put forth a week ago by a group of Republican lawmakers to rename Washington Dulles International Airport outside D.C. after the former president.

Given the slew of civil and criminal charges against Trump, Connolly said that it would be more fitting to name a federal prison in Trumps honor.

It is only right that the closest federal prison to Mar-a-Lago should bear his name, Connelly said in a statement. I hope our Republican friends will join us in bestowing upon Donald J. Trump the only honor he truly deserves.

Trump is facing multiple federal criminal charges, including in Florida, where hes accused of willfully retaining and mishandling sensitive government documents. Trump has pleaded not guilty in that case and is awaiting a new trial date. Trump sought to have the charges against him dismissed, but the judge presiding over the case declined to do so on Thursday.

Trump is also facing federal charges in Washington, D.C. related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. That case is currently on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court considers Trumps appeal that presidential immunity protects him from prosecution.

Everyone knows President Trump loves to write his name in gold letters on all his buildings, said Moskowitz, a former Florida state emergency director who represents a Broward County-based congressional district. But hes never had his name on a federal building before and as a public servant I just want to help the former president. Help us make that dream a reality.

The Miami Federal Correctional Institution is where Trumps former White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro is currently serving out a four-month prison sentence for defying a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

A spokesperson for Trumps campaign did not respond to the Miami Heralds request for comment on the proposal.
The House Freedom Caucus is issuing a series of conditions for considering funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as Congress awaits a supplemental request from the Biden administration.

In an official position released Friday, the conservative group demanded that any funding for the bridge be fully offset and called on the Biden administration to first lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects before discussing a supplemental for the bridge.

[T]he Biden Administrations pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals  which, like the Baltimore harbor closure, has severe implications for foreign trade  must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction, the group wrote.

The Freedom Caucus  which is comprised of roughly three dozen hard-line conservatives  is also asking authorities seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront and that the Baltimore port draws upon already available federal funds before Congress considers any supplemental funding to rebuild the bridge.

The conservative group released its position shortly before President Biden was scheduled to travel to Baltimore to visit the site of the collapsed bridge, which fell last week after being struck by a cargo ship.

When delivering remarks about the bridge collapse last week, Biden said its my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.

Shalanda Young, the director of the Office and Management and Budget, reiterated that position in a letter to top lawmakers Friday, asking that Congress authorize a 100 percent Federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge.

This authorization would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, Young added.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.)

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) during a House Budget Committee hearing to discuss the President Biden F.Y. 2025 budget from Director of OMB Shalanda Young on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Greg Nash)

The administration has not yet disclosed how much the rebuilding effort will cost, but some estimates have put the number at $2 billion.

The White Houses vow, however, has run into some opposition from some conservatives, who have raised concerns about the ballooning deficit and argued that the company that owns the cargo ship that struck the bridge should pay for the reconstruction effort.

The very thought of having the Federal Government pay for the Baltimore bridge is TOTALLY ABSURD!! Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member, told The Hill by text message last week. This exemplifies the old slogan ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL!!

The Freedom Caucus also asked that various regulations are waived to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs and demanded that lawmakers do not tack other priorities on to the funding bill.

[T]his funding must be limited to physical structure repairs with a federal nexus  this must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects and the House of Representatives must adhere to the single subject rule, the group said.

Top Stories from The Hill

It remains unclear when Congress will begin consideration of funding to rebuild the bridge. Members who represent Maryland are asking that the request is quickly considered. The House and Senate reconvene next week.

The next two weeks, however, are packed with other priorities for the two chambers. Congress is facing an April 19 deadline to reauthorize the nations warrantless surveillance powers, which has sparked a bitter battle on Capitol Hill. And Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has vowed to move forward with foreign aid legislation when the House returns to Washington, as lawmakers and officials sound the alarm about Ukraines standing in its war against Russia.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SHANGHAI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's two airports witnessed over 1.18 million visits by inbound foreign travelers in the first quarter of this year, up 6.9 times year on year, according to Shanghai Customs.

With visitor numbers boosted by a visa-free travel agreement between China and countries such as Thailand and Singapore, Shanghai's two airports handled 649,000 visits by travelers from those countries in the first quarter, up 51.5 percent quarter on quarter.

Over the same period, 268,000 visits by inbound travelers from France, Germany, Italy and other European countries were made via Shanghai's two airports, up 12.8 percent quarter on quarter, thanks to a unilateral visa-free policy that China has implemented for these countries. 
Families who bought apparently non-existent funeral plans from Legacy are concerned nothing has been allocated to help with funeral expenses - Danny Lawson/PA

The Hull funeral home scandal is set to cost taxpayers up to 2 million, The Telegraph understands.

The Government has pledged the extra funds to support the local response a month after police announced that they had recovered 35 bodies from a funeral parlour operated by Legacy Independent Funeral Directors.

The money will go to Hull and East Riding councils, which are expected to put some of the funds towards burying the deceased.

But families who bought apparently non-existent funeral plans from the company are concerned that nothing has been allocated to help loved ones with funeral expenses.

Four families who paid Legacy thousands of pounds believing that the money was being invested with a third-party insurer told The Telegraph they now believe the policies to be worthless.

Rachel Marshall said that her 76-year-old mother Rita Goldspink paid Legacy 2,700 for a funeral plan that she has now been told does not exist.

Ms Marshall told The Telegraph that this money should be made accessible to people who have been sold a fake policy to apply for funding to cover expenses.

She added: Most people have evidence to prove these policies so it should be straightforward.

The Telegraph understands that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has agreed to provide financial support of up to 2 million to two councils to cover specific, exceptional costs directly arising from the immediate local response.

Hull and East Riding councils said that they welcomed the financial support, describing it as a commitment to understanding the situation and ensuring we can provide the assistance needed.

Four families who paid Legacy thousands of pounds now believe the policies to be worthless - Asadour Guzelian/Guzelian

The development follows Humberside Polices admission on Thursday that they have been unable to identify the ashes of those cremated by Legacy.

Two individuals remain on bail after being arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.

Emma Hardy, the MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, told The Telegraph that she would like to see the council use some of the money provided by the Government to compensate some of these people who have already lost so much.

The Labour MP added: This has had a huge impact on constituents. not only emotionally but financially, and for a community that can least afford it to lose thousands of pounds  for so many of them its their life savings.

On Thursday, Julia Weldon, Hull City Councils deputy chief executive, reassured bereaved families at the centre of this incident that financial support would be available.

Our message to them is that when they are ready to discuss funeral arrangements, they do not need to worry about the costs, she said.

But those who bought prepaid plans from the company under investigation have told The Telegraph that they are concerned not to hear an explicit commitment to ensure they too can afford to cover funeral costs.

Funeral plans can reduce pressure on loved ones by ensuring a policyholders wishes are known in advance while offering protection from future price rises.

Julia Weldon, Hull city council's deputy chief executive, left, and Asst Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin, who have both reassured families - Danny Lawson/PA

The four families interviewed by The Telegraph said that they made advance payments to Legacy on the understanding that the funds would be transferred to an insurance firm called Ecclesiastical Planning Services.

Three families have described filling in seemingly official forms headed Perfect Choice Funeral Plans, one of Ecclesiastical Planning Services former trading names.

This newspaper has seen their documents, which appear to have been completed by both the policyholder and Legacy.

Mekala Colby-Brinkley, a church caretaker, checked her mothers funeral policy after being alerted to the arrests by friends.

After we confirmed with Ecclesiastical that there was no plan, they said: I think you need to ring the police, she said.

Mrs Colby-Brinkley described her parents as working-class people who have worked all their lives.

She added: They might as well have just thrown two and a half grand in the bin.

Yvonne Colby and her daughter Mekela Colby-Brinkley look at a funeral plan at Ms Colby's home in Hessle - Asadour Guzelian

Jeff Richards, a retired postman, also grew concerned after news broke of the police investigation. He and his partner, Maureen Rollinson, paid Legacy for two funeral plans in 2015.

When he called Ecclesiastical Planning Services  the insurer whose name was on the paperwork  there was no record of a plan for either of them.

Wed paid [Legacy] 4,200 in 2015 and got nothing to show for it, said Mr Richards.

Like Ms Marshall, Mrs Colby-Brinkley and Mr Richards are appealing to council leaders to commit some of the funds to help compensate their families.

A spokesman for Ecclesiastical Planning Services said this was a deeply distressing incident and they are working with families who contact us to establish if they have a plan with us but cannot comment on individual cases.

We would like to reassure customers that where plans are held with Ecclesiastical, the funds are managed by Ecclesiastical, not the funeral director, they added.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of the insurance firm.

On Thursday, Asst Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin told a press conference that Humberside Police have had a number of calls that relate to suspected financial and fraudulent activity.

He added: If you have concerns over a funeral plan that you or a loved one have taken out, please contact and speak to your insurance provider in the first instance and establish if the policy is legitimate or not.

If not, please report it to the Police by calling the non-emergency number 101 or via the Humberside Police website.

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Human Remains Discovered in 1978 Identified as Teen Who Disappeared on Her Birthday: 'We Found My Sister'

"I'm just overwhelmed with joy that we found my sister, Kevin Groomes said of his sibling who disappeared in 1977

Wapello County Sheriff's Office Helen Groomes seen as a teenager

Authorities revealed the identity of "Lincoln County Jane Doe" 46 years after her body was discovered in the Mississippi River

An autopsy conducted in 1978 initially believed the remains belonged to someone between the ages of 30 and 40

Based on a recent exhumation of the remains and DNA testing, authorities identified the girl as Helen Renee Groomes, 15, of Iowa

The remains of a young woman, who was known as "Lincoln County Jane Doe" and found about 46 years ago in the Mississippi River near Elsberry, Mo., have finally been identified via the latest advancements in DNA technologies, authorities announced.

In a news release shared on April 1, the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office said the remains belonged to Helen Renee Groomes, 15. According to NBC affiliate KSDK, the teenager was last seen in Ottumwa, Iowa, on her birthday in 1977.

Per the release, authorities said the victims body was first discovered in March 1978. The remains were taken to the St. Louis County Medical Examiners Office and an autopsy described the victim as a white female whose age range is between 30 and 40.

Wapello County Sheriff's Office A headstone marking the grave of the then-unknown victim

Related: Human Remains Found Nearly 3 Decades Ago Identified as Man Who Disappeared After Leaving for a Walk

The cause of death was identified as drowning, the sheriffs office said. No signs of trauma were present, and the [manner] of death was classified as undetermined. Based on the level of decomposition, it was estimated that she had died approximately four months prior to discovery.

The sheriff's office added that there were few clues to identify the victim at the time other than that she "was wearing a cats eye ring and had a tattoo that appeared to say Dee on her left forearm."

The victim was subsequently buried at Troy City Cemetery with a headstone reading, "Lincoln County Jane Doe."

Last October, per the release, the victims remains were exhumed as part of a collaboration between the Lincoln County Coroners Office, local and regional partners and Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) Anthropology faculty and students. Based on a new bone and dental analysis, the age of the victim was most likely younger than the initial 30 to 40 range from the 1978 autopsy report, the sheriff's office said.

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Related: Badly Decomposed Human Remains Found Over 3 Decades Ago Identified as Man Who Went Missing in Niagara Falls

Despite the challenging condition of the evidence, Othrams established Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing aided in the successful extraction of DNA. A comprehensive genealogical profile was built and Othrams genealogy team was able to generate new leads," the sheriff's office said, referring to the technology developed by the forensic genetic genealogy company.

The sheriffs office added that with the new information available, the Lincoln County Coroners Office established contact with an individual who said "they had a close family member matching the description of Jane Doe who had mysteriously disappeared in late 1977." A familial DNA sample and subsequent testing resulted in the identification of Groomes.

In a Facebook post, the Wapello County Sheriffs Office said its investigators went to Troy, Mo., and interviewed Groomes family on April 4. The department added that investigators also visited the victim's gravesite, reviewed the autopsy report, and consulted with the coroners office and SEMO.

Related: Human Remains Found in Colorado in 1991 Identified as Indiana Man

In response to the announcement confirming the identity of the remains, Kevin Groomes, the victim's brother, told KSDK, "I'm just overwhelmed with joy that we found my sister and able to bring her home and know where she's at.

KSDK reported that "he was the one who put the tattoo on his sister's arm, which said 'Del,' a nickname for her boyfriend at the time." His family also said they believe Groomes' now-deceased stepfather was responsible for her death, though they didn't offer any additional details.



Meanwhile, the Wapello County Sheriffs Department is asking the public for information about Groomes disappearance by calling 641-226-3360.



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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has doubled down on his stance that the EU should focus on completing the accession of the Western Balkans and that "Eastern enlargement" should be addressed afterwards.

Source: European Pravda; Hungarian news outlet Telex, citing public comments made by Orban at a meeting with Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska

Details: Orban said that "Europe needs the Serbs" and that without them, "there will be no European security, no united EU, and no stability".

The Hungarian leader noted that the EU has "a lot of problems, but still, there is no better framework at the moment" and expressed regret that the Western Balkan countries are still not in the EU, although he believes the decision should have been made long ago.

Viktor Orban said that Hungary's stance is that the Balkan enlargement of the EU should be completed first and that all resources should be focused on this in the near future. Only after this is achieved does he suggest addressing the "much more challenging" Eastern enlargement, i.e. the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

Orban noted that he "has a special team that will deal with the issues of just the Western Balkans" during Hungary's presidency of the Council of the EU in July-December 2024.

The Hungarian leader added that the Balkans have suffered unfairly amid Russia's war against Ukraine, as otherwise, part of the funding the EU has provided to Ukraine could have gone towards projects for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Background:

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik honoured Orban with an order that he had previously awarded to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

During his visit to Sarajevo, Orban vowed to make every effort to bring Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU accession closer during Hungarys presidency of the EU Council.

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Hungary to help with $156 million energy projects in Bosnias Serb region

FILE PHOTO: President of Republika Srpska (Serb Republic) Milorad Dodik speaks during an interview with Reuters in his office in Banja Luka

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The Hungarian government agreed on Friday to help finance 140 million euros ($152 million) of infrastructure and energy projects in Bosnias autonomous Serb Republic, the region's government said in a statement.

The projects agreed by Serb Republic Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and Hungarys Economy Minister Marton Nagy include a waste management programme and building wind and solar parks, the statement said.

Two of the projects were launched by the German government but it shut them down last year, along with two other energy projects, citing as the reason the secessionist aims of the regions nationalist president Milorad Dodik.

Hungarian companies Veolia, MVM and Alteo will take part in implementing the projects, according to the statement.

On Friday, the two governments organised an economic forum in the Serb Republic's de facto capital of Banja Luka with dozens of companies attending and presenting investment projects.

Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom Dodik decorated with the Serb Republic's highest award, said he believed the Bosnian region could have impressive economic growth in the future, in which Hungary wanted to take part.

Orban criticised what he called "foreign meddling" in Bosnia's internal affairs, pledging to help the country on its path towards the European Union integration.

($1 = 0.9234 euros)

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Mark Potter)
(Bloomberg) -- Viktor Orban chided Western powers for meddling in the affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina as the Hungarian prime minister received an award from a Russia-friendly Serb leader who has called for seceding from the Balkan nation.

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Orbans broadside, which was largely aimed at the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, comes two weeks after European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with Bosnia.

The Hungarian leader, who takes over the EUs rotating presidency in July, said he backs the war-scarred nations EU ambitions, as long as it maintains the status quo since the Bosnian War ended in 1995  ethnically divided between a Muslim-Croat federation and Serb-dominated Republika Srpska.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is a decentralized country  thats its structure  and it cannot be centralized against the will of the entities, Orban told reporters in Banja Luka on Friday after meeting with Serb leader Milorad Dodik.

In contrast with EU leaders who have condemned Dodiks separatist rhetoric as a threat to Bosnian unity, Orban has courted the Bosnian Serb leader, who has maintained his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dodik, who has defied Western efforts to streamline the countrys complex administration, has said the Serb entity will split off if Schmidt, a German conservative, proceeds with plans to give more authority to Bosnias central bodies. The Serb leader, under US and UK sanctions, said he backs the EU bid, but we dont want to move toward the EU if we lose our autonomy.

Between Greece and Hungary

Schmidt has had an open feud with Dodik, once calling him a puppet on the string of Putin. Last month, he introduced technical changes to Bosnias election law, a move that drew criticism from Bosnian officials skeptical of central authority.

Orban, who received a medal from Dodik, echoed the criticism of the top envoy  a position created by the Dayton Treaty that ended the bloody three-year war that tore Bosnia apart along ethnic lines.

Foreigners meddle in the internal affairs of Bosnia, he said, without naming Schmidt.

Still, Orban, who met earlier with Borjana Kristo, an ethnic Croat who leads Bosnias central government in Sarajevo, called for Western Balkan nations, most of which were involved in wars in the 1990s after the collapse of Yugoslavia, to join the 27-member bloc.

The area between Greece and Hungary is not integrated into the European Union  and that is our task, Orban said.

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In this photograph made available by the Republika Srpska Presidential Press Service, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks after receiving the Order of Republika Srpska from Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik during his visit to Banja Luka, Bosnia, Friday, April 5, 2024. Orban is on a two-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Republika Srpska Presidential Press Service via AP)

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)  Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday received a medal from the pro-Russian leader of Bosnia's Serbs, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. and Britain because of his separatist policies.

Orban visited the Bosnian Serb administrative headquarters of Banja Luka as part of a visit to Bosnia. He first traveled to Bosnia's capital Sarajevo on Thursday.

Bosnian Serbs are in charge of around half of Bosnia while the country's Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslim, and ethnic Croats run the other half. Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik, a supporter of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, has sought to split from the rest of Bosnia.

There have been fears in the West that Russia could try to stir instability in Bosnia to avert some of the attention from the war in Ukraine. Bosnia remains ethnically tense and politically fragile years after a 1992-95 ethnic war.

European Union leaders last month agreed to open talks with Bosnia on joining the bloc in an effort to bring the country into its fold. Bosnias three-member multi-ethnic presidency said after a meeting with Orban on Thursday that it will continue on the EU path and thanked Hungary for its support.

Orban, who has often clashed with the EU because over his hard-line policies, said the Serbs are essential in Europe and the EU has failed to recognize that fact. Orban is also an ally of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic.

I think Serbia is not treated fairly (by the EU). Serbia doesnt get the recognition it deserves, said Orban. Somehow, Europe does not understand that Serbs are essential in Europe. There is no security in Europe without Serbs. Without Serbs inside  there will be no healthy European Union.

Dodik awarded Orban with the medal in January during a Bosnian Serb statehood holiday that has been declared unconstitutional by Bosnia's top court, but Orban was not present to receive it at the time. Dodik has dismissed criticism of the Jan. 9 celebrations, which mark the date in 1992 when Serbs in Bosnia first declared independence, triggering a war.

Bosnia's current two entities were formed in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the 1990s' war that killed more than 100,000 people and left millions displaced. Bosnia's Serbs have insisted on gaining as much autonomy as possible ever since.

Orban was accompanied by Hungarian businessmen during his Bosnia visit. Dodik awarded Putin with the same medal as Dodik.
Climate activist Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick (2nd L) speaks between (L-R) Nana-Maria Gruening, biologist and activist with Scientist Rebellion, Marlen Stolze, activist with the Last Generation and Susanne Koch, accompanying doctor, during a press conference at the hunger strike camp of the "Hungern bis ihr ehrlich seid" alliance. Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

An activist in Berlin who has been on hunger strike for 30 days has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to publicly commit to a radical change in climate policy.

Engineer Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, who has not eaten since March 7, said he is prepared to die if necessary.

A second activist joined the 49-year-old 12 days ago. They are living in a tent camp in the park in Berlin's government district between the Bundestag and the Chancellery.

With the campaign, titled "Starve until you are honest," they want to ensure that Scholz issues a government statement on the climate crisis saying that the "continued existence of human civilization is extremely endangered by the climate crisis."

The activists are also asking Scholz to acknowledge the problem. "We must now radically change course, albeit years late," their campaign says.

"I am starving for honesty and I am prepared to die so that the truth comes to light," Metzeler-Kick said at a press conference on Friday.

He is ready to "escalate the hunger strike to the extreme."

The next possible step would be to withhold the juice that the two activists are still consuming. If he were to die, the facts about global warming and its consequences - including storms, droughts, floods and famines - would be "torn from the shadows," said the environmental engineer.

According to a doctor looking after the hunger strikers, both are in stable health. In extreme cases, people could survive a hunger strike for 50 to 70 days.

The climate activist group Scientist Rebellion has called on sympathizers to also go without food for one to two days out of solidarity.
Hungry hungry Hippo: Endangered pygmy hippo calf born at Tampa zoo

Its a girl!

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

The yet unnamed calf was born March 31 and weighed around ten pounds.

The birth marks the fifth endangered pygmy hippo calf born at the Zoo.

Photos: Hungry, Hungry Hippo! Endangered pygmy hippo born in Central Florida

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus.

Hungry, Hungry Hippo! Endangered pygmy hippo born in Central Florida

Hungry, Hungry Hippo! Endangered pygmy hippo born in Central Florida

Hungry, Hungry Hippo! Endangered pygmy hippo born in Central Florida

Hungry, Hungry Hippo! Endangered pygmy hippo born in Central Florida

Hungry, Hungry Hippo! Endangered pygmy hippo born in Central Florida

20-year-old Zsa Zsa, an experienced mother and first-time dad 22-year-old Howie were paired as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which ensures the survival of protected, threatened, and endangered species

We are very excited to welcome this healthy female calf to ZooTampa, said Chris Massaro, Senior VP, Zoological Operations. Conservation efforts for species like the pygmy hippo take lots of work and require collaboration across international boundaries. Every birth is a sign of hope and helps save endangered species for future generations to enjoy, appreciate and cherish.

Read: Hurricane season forecast preview

While they make look similar, and his related to the river hippopotamus, the pygmy hippo is a different species.

River hippos can weigh up to 10 times more than a pygmy hippo and can be more than twice as large.

Read: UCF students tracking solar eclipse data through NASA ballooning project

Pygmy hippos spend more time on land than in the water and are predominately nocturnal as well.

According to a new release, fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos are left in the wild in four countries of West Africa.

Conservation organizations and governments are actively working to protect the pygmy hippopotamus and its habitat.

Read: Eclipse myths: Will the upcoming eclipse poison food, hurt unborn baby? Short answer - no

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
U.S. President Joe Biden is pictured during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 4, 2024. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel will depend on Israel's steps to protect civilians in Gaza.

During a high-stakes phone call, Biden emphasized to Netanyahu that Israeli strikes on humanitarian workers delivering aid to Gaza and "the overall humanitarian situation" in Gaza are "unacceptable," according to a readout of the call issued by the White House. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel will depend on Israel's steps to protect civilians in Gaza.

During a high-stakes phone call, Biden emphasized to Netanyahu that Israeli strikes on humanitarian workers delivering aid to Gaza and "the overall humanitarian situation" in Gaza are "unacceptable," according to a readout of the call issued by the White House.

Biden "made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," said the readout.

The president, according to the readout, "made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."

Biden also urged Netanyahu to both implement "an immediate ceasefire" with Hamas and "conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home," the readout said.

The call was the first between the two leaders after Israeli forces carried out an airstrike Monday, killing seven members of charity group World Central Kitchen (WCK) en route to distributing food to civilians in Gaza. The strike evoked international condemnation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Biden said he was "outraged and heartbroken" by the deaths of the humanitarian workers from the WCK. 

U.S. President Joe Biden is pictured during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 4, 2024. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel will depend on Israel's steps to protect civilians in Gaza.

During a high-stakes phone call, Biden emphasized to Netanyahu that Israeli strikes on humanitarian workers delivering aid to Gaza and "the overall humanitarian situation" in Gaza are "unacceptable," according to a readout of the call issued by the White House. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

U.S. President Joe Biden is pictured during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 4, 2024. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel will depend on Israel's steps to protect civilians in Gaza.

During a high-stakes phone call, Biden emphasized to Netanyahu that Israeli strikes on humanitarian workers delivering aid to Gaza and "the overall humanitarian situation" in Gaza are "unacceptable," according to a readout of the call issued by the White House. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)
Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir attends a press conference with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel (not pictured). Jakobsdottir plans to resign in order to run for the presidency. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir plans to resign in order to run for the presidency.

She decided some time ago not to run in the next parliamentary elections, she explained in a video on Facebook on Friday.

Many people had encouraged her to run for the largely ceremonial role of president and head of state, she added.

It remained unclear when exactly the 48-year-old will step down and who could succeed her.

Jakobsdottir represents the left-wing Green Party and has been prime minister of the country with a population of 400,000 since 2017.

Icelandic President Gudni Th. Johannesson had announced in his New Year's address that he would not be standing for re-election. The presidential elections in Iceland are expected to take place on June 1.
Library bill

I am a senior at Boise High School, and I am extremely concerned about our public libraries here in Idaho after the legislature passed House Bill 710. Libraries have been a crucial part of my life, providing a safe space to dream and learn. My whole life I have been able to choose for myself what I can read, with the guidance of my parents and librarians.

The practicality of carrying this bill out and the potential damages to libraries concerns me. The bill mandates adult-only sections, which is extremely impractical for smaller libraries, and is extremely costly needing renovations and extra staff. It is also redundant.

This is also a bounty bill. 250 dollars is a lot less than last years version, unspecified damages and attorney fees could cause the cost to be much higher, which is extremely difficult for our already underfunded libraries. We are losing our nurses and teachers because of policies that are being passed in the legislature. We cannot afford to lose our librarians as well. I am calling on Governor Little to veto House Bill 710 and protect our libraries and freedom to read.

Emilia J Anders, Boise

Books

Which is more harmful to young children, reading a library book or not having enough to eat? Id wager that the average person would think its not having enough to eat. But Reps. Jaron Crane and Brent Crane and a bevy of other extremist legislators believe its reading library books. The legislature again refused to accept 16 million of our federal tax dollars to feed children during the summer when they are not in school getting affordable or free lunches. But legislators are determined to pass a bill to keep kids safe from those dangerous library books.

Clearly they are irony-challenged.

Mary Mosley, Meridian

Vote

Come November, you are going to have a choice of who you want to represent you. Do you want to continue with hardline extremists? Whos threatening to put librarians in prison, who wants to take away voting rights by restricting absentee ballots. Who wants to take public education dollars away to support private school vouchers. Who wants to make it harder to get ballot initiatives on ballot. Who wants to make bullying LGBTQ+ people OK and making severely poor decisions on womens reproductive rights.

Come November all districts in Idaho will have another party to vote for. Who will stand up to support Libraries/Librarians/and all books, who will expand your voting rights, who will expand public education from pre-kindergarten through higher level school, who will put in place protection for all LGBTQ+, who will promote healthcare for all, and who will leave it to women to make their own decision on who controls their bodies. Come November you will have more choice to choose from, its time to turn Idaho Statehouse blue.

Don Benson, Nampa

ITD building

More ITD building info: The State of Idaho bought the Chinden Campus complete with 8 buildings and surrounding 197 acres in 2017 for the express purpose of housing Idaho State agencies at that location.

The bulk of the employees at the State St. ITD building moved to the Chinden campus in the spring of 2022 after considerable remodeling expense. What remains at the State St. location is the materials labs which will occupy the new building under construction on Chinden campus.

The old ITD building is full of mold, asbestos, lead paint, and outdated plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling and in most opinions should be considered as a knock down with little value.

Steve Gant, Boise

Legislature

This has been a difficult legislative session to watch. Library bills, school vouchers, taking away citizen initiatives, changing wording for fetus, codifying cannibalism, guns in school, unnecessary voting restrictions, stripping communities of their ability to regulate affordable housing, attacks on transgender children, abortion bans, trying to strip Medicaid expansion and these are just a few of the bills that were introduced this session.

But the icing on the cake was when, once again, they denied vulnerable young children food security during the summer months. This would cost $120 per child. The state would pay an administrative cost of about $545,000 and the federal government government about $16 million. Republican legislators reason for voting this down? Socialism, dependency, no work requirements, rich kids would have access, kids running wild with food cards. All made up excuses for denying children food access to promote misguided ideology. This is the same group of people who turned down 30 million dollars for early childhood education because they were worried about grooming three year olds.

Idaho deserves better. We need legislators that help make our lives better and work to help the people of Idaho. Consider this when you vote in 2024.

Linda Beebe, Boise

Durst

Hello Ada county friends. Just a quick note from Bonner County asking you to avoid voting for Branden Durst as Ada county commissioner. Many of you may remember the train wreck he was in the legislature, but he also was recently ousted as Superintendent of the West Bonner County School District. His most notable achievement was trying to stage a coup with recalled school board trustees trying to act after the vote but before certification. He is also against free lunch, unless it is for him. Ada deserves better and can do better. Take care!

David Day, Sandpoint

Vouchers

From some of our Idaho representatives, Oh, how do I love thee? (Voucher bills.) Let me count the Ways and Means. Keep changing committees, bill numbers, committee members and extending end of legislative session until we pass taking money from public education to give to private, religious or home schooling. Pay ourselves overtime until we get what we want. No matter how many sneaky ways and means it takes!

Sheila M Robbins, Boise

Pronouns

To my Idaho legislators: First to clarify. I am Idaho born and raised. Do you have nothing more to worry about than pronouns? Im sure there are more important issues to your fellow Idahoans. That is it. Sweet and simple.

Shaneen Hahn, Star
Idea of deploying troops on ground in Ukraine caused a row between French President and German Chancellor

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacted with anger to French President Emmanuel Macrons idea of potentially having allied troops stationed in Ukraine voiced at a summit of European leaders.

Source: European Pravda

Details: Emmanuel Macron first expressed his idea on the possibility of Western partners stationing their military in Ukraine at a closed meeting in Paris at the end of February, where he gathered approximately 20 allies to discuss support for Ukraine.

According to sources familiar with the discussion at the meeting, the leaders spoke in raised tones.

Reportedly, the most emotional reaction came from Olaf Scholz, who, like the majority of participants, was taken aback by the proposal. Scholz was allegedly enraged, accusing Macron of "trying to drag everyone into World War III" and demanding that the conversation be halted because he was opposed to it, and thus there would be no consensus.

Macron, apparently, was prepared for this and responded harshly to Scholz, explaining that his vote would not be the decisive one.

"We do not need a consensus on this issue," the French president allegedly stated, emphasising his desire to find and lead a group of bold states, which did not include Germany.

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World Central Kitchen says at least seven people were killed in the strike on Tuesday April 2 - ABDEL KAREEM HANA/AP

Israel has sacked two soldiers over the bombing of an aid convoy that killed three British ex-servicemen.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) admitted that the strikes on the three vehicles were in serious violation of operating procedures according to a report released Friday.

The IDF claims the unit had incorrectly believed terrorists from Hamas were among the World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy after identifying gunmen on the aid trucks.

After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists, the IDF report stated, calling the attack a grave incident and expressing sorrow for the lives lost.

The attacks triggered a wave of international condemnation and led to a sharp warning from Joe Biden that the US is considering withdrawing its support.

The findings of the report and the punishments of soldiers meted out by the IDF are unlikely to cool tensions, with warnings that Israel must protect civilians in Gaza or face an arms embargo.

Misidentification led to attack

On Friday, the Israeli military announced that a fire support commander, with the rank of major, and the brigade chief of staff, with the rank of colonel in reserve, have been fired.

Additionally, the brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander will be formally reprimanded along with the commander of the Southern Command.

A statement said: Following a misidentification by the forces, the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers.

The UNs relief organisations, which provide about 80 per cent of the aid in Gaza, have subsequently suspended night-time operations. Several other humanitarian organisations have paused operations altogether as conditions have become too dangerous for their staff.

Following the release of the report, Lord Cameron said: We are carefully reviewing the initial findings of Israels investigations into the killing of WCK aid workers and welcome the suspension of two officers as a first step.

These findings must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability.

He added: Lessons must be learnt from todays initial findings from the IDF. Its clear major reform of Israels deconfliction mechanism is badly needed to ensure the safety of aid workers.

The deaths of these brave heroes are a tragedy, and this must never happen again.

Dozens of aid workers have allegedly lost their lives since the war broke out following the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct 7, with the UN claiming the strip is on the verge of famine as aid struggles to reach the population.

The IDF stated: The investigations findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred. Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees.

The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the standard operating procedures.

The investigation was carried out by the joint chiefs of staffs fact-finding and assessment mechanism and was presented on Thursday to Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, the IDF chief of the general staff.

The IDF takes seriously the grave incident that claimed the lives of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers. We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the families and the WCK organisation, the report stated.

The charitys founder has called the attack a calculated target.

Israel releases details of killings

At a briefing in Jerusalem, the IDF released further details on the killings. It showed grainy footage shot by drone of a gunman riding on the roof of a large aid lorry being escorted by the WCK.

The IDF said the military then contacted the WCK but were unable to get through. According to the BBC, which attended the briefing, drone footage appeared to confirm that the WCK logos were not visible to the drone operator.

Once the aid lorry was left behind in the warehouse, four SUV-type cars emerged. One of them, containing gunmen visible in the drone footage, heads north. Three more, containing the aid workers, heads south.

The IDF thought it was dealing with Hamas militants, the briefing said, misidentifying one of the aid workers as a gunman.

The military investigation claimed this was the result of a misclassification. Retired Maj Gen Yoav Har-Even said: They saw that its a rifle but at the end of the day it was a bag.

In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Jose Andres said: This was not just a bad luck situation where oops we dropped the bomb in the wrong place. What I know is that we were targeted deliberately nonstop until everybody was dead in this convoy.

International voices echoed the concerns. Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, said Israels explanation was not good enough.

As the US mounts pressure on Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, two new land crossings have been sanctioned to resume operations to bring aid into the strip.

On Friday, 100 aid trucks from Jordan were taken across the Allenby crossing to enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom in Israels south, which will open Saturday following the Israeli cabinets decision.

From Sunday, aid will be delivered both through Israels Ashdod port and the Erez crossing, the first time the crossing has been opened since Oct 7, when terror group Hamas killed over 1,200 mostly civilians and saw the capture of over 250 into Gaza.

The US has increased pressure onto Israel as agencies including the United Nations claim a famine is underway in Gaza.

Israeli operations in Gaza have been complicated by Hamas embedding in complex urban terrain. Aid convoys have repeatedly been hijacked by armed gunmen and Hamas operatives amid a hunger crisis in the strip.

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ILLINOIS (WCIA)  The Illinois State Police recently wrapped up a traffic enforcement operation that spanned from Champaign County to the southern tip of the state. Troopers issued over 4,300 speeding warnings and tickets as part of that operation.

Dubbed Operation Fast Break, the operation lasted the entire month of March and was meant to combat aggressive and unsafe driving on Interstate 57. Fast Break was focused on over 250 miles of highway between milepost zero in Alexander County and milepost 257 at the Champaign-Ford County line.

Last construction phase starting on I-70 in Effingham Co.

In addition to traffic law enforcement, State Troopers also performed motor carrier safety inspections on commercial vehicles, a function unique to the Illinois State Police.

Officials provided the following results after the conclusion of Operation Fast Break:

Amount Speeding citations issued 1801 Speeding warnings issued 2521 Motor carrier safety inspections 1385 Scotts Law citations issued 52 Guns seized 6 DUI arrests 7 Citations for suspended/revoked/no license 187

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
MARION, Ill.  Officers recently recovered 33 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in southern Illinois.

The traffic stop happened on Interstate 57 in Marion, Illinois over an undisclosed infraction. Authorities arrested three people in connection with the bust.

Investigators say a K-9 alerted officers to something suspicious in the pulled-over vehicle. During a search, Marion police found around 15 kilograms, or roughly 33 pounds of crystal meth. The Marion Police Department described the seizure as a load of ice.

Construction worker IDd in fatal south St. Louis County crash; two teens charged

The department first posted about the bust Thursday morning via Facebook. WSIL-TV reports that Linda Cuchna, 44, Des Plaines, Illinois; Angel Nieves, 37, Brookfield, Illinois; and Rafael Caro Jr., 37, Kansas City, Missouri have been arrested and charged with drug possession.

This follows another notable drug bust in neighboring state Missouri earlier this week, during which Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers recovered 88 pounds of cocaine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Brunei's government has not offered or appointed any local or foreign company to undertake the Trans-Borneo Railway project, according to an official statement.

The Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications said in the statement that there had been no discussions on the project at the governmental level, including between the states and relevant stakeholders.

"For a project of such scale, it would undoubtedly require the commitment from each respective government first," said the ministry.

The statement was made in response to issues concerning the project. 
Matthew Keirans pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, he could receive 32 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine

The nightmare of William Woods began on a hot-dog stand in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In 1988 he worked there with Matthew Keirans, a petty criminal, who over the next three decades would steal every aspect of his identity  having children, setting up bank accounts and even falsely using a birth certificate in his name.

By the time Mr Woods, who had spent time homeless, tried to claim back his identity, nobody believed him. Instead he was sent to prison and finally to a psychiatric ward as he refused to give up the cause.

The saga concluded earlier this week when Keirans, 58, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft and providing a false statement to a federally insured institution. The charges could mean up to 32 years imprisonment and a $1.25 million fine (990,000).

Keirans admitted to using Woods identity in every aspect of his life, according to his signed plea agreement. He was employed under Woods name in the IT department of the University of Iowa Hospital until last year, when he was fired for misconduct related to the investigation, the Iowa gazette reported.

Stolen documents and mounting debts

After crossing paths with Woods in the late 1980s, Keirans managed to obtain employment and insurance documents and open a bank account in his victims name.

When he secured a Colorado ID card in 1990, Keirans stole a car by paying for it with cheques, signed by William Woods, which bounced. He then drove hundreds of miles to Idaho before abandoning the vehicle and emptying his own bank account.

Authorities issued a warrant for Woods in Colorado, though it is unclear whether he was arrested.

In 2012, Keirans fraudulently bought a copy of Woods birth certificate from the state of Kentucky, using information he found out about his family from Ancestry.com.

The next year, Keirans moved to Wisconsin and began work with the University of Iowa hospitals. He earned more than $700,000 over the following decade while taking out loans with credit unions.

The real William Woods, living homeless in Los Angeles, discovered in 2019 that someone had used his identity to accumulate more than $200,000 in debt.

He asked a local bank to close any accounts associated with his name because he did not want to be liable for the sum, providing a social security card and a California identification card.

He was unable to answer the security questions that Keirans had set up.

The bank called Keirans, who answered the questions correctly and said that no one in California should have access to his accounts. He also faxed police a number of fake identity documents.

Woods was later arrested and charged with identity theft and false impersonation as a Matthew Kierans.

He insisted he was the real William Woods throughout the proceedings, prompting the judge to rule he was not mentally competent to stand trial in February 2020. He was then sent to a mental hospital in California for five months and ordered to take psychotropic drugs.

The real William Woods

Woods eventually pleaded no contest to the charges without accepting guilt, and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was also fined $400 and ordered to stop using the name William Woods.

He continued to insist his identity had been stolen, contacting law enforcement agencies around the country while attempting to clear his credit history.

When he discovered Keirans was employed by the University of Iowa hospital, he spoke to their security department, who passed on his complaint to the police.

A DNA test proved Woods identity by establishing a match with the father listed on his birth certificate.

When interviewed by the police, Keirans insisted that his victim was crazy, telling officers that he needed help and should be locked up.

His scheme fell apart when he was confronted with the DNA evidence. My life is over, he said. Everything is gone.

Keirans pleaded guilty to false use of a birth certificate in August 2023 and was sentenced to 20 days in a county jail.

He was then charged with, and admitted to, aggravated identity theft and providing a false statement to the National Credit Union Administration. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

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India will enter Pakistan to kill terrorists who run away there, defence minister says

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over the border after trying to carry out terrorist activities in the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told broadcaster CNN News18 on Friday.

The minister's comments come a day after Britain's Guardian newspaper published a report stating the Indian government had killed about 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to eliminate terrorists residing on foreign soil.

India's foreign ministry did not respond to a Reuters' request for comment on the report, while Pakistan's foreign ministry refused to comment. Pakistan denies harbouring militants.

"If they run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them," Singh told the channel in response to a question about the report.

"India always wants to maintain good relations with its neighbouring countries ... But if anyone shows India the angry eyes again and again, comes to India and tries to promote terrorist activities, we will not spare them," Singh said.

Relations between the countries have worsened since a 2019 suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in Kashmir was traced to Pakistan-based militants, leading New Delhi to carry out an airstrike on what it said was a militant base in Pakistan.

Pakistan said earlier this year it had credible evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of two of its citizens on its soil.

India said it was "false and malicious" propaganda.

The report in the Guardian comes months after Canada and the U.S. accused India of killing or attempting to kill people in those countries.

Canada said in September that it was pursuing "credible allegations" linking India to the death of a Sikh separatist leader shot dead in June - claims that India said were "absurd and motivated".

A top Canadian official said in January that India was cooperating in the matter and bilateral ties were improving.

U.S. similarly said in November that it had thwarted an Indian plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader and announced charges against a person it said had worked with India to orchestrate the attempted murder.

Modi has said India will investigate any information it receives on the matter.

(Reporting by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Alison Williams)
India ordered assassinations in Pakistan by agent pretending to be journalist  report

The Indian government has denied allegations that operatives of its federal spy agency assassinated nearly 20 wanted criminals in Pakistan since 2020.

The assassinations in Pakistan were carried out by sleeper cells operated out of the UAE by the Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in line with an emboldened approach to national security after 2019, the Guardian reported, quoting intelligence officials of the two nations.

The latest claims lend credence to allegations by the US and Canada that New Delhi has been plotting killings in foreign countries, a claim categorically denied by New Delhi.

The covert operations needed approval from the highest level of government and were reportedly inspired by the tactics of Israeli and Russian intelligence agencies, the report said.

RAW is controlled by the office of the prime minister. Indian PM Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in elections that start later this month.

The Indian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations as false and malicious anti-India propaganda.

India has previously been accused by the US and Canada of plotting to assassinate leaders of the separatist Khalistan movement, which seeks to carve out an independent state for the Sikhs in India. The two nations have even launched separate investigations.

Protesters gather outside an Indias consulate in Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of Indias involvement in the 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar (REUTERS)

According to the Guardian, RAW conducted the assassinations in Pakistan through a murder-for-hire scheme and paid millions of rupees for each.

In the case of a Kashmiri militants killing, a woman RAW handler allegedly pretended to be a New York Post journalist to confirm the targets identity after receiving information about his location and movements in Pakistan. Zahid Akhund, wanted for the 1999 hijacking of an Air India flight to Afghanistan, was shot dead on 1 March 2022 in Karachi.

Are you Zahid? I am a journalist from the New York Post, the RAW handler messaged Akhund. According to the Guardian, he responded: For what u r messaging me?

Two Indian intelligence officials told the newspaper that RAW shifted its focus to dissidents outside India after the deadly Pulwama attack in 2019. The attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which left nearly 40 Indian paramilitary personnel dead, was claimed by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

After Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance, an Indian intelligence operative said.

We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source.

Indian security men inspect the site of the Pulwama attack in 2019 (EPA)

The operative said the top brass of RAW cited the murder of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018, to push for their own assassination campaign on foreign soil.

He said there was chatter in the prime ministers office after Khashoggis murder and one official asked, If Saudis can do this, why not us?

In October last year, Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Shahid Latif was killed after several failed attempts by an illiterate 20-year-old Pakistani allegedly recruited by RAW from an Amazon packaging warehouse in UAE.

He was paid 1.5m Pakistani rupees (4,000) by an undercover agent to locate Latif and promised 15m rupees if he finished the job. The man was arrested along with accomplices after he killed Latif in a mosque in Sialkot.

Assassinations of Bashir Ahmad Peer, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, and Saleem Rehmani, a top Indian fugitive, were allegedly orchestrated from the UAE, with evidence of millions in payments found in Dubai, previously reported as a suspected armed robbery.

This is not the first time such allegations have emerged.

In January, Pakistani foreign secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi accused the Indian government of carrying out a sophisticated and sinister plot of extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings in his country.

He claimed Islamabad had credible evidence that the Indian government was responsible for two assassinations on Pakistani soil.

Indian Foreign Ministry officials told The Independent they have issued no statement following the report and referred to previous rebuttal to the Pakistani foreign secretarys allegations.

India and Pakistan have a long history of animosity and have fought three major wars while accusing each other of fighting a proxy war in the restive Kashmir region.
India's opposition makes its election case, calling Modi an autocrat and promising aid to the poor

Indias opposition Congress party leaders from left, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi, display copies of partys election manifesto during a press conference in New Delhi, India, Friday, April 5, 2024. India's 6-week-long general election starts on April 19 and results will be announced on June 4. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

NEW DELHI (AP)  Indias main opposition party vowed to boost social spending and reverse what it views as a slide into autocracy as it laid out its campaign promises on Friday, two weeks before the start of a weeks-long, multi-phase general election.

Most polls have predicted a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party for a third straight five-year term. But the Congress Party argues that he's undermined India's democracy and favored the interests of the rich in its election manifesto.

India holds elections on different days in different parts of the country, stretching over weeks. Voting for the country's parliament this year will begin on April 19 and run until June 1, and the results will be announced on June 4.

Modi is broadly popular in India, where hes considered a champion of the countrys Hindu majority and has overseen rapid economic growth. But critics say another term for the BJP could undermine India's status as a secular, democratic nation, saying it's 10 years in power have brought attacks by Hindu nationalists against the countrys minorities, particularly Muslims, and a shrinking space for dissent and free media.

Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress party president, said this election is fundamentally a different election. I dont think that democracy has been as much at risk, the constitution has been at as much risk as it is today.

Congress's president, Mallikarjun Kharge, accused the government of crippling his party by freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute ahead of national elections. Tax authorities have demanded nearly 35 billion rupees ($426 million) from the Congress party.

The BJP said the Congress partys bank accounts were partially frozen because it had failed to file an income tax return for cash donations it received from 2017-18 onward, and it had therefore lost the tax exemption available to political parties.

The Modi government has opened tax investigations against a number of critical voices in recent years and cited tax issues to cancel the registration of many foreign-funded non-governmental organizations.

In February last year, tax authorities carried out searches of the BBCs New Delhi and Mumbai offices saying that it had not fully declared its income and profits from its operations in the country. The searches came after the British broadcaster aired a documentary in the U.K. that criticized Modi.

Congress also attacked Modi's economic record, saying that despite strong growth hes presided over a widening gap between rich and poor and that his economy has failed to provide jobs for many Indians.

The official unemployment rate was 4% in 2023, but Congress wrote that the government has under-counted unemployment, citing its own surveys.

According to the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, CMIE, a leading private business information company, the unemployment rate in India stood at 8.3% in December, up from 6.5% in January 2022.

Congress laid out economic plans it said could lift 230 million people out of poverty in 10 years, targeting poverty, unemployment and low agricultural prices.

It's promising to give each woman in a poor family 100,000 rupees ($1,200) a year, to spend a similar amount on apprenticeships for people below 25, to fill nearly 3 million vacancies in the federal government, and to boost a cap on public health insurance payments from 500,000 rupees per incident to 2.5 million.

The BJP has implemented social programs that improved access to clean toilets, health care, and cooking gas, and introduced programs that provide free grain to the poor and pay 6,000 rupees ($73) a year to poor farmers.

Congress also promised to raise incomes for farmers with policies including wider use of minimum crop price policies. Tens of thousands of Indian farmers protested in India in 2021 to demand guaranteed crop prices, and in March this year thousands went to New Delhi with renewed demands.

The BJP is expected to release its election manifesto next week.

Prime Minister Modi has been campaigning extensively across the country, promising to expand the country's economy to $5 trillion by 2027 from around $3.7 trillion. He is also promising to put India on track to become a developed country by 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of independence from British colonialists.
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati delivers her statement during a hearing on the presidential election result dispute at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Four Indonesian Cabinet members testified Friday that no rules were violated in the distribution of government aid during the recent election campaign, despite claims by the two losing presidential candidates that it was used for the benefit of the election winner.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto won the election with 58.6% of the votes, or more than 96 million ballots, more than twice the amount received by each of the two runner-ups in the three-way race, according to the General Election Commission.

The losing candidates  former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo  say the election was marred by irregularities and are asking the Constitutional Court to annul the results and order a revote in separate lawsuits.

They say Subiantos victory was the result of widespread fraud and that outgoing President Joko Widodo and his administration bent laws and norms to support Subianto, with government social aid used as a tool to buy votes.

Indonesian presidents are expected to remain neutral in elections to succeed them, but Subianto, a former rival of Widodo who twice lost elections to him before joining his government, ran as his successor. He even chose Widodos son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his vice-presidential running mate, even though Raka did not meet a constitutional requirement that candidates be at least 40 years old.

Baswedan and Pranowo argue that Raka should have been disqualified and are asking the court to bar him from a revote. Before the election, Raka was granted a controversial exception to the minimum age requirement by the Constitutional Court, which was then led by Anwar Usman, Widodos brother-in-law. Usman was later forced to resign as chief justice for failing to recuse himself.

Hefty social aid from the government was disbursed in the middle of the campaign  far more than the amounts spent during the COVID-19 pandemic  and Widodo distributed funds in person in a number of provinces.

A panel of eight Constitutional Court judges summoned Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini to obtain their dispositions, said Chief Justice Suhartoyo, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

Effendy denied that the government aid provided from January to June 2024 favored Subianto in the February presidential election, and said it was dispersed to achieve a target of reducing extreme poverty.

Hartarto, who is also chair of the Golkar Party, part of the coalition supporting Subianto, said a decline in rice production caused by the El Nino phenomenon made the disbursement of social assistance important. He said the aid aimed to protect the poor and vulnerable from rising commodity prices due to El Nino and global supply chain disruptions.

The government has to implement strategies to maintain the availability of food supplies and peoples purchasing power, Hartarto said, adding that the program was transparent and would continue to be implemented.

Widely respected Finance Minister Indrawati, a former managing director of the World Bank, said the aid was part of the government budget and had been approved by parliament.

Its realization and payment pattern is no different compared to the previous six-year period, Indrawati said. She said the enactment of the 2024 state budget was completed before the electoral commission announced the candidates in the presidential race.

The case will be decided by eight justices instead of the full nine-member court because Usman, who is still on the court as an associate justice, is required to recuse himself.

Subianto himself went to the court twice to challenge the results of the elections he lost to Widodo, but the court rejected his claims as groundless both times. His refusal to accept the results of the 2019 presidential election led to violence that left seven dead in Jakarta.

The hearing began on March 28 and the verdict, expected on April 22, cannot be appealed.
The project has studied parish registers, probate records and census data to pick out which jobs Britons were doing at a given time - ALAMY

The Industrial Revolution may have started 100 years earlier than previously thought, University of Cambridge historians have found.

History books teach that the world was transformed by the mastery of machines and steam power in the 18th century, but the move to modernity may have begun much earlier.

A study of millions of employment records has revealed that Britain was already becoming an industrial economy in the 17th century, with a large portion of the population involved in manufacturing trades.

Three centuries of job records show that work in agriculture plummeted during the reign of the Stuarts as labourers began making rather than growing goods in communities which became factories without machines.

It has also been revealed that the service economy, believed to be a feature of modern consumer nations, had been booming in Britain since 1800.

Long before the Spinning Jenny came along, English workers were moving into industrial and manufacturing roles - ALAMY

Professor of economic history Leigh Shaw-Taylor has led the universitys Economics Past project which has catalogued 160 million records spanning hundreds of years from the Elizabethan era to the First World War.

Prof Shaw-Taylor said: By cataloguing and mapping centuries of employment data, we can see that the story we tell ourselves about the history of Britain needs to be rewritten.

We have discovered a shift towards employment in the making of goods that suggests Britain was already industrialising over a century before the Industrial Revolution.

Our database shows that a groundswell of enterprise and productivity transformed the economy in the 17th century, laying the foundations for the worlds first industrial economy. Britain was already a nation of makers by the year 1700.

Groundswell of enterprise

The project has studied parish registers, probate records and census data to pick out which jobs Britons were doing at a given time.

During the reign of Elizabeth I in 1600, adult males would typically be involved in agricultural labour.

But from this point, the number of men employed in agricultural labour began falling dramatically, and had reduced by a third from 64 per cent to fewer than half of the workforce by 1700.

At the same time, job records show a shift in employment to secondary industry or manufacturing jobs, including blacksmiths, carpenters, millers, tailors and wheelwrights.

In 1600, fewer than 30 per cent of the male workforce was involved in such trades, but 100 years later more than half of working men were involved in secondary economic roles, often in domestic textile production.

The study suggests that prior to the urbanisation which came with later industrial developments, when people moved to cities for work, communities of artisans were collectively making goods on a large scale in what Prof Shaw-Taylor has called factories without machines.

A study of millions of employment records has revealed Britain was already becoming an industrial economy in the 17th century - SWNS

Employment records show that Norfolk, more recently considered a particularly rural county, was the most industrialised part of the country, with 63 per cent of adult men in industry by 1700.

This British trend of people making rather than growing would continue to the eve of the Industrial Revolution as commonly understood, often said to have begun around 1760, priming Britain for the transformative innovations of the factory system, machines and steam power.

This gave Britain an advantage globally as the first industrialised nation, but it may have been enjoying free-market advantages already which allowed it to industrialise.

Prof Shaw-Taylor said: We cant say for certain why this change occurred in Britain rather than elsewhere.

However, the English economy of the time was more liberal, with fewer tariffs and restrictions, unlike on the continent.

Data from the Economics Past project, led by professors Shaw-Taylor, Amy Erickson and Tony Wrigley, is available on a new website which presents the changing trends of employment in Britain.

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It would be insane to stop arms sales to Israel, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has said it would be insane to ban arms sales to Israel, despite mounting calls on the Foreign Office to take that step.

The former prime minister argued the move would amount to government madness, given the Hamas attack on Israel which triggered the Gaza conflict. The Telegraph has talked to two cabinet ministers who are making similar arguments, in a sign of support at the top of Government for Rishi Sunaks current stance.

Meanwhile, some 400 lawyers sent a letter to Mr Sunak arguing there was no legal obligation to take actions against Israel, countering a letter signed by 600 legal figures arguing the opposite earlier this week.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is yet to be convinced that the legal threshold has been met to suspend arms exports because of Israels actions in Gaza, according to Government sources.

There is a legal mechanism in the UK that requires an arms export ban if it is determined that a country is not showing commitment to international humanitarian law. There have been mounting calls for such a ban, with former judicial and security figures among those arguing that the threshold has been reached.

Mr Johnson, a former foreign secretary as well as former prime minister, went public arguing against the move in strong terms.

Mr Johnson visited Kibbutz Kfar, scene of some of the Oct 6 attacks by Hamas, one month later - Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

He wrote in the Daily Mail: If you want an example of the death wish of Western civilisation, I give you the current proposal from members of the British establishment that this country should ban arms sales to Israel.

If you want evidence of government madness, it appears that Foreign Office lawyers are busily canvassing the idea  which has not, as far as I can tell, yet been rejected by the Foreign Secretary himself.

He seems to have gone into a kind of purdah on the subject. More alarming still, we are told that an Israeli arms ban is the subject of an active row in Cabinet, with only a handful of ministers positively sticking up for Israel.

Later in the piece, he noted that the UK had kept its vast arms deals with Saudi Arabia throughout the war in Yemen.

He added: But its not the hypocrisy I mind. Its the implication: that good, clever, kindly people in this country are actually willing to take away, from Israel, its means of defending its citizens against Hamas.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary. Mr Johnson said he appeared to be in 'purdah' on the issue - Omar Havana/Getty Images

That is insane. That is shameful  and the sooner the Government formally denounces the idea, the better.

Two cabinet ministers made similar arguments to The Telegraph. One said: We have a proper process for licensing exports. We cannot turn off the tap to Israel when the Iranians are supplying weapons to Hamas.

As far as Israel are concerned, they are at war with Palestine. I dont know how this ends. On a ceasefire, Israel didnt turn up to one lot of talks and Hamas didnt turn up to another.

Another said: It is very uncomfortable but you cant have knee jerk reactions when something happens in the field of war.

Mr Sunak outlined his position earlier in the week, saying: There are a set of rules, regulations and procedures that well always follow, and I have been consistently clear with Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of this conflict that while of course we defend Israels right to defend itself and its people against attacks from Hamas, they have to do that in accordance with international humanitarian law, protect civilian lives and, sadly, too many civilians have already lost their lives.

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By Katie Paul and Anna Tong

NEW YORK (Reuters) - At its peak in the early 2000s, Photobucket was the world's top image-hosting site. The media backbone for once-hot services like Myspace and Friendster, it boasted 70 million users and accounted for nearly half of the U.S. online photo market.

Today only 2 million people still use Photobucket, according to analytics tracker Similarweb. But the generative AI revolution may give it a new lease of life.

CEO Ted Leonard, who runs the 40-strong company out of Edwards, Colorado, told Reuters he is in talks with multiple tech companies to license Photobucket's 13 billion photos and videos to be used to train generative AI models that can produce new content in response to text prompts.

He has discussed rates of between 5 cents and $1 dollar per photo and more than $1 per video, he said, with prices varying widely both by the buyer and the types of imagery sought.

"We've spoken to companies that have said, 'we need way more,' Leonard added, with one buyer telling him they wanted over a billion videos, more than his platform has.

"You scratch your head and say, where do you get that?"

Photobucket declined to identify its prospective buyers, citing commercial confidentiality. The ongoing negotiations, which haven't been previously reported, suggest the company could be sitting on billions of dollars' worth of content and give a glimpse into a bustling data market that's arising in the rush to dominate generative AI technology.

Tech giants like Google, Meta and Microsoft-backed OpenAI initially used reams of data scraped from the internet for free to train generative AI models like ChatGPT that can mimic human creativity. They have said that doing so is both legal and ethical, though they face lawsuits from a string of copyright holders over the practice.

At the same time, these tech companies are also quietly paying for content locked behind paywalls and login screens, giving rise to a hidden trade in everything from chat logs to long forgotten personal photos from faded social media apps.

"There is a rush right now to go for copyright holders that have private collections of stuff that is not available to be scraped," said Edward Klaris from law firm Klaris Law, which says it's advising content owners on deals worth tens of millions of dollars apiece to license archives of photos, movies and books for AI training.

Reuters spoke to more than 30 people with knowledge of AI data deals, including current and former executives at companies involved, lawyers and consultants, to provide the first in-depth exploration of this fledgling market - detailing the types of content being bought, the prices materializing, plus emerging concerns about the risk of personal data making its way into AI models without people's knowledge or explicit consent.

Story continues

OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon all declined to comment on specific data deals and discussions for this article, although Microsoft and Google referred Reuters to supplier codes of conduct that include data-privacy provisions.

Google added that it would "take immediate action, up to and including termination" of its agreement with a supplier if it discovered a violation.

Many major market research firms say they have not even begun to estimate the size of the opaque AI data market, where companies often don't disclose agreements. Those researchers who do, such as Business Research Insights, put the market at roughly $2.5 billion now and forecast it could grow close to $30 billion within a decade.

GENERATIVE DATA GOLD RUSH

The data land grab comes as makers of big generative AI "foundation" models face increasing pressure to account for the massive amounts of content they feed into their systems, a process known as "training" that requires intensive computing power and often takes months to complete.

Tech companies say the technology would be cost-prohibitive if they couldn't use vast archives of free scraped web page data, such as those provided by non-profit repository Common Crawl, which they describe as "publicly available."

Their approach has nonetheless drawn a wave of copyright lawsuits and regulatory heat, while prompting publishers to add code to their websites to block scraping.

In response, AI model makers have started hedging risks and securing data-supply chains, both through deals with content owners and via a burgeoning industry of data brokers that has popped up to satisfy demand.

In the months after ChatGPT debuted in late 2022, for instance, companies including Meta, Google, Amazon and Apple all struck agreements with stock image provider Shutterstock to use hundreds of millions of images, videos and music files in its library for training, according to a person familiar with the arrangements.

The deals with Big Tech firms initially ranged from $25 million to $50 million each, though most were later expanded, Shutterstock's Chief Financial Officer Jarrod Yahes told Reuters. Smaller tech players have followed suit, spurring a fresh "flurry of activity" in the past two months, he added.

Yahes declined to comment on individual contracts. The Apple agreement, and the size of the other deals, haven't previously been made public.

A Shutterstock competitor, Freepik, told Reuters it had struck agreements with two large tech companies to license the majority of its archive of 200 million images at 2 to 4 cents per image. There are five more similar deals in the pipeline, said CEO Joaquin Cuenca Abela, declining to identify buyers.

OpenAI, an early Shutterstock customer, has also signed licensing agreements with at least four news organizations, including The Associated Press and Axel Springer. Thomson Reuters, the owner of Reuters News, separately said it has struck deals to license news content to help train AI large language models, but didn't disclose details.

'ETHICALLY SOURCED' CONTENT

An industry of dedicated AI data firms is emerging too, securing rights to real-world content like podcasts, short-form videos and interactions with digital assistants, while also building networks of short-term contract workers to produce custom visuals and voice samples from scratch, akin to an Uber-esque gig economy for data.

Seattle-based Defined.ai licenses data to a range of companies including Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, CEO Daniela Braga told Reuters.

Rates vary by buyer and content type, but Braga said companies are generally willing to pay $1 to $2 per image, $2 to $4 per short-form video and $100 to $300 per hour of longer films. The market rate for text is $0.001 per word, she added.

Images of nudity, which require the most sensitive handling, go for $5 to $7, she said.

Defined.ai splits those earnings with content providers, Braga said. It markets its datasets as "ethically sourced," as it obtains consent from people whose data it uses and strips out personally identifying information, she added.

One of the firm's suppliers, a Brazil-based entrepreneur, said he pays owners of the photos, podcasts and medical data he sources about 20% to 30% of total deal amounts.

The priciest images in his portfolio are those used to train AI systems that block content like graphic violence barred by the tech companies, said the supplier, who spoke on condition his company wasn't identified, citing commercial sensitivity.

To fulfill those requests, he obtains images of crime scenes, conflict violence and surgeries - mainly from police, freelance photojournalists and medical students, respectively - often in places in South America and Africa where distributing graphic images is more common, he said.

He said he has received images from freelance photographers in Gaza since the start of the war there in October, plus some from Israel at the outset of hostilities.

His company hires nurses accustomed to seeing violent injuries to anonymize and annotate the images, which are disturbing to untrained eyes, he added.

'I WOULD FIND IT RISKY'

While licensing could resolve some legal and ethical issues, resurrecting the archives of old internet names like Photobucket as fuel for the latest AI models raises others, particularly around user privacy, according to many of the industry players interviewed.

AI systems have been caught regurgitating exact copies of their training data, spitting out, for example, the Getty Images watermark, verbatim paragraphs of New York Times articles and images of real people. That means a person's private photos or intimate thoughts posted decades ago could potentially wind up in generative AI outputs without notice or explicit consent.

Photobucket CEO Leonard says he is on solid legal ground, citing an update to the company's terms of service in October that grants it the "unrestricted right" to sell any uploaded content for the purpose of training AI systems. He sees licensing data as an alternative to selling ads.

"We need to pay our bills, and this could give us the ability to continue to support free accounts," he said.

Defined.ai's Braga said she avoids acquiring content from "platform" companies like Photobucket and prefers to source social media photos from influencers who create them, who she said have a clearer claim to licensing rights.

"I would find it very risky," Braga said of platform content. "If there's some AI that generates something that resembles a picture of someone who never approved that, that's a problem."

Photobucket is not alone among platforms in embracing licensing. Tumblr's parent company Automattic said last month it was sharing content with "select AI companies." In February, Reuters reported Reddit struck a deal with Google to make its content available for training the latter's AI models.

Ahead of its initial public offering in March, Reddit disclosed that its data-licensing business is the subject of a U.S. Federal Trade Commission inquiry and acknowledged it could fall foul of evolving privacy and intellectual-property regulations.

The FTC, which warned businesses in February against retroactively changing terms of service for AI usage, declined to comment on the Reddit inquiry or say whether it was looking into other training data deals.

(Reporting by Katie Paul in New York and Anna Tong in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Kenneth Li and Pravin Char)
DENVER (KDVR)  A room-by-room security sweep wrapped up Thursday night at a former Denver hotel converted into a homeless shelter.

The inspection comes after a series of violent crimes. Two people were shot and killed a few weeks ago, and another was injured in a separate shooting days later.

Jesse Valdez, who has been living at the shelter on 4040 N. Quebec St. for the past few months, said the first shooting hit close to home.

Me and her were pretty close, you know, Valdez said of one of the victims. She was a good woman. She really didnt deserve that. It was kind of hard for me. I just had to get out of here for a little bit. Get a peace of mind.

Inspections underway at a hotel-turned homeless shelter

When a second incident happened, The Salvation Army, which manages the city-owned shelter, conducted an inspection on Thursday morning, searching the rooms for any weapons or illegal substances.

Its a good thing, to be honest, Valdez said. Because now, we wont have to worry about, you know, people getting killed or crazy stuff like that ever happening again.

Valdez said residents knew the day before and then signed contracts stating they would not have any weapons or illegal substances in their rooms. If they did, then they knew they would be asked to leave.

I feel pretty safe now, Valdez said.

Some kicked out of shelter because of drugs, guns

Some stated the way this was handled was too little too late.

I understand go looking for weapons, said Ana-Lilith Miller, who does outreach for Housekeys Action Network Denver. But first off, why did you not do something like this at the very beginning?

Miller also said this makes people who live there feel like criminals.

You take people, you put them in a building, you give them no hope and zero sense of safety or security, Miller said. And now, you expect them to be OK? Now, you can come and tear my room apart checking for stuff, even though Ive not done a single thing wrong except being that I was a houseless person.

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Miller said the underlying problem comes from improperly trained staff.

That right there couldve ended and stopped all of this because a staff would have realized, Oh, hey, doors are like, being left open. Someone might get in. Or, Hey, these two people are fighting, lets get between it and understand whats going on and stop it before it escalates into violence,' Miller said.

With the inspection mostly complete, many of the residents were able to go back to their rooms for the night. Valdez told FOX31 some people had been kicked out because of illegal substances or weapons found in their room, but any official updates will come from the Denver Police Department.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)

TEHRAN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria.

The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In Tehran, the demonstrators held a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, carrying pictures of the slain and banners featuring slogans against Israel and the United States.

Two veteran commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), namely Mohammad-Reza Zahedi and his deputy, Mohammad-Hadi Haji Rahimi, as well as five officers accompanying them, died in the Israeli attack.

During the rallies, the flags of Iran and Palestine, as well as pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and late top commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S.-ordered drone strike in January 2020, were also displayed by the protestors.

Many Iranian officials and military commanders took part in the rally in Tehran, among whom were President Ebrahim Raisi, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, cabinet ministers, IRGC Chief Commander Hossein Salami, and Commander of the IRGC's Quds Force Esmaeil Qa'ani.

Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement Ziad al-Nakhalah also attended the rally.

In an address to the people, Salami condemned the United States for supporting Israel's "crimes" politically, financially and logistically, adding that Israel's "malicious" moves in the region were indicative of its miscalculations of the Muslim world.

The IRGC chief commander cautioned that Israel would face consequences for its "conspiracies" in the region, emphasizing that Israel must realize that by creating insecurity, it cannot guarantee its own safety.

In response to the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate, he said Iran would not leave any hostile actions unanswered, noting that "our brave men will punish Israel."

Protestors issued a statement at the end of the rallies, saying Israel's "desperate" moves "will definitely receive a tough and regret-inducing response" from Iran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. 

People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)

People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)

People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)

People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)

People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)

People take part in a funeral procession for the seven Iranians killed in the Israeli attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, on International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. People gathered in large-scale rallies across Iran on Friday to condemn Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and its deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The nationwide rallies were staged on International Quds Day, which was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and is observed annually on the last Friday of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Horry County Police have closed a case and will not seek prosecution in a deadly shooting last year that killed a North Carolina man.

The decision follows the state Attorney General Offices report that it too has closed the case, concluding insufficient evidence to merit criminal prosecution in the deadly exchange of gunfire that killed Scott Spivey.

Spivey, 33, of Tabor City, was killed Sept. 9, 2023, on Camp Swamp Road near S.C. 9 in the Longs area.

Horry Police has decided to close the case as an exceptional clearance with no prosecution, according to police spokesperson Mikayla Moskov by text.

Police are using the little-known category of exceptional clearance which allows them to clear the case without actually arresting the suspects.

The state Attorney Generals Office reviewed the case and issued a letter dated April 3.

The letter referenced Weldon Boyd as part of the review. Boyd, who operates Buoys on the Boulevard along South Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach, was named by 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson as one of two alleged shooters in the fatal accident. The second shooter has not been officially named by police.

The Attorney Generals Office was asked to review the case by Richardson, who recused himself from the case.

According to the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting Program, law enforcement agencies can clear or close offenses in one of two ways: By arrest or by exceptional means.

The FBI says that law enforcement agencies must meet the following in order to clear an offense by exceptional means:

Identified the offender.

Gathered enough evidence to support an arrest, make a charge, and turn over the offender to the court for prosecution.

Identified the offenders exact location so that the suspect could be taken into custody immediately.

Encountered a circumstance outside the control of law enforcement that prohibits the agency from arresting, charging, and prosecuting the offender.

It is unclear which of these identifiers police used.

A police report said that the shooting happened on Camp Swamp Road near S.C. 9 in the Longs area. Spivey was shot about 5:50 p.m., according to an email from the Horry County Coroners Office Sept. 10. Spivey died on the scene.

The report showed that two other people were involved in the shooting that killed Spivey. It is not clear who fired their weapons and when.

Based on the police report, it appears that Spiveys vehicle was in front of another vehicle when the shooting occurred at the intersection of Camp Swamp Road and S.C. 9.

A driver of a white Dodge TRX truck told police that the guy in the black truck jumped out and started shooting at us and I shot back. I think hes dead. The driver said he still had his pistol on him. The officer retrieved it out of his holster, the report said. The passenger of the white truck stated his firearm was on the passenger seat, and the officer also retrieved it.

The drivers side front door in the Black Chevy pickup was open and the driver was hunched over the center console of the truck, with his right arm hanging over the console into the rear passenger area, the report said. He had no movement. A black handgun with the slide locked back was just under his hand, the report said.

The police report did not say what led to the shooting.

Spivey is listed on the report as a suspect, while the other two people involved, including the shooter, are listed as victims. From the report, it appears that the shooter was the one to contact police.

The report says that there were multiple witnesses.
Interim Kentucky Education Commissioner Robin Kinney has decided not to remove Nelson County Superintendent Wes Bradley from his position.

Kinney released an investigative report Friday in which she rejected the Nelson County school board decision to fire Bradley.

The board failed to provide competent and relevant evidence supporting at least one charge for removal, Kinney said in her report, which the Herald-Leader obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.

Kinney additionally ordered the district into a Kentucky Department of Education management improvement program which could lead to a district management audit. Such an audit could lead the Kentucky Board of Education to decide that the Kentucky Department of Education should take over the management of Nelson County Schools.

Kinney cited a tremendous amount of dysfunction between the school board and Bradley.

The Board and Superintendent Bradley have spent significant amounts of time and district resources embroiled in controversy which have resulted in distraction of the Board and the Superintendent from what should be the districts number one goal  improving the academic performance of schools within the district, Kinney said in a news release Friday. This ongoing and lengthy distraction has also contributed to an environment of animosity between different factions in the Nelson County community.

Bradley and school board chair Amanda Deaton did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment.

Minutes of a March 4 school board meeting show the Nelson County Schools Board of Education voted to remove its superintendent because of neglect of duty and academic and educational neglect resulting in extremely low academic performance. They cited failure of leadership, of conduct that had caused division in the district, and of conduct that caused the majority of the school board to lose trust in Bradley.

However, principals and parents say they support Bradley.

Having the Kentucky Education Commissioner decide whether to accept a superintendent firing is a normal process. The law gives the commissioner 30 days to investigate once the paperwork has been received, which was March 6.

Those 30 days expired Friday.

Nelson County Schools, located an hour from Lexington, has recently been in a state of unrest.

Teachers and students protested over the potential merger of the districts two high schools in October and the resulting staffing shortages closed schools for two days, the Herald-Leader previously reported.

In an Oct. 17 resignation letter from school board member Damon Jackey to Bradley, Jackey said there was a lack of professional leadership among other board members. He said there were unethical and potentially illegal actions by certain members of this board. Bradley read the letter aloud at a school board meeting.

The school boards former attorney Eric Farris said in a December resignation letter that a series of issues have brought me to the realization that continuing to represent the Board is not possible.

I will not elaborate here but we are unable to reconcile our duty to the Board and certain ethical concerns, Farris said in the letter.

A group called Nelson County Forward has filed a lawsuit against the Nelson County Board of Education, citing, in part, irregularities by the board with regard to the superintendent.

Nelson County Forwards attorney Matthew Hite previously told the Herald-Leader the group opposes merging the two highs schools together.

Hite said he had requested texts and emails from the board members which may shed light on potential violations of the Open Meetings Act.
Interior Ministry: Russia struck Ukraine around 30,000 times in 2024 so far

Russian troops have conducted around 30,000 strikes on Ukrainian territory over the past three months, Deputy Interior Minister Oleksii Serhieiev said on April 5 during a meeting with the Christian Social Union representatives at the Bavarian State Parliament.

Over the whole of 2023, the number of such strikes was approximately 66,000, according to Serhieiev.

The number of strikes had risen in February and March, the deputy minister said, adding that Russian troops are mostly using guided aerial bombs and drones.

"Russians attack civilian and critical infrastructure. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 217,000 facilities have been damaged," Serhieiev said.

Ukraine's National Police has recorded 116,000 Russian war crimes since 2022, Serhieiev said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on April 3 that in March, Russian forces reportedly launched over 400 missiles of various types, 600 Shahed drones, and 3,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine.

Russian attacks also damaged or completely destroyed 80% of the thermal generating capacity of Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK in March, according to the company's Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk.

While Moscow has intensified its attack on Ukraine, Ukraine's air defense is still in an increasingly difficult situation as ammunition supplies from the U.S., a key military donor, remain blocked due to political disputes in Congress.

Read also: Can new security agreements forge Ukraines path to victory?

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Iranians attend the funeral ceremony of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were killed in an airstrike in Syria, in Tehran. Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Thousands of Iranian protesters called for retribution as a funeral procession took place on Friday for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed by a suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria.

Two brigadier generals and five other members of the powerful Iranian army unit died on Monday in the attack on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry assumes Israel carried out the strike, and the US government also believes Israel was responsible.

Israel has not commented on the incident, but an Iranian military response is now widely expected by the Israeli government and its ally the United States, the news website Axios quoted US and Israeli officials as saying.

According to the newspaper Times of Israel and the news website ynet, 28 Israeli embassies around the world remained closed on Friday due to fears of an imminent Iranian retaliatory strike.

The commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, renewed Iran's threats against Israel.

"No action by the enemy" of the Islamic Republic will go unanswered, the major general told supporters during the demonstrations.

Friday's protests in Iran were held on Al-Quds Day, which traditionally brings out hundreds of thousands of government supporters.

Introduced in 1979 by the then Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, the state-organized rallies always take place on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The country's spiritual and political leadership use the day to call for the conquest of Jerusalem.

The background to this is the occupation of the eastern part of Jerusalem by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, with the Farsi version similar.

Iran, which has long called for Israel to be wiped out, has been especially enraged by the Jewish state's bombardment of the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also described Iran as the country's most significant enemy.

Netanyahu has threatened consequences in the event of an Iranian attack on his country.

"Iran has been acting against us for years, both directly and through its proxies; that is why Israel is taking action against Iran and its proxies, defensively and offensively," Netanyahu said at the start of a meeting of the Israeli security Cabinet on Thursday evening.

"We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle: Whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them," Netanyahu said.

The Iranian threats against Israel were also discussed in a telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu on Thursday. According to the White House, Biden made it clear that the US supports Israel in the face of such threats.

US support for Israel to defend itself against a range of threats remains "unwavering," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

The US relationship with Israel has suffered of late because of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel's war on the Palestinian enclave, which followed a major terrorist attack by Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas in October.

Israel had told its ally that if Iran launched an attack on Israel from its soil in retaliation for the deadly attack in Syria, it would face a strong response from Israel and this would take the current conflict to another level, Axios quoted Israeli officials as saying.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on Thursday evening that the GPS positioning system in the country had been deliberately jammed on Wednesday in order to "neutralize threats."

He did not specify where exactly this had happened. Israeli media speculated that the threats from Iran were the reason for this.

However, Hagari wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that it was not necessary to buy generators, stockpile food and withdraw money from ATMs.

In view of the tense security situation, a temporary leave ban has been imposed on Israeli combat units. In addition, reservists are to be mobilized for missile defence.

An Iranian mourner woman shows a poster portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) next to a truck carrying the coffins of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were killed in an airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Syria's capital Damascus, during their funeral in Tehran. Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Iranian mourners gather around a truck carrying the coffins of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were killed in an airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Syria's capital Damascus, during their funeral in Tehran. Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Warmer temperatures are on the way for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, but with it comes a low-end chance of strong to severe storms on Sunday evening in our western counties.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed locations west of Interstate 65 under a level 1/5 Marginal Risk for severe thunderstorms. This threat is valid from most of Southern Kentucky to the southwest corner of Middle Tennessee.

ALERTS | Weather advisories in Middle Tennessee

The primary storm hazards for any severe storm will be gusty winds and hail. If you see a storm, expect brief heavy rain and lightning. The tornado threat is very low, but not zero especially west of TN River.

RADAR | Track weather across TN live

The highest chance of seeing a strong storm will be near the Tennessee River and westward where the humidity and instability will be higher. As the storms move eastward they should weaken, though they may still produce lightning and thunder and brief downpours.

Breaking down the storm timing, it will not be until Sunday evening. Sunday, during the day will be warm with temps in the 70s and windy. Sunday evening, thunderstorms will develop in West TN and move across Middle TN through the overnight weakening as they move farther east.











FORECAST: Middle Tennessee & Southern Kentucky Weather

Well continue to watch this system closely. For the partial solar eclipse, we expect areas along and north of I-40 to have a better viewing. Monday night into Tuesday, more rain returns.

Dont forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Israel agrees to open aid routes in Gaza after Biden meets with Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Thursday said Israel will open the port of Ashdod and Erez Crossing for humanitarian aid. The government also said it will increase the flow of aid from Jordan through the Kerem Shalom crossing. File photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI

April 4 (UPI) -- Israel on Thursday said it will open new routes to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza following a tense conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the prime minister's office, Israel will temporarily open Ashdod Port for humanitarian deliveries and will allow aid to pass through Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government also said it will increase the amount of aid coming through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Jordan.

"The increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis," Netanyahu's office said. "And is critical for ensuring the continuation of the fighting and achieving the war aims."

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement Thursday that U.S. policy on Gaza will be determined by Israel's commitment to ensure aid reaches Gaza and that civilians and aid workers are protected.

"We are prepared to work in full coordination with the government of Israel, the governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, to ensure that these important steps are implemented and result in a significant increase in humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza over the coming days and weeks," the statement read.

The move to open the flow of aid comes as Israel faces significant pressure from the United States and other countries.

For months, officials with humanitarian organizations and the United Nations have been warning of famine striking the aid-dependent Gaza amid Israel's war against Iran-backed Hamas.

Prior to war, some 500 trucks of humanitarian aid would enter the Palestinian enclave. So far this month, there has been an average of 169 trucks, according to a Thursday update from the United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees.

"This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 trucks per day," it said.

The Britain-based Oxfam confederation of independent non-governmental organizations earlier this week said some 300,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day, less than 12% of the recommended daily calorie intake of 2,100.

The organization's executive director, Amitabh Behar, accused Israel in a statement of "making deliberate choices to starve civilians."

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke against Netanyahu's decision to increase the flow of aid, saying the government did not vote on the matter.

Ben-Gvir has argued against sending more aid into Gaza on the grounds that the equipment could land in the hands of Hamas.

Biden said in his Thursday meeting with Netanyahu that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza was "unacceptable" and that Israel must implement "specific, concrete, and measurable" steps to ensure the safety of civilians and aid workers.

The announcement also comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday pressed his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, on rapidly increasing aid entering Gaza through all ports in the coming days.

The discussions come after the Israel Defense Forces killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including one American, in Gaza.

Biden said he was outraged by the attack and that it "simply should not happen."

Austin expressed his "outrage at the Israeli strike" to Gallant, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday in a press conference.

Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat had said Israel was "very sorry" for the deaths but denied that the attack was intentional.
JERUSALEM (AP)  The Israeli military said Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying the officers had mishandled critical information and violated the armys rules of engagement.

The findings of a retired general's investigation into the Monday killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the United States, of not doing enough to protect Gaza's civilians from its war with the militant Hamas group.

The findings are likely to bolster widespread skepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict  a charge Israel denies.

Its a tragedy, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters. Its a serious event that we are responsible for, and it shouldnt have happened. And we will make sure that it wont happen again.

With pressure mounting on Israel, Hagari and other officials shared the results of the investigation with reporters late Thursday.

The speed of the probe and the swift punishment of five senior officers were unusual. Such investigations are often slow and in most cases end without charges being filed. Human rights activists have long complained that Israeli forces operate in a climate of impunity, an allegation the military rejects.

Still, the punishments and the apology seemed unlikely to calm the rising international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers, or to reassure international aid groups that it is safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.

The army declined to answer questions about whether similar violations of rules of engagement have taken place during the war. In addition to many civilian deaths, more than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations, including at least 30 killed in the line of duty.

World Central Kitchen called the investigation and disciplinary actions important steps forward  but said more needed to be done.

Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families, the statement read, repeating a call for an independent investigation.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was important that Israel was taking responsibility, and that the U.S. would review the findings to see not just what steps are being taken but the results.

Military spokespeople said that under the Israeli army's rules of engagement, officers must have more than one reason for identifying someone as a target before they can be hit. But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorized the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one major's observation  from grainy drone-camera footage  that someone in the convoy was armed.

That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said.

The army said the colonel and the major were dismissed, while three other officers were reprimanded, the most senior of whom was the head of the Southern Command. The results of the investigation were turned over to the militarys advocate general, who will decide whether the officers or anyone else involved in the killings should receive further punishment or be prosecuted.

The killings were condemned by Israels closest allies. They heightened criticism of Israels conduct in the nearly 6-month-old war with Hamas  and put renewed focus on the dire situation in Gaza. The humanitarian group Oxfam says people in the enclaves north have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day since January  less than the amount found in a can of fava beans and less than 12% of the recommended daily intake.

Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid into the territory. But Blinken said Friday that those measures may not be enough to meet the Biden administrations demands for dramatic improvements in humanitarian conditions.

If fully implemented, the measures could increase assistance to Palestinians. But the U.S. also wants to see tangible steps to better protect civilians and aid workers, he said.

It was not immediately clear when the Erez crossing  which borders hard-hit northern Gaza  would open or how much additional cargo it could handle. The crossing, built to handle passenger traffic, was badly damaged in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted Israel's acknowledgment of mistakes and punishment of the officers.

But the essential problem is not who made the mistakes, it is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again," he said. Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful and measurable change on the ground.

He called for an immediate cease-fire, the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and a quantum leap in the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Those killed Monday were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian, a Canadian American dual citizen and a Palestinian, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres.

The investigation, headed by Yoav Har-Even, a retired general, found two major areas of wrongdoing.

It faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants.

The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike for acting with insufficient information.

The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman. It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse.

The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding atop one of the trucks  video that The Associated Press could not independently verify.

After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman getting into one of the cars. The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon. The military said its possible he was just carrying a bag.

The army said it then struck one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well. It did the same thing when survivors fled into a third car.

World Central Kitchen and the military said they coordinated the convoys movements, and that the vehicles were marked with the organizations logo. But army officials claimed that drone operators could not see the words because it was nighttime.

The army could not say exactly where the communication about the convoy's plans had broken down.

Lets be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly, Scott Paul, of Oxfam, said Thursday in a briefing with other relief organizations before the results of Israels investigation were released. The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Leuven, Belgium, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's Israel-Hamas war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
The Israeli Defense Forces has fired two officers it charges with having misidentified a convoy of seven World Central Kitchen staffers who were killed by Israeli airstrikes earlier this month. The international aid organization called the decision cold comfort, in the face of Israels failure to make concrete commitments to improve the safety of humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza.

In a statement issued Friday, the IDF released the preliminary findings of its investigation into the killings, in which successive airstrikes were used to target three vehicles carrying the WCK staffers in Gaza.

Following a misidentification by the forces, the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers. The strikes on the three vehicles were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures, the IDF admitted.

The Israeli military announced it would be dismissing two officers from their positions and formally reprimanding two others for their role in the deadly attack.

Israels decision to publicly relieve military personnel from their positions in response to a misuse of military force against civilians is a rare departure from the governments established playbook for responding to international criticism of their routine excess use of force. As noted by WCK in their response to the IDFs decision, more than 200 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, alongside the more than 33,000 Palestinians killed in the Israeli siege against the occupied territory.

Its not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200, WCK founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres said in a statement. All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.

WCK reiterated its call for an independent investigation into the killings, writing that the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.

Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort, said WCK CEO Erin Gore. Its cold comfort for the victims families and WCKs global family. The group added that until Israel takes concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, their operations in the region will remain suspended.

The murder of the seven humanitarian workers has renewed international pressure on Israel to tamp down its offensive and humanitarian blockade within Gaza. International humanitarian groups, the United Nations, and officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development have warned that Gaza is facing imminent famine conditions that could result in thousands more deaths.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, according to a White House readout, Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

While Biden reportedly warned Netanyahu that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate actions on those demands, the administration has given no indication that it will cease providing weapons and munitions to the Israeli military. In fact, the United States on Friday voted against a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for nations to cease arming Israel amid the slew of human rights concerns plaguing the conflict.

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LUANDA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Participants in the New Space Africa Conference 2024 held in Luanda, Angola's capital, are calling for great efforts to boost international cooperation and exchange experiences in the space industry.

The conference, held from Tuesday to Friday, was attended by more than 400 people, including representatives from space agencies and officials from more than 24 African countries, envoys of the African Union (AU) and representatives from globally renowned aerospace entities.

In his opening speech, Mohammed Belhocine, the AU commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, highlighted global collaborative efforts to develop the African space industry, saying that Africa is open to all partnerships.

"I hope we can work together to keep all the windows of opportunity open to enable our continent to quickly bridge the gaps in space sciences and the peaceful use of space and for our countries, particularly our youth, to benefit from diverse and enriching experiences worldwide," he said.

The conference also featured an exhibition spotlighting 28 prominent institutions or companies from the global space industry, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), and Airbus Defence and Space.

As the conference's host country, Angola shared insights into its experience with the Angosat-2, the nation's first successful satellite. Manufactured and launched by Russia in October 2022, the satellite has facilitated communication services in remote areas of Angola.

"International cooperation is essential for advancing the space sector in Angola, with collaborations that have contributed to the development achieved so far. The Angolan space industry is open to all cooperation partners," said Gilson dos Santos, head of the Sales Department for Products and Services at Angola's National Space Program Management Office.

Temidayo Oniosun, the managing director of Space in Africa, an analytics and consulting company, also the conference's organizer, mentioned that many African countries are investing in space to meet needs such as natural resources, climate monitoring, communications and expect to attract talent reserves and technical support through international cooperation.

According to him, African countries' collaboration with partners including China, the United States, and Russia in the space industry is not "exclusive," and Africa welcomes all cooperation partners.

"Currently, the (African space) industry is valued at around 19 billion U.S. dollars. We expect it to grow to over 22 billion dollars by 2026. We want to bring in more people, more international partners interested in cooperating with Africa, and we also want to bring all Africans together to explore collaborations," he said. 
Israels wartime Cabinet approved the opening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza as pressure has mounted for the region to get more critical humanitarian aid access to struggling Palestinians.

The government will take immediate steps to open the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza, according to a statement from Israels prime ministers office shared by Israeli media channels.

This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war, according to the statement.

The Erez checkpoint will be the third open access point for aid deliveries in Gaza after the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel and another at the border with Egypt in the city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering from the war.

The Israeli government will also increase the amount of Jordanian aid through Kerem Shalom, according to the statement.

Israels National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has claimed the wartime Cabinet did not approve the opening of a new crossing, according to a statement shared by Israeli media channels. Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, has been opposed to sending more aid to Gaza, raising concerns about equipment landing in the hands of Hamas.

On Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson welcomed the steps by the Israeli government, stating they must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

As the President said today on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, the White House said in a press release.

We are prepared to work in full coordination with the Government of Israel, the Governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations, to ensure that these important steps are implemented and result in a significant increase in humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza over the coming days and weeks.

The apparent move to open Erez comes after significant pressure on Israel from the U.S. and the international community to get more humanitarian aid into the besieged strip.

The United Nations is warning of famine in northern Gaza as Palestinians are struggling to access basic needs like food and water amid Israels war against Hamas.

President Biden, who has pressed for more humanitarian aid into Gaza, called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to discuss his concerns about the war, including the need for a cease-fire and a hostage release deal. Hamas is holding some 100 hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza.

Biden has ordered the U.S. military to airdrop aid into Gaza, while the Pentagon is also overseeing an effort to build a pier off the coast of the strip to facilitate more aid.

But critics say that is not enough and there is no substitute for land crossings, making the new entry point crucial for Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has also been accused of slow-walking aid deliveries into Gaza and turning back trucks, while some Palestinians have also accused the military of attacking aid convoys.

Israel came under intense criticism this week after a Monday strike killed seven aid workers from the charity aid group World Central Kitchen, which has since suspended operations in Gaza.

Updated at 8:38 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Israel says it will open aid routes into Gaza as part of efforts to boost the amount of humanitarian support entering the enclave.

The announcement early Friday came just hours after a tense phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden condemned the recent killing of aid workers and general humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to the White House, and gave Netanyahu an ultimatum: implement specific, concrete steps to alleviate the crisis and protect civilians, or run the risk of the U.S. changing its policy towards Gaza.

Biden Threatens Netanyahu Over Aid Worker Killings in Gaza

After the dramatic call, Netanyahus office said Israels security cabinet had approved taking immediate steps to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. They include temporarily allowing Israels port in Ashdod to be used for processing aid shipments and the reopening of the Erez crossing in the north of the strip. The heavily fortified land crossing was destroyed in Hamas Oct. 7 attacks.

Israel will also allow aid shipments from Jordan to flow through another land crossing. This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war, Netanyahus office said.

The Biden administration welcomed the decision, saying the measures must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

As the President said today on the call, U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers, National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Watson added that the U.S. is prepared to work with international partners to ensure more aid is reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza over the coming days and weeks.

Biden has become increasingly critical of Israels handling of the war in recent weeks, with his sharpest criticisms coming after the deaths of seven food aid workers in Gaza on Monday in an attack on a humanitarian convoy.

The workers with World Central Kitchenthe charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andreswere unintentionally killed by Israeli forces, Netanyahu said, while Israels top military commander called the deaths a mistake that followed a misidentification. Andres has insisted that the workers were targeted systematically, car by car.

The Israeli military on Friday said two officers had been dismissed and another three were reprimanded following an investigation into the incident. The IDF said its forces had mistakenly believed the vehicles had Hamas operatives inside them, and that the strikes were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures.

Biden said in the wake of the killings that he was outraged and heartbroken and made it clear in his call with Netanyahu Thursday that the strikes on humanitarian workers were unacceptable, the White House said.

The Democrat has nevertheless faced criticism for not doing more to restrain Israel. Biden is already coming under political pressure from anti-war activists and has reportedly even been urged to try to bring the war to an end by the first lady, Jill Biden.

Israels announcement on boosting aid comes six months into the conflict which was launched in response to Hamas October attacks in which 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage. Since then, over 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. The U.N. says large swathes of the population in the north of the enclave are on the verge of starvation.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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One of three World Central Kitchen vehicles hit in deadly Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military says the attack was a mistake and it is investigating. (Associated Press)

Hours after Israel killed seven staff members of a U.S.-based aid group in Gaza, drawing global outrage and an apology from the Israeli prime minister, the country's top military official promised a transparent and thorough investigation.

The Israeli airstrikes on a three-vehicle convoy carrying World Central Kitchen workers would be examined by an "independent body," said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces. "It shouldn't have happened."

That "independent body" is an Israeli system led by the Military Advocate General, or MAG, the senior lawyers who oversee the conduct of war and other rule-of-law issues for the IDF.

Critics question whether a group with ties to the army can adequately investigate its actions.

The process also points to what human rights advocates say is a long track record of Israel promising to investigate its killings of civilians, but rarely rendering satisfactory results.

The World Central Kitchen attack is becoming the exception that proves the rule: Under extraordinary pressure from the U.S. and others, Israeli military officials announced Friday that two senior officers were being dismissed from their posts and three others "reprimanded" after Israeli forces mistook one of the charity workers for an armed militant. Military lawyers will later determine if any of the officers should face criminal charges and whether the two senior officers, a major and a reserve colonel, would be cashiered from the army.

Read more: Grief and anger as workers with Jose Andres aid kitchen killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

The military says it would "learn the lessons of the incident," but few expect it to address systemic failures.



And World Central Kitchen demanded further independent investigation.

"Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families," the organization said in a statement.

In a complex and brutal war that has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, it is all but certain that many cases will be lost in the ruins of destruction and displacement.

Here is a look at Israel's track record on investigations.

The TV journalist's death

One case that critics point to as an example of problems with internal Israeli investigations is the death of a well-known and widely admired reporter for Al Jazeera television.

Two years ago, Israeli soldiers fired on a group of Palestinian journalists covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank, killing Palestinian American journalist Shireen abu Akleh.

Read more: Slain Al Jazeera journalist was familiar face of Palestinian coverage

At first, the Israel Defense Forces blamed Palestinian militants for the killing, but eventually had to acknowledge one of its soldiers fired the deadly shot.

Pressure came from witnesses, colleagues and the U.S. government, which said the Israeli government eventually "cooperated" with a U.S. investigation. But the soldier was never disciplined  because, Israeli officials said, the shooting of Abu Akleh, clad in a vest with the word "PRESS" prominently displayed, was accidental.

The killing of Shireen abu Akleh and the failure of the armys investigative process to hold anyone responsible is not a one-off event," the Committee to Protect Journalists said at the time.

Read more: Israel rejects U.S. probe into killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

Similarly, the killings by Israeli forces of other Palestinian Americans, children, the elderly and even, in one case, Israeli hostages seeking to be rescued in Gaza are often chalked up to mistakes that do not merit punishment.

'A slap on the wrist'

Weeks or months can pass after investigations are announced with no further public information. Cases that end in discipline  much less change in policy  are rare.

"The Israeli military has a horrendous record of investigating itself," said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. "Every once in a while, a low-level soldier, for a modest offense ... gets a slap on the wrist."

What Israel does not appear to investigate are its rules of engagement and a seemingly low threshold for the use of deadly force, which leads to the disproportionate death toll among civilians, according to human rights activists as well as military analysts.

The latest case of the workers for the Washington-based World Central Kitchen who were killed after delivering tons of food in the Deir al Balah region is a stark example. The group  six foreign nationals and one Palestinian  traveled in three vehicles bearing roof-top World Central Kitchen markings that were picked off, one by one, by Israeli missile-firing drones.

Read more: Family and friends recall dedication of World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in Gaza

Military officials said that the attack was a case of mistaken identification. In a statement on Friday releasing its initial findings, the Israeli military said officers running the Gaza operation mistook one of the volunteer's backpack for a rifle and believed a gunman had boarded the convoy.

But in addition to clearly marking its vehicles, the food charity says its security teams were in close contact and coordination with the Israel Defense Forces, a "deconfliction" procedure most aid groups say they follow. Israel said the coordinates never filtered down to the drone operators who fired the missiles.

Are there cases that spurred systematic changes?

After an earlier Israel-Gaza war, in 2014, the Israeli military set up a separate "fact-finding" mechanism that would look into reports of abuse and was subject to civilian courts. The IDF said it would investigate events that "resulted in significant and unanticipated civilian harm and events where military activity allegedly resulted in damage to medical or U.N. facilities."

In 1999, the Israeli Supreme Court stepped in after pleas from human rights organizations and ruled that torture of Palestinians at the hands of Shin Bet, the country's domestic security agency, was generally prohibited.

Read more: Israeli Court Bans Torture in Interrogations

The rights groups included Israel's B'Tselem, which documented beatings, threats and subjecting prisoners to twisted, painful bodily positions.

But the court left open the possible exception of harsh tactics in the so-called ticking bomb scenario, when it is believed a detainee has information on an imminent terrorist attack.

Amnesty International and other rights groups say that Shin Bet has continued to use the exception, often on specious grounds, and employ torture against hundreds of detained Palestinians.

"The courts are generally hands-off when it comes to military operations," especially during a dynamic war, Roth said.

What is happening in the World Central Kitchen case?

Numerous governments, including Israels close allies, condemned the killings of the workers. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that it would not happen again.

The charity founded by the U.S.-based Spanish chef Jose Andres on Thursday asked the governments of the foreign aid workers killed in the attack to help push for a truly independent investigation and repeated that demand after Friday's announcement.

We have asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Poland and the United Kingdom to join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law, World Central Kitchen said in a statement.

Read more: Diplomatic rift erupts between Poland and Israel following killing of Polish aid worker in Gaza

An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers.

After Friday's announcement, Andres reiterated the call for an independent commission: "The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza."

The aid workers' killings prompted unusually harsh criticism from President Biden, who called it "outrageous."

He demanded a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and "concrete" steps to better protect civilians and aid workers, some 200 of whom have been killed in nearly six months of war.

As Gazans face possible starvation, Biden said that if Israel does not change its way of operating, the U.S. may rethink its own policies of support for Israel, which has for years included supplying billions of dollars worth of military equipment to Israel.

Immediately, Israel said it would open two new ground routes into Gaza for delivering food and water; the U.S. said it would wait to see if Israel follows through.

Read more: Biden tells Israel's Netanyahu future U.S. support for war depends on new steps to protect civilians

What does Israel say?

On the World Central Kitchen assault, the military's statement called it "a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures."

Before the latest attack, senior Israeli officials have said their forces are obeying the law, although "mistakes" happen. The MAG lawyers have been a little more candid.

Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the head of the MAG corps of lawyers, issued a stark warning to the troops in February.

We have encountered cases of unacceptable conduct that deviate from IDF values and protocols, she wrote to commanders in the Gaza war.

Some incidents go beyond the disciplinary domain, and cross the criminal threshold, she wrote.

Tomer-Yerushalmi specifically cited the theft or destruction by soldiers of civilian property, soldiers singing Hebrew songs and mocking Palestinians inside a mosque, and the excessive use of force, including against detainees.

Scarcely a week later, Israeli troops fired on desperate crowds trying to pull food off an aid convoy. More than 100 Palestinian civilians were killed in the chaos.

Israeli officials said that many of the dead had been trampled, and that soldiers fired warning shots only when they felt endangered. But some witnesses gave reporters differing accounts and doctors said they had treated mostly gunshot victims. Aid into Gaza has been severely limited and much of the population is at risk of starvation, the United Nations has said.

"Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed over the course of this conflict, not just today, but over the past nearly five months," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at the time, while urging Israel to conduct an investigation. Nothing has come of it.

What killings are still awaiting a resolution?

In case after case, Israel's promises to investigate have rarely satisfied the demands of victims, their families or their governments.

That has continued in the current war, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and about 240 taken hostage.

Soon after Oct. 7, journalists reporting in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel were hit by Israeli fire. One Reuters journalist was killed and another critically injured. Reuters contracted a Dutch research organization to analyze the circumstances of the attack, which concluded that it was the work of an Israeli tank crew.

In response, the Israeli military said it was firing on suspected Hezbollah militants active in southern Lebanon and does not target journalists. It was investigating the attack, the Israel Defense Forces said.

In December, three Israeli hostages who had been taken captive by Hamas were attempting to get rescued; they were shirtless and waving a white flag as they approached Israeli soldiers. The soldiers shot them dead. The military investigated and concluded that it was a mistake but that the shooting did not merit discipline because there was no malice involved.

In two separate shootings at the beginning of the year, two Palestinian American teenagers were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where tensions have flared in tandem with the Gaza war. It is unclear whether the shooters were military or Jewish settlers who often operate with the army's blessing. The U.S. government asked for a serious investigation as both young men were U.S. citizens, but no conclusion has been made public.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group, transport the body of one of the staff members who were killed in an Israeli air strike, out of the morgue of Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Seven employees of the US-based aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Monday. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

The Israeli military plans to remove two officers from their posts following the fatal attack on employees of the aid organization World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip.

Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi has decided to dismiss a responsible commander and the chief of staff of the responsible brigade, the military announced on Friday. Media reports said other commanders had been given a warning.

An army investigation published on Friday came to the conclusion that the incident on Monday was a "serious failure" on the part of the Israeli forces. They attacked the aid convoy on the suspicion that two armed Hamas members were in a vehicle, according to the investigation.

The Israeli forces did not recognize the vehicles as belonging to the aid organization, which said they were clearly marked. The attacks on the three vehicles were carried out in "serious violation of the army's orders and standard operating procedures," the investigation's report added.

"The results of the investigation indicate that the incident should not have happened."

The incident, which killed seven aid workers including three Britons, led to renewed calls from the West for Israel to take more care with civilian lives in Gaza and even prompted some British lawmakers to demand arms sales to Israel should be suspended.

Medics and UN staff transport the body of one of the World Central Kitchen aid group staff members who were killed in an Israeli air strike, out of the morgue of Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Seven employees of the US-based aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Monday. Mohammed Talatene/dpa

Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group, transports the body of one of the staff members who were killed in an Israeli air strike, out of the morgue of Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Seven employees of the US-based aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Monday. Mohammed Talatene/dpa
Israeli cabinet approves reopening northern Gaza border crossing for first time since October 7, official says

Israel has approved the reopening of the Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, a decision that came soon after US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to allow in aid.

An Israeli official told CNN the crossing would be opened to allow more humanitarian aid to enter blockaded Gaza. The Israeli cabinet also approved using the Israeli Port of Ashdod to help transfer more aid to Gaza.

Erez is expected to receive the first humanitarian aid shipments into the enclave on Sunday, Israeli officials told CNN, adding that aid shipments will also begin flowing into Ashdod port on Sunday.

Hisham Adwan, Director of the Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority, which operates the Gaza side of the crossing, told CNN on Friday that we have not been informed of anything new regarding the crossings, adding that his team was also unable to assess the extent of the damage caused by the war.

Israels move comes after Biden said Thursday that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza had become unacceptable in a call with Netanyahu and warned Israel to take steps to address the crisis or face consequences.

The Erez crossing, a pedestrian passageway, was one of the border points breached by Hamas fighters on October 7 when they launched their bloody attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage.

It remains unclear how the reopening will be implemented; the volumes of aid deliveries that have been allowed through crossings in Gazas southern border so far have been insufficient compared to the scale of human suffering in the territory.

The United Nations welcomed news of the reopening cautiously. This is positive news but, of course, we will have to see how this is implemented. We need a humanitarian ceasefire and a massive influx of aid, spokesperson to the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said Thursday.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Friday said the news offered a glimmer of hope amid a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Councils Secretary General Jan Egeland stressed Israel needed to show tangible improvement in the situation for civilians on the ground.

The UNs Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the principal aid agency for Gaza, has been sidelined by Israel and remains restricted in parts of the enclave  particularly the north where the risk of famine is the highest and cases of death by starvation have been reported.

Since January, residents of northern Gaza have been forced to survive on an average of just 245 calories a day, according to Oxfam.

Thursdays announcement also comes amid mounting international fury over Israeli strikes that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Israel has acknowledged responsibility for the deaths, but maintains the attack was not intentional.

What is the Erez crossing?

Located north of the Gaza Strip, Erez (or Beit Hanoon) was the main crossing for the movement of people between Israel and Gaza before Israeli authorities closed it following the October 7 Hamas attack.

It is primarily a pedestrian crossing but can also be used for road supplies.

Before the war, the majority of those traveling through Erez were Palestinian residents of Gaza who entered Israel for medical treatment or business purposes, according to the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs. Staff working for international organizations in Gaza also used the crossing.

Some 800,000 Gazans entered Israel through Erez in 2022 and another 550,000 crossed in the first half of 2023, according to Israeli government data.

Israel has been criticized for blocking much of Gazas population from traveling through Erez for almost two decades. Movement through all of Israels crossings with Gaza were already heavily restricted before the war, as Israel imposed a blockade of the territory with Egypt 17 years ago.

The only crossings currently operational are the Rafah crossing with Egypt and Kerem Shalom with Israel.

Trickling aid

Since the October 7 terror attacks, Israels siege of Gaza has killed at least 32,916 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and has led to a spiraling humanitarian crisis where nearly three-quarters of the population in northern Gaza are suffering from catastrophic levels of hunger, according to a UN-backed report.

Land crossings into Gaza, through which the bulk of vital aid has traditionally entered the territory, remain heavily restricted by Israel. Aid agencies have accused Israel of throttling the entry of relief into the war-ravaged territory, though Israel has said it has no limit on the amount of relief that can enter.

As of March 28, 168 trucks were entering Gaza daily on average, according to the UN. An average of 500 trucks entered Gaza per working day before the war in 2023.

Before the war started, Israel restricted all access to and from Gaza by sea and air, and kept land crossings under tight control. It had two functional crossings with the enclave: Erez, which was for the movement of people, and Kerem Shalom, for goods.

Gaza also has one crossing with Egypt, at Rafah, which is run by Egyptian authorities. While Israel has no direct control over this crossing, it monitors all activity in southern Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave after October 7.

Aid began to trickle in through Rafah at the end of October, and, following pressure from the US, Israel began allowing aid trucks to pass through Kerem Shalom in late December  but at rates far below the 500 commercial and aid trucks a day before the war.

Today, all 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food, with half of the population on the brink of starvation and famine projected to arrive in the north anytime between mid-March and May, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

The World Central Kitchen was central to a much-touted new sea corridor from Cyprus but it, along with at least two other aid organizations, are suspending operations in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes killed its workers.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNNs Nadeen Ebrahim, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Vasco Cotovio and Caitlin Hu contributed to this report.

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CANBERRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Heat stress from rising ocean temperatures could impair the vision of octopuses and threaten the survivability of the species, Australian research has warned.

In a study published on Friday, international research led by the University of Adelaide discovered proteins that are important for octopus vision are affected by thermal stress.

They found that the levels of two proteins, one which preserves lens transparency and optical clarity and another that is responsible for the regeneration of visual pigments in the eye's photoreceptors, were reduced significantly under projected ocean warming conditions, suggesting impaired vision.

Approximately 70 percent of an octopus brain is devoted to vision, 20 percent more than in humans.

Qiaz Hua, lead author of the study, said octopuses use their vision for depth perception, motion detection, communication and to detect predators and prey.

"Having impaired vision will affect an octopus's chances of survival in the wild through increased predator risk as well as lower foraging success," she said in a media release.

To make their findings the research team exposed the embryos of southern keeled octopus, also known as the octopus berrima, to water temperatures of 19, 22 and 25 degrees Celsius to simulate current summer ocean temperatures and projected summer temperatures in the year 2100.

In addition to impairing vision, they found rising temperatures would also negatively impact octopus broods.

"We found a high mortality rate under future warming conditions. Out of three replicate octopus broods, none of the eggs hatched for two of them and less than half of the eggs hatched for the remaining brood," Hua said.

"Our study shows that even for a highly adaptable taxon like octopuses, they may not be able to survive future ocean changes," she said. 
The Israeli military dismissed two officers Friday after finding that a fatal strike this week killing seven workers with the charity group World Central Kitchen (WCK) should not have occurred.

A preliminary investigation carried out by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staff found that the military mistakenly thought a convoy carrying the workers  who had communicated their movements to the military  were armed Hamas fighters and not from WCK.

The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures, the Israeli military said in a Friday announcement revealing the preliminary findings.

The investigation was presented to the militarys top commander, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, as well as to WCK staff members and international ambassadors and journalists.

Based on the findings, Halevi decided to fire the brigade fire support commander who had the rank of a major and a brigade chief of staff who had the rank of a colonel in reserve.

Israel also reprimanded a brigade commander, a 162nd Division commander and a commander of the Southern Command.

The [Israeli Defense Forces] takes seriously the grave incident that claimed the lives of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers, the military said in the announcement. We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the families and the WCK organization.

We consider the vital humanitarian activity of international aid organizations to be of utmost importance, and we will continue to work to coordinate and assist their activities, while ensuring their safety and safeguarding their lives.

WCK said in a statement the military had taken important steps for taking responsibility for the incident and taking disciplinary action against officers.

But the WCK said Israel has also deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families, WCK said. The root cause of the unjustified rocket fire on our convoy is the severe lack of food in Gaza. Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine traveling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid.

WCK called for an independent investigation, as did Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The strike underscored how deadly the Gaza war has been for humanitarian aid workers; more than 200 of them have died since the conflict broke out in October.

Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort, WCK CEO Erin Gore said in a statement. Its cold comfort for the victims families and WCKs global family.

The fatal strike Monday hit the aid convoy carrying the WCK staff three times in what the charity groups founder Jose Andres said was Israel systematically targeting his workers. The incident led him to suspend operations in Gaza, where humanitarian aid is desperately needed.

The Biden administration has also pushed Israel to do more to get humanitarian aid access into Gaza, where the United Nations is warning of a famine in the north. Biden also expressed some of his harshest language yet after the WCK strike and had a tense phone call with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

Fridays preliminary investigation said Israeli forces had identified two gunmen on the aid convoy. After it left the warehouse, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists, Israel said.

The forces did not identify the vehicles in question as being associated with WCK, the military said. The strikes on the three vehicles were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures.

Updated at 7:59 a.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Special counsel Jack Smith could consider ''nuclear button'' in Trump's classified documents case. Israel opens new aid routes into Gaza after pressure from President Joe Biden. And more than 100,000 fish spilled out of an overturned truck  but most swam away.

Heres what to know today.

Jack Smith could be nearing his breaking point in Trumps classified docs case

law legal special counsel smith (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file)

Special counsel Jack Smith made clear this week that he wasnt happy with Judge Aileen Cannons request for jury instructions from both sides in former President Donald Trumps classified documents case. And depending on the outcome of Cannons decision on that matter, prosecutors and defense attorneys warn that Smith could reach his breaking point  and maybe even seek Cannons removal from the case.

In other words, as one attorney put it, Smith is close to pushing the nuclear button.

Cannons request for jury instructions asked both prosecutors and Trumps team to put forth competing versions of instructions for jurors centered around the Presidential Records Act. A final version of the instructions would be delivered to jurors at the end of a trial.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your morning. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

But Smith shot back earlier this week, saying the request is fundamentally flawed because it would take into account Trumps interpretation of how classified documents could be preserved after leaving office  which is at the center of the charge against the former president.

Cannon doesnt seem to be backing down after Smiths comments. For Smith to actually reach the point of pushing for Cannons removal from the case, a few more things would have to happen. Legal experts explain.

Read the full story here.

More on Trumps cases:

Cannon denied Trumps bid to dismiss the classified documents case, rejecting his argument that the papers were considered personal under the Presidential Records Act  but she left open the possibility that the argument could be used later.

After Smiths scathing critique of the request for jury instructions, Trump called Smith a lowlife who should be sanctioned or censured.

A Georgia judge denied a bid by Trump and his co-defendants in the election interference case to dismiss the charges on First Amendment grounds .

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking more info about Trumps bond for the civil fraud case.

Israel to open more aid routes to Gaza after pressure from Biden

Israel committed to opening additional routes to allow more aid to flow into Gaza after a call with President Joe Biden, during which the president warned of a potential shift in U.S. policy in the wake of a strike that killed seven aid workers.

Israel committed to opening the Ashdod port to allow assistance to be directly delivered into Gaza, opening the Erez crossing to let aid flow into north Gaza and significantly boosting deliveries from Jordan, a White House spokesperson said. No timetable was laid out.

A spokesperson for the Israeli government said in a statement that the increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to achieve the goals of the war.

In the call between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, the president strongly implied to Netanyahu that the U.S. could condition military aid to Israel on what it does to address humanitarian concerns in Gaza and get to a cease-fire as soon as possible, two U.S. officials said.

Read the full story here.

Read more

The Israeli military has dismissed two officers and said that a probe into the strikes that killed seven aid workers found serious errors and violations of protocol that led its forces to repeatedly hit a convoy that it says its forces believed was carrying Hamas gunmen, not World Central Kitchen team members. Follow live updates.

A look at what has become of Gazas revered universities

Built over decades, Gazas universities were a beacon of hope for young Palestinians looking to exercise some control over lives stifled by war, a 17-year blockade, political stagnation and misrule and an economy on its knees. After Israels bombardment of Gaza, those hopes of a better life for Gazas young population are reduced to rubble.

According to an NBC News analysis of more than 60 videos and photos, and interviews with university administrators, professors, students and experts, at least five of Gazas seven major universities have been destroyed or partially damaged since Israel launched its offensive following Hamas Oct. 7 terror attacks.

NBC News

Aya Salameh, a 21-year-old English language and translation student, was set to graduate this spring from Al Azhar University. The Israeli army has killed all our plans, all our passions, she said referring to her disrupted college life, adding that she literally cried many nights over the news that the campus, as well as her home, had been destroyed.

Read the full story here.

Sean Diddy Combs son accused of sex assault in lawsuit

puff daddy diddy sean (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images file)

Sean Diddy Combs has been named as a defendant in a new lawsuit that alleges his son drugged and sexually assaulted a woman while she was working on a yacht that the music mogul chartered for a wholesome family excursion at the end of 2022. The allegation is the latest in a wave of lawsuits against Combs, who is a subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation, and accuses 26-year-old Christian Combs of sexual assault, sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress.

In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Grace OMarcaigh included transcriptions of audio clips that she states are evidence of her denying Christian Combs advances as he gropes her. Heres what else the lawsuit alleges.

A representative for Christian and Sean Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sean Combs has denied all of the recent allegations against him.

Your last-minute guide to the total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cross over 15 U.S. states Monday, offering a rare opportunity to see afternoon skies darken as the moon blocks the face of the sun. Tens of millions of people will be within whats known as the path of totality, where the full eclipse will be visible. And those outside the path will still be able to enjoy a partial solar eclipse.

The timing, including how long totality lasts, depends on your location, but some spots will see the moon fully cover the sun for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds. Just remember to not stare directly at the sun! To safely view the solar eclipse and avoid eye damage, NASA recommends using special eclipse glasses or pinhole projectors. Here are other tips for catching the rare celestial event.

More eclipse coverage:

Festivals, art projects and a mass wedding ceremony: Its as clear as day that eclipse mania has seized the nation .

Inmates at a New York prison will get to watch the eclipse after all, and a lawsuit over the matter was withdrawn.

Alabama death row inmate asks to be executed

Derrick Dearman (Greene County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Alabama death row inmate Derrick Dearman wants to die. Its time, he said, for the victims and the families of the five people he murdered eight years ago to get closure. In his first interview with a reporter, he explained why he no longer wants to delay justice and is ready to pay the ultimate price for his crimes.

I have laid many nights thinking, what would I say to any of them if I ever had the chance, the opportunity to say something? Dearman, 36, said. But, he decided, words dont have any weight in this situation.

This week, he mailed nine letters to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall, as well as the judges and others involved in the case informing them he is dropping his appeals. He also intends to write letters to the victims families.

Dearman was high on methamphetamine when he burst into a home in rural Alabama and killed five people, including a pregnant woman. He also kidnapped his girlfriend and a 3-month-boy. He has no excuse for what he did, he said, but it doesnt change the fact the crimes were committed. Read the full interview here.

100,000+ salmon spill out of truck  and swim away

A tanker truck that overturned in northeast Oregon last week spilled more than 100,000 live salmon  but most were able to swim away after they landed in a nearby creek. Of the approximately 102,000 spring Chinook smolts that spilled out of the 53-foot truck last week, more than 25,000 fish didnt survive.

Overturned truck. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)

The salmon were supposed to be released into the Imnaha River, supplementing the threatened wild population. Despite the wreck, state wildlife officials said, they dont expect the loss to impact their operations and production goals in the future.

And, in case youre wondering, the driver is fine, too.

Politics in Brief

Biden in Baltimore: Biden will meet with state and local officials in Maryland more than a week after the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

No candidate for No Labels: The bipartisan group No Labels is ending its efforts to put a third-party presidential ticket on the ballot after it was unable to find a candidate with a feasible path to the White House.

RFK Jr. campaign: RFK Jr.s campaign disowned a fundraising email that referred to Jan. 6 rioters as activists, claiming it was sent in error. Meanwhile, freaked out Democrats are waging an open war on RFK Jr. and other people they view as a threat to Bidens re-election.

Considering disbarment: The disciplinary panel of the D.C. Bar reached a preliminary conclusion that former Trump official Jeffrey Clark committed an ethical violation when he pushed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Want more politics news? Sign up for From the Politics Desk to get exclusive reporting and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday evening. Subscribe here.

Staff Pick: Can poisoning AI models with cat hallucinations protect copyrights?

University of Chicago researchers think so  at least up to a point. Their free tool called Nightshade lets artists subtly alter images in ways that humans barely notice but confuse AI image generators. When business and data correspondent Brian Cheung nightshaded a photo of himself, the platform spit out spooky felines, not more Brians. Nightshades developers know its no silver bullet but see it as a helpful spear to defend intellectual property rights.  Rich Bellis, senior business editor

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

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Israeli military fires two senior officers as report finds strike on aid workers was in serious violation of commands

The IDF fired two senior officers and reprimanded a top commander as it admitted a catalog of failures in a drone strike on an aid convoy in Gaza, including that it killed aid workers who had survived an initial attack.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday that those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives, calling the attack a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification.

It said the strike was carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures, and dismissed a major and a colonel in reserve. Three other IDF officials were formally reprimanded: the commanders of the brigade and division involved, and the commander of the Southern Command, who bore overall responsibility.

The drone operators who carried out the killing had not been told by higher-ups about the humanitarian convoy due to internal failures that led to critical information regarding the humanitarians operation to not go properly down through the chain of command, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Friday.

Seven aid workers  three Britons, a Palestinian, a US-Canadian dual citizen, an Australian and a Pole  were killed in Mondays strikes on cars operated by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), setting off fury in those countries.

The IDF detailed in its preliminary findings a series of botched assessments and decision-making failures that led to the targeted strikes on three cars carrying innocent aid workers.

Its forces identified a gunman on one of the aid trucks, following which they identified an additional gunman, the IDF said, as the trucks transported food to a warehouse in Gaza. It did not provide any more details about that claim.

Later, as three WCK vehicles left the warehouse, a commander mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists, the report said.

The IDF officers involved misidentified something slung over one of the passengers shoulders as a weapon, but forces now believe it was a bag, an IDF spokesperson told CNN Friday.

The spokesperson also said that Israels surveillance drones could not see the WCK logo on the vehicles at night.

Some of the WCK workers in the first car survived the initial strike and fled to the next car in the convoy, the spokesperson added, only for that vehicle to also be targeted.

WCK and the heads of many Western nations have called for an independent, third party investigation into the strikes, but Israel has committed only to the internal inquiry released Friday.

Though it included a rare admission of guilt from the Israeli military, the IDFs Friday statement was brief and lacked a detailed explanation of precisely how and why its commands were violated.

It is unlikely to be the final word on a fatal attack that has hardened the ire of Western countries towards Israels conduct in Gaza, and accelerated debates in several nations about whether military aid to Israel should be halted.

The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza, WCK said Friday in response to the preliminary findings. Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.

The charity said it is clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort, WCK CEO Erin Gore said. Its cold comfort for the victims families and WCKs global family.

US President Joe Biden called the deaths of aid workers and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza unacceptable in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, adding that US support would depend on measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has himself called for a third-party inquiry, said the US was reviewing Israels report very carefully.

Its very important that Israel is taking full responsibility for this incident. Its also important that it appears to be taking steps to hold those responsible accountable, he said, adding that even more important is making sure that steps are taken going forward to ensure that something like this can never happen again.

CNNs Jeremy Diamond and Benjamin Brown contributed reporting

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World Central Kitchen (WCK) said the Israeli militarys recent steps are important but called for systemic change after seven of the nonprofits workers were killed by an airstrike earlier this week.

WCK said Israel is taking important steps by acknowledging its responsibility and fatal errors as well as taking disciplinary action for those responsible for the Monday attack.

A preliminary investigation carried out by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staff found that the troops mistakenly thought a convoy carrying the workers, who communicated their movements to the military, were Hamas fighters.

The fatal strike drew international scrutiny and demands for Israel to change its procedures. The military said it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others after finding the strike should not have happened.

The aid organization said its clear from the military investigation that Israel has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families, WCKs statement said.

The Israeli military said Thursday it would approve the opening of a key border crossing in northern Gaza. The government said opening at Erez would increase aid to civilians and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

WCK said the root cause of the airstrike is the severe lack of food in Gaza. Since March, WCK has been delivering several hundred tons of food to civilians in Gaza.

Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine traveling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid, the statement said. Food is a universal human right.

The organization demanded that an independent commission investigate the killings because the military alone cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza. On Thursday, WCK asked the U.S., Australia, Canada, Poland and the U.K.  the home countries of its workers who died  to open independent investigations into the incident.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also called for an independent, thorough and fully publicized investigation. He said the U.S. thinks the steps Israel has taken are positive developments but the real test will be what will come in the next several days and months.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Israelis ask if world has forgotten their hostages six months after the trauma of Oct. 7

TEL AVIV, Israel  Liad Gross visits "Hostage Square" every week to remember.

During Purim, a usually joyful Jewish holiday that celebrates survival and continuity, she took the unusual approach of dressing up covered in makeup to look bruised and beaten, as if a victim of assault.

Six months from Hamas' attack, the deadliest single assault against Jews since the Holocaust, there isnt much celebrating going on in Israel. On Oct. 7, about 1,200 people were killed and 240 more were dragged to the Gaza Strip as hostages. More than 100 have been released and about 100 are believed to be still alive in captivity.

And while global outrage grows about the catastrophic destruction in Gaza from Israel's military campaign to destroy Hamas, and the more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, Israelis remain traumatized, worrying that the world has forgotten about the hostages.

"It's hard for me to be here with all the people," Gross, 36, who works with troubled youth, said, reflecting on her friends, Eitan Horn, 37, and his brother Yair, 45. They disappeared when Hamas swarmed through Kibbutz Nir Oz, on the border with Gaza.

"Time passes and nothing new is coming through."

'All her life is ahead of her'

Shlomi Berger, 52, the father of 19-year-old hostage Agam, is all too aware about the march of time and feeling like progress can't come fast enough.

He worries there is a kind of collective international amnesia about the plight of the hostages and their degrading and inhumane treatment by Hamas.

"It's like the world has forgotten there are still 134 hostages over there," he said.

Berger believes bringing his daughter and the other hostages home is the first step to ending the war. He is nevertheless guarded about what is the best strategy to make that happen.

"We're waiting for her," Berger, a civil engineer, said as he clasped his daughter's violin in her childhood room about 10 miles south of Tel Aviv. Agam was last seen on a Hamas Telegram video being led on Oct. 7 to a car while still in her pajamas. Images show her with a bloodied face with her hands handcuffed behind her back.

"She loves to play the violin, and we can't wait to hear her play again," Berger said as he showed some of the books, cards, drawings and small gifts that had been sent to his family. They lay propped on her bed. Some of his daughter's friends had written personal notes on the walls in her room.

"For me every day is the seventh of October. It never ends," he said. "I go to sleep 1, 2, 3 in the afternoon. I just fall down.  My wife won't go to work. The kids don't want to go to school.  It's ups and downs all day."

Berger said he tries to keep his mind free from speculating about how his daughter is being treated in captivity.

"It's not the physical situation that worries me the most," he said, referring to public and private testimony from some of the released hostages, and doctors treating them, that they were sexually abused.

"It's the mental situation. We need to be here strong for her. She'll need to deal with many things when she's released. We need to be here to raise her up," he said. "She's a young girl. All her life is ahead of her."

'If Israel must defend its existence alone, Israel will do it'

The shock of Oct. 7 has challenged every fabric of Israeli society. It's led to deep anxiety and reassessments of security. It's revived and amplified domestic political rifts over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership. It has led to internal disagreements over the conduct of the war.

Overseas, there's been a burst of global outrage directed at Israel over the war's toll on civilians in Gaza, including war crimes allegations brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Incidents of anti-semitism have surged.

Kidnapped posters line a wall in Jerusalem as the nation marks six months since the start of the war. Over 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas-led militants in October.

As the war has dragged on, Israel looks increasingly isolated over its military campaign with a growing civilian death toll and the struggles of aid workers to deliver humanitarian supplies to those trapped in Gaza. The Israeli military's recent killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza led to global condemnation.

Israeli politicians are steadfast in their view that the campaign to "crush" Hamas must succeed, even if it means that Israel has to go it alone.

"Some (in the U.S. administration) don't realize that the old status quo is not coming back," said Simcha Rothman, an outspoken right-wing Israeli politician. "I have to say if Israel must defend its existence alone, Israel will do it. It won't be good for Israel. It won't be good for peace in the Middle East. It won't be good for the U.S. either," said Rothman in an interview in his office at The Knesset, Israel's Parliament.

Matan Kahana, an Israeli lawmaker from the centrist Israel Resilience Party, expressed annoyance over calls, including from the U.S., that Israel should commit to a cease-fire without first achieving its war objective of dismantling Hamas and getting the hostages back.

"(Hamas) came to Israel to kill and slaughter," Kahana said. "The world is forgetting that."

A replica of a Hamas tunnel in Israel's 'Hostage Square'

The faces of those still in captivity can be seen in towns and cities across Israel smiling out from posters stuck to lampposts, in shop windows, graffitied to the sides of buildings.

Their portraits are among the first things visitors see when landing at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport. Cafes and restaurants have dedicated favorite items on their menus to them. A "Bring Them Home" song can be heard at rallies, concerts and on the radio.

At the "Bring Them Home" event attended by Gross, several thousand people showed up in "Hostage Square" to wave Israeli flags, take part in vigils, experience a replica Hamas tunnel, share testimonies, offer condolences and chant for the removal of Netanyahu, the countrys longest-serving leader.

In Tel Aviv, thousands gather to protest the Israeli government as well as call for the return of the hostages from Gaza. One of the events held by the Hostages and Missing Families forum drew crowds of people as the region begins to mark six months since the start of the war.

Netanyahu has consistently said that only military pressure will bring their loved ones home.

Some, like Leora Acoca Goldberg, a former Miss Israel in the 1980s, are inclined to believe him.

"God forbid my children were there (in Gaza) I would probably be very emotional and desperate and I would be crying and screaming and trying to put pressure on the government exactly like every parent in Israel is doing," Goldberg said. "But I believe in our government and Netanyahu. They really care."

Others feel that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges and has so far not taken responsibility for failing to prevent Hamas' brutal attack, has overstayed his welcome.

"Everything that Netanyahu says and does shows that surviving as prime minister and finishing the war are at least equal motivations for him," said Ronen Keler, a tech executive and naval reservist who is among thousands of Israelis who have renewed huge street demonstrations, a regular occurrence for months before the war, in recent weeks. They are demanding that Netanyahu be replaced and elections called. In recent days, furious protesters, angry that he is undermining Israel's democracy, using the war to distract attention from his legal woes and alienating Israel's international partners and alliances, have clashed with police outside Netanyahu's Jerusalem home.

'Like the Holocaust is here again'

Since the country's founding in 1948, Israel has fought at least half a dozen wars against various Arab forces, as well as in two armed Palestinian uprisings known as intifadas, and against Palestinians who targeted Israeli civilians with suicide bombings. Outside of full-blown war, tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel's military and groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah in Lebanon  organizations considered terrorist groups by the U.S. and others  are a regular occurrence. Israelis are used to going to bomb shelters. Many homes have safe rooms.

Adama Tova was formed to help the healing process for families, survivors and those dealing with PTSD after the atrocities of October 7. Food, music and art are offered as informal therapy.

Israel's arch-enemy Iran has long vowed to completely destroy Israel.

But Oct. 7 has cut deep in ways that has surprised even the country's mental health professionals, and in ways that they are only just beginning to understand, according to more than a dozen doctors and researchers.

Gil Zalsman, an Israeli psychiatrist who specializes in adolescent suicidal behavior, said the events of Oct. 7, which saw Israelis killed, abducted and brutalized on a scale that many in the country had thought inconceivable, have impacted Israelis "like nothing else before it."

He said Oct. 7 had unleashed a tidal wave of collective trauma, including in many cases involving people who have no direct or even indirect connection to the attack.

"We have tried to search the literature to understand what we as medical professionals can do. How should we react? The 9/11 attacks in the U.S. were terrible. But they started and ended. We are still in the event. We are not post-traumatic yet. We don't even know if the worst is behind us," he said.

Zalsman's own Holocaust-surviving mother who, after a lifetime of survivor's silence, suddenly found her trauma "reactivated" after Oct. 7.

"She tells me that she feels like the Holocaust is here again. I never thought I would see such an extreme reaction in her," said Zalsman, who said that in his clinic near Tel Aviv he has recorded about a 40% rise in trauma reactivation cases over the last six months; patients whose cases have nothing to do with Oct. 7.

"My mother never spoke about the Holocaust. Now cries every night in her sleep, 'Don't take me, don't take me.'"

Rachel Lewis, who manages psychiatric services for Maccabi Health Services, a large HMO in central Israel, said that since Oct. 7, family doctors in her area have been prescribing 65% more anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications compared to a year earlier. In children, she said, there has been an 83% increase.

One study, co-authored by Ido Lurie of the Shalvata Mental Health Center, north of Tel Aviv, estimates that more than 5% of Israels population of just under 10 million will eventually develop PTSD due to Oct. 7.

Sunny Volkov paints a mural on the Mushroom Project; a stage and production at the Nova festival, by her daughter Lian Vaknin. Her husband was killed at the Nova music festival.

'Constant stress'

At the "Bring Them Home" rally in Tel Aviv, Gross said she is trying to remain hopeful.

"It's been too long. We are waiting for them. Praying they are still OK, hanging on," she said of her friends.

She described Eitan and Yair Horn as "kind, funny, warm-hearted."

Genya Elkind, left, and Bella Habani, right, gather and talk at Adama Tova, an informal healing space to help the healing process for families, survivors and those dealing with PTSD after October 7.

And for Yaniv Peri and his family, who live about 4 miles from Israel's border with Lebanon, they are thinking each day not so much of what has happened in Israel already, but what might yet happen.

Dozens of communities in Israel's North have been evacuated because of the possibility that the war will eventually spread to a sustained conflict with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shia militia based in Lebanon. Iran has vowed to retaliate after it accused Israel of bombing its embassy complex in Syria in early April, in a potential escalation of regional tensions over the war in Gaza.

The Peris have chosen not to leave.

Instead, they have installed steel bars on all the windows of their home. The back door has been replaced with something more sturdy. They have stockpiled food, water and medicines. A generator will be able to sustain their core electricity needs  the fridge, charging cell phones  for up to three days.

The kids, five and seven, constantly do drills to practice how to stay safe if there's a rocket attack or militants besiege their school.

"We live in a constant stress," said Peri, 44, a production manager at a warehouse that makes medical devices.

"We hear artillery and war planes all the time, all around us. You hear the air raid sirens. You try to live a normal life but it is always on your mind. Every time you leave the house or even take a shower. You have to take all this under consideration because it can happen any minute," he said.

Then Peri quickly added: "But we're not leaving. That would be surrendering."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israelis say hostages forgotten six months after Oct. 7 attacks
Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Gaza conflict, the United Nations agency representing Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has provided aid to Gazan civilians facing dire humanitarian conditions.

But the agency's future is now in jeopardy after several nations, including the United States, suspended funding after the Israeli government published evidence allegedly showing that 16 UNRWA members were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.

Despite calls for the group to be dissolved, UNRWA officials and humanitarian groups have pleaded for help, contending that aid for the Palestinians caught in the crossfire is needed now more than ever as the humanitarian crisis deepens.

PHOTO: Adam Bouloukos, a UNRWA director, speaks with ABC News. (ABC News)

"People's lives are on the line because they would have no other alternative," Adam Bouloukos, a UNRWA director, told ABC News.

MORE: Video UN Watch speaks out ahead of congressional testimony on UNRWA

UNRWA has been in operation since 1949 and has provided education, health care and other basic services in Gaza, the West Bank, and parts of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Since the Israeli-Hamas war began, agency leaders said they have been working around the clock to provide aid and shelter to the growing number of Gazan refugees.

"The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is like nothing we in the UN have seen," Bouloukos said.

PHOTO: Aid is distributed at a UNRWA facility. (ABC News)

However, UNRWA's integrity and future have been on the line since January after Israel Defense Forces initially accused 12 UNRWA employees of being directly involved with the Oct. 7 attacks.

Israeli officials say they now have evidence implicating four more UNRWA workers.

A dossier released by the IDF alleged six UNRWA staff members crossed into Israel on that day and four UNRWA workers were involved in the taking of hostages.

UNRWA terminated the accused employees after the allegations were made public and an independent investigation by the UN's Office of Internal Oversight is ongoing.

Israeli officials have released some evidence of the alleged terrorism by the accused members, including a video allegedly showing an UNRWA employee helping to move Oct. 7 victim Jonathan Samerano's lifeless body into the trunk of an UNRWA vehicle before it was driven into Gaza.

UNRWA said it has no way of verifying the video and has urged Israeli officials to hand over all evidence to investigators.

Ayelet Samerano, Jonathan's mother, told ABC News she is outraged that someone working for a UN body could be implicated in the murder and abduction of her son.

PHOTO: Ayelet Samerano speaks with ABC News. (ABC News)

"It's unbelievable. That's a worldwide organization that should take care of people and should take care the human rights  and now it's the opposite," she said.

MORE: 7 aid workers killed in Gaza during IDF attack that Israeli official calls 'grave mistake'

The U.S. and several Western allies paused funding to the agency following the Israeli report in January.

However, Israel's accusations of ties between UNRWA and Hamas go beyond the October 7 allegations against a number of individuals.

The IDF has published several videos saying they show UNRWA food supplies were found in Hamas tunnels. In one video, they claim Hamas weaponry was stored in UNRWA sacks.

The IDF alleged Hamas tunnels ran underneath UNRWA properties, including the agency's headquarters in Gaza.

UNRWA said it moved out of its Gaza headquarters weeks before those deep underground tunnels were discovered, and empty UNRWA sacks are often recycled and used in Gaza to store other goods.

In several statements, UNRWA has rejected any suggestion that it's been aiding Hamas and accused Israel of attempting to demonize the agency.

The accusations against the agency have sparked protests from Israelis who have been blocking the route for aid trucks into Gaza.

Israeli officials have also publicly called for the group to be dissolved.

Despite the financial cuts and the opposition, UNRWA has continued to provide its services in Gaza, with many other humanitarian groups backing it.

PHOTO: The UNRWA has been providing aid assistance in Gaza. (ABC News)

"You know that many NGOs use UNRWA's facilities to store their aid. They rely on UNRWA to deliver the aid that they procure," Dr. Thaer Ahmad, of the American-based NGO MedGlobal, said in a statement.

Ahmad also refuted the allegations that the agency is helping Hamas.

MORE: More than 500,000 people in Gaza face 'catastrophic hunger': UNRWA

"If you want to say that there have been allegations made against individual employees, I think that's something that needs to be looked into. That's very serious. But if you're talking about the institution itself, I don't think that anybody that has any sort of knowledge about what they do and how long they've existed for would make a similar accusation," he said.

He and others noted that UNRWA has suffered major losses during the conflict.

More than 170 UNRWA workers have been killed since the war began, with one being killed by an Israeli air strike on a food distribution center last month, according to the agency.

The agency said dozens of its schools and its Gaza headquarters have been struck by the Israeli military.

MORE: Hundreds of truckloads of aid for Gaza stuck as more lives lost to malnutrition, some aid organizations say

Canada and the European Union have recently resumed funding to UNRWA and the agency has agreed to allow EU officials to help screen employees for possible extremist links.

PHOTO: embed Aid is given out to refugees in Gaza. (ABC News)

However Congress has voted to block U.S. funding for at least a year, meaning UNRWA's entire operation is in peril.

"They provide something like 30 to 40% of our funding," Bouloukos said of the U.S. "It looks like we have funding through the end of April, and that's very, very tight."

Humanitarian groups have warned of a full-scale famine in Gaza if nothing is done.

Ahmad stressed that it would be impossible to replace UNRWA if it were dissolved.

"No one, not even if all of the NGOs combined came together, would be able to replicate what they're doing on the ground," he said.

Israel's claims of UNRWA's Hamas ties put agency's future in jeopardy originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Israel's military admits to a series of errors that led to the killing of 7 aid workers: 'It shouldn't have happened'

Israeli military errors resulted in the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.

The military said it mistakenly identified the aid convoy as armed Hamas operatives.

WCK called for an independent investigation into the incident.

Israeli's military said a series of mistakes, including a lack of communication and a violation of engagement protocol, resulted in the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza on Monday.

Workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) had delivered 100 tons of humanitarian food aid to the Deir al-Balah warehouse and were leaving when Israeli forces struck their convoy on Monday evening.

The New York Times reported on Friday that the Israeli military had taken full responsibility for the deaths.

The findings of an investigation into the incident said the military opened fire on one of the three cars in the convoy after mistakenly believing the passengers were armed Hamas operatives.

WCK had received prior approval from the army to travel in the convoy, The Times reported.

Despite this, Israeli forces had not recognized the vehicle as belonging to WCK, according to the findings.

All three of the cars in the convoy were hit by an Israeli drone within four minutes of leaving the warehouse, The Times reported. The decision to fire on the second and third car, also assuming that those passengers were armed, was against the military's open-fire engagement procedure, the publication added.

"This was against the rules of engagement," General Har-Even said, according to The Times.

The military said it had been a "grave mistake" resulting from a "serious failure due to mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures," The Times reported.

"It's a tragedy," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman, said during a media briefing on Thursday. "It's a serious event that we're responsible for, and it shouldn't have happened."

Two Israeli officers have been dismissed over the incident. In addition, the head of Israel's southern command and two other senior officers have been reprimanded.

The aid workers killed were named as Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25, from Palestine, Lalzawmi Frankcom, 34, from Australia, Damian Sobol, 35, from Poland, Jacob Flickinger, 33, a dual US/Canada citizen, John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, all from the UK.

Members of the public join a walking vigil for aid worker James Henderson, organized by Palestine Solidarity Cornwall. HUGH HASTINGS/Getty Images

"Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss. The world's loss," Erin Gore, CEO, said in a tribute on the organization's website.

Representatives for WCK called for an independent investigation into the deaths in an online statement shared on Thursday.

"We have asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Poland, and the United Kingdom to join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law," the statement said.

"It's not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200," WCK founder Jose Andres said in a separate statement on Friday.

"All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released."

Israel's admission matters. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Thursday, their first conversation since the death of the aid workers.

"President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable," the White House said in a statement after the call.

"He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."

It was the clearest signal yet that Biden would cut military or diplomatic support for Israel if Netanyahu didn't act to protect civilians.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ROME  As it shoots down Houthi drones in the Red Sea, sends submarines to monitor internet cables and shadows Russian ships in the Mediterranean, the Italian Navy has issued an urgent call for more personnel, echoing a growing debate in Italy about beefing up the countrys armed forces as war edges closer.

In its latest annual report, the Navy said it needed to hit a headcount of 39,000 to fulfill its ongoing missions, a massive 34% increase on its current roster of around 29,000.

The appeal echoed a speech made last week before parliament by Chief of Staff Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in which he called on lawmakers to authorize big boosts in numbers across the board  covering the army, navy and air force.

We are absolutely undersized, he said. While the Italian armed forces currently have a strength of 165,564, Cavo Dragone said 170,000 was at the limit of survival.

His appeal was shared in a TV interview last week by Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, who said Italys armed forces were not at an acceptable level.

The irony is that Italy has been working to reduce the size of its armed forces for over a decade, before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2020, sparking a high-intensity land war on Europes borders and sending generals back to the drawing board.

A 2012 law envisaged the reduction of Italys 190,000-strong armed forces to 150,000 and the shrinking has been ongoing, albeit slowly, ever since.

After the Ukraine invasion, a decree passed late last year added 10,000 back to the target, making 160,000 the new headcount to aim for, but Cavo Dragone was not impressed.

150,000 was unworkable, while the 160,000 now approved is still little, he said.

The Italian Navy report said the decree would, on paper, give it a headcount of 30,500, which is slightly higher than the 29,000 sailors it has now, but still far lower than the 39,000 it wants.

Last year the Navy was using an average of 4,000 sailors every day in operations, with the peak reached on April 27, when it deployed 42 ships, four submarines, 18 aircraft and 7,324 in operations.

The Navy has factored in lower headcounts into the design of its new PPA-class vessels which feature an unusual bridge designed along the lines of an aircraft cockpit that requires a smaller crew.

That was a practical solution, but less so during a conflict, said Andrea Margelletti, the president of the CeSI think tank in Rome and an adviser to the Italian ministry of defense.

Small crews are fine until you are shot at and have to put out fires, he said.

Margelletti said that rather than getting politicians to authorize a rise in headcounts, the armed forces big challenge was ensuring that the average age of serving men and women dropped.

You cant ask a solider in their 40s to lug a 30kg back pack, he said.

Alessandro Marrone, who heads the defense programme at Rome think tank IAI, said the problem of aging soldiers could only be solved if the armed forces were able to help older servicemen and women move on to non-military jobs.

You need to find them jobs in the private sector or other branches of government, and Italy does not have the set-up to do that, he said.

Whether the problem was old soldiers or too few soldiers, Margelletti said Italy did not have much time to fix the problem.

Russia wants to push on in Ukraine and the front will collapse if we do not provide more arms, he said. Russia knows its strongest weapon is our collective fear about entering the war, while our strongest weapon would be Russia knowing we will fight. I believe it is inevitable we will enter this war sooner or later, possibly defending a line from Kyiv to Odessa, with a 90,000 strong force drawn from countries like France, the U.K., Poland, the Baltics, Romania and finally Germany. Italy will also be asked to contribute, he said.

And we will not be able to rely on the U.S., not only if Trump wins - even if he doesnt, due to the rising isolationism in the U.S., he added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on April 5, 2024. Guterres on Friday called for a paradigm shift in Israel's military strategy in Gaza and in aid delivery to save lives. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a paradigm shift in Israel's military strategy in Gaza and in aid delivery to save lives.

Following this week's appalling killing of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, the Israeli government has acknowledged mistakes and announced some disciplinary measures, said Guterres. "But the essential problem is not who made the mistakes, it is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again."

Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful and measurable change on the ground, he said at a press encounter as the Gaza conflict is about to become six months old.

In its speed, scale and inhumane ferocity, the war in Gaza is the deadliest of conflicts -- for civilians, for aid workers, for journalists, for health workers, and for UN staff. Some 196 humanitarian aid workers, including more than 175 UN staff members, have been killed, he said.

An information war has added to the trauma, obscuring facts and shifting blame. Denying international journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish, he said.

Guterres demanded investigation into those killings, noting that investigation can only work with the cooperation of the Israeli authorities.

"One hundred and ninety-six humanitarian workers have been killed, and we want to know why each one of them was killed," he said.

In the aftermath of the killing of World Central Kitchen staff, the United Nations was informed by the Israeli government of its intention to allow a substantial increase in humanitarian aid distributed in Gaza, said Guterres. "I sincerely hope that these intentions are effectively and quickly materialized because the situation in Gaza is absolutely desperate."

Dramatic humanitarian conditions require a quantum leap in the delivery of life-saving aid -- a true paradigm shift, he said.

Guterres repeated his urgent appeals for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, the unconditional release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.

Last week, the Security Council called for just that in its Resolution 2728. In December, the council demanded, in another resolution, accelerating the delivery of life-saving aid under a UN mechanism. All those demands must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable, he said.

"Six months on, we are at the brink of mass starvation, of regional conflagration, of a total loss of faith in global standards and norms. It's time to step back from that brink, to silence the guns, to ease the horrible suffering, and to stop a potential famine before it is too late," said Guterres. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (1st L) attends a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on April 5, 2024. Guterres on Friday called for a paradigm shift in Israel's military strategy in Gaza and in aid delivery to save lives. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
The Secretary of States office in the Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Photo by Mike Clark for the Daily Montanan)

Following a week of court challenges and back-and-forth arguments about court procedure and orders, Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen sent the group behind a proposed abortion access constitutional amendment its ballot petition ahead of Fridays court-imposed deadline so the group can start collecting signatures.

Jacobsen provided the Supreme Court notice that her office had sent the group the sample petition at 12:52 p.m., just ahead of the 1 p.m. deadline that she had lest she have to tell the court on Monday why she should not be held in contempt.

Despite having to navigate the many complexitiesincluding the rewritten rules, circumvention of branches, and lack of due process-surrounding whats typically an ordinary procedure, as weve stated from the beginning, the Secretary of States Office is committed to complying with Montana law, Jacobsens spokesperson, Richie Melby, said in a written statement. With that and upon somewhat receiving the clarification weve sought all along, the Secretary of State has successfully complied with and fulfilled the Courts Order and Legislative subpoena.

A spokesperson for Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, the group behind Ballot Initiative 14, said Friday afternoon the group was reviewing the petition. But they are pleased to be on the verge of collecting signatures.

With the petition review taking place, the next phase of signature collection is close. This process has been unnecessarily complicated, and rife with bad actors constructing ridiculous obstacles, the group said. Despite all of that, we are elated to be one step closer to signature collection. Montana voters deserve to make their voices heard on this critical issue, and today marks an important step in moving forward.

According to the ballot petition, the measure will be referred to as Constitutional Initiative 128, or CI-128.

Following the U.S. Supreme Courts 2022 decision putting the question of the legality of abortion back into the hands of states, and Montanas Republican supermajority Legislature passing several abortion restriction bills last year that are largely blocked by courts currently, the group is trying to be sure abortion access is ensured in the state Constitution. Members of the group have said for weeks that time is running out to collect more than 60,000 signatures theyll need by mid-June to be on Novembers ballot.

Both Melby and Senate Republicans spokesperson Kyle Schmauch confirmed Jacobsen had also submitted copies of materials related to the ballot measure in response to a legislative subpoena on Friday morning ahead of Senate President Jason Ellsworths imposed deadline of noon.

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday morning that its order from Thursday telling Jacobsen she had until 1 p.m. Friday to give Montanans Securing Reproductive Freedom its ballot petition was valid and still in effect after Jacobsen and the attorney general were served with the writ of mandamus request  a request for an order to comply  and the order on Thursday afternoon. Attorneys for the state had argued the order Thursday was not valid because the attorney general had not been served with the original motion.

The court also reaffirmed its opinion from earlier this week that the ballot measure is not subject to a legislative committee review and that the group can start collecting signatures as soon as it has the petition. The order said that any committee vote on the measure will not be reflected on the ballot petition.

Because interim committee review was not authorized pursuant to the express language of  13-27-228(1), MCA, the finalized sample petition shall omit the language regarding interim committee review, the justices wrote in Thursdays order.

But nonetheless, Republican lawmakers are moving forward with having a hearing anyway, scheduling the measure to be heard before the Law and Justice Interim Committee on Thursday, April 18 at 9 a.m.

The Montana Supreme Court can say what it wants to say, but the Legislature is proceeding with our normal public process on the initiative, said Committee Chairwoman Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell. We are treating this proposed ballot initiative exactly the same as all other initiatives, which is the only fair and just thing to do.

Ellsworth in a statement said the Supreme Court was determined to cut the Legislature and public comment out of the process and give this initiative special treatment.

But the court said in Thursdays order that there was no other way to interpret the statute the Legislature wrote other than saying that the only way the initiative review process by the Legislature is triggered is if the attorney general finds a proposal legally sufficient.

In this case, Attorney General Austin Knudsen did not because the court overturned his original insufficiency finding and wrote the ballot statement since neither Knudsens nor the groups was sufficient, according to the court.

We are bound by the plain meaning of the words used in statute, the justices wrote in Thursdays order. Our role is simply to ascertain and declare what is in terms or in substance contained therein, not to insert what has been omitted or to omit what has been inserted.

A copy of the petition provided by Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights tells voters of the courts decision that there will not be a committee review process for the particular initiative as there is for others.

Montanas Democratic legislative leaders, House Minority Leader Kim Abbott of Helena and Senate Minority leader Pat Flowers of Belgrade, said in a statement the court had already said the legislative committees up-or-down vote will not go on the petition and the meeting is meaningless.

The statutory language is clear, and the court order is clear: this committee meeting is unnecessary. If Republicans want to discuss Montanas access to abortion care, they can do that at any regularly scheduled meeting, the two said.

Jacobsen and Knudsen will still have to respond by noon on Monday to the groups filing from Wednesday asking the court to determine the Legislature had no further role in the process for this particular initiative and asking the court to take jurisdiction over the ballot initiative until signature gathering is complete.

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights has for weeks said Knudsen and then Jacobsen have been delaying their ability to start the signature gathering process for the initiative, which would enshrine abortion access in Montanas Constitution. The group went to court to challenge Knudsens original insufficiency finding and won, then had to challenge the ballot statement he wrote for the proposal. The court also overturned that language and wrote its own.

And this week, after the court on Monday ordered Jacobsen to provide the group with its ballot petition immediately, she sought clarification on whether that portion of the order was binding because it was included in a footnote. Her spokesperson, Melby, told the Daily Montanan earlier this week she intended to comply both with the court order and the subpoena.

Ellsworth subpoenaed the initiative records from her the same day he announced he was forming a select legislative committee to investigate what Senate Republicans call judicial overreach with this case and several other decisions made by the Supreme Court and other courts over the past several months.

But the courts Thursday order saying Jacobsen needed to send the petition by Friday afternoon, and its upholding of that order on Friday morning, made clear what needed to happen if Jacobsen did not want to face a possible contempt of court charge, which includes potential jail time and a fine upon conviction.

Now that the petition has been sent to the group, it will have until June 21 to collect 60,359 valid signatures, including from 10% of voters in 40 different state House Districts, in order to make the ballot in November. It is the seventh issue qualified to gather signatures so far. None have officially qualified for the ballot as of Friday, and there are two still going through the initial initiative process, including one submitted in February.

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights effort in Montana goes along with other efforts in other states to try to get constitutional amendments on abortion access onto this years ballot in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that handed control over abortion back to the states. Those include Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Maryland, New York, South Dakota, Missouri, Nevada and Nebraska, according to the Associated Press.

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights is a group comprised of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, the ACLU of Montana, and Forward Montana. Its attorney is Raph Graybill, the Democratic lieutenant governor candidate this year running alongside Ryan Busse.

Petition form for Ballot Issue14

The post Jacobsen sends group ballot petition to start collecting signatures for abortion initiative appeared first on Daily Montanan.
The Japanese government announced on April 5 its decision to ban exports of 164 goods to Russia, such as automobile engine oil and optical equipment, the Jiji Press news agency reported.

The ban, which will take effect on April 17, will be implemented as part of Tokyo's sanctions against Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine. The items included on the list are those that could strengthen Russia's industrial base, the news agency wrote.

"We will make every effort to implement the ban on exports to and imports from Russia in cooperation with the international community," Japanese Trade Minister Ken Saito said at a press conference.

Apart from technical and industrial items, such as batteries, various electrical equipment, or steel products, the list also includes yachts and other sporting vessels.

The Japanese Trade Ministry also revised a ministerial notice to ban imports of Russian non-industrial diamonds that are used in jewelry. The measure enters into effect on May 10, Jiji Press wrote.

The Group of Seven (G7) countries, including Japan, announced in December 2023 that they would begin imposing import bans on Russian diamonds from the beginning of 2024.

While not providing military aid to Kyiv, Tokyo has been supportive of Ukraine's struggle against the full-scale Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that the East Asian country has already provided Ukraine with more than $12 billion in non-military assistance since the start of the full-scale war.

Read also: Shmyhal: Japan to allocate $1.3 billion to support Japanese investors in Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Japan will expand its ban on exports to Russia to include 164 additional industrial products, such as lithium ion batteries, gas pipes and engine oil.

Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, as cited by The Asahi Shimbun

Details: The latest addition to Japan's export control list as part of sanctions against Moscow's actions in Ukraine also includes thermostats, nitrocellulose products and woodworking machines. The ministry reported that it would come into force on 17 April.

The ban on the import of Russian diamonds for non-industrial use, which was announced after an online meeting between Japan and other G7 countries with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in December, will take effect on 10 May.

Background: The Japanese government announced sanctions against 135 Russian and Russian-linked companies and individuals who helped Russia circumvent sanctions restrictions. The package also includes a ban on imports of rough diamonds from 1 January 2024.

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(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would seek to build a multilayered defense network with other countries while bolstering military cooperation with the US as he seeks to strengthen Japans deterrence in a challenging security environment.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Speaking to a group of reporters at his official residence Friday, Kishida also reiterated his commitment to achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine. The comments come ahead of his trip to Washington for a summit with President Joe Biden and a three-way leaders meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Pushing ahead on cooperation with like-minded countries on security, including defense equipment and technology, will lead to the establishment of a multilayered network, and by expanding that we can improve deterrence, he said.

The prime minister is set to meet Biden one-on-one on April 10 before the two hold the first ever three-way summit with the Philippine leader. Kishida and Marcos have each enhanced their bilateral military cooperation with their mutual ally as they confront separate territorial disputes with China, while Japan has transferred equipment such as radar units to the Philippines.

Read more: US, Philippines, Japan to Tackle South China Sea Incidents

The three will agree on joint naval patrols in the South China Sea later this year, Politico reported last month, a move that could provoke a strong reaction from China. They are also set to reach agreements on economic security issues like supply chains for nickel, the Nikkei newspaper reported this week.

The US is seeking to develop a lattice-like structure whereby its allies cooperate among themselves as well as with Washington to counter Chinas growing might. The trilateral summit with the Philippines follows on from a similar unprecedented meeting involving Japan and South Korea last year.

Kishida said he would seek to strengthen partnerships with Australia and the UK, but said nothing was decided on cooperation with the AUKUS group, of which both nations are members.

In one of the latest signs of change in Japans defense stance, the government signed a treaty with the UK and Italy last year to develop a next-generation fighter plane in a project known as the Global Combat Air Program.

Japan is considering strengthening its military cooperation with the US, within the bounds of its constitution and international law, Kishida added, emphasizing that the two countries would retain their independent command structures.

The roundtable came days after Kishida spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy by phone and assured him of Japans unshakable support. Republican hardliners in the US are opposing additional aid for Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies are cautious over a $100 billion assistance plan.

Read: US Houses Ukraine War Aid Vote Is Likely Weeks or More Away

It is true that there have been various movements and opinions amid the prolonged aggression, but Japans stance will not waver, Kishida said. During my visit to the US, I would like to make sure that I and President Biden are in agreement on the importance of continuing our efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Japan has provided non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, such as vehicles, while also agreeing to sell missiles to the US, in a step that could potentially increase the pool of weapons available for Washington to supply to Kyiv.

The US trip may provide much-needed help at the polls for Kishida, as he attempts to restore his fragile public support after a party slush fund scandal that forced him to discipline 39 lawmakers including several former cabinet ministers.

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Diversity is a cornerstone of New Jersey. Some of the best food, music, festivals and art are available right here in our own backyards, thanks to the vibrant blend of ethnicities, cultures and religions that call New Jersey home.

Additionally, this diversity is responsible for creating a strong educational ecosystem made up of both public and nonpublic schools  giving our families and communities of different faiths and backgrounds options that fit their unique needs.

As leaders of some of these diverse New Jersey communities, this system is especially important to us. Representing New Jerseys respective Islamic, Christian, Catholic and Jewish communities, we know our families often rely not only on quality nonpublic school options  with many seeking to educate their children in a faith-based environment  but also on our strong public schools.

This menu of educational offerings is a benefit not only to our families, but to our school system overall. With our public school system often coping with great demand, nonpublic schools help free up resources and seats. Furthermore, parents from nonpublic schools contribute to public school funding by paying their state and local taxes without taking a seat. When working together, nonpublic and public schools allow our education system  and our children  to thrive.

The seal of New Jersey on the rotunda floor in the newly-renovated Statehouse in Trenton on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

In recent years, however, rising costs and budget cuts have caused strain on many of our schools, in turn stressing our families and communities. We have seen this in the over 150 nonpublic schools that have closed in New Jersey in the last decade, and the millions of dollars currently on the line for the states public schools.

New Jerseys school funding formula is used to determine how much state aid a district can get. This year, however, more than 100 districts are facing cuts in the funding provided by the state under a new proposal.

The stakes here are high for both the state and our families. If we dont find a better way to consistently support all of our schools, we risk losing jobs from school cuts and closures and the billions in economic output that nonpublic schools provide, and, most important, New Jersey becomes a less diverse educational ecosystem.

Charlie Stile: NJ's ballot line system is dead  the 'magnitude' will reverberate across politics

Thankfully, there is already action being taken, with bills currently on the table that would help mitigate this issue for our public schools. The hope, when these are voted on later this month, is that a combination of the bills would cover the cuts currently facing our public schools.

We need New Jerseys schools to reflect their promise of diversity, to serve all of our families and to support all of our children. The passage of these bills would bring us one step closer to ensuring that future. It is essential that we reinforce our community of education  our network of public and nonpublic schools  so that every child can thrive, regardless of their background or unique educational needs.

Sufia Azmat is the executive director of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America.Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro is the executive vice president of the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth.Jameka Walker is the executive director of the Catholic Partnership Schools in Camden.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Invest in a diverse community of education in New Jersey
EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)  Fridays tremors felt in northeast Pennsylvania from a New Jersey earthquake were reminiscent of a quake that was felt across the region back in August of 2011.

28/22 News has pulled video from the archives that aired on August 23, 2011, when many people from Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and the Poconos felt the ground shake and were evacuated from office buildings.

More Eyewitness to History Stories

In the above video, reporter Eric Deabill spoke with workers who gathered on Courthouse Square in Scranton as they emerged from the buildings.

That quake, centered in Mineral, Virginia, registered a magnitude of 5.8.

28/22 News spoke with seismologist Dr. Ian Saginor from Keystone College about how these quakes typically impact northeastern Pennsylvania. You can view that interview in the video below.

For more video from the archives, check out other Eyewitness to History segments.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
A new bill is forcing the issue, in the hopes of actually getting new housing built.

Aerial view of houses in Elizabeth, New Jersey

In many U.S. cities where much-needed affordable housing developments are met with ire and protest from local residents, pro-housing advocates often have little legal recourse. New Jersey is a state that, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, is missing more than 200,000 affordable homes. But to make a dent in this enormous need, late last month New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Bill S50/A4 into law, effectively setting a course for building future affordable housing developments across the states 564 municipalities. The law builds upon the states Mount Laurel Doctrinea 1975 constitutional obligation that requires state municipalities to provide their "fair share" of affordable housingby codifying how cities and townships calculate required affordable housing units and allowing courts to resolve disputes through a new resolution program.

The Mount Laurel Doctrine was created after a series of New Jersey Supreme Court court rulings on cases filed by the NAACP that outlawed exclusionary zoning. The states Fair Housing Act of 1985 then produced the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) to enforce the doctrine. But that was largely ineffective, having "failed for more than 15 years to adopt updated affordable housing quotas and rules for towns to follow, which stalled construction on affordable units for decades," according to a 2022 report from Bergen Record.

The state stripped COAH of its power in 2015, handing affordable housing mandates to the courts; the new law abolishes COAH entirely, and gives the Department of Community Affairs control over these mandates.

Since the Mount Laurel doctrine was enacted 49 years ago, these legal mandates have become polarizing and politicized, according to a recent WHYY report. The New Jersey Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC, a nonprofit organization named responsible by state courts for negotiating affordable housing agreements with communities) has resolved more than 340 cases with state municipalitiescases that are costly to those townships financially and politically, as they end up fighting in court and losing, ultimately being ordered to build regardless.

However, Gothamist reported last month on one such fight in Millburn Townshipa wealthy town in Essex County that has "defied multiple court orders to move forward with development of a 75-unit, 100-percent affordable housing complex in the heart of their upscale downtown." Reporter Mike Hayes notes that advocates for the project want a judge to personally fine township officials and strip them of their development-control power. Under the new law, these negotiations will take place with a court-assigned nonprofit, "thus reducing judicial involvement and legal costs," reads the FSHC announcement.

Yet opposition to the bill remains strong: Republican state Senator Declan OScanlon told WHYY that "it mandates levels of affordable housing that many, many communities, particularly our suburban ones, cant sustain," calling the law "a dramatic overreach." Robert Conley, mayor of Madison, New Jersey, penned an NJ.com op-ed, saying, "No professional would ever suggest that it makes sense to create plans in areas as small as two square miles (or even smaller), but that is exactly what we have to do in the home rule capital of the world." (Ironically, a NJ.com online headline from this week reads, "These 8 NJ towns rank in top 150 for most expensive home prices in US.")

Regardless, the new lawwhich also encourages senior housing and other affordable housing developments to be built close to transit and grocery accesswill take effect next year, when the state begins issuing updated obligations for affordable housing. It could also serve as an example for other states of how policymakers can take matters into their own hands, using legislative tools to create mandatesand opportunitiesto actually build new homes.

Aerial view of houses in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Photo by James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images.

Related Reading:

Here Are the Rules for Short-Term Rentals in Your City

What Would a Green New Deal for Public Housing Actually Do?
New Jersey woman who lives near epicenter details the earthquake

New Jersey woman who lives near epicenter details the earthquake

TEWKSBURY, N.J. (PIX11)  A 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook New Jersey and the tri-state area Friday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquakes epicenter was 3.7 miles southeast of Califon, NJ, according to the USGS.

3 Newark buildings deemed unsafe due to 4.8-magnitude earthquake: officials

Cathy Lenski, a resident of Tewksbury, a township about 7 miles from Califon, detailed her personal experience when the earthquake struck.

It felt like a truck was underneath our house, Lenski told PIX11 News. The whole house was shaking, and it wouldnt stop. It was very scary.

Lenski says the earthquake made a bookshelf fall over and shifted pictures hanging on the wall.

It felt like a really long time. It lasted maybe 20-30 seconds but it feels longer when you are living through it, she added.

Three aftershocks were reported hours after the earthquake, according to the USGS.

We felt an aftershock here, said Lenski. I was calling my neighbor, and I felt a little rumble as we talked. It lasted maybe a second.

Earthquake felt by 42 million people, USGS estimates. Map shows where it was strongest

The earthquake was the second one Lenski has experienced in recent weeks. A 2.2-magnitude earthquake was reported 3.1 miles northeast of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, on March 14.

Lenski said the one in March lasted for about a second, but it helped her react faster to this earthquake.

I knew right away that this was an earthquake because I just experienced one. It reminded me today to go stand under a doorway, she said.

There was a delay before Lenski received a mobile alert about the earthquake.

My husband told me that he saw it was official within a minute or two. I received an alert on my phone probably five to 10 minutes later. It came, but it was a little further after.

Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
New Jersey, New York City rocked by rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the Northeast Friday morning, in what New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called "one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in the last century."

The earthquake was centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and shook buildings from Philadelphia to New Jersey and New York City to Connecticut and Westchester, New York. It could be felt as far south as Washington, D.C., and as far north as Maine, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Several weaker aftershocks were also reported in the hours following the initial quake, including one measuring 4.0 magnitude centered near Gladstone, New Jersey, Friday evening, according to preliminary data from the USGS.

Hochul said Saturday the USGS reported at least 25 aftershocks in Central New Jersey that were felt in the area since the initial earthquake, but no reports of injuries and only minimal damage.

"My top priority is keeping people safe, and I have directed State personnel to take all necessary precautions following yesterday's historic earthquake," Hochul said in a statement. "At this time, we are aware of no injuries and minimal damage from this earthquake. We will continue monitoring the situation and updating New Yorkers as necessary."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on X, "We have had no reports of major damage to structures, roadways, or infrastructure as a result of yesterday's earthquake."

MORE: Notable earthquakes felt in the NYC region

The USGS said Friday there was a "low likelihood of casualties and damage."

The earthquake that rattled the tristate area left some residents doubting what they had just experienced.

"I felt like there was a roller coaster under my house going 1,000 miles an hour," Carol Nicolaidis of Brooklyn, New York, told ABC News. "I first thought pipes were exploding under my house."

"I was sitting in my living room and I saw the walls shaking; it felt like a wave," she said.

"It felt like a subway train running under the couch," said Rocco Pietropola, who was in an eighth-floor Manhattan apartment.

This was the strongest quake in the greater New York City metro area since 1884, according to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.

Con Edison said there were no reports of outages, and the MTA said there was no service disruption to New York City's subway system.

MAP ILLUSTRATION: 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Apr. 5, 2024 near Whitehouse Station, NJ (ABC News Map Illustration / USGS)

President Joe Biden was briefed on the earthquake Friday and spoke with Murphy.

"I spoke to the governor," Biden told reporters. "He thinks everything's under control, not too concerned ... So, things are alright."

MORE: How to stay safe during an earthquake

New York City schools stayed open as normal, according to the city's Department of Education press secretary, Nathaniel Styer.

"At this time, there is no indication that our buildings were compromised, and our facilities staff are quickly and thoroughly inspecting buildings to ensure safety. The safest place for our kids right now is in our schools," Styer said.

PHOTO: Simone P. Bourgeois, Director, points to the earthquake shock registered by the seismograph at the Sea Lab Marine Science Education Center in New Bedford, N.J on April 5, 2024. (Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times via USA Today Network)

At Rye Country Day School in Rye, New York, "The students thought it was the coolest thing ever," said Gail Sestito, dean of Grades 7 and 8 and a middle school science instructor.

"Many said they saw the lights shaking a little and the smart board vibrate. But mostly we heard it -- sounded like students running down the hall," she said.

"As science teachers, we were excited to dive into the details we could find," she said. "Our seventh grade is currently teaching geology, so it's a perfect real-life connection."

PHOTO: The quake could be felt throughout New York, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. (ABC News)

MORE: How Rochester, New York, hopes the eclipse brings a lasting economic boom to city

"Obviously safety of the students was most important, so we evacuated using our fire drill procedures to account for all students," Sestito said. "While we waited for clearance to return to class, we talked to them -- casually -- about the rarity of this, and the upcoming eclipse, too."

"Earthquakes along the Atlantic Seaboard are uncommon but not unheard of," according to the USGS. "M4.8 is not large enough to cause damage, apart from light effects in the immediate epicentral region. It is large enough to be strongly felt, especially in the east, where earthquake shaking travels through the crust more efficiently than it does out west."

PHOTO: Damaging Earthquakes Felt in New Jersey (Dep. of Environmental Protection, Land Use Management, NJ Geological Survey)

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport were all placed on ground stops so runways could be inspected for damage. The airports have since resumed operations.

Baltimore and Washington, D.C., officials said the earthquake has had no impact to the D.C. region.

What are aftershocks?

Several aftershocks were reported following Friday morning's initial quake, the strongest being a 4.0 magnitude that rattled the New York City region Friday evening.

"At this point we have no major damage reports coming in," New York City Emergency Management said on social media.

Hochul also said there are no reports of significant damage at this time following the 4.0 magnitude aftershock.

Following this morning's 4.8 magnitude earthquake, 3 much smaller aftershocks hit our region: 1.8 magnitude at 12:31pm, 2.0 magnitude at 1:14pm, and 2.0 magnitude a few minutes ago. Aftershocks of these sizes are normal and are not expected to cause further damage.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024

Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that strike the same overall area in the days, weeks, months or years after the larger "mainshock" earthquake, according to the USGS.

In the wake of Friday morning's quake, there was a 46% chance of an aftershock over a 3.0 magnitude within the next week, according to the USGS.

"If you feel an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and take cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

New Jersey, New York City rocked by rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
People attend an event at Golden Gate Park to mark its 154th anniversary in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 4, 2024. Golden Gate Park marked its 154th anniversary on Thursday. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

People enjoy themselves at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 4, 2024. Golden Gate Park marked its 154th anniversary on Thursday. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

People attend an event at Golden Gate Park to mark its 154th anniversary in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 4, 2024. Golden Gate Park marked its 154th anniversary on Thursday. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

A staff member (2nd R) introduces plants to visitors at a greenhouse of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 4, 2024. Golden Gate Park marked its 154th anniversary on Thursday. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)
Jewish man killed in altercation at dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies in California

LOS ANGELES  Authorities in Ventura County, California, are investigating the death of a Jewish man who was injured during a confrontation at dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies and who died Monday, the sheriffs department said.

Witnesses said Paul Kessler, 69, "was in a physical altercation with counter-protestor(s)," the Ventura County Sheriffs Department said in a statement.

"During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground, it said.

The incident happened around 3:20 p.m. Sunday in Thousand Oaks, a community in the Los Angeles area just over the Ventura County line, the sheriff's department said.

Kessler was taken to a hospital and died Monday, it said.

The Ventura County Medical Examiners Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide, the sheriffs department said in a statement.

Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian rallies were occurring at the same time at Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards, the sheriffs department said.

The sheriffs department said an investigation is active. It asked anyone who was at the demonstrations or has information to contact it.

The Ventura County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident and has not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, it said in a statement.

The sheriffs department did not detail more about how Kesslers injury occurred.

A photo posted to social media showed Kessler before the altercation, waving an Israeli flag at an intersection.

A press photographer then captured an image of Kessler receiving treatment on a sidewalk at 3:20 p.m. (6:20 p.m. ET), his head laying on a bloodied homemade sign. Video also posted online appears to show Kessler lying on the sidewalk with his head covered in blood.

Another video appears to show pro-Palestinian demonstrators continuing to shout slogans and wave flags after Kessler was injured  with police cars and an ambulance yards away. The same clip shows blood splattered across a homemade sign that said "STOP BOMBING BABIES AND FAMILIES."

Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha, near where the incident took place, called for patience.

Please do not make assumptions or accusations until the police can do their job and/or we get real video, Barclay wrote on X.

Barclay identified Kessler as Jewish. Kessler's family declined comment Monday night and was asking for privacy.

The Los Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it was "deeply saddened by this tragic and shocking loss" but cautioned against using the incident for political means.

"We join local Jewish leaders in calling on all individuals to refrain from jumping to conclusions, sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains, or spreading rumors that could unnecessarily escalate tensions that are already at an all-time high," CAIR said in a statement Monday evening.

The death occurred as tensions are high in parts of the United States and elsewhere over the Israel-Hamas war, one month since the Hamas terror attack killed 1,400 people in the country. More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since as Israel bombards the Palestinian enclave.

The incident was swiftly condemned by senior politicians in Israel.

The murder of Jewish-American Paul Kessler should serve as a stark warning sign to the whole world, said Benny Gantz, the opposition leader who joined a wartime cabinet after Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

Israel stands today at the forefront of the global fight against the murderous antisemitic ideology behind the Hamas terror attacks of 7.10, he said in a post on X.

Another Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said in a post on X: Paul Kessler was killed in Los Angeles because he was a Jew. It is not because of Gaza, it is because of antisemitism.

This is what happens when protesters glorify Hamas and call to globalize the intifada, They dont love Palestinians, they hate Jews, he said.

Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff is expected to hold a news conference Tuesday morning.

No arrests have been made, the sheriffs department said Monday night.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Jill Biden privately expressed concern about Gaza to Joe Biden, the president revealed in meeting with Muslim leaders

When President Joe Biden met with a group of Muslim community leaders this week, he recounted a recent conversation he had with first lady Jill Biden relating to the conflict in Gaza.

One of the attendees told the president that the decision to participate in the gathering had been a cause of concern for his wife, given the fierce backlash Joe Biden has drawn for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, according to two attendees present at the meeting.

Those attendees tell CNN that Biden brought up his own wife and closest confidant.

Its got to stop, he recounted the first lady had said to him recently, according to the recollection of Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, who was in the room.

Another participant, who declined to be named, told CNN they remembered the president saying that the first lady had used these words: Stop it. Stop it now.

While that attendee said they believed the suggestion was that the first lady was calling for the war to end, Ahmed said it was unclear to her whether the first ladys comment was directed at the Israel-Hamas war at large, or the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza.

Asked about the presidents remarks, a White House official said there is no daylight between the couple on the issue,with both sharing in outrage over civilian deaths. The official added that Dr. Biden was not calling for Israel to end its efforts against Hamas.

The New York Times first reported on the presidents comments referencing the first lady.

A top adviser to the first lady said shes been heartbroken over the loss of civilian lives, including aid workers, and shares in her husbands belief Israel needs to take greater care to ensure civilian safety.

Just like the President, the First Lady is heartbroken over the attacks on aid workers and the on-going loss of innocent lives in Gaza, said Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the first lady. They both want Israel to do more to protect civilians.

The presidents recounting of his wifes message came the same evening he expressed outrage over an Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including one dual US-Canadian citizen, in Gaza.

The aid organization was founded by chef Jose Andres, a personal friend of the Bidens. The president and first lady have both appeared with Andres on trips abroad and highlighted World Central Kitchens work.

The first lady has only publicly referenced the conflict between Israel and Hamas on a few occasions.

When Hamas attacked Israel, Joe knew what to do, she told donors at event in Atherton, California, in November. The first lady said she wouldnt wish the tragic events of this last month on any American president, but Im so grateful that Joe is our president during these uncertain, unpredictable and tumultuous times.

She also has heard frustrations from protestors over her husbands handling of the conflict. The first lady was interrupted at least four times by pro-Palestinian protestors during a speech in Tucson, Arizona, last month, and people advocating for a ceasefire have gathered outside some of her campaign events.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
JK Rowling has dared Police Scotland to arrest her for misgendering under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act - John Phillips/Getty Images

JK Rowling has said people who criticised her decision to highlight a series of trans sex criminals are like those who hushed up paedophile priests to protect the church.

Only hours after the SNPs controversial hate crime laws came into force on Monday, the Harry Potter author posted pictures of 10 high-profile trans people and ridiculed their claims to be women.

They included the double rapist Isla Bryson, whom she mockingly referred to as a lovely Scottish lass, and Katie Dolatowski, a trans paedophile who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl in a supermarket toilet.

At the end of the list, she tweeted: April Fools! Only kidding. Obviously, the people mentioned in the above tweets arent women at all, but men, every last one of them.

Rowling dared Police Scotland to arrest her for misgendering under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act. The force later said complaints against her had been rejected because her comments did not meet the threshold for criminality.

But Humza Yousaf said that her tweets may well be offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people. She was also criticised by some for including trans women who are not convicted criminals in the same list.

Rowling used Twitter to defend her list, writing:

There's no difference between those who hushed up paedophile priests to protect the church and those trying to make it unsayable that some trans-identified men are sex offenders. Both prize an ideology more highly than acknowledging risk and preventing harm to women and children.  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 4, 2024

One critic responded that there was a massive difference as the convicted sex offenders on her list had faced justice, whereas the church covered up horrific crimes to prevent justice.

However, Rowling responded: So all sex offenders have been convicted, theres no risk to women or girls any more, so no need for any safeguarding?

Supporters are astonishingly stupid

It comes as a Scottish Harry Potter actor branded one of Rowlings supporters astonishingly stupid.

The supporter tweeted: J K Rowling taught a generation to read and then she challenged them to think.

In a post liked 1,300 times, Sean Biggerstaff, who played Oliver Wood in the popular film adaptations of the books, wrote: This is an astonishingly stupid thing to say.

In a separate post last week, the 41-year-old actor also told the prominent SNP politician Joanna Cherry KC to for the love of God get a life after she defended Rowlings views.

India Willoughby also lashed out at Rowlings latest comments after being included on the authors list.

The trans TV personality said that it was another JKR tweet putting innocent people in danger and tagged the accounts of Northumbria Police, Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police.

In her response on social media, Willoughby used the hashtag #NotOurCrimes to argue that Rowling was trying to tar all trans people using the actions of sex criminals.

The First Minister also hit out at Rowling after she said that most Scots were upset and offended by Yousafs bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism, following the introduction of the legislation on Monday.

The author tweeted: I dont believe in putting people I disagree with in jail. Weve got a ballot box and thats where Yousaf will get his richly deserved comeuppance.

Speaking on a visit to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Mr Yousaf said: Its a ludicrous suggestion. Actually JK Rowlings tweets are a perfect example of how the law actually works.

JK Rowling produced some tweets that were offensive, that were insulting  but of course the law does not deal with offensive. The law is dealing with new offences, criminal behaviour that has to be threatening or abusive, intent to stir up hatred. Hence why she was not arrested.

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A Juarez woman who disappeared on Good Friday was found slain in the desert and three other bodies were uncovered under the floor of a house in separate cases in the Mexican border city this week.

The body of 27-year-old Sayra Esmeralda Rios Gomez was in the desert about a half-mile southwest of an electric plant south of Juarez, according to a social media post by the woman's family and the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office.

More: A Juarez femicide, TikTok and the arrest of a Fort Bliss soldier

The body of Rios had been burned and an autopsy determined she died of asphyxia by strangulation, the attorney general's office said.

State investigators arrested Christian Emmanuel B.Q., 27, in connection with the femicide, authorities said on Thursday, April 4. Police did not disclose his last name in keeping with Mexican rules regarding the naming of crime suspects.

Sayra Esmeralda Rios Gomez, 27, of Juarez, seen here on a missing-persons flyer, was found dead in the desert near an electrical plant south of Juarez on Tuesday, April 2. She had gone missing on Good Friday, March 29.

Rios was reported missing after being last seen on Good Friday, March 29, in the Morelos II neighborhood in southeastern Juarez, a missing-persons flyer stated.

The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office said that a body was found Tuesday morning, April 2, during a ground search as part of an ongoing investigation by a state unit that handles gender-related crimes against women.

The attorney general's office did not divulge the deceased person's name, but Rios was identified in a social media post by a relative.

Chihuahua state investigators fly a drone on Tuesday during a search that located the body of missing-person Sayra Esmeralda Rios Gomez in the desert south of Juarez.

Femicides, or the murders of women, have been a decades long problem in Juarez along with rampant drug-related violence.

3 bodies found under floor in Juarez house

The decomposing bodies of three people were found Tuesday underneath the floor of an empty house near downtown Juarez by Chihuahua state missing-persons investigators.

The unidentified bodies were discovered during a court-approved search for evidence as part of an ongoing investigation into a man's disappearance, authorities said. The gender of each body had yet to be determined.

A police dog helps Chihuahua state investigators locate three bodies found buried underneath a floor at a house on Hospital Street in Barrio Alto near downtown Juarez.

Investigators joined by a police dog noticed foul odors emanating from floor sections, which were different from the flooring in the rest of the house in the 500 block of Hospital Street in Barrio Alto, the state attorney general's office said.

After sections of floor were dug up with a sledgehammer and shovels, investigators found two graves  one body was found at one spot and two more were found in the second, officials said. A knife and a cap were also found.

Chihuahua state investigators remove a floor during a search on Tuesday that found three bodies buried underneath a floor in a house on Hospital Street in Barrio Alto near downtown Juarez, Mexico.

Forensic tests are being conducted to identify the remains and determine the cause of death.

There were 89 homicides in Juarez in March with more than 300 killings this year, according to tallies in news accounts.

Hidden 'narco graves' found in Juarez desert, backyards

In Juarez, bodies are regularly dumped along streets and sidewalks and buried in vacant lots, abandoned properties and the desert, often linked to homicides tied to gangs and drug cartels.

It is unknown if the bodies at the Barrio Alto house are related to other recent cases, which remain under investigation.

In mid-February, a banner was hanged claiming there were more than 30 corpses buried in a "narco grave" allegedly tied to a border crime suspect nicknamed "El Pitufo," (The Smurf) at a specific address in Juarez. Investigators found two bodies in the yard of the house on Cafeto Street near Mezquite Street in the Francisco Villa neighborhood, across the border from El Paso's Sunset Heights.

About two blocks away a week later, the bodies of two men in advanced stages of decomposition were found buried in the rear yard of a pink-colored house on Argon and Geranios street in the same neighborhood, the attorney general's office said.

The remains of two unidentified persons are removed by Mexican coroner officials from a home on Feb. 15 after officials were tipped about a "narco grave" at this home Juarez.

State investigators continue to find clandestine burial sites at homes and in the surrounding desert.

More: Santa Muerte sacrifices, mutilation killings tied to Juarez woman's arrest in El Paso

The skeletal remains of three persons were found buried in a desert lot in the community of El Sauzal in the Valley of Juarez on March 6, state authorities said.

Around March 22, investigators found an unidentified decomposing body wrapped in a blanket buried in a backyard under trash at a house in Flor del Desierto street in the Parajes de Oriente area in the southeastern edge of Juarez, officials said.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Juarez house hid bodies under floor. Missing woman found dead in desert
Judd Blevins was voted out of Enid. We never shouldve elected him to begin with.

The toxic antics of a group of far-right conservative residents in Enid have again been laid bare for the whole nation to see with recent coverage by national media regarding the successful recall election of a city commissioner who was elected a year ago to the Enid City Commission. An NBC national story and broadcast and Huffington Post expose detailed the election and aftermath of Judd Blevins, who has documented ties to white nationalist organizations. On Tuesday, Blevins was recalled, and Cheryl Patterson will take his place on the commission immediately.

Its the third time in eight years that an unwanted spotlight has been shone on the Enid community, which by all other means is a great town that boasts historical Oklahoma figures like astronaut Owen K. Garriott, famed artist Harold T. Holden, oil entrepreneur Harold Hamm and opera star Leona Mitchell.

Enid is a conservative town, certainly. But its also a town that has seen congenial political and personal relationships prosper among its residents, despite political party differences. City commission races have been nonpartisan, meaning no political parties got involved. That is, until 2023 when three city commission candidates ran identical Republican-based campaigns backed by a group of residents formerly known on Facebook as the Freedom Fighters.

We reported who Judd Blevins was. Enid didn't take us seriously.

The Blevins situation likely could have been avoided if the community  and some of its influential leaders  had taken seriously the reporting of the local newspaper regarding Blevins' ties to these groups a month before his election. The Enid News & Eagle, of which I was editor and publisher at the time, spent weeks confirming information we had received regarding articles previously published by progressive watchdog organizations regarding right-wing activities.

In wake of Nex Benedict's death, we should all reconsider the power of words

The newspaper did its due diligence in tracking down the organizers, writers and editors of those organizations and documenting their tactics and confirming their sources in their original reports. Once we were satisfied their work was solid, we published a story about Blevins alleged ties to the white nationalist organization Identity Evropa and his attendance at the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally in 2017, which resulted in the death of an individual.

Our original article was met with vitriol on social media by some of the communitys supposed upstanding citizens, including a well-respected religious leader and others who associated themselves with a grassroots conservative group called the Freedom Fighters.

The number of voters who continued to support former Enid City Commissioner Judd Blevins, who has acknowledged ties to a white nationalist group, should stand as a warning that sentiments of white nationalism are no longer in the shadows.

White nationalism is no longer in the shadows. It's becoming mainstream.

The Freedom Fighters started innocuously enough as a group of residents exercising their free speech against mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group wore red shirts and voiced their opinions on mask mandates during several city commission meetings on the topic.

After the COVID controversy slowed down, the group picked up the mantle of censoring books in school and public libraries and promoting divisive rhetoric regarding the LGBTQ+ community. They also targeted city commission races and were successful in electing candidates sympathetic to their views. Due to their activities, hours and hours of public debate have taken up time during library board and city commission meetings, and The New York Times documented their behavior with a 2021 article.

Is Ryan Walters the 'Music Man' of Oklahoma? He has failed on every level to be a leader

Immediately after Blevins' election, a local group called Enid Social Justice Committee began the task of planning for and successfully getting a recall vote of Blevins six months after he took office. They are to be congratulated on getting the recall accomplished.

But, even after this recall election unseated Blevins, its notable that he still received about 40 percent of the vote in his ward, around 500 votes. Even after he tepidly admitted and confirmed his activities and motivation of fighting so-called anti-white hatred, some folks in town continue to support him and also the activities he was fighting for, including calling the effort to unseat Blevins an attempt by communists and the mainstream media to divide the world over race.

Cindy Allen

We can hope that Pattersons election will indeed return Enid City Commission meetings to some normalcy, but the number of voters who continued to support Blevins should stand as a warning that sentiments of white nationalism are no longer in the shadows. They are becoming more mainstream.

When people tell you who they are by their words and their actions, believe them. Blevins has told the community who he is  as many of his supporters nationally and in the community have told us who they are as well.

Cindy Allen is a retired publisher of the Enid News & Eagle.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Enid recalled white nationalist Blevins. We can't elect another
A State Supreme Court judge blocked former President Trumps attempt to gain access to NBCs documentary material related to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan said the Trump lawyers subpoena was far too broad and did not meet the legal standard to compel NBC Universal to turn over documents and other items related to the documentary Stormy.

In the instant matter, the Defendant seeks all documents, including but not limited to vague and overbroad requests, Merchan wrote in the ruling issued Friday.

On Wednesday, the judge rejected Trumps request to delay his April 15 trial until the Supreme Court issues a decision on the presidential immunity matter Trump claimed in his other cases.

With the Friday block, Trumps team suffered another defeat less than two weeks before his hush-money criminal trial in New York where Daniels is a key prosecution witness.

The case, the first of the four Trump criminal cases, argues the former president falsified business records to hide the types of payments to his former fixer Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 to hush her claims of having an adultery affair with the former president before he was in the White House.

Trumps attorney tried to block Daniels and Cohen from testifying and subpoenaed NBC Universal on March 11 in hopes of getting documents related to the documentary. They said the subpoena would prove collusion between Daniels and NBC Universal, an alleged coordination to put out the documentary right before the beginning of the trial for their financial benefit.

Merchan said the claims from Trumps lawyers were purely speculative and unsupported, saying he would have blocked it because it sought to rifle through privileged documents of a news organization.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A federal judge has dismissed most of the defendants in Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnsons lawsuit over losing his job as a Smithfield Police detective and being indicted on criminal charges.

Johnson filed a federal lawsuit in June charging that he was the victim of a conspiracy by multiple groups to remove him from office and from his position as a police officer. In a court order last week, U.S. District Court Judge James Dever III allowed Johnson to continue his lawsuit against the Town of Smithfield and private investigator David Marshburn.

But Dever dismissed all the other defendants, including Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle, Special Prosecutor Benjamin Zellinger, the Johnston County school board and multiple Town of Smithfield officials.

Johnson, however, fails plausibly to allege a meeting of the minds among the named defendants, Dever wrote is his 65-page order.

Johnson was elected to the school board in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.

The controversy over his indictment didnt keep Johnson from being the top vote-getter in the March primary. He will run in November against Jeff Sullivan.

Censured and indicted

Johnson was censured by the school board twice in 2022. He was accused of actions such as trying to transfer the children of an adversary out of a school and of inappropriately texting sexual comments about school employees.

In October 2022, Johnson was fired from his job as a detective in the Smithfield Police Department because of what town officials called his detrimental personal conduct. He had been an officer for 17 years.

In April 2023, Johnson was indicted on charges of extortion, felony obstruction of justice and three counts of willfully failing to discharge his duties. The trial has not started yet.

According to the indictment, Johnson is accused in 2022 of asking teacher Angie McLeod Barbour to record DeVan Barbour, no relation, or to have sex with him. Its unclear what he wanted her to record.

The indictment says Johnson threatened to release a recording of DeVan Barbour, who was a U.S. Congressional candidate at the time, unless he pressured Angie McLeod Barbour to recant that she had an affair with Johnson, who is a married school board member.

Johnson says hes a sex discrimination victim

In his lawsuit, Johnson accused Angie McLeod Barbour of sexually assaulting him and demanding they maintain a sexual relationship.. Johnson is alleging sexual discrimination, saying his allegations werent believed because he is a man.

Dever dismissed Angie McLeod Barbour as a defendant.

Dever dismissed several of the claims that Johnson filed against Smithfield. But Dever allowed him to proceed on his claims of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Dever also allowed Johnson to continue pursuing defamation claims against Marshburn, who lost to Johnson in this years school board primary. During Facebook Live broadcasts, Marshburn had called Johnson a predator who engaged in blackmail.
FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016 file photo, provided by Morton County Sheriff's Department, law enforcement and protesters clash near the site of the Dakota Access pipeline on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Cannon Ball, N.D. A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed the excessive-force lawsuit of a New York woman who was injured in an explosion during the protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. (Morton County Sheriff's Department via AP, File)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed the excessive-force lawsuit of a New York woman who was injured in an explosion during the protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

In orders on Wednesday and Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor granted motions to dismiss the 2018 lawsuit by Sophia Wilansky, who alleged her left forearm was injured by an explosive munition fired at her by law enforcement officers during a clash between protesters and officers at a blocked highway bridge in November 2016.

The judge ruled that the facts as alleged by Wilansky dont meet legal standards for excessive force or for overcoming the officers qualified immunity, in part because they were reasonably trying to disperse protesters, not arrest them. The lawsuit named Morton County, its sheriff and two officers, who denied firing any explosive devices at Wilansky.

The judge said Wilansky's 2023 amended complaint plainly shows the officers use of the munitions and grenades were set in place to disperse Wilansky from the area, not to stop her in her tracks. In addition, the Amended Complaint fails to allege the officers were attempting to arrest her under the circumstances. Such an omission is independently fatal."

Thousands of people camped and demonstrated for months from 2016 to 2017 near the pipeline's controversial Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline for the potential risk of an oil spill contaminating its water supply. A court-ordered environmental review of the pipeline crossing is ongoing, with draft options of removing, abandoning or rerouting the crossing, increasing the line's safety features, or no changes. A final decision is expected later this year.

Wilansky alleged the officers attacked her with less-lethal and explosive munitions" and nearly severed her hand. She sought millions of dollars" in damages.

An attorney for Wilansky replied to an email from The Associated Press, but did not immediately comment. Wilansky's father did not return a phone message. Attorneys for the defendants did not respond to a phone message. Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier declined to comment, citing a possible appeal.

The judge also noted Wilansky's horrific injuries to her forearm and her allegations that the officers laughed at her and congratulated one on his marksmanship.

While the Court appreciates the need for officer safety, it can be easy to devalue the human life officers are sworn to protect  in this instance, the protestors. The allegation of laughing and congratulating, if true, is appalling, Traynor wrote in a footnote.

Also on Wednesday, he dismissed a similar, related lawsuit Wilansky filed against officers last year.

Other similar lawsuits connected to the protests continue to play out in court.

Last month, Traynor dismissed a 2022 lawsuit filed by an Oregon photojournalist who alleged officers used excessive force and violated her constitutional rights while she covered a 2017 demonstration.

The pipeline has been transporting oil since 2017.

___

This story was first published on April 5, 2024. It was updated on April 9, 2024 to make clear that the defendants denied the allegations, and to explain in more detail the legal reasons for the ruling.
Customs and Border Patrol pass out snacks to apprehended migrants as they wait to be processed at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas in 2019. U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee found the government over several years repeatedly violated the 1997 Flores agreement, which ensures proper treatment of migrant children in U.S. custody. File Photo by Justin Hamel/UPI

April 4 (UPI) -- A federal judge has ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to quickly remove migrant children from open-air detention facilities in southern California and house them in safe conditions while they await formal processing.

Judge Dolly Gee of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued an order Wednesday declaring the children were under the legal custody of the Department of Homeland Security and therefore entitled to safe housing even if they were not formally processed.

The lawyers who represented the children argued they are entitled to housing and services under the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which established standards of treatment for migrant children in government custody, including that they be housed in facilities with toilets, food and drinking water.

Lawyers for the Department of Justice argued the department was not obligated to provide such services as the children were not yet formally taken into custody. They did not, however, dispute the poor conditions of the sites.

"CBP has been apprehending and transporting minors to safe and sanitary U.S. Border Patrol facilities in a prompt manner ... But until that occurs, plaintiffs are not in DHS custody," DHS lawyers wrote.

Gee argued that even though the children have not been formally processed, the fact that their movement is controlled by CBP agents means they are under the legal custody of the U.S. government.

The court order, which takes effect immediately, is expected to impact thousands of children at seven open-air sites near San Diego and Jacumba Hot Springs in southern California.

Migrants might wait at these temporary holding sites for days before CBP transfers them to indoor facilities to formally process them.

Immigration activists have reported "squalid" conditions at these facilities, with children often not receiving adequate food and the sites lacking in a sufficient number of dumpsters and portable toilets.

"This means that the [open-air sites] not only have a foul smell, but also that trash is strewn about the [sites], and class members are forced to relieve themselves outdoors," Gee wrote.

Gee has repeatedly found violations of the Flores agreement over the past several years and under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Nearly 152,000 migrant apprehensions occurred in the San Diego sector in just the first five months of fiscal year 2024, a nearly 72% increase from FY2023.

Agency officials argued the current immigration system is not equipped to handle this influx of migrants and that Gee's ruling did not come with additional resources to make her order achievabel.

Gee, however, was relentless in her order, noting despite "practical difficulties," CBP "has not been processing class members as expeditiously as possible," and that it "finds the ability to process children more efficiently in times of scrutiny."
VIENTIANE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Lao authorities are encouraging hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and factories to improve wastewater treatment capabilities for Laos' sustainable development.

A seminar themed "Kind Integrated Digestion Strand (KIDS) Wastewater Treatment System, Sustainable Green Technology for Wastewater Treatment with Low Cost" was held here Thursday to seek better understanding of the issue by public and private sectors, according to a report issued on Friday by Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The system uses sustainable green technology to treat wastewater at a low cost and is suitable for Laos, said the report.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice President of the chamber Thanousone Phonamat said "as a part of the chamber's role in this area, we have to promote and strengthen the business sector to understand and contribute to the development of the nation's economy continuously and sustainably." 
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT)  A Morgan County judge has granted a motion to move the gag order hearing in the murder case against a former Decatur police officer.

Mac Bailey Marquette is facing the murder charge for the Sept. 29 on-duty shooting of Stephen Perkins outside of Perkins home. A temporary gag order in the case was issued March 22 and a hearing on whether to make the gag order permanent was set for Monday, April 8.

Moulton mom charged with murder of 7-year-old son ordered to have mental health exam

The gag order bars out-of-court public discussions of the case or releases of information by the parties involved, including attorneys on all sides.

But on Wednesday, a motion to continue the hearing was filed citing several of the city personnel listed have long-standing plans to be out of town the week of April 8. The motion said neither the State of Alabama, nor the defense, opposed the rescheduling.

Now, Morgan County Circuit Judge Charles Elliott has reset the hearing for May 20.

In a court filing Monday, the Morgan County District Attorneys Office requested 19 subpoenas for the gag order hearing.

The subpoena list includes several ranking employees of the Decatur Police Department (DPD) including Police Chief Todd Pinion, three employees of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) and Decatur City Councilman Hunter Pepper. You can see the full list of people subpoenaed for the hearing here.

Last week, after that gag order was issued, the conservative Alabama website 1819 News released what appears to be Marquettes body camera footage from the night of the Perkins shooting. The website says its video that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) provided to the Morgan County DAs Office in the Marquette investigation, but it is not clear how they got access to the video.

News 19 doesnt own the rights to the video and has not aired it. News 19s parent company Nexstar requires its stations to obtain permission from the videos original owner in order to air it.

You can see all of our prior reporting on Marquettes case and the death of Stephen Perkins on this page.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
Our Quad Cities News learned of new developments Thursday night in the civil cases connected to last years deadly apartment building collapse in downtown Davenport.

One of the four defendants won a legal victory and wont be subject to the lawsuit, according to court records filed Tuesday in Scott County Court.

The City of Davenport and three employees who worked for Davenport asked the court to dismiss the case against them.

District Court Judge Mark Lawson found former City Administrator Corri Spiegel cant be held liable, but others still can be sued.

The allegations against Spiegel are not sufficient to generate more than a possibility of misconduct, Lawson said in the ruling. Spiegel did not inspect the apartment building. But Lawson found that Davenport former chief building official Trishna Pradhan and the citys current Director of Development and Neighborhood Services Richard Oswald both failed to use reasonable care in conducting inspections, and failed to undertake a mandatory duty to serve notice and post notices to vacate the building.

The judge denied the citys, Pradhans and Oswalds motions to dismiss the cases against them. In the ruling, he explained that, if the plaintiffs allegations are true, Pradham, Oswald and the city failed to exercise reasonable care to the plaintiffs in the weeks before the collapse.

Lawson says municipal employees owe a duty of care to tenants of an apartment building under certain circumstances. Tenants are not members of the general public to which no duty of care attaches, Lawson says in the order.

One count of the master consolidated petition was dismissed. It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed by the Court that the remainder of the motion to dismiss filed by the City of Davenport, Trishna Pradhan and Richard Oswald is DENIED, the ruling says.

To read the ruling, click below:

Order-filed-April-2-2024Download

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
Patrick McDowell prepares to exit a courtroom after a hearing to discuss issues in his sentencing phase in the 2021 shooting death of Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers.

As jury selection gets underway in the sentencing phase for the 37-year-old Jacksonville man who killed Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers, jurors will not have to be unanimous in their recommendation of a potential death penalty.

Judge James Daniel issued his 17-page ruling Wednesday denying the motion by Patrick Rene McDowell's attorneys that Florida's revised capital sentencing is a violation of the ex post facto clause and inapplicable in his case.

When McDowell shot and killed the 29-year-old deputy during a traffic stop in 2021 and pleaded guilty to all counts two years later, a death sentence required a unanimous jury recommendation. However, and as the judge noted to McDowell at the time, the state was considering legislation to change the statute to only needing an 8-4 majority. The governor about a month later signed that amendment into law.

The defense contended the new standards cannot be applied retroactively.

The judge cited the State v. Victorino case that involved similar ex post facto concerns in the resentencing for the 2004 so-called Xbox murders in Deltona. When the resentencing began in 2023, the law still required a unanimous jury, but the new standards were passed on the day the jurors were sworn.

The 5th District Court of Appeal sided with allowing the 8-4 majority vote guidelines, stating the new law merely altered the methods employed in determining whether the death penalty can be imposed. The change "neither alters the definition of criminal conduct nor increases the penalty by which the crime of first-degree murder is punishable ... it does not constitute an ex post facto law."

Daniel deemed "There is no meaningful factual distinction between the instant case and Victorino."

Deputy Joshua Moyers: JSO K-9 Huk seen charging in to get suspects before being shot in new police bodycam

Previously the judge also denied the defense's motion to seeking a change of venue for the sentencing phase due to pervasive publicity overwhelmingly negative against McDowell.

Daniel responded that significant pretrial publicity does not require a trial to be moved out of the jurisdiction. He cited a 1977 ruling that states, "Knowledge of the incident because of its notoriety is not, in and of itself, grounds for a change of venue."

"Based on the evidence thus far, the court cannot determine if 'the general state of mind' of the residents of Nassau County 'is so infected by knowledge of the incident' that twelve impartial jurors cannot be seated in this case," the judge's ruling stated.

What happened to Deputy Joshua Moyers?

Moyers

About 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2021, McDowell and a woman were on Sandy Ford Road when Moyers decided to pull over the van he was driving, the Sheriff's Office said.

The woman later told investigators that when McDowell saw the deputy's lights activated, he said, "I'm not going to jail," according to court documents. When he pulled over, the deputy asked him to get out of the vehicle. McDowell instead shot Moyers in the face and then again after collapsing to the ground, the body-worn camera video shows.

McDowell, a troubled military veteran on drug-offender probation, was in a stolen minivan at the time. He fled briefly in the van before abandoning it and hiding under a shed with the woman. She said she convinced him to let her go and she called 911 when she was far enough away, according to court documents.

During the ensuing manhunt, officers and McDowell exchanged gunfire and he and a K-9 were wounded. But McDowell eluded authorities for several days until being tracked to a park near Callahan and taken into custody.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Judge rules on Nassau County deputy killer's death penalty jury vote
A judge Friday put a permanent injunction on suspended Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill, preventing her from interacting with the elderly constituent she is accused of defrauding.

Judge Heather Higbees ruling came after more than six hours of testimony on the matter Friday, which revealed troubling new details of Hills spending of the 96-year-old womans money on vitamin infusions and a facelift. The allegations  which emerged from a year-long investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement  are also the subject of the felony indictment for elderly abuse and fraud Hill faces.

Hill took the stand at the hearing but refused to testify, citing the criminal charges and invoking her fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination. Prior to the hearing, her attorney, Nicole Benjamin, told reporters, This was not, in fact, an investigation but an assassination of her character.

In the civil matter regarding the injunction, originally filed last month, Higbee determined that the elderly woman, whom the Sentinel is not naming, had the mental capacity to displace Hills control of her affairs, which Hill gained through a power of attorney filing shortly after meeting the woman in 2021. The woman has now placed a family friend, Adriane Alexander, in charge. The woman faced an immediate present danger otherwise, Higbee found.

Now were going to make sure that [the alleged victim] is taken care of for the rest of her life, said John Martino, a Community Legal Services attorney for Alexander. We can be rest assured now that Ms. Hill isnt going to get back in and will not be able to access those accounts anymore.

On her way out of the courtroom Friday, Hill declined to comment on the ruling.

Alexander, of Tampa, testified that her mother and the victim were college classmates and sorority sisters. Alexander and her mother used to drive over from Tampa annually to visit the victim, she said.

Those visits stopped when Alexanders mother died. Soon after, the pandemic began  and Alexander said she had placed calls to the Orlando Police Department to do wellness checks on the alleged victim.

She said she agreed to take over the womans affairs after learning of the exploitation allegations.

I wanted to make sure she wasnt being taken advantage of  that was my only goal, she said.

In a court filing last week, Hill argued that the woman lacked the mental capacity to void Hills power of attorney. But Tim Moran, another attorney representing the alleged victim, testified that when signing documents related to transferring her affairs from Hill to Alexander, the alleged victim appeared aware of what she was doing.

Moran said he asked the woman questions about Hill, and she said: I dont want her to take things that dont belong to her.

The allegations hinged on the criminal investigation by FDLE Special Agent Steve Brenton.

Brenton said Hill had obtained a fraudulent power of attorney. The document was signed by Hills son  though his name is misspelled  as well as a former aide as witnesses. The document was also signed by a notary.

Brenton said he questioned all three of those individuals, and none said theyd signed it.

Among transactions charged to the womans accounts that Brenton found suspicious were a $139 monthly membership to a Vitalounge  a medical spa specializing in IV infusions  another vitamin infusion by a Virginia-based company that occurred at the same time Hill was staying at a hotel in nearby Washington D.C., and a $2,850 facelift from an Orlando business that had a photo of Hill showing her before the procedure was completed.

Martino, the attorney representing Alexander, said they were troubling.

I think that the several financial charges that were highlighted with respect to the facelift and the IV drips  its all troubling, Martino said. We all expect more from our elected officials.

But other testimony showed Hill had provided assistance for the elderly woman since they came to know each other in 2021. Hill had arranged for around-the-clock care, bought her groceries, and cleaned up her home, which was in deplorable condition before Hill became involved.

One neighbor said that home was in scary shape before Hill became involved, covered in feces and with wasps inside. Hills presence heartened neighbors hopeful that the womans living conditions would improve. And they did, said Ebony Rumph Maxwell, who lives next door and grew up across the street from the womans home.

The welcome home party we had for her was wonderful, she said.

Benjamin, who is representing Hill in the civil matter, said Hill only acted to benefit the woman.

She was happy, she was taken care of, she was loved and she knew it, she said.

Hill, 58, was hit with the injunction last month, after Alexander alleged in a court filing that Hill had spent $100,000 of the womans savings on personal expenses like expensive perfumes, clothing, rental cars and hotel stays.

Then, a week later, a grand jury returned an indictment against Hill, with seven felony charges relating to elder abuse and fraud. Hill was ultimately arrested by FDLE.

On Monday Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Hill from office, where she was in her third term representing the downtown Orlando area on city council. A special election is expected to take place next month to temporarily replace her while the criminal case unfolds.

The injunction prevents Hill from living at either of the homes the woman owns, as well as a third property the two own together.

Hill first came to know the woman in her role as city commissioner, when she was informed of dire conditions in the home. Code enforcement records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel reveal a complaint against the alleged victims home in 2021, which had a collapsing roof and a foul odor emanating from inside.

Soon after, Hill set up a community cleanup of the womans home where a local roofing company donated a roof, according to a video Hill posted on her Facebook page about the event.

A week later, Hill secured power of attorney over the woman and took control of her finances.

rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com
Judge tells key witness in Madigan probe he handed beautiful piece of ammunition to defense team by lying on gun application

CHICAGO  Former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, a key witness in the upcoming racketeering trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, says he was just trying to buy a handgun last month to shoot rattlesnakes threatening his home in the Arizona desert when he inadvertently made false statements about his criminal status on federal paperwork.

While Marquez will not face any charges as a result of those falsehoods, a federal judge in Chicago on Friday bluntly told Marquez hes essentially given a really beautiful piece of ammunition to Madigans lawyers.

The thing that you have is your credibility  thats it, U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland told Marquez during a brief status hearing. And you have now handed a gift to Madigans defense attorneys. It is a first year law students dream, basically, to do a cross-examination like this.

Rowland said its easy to see the points Madigans high-powered legal team will try to score: So you lie to get what you want? You wanted a gun that day, and you said what you had to say to get that gun?'

Thats the seriousness of this, Rowland said.

Marquez, who currently lives in a sprawling, $1.5 million home outside Tucson, pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy in September 2020 and testified during the ComEd Four trial last year about secret recordings he made during the FBI investigation. He could have faced years behind bars, but prosecutors have said they will ask for probation when Marquez is ultimately sentenced.

Lawyers for the ComEd four made Marquezs credibility a front-and-center issue, and information that he lied on the federal application could certainly be fodder for the defense at Madigans trial in October.

The issue was revealed in a filing last month, where prosecutors said when Marquez attempted to purchase a gun from a retailer on March 8, he allegedly responded no on a questionnaire asking if he was under indictment  or part of any information in any court for a felony.

Marquez also responded no to another question asking if hed ever been convicted of a felony, according to the filing. The mandatory review process flagged Marquezs bribery case in Chicago and his attempt to purchase the gun was denied, prosecutors said.

The U.S. attorneys office in Chicago was notified of the issue several days later. On March 22, prosecutors asked for an in-person hearing so that they could provide additional information to the court and the judge could admonish the defendant accordingly.

Marquez, 62, ComEds onetime vice president of governmental affairs, was charged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fridays hearing marked the only time hes physically appeared in court on his own case.

He appeared dressed in a gray suit and dark-rimmed glasses and spoke only once during the 15-minute hearing, murmuring, I understand as the judge began her remarks about his credibility.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu told Rowland that prosecutors were aware at Marquezs arraignment and guilty plea hearing in September 2020, which was held by telephone, that he already possessed two long guns his house, and he was allowed to keep them while free on bond.

Marquezs lawyer, Chris Niewoehner, said Marquez used those guns for skeet shooting and hunting.

Last year, however, Marquez began noticing an uptick in rattlesnake activity near his home, which is situated at the edge of a desert nature preserve, Niewoehner said.

There were more than ever, to the point where rattlesnakes were literally outside his front door or outside his garage where he exits, Niewoehner said.

With that on his mind, Marquez happened to go to a pawn store to buy some power tools and saw a handgun for sale that he thought would be better for dealing with the snakes than the snake stick hed already purchased, Niewoehner said.

The questionnaire he filled out was on a computer screen at the store. In ticking through the series of questions, Marquez was confused by the question of whether he was under indictment, which he is not, and mistakenly glossed over following language about facing any other felony charges, Niewoehner said.

He checked the wrong box, Niewoehner said. Mr. Marquez appreciates very fully the mistake he made, and we are confident he will not make that mistake in the future.

Bhachu told the judge that authorities in Arizona declined to pursue any criminal charges against Marquez.

In her remarks, Rowland said shes sure that Marquez will be well-prepared to answer questions about the gun flap on cross-examination. But she also noted the seriousness of the conspiracy Marquez admitted participating in and the huge ramifications its had across Illinois.

It is impossible to calculate impact it has on the voters and their trust in government, Rowland said.

Marquez memorably testified in the ComEd Four case in March 2023 about his decision to cooperate after being confronted by the FBI at his mothers house four years earlier.

He wound up providing crucial evidence of a scheme to steer $1.3 million in payments from ComEd to Madigan-approved subcontractors who did little or no work in a bid to win the speakers influence over the utilitys legislative agenda in Springfield.

The jury convicted Michael McClain, a former ComEd lobbyist and Madigans longtime confidant, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker, a former ComEd executive and lobbyist, and Jay Doherty, a former ComEd contract lobbyist who served for years as president of the City Club civic organization. All four are awaiting sentencing.

McClain, meanwhile, is also facing trial with Madigan in October on the separate racketeering indictment. They have both pleaded not guilty.

-------
Every institution that justly tries to address the historic evil that is Donald Trump ends up looking foolish and partisan. I dont know whether this is because Trumps populism is so unique, or whether it is because our leaders are so feckless.

The latest case in point is the criminal justice system which will, for the first time, put a former president on trial this month in New York.

The crime alleged by an elected Democratic prosecutor? Trying to cover up a tryst Trump had while his wife was at home with a newborn babe. Now, jurors are supposed to believe it is a crime to do what hundreds of other politicians have done in various ways, sometimes with the collusion of the press, including presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower and Teddy, er, Jack Kennedy.

I know. I know, Trumps approach to potential bimbo eruptions was to pay off his accuser, a move that probably flouts legal technicalities. And why not? Everything Trump does takes the typical awfulness of politicians to a new level.

Now Bill Clintons approach was to have his minions smear and shame his accusers with the famous nuts and sluts defense. I ask you, which is more evil: a straightforward payoff or a masterclass in the politics of personal destruction being unleashed on a person who is telling the truth?

So the uniquely evil politico Trump is going on trial April 15, not because he covered up an affair, but because he didnt do it the right way. If we get a jury of Emily Post fans, maybe prosecutors will get an easy conviction. Maybe not, as New Yorkers are not known for their politesse.

If what Republican Newt Gingrich did  impeach a president for lying about an affair while conducting his very own affair  then, really, nothing Trump did is even on the same scale. From where I sit, on the small but resolute anti-Trump side of the conservative movement, this prosecution looks like little more than a joke despite the fact that one of Trumps legal cronies has already done time for the crime.

The next trial Trump faces, maybe in July, will be for his decision to keep secret government documents after he left office in his famously secure Mar-a-Lago bathroom.

Mishandling government secrets is perhaps more common in Washington than the aforementioned extramarital cover-ups. You only have to go back to, well, to the guy who is currently in the White House, Joe Biden. While Trump will face a trial, Biden, who kept the secrets in his famously secure garage, will not. Whys that? Well, according to the prosecutor, Biden is a bumbling, forgetful old fool whom a jury will feel sorry for. He cant even remember when his son died or when his term as vice president started.

Establishment Washington will be on trial

Trumps mistake  besides being compos mentis  is that he wasnt sorry for doing what everybody else did. His last political opponent kept secrets on a server in a closet in her house even after she sent a memo to her subordinates about the dangers of using private email for public work and even after she fired one for doing the same thing. And really, why would he? A) Everyone does it and B) Trumps evil.

So by the time the criminal justice system gets around to putting Trump on trial for something serious  like trying to steal a freaking election  hell have been through two farcical trials that will put all of establishment Washington on trial as much as they will Trump and it will be time for the 2024 presidential election or, worse, after, when Trump wont be too far from the Oval where he can pardon himself and all of his co-conspirators, at least from the federal charges.

Even then, this serious branch of the Trump criminal trials has beclowned itself. You cant make this stuff up.

The Democratic Georgia politico who poses the biggest criminal threat to Trump decided that as long as she was in charge of the worlds most important criminal trial shed A) hire her questionably-qualified lover to run the show B) after maybe beginning the affair while he was semi-married, getting herself C) almost caught up in the family court legal wrangling and ended up D) testifying in another proceeding about the issue in which she probably lied. A lot.

If you care about convicting Trump for all the crimes that led to hundreds of other crimes on Jan. 6 as the Trumpists tried to steal the election, you have to laugh because otherwise, the only thing to do is cry.

The people in this mess who dont look foolish and partisan are few and far between. As a result, Trump may laugh his way right back into the White House while Americas Founding Fathers and more than a few of the rest of us cry, too.

David Mastio, a former editor and columnist for USA Today, is a regional editor for The Center Square and a regular Star Opinion correspondent. Follow him on X: @DavidMastio
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Kansas City, Missouri police detectives are on the scene of a homicide Friday afternoon.

Around 1 p.m. Kansas City police responded to a sound of shots call in the area of E. 31st Street and Oakley Avenue.

When officers arrived on scene they found a man in a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Christopher J. Ball.

Detectives are working to gather evidence at this time and speak with witnesses to try and learn what may have led to the deadly shooting.

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Anyone with information can call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Kansas House Taxation Committee Chair Adam Smith, R-Weskan, watches the House debate leading to the rejection of a plan for cutting taxes, Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Smith had expected before the debate that the plan drafted by Republican leaders and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would fail. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A bipartisan group of rank-and-file lawmakers in Kansas scuttled a plan for cutting taxes Thursday, with Republicans defying GOP leaders and Democrats ignoring a personal appeal from the state's Democratic governor.

The state House rejected a plan to cut taxes by about $1.4 billion over the next three years. It resulted from a deal between Gov. Laura Kelly and top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature, but the House decided on a voice vote to have House and Senate negotiators draft a different plan. The vote was overwhelming enough that House members didn't ask for a count or roll call vote.

Some critics, particularly Republicans, saw the plan as too small. Others, mostly Democrats, argued that it was weighted too heavily toward wealthy taxpayers because it would have dropped the state's top personal income tax rate to 5.5% from 5.7%. Lawmakers in both parties thought it cut property taxes too little.

Let us rise up and be united and send a message that Kansans deserve more, state Rep. Stephen Owens, a conservative central Kansas Republican who led the effort to reject the measure, said during the Houses short debate.

The House's action came after the Senate approved the plan 38-1, a vote that normally would have been a good omen for a House vote. Instead, many House Democrats clearly planned to vote no going in, and House Republicans had a private meeting outside the Statehouse beforehand, apparently so that supporters of the plan could work on their colleagues.

Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said the Legislature won't consider another tax plan this week. Lawmakers are set to adjourn Friday for a three-week spring break and go back in session April 29 for a few days to wrap up business for the year. Masterson said another tax plan could be considered then.

The events in Kansas came two weeks after Georgias Republican-controlled Legislature passed personal and corporate income tax cuts that GOP Gov. Brian Kemp favored. Like Georgia, Kansas has a big budget surplus  still projected at more than $4 billion for the end of June 2025.

A dozen other states cut their income tax rates last year, according to the conservative Tax Foundation, but major tax cuts were thwarted in Kansas by the dispute between Republican leaders and Kelly over a GOP proposal for a single-rate, flat income tax, something Kelly said would benefit the super wealthy.

Kelly vetoed a plan with a single-rate income tax in January, and Republicans were unable to muster the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override her action.

Republican leaders wavered on a single-rate income tax in recent weeks as they grew less willing to chance having no cuts enacted this year. All 40 state Senate seats and 125 House seats are up for election this year.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins told his colleagues during a brief debate that if they rejected the plan, they would face headlines of House scuttles tax relief.

There isn't a single one of us who wants to scuttle tax relief, said Hawkins, a Wichita Republican.

Their private meeting before the vote was in the Kansas Contractors Association office near the Statehouse. When an Associated Press reporter showed up, Republican Rep. Patrick Penn, of Wichita, was urging colleagues to overcome their misgivings. GOP leaders forced the reporter to leave.

Later, after Owens finished his last speech against the bill, a few Republicans members could be heard saying quietly, Here, here, and some clapped and tapped on their desks when the plan failed.

And frustration with the plan and Kelly's intervention was palpable when the governor met Thursday morning with House Democrats to sell it. She touted it as a big victory for Democrats.

I can guarantee that the other side has gone as far as  a lot farther than  they wanted to go, Kelly told them. "We should be embracing this and taking credit for it."

Besides adjusting the state's personal top income tax rate, the bill also would have eliminated state income taxes on retirees Social Security benefits, which kick in once a person receives $75,000 a year. It also would have increased the states standard personal income tax deductions, increased an income tax credit for child care expenses, reduced property taxes the state imposes to raise money for public schools and ended an expiring 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.

The property tax was modest. For the owner of a home at the Kansas median value of $210,000, the annual savings would be about $140. A homes appraised value can easily rise enough in a year to wipe out the cut.

This, in my mind, is half a Band-Aid when the sore is still festering, state Sen. Tom Holland, a northeastern Kansas Democrat and the only no vote in the Senate, said during debate.
TOPEKA (KSNT)- The Kansas Legislature has forwarded two election bills to Governor Laura Kelly, with both receiving backlash during floor debates in the House.

One proposal, House Bill 2618, includes several changes. They include a provision to clarify a state law passed in 2021, which made it a crime to impersonate an election official. The Kansas Supreme Court weighed arguments from voting rights groups earlier this year who are asking justices to block the law. The groups argue that it impedes voter registration.

The state was sued over that law by several organizations saying that it was unconstitutionally vague, so what the language of this bill does, is clarifies that you would have to intend to deceive in order to be guilty of the crime of impersonating an election officer its not just based on the perception of the person, Representative Pat Proctor, R-Fort. Leavenworth

This bill would remove engaging in conduct that gives the appearance of being an election official from the list of conduct that constitutes false representation of an election official. The

bill would also clarify that false representation of an election official would require the intent to

cause another person to believe they are engaging with an election official. The bill would be in effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.

Even in that discussion talked about how it still wouldnt resolve the lawsuit, and discussed in front of the Kansas Supreme Court that it doesnt resolve the conflict, because theres no clear parameters on what impersonating an election official actually looks like, Representative Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa said of the provision.

Another provision made under the plan would create the crime of using federal money for facilitating elections unless authorized by Congress.

So, you cant just take a grant for mental health and use it for a Get Out the Vote effort, Proctor explained.

However, Woodard said that the provision could cause issues during emergencies.

This becomes a defacto block on federal election aid in the case that were in a national crisis or a national emergency, he said.

Another bill heading to the governors desk, which received backlash, is House Bill 2614. It would amend provisions of election law and the Campaign Finance Act concerning advance voting ballot envelopes, the delivery of advance voting ballots, and corrupt political advertising.

Man connected to deadly Topeka shootings sentenced to nearly 80 years in prison

As for amendments for advance ballot envelopes, the proposal would:

Adding a signature block for the person, if any, who is authorized by the advance voter to deliver the advance voting ballot to the county election office;

Adding a designated block for the person who is authorized by the advance voter to deliver the advance voting ballot to the county election office to print such persons full name; and

Adding the statement, to be printed on each advance voting ballot KSA 25-2437 prohibits the transmission or delivery of more than 10 advance voting ballots by any one person.

The provisions of the bill would be effective on January 1, 2025.

COULD THE BILLS FACE A VETO?

Governor Kelly will need to decide whether to sign the proposals once they reach her desk.

The House passed House Bill 2614 75-48 on Friday; several votes shy of the number needed to override a veto if one comes down. However, the proposal was only one vote shy of a veto-proof majority in the Senate, passing 26-13 on Thursday.

House Bill 2618 also passed the Senate 26-13 on Thursday. Its also closer to reaching a veto-proof majority in the House. It passed the chamber 83-40 on Friday; just one vote shy of the 84 votes needed to override a veto.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Christian Brueckner is on trial charged with five counts of sexual assault in Portugal - Julian Stratenschulte/Reuters

A central witness in the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has life-threatening cancer, a court heard on Friday.

Helge Busching has intestinal cancer and is not expected to live long, a friend told the court during a trial involving Christian Brueckner in Germany.

Mr Busching is the prosecutions key witness in the trial, in which Brueckner is accused of five counts of sexual assault in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Brueckner is the chief suspect in the McCann case but this trial is unrelated.

Mr Busching, 53, claims to have found homemade tapes in Brueckners home in 2006 that showed him raping two women.

On Wednesday, he described the details of the tapes to the court, saying that Brueckner wore a balaclava but took it off to reveal his face. The tapes no longer exist and the police have never seen them.

Mr Busching also told the court that Brueckner hinted to him during a meeting in 2008 that he had been involved in the abduction of Madeleine, telling him she didnt even scream.

Michael Tatschl, who told the court Mr Busching was terminally ill - Facebook

On Friday, Michael Tatschl, another witness in the case, said Mr Busching has cancer, in comments reported by Sky News: When we spoke... on the phone, we discussed general things including his cancer. Its pretty bad. He got his diagnosis just a couple of months ago.

Tatschl told the court that he often stayed overnight at Brueckners house in Praia da Luz, the town where Madeleine went missing in 2007.

Tatschl described their relationship as friends and partners in crime. He said that he saw a whip, several pairs of handcuffs and a balaclava in Brueckners home.

In 2006, the two men were sentenced to eight months in jail in Portugal for stealing diesel from a lorry.

During their time in prison, Brueckner told him that he had held a young woman captive for several days, Tatschl said.

Prosecutors opened the investigation into Brueckner on suspicion of murdering Madeleine back in 2020, but have yet to bring the case to court, perhaps suggesting they do not have enough evidence to charge him.

Mr Busching is set to appear in court again in June. The trial is scheduled to last until October.

Madeleine McCanns disappearance

It is has been almost 20 years since Madeleine McCann was reported missing from the vacation apartment rented by her parents in the town of Praia da Luz in the Algarve.

Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, left her asleep with two smaller siblings while they had dinner at a nearby restaurant, and said they checked frequently on the children. They have always insisted she was kidnapped

At the time, the little girls disappearance led to massive publicity, with celebrities such as David Beckham appealing for her safe return.

But before long, police in Portugal scaled-down local searches, saying the case had become an international investigation.

In 2012, British police said they believed Madeleine could still be alive and released a picture of what she might look like as a nine-year-old.

A year later, they launched Operation Grange. After two years of reviewing the investigation, police said they had identified 38 people of interest, including 12 Britons.

In 2015, the UK said the investigation into the disappearance had cost more than 10 million. A month later, police reduced the number of officers working on the case from 29 to four.

In 2020, Police in Germany announced that Madeleine was presumed dead and a German man convicted of a rape committed in Portugal in 2005 was a suspect. To this date, the little girls remains have not been found.

In 2022 Brueckner, a German prisoner, was named a formal suspect by Portuguese authorities. He was allegedly in the area where Madeleine disappeared in 2007.

In May last year, police searched the Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

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LILONGWE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Malawian government has suspended exportation of raw soya bean effective on April 8 to safeguard the inadequate yield that the country has managed to harvest in the current season for local industries.

The restriction was announced in a joint statement released Thursday by trade and agriculture authorities, following an assessment of the soya bean production for the current agricultural production season.

According to the statement, the crop's production has dropped by 20 percent due to adverse weather conditions that the country has experienced during the year's farming season.

"The restriction aims to support local industries and investors in the soya value chain to access the soya beans as it is the main raw material in the production processes of by-products, which include cooking oil, and soya cake amongst others," reads the statement.

Under Malawi Control of Goods Act, the directive means that all licenses that the Ministry of Trade previously issued on exportation of raw soya bean will be rendered invalid from April 8.

Most parts of Malawi have been seriously hit by adverse weather conditions induced by El Nino climate patterns, leading to poor yields in the country's crops, especially the staple grain, maize.

Consequently, President Lazarus Chakwera recently, declared a state of disaster in 23 out of the country's 28 districts, and he appealed for humanitarian support from the international community. 
Judge tells key witness in Madigan probe he handed beautiful piece of ammunition to defense team by lying on gun application

Former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, a key witness in the upcoming racketeering trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, says he was just trying to buy a handgun last month to shoot rattlesnakes threatening his home in the Arizona desert when he inadvertently made false statements about his criminal status on federal paperwork.

While Marquez will not face any charges as a result of those falsehoods, a federal judge in Chicago on Friday bluntly told Marquez hes essentially given a really beautiful piece of ammunition to Madigans lawyers.

The thing that you have is your credibility  thats it, U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland told Marquez during a brief status hearing. And you have now handed a gift to Madigans defense attorneys. It is a first year law students dream, basically, to do a cross-examination like this.

Rowland said its easy to see the points Madigans high-powered legal team will try to score: So you lie to get what you want? You wanted a gun that day, and you said what you had to say to get that gun?'

Thats the seriousness of this, Rowland said.

Marquez, who currently lives in a sprawling, $1.5 million home outside Tucson, pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy in September 2020 and testified during the ComEd Four trial last year about secret recordings he made during the FBI investigation. He could have faced years behind bars, but prosecutors have said they will ask for probation when Marquez is ultimately sentenced.

Lawyers for the ComEd four made Marquezs credibility a front-and-center issue, and information that he lied on the federal application could certainly be fodder for the defense at Madigans trial in October.

The issue was revealed in a filing last month, where prosecutors said when Marquez attempted to purchase a gun from a retailer on March 8, he allegedly responded no on a questionnaire asking if he was under indictment  or part of any information in any court for a felony.

Marquez also responded no to another question asking if hed ever been convicted of a felony, according to the filing. The mandatory review process flagged Marquezs bribery case in Chicago and his attempt to purchase the gun was denied, prosecutors said.

The U.S. attorneys office in Chicago was notified of the issue several days later. On March 22, prosecutors asked for an in-person hearing so that they could provide additional information to the court and the judge could admonish the defendant accordingly.

Marquez, 62, ComEds onetime vice president of governmental affairs, was charged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fridays hearing marked the only time hes physically appeared in court on his own case.

He appeared dressed in a gray suit and dark-rimmed glasses and spoke only once during the 15-minute hearing, murmuring, I understand as the judge began her remarks about his credibility.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu told Rowland that prosecutors were aware at Marquezs arraignment and guilty plea hearing in September 2020, which was held by telephone, that he already possessed two long guns his house, and he was allowed to keep them while free on bond.

Marquezs lawyer, Chris Niewoehner, said Marquez used those guns for skeet shooting and hunting.

Last year, however, Marquez began noticing an uptick in rattlesnake activity near his home, which is situated at the edge of a desert nature preserve, Niewoehner said.

There were more than ever, to the point where rattlesnakes were literally outside his front door or outside his garage where he exits, Niewoehner said.

With that on his mind, Marquez happened to go to a pawn store to buy some power tools and saw a handgun for sale that he thought would be better for dealing with the snakes than the snake stick hed already purchased, Niewoehner said.

The questionnaire he filled out was on a computer screen at the store. In ticking through the series of questions, Marquez was confused by the question of whether he was under indictment, which he is not, and mistakenly glossed over following language about facing any other felony charges, Niewoehner said.

He checked the wrong box, Niewoehner said. Mr. Marquez appreciates very fully the mistake he made, and we are confident he will not make that mistake in the future.

Bhachu told the judge that authorities in Arizona declined to pursue any criminal charges against Marquez.

In her remarks, Rowland said shes sure that Marquez will be well-prepared to answer questions about the gun flap on cross-examination. But she also noted the seriousness of the conspiracy Marquez admitted participating in and the huge ramifications its had across Illinois.

It is impossible to calculate impact it has on the voters and their trust in government, Rowland said.

Marquez memorably testified in the ComEd Four case in March 2023 about his decision to cooperate after being confronted by the FBI at his mothers house four years earlier.

He wound up providing crucial evidence of a scheme to steer $1.3 million in payments from ComEd to Madigan-approved subcontractors who did little or no work in a bid to win the speakers influence over the utilitys legislative agenda in Springfield.

The jury convicted Michael McClain, a former ComEd lobbyist and Madigans longtime confidant, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker, a former ComEd executive and lobbyist, and Jay Doherty, a former ComEd contract lobbyist who served for years as president of the City Club civic organization. All four are awaiting sentencing.

McClain, meanwhile, is also facing trial with Madigan in October on the separate racketeering indictment. They have both pleaded not guilty.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
CHICAGO  Former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, a key witness in the upcoming racketeering trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, is due in court Friday over allegations that he lied about his criminal status when filling out paperwork to buy a gun last month.

Marquez, who currently lives in Tucson, pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy in September 2020 and testified during the ComEd Four trial last year about secret recordings he made during the FBI investigation. He could have faced years behind bars, but prosecutors have said they will ask for probation when Marquez is ultimately sentenced.

Lawyers for the ComEd four made Marquezs credibility a front-and-center issue, and information that he lied on federal paperwork could certainly be fodder for the defense at Madigans trial in October.

The issue was revealed in a filing last month, where prosecutors said when Marquez attempted to purchase a gun from a retailer on March 8, he allegedly responded no on federal paperwork asking if he was under indictment or information in any court for a felony.

Marquez also responded no to another question asking if hed ever been convicted of a felony, according to the filing. The mandatory review process flagged Marquezs bribery case in Chicago and his attempt to purchase the gun was denied, prosecutors said.

The U.S. attorneys office in Chicago was notified of the issue several days later. On March 22, prosecutors asked for an in-person hearing so that they could provide additional information to the court and the judge could admonish the defendant accordingly.

The hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Friday before U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland.

Marquez, 62, ComEds onetime vice president of governmental affairs, was charged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fridays hearing will mark the only time hes physically appeared in court on his own case.

Prosecutors said they were aware at Marquezs arraignment and guilty plea hearing in September 2020, which was held by telephone, that he already had two guns in his house, and he was allowed to keep them while free on bond.

Marquez memorably testified in the ComEd Four case in March 2023 about his decision to cooperate after being confronted by the FBI at his mothers house four years earlier.

He wound up providing crucial evidence of a scheme to steer $1.3 million in payments from ComEd to Madigan-approved subcontractors who did little or no work in a bid to win the speakers influence over the utilitys legislative agenda in Springfield.

The jury convicted Michael McClain, a former ComEd lobbyist and Madigans longtime confidant, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, John Hooker, a former ComEd executive and lobbyist, and Jay Doherty, a former ComEd contract lobbyist who served for years as president of the City Club civic organization. All four are awaiting sentencing.

McClain, meanwhile, is also facing trial with Madigan in October on the separate racketeering indictment. They have both pleaded not guilty.

____
Kharkiv Metro briefly suspended operations on all 30 stations on the morning of April 5.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has been at the forefront of Russian attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and saw an escalation in strikes in recent weeks.

The subway consists of three lines operating 38.7 kilometers (24 miles) of the route. Kharkiv Metro's press service did not specify the reason.

Later the same day, Kharkiv Metro's press service reported resuming operations.

A Russian attack on Kharkiv in the late evening of April 4 damaged a car repair show and windows of a nearby five-story residential building, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on the morning of April 5.

Recent Russian attacks destroyed "almost all" of the energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an interview with Liga media outlet published on April 1.

The attacks destroyed a thermal power plant and all the electrical substations in the city that sits just 40 kilometers (almost 25 miles) from the Russian border.

The proximity to the border often prevents air defense monitor systems from detecting launches of Russian missiles toward Kharkiv in time, with some missiles hitting Kharkiv at least 40 seconds after the launch.

In March, Russian attacks damaged or completely destroyed 80% of the thermal generating capacity of Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, the company's Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk said on March 30.

The mayor also said on April 1 that more than $10 billion is needed to rebuild everything that Russian forces have damaged or destroyed in Kharkiv.

Terekhov said the city officials have been trying to involve international partners to cover the costs because "no city budget in the world can withstand such a burden."

The current situation for the energy industry in the city is "very difficult," according to the mayor. The humanitarian assistance centers, also known as "Points of Invincibility," work in Kharkiv around the clock.

"We have been through more rough times, and we will survive these times too," Terekhov said.

Read also: Russia intensifies attacks on Kharkiv, draining Ukraines air defense and civilian morale

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Jennifer Polak was found by police with "obvious signs of trauma"

Gofundme Jennifer Polak

A Canadian mother of two was allegedly killed by her boyfriend, who has been charged with second-degree murder, police say.

The Durham Regional Police Service said in a release that they responded to a home in Ajax, Ontario, after a report of unknown trouble. Officers found a woman, later identified as 45-year-old Jennifer Polak suffering from obvious signs of trauma, the agency said.

Kyle Severin, 35, was arrested on the scene without incident, police said. He is being held for a bail hearing. It is not immediately clear if he has entered a plea.

Jenn Polak was a kind, caring, beautiful person whose death has devastated everyone who knew her, Polaks family said in a statement published by police, the Toronto Star reports. She brought sunshine into the lives of everyone she met. She was the devoted mother of two young men whom she adored.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

They are absorbing the news of her death with the support of their father, the statement continued. Her grieving parents, sister, grandmother, uncles, aunts and extended family cannot believe that she is gone. Those who knew Jenn through her work will remember that she had a vocation and a passion for working with young children.

A GoFundMe has been created to raise money for Polaks two children.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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Read the original article on People.
New reports have revealed that King Charles' rumored Australia visit is uncertain as he's currently undergoing cancer treatment. Charles has been adapting his schedule to his treatment and reducing the numbers at Royal events.

According to the King's nephew, Charles is very eager to return to normal and is "hugely frustrated." The King has already made his first major public appearance since announcing his cancer diagnosis by attending church on Easter and doing a surprise walkabout.

King Charles' Visit To Australia Is Uncertain

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Last month, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke about a possible visit from King Charles later in the year. Since then, there have been many rumors about the trip, and new reports have revealed that it is highly uncertain.

A Royal source spoke to People Magazine and said that nothing is certain about planning for future royal engagements. This is reportedly subject to medical advice from the King's doctors, as he's currently undergoing treatment for cancer. There may also be adaptations to the proposed engagements as the treatment goes on, which means overseas visits are unclear.

Prior to the confirmation of his cancer diagnosis, Charles was expected to make the Australia trip around the same time as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The meeting is scheduled to be held in Samoa and begin on October 24.

He's Adapting His Work Schedule To His Treatment

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During Albanese's speech last month, he spoke about how Charles has been empathetic to Australians amid recent natural disasters, which he has reciprocated after his cancer diagnosis.

He added, "The King, Queen, and members of the royal family are always welcome in Australia. My government is engaging with states and territories on options for a possible royal visit."

Since the confirmation of Charles's cancer in early February, he's significantly reduced his workload and is doing more behind-the-scenes action. His royal engagements have been reduced to smaller numbers of people, and he has missed public events.

However, the royal source claims that larger events could be held in an outdoor setting as summer approaches when there's a lesser risk of airborne illnesses. This includes Trooping The Colour, the annual public celebration of the British monarch's birthday, which will be held on June 15.

King Charles Is Eager To Return To Normal

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The Royal source also revealed that despite his ill health, Charles' "appetite for work" has remained "wholly undiminished." Another person in the inner royal circle, Charles' nephew, Peter Phillips, recently shared that the King is "very keen to get back to a form of normality."

During an appearance on Sky News Australia's The Royal Report, he said, "I think, ultimately, he's hugely frustrated. He's frustrated that he can't get on and do everything that he wants to be able to do. But he is very pragmatic, [and] he understands that there's a period of time that he really needs to focus on himself."

Regarding his health, the Royal source claims that Charles is "progressing well" in his cancer treatment. They added that the doctors have "amplified confidence" and remain optimistic about his recovery.

He Made A Public Appearance For Easter

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Despite his ill health, Charles recently made his first major public appearance since announcing his diagnosis. The monarch attended church for Easter celebrations with a few members of the royal family. After the service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, he and Queen Camilla had a surprise walkabout.

The DailyMail shared a video on X of people greeting the King and Queen as the two had their walkabout, and it quickly went viral. In it, a woman told Charles, "Get well soon, Your Majesty," and he replied, "I'm doing my best!"

Charles has made several changes to his public appearance routine, including significantly reducing the number of people he interacts with. He and Camilla sat apart from the other royals at the service and didn't attend any reception or private family lunch afterward.

Buckingham Palace Shared Photos Of The King Back At Work

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)

On March 6, Charles officially returned to work. Buckingham Palace released photos of the monarch greeting ambassadors with a cheery demeanor.

In photos shared online, the 75-year-old King had a broad smile as he shook hands with Algeria's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Nourredine Yazid, and Samba Mamadou, the ambassador of Mauritania.

The palace captioned the photo: "The King received Ambassadors from Algeria and Mauritania at Buckingham Palace earlier today. Mr. Nourredine Yazid and Mr. Samba Mamadou Ba presented their 'letters of credence' to His Majesty - formal letters from their Heads of State which mark the beginning of their posts in the UK."

There were other meetings that the monarch attended today besides his private audience with the ambassadors.

In an earlier photo shared, King Charles can be seen speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a video conference at Buckingham Palace. The image was captioned, "This afternoon, His Majesty The King had an audience with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, via video link."
King tides to impact NC coast. Here's when and what you can expect in the Wilmington area.

King tides hit the NC coast along the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington in July 2022. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS FILE

For many living in the coastal part of the state, flooding is no shock to the system as the coast is very flat and tides, heavy rain events and even wind play a role in determining water levels, according to the North Carolina King Tides Project.

Starting Monday, those near North Carolina beaches will experience king tides, which could bring flooding to coastal areas.

What are king tides?

King tides occur when the moon is the closest to the Earth in orbit and aligned with the Earth and sun. They are also the highest high tides of the year. These tides bring in extra water to beaches and surrounding areas, sometimes even cause street closures.

When do king tides occur?

The North Carolina coast will experience its first king tides of the year from April 8-10. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration tide schedules, king tides occur regularly and are expected to occur five more times during the year.

Heres when you can expect king tides this year:

April 8-10

May 6-9

Aug. 17-21

Sep. 15-23

Oct. 15-22

Nov. 14-18

What areas will be impacted?

Locally, the areas to watch out for flooding are any of the local beaches, but specifically Carolina Beach and Southport, said Reid Hawkins, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Hawkins said that areas such as River Road along the Cape Fear River and across the river at the Battleship North Carolinas parking lot are also areas to monitor.

What can we expect?

So far, Hawkins said, the main issue looks to be minor coastal flooding, which could be about 6-7 inches of water. He said that if it was windy, there could be an issue with beach erosion, but that doesnt seem to be an issue this time.

The highest tides will come in on the beaches in the morning around 10:30 a.m. and this is where the highest chance of minor coastal flooding will occur.

With king tides come extreme highs, but also lows. Sometimes extreme low tides can cause difficulties for boaters who are navigating through inlets because of how shallow the water can get, but Hawkins said that this doesnt seem to be a concern with the upcoming tides.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What are king tides and how will they impact the North Carolina coast
Kissimmee city commissioners decided to tighten rules they follow when spending taxpayer money on travel Tuesday after a discussion about the mayors upcoming trip to Washington, D.C.

Commissioners voted unanimously to update policy adopted in 2017 after questions were raised about the trip. At the end of the month Mayor Olga Gonzalez is going to represent the city at a faith-based summit.

The policy will now require commissioners to create an expense report and produce an itinerary before embarking on any official travel.

Commissioner Angela Eady, who asked to have discussion of travel policy placed on the agenda, raised the question of whether a commissioner should even attend the summit.

Under most circumstances someone from staff goes to advocate for us when we travel to something of that magnitude, Eady said.

City Manager Mike Steigerwald said the citys lobbyist typically advocates for funding.

Gonzalez said the goal is to obtain information about federal money available through the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in hopes of getting funds for churches which deliver social services.

Were going just to let them know that theres a lot of churches here in Osceola that need those funds so that they can use them in social services to help the community, she said. This is for the betterment of our community and bringing in more federal funding.

Eady questioned Gonzalez about whether she had any appointments scheduled with officials during the summit to talk about funding needs or a budget of how much the trip would cost.

The mayor said she did not because she was attending with 32 other people  mainly representatives of churches in the city  who will ask officials for funding.

We will be speaking to some legislators just to let them know that we need the help for churches so that we can better the community, Gonzalez said.

The old policy stated that commissioners must only get approval by a majority of the board to travel on city funds for official business  but does not require financial disclosures before the trip.

Policy states city funds can be used for events, training sessions, conferences and travel where the mayor or commissioner is representing the city or as part of their role on a board in which they have been appointed to by the City Commission.

Eady also was concerned the trip wont yield results quickly and questioned spending taxpayer money on an issue that isnt a city priority.

Theres a good chance that even if you were awarded X amount of dollars you may not see it until maybe the next fiscal year, she said.

Despite any concerns, after the discussion commissioners unanimously approved of the mayor taking the trip. Gonzalez said she will provide an expense report and itinerary by the next commission meeting set for April 16.

When asked Thursday, a city spokeswoman said it was impossible to provide an estimate of how much the mayors trip will cost.

As we are sure you are aware, with travel there are constantly fluctuating costs associated with airfare and hotel prices, Alibeth Suarez said in an email.

Suarez said individual commissioners dont have budgets for travel expense.

However, the city does budget for their travel. In 2024 the city budgeted $17,000 for travel for commissioners, a decrease from 2023 when it budgeted $25,965.
What to know in Manatee: Beef with 211's Planned Parenthood ties, food trucks and housing

Manatee County is taking a deep dive into its relationship with United Way Suncoast after Manatee County Republican Executive Committee Chair April Culbreath complained about 211 hotline referrals made to Planned Parenthood.

County commissioners discussed the matter on Thursday during a land use meeting, where they also discussed plans to move forward with land development code changes that accommodate food trucks and food truck parks. Commissioners also approved a slew of zoning changes that could lead to more development, particularly in the Parrish and Palmetto area.

County to evaluate relationship with United Way Suncoast over 211 referrals to Planned Parenthood

Culbreath, who is running for an at-large seat on the Manatee County Commission, drew attention to referrals made by the 211 hotline to Planned Parenthood abortion services during public comment at the beginning of Thursday's land use meeting.

"That was a concern to me, knowing that most of our conservative board up here had made a proclamation a couple of years ago that we would not give any taxpayer money to any organizations that refer to or use planned parenthood," Culbreath said. "I was just hoping to bring that to your attention and hopefully you guys can look into it."

By the end of the meeting, county commissioners made a motion to direct Chairman Mike Rahn and staff to delve deeper into its relationship with United Way Suncoast, which operates the 211 service, over the matter.

Previously: Florida AG pumps brakes on Manatee County abortion restrictions

More: What to know in Manatee: Major oil spill costs, Bishop named Manatee County administrator

Similar from Sarasota: Moran using his power to pursue anti-Planned Parenthood agenda

The county provides $101,681 in funding to the United Way Suncoast for 211 services. But in September 2023 commissioners approved an ordinance to defund any nonprofit organization that receives county funding that maintains affiliations with Planned Parenthood or any abortion provider.

The conservative board has battled against abortion rights for years, and undertook efforts led by Commissioner James Satcher to ban abortion providers from establishing facilities in the county until State Attorney Ashley Moody advised the county to defer abortion service policies to the state.

"If we passed that ordinance in September, moneys were probably disbursed in October," Satcher said. "That's violating the ordinance, so they need to write us a check."

Commissioners stopped short of taking action and instead directed Rahn and county staff to delve deeper into the matter and to give the United Way Suncoast the ability to respond to their concerns.

"It does appear on its face to be in violation of county policy," Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. "I don't necessarily want to throw the baby out along with the bath water.

"I think United Way Suncoast having the ability to come in here and speak with commissioners one on one or in a meeting is probably a good idea because there are good things that they are doing here, but we have a policy," he said. "County tax dollars should not go toward directing people to planned parenthood."

Efforts to facilitate food trucks in Manatee County in the works

Manatee County held a first reading for a county initiated land development code amendment aimed at facilitating the use of food trucks and food truck parks in specific zoning districts.

Food trucks are not currently recognized in the county's land development code. Changes presented Thursday include terminology adjustments such as changing terms like "mobile vending" to "food trucks" and revising the definition of a food truck to mirror definitions in Florida statutes.

County commissioners will hold a second reading on the effort on May 2 to finalize necessary approvals.

Palm View multifamily housing in Palmetto

County commissioners voted in favor of zoning changes for 20.46 acres of land located at 5901 16th Avenue East in Palmetto to accommodate a project called Palm View with a proposed 264 multifamily residential units.

The 5 to 1 vote changed the zoning on property, owned by TAMLAKE, LLC, from suburban agriculture to planned development residential zoning. Commissioner Jason Bearden voted in opposition to the project, and Commissioner Amanda Ballard was absent from the meeting.

Mia Bella Palmetto residential housing project

Commissioners voted 6 to 0 in favor of a change in zoning for 9.1 acres of land owned by 1955 Palmetto BTR LLC at 1955 49th St. East in Palmetto to accommodate a housing project called Mia Bella Palmetto.

The decision changes the zoning on the property from Residential Single Family-2 and Residential Single Family 6 to a Planned Development Residential zoning. Commissioners also approved a general development plan for the property that includes the construction of 30 single-family residential units.

Rutland Road residential project

Commissioners approved a change in zoning for a 5 acre property owned by Charlie Hine at 13755 County Road 675 in Parrish to accommodate a project with a maximum of 15 single family homes.

Commissioners changed the zoning on the property from general agriculture zoning to planned development residential with a 5 to 1 vote. Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge voted against the proposal, and Ballard was absent.

Jones Potato Farm land rezoned

Commissioners voted 6 to 0 in favor of a change in zoning for 4.68 acres of land owned by the Jones Potato Farm from the county's Agricultural Suburban/Parrish Commercial Village Overlay zoning to Village/Limited/Parrish Commercial Village Overlay zoning.

The property is located at 12245 U.S. 301 North in Parrish, and the acreage is located on the eastern portion of a 10.69-acre parcel of land that is already zoned as such.

The development plan includes in the range of potential uses within the zoning, including low-density residential and medium-density clustered residential uses, short-term agriculture, commercial and office use, recreation and schools.

New substation in Parrish

County commissioners approved a change in zoning requested by Peace River Electric and AM Engineering, Inc. for a 5 acre site located on the northwest side of the U.S. 301 intersection with Moccasin Wallow Road in Parrish. Commissioners voted 6 to 0 in favor of changing the property's zoning from Planned Development Residential to Suburban Agriculture to accommodate a new substation.

Gattuso property rezoned

Commissioners voted 6 to 0 in favor of a change in zoning for about .88 acres of land owned by Joseph Gattuso from Residential Duplex Dwelling-3 to Planned Development Office. The commissioners also approved changes to the property's General Development Plan to include an additional 8,445 square feet of residential support usage space. The site is located west of U.S. 41 and about .75 miles south of Tallevast Road.

The property's general development plan allows for potential uses that include professional office space, church, child care center, school of special education, recovery home and public community uses.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: What to know in Manatee: Planned Parenthood, food trucks and housing
FILE - Kosovo Serbs protest against a ban of the use of the Serbian currency in areas where they live, in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo, on Feb. 12, 2024. A senior U.S. official on Wednesday March 13, 2024 reassured top officials in Kosovo that the burdens of normalizing relations with longtime rival Serbia would be borne by both sides. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar met with officials in Kosovo in the latest American effort to restart talks on normalizing ties between Kosovo and Serbia, after Kosovo made a controversial decision to ban ethnic Serbs in its territory from using the Serbian dinar. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic, File)

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  Kosovo's government began Friday its first nationwide census since 2011, which will include surveying the ethnic Serb minority in the north, at a time when tensions with neighboring Serbia are high.

The Agency of Statistics is conducting the 12-million euro ($13 million) census, originally set to take place in 2021 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some 4,400 surveyors will interview residents in person from April 5 until May 17 to cover demographic and socioeconomic indicators that will take Kosovo a step ahead toward integration into the European Union, according to the agency's website.

The Kosovar government, the EU's statistical office, Eurostat, U.N. organizations and the World Bank are funding the census which will tally the number of people residing in the country, family households, their education and employment, as well as the number of locals living abroad. Surveyors will also ask interviewees about damages suffered during the 1998-1999 war and if they have relatives who died or were tortured at the time.

Kosovo was a former Serbian province until a 78-day NATO bombing campaign in 1999 ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo and pushed Serbian forces out. Belgrade does not recognize Kosovos 2008 independence.

Hazbije Qeriqi, the agency spokesperson, said they hoped for "a positive response from everybody.

In 2011 Kosovo had 1.74 million registered residents, of which nearly 1.5%, or about 26,000, are ethnic Serbs.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti called on the Serb minority Wednesday to take part in the census.

When we make our plans for subsidies, investments, work, education ... the health system, we should have the state of the population reflected in the budget," he said.

Some Serbs in the northern part of the town of Mitrovica, at the center of a region where most of the ethnic Serb minority lives, want to take part in the census. But the Srpska List party, the main party of the Serb minority in Kosovo which has close ties with Belgrade, called for a boycott of the census.

We would like to say clearly to Albin Kurti and those who support him that the Serbian people will not participate in the upcoming fake census in his organization, which he wants to confirm his shameful success in expelling Serbs, said a message from the Srpska List posted on Facebook.

Boycotting has been a main tool ethnic Serbs have used in the last years, like boycotting all public institutions, or last year elections.

Kosovos recent decision to ban ethnic Serbs from using the Serbian currency  the dinar  locally has increased tensions and is threatening to cause chaos. The dinar is widely used in Serbian-run institutions, including schools and hospitals.

A census in these circumstances of daily repression over our people and without the return of 250,000 displaced people would be pure legalization of ethnic cleansing that has been carried out over our people since 1999, the party said in a call to the international community.

Kosovo and Serbia want to join the EU. The 27-nation bloc has facilitated a dialogue to normalize ties between the two that has been riddled with hindrances, fueling Western concerns about regional tensions escalating as a full-scale war rages in Ukraine.

Brussels has warned that the refusal of the two sides to compromise on several issues is jeopardizing their chances of EU membership.

___

Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.

___

Follow Llazar Semini at https://x.com/lsemini
YANGON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and seven others injured in a bomb blast in central Myanmar's Mandalay on Friday, local police said.

The blast occurred at around 12 p.m. local time at the immigration office in Mahaaungmyay township of Mandalay, a police officer from Mandalay Region police force told Xinhua on Friday.

"Nine people were injured in the blast. They were sent to the hospital. Two of them died at the hospital," the police officer said.

The victims included seven civilians and two immigration officials, he said, adding that the deceased were identified as those who were present at the office to obtain national identity cards.

The explosion was caused by two people riding a motorcycle who threw a bomb into the immigration office, he said. 
Public records show that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach awarded a no-bid contract to a law firm that is helping the state sue social media company TikTok.

The Kansas Attorney General's Office justified not seeking competitive bids when hiring law firm Cooper & Kirk because of an "emergency."

"Not seeking competitive bids is justified as an emergency under KSA 75-3739(a)(3) to stop ongoing and continuing damage to Kansas consumers that cannot wait for the ordinary bid process," chief deputy attorney general Dan Burrows wrote in a lightly redacted prior authorization request form obtained through a public records request. "Relief must be sought swiftly. Using this vendor will allow a suit to be on file within weeks."

Despite the promise of a lawsuit within weeks of the June 15 form, it wasn't until March 6 that Kobach's office filed the consumer protection lawsuit against TikTok and parent company ByteDance in Shawnee County District Court. His office has since filed requests to admit four out-of-state attorneys from Cooper & Kirk.

"We followed the law in making the outside hire, and it was approved by another state agency," Kobach spokesperson Danedri Herbert said in an email. "It is not uncommon or unusual for the Attorney General's Office to hire outside counsel, especially in complex consumer protection lawsuits."

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach awarded a no-bid contract to law firm Cooper & Kirk to sue TikTok in Shawnee County District Court.

Kansas joins other states as Cooper & Kirk clients against TikTok

Kansas law on contract procurement typically requires a competitive bidding process, but state statute does allow no-bid contracts in certain situations, including "when, in the judgment of the director of purchases, an agency emergency requires immediate delivery of supplies, materials or equipment, or immediate performance of services."

The contract says the the director of purchases in the Kansas Department of Administration authorized the attorney general's office to proceed without competitive bids, adding that "the ongoing and continuing damage to Kansas consumers constitutes an agency emergency that requires immediate performance of services."

"TikTok deceived parents by saying that the app was safe and age appropriate," Kobach said in announcing the lawsuit. "In reality, the app has promoted filth, profanity, sexual content, and alcohol and drugs to Kansas kids."

In the prior authorization, Burrows wrote that a competitive bidding process would likely cause several months of delays.

"The proposed vendor, however, is already representing five other states in largely identical investigations or lawsuits and therefore has knowledge of and access to relevant evidence which no other vendor could likely obtain on a short timeline (including investigatory materials received in foreign languages that need translation)," he wrote.

News reports indicate Cooper & Kirk is leading similar investigations or lawsuits against TikTok in Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Cooper & Kirk is a prominent conservative law firm in Washington, D.C.

A previous records request involving Kobach's use of private emails for work purposes showed that he was communicating on May 3, 2023, about a Zoom meeting with Cooper & Kirk, but the contents of the emails were excluded from the KORA response.

"Resources brought to bear thus far can be deployed to Kansas' immediate advantage," Burrows added. "Kansas can sign onto the protective order that is already in place and thus immediately benefit and be able to bring a case to stop the ongoing, irreparable harm to consumers within a very short amount of time."

How much will Kansas pay Cooper & Kirk?

While a state database lists a contract between the attorney general's office and Cooper & Kirk, it isn't available online.

Through Kansas Open Records Act request, The Topeka Capital-Journal obtained a prior authorization request from the Kansas Department of Administration and the contract from the Kansas Attorney General's Office.

The prior authorization form listed a $500,000 estimate and said the "vendor has agreed to a 20% contingency fee." The contract only includes the contingency fee, meaning the law firm will only be paid if it wins the case. It also means the state isn't on the hook to directly pay the law firm's legal bills.

Had the estimate been $1 million or more, the contract would have had to go through a legislative oversight process.

The contract said law firm reduced its normal fee while promising to commit "significant" resources to the case. State employees will still be involved, and the contract specifies that any news releases or other public communications about the case will be issued solely through the attorney general's office.

More: Kansas attorney general Kris Kobach has hired more lawyers but is still short on staff

"Because of the nature of the alleged misconduct, the magnitude of the recovery effort, and the anticipated aggressive defense by the Defendants," the contract states, "the Attorney General has determined that it is necessary and appropriate to retain private counsel to assist his office in the representation of the State of Kansas to pursue such litigation and recovery."

The contract was signed by Kobach and David Thompson, the managing partner of Cooper & Kirk, on July 27 and became effective a day later. It lasts through the end of the TikTok matter, unless it is terminated earlier.

The Cooper & Kirk contract does include a provision that if the state terminates the contract, the state will have to pay the law firm for its costs plus a prorated contingency fee. That became an issue with Florida law firm Morgan & Morgan when Kobach terminated the contract and its attorneys claimed they were owed $2.8 million.

Accepting contingency fees in legal services contracts comes after Kobach's office previously expressed displeasure with the practice.

That was among several issues Kobach's office had with Morgan & Morgan's work on a natural gas price gouging case. Kobach had said it was "of interest" that the firm's leaders have "heavy leanings in the Democrat direction," but he said politics weren't the reason for firing them.

The attorney general ultimately replaced Morgan & Morgan with Hilgers Graben, a law firm co-founded by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Higlers, a Republican. The contract included an hourly fee and a contingency fee.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas AG Kris Kobach gave no-bid contract to law firm suing TikTok
Kristi Noem arrives onstage at a campaign rally for Donald Trump on 16 March 2024 in Vandalia, Ohio.

Kristi Noem arrives onstage at a campaign rally for Donald Trump on 16 March 2024 in Vandalia, Ohio. Photograph: Jeff Dean/AP

Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota recently sued for promoting a cosmetic dentistry company on social media, suffered another kick in the teeth when she was banned from a second reservation home to Indigenous people.

This person has made a lot of accusations about the tribes, about the cartel, council representatives being in bed with the cartel, stuff like that, Robert Walters, a Cheyenne River Sioux representative, told a tribal council meeting this week, presenting a motion to ban Noem from tribal lands over allegations about crime linked to Mexican drugs gangs.

Related: South Dakota tribe bans governor from reservation over US border comments

Its all false information. I make a motion at this time to banish her from the Cheyenne River Reservation  I believe there has to be some kind of policy set up for her to show up at these tribal meetings. She cant just go in there and do her thing.

Walters remarks were reported by ICT, an outlet covering Indigenous peoples, and the Rapid City Journal.

Noem has achieved national prominence as a supporter of Donald Trump and is widely seen as a possible vice-presidential pick. Her claims about crime and corruption on tribal lands are widely seen as a ploy to curry favour with Trump.

Her first reservation ban, from the Pine Ridge Reservation, was imposed by the Oglala Sioux earlier this year.

But Noem has continued to voice such accusations, saying at one community forum in March: Weve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there and thats why they attack me every day. But Im going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.

On 29 March, Noem arrived, unannounced and with cameras in tow, at a major tribal meeting in Rapid City. The governor said on social media she had felt it was important as your governor to show up at the Pe[] Sla meeting between various South Dakota tribes and the Biden administration.

Posting pictures with attendees, Noem said she had greeted tribal leaders in the spirit of partnership and reiterated my offer to meet and work together.

But on Tuesday, the day of the Cheyenne River Sioux meeting, Noem went back to the well, saying in a statement: I call on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from tribal lands.

The cartels instigate drug addiction, murder, rape, human trafficking, and so much more in tribal communities across the nation, including in South Dakota.

At the Cheyenne River Sioux meeting, the council chair, Ryman LeBeau, said he was concerned Noem was just seeking publicity. Leaders of the nine South Dakota tribes had discussed what action to take, he said.

The motion to ban Noem from the Cheyenne River Reservation passed unanimously, 12-0.

Noems communications director, Ian Fury, told ICT and the Rapid City Journal: Banishing Governor Noem does nothing to solve the problem. She calls on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from tribal lands.
When the law fails to stop the ruling party from cheating, protests work. That's the lesson Kurds in the city of Van, Turkey, learned during their local election this week.

The dispute between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and opposition Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) was the classic picture of strongman election tactics. And the local reaction showed what it looks like for people to successfully fight back.

Just before polls opened, authorities disqualified DEM candidate Abdullah Zeydan, because he had been convicted of terrorist propaganda for attending the funeral of Syrian Kurdish rebels. (Turkey considers most Kurdish rebels to be terrorists.) By mooting all the votes for the DEM, the government handed the election to an AKP flunkie who only won 27 percent of the vote.

The reaction from the streets was immediate and intense. The Financial Times reported that the unrest in Van sounded "exactly like a war here." After days of mass protests, Turkey's national election board reinstated Zeydan as the winner on Wednesday.

It wasn't the first time that Turkish authorities tried to overturn the will of Kurdish voters. Over the past decade, the Turkish government appointed dozens of unelected "trustee mayors" in Kurdish-majority towns, claiming that the elected mayors were linked to terrorism. DEM itself was founded after authorities shut down the previous Kurdish-led party on terrorism charges.

But it may be the first time that protests managed to reverse the government's decision. The reaction from the street was immediately, and DEM found allies outside of Kurdish areas. Turkey's largest opposition faction, the liberal Republican People's Party (CHP), joined in denouncing the government's "completely lawless" move.

"In previous instances, the [non-Kurdish] opposition was not as vocal in terms of criticizing the government," says Gonul Tol, director of the Turkey program at the Middle East Institute, a nonprofit research center in Washington, D.C. "The opposition [now] understands that the Kurdish vote is important, and they're running on a platform of restoring Turkish democracy."

Even though it gave some ground on the election, the Turkish government also took the opportunity to round up opponents. Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that authorities had arrested 340 people in Van and at solidarity rallies across the country for "illegal street protests on behalf of the Separatist Terrorist Organization," using a catch-all term for Kurdish rebels.

"I want our dear nation to know that we will not tolerate any acts of terrorism," Yerlikaya said in a statement. "I congratulate our heroic police officers who carried out the operations."

All across Turkey, the AKP took a beating in last weekend's local elections, both from ethnically Turkish and Kurdish candidates. DEM won most provinces in the Kurdish-majority southeast of the countryeven after the AKP allegedly used ballot stuffing and voter intimidation to nudge the results in its direction.

"Not all autocracies are created equal," Tol says. "Elections in Turkey are not like elections in Russia. They are actually competitive in that there is a really strong voter commitment to the electoral process."

In Bitlis, a Kurdish-majority city in southeastern Turkey, DEM demanded a recount because the government had invalided 2,013 votes in an election that the AKP won by only 198 votes. DEM's request for a recount was denied.

"We are not just competing against a political party," Ceylan Akca, a DEM member of parliament for Diyarbakir who was in Bitlis for election work,* tells Reason. "We are competing against a political party that has become the state itself."

She compares DEM's experience to a homeowner who finds a burglar in her house, calls the police, and gets arrested instead of the burglar.

Elsewhere, the nonprofit Human Rights Association accused the AKP of buying 1,200 votes for 57,000 ($61,776) in four villages. In the city of Siirt, supporters of the AKP and the rival Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) rioted against each other. The brother of the DEVA candidate was reportedly shot dead.

In Batman, another predominantly Kurdish city where DEM won the election, police cracked down on DEM's victory party. Soon after, Turkish Air Force fighter jets buzzed around the city. DEM claimed that the jets were an attempt to intimidate Kurdish voters.

Akca says that Americans should be especially concerned with the Batman incident because Turkey's combat aircraft all come from the United States, which continues to provide maintenance and upgrades. The U.S. Department of State did not respond to a request for comment.

DEM also accused the AKP of ballot stuffing through army deployments. Under Turkish law, soldiers can vote where they are deployed, even in local elections. Videos showed uniformed soldiers being brought to the polls en masse in Kurdish towns. Mehmet Zeki Irmez, the DEM member of parliament in Sirnak, called them "mobile voters."

The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not deny that the government was bussing soldiers to the polls, and claimed that the troops needed to be transported "collectively in order to prevent any security breach."

While the reaction in Van showed that Erdogan responds to public pressure, "it doesn't mean that the Kurdish win is secure," Tol says. "Maybe he's just waiting for things to calm down."

* CORRECTION: This article initially misstated which city Akca represents in parliament.

The post Kurdish Protesters Managed To Stop Election Cheating in Turkey appeared first on Reason.com.
(Bloomberg) -- Terraform Labs Pte. co-founder Do Kwon, a cryptocurrency fugitive being held in Montenegro and wanted in both South Korea and the US, may end up on trial in New York after the Balkan nations Supreme Court overturned earlier decisions, including those to hand him over to his native country.

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In case of dueling demands, the countrys justice minister will eventually decide where to hand over the suspect, after courts determine whether conditions for extradition are met, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Friday. It also sent back the case to Podgorica-based High Court for that legal assessment.

The top court in the Balkan nation of 620,000 acted after Montenegros top prosecutor challenged Kwons extradition to South Korea, citing procedural errors in the verdict. Kwons legal team has pushed for extradition to South Korea, where sentences for white-collar crimes tend to be less harsh than in the US. Montenegros government intends to approve extradition to the US, a person close to the matter, who declined to be identified as the decision isnt public yet, told Bloomberg in late February.

Hiding for months after the $40 billion collapse of his TerraUSD stablecoin in 2022, Do Kwon was arrested a year ago in Montenegro for traveling on a fake passport.

The disgraced former crypto mogul has since been caught in an institutional tug-of-war in Montenegro as the countrys justice ministry argued Kwon should be handed over to the US, while courts ruled he should be extradited to South Korea. Throughout the legal battle, the US Department of Justice pushed its case for handover.

The United States continues to seek Kwons extradition in accordance with relevant international and bilateral agreements and Montenegrin law, the Justice Department said in a March 7 statement, following a ruling to send Kwon to South Korea. The United States appreciates the cooperation of the Montenegrin authorities in ensuring that all individuals are subject to the rule of law.

Kwon was released from prison in late March, when his detention for the crime committed in Montenegro ended. His passport was withheld and he was taken to a shelter for foreigners as he awaits an extradition decision.

US prosecutors are keen to move forward the Kwon case, part of a series of high-profile cases in which prosecutors and regulators aim to wrest greater control over the crypto industry. FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison last week for stealing billions of dollars from customers, the final chapter in a case that upended the industry.

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Downtown L.A. restaurant scene mainstay Perch has become a main character in the hospitality worlds ongoing surcharge discourse for its decision to make customers pay for security costs.

Its the latest twist on a broader trend thats proven divisive among hospitality patrons: itemized fees beyond the food or drink order. What began with automatic service fees has spread to separate charges for employee health care and other itemized levies as businesses seek to maintain margins amid roiling economic impacts from the pandemic and new minimum wage laws. (As of April 1, the California base rate is $20 per hour.)

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Perchs policy, in which a 4.5 percent charge is added, became the subject of a viral discussion on Reddits Los Angeles discussion board, with the original poster noting: Having security isnt atypical. Its included in our rent. All of the buildings down here [in Perchs neighborhood of the Historic Core] have security. So why 4.5%? Why not $1.00 per check? Why this amount? How much does this fee generate for them per night? How much do they spend on their security and, most importantly, why do patrons have to pay it? Why advertise it? Is it their commentary about how unsafe their community is?

Perchs sister property, the clubby sushi sanctum Mrs. Fish on the ground floor of the same building a few blocks from Skid Row, doesnt include a security fee on its bill. Their shared operation group, Citrus Hospitality Management, didnt return The Hollywood Reporters request for comment. In language on Perchs website that has since been removed, the restaurant explained that the surcharge is necessary to pay for personnel to secure its footprint, which spans several levels on the top of its tower, including its roof.

Social media commenters were skeptical of the security surcharge, believing that operating costs should be baked into the price of goods and services. Why not add rent charge? Or insurance charge? Or payroll charge? one Redditor noted. Another jokingly asked what would happen if you brought your own security, to which a third poster responded: Then you have to pay a security corkage fee.

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L.A. tests program to send unarmed civilians instead of cops to people in crisis

LAPD officers stand by as members of a crisis outreach team enter a home in 2023. The city recently launched a new initiative that will send civilian mental health practitioners to some situations that would typically fall to armed officers. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles officials  eager to ease the city's reliance on police officers for handling nonviolent mental health emergencies  have launched a new pilot program that sends unarmed civilians with training to respond to such calls.

Modeled after a heralded program out of Oregon, city officials said the so-called Unarmed Model of Crisis Response has two teams of mental health practitioners available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for situations that would typically fall to police, such as conducting welfare checks and responding to calls for public intoxication and indecent exposure.

The program, run by the office of the city administrator, is so far operating in three police divisions  Devonshire, Wilshire and Southeast  with plans to evaluate its performance after a year and potentially expand.

City officials unveiled the initiative at a news conference earlier this week, after the program had been up and running for at least a month.

From welfare check-ins, to nonviolent mental health/drug issues, to minor health crises in encampments and elsewhere, we need more tools in our toolbox to truly help Angelenos in need," City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield said in a statement. "We cant keep asking our police officers to also be social workers, mental health clinicians and outreach workers."

Read more: LAPD's 'less-lethal' projectile launchers are leading to deadly encounters, report finds

The program is based on the "Cahoots" model, named for a Eugene, Ore., nonprofit widely considered the gold standard in mobile crisis intervention. The program, started in 1989, today handles about 20% of the mental health calls for the city of around 180,000 by dispatching teams of specialists trained in counseling and de-escalation.

The programs launch in L.A. comes amid continued public frustration with the city's handling of the intertwined issues of homelessness, substance abuse and mental health. The LAPD has come under heightened scrutiny after a string of mental health-related shootings and other use-of-force incidents. In 2023 alone, LAPD officers opened fire at least 19 times on people experiencing some form of behavioral crisis, according to a Times database.

Department officials have said repeatedly that, despite increased crisis intervention training and new "less-lethal" weapons designed to incapacitate rather than kill, officers are not always equipped to handle most mental health calls. At the same time, police say, these types of calls have the potential to quickly spiral into violence.

LAPD interim Chief Dominic Choi said during a meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners that the department "fully supports" the new program.

"It's taking some of the workload from us and shifting the resources to the appropriate" responders, Choi said.

He said 911 personnel have been trained to divert calls to the program when there are no weapons or threats of violence mentioned.

Similar programs have been around for years, with new efforts springing up since 2020, spurred by a nationwide movement to redirect law enforcement funding following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles was among the major U.S. cities that pledged to develop and invest in new emergency responses that use trained specialists to render aid to homeless people and those suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues.

Some initiatives have struggled to bring crisis intervention alternatives to scale. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Fire Department recommended ending a pilot program after officials said it didn't actually free up first responders and hospital emergency rooms.

Read more: How getting jacked up by police helped shape the LAPDs chief watchdog

The Fire Department's program launched in the fall of 2021 and has cost nearly $4 million. It operated vans staffed with psychiatric mobile response teams that included a psychiatric technician, a peer support specialist and a driver experienced in transporting patients to and from health and mental health facilities.

In New York, officials cited staffing and training issues as reasons why a Cahoots-style pilot fell short of its goal of rerouting at least 50% of mental health calls away from police.

Activists argue that such efforts remain woefully underfunded and, in same cases, are still too closely aligned with law enforcement.

Too often, city officials have undermined such alternative programs by making poor hiring choices, said Eddie Anderson, a pastor at McCarty Memorial Christian Church in Jefferson Park and a recent City Council candidate. He also questioned whether officials would continue to back the effort, given the city's lingering budget woes.

"We're really good around funding pilot programs, but not really good at accountability measures and sustainability measures around implementation," Anderson said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A Lakeland man was convicted in an Orange County courtroom on Wednesday in connection to a confrontation at a neo-Nazi demonstration in 2022.

A jury found Burt Colucci, 48, guilty of misdemeanor battery.

According to a release from the State Attorneys Office, a counter protester approached the group of white supremacist demonstrators gathered near the intersection of North Alafaya Trail and Waterford Lakes Parkway, which is east of Orlando.

Madeline Sotos cause of death wont be released, medical examiners office says

The counter protestor, identified as David Newstat, began arguing with the group as Colucci verbally harassed him, and the confrontation escalated. Colucci pepper sprayed Newstat, which was corroborated by witnesses and cellphone video of the incident.

Colucci was later arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Polk County and charged with one count of assault and one count of battery, both with hate crime enhancements.

The release said Newstat had a symbol on his vehicle associated with the Jewish faith and was wearing a necklace that identified him as Jewish. The state argued that this provoked Colucci, in which Colucci admitted to harassing Newstat using profanity and anti-Semitic slurs during the trial.

However, he was acquitted of the assault charge and hate crime enhancements. Colucci was instead convicted of misdemeanor battery in a jury trial.

He is due back in court for his sentencing on May 2.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
JERUSALEM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Friday denounced a resolution passed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible "war crimes" in the Gaza Strip as "an anti-Israeli act."

The 47-member UN rights body on Friday also urged a halt to weapons sales to Israel for violations of human rights.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, permanent representative of Israel to the UN in Geneva, accused the UNHRC of having "long abandoned the Israeli people and defended Hamas," according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

"The decisions made today are a stain on the Human Rights Council and the UN as a whole," she said, adding, "Shame on the council for adopting a resolution that does not even mention Hamas or its brutal acts on Oct. 7."

During their nearly six-month-long military campaign in Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least 33,037 people in the enclave, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

UN experts have warned that the Israeli onslaught and blockade have inflicted starvation in Gaza as the supply of food, water, electricity, and gas to the Strip has been suspended since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023. 
Landlord of NYC migrant squatter house claims gun-toting drug-dealers scammed him  he now fears for his life

The landlord of a Bronx squatter house where eight gun-toting migrants allegedly peddled drugs said he was afraid for his life after he was scammed by the nightmare tenants.

The property owner told The Post Wednesday he was left helpless to evict the migrant crew because of pro-squatter laws as the bullies refused to pay and brought chaos and noise to the block.

Our New York law is not favored to safety. Because of squatter rights, one month they live there, you cannot take them out until processing, and the process takes year after year, said the Bronx landlord, who asked not to be named.

On March 27, the Venezuelan migrants were hauled out of the basement apartment of the ravaged Bronx house, where he said theyd been shacking up without paying rent since about August  and terrorizing both him and the neighborhood.

Ive been suffering, Ive been scared. The neighbors are all scared they tell me. I install cameras they disconnect all the cameras. I finally got them all out and lock the door and they break the window and go back in.

The landlord fears he might lose his house after months of lost rent while the squatters drove him into debt

After calling the cops on the freeloaders, the squatters leered at him while drawing their fingers across their throats right in front of officers  but even then police said they couldnt do anything, he claimed.

He say, right now he isnt doing anything so we cant do anything. You know, weve got to follow the law,' the landlord said of the reporting officer.

Even after the squatters have been taken away, the landlord still fears theyll find a way to exact retribution.

That is why I dont want to be in the TV. They are still out there, he said. Its very dangerous. I hope nobody has to go through this.

Two of the suspects were carrying guns at the house when cops responded to a call of a man threating somebody with a weapon on March 27, while a search of the house found at least two more handguns along with a stash of drugs.

Eight squatters were pulled from the house last week, several of whom were found with guns and drugs on them Matthew McDermott

Neighbors say the migrants were running a gun and drug delivery service out of the apartment and terrorizing the block. Matthew McDermott

Neighbors said the migrants  four of whom ICE confirmed had skipped out on immigration hearings over the last two years  were part of a crew that ran a night-and-day drug and gun delivery operation out of the basement apartment.

They were delivering ketamine, weed, coke, guns, it was going all day and all night, said lifelong neighbor John Colby, 67.

Its all out in the open, and its all non-stop crazy, he added, explaining the migrants parked their cars and scooters in neighbors driveways and became hostile when people asked them to park elsewhere.

I really feel bad for the landlord. Hes a nice guy and this situation is just insane.

The landlord thinks a tenant scammed him into allowing squatters to move in after she skipped out on her lease in early August.

I rented to an Ecuadorian lady, she had a 14-year-old child and a husband. It was a setup. After 3 weeks she called me and say, Im leaving the apartment and Im going to leave it to my brother,' he said.

The landlord thinks he was scammed into letting the squatters into the home by a woman who skipped out on a lease. Matthew McDermott

But when he asked for documents to verify the brother, the woman allegedly stopped responding. When he went to confront the supposed brother, he found the squatters in his basement, he said.

He hasnt been collecting rent, he said, even as the squatters ran his water bill up by more than a $1,000 per month.

What are you going to do? As a landlord? Like me, a small landlord, how I keep my house? he said. My house anytime can go to the bankruptcy. Because they no paying rent. Also I have to pay the bill. Every day I am getting call from the water department. I am behind bill. All this stuff.

My regular tenants left. They are scared. Their cars are being destroyed, their properties being destroyed, these people destroyed everything here, they just destroy.
LaPorte County woman checks mail, car crashes in house right where she'd just been sitting

Diane Carter says this car crashed into her house exactly where she'd been sitting moments before.

TRAIL CREEK, Ind.  A LaPorte County woman standing at her mailbox watched in disbelief as a minivan crashed into her house.

Diane Carter said she became even more rattled when she considered the minivan drove through the exact spot in her house she had been sitting in just prior to the crash.

I would have been dead had I been there," the 75-year-old Carter said. "So, that probably was the hardest thing for me to deal with because just that knowledge, you know."

Resident Diane Carter was fetching her mail when she saw this car crash into her house in just the spot she said she'd been sitting in moments before.

The 30-year-old driver is charged in LaPorte Superior Court 4 with Level 6 felony operating while intoxicated and Class A misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

On Wednesday about 6 p.m., Trail Creek Police said the man was traveling Yanke Road when he ran a stop sign where the street dead ends with Welnetz Road.

He continued straight into Carters yard before crashing into the foundation of the quad-level home, prosecutors allege in court documents.

The front end of his 2009 Volkswagen Routan was more than halfway into the family room of the residence, which was left with bricks from the foundation all over the floor, along with other damage.

Carter said she was just about 10 minutes prior been sitting in a loveseat where the impact was made.

She went to check her mail and was at the mailbox when she saw the vehicle run the stop sign and strike her house.

Carter said the vehicle pushed the now-broken loveseat she was just in about three feet across the floor.

Luckily, no one was injured when a car plowed into a LaPorte County house, spraying bricks and wreckage across the room.

There were also numerous bricks from the foundation littering the floor of her family room.

Even if I hadnt been sitting in that chair, I could have gotten hit in the head with a foundation brick, she said.

Police say the driver claimed he was unable to stop the vehicle. He reportedly suffered just a minor cut to his head.

Police alleged his blood alcohol level was 0.09 percent, which exceeds Indiana's legal limit of 0.08 percent.

The misdemeanor offense was upgraded to a felony because of a prior OWI conviction, authorities said.

Police said the driver lives near Carter.

Initially, Carter said, she was shaken up, if not hysterical about the collision but has since calmed down.

Carter said she and her husband, Bill, who was upstairs at the time, were not injured. The drivers injuries were just minor, and the structural damage is going to be covered by her insurance policy.

I feel very grateful that everything is OK and all of this stuff is replaceable and fixable, she said.

Carter, who has lived in that house for about 35 years, said she holds no bitterness about the near-tragedy.

Im not angry with him," she said. "I just hope he gets the help he needs.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Trail Creek woman escapes injury when car crashes into her living room
It has been over two decades since the discovery of dark energy.

Scientists have therefore had more than 20 years to decode the secrets of this invisible substance that appears to be pulling the universe apart. Yet, they still know close to nothing about it. Dark energy, in fact, may not even be a substance. It could be a force or even an intrinsic property of space itself.

For instance, the standard model of cosmology  our leading theory of cosmic evolution  does suggest dark energy is unwavering across the universe and throughout time, making it a fundamental property of space . If constant, the mysterious dark energy that makes up a whopping 70 percent of the universe would push away all stars and galaxies. However, the biggest survey of the universes cosmic history could indicate that dark energy, also known as a hypothetical "anti-gravity" force , may evolve with time rather than remain constant, hinting at a less lonely future for residents of the universe.

Related: 25 years after its discovery, dark energy remains frustratingly elusive

If this early result holds with future observations, cosmologists may have to, at the very least, explore systematic uncertainties in the prevailing Lambda CDM (LCDM) model, a mathematical model of the universe in which lambda represents dark energy. They may also need to start sifting through dozens of other models of our universe to find the true best fit. Still, the evidence is tentative  it does not reach what's known as the "5-sigma threshold," which determines whether a signal can be celebrated as an official discovery. So, continuously emerging interpretations about dark energy's evolution could change with more data scheduled to come within the next few years.

"If this is true, this just turns cosmology upside down," said Dillon Brout of Boston University, who measures the acceleration of the universe with supernovas . Such a discovery would be a "paradigm shift in our thinking of what our best understanding of our universe is."

Streetlights of the universe

Perched atop the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope at Arizona's Kitt Peak National Observatory , the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI , pinpoints positions of a million galaxies each month. Through these observations, cosmologists can measure the universe's expansion rate as it increased over the past 11 billion years. These faraway galaxies, which can be likened to the " streetlights of the universe ," are thus helping cosmologists study the universe-permeating enigma of dark energy.

And, on Thursday (April 4), the DESI collaboration shared the largest-ever 3D map of the universe. It includes high-precision measurements of the universe's expansion rate over the past 11 billion years as well. In its first year of operations alone, DESI has proven to be twice as powerful at measuring the expansion history of the early universe as its predecessor, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which took more than a decade to build a similar 3D map.

This "is the next generation of data we've been waiting a long time for, so it's really nice to see it having arrived," said Brout, who is not involved with the DESI collaboration.

In addition to countless galaxies clustered together like knotted threads, DESI's new 3D map spotlights a faint pattern in the early universe known as Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, or BAO. These subtle, 3D wrinkles had flown through matter that existed during the first 380,000 years of our universe's history, freezing with time and turning into relics of an infant cosmos. By mapping the sizes of those frozen BAOs, researchers managed to estimate the distances to galaxies and infer how fast the universe was expanding at various points in time.

Because light from typical galaxies is too faint to see, as those galaxies sit very far away from us and the light they emit is relatively low-intensity, the DESI collaboration also studied over 400,000 intensely bright objects called quasars . As light from these objects glides through interstellar space , it gets absorbed by clouds of gas and dust, helping cosmologists map pockets of dense matter in a similar way to mapping galaxies.

"It lets us look out further to when the universe was very young," Andreu Font-Ribera, a scientist at the Institute for High Energy Physics in Spain and a member of the DESI collaboration, said in a statement . "It's a really hard measurement to do, and very cool to see it succeed."

'If this is real, we're in uncharted territory'

The preliminary conclusion that dark energy could be evolving with time comes from an early analysis of DESI data combined with data from other cosmological data. The researchers found a varying dark energy model agreed better with the data compared to the standard model. To be clear, no single dataset by itself convincingly reveals the time-evolving nature of dark energy, but the signal becomes slightly stronger when all datasets are combined.

"It is not a strong enough preference that I would say Lambda CDM is wrong," Kyle Dawson, the co-spokesperson for DESI at the University of Utah, told Space.com. "We've actually never found deviations from that model before with any real meaning."

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From the early analysis, however, it appears dark energy is transitioning from being a strong driver of acceleration of our universe to tapering off to some degree, said Dawson.

"If this is real, we're in uncharted territory," said Brout. The DESI collaboration used the second simplest model of our universe after Lambda CDM, which is unremarkable except for its ability to help cosmologists check for deviations from the standard model. If future observations in the pipeline indeed find dark energy is evolving with time, dozens of other models too would become viable, and cosmologists would have to start testing all of them individually, said Brout.

"If it's not Lambda CDM, who knows?"
And theyre off!

Courtesy of Turtles Fly Too

The largest sea turtle release in Georgia history took place on Jekyll Island this week.

After months receiving treatment at four East Coast facilities, 34 sea turtles re-entered the wild with a splash Wednesday. More than a dozen staff members cheered on the 33 Kemps ridley sea turtles and one green sea turtle as they swam into the warm waters of the Atlantic.

The turtles spent the past four to five months at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Mystic Aquarium, New England Aquarium, and New York Marine Rescue Center, where they underwent care for hypothermia-related conditions including pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma caused by cold-stunning, an annual phenomenon that happens in the Northeast when water and air temperatures rapidly drop late in the year.

Sara Hertwig for Turtles Fly Too

The Kemps ridley, the smallest species of sea turtles in the world, is listed as critically endangered, while green sea turtles are currently listed as endangered.

The rehabilitation and release of just one critically endangered Kemps ridley sea turtle can have a huge impact on the population, and we are grateful to play a part in the critical conservation efforts for this species, Sarah Callan, manager of Mystic Aquariums Animal Rescue Program, said in a statement.

Sara Hertwig for Turtles Fly Too

Volunteer pilots from the nonprofit organization, Turtles Fly Too, flew some of the turtles from Massachusetts and New York to the Georgia barrier island. This allowed them to reach their destination quickly and with limited stress.

Rachel Overmeyer, rehabilitation program manager at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, told ABC News that Jekyll Island was chosen as the release location because the water at any point north is still too cold for the turtles. The region is also likely where they would be in their migration route.

Sara Hertwig for Turtles Fly Too

"As the Jekyll Island Authoritys Georgia Sea Turtle Center continues its mission to protect and conserve sea turtles, partnerships are paramount. Through collaborative efforts, we can ensure the successful rehabilitation and return of these magnificent creatures to their natural habitats, safeguarding their future for generations to come, Michelle Kaylor, director of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, said in a news release. We are honored that Jekyll Island could serve as the host beach location on the Atlantic coast for the release of these rehabilitated sea turtles as they make their way to warmer waters.

Sara Hertwig for Turtles Fly Too

Overmeyer told WJCL 22 News that she has participated in numerous releases over the years.

"Releases are just so special because it's what we put our blood, sweat and tears into, and it's what we do every day. It is what we work for. So to be able to see them released is really exciting," she said.

Go, turtles, go!

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Read the original article on Southern Living.
New Las Cruces City Manager looks into the citys future

New Las Cruces City Manager looks into the citys future

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KTSM)  Ikani Taumoepeau is the new city manager for Las Cruces, New Mexico. He stepped into his new role on Monday, April 1.

Ikani Taumoepeau officially appointed as Las Cruces City Manager

Taumoepeau will serve three years in office with a salary of $216,000 along with a $500 monthly car stipend.

He was chosen out of nine candidates, which were all internal, to become the new city manager.

Taumoepeau was chosen after a divided vote where Las Cruces City Counselor Cassie McClure voted no.

His response to that no decision was that he promised to give his 120 percent.

KTSM asked Taumoepeau what he plans to do moving ahead in his new role and he said to execute the vision of city council.

Moving ahead, were going to do it with carino. We have a saying, Adelante con carino,' Taumoepeau said.

Before taking on the new role, Taumoepeau served as assistant city manager under Ifo Pili since 2021.

Taumoepeau said hes already set items on his list to start taking care of the citys budget.

We have infrastructure needs, [we have] great potential for new parks, great potential for a new police station, a fire station, Taumoepeau said.

Taumoepeau told KTSM that after figuring out the budget, public safety is on the forefront, especially after the tragic death of Las Cruces Police Officer Jonah Hernandez in February 2024.

Its number one on the city councilors minds right now. To keep this community safe, Taumoepeau said.

KTSM asked Taumoepeau what gets him up every morning to strive for the City of the Crosses, his response was the following:

This is becoming my community. I mean, I say I live in this community, Im here in this community, but theyve been here their whole life. And so, I want to get there, I want to feel, I want to get to know everyone. I want to know people by their last names. Thats what gets me up in the morning, he said.

Taumoepeau said his former position of assistant city manager remains vacant as he looks forward to filling the position quickly and internally.

To read more on the City of Las Cruces, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Las Vegas-area driver in DUI crash that killed 2 toddlers could serve 2 years; mom also facing time

Las Vegas-area driver in DUI crash that killed 2 toddlers could serve 2 years; mom also facing time

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The aunt of two toddlers killed in a DUI crash, which left one of her nieces decapitated, could serve two years in prison as part of a plea deal.

North Las Vegas police said speeding and impairment caused Kaleah Manning to lose control of a mini-van on Dec. 11, 2022. Police said Manning sideswiped trees, hit a light pole and a wall, and then crashed into a palm tree head-on. Her sister, Raenysa Washington, was a passenger in the car with her children, police said.

Neither child was in a child restraint as required by Nevada law, police said at the time of the crash. Police said Mannings blood alcohol level was measured at 0.191, more than twice the legal limit in Nevada.

Kaleah Manning in the drivers seat following a suspected DUI crash that killed two toddlers (NLVPD)

Rose Wilmer, 2, was decapitated in the crash and her sister, Taylor Wilmer, 3, died at the hospital.

Manning pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of DUI resulting in death, records said. Washington pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse.

As part of the deal, a judge could sentence Manning to 2-40 years in prison. Nevada law stipulates sentences for DUI resulting in death can be anywhere from two to 20 years. The time is doubled for Manning due to the two counts, documents indicated, but a judge could sentence her to serve the terms concurrently.

Washington faces anywhere from two to 12 years in prison on the child abuse charges, documents said.

Kaleah Manning, (left) and her sister, Raenysa Washington, as seen shortly after their arrests. (NLVPD/KLAS)

The attorneys representing the initially said Manning denied the allegations, despite police body camera footage of the crash scene and her behind the wheel. The lawyers had cited mechanical concerns with the cars power steering, the car that police documents show was taken from a friend of Manning the night of the crash.

Both women are scheduled to be sentenced in June. Both were previously released on bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Neighbors are requesting a sign that faith leaders hear their concerns, and city planners now have more time to choose the right recommendation for the community.

The City of Las Vegas Planning Commission was originally set to hear from applicants from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Apr. 9 regarding possible action for two items.

One item would request amending the citys General Plan land use map, and the other would request a new zoning designation for the parcel where the LDS temple is planned.

City of Las Vegas Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske, who represents Ward 4, where the temple is proposed, announced that the applicant requested on Wednesday to hold their proposal. It is now planned to be discussed on May 14 at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers.

Fifteen residents from the community met with 8newsnow.com feet away from the proposed temple site to express their thoughts on the date change.

I kind of expected it, Katrina Corse, a Las Vegas resident, said. Ive been out here since 1992. Ive built my home, and weve been fighting to keep our rural way of life.

Katrina Corse expresses her thoughts on the meeting date changes. (KLAS)

Corse lamented the difficulty between the community and the temple planners regarding the parcel and hoped for some kind of dialogue from designers about the propertys height.

These are things they should be asking the community, she said. Prior to shoving this thing on us.

The two parcels owned by the LDS church total 20 acres, and plans indicate the building will be as high as 216 feet, with no plans for an angel Moroni.

Brigitte Solvie, president and founding member of the Northwest Rural Preservation Association, said she sees the meeting change as a chance for the LDS temple planners to talk with residents.

It gives an opportunity to open negotiations, she said. Whether or not that will happen is in their court.

Bud Stoddard, stake president of the Las Vegas Lone Mountain Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told 8 News Now he has heard from the community but the ability to change the height of the temple is not up to him.

Those are great questions, and theyre above my pay grade, he said. I just dont have a say about the overall size of the temple.

Residents and Northwest RPA members said if its not up to the local faith leader, they want to speak with whoever is in charge.

THE AGREEMENT

The new Planning Commission Staff Report found the requested zoning change for the LDS temple was compatible with the Interlocal Agreement, a document that could possibly limit the project, but residents objected to the finding.

We had the city and the county show up and agreed this was going to be [desert rural density residential] zoning, Lee Dusbabek, a Las Vegas resident, said.

Lee Dusbabek discusses the potential LDS temple site. (KLAS)

Dusbabek said he grew to be an expert on the community and the early stages of the Interlocal Agreement during his communications with former Clark County Commissioner Paul Christensen.

I would have to, on a bi-weekly basis, fax him over the city agenda so he would know the parcels that were being zoned out, Dusbabek said. At that time, we saw this coming.

In 2002, the city, county, and community drew up the Interlocal Agreement, which presented restrictions that would halt the LDS temple due to its height and footprint, but the staff report disputes the conflict.

The Interlocal Agreement is explicit in its position on amending a jurisdictions comprehensive plan or rezoning of properties to commercial or industrial uses, staff wrote in the report. However, it is silent regarding amending the General Plan or rezoning to allow civic uses such as government facilities, schools and religious facilities.

Residents expressed concern a temple would open the door to further construction and rezoning on a case-by-case basis, but that threshold has already been crossed according to the staff report.

A public notice sign sits at the potential site of an LDS temple. (KLAS)

The Las Vegas Valley Water District facility at the northwest corner of Alexander Road and Tee Pee Lane provides an example of this, staff wrote in the report. Not all such uses are alike, and thus future projects would need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for compatibility with the adjacent land uses and zoning districts.

Janel McDonald, a Las Vegas resident, said she has become disappointed that the planning commission item has already been recommended for approval from the staff report before the communitys argument regarding building codes has been raised.

Its hard to believe the homeowners voices genuinely matter, she said. When we express legitimate concerns regarding the temples footprint, the increased traffic, the adverse lighting effects, and the necessity of following the current zoning, building codes, and the [sic] Interlocal Agreement that has been in place for 20 years.

Residents disputed the staff reports reasoning of exemptions surrounding civic uses, countering that any departure from the height and footprint guidelines is in direct conflict with the intent of the agreement.

8 News Now contacted an LDS spokesperson for a response regarding the meeting change and an opportunity to respond to the communitys concerns.

We are aware of the request for an abeyance of the land use application for the proposed Lone Mountain Temple to May 14th. We hope that over the coming weeks all individuals interested in this matter will follow Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenskes invitation to engage in constructive dialogue. We are aware of both strong concerns and strong support for the temple. As the land use process moved forward there will be ongoing evaluations of ways to try and address concerns.  President Bud Stoddard, Las Vegas LDS Lone Mountain Stake

KEEP OUR WORDS KIND

As concerns have grown online about the proposed LDS temple multiple residents have cited the possible need for a reminder to love thy neighbor, including a note from Councilwoman Allen-Palenske.

A crowd gathers to discuss the proposed LDS temple site. (KLAS)

I live near the site for the proposed LDS temple and the weight of this decision is heavy with the concerns of our community, she wrote in an online post. Its my hope that each of you can remain civil, debate facts and keep our words kind.

Some residents have notified 8 News Now of multiple incidents of name-calling and antagonistic language online regarding the proposed temple, not all of which could be verified.

Glynis Harris, a Las Vegas resident, noted the lack of recognition from church leaders is what feels the most unkind.

I respect their wanting to build a temple that means so much to them, she said. But how about respect in return to [sic] our concerns and what means so much to our neighborhood.

Stake President Stoddard told 8 News Now he recognized the concerns of the community but underlined not all residents oppose the project as his 3,000 local members do want the temple.

At the end of the Thursday interview with Lone Mountain residents, Christian Salmon invited residents to go with him to pray at the parcel, underlining a common thread found on both sides of this disagreementfaith in what they believe is best for the community.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Las Vegas teen killer released from prison kills again, twice: The dear Lord is not done with you

Las Vegas teen killer released from prison kills again, twice: The dear Lord is not done with you

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A man who murdered his neighbor as a teenager, and who was later granted mandatory parole under two Nevada laws, would go on to kill two people and shoot a third before killing himself.

But Mark Fords actions, though extremely violent, are rare for young offenders who attempt to reintegrate into society after serving decades in prison, the 8 News Now Investigators found.

Ford, 36, killed two people, shot a third, and then died by suicide between Feb. 20 and Feb. 25, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained. In all, Ford killed three people  not including himself  as he served 20 years in prison for the 2003 murder of Vincent Gomes.

2003: The first murder

Ford was 15 at the time of his arrest for Vincent Gomes murder. He broke into the house Vincent Gomes shared with his ex-wife, Roberta Gomes, stabbing the man in the neck.

Mark Ford, seen here at 15, after his arrest for the murder of Vincent Gomes in February 2003. (KLAS)

I think about it every February, Roberta Gomes told the 8 News Now Investigators, now 21 years after her ex-husbands death. Little did Roberta Gomes know at the time  February would become the anniversary of Vincents killer, too.

The couple were married for 26 years but divorced in the late 1990s. They remained friends and lived together in Peccole Ranch.

I felt bad for him, and I told him Id always be there if he ever needed anything  and he did, Roberta Gomes said about their living arrangement.

One afternoon I came home and there are police cars there; TV crews running around, Roberta Gomes said about Feb. 24, 2003.

Though Roberta and Vincent Gomes divorced in the late-1990s, the pair shared a home in Peccole Ranch. (KLAS)

Vincent Gomes had called 911, saying a person had broken into his house. In a second call, he told a dispatcher a person stabbed him before he lost consciousness.

Later in the evening, officers told Roberta Gomes her ex-husband was dead.

And they said, Your husbands been murdered by a person, she said. Later, I found out it was a person that Id know when he was 10 years old.

That naive neighbor would soon be convicted of killing her ex-husband. Too young to vote, too young to drink, but old enough to kill.

Crime scene photos the 8 News Now Investigators obtained show then-15-year-old Ford shortly after his arrest. During his trial, Ford said he never intended to kill Vincent Gomes in the burglary. A year later, a jury found Ford guilty of second-degree murder.

Roberta Gomes spoke to Ford at the sentencing before a judge handed down two life terms with the possibility of parole. (KLAS)

Roberta Gomes spoke to Ford at the sentencing before a judge handed down two life terms with the possibility of parole.

Youre not going to get away with it, Roberta Gomes remembers telling Ford. You might be punished in prison, but the dear Lord is not done with you yet, you will get yours again sometime.

2022: Granted parole

Ford went before the Nevada Parole Board twice: Once in 2012 and again in 2022. The first time, he was up for parole on the first life term. While the hearing happened, the board legally could not release Ford until his second life term was complete.

Im definitely asking for forgiveness and a second chance out in life, Ford said from prison during his 2022 hearing, according to a video copy the 8 News Now Investigators obtained through a records request. By then, Ford was in custody for almost all of that minimum 20-year term and Nevada law stipulated he was up for mandatory parole.

Ford went before the Nevada Parole Board twice: Once in 2012 and again in 2022. (KLAS)

In the 20 years Ford was incarcerated, the Nevada Legislature under then Govs. Jim Gibbons and Brian Sandoval, both Republicans, passed two laws that eventually led to his February 2023 release.

In 2009, Assembly Bill 474 retroactively granted offenders under 16 mandatory parole if they completed certain requirements, like education and job training. In 2015, Assembly Bill 267 retroactively granted offenders under 18 mandatory parole after serving 20 years in crimes resulting in death.

The second law followed two U.S. Supreme Court rulings, which also retroactively removed life sentences without parole for children.

During Fords 2022 parole hearing, parole commissioners noted Ford was a low risk. A risk assessment tool, one the board administers when making its decision, came to that conclusion due to the age when he was arrested  15  programming he completed in prison, including obtaining a GED, and lack of recent discipline.

During Fords 2022 parole hearing, parole commissioners noted Ford was a low risk. (KLAS)

The order granting Ford parole also cites his positive institutional record and his participation in programs specific to addressing behavior that led to incarceration. During the hearing, Ford told the panel he completed anger management class over the 20-year term.

When the 8 News Now Investigators asked the Nevada Department of Corrections about specific programs Ford completed, we were directed only to the release document itself.

I have had 20 years to reflect on my actions that day, Ford told the commissioners, who ultimately voted to release Ford, citing the two Nevada laws requiring mandatory release.

Twenty years to the day Ford killed Vincent Gomes, the Nevada Department of Corrections released the 35-year-old man to begin that second chance.

Within a year, Mark Ford was dead.

An NDOC booking photo of Mark Ford before his February 2023 release. (NDOC/KLAS)

2024: Two more murders

Metro police say a man accused of shooting and killing two people in five days has died by suicide, an 8 News Now anchor reported during a newscast on Feb. 25, 2024.

On Tuesday, Feb. 20, around 5 p.m., Jessica Russos mother called police saying she found her 36-year-old daughter unresponsive with several gunshot wounds at a home near St. Rose Parkway and Bermuda Road. Investigators identified Ford as Russos boyfriend and said Ford also lived at the home.

On Sunday, Feb. 25, around midnight, Ford shot and killed John Dorotiak, 44, outside of Dottys near Hualapai and Elkhorn. Dorotiak worked there as a bartender, one of two jobs he did to support his wife and 16-month-old daughter, his family said. Police identified Ford as an acquaintance of Dorotiaks, though the exact relationship remained unclear.

Sometime between Dorotiaks murder and the discovery of Fords body, Ford shot another man in the head, documents said. In that third shooting, a person called police saying Ford was outside a home near Cactus Avenue and Valley View Boulevard. The victim, a man, was shot outside of the home and survived, documents said. The mans name was not made public. Police said the third victim was a friend of Fords.

Later that morning, police found Ford dead in a car outside of a home in the south valley near Las Vegas Boulevard and St. Rose Parkway, documents said. Officers found Ford with a gunshot wound to his chest.

Juvenile justice

Its heartbreaking, Preston Shipp, senior policy counsel for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, said. Shipp is a former prosecutor who works with the group that advocated for changes in Nevadas law.

What responsibility does the parole board have to make sure a person like Mark Ford has the education has the skills and has the mindset to not reoffend once hes back out in the world? 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked Shipp.

Parole boards are taking it very seriously. when they have questions about whether someone can be safely released, theyre keeping them in, Shipp said. They certainly dont have a crystal ball.

The future would show young offenders like Ford would be unlikely to do it again. According to a Montclair State University cited by CFSY, just 1% of young lifers, those given sentences of life without parole, who, unlike Ford, have no chance of ever leaving prison, re-offend if they are released.

Several studies the 8 News Now Investigators reviewed, including one from the Nevada Department of Corrections, show the longer a younger person is in prison and the more access they have to programming, the more likely they can successfully reintegrate into society.

No notice

Soon after Fords death in February, the 8 News Now Investigators called Roberta Gomes.

And you had no idea that he was even out? Charns asked Roberta Gomes.

No, she said. The district attorney said, When he comes up for parole. You will be notified.

The future would show young offenders like Ford would be unlikely to do it again. According to CFSY, just 1% of young lifers, those given sentences of life without parole, who, unlike Ford, have no chance of ever leaving prison, re-offend if they are released. (KLAS)

Roberta Gomes said she was not notified nor did she, at that point, know Ford was dead. All these years later, she said he got a greater punishment.

To me, 21 years later I was sort of shocked, but I said, Well, the dear Lord I guess did what I guess he said he was going to do, she said.

The 8 News Now Investigators asked to interview parole commissioners about mandatory decisions like Mark Fords. Instead, a spokesperson declined, saying no commissioner was available at any time.

The 8 News Now Investigators also asked Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardos office for comment, since it is the governor who appoints commissioners to the board. A year into the job, Lombardo has appointed one of the seven commissioners serving on the board. The governors office did not respond to the request.

In the years since Vincent Gomes death, the Nevada Legislature enacted and voters approved Marsys Law, which requires the state to alert victims of an offenders release. However, victims must opt-in to the service.

The 8 News Now Investigators attempted to contact a member of Fords family but did not receive a response.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
(Bloomberg) -- Latvia wants to improve the enforcement of European Union sanctions against Russia by deploying the tools its used to stamp out illicit financing.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The EUs Baltic members have been among the most aggressive in criticizing Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. But theyve struggled to police a flow of trade from the rest of the bloc to countries in central Asia  with goods ultimately ending up in Russia to feed the Kremlins war machine.

That task will now fall to Latvias Financial Intelligence Unit, whose mandate will expand from probing financial crime to controlling trade sanctions. The agency will freeze assets belonging to sanctioned individuals, create pools of sanctions data, publish lists of frozen assets and maintain a public search engine of entities and people facing EU penalties.

The tools that were introduced in the financial sector, the reforms the financial sector reform brought, they can be also used for properly implementing sanctions, Paulis Iljenkovs, the FIUs deputy director, said in an interview.

The FIU was given new tools after a series of financial scandals, including the demise of Latvias second-biggest bank, which the US Treasury accused of money laundering in 2018. Once a skeleton crew in Riga, the enforcer scaled up, adding staff and expertise in an effort clean up the banking sector.

That success has prompted the government to hand it the sanctions portfolio, as the EU prepares its 14th package of measures against Russia since the invasion began over two years ago. The penalties have cost Russia about $400 billion in lost income so far, according to EU sanctions envoy David OSullivan.

Shutting Trade

Still, sanctioned goods from Europe are making their way into Russia, often by way of third countries that either never receive them or redirect them. Almost a quarter of 450 million ($488 million) of so-called high priority items that reached Russia from the bloc in the first nine months of 2023 was shipped directly from Europe.

The Baltic nations occupy one of the most sensitive positions in the EU, with ports, rail and highway links making their territory a natural stopping place for goods trying to find a way into Russia. The FIU deputy directory said investigations have primarily looked into those guiding the traffic outside the country.

The majority of criminal proceedings that have been initiated by our tax and customs police are not against Latvian companies, theyre against other companies registered in the EU that use Latvia as a transit country, Iljenkovs said.

Recent focus has also been on calls to ban the transit of Russian grain and manganese ore, an element that Russia may be using in production of military goods.

That may eventually raise the prospect of Latvia shutting the trade altogether. A halt to exports would cost the economy about two percentage points of output, central bank Governor Martins Kazaks has said.

That would mean no growth or a shallow recession  not painless, but not crazy either, Kazaks said on social platform X last month. It is necessary to leave the market of the aggressor country.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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London  British police have opened an investigation into explicit messages sent to a lawmaker as part of an alleged sexting scam targeting legislators, in the latest cybersecurity scare to hit parliament. Conservative member of Parliament William Wragg acknowledged late Thursday that he had sent the personal phone numbers of several colleagues to a man he met on a gay dating app.



Wragg, 36, told The Times newspaper he did so under pressure, as the recipient claimed to have compromising material on him.



"I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn't work now," said the Conservative party MP, who is standing down at the next election.



"I've hurt people by being weak. I was scared. I'm mortified," he was quoted as saying.

A file photo taken from video shows Member of the British Parliament William Wragg (standing), a Conservative party member, addressing the House of Commons. / Credit: Reuters

The scam has been described as a "spear phishing" attack, in which supposedly trusted senders steal personal or sensitive information.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, a senior cabinet member in charge of the nation's finances, said the allegations of a cyberattack against Wragg were "a great cause for concern."

Jeremy Hunt praised Wragg for giving what he called "a courageous and fulsome apology," but added that the "lesson here for all MPs is that they need to be very careful about cybersecurity," which he said applied to "members of the public as well, because this is something that we are all having to face in our daily lives."

China accused of cyberattacks on U.K.

Last month, the U.K. government summoned China's top envoy in London to complain about a series of cyberattacks, including against MPs, and previous claims of espionage against lawmakers by Beijing.



There was no explicit evidence of Chinese involvement in the targeting of Wragg and his colleagues, which was first reported by Politico this week. But it will again raise questions about cybersecurity for MPs and in the U.K. parliament as a whole.



According to The Times, two MPs also responded to the initial message to them with explicit personal photos.



Leicestershire Police in central England said officers were "investigating a report of malicious communication" sent to a local MP last month.



"They were reported to police on Tuesday March 19. Inquiries are currently ongoing," a statement read.

U.S. charges Chinese hackers

The revelation about the phishing attacks against British lawmakers came less than two weeks after the U.S. Justice Department announced charges against seven Chinese nationals linked to a state-sponsored group, who were accused of targeting U.S. businesses, along with political officials, candidates and campaign staff to promote the Chinese government's "economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives."

CBS News' Kaia Hubbard reported that the seven people were accused by the U.S. of being part of a "group of malicious cyber actors" behind a conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud, some of which resulted in successful compromise of email accounts and phone records.

"This case serves as a reminder of the ends to which the Chinese government is willing to go to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and our allies," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement at the time.

FBI chief warns Congress of Chinese hackers targeting U.S. infrastructure

Unlike the phishing attacks described by officials in Britain, which appeared to rely on messaging of a sexual nature, the alleged hacking scheme at the heart of the latest prosecutions in the U.S. were centered around emails sent to people and businesses that appeared to be from news outlets or journalists, but which contained hidden phishing links that would send information back to a server controlled by the alleged hackers.

Officials said staff at the White House and federal agencies, and members of Congress from both political parties and, in some cases their spouses, were among those targeted.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement that the scheme involved "over 10,000 malicious emails, impacting thousands of victims, across multiple continents."

"As alleged in today's indictment, this prolific global hacking operation  backed by the PRC government  targeted journalists, political officials, and companies to repress critics of the Chinese regime, compromise government institutions, and steal trade secrets."

Hubbard said the Justice Department had made it clear, however, that the U.S. indictment did not "allege that the hacking furthered any Chinese government influence operations against the United States," which was consistent with a 2021 official report that found, while some information had been gathered by Chinese actors, it was not used in influence operations.

White House cancels iftar dinner after meeting with Muslim community leaders

Jose Andres says slain World Central Kitchen workers were targeted "systematically, car by car"

Hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants accused of assaulting police officers
People lay flowers to mourn the deceased at a cemetery in Beijing, capital of China, April 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

LANZHOU, April 5 (Xinhua) -- In the Tianqiao public cemetery in Lanzhou, the capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, sun filters through the cypresses that line the roads, casting light on the chrysanthemums surrounding the graves.

The entire cemetery is enveloped in solemn tranquility, only interrupted by the occasional murmurs of visiting crowds.

In China, Qingming Festival, which falls on Thursday this year, has longstanding tomb-sweeping and ancestor worship traditions. From the spring equinox to Qingming every year, tomb-sweeping activities peak in the cemetery, which receives up to 6,000 visitors each day.

Despite this year's influx, the cemetery remains tranquil and tidy, far from how it was in the past, when the air was often full of heavy smoke and dust from the burning of paper offerings.

Many Chinese people believe that burning paper money can ensure a prosperous afterlife for their deceased loved ones.

"We now advocate the use of fresh flowers instead of traditional paper offerings for tomb-sweeping, as it is more environmentally friendly and safer," said Wang Wei, who works at the Tianqiao cemetery.

Wang said that traditional rites also used to trigger fires as graveyards are usually located near forest areas.

In recent years, the Chinese government has promoted environmental protection by encouraging changes to certain burial and ritual customs, optimizing both online and offline funeral services, and fostering more modern commemoration activities.

Flowers in lieu of paper money, ribbons to express condolences, letter-writing and online tomb-sweeping are among the ways to pay tribute to the dead that are gaining increasing popularity across the country.

Wang, who has worked at the Tianqiao cemetery for 16 years, attributes the widespread acceptance of low-carbon and simplified rituals to the public's changing perceptions of life and death.

"More and more people are beginning to understand that the essence of ancestor worship and commemorating their loved ones is their heartfelt remembrance, rather than the numbers or forms of offerings," Wang said.

According to Liu Wansheng, head of a Lanzhou funeral parlor, increasing numbers of people living far away from their hometowns are turning to worship and tomb-sweeping by proxy, as well as online memorial services.

By the end of March, the funeral parlor had carried out more than 1,200 online memorial services and opened over 300 online memorial halls.

This year, 36-year-old Wang Fangfang, a staff member of the Lanzhou funeral parlor, started offering professional funeral consultation services.

"Some people feel overwhelmed when facing the death of a loved one, and they can call us for help," she said, noting that she has observed that more and more people are viewing funerals rationally, only hoping that they are decent and full of respect.

Rather than erecting tombstones, some are opting for eco-friendly alternatives like wall, tree or lawn burials.

"These new types of graves only occupy about 0.8 square meters, roughly half the space of traditional graves," said Yang Xiaoping, head of the Tianqiao cemetery.

According to the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs, the public acceptance of eco-burial methods has been on the rise in recent years. Over the last three years, the proportion of people opting for eco-friendly burials has increased to 3.2 percent in China.

"For a long time, talking about death has been a taboo for Chinese people, and some in the funeral services sector have even had to avoid mentioning their profession to others, or shaking hands with other people. And some have even had to avoid attending weddings and other celebrations," said Liang Wei, head of the comprehensive management department of the Lanzhou funeral parlor.

"However, things have changed. The public, especially young people, are becoming more open-minded and regard us simply as people working in the services sector," Liang said.

Accordingly, increasing numbers of young people are willing to join the funeral industry, according to Liu. Recruitment at the funeral parlor is not as challenging as it was before, and staff members below the age of 40 account for about half of its current total.

"Death is a part of life, and funerals are the final farewell ceremonies for the deceased. Understanding death can also lead to better respect for life," Liu added. 
Little Rock attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan responds to legislators' questions about his contract with the Arkansas Board of Corrections during a Joint Performance Review Committee hearing on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (Screenshot from Arkansas Legislature live feed)

Arkansas lawmakers spent six hours Thursday raking state Board of Corrections leaders and the boards outside attorney over changes to the lawyers contract and how the board conducts its business.

Members of the Joint Performance Review Committee criticized prison board chairman Benny Magness and secretary Lee Watson over the handling of the lawyers hiring. They spent more than hour questioning attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan over changes he made to a service contract form before the board submitted it to state procurement officials.

Alterations to the contract werent caught before it went into effect could subject the state to liability, state Procurement Director Ed Armstrong said last month.

The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee is also looking into the boards contract with Mehdizadegan and the Hall Booth Smith law firm.

The board has been embroiled in a dispute since November with Attorney General Tim Griffin, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri over who has ultimate authority over Arkansas prison system.

The prison board hired Mehdizadegan on Dec. 8 after a half-hour closed-door meeting characterized as a meeting to discuss an employment matter. Griffin usually represents state agencies in legal cases, but Arkansas law allows special counsel to be appointed in disputes between the attorney general and constitutional officers.

Watson, Magness and board member William Dubs Byers all testified under oath to lawmakers Thursday, along with Mehdizadegan, about how the board decided to hire the attorney and how his contract was drawn up.

Mehdizadegan has been representing the board in two ongoing lawsuits, but there has been confusion about how the board should proceed with paying his fees.

In December, the board challenged two state laws  Act 185 of 2023 and Sections 79 and 89 of Act 659 of 2023  that removed the corrections secretary, director of correction and director of community corrections from the boards purview.

These laws appeared to violate Amendment 33 of the Arkansas Constitution and made the board a toothless tiger, board member Watson told lawmakers Thursday.

Watson said he contacted Mehdizadegan in November to ask for informal input about the two laws and Profiris conduct. The board took issue with Profiri attempting to proceed with parts of a temporary prison expansion plan without board approval. The board later suspended and fired Profiri.

Sanders subsequently hired Profiri as a special adviser at a salary of $201,699.89 a year, about $8,300 less than he made as Corrections Secretary.

The board saw hiring outside counsel in the dispute with the Sanders administration as a worst-case scenario but felt compelled to do so, Watson said.

We were going, I think, [to a place] where we either had to do this or we all just needed to resign and walk away, he said.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Patricia James blocked the two laws in January, ruling the board was likely to succeed on the merits of its argument that the acts interfered with the panels constitutional authority to oversee the prison system granted by Amendment 33.

James also denied a motion from Griffin to disqualify Mehdizadegan and Hall Booth Smith from representing the prison board.

The other lawsuit in which Mehdizadegan represents the board is one Griffin filed in December, claiming violation of the state Freedom of Information Act by hiring Mehdizadegan behind closed doors.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox gave Griffin and his staff a deadline to work with the corrections board on an agreement with an outside attorney, and Fox dismissed the case in January after Griffins office did not meet the deadline.

Fox criticized Griffins office for wasting taxpayer money with the lawsuit; Griffin appealed Foxs ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Confusion and accusations

Magness wrote a letter to Sanders in November stating that he believed Profiri was violating Amendment 33. Sanders did not respond, and she directed Profiri in December to move ahead with the temporary prison expansion without board approval, which made the need to hire outside counsel an emergency, Watson said.

This meant the board had no time to go through the states procurement process, which includes requests for qualifications and bids from multiple candidates, Watson and Mehdizadegan both testified. Mehdizadegan also said he has represented state agencies before and never had to go through the procurement and bidding process.

Watson, Byers and Magness all said Mehdizadegan was not presented as a potential hire to the board of corrections until it met and hired him Dec. 8 after the executive session. No other attorney was considered in the brief meeting.

Magness and Mehdizadegan did not sign the contract finalizing the hire until March. Mehdizadegan told the Advocate at the time that he altered the contract before it was signed. He said he believed the language was reasonable and reflected the ongoing differences in opinion between the prison board, lawmakers and executive branch officials over the boards legal and constitutional independence.

He said Thursday that he believed the changes he made were permissible while the contract was still unsigned.

What I had was a proposal and an offer, and I made a counteroffer, Mehdizadegan said. The Board of Corrections are experts in corrections. Theyre not experts in procurement. They have people for that, and so I expected those people to do their jobs.

The board has the option of seeking the Legislatures retroactive approval of Mehdizadegans hiring. Absent that approval, the law firms only recourse for seeking payment for its work would be to go through the state Claims Commission, lawmakers said.

Mehdizadegan added the words if applicable to the portion of the contract that said any amendment increasing his compensation would be subject to legislative approval.

Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, accused Mehdizadegan of using this change to try to secure more money for his services; Mehdizadegan denied this claim.

Lawmakers also took issue with Mehdizadegans addition of the words if applicable to the section about the states sovereign immunity  the idea that the state cannot be sued without its consent  because it could be read as a waiver of this immunity.

Upon questioning from Sen. Matt Stone, R-Camden, Watson said he wasnt sure sovereign immunity was an issue in either lawsuit, but it was a possibility he discussed with Mehdizadegan.

Magness, Byers and Watson all said the prison boards meetings are open to the public and recorded, but executive sessions are not documented. Meeting minutes are not posted online.

Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said he was disappointed in the board for conducting business in a way he believed was intentionally hidden from the public eye.

The processes were to make sure that no one could follow the process, he said. Nothing was done in the open. The only open thing that we have to talk about [regarding] a $207,000 potential bill for the state of Arkansas is a three-minute meeting in which someone was hired.

The three minutes referred to the amount of time it took the board after the Dec. 8 executive session to vote in public to hire an attorney and to hire Mehdizadegan.

In response to lawmakers questions, Watson said he did not believe he and Mehdizadegan formed an attorney-client relationship before Dec. 8.

Dismang and Gazaway took issue with Watsons later statement that he told Mehdizadegan during their informal conversations that they might be subject to attorney-client privilege or the Freedom of Information Act.

Joint Performance Review plans to continue its probe April 11, and co-chair Rep. Mark Berry, R-Ozark, said he expects discussion to include whether the committee should issue subpoenas for some witnesses.

The post Lawmakers criticize Arkansas Board of Corrections members, attorney over altered contract appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  The leader of a large drug and human trafficking operation pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in federal court Friday.

Cordell Washington, 37, of Pickerington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances near an elementary school, money laundering, labor trafficking and drug trafficking-related charges. He is the 21st defendant in the case to plead guilty.

According to court documents, Washington and co-defendant Patrick Saultz oversaw a drug trafficking operation in Columbus that spanned nearly 15 years. Saultz, who pleaded guilty in July 2023 and was known as White Boy Pat, admitted to selling drugs out of multiple west Columbus houses, including one less than 1,000 feet from Burroughs Elementary School.

Man sentenced in $44 million drug store front laundering scheme

The duos drug ring allegedly sold fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, Xanax and oxycodone across central Ohio. In pleading guilty, Washington admitted to coercing men, many of whom were addicted to drugs, into performing construction and cleaning work under the threat of violence or with the promise of drugs. Court documents state Saultz and other organization members, meanwhile, coerced women to engage in prostitution in exchange for drugs and housing.

Washington, who also went by Dub, faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a possible life sentence.

Washington, Saultz and nine other people were originally charged in 2022 after federal agents seized more than $1 million in cash and nearly 50 firearms from multiple properties connected to the trafficking operation. Officers have seized a total of $1.7 million in suspected drug proceeds and charged 23 people in the case.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
From the Boiling Frogs on The Dispatch

Progressive hostility to Israel is a fact of political life.

The bodies of Hamas victims on October 7 of last year hadnt cooled yet before that hostility began to express itself. So when Joe Biden resolved to back Israel in its counteroffensive in Gaza, he surely knew that doing so would end up costing him support on the far left.

He expected, I assume, that his policy would pay off by more than offsetting those losses with gains in the pro-Israel center. Nearly six months later, that hasnt panned out for him:

Support for the counteroffensive is at minus-31 among independents and at minus-57 within Bidens own partyand that was before the airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza on Monday, an incident that increasingly feels like an inflection point for left-leaners who have been ambivalent about Israels operations. You know things have taken a turn when Obama administration alumni like Jon Favreau and Ben Rhodes are mocking the president publicly in the thick of a reelection campaign, aware that Donald Trump stands to benefit electorally:

The President doesn't get credit for being "privately enraged" when he still refuses to use leverage to stop the IDF from killing and starving innocent people. These stories only make him look weak.https://t.co/9UbQpPtYXZ  Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) April 3, 2024

The U.S. government is still supplying 2 thousand pound bombs and ammunition to support Israel's policy. Until there are substantive consequences, this outrage does nothing. Bibi obviously doesn't care what the U.S. says, its about what the U.S. does. https://t.co/X2xBLB7gOD  Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) April 3, 2024

Jose Andres, the celebrity chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, accused Israel afterward of having targeted his staffers deliberately. The Israeli government dismissed that claim as absurd for good reason, as there are many costs and no obvious benefits to murdering relief workers when U.S. support for Israel is already underwater at 36-55 and slipping. But Andres accusation seems to have captured the mood on the left as of this writing: Whatever benefit of the doubt mainstream Democrats and, to a lesser extent, independents had given Israel about its good intentions at the start of the war is evaporating.

Usually, one partys crisis is the other partys opportunity. But America has arrived at a strange moment in which the country is simultaneously experiencing a major political realignment, significant ideological churn within its two major factions, and an endless, grinding 50-50 electoral stalemate. All of which could make any bold turn on policy electorally fatal.

And thats left both parties presidential nominees without the faintest idea of what to do about this issue.

From the start of the war, Bidens strategy for managing discontent among his base over Israel has been to echo their discontent rhetorically while standing firm on policy. The more transparent that ploy has become, the more hollow its begun to ring to figures like Favreau and Rhodes. For all the solemn expressions of White House outrage over civilian casualties in Gaza, they point out, the alleged outrage never actually leads to anything.

The most amusing example to date came on Tuesday, when the president himself told an audience of Muslim activists that the first lady had urged him with respect to Israels counteroffensive to stop it, stop it now. The voices of dissent had reached all the way to the presidential bedroom, he wanted them to know.

What he didnt mention, it seems, is that he wont be taking her advice.

Joe Biden is an earnest supporter of Israel, very much in line with the position of most voters yet increasingly far removed from his partys base of young Palestinian sympathizers. Somehow he needs to square that circle, and the best he and other top Democrats can think to do with opinion about Israels operations trending negative is to quietly keep supporting the war while seeming darned mad about it. Which leaves no one happy.

But whats the alternative?

If he had refused to back Israel after October 7, most Americans would have been justly outraged. Trump would have hung his weakness in the face of terrorism around his neck in the general election. But once Biden resolved to support the Israeli effort, he was stuck riding it out to the bitter end. It would be foolish for him to pull the plug on U.S. aid before the operation is finished, after all, as in that case hed have sustained major political damage at home without helping Israel actually achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas.

Politically, then, hes left trying to hit a moving target driven by a drift toward the Palestinians over time among Democrats, growing unrest among fickle but generally pro-Israel centrists as the war drags on, an age gap thats led younger voters in both parties to feel differently about the parties to this conflict than their elders, and the knowledge that his ongoing support for Israel is unlikely to win him many Republican votes in a hyper-polarized era. He cant be against the warHamas savagery left no room morally for thatbut he cant safely be for it either.

So hes stuck trying to be both.

It resembles his Ukraine policy, ironically. There, too, Biden has been eager to support an allys right of self-defense while remaining chronically reluctant to supply the advanced weapons the Ukrainians need to effectively repel Russias invasion. Hes willing to help, but not so much that it might antagonize Moscow into a regional escalation. So hes offered just enough armaments to ensure a stalemate.

He wants Ukraine to win, he just  doesnt want Russia to lose. At least not so badly that the Russians end up getting mad about it.

The common thread for Biden in both conflicts, I suspect, is a sense of duty to come to the aid of a pro-Western power facing an illiberal eliminationist enemy. How he performs that duty is subject to change (especially rhetorically) as political circumstances require, but that there is a duty is beyond question. For his base, however, theres no thread at all. Ukraine merits support because its the weaker party to the conflict, because its suffered horrendous civilian casualties from a campaign of military terror, and because its being pulverized to fulfill the colonialist fantasies of the enemys nefarious authoritarian leadera figure whom the American left has long despised.

None of that is true for the Israelis. Just the opposite: Its true of the Palestinians, at least according to how progressives balance the moral equities. Which leaves old-school liberal Joe Biden naturally awkward and uneasy in trying to navigate the politics of the conflict in Gaza.

One might think his repeated hedging on Israel would lead his opponent to rant about the lack of strength being displayed right now by the White House, as hes wont to do. But one would be wrong.

Donald Trump does prize strength, of course. But what he prizes above all things is the welfare of Donald Trump.

Hes seen the polling, surely. Hes no doubt heard that many Arab Americans in the important battleground state of Michigan are vowing to punish Biden at the polls for having supported Israel. And hes presumably aware that elements of his base are distinctly less enthusiastic about the Jewish state than Republicans have traditionally been. When you dine with the likes of Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, that subject is bound to come up, no?

Theres an electoral advantage to be gained potentially from opposing Israels counteroffensive in Gaza. Trump knows it.

He also must realize that an America First ethos doesnt sit easily alongside endless support for Israel. If the United States should properly worry about the state of its own borders before it worries about Ukraines, as nationalists are forever insisting, its not clear why that logic doesnt also apply to Israels conflict. And perhaps, for some, it does:

In short, theres electoral pressure from the center and ideological pressure from the isolationist right nudging Trump toward a more ambivalent position on the Gaza counteroffensive.

Theres good reason to think he might be vulnerable to that pressure, too. While Trump likes to boast about everything he did for the Jewish state as president, there are precious few policy matters outside of immigration about which he feels passionately enough to stand firm. Trumps support for Israel in the first term is not guaranteed in the second term, John Bolton, his former national security advisor, warned recently. Trumps positions are made on the basis of whats good for Donald Trump, not on some coherent theory of national security.

It should come as no surprise then that he has, in fact, taken a less forgiving view of Israels Gaza campaign than we might expect from a right-wing strongman. You have to finish up your war.  You have to get it done. We have to get to peace, he told an Israeli media outlet last month. We cant have this going on. And I will say, Israel has to be very careful because youre losing a lot of the world, youre losing a lot of support.

Afterward, the correspondent for that media outlet accused Trump of having effectively bypassed Biden from the left on the war.

On Thursday Trump appeared for a friendly interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt and was asked again repeatedly to clarify his support for Israel. No dice.

Hugh Hewitt twice asks Trump if he's "100% with Israel" this morning and Trump twice doesn't answer directly https://t.co/RbL3MT2Xux pic.twitter.com/9MoGuNNPmm  Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) April 4, 2024

Obsessed with image and totally vacuous on policy specifics: Thats him all over. But the quote communicates what it was designed to communicate, which is that his support for the war isnt unconditionaland, by implication, that his supporters within the Republican Party neednt treat their own support for Israels counteroffensive as unconditional either.

I dont think theres any ideological principle or moral commitment obliging him to align himself with Israel the way there is for Biden. Thats not how Trumps mind operates. Left to his own devices, I suspect hed prefer to align himself with the American majority in opposing the military operation, especially given his well-known beef with Israels leader.

His problem is that Republican support for the mission is still holding steady-ish at a solid 64 percent, and even a leader with a following as cultish as Trumps doesnt like to be on the wrong side of a number like that among his own base. Certainly, some of his fans would reconsider their own position on Gaza if their hero reconsidered his, but not all. Some Republicans feel a religious duty to support the Jewish state; some do so out of the same sense of Western allyship that I believe drives Biden; and some instinctively recoil at the thought of American neutrality in a tribal conflict involving an Islamic movement as barbaric as Hamas.

So taking a firm position on the matter ends up being as politically fraught for Trump as it is for Bideneven though theyre opposites in substance. If the president is a pro-Israel hawk trying to make amends to unhappy swing voters and a furious left-wing base, Trump is a transactional dove keen to woo those unhappy swing voters but fearful of alienating the pro-Israel hawks on his own side.

Like Biden, hes trying to hit a difficult political target by somehow indulging nationalists skepticism of Israel without indulging it so much as to alienate evangelicals. He wants to show the persuadable center that he shares their discomfort over the Gaza operation but doesnt want to show so much discomfort as to call his signature trait, strength, into question. He may, frankly, be flummoxed in trying to discern which direction right-wing populists want to go on the conflict, as different strains view Israel very differently.

That leaves him in roughly the same place politically as the president is, an uncommon development on policy in modern America. They both support the war, theyre both outwardly mortified by what its become, and neither seems to have anything remotely resembling a constructive proposal for how to square those two positions. Theyre leading their parties from behind, trying to be all things to all people on a matter of grave international import because theres too much uncertainty about how the many constituencies that are in political flux in this election might react.

Hows that for American leadership?

All of this makes me nervous about the prospects of long-term support for Israel in the United States.

The strongest argument that that support will abide in some form is the reality of partisan polarization. As one side turns more sharply for or against a position, the other tends to discover virtue in turning in the opposite direction. If I had told you 10 years ago that Republican resolve in containing Russia would shrink considerably over the next decade, you might have panicked and anticipated a total collapse in public support for NATO.

But you would have been wrong. Three cheers for polarization!

Opinion on Israel could work the same way. As the left grows more fervent in its opposition, motivated reasoning might lead the right toward a new appreciation of the virtues of the Jewish state.

But there are reasons to doubt.

For one thing, public opinion on foreign nations may be less susceptible to polarization than opinion about domestic issues is. Chinas favorability in the United States stands at 20-77, Russias at 8-86. American opinion on Israel had traditionally been bipartisan as wellbut not anymore. Among Democrats, the net advantage in sympathy for Israelis relative to the Palestinians has shifted no less than 41 points since 2016.

Thats a bad trend. And given the age dynamics on this subject, its likely to get worse.

Democrats are much further along in their shift toward the Palestinians, but note that young Republicans also display markedly less sympathy for Israelis relative to the other side than their elders do. Partly that must be due to generational memory: Both the Holocaust and the numerous wars of extermination waged against the state of Israel surely inform the opinions of older Americans to a degree that isnt true of younger ones.

But the America First ethos on which young populist right-wingers have been weaned since 2016 is probably also influencing the shift. What happens when that generation matures into political leadership while their counterparts on the left, weaned on cant about settler colonialism, take charge on the other side?

Things could get dark.

With Biden and Trump each seeking political advantage by hedging their electoral bets on Israel, the current counteroffensive could end up being a formative event that shapes the next generations antipathy toward the Jewish state durably. Especially if theyre predisposed to it.

Read more at The Dispatch

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NEW YORK  Thousands of miles from the southern border of Texas, where the flow of migrants into the country is defining elections up and down the ballot, national Republicans celebrated their electoral chances in November.

Joe Biden has turned every state into a border state, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a leading New York Republican, said at the state GOPs annual gala Thursday night. President Trump and Republicans will run, and we will win on securing our border, once and for all.

Stefanik, who has been floated as a potential running mate for Donald Trumps comeback presidential bid, joined high-profile members of her party in toasting their perceived success on border security as they gear up for the White House and midterm races this November.

She predicted immigration would be the top issue in every swing district across the country in an interview with POLITICO following the event  a whos who of New York Republicans headlined by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Abbott used his keynote speech to further twist the knife, taking direct aim at Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams over his handling of the migrant surge in his city.

The complaining by Mayor Adams is nothing short [of] stunning. What he has is a tiny fraction of what Texas gets every day, Abbott said from the ballroom of the ritzy Manhattan gala, just blocks from a hotel the Adams administration has turned into an intake center for many of the 185,000-plus migrants who have arrived in New York since 2022.

Tickets to the ritzy event, the state partys first big gala in five years, cost $1,250 per person. Hundreds  including Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley  were in attendance.

Abbott and Adams have been at odds over the Texas governors decision to bus migrants from his state to other parts of the country  chief among them New York City. Adams, in turn, has admonished Abbott and sued 17 of the bus companies operating out of Texas for more than $700 million  getting results in one case.

Abbotts speech underscored how central migration has become in New York House races. Democrats have successfully won elections pummeling the GOP over its stringent abortion bans in other parts of the country; in New York, Republicans are hoping to lure voters by promising to get tougher on the southern border.

Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who defeated his Republican rival in a February special election, campaigned on fixing the border. Shortly after he was sworn in, Suozzi told reporters Democrats need to lean into the border.

I knew people were pissed off about the chaos of the border, Suozzi said. And there was no way I was not going to talk about what I heard people talking about.

During his 23-minute remarks, Abbott also slammed Adams for allowing repeat criminals who go out and kill law enforcement officers like the on-duty NYPD officer killed last month.

A retired police captain, Adams ran for office on a law-and-order platform and  despite his mixed record on curtailing crime and disorder  is a vehement defender of law enforcement officers.

Abbotts presence was salt in the wound for the mayor, who has called the governor morally bankrupt and a madman, blamed him for exacerbating the migrant crisis that has cost the city over $4 billion, accused him of using this crisis to hurt cities with Black mayors and blasted him for treating people like political pawns.

Im going to offer him a stay in one of the HERRCs so he can see what he has created and understand we are treating people with dignity and respect that he should have shown, Adams told reporters earlier Thursday, referring to the centers the city has built to provide shelter and other services for migrants.

As of January, Texas bussed over 37,100 migrants to New York City since August 2022, according to Abbotts office. And he has no plans to stop, saying at the gala, we are going to have to maintain this process until we get a new president this November who will secure the border for the United States of America.

Abbott even blamed Adams for his plight  an influx of migrants relying on strained municipal resources in a city with liberal immigration policies.

The governor said he initially planned to only send migrants to Washington, D.C.  directly to the residence of Vice President Kamala Karris  when quite literally out of nowhere, Mayor Adams starts criticizing me for sending them to New York City. Despite clarifying to City Hall, Abbott said, the criticism kept coming, kept coming, kept coming, despite our denial.

After a while I thought, if Im gonna get the criticism, Im gonna get the credit, he added, drawing tepid applause.

In a post on X, Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy disputed this characterization of the events, saying Abbott lied in 2022 about this and falsely claimed we never reached out when we found he was bussing migrants to NYC before he finally admitted to doing so.

Keep the receipts, folks, he added, linking to a screenshot of an email dated Aug. 1, 2022, that appears to show communication between the New York City director of federal affairs and an Abbott aide.

Adams and Abbott have no plans to meet, a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement to POLITICO, adding that Governor Abbotts team has not made any outreach to the Adams administration. His administration has still not responded to calls to coordinate from the summer of 2022.

When Abbott traveled to the city for a breakfast at a conservative think tank last year, they didnt meet either.

Instead of inviting Governor Abbott to speak at a gala, we encourage members of the NYGOP to urge their far-right Republican colleagues in Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, something they have blocked for decades, an Adams spokesperson said in a recent statement to POLITICO.

Left-leaning groups blasted Abbotts appearance Thursday night.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, called the Texas governor a racist bigot who has callously bussed asylum-seekers across the country for cheap political points.

Ana Maria Archila, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, called his attendance at the event a reflection of the partys moral collapse and said in a statement Abbott is not welcome in New York State.

Emily Ngo contributed to this report.
Second-class letters will be delivered just three times a week under new proposals submitted by Royal Mail - ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

SIR  I received an NHS letter postmarked February 9 at 12.30pm on February 16. My X-ray appointment was for 3pm. Thankfully I was able to attend. Had the appointment been sooner, it would have been another one missed.

Catherine Pepinster (Comment, April 4) is right that Royal Mail holds the public in contempt. It is also risking our health.

Penny Ryley

Woking, Surrey

SIR  We share your readers concerns when it comes to Royal Mails proposals to cut second-class deliveries to just three days per week (report, April 4). As the three main national organisations that advocate for the needs of NHS patients, as well as the membership body of all NHS trusts in England, we have raised direct concerns with Royal Mail that this worrying plan may worsen patient safety risks.

Provisional Healthwatch data suggest that more than two million people may have missed medical appointments in 2022-23 due to late delivery of letters, and this will only deteriorate under the proposed new plans. We have made it clear that if the plans go ahead, a solution must be found to prioritise the huge numbers of letters sent from NHS teams, otherwise more people will miss time-critical appointments, appointment changes or vital test results.

Along with patient safety risks, this will impact NHS teams as well, with previous estimates on the cost of missed hospital appointments sitting at more than 1 billion every year  on top of the disruption for staff and other patients.

Louise Ansari

Chief executive, Healthwatch England

Jacob Lant

Chief executive, National Voices

Rachel Power

Chief executive, The Patients Association

Sir Julian Hartley

Chief executive, NHS Providers

SIR  Royal Mail says it plans to deliver second-class mail every other day, three times a week, and first-class mail six days a week. In Rainham and Wigmore in Kent, we receive mail once a week if we are lucky. So the latest announcement will be a great improvement if it happens.

The Mothering Sunday card sent to me by my son with a first-class stamp took eight days to arrive. I am still waiting for the Easter card sent more than eight days ago from my son and grandson. Six cards arrived on Thursday, all posted on March 25. Royal Mail also says that magazines will be delivered on time. I subscribe to the Radio Times, and very rarely does it arrive on time.

Royal Mail provides a poor service that now costs us even more to use. I hope that there will be an improvement.

Annette Morgan

Rainham, Kent

SIR  On Thursday April 4 I received promotional material from Tesco wishing me a happy Easter and inviting me to purchase an Easter egg with an enclosed voucher, which expired on April 1.

Yvonne Bamber

Plymouth, Devon

SIR  What a disappointment Royal Mail is. My solution is for Amazon, which delivers to me most days, often twice, to take over the postal service.

After all, if Im paying 1.35 to post a letter, it should arrive on time. Amazon can even deliver the stamps without me having to queue.

Jo Grimwood

Sutton, Surrey

SIR  I worked for Royal Mail for 40 years and can confirm that, even as late as the 1970s, a letter could be posted at 8.30am and delivered by 11.30am the same day (Comment, April 4).

I would empty the postbox at the end of my postal round at 9am and take the letters back to the sorting office, segregate the local letters from the rest and put them through the date-stamp machine, then put them out ready for the second delivery. This would even include the surrounding villages with a slightly later second delivery.

A pleasure to be of service.

David Bainborough

Exeter, Devon

SIR  Yesterday I had to pay Royal Mail a 5 fine to collect a birthday card from my aunt. It said the second-class stamp was counterfeit (Royal Mail investigating problems with new barcoded stamps amid fears customers are being wrongly fined, report, April 3). My aunt confirms that she bought the stamp from the Post Office.

Has nothing been learnt from the Horizon scandal?

Izzy Robinson

West Malling, Kent

The Letter by by the Italian Impressionist painter Federico Zandomeneghi (1841-1917) - Bridgeman Images

SIR  I absent-mindedly posted a birthday card to my friend without affixing a stamp. To my amazement, it arrived the next day, with no associated charge.

Is this Royal Mail atonement? Maybe I should forego stamps, ensuring faster delivery than some first-class mail.

Gerry M Prescott

Levens, Cumbria

Poultry bureaucracy

SIR  If you wished to illustrate the success of a post-Brexit, deregulating Conservative Government, you couldnt do any better than highlight the introduction of compulsory registration of a few domestic poultry with a government department (Letters, April 5).

No doubt there will be an increase in civil servants tasked with monitoring compliance and accepting anonymous tip-offs from concerned neighbours, as well as receiving regular updates as individual birds die or are acquired.

Surely such a scheme deserves to include regular health inspections of domestic flocks, no doubt with a suitable charge to the amateur hen keeper.

Michael Staples

Seaford, East Sussex

SIR  We have two feral bantam chickens. One escaped from a neighbour, who no longer keeps hens, and the other from a property adjoining our paddock. Weve had two hybrid chicks thanks to a visiting pheasant. We dont own them, but should we register?

George Acheson

Fakenham, Norfolk

Faltering EV sales

SIR  You report a fall in UK sales of EVs (Demand for electric vehicles slows as drivers turn back to petrol, Business, April 5).

It is suggested that early adopters and fleet sales drove the initial demand. The vast majority of sales to date have been tax-induced company fleet sales. However, with a weak used EV market driving higher than expected depreciation, lease costs have now increased to the point where these cars are much less attractive to employees seeking tax-efficient, salary-sacrifice car ownership.

Further, the gradual withdrawal of EV-related tax incentives and the real-world experience of driving one (range anxiety, massive queues for expensive, sub-optimal chargers and wearing a coat in the car in the winter), drives buyers to revisit petrol and diesel cars.

The Government must understand that, if it wishes to foist this impractical and retrograde technology on the UK population using market forces, it will need to offer reliable and long-lasting tax incentives, probably including the removal of VAT for private buyers. In the absence of such incentives, the economics and practicality of EV ownership for the private buyer will never stack up.

Will Curtis

Raydon, Suffolk

HMRC hold-up

SIR  Sadly my wife passed away recently and because the Leicester City Registry Office had been the subject of a cyber attack, it was unable to provide the Tell Us Once service, which lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go.

This meant I had to ring round the appropriate departments myself, with wholly predictable results. The Department for Work and Pensions was helpful and efficient, the Passport Office even more so. Yet, despite multiple attempts at different times of the day and after hanging on for hours, I still have not been able to get through to HMRC (Letters, March 30).

It looks like I will need to spend a considerable part of my pension on buying a first-class stamp to write to it.

Anthony Hirons

Lutterworth, Leicestershire

Christian logic

SIR  Those who describe Jesus as merely a good man (Letters, April 5) have perhaps not registered his outrageous claims: I am the Resurrection and the Life; He who has seen me has seen the Father; Before Abraham was, I am  to name a few.



C S Lewis employed the logical argument that a man making claims about his own divinity and accepting worship from his fellow men must be either mad, bad or who he says he is.

Denise Hurst

Poole, Dorset

Counties as homes

SIR  It is not unexpected that Lord Heseltine should defend the Local Government Act 1972, which he pushed through (Heseltine: Historic counties overhaul was not far enough, report, April 1). Whatever its merits for the conduct of local administration, what it did to maps was a scandal.

According to Lord Heseltines geography, I was born in two places at once and took my first steps in a town I have never visited, while the good folk who believe they live in Berkshire are told they are fantasising. It is a nonsense for describing real places.

A bureaucracy set up to empty the bins cannot define what we call home, as Lord Heseltines own department acknowledged: They are administrative areas and will not alter the traditional boundaries of counties, nor is it intended that the loyalties of people living in them will change. Had Edward Heaths government followed through on this, leaving maps and road signs to show real, historic counties and not these plastic conveniences, we wouldve been happier.

In the event, the 1972 Act did not last: its assumptions have been mauled beyond recognition, so that only a small minority of people are governed by the structures it established. It is high time for this Act to go.

Rupert Barnes

Vice-chairman, Association of British Counties

Croxley Green, Hertfordshire

SIR  When I lived in Southport, my bank in Yorkshire, aware that our family felt that we lived in Lancashire despite boundary changes suggesting otherwise, always addressed statements to me at Southport, Merseyside, Lancs.

Trevor Ogden

Dunblane, Perthshire

Trusty tool

SIR  Yesterday I replaced the plug on a drill I gave to my father in 1970 (Letters, April 5). The drill is still going strong. I bought it with cigarette coupons. He would have been horrified had he known.

Rupert Godfrey

Heytesbury, Wiltshire

SIR  I have a 1912 car, a Zust, that I bought in 1956 for 206, which is used daily and has never been off the road.

Roger Collings

Presteigne, Radnorshire

SIR  The Aga in our kitchen is still warming our house and doing our cooking. It was there in 1947 when my parents moved in, and they were told it had been installed in 1938.

Im confident it will make its centenary in 2038 and hope Ill be there to celebrate with it.

Anthony Stoker

Alnwick, Northumberland

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How likely are clear skies on Monday? Here's the latest forecast for solar eclipse day

When you can see partial and total solar eclipse around Kentucky.

The 2024 total solar eclipse is quickly approaching, and a rare sight like this one won't take place for another 20 years. The celestial phenomenon is said to be a beautiful sight, but will astronomy lovers and visitors to Kentucky actually be able to see it?

We're tracking the weather forecast daily ahead of the April 8 total solar eclipse. As of April 5, here's what meteorologists expect.

Is 'eclipse sickness' real? What to know about anxiety and how to manage it on April 8

April 8 solar eclipse weather predictions for Louisville

According to the seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service of Louisville, April 8, is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 74. There's a 10% chance of showers before 8 a.m. Monday night is forecasted to be partly cloudy, with a low around 52 and a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m.

When is the total solar eclipse in 2024?

The solar eclipse is slated for Monday, April 8, passing over parts of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

What is a solar eclipse?

According to the IU official website, a total eclipse takes place when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth, placing the Earth in its shadow. The time it takes place, as well as the duration, are influenced by factors like the distances between the sun, moon and Earth, the moons phase and the axial tilt of the Earth and moon.

According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. following the April occurrence wont be until Aug. 23, 2044.

Total solar eclipse path 2024

According to NASA, Mexicos Pacific coast will first experience the eclipse around 11:07 a.m. PDT. The eclipse path will then enter the U.S. in Texas, traveling through the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Main. Some parts of Michigan and Tennessee will also experience the phenomenon.

From there, the eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, traveling through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting North America on the Atlantic coast around 5:16 p.m. NDT in Newfoundland, Canada.

To see the full path of totality, click here.

Solar eclipse glasses near me

Learn about the eclipse and get free glasses at the Louisville public library

2024 solar eclipse times in Kentucky

See below:

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: April 8, 2024 Weather Predictions: Total solar eclipse forecast Kentucky
Lithuania will purchase 3,000 Lithuanian drones for Kyiv and allocate 15 million euros (around $16 million) to rehabilitation programs for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 5 during his visit to Vilnius.

Shmyhal arrived in Lithuania earlier on April 5 following his visits to the two other Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, previously this week.

"In addition, Lithuania is taking an active part in Ukraine's reconstruction and will allocate another 5 million euros for education and 12 million ($13 million) for helping veterans, rebuilding schools and kindergartens, and setting up shelters," Shmyhal said on his Telegram channel following a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte.

Shmyhal also reminded that Lithuania previously allocated 35 million euros ($38 million) to the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine.

Vilnius has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters against Russian aggression. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, Lithuania's defense contributions to Ukraine are one of the highest in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) shares.

Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $215 million) support package to Ukraine and promised to continue supporting the country.

During Shmyhal's visit to Riga on April 4, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said that Latvia will soon deliver drones to Ukraine worth 1 million euros ($1.1 million).

Read also: Shmyhal arrives in Latvia, meets Latvian PM

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Fifty six years after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King in Memphis, one local group is making sure Dr. Kings dream stays alive.

Members of the Warriors Center of Memphis joined Kings loved ones at the Lorraine Motel Thursday to honor the fallen icon.

King family returns to Memphis 56 years after assassination

As the crowd dispersed at the end of the celebration, members of the organization stayed and prayed for Memphis.

We pray that you touch this city and have mercy on it, one member pleaded.

The Warriors Center focuses on helping unhoused people and those who suffer from substance abuse.

What the group may lack in members, it makes up for in its desire to curb violence and racial tension. To do so, David Vincent, the CEO of the Warriors Center, said they have to rely on faith.

The faith community has to lead that, like we do, and thats all churches and denominations, Vincent said. They have to lead it, and I think the problem is we havent.

Vincent, who also serves as a pastor, told WREG that he believes that Memphis has yet to recover since Dr. King was killed in 1968.

Memphis museum marks 56 years since King assassination

To aid in the process, the Warriors Center started Operation Revive Memphis.

Today, we started a 21-day project, and were going to be doing fasting, prayer, and racial reconciliation, Vincent said.

Vincent said the project will lead to more initiatives as he hopes more people in the faith community will join their cause, so that Memphis can heal.

You can find more information about Revive Memphis on the organizations Facebook page.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Two local fire departments are mourning the death of a firefighter and life member.

Martin Kauer was a firefighter with Presto Volunteer Fire Department. He was also a Life Member there and at Glendale Hose Company No. 1.

Kauers obituary said he founded the Western Pennsylvania Firefighters Memorial Honor Guard in 1995 and served as the Commander since inception.

He also owned and operated D&M Animal Control, where he and his wife worked alongside each other.

A firefighters memorial service will be held on April 7 at the Leo J. Henney Funeral Home in Carnegie. All firefighters are welcomed and are asked to report to the funeral home in Class A uniform by 7:20 p.m.

Kauers funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on April 8.

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ABIDJAN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank (WB) announced Thursday a portfolio of 6 billion U.S. dollars to support the inclusive development of Cote d'Ivoire through accelerating economic growth, energy transition and finance.

The package covering 62 projects was unveiled here by Hiroshi Matano, executive vice-president of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the WB group, after a working session with Prime Minister Robert Beugre Mambe.

Several projects are underway in the areas of digital infrastructure, transportation, medicine and climate, Matano said.

"We believe that this new guarantee platform will enable the government to mobilize private sector investments to focus resources on high-impact projects and support large-scale, transformative programs for greener and sustainable growth in Cote d'Ivoire," he added.

MIGA's mandate is to facilitate inflows of foreign direct investment into developing countries, by providing cross-border investors and creditors with specific guarantees such as insurance against political risks and credit enhancement, among others. 
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko agreed to introduce a bill on the suspension of Minsk's participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) to the lower house of the country's parliament, Lukashenko's press service reported on April 5.

The treaty, originally signed in Paris in November 1990, was initially agreed upon by 16 NATO members and six countries of the former Warsaw Pact, including the USSR.

It officially came into effect two years later and was designed to limit the size of Cold War rivals' forces that could be used in a swift offensive.

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Belarus ratified the treaty in 1992. Minsk can suspend the CFE, which "does not mean Belarus' withdrawal from it or the cessation of internal procedures in the Armed Forces related to its implementation," according to the draft law.

Russia formally withdrew from the CFE in November 2023, completing a years-long process. In response, NATO announced that it would suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, condemning Moscow's decision.

Poland suspended the CEF in late March. The country formally remains a party to the treaty but will not be obliged to comply with its provisions.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko torpedoes Putins attempts to blame Moscow shooting on Ukraine

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EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)  The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force reports they arrested a Luzerne County man wanted for a Georgia murder.

According to U.S. Marshals Service, 29-year-old Leyven Stallings, of Plains Township, was wanted by the Bibb County, Georgia, Sheriffs Office on murder stemming from a shooting incident that happened on May 16, 2023, in Macon, Georgia.

70 military helicopters flying through AVP this weekend

The U.S. Marshals Service was asked to help and around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, members of the task force arrested Stallings at a hotel on PA-315 in Plains Township.

Stallings was arraigned in Luzerne County, denied bail, and taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility, to wait for extradition to Georgia.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  Did you feel the earthquake? Thats the question people have been asking all day.

Its one thing to see snow in the spring here in NEPA, but an earthquake is something no one was expecting Friday morning. Many of you watching at home probably thought the same thing: what was that?

Maybe you felt nothing at all. 28/22 News spoke with some people passing through downtown Wilkes-Barre who felt the earthquake, heres what they had to say.

I was sitting in my recliner, and all of a sudden I felt this little, and I say Oh my god is that another earthquake?, said Mary Rose Rosiak from Wilkes-Barre.

If you felt like Mary RRose Friday morning, you arent alone.

I was in my living room and my walls just started shaking, my TV started shaking, mirror, movies everything on the wall was just moving around, says Alex Goss from Pittston.

NEPA residents feel tremor from New Jersey earthquake

I was at work, and I felt the building shake, it didnt shake it was more like a sway, but things in the building were shaking a little bit, added Michelle Rakowski from Nanticoke.

Many people across Luzerne County shared a similar experience earthquake experience Friday morning.

I just felt it. Like I thought it was just wind, usually, its windy in the area, but no, stated Annemarie Manangan from Nanticoke.

We were just kinda sitting there and we just felt the building shake a little bit, and we looked at each other like Oh the buildings gonna fall down but we just thought people were walking around and we looked at our phone thirty minutes later and there was an earthquake, explained Kayleigh Taylor, a student at Wilkes University.

I was just sitting at the table and I was in a class online and then everything around me started to shake a little bit and then I was talking to my friend and his car outside was shaking, added Madison Finley Dallas.

Madison is a first-timer,

I dont think Ive ever felt one in my life, stated Madison Finley from Dallas.

But others can recall feeling the effects back in 2011 when an earthquake hit Virginia.

That one that happened maybe it was like seven or eight years ago in Virginia it was a little bump, it felt like somebody shook the back of my chair, said Nick Bonk from Forty-Fort.

Now if you didnt feel the earthquake, dont feel too left out. Plenty of people 28/22 News spoke with say they didnt know what happened until they got on social media.

For the people who did experience it, it was an interesting start to their day.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
Lynne Reid Banks, pictured in 1956: in 1963 she decided to go and live on a kibbutz and (though she was not Jewish) to devote herself to the cause of Zionism - Mirrorpix

Lynne Reid Banks, the writer, who has died aged 94, was for most of her career primarily associated with her first novel, The L-Shaped Room (1960), which was made into a successful film by Bryan Forbes; in later life she became better known as a childrens writer and as the author of The Indian in the Cupboard (1980), adapted into a film in 1995 by Frank Oz.

Lynne Reid Banks was working as a television scriptwriter when she got the idea for The L-Shaped Room. Fed up with the nasty ephemeral little scripts she was being asked to write, she sat down at a company typewriter and wrote a novel.

The L-Shaped Room tells the story of Jane, a young single woman who becomes pregnant as the result of a casual meeting with an old flame, a pregnancy that rips apart her life. She refuses to have an abortion and, thrown out by her family, loses her job and ends up in a boarding house in a slum street in Fulham.

Leslie Caron and Tom Bell in the 1962 film adaptation of The L-Shaped Room - Alamy

The novel explores how she comes to terms with her new status and her relationships with the other occupants of the house, including several prostitutes, a black homosexual and a struggling Jewish writer who becomes her lover.

Lynne Reid Banks considered the novel nothing spectacular, but discovered that it appealed to a new appetite for social realism, exploring previously taboo subjects such as sexuality, racism and illegitimacy.

Reviewers admired her economy of style and the truth and originality of her observation. She can suggest all the indignity of being sick in the Tube in half a sentence, enthused one critic.

Lynne Reid Banks sold the film rights for 25,000 to the American producer Walter Wanger. The L-Shaped Room (1962), directed by Bryan Forbes and starring the French-American actress Leslie Caron as Jane, played to packed audiences, although some critics regretted that the screenplay (which dispensed with several characters and changed the heroines nationality from English to French, despite her stipulation that the film should be made with a British cast) had not been more faithful to the book.

Poster for the film of The L-Shaped Room - Alamy

Though she continued to write prolifically, for 20 years Lynne Reid Banks failed to find a theme that caught the public mood so well, possibly because the majority of her books in this period were the spin-offs of her decision in 1963 to go and live on a kibbutz and (though she was not Jewish) to devote herself to the cause of Zionism.

By the time she resurfaced in the 1980s, she was married to the Jewish sculptor Chaim Stephenson, with whom she had three sons, and was struggling to make ends meet.

She wrote plays and stories for her sons and the idea for The Indian in the Cupboard (1980) came from a little bathroom cupboard which her son Omri (named after an Old Testament character) thought looked shabby and wanted to throw away. Lynne Reid Banks told him that it was a magic cupboard and told him a story about it instead.

The book tells the tale of a magic cupboard where plastic Red Indians come alive and cause no end of mischief for Omri and his friend Patrick. Lynne Reid Banks wrote four sequels and all became bestsellers, their popularity owing much to her cheerful indifference to concerns about violence in childrens literature.

In The Return of the Indian (1986), for example, she imported a tiny plastic marine corporal to teach the Indians how to use machine guns (which they do to devastating effect) and a tiny hospital matron to patch them up again.

The Indian in the Cupboard won many prizes for childrens literature, and the 1995 film of the book, directed by Frank Oz and starring Hal Sardino as Omri, proved popular with children on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Indian in the Cupboard

Lynne Reid Banks was born on July 31 1929 in Barnes, then in Surrey, the daughter of a doctor. Her mother, Muriel Alexander, was an actress and Lynnes schoolgirl ambition was to follow her on to the stage. After attending various schools in England and Canada, she trained as an actress at the Italia Conti Stage School and at Rada.

She played in rep, though she was soon forced to admit that she was a dismal failure as an actress. At about this time she met the playwright John Osborne, then working as an assistant stage manager in a local repertory theatre. Osborne, who generally hated everyone he met, conceived a particular aversion to Lynne Reid Banks, and on one notorious occasion gave her a used condom in a sandwich.

At that stage she thought of writing as a means of expression rather than a means of earning a living, though she wrote plays for repertory companies to perform. One was bought by the BBC, put on at peak time and universally panned by the critics. But failure did not put her off and she decided on a career in television, becoming ITNs first ever woman news reporter.

Lynne Reid Banks with her sons Gillon, Omri and Adiel, 1974 - Terry Disney

A few years later she was sacked from the newsroom and fobbed off with a backroom job as a scriptwriter. Then came The L-Shaped Room and fame, and a new interest in Zionism.

Lynne Reid Banks first visited Israel in 1961 to research her next novel, An End to Running (1962), in which an English girl finds love on a kibbutz. On her return to England, she met her future husband Chaim Stephenson who, though Liverpool-born, had been living as a shepherd on a kibbutz for 20 years, and was on a one-year release to study sculpture in London.

I needed to marry not only somebody Jewish but somebody actively involved in Israel, she recalled, so it was a very happy meeting. He strengthened my commitment through his own strong convictions. After their marriage, they returned to the kibbutz, where she taught English for the next eight years. Though they eventually came back to live in England, most of her books over the next 20 years reflected her new-found commitment to Zionism.

Hal Sardino as Omri in the 1995 film adaptation of The Indian in the Cupboard - Alamy

Among these, Children at the Gate (1968) tells the story of a half-Jewish Canadian woman living in the Arab quarter of Acre after she has lost her child in an accident and has been abandoned by her husband. She adopts two Arab refugee children, passes them off as Jewish and takes them to live on a kibbutz, but after their brother turns up all is discovered and she loses the children who have grown to love her.

In One More River (1973), a Canadian girl is shattered by her parents decision to sell up and move to a kibbutz but gradually becomes converted; Sarah and After (1975) looks at the lives of some of the leading Old Testament women to show how women are exploited by God-driven men.

Lynne Reid Banks also wrote two books on the history of Israel, Letters to my Israeli Sons (1979) and Torn Country: an Oral History of Israels War of Independence (1982).

But as time went by Lynne Reid Banks became increasingly disenchanted with the religious restrictiveness that is increasing in Israel and the recrudescence of Jewish terrorism. She began to champion the cause of Palestinians in the way General de Gaulle espoused the Algerian cause, not for the sake of the Algerians, but for the French.

Defy the Wilderness (1981) seemed to indicate that her centre of gravity had moved elsewhere. In the novel, a middle-aged English female Zionist falls for a man who admits to having been involved in killing raids on Arab villages and starts to doubt her commitment to the cause.

Lynne Reid Banks in 2003 - Shutterstock

Lynne Reid Banks wrote several more novels of low life and social realism set in Britain (including a sequel to The L-Shaped Room), but none was as successful as her first novel.

In My Darling Villain (1977), a well-brought-up middle-class teenage girl becomes involved with an aggressive working-class boy who challenges her values. In The Warning Bell, an aspiring actress fails in career and marriage then achieves success as the first woman television reporter and finds love at the expense of her best friend. Casualties (1986) charts the lives of four people who are changed by wars of different sorts. The Dark Quartet (1976) was a fictional biography of the Brontes.

She also wrote several plays, of which the most successful was The Gift (1965), a thriller set in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a living room of a lower-middle-class household. First staged at the Mermaid Theatre, the play transferred to the West End and was screened for ITV in 1975.

Her first book for children, The Adventures of King Midas (1977), was reissued in 1993. Among other successes, Harry and the Poisonous Centipede (1996) won the Smarties Silver Medal; Angela and Diabola (1997), the story of twin girls, one a child without fault, the other a fiend, was chosen by Waterstones as its book of the month. A play for children, Travels of Yoshi and the Tea-Kettle (1991) won the Polka Theatre 1991-92 Fringe Award. Her last book, The Red Red Dragon, was published in 2022.

Lynne Reid Banks was a forceful woman with passionate opinions about everything. Though severe-looking, with plaited dark hair swept back into a bun, she had a robust sense of humour.

In 1992 she objected to a piece in The Daily Telegraphs Peterborough column, which described her as a faintly dowdy earth-mother. If she had ever been dowdy, she wrote, I would have been good and dowdy; nothing faint about me. Moreover, she always wore bright colours as your wretched little columnist... would know if he had ever set eyes on me.

Lynne Reid Bankss husband, Chaim Stephenson, died in 2016. Their three sons survive her.

Lynne Reid Banks, born July 31 1929, died April 4 2024

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Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing has responded to his critics after landing a co-hosting job on BBC Radio 1.

Jamie recently replaced Jordan North on the radio station after Jordan decided to switch over to Capital FM's Breakfast Show. However, the announcement received some backlash from listeners who were unhappy at the idea of the reality TV personality teaming up with Vick Hope and Katie Thistleton.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain, presenters Rob Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins brought up the subject of Laing's controversial appointment.

ITV

Related: Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing "f**ked up" by not inviting Spencer Matthews to his wedding

"I don't think it seems unfair," he said.

"I was doing Made in Chelsea back in the day and then people sort of think maybe I got to do Radio 1 because I was on a reality show. And I would probably think that's unfair, right?

"I suppose for me, I've been trying to work towards that for eight years, doing little trials. Doing a stint when Mollie King, lovely Mollie King was on maternity leave. And they finally sort of offered me the job. Hopefully I'm doing an OK job, I think."

Karwai Tang - Getty Images

Related: Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing reveals why he quit

Rob said how being "a little well-known" can work in your favour in terms of opening certain doors, "but it doesn't get you to stay there".

"Oh, it doesn't," Jamie said.

Back in February, Jamie addressed his new role, saying on Instagram: "I've always loved music and radio and like most of us I grew up listening and being a Radio 1 fan, so to be joining the BBC Radio 1 family officially feels unreal."

Made in Chelsea airs on E4.

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All eyes will be on House Speaker Mike Johnson when the House returns next week. He has a lot on his plate, including a controversial approach to approving more military aid for Ukraine. Whether that specific gambit succeeds or not, its become increasingly clear that hes not the man to bring the Republican Partys internal factions together.

Republicans have held the House majority for all but four years since the 2010 landslide swept them back into power. Leaders of such parties are typically rewarded for their stewardship. Not so for the GOP. Johnson is now the fourth person to wield the Speakers gavel over the partys nearly ten years in the majority.

This is not normal. Democrats have only had two leaders during that span, and thats only because former Speaker Nancy Pelosi voluntarily surrendered the gavel in 2023 as she approached her 83rd birthday. Including current House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, the last four Democratic leaders have spent nearly 35 years in their posts.

The GOPs instability at the top is a direct result of their instability at the bottom. That 2010 landslide brought in a new crop of strongly conservative, anti-establishment lawmakers. Unlike prior groups of landslide babies, who bided their time before acquiring power, some in this cohort believed they had been elected to foment dramatic changes immediately. It didnt matter if they werent a majority of the Republican membership; even fellow party members who did not share their revolutionary zeal were deemed part of the problem if they didnt follow suit.

This group, loosely formed into a Freedom Caucus in 2015, has bedeviled the party ever since. They have regularly refused to go along with the overwhelming majority of the caucus and rarely provided a clear sense of what they would accept to rejoin it. Their antics drove Speaker John Boehner of Ohio to resign in October 2015 rather than face a motion to vacate the chair filed by a Freedom Caucus member. His successor, Rep. Paul Ryan lasted only a little more than two years before he announced he would not run for re-election in 2018. Ryans successor, Kevin McCarthy, steered the party back into the majority but lasted less than a year in the Speakers chair before becoming the first Speaker in history who lost a motion to vacate on the House floor.

The manner of Johnsons own ascension exposed the bitter divisions within the conference. Only in his fourth term in Congress, he had never held a leadership position in either the House or the Louisiana House of Representatives, where had served one term. He was the fourth person nominated by the party to succeed McCarthy, arising only after recalcitrant conservatives or establishment Republicans spitefully refused to back the conferences prior selections. Johnson had all the earmarks of a classic dark horse whose primary attribute was that he had fewer internal enemies than any other plausible nominee.

He has done little since to disprove that assessment. Johnson has lost votes on the floor, something a competent leader never allows to happen. He has failed to resolve the longstanding internal disputes on policy, which is why America is still without a budget seven months into its fiscal year. Johnson has also come to rely on Democratic votes to overcome the minority faction in his party on stopgap measures. He has ineptly allowed himself to be maneuvered into a de facto coalition with House Democrats where they share none of the burdens or responsibilities.

Solving this longstanding problem would tax the talents of any politician. Johnson, however, seems ill-suited to the task. He seems unable or unwilling to use the few tools at his disposal to punish dissenters, while also lacking the imagination or persuasion to bring them into the fold. Someone who can neither persuade nor command is not someone who should wield power.

This problem would be ameliorated if Donald Trump returns to the White House. If he were to say that he wants a new Speaker  say, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik  who held his confidence, its hard to see how the disunited and exhausted members could refuse him. That person could then limit their responsibilities to loyally carrying whatever legislation Trump sends for consideration and providing members with money and messaging to help them return. Johnson himself could even potentially remain under that limited role  at the cost of whatever dignity he still has.

Even this solution only postpones resolution of the real problem, the gap between the expectations of the GOPs base and the political realities they face. Slim majorities of Republican primary voters may want a dramatic retrenchment in federal spending and a sharply conservative and religious-toned domestic policy agenda. The country, however, does not. Democratic leftists have long chafed under similar challenges, but they almost always end up negotiating for what they can get and carry on their overall battles later. Republican conservatives have yet to learn that lesson.

Nancy Pelosi famously says that power is taken, not given. If Johnson doesnt learn that lesson soon, he will likely earn an unwanted place in history as one of the shortest-tenured speakers ever.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Charlotte Nichols believes a change in the law is likely to happen within the next parliament - Heathcliff O'Malley

The active chemical in magic mushrooms should be made available on the NHS as a mental health treatment, a former Labour frontbencher has said.

Charlotte Nichols was shadow minister for women and equalities until September 2021. She stepped down from the role voluntarily, citing personal reasons.

Ms Nichols has now told The Telegraph that she had no choice but to resign her frontbench role after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a violent crime.

She said that research into the use of magic mushrooms to treat the illness has since given her hope that the person I was before my diagnosis is still in there somewhere  and that there is evidence enough already to prescribe the Class A drug.

You cant cure PTSD as such, she said. But there is clear real-world evidence that psilocybin therapy can get people to a point where they no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for the condition, which means that they no longer have to live with it in the same way.

I think this is something that I would very much like to see available on the NHS.

For the different mental health conditions where psilocybin assisted therapy can be helpful, whether its PTSD or something else, its likely that you would try other forms of therapy or medication first. But for people that that hasnt worked for, this should be an option, and it should be up to your doctor and your psychiatrist to determine your suitability for it.

Charlotte Nichols was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a violent crime - UNPIXS

Psilocybin  the hallucinogenic chemical in magic mushrooms  remains a Class A drug in Britain. The substance is also placed under Schedule 1 by the Home Office, meaning that it is deemed to have high potential for abuse and little to no medical value, and so cannot be given out by doctors.

Campaigners have called for psilocybin to be re-classed as a Schedule 2 drug, meaning that it could be prescribed by doctors and pharmacists while remaining illegal to possess for recreational purposes.

The Home Office was recently told by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) that psilocybin should be moved to schedule 2. A spokesman said that the Home Office would respond to the ACMDs recommendations in due course.

Ms Nichols recalled being told she just couldnt handle being an MP when she developed PTSD symptoms, which happened after she was the victim of a violent crime in 2021.

The Warrington North MP spent a month as an in-patient at a psychiatric unit, when her condition was so severe that she would have died if not for the specialist care she received.

It was there that she first spoke to doctors about whether therapy assisted by psilocybin could help treat her own PTSD symptoms.

She said: It would have been illegal for my consultant psychiatrist to even suggest places I could look into getting psilocybin therapy. He sort of gave me a wink and said, thats one for the politicians to sort out, knowing full well Im a Member of Parliament.

Egregious two-tiered system

Since July, doctors in Australia have been able to prescribe psilocybin-assisted therapy for patients who have PTSD or treatment-resistant depression. A single treatment session can come at a cost of up to $2,500, however.

Ms Nichols has reluctantly paid for private psychotherapy while she remains on an NHS waiting list. The care she received while an in-patient and afterwards has brought her symptoms down from a 10 to a four she said, but estimated that her hospital stay may have cost the NHS as much as 50,000.

She added that her own case was an example of the egregious two-tiered system for mental health treatment in Britain.

Were doctors able to prescribe psilocybin, it would not only give people their lives back but would reduce the future ongoing indefinite cost to the NHS, and to patients themselves who are forced to go private, she said.

Ms Nichols told The Telegraph that she has not raised the issue with Sir Keir Starmer directly, but believes that a change in the law is likely to happen within the next parliament.

She said: Im yet to hear from any of my constituents that theyre against what Im campaigning for.

Speaking about a potential return to the frontbench, she said: If I was offered a chance to serve in a Labour government, that would be fantastic, but Im not waiting by the phone.

It can sometimes be easier to push issues like this as a campaigning backbencher. Either way I will be beavering away with this until it gets done.

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A magnitude 4.7 earthquake was felt in New York, New Jersey, and surrounding areas on Friday morning, just days before the eclipse.

Thousands of residents in the Tri-State area felt the quake, something that they haven't experienced since 2011 when a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit. The 2011 quake was felt in Washington, D.C., New York City, and North Carolina.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake that occurred on Friday, April 5, 2024, was felt from Boston down to Baltimore, but was centered near Lebanon, New Jersey.

Earthquake Rattles Tri-State Area

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Many incoming flights at major airports in and around New York City have been diverted from landing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Philadelphia airport runways were closed for approximately ten minutes but have since reopened.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul released a statement shortly after the quake was felt, writing, My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.

Everyone @NYSE just gave each other a big look, CNBCs Carl Quintanilla said from the New York Stock Exchange in lower Manhattan.

State Emergency Operations Center Activated

MEGA

Around 11 a.m. ET, emergency phone alerts stated, "A 4.7-magnitude earthquake has occurred in the NYC area. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured."

New Jersey has activated its State Emergency Operations Center, according to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. "Please do not call 911 unless you have an actual emergency," he said in a statement.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said his team and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency are actively monitoring the situation.

It is unclear if anyone was hurt or if there was any major damage, but one thing is certain. The Empire State Building is safe. "I AM FINE" the official account confirmed in an X post.

Who Felt The Earthquake?

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Cindy Coffey, a resident of New Jersey, exclusively told The Blast, "I was eating breakfast and the house started to rattle like a large truck was passing, but it just got more intense very quickly so I knew immediately it wasnt a passing truck or plane."

She went on to tell us that the "glasses and the windows were rattling and the entire house shook." She says it lasted about 30 seconds. "My only thought was that had to be an earthquake. We dont get them here often and never had one that intense," she told us, "A very scary 30 seconds."

Central Jersey resident Jim Rolly said he experienced something similar, telling us he "was home in a chair and thought a loud truck was coming down the street. Then I noticed the room was shaking for about 10 seconds and finally one big jolt that moved the chair I was sitting in."

Another New Jersey resident, Stephanie Berens, said she was at work in Lakewood when the earthquake hit and she said "both my computer screens were shaking."

Residents Share Their Experience With The 4.7 Earthquake

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Melanie Vanderveer, a journalist with The Blast, says that she "was on a call and [her] cat was behind [her] on the couch" when he "suddenly got up and ran full speed into the other room before [she] even felt anything."

"Then I felt the house shaking and screamed for my son to make sure he was good," she said. "I texted my other son whos about 10 miles away at school and he felt it too. Ive lived in the Poconos for 19 years and dont recall ever feeling an earthquake before today."

Tara Coffey of Lincroft, New Jersey said the quake really upset her cat as well. "She started meowing loudly and hasnt left my side since [the quake hit]," Ms. Coffey told The Blast. "It went on for a decent while too, which is what was so scary about it for me."

Tri-State Area Reacts To Earthquake

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Mary Glenn of New Jersey told The Blast that she initially thought "a runaway truck was driving up my front lawn."

"It was louder than I expected, and I felt much more rumbling than the earthquake we had several years ago," she added.

Charles Kawas Jr., who also lives in New Jersey, spoke to The Blast saying that he felt the quake for about 15-20 seconds. "I was lying on my couch, fighting a stomach virus. I felt the couch rock and then I heard my fiancee screaming from her office desk about the house moving," he told us. "My 1st experience ever."

Mr. Kawas Jr. added that he is located about 30 miles from Lebanon, which is where the epicenter was reported.

Earthquake Hits Just Days Before The Eclipse...

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Some people realized that the earthquake hit just days before the eclipse, which has them convinced the "world is ending."

As you may know, the Great American Eclipse will be happening on Monday, April 8, 2024. According to The Palm Beach Post, "In the U.S., totality will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. CT and will end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. ET on April 8, 2024."
NYC and tri-state rocked by biggest area earthquake since 1884, sending terrified residents into the streets

A rare earthquake rocked the New York City area Friday morning, swaying buildings and sending terrified residents into the streets  the strongest temblor to strike near the Big Apple in 140 years.

City officials quickly warned people of the danger of potential aftershocks  which began in the early afternoon in New Jersey, a report said.

The preliminary 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Lebanon, NJ, around 10:23 a.m. and was potentially felt by more than 42 million people, according to the US Geological Survey.

Follow The Posts coverage on the NYC and tri-state earthquake

I was doing my morning reporting, and this safe in my office, thats a ton, starts shaking. The whole room is shaking, said Monique Horton, who works at the Balmain store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. I was just freaked out. Scary, really scary. Im a New Yorker, my whole life, 36 years, never seen anything like it.

A magnitude-4.8 earthquake rocked NYC and the tri-state area. USGS

At the United Nations in Midtown Manhattan, a Security Council address on the Israel-Gaza conflict was interrupted as cameras began shuddering.

The Federal Aviation Administration told airlines to expect flight delays in and out of the Big Apple because of the quake. Some flights bound for New York had already diverted to other airports, according to FlightAware.

Firefighters and residents on the streets in Lebanon, NJ. Robert Miller for NY Post

Lebanon was the epicenter of the quake. Robert Miller for NY Post

Residents were seen leaving their homes after the quake shook the neighborhood. Robert Miller for NY Post

Fire departments responded to the area. Robert Miller for NY Post

Sinnot Magnet School in Brooklyn, New York.

Sign at Sinnot Magnet School in Brooklyn, New York about registraion package available.

NYC Buildings car parked outside of Sinnot Magnet School in Brooklyn, New York.

Exterior of Sinnot Magnet School in Brooklyn, New York.

Exterior of back of Sinnot Magnet School in Brooklyn, New York.

Entrance to Sinnot Magnet School in Brooklyn, New York.

The busy Holland Tunnel, too, was being temporarily shuttered for inspection, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

Tremors could be felt as far north as New Paltz, New York  about 80 miles away  and as far south as Delaware, about 130 miles.

The US Geological Survey logged 160,000 reports on its website from panicked residents in the quakes aftermath  a potential new record, officials said.

This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in the last century, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

The last time an earthquake with a magnitude close to 5 struck near New York City was back in 1884, the USGS said. That quake appeared to have been centered in Brooklyn.

A stronger 5.8 quake was felt in the city in 2011, although that started in Virginia.

Fridays temblor was the strongest to hit New Jersey in 240 years, according to the Fox Forecast Center.

New York Post cover for April 6, 2024.

USGS officials said at least two aftershocks had been recorded by Friday afternoon.

Both Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams said there were no initial reports of injuries or damage from Fridays quake, however it later emerged that the walls of a gym at a Brooklyn middle school suffered several cracks.

Engineers with the city Department of Buildings were dispatched to J.H.S. 218 James P. Sinnott in East New York, where they ordered the gymnasium shut down until repairs are made, though the rest of the school can remain open, the agency said.

It was determined the bricks that make up the gyms masonry walls could potentially break loose due to the cracks, according to the DOB. No other structural issues were found in the school.

Meanwhile, Hochul and Adams warned New Yorkers to be wary of the possible aftershocks.

We are always concerned about aftershocks after an earthquake but New Yorkers should go about their normal day, Hizzoner said.

Earthquakes dont happen every day in New York, so this can be extremely traumatic. I encourage New Yorkers to check on their loved ones to make sure that they are fine.

City and state officials said there were no reported infrastructure issues as a result of the quake, noting that all major bridges and tunnels had been inspected.

At this point  weve not identified any life-threatening situations, but we are certainly asking our local law enforcement and emergency services teams to be on guard for that as well, Hochul said.

But again, we are going to be reviewing all potentially vulnerable infrastructure sites throughout the state of New York that is critically important in the aftermath of an event like this.

Its been a very unsettling day, to say the least, she said, adding she had been in communication with the White House. Everyone should continue to take this seriously.

The mayor of Lebanon, NJ  near the quakes epicenter  said there were no reports of injuries or significant damage there either but acknowledged people were unnerved.

The quake hit near Lebanon, New Jersey, and could be felt as far as Delaware.

I was sitting in my home office when things started to fall off the walls and shelves, Mayor James Pittinger told The Post. It was a crazy experience.

Some residents in Newark, NJ, though, had to evacuate their homes after they suffered structural damage, according to local outlets.

Still, reports of the quake sparked a flurry of memes and jokes on social media, with the Empire State Buildings official X account jumping into the fray, quipping, I AM FINE.

New York City sent out an emergency alert about the earthquake.

We survived the NYC earthquake. We will rebuild, one user wrote alongside a photo of a fallen trash can.

As New York was hit by an earthquake, I couldnt help but wonder, were the tecnotic [sic] plates as unstable as my history with Big? another wrote, riffing off Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and The City.

Did we shake or were we shook? another user posted on X alongside footage of Oprah.

I AM FINE  Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) April 5, 2024

We survived the NYC earthquake.



We will rebuild pic.twitter.com/8Zwvlz2Jg5  Brandon Trusso (@brandontrusso) April 5, 2024

"as New York was hit by an earthquake, i couldn't help but wonder, were the tecnotic plates as unstable as my history with Big?" pic.twitter.com/LXNUSflzEw  popculture (@notgwendalupe) April 5, 2024

did we shake or were we shook? #earthquake pic.twitter.com/JkJPkTkN2h  Christopher Ryan (@Creezus_) April 5, 2024

I just photos of the destruction out in Long Island.



Magnitude 4.8 #earthquake pic.twitter.com/cNdwAj88s3  Nick Yoder (@NickYoder86) April 5, 2024

New Yorkers retelling how they survived the earthquake pic.twitter.com/1aVKmqPh5w  Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) April 5, 2024

But residents all over the tri-state area  and beyond  were still rattled.

Kelly Shone, a mom of two who works nights in Newark, Del., said she felt a slight rumbling while in bed Friday morning.

I thought it was my husband walking heavily downstairs at first, Shone told The Post.

A shirt is displayed as earthquake themed T-shirts are being sold at Big Frog Custom T Shirts in NYC. REUTERS

The shirts were created just hours after the quake rocked NYC. REUTERS

Lebanon firemen check on housing after the quake on Friday. Robert Miller

Oh, my God! I jumped and started looking out my windows. That was scary! said Traci Slade, a 50-year-old mom of two and software insurance employee who felt the quake at her home in Clifton, NJ.

Panicked workers evacuated some buildings in Queens in the aftermath, including paralegal Felicia Alfred, who said, We thought the building was going to collapse on us.

A resident of Bridgewater, NJ, said he heard a loud bang  like the loudest thunder you ever heard  followed by 15 seconds of rumbling.

Denise Tedeschi, 60, of Bedminster, NJ, said everything in her home shook for at least a minute.

I thought the furnace or something was about to explode, she told The Post. Everything shaking.

Additional reporting by Kate Sheehy, Chris Nesi, Carl Campanile and Katherine Donlevy
This photo taken on April 4, 2024 shows an aircraft of Alaska Airlines at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, the United States. Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines 160 million U.S. dollars in compensation in the first quarter for the grounding of the 737 Max 9, according to the airline. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines 160 million U.S. dollars in compensation in the first quarter for the grounding of the 737 Max 9, according to the airline.

Alaska Airlines said Thursday that its first-quarter "results were significantly impacted by Flight 1282 in January and the Boeing 737-9 MAX grounding which extended into February."

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded the jets after a door plug blew out of a nearly new Boeing 737 Max 9 flight operated by Alaska Airlines on Jan. 5.

The airline said it expects additional compensation beyond the first quarter. 

This photo taken on April 4, 2024 shows aircrafts of Alaska Airlines at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, the United States. Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines 160 million U.S. dollars in compensation in the first quarter for the grounding of the 737 Max 9, according to the airline. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

An aircraft of Alaska Airlines takes off from San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, the United States, April 4, 2024. Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines 160 million U.S. dollars in compensation in the first quarter for the grounding of the 737 Max 9, according to the airline. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

This photo taken on April 4, 2024 shows aircrafts of Alaska Airlines at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, the United States. Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines 160 million U.S. dollars in compensation in the first quarter for the grounding of the 737 Max 9, according to the airline. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

An aircraft of Alaska Airlines takes off from San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, the United States, April 4, 2024. Boeing has paid Alaska Airlines 160 million U.S. dollars in compensation in the first quarter for the grounding of the 737 Max 9, according to the airline. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)
Man accused of killing Charlotte mom, 2 kids transferred from CA to NC

Man accused of killing Charlotte mom, 2 kids transferred from CA to NC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A man accused of killing a Charlotte mother and her two children, who was caught hiding in a tent not far from the Mexico border, has been extradited to North Carolina, authorities confirmed with Queen City News on Friday.

Records show Benjamin Taylor, 34, was transferred from the Imperial County Sheriffs Office in California to the US Marshal Service around 3:30 a.m. Friday, April 5, Pacific Time.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police confirmed Taylor is officially back in Charlotte Friday and is currently in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office.

Taylor was booked at 3:30 p.m. Friday and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and felony conceal/failure to report a death. Hes being held without bond.

Benjamin Joseph Taylor (Image courtesy of the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office)

The CMPDs Homicide Unit would like to thank the FBI Charlotte field office, FBI Imperial County field office, the Imperial County Sherriffs Office, and CMPDs Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) for their assistance, CMPD said on Friday evening.

Markayla Johnson and her children, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson and 7-month-old Messiah Johnson, were found dead in an apartment complex on Orchard Trace Lane in Charlotte on Friday, March 15, after the three were reported missing on March 3.

WATCH: Body cam shows arrest of suspect accused of killing Charlotte mom, 2 kids

Deputies in California released dramatic video this week of the arrest of the triple-murder suspect near the Mexico border.

Benjamin Joseph Taylor (Image courtesy of the Imperial County Sheriffs Office in California)

According to the NC Department of Adult Correction, Taylor has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2007. Charges include B&E, assault, as well as weapon and drug-related charges.

The investigation into this case is active and ongoing, CMPD said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Two people were sent to the hospital overnight with serious injuries after they were allegedly stabbed by a man whose act of violence was interrupted by law enforcement intervention, the Portland Police Bureau said.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, the stabbing victims include a 42-year-old pregnant woman and a 44-year-old man, who were both transported to a hospital with significant wounds. However, they are both expected to survive, officials said.

Missing Newberg woman found dead near Chehalem Creek

PPB also arrested a suspect, 21-year-old Justin G. Barrera-Guild, who is accused of a number of charges, including those related to domestic violence.

This all happened after police were dispatched to Southeast 122nd Avenue after midnight on Thursday. An initial 911 call at 12:10 a.m. indicated sounds of a disturbance reported by the caller. Another 911 call was placed just a minute afterward with a report that someone had been stabbed and the suspect was still in the vicinity, PPB said.

Portland Police Bureau seized a pink folding knife as part of a stabbing investigation and suspect arrest. April 4, 2024 (courtesy PPB).

When police said they arrived within 5 minutes of the 911 calls, they came to the open front door of an apartment in the Mill Park Neighborhood.

As theyre walking up they can hear screaming, sounds of a disturbance and they know somethings going on, PPBs Sergeant Kevin Allen told KOIN 6 News.

It was at that moment that police said they saw an alleged suspect standing over a victim. A PPB press release described the confrontation that followed:

The officers challenged the suspect, who immediately turned his attention away from the victim and toward the police. He rushed the sergeant and punched him in neck area before officers could get the suspect under control and in handcuffs.

The police sergeant in question was not seriously injured, officials said.

MultCo to consider next steps after paying asylum seekers hotel bill

The two stabbing victims who were hospitalized were later stabilized, according to the release.

I really believe that they saved these peoples lives. It really could have been fatal, Allen said about the polices intervention during the incident.

A pink folding knife with a broken tip and brass knuckles, the latter of which was believed to be used during the suspects alleged assault against the woman and the police sergeant, were seized in the investigation.

Police said the case involved a domestic relationship between the suspect and the female victim.

Barrera-Guild was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and faces first-degree and second-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence unlawful use of a weapon, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and assault on a public safety officer.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact police.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  A 20-year-old man was charged with murder in Salt Lake County Tuesday after being arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing his friend while play fighting, according to court documents.

Jhon Alvaro Alarcon Paredes, 20, was arrested in Colorado on potential attempted homicide charges after allegedly shooting a teenager in the back of the head before fleeing the state last month. Paredes is now charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a restricted person and obstruction of justice.

PREVIOUS STORY: Teenager dies days after being hospitalized in Murray shooting

Documents say Murray police received reports of a potentially wounded person in a parking lot near 4500 South Commerce Drive on March 2. They reported finding and transporting 17-year-old Josue David Magadan Veronica to the hospital in extremely critical condition. He later died from his injuries.

Police tracked Paredes and arrested him in Colorado, saying they believed he intended to cross the border into Mexico.

When questioned by police, Paredes allegedly said Veronica was his friend and that he never leaves a magazine in his handgun. Documents say he told police he was playing around when he allegedly put the gun to his friends head and pulled the trigger. Police say he also said Veronica had a knife and he felt threatened.

According to documents, police spoke with a third person in the vehicle during the incident who said Paredes and Veronica were play fighting. He allegedly told police Paredes threatened to kill Veronica before the gun went off. The witness said he had to physically fight Paredes to leave the area after the alleged shooting because Paredes didnt want the witness to tell Veronicas family.

Paredes allegedly told police he fled because he was afraid he had injured his friend and because police were coming.

His initial appearance will take place on Monday, April 8.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  A man guilty of numerous crimes including murder in several Topeka investigations received his sentence Friday.

The Shawnee County District Attorneys Office announced in a press release on April 5 that Jihad A. Keys was sentenced to 77.5 years in prison without the possibility of parole until 50 years have been served.

Shawnee County DAs Office spokeswoman Katie Garceran says Keys was charged in connection to multiple crimes running from 2017 to 2019.

3 people killed in Douglas County highway crash identified

Police were called on April 23, 2017 to an address in the 1500 block of SW 15th Street on reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found Matthew Lowry and Steven Ferris in a parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds. Lowry died of his injuries with Ferris telling police the pair were robbed before they were shot.

Police were also called on March 16, 2019 to the 1100 block of SW Hillsdale on reports of another shooting. There, officers found Robert James suffering from several gunshot wounds. He later died of his injuries.

A third incident was reported on July 13, 2019 when law enforcement responded to the 1500 block of SW 16th Street on reports of another shooting. Police found Keyton Hill suffering from multiple gunshot injuries and took him to a local hospital for treatment.

In relation to Count 7, Murder in the 1st Degree for the death of Matthew Lowry, Keys was

sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole until 50 years have been served. For

Count 11, Murder in the 2nd Degree for the death of Robert James, he was sentenced to 272

months. This will run consecutive to Counts 7 and 4. For Count 4, Attempted Murder in the 2nd

Degree for the attempted murder of Keyton Hill, Keys was sentenced to 59 months. This will

also run consecutive to Counts 7 and 11. The remainder of the counts will run concurrent. Shawnee County DA spokeswoman Katie Garceran

Sheriffs office employee fired, sentenced for trafficking contraband into Jackson County jail

For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Man who died in Wichita explosion suspected of mixing chemicals for fireworks: police

The person who died Thursday in an explosion in the detached garage of a southeast Wichita apartment complex may have been mixing chemicals to make illegal homemade fireworks, Wichita police Lt. Aaron Moses said Friday.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the victim was engaged in mixing an unidentified substance before the explosion, potentially linked to illegal homemade pyrotechnics manufacturing, Moses said in a news release.

The male was found dead next to a garage by firefighters called at 11:50 a.m. to Cedarbrooke Apartments, 8406 E. Harry St., near Rock Road. No one else was injured.

Police said they are still confirming the victims identity and notifying family before releasing his name.

In response to the incident, additional resources, including detectives, the bomb squad from the Wichita Police Department, Wichita Fire Investigators, and federal investigators from the FBI and ATF, were deployed to the scene, Moses said.

About half of the five-bay detached garage collapsed from the explosion.
EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)  A man was found guilty by a jury of various child sex crimes that he allegedly committed against multiple victims across Pennsylvania

On April 3 a Bradford County jury found Jonathan Rivera, 34, of Towanda guilty of numerous sex offenses against children.

Investigators stated four victims testified Rivera committed sexually motivated crimes against them when they were young children. All four were girls between the ages of six and nine when they were victimized, police said.

The crimes were committed between 2009 and 2018, in various locations throughout Pennsylvania, including Scranton, Tobyhanna, Carbondale, and Towanda Township.

Teen arrested for alleged stabbing at Dollar General

This case was originally charged in 2018 and a 2019 jury found Rivera guilty of the same charges. However, in 2023 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the convictions on a legal technicality and remanded it for a new trial.

Following the Supreme Courts reversal of Riveras 2019 convictions, Rivera posted bail and was released in September 2023 after spending over four years in a state prison facility.

After Wednesdays guilty verdict, Riveras bail was revoked and he was immediately

taken into custody and transported to the Bradford County Correctional Facility.

Rivera was found guilty of following six felonies and five misdemeanors,

Endangering Welfare of a Child Causing Risk of Serious Bodily Injury or Death

Indecent Assault

Corruption of Minors

Indecent Assault

Indecent Exposure

Corruption of Minors

He now awaits sentencing on August 15.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
Man found shot to death in parking lot of DeKalb County business, police say

Police said a man was shot to death outside a DeKalb County business after a fight Friday afternoon.

The shooting happened around 3 p.m. on the 2700 block of Wesley Chapel Road. When officers arrived, they found a 40-year-old man dead in the parking lot from multiple gunshot wounds.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The address of the building is listed as a car dealership.

Police said they learned the victim had been in a fight with the shooter. Police have not identified either the suspect or the victim or said if the shooter is in custody.

We have a reporter and a photographer headed to the scene to learn more about this developing story for Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A Benton Harbor man will spend years in prison after a July shootout at an apartment complex, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigan says.

Shamonte Buchanan, 26, was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a Friday release from the office. A three-year period of federal supervised release was also imposed.

Buchanan pleaded guilty in December, according to the release.

The attorneys office says the shootout, which involved multiple shooters, happened July 9, 2023, in a parking lot at the River Terrace Apartments. Buchanan was shot and ended up dropping his gun, according to the release. Based on evidence from the scene, investigators say Buchanan had fired 13 rounds using a firearm with an extended magazine  even though prior felony convictions barred him from having a gun.

According to the attorneys office, one apartment  which had a child inside  was hit five times during the shootout.

The people of Benton Harbor deserve to carry out their lives free from the threat of violence, and the prosecution of Mr. Buchanan is one step closer to achieving that goal, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a statement.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Shaken, but not spermed.

Justin Allen, a 33-year-old father of two from Horsham, Pennsylvania, got a whole lot of attention on social media Friday when he posted about his experience during an earthquakethat hit the East Coast around10:23 a.m., with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8.

And lets just say it struck while he was in the middle of a very delicate procedure.

A FUCKING EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY VASECTOMY, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

A FUCKING EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY VASECTOMY  Justin Allen (@Jallen_Town) April 5, 2024

Allen explained to HuffPost on Friday that he had a 10 a.m. appointment scheduled at a urology surgery center in Huntingdon Valley, and that it started out totally normal.

I was thankful to have a surgeon that walked me through every single step of the procedure, Allen wrote. But about 10 minutes into the 20 minute surgery, the whole room started shaking.

Justin Allen is shown after his vasectomy Friday. Courtesy of Bridget Allen

Allen reacted to the rare event like other East Coasters  by reaching for a logical reason for the surreal situation.

At first I was wondering if we were close to a train station or if there was something else that could be causing the room to shake like that, he said. Either way, I didnt initially think it was an earthquake because Id never really felt one before.

But then his surgeon addressed the elephant in the room.

When the doctor said is that an earthquake? I still thought it was a joke and that he was just trying to lighten the mood, Allen said. After a minute or two, when things settled, he resumed the procedure and we all laughed about how we would never forget where we were when this happened.

Allen said the experience was so wild that he couldnt help but share it with others, and decided to tweet about it the moment I got to my phone after the procedure had wrapped up.

I definitely thought it would just be something funny for my friends to laugh at, Allen said. And it blew up.

His wife, Bridget Allen, even snapped a few photos of her husband outside of the facility, and couldnt help but post them on X as well.

Justin Allen said that the experience of going viral has been overwhelming, and that hes had to mute the responses to his post. But he admitted that hes seen lots of hilarious reactions.

mother nature with the best DEEZ NUTS joke in human history  Brandon Warne (@Brandon_Warne) April 5, 2024

Although the situation was definitely an odd one, he said hes happy that his little Allen is recovering just fine and dandy.

It was an interesting experience for everyone, he told HuffPost. Im glad everything turned out alright and we all could laugh about it.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN)  A Franklin man lost his life after a tree fell on him in a rural part of Williamson County Wednesday evening.

The deadly incident  described by Williamson County Fire/Rescue as a land clearing accident  happened in the Pinewood community, not far from Interstate 840.

According to the Williamson County Sheriffs Office, the man who died  identified as 26-year-old Miguel Ramos  was at a construction site for a new upscale subdivision called the Cliffs at Garrison Creek.

PREVIOUS: 1 dead after being hit by falling tree in Williamson County

Fire officials said a 911 call came in shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 about a tree that fell on someone in the 6000 block of Garrison Springs Road. Initial reports indicated the victim was unresponsive and not breathing.

When first responders arrived, they said Ramos was severely injured, so they started performing CPR and rushed him to Williamson Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to investigators, the Franklin man was standing beside a red work truck when the tree fell on him and the vehicle.

Eddie Clark works with the team building the subdivision. He was not at the scene when the incident occurred, but he heard about it from others and he expressed the sorrow and loss the company is feeling for Ramos, who Clark described as a hard worker and a nice, friendly guy.

(Photo: WKRN)

(Photo: WKRN)

It was really hard. I heard about it this morning. Like I said, me, my boss, some of the superintendents that he worked for, they all loved him. He was just a great guy, Clark explained. They were clearing this lot  were fixing to build a house up here  and the excavator operator was parking the machine for the evening, he was calling it quits for the day, and evidently from what I understand, Miguel was close to the truck, and when the tree fell down, it got him and part of his truck.

Clark said the company owner went to the hospital and spent much of the night grieving with Ramos family.

He is really concerned and heartbroken, as we all are, Clark added.

Officials at the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development confirmed to News 2 that the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) was notified and has launched a workplace investigation into Ramos death.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

From what I understand, this wasnt a construction accident. This was all Mother Nature. I mean, this was part of that storm system that blew in and out all over the place yesterday, Clark told News 2.

Clark recalled seeing high winds and BB-sized hail twice throughout Wednesday afternoon in different parts of Williamson County.

High winds up on this higher elevation on these hills, its unavoidable. It had nothing to do with our construction being unsafe or nothing like that because my operator that works for us, hes always been safe. He does things, he watches out for his guys on the ground, and he would never put anybody at risk, Clark described. It was nobodys fault. It was [Ramos] time. I mean, just unfortunately, it was his time.

According to News 2 Chief Meteorologist Danielle Breezy, at the time of the incident, there were recorded wind gusts of up to 31 mph with sustained winds of over 20 mph in the area.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China's healthcare security system provided medical assistance to 250 million patients in 2023, according to the country's National Healthcare Security Administration.

The medical assistance program, a key part of China's healthcare security system that ensures basic medical services for the vulnerable population, was piloted in the country's rural and urban areas in 2003 and 2005, respectively.

According to the administration, China's medical assistance funds increased from 1.38 billion yuan (about 194.5 million U.S. dollars) in 2005 to 74.5 billion yuan in 2023.

The medical assistance program has expanded its coverage to a wider group of individuals. Through 20 years of development, the program has honed its targeting methods and made them more efficient, it added.

Currently, in most parts of China, patients living on subsistence allowance or in extreme poverty no longer need to pay a minimum medical bill amount, as required in the past, to receive medical assistance. Furthermore, the medical assistance funds now account for a higher ratio of the medical costs, according to the administration. 
(KRON)  A man was stabbed and killed at a Safeway in San Leandro on Tuesday, the San Leandro Police Department said.

SLPD responded to the Safeway at 555 Bancroft Ave. at 5:15 p.m. The victim had multiple stab wounds, and he was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Somebodys gonna die: Video shows man drive at Gaza protesters in Sunnyvale, brandish knife

A police investigation revealed that the victim got into a physical confrontation with a member of another group of persons inside the store. The suspect took out a knife and stabbed the victim.

The suspect fled the scene after the stabbing. They remain at large as of Thursday.

Police declined to provide more information, including the identity of the victim.

The stabbing was the second incident of violence at a Bay Area Safeway this week. On Monday, three people were shot in the parking lot of a Safeway in American Canyon. Two people were arrested in connection to the shooting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
TechCrunch

The data center industry is expanding rapidly to keep up with the flywheel growth of AI. While these data centers are necessary AI infrastructure, they store an AI company's compute, they are expensive to build, seemingly more so to run, and they are a huge energy suck. Startups are looking to make data centers more efficient and sustainable, but it isn't that simple.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A man told police officers he was up to no good after getting caught burglarizing storage units on Thursday.

Officers were dispatched to U-Stor Self Storage on Prescott Road after the stores manager told them that several units had been broken into.

As officers examined the scene, they saw two people running inside the business. Officers chased them and eventually detained and identified them as Eugene Moore and Tyesha Taylor.

When officers saw Moore running, they noticed bolt cutters in his hands.

Police say that when they asked Moore, 29, what he was doing inside the business, he said he was up to no good and that he had a baby on the way. He claimed he had to do what he had to do.

Moore also told police that Taylor, who said she was eight months pregnant, did not participate in anything.

After further investigation of the scene, officers noticed two lawnmowers and two 65-inch flat-screen TVs outside their respective units. In all, 22 storage units had their locks broken, but nothing was stolen from them.

The affidavit said officers also noticed a hole in the fence surrounding the business. The fence will cost $1,100 to replace.

Both Moore and Taylor were taken into custody and transported to Felony Response.

Family Dollar robbed at gunpoint, MPD searching for suspect

Taylor told officers that she woke up and didnt see Moore there. When she walked around looking for him, she found him at the storage business and went inside after him.

Moore and Taylor were charged with burglary of a business and 22 counts of criminal attempted burglary of a building.

Moore was taken to 201 Poplar. Taylor was transported to Regional One Hospital due to abdominal pain and charging documents were brought to her there.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
How many weapons does the UK export to Israel?

How many weapons does the UK export to Israel?

The UK government is facing renewed calls to stop exporting weapons to Israel after Joe Biden has warned it will stop suppling some weapons to the country if it launches a major ground operation in the Gaza city of Rafah.

The US president told CNN: If they go into Rafah, Im not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah.

Israel has already launched strikes on the congested city on the southern border of Gaza amid confusion around a potential ceasefire agreement.

An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering in the city which borders egypt, which the Israeli army describes as the last Hamas stronghold. Experts have warned that a full-scale assault of the region could be disastrous, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has calling the situation a humanitarian nightmare.

The Israeli government was heavy criticised by world leaders on April 2 following the killings of seven aid workers in a targeted air strike in Gaza. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) accepted responsibility for their deaths, claiming they were unintentional.

The attack brought the number of aid workers killed in Israel since October to 203, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.

A vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Responding to the events, a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak said the prime minister was appalled and believes too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.

In the days following, more than 600 lawyers co-signed an open letter to the UK government calling for them to suspend weapons export licences that currently allow arms to be sold to Israel from UK-based companies. Mr Sunaks government has not yet responded to the criticisms.

Heres everything you need to know about the UKs weapon exports to Israel:

How many weapons does the UK export to Israel?

The UK has approved almost 57m worth of military goods for export to Israel from 2022 to June 2023, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).

This comprises 151 standard licences  including 19m for aircraft, helicopters and drones  10m for armoured vehicles and tanks, and 3m for grenades, bombs, missiles and countermeasures.

Since 2015, the total value of the UKs military exports to Israel stands at 487m.

An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft, April 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

Following the April 2 aid convoy strike, CAAT have claimed the drone that was used could have been powered by a British-made engine component.

CAAT spokesperson Emily Apple said: This government is complicit in the murder of UK aid workers in Gaza. It has had every opportunity to impose an arms embargo and has refused to do so.

These figures exclude open licences, which do not limit the quantity or value of exports. The CAAT says that UK sources supply Israel up to 15 per cent of the value of their F-35 planes which are used in airstrikes.

The government is yet to release export data which covers the period after June 2023.
Across the country, conservative legislators have begun to target diversity programs in state agencies, schools and private companies.

At least 10 states have implemented restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI: Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Some of these policies ban state funds from being used for diversity-based programs, activities, and offices on college campuses, as seen in Alabama. Some states, like Texas, ban diversity offices at universities altogether. Floridas law also targets diversity training or programs in private workplaces.

Legislators in at least 19 other states have proposed similar restrictions, although several efforts have failed to pass or were vetoed.

PHOTO: States across the country are restricting diversity efforts. (ABC News)

MORE: How corporate America is slashing DEI workers amid backlash to diversity programs

DEI, as defined by professionals in the field, is intended to correct inequities within an organization. This could include implementing accessibility measures for people with disabilities, correcting discriminatory hiring practices, addressing gender and racial pay inequities, anti-bias training and more.

DEI practices have their roots in the anti-discrimination legislative movement of the 1960s, when the Civil Rights Act and Age Discrimination in Employment Act were born, according to past interviews with DEI professionals.

Though every DEI program may be different, professionals say they are aimed at addressing exclusionary practices concerning race, age, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, economic class and more.

Anti-DEI efforts spark debate

The recent wave of efforts to target diversity programs seemingly began after the Supreme Court set new limits on affirmative action, a policy that allowed higher education institutions to use race as one factor among many in student admissions to address historical inequalities.

Supporters of legislation against diversity programs claim they promote radical indoctrination that promotes division in our society, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. suggests.

"My administration has and will continue to value Alabama's rich diversity. However, I refuse to allow a few bad actors on college campuses  or wherever else for that matter  to go under the acronym of DEI, using taxpayer funds, to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe," said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey when signing an anti-DEI bill in March.

Critics of anti-DEI legislation, including national and state teachers unions and free speech advocacy groups, likened these laws to censorship and say they will halt progress addressing inequality.

"This is all about silencing students," United Faculty of Florida union's president Andrew Gothard said in an interview with local news outlet WLRN. "It's about silencing faculty. It's about withholding funding from individuals who have beliefs, speak ideas, or take actions that would disagree with the politics of elected leaders."

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called legislation targeting DEI very deliberate attempts to seek division in our schools, in a recent roundtable, according to the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the United States.

PHOTO: In this March 7, 2023 file photo, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey delivers her State of the State address in Montgomery, Ala. (Julie Bennett/AP, FILE)

Impact of anti-DEI legislation

Since anti-DEI policies have been implemented, some universities  including the University of Texas, the University of Florida and the University of North Florida  have disbanded offices and programming related to diversity.

The University of Texas discontinued programs and activities within the Division of Campus and Community Engagement and laid off employees in DEI-related positions.

The office said it integrated access and belonging into the Universitys core mission and connected intellectual resources to communities across Texas and offer education to those who may face the most significant challenges in accessing it.

As a result, longstanding UT programs such as New Black Student Weekend, Adelante, CultivAsian...Latino Leadership Council, Native American and Indigenous Collective, [and] Students for Equity and Diversity, all have been shuttered, reported the Texas Observer this week.

Earlier this year, the University of North Florida closed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, including the womens, interfaith, intercultural, and LGBTQ centers, to comply with restrictions, according to local news reports.

The University of Florida also eliminated all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions at the university to comply with recent Board of Governors restrictions.

These changes have come amid ongoing scrutiny against higher education institutions and diversity.

Social inequities have long impacted access to higher education for students of color, poor students, and other marginalized groups  such as economic inequality, segregation and academic inequity in K-12 schools. This has led to the continued underrepresentation of these groups in four-year institutions.

"DEI programs recruit and retain BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented faculty and students to repair decades of discriminatory policies and practices that excluded them from higher education," said the ACLU in a statement on anti-DEI laws. "The far right, however, claims that DEI programs universally promote undeserving people who only advance because they check a box."

MORE: https://abcnews.go.com/US/experts-scotus-affirmative-action-decision-highlights-diversity-higher/story?id=9994228

The NEA has said that schools across the country are shuttering access to information and resources geared toward marginalized groups because of the restrictions.

The group also has said teachers are self-censoring their classrooms when it comes to social or political topics in the classroom because of legislative restrictions on discussions on race, gender and sexual orientation.

Theyve cited concerns over losing their job or lawsuits from angry parents.

This kind of legislations ability to hold up in court remains unclear.

Judges have blocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "Stop WOKE" Act in Florida from restricting race-related training or programs in the workplace and higher education, arguing that the law's restrictions are unenforceable and violate the First Amendment.

Map: The impact of anti-DEI legislation originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., has twisted himself into a pretzel trying to please his fractious caucus and he's starting to show the strain. Unfortunately, the people of Ukraine are currently paying the price as he struggles with what appears to be a cage match against Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is making it clear that she intends to blow up the House of Representatives in an election year if she doesn't get her way.

The state of play remains what it's been for weeks now. The Democratic-led Senate passed a tortuously negotiated bipartisan bill that included funding for Ukraine and the border months ago. But the Republican-led House rejected it upon orders from Donald Trump, who openly admitted that his motives were purely to benefit his campaign.

Trump says he sabotaged the bipartisan deal to secure the border because it made it much better for the opposing side pic.twitter.com/yAysQiWrkX  Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) April 2, 2024

Since then Johnson has been running around in circles insisting one day that he won't bring any Ukraine funding bill to the floor and the next day suggesting that he has an agreement on Ukraine that would include a provision that would seize frozen Russian assets and categorize the Ukrainian aid as a loan, an idea first floated by Donald Trump and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., As of Thursday, Johnson was back to insisting that there must be more border security or it's a no-go. Nobody seems to be sure what, if anything, is going to come to the floor.

Greene, meanwhile, is having a monumental temper tantrum, ostensibly because Johnson managed to avoid shutting down the government by making a deal with Democrats to keep it funded through next fall. The idea that Johnson would further fund U.S. aid to Ukraine has infuriated Greene so much so that she's filed a motion to vacate the chair and seems ready to call for the vote with the GOP's now minuscule majority and turn the body into chaos once again.

In an interview with Manu Raju of CNN on Wednesday, Greene let fly, claiming that Republican voters are furious that our so-called Christian conservative, Republican Speaker of the House did this to them." She went on to compare Johnson to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying people are fed up with Republicans that say one thing and turn around and literally join the flock and just continue the same old crap everybodys tired of." She said Johnson has "literally turned into Mitch McConnells twin and worse. Hes a Democrat. Theres not even any daylight between him and Nancy Pelosi at this point. I'm not sure she could have insulted the Republican leader any worse.

There are quite a few members of the MAGA caucus who are extremely hostile to Ukraine aid but Greene seems to be making it a red line issue for her  even though Trump himself has tried to ease away from his hardline position by offering up the loan idea. Greene told CNN that the idea is "the biggest bunch of heaping, steaming pile of BS." She's not wrong. It's a meaningless, irrelevant policy that only someone as inept and out of his depth as Trump would have the nerve to propose. Graham knows this, too, but he wants to get aid to Ukraine, as does Johnson, and they see it as a way to appease Trump by giving him the ability to tell his followers that he's the very stable genius running foreign policy. Apparently, many Democrats are willing to let him have that if it means getting this whole thing over with.

Greene is so worked up that she went to the one place where she knew she'd find a fellow Ukraine hater and Vladimir Putin aficionado: Tucker Carlson's podcast on Elon Musk's X. (How the mighty have fallen.) There she went even further in her condemnation of Johnson:

GREENE: But now Mike Johnson has made a complete departure of who he is and what he stands for, and to the point where people are literally asking, is he blackmailed? What is wrong with him because hes completely disconnected with what we want? CARLSON: Do you think he is being blackmailed? GREENE: I have no idea. I cant comprehend, Tucker, what radically changes a man...

Carlson added that he thinks Johnson and McConnell may be being blackmailed over issues in their personal lives.

Ep. 88 Is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson being blackmailed to do the bidding of the left? It certainly seems that way. His colleague, Marjorie Taylor Greene, explains pic.twitter.com/r60v1XQusY  Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 3, 2024

It's hard to imagine how she's going to deal with Johnson in their scheduled meeting today after all that but it's pretty clear that she's very close to calling for his ouster under the assumption that it's what Republican voters are begging for.

She doesn't have a lot of support in the caucus, however.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

CNN's Jake Tapper noted the other day that Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE., said of Johnson's predicament, hes got a gun to his head right now, but we need to have a Churchill, not a Chamberlain right now. He could be on the right side of history. Tapper tartly remarked, Im not sure that Marjorie Taylor Greene knows who Churchill or Chamberlain are." That is almost certainly the case.

Johnson's problems with Greene are complicated by the fact that he's going to have to rely on Democrats to not only vote for the Ukraine bill but possibly to save his speakership should she decide to go for it. According to Axios, some Democrats are pushing their advantage by demanding humanitarian aid not just for Ukraine and Gaza but also for Sudan, Haiti, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Lebanon. Many of them also don't like the idea of seizing frozen Russian assets and are opposed to a GOP demand to lift an administration pause on liquified natural gas exports. It's clear that cobbling together a bipartisan bill in the House won't be easy even without Marjorie Taylor Greene's hissy fit.

If Greene decides to go ahead and call for Johnson to vacate the chair, the big question is whether a few Democrats will cross the line and save his bacon. Newly elected centrist Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-NY, says he won't vote for removal and there may very well be a few others in swing districts who believe this will endear them to their constituents. That's just how "moderate" Democrats roll.

But that will probably be the end of Johnson's short reign anyway. From that point on his power as speaker will be gone  the only thing that could shame a Republican in the MAGA era is to be seen as having been saved by Democrats. He will be the speaker in name only. It remains to be seen if Greene will lose power or gain it as a result of her actions and I'd say it's 50-50 either way.

Stay tuned.
BALTIMORE  Two months after state officials failed to notify more than 100,000 property owners in Maryland about their latest reassessments, the head of the agency in charge of assessments has been replaced.

Gov. Wes Moores office on Thursday announced Daniel K. Phillips will serve as the interim director of the State Department of Assessments and Taxation while a search begins for a new director.

The Democratic governors statement did not mention Michael Higgs, the director since 2016, but a spokesperson confirmed he was no longer in the role. The spokesperson declined to comment further on the departure because its a personnel matter.

One-third of Marylands 2 million property accounts were reassessed at the end of 2023. For the second year in a row, there were steep climbs  a 23.4% average increase on residential and commercial properties.

But the state agency, known as SDAT, claimed an error with a vendor resulted in roughly 100,000 notices not being sent by Jan. 30, a deadline required by law. Officials said when they realized the mistake they were working to address the issue and that property owners would still have the regular 45 days to appeal once they received their reassessment notice.

State lawmakers said they were deeply concerned by the error, which could put at risk millions in property tax collections for counties.

A bill introduced to retroactively extend the deadline is being considered in the Maryland General Assembly. Independent legislative analysts estimate counties stand to lose $30.1 million local property tax collections in the 2025 fiscal year and $180.6 million over a three-year period.

At least one top leader also suggested the fault should be with Higgs.

Its easy to blame a contractor. Thats something that I think (people say) a lot of times when somebody makes a mistake  they want to find the person to blame, Senate President Bill Ferguson said in late February. That looks like whats happening here to me. If youre the head of an agency, its your responsibility to make sure that the responsibilities of that agency are executed effectively.

Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, said he did not want to prejudge the situation but emphasized the need for accountability if its clear that there was negligence.

_____
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said the Baltimore bridge recovery operation is remarkably complex as crews work to remove debris and the cargo ship that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week.

Moore joined NewsNations Cuomo late Thursday, telling host Chris Cuomo the ship is literally the size of the Eiffel Tower and the weight of the Washington Monument.

Moore said 27,000 tons of bridge debris ispancaked at the bottom of the river.

When the ship struck the bridge, an eight-man construction crew was working to repair the road surface. The collapse was so fast, they had no time to evacuate. Two of them died and four are still missing.

So this is a remarkably complex mission and operations where we continue both to pray for the families and work to bring them a sense of closure, but also having the president here, it means a lot to us because it just shows the level of coordination and partnership thats going to be required in order for us to get to our long term goals, Moore said.

President Biden will travel to Baltimore on Friday to get an update on the aftermath of the collapse. He will meet with local and state officials and the families of the six people who died.

Biden is expected to highlight a $60 million federal emergency relief fund that was approved to help the initial costs from the accident.

Moore said late Thursday that teams are using 3D sonars and radars to look at debris underwater because its not even just what you see on top of the water.

Its actually what you dont see that makes the mission complex, he added.

There are nearly 400 individuals who are working around the clock to bring a measure of conclusion to this and crews are constantly having to reassess, Moore said, adding that there are 21 crew members who are still aboard the ship. Due to the sheer size of the boat, the members still have their living quarters and other areas not mangled by the wreckage.

So that is just an understanding of the complexity of this operation and why we have to move so smartly, the governor said.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New mass graves in Rwanda reveal cracks in reconciliation efforts, 30 years after the genocide

Children practise fencing game, on the outskirts of Kigali, Rwanda, Tuesday, April 4, 2024. The country will commemorate on April 7, 2024 the 30th anniversary of the genocide when ethnic Hutu extremists killed neighbours, friends and family during a three-month rampage of violence aimed at ethnic Tutsis and some moderate Hutus, leaving a death toll that Rwanda puts at 1,000,050. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

HUYE, Rwanda (AP)  The diggers hoes scrape the brown soil, looking for  and often finding  human bone fragments. The women then wipe the bone pieces with their hands as others watch in solemn silence.

The digging goes on, a scene that's become all too familiar in a verdant area of rural southern Rwanda, where the discovery in October of human remains at the site of a house under construction triggered another search for new mass graves believed to hold victims of the 1994 genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi.

In the months since, Rwandan authorities say the remains of at least 1,000 people have been found in this farming community in the district of Huye, a surprisingly high number after three decades of government efforts to give genocide victims dignified burials.

As Rwanda prepares to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide next week, continuing discoveries of mass graves are a stark reminder not only of the countrys determination to reconcile with its grim past but also of the challenges it faces in aiming for lasting peace.

Speaking to The Associated Press, the head of a prominent genocide survivors group and several other Rwandans said the discoveries underscore that more needs to be done for true reconciliation.

Rwanda has made it a criminal offense to withhold information about a previously unknown mass grave. For years perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, including those who served prison terms and were later released, have been urged to speak up and say what they know.

Yet the mass graves are still mostly found by accident, leading to new arrests and traumatizing survivors all over again.

The October discovery led to the arrest of Jean Baptiste Hishamunda, 87, and four of his relatives.

After the remains of six people were discovered under his home, diggers started going through his entire property, finding dozens and then hundreds more remains as their search extended to other sites in Huye.

An estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by extremist Hutu in massacres that lasted over 100 days in 1994. Some moderate Hutu who tried to protect members of the Tutsi minority also were targeted.

The genocide was ignited on April 6 when a plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, a member of the majority Hutu, was shot down in the capital Kigali. The Tutsi were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president. Enraged, gangs of Hutu extremists began killing Tutsi, backed by the army and police.

The government of President Paul Kagame, whose rebel group stopped the genocide and whose party has ruled the East African country since 1994, has tried to bridge ethnic divisions using legal means and other measures. Although critics accuse the authoritarian Kagame of crushing all dissent, he is also praised by many for presiding over relative peace and stability.

The government imposed a tough penal code to punish genocide and outlaw the ideology behind it, and Kagame has fostered a culture of obedience among the country's 14 million people. Rwandan ID cards no longer identify a person by ethnicity and lessons about the genocide are part of the curriculum in schools.

Hundreds of community projects, backed by the government or civic groups, focus on uniting Rwandans and, every April, the nation joins hands in somber commemorations of the genocide anniversary.

Today, serious crimes fueled by ethnic hatred are rare in this small country where Hutu, Tutsi and Twa live side by side  but signs persist of what authorities say is a genocidal ideology, citing concealing information about undiscovered mass graves as an example.

Then there are incidents of villagers asking mass-grave investigators if they are searching for valuable minerals or dumping dog carcasses at memorial sites, according to Naphtal Ahishakiye, executive secretary of Ibuka, the genocide survivors group based in Kigali.

Its like saying, What we lost during the genocide are dogs, Ahishakiye said.

There are still those who resist coming forward to say what they witnessed, he said. We still need to improve, to teach, to approach people, up to (when) they become able to tell us what happened."

As more mass graves are discovered, Tutsi survivors start to doubt the good intentions of their Hutu neighbors, he said. Their pleas for information about relatives lost in the killings go unanswered.

In the village of Ngoma, where shacks roofed with corrugated sheets dot lush farmland, diggers come across decaying shoes and pieces of torn clothing among skulls and bones. The survivors are traumatized all over again.

I have tried very hard to forget, said Beata Mujawayezu, her voice catching as she recalled the killing of her 12-year-old sister at a roadblock on April 25, 1994.

The girl pleaded for her life with militiamen, going down on her knees in front of a gang leader whom she addressed as my father. She was hacked with a machete.

She was a lovely girl, Mujawayezu said of her sister as she watched the digging at a mass grave site on a recent afternoon in her Tutsi-dominated neighborhood. One day, hopefully, we will get to know where she was buried.

Augustine Nsengiyumva, another survivor in Ngoma, said the new mass grave discoveries have left him disappointed in his Hutu neighbors, whom he had grown to trust.

"Imagine sleeping on top of genocide victims, he said, referring to cases where human remains are found under people's homes. These are things I really dont understand.

Young people are less troubled by the past. Some Rwandans see this as a chance for reconciliation in a country where every other citizen is under the age of 30.

In the semi-rural area of Gahanga, just outside of Kigali, farmer Patrick Hakizimana says he sees a ray of hope in his children that someday Rwanda will have ethnic harmony.

A Hutu and an army corporal during the genocide, Hakizimana was imprisoned from 1996 to 2007 for his alleged role in the killings. He said he has learnt his lesson and is now trying to win the respect of others in his neighborhood.

There are people who still have hatred against Tutsi, he said. The genocide was prepared for a long time.

It will take a long time for people to leave that hatred behind, he said.

___

Muhumuza reported from Kigali, Rwanda.
VIENTIANE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security Vilay Lakhamfong called for the police force and government officials to step up public protection and security across the country.

Vilay made the remark during his speech to mark the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the Lao Public Security Force on Friday.

According to the Lao Security News report, Vilay highlighted the need for the force to make a more concerted effort to tackle the country's drug problem and address social injustice.

He called on all members of society to help strengthen the Party and the Public Security Force to ensure the direct, decisive, and comprehensive leadership of the Party in all aspects of work.

He called for the prompt suppression of hostile elements that sought to disturb the peace, order and safety of Lao society and economic and socio-cultural stability. 
Matt Walsh, one of the most-listened-to podcast hosts in America, defended a well-known white nationalist organization on his Daily Wire show this week. On Tuesdays episode of his eponymous podcast, Walsh argued that VDare  a racist nonprofit listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center  was being targeted by a government investigation solely because of its inconvenient and unpopular beliefs.

The attorney general of New York, Letitia James, is of course best known for her campaign to seize all the assets of the leading presidential candidate, Donald Trump, Walsh said. What shes not so well-known for is her campaign to target the website VDare explicitly because of its inconvenient and unpopular beliefs. This is a story thats gotten very little attention in conservative media, but its every bit as scandalous as what Letitia James is doing to Donald Trump.

Walsh was referring to James ongoing investigation into whether VDares 2020 purchase of a $1.4 million castle in West Virginia may have violated its New York nonprofit status. He also alluded to the fact that earlier this year James won a civil fraud lawsuit against Trump for falsely inflating his net worth, meaning that the former president could be on the hook for $454 million if he loses on appeal.

VDare likes to talk about things like crime statistics and what happens in cities like Baltimore, Walsh said, likely referring to the VDare websites skewed, racist of coverage of Black crime in America. So therefore, like Donald Trump, they need to be crushed. Every real estate transaction theyve ever engaged in needs to be carefully scrutinized until theyre bankrupt.

Walsh also complained that not enough conservatives were standing up for VDare. Is there anyone in this country whos even suggested sacrificing anything for a site like VDare? he asked. Of course not. They have unfashionable views. So theyre not going to be around much longer.

For Walsh to claim that VDare merely has unfashionable, inconvenient and unpopular views obscures just how extreme the organization is. As noted by Angry White Men  a website that documents white supremacist rhetoric and was the first to report on Walshs comments  VDare has defended the racist manifesto of the El Paso shooter who killed 23 people during a 2019 anti-Hispanic shooting spree at a Walmart in Texas. And a video that VDare published on YouTube called for a secessionist movement that would result in the creation of a white ethnostate.

From left: Richard Spencer, Peter Brimelow, Jared Taylor and internet personality Millennial Woes field questions at a conference hosted by the National Policy Institute, a since-disbanded white nationalist organization, in Washington on November 18, 2016. Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

VDares founder, Peter Brimelow, has argued that Hispanics do specialize in rape. Brimelow has also attended events with white supremacist figures such as Richard Spencer, who helped organize the deadly 2017 neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

VDare was found in contempt of court last week for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by James office requiring the organization to turn over emails and other internal correspondences, court records show. James is investigating whether Brimelow and his wife, Lydia Brimelow, personally profited from VDares purchase of the medieval-style castle in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

Walsh claimed on his show that James admitted out in the open that she was going to ignore the First Amendment and go after people saying things online that she does not like, an apparent reference to a directive James issued years ago to combat a rise in antisemitism in New York state by creating a hotline to report hate crimes and calling on social media companies to regulate hate speech and strengthen their policies. An article in Haaretz about James directive makes no mention of her planning to investigate groups like VDare.

The Daily Wire did not respond to a request for comment about Walshs comments on James or his defense of VDare.

Earlier this week HuffPost reported that Jeremy Boreing, The Daily Wires CEO, made a cordial livestream appearance with white supremacist Nick Fuentes, telling the young fascist influencer  who has praised Adolf Hitler and called for the execution of perfidious Jews  that hes talented and very funny, even if Boreing does have some concerns about Fuentes views.

Boreing claimed during the livestream appearance that The Daily Wire, one of the biggest right-wing media outlets in America, made $220 million in revenue last year and has over 1 million subscribers to its content.

The Daily Wires hosts frequently promote bigoted views that wouldnt look out of place on VDares website. Walsh, for example, has embraced the great replacement conspiracy theory, which claims that there is an organized, covert effort to replace white people in America and other Western countries with nonwhite immigrants. The conspiracy theory has motivated multiple white supremacist mass shootings in America.

Walsh promoted a version of this conspiracy theory during Tuesdays episode of his podcast, lamenting that Scotland is importing poor foreigners and so-called refugees by the boatload to make up for the countrys flagging birth rate.

The Matt Walsh Show is currently the 12th most popular podcast in the news category on Apple Podcasts.
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11)  Mayor Eric Adams joined PIX11 Morning News Friday to discuss a new City Council bill to change squatters rights in New York City.

It only takes 30 days to gain squatter rights in New York, according to the states Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law 711. Councilwoman Susan Zhuang said shes going to introduce a bill to require police to keep records of squatting complaints.

What to know about NYC squatter rights

Adams on Friday appeared to support the legislation.

I dont believe a person should be in someones home and stay there without contributing to what it costs to be in that home, the mayor said. Im going to look at the bill, but in concept, I think theyre moving in the right direction.

Adams also spoke on youth gun violence, the mental health crisis in New York City, and collaboration between the NYPD and ICE in tackling migrant crimes.

Watch the video player for more.

Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Media: Identities confirmed of more than 50,000 Russians killed in Ukraine

The BBC's Russian service, along with the Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, confirmed on April 5 the identities of more than 50,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war.

The research, using open-source analysis, only cites those confirmed as being killed, thus almost certainly undercounting the real total. The BBC estimated the true figure likely surpasses 100,000.

The figure also does not include soldiers from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. According to the BBC's research, around 23,400 soldiers from Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts have been killed, bringing the total of confirmed deaths to close to 75,000.

At the end of March, Mediazona confirmed the identities of 49,281 Russian soldiers killed since February 2022.

Total estimates of Russia's casualties since the full-scale invasion vary widely.

In a joint study with independent Russian media outlet Meduza released in February 2024, Mediazona reported that at least 83,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in Russia's war.

Read also: Mediazona confirms identities of over 49,200 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in February 2024 that 180,000 Russians had been killed in the war. He added that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers were also killed. Zelensky said that the exact number is unknown, and it would only be possible to find out once the territories occupied by Russia were liberated.

According to the BBC, at least 43% of those confirmed as being killed were not associated with the army before February 2022, adding that the total could be as high as 70%.

Among those confirmed as killed were the names of 101 conscripts, who are not allowed by law to fight abroad.

In total, the BBC said that 18% of those killed were prisoners, 13% were soldiers who joined voluntarily, and 12% were mobilized.

The highest proportion of deaths as a percentage of the population came from regions far from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The highest was from Tuva, a republic in southern Siberia, followed by Buryatia, also in Siberia, and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Russia's Arctic.

Tuva's population is overwhelmingly ethnic Tuvan, while Buryatia and Nenets have significant non-ethnic Russian populations.

There have been widespread claims that Russia is disproportionately mobilizing ethnic minorities to fight in Ukraine.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Like most Americans, Dustin Ebey is unhappy with the prospect of an electoral rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Unlike most of us, however, he's decided to do something about it.

The 35-year-old Texan became a viral sensation this week after legally changing his name to Literally Anybody Else and declaring his candidacy for the White House. The goal, he told Reason on Thursday, is "giving a unified voice to the idea that we deserve better."

"[Biden and Trump] have their platforms, they have their stances. And if you don't fit into them, you have you have to decide," Else says. "Some people they're perfectly aligned withbut it's definitely not the majority."

Indeed, a Gallup poll released this week found that about one-third of Americans believe that neither Trump nor Biden would be a good president if elected to another term. Other polls show that both men have low approval ratings and that a majority of voters wish both men would decline to run again. At 77 and 81, respectively, Trump and Biden are the oldest pair of major party presidential nominees in historybreaking the record they set four years ago.

Could it be that Americans are looking for Literally Anybody Else?

In the interview, Else described himself as a generally apolitical centrist who has grown increasingly distressed at the state of the country's major parties. He says he voted for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in 2016 after being unable to stomach the choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, then pulled the lever for Trump in 2020a decision he came to regret after the January 6 riot. A seventh-grade math teacher and Army vet, Else says the national debt is the biggest issue facing the country.

"If we cannot get our debt under control, there is almost nothing that will save us," he says.

Else filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Elections Commissionwhich at first did not believe he was serious about thisand is beginning the arduous task of collecting the thousands of signatures that he'll need to get on the Texas ballot as an independent candidate.

Else has been shocked by the outpouring of support he's received via social media and claims that he's received dozens of calls and emails from prospective volunteers and people interested in working on his campaign. A more professionalized campaign website is currently under construction, he says, and specific policy proposals will be rolling out in the coming months.

His effort is the ultimate of longshotsit would take "an act of God" to put him in the White House, he admits.

Still, there is no denying that his decision to commit to this bit reflects a brutal truth about the state of the 2024 election. And there's no doubt that Else's candidacy offers something neither Trump nor Biden can: He is Literally not them.

Reason caught up with Literally Anybody Else on Thursday night to ask about the origins of this wild idea, his political ideology, and how he feels about already being labeled a spoiler for the two major parties.

Reason: I have to ask the obvious question first. Why are you doing this?

Literally Anybody Else: Have you seen who's running for president lately?

Reason: I have. Fair point.

Literally Anybody Else: There's a huge, huge shortcoming when you think about [it].

When I look at Donald Trump, even barring all of his policy gaffes, Trump represents the 0.1 percent of wealth just by virtue of him being a billionaire. That's not something that a lot of us can connect with. For Biden, he's been a politician for 60 years, and I just doubt his ability to even sympathize with what's going on down here at the ground level. I want something better. I want something closer to me, closer to the people around me.

Reason: How did this idea first come about, and was there intoxication involved?

Literally Anybody Else: I actually don't react well to alcohol. I don't really drink it all that much. I had a glass of wine today and I am struggling to get through half of it.

If there was Literally Anybody Else on the 2020 ballot, I would have picked it. With that sentiment in mind, I thought, "Hey, I bet that I could make money with this concept." So I bought the domain LiterallyAnybodyElse.com with the intent of using the gimmick to sell t-shirts. It was a commercial decision. As we started going through the year, getting closer and closer to election season, I kept hearing more and more of the rhetoric, more and more of the divisiveness on the news. I began to wonder if it'd be possible to just get Literally Anybody Else on the ballot.

But I quickly came to realize that many states did not allow aliases on the ballot. So, I came to the conclusion that in order to actually have this happen, somebody would have to legally change their name to Literally Anybody Else, which is just stupid. Who would go that length when it is really that serious of a thing? As time went on, it got that serious.

Reason: Any unexpected complications?

Literally Anybody Else: I filed the paperwork online, paid my 330-something dollars, and within a couple of days I went in front of the judge and told her what I wanted to change my name to. She looked at me. She was like, "You going to be that guy?" I didn't even know if it would go through. And she allowed it. She said, "Yeah, it's part of your First Amendment right to protest."

And I was like, OK, this is happening.

Reason: Are your friends and family calling you "Literally" now?

Literally Anybody Else: No, the name has a pragmatic function. Look at it like this: You and I are talking. We would not be talking if I was running as Dustin.

Reason: That's a good point. What's the Literally Anybody Else campaign pitch to the American people?

Literally Anybody Else: The first phase right now is all about unity. I am the candidate who stands to unify America in ways that the other two candidates just simply can't anymore.

They spend so much time demonizing the other side that any perception of empathy is perceived as betrayal. If I'm going to be president of the United States, I need to represent the people of the United States, not just those who are aligned with me, not just those who fit into the cookie cutter that I am. They have their platforms, they have their stances. If you don't fit into them, you have you have to decide. Some people they're perfectly aligned withbut it's definitely not the majority.

Reason: How would you describe your political ideology?

Literally Anybody Else: I cannot at this time. That will be coming out in June or July. I don't want to focus on the platform without having the proper development. I'm political outsider.

Reason: Who did you vote for in the most recent elections?

Literally Anybody Else: When it was Trump versus Hillary, I couldn't really take either one of them seriously. I ended up voting third party, for Gary Johnson. He was a weird candidate, but again, that was more of an "I don't like Trump or Hillary" vote.

In 2020, I was very, very busy and didn't have the luxury of looking into the candidates. My family aligned with Trump, so I did end up voting for himand ended up regretting it shortly after when January 6 happened.

I still to this day do not understand how we got to the point where we are. It makes no sense. Like, nobody wanted this in 2020. How did you how did we end up with this again in 2024? Can someone please explain to me how the system has allowed that to happen?

Reason: What's the most important issue facing the country right now?

Literally Anybody Else: The most important issue facing the country is the debt, bar none. Many things spin off from that. If we cannot get our debt under control, there is almost nothing that will save us.

I would not allow any spending that did not have a balanced budget. We had $7 trillion added to the national debt under Trump, $2 trillion under Joe Biden. My three-year-old daughter in some way, shape, or form will have to contribute to paying that back. If we don't manage it now, what happens in 20, 30 years if we reach a point where our interest on the national debt goes beyond what we can pay? What happens to America's credibility? What happens to our ability to take care of ourselves if people can't trust our word?

Reason: What does success look like?

Literally Anybody Else: Giving a unified voice to the idea that we deserve better, and actually having it make an effect on how we do politics. You know, I think if we can move the needle from the polarized ends back to the center, back to sanity, kind of narrow the Overton window so that those who are most extreme have the least voice, and then those who are most aligned with the majority of the country can have an avenue to represent us. That's all I want.

Literally Anybody Else stands for an idea. We just want representation. Somebody needs to step up to provide it. Since nobody stepping up, that's why I've decided to put myself out there.

Reason: Last thing. Third-party and independent candidates frequently get singled out for supposedly being "spoilers" to the two major parties. Are you worried about spoiling the election for either Biden or Trump?

Literally Anybody Else: Not really.

But it's been interesting to watch social media because I've been called a Trump plant. I've been called a Biden plant. I've been called a liberal hack. I've been called a conservative. But I'm intentionally staying in the middle, and it's not really that hard because I am a centrist. I average out to the middle. You'll start seeing more of that in June, July when I start publishing policies.

It's been honestly entertaining to see where people are trying to put me in these boxes because they're all over the place. But right now it's all about unity. It's all about bringing people together. Building the chorus, shall we say, before we start singing the message.

This interview has been condensed and edited for style and clarity.

The post Meet 'Literally Anybody Else,' the Presidential Candidate That 2024 Demands appeared first on Reason.com.
Melania Trump, who has been largely absent from the campaign trail during her husbands presidential run, is back on the GOP fundraising circuit.

The former first lady is set to hold her first major political event of the year  a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans on April 20 at Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach, Florida, club where she and former president Donald Trump live, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.

Melania Trump has long maintained a close relationship with the Log Cabin Republicans, which describes itself as the nations largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies. In 2021, she was the special guest at a dinner the organization hosted at Mar-a-Lago, where she was given an award. The former president himself spoke at an event the organization hosted at the club in 2022.

The April event is the launch for the organizations Road to Victory program, which plans to target voters in swing states.

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last month, Melania Trump said stay tuned when asked by a reporter when she would return to the campaign trail. The ex-first lady made the remarks while attending, with her husband, a wake for a slain New York City police officer.

The host committee for the event includes Republican donors Saul Fox, Amanda Schumacher, Bill White, Bryan Eure and Richard Grenell, who had served as Trumps ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence. Also listed are Elizabeth Ailes, a former NBC News executive and the widow of the late Fox News chief executive officer Roger Ailes, and Deborah Magowan, the widow of the late San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan.
Former first lady Melania Trump will be headlining a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser later this month for Log Cabin Republicans, the largest organization representing LGBT conservatives in the United States.

It's a rare appearance at a fundraising event by the former first lady, who has mostly stayed away from former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign trail and instead only occasionally been seen at private events at his properties.

The fundraiser, set for April 20, is for the benefit of Log Cabin Republican's 501(c)(4) nonprofit arm and is not a Trump campaign event. Politico was first to report the news.

It's co-hosted by a slew of longtime Donald Trump allies and prominent Republican donors, including former U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who also served as acting director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration, as well as former President of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Bill White, according to an invitation to the event obtained by ABC News.

Grenell was the first openly gay person to hold a cabinet-level position in the United States.

MORE: Melania Trump makes rare appearance on 2024 campaign trail

Late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes' widow Elizabeth Ailes, longtime Republican donor Saul Fox and Deborah Magowan, the wife of former Giants Chairman Peter Magowan, are also among co-hosts, the invitation shows.

According to the invitation, each ticket costs $10,000.

PHOTO: Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump arrive at a polling station at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, March 19, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

"We're very excited and honored that former first lady Melania Trump will be our guest of honor for this very special evening," said White, one of the co-hosts and a longtime friend of Trump. "She's been very dedicated and extremely supportive of the mission of Log Cabin Republicans, and I think that's a very beautiful message."

"I think it's important to see how many gay conservatives are working so hard to have their voice heard," White continued.

White said he expects that Melania Trump's participation will help make the event a "great success" and will raise significant funds for the Log Cabin Republicans.

MORE: Trump's next big fundraiser is going to outraise Biden's Obama event, his allies claim

PHOTO: Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump arrive at a polling station at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, March 19, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Melania Trump has maintained a close relationship with Log Cabin Republicans over the years, headlining their annual gala at Mar-a-Lago in 2021 and receiving the group's Spirit of Lincoln award, for her role in "helping children reach their full potential" and "championing a more inclusive Republican Party."

In 2022, Donald Trump himself headlined Log Cabin Republicans' Spirit of Lincoln gala held at Mar-a-Lago, where he told the audience, "we are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard."

Last month, Melania Trump made another rare public appearance when she joined her husband at a polling place in Palm Beach, Florida -- her first public appearance with Trump this election cycle.

MORE: Melania Trump makes rare appearance on 2024 campaign trail

Asked by a reporter if she would be joining the former president on the campaign trail, the former first lady simply smiled and said, "stay tuned," but nothing more.

In December, Melania Trump delivered remarks at a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in Washington, but her husband did not attend the event with her.

PHOTO: Former First Lady Melania Trump speaks during a Naturalization Ceremony at the National Archives building, Dec. 15, 2023, in Washington. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

In a September interview with NBC News, when the former president was asked about his wife campaigning with him, he said she'd be out there "soon" and "at appropriate time," but added he likes to "keep her away."

"She's right now with Barron in school," Donald Trump said. "She loves that boy. She's very popular, she actually is. And she'll be with us. She's very, very supportive."

"Pretty soon, when it's appropriate, but pretty soon," he added. "She's a private person, a great person, very confident person. And she loves our country very much. She'll be -- she'll be at the appropriate time."

In rare appearance, Melania Trump to headline Mar-a-Lago fundraiser for conservative LGBT group originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A Memphis pastor has started a petition against a bill that would prohibit the study of reparations for descendants of slaves in Tennessee, and in two days, it has more than 500 signatures.

State Sen. Brent Taylor, a Shelby County Republican, is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill, SB0429.

An amendment to the bill, added and passes in the Senate one year ago, prohibits local governments from exploring or implementing reparations for historical slavery and its ongoing impacts. It states:

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to prohibit a county, municipality, or metropolitan government from expending funds for the purposes of studying or disbursing reparations. As used in this amendment, reparations means money or benefits provided to individuals who are the descendants of persons who were enslaved.

TN bill could move two judges seats out of Shelby County

Taylor says this issue should be resolved on a national level and local tax dollars should not be spent researching reparations.

Reverend Earle Fisher, senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, says money isnt the real issue.

This is not about money. This is about ideology. This is about political power, Fisher said. This is about people who are hell-bent on maintaining racial and economic inequities across the state and they are scared to death that the truth would come out. So, they dont want anybody to study it.

Taylor says the subject is significant, but the local government wont be able to solve the problem.

King family returns to Memphis 56 years after assassination

I will make very clear our vote today does not pass judgment on reparations. That is a very significant and very important issue for many people in our country, but it is an issue that belongs to the federal government and does not belong to our cities and counties and I think its inappropriate for our cities and counties tax dollars to go to such an issue, Taylor said.

If the state of Tennessee has hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in a surplus, surplus means we are taking care of all of our financial responsibilities, and this is how much money we have left over. We can even call it expendable income, Fisher said. There are other entities and organizations that get 25 times that to do something most of us will probably say is a lot less significant.

The bill is scheduled to go before the House for voting next Wednesday.

The petition opposing the bill can be found here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
TechCrunch

Apples Vision Pro hasnt exactly reshaped the market, but the company isnt giving up on headsets that combine the digital and real worlds. A new report from Bloombergs Mark Gurman says that Apples next big mixed reality release could come as early as next year, with the launch of a Vision headset costing around $2,000  not exactly cheap, but more affordable than the $3,500 Vision Pro. To achieve this price, Apple would use cheaper materials and a less powerful processor, and it would not include the EyeSight feature that shows a users eyes outside the headset.
BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce (MOC) Wang Shouwen visited the United States from April 2 to 5 at the invitation of the U.S. side and co-chaired the first vice-ministerial meeting of the China-U.S. commercial and trade working group with the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago, the MOC announced Friday.

China is willing to work with the United States to actively implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen communication, expand cooperation and manage differences through the commercial and trade working group, and create a sound environment for trade and investment cooperation between enterprises of the two countries, Wang said.

Wang expressed concerns over issues including the U.S. Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods and related investigation applications, generalization of national security, sanctions against Chinese enterprises, revisions of trade remedy investigation rules, two-way investment restrictions and unfair treatment of Chinese enterprises.

Both sides agreed to support trade and investment promotion activities organized by the two sides and cooperation activities in clean energy technology and women's health, explore ways to enhance trade facilitation cooperation, and strengthen communication and exchanges in the field of export control.

Lago will lead a delegation to China in the second half of 2024 at the invitation of the Chinese side, and co-chair the second vice-ministerial meeting of the China-U.S. commercial and trade working group, according to the MOC. 
SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  Three companies in Tijuana have lowered their employees work weeks from 48 to 40 hours in anticipation of a new labor law in Mexico.

Mexicos Congress has been considering the change since 2022 and is reportedly on the verge of shortening the work week for workers in Mexico.

The law would also give employees two mandated days off during the week.

Obdulia Rodriguez, president of the Human Resources Association in Tijuana, said industries need to be prepared.

We have been monitoring the progress and have been creating different scenarios, she said. Right now, we have a Plan A and Plan B should this new law take effect..

She went on to say employees who work fewer hours are reporting a better quality of life.

Other companies are already looking into lowering their work weeks, more and more are considering this move, she said.

Congresswoman Susana Prieto Terrazas, from Juarez, who in 2019 was arrested for organizing maquiladora workers demanding higher wages, first introduced the idea.

The shorter work week would require a change to Mexicos Constitution.

A final vote was due last month, but it was postponed for a few weeks.

Several prominent business owners including Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the world, have come out against the change saying that the fewer hours people work, the less money theyll make.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Whitmer's memoir will cover her time leading the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the plot to kidnap her and more

Kevin Dietsch/Getty; Simon & Schuster Gretchen Whitmer, Whirmer's book cover for 'TRUE GRETCH: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between'

Gretchen Whitmer's last five years as Michigan governor have seen her go up against a pandemic, a rise in domestic terrorism and more. And now, she hopes to recount some of her experience in a new book, with a mission to encourage readers to "make a difference."

True Gretch: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between is due out this summer from Simon & Schuster.

Per a release from the publisher, the story will follow Whitmer's life and career  from lessons she learned from her grandmother Nino to the kidnapping an assassination plot against her in 2020.

In this moment, our world is thirsty for compassion, empathy, big ideas and the grit to get shit done," Whitmer said in a statement.

"No matter who you are, or what you hope to achieve, I hope this book will help you find the good and use it to make a difference. Ill be doing the same alongside you.

Simon & Schuster Cover of 'TRUE GRETCH: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between'

Related: Last 3 Men Charged for Alleged Involvement in Plot to Kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Found Not Guilty

True Gretch, described by the publisher as an "unconventionally honest, personal and funny account" of the politician's life and work, will follow Whitmer's time as a lawyer, her efforts as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic, her fight to protect reproductive rights and her motto (get s--- done").

Weve been watching Whitmer carve a hugely successful path in these divisive times, and we are thrilled to be publishing her book," Mindy Marques, vice president, executive editor at Simon & Schuster, said in a release.

"She is the very rare politician who can make change and find humor in politics, and her first book is as unconventional as she is.

The book will also include some of the politician's humor throughout, and net proceeds from the title's publishing will be donated to the Capital Region Community Foundation during her remaining time as governor.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

News of her new book comes seven months after the last three men of the 14 that were charged for their involvement in allegedly attempting to kidnap Whitmer at her Antrim County vacation home in 2020 had been found not guilty. The men were arrested in October 2020 along with 11 others  five of whom have since been found guilty by a jury on their respective charges, and four of whom reportedly plead guilty to lesser charges.

"I think about [being in danger] everywhere I go," Whitmer said on Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? in March 2023. "The former president made me a target and threw a lot of gas on the fire and it has continued to burn. And I think about it everywhere I go."

She continued: "There are times when I am in public  and I've got the greatest state police detail in the world  but there are big crowds sometimes, and it does cross my mind."

True Gretch: What Ive Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between arrives on on July 9.



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Read the original article on People.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The 2024 solar eclipse is Monday, April 8 and the cloud cover forecast in Middle Tennessee will be a big component to view the celestial event. Most areas are expected to experience clouds, hindering views of the partial eclipse our area is expected to see.

From east to west, Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky will see 90% to 98% of the total eclipse as the moon blocks the sun.

Your map of the eclipse path of totality is wrong, experts say

One hundred percent totality will occur in extreme northwest Tennessee, but areas that will be greater within a short drive from Nashville include: Arkansas, far northwest Kentucky, southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Indiana.

What time will the eclipse occur?







On Monday, April 8, the partial eclipse will begin in Nashville around 12:44 p.m., with our maximum eclipse at ~94.78% occurring at 2:03 p.m., ending at 3:20 p.m. A total eclipse duration of two hours, 35 minutes and 40 seconds. The times are slightly later the farther east of Nashville and farther west the times are slightly earlier.

THP, TDOT urge caution during eclipse Monday

The weather forecast

Now to the all-important part of viewing the eclipse! Looking toward Monday, forecast model data is *now* showing that clouds could decrease as we approach the maximum partial eclipse time.

At this time, north and west of Nashville has the best chance of clouds clearing out. Unfortunately, south and east may have some clouds to look through to see the eclipse. Stay tuned for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Military: Russian use of prohibited chemical weapons has become 'systemic'

The tendency of Russian troops to use munition with prohibited chemicals grows and has become "systemic," the command of Ukraine's Support Forces reported on April 5.

Ukrainian forces recorded 371 cases of usage of munition containing prohibited chemicals over the past month, which is 90 cases more than during the previous one.

For such attacks, Russia primarily uses K-51 and RG-VO grenades, which are delivered via drones, according to the Support Forces.

In total, Russian troops have used munitions with chemicals, which are banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, 1412 times over the past year.

"Such actions on the part of the Russian Federation are taking on systemic pattern, and this tendency only grows," the Support Forces' report said.

Earlier, Dmytro Lykhovyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria Group of forces, said on March 10 that Russian forces had dropped grenades with suffocating and tear gas from drones about 50 times over the week.

Russian naval infantry units have also been confirmed to have used prohibited chemical weapons in the village of Krynky, located 30 kilometers northeast of Kherson, the Institute for the Study of War said on Dec. 23.

The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons in war.

Read also: The Counteroffensive: Russias rising chemical weapons use in Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Milwaukee mother of 8 was killed after an arduous custody battle over her 3 youngest kids

The man who shot and killed Lakeyshia Timmons outside her home Monday had recently lost an arduous and yearslong custody battle over their three children, according to charges filed Thursday and other court records.

Ronald E. Fuller, 52, of Milwaukee once had primary custody of the three girls, now ages 3, 5 and 6, but had always been forced by court order to share custody with Timmons, records show.

The two parents appeared in Milwaukee County courtrooms over custody issues at least 10 times over a period of 4 years. Relations had been up and down, but as recently as August 2022, both of them agreed they were working well together, records said.

But things soured, again, soon after that, with Fuller making unfounded accusations in court about safety issues in Timmons home and about her mental health. At one point, he told a court-appointed investigator that a possible war is starting, describing it as World War III.

After a hearing in late February  during which Fullers remarks were reported  Milwaukee County Court Commissioner Jordan Karth awarded Timmons sole custody and primary placement of her children, but still afforded Fuller custody every other weekend.

That decision was made even though a court-appointed investigator had unspecified concerns about Fuller after speaking with the three children, records said. Fuller did not allow an investigator to visit his home and was unable to answer basic questions in court about what grade his children were in and when they started school in the mornings.

Little over a month later, on Monday, Fuller waited outside Timmons home and watched as she left to take their children to school, according to a criminal complaint. When she returned, he approached her and shot her in the street.

This is all about the kids, her babies, Timmons mother, Latanilia Timmons, told the Journal Sentinel. She feared for her life from him.

Lakeyshia Timmons, 42, was a working nurse who raised eight children, four them now adults, all on her own. Her family hailed her as the best mother ever.

The same investigator who reported concerns about Fuller in February, meanwhile, said the children were doing great and their mothers home was well kept. There were no concerns about their well-being under her watch.

The family said they are planning a press event Friday evening to discuss Fullers harassment of Timmons and how he manipulated the court system against her by repeatedly instigating custody disputes.

A GoFundMe page set up by the family had raised nearly $5,000 by Thursday evening.

Online court records show that in October 2023, Timmons petitioned for a harassment restraining order against Fuller. The petition was denied the same day. No other records over the matter were available at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Fuller was charged Thursday with first-degree intentional homicide and is in the Milwaukee County Jail with bail set at $250,000, according to online records. He has not yet been assigned a permanent attorney.

Fuller was identified by another one of Timmons children after they saw him flee the area, the complaint said. Surveillance video captured the suspect in alleyways and circling Timmons home for almost a half-hour before the shooting.

In an interview with police, Fuller said he obtained Timmons address from a relative of the family. He said he was seconds away from leaving the area before she got home, according to the complaint. Had he fled, she would have seen him, which he did not want.

He said he had no reason to kill her and there was no misunderstanding between the two.

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man killed Milwaukee mother of 8 after custody battle, police say
Three civilians were injured when their tractor ran over a mine in Ukraine's northwestern Rivne Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Koval reported on April 5.

Nearly one third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, has been mined since Russia began its all-out war against the country, threatening thousands of people with deaths or injuries, according to Ukrainian officials.

The tractor's driver ignored the "Danger Mines!" sign, according to Koval.

The mine exploded in the north of the region, near Ukraine's state border with Belarus.

According to the Economy Ministry, Ukraine has received over $700 million for humanitarian demining projects for 2022-2027 from international partners. The United States, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, and E.U. countries were among the key donors.

The ministry said on April 4 that mine-related explosions have killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.

Recently, explosions caused by mines killed one man and injured another in Kherson Oblast on March 27.

Read also: Russia is covering Ukraine with landmines. Clearing them will be extremely difficult

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
At least a dozen Minneapolis police officers were sanctioned for misconduct related to the department's riot response in the wake of George Floyd's murder and subsequent crowd control efforts in 2020, according to newly released disciplinary files.

A sergeant was fired for pepper-spraying a Vice reporter as he lay prone on the pavement, waving his press credential. Another was terminated for brutally beating Jaleel Stallings, a 29-year-old Army veteran out past curfew. Eight were suspended for using excessive force on protesters, failing to de-escalate encounters or turn on their body-worn cameras. Supervisors also faced steep penalties for not completing use-of-force reviews on their staff.

Dozens more voluntarily left the embattled department before investigations could be completed.

Few disciplinary reports were made public in the immediate aftermath of Floyd's killing, even as a mountain of police misconduct complaints and lawsuits piled up. Widely shared social media videos showed some officers indiscriminately spraying chemical irritants outside squad cars and at nonviolent groups, while others shot marking rounds at civilians on their own property.

The city has paid nearly $50 million in police brutality claims since that tumultuous period.

Until now, community members were left to wonder whether those involved were ever held accountable. (For 16 months, the only officer formally reprimanded by top brass was Colleen Ryan, who served as an anonymous source for a GQ magazine article criticizing the Police Department's "toxic culture.")

The new, heavily redacted documents underscore the sluggish  and often inconsistent  nature of the police oversight process in Minneapolis, where the chief is ultimately responsible for doling out discipline. Chronic complaint backlogs inside Internal Affairs and the city's Office of Police Conduct Review mean that misconduct investigations can take years. By then, an officer may have been promoted or even have resigned.

Most of the recently posted disciplinary memos were signed by former police chiefs Medaria Arradondo and Amelia Huffman and pertain to blatant policy violations in the chaotic days after Floyd's death. One is more than three years old.

In Minnesota, such records aren't public until they've gone through the full grievance process.

In a phone interview Thursday, Stallings and his attorney, Eric Rice, characterized the newly published disciplinary memos as more of a reaction to public outcry than a proactive effort to correct rogue behavior.

"I'm left with a bad taste about it," Stallings said, adding that the repercussions might've felt more appropriate had they come sooner.

Stallings, who was criminally charged but later acquitted by a jury, said: "They should be held to the same standard of law as I am  if not higher because of their position. That doesn't seem to be the case."

Police officials declined to comment. In a statement, Sgt. Sherral Schmidt, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, acknowledged the difficulty of 2020 but urged the public not to overlook the "the environment and conditions officers were working under."

"The discipline cases stemming from that period are even more complex due to the raw emotion attached to the incidents," she wrote, pointing to how "officers worked for days on end with little sleep or rest in an extremely dangerous, volatile and often unpredictable environment."

Assault on Stallings

On May 30, 2020, as fires smoldered on Lake Street and the National Guard rolled in to help restore order after back-to-back nights of looting, police officers in an unmarked cargo van went "hunting" for curfew breakers after dark.

When they came upon a group of people gathered in a parking lot, several SWAT members began firing 40-millimeter marking rounds at them. One struck Stallings in the chest.

He returned fire with his legally owned pistol, in what Stallings later described as an attempt to defend himself from unknown assailants. A swarm of officers descended on Stallings, who surrendered once police identified themselves.

But as Stallings lay facedown, offering no resistance, officer Justin Stetson continued punching and kicking him. The beating left Stallings bloodied, with a broken eye socket

That level of force was "not objectively reasonable," then-Interim Chief Huffman wrote in her 2022 disciplinary memo, noting that Stallings' injuries could've been "even more grave."

She recommended that Stetson be fired and officer Tyler Klund, who kicked Stallings once and failed to switch on his body camera, be suspended for 120 hours. Stetson was later charged and convicted of assault.

The newly released records detail the actions of several other officers involved in that encounter: Officers Klund and Michael Osbeck Jr. each struck Stallings' friend Virgil Lee Jackson Jr., even after colleagues appeared to have him secured on the ground.

Jackson twice yelled, "I'm not resisting," according to the disciplinary findings. Without warning, officer Michael Pfaff deployed his Taser nine times in 54 seconds. In his report, Pfaff admitted to using the device in "drive stun" mode, pressing the electrodes directly onto Jackson's body, to "gain compliance."

However, it did not appear that Jackson was resisting arrest. "If he was moving around, it was related to the strikes that were being delivered by another officer," Huffman wrote at the time.

She issued an 80-hour suspension for Pfaff's use of force violation and failure to activate his body camera.

(Disciplinary files note that managing the cameras' battery life was often difficult during the civil unrest, as officers had limited access to charging stations during long shifts.)

Sgt. Kevin Angerhofer, who oversaw all SWAT teams that day, didn't complete a required supervisory review until contacted by Internal Affairs, records show. Even then, significant portions were left incomplete, and he later described the task as "checking a box." Huffman suspended him for 60 hours.

Emails obtained by the Star Tribune indicate that the internal investigation didn't begin until after the Minnesota Reformer published an article on Sept. 1, 2021, about Stallings' acquittal that included surveillance footage undermining the officers' original claims.

Crowd control incidents

In a case later cited by the U.S. Department of Justice as one of the most flagrant examples of the Minneapolis Police Department retaliating against observers, officers approached a man filming law enforcement actions on Interstate 35W, where a massive crowd had formed to protest Floyd's death.

Officers had ordered the crowd to disperse and screamed at him to leave, too. When the man refused, officer Mike Nimlos repeatedly pepper-sprayed him in the face, then pushed him over with a baton.

From nearby, officer Oscar Macias shot the man in the thigh with a 40mm marking round. Macias then grabbed his cellphone and threw it off the bridge.

His conduct lacked discretion and constituted unreasonable force that undermined public trust, Chief Brian O'Hara wrote in his May 17 disciplinary decision.

But O'Hara acknowledged that for almost a week leading up to the incident, officers, including Macias, had "worked extraordinarily long hours with little rest and little if any time to take care of personal needs."

Macias and Nimlos each received a 40-hour suspension without pay.

Later that fall  one day after the election of President Joe Biden  500 protesters marched onto I-94, shutting down traffic for several hours. As hostilities grew between demonstrators and a phalanx of riot-gear-clad law enforcement after dark, someone in the crowd threw a bottle.

Officer Conan Hickey responded by spraying chemical irritant a group of people standing in the area where the bottle came from, including a woman recording the scene on her cell phone. Most had their backs partly or fully turned on Hickey at the time, disciplinary records show. The officer didn't document that use of force or notify his supervisor.

Sgt. Stephen McBride and Sgt. George Peltz, who were responsible for performing supervisory reviews that day, failed to complete the task, the documents show. Huffman gave both 10-hour suspensions.

Hickey received a suspension of an undisclosed length, but after the union filed a grievance, O'Hara agreed to knock the penalty back to 10 hours.
JERUSALEM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel announced the reopening of key routes to allow humanitarian aid to enter the famine-stricken Gaza Strip.

The Erez crossing will be temporarily reopened for the first time since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, according to a statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Friday.

The statement said the port of Ashdod will also receive shipments of aid to Gaza, and Jordanian aid will be delivered in increased volumes through Kerem Shalom, another land crossing.

UN experts have warned that the majority of Gazans are facing starvation caused by Israel's six-month-long onslaught and blockade. Israel has cut the supply of food, water, electricity and gas to the Strip since the conflict broke out. 
UPDATE: Kansas City police say Erica Barrientos has been located safe.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Kansas City police are searching for a missing 15-year-old who was last seen early Friday morning.

Erica Barrera Barrientos was last seen around 5:30 a.m. Friday on Ewing Avenue, between East 8th and East 9th streets.

Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android

Barrientos is 5 feet tall, weighs 160 pounds and has black hair. She was seen wearing a red t-shirt, and light-colored shorts, with a towel wrapped around her head and carrying a blue backpack.

Her family is concerned for her well-being. If you see her, call 911 or the KCPD Missing Person Squad at 816-234-5043.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
During the 2006 Super Bowl hosted in Detroit and while working on a column, Mitch Albom spent a night in a homeless shelter provided by the city to get people off the streets while tourists poured in for the big game.

Throughout his experience, Albom was inspired to create his foundation to help Detroiters who'd be "super all year long," so he quickly got to work and founded SAY Detroit.

Now, 18 years later, the organization has raised more than $14.5 million in total for nonprofits that help to assist Detroiters in need, from basic needs like food, housing, medical care and child care to psychological and self-fulfillment needs like skill training and creative arts programs for Detroit youth.

"What I started hearing from funders in the very beginning of our organization, 'You know why we support you? Because you guys get things done. You don't get bogged down by bureaucracy; you see a problem and you jump at it,'" said executive director of SAY Detroit Rick Kelley.

Carmen Harlan, left, a board member for SAY Detroit, gets a hug from Jive Turkeys Detroit Chief Visionary Officer Harry Todd as she presents his organization with a $5,000 check raised by SAY Detroit's Radiothon, which raises money to hand out supporting funds to philanthropic organizations around Detroit on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at the Start Up Nation event space in Birmingham.

The annual fundraising Radiothon this past December, in which people call in from all over the world to make donations, raised a record-breaking nearly $2.1 million, approximately $325,000 of which was divvied up between its 27 partner charities  including first-time recipients The DRE Project and Wings of Love Missionary Baptist Church. The rest of the donations are funneled back into SAY Detroit to fund its numerous other programs and initiatives to help Detroit's most vulnerable populations.

"We're also working on homing in on these relationships and building on them. ... We have so many things we do from a health clinic to afterschool (program) to giving away homes to volunteer programs, so if we're involved with an organization on one level, chances are we can be involved with them on another level, so then how do we maximize these relationships?" said Kelley.

SAY Detroit's latest development: Matthew and Kelly Stafford open rec center he calls his Michigan home (freep.com)

Donation amounts dispensed to the long list of charities ranged between $3,000 to $50,000, depending on the size and reach of each nonprofit.

Mitch Albom of SAY Detroit hands Aisha Morrell-Ferguson the Chief Development Officer of COTS Bright Beginnings a $12,500 check on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at the Start Up Nation event space in Birmingham.

"This year is our 115th anniversary, and every day we serve over 2,500 people and provide meals  4,500 meals a day. Your generous donation allows us to continue this work that we're doing, so thank you so much for everything you're doing for us," said Stephen Grady, chief strategy officer of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries' Behavioral Health Clinic, which received $25,000.

"You would not believe how many seniors in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park live in homes that are not safe. ... My phone rings every day from 6 in the morning to 12 at night, and we only have a certain amount of money, but because of Mitch and this organization we're going to be able to make more homes safe for seniors," said Stephanie Donaldson, the Tiny House ambassador from Cass Community Social Services, which received $25,000.

Stephanie Donaldson of Cass Community Services thanks Mitch Albom of SAY Detroit after she and Rev. Faith Fowler accepted a $25,000 check for their organization on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at the Start Up Nation event space in Birmingham.

"There's a lot of compassion and empathy in this room, but what's really in this room is hard work. We've all worked really hard to raise up our communities. These sponsors from SAY Detroit help us to do what we do and continue to do that," said Chris Tull of Humble Design Detroit, which received $15,000.

The next SAY Detroit Radiothon event will be broadcast for 15 hours on WJR, WDIV and mitchalbomradiothon.com on Dec. 5.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom, SAY Detroit gives $325,000 to 27 Detroit nonprofits
The mixed response to Jojo Siwa's rebrand shows just how hard it is for child stars to stay relevant

JoJo Siwa debuted a daring look this week, marking a shift toward maturity.

Like many child stars before her, Siwa faces criticism and challenges as she grows up.

Siwa's future success hinges on doing something creative with the attention she's getting.

The look JoJo Siwa debuted at the iHeartRadio Music Awards this week was a daring one.

She arrived in a bejeweled, black and silver, Gene Simmons-inspired bodysuit, complete with a take on his characteristic star-shaped facepaint.

Siwa, 20, posted a TikTok to accompany her KISS look to promote the music video for "Karma"  which, by its own warning, contains "sexual themes, violence," and "strong language."

While the video and lyrics show a grown-up side to Siwa, the 15-second TikTok is more of the same high-energy fans are familiar with.

In it, Siwa hecticly jumps around, prompting some viewers to label it "cringe" and say that they missed "the old JoJo."

Child stars always struggle

It's proven to be challenging for any child star to transition to mainstream entertainment.

A long line of Nickelodeon and Disney stars from the 90s and 00s failed to meaningfully break through to find larger audiences as they got older, with only a select few, like Miley Cyrus, making it big.

Siwa, as a predominantly online creator, approaches the issue from a slightly different angle. Still, it's already clear she will have to work hard to ride the wave of her child stardom to continue rising through her 20s.

David Olusegun, a media researcher and cofounder of Creative Control Ventures, told Business Insider those who garner fame at a young age find that retaining and expanding their audiences as they age can be "particularly complex."

"Child stars often build a brand around their youthful persona," he said. "When they attempt to transition, this can create a disconnect between their established identity and their new, adult self. This shift can confuse the audience, leading to a struggle to maintain old fans while attracting new ones."

JoJo Siwa in her teens wearing one of her characteristic bows. Danny Moloshok/Reuters

Siwa, now 20, shot to fame from nine years old on the reality show "Dance Moms" and then became a superstar on YouTube, gaining more than 12 million subscribers.

While her current net worth is unknown, in 2020, Forbes estimated that she had made $400m on bow sales in four years. The North American leg of her tour in 2019 is believed to have earned her $27m.

Moving away from her traditional youthful persona is a risky strategy, both professionally and financially.

Siwa has experimented with making her look more grown-up for the past few years  transitioning from primary colors and huge bows to a more muted palette and low necklines.

She's also become embroiled in scandals as she's approached adulthood, including some messy breakups and more scrutiny over her content.

As Siwa transitions from a teen to a young woman, she faces the challenge of working out who exactly her audience is.

Olusegun told BI fans who grew up with Siwa may find it hard to accept her move toward adult roles or styles, "feeling a sense of nostalgia for the original persona."

"Conversely, it can be challenging to appeal to an older demographic that did not follow their earlier career," he said. "Child stars may find themselves typecast into specific roles or genres, making it difficult for the industry and audience to see them in a new light."

Siwa knows what she's doing

Katya Varbanova, a content creator and CEO of Viral Marketing Stars, told BI fans can find it "jarring" when creators who have been known for one thing decide to drastically switch it up. But Siwa knows what she's doing, she said, and all her moves have been intentional.

Siwa has always been a talented content creator, Varbanova said, and is skilled at creating a buzz. Her huge, over-the-top car with her face plastered all over it, for example, is nothing new. Back in 2016, during a tour of her mansion, she revealed that her bedding had her face right in the middle of it too.

"I'm way more critical of people who try to do crazy stunts for bad products," she said. "But it's a good song. It's very catchy. So I think she knows her crowd very well."

To some, though, Siwa's rebrand is all a bit confusing, with onlookers suggesting the attention-grabbing antics aren't the best tactic is she wants to be seen as a maturing star rather than someone who still caters to children.

Siwa, however, is aware that she's going through an identity metamorphosis.

She told People at the end of March that she was ready for the criticism that comes with it, having seen how celebrities had grown up in the public eye before.

"I feel like a lot of child stars started as a character then they grew into an adult as themselves," she said. "Whereas for me, I've always been myself, you know what I mean? And so to make this transition while being true to myself, while being artistic, has been interesting to figure out. But I think we've nailed it and I think it definitely makes a massive statement. Maybe even too big of a statement, but I think it's going to be a good one."

Siwa also told Access Hollywood that Cyrus is her "idol" and sees herself following a similar track.

"I want to do what she did with Bangerz," she told Access Hollywood, referencing Cyrus' infamous era where she twerked and smoked pot and generally did everything she could to divorce herself from her childhood alter ego, Hannah Montana.

"I want to have that moment," Siwa said.

Varbanova said that Siwa will be successful in her transition, depending on what she does next.

"It really depends on whether or not the messaging remains consistent or whether or not she deviates from it and tries to do something else that could be considered gimmicky," she said.

"If her next move is another attempt to rebrand, then obviously that would get people to say, Oh, she's just doing it for attention."

For the most part, it seems like the strategy working so far. "Karma" has amassed more than a million views in just a few hours since its release on YouTube.

Whether Siwa can continue putting out art that people like is going to be the true test, according to Varbanova.

"I think she's smart enough, and she will probably realize, OK, I might need to do something creative now," she said. "But for now, I'm just going to enjoy the attention and the outrage."

BI has reached you to Siwa's reps for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Sarah Brown, a Birmingham resident and in vitro fertilization patient, holds a sign saying Im Here Because of IVF at the Alabama Statehouse on Feb. 28, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. Supporters of bills aiming to protect IVF access held a rally Wednesday ahead of committee hearings on the legislation. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

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A Mobile health care system that provides in vitro fertilization (IVF) care will stop the services at the end of the year, citing lawsuits over the fertility treatment.

Infirmary Health, one of several entities sued over the accidental destruction of frozen embryos at the clinic in 2020, faced additional litigation after a February Alabama Supreme Court ruling that declared frozen embryos were children.

In order to assist families in Alabama and along the Gulf Coast who have initiated the process of IVF therapy in the hopes of starting a family, Mobile Infirmary has temporarily resumed IVF treatments at the hospital. However, in light of litigation concerns surrounding IVF therapy, Mobile Infirmary will no longer be able to offer this service to families after December 31, 2024, a statement from the clinic said.

The statement does not apply to the Center for Reproductive Medicine, the other defendant named in the lawsuit, which is a separate entity and not affiliated with Infirmary Health, according to Infirmary Health spokesperson Hannah Peterson.

The Center for Reproductive Health said Wednesday evening that it was not closing at the end of the year and that it has resumed full operations following recent legislation passed, but that it will move to new facilities in Mobile and Dothan.

This move reflects CRMs dedication to expanding accessibility to its cutting-edge scientific advancements, medical expertise, and compassionate care, according to the Center for Reproductive Health.

The Alabama Supreme Courts ruling allowed parents of frozen embryos to claim civil damages for their loss under an 1872 law allowing parents to claim civil damages for the deaths of their children. At least one other lawsuit has been filed against the organization since the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling.

The courts ruling also cited a 2018 constitutional amendment that says it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life.

The Alabama Legislature passed a bill that extended criminal and civil immunity to IVF clinics for operations, but the legislation does not address when life begins. Democrats argued that the courts reliance on the 2018 constitutional amendment implies that the issue can only be resolved through another constitutional amendment. Republicans, who control both chamber of the Legislature, have shied away from addressing that issue.

After the bill went into effect, at least two other clinics providing IVF resumed services. Mobile Infirmary said they werent reopening until they had clarification about the immunity the state provided.

At this time, we believe the law falls short of addressing the fertilized eggs currently stored across the state and leaves challenges for physicians and fertility clinics trying to help deserving families have children of their own, the clinic said in a statement in early March.

Barbara Collura, president and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, said in a statement after Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation into law that while they were relieved that clinics in Alabama can restart IVF treatment, this legislation does not address the underlying issue of the status of embryos as part of the IVF process.

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. to include comments from the Center for Reproductive Health.

This story was published earlier by the Alabama Reflector, an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix.

The post Mobile clinic to end IVF program amid litigation over frozen embryos appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
US officials fury at Biden Gaza policy means mood in State Department now worse than during the Iraq War

The mood among staff in the State Department is worse than during the disastrous US invasion of Iraq, according to a former staffer, as the fallout from the killing of seven international aid workers by Israel continues.

I have never seen this much dissent, Charles Blaha, former director of the State Departments Office of Security and Human Rights, told The Independent, amid growing disquiet over president Joe Bidens policy on Gaza.

I was in the State Department for 32 years, including during the Iraq War, and I have never seen this much unhappiness. It was even worse than Iraq. So yeah, people are concerned, Mr Blaha, who maintains contact with current staffers, said.

Mr Biden has come under increasing pressure over his longstanding and unconditional support for Israel nearly six months into the devastating war in Gaza, which has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

The killing of seven international aid workers, including an American citizen, by three precision Israeli airstrikes, caused an uproar around the world and brought a renewed spotlight on Mr Bidens insistence on continuing arms deliveries. Their deaths brought the number of aid workers killed in the conflict to more than 220, according to the United Nations.

On the same day of the deadly strike, the Biden administration approved the transfer of thousands of bombs to Israel, and is currently weighing an $18bn (14.2bn) sale that includes fighter jets and other equipment.

There is a real disconnect between the analysis and policy recommendations of State Department personnel relating to Gaza and Israel-Palestine generally and decisions ultimately being made by the White House

Brian Finucane, former legal adviser at the State Department

Despite the internal opposition in the State Department, there have only been two public resignations linked to the war. One of those two, Josh Paul, told The Independent that an increasing number of people are expressing their concerns privately.

Ive certainly heard from a lot of people in the department in recent weeks, at an increasing clip, who are just deeply upset, I can say horrified by the way the department is working and moving forward on arms transfers in the context of what were seeing in Gaza, he said.

My impression is that there are a number of people who are trying to push things in a better direction. There are also probably a larger number of people who are just saying Im not going to touch this stuff, he added.

Mr Paul said he was aware of at least seven internal dissent memos regarding the Biden administrations Gaza policy.

The channel for the dissent memos was created during the Vietnam War for State Department staff to express criticism and disagreements without fear of retribution.

A State Department spokesperson said Mr Blinken welcomes people utilizing the dissent channel.

He takes it seriously, and it causes him to reflect on his own thinking in terms of policymaking and what he proposes to the President, the spokesperson added.

Brian Finucane, who worked for a decade in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the State Department advising on issues related to the laws of war, arms transfers and war crimes, told The Independent that there was a huge gap between the departments rank-and-file and the messaging coming from the White House.

Josh Paul, who resigned over the war between Israel and Hamas, speaks during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in front of the White House in December (AFP)

Based on my conversations since October with people at the department, there is a real disconnect between the analysis and policy recommendations of State Department personnel relating to Gaza and Israel-Palestine generally and decisions ultimately being made by the White House, he said.

The president is the ultimate decider and on Gaza hes been largely immune to the facts of this disastrous conflict, at least with respect to actual US policy as opposed to rhetoric, Mr Finucane added.

Mr Paul resigned as director of the State Departments bureau of political-military affairs in October, citing an unprecedented unwillingness to consider the humanitarian consequences of our policy decisions.

The absence of a willingness to hold that debate when it comes to Israel is not proof of our commitment to Israels security. Rather, it is proof of our commitment to a policy that, the record shows, is a dead end  and proof of our willingness to abandon our values and turn a blind eye to the suffering of millions in Gaza when it is politically expedient, he said.

Annelle Sheline became the second person to resign, leaving her post at the Near Eastern section of the bureau of democracy, human rights and labour in March, saying she no longer wanted to be affiliated with this administration because it was ignoring US laws by continuing to arm Israel.

Ms Sheline said in an interview following her resignation that she initially planned to leave quietly, but spoke out after being encouraged to do so by her colleagues.

There were certainly many people inside the State Department who are so distraught by whats happening, Ms Sheline told The National.

Secretary of state Antony Blinken responded to an initial flurry of dissent cables over the war in Gaza back in November, writing in a letter to staff to acknowledge the sentiment.

I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll, Mr Blinken said in the letter obtained by Reuters.

Palestinian children play amongst the rubble in Rafah (AFP)

The anguish that comes with seeing the daily images of babies, children, elderly people, women, and other civilians suffering in this crisis is wrenching. I feel it myself, he said.

Mr Blaha, who retired last year, said he had been asked by several people whether he would have resigned if he was still in his post.

My only answer has been, Im really glad Im not in that position, he said.

Mr Biden told prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future US policy towards Israel will be determined by whether its government takes action to protect aid workers and civilians in Gaza.

The warning came in their first telephone conversation since Israel Defense Force drones fired three missiles into a World Central Kitchen aid convoy.

In a readout of the call, the White House said Mr Biden told the Israeli leader that the strike on aid workers and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza were both unacceptable and made clear to Mr Netanyahu that US policy will hinge on whether his government can announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.

The Israeli army announced on Friday that its internal investigation into the incident had concluded.

While admitting that a grave mistake was made, the Israeli military continued to claim innocence over the attack  insisting that the WCK workers were misidentified as Hamas militants. Two military officers have been dismissed from their positions following the findings, the military said.
The moon's pull is so strong it may trigger earthquakes on Earth. Scientists are still baffled by its power.

An earthquake hit New Jersey Friday days before a total solar eclipse.

But the two events have no correlation according to the United States Geological Survey.

Some scientists think there is a link between the moon's pull and tremors on Earth. Here's what they know.

An earthquake hit New Jersey on Friday, and the fact that this happened a few days before a total solar eclipse is due to sweep across America has not gone unnoticed.

People have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to discuss the link between the two events, many joking that it is a sign of end times to come.

The eclipse itself is unlikely to have impacted the earthquake, the United States Geological Survey previously said.

"This is unrelated to the solar eclipse. Earthquakes of this size  there's basically no correlation with celestial bodies," Paul Earle, a seismologist with USGS, said in a Friday briefing.

That said, research in the past has linked the moon to tremors on Earth.

The moon's effect on earthquakes was hidden

Our moon has an undeniable affect on Earth's tides. Its gravitational pull causes rises and falls in our planet's sea level. But what if the moon were to have a smaller, less visible affect on our planet?

A small handful of experts claim to have evidence that our satellite produces forces that can trigger earthquakes.

Scientists have long pondered whether the moon's tides could be linked to earthquakes. After all, our satellite is always there, shifting the weight of the oceans and pulling at our planet.

An animation illustrates how the moon's gravity creates tides on the Earth. NASA/Vi Nguyen

Surely, all that pressure, even if it is incremental, would add up to a significant effect, scientists asked.

But until recently, datasets were not good enough to show the link between the moon and earthquakes, and the pull was deemed too weak to have any significant impact.

"For a while, it was a field where only fools worked," Chris Scholtz, a geologist and professor emeritus of earth and environmental science at Columbia Climate School, told Insider.

But with the advent of bigger and more comprehensive datasets over the past 20 years, the influence of the moon has started to emerge from the data. And it seems that in some cases, the moon did help trigger earthquakes around the world.

"With these huge datasets, they started to get some small but significant correlation," Scholtz said, adding: "Now it's credible," he said.

The moon is also pulling at Earth's rocks

The moon also pulls as the earth, scientists have found. Getty Images

It's not just in the oceans where the moon is causing havoc. Though we may not feel it, the moon also causes tiny, but important, tides in rocks.

While standing on the surface of the Earth, it may be difficult to imagine mountains ebbing and flowing like the ocean, but rocks do bulge and squish under the pull from the moon

"Solid earth tides are the same as the tides, it's just on the solid earth. And the amplitude of motion is very tiny because the earth is very stiff," said Scholtz.

"You can measure it with a very sensitive instrument. But you can't notice it," he said.

These tides can deform the Earth by up to about 22 inches vertically and about 11 inches horizontally every day, Davide Zaccagnino, PhD student of geophysics at the Sapienza University of Rome, told Insider in an email.

By digging into these datasets, a few studies have suggested a link between Earth tides and earthquakes.

"While fluids can flow, rocks can just slightly change their shape according to the intensity and direction of the tidal perturbation, which promotes stress accumulation," said Zaccagnino.

If rocks are already overstressed because of the action of tectonic forces, even a small stress the pull of the moon can be the straw that breaks the camel's back, creating a crack in the rock, he said.

"If surrounding rocks are also unstable, the fracture can speed up to involve large fault patches. The final outcome is an earthquake," said Zaccagnino.

The moon can put the weight of the ocean on a volcano

Pictures show the moon rotating around the Earth. Scientists are starting to uncover the moon's tiny but mighty effect on Earth's earthquakes. NASA/NOAA

One place where the moon's impact is seen clearly is in underwater earthquakes. That makes sense, given the moon's pull on the oceans.

A 2004 paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, for instance, found that earthquakes along underwater fault lines seemed to follow the tides of the ocean.

Scholtz and his team set out to study how the moon could be exerting its power on the earthquakes on the Axial Volcano on the Juan de Fuca ridge off the West coast of the US. Earthquakes here are about ten-fold more likely to happen when the tide has gone out, Scholtz said.

A graph shows the number of earthquakes happening as a function of the phase of the tide. Phase 0 means the tide is receding. Scholz, C.H., Tan, Y.J. & Albino, F. Nat Commun 10, 2526 (2019). CC BY 4.0

Their study, published in Nature Communications in 2019, found an explanation for the link between the moon and earthquakes. It suggested they were caused by the weight of the ocean pressing down on a volcano's magma chamber.

"What's happening is the tides are actually making the magma chamber inflate and deflate," he said. "That's what's causing the earthquakes."

Then when the tide is low, less water presses down on the chamber, which then inflates. This, in turn, puts more pressure on the fault line, making it more likely to jerk and create an earthquake.

It can push earthquakes over the edge

Let's get one thing clear: the moon isn't causing these earthquakes. Rather, it is when the rock is on the very brink of collapse that the moon's small tug could push it past that final tipping point.

This only happens in very specific circumstances, for instance, when the pressure from the moon's gravitational pull lines up perfectly with the fault line. So it is not like we could say that every earthquake is more likely to happen when the moon is out.

"Tides cannot help us to predict earthquakes. But they can help us to better understand their physics, which is still mainly unknown," said Zaccagnino.

Knowing when the moon's pull has been able to trigger on an earthquake can help us, for instance, understand when the crust was at a breaking point, Zaccagnino said.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 18: Members of the National Guard patrol a Manhattan subway station on March 18, 2024 in New York City. - Photo: Spencer Platt (Getty Images)

Subway riders in New York City might notice some heavily armed military forces standing around on platforms after the states Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard into the subway system last month  along with hundreds more New York State and MTA police officers.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced an additional 800 New York Police Department officers would also be flooding into the transit system.

However, policy experts warn that the influx of law enforcement and military forces will do little to address violent crime, and it may be Black subway riders who end up paying the ultimate price.

[Based on] what we know about subway crime rates right now, there doesnt seem to be a need for this kind of response, says Jullian Harris-Calvin, director of Greater Justice New York for the Vera Institute.

In fact, ahead of the deployment of the National Guard and the surge in subway police, the number of major felonies, shootings, and overall crime in the transit system dropped, says Harris-Calvin, pointing to February data from the NYPD. She also noted that the proportion of violent arrests among all arrests that occurred within the transit system hit a four-year low in 2023.

Its not as if weve reached some high point or precipice with respect to transit crime over the last year or two, she explains. Having this kind of dramatic response, in particular, having the military flood the subway, isnt a solution thats in line with what the data is showing are the crime trends in the subway.

Why an Increased Police Presence in NYC Now?

Governor Hochul says the surge and National Guard deployment isnt about crime data. Its about getting subway riders to feel safe.

I can show you all the statistics in the world and say you should feel safe because the numbers are better, said Hochul on Morning Joe. But youre the mom on the subway with your baby in a stroller. Youre the parent putting your kid on the subway to go to high school. Youre the senior citizen going to a doctors appointment. If youre anxious, then Im the Governor of the State of New York. Im concerned about it.

She added, And if you feel better walking past someone in a uniform to make sure that someone doesnt bring a knife or a gun on the subway, then thats exactly why I did it.

Not all of Hochuls fellow New York Democrats agree with her assessment.

I thought it was ridiculous, sensationalism that it would make people feel less safe, says New York State Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn). And I was proven right when hearing stories from people seeing that the National Guard had been deployed and saying, oh, I didnt know New York City had gotten that bad.

I dont understand why its so hard for Mayor Adams to realize hes saying one thing and what hes doing is saying something else. Maybe thats the joke. Subway crimes is down since you got in office but youre funding more police down there and had to call on the national guard.  Lust, Love, Laugh (@TreeHouseGioo) April 3, 2024

Honey the national guard be at the new york subway now? And you can get arrested for being a Black person who didn't look at a cop right in DC now. There's no nap I'm gonna take that I'm gonna wake up from & it's gonna be less fascist up in here.  Chantal James (@chantalalive) March 8, 2024

Lindsey McLendon, a senior fellow for Criminal Justice Reform at American Progress, agrees with Sen. Brisport that the increase of police forces may have the opposite of its intended effect.

Theyre professional soldiers, so theres a good chance that theyre going to communicate the opposite signal intended, says McLendon, which is that public transportation is far less safe than people think it is because you have a militarized force deployed.

Sen. Brisport says this recent development is about politics. I think the Governor wants to try to convince New Yorkers that shes serious about crime and safety, and she is going through this cheaper and easier method of tossing National Guard members into the subway, he says.

Sen. Brisport says Mayor Adamss political motivations are similar. I think this is very clear evidence of the mayor not wanting to be outdone by the Governor as being the most pro-carceral, he says. Weve seen in previous cases under Cuomo that this is ineffective and that we have spent more money on police to combat fare beating than was recouped.

Black Subway Riders in the Crosshairs

Beyond the policy and politics surrounding Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams flex of military and police forces, there is also a very real danger that Black subway riders could face increase instances of police harassment and brutality.

Lindiwe Rennert, senior research Associate at the Urban Institute, says Black youth are likely to be disproportionately impacted by a surge in police forces.

Bringing in this entity that we know has a negative disproportional prejudicial and targeted relationship with folks of color, she explains, we would expect youth of color specifically... Black youth to be disproportionately victimized by this move.

Theres also the question of whether additional policing would effectively prevent crime. McLendon says there is no good evidence to suggest that more police alone would be enough to prevent the types of incidents like the recent highly publicized shooting on the subway in Brooklyn.

If you look at the Brooklyn shooting, says McClendon. The police were present on the platform as the train was pulling in. And I understand theres a precinct located in that station. So just the simple presence of police there isnt sufficient to prevent something like what happened.

Police respond after a person was shot at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in Brooklyn, New York City, on March 14, 2024. - Photo: Gardiner Anderson/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service (Getty Images)

The Adams administration would argue that their policing strategy is working based on the decrease in subway crime in February and March following two separate surges in subway officers.



However, Rennert says that even if we assume that more police would lead to a decrease in violent crime, at least against transit workers, we cant ignore the tradeoffs.

Theres a world in which the increased presence of law enforcement or purely the increased presence of people, like increased eyes on the street, eyes in a space, correlated with decreased instances of violent crime, says Rennert. I still think its the wrong way to go because the tradeoff is too costly, which is a likely increase of assaults made by law enforcement on members of the public.

Harris-Calvin says the primary impact of increasing law enforcement presence on the subway so far has been arrests for non-violent crimes like fare evasion, which she says mostly impacts Black and brown subway riders.

We know that fare evasion tickets went up dramatically, and its most Black and brown people who are being ticketed and arrested, she says, And were not seeing any real kind of public safety benefits to having thousands of more police on the subways.

Black Americans and The National Guard

The impact of the National Guard conducting bag checks on Black riders is a separate and slightly more complicated story.

In 2020, the National Guard was repeatedly brought in to quell Black Lives Matter protests throughout the United States.

Antonio Mingo, a Black Lives Matter protester in Washington, D.C., says his interactions with the National Guard in 2020 were significantly more positive than his interactions with law enforcement.

They wasnt out there harassing us, he says, The ones that were actually out there doing the harassing and the ignorant plays that they were doing, that was more so the D.C. Police Department.

However, Mingo still disagrees with the decision to deploy the National Guard in NYCs subway system because of the message it sends. I dont understand why they would be sending the National Guard, he says. Thats nothing but an intimidation tactic.

Mingo says the presence of the National Guard sends a signal to Black and other minority groups that they are the enemy that people need protection from.

We as people of color, we thinking like wait a minute, all of us know the National Guard to be on the front line when it comes to if its a war or something, he says. So, when youre sending them here, thats supposed to protect us, but now its kind of like putting them in some shape or form against us ... that does not make sense. And that angers people even more.

New Yorkers have readily voiced their concerns about the new bag check policy and its implications for Black riders.

I want to know how the NY National Guard decides WHICH subway riders bags need searching. Will they search if its a middle aged man in an expensive suit who is carrying a briefcase? How about a Black teenage male not so well dressed who is carrying a backpack? https://t.co/fCkxfMdZBv  Robert Sekuler (@robsek) March 7, 2024

What Will Make NYCs Subway System Safer?

Rider and transit worker safety is an issue that we need to care about, says Rennert at the Urban Institute. But she says the previous methods of dealing with violence (i.e., flooding transit with law enforcement) havent fixed the problem.

Rennerts research at the Urban Institute on transit safety suggests that things like improving the quality of the transit system, increasing free/reduced fare transit programs, and other ways of reducing tension would go a long way in reducing incidents of violenceparticularly those directed at transit workers. But Rennert says solving the significant drivers of violence, like lack of civic trust and income inequality, cant fall entirely on the shoulders of the transit system.

Sen. Brisport says its time for bolder action across the board.

The actual way to make us safer is deeper investments into those resources that our communities need, he says. Thats better housing, thats better education, jobs, and better mental health care. These all things require taxing the rich who donate heavily to the Governor and she doesnt want to do that.

He added, She wants the cheaper and easier and less effective method of tossing National Guard members at the situation.

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You wouldn't think we're near the heart of spring with how things are looking and feeling across southern Alberta to end this week. Plenty of snow has already fallen, with additional rounds of precipitation set to impact travel plans into the weekend, as well.

For some areas in extreme southern sections, total snowfall amounts with these rounds of wintry weather could add up to 40 cm through Saturday.

REALITY CHECK: Snowfall is normal in April for Canada. Here are the averages

Prepare for rapidly changing conditions, along with reduced visibility in times of heavy snow. Difficult travel will remain along the southern QE2 and Trans-Canada Highway.

Friday into Saturday: Snow eases in Calgary, but with more rounds bringing additional accumulations into the weekend

Snow will begin to ease in the Calgary area through Friday, after about 10 cm was reported during the day on Thursday. The city could pick up another couple of centimetres by Friday afternoon, and then some additional accumulations on Saturday, as well.

We'll see another round of snow build over southern Alberta through the overnight hours Friday as a system approaches the border from the south. This batch of steady snow will lift north through sunrise Saturday, pushing toward Red Deer into the morning hours before letting up.

Baron - Alberta precip Saturday 5 am.jpg

DON'T MISS: How to experience the eclipse, and score some cool glasses, in Calgary

Some areas close to the Saskatchewan border may see some mixing, likely limiting the accumulations there.

Another 10-20 cm is expected with this next round for extreme southern sections of the province, however. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow, so drivers are urged to stay alert and be prepared to deal with changing road conditions that deteriorate quickly.

Baron - Alberta snow totals - April5.jpg

If theres any consolation prize with these rounds of spring snow, it's that any precipitation is welcome news in light of the severe drought affecting so much of the Prairies heading into wildfire season.

Stay with The Weather Network on all platforms for all the latest on your forecast across Alberta.

WATCH: Winter drought raises wildfire concerns heading into spring

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BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Thailand will cooperate on the exploration and peaceful use of outer space as well as on the International Lunar Research Station, according to two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed Friday in Beijing.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand signed the two MoUs.

China's Chang'e-7 lunar exploration mission, to be launched around 2026, will have onboard a Thailand-developed global space weather monitoring device, which is designed to observe cosmic radiation and space weather from the lunar perspective. It will be the first time that a scientific instrument from Thailand has entered deep space from Earth orbit.

China's Chang'e-8 mission, to be launched around 2028, provides a payload capacity of 200 kg for international cooperation, and multiple applications from Thailand for lunar surface operation robots and scientific payloads are currently under selection.

China is implementing the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program with the main target of building up the basic model of the International Lunar Research Station, according to Guan Feng, director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of CNSA.

The fourth phase includes the Chang'e-4, Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions.

China and Thailand will strengthen cooperation in the fields of space exploration, space application and space capacity building, by implementing joint space projects, scientific exchange programs and personnel training programs, exchanging data and information, among other forms of collaboration, according to the MoUs.

Both sides will carry out related research and draft a plan on the demonstration, engineering implementation, operation and application of the International Lunar Research Station.

Other countries, international organizations, research institutes, universities, industrial entities and scientists are also welcome to join the International Lunar Research Station program, and benefit from joint space exploration, according to the MoUs.

"In terms of global cooperation, China has signed cooperation agreements with more than 10 countries and international organizations. More countries and international organizations are welcome to participate in discussion, construction and sharing, to jointly build the scientific research facilities on the lunar surface for humanity," Guan said. 
A Mount Dora Marine Corps veteran who helped thousands qualify for VA benefits via the PACT ACT cant access the same benefits he fought for.

Brian Moyer is the founder of Agent Orange Survivors of Guam.

He was based in Guam from 1974 through 1976 and is one of 2.8 million veterans who served overseas and was exposed to Agent Orange.

The toxic herbicide was used by the U.S. military to control vegetation during the Vietnam War.

Moyer recalls the herbicide getting sprayed in the field where he trained as a member of Marine Detachment USS Proteus AS-19.

Were sweating like crazy. And were laying in the stuff. So, we had to be absorbing this stuff, said Moyer.

Moyer was instrumental in making sure veterans based in Guam and exposed to Agent Orange got compensated via the PACT act.

The historic law helped expand benefits to Vets suffering from more than 20 toxic exposure-related conditions.

Moyer testified in congress and helped ensure veterans serving in Guam were included. He even flew out to the U.S. territory to prove to the EPA that soil was contaminated by Agent Orange.

Read: We already called 3 times: 911 calls shed light on how the search for Madeline Soto began

Despite helping to expand benefits to thousands, his own claims have been stuck.

Moyer filed his compensation claim in 2017, but 7 years later his case is still being appealed.

Then last month, Moyer was diagnosed with Bladder cancer. Its one of the presumptive conditions the military says is linked with Agent Orange Exposure.

Hes now working with Retired Navy Commander and the chairman of Military-Veterans Advocacy organization, attorney John Wells in hopes it will expedite a decision.

Wells Told Channel 9 that Moyer is not the only veteran who has waited years for benefits.

We see it every day, every hour. And I cant tell you the number of folks that have just actually given up, said Wells, We had a gentleman who served with Brian Moyer on Guam, who has been trying to get benefits for 46 years.

Moyer hopes he wont have to wait that long.

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, and us veterans that were there, were still fighting for justice. Were still fighting to get our benefits. This is a travesty. Period, said Moyer.

He is preparing for surgery later this month to remove the cancer growth in his bladder but is optimistic about treatment because the cancer is in an early stage.

Read: Bunnell police credit security cameras for recent shooting arrests

In the meantime, Channel 9 reached out to the VA for comment.

While a spokesperson couldnt comment on the specifics of Moyers case they said in a statement:

We want every Veteran to get the benefits they deserve as quickly as possible. Additionally, even in cases where a Veteran is not eligible for disability compensation benefits, they may well be eligible for VA health care  and we want them to apply today at VA.gov/PACT. We want every Veteran to get access to the world-class care and benefits they deserve, and well stop at nothing to make that happen.

The spokesperson added, while some claims take longer than others, the VA is receiving  and processing  Veteran benefits claims at the fastest rate in our nations history.

According to the spokesperson, in 2023, the VA processed an all-time record 1,981,854 Veteran and survivor claims, surpassing the previous all-time record by 15.9%.

The spokesperson also said they are also working faster to process appeals claims.

The spokesperson said the processing time varies based on the case and veteran.

According to the spokesperson, the Board of Veterans Appeals processed 103,245 Veteran appeals in 2023 which was also an all-time record.

Read: Hurricane season forecast preview

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A father has been charged with child abuse and neglect after police say his 16-year-old son was found lying on a loaded gun during a drug raid early Wednesday morning at a Midtown house.

Detectives with the DRT Team 6 and MPD Fugitive squad said they found at least three loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun, and drugs throughout the home in the 1200 block of Snowden Avenue.

Master Jefferson, 43, and another man at the home, Andre Kuvers, 44, were taken into custody and are facing weapons and drug charges. Both were charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.

Man accused of driving drunk with 8 children in BMW

Detectives said they found several bags of colored powders consistent with fentanyl, crack cocaine rocks, marijuana, cash, and drug paraphernalia inside the house. They said they also found three large bags of powder consistent with fentanyl hidden under a roof shingle on the back of the home.

A woman outside the Snowden Avenue house Thursday afternoon said she was the mother of the 16-year-old boy.

She said she was upset police questioned her son for hours without a parent and said her son, Jefferson, and Kuvers did not live at the house. She said they were visiting the home when police showed up.

MPD said Jefferson was sitting on one of the handguns when detectives executed the narcotics search warrant. He is being held on a $600,000 bond.

Both men are scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Mr. President: If you force me to choose, you will lose

OPINION: The Biden administrations proposal to cut funding to the Charter Schools Program will leave parents little choice come November.

Editors note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the authors own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

I vote in every election. When it comes to casting a ballot, whether its for president, Congress, state legislators, governor, mayor or city council, I am always going to vote based on whats best for my child. There is nothing a candidate can say about any issue that will change this calculus. If I dont believe my child will be better off with that person in office, they will not get my vote.

And I am not alone. There are millions of Americans  white, Black, Hispanic, Democrat, Republican, rural, suburban, urban  who will make the very same decision come November. Choosing to put our kids first is not a political issue; its just how we are wired.

This is why President Biden faces significant headwinds as we approach November. And so do other Democratic candidates up and down the ballot who seem to be unclear about the priorities of some of their most important constituents, parents.

Parents of K-12 students make up 40% of the U.S. electorate and according to a survey commissioned by the Harris Poll, 82% of them are willing to vote outside their political party based on the candidates position on education, which is a particularly acute issue for Black mothers like me.

For decades, we have been promised that brighter days are ahead and that elected leaders are working toward creating equity in areas like education and the workforce. But now we are tired of waiting. We want something better right now.

That is why it was initially encouraging to hear during the State of the Union address when President Biden announced a laudable goal of all children reading by the third grade. The optimism was short-lived.

Just a couple of days later, President Bidens proposed budget called for cutting investments in charter schools, which predominantly serve Black and brown students.

I was understandably puzzled. How, exactly, are we supposed to get to this laudable goal by slashing the only source of federal funding for the startup, growth, replication, and expansion of these public schools that serve our students so well? There is never a cost to attend a charter school and, according to research from Stanford, the average charter student gains an equivalent of 16 additional learning days in reading in a year, and six additional days of learning in math.

Its hard to interpret a proposed cut to the Charter Schools Program as anything other than harmful to our children.

We want our kids to at least have a fighting chance at achieving their dreams. We want them to be prepared for great careers that will help diminish income inequality. We are not talking about theories and hypotheticals. These are our children, and it is time to move with more urgency.

I am reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.s April 1963 letter from Birmingham Jail, in which he responded to those encouraging Blacks to just wait.

Dr. King remarked, There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.

Sixty years later, we remain impatient and rightfully so. Black children are still behind their white peers in reading and math. Their median weekly earnings, among those ages 16 to 24, is $133 less than white workers. And they are far more likely to end up in poverty or prison.

It is no wonder that according to a recent poll of Black single mothers, 69% believe the country is heading in the wrong direction and only 7% believe its on the right track. Fatigue is making us quite restless. Black women voters are an important voting bloc. Why? Because we tip elections.

To begin to rebuild trust, President Biden must demonstrate that hes listening to us.

He must show that he understands the value Black voters place on education and having better public school options by demonstrating his support for the schools we choose. President Biden must understand that if were going to reach the literacy goal he set out, its only achievable if Black and Brown families can actually access high-quality schools.

My home state of Florida can serve as a cautionary tale for President Biden. In 2018, Andrew Gillum ignored the wishes of Black voters and came out against school choice options that met the needs of underserved communities throughout the state. Gillum received around 40,000 fewer votes among Blacks than fellow Florida Democrat Bill Nelson received in his Senate race that same election day. Gillum lost to Ron DeSantis by 32,463 votes.

President Biden, do the math and please dont take our vote for granted.

Debbie Veney is a senior vice president at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

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The post Mr. President: If you force me to choose, you will lose appeared first on TheGrio.
How much cloud cover can Illinois expect during the solar eclipse? Check latest forecast

After cold, frosty weather, as well as several rainy and stormy days, the forecast is looking sunny and warmer for Mondays solar eclipse in the metro-east and southern Illinois.

Monday will bring the first total eclipse visible in Illinois since 2017, and youll have to wait a long time to see another after this years. A 2045 eclipse will be visible in totality in Missouri, NBC reported.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth and completely blocks the face of the sun, according to NASA, while a partial eclipse happens when the sun, moon and Earth are not perfectly aligned while the moon passes through.

Belleville and St. Louis will see a partial eclipse with maximum sun coverage around 99%, while Centralia, Red Bud and Carbondale are in the path of totality.

The path of totality and partial contours crossing the U.S. for the total solar eclipse occurring on April 8, 2024. NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Its unsafe to look directly into the sun, and the only time you dont risk permanent vision loss is during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse, NASA reports.

Because the eclipse will only be partial in Belleville and there will be no point where the suns light is entirely obscured by the moon, it will not be safe to look straight at the 2024 solar eclipse without proper eye protection at any point within the city.

Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury, NASAs website reads.

IDOT warns of heavy' traffic across Illinois for total solar eclipse; crowds of up to 200,000 in path of totality https://t.co/GZBmZT7c6s  NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) March 28, 2024

Youll need special eclipse glasses to safely view Mondays event, as regular sunglasses are not nearly dark enough to protect your eyes.

Bob Baer, specialist at the School of Physics and Applied Physics and co-chairperson, Southern Illinois Eclipse 2017-24 Steering Committee at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, told the News-Democrat in February he recommends people be careful to avoid purchasing fake glasses.

Baer says to consider buying eclipse glasses from Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics or DayStar Filters to avoid ending up with a fake pair. You can also get free eclipse glasses from the St. Louis Public Library and at some eclipse viewing events.

Several local cities will hold eclipse events, including Belleville, East St. Louis, Carbondale, Rend Lake and St. Louis.

April 8 solar eclipse forecast for Illinois locales

Heres what to know about the temperature and cloud cover forecast for Monday afternoon.

Information is current as of Friday, and Patrick Walsh, meteorologist at the National Weather Service St. Louis office, told the News Democrat people should continue to check the forecast closer to the event.

A caveat with this though is cloud cover is not particularly easy to forecast, Walsh said.

Belleville should see an afternoon high in the mid-70s. It will be breezy and mostly sunny, with cloud coverage around 25% to 30% in the afternoon.

Red Bud should have a high around 78 degrees Fahrenheit Monday with cloud coverage around 25% to 30% in the afternoon. The morning will be clearer, with about 20% to 25% cloud coverage.

Centralia should see high temperatures around 76 degrees Monday with cloud coverage around 25% to 30% in the afternoon.

Carbondale should be warm and breezy Monday, with a high around 77 degrees. Cloud coverage is currently forecast to be 15% to 20% in the afternoon.

Illinois officials recommend residents make sure to use proper eye protection to view the eclipse and be aware of potentially high traffic Monday.

Do you have a question about the eclipse in Illinois for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Metro-east Matters form below.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Asylum seekers in Portland are spending one more month in a hotel after Multnomah County leaders stepped in for 80 people on the brink of homelessness.

After the monetary support dried up from the local nonprofit Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice, those at risk expected to be put on the streets by Friday, April 5.

Mayor Wheeler proposes new regulations for camping ban amid legal challenges

But what happens when those funds run out? Multnomah County officials have yet to clarify their plans to KOIN 6 News. For now, county leaders say there needs to be a one-month plan.

People come here to this country who havent gone through an incredibly, incredibly difficult, life threatening journey to be here, County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said. Theyre leaving life threatening situations in their own countries to do this. That takes so much.

Commissioner Sharon Meieran praised Chair Vega Pederson for the decision to pay the bill as an estimate of five to 10 families continue to seek asylum in the county each week.

I appreciate, chair, that you were able to find the resources to keep them stabilized for another month, Meieran said.

Oregon homebuyers need a six-figure salary to afford a typical home, study finds

The Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice had been paying for asylum seekers to stay in the Northeast Portland hotel. On Wednesday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said he was digging into the details of the situation.

I dont know what the source of funding was, he said. I dont know what the level of commitment was. I dont know what the role of the nonprofit is. I dont know what ongoing commitments either the state or the county have made to this group of individuals.

KOIN 6 News made several attempts to reach out to the nonprofit, but never heard back.

Oregon has been a sanctuary state for asylum seekers since 1987. A welcome center opened its doors in 2022, but the program was shut down four months ago.

We see this in other large cities across the country. And really what were finding is that it is a collaborative effort between different levels of government  with philanthropy, with community members, as well as federal investments, Vega Pederson said.

Missing Newberg woman found dead near Chehalem Creek

Multnomah County initially made an offer to the families, but pivoted to fronting the hotel bill for one month.

I think we all agree that the right answer is not to hand people tents and say, Welcome, you can join the population of homeless people on the streets of Portland. That is the wrong answer, Mayor Wheeler said.

The county expects to hold meetings with stakeholders to find solutions next week.

Really also calling on our city or state in our federal partners and private parties to come in and step into this work and this conversation, because we know that there is an ongoing need, Vega Pederson said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The Munhall Borough Police Department is mourning the loss of Patrolman Darran Cherep.

Cherep passed away unexpectantly on April 4, the department said.

Cherep served in the department for 29 years.

His commitment to our department and this community will be greatly missed, the department said on Facebook. Thank you, Brother we have the watch from here.

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Murdaugh murder trial judge Clifton Newman takes major step in legal career. What to know.

You can't keep a good lawyer out of the legal game for long.

Recently retired South Carolina Judge Clifton Newman of the Murdaugh murder trial fame is taking another major step in his legal career after retiring from public service.

JAMS, billed as "the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide," announced this week that the Hon. Clifton B. Newman (Ret.) has joined its team as a panelist.

ADR refers to several ways, including mediation and arbitration, that parties involved in a civil suit can resolve their issues without tying up the common pleas courts with costly trials.

Newman joins JAMS following 23 years as a judge on the South Carolina Circuit Court, where he presided over the South Carolina State Grand Jury and numerous high-profile civil and criminal cases, most recently The State v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh.

Alex Murdaugh and Judge Clifton Newman during a break in the court at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool

Newman retired from public service as a judge after gaining international fame during the six-week, double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, and then handling Murdaugh's State Grand Jury fraud cases and those of his accomplices.

But Newman also distinguished himself on the civil side of the legal system, presiding over numerous cases involving professional negligence, business torts, construction defects, insurance coverage, wrongful death, and class actions.

"With over 23 years of experience on the bench, I am committed to resolving ordinary, complex, and high-profile matters at JAMS using the same even-tempered and consistent approach that has served me well throughout my career," Newman said.

Judge Clifton Newman during a break in Alex Murdaugh's murder trial in Walterboro, S.C., on Jan. 27, 2023.

Newman has also overseen cases involving police shootings, false arrests and other governmental liability matters. A former president of the American College of Business Court Judges, he is adept at handling the issues and complexities of commercial litigation, stated the JAMS press announcement.

"Judge Newman has established an outstanding reputation within the South Carolina legal community and beyond for his thoughtful approach to decision-making," said Chris Poole, JAMS CEO. "He has decades of experience across many areas of the law, and we believe he will thrive in this new role as a JAMS panelist."

Newman will be based in JAMS' Atlanta Resolution Center, where he will serve as an arbitrator, mediator and special master, handling construction, business/commercial, personal injury and torts, class action/mass torts, insurance, wrongful death, shareholder actions/business divorce and health care cases, stated the release, for clients across the country.

Judge Clifton Newman places his gavel down after sentencing Alex Murdaugh to life in prison at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on Friday, March 3, 2023 after he was found guilty on all four counts. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool

Newman earned his B.A. from Cleveland State University and his J.D. from the Cleveland State University School of Law.

Early in his career, Newman founded a successful private practice in Cleveland, Ohio, and ultimately settled in both Columbia and Kingstree, South Carolina, where he continued practicing law. He served as an assistant solicitor for Williamsburg County for over 16 years and spent 24 years in private practice before being unanimously elected to the South Carolina Circuit Court in 2000. He was unanimously reelected after that until his recent retirement from the bench.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Retired SC Judge Clifton Newman, known for Murdaugh trial, takes new job
Eddie F. Gonzalez, center, with lead attorney Michael Schwartz, right, and investigator Robert Dean, listen as a witness testifies during the opening day of his trial in Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

When the car sped past him in a Long Beach parking lot, former school safety officer Eddie Gonzalez was either a dedicated public servant in fear he would be run over by a fleeing suspect  or a killer who made a wild and reckless decision to shoot into the back of a car full of youths who disobeyed him.

Those were the lines prosecutors and a defense attorney drew Thursday afternoon as opening arguments began in the guard's murder trial in the September 2021 killing of 18-year-old Manuela "Mona" Rodriguez, who was shot dead near Millikan High School when Gonzalez fired two bullets into a vehicle she was riding in.

The shooting sparked outrage and protests. School officials quickly moved to fire Gonzalez, 54, and then-Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia called for him to be prosecuted. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon obliged, filing murder charges a month later.

"The only reason he fired his gun, the only reason Mona lost her life, was because three people disobeyed him," L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Kristopher Gay said Thursday, emphasizing that Gonzalez was in "no danger" when he opened fire that day.

Gonzalez was responding to a report of a fight between Rodriguez and a 15-year-old girl on Palo Verde Avenue near Millikan High School. Rodriguez was traveling with her boyfriend, Rafael Chowdhury, and his teenage brother when they spotted the other girl, who'd recently gotten into a fight with one of Rodriguez's friends.

Chowdhury previously told police that he and Rodriguez were looking to buy shoes for their 5-month-old daughter and happened upon the girl on the day of the brawl. At Gonzalez's 2022 preliminary hearing, however, a police officer testified that the group had gone out searching to assault her.

Oscar and Omar Rodriguez hold a photo of their slain sister, Mona, and her mother at a news conference in 2023. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

"This wasn't a fight," defense attorney Michael Schwartz said Thursday, painting Rodriguez as a dangerous felony suspect whom Gonzalez had to stop. "This was a planned beat-down."

Gonzalez threatened to pepper-spray both girls if they didn't stop fighting. Rodriguez and her group went back to their car, but not before she made a threat against the 15-year-old's family, according to preliminary hearing testimony. Gonzalez followed and ordered her to stop.

As the car drove off, Gonzalez shouted and opened fire. Rodriguez, who was in the vehicles passenger seat, was struck in the head, police said. Chowdhury and his brother were not hit. Gonzalez previously told Long Beach police investigators he was aiming at the driver but missed and struck Rodriguez.

Rodriguez suffered severe brain damage and was taken off life support a week later. Last year, the Long Beach Unified School District settled a wrongful death suit filed by her family for $13 million.

Gonzalez has claimed he acted in self-defense because the car could have struck him. But Gay argued Thursday that the defendant responded to youthful disobedience with deadly force."

As his first witness took the stand late Thursday, Gay displayed cellphone video that captured the shooting. A woman's screams could be heard as the video displayed Gonzalez letting off his two-shot burst. Several of Rodriguez's relatives could be seen turning away in the gallery, and one woman teared up.

Schwartz told jurors that although Rodriguez's death may have been a tragedy, it was "not a crime."

The veteran defense attorney  who has made a career of defending police officers from prosecution in excessive force cases  noted the car's tires were turned toward his client.

"He was right by that car as it peeled into his path," Schwartz said.

Many large police departments, including the LAPD, no longer allow officers to shoot at moving vehicles unless the occupants pose a threat beyond the vehicle itself.

Whereas Gay described the fight between the girls as a schoolyard dust-up, Schwartz painted it as a planned attack. When Gonzalez opened fire, his attorney said, he was trying to stop dangerous felony suspects who had participated in a premeditated assault.

Schwartz said he plans to call three witnesses who will testify that Gonzalez was in the path of the vehicle when he shot. Gay's first witness, a high school student who filmed the shooting, said Gonzalez fired his second shot while he was behind the car.

The trial is expected to last roughly one week.

In a series of letters sent to the court asking for a reduction of Gonzalez's bail at an earlier phase of the trial, his relatives described him as a dedicated, hardworking family man who worked as a cable repairman for decades before pursuing his dream to be a law enforcement officer.

"On Sept. 27, 2021  my Dad went to work, as he has done for decades, to provide for his family," wrote his daughter, Jasmine. "He is not a malicious or vengeful person and I hope that through this trial you and a jury of his peers can see that is the obvious case.

Gonzalez was a reserve Orange County sheriff's deputy from 2015 to 2018, according to the letters, and relatives claimed he was once named "reserve deputy of the year." A spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Gonzalez's law enforcement career had taken a downward turn in the years before the shooting as he bounced between jobs. He worked for the Los Alamitos Police Department from January to April 2019, according to city officials who declined to provide details about his departure.

A few months later, he joined the Sierra Madre Police Department in September 2019, but again left after less than a year on the job, according to a police spokeswoman, who said the city chose to separate from Officer Gonzalez but would not elaborate.

Police officer disciplinary records are largely shielded from public view under California law, unless the officer has used deadly force or been accused of sexual misconduct or dishonesty on duty.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Jamilla Clark, left, and Arwa Aziz, who won their lawsuit against the NYPD - HIROKO MASUIKE/NYTNS/Redux/eyevine

New York City has agreed to pay out $17.5 million (13.7 million) over two women who claimed they were violated when they were forced to remove their hijabs to have their mugshots taken.

Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, who are both Muslim, sued the city in 2018 after police officers made them take off their religious coverings in front of dozens of men.

Damages from the settlement, which total just over $13 million once administrative costs and lawyers fees are deducted, will be split among the thousands of people who are expected to file claims on similar grounds.

When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked; Im not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt, Ms Clark said after the settlement had been agreed.

Im so proud today to have played a part in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers.

In full view of dozen male officers

Ms Clark had wept and begged to put her hijab back on when she was told to remove her hijab after she was arrested on a violation of a protection order in Manhattan in 2017, according to the complaint.

Meanwhile, Ms Aziz, who was also arrested on a violation of a protection order in Brooklyn cried as she stood with her back to the wall, in full view of approximately one dozen male NYPD officers and more than 30 male inmates.

The New York Police Department changed its policy in 2020 to allow people to leave on religious head coverings for arrest photographs if they are not obstructing their faces.

In a statement on Friday, Nicholas Paolucci, a spokesman for the citys Law Department, said the legal action had resulted in a positive reform.

The agreement carefully balances the departments respect for firmly held religious beliefs with the important law enforcement need to take arrest photos, he said.

This resolution was in the best interest of all parties.

Forcing someone to remove their religious clothing is like a strip search, said Andrew F Wilson, a lawyer who is representing the women.

In 2018, the city reached a $60,000 settlement with each of three Muslim women who had been forced to remove their hijabs for arrest photographs and said that their religious rights had been violated.

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BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Before starting her second trip to China in less than a year, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asserted her focus of "advancing a healthy economic relationship that provides a level playing field for American workers and firms."

When it comes to fair play in business and trade, isn't it Washington that should wean itself off the practice of abusing the national security pretext to elbow aside leading Chinese high-tech and clean energy companies?

It appears that Washington's notion of healthy economic ties is largely self-centered, prioritizing America's interests above all else. In contrast, China has, as always, been committed to nurturing an economic and trade relationship built on mutual benefits and win-win outcomes for all parties involved.

The divergence also exists in their ways of dealing with each other. China insists that the two countries should respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation, while Washington, as Yellen said, aims to manage U.S.-China economic relations "from a position of strength."

This seems to be the modus operandi for Washington -- relentlessly aligning everything with its own interests while disregarding the perspectives and concerns of others.

That said, Yellen's six-day trip to China is still a good sign that the two largest economies are committed to maintaining the momentum of communication and coordination.

But for that momentum to be kept up, Washington needs to bear in mind that its long-lasting shortsightedness and obsession with a Cold-War mentality pose a grave threat to any progress in stabilizing bilateral ties.

Yellen's visit coincides with Washington's hyped-up rhetoric surrounding purported "Chinese overcapacity" in the clean energy sector, particularly in electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells. She has also become the target of online ridicule by U.S. netizens following her assertion that China's overcapacity "distorts global prices" and "hurts American firms and workers."

One scathing comment on Yahoo News encapsulates the widespread outrage: "Complaining about China building more green energy technology would be like if one weightlifter stopped training to complain that another weightlifter was lifting heavier weights."

This Sinophobic narrative of "Chinese overcapacity" is nothing but a rehash of the "China threat" rhetoric, only to undermine China's domestic growth and international cooperation.

It is a typically Washington-style double standard that surplus products finding markets abroad, a basic economic principle that Western nations have embraced for centuries, is wilfully branded as an "overcapacity problem" endangering the globe when it comes to China.

Contrary to an "overcapacity problem," the clean energy sector faces significant challenges in meeting global demand. Amidst urgent climate change concerns and widespread efforts towards energy transition, the gap between supply and demand for clean energy persists.

Talking up "Chinese overcapacity" in the clean energy sector also smacks of creating a pretext for rolling out more protectionist policies to shield U.S. companies. After all, it is now known by the world that Washington will not hesitate to show its protectionist teeth under the guise of national security in areas where its supremacy is challenged.

It is a totally groundless assertion that China is disrupting "global prices." The crux of the issue for advanced economies, as U.S. media outlets like Bloomberg have observed, lies in the efficiency and competitiveness of Chinese electric carmakers, including their technological prowess and modern transport infrastructure.

Instead of resorting to fear-mongering and protectionism, Washington should focus on fostering innovation and competitiveness within its own borders.

The first stop of Yellen's China trip is Guangzhou, a dynamic southern coastal metropolis celebrated for its critical role in shaping the nation's reform and opening-up policies. It also stands as a prime investment destination for numerous multinational corporations, including U.S. companies.

It is widely anticipated that during her stay in Guangzhou, Yellen will gain some insight into China's steadfast commitment to high-standard opening up, and see with her own eyes that the world's two largest economies may well contribute to each other's progress. 
Read the full story on The Auto Wire

Mustang Driver Brags To Police About Hitting 170 MPH During Chase

Some peoples egos are just so large they cant help but brag, even if that means giving the police additional evidence of their crimes. That seems to be the case with a 20-year-old Mustang driver in Indiana after he boasted to police about hitting 170 mph during a chase once he had been caught.

Drunk man crashes a Mustang on his birthday.

Before that, police knew he had been going well over 100 mph, reports Fox 59, but he just went ahead and volunteered that information without even being compelled. Now thats impressively dumb.

The report indicates the chase, which started in Daleville, Indiana on State Road 67 back on March 23, began when a Daleville officer clocked the Mustang going 84 mph in a 55 mph zone. When the officer tried pulling him over, the guy really punched it.

At a certain point, the officers superior told him to end the pursuit. The suspect reportedly almost lost control of his pony car several times, plus was blasting down the shoulder and into oncoming traffic in an attempt to get away.

Police also tried spiking the tires, but those attempts were unsuccessful.

However, as the suspect continued on at high speeds, eventually hitting a curb and disabling his vehicle in Anderson. The original lead pursuing Daleville officer had followed the path of the pursuit even though he slowed down and arrived just as a Madison County deputy was fighting on the ground with the Mustang driver after tasing him.

It was after authorities got the 20-year-old into custody that the kid started shooting his mouth off about how fast he was going. His attorney sure isnt going to like that.

At least for now, the suspect was able to bond out of jail and walks free. But he might be facing some stiff consequences in part because he couldnt keep his mouth shut.

Image via Harrison Haines/Pexels

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Mustang Driver Tells Cops He Swallowed A Bunch Of Fentanyl

Sadly, police chases involving Ford Mustangs have become pretty common, but not ones where the driver tells police he swallowed a bunch of fentanyl. That was the exact situation Posey County, Indiana deputies faced after the chased down one suspect in a pony car.

Mustang catches some air during a police chase.

To the shock of nobody, the Ford Mustang driver, Robin Mobley, was driving had reportedly been stolen, says 14 News. He used that vehicle to blast down SR 66 outside of Wadesville, catching the attention of deputies who tried pulling him over.

Why is it so many people who are transporting drugs or doing other illegal things then speed, weave around the road, and in general give law enforcement every reason in the book to pull them over? Do they want to get caught?

Mobley led deputies on a chase, but a regular citizen put an end to it by slowing down in his pickup truck and blocking both lanes. The Mustang went off the road and crashed in a ditch and deputies were able to arrest Mobley.

At least for his part Mobley didnt put up a fight, surrendering peacefully to deputies, so maybe he really did want to be caught. Some guys are just more at home in jail than their house.

After getting arrested, Mobley reportedly told deputies they should take him to the hospital since he had eaten a big bag of fentanyl. If he did that to hide evidence, he wasnt clear on how that strategy was supposed to work, because guys do that so law enforcement dont know about the drugs.

Later, Mobley changed his story, saying he swallowed meth, not fentanyl. Why? Who knows, but the story doesnt mention deputies finding a bag of anything in him, but they did take him to the hospital. It does mention they searched the car and him, finding marijuana, some sort of pills, and drug paraphernalia. Mobley also had a suspended drivers license.

Image via Vraj Shah/Pexels

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hopes to inspire people to look into the skies and to their communities.

Recently, Black individuals in NASAs workforce took social media by storm after sharing their headshots from the independent agency. The heartwarming posts reminded everyone of the importance of representation and fostering inclusivity, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Joining #BlackAtNASA. After 15 years this is my headshot. pic.twitter.com/qDTMbGprZ2  K Renee Horton,PhD (@Reneehortonphd) March 17, 2024

Despite the fleeting nature of viral moments, NASAs efforts for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are far more than just a snapshot. In 2023, the agency released an equity action plan supporting a presidential executive order focused on dismantling inequitable barriers and challenges facing underserved communities.

We at NASA, as an administrator, never tell our story, Shahra Lambert, NASAs senior advisor for equity and engagement, told AFROTECH. And we have such great stories to tell, not just in our exploration, cosmos, and moon-to-Mars initiatives, but the story of our people. And the makeup of our people and the diversity not just of the persons color, but the content of character and how inclusive we are as an agency.

STEM Pathways

As part of this plan, the agency is focusing on outreach to students and encouraging them to pursue careers in STEM. By doing so, the website mentions that NASA offers programs for high school and college-level students through its Office of STEM Engagement, better known as (OSTEM), which provides over 2,000 paid internships each year.

Through OSTEM internships, students can access hands-on training, mentorship, and career opportunities. Following completion, there is a chance for participants to present their findings to the department, and if chosen, they can attain job placement within NASA.

We are very intentional with our tasks and our office of STEM engagement  not just OSTEM but really the whole agency, Lambert said. We are so keen on closing that STEM gap We want to ensure that STEM and access to STEM are in the hands of everyone.

Beyond the OSTEM program, NASA also connects with K-12 educators. With this, the agency partners with schools, after-school programs, museums, and science centers through its Next-Generation STEM programs.

Per the website, the program offers hands-on experiments and lesson plans covering topics, including earth science, aeronautics and flight, and the solar system as a resource for educators and their students.

We are trying to find resources for the teachers to give into the hands of the students, but then were also trying to have portals and access for the students to have STEM on their own, Lambert explained.

Diving further into the education space, NASA recognizes genuine innovation across all demographics and is tapping into Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).

For example, NASAs website notes that OSTEM launched the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) to invest in various institutions with underrepresented populations through multi-year agreements. The goal is to boost the research, academic, and technological capabilities of MSIs in STEM.

Additionally, NASA supports students in the institutions above through competitive awards to earn monetary aid. One of those competitions is the Wildfire Climate Tech Challenge. This challenge is to support concepts that will address climate change and the impact of wildfires. Most recently, it announced three winning teams for the challenge, each awarded $100,000.

Among its winners is Team Howard U, led by Howard University students Lauren Taylor, Amy Quarkume, and Joseph Wilkins. Their concept centered on a fire-smart health guardian to improve wildfire risk communication and air-quality monitoring. Relying on NASAs data and advanced Generative AI in Natural Language Processing technology, communities would be able to make well-informed decisions, minimizing risk and preserving their health.

We wanted diverse, inclusive, and innovative ways that we could actually try to address these impacted issues that are happening  of course, in the West Coast and other parts of the world, Lambert mentioned.So, with those MSIs, those untouched talents, we now have another pool of thinkers that are gonna help to basically change and address some of the pressing issues that are happening right here with our climate.

Providing Opportunities For Minority Business

While NASA is actively strengthening the STEM sector, its equity plan has extended beyond the schools to support small business owners.

As mentioned in the plan, between the fiscal years 2021 and 2022, NASA committed $1.9 billion in various contracts to small businesses, including those owned by individuals with disabilities.

A news release recently reported that in December 2023, NASA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Commerces Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to provide minority businesses with access to NASA acquisition and developmental resources.

There is a place in space for all at NASA, and I think we just have to get over the stigma that you have to be a rocket scientist to work for NASA. Thats not true, Lambert noted.

The opportunity is limitless for all to have a chance to be a part of the Artemis Generation, she concluded. So, I just implore everyone to believe that you too can work at NASA, you too can partner with NASA, and you too can be a part of the Artemis Generation just by looking at our website.
Courtney Johnston, council member for district 26, speaks during a Nashville's Metro Council meeting at the Historic Metro Courthouse in Nashville , Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

Nashville Metro Council member Courtney Johnston is running for Congress, challenging U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District.

Johnston sharply criticized Ogles while outlining her own conservative credentials in a formal campaign announcement on Friday.

I support President Trump, Im pro-life, Im for immediately securing the border, and fully funding law enforcement, Johnston said. Andy Ogles says he believes all that too  but hes a totally ineffective politician whos getting nothing done. He hasnt passed a single bill into law. We need a real conservative leader who will deliver results, not a do-nothing grandstander who just chases headlines. Thats why Im running.

Johnston and Ogles will battle it out in the Aug. 1 GOP primary with Tom Guarente, a Brentwood cybersecurity executive.

Republican candidate Andy Ogles declares victory after winning the House of Representatives in Tennessee's newly created 5th Congressional District at an election night watch party at Puckett's in Columbia, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

Meanwhile, Nashville advocate and chair of the Metro Human Relations Commission Maryam Abolfazli qualified on the Democratic primary ballot, alongside Kiran Sreepada and Arnie Malham.

Johnston currently serves as a council member representing the Crieve Hall, Paragon Mills and other neighborhoods in South Nashville, stretching down toward Brentwood on Davidson County's southern border. Johnston has represented District 26 since 2019, securing her second term in 2023 unopposed. She is among the more conservative members of the generally progressive-leaning 40-member body.

Johnston was one of a 10-member minority in the summer 2022 to vote in favor of a draft agreement that would have paved the way for Nashville's consideration as a host city for the 2024 Republican National Convention, which ultimately went to Milwaukee.

She has been a staunch supporter of law enforcement throughout her council tenure. In 2022, Johnston carried a bill that paved the way for the launch of Nashville's first license plate reader pilot, despite opposition from multiple community groups over the technology's implications for minorities and risks to individual rights and safety. Following the pilot program, she was one of 24 council members to greenlight LPR expansion.

Johnston, a fiscal conservative, has served on the council's Covid-19 Financial Oversight Committee and Audit Committee, among others.

Johnston is a real estate agent with a background in entrepreneurship and finance. She holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Louisiana State University.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN 5th Congressional District GOP primary: Johnston challenges Ogles
The leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday described the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus earlier this week as a "turning point" with consequences.

Nasrallah, during a rally to mark Jerusalem Day, said Hezbollah is not afraid of any war with Israel and is "well prepared."

The Hezbollah leader spoke to a crowd gathered at the group's stronghold in a southern Beirut suburb. He appeared, as usual, via video link. Hezbollah fighters clad in milita fatigues and some wearing masks on their faces were in the crowd.

He called on his people to be prepared and ready.

Meanwhile thousands of Iranian protesters called for retribution as a funeral procession took place on Friday for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed by the suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria.

Two brigadier generals and five other members of the powerful Iranian army unit died on Monday in the attack on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry assumes Israel carried out the strike, and the US government also believes Israel was responsible.

Israel has not commented on the incident, but an Iranian military response is now widely expected by the Israeli government and its ally the United States, the news website Axios quoted US and Israeli officials as saying.

According to the newspaper Times of Israel and the news website ynet, 28 Israeli embassies around the world remained closed on Friday due to fears of an imminent Iranian retaliatory strike.

The commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, renewed Iran's threats against Israel.

"No action by the enemy" of the Islamic Republic will go unanswered, the major general told supporters during the demonstrations.

Friday's protests in Iran were held on Al-Quds Day, which traditionally brings out hundreds of thousands of government supporters.

Introduced in 1979 by the then Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, the state-organized rallies always take place on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The country's spiritual and political leadership use the day to call for the conquest of Jerusalem.

The background to this is the occupation of the eastern part of Jerusalem by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, with the Farsi version similar.

Iran, which has long called for Israel to be wiped out, has been especially enraged by the Jewish state's bombardment of the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also described Iran as the country's most significant enemy.

Netanyahu has threatened consequences in the event of an Iranian attack on his country.

"Iran has been acting against us for years, both directly and through its proxies; that is why Israel is taking action against Iran and its proxies, defensively and offensively," Netanyahu said at the start of a meeting of the Israeli security Cabinet on Thursday evening.

"We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle: Whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them," Netanyahu said.

The Iranian threats against Israel were also discussed in a telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu on Thursday. According to the White House, Biden made it clear that the US supports Israel in the face of such threats.

US support for Israel to defend itself against a range of threats remains "unwavering," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

The US relationship with Israel has suffered of late because of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel's war on the Palestinian enclave, which followed a major terrorist attack by Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas in October.

Israel had told its ally that if Iran launched an attack on Israel from its soil in retaliation for the deadly attack in Syria, it would face a strong response from Israel and this would take the current conflict to another level, Axios quoted Israeli officials as saying.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on Thursday evening that the GPS positioning system in the country had been deliberately jammed on Wednesday in order to "neutralize threats."

He did not specify where exactly this had happened. Israeli media speculated that the threats from Iran were the reason for this.

However, Hagari wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that it was not necessary to buy generators, stockpile food and withdraw money from ATMs.

In view of the tense security situation, a temporary leave ban has been imposed on Israeli combat units. In addition, reservists are to be mobilized for missile defence.

Pro-Iranian Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised speech during a ceremony to mark al-Quds International Day in Beirut's southern suburb. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants parade during a ceremony to mark al-Quds International Day in Beirut's southern suburb. Marwan Naamani/dpa
Pro-Iranian Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised speech during a ceremony to mark al-Quds International Day in Beirut's southern suburb. Marwan Naamani/dpa

The leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said on Friday that the Iranian retaliation for the attack on its consulate in Damascus "is coming inevitably."

Nasrallah, during a rally to mark Jerusalem Day, described the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus earlier this week as a turning point with consequences.

On Monday, two brigadier generals and five other members of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were killed in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus.

According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, six Syrian citizens were also killed.

Israel has not commented on the incident so far.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah is not afraid of any war with Israel and is well prepared.

"We have not used the main weapons nor the main forces," he said.

The Hezbollah leader spoke to a crowd gathered at the group's stronghold in a southern Beirut suburb. He appeared, as usual, via video link. Hezbollah fighters clad in milita fatigues and some wearing masks on their faces were in the crowd.

He called on his people to be prepared and ready.

"If they (Israelis) want a war, we say to them...welcome," Nasrallah vowed.

Nasrallah reiterated his stance that the Lebanese front near the Israeli border in south Lebanon is linked to the Gaza war. "When the war stops in Gaza it will stop here," he added.

Pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants parade during a ceremony to mark al-Quds International Day in Beirut's southern suburb. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Pro-Iranian Hezbollah supporters attend a ceremony to mark al-Quds International Day in Beirut's southern suburb. Marwan Naamani/dpa
Glen Cove, N.Y. (PIX11)  The Nassau County Executive plans to create a team of special Sheriffs deputies he can call up when he declares an emergency.

He said it would be to back up regular law enforcement in the event of a major natural disaster but his critics fear he is creating something tantamount to a personal militia.

Person fell under train in Brooklyn subway station: NYPD

God forbid there is an emergency, do you want me to have to scramble at that point to try and find people, County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.



Blakeman by executive order has developed a list of 100 residents and counting to train.



He will require them to have a firearms license and undergo a background and mental health check, the county will provide basic police training.



Blakeman said he will call them up in only the most extreme situation like a natural disaster with the mission being not to police, but to guard hospitals and other infrastructure to free up sworn Nassau Police.



However, in theory, Blakeman could declare anything in an emergency, so PIX11 News pressed him about if a political protest he did not agree with might be declared an emergency.



So far our police have been able to handle any protest, Blakeman said. But if there was a riot I would consider it, especially at the level they were burning buildings.



However, the idea is not sitting right with Nassau County Legislative Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.



This group of armed people, who are not necessarily trained in de-escalation or crowd management can be summoned to whatever area theyre sent to, she said.



DeRiggi-Whitton is also concerned about the special deputies doing something wrong that will put the county at financial risk, and she makes the case there are plenty of Nassau County Police, local town police, and federal partners that can handle any conceivable emergency on Long Island.



Moreover, DeRiggi-Whitton said the plan is creating deep fear for some members of the community. As an example, she quoted one resident who wrote that the plan to arm citizens reminded them of the KKK in the United States or Brown Shirts a paramilitary Nazi group.



People are really upset about this and they are afraid of it, she said.



But Blakeman, a Republican Jewish elected leader, took exception. He spoke Thursday flanked by Jewish leaders at the Nassau County Holocaust Memorial.



Its disgraceful, and its not worthy of a Nassau County Legislator, much less a leader, he said.



He can say whatever he wants about me, everythings in writing, and I feel very good about supporting people who are upset about this initiative, DeRiggi-Whitton said.



Blakeman said he has the authority to do this, like any municipal leader in the state, without the authority of the Governor under existing state law.



For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Dilapidated bleachers at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Fla. This is the first Duval high school being built with money from a sales tax that voters approved in 2020 to improve school system buildings and equipment.

COMMENTARY | A confluence of pressures have cracked the moonshot effort to rebuild and right-size the Duval County public school system: Construction costs have skyrocketed, blowing budgets for new school rebuilds and rehabs of current ones; the proliferation of charter schools has eaten into the district's enrollment and siphoned away tens of millions in sales tax revenue that would otherwise be used to improve neighborhood public schools; new and increasingly radical proposals in Tallahassee threaten annually the future of Florida's school districts; and amid it all Duval County has no permanent superintendent  no empowered leader to manage the storm.

The district is in crisis.

Why else would Duval schools leaders even propose a plan to consolidate even more schools than they'd anticipated years ago, including deeply rooted neighborhood schools like Westside High and Atlantic Beach Elementary? That proposal, reported by the Times-Union this week, sent shockwaves through Jacksonville neighborhoods and had local elected officials scrambling to reassure their constituents that their prized local schools wouldn't get the ax. "Atlantic Beach Elementary is not closing," said Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond, who represents the Beaches but has no direct say in such plans.

Diamond pinned the blame on the district's alleged mismanagement of the half-cent sales tax voters approved in 2020 to upgrade Jacksonville's public school buildings, which are among the oldest in Florida. But in truth there is a toxic cocktail of factors at work that are not just complicating the now-$3.9 billion rebuilding-and-consolidation plan but that are also clouding the future of public education in Jacksonville and in Florida.

Consider: Since the district began collecting the voter-approved half-cent sales tax in January 2021, the district has, by virtue of state law, been forced to distribute $62 million in proceeds to the county's various charter schools, or nearly 17 percent of the $363 million the tax has generated over the past three years, according to data the district provided. And unlike the district, which campaigned for the tax by dedicating its use to improving the physical conditions of its schools, charters are not required to spend their money on capital projects or school improvements. They're not even required to report to the district how they're spending the money. But district figures show, among the charters that do report, that far and away the largest use of the tax revenue by charters is rent payments  a clear boon for landlords and charter management companies. Less clear is how students benefit.

Pro-choice evangelists like Diamond have trolled the district for years to prepare for lower enrollment as the number of charters grow and parents, using a universal voucher system, send their children to private schools in increasing numbers.

Well, this  that is, the closure of more public schools than anyone had anticipated just a few years ago, including beloved but small schools like Atlantic Beach Elementary  is what that looks like. This, in other words, is the future in a pro-choice state: an ever-shrinking public school system supplemented by a patchwork of charters whose quality and services  like whether they provide busing  vary widely and private schools that operate outside the bounds of almost any regulations or public accountability.

Schools like Westside High and Atlantic Beach Elementary are neighborhood institutions, and that's why even talking about their closure so deeply offends the senses. There is permanence to a decision like that, a feeling of having lost something irretrievable and irreplaceable. Certainly no charter or private school will fill that void, a fact acknowledged by the freak-out among the Beaches elected officials rallying to save Atlantic Beach Elementary. But by cold, hard data alone  upon which the updated analysis of the rebuilding plan was based  closing that school makes sense. And if it doesn't happen there, it will have to happen in some other neighborhood with less political clout.

The dog caught the car: School choice, just not in my neighborhood.

This is also the first year, a district spokesperson told me, that Duval Schools began sharing a portion of its property-tax revenue dedicated to capital expenses with charter schools, "another unexpected hit to our facility plan revenue."

The fiscal hawks are perched and ready to strike the moment the district errs; where are they on the more opaque charters? Where is the outrage the charter share of the tax revenue isn't being spent on actually upgrading school facilities?

Is it any great shock Duval County is having trouble finding a new superintendent? The story of the Ron DeSantis era is about the liquidation of public education from kindergarten through college, a kind of gradual privatization Florida began decades ago but is finally culminating. The enormous tax revenue that props up the system can be turned into subsidies for real estate deals (charters), stimulus payments for the well-to-do (universal vouchers), or patronage jobs for political allies (higher education). Non-compliant school leaders can be threatened with prosecution. And now, every school board race in every district in Florida is a high-stakes affair that could lead to a Moms for Liberty loon micromanaging and casting aspersions upon the superintendent.

The hardest-hit by this will, as ever, be the least politically powerful  residents who will continue to rely on a shriveled, cannibalized public school district to educate their children. "Choice" is no choice at all if the nearest charter isn't on a bus route or happens to be run by ideological zealots.

A common refrain one hears in these debates is that our taxes don't fund systems but students. "Funding should follow the student, not the bloated bureaucracy. Whats wrong with parental choice?," Diamond, the pro-choice council member, once told a member of the Duval County School Board.

Yet we fund systems all the time: a robust system of public safety, for example, that includes police and fire protection. Should we instead dole out grants for each resident to hire their own private security guard if they wish to opt out? Like the school system, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is also a large government bureaucracy prone to mismanagement and trouble (like the arrest last week of a JSO officer accused of sex crimes with a 17-year-old girl). Do those problems call into question our government system of public safety or highlight the need to inject competition into that space? If not, then why is public education any different?

Under fire, the Duval County School Board and administration may, for now, shelve any talk of the dramatic school closures outlined in its latest report. But that draconian vision isn't merely some consultant's fever dream. It's an unsettling look at a future that, without dramatic change, is all but inevitable  if it's not already here.

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: Charters, universal vouchers drive Jacksonville school-closure plan
From the G-File on The Dispatch

Dear Reader (even those of you who are indifferent to promiscuity among cicadas),

Seven staffers of World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in Israel by Israeli forces. Israel apologized, launched an investigation, and, as of this, morning dismissed two senior officers for their roles in the accident.

That hasnt stopped a tidal wave of coverage suggesting, declaring, or insisting that Israel deliberately killed those staffers. Celebrity chef Jose Andres, the founder of WCK, put this discourse into overdrive by saying as much. Ill spare you the headlines, but if you just search Google News for Israel deliberately youll find plenty of examples (and if you search Twitter youll find countless more, alongside a sadly predictable miasma of blood libels and conspiracy theories on a range of topics).

I dont want to get into a lot of parsing and logic-chopping, but a little is necessary. Its not disputed that Israel deliberately fired on the convoy, in the sense that someone deliberately pulled the trigger and/or gave the order to pull the trigger. But that is not the same thing as saying Israel intentionally and knowingly killed aid workers. When a surprised cop shoots a kid with a toy gun, he deliberately pulls the trigger. But that doesnt mean he is guilty of intentionally and knowingly killing an unarmed child. That doesnt necessarily mean hes not criminally liable for his mistake, but he is not criminally liable for first-degree murder, which requires intent.

This is really not that subtle a distinction. But when it comes to Israels critics, such distinctions are the first thingssubtle or glaringto fall by the wayside. On most days the charge is that Israel is indiscriminately murdering people. But when circumstances offer the chance to say that is discriminatingly murdering people, Israels critics and much of the media (an increasingly thin distinction) are primed to grab that cudgel.

Whatever you make of Israels initial investigation, it was always obvious to me that this was some colossal, tragic mistake. One piece of evidence: Israel says it was a mistake. Israel does all sorts of things its detractors denounce as murderous and outrageous that Israel is perfectly willing to defend. It means something when they dont defend, and even denounce, something theyre responsible for.

But thats not the only reason to believe Israel when they say this was not intentional. You wouldnt know it from most media coverage, but Israel is more conscientious and careful about limiting civilian deaths than any country in the world, America included. A recent episode of Advisory Opinions covered this in detail. John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare studies at West Point and possibly the worlds foremost expert on the topic, similarly writes, Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in historyabove and beyond what international law requires and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Jamie Weinstein recently did an excellent interview with Spencer for The Dispatch Podcast.)

Spencer writes:

Israel gave warning, in some cases for weeks, for civilians to evacuate the major urban areas of northern Gaza before it launched its ground campaign in the fall. The IDF reported dropping over 7 million flyers, but it also deployed technologies never used anywhere in the world, as I witness firsthand on a recent trip to Gaza and southern Israel. Israel has made over 70,000 direct phones calls, sent over 13 million text messages and left over 15 million pre-recorded voicemails to notify civilians that they should leave combat areas, where they should go, and what route they should take. They deployed drones with speakers and dropped giant speakers by parachute that began broadcasting for civilians to leave combat areas once they hit the ground. They announced and conducted daily pauses of all operations to allow any civilians left in combat areas to evacuate.

Theres no need to revisit the genocide canard, but I will note that these are not the procedures a country takes when its looking to wipe out a whole population.

More to the point, it just seems improbable that a military willing to forgo the element of surprise to spare Palestinian lives would suspend all of its safeguards for the express purpose of killing non-Palestinians (including one American).

I generally dont like cui bono arguments, but how could it possibly benefit Israel to do so? Who in command would say, I know the Americans and EU are going to come down on us like a ton of bricks if we kill these aid workers, but its worth it?

How this could possibly benefit Israel is an utter mystery to me. The only attempt at an answer Ive seenother than Israelis are monstersis that they want to starve Palestinians, and so this was an extension of that alleged policy. Among the problems with this theory is that according to the people offering it, WCK wasnt making much of a difference, given the scope of the food crisis in Gaza. If thats true, surely it makes little sense to kill these people given the foreseeable blowback.

Again, I think its obvious this was the kind of mistake that happens in war, especially urban war, and particularly an urban war when one sidethat would be Hamasrejects all laws of war and has an open and admitted policy of trying to maximize civilian deaths on their own side.

This is the amazing thing about this war and why it confuses so many people. Normally when two countries fight a war, each side takes responsibility for taking care of its own people. In this war, Israel is expected to protect its own civilians but also be responsible for protectingand feedingPalestinian civilians. Im not saying that they shouldnt protect Palestinian civilians as best they can, nor am I saying they shouldnt feed them as best they can. But a little recognition of the fact that this is a burden the international community imposes on exactly one country.

From the Biden administration and much of the media, theres this amazing, twisted, morally deformed assumption that Hamas should not be blamed for anything that happens in Gaza. In the fringier corners of academia and activism, this belief extends so far as to make October 7 Israels fault, because raping and mass murder are inevitable acts of resistance to occupation. (Never mind that Gaza was not occupied on October 7.)

Mousa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas leader, explained that because the tunnels and shelters underneath Gaza were built for Hamas fighters, the civilians on the surface are somebody elses problem. More specifically, Hamas considers Palestinian civilian deaths to be a necessary sacrifice in the effort to bring international condemnation down on Israel and its allies. After six months of war, Hamas has not budged from its original negotiating position. But, yeah, Israel is being unreasonable.

I want to get off this subject, but its worth noting that despite getting its ass handed to it militarily, its territory pulverized, and watching thousands of civilians get killed, Hamas looks at the international climate, and the political climate in America, and thinks time is on its side. In other words, they think their strategy is working. They could only think this if they held the lives of Palestinians cheap, far cheaper than Israelis do.

Given how the Biden administration is wavering in its supposed unwavering support, Hamas may be right about its strategy working.

The personification problem.

I didnt want to get into the weeds of this tragedy or spend a lot of time defending Israel here. Not that both arent worthwhile things to do, I just know from experience that if I jumped into what I really wanted to write about Id be accused of dodging the issue. Now, I dont have the space to do it right. But Ill put down a down payment.

So, if you go back and read what I wrote above, Im part of the problem I want to talk about.

For all sorts of understandable and probably unavoidable reasons, we tend to talk about countries like theyre people or indivisible, unified units. We describe national interests as if theyre analogous to individual interests. Russia did X, because Russia wants Y. So-called realists are notorious for this kind of thing. They often talk about nations acting on their interests as if neither leaders nor populations have any role in the course of action nations take. Its as if theres just something in the soil that makes Russia want a warm water port or a vassalized Ukraine. Human agency has nothing to do with it.

But the realists hardly started it. This is an ancient tendency, with all sorts of permutations. The Athenians talked about Spartans as if all Spartans were interchangeable. British opinion about the frogs didnt change much, regardless who was on the throne. Ditto, French opinion of the roast beefs.

Until the Enlightenment, such statements were mostly grounded in assumptions about culture, religion, etc. But sometimes the assumptions were quasi-biological, as if different nations or peoples (the nation was a fluid concept for a long time) were made up of different subspecies of humanity.

Modern science intensified this. Jamelle Bouie wrote a controversial piece back in 2018 attacking the Enlightenment for creating biological racism. (I had sharp disagreements with the essay, but he certainly had a point as I explained here.) Long before anyone busted out their phrenological calipers or the Nazis took it all to its horrible conclusion, the scientific revolution made race science seem much more plausible. Natural philosophers would come up with taxonomies of different kinds of people. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach was arguably the founder of scientific racial classification with his 1776 book On the Natural Varieties of Mankind. He was followed by Gobineau and others.

One of my gripesprobably not in the top 10with Woodrow Wilson was his commitment to this kind of thinking. A lot of his defenders claim that Wilsons concept of self-determination was a watershed advance in the cause of democracy. Maybe it was. But that was sort of incidental. Wilson himself trafficked in all sorts of racial and cultural assumptions about nations and peoples. Wilson might concede that self-determination might mean democracy for those races suited for democracy, but for him, the concept was aimed more at imperialism. Nations should be free to organize in accordance to their nature, not be dictated to by foreign rulers.

Self-determination was more linked with the concept of popular sovereignty Italy for the Italians! and that sort of thingthan democracy. For instance, the first plank in the Nazi Party platform of 1920 was, We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany on the basis of the right of national self-determination. The Nazis were not democrats.

Anyway, you dont have to traffic in biological racism or cultural chauvinism to understand why we anthropomorphize nations. What else are we supposed to do? Just journalistically, its pretty much impossible to do otherwise. Saying things like Britain cut taxes, Australia invested in infrastructure, Ukraine broadened conscription, is just the simplest, clearest, way to convey certain kinds of information. No one is going to stop doing that.

But it comes with problems. Without subscribing to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, I think its generally true that language can shape how we think about things. And when we reduce countries to anthropomorphized entities, we can blur important distinctions. We recognize this problem in domestic politics all the time. You can get in a lot of trouble beginning a sentence with The blacks or blacks think X. The insinuation that everybody in a demographic group is homogeneous in their thinking or attitudes gets really close to the line of racism. Sometimes. Other times not. We could talk for hours about when its acceptable and when its not.

Many of the same problems and perils apply when talking about nations and nationalities. But there are some unique ones too. Thats because when we talk about nations like theyre people, we erase the fact that in some countries the actual people have no say in what their country does.

For instance, lots of folks talk about the U.N. as if it is akin to Tennysons Parliament of Man. People talk about the delegations as if they are all equally legitimate because they represent their nations the way senators or congressmen represent their states. Well, according to the Economists Democracy Index, only 24 nations are full democracies. Another 50 are flawed democracies, 34 are hybrids, and 59 are authoritarian. Call me a pie-eyed democracy fetishist, but I dont think North Koreas U.N. representatives are as legitimate or representative of the North Koreans as the delegates from, say, Switzerland are of the Swiss. In other words, the flunkies sent by dictatorships do not represent their people; they represent the crappy regimes they work for.

The tendency to talk about nations as if theyre people also invites us to talk about national rights as if theyre like individual rights. But international law rests on very differentand, in my opinion, far flimsierassumptions than natural law, constitutional law, or common law. When we say Russia has the right to this territory we are making an entirely different kind of argument than when we say John Smith has a right to build a shed on his property.

The failure to appreciate that the governments of some countries are little better than mafias or juntas with no democratic legitimacy poisons a lot of foreign policy debates. Respecting China, Iran, or Russia doesnt require respecting their governments, at least not on a moral calculus. Indeed, respecting the people of those countries arguably requires scorn for their governments. Sure, as a matter of realpolitik its necessary to recognize those regimes, but recognition and respect arent the same thing. And respecting the reality of power is different than respecting the morality of its use.

I could go on, but this is already too long for such a subtleand perhaps uninterestingtopic. But what got me thinking about this was all that Israel intentionally garbage.

When people sayagain wrongly in my opinionthat Israel deliberately killed those workers, it is a statement of collective guilt. Who killed those people? Not the pilot, or drone operator, or the general who gave the order. Israel did it. The fact that Israel did not want or choose this war with Hamas, that it did not ask to be in charge of protecting noncombatants and aid workers in a war zone, doesnt matter. This is what Israel does.

But if I were to say the Palestinians raped teenagers at a peace concert or the Palestinians burned families alive in their homes, the Israel deliberately crowd would object, No, no, that was Hamas! (Some extremists will simply lie, saying it didnt happen at all or, in some cases, claim it was justified). They will insist that you cannot hold the Palestinians responsible for the actions of Hamas. You cannot insinuate that everyone who hates Israel is a terrorist. And, as a general proposition, I think thats a wholly defensible response (put aside questionable polling of Palestinians who say they support Hamas). But when specific individuals in the Israeli military make mistakes, and when the democratic leadership condemns and apologizes for those mistakes, the response is shut up, it was deliberate.

Its just another example of how the rules always seem to have a special exemption for Israel.

Various & Sundry

Canine update: So, readers may recall that the Goldbergs started our van life chapter last fall when we picked up our Sprinter. Last weekend we took Zoe and Pippa to a campsite in the Shenandoah Valley. On their last trip, the girls really didnt get too comfortable with the beast. Zoe tried to stay up by the front seats the entire time and Pippa tried to hide in the footwell. That was annoying for the front passenger, but kinda dangerous for the driver (and by extension everybody else). Im happy to report the girls seem to have grown comfortableor more comfortablewith van life. They even shared a dog bed from time to time, which is unprecedented in any location. But what they really liked was the destination. We rented a little spot by a creek, we were pretty much alone, though the owner of the property was apparently around. He had goats and sheep, and the girls loved watching them from the campfire. They also loved the campfire.

I will confess that at one point Zoe did get her blood up and chased the beasts from her side of the wire fence. Rumors that she was searching for a way into the pen are well-founded. But she didnt gain entry before she ultimately heeded my commands. Pippa really loved chasing a ball there, so much so that we had to use the vans external shower to clean her off a couple of times. Anyway, a very successful outing. We did leave Gracie entirely alonewith lots of food and waterfor longer than we normally like. She chastised us. We made it up to her.

The weather since we got back has been terrible. We even had a morning walk called on account of sky booms, which pretty much never happens. Speaking of bad weather, Im on a plane to Texas right now where were going to see the eclipseor at least were supposed to. The weather forecast is not great. We would have taken the van, but were going with a group of friends. The girls are staying with Kirsten, and Gracie has her own personal assistant for the whole weekend.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Join us for a special edition of Native Bidaske LIVE, where Levi Rickert, founder and publisher of Native News Online, sits down with Wambli Quintana, a dynamic young leader hailing from Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Wambli, with roots in both the Navajo and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, is celebrated for his resilience, aspiration, and unwavering commitment to fostering positive change. In this enlightening conversation, we'll delve into the pressing issues of environmentalism and climate change, exploring Wambli's insightful perspectives and vision for a sustainable future.

As a senior at Dupree High School, Wambli is not only excelling academically but is also actively engaged in his community. From his involvement in the National Honor Society to his exploration of STEM interests through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Wambli is shaping his path towards a future where he envisions expanding opportunities in sustainable energy and green practices for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe's people and land.

Inspired by his grandmother, Bernadine Little Thunder, Wambli embraces challenges as opportunities to drive lasting change. He has served on CRYPs Youth Advisory Council and is deeply engaged in CRYPs Growing into Wowachineyepi program, reflecting his dedication to empowering his community and fostering a brighter future.

In this special episode, we'll celebrate Wambli's journey, his resilience, and his commitment to making a difference. Quintana will discuss his passion for the environment, work with the Cheyenne River Youth Project, experiences at environmental conferences, and the importance of intergenerational relationships and caring for the land.

He also talks about being on stage last month in Miami at the Aspen Ideas: Climate event with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo). He was able to ask her two questions relating to climate change.

Tune in to Native Bidaske LIVE this Friday, March 22nd at Noon ET on Native News Online's Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube channel to be inspired by Wambli's story of determination and hope.

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
JERUSALEM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police on Friday dispersed Palestinian worshippers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem by deploying teargas released from a drone.

The incident occurred as thousands of worshippers had assembled at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, for dawn prayers on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The police said in a statement that eight people were arrested for "chanting inciting slogans and support of terrorism."

The Israeli Ha'aretz daily reported that in a rare move, the police sprayed worshipers with teargas from a drone. Gas canisters were also shot at the worshippers, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. 
The North Atlantic Alliance sees "concrete steps" by Ukrainian authorities in implementing the adapted Annual National Programme (ANP), a reform plan for 2024 that aims to bring Kyiv closer to NATO membership.

Source: a NATO official in a comment to journalists on condition of anonymity, answering a question of European Pravda

Details: The interlocutor noted that it has only been three months since Ukraine began working on the implementation of the ANP, and that the Ukrainian side should comment on the reforms' content.

Quote: "But from our point of view, we see very focused, concerted efforts to implement reforms in the security and defence sector, in particular on specific priority reforms that we have identified for Ukraine as very important," the spokesman said.

Such reforms include democratic control of the Armed Forces, rule-of-law reforms, and interoperability and rapprochement with the Alliance.

"We've seen specific plans from various ministries to promote this work. We also hope to assist Ukraine in its further implementation. We hold consultations with Ukrainian authorities, where they inform us about the progress of reforms, and we continue to exchange views," the NATO representative explained.

The adapted Annual National Programme has become a tool for assessing NATO's progress on Ukraine's path to membership following the July 2023 summit in Vilnius. The Alliance then decided to cancel one of the intermediate stages on this path, namely the Membership Action Plan (MAP).

In November 2023, Ukraine and NATO agreed to revise the Annual National Programme to a concept paper containing a short list of security, defence, anti-corruption, and civil protection reforms.

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NATO comments on possible resumption of military training in Ukraine

Stock photo: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The question of the potential resumption of training for Ukrainian military personnel within Ukraine is currently not on NATOs agenda.

Source: a NATO official, speaking anonymously, to journalists in response to questions from European Pravda

Commenting on discussions about the resumption of military training within Ukraine, a NATO official stated: "Currently, this is not on the agenda."

They declined to comment on specific statements from leaders of NATO member states but emphasised that Kyiv engages with the Alliance and receives assistance in other areas of cooperation, both military and political.

"And let me add that there are currently no plans to deploy troops to Ukraine in any form," the official added.

Background:

Last month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba stated that training missions for Ukrainian servicemen should take place in Ukraine, as this would help Kyiv gain time and simplify logistics.

This statement came against the backdrop of French President Emmanuel Macrons remarks about Russias full-scale war against Ukraine, including the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, which caused an uproar, but, as he said, had been carefully thought through.

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NATO Secretary General does not think F-16 jets will change course of war in Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that Ukraine receiving F-16 fighter jets will not radically affect the situation in the combat zone, although it will expand the capability of the Ukrainian forces.

Source: Stoltenberg in an interview for Bild, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Stoltenberg believes that the fact that NATO allies are supplying Ukraine with F-16s, training pilots and supplying weapons for the fighter jets is another example of the significant military support for Ukraine from NATO member states.

Quote: "But a single system cant change the situation on the battlefield. This isnt a silver bullet that could change the course of the war. Yet the F-16s are important. They will strengthen Ukraines ability to repel Russian aggression even more."

Background:

According to media reports, the first F-16s will appear in Ukrainian skies around June 2024.

The Belgian government recently approved the allocation of its 25th aid package for Ukraine, which includes funding for the maintenance of F-16 fighter jets.

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NATO's plan to Trump-proof Ukraine aid shows just how worried US allies are about the future of American leadership

NATO's secretary general is proposing a plan for the alliance to control future aid packages.

The plan would have the US step aside from leading the group that coordinates weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

A potential second Trump term raises concerns about the security of assistance to Ukraine.

NATO's secretary general has a plan to give the alliance control of the group supplying Ukraine with weapons  a job currently held by the US.

The move comes amid growing concerns that former President Donald Trumps's reelection could spell trouble for Ukraine's future fighting, as well as continued inaction in Congress thanks to a stark political divide on giving Ukraine more money.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg raise the idea at a NATO meeting this week, suggesting that the alliance consider taking on leadership of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also called the Ramstein group, that organizes the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

"We must ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine for the long haul, so that we rely less on voluntary contributions and more on NATO commitments. Less on short-term offers and more on multi-year pledges," Stoltenberg said.

That move would shift control of the group away from the US, which created and has led it since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The plan was pitched by Stoltenberg in order to "shield the mechanism" of getting Ukraine aid "against the winds of political change," officials told The Financial Times, an apparent reference to the deepening political divide in Washington, DC.

The plan also includes coordinating $100 billion from NATO allies over the next five years to ensure Ukraine gets the aid it needs to keep fighting. News of the proposal was first reported by POLITICO earlier this week.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Stoltenberg refused to go into further details about how discussions on the proposal had gone but said NATO was "now in the process of developing a more robust and enduring, institutionalized framework for support to Ukraine." He added that Ukraine had been informed about this process.

It remains unclear right now whether this plan will ultimately gain traction, especially before the NATO summit in Washington this July, but the emergence of this plan seems to highlight growing concern about US leadership.

A Ukrainian soldier of the Khartia brigade fires an AK-47 pellet gun from a trench during a training as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk oblast, Ukraine, on February 7, 2024. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Ukraine Defense Contract Group has been the critical element getting military aid to Ukraine. The once-a-month meeting of over 50 nations, including all NATO members, focuses specifically on the procurement of ammunition, weapons systems, and other technologies and gear for Ukraine.

It was started by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in April 2022 and has since been helmed by US leadership.

The group's meetings have consisted of some of the most high-profile debates of the war, from whether Germany and the US would send main battle tanks to Ukraine to where NATO allies landed on providing fighter jets, like the F-16.

Recent sessions have seen little progress. The US, which has sent $44.2 billion in military aid since the full-scale invasion, has far-and-away been Ukraine's biggest individual supporter. But the tap's dried up in recent months, as political roadblocks in Congress have led to inaction on a supplemental funding bill including $60 billion for Ukraine.

That vital aid has been tied up since last October. While the Senate passed a foreign aid bill including that money as well as funds for Israel in February, House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn't put it up for a vote in the House yet; it remains unclear if the bill would have enough votes to pass, given staunch opposition from some Republican lawmakers.

With the US unable to get Ukraine more aid for the time being, European allies have stepped up to the plate, particularly Germany and France, as well as the Czech Republic.

A Ukrainian soldier fires towards the Russian position as the Ukrainian soldiers from the artillery unit wait for ammunition assistance at the frontline in the direction of Avdiivka as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Anadolu via Getty

Ahead of Wednesday's NATO meeting, Stoltenberg made clear that plans to tighten NATO control of support for Ukraine were inspired by what's happening in Congress, saying "the fact that there has been no agreement in the US Congress on a supplemental or continued this support has consequences."

"That's one of the reasons why the Ukrainian have to ration the number of artillery shells, why they have problems standing up against the Russian force with overwhelming military power because they're able to outgun them with more ammunition and more artillery," he said.

The potential shift in NATO politics and plans also comes on the cusp of a consequential US presidential election in November, when voters will likely decide between incumbent President Joe Biden and presumed Republican nominee former President Donald Trump.

The latter has not been shy about his distaste for NATO over the years, often spewing inflammatory rhetoric about the alliance taking advantage of US funding and some countries not "paying their fair share." During his first term, he even considered pulling the US out of the alliance.

He's also expressed an inclination to cease support for Ukraine and talked about negotiating a peace deal with Russia that would force Ukraine to cede much of the territory it's lost in the war. Ukrainian officials and leaders have rejected such a move, doubling-down on their goal of reclaiming all occupied land.

While campaigning this year, Trump's continued much of that same rhetoric. In February, the former president infuriated many NATO members when he told supporters he would let Russia "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO countries who aren't spending enough on the alliance's defenses.

And just last month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time Trump ally and opponent of NATO aid to Ukraine, said that Trump wouldn't "give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end." Orban made this comment after visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago for a social engagement.

Over the past few years, especially amid Russia's invasion, many NATO members have upped their contributions. Early projections show 18 nations spending the suggested 2% of their GDP on defense, seven more than in 2023. In 2014, only three NATO allies met this threshold.

US president Donald Trump is seen during his press conference at the 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium on July 12, 2018. Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

If Trump is reelected, there are anxieties that the US could change position on supporting Ukraine, leaving the effort to European allies. Stoltenberg's proposal would ensure Ukraine has what it needs throughout a second Trump term and would protect funding and military aid from his administration.

But the move would dilute the US' leadership role in the alliance's support for Ukraine. It would also suggest a growing wariness of and distrust in America's shifting political stances.

On Wednesday, the White House pushed back on such a plan, reiterating the importance of the US leading the Ramstein Group. "It is bigger than NATO, it's 50 some-odd nations all around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific  and what brought them together was American leadership," Kirby told reporters.

He added that what is "keeping them together is American leadership."

But if the group is, as Kirby described it, "an example of how President Biden has really revitalized our leadership on the world stage to bring countries together to do this," then inaction in Congress shows the limits of that.

During a Hudston Institute event in Washington last week, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the US needed to step up its efforts to aid Ukraine. Many countries, Tsahkna said, including China, are watching the war, "so I think that [the] US must wake up as well, showing the leadership more because Europe is doing more right now."

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SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)  A Navarre man is accused of beating a woman, restraining her, and pulling a machete on a child, according to arrest reports.

Choctaw County man killed in crash with dump truck driver: ALEA

Santa Rosa County Sheriffs Office deputies arrested 63-year-old Allen Wayne Barkley after a woman said he beat her and pulled a machete on a child, News 5 has learned.

Allen Wayne Barkley (Courtesy: Santa Rosa County Jail log)

According to arrest reports, SRCSO deputies responded to the 2600 block of Andorra Street on Wednesday, April 3, after receiving reports of a physical disturbance.

INCIDENT LOCATION:

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Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the victim, who reportedly said Barkley had battered her over an argument about the dog.

She told authorities that after a verbal argument, Barkley grabbed her and started hitting her, according to an arrest report.

The woman reportedly tried to defend herself by putting her hands in front of her face. When Barkley allegedly slammed her head into the door, her hand bashed against the door frame. Thinking her hand was broken, the woman said she texted a child, who in turn requested a welfare check.

Foley hit-and-run victim, suspect identified: ALEA

When law enforcement arrived for the welfare check, Barkley allegedly restrained her in a bed, refusing to let her answer the door. Law enforcement reportedly left.

After Barkley fell asleep, the woman said she started packing her bag to go stay with her son, according to the arrest report.

After her son came to the house, Barkley allegedly started a physical disturbance and struck the son in the face multiple times.

Reports stated that Barkley is accused of grabbing a machete and holding it up without making threatening statements or attacking movements.

Barkley reportedly shared a different story about the days events with authorities. According to reports, Barkley told deputies that he was sleeping in the bedroom when the womans son entered and started battering him.

UPDATE: Teen seriously injured after stabbing behind Jackson High School, police say

Barkley denied any physical altercations with the woman who made the allegations, according to reports.

Barkley, who had a previous conviction of Battery and Domestic Violence from 1995, according to the arrest report, was arrested on charges of battery, domestic battery, and false imprisonment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
The Navy fired the commanding officer of a Lima, Peru, based biomedical research lab on Friday, less than a year after she assumed command.

Capt. Abigail Y. Marter was relieved as head of Naval Medical Research Unit South due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command, the Navy said in a statement.

Such boilerplate language is often used by the Navy when first announcing the relief of commanding officers and other senior personnel.

Officials did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from Navy Times regarding the reasons for Marters firing.

Navy commanding officers are held to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, the Navy said. They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of meeting these standards.

Cmdr. Michael Prouty has assumed temporary command of the unit, and Marter has been temporarily reassigned to Naval Medical Research Command.

A family nurse practitioner, Marter took command of the unit in July.

Formerly known as Naval Medical Research Unit 6, the command monitors and researches infectious diseases in Central and South America.

Its main hub is on a Peruvian naval base, but the command also runs a satellite lab on an air base in Honduras.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN)  A 12-year-old boy known for reciting Martin Luther King Jr. speeches across North Carolina is dead.

Police found Jerel McGeachy, his father and his mother all dead inside their Kansas City area home. Our sister station KDAF-TV said a welfare check led officers to the home on Monday. Investigators believe Jerel McGeachy Sr., 38, killed his son and wife, Dominique McGeachy, 38, before turning the gun on himself.

Before moving to the Midwest, the 12-year-old traveled across North Carolina delivering speeches.

As a mom, hes just been heavy on my mind especially after initially I heard the story, Alysse Stewart, Program Director and Personality for Magic 106.9 said.

McGeachy won a student leadership contest at the radio station in 2022 when the family lived in Hope Mills.

He had parents to instill the right things in him and you saw that when he came out into the public. Thats why I was so impressed with him and how he carried himself, Stewart said.

According to People Magazine, both parents were employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where Domonique worked as a nurse. McGeachys father is a former Spring Lake police officer. The community recognized him in 2017 for saving his neighbors life. Now, theyre left wondering how this could happen.

Our CBS 17 crew spoke to family members in Raeford, and they did not have any comments at this time. We were informed that the McGeachys paternal grandmother recently died, prior to this tragedy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  District attorneys on Thursday urged state leaders to pause the rollout of the new online court record system eCourts because of ongoing issues theyre facing.

During an oversight hearing, the district attorneys told lawmakers about how the system has slowed them down and led to errors with things such as court dates.

In my district, which must confront the largest volume of criminal cases, grave challenges remain, said Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather. Theres a lot of opportunity for mistakes. And, we have seen a lot of them.

CBS 17 has reported on a variety of issues with the rollout of eCourts over the last year, including incorrect DMV information, incorrect court dates and private information inappropriately made public.

Merriweather said one attorney used to be able to handle about 80 misdemeanor cases during a three-hour session. Now, it takes two attorneys to get through half the caseload.

Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle told lawmakers it took her just over two minutes to load a case one day this week.

Tomorrow, we have 748 cases on our disposition court calendar. That would take more than 24 hours to address every single case on that calendar, she said.

The state has rolled out eCourts in phases. That began with Wake, Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties. Mecklenburg County launched in phase two.

The rollout continued with counties near the coast in phase three. The fourth group, which stretches from Guilford to Warren will launch April 29.

The DAs said by pausing the rollout, it will help to address the various issues that have arisen and make for a smoother transition for the remaining counties as they begin to use the system. Its expected to be implemented in every county by the end of next year.

We have heard that it has improved over time. A pause would give them additional time to work and fully resolve these issues, said Chuck Spahos, representing the NC Conference of District Attorneys.

Judges and Clerks of Court also spoke to lawmakers, saying they have received significant support from the Administrative Office of the Courts as theyve transitioned to using eCourts. Some of them pointed to the vendor the state chose, Tyler Technologies, and awarded a $100 million contract.

Judge Wayland Sermons questioned whether the system was prepared to handle the caseload of the states largest counties.

Tyler Technologies declined to comment, referring CBS 17 back to the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Ryan Boyce, director of the AOC, raised concerns about pausing the rollout.

Just slowing down that increase of public access to justice, I think is harmful, he said.

He also noted it would keep in place the current situation where some counties are using eCourts and some are not.

The longer we kind of live in this purgatory can be harmful to the public, he said.

Boyce noted the AOC has had stark conversations with the vendor as issues have arisen.

Some lawmakers asked how easily the state could switch to a different vendor once the contract is up. Boyce said the state would retain the case data but that there are not a lot of competitors in this space.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
HIAWATHA (KSNT)  The Brown County Sheriffs Office is warning residents of a scam telling residents they have been awarded a grant.

On Friday, April 5 the sheriffs office said county residents have been getting calls and emails where they are promised different amounts of Free Money. The scammers tell victims theyve been awarded a grant and provide a fake grant ID number and a phone number to contact.

When victims call the phone number theyre instructed to provide their bank account information. The sheriffs office says a foreign accent has been reported from the calls.

Shawnee Co. Sheriff warns of elimination game

The sheriffs office also warned of a circulating scam with scammers identifying themselves as the IRS. The scammers will tell victims they were short on their tax refund and request bank account information. The sheriffs office reminds residents the IRS will never contact you by phone.

The sheriffs office said not to trust your caller ID. Scammers can make caller IDs appear as any name or number. They also warned not to give personal information over the phone or the internet.

If you think youve been the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement agency.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
This article was originally published in Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN  The author of Nebraskas new Opportunity Scholarships Act says she knows that the state tax credit for funding students attending private K-12 schools risks being rejected by voters in November.

Thats why State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha and other supporters of the school choice law drafted several bills this year to preserve the heart of the program regardless of the election outcome. Each proposal would offset the cost of a private K-12 education with state tax dollars.

Recently, Linehan settled on Legislative Bill 1402 as this sessions vehicle for the changes. She originally designed the bill to shift the scholarship program created by the Opportunity Scholarships Act to the State Treasurers Office and away from nonprofit scholarship-granting groups.

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Her latest amendment to LB 1402  Amendment 3016  clarifies that school choice supporters intend to directly allocate state funds for private school scholarships instead of steering them to outside scholarship organizations, essentially eliminating the middlemen.

Public school advocates call Linehans push an effort to stifle voters voices. The advocates contend Nebraskans dont want public funds spent on private schools, whether through a tax credit or directly. They say the latest amendment would start a voucher program that could cut into state funding for public schools or other priorities even faster than the Opportunity Scholarships Act.

Options for kids or funding grab?

Linehan and other private school advocates say the scholarships give low-income students and their families more options. One of the largest scholarship-granting organizations, Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska, said Monday it had received 915 applications.

The group said it expects as many as 2,500 applicants by the April 30 deadline. Spokeswoman Lauren Garcia Gage said it had received calls from the families of more than 5,000 interested students, including many from families of students already attending private schools.

Linehans 2023 school choice law created a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donors to scholarship-granting groups that fund tuition help for low-income students to attend private K-12 schools.

Public school advocates, including Stand for Schools Nebraska, have argued the tax credit favors the rich at the cost of the state treasury. Linehan and others say they have worked in recent years to add more funds to state aid to K-12 public schools, adding a new baseline of state aid and proposing additional aid.

Amendment 3016 would create a new program that would stand even if voters reject the original law. It does so by cutting the role of scholarship-granting organizations and donors.

Im trying to make sure all parents in Nebraska have school choice, Linehan said. Not just wealthy.  Not just those who are lucky enough to have grandparents help them.

Linehan said she doesnt have the $10 million she thinks she would need to fight the opposition to the Opportunity Scholarships Act at the ballot box. She pointed to opposition from deep-pocketed donors such as philanthropist Susie Buffett. Linehan said she wont try to match public school supporters in raising funds.

I am not going to go around raising $10 million to try and beat that when weve got 15 open legislative seats, and if we dont win, then theyll come back in and repeal it in the Legislature, she said.

What the amendment does

Under the amendment, state funds per student would be capped at the cost of education but could not exceed 75% of the statewide average of what the state spends per student in general funds on public K-12 education.

The amendment allocates a baseline of $25 million a year and allows for annual increases of up to 25% a year, based on the total scholarship funding awarded each year, up to an annual cap of $100 million.

Taxpayers would fund the full $25 million from the beginning, at a time when the Legislature is running short of cash for other new programs. The Opportunity Scholarships law, by contrast, requires private parties to donate funds in order to receive the state credit.

People familiar with fundraising for scholarship organizations told the Examiner that demand has outstripped donations thus far. Many donors have to be told about the tax credit, organizers said.

Linehan confirmed last week that her amendment would pull private money out of the process and would fund the private school scholarships with an appropriation of public money, like school voucher programs do in other states, including Iowa.

If voters chose to retain the Opportunity Scholarships Act this fall, the state could be on the hook for both programs, the tax credit and a separate allocation of money for scholarships. (A different related bill would sunset the original program if a new version passes.)

Most political observers expect the ballot measure to fail because Nebraskans have rejected voucher programs in the past, and opponents of the new law are planning a campaign that will include heavy rotations of advertising.

Court fight likely

Linehan acknowledged the amendment could make a court fight with Stand for Schools and others more likely. But she said school choice advocates have case law and a conservative U.S. Supreme Court on their side.

Linehan and the school choice advocacy group Keep Kids First have said courts have allowed similar programs in other states that have similar constitutional prohibitions.

Keep Kids First, which advocates for school choice in Nebraska, has ties to the American Federation for Children and Betsy DeVos, a major political donor and former education secretary under then-President Donald Trump.

Anthony Schutz, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln law professor, is one of several legal experts who argued previously that the tax credit program might run afoul of the Nebraska Constitution. He and others said the new amendment might be even more problematic.

Since last year, weve wondered whether or not we have an appropriation to a non-public school, Schutz said.

Now, he said, Weve got a bill that clearly appropriates money.

Under AM 3016, the State Treasurers Office would have the responsibility for overseeing the scholarship program, much like it does with Nebraskas college savings plans. The office would have the authority under the amendment to hire a private vendor to do so.

The amendment would place the state closer to providing public money to a private school, Schutz said.

Shell game gone

Dunixi Guereca, a legislative candidate speaking for Stand for Schools, said the legal point of the scholarship-granting organizations was to create a shell game filtering public money to private schools through a third party.

Schutz said courts have thrown out constitutional provisions in other states prohibiting private school funding, ruling that those restrictions encroached on religious freedoms.

Constitutions in those states prohibited state funds from being spent on religious education.

Nebraskas Constitution, by contrast, prohibits spending on all private schools, he said, including secular schools.

Article VII, Section 11, of the constitution says, No appropriation or grant of public funds or property shall be made to any educational institution which is not owned and controlled by the state or a governmental subdivision thereof.

Linehans amendment to LB 1402 would allow access to scholarships for families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level, or up to $93,600 for a family of four.

Families earning less would get first dibs, including families already on means-based scholarships and those earning up to 185% of the poverty level, meaning $57,720 for families of four.

Other students prioritized for scholarships under the amendment include those on individualized education plans (IEPs) and students fleeing bullying or violence in school.

Critics point out that private schools still can refuse to educate students of their choosing, with a handful of exceptions under federal law, including a students race or gender.

Stand for Schools, in an internal analysis of the amendment, wrote that tying the measure to this federal law would let private schools discriminate based on a students disability or sexual orientation.

Annual reports

AM 3016 would require the Treasurers Office to file a report with the governor each Dec. 1 starting in 2025 that spells out how the scholarships can be pursued.

The report would include the number of students receiving scholarships the previous year, the number of students wait-listed or denied scholarships and the reasons they were denied.

It would also list the demographics of scholarship recipients, including income level, grade level and location.

Observers said that similar reports have been used in other states to justify the expansion of school choice scholarships or voucher programs. Its a way to gauge demand and popularity.

Stand for Schools says research in school choice states found that more than 70% of those who apply for such scholarships or vouchers already attended private schools or intended to do so.

Linehan and Keep Kids First have argued that means nearly a third of students who accept scholarship funds might not otherwise have been able to attend a private school of their choosing.

The amendment would let the Treasurers Office spend up to 7.5% of the appropriated funds on administrative costs, including on internal managers providing oversight to private contractors.

The amendment limits the states ability to control or influence the governance of any qualified school accepting the money. It cannot force the schools to keep educating scholarship students.

It includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately if passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.

Whos applying

Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska says more than 40% of its early applicants are students of color, more than half are from outside Omaha and Lincoln and 40% are at or below 185% of the poverty level.

Jeremy Ekeler, the groups executive director, said the new law is already giving hope to hundreds of students.

We hear every day from families who arent eligible but wish they were. Nebraskans are recognizing what the rest of the country has already discovered: Once parents have educational opportunity, their desire for options only increases, he said.

Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (1st L) speaks during a press encounter at the UN headquarters in New York on April 5, 2024. Guterres on Friday voiced concern over reports of the Israeli military using artificial intelligence (AI) in its bombing in Gaza. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday voiced concern over reports of the Israeli military using artificial intelligence (AI) in its bombing in Gaza.

Reports showed that AI was used to identify targets, particularly in "densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties," he told reporters.

"No part of life-and-death decisions, which impact entire families, should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms," he said at a press encounter, as the Hamas-Israel conflict is nearly six months.

The Israeli military campaign has reportedly killed more than 32,000 and injured more than 75,000 others, the vast majority of them women and children, said Guterres.

More than half of the population in Gaza -- over a million people -- are facing catastrophic hunger, with children dying for lack of food and water, he said.

"Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," said the UN chief. 
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got some bad information from the Nevada Secretary of States (NVSOS) office. But it is his campaigns responsibility to follow the law regardless, the state has informed him.

Lawyers for RFK Jr.s campaign are in a dispute with Nevada over his eligibility to appear on the November ballot. And now Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Cisco Aguilars office has admitted to 8 News Now that a clerks answers to RFK Jr.s campaign contained errors.

Earlier today it was brought to the attention of our office that a Secretary of State employee had provided inaccurate guidance to an independent presidential campaign. This was an error, and will be handled appropriately. In no way was the initial error or subsequent statutory guidance made with intent to benefit or harm any political party or candidate for office, according to a March 25 statement.

At issue is Nevadas law requiring the name of a vice presidential candidate on the ballot access initiative. Nevada statute clearly states the requirement, but Kennedys campaign was told otherwise by a staffer at the Secretary of States office at the beginning of the process to circulate petitions. His attorneys also point to paperwork to file the petition. The petition does not even have a field for a VP on it, according to Kennedy campaign ballot access attorney Paul Rossi.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

The Secretary of States Office counters:

NRS 298.109 contains a clear legal requirement for independent candidates for president. Any person who desires to be an independent candidate for the office of President of the United States must  file with the Secretary of State a declaration of candidacy and a petition of candidacy, in which the person must also designate a nominee for Vice President. In addition to referencing this statute, the campaign guide also clearly states that our office does not approve the legality of the petition language or the petition form. The SOS office also provided additional guidance clearly and in writing to each of the independent presidential campaigns on March 7th.

NVSOS refers questions about the problem to its Presidential Candidate Guide for election year 2024. But it quickly points out the guide is for general information only and does not have the force and effect of Nevada law, regulation, or rule.

Also, a March 7 memo emphasizes that questions regarding signature verification shouldnt go to NVSOS. Any questions about signature verification should be directed to the county clerks and/or your own attorney.

The problem came to light in late March, the day before Kennedy named Silicon Valley attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his choice for VP.

Now the question is whether the signatures submitted in Kennedys petition will be accepted. The deadline for the petition to be filed is Aug. 9, so the campaign still has time if the decision is made to pursue signatures again.

This is the epitome of corruption, Rossi said in a news release from Kennedys campaign.

After successfully collecting all of the signatures we need in Nevada, the DNC (Democratic National Committee) Goon Squad and their lackeys in the Nevada Secretary of States office are outright inventing a new requirement for the petition with zero legal basis, Rossi said.

Aguilar is a Democrat.

This corrupt attempt by the Nevada Secretary of State must be enjoined by a federal judge. The Kennedy campaign intends to depose the Secretary of State to find out exactly which White House or DNC official concocted this scheme, according to Kennedys campaign.

Kennedys campaign presents a threat to President Joe Bidens chances of beating former President Donald Trump again. Polls in Nevada showed that some Biden voters would support Kennedy in a race thats already tight, with Biden trailing Trump slightly in a head-to-head matchup.

A March 20 Emerson College Polling/KLAS-TV/The Hill survey showed that Trump leads a head-to-head matchup in Nevada 43.9% to Bidens 41.2%. But add in other candidates and it changes things: Trump at 41.0%, Biden at 36.0% and Kennedy at 8.8%.

The petition submitted to NSOS by Kennedys campaign carries only his name. And there is, in fact, no spot on the petition form for a vice presidential candidate.

Kennedy-NOIDownload

But if a mistake was made, by a staffer in the Secretary of States office, it doesnt mean Nevada statute will be ignored.

A memo issued March 7 by Mark Wlaschin, Deputy Secretary of State for Elections, suggests thats a matter for the courts.  the Secretary of State does not approve the legality of the petition language or the petition form, according to the memo. The example general form for independent petitions of candidacy is provided as guidance only.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
When will the next total solar eclipse happen in Wisconsin after 2024?

The April 8 "Great American" solar eclipse, perhaps the most anticipated astronomical event of the year, is almost here.

For a few minutes Monday afternoon, the eclipse's peak will briefly cast nighttime-like darkness over a 115-mile-wide, southwest-to-northeast path across North America as the moon passes in front of the sun. Millions of residents in 13 states stretching from Texas to Maine will be under this "path of totality" and able to experience the total solar eclipse.

The 115-mile-wide path of totality will stretch from Mazatlan, Mexico, across America, into Newfoundland.

The rest of the U.S., including Milwaukee and Wisconsin, will experience a partial solar eclipse, the peak effects of which are said to resemble an overcast day. However, like in 2017, tourists living in partial eclipse areas will travel en masse to cities on the path of totality to fully experience this uncommon astronomical event.

After all, the continental U.S. won't experience another total solar eclipse for 20 years. Unfortunately, Wisconsin is not on the path of totality for that one either.

But, if you're young or lucky enough to live to the end of the century, you may be able to see a total solar eclipse from Milwaukee in 2099.

Solar eclipses in the US in 2017, 2024, 2044, 2045, 2052, 2078, 2078, 2099.

When is the next total solar eclipse in the U.S.?

After Monday, the lower 48 states won't see another total solar eclipse until Aug. 23, 2044. However, only three states  Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota  will be on its path of totality. According to NationalEclipse.com, most Western and Midwestern states, including Wisconsin, will see a partial eclipse during this event.

What will a ticket to @WaltDisneyWorld cost on August 12, 2045, when a six-minute total solar eclipse crosses directly over the park? pic.twitter.com/LQgC09SiaL  National Eclipse (@NationalEclipse) March 25, 2024

Thankfully, you won't have to wait another 20 years for the next total solar eclipse, though. Less than a year later on Aug. 12, 2045, another one will grace the skies. Its path of totality will touch South America, the Caribbean and 15 U.S. states from California to Georgia, NationalEclipse.com says. Wisconsin and most of the Midwest will again see a partial eclipse.

Perhaps of interest to Disney World fans, the 2045 eclipse will travel right over Orlando ... better book your hotel now.

When will Wisconsin be on the path of totality for a solar eclipse?

The next time Wisconsin will be on the path of totality for a total solar eclipse will be Sept. 14, 2099, said Dr. Jean Creighton, director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Manfred Olson Planetarium.

Milwaukee and much of the rest of the Midwest, including parts of Minnesota, northern Illinois, northeastern Indiana, southwestern Michigan and much of Ohio, will be on the path, according to NASA.

When was the last time Wisconsin was on the path of totality?

Wisconsin was last on the path of a total solar eclipse 70 years ago. Northwestern portions of the state, including Spooner and St. Croix Falls, experienced totality on June 30, 1954.

Milwaukee experienced a partial solar eclipse, where the moon covered about 91% of the sun at the eclipse's peak. The April 8, 2024, event will be similar; the moon will cover 89% of the sun in Milwaukee.

The path of totality of the 1925 total solar eclipse touched northern Wisconsin.

The northern tip of Wisconsin, including Bayfield, Ashland and Door County, experienced totality on Jan. 24, 1925. Milwaukee saw a partial eclipse where nearly 96% of the sun was covered by the moon at the eclipse's peak.

Milwaukee hasn't seen totality since the Middle Ages, Creighton said. The city hasn't been on the path of a total solar eclipse since May 16, 1379.

More: Where is the closest city to Milwaukee to view the 2024 total solar eclipse?

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: When is the next solar eclipse in the U.S. and Wisconsin after 2024?
Republicans on the Senate Education Committee are proposing to increase eligibility for New Hampshires education freedom accounts  but not as ambitiously as the House would like.

In a late amendment to a related bill, Senate Bill 442, the committee is proposing to open the program to any families earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $124,800 in total household income for a family of four. The increase is less than the jump to 500 percent of the federal poverty level that has been advocated for  and passed  by House Republicans.

Created in 2021, the education freedom accounts program allows families to use a portion of state education dollars for nonpublic school or home-school expenses. Currently, the program is restricted to children in households that earn up to 350 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $109,200 for a family of four.

Created in 2021, the education freedom accounts program allows families to use a portion of state education dollars for nonpublic school or home-school expenses.

Republicans have championed the program as a way to give families alternatives to their local public schools if those schools do not work for their children. The funds provide an average of $4,600 per year per child, but that number varies depending on factors such as income level or need for special education services.

Democrats have called the program an inappropriate use of state funds and said it will draw too much from the Education Trust Fund, the account used to fund the states annual allocations to public schools. That spending could make it harder to increase state funding to public schools in the future, Democrats warn.

Since the program launched, some Republicans have pushed for its expansion into higher income brackets. The Legislature raised the income cap from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to 350 percent in last years budget, and some Republicans have advocated that the cap be further expanded or eliminated altogether.

In February, the House passed House Bill 1665, which would increase the cap to 500 percent of the federal poverty level, or $156,000 per year for a family of four. The Senate has not yet taken up that bill, but will vote on its recommendation of 400 percent during its full session Friday.

Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced a number of bills since 2021 that aim to either repeal, pare back, or more closely scrutinize the education freedom accounts program.

This story was originally published by the New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH Republicans look to raise income cap on education freedom accounts
WASHINGTON  Democratic angst over Israels military campaign in Gaza has grown steadily in recent weeks even before the death of seven aid workers killed by an Israeli air strike this week, in what could be a turning point in the U.S. approach to the conflict.

But Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) isnt backing off his staunch support for Israel, which has drawn the ire of some progressives and won him applause in corners of the Republican Party, including one member of Donald Trumps family.

On Thursday, after President Joe Biden appeared to threaten Israel with a change in U.S. policy if it doesnt alter its tactics and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, Fetterman rejected the idea of conditioning support for Israel, as some of his colleagues have been pressing for months.

In this war against Hamas  no conditions for Israel, Fetterman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The post was accompanied by a photo of a story from The New York Times summing up Bidens tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he called the killing of aid workers earlier this week unacceptable and demanded Israel immediately implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In this war against Hamasno conditions for Israel. pic.twitter.com/qCrqHT4pge  Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 4, 2024

The hoodie-wearing Pennsylvania Democrat has been one of the most vocal defenders of Israel throughout its six-month military campaign in Gaza, which it launched in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Hes steadfastly defended its right to go after Hamas, even as the civilian death toll has climbed into the thousands in Gaza, including in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. He wallpapered his office with posters of dozens of hostages Hamas took from Israel, waved an Israeli flag from the roof of his house after anti-Israel protesters gathered outside, and even sought to attend a private Republican lunch on Capitol Hill to hear Netanyahu speak via video.

Earlier this week, Fetterman called the death of World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza a tragedy and said that civilian deaths should be minimized in Gaza. But he largely stuck to his position that Hamas was ultimately responsible for the suffering there.

Its important to minimize the kind of collateral damage and I would hope that Hamas decides to not hide behind civilians and create those circumstances as well, Fetterman said during an interview with CBS News.

Celebrity chef Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, said Wednesday that Israel targeted his colleagues systematically, car by car despite signs on the convoy identifying it as a humanitarian mission.

This was not just a bad luck situation where oops we dropped the bomb in the wrong place, Andres said after Netanyahu expressed sorrow for the strike and called it unintentional.

We are disappointed to see Senator Fettermans criticism of Bidens approach, said Tali deGroot, national political director for J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel group that supports additional U.S. pressure on Israel to change its governments policies.

Like the Senator, we too care deeply about the state of Israel. We hope to have an ongoing dialogue with him about why it is that these kinds of steps are actually pro-Israel, and in the best long-term interest of both countries.

Fettermans unvarnished support for Israel has drawn the ire of progressive Jews who oppose its military campaign in Gaza. Eva Borgwardt, a spokesperson for the group IfNotNow, whose members protested at Fettermans home, said in a statement: Apparently the only thing that will satisfy Senator Fetterman is more massacres, more starvation, more ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) walks to vote in the U.S. Capitol. Bill Clark via Getty Images

Fetterman, however, has been unbending on Israel. Hes also rejected being labeled as a progressive despite standing firmly with the left on other key issues, including support for unions, LGBTQ rights, economic justice and marijuana legalization.

I would just call myself a Democrat, he told CNN. And I believe that Im on the right side of issues, whether thats being very pro-choice, maybe that I believe that is being pro-union, and if I believe thats pro-Israel as well, too.

Still, hes looking more and more like an outlier in the Democratic Party when it comes to Israel. This week, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), another centrist, pro-Israel Democrat, opened the door for leveraging aid if Israel expands its campaign into Rafah, where more than a million Gazans have taken refuge in makeshift shelters.

If Benjamin Netanyahu were to order the IDF into Rafah at scale ... and make no provision for civilians or for humanitarian aid, I would vote to condition aid to Israel, Coons said in a Thursday interview on CNN.

He added: Ive never said that before, Ive never been here before.

Last month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), another staunchly pro-Israel Democrat and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., called for new elections in Israel and sharply criticized Netanyahu for blocking the way toward peace with Palestinians.

Bidens more aggressive approach to Israel yielded a change in policy on Thursday, when, within just a few hours of his call with Netanyahu, the Israeli government announced it was opening more aid routes into Gaza. But his administration has also continued to authorize transfers of military equipment to Israel, including more bombs, despite growing concerns over its conduct in Gaza.

What has got to be made clear to Israel  you can go to war against Hamas, but you cannot continue these horrific actions, which are causing literally the worst humanitarian disaster that we have seen in a very long time, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a vocal proponent of conditioning aid to Israel, said Thursday during an interview with CNN.
No Labels is a no-go for 2024.

The organization that qualified in Arizona and other states as the No Labels party officially closed the book on its ambition to field a presidential candidate this year. Its announcement Thursday came about a week after the March 27 death of former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, one of the group's most vocal champions.

The group's statement said its movement will continue this year to "promote dialogue around major policy challenges and call out both sides when they speak and act in bad faith."

It had made headlines for about two years with its plans to field a candidate Americans could choose instead of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Its goal greatly worried Democrats and their supporters who figured an allegedly centrist candidate would siphon more votes from Biden, leading to a spoiler effect that would help Trump win in November. A spoiler is still possible in Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate running for president who recently claimed Biden is a "much worse threat to democracy" than Trump.

Why did No Labels drop its 2024 presidential bid?

No Labels was founded in 2010 and first led to the creation of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress. The group later sought ballot access for the 2024 election, saying it would field a third-party presidential candidate if voters had no other choices but Biden and Trump. It went on to qualify as a political party in 19 states, including Arizona on March 7, 2023, and previously announced it had raised about $60 million.

But it lacked a firm candidate who wanted to run as president under the No Labels ticket. One apparent option seemed to be U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia , but Manchin said in February he wouldn't be running. Last month, he said No Labels needs to "take a hard look" at whether it would be a spoiler in the race. Another possible candidate, Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination this year, announced a week ago the No Labels candidate would not be him.

Nancy Jacobson is the founder and CEO of No Labels, a political organization that supports centrist, bipartisan policies and politics.

Nancy Jacobson, the group's CEO and founder, wrote in a February op-ed the group needs "an exceptional leader to take that road despite its hazards and challenges."

It never found one.

"No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House," the group said Thursday in its statement. "No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down."

"We are concerned that the division and strife gripping the country will reach a critical point after this election, regardless of who wins," it continued, vowing to hold a "summit" after November's election "to discuss the path forward for our community and our nation."

Will No Labels still be active in Arizona in 2024?

No Labels also made waves in Arizona when it sued Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for his decision to allow non-presidential candidates running under the No Labels ticket to be placed on the ballot. Arizona U.S. District Judge John Tuchi ruled against Fontes in January.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes joins hundreds of people marching through the streets of downtown Phoenix in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15, 2024.

By that time, three candidates had already filed statements of interest to run as No Labels candidates for the U.S. Senate, state Corporation Commission and the state Legislature. One of them, Richard Grayson, admitted he changed his party registration from Democrat to No Labels to "excoriate the selfish and evil people" behind the group.

None of the candidates turned in petition signatures in an attempt to challenge Tuchi's decision. But Tuchi's ruling in the lawsuit included awarding attorneys' fees to No Labels, and Fontes' office is continuing to challenge the amount. Court paperwork filed last month shows No Labels wants $200,894.50 in fees, which includes almost $41,000 its lawyers claim they spent working on the application for attorneys' fees and its replies to Fontes' challenges. The group also filed for reimbursement of $569.94 in costs.

Kara Karlson, an assistant attorney general defending Fontes' office, argued in a March 11 filing that No Labels shouldn't get fees for the allegation the office violated state law, which Tuchi dismissed from the lawsuit, and asked Tuchi to reduce the fees to "between $94,700.00 and $110,956.90." A ruling on the final amount is still pending.

"I always knew those guys were full of it. I just wish they hadn't given so many Arizona voters false hope," Fontes said of No Labels after hearing the group wouldn't run a presidential candidate.

Yolanda Bejarano, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, said in response her party "is still laser-focused on talking to voters about the many ways that Democrats have delivered results for Arizonans on the issues they care most about, including creating good-paying jobs, protecting our democracy, and codifying reproductive rights."

As of the state's March 19 Presidential Preference Election, 27,631 Arizona voters had active registrations with No Labels, online records show. That's nearly as many registrations as the venerable Arizona Libertarian Party and about 10 times as many as the state's Green Party garnered by that time.

Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: No Labels won't field a presidential candidate, seek Arizona lawsuit fees
Eight Americans were believed to be among the more than 240 hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza on October 7. Two of those eightmost of whom were dual U.S.-Israeli citizenswere released in October, but one has been confirmed dead and five are suspected to still be alive and in Hamas captivity.

In a recent tweet, Bill Ackmanthe billionaire manager of the hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Managementclaimed that President Joe Biden has expressed little concern for the hostages. I cant think of one example in the last 181 days where @POTUS Biden has expressed concern for the American hostages that are still being held by Hamas, Ackmans tweet read.

Can anyone think of another situation in history where Americans were taken hostage by terrorists and our President acted as if this has not occurred.



I cant think of one example in the last 181 days where @POTUS Biden has expressed concern for the American hostages that are  Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) April 5, 2024

Biden, however, has recognized the American hostages in Gaza on numerous occasions since October 7, and his administration has routinely expressed its commitment to securing their release.

On December 13, 2023, Biden held an in-person meeting at the White House with family members of the Americans in Hamas captivity. We felt before and were only reinforced in seeing and believing that we could have no better friend in Washington or in the White House than President Biden himself and his administration, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a father of one of the hostages, told reporters after the meeting.

On January 14, the 100-day anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the White House released a statement from Biden expressing concern for the return of American hostages. For 100 days, they have existed in fear for their lives, not knowing what tomorrow will bring, it read. For 100 days, their families have lived in agony, praying for the safe return of their loved ones. And for each of those 100 days, the hostages and their families have been at the forefront of my mind as my national security team and I have worked non-stop to try to secure their freedom.

The White House released an additional statement on March 8Wrongful Detainee Dayrecognizing American hostages being wrongfully held abroad, including in places like Gaza. Todayand every daythe United States reaffirms our sacred pledge to American hostages and detainees wrongfully held abroad, it read. We see you. We stand with you. We will not stop working until you are home and reunited with your family.

Family members of the American hostages in Gaza were also invited to Bidens State of the Union address on March 7, where he promised his administration would continue working to bring hostages home. Here in this chamber tonight are families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas, he said. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home.

Biden echoed these remarks again in a March 12 statement following confirmation of the death of Itay Chen, one of the U.S. citizens suspected to be in captivity. Today, our hearts are heavy, the statement read. In December, Itays father and brother joined me at the White House, to share the agony and uncertainty theyve faced as they prayed for the safe return of their loved one. No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through. At the end of our meeting, they gave me a menoraha solemn reminder that light will always dispel the darkness, and evil will not win.

Today, as we join Itays parents, brothers, and family in grieving this tragic loss, we keep this reminder close to our hearts, Bidens statement continued. And I reaffirm my pledge to all the families of those still held hostage: we are with you. We will never stop working to bring your loved ones home.

If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.

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No problem is too big or too small for our Public Investigator team

In November, we told the story of a 98-year-old woman who was wrongfully threatened with eviction from a building she had lived in for 16 years. When we did, the property managers backed off and apologized.

When more residents at the complex reached out about problems, we did more reporting. And, when we published that story in February, the owners vowed more improvements.

Thats not a coincidence. Thats results.

In the midst of the reporting, I got this question: Why are you even reporting on this at all? More specifically, the framing of the question was: This kind of stuff is probably happening at apartment complexes everywhere in town, so why are you so focused on this one?

My response: If its happening everywhere, thats even more reason for us to write about it.

The stories in question were written by Tamia Fowlkes, one of three members of our rebooted and expanded Public Investigator team. The reporters are charged with  as their tagline says  taking tips, chasing leads and exposing problems.

When we started rebuilding the Public Investigator team, we sought reporters for whom no story is too big or too small. We also wanted reporters who will put the community  everyday people, not politicos or pundits  at the center of their stories.

We want both priorities to be reflected across our newsroom  in the stories we tell and in the determined and thoughtful journalists we have on our team telling them.

Here is a look at the Public Investigator team:

Tamia Fowlkes is a Milwaukee native and attended Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, then the University of Wisconsin. She worked for us as an intern, went to Columbia University for graduate school, spent last summer at the Washington Post and then came home.

Tamia Fowkles

She is passionate about making investigative journalism more accessible  for example, by sharing our work with younger readers through TikTok.

Quinn Clark grew up in Muskego, attended Mount Mary University and received a graduate degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. She joined our suburban team in July 2022 and last fall moved to the Public Investigator role.

Quinn Clark

She loves digging into public records and is fearless when it comes to asking tough questions of powerful people or institutions.

Gina Lee Castro, who grew up in Pensacola, Florida, joined our newsroom in January. She is also a Northwestern graduate and worked in Evanston, Illinois, covering city-funded reparations and, most recently, in Chicago, reporting for the podcast 100 Latina Birthdays.

Gina Lee Castro

She is the classic shoe-leather reporter who can often be seen at community events or knocking on doors.

The three work closely with Daphne Chen, our investigations editor, and Ashley Luthern, deputy editor and reporter.

Already the team has written about complaints about brown, fishy water in Manitowoc; car wash customers who couldnt cancel their memberships; a drivers fight to get a parking ticket refunded even though she could prove she paid the meter; an apparent mice infestation at a college-owned apartment complex, why an unsolicited cash offer to buy your home is probably too good to be true and many more.

Often, investigative reporting highlights something unusual or unique in how it is broken, dysfunctional or harming people. These stories resonate not because they are rare, but because they are so common.

So, please join us in this effort. I am inviting you to do two things:

Meet the team: Our Public Investigator reporters will be hosting a series of spotlight sessions in the coming months at locations throughout the community. The first one is aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds, but all are welcome. It will be held Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m. at the Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave., in Milwaukees Bay View neighborhood.

For more information and to sign up, go to bit.ly/publicinvestigator.

Send us your tips: They may focus on government corruption, corporate wrongdoing, consumer complaints, medical scams or more. We'll investigate anywhere in Wisconsin. Email your tips to watchdog@journalsentinel.com or call 414-319-9061.

You can also submit tips online at jsonline.com/tips.

Those tips, of course, can be large or small. Afterall, if youre experiencing problems or dysfunction, well, its probably happening to others too.

And those are stories we need to tell.

Greg Borowski is executive editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @GregJBorowski and reach him via greg.borowski@jrn.com.

Connect with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Send our Public Investigator team your problems and tips
RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP)  The nonprofit run by the wife of North Carolina governor hopeful and current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will soon end what it describes as its only business.

Balanced Nutrition, Inc., a nonprofit run by Yolanda Hill, told the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services that the organization would no longer be working with the states Child and Adult Care Food Program.

North Carolina Republican Party declines to say if they support Superintendent nominee Morrow

NCDHHS provided the following statement:

We can confirm we received notice on April 2 from Balanced Nutrition, Inc. that they will be terminating their agreement as a Sponsoring Organization under the Child and Adult Care Food Program effective April 30. The department will work to ensure a smooth transition for the facilities sponsored by the institution.

FOX8 has requested further documentation from NCDHHS regarding the end of its agreement with Balanced Nutrition Inc.

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. describes itself on its website as a private non-profit organization dedicated to helping child-care providers make the most out of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The food program is our only business. Our staff has over twenty-plus years of experience working with CACFP, making us well-qualified to serve the providers and the children in their care.

While the IRS reports that Balanced Nutrition, Inc. has not yet filed tax forms for 2023, the nonprofit reported in 2022 that it received $1,768,649 in grants and contributions and $1,590,153 in expenses. According to the form, it spent $172,796 in employee salary. $23,048 of that was paid to Hill and Robinsons son Dayson Robinson, who worked for the organization part-time. The nonprofit lists Hill and Cassaundra Spinks as its two other employees.

Balanced Nutrition, Inc., has reported steadily increasing contributions over the past five years. In 2018, the year Robinson found himself first in the public eye, they reported $581,730 in gifts, grants and contributions. The following year, that number doubled to $1,105,793 and has risen every year since.

Morganton father charged after Thursday wreck involving family, three vehicles

ProPublica reports that Balanced Nutrition, Inc. received $28,610 dollars in a PPP loan from the government in April 2020, which was forgiven. They received another $28,312 in February 2021, a few months before Robinson appeared on FOX News railing against government handouts. He also wrote in his 2022 memoir that hes struggled with finances but that these were the ups and downs of a man who is determined to make a go of it in the world without a steady stream of government charity.'

A report from The Assembly notes that this nearly $30,000 loan matches a salary increase reported by Hill between 2019 and 2020.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
All lanes of northbound I-5 were closed for hours in Arlington Friday after a crash that killed a pedestrian.

The Washington State Department of Transportation first reported a crash at 4:44 a.m. with one lane closed, then said all lanes were closed at 5:13 a.m.

All lanes reopened at around 7:45 a.m.

The pedestrian was hit and killed by one car, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Kelsey Harding.

Traffic was diverted to SR 531.

It is not yet known if someone was trying to cross the freeway or if they were hit while they were on the shoulder after their car broke down.

UPDATE 2: NB I-5 is still FULLY blocked at SR 531 in #Arlington. Emergency responders are on scene & still no ETA for reopening.



The back-up is about 2 miles. Seek alternate routes.



Detour details below 



OR if you're traveling from Everett to Mt Vernon take US 2  SR 9 https://t.co/0gVqCXbUyA pic.twitter.com/7jdKrYBNZn  WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) April 5, 2024




(FOX40.COM)  The Placer County Sheriffs Office said on Thursday that the second fentanyl-related murder sentence in California has officially been delivered to a man who was found responsible for giving the lethal drug to a young woman in August 2022.

Arron Dare was sentenced to 15 years in prison for selling fentanyl to Haleigh Yarbrough, which ultimately resulted in her death, the agency said on Facebook. This is just another example of Placer Countys commitment to battling the fentanyl crisis.

Northern California county ranked number one in the state for DUI convictions

On Dec. 6, Dare, 24, was convicted of second-degree murder for what law enforcement called, the local fentanyl death of a young woman. That woman was later identified as 25-year-old Haleigh Yarbrough from Auburn.

The ruling comes about six months after Placer County handed down Californias first fentanyl-related murder sentencing on Oct. 10 to 20-year-old Nathaniel Cabacungan.

Placer County has previously stated that it plans to aggressively prosecute fentanyl-related deaths in its attempt to fight the opioid crisis in Northern California.

The countys website states, Fentanyl is the no. 1 killer of people between the ages of 18-45, surpassing car accidents and suicides.

Placer County adds that the area saw a 450% increase in fentanyl deaths from 2019-2021. Since 2021, the county has filed five criminal complaints against fentanyl dealers.

22-year-old Virgil Bordner was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and is serving a 17-year sentence

20-year-old Carson David Schewe has been charged with murder and possession of a controlled substance for sale (the first time a defendant in Placer County has been charged with murder for a fentanyl-related death)

42-year-old Brandon Garner has had murder charges filed against him by the Placer County District Attorneys Office

K Street shooting pre-trial hearings continue, judge hears from witnesses

Selling fentanyl, if it results in a death, may result in a murder charge in our county. We have a simple message to dealers and distributors in our region  Placer County is NOT open for their business, the DAs office said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
PHNOM PENH, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted fixed-asset investment of 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, a sharp rise of 649 percent compared to the same period last year, said a Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC)'s report released on Friday.

The Southeast Asian nation approved 106 investment projects during the January-March period this year, significantly up from only 39 projects over the same period last year, generating approximately 107,000 jobs, the CDC said.

Those new investment projects were mainly focused on industries, infrastructure, hydroelectric power, agriculture, agro-industry, and tourism, it added.

Top five foreign investors in the kingdom are from China, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea and the United States, the CDC said, adding that investment from China accounted for 777 million dollars, or 35 percent, of the total investment.

The Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA), and Cambodia's new law on investment, are key factors to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the kingdom.

"Both RCEP and CCFTA are magnets to attract foreign investors to Cambodia," he told Xinhua. "FDI, especially from China, is crucial to help boost Cambodia's economic and trade growth."

The official said new FDI would bring new capital, technologies and employment opportunities for Cambodian people. 
Norway does not rule out deployment of troops to Ukraine, says Foreign Minister

The Armed Forces of Ukraine. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has stated that in the long term, he would not rule out the deployment of troops to Ukraine, although there are currently no such plans.

Source: Espen Barth Eide in an interview with European Pravda

The minister noted that the discussions regarding the potential deployment of Western troops to Ukraine were not actually about combat units for direct confrontation with Russian forces, but rather about support, training, military advisors, and so on.

"We have no current plans to send troops. I don't think many countries have. But on the other hand, in the very long run I don't think we should rule out anything in principle," said Eide.

He said that NATO wants to support Ukraine to a level where Ukraine succeeds and Russia suffers defeat.

"But there is no desire to be a direct party to the war, because that could lead to a world war which we don't want to see," the minister stated.

Background:



In March, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he had not ruled out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine in the future. He later added that these remarks, which caused an uproar, had been carefully thought through.

Later, commenting on the idea, Macron emphasised that French forces would not engage in an offensive against the Russian Federation in such a scenario.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland had no intention of directly participating in combat in Ukraine.

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Norways center-left government is set to present the Storting (national parliament) with what Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre described as the most ambitious and far reaching Long-Term Defense Plan (LTDP) in the countrys history.

The Labor-led governments broad-ranging LTDP, announced at a news conference in Oslo on April 5, proposes a record-breaking increase in capital investments for national defense that project $60 billion in spending in the 12 year period up to 2036.

A critical feature in the LTDP raises spending and financial benefits across all branches of the Norwegian Defense Forces. The plan will strengthen the NDFs manpower while significantly enhancing its air-defenses and capabilities to better defend its High North borders with Russia in collaboration with NATO forces, including Nordic neighbors, and new Alliance members, Sweden and Finland.

Higher levels of funding in the LTDP are directed at improving the NDFs situational awareness capabilities by building its surveillance, presence, and control assets across the High North and in strategic neighborhood areas in the Nordic region. The NDF aims to achieve superior situational awareness through an integrated plan comprising the use of new specialist surveillance vessels and the expansion of satellite and drone capabilities.

The most fundamental task this government has is to provide security for the people of Norway. We need a defense that is fit for purpose in the emerging security environment. This plan represents a historic boost in defense spending and it will entail a major strengthening of all branches of the Armed Forces, said Stre.

If achieved, and the LTDP meets all set targets, the expectation is that Norways annual defense budget, measured in real terms, will double from its 2024 level of $8.75 billion to over $17 billion by 2036.

The key funding proposals in the LTDP also cover the replenishment of military stocks shipped to help Ukraines war efforts against Russia. Since Russias invasion in February 2022, Norway has provided Ukraine with over $2 billion in military hardware and humanitarian aid. In 2023 alone, Norway provided $1 billion in military support under the Nansen Support Program, including NASAMS air defence systems.

The procurement elements in the LTDP are pivotal to Norways national defense strengthening goals. As a result, the acquisition of new frigates, submarines and surface vessels for the Navy is being prioritized.

Air defense

The procurement plan comprises an advanced air-defense solution to include the countrys first long-range air defense system. The NDFs Army branch will be expanded from one to three brigades. The Home Guard, the NDFs rapid mobilization force, will be increased from around 40,000 personnel at present to 45,000 combat-ready soldiers.

Norway aims to reconstruct its military to give it a sharper focus on dealing with active conflict prevention, said Bjrn Arild Gram, Norways defense minister.

Our better resourced military must be able to deal with active conflict prevention every day and stand ready to handle conflict. Increased activity requires more personnel. In total our Armed Forces will be strengthened with over 20,000 conscripted soldiers, civilian employees and reservists, Gram said.

For the LTDP to succeed, said Gram, the key proposals in the plan will need to be implemented simultaneously to address critical deficiencies in present day national defense structures and capabilities.

Norway must invest in infrastructure, not just for todays defense but also for a defense that is set for growth. We need to bolster educational capacity to meet the need for more personnel. We must also allocate sufficient funds to replenish our emergency stockpiles. This is essential to avoid ending up with an imbalanced force structure, where vessels are docked, and aircraft are parked, Gram said.

The LTDP requires a rapid elevation in force strength across all branches of the NDF. To the end, the plan aims to increase the number of conscripts and reservists by 4,600 and 13,700 respectively. The number of support civilian personnel is projected to grow by 4,600 with a special focus on hiring talent with specialized technology skills.

The prioritized Naval strengthening program aims to deliver five to six new frigates, with onboard anti-submarine helicopters, in addition to a minimum of five new submarines. Norway is acquiring the Type 212CD submarine, which is being built under a German-Norwegian strategic partnership that will deliver the T212CDs to both navies.

Along with the procurement of surface ships, the frigate and submarine elements of the LTDP represents the largest capital investment by any Norwegian government in to the strengthening of the Royal Norwegian Navys ability to protect the countrys extensive territorial Arctic and sub-arctic waters against prevailing threats.

The scope in ambition of the LTDP is evidenced in Norways decision to procure a long-range air defense system to upgrade the NDFs ability to defend against short-range ballistic missile threats. Moreover, Norway plans to double the quantity of the existing NASAMS air defense which is set to be updated to deliver a higher level of protection against drones and missiles.

The LTDP recognizes the importance of Nato and neighboring Nordic Alliance states Denmark, Sweden and Finland to the long-term security of Norway. Natos continuing presence, said Gram, is fundamental to supporting stability and guaranteeing peace in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Finlands and Swedens recent membership of Nato strengthens security in our region. It also presents Norway with new obligations. We must rapidly transform from not just a receiving country of Allied reinforcements but also a transit and contributing ally to the defense and security of the entire Nordic and Baltic regions, Gram said.
Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway, holds a press conference. "We need a defence that is adapted to the current situation and threats. This plan is a historic boost for Norwegian defence," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Norway wants to drastically increase its defence budget over the next 12 years, the government announced in Oslo on Friday.

The plan to spend an additional 600 billion Norwegian kroner ($55.7 billion) until 2036 is almost a doubling of the current budget. The extra defence spending must be approved by parliament, but this is seen as as formality.

NATO member Norway borders Russia in the Arctic Circle and the Kremlin's two-year attack on Ukraine has spooked the Scandinavian country, which is also alarmed that another Donald Trump presidency in the United States could complicate defence.

"We need a defence that is adapted to the current situation and threats. This plan is a historic boost for Norwegian defence," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre told reporters.

The government plans to spend around 3% of gross domestic product on defence by 2036 - the NATO target is at least 2%.

Considerable investments are to be made in the navy in particular, with at least five frigates and at least five submarines are planned.

The Norwegian army is also being strengthened with more than 20,000 soldiers, employees and reservists, the Defence Ministry said.
FILE - The U.S. Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022. On Friday, April 5, 2024, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming Social Security Administration data shows the number of voters registering without a photo ID is skyrocketing in three key swing states, evidence that migrants who entered the country illegally are registering to vote in Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

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.

___

Federal data does not show a soaring number of unauthorized migrants registering to vote

CLAIM: Social Security Administration data shows the number of voters registering without a photo ID is skyrocketing in three key swing states, evidence that migrants who entered the country illegally are registering to vote in Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania.

THE FACTS: Election officials in all three states said the information being shared is incorrect. In fact, recent voter registrations in those states are well below the numbers being cited online.

The posts are misrepresenting data from the SSAs Help America Vote Verification system, which tracks requests by states to verify the identity of individuals who registered to vote using the last four digits of their social security number. Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections and noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare, as states have processes to prevent it.

The number of voters registering without a photo ID is SKYROCKETING IN 3 key swing states: Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania, reads one X post, citing data from the SSA to claim that there have been 220,731 such registrations in Arizona; 1,250,710 in Texas; and 580,513 in Pennsylvania.

The post continues: HAVV allows voters to register with a Social Security Number (4 digits). Illegals are not able to get licenses there. But they can get Social Security cards (for work authorization permits). HAVV is the SSAs Help America Vote Verification system.

Others alleged outright that this data is proof that Democrats are rigging elections.

Democrats are letting illegal immigrants through the border and registering them to vote using only their social security number, a man says in a TikTok video shared on X, citing similar numbers. This is how Democrats plan to stay in power.

But these claims misrepresent what the SSA data shows.

This again appears to be an example of people who dont understand how elections work misinterpreting data  perhaps intentionally, perhaps unintentionally  to create a false impression and inflate the potential for voter fraud, David Becker, the founder and executive director of The Center for Election Innovation and Research, told The Associated Press.

The numbers being identified as individual voter registrations in Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania are referencing the total number of requests states made to the SSA to verify voters identities from Dec. 31 to March 23.

Election officials in the three states noted that actual voter registration applications during that time period were much lower than the numbers being shared online.

Maricopa County, which makes up approximately 60% of Arizonas voting population, has had 39,653 new registrants since the beginning of 2024, according to county recorder Stephen Richer. This is far below the 220,731 said to have registered with no photo ID.

In Texas, officials said in a statement that 57,711 people have registered to vote in Texas since the start of 2024, far fewer than the 1.25 million cited online and the number of people registered in the same period in 2022 and 2020. The state currently has approximately 17.9 million registered voters.

As of April 4, there had been more than 75,000 new voter registrations in Pennsylvania, not more than 580,000, according to Matt Heckel, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State. There were approximately 8.7 million registered voters in the state on Monday.

Individuals in most states register to vote with either their drivers license number, state ID number or the last four digits of their social security number. States use the first two options to verify the individuals identity with their department of motor vehicles. This accounts for the vast majority of voters, according to Becker. A voters identity can be verified using the third option through the SSAs HAVV system.

All verification requests for which the name, date of birth and last four digits of an SSN match with at least one SSA record are recorded by the agency under a total matches category.

HAVV requests are made for voters who are registering for the first time, but also if a voter submits an application after they move to a new state, or even within the same state, Becker said.

Officials in Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania all confirmed that the number of transactions in the HAVV system does not represent what posts online are claiming it does.

It is 100% false that there are 220,731 new registrants in Arizona since January 1, 2024 of suspect citizenship, Richer told the AP.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson wrote in a statement that it is totally inaccurate that 1.2 million voters have registered to vote in Texas without a photo ID this year.

Heckel told the AP that the HAVV data being cited on social media only represents the raw number of verification requests Pennsylvania counties make to the SSA, adding that the data does not represent the numbers of newly registered voters, and any representation that they do is false.

Heckel said that for Pennsylvania in many cases, the same voters partial SSN is being checked more than once in a single year and that the state makes HAVV requests for absentee and mail ballot applications in addition to voter registrations. This means that verification requests do not necessarily correspond one-to-one with people registering to vote.

A 2010 audit report published by the SSAs Office of the Inspector General found that 32% of verification requests in 2008  2.4 million out of 7.7 million total  were for voters whose information had already been verified that year. In 2009, re-submissions constituted 20% of verification requests  1.4 million out of 7.2 million.

Ohio, for example, in 2008 submitted the same voter information 1,778 times during the year for a 77-year-old man who died in December 2005. The submissions were made over an 11-day period, ranging from 1 to 278 verification requests per day. The same voters information was submitted by Ohio 13,824 times in 2009.

Federal law bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections, including races for president, vice president, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 1996 law states that noncitizens who vote illegally will face a fine, imprisonment or both. Noncitizens who cast a ballot and get caught may also face deportation.

Voters are not required to provide proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. However, they must confirm under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens.

In Arizona, however, voters must prove they are citizens to cast a ballot in state and local races. If they do not provide proof, they are considered federal only voters. There are only 20,768 such voters in Maricopa County, according to Richer, out of more than 2.3 million active registered voters. He wrote in a post on X that the entire state only has about 30,000.

Arizona is currently the only state that enforces such a requirement. Voting Rights Lab, a nonprofit that tracks election-related legislation, reported last month that 11 other states are considering legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote in state or local elections.

Federal law doesnt stop states or municipalities from granting noncitizens the right to vote in local races  and a handful have, including 11 towns in Maryland and two in Vermont. Several states ban the practice.

Investigations show that noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare. For example, a Georgia audit of its voter rolls conducted in 2022 found fewer than 2,000 instances of noncitizens attempting to register to vote over the last 25 years, none of which succeeded. Millions of new Georgia voters registered during that time period.

Noncitizens may be eligible to receive a social security number if they are authorized to work in the U.S. or if they need one for another valid reason, such as to receive a certain benefit or service. But federal law requires states to regularly maintain their voter rolls and remove anyone ineligible, a process that identifies immigrants living in the country illegally in addition to other state-level vetting processes.

Its really unfortunate that theres so many people who are trying to sow doubt into our elections process, Aaron Thacker, a spokesperson for Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, told the AP in response to the claims spreading online.

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Fake Mossad account spreads misinformation about airstrike that killed aid workers in Gaza

CLAIM: Israel said that the deaths of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip Monday night were caused by a roadside bomb planted by Hamas.

THE FACTS: No Israeli officials have publicly made such a statement. An X account impersonating the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad wrote soon after news of the incident broke that it appeared to have been caused by a side bomb planted by Hamas.

The Israeli military said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deaths occurred as a result of an IDF strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the countrys forces had carried out an unintended strike in Gaza.

Following the Israeli airstrikes that killed the World Central Kitchen workers and led the charity to suspend delivery of vital food aid to Gaza, social media users claimed that Israel had blamed Hamas for the incident.

A Hamas roadside bomb killed the aid workers Israel, reads one X post that had received approximately 7,900 likes and more than 3,400 shares as of Tuesday. Ive never known a roadside bomb to jump onto the windscreen of a vehicle clearly marked as aid workers. Its incredible Hamas can do this without any air strike capacity. (Theyre mocking us).

Many posts included footage of a vehicle with a large hole going through the World Central Kitchen logo on its roof, printed there so that the vehicle could be identified from the air.

But no Israeli officials have publicly said that a roadside bomb planted by Hamas killed the aid workers.

An X account called Mossad Commentary, which impersonates Israels intelligence agency, made such a claim in a post on Monday at 3:49 a.m. Israel time.

The IDF is investigating an incident in which 5 foreign aid workers were killed in Gaza which appears to be by a side bomb planted by Hamas for our forces in Deir al-Balah, it reads.

Mossad Commentary, which uses Mossads logo as its profile picture, is not affiliated with the Israeli intelligence agency and has previously made false claims about the Jewish state. For example, a post from October 2023 states that Yemen had officially declared war on Israel. The AP reported at the time that Yemens internationally recognized government had done no such thing.

Mossads website links to its official X account, which is called in Hebrew The Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks. Its most recent post is from September 2020.

The Israeli military told the AP in February that Mossad Commentary is clearly not an official account. Mossad Commentary did not respond to a message from the AP on X sent after the World Central Kitchen strikes.

Prior to Mossad Commentarys post, the Israeli military wrote on Telegram at 1:34 a.m. local time Monday that following the reports regarding the World Central Kitchen personnel in Gaza today, the IDF is conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.

The military said in a statement to the AP Tuesday afternoon that the incident occurred as a result of an IDF strike. Around the same time, Netanyahu acknowledged in a statement that unfortunately, in the last day, there was a tragic incident of an unintended strike of our forces on innocent people in the Gaza Strip.

World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, said it had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of its cars, the AP has reported. Three vehicles moving at large distances apart were hit in succession. They were left incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple targeted strikes.

The dead include three British citizens, Polish and Australia nationals, a Canadian-American dual national and a Palestinian.

World Central Kitchen was key to efforts by the U.S. and other countries to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to help ease near-starvation conditions in Gazas north. Those efforts were threatened when the charity suspended food deliveries Tuesday.

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Posts misrepresent White House Easter egg contest, Day of Transgender Visibility proclamation

CLAIM: Biden declared that Easter Sunday is now a holiday celebrating transgender people.

THE FACTS: Transgender Day of Visibility has been celebrated on March 31 since 2009, when the holiday was created. Every year since becoming president, Biden has issued a proclamation around the observance on that date. It was a coincidence in 2024 that the day corresponded with Easter Sunday, which falls on a different date each year.

Nonetheless, social media users shared posts saying that Biden chose March 31 for Transgender Day of Visibility as an affront to Christians. Many Christians oppose greater recognition of trans people as part of their religious beliefs and took offense at the two days being paired, even though it was only a byproduct of the calendar.

He could pick any day to declare a Transgender day, reads one X post. For Joe Biden to select Easter Sunday is a insult to Christians. This was intentional. It was done with the intent to flip the middle finger at Christians. His staff knew exactly what they were doing.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the claims untrue at a White House briefing on Monday, saying that the administration was really so surprised by the misinformation that has been out there around this.

Every year for the past several years on March 31 Transgender Day of Visibility is marked. And as we know, for folks who understand the calendar and how it works, Easter falls on different Sundays every year, she told reporters. And this year it happened to coincide with Transgender Visibility Day. And so that is the simple fact. That is what has happened. That is where we are.

Following the proclamation, the Trump campaign criticized Biden, a devout Roman Catholic, of being insensitive to religion, and fellow Republicans piled on.

Jean-Pierre said at the briefing that it is unsurprising that politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric. She added that Biden will never abuse his personal faith for political purposes or for profit.

Biden first issued a proclamation about Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021, about two months after his inauguration. He continued this recognition in 2022 and 2023. Proclamations are generally statements about public policy by the president.

Rachel Crandall-Crocker, the executive director and co-founder of the nonprofit Transgender Michigan, organized the first International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2009 to bring attention to a population that is often ignored, disparaged or victimized.

It was designed as a contrast to Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is held annually on Nov. 20 to honor the memory of transgender people who were killed in anti-transgender violence. Crandall-Crocker selected March 31 to give the holiday space from the day of remembrance and Pride Month in June, which celebrates all types of LGBTQ+ people. ___ CLAIM: Biden banned religious symbols from a White House Easter egg art contest.

THE FACTS: A flier soliciting children from National Guard families to submit an egg design for a White House exhibit organized in collaboration with the American Egg Board specified that submissions should not include religious symbols or overtly religious themes.

But such restrictions are nothing new.

The American Egg Board has been a supporter of the White House Easter Egg Roll for over 45 years and the guideline language referenced in recent news reports has consistently applied to the board since its founding, across administrations, Emily Metz, its president and CEO, said in a statement.

Elizabeth Alexander, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden, similarly wrote in an X post that the American Egg Boards flyers standard non-discrimination language requesting artwork has been used for the last 45 years, across all Dem & Republican Admins  for all WH Easter Egg Rollsincl previous Administrations.

After the flier spread online, social media users falsely claimed that it was Biden who had decided to prohibit such imagery as part of the contest, which is part of many Easter traditions at the White House, including the annual Easter egg roll.

Joe Biden just told all the Easter egg art decorators in the White House that NO RELIGIOUS IMAGERY is allowed, reads one X post. Hes just spit in the face of Christ on the cross who died for our sins to lift up the ULTIMATE sinners.

The American Egg Board is a commodity checkoff program, meaning that it promotes and researches a particular agricultural commodity without referencing specific producers or brands.

All such programs must follow federal guidelines, including prohibitions on religious discrimination. This has been the case since the American Egg Board was established in 1976, according to Metz.

Children from National Guard families submitted egg designs showcasing their lives for the third annual Colonnade of Eggs exhibit at the White House, which honors the first ladys support of military-connected families. Artists brought their designs to life on real eggs.

The American Egg Board has historically presented a commemorative egg to the first lady that reflects her passions, causes and contributions. Since 2022, the board has collaborated with the White House to curate larger exhibits displaying egg art throughout the spring.

Dating to 1878, the first White House Easter egg roll was held by President Rutherford B. Hayes, who agreed to open the White House lawn to children after they were kicked off the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.

___ Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck
'We're at that point': Democrats press Biden to change course on Israel and Gaza

WASHINGTON  Congressional Democrats are pressing for changes in U.S. support for Israel following the death of seven aid workers for celebrity chef Jose Andres World Central Kitchen aid group.

At stake may be $14 billion in security aid to the country that the U.S. has long championed as the only democracy in the Middle East. The Democratic pressure, which intensified this past week, reflects growing angst within the partys base that could undermine Joe Biden's reelection.

Biden took the first step in a sharp conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, three days after Israeli forces struck a convoy of aid workers leaving a warehouse in central Gaza. He said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable and issued an ultimatum: support in the war against Hamas in Gaza depends on "immediate" and ''concrete'' steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a Biden ally, Israel advocate and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was asked on CNN on Thursday when the U.S. should pursue a change in policy toward Israel, rather than attempting to use diplomacy to limit civilian deaths in Gaza.

I think were at that point, Coons said. Ive never been here before. Ive been a strong supporter of Israel the whole time Ive served in Congress.

He continued: The challenge is to make it clear that we support the Israeli people, that we want to and will continue to have a strong and close relationship with Israel, but that the tactics by which the current prime minister is making these decisions dont reflect the best values of Israel or of the United States.

More: Chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen demands independent probe into Gaza drone strikes

Celebrity chef Jose Andres (C) joins Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) (L) and Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) for an interview following a meeting about getting humanitarian aid to Gaza at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Israel has said the attack was a mistake and that it targeted the aid workers believing they were Hamas operatives. The Israeli military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, crossed into Israel on Oct. 7 in the biggest terrorist attack in the nation's history.

What Democrats in Congress are pushing Biden to do about Israel and Gaza

Following Biden and Netanyahus call, Israel announced it would reopen a crossing into Gaza to allow more aid to come through.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a relatively moderate Democrat and another Foreign Relations Committee member, said in a statement Friday that Israel has a right to defend itself but that the U.S. current approach to Israel is not working. He repeated a request for the Biden administration to withhold bombs and other offensive weapons that can kill and wound civilians and humanitarian aid workers and to provide only defensive aid.

Their comments add to the chorus of voices from the partys left wing that have been raising concerns with Israels bombing campaign in the Gaza strip, where more than 30,000 people have been killed since last October.

Progressive Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. are circulating a letter to members that will be sent to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging them to rescind a recent arms transfer to Israel and withhold any future transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Hearings to examine workers benefitting from new technology and increased productivity on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told the podcast Pod Save America on Friday that Biden should tell Netanyahu that all military aid will cease if thousands of aid trucks cant enter Gaza.

One day the president is angry at Netanyahu, he said. The next day hes very angry. And the next day hes very, very angry. So what?

And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history, made waves last month by publicly calling for new elections in Israel in order to find a lasting path to peace in the region.

The party's increasing hesitance to support Israel without restrictions contrasts with even Biden's strongest comments to date: He reportedly told Netanyahu that the U.S. "won't be able to support" Israel if it doesn't change its approach in Gaza, but didn't mention the possibility of ending weapons shipments.

The administration approved the shipment of thousands more bombs to Israel on the same day as the strike, though it occurred before the World Central Kitchen attack and the weapons are expected to arrive in the country next year.

The pressure from Congressional Democrats reflects growing discontent among their voting base. Nearly half of American voters and 69% of Democrats believe Biden should pressure Israel to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from last month.

How Israel and Gaza is shaping 2024 politics

The deepening divide over Israel has also further muddied election year politics. As Biden seeks to win another four years in the White House, his base in key swing states like Michigan have used the ballot box to protest the administrations support amid Israels bombing campaign.

Demonstrators protest against the Israel-Gaza war during the 96th Academy Awards near the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, California.

Even other vulnerable Democrats on the campaign trail have been pressured to take a stronger stance, forcing them to walk the line between a base that demands changes and more centrist voters who remain supportive of Israel.

However, only 18% of Republicans share the belief that Biden should put more pressure on Israel, according to the USA TODAY poll. Republicans in Congress mirror that attitude  and to date, their steadfast support for Israel has provided Democrats some leverage as they aim to advance $95 billion in emergency aid to allies including Israel and Ukraine that passed the Senate in February.

That package has stalled in the House, where Republicans are split on sending more funding to aid Ukraines war with Russia.

Will Israel receive more military aid?

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would put a security package on the floor in the coming weeks. But if a handful of Democrats waffle over concerns about funding Israel, it could further gum up negotiations.

The State Department has until May 8 to provide a report to Congress on Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law. If the administration determines that Israel is not in compliance, it can stop all arms transfers to the country.

The U.S. Capitol building is seen past a cloud of steam rising from a vent on Capitol Hill on February 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.

However, it remains unclear how widespread Democrats' attitude change toward Israel will be.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CBS News Thursday that the focus should be on sending more aid to Gaza rather than further restricting weapons to Israel.

Theres already protection on all programs in which the U.S. sends arms to other countries, he said, ensuring that allies only use weapons for the intended purpose, such as targeting Hamas. I dont know whether this is a relevant discussion to what is currently being debated.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a staunch Israel supporter, wrote on X in response to reporting that Biden would condition : In this war against Hamasno conditions for Israel.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats amp up pressure to change Israel policy after aid worker deaths
All or nothing: Santa Rosa votes to link impact fees to 1/2 cent tax on November ballot

*Editor's note: The story has been updated to clarify the position of the Homebuilders Association of West Florida in regards to actions taken Thursday by the County Commission.

Santa Rosa County's most vocal residents have been telling their county commissioners for quite some time that if they don't impose impact fees on developers, the half cent sales tax they will seek via referendum in November is doomed to failure.

"You need to impose impact fees if you want to pass the sales tax," Milton resident Jerry Couey told the commission Thursday morning at a meeting held to discuss just that.

Couey reminded commissioners the last time the correlation between impact fees and the sales tax referendum had been ignored, the sales tax referendum was defeated by a 67 to 33 percentage point margin.

Perhaps heeding the warning, commissioners voted 3-2 to tie impact fees and the half cent sales tax together, so that impact fees will be charged in the county beginning on the day the new sales tax, if passed, goes into effect, and not at all if the tax referendum fails.

Commissioner Colten Wright made the recommendation that the governing board unite sales tax consideration and the imposition of the impact fee.

"I would like the people to have a voice," he said.

Wright said that for years he's heard both sides of the argument for and against impact fees. Local building associations and others in the home construction and development industries have opposed them while many in the community argue that builders should be forced to help pay for the infrastructure needs its work is impacting.

The Santa Rosa County Commission voted Thursday to tie imposing impact fees on new development directly to a November referendum to implement of a half-cent sales tax. If the sales tax passes, impact fees will be assessed on new development throughout the county to bring in an expected $26 million over a 10 year period.

"You've had both sides wanting their voice to be heard," Wright said. "And with commissioners who are sometimes not strong enough on their own to make a decision, or not fully understanding how representative government works, my thought was, 'Why not find a way to let the people have a say and put the decision in their hands?'"

And while the county stands to reap great rewards if the sales tax passes and the impact fees are implemented alongside it on Jan. 1, 2026, it also stands to lose both sources of transportation infrastructure funding if the sales tax referendum fails.

"If that happens I can say to people who ask, 'You have spoken, guess what we're not going to get?'" Wright said.

Projections indicate the half cent sales tax would raise about $16 million annually to be spent exclusively on roads, bridges and accompanying infrastructure, while the impact fees of about $1,600 per single family home is projected to raise another $26 million over 10 years.

The county presently brings in an additional approximately $6 million for transportation needs through an existing half cent sales tax that sunsets at the end of 2026.

The impact fee vote was 3-2 in favor with Wright joined by commissioners Kerry Smith and Ray Eddington in support of the move. Commission Chairman Sam Parker and Commissioner James Calkins voted against the measure.

Calkins would later call the board action "absolutely horrible."

"The people of Santa Rosa County, they're going to look at this board like they're a liberal majority," he said.

The impact fee discussion was held in a morning meeting and commissioners reconvened after lunch to talk about the sales tax referendum. After far less discussion than had been given to the morning topic, the commission voted 4-1 to move ahead with placing the sales tax issue on the November ballot.

More: Homebuilder Edwin Henry outed as money man behind false election ads targeting Kerry Smith

Calkins, who made his comments about the impact fee vote during the sales tax referendum discussion, went on to say the county board as presently constituted "has always got their hands out asking for another tax, another fee."

His was the lone vote against the local option sales tax referendum.

Parker, whose list of grievances against the impact fees included that it did not offer exemptions to veterans or first responders and that it did not take into account the costs churches, which do not pay property taxes, would have to assume when undertaking new construction, voted in favor of the sales tax referendum.

"I absolutely voted against a new impact tax today. I absolutely have a 100% rock solid track record that I've never voted to impose a new tax," he said. "But every time it has come up about the local option sales tax I have voted without hesitation to allow the citizens to choose if they wanted to impose the local option sales tax."

Wright said following the first meeting that most everyone he'd spoken to during the break between meetings had spoken favorably about his idea to tie the impact fees and sales tax referendum together. One member of the homebuilding association community said that though she opposed the impact fees being levied, she supported Wright's forcing supporters of the fees "to being part of the comprehensive plan."

"I applauded what Commissioner Wright did by not allowing that to happen. I did not applaud anyone imposing an impact fee," said Jennifer Mancini, a representative of the Homebuilder's Association of West Florida. "I can support the comprehensive approach."

County staff amended sales tax ballot language it had presented to the board prior to the afternoon meeting. Following the morning meeting the language was tweaked in hopes of alerting voters to the full impact of their sales tax referendum vote.

The ballot language as amended reads that if the referendum is passed, "a local government one-half cent transportation sales surtax" will be imposed in Santa Rosa County "to build, construct, and maintain roads and bridges and the associated infrastructure."

The added language will state "if approved a transportation impact fee paid for by new growth shall take effect."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa impact fees tied to half cent sales tax in referendum
"And now I give her my life - The death of Lord Byron and the birth of Modern Greece

On April 19, 2024, mournful Greece will commemorate the bicentennial of the death of her dazzling adopted son, George Gordon, 6th Baron Byron (1788-1824), whose personal involvement in the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) turned European attention to the plight of Greece under Ottoman Turkish rule and resulted in the establishment of an independent Greek state for the first time since the Turkish conquest of 1453. Lord Byron died at the age of 36 of malaria complications in Missolonghi, in the land whose captive beauty he mourned in Canto II of his immensely popular Childe Harolds Pilgrimage (1812-1818), which made the author a European celebrity overnight. Byrons fame extended worldwide in the 19th century, with several cities in the US named after him, including in Iowa and Illinois.

Byrons literary alter ego, Childe Harold, sets forth on a secular pilgrimage Byron himself undertook in 1809 at the time of Napoleonic wars. In Canto I, the hero travels through the southern periphery of Europe, Portugal, and Spain, and laments the fate of Spain fighting for its independence from Napoleon at the height of the Peninsula War. In Canto II, Byron heads to Greece and writes of his first encounter with the land of Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Pheidias. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, Byron was well versed in Greek literature and philosophy, and it pained him to see this famed land languishing under Ottoman Turkish occupation. In Canto III of his massive 16,000-line epic poem Don Juan (1819-1824), Byron laments Greeces lost glory:

The isles of Greece! the isles of Greece!

Where burning Sappho loved and sang,

Where grew the arts of war and peace,

Where Delos rose, and Phbus sprung!

Eternal summer gilds them yet,

But all, except their sun, is set.

Anna's Thinking Cap is a new, monthly column series from University of Iowa adjunct assistant professor Anna Barker, who has taught several English and Russian Literature courses at the university.

After visiting Athens, Byron became a champion of the cause of the Elgin Marbles which remains unresolved today, with Greek and British prime ministers trading harsh words over their fate earlier this year. Removed from Athens by Lord Elgin between 1801 and 1812, the Parthenon Marbles remain in the British Museum, a move Byron savaged in his 1811 poem The Curse of Minerva.

Last summer, I retraced Byrons 1809 Greek and Albanian travels and visited the old Turkish fortress in Janina, which is today in northern Greece. Here Byron met Ali Pasha, the ruler of greater Albania, who invited the young poet to his palace in Tepelene, now in central Albania. I explored the ruins of this Albanian fortress as well and stood on the spot where Byron started composing Childe Harold  the edge of a cliff over a swift mountain steam rushing towards the horizon in the far distance. Sublime does not begin to describe the location that birthed the Byronic character, forever associated with his creator.

The alienated, cynical, brooding, and dejected hero he created and which to this day bears his name, Byronic, inspired countless literary characters from Rochester (Jane Eyre) and Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights) to Julien Sorel (The Red and the Black) and Edmond Dantes (The Count of Monte Cristo). In Alexander Pushkins 1825-1832 novel in verse Eugene Onegin, the main character, who is described as a Moscovite in Harold's cloak, is an avid reader of Childe Harold and tries to emulate the Byronic ideal in every possible way, to the bewilderment of his friends and foes. Needless to say, Pushkin wrote the novel under the watchful gaze of a Byron portrait above his desk - and a statue of Napoleon on the mantelpiece - the two quintessential sources of poetic inspiration of the 19th century!

Emerging out of the initial thrill of the French Revolution of 1789 and the eventual disillusionment with the direction of the revolutionary project and the meteoric rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Byronic hero captured the Zeitgeist of the age and spoke to the alienation of an entire generation of European young men who became weary of unhindered idealism which invariably devolved into fratricidal slaughter. Anguished and cynical, the Byronic hero resurfaced in the 20th century in the characters portrayed by actors such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Heath Ledger, and still haunts the cinematic universes of Star Wars, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Twilight, and, of course, Batman.

Childe Harold catapulted Byron to international fame - and many shorter poetic works (The Giaour, The Bride of Abydos, The Corsair) were created at the peak of his literary stardom. As a hereditary member of the House of Lords, Byron delivered two notable speeches in Parliament, but his scandalous bisexual escapades did raise a few eyebrows in England - and he left for continental Europe once again in 1816 - never to return.

After visiting the battlefield of Waterloo (more in my May column), Byron traveled along the Rhine to Switzerland  where he hosted Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley - at the time when Mary was writing yet another masterpiece of the Romantic age, Frankenstein. Byron spent several years in Italy, whose fate he glorified and lamented in Canto IV of Childe Harold. And in 1823 he embarked from Genoa on his second and final trip to Greece. He offered the Greek independence cause financial assistance and trained troops who were fighting for their homeland in the aftermath of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed in 1821 on March 25  still celebrated today as Greek Independence Day.

In 1824 Byron wrote: I gave [Greece] my time, my health, my property, and now I give my life. What could I do more?

After Byrons death, the fate of ravished Greece was captured in all its agony by Eugene Delacroix in his 1826 painting Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi and in his Faust, Johann von Goethe dedicated to Byron the tragic character of Euphorion, a youth who, like Icarus, flew too close to the sun and crashed to his death. Byrons death stunned Europe; England, France and Russia, enemies from the Napoleonic wars, united their efforts in support of Greek independence - which was finally recognized in July of 1832 at the Treaty of Constantinople. Greece was the first Ottoman Empire subject to receive full independence and international recognition.

Anna Barker received her Ph. D. in Comparative Literature in 2002 with a dissertation in translation studies. At the University of Iowa she has taught courses in the English Department, in Comparative Literature, in Russian Literature, and in the Honors Program.

A poem from Byron

On Jan. 22, 1824, three months before his death, Byron wrote a poem that included the following lines:

Awake (not Greeceshe is awake!)

Awake, my Spirit! Think through whom

Thy life-blood tracks its parent lake

And then strike home!

...

Seek outless often sought than found

A Soldier's Grave, for thee the best;

Then look around, and choose thy Ground,

And take thy rest.

RIP, Greeces Euphorion, the inimitable champion of freedom, Lord Byron

My Eugene Onegin commentary is available at: https://annasthinkingcap.substack.com/.

My Byron commentary is available at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936783214442253/

Anna Barker is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Iowa. She received her Ph. D. in Comparative Literature in 2002 with a dissertation in translation studies. She has taught University of Iowa courses in the English Department, in Comparative Literature, in Russian Literature, and in the Honors Program.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Anna's Thinking Cap: The death of Lord Byron and the birth of Modern
ASHEVILLE  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is undergoing a $19 million parkwide road rehabilitation project, and about to begin its priciest phase yet.

The federally funded project that is nearing completion focuses construction on Lakeview Drive, Newfound Gap Road, Heintooga Ridge Road and Balsam Mountain Campground Road in the Great Smokies.

In the expansive project, crews will install accessible parking areas, repair erosion at abatements, stabilize road structures and curbs, install pavement markings and repair guard rails, potholes and drainage structures.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park maintains and operates more than 300 miles of roads, six tunnels, and 146 bridges that allow visitors to traverse the parks mountainous landscape. Road paving such as that shown here on Newfound Gap Road will be part of deferred maintenance addressed by funds provided by the Great American Outdoors Act. Courtesy NPS.

More: US Forest Service: Roan Mountain areas to close for $2.5 million federally funded repairs

Next up on the list of work is Lakeview Drive, where about $15.7 million in repairs and rehabilitation began last year. The next phase of construction will begin April 8 and is expected to end in early July, according to a news release from the park.

Park visitors should expect the following closures:

Temporary single-lane closures throughout the project.

Closure of Noland Creek Bridge from April 15 to April 18. Parking will be available at Noland Creek trailhead during the closure.

Planned work includes final paving of the 6.5-mile road, rehabilitation of road shoulders and deck repair on the Noland Creek Bridge, according to the release. Crews will also work on paving and sidewalk construction in the Noland Creek trailhead parking area, including Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standard parking.

NPS construction crews working on an expansive road construction project in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The park will also soon start construction near Gatlinburg on a two-mile section of U.S. 441 or Newfound Gap Road, the main road connecting Cherokee in North Carolina to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The project will include single-lane closures starting as early as April 15.

Over 13 million visitors stopped in the Smokies last year, which covers a half-million acres of rugged, mountainous terrain on the Western North Carolina-eastern Tennessee border. It contains more than 800 miles of hiking trails and is brimming with rivers, streams, waterfalls, picnic areas, campgrounds and lots of wildlife, including elk and black bears.

More: Solar eclipse 2024 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Where to get free glasses

More: NC Blue Ridge Parkway specialty plates raise half-million dollars; How can you get a tag?

How's the multi-million-dollar project being funded?

The $19 million repair project is being funded through the Great American Outdoors Act, the release said. The legislation, passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Donald Trump in 2020, established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.

The fund was created to address a backlog of deferred maintenance on federally managed public lands by providing $285 million for 450 projects in 38 states and Puerto Rico. Supported by revenue from oil, gas, coal, alternative or renewable energy development on federal land, GAOA provides the National Park Service with up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in national parks across the country.

We greatly appreciate the support from the Great American Outdoors Act in getting this major project funded, Cassius Cash, the parks superintendent, said in the news release. This has been one of our priority projects for years and will help ensure safe visitor and community access at one of the busiest road sections in the park.

This isn't the first time the park received a large sum of funding from GAOA. NPS previously received $31 million in funding to rehabilitate the 17-mile section of Foothills West. That was completed in the Spring 2023, according to spokesperson Katie Liming.

GAOA funds are also being used by the U.S. Forest Service for the Roan Mountain site reconstruction and have supported major renovation work at Catawba Falls, an uber-popular waterfall in Pisgah National Forest recently announced to be reopening May 31.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Great Smoky Mountains roads to partially close for $19 million repairs
NUTTALL, WV (WVNS)  As folks in the Mountain State recover from severe weather hitting the region on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, one fire department in Nicholas County is opening its doors to help those in need.

Nuttall Fire Department is giving the community a place for food and warmth.

Members are serving coffee, soup and snacks for those affected. Their doors are open around the clock to anyone in need.

Nearly 45,000 people remain without power in West Virginia

Tommy Coleman, the Chief of the Nuttall Fire Department, told 59News they are getting help from many people.

We have multiple fire departments thats been involved in helping us. From the county, from the state. Weve got different counties coming. Summersville Fire Department was here the first day. Multiple fire departments from out of county, said Coleman to 59News.

Coleman himself was affected by the weather and says the main goal is to find people housing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday that evidence shows a potential link between the deadly terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow and the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.

In a statement issued on its Telegram channel, the committee noted that from the attackers' mobile phones, which the terrorists attempted to destroy, data was retrieved related to the preparation of the attack.

"The data may indicate a connection between the terrorist act committed and the special military operation," the statement said.

Investigators revealed that the Crocus City Hall was targeted upon instructions from a coordinator. "On the morning of February 24, 2024, the anniversary of the special military operation's commencement, one of the accomplices sent screenshots of Crocus City Hall's entrances and access routes to their coordinator," the committee said.

"In addition, photographs of people in camouflage uniforms with a Ukrainian flag against the backdrop of destroyed buildings and a Ukrainian postage stamp with an obscene gesture were found on the terrorist's phone," added the statement.

A shooting at Moscow's Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22nd, followed by a massive fire, resulted in at least 144 deaths and 551 injuries, according to official statistics.

Russia had previously suggested that the terrorist attack was linked to Ukraine, a claim that Ukraine had repeatedly denied. 
NY Senate confirms new head for state police after years of tumult

The scandal-plagued New York State Police finally have a new permanent leader, ending a year-long stretch of uncertainty that came in the wake of allegations of harassment, corruption and abuse of power.

Gov. Kathy Hochuls pick Steven James was unanimously confirmed as new superintendent by the state Senate Thursday after having served as acting superintendent since February.

James came out of retirement after state police had burnt through two other acting superintendents.

Steven James was unanimously confirmed as new superintendent by the state Senate Thursday Hans Pennink

James served as an assistant deputy superintendent before he retired in 2020. Hans Pennink

James previously served on all levels of the state police, including as a road patrol and narcotics officer as well as upper level administrative roles.

That gave me a full scale foundation of what to do as a police officer and know-how to handle myself in many situations, James said in his confirmation hearing before state Senators this week.

James takes over as the upper echelons of the state police have been rocked by a slew of scandals in recent years. They include an inspector generals investigation into unauthorized surveillance and excessive overtime by dozens of troopers assigned to a New York City-based drug task force and an FBI probe into shady dealings with the state polices union.

Speaking exclusively to The Post this week, James said he wants to improve morale amongst law enforcement and, as a result, improve public safety.

During his confirmation hearing this week, James said he supports Gov. Kathy Hochuls decision to assign national guard members to New York city subways. Hans Pennink

One day when I am a very old man, Im just an old man now, but very old, I can look back and say, I effected that change. I imparted something for the future to make things better for the public and better for police officers, because one goes hand in hand, James said.

Preceding James as superintendent was Steven Nigrelli, who stepped down when Hochul told him she would not nominate him after a history of harassment allegations against him resurfaced.

The New York State Police does extraordinary work to fight crime and keep people safe, and I am confident Superintendent James will continue and expand on these efforts, Hochul said in a statement Thursday.

James cleaned house after taking over in February, dismissing several high ranking state police administrators, according to reporting by the Times Union.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 8: in The Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground as Lower Manhattan is viewed at dusk, September 8, 2016 in New York City. New York City is preparing to mark the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In the wake of a sudden and surprising earthquake felt across the New York City metropolitan area on Friday, April 5, residents are ripping apart the city's emergency alert system.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m., a 4.8-magnitude earthquake rippled out from the Lebanon, New Jersey area and was felt in parts of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut, too.

But the emergency alert system didn't warn about the event until approximately 40 minutes later, startling people in the vicinity with a loud and persistent alarm to warn them, "4.7 magnitude earthquake has occurred in the NYC area. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured."

Cell phone screenshot via Sammi Burke

Recipients of the message were less than grateful for the 40-minute post-earthquake resource and took to Twitter to point out how unhelpful the alert wasnot to mention how ill-prepared it makes the city seem for a future emergency.

One called the delay "so on brand for humanity," while plenty of others drew attention its complete ineffectiveness.

sending out an emergency alert about an earthquake half an hour after it's over seems helpful  internet baby (@kirkpate) April 5, 2024

thank you, emergency alert. I did not realize an earthquake happened 25 minutes ago I will be on the lookout for the earthquake that has passed!  Freddie Shanel (@freddie_shanel) April 5, 2024

Thank you, NYC emergency alert system, for letting me know about an earthquake that happened 40 minutes ago.  Kristen Meinzer (@kristenmeinzer) April 5, 2024

My favorite part was the emergency alert warning us that wed already experienced an earthquake  Clara Olshansky (@ClaraOlshansky) April 5, 2024

Did everybody get the emergency broadcast alert 25 minutes after the earthquake happened? What am I supposed to do with this information now? pic.twitter.com/UcXfOw8W2A  Raven Brunner (@raventbrunner) April 5, 2024

Some specifically made jokes about the team operating the alert system, sarcastically thanking those responsible for the delay for their service:

I want to personally thank the geniuses running the NYC emergency alert system for sending out an earthquake warning 40m after an earthquake  Charlie Harding (@charlieharding) April 5, 2024

government officials finally figuring out how to send the emergency alert 30 minutes after the earthquake already happened pic.twitter.com/tvYJRnfwWu  not dali (@dollysays_) April 5, 2024

The guy who made the emergency alert 30 minutes after the #earthquake pic.twitter.com/lbxk1pAfoE  Hayden (@AnimationObject) April 5, 2024

Others pointed out how jarring it was to hear the alert's tone ringing out into the silence, with it causing more concern than the earthquake itself had:

The emergency alert that just alerted me to the earthquake was more alarming than the earthquake itself  Jennifer Udden (@suddenlyjen) April 5, 2024

Idk if I was startled more by the earthquake or the 39 min late emergency alert that just came in  Shaun Abreu (@ShaunAbreu) April 5, 2024

that delayed emergency alert was scarier than the earthquake pic.twitter.com/ofg61QjdLC  Saint Hoax (@SaintHoax) April 5, 2024

At the time of writing, there were no known reports of damage or injuries as a result, though the Holland Tunnel connecting NYC and Jersey City, NJ and the runways at JFK and Newark airports were temporarily closed for inspection.

Next: Internet Begs 'Shark Tank' Investors for Money in Latest Viral Internet Trend
NYCs two-time $10M scratch-off winner still spends up to $500 a day on lottery tickets

Wayne Murray of Brooklyn plays the lotto every day - even though he's already won twice.

Lightning never strikes . three times?

Well, maybe.

But dont tell that to Wayne Murray, the Brooklyn man who twice in two years won $10 million prizes in separate scratch-off games  hes still pursuing his next big payout.

Murray was spotted by a Post photographer heading to his lucky store this week and handing over hundred dollar bills for a range of tickets, twice in the same day.

Wayne Murray often drops hundreds of dollars on tickets every day, former convenient store clerk Hassan Nabil told the Post. Probe-Media for NY Post

A clerk at the H&A Gas & Convenience on Avenue H in Flatbush  who sold Murray one of his winning tickets  told The Post that even though Murray is a millionaire, he still spends up to $500 a day playing the lotto.

Hes still buying tickets almost every day, sometimes twice or thrice a day, Hassan Nabil, who recently left his job at the gas station, said. He diversifies  buying different types of tickets to find more possibilities of winning.

Sometimes he breaks even, but he does lose a lot of money  the way he plays, its clear he thinks hes going to win more. Hes determined.

Of course, its hard to blame Murray for thinking he can snag another winner, despite the lotterys endless string of defeated would-be millionaires.

After all, he won $10 million in August 2022 while playing the Black Titanium scratch-off game, according to New York Lottery officials.

And in December, he snagged another $10 million playing the 200X scratch-offs, they added.

Murray of Brooklyn plays the scratch-offs nearly every day  even though hes already won jackpots twice. Probe-Media for NY Post

This weeks awful rains couldnt keep Murray from his beloved scratch-offs. Probe-Media for NY Post

After taxes, this left a combined pot of more than $12 million, lotto officials said.

Murray bought both $30 tickets at H&A  but told The Post in December he was trying to avoid the limelight, despite his big wins.

Some of us just like to be discreet. I just want to be discreet, thats all it is, he said, adding that the mammoth winnings left him feeling humbled and liberated.

The convenience store where Murray bought two winning tickets that brought in more than $12 million in profit. Probe-Media for NY Post

Murray loses much more than he wins, Nabil said. Probe-Media for NY Post

Murray  who declined to comment for this story  still lives in the same three-story brick home in East Flatbush where hes spent most of his life, neighbors told The Post. His only obvious splurge seems to be the $200,000 Range Rover he now drives.

Hes a beautiful person, a humble person, Constance Bryane, his 75-year-old neighbor, said in December. Hes not flashy.

Murray may play for fun and enjoy the routine of getting scratchcards, but an addiction expert warned his habitual behavior exhibits red flags.

Murray won $10 million on a scratch-off in August 2022. NY Lottery

The Brooklyn resident won $10 million for the second time in December. NY Lottery

Nabil said it does seem like an addiction for Murray. Probe-Media for NY Post

He thinks that if I win enough money, someday I could stop. This man won a lot of money, and he didnt stop. If it was about money, he would have stopped, said Thomas Gagliano, a recovering gambling addict and author of The Problem Was Me: How to End Negative Self-Talk and Take Your Life to a New Level.

Nabil said at the time that the new-money millionaire is a gas station regular who keeps playing the scratch-offs just because he enjoys them.

Its a game for him, so he just keeps playing, Nabil said.

Hes very friendly with the locals and very generous with his time, he continued. Money changes a lot of people, but he doesnt show off or anything. He keeps it real, keeps it honest.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  New York City Public School students will not be getting special eclipse glasses to see the total solar eclipse on Monday, according to an email from a Manhattan school obtained by PIX11 News.

The largest school district in the United States will not provide students with solar eclipse glasses, according to the email. Instead, parents were encouraged to obtain free eclipse glasses at New York Public Library locations or Warby Parker locations.

9 new NYC public schools will open in September 2024

On Monday, April 8 the NYC area will experience a partial solar eclipse beginning at 2:00 p.m., the email said, in part. The Department of Education has not provided specialized eye protection for schools for this event. We encourage all families to pick up glasses for their families [over] the next few days and to provide a pair of solar eclipse glasses for their child to be used on Monday.

The Department of Education did not return PIX11s request for comment.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Ocean County Board of Commissioners Director Barbara Jo Crea is shown during their organizational meeting Wednesday, January 3, 2024, in Toms River.

TOMS RIVER - The Ocean County Homelessness Trust Fund has raised more than $91,000 since its inception on Sept. 1, said Barbara Jo Crea, director of the county Board of Commissioners.

On Wednesday, the board established an 11-member task force that will determine how the money is distributed.

Related: 'I don't feel safe': Ocean County ignored slain homeless woman's pleas; paid estate $1.5M

The commissioners also made the following three-year appointments to the board, which included Crea herself:

One-year appointments to the task force were made for township business administrators in the countys three-largest municipalities:

Joanne Bergin, Brick administrator.

Jonathan Solanis, Toms River administrator.

Patrick Donnelly, Lakewood manager.

The task force is responsible for a number of duties associated with implementing the trust fund, including identifying funding priorities to community-focused planning activities; measure progress; work with shareholders, community members; and provide input into the development of initial funding solicitations, Crea said in her public remarks on Wednesday.

More: Ocean County homeless 'dehumanized' living among grime, crime and bugs in motels

The trust fund was created to bolster programs for the underprivileged with greater flexibility than the federally-authorized welfare programs that must be strictly administered by the county Board of Social Services.

Nevertheless, Crea explained that state law prohibits the trust fund from being used to finance capital projects like the construction of a homeless shelter.

Related coverage: Ocean County commissioners reiterate position: Were not building a homeless shelter

The funds cannot be used by the county to build a homelessness shelter, Crea said. However, the funds will help many of those areas, including supportive services, prevention services, (and) better engagement with homeless individuals seeking shelter during Code Blue (emergency shelter provided for the homeless when winter temperatures drop to 32 degrees and below) to determine their needs and provide them with the services that can help them.

The county government anticipates that the trust fund will raise between $275,000 to $390,000 annually for programs to prevent homelessness.

After more than a decade of resistance to the concept, the all-Republican Board of Commissioners joined 12 other New Jersey counties last spring in levying a $5 surcharge on most documents recorded with the county clerks office. The fees provide a continuous revenue stream to the trust fund.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean County NJ establishes Homelessness Trust Fund Task Force
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KUSI)  San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan joined Oceanside business owners on Thursday to discuss county efforts to combat the homeless crisis, including an update on progress on launching a cell phone app to locate shelter beds.

The app, spearheaded by Stephan with the county, aims to provide real-time information to unsheltered people about shelter bed availability or how to connect with service providers.

Watch Ed Lendermans report for KUSI in the video player above.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Official: At least 6 injured in Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia

Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia on the afternoon of April 5, wounding at least six people, according to preliminary data published by Anatolii Kurtiev, the city's acting mayor.

Zaporizhzhia, a city with a population of around 710,000, lies in Ukraines southeast. Zaporizhzhia is subjected to regular Russian attacks due to its proximity to the front line.

Three apartment buildings, a house, a dormitory, and a store were damaged in the April 5 attack, Kurtiev said on Telegram.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov reported on two explosions in the regional capital at around 3 p.m. local time.

The Ukrainian Air Force earlier warned about a threat of Russia using ballistic missiles against Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.

Russian troops launched 401 strikes against 10 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on April 4, according to Fedorov.

One person was injured in Orikhiv, and there were 19 reports of destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure, he said.

Read also: Lives are falling apart: Kyiv residents shook by another mass missile attack

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  The Oklahoma City Police Department is on the scene of a shooting and a search is underway for the suspect.

McIntryre Law Chopper 4 is over the scene of Southeast 59th and Sunnylane at The Highland Park Apartments with crime scene tap up as Oklahoma City PD continues to investigate the scene.

McIntryre Law Chopper 4 pilot Mason Dunn says, one person was shot in the leg and transported to a local hospital. No word on the condition of the individual at this time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
WINDHOEK, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has achieved a significant milestone in its pursuit of food self-sufficiency, reaching a 45 percent self-sufficiency level after 15 years of dedicated efforts, the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations said in a statement Friday.

Through a collaborative endeavor, Namibia has made strides in bolstering its food ecosystem, despite being a desert nation heavily reliant on food imports, particularly for staple grains such as maize, pearl millet and wheat.

"The objective is to expand operations, increase crop production and propel Namibia toward food self-sufficiency while diminishing dependence on imports," said Fidelis Mwazi, chief executive of Namibia's Agronomic Board.

Meanwhile, the WFP has been actively promoting end-to-end food systems in Namibia, offering support in various forms such as climate-smart technology, drought-resistant seeds, infrastructure investment, clean energy solutions, market access facilitation, and agricultural training.

George Fedha, WFP's representative and country director in Namibia, emphasized the organization's role in complementing the Namibian government's priorities in scaling up domestic food production.

"Over the years, the WFP has been complementing the government's priorities in scaling up domestic food production, facilitating partnerships and investments that enable the country to capture greater value from the food system as well as strengthen systems and structures that demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness to deliver on this mandate," he said.

Currently, the WFP provides technical support to the Namibian government to help strengthen the food systems value chain as well as accelerate rural transformation toward the attainment of zero hunger. 
Okmulgee woman sentenced to life in prison for shooting her children in 2018

An Okmulgee woman was sentenced to life in prison for killing two of her children.

An Okmulgee woman has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting two of her children to death.

In Muskogee federal court, Amy Leann Hall, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in Indian country. She was sentenced last week.

Investigators said in the early morning of Nov. 1, 2018, Hall walked into the bedroom of her 18-year-old son and shot him in the head while he slept.

Hall then entered the bedroom of her daughters  ages 16 and 14  and shot both in the head as they slept.

Halls 14-year-old daughter survived. Her 16-year-old daughter never regained consciousness and died from her injuries four days later at a hospital.

An Okmulgee County sheriffs deputy dispatched to the scene spotted Halls vehicle and a pursuit began. After a chase that exceeded 110 mph, authorities caught Hall and arrested her.

The horrific violence visited upon this family was unimaginable, and nothing will ever make things right, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson said in a statement. Nevertheless, justice requires a careful consideration of all facts, including the interests of the surviving victim. Based on these considerations, the United States recommended a life sentence be imposed in this case.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Okmulgee woman who killed her children sentenced to life in prison
Alerts Issued for Our Region

WINTER STORM WARNING for northwestern Pocahontas and western Greenbrier counties continues until midnight Saturday. Travel could be very difficult with heavy snow expected at our highest peaks. The morning an evening commutes in these locations will likely be impacted.

Tonight features more chances for rain and snow showers. In addition to our weather being very chilly for this time of year, there is still quite the breeze! Well see low temperatures drop down to around freezing, but with wind gusts occasionally above 20 mph, wind chill values will dip back into the teens and 20s!

Friday will allow that northwest breeze to persist still yet and that means its another day with more rain and snow showers. That will wane in activity by the end of the day as our culprit  an area of low pressure  exits away from us. Temperatures will once again struggle to reach 40 degrees in what promises to be another gloomy day. Well be just warm enough to switch back to rain after morning snow flurries in the lowlands, but the highest peaks of the WV mountains will remain as snow during the day. Activity will become more scattered during the evening and overnight.

Saturday keeps the risk for a few snowflakes in the mountains early, but well see high pressure nose in as we head into the afternoon, which will allow high temperatures to rebound in a minor way into the mid 40s, with partly sunny skies. Itll be nice to the see the sunshine for a change!

Sunday provides plenty of sunshine and a warmer day overall, with high temperatures near 60 as a southerly breeze kicking in with our high pressure system moving south.

Monday continues the warming trend as a southwest breeze kicks in, with highs returning to the upper 60s. For the eclipse watchers, we will have a warm front scoot north of the region, which could give us a few showers. However, there should be plenty of dry time at this juncture and plenty of breaks in the clouds during the afternoon for those seeking to get a good look here in our region! Meteorologist Bradley Well will be live in New York for the total solar eclipse  well be live-streaming from his location Monday afternoon!

Tuesday brings our next system through, as a low pressure system moves up into the Great Lakes. This, in turn will provide the chance for rain showers but its a warm day with highs near 70.

Wednesday continues the chances for a few showers with an unsettled pattern continue as a front approaches. Despite the occasional showers, we should see high temperatures near 70.

The best solar eclipse glasses that will arrive in time for viewing

Thursday looks to provide our best chance for rain at this point, with highs in the 60s. A cold front will slide through and give us that chance for rain showers and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder.

Looking ahead, we will see a much warmer pattern continue. A few showers on Friday are possible but well see clearing conditions, with highs in the 60s. Saturday will feature mostly sunny skies, with highs in the 60s as high pressure takes control once again.

Help us with our growing community of weather photos with #weathertogether. Head to our website and search for the Weather together tab and upload your photos of weather going on around our region. Sunday also looks very nice with plenty of sun and highs in the 60s.

We are in spring forest fire season in West Virginia  this means dont burn between 7 AM and 5 PM through May 31st. Low humidity values during the daytime, along with breezier and warmer conditions will at times increase the fire threat, hence the burn ban during most of the daytime. Follow all regulations or be faced with potential consequences, such as fines! In Virginia, the spring fire season continues through April 30th  dont burn before 4 PM.

TONIGHT

Rain and snow showers. Lows around freezing.

FRIDAY

A mix of rain and snow showers. Cold! Highs around 40.

SATURDAY

Brief AM mountain snow. Clearing west to east. Highs in the mid 40s.

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny. Warmer! Highs near 60.

MONDAY  ECLIPSE DAY!

Isolated shower or two. Plenty of dry time! Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s.

TUESDAY

Few showers. Highs in the near 70.

WEDNESDAY

Shower chances continue scattered fashion. Highs near 70.

THURSDAY

Rain likely. Highs in the mid 60s.

FRIDAY

Few sprinkles. Highs in the 60s.

SATURDAY

Mostly sunny. Highs in the 60s.

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny. Highs in the 60s.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
Old North Sacramento stabbing near overpass kills man, injures another, police say

One man was killed and another was injured Wednesday in North Sacramento following a fight between residents near a bridge that escalated into a stabbing, police said.

Officers were told of the stabbing just before 4:25 p.m. after an altercation broke out between at least two men on Traction Avenue and Colfax Street in the Old North Sacramento neighborhood, according to archived radio dispatches.

The man who died, who has not been identified, was stabbed in the back near the overpass spanning Colfax Street near Sacramento Northern Bike Trail, according to police.

Another man suffered wounds not considered life-threatening, police said. He was taken to a hospital by firefighters.

No arrests have been made and no suspects have been publicly identified by police.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Callers can request to remain anonymous.
BUFFALO N.Y, (WIVB)  The City of Olean has responded after the discharge of sewage that overflowed from the citys wastewater treatment plant into the Allegheny River.

On April 3, the wastewater treatment plant in Olean reported two overflows of untreated sewage into the river. The combined time of the overflows added up to two hours and 58 minutes. During that span, it was originally reported by the Seneca Nation that approximately 186,000 gallons of untreated sewage entered the river.

The Allegheny River runs through the Seneca Nations Allegany Territory.

Following the overflow, the Seneca Nations Emergency Management department advised those along the river to cease recreational activities for the next few days.

Why red and green are the go-to colors for the eclipse

Dangerous overflows and illegal discharges into the river from the Olean plant have been a persistent problem for years, yet the city fails to address the problem. The Seneca people and our neighbors along Ohi:yo should not be forced to live with these unhealthy conditions and attacks on our valued ecosystem, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong said.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an administrative order of consent for Olean to upgrade its wastewater treatment facilities. The Seneca Nation claims that the plant isnt in compliance with the order and that the order has been extended multiple times to give the city more time. Olean now has until 2042 to be compliant with the order.

The Nation sent an intent to initiate civil action against the city in 2022 regarding the Clean Water Act.

On Friday, the City of Olean released a statement regarding the overflow.

A statement from the city says the actual amount of overflow was 46,500 gallons of untreated sewage, with the remaining 139,500 gallons being stormwater.

Olean says it has invested $22 million into upgrades and the expansion of the facility, and claims it is in full compliance with the permit.

The Allegheny River serves as a source of drinking water for millions of people, from the Southern Tier of New York, down to Pittsburgh, according to the Seneca Nation.

Latest Local News

Colton Pankiewicz is an intern with News 4. Currently, he is a senior studying journalism at Canisius University, where he serves as sports editor for The Griffin.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  One person was severely injured after an overnight shooting in Northeast Memphis.

According to Memphis Police, just before midnight, officers responded to a gas station at 3215 Jackson Avenue regarding a shooting.

An employee told police that a gray SUV had fired multiple shots moments before, making him drop to the ground to avoid being hit by gunfire.

MPD: Child abuse charge after teen found in house with guns, fentanyl

That is when officers left the gas station and began checking local hospitals for any walk-in victims within the nearby area.

Officers say when they arrived at Methodist North, they found two victims who had been at the gas station during the shooting. One of the victims was in critical condition after being shot in the mid-back area.

The second victim had not been shot.

Both victims were reportedly sitting in the car at the gas station when gunfire rang out, striking the back of their vehicle three times.

SCSO: Woman shot to death by boyfriend in Northaven

The victim who was shot began to drive away from the scene before stopping up the road to trade seats with the passenger. That is when the second victim drove the shooting victim to Methodist North Hospital.

The shooting victim was then taken to Regional One Hospital.

This is still an ongoing investigation. If you have any information regarding this incident, call Memphis CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
One hurt in stabbing at light rail station, MEDIC says

One person has been hurt following a stabbing at a light rain station in Uptown Charlotte Friday evening, according to MEDIC.

The incident occurred just after 4 p.m. on East 7th Street near North Brevard Street.

MEDIC said one person was taken to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

ALSO READ: 1 seriously hurt in north Charlotte stabbing, MEDIC says

A spokesperson for CATS said the victim was walking through the station when the stabbing occurred.

Neither the suspect nor the victim were using the light rail system at the time of the incident, according to CATS.

CATS said the suspect was detained by police, and the blue line is operating normally.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

VIDEO: 1 seriously hurt in north Charlotte stabbing, MEDIC says
One Trillion Bugs With Bulging Eyes Set to Invade a Third of the United States, Experts Say

Bugging Out

For the first time in centuries, two separate regional "broods" of cicadas are set to arise and invade parts of the United States, with experts saying that up to a trillion  yes, that's "trillion" with a "t"  of the screeching insects may descend upon the unsuspecting populace.

As the New York Times reports, the end of April will bring the activation of Brood XIX, or the "Great Southern Brood," and Brood XIII, the "Northern Illinois Brood"  an intersection that last struck in 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was still president.

Roughly 16 states in the Southeast and Midwest will soon play host to this rare drama, which according to the NYT differs in scale from the regular cicada cycles folks in those states are used to experiencing every year.

For most people who connote cicada song with lazy, sepia-toned summer days, the thought of a trillion-strong cicada invasion seems about as unlikely as an earthquake rocking New York City. As a third of the country is soon going to find out, however, these creepy crawlies are pretty freaky-looking up close.

Image via Getty.

Emergent Species

With a wingspan ranging between two to three inches and a body the size of two adult thumbs, Brood X, of which both the Northern Illinois and Great Southeastern cicadas hail, is according to the University of Connecticut's incredibly-detailed cicada research site among the largest of these bugs' broods due to its sheer size.

This year's "emergence," as UConn refers to it, will allow those in the affected regions to see all seven of the named cicada species, which are taxonomically segregated by gender and include names such as tredecim, cassini, and septendecula. Despite some geographic overlap between parts of the Southeast and Midwest, the school's cicada experts say there likely won't be any cross-mingling between Broods XIX and XIII, except for a bit of "co-occurrence" in the woods.

For this reason, there likely won't be any instances of "double" densities, which hopefully means that the ground won't be doubly full of cicada carcasses once they start singing during the late spring and early summer.

Despite the lack of double-dipping, however, one expert told the NYT that there are going to be way, way more cicadas than usual  and used a striking metaphor to illustrate the point.

Indeed, as Smithsonian Museum of National History entomologist and collections manager Floyd W. Shockley told the newspaper, one trillion inch-long cicadas could cover 15,782,828 if placed end-to-end.

"That cicada train," Shockley continued, "would reach to the Moon and back 33 times."

More on rare occurrences: Scientists Surprised to Find Mushroom Growing Out of Frog
OneTaste isnt an orgasm sex cult  but a wellness company like SoulCycle, Crossfit, attorney claims despite bombshell grooming allegations

OneTaste isnt an orgasm sex cult  but a wellness company like SoulCycle, Crossfit, attorney claims despite bombshell grooming allegations

Alleged orgasm cult OneTaste is actually just a wellness company like SoulCycle and Crossfit, an attorney for the controversial groups glamorous founder argued in Brooklyn federal court Thursday.

Lawyer Julia Gatto claimed the feds dont have a case against her client Nicole Daedone  accused of grooming members into having sex with investors and clients for more than a decade  because her scientifically backed business was totally legitimate.

People who take the classes do the training. Many of them become practitioners, Gatto told Judge Diane Gujarati about the company, which promoted orgasmic meditation for women.

Many of them become practitioners, and then just like any other successful wellness business like SoulCycle or Crossfit, they meet, and theyre like-minded people. Theyre elevating their practice  they join together.

Nicole Daidone (center) and Rachel Chernitz (right) appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court Thursday for a OneTaste hearing. Gabriella Bass

The attorney also claimed that OneTaste occupies the same space as yoga and meditation by helping people hone their craft.

Prosecutors have argued that Daedone and her former head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, ran the business like a cult by recruiting victims with prior trauma and promising to fix their sexual dysfunction.

The duo allegedly forced members and employees into debt and subjected them to economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse through surveillance, indoctrination and intimidation to get free work out of them, according to the indictment.

In her effort to persuade the judge to toss the case, Daedones attorney on Thursday argued prosecutors misrepresented the business  and that the alleged victims joined of their own accord.

This isnt membership in some secret society, Gatto quipped. This is a community developed around like-minded people who are introduced.

Daidones attorney argued that OneTaste isnt so different from other wellness brands like SoulCycle and Crossfit. Gabriella Bass

She accused the feds of conjuring up victims to bolster was she argued was a weak case, claiming case agents had started re-interviewing people who had previously said they werent victims of the alleged scheme.

There is actually is no meat to the bones of this case, Gatto later said.

Daedone and Cherwitz have been charged with forced labor conspiracy for the alleged scheme, which purportedly ran for 14 years until it ended in 2018.

The pair, who pleaded not guilty last year, were present for the hour-long hearing, but didnt comment.

OneTaste  born in San Francisco with operations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Denver  was also the subject of the 2022 Netflix documentary called Orgasm Inc. which chronicled its rise and fall.

Cherwtizs attorney, Jenny Kramer, argued that the brevity of the indictment  a mere 14 paragraphs  was light considering it took five years before the charges were unselaed in June 2023.

Federal prosecutor Lauren Howard Elbert told the court that Daedone and Cherwitzs alleged manipulative tactics and techniques will be presented as evidence through witness testimony at trial, which is slated to begin in January 2025.

Elbert wrote in court papers the feds had summaries of portions of witness statements given by over 20 witnesses and identified each of the witnesses.

Cherwitz and Daedone are scheduled to return to court on May 3. Gabriella Bass

The judge didnt rule on the defenses motion to dismiss the case but ordered Daedone and Cherwitz to return to court for a status conference on May 3.

If convicted, the pair face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

OneTaste  founded in San Francisco in 2004 with operations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Denver  was the subject of the 2022 Netflix documentary called Orgasm Inc. which chronicled the rise and fall. of the company.
Only 3 states have passed recreational weed ballot measures by more than 60%. Will FL be next?

Marijuana leaves. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

As the campaign to get recreational cannabis legalized in Florida moves into its next phase, opponents and advocates of the proposal are operating under the same premise: The measure is likely to receive at least majority support by the voters in November. But thats not good enough in the Sunshine State, which requires more than 60% to pass a constitutional ballot measure.

Only three states in the country have passed ballot measures on recreational cannabis by that margin  a potential harbinger as Florida advocacy groups prepare to crank up their cannabis campaigns in the upcoming months.

New Jersey voters in in 2020 and Maryland voters in 2022 both supported legalizing cannabis for adults by more than 67%, while Arizona voters passed their measure by 60.03% in 2020. (The District of Columbia approved a weed ballot measure by 70% in 2014.)

While adult recreational cannabis is now legal in 24 states, not all of those measures were passed by voters via the ballot box.

In nine states, legislators voted to approve the recreational use of cannabis among adults. In the 15 remaining states, voters approved the measures. But what stood out was the three states who had approved the measures by more than 60%.

Ohio, Montana and California voters passed the measure by 57%; in Washington state, Michigan and Oregon the figure was 56%; in Colorado it was 55%; in Nevada and Massachusetts it was 54%; Missouri and Alaska were at 53% and Maine voters passed the proposal at 50.2%.

Red states and weed

In the past two years, voters in six red states have voted on recreational weed. Those measures passed in Ohio and Missouri, but were rejected by voters in Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.

In Arkansas, the measure received only 44% support in November 2022.

We were expecting something too quickly when we didnt do the work, says John Kelly Roberts, the executive director with Arkansas NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). He says that advocates failed to show the medical value of the plant when they made their pitch to voters after the state voted for medical marijuana in 2016.

You still have a large group that still looks at cannabis as the gateway drug where theres no medicinal benefits, he said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has already let it be known that hes not a fan of the proposed cannabis amendment. Speaking in Broward County on Thursday, the governor said passage of the measure will make Florida start to smell like marijuana in our cities and counties. It will reduce the quality of life.

David and Goliath

One significant factor in favor of the amendments success is money.

Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee advocating for the cannabis proposal, is expecting to have considerable financial resources.

After spending more than $40 million  nearly all of it from Trulieve, the states biggest marijuana operator  to get the required number of verified signatures to qualify to get on the ballot, the group announced this week that theyve received an influx of $15 million in new funding for the next phase of the campaign.

Major players in Floridas medical marijuana market include Verano Holdings, Curaleaf Holdings, AYR Wellness, Cresco Labs, Green Thumb Industries and INSA.

We thought now was the appropriate time to join and throw our support, said Robert Vanisko, the vice president of public engagement at AYR Wellness, which operators 64 dispensaries in the state.

Verano founder and CEO George Archos said in a statement posted on Veranos X page: Florida has a chance to make history, and were thrilled to join Smart and Safe to drive positive change in the Sunshine State.

Luke Niforatos is the executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), which opposes the legalization measure. He says while it will definitely be a David and Goliath thing in terms of the fundraising arms race between the two camps, he promises that there will be an organized effort to oppose the measure.

There are multiple different coalitions that are coming togethertheyre going to have some heavy hitters that are going to be involved  no way well be able to match the $40 million plus that the industry has already managed to put in, but I think that our coalition can raise enough money and do enough to educate the public to win this ballot measure, he says. I dont know what that final number looks like, but it will definitely be under 60 percent. But I do think that given there are some very influential people in Florida who will be speaking up. So, I think this will be quite a good fight, but we will be outspent.

Niforatos didnt name any of those groups, but he says that they will be coming forward publicly in the next few weeks.

Who else is involved and what about polls?

The Florida Sheriffs Association has not stated yet if they will oppose the amendment.

The group did pass a resolution opposing the medical marijuana ballot measure when that first came before the voters in 2014. Nanette Schimpf, a spokesperson for that organization, said this week that the sheriffs hadnt had the opportunity to meet as a group yet to discuss the November amendment.

Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power said this week that while committees in the state party have passed a resolution opposing the abortion rights constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot, we have not taken action on weed yet.

As far as the outlook in Florida, the most recently conducted polls show contrasting results.

The survey from the Florida Chamber of Commerce (who filed a legal brief opposing the measure with the Florida Supreme Court), shows the measure with 57% support, shy of the required 60%. Another survey from the University of North Florida from last fall shows the measure easily passing with 67% support.

A national Pew Research Center poll published last week of 5,140 adults showed that 57% of Americans think that cannabis should be legal for both medical and recreational purposes, while 33% think it should only be legal for medical use. (But in Florida, the 57% wouldnt work. The state needs more than 60%.) Also, the Pew poll shows a partisan divide: 42% of Republicans favor legalizing cannabis for both purposes, compared with 72% of Democrats.

The post Only 3 states have passed recreational weed ballot measures by more than 60%. Will FL be next? appeared first on Florida Phoenix.
BEIRUT, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Friday urged Lebanese authorities to undertake necessary structural reforms to unlock 3 billion U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund.

"Structural reforms are necessary to avoid Lebanon being trapped in a perpetual cycle of crises. Decisive leadership is needed. The answers to Lebanon's economic crisis can only come from within Lebanon," the EU said in a statement.

The EU said the delay in electing a new president for the country must not hinder the implementation of reforms to restore the trust of international actors and Lebanese citizens in the financial system.

"The adoption of the 2024 budget within constitutional deadlines, the reforming of the bank secrecy law, and the stabilization of the exchange rate have shown that where there is a will, there is a way," it added.

Lebanon has been facing a deep financial crisis, which has caused a collapse of the local currency and plunged over 80 percent of its population into poverty. 
PROVIDENCE - Gov. Dan McKee hopes the lawyer who sued those involved in the 38 Studios deal and Station nightclub fire will do something similar to whoever is to blame for problems on the westbound Washington Bridge.

The state has hired Max Wistow to lead the Washington Bridge outside litigation effort, McKee announced Friday, and he'll be joined by Jonathan Savage, whose firm has numerous public-sector clients.

"The combined expertise on this legal team will put the state in a strong position to build the best possible case or Rhode Island taxpayers and deliver the accountability they deserve," McKee told reporters in a Friday morning news conference.

Wistow's past legal victories in Station fire case, 38 Studios

Wistow's lawsuits won settlements worth $176 million for the victims of the Station nightclub fire, $61 million for the state on 38 Studios and $50 million for retirees affected by the insolvency of the St. Joseph's pension fund. He's now representing the Providence City Council in a lawsuit trying to undo tax breaks granted to developer Arnold "Buff" Chace.

Wistow on Friday said he had been promised "no restrictions" on who he could target if the evidence points toward a promising case.

"It's open season and I've been assured by the governor that we will be totally supported in that regard," he said. "So the chips are going to fall where they may."

Wistow, Sheehan & Loveley PC, and Savage Law Partners LLP will get 16.67% of any settlement proceeds. That's the same percentage Wistow's firm got on 38 Studios.

Savage is chairman of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation Board of Directors. Savage Law Partners' clients include the Rhode Island Department of Housing, General Treasurer James Diossa and the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. The firm represented Pawtucket as city development council in the Tidewater soccer stadium transaction developed and approved by the Commerce Corporation.

Gov. Dan McKee announces the state's legal team for the Washington Bridge litigation efforts.

What is the legal team looking for?

A team of engineering consultants has been studying what mistakes were made to cause its condition to deteriorate to the point it could collapse. But McKee delayed releasing the "forensic analysis" so its findings can be coordinated with the legal team.

But the focus on winning money from a lawsuit has raised questions about whether the "accountability" McKee is talking about will only be focused outside state government at the deep-pocketed private contractors and consultants hired by the state instead of the Department of Transportation officials they were working for.

That's partly what happened in the 38 Studios case, where the public examination of how Rhode Island borrowed $75 million for a long-shot video game startup focused on private consultants instead of the public officials involved in the idea.

"Our agreement with our legal team is to recover and to compensate on cash recovery, that's true, but we've also said that we are not leaving any stone unturned relative to accountability," McKee said. "And I would think that they'll [play a part] in that and we'll play a role in that as well. But let's wait on some of the reports."

McKee chose not to avail himself of the legal services of Attorney General Peter Neronha, who offered to represent the state in a March 15 text after McKee announced the bridge would need to be torn down.

Attorney General Peter Neronha's offer to help Gov. Dan McKee sue those involved in the Washington Bridge debacle.

"We've certainly relayed that text to our legal team in our office and now we've also relayed that text to this team as well," McKee said about Neronha's offer. "And I would expect that they would be reaching out to the attorney general if they feel as though that he can be helpful in the case."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lawyer who led 38 Studios, Station fire suits joins McKee in Washington Bridge case
Editors Note: David Orentlicher is the Judge Jack and Lulu Lehman Professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he specializes in constitutional law and health law. He also serves as a Democrat in the Nevada Assembly. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.

Even though the US Supreme Court will decide later this spring whether presidents possess absolute immunity from criminal charges, New York Judge Juan Merchan properly rejected former President Donald Trumps claim of immunity to delay his impending hush money payments trial.

David Orentlicher - R. Marsh Starks/UNLV Creative Services

According to the judge, Trump waited too long to raise his claim of immunity. Trump filed his claim for immunity on March 7, less than three weeks before the scheduled trial date at the time.

Yet this was not a claim that Trump only recently discovered. When he tried last May to move his trial to federal court, his legal filings referred to his belief that he was entitled to immunity from prosecution. In October, he sought dismissal of his federal election interference charges on the ground that he is immune from prosecution. Trump easily could have claimed immunity in the hush money payments case when he filed his omnibus pre-trial motions with Merchan last September. In the absence of good cause for Trumps waiting until March 7, the judge ruled appropriately.

Even if Trump had filed his motion in September, his immunity claim faced other serious hurdles. First, while former presidents enjoy absolute immunity from civil liability for their official acts, they almost certainly do not enjoy absolute immunity from criminal charges. Indeed, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rejected such a claim in Trumps federal election charges case earlier this year.

According to Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, if a president has been impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate, punishment is limited to removal from office and disqualification from holding office in the future. Nevertheless, a convicted president is still subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to law.

Trump, therefore, cant actually believe hes completely immune from prosecution. That means his claim of immunity reduces to a claim that he can only be prosecuted criminally once he has been impeached and convicted. While he was impeached twice, he was never convicted by the Senate.

But as the DC Circuit observed, Trump misreads the Constitution. The Framers were not restricting criminal prosecution of former presidents to those who had been impeached and convicted. Rather, they were making clear that the Constitutions limits on punishment by the Senate after impeachment applied only to the impeachment process and not to other potential punishments for a villainous president. Criminal misconduct by a president can be punished either through the impeachment process, by prosecution and conviction after leaving office, or both. The Framers also were making a second point clear: Indicting an impeached and convicted president would not violate the double jeopardy principle that a person cannot be prosecuted twice for the same crime.

Finally, even if there is some degree of immunity from criminal prosecution for former presidents, the immunity would extend only to official acts taken while in office. Trump recognizes this point when he asks the US Supreme Court for immunity only for a Presidents official acts. But Trump is being prosecuted for conduct about a private matter that took place before he became president  the alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels so she would not disclose their intimate relationship. Even a very broad definition of an official act would not reach Trumps pre-presidential personal activities.

While the Supreme Court has not yet weighed in on immunity from criminal charges for former presidents, it has addressed related questions in ways that support rejection of immunity for Trump. In United States v. Nixon, involving a subpoena for President Richard Nixons audiotapes and other documentation of meetings related to the Watergate scandal, the court held that even sitting presidents must respond to criminal subpoenas in federal court cases, and in Clinton v. Jones, involving sexual harassment allegations against then-President Bill Clinton, the court held that even sitting presidents lack immunity from federal civil lawsuits for conduct that occurred before they took office.

Most importantly, a third Supreme Court case addressed a state court proceeding against Trump for his pre-presidential conduct. In Trump v. Vance, the court considered the propriety of a criminal subpoena served on Trumps accounting firm. The case started in 2018 when former New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. initiated an investigation into unspecified business transactions that may have violated state law. In 2019, Vance directed the accounting firm to produce financial records relating to the President and business organizations affiliated with him dating back to 2011. Trump tried to block the subpoena, arguing that a sitting President enjoys absolute immunity from state criminal process, and the court rejected the claim of absolute immunity.

In doing so, the court noted an important acknowledgment by Trump: He concedes  consistent with the position of the Department of Justice  that state grand juries are free to investigate a sitting President with an eye toward charging him after the completion of his term.

In trying to delay his impending trial, Trump invoked the recent ballot disqualification decision by the Supreme Court to suggest that it overrides the standard immunity analysis. If states cannot interfere with a presidential election by disqualifying a candidate under the 14th Amendment, perhaps they cannot interfere with a presidential election by prosecuting a candidate under their criminal statutes. Maybe Trump has temporary immunity from prosecution.

This argument lacks merit for two key reasons. First, the courts concern in Trump v. Anderson applied to the role of states in regulating a candidates access to the ballot for national offices, and that concern is not implicated at all by Trumps prosecution. Indeed, it would be deeply problematic if criminal suspects could suspend their prosecutions by announcing their candidacy for Congress or the White House.

Second, in an important way, it is preferable that Trump be held accountable for alleged crimes by state prosecutors than by federal prosecutors. There is an inherent conflict of interest when a sitting presidents Department of Justice wields its law enforcement powers against the presidents principal challenger for re-election. The conflicts of interest concerns would not apply to state prosecutions of Trump (nor would they apply to federal prosecutions after Election Day).

Ironically, Trumps arguments for immunity are weakest for his criminal charges that have the least merit. As Ive written before, political candidates should not be prosecuted for trying to maintain the privacy of their adult, consensual intimate relationships. But if the courts permit criminal charges for such conduct, Trumps claims of immunity should not stand in the way.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A group called Uncommitted Oregon has launched a campaign encouraging Oregonians to write in uncommitted on their primary ballots as a protest vote urging President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The war in Gaza began Oct. 7 after a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and 250 people were held hostage, as reported by the Associated Press.

Uncommitted Oregons protest joins other states calling for uncommitted protest votes, which the organization says is supported by more than 22 other states and has support from over 600,000 voters.

Oregon homebuyers need a six-figure salary to afford a typical home, study finds

In addition to an immediate and permanent ceasefire, Uncommitted Oregon is calling for an end to the genocide, US military aid to Israel, and free access to humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

Uncommitted Oregon is made up of more than 20 organizations and community leaders. In a press release announcing their campaign, Uncommitted Oregon referred to Bidens claim that he is working on a ceasefire deal as hollow and disingenuous.

We are writing in Uncommitted to show President Biden that we will not support his administration while he continues to aid and abet Israels genocide of the Palestinian people, said Maxine Fookson with Healthcare Workers for Palestine PDX. We are using the power of our ballots to send him a strong message: he is losing a broad coalition of Democratic voters in Oregon who will accept nothing less than an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Some Oregon lawmakers have voiced their support for a ceasefire including Sen. Jeff Merkley, Multnomah County, and the City of Eugene, as noted by Uncommitted Oregon.

On Thursday, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone, with the president saying future U.S. support for its war in Gaza depends on Israel protecting aid workers and civilians, as reported by the Associated Press. The call came days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven World Central Kitchen charity workers in Gaza, which Israel said was an error.

The Oregon primary is May 21, 2024, followed by the general election Nov. 5, 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
More than 1,000 suspected right-wing extremists in Germany were known to hold a firearms permit at the end of 2022, according information from the government.

A total of 1,051 suspected right-wing extremists, some 400 far-right Reichsburger (Reich Citizens) and others who reject the legitimacy of the German state were known to hold at least one gun licence, according to an answer by the government to a question from the hard-left Die Linke (The Left) party seen by dpa on Friday.

The Reich Citizens movement is a loose association of people who do not recognize the state and wish to overthrow the government. The domestic intelligence service estimates that around 23,000 people across Germany were part of the scene in 2022.

In 2022, 181 suspected right-wing extremists had their firearms permits revoked or returned them after pressure from the authorities.

The information had already been published by the Bundestag. Final figures for 2023 are not yet available.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser presented an internal draft for the tightening of the gun laws in January last year following New Year's Eve riots and the uncovered coup plans of the Reich Citizens group.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP), junior partner in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition, has so far rejected any changes to gun laws and instead favours better enforcement of the current law.

For the end of 2021, the government had named 1,561 right-wing extremists, some 500 Reich Citizens and other proponents of self-government with weapons licences.

However, it had also pointed out at the time that the figures varied constantly, due to the "continuous updating of corresponding data records in the files of the constitution protection authorities [the domestic intelligence services]."

The government wrote that since the establishment of the Reich Citizens and Selbstverwalter (Self-governors) phenomenon in November 2016 and up to December 31, 2022, some 1,125 gun licences had been withdrawn.

In view of the figures, Die Linke lawmaker Martina Renner told the RND media group that the authorities needed to take "concrete action against armed Nazis and Reichsburger."

It is dangerous that the government is "not taking the necessary measures in the field of weapons law and is in danger of failing," she said.
Procter & Gamble is recalling 8.2 million bags of Tide, Gain and other laundry detergent pod brands due to an exterior packaging defect that could endanger children, the company announced.

The Cincinnati-based consumer products giant said Friday no incidents or injuries have been linked to the products in the recall but the company has received four reports of children accessing laundry pods, with three ingesting liquid, during the period the products were sold. Company officials said the recall was not spurred by consumer complaints.

The defect leading to the recall is that the exterior packaging can split along the zipper and allow a child to handle the pods that are poisonous if swallowed. The recall affects some products sold under the Ace and Ariel brand in both the U.S. and Canada. P&G said it notified the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada immediately and stopped production of these lots.

Procter & Gamble is recalling 8.2 million bags of Tide, Gain and other laundry detergent pods due to defective packaging that may allow children to access the products.

P&G said consumers should immediately get the recalled bags out of sight and reach of children. The company is offering both a full refund and a free replacement child-resistant bag to store the product. Consumers can also get a cabinet lock for laundry materials.

The recalled pods were manufactured between September 2023 and February and sold at Big Lots, CVS, Family Dollar, Home Depot, Sams Club, Target, Walmart, and other major stores as well as online at Amazon.com.

Consumers can check to see if their bag is part of the recall by checking the lot code on the bottom of their bag. Recalled lot codes will be listed at www.pg.com/bags. To participate in the recall, consumers can submit a photo of the recalled product, showing the lot code.

Consumers can contact Procter & Gamble toll-free at 833-347-5764 from Monday through Friday, 9 AM ET to 6 PM ET, Saturday, 9 AM ET to 5:30 PM ET, or online at www.pg.com/bags.

Less than 60,000 recalled bags were sold in Canada. For information on impact in Canada, please visit the Health Canada recalls page at: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en.

The recalled bags held between 12 and 39 pods and include the following:

Gain Flings Original

Gain Flings Moonlight Breeze Scent

Gain Flings Blissful Breeze Scent

Gain Flings Spring Daydream Scent

Gain Flings Plus Ultra Oxi

Gain Flings Plus Odor Defense

Tide Pods Original

Tide Pods Spring Meadow Scent

Tide Pods Light

Tide Simply Pods Plus Oxi Boost

Tide Pods Clean Breeze Scent

Tide Pods Free & Gentle

Tide Pods Oxi

Tide Pods Ultra Oxi

Ace Pods Clean Breeze

Ace Pods Spring Meadow

Ariel Pods Alpine Breeze

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Unsafe package defect: P&G recalls 8.2M bags of Tide and other pods
OAK HARBOR  With a focus on the PACT Act, and other veteran healthcare issues, Sen. Sherrod Brown held a veterans roundtable discussion Tuesday at American Legion Post 114.

The event featured personnel from the Veterans Administration, who also had information booths to assist veterans and their families. Several local veterans health activists also took part in the discussion.

A recent announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs expanded benefits to all veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military, making them eligible to enroll directly in VA care. That announcement has been attributed to Browns bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022. The original PACT Act expanded VA benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.

The legislation is named for SFC Heath Robinson, an Ohio veteran who died in 2020, at age 39, from lung cancer after exposure to burn pits during a one-year deployment in Iraq in 2006.

I saw the problem. We do these roundtables. I dont have all the of these best ideas, they come from people at Oak Harbor, and Cleveland, and Toledo, and Dayton. I keep my ears open, Brown said. Because I was doing these roundtables around the state, about all kinds of veterans issues, I heard about this problem more and more.  So we essentially wrote this bill. Im around talking about it because I want to know how to better implement it and make sure people know about it.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, speaks to veterans during a roundtable discussion on the PACT Act, April 2, 2024, at the American Legion Post 114, Oak Harbor, Ohio.

After listening to Ben Knauss, the American Legion commander here, he said that they have not responded quickly enough to mental health issues, Brown said. I always ask the VA to come to these. Sometimes they are from Cleveland, or Cincinnati, but today they are from Ann Arbor, and we learn about this stuff, and we follow up. Its how government should operate.

Knauss pointed out that Brown is the first senator to visit the post, and appreciated the access to Brown and the expanded legislation. He said it is a minimum of three months to get mental health assistance to veterans after the issue has been identified and noted the connection with the veteran suicide rate.

With mental health, it takes so long to get in. It takes us months for us to see a mental health doctor, Knauss said.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, right, listens to veterans and local officials during a roundtable discussion on the PACT Act, April 2, 2024, at the American Legion Post 114, Oak Harbor, Ohio. Post Commander Ben Knauss sits to Brown's immediate right.

Brad York, chief deputy with the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office, talked about the prevalence of mental health issues found in veterans who are arrested. The sheriff's office has been working closely with the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, but also attempts to get \veterans assistance from the VA.

Eric Parker, Oak Harbor police chief, and a Marine Corps veteran, joined the discussion. He complimented Jeni Biehler, the Ottawa County Veterans Service Officer that was on the roundtable panel.

I want to talk about working with Jeni and her crew. It has been amazing. My father was 100% disabled from Vietnam. He suffered from Agent Orange, Parker said. He passed away, at 70 years old, crippling from PTSD.  Thats how I first got involved with the VA, taking my father to his appointments at the Toledo clinic. The VA gets a lot of backlash, the long waits and the services are hard to get into, but I didnt see it because he was already signed up, through Ann Arbor. The services were great. The doctors were great. Its really been streamlined.

Parker has also used the services in Ann Arbor, and praised their work.

A local activist, Nick Lance, talked about generational healthcare issues. His brother has had thyroid problems, which some studies have linked to exposure to Agent Orange. Their father was a Vietnam veteran.

Lance said that there are no benefits, or testing coverage, coming to his brother.

Brown noted the problem and immediately confirmed the coverage issue with VA staff at the event. He said that currently, only individuals with spina bifida receive that sort of coverage.

Brown stayed and talked, introducing staff members from his local office to veterans and their families, some of whom connected for future assistance.

Information distributed at the event about the PACT Act and its expansions noted the following information.

The Veterans Administration announcement applies to veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror or any other combat zone after 9/11. They will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. Veterans who never deployed, but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the U.S. will also be eligible to enroll. VAs decision to expand healthcare eligibility will allow millions of veterans to become eligible for VA healthcare up to eight years earlier than originally intended. Since the PACT Act was signed into law in August 2022, more than 112,000 veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare under a PACT Act enrollment authority. VA has also received more than 1.4 million PACT Act-related claims and more than 694,000 veterans and survivors are receiving PACT Act-related benefits.

To find out how to claim benefits, visit www.va.gov/pact and www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits.

rlapointe@gannett.com

419-332-2674

This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Veteran healthcare topic of Sen. Sherrod Brown's Ohio roundtable
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A week after a fight between teens led to a dispute between parents at the Vancouver Mall, one man faces a felony harassment charge for allegedly pointing a gun.

Officers responded to 8700 NE Vancouver Mall Drive on a report that several teens had gotten into a fight in the food court. Authorities said one of the teens parents intervened and another parent, Georgio Stevens, pulled out a gun to point at them.

PPS, others accused of failing to protect 9-year-old from sexual assault, sued for $9M

Georgio Stevens then left the food court with his kids, though police said they found reason to believe he was still inside the mall, possibly in the bowling alley.

Vancouver police took Stevens into custody Friday morning after searching his house. It is not clear what officials found. An investigation is ongoing.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Part of a crane fell on a bridge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Thursday afternoon, killing one person and injuring three others, authorities said.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan said at a news conference Thursday authorities received numerous 911 calls around 4:30 p.m. about a crane that had collapsed on SE 3rd Avenue. Gollan said at the time of the collapse, it was an open intersection with vehicles passing on both north and southbound lanes.

Gollan said crews evacuated the area upon arrival and then went floor by floor to make sure the construction workers who were working on the building were safe and accounted for. Gollan said one worker fell off the side of the building with the crane part and died as a result of the injuries.

Two people who were in their vehicles on the bridge at the time of the incident were transported to Broward General Hospital, one in stable condition and the other with minor injuries, according to Gollan. A third person suffered minor injuries and refused to be treated, Gollan said.

A partial crane collapse killed one person in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Gollan said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department are investigating the incident. He also said the Florida Department of Transportation and the U.S. Coast Guard will assess the bridge, as the incident left a hole in the bridge upon impact.

"It's my understanding from the construction company that they were doing a process at the time called stepping the crane. It was not the crane per se that actually failed. It was a platform that they had equipment staged on that had failed at the time of the incident and those items fell from the building down onto the bridge below," Gollan said.

The New River was temporarily closed to all marine traffic and the bridge was closed to road traffic, but according to WSVN, a TV station based in Miami, the bridge has been reopened.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crane partially collapses on Fort Lauderdale bridge: 1 dead, 3 injured
The parts of the UK where you can see the solar eclipse today

Millions of people will witness a total solar eclipse today (Monday April 8, 2024) with the path of totality spanning a large swathe of Central and North America for the first time in more than 100 years.

But the eclipse, albeit a partial one, will also be visible in parts of the UK and Ireland.

Here is everything you need to know about the rare astronomical phenomenon which has been dubbed the Great American Eclipse, including where to see it, how to view it in the UK, and what time it begins.

What is a solar eclipse?

During a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, blocking the suns rays from reaching the Earth. During a partial solar eclipse the moon only obscures part of the sun, whereas during a total solar eclipse the sun is entirely blocked by the moon  cloaking the world in darkness and creating a ring of light (a corona) in the sky. Weather permitting, a significant band of Central and North America will witness a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Solar eclipses are not as rare as you might think. Typically between two and four occur per year, but total solar eclipses are more rare.

During a total solar eclipse, the sun is entirely blocked by the moon - AP

When is the 2024 eclipse, and how long will it last?

The solar eclipse will take place today (Monday, April 8 2024) and will last two hours in total, although the spectacle will only last between one minute and four-and-a-half minutes in any given place in the path of totality, depending on where you are. It will first be visible in Mazatlan, on Mexicos Pacific coast, at 11.07am local time (7.07pm UK time), while totality will hit US territory in San Antonio, Texas, at 1.33pm local time (7.33pm UK time). The event will conclude in Newfoundland at 5.12pm local time (8.42pm UK time). The place in the United States that will experience the longest eclipse will be at Radar Base, Texas, close to the Mexican border  here totality will last four minutes and 27 seconds.

Where are the best places to see the total solar eclipse?

The April 8 total solar eclipse will begin over the Pacific Ocean before passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada  the path of totality will have a width of 115 miles, meaning many millions of people could witness the spectacle. The US states that will experience the total solar eclipse include Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, while small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the eclipse. The total solar eclipse will also be visible in Canada in Southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton.

The main North American cities that fall in the path of totality include Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo, plus Hamilton and Montreal in Canada. Places close to the path of totality will still be able to witness a partial eclipse, with a portion of the sun covered by the moons shadow.

This is incredible.



From @Jamie_Lane where AirBnBs are fully booked next week. pic.twitter.com/ITKZJaGfY8  Mike Simonsen  (@mikesimonsen) April 4, 2024

Will the solar eclipse be visible from the UK?

The total solar eclipse will not be visible in the UK, although parts of western UK and Ireland could potentially see a partial eclipse just before sunset on Monday. Parts of the UK with potential views include Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. This partial eclipse will last between 7.52pm and 8.51pm.

In Belmullet, Ireland, 44 per cent of the sun will be obscured, while Dublin will enjoy a 15 per cent partial eclipse. On UK soil, Belfast will see a 17.3 per cent eclipse, Glasgow will experience 11.2 per cent, while Liverpool will only experience 0.64 per cent of the partial solar eclipse. To view it, you will need to have a clear view to the west, and wear the appropriate UV glasses to avoid damaging your eyes.

When was the last total eclipse in the UK?

The last total eclipse of the sun in the UK was in 1999; however, many parts of Western Europe were affected by poor visibility due to cloud cover. People who gathered to see the eclipse from Lizard and Perranporth in Cornwall experienced the totality, as the clouds momentarily broke.

When is the next total solar eclipse in the UK?

The next total solar eclipse in the UK will be on September 23, 2090. Totality will be visible in Newquay, Plymouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, as well as parts of northern France (including Paris) and south Belgium. The next total solar eclipse in the US will be in 2033, but only over Alaska, followed by another in 2044.

The next total solar eclipse in the UK will be on September 23, 2090 - Getty/iStock

Can I watch the solar eclipse online?

The event will be live streamed by Nasa, featuring conversations with experts and close-up views of the cosmic phenomenon. The stream will begin at 6pm UK time and will end three hours later. You can view this on Nasas website. There will also be live coverage of the event on the BBC website.

What is the weather forecast for the solar eclipse?

Given that the event will span many hundreds of miles, from Mexico to Canada, the weather forecast will differ greatly across the path of totality. The Washington Post has a good tool showing the cloud cover forecast across the path of totality. Based on historic weather patterns, the southern states of the US plus Mexico are likely to experience less cloud cover. In the UK, the weather forecast is cloudy and rainy across the westerly areas where the partial eclipse could be visible.

What actually happens during an eclipse?

During a total solar eclipse, if the weather is clear, everything will become dark for a few minutes. The temperature will drop, street lights may turn on, and birds often behave unusually. Sun rays will appear as crescents  if you hold a colander out, little crescent shadows will appear on the ground. Some stars will become visible, plus planets including Venus (the brightest), as well as Jupiter, Mars and Saturn.

How can I view the eclipse safely?

It is dangerous to look directly at the sun with the naked eye  doing so can result in permanent eye damage. It is recommended that anyone viewing the eclipse does so using special solar eclipse glasses with a UV-ray filter. The American Astronomical Society has published a list of authorised vendors.

This story was first published in April 2024 and has been revised and updated.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
A man inspects the damage at a house after an Israeli raid at the Nour Shams refugee camp in the city of Tulkarm, northern West Bank, on April 5, 2024. A young Palestinian was killed on Friday by Israeli forces at the Nour Shams refugee camp, according to Palestinian medical and security sources. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

GAZA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Friday that the death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 33,091.

In a press statement, the ministry said that the Israeli army killed 54 Palestinians and wounded 82 others during the past 24 hours.

This brings the total death toll to 33,091 and injuries to 75,750 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, a young Palestinian was killed Friday by Israeli forces in the Nour Shams refugee camp in the city of Tulkarm in northern West Bank, according Palestinian medical and security sources.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. 

A man inspects the damage at a house after an Israeli raid at the Nour Shams refugee camp in the city of Tulkarm, northern West Bank, on April 5, 2024. A young Palestinian was killed on Friday by Israeli forces at the Nour Shams refugee camp, according to Palestinian medical and security sources. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)
The Alabama House of Representatives debates a bill to extend criminal and civil immunity to in vitro fertilization providers on Feb. 29, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House approved the measure on a 94-6 vote. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

Here is a list of bills that passed the Alabama Legislature this week.

Tuesday, April 2

House of Representatives

HB 89, sponsored by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Hills, would move appointments of the Shelby County Library Board from a popular vote to appointments by the Shelby County legislative delegation. The bill passed 20-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 271, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Fidler, R-Silverhill, increases the per diem paid to Baldwin County Board of Equalization to $200 and provides for annual increases starting in 2025. The bill passed 20-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 272, sponsored by Rep. Ben Robbins, R-Sylacauga, provides an additional expense allowance and sets the salary of the Talladega County coroner. The bill passed 12-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 281, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, provides an additional expense allowance for the St. Clair County coroner and deputy coroner. The bill passed 12-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 319, sponsored by Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, allows the sheriff of Tallapoosa County to charge and collect fees for administrative services, such as fees for fingerprinting, criminal history investigations and reports. The bill passed 12-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 322, sponsored by Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, authorizes the Calhoun County Commission to levy a fee for vehicle license and registration, transfer, or renewal of any vehicle in the county. The bill passed 11-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 323, sponsored by Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, removes outdated language saying that the license commissioner in Calhoun County shall continue to serve until Jan. 1981. The bill passed 13-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 342, sponsored by Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, increases compensation for Baldwin Countys sheriff to $150,000. The bill passed 18-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 132, sponsored by Rep. Donna Givens, R-Loxley, requires the probate judge of Baldwin County to be a licensed attorney in Alabama. The bill, a constitutional amendment, passed 63-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 262, sponsored by Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville, makes Marshall County a wet county and authorizes the regulation of the sale of alcoholic beverages in the unincorporated areas of the county. The bill, a constitutional amendment, passed 64-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 268, sponsored by Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, defines the White House Fork Landmark District within Baldwin County and prohibits the annexation of property within the district into any municipality by local law except under certain conditions. The bill, a constitutional amendment, passed 65-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 343, sponsored by Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, defines the Bon Secour Landmark District within Baldwin County and prohibits the annexation of property within the district into any municipality by local law except under certain conditions. The bill, a constitutional amendment, passed 65-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 280, sponsored by Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, requires research-based instruction on fentanyl prevention and drug poisoning awareness to be provided to students in grades six through 12. The bill passed 100-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 227, sponsored by Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, repeals the current ethics laws for public officials and employees, sets new punishments for ethics violations and weakens the powers of the state Ethics Commission. The bill passed on a 79-9 vote. It goes to the Senate.

HB 103, sponsored by Rep. Kenneth Paschal, R-Pelham, revises definitions and rename professional employee positions and allows the Board of Veterans Affairs commissioner to appoint an executive director for oversight and coordination of all state veterans homes. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 284, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Starnes, R-Prattville, requires qualifying schools under the Alabama G.I. and Dependents Educational Benefit Act receiving tuition reimbursement benefits to treat unpaid educational fees to the same extent as the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 22, sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, defines the role of assistant principal to include student discipline and requires each public K-12 school to have an assistant principal, if funding is available. The bill passed 66-18. It goes to the Senate.

HB 314, sponsored by Rep. Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa, expands eligibility for the volunteer firefighter distinctive license plate to fire chaplains. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 86, sponsored by Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, allows a voter who has not updated their voter registration address to vote in the precinct they currently reside. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 270, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, provides for the distribution of excess funds from sales of tax delinquent properties and clarifies procedures in foreclosure and the rights of parties involved in the process. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 294, sponsored by Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, provides that the uniform increases in compensation, such as cost-of-living adjustment, granted to local officials would be included in their base compensation. The bill passed 100-1. It goes to the Senate.

HB 166, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, authorizes the Legislature to set and alter the compensation of county officers and sheriffs by general or local law, and to prohibit the Legislature from altering the compensation of a county officer or sheriff during the term of office. The bill, a constitutional amendment, passed 98-1. It goes to the Senate.

HB 274, sponsored by Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, requires the state to pay $3.25 per day for each prisoner in the county jail to feed inmates. The bill would also authorize a sheriff or county commission to use funds from any available source to feed prisoners. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 198, sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, allows the creation of Alabama Residential Building Code by the Alabama Energy and Residential Codes Board, which would be renamed the Alabama Commercial Energy Code Board. The bill passed 95-4. It goes to the Senate.

HB 315, sponsored by Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, increases fines for failing to move over a lane in certain cases, such as a parked law enforcement vehicle or emergency vehicle. The bill passed 97-1. It goes to the Senate.

HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, removes a requirement that 14- and 15-year-old minors have a form issued to be employed after school. The bill passed 97-2. It goes to the Senate.

SB 50, sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, prohibits a governmental entity from restricting the acquisition or use of appliances solely based on the type of energy or energy generation used to operate the appliance. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

HB 206, sponsored by Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Dothan, allows any disabled veteran whose physical disability is at least 50% to obtain a special disabled veteran license plate. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 234, sponsored by Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, revises the membership of the Board of Nursing to include a certified registered nurse anesthetist who is approved to engage in advanced practice nursing. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

SB 46, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, provides that a surplus line transaction conducted in accordance with federal law may be exempt from the diligent effort requirement. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate.

Senate

SB 98, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, outlines school safety criteria among other items. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 206, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, requires that dependent children of members of the military be allowed to participate in sporting competitions. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 209, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, expands the income tax exemption for military stationed in combat zones to National Guard and reserves who are stationed abroad or activated to support responses to emergencies. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 210, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, creates concurrent jurisdiction for criminal offenses committed by juveniles on military installations. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 211, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Geneva, R-Geneva, allows for the remote enrollment of special needs military dependents, as well transfer of records and providing comparable services. The bill passed 31-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

Thursday, April 4

A man and a woman sitting next to each other

Sens. April Weaver, R-Alabaster and Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, listen to debate in the Alabama Senate on March 19, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

House

HB 167, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, requires manufacturers of certain Internet-enabled devices, including smartphones and tablets, to install an adult-content filter if the user is a minor. The bill passed 99-1. It goes to the Senate.

HB 211, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, requires law enforcement make a reasonable effort to notify the parent, legal guardian or legal custodian when citing a traffic infraction to a minor. The bill passed 96-3. It goes to the Senate.

HB 34, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, provides that a Supreme Court justice, appellate court judge, circuit judge, or district judges salary shall be based on the number of years they have served as a judge or justice of a state court. The bill passed 100-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 182, sponsored by Rep. Craig Lipscomb, R-Rainbow City, criminalizes a person who knowingly enters or remains in a home and intentionally causes $1,000 or more in damage with burglary and criminalize knowingly presenting a false document claiming to be a lease agreement or deed with perjury. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

SB 95, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, adds electronic battery-powered devices used to deliver e-liquid, e-liquid substitute, tobacco, CBD oil, THC oil, herbal extract, or nicotine salt, or any other substance to the list of prohibited devices for individuals under the age of 21. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

HB 220, sponsored by Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, establishes the Alabama Tourism Tax Protection Act of 2024 and provide for the collection of tax imposed. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 307, sponsored by Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, allows two or more local 911 districts to enter contracts to jointly provide services. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 188, sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, creates a process for suspension and expulsion of public school students and requires a disciplinary hearing following long-term suspension or expulsion. The bill passed 96-5. It goes to the Senate.

HB 215, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Fidler, R-Silverhill, allows the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to use sand and sediment material for dredging in constructing a residential living shoreline. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

SB 106, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, allows the governor to set the salary of the Secretary of Commerce in the same manner as other department heads are set, and that the salary of the deputy secretaries would be set by the Secretary of Commerce and approved by the governor. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

HB 209, sponsored by Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, regulates and prohibit wakeboarding and wakesurfing under certain conditions on certain fresh waters of the state. It would provide that the law applies to the waters of the state impounded by Martin Dam (Lake Martin) and by Weiss Dam (Weiss Lake). The bill passed 86-5. It goes to the Senate.

HB 212, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellvile, revises circumstances when an individuals pension, annuity, or retirement allowance under the Teachers Retirement System and the Employees Retirement System are subject to recovery actions. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 8, sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, requires insurers to provide certain property insurance policy holders with written notice prior to cancellation, nonrenewal, or coverage restriction of the policy. The bill passed 103-0. It goes to the Senate.

HB 229, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, designates Little Bluestem as the official State Native Grass of Alabama. The bill passed 63-22. It goes to the Senate.

HB 83, sponsored by Rep. Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, increases the compensation that members of local boards of education are eligible to receive to $900 per month, up from $600. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate.

Senate

SB 217, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, allows experience as a paraprofessional or teacher aide to be factored to a degree into the teacher experience salary matrix. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 35, sponsored by Sen. Rdoger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, requires history and social studies to be inclusive and fact-based. The bill passed 27-1, with one abstention. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 104, sponsored by Sen. Josh Carnley, R-Enterprise, requires plaintiffs to provide more information when making an asbestos claim. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 177, sponsored by Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, authorizes an increase in directors fees for gas districts. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 157, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, outlines a process for student exclusion from classrooms. The bill passed 34-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 112, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, includes changes for businesses and nonprofit corporations to align with the Delaware law and the Model Business Corporation Act. The bill passed 34-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 171, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, outlines notifications for students parents or guardians enrolled in priority schools. The bill passed 34-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 155, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, shifts the responsibility of some reports from the Department of Transportation. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 200, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, includes a certified registered nurse anesthetist on the Board of Nursing. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 150, sponsored by Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, establishes the Alabama Tourism Tax Protection Act of 2024. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 9, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, addresses Class I municipalities and nuisance abatement liens. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 99, sponsored by Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, requires audits of organizations over high school sports. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 204, sponsored by Sen. David Sessions, R-Grand Bay, removes the requirement of corporations to provide annual reports to the Secretary of State. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, extends the quarterly assessment of additional Medicaid enhancement payments for maintenance and the expansion of emergency medical transport services. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 202, sponsored by Sen. Josh Carnley, R-Enterprise, provides rules for disposing of or burying dead animals. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 154, sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, allows some county commissions to increase the salaries of sheriffs. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 123, sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston, continues the State Board of Auctioneers to Oct. 1, 2028. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 125, sponsored by Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, continues the State Board of Public Accountancy to Oct. 1, 2028. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 126, sponsored by Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, continues the Alabama Liquified Petroleum Gas Board to Oct. 1, 2028. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 132, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, continues the Board of Social Work Examiners to Oct. 1, 2028. It passed 34-0. The bill goes to the House of Representatives.

SB 147, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, continues the Public Service Commission to Oct. 1, 2028. It passed 34-0. The bill goes to the House of Representatives.

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The post What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 2-4, 2024 appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  Pennsylvania State Police are seeking information on a cold case death investigation.

State Police say there are no current arrests and theyre continuing to investigate the death of Dakota Rowles on Lincoln Way East back on December 2, 2022.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police in Chambersburg at 717-264-5161.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Pentagon does not help Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries

In response to a question about the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attacks on Russian refineries, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder stated that the United States is solely focused on transferring assistance to protect Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda

Quote: "We don't provide any assistance for use outside of that [defence of Ukraine  ed.]. I'd refer you to Ukraine to talk about their operations."

Details: NATO believes that Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's oil refining infrastructure significantly affected Russia's fuel market and incurred additional financial costs.

Background:

Earlier, Reuters reported that Russian oil companies were having difficulty repairing refineries due to Western sanctions, and Ukrainian drone attacks may exacerbate these issues.

The US Department of State has refused to comment on whether the US had urged Ukraine not to attack Russian refineries but noted that Washington does not support strikes on facilities in Russia.

Earlier, the Financial Times found out that the United States has purportedly urged Ukraine not to hit Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure facilities, as it is concerned that this could lead to higher energy prices and further escalation.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have stepped up information operations to push Ukraine to negotiate and make the West fear the Kremlin and take a position of self-deterrence.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: Military analysts have noted Shoigu's attempts to threaten France in order to deter support for Ukraine. Shoigu feigns interest in peace talks. This is part of a broader Russian information operation aimed at persuading Western countries to push Ukraine into unequal negotiations on Russia's terms.

The Kremlin has used this general information operation about escalation with NATO to target France specifically, following French President Emmanuel Macron's calls for the West to increase the level and type of security assistance it sends to Ukraine.

Peskov said that NATO and Russia are in "direct confrontation". Thus, the Russians are intensifying their current information operations to force the West into self-deterrence.

On 4 April, Peskov said that relations between Russia and NATO have "slipped to the level of direct confrontation" and that NATO is "already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine."

Peskov accused NATO of moving closer to Russia's borders, likely referring to the recent accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance, and said that NATO was expanding its military infrastructure closer to Russia.

Military analysts have noted that Russian officials have long sought to portray NATO and the West as an existential threat to Russia in order to justify the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. For example, on 18 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a full-scale war between NATO and Russia was undesirable but possible.

Peskov's repeated statements that NATO and Russia are already in a "direct confrontation" are a reinforcement of this narrative but are likely still part of Russia's reflexive control campaign, which uses threatening language to delay and influence important decisions about Western support for Ukraine. This Kremlin narrative is also likely an attempt to portray NATO's defensive activities in response to Russia's outright aggression as provocative.

Lavrov also promoted information operations, simulating interest in negotiations. Lavrov used a meeting of dozens of foreign ambassadors from non-Western countries to condemn Ukraine's "peace formula" while claiming that Russia was ready to negotiate on terms favourable to the Kremlin.

The ISW notes that Russia is continuing to prepare for a potential war with NATO forces. The Russians are carrying out military reforms, recreating the Leningrad Military District and the Moscow Military District in the country's west. Russian officials have accused NATO of giving Russia a pretext to re-establish the district directly on the border with Finland.

To quote the ISW's Key Takeaways on 4 April:

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that NATO and Russia are in "direct confrontation," likely as part of ongoing Kremlin efforts to intensify existing information operations meant to force the West into self-deterrence.

Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov appealed to Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) members to increase cooperation against perceived Western threats as part of the effort to posture against the West.

The Kremlin leveraged this overall information operation about escalation with NATO to target France specifically, following French President Emmanuel Macrons recent calls for the West to expand the level and types of security assistance it sends to Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also promoted information operations feigning interest in negotiations, and Lavrovs and Shoigus likely coordinated informational efforts may signal a new round of intensified Russian rhetoric about negotiations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues attempts to balance the Kremlins opposing efforts to set social expectations for a protracted Russian war effort and to assuage Russian societys concerns about the economic consequences of the war and labour migration.

Russian forces conducted a roughly reinforced company-sized mechanised assault towards Chasiv Yar (west of Bakhmut) on 4 April and advanced up to the eastern outskirts of the settlement.

Russian forces also recently made confirmed advances near Bakhmut and Donetsk City.

An unspecified senior NATO official reportedly told Russian opposition news outlet Vazhnye Istorii that NATO intelligence agencies have not observed indications that Russia is preparing for a large-scale partial mobilisation wave.

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Quintin Shepherd, who has led the Victoria school district for six years, was named on Thursday evening as the lone finalist to be Pflugerville's next superintendent.

Starting in June, Shepherd will go from running a 13,000-student district to one with 25,000 students. It's common in Texas that school boards name one finalist for a superintendent position, and state law requires districts to wait 21 days between naming its finalist and offering a job contract.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of Pflugerville ISD and to champion the cause of students, teachers, parents, and community members as we embark on our journey of continuous improvement, Shepherd said in a news release. Joining a community that places children and families at the heart of its mission is both an honor and a calling.

The Pflugerville school board named Victoria Superintendent Quintin Shepherd as its lone finalist to be the district's new leader.

Shepherd, 46, was not present at the board meeting as he was attending a meeting with the Victoria school district.

Pflugerville officials said Shepherd has a plan for a 100-day listening and learning tour, which he has called "Discovering Pflugerville." The tour will include meeting with community members, parents, administration, campus leadership, teachers, staff and students. Officials said the tour is Shepherd's way to forge deep connections with the community.

The district had been looking for a new leader since November, when Doug Killian announced he was leaving for the 118,000-student Cypress-Fairbanks district outside Houston. Killian, who started in Cypress-Fairbanks in January, had led the Pflugerville school district since 2017.

In December, the school board appointed former Round Rock Superintendent Steve Flores to lead the Pflugerville district while it searched for a permanent leader.

Shepherd received his doctorate of philosophy in educational administration and foundations from Illinois State University. He serves on the National Superintendents Association governing board, representing Texas as one of three superintendents. Shepherd also contributes articles on educational leadership and authored two books that explore the transformational power of compassionate and innovative leadership in schools.

Pflugerville officials on Friday said they did not yet have a start date for Shepherd or a contract set because of the 21-day waiting period. According to the Texas Education Agency, Killian made $313,566 during the 2022-23 school year. Shepherd made $281,667 at Victoria during the 2022-23 school year.

More: Interviews underway for Pflugerville school district superintendent candidates

President Renae Mitchell said the board spent about four days interviewing candidates to ensure they chose someone who would be the best pick to serve students and staff and who would embrace the community. Shepherd was the lone finalist out of six candidates.

Dr. Shepherd's commitment to engaging with students, parents, teachers and the community resonates deeply with us, and we are enthusiastic about his pledge to prioritize these relationships as he assumes the role of our district leader, Mitchell said in the release. During his lifetime, he has gained a unique perspective on prioritizing the needs of others, which is paramount for the next PfISD superintendent, as our students' well-being must always come first.

Renae Mitchell

In February, consultants from the legal firm Thompson & Horton told the school board that district community members, during public meetings, expressed a desire to have a leader who valued the diversity of cultures, languages and socio-economic backgrounds in the district. According to the district's website, the student population represents more than 100 cultures and languages.

The consultants said that people also were looking for a superintendent who could handle and plan for the rapid growth expected in the area, address possible school closures, support teachers, assist the district with area affordability issues, and has experience with school finance.

Since 2014, Pflugervilles enrollment has grown by 7.2%, from 23,497 students to 25,178, according to state data. The district has 34 campuses.

Trustee Vernagene Mott said Shepherd has the experience that community members said they wanted in a new superintendent. Shepherd first became a superintendent at the age of 27, she said. District officials said he has spent three decades in public education as a high school and elementary principal, and a music teacher, in Iowa and Illinois.

Trustee Chevonne Lorigo-Johst said she is excited about how Shepherd will help the district grow stronger and better. Trustee David Aguirre said that in talking to Shepherd's staff, they described him as brilliant, innovative and forward-thinking.

"I think truly that he is the right person at the right time for Pflugerville," Aguirre said. "I think he can take our district from good to great."

David Aguirre

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: PfISD names Victoria's Shepherd as its lone finalist to lead district
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY)  Take a look at some of the top stories on WAVY.com from the week of April 1. Click here for more local news.

WAVY Local News

Man dead in Portsmouth shopping center shooting

A man has died after being shot on Airline Boulevard Wednesday afternoon, Portsmouth Police said.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship arrives at Nauticus

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Something wasnt right: Man accused of killing KHS teacher appears in court

Jackson appeared in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. Jackson has been charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, maliciously shooting in an occupied building and a gun charge.

Portsmouth woman shot to death lived to care for neighborhood children

According to family, Yolanda Jackson loved to take care of the children in the neighborhood. Tuesday night around 6:43 p.m., someone shot and killed her as she left her mothers home.

Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo in legal dispute over Neptunes trademarks

Virginia Beach natives Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes, are in a legal dispute, Billboard reports.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
It was a sea of white coats on the Grand Staircase Thursday at Physicians Assistants Lobby Day in Boston.

BOSTON  A sea of white-coated physician assistants gathered at the foot of the Grand Staircase in the State House on Thursday to advocate for extending pandemic-era accommodations that eliminated the requirement for them to file a supervising physician with the state that allowed them to be deployed wherever they are needed.

The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Christine Barber, D-Medford, and Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, was dubbed a "commonsense move" by the legislators that they believe would increase access to care, is projected to lower costs and eliminate barriers to PAs practice, increasing access to health care for Massachusetts residents. The executive order, signed by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2020, expired at the end of the state of emergency on June 15, 2021.

"The executive order signed during the pandemic allowed physician assistants to practice to the fullest extent of their licenses," Barber said. "This bill codifies the work done during COVID-19."

Barber cited the lack of hospital staff, the long wait times for patients turning to emergency departments for care, and the lack of primary care physicians available to undertake the preventive interventions and address the health care needs of the states population.

A whole hospital system is in danger of collapsing and our community hospitals are struggling, Barber said, referencing the financial crisis enveloping the Steward hospital network. This bill is an answer to that crisis.

Thea Nolan, president-elect of the Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants, chose her career path as a young girl who enjoyed watching the surgeries on The Learning Channel. Raised by a single mother, she values the work-life balance afforded by the career.

Nolan works on both UMass Memorial medical campuses in Central Massachusetts as an interventional radiologist with a specialty in surgery. She deems herself a huge advocate for the profession and sought out leadership positions in the representative organization as a way of affecting change.

Physician assistants are allowed to offer primary and emergency care, stitch up wounds and set fractures. They can elicit medical histories, perform examinations and routine preventive measures like immunizations. They can request, perform and interpret diagnostic tests, and order and perform therapeutic procedures. They are also allowed to discuss physical and mental health issues, counsel patients and families and write prescriptions for most medications.

Duncan DaViau, a past president of the Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants, was a speaker Thursday at Lobby Day.

In surveys, 89% of patients approve of their health care performed by PAs, and 90% believe PAs are good additions to health care teams, said Duncan DaViau, a past president on the Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants.

Extension of pandemic-era accommodations could address the long wait times, lack of timely appointments and challenges facing the health care industry in Massachusetts and beyond.

As an emergency department PA, DaViau treated a patient, a middle-aged mother of three who had been struggling with debilitating abdominal pain. The earliest appointment she was given with her primary care provider was months in the future. The pain, DaViau said, finally drove her to seek emergency care at the hospital.

In performing the pelvic exam, DaViau said he found a mass consistent with ovarian cancer. Although he is ignorant of her prognosis, he blames her condition on her lack of access to preventive care and the unprecedented shortage of care providers.

Rep. Christine Barber, D-Medford, filed a bill that would extend pandemic-era accommodations allowing physicians assistants freer rein to practice in different areas of medicine.

Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge, urged the 200-plus PAs attending Lobby Day to visit their legislators and encourage them to support the bill. Their role, Decker said, was to serve as a bridge over the gaps in the health care system to advance preventive care as well as provide emergency care.

They know you, Decker said, explaining that many legislators see PAs as their primary care physicians. You are not strangers.

Two PAs practicing at Massachusetts General Hospital, Cole Turno and Josh Merson, chose their profession because of its accessibility.

For me, it provided hands-on, front-line opportunities to provide important, holistic medical care, Turno said. The field did not require the same years of study and allowed him a faster entry into a medical profession. I could have a more immediate impact 

Both men relished working as part of health care teams that encompassed all members, from nursing assistants to physicians to specialists. Working at MGH allows them to work in different medical fields, from emergency department interventions to working in intensive care units and assisting physicians in different specialties.

Its different every day, and its always fulfilling, Merson said, quickly adding that it can be very challenging regardless of where he is assigned.

From left, PAs Cole Turno and Josh Merson of Massachusetts General Hospital, PA Thea Nolan of UMass Memorial Medical Center and Duncan DaViau at Lobby Day.

But the PAs say they are gratified to be on the front lines of access to health care and be able to affect the long wait times, lack of appointments and the difficulties in accessing care for vulnerable populations.

Who comes to emergency departments for care? For members of vulnerable populations, emergency departments are their access to health care, Turno said. Many times they treat patients on an emergency basis, and because of the lack of access, end up following up with them and offering continuity of care.

The Massachusetts Medical Society opposes the bill, warning it could jeopardize "patient-centered protections and could result in a vastly varying quality of patient care." The group represents more than 25,000 physicians, residents and medical students.

"The Medical Society is concerned that this proposal, aimed at removing supervisory requirements for physician assistants will unnecessarily  and potentially dangerously  distance physicians from patients," MMS said in written testimony to the Public Health Committee in September. "The Legislature, in fulfilling its duty to protect patients of the commonwealth, has diligently established a thoughtful, patient-focused framework of policies and statutory requirements that apply to physicians in light of their ability to independently provide medical care and oversee the care provided by other health care providers."

Material from State House News Service was included in this story.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Physician assistants urge state reform to streamline health care for patients
Picking through Baghdad's garbage for her family's Ramadan meal, faith keeps one woman going

Picking through Baghdad's garbage for her family's Ramadan meal, faith keeps one woman going

Picking through Baghdad's garbage for her family's Ramadan meal, faith keeps one woman going

By Ahmed Saad

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Every morning during Ramadan, Zahra Jouda Darraj rises early to take her donkey and cart to the garbage dumps of Baghdad, from where she can scavenge aluminium cans and glass bottles that she sells for a few Iraqi dinars.

Wearing a black hijab and heavy gloves to pick through the garbage, she also collects discarded vegetables to cook later or for animal feed, piling them on her cart.

It is not an easy life. But what she collects is enough to allow her and her husband a simple meal of lentil soup and homemade flatbread for Iftar, the meal that Muslims eat at sunset to break their Ramadan fast.

For Zahra, her religion is her source of strength.

"My faith in God is keeping me strong and alive. Our life is difficult, but faith is stronger," says Zahra, as she prepares to do her daily prayers in the couple's shack in eastern Baghdad, which is decorated with wall hangings and depictions of holy imams.

Despite huge untapped oil and gas reserves and steadily rising oil output and revenue, 22% of Iraq's population - around 10 million people - live below the poverty line, according to the Ministry of Planning.

Last year, the government said it would spend to create jobs and rebuild infrastructure as it recovers from years of conflict.

That may be too little, too late, to change the fortunes of 51-year-old Zahra and her 68-year-old husband Razzaq, who is now too sick to work. None of their four children have survived them.

"We didn't have the money to pay for hospitals," says Zahra. "They all died because we didn't have the money to feed them".

(Photography and reporting by Ahmed Saad, Writing by Ahmed Rasheed, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
This photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows buildings destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Marjeyoun, Lebanon. Six militants were killed, and 11 others injured on Friday in Israeli air strikes on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Six militants were killed, and 11 others injured on Friday in Israeli air strikes on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who spoke anonymously, said that two Hezbollah fighters were killed and a civilian was wounded in an airstrike on the village of Aita al-Shaab in the central sector of southern Lebanon, while another Hezbollah fighter was killed and two civilians wounded in a raid on the southwest town of Qana.

Three fighters from the Amal Movement were killed, and another was wounded in a raid targeting the southeast town of Jeidet Marjeyoun, the sources said.

They added that seven other people were also injured in a raid that targeted a house in the southeast village of Kfar Hamam, one of whom was a member of the Lebanese army.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters attacked several Israeli sites, including Misgav Am, Zarit Barracks, al-Motella, Ruwaisat al-Alam, al-Sammaqa, al-Malikiyah, Bayad Blida, Khallet Warda, Branit, and Jal al-Alam.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tension since Oct. 8, 2023, after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 405 people on the Lebanese side, including 260 Hezbollah members and 73 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. 

This photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows buildings destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Marjeyoun, Lebanon. Six militants were killed, and 11 others injured on Friday in Israeli air strikes on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

This photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows a building destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Marjeyoun, Lebanon. Six militants were killed, and 11 others injured on Friday in Israeli air strikes on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

This photo taken on April 5, 2024 shows a car destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Marjeyoun, Lebanon. Six militants were killed, and 11 others injured on Friday in Israeli air strikes on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
Theres that joke with Californians or Angelenos that we dont really bother waking up for anything under a 4.0 magnitude, one LA native quipped.

As those in the New York tri-state area attempt to make sense of the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that rumbled residents on Friday morning, many transplants from quake-prone areas arent processing the rare temblor with the same degree of shock.

Many whose loved ones are from Taiwan, which just experienced a massive 7.4-magnitude quake, as well as those from California, where the seismic events are a regular occurrence, werent fazed by the tremor that shook parts of the East Coast. However, after seeing confusion and uncertainty from those around them, several pointed out that the lack of government preparedness and safety instruction is undeniable.

Its the role of leaders and government officials to at least know a minimal amount because in the vacuum of that knowledge, people look to their institutions and their leaders for guidance, SueAnn Shiah, whos Taiwanese American and has been checking on friends from the island in recent days, told NBC News.

The earthquake, whose epicenter was in Lebanon, New Jersey, struck just moments before 10:30 a.m. E.T. and was felt from Maryland to Maine. For those with family and friends in Taiwan, earthquake safety has long been a regular part of life. The island has a robust early-warning system, modern seismic building codes, and a significantly upgraded infrastructure that was largely prompted by a deadly 1999 earthquake, experts say. In the U.S., those in California, Oregon and Washington can also use MyShake, an early warning earthquake app that uses data from the U.S. Geological Surveys ShakeAlert system.

But the relative rareness of East Coast earthquakes meant many were caught off guard. Shiah, who previously lived in Taiwan, said she wished officials wouldve been more communicative after Fridays earthquake.

Usually when its in Taiwan, you get an alert on your phone before the earthquake happens or immediately after, and so there is just a sense of preparedness and infrastructure thats really reassuring amid things that are unpredictable and can feel really chaotic, said Shiah, who was in Princeton, New Jersey, at the time of the quake. But I kept Googling for a long time and nothing was coming up.  there wasnt some government agency that populated something and could assure me that, yes, I had just in fact experienced an earthquake.

Kalayaan Mendoza, a New York-based community safety activist who grew up in the Bay Area, said he had also spent the past few days checking on friends in Taiwan. He was shocked to experience an earthquake himself days later. In many Asian American and diaspora circles, he said, many rush to participate in community care. But in cases of natural disaster, the onus should be put on the government to ensure their people are safe.

This is one that New Yorkers are just not prepared for. In California, we are raised from kindergarten on up on how to duck and cover, and have your safety plan ready, make sure that you know what to take with you, Mendoza said, adding that, in New York, Our subway system has been crumbling since Sandy. And it doesnt feel like were set up systematically to deal with a large-scale emergency or disaster.

Melissa Hung, a Brooklyn-based journalist who has family members in Taiwan, said that while shes not sure theres a parallel to draw between the two earthquakes, particularly with the occurrence being rather rare on the East Coast, the proximity of the two events is chilling.

The aftershocks were still making [my family members] kind of feel dizzy and sick, Hung said. I hesitate to assign meaning to it  but it is a little weird that there was a little one here.

Hung added, however, that the earthquakes highlight how climate change could affect Asian communities.

I do think climate change is affecting our diaspora and especially on these coastal areas, island areas where sea levels are rising, Hung said. Already its happening where we have climate refugees, right? Thats just going to intensify for all sorts of people all over the globe.

While the New Jersey earthquake was the strongest recorded in the Northeast in more than a decade, many from hot spots said their previous experience with the tremors meant they knew exactly what to do. Cameron Kim, a video editor for NBC Sports, which has the same parent company as NBC News, is from the Bay Area and said he calmly warned his girlfriend to take cover and to be on alert for aftershocks.As someone whos from the West Coast, I was very much like, Oh, this is an earthquake, he said. I didnt hear the pictures on the wall rattle so for me, thats usually a good indicator of how big the shake is.

Bing Guan, a photographer who grew up in the Los Angeles area, said the earthquake was so much smaller than many hes experienced on the West Coast, that it barely registered to him while he was in Manhattan today.

Theres that joke with Californians or Angelenos that we dont really bother waking up for anything under a 4.0 magnitude, he said. When I was a little kid I literally slept through earthquakes multiple times.

But as the memes began to trickle across social media, Mendoza said he felt assured that New Yorkers could bounce back from anything.

One thing that we as New Yorkers are really good at doing is being able to navigate emergencies through a sense of humor, through our resiliency, Mendoza said. Every single day here, theres a new nightmare thats happening either globally or locally. So I think peoples nervous systems are prepared for this.

For more from NBC Asian America, sign up for our weekly newsletter.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland said on Friday Israel's ambassador had apologised for an Israeli airstrike that killed a Pole and six other aid workers in Gaza, days after the envoy angered the country by blaming "antisemites" for Polish outrage over the attack.

Damian Sobol, a volunteer from southeastern Poland, was among seven people working for celebrity chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen who were killed in the airstrike in central Gaza on Monday, which stirred an international outcry.

"I handed over a note of protest to the ambassador. The ambassador apologised for this event, which has no precedent in the history of the civilised world," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna told a press conference.

While the briefing was taking place, Israel said an inquiry into the air attack had found serious errors and breaches of procedure by the military, with the upshot that two officers had been fired and senior commanders formally reprimanded.

On Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador Yacov Livne upset Poland with a social media post saying that the "extreme right and left" in the country were accusing Israel of intentional murder, adding that "antisemites will always remain antisemites".

After Friday's meeting with Szejna, Livne said in a post on X: "Israel is fully committed to a transparent and thorough investigation of this grave tragedy".

Szejna said that disciplinary measures in the military Israel announced on Friday would not be enough. He said Livne told him Israel's top court would launch an investigation, but that Polish prosecutors should take part.

"There should be an investigation under the supervision of the victims' countries under criminal law into this event, which bears the hallmarks of murder," Szejna said, adding that Sobol's family should also be offered compensation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the airstrike was a tragic mistake and Israel would do everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

The military said said Israeli forces erroneously believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drones hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group in central Gaza, and that standard procedures had not been followed.

"The information we received so far (from Israel) is not satisfactory," Szejna said, "but we see this meeting (with Livne) as a change of tone."

(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Pawel Florkiewicz and Karol Badohal; editing by Philippa Fletcher, Kevin Liffey and Mark Heinrich)
CARLSBAD, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI)  The officer with the Carlsbad Police Department who was hospitalized after an assault last week involving a skateboard was identified on Thursday by San Diego police.

The incident began around 11:15 p.m. last Friday, March 29. According to SDPD, the officer, identified as Michael McKinney, had been driving west on Carlsbad Village Drive in a marked patrol car when it was struck by a rock traveling underneath Interstate 5.

The impact of the rock falling on the vehicle destroyed its spotlight and cracked the windshield. Due to the damage, the officer pulled over into a nearby parking lot where he called a supervisor to inspect it.

1 stabbed in North County; no arrests made

After the supervisor arrived, SDPD says the suspect approached McKinney with his supervisor, striking him on the head with a skateboard without warning or provocation.

McKinney then moved to cover at a nearby business, where he took out his service firearm and shot at the suspect three times. The suspect was not hit by the gunfire, nor were any civilians who may have been in the area.

At the same time, the sergeant chased the suspect on foot down Carlsbad Village Drive. After three blocks, the suspect, identified as 32-year-old San Diego resident Kyle McCord, was taken into custody with the assistance of additional officers dispatched to the scene.

McKinney was transported to a nearby hospital after the incident for treatment of serious head injuries, according to SDPD.

Details about his current condition were not disclosed by SDPD on Thursday, although he was described as a patrol officer with eight years of law enforcement experience who had been employed with Carlsbad police since September 2022.

An investigation by SDPDs Homicide Unit, who takes charge during all outside incidents where an officer shoots their firearm, remains ongoing at this time. SDPD says detectives are currently looking into whether the rock that struck McKinneys car was a coincidence or an intentional act.

Per the Countywide Memorandum of Understanding, investigators are also collecting evidence regarding the officer-involved-shooting. Their findings will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney to determine whether the officer bears any criminal liability for firing his weapon.

46 people arrested in alleged sex trafficking operation

The Carlsbad Police Department will also conduct an administrative investigation into the officers weapon discharge. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorneys Officer are also monitoring these probes.

Meanwhile, McCord was booked into Vista Jail for his suspected involvement in the assault. According to SDPD, he could face charges relating to attempted murder of a police officer and committing a felony while on bond or release.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact SDPDs Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
A police vehicle stands in front of the synagogue in the city center. Unknown persons have thrown an incendiary device at a door of the Oldenburg synagogue. According to the police, no one was injured in the attack on Friday afternoon. An entrance door was damaged by the incendiary device. Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa

An incendiary device was left at a door of the Oldenburg synagogue in the northern German city of the same name on Friday, the police said.

No one was injured in the attack on Friday afternoon and the perpetrators have not yet been identified, a police spokesman said.

A caretaker from a neighbouring cultural centre discovered the fire immediately and extinguished the flames. One door was damaged. The police are searching for the perpetrators with a large contingent, and state security is also investigating.

"I condemn this attack on a Jewish place of worship in Oldenburg in the strongest possible terms," said the head of the Oldenburg police, Andreas Sagehorn.

"We will take this attack as an opportunity to immediately increase security measures at the Oldenburg synagogue until the circumstances of the offence have been clarified."

The investigators did not initially provide any further details - such as the background to the offence or how they plan to better protect the house of worship.

Politicians and church representatives condemned the offence and expressed their horror. The Alliance against Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism Oldenburg called for a spontaneous vigil in front of the synagogue in the evening.

Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens called for a quick and thorough investigation. "The security authorities will do everything they can to identify the perpetrator(s).

"Even if the background to the offence is still unclear, I am deeply saddened by it. For me, arson attacks on synagogues are absolutely reprehensible and unspeakable," Behrens was quoted in a statement issued by the ministry.

Oldenburg's Mayor Jurgen Krogmann emphasized his solidarity with the Jewish community. "Attacks on synagogues are attacks on all of us," he said. "We will not accept the fact that a Jewish institution in our city has become the target of an attempted attack."

The city's Protestant bishop, Thomas Adomeit, said: "This vile and inhuman attack unfortunately shows once again that we have not overcome the evil of anti-Semitism in our society."

Traces of fire can be seen on a synagogue entrance door damaged by an incendiary device. Unknown persons have thrown an incendiary device at a door of the Oldenburg synagogue. According to police, no one was injured in the attack on Friday afternoon. Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa
ST. LOUIS  Police are requesting assistance in locating a suspect involved in a triple shooting in February.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office has issued an at-large warrant for Trevor Daley, 20, who is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action, and delivery of 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, according to officials.

On Feb. 5, Daley, along with two other individuals acting together, were talking to the victims about a marijuana cartridge sale, according to the probable cause statement.

Busch Stadium crowd boos John Mozeliak during Opening Day introductions

15-year-old Colin Courtwright, entered Daleys car, asking to see the cartridge. At some point during the deal, Courtwright and 16-year-old Tyree Williams were shot and killed. A third victim was shot and wounded.

The warrant for Daleys arrest was unsealed Thursday, officials stated. He will be held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

If you have any information on Daleys whereabouts, contact the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 to speak with investigators.

To remain anonymous or potentially receive a reward, call CrimeStoppers at (866) 371-8477.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
HYATTSVILLE, Md. (DC News Now)  The Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) said that the man killed in Hyattsville on Thursday was working for a trash removal company when he was shot.

PGPD officers responded to the 6800 block of Greenvale Pkwy. around 3:40 p.m. on Thursday for a shooting. Responding officers found 30-year-old Indongesit Udosen of Lanham in the road, who had been shot. He died there.

Safety concerns rise after Metro shooting that killed teen

Police were still working to determine what led to the shooting. PGPD said that detectives do not believe that the shooting was random.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 301-516-2512 to speak with a Homicide Unit detective.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Polands Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Israeli Ambassador Yacov Livne over his comments on the deadly Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers for World Central Kitchen, including one Polish citizen, Damian Sobol.

During the meeting, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna gave a note of protest to the ambassador, according to the Polish Press Agency.

The diplomatic row comes days after Spanish-American chef and restaurateur Jose Andres, the founder of the World Central Kitchen NGO, said that his employees had coordinated with the Israeli military and had clearly marked the convoy as humanitarian aid workers in Gaza.

The Israeli government has alleged the attack was a mistake, a claim which was repeated by Ambassador Livne in an interview aired on the YouTube channel Kanal Zero Wednesday. But the diplomat went further, blasting the reaction to the strike in Poland, noting that the criticism is just the work of extreme right and left in Poland trying to blame Israel for intentional murder.

The extreme right and left in Poland accuse Israel of intentional murder in yesterday's attack, he said.

Celebrity Chef Jose Andres Blasts Israel Over Slain Gaza Colleagues

Livne added that anti-Semites will always remain anti-Semites, and Israel will remain a democratic Jewish State that fights for its right to exist. Also for the good of the entire Western world.

Polish President Andrzej Duda called his comments outrageous and said Livne was the biggest problem for the state of Israel in relations with Poland, according to the the Polish Press Agency.

The Israeli authorities behave in a subdued manner, and unfortunately their ambassador in Poland is unable to maintain their sensitivity. It significantly hinders our mutual relations, Duda said on social media.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski also lambasted the ambassador during a call with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, according to TVP World.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he believed Livne should have responded with a human apology instead, adding that the response from Livne was testing the Polish-Israel relationship.

The vast majority of Poles showed full solidarity with Israel after the Hamas attack. Today you are putting this solidarity to a really hard test. The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger, Tusk said in a social media post.

After he was summoned Friday, Livne said on social media that he expressed his condolences and apology during the meeting.

I repeated my personal deep sorrow and sincere apologies over the tragic death of World Central Kitchen workers, including the Polish citizen Mr. Damian Sobol, he said.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna confirmed that it will not be expelling Livne following the meeting.

Szejna told Livne that Poland wants the victims regional prosecution service to be allowed to participate in a criminal procedure against the Israeli soldiers responsible for Sobol's death. Poland has also demanded compensation from Israel for the victims family.

The meeting appears to have smoothed over some tension between Poland and Israel, but the Polish Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Israels investigation into the attack on the aid convoy of being unsatisfactory.

We also demand access to all information to ensure that the matter is satisfactorily resolved, Szejna said. I want to strongly emphasize that the research and information [about the attack on the aid convoy in Gaza  TVP World] so far are unsatisfactory, but I perceived this meeting and the position of the Israeli ambassador as a change of tone.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Political deadlock seen persisting after first Kuwait poll under new emir

By Ahmed Hagagy

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's first parliamentary election under the new Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah has resulted in few changes, indicating that ongoing tensions between government and lawmakers that have paralysed decision-making are likely to persist.

The results of Thursday's poll showed only 11 new members of parliament, out of a total of 50 elected MPs in the Gulf Arab state.

The new emir is keen to push through economic reforms after protracted deadlock between appointed governments and elected parliaments hindered progress.

Sheikh Meshal's reform-minded approach, with scant tolerance for political bickering, appears aimed at helping the OPEC producer to catch up with Gulf neighbours which have been implementing ambitious plans to wean their economies off oil.

He strongly criticised the last National Assembly and the government in his first speech before parliament after taking office in December, saying they were "harming the interests of the country and its people".

The government of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf resigned hours after the speech. Sheikh Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah formed a new government that included new ministers of oil, finance, foreign affairs, interior, and defence.

Sheikh Meshal, 83, succeeded his late brother Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad in December and dissolved parliament on Feb. 15, less than two months into his tenure.

His decree cited the assembly's "violation of the constitutional principles" as a reason for dissolution.

FREQUENT ELECTIONS

Kuwait bans political parties, and candidates run for election as individuals despite their political affiliations. Its legislature has more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies, including the power to pass and block laws, question ministers and submit no-confidence motions.

Political deadlock, however, has led to endless cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament, paralysing policy-making, but the Emir holds the upper hand.

Thursday's election was the fourth since Dec. 2020.

Frequent elections limit voter ability to monitor parliamentarians and result in re-selecting the same candidates, political analyst Saleh al-Saeedi told Reuters.

Successive votes "diminish the rate of change and offer less room for new faces to emerge", he said.

Results on Friday showed a single female candidate was elected, the same as in the previous parliament, while Shi'ite Muslim lawmakers secured eight seats in the predominantly Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab state, one more than last year.

Seats for the Islamic Constitutional Movement, which represents the Kuwaiti branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, fell to one from the previous three.

(Reporting By Ahmed Hagagy; editing by Maha El Dahan and Gareth Jones)
GENEVA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution urging Israel to be held responsible for potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. The resolution also urges all nations to cease supplying weapons to Israel.

Out of the 47 member nations in the UN Human Rights Council, 28 countries voted in favor, 13 abstained and 6 opposed the resolution. China supported the resolution, while the United States and Germany opposed it.

The new ruling stressed "the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity".

It also expressed "grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

The resolution also calls on states to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel.

Friday's proposal, which was brought forward by Pakistan on behalf of all Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states except Albania, also called for "an immediate ceasefire" and "for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance".

The Palestinian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, expressed approval of the vote but also voiced dissatisfaction with the lack of support from certain Western countries.

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, condemned the resolution as a stain on the Human Rights Council and the UN as a whole. 
When I edited this newspaper, I was proud to employ Joshua Rozenberg (ex-BBC) as our legal affairs editor. He stood in that great tradition of specialist journalists which 21st-century media have mostly lost. That tradition insisted on specialist accuracy, defying the journalistic urge to oversimplify. The law is a speciality in which accuracy makes all the difference.

I just said Joshua stood for this, but I should have written stands. He is still going strong, writing an authoritative legal blog. This week, I naturally turned to it. As I sometimes did when editor, I also telephoned him to make double-sure I had not misunderstood him.

On Thursday, 809 former judges, KCs, barristers, solicitors and academic lawyers wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister reminding him of his obligations under international law in relation to Israels actions in Gaza. Among many things, they called for Rishi Sunak to suspend the provision of weapons and weapons systems to the government of Israel.

By way of legal justification, the letter cited the provisional order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January which, it alleged, concluded that there was plausible risk of genocide in Gaza.

No, says Joshua Rozenberg, that is wrong. The phrase plausible risk does not occur in the ICJs order. The court could not possibly have come to this view, as it had not heard evidence and made a judgment. All it decided was that South Africas arguments for making a case before it were plausible enough to be heard. In simple terms, writes Joshua, it is the Palestinians rights which were found to be plausible, not the risk they may face.

The signature of Lady Hale (she of the spider brooch) headed the open letter. As a former president of the Supreme Court, she is well capable of understanding this distinction. That she, and the 808 legal names below her, ignored it suggests that the massed might of lawyers lacks the majesty of the law. Their letter is political, and part of a wider political campaign.

If our Government does not understand the need for a firm political counter to it, we are in deep trouble. So far, Mr Sunak has robustly supported Israel, but this able and reasonable man has the defect  so strange in a politician  of seeing politics only in terms of following processes. It is almost the opposite: politics is what you need when processes cannot do the whole job.

At any one time, there will be many issues on which any government will be at risk of breaking international law (as it will of breaking domestic law). Sometimes, a government will deliberately take this risk. For example, David Cameron, when prime minister, defied a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that our refusal to give votes to prisoners was in breach of the European Convention. We were actively in breach of this between 2005 until 2018, because we believed we should decide who may vote in our country.

Government lawyers are important, but they give advice: it is not their place to decide. Besides, advice can be wrong, as law and as tactics. We seem to be developing a doctrine that a decision not to follow legal advice is itself an illegal act. No, ministers, most of whom  though not, in his new incarnation, the Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron  are elected, must decide.

All we have in this case is Foreign Office legal advice, which almost no one invoking it has seen, allegedly arguing that we might be in breach of international law if Israel were in breach of international law by committing genocide (which no court has held that it is) and we continued to sell it arms. There is, as yet, no court case or court judgment against us, just some advice. This is an almost comically rickety edifice for the moral and political weight it is supposed to bear.

Any proper government must weigh such advice, but when it does so, it is not low politics to balance other factors, it is its positive moral duty.

Such factors include the following: does Britain itself think Israel is committing genocide and/or other crimes of war? Would breaking our current agreements with Israel affect our own security?

Our arms trade with Israel is small, but the help we get from the Israelis is greater than what we give them. Co-operation spreads wider. We have a deep level of trust and technological synergy in intelligence. Each learns from the other about state and non-state terrorist threats over there and on our shores. Do we want to break that trust?

By breaking our arms trade with Israel, we would be sending a signal to other clients that when they get into difficult situations, we are ready to drop them. How would that feel to countries to which we sell  Saudi Arabia, for example, or the United States itself?

Good, some will say, we should be out of an evil trade. But it is not evil to defend ones own country, and one does so best with mutual help, both in terms of alliances and of kit. If we gave up defence sales abroad, the vacuum would be filled not only by the Americans and the French  sacrificing British jobs and know-how  but by the Chinese, the Russians, even the cheery old North Koreans.

And if, as we ought, we still tried to defend our island, we would soon be buying from abroad exactly the sort of things we had decided were too wicked to produce at home. As Tom Tugendhat, the Security Minister, has been known to put it, we could easily decide to become saintly, but we would end up only the saintliest man in the graveyard.

On the BBC, Lord Sumption, the most brilliant of the signatories to the open letter, explained why he felt so strongly. Israel is an essentially Western country, he said, and one is concerned much more by the terrible things done by ones friends than by the terrible things done by more distant and remote societies.

One wants to agree. The claim to be civilised certainly imposes high obligations. But I worry about the unintended effects of this somewhat inward-looking way of thinking. There are occasions when more distant and remote societies commit atrocious violence in the West or against its friends. That happened in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It has happened in London and Manchester, in Paris, Brussels and Madrid. It is happening over almost the whole of Ukraine. It happened, with infamous depravity, when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year.

If civilised people and polities accept such evil, the perpetrators will be emboldened. Civilisation itself will eventually collapse. To resist the power of evil, it is sometimes absolutely necessary to use lethal force.

Unfortunately, it is not the case, particularly when fighting people such as Hamas who have no scruples about murdering civilians or using them as human shields, that lethal force can always be neatly contained. If our societies cannot accept this, our own armies will be reduced to toothless peace-keeping forces in other peoples war-zones and there will be precious little peace for them to keep.

Traditionally, the Western countries which best understood this paradox were Britain and the United States. Today, that is declining. The Western civilisations which, every day of their lives, bravely confront this reality are Ukraine and Israel. They should be our exemplars, not our pariahs.

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The new Portuguese government is fully in support of Ukraine's EU bid, the country's foreign minister, Paulo Rangel, said on April 4, presenting it as a shift from the "ambiguous" stance of the previous administration, Euractiv reported.

Portugal's former prime minister, Antonio Costa, has been supportive of Ukraine and even backed the EU's accession talks with Kyiv last December. However, Costa has also repeatedly said that any EU enlargement must be accompanied by extensive reforms within the bloc and that Kyiv's accession should not be disconnected from the integration of Western Balkan countries.

Costa, from Portugal's Socialist Party, was replaced by center-right Luis Montenegro following the parliamentary elections in March.

Speaking after the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Rangel recognized that Costa's government was "totally on Ukraine's side" but added that when it came to the EU's enlargement, "there was at least some hesitation there, which always created a margin of ambiguity."

"Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has given a clear signal that he is in favor of EU enlargement. This is something that I think needed to be clarified because Portugal had some hesitations, especially when it (Ukraine) was being given candidate status last year (sic)," Rangel said.

Ukraine applied for EU membership early in 2022 in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion. The European Council agreed to grant it candidate status already later that year.

During the December 2023 summit, European leaders agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine, and Brussels has already begun screening the country's legislation as the first step of the process.

Read also: Ukraines path to EU accession paved with reforms

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Lebanon County could soon be getting a new dog to work with residents in the treatment court and probation systems.

Officials made a request to the Lebanon County Commissioners Thursday to apply with Susquehanna Service Dogs for a court facility dog. Court facility dogs are specially trained to lessen the stress and anxiety of individuals during activities such as court appearances before judges and office visits with probation officers.

Audrey Fortna, the county's Probation Services director, said the facility dog would initially start in the treatment courts.

"We don't want to limit it to those services," she said. "We understand that it's also important to have the dog available for people who may be nervous about meeting with the officers in the office, as well as in a courtroom setting."

Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas President Judge John Tylwalk and Probation Services Director Audrey Fortna speak with county commissioners Thursday about applying with Susquehanna Service Dogs for a court facility dog.

Fortna added officials have identified two officers in the treatment courts to be potential primary handlers of the dog should the county move forward with the program.

There are at least 321 courthouse facility dogs used in 41 states, according to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. Several counties in Pennsylvania use facility dogs for probation services and drug treatment courts, including Lancaster and York Counties.

In 2015, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts released a video about the use of comfort dogs in courts for judges, county officials and other court professionals. In the video several county judges said they noticed significant differences from people, especially kids, during courtroom proceedings after having interactions with the dogs.

"Lowering the stress levels of court participants increases the likelihood of more complete and accurate information being provided because everyone involved can focus on the issue at hand, rather than the stress of simply being in court," AOPC officials said in a 2015 release that accompanied the video.

Lebanon County officials last talked about getting a court facility dog about three years ago. While Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas President Judge John Tylwalk said Thursday he was initially against the idea back then, but now he hopes to use facility dogs within the county's court and probation services.

"I would hope that we would expand it, probably not with much delay, into those other areas because I'm convinced, at least based on what I was exposed to, that it can be a positive thing," he said. "A calming kind of thing for kids in particular, I think, in various stressful situations."

Court facility dogs can also have a positive impact on county staff members, Fortna said in a memo to commissioners in March. Several therapy dogs visited the probation services office after Lebanon City Police Lt. William Lebo was shot and killed in the line of duty March 30, 2022.

"It was a very uplifting experience, especially for the officers who were involved in the Lebo incident," she wrote.

Lt. Lebo remembered: 'Still healing': Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo's sacrifice remembered two years later

It could take the county up to two years before they could get a dog, with officials only looking Thursday to proceed in getting on the Susquehanna Service Dogs waiting list. Tylwak said that before a dog would be available to the county, they would have to go through an intensive training process.

"We would make an application, and then Susquehanna would acquire a dog and begin the training process," he said. "Depending on how the dog does in training determines whether we are talking 12 months to 24 months."

The average purchase price of a court service dog is about $5,000, according to Tylwalk. Other costs would include food and veterinary care, all of which officials said they would not be using county funds to cove those expenses.

"There's been different funding that's been used to not only fund the purchase of the dog, but also the on going care of the dog," Tylwalk said. "The AOPC has grants available, and (in) a couple of counties the AOPC provided all of the start up funding for the purchase of the dog, paying for the initial training, all that kind of stuff."

Lebanon County Commissioners Thursday unanimously approved applying to Susquehanna Service Dogs for a court facility dog. Commissioners still would need to approve the service dog program once a dog becomes available.

Elections drop-off site

On Monday, Lebanon County election officials opened the new ballot drop-off site for residents. Elections director Sean Drasher said most people coming up to the site have been "extremely positive" since it opened.

"Everyone coming up to the booth starting at about lunch on the first day has been extremely positive," he said. "Lots of 'thank yous' and 'God bless yous.' It helps that it was a nasty rainy few days, and people didn't have to get out of their cars. They could just pull right up."

In a 2-1 vote March 7, commissioners approved construction of a $2,725 shed ballot drop-off point that would be staffed with at least one county employee or poll worker.

The drop-off site will be open between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Election Day, the drop-off point will be staffed until 8 p.m. The coverage will be provided by a combination of county employees and poll workers.

As of the beginning of Thursday morning, the election's office has received more than 200 mail-in ballots from voters. The election's office sent out 7,200 mail-in ballots for the primary, and has received more than 1,000 mail-in ballots back as of Thursday morning.

Lebanon Countys Bureau of Registration and Elections officials oversee the new mail-in ballot drop off point Thursday morning at the county municipal building.

Primary Election Info

The Pennsylvania 2024 presidential primary is scheduled for April 23. The last day to register to vote is April 8. The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is April 16.

Residents looking for more information can visit the Lebanon County Voter Registration Office website at http://www.lebcounty.org/depts/Voter_Registration or contact them by phone at 717-228-4428.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon County courts could get a new facility dog program
A mysterious boat that appears to have been converted into a sea drone has been discovered in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania.

Source: Digi24, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Two days ago, Romanian border guards spotted an overturned boat at sea near Tuzla. The Romanian maritime rescue service was dispatched to the scene. They towed the boat to the port of Constanta, where specialists from various services began investigating it.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, the vessel is a former search and rescue boat weighing around 3 tonnes that had been converted for military use. An antenna for jamming signals was found in the bow, and an explosive device may have been attached nearby.

The boat is thought to have been taken to the Capu Midia Training Range.

Background: On 4 April, the wreckage of a Shahed drone was found in the south of Moldova, 500 m away from the border with Ukraine.

Romanias Ministry of Defence reported last Friday that debris from what appeared to be a drone had been found on Romanian territory near the Danube River and the border with Ukraine.

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Prichard police looking to question 3 men in connection to August 2023 homicide

PRICHARD, Ala. (WKRG)  Prichard Police are looking to question three men in connection with an August 2023 murder in Alabama Village.

Police are looking to speak with Russell Seltzer Jr., Paul Curtis Williams Jr. and Willie Z. Goff Jr. as they investigate this murder.

We all said a prayer: Woman recalls meeting Foley hit-and-run victim shortly before SUV struck, killed her

From left: Russell Seltzer Jr., Paul Curtis Williams Jr. and Willie Z. Goff Jr. (Photo courtesy of the Prichard Police Department)

These subjects are asked to come in of their own free will, a release from the police department said.

Anyone who has information about these men or their whereabouts can call the Prichard Police Department at 251-452-2211.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
Prince Andrew has broken cover after he was spotted enjoying a horse ride on the same day a dramatisation of his car-crash BBC Newsnight interview was released.

The Duke of York was seen waving as he rode around Windsor on Friday as Netflix drama Scoop, which reenacts the story of how the BBC secured the now infamous interview, went live.

The 64-year-old was quizzed by Emily Maitlis on his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the interview - when he made the bizarre claim he was at a Pizza Express in Woking at the time of an alleged assault.

Prince Andrew was named in the legal deposition of Virginia Roberts, who claimed she was trafficked to him by Epstein for sex at the age of 17.

In the exchange, he also refuted an allegation by Virginia Giuffre he was sweaty while with her at a London nightclub by claiming he had a peculiar medical condition meaning he couldnt perspire.

The Duke of York was seen riding around Windsor this morning as a dramatisation of his car-crash Newsnight interview was released on Netflix (W8Media / MEGA)

Before the Newsnight interview, Andrew had a full diary of royal engagements. In the year before the disastrous chat, he carried out a total of 394 engagements - more than his nephew Prince William.

But just days after the disastrous interview in November 2019, the duke sensationally quit public life for the foreseeable future.

In a statement, approved by the late Queen, he said it had become clear to him that his former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my familys work.

The drama is based on former Newsnight producer Sam McAlisters memoir Scoop, which documents the negotiations between Buckingham Palace and the BBC which led to the interview.

Rufus Sewell stars as the late Queens son while Gillian Anderson portrays Ms Maitlis, who quizzed Andrew about his friendship with billionaire convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Just days after the disastrous interview, Prince Andrew sensationally quit public life for the foreseeable future (W8Media / MEGA)

Andrew was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and banned from using HRH in an official capacity by his late mother the Queen.

Recently he has begun appearing more prominently at royal events, with the Prince beaming as he stood in front and centre alongside Princess Anne and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson while attending the Easter Sunday Service at Windsor.

The Duke attended the St Georges Chapel service with ex-wife and other family members- and was seen with a wide smile on his face as he led the way.

He has not commented on the film.
FILE - Presidential candidate Ivan Korcok, a pro-Western career diplomat, arrives at his election headquarters to acknowledge the preliminary results of the first round of the presidential election in Bratislava, Slovakia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. Ivan Korcok, a pro-western career diplomat and Peter Pellegrini, a close ally of Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, are facing each other in a presidential runoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, to determine who succeeds Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female head of state. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP)  A pro-Western career diplomat and a close ally of Slovakias populist Prime Minister Robert Fico are facing each other in a presidential runoff on Saturday to determine who will be the next head of state.

Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok is up against Peter Pellegrini, who heads a coalition party in Ficos government, in the vote for the largely ceremonial post as president of the nation of 5.4 million.

A victory for Pellegrini, who currently serves as Parliament speaker, would cement Ficos power by giving him and his allies control of major strategic posts.

It would also deprive Slovakia and the European Union of a key pro-Ukrainian voice. The current president, Zuzana Caputova, a staunch backer of Slovakias neighbor Ukraine in its fight against Russias two-year invasion, did not stand for a second term.

A former liberal environmental activist, she has repeatedly come under attack from Fico, who won Sept. 30 parliamentary elections on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform and has accused Caputova of being a U.S. agent.

The latest public polls predict a tight race. The winner will become the countrys sixth head of state since Slovakia gained independence in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split in two.

THE RUNOFF

As none of the nine candidates won a majority in the March 23 first round, the two top vote-getters advanced to the runoff. Korcok won the first round with 42.5% of the votes, with Pellegrini trailing on 37%. A former justice minister and judge, Stefan Harabin, who has openly sided with Russia in its war with Ukraine, finished a distant third with 11.7%.

IVAN KORCOK

The 60-year-old is not affiliated with any political party but agreed to become the foreign minister in 2020 when he was the ambassador to the United States. During the coronavirus pandemic, Korcok opposed a secret deal to acquire Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine orchestrated by Prime Minister Igor Matovic, calling the vaccine a tool in Russias hybrid war against the West. Korcok represented the pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party in the post till 2022. Previously, he also served as the ambassador to Germany and was the countrys envoy to NATO and the European Union. Hes married, a father of two who firmly supports Slovakias EU and NATO memberships.

PETER PELLEGRINI

Pellegrini, 48, who favors a strong role for the state, heads the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party that finished third in last year's vote. His party joined a ruling coalition with Ficos leftist Smer (Direction) party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party. Critics worry Slovakia under Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Thousands have repeatedly taken to the streets across Slovakia recently to rally against Ficos pro-Russian and other policies that they fear undermine the rule of law while voicing their support for Korcok.

Pellegrini, who was Ficos former deputy in Smer, became prime minister in 2018, after Fico was forced to resign following major anti-government street protests over the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. Pellegrini had temporarily parted ways with Fico after the scandal-tainted Smer lost the previous election in 2020.

A CAMPAIGN SHAPED BY WAR

The war in neighboring Ukraine was a core campaign issue. Pellegrinis candidacy is supported by Ficos coalition that immediately stopped any military aid to Ukraine, saying the conflict has no military solution. Pellegrini accused Korcok of being a warmonger ready to draw his country into the war by sending troops to Ukraine. Korcok dismissed that.

In Slovakia, the government and parliament, but not the president, can approve Slovak troops' deployment abroad. Pellegrini also suggested that Slovakia would not be able to send its troops to other NATO members if they were attacked, a principle of NATOs collective defense. He claimed the Slovak military is not armed well enough to do so.

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS

Elected for a five-year term, the president picks the prime minister after parliamentary elections, swears in the new government and appoints Constitutional Court judges. The president can also veto laws, though Parliament can override the veto with a simple majority, and challenge them at the Constitutional Court. The head of state also has the right to pardon convicts.
Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham parade through the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib

A prominent Iraqi jihadist leader was reportedly killed by a suicide bomber on Thursday in rebel-held northwest Syria.

Abu Maria al Qahtani, whose real name is Maysr al Jabouri, died after being rushed to hospital with wounds from the blast at his guest house.

Four others were believed to be injured in the suicide bombing in the town of Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

Qahtani was one of the most prominent commanders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham  considered by the UK as a foreign terrorist group  and its predecessor al-Nusra Front, which itself was a former al-Qaeda affiliate.

No group so far has claimed responsibility for killing Qahtani. HTS has, however, confirmed Qahtanis death in social media posts, and accused Isis, a rival terror group, of the killing.

Qahtani was released from prison last month, having spent half a year in jail on charges of improper communications, after falling out with other HTS leadership.

Fighting force of 15,000 militants

He was born in Iraq and previously fought against US forces after the US-led invasion in the early 2000s. In 2011, he moved to Syria to join insurgents fighting against Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian President.

HTS is one of the few remaining rebel groups in Syria that oppose Assads regime and has recently engaged in lashes in an attempt to cement dominance in this last rebel-held pocket.

In October 2018, HTS was estimated to have a fighting force of as many as 15,000 militants as of October, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank.

HTS was designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2018, adding to al Nusra Fronts existing designation from 2012.

The UK considers HTS, Al-Nusra Front and other Al-Qaeda offshoots as terrorist organisations.

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PAMPA  The Texas legislative committee investigating this years deadly Panhandle wildfires blasted state agencies and regulators for failing to communicate  and began hinting at possible legal changes it could propose as it wrapped up its work.

Thursdays hearing marked the end of the Legislatures three-day marathon of public hearings into the Smokehouse Creek fire and others that ripped through the Panhandle earlier this year, killing two. Hundreds of homes and ranches were also damaged or destroyed, and as many as 10,000 cattle were killed.

Among the witnesses this week were landowners, volunteer firefighters, utility companies and state agency officials. The committee, which includes three Republican House members and two local landowners, expects to publish its results on May 1.

State Rep. Ken King, a Canadian Republican and chair of the committee, said the Legislatures work was difficult but necessary.

You may not like the line of questions or the tone of questions, but we are here for answers, King told representatives of the states regulatory agencies early Thursday. Its not a personal attack on you or your agencies, but its time for answers.

Rancher Craig Cowden testifies to the House committee investigating the Panhandle wildfires Thursday in Pampa.

The hearings  meant to help understand how the Smokehouse Creek fire burned more than 1 million acres and became the largest in state history  put on display the distrust between Panhandle residents and state agencies and industry. In many cases, the residents of the Panhandle are closer to Denver, Albuquerque, and Oklahoma City than Austin.

At times, the hearings seemed to be a long-awaited opportunity for locals to vent their frustrations that predate this years fires.

Rancher Craig Cowden told the commission his ranch had been burned down multiple times since 2006, with the cause either a utility or oil company. He said he had contacted state regulatory agencies each year about down power lines on his property or fuses littering the ground, but he was constantly told that there was no jurisdiction over these matters.

The states forest service has concluded that a fallen decayed power line ignited the Smokehouse Creek fire. And Xcel Energy, a Minnesota-based company that provides electricity in the Panhandle, earlier acknowledged its infrastructure appeared to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire.

Mike Hoke, director of the Office of Public Engagement for the states Public Utilities Commission, said the agency doesnt conduct inspections and relies on the utility companies to hire investigators, who then report to them.

If there are gaps in bureaucracy, its very frustrating, Hoke said. As a civil citizen, you dont want to hear that it is not my job. I understand the frustration.

Xcel hired Osmose Utilities Services, a Georgia-based company, to perform safety inspections. Osmose declined to participate in this weeks hearings.

Randall Collins, assistant executive director of the Railroad Commission of Texas, said his regulatory agency also doesnt have the jurisdiction to inspect power lines and didnt know whose responsibility it fell under.

This frustrated committee members.

It appears we got a standoff between two regulatory agencies saying we dont have the jurisdiction, and then nothing gets done, said James Henderson, a landowner and public member of the committee.

Hoke also revealed that utility companies can hire any third-party contractor to inspect utility poles without oversight from their agency.

We regulate the utilities. Who does the inspection is a business decision by them, he said.

Osmose Utilities Services, a Georgia-based company contracted by Xcel Energy to perform safety inspections, skipped its chance to address lawmakers during the three days of public hearings in Pampa.

It all leads back to where is Osmose, King said.

State Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican on the committee, was animated when he suggested it was time for third-party inspection companies to be licensed in Texas.

I bet if (Osmose) was licensed, they would be here today because if they didnt, they might risk losing their license, he told the Public Utilities Commission.

King cautioned that, at the moment, the passion is high to enforce new rules on utility companies and to change the way state agencies operate, but once lawmakers get involved, the best of intentions can backfire.

I just want to ensure we arent opening Pandoras box, he said.

Adrian Rodriguez, president of Xcel Energys New Mexico and Texas Southwestern Public Service Company, told the Texas Tribune before his testimony on Thursday that his company was excited to hear about some policy suggestions to prevent another wildfire like this from happening again.

He said he has listened to the complaints from ranchers and landowners the past few days and is ready for lawmakers to do what is necessary.

Our employees are also members of this community, Rodriguez said. Many of them were also directly impacted by fire. Their friends, families and neighbors were impacted. We want to do what we can to keep these communities safe.

Both Xcel and Osmose are named in several lawsuits following the wildfires.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune here.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Public blasts Texas agencies for poor oversight at wildfire hearings
KINSHASA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were injured, with two in critical condition, when a small aircraft overshot the runway and ended up in a nearby ravine on Friday morning in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to local media reports.

"An aircraft crashed while landing on Zale around 9 a.m. According to initial information, the pilot lost control of the plane while trying to save the life of a person who was crossing the runway. The aircraft was found in the ravine," the Congolese Press Agency reported, citing Robert Ndjalonga, the provincial coordinator of the civil protection service.

The aircraft, which had departed from Bunia city, was bound for Mahagi in the Ituri province. 
Putin army ups 'tempo and size' of mechanised attacks in Ukraine as Republicans block huge aid package to Kyiv

Putin army ups 'tempo and size' of mechanised attacks in Ukraine as Republicans block huge aid package to Kyiv

Vladimir Putins forces are increasing the tempo and size of mechanised attacks throughout eastern Ukraine, say military experts, as Republicans in Washington block a huge aid package for Kyiv.

Ukrainian sources claimed Russias army was suffering heavy losses as it gained ground, including the destuction of numerous military vehicles.

The Institute for The Study of War said Russian forces conducted a roughly reinforced company-sized mechanised assault towards the town of Chasiv Yar, west of Bakhmut in the Donetsk province on April 4 and advanced up to its eastern outskirts.

Ukrainian forces destroyed 11 out of the 25 Russian armoured vehicles involved in the attack, according to a Ukrainian soldier.

Putins troops also made a series of other limited advances in the Bahkmut area including north of Vesele, northwest of Berestove and also seized a large section of southern Ivanivske, according to the Washington-based think tank.

The ISW added: Russian forces are currently increasing the tempo and size of their mechanised assaults throughout eastern Ukraine and may be intensifying the overall tempo of their offensive operations in Ukraine.

Military analysts believe this shift in Russian tactics may be to use the delay of more aid from the US for Kyiv to make advances, even if suffering heavy losses, or to do so before wetter spring weather makes it harder for tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to move on softer ground.

Putins army reportedly lost 12 tanks and eight infantry fighting vehicles in a battalion-sized mechanised assault near Avdiivka, in the eastern Donetsk province, at the end of last month.

NATOs 75th  a Foreign Ministers meeting  and what needs to happen next pic.twitter.com/bvat4wu84C  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 4, 2024

After a Nato summit in Brussels, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron stressed he would travel to Washington next week to urge Republicans to stop blocking the multi-billion dollar aid package for Ukraine.

Encouraging other countries to put pressure on the Republicans, he said in a video message from the Nato gathering: Its American security, its European security, its Britains security that is on the line in Ukraine and they need our help.

Britain and other countries need to examine how they could do more to provide air defences to Ukraine, he added, with Kyiv pleading for more Patriot systems.

Lord Cameron said there had been more than 700 missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in March alone.

He also urged more action to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraines defence against Putins invasion.

One day Russia is going to have to pay reparations for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, he added.

In the widening conflict area, Russian air defences downed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them over the Rostov region, the RIA news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Friday.

One drone was downed in the Saratov region where an airbase for Russian strategic bombers is located. Drones were also downed over the Kursk, Belgorod and Krasnodar regions, the ministry said.

Ukraines air force shot down all 13 drones used in Russias overnight attack on southern regions, the Ukrainian military said on Friday.

Shahed drones were destroyed over the Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Russia also used two S-300/S-400 missiles and three Iskander-M ballistic missiles in the attack.

One of the attacks targeted energy infrastructure in the Odesa region but air defences repelled all four drones, Ukraines southern group of forces said.

The debris damaged several private residences and farm buildings in Zaporizhzhia, the statement said.

Local officials also reported explosions in an attack in the eastern city of Kharkiv, a regular target of Russian attacks, late on Thursday.

The regions governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said the attack damaged four cars and a five-storey building with no casualties reported as of Friday morning.

Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian grid infrastructure in recent weeks, aiming to disrupt the countrys power and energy network.
Representative Jamie Raskins office slammed House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer on Friday, demanding that he explain why the leaders of the impeachment probe are failing to share evidence with other members of the committee.

Two weeks ago, Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan accused the CIA of obstructing a criminal investigation by intervening in an interview with Hunter Bidens attorney, Kevin Morris, conducted by the Department of Justicebut according to Raskin, the two lawmakers are refusing to share details.

Your March 21 letter looks like yet another episode in the Committees gullible campaign to amplify the vacuous claims of shadowy Trump World figures and foreign disinformation and propaganda operators, Raskin wrote in a letter obtained by The New Republic.

Whats more, you have completely ignored my staffs requests to be allowed to review the information that you say prompted your letter and upon which your letter is putatively and entirely based. This refusal to share Committee material with the Minority creates the unavoidable implication that this informationlike so many self-collapsing precursor tips in this Sisyphean quest for a scandalcannot withstand even the most cursory scrutiny by the Committees Democratic Members, Raskin said, arguing that the claims directly collide with the testimony of an Internal Revenue Service special agent and Morris himself, both of whom said the attorney cooperated with authorities.

But Comers troublingly opaque accusation earned more suspicion when Russian state media scooped up the claimthe second such instance of Russian intelligence involving itself with the GOPs impeachment inquiry.

Raskin noted that the perfectly punctual and unquestioning article published in Sputnik, a Russian-owned outlet, included statements supporting the dying impeachment inquiry from two discredited Trump World figuresRudy Giuliani associate Bradley Birkenfeld and former psychiatrist and Fox News contributor Keith Ablow.

One can only regard with amazement how quickly Sputnik identified these Trump World commentators to support this new story! Raskin said.

Comer, meanwhile, has already admitted that the impeachment was a dud. Last week, the Oversight chair confessed that criminal referrals were the most accountability that the meritless, wayward probe was going to achieve. That is, of course, a far cry from its original goal, which was to remove Joe Biden from office.

Its clear that Democrats will choose their party over their country and the truth at every turn. They should be ashamed of themselves, Comer wrote in a fundraising email in March. Thats why I am preparing criminal referrals as the culmination of my investigation.

So far, Republicans have failed to provide any witnesses or concrete evidence that prove criminal wrongdoing by the president. The committees former star witness, Alexander Smirnov, served as the singular source for claims that Biden had profited millions off of his sons connection to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. But that angle, which House Republicans had believed was their best bet at nabbing Biden, completely blew up in their face in February when Smirnov was indicted by the Department of Justice for lying to the FBI. Since then, Smirnov has reportedly admitted to law enforcement that top Russian intelligence officials were involved in the smear campaign against the sitting president.

Meanwhile, all of the other witnesses that Republicans have called, claiming that their testimony will blow the case wide open, have instead debunked every single accusation against the Biden family.
Rattlesnake bites 3-year-old walking ahead of grandpa on Arizona trail, officials say

A 3-year-old was walking ahead of his grandpa on an Arizona trail when he was bitten by a rattlesnake, fire officials said.

Rescuers responded to the incident at 10:58 a.m. on Thursday, April 4, on the Granite Mountain trail, the Scottsdale Fire Department said in a news release.

As firefighters responded to the area, the grandpa reached the trailhead and was carrying the boy in his arms, fire officials said.

The rattlesnake had bitten his leg, officials said. He was treated with antivenom and taken to a childrens hospital, the fire departments Captain Dave Folio told McClatchy News.

He was in stable condition, Folio said.

105 rattlesnake reports

Its not the first time this season that firefighters have responded to rattlesnake calls, he said.

Last month alone, firefighters had 105 calls for service regarding the snakes.

Folio said people report snakes that appear at their front door, garage or if it threatens their pet. In these cases, the snake is picked up and moved back to the desert, he said.

Its really rare we go out there and remove a snake, Folio said. It has to be threatening someone or blocking an exit or entrance.

But the department doesnt get many calls from people on trails.

They dont chase you. They are not threatening. You come into their space and they sense that heat signature. That rattle goes off and they warn you, Folio said.

Rattlesnakes are coming out

Arizona rattlesnake season starts in March and runs through October, according to the city of Buckeye.

The cold-blooded reptiles typically come out of hiding in the morning to soak up the sun until about 2 or 3 p.m., Folio said.

Hikers should take extra precautions to avoid running into these snakes, including looking out for them basking in the sun.

A flashlight should also be used if the sun goes down during a hike because rattlesnakes are more active at night during the summer months, city officials said.

Hikers should also avoid reaching into bushes or holes and other places where they cant see.

What to know about snake bites

Venomous snakes bite more than 7,000 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 5 of those people die, the CDC said. The number of deaths would be much higher if people did not seek medical care.

Rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths and coral snakes are all venomous snakes that live in the U.S.

If you see a snake, back away slowly and dont touch it. Heres what the CDC says you should do if a snake bites you:

Try to remember the color and shape of the snake. It could help with treating the bite.

Stay calm and still to slow down the spread of venom.

Seek medical care as soon as possible.

Apply first aid if you cant get to the hospital quickly.

Wash the wound with warm, soapy water.

Cover the bite with a clean cloth or dressing.

Dont slash the wound with a knife or try to suck out venom.

Dont apply ice to the wound.

Rattlesnake startles 78-year-old hiker and bites her on ankle, Arizona hospital says

Snake sleeping off a meal found on a toy shelf in Australia day care. See its capture

Odd lump under porch mat was alive and venomous, Arizona video shows
Justice for the Palm Sunday massacre fell short

Astoria: Lone survivor of 1984 massacre (March 24) brought back memories of Christopher Thomas, set free after spending 34 years behind bars for one of the most notorious crimes New York has ever had. Even the hardened criminals on Rikers Island were horrified by the brutal murders of two adult females and eight children. I was a correction officer on duty that dreadful night when the news of the killings flashed on the television screen. The inmates watched in stunned silence, until a voice screamed out, Well be waiting for your ass when you get here.

Two months went by before an arrest was finally made. Thomas was found in the Bronx House of Detention on an unrelated charge  sodomizing his mother. I just finished reading the details of his arrest when all of a sudden, Thomas was right in front of me. It was like he jumped out of the newspaper. He had the same devilish look and wore the same shirt as in his photo on the front page. I was working the elevator post inside Rikers Island Hospital, and a captain who escorted Thomas asked to be taken to the Protective Custody Unit, the only place that could save this shell of a man.

He was eventually convicted of a downgraded charge of manslaughter, an insult to every New Yorker. On his sentencing day, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Ronald Aiello said, Christopher Thomas belongs in jail for the rest of his life. He compared him to Son of Sam David Berkowitz, saying, I thought I had met the worst person in my life then, until I met you. Aris Sakellaridis

On the list

Woodside: Youve heard of the Do Not Call list, right? Well, I have the candidate Do Not Vote list. Anyone on the list never gets my vote again. The cruel congestion pricing done deal will add many to my list. Oh yeah, I know who you are. Linda Carlson

Passing the buck

Monroe Township, N.J.: As I read about congesting pricing supposedly benefiting the MTA, I have a question or two. According to what I have read, the MTA is counting on monies generated by congestion pricing to update the subway signal system and the system in general. However, I also read the MTA is losing about $700 million annually to fare-beaters. Even if this figure is inflated, they are losing hundreds of millions of dollars. Is there no accountability? Is the only answer to expect the driving public to cover their careless operating procedures? This carelessness is simply accepted while they pass the buck without regard to the average New York consumer. Steven Bellish

Shuttle scuttlebutt

Middle Village: To Channel 11 News: Your report on M train service disruptions is incorrect. The M train runs as a shuttle between Metropolitan Ave. and Myrtle Ave./Broadway in Brooklyn during off-peak hours. This is clearly stated on the MTA website. So, why is there a service disruption on the M line when the track work is nowhere near the area where the shuttle runs? Clearly, the MTA doesnt check these things, and even worse, forwards this to Channel 11. To the stuffed shirts at the MTA: Is this an example of why we need congestion pricing? You need to run a railroad, not a country club. Peter S. Santoro

Late to the party

Greenburgh, N.Y.: When I cast my ballot for president of the United States in the early voting for the April 2 primary, I felt cheated. Democrats and Republicans who took the time to vote for the most important position in the nation were being asked to cast their ballots after the frontrunners for both parties had secured enough delegates to win their parties nominations. Whats the sense of holding an election after the nominees have been selected? New York always schedules the presidential primaries on a day that the vote is meaningless. The state Legislature should commit to doing something different in four years  hold the presidential primary on Super Tuesday, when states throughout the nation vote. It would make our vote more meaningful. I want mine to count. Paul Feiner

Right back at ya

Yonkers: To Voicer Regina Rossi: Regarding your sentiments about Donald Trump and how you anxiously await the day he will be gone from this Earth, funny how myself and millions of others feel the same way about losers like you and the Democratic Party. Ralph A. Manente

Clueless content

Mount Sinai, L.I.: In this existential crisis, you continue to feature the moronic, lame Bottom Liners bottom feeders comic strip. Its offensive, uninformative and insulting to actual humans. Pandering to MAGA is not journalism. Voicer Bob Pascarellas letters should be enough stupid for a newspaper. Elliot Skydel

Check it out

Briarwood: To Voicer Joseph N. Manago: Why stay in Briarwood if you have the opportunity to live in a propiska in Moscow? I say run, run, run into the arms of Mother Russia! Let us know firsthand how happy you are so far away from the good old U.S.A. Your vacated space here will quickly be snatched up. Patricia Nuzzi

Ride clean

Ridgewood: Children should ride in clean electric school buses, not dirty diesel ones, or propane ones either (Electrifying boost for the city, March 19). Zero tailpipe emissions reduce student respiratory ailments and sick days and improve academic performance. Students need all the help they can get catching up after the lockdown left them struggling academically. Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul have each committed to electric school buses for all children by 2035. This development is not just good for children, but for the communities that host bus garages, the overall level of pollution and the economics of running schools. Zero-emissions buses may be more expensive up front, but federal funding is there to help purchase them, and they are much cheaper to maintain and operate than the old kind  and safe, reliable and quiet. As a mother in NYC, I navigate my first-grader among idling school bus tailpipes every day on our bike commute. Chandra Bocci

Clear the air

San Mateo, Calif.: Might we establish a no-fly zone over Gaza? We need to enforce the mandatory ceasefire resolution by the UN Security Council over those who refuse to follow international law. The conflicts in Lebanon and with the Houthi forces are only happening due to the Gaza conflict, nothing more. We accomplish several good outcomes at once. Hostages can only be exchanged in a ceasefire condition. The International Court of Justice is investigating the perpetrators of the October outrages as well as the war crimes after that event. All can only be brought to justice with international cooperation, not unilateral, indiscriminate violence against the entire population of Gaza. Enforcing international law would go a long way in achieving a repair of the hypocritical image of our nation. Mike Caggiano

No sympathy

Stratford, Conn.: Poor Angel Reese (LSUs Reese on death threats and attacks: Im still a human,  April 3). Call the wambulance! When she was giving all those hand signs and talking smack when LSU was winning, there was no mention of the death threats and the bad people who dissed her. She made her bed, now sleep in it. Her team consists of pugs, thugs and mugs. So happy they lost  has nothing to do with color, they are just mean. Peter Sulzicki

Post-haze

Lindenhurst, L.I.: Why does our Legislature jeopardize the life and health of all citizens? The CDC held that smoking marijuana can have health risks regardless of how it is used, because THC is impairing and can affect memory, attention, decision-making and risk-taking. Its bad enough that the individual is affected, but what about everyone else who is affected by secondhand smoke? What about children exposed to it? Your neighbor smokes outside and it permeates your house. Is that right or fair? In addition, it has the same potential for cancer as cigarettes. Are we to wait 20 years and then realize too late that weve destroyed health and lives? Eliminate this law now! Louise Perrotta
Some find it tellingand disturbingthat it took the killing of seven World Central Kitchen workers, including one American citizen, for President Joe Biden to declare that further U.S. support for Israels war in Gaza will depend on how carefully Israel protects Palestinian civilians caught up in the crossfire.

Biden has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to minimize civilian casualties ever since the war began six months ago and has continued to do so as estimated deaths in Gaza climbed to more than 30,000, with hunger and sickness among refugees nearing catastrophic levels.

But the WCK incident prodded Biden, for the first time, to tie U.S. policy to Israels behavior. As White House spokesman John Kirby put it at a news conference Thursday, speaking about Israel, If we dont see changes from their side, therell have to be changes from our side. This is new. Until now, Biden, Kirby, and other officials have said U.S. policy would not change, regardless of Israeli excesses.

Kirby was summarizing a half-hour phone conversation that Biden held with Netanyahu, in which the president also told the prime minister to push for an immediate cease-fire, though aides later emphasized his point that the cease-fire still needed to be tied to the release of some 135 hostages held by Hamas.

It is important to note that this shift did not come entirely as a result of the WCK attack. Biden and his top advisers have felt a growing frustration with Netanyahus lax attitude toward civilian casualties. Even more, they have increasingly realized that Israel has no real strategy for winning the warin which case it is all the more urgent to wrap it up, especially given the growing misery and chaos in Gaza, as well as the looming signs that the conflict may soon widen to inflame the entire region.

WCKs founder and CEO have charged that the bombing of their convoy was a targeted attack, a deliberate attempt to starve Gazans and thus use food as a weapon. The Israel Defense Forces strongly deny this and on Friday released video footage purporting to prove its case that the attack was a mistake. The WCK convoy had informed military commanders of its route and schedule, as it always does, following a process called deconfliction. But the notice wasnt passed down to officers in the field. Also, the IDF spokesman said, air crews thought they saw a man entering one of the vehicles with a gunwhen, in fact, he was carrying a backpack.

Whether or not you accept the IDFs explanation (and I find it plausible), it does not excuse what happenedand the reason why is crucial to understanding Bidens shift. In a written statement on Wednesday, condemning the attack, Biden said, Even more tragically, this is not a stand-alone incident. (Emphasis added.) A major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult is that Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers.

This is the point: The field officers failed to observe the deconfliction notice because they dont put a high priority on doing so. They dont put a high priority on doing so because their superiors havent punished them for not doing so.

In his statement on Wednesday, Biden said he had repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties. But (though he didnt say this) he had never punished Israel for failing to follow his directives either.

This is the significance of Thursdays shift: Biden has now told Netanyahu that things must changedeconfliction has to be a top priorityor else. Biden didnt spell out the precise consequences, or at least the official summary of his phone call didnt spell them out. But the conversation has had some effect.

First, the IDF fired two top officers and reprimanded two more as a result of the mistakea disciplinary act it has very rarely taken before. (The U.S. military has rarely done this either.) One can hope this sends a signal up and down the ranks that deconfliction notices are important.

More important, Netanyahu opened up three more corridors where aid can pass through the Israel-Gaza border. And, reversing an earlier decision, he sent David Barnea, the director of Mossad, Israels spy agency, back to Cairo for another round of talks on a hostages-for-prisoners exchange with Hamas. (CIA Director William Burns and the intelligence chiefs of Egypt and Qatar, who have been heading up these talks for months, are also heading back.)

The broader context for this growing pressure is the worry, if not panic, about the future course of the war itselfon not only humanitarian but also strategic grounds.

This worry hit a new peak this past Monday, during a virtual meeting between senior U.S. and Israeli officials. The point of the meeting was to discuss ways that Israel could rout Hamas leaders from the southern Gazan town of Rafah. Biden and his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, have said they support this aim but dont see how Israels army could mount a major offensive on the townwhich is what Netanyahu wants to dowithout killing a lot more civilians. There are 1.4 million people crammed in and around Rafah, most of them people who were displaced from northern Gaza in the early part of the war, now living in dire conditions. Long before the WCK incident, Biden warned Netanyahu not to go into Rafah without a plan for protecting all those people.

At Mondays meeting, according to a report by NBC News, the Israelis presented a plan to move these 1.4 million civilians into tents north of Rafah. The U.S. officialswho included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sullivan, and five others from the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Departmentnoted that the plan failed to indicate how to acquire and bring in so many tents or even to assess how much food, water, and sanitation equipment would be needed. In reaction, Ron Dermer, Israels minister of strategic affairs, began yelling and waving his arms around as he defended the plan.

NBC quoted an Israeli official who denied the drama, saying, The meeting was constructive and respectful.  There was no yelling at any point. But this denial skirted the main issuewhich is that the Israeli plan is nonsense. There is no way to launch a major ground offensive into Rafah without killing a lot more civilianswhich, Biden has told Netanyahu, would be unacceptable, not just on moral grounds but also for strategic reasons. Israels reputationwhich is already reeling, even among Americans and among its Arab neighbors, who have wanted to normalize relations but cant, for their own domestic reasons, as long as it continues killing Palestinian civilianswould sink to a catastrophic nadir.

For some time now, many analysts, here and in Israel, have doubted the realism of Netanyahus aim in the warwhich he has called total victory over Hamas. It is worth noting that the prime minister is not alone in proclaiming this as the wars aim. Even Benny Gantz, a member of Israels emergency war Cabinet but also a political rival to Netanyahu, has said that failing to conquer Rafah would be like firefighters extinguishing just 80 percent of a blaze.

Bidens shift is seen by some, in Israel and here, as a betrayal. But from these skeptics perspective, it is a necessary, long-overdue correctiveto spur Israels leaders to take steps that are in their countrys long-term interest.

Now the other powers in the regionEgypt, Saudi Arabia, and especially Qatar, which has been the main supplier and mediator for Hamasneed to step up as well. Even at his most critical, Biden acknowledged that a cease-fire can work only if there is also a deal to exchange Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel has agreed to major elements of such a deal. Hamas has rejected it. Biden is doing his part to push Israel. Now the neighboring Arab states have to do their part too.
Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, and Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, finish hashing out a debate over Senate rules on Senate Bill 99 on Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo by Blair Miller | Daily Montanan)

Its one thing to win elections by bashing government and falsely promising to do a better job. Its quite another to actually govern when you win those elections. And in that regard, the record is crystal clear at both the state and national level that the Republicans are incapable and incompetent when it actually comes to governing.

At the national level one need look no further than the chaos in the House of Representatives under the thin Republican majority  which grows thinner by the day as more members reject the MAGA nonsense and resign.

Whens the last time you recall the House operating efficiently, bringing forth and considering the vital measures to ensure the federal government is funded and functional? Heres a hint: Not since the Republicans took the majority, elected, then rejected, Speaker Kevin McCarthy for trying to keep the government running and replaced him with an even more right-wing speaker, Mike Johnson.

But now Johnson faces his own motion to vacate filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, from the so-called Freedom Caucus of which Montanas outgoing Rep. Matt Rosendale is an avowed member. And why are these dysfunctional Republicans threatening another speaker? For doing his job and supporting a bill to fund the government initially, but now over giving aid to increasingly beleagured Ukraine in the face of Russias continuing war of aggression.

Closer to home, the list of GOP failures to govern is even more stunning. For a political party that won every statewide office in the last election, the extent of its dereliction of duty is shameful.

Perhaps the leading loser is Montanas Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who continues to expand his record of losses in district and Supreme Court, spends inordinate amounts of time on issues outside of Montanas borders, and as a new survey revealed, even the Highway Patrol has little confidence in his leadership. One survey respondent wrote: I have a difficult time trusting management above the unit supervisor, while another added: They work for the optics.

Knudsen is the same guy who decided he should rewrite the language on the reproductive choice initiative  only to be summarily booted by the Supreme Court which then issued an order to Secretary of State, Christi Jacobsen, to immediately send out the initiativewhich she failed to do.

Leaping into that fray is none other than Senate President Jason Ellsworth, who has subpoened the Secretary of State for the materials in an attempt to not only keep the citizens of Montana from voting on reproductive rights, but subverting the Constitutions very clear guarantee of the Citizen Initiative process.

In the meantime, just in case one held out hope that our childrens education was perhaps clear of the GOPs inability to govern comes Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, who cant seem to even get school districts their budgetary information. As one school district superintendent put it: OPI used to serve the schools that served the kids. Thats not our experience anymore.

Indeed, its so bad even a bipartisan group of legislators submitted a letter to Arntzen for failing to fulfill her constitutional duties.

Then theres Gov. Greg Gianforte who squandered a $2 billion surplus handed to the state from the federal government the GOP loves to hate. In the meantime, our citizens struggle with skyrocketing tax burdens while Gianforte seems to think his job is to declare a disaster and send Montanas national guard troops to do vehicle maintenance on theTexas border.

The list of GOP incompetence and dereliction of duty is far too long for one column. But this is what happens when you elect people who are blinded by ideology and routinely disparage government to actually run government  a total and complete failure to achieve the primary reason government exists, which is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number.

The post The record is clear: The GOP cant govern appeared first on Daily Montanan.
WHO has recorded 1,682 attacks against health care in Ukraine since Russias full-scale invasion

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the World Health Organization has documented 1,682 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine, resulting in 128 deaths and 288 injuries among medical personnel and patients.

According to the WHO, ambulance workers and other health transport personnel face especially high risks, being three times as likely to be injured or killed compared to other healthcare workers.

Many emergency teams come under fire either on the way to a call or at their bases, head of the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine of Kherson Regional State Administration, Halyna Saldan said.

On March 15, a Russian missile strike on Odesa killed 20 people and injured 73 in a double-tap attack. After the first missile attack, a first responder and paramedic were killed in a follow-up strike upon their arrival at the scene to help the victims of the first one.

On April 4, a double-tap attack on Kharkiv killed four people, including three first responders.

Attacks involving healthcare workers have intensified throughout early 2024, with nearly one attack per day recorded in January as well as March.

WHO urgently reiterates its calls for the protection of health-care workers and patients, as well as the uninterrupted delivery of essential health services, WHO Representative Dr Jarno Habicht said.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russian missile strike on Odesa kills 20, injures over 70

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
MONTCOAL, WV (WVNS)  One of the most notable things associated with West Virginia is coal mining, but it is a job that does not come without risks.

There are many mine disasters that are a part of West Virginia history, and in 2010, a mine disaster killed 29 people and injured two at the Upper Big Branch mine in the Montcoal area of Raleigh County.

Mountain State Destinations: Matewan

According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, the Upper Big Branch mine disaster on April 5, 2010, was the worst coal mining disaster in the Mountain State since the Farmington mine disaster killed 78 people on November 20, 1968.

The Upper Big Branch mine disaster occurred between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on April 5, 2010 when explosions tore through the mine. Later on after an investigation, it was discovered that sparks ignited a pocket of methane, resulting in a fireball that set off methane and coal dust explosions throughout the mine.

The Investigation also found that the explosion could have been prevented, and that ways to protect miners such as the ventilation, did not work correctly. Massey Energy, the owner of the mine, was blamed in the investigation.

West Virginias worst mining disasters of the 1900s

The one thing I can say is we learn lessons in blood, you know, the things that the regulations and things that are put in place now are from lessons learned the hard way. When things like Upper Big Branch happen, they look at all of the things that happen that take place in the order that it did to cause something like that, and then they make changes to make it safer, to make it better. If an explosion were to happen tomorrow, thered be a whole new set of regulations and laws, and everything to try to prevent that from happening again. The reason we have the laws, safety rules, policies, and things that we have now is because, more than likely, somebody lost their life at some point in history because of that. So we as an industry take the things that happen like that, and try to make the conditions better and try to prevent things like that from happening. John Phillips | West Virginia Coal Miner

The president of Massey Energy, Don Blankenship, who led the company since 1992, resigned in December 2010. In fall 2015 he was tried on criminal charges and found guilty of a misdemeanor count of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards, and not guilty of felony charges. He was sentenced to a year in prison, followed by a year of parole, and a $250,000 fine on April 6, 2016.

In many cases, remembrance ceremonies are held to remember events and the people who lost their lives in instances such as the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. On April 5, 2024, a remembrance ceremony was held at the Raleigh County Courthouse for the 14th anniversary of the event.

Mountain State Destinations: Pinnacle Rock State Park

Photo Courtesy: Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce

Photo Courtesy: Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce

Photo Courtesy: Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce

Photo Courtesy: Raleigh County Sheriffs Office

Fourteen years ago, West Virginia suffered an unimaginable loss when 29 brave coal miners were killed in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. The anniversary of this tragedy reminds us that our miners are willing to risk their lives for us, and we owe it to them and their loved ones to prioritize their health and safety. My heart goes out to the friends and families of Carl, Christopher, Kenneth, Cory, Michael, Steve, Rick, Joe, Nicolas, Adam, Josh, Dewey, Gary, Grover, Ricky, Jason, Greg, Robert, Timmy, William, Dean, Roosevelt, Ronald, Eddie, Rex, Boone, Jody, Deward and Benny. Gayle and I join all West Virginians in honoring the memory of these 29 courageous miners who lost their lives that day and we will continue to keep them and their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)

However the events are not the only thing that need remembered when it comes to mining incidents like Upper Big Branch, the people who lost their lives need to be remembered as well. People who work in coal mines often do so as a way to provide for their families. Despite that, coal mining often appears to have a negative reputation.

Mountain State Destinations: John Henry and the Great Bend Tunnel

The fact of it is, when you look at things like that, for one, coal mining has a bad reputation for being dangerous anyway. A lot of like upper politicians and such are trying to do away with coal. It takes an open mind and a more local view on it to really appreciate it because its not so much as the people that die in explosions, roof collapses, and things like that, but you look at the men and what they do for their families, thats the big picture. You know, a lot of people think its just a job, and on January 4, 2024 a buddy of mine lost his leg, and hell never work again. When you put it in perspective, when you go in those kinds of conditions every single day for your family knowing that you might not even come out of it. Thats what people need to look at. The people that unfortunately die in explosions, roof collapses, and things like that, they paid the ultimate sacrifice. But when you think about why they did it or why they were even there, thats what hits home. Im not mocking people that work office jobs or hospitals or anything like that. People choose what career path they want, what they want to do for a living, and thats great and they support their family however they do it, thats fine. But when you go into coal mines for your family, and do what we do every single day, so that your kids can have a better life, then you appreciate it more. And when you look at things like Upper Big Branch, or Sago, or Bartley, or any of those mine explosions, those guys gave the ultimate sacrifice for the people they loved. It being a modern-day event, explosion, or catastrophe, or whatever you want to call it times nothing but a year you know? You can look all throughout history, theres Upper Big Branch, theres Sago 4 years before that, theres Layland, Monongah, Bartley, Pocahontas, Red Jacket down in Virginia. Theres been hundreds of them, and people just remember the explosion, they dont always see each individual life that was taken. John Phillips | West Virginia Coal Miner

Coal miners know the risks that are a part of their job, and remembering the people who lost their lives in events like Upper Big Branch is important to making sure that the people are never forgotten. Many areas with mining disasters in their history also have memorials for the people who lost their lives.

Mountain State Destinations: Cathedral State Park

I went about a week and a half to two weeks ago up to Babcock State Park, and one thing that I did was stop by the Layland Number 3 Memorial. They have a memorial for that explosion that has the names of each individual miner that was killed, and a plaque for them, and I know the park in Pineville has a plaque with each individual name on it. Regardless of the event, explosion, roof collapse, or anything like that youre not celebrating the event, and its not a remembrance thing for the event, its to remember the people and their lives. John Phillips | West Virginia Coal Miner

So, next time you see a coal miner, remember the daily sacrifices and risks they take to keep the lights on across the Mountain State, United States, and the World.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
NIAMEY, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Abdourahamane Tchiani, president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland of Niger, issued an order on Thursday dissolving the country's regional, city and district councils, Xinhua learned from an official source.

Tchiani then signed a decree appointing delegated administrators, on the proposal of the minister in charge of the interior, to administer rural municipalities, urban municipalities, cities and municipal districts. 
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Before he leaves Congress, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer wants officials to remove a loophole that has existed since the 1930s.

Created in 1938, the de minimis exception allows foreign packages to be shipped into the U.S. uninspected and untaxed as long as theyre worth less than a certain amount. AP News reported that packages required inspection if they were worth more than $5 when the rule was first adopted.

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That $5 equals to about $106 today, and in 2016, the amount was raised to $800.

During a roundtable held on Wednesday, Rep. Blumenauer told attendees the de minimis exception had been haunting him for the last couple of years.

We actually got the legislation past the house two years ago and somehow, [with] the machinations in the political process with the Senate, it got dropped from the CHIPS act, but were gaining momentum, Blumenauer said.

The congressman added that over a billion de minimis packages are expected to ship into the U.S. this year  and the number continues to grow.

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According to the Democratic representative, 13 Republican attorneys general noted the loophole is a portal for fentanyl.

At the roundtable, Lost Voices of Fentanyl member Jackie Thomas spoke about her late son Jacob who died of fentanyl poisoning at the age of 22 after using the drug to self-medicate for depression and anxiety.

When you go to the airport, my carry-on bag is inspected, my luggage is inspected, I have to have the proper ID and then Im inspected to get on a plane and thats the law, Thomas said. So why is cargo, packages, all this stuff coming in without what we go through?

Portland Police Association President Aaron Schmautz echoed her point, noting that officers had seen people from all backgrounds suffer from fentanyl use.

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Fentanyl is not just a drug of abuse, Schmautz said. Its an adulterant, its a poison and its coming through all these different pathways.

In addition to its contributions to Oregons drug crisis, Blumenauer said the de minimis loophole hinders domestic businesses and officials ability to block products made with forced labor from the U.S. economy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL)  State Rep. Tim Hicks (R-Gray) didnt want to limit his disappointment about a watered-down certificate of need (CON) bill to a meaningless no vote on an amendment in Wednesdays Tennessee House Health Committee meeting.

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Hicks used the bully pulpit, with a caveat to the committee chairman that I hate to do that, to express serious concerns about Ballad Health.

Its something that I have been interested in since I got here four years ago, and Ive supported this every single step of the way, Hicks said of CON reform, which is designed to increase competition in health care services by eliminating hurdles.

He said expectations seemed to keep changing on the Senate side and that CON was very important to Northeast Tennesseans because they see its reform as a potential antidote to Ballad Healths inpatient monopoly.

Tennessee Rep. Tim Hicks (R-Gray) speaks during a House Health Committee meeting April 3, 2024. (Tennessee General Assembly)

The people I serve, whenever I went home, theyre over being mad, Hicks said. Theyre over being upset. Theyre sort of sad and they feel betrayed now, and thats sort of sad when you go home.

This is the biggest issue that we have in Northeast Tennessee. Theres no question.

RELATED: CON bill wont include section making it easier to open a competing hospital to Ballad

Hicks spoke after the committee passed an amendment to keep CON requirements for outpatient diagnostic centers by a vote of 18-6. Four of the no votes came from Northeast Tennessee lawmakers Hicks, David Hawk (R-Greeneville), Gary Hicks (R-Rogersville) and Timothy Hill (R-Blountville).

A CON working group had recommended phasing out the requirements for nearly all health facilities and replacing them with licensure rules. In a nutshell, CON laws require groups wanting to establish new healthcare facilities in multiple categories to show a need for the service, and those applications can be challenged by existing providers or anyone else.

Numerous states have eliminated CON, but opposition among some Senate leaders to the whole-hog approach led sponsor Clark Boyd to make some changes.

Weve worked with a lot of folks to get this bill in a posture where it can move forward and its probably not 100% of what everyone on this committee wants, but I think its probably 75 or 80% of what we want, Boyd said.

All four Northeast Tennessee reps voted yes on the final version that will go to the Senate, but both Hicks and Hawk took time to express their displeasure. The subject of competition carries particular weight in Northeast Tennessee partly because Ballad has a monopoly on inpatient services granted by the state in 2018.

That was when Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System merged to create the new hospital group, enabled by a structure that requires oversight from the Tennessee Department of Health and Attorney General to ensure the system provides a public advantage.

Hicks seemed to suggest the current oversight and communication surrounding Ballad wasnt satisfactory to him.

Im not gonna talk bad about people because thats not what Im here for, but I am here because I believe in  getting people sitting around a table and talking about issues and collectively trying to solve issues, Hicks said.

I want to give out a challenge to Ballads leadership, all the departments, the AG has a role in this, the Department of Health has a role in this, the Northeast legislators, we all have a part in this, he continued.

Hawk, who has been increasingly critical of Ballad recently, went further.

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Ballad Health System in particular, the healthcare system and its CEO Alan Levine have created an incredibly divisive situation in Northeast Tennessee where they are heavy-handed and they are weakening health care in our region, Hawk said.

Thats reflective of what you saw just a few moments ago, he added, referencing the amendment on outpatient diagnostic centers.

Boyd, the House sponsor, said he wished the bill reflected the working groups recommendations.

To quote Clint Eastwood in one of his Dirty Harry movies you have to, you gotta know your limitations, and this was very fragile how we put this together, and in order to get something passed we have worked with the different stakeholder groups, Boyd said.

I hear the grief and I hear the concern from my colleagues from East Tennessee, and I want you to know that I dont disagree with you at all.

Neither did Dan Bragg, Chief Administrative Officer for State of Franklin Healthcare Associates (SoFHA)  at least when it came to the desire for a stronger CON reform.

Were very concerned that services are being left under CON and the time frames that are in there are long for moving things out of CON, said Bragg, whose provider practice group recently became employee-owned. Several of the measures dont take effect until 2027 and 2029.

Our support was for the original proposition  because our position is we want to provide great care for our patients, thats always the number one thing, and we are trying to remove barriers to that, Bragg said.

Ballad CEO Levine offered a written response to questions about Hickss comments in particular, saying Ballad agrees (I)ts important for everyone to listen to each other.

Bobby Harshbarger, son of Rep. Diana Harshbarger, to challenge state Sen. Jon Lundberg

I applaud Rep. Hicks for taking the position that we all need to work together, Levine wrote. First to understand the problem, and then to focus together on the solutions.

Levine said when it comes to CON  the system wasnt originally allowed to oppose applications under the merger terms, but now is  Ballad hasnt opposed a single diagnostic center in Hickss home county of Washington.

Levine also wrote that Ballad has not opposed any surgery centers except a Karing Hearts cath lab, which was granted a CON by the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission.

So, Im not sure what the frustration is there. There are more competitive diagnostic centers, urgent care centers and surgery centers in the Ballad Health footprint today than there were when Ballad Health was formed. So, Im unclear what the issue is there, as there is more competition, not less.

Levine did acknowledge that the frustrations he said are common throughout the country over wait times, hospital closures and health care generally is happening all over the place including Northeast Tennessee.

Levine ended his response by saying Northeast Tennessees legislative delegation made the right choice in supporting the 2015 law change that allowed for the creation of Ballad.

Frankly, if not for the legislative delegation supporting the creation of the (Certificate of Public Advantage), our region today would have fewer hospitals, and very likely our health care would be controlled by people who live somewhere else, Levine wrote. That was the path we were on, and I can only point to the evidence related to hospital closures, which continue to occur almost weekly.

The Tennessee Senate has yet to finalize its version of the CON reform bill, which is sponsored by Republican Shane Reeves.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez is pushing back on calls for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to resign soon to give President Joe Biden the chance to appoint a liberal replacement.

The outspoken senior New York lawmaker says fellow Democrats should allow the trailblazing 69-year-old jurist to make her own decision about when or if she wants to step down from the nations top court.

Forcing the only Latina on the Court to retire isnt going to get us a liberal majority back, Velazquez tweeted late Thursday.

Velazquez, 70, the dean of the Puerto Rican caucus known affectionately as "la luchadora," or the fighter, was responding to remarks by Sen. Richard Blumenthal suggesting Sotomayor should consider stepping aside given her age and less-than-robust health.

There are only three liberal judges on the nine-member court, with conservatives holding six spots.

Blumenthal, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that handles Supreme Court appointments, said he has great admiration for the Bronx-born Sotomayor, but everyone should consider whether its time to retire.

We should learn a lesson. And its not like theres any mystery here about what the lesson should be, Blumenthal, 78, said. The old saying: Graveyards are full of indispensable people.

Blumenthal and other liberals worry that Sotomayor, who suffers from diabetes, might be forced to leave office by ill health or death during the next presidents four-year term.

Of course that would only matter if Biden loses his reelection fight to former President Donald Trump, making it a touchy subject for fellow Democrats.

We cant change the past. Whats done is done, Velazquez said. I believe we can win this November, but based on your comments, Senator (Blumenthal), it seems youve given up.

A 78-year-old telling a 69-year-old its time to retire. Seriously? asked U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Texas Democrat. Lets focus on winning in November, not planning for defeat.

Democrats are scarred by Republicans extraordinarily political success at stacking the top court with conservative justices and shifting it far to the right in recent years.

After the death of sitting Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, the GOP-controlled Senate successfully rebuffed then-President Barack Obamas attempt to appoint a replacement, allowing Trump to appoint Justice Neil Gorsuch after he won the White House.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, known as a consensus-minded conservative, resigned in 2018, giving Trump ample time to replace him with controversial Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Most notably, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in office less than two months before Bidens victory in the 2020 election, giving Trump a chance to appoint a third right-wing judge in Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Many liberals, including some of Ginsburgs strongest admirers, say she should have stepped aside when Democrats held the White House and the Senate to prevent putting the seat at risk.

Although he didnt mention RBG by name, Blumenthal made little effort to conceal that he believes Sotomayor should consider the danger of a similar scenario unfolding with her seat on the court.

Other senior lawmakers declined to back Blumenthals statement, although some said a 7-2 conservative majority could impose its views on Americans in a way even the current court has so far been unable to do.

Sotomayor herself has not commented on the calls for her to retire. Retiring Supreme Court justices in recent years have usually announced their decisions after the end of the courts spring session in late June.

The White House says retirement is strictly Sotomayors call to make.

That is a decision for that justice to make. Again, its a personal decision, said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. They should be given the space and freedom to make that decision.

_____
The candidates for the Republican nomination for the 30th District state Senate seat took off the gloves at a forum in Wichita Falls Thursday, challenging each others qualifications for the job.

Brent Hagenbuch, a former Denton County Republican chair, contrasted his career as a businessman creating jobs to opponent Jace Yarbroughs profession as a trial lawyer.

Businessmen make money. Trial lawyers try to take your money, he said, calling Yarbrough a smooth talker.

Jace Yarbrough, left, and Brent Hagenbuch, GOP candidates for Texas 30th Dist. Senate seat, traded jabs at a forum in Wichita Falls Thursday.

He said Yarbrough has bounced from three or four different firms since he graduated from law school six years ago.

More: Wichita County residents pick candidates in Tuesday primaries

Thats certainly not a record of success like Ive had, Hagenbuch said.

Yarbrough said he left law firms to start his own practice to fight for conservative causes.

My law firm and I are proud to represent Texas Right to Life, he said, pointing out theyre representing clients who sued the city of San Antonio for paying to have Texas women transported out of state to have abortions.

Brent Hagenbuch, a candidate for the Texas 30th Senate District, told a group in Wichita Falls he has earned the endorsements of former President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and other top Republicans.

Hagenbuch, a former Navy officer, questioned Yarbroughs military record.

He had difficulties in the Air Force. My opponent has said he is not promotable, Hagenbuch said.

Yarbrough, a major in the Air Force Reserves, said he is not promotable because he refused to be vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It would have violated my faith. Im proud of it, he said. Im running for this office because institutions that Texans have to rely on, like the military, have been turned against Texas families.

Yarbrough claimed Hagenbuch drove the Denton County Republican Party into the ground when he was chairman.

He left it bankrupt, divided and dysfunctional, Yarbrough said.

Hagenbuch said the GOP party reversed a growing trend of Democratic Party voting while he was chair.

Thirtieth District Texas Senate candidate Jace Yarbrough says he has the support of grassroot conservatives.

Yarbrough questioned whether Hagenbuch actually lived in the 30th Senate District as required by law, an issue that sparked controversy before the March 5 primary.

The Denton County GOP has formally twice condemned my opponent for pathological lying over residency, he said. His residency claims are absurd.

Hagenbuch said the residency question has gone to court three times, and each time he prevailed.

He knows this. Its time to stop calling me a liar, Hagenbuch responded.

Hagenbuch mentioned his endorsements from former President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and other party leaders.

Yarbrough said he has the support of grassroot conservatives.

Both men touted their Christian and conservative beliefs, and both put border security high on their list of priorities.

Im committed to secure the border and make sure we rid ourselves of the invaders that have come in, Hagenbuch said. Our families are not safe until we do that.

If we elect President Trump in November, thats awesome. Were going to reverse the trend at the border, Yarbrough said. But the next Democrat is going to remanufacture this crisis.

The candidates spoke at a forum hosted by the Wichita Falls Tea Party Patriots at Red River Harley-Davidson.

Four Republican candidates ran for the Senate seat in March after incumbent Drew Springer decided to not run for re-election. Because no candidates got 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Hagenbuch and Yarbrough, were forced into a runoff.

Democrats also have a runoff between Michael Braxton and Dale Frey for their partys nomination for the race.

The runoff elections are May 28.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Senate candidates trade barbs at WF forum
Brian Perras has filed to challenge Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Brandon, in the Republican primary for the U.S. House District 15 election.

A first Republican has emerged to take on U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Brandon, following a social media post from former President Donald Trump urging a primary challenge to her.

And a prominent Democrat, Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp, has also entered the race for U.S. House District 15.

Brian Perras of Port Richey filed on Sunday to run as a Republican, records from the Federal Election Commission show. Perras, 46, said he is responding to Trumps call. The former president apparently targeted Lee because she was the only Florida Republican in Congress to endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis in the presidential race, though she stated her support for Trump after DeSantis suspended his campaign in late January.

President Trump was calling on his MAGA Republicans to get in this race, and I am the biggest and probably the number one mega Republican there's been, in stepping up for our nation and our republic, Perras said Tuesday.

Lee, a former Florida secretary of state, is in her first term.

District 15 includes northwest Polk County, including most of Lakeland west of South Florida Avenue and U.S. 98 North, and parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Perras said he is a U.S. Navy veteran and is now retired while managing investment properties. He said he volunteers for an anti-human trafficking organization and operates a community farm.

Perras had previously filed to run for Pasco County supervisor of elections. He ran in the 2022 Republican primary for U.S. House District 12, challenging incumbent Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, and finished fourth in the primary race with 3.8% of the vote.

Florida Supreme Court Abortion rulings produce mixed reactions from both sides in Polk County

He said he has tangled with leaders of the Pasco County Republican Party and was banned from attending Pasco County School Board meetings after protesting a requirement for student mask use during the COVID pandemic.

Perras campaign platform includes a call to bring military members home and have them guard the southern border.

Kemp, 66, is the second Democrat in the race, joining former Lake Wales City Commissioner Kris Fitzgerald.

A Tampa resident of nearly 40 years, Kemp gained election to the Hillsborough County Commission in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. She is barred from seeking a third term.

Pat Kemp, a Hillsborough County Commissioner, has entered the race for U.S. House District 15 as a Democrat.

Kemp has worked as a lawyer in private practice and for Bay Area Legal Services. She served as chief aide to U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, when Castor was a Hillsborough County commissioner, and as an aide to Florida Rep. Sara Romeo.

Kemp also spent more than a decade as a news director and radio talk show host at WUSF and WMNF in Tampa.

Kemp said she is concerned about the direction of the Republican-controlled U.S. House, and she criticized Lee as generally following the GOP party line. She also faulted the incumbent for voting against the expulsion of Rep. George Santos and pushing for the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security.

This is a very winnable district, Kemp said. It's a moderate district. But I think it's very important that we have a Democratic voice. I think people are extremely frustrated with how dysfunctional Congress is now, and the incumbent has been there two years, and she's part of the problem, as I see it.

Kemp stated her support for abortion rights, predicting that the Florida Supreme Courts ruling that brings a six-week abortion into effect May 1 will motivate voters to turn out in November.

As of Wednesday, Lees campaign reported $438,000 in available cash. Fitzgerald had reported more than $17,000 in contributions and $733 in cash on hand. Kemp had not yet filed any campaign finance reports. An independent candidate, Alexander Peterson of Lakeland, does not meet the age requirement for the office.

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: Republican files to challenge Laurel Lee as 2nd Democrat enters race
The campaign of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has walked back a fundraising email describing Jan. 6 rioters as activists, reports say.

The communication, which was retracted within hours, was signed by Team Kennedy, according to NBC News. This is the reality that every American Citizen facesfrom Ed Snowden, to Julian Assange to the J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties, the email read.

Alyssa Farah Griffin: RFK Jr. Isnt Just an Anti-Vaxxer, Hes a Gaslighting Fraud

That statement was an error that does not reflect Mr. Kennedys views, Kennedy spokesperson Stefanie Spear said later. It was inserted by a new marketing contractor and slipped through the normal approval process.

The campaign also told The New York Times that it had terminated its contract with the company it blamed for the mistake, with Spear adding that anybody who violated the law on Jan. 6 should be subject to appropriate criminal and/or civil penalties.

The bungled email echoed the rhetoric of Kennedys 2024 presidential election rival Donald Trump, who is given to describing the rioters as hostages who have been treated unfairly by the justice system.

Earlier this week, RFK Jr. sparked a backlash by saying he could make the argument that President Biden is the much worse threat to democracy than Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate running for president, sent out a fundraising email Thursday that called the defendants who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, activists, but his team later backtracked, saying it was an error.

The emails, sent to his supporters Thursday, said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a political prisoner and suggested that he and Jan. 6 rioters are victims of an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

Rarely do opposites attract, especially in Washington. Yet regarding the case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who is facing extradition to the US, both hard-right Marjorie Taylor Green and hard-left Ilhan Omar Agree: We Must Free Assange Now! the email read.

The Brits want to make sure our government doesnt kill Assange. This is the reality that every American Citizen faces  from Ed Snowden, to Julian Assange to the J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties, it said.

Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stephanie Spear said in a statement obtained by The Hill that the emails language was an error.

That statement was an error that does not reflect Mr. Kennedys views, Spears statement said, first reported by NBC News. It was inserted by a new marketing contractor and slipped through the normal approval process.

In an updated statement, Spear said the campaign has terminated its contract with this vendor.

NBC News noted that only 15 Jan. 6 defendants are being held in pretrial detention. Most of those people have been accused of violence against law enforcement officials during the attack on the Capitol.

In an interview last month, Kennedy said he wont speak about potentially pardoning the rioters until he wins the general election. He said he would approach it on a case-by-case basis, but he stated that he would pardon American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and Assange.

I would pardon people, Kennedy told Fox Newss Neil Cavuto in March. I intend to use the pardon power, and I intend to use it very quickly in office.

Kennedys website said its time to stand up for Assange and on my first day in office Assange would be pardoned. The candidate said he will issue an executive order that will end all attempts by federal agents and federal agencies to censor the political speech of Americans.

More than 1,300 people have been charged related to the riot at the Capitol, and at least 400 have been charged with assaulting law enforcement, the Department of Justice reports.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday raised the possibility that the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol was not a true insurrection and expressed concern about the weaponization of government against those charged with crimes in connection to the riot.

It is quite clear that many of the January 6 protestors broke the law in what may have started as a protest but turned into a riot. Because it happened with the encouragement of President Trump, and in the context of his delusion that the election was stolen from him, many people see it not as a riot but as an insurrection, he said in a statement.

He continued, I have not examined the evidence in detail, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, tell me there is little evidence of a true insurrection.

The statement inaccurately says that none of the protesters had plans to overthrow the government, even though some of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were convicted of sedition. It also repeated the long-debunked claim that the rioters carried no weapons while attacking the Capitol, which Kennedy later said he was retracting when reached by CNN for comment.

My understanding that none of the January 6 rioters who invaded the capitol were carrying firearms was incorrect, he said in response to CNNs inquiry.

In the statement, Kennedy called the January 6 attack one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape and said he wants to hear every side of the issue in the lengthy statement. He condemned protesters who broke the law and Trumps delusion that the election was stolen while questioning whether political objectives led to the prosecution of January 6 protestors.

Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, their long sentences, and their harsh treatment, Kennedy said in the statement. That would fit a disturbing pattern of the weaponization of government agencies  the DoJ, the IRS, the SEC, the FBI, etc.  against political opponents.

One can, as I do, oppose Donald Trump and all he stands for, and still be disturbed by the weaponization of government against him, he continued.

His rhetoric, whitewashing the January 6 attack, mirrors some of the commentary coming from Trump and other right-wing figures.

Undercutting Kennedys claims that the cases have been politically motivated, the rigorous prosecutions of January 6 rioters began almost immediately, while Trump was still president, and while his appointees were running the Justice Department.

Further, prosecutors have used discretion while deciding who to charge. They have largely focused on people who entered the Capitol itself. Thousands of Trump supporters who were captured on video blatantly breaching Capitol grounds, but not stepping foot in the building, are not currently facing any charges.

A bipartisan majority of Congress voted that January 6 was an insurrection during Trumps second impeachment, though Trump was acquitted at his Senate trial in 2021.

In the statement, Kennedy pledged to name an independent special counsel to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends in January 6 cases.

As President, I will appoint a special counsel  an individual respected by all sides  to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends in this case, and I will right any wrongs that we discover. Without the impartial rule of law, there is no true democracy or moral governance, Kennedy said.

Kennedy sought to criticize both Trump and President Joe Bidens response to the January 6 insurrection, which he said stokes partisan divides in the country, in an effort to distinguish himself as an alternative to both candidates.

Both establishment parties are using J6 to pour fuel on the fire of Americas divisions. Each side claims that a victory by their opponents means the end of democracy. Then, anything is justified to stop them. We run the risk of destroying democracy in order to save it, Kennedy said. Instead of demonizing our opponents as apocalyptic threats to democracy, lets focus on the issues and priorities of how they will govern, and defeat them at the ballot box rather than through legal maneuvers and dirty tricks.

The Democratic National Committee condemned Kennedys statement for downplaying the seriousness of January 6th.

After hours of negative press coverage, RFK Jr. used hundreds of words to both-sides the January 6th insurrection. There arent two sides to violent rioters who assaulted police officers and tried to overthrow our democracy, DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni said.

Kennedys statement comes after his campaign sent fundraising emails earlier this week that referred to January 6 defendants as activists who have been stripped of their constitutional liberties.

On Thursday, Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear told CNN the language in the fundraising email does not reflect Mr. Kennedys views and said Kennedy believes those who violated the law in connection to January 6 should be subject to appropriate criminal and/or civil penalties.

Kennedy has recently downplayed the risks to democracy that either candidate poses, telling CNNs Erin Burnett on Monday he believes neither candidate poses a genuine threat to democracy, but labeling Biden as the candidate who poses the greater threat. Kennedys argument was based in being banned on some social media platforms during the Biden administration.

(Trump) overthrowing  trying to overthrow the election clearly is threat to democracy, Kennedy said in a CNN interview on Monday. But the question was, who is a worse threat to democracy? And what I would say is  Im not going to answer that question. But I can argue that President Biden is because the First Amendment, Erin, is the most important.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNNs Daniel Dale contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has released a statement clarifying that he cant actually clarify his stance on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He hasnt examined the evidence, many people are telling him many things, both sides have made arguments, and someone should really look into it.

After days of doing damage control over a fundraising email in which his campaign referred to the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 as J6 activists, Kennedy released a lengthy statement to clarify his views on the attack, but somehow failed to provide any sort of clarity.

January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side, Kennedy wrote.

I have not examined the evidence in detail, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, tell me there is little evidence of a true insurrection, he added, without naming who exactly was feeding him the pro-insurrectionist, anti-Trump viewpoint. They observe that the protestors carried no weapons, had no plans or ability to seize the reins of government, and that Trump himself had urged them to protest peacefully. In reality, there were weapons in the Capitol, a Missouri man was sentenced on Friday for carrying a semi-automatic pistol into the building during the riot. There was a plot to seize the reins of government, it infamously required the cooperation of former Vice President Mike Pence, who was threatened with summary execution by the rioters when he refused to entertain the ploy.

Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, their long sentences, and their harsh treatment. That would fit a disturbing pattern of the weaponization of government agencies  the DoJ, the IRS, the SEC, the FBI, etc.  against political opponents.

Kennedy added: One can, as I do, oppose Donald Trump and all he stands for, and still be disturbed by the weaponization of government against him.

INBOX: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Issues Statement on January 6 pic.twitter.com/cfKmDg5dua  Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) April 5, 2024

The claim that the Jan. 6 riot was not actually an attempted insurrection but an unfortunate case of well-meaning tourists getting a little too comfortable in the Capitol is a lie. Its a lie that has been heavily promoted by prominent right-wing politicians and commentators hellbent on ensuring that government officials who pushed false claims of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election avoid any form of accountability  and so far theyve been very successful.

The attack on the Capitol caused over $3 million in damages to the complex, injured over 170 law enforcement officials, resulted in multiple deaths and suicides, and almost prevented the certification of President Joe Bidens election. But for Kennedy, who regularly trafficks in the sort of conspiracies now ubiquitous among the right, its not actually a matter of rigorous evidentiary examination (theres been plenty of it in the last four years) but of political expediency.

Kennedy has carved out a niche for himself within the 2024 presidential contest by elevating himself, with a helpful boost from right-wing media, as first and foremost a disaffected Democrat being persecuted by the Biden administration over his political views. Earlier this week, Kennedy repeatedly emphasized his belief that Biden is a greater threat to democracy than Trump. His reasoning largely rests on accusations that Biden is using federal agencies to censor political speech, to censor his opponent. In his media blitz surrounding the statements, Kennedy blamed the Biden administration for social media companies policies against the spread of vaccine misinformation, a hallmark of Kennedys career.

Its no wonder Kennedy finds himself unable to unequivocally condemn an attack on the Capitol when he cant even bring himself to say that the man who attempted to overturn his presidential election loss is the primary threat to democracy among his opponents. Instead, Kennedy said on Friday that as president he would appoint a special counsel  an individual respected by all sides  to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends, in the case of Jan. 6.

Kennedy added that both establishment parties are using J6 to pour fuel on the fire of Americas divisions, but everything else in Kennedys non-clarification reads like a summary of Republicans revisionism over the riot.

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Half a century ago, during a pivotal period of economic development for Tanzania and Zambia, tens of thousands of Chinese people arrived in the nations to assist in the construction of the TAZARA railway. This project, often regarded as China's significant contribution to the African continent, stands as a symbol of collaboration and support between nations striving for progress.

During the construction of the railway, nearly 70 Chinese people, including engineers, technicians and workers, lost their lives. Their names were inscribed on their tombs at a cemetery in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam, standing not only as a historical testimony to China-Africa friendship but also as an enduring monument to the strong and lasting relations between China and Africa.

On Thursday, the Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese festival during which people pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors, staff from the Chinese embassy in Tanzania, representatives of Chinese communities and Tanzanian government officials gathered at the cemetery to honor the Chinese martyrs, acknowledging their significant contributions to the construction of the railway and their role in promoting the economic and social development of Tanzania and Zambia.

The TAZARA railway, also known as the "Uhuru Railway" or "Independent Railway," spans 1,860 km from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. Construction commenced in October 1970 and was completed by July 1976.

Serving as a major transportation artery spanning East Africa and Central-Southern Africa, it stands as China's largest foreign aid project to date. Throughout its six-year construction period, China dispatched over 50,000 personnel to engage in every phase, from surveying and design to construction and operation.

"At its peak, the workforce for the TAZARA railway construction comprised 38,000 Tanzanian and Zambian employees, alongside 15,000 Chinese technical and engineering personnel," said Zhang Junle, Tanzania's managing director for China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

Zhang emphasized the need to preserve and uphold the spirit of the Tanzanian railway, advocating for ongoing efforts to integrate its ethos into all aspects of enterprise development, thereby creating value and driving action.

"They are heroes who have forged a monument of China-Tanzania and China-Africa friendship. Chinese and African people will always remember their names, as they will remember the TAZARA railway," said Chen Mingjian, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, who paid tribute to the Chinese martyrs.

Chen said half a century ago, the elder generation of Chinese, Tanzanian and Zambian leaders made the historic decision together to build the TAZARA railway.

"Despite facing its own challenges, China helped build the railway, demonstrating concrete actions to support African countries in their just cause of national liberation and strong desire for economic development," said the Chinese envoy.

The railway alleviated landlocked Zambia's economic reliance on southern African ports. "Today, we witness a new dimension where the TAZARA railway can connect the entire southern African region to Dar es Salaam port in eastern Africa," he said.

Tanzania's Minister for Transport Makame Mbarawa also paid tribute to the Chinese martyrs at the cemetery. "The people of Tanzania will never forget their contribution to the economic development of this region," he said. 
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  An investigation led by the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office led to the arrest of a San Angelo woman who was charged with possession of approximately 8.5 ounces of suspected methamphetamine.

According to a statement issued by the Sheriffs Office, Misty Walden, 37. of San Angelo, was arrested at the Roadway Inn Hotel after a search warrant led to the discovery of the narcotics. Walden is charged with the manufacture or delivery of more than 200 grams of a controlled substance.

The investigation that led to Waldens arrest was led by the Tom Green County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Division, with the assistance of deputies in the Patrol Division. Special Agents with the Department of Public Safety and Special agents with the FBI also took part in the investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A robbery suspect who terrorized employees while threatening to kill them at a home furnishings business in Dilworth is still being sought.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police told Queen City News the incident occurred at the Adobe Home store on East Boulevard in the Dilworth neighborhood last fall.

Detectives say he told two employees he had a gun and demanded cash and that once he got the cash, he forced the employees into the restroom and threatened them. Stay here, dont call anybody or I will kill you, CMPD said the suspect told the employees.

Were hoping someone will recognize him. He does walk with the limp and has some missing teeth.

A cash reward is being offered for any tips.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A German robo-shop has hit out at a court decision to prevent it opening on Sundays amid a row over whether federal laws enshrining weekend rest should apply to unmanned stores.

Thomas Stab, a board member of the German supermarket chain Tegut criticised a court ruling which has forced it to close its stores in Hesse on Sunday despite them being fully automated, claiming the decision was entirely grotesque.

Tegut has 40 fully automated mini stores which sell essentials including butter, vegetables and milk. These are separate to its 300 traditional supermarkets across Germany.

The shops are monitored using CCTV, with people scanning and paying for items at self-service checkouts. Tegut collects customers IDs when they enter the store, using their payment cards to avoid shoplifting.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Stab said the shops were basically walk-in vending machines which should not have to abide by federal laws forcing stores to close on Sunday.

The court judgment, which came last December, applies to its stores in Hesse, the German state which includes Frankfurt, but not in other areas such as Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg.

The Sonntagsruhe, or Sunday rest laws, have been in place since 1919, requiring most businesses to close their doors. The laws do not apply to restaurants, pharmacies or fuel stations.

As part of the court decision, the judges claimed that the legislation was not only about staffing but dated back to Christian principles.

Mr Stab told the Financial Times that religious groups had not raised concerns over the robo-store opening, saying: In one case, the Catholic Church is even our landlord, and the pastor never raised any concern.

However, some religious groups have been keen to keep Sunday rest laws in place, including KWA, which is part of the German Protestant Church. It told the Financial Times: Our society needs a special day per week that has its own characteristics to celebrate Christian spirituality and to have shared experiences with friends and family.

Other restrictions in Germany over store opening hours have been scrapped over the past 30 years, including laws requiring shops to close at 6.30pm during the week.

The Sunday rest rules in Germany are more strict than laws in England and Wales, where smaller stores are allowed to be open all day on Sunday. Larger stores are limited to six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm. Trading restrictions do not apply to airport and railway stores, pharmacies and service station outlets.

The Government had been planning to deregulate Sunday trading hours in 2020. However, it dropped the proposals after backbench Tory MPs said they would vote against it.

More recently, a think tank backed by the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove raised the suggestion that Sunday trading laws should be ditched during major floods.

In 2022 Bright Blue said this could help ensure food, cleaning supplies and replacement personal items are available to those who need them.

The think tank said any relaxation would need to be tightly defined and very clearly temporary.

It came as the UK is battered by more unsettled weather, with the period between July and December last year the wettest on record.

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Rodents wreaking havoc: Reports of rats chewing through car wires on the rise in Boston

Boston, which already ranks as one of the most pest-infested cities in America, is facing a new round of rat problems.

Several new 311 reports in the city indicate an uptick in rats chewing through car wires in the Washington Street area in the South End.

Neighborhood residents believe the pesky rodents are attracted to soy-based wiring and insulation that is commonly found in newer cars.

This insulation can be an irresistible treat for rats, mice, squirrels, and even rabbits, Car and Driver wrote in a report on the soy-based materials. The issue has become so widespread that several class-action lawsuits have been levied at automakers.

Pest companies suggest motorists park in a garage and on asphalt instead of grassy areas, and toss any food wrappers or containers that can be used to build a nest. Mothballs, peppermint oil, and eucalyptus can also be used to deter rats.

Earlier this year, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has filed an ordinance to create a municipal Office of Pest Control to help reduce the rat problem in the city.

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Romanian foreign minister calls for "ambitious actions" to support Ukraine during NATO Summit

Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu has said that during an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Thursday, she stressed the critical need to maintain unwavering support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic path.

Source: Romanian Foreign Minister on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Details: She said that the NATO Washington Summit in July 2024 provides a "crucial opportunity for ambitious actions" towards Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration.

Quote: "We remain firmly committed to providing support for Ukraine as long as needed," Odobescu posted.

At NATO-Ukraine Council: Stressed critical need to maintain steadfast support for s Euro-Atlantic path. The Washington Summit offers a crucial opportunity for ambitious actions in this direction. We remain firmly committed to providing support for #UA as long as needed. pic.twitter.com/zZ3NokLRuP  Luminita Odobescu (@Odobes1Luminita) April 4, 2024

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that participants of the NATO summit in Washington would make a decision on long-term support for Kyiv.

Background:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the allies must ensure long-term support for Ukraine amid discussions on a 100 billion fund.

Later, Stoltenberg clarified that discussions on setting up the new multi-year fund to support Ukraine are ongoing and are being held jointly with Ukraine.

At the same time, NATO officials have publicly expressed scepticism regarding any wording about inviting Ukraine to join the Alliance at the July 2024 summit in Washington.

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Improperly disposed of waste from a taco shop led to flooding in a Modesto parking lot, impacting multiple businesses.

Raw chicken was observed thawing at room temperature at an Indian restaurant.

These were some of the observations made by Stanislaus County inspectors in late March while routinely visiting food facilities.

The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county receive two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year, according to the Department of Environmental Resources. The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly.

Food trucks that operate under a Stanislaus County Health Department permit are also inspected by the county, though those are scheduled and done at the departments office.

Of the 71 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, six were not updated on the site as of Thursday afternoon.

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com.

Major violations for several Stanislaus County restaurants

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of March 18-24. Only the dates of violations are listed.

The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed or failed inspection. Corrective actions may have been made by the business by the time of publication.

The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, search the DER website.

While not technically inspection violations, Low Key Saloon, My Taco House and Ramen 101, all in the Walmart-anchored shopping center at 3848 McHenry Ave., were surveilled by the Environmental Resources Department on March 21. Per the city of Modesto Environmental Services, wastewater generated from My Taco House was not being disposed of properly. The wastewater is exiting onto the parking lot and draining into the nearest storm drain. Soap and water were verified to be flowing from the three-compartment sink into the parking lot. Ramen 101 was impacted by septic overflow related to the disposal of wastewater. The dishwasher inside Low Key Saloon was vulnerable, and inspectors observed a video of the liquid waste flowing out of the top of a man-made cover. Ramen 101 and My Taco House voluntarily closed and Low Key Saloon enacted a menu restriction in lieu of permit suspension. All three facilities reopened fully March 27.

Empire Gas and Food, 5018 Yosemite Blvd. in Empire had eight violations on March 19. The floor area near the three-compartment sink had a large accumulation of soiled and stained towels. The surface of the sink had dirt and grime buildup. The soap dispenser in the bathroom was empty and the toilet handle was marginally operational. The floor in the bathroom had dirt accumulation and there were miscellaneous items stored within. The ceiling inside the walk-in refrigerator had dirt and debris buildup and the condenser fan guards were grimy. The beer walk-in refrigerator temperature was 51 degrees (must be kept at 41 degrees or lower).

Four of the eight violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection March 26.

Mango Crazy, 2745 Countryside Drive, Suite B, in Turlock, had five violations March 19  one of them major. The sanitizer buckets had a zero ppm concentration of chlorine sanitizer. The concentration must read at 50 ppm. There was a broken glass-faced thermometer noted in the refrigerator, and several food storage containers were lacking proper labeling. Food handler cards were lacking for several employees and the food safety certification was lacking.

Carnitas Purepecha, 2430 Geer Road in Turlock, had four violations March 19, three of which were corrected at the time of inspection. Inspectors observed a stainless steel mug in the ice storage bin. Employees shall not commit any act that may contaminate food/food contact surfaces/utensils, the inspector wrote in the report. Potentially hazardous foods were noted to be held at warmer temperatures than required by California health codes. Several food containers lacked proper food labeling, and food handler cards were lacking.

Liquor Locker, 1578 E. Whitmore Ave, Suite K, Ceres, had three major violations on March 20. The facility was lacking hot water at the mop sink and in the restroom. Soap was also lacking in the restroom.

All violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection April 1.

Morgan Gas & Mart, 1517 Morgan Road in Modesto, was surveilled by the Environmental Resources Department on March 20 due to the city of Modesto shutting off the facilitys water for nonpayment. The facility was approved to sell only prepackaged food until the water was restored. The machines delivering cold and hot beverages were not approved for use until water was restored.

The first reinspection was conducted March 21. Five violations  one of them major  were noted, including hot water at the three-compartment sink at 104 degrees (must be 120 degrees or hotter), hot water in the restroom at 98 degrees (must be between 100 and 108 degrees), clutter in the back room containing the three-compartment sink and an expired manager food safety certificate.

During a second reinspection March 25, only one violation remained.

Cold Stone Creamery, 1449 E. F St., Suite 101 H, in Oakdale, had five violations March 20. Inspectors observed the hot water at 111 degrees (must be 120 degrees or higher). There was a lot of ice buildup in the walk-in freezer and icicles forming on the ceiling, cooling unit and on the plastic barriers inside the freezer. The food safety certification was missing  a multiple violation from previous inspections.

Fridas Taqueria Ajua, 2101 W. Rumble Road, Suite C, in Modesto, had five violations March 21  one of them major. Milk and butter were maintained at 50 degrees in the soda refrigerator (must be 45 degrees and in a separate refrigerator from the soda). Inspectors observed grime and mold-like growth on the interior walls of the ice machine. Numerous spots on the kitchen floor were noted to have an accumulation of food debris and dirt, and dirt accumulation was spotted below the ceiling inside the walk-in refrigerator.

Mr. Ts Donut, 3507 Tully Road, #330, in Modesto, had four violations during an inspection March 21, which was the result of a complaint. Inspectors observed mold-like growth below the ceiling tiles above the dish-washing sink. The hand-washing sink was obstructed by a cloth hanger nailed on the adjacent wall. A wooden rack in the storage area had unpainted surfaces, exposing absorbent, nonsmooth surfaces that were not easily cleanable. There were cardboard pieces placed underneath the anti-slip mats in the kitchen.

Tandoori Flame, 7125 McCracken Road in Westley, had three violations March 21. Inspectors observed a 40-pound box of chicken thawing at room temperature (must be thawed under cold running water or in a refrigerator). Several cutting boards were heavily soiled, and food service/food prep utensils were being stored in an unapproved trailer behind the restaurant.

The first two violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection March 27.

Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections include:

Few and minor violations

According to Stanislaus County, other food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are:

No violations

Js Mart in Modesto was closed when inspectors attempted to visit the facility.

These food facilities had no violations, according to the county:
Royal Mails plans to cut second-class deliveries risk patients safety, NHS chiefs have warned, as new figures suggest late letters are to blame for a quarter of missed hospital appointments.

Deliveries of post with second-class stamps are going to be reduced to every other day under proposals announced on Wednesday to save the loss-making postal service money.

However, in a letter to The Telegraph, NHS leaders and leading patient groups warn that the worrying plan could put people who are already facing treatment backlogs at risk of harm.

They also reveal that more than two million of the eight million missed hospital appointments last year are thought to be the result of patients receiving a letter informing them of their appointment after it was supposed to have taken place.

In their letter to The Telegraph, the chief executives of NHS Providers, Healthwatch England, the Patients Association and National Voices said: We have raised direct concerns with Royal Mail that this worrying plan may worsen patient safety risks.

Provisional Healthwatch data suggests that more than two million people may have missed medical appointments in 2022-23 due to late delivery of letters, and this will only deteriorate under the proposed new plans. We have made it clear that if the plans go ahead, a solution must be found to prioritise the huge numbers of letters sent from NHS teams, otherwise more people will miss time-critical appointments, appointment changes or vital test results, they wrote.

Many types of NHS letters, such as time-sensitive appointment bookings, test results, and treatment plans, currently use second-class stamps.

The NHS is already contending with an official backlog of 7.6 million, while data from the Office of National Statistics released this week found that the true number of people waiting for an appointment, test or procedure may be as high as 9.7 million.

Last week, the annual British Social Attitudes survey found that public satisfaction with the NHS had dropped to its lowest level on record, with fewer than one in four happy with the service. The publics unhappiness was driven by GP and dental practices but reflected across all services.

New data published on Friday revealed that one in four ambulances were waiting outside A&Es for longer than half an hour to hand over emergency patients, preventing paramedics from attending new cases, when the target is 15 minutes.

The health service has also experienced repeated strikes by doctors over the last year. On Friday, consultants announced they would end strike action after accepting a new pay deal worth up to 20,000 a year.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers which represents hospital trusts, ambulance services and primary care networks, told The Telegraph the proposals to delay letter deliveries were extremely unhelpful.

Its really important that patients be updated at the earliest opportunity on developments in their care and treatment, he said.

An efficient, punctual postal service remains a key part of that process. At a time when far too many patients already face long delays  the last thing any trust leader wants  anything that adds to that uncertainty, and possibly the worsening of conditions, would be extremely unhelpful.

Healthwatch England, a think tank that makes recommendations on how to improve patient care and safety, said around 3 per cent of the 82 million hospital appointments confirmed with a letter involved letters arriving after the appointment date, based on a representative sample of 2,100 people.

It found that two-thirds of the public still rely on letters from the NHS to know when their appointment is and other medical information.

Experts estimate that the cost of Did Not Attends is around 1 billion a year in lost NHS productivity.

Exasperation at late deliveries

Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said it had heard worrying stories from people who are exasperated by the late arrival of crucial NHS post.

When appointment letters, test results and other communications from the NHS are delayed, patient safety is put at risk, while NHS teams must deal with the fall out of missed appointments, she told The Telegraph.

We are concerned that the proposals to further delay posting of letters will make such risks more widespread.

She added that it would increase health inequalities among those who rely on post and have less access to digital technologies, and urged the Royal Mail to ensure the most pressing NHS correspondence is not delayed further for the most vulnerable patients.

Royal Mail is campaigning for a shake-up of postal regulations as it grapples with a slump in letter sending that has pushed its finances to the brink.

The company lost 319 million in the first half of the year as it warned letter volumes were likely to drop to 4 billion in the next five years, down from their peak of 20 billion two decades ago.

The troubles have been compounded by strikes that cost the company 1 million per day as it clashed with unions over pay and conditions.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail has repeatedly failed to hit quality of service targets that require it to deliver 93 per cent of first-class mail within one working day and 98.5 per cent of second-class mail within three working days. It had achieved 73.7 per cent and 90.7 per cent respectively.

The Royal Mail also faced a backlash earlier this year when in separate plans it suggested delaying bulk mail deliveries including from the NHS from two to three days.

Concerns about proposed delays to deliveries of medical letters were echoed by patient groups who said the disruption would leave patients uninformed about important developments in their care.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, a group which advocates for patients, said: The proposed reduction to three delivery days a week by Royal Mail is deeply concerning from a patient perspective.

She added: Royal Mail must ensure these changes dont hinder shared decision-making by delaying patients access to information needed that might impact their treatment and their lives.

Royal Mail was fined 5.6 million by the regulator Ofcom in November for failing to meet its obligations on delivery targets.

Delays to medical letter deliveries included appointments for the children of Jasmine Moulton from Cheshire, who had been informed by hospital staff that her son Joshua, three, had missed scheduled surgery to help his breathing and swallowing issues, while her daughter Harper, five, had missed medical appointments for severe skin allergies that require her limbs to be wrapped in bandages, it was revealed in January.

Jasmine Moulton with her children. Her son Joshua missed surgery after Royal Mail delays to his appointment letter

Jacob Lant, chief executive of health charity National Voices said: The proposals being consulted on risk further delaying vital communications and worsening digital exclusion, therefore unfairly widening health inequalities. NHS mail must remain a priority service.

A Royal Mail spokesman said the service was committed to working with a range of NHS bodies to explore options that could provide more reliability for time-sensitive medical letters.

It said these could include marked envelopes, barcodes and a hybrid product where doctors would decide if it warrants a speedy delivery.

He added: The NHS is complex and made up of hundreds of different trusts and thousands of GP as well as other services, each with varied requirements. Going forward, we will continue to offer them a choice in service levels and pricing, to suit the differing priorities of each part of the organisation.

Letters

Royal Mail's failure turns NHS care into a lottery

Read more

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GANGES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD)  The day after Ruby Garcia was shot and killed along US-131 in Grand Rapids, her now-confessed killer wandered into a church more than 40 miles away. Nobody knows what led him there.

But thats where Brandon Ortiz-Vite spent the night.

The pastor of Ganges United Methodist Church in Allegan County says shes convinced that what happened that night and the next morning during Sunday service led him to turn himself in.

I think God touched him, Pastor Marcia Tucker said.

Somebody had left a door open accidentally at the church the afternoon of March 23, and a church member called the pastor to say he had discovered a stranger inside.

An undated image of Ruby Garcia. (March 25, 2024)

Ruby Garcia had been killed the day before.

Family: Woman found dead on highway loved to make people laugh

Ortiz-Vite, 25, introduced himself as Brian. He was clearly upset, but said nothing about what he had done.

The stranger was well-dressed, in a Carhartt jacket, hat, scarf and gloves. The pastor said they saw no sign of blood.

I have a young man here who would like to talk to you, the church member said when he called the pastor at home.

Pastor Marcia Tucker rushed over and said she spoke with him for 20 minutes in the church library.

Ganges United Methodist Church in Allegan County.

He was just having a really bad time. He had lost his job, hed been in a fight, been kicked out of where he lived, so he was basically kind of homeless, she said he told her.

He never told me exactly what was bothering him, but I knew he was very upset. He got very emotional while we were talking, crying to the point where I gave him Kleenex.

He told her he had family in Grand Rapids, but that they wouldnt have him.

Ive disappointed them too many times. They arent going to, she recalled him saying. And I said, No, I dont believe that. I think your parents will take you with whatever youve done.'

I prayed with him, and then I could tell hes done talking, but I never knew what his problem was, Tucker said.

He tried calling on a church phone for a ride, but nobody came, so they let him sleep in the annex next door.

Im thinking, should I call the police? Should I call the police? I dont know. I thought about it, and as Ive told my people, God didnt tell me to call the police, he told me to Just let it be, Marcia,' she said.

The next morning, they found him sleeping on the annex floor and he accepted an invitation to the 10 a.m. service.

It was Palm Sunday, so people were coming in and were passing out palms, Tucker said.

They gave one to the guest she knew as Brian, who sat toward the back.

We treated him as a visitor at our church, the way God would want us to do it, and thats what we did, she said.

Suspect in highway killing first came to U.S. as a child

The sweatshirt of a woman who sat in front of Brandon Ortiz-Vite during a Ganges church service. (Courtesy)

She said a woman sitting in front of the guest was wearing a sweatshirt with an affirming message.

Youre worthwhile, God loves you, somebody does love you, she recalled.

Sometime during my sermon, I realized he wasnt sitting there, Tucker said.

Moments later, two men from the church left the sanctuary.

Im like, Oh, my gosh, whats going on? Tucker said.

Just before her benediction at the end of the service, one of the church members interrupted to make an announcement.

He just says, I want you people to know that you cannot leave the church. You need to go down for coffee, and you need to stay down there. When you go past the doors, youre going to see a lot of police cars out there, and the young man that was here has been taken into custody, and he did have a gun, Tucker recalled.

The pastor learned later that the guest had been emotional throughout the service before calling 911 from the bathroom to turn himself in. He tossed the gun into the front yard.

He went out the doors and he threw the gun over there and then he started walking toward the annex and thats when all of the police really arrived, she said.

A March 24, 2024 booking photo of Brandon Ortiz-Vite from the Kent County jail.

Court records show he later confessed to killing 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, a woman he identified as his girlfriend. Her family has said they were seeing each other but were not in a relationship.

Man admitted to shooting woman, leaving body beside freeway, records show

I think God was working with him from whenever it happened on Friday night, all through Friday night, all through Saturday, sitting here talking to me, staying here, being in the church service, the pastor said. I think God was talking to him because I knew he had a faith, I could tell. He understood, and he understood forgiveness.

Now, shes angry that politicians are using the death for votes, including former President Donald Trump, who spoke about the case Tuesday in Grand Rapids. Trump has labeled undocumented immigrants as animals.

Family of woman found dead on highway angered by Trumps speech

He is not an animal, the pastor said of Ortiz-Vite.

Its not political, she said. It has nothing to do with politics. Its just two people that got into an argument, and it went farther than it should have. Thats what happened. and theres no sense in making it political because it doesnt help the Garcia family and it doesnt help Brian and his family.

She said that she and her church are praying for Rubys family and for Brandon Ortiz-Vite, the man she knows as Brian.

When I pray for him, I pray for Brian, she said. God knows who Im talking about.



For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
If Russia does not support ban on nuclear weapons in space, Putin will face questions  White House

The US Presidents administration has announced that the United States plans to put a resolution to the UN Security Council early next week to ban the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.

Source: Voice of America report based on a briefing by John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator of the White House National Security Council, as reported by European Pravda.

Kirby said that "the vote [in the UN Security Council - ed.] should be straightforward" because the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by more than 130 countries, including Russia and China, prohibits the deployment of "nuclear weapons or other kinds of weapons of mass destruction" in orbit.

He recalled that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had said that Russia had no intention of placing nuclear weapons in space.

"So we look forward to Russia voting in favour of this resolution. There should be no reason why not to, and if they do, then I think that should open up some really legitimate questions to Mr. Putin about what his intentions really are," Kirby said.

It is known that the United States has privately warned Russia against deploying new nuclear weapons in space that could disable a large number of satellites.

The US has officially informed Congress and its allies in Europe of new intelligence related to Russia's nuclear capabilities which could pose an international threat.

Sources later said that the warning concerned Russian space and satellite capabilities.

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SEOUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- An early voting for South Korea's parliamentary elections kicked off on Friday ahead of the election day on April 10.

The early voting, which was first adopted in the 2014 local elections for the nationwide election, was scheduled to continue for two days through Saturday.

Of some 44.28 million eligible voters, those who wish to cast ballots before the election day will be allowed to vote at 3,565 polling stations across the country from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time.

The early voting turnout stood at 8.00 percent at 1:00 p.m. local time (0400 GMT), higher than 5.98 percent for the parliamentary elections in 2020.

According to the Gallup Korea survey commissioned by the National Election Commission, 78.9 percent replied that they would go to the polls "without fail."

It was up 2.4 percentage points from the previous survey and almost unchanged compared to 79.0 percent for the parliamentary elections four years ago.

The result was based on a poll of 1,511 voters conducted for two days through Monday. It had plus and minus 2.5 percentage points in margin of error with a 95-percent confidence level. 
Russia loses 860 soldiers in killed and wounded in 24 hours  General Staff

Ukrainian defenders have killed and wounded 860 Russian soldiers over the past day, bringing the total losses of the Russian army to 445,900 servicemen.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February 2022 and 5 April 2024 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

445,900 (+860) military personnel;

7,033 (+15) tanks;

13,459 (+73) armoured combat vehicles;

11,221 (+50) artillery systems;

1,029 (+3) multiple-launch rocket systems;

747 (+1) air defence systems;

347 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft;

325 (+0) helicopters;

8,847 (+30) strategic and tactical UAVs;

2,059 (+0) cruise missiles;

26 (+0) ships and boats;

1 (+0) submarines;

14,922 (+61) vehicles and tankers;

1,849 (+4) special vehicles and other equipment.

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Russia says main chance for dialogue with US is on arms, including in space

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday that strategic security issues, including space-based weapons, were the main potential area for dialogue with the United States.

The U.S. plans to put a resolution to the United Nations Security Council next week to ban the deployment of nuclear weapons in space, two months after U.S. sources said Washington had new intelligence related to Russian nuclear capabilities and attempts to develop a space-based weapon - something Moscow has flatly denied.

Asked about the draft resolution, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "The main potential area for dialogue between the United States and Russia is issues related to strategic security, which includes the space issue."

Relations between the two countries have plunged to what the Kremlin has called "below zero" since Russia launched its war in Ukraine in 2022 and the United States stepped up its supply of aid, weapons, training and intelligence to Kyiv.

Russia and the U.S., by far the biggest nuclear powers, have both expressed regret about the disintegration of arms control treaties that sought to slow the Cold War arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war. The last treaty that limits both sides' numbers of strategic nuclear warheads is due to expire in 2026.

President Vladimir Putin insists Moscow will only discuss arms control as part of a broader package of issues relating to Russia's security, including its concerns about NATO enlargement and Western support for Ukraine.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Peter Graff)
Russian forces attacked six border areas and settlements of Sumy Oblast on April 4, firing 15 times and causing at least 83 explosions, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.

The communities of Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Putyvl, Esman, and Seredyna-Buda were targeted.

The Russian military struck the communities using artillery fire, aerial missile strikes, FPV drones, and mortar shelling, while also dropping mines.

No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure was reported.

The town of Bilopillia, with a pre-war population of about 16,000 residents, experienced the most attacks, with 15 explosions recorded in the area. The community is located eight kilometers south and 25 kilometers west of the Ukiraine-Russia border.

Residents in Sumy Oblast have been experiencing daily threats of shelling, but attacks have intensified in recent weeks, prompting large-scale evacuations from the region.

Read also: Zelensky visits Sumy Oblast, inspects fortifications

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Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three people and injured 11 over the past day, regional authorities said on April 5.

Russia targeted a total of 10 Ukrainian oblasts  Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Donetsk. Casualties were reported in the latter three regions.

A family of four, including an elderly man, a woman, and their daughter with a 14-year-old son, was injured in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, after Russian forces attacked residential houses, the General Prosecutor's Office said. Another citizen was also reportedly wounded as a result of the explosions.

A fire that broke out in an administrative building and a house has been extinguished, according to the Interior Ministry.

Russian air strikes killed two people and injured two others in Donetsk Oblast's village of Niu-York, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said. The attack reportedly damaged 37 houses and two administrative buildings.

One more person was wounded in a Russian attack on Mykolaivka in the Kramatorsk district, Filashkin said.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian troops attacked the area between the villages of Berezivka and Korotych with guided aerial bombs, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

A 36-year-old employee of an agricultural enterprise was killed, and a 55-year-old and 21-year-old men were hospitalized, he said.

A Russian artillery strike against the city of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast injured one person, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Russian troops launched 401 strikes against 10 settlements in the region over the past day, according to Fedorov. There were 19 reports of destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure, he added.

Ten people were poisoned by combustion products in Kherson Oblast as a result of Russian attacks, said Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional governor.

Russian attacks damaged houses, a gas pipeline, and a heating pipeline, according to authorities. No casualties were reported.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russian double-tap attack on Kharkiv kills 4, including first responders

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Russian forces attacked the cities of Kherson and Beryslav in Kherson Oblast on April 5, injuring six people, local authorities reported.

Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Kherson and other regional settlements on the west bank of the Dnipo River in the fall 2022 counteroffensive.

Russian troops were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths as well as large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure.

The Dniprovkyi district in Kherson came under Russian attacks in the morning, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

A 60-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman were hospitalized with moderate blast injuries, according to the report. Another 81-year-old wounded woman was provided with medical assistance on the spot, Prokudin said.

Three more people were injured after a Russian drone dropped explosives on Beryslav, the local authorities said.

An 84-year-old woman and two men, aged 59 and 56, reportedly suffered blast and shrapnel wounds to their limbs. All of them were hospitalized.

Read also: Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 3, injure 11 over past day

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The use of chemical substances by the Russians during combat action against the Defence Forces of Ukraine has become systematic, and the frequency of chemical attacks is growing.

Source: Command of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, cited by a Facebook of the General Staff of Ukraine

Details: Reportedly, over the past month, mobile units of support means and forces and other units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine have documented 371 cases of usage of munitions filled with dangerous chemical substances by the Russians, which is 90% more than earlier.

The main delivery method is using unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly by dropping K-51 grenades and RG-Vo.

In total, the Defence Forces of Ukraine have documented 1,412 cases of usage of munitions equipped with dangerous chemical substances by the Russians within the period from February 2023 to March 2024.

Quote: "The enemy continues using ammunition that contains dangerous chemicals, thus violating the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, as well as the laws and customs of the war.

Such actions by the Russian Federation become systematic, and the tendency to use chemical weapons keeps increasing."

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VIENTIANE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province circulated a notice warning people not to bathe in the Khan and Mekong rivers, or to consume or sell any dead fish seen in these rivers.

The Luang Prabang City Office issued a warning on Thursday, following an accident of a tanker carrying sulfuric acid overturned in the Prabang province.

The acid spilled onto the road and drained into a small stream that flows into the Khan and Mekong rivers, causing the death of many fish and threatening the health of people and aquatic species.

Sulfuric acid is used in many industries. It is highly corrosive and can damage the skin, eyes, teeth and lungs. Severe exposure may cause death. 
Russian troops targeted the city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast with guided bomb units (GBUs) on 5 April.

Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

Details: Terekhov reported explosions in Kharkiv at 15:28.

Later, the mayor added that "early reports indicated Kharkiv had been attacked with GBUs". The official noted that information on casualties and damage is being gathered. Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, reported at 15:45 that the Russians had struck the city and the oblast.

Quote from Syniehubov: "The invaders attacked the city of Kharkiv and a settlement in the Kharkiv district. Early reports indicate they used GBUs. Details are being established. At the moment, there is no information about the casualties."

Background: On the late evening of 31 March, Russian troops attacked Kharkiv with GBUs, damaging an educational institution, a student accommodation and a residential building, as well as burning buses, a lorry and a car.

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Editor's note: The article incorrectly said that Governor Vasily Golubev claimed that a drone strike targeted an airbase in the Morozovsk district. Golubov reported only an attack against the district.

A "massive attack" on the Morozovsk district in Rostov Oblast, Russia, damaged a power substation, Governor Vasily Golubev claimed in the early hours of April 5.

According to Golubev, Russian air defense units intercepted over 40 drones in the area. Local Telegram channels claimed, citing residents, that the drones targeted a local airbase. No casualties were reported.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. Ukrainian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Morozovsk airbase hosts Su-34 aircraft, which actively operate along the Ukrainian front lines, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty wrote.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that on the morning of April 5, its air defense downed 53 Ukrainian drones, including 44 in Rostov Oblast, six in Krasnodar Krai, one in Kursk, Saratov, and Belgorod oblasts.

Meanwhile, Kursk Oblast Governor Roman Starovoyt contradicted the Russian Defense Ministry report claiming four Ukrainian kamikaze drones attacked the border region.

No casualties were reported.

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Roman Busargin, the Saratov Oblast governor, reported a drone was downed in the city of Engels early in the morning of April 5.

The city is home to Russia's Engels airbase, located around 730 kilometers southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine. It reportedly hosts Tu-95 and Tu-22 bomber planes, often used for attacks against Ukrainian cities.

No casualties or destruction were reported.

The Shot Telegram channel also claimed that, according to local residents, explosions were heard near a military airfield in Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai. Local official Roman Bublik claimed that Russian defenses repelled an attack against the Yeysk district.

Ukrainian troops have intensified strikes against military and industrial targets in Russia in recent weeks. Ukraine has used domestically produced long-range drones to successfully attack oil refineries and weapons facilities, prompting Russia to announce increased air defense efforts in these areas.

Golubev claimed on March 25 that a transformer substation at the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant in Rostov Oblast caught fire overnight, following reports from local residents about explosions in the area amid an alleged drone attack.

Read also: How Ukraine hit a Russian drone factory 1,300 kilometers away

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(Bloomberg) -- The governor of Russias northwestern Murmansk region was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting with local residents, the most dangerous assault on a high-ranking government official in more than a decade.

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Governor Andrei Chibis, 45, had just finished a meeting at the cultural center in the town of Apatity on Thursday, when a man walked up and stabbed him with a knife, according to local media reports. The town, named for a mineral used in the production of fertilizers, is located above the Arctic Circle in the Murmansk Region, which shares a border with Norway and Finland.

The suspect told interrogators that he committed the attack because he disliked the governor, although he did not know him personally, Russias Investigation Committee said on its Telegram channel.

Prosecutors opened a case over the attempted murder, and an investigation is ongoing, Kommersant reported.

Chibis was the first high-ranking government official in Russia to be injured in an attack since 2009, when the head of the Ingushetia region, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was wounded in an assassination attempt. In that incident, a car filled with 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of explosives blew up next to his motorcade moving along the highway near the city of Nazran. Yevkurov is now deputy defense minister.

Chibis underwent surgery for his injuries, and posted a video in his Telegram channel Friday, saying he is conscious and will recover.

Murmansk is home to operations for some of Russias biggest companies, such as MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC and fertilizer producer PhosAgro PJSC. The regions port is also an important logistics point for exports. The area also hosts the main bases of the Northern Fleet, including submarines.

(Adds details about the investigation in the fourth paragraph. An earlier version of the story corrected the photo of Andrei Chibis.)

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The Russian invaders began to attack Kharkiv again on the evening of 4 April.

Source: Mayor Ihor Terekhov; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

Details: An air-raid warning was issued in Kharkiv at 23:26. Two minutes later, the mayor reported that explosions had been heard in Kharkiv again.

He added that the Russian invaders were striking Kharkiv again and urged people to stay in shelters.

Background: A total of four Shahed drone strikes on civilian infrastructure were recorded in Kharkiv on the evening of 4 April. As a result, four people have been killed and 12 others injured. Three rescue workers are among the dead.

Watch a report by Ukrainska Pravda about how civilians in Kharkiv are suffering from the Russian invaders' attacks.

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Russians attacked the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast on the night of 4-5 April, wounding five people, including a 14-year-old boy.

Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office in Telegram

Quote from the prosecutor's office: "The enemy wounded five civilians in Pokrovsk, including a 14-year-old boy."

All Photos: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office

Details: The Russians attacked Pokrovsk at around 03:00, targeting private residential buildings.

As a result of the attack, four family members who were in one of the houses were injured: a 70-year-old grandfather and 65-year-old grandmother, as well as their 46-year-old daughter and her 14-year-old son. Another resident, 65, was also injured in the explosions.

The injured were taken to hospital with mine-blast injuries, abrasions and concussion.

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A total of 72 combat clashes occurred on the front line on 5 April. In total, the Russians launched 10 missile strikes and 67 airstrikes, as well as 97 attacks on Ukrainian troops and settlements using multiple-launch missile systems.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook; information as of 18:00 on 5 April

Details: The Russians did not carry out offensive (assault) operations on the Kupiansk front.

On the Lyman front, Ukrainian soldiers repelled two attacks near the village of Terny in Donetsk Oblast, where the Russians attempted to penetrate Ukraines defences.

On the Bakhmut front, Ukrainian soldiers repelled over 10 attacks in the settlements of Andriivka, Zelenopillia, Klishchiivka and Ivanivske in Donetsk Oblast, where the Russians attempted to improve their tactical situation.

On the Avdiivka front, Ukraines defenders repelled 18 attacks in the settlements of Berdychi, Umanske, Yasnobrodivka and Pervomaiske in Donetsk Oblast, where the Russians attempted to drive Ukrainian units from their positions.

On the Novopavlivka front, the Armed Forces continue to restrain the Russian forces in the settlements of Heorhiivka, Kostiantynivka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast, where the Russians attempted to break through Ukrainian defences 10 times with the help of aviation.

During the day, the Russians attempted one unsuccessful attack on Ukraines positions on the Orikhiv front, near the village of Staromaiorske in Donetsk Oblast.

The Russians intention to dislodge Ukraines units from the established bridgeheads on the left (east) bank of the Dnipro River remains unchanged on the Kherson front. Throughout the day, the occupiers launched 14 unsuccessful attacks on Ukrainian troops' positions in the village of Krynky, Kherson Oblast.

Quote: "During the day, the Armed Forces' aviation attacked nine clusters of [Russian  ed.] manpower and one enemy anti-aircraft missile system.

Units of the Rocket Forces targeted one command point, two air defence systems, one artillery system, one UAV command point, and two clusters of enemy weapons and military equipment."

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Russian forces have bombarded Donetsk Oblast, killing two civilians in the settlement of New-York (formerly Novhorodske) and injuring at least eight more people in the oblast.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Filashkin: "Bakhmut district. Two people were killed and two were injured, 37 houses and two administrative buildings were damaged in New-York."

Details: The Russians also hit Pokrovsk district: three houses and a warehouse were damaged in Dachne (Kurakhove hromada), five people were wounded and 17 private houses were damaged in Pokrovsk (a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.).

The Russians damaged a house in Lyman and wounded a person and damaged four houses in Mykolaivka (Kostiantynivka hromada).

They damaged 14 private houses, four high-rise buildings, an industrial building, an infrastructure facility and two non-residential premises in the Chasiv Yar hromada.

In Siversk, two non-residential buildings were damaged in Russian attacks.

"In total, the Russians bombarded settlements in Donetsk Oblast 15 times over the last day. A total of 394 people, including 18 children, were evacuated from the frontline areas," Filashkin said.

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Russians strike Kharkiv district two times in the evening

The Russians attacked settlements in the Kharkiv district of Kharkiv Oblast two times on the evening of 5 April.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "At 17:10 the enemy struck the villages of Momotove and Oleksandrivka in the Kharkiv district.

The first attack struck the proximity of abandoned buildings of a private agricultural company, the second time open land was hit. No people have been injured."

Details: At 19:14, the Russians struck an area between settlements in the Kharkiv district. There has been no information about any casualties.

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ISLAMABAD, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to embark on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss issues of mutual interest, the Prime Minister's Office said on Friday.

Sharif's visit is at the invitation of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb and other members of the cabinet, the office said in a statement.

During the visit, the two sides will exchange views on matters of mutual interest and hold consultations on regional and global developments, the statement said, adding that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long-standing fraternal relations rooted in religious and cultural affinity.

The leaderships of both countries are committed to advancing fraternal ties and mutually rewarding economic and investment relations, according to the statement. 
(Bloomberg) -- Mark Ruttes bid to lead NATO faces a fresh hurdle with some Eastern European nations pressing the Dutch prime minister for increased representation for the region among the military alliances top level positions.

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Rutte has emerged as the clear favorite to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But hes yet to win backing from four countries  Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey  according to a person familiar with the discussions.

To succeed, Dutch prime minister must secure the unanimous support of all 32 NATO member states. Hes already won backing from the US, Germany and the UK, among the alliances most influential members.

The role of the secretary general will be critical in the years ahead, as doubts loom about the USs commitment to the NATO and the potential election of President Donald Trump.

Countries from the eastern flank have raised the issue of geographic representation in talks with Dutch prime minister, who has assured them that its on his radar, according to another person, who declined to be named because the talks are private. A spokesperson for Rutte declined to comment.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has created a sense of vindication among many of the NATOs eastern members, who have long warned of the Kremlins belligerence. They now seek more influence in the alliances decision-making.

Among the more than a dozen top level NATO staff positions, only Stoltenbergs deputy is from eastern Europe  Mircea Geoana of Romania. Stoltenberg, a Norwegian, was preceded by Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark and another Dutchman, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Poland views Ruttes candidacy positively, but expects that a Pole will secure one of the key positions in the next secretary-generals inner circle, according to a government official who asked not to be identified.

Turkey is keen to ensure that the next NATO secretary general wont have a bias toward the alliances European Union members. Meanwhile, Hungarys Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto last month ruled out his countrys support for Rutte because in the past he has tried to bring Hungary down to its knees.

More Empathy

NATO countries geographically closer to Russia have long maintained higher defense spending as a percentage of economic output than many of their western counterparts. Eastern European leaders have also taken a more assertive role in Europe, calling for tougher sanctions on Moscow and more aide to Kyiv.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the only other candidate for the job, said in February it would be inadmissible that none of the top jobs being discussed this year would be occupied by someone from east Europe.

Despite the concerns about representation, Iohannis has so far failed to win over any of Ruttes backers. And with Estonia and Lithuania this week endorsing the outgoing Dutch leader, thats adding pressure on Romania to eventually cave.

The U.S. and other big countries backing Rutte had hoped to confirm him as Stoltenbergs successor at a gathering of foreign ministers this week. But Romanias surprise move to put forward Iohannis as a candidate has delayed the process, even as many officials say the candidacy has come too late to change the backing behind Rutte.

Allies are hoping to finalize the process well before leaders meet in Washington in July. But with the four nations still holding out, the discussions in the coming weeks could get tense.

We expected more empathy on the part of the candidates toward the demands of the countries in the eastern wing of NATO, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said on Thursday.

--With assistance from Daniel Hornak, Piotr Skolimowski and Aaron Eglitis.

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A 26-year-old Sacramento County man on Thursday was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for selling the synthetic opioid fentanyl to an Auburn woman who died in an overdose, Placer County prosecutors said.

On Dec. 6, Aaron Kurtis Dare II, of Fair Oaks, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of the 25-year-old Haleigh Yarbrough, the Placer County District Attorneys Office announced in a news release.

Prosecutors have said Yarbrough was found dead in her Auburn home on Aug. 31, 2022. The District Attorneys Office had not released her name until Thursday.

Dare has been in custody at the Placer County Jail since his Sept. 6, 2022, arrest. Local, state and federal investigators that day served a search warrant at a hotel room where they found Dare with $1,200 worth of fentanyl, a loaded revolver and evidence of drug sales, according to the California Department of Justice.

District Attorney Morgan Gire has said Dare and the woman knew each other before he sold her fentanyl that killed her.

Fentanyl is a powerful and potentially addictive synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The state Department of Justice said two milligrams of fentanyl can result in overdose and potentially death.

We will continue to hold those who sell this deadly poison in our community accountable, Gire said in a statement. Our team is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling this market, from both supply and demand. Our hearts are with the victims and families of those lost in this terrible crisis and we will continue our aggressive pursuit until the dealers of this poison claim no more lives.

Gire and other prosecutors in California have taken a new approach to fentanyl deaths, filing murder charges against people who sell or provide fentanyl to someone who later dies from ingesting the drugs.

Placer County prosecutors have filed murder charges in three fentanyl deaths, and Dare is the second defendant in the county to be convicted of murder in a fentanyl death.

Nathaniel Evan Cabacungan, 22, was the first person in Placer County and in California to be convicted of murder in a fentanyl case. He pleaded guilty in July to second-degree murder for the death of 15-year-old Jewels Marie Wolf. She was a Roseville teen who died in June 2022 after ingesting a fake Percocet pill containing a lethal dose of fentanyl. Cabacungan on Thursday was serving his sentence at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe.

Placer County prosecutor also filed a murder charge against 22-year-old Carson David Schewe, who is accused of selling fentanyl in December 2021 to 20-year-old Kade Kristopher Webb who later died in an overdose in Roseville. Schewe, who was the first in the county to be charged with murder, remains in custody at the county jail.

Schewes murder case is still pending after a Placer Superior Court last month declared a mistrial after a lab failed to provide the prosecution and the defense a report detailing a summary of results from the victims blood tests. Schewe is scheduled to return to court May 2 for further proceedings in his case.
Sacramento deputies arrest two after finding quarter-pound of fentanyl, guns

(FOX40.COM)  Two people were arrested on Wednesday after Sacramento County deputies found a quarter-pound of fentanyl, multiple scales, a sawed-off shotgun, and a loaded revolver.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, the man and woman were also discovered to have felony warrants out of Placer County and were booked into a Sacramento County jail.

Video Above: Sentence handed down in Placer County fentanyl-related death

On Wednesday, deputies said two people gave them fake identities after contacting them during a call for service.

Northern California fentanyl dealer convicted of murder receives 15-year sentence

Upon further investigation, a records check revealed that both the man and woman had felony warrants out of Placer County, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office said.

Deputies later searched a motor home belonging to the two people where they found the guns and fentanyl.

Northern California man found with 28 guns, multiple drugs after harassing store goers

The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office also posted a photo to social media that shows multiple phones, cash, and drug paraphernalia that seemed to indicate the intention of selling the fentanyl. All items were seized by deputies along with the guns and fentanyl.

According to the California Department of Public Health, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

The state department adds that fentanyl-laced drugs are extremely dangerous because it is nearly impossible to tell if other drugs have been laced with the substance and cant be detected through sight, smell, or taste.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
A March 31 theft was reported at the Sunglass Hut at the Lincoln City Outlets on the Oregon Coast.

A 34-year-old Salem man was arrested in connection to the theft of several pairs of sunglasses at the Sunglass Hut at the Lincoln City Outlets on March 31, according to officials.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Jail and released later that day, according to a lieutenant with the Lincoln City Police Department. The man is charged with organized retail theft, theft in the first degree and criminal conspiracy, and he will be arraigned April 15, according to the Lincoln County District Attorney's Office.

A juvenile female also was taken into custody the afternoon of March 31, later released to an adult relative, and was to be referred to the Lincoln County Juvenile Department, according to a press release Thursday.

The release says the Lincoln City Police Department received a call from Sunglass Hut employees that afternoon, reporting that two females and a male had stolen several sets of sunglasses and fled the store.

Multiple officers responded to the outlet mall on the Oregon Coast and were provided video of the suspects by employees. Officers also were directed to a white pickup truck and could see multiple unbagged merchandise items inside from various stores at Lincoln City Outlets.

Officers located the male suspect and the juvenile female sitting nearby.

Lincoln City Police officers and Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Deputies canvassed the area but were unable to locate the adult female. During the search, officers and deputies located a stash of stolen clothing that appeared to be associated with the theft, according to officials.

After obtaining a seizure warrant, the pickup was towed to the Lincoln City Police Department. In the following days, officers obtained a search warrant for the truck, recovering stolen merchandise from several stores in the mall with an estimated value of $4,000.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the theft or the female involved is asked to contact Lincoln City Police Officer Zach Rigg, 541-994-3636.

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com, and follow her work on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem man charged with stealing sunglasses at Lincoln City Outlets
It looks like President Bidens CHIPS Act is starting to pay off. Samsung is planning on doubling its investment in Texas, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal . This will bring the total investment in the states chip-manufacturing sector to $44 billion, as Samsung already spent nearly $20 billion to build a factory back in 2021 .

The ambitious expansion will reportedly take the form of a new chip manufacturing facility, a packaging site and a research and development space. Itll all be located in or near Taylor, Texas, as thats where the pre-existing semiconductor facility was built . The current manufacturing hub isnt operational yet, but will begin building crucial logic chips later this year. For the geographically challenged, Taylor is around a 40 minute drive from Austin.

If this actually happens, itll be a huge win for the Biden administration. One of the main goals of the CHIPS Act, after all, is to lure global chipmakers to build on US soil. To that end, Washington plans on awarding more than $6 billion to Samsung as further incentive to keep things running in the good ole USA.

The CHIPS Act has allowed the federal government to award funding and offer loans to many tech companies to encourage domestic spending. Back in February, the multinational semiconductor company GlobalFoundries received a grant of $1.5 billion to help pay for a major US expansion, in addition to a $1.6 billion loan. It plans on building a new fabrication facility in Malta, New York, which will handle the manufacture of chips for the automotive, aerospace, defense and AI industries.

More recently, Intel received the largest CHIPS grant to date , snagging up to $8.5 billion to continue various US-based operations. The current plan is for Intel to use that money to manufacture plants that make leading-edge semiconductor chips meant for use in AI and other advanced applications. The companys building two new fabrication facilities in Arizona and two in Ohio. Additionally, its going to use the money to modernize two pre-existing fabs in New Mexico and expand one location in Oregon. All told, Intel is going to invest $100 billion in US-based chip manufacturing. The various projects are expected to create 20,000 construction and 10,000 manufacturing jobs.

The Biden administration signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law back in 2022 to foster domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing and to lessen Americas reliance on Chinese suppliers. It sets aside $52 billion in tax credits and funding for firms to expand stateside production.

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on April 5 that they had arrested two foreigners who allegedly worked for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in Odesa.

The SBU claimed the suspects were helping to prepare a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's Armed Forces regional headquarters in Odesa Oblast.

The nationality of the suspects is unclear. However, the SBU reported that the two are from "one of the countries in the Southern Caucasus." These are either Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia.

The FSB allegedly tasked the suspects with reconnaissance of the locations where Ukrainian troops were based to pinpoint their coordinates on Google Maps. The SBU said the two gathered "maximum information" about the personnel stationed there, military equipment, and operational characteristics.

"In case of receiving intelligence, the occupiers planned to carry out a series of targeted missile and drone strikes on military infrastructure and combat positions of Ukraine's Armed Forces," the SBU said in a statement.

According to the SBU, the suspects also established a recruitment center for the informants in Odesa under cover of the enterprise providing assistance for legalizing foreign citizens.

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on April 5 that suspects allegedly tracked air defense and Ukrainian forces locations in Odesa and shared the intelligence with the FSB.

If proven guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.

As a reward for their work for the FSB, the suspects were eyeing "positions" in the occupation administration in case Russian forces managed to occupy Odesa. One suspect sought to become the head of the regional branch of the FSB, while the other aspired to lead the city council, according to the prosecutors.

Bloomberg reported on Feb. 29 that Russian President Vladimir Putin still hoped to seize major Ukrainian cities, such as Kyiv and Odesa, and that Russia could breach Ukraine's defenses in the summer if allies do not provide more ammunition.

Read also: Musk: Russia will certainly gain more land, may seize Odesa

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
HELSINKI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced on Friday that she would resign from her current position to run for president in the June election, according to Iceland's national broadcaster RUV.

Jakobsdottir made the announcement in a Facebook video.

Born in 1976, Jakobsdottir has been prime minister since Nov. 30, 2017.

In Iceland, presidential elections occur every four years, and this year's contest is scheduled for June 1. Incumbent president Gudni Johannesson has announced he will not seek a third term. The number of presidential terms is not restricted by law in Iceland.

Eligible candidates must collect a backing of at least 1,500 advance signatures to be able to enter the race. The presidential election takes place on a simple majority of votes basis. Candidates must be Icelandic citizens and at least 35 years of age on election day. 
SC police officer charged, suspended after 4-year-old son shot himself in the head

A Columbia police officer has been suspended after a gun incident that injured his 4-year-old son, the department announced.

Peter Tidot was arrested by the North Miami Beach Police Department earlier this week and is facing charges, including child neglect causing great bodily harm and culpable negligence.

Tidots 4-year-old son was able to get a hold of his gun and shot himself in the head at a North Miami home shortly before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Florida news reports. The child was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The Columbia Police Department was notified of the arrest. The gun was allegedly an improperly secured and loaded duty weapon, the department said.

Tidot has been with the department since April 2023. He will remain under suspension until his criminal charges in Florida are resolved and until an administrative investigation by the Columbia Police Departments Internal Affairs Unit under the Office of Professional Standards.

We are praying for the speedy recovery of the child and everyone impacted by the incredibly unfortunate incident, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in a statement. Let this serve as a reminder about the importance of gun safety and proper gun storage.

Columbia police are continuing to work with the North Miami Beach Police Department on the case, officials said.
What This Scientist Says You Need to Know About Hundreds of Thousands of Plastic Particles in Your Drinking Water (Exclusive)

One of the researchers behind a pioneering new study on bottled water answers PEOPLE's questions about their investigation's unsettling findings

Amy Goldstein Photography Dr. Phoebe Stapleton, a Rutger's University associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology, is a coauthor of a new study on plastic particles found in bottled water.

In January Phoebe Stapleton, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Rutgers University, co-authored a groundbreaking study that revealed the alarming amount of tiny plastic fragments  known as nanoplastics  found in bottled water.

Each liter of water contained an average of 240,000 particles from seven different types of plastics. Nearly 90 percent of these particles were nanoplastics made up of synthetic chemicals with potentially dangerous health effects, such as immune dysfunction and carcinogenicity; the remainder were larger microplastics.

PEOPLE speaks with Stapleton to get answers about the unsettling findings in this week's issue featuring our Earth Day Special.



How do these particles get into the water?

Stapleton: Of the three different brands of water we examined, the particles all came from the bottle and the cap. But with two of the brands, the highest concentrations were in the water before it got into the bottle. We havent done an analysis to test if it came from the source water or if it came from the filtering and processing.



What happens when these particles enter the body?

Stapleton: The body has a way to clear microsize particles, but the smaller (nano) particles are able to bypass those protections. For example, within 24 hours of these particles entering the gastrointestinal system, we were able to find them in maternal tissues (in animal test subjects) and in placenta and fetal tissues.



For more of our Earth Day Special, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Whats the difference between microplastics and nanoplastics?

Stapleton: A microplastic is anywhere between one micron and five millimeters in size. Thats about the size of a grain of sand, a grain of salt, a sesame seed. Its something you can see, but just barely. Nanoparticles are about a thousand times smaller than the smallest micro particle. Theyre invisible to the naked eye and in the bacteria and virus size range.

University of Texas at Austin A photograph of microplastics (the round white particles) on a filter membrane.

Related: 90th Birthday Queen Jane Goodall Lives in Childhood Home with Sister When Shes Not 'Busier Than Ever' Spreading Hope (Exclusive)

Whats the most troubling aspect of this study?

Stapleton: One concerning question is where exactly in the body are these particles going, how long do they stay there, and what are they doing while theyre there? Another concern is this idea of accumulation of these particles in healthy human tissues. A study out of Hawaii has shown that tissues sampled [recently] had significantly higher concentrations of plastic particles in them than the tissues from just 10 years ago. So while it might not affect my health today, it may affect my health in 50 years.



What was so unique about this study?

Stapleton: Because we were able to find these nanoplastics. That was important because as scientists we knew that they were there [in bottled water], but we hadn't been able to demonstrate that, show them, count them and identify what type of plastic they were made from.



Are you still drinking bottled water?

Stapleton: Im drinking filtered tap water now [tap water generally contains less plastic particles than bottled water], but Im still nervous about the filters because theyre made out of plastic and they cant filter out nanoparticles.



Related: Microplastics Discovered in Human Heart Tissue for the First Time

PLASTIC BE GONE!

Here are some additional tips from Aidan Charron, Earthday.orgs director of End Plastics Initiatives, on how to begin purging plastics from your home and life.

Reuse! Ditch the single-use plastic and opt for stainless steel or glass water bottles and food containers.

Eco-Friendly Fashion Pay attention to what your clothes are made of. Avoid synthetic fibers  theyre plastic.

Audit Your Plastic Use Find more sustaibable alternatives like shampoo bars for daily needs.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
A solution may be around the corner to an avian flu outbreak that has led to the deaths of millions of chickens over the past two years, causing food prices to rise, impacting opportunities for farm workers, and raising concerns about public health.

As detailed by Fast Company in October, scientists successfully hatched chickens that they believe are resistant to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which emerged in 2022.

To do this, they used CRISPR gene-editing technology, which allowed them to make two amino acid substitutions in the chickens, thus altering the protein that hosts the virus, according to the findings in the journal Nature Communications. Nine of the 10 gene-edited chickens had avoided infection at the time of publication.

"Breeding for resistance and resilience to disease has significant potential in farmed poultry," the study explained. "With recent advances in the development of genome editing technology, novel resistance/resilience alleles can now be introduced into chicken populations."

While selective breeding has been around as long humans have been farming, genetically modified foods, which have been commercially available in the U.S. since the 1990s, have been a hot topic of debate, as Fast Company pointed out. According to a 2020 Pew Research Survey, almost half of respondents wondered about their safety.

However, food from GMO reduce the need for harmful chemical pesticides and could help make our food supply more resilient to a number of challenges, possibly helping some of the most vulnerable people around the world.

Extreme weather events, crop-destroying pests and pathogens, and the spread of disease have increasingly impacted our food supply amid a warming planet. According to a study in Nature Microbiology, "the unprecedented extent of highly pathogenic avian influenza coincides with intensifying global climate changes that alter host ecology and physiology."

While the extent of the link between the avian flu outbreak and changing weather patterns is still under review, the devastating personal impact has been clear.

"It's a trauma. We're all going through grief as a result of it," Sunrise Farms co-owner Mike Weber told PBS after his chickens tested positive for the flu and had to be killed to prevent the virus from spreading.

At this stage, much more research needs to be done on gene-editing chickens, but scientists have expressed optimism about the early results.

"Although we haven't yet got the perfect combination of gene edits to take this approach into the field, the results have told us a lot about how influenza virus functions inside the infected cell and how to slow its replication," Imperial College London professor Wendy Barclay told the Economic Times in the fall.

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Scientists raise alarm about plastic used in agriculture: 'There are emerging concerns'

Two scientists are sounding the alarm about the health and environmental impacts of the macro and microplastics that are used in agriculture.

What happened?

A pair of scientists at the University of California, Davis, recently penned an article on Open Access Government that raises concerns about the plastics used within the agricultural sector.

These include macroplastics that are used as protective wraps and to make irrigation tubes, among other things, and microplastics that are utilized in fertilizers to allow controlled release of the products, increase seed storage life, and improve drainage in soil conditioners.

"While there are significant benefits to using plastics in agriculture, there are emerging concerns regarding the risks associated with agricultural plastics," the scientists stated.

Why are plastics used in agriculture concerning?

According to the paper, macroplastics slowly break down over time and turn into micro- and nanoplastics.

The tiny particles seep into the soil, limiting its capacity to hold water. This can affect crop health  the scientists cited a study of radishes that found that adding microplastics to the soil negatively impacted root biomass.

Per the article, the absorption of micro- and nanoplastics into the soil can also result in the concentration of pollutants like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals"), toxic metals like mercury and lead, and pesticides. This can increase the risk of human exposure to these pollutants, the article's authors said.

Scientific studies have found that PFAS can cause health issues, like decreased fertility, developmental effects or delays in children, increased risk for some cancers, interference with the body's natural hormones, and reduced ability of the immune system to fight off infection.

Meanwhile, chronic exposure to lead is associated with kidney dysfunction, hypertension, and neurocognitive issues, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

Plus, micro- and nanoplastics endanger the environment and wildlife. For instance, if ingested, they can block the gastrointestinal tracts of small birds and fish. They can also cause harmful changes in feeding behavior and fertility in aquatic invertebrates.

What's being done about the plastics plague?

Our plastic problem is not limited to the agricultural sector, and many governments are implementing positive changes to combat it. For instance, California recently banned plastic produce bags from grocery stores. Also, India has banned some single-use plastics, while England and France have banned plastic cutlery for most fast food and takeout meals.

There are many exciting scientific developments that will help to break our dependence on plastic. New research revealed that plastic alternatives made from things like recycled seaweed and fungus are viable. Scientists have also discovered how to break down plastic using hungry wax worms and fungus, along with a way to remove microplastics from our drinking water.

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Scott Allen Warner was sentenced to 18 months' probation Thursday for crimes linked to a December 2022 shooting at Baby Dolls nightclub just south of Topeka.

Warner, 37, wore a white dress shirt as he spoke briefly during the sentencing hearing before Shawnee County District Court Judge James Crowl.

"I was trying to protect people, not hurt anybody," he said of the situation involved.

Scott Allen Warner was sentenced to 18 months' probation Thursday for crimes linked to a December 2022 shooting at Baby Dolls nightclub just south of Topeka.

What happened?

Crowl initially sentenced Warner Thursday to 10 months in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, then suspended that and sentenced him to 18 months' probation.

Attorneys for the two sides involved reached a plea agreement after Warner was charged with crimes linked to the shooting of Rashaun Antonio Oche Thornton just before 2 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2022, outside Baby Dolls, a nightclub just south of Topeka, according to the criminal complaint in the case. Thornton required surgery but survived.

An altercation that was involved began near the entrance of the business and continued into the parking lot, said the Facebook page for the office of Shawnee County Sheriff Brian Hill.

"During the fight, multiple gunshots were fired, and one person was struck," it said. "That person was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries."

Warner, 37, was initially charged with level five aggravated battery in the case, court records show.

Deputy district attorney Will Manly and Jason A. Zavadil, an attorney representing Warner, subsequently signed the plea agreement, which was filed last month.

That agreement calls for Warner  who had been charged with aggravated battery  to agree to instead plead guilty to a version of aggravated battery considered less serious under Kansas sentencing guidelines.

Those guidelines pinpoint a defendant's presumptive sentence using state sentencing grids, which take into account the defendant's "criminal history score" and the severity of his or her new conviction or convictions.

The plea agreement reached last month arranged for Warner to potentially be sentenced to probation.

Thornton didn't appear or speak at Thursday's sentencing hearing.

What does the DA say?

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay on Thursday discussed with The Capital-Journal the reasoning behind his office's willingness to agree to a plea agreement calling for Warner to serve probation instead of prison time.

"The victim in this matter declined to cooperate with the prosecution and left our jurisdiction," he said. "The victims cooperation would be necessary to obtain a conviction at trial."

Rather than dismiss the case, the district attorney's office negotiated a resolution that provided some measure of accountability, Kagay said.

"We discourage violent conduct in the strongest possible terms, and the overwhelming majority of these cases end with a prison sentence," he said.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Man gets probation after shooting at Baby Dolls nightclub near Topeka
Related video: Federal agents raid Diddys Florida mansion

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  The son of Sean Diddy Combs, who is the subject of a federal investigation over alleged sex trafficking, is facing his own allegations of sexual assault, NBC News reports.

The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges Christian Combs, 26, sexually assaulted a woman in late December 2022 while she worked on a boat charter.

Christian Combs is accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit. Sean Combs is being sued for premises liability as the person who chartered the yacht and for aiding and abetting his son in the alleged assault, NBC News reports.

Like father, like son, attorney Tyrone Blackburn, who is representing the woman, said Thursday night after the suit was filed. It gives us no joy or pleasure in filing this suit against Christian Combs who has clearly adopted his fathers pattern and practice of depravity.

The suit says Christian Combs drugged and assaulted the woman, and includes audio clips the woman says are evidence of her denying Combs as he groped her. She was 25 at the time of the alleged assault.

The woman claimed in the suit that she worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. providing dinner and drinks on the yacht, and that she witnessed partying and drug use between a constant rotation of suspected sex workers and celebrities, NBC News said. The suit also alleges the drinks may have been drugged as women began to pass out and panic after just one drink.

The suit claims Christian Combs joined the party to record in the yachts makeshift studio and that he arrived heavily intoxicated. Combs allegedly pressured the woman to take shots with him, becoming more aggressive and insisting she drink more.

The woman alleges Combs then groped her legs, breasts, and other private areas.

Excuse me, you dont touch my legs like that. Ill move my legs where I want to, The woman is heard saying in the recording detailed in the suit, according to NBC News. If I want to do this, then I will. You dont touch my legs like that.

After leaving the makeshift studio, Combs allegedly found her later and insisted she find him a place to sleep. After taking Combs to the yacht cinema where an extra sleeping area was set up, Combs allegedly groped her, took off his clothes, and tried to force the woman to perform sexual acts on him but was ultimately interrupted by someone else walking into the room, the suit claims.

The woman claims she complained to the yacht captain the next day, but he did not believe her and did not investigate the alleged assault. The suit also says the captain retaliated against the woman until she was fired in May 2023.

The suit claims the woman suffered panic attacks and severe suicidal ideations which led to her developing an eating disorder and epileptic seizures, NBC News said.

This suit is the first to accuse Christian Combs, whos father Sean is facing sexual assault allegations by multiple women. Combs properties in Los Angeles and Miami were raided on March 25.

There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations, Aaron Dyer, one of Sean Combs attorneys, said. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
The search for missing 27-year-old actor and Haskell Indian University student Cole Brings Plenty (Mnicouju Lakota) continued for the fifth day on Thursday. Cole was last seen and heard from in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 31. His vehicle, a white 2005 Ford Explorer with chipping paint, was seen exiting Lawrence, Kansas and heading southbound on U.S. Highway 59 on Sunday.

Several members of his family, including his father, Joseph Brings Plenty, traveled from South Dakota to Lawrence yesterday evening to aid in search efforts. Joseph Brings Plenty spent a couple of hours meeting with law enforcement in Lawrence.

On Wednesday, April 3, Joseph posted on Facebook:

Arrived in Lawrence around midnight, me my Cole Brings Plenty older brother Joe Brings Plenty Jr. and his girlfriend Shyanne LeBeau. We went to hwy 59, last place where my sons vehicle was seen heading. Wanted to see it at night, maybe how my son saw it. We found a stream and sang a prayer song. Called for my son, I know the mniwaconi will carry my voice, let Coco know his Tiwahe is here. We met with some of our relatives at the Haskell college. The college and students have a sacred fire built, they are gonna keep it burning until my son is found. They been doing searches and showed me a map of all the places they had searched already. One of the staff, Carrie allowed us to stay in her home. Thank you Haskell students and staff, love you all makes me feel like I can do this.

The drive here has been the most difficult drive Ive ever done. I cant stop thinking about my son. I see all the posts, Ive been in Law Enforcement for most of my life, when it came to searches I never assumed, my first priority was to find the person and make sure they are alive and well. Anything legal thats being said about my son, let his accusers stand before him in a court of law, that has a place and a time for it. If my son was anything but a Lakota, the wording on the local PDs post would be different, the priority he would be a missng person. Anyone that knows my son knows this is out of character, that he wouldnt just ghost his family and friends regardless. Something happened and Im here to find out what and where my son is. The rest of my family will be here in Lawrence later today, Im happy they are coming, not all could come, but we are here. My ciye Moe will be back in the area today as well. Anyone know anything about my son, please reach out to me. Anyone who values life, understands where I stand. Bliheciya! Hoka!

On Tuesday, the Lawrence Police said in a statement posted on its Facebook page it has submitted an affidavit to the District Attorney for the arrest of Cole after an incident Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence. The post further states that on Sunday, March 31, officers responded to calls of a female screaming for help, noting that the suspect fled before police arrived. It is unclear as of yet how police identified Cole as the suspect.

A partially redacted police report obtained by Native News Online shows the 911 call was made at 2:54 a.m., with officers arriving at 2:58 a.m. Police left the scene at approximately 4 a.m.

According to the warrant issued on April 3, 2024, obtained by Native News Online, Cole is being charged with aggravated residential burglary, aggravated domestic battery, and criminal restraint. The charges come with a $75,000 bond.

Lawrence Police Department Update - Thursday, April 4, 2024

The Lawrence Kansas Police Department posted an update on the search for Cole on Facebook today, Thursday, April 4, at approximately 7:45 p.m. ET.



"Cole Brings Plenty has still not been found and LKPD continues to ask for the publics help in locating him.



Our drone team worked most of the afternoon south of town to try to cover a lot of ground quickly - hoping to uncover any leads. Were following up on all the calls and information coming in.



Were in close contact with the family, who are very concerned as the days pass and are collaborating with the MMIWG2ST Chapter of Lawrence.



Detectives continue to follow leads since the events that occurred early Sunday morning. The details of the incident will not be discussed, as weve said, because of the nature of the ongoing investigation. Our immediate need is to locate Brings Plenty."

Coles case has drawn attention and speculation across social media, with posts and videos about his disappearance accumulating thousands of views and comments. It has also generated discussions of what is known as the Missing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Crisis. American Indian and Alaska Native peoples are at a disproportionate risk for violence, murder, and going missing. Jurisdictional gaps and systemic apathy leave many of these cases unsolved.

Cole is 510 and between 145 and 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. If you see Cole or his vehicle, call 911 or you can submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785) 843-8477.

About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. "

Contact: ewild@indiancountrymedia.com
ANKARA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has "neutralized" a senior member of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in a cross-border operation in northern Syria, Turkiye's semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Friday.

Vahide Atalay, codenamed Sorhin Cele, was "neutralized" in an operation in the Ayn al-Arab District in northern Syria, Anadolu said, quoting unnamed security sources, without specifying the time of the operation.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" in their statements to imply the alleged "terrorists" have either surrendered, been killed, or been captured.

Atalay, who was on MIT's priority target list, conducted operational activities in Iraq and Syria. She also held an important position within the women's structure of the YPG in Syria.

Atalay has taken part in numerous activities against Turkish security forces since she joined the organization in 2006.

She went to Syria in 2014 and carried out armed activities in the Qamishli, Ayn al-Arab, and Ras al-Ayn regions. After getting injured in clashes, Atalay shifted her focus to recruiting local people into the organization.

Turkiye sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union and has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

The Turkish military has launched multiple operations since 2016 in northern Syria to create a YPG-free zone along the border with the neighboring country. 
Brings Plenty was last seen in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 31. (photo/Facebook)

The search for Cole Brings Plenty (Mnicouju Lakota) has entered its fifth day, as authorities  along with family, friends, community members, and advocates  comb eastern Kansas for signs of the 27-year-old actor.

Brings Plenty was last seen in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 31. His vehicle, a white 2005 Ford Explorer with chipped paint, was seen leaving Lawrence, Kansas and heading southbound on U.S. Highway 59.

Brings Plenty's phone has been off since he was last seen; however, detectives were able to use data from his phone to discern that he drove south that evening.

According to a statement posted on Facebook yesterday by the Lawrence Police Department, law enforcement used drones to search south of Lawrence yesterday afternoon.

According to a Facebook post by the young actors father, Joseph Brings Plenty, authorities recovered video footage of Cole from a gas station in Baldwin City. The footage was captured at 3:12 a.m. on Sunday. Baldwin City is approximately 30 minutes south of Lawrence.

The elder Brings Plenty wrote that search teams think Cole headed east from Baldwin City, and today's search efforts will focus on that area. Volunteers are utilizing drones, kayaks, horses, and vehicles in the search and are seeking assistance from community members with access to aircraft.

Monique Mercuri, an Indigenous coordinator in the Lawrence community, is serving as point person for the Brings Plenty family.

"I have never met Cole, but this is my community and this is affecting my relatives," Mercuri said. She told Native News Online that the number of volunteers searching for Cole has doubled since yesterday, with approximately 100 people engaged in search efforts today.

On Tuesday, the Lawrence Police said in a statement posted on its Facebook page it has "submitted an affidavit to the District Attorney for the arrest of Cole after an incident Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence." The post also notes that on Sunday, March 31, officers responded to calls of a female screaming for help, noting that the suspect fled before police arrived. It is unclear how police identified Cole as the suspect.

A partially redacted police report obtained by Native News Online shows the 911 call was made at 2:54 a.m., with officers arriving at 2:58 a.m. Police left the scene at approximately 4 a.m.

According to the warrant issued on April 3, 2024, a copy of which was obtained by Native News Online, Brings Plenty is being charged with aggravated residential burglary, aggravated domestic battery, and criminal restraint. The charges come with a $75,000 bond.

Native News Online has submitted questions to the Lawrence Kansas Police Department via email. A representative from the police department responded, directing Native News Online to the department's Facebook page. Native News Online has been unable to verify if Brings Plenty disappearance is being treated as a missing persons case or a fugitive case.

"First and foremost, we want to ensure the safety of his well being," Mercuri said. "That is a priority for us."

Mercuri urges members of the public who want to assist in the search for Cole to go through the proper channels and contact the official search party by calling her at 315-877-7727

"We are running a headquarters, and if we have people showing up and going into places, it may disrupt what we already have out there," Mercuri said. "So please contact us so we can make sure everything is smooth and orderly."

Brings Plenty's case has drawn attention and caused speculation across social media, with posts and videos about his disappearance accumulating thousands of views and comments. It has also generated discussions of the Missing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis. American Indian and Alaska Native peoples are at a disproportionate risk for violence, murder, and going missing. Jurisdictional gaps and systemic apathy leave many of these cases unsolved.

Cole Brings Plenty is 510 and between 145 and 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. If you have any information about Cole's whereabouts, please call the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-7509 or 911 or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 785-296-4017. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at 785-843-8477.

About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. "

Contact: ewild@indiancountrymedia.com
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY  A motorcycle crash over the weekend led to the death of a Sebastian area attorney and the hospitalization of her husband with serious injuries, law enforcement and fire rescue officials said.

The crash remains under investigation by Indian River County Sheriff's Office, but law enforcement officials said the two were on a trike motorcycle near the home of Mari Parsons when the crash occurred around 7 p.m. Sunday.

Audra Bradley, Linda Beatty and Mari Parsons

Mari Parsons, 62, was taken to Sebastian River Medical Center where she later died, said Indian River County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Richard Marini. Stan Brosko Sr. was flown to Health First's Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne where he was said to be in critical condition Thursday.

First mention of the crash at South Wimbrow Drive emerged in announcements of lane closures on County Road 512 at Veterans Memorial Parkway because of what was described in a Sebastian police social media post as a "single-vehicle crash."

Police were first to arrive at the roadside where the crash occurred which serves as an entrance to the large Sebastian Highlands neighborhood where property records showed Parsons owned a home off South Wimbrow Drive.

"(The) cause of the crash is still being determined," said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski, with Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

At some point, the motorcycle struck a tree and was found off the roadway at County Road 512 and South Wimbrow Drive, Jaworski said.

According to the Florida Bar and online records, Parsons began practicing civil litigation in 1986.

She worked for a time with local firm VanDeVoorde Hall Law, P.L., and most recently from an office at Paralegal Advantage at 709 Washington Street in Sebastian.

"We were colleagues and friends for like ... over 30 years," said Dawn Biehl, owner of Paralegal Advantage. "She was a wonderful person."

Biehl said Parsons would often work on cases for free for those in need of legal counsel.

An obituary stated much of Parsons' "entire life (was) dedicated to helping children born into bad situations..." and especially in cases involving, "divorce, abuse, drugs, and children in harm's way..."

Originally from Alberta, Canada she obtained her law degree and enlisted as a Jag, or judge advocate general in the U.S. Air Force.

Following her time in the military, she practiced civil law for 40 years. Parsons had two sons.

She was described as an adventurous outgoing person who enjoyed travel, boating, skydiving and her motorcycle, and who included instructions in a written will that her children and some family, "take a 7-day cruise in her honor."

"She truly lived a full life," the obituary stated.

The family will receive friends April 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Luke's Catholic Church, 5055 Micco Road, Barefoot Bay. A Mass of Christian Burial for Mari Parsons will be April 12 at 11 a.m. at the church. Arrangements are by Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory, Sebastian.

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More: A look back at toxic algae blooms from Lake O discharges since 2005

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sebastian attorney Mari Parsons dead in motorcycle crash, husband hospitalized
Junior and senior doctors in England take part in a joint strike action for the first time in pay dispute

Junior and senior doctors in England take part in a joint strike action for the first time in pay dispute

LONDON (Reuters) -Senior doctors in England have voted to accept an improved offer from the government on pay and conditions, easing some of the pressure on Britain's National Health Service (NHS) after months of disruptive strike action.

The British Medical Association (BMA) trade union said on Friday about 83% of senior doctors, also known as consultants, voted in favour of the offer, on a 62% turnout.

A separate long-running dispute with junior doctors, who staged five days of strikes in February, is ongoing.

Strike action over the last two years has heaped more pressure on the NHS, where more than seven million patients are on waiting lists for hospital treatment, leading to thousands of cancelled appointments and procedures.

It has also added to pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in an election year, with his Conservatives heavily trailing the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.

"The end of consultant strike action in the NHS is excellent news for patients," Sunak said. "It will mean we can continue making progress towards our goal of cutting the waiting lists, which have now fallen for the fourth month in a row."

The pay deal for senior doctors, which includes changes to a doctors' pay review body and a 2.85% uplift for those who have been senior doctors for four to seven years, comes after senior doctors rejected a previous offer in a narrow vote in January.

"After years of repeated real-terms pay cuts, caused by government interference and a failure of the pay review process, consultants have spoken and now clearly feel that this offer is enough of a first step to address our concerns to end the current dispute," BMA consultants committee chair Vishal Sharma said.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman and William James, Writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Mark Potter)
Groene was only 8 years old when she was kidnapped by serial killer Joseph Duncan III

Courtesy Shasta Groene Shasta Groene

Shasta Groene, who survived being kidnapped by a serial killer, is asking for her communitys help once more after losing her home in a fire.

Groene, now a mother of four, is looking for assistance after she and her children lost everything and became displaced when their Nampa, Idaho residence burned down in early March.

According to a GoFundMe created by Robbin Lassen on behalf of the family, donations will go towards much-needed relief and support as they navigate this traumatic time. Contributions will secure temporary housing, clothing, daily necessities, and eventually, the rebuilding of their home.

getty Stock image of a house on fire

Those who are unable to provide monetary assistance are encouraged to leave a note of support for Shasta and her children. Let them know they are not alone.

As of Thursday, April 4, the fundraiser has reached just over $43,000 of its $100,000 goal.

Nearly 20 years ago, in 2005, Groene made headlines after she was rescued from wanted sex offender Joseph Edward Duncan III in Coeur dAlene, Idaho. A waitress had spotted the pair having breakfast at Dennys.

Related: Shasta Groene Details Kidnapping Ordeal

She and her then-9-year-old brother Dylan were kidnapped from their rural Wolf Lodge, Idaho home after witnessing the murder of their family during a home invasion.

Their mother, Brenda Groene, 40; her boyfriend, Mark McKenzie, 37; and Shasta and Dylans brother, Slade McKenzie, 13 (one of Brendas five children), were killed.

The three had been bound and beaten to death at the residence.

In the seven weeks that followed, the siblings were taken to at least two remote campsites and held captive and sexually assaulted by their familys killer, who later shot and killed Dylan.

Kathy Plonka-Pool/Getty Joseph Edward Duncan III

Duncan had been out on parole at the time of the murders and kidnapping.

He was later charged with two felony counts of kidnapping with intent to commit rape  one each for Shasta and Dylan.

"This case profoundly affected this community," retired Det. Sgt. Brad Maskell, the former lead investigator for the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department, told PEOPLE in 2022. "To this day, everybody still talks about it."

Duncan, who was also connected to three previous murders of children, died in March 2021 of brain cancer while serving multiple life sentences on federal death row.

Shastas story was the focus of the two-hour premiere episode of People Magazine Investigates in 2022.

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Read the original article on People.
Medicine is being delivered to people residing in rural areas of the combat zone. Photo: Ukraines Health Ministry

Seven mobile pharmacies are now operational in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy and Chernihiv oblasts of Ukraine.

Source: Ministry of Health of Ukraine

Details: Medicine is delivered to people who live in rural areas of the combat zone.

Necessary medicine can be bought in mobile pharmacies, or received for free or with a little surcharge within the framework of the Dostupni Liky ("Accessible Medicine") programme.

"All prescription drugs require a paper or electronic prescription, so dont forget your mobile phone," Ukraines Health Ministry adds.

Seven mobile pharmacies are now operational in four oblasts of Ukraine

Photo: Ministry of Health of Ukraine on Facebook

The first mobile pharmacy started operating in January 2024. It catered 80 Kharkiv Oblast settlements with no pharmacies.

The Ministry of Health plans to facilitate the operation of mobile pharmacies throughout Ukraine, mainly in frontline regions and in emergency areas, zones of active or likely combat action.

Mobile pharmacies operate in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy and Chernihiv oblasts.

Earlier it was reported that 89% villages in Ukraine have no stationary pharmacies.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  The site of a now-demolished Weinland Park liquor store may become home to a 7-story, mixed-use apartment complex.

Geis Companies and M. Panzica Development, from Streetsboro and Cleveland, respectively, have proposed an 186-unit apartment complex for the corner of East Fifth Avenue and North Fourth Street. The former site of Mid-America Beer Barn now sits mostly empty in a neighborhood under rapid development.

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The designer and developer duos application to the University Area Commission shows two buildings of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, separated by Sixth Avenue and connected by a pedestrian skybridge. The northern building would have two levels of parking, and the southern building would have apartments on all seven floors and retail space on the ground level.

Rockmill Brewery acquired in foreclosure auction by couple who married on site

We want to make sure we leave this area, this neighborhood, after the construction, hopefully better than what it currently is, Brandon Kline, vice president of design at Geis Companies, told residents during a Weinland Park Community Civic Association town hall meeting in March.

The parcels of land are owned by Kevin Lykens, owner of Columbus property management company Lykens Companies. Developer Michael Panzica said at the townhall that he struck up a relationship with Lykens last summer, and Lykens has agreed to sell the land and approves of the development plans.

A rendering of the ground floor of an apartment complex proposed for Weinland Park. (Courtesy Photo/Geis Companies and M. Panzica Development)

A rendering of the second floor of an apartment complex proposed for Weinland Park. (Courtesy Photo/Geis Companies and M. Panzica Development)

A floor rendering of an apartment complex proposed for Weinland Park. (Courtesy Photo/Geis Companies and M. Panzica Development)

The city would need to approve multiple code variances for the project to move forward as proposed, including a height variance  allowing 85 feet instead of the maximum 45 feet  and, because the land is commercially zoned, permitting residential units on the ground floor.

On Thursday, the city released its proposed changes to the zoning code, aimed at making it easier to develop high-density residential properties along . But changes to the zoning code are still months away; city council must formally vote to receive the proposal, and after that a 60-day public comment period will begin. Councilmembers said Thursday that they hope to vote the changes into law by the summer.

In Geis and M. Panzica Developments hardship statement, required whenever an applicant requests a variance, the group pointed to the outdated zoning code  last updated in the 1950s  and rising construction costs as barriers to development.

High-density solutions, such as our proposed project, not only respond to the urgent need for affordable housing but also represent a financially viable approach for designers and developers, the hardship statement read.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
(KRON)San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a drop in crime statistics on Thursday. According to the Mayors Office, property crime is down by 32%, and violent crime is down by 14% compared to this time last year.

Here are more specific statistics concerning the overall reduction in crime.

Decreases in property crime:

Car break-ins are down 51%

Burglary is down 17%

Motor vehicle theft is down 10%

Arson is down 10%

Larceny theft (non-car break-ins) is down 18%

Decreases in violent crime:

Homicide is down 27%

Rape is down 29%

Robbery is down 18%

Assault is down 8%

Gun violence is down 38%

Its very encouraging to see that the implementation of our strategies to address crime coupled with the hard work of our officers and professional staff are making a real difference and is having positive effects, said Bill Scott, Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department.

The mayors announcement regarding the drop in crime comes ahead of the coming implementation of Proposition E, a measure giving police more leeway in utilizing technology.

I dont think theres any correlation between Prop E and the data that the mayor is citing, given that the measures approved by voters in Prop E Arent in effect yet, Kevin Benedicto, Attorney for the San Francisco Police Commission, told KRON4.

The implementation of Prop E, which the board of supervisors voted to certify on Tuesday, will give access to public safety tools such as the implementation of automated license plate readers and the use of drones.

Whenever we implement new surveillance technology, it needs to be done very carefully to ensure that we achieve the goals that we want while protecting peoples civil liberties and civil rights. Because of the way Prop E was drafted and presented to voters, we werent able to undertake the normal scrutiny that we do for these policies, Benedicto said.

Technology aside, the San Francisco Police Commission, a government organization dedicated to police oversight, will also be more limited in its power.

With the implementation of Prop E, the police oversight commission will now need to hold ten public meetings at individual police stations before passing any significant policies. The commission will also need to allow the Chief of Police to issue a waiver on whatever policies it is attempting to pass.

For all the news that gets reported about the police commission, what not everyone knows is were all volunteers. We dont have a policy staff. All of our resources are on loan to us from the department. And so the logistics of having 10 meetings for every policy we pass when 95% of the policies we pass are administrative, we really slow down our ability to make a good policy for the department. So thats a real problem. Kevin Benedicto, Attorney for the San Francisco Police Commission, told KRON4.

The Prop E measure will go into effect on April 12. According to the mayors office, SFPD has already started creating a framework and is devoting resources to Prope E.

KRON4 reached out to SFPD for comment but has not heard anything back as of this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Russian military has carried out 39 group strikes against Ukraine over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

The strikes were in response to Ukraine's attempts to attack Russian oil and gas industry facilities, the ministry said.

The group strikes were carried out with high-precision long-range land-based and air-based weapons and drones, mainly targeting Ukrainian energy industry facilities, enterprises of a military-industrial complex, air defense systems, arsenals, fuel depots, and temporary deployment sites for Ukrainian armies and foreign mercenaries, the ministry said.

The objectives of the strikes were achieved, and all designated targets were hit, the ministry added.

Also on Friday, the Ukrainian forces attacked Morozovsk airfield in southwestern Russia with drones, destroying six warplanes, the Ukrayinska Pravda media outlet reported, citing its source in the Security Service of Ukraine.

The Su-34 bombers and Su-27 fighters, which Russia uses in the conflict with Ukraine, were based at the airfield at the time of the attack, it said. 
36-year-old Ryan Sweatt was arraigned Friday in Framingham District Court, charged with running down a woman in his car in Hopkinton Thursday night.

Police allege it was a case of road rage, and it took place on Hayden Rowe Street in front of Cornells Irish Pub just after 6 p.m.

Authorities have not named the victim, but on Facebook, her mother identified her as 26-year-old Destini Decoff.

She wrote that her daughter is in the hospital, not responsive, and is fighting for her life.

I feel in my heart she can hear meshe is hurt everywhereif anyone can fight thru this it absolutely is Destini, Decoff wrote in her post. Im truly at a loss for words besides keep my daughter in your thoughts.

Police say Sweatt, driving a Honda, and a Toyota stopped in the middle of the street right in front of Cornells in a road rage incident.

After the two vehicles had stopped, people in the Toyota got out of the car.

Witnesses told police that instead of immediately driving away, Sweatt maneuvered his Honda through two U-Turns, and crashed right into Decoff, who was standing at the edge of the road.

He could have kept going. He chose to turn around, chose to come back. He knew what he was doing when he went towards that girl, witness Brett Martin said.

Ryan Sweatt, 36, was arraigned Friday in Framingham District Court, charged with running down a woman in his car in Hopkinton Thursday night.

Brett Martin was inside Cornells, he ran outside to help, and he couldnt believe his eyes.

I saw her come down crashing. I didnt see her go up in the air. But I saw her come down, hit the pavement. It wasnt good from there, Martin said.

The force of this crash was so intense, it knocked the victim right out of her clothes.

Brett Martin said the first thing he did was to cover her up

I tried not to cover her face. I didnt know if she was breathing or not, I just wanted to cover her body. There was a lot of people around, out of her respect, he said.

At the scene, Sweatt told police people had surrounded his car, and were yelling they were trying to kill him, and he was trying to get away.

Police say they recovered a knife.

At Cornells, police say surveillance camera clearly captured the entire incident.

Ryan Sweatt is facing several charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

He is ordered held without bail until a dangerousness hearing next week.

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

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Shes lost friends, a job and her identity over long COVID. Will she ever be Old Me again?

When Mary Eggert is asked by friends, neighbors, relatives  or by anyone, really  to describe what her experience with long COVID has been like, shell almost always mention the fatigue being so overwhelming that she has to take a nap every day.

And then, she can usually predict the response.

The first thing most people say is, I wish I could take a nap every day, says the 40-year-old Indian Land, South Carolina mother of two. And I know theyre just trying to relate, but I want to be like, We are not the same. I dont want to have a nap every day. I have to have a nap every day. If I dont take a nap every day, it is so much worse. This wasnt a choice I made. ... I guess Im living someones best life because I take a nap every day. But 

She lets out a heavy sigh before finishing the thought.

 sometimes it just feels like they are fundamentally not understanding the severity of what Im talking about.

In Eggerts case, this is how severe things have gotten since she was diagnosed in December 2022 with long COVID, which is characterized by symptoms lasting four weeks or more (and often much longer): Shes no longer gainfully employed, having given up last year on being physically able to perform a job she loved. Shes lost the once-sure-handed grip she had on being a fully engaged parent to her now-6- and 9-year-old kids. Shes lost a good deal of her social life; in some cases, she has even lost friends.

She has, in fact, lost a great deal of her identity, which she says now revolves around an illness that has dominated her and her familys life for coming up on two years now.

It is an existence, she says, that is literally but also figuratively exhausting.

I mean, I dont want to make every interaction I have about me having long COVID, says Eggert, who is among the 6% of U.S. adults living with the condition. I dont want that to be my entire personality, every time I see someone. Sometimes I just want to be like, Yes. My lipstick is pretty! Lets talk about that. So ... I dont know. I havent figured out the right answer on the balance on how to talk about it.

But I do try to be probably more open than I normally would, because it is an invisible illness, and I want people to understand it.

At the same time, she recognizes that some people arent going to believe shes actually sick at all.

It was a really terrifying time

Mary and Adam Eggert moved themselves and their toddler-daughter Aurora to the Charlotte area from Portland, Maine in 2016, away from the snow and toward the barbecue.

They settled across the state line in a pleasant South Carolina subdivision and would soon add a son, Griffin, to the mix. Adam continued remotely with the same disability reinsurance firm hed been with in Maine, while Mary worked as a physical therapist at the old Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster and then the new Medical University of South Carolina facility that replaced it in 2019.

When they werent working, they were chasing their kids around the neighborhood, or playing games with them in the living room, or making delightful messes with them in the kitchen. When they werent spending time with the kids, they were hanging with friends, or dreaming up fun travel plans, or tackling some sort of ambitious house project or another  redoing the pantry, bumping out the patio, laying mulch in the flowerbeds.

Adam and Mary Eggert pose for a selfie while enjoying a vacation together in Sonoma, California, just prior to the start of the pandemic, in January of 2020.

And when the whole family got COVID in July of 2022, they figured it was just a speed bump.

It was not, in their minds, an insignificant one. Aurora and Griffin were asymptomatic, but Mom and Dad were miserable and lacked the energy to keep their very active kids sufficiently entertained. So they hoped for a relatively speedy recovery.

Adam got his. Mary did not.

Although her flu-like symptoms went away in a reasonable amount of time, and although her congestion and cough cleared up within about two weeks, she continued to suffer from crippling exhaustion virtually all day long into late August, along with shortness of breath, dizziness and an elevated heart rate from doing something as simple as trying to walk to the end of the street. By September, she also was having brain fog characterized by difficulty staying focused, bouts of confusion, even struggling to remember a simple word to complete a simple thought.

She would have returned to work if she could  after all, she was out of sick days and paid time off so she wasnt bringing in any income, and while her boss had been accommodating she knew they couldnt hold her job for her forever.

It wasnt just that she didnt have the energy to work, though. She didnt have the energy to do much of anything.

Some days, shed empty the dishwasher and need to lie down for an hour to recover. Some nights, shed stand at the bottom of the stairs leading up to their bedroom and hesitate to try climbing them for fear of not being able to make it all the way to the top.

Meanwhile, everyone in her life wanted to know why she was barely leaving the house.

There were a lot of people who thought COVID was a hoax, Mary says, matter-of-factly, so she routinely found herself being met with thinly veiled skepticism at best and  at worst  by people who flat-out would try to persuade her that she had pretty much anything except long COVID.

She could pretty easily shrug off the skepticism, if she had to. But she couldnt shake her worsening symptoms.

It was terrifying, Mary says, because youre going, OK, well, its been three weeks. ... Its been six weeks. ... This isnt getting better. You know, its too soon to say long COVID. But its been long enough that were, like, whispering it softly in the background. And you just  you dont know. Like, is it long COVID? If so, what does that mean? Is this just for a few months? If so, how are we getting through them? Is this forever? If so, what will the rest of my life look like now?

It was really a terrifying time.

Little did she know then that the situation could  and would  get much worse.

Doing a lot of fancy guesswork

In September 2022, three months after Mary originally was felled by COVID, her primary-care physician referred her to Atrium Healths then-brand-new program for treating and streamlining care for patients with what it referred to as Post-Acute COVID-19 syndrome.

The wait to see someone lasted another three months. She finally got in for an appointment in December.

In the back of her mind, she harbored a little bit of hope that she had been referred to the wrong place. Youre like, Oh, maybe its not really this. Maybe its just this other really easily fixable thing, Mary remembers thinking. But the clinician she was assigned to  physician assistant Kent Truslow  was not at all uncertain about his diagnosis.

Mary had long COVID.

On the one hand, she actually felt a little bit of a weight lifted. She was grateful that someone had taken her seriously. But its also just heartbreaking, she says, to be like, Aw, crap. It is this. This is whats happening.

Truslow says the presence of comorbidities including diabetes, asthma and being overweight might have made Mary more susceptible to acquiring it, and to experiencing her specific symptoms. In terms of his plan of attack with Mary, he says, simply, we focused on controlling the things we could control, working with her primary (care doctor).

But Truslow knew they were basically just doing a lot of fancy guesswork.

According to the National Institutes of Health, scientists just dont know for sure what causes long COVID, and the NIH asserts that there is no specific treatment yet.

You dont want to lie to people, Truslow says. You dont want to try to get their hopes up just to get their hopes up for a period of time. Because theres a lot of unknown. So thats the approach I take is, Hey, we dont know everything yet. This is a new disease  somewhat of a new process that long COVID has presented us with  and were still figuring it out.

Mary Eggert, photographed in early 2023 with the heart monitor she had to wear to track her heart rate, which dramatically increased overall after she contracted her condition.

One of the first things Truslow did was refer Mary to a pain management doctor who in January 2023 would start her on a series of injections called stellate ganglion blocks, which are designed to reset the sympathetic nervous system.

The initial one made an incredible difference, she says, taking her from being maybe 20% of original me to 50%, but only under ideal conditions, only for intervals, and only to see that number decrease with fatigue. Then the next two shots yielded less-dramatic improvements. She could participate more in her husbands and kids lives, but she still needed breaks, needed naps, needed lots of rest to conserve energy before any critical family activity, then needed lots of recovery afterward.

She definitely didnt feel it was wise to spend anywhere close to a full day transitioning from squatting or kneeling to standing, something shed have to do constantly as a physical therapist.

Which crushed her.

Mary was really grappling with the fact that she probably wasnt gonna go back to work, Adam says, and because we were six months in at that point, I recommended applying for Social Security Disability (Insurance), just to get it in the system. ... I work in the disability insurance industry, so for me it was a precaution more than anything else  to get it going sooner rather than later  especially given the timeframe that they take to approve claims.

But that was a really hard pill for her to swallow. It made her very down on the prospects for living a normal life, or what she perceived as a normal life. To her, it felt a lot like admitting defeat.

Im inadequate. Im failing my kids.

Mary cried almost every day for almost two months over the prospect of having to leave her job.

After she finally did, though, on May 10 of last year, she actually felt a little bit of a weight lifted again. She didnt feel like she was stringing her boss along anymore. She didnt feel any more of that guilt. By summer, Adam says, we were able to find a really good groove as Mary settled into her new normal. As the whole family did.

But another big blow-up was brewing.

Amid all of Marys challenges, their son Griffin and their daughter Aurora were both diagnosed with ADHD. So over the summer, Adam and Mary opted to transition them to new schools that they thought could better meet the kids needs.

It wasnt the smoothest of transitions  especially as it pertained to Griffin, whose condition is more severe.

We were struggling a lot with trying to navigate, OK, I need to get all of these doctors appointments for him, and deal with the school, and it suddenly felt like we were in this crisis situation, like, Oh, this is not working, in a very big way, Mary recalls. I knew, For the health and well-being of my kid, I should be doing these four strategies (for supporting) him, but I also knew, I can do one of these. That is all I have in me. And I could see that Old Me would have been able to do it, but Current Me just cant meet that in the same way. ...

But its hard when youre in that moment to not be like, Im inadequate. Im failing my kids.

By this point, too, because Marys condition had forced the couple to repeatedly decline invitations for social interactions with friends and neighbors, many of them had stopped reaching out altogether.

Her anxiety over all of this triggered a relapse of her worst symptoms, as well as a bout of something she hadnt experienced since she injured her knee in college  depression.

And collectively, the Eggerts downward spiral continued in October, when Adam tore his Achilles tendon upon tripping and falling while changing out the wheels on his rolling office chair. He had surgery to repair it the day before Halloween and wasnt able to walk without crutches for much of November, leaving him unable to shoulder most of the added burdens hed taken on since Mary had gotten sick.

Yet there was a silver lining.

Around the same time Adam injured himself, Mary had her fourth (and, for the foreseeable future, final) stellate ganglion block  which maybe gave me a 10% boost  and also started on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that wound up alleviating her depression but also inadvertently increased her energy levels a little.

I didnt really spend a lot of time saying, Why me?, Mary Eggert says. I think I was very thankful that it wasnt the kids.

Mary was still a long way off from 100%. And today, nearly five months later, she says shes still struggling with a little of the brain fog, still coping with a lot of the exhaustion and fatigue, and still completely not sure what the answer is to this question:

Will she ever feel completely well again?

Tuning out noise  and choosing joy

There are a variety of significant ongoing efforts to better understand the underlying causes of Long Covid and how to treat sufferers of it.

The very long list of examples includes an analysis of studies published last November by Cambridge University Press that found people whod had three doses of a COVID vaccine were 68.7% less likely to develop long COVID compared with those who were unvaccinated; a small study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine in December that found three patients with long COVID made sudden, total recoveries after being given a monoclonal antibody cocktail; and the commencement this month of two NIH clinical trials aimed at testing three new treatments for adults with autonomic nervous system dysfunction from long COVID.

At the same time, there are powerful voices in opposition.

In fact, on the same day in December 2022 that Atrium physician assistant Kent Truslow diagnosed Mary, The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed penned by Johns Hopkins University surgeon and public policy researcher Marty Makary under the headline The Exaggeration of Long COVID: Lingering symptoms after a respiratory infection are common. Most cases are too mild to worry about.

Just three weeks ago, on the second annual International Long COVID Awareness Day, the chief health officer for the state of Queensland in Australia publicly argued the term Long Covid should stop being used. In doing so, he pointed to new research that found long-term symptoms associated with Covid are the same as other viral infections and therefore could lead to a potentially detrimental hyper-vigilance among sufferers.

The latter news prompted The New York Post to write op-eds announcing Long Covid is fake!  although its worth noting that the Australian official explicitly said of the condition, Were absolutely saying that it does exist.

Truslow, for one, says he understands why controversy exists.

I mean, when you cant quantify a disease with a blood test, with some kind of procedure, a lot of people say, Well, then youre making it up. This is all in your head. You just need counseling. Maybe go see a psychiatrist, he says. Even in the medical community. There are medical providers out there who are not as in tune with this, or refuse to believe that someone can be this sick for this long and not have any biomarkers or physical-exam findings that support their feelings. ...

So yeah, the stigmas certainly out there. But I think theres more awareness for it, and hopefully over time there will continue to be.

Meanwhile, the Eggerts are trying their best to tune out that kind of external noise and to stay tuned in to all of the things that help manage, mitigate, or minimize Marys symptoms so she can stay as engaged as possible with her family.

My husband and I choose joy, Mary says. Thats where I get my hope, you know? Ive seen improvements. Im hopeful that theres more out there, and if there arent, well, at least my kids know theyre loved. Im showing up for them differently, but Im still showing up for them. My husband loves me in a way that I cannot fathom, and I love him. This isnt the journey we picked, but were still doing it together.

Adds Adam: And if at some point they come up with some miracle drug that  he snaps his fingers  turns her back to her old self, thatll be an amazing change for us.

We will accept it, she says. Marys mouth curls into a smile, which then quickly fades.

I dont know. Its harder for me emotionally to keep being like, I cant wait until things are normal! I dont want to live my life acting like this isnt my life, or like Im waiting for my life to begin again. This is it right now. This is what Ive got. If my Long Covid chapter closes later and a new chapter opens, then thats gonna be awesome. But Im not waiting for it.

Because life is happening now  and I want to keep happening with it.

Mary Eggert rides a gift she received from her family this past Christmas  an electric scooter that allows her to keep up with Griffin and Aurora without overexerting herself. I can stand on it, she says, and push the button like a champ.
Sheboygan Falls man suspected of setting house on fire in December enters plea deal in felony arson case

The Sheboygan County Courthouse as seen, Tuesday, February 13, 2024, in Sheboygan, Wis.

SHEBOYGAN  A Sheboygan Falls man entered a plea deal in court after he was suspected of setting a home on fire and attacking the woman who lived there last December.

Todd M. Hartzheim, 57, was charged Dec. 22, 2023, with felony arson of a building without the owners consent (with domestic abuse and domestic abuse repeater modifiers) and misdemeanor battery (with domestic abuse repeater and domestic abuse modifiers).

March 21, Hartzheim entered no-contest pleas for those two charges. In December 2023, he pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Originally, Hartzheim was also charged with felony criminal damage to property of more than $2,500 (with domestic abuse and domestic abuse repeater modifiers). This charge was dismissed.

Additionally, Hartzheim was originally charged with the following misdemeanors: disorderly conduct (with domestic abuse repeater and domestic abuse modifiers), resisting or obstructing an officer and intentionally abuse of a hazardous substance. These charges were also dismissed.

Original article about this case: Man suspected of setting fire to Sheboygan Falls home being held at county detention center

Bradley Priebe, the listed defense attorney, did not immediately respond to an opportunity to comment on this article.

The following events are all alleged and described based on the criminal complaint.

On Dec. 19, 2023, officers arrived at a residence in the N6100 block of Sunset Avenue in the town of Sheboygan Falls for the report of a physical disturbance. According to the complaint, the victim and Hartzheim previously lived together.

When officers arrived at the residence, Hartzheim was seen inside and didnt come out after being motioned by law enforcement to do so.

Inside, Hartzheim was seen with a can of gasoline, paper and a lighter. Reportedly, he was lighting the papers on fire and attempting to set the floor on fire.

It was unclear if the victim was inside, so one officer went into the home. When the officer yelled at Hartzheim to stop starting the fire, Hartzheim continued.

He told the officer he should leave him alone and poured gasoline over the flames. The fire is described in the complaint as significant with a lot of smoke.

Im finished, Hartzheim said. Its over.

Hartzheim walked away from the officer and resisted being placed into custody.

The complaint said flames were seen in the kitchen and because of yelling in that direction, officers went past the fire. After Hartzheim continued to resist while on the ground, he was placed into custody.

As the fire grew, Hartzheim continued to resist and refused to walk outside.

Unable to get Hartzheim out of the residence, officers ran through the flames in the kitchen to get back outside.

One officer involved reported throwing up and having breathing issues because of the smoke and the other had a hard time breathing. Both later went to the hospital for significant smoke inhalation.

Various officers worked to try to extinguish the fire and get Hartzheim out of the building. Eventually, officers were able to carry him outside and place him on the lawn.

The fire caused more than $2,500 in damage to the home.

After speaking with the victim, the following story about what happened before officers arrived unfolded.

Three days before the fire, Hartzheim and the victim had a domestic dispute that led to a temporary restraining order on Hartzheim to be granted Dec. 19. It was not served to Hartzheim.

At 4 p.m. the day of the fire, Hartzheim came to the victims home referencing an eviction the victim was seeking that Hartzheim saw on the online court website and said the no contact from a previous domestic violence arrest was over.

Despite telling Hartzheim about the restraining order, the victim let him into the home to get his medications.

More court news: Sheboygan man charged with stabbing former roommate pleads not guilty due to mental disease

After trying to kill himself by inhaling spray deodorant  he has lung problems  and not allowing the victim to call 911, Hartzheim pushed the victim into the chair she was sitting in and began attacking her.

He told her he was going to burn the house and they would both die.

The victim was able to escape and call 911 at a neighbors house.

The victim had bruising on her arms, and she said she feared for her safety.

At the hospital, Hartzheim told officers he had been depressed because of the holidays and was having a hard time with not being able to work and his body failing him.

While he denied trying to kill himself or any disturbance with the victim, Hartzheim said he started the fire because he didnt think he could afford to take care of the house. He found the gasoline in the shed.

I just lost it, dude, he told officers. I built that place.

Hartzheim also denied knowing about the temporary restraining order or evictions.

He said he knew what he did was wrong and while he never wanted to hurt anyone, he will forever regret his decision.

Hartzheim's sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 11.

Why we cover courts: This report is part of the Sheboygan Press's mission to fulfill our obligation to follow criminal cases from arrest to their conclusion. The aim is to shine a light on the criminal justice process so readers can see how publicly funded law enforcement and courts function.

Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Sam Bailey at sgbailey@gannett.com or 573-256-9937. To stay up to date on her stories and other news, follow her on X (Twitter) @SamarahBailey.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Falls man enters plea deal in felony arson case
A lot has been going on in New York City this week. Just two days before a powerful earthquake rattled the city and areas around it all the way to Philadelphia on Friday morning, a severe storm hit the city and brought strong, damaging winds, heavy rain ,and flashes of lightening.

In a scene that almost seems straight out a post-apocalyptic film, a flash of lightning striking the Statue of Liberty was captured by photographer Dan Martland on Wednesday. The bolt of lightning appears to be emerging from Lady Liberty's torch, making for an electric portrait.

Responding to a social media user's question on how long he waited in the storm to capture this image, Martland said that he tracks the weather with apps before heading out to shoot.

"I usually track the weather with apps and head out if it's looking good," Martland wrote. "I've had times where I've been out for eight hours and got nothing. Today was only an hour. The storm passed pretty quick. And the apps showed that there was no more cells coming my way."

The photographer also responded to those asking if the images were artificially staged, explaining that the shots are still images and that he used a lightning trigger to capture them.

This is not the first time Martland caught lightning striking the Statue of Liberty. A similar image from April 2023 has also been pinned to his Instagram account.

The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor on a rainy and windy afternoon on July 25, 2018, in New York City. Following weeks of sun and warmth, New York City and much of the East Coast has experienced a rain soaked week with a forecast of potential flash floods, strong winds and thunderstorms according to the National Weather Service.

One killed as strong gusts knock trees in New York

Besides rain, gusts and lightning, Wednesday's storm also brought destruction in the form of falling trees that left one person dead in Westchester County, about 36 miles north of downtown Manhattan.

They were identified as Catherine Tusiani, 50, the wife of Michael Tusiani, senior vice president of partnerships for the New York Yankees, The Lohud Journal News, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, reported.

Authorities said that the Tusiani was killed when heavy winds caused a tree to fall onto her car as she was driving home around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Evidence of freshly fallen and cut up pine trees in two different locations along Route 128 in Armonk are pictured April 4, 2024.

CBS News reported that multiple trees fell across the city, including in Central Park, damaging property and cars. A flood warning was issued, and authorities advised people to keep an eye out for "fallen trees, branches and power lines."

Travel Advisory continues:



Heaviest of flood threats has ended, expect scattered showers through afternoon. Winds have come down but expect gusts to reach 20mph. Coastal flood threat cycle expected to end ~12pm for BX and S. QNS



Watch for fallen trees, branches, & power lines. pic.twitter.com/oDBbTDwoE3  NYC Emergency Management (@nycemergencymgt) April 4, 2024

Power outages were also reported in multiple neighborhoods across New York City.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photographer captures moment as lightning strikes Statue of Liberty
Ukraine proposed to ban air transit to Russia and Belarus as part of the international sanctions policy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during his visit to Lithuania on April 5.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the EU and other countries banned Russian airlines or Russian-owned airplanes from using EU airspace, as well as prohibited the export of aviation-related technology.

The idea of banning air transit aims to limit the economic potential of Russia and increase sanctions pressure on the country, according to Shmyhal.

Lithuania imposed entry restrictions on Russian citizens in September 2022 as part of a joint agreement with Latvia, Estonia, and Poland. Czechia imposed similar restrictions in October 2022.

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Shmyhal arrived in Vilnius earlier on April 5 following his visits to the two other Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, previously this week.

The prime minister met his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte, and the country's President Gitanas Nauseda.

"We look forward to continuing fruitful cooperation in the defense sector. We also talked about sanctions and the confiscation of Russian assets, humanitarian aid, and Ukraine's EU and NATO integration," Shmyhal said after meeting Nauseda.

Vilnius has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters against Russian aggression. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, Lithuania's defense contributions to Ukraine are one of the highest in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) shares.

Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $215 million) support package to Ukraine and promised to continue supporting the country.

Read also: Lithuania to purchase 3,000 drones for Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
After deadly strike on aid convoy, Democrats push Biden to put conditions on military help for Israel

WASHINGTON  The Israeli airstrikes that claimed the lives of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers have stunned and outraged Democrats in Congress, fueling a fresh effort by lawmakers to push President Joe Biden to impose conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel.

Frustration has been mounting for months among Democrats in Congress over how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government has carried out its military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the dire humanitarian conditions faced by Palestinian civilians. But Mondays lethal strikes on a World Central Kitchen team jolted many lawmakers and their aides, who say the attack could serve as a defining moment for Americas approach to the war in Gaza and U.S. relations with Israel.

This week could be a turning point, one congressional official said.

Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont told NBC News that the attack on the aid convoy is an indication that there has been no modification of the Netanyahu war plan and its creating increasing concern among more and more of my colleagues.

Even lawmakers who initially refrained from sharply criticizing Israel over its tactics in Gaza have joined calls for a cease-fire or warned Netanyahus government not to enter the southern city of Rafah without a plan to safeguard the lives of its civilian population.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a close Biden ally and a longtime supporter of Israel, came out for the first time Thursday in favor of placing conditions on U.S. arms shipments to Israel if civilians are not protected in Rafah.

Peter Welch and Jose Andres (J. Scott Applewhite / AP file)

If Benjamin Netanyahu were to order the IDF into Rafah at scale ... and make no provision for civilians or for humanitarian aid, I would vote to condition aid to Israel, he told CNN. Ive never said that before, Ive never been here before.

According to Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street, a liberal lobbying group that says it is pro-Israel and pro-peace, more and more Democrats are urging the White House to back up its critical words with concrete actions.

I think there are a growing number of Democratic members who would like to see the administration doing more than its doing, he said.

On Friday, more than three dozen members of Congress signed a letter urging Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reconsider the decision to authorize an arms package transfer to Israel. The letter, notably signed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also calls for the U.S. to withhold future arms transfers pending an investigation into the airstrike on the World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers or if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza.

In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is unjustifiable to approve these weapons transfers, the letter said.

A spokesperson for Pelosi told NBC News in a statement that she is "sympathetic to some of the thoughts in the letter, and she feels very strongly that there must be a comprehensive, independent investigation into the horrific killing of the World Central Kitchen heroes," adding that she "knows President Bidens support for Israel and empathy with the innocent civilians in Gaza, and she respects his judgment in how to proceed.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter Friday evening.

Pressure from Democrats in Congress could lead the administration to possibly delay the delivery of certain offensive weapons or military assistance, congressional aides said. Although such a move would apply to hardware due to be delivered months or years from now and would not affect Israels current supply of arms and ammunition, it would send an unprecedented political message to Israel.

I think a more limited and symbolic step is a real possibility, Ben-Ami said.

Biden administration officials also have described the strikes on the aid convoy as a pivotal moment.

In a phone call with Netanyahu on Thursday, Biden strongly implied that Washington was prepared to condition military assistance to Israel over how it addresses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and cease-fire talks, according to two U.S. officials.

After Bidens warning, Israel announced that it would open additional aid routes to allow for increased assistance to flow into Gaza, including the Ashdod port and the Erez crossing on Israels border with Gaza.

On Friday, the Israeli military said that it removed two officers from their posts over the lethal strikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy and that an investigation found serious errors and violations of protocol that led the Israel Defense Forces to repeatedly hit the convoy in the belief that Hamas gunmen were present.

The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures, the IDF said.

Welch praised Bidens public comments condemning the strikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy, but said that it was time for concrete steps.

The president gave a very strong statement, indicating his horror and dismay at what just happened with the bombing of the World Central Kitchen workers  hes moved from quiet discussion with Prime Minister Netanyahu to public statements of disapproval, Welch said. The next step is explicit action.

The passports of World Central Kitchen workers. (Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images)

Democrats in Congress are now focusing on the looming deadline of May 8, when the administration will have to declare whether Israel is abiding by international humanitarian law and U.S. human rights laws. Under a national security memorandum issued by Biden in February, the State Department has to formally assess if Israels assurances are credible and reliable and report its findings to Congress. If the administration concludes that Israel is failing to live up to its assurances, the president will have the option to suspend additional U.S. arms transfers.

Mounting concerns among Democrats about the situation in Gaza also threaten to jeopardize a long-delayed security assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which passed the Senate but has been held up for months in the House of Representatives.

Until now, the main stumbling block was House Speaker Mike Johnson and some other Republicans who are wary of defying former President Donald Trumps opposition to additional aid for Ukraine. But a growing number of House Democrats are now reluctant to sign off on more military assistance for Israel, particularly after the strikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy, congressional aides and lawmakers said.

If the Biden administration remains reluctant to impose conditions on aid to Israel, the top two Democrats on the Senate and House foreign relations committees could try to ratchet up the pressure on the White House by refusing to approve a proposed $18 billion arms package for Israel, which includes more F-15 fighter jets. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have yet to say publicly if they will sign off on the planned sale.

Gregory Meeks (Graeme Sloan / Sipa USA via AP file)

The reaction on Capitol Hill to the airstrikes on the aid convoy illustrates the wider shift underway in how Israel is perceived in Washington. Unconditional bipartisan support for Israel is no longer a given, and Democrats are now prepared to level sharp criticism at Americas ally.

The shift is partly driven by changing attitudes among Democratic voters, particularly American Muslims and younger progressives, who are dismayed at the plight of Palestinian civilians and are less sympathetic to Israels arguments. Some Democratic lawmakers are under intense pressure from their constituents over the war in Gaza, and worry the issue could damage Bidens re-election prospects in a razor-thin election race.

Even before the Hamas attack of Oct. 7 and Israels military offensive in Gaza, Biden was facing the prospect of a difficult re-election fight with the narrowest of margins determining the outcome. The war in Gaza has added yet another challenge for him and the Democrats as they brace for possible platform fights and street protests at the Democratic Partys national convention in Chicago this summer.

Theyre now not so far out from the convention. What do you want to have the streets of Chicago look like in four months? Ben-Ami said. Theres a lot of politics just beneath the surface.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Read the full story on Backfire News

Shocking Road Rage Incident on Cross Bronx Expressway Caught on Video

In a more common display of road rage captured on video, a senior citizen found himself caught in a violent altercation on the Cross Bronx Expressway near Jesup Avenue, escalating to the point of physical injury. The incident, which took place around 9:30 a.m. on March 5, has since stirred significant public concern and prompted an investigation by the New York Police Department.

The two-minute video, brought to widespread attention by former New York City Council candidate Ying Tan, reveals the moment a BMW driver aggressively cut off another vehicle, abruptly stopping traffic on the expressway. Exiting his vehicle, the BMW driver approached and physically assaulted a 66-year-old man seated in the car he had just overtaken.

This video, showing a senior being bullied on I-95 near exit 2A in the Bronx, has gone viral on Chinese social media. The BMW driver blocked the minivan and punched the senior driver. Subsequently, the senior attempted to hop onto his car, which was extremely dangerous. The BMW pic.twitter.com/Kt75VFpaz9  Ying Tan (@YingTanForNY) March 9, 2024

As tensions escalated, the video showed the senior defending himself by throwing objects at the aggressor and his car. Despite momentarily retreating, the BMW driver returned to further engage with the elderly man, eventually attempting to forcibly enter his vehicle.

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The confrontation took a dangerous turn when the senior attempted to approach the BMW, resulting in the younger driver accelerating away and tragically trapping the 66-year-old between the two vehicles. The senior was seen falling to the pavement, highlighting the severe risks associated with road rage encounters.

The motives behind this shocking display of aggression remain unclear, and as of now, no arrests have been made. The NYPD's ongoing investigation seeks to address the incident and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
A Shroder High School teacher is facing additional charges after confessing to a sexual relationship with a student.

A Shroder High School teacher was indicted on additional charges after he confessed to a sexual relationship with a student. Hes the second staff member at the school to face sex-related charges since November.

Andre Rollins, 35, was accused of sexual battery in March. On Thursday, a Hamilton County grand jury indicted the full-time substitute teacher on five additional felonies and a misdemeanor.

2 counts of sexual battery

2 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor

1 count of endangering children

1 count of disseminating material harmful to juveniles

Trevon Hudson, 28, was arrested on an importuning charge on Nov. 20. His trial is scheduled to start May 7.

Cincinnati Public Schools said it would release a statement about the accusations against Rollins on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio teacher faces additional charges after sexual battery indictment
'The Signing': What to know about the Arizona attorney general's 2020 election probe

On Dec. 14, 2020, five weeks after the 2020 presidential election, a group of 11 Republicans convened at the state Republican Party headquarters in Phoenix and signed documents they claimed on social media were the legitimate representations of the state's electoral votes.

They called it "The Signing."

"For President Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida, number of votes: 11," one of the alleged fake electors said in a video posted on X by the Republican Party of Arizona. "Vice President Michael R. Pence of the state of Indiana, number of votes: 11."

MORE: Trump co-defendant Michael Roman subpoenaed, Kenneth Chesebro interviewed in Arizona 2020 election probe: Sources

Now, more than three years later, those signers appear to be at the center of a probe by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who recently said in public that her office "will announce something in the relatively near future."

If Mayes takes action against the group, Arizona will become the fourth state to file criminal charges against the so-called "fake electors" who allegedly announced they were ready to pledge electoral votes to Donald Trump in their respective states during the 2020 election, despite Joe Biden winning those states.

Most recently, in December, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced felony charges against six alleged "fake electors" in that state. In Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel similarly charged 16 "alternate electors" in July for conspiracy to commit forgery, among other charges. And in Georgia, three such "fake electors" were among the 18 co-defendants charged, along with Trump, in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state.

All defendants charged in all three probes have pleaded not guilty, with Georgia defendants Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Scott Hall subsequently taking plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify in that case. In Michigan, the attorney general dropped all charges against defendant Jim Renner in exchange for his cooperation.

ABC News previously reported that Trump's Georgia co-defendant Michael Roman was subpoenaed as part of the Arizona probe and that Chesebro sat for a voluntary interview with Arizona investigators in recent weeks.

PHOTO: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes attends a press conference in Nogales, Arizona, on March 18, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

'The Signing'

The 11 Republicans who met in December 2020 included then-Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, two Republican lawmakers, and a top official with the Republican National Committee. During the publicly documented meeting, they signed documents that falsely claimed they were Arizona's rightful electors.

"Today, Arizona's 11 Republican presidential electors met to cast their votes for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence," the Arizona GOP tweeted in December 2020. "With ongoing legal challenges to the 2020 presidential election still being heard in the courts across the country holding hearings on election fraud and voting irregularities, it is imperative that the proper elections are counted by Congress."

All 11 alleged fake electors were also part of a legal challenge in the state that sought to challenge the election results based on allegations of voter fraud.

The case was thrown out by a judge who called their claims of election fraud "sorely wanting of relevant or reliable evidence."

Pressure from the president

While the 11 Republicans were making their false claims, Trump and his allies were pressuring Arizona election officials about the election results.

ABC News previously reported that Trump attempted to pressure then-Gov. Doug Ducey to overturn the state's 2020 election results, and that Trump asked then-Vice President Mike Pence to pressure Ducey to find fraudulent votes in the state, according to sources. Although Pence called Ducey multiple times in the aftermath of the election, he did not follow through with Trump's instructions to pressure him, sources said.

Trump also pressured Rusty Bowers, then the Arizona House speaker, according to Bowers' testimony before the House Jan 6. Committee.

Trump called Bowers in December 2020 "for the purpose of soliciting, requesting, and importuning Bowers to unlawfully appoint presidential electors from Arizona," the committee said.

"As I told you, Mr. President, I voted for you. I worked for you, campaigned for you. I just won't do anything illegal for you," Bowers recalled telling Trump.

John Eastman, a pro-Trump attorney who is a co-defendant in the Georgia case, also called Bowers on Jan. 4, 2021, and asked him to unlawfully appoint presidential electors in Arizona, Bowers said.

PHOTO: In this Jan. 6, 2023, file photo, Rusty Bowers, former Arizona House speaker, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE)

Claims of election fraud

Bowers also told the Jan. 6 Committee that he received calls from Trump and attorney Rudy Giuliani about election fraud in the state.

"I was insistent that I had to have proof, real proof, judicial level," Bowers testified. "That's the kind of proof I'm talking about. And the president said, 'Rudy, give the man what he wants.'"

Asked by ABC News' Jonathan Karl if Giuliani ever provided that evidence, Bowers said, "He never gave us anything. No names, no data, nothing."

Bowers also said that Giuliani and Ellis flew to Phoenix and met with him and other Arizona lawmakers, and asked them to convene the legislature to investigate their unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

Mayes, the Arizona attorney general, has not commented on whether her probe goes beyond the 11 alleged fake electors.

'The Signing': What to know about the Arizona attorney general's 2020 election probe originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A dam breach in the Russian city of Orsk in the Orenburg Region has led to a mass evacuation of residents from the flooded area, local media reported Friday.

The breach occurred in the dam that serves as a protective barrier against the Ural River, endangering several parts of the old city and nearby Orsk villages, RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing local authorities.

A state of emergency has been introduced in the city, the report said.

Rescuers and municipal services of Orsk are working to strengthen the dam and eliminate the breach, Russia's Ministry of Emergency said on its Telegram. 
ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. (WFXR)  The Virginia State Police is reporting that a Covington man was killed in a single-vehicle crash that occurred in Alleghany County on April 4.

Bedford man killed in two-vehicle crash in Goochland County

According to VSP, around 7:20 p.m. on Thursday, 66-year-old Robert Eagle Wright of Covington was driving north in a 2012 Ford F-150 on Route 18 near Red Bud Road when he ran off the left side of the road and hit a tree.

Wright was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash is still under investigation; however, police say Wright was wearing his seatbelt.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
The U.S. is bracing for a possible major Iranian attack on Israel or its forces in retaliation for an airstrike that killed several senior Iranian commanders this week, according to three U.S. officials and one Israeli official.

U.S. officials believe some kind of significant military action against Israeli forces could occur in the coming days, according to the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. The Pentagon does not believe U.S. forces will be targeted, and is not repositioning its assets at this time, one of the officials said.

Still, the fear is that any Iranian retaliation on Israeli forces could escalate and spark a broader conflict, said the official.

Were in that window where we think they could respond at any time, the official said. The situation could escalate, then we get into what we are trying to avoid, which is a wider regional war.

Top Iranian officials have vowed to respond after Israels airstrike on Irans consulate in Damascus, Syria, this week, which killed at least seven members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among those killed was the top commander in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and his deputy, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the strike, but Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh this week said the Defense Department had assessed that Israel was behind the attack.

In the immediate aftermath, the Biden administration quickly conveyed to Iran that it had nothing to do with the attack, one of the U.S. officials said.

U.S. troops are already on high alert in the region for attacks by Iran-backed forces. Since Israel invaded Gaza in October, Tehran-linked militants have attacked U.S. troops in Syria, Iraq and Jordan at least 170 times, including a drone strike that killed three U.S. soldiers and prompted President Joe Biden to order retaliatory airstrikes.

Those strikes seemed to have the intended effect, as U.S. forces have not been targeted in Iraq and Syria since Feb. 4.

A DOD spokesperson declined to comment.

Alexander ward contributed to this report.
Six incarcerated New Yorkers can view eclipse in settlement with the state

The New York state correctional system agreed to allow six incarcerated New Yorkers to view the eclipse this Monday, but did not go as far as resolving a legal effort that had sought to obtain eclipse-viewing permission for potentially tens of thousands of inmates.

The settlement will allow the six men "to view the solar eclipse in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs," said attorneys Chris McArdle, Sharon Steinerman and Madeline Byrd, who represented the plaintiffs in this case.

The lawsuit, filed late last week, alleged that the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision was in violation of a federal law that protects religious observance by incarcerated people.

Five of the six men subscribe to various religions, including Christianity, Islam and Santeria, which is a religion of the African diaspora. They each argued that the eclipse has a special significance in the practice of their faiths. The sixth plaintiff, Jeremy Zielinski, is an atheist and argued that "it is a central aspect of atheism to celebrate common humanity and bring people together to encourage people to find common ground."

Aldrich Astronomical Society member Len DiPinto captured the Aug. 21, 2017, solar eclipse in a photo. A solar eclipse is set to take place April 8.

Weeks ago, Zielinski requested and was granted approval by DOCCS to view the eclipse, including an agreement that the department would provide him with the special glasses needed to observe the celestial event.

Zielinski further requested that the department enable other inmates to watch the eclipse in accordance with their religious beliefs, so it could be a shared, community experience.

Explore these interactive maps: Solar eclipse path across New York and how long will it last

Days later, DOCCS Acting Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III issued a memorandum locking down all state prisons Monday afternoon, effectively preventing anyone else from having the opportunity to view the eclipse.

"For facilities in the path of totality, visitation will be canceled," he wrote.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Albany, concerned Zielinski and five other men incarcerated at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Sullivan County. It sought to represent all individuals in DOCCS custody who have a sincerely-held religious belief involving the eclipse.

Thursday's settlement did not address that question, leaving tens of thousands of incarcerated New Yorkers in limbo about their ability to view the eclipse come Monday afternoon.

Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Six incarcerated New Yorkers can view eclipse in deal, attorneys say
Sleeping 80-year-old woman dies in drive-by shooting, police say. Two gunmen charged

Two suspects, including a 16-year-old, are charged with murder following a shooting that killed an 80-year-old woman as she slept, Mississippi police told news outlets.

The teen and 20-year-old Ramon Thompson were arrested Wednesday, April 3, in connection with the deadly drive-by shooting in Jackson, WJTV reported, citing Jackson Police Detective Tommie Brown.

Both face a charge of murder and drive-by shooting, according to WAPT.

No attorney information was given. McClatchy News is not naming the 16-year-old because he is underage.

The violence unfolded April 1 as Annie Peoples, 80, and her family slept in a front room of their home, The Clarion-Ledger reported, citing police. Investigators said three men pulled up in a dark-colored car, got out and opened fire.

One of the bullets struck Peoples in the head, killing her, police told the newspaper.

Police said they believe the gunmen were targeting someone else, according to WAPT. No other injuries were reported.

The suspects went before a judge and were each given a $1.5 million bond, the station reported.

Wendys customer shoots worker through drive-thru window and flees, Illinois cops say

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Fake officer lies about womans husband being killed in Walmart shooting, NC cops say
MONCURE, N.C. (WNCN)  UPDATE: On Friday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft, a single-engine Lancair 360 with the registration number N360XS, landed on a highway near the Raleigh Executive Jetport around 4:20 p.m. Thursday after experiencing engine problems.

The airport is in Sanford, but near the Chatham County line.

The FAA said the pilot was the only person on board and the agency is investigating the incident.

Previous story:

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol has confirmed that a small plane made an emergency landing in Chatham County on Thursday afternoon.

According to NCSHP, the single-engine aircraft landed on U.S. 1 northbound at about 3:30 p.m. near Exit 81 towards Pea Ridge Road and Moncure.

They said there were no injuries.

Scene of emergency landing on US-1 (Lance Blocker/CBS 17)

According to flight plans, the plane was headed to Ocean Isle Beach after taking off from Lynchburg, Virginia at about 3 p.m.

At this time, it is unclear if the plane hit anything on the way down.

NCSHP said the plane was still on the highway Thursday night and is expected to remain there until Friday morning.

According to NCDOT, the shoulder is closed where the plane is located and is expected to reopen at 9 a.m. Friday.

CBS 17 is working to get more information.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Smog hangs in the air as the sun sets after a hot day in the Los Angeles Basin on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Federal prosecutors in Sacramento on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging 12 people from around the state with violating the Clean Air Act in what they portrayed as a long-running, sophisticated and surprisingly widespread scheme to cheat on smog tests.

The defendants polluted the air we breathe for their own profit and harmed the health of Californians, U.S. Atty. Phillip Talbert said in a statement. All 12 were arrested at their homes Thursday morning and will be arraigned in court at a later date, a spokesperson said. They face up to five years in prison if convicted.

California requires most cars to pass a smog emissions inspection every two years. But for as long as California has had those rules, which were instituted decades ago, there have been car owners who despaired that their cars wouldn't pass the tests, and unscrupulous smog check operations willing to help them cheat.

In the old days, cheating at a smog test was easy: A smog operation (there are approximately 7,000 in California) would just sign off. To combat that, California made it harder to defraud, by developing software that prevented such trickery.

Starting about a decade ago, officials allege, a sophisticated criminal ring developed and marketed a machine that tricked the states software to pass vehicles that would otherwise fail Californias smog inspections."

Read more: EPA issues new clean air rules for heavy-duty trucks. California's rules are tougher

The conspiracy went on for a decade, the indictment alleges, starting in 2015, when a smog shop operator in Hawthorne, Hossam Sam Hemdan, began selling a line of devices known as OBDNators which enabled failing cars to pass smog tests.

Hemdan, who owns several smog repair stores around Southern California, could not be reached for comment, nor could his representatives.

The indictment said that as early as 2013, Hemdan hired programmers and designers to help him develop the device. He allegedly sold an early version to a smog shop operator in Anaheim in December of 2015 for $9,500.

By 2019, the indictment said, Hemdan had developed a stand alone device, by which a car owner could pass a smog check with their vehicle identification number alone  they didnt even have to take their car down to the smog check station.

That device, the indictment said, cost around $18,000. (A fake passing grade on a smog test from one of the devices, meanwhile, could be had on the black market for between $120 and $300, according to the indictment; a real smog check is usually about $50.)

The devices were apparently popular among some smog shop operators. Hemdan was allegedly organizing in-person classes so new owners of the devices could learn to operate them. Make sure everyone come to the class monday mostly about the new n8tr and running the new software and operation other wise u will miss a lot, Hemdan texted to a group of smog check operators in July of 2019, according to the indictment.

Read more: Los Angeles smog woes worsen as U.S. EPA threatens to reject local pollution plan

By 2020, the network appeared to have cornered the market on cheating smog tests, according to the indictment, which said that virtually all sophisticated simulator devices found by investigators during the inspection of smog stations were from Hemdan's product line.

Officials have said they have no way of knowing how many pollution-spewing cars are operating on California roads as a result of the ring. But some signs suggest the number is not insignificant. In 2023, only 7% of the 10.7 million cars that went to smog check stations failed their tests. But random roadside tests carried out by the Bureau of Automotive Repair posted a failure rate of 13.5%.

"The scheme here was organized and deliberately designed to deceive and falsify emissions testing across California," EPA Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Bahney said in a statement, adding: "Vehicle emissions testing is fundamental to protect air quality.

The indictment does not reveal how investigators cracked the alleged fraud ring, but it does reveal that they obtained encrypted group text messages and watched the alleged conspirators try to evade detection.

Read more: Sensor network shows EVs are reducing CO2 emissions in the Bay Area. Is it enough?

On Jan. 16, 2020, for example, one of the group sent a text message to a group chat with 35 people in it, warning that law enforcement was rumored to be conducting inspections at smog shops in the Inland Empire that day, according to the affidavit.

An hour and a half later, Javier Salguero, who owned and controlled several smog shops including one in Bell and two in Maywood, wrote in the group chat that law enforcement was at one of his shops with a search warrant. Cops, fbi at my shop, he allegedly texted. Watch yourselves.

A few months earlier, he had chatted in a group text about needing to work together to avoid getting caught, and said they should consider pooling resources to put an attorney and a consultant on payroll. "Organized crime is the only way," he joked.

Neither Salguero nor his representatives could be reached for comment.

Nathaniel Le, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBIs Sacramento Field Office, said that the arrests were a result of a five-year investigation by the FBI, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. attorneys office and the California Bureau of Automotive Repair.

In a statement, he pointed out how sophisticated the smog-check-cheating device was. Because of these devices and the falsified data they provide, many cars that could not pass emissions testing are still on the streets of California."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A right-wing social media influencer was ridiculed and fact-checked after melting down over a gender-neutral bathroom at Kansas City International Airport.

In a video posted on X, Morgonn McMichael filmed herself walking into the restroom, complaining that it was a crazy concept.

I hate this, she says in the clip. I have never seen an all-gender bathroom. I am not going in here.

If you SUPPORT all gender bathrooms youre either a creep or a freak, she wrote in a separate post.

But as commenters noted, she had no need to use the bathroom if she didnt want to. A reader context note was added to the bottom of McMichaels post, pointing out that there are gender-specific bathrooms available in addition to the gender-neutral one.

The bathrooms are in the new terminal of the airport, which opened in February last year. The facilities were built under a policy supported by the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission.

Justice Horn, chair of that commission, replied to the post personally.

First, these are single stall, all gender bathrooms that allow for greater privacy. There are gender specific bathrooms down the hall too, he wrote. Finally, dont use my community to create fake outrageits sad.

He also noted that inclusive policies benefit all of us.

Fathers with daughters, mothers with sons, folks with disabilities, those traveling with elderly loved ones, and LGBTQ+ folks, he wrote. Single stall, all gender bathrooms create a space that meets folks where theyre at.

Hi, chair of the commission who helped craft this policy in Kansas City.



First, these are single stall, all gender bathrooms that allow for greater privacy. There are gender specific bathrooms down the hall too.



Finally, dont use my community to create fake outrageits sad. pic.twitter.com/LiSa6j3ai1  Justice Horn (@JusticeHorn_) April 4, 2024

On the website of Turning Point USA  a conservative youth group  a bio for McMichael describes her as a Gen Z content creator who speaks about feminism, cancel culture, free speech, and conservative values, and confronts the American culture war head-on.

Amid backlash over her complaint, she doubled down.

The left just loves protecting groomers and advocating for all gender shared bathrooms to make lgbt people comfortable.I wont apologize. All gender multi stall bathrooms shouldnt exist, she wrote in another tweet.

Social media users piled on.

Conservatives: Liberals are a bunch of snowflakes who cant handle the real world, wrote gun control activist David Hogg. Meanwhile conservatives in the real world, he added, sharing the video.

Conservatives: Liberals are a bunch of snowflakes who cant handle the real world.



Meanwhile conservatives in the real world https://t.co/Z0WHUXrbtR  David Hogg  (@davidhogg111) April 5, 2024

Others pointed to the much creepier issue of filming in a restroom  and the fact that she would have to use a gender-neutral bathroom in many other settings, including on a plane.

Don't care who uses the stall next to me so long as they're not filming in a bathroom. https://t.co/E5ejjefgXe  jordan (@JordanUhl) April 5, 2024

Morgonn, real quick, the bathrooms on the plane you flew on to get there, what gender were those? https://t.co/uT4bRZB58C  Kayla Knapp (@TheKaylaKnapp) April 5, 2024

Oh my god an all gender bathroom I hate this



*takes a selfie stick into a bathroom that is otherwise actually more private, cleaner, and nicer than most Ive ever been in* https://t.co/2ESvpUt2T1  Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) April 5, 2024

Let me see if I understand this: you are literally seconds away from gender-restricted bathrooms for both women and men that are nearby, and yet, you're choosing to go into the one gender-neutral bathroom and film inside it like a weirdo?  Charlotte Clymer  (@cmclymer) April 5, 2024

*complains about lack of privacy in a restroom*



*proceeds to film in a restroom without consent of others*



*doesnt show actual stalls are floor to ceiling with full doors that provide more privacy than standard single-gender restrooms or porta-potties nobody complains about* https://t.co/dC90KH9xZT  Jimmy Mack (@jcmack03) April 4, 2024

This lady whenever she sees a disabled toilet or an outhouse https://t.co/xhC2vAM3UPpic.twitter.com/Mgy8ZQG2Rz  insert name here (@PiperistheNewbl) April 5, 2024

the way she barged outta there like she was making a statement  https://t.co/bZ3B6uA43qpic.twitter.com/wURmodxc1u  Dan D (@DanDeBrak) April 5, 2024

Hey boo welcome to KC! If you walk a bit father you will see separate bathrooms for snowflakes like yourself! Made them real special! Hope this helps! Oh btw on your airplane when you fly out beloved, ask the flight attendant which is mens and which is womens. Thanks! https://t.co/ZSoXQUazsI  Justin Short (@Justin__Short) April 5, 2024
Solar eclipse 2024: Forecast for South Florida looks good except for some passing clouds

South Floridas chances of seeing the partial solar eclipse Monday, April 8, are good, with low chances of rain and mostly sunny skies in the forecast.

But its the clouds, those mercurial puffs of frozen water droplets, that will have the final say.

While an area of sky-clearing high pressure has hold of the Sunshine State through much of the weekend, it starts to move into the western Atlantic Ocean on Monday sending 10-15 mph sea breeze-style winds to the coast that could create mounds of fluffy white eclipse killers.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service, Weather.com and AccuWeather agree that its unlikely the event, which begins at 1:48 p.m., will be completely blocked by overcast skies.

Don't miss: Best watch parties, safe viewing places for April 8 solar eclipse in Palm Beach County

Will South Florida, Palm Beach County see the solar eclipse on April 8?

Most of South Florida will see about 50% of the sun covered by the moon, with the peak of the eclipse happening at 3:03 p.m.

Its looking dry, and thats the first hurdle, said Weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman about the South Florida forecast. The cloud cover is trickier because its not just how much of the sky is covered, but what layer the clouds are in.

High wispy cirrus clouds would probably let the eclipse shine through. Low fog-like stratus clouds or ragged gray nimbostratus clouds will hide the cosmic show. Cotton ball-like cumulus clouds may just drift by, obscuring parts of the two-and-a-half hour event.

Shawn Bhatti, a NWS meteorologist in Miami, said sky cover at the time of the eclipse for South Florida is about 30% to 40%. An uptick in temperatures and humidity could add to the chance of cloud formation.

As of late in the week, the NWS had mostly sunny skies forecast for South Florida on Monday with a high of 80 degrees.

I would expect some cumulus build up, but we have pretty much a 0% chance of rain, Bhatti said.

Protection from the eclipse: Don't fry your eyes by wearing normal sunglasses during the eclipse. Here is where to get free glasses

Thats an enviable forecast for some local eclipse chasers who are traveling to Texas to be in the path of totality where the sun will be completely covered by the moon for more than four minutes in some places.

An area of low pressure over the Midwest moving east is expected to drag a cold front through Texas on Sunday, leaving rain and potential thunderstorms in its wake.

The forecast for south-central Texas is for mostly cloudy skies on Monday.

Davie resident Charles Lillo viewed the 2017 solar eclipse from South Florida but is headed to Texas to watch the April 8 eclipse so he and his family can be in the path of totality.

Yesterday was pretty depressing, said Davie resident Charles Lillo about the forecast in Texas, where he is going for the eclipse. Today is looking better. Im watching every model run. Im watching it like I do a hurricane.

Lillo is going with his wife and two adult children. It will be his first-time seeing totality.

He has escape plans if the weather turns sour, and will be with relatives local to the area who know the back roads.

If there is rain in one spot, we have three different places to run too, he said. We should be able to stay off the main highways.

NWS meteorologists in the Austin/San Antonio office are holding regular briefings for the eclipse and trying to stay positive. In a Wednesday report, they said there is still time for the forecast to change and that cloud cover forecasts are especially difficult to predict several days out.

As of Thursday, AccuWeather gave only parts of Maine a low chance of clouds for areas in the 115 mile-wide path of totality. Areas along the extreme East Coast, parts of the Florida Panhandle and southwest states from New Mexico through southern California were given good chances of seeing the partial eclipse.

Boynton Beach resident Rick Kupfer is also headed to Texas. In 2017, he saw the total solar eclipse from Casper, Wyoming where totality lasted for two minutes.

This year, his spot in the Texas Hill Country, was going to give him four minutes and 28 seconds of daytime darkness.

Were too committed with flights, lodging, car rental and family rendezvous plans to drastically change our plans now, Kupfer said in an email. So, its in the hands of the cloud gods (as always).

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Weather forecast for solar eclipse in Palm Beach County, South Florida
Depending on who you ask, April 8 could go one of two ways. It will either be when a total solar eclipse happens, putting on a show for the roughly 44 million people who live within the eclipses path, or it will be the end of the world.

During a total solar eclipse, some places on Earth are entirely shielded from the sun by the moon for a few minutes. In North America, the eclipse will start on the Pacific coast of Mexico and travel a diagonal path northeast across the U.S. before leaving the continent shortly before 4 p.m. ET. The U.S. wont see another total eclipse for the next 20 years.

While most people seem excited  many even traveling to other states to witness the eclipse firsthand  others are spreading misinformation about the event. Some prominent social media users, like Infowars host Alex Jones, have spent the last few weeks spreading conspiracy theories about the eclipse on X, which have reached millions of people.

Part of what makes conspiracy theories so compelling is their flexibility and malleability, Yotam Ophir, an expert on media effects, persuasion and misinformation at the University at Buffalo, told Yahoo News. Those who understand the world through conspiratorial lenses tend to interpret events, especially dramatic ones, as being driven by intentional, often evil, forces.

Ophir argues that a large component of why conspiracy theories spread and stick is that they're based in emotions; conspiracy theorists are usually scared or angry. Jeffrey Blevins, a professor of journalism at the University of Cincinnati, noted that the emotional ties to these beliefs also explain why conspiracy theorists dont seek out any information that could contradict or negate their existing views.

A sign on I-81 in New York highlights the solar eclipse happening on Monday. (Ted Shaffrey/AP)

People want to win an argument, make a point or simply seek validation that their beliefs are right, Blevins told Yahoo News. If there's a pithy meme or some kind of content that they can share on social media that is going to reinforce their belief  they want to share it with others.

The foundation of conspiracy theories is an us versus them mentality, Ophir said.

Those who share conspiracy theories often feel socially rewarded for doing so  they happen to know something secret that nobody else understands, which makes them special and in the knowing, he explained.

Lets break down some of the common conspiracy theories around the April 8 solar eclipse.

No, the Earth is not flat

The Flat Earther mentality believes that the Earth is shaped like a disk and the sun and the moon rotate around each over above the Earths surface (the Earth itself does not rotate). It is a pseudoscientific conspiracy theory that does not address the overwhelming scientific evidence that proves the Earth is round.

During the last solar eclipse in 2017, Mic interviewed multiple self-identified Flat Earthers who claimed the eclipses path and the moons shadow size indicated that the planet is flat and not rotating  despite scientists explanations.

If someone believes something to be true (e.g., flat Earth), they are more likely to search out content that supports their preexisting view, rather than any evidence to the contrary, Blevins explained.

Similar theories have popped up online ahead of April 8.

No, the eclipse is not passing over 8 towns called Nineveh

A popular theory is that the solar eclipse will pass over several towns named Nineveh in the U.S. and Canada. Depending on the post, some have said its six towns, others say its seven or eight.

People claim its notable because Nineveh is also the name of a town that the biblical figure Jonah, a Hebrew prophet, visited, and some double down to suggest that an eclipse happened during the biblical visit too. Thus, some social media users are suggesting this is a sign from God.

Conspiracy theorists often see the world in Manichean ways, meaning they see the world as composed of purely good people who are in a never-ending war against evil forces, Ophir said. These ideas are very Biblical in nature and are strongly embedded in Christianity and other religions.

In reality, two towns named Nineveh are in the path of totality  one in Ohio and one in Indiana.

No, it is not significant that 2024s eclipse path will cross over 2017s eclipse path

A TikTok with over 10 million views suggests that we should be suspicious that April 8s eclipse path crosses the U.S. in the opposite direction of the 2017 eclipse  making a big X over the U.S. The TikToker claims, This has never happened in the United States. We have never had two solar eclipse paths cross over one town.

While yes, the paths will cross, its not anything more than that. Eclipse paths have and will continue to cross paths frequently because they move in curving arcs across the Earth.

People watch the solar eclipse in August 2017. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

No, the eclipse will not cause the collapse of power grids and communication systems across the U.S.

Towns expecting an influx of tourists who want to see the eclipse are expecting cell service disruptions because there will be significantly more people than usual in the area.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) said that state and local government officials have been working with major cell service providers to prepare for the surge in cellular bandwidth thats expected when tourists visit for the eclipse. DHSES also reiterated that emergency responders use special radio channels and bandwidth to accommodate 911 calls.

Yes, some towns in the eclipse path have declared a state of emergency. No, its not because the eclipse is an indication that the world is ending.

States of emergency have been declared in response to the massive crowds that are expected to pour into towns and cities on April 8. Some towns, like Riverside, Ohio, expect the population to double temporarily for the eclipse. States like Ohio havent been part of an eclipse path for over 200 years and wont experience the next one until 2099  meaning it's a once-in-a-lifetime event for residents.

Conspiracy theorists distrust governments and other reliable sources of information, Ophir said. They believe that there must be a more nefarious explanation to the emergency preparedness.

Declaring a state of emergency helps these areas prepare in case of an actual emergency. Plans will be put in place, hospitals will be ready, police and security will be beefed up and methods for any operational communications will already be set up.
SYDNEY, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Having been cold-shouldering Pacific Island countries for decades, Washington recently made a sudden knock on their door with empty rhetoric and beguiling pledges to "have their backs."

"We're giving them those other choices. And those other choices mean having the U.S. have their backs, having the U.S. standing with them side by side as they address some of the challenges that China is forcing upon them," U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at a think tank event early this week.

This Sinophobic rhetoric is not just disingenuous but downright insulting. Stuck in the perilous logic of zero-sum competition, the United States has been bent on sabotaging exchanges and cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries.

It also exposes the self-serving nature of American foreign policy, which prioritizes strategic advantage over genuine partnership and solidarity.

In its engagements with Pacific Island countries, whether through senior official visits, the establishment of new embassies, organizing high-level meetings, or promising aid that has yet to materialize, the United States seems fixated on one overarching objective: countering China.

This singular focus on countering China raises questions about the United States' true motivations and priorities in the Pacific region.

Rather than genuinely addressing the needs and concerns of Pacific Island countries, Washington is using them as mere pawns in its geopolitical game. This approach not only undermines trust but also perpetuates a pattern of exploiting smaller nations for its strategic gains.

Despite Washington's hollow assurances of solidarity with Pacific Island nations, U.S. actions have only deepened the trust deficit it faces in the region. The failure to fulfill numerous promises has further eroded confidence in the United States' commitment to its Pacific partners.

The enduring scars from the 67 nuclear tests conducted in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958 also serve as a damning indictment of U.S. credibility. Decades later, the environmental and health repercussions continue to plague the region, underscoring the lasting harm caused by U.S. actions.

Turning a blind eye to its disgraceful past, the United States has been pushing forward its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the AUKUS partnership on nuclear-powered submarines, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and the Partners in the Blue Pacific Initiative to lure more Pacific Island countries into its anti-China scheme.

But Pacific Island countries display a sound judgment about what they need.

Chinese-built stadiums, roads, bridges, telecommunication towers, and other infrastructure have delivered concrete benefits to local communities, and medical services from Chinese doctors have greatly improved their well-being.

In 2022 the Solomon Islands signed a framework agreement with China on bilateral security cooperation, and the two sides established a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development for a new era in the following year.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare hailed forging diplomatic relations with China as one of the most significant decisions the Solomon Islands has made over the last 45 years since its independence.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has also conveyed a clear-cut position of not wanting to pick a side between China and the United States.

China has no intention to jostle with any country for influence in the Asia-Pacific region, nor does it attach any political strings to coerce others into cooperation. Smearing China will not cure the United States of its own trust deficit.

With independent sovereignty, Pacific Island countries are no one's backyard. The vast Pacific Ocean should be seen as a grand platform for global collaboration, rather than a battleground for political power tussles. 
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A solar eclipse will darken skies around the U.S. on Monday April 8.

The path of totality will cover Cape Girardeau but even the Kansas City metro will be able to see some of the eclipse. According to NASA, Kansas City is looking at 89% totality.

During this years solar eclipse, the moon will be closer to Earth than it was during the 2017 event, further obscuring the suns rays and creating a wider path of totality.

Instead of 62 to 71 miles during the 2017 eclipse, in 2024 the path of totality will be between 108 and 122 miles wide, according to NASA.

Kansas City-area schools prepare students for Mondays solar eclipse

Multiple watch parties are being held across the Kansas City metro for people to experience the historic event.

The Astronomical Society of Kansas City is hosting a watching party beginning at 11 a.m. at the Powell Observatory located at 26500 Melrose Street in Louisburg, Kansas. They will be open until 4 p.m. They will be giving tours of the facility and will be planning educational content on the sun.

ASKC will also have several telescopes with solar filters set up for viewing as well as eclipse glasses, drinks and refreshments available for purchase.

Legends Outlets in Kansas City, Kansas will be hosting an eclipse watch party on Monday on the lawn at the west end of the shopping center.

Eclipse safety starts with proper glasses and road safety

Eclipse glasses will be provided, though due to limited quantity, glasses will only be given to those on a first-come, first served basis, while supplies last. Legends will also play NASAs live feed on their big screen to provide lives views of the eclipse from several locations across its path.

Both the North Kansas City and Overland Park Chicken N Pickle locations will be hosting an eclipse watch party on Monday. The event is free to the public and begins at 12:30 p.m. and will end at 3:15 p.m. A limited amount of solar eclipse glasses will be available.

Zip KC in Bonner Springs will be hosting an eclipse watch party on Monday from noon until 3 p.m. People will be able to view the eclipse and climb the seven-story tower to view both Kansas City and Lawrence. Free eclipse glasses will be available.

The Jewish Community Center in Overland Park will be hosting an eclipse watch party from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. A limited number of solar eclipse glasses will be available to the first 30 registrations. The event is free.

The Row Ridge Vineyard and Winery in off Leavenworth Road in Kansas City, Kansas will host a watch party on Monday. There are limited spots available and you need to call 913-721-9776 to secure your spot. Reservations are free but required in order to be provided with eclipse glasses.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Soldier Found Dead in River Had Ropes Wrapped Around Body and Suffered Violent or Unnatural Death, Coroner Says

Charlie Saywell's cause of death was ruled a drowning, according to an inquest

Kent Police/SWNS Charlie Saywell

A soldier reportedly had a rope wrapped around his body when he was found in a river.

On March 5, the body of 25-year-old Charlie Saywell was found in the River Medway, near Chatham, England. According to The Times, an inquest has determined that the soldier's cause of death was drowning, with the coroner adding that he suffered a violent or unnatural death.

PEOPLE has contacted the Coroner's Office and Kent Police for comment.

Per the outlet, Saywells body was initially found under a boat after a worker alerted emergency services that they spotted a body covered in mud.



The Telegraph reported that the man was already deceased before services were called to the scene at Turks Shipyard.

According to both outlets, coroner Catherine Wood said at the opening of an inquest in Maidstone on April 4 that the worker found Saywell with a rope wrapped around his torso and his legs.

The Kent Police said in a press release issued on March 13 that Saywell had been out "with friends during the previous evening." After taking a taxi to his residence in Brompton, he then "took a walk into Chatham town centre" sometime between midnight and 2 a.m.

Officers understand Charlie walked past Primark in Chatham High Street before he visited a fast-food outlet, the police said. He may have mistakenly got into an unidentified car nearby, where it is reported he was assaulted by the driver and suffered facial injuries.

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Per the release, Detective Sergeant Karen Caulfield said Saywell "had a phone conversation before his death which indicated he may have suffered an assault in the town during that period."

While the police are looking for witnesses who may have seen the soldier during those hours, particularly at the fast-food outlet or near the car, they "are not treating Charlies death as suspicious," Caulfield said.

The sergeant added, "It is important we understand where he visited and what happened to him prior to his tragic death."

A GoFundMe page, meanwhile, has been set up by Saywells friend, Joe Leishman. For those who did not have the privilege of knowing Charlie, he was a remarkable individual  a true role model in both stature and character, Leishman wrote in the description of the fundraiser, which has raised over 4000 (or roughly $5000 USD) so far.

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Read the original article on People.
The Supreme Courts current term is winding down, with only a handful of oral arguments left and plenty of opinions to be written. The presidential election is heating up now that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have secured their parties nominations. That means its time for liberals new favorite pastime: pressuring Supreme Court justices to retire.

Former MSNBC anchor Medhi Hasan, who lauded Sonia Sotomayor as the greatest liberal to sit on the Supreme Court in my lifetime, urged her to step aside. With Joe Biden trailing Trump in several swing states and Democrats also in danger of losing their razor-thin majority in the Senate, are we really prepared for history to repeat itself? he asked. New York magazines Jonathan Chait described the decision as obvious. Voxs Ian Millhiser suggested as far back as 2022 that both Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan should consider stepping down.

The White House has declined to join those calls, describing Sotomayors possible retirement as a personal decision and not something that we get involved in. Some leading Democratic senators have declined to comment on it as well, reportedly at least in part because they did not like the optics of calling for the first Latina justice to step down. That drew a pointed response from The Atlantics Josh Barro last month.

This is incredibly gutless, he wrote. Youre worried about putting control of the Court completely out of reach for more than a generation, but because she is Latina, you cant hurry along an official whos putting your entire policy project at risk? If this is how the Democratic Party operates, it deserves to lose.

But even some senators have suggested that they think Sotomayor should consider the timing of her potential retirement, albeit in macabre terms. I think she really has to weigh the competing factors, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said in an NBC interview earlier this week. We should learn a lesson. And its not like theres any mystery here about what the lesson should be. The old saying: Graveyards are full of indispensable people, ourselves in this body included.

Ive noted before that I dont write columns on whether individual justices should retire or stay on the court. To put it bluntly, I dont think they are a good use of my time or the readers time. An article urging a Supreme Court justice to retire has an audience of exactly one person, and I would be surprised if that person cared what I have to say on the subject.

But this phenomenon is worth noting for the weakness that it reveals. At the risk of stating the obvious, there is a foolproof way to ensure that Sotomayors replacement will share her ideological leanings: Liberals could simply persuade the American people to elect Democrats to the White House and the Senate. If Democrats cant capitalize on the last few years of right-wing rulingswhich have given liberals no shortage of ammunition to criticize the Roberts courts impact on American lifethen Sotomayor is the least of their problems.

Theres an undercurrent of post-traumatic stress to these calls. In 2014, a number of prominent liberals called for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire before that years midterm election, in which Republicans were strongly favored to win. With Barack Obama in the White House and a Democratic majority in the Senate at the time, Ginsburgs retirement would have allowed Democrats to confirm a younger, healthier replacement.

Ginsburg rejected those calls at the time. She argued that Democrats wouldnt actually be able to confirm her successor because the filibuster remained intact for Supreme Court nominees. (Senate Republicans would later scrap it to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017.) She also insisted that she was fine. As long as I can do the job full steam, I think Ill recognize when the time comes that I cant any longer, she said in an interview. But now I can.

Republicans captured the Senate that November. Donald Trumps victory in 2016 then guaranteed that Ginsburg wouldnt be able to retire under a Democratic president for at least four years. She came close: Democrats eventually recaptured the White House and the Senate in the 2020 elections. But Ginsburg didnt live long enough to ensure they could appoint her successor. Her death in September 2020 instead allowed Trump and Senate Republicans to place Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the court.

It is hard to overstate the consequences of this series of events. With a 54 court, Chief Justice John Roberts could steer the justices through more moderate waters by casting the deciding vote in major cases. Barretts confirmation created a 63 court where Roberts became marginalized and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito took the reins. Roe v. Wade fell less than two years later. A flurry of other hard-right rulings also followed.

Even before Ginsburg died, Trumps appointments of Gorsuch to replace Antonin Scalia and Justice Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy had ensured that conservatives would likely control the court for at least a generation. Ginsburgs death all but cemented it. By some estimates, liberals may not have a chance to appoint a majority of Supreme Court justices until the 2050s. If Barrett stays on the court until she is the same age as Ginsburg, she will serve until at least 2059.

Against this backdrop, liberals have begun urging the oldest member of their voting bloc to retire whenever feasible. Calls for Stephen Breyer to retire emerged almost immediately after Biden was sworn in in 2021. The 83-year-old ultimately announced his decision to step down in January 2022, allowing Democrats to confirm the 51-year-old Ketanji Brown Jackson as his successor. With Breyer gone, Sotomayor naturally became the next one up in the batting order.

It is hard to fault liberals for this attitude, given the seismic effects of Ginsburgs passing. But her situation was an extraordinary one. By 2014, Ginsburg was 81 years old and had already gone through two bouts with cancer: first with colon cancer in 1999 and then with pancreatic cancer in 2009. The latter sparked the most concern since pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to detect early and its long-term survival rates are grim. A reoccurence in 2020 ultimately proved fatal.

Sotomayor, by comparison, has not given Americans nearly as much to be worried about with her health. Her only publicly known medical condition is type 1 diabetes, which is not life-threatening if treated properly. She received treatment from paramedics for low blood sugar in 2018, but no other serious incidents have been reported beyond that. As macabre as it may be to point out, at 69 years old, she has not even reached the average U.S. life expectancy yet.

Other justices have had much greater health scares over the years. Roberts, for example, was hospitalized overnight for a fall he suffered at a country club in 2020. He previously suffered major seizures in 1993 and 2007. Thomas, who is 74 years old, spent a week in the hospital in 2022 for an unspecified infection with flu-like symptoms, according to the court. Serious medical problems can arise suddenly and without warning, of course. Antonin Scalia had no publicly known health issues before he died suddenly in his sleep during a hunting trip in 2016. But that is as true for the other eight justices as it is for Sotomayor.

If anything, it may be Scalias death that is the most instructive here for liberals. His death was a potential ideological turning point for the court in the other direction. If Obama had been able to confirm a replacement, it would have given the high court its first liberal majority since the 1960s. Not only would it have secured the future of precedents like Roe, but it also would have allowed liberals to break new ground on civil rights, worker protections, LGBT rights, and more.

Conservatives reacted to this potential existential threat in two ways. First, Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators refused to confirm any nominee that Obama put forward. Second, they mobilized their voting base. Trump vowed multiple times that he would appoint pro-life judges and justices. He released short lists of potential Supreme Court nominees to secure major endorsements. He claimed that Hillary Clinton would abolish the Second Amendment if elected. By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks, Trump warned at an August 2016 rally.

Trumps strategy worked. Fear of a liberal Supreme Court majority allowed Trump to consolidate a GOP electorate that was still somewhat skeptical of him at the time. A CNN exit poll in 2016 found that Trump won 56 percent of voters who said that the Supreme Court was the most important factor in their vote. Clinton, on the other hand, only narrowly won among voters who said it was an important factor and a minor factor.

If Democrats want to ensure that Sotomayors replacement is a liberal, then they can and should make an equivalent case to the voters themselves. It should be easy since the Supreme Court has already done half of the job for them. Democrats did better than expected in the 2022 midterms in large part because of the backlash to the Supreme Court overturning Roe. Right-wing rulings on the abortion pill, IVF access, gun control, and other issues should also be easy to mobilize voters around.

Biden himself knows how effective these tactics can be. His presidential campaign almost fell apart in 2020 before he won South Carolina, buoyed by Black voters support and the endorsement of the influential Representative Jim Clyburn. Biden won that support in part because he promised to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court if electeda pledge he fulfilled in 2022 by nominating Jackson to replace Breyer.

Naturally, Democrats need to be realistic and honest about what can be achieved. Most of the partys elitesBiden includedare profoundly averse to the more radical solutions that some court reformers have proposed. Suffice it to say, there wont be a viable way to pack the high court anytime soon, as some liberals previously sought. But recent events have demonstrated why holding the ground you have is so important. A lot can happen in four years; Democrats have the opportunity to assure voters that theyll be ready to act when opportunity presents itself.

There may never be a better election year than this one for Democrats to make judicial nominees a centerpiece of their campaign. Biden could even adopt some of Trumps 2016 tactics. Releasing a short list of Supreme Court nominees for a future vacancy would make it more tangible for supporters, as it did for Trump. And while presidents would, ideally, not promise specific outcomes in cases from their nominees, Trump already let that genie out of the bottle.

I do not begrudge liberals for focusing on strategic retirements after Ginsburg. And if Sotomayors health takes a sudden and serious turn for the worse in the next few months, she should consider stepping aside. But the real lesson of the Trump era is that pressuring individual justices to retire is no substitute for making the case to voters about control of the Supreme Court. The best way to ensure that Sotomayor (or Kagan, or Jackson if youre really pessimistic) retires under a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate majority is to elect them.
A sorority and six students filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday alleging that the University of Maryland violated their First Amendment rights during an investigation into hazing.

The university in a March 1 directive ordered all fraternities and sororities to suspend social activities while the school probed activity that threatened the safety of the school community.

The lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland alleges that during its investigation the school required sorority members to submit to mandatory interrogations by attorneys retained by the university under the threat of discipline.

During the interrogations, some students cell phones were improperly searched by investigators who threatened individual disciplinary charges against any interviewees who refused to turn over their cell phones, the lawsuit says. During the interrogations, students were not permitted to be accompanied, in-person, by their own attorneys.

Four fraternities and three students also filed a lawsuit March 13 over First Amendment rights. Both the fraternity and sorority lawsuits were filed by Cincinnati-based firm Manley Burke. The cease-and-desist order was lifted March 15, allowing social activities to resume.

In response to the fraternity lawsuit, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, representing the school, said in a brief that the university was justified to temporarily suspend activity. Five fraternity chapters remain under investigation and are subject to limited restrictions on activities, the university said March 15.

Members of fraternities beat students with paddles, burned them with cigarettes, and forced some to eat live fish and drink urine, according to court documents filed by Brown.

After it suspended chapter activities, the university hired INCompliance, an outside consulting firm, to interview students about the hazing allegations, according to Browns filing. Investigators interviewed more than 150 chapter members about Greek life at College Park.

The suit by the Gamma Mu chapter of the Kappa Alpha Theta womens fraternity names Director of Student Conduct James Bond, interim Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life James McShay, Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Perillo, President Darryll Pines and the university as defendants.

The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the schools orders were unconstitutional as well as nominal and compensatory damages
Ameren Illinois and OFallon public safety officials still havent reached consensus on what made at least 25 students sick during morning Mass in the gymnasium of St. Clare Catholic School Thursday.

But the school remained closed Friday as the likely sources  natural gas from a leaky kitchen appliance or carbon monoxide emissions from a furnace  are checked and repaired.

The school was evacuated and classes canceled for the day Thursday when two students fainted and 23 others required trips to local hospitals for treatment of mild symptoms, OFallon Director of Public Safety Kirk Brueggeman said through a release.

All of the students were treated and have been released from the hospitals, Brueggeman said Friday.

Multiple agencies responded to the scene to assist in the evacuation, notification of parents and transport of the sickened children for treatment. Ameren also responded and turned off the gas supply to the kitchen appliances.

But later in the day, Ameren and the OFallon Public Safety Department issued conflicting news releases on what caused the students to fall ill.

Brueggeman initially identified a loose gas line connection to an appliance in the kitchen and second leak in the boiler room. Ameren later sent a release to area media blaming carbon dioxide emissions from a rooftop furnace on the gym.

Fire Chief Brad White said the school was equipped with carbon monoxide detectors in both the gymnasium and boiler room and neither activated. The roof top furnace an Ameren employee theorized was leaking carbon monoxide was never turned off, he added.

If this (furnace) unit was leaking CO (carbon dioxide), it would have continued to push the CO into the building, according White, via an email. Again, this would have either registered on our (OFD/Ameren) detectors or potentially activated the schools CO alarm.

Attempts to reach a representative of St. Clare at the school have been unsuccessful.

According to Ameren, people exposed to carbon monoxide may feel flu-like symptoms with headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue and loss of consciousness. Natural gas, while not toxic, can reduce oxygen intake in people and cause dizziness and fainting, according to healthline.com.

Both Brueggeman and a representative from Ameren expressed their gratitude to St. Clare staff and the responding agencies for the coordinated efforts to evacuate the building and relief that the students were not seriously harmed.

We are very fortunate to have first responders throughout the area who respond at a moments notice when we need them, Brueggeman said. We would also like to commend the administration and staff at St Clare School for their professionalism and proficiency in handling an extremely stressful situation.

Brian Bretsch, a spokesman for Ameren, said At this point, were still trying to determine what caused the students to become sick and were very grateful that there are no serious illnesses or injuries.

Emergency Medical Services from Abbott, MedStar, Millstadt, Rural Med, Mascoutah, New Baden and St. Clair County EMS assisted in transporting 18 of the students from the scene to local hospitals, according to the release. An additional seven of the children were taken to hospitals by their parents, Brueggeman said.
Russia's Engels air base has once again come under attack on April 5 after what the Kyiv Independent's sources in the military intelligence claimed was a drone strike on one of the Kremlin's most strategically important military installations, deep inside Russia.

According to a source in the military intelligence, who asked to remain anonymous as he wasn't authorized to speak to the press, Ukraine successfully hit the Engels-2 air base, located in Russia's Saratov Oblast, located over 750 kilometers away from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled border.

According to the intelligence source, Ukraine was able to damage or destroy three Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers that are used to attack the country with a variety of Kh-type air-launched cruise missiles.

According to the source, seven people were killed or injured, among them aircraft pilots.

The attack was part of a major Ukrainian campaign targeting several of Russia's military sites.

According to the same source, two more airfields were targeted on April 5 by the military intelligence  one in Yeysk, Krasnodar region, where two Su-25 jets were allegedly hit, another one near Kursk, where there's currently no information on the outcome.

Read also: Sources: SBU attack against Russias Morozovsk airbase destroys 6 planes

According to the Kyiv Independent's source, another law enforcement agency tasked with carrying out such attacks, another overnight attack by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with Ukraine's military, targeted the Russian Morozovsk air base.

Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters were based at the airfield, the source said. Russia uses these aircraft to drop aerial bombs on Ukrainian military positions and Ukrainian front-line cities, according to the source.

Both Su-34 and Su-27 planes are estimated to cost over $35 million a piece.

The Engels military airfield is among the most important Russian military sites, regularly used for the country's attacks on Ukraine. It's also now a prized target for Ukraine.

The base was also reportedly hit on March 20 with drones, according to Ukrainian media.

Andrii Cherniak, a spokesperson for the military intelligence, told the Kyiv Independent back then that he could neither confirm nor deny the intelligence's involvement.

The base

Located in the Saratov Oblast, over 750 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Engels air base  also known as Engels-2  is home to the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment.

It was built in 1952 and has been in service since 1954.

Engels is home to three types of Russian strategic bombers  the Tupolev Tu-95, the Tupolev Tu-22, and the Tupolev Tu-160, all regularly used to launch missiles at Ukrainian cities.

The Tu-95 is the older of the three aircraft, a Soviet-era plane that made its first flight in 1952. It was originally used to carry nuclear bombs but has since evolved to launch cruise missiles.

Each aircraft can carry 16 cruise missiles  either the Kh-55/Kh-555 or the newer Kh-101 and Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles.

It features turboprop propellers rather than jet engines, as during the Cold War, their increased efficiency allowed it to fly all the way to the United States without refueling.

Satellite imagery from Dec 3 & 4, 2022, of Engels air base, Russia (before reports of explosions at the base), showing recent military activity at & near the airfield which houses a heavy bomber aviation unit, primarily comprised of Tu-95 (Bear) & Tu-60 (Blackjack) bombers. (Maxar Technologies/Twitter)

The Tu-22 carries the Kh-22 missiles, which pose a particular problem for Ukraine. It is supersonic and travels at around 4,000 kilometers per hour. Currently, it can only be shot down with the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system and potentially the SAMP-T, a joint Italian-French system.

As of December last year, Ukraine had not managed to shoot down a single Kh-22 despite Russia launching more than 300 of them since the launch of the full-scale invasion.

The Tu-160 is Russia's more modern strategic bomber, entering service in 1987. To this day, it remains the largest operational bomber in the world.

It can carry a total of 12 Kh-55 missiles and up to 24 Kh-15s.

During the recent attack on Kyiv on March 21, Russia used a mix of Kh-555 and Kh-101 missiles, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

Successful strikes

Engels has been targeted a number of times since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the first of which occurred on Dec. 5, 2022, when a Ukrainian drone strike reportedly damaged two Tu-95s.

At the time, the British Ministry of Defense said it was "some of the most strategically significant failures of force protection since (Russia's) invasion of Ukraine."

Read also: Russia reports massive Ukrainian drone strike amid claims of airbase attacks

Drones attempted to strike the base two more times that month but did not cause significant damage, though Russia did appear to move some of its aircraft to other bases in response to the threat.

All was quiet at Engels for over a year until two drones were shot down over the air base on Jan. 10, though no damage was reported.

And then there was the latest attack on March 20.

Citing satellite images, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Schemes project said that there were 11 Russian military aircraft at the air base at the time of the attack, including six Tu-95 and three Tu-160 bombers.

No damage to any of the bombers has been confirmed.

Ukrainian drones aren't the only threat those working at the air base have to be vigilant for  the commander of one Tu-95 strategic bomber, Oleg Stegachev, was shot and injured in the city of Engels in February.

Tu-95 on Engels-2 airbase in Russia. (Wikimedia)

Although Ukraine didn't claim responsibility for the shooting, military intelligence did announce the news along with a warning for "war criminals" and enough information about Stegachev.

In a post on Telegram, it wrote: "The specified pilot of the Russian Air Force was born on June 23, 1983, served at the Engels air base (military unit 06987)  he is directly involved in the launching of missile strikes on civilian objects in Ukraine and the killing of our people.

"As a result of the attack, Oleg Stegachev suffered gunshot wounds. Whether he survived or not  we will clarify," the message by the intelligence read.

"We remind you that retribution awaits all war criminals  we know your names, addresses, car numbers, usual routes, and habits."

Civilian efforts to hunt down those working at Engels-2 have also been recorded in the past.

In February, OSINT investigators from Molfar released a treasure trove of detailed personal information about staff at the base, saying such publications "should be part of international efforts aimed at documenting war crimes and holding responsible Russians accountable on a global level."

The report goes into extraordinary detail, listing names, titles, and dates of birth. It also includes social media profiles, Skype IDs, and insurance numbers.

Read also: Ukraine destroyed 13 Russian military aircraft in 2 weeks. How?

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Editor's note: The article was updated with new information from the source that Su-27, not Su-24 aircraft, were based at the Morozovsk airbase.

An overnight attack against the Russian Morozovsk airbase on April 5 was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with Ukraine's military, sources familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.

Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters were based at the airfield, the source said. Russia uses these aircraft to drop aerial bombs on Ukrainian military positions and Ukrainian front-line cities, according to the source.

Both Su-34 and Su-27 planes are estimated to cost over $35 million a piece.

At least six military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight were damaged, according to the source. Furthermore, about 20 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed or wounded.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the information.

"This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the (Russian forces)," the source commented.

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Earlier on April 5, Russia reported a massive Ukrainian drone attack against several Russian regions, claiming to down 53 drones.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that the majority of the drones  44  were shot down over Rostov Oblast, where the Morozovsk airbase is located. Earlier, claims appeared on Telegram channels that explosions were heard near the airbase.

Six more drones were allegedly downed in Krasnodar Krai, and one each in Kursk, Saratov, and Belgorod oblasts, the Russian Defense Ministry alleged.

Telegram channels reported explosions also near the Engels and Yeysk airbases, which are located in the Saratov and Krasnodar regions, respectively, but this information was not confirmed by Russian officials or the Kyiv Independent's sources.

In March, Ukrainian media reported that Ukrainian drones attacked the Engels base, claiming that "targets were hit" without clarifying which ones. Citing satellite images, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Schemes project said that there were 11 Russian military aircraft at the Engels airbase at the time of the attack, including six Tu-95 and three Tu-160 bombers.

Read also: Russia reports massive Ukrainian drone strike amid claims of airbase attacks

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
(Bloomberg) -- South Africas opposition Inkatha Freedom Party said it would consider forming a government with the African National Congress should the ruling party fail to win an outright majority in elections next month.

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The IFP wont undermine voters if they compel it to work with the ANC, party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said on a conference call with Eurasia Group on Tuesday. The countrys fourth-largest party is still committed to a pre-election opposition pact including the official opposition Democratic Alliance, but is aware that the group may not raise enough support to form a government, he said.

S. Africa Opposition Would Only Do ANC Deal to Avert Doomsday

If the so-called Multi-Party Charter fails to win more than 50% of the vote, we cannot allow the country to be at a standstill, Hlabisa said. Should circumstances compel that we go the route of a government of national unity the IFP will not object.

Polls predict that the ANC could lose the outright majority it has enjoyed for 30 years and may have to rely on smaller opposition parties to form a government.

Hlabisa touted a government of national unity as an alternative to a coalition government with the ANC, saying the model allowed for checks and balances to be in place. A government of national unity governed the first 10 years of South Africas transition from Apartheid to democracy from 1994 to 2004.

The DA has ruled out of a government of national unity, though it also signaled that it would abandon the Multi-Party Charter and consider a coalition with the ANC under certain conditions. The ANC has so far refused to entertain coalition talks but has suggested that a government of national unity may be a more stable form of governance.

The IFP has seen a resurgence of support the KwaZulu-Natal province. The ANC has conceded that it may lose control of the second-most populous province to the IFP.

(Corrects second paragraph of story published on April 2 to show conference call was hosted by Eurasia Group.)

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South Carolina resort sued for 4-year-olds drowning, the third death of a child there in three years

It was supposed to be a fun getaway for Destiny Morgan and her children: a chance to glide down waterslides, float along the lazy river and enjoy what Morgan thought would be a safe, family-friendly vacation.

Instead, the 2021 trip to Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, abruptly turned to horror when Morgans youngest child, 4-year-old Demi Williams, drowned in one of the resorts pools, which had no lifeguards attending to it and was poorly lit, according to a lawsuit filed last week.

Morgan said a nurse tried to help Demi once she was pulled from the water, and that the nurse said she detected a faint pulse. Other guests at the resort then scrambled to find a defibrillator on the property to resuscitate the little girl, Morgan added. But defibrillators, which may pose a risk of electrocution to rescuers when used on drowning victims, are not required by state law to be placed in swimming areas, and the resort guests could not find any.

Demi is at least the third child to have fatally drowned at the resort between 2018 and 2021, including a 5-year-old boy who drowned days after Demi, news reports and a previous lawsuit show.

Now, Morgan is hoping to change the resorts safety protocols.

4-year-old Demi Williams. (Courtesy Destiny Morgan)

Something has to be done, Morgan said in her first interview since Demi died on April 1, 2021. I have to do something in honor of my child to make sure that this never happens again.

The wrongful death lawsuit accuses Crown Reef of creating unsafe, dangerous, or defective conditions by failing to have a lifeguard on duty and failing to provide an adequate number of staff members to protect guests, among other allegations. It blames Demis death on Crown Reefs negligent, reckless, willful actions.

Crown Reefs general manager and an attorney for the resort did not respond to multiple emails and voicemails from NBC News. An employee who answered the phone at the resort said she did not have any comment.

Morgan said she and her five children had driven from their home in Louisville, Kentucky, to the resort for the kids spring break in 2021. She described Demi as the sweetest little girl who was always happy and dancing, and said Demi loved to tell people how pretty they looked or give them other compliments.

The vacation started out well: Demi and her siblings had been having a great time, Morgan said, and Demi was especially fond of the resorts lazy river, a water ride with a gentle current that guests could go tubing in. On their second evening there, after alternating between sharing a raft with her older brother and her older sister for trips down the lazy river, Demi asked her mom if she could ride in a raft by herself, Morgan said.

The lazy river was only 3 feet deep, according to the lawsuit. Morgan said she asked Demi, who only knew the basics of how to swim, to stand in the lazy river, and because her head was well above the water, she allowed Demi to ride in her own tube behind her sister while Morgan sat in a hot tub that the lazy river snaked around.

But when Demis sister got off the ride and Demi was not right behind her, Morgan grew concerned. As she frantically searched the grounds for her daughter, she said she saw another guest pull Demi out of one of the resorts pools, not breathing. Neither she nor her other children know how Demi got there from the lazy river, but Morgan said she felt it was possible that Demi may have slipped and fallen in.

Multiple guests, including one who was a nurse, started chest compressions on Demi, Morgan said. Morgan said the nurse told her she could detect a pulse, barely, so Morgan and the nurse started yelling for an AED  an automated external defibrillator that delivers an electric shock to the heart to try to restore the heartbeat.

But no one could see an AED nearby, Morgan said, adding that she also could not find any resort staff members or a lifeguard to help her.

There wasnt anything that would indicate that they gave a damn about a human life, she said.

An ambulance rushed Demi to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead that night.

Crown Reef resort Myrtle Beach (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Crown Reef is not required by state law to have lifeguards at its pools or lazy river, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, which oversees public swimming facilities in the state. Only waterslides are required to be manned by lifeguards; other water areas must have signage indicating that there is no lifeguard on duty.

The state also does not have any laws requiring AEDs to be placed near swimming areas, the health and environmental department said, noting in an email that if used improperly on a wet body, the person applying the AED could be at risk of electrical current passing from the victim to the person helping.

Crown Reef is in good standing with the department, which said that during its most recent unannounced inspection, in July 2023, all pools at the resort were found to have the required signage stating that there werent lifeguards. The department said the signs had also been posted during its inspections in 2021 and in 2018, when 7-year-old Malazya Fayall drowned in one of Crown Reefs pools.

But Morgan and her attorneys, Justin Lovely and Amy Lawrence, said they dont feel signage is enough. They want their lawsuit, which seeks monetary damages, to result in dramatic safety improvements at the resort.

More lifeguards, better lighting, more staffing  those are simple solutions that would solve this, Lovely said. Close the pool at night if you dont want to have somebody there at shift.

Because the resort did not have security cameras in the area, Lawrence said, there is no footage to review that might show how Demi ended up in the pool from the lazy river.

She called Demis drowning needless and said she is unaware of any changes that the resort has made since Malazyas death there in 2018.

There should never have been a second or third death, Lawrence said.

Malazyas mother, Latoya Fayall, sued Crown Reef in 2020, blaming her daughters death in the lawsuit on an overcrowded pool with no lifeguard and no cameras monitoring the area. She settled in 2023. In court documents, Crown Reef did not admit responsibility for Malazyas death, instead blaming Malazyas mother, but confirmed there was no lifeguard and said there were numerous signs indicating there are no lifeguards on duty in the pool area.

Both Fayall and Morgan were initially charged in their daughters deaths and then ultimately had the charges dropped. Morgan said minutes after the hospital declared her daughter deceased, authorities arrested her on a charge of unlawful neglect of a child, even though she had not been drinking alcohol and had not left her children alone, according to her attorneys. She spent two nights in jail as she dealt with the shock of the loss of her daughter before she was released on bond. Morgans charge was finally dismissed last month.

But the loss of Demi has forever changed her family. Morgan said she is haunted by the memory of her older childrens screams when they saw Demi being pulled from the pool.

I still hear all four of my living kids praying to this day, she said. I can hear my oldest daughter saying, Please wake my sister up, God, please wake my sister up.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol cast his ballot as two days of early voting for next week's parliamentary elections kicked off on Friday, in which his ruling party seeks to retake a majority in the opposition-controlled assembly.

More than 3.5 million people, or about 8% of eligible voters, had cast their ballots at some 3,500 polling stations nationwide as of 1 p.m., according to the National Election Commission. It marked the highest turnout for parliamentary elections at this point since the early voting system was adopted in 2013.

Yoon cast his ballot alongside several aides at a station in the southern port city of Busan, where he was expected to attend a business event. He has encouraged people to go to the polls for the April 10 elections, saying it is not only citizens' right but also responsibility.

Stakes are high for Yoon as his People Power Party (PPP) is aiming to win a majority in the single-chamber, 300-seat assembly, though polls show the elections too close to call.

A failure could undercut Yoon's key initiatives to boost the economy, fiscal health and birthrates, as well as to bolster trilateral security cooperation with the United States and Japan.

With a 167 seat majority, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) had passed dozens of contentious bills, including a nursing law vetoed by Yoon and his party.

The democrats had long been deemed to have an edge in early voting. But the conservative PPP chief, Han Dong-hoon, was keen to drum up support from younger voters, highlighting corruption scandals engulfing opposition leaders which had disillusioned many people and eventually helped Yoon win the 2022 presidential election.

"Through the highest-ever turnout in early voting history, let us show those who ignore the law and the people the great power of good citizens who have lived and obeyed the law," Han said after casting his own vote in a Seoul college town. "Our party doesn't have criminals to protect."

The democrats and other opposition parties have described the elections as "judgment day" to hold Yoon's administration accountable for what they called a "prosecutor dictatorship." Both Yoon and Han previously served as senior prosecutors.

In a joint survey released on Thursday by four major pollsters, 39% of respondents said they would vote for the PPP and 37% the DP.

In another poll published on Thursday by Ipsos, 43% said they planned to vote for the DP, and 39% the PPP.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is pitching colleagues on the chambers latest proposal to extend the nations warrantless surveillance powers, warning of urgent deadlines and a risk of Senate intervention.

The Reforming Intelligence and Surveillance Act unveiled Friday would extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the government to spy on noncitizens located abroad.

Johnson sold the legislation as a reform bill that would strictly prohibit future abuses of the tool, trying to win over lawmakers who have repeatedly blocked its path forward.

The bill closely aligns with a February proposal that nearly made it to the House floor, offering significant limitations on how agencies like the FBI can review information on Americans that are swept up while surveilling those abroad.

But it does not include a warrant requirement that privacy hawks have demanded but that opponents  led by those on the House Intelligence Committee  warn would cause delays that would impede intelligence agents from responding to threats in real time.

Fights between the two factions have repeatedly stalled the bill, with the House in December forced to pass a short term extension of the authority. And plans to bring legislation to the floor in February were thwarted when House Intelligence members protested an effort to add an unrelated matter to the legislation.

While Johnson praised Judiciary and Intel leaders for com[ing] together to produce an extraordinary bill he made clear the risks if the feuding sides did not come together to support the legislation.

It is critically important that we succeed in passing these reforms next week because the April 19th expiration of FISAs Section 702 authority is quickly approaching. If our bill fails, we will be faced with an impossible choice and can expect the Senate to jam us with a clean extension that includes no reforms at all, Johnson wrote.

That is clearly an unacceptable option.

The upper chamber had several competing FISA 702 bills as well, including those that would require a court order before reviewing information collected on Americans.

Johnson also pointed to provisions in the House bill that would address another section of FISA law dealing with domestic surveillance, noting the legislation includes reforms that would have prevented surveillance of Trump campaign aide Carter Page, something he called a baseless attack against his campaign.

The House Rules Committee is set to review the bill on Tuesday afternoon, and all lawmakers are invited to a Wednesday classified briefing with intelligence community officials.

Under the legislation, FBI supervisors or attorneys will now have to approve any agent query that might involve U.S. citizens  a figure that has dropped substantially since a shift in the FBI search portal that opted agents into searching the 702 database.

It also requires an after-the-fact review of all 702 queries of U.S. people.

Administration officials speaking with reporters Friday made clear the urgency underlying Congresss consideration of the bill, arguing the lawmakers were out of runway for punting the legislation and rejected the idea of another short term extension.

Whether the intelligence community and law enforcement can rely on an absolutely essential authority should not be up for grabs, should not be called into question every three months. Thats an irresponsible way for Congress to legislate, an irresponsibility for Congress to do its part in trying to help us, the executive branch, protect the American people, a senior administration official told reporters.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  If you plan to view the once-in-a-generation solar eclipse on Monday, youll need to have specialized eye protection to safely do so.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon lines up between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun and darkening the sky. It will be the first total solar eclipse in New York State in 99 years.

People wear solar viewing glasses while looking at the sun during a solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. (Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Looking at the sun during the solar eclipse without specialized protection, such as eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer, would be harmful to your eyes  except during the brief phase of the eclipse when the moon is completely blocking the sun, according to NASA.

View the sun through eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality. You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the moon completely obscures the suns bright face, NASAs website says. As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the sun.

Solar eclipse viewing parties in New York City

Regular sunglasses are not a safe alternative to eclipse glasses, NASA warned, and safe solar viewers ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.

Like NASA, New York State officials also recommend using ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses.

Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a statewide effort to distribute limited-edition I LOVE NY eclipse glasses at 30 locations throughout New York, including Moynihan Train Hall in New York City and the Long Island Welcome Center in Dix Hills. The glasses were approved by the New York State Department of Health and carry an ISO certification, according to officials.

A woman looks through a solar viewer during an annular solar eclipse in California on Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

For those unable to get a pair of the limited-edition glasses, New York State officials suggested visiting the American Astronomical Societys website for ways to purchase glasses from a trusted source.

NASA offered additional safety guidelines for viewing the solar eclipse. It advised people to inspect their eclipse glasses or handheld viewer before using them to make sure they arent torn, scratched or damaged.

How to get the perfect shot during the solar eclipse

NASA also outlined some indirect methods to view the solar eclipse for those who arent able to obtain eclipse glasses or handheld viewers.

Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
AKRON, Ohio (WJW)  Springfield Township Police Department has filed a nuisance lawsuit against the Red Roof Inn along South Arlington Road, claiming its a hotbed for drugs and other criminal activity.

According to the complaint, police responded to about 200 service calls at the hotel in the latter months of 2020; 400 calls in 2021; 350 calls in 2022; and 330 calls in 2023, according to the complaint. A majority of the calls were for drug overdoses, fights or threats and robberies or thefts.

When is the total solar eclipse in Ohio and best places to watch

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By comparison, Summit County sheriffs deputies responded to just seven total calls in 2021 and 2022 at the Holiday Inn less than a half-mile from the Red Roof Inn, according to the complaint.

The safety and well-being of both the Springfield Township community and its police officers are paramount. With a commitment to upholding community values, the department has tirelessly worked to foster trust and cooperation between law enforcement and local businesses, Simone wrote. However, the alarming frequency of criminal incidents at the Red Roof Inn, including assaults, robberies, drug abuse, and other illicit activities, has stretched our resources thin and jeopardized public safety.

Read the full complaint, filed Friday in Summit County Common Pleas Court:

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Steelyard Walmart moving away from self-checkout lanes

The lawsuit alleges the hotel is maintained for drug use and other illegal activity. Though the township has warned the operator Akron Hotel Suites of the problems caused by its unsafe and unsanitary operations, nothings changed.

Included in the complaint are letters sent last year by Simone to operators, offering security suggestions, like installing video cameras and requiring guests to have a credit card, ID and be at least 21 years old to rent a room, among others.

The lawsuit seeks a public nuisance abatement, which would close the hotel and authorize local officials to knock it down and sell whats inside.

The location has a Yelp rating of 1.9 stars out of 5, with 26 total reviews.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Squatters terrorized NYC block for months before burning house down, fed-up neighbors say

A crew of squatters wreaked havoc on a Brooklyn block for months, stealing from  and threatening  neighbors before burning a house to the ground last November, fed-up locals and politicians said Thursday.

The reign of terror in Dyker Heights landed one troublesome intruder behind bars on an arson rap  but that was little compensation for area residents left reeling over yet another Big Apple squatter nightmare.

It was a very quiet neighborhood before and then suddenly when it happened, those people break into the house, said Ming Zhu, who lives two houses from the home at 1237 67th Street.

They went to our neighbors backyard and grabbed a brick and they say, We are going to break your window and we cant do nothing,' said Zhu, 42. Its not fair. We pay for property taxes, we pay for expensive house costs. We are working hard for the American Dream but thats what we get for it?

Residents in Dyker Heights said a crew of troublemaking squatters took over a local building and terrorized the neighborhood  before they finally burned it down in November. Loudlabs News NYC

The squatters broke into the empty home over the summer, and quickly became a nuisance  ripping off security cameras and other goods from other houses and menacing residents.

Cheng Chen, 46, was charged with arson and criminal mischief for the Nov. 29 blaze, and was later hit with a six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty, prosecutors said.

The fire was caused by candles, Chen told cops, according to a criminal complaint. I was smoking cigarettes, lit a candle. While I had the stove on to heat up the water and to keep myself warm, [I] went downstairs to take a shower. When I came back I saw flames and smoke everywhere.

The blaze caused $900,000 worth of damage to the home.

In our neighborhood, we dont have the Hamptons houses, city Councilwoman Susan Zhuang told reporters at a Gravesend press conference on Thursday.

We the people have the small houses. We work hard, check by check, she said. They are hardworking families that pay their mortgages from paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, squatters enter their home while they are on vacation. Peoples lives are turned upside down.

The Dyker Heights dilemma is just the latest in the recent rash of high-profile squatter horrors.

New York City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang led a group of local pols and residents to denounce squatters following a fire caused by one crew in Dyker Heights. News12

According to a criminal complaint, the fire was caused by candles. Loudlabs News NYC

Under New York City law, anyone who beds down in a home or apartment for at least 30 days can claim squatters rights, even if they broke into the property without permission from the rightful owner.

Last week, a pair of squatters at a Jamaica duplex sued the legal owners of a $930,000 home, claiming they were locked out despite establishing tenancy  and included a Shake Shack receipt as proof.

In Flushing, squatter Brian Rodriguez demanded an $18,000 ransom to move out of the four-bedroom $1 million house he claimed rights to  with cops even handcuffing the rightful owner when she showed up.

One Big Apple case turned deadly when a pair of teen squatters allegedly killed property owner Nadia Vitels after she showed up at the East 31st apartment owned by her late mom on March 12.

The Dyker Heights dilemma is just the latest in the recent rash of high-profile squatter horrors. Loudlabs News NYC

City fire officials said the Dyker Heights home burned down by squatters in November suffered $900,0000 in damages. Loudlabs News NYC

And last week, federal agents raided a Bronx home where a troublesome troupe of gun-toting migrants were squatting and causing chaos in the neighborhood.

Enough is enough, Zhuan said in a release Thursday. We must address the growing issue of squatters in our communities before the issue gets more out of hand than it already is.

Unless something is done soon, the concept of homeownership will be completely thrown out.
St. Louis among next wave of cities in DOJ effort to fight violent crime

ST. LOUIS  The United States Department of Justice has named St. Louis as one of three cities in its next wave of an initiative to fight violent crime.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced new resources on Wednesday to combat violent crime in St. Louis; Jackson, Mississippi; and Hartford, Connecticut.

The Justice Department will not rest until every person, in every neighborhood, in every community is safe from violent crime, said Garland via a news release. The Justice Department is not easing up on our efforts to reduce violent crime. In fact, today, we are doubling down.

The DOJ launched its Criminal Divisions Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in 2022, first starting with Houston, Texas, and expanding efforts to Memphis, Tennessee, last year. According to the DOJ, the VCI surges law enforcement tools and resources to target gangs and other violent groups that are threatening the safety and security of communities in cities across the nation.

Construction worker IDd in fatal south St. Louis County crash; two teens charged

The DOJ Criminal Division ultimately identified St. Louis, Jackson and Hartford as three cities most in need of resources, according to the Wednesday news release.

According to the National Criminal Justice Association, the DOJ is expected to invest around $80 million in additional funding to support community violence intervention programs.

No matter where violent crime occurs, it leaves a devastating impact on victims and communities, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI, as part of the Violent Crime Initiative, is renewing our focus on violent crime in three additional cities and surging tools and resources to make our streets safer. Every day, our field offices work to tear down violent criminals and gangs and this initiative will only serve to magnify their successes.

We have long had a focus in the Eastern District of Missouri on violent crime and complex criminal conspiracies, and the addition of two experienced prosecutors will allow us to expand that, said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. We look forward to working with them to make the St. Louis region safer.

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During Wednesdays announcement, Garland said the DOJ is hoping to replicate post-pandemic trends of violent crime reduction, citing Baltimore, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Chicago as examples.

The City of St. Louis reported a 20% drop in homicides from 2023 compared to 2022 and similar drops in other violent crimes between both years.

When the DOJ launched VCI efforts in Houston, it included assistance federal prosecutors, investigative agents, analysts and forensic experts, along with resources from various law enforcement agencies. What the DOJs latest announcement for St. Louis means in terms of resources deployed remains to be determined.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
St. Petersburg public information officer Erica Riggins is leaving the city to return to Spectrum Bay News 9 as a reporter.

Mayor Ken Welch announced the news on social media on Friday morning. He praised Riggins for her media and communications expertise, calling her a local news legend.

I fully support her decision to return to reporting at her other home, Welch wrote in the post. Wishing her and her boys good luck and Godspeed!

Welchs post included a photo of Riggins sons  three brothers adopted from foster care  and Riggins resignation letter dated Wednesday.

Before joining your city team nearly two years ago, you spoke to me about the powerful impact of making a difference in the lives of residents and St. Pete and Opportunities for All, Riggins wrote in the resignation letter. You had me at impact! Its been an impactful journey working with you directly, along with our city leadership team, on the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment, numerous affordable housing initiatives, community conversations, two State of the City addresses, and so much more.

Riggins, who started with Bay News 9 in December 2005, was the early-morning anchor before Welch hired her in September 2022.

She is the second spokesperson to leave under Welch. The mayors first hire, Janelle Irwin Taylor, resigned after she accused then-Deputy Mayor Stephanie Owens of bullying. Owens denied the allegations and later resigned.

Riggins told the Tampa Bay Times she will return to news as a reporter but said she did not know what shift she would work or what she would cover. Her last day with the city is May 2 and her first day of work back at the station is May 6.

I missed news, Riggins said Friday. News was my calling. I enjoyed and embraced everything with the city of St. Petersburg. Its special to reach even more people and have an impact on their lives that is amplified. Im excited to get back to it.

Riggins said she reached out to her former workplace about coming back.

I do consider them my family. Weve been in contact because Ive worked with them for so long, she said.

Riggins said she makes an annual salary of $150,000 with the city.

Ive had a great experience with this mayor, she said. I am grateful for all the opportunities that helped me grow professionally. My family has grown.

Alizza Punzalan-Randle, communications and community engagement managing director, said Friday that the city is in the early stages of determining how the public information officer role will be filled.
Only a handful of Oklahomans seeking political office filed their paperwork Thursday, Oklahoma State Election Board officials said.

Election board records show 206 political hopefuls filed for office. That number, state Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said, is pretty typical for a presidential election year. Historically, the middle of the period has always been the slowest, he said. In the 2022 midterm election, 16% of candidates filed on the second day, and in 2020 only 13% filed. The third day usually sees an uptick.

Ziriax said the filing process had gone smoothly even with the new requirement that candidates have to prove their voter registration. "That (the voter registration) may have created a little lag, but overall things have gone smoothly," Ziriax said.

On Thursday, only 12 candidates had filed paperwork by noon.

Misha Mohr, public information officer for the state Election Board, said new candidates were excited to file and returning candidates shared the same enthusiasm.

Ellen Pogemiller, with her children, Wesley, left, and Clark, files to run for the House District 88 seat on Thursday, the second day of candidate filings at the state Capitol.

It is fun to watch new candidates come through. This is a huge experience for a lot of people coming up to the state Capitol to file, especially for the first time, Mohr said. Theyll have their children, theyll have their wives, their family members, mom and dad.

The selfie station, with a background listing the Election Board's website, has been a big hit, especially for posting on social media and commemorating the day, Mohr said.

More: Oklahoma election season is here: Candidates begin filing to run for office at the state Capitol

Mohr said the agency has also "hit their stride" on an improved process. The filing used to be held in the west hallway, blocking off an entrance and exit. Candidates had to wait for verification. Now they get a call or a text message and they can easily visit the cafeteria or other areas of the Capitol. During the pandemic, the filing tables were set up outside.

Its easier if candidates download the filing packet first and ensure they have the needed documents and then file in person, she said.

Once state Election Board staff receives candidates packets at the welcome table, paperwork is checked for the correct district and that either the appropriate filing fee is made out to the secretary of states office or a petition has been submitted with at least 2% of voters support in their district. Then the official filing desk receives the information and does a thorough review of the declaration of candidacy. Some candidates might receive a callback about errors or issues with their declaration. Most issues are easy fixes, but ones such as filing in the wrong district or not meeting the residency requirements, are a little more difficult to fix. The board works with the candidates to get the issues straightened out and filed properly, Mohr said.

When is the deadline to file for candidacy in Oklahoma?

As long as candidates have their paperwork completed and turned in by 5 p.m. on April 5, theyre in the running.

Candidate Wendi Stearman was among those who filed Thursday. She said she fixed a callback issue and waited for a confirmation text. Stearman is running for state Senate District 29, which includes Washington, Nowata and northern Rogers counties. She was a previous state representative for District 11.

"It's pretty well streamlined," Stearman said Thursday, as she waited for her filing confirmation. "All is good and they said it should be fine and I'm just waiting on my confirmation text so I can leave."

Rep. Mauree Turner sent a news release signifying they would not run again, citing health diagnoses.

"In the beginning, I asked if I could be fully me and run for office  there's no way I could do this job otherwise  and you all said yes as long as I keep you fully intact in every policy I write and every conversation I have," they wrote in the statement.

Turner's legislative aide, Nicole Maldonado, 24, filed to run for the district.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma elections filing deadline is Friday, April 5
In a 2022 file photo, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., center, listens to testimony during a state Ethics Commission hearing. At left is his lawyer, Meredith Fierro, and at right is Timothy Burke, lawyer for former state police Maj. Susan Anderson.

The state has approved a payment for $120,000 in legal bills for a prosecutor cleared in the 2022 Ethics Commission probe surrounding the arrest of a local judges daughter, but has declined to pay for the defense of two state troopers also cleared, including the former colonel.

Documents obtained by the Telegram & Gazette pursuant to public records requests show the state comptrollers office has approved $120,000 in legal fees for Jeffrey Travers, Worcesters top assistant district attorney, to settle a lawsuit his lawyer filed against Travers boss, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

Records show Travers lawyer, Roy Bourgeois, sued Early in February 2023, nearly two years after the comptrollers office had sent Early an email opining it was not appropriate to reimburse legal fees for public employees related to administrative claims before the State Ethics Commission.

Early and Travers, along with former Col. Richard D. McKeon and Maj. Susan Anderson, were accused of breaking civil ethics laws regarding their handling of the 2017 arrest report of a local judge's daughter. All were cleared in 2022.

Bourgeois argued that Early, by ceasing payment after receiving the comptroller's email, had breached a standard agreement hed entered into to cover the cost of Travers litigation tied to his duties as a prosecutor. The agreement, legal counsel for the comptrollers office wrote in an affidavit in the lawsuit, had not been described to her prior to her issuance of the offices opinion.

Prosecutor Jeffrey Travers talks with his lawyer Roy A. Bourgeois during a break in the Ethics Commission hearing on April 13, 2022.

In response to questions from the T&G, Michael V. Sangalang, a spokesperson for Massachusetts Comptroller William McNamara, said the offices position that Ethics Commission legal defense is not reimbursable has not changed.

The comptroller signed off on the payment, Sanagalang said, because it was submitted as a payment under a contract dispute, not as an indemnification request.

The lawsuit itself led this to become submittable as a contract claim, Sangalang said.

The lawsuit was settled by two Peabody & Arnold LLP lawyers Early hired because the Attorney Generals Office  which would normally defend him  had a conflict of interest as it had originally referred the matter to the State Ethics Commission.

Both lawyers were named special assistant attorney generals for the purposes of the lawsuit, records show. They had, as of January, been paid about $41,000 from Earlys main budget, a spokesperson for his office said.

The $120,000 settlement between the lawyers and Bourgeois was reached around the same time a Worcester Superior Court judge ruled state police didnt have to pay McKeon and Anderson the legal fees they incurred in the case.

McKeon and Anderson, both of whom retired in the wake of the scandal, had asked state police to cover their costs but were denied, according to a lawsuit they filed in November 2022.

In a file photo, Maj. Susan Anderson listens to testimony April 13, 2022.

Worcester Superior Court Judge Karin Bell ruled in January that the state was not required to pay the cost of defending troopers for a State Ethics Commission probe, citing similar legal reasoning the comptrollers office had originally given Earlys office in reply to its 2021 indemnification request.

Both rulings drew upon a 2003 Supreme Judicial Court ruling regarding the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act that found lawmakers hadnt intended to require municipal employees to be indemnified for the cost of defending against criminal indictments or ethics charges.

Former state police Col. Richard D. McKeon, left, listens to testimony next to his lawyer Michael Rusconi on April 13, 2022.

While the (SJC) case concerned indemnification of municipal employees, the similarity between the language of Sections 9 and 13 of the MTCA suggests the same reasoning should be applied to cases involving state employees, the comptrollers office wrote to Early in 2021, adding they understood the AGs office and Office of Inspector General held similar views.

The AGs office, when run by now-Gov. Maura Healey, paid nearly $1 million in legal fees defending three former prosecutors  one of whom was disbarred  in disciplinary proceedings tied to allegations of wrongdoing regarding the Sonja Farak drug lab scandal.

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, in an editorial at the time, opined that while it didnt appear the AG was required to indemnify the lawyers under law, it didnt appear to be barred from doing so, either.

The editorial, signed by a number of well-known lawyers, including the current chief legal counsel of the Massachusetts Bar Association, reasoned that not paying the defense would hurt prosecutor morale and could dissuade talented litigators from working for the state.

In a statement to the T&G Thursday, Early said he agreed with the editorial and stressed that the Ethics Commission had cleared Travers and himself in the case.

It would be quite a burden for anyone to have to pay their own legal fees after being improperly accused for actions undertaken in the course of their employment, he wrote. To keep people in public employment, we need to support them if they get sued. We especially have to do this when they do the right thing and do their job.

Lawyers for McKeon and Anderson told the T&G they are appealing Bells ruling.

There should not be two different standards, Timothy Burke, a lawyer for Anderson, said. Theyre both entitled to have their representation paid by the commonwealth when theyre acting within the scope of their employment, and their conduct is not wanton, willful or malicious.

Burke, as he did throughout the case, added that the situation, in his view, is particularly egregious for Anderson, who, he said, was simply following orders given to her by McKeon.

The State Ethics Commission had alleged that McKeon, after speaking with Early, improperly ordered Anderson to have a state trooper who arrested a local judges daughter prepare a sanitized version of his arrest report after it had been filed in court.

That revised copy, lawyers for the commission alleged, was then delivered to Travers, who, allegedly at Earlys direction, asked to swap it with the original copy on file in the clerks office.

Conflicting testimony about what happened was given at the State Ethics Commission, with the top judge in Central District Court saying he recalled Early asking why the documents couldnt be swapped.

The then-clerk testified he believed Travers had asked to switch the documents, but also testified he didn't believe Travers had crossed any ethical lines.

The commission, after nine days of hearings, dismissed the allegations against Early, Travers, McKeon and Anderson.

The commission didnt make detailed findings on the specific allegations in the case after finding that, even if things happened as alleged, the commission's lawyers hadnt proven it would be of a value substantial enough to violate the civil statute.

Some commissioners criticized the manner in which the case was handled, while the commissioner who oversaw the hearings said he believed Early and the others were motivated to protect the rights of a criminal defendant who suffered from substance abuse.

In his statement to the T&G, Early said the actions his office undertook were about protecting the basic human dignity of someone suffering from the disease of addiction.

The Worcester County District Attorney's Office always has and will continue to show the same level of compassion while I am district attorney, he wrote.

It is unclear whether the state has paid any of Earlys legal fees related to his defense of the Ethics Commission complaint.

Asked for a breakdown of fees and their sources related to the defense, Early replied he cannot provide a breakdown at this time, noting that certain payments in the litigation are still pending.

Bourgeois has yet to be paid, court records show, because the comptroller is waiting for the state budget account that would go to pay him to be replenished by the Legislature.

Early has a separate legal defense fund he set up with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance that, records show, has received more than $300,000 in contributions.

While donations to legal defense funds must be publicly disclosed, expenditures from the funds are not required to be posted.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: State will pay legal bills for prosecutor in state police ethics case
Warren Buffett acquired an ownership stake in Berkshire Hathaway in 1965. The company has since seen its share price compound by 19.8% annually, easily outperforming the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), which returned 10.2% per year during the same period.

That outperformance is due in large part to Buffett's prodigious skill as an investor, but he has never recommended Berkshire stock. Instead, Buffett has consistently advised investors to periodically purchase shares of an S&P 500 index fund like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO).

That advice could turn $400 invested monthly into $904,100 over the next three decades. Here are the important details.

Why Warren Buffett likes S&P 500 index funds

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF measures the performance of 500 large-cap U.S. companies. It includes growth stocks and value stocks from all 11 market sectors, and it covers more than 80% of domestic equities and nearly 40% of global equities by market capitalization. In short, the index fund offers exposure to many of the most influential companies in the world.

The 10 largest positions in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF are detailed below. It's worth mentioning that the "Magnificent Seven" stocks account for 29% of the index fund by weight, so they factor heavily into its performance.

Microsoft: 7.2% Apple: 6.2% Nvidia: 4.6% Amazon: 3.7% Alphabet: 3.5% Meta Platforms: 2.5% Berkshire Hathaway: 1.7% Eli Lilly: 1.4% Broadcom: 1.3% Tesla: 1.3%

Buffett believes an S&P 500 index fund is the best way for most investors to get exposure to the stock market. His rationale is rooted in three indisputable facts.

First, professional money managers struggle to consistently outperform the S&P 500. In fact, just 12% of large-cap funds beat the index over the last 15 years. Buffett highlighted that point in his 2014 letter to shareholders: "Huge institutional investors, viewed as a group, have long underperformed the unsophisticated index-fund investor who simply sits tight for decades."

Second, the S&P 500 has consistently outperformed most major asset classes, including the equity markets in Europe and Asia, as well as fixed income, real estate, and precious metals. That speaks to the strength of the U.S. economy and American innovation. Currently, 16 of the 20 largest companies in the world are American companies, and the U.S. stock market accounts for 45% of the global stock market.

Third, the S&P 500 has been a consistent moneymaker over long periods. In fact, the index has produced a positive return over every 20-year period since its inception in 1957, and its precursor was a profitable investment over every 20-year period since its inception in 1923.

Story continues

How the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF could turn $400 per month into $904,100

The S&P 500 returned 1,970% over the last three decades, compounding by 10.6% annually. I will assume a more conservative return of 10% annually in the future to introduce a margin of safety. At that pace, $400 invested monthly would be worth $81,900 in one decade, $303,700 in two decades, and $904,100 in three decades.

Some investors may prefer to invest more, while other investors may not have $400 per month. Assuming returns of 10% annually, the table below illustrates how different monthly contribution amounts would grow over time.

Holding Period $100 per Month $200 per Month $600 per Month 10 years $20,400 $40,900 $122,900 20 years $75,900 $151,800 $455,600 30 years $226,000 $452,000 $1.3 million

Data source: Investor.gov compound interest calculator. The table assumes returns of 10% annually, and all totals have been rounded down to the nearest $100.

The last thing I want to mention is the expense ratio. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF bears an ultra-low expense ratio of 0.03%, meaning investors will pay just $0.30 per year on every $1,000 invested in the index fund. For context, the average expense ratio on U.S. funds was 0.37% in 2022.

Here's the bottom line: The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF lets investors spread money across many of the most influential businesses in the world, including the Magnificent Seven stocks. Moreover, the benchmark index returned 10.6% annually over the last three decades, and it has always been profitable over time periods of at least 20 years. Those qualities make the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF a very compelling investment option, especially in combination with a portfolio of individual stocks.

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1 Warren Buffett Index Fund Could Turn $400 per Month Into $904,100, With Help From the "Magnificent Seven" Stocks was originally published by The Motley Fool
Parts of North America will go dark for a brief period Monday due to the solar eclipse, the last one to hit the lower 48 for two decades, and states are preparing for an influx of tourists for the rare event.

The path of the eclipse will cast the moons shadow over communities from the Southwest to the Northeast. It will pass through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Several of the states in the path have offered up travel tips as many visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon are packing their bags and hitting the road.

The eclipse will start in Texas, and the Texas Department of Transportation told drivers to expect heavy traffic and sudden stops by drivers. While eclipse glasses are necessary to view the phenomenon outside, the department said people shouldnt wear them while driving.

According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the state plans to be well-equipped to make the experience enjoyable and safe for the residents and out-of-town visitors.

In a press conference, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) said the department is preparing its roads for extra traffic, and law enforcement will be on standby for road congestion and emergencies.

ARDOT said it has scheduled a construction holiday, meaning no lane closures or active work zones over the weekend until after the eclipse. The department said its also working with the trucking association to limit the number of semitrucks on the most popular roads at that time.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) said the eclipse is set to be visible over about 128 miles of the state, and staff will be available to assist viewers.

IDOT Secretary Omer Osman offered safe driving tips, including reminding drivers in the dark areas to turn their headlights on while driving. He said, It will be dark even though it is daytime.

The Missouri Department of Transportation put together a Traveler Information Map that will allow people traveling for the eclipse to check traffic conditions. The department said it expects large out-of-state crowds and advised travelers to know where you want to be and make your accommodations as early as possible.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed an executive order in preparation of the eclipse in preparation of the significant influx of several hundred thousand visitors.

Holcomb declared a statewide disaster emergency to ensure preparedness of the total solar eclipse. The state said it is part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which means the governor can call for resources if needed.

The state showed areas for the best viewing and told travelers to plan ahead of their trip.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) also issued an executive order in preparation. His order said the state has been coordinating with state, local, and private partners to prepare for increased demands on gas, food, shelter, traffic, and cell phone service.

The state has increased staff for traffic control measures and incident management on major highways.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) issued a flyer with safety tips for prior to, during, and following the eclipse. It has asked drivers to refrain from stopping or parking along major roadways to view the highway and to not litter along roadways or property.

PennDOT said drivers should put down their phones, avoid all distractions and never take photos or videos while driving.

New Hampshire issued a travel advisory for the eclipse, warning that many of the roads were not designed to handle large volumes of traffic and the spring weather can bring frost heaves and very soft shoulders.

Please obey all officers assisting with traffic control as well as signs and traffic control devices. Be prepared for slow travel heading south after the eclipse on Monday evening, the department said.

And Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) released a statement Monday promoting Maine as a premier eclipse destination. Nearly half of the state will experience the total eclipse for up to 3 1/2 minutes, one of the longest totality observation times in the country, the release said.

Mills recommended travelers have a full tank of gas, pack plenty of snacks and water, and stick to paved roads. The state also recommended travelers pack a paper map, as cell towers may become overloaded and some areas of Maine have spotty service.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Statesville firefighters will be part of a live-burn training exercise that will close a road in Iredell County Friday.

The Statesville Fire Departments training will take place at 2028 Amity Hill Road April 5, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Fire department personnel have been in the area around the structure all week to prepare.

The Hunting Wives filming takes over Mooresville Main Street

The structure has been donated by the property owners for the purpose of this training. During the exercise, residents and visitors can expect heavy smoke in certain parts of the area. Additionally, there may be temporary traffic congestion and elevated noise levels due to fire equipment and apparatus on site.

To facilitate the training activity, Amity Hill Road will be closed from just past 2005 Amity Hill Road to the intersection of Amity Hill Road and Kimball Street from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Motorists are advised to plan alternate routes during this period.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Friends and family are set to pay the first of several tributes next week to Steve Chubbuck, an Army veteran and former firefighter who parlayed his love of Ben & Jerrys ice cream into quietly raising awareness in Brevard County about issues ranging from police brutality to voting rights, human rights and banned books.

Chubbuck, who owned four Ben & Jerry's ice cream shops across Florida, died March 31 in an apparent accidental drowning at his St. Augustine home. Among his shops: the Melbourne Ben & Jerry's at the Oaks.

Steven Chubbuck, 44, owned four Ben and Jerry's in Florida, including the one in Melbourne Oaks. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JESSICA SHAW.

He was 44.

He had a personality type of someone who has a hundred ideas an hour. He was constantly riffing about ideas, said Jessica Shaw, Chubbucks wife.

Im just hearing things and getting calls about how he was always helping with a cause, no matter what it was. He got a lot out of it, Shaw told FLORIDA TODAY.

Chubbucks activism reached a number of communities in Brevard. He quietly worked with organizers of the 2020 March for Justice, which highlighted the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Brevard veteran Gregory Lloyd Edwards. Edwards died in 2018 after a confrontation with Brevard County Sheriffs correction officers at the county jail. A federal judge ruled last year that while Edwards' death was "an unquestionable tragedy," there was no violation of Edwards' constitutional rights.

The march, organized by a coalition of Brevard community advocates, drew 4,000 people to the streets of Cocoa for what to date was the largest protest seen in the county.

Death in Custody: Army veteran's treatment in Brevard jail violated sheriff's office policies

We met during Gregory Edwards protests in 2020. He was a veteran and what Sheriff (Wayne) Ivey allowed to happen to Edwards really resonated with Steve. Thats the first cause that we connected on, said Alton Edmond, a criminal defense attorney who ran unsuccessfully against the sheriff in 2020.

Chubbuck  who owned three other franchises of the ice cream parlor in Nacatee, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine  paid for signs passed out among the crowds calling for justice in the Edwards case and even billboards positioned across Brevard County questioning what happened behind bars to the veteran.

He also worked with Edmond and John Verdi, a former New York Police Department veteran and literacy advocate, to help foster stronger face-to-face relationships between Brevard youth and law enforcement agencies in Cocoa and Melbourne. That included providing ice cream as a way to bridge the gaps between the groups.

More: Melbourne Ben & Jerry's faces near daily anti-mask and political harassment

He was quite literally giving us free ice cream to get people to come out. He played a key role in supporting the protests that you saw around Brevard. He reached out to me to see if I would do something to help get people to vote, said Lauren Giacone, founder of Brevard Peace Keepers, a group which drew attention to the Edwards case along with other issues.

Chubbuck would often brainstorm with the activists to come up with ideas on how to get out their messages out.

A Melbourne police officer reads children a story at an August 2019 Hey,Blue! event held at the Melbourne Ben & Jerry's.

We were activists together. (Steve) was really the whole reason that the Brevard Peace Keepers were out there. It all snowballed because of him," Giacone said.

Chubbuck was born in Anchorage, Alaska, to a mother who worked as a police officer. He relocated to Lake Worth, Florida, with his mother after his parents separated, Shaw said. He decided to join the Army after high school and rose to the rank of sergeant before going to work for a private investigation firm. Later, Chubbuck became a firefighter medic in Martin County before meeting Shaw in 2015.

The pair would often share thoughts about pressing issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and the narratives formed around a spate of police shootings involving Black men during that time.

I was visiting Florida and very liberal. He hadnt been exposed to the ideas I had. But he listened. He would go back to find out on his own, she said.

Then, after years of taking calls in the middle of the night and going to traumatic incidents, Chubbuck retired from the fire department in 2020. He had bought the Ben & Jerrys franchise in Melbourne in 2018 and began funding several causes.

A protester holds aloft a sign featuring veteran Gregory Edwards during a 2020 protest outside the Moore Justice Center. Edwards died while in custody at the Brevard County Jail after a confrontation with deputies. FLORIDA TODAY sued to get the release of video from his time in jail.

In the the store, he joined with other activists like Verdi of the Hey! Blue organization and Adam Tritt, founder of Foundation 451, in setting up a banned book stand to give customers a chance to read books targeted by groups like Moms for Liberty.

He loved ice cream. His favorite was Cherry Garcia, and always thought it would be a fun thing to do. He said the fire department was really stressful," Shaw said. Chubbuck continued with his advocacy, despite the protests and continued threats of boycott aimed at his businesses on social media.

When in May 2020, the couple saw the video of 46-year-old George Floyd, pleading for his mother as a police officer used his knee to press into his neck, "he was furious," Shaw said.

"Theres a certain type of veteran who joins the military because they believe in our Constitution, that was him," she said. "He had a very strong sense of rage at injustice. Then when we learned about what happened to Gregory Edwards, he just wanted to raise money for the widow. He wanted everyone to know what happened."

He didnt talk about it; he didnt brag about what he was doing," Shaw said. "He just did it. And now Im getting calls about all of the good things he was doing.

The first of several memorials for Chubbuck will take place at 10 a.m. Monday at Butler Beach in St. Augustine. Another memorial is planned for Melbourne later but the details have not been finalized. He is survived by his wife , Jessica Shaw, and 22-year-old son Aidan.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard advocate dies: Steve Cubbuck owned Ben & Jerry's across Florida
Steven Avery is still trying to appeal his conviction. Here are the most recent updates.

Eighteen years after the murder of Teresa Halbach, Steven Avery continues to claim his innocence and pursue possible routes for exoneration.

Avery, now 61, is currently appealing Manitowoc County Circuit Court's decision to deny his third motion for postconviction relief.

Avery argues another man killed Halbach, and in a recent filing, requests DNA testing on a variety of locations inside Halbach's vehicle.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin is not naming the man Avery is accusing because he has not been charged with anything related to the crime.

Since the release of Netflix's "Making a Murderer" in 2015, Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey have gained international notoriety. A case that was well-known in the Manitowoc area after Halbach's murder in 2005 and Avery's and Dassey's convictions in 2007 was brought to a worldwide audience  and has since bred stark divisions in opinions about the men's guilt.

Following the Netflix documentary, tens of thousands of people around the world have advocated for Avery's and Dassey's innocence. But many are convinced the men were rightfully convicted. In September, conservative media streaming service DailyWire+ released "Convicting a Murderer," a 10-part docuseries that provided evidence from the case that it says supports Avery's guilty verdict but was left out of "Making a Murderer." While the DailyWire acquired the documentary later on in its development, it was in the works for over six years.

Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, told the Post-Crescent that exoneration in wrongful conviction cases takes an average of 15 to 18 years. She has been vocal on social media about her belief in Avery's innocence, and has helped 20 people get exonerated of wrongful convictions.

What happened in the case?

On Oct. 31, 2005, 25-year-old Teresa Halbach went missing. A photographer for Auto Trader magazine, Halbach's last assignment before she disappeared was at Avery's Auto Salvage, the Avery family's business in Two Rivers.

There was a large amount of physical evidence linking Avery to the crime, including burned bone fragments in a fire pit on Avery's property, Avery's and Halbach's blood in Halbach's vehicle, remnants of a camera and electronic devices in a burn barrel, a bullet in Avery's garage with Halbach's DNA, and the key to Halbach's vehicle in Avery's bedroom with Avery's DNA on it.

That November, Avery was charged with murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and mutilating a corpse for Halbach's death. A few months later, Dassey faced charges of being party to the murder, sexual assault and mutilating a corpse.

It was not the first time Avery was accused of a major crime. In 1985, when he was 23, Avery was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman along Lake Michigan and sentenced to 32 years in prison.

However, Avery was later proved not guilty. Attempts to overturn his wrongful conviction failed in 1987 and 1996. Then, in 2002, a judge granted the Wisconsin Innocence Project permission to conduct DNA testing that was not available at the time of the 1985 rape. The new testing pinned the crime on Gregory Allen, a man who was then serving a 60-year sentence for another rape in Brown County.

In 2003, after 18 years in prison, Avery cleared his name and walked free. He became a well-liked figure in Wisconsin, and his exoneration prompted reform in Wisconsin's legal system as politicians and legal experts aimed to do more to prevent future wrongful convictions.

Avery was only free for two years before his arrest for Halbach's murder. On March 18, 2005, a jury found him guilty of killing Halbach, and he was again sentenced to prison  this time for life without the possibility of parole.

At the time of Halbach's murder, Avery was the plaintiff in a $36 million civil lawsuit against Manitowoc County and former county officials for his 18-year sentence for his false conviction. Avery's attorneys argued at trial that this was motivation for law enforcement to pin the crime on Avery. That argument is central to "Making a Murderer."

After Avery was charged in Halbach's homicide, he settled his lawsuit with Manitowoc County for $400,000.

Despite the physical evidence against Avery, he has always maintained his innocence.

His nephew has not.

Dassey, who was 16 at the time of the crime, was arrested four months after his uncle. In an interview with investigators, Dassey confessed to sexually assaulting Halbach at Avery's command, then assisting Avery in killing Halbach and burning her body.

Dassey contradicted himself multiple times during the interview, and later recanted his confession. Advocates for Dassey argue investigators confused and coerced the teen, who according to his attorneys had a low IQ, into giving a false confession.

Dassey was convicted after a jury trial in April 2007. He was given a life sentence with earliest eligibility for parole in 2048, when he is about 59.

Calumet County Dist. Atty. Ken Kratz speaks to the jury during opening statement in the Steven Avery trail at the Calumet County Courthouse on Feb. 12, 2007.

What does Avery's most recent appeal claim?

Avery's most recent motion for postconviction relief, filed in Manitowoc County Circuit Court in August 2022, argues another man could have killed Halbach. His attorneys name the alternate suspect in the appeal and argue the suspect framed Avery by leaving the key to Halbach's vehicle on Avery's property, then was a key witness against him at trial. In the motion, Avery requested an evidentiary hearing.

The motion also includes new evidence, that Avery's attorneys learned in April 2021, after a man contacted them, saying he was driving a newspaper delivery truck on the Avery's property in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2024, when he saw the man Avery claims is Halbach's real killer pushing Halbach's vehicle. The delivery driver said he contacted law enforcement that same day after learning Halbach's vehicle was found on the Avery property, but no investigator ever contacted him to follow up.

Sheboygan County Circuit Court Judge Angela Sutkiewicz denied the motion for postconviction relief in August 2023  weeks after Avery, without his attorneys' advice, filed a letter requesting Sutkiewicz make a speedier ruling.

Avery appealed Sutkiewicz's ruling. His attorneys filed a brief for the appeal earlier this year.

In Wisconsin, requests for postconviction relief can be made in the form of postconviction motions filed at the circuit court level, and appeals filed with the Court of Appeals, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Defendants who request postconviction relief based on issues that were not addressed in trial court proceedings  for example, claiming discovery of new evidence or ineffective assistance of counsel  must first file postconviction motions at the circuit court level before seeking review of an appellate court.

On March 14, Avery's attorneys filed a motion in the appellate court requesting postconviction scientific testing. In the motion, Avery's attorneys request DNA testing of "the driver and passenger seats, the dashboard, the gear shift, the steering wheel, the interior and exterior hood latch release, the broken blinker light, the hood prop, the battery cable, the battery, the rear cargo area, the interior and exterior cargo door, the lug wrench, and the license plate."

Prosecutors have a deadline of April 15 to file a reply brief.

On March 26, the Court of Appeals granted Avery's attorneys permission to also file an amended reply.

Steven Avery in a photograph for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections in June 2022. Avery, 61, is currently incarcerated at Fox Lake Correctional Institution.

What other appeal attempts has Avery made?

Avery has previously filed four motions for postconviction relief with Manitowoc County Circuit Court, which have all been denied.

Avery's current appeal will determine if the appellate court disagrees with the circuit court's denial of Avery's request for an evidentiary hearing or new trial.

As he awaits notice if he may be permitted to appear in court again, Avery remains incarcerated at Fox Lake Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison in Dodge County.

The following is a basic timeline of Avery's postconviction proceedings and decisions:

Postconviction relief attempt #1: 2009-2011

In June 2009, postconviction attorneys for Avery filed for postconviction relief, asking for a new trial. They claimed the trial judge wrongfully excused a juror and improperly excluded evidence of third party liability. Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Willis denied this motion in January 2010.

In August 2011, the Court of Appeals affirmed Willis's decision.

In December 2011, the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied a petition from Avery to review the appeal decision.

Postconviction relief attempt #2: 2013-2017

In February 2013, Avery filed a postconviction motion "pro se," meaning without attorney representation. Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge Angela Sutkiewicz denied the motion in November 2015.

Avery then appealed Sutkiewicz's decision.

Zellner got involved as Avery's appeals attorney in 2016. She told filmmakers in the second season of "Making a Murderer" that she responded to requests from Avery to take his case after she saw the Netflix docuseries, which was released in December 2015.

Avery's attorneys voluntarily dismissed his pro se appeal in July 2017.

Postconviction relief attempt #3: 2017-2021

Around the time they dismissed Avery's pro se appeal, his attorneys filed a second motion for postconviction relief, in June 2017.

Sutkiewicz denied the motion in August 2019.

In October 2019, Zellner filed an appeal brief, asking the appellate court to review Sutkiewicz's denial.

In July 2021, the Court of Appeals decided Avery's claims were not enough to grant him a hearing.

Avery petitioned the Supreme Court to review that decision, which they declined in November 2021.

That brings the timeline to Avery's fourth and most recent postconviction relief attempt.

Brendan Dassey smiles for a photograph taken by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections in June 2022. Dassey, 34, is currently incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institution.

Are there any updates in Brendan Dassey's appeal efforts?

Dassey, 34, exhausted his appeals in 2018.

Dassey was given some hope in August 2016, when U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin overturned his conviction. The ruling granted Dassey's petition for either release or a new trial.

In his 91-page decision, Duffin said Dassey's constitutional rights were violated. The judge criticized investigators, state courts and Dassey's pre-trial attorney for how they handled the case.

Prosecutors appealed Duffin's ruling, and a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit  which oversees lower courts in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana  affirmed the decision 2-1 in June 2017.

Prosecutors then sought further review by the full 7th Circuit court, which upheld Dassey's conviction in a 4-3 vote  putting a halt to his hope for release.

The majority opinion said they did not find that Dassey's confession to police was coerced. The dissenting opinion called the decision "a travesty of justice."

The only higher court to hear the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is the U.S. Supreme Court. In June 2018, the Supreme Court announced it would not hear Dassey's case.

In 2019, Dassey petitioned Gov. Tony Evers to grant him clemency , through either a pardon, which would release Dassey from prison and restore some of his legal rights, or commutation, which would either release or shorten his sentence, but both were denied.

In 2022, Avery's trial lawyers, Dean Strang and Jerome Buting wrote a letter to Evers requesting clemency for Dassey.

Dassey is imprisoned at Oshkosh Correctional Institution.

RELATED: While Steven Avery awaits decision on request for new hearing, he files letters questioning delay

RELATED: Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey remain imprisoned. Here's where their court proceedings stand.

RELATED: Final episode of 'Convicting a Murderer' discusses media ethics and memories of Teresa Halbach

Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Steven Avery is still trying to appeal his conviction. What to know
THOMSON, Ga. (WJBF)  Four businesses along Washington Road in Thomson reported break-ins Saturday morning, March 30.

According to McDuffie County Sheriffs Office, we do believe the break-ins are related from evidence at the scenes.

Saturday, a burglary was reported at Tasty Wings and Seafood at 1783 Washington Road NW in Thomson at 5:31 a.m. after a security alarm was activated. Responding deputies found the glass in the front door of the business had been kicked out and the register drawers removed from the business.

Surveillance video showed a male suspect kicking out the glass of the front door.

At 6:03 a.m., less than an hour later, McDuffie County Sheriffs Deputies were called to the Dunkin breakfast and coffee shop located at 1767 Washington Road after the employee opening the store found several missing or misplaced items  first, the employee noticed that the lock box code compartment was open and, while prepping for the store to open, found the drive-thru cash register drawer was missing, along with the drive-thru window  at this point, the employee saw that the cash register drawer in the dining room was missing.

Investigating deputies found that the drive-thru sliding glass had been completely removed from the frame and tossed, along with the frame, alongside the business.

The theft was believed to have occurred as early as 4:50 a.m.

While making patrols of the area at 7:35 a.m., a McDuffie County Sheriffs Office Sergeant noticed that the drive-thru window at the Dairy Queen at 1728 Washington Road had been broken into. The sergeant noticed that the cash drawer from the drive-thru window was missing  as employees and management began arriving at the restaurant, all four registers had been had been broken into.

Surveillance video showed that a male suspect using a chrome pry bar to remove one of the drive-thru windows  both windows had been damaged.

Finally, at 9:19 a.m., deputies were called to 1530 Washington Road to Viva Villa where the owner found that someone had entered the restaurant after hours by breaking the lower half of the locked glass front door.

Surveillance video at this location also showed a suspect wearing a balaclava hood to cover their head and face, as well as wearing gloves, a long-sleeve light-colored shirt, with long pants and shoes with reflective material on the back.

In the video, the suspect is seen using a long prying tool to break into the restaurant.

The incident is believed to have occurred as early as 1:46 a.m.

All four restaurants are along a length of Washington Road in Thomson less than a mile long.

The incidents are believed to be connected, according to the McDuffie County Sheriffs Office  at this time, though, no suspect information is available for release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The show will go on at Fisks Little Theatre Thursday night, even though the venue was vandalized last weekend.

On Saturday, March 30, a Fisk University student noticed an unlocked door at the historic Little Theatre, the oldest building on campus, before noticing the vandalism. Asante Bates, the roommate of the student who discovered the damage, is also the president of the Fisk Stage Crafters.

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(Courtesy: Asante Bates)

I dont even know how to describe it. It was just so much pain in my heart because I was worried that all of our hard work, all the actors hard work, all the crews hard work was just going to go to waste, Bates told News 2. All the costumes were thrown all over the place and then parts of the stage, some props had been knocked over, and our curtain rods that were loaned to us were also knocked over. And then, when we went up to the lobby, we saw that the ticket booth room, the door was kicked in, so half of the door is not there currently.

(Courtesy: Asante Bates)

According to Bates, there is expensive technology kept in the theatre, but none of it was taken. She added that the group is working with campus safety and the administration in the aftermath of the incident.

(Courtesy: Asante Bates)

There was not a police report filed because, according to them, there was no need to involve the police because no one was injured and no one was hurt, even though it was an act of vandalism, said Bates.

On Monday, April 1, the university sent out a security alert. In an email to students, officials said, in part, the preliminary investigation into the vandalism at the Little Theatre has ended and campus safety has identified a suspect.

Pastor reacts after trailer of Bibles burned outside his church in Wilson County

News 2 reached out to Fisk University this week for a comment about the investigation, including police involvement. Officials sent the following response on Wednesday, April 3:

Thank you for reaching out to Fisk University! We appreciate your interest in covering this story. We are aware of the GoFundMe campaign established to support the Little Theatres restoration. We have reached out to the campaign creator to ensure a smooth transfer of funds to the appropriate university account. The students initiative in cleaning up the theatre is truly commendable. Their dedication highlights the strong sense of community at Fisk. Fisk University is committed to transparency. However, as this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide specific details at this time. We will be sure to share updates as they become available. On a positive note, the Fisk Stage Crafters group is moving forward. They will be hosting an open dress rehearsal for two student-led productions this evening. The featured productions are Communicated Love by Asante Bates and The Forest by Carrie Ford. This event demonstrates the resilience of our theatre community.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

With the security cameras, we saw that there was a man with a bike [who] had gone to the theatre and was looking around it to see if there was a way in, and he found a way in through a door that doesnt even have a handle  like, he grabbed it and opened it. Thats what security is speculating, Bates explained.

(Courtesy: Asante Bates)

Despite this incident, Bates told News 2 the show must go on. Thanks to the help of several Fiskites, the Little Theatre has been cleaned for opening night of Communicated Love and The Forest, which starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 4.

In addition, a GoFundMe started by Bates mother has received nearly $15,000 in less than a week. According to Bates, the money raised will be used to put more security measures in place at the Little Theatre, among other repairs.

Fisk University officials have yet to respond to News 2s request for the photo of the suspect that was sent to students.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage on Wednesday at a Stanford event held by the university's business school, offering some small insights into what he thinks about running one of the world's most valuable tech companies.

It was a notable appearance because Pichai's been having a bit of a rough go lately. Google is widely perceived to have gotten a late start on generative AI, trailing behind Microsoft-funded OpenAI. That's despite the fact that the company under Pichai has been focusing on AI for the better part of the last decade, and Google researchers wrote the formative paper on transformer models that really kicked off the generative AI revolution. More recently, Alphabet's Gemini LLM was excoriated for generating bizarrely inaccurate images of historical situations, such as depicting America's founding fathers as Black or Native American, rather than white English men, suggesting an overcorrection for certain types of bias.

The interviewer, Stanford Graduate School of Business dean Jonathan Levin, wasn't exactly a hostile inquisitor  at the end, he revealed that the two men's sons had once played in a middle school band together  and Pichai is deft at answering difficult questions by posing them as further questions about how he thinks, rather than with direct answers. But there were a couple nuggets of interest during the talk.

At one point, Levin asked what Pichai tried to do to keep a company of 200,000 people innovating against all the startups battling to disrupt its business. It's obviously something Pichai worries about.

"Honestly, it's a question which has always kept me up at night through the years," he started. "One of the inherent characteristics of technology is you can always develop something amazing with a small team from the outside. And history has shown that. Scale doesn't always give you  Regulators may not agree, but at least running the company, I've always felt you're always susceptible to someone in a garage with a better idea. So I think, how do you as a company move fast? How do you have the culture of risk-taking? How do you incent for that? These are all things which you actually have to work at a lot. I think at least larger organizations tend to default. One of the most counterintuitive things I've seen is, the more successful things are, the more risk averse people become. It's so counterintuitive. You would often find smaller companies almost make decisions which bet the company, but the bigger you are, it's true for large university, it's true a large company, you have a lot more to lose, or you perceive you have a lot more to lose. And so you find you don't take as many ambitious risk-taking initiatives. So you have to consciously do that. You have to push teams to do that."

He didn't offer any specific tactics that have proven successful at Google, but instead noted how difficult it is to create the proper incentives.

"One example for this is  how do you reward effort and risk-taking and good execution, and not always outcomes? It's easy to think you should reward outcomes. But then people start gaming it, right? People take conservative things in which you will get a good outcome."

He hearkened back to an earlier time in which Google was more willing to take weird risks, in particular pointing to the firm's ill-fated Google Glass; it didn't work out, but it was one of the first devices to experiment with augmented reality.

"We recently said, we went back to a notion we had in early Google of Google Labs. And so we're setting a thing up by which it's easier to put out something without always worrying about, you know, the full brand and the weight of building a Google product. How can you put out something in the easy way, the lighter weight way? How do you allow people to prototype more easily internally and get it out to people?"

Later, Levin asked what advances Pichai was most excited about this year.

First, he cited the multimodality of Google's latest LLM  that is, its ability to process different kinds of inputs, such as video and text, simultaneously.

"All our AI models now already are using Gemini 1.5 Pro; that's a 1 million context window and it's multimodal. The ability to process huge amounts of information in any type of modality on the input side and give it on the output side, I think it's mind blowing in a way that we haven't fully processed."

Second, he highlighted the ability to connect different discrete answers to provide smarter workflows. "Where today you're using the LLMs as just an information-seeking thing, but chaining them together in a way that you can kind of tackle workflows, that's going to be extraordinarily powerful. It could maybe make your billing system in Stanford Hospital a bit easier," he joked.

You can watch the entire interview, along with an interview with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell that happened prior to it, on YouTube. Levin and Pichai start around 1 hour and 18 minutes in.
The East Coast was caught by surprise when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the New Jersey region Friday morning.

While plenty of people took to social media to discuss feeling unprepared and surprised by the temblor, one man may trump them all - after all, he was in the middle of receiving a vasectomy when the shaking began.

Justin Allen of Horsham, Pennsylvania was attending his scheduled appointment at the Urology Health Surgery Center in Huntingdon Valley when he felt the whole room start shaking - right in the middle of the procedure.

Justin Allen of Horsham, PA, was in a rather unusual position when the NJ earthquake hit, rattling the urology clinic he was in.

Live updates: 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattles NYC, New Jersey

"The surgeon sort of froze and all of us kind of seemed a bit confused," he told USA TODAY. At first, Allen thought the shaking was caused by a train passing by or some sort of issue in the building itself and assumed it was a common occurrence. It was only when his doctor said something he realized it might have been Mother Nature.

"Even when the surgeon said 'thats gotta be an earthquake,' I thought he was joking," he said.

Everyone involved took a moment of pause after the shaking stopped, Allen said, as his doctor had only been about midway through when the quake occurred. Once everything had settled down, he said, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

"It was an experience none of us would ever forget," he said. "Everything went smoothly and we were able to get the procedure completed, but it was something that we couldnt help but laugh about the whole rest of the way."

'A clear and obvious sign'

After finishing with the surgery, Allen grabbed his phone and sent the now-viral post on X, formerly Twitter, thinking a few of his friends would see it and laugh. Instead, his post has now been viewed by more than 3.2 million people and counting.

"I did laugh at a lot of the initial responses but had to mute the notifications after they got overwhelming," he said. "There were definitely a lot of inappropriate jokes... but in general, there were mostly funny replies and quotes."

After sending his initial post, which simply reads "A (EXPLETIVE) EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF MY VASECTOMY," his wife, Bridget Allen, responded on her own account, posting photos of him posing outside the clinic, all thumbs up and smiles.

The lesson the couple has gathered from the experience?

"My wife says that 'this is a clear and obvious sign that we should not have any more kids,'" Allen said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Earthquake hits NYC area while man gets vasectomy Friday
By Ank Kuipers

PARAMARIBO (Reuters) - The families of Surinamese activists slain for their opposition to the government in the 1980s say decades of suffering and sluggish legal proceedings have been prolonged by the apparent inability of authorities to locate the man at the center of it all: former President Desi Bouterse.

Bouterse, 78, dominated politics in the tiny South American country for decades, leading a coup in 1980 and finally leaving office in 2020.

Five years ago, he and six others were convicted for their role in the 1982 murders of 15 leading government critics, including lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors.

Bouterse, who had claimed the murdered men were connected to an invasion plot, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The conviction, won partly on the testimony of a union leader who survived the incident at a colonial fortress in capital Paramaribo, was upheld by Suriname's top court in December, ending more than 16 years of legal maneuvering.

But Bouterse and his former bodyguard Iwan Dijksteel failed to report to prison in January, touching off a manhunt and Interpol Red Notices.

"It's like you've done half a job," said Aishel Bradley, who was a year old when her uncle Lesley Rahman, a 28-year-old journalist who had pressed Bouterse with questions, was killed in the so-called "December murders."

"If the verdict includes imprisonment, that's what should happen," said Bradley. Her family, many of whom fled Suriname during Bouterse's tenure, does not yet have closure, she said. "It is very important that the next steps are also followed. And that he is also tracked down and serves his sentence."

In response to questions from Reuters about what is being done to find the men, Suriname's prosecutor's office said it had "no new updates".

In an April 3 open letter, victims' families, human rights organizations, a trade union federation and others, asked the prosecutor's office and President Chan Santokhi to urgently use all resources to track down the men.

RULE OF LAW?

Two uncles of Sunil Oemrawsingh died in the political violence of 1982 - including one, Sugrim Oemrawsingh, in the December murders.

It was "naive" of the country's prosecutor to invite the men to report to prison, Oemrawsingh said.

"You should always keep an eye on (Bouterse) anyway and in the first place revoke his passport. Because the danger of flight is evident. Well, that didn't happen," Oemrawsingh said in a March interview at his home.

The prosecutor's office has previously said that an appeals process meant Bouterse and his co-defendants were considered suspects, not convicts, blocking confiscation of their passports.

The conviction had been hailed as a triumph for the rule of law in Suriname, a former Dutch colony with a population of about 600,000. But Bouterse's disappearance has put that in question.

"It wasn't a real surprise that Bouterse didn't turn himself in voluntarily," said Reed Brody, a U.S. war crimes prosecutor who monitored the case for the International Commission of Jurists. "The surprise was that a convicted mass murderer was able to slip away so easily."

Brody said it was unclear what was being done to locate Bouterse and whether his family or supporters had been interviewed.

"Given Bouterse's age and his poor health, he would not likely have been able to abscond or to remain hidden so long without the complicity of others," Brody said.

A leader of Bouterse's National Democratic Party, which is currently in opposition, told supporters in March authorities "will not find Bouterse," and that the ex-president was still the party's chairman.

The situation, family member Oemrawsingh said, "is very painful."

"Not only personally, but also for Suriname."

(Reporting by Ank Kuipuers in Paramaribo,; Editing by Julia Symmes Cobb and Rosalba O'Brien)
Suspect arrested in shooting death of man who entered Sacramento Wingstop with a gunshot wound

The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office announced Friday the arrest of a 21-year-old man accused in the shooting death of a victim who walked into a Wingstop on Florin Road with a gunshot wounded in February.

Alimohammed Hamid, 21, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of homicide.

Sheriffs deputies began a homicide investigation Feb. 24 at Wingstop, 5950 Florin Road, after the victim, later identified as 38-year-old Joseph Anthony Soto Jr., walked into the shop with a gunshot wound. Soto was arguing with another man outside Wingstop, which may have led to him being shot, deputies said.

The Sacramento resident was taken to a hospital, where his health teetered between life-threatening and stable condition, Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sheriffs Office, said previously.

Soto died March 21 from his injuries, the Sacramento County Coroners Office said.

Investigators at the scene said witnesses saw cars fleeing the area, according to The Sacramento Bees previous reporting.

Hamid, a Sacramento resident, faces a homicide charge and is held without bail in downtown Sacramento County Main Jail. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday.
In this article, we will be covering the 20 least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Least Affordable Metros for Homebuyers in the US.

Signs of Recovery in the US Real Estate Market

The US real estate market was plagued by multiple issues in 2023. While soaring prices disabled many from buying a home, high mortgage rates convinced homeowners not to sell their homes. This led to a serious shortage of inventory which was unable to keep up with the rising demand. As 2024 commenced, certain signs of recovery from the aforementioned housing crisis were observed. Improved builder confidence depicted better conditions for future construction. On January 17, CNBC reported that the homebuilder sentiment climbed up in January and reached its highest since September 2023.

With the spring homebuying season, an affordable inventory of houses gave a sigh of relief to Americans who still wish to buy a house. For the week ending March 14, Realtor reported that the annual listing price growth also dropped below 0 in the week ending March 9, thereby recording the first week of year-over-year price drops since July 2023. Affordable homes within the price bracket of $200,000 and $350,000 have also recorded an increase.

Current Affordability Scenario

In regards to home prices, 47 of the 50 largest metro areas have witnessed a rise since 2023. The highest annual price gains have been recorded at 12.5% for Hartford, 10.8% for San Diego, 8.8% for San Jose, 8.8% for Boston, and 8.4% for Providence. You can have a better idea of expensive housing markets by taking a look at the most overpriced housing markets in America and the US metros with the highest median list prices. On the other hand, prices have dropped in New Orleans, Austin, and San Antonio.

Since 202o, the income required to afford a home has increased by 80% in the US. Home prices have been reported to rise by 42.4% while the monthly mortgage payment on a typical home in the country has doubled since that period. More than half of American households could afford to own a home in 2020. However, the amount needed to afford a typical mortgage payment on a home currently exceeds the US average annual income. Expensive metros in this regard include San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. On the contrary, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Cleveland, and New Orleans are places where homebuyers can afford homes relatively easily.

Reputable Real Estate Options to Look Out For

Would-be homebuyers across the United States can seek convenient and affordable housing options from M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MDC), KB Home (NYSE:KBH), and Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS). Lets take a look at what these homebuilders have been up to.

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MDC) operates Richmond American Homes which is one of the largest homebuilders in the country. The homebuilder has operations in multiple states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. On April 1, M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MDC) reported that its subsidiary Richmond American Homes of Virginia, Inc. announced the grand opening of its new community in Locust Grove. The community Wilderness Shores offers two-story homes priced from the $400,000s. Some of the amenities available for those who wish to live in the community include a community clubhouse, pool, playground, and walking trails. Downtown Fredericksburg, Orange, Lake Anna, and Shenandoah National Park can also be visited while staying at Wilderness Shores.

KB Home (NYSE:KBH) aims to build personal relationships with customers by building each home uniquely. The homebuilder has constructed more than 680,000 quality homes in its history. On March 27, KB Home (NYSE:KBH) announced the grand opening of its recent home community in Lakeland, Florida. The community Ross Creek allows access to downtown Lakeland and Lakeland Linder International Airport. Residents can also conveniently commute to Tampa and Orlando. Pricing for the new homes at Ross Creek starts from the mid $300,000s.

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE:CCS) serves as one of the largest American homebuilders and operates in 18 states and more than 45 markets across the country. The company is involved in the construction, innovative marketing, and sale of quality homes. On April 2, Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) reported that its Century Complete brand has initiated sales in a new community in Rincon. The community Pine Brook is located close to employment and entertainment hubs in Savannah. Homes at Pine Brook have been priced from the low $300,000s.

You can also take a look at the largest homebuilders in the US. Keeping the current housing dynamics in mind, lets move to the 20 least affordable metros for homebuyers in the country.

20 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US

20 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US

Our Methodology:

In order to compile a list of the 20 least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US, we sourced data from Zillow. We have incorporated the metro-wise monthly household income required to pay the typical mortgage and afford the home comfortably as our primary metric.

We have supplemented the aforementioned metric by mentioning the number of years needed to save for a 20% down payment on a typical home. This additional metric shows us how the least affordable metros continue to deprive many buyers of up-front affordability. We have also cited the most recent typical home value for each metro for a better understanding of the current real estate situation, available as of February.

20 Least Affordable Metros for Homebuyers in the US

20. Spokane, Washington

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 41.3%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 10.6 Years

Average Home Value: $398,826

The city of Spokane is situated in eastern Washington and ranks as one of the least affordable metros for homebuyers in the country. While the typical monthly mortgage payment in the city is $2,075, the share of monthly income needed to pay the typical mortgage is 41.3%.

19. Cape Coral, Florida

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 41.5%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 10.3 Years

Average Home Value: $396,012

Households in Cape Coral need to dedicate 41.5% of their monthly incomes to pay the typical mortgage which depicts the lack of housing affordability. 10.3 years are needed to save for a 20% down payment in the city.

18. Providence, Rhode Island

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 41.5%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 10.2 Years

Average Home Value: $454,846

As of February, Providence boasts a monthly mortgage payment of $2,366. Simultaneously, it takes 10.2 years to save for a 20% down payment in the city.

17. Denver, Colorado

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 42.1%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 10.9 Years

Average Home Value: $581,367

The capital of Colorado, Denver, ranks as another less affordable metro for homebuyers. As of February, 42.1% of the monthly household income needs to be dedicated to afford a home comfortably in the city.

16. Portland, Oregon

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 43.3%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 11.2 Years

Average Home Value: $538,277

As of February, the typical home value in Portland is $538,277. The metro is expensive in terms of being able to afford the mortgage payment.

15. Stockton, California

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 43.8%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 11.3 Years

Average Home Value: $527,570

Stockton requires 43.8% of the monthly household income to be spent to comfortably afford a home thereby ranking as one of the least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US. The most recent typical home value in the city was recorded at $527,570 in February.

14. North Port, Florida

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 44.0%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 11.1 Years

Average Home Value: $454,960

As of February, the monthly mortgage payment in Northport is $2,367. 11.1 years are needed to afford a 20% down payment in the city.

13. Bridgeport, Connecticut

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 44.4%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 10.5 Years

Average Home Value: $596,585

Bridgeport is another housing market that doesnt offer favorable conditions to homebuyers. 44.4% of the monthly household income needs to be spent to afford a home comfortably in the city.

12. Sacramento, California

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 46.2%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 11.8 Years

Average Home Value: $568,279

Sacramento serves as the capital city of California where the average home value is $568,279. 11.8 years need to be spent to save for a 20% down payment in the metro.

11. Boston, Massachusetts

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 47.6%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 11.8 Years

Average Home Value: $664,491

The capital of Massachusetts, Boston, ranks among the 20 least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US. As of February, the share of monthly income needed to pay the typical mortgage is 47.6% in Boston.

10. Seattle, Washington

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 48.7%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 12.5 Years

Average Home Value: $719,217

Seattle is another one of the least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US. 48.7% of the monthly household income is required to pay the typical mortgage in the city.

9. Riverside, California

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 49.5%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 12.7 Years

Average Home Value: $569,208

The 20 least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US rank Riverside as well. While the typical monthly mortgage payment in the metro is $2,961, the years required to save for a 20% down payment were recorded at 12.7.

8. Miami, Florida

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 50.8%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 12.4 Years

Average Home Value: $477,917

The typical home value in Miami is 477,917 as of February. 50.8% of the monthly household income is required to afford a home comfortably in Miami.

7. New York City, New York

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 57.0%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 13.0 Years

Average Home Value: $634,651

As of February, New York City boasts a typical monthly mortgage payment of $3,302. It takes 13 years to ensure up-front affordability in the citys housing market.

6. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

Household Income Required to Afford a Home: 58.3%

Time Period Needed to Save for 20% Down Payment: 16.4 Years

Average Home Value: $860,011

Urban Honolulu ranks as one of the least affordable metros for homebuyers in the US. The monthly income share required to pay the typical mortgage is 58.3% which simply deems the market unaffordable for many.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Least Affordable Metros for Homebuyers in the US.

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Disclosure: None. 20 Least Affordable Metros for Homebuyers in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.
A man accused of killing a missing woman and her two children was extradited back to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday.

Newly-released body camera video shows officers with the Imperial County Sheriffs Office arresting 35-year-old Benjamin Taylor in California last month.

Newly released body camera video shows officers with the Imperial County Sheriffs Office arresting 35-year-old Benjamin Taylor in California last month. Taylor was wanted in connection with the deaths of 22-year-old Markayla Johnson and her two children, 4-year-old Miracle and 7-month-old Messiah.

Taylor was wanted in connection with the deaths of 22-year-old Markayla Johnson and her two children, 4-year-old Miracle and 7-month-old Messiah.

Johnson and her children were reported missing on March 8. Their remains were found later that month at the Orchard Trace apartment complex in north Charlotte, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Police havent released a motive.

Community activist Tina Quizon told Channel 9 that she has been following the case closely, and one big question on her mind is why.

It is even hard to ask those questions, but I think until we know more about this puzzle, people dont know how to respond, Quizon explained.

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Taylor was arrested in Imperial County at a campsite between Salvation Mountain and an area called Slab City, which is an off-the-grid community. Hes been charged with three counts of murder and one count of concealment of death.

Taylor was in custody in Imperial County, but on Friday morning, the jail confirmed he was no longer in their custody.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., police announced that Taylor was in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office.

A lot of mixed feelings

Markayla Johnsons sister, Tabby Holiday, spoke with Channel 9s Glenn Counts after finding out Taylor had been returned to North Carolina.

A lot of mixed feelings about that; I dont have just one, Holiday said. I just want them to throw the book at him with everything that they got.

The family said Johnson moved to Charlotte from Myrtle Beach at the end of January to be with Taylor. But they said her text got weird around February, and now they wonder if it was Taylor pretending to be her.

Something short instead of having an emoji attached to it and not FaceTiming anybody. It was different and out of character for her, Holiday explained.

A funeral for Markayla, Miracle, and Messiah Johnson will be held on Saturday. Holiday said it would be a tough day for the family.

My sisters, were all going to go to counseling. This is a hard one. My sisters taking it pretty tough. She cant even; she tried going home to get the stuff, but she couldnt go into the house, Holiday said.

(WATCH BELOW: Body camera footage released of man arrested in California for killings of mom, 2 kids)
Switching order of breast cancer treatment could lower the need for multiple surgeries, study finds

A study suggests that for some breast cancer patients, something as simple as switching up which treatment comes first - giving radiation before doing surgery - can dramatically improve a patient's quality of life and can reduce the need of multiple surgeries.

The study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, was preliminary, but experts say if the results hold up on larger studies it could one day lead to updated treatment guidelines that make life easier for breast cancer patients.

"The findings are not only promising but also highly significant, marking a potential paradigm shift," said Dr. Roberto Diaz, a Radiation Oncologist with a focus on breast cancer from the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

PHOTO: In this Nov 30, 2016, file photo, a technician carries out a routine mammogram. (UIG via Getty Images, FILE)

MORE: Video New hope for breast cancer patients unable to get surgery

Breast cancer treatment varies from person to person. Some aggressive breast cancers are initially treated with surgery to remove the cancerous breast, a procedure called mastectomy, followed by radiation. This is called "post-mastectomy radiation" and it kills the remaining cancer cells.

Due to the risk of complications, patients must wait six to 12 months after radiation treatment before getting cosmetic reconstruction of the breast tissue. The implant surgery must be delayed to avoid deformities that may occur due to radiation.

MORE: Shannen Doherty talks 'downsizing' amid stage 4 breast cancer battle

PHOTO: In this undated stock photo, a doctor performs a mammogram on a patient. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)

The current treatment approach has various challenges for patients with breast cancer.

"Women requiring post-mastectomy radiation, particularly if they desire reconstruction, undergo multiple surgeries and have poor quality of life while waiting for reconstruction. Despite efforts to minimize long-term toxicity from radiation, cosmetic outcomes are often suboptimal with deformities of the tissue around the implant" said Dr. Ronica Nanda, a Radiation Oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Mark V. Schaverien, faculty in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, conducted a phase two clinical trial of 48 patients with breast cancer that required radiation and desired breast reconstruction and investigated the effects of changing the order of treatment. These patients underwent "pre-mastectomy radiotherapy," or radiation first, followed by surgery to remove the cancerous tissue. Completed radiation meant patients could get reconstruction surgery at the same time without risking implant deformities. This order was found to be feasible and did not result in complications.

Experts are optimistic about the potential benefits these findings suggest. Dr. Clary Evans, Radiation Oncologist from Northwell Health, in New Hyde Park, New York, said that this new treatment sequence has the potential for "better overall cosmetic outcomes, reduced numbers of surgical procedures, and reduced overall treatment time for some patients."

However, experts also caution that this study is small and there is still more research that needs to be done before knowing how this will change current treatment.

"We eagerly await the results of their upcoming Phase 3 study for further validation and insights into long-term outcomes," said Dr. Diaz.

A larger clinical trial with 126 patients started in April 2023 and is ongoing.

Dr. Ashley Yoo, MD is a member of the ABC Medical News Unit and an Internal Medicine Resident at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC.

Dr. Camry Kelly, DO is a member of the ABC Medical News Unit and is Chief Resident at Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program in Rochester, Minnesota.

Switching order of breast cancer treatment could lower the need for multiple surgeries, study finds originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
By Fabian Hamacher and Joyce Zhou

HUALIEN, Taiwan (Reuters) -Rescuers in Taiwan faced the threat of further landslides and rockfalls in Friday's search for a dozen people still missing from this week's earthquake, as the death toll rose to 12 while some of those stranded were brought to safety.

Searchers discovered two more bodies after Wednesday's quake of magnitude 7.2 struck the sparsely populated, largely rural eastern county of Hualien, stranding hundreds in a national park as boulders barrelled down mountains, cutting off roads.

About 50 aftershocks rattled the area overnight, some felt as far away as Taipei. Rescuers said about 400 people cut off in a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park were safe, with helicopters ferrying out the injured and bringing supplies.

"Rain increases the risks of rockfalls and landslides, which are currently the biggest challenges," said Su Yu-ming, the leader of a search team helping the rescue effort, pointing to expectations for rain.

"These factors are unpredictable, which means we cannot confirm the number of days required for the search and rescue operations."

Taiwan's fire department said two bodies were found in the mountains, but wanted to confirm their identities before updating the death toll.

It put the number of missing at 13, three of them foreigners of Australian and Canadian nationality.

Aid supplies are arriving at the scene, while senior politicians such as President Tsai Ing-wen said they were donating a month's salary to relief efforts.

Japan will provide $1 million in aid to Taiwan for rescue and recovery effort, its foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, said.

HOTEL WORKERS FOUND

A group of 50 hotel workers marooned on a road to the national park are now mostly safe.

"I am lucky to survive," said David Chen, 63, a security manager at the hotel, after his rescue. "We were terrified when the earthquake first happened. We thought it was all over, all over, all over, because it was an earthquake, right?"

Rocks were still tumbling down nearby slopes as the group left, he added. "We had to navigate through the gaps between the falling rocks, with the rescue team out front."

Chen's 85-year-old mother wept in relief on being reunited with her son, as the family had not known for some time if he had survived.

"I was happy when he returned," said the mother, Chen Lan-chih. "I didn't sleep at all last night and couldn't eat anything."

The quake came a day before Taiwan began a long weekend holiday for the traditional tomb sweeping festival, when people head to their homes to spruce up ancestral graves.

Many others visit tourist spots, like Hualien, famed for its rugged beauty, but the earthquake has crushed business, with many bookings cancelled, some businesses said.

"This is a disaster actually for us because no matter (whether) hotel, hostel, restaurants (everything) really depends on tourism," said hostel owner Aga Syu, adding that her main concern was the well-being of guests.

"I hope this won't destroy their image of Hualien."

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a 2016 quake in its south, while one of magnitude 7.3 killed more than 2,000 in 1999.

(Reporting by Fabian Hamacher and Joyce Zhou; Additional reporting by Adrian Portugal; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE)  The FBI and Rio Rancho Police Department are asking the publics help in identifying someone theyre calling the Tan Pants Bandit, who robbed a local bank on Monday. Authorities say a white male wearing a black sweatshirt and tan pants entered the Rio Grande Credit Union of Rio Rancho (1526 Unser Blvd SE) around 4:45 p.m. on April 1.

A press release states the suspect demanded money from a teller, who then handed over an undisclosed amount. The FBI is offering a reward of $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

The anonymous tipline helping solve crime in Albuquerque

The suspect is being described as a white male, approximately 57 in height, with a stocky build. Along with the sweatshirt and pants, he was wearing a black beanie, white face mask, glasses, and black Nike shoes.

People can call the FBI at 505-889-1300 if they have information. Information on other bank robberies wanted by the FBI can be found on the FBI website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
A Bronx-based theft ring schemed to swipe hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of beer from rail cars and distributors across the Northeast, including from a Suffern-area company called Manhattan Beer Distributors, according to a recently unsealed indictment in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York.

The alleged ringleader is accused of recruiting for his "Beer Theft Enterprise" with an Instagram post saying workers were needed to participate in the "BEER TRAIN METHOD" with moneybag emoji. The post had railroad tracks in the background.

Manhattan Beer Distributors Vice President Alex Bergson said the arrests were a long time coming. "It's been a problem for years," he said of raids on inventory, usually on rail cars heading to their distribution centers.

The company's Rockland, Bronx and Queens facilities, all located aside rail freight lines, had been hit in recent years, Bergson said.

While the Manhattan Beer Distributors' location is referenced as Suffern by postal location and in court documents as Suffern, the business is technically in Montebello, according to Montebello Village Attorney Warren Berbit.

Manhattan Beer Distributors in Suffern April 4, 2024.

A Rockland heist in November alone netted $14,000 worth of beer, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. Bergson said he couldn't yet estimate the total losses to his company when the other heists were added in. "It's a significant amount of money, for sure."

The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York and FBI, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police and CSX announced the indictment Wednesday.

'Dangerous and disruptive conduct'

The "Beer Theft Enterprise" team's target of choice: Mexican brands Modelo and Corona. The indictment put the total value of their haul during the two-year operation at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Accused ringleader Jose Cesari, 27, also known as Cry, remained at large. He and seven co-defendants are charged with theft from interstate foreign shipments and other theft-related charged. Cesari is accused of Hobbs Act robbery, charged when interstate or foreign commerce is impacted, and could face up to life in prison.

Seven co-defendants, named by the U.S. Attorney, are: Miguel Cintron; Luis Izquierdo, also known as Luis Zapata; Wakiem Johnson, also known as Waka; Kemar Bonitto; Deylin Martinez-Guerrero; Antonio Gonzalez; and Justin Bruno.

All were from the Bronx, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York.

"For years, the Beer Theft Enterprise has operated brazenly, allegedly breaking into railyards and beverage distribution facilities throughout the Northeast and filling U-Haul box trucks to the brim with cases of beer," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. "That dangerous and disruptive conduct  sometimes allegedly accompanies by the threat of violence  has left several beverage companies and railroad companies ailing."

Where were the Rockland targets?

The indictment describes two heists at 20 Dunnigan Drive, one at Manhattan Beer Distributors and one from a rail car on train tracks adjacent to the company.

Manhattan Beer Distributors was founded about four decades ago by CEO Simon Bergson with one truck; the company now has a fleet of more than 350 trucks and more than 1 million square feet of warehouse space. Beyond the Rockland County location, the company has facilities on Long Island and in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

Manhattan Beer Distributors in Suffern April 4, 2024.

Bergson said Manhattan Beer Distributors receives about half its inventory via rail at all its facilities. In recent years, all but their Long Island site have been hit by thefts of beer shipments via rail.

"These crimes were happening mostly, but not exclusively, before it got to us," Bergson said. He said that they had long believed their facilities were targeted by an organized crew. "We're glad there's arrests."

According to the indictment, Cesari, Bonitto and Gonzalez went to Manhattan Beer Distributors in Suffern in November 2023 and took $14,000 worth of Corona beer.

Then in December 2023, according to the indictment, Bruno and Cesari went back to the Rockland location and took $2,900 worth of Modelo from a railroad car there, an act the U.S. Attorney's Office described as interstate shipment theft.

Cesari is also accused of an April 2023 gunpoint robbery of a railcar in Fresh Pond Yard in Queens, an incident related to the charge under the Hobbs Act.

Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Email her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on Twitter (X), Instagram and Threads at @nancyrockland.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Beer theft ring targeted Rockland NY distributor, railyard
Teacher faces termination for using sick days to attend concert, Ohio district says

An Ohio teacher is facing termination for calling in sick to attend a concert, according to district records.

The Lakota West High School English teacher is accused of falsifying sick leave on Feb. 8 and 9 to attend a concert in Nashville, according to an April 3 Lakota Local School District Board of Education resolution approving her suspension.

She informed several colleagues that she was attending a concert in Nashville, while taking sick leave from the District, the resolution states.

Officials say the teacher, who refused to answer questions about her whereabouts during a predisciplinary meeting, violated her teachers union contract, the states sick leave code and multiple board policies.

According to Ohios state code for those employed by the board of education, sick leave may be used for absence due to personal illness, pregnancy, injury, exposure to contagious disease which could be communicated to others, and for absence due to illness, injury, or death in the employees immediate family.

On the recommendation of the Lakota Local Schools superintendent, the board unanimously voted to suspend the teacher without pay starting April 4 and to move forward with termination proceedings April 22 unless a demand for a hearing is filed, the approved resolution states.

McClatchy News reached out to the teacher, the Lakota Local School District Board of Education and Lakota West High School for comment April 5 but did not receive an immediate response.

The educator is also a member of the board of education at nearby Loveland City School District.

The Lakota and Loveland school districts are located in the northern Cincinnati suburbs.

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DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN)  Dothan Police have confirmed a missing Dothan teen is home.

Dothan Police Lt. Scott Owens tells WDHN 14-year-old Jeremiah Bell returned to his home near the 600 block of Moates Street in Dothan on Sunday.

Bell was reported missing on Thursday, April 4.

If you have any information on Bells whereabouts, contact the Dothan Police Department at (334) 793-0215.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com.
Twice within the first six months of her employment with the state, Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds signed forms certifying she had been a state employee for more than six months as she sought a tuition waiver for classes at the University of Tennessee at Martin, newly released records show.

Reynolds is seeking a teaching credential, something she did not hold in Tennessee when Gov. Bill Lee appointed her to the post and one of the requirements for a state education commissioner. State employees are eligible for free tuition but only after working for at least six months.

Her qualifications for the job have come under intense criticism from Democrats, who have called for her resignation and unsuccessfully sought her impeachment. State law requires the education commissioner to be qualified to teach in the school of the highest standing over which the commissioner has authority" and have experience in school administration. Education officials point to her work experience and a recent state law on teacher permit flexibility that qualifies her for the post.

Records released this week by the Department of Education  nearly eight weeks after The Tennessean requested them on Feb. 8  shed new light on Reynolds' qualifications and when she began seeking a credential.

In response to inquiries from The Tennessean this week about the tuition waiver forms, the agency said Thursday Reynolds filed the paperwork as the result of "an administrative error," and recently repaid the tuition money.

Tennessees Commissioner of Education Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds watches a commercial video on Gov. Bill Lees Education Freedom proposal at Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

The records show that Reynolds enrolled at UT Martin to seek a masters degree and teaching license after Lee appointed her to lead the state Department of Education on May 1. The governor has repeatedly praised Reynolds for the job she is doing leading the education department and has said her enrollment at UT Martin is not explicitly required by statute.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commissions administrative rules require state employees seeking to earn university credits through the tuition waiver program wait six months after their hire to qualify.

Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to the 6-month employment rule, THEC spokesperson Jessie Green told The Tennessean in an email.

Twice during the first 6 months with the state, Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds signed tuition waiver forms untruthfully certifying that she had worked for the state for 6 months or more, according to documents obtained through a records request by The Tennessean.

Reynolds first signed a tuition waiver form on Aug. 11, 2023  about six weeks after taking her oath of office on July 1. She signed a second tuition waiver form on Nov. 20. By the time the spring 2024 semester started, Reynolds qualified for the waiver under THEC's rules.

Under Reynolds signature certifying her six-month tenure with the state under penalties of perjury, Department of Education Chief Operating Officer Shannon Gordon also signed the waiver forms.

It's unclear how much tuition was covered by the waiver. By state law, the waiver can only be used for one course at a time, except for legislative employees taking classes while the legislature is out of session.

Applicants found to be ineligible "will be responsible for payment of all previously-waived fees, plus any other applicable charges," the form states.

Twice during the first 6 months with the state, Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds signed tuition waiver forms untruthfully certifying that she had worked for the state for 6 months or more, according to documents obtained through a records request by The Tennessean.

The Department of Education and the governor's office both confirmed to The Tennessean Thursday that Reynolds has since paid back the funds.

"This was an administrative error, which immediate action has been taken to correct," education spokesperson Brian Blackley told The Tennessean in an email. "Upon realizing the mistake, Commissioner Reynolds personally covered the cost of all classes that were ineligible for the state waiver, in accordance with language in the waiver application."

In a statement, Lee spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson indicated that the governor still stands behind Reynolds despite the error.

"She has taken full responsibility, and we appreciate the work she is doing to serve Tennessee students," Johnson said.

As commissioner, Reynolds earns a salary of $21,252 per month  about $255,000 per year  to lead the state agency, according to state salary records.

Reynolds enrolled at UT Martin after appointment

Reynolds has become a face of Lee's priority legislation this year: a statewide universal school choice program that would fund 20,000 taxpayer-funded scholarships of at least $7,000 for students to attend private schools.

She joined state government from ExcelinEd, a national group that advocates for school choice policies, where she served as vice president of policy. Prior to that, she was in senior leadership at the Texas Education Agency, advising the Texas Education Commissioner on special projects, and served as chief deputy commissioner.

Tennessee Commissioner of Education Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds interviews with the Tennessean at Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.

Despite significant experience in education policymaking, Reynolds does not hold a Tennessee teaching license, nor is she licensed to teach in any other state. Her resume on file with the Department of Education does not include any experience in school administration.

Its unclear whether Reynolds lack of teaching license came up during hiring conversations with the governor or his staff.

But records obtained by The Tennessean through a public records request show Reynolds was notified of her acceptance to UT Martins education masters program on June 13, about six weeks after Lee announced her appointment.

UT Martin spokesperson Bud Grimes confirmed Reynolds began coursework toward the Master of Science in Initial Licensure - Special Education program on Aug. 21. She is currently enrolled in the spring 2024 term.

Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds was informed of her acceptance at UT Martin on June 13 - about 6 weeks after Gov. Bill Lee announced her appointment, according records obtained through a records request by The Tennessean.

Reynolds is not required to attend any classes in person, as the masters program is made up of entirely online course work until a residency seminar during the final term of the program.

Lee administration redacts records, declines to answer specifics

Since questions have arisen over Reynolds qualifications, Lees office has repeatedly expressed support for the commissioner, issuing similarly worded statements multiple times that say her "credentials and professional experience" qualify her for the position. On Tuesday, the Department of Education reiterated its statement that the coursework was not required by state law.

The governor's office has declined to answer questions on whether Lee had concerns over legal requirements for the commissioner or whether he specifically felt it was necessary for Reynolds to pursue the UT Martin coursework.

But after this story first published online, the Department of Education pointed to a recent state law and State Board of Education rules aimed at helping address teacher shortages as evidence that Reynolds is qualified for the position.

The rules allow the commissioner to issue temporary permits to people  based upon work experience, degrees held, subject expertise and progress toward obtaining a Tennessee license  to enable them to teach. A spokesperson said Reynolds is qualified under these rules but has not issued herself a temporary permit.

Gov. Bill Lee proposes a new statewide school choice program, Education Freedom Scholarship Act, at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

Meanwhile, the language used in many of the statements was first crafted in January, according to the records obtained by The Tennessean from the governors office.

With approval from GBL, wanted to let you all know where we landed, Johnson wrote in a Jan. 22 email to TDOEs communications director Victoria Robinson, Lee's Chief of Staff Joseph Williams, and half a dozen of the governor's senior policy and communications advisers.

Gov. Bill Lee's office has extensively redacted emails sent in response to inquiries about Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds' qualifications, invoking the "deliberative process" privilege. Lee's office has declined to explain how the privilege applies to the records.

But the governors office has redacted pages of emails showing previous discussions on how to respond to media inquiries on Reynolds' credentials.

The governors team says the redacted emails are confidential, covered by the deliberative process exception to the Tennessee Open Records Act. The exemption is not spelled out in state law but through a series of court decisions. Lee's office has cited the exemption dozens of times to keep records secret.

Despite multiple attempts, neither the governors Public Records Counsel, nor his communications team has provided specifics on why the deliberative process exemption would apply to the records.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com or on X at @Vivian_E_Jones.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN education commissioner repays tuition 'upon realizing the mistake'
In this article, we will take a look at the 20 most Buddhist countries in Asia. If you would like to skip our discussion on the global influence of Buddhism, you can go to the 5 Most Buddhist Countries in Asia.

Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world, with over 500 million followers as of 2020. Buddhists make up almost 7% of the worlds population, and almost half of the world's population of Buddhists live in China. Despite having the largest population of Buddhists in the world, only 18% of Chinas population identify as Buddhists. The remaining Buddhists live primarily in Asia.

There are many Buddhist-majority countries in Asia, including Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. However, there are only four countries in the world where the official religion is Buddhism. These are Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Despite originating from Nepal and India, Buddhism is not a commonly practiced religion in either country. According to the Pew Research Center, only 1% of Indians and 10% of Nepalese are Buddhists.

It is interesting to note that only 1.4% of the worlds Buddhist population lives outside Asia. Buddhists are heavily concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, with 98.7% of the worlds Buddhist population in the region. Meanwhile, 1.2% of American adults identify as Buddhists, and amongst those, two-thirds are Asian-American. Around 1% of Canadians also identify as Buddhists. However, despite these low Buddhist populations, North America is being significantly influenced by the Buddhist philosophy, leading to numerous meditation centers, temples, and cultural practices of Zen across the region.

According to the projections by the Pew Research Center, the United States will be amongst the top 10 countries with the largest Buddhist population by 2050. This would be a significant change as the list has previously been dominated entirely by Asian countries. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to see a decline in the number of Buddhists, while other regions such as the Middle East-North Africa, North America, and Europe are expected to see growth in the total Buddhist populations. Despite the increase in Buddhist populations across various regions, Buddhists are expected to make up only 5% of the global population in 2060.

Unlike the other major religions in the world, Buddhism is considered a philosophy and a lifestyle by a majority of Buddhists. It plays multiple roles in peoples lives. Many Buddhists also believe that it is a culture and ethnicity that one is born into. While many Asians follow Buddhist customs and practices, they may not consider themselves followers of Buddhism as a religion. The symbol of Buddhism is the Dharmachakra (Wheel of the Law). The Dharma Wheel is a symbol of Gautama Buddha himself. It has eight spokes, each one representing one of Buddha's Eightfold Path milestones.

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Integration of Buddhist Practices in Corporate Culture

Public companies and organizations such as Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) have been increasingly incorporating Buddhist practices and principles into their operations, often to enhance employee well-being, productivity, and corporate culture. A study published in the Kelaniya Journal of Management shared that utilizing Buddhist principles and methods in organizational management can prove highly beneficial, given their broad applicability and potential to enhance productivity within the organization.

One notable example is Amazon.com, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMZN) AmaZen program, which incorporates yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices to improve employee mental well-being and productivity. Many corporations have been adopting Buddhist practices to help manage workplace stress and enhance employee satisfaction. However, some have criticized this approach, arguing that it could be seen as an attempt to co-opt Buddhism for corporate gain.

Similarly, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), has been recognized for integrating principles of Servant Leadership and Buddhist values into his leadership approach. This integration has led to significant cultural and strategic shifts within Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), fostering an environment that prioritizes employee well-being, ethical practices, and a sense of community. Furthermore, Marc Benioff of Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) is another leader who has successfully integrated Buddhist principles into his leadership style, leading to positive organizational changes. In addition to personally engaging in "mindfulness" sessions several times per week, he also incorporated meditation rooms into some of Salesforces (NYSE:CRM) newly constructed office spaces, aiming to promote this practice among his employees.

20 Most Buddhist Countries in Asia

Our Methodology

To shortlist the 20 most Buddhist countries in Asia, we consulted renowned sources such as the Pew Research Center and Data Pandas. The most Buddhist Asian countries have been ranked in ascending order based on the latest Buddhist percentage of the total population.

By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a consensus approach, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here). Whether you are a beginner investor or a professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders.

20 Most Buddhist Countries in Asia

20. United Arab Emirates

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 2.5%

Buddhist Population = 210,000

Buddhism in the United Arab Emirates is practiced by a small segment of expatriates, with no significant cultural influence on the predominantly Islamic identity of the country. Buddhists make up 2.5% of the countrys population, making it one of the most Buddhist countries in Asia.

19. Bahrain

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 3.4%

Buddhist Population = 50,000

In Bahrain, Buddhism is present among a minority of immigrants and has little impact on the national culture, which is deeply rooted in Islamic traditions. Around 3.4% of the countrys population is Buddhist.

18. Qatar

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 3.9%

Buddhist Population = 90,000

With over 90,000 Buddhists residing in Qatar, the country hosts a modest Buddhist community, primarily expatriates, with minimal influence on the country's rich Islamic heritage and cultural practices. Buddhists make up almost 4% of the population of Qatar.

17. Kuwait

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 5.4%

Buddhist Population = 180,000

Like the other Middle Eastern countries, Kuwait has a Muslim majority, with Buddhists making up only 5.4% of the total population. Buddhism has negligible influence on the countrys predominantly Islamic cultural landscape.

16. Brunei

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 8.9%

Buddhist Population = 40,000

While Brunei has a small Buddhist community, primarily of Chinese descent, the nation's identity is strongly defined by Islam, overshadowing Buddhist cultural influences. Around 8.9% of the total population of Brunei is Buddhist, making it one of the most Buddhist countries in Asia.

15. Nepal

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 10.0%

Buddhist Population = 3,540,000

Buddhism holds a significant place in Nepal, being the birthplace of Buddha. It shapes the cultural and spiritual fabric of the country alongside Hinduism. However, despite the strong ties with the origin of Buddhism, only 10% of the Nepalese population is Buddhist. Hinduism is the dominant religion in Nepal, followed by Buddhism.

14. Malaysia

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 15.6%

Buddhist Population = 5,220,000

In Malaysia, Buddhism is practiced by a substantial portion of the Chinese community, contributing to the country's multicultural and multi-religious mosaic. Despite being a Muslim country, 15.6% of Malaysias population is Buddhist. With 5.2 million Buddhists residing in Malaysia, it is one of the top 10 countries with the largest Buddhist populations in the world.

13. Vietnam

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 16.2%

Buddhist Population = 15,560,000

Buddhism is deeply engrained in Vietnamese culture and society, influencing art, architecture, and daily practices, reflecting the country's spiritual diversity. Around 16.2% of the countrys population is Buddhist. Vietnam is home to over 15 million Buddhists, making it the 7th largest Buddhist population in the world. However, Vietnam is officially an atheist state, with its citizens following Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

12. China

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 18.3%

Buddhist Population = 254,700,000

China is home to 254 million Buddhists, making up 18.3% of the total Chinese population. Buddhism has profoundly influenced philosophy, art, literature, and social customs in China, making it a pivotal component of Chinese cultural identity. China is at the twelfth position on our list of the most Buddhist countries in Asia.

11. Taiwan

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 21.2%

Buddhist Population = 4,930,000

Taiwan is home to a vibrant Buddhist community, with Buddhism playing a significant role in shaping social values, traditions, and festivals across the country. Around one-fifth of the countrys population identifies as Buddhist.

10. South Korea

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 21.9%

Buddhist Population = 10,950,000

South Korea is home to almost 11 million Buddhists, making up 21.9% of the country's total population. Buddhism in South Korea has a rich history, influencing cultural traditions, arts, and meditation practices despite the growing influence of Christianity and secularism. South Korea has one of the largest Buddhist populations in the world, ranking 8th worldwide.

9. Singapore

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 32.2%

Buddhist Population = 1,890,000

Singapore's multicultural society includes a significant Buddhist population, contributing to the countrys diverse religious landscape and cultural practices. Singapore is one of the most developed Asian countries, with Buddhists making up almost 32% of the country's population. Singapore is among the top 10 most Buddhist countries in Asia.

8. Japan

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 33.2%

Buddhist Population = 41,380,000

Buddhism, intertwined with Shintoism, significantly shapes Japanese traditions, arts, and societal norms, contributing to the countrys unique cultural identity. Japan is also a developed Asian country, with almost one-third of the population being Buddhists. With 41 million Buddhists, Japan has the fourth largest Buddhist population in the world.

7. Mongolia

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 54.2%

Buddhist Population = 1,730,000

Buddhism is central to Mongolian cultural and spiritual life, with Tibetan Buddhism having a profound impact on its art, music, and festivals. Buddhists are the majority in Mongolia, making up 54.2% of the countrys population.

6. Laos

Buddhist Percentage of Total Population = 64.0%

Buddhist Population = 4,630,000

In Laos, Buddhism is a cornerstone of daily life and cultural identity, influencing everything from art to community events and rituals. It is a Buddhist-majority country, with 64% of the population identifying as Buddhist.

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Disclosure: None. 20 Most Buddhist Countries in Asia is published on Insider Monkey.
Woman denied abortion for unviable birth hits out at appalling and cruel attitude of Tennessee lawmakers

A woman challenging Tennessees abortion ban after she was denied procedures despite serious medical concerns has told The Independent that the attitude of some legislators was appalling and cruel.

On Thursday, lawyers for seven women who were denied abortions and two doctors in Tennessee argued for a temporary block of the ban, as the states attorneys tried to dismiss the case altogether.

One of the seven patient plaintiffs, Rebecca Milner, said the days proceedings had been physically and emotionally draining but she was proud to have been part of the legal challenge.

Speaking to The Independent after proceedings were adjourned, Ms Milner said: The point that was made over and over again, is that the impact [of the ban] is different from the intent Even if we think about the kind of best intent of protecting life, it did not protect my life.

They were talking today about innocent foetuses. I love my daughter. And she was very much wanted, but my daughter had no chance of life. So yes, I think it is out of touch, and the impact is different than what the supposed intent is.

Ms Milner said she had been prompted to take action after hearing one Tennessee legislator describe the horrors and the trauma women are enduring in the state as an inconvenience.

Plaintiff Rebecca Milner said she was proud to have been part of the legal challenge (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Its appalling and cruel if youre describing, wanting to gloss over what people are experiencing as an inconvenience, she told The Independent.

When youre already in a situation that is overwhelming, and traumatic and devastating, why would you make that harder for people? Why step in and say even though I dont know you and I dont know the specifics of your case, I am going to legislate from afar and make this worse for you.

During Thursdays proceedings, a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in Blackmon v State of Tennessee from lawyers from the Center for Reproductive Rights, representing the plaintiffs. Lawyers filed a motion on 8 January requesting a temporary injunction on the states near-total abortion ban.

They have asked for clarity on the medical exceptions to the ban, referring to the seven women who were denied necessary and potentially life-saving medical care because doctors are hamstrung by the laws vague language.

The nine plaintiffs are Nicole Blackmon, Allie Phillips, Katy Dulong, Monica Kelly, Kathryn Archer, Rachel Fulton and Ms Milner, and doctors Heather Maune and Laura Andreson.

During Thursdays proceedings, a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in Blackmon v. State of Tennessee (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The court heard harrowing details of several of their individual cases during the hearing for a temporary injunction, including that of a woman  who is not a plaintiff in the case  who was denied an abortion despite her unborn baby being diagnosed with acrania and would have been born without a skull.

Attorney Linda Goldstein said that testimony from a medical professional made clear that the decision to deny the woman an abortion was because her colleagues were afraid of prosecution under Tennessees criminal abortion ban.

The physicians had not known whether the risk was high enough, or certain enough, to allow the abortion, Ms Goldstein said.

The plaintiffs attorneys argued that the language of the Tennessee statute on the abortion ban is unconstitutionally vague and that the states silence on the issue was a calculated attempt to deter care and intimidate physicians.

Ms Goldstein said that linguistic vagueness means that the exception can result in multiple or indeterminate meanings. Interpreting the ambiguous terms of the abortion ban exception and have left the physicians clueless as to what they should do.

For example, Ms Goldstein said there is no indication of timing for when physicians can perform an emergency procedure that falls within the medical exception.

On Thursday she walked through some of the diagnoses that the seven plaintiffs endured, before asking the court, Can you perform an abortion when that diagnosis is made? or do you have to wait until the patient is showing signs of physical distress?

Plaintiff attorney Linda Goldstein (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

She also argued that the law uses non-medical language. Ms Goldstein said this was important because the only person who can take advantage of the medical exception is the physician, therefore the language must be comprehensible to physicians.

The plaintiffs lawyers suggested using a good faith medical judgment for evaluating these risky situations. Ms Goldstein defined this good faith standard as physicians not being subject to prosecution if there is medical evidence that supports their judgement.

If were going to send someone to prison for 15 years, they have to know theyre doing something that the statute prohibits. If theyre not acting in good faith, we have that assurance, she said.

Ms Goldstein added: The defendants silence in the face of a statute that is plainly sowing confusion throughout Tennessees medical community, appears calculated to deter care and intimidate physicians.

Whitney Hermandorfer, the states defence lawyer, argued in favour of some vagueness in the law, as the law is setting a general standard that applies across innumerable scenarios.

She said, You can always hypothesize edge-case scenarios.

On the subject of vagueness, Ms Hermandorfer later added: It does not render a statute vague as a matter of fact, to put in factual evidence and allegations that particular individuals might not understand or have an idiosyncratic reading of the statute.

Plaintiff Rebecca Fulton (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

[The court] doesnt have to take as factual truth a motion to dismiss certain misreadings or misunderstandings about what the statute says and have that govern statutory language is inherently vague.

Anybody could bring a vagueness challenge if they just went and pulled 10 people on the street and asked, What do you think about this reasonableness standard?

The defence team has argued that the case should be dismissed.

Ms Hermandorfer argued that the plaintiffs are seeking an exception beyond what the law identifies because five of the patient plaintiffs were denied abortions before the medical exception was in effect.

The defence attorney argued that there have to be some allegations of risk that she faces that would reasonably bring her within the bounds of needing a medical exception. However, the plaintiffs have rare diagnoses and that this statute doesnt come into play very often.

The lawyer then turned to the physician plaintiffs. On top of this, she also argued that there is no possibility of prosecution against the physicians because the district attorneys (DAs) have said they wouldnt prosecute them.

A decision on the motion to dismiss the case, or grant the temporary injunction,will be made in due course (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

One of the three judges interjected, Theres no guarantee that they would not criminally prosecute, since that the DAs are elected officials. Just because the DAs say theyre not going to enforce it, that is not a guarantee.

The defence lawyer argued its a multi-step chain that goes beyond just the DAs.

To this point, plaintiff attorney Marc Hearron countered that even if the DAs disavowed prosecution against the doctors who perform abortions in violation of the law, their public statements are not binding. Similarly, their pledge would only apply to criminal penalties  it wouldnt apply to the revocation of a medical licence.

Mr Hearron also pointed out that the attorney general has said publicly that he would seek the appointment of a new prosecutor if a DA refuses to bring prosecution.

A decision on the motion to dismiss the case, or grant the temporary injunction, will be made "as soon as we are able," one of the judges said.
Tennessee makes it too hard to compensate victims of crime, but that has to change

Three years ago, my son Rodney was shot. As I lay over his body to protect him from further harm, I made eye contact with the young man who took his life. The fleeting look of remorse in this young mans eyes stayed with me as my family navigated the painful path through the criminal proceedings.

For a year, it felt as though I had no voice in the legal process. In the end, when faced with a sentencing agreement over which we had no say, I asked for the opportunity to provide mentoring to the young man who took my son's life.

I believed that if we could use his life to save others, my son's death would not be in vain. He received a prison sentence, and the district attorney accepted my request. This became my introduction to the concept of restorative justice, which focuses on accountability more than punishment, aiming to move the person who caused the harm to take responsibility and to repair the harm they caused when possible.

Another view: The history of racism in Tennessee executions is why capital punishment is unjust

Red tape gets in the way of aiding crime victims

We know that most individuals who go to prison will get out. If they are warehoused for decades and released with no support, the results are predictable for them and for us. Our current systems focus on excessive punishment is not an effective response to the violence we all want to prevent.

Stacy Hall (from left), Rafiah Muhammad McCormick and Shelia Clemmons Lee as part of Moms Over Murder met at Metro Nashville Police Department headquarters Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2020, in protest of an officer's Facebook post following a fatal shooting at a West Nashville Target store.

I also know firsthand that the Tennessee Criminal Compensation Fund, which is supposed to help victims and their families partially cover funeral expenses and trauma counseling, has too much red tape and makes funds nearly impossible to access.

Many mothers, just like me, whose childrens lives have been violently taken, are denied compensation. Others are too intimidated by the process to apply while others dont even know that support is available. In fact, Tennessees fund denies 60% of requests for assistance from these very victims, ranking among the top five worst states for denials.

Rafiah McCormick with Moms Over Murder, is hugged by Karen Johnson during a press conference where McCormick spoke about the killing of her son, Rodney Armstrong at Cordell Hull State Office Building in Nashville , Tenn., Thursday, July 20, 2023.

The exorbitant amount of money our state invests in pursuing the harshest punishment, the death penalty, for people who are already incarcerated would be better spent providing more support to victims and their families and solving the hundreds of cold cases that remain unsolved, leaving families with no answers and no accountability.

This piece of legislation will help start the healing

I am excited about recent legislation (HB1021 / SB1416) that has been introduced to make it easier for Tennesseans impacted by violent crime to access the support that they need to begin to heal, reducing the likelihood that their unhealed trauma will result in harm to someone else. This is a great step forward.

But we cant stop there.

We must also support efforts to stem gun violence and resist quick fixes that promote tired tough on crime policies that we have relied on for years, policies that cost us millions without making us safer. The voices of victims of everyday violence must be uplifted to take back our narrative that is used to support tough on crime policies.

We already know what causes violence and how to prevent it. Trauma, previous exposure to violence, and concentrated poverty all create the conditions that lead to violence, and the science behind these causes show us the way forward. Across the nation, communities are implementing new strategies grounded in public health that include community-based street outreach, violence interrupters, and hospital-based violence intervention.

We all want to be safe and not to live in fear. For too many communities this is not the reality. But it could be.

Rafiah McCormick

Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick's son Rodney was a victim of homicide in 2020. She also serves as coordinator of community outreach for Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (TADP), an organization that works to end the death penalty, prevent violence, and support those who experience harm.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Crime in Tennessee: Legislation would help victims get compensation
Tennessee Senate passes bill to do away with the Achievement School District

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters

A proposal to shift low-performing schools from Tennessees sputtering takeover and turnaround district to other state-approved but locally managed intervention models passed unanimously Monday in the full Senate.

The bill, which is awaiting action in the full House, seeks to phase out the Achievement School District, the states most ambitious and aggressive school improvement model, by the end of 2025-26 school year.

It also would strip the state education commissioners authority to take over neighborhood schools that are performing academically in the bottom 5%. Under the ASD, the state typically assigned those schools to charter operators to run.

In place of the ASD, the bill would create a school improvement model designed to foster more collaboration between the local district and the state education department.

More: Tennessee could end the Achievement School District. What would it mean for Memphis?

Tennessees education chief would have authority to direct a local district to choose from three turnaround approaches  under a charter operator, a public university, or an independent turnaround expert  for each of its low-performing priority schools.

The turnaround work would be locally managed, but with state oversight. For starters, the state would have to approve local districts turnaround choices.

The ASD has not worked for some time, which we can all agree (on), said Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Memphis Democrat who is co-sponsoring the legislation with Rep. Antonio Parkinson, also of Memphis.

This will put the control back in the hands of the locals, she said on the Senate floor.

The bill is one of several legislative proposals seeking to address the failures of the ASD, created under a 2010 state law as part of a package that helped Tennessee win a $500 million federal grant in the Race to the Top competition.

Parkinsons companion bill has similar goals.

Meanwhile, GOP leaders in the House are pressing for a massive private-school voucher bill that includes a provision to phase out the ASD on July 1, 2026.

All three measures advanced this year after several top Republicans in the GOP-controlled legislature acknowledged that the state-run district isnt working and should be replaced.

Not only did removing struggling schools from local governance fail to improve student outcomes, but most ASD schools also performed no better than low-performing schools that received no intervention, according to researchers. Among the challenges, the state-run district struggled with high teacher turnover and significant community backlash, especially in Memphis, which became the hub of the ASDs work.

More: MSCS board approves contract for Superintendent Marie Feagins. Here's how much she'll make

The ASD, which had a peak of 33 schools in 2016, continues to shrink, especially since 2022, as schools began to complete their prescribed 10 years under the model. Currently, 13 schools are left in its portfolio, the last of which will complete their charter contracts at the end of 2025-26 school year.

Weve got to do something different, Akbari said before Mondays vote. This bill would create a partnership between the local district and the state education department to make sure priority schools are receiving meaningful interventions that give it a chance for turnaround.

How much those interventions might cost is unknown. School turnaround work is expensive, but the legislatures fiscal analysts said the cost will depend on which turnaround methods and contractors are used for the work.

Akbari and Parkinson have been working with the education department to develop a new school turnaround strategy that doesnt include the heavy-handed takeover tactics that put the ASD at odds with the districts that previously ran the schools, and their communities.

They also want to keep Tennessee in compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires each state to have a rigorous improvement plan for schools that are struggling the most.

State Rep. Antonio Parkinson speaks during a press conference where Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton announced plans to introduce a bill that would amend the state constitution and allow judges to not set bail for a wider variety of violent charges at Memphis City Hall on Friday, January 26, 2024.

Some details of Akbari and Parkinsons companion bills differ. For example, Akbaris proposal could apply to any of the states approximately 95 priority schools, at the direction of Tennessees education commissioner.

Parkinson wants to create a hub of school improvement tools for any Tennessee public school to access, no matter how much it falls short or in what area. He wants to avoid adding negative labels to schools beyond existing state or federal designations that are based on their overall achievement, or the achievement gaps among certain student groups.

You kill the esteem of the school, the teachers, the students, parents, when you label a school as being part of the ASD, or whatever you want to call it, Parkinson said. The fact that our state already gives priority designations to schools is enough.

More: 'Weight on the balance:' What a Memphis family using Tennessee vouchers thinks

Even so, Parkinson said his and Akbaris proposals arent that far apart, especially on the most important issues.

There will be no state takeover under either version, he said. Thats been a dismal failure for our state. In the process, weve wasted over a billion and a half taxpayer dollars. And weve fallen short when it comes to some precious years in the lives of ASD students.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat (chalkbeat.org) is a nonprofit news organization covering public education.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Bill to shut down Tennessee Achievement School District passes Senate
Special counsel Jack Smith is palpably frustrated with Judge Aileen Cannon after several confounding rulings  and lengthy bouts of judicial indecision  have threatened to derail his case against Donald Trump for stashing classified secrets at Mar-a-Lago.

The long-simmering tension came to a boil this week in a court filing in which Smiths team sharply questioned the judges willingness to entertain a legal theory that Trump has advanced in a bid to dismiss the case. Prosecutors called the theory pure fiction, and their submission featured tartly worded threats to appeal any adverse decision. They also demanded that Cannon decide quickly to prevent her from hamstringing the prosecution on the eve of trial.

Cannon shot back Thursday, revealing her own frustrations with Smiths team, saying in a prickly order that the demand for a hurried decision was unprecedented and unjust.



The strained dynamic between Smith and Cannon  a Trump nominee confirmed by the Senate in 2020  has in some ways overshadowed the grave felony counts against Trump, who is facing dozens of charges that he hoarded military intelligence in his South Florida home and then tried to obstruct the government from reclaiming those records. The judges handling of the case has led to a furious public debate about her intentions and inexperience.

Smiths supporters have railed against Cannons odd and sometimes inexplicable decisions, voicing their own frustrations that Smith hasnt pushed to get the judge booted from the case.

Its clear that she is going in a ridiculous direction, said Nancy Gertner, a retired federal judge from Massachusetts, who says Smith should move for Cannons recusal from the case. The government could be without recourse after a trial begins.  I dont even know why they indulged her.  I think they need to stop playing games and move to disqualify her.

Persuading an appeals court to remove a trial judge is usually a quixotic quest. Appeals courts generally grant that relief only in the most extraordinary circumstances  such as if a trial judge repeatedly defies direct orders from a higher court.

Meanwhile, Trump has moved to capitalize on the obvious tension, heaping praise on Cannon  a highly respected Judge, he intoned on his social media platform,Truth Social, Thursday morning. Smith, Trump said, is obviously trying to play the ref, a comment he made while employing the same tactic for which he had just criticized the special counsel.

At the heart of the matter is Cannons unusual stewardship of one of the most important criminal cases in American history. In her short tenure as a judge, the former federal prosecutor has presided over only a handful of criminal trials, and certainly none as fraught, complex and closely scrutinized as this one.

Ten months into her supervision of United States v. Trump, her decisions  and non-decisions  have led to a tangle of confusing orders and unresolved conflicts. Huge swaths of the case have been walled off from the public while Cannon has spent weeks contemplating Smiths demand for redactions to protect witness identities.

And perhaps most bizarrely, Cannon has not even completed what is typically a straightforward scheduling matter: setting the case for trial. Both sides agree that Cannons current trial date of May 20 has to be pushed back. But its been over a month since she heard arguments about a new trial date, and shes been mum ever since.

The foot-dragging threatens to imperil the whole case, because if Trump is elected while a trial is still pending, he will almost certainly shut it down by ordering the Justice Department to drop the charges.

And even if Smith succeeds in getting the trial on track before November, Cannons critics worry that she will unilaterally pull the plug on the case before it reaches a jury.

Very odd approach to a critical legal question

The latest clash between the judge and prosecutors came over Trumps aggressive interpretation of the Presidential Records Act, a post-Watergate law that governs federal recordkeeping and allows presidents to retain certain personal documents, such as diaries, from their terms in office. Trump has argued that the law empowered him to send a slew of classified material to his home.

At a mid-March hearing, Cannon signaled she was likely to reject Trumps effort to dismiss most of the case under that theory. But days later, instead of issuing a ruling, Cannon asked both sides to submit competing jury instructions based on scenarios she had seemed poised to reject.

I am not a conspiracy theorist and I dont want to say this is being done to intentionally delay the way that the case is moving along, but the longer this drags out it seems that way, said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor from South Florida.

Smiths team complied with Cannons request, but only after a lengthy preamble in which the prosecutors said her proposed scenarios were based on fundamental errors of law and built on a fictional premise that Trump concocted a year after departing the White House. Virtually every sentence in the filing was couched with a disclaimer that the proposed instructions rested on faulty premises.

Some of the filing painted Trumps legal position as so absurd that Cannon entertaining it would render the trial a farce. And the prosecutors took the unusual step of warning Cannon repeatedly that they could pursue a rare, pretrial appeal if she sided with Trump.

Some experts found the repeated threats of appeal, and the entire tone of the governments brief, unusually combative.

This is more aggressive than prosecutors typically are with federal judges (likely because federal judges usually rule in their favor) and reflects a level of frustration with Judge Cannons very odd approach to this issue, former federal prosecutor Ken White said via email.

On Thursday, just 40 hours after Smith filed his brief, Cannon issued a terse decision rejecting Trumps bid to toss the charges  sort of. The charges remain intact for now, but she left open the possibility that Trump could resuscitate the Presidential Records Act defense at trial. And she scolded Smiths team for demanding that she quickly declare her intent about jury instructions on the issue.

Part of the reason the issue has become so contentious is that Trumps defense may rise or fall based on Cannons ultimate interpretation of the Presidential Records Act.

The legal issue that the judge is struggling with is potentially dispositive, said former federal prosecutor Brandon Van Grack. If she sides with the government, it is unclear what the defense would be then.

Van Grack acknowledged that Trumps lawyers have offered other defenses, like claiming that the Espionage Act is too vague to enforce against him, but said the Presidential Records Act argument seems like the one where Trumps attorneys think they have the best chance of winning the judge to their side.

A backlog of motions and an uncertain schedule

Cannons management of the case has also featured jarring gaps in action. In addition to failing to announce a realistic trial date, she has allowed a long list of pretrial motions to pile up. She did hold a hearing recently on a couple of them, but she has not signaled when the others will be argued, much less decided.

The case has languished so long that it now faces a genuine complication: Trumps looming criminal trial in New York state court for allegedly orchestrating a hush money scheme to cover up an affair with a porn star. That case is set to begin April 15 and could stretch into June.

And Trump has repeatedly pitted one case against the other as he seeks delays in all of them. His lawyers have told Cannon that Trump cannot prepare for a Florida trial  or attend pretrial hearings there  while sitting for weeks in a Manhattan courtroom.

Trumps other two criminal cases, meanwhile, have no trial dates. His federal election case is on hold while the Supreme Court reviews his claim of presidential immunity, and his Georgia election case was sidetracked by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. But if either of those two cases get trial dates this summer or fall, the window of opportunity for the classified documents trial to occur before Election Day will close even further.

Cannon, for her part, has not addressed her many critics, or even given much insight into her plans for the case. The few written decisions she has issued are typically short and packed with virtually impenetrable legalese.

The judge, however, did once seem to bristle at the suggestion that her management of the case has been sluggish.

At a March 1 hearing, she told one of Smiths prosecutors: I can assure you that, in the building, theres a good deal of judicial work going on.
Chinese carmaker BYD plans to launch its first electric pickup truck this year.

It released an image of the vehicle on the road, but is yet to reveal how much it'll cost.

The truck could compete with offerings from Ford, Toyota and Tesla's Cybertruck.

BYD has revealed plans to launch a rival to Tesla's Cybertruck later this year.

The Chinese carmaker released images of the electric pickup truck, featuring a bright orange and blue paint job, on Thursday.

It said it plans to start selling the vehicle at some point in 2024, but didn't announce pricing.

BYD to launch 1st new energy pickup truck for global market within this year https://t.co/qoPHwV9xtQ via @CnEVPost  Thematica (@Thematicafunds) April 5, 2024

BYD's offering will face competition from EVs including the Cybertruck, which Tesla launched last year, as well as the likes of Ford's F-150 Lightning and the Toyota Hilux.

Tesla's Cybertruck. Getty Images

BYD doesn't sell vehicles in the US and appears to have no plans to do so anytime soon. It's opened new plants in locations including Mexico and Hungary in recent months as it strives to expand sales outside China.

Its latest announcement comes as it battles a sharp slowdown in sales of its electric cars, with would-be buyers around the world opting for cheaper hybrid options instead.

BYD said in a stock exchange filing on Monday that it sold about 300,000 EVs over the first three months of 2024, down 43% from the previous quarter.

That meant the company gave up its title as the world's top EV seller to Tesla, despite posting its own disappointing delivery numbers.

The new vehicle would be BYD's first new energy pickup truck. Its EVs range from the five-door Seagull hatchback, which sells for under $10,000 and was China's second best-selling car last quarter, to the U9 supercar, which costs more than $200,000.

Read the original article on Business Insider
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  Jurors continued to hear witness testimony from six people on day three of the State of Texas vs. Ray Vera trial happening in the Tom Green County Courthouse.

On the third day the state called crime scene investigator Kenneth Kimble, crime scene investigators Courtney Steen, forensic scientist Ashley Riley, forensic scientist Jason White, Dr. Michael Boyd, and Cody Coombs to the stand.

Bar owner, detective testify in Marine murder trial

In the morning, CSI Steen informed witnesses of evidence she collected during a search warrant on Hassel Street after the stabbing at Whiskey River Saloon took place in October 2022. Multiple items were recovered including:

Blue jeans with a belt that had three knife sheaths attached

Black and white plaid button-down shirt

A wallet with a credit card knife

A black folding knife found near a black suburban in the driveway

Two knives with fixed blades found inside the suburban

Steen also shared she took photos of injuries that were found on Ssgt. Bryce Rudisell, Ssgt. Devin Casey, Ssgt. Andrew Cauwell and Cole Hunsberger.

Several pieces of clothing taken from a residence on Hassle Street, a residence on Forest Park and at Whiskey River Salon along with items such as glass from a broken mug and a switchblade knife all tested positive for possible blood, forensic scientist Riley told the jury. Items that tested positive for blood were passed onto forensic scientist White for possible DNA testing.

White informed the courtroom during questioning about items that had possible DNA on them including:

A switchblade knife taken from Forest Park, found in the center console of an SUV  DNA found was potentially from Rudisell

Black shirt taken from Forest Park  Blood stain with possible DNA from Andrew Cauwell and presumably Vera

Maroon shirt found at Whiskey River Saloon  Had potential DNA from Rudisell

Purple shirt found at Whiskey River Saloon  DNA found was potentially from Hunsberger

Several blood spots in the Whiskey River Saloon parking lot were swabbed and tested for DNA  DNA in various spots was potentially from Hunsberger, Cauwell, Rudisell and Julian Suarez

During cross-examination, the defense asked White he would be able to go back and test for more potential DNA on items. White agreed that it could be done but he had not done that for this case.

Marine Murder Trial: Forensic pathologist, CSI takes witness stand

Dr. Boyd was called to the stand following White by the state.

Dr. Boyd, who is a general surgeon at Shannon Medical Center was called to the hospital for a stab victim on the night of Oct. 2, 2022. When he arrived, he first began assessing Rudisells injury. He told the jury that by the time he arrived, medical personnel performed triage by checking his breathing, airways, circulation and vitals.

From the reports, he was tachycardic, he explained, stating Rudisell was sweating and confused. Rudisell was also hypertensive, meaning his blood pressure was lower than average.

When asked what he did by the state, Dr. Boyd explained how he opened Rudisells chest, removed his pericardial sac and began massaging the heart to regain cardiac activity. Dr. Boyd did this for an estimated five minutes.

Dr. Boyd then explained the steps he took when he assessed Caseys injuries. Since Caseys injury was similar to Rudisells, Dr. Boyd was concerned a vital organ had been punctured in the stabbing.

His penetrated wound was about an inch lateral to Bryces, he explained. This means that if Caseys injury was one inch to the right, it could have resulted in the same injury as Rudisell. After probing the estimated two-inch deep wound, Casey was sent to have a C.T. scan done to ensure his vital organs were not pierced in the stabbing.

When the state questioned if a knife could be used as a deadly weapon, Dr. Boyd agreed.

Dr. Boyd further explained a hematoma and dislocated left thumb. Despite the state asking if the dislocated thumb could be caused by someone else hitting or kicking someone, the defense asked if the injury could be caused by falling to the ground. Dr. Boyd agreed to both.

The last set of injuries talked about was the ones that Hunsberger sustained. Similar to Cauwell, Hunsberger had multiple lacerations on his head along with his right forearm and hand. After he spoke about these injuries, the state asked Dr. Boyd if a glass mug could cause serious bodily injury. The doctor agreed.

Marine Murder Trial: Jury selected, trial begins

The last witness called by the state on April 4 was Cody Coombs. Coombs told the courtroom that he was at Whiskey River Saloon on the night of Oct. 2 with a few of his friends. Although he did not see the fight that took place within the bar, he witnessed and videoed the fight that took place in the parking lot just minutes later.

Coombs shared that after he took the video, he noticed an individual in a black shirt with 5% in red writing on it. The one person who did stick out was a big bald male, Coomb said. He further explained that this individual had a knife in his hand whenever he watched and slowed down the video.

As jurors watched the video, they could hear one of Coombs friends yell, Thats my boy Ray, thats my boy Ray in the white shirt, as the man Coombs described could be seen holding a knife.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
Vijay Cheruvu is seeking $1 million from Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, where his son was branded and allegedly left permanently disfigured, according to a lawsuit.

Fort Bend County District Clerk The 11-year-old was branded with an outline of a Hindu god

A man alleges his son was branded during a ceremony at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple last August

The child was among several who were allegedly branded with a hot iron rod, according to the complaint

The child was awake and not given any medical care during or after the branding, the complaint alleges

A Texas father is suing a local Hindu temple and its parent organization, alleging that his son was branded during a religious ritual and left permanently disfigured, according to a lawsuit originally reported on by Houston Public Media and reviewed by PEOPLE.

Vijay Cheruvu claims his 11-year-old son was left with permanent disfigurement after being branded twice while attending a ceremony with his mother at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas, in August, the complaint states.

It further alleges that the boy, identified only as T.C. in the documents, was among several children who were branded with hot iron rods. T.C. was awake and conscious during the incident, the complaint alleges, and not given any medication to heal the wound. No medical professionals were present during the ritual, per the complaint.

Cheruvu said his ex-wife took the boy to the temple; Cherevu and the ex-wife shared custody of T.C., FOX 26 reported. At the ceremony, there were reportedly 94 adults and three children who were branded, the complaint alleges, per the outlet.

Photographs presented in the complaint show brandings on two shoulders of the child, each representing the outline of a Hindu god.

This is not a ceremony thats widely used across Hinduism, this is something thats a very small sect, Cheruvus attorney Brant Stogner said, according to KHOU 11.

Cheruvu, who is Hindu himself, alleged that neither he nor any of his family members have ever been branded, saying its not a part of the religion, per FOX 26.

"This is a traveling guru, and he probably goes all over the place doing this, goes to different temples doing this," Stogner has said, per FOX 26.

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Cheruvu claims his son is experiencing deep mental and emotional anguish, and that he no longer trusts adults, per FOX 26.

"He doesnt want to be around many people, Cheruvu told the outlet. Out of the blue, once in a while, hell say why did this happen to me? Why didnt anybody stop this.

The lawsuit is demanding $1 million in damages. PEOPLE has reached out to the temple and JETUSA Texas, the parent company, for comment.



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Read the original article on People.
Texas Supreme Court Justice John Devine is facing new questions about his impartiality after a clip went viral this week in which he implied that Democrats plan to cheat against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Do you really think the Democrats are going to roll over and let Trump be president again? Devine asked in a keynote speech at the Texas Tea Party Republican Womens 2023 Christmas event. You think theyre just going to go away, all of a sudden find Jesus and [there will] be an honest election? I dont think so.

Devine is a former anti-abortion activist who claims that church-state separation is a myth and, as a state district judge in Harris County in the 1990s, fought to have a copy of the Ten Commandments posted in his courtroom. In his successful 2012 campaign for the Texas Supreme Court, he claimed to have been arrested 37 times at anti-abortion protests in the 1980s, and has since been a reliable ally of conservative, Christian voters in the state. Devine narrowly survived a GOP primary challenge last month that centered around his ethics, and now faces state district court Judge Christine Vinh Weems, a Democrat, in the November general election.

Devine acknowledged in his speech that the court could hear more election cases  including those involving Harris County, which Devine accused of trying to bastardize election laws when it expanded voting access during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the countys protocols were later shot down by the Texas Supreme Court.

I think those kinds of cases are going to be back to us in this cycle, he said.

Devine then praised Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who championed numerous laws that were aimed at Harris County in the wake of the 2020 elections. Last year, the Texas Supreme Court declined to block a law, authored by Bettencourt, that removed Harris Countys elections administrator position.

Bettencourt, who attended Devines speech, returned the praise: Youre one of the reasons why we do win fights at the Supreme Court, he told Devine.

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee blasted Devine's comments in a Saturday statement, calling them "shockingly inappropriate" and tying them to broader distrust in the judiciary.

"Judges should be honestly evaluating and applying our states laws, not giving partisan speeches baselessly accusing members of a different political party of cheating in elections," Menefee said. "Its shockingly inappropriate for a sitting justice to make disparaging comments about a party that has been and will continue to be before his court. I hope Justice Devine acts with integrity and recuses himself from Harris County cases moving forward, but given his concession that he views himself as aiding Republicans in a fight against Democrats, I wont hold my breath.

Election disputes werent the only hot-button issues on which Devine opined that night. Throughout his 40-minute speech, he blasted legal challenges to Texas abortion laws as a mockery of God, and invoked apocalyptic language when discussing Democrats  saying his judgeship gave him a front-row seat to the end of the world.

Our culture is dying before our very eyes, he said. The church seems to be weakened and not know what to do. We have a corrupted government. On a federal level, were run by a criminal enterprise.  None of you are going to escape this. And so I would implore you to get closer to the Lord. I would implore you to prepare. I would implore you to bring other people on board.

Devine did not respond to a request for comment Friday about the comments or the online criticism of them. The backlash comes barely a month after the Tribune reported on another speech he gave last year, in which he again claimed that Democrats had tried to steal elections. In that speech, Devine also blasted his colleagues on the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court as brainwashed by Big Law.

At times I feel like they would sacrifice the Republic for the sake of the process, Devine said in that speech. My concern is that they all bow down to the altar of process rather than to fidelity to the Constitution. And when I say that, its not meant to be malice towards my colleagues. I think its how they were trained  how they were brainwashed.

Devine has recently faced other questions about his ethics. Earlier this year, Bloomberg News reported that he had missed more than half of oral arguments before the court this term as he campaigned for reelection.

And in February, the Tribune reported that Devine did not recuse himself in 2022, when the court considered a high-profile sex abuse lawsuit against Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler and his longtime law partner, Jared Woodfill. Devine, the Tribune found, had worked for Pressler and Woodfills law firm for years  and at the same time that the plaintiff in the lawsuit alleged he was molested by Pressler while also working at the firm.

We cant wait to welcome you to downtown Austin Sept. 5-7 for the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival! Join us at Texas breakout politics and policy event as we dig into the 2024 elections, state and national politics, the state of democracy, and so much more. When tickets go on sale this spring, Tribune members will save big. Donate to join or renew today.
With their excellent sense of smell, dogs are a key part of many search and rescue (SAR) missions, constantly trained to track down scents that can lead to clues about missing persons and sometimes solve cold cases.

TEXSAR volunteer Joe Huston is surrounded by his cadaver dogs from left, Orion, 12, Anubis, 2, and Aalta, 9, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The search and rescue handler and dogs are based in Woodlands, Texas.

One organization that partners with law enforcement to provide K-9 units is Texas Search and Rescue, or TEXSAR, a nonprofit with headquarters in Austin and more than 250 volunteers who assist primarily with ground searches of brush and vegetated areas throughout the state, with teams in Central Texas, Houston/Galveston, Dallas/Fort Worth and the Coastal Bend.

Formed in 2004, the group is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The SAR missions run the gamut of first response, deploying volunteers who are equipped with aerial assets, drones, airplanes, helicopters and, more recently, mounted horses to assist with searches to find lost, missing or endangered people and with responding to natural disasters.

Both handlers and K-9s are nationally certified for field operations, with the team conducting local, regional and state K-9 SAR trainings weekly. About 26 dogs are currently a part of the team, with five in training and the others deployed to assist with ground searches.

Among the dogs in the K-9 SAR unit are three labrador retrievers who were in Corpus Christi recently: 12-year-old Orion and 9-year-old Aalta, who are certified, and two-and-a-half-year-old Anubis, who is not certified.

In most of TEXSAR's missions, state, local and federal agencies, police departments, relief organizations or the Governor of Texas will contact the group requesting assistance or to determine which resources it can provide. While the group does not self-deploy, someone from TEXSAR leadership may reach out to local agencies or police departments to offer help if they have heard about a missing person, he said.

Many missions are scheduled several weeks or a month in advance, and the response team will spend time and effort looking at historical maps of searchable areas to chart changes in geography or logistics.

The organization will not show up to conduct a search without law enforcement present and acts as an extension of that agency, he said.

Ground searchers and K-9 are the backbone of TEXSAR, said Todd Snyder, director of the TEXSAR missing person unit.

More than half of TEXSAR deployments since 2013 have been missing persons cases, according to data on the TEXSAR website, accounting for 48% of missions in 2022, followed by 38% for force multipliers, 11% for evidence search and 3% for flood support. As a result, the Missing Persons Unit was launched in March of 2023, with Snyder hired to lead the team. Since then, the MPU has been working with local law enforcement agencies, including the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD), to manage missing person caseloads.

Live find dogs, or area dogs, are scent-specific dogs that are specially trained to find a human body in the area within about five minutes, whereas a ground searcher, or ground pounder, might take an hour.

K-9s are keen at discerning between the chemical odors emitted by human remains and those of other animals. If presented with an object such as a bone, K-9 units will go out and walk in concentric circles to try to find the other remains.

To compensate for how much ground they have to cover, search and rescue crews will look at the terrain and vegetation in a search area and consider factors such as the missing persons last known location to determine how many ground pounders and K-9s will be needed, said Joe Huston, Gulf Coast Chapter Operations section chief and K-9 unit member.

Factoring in differences in natural features of the area to be searched is also key. For instance, a wide-open field of grass would require a different search tactic than a fence lined in sugarcane.

Theres such a dynamic part to every search, he said. No two searches have been the same."

The other type of K-9s are cadaver dogs, trained for search for human remains. In these cases, responders must be prepared to deal with several factors, including finding bodies with disarticulated limbs. If that happens, the area will be marked with flags to alert law enforcement that evidence has been found and the responders will leave the scene.

A difficult aspect of training cadaver dogs is obtaining anatomical donations that help train them on how to find human remains. While Texas law permits anatomical donations to qualified 501(c)(3) SAR teams, hospitals and other medical facilities may simply not want to provide them.

As a result, frequent training is imperative. K-9 dogs are trained weekly on Thursday nights in Houston and one Saturday of each month. Area dogs receive training on Saturday and Sunday.

Once properly trained, the dogs often do an exceptional job. Huston mentioned a recent incident where two of the live find dogs spotted a trainer hiding in a concealed area of brush on a peninsula and jumped into a pond to swim over to the person, causing the handler to have to run around the pond to reach them.

TEXSAR's all-volunteer SAR response requires an intense and often time-consuming effort from teams. With only five paid staff and free services provided, the organization relies on donations from individuals and corporate sponsors, including HEB. Still, the unit members are proud to be able to provide food, fuel and a place to stay for those who join SAR missions.

Occasionally, the family member of a missing person will call TEXSAR requesting a search, which is a "tug of the heart," Snyder said.

"There's nothing better than bringing closure to a family," he said. "Sometimes the answers are not good or not what they want to hear, but there's closure."

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: TEXSAR K-9 unit conducts search and rescue response in Texas
In this article, we will be covering the 20 worst performing housing markets in the US. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US.

Whats Happening in the US Real Estate Market?

With existing home sales reaching a 4.38 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in February, the US real estate activity has improved. As reported by the National Association of REALTORS, February witnessed an increase in existing home sales by 9.5% thereby recording the highest monthly increase since February 2023. While the sales did not change in the Northeast, the West, South, and Midwest saw a rise in sales. However, the year-over-year sales dropped across the country. As of February, 1.07 million units of housing inventory were recorded, up 10.3% year-over-year.

While the Northeast underperformed in February home sales as a result of constraints in inventory, the region performed well in home prices. According to the regional patterns related to home prices, all regions in the US experienced an increase in February. In the Northeast, the median price was recorded at $420,600 which increased by 11.5% since 2023. The Midwest registered a 6.8% year-over-year gain in median prices. At the same time, prices went up by 9.1% in the West and 4.1% in the South.

Comparison Across Local Housing Markets

As reported by the real-estate platform Realtor, the 2024 real estate market tends to move in the direction of recovery with mortgage rates cooling down after remaining elevated under a tight monetary policy. However, a low for-sale inventory still persists. As of December 2023, inventory was below pre-pandemic levels by an average of 54.5%.

Amidst low inventory and limited affordability, buyers continue to look for affordable housing markets. Low-priced locales have become popular thereby putting pressure on inventory and driving rapid price growth. These places offer more amenities than many other large metros which shows that buyers are attracted towards low-priced markets where they dont have to spend much while they can avail lifestyle comforts.

The most emerging market identified in the Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com Emerging Housing Markets Index was Santa Maria-Santa Barbara where the median list price was as high as $1,795,000 in December 2023, nearly 4.5 times the national median. Other emerging markets were low-priced and based in the Midwest, South, and Northeast. This indicates a trend that depicts that rising housing markets are either those that are actually cheaper or those where prices are so high that affordability is not a concern for the buyers in the market. Additionally, these markets boast a quick pace of sale where homes do not stay on the market for long even when the prices are growing. On the other hand, properties listed in poor housing markets spend a longer duration on the market sitting idle before buyers show interest in them.

Story continues

Another common aspect between the high-priced Western market of Santa Barbara and other affordable rising markets is how the for-sale inventory went down during the early pandemic days while homeowners remained reluctant to sell their houses. This raised competition among buyers longing for a median-priced home which drove the prices up. For instance, 62% of Santa Barbara homes were priced at $1 million or higher in December 2019 which changed to 71% in December 2023 since the cheaper inventory was pursued rapidly, making up a lesser share of for-sale inventory. On the contrary, properties in worst performing markets do not undergo price appreciation. Price drops in such markets show signs of weakness and a lack of growth. This deems them unattractive since buyers would want to have their homes retain their value if not appreciated.

Mid-sized markets attract many buyers since they offer a small-town feel combined with big-city amenities. Sixteen of the top 20 emerging housing markets host less than 500,000 people. While commute times are shorter in these places due to less congestion, the job market seems to be stronger than average. Hot markets including Concord, Manchester-Nashua, and Portland-South Portland have unemployment rates below the national level.

Homebuilders Facilitating Buyers

American homebuilders continue to cater to the diverse buyer needs in desirable locations across the country. Some of the known builders include Dream Finders Homes, Inc. (NASDAQ: DFH ), Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN), and Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE:BZH). Lets take a look at what these firms have been up to.

Dream Finders Homes, Inc. (NYSE: DFH) is engaged in building single-family homes across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. On March 21, Dream Finders Homes (NYSE: DFH) announced its new home community in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The communitys ideal location allows access to Downtown Sarasota and Siesta Key. Sales in the community have been planned to start in early April. Pricing for the new homes from Dream Finders Homes, Inc. (NYSE: DFH) will also be disclosed when the community sales begin.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) is an American home construction company that constructs affordable, move-up, and active adult homes. It also engages in the development of high-quality multifamily rental properties. On April 2, Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) reported that it initiated sales at its first community in Buffalo City. The community Settlers Brook offers access to shopping and dining options in Downtown Buffalo. Residents can enjoy recreation at the nearby Buffalo Lake or at local parks. Those who wish to seek a small community feel with suburban amenities can consider living in the new community. Pricing of homes at Settlers Brook starts in the $300,000s.

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE:BZH) is a leading homebuilder in the United States. It currently builds houses in multiple states including Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. On March 19, Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE:BZH) reported that it has acquired 17 acres of land in Apex for its new community, The Summit. 86 townhomes and 16 single-family homes will be a part of The Summit. These homes will be designed to be 40% to 50% more efficient than typical new homes. Homes in the community will be available for sale in the fall of 2025.

Now that we have analyzed the US housing market, lets move to the 20 worst performing housing markets in the country.

20 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US

20 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US

Our Methodology:

In order to compile a list of the 20 worst performing housing markets in the US, we acquired metro-level data from the leading real estate source, Zillow. To depict the weak housing performance in metros, we have selected the year-over-year growth in median list prices, as of February 2024, as our primary metric. Therefore, the worst performing real estate markets are those where home prices declined the most over the past year instead of undergoing any positive appreciation.

Furthermore, we have supplemented this metric with the number of days homes are on the market before moving into a pending sale status. This represents the time spent by the local properties on the market before going under contract. A higher number of days to pending depicts a sluggish market where demand is lower due to high home prices or unattractive locations. This is because well-priced and attractive properties do not remain on the market for a longer period.

20 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US

20. Binghamton

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -1.3%

Days to Pending: 10.0

Binghamton is a city in New York where the housing market has not been performing well. This is evident from the fact that the median list price in the metro declined by 1.3% year-over-year, as of February.

19. Lubbock

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -1.4%

Days to Pending: 24.0

Texas hosts the city of Lubbock. While the city experienced a drop in its median list price over the year, it takes 24 days for a local property to finally go pending.

18. North Port

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -1.7%

Days to Pending: 37.0

North Port is based in Florida and ranks as one of the worst performing US housing markets. Local properties tend to spend 37 days on the market before going pending which indicates a slow market.

17. Colorado Springs

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -1.9%

Days to Pending: 19.0

As of February, the year-over-year change in median list price in Colorado Springs was recorded at -1.9%. Hence, home prices have been going down deeming the city as one of the worst performing housing markets.

16. Miami

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -2.0%

Days to Pending: 35.0

Local listings in Miami go pending in a period of 35 days which shows that the properties do not sell quickly. Furthermore, prices have also decreased in the city.

15. Vallejo

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -2.3%

Days to Pending: 12.0

Vallejo is situated in Solano County, California. The city ranks among the worst performing US housing markets since the median list price has gone down by 2.3% year-over-year, as recorded in February.

14. Visalia

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -2.6%

Days to Pending: 15.0

Visalia is based in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The city records one of the worst housing market performances as evidenced by the median list price decline of 2.6% since 2023.

13. Evansville

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -3.0%

Days to Pending: 14.0

As of February, the median list prices have gone down in Evansville by 3.0% Therefore, the 20 worst performing US housing markets rank the city.

12. Corpus Christi

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -3.3%

Days to Pending: 40.0

Property listings in Corpus Christi take 40 whole days before going pending. Hence, the sluggish housing market in Corpus Christi ranks among the worst performing housing markets in the country.

11. Springfield

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -3.3%

Days to Pending: 13.0

As reported by Zillow, the median list price in Springfield has reduced by 3.3% since last year. The declining home prices depict a badly performing real estate market.

10. Urban Honolulu

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -3.9%

Days to Pending: 23.0

Urban Honolulu properties tend to be on the market for 23 days before going pending. Furthermore, the median list prices have recorded a year-over-year decrease of 3.9%.

9. Killeen

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -4.1%

Days to Pending: 35.0

The city of Killeen is positioned in Bell County, Texas. The city ranks as one of the worst performing housing markets in the US since home prices have dropped over the year and local properties spend 5 weeks being on the market.

8. Worcester

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -4.4%

Days to Pending: 9.0

Worcester is located in Massachusetts and is another housing market with a poor performance. The year-over-year decline in median list price in the city was 4.4%, as of February.

7. Tyler

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -5.3%

Days to Pending: 49.5

49.5 days are spent by the properties on the market in Tyler before going pending. A 5.3% drop in the citys home prices further aggravates the local housing market situation.

6. Tulsa

Year-Over-Year Change in Median List Price: -6.0%

Days to Pending: 21.0

Tulsa is based in the state of Oklahoma. As of February, the city has recorded a 6% decrease in its median list price since last year.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US.

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Disclosure: None. 20 Worst Performing Housing Markets in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.
By Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) -A Thai court is holding hearings on a petition seeking to reopen one of the most controversial cases in the country's modern history, the death of King Ananda Mahidol who was found shot dead in his bedroom in 1946 at the age of 20.

King Ananda, also known as Rama VIII, reigned from 1935 to 1946, and was the uncle of the present Thai monarch Maha Vajiralongkorn and the elder brother of the last King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Ananda, who was found lying face up in bed with a gunshot wound in his head on June 9, 1946, was murdered, according to official investigations and three court verdicts that concluded in 1954.

Three palace officials were found guilty of being accessories to the king's murder and were executed in 1955. The three men pleaded not guilty and no one else stood trial.

Initial investigations by police blamed a plot led by Pridi Banomyong, who was the prime minister when the king died. Pridi went into exile and died in France in 1983, but he was later essentially exonerated by the government, which nominated him in 1997 to the UNESCO millennium list of great personalities of the 20th century.

Hearings on the petition to reopen the case were held at the Bangkok criminal court on Thursday and Friday. It is the first time an attempt is being made to revive the investigation directly through a court order.

The petition was filed by Kungwal Buddhivanid, 62, a trained chemist and former business executive who in 2020 published a book challenging the official explanation that the king died from regicide. His book, published and distributed in Thailand, revived a previously dismissed possibility that the king shot himself.

Kungwal, who lives near Bangkok, said in court on Thursday that he could prove that the kings gun, found next to his body was the weapon that killed him. The original 1940s investigators said the kings gun was fired days before his death and that Ananda was killed with another gun that was never found.

"The old verdicts dismissed the idea of a suicide and ruled that it was regicide," Kungwal told the court.

"New evidence I bring will show differently," he said, referring to new findings that include ballistic tests he conducted in December with a retired police forensic expert that he says prove the king shot himself with his own gun.

Other findings include tests which disputed original investigation's conclusion that a bullet, found in a mattress in the king's bedroom, was planted, as well as new examinations, conducted last year by a forensic doctor, that Kungwal says prove the king shot himself.

Reuters did not view the test results and could not independently verify Kungwal's claims. Wasukit Thanurat, the forensic expert, and Krittin Meewuttisom, the forensic doctor, were not immediately available for comment, though both testified in court on Friday.

The four judges who presided over the hearing have scheduled May 3 for another session to question Kungwal before they send the case to the appeals court which will decide whether or not to reopen the case, said Kongsak Dejkoonmak, its presiding lawyer.

Over two dozen books have been written over the decades about the death of King Ananda, with several scholars challenging the official narrative on the grounds that the investigation was not transparent and was mired by the politics of the day.

Some of the books were published and distributed in Thailand, mostly in the 1970s, others were banned by the authorities. The Southeast Asian country has a strict lese majeste law that prescribes up to 15 years jail for defaming or insulting the monarchy.

Kungwal petitioned the court last October to revive the case on behalf of the relatives of Chit Singhaseni, one of the palace officials executed.

Watsatarn Kittipinyo, Chit's granddaughter, was present in court on Thursday. She told Reuters that she has no expectations from the case other than a hope that her grandfather's name could be cleared.

Kungwal also told Reuters that he petitioned the palace for its view on reopening the case but received no response.

The palace did not respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Mark Heinrich)
THEN AND NOW: Vintage photos show how airports have changed

Airport security was less restrictive before 9/11.

Today, passengers can use mobile apps and kiosks, not just paper documents.

Flight information used to be written on chalkboards at gates. Now, it's on screens.

Flying used to be a glamorous undertaking back in the day. But airports had their glory years, too.

New technology has helped airports run more efficiently, from digital air-traffic-control software to the ability to check in on a phone or kiosk. But other changes, like increased security screenings, have slowed things down.

Here are 30 photos that show how airports have evolved.

Airports have always drawn a crowd.

Heathrow Airport in 1978. Duncan/Evening Standard/Getty Images

Customers awaited their flights in the check-in area at Heathrow Airport in London in 1978.

Modern options like TSA PreCheck and CLEAR allow some passengers to skip long lines.

O'Hare International Airport in 2017. Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

CLEAR, founded in 2010, uses fingerprints and eye scans to validate travelers' identities. TSA PreCheck, which allows passengers to keep their laptops and liquids in their bags and keep their shoes and light jackets on, was first introduced in 2013.

The ground floor of airports is where travel usually begins.

Gatwick Airport in 1966. Stanley Sherman/Express/Getty Images

Passengers lined up at the check-in counters at Gatwick Airport in 1966.

Some modern airports look more like art museums.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport in 2015. Supavadee Butradee/Shutterstock

Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand is flooded with natural light.

Gate agents once used old-school computers to check travelers in.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 1981. Mone/AP

Two women received help at a Continental Airlines counter at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis in 1981.

Today, travelers can check themselves in on kiosks.

Milan Malpensa Airport in 2017. Sorbis/Shutterstock

A passenger used Alitalia self-service check-in kiosks at Milan Malpensa Airport in 2017.

There were no app shortcuts for air travel in the '90s  just paper boarding passes issued by humans.

Los Angeles International Airport in 1997. Frank Wiese/AP

A passenger received his boarding passes for a flight to Vail, Colorado, at Los Angeles International Airport in 1997.

Gate agents still print paper boarding passes, but many people use e-tickets on their phones.

Miami International Airport in 2015. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

An airport worker held an iPhone over a scanner at Miami International Airport in 2015. It's one of many hacks to get through the airport faster.

Passengers used to be able to bring family and friends to the gate to see them off.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 1996. Thomas Kienzle/AP

Passengers waited in line at the security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 1996.

After 9/11, only ticketed passengers were allowed through security to the gates.

Salt Lake City International Airport in 2001. Getty Images

Members of the Utah Air National Guard's 151st Security Forces Squadron stood guard days after September 11, 2001, as an added security measure at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Airport announcements used to be made on chalkboards.

Gatwick Airport in 1977. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Travelers waiting and resting before boarding the Skytrain at Gatwick Airport in 1977 looked to chalkboards for flight information.

Now they're on screens surrounded by advertisements.

Ben Gurion Airport in 2011. Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

An arrival sign at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel in 2011 showed an array of arrivals and departures.

Airline lounges used to be the life of the party.

John F. Kennedy Airport in 2000. George De Sota/Newsmakers

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, sang along with employees of Virgin Atlantic Airways in 2000 at the opening of his new clubhouse at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Lounges today are sleek and professional.

John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2024. Angela Sun/Chase

Chase opened two new airport lounges in New York's LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2024.

As long as there has been commercial air travel, there have been people in need of a drink.

Heston Aerodrome in 1933. Fox Photos/Getty Images

This bar was located at Heston Aerodrome, an airfield just west of London that was in operation from 1929 to 1947.

Today, however, tablets have replaced bartenders in many airports.

Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2014. Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Toronto Pearson International Airport is one of many airports where passengers can order food on tablets.

Flight attendants used to be referred to as "air hostesses."

"Air hostesses" circa 1950. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Two "air hostesses" were photographed on an airport runway circa 1950.

Now, there are flight attendants of all genders.

Flight attendants in 2012. Adam Berry/Getty Images

Flight attendants posed in 2012 in Berlin at the christening of the Airbus A380.

Arriving at the airport used to be a fashion statement.

Heathrow Airport in 1972. AP

Travelers looked hip in sunglasses and mod gear at Heathrow Airport in London in 1972.

Air travel today is a more casual affair.

O'Hare International Airport in 2016. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Passengers at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago waiting in line to be screened in 2016 didn't dress up for the occasion.

Radar systems were a cutting-edge form of technology for air traffic controllers.

Capital City Airport in 1979. Paul Vathis/AP

An air traffic controller at Harrisburg's Capital City Airport monitored a newly installed radar system in 1979.

Air traffic control has since gone digital.

Air traffic control 2017. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Air traffic controllers kept watch using Data Comm, which supplements voice communication between controllers and pilots with digital text-based messages, in 2017.

Metal detectors were introduced at airports in the 1970s.

An airport metal detector in 1971. AP

Eastern Airlines debuted a new anti-hijacking device, a type three Friskem detector, in 1971.

X-ray machines and body scanners followed in subsequent years.

O'Hare Airport in 2010. Scott Olson/Getty Images

An airline passenger went through a full-body scan at O'Hare Airport in Chicago in 2010.

Flight delays have always been a nuisance to travelers.

John F. Kennedy Airport in 1981. Frehm/AP

Travelers slept as they awaited the departure of their flights at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport in 1981.

Not much has changed there.

Sochi Airport in 2014. Darron Cummings/AP

A passenger slept while waiting for a flight at the Sochi Airport following the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Back in the day, when a flight was canceled, the only choice was to wait in line to talk to a gate agent and hope for the best.

O'Hare International Airport in 1993. AP

American Airlines gate agent supervisors helped passengers who were scheduled to depart on a canceled flight to Las Vegas from Chicago in 1993 in Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport.

Now, people can use their cell phones to make new arrangements.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 2016. Carolyn Kaster/File/AP

A woman talked on her cell phone with an agent as she stood in line after her flight was delayed at Washington's Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 2016.

Perusing an airport gift shop was a great way to pass the time while waiting for a flight.

Kastrup Airport in 1959. AP

Swedish screen actor Ingrid Bergman and her husband, Lars Schmidt, discussed the merits of a brooch in the gift shop at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1959.

Some modern airports look more like malls.

Frankfurt International Airport in 2013. Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Duty-free shops at Frankfurt International Airport in 2013 would look at home in a shopping center.

Architect Radu Gidei previously told Business Insider that airports are designed to make a profit with lots of shopping between gates, not for efficiency.

Read the original article on Business Insider
It threatens us all: How dirty air became the worlds silent killer

Air pollution, from both man-made and natural sources, kills 7 million people every year - Julie Jacobson/Julie Jacobson

Its a staggering figure: with a death toll of more than seven million every year, air pollution kills more people than AIDS and malaria combined.

But its not just countries like India, China, or Pakistan where thick smog regularly envelopes these nations largest cities  that are struggling with the fallout from dirty air.

Across all continents, including Antarctica, air pollution has become an inescapable part of modern life.

Emissions from industry, vehicles, cooking, heating, and natural pollutants like dust and sand all play a role.

Just last week, a major study revealed that only seven countries globally meet the air quality standards set by the World Health Organization, leaving 99 per cent of the worlds population at risk of a vast array of health conditions linked to the air they breathe.

But its impacts are not consistent, with vast inequalities between rich and poor.

Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalised people bear the brunt of the burden, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, has previously noted.

Financial resources, stringent government actions, and access to safer energy sources all mean that air pollution in Europe and North America has drastically fallen over the last few decades, whilst Asia and increasingly Africa suffer from the highest death rates.

Air pollution is measured in particulate matter, or PM2.5  the tiny airborne particles that

are made up of a variety of toxic substances like sulfate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, and black carbon.

These toxins are about one-thirtieth of the width of a singular strand of hair  so small that, when breathed in, they can lodge themselves in internal organs and penetrate deep into the bloodstream.

Short-term exposure can lead to reduced lung function, respiratory infections, and asthma.

But long-term exposure, of the sort experienced by billions of people worldwide, can cause heart disease, cancer, stroke, and lower respiratory disease, leading to premature death.

The very young and very old are the most vulnerable; 60 per cent of the air pollution-related deaths that occurred in 2019 were among children under 15 years and adults over 70 years, according to the Global Burden of Disease.

A growing body of evidence has also linked exposure during pregnancy to an increased risk of stillbirth; of the two million cases recorded each year, around half are thought to be directly caused by air pollution.

And its not just health.

The World Bank estimates that the global economic cost of air pollution-related disease exceeds trillions of dollars annually.

In the UK, the toll on the NHS is thought to be around 20 billion every year, according to the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London.

But although the developed world certainly suffers, air pollution has gotten much better over the past century. In Britain, emissions of particulate matter have fallen by around 80 per cent since 1950.

There are several reasons. The evolution of fuel standards for car emissions over the past few decades marks a notable triumph; compared to vehicles manufactured in the 1960s, modern cars have about a 95 per cent reduction in tailpipe pollutants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.

EU directives on emissions and similar policies in other developed nations have helped businesses reduce pollution, and the elimination of lead and drastic reductions in sulphur levels from industry has also helped significantly.

Economic advancement has also meant people in regions such as Europe and America no longer cook or heat their homes using solid fuels like wood and charcoal  a major source of indoor air pollution.

Despite these major improvements, around 98 per cent of Europeans still live in areas the WHO says have unhealthy levels of PM2.5, contributing to around 400,000 premature deaths in the region each year.

Yet low and middle-income countries are grappling with the worst effects, accounting for 89 per cent of global morbidity, says the WHO.

In the developing world, populations are booming: the majority of children born over the next century  77 per cent  will be in the most resource-limited regions of the world, with over half, around 40 million, born in sub-Saharan Africa.

Industrialisation and urbanisation have increased industrial activities and infrastructure development  from factories to power plants  and are two of the biggest factors causing heightened emissions.

Weak environmental regulations and enforcement further exacerbate the problem, allowing industries to operate without proper emission controls.

For example, agricultural practices such as stubble burning  where leftover crop residue is burned to clear fields after harvesting, pushing vast amounts of toxic black carbon into the air  is banned in much of Europe and North America, but commonplace across Asia and Africa.

Last year, around 38 per cent of New Delhis pollution was attributed to stubble-burning activities in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

In low and middle-income countries, lessening the burden of air pollution doesnt always make it to the top of the list in terms of budgetary priorities, explained Christi Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss company responsible for monitoring air pollution levels globally.

The worlds top three most polluted countries  Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India  are all located in South Asia. The region is also responsible for the worlds 10 most air-polluted cities.

But Africa is not far behind. The continents worst affected countries  Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo  all place in the top 10 most air-polluted nations on the planet, with more African nations expected to join the list over the next decade.

Whilst industrialisation, poor regulation, and a boom in vehicle ownership all play a huge role in outdoor pollution, the developing world also grapples with the added burden of indoor pollutants.

Around 2.3 billion people  mostly located in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia  still cook, heat, and light their homes using solid fuels like wood, charcoal, and kerosene. This domestic air pollution kills more than 3.8 million every year in the global south.

When you burn a solid fuel, it easily produces 20 to 30 times higher amount of air pollution indoors  meaning that people are much more exposed in the home, explained Dr Peter Kahung Chan, Senior Environmental Epidemiologist at the University of Oxford.

In poorly ventilated homes, indoor smoke can have levels of fine particles 100 times higher than acceptable, according to the WHO. Women and children, typically responsible for household chores, bear the greatest health burden.

Natural sources of pollution like sand and dust also cause significant problems, in both developing and developed countries.

Just last week, a dust storm from the Sahara desert blew into southern and eastern Europe, leaving countries including Greece and Malta with a temporary spike in PM.2  around 10 times the WHOs recommended level  according to Copernicus, the EUs air monitoring service.

While much remains to be understood, the assumption among experts is that natural particles like dust and sand can have the same detrimental effects on health as man-made pollutants, explained Dr Jonathon Griggs, Professor of Paediatric Respiratory and Environmental Medicine at Queen Mary University.

Climate change is set to exacerbate the problem.

As temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, many regions are becoming more arid and desert-like.

As the Sahara pushes further south, Central and North African countries are beginning to suffer from the fallout.

In 2022, Chad, covered in large part by the Sahara desert, surprised the world by ranking as the most polluted country on earth, with an air particulate matter rate 18 times higher than what the WHO considers safe.

Respiratory illness is already the leading cause of death in Chad, and more than two children die from pneumonia every hour, accounting for nearly a quarter of all child deaths.

Forest fires, which worldwide are burning nearly twice as much tree cover today as they did 20 years ago, are another major source of outdoor air pollution, releasing toxins like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides into the air  both toxic to human health.

In Northern California, deaths due to PM2.5 exposure rose by up to 16 per cent during the states large wildfires in 2020.

In global terms, air pollution is falling. But the rate is nowhere near fast enough to mitigate its effects, argues Dr Chan.

In the worlds poorest regions, its effects are catastrophic. In the worlds richest, they are less severe  but levels are still too high to not deem it a public health crisis.

Dr Schroeder and her team at IQAir are advocating for better global monitoring as a first step in bridging the air pollution gap between rich and poor countries.

There are currently around 30,000 censors worldwide, but they are concentrated in high-income countries.

For example, while New York City has 30 stations tracking its PM2.5 levels, the whole of Mali has just two. Others like Malawi and Sudan have none.

The fact of the matter is, there is so little air quality monitoring done in places like Africa right now that we dont know what we dont know, said Schroeder.

The top priority right now is to bridge the gap in monitoring, because nothing can be done until you know what the current state of things is.

Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security

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A recount will take place Friday in the race between incumbent Daniel Williams, left, and Brandon Alvarado for Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4. After provisional and mail ballots were included Thursday, Williams leads Alvarado by three votes.

A Lake Wales City Commission election is headed for a recount on Friday.

First-term incumbent Daniel Williams lead over challenger Brandon Alvarado in the Seat 2 race increased to three votes after Thursdays meeting of the Lake Wales Canvassing Board. The boards three members  Mayor Jack Hilligoss and City Commissioners Robin Gibson and Keith Thompson  reviewed six potential ballots that had not been counted in Tuesdays election and determined that four were valid.

Three of the new votes went to Williams, while Alvarado received one.

Six ballots had been returned by mail but not counted because their envelopes lacked signatures or bore signatures that did not match those on record or because of questions about the voters eligibility.

Of those six, three voters attempted to cure the ballots by responding to notices from the Supervisor of Elections Office, Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek said during Thursdays meeting. Nanek shared the three ballots with the board members, who unanimously voted to accept all of them.

The Canvassing Board then considered three ballots cast provisionally at polling stations on Tuesday. Elections Office workers designate ballots as provisional if a voter fails to produce photo identification or if there is another reason to question the voters eligibility.

Before passing those ballots to the board members, Nanek shared the recommendations on each from the Supervisor of Elections Office. One was set aside through an administrative error and should be counted, while the other two voters were not registered, according to the recommendations.

The board voted unanimously to accept the first and reject the other two.

At that point, Nanek opened envelopes to count the results: three new votes for Williams and one for Alvarado. That left Williams with an unofficial total of 942, compared with 939 for Alvarado. A third candidate for Seat 2, Crystal Higbee, collected 347 votes.

After Tuesdays counting, Williams had led by a single vote over Alvarado, 939 to 939.

at Florida Poly Gov. Ron DeSantis touts highway projects in Polk County appearance

Under Florida law, a machine recount automatically occurs if the margin between the top two candidates is less than or equal to 0.5% of the total votes. With the updated numbers, Williams lead is 0.13% of the 2,228 votes cast.

The recount, conducted by the Lake Wales Canvassing Board, will take place Friday at 11 a.m. at the Supervisors of Elections headquarters in Winter Haven. A public viewing area will be available, Nanek said.

When the margin is 0.25% or less of total votes, state law dictates that a manual recount also take place. The manual recount only considers ballots with overvotes or undervotes, not all that were cast.

Those are ballots not counted because a scanning machine read them as having either no mark or more than one oval marked for the Seat 2 race. Ballots can also be outstacked because they are damaged, said Rachel Harris, a spokesperson for the Supervisor of Elections Office.

The Supervisor of Elections Office has conducted seven recounts in local races since 2016, Harris said.

Nanek read the names of the voters as the Canvassing Board considered whether to accept the ballots. She said she had mixed the ballots into a different order before calling out the results, so that it would not be obvious which candidate each voter had chosen.

Gibson discussed the review of ballots in his comments at Wednesdays City Commission meeting. He said that if the race winds up in a tie, Lake Wales must follow a state law that directs such races to be determined by chance. The statute does not specify the method for breaking the tie.

If a recount results in a tie, Nanek said it will be up to City Attorney Chuck Galloway to decide whether to flip a coin or use another tactic to settle the outcome.

Gibson lamented that Lake Wales charter does not call for runoff elections in races in which no candidate receives a majority of votes. He said he has long advocated for runoffs and would continue to do so. Gibson said he has researched the matter and found that the cost of runoff elections is not a deterrent.

I sure wish we had a runoff in this race, Gibson said. There were plenty of votes cast for a third party, and those votes would have made the difference, and the difference would be made by our citizens, as opposed to the potential for a coin flip, which is obnoxious to me.

Other cities in Polk County hold runoff elections when a race fails to produce a winner with a majority of the votes cast. Lakeland has held runoff elections for its City Commission, and Haines City will stage a runoff April 30 between Kim Downing and Clarence Daniels, the top two vote-getters out of four this week in the Seat 4 race for the City Commission.

The Lake Wales City Commission would need to revise the city charter to order runoff elections for races without a majority winner.

Williams, a pastor, was elected in 2021 to Seat 2. The commissioner must live in the eastern part of the city, though voting takes place citywide. Alvarado, 27, is the chief administrative officer for a construction company and is making his first run for office.

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: Recount set for Friday in tight Lake Wales city commission race
What time is the solar eclipse in Michigan? Search your city here.

Most of Michigan won't fall in the path of totality, but some communities in the southeast corner of the state are along the edge of the path. Here are viewing times for the partial eclipse in locations across Michigan.

We are just days away from April 8, when the 2024 solar eclipse will cross the continental United States, including a very small portion of Michigan. An expected 34 million Americans will witness the celestial show within the path of totality, though most around the country will be able to experience it in some form.

And as we get closer, we're learning a little bit more about what the experience will be like, including the predicted path of totality and what the weather forecast could be (Long story short: If you get any sort of break in the clouds between roughly 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., you'll be able to view at least a partial eclipse).

Wherever you are in Michigan, the distance between your location and the path of totality will determine how much of the sun will be covered by the moon.

Use our solar eclipse resources below, including the ZIP code locator and chart of Michigan cities, to determine when the eclipse is in your area.

When is the 2024 solar eclipse near me? What time is the eclipse in Michigan?

Use our ZIP code locator below to find out when the 2024 solar eclipse is in your area, from start to finish, and what you can expect it to look like.

Can't see our graphics? Try this page.

The April 8, 2024 solar eclipse will start in northern Mexico before making its way into the United States, starting when the shadow of the moon passes into Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT.

The eclipse will carve a path straight through Texas before heading northeast through the rest of the country, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. That also includes a small section of southeastern Monroe County in Michigan.

Solar eclipse 2024 path

When is the 2024 eclipse in Michigan?

The April 8, 2024 eclipse begins at approximately 1:55 p.m. in Michigan, depending on your location. In Detroit, it begins at 1:58 p.m. Totality takes place between 3:10-3:15 p.m. The partial eclipse will end at approximately 4:24-4:27 p.m., again depending on your exact location.

Most of Michigan doesn't fall in the path of totality, but assuming skies are clear at any point, you can still see the moon crossing the sun with eclipse glasses or a safe eclipse viewer.

There's one small sliver of Monroe County, near Toledo, that's expected to be in the path of totality. This means the area will likely dim and temperatures drop a few degrees as the moon's shadow covers the sun.

Here's when you can expect to view the eclipse from your city or area. (Can't see the chart below? Tap here.)

Countdown to the 2024 solar eclipse

USA Today contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What time is the 2024 solar eclipse in Michigan?
What time is the total solar eclipse on April 8? Search your ZIP code for a viewing guide

The entire country will be able to see the eclipse as the path of totality will move across Texas, then cover portions of the Midwest, East Coast and touch southeast Canada before it moves out to sea.

Get ready for a spectacular show: A total solar eclipse will occur above the U.S. on the afternoon of April 8.

Most Americans will be able to see it in some form, but the distance between your location and the path of totality will determine how much of the sun will be covered by the moon. Many places in the U.S.  Rochester, N.Y., Cleveland, and Austin, Texas, to name a few  will see a total eclipse, in which the sun is completely obscured. Other locations will see a partial eclipse. Search for your ZIP code below or select a major city to reveal the time, duration, peak and percentage of the eclipse in your area.

2024 solar eclipse news: Surprising early cloud forecast; 10 days to get eclipse glasses

What to know about the solar eclipse: time, how long it will last, what it will look like

Can't see our graphics? Click here to reload the page.

When is the solar eclipse?

On April 8 the moon will travel along the path of totality in North America starting in northern Mexico. The shadow of the moon will pass into Texas a little before 1:30 p.m. local time. It will then cover portions of the Midwest and East Coast and touch southeast Canada before it moves out to sea, according to NASA.

Learn more: What is the path of totality for the total solar eclipse? Follow as it crosses the US.

Lea en Espanol: Cual es la trayectoria de totalidad del eclipse solar total? Siga mientras cruza Mexico y los EE. UU.

How do I know solar eclipse glasses are safe? How can I view the eclipse safely without glasses?

If you buy or are given eclipse glasses, be sure they are made by companies the American Astronomical Society has certified as safe.

NASA does not certify glasses, so be wary of any manufacturers claiming that to have the space agency's approval.

Eclipse glasses should all have the "ISO" (International Organization for Standardization) icon. The glasses also must have the ISO reference number 12312-2.

If you cannot find certified glasses, there are other ways to view the eclipse, including with a shadow box you can make yourself. Whatever you do, don't look at the sun without proper protection.

Learn more: What happens if you look at a solar eclipse? A viewing guide for this year's sky show.

Lea en Espanol: Que pasa si miras un eclipse solar? Una guia para ver el espectaculo celeste de este ano.

How does an eclipse work? How often do eclipses occur? Where can I learn more about the science?

A total eclipse occurs when the moon appears the same size as the sun and blocks the entire disk, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes. The resulting "totality," when observers can see the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, confuses animals  nocturnal creatures stir, and bird and insects fall silent.

Learn more: A total solar eclipse will cross the US in April: Here's where and when to see it

Lea en Espanol: El eclipse solar total cruzara EE. UU. en Abril: donde y cuando verl

Contributing: Janet Loehrke, Javier Zarracina and Shawn J. Sullivan

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is the solar eclipse? User our interactive map to search your area
The tiny town of Colebrook is bracing for an extreme influx in tourists as eclipse chasers come from far and wide to see the first total solar eclipse in New Hampshire since 1959.

Colebrook is one of the small communities in the northern part of the state that is in the path of totality, meaning the sun will be completely obscured by the moon. This is likely to last for about 3 minutes around 3:29 p.m. Monday, April 8.

Colebrook has a population of just over 2,100, according to Census estimates for 2022. But on the day of the eclipse, it could swell to the tens of thousands.

Totally into totality: Eclipse lovers will travel anywhere to chase shadows on April 8

It could be, in addition to those lodging, tens of thousands of people coming into the area and that could possibly be the largest influx of personnel that weve ever seen in that part of the state, Colebrook Town Manager Tim Stevens said at a press conference Friday.

Stevens was joined by Gov. Chris Sununu, Director of Travel and Tourism Lori Harnois, Department of Transportation Commissioner William Cass, and McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery center Executive Director Jeanne Gerulskis, where they discussed solar eclipse plans, from safety plans to traffic concerns.

"This is a rare opportunity to get outside and enjoy, said Gerulskis. The next solar eclipse is 2079, and I dont know about you but I probably won't be here, unless they figure out how to download my brain to a robot's body.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu wearing ISO certified eclipse glasses Friday, April 5, 2024 at an event in Concord promoting the total eclipse coming Monday.

New Hampshires North Country braces for the eclipse

Colebrook is not the only town bracing for a huge inundation of eclipse fanatics. The eclipses path of totality will pass through towns in the north country from Lancaster north to the Canadian border. Other towns include Dixville Notch, Pittsburg and Errol.

The deluge of people may cause some problems in northern New Hampshire, which is prepared for snowmobilers in the winter and hunters in the summer, but not umbraphiles (eclipse chasers).

April is usually a quiet time of year for the region, when snow gives way to mud season. But this year, Harnois said, the 10,000 rooms available in the Great North Woods tourism region are sold out. That number doesnt include day travelers or people coming up to stay with friends or family in the region.

The number one question that we've been getting throughout this whole process is, 'How many people are coming in?'" said Harnois. It's a really difficult question to answer. There's lots of variables that go into that.

She said officials have encouraged eclipse visitors to come early, but there are still many unknown factors like who will do a day trip and the weather.

Stevens said hes been getting calls from people in Rhode Island, Eastern Massachusetts, and Eastern Maine.

The path of totality is a lot more phenomenal than not being in the path of totality, he said. Its gonna be a lot.

Traffic, parking, and safety concerns

Another complication is the nor'easter that hit the region this past week.

We did have about a foot of snow dumped out there over the last day and a half, Stevens said. But even with that were still not canceling the eclipse!

Colebrook Town Manager Tim Stevens talks about the small town's preparations for eclipse tourists.

However, the snow adds another complication to safe viewing areas, parking, and roads. Stevens said while people might feel inspired to hike out to the middle of a field or walk out on an ice-covered lake, he said neither are safe.

A foot of snow covers mud in fields, where people and vehicles could get stuck with limited numbers of tow trucks in the area to save them. Ice on the lakes is not thick enough to support people. While Colebrook is setting up aid stations around town and has a hospital nearby, resources will still be limited in a town that has never seen this many visitors.

Maj. David Walsh of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said that people should not try to hike up the mountains to watch the eclipse, describing trail conditions as brutal with deep snow.

If you want to enjoy the mountains, book another trip, he said.

There is also limited parking in the region and only a few main roads. Officials urged visitors to use designated parking lots, rather than risk getting stuck in mud at the side of the road. Colebrook has a list of authorized parking areas on the town's website.

Cass said visitors should only use major travel roads, and keep minor roads to local traffic only. He and other officials encouraged the eclipse chasers to come early and stay late to avoid overcrowding the roads, many of which are only one lane each way and not designed to handle this type of unprecedented event. Cass said people can check real-time traffic updates at newengland511.org.

Pack your patience, said Sununu.

More: The April total solar eclipse could snarl traffic for hours across thousands of miles

Weather forecast is sunny

New Hampshire is not known for being sunny in April: historical weather data gives Colebrook a 52% chance of clear skies. But Mondays weather forecast called for sun as of Friday.

This gives visitors a great chance to see the eclipse, but it also means the state is anticipating an even greater amount of visitors.

There are folks from across the country that want to see totality, right, and they have 13 different states to choose from. One of the issues is that it looks like the weather in the southern half of the United States is not going to be great, said Sununu. I got a call from someone in Texas yesterday saying they were flying into Boston, and should they come to New Hampshire or Burlington, Vermont or Maine to see it.

However, he emphasized, if people give themselves time to get up and back down in the state, New Hampshire has the resources to handle the influx in people.

Despite their warnings, all of the officials encouraged everyone to be excited and to enjoy what Harnois called a once-in-a-lifetime event.

New Hampshire is very lucky. We're only one of 13 states in America that are going to see this total solar eclipse, said Harnois.

For more information, like where to go to watch the eclipse, parking and medical station maps, and educational resources, Harnois said to go to nhsolareclipse.com.

Tourism opportunity for NH could go beyond eclipse on April 8

Sununu said he expects New Hampshire to be one of the top destinations in the New England region for the rare event. It will bring higher levels of tourism to the state during a time thats usually a lull, and he plugged New Hampshires tax free status.

You can sit in your car and in traffic, or you can visit a restaurant and one of our tax-free stores and enjoy all the economic opportunity that New Hampshire has to offer, he said.

Stevens said he has held presentations for local businesses in Colebrook to ensure theyre stocked up and ready for the flood of tourists.

Harnois said its a great opportunity for those outside of the state to see New Hampshire and hopefully book another vacation.

Sununu said the state has been working with local communities and businesses to make sure that one moment on Monday afternoon goes as smooth as possible.

Seacoast eclipse watch parties April 8: Here's where and when

On April 8, the Portsmouth Public Library is hosting a watch party with eclipse activities and trivia prior to the peak of the eclipse around 3:30 p.m.

You will have the option of watching the eclipse live from the field beside the library or inside the Levenson Community Room where we will show the NASA live stream on the large screen, the librarys event description notes.

Two hundred pairs of free eclipse glasses will be available at the event, which lasts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Registration for the event is not required.

The Dover Public Library is offering a similar watch party to view the partial eclipse outdoors on April 8. The Garrison City is expected to see the moon blocking 95% of the sun during the event.

Snacks, crafts and music will all be part of the fun, as we view this rare phenomena together. Bring a lawn chair, grab a snack and eclipse glasses, or make a viewfinder, and discover and explore with us, the library says.

The event at 73 Locust St. will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The lawn in front of the picturesque Thompson Hall clock tower at the University of New Hampshire in Durham is expected to be teeming with students, faculty and staff waiting for the peak of the partial eclipse next Monday.

The school is having its own watch party on the lawn, with certified eclipse glasses designed by a university student available for use during the event. The schools watch party will also be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

One of the schools two Wildcat mascots, Wild E. Cat, will pose for photos with guests as the states flagship university counts down to the eclipse.

There wont be another chance to view a total eclipse like this over North America for decades, per the universitys event announcement.

Ian Lenahan contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: New Hampshire to welcome eclipse chaser to path of totality
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  There have been nearly 38 convicted child rapists in Tennessee on average the last 10 years. If it were up to House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), all of them would potentially be up for the death penalty.

This year, he sponsored a bill to allow the death penalty in cases of child rape. Recently, it passed the key Senate Judiciary Committee by a single vote.

Some Republicans have privately expressed frustration that the bill is a bit of a poison pill. Either theyre forced to vote what some see as soft on child rapists, or theyre forced to vote for a bill the U.S. Supreme Court sees as unconstitutional and one that likely comes with a hefty price tag.

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

Its a good bill, Lamberth said when asked about it by reporters Thursday. I dont say that just because its my name at the top of it.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1977 that it was considered cruel and unusual punishment, which is a violation of the Eighth Amendment.

The real question everybody should be asking is, Is the death penalty truly a deterrent? House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said.

But the House Majority Leader is hoping the high court reconsiders, following a similar law that lawmakers passed in Florida.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

There was a U.S. Supreme Court decision that found that those laws are unconstitutional in large part because there werent very many states that still had them on the books, Lamberth said.

Democrats also pushed that the death penalty has been a source of racial inequality since its inception.

We know still today that if youre poor or a person of color, then youre not going to get equal justice, Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) said. We know that there is no equity in the way that the law is applied.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Famed for her bold investment strategies targeting disruptive companies, Cathie Wood and her company ARK Invest have carved out a niche in the financial world. While ARK's exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer diversified exposure to various industries, its core holdings often revolve around a select group of innovative companies.

For investors seeking high-growth options and looking to take a page out of the Cathie Wood investing playbook, three companies embody her investment philosophy and may be deserving of a spot in your portfolio today: Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN), Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD), and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA).

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Coinbase

Few other technologies embody the key characteristics that Wood and her company look for -- such as innovation and disruption -- like blockchains and cryptocurrencies. While ARK Invest is a big supporter of Bitcoin, the world's most valuable cryptocurrency, the firm's top holding is Coinbase, according to Morningstar.

Although investing in Coinbase could be a timely opportunity since crypto is building momentum for another bull market, the long-term potential is what's most alluring. In the last couple of years, Coinbase underwent a dramatic transformation.

Previously, the company derived more than 90% of its revenue from transaction fees. But now, it boasts a diversified revenue model that caters to retail and institutional investors. Today, transaction fees only account for about 55% of total revenue.

Coinbase is in the middle of an international expansion strategy and has released its very own blockchain. The company is providing key services to the majority of the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that recently launched. It's making money in virtually every way possible.

As crypto continues evolving and proliferating in financial markets, Coinbase is an ideal proxy to ride the waves of this momentum. The stock is still more than 30% off its highs. Considering that Coinbase barely resembles the company it once was, it's no wonder it's ARK Invest's No. 1 holding.

2. Robinhood

While Coinbase has become the premier platform for all things crypto, Robinhood is becoming the go-to platform for all things finance. It initially started as an app to simplify investing, but the company has significantly expanded its product offerings during the past year.

Now, Robinhood offers subscription plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) that offer a 3% match for Robinhood Gold members, savings accounts, and even a new credit card that boasts 3% cash back on all purchases. It also allows users to trade a handful of cryptocurrencies.

Story continues

To quantify the potential for Robinhood, consider that total assets under custody are at an all-time high while its monthly active users remain at just over 10 million, half of its peak of 21.3 million. In other words, there are fewer Robinhood users today, yet more money is under custody.

With fewer users but more assets on its platform, Robinhood can generate more revenue per user through interest on customer cash and margin lending while exploring additional monetization avenues and enhancing customer loyalty. This strategic advantage strengthens the platform's financial position, resilience, and potential for long-term growth and profitability.

Even with its stock up more than 40% in 2024 so far, Robinhood's robust lineup of products will attract more users looking for a variety of financial products beyond trading. Best of all, as younger demographics come of investing age, Robinhood's simple and smooth app may become the de facto standard for people looking to explore the world of Wall Street and step up their personal finance games.

3. Tesla

It's been tough sledding for Tesla during the past year. As the electric-vehicle (EV) market has shown signs of slowing, Tesla's industry-leading profits have returned to earth from their previous astronomical levels.

After Tesla missed sales projections in Q1 2024, Wood doubled down on her confidence in the company. As she sees it, Tesla is the ideal company for investors looking to invest in future technologies -- specifically, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and autonomous driving.

In a recent appearance on CNBC, Wood stood by her previous estimate that Tesla will reach a price of $2,000 per share. That would be a monumental increase of more than 1,000% and make Tesla the most valuable company in the world, based on today's numbers.

Although the coming year might be lackluster for Tesla -- a reality that even management acknowledged on its recent earnings call -- it's Tesla's long-term vision that makes it attractive. Most notably, it's making considerable progress in its pursuit of autonomous driving. Once solved, this will pave the way for what Wood believes could generate up to $10 trillion in revenue by 2030 -- robo-taxis.

With a self-driving taxi fleet, Tesla could transform its bottom line and revolutionize how we travel. According to Wood, this would make it "one of the most important investment opportunities of our lifetimes."

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Grant Shapps, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt are trying to win over the new Tory election candidates

The message pinged into inboxes shortly before Christmas.

A massive congratulations on being selected for your respective constituencies, read the opening welcome of the email, sent to people newly picked as Tory candidates for the general election.

And then: I wanted to get in touch on behalf of SoS Defence Grant Shapps (my boss), regarding an online session hes putting on.

Mr Shapps, as the man overseeing the nations Armed Forces, had a packed brief back then: the escalating Israel-Gaza conflict and helping Ukraine fight off Russias invasion, to name but two.

But the long-time Cabinet minister, who has run for the Conservative Party leadership once and is said to be eyeing up a second go, had managed to find time to brief the would-be Tory MPs.

The message from the Shapps aide went on: Hes had a few positions in Parliament since his election in 2005  including party chairman, so hes played vital roles in helping orchestrate some successful campaigns.

The session hes hosting will be a great chance for everyone to talk shop on all things campaigns and strategy, and for him to share some pointers so were in as good a position as possible for next years election!

The email was all above board, just an experienced colleague seeking to pass on his political advice. But to the ear of one recipient with a history of running Tory leadership contests it had the ring of a man with higher ambitions on his mind.

It is Tory MPs who whittle leadership contenders down to the final two before the members pick a new party leader. Anyone who has supported new MPs to get elected might hope to then have their support when it comes time for a leadership contest.

Mr Shapps, it turns out, is not alone. An array of prominent Tories tipped by colleagues to seek the crown when it becomes available have been courting their partys new election candidates.

Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister who is championing a tougher border policy after quitting his old ally Rishi Sunaks Cabinet in December, has met or talked to dozens of them.

Penny Mordaunt, the House of Commons leader and one of the favourites on current odds, has written letters offering to connect candidates to donors or raise their causes in the Chamber.

And then there is one of the partys most famous names who is said to want to be kingmaker as she spearheads the new populist Right: Liz Truss, who has been holding drinks events.

The activity, as is so often true in the build-up to past leadership contests, can be seen in an innocent light. Just wiser heads helping out newbies, it is said. All for the good of the party.

But the political incentive for anyone who wants to succeed Mr Sunak as the next Tory leader to schmooze the partys new parliamentary candidates is as plain as day.

The last general election in 2019 saw 109 new Tory MPs. That was close to a third of the total.

The number after the next election will likely be far fewer, given the state of the opinion polls. But even so, some new Tory MPs, such as those taking over safe seats from retiring Conservatives, will arrive.

Those votes could be critical if Mr Sunak makes it to the election, oversees a defeat and then quits as leader, triggering a contest.

MPs rumoured to have leadership ambitions have frequently sent messages to Tories after they are finally selected as a candidate for the general election.

A whole host of supportive offers were made in a letter by Ms Mordaunt sent to Tory prospective parliamentary candidates around Christmas and seen by The Telegraph.

Help raising money was offered: I have been doing as many fundraisers as possible around the country and am also planning a number in London to help raise funds for target seats.

I am also hosting some events between candidates and donors. There is no need for you to do anything, my team will be in touch when we have opportunities for you.

As was the promotion of pet projects: I am always keen to raise issues and highlight good work going on in your community on the floor of the House.

Many MPs use Business Questions on a Thursday in the Commons to do that, and often praise community campaigners and councillors etc to get their achievements on record. If there are particular issues  positive or negative  you wish to highlight, please do feel free to let me know about them.

The letter ended with do let me know if there is anything I can do to support you and a swish of a black pen creating a Penny signature, first name only.

Mr Shapps, Ms Mordaunt and Ms Truss have all set up WhatsApp groups with new Tory candidates.

A member of one group summed up the activity: Its like: this announcements happened today, this is how you might want to spin it, this is a useful thing you might want to say on social media, p.s. guys, let me know if you want me to say anything at the Despatch Box.

Rishi Sunak and Ben Bradley, the East Midlands mayoral candidate, campaign in Derbyshire - Darren Staples/PA

Some of those seeking to become Tory MPs for the first time who talked to this newspaper sensed the offers of help and advice had more behind them than pure altruism.

One dubbed the WhatsApp groups an attempt to create supportive little influencers.

Another said the candidates themselves have realised they could turn the interest to their advantage, dangling a carrot of possible future support in return for favours.

But the approaches are not universally welcomed. A third Tory candidate said: We know that to win we have to unify. This is obvious. So we are not happy if MPs are not unified.

Such behaviour will come as a little surprise to Downing Street. When a governing party is 20 percentage points behind its main rival with an election round the corner it is inevitable.

Boris Johnson liked to tell aides that almost every Tory MP at almost every moment has half an eye on how they could become leader, an insight based on personal experience.

Which makes the engagement from Ms Truss  some candidates say its the most intensive  all the more intriguing.

The last Conservative Party annual conference was the trigger for the tactic.

An email from Ms Truss to some new candidates in 2023 offered congratulations, shared a recent speech defending her seven-week premiership and said perhaps well bump into each other at party conference.

One Tory candidate said they had been invited to Ms Trusss conference hotel room where she had been hosting drinks, but declined to attend.

Few think Ms Truss believes she can be leader again. But could she be positioning herself at the head of the new Popular Conservatives group in the hope of returning to the shadow cabinet after the election?

Ms Trusss attendance at the former Ukip leader Nigel Farages 60th birthday in April raised eyebrows.

Some of her former aides believe Priti Patel, another Tory seen socialising with Mr Farage in the past year, is Ms Trusss favoured leadership candidate.

Christmas appears to have been the point when activity stepped up. Come next Christmas, the Tory leadership race may well be upon us.

Do not expect the fawning letters and private invitations to slow up any time soon.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The total solar eclipse is just 3 days away: Where will clouds, storms spoil the view?

We're in the home stretch now: North America's much-ballyhooed total eclipse of the sun is now just a mere three days away.

The total eclipse will pass over parts of roughly a dozen U.S. states as it moves from Texas to Maine on the afternoon of April 8. Millions of people are expected to travel to see it, which will also attract scientists from across the country to study its unique effects on the Earth and its atmosphere.

The full total solar eclipse experience will plunge people along a narrow path into darkness midday, but people outside the path of totality can still use eclipse glasses (maybe free eclipse glasses) to see the moon pass in front of the sun.

That is, if clouds don't get in the way.

Hawks and wind turbines spin lazy circles in the air near Trent, Texas, as a partial eclipse of the sun makes for a unique sunset June 10, 2002.

Where are clear skies most likely?

Within the path of totality, the best chances for clear viewing are in "northern New England and from southern Missouri to central Indiana," the Weather Prediction Center said Friday.

The National Weather Service forecast office in Burlington, Vermont, said "sky cover is still looking mostly sunny for eclipse day on Monday." In New York State, the Albany office confirmed the good forecast: "We have good news for those wishing to view the eclipse. Very pleasant spring weather conditions arrive just in time for the start of the new work week and the day of the Great North American Solar Eclipse."

Where might clouds spoil the view?

Based on past weather patterns, the Hill Country of Texas was supposed to be the ideal location for eclipse viewing: Texas' typically sunny weather, major cities such as Austin and San Antonio that are ready for tourists, and location under the path of totality all combined to make it an easy recommendation for people willing to travel.

But those hopes appear to be dashed as of Friday.

The National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio said that widespread clouds are likely in that part of Texas Monday afternoon, and that "for now eclipse viewability through the cloud cover is expected to be poor."

In addition to clouds, AccuWeather says that portions of Texas will have to endure stormy weather on Monday: "Showers and drenching thunderstorms can occur across east Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley on Monday and slowly move northward into southern Oklahoma later in the day and night. Some of the heavier storms can produce flooding, hail, and brief strong wind gusts."

What about around the Great Lakes?

Elsewhere, the Weather Prediction Center said that "cloud cover in the path of totality is also possible for portions of Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, and far western New York."

The weather service in Cleveland offered a modicum of hope: "Exact details for the April 8, 2024 eclipse remain uncertain, although confidence is medium to high that the area will not experience completely opaque/overcast skies."

Melissa Cheatwood, from Baltimore, Maryland, gazes up as the August 2017 eclipse enters totality in Charleston, S.C.

What time is the solar eclipse?

The eclipse will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT and end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. EDT, but the exact time of the eclipse varies by where you are in its path. You can search by zip code to find the exact time for your location.

Mondays solar eclipse path of totality may not be exact

A new map is projecting that the path of totality for Monday's solar eclipse may be narrower than experts previously believed. But if you're right on the edge of the path, don't go changing your plans just yet.

New amateur calculations suggest that widely-accepted path could be off by as much as just a few hundred yards. The potential shift in the eclipse's path is so miniscule, in fact, that a NASA spokesperson told the Detroit Free Press that the U.S. space agency won't be making any alterations to its own calculations.

So, even if the new calculation is more accurate, its unlikely to matter much for most of the millions of skygazers who hope to witness the first total solar eclipse in North America in seven years.

The new eclipse calculations come courtesy of John Irwin, a member of the team of amateur astronomers analyzing the celestial event for the Besselian Elements.

But don't fret too much: Not only is the new analysis not yet peer-reviewed, but NASA told the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that its predictions have not changed.

However, NASA spokesman Tiernan Doyle acknowledged "a tiny but real uncertainty about the size of the sun" could lead to a narrower eclipse path.

The solar eclipse 2024 path of totality crossing the United States

More celestial wonders on the way: 'Devil comet,' Lyrid meteor shower, pink moon also visible in April

The eclipse isn't the only sky spectacle to look forward to this month: From a "devil comet" to a stunning pink moon, a few other celestial events will give skygazers plenty of reason to look up in April once the total solar eclipse has come and gone Monday.

While the famed "devil comet" may be visible during the solar eclipse itself, astronomers say that the celestial body will be best sighted on April 21. That's the day that the comet, officially known as 12P/Pons-Brooks, will make its closest approach to the sun.

The comet earned its demonic nickname from its distinctive tail that resembles horns.

What astronomers have dubbed "the devil comet" could be visible from Earth during April's solar eclipse when it approaches the sun, and again in June when it will make its closest pass over Earth.

The Lyrid meteor shower will also make its annual appearance this month, with its peak on April 21-22. The Lyrids, one of the oldest-known meteor showers on record, has reliably peaked every year in late April like clockwork for thousands of years.

Finally, the full pink moon will rise in the evening sky on April 23. This month's full moon name comes from the moss pink wildflower that sprouts this time of year.

The so-called "pink moon" can be seen April 16, 2022 setting over the Fort Myers Beach pier.

Can you drive during a solar eclipse?

It's safe to drive during an eclipse as long as you don't look up at the sky. AAA is telling drivers to be focused on the road if they are operating a car during the total solar eclipse.

The automobile insurance company is advising Americans who want to safely view the total eclipse to find a safe place to park and then wear your eclipse glasses to view the eclipse.

Authorities are also reminding people to not drive while wearing solar eclipse glasses. Eclipse glasses are designed specifically for viewing an eclipse and you would not be able to see the road adequately while wearing them.

Owls may hoot and bats may fly during the eclipse, but don't expect coyotes to howl

We human beings are giddy with excitement for the upcoming eclipse on Monday, but what about the animals? It's safe to say they don't even know it's coming. How will they react when the moon blots out the sun and it gets dark?

"It will be a complete surprise to our wildlife, but we do know from other parts of the world some will assume it's nighttime all of a sudden," said Toni Mikula, a fish and wildlife scientist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife. "Birds hurrying to go to roost. Owls starting to hoot or you might see some bats come out. Three minutes later the sun will start to rise again. Everybody will go back to normal."

Mikula doesn't expect anything overly dramatic, like coyotes beginning to howl. But she'll be monitoring reactions near her home during the eclipse.

"I'm fortunate, I have a pretty good view of the sky from my house," Mikula said. "The state is encouraging people to stay home that day. I will be outside listening to see if any owls come out to hoot."

New York inmates who claimed lockdown was religious violation will be able to see eclipse

Inmates at a New York prison who sued the state corrections department over a planned lockdown during the eclipse will be able to see the celestial event after all.

The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York claimed that the lockdown, which would have prevented many statewide inmates from witnessing Monday's solar eclipse, constituted a violation of religious rights.

"For many, this eclipse is a moment of monumental religious significance that cannot be overlooked or dismissed out of hand," according to the lawsuit, which listed six plaintiffs of various religious faiths.

Corrections officials agreed Thursday to permit the plaintiffs  a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-Day Adventist, two practitioners of Santeria and an atheist  to view the eclipse in exchange for the lawsuit's dismissal, department spokesman Thomas Mailey told USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Solar eclipse 2024 updates: Where will clouds, storms spoil the view?
THE LATEST UPDATE: 'Mistake' or misconduct? After viral DUI body camera video, courtroom spectacle unfolds

Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell blasted a report that appeared online with a viral narrated body-camera video alleging an officer "planted" evidence on a man who was arrested on a DUI charge.

The trial of Calvin Riley Sr. began Friday morning, but in an official statement issued Thursday on social media, the police department said it "thoroughly reviewed" the case against him and found no evidence of officer misconduct.

"We are confident with the charges and we respect the judicial process and believe it is vital for a fair trial," the statement said. "Therefore, we will make the full video available for release after the trial has concluded."

On Thursday, the eve of trial, Assistant Public Defenders Eric Henely and Desiree Goodfellow filed a motion to dismiss the charges due to "egregious government conduct." The motion said the officers decision to open a liquor bottle and throw it back in the defendants car "lacks any reasonable explanation" and that the other officer who arrested him relied on that bottle as evidence of intoxication.

Judge Jason Jones denied the request to dismiss charges.

Calvin Riley Sr., right, and Assistant Public Defender Eric Henely wait outside a Leon County courtroom on Friday, April 5, 2024, ahead of his trial on a DUI charge. Riley's lawyers allege that a Tallahassee Police Department officer poured out a bottle of alcohol and planted it in his car the night of his arrest.

This is ultimately a decision that should be left to the jury, Jones said.

But while TPD defended the officer's investigation Thursday, Prosecutor Emma Hirschy said in her opening statement Friday that the officer made a mistake when she opened and dumped out a bottle of alcohol found in Rileys car. She argued it wasn't the main evidence that led to the arrest, and that Riley was already under arrest at that time.

Assistant Public Defender Desiree Goodfellow fired back in his own statement that Calvin Riley is innocent. This case involved an officer planting evidence. Im not going to sugar coat it. Police created a crime where none existed.

How the viral video surfaced

Our Tallahassee, a left-leaning and electioneering online outlet founded by Max Herrle, a political operative and former local lobbyist, posted edited video on its website and social media feeds of the May 7, 2023, arrest of Riley. It was viewed more than 2.5 million times on Twitter/X alone.

Herrle, who operates three state political committees and has campaign ties to City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter and County Commissioner Brian Welch, narrated the footage himself. The two-and-a-half-minute video, with the headline "TPD Officer Plants Evidence in DUI Arrest," shows an officer open a sealed bottle of what is purported to be alcohol, pour it out and throw it back in Riley's car during his arrest.

Tallahassee Police chief defends officer's actions, won't release unedited body camera till after trial

Revell said it was "reprehensible" that video "intended to sway a jury" was released, and in the way that it was. The Tallahassee Democrat requested a copy of the video before TPD isued its statement.

We are committed to adhering to and enforcing the law while conducting ourselves in an ethical and moral manner," Revell said. "Additionally, we condemn any attempts to manipulate or impede the judicial process as seen with the release of this video. We assure the public that we will continue to do our part to ensure justice is served while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency, and integrity."

The arrest report says Officer Kiersten Oliver stopped Riley after observing his white Mercedes driving around 2 a.m. on South Monroe Street "at a high rate of speed" and with no headlights on. Riley said he had been to Pockets, a local bar, where he'd had a couple of beers. His license was suspended, the report says, and he refused a field sobriety test.

Another officer who conducted the arrest wrote that the smell of alcohol came from the vehicle and that Riley had "extremely watery, bloodshot eyes" and "extremely thick and slurred" speech.

"A search of Riley's vehicle yielded a small (approximately 5 fluid ounces) bottle of vodka that was opened, in a pocket on the driver's seat cover," Officer Margaret Mueth wrote. "Located in the center console of the vehicle I observed there was as cup that smelled of an alcoholic beverage."

Later, while Mueth was taking him to jail, the report says Riley repeated numerous times that TPD "had only arrested him because he had gone to the club and had drinks." Court records show he has a history of citations for driving on a suspended license and other arrests, most more than a decade old.

Defense points to 'a fundamentally flawed stop and search'

The defense maintains the arrest was tainted by the officers actions.

"The bottle was open because Officer Oliver opened it," the defense motion says. "By engaging in that behavior, Officer Oliver irreparably tainted the stop. Nothing so far has suggested that any of the officers did anything to rectify this action. Rather, they turned off their cameras, arrested Mr. Riley, and handed him over to their partners at the State Attorney's Office for prosecution based on a fundamentally flawed stop and search."

Tallahassee Police Department Officer Kiersten Oliver takes the stand in the DUI trial of Calvin Riley Sr., on April 5, 2024. Oliver was the first witness called by Prosecutor Emma Hirschy in the state's case.

Matlow, who has long been at bitter odds with Revell and management at City Hall, called the footage "troubling to watch" in a post on X and said he will be requesting "a full review and explanation" of the incident by the city manager. He also said TPD's finding of no misconduct "without any explanation of what we can plainly see with our own eyes further strains credulity."

Bill Helmich, a GOP state committeeman, said in a tweet that he doesn't often agree with Matlow but that "he is right" in his take on the DUI arrest.

"Even the most basic review of that footage says that cop should be fired and case dropped," Helmich wrote.

State Attorney Jack Campbell and a TPD spokesperson did not return phone calls Thursday, but Public Defender Jessica Yeary issued a statement to the Democrat.

"We are aware that concerning body camera footage in this case has gained significant attention," Yeary said. "Our teams focus right now is to defend Mr. Riley to ensure that no further injustice is done to him."

One juror removed after he said TV news report changed his mind about the case

Judge Jones is presiding over the trial, which began at 9 a.m. Friday at the County Courthouse. A jury was picked on Tuesday, according to online court records.

Jones earlier ruled against a defense motion to suppress the bottle from evidence along with several statements Riley made on the other officer's body-worn camera. Both the defense and prosecution stipulated that his refusal to perform field sobriety tests will be excluded and that statements he made after Mueth's attempts to read him his Miranda rights will be admitted.

As the trial began Friday morning, two jurors said they saw coverage of the case in the media. Assistant State Attorney Emma Hirschy maintained we cant have a fair and impartial trial as a result. Assistant Public Defender Eric Henely argued otherwise.

The judge ultimately ruled the trial could proceed after striking one juror who saw a TV news report and said it had changed his mind about the case.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee police chief slams release of edited DUI video before trial
A claim by the internationally unrecognised state of Transnistria about a drone attack on a military unit has been described as a provocation by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU). [Transnistria is a breakaway state that is internationally recognised as part of Moldova  ed.]

Source: Andrii Yusov, representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in a comment to Suspilne

Details: Yusov said Ukraine had no involvement in this incident and would definitely "not waste valuable drones on such petty provocations".

Quote: "In general, we can say that there are some forces interested in destabilising the situation in the region, under the pretext of allegedly preparing Transnistria for an attack on Odesa. They are sowing panic and organising provocations, but the situation is being monitored and is under control."

Background:

Earlier on Friday, the so-called Ministry of State Security of unrecognised Transnistria claimed that a drone had supposedly attacked a military unit in the region.

The Moldovan Reintegration Bureau said that the competent authorities are analysing all the images and information that have emerged. It emphasised that a series of provocations are ongoing in the region. They are designed to sow panic and tension, and to draw attention to the region.

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Los Angeles cleaning crews in hazmat suits have cleaned out a 7-tonne mountain of rubbish at a city home known as the Trash House.

Sanitation workers started to shift huge piles of debris and garbage bags spilling out from a home in the Fairfax neighbourhood on Wednesday.

The move to haul all the trash away from the property, which can be seen entirely covering every inch of the yards outside it, came after fed-up neighbours demanded officials take action.

Neighbours told ABC7 that the smell has been getting increasingly worse, with one resident, Rebecca Yale, saying theyve noticed more flies and insects.

While neighbours have described the person who resides in the Trash House as a nice man, they are hoping the city can step in and give him some help, saying that the debris encasing his house could also pose a risk to the man, as it may be hard to access in an emergency, KTLA reported.

Officials said they would be offering support to the homeowner (KTLA 5)

Aside from the concerns of their neighbour, residents also told the outlet of the possible health risks lurking in the trash bags.

I dont really know whats in that so it could be anything. Probably stuff rotting, you know, attracting rats and all sorts of things. And then also maybe a fire hazard, one man told KTLA.

Local Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky responded to the neighbours pleas for authorities to step in and told the outlet her team would work with urgency to resolve the issue.

Private property owners have a responsibility to maintain public health standards, and we will make sure those laws are upheld, Ms Yaroslavsky told KTLA.

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety declared the property an "imminent public safety and health risk," giving city crews the authority to move the trash, ABC7 reported.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass toured the trash house on Wednesday (KTLA 5)

The effort to shift the giant haul of trash spilt over into Thursday and the crew estimated that around seven tonnes were removed at the end of the second day.

The objects included broken glass bottles, odorous food waste and even an old Toyota Celica car.

The homeowner spoke to KTLA, telling them he did not understand what was wrong with his home, and reportedly seemed confused and even upset whilst speaking to the city workers.

However, neighbours are finally relieved that the houses trash issue has been properly taken care of.

Its sad that its gotten this bad and its taken this long, Charlie Topial, a neighbour, told the outlet. I think it should have been taken care of years ago.

The home has been cited nearly two dozen times in the last 10 years over the bundles of stockpiled garbage bags, according to KTLA, adding that the house has been previously been cleared before in similar operations.

An old Toyota was even recovered among the moutains of trash bags (ABC7)

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the ordeal to the outlet as a tragedy after she learned about what was happening at this property in Fairfax.

This is awful and obviously, this has been developing for months, she said, with the Mayor also visiting the property herself on Wednesday morning as crews began their work.

Ms Bass added to ABC7 that she was So concerned about the gentleman that lived in this situation.

"Im horrified to think of what is happening inside that house."

Ms Yaroslavsky says the county is attempting to offer mental health services to the homeowner, according to the outlet.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Tropicana Las Vegas is planned to go up in dust via an implosion in late 2024, according to the demolition company that has imploded several Las Vegas Strip resorts before.

On Thursday, Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), confirmed to 8newsnow.com that CDI has received a written confirmation that we will be imploding the Tropicana structures later this year. He continued that there is a lot of ground to cover before we could provide specific information.

WATCH: Video history of Las Vegas implosions

Ballys Corporation, the operator of the 1950s relic, already announced that demolition would commence sometime in October without detailing how the two hotel towers would come down. Thursday morning, a spokesperson did not confirm the implosion decision and declined to comment.

Controlled Demolition, Inc. has decades of Las Vegas implosions under its belt, from The Landmark Hotel in 1995 to, most recently, the Riviera Hotel in 2016.

Ballys Corporation has a checklist of requirements to achieve prior to a potential implosion, such as securing dust control and asbestos abatement permits, creating crowd and traffic control plans, and even securing a special events permit. Several local and state entities would approve the implosion.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Some 102,000 spring Chinook salmon smolts destined for the Imnaha River by way of a tanker truck failed to reach their destination on March 29 when the tanker crashed next to Lookingglass Creek near the Lookingglass Hatchery in northeastern Oregon, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports. The location of the crash was, in a way, serendipitous. Almost 75 percent of the smolts landed in the creek, which is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River. Another 26,000 died in the incident. Some 26,000 salmon smolts died in the accident. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service An ODFW employee was driving the 53-foot truck when it rolled onto the passenger side after going around a tight curve in the road. The Union County Sheriffs department responded to the incident, during which the driver received minor injuries. Responders were also able to contain small amounts of diesel fuel from entering the waterway. Both the Grande Ronde and Imnaha Rivers are tributaries of the Snake River, which lessens the severity of the misplaced salmon smolts. But when a small percentage of those smolts return as adults in 2026 and 2027, ODFW biologists expect them to return to Lookingglass Creek rather than the Imnaha. This could lead to between 500 and 900 fewer adult chinook coming back to the Imnaha during these years, according to ODFW. On the bright side, the agency expects around 350 to 700 of the 77,000 smolts spilled into Lookingglass to return to the creek around the same time. The truckload of spilled smolts also represented only about 20 percent of scheduled hatchery releases on the Imnaha this year, meaning that some 400,000 more Chinook smolts are destined for the same spot. (This figure matches the 2023 hatchery smolt release goal for the Imnaha, according to the release programs 2023 annual operating plan.) The Nez Perce Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are co-managers of the fishery. NPT also responded to the scene and helped ODFW collect, count, and scan every one of the 26,000 dead fish for Passive Integrated Transponders. PITs are microchips that essentially give an individual animal a barcode for ease of tracking. Information collected from PIT tags, including those that werent released, will help ensure the best possible estimates of survival and future adult returns, the ODFW press release reads. The driver, an ODFW employee, only sustained minor injuries. Photograph courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife The Imnaha spring Chinook run is often impacted by early fishing closures to protect dwindling wild populations. For example, an early closure occurred in the first week of July 2023. The Imnaha is popular with anglers, hence the aggressive stocking program to supplement numbers. That supplementation plan has occurred since 1982 as part of the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan program. Read Next: Breach or Die: Its Time to Free the Lower Snake River and Save Idahos Wild Salmon All told, the incident wont have too severe of an impact on the overall health of hatchery Chinook runs in the Lower Snake. We are thankful the ODFW employee driving the truck was not seriously injured, said ODFWs eastern Oregon fish hatchery coordinator Andrew Gibbs. This should not impact our ability to collect future brood stock or maintain full production goals in the future.

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Former diplomat Aman Bhogal who contested Upper Bann seat in Northern Ireland in 2015 but has not been selected since, said CCHQ was involved in a 'stitch-up'

Downing Street has been accused of blocking true blue Conservative candidates from standing in the general election as it wages a battle for the future of the Tory Party.

Those on the Right of the party believe Rishi Sunak is trying to purge it of those who support low-tax, small-state conservatism so that it will be dominated by centrists after the election.

It would mean that if the Conservatives lose the election and Mr Sunak resigns, he will have already ensured it cannot move to the Right by packing the parliamentary party with One Nation Tories who would reject Right-wing leadership candidates.

Some Tory MPs have expressed despair that high-quality applicants for the list of approved parliamentary candidates are being rejected because of their traditional Conservative values, while those who believe in high taxation and high public spending are put through, even if they lack the requisite skills to be an MP.

It is the latest evidence of the civil war raging within the Conservative Party between those who believe it must move to the Right to combat the growing threat of Reform UK and those who believe the only way to remain electable is to occupy the centre ground.

Applicants who have spoken to The Telegraph describe those in charge of the selection process as yellow Tories whose preference is for candidates largely indistinguishable from Liberal Democrats.

They describe a clear anti-Brexit bias among those who interview applicants and complain that rather than being grilled on Conservative values, they are asked multiple questions about promoting diversity.

If the Tories lose the election and Sunak quits as party leader, he can determine what his successor inherits by controlling the list of potential parliamentary candidates - UK Parliament/Maria Unger

Aman Bhogal, a former diplomat who contested the Upper Bann seat in Northern Ireland in 2015 but has not been selected since, said the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) was involved in a stitch-up by blocking Right-wingers from making it onto constituency shortlists.

He said: In the past, you were asked to talk about your Conservative values and your Conservative ideals, but that has all changed. Now its tell us about how you have promoted diversity and how you have addressed white privilege.

CCHQ is in charge of the approved candidates list, with a handful of people wielding immense control over who is accepted and who is rejected.

Among those who would like to be a Tory MP is Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator, who has made it clear he would renounce his peerage to sit in the Commons.

Although he has not made any public comment, The Telegraph understands he has been blocked by CCHQ from applying for seats in the Commons.

Lord Frost is a critic of the partys policy direction under the Prime Minister, and one Sunak loyalist suggested he was not being considered because he is a member of the House of Lords who is also trying to remove the Party leader.

David Campbell Bannerman, a former Conservative MEP who has been on the approved list of candidates since 2019, says he is being blocked from progressing to the long list for any particular seat because I wasnt being nice enough about Rishi Sunak.

David Campbell Bannerman

He said: The whole thing is fixed. Its pretty blatant and undemocratic. The members have woken up to it and are pushing back against it because they are not getting the choice of candidates that they want.

This is not about me but about the wider system. It is happening to a whole range of good candidates who are left mystified, let down and driven out of the party. Its all about power and control and a lack of democracy letting the people down.

Another candidate who has been overlooked said: Essentially, true blue Conservative candidates are just campaign fodder, people who will shove leaflets through doors  CCHQ has no serious intention of letting them stand in a winnable seat, if at all. They only want candidates who are One Nation Conservatives and its no wonder we are getting a low calibre of new MPs coming through.

When I applied for a seat, the chairman of the local association rang me and said they wanted me to be their candidate, but of course, I was blocked by CCHQ.

If, like me, youre pro-Brexit, tough on immigration and want low tax, CCHQ see you as a repulsive headbanger. Too many in the party might as well be Liberal Democrats.

Problems with the selection process have been blamed for MP defections in recent years, including former Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston and former South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen, both of whom jumped ship to Change UK and then the Lib Dems, and former Wokingham MP Phillip Lee, who defected to the Lib Dems.

To date, 63 Conservative MPs have announced they are standing down at the election. The record number of Conservatives who have stood down from Parliament in a single term is 75, which was set in the run-up to the 1997 election.

A YouGov poll earlier this month suggested the Tories could suffer their biggest-ever electoral defeat, with Mr Sunak on course to retain just 155 seats, ten fewer than Sir John Major was left with after Labours 1997 landslide.

A CCHQ source said: These claims have no basis in fact. Its obviously a bit difficult for candidates who attack the party leader to be selected given they will be asking constituents to cast their votes for him to be Prime Minister.

But the idea that people are not being put forward because of some ideological bent is totally false. This is the PM who is cutting taxes, bringing in major immigration curbs, curbing the excessive elements of net zero and trying to get illegal immigrants sent to Rwanda. Thats hardly some Left-wing agenda.

CCHQ is obsessed with diversity

By Gordon Rayner, Associate Editor

When Gary Pound* made his way to the basement of Conservative Campaign Headquarters for his candidate selection interview, he was preparing himself for questions about law and order, immigration and taxation.

He need not have bothered. During a one-hour interrogation in a glass-walled box, the primary focus was on diversity, not politics.

Mr Pound had once been considered such an outstanding candidate that he was on a priority list, making him eligible to apply for any vacant constituency. This time, though, he did not make it onto the list at all.

They were just obsessed with diversity, said Mr Pound, a successful businessman who has been a committed and active member of the Conservative Party since university. They wanted to know what I had done to promote diversity within the party and within politics generally.

Most Conservatives are meritocrats so they just want the best people, regardless of their sex or ethnicity, but its clear they are no longer picking people on merit.

It also seemed clear that if you voted for Brexit, like me, your card was marked.

It seems the party is being purged of true believers in Conservative values, and the people that should be Liberal Democrats who have infiltrated the party are taking over.

MPs and party insiders have expressed deep misgivings about the candidate selection process, which has long-term implications for the Tory Party and the direction it is taking.

The growing row over who will stand in the next election is regarded by some as a symptom of how dysfunctional the Conservative Party has become as different factions wrestle for control over its uncertain future.

Even if he loses the election and quits as party leader, Rishi Sunak can determine what sort of party his successor inherits by controlling the list of potential parliamentary candidates.

Constituency associations have the final say over who stands as their parliamentary candidate, usually choosing from a short list of three or four, but CCHQ can block Right-wing candidates so that only One Nation Conservatives, as the centrists call themselves, are put forward.

The CCHQ gatekeepers include Gareth Fox, chief of staff to the chairman of the candidates committee, a Remainer who was tasked by David Cameron with making the party more diverse, and Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, who co-founded Women2Win with Theresa May almost 20 years ago with the aim of increasing the number of female Tory MPs.

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington is one of the CCHQ gatekeepers - Julian Simmonds for The Telegraph

Other influential figures include Matt Wright, chairman of the candidates committee; Matt Lane, director of candidates, and long-term No 10 fixer Dougie Smith, who helps to vet candidates and acts as a liaison between Downing Street and the candidates committee.

Would-be MPs must submit a written application, which is followed by due diligence checks and then an interview in front of a Parliamentary Assessment Board, usually comprising two people, one of whom may be a sitting MP.

Those who pass are entered onto the approved list of candidates, which is subdivided into those on the comprehensive list, who can apply for any seat that comes up; the key list, who can usually only apply for the seat where they live, and the development list, which means they will be considered for unwinnable seats where they can gain experience of campaigning.

So far, 63 Conservative MPs have already announced they will step down at the election, meaning candidates are now being selected to stand in their constituencies.

People who apply to be considered for a particular seat are considered by the candidates committee, which produces a long list and then works with the local association to whittle the list down to a shortlist of three or four in a process known as sifting.

Aman Bhogal, a 39-year-old former diplomat and founder of the Global Britain Centre, which campaigns for free trade and free enterprise post-Brexit, also believes he has been snubbed because of his Brexiteer credentials.

He said: I joined the party when I was still at school and I once worked out that I have spent about 14,000 hours campaigning by knocking on doors, distributing leaflets and so on.

In the past when I have been interviewed by a Parliamentary Assessment Board I have been asked about my Conservative ideals, but now its all about diversity.

You are asked how you would promote inter-racial harmony and the answer theyre looking for is that you would take the knee with Black Lives Matter.

Its rotten and its shoddy. Along with a lot of other people I am thinking of switching to Reform.

Mr Bhogal said that after trying and failing to get onto the shortlist for 15 different constituencies, he met Mr Fox and Mr Lane to ask them what he was doing wrong.

He said: I was told my application was perfect and what they call my political footprint was spot on, but that I wasnt getting people to call in and support me.

They said, who do you know in the Cabinet? and told me to get Cabinet ministers to call association chairmen putting me forward. I walked out very saddened.

Mr Bhogal believes he has been blocked because he campaigned for Brexit and backed Liz Truss for the Tory leadership.

He said: Bear in mind that two-thirds of the party members voted for Liz Truss to be leader, so if they are alienating all of those people thats not creating a unified party at all.

Allison Pearson

Even Thatcher wouldn't get on the list in today's Tory party

Read more

The process of sifting candidates can be short-circuited by CCHQ in the case of a by-election when a candidate needs to be chosen quickly. In those circumstances, CCHQ can impose a shortlist on an association, which might contain only one truly viable candidate, meaning the system can be gamed.

One person on the approved list of candidates claimed some MPs who have already decided to stand down are being told to wait until the election is called before announcing their retirement so CCHQ can use the by-election rules to impose its own candidates on local associations.

Some of those might include current MPs tempted to do a chicken run to a safer seat than their own, or MPs whose seats are being abolished under boundary changes that will take effect at the election.

A Tory councillor who holds a Cabinet position on his local authority said: There is a gulf between what the membership wants and what the party hierarchy wants.

The odd thing when I applied was the number of ex-Liberal Democrats that were applying, and it was quite clear that that was the type of person they were looking for.

Wendy Whittaker-Large, a property investor from Cheshire who was rejected after saying she was a small state, low-tax Tory, agrees. She said: The people who were getting through were those who believe in high taxes and high public spending  basically Lib Dems.

A scientist who was taken off the list after 10 years said they were told by Mr Fox that they were not political enough after saying they did not agree with the Governments response to Covid.

A barrister who was rejected by CCHQ said: The Left wing of the party is in charge and they wont let anyone else in. But the mistake is that the country and the party need both wings of the party.

*Some names have been changed to protect the anonymity of those who spoke to the Telegraph

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(Bloomberg) -- The world is grossly underestimating how much the demand for artificial intelligence is going to expand the global market for data centers over the next five years, according to the co-founder of the cloud-computing unicorn CoreWeave.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The data center requests that CoreWeave is fielding on a daily basis are absurd, with many asking for entire campuses for themselves, Brian Venturo, co-founder and chief strategy officer, said Thursday at a Bloomberg Intelligence summit on generative AI in New York. The market is moving a lot faster than supply chains that have historically supported a very physical business have been set up to do, he said, predicting more megacampuses that will stress power grids and spur political fights.

There are going to be some things that this industry is going to have to work through, Venturo said.

The generative AI boom is touching off a rush for data centers that has transformed Roseland, New Jersey-based CoreWeave into one of the hottest startups in technology. Bloomberg reported in March that the firm was in talks to raise funding in a transaction that would more than double its valuation to $16 billion. At the same time, Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said he expects that $250 billion will be spent on data center gear annually.

Read More: CoreWeave Said in Talks for Funding at $16 Billion Valuation

Amazon.com Inc., the top provider of rented computing power and storage, plans to spend almost $150 billion in the next 15 years on data centers to meet the expected explosion in demand from AI tools.

It worries me, Venturo said of setting up the infrastructure to handle the demand. Its a sprint. Its a sprint that requires all the capital in the world.

Further propelling the demand for new data centers is the fact that older ones are tough to revamp, Venturo said. The existing infrastructure supplying electricity to current data centers cant support their expansions.

You have to build new transmission lines, he said. You have to do new substation builds. There are just a lot of physical blockers here that are hard to overcome in the short-term.

Asked whether the hyperscalers such as Amazon, Alphabet Inc.s Google and Microsoft Corp. are facing the same challenges, Venturo said, I can tell you they already have.

Story continues

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Yahoo News' succinct daily update on the criminal and civil cases against the 45th president of the United States.

Judge Juan Merchan blocks an attempt by former President Donald Trump to force NBCUniversal to hand over information about the release of its recent documentary about adult film star Stormy Daniels. The ruling comes two days after Merchan refused to delay the April 15 start of the hush money trial in which Trump is accused of breaking state tax and campaign finance laws by paying off Daniels to hide an alleged extramarital affair. Here are the latest legal developments involving the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

New York hush money

Key players: Judge Juan Merchan, adult film star Stormy Daniels, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

On Friday, Merchan blocked a subpoena Trumps lawyers had issued to NBCUniversal for information on the timing of the release of Stormy, a documentary about Daniels, who is a star witness in Braggs case against the former president, Reuters reported.

Trumps lawyers issued their subpoena one week before the trial was initially scheduled to start, a point that Merchan noted in his ruling.

"His subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition," the judge wrote.

Defending the subpoena, Trumps lawyers said that the documents it would force NBCUniversal to hand over would "establish collusion between Daniels and the company about the March 18 release date of the film.

Lawyers for NBCUniversal said that Daniels had no input or approval of the content of the documentary or its release date.

Merchan called the assertion by Trumps lawyers purely speculative.

"The Court has considered Defendant's explanation for seeking this court's permission to rifle through the privileged documents of a news organization and finds that he has not shouldered the very heavy burden necessary to overcome NY civil rights law," the judge added.

Why it matters: Trump has worked diligently to have the charges against him dropped and to delay the start of the trial. Merchans latest ruling shows that the judge has grown impatient with those efforts.

Recommended reading

____________________

Thursday, April 4

____________________

Judge Aileen Cannon denies former President Donald Trumps motion to have criminal charges dropped in the classified documents case on the grounds that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) permitted him to keep them in his home after leaving the White House. In the Georgia election interference case, meanwhile, Judge Scott McAfee rejects a motion brought by Trump that sought to have all the charges dropped on the grounds that the First Amendment protects political speech. In his ruling, the judge makes clear that political speech can be prosecuted if it is used to further criminal activity. Here are the latest legal developments involving the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee for 2024.

Classified documents

Judge refuses to dismiss classified documents charges against Trump

Key players: Judge Aileen Cannon, special counsel Jack Smith

On Thursday, Cannon rejected a motion by Trump to have the charges against him in the classified documents case dropped on the grounds that the PRA grants former presidents the right to retain such materials even after leaving the White House, ABC News reported.

In her ruling, Cannon, a Trump appointee, wrote that the Presidential Records Act does not provide a pre-trial basis to dismiss.

Cannons wording leaves open the possibility that the judge could dismiss the felony charges against Trump during the trial.

She also took a swipe at Smith, who on Wednesday asked Cannon to drop her fundamentally flawed request for jury instructions that suggested she was sympathetic to Trumps arguments about the protections guaranteed by the PRA.

Smith had made clear that if Cannon did not reverse herself on the jury instructions, he was prepared to take the issue to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which could force her to change course.

In Thursdays ruling, Smith described her jury instructions as a genuine attempt, in the context of the upcoming trial, to better understand the parties competing positions and the questions to be submitted to the jury in this complex case of first impression.

Cannon added that any party remains free to avail itself of whatever appellate options it sees fit to invoke, as permitted by law.

Why it matters: While Cannon has rejected two motions from Trump to dismiss all of the charges against him, her rulings have also given the former president reason to hope that she will ultimately side with him if and when the case goes to trial.

Georgia election interference

Judge denies Trump motion to dismiss all charges

Key players: Judge Scott McAfee, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump lawyer Steve Sadow

On Thursday, McAfee rejected a motion by Trumps lawyers to dismiss all charges in the Georgia election interference case on the grounds that his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election are protected by the First Amendment, the Associated Press reported.

Even core political speech addressing matters of public concern is not impenetrable from prosecution if allegedly used to further criminal activity, McAfee wrote.

In their motion, Trumps lawyers had argued that the core political speech and expressive conduct alleged in this indictment against President Trump are protected from government regulation and thus criminal prosecution by the State.

Willis charged Trump with 13 felony counts, including a violation of state racketeering laws, stemming from the plot to overturn Joe Bidens victory in the state in 2020. McAfee has since dismissed three of the counts, saying they lacked specificity.

Responding to McAfees ruling on Thursday, Sadow said he and his client respectfully disagree with Judge McAfees order and will continue to evaluate their options regarding the First Amendment challenges.

Why it matters: Trumps long-shot bid to have the charges dismissed in Georgia is just his latest attempt to derail the four criminal trials he faces. While McAfee did not buy the arguments by Trumps lawyers that the First Amendment prevents him from being prosecuted for his actions to reverse the election results, he did allow that they could raise such arguments during the trial.

____________________

Wednesday, April 3

____________________

Judge Juan Merchan denies a motion by Donald Trump that sought to delay the April 15 start of the hush money trial until after the United States Supreme Court ruled on whether presidential immunity protects him from prosecution. In the classified documents case, meanwhile, prosecutors on special counsel Jack Smiths team ask Judge Aileen Cannon to reverse herself on her proposed instructions to jurors in Trumps as-yet-to-be-scheduled trial. If she does not, they tell Cannon that they could seek a writ of mandamus to force her to do so. Here are the latest legal developments involving the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

New York hush money

Judge denies Trump motion to delay start of trial

Key players: Judge Juan Merchan, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, adult film star Stormy Daniels, United States Supreme Court

Merchan denied a last-ditch motion by Trumps lawyers that sought to delay the start of the hush money trial by 90 days or dismiss the charges outright on the grounds that the United States Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether presidential immunity protects Trump from prosecution, USA Today reported.

In his ruling, Merchan stated that Trump had waited too long to pursue the presidential immunity claim in the hush money case.

This Court finds that Defendant had myriad opportunities to raise the claim of presidential immunity well before March 7, 2024. After all, Defendant had already briefed the same issue in federal court and he was in possession of, and aware that, the People intended to offer the relevant evidence at trial that entire time. The circumstances, viewed as a whole, test this Courts credulity, Merchan wrote.

Some of the evidence that will be used in Braggs case against Trump was gathered when Trump was president and his lawyers argue that it should not be permissible in court.

The trial on charges that Trump broke New York state tax and campaign finance laws when he paid Daniels $130,000 to hide an alleged extramarital affair from voters in the 2016 election begins on April 15.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 25 on whether presidential immunity protects Trump from being prosecuted for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Why it matters: With Mondays ruling expanding Trumps gag order and Wednesdays rejection of Trumps request for a delay, Merchan has signaled that he has lost patience with the former presidents tactics in the case.

Classified documents

Smith asks Cannon to drop flawed jury instructions or face appeal

Key players: Special counsel Jack Smith, Judge Aileen Cannon

Late Tuesday, Smith issued a stern rebuke of Cannons fundamentally flawed legal premise when she asked lawyers in the case for potential jury instructions that appeared to side with Trumps argument that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) justified his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, the Associated Press reported.

If the Court wrongly concludes that it does, and that it intends to include the PRA in the jury instructions regarding what is authorized  it must inform the parties of that decision well in advance of the trial, prosecutors wrote.

Smith, who has charged Trump with violating the Espionage Act, argues in the filing that the PRA does not apply in this case since the crimes Trump is accused of committing took place after he was president.

Trumps lawyers have countered that the PRA allows a president to distinguish certain documents as personal records even after leaving the White House and that Trump never knowingly retained classified documents that did not fall under that category.

Smiths filing also warns Cannon that if she does not retract her request for jury instructions regarding the PRA, prosecutors are prepared to obtain a writ of mandamus to force her to do so.

A writ of mandamus, according to the Justice Department, can be used to require a lower court to enforce the judgment of an appellate court. In this case, Smith would ask the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to issue one should Cannon, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump, not reverse course.

The 11th Circuit has already overruled Cannons moves in the case so far.

Why it matters: While Smith has not gone so far as to seek to remove Cannon from the documents case, Tuesdays filing is the clearest sign yet that he sees her as an obstacle to the prospect of obtaining a fair trial for the former president.

_________________

Tuesday, April 2

_________________

Knight Specialty Insurance loans former President Donald Trump $175 million to cover the bond required to prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from seizing his assets while he appeals the $454 million judgment in his financial fraud trial. The company is owned by billionaire Don Hankey, a Trump voter who has made his fortune offering high-interest, subprime car loans to people with bad credit. Here are the latest legal developments involving the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

New York financial fraud

Knight Specialty Insurance pays Trumps $175 million fraud trial bond

Key players: Knight Specialty Insurance CEO Don Hankey, Judge Arthur Engoron, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Trump attorney Alina Habba

On Monday, the Knight Specialty Insurance Co. loaned Trump $175 million to cover his bond in the civil financial fraud trial, Bloomberg reported. The company is owned by Hankey, who said he approached Trump about the loan.

This is what we do at Knight Insurance, and were happy to do this for anyone who needs a bond, Hankey told the Associated Press .

Last month, a New York appeals court judge lowered the bond amount from $464 million (110% of Egoron's judgment) to $175 million after Trumps lawyers said they had been turned down by 30 lenders to secure the higher amount.

Yes, I voted for him in the past, but this is a business deal and this is what we do, Hankey said of the loan, which, he added, Trump secured using cash as collateral.

By posting the $175 million bond, Trump prevents James from seizing his assets while he appeals Engorons judgment.

The New York state Appellate Division has said it would hear arguments in September.

If Trump wins on appeal, he will get the bond amount back. If he loses, he will immediately owe the rest of the original judgment plus the interest accrued since the date of the Engorons original ruling.

Why it matters: While Trump indicated during the financial fraud trial that he had nearly half a billion in cash reserves, he told the appeals court judge that he wanted to keep that free to use for the 2024 presidential campaign. Having secured a loan from Hankeys company, he is now free, at least for the meantime, to spend it on that.

_________________

Monday, April 1

_________________

Following several attacks on his daughter by former President Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan expands his gag order in the hush money trial to include family members. Hope Hicks, who served as Trumps press secretary and communications director in the 2016 campaign, is expected to be called as a witness in the New York hush money trial that begins on April 15, a source tells MSNBC. Since leaving her post as a top White House adviser in 2018, Hicks has testified before the New York grand jury investigating Trumps payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, as well as before the House Jan. 6 select committee. Here are the latest legal developments facing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

New York hush money

Judge expands gag order

Key players: Judge Juan Merchan, Democratic political consultant Loren Merchan, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

On Monday, the New York judge in the hush money trial set to begin on April 15 expanded the gag order he placed on Trump meant to prevent him from attacking potential witnesses, jury members, and court staff so that it now includes family members of that group, the Associated Press reported.

This pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose, Merchan wrote in his order. It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings that not only they, but their family members as well, are fair game, for Defendant's vitriol."

On Truth Social, Trump's social media platform, the former president had targeted the judge's daughter, Loren Merchan, falsely accusing her of posting a photo of Trump behind bars and claiming that she makes money by working to Get Trump.

Earlier in the day, Bragg had asked the judge to expand the gag order, saying Trump's "dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric fundamentally threatens the integrity of these proceedings."

Why it matters: Merchan has shown little hesitation to rule against Trump in the case so far, and Trump has seemed intent on pushing the judge's limits. If that continues and Trump defies the judge's orders, he could face the prospect of jail time.

Source: Hope Hicks to testify in hush money case

Key players: Former communications director and press secretary for Trumps 2016 presidential campaign Hope Hicks, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, adult film star Stormy Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, former American Media CEO David Pecker, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

Bragg will call Hicks as a prosecution witness in the hush money trial that begins on April 15, a source told MSNBC .

Last year, Hicks testified before the New York grand jury that voted to indict Trump on charges that he broke campaign finance and tax laws when he paid Daniels in 2016 to hide an alleged extramarital affair.

Cohen alleges that Hicks was part of a phone call that took place on Oct. 8, 2016, during which Daniels told Trump she was going to share her story of the affair with the National Enquirer.

Hicks, according to Cohen, was also on a call during which a deal was reached for Trump to pay Daniels $130,000 for her silence.

Hicks went on to become a top White House adviser to Trump following his victory in the 2016 election, but stepped down in 2018.

Hicks also testified before the House Jan. 6 select committee that she told Trump that there wasnt evidence to support his claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Prosecutors say Pecker met Trump in 2015 and set up a catch or kill arrangement by which the National Enquirer would pay McDougal for her story about an alleged extramarital affair with Trump only to keep it from ever being published.

Pecker and McDougal are also both expected to be called as witnesses during the trial.

Why it matters: While Hicks was long a trusted member of Trumps inner circle, she has cooperated with those who have investigated the former presidents conduct. If Bragg does call her to the witness stand, it will be because he believes she will bolster his case.
WASHINGTON  The disciplinary panel of the D.C. Bar reached a preliminary conclusion that former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark committed an ethical violation when he pushed conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, including the allegation that the election was stolen via smart thermostats.

Clark, an environmental lawyer with no experience in criminal law, was the man former President Donald Trump considering naming as acting attorney general of the United States just days before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump ultimately backed down after his own Justice Department appointees told him there would be mass resignations if he went through with the move.

Clark faces potential disbarment and testified over the last two weeks before the panel, repeatedly asserting his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Thursdays preliminary finding will be considered by the D.C. Bars full board of professional responsibility before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals makes a final ruling on Clarks bar status.

The question the disciplinary panel had to address, at its core, was this: Was Clark pushing ridiculous conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud in bad faith, so he could help usher Trump to a second term? Or is it possible that Clark truly believed the conspiracy theories he was peddling?

Hamilton Fox, the disciplinary counsel arguing for Clark's disbarment, made the case Thursday during closing arguments that it was not possible for a person like Clark to believe those election lies because they had been repeatedly disproven.

He had no rational basis to believe it, Fox argued. I cant look in somebodys mind, but when somebody tells you something repeatedly, in which all of the evidence is to the contrary, then yes, I believe that person is acting intentionally, is intentionally dishonest.

"I suppose that maybe theres an exception for somebody thats deranged, I dont  Im not claiming Mr. Clark is deranged, he said. A rational person, faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, who still insists that the moon rises in the west, yes, that person is being intentionally dishonest.

Much as Trump will likely do in his trials, Clark brought a parade of election deniers to give an intellectual spit-shine to election conspiracy theories, to try to create a world in which there was honest debate about whether Joe Biden won the election. Among them were a frequent guest on a network run by MyPillow founder and election denier Mike Lindell, as well a Pennsylvania activist whose "research has achieved a remarkable level of national salience among the far right, despite being replete with errors," according to Votebeat.

Another witness, an expert in environmental law, said during testimony last week that he disagreed with Clarks perspective on who his client was as a government attorney. Clark had testified last week that he believed his client was Trump himself, not the American people (as most Justice Department lawyers would say).

I disagree with Mr. Clark on that, I think the client is the Department of Justice and the American people, not necessarily the occupant of the office of president, E. Donald Ellio testified last week. I understand that the president is the head of the executive branch. I also understand this is a very controversial and unsettled issue, theres a lot of debate about it in administrative law and constitutional law.

During closing arguments, Clarks lawyer said his client had been advocating his sincerely held opinions and did not act dishonestly by pushing his theories about the election.

Former Deputy White House Counsel Pat Philbin testified last week that he had tried to talk Clark out of taking steps to help Trump remain in power, telling Clark it would destroy his career. But Clark responded that he felt he had a duty to raise concerns about the election results, according to Clark's lawyer, Harry MacDougald.

"Most people in Washington dont perform their duty at the cost of the destruction of their careers, MacDougald told the panel.

Throughout his argument, MacDougald discussed a draft letter written by Clark which claimed that the Justice Department had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states. Had Trump appointed Clark acting attorney general, Clark intended to send the letter to the governor of Georgia and leaders in the House and Senate, his lawyer said.

MacDougald argued that the draft letter was a proposal for internal discussion, emphasizing that it was never sent or made public at the time and said punishing Clark for proposing the letter would be akin to a "pure thought crime."

"Lawyers all over the country are watching this case," MacDougald said. "We need brave lawyers. You may not agree with Mr. Clark about this, but if he gets wrung up on a confidential, internal proposal thats never adopted, never goes out, where do you stop?"

"While you may not like Mr. Clark as the man who stood apart from the crowd in this case, there may be a situation in the current administration or a future administration where a lawyer is against the crowd and they need to be protected," he continued.

Gillian Feiner, senior counsel at the States United Democracy Center, said that the board's preliminary finding "is another step towards holding Clark accountable" for conduct that undermined democracy and the rule of law.

"Weve already seen other attorneys like Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Jenna Ellis face consequences for their actions concerning the 2020 election, and todays decision signals that Jeffrey Clark is up next," Feiner said. "No one is above the law.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
FILE PHOTO: A combination photo of Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels and U.S. President Donald Trump

By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump's subpoena to Comcast-owned NBCUniversal for material related to a recent documentary about porn star Stormy Daniels was blocked on Friday by the judge overseeing the former U.S. president's April 15 criminal trial.

Justice Juan Merchan said Trump's claim that Daniels and NBC conspired to release the film close to the trial to damage him was unsupported.

"His subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition," the judge wrote in a court order.

Neither Trump's lawyers nor NBCUniversial immediately responded to requests for comment.

Trump is accused of covering up his former lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006.

The 2024 Republican presidential candidate has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies any such encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

The documentary, "Stormy," was released on NBC's streaming service Peacock on March 18.

The trial was initially scheduled to start on March 25, but Merchan delayed it by three weeks after Trump alleged prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney's office were trying to keep evidence related to Cohen from him. The judge later found that concern to be meritless.

In Friday's order, Merchan wrote that Trump subpoenaed NBC on March 11 for documents related to the trial's premiere date and any compensation to Daniels. NBC asked Merchan to block the subpoena on March 20, and said Daniels had no right to approve the documentary's content or release timing, the order said.

Trump also faces three other criminal indictments, but they do not yet have firm trial dates. That means the hush money case in New York state court in Manhattan could be the only one to go to trial before his expected rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election.

The other cases stem from Trump's efforts to reverse his 2020 loss to Biden and his handling of sensitive government documents after leaving the White House in 2021. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases as well.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Former President Donald Trump arrives at 40 Wall Street after his court hearing to determine the date of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs in New York City on March 25, 2024. Credit - Charly TriballeauAFP via Getty Images

With his first criminal trial set to start in 10 days, Donald Trump on Friday launched a fresh attack on the judge presiding over the case, one that also tests the boundaries of a gag order issued by the judge against him.

Trumps presidential campaign publicized a motion filed earlier this week demanding Judge Juan Merchan recuse himself from the New York hush money case "in light of appearances of impropriety" stemming from his daughters work with a company that does political marketing for Democratic campaigns.

Trumps 35-page motionand its 119 pages of exhibitscomes four days after Merchan expanded the existing gag order on Trump to include banning him from making public comments about Merchans family or that of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's, after the former President had repeatedly made comments arguing that the work of Merchans daughter meant he couldnt preside over the jury trial impartially. The order does not prevent Trump from criticizing the judge and the district attorney directly.

Trump seems to be testing a way around the gag order by putting his public criticism of the daughter of the judge into the public court filings themselves, and then promoting the filings.

The filing says that Loren Merchan has held leadership positions at a political marketing company called Authentic that was paid to develop ads in 2019 for Kamala Harriss presidential primary campaign and has since produced ads for the campaigns of Democratic members of congress, including Rep. Adam Schiff and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

In demanding that Merchan recuse himself, Trump's legal team argues that the work of Merchans daughter for Democratic political campaigns creates appearances of impropriety" and should be grounds for the judges recusal. Trumps filing also said Merchan's gag order "improperly restricts" Trump's "constitutionally protected campaign speech".

Bragg's office called Trump's claims a "daisy chain of innuendos" that are a "far cry from evidence." Anticipating Trump's motion, prosecutors in the case told Merchan in a letter on Tuesday that the court and an advisory committee on judicial ethics have already determined that the political activities of a relative are not a basis to question a judge's impartiality. There is a longstanding practice in American courts that a persons views are not defined by those of their family members.

Bragg is bringing Trump to trial to face charges he faked business records to cover up a sex scandal involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels weeks before the 2016 election. The trial is set to start on April 15, but would be delayed if Mercan were to agree to Trump's request to recuse himself.

Trump is facing charges in three other criminal cases, including felony charges for trying to reverse his 2020 election loss in Georgia, engineering a violent effort to overturn the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, and refusing to return classified documents after leaving office.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Trump Wants to Jail His Opponents and Nobody Seems to Care

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

Former President Donald Trump has talked repeatedly about jailing his political opponents in recent weeksincluding members of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building.

But from where The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy are sitting, nobody seems to be taking the threat seriously.

The fact that this conversation is not on the front of every paper, the lead-in for every cable news story, I just dont understand, Moodie said.

When Donald Trump threatened that he was going to throw immigrants in jail, he did that, she added. When he said that he was going to bar Muslims from entering the country, he did that. He was going to pick the most anti-abortion judges, he did that. And now we lost Roe because of it. Im just confused about what people think hes kidding about.

Subscribe to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Overcast.

Then, senior writer at Slate Magazine Mark Joseph Stern joins the program to discuss an upcoming abortion ballot referendum in Floridaand the giant threat lurking behind it.

Ironically, the three women on the Florida Supreme Court dissented [against allowing the referendum to move forward], and they said that they wouldve thrown out the ballot initiative on the grounds that, basically, it violates the rights of fetuses and embryos, Stern said. While allowing this initiative to go to the voters, theyve now made it pretty clear that if it fails, they will be on board with fetal personhood as welland will stand ready to enshrine some kind of constitutional protections for fetuses and embryos.

The Right Wings Spooky New Acronym DEI Betrays an Old Prejudice

Plus! A conversation with Brian Beutler, the author of the Substack Off Message, on Democrats messaging issues as the 2024 race inches closer to the finish line.

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
DOLTON, ll.  Former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot may be hired to investigate allegations of corruption, cronyism and sexual misconduct in the Village of Dolton under Mayor Tiffany Henyard.

Trustees opposed to Henyard plan to vote on a resolution authorizing the investigation and Lightfoots contract during a special board meeting Monday night. They say Lightfoot agreed to conduct the investigation with an initial budget of $30,000. A spokesperson for Lightfoot could not immediately confirm the former mayor agreed to take the case. Lightfoot is a former federal prosecutor and former president of the Chicago Police Board and the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force.

Related: Dolton mayor says disgruntled employees behind sexual misconduct claim

The scope of the investigation will include village spending and the comingling of money between Dolton and Thornton Township, where Henyard is the supervisor. House said they will also ask Lightfoot to investigate the villages potential legal exposure involving claims that Henyard retaliated against an aide and a police officer who reported alleged sexual misconduct on the part of a village trustee during a taxpayer funded trip to Las Vegas last year.

Henyard vetoed a previous resolution passed by the renegade trustees that called for Henyard to turn over the villages financial records  and even the keys to village hall  following months of WGN Investigates reporting on Henyards spending on first class travel, fine dining and a cancer charity that bares her name. The cancer charity has received most of his reported income from taxpayers but failed to file an accounting of how it spends its money.

More: Dolton politicians cancer charity got almost all of its reported money from taxpayers

Trustees planned to override Henyards veto during a meeting April 1 but the gathering ended in chaos after dozens of people were not allowed inside, the villages deputy police chief claimed unspecified threats posed a safety issue.

Dolton board meeting addressing resolution calling for investigation into mayors spending ends in chaos

A spokesperson for Henyard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The Southern Nevada Health District confirmed that it is investigating a tuberculosis case at a southwest Las Vegas middle school.

The health district said that notices had been sent out to those who may have been exposed to tuberculosis at Barry and June Gunderson Middle School which is located near Buffalo Drive and Mountains Edge Parkway. Health officials told 8 News Now the investigation is not connected to a case reported earlier this week at a northeast valley elementary school.

On Tuesday night the health district confirmed that there was a tuberculosis investigation at Arturo Cambeiro Elementary School in the northeast valley.

In December, the SNHD conducted an investigation involving a person with active TB disease who had been at multiple school campuses.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Turkish Ombudsman Seref Malkoc is planning to visit Ukrainian prisoners of war who have been held in Russia, he said in an interview to Ukrinform on April 5.

Around 28,000 Ukrainians, including civilians and military personnel, have been missing or illegally captured since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Feb. 26. Only 147 civilians have been brought back home since the all-out war started.

Several cases of Ukrainian POWs being held in poor conditions, without quality nutrition, medical care, or hygiene, were reported, according to the human rights organization the Center of Civil Liberties.

Malkoc visited camp in Lviv Oblast where Russian POWs are held to inspect living conditions and the compliance with the Geneva Convention by Ukrainian authorities, and hopes that a similar visit to Russia could "pave the way for the prisoners' exchange."

"If we have an opportunity, we plan to go to Russia to conduct analogous research and publish a report after. But I will repeat that more important than the report's publishing is the prisoners' exchange if we could contribute to it at least partially," Malkoc said.

Previously, President Volodymyr Zelensky passed a list of Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars, captured by Russia to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after their meeting on March 8 in Istanbul.

Zelensky expressed hope that Erdogan would help to return home Ukrainian POWs.

In July 2023, Zelensky brought home five commanding officers who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, and had been kept in Turkey under the personal guarantees of Erdogan after a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

Read also: Russian torture of Ukrainian POWs widespread and systematic, UN commission says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
TV network paid for drugs and prostitutes bender for adviser accused of rape, court hears

A TV network paid for an exclusive interview with a man accused of rape by reimbursing him for money spent on cocaine and sex workers, a court has heard.

Bruce Lehrmann, a Liberal political adviser, is accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Australias Parliament House in 2019  allegations that he denies.

The accusations were first aired by Lisa Wilkinson on Australias Network 10, and Mr Lehrmann is now suing the veteran presenter and the broadcaster for defamation.

The defamation case was sensationally reopened at the last minute earlier this week to allow a former producer to give evidence in Network 10s defence.

Taylor Auerbach, a former producer for Network 10 now working for Seven Network, told the court on Thursday that Lehrmann bought a bag of cocaine while they dined together before a deal for an exclusive interview was struck.

He said that Mr Lehrmann had told him he wanted to order sex workers to the Meriton Suites accommodation, which was being paid for by Seven, and began googling escort websites.

Mr Auerbach said that the former staffer later said his bank account was dry after the, for want of a better word, bender, and asked if there was a way that wed be able to compensate him for that.

Taylor Auerbach told the court that Lehrmann bought a bag of cocaine while they dined together before the deal for the interview was struck - BGAU/BACKGRID UK

The former producer on Sevens flagship Spotlight programme said that a plan was devised for Mr Lehrmann to issue an invoice for per diem expenses to the network to cover the costs.

I recall seeing the invoice, Mr Auerbach said, adding the plan was verbally approved by a senior member of staff.

He said that he recalled monies reimbursed for illicit drugs and prostitutes that evening at the Meriton and the following evening at a brothel in Surry Hills.

Mr Auerbach said that he offered Seven his resignation after paying more than 5,200 for Thai masseuses for himself and Mr Lehrmann on his corporate credit card.

Seven did not accept the resignation and instead offered him a promotion and pay rise, he said.

On Friday, it was reported that Mr Lehrmann moved out of the 1,000-a-week Sydney home in which he had lived rent-free for a year in return for the interview.

Seven had earlier said that it would stop paying the rent at the end of a year-long 52,000 deal.

Mr Lehrmanns criminal trial for sexual assault was aborted in 2022 because of juror misconduct. A second trial did not proceed because of concerns about Ms Higgins mental health.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Two construction workers struck by car in south St. Louis County, one dead

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  An investigation is underway after a car crashed into two construction workers Friday morning in south St. Louis, leaving one dead and the other injured.

Around 10:40 a.m., police were called to the 9900 block of S. Broadway for a crash. According to officials, the preliminary investigation shows that a Cadillac was driving northbound on S. Broadway when the driver lost control and exited the road.

The Cadillac struck two construction workers who were in front of a building.

Construction worker IDd in fatal south St. Louis County crash; two teens charged

One of the workers, who was on a ladder at the time of the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second construction worker and the driver were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

An investigation is ongoing. If you have information regarding the incident, call the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210, or to remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-8477.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
(Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc. is talking with financial advisers about potentially making an offer for HubSpot Inc., an online marketing software company valued at about $34 billion, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Google parent has met in recent days with investment bankers at Morgan Stanley about a potential offer for HubSpot, Reuters said, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Such a large acquisition would be unusual for a Big Tech company like Alphabet, as the sector is under heightened scrutiny by antitrust regulators. Google is already in the midst of several antitrust challenges, including a lawsuit by the Justice Department accusing it of abusing its dominant position in online search and another one regarding its digital advertising tools.

HubSpot shares jumped 9% on the news, while Alphabet was down 0.5% in New York Thursday afternoon.

Antitrust concerns are among the issues Alphabet is weighing as it considers whether to make an offer and for how much, Reuters said. Alphabet hasnt submitted a bid to HubSpot yet and there is no certainty it will do so. Alphabet didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. HubSpot said it does not comment on rumors or speculation.

Regulatory hurdles could prevent approval, yet a cash hoard of $111 billion and abundant free cash flow provide ample firepower for large-scale M&A, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Robert Schiffman wrote in a note.

Alphabet has been pouring more resources into its cloud customer business, including ramping up offerings on generative artificial intelligence tools for clients. Though Google still trails Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. in the market for cloud computing, the companys most recent earnings report marked the cloud units first full year of profitability.

An acquisition of HubSpot, a customer relationship management company that focuses on smaller businesses, would fill a gap that could help Alphabet compete with other players in that market such as Microsoft, Oracle Corp. and Salesforce Inc. A deal could help Googles position in digital advertising with greater ability to leverage first-party data, Oppenheimer analysts wrote in a note.

A tie-up could also increase pressure on Salesforce, the dominant customers relationship management software maker, wrote Bloomberg Intelligences Anurag Rana. Currently, HubSpot focuses more on small and medium businesses, but the backing of Google might change that, challenging Salesforces roughly 40% market shares in cloud-based sales automation and customer service. Shares of Salesforce dipped as much as 4% on the news before pairing losses.

Story continues

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, HubSpot generated $2.2 billion in revenue in 2023 and its shares have gained more than 50% in the past year. Alphabet offers other productivity tools like cloud storage and video conferencing through its Workspace suite.

(Updates to reflect HubSpot declined to comment)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Police are searching for the suspect who shot two people in east Columbus on Thursday.

Authorities responded to the 3000 block of East Livingston Avenue at 10:04 p.m. on Thursday on report of a shooting, according to the Columbus Division of Police. Officers found two adults suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

The pair was transported to a local hospital in stable conditions and are expected to survive their injuries. The suspect remains known and police are asking anyone with information to call 614-645-4141.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Semafor Signals

Insights from Politico, Semafor, The Wall Street Journal, and Bellingcat

The News

Israel will remove two senior officers from their posts after a military investigation into drone strikes on an aid convoy in Gaza deemed the attack a serious mistake which ran against the forces orders and open-fire regulations.

A probe into the strikes, which killed seven people, found that they were ordered after Israeli forces believed they had identified a Hamas gunman traveling with World Central Kitchen employees, the Times of Israel reported.

The attack on the aid vehicles is a serious mistake, which stemmed from a serious failure, as a result of wrong identification, a mistake in decision-making and an attack contrary to the orders and open-fire regulations, the Israeli military said.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Israel faced massive backlash over WCK strikes

Sources: Politico, Semafor

The three strikes on WCKs convoy prompted widespread condemnation from the international community, including from the U.S.: President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washingtons support for the war in Gaza depended on Israel better addressing the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave. His remarks in part drove Israel to open up increased aid routes into Gaza, though Netanyahus office has said the increased access was temporary. The notoriety of WCK  founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, whose restaurants are famous in Washington  made the issue more prominent. The Israelis have some answering to do, one defense official told Politico this week.

Soldiers reportedly misidentified a bag as a weapon

Source: The Wall Street Journal

The Israeli team that ordered the strikes on the WCK convoy misidentified a bag slung over someones shoulder as a weapon, The Wall Street Journal reported. Such a finding is not enough to justify carrying out a strike under Israels usual rules of engagement  though the military does not publicize its operating strategies, making it impossible to know what procedures it typically uses, the Journal noted. The military also has not publicized video of photographs of the incident.

Strike on WCK had precision

Source: Bellingcat

The Israeli government initially said that the strikes were unintentional, but photos gathered from the scene showed hallmarks of a precision strike, analysts with open source investigative outlet Bellingcat found. Munitions which follow moving targets are exceptionally precise, and equipped with advanced optics and sensor pods that are capable of magnifying targets at a distance. This is notable because at least one of the vehicles clearly bears the logo of World Central Kitchen on the roof. It is likely these markings would have been visible from above when the strike was carried out, Bellingcat found.
4 people killed and 20 injured in Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia  photo, video

Aftermath of the Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia. Photo: Ivan Fedorov

Four civilians were killed and 20 injured in a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday, 5 April.

Source: Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "The Russians killed two civilians, a woman and a man."

Details: According to Fedorov, early reports say that six people were injured in the Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia:

A 9-year-old boy and his 36-year-old mother

Two men aged 20 and 22 are in a moderate condition

A woman, 55, and a man, 51, are in a serious condition.

All of them were taken to hospital, where doctors are providing them with the necessary assistance.

Fedorov also posted photos of the aftermath of the attack showing damage to a building, likely a cafe.

Update: Fedorov has reported that the death toll has risen to three and the number of injured to 13. Four of them are in a serious condition.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said Russian forces had initially struck Zaporizhzhia with three missiles, followed by two more.

The aftermath of the Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia on 5 April.

Photo: National Police of Ukraine

The aftermath of the Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia on 5 April.

Photo: National Police of Ukraine

The aftermath of the Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia on 5 April.

Photo: National Police of Ukraine

Update at 18:57: The Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration has reported that the number of injured people has risen to 19.

         .  19  .



 -   pic.twitter.com/8wLEwIdoT7     (@ukrpravda_news) April 5, 2024

Updated at 20:47: Fedorov reported that the death toll has risen to four. Over 20 people have been injured.

Background: Earlier, Fedorov had reported that Russian troops attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday afternoon. He mentioned that there were casualties, but did not specify the number of people or types of injuries.

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NEW PHILADELPHIA  Two residents of a homeless encampment near the Tuscarawas River were evicted by police Friday as workers for the City of New Philadelphia began cleanup work at the site.

The two  a man and a woman identified only at Troy and Tonya  walked out of the encampment with all of their belongings piled high on makeshift carts, trudging along a muddy lane that runs through a portion of the site. It was a cold, damp morning, with a few snowflakes flying in the air. The carts were packed with clothing, a portable generator, gas cans, blankets, dog food and knickknacks.

More on encampment: Evicted: New Philadelphia orders residents of homeless encampment to vacate property

The two were assisted in removing their possessions by New Philadelphia police officers. The woman was accompanied by her dog.

It was unclear where they were headed after being evicted.

City workers brought in a dump truck, garbage truck and two front-end loaders to assist with picking up debris and garbage. There was a vast array of items strewn about the site  small children's toys, pieces of metal, burned material and an old oil drum.

With the assistance of New Philadelphia Police officers, two people experiencing homelessness, Tonya and Troy, vacated a private property that had been used as a homeless encampment on Friday in New Philadelphia. Prior notice of the eviction was given to people at the encampment three months ago. Tonya all the while has maintained that the property is hers.

Encampment is off of Fourth Street Extension SE

The encampment is on a 6.12-acre tract off of Fourth Street Extension SE, a narrow road leading to the city's sewer plant on the river. The property is owned by CSX Transportation and leased to New Philadelphia. The city uses a portion on Bank Lane as a playground. Another section is used to store excess fill dirt and concrete from construction work.

The site itself is in the midst of a dense thicket of saplings and brush, reached by narrow footpaths. There was no detectable smell at the site.

On Jan. 31, officers with the New Philadelphia Police Department and the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office came to post notices warning the encampment's residents to leave the property. The residents were given until March 31 (Easter Sunday) to leave.

Cleanup at the site had been scheduled for April 1 but was delayed because of the weather.

"According to what Safety Director (Greg) Popham and General Services Superintendent (Ray) Grewell told me, it will take at least a week to clean up the area," Mayor Joel Day said. "They said that the encampment was much larger than they expected. Overgrowth will be cut back and removed from the property to improve its visibility and to discourage camping."

Previous residents of shelter

Calvin White, executive director of the shelter in New Philadelphia run by Friends of the Homeless of Tuscarawas County, said his organization has taken supplies to residents of the encampment over the last month.

Both of the people evicted on Friday have been residents of the shelter in the past, he noted. The man stayed for a day or two recently but left of his own accord. The woman had been there awhile back, but it didn't work out.

"It's just sad and frustrating," White said. "It's a congregate shelter. People have to be together."

Two people experiencing homelessness, Tonya and Troy, are seen just beyond private property that was being used as a homeless encampment, Friday, April 5 in New Philadelphia. The land is private property and prior notice to evict was given months before. Tonya all the while has maintained that the property is hers.

In addition, the shelter does not take pets. Only service animals are allowed.

New shelter planned

Friends of the Homeless plans to build a new shelter at the site of the current facility, 211 E. High Ave. The new facility will have single rooms, "and that will broaden things a little for people who don't socialize well," he said.

Future plans: Friends of the Homeless to build new shelter at current site in New Philadelphia

The organization participates in a federal program administered by the state of Ohio, Rapid Rehousing. It is designed for people who are homeless or living in the homeless shelter. It will assist them with the first month's rent and deposit on an apartment and has the ability to assist them with rent for up to a year.

There are several homeless encampments in the New Philadelphia area, including one behind Walmart on Bluebell Drive and a couple close to the Tuscarawas River in the vicinity of New Towne Mall. White said he has seen evidence of children living at some of the encampments.

"I don't have a solution for them," he said of the two people evicted.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Cleanup work begins at site of New Philadelphia homeless encampment
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. military officials met their Chinese counterparts earlier this week for a series of meetings in Hawaii focused on how the two countries can operate safely, U.S. officials said on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden sought to manage tensions over the South China Sea in a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

The two leaders had agreed to resume direct military talks when they met in November.

In a statement, the U.S. military said officials from both countries "reviewed safety-related events over the last few years, and discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism."

China's defence ministry said in a separate statement published on Saturday that at the meetings the two sides conducted candid and constructive exchanges on the China-U.S. maritime and air security situation.

At the meetings, China also firmly opposed any attempt to endanger its sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation and overflight, the ministry said.

The talks, known as the military maritime consultative agreement (MMCA) working group, took place on April 3 and 4 in Honolulu and were the first such meeting since 2021.

Prior to the November meeting between Biden and Xi, relations between the superpowers had become increasingly acrimonious, with friction over issues from Taiwan to China's military activity in the South China Sea.

In October, the U.S. military said Chinese military aircraft had carried out risky or reckless maneuvers close to U.S. aircraft nearly 200 times since 2021.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Treasury under Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday imposed sanctions targeting Iran over its support of Russia's war in Ukraine and its financial backing of proxies. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

April 4 (UPI) -- The United States issued Iran-targeted sanctions on Thursday, as the Biden administration seeks to threaten Tehran's ability to fund its Middle Eastern proxies and support Russia's war in Ukraine.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control hit the Dubai-based Oceanlink Maritime DMCC with sanctions on accusations of shipping commodities for Iran's Armed Forces General Staff as well as its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.

It also identified 13 vessels operated by Oceanlink as blocked property.

Sanctions freeze all assets of the designated entity while barring U.S. persons from doing business with them under threat of being blacklisted as well.

Oceanlink was hit as it has been implicated in the illegal shipping of Iranian commodities.

According to the Treasury, Oceanlink-managed vessel Hecate was involved in a ship-to-ship transfer of more than $100 million in Iranian commodities on March 25 with Dover, a U.S.-blacklisted vessel operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company.

Officials said the commodities transfer was on behalf of another U.S.-sanctioned company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars.

"We are focused on disrupting Iran's ability to finance its terrorist proxy and partner groups and support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said Thursday in a statement.

"The United States will continue to use our full range of tools to target the illicit funding streams that enable Iran's destabilizing activities in the region and around the world."

The United States has authorized extensive sanctions against Iran over the years, and the Biden administration has sought to use this punitive measure to punish Iran over its furnishing of Russia with drones and other weapons amid its war against Ukraine.

It has also sought to tighten its financial vises on Tehran over its proxy militias seeking to take advantage of Israel's war against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

Embolden by the conflict that erupted in early October, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have been attacking vessels transiting the all-important international shipping lane of the Red Sea, stating it is in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The United States, along with Britain and other supporting countries, have formed a coalition to protect vessels in the trade route, intercepting Houthi-launched missiles as well as attacking Houthi military targets in Yemen.

The Biden administration has said it does not seek an escalation to the conflict, and has employed sanctions in an effort to hinder Iran's financial support of its proxy militia.
The United Auto Workers said Friday that a supermajority of workers at Mercedes-Benzs factory in Vance had signed a petition calling for a union election at the plant.

In a statement Friday morning, the UAW that it would apply to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a vote on a union as soon as possible, with an aim of having the election in early May.

We are voting for safer jobs at Mercedes, Moesha Chandler, an assembly team member at the factory, said in the UAW statement. Im still young, but Im already having serious problems with my shoulders and hands. When youre still in your 20s and your body is breaking down, thats not right.

A 2018 C-Class sedan nears the end of the assembly line inside the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International plant in Vance in this file photo from Sept. 12, 2017.

UAW said in February that a majority of workers at the Mercedes plant had signed union authorization cards. The union said in January that it would apply for an NLRB election when 70% of workers at the plant had signed the cards. The union did not release any figures on sign-ups on Friday.

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), which operates the Vance plant said in a statement Friday that it fully respects our team members choice whether to unionize and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure every team member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice.

MBUSI has a strong record of success over the past 25+ years operating as one team in Alabama, the statement said. Our primary focus at MBUSI is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our team members, so they can continue to build safe and superior vehicles for the world. We believe open and direct communication with our team members is the best path forward to ensure continued success.

The German automakers decision to build a plant outside Tuscaloosa in 1993  spurred by hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax incentives  is credited with bringing the automotive industry to the state. The anti-union atmosphere of government was also a big draw.

Auto workers generally get paid well by Alabama standards. An Alabama Arise report published in November said workers in the states automobile industry make an average of $64,682 a year, higher than the median household income of $59,674.

But the report also found that Alabama workers make less than their national counterparts and that real wages in the industry have fallen 11% over the last two decades. The report also said Black workers, Hispanic workers and women get substantially less.

Mercedes-Benz workers said that raises have become infrequent in recent years; benefits have become costlier and shift scheduling has become more irregular. They have also criticized the factorys use of temporary workers.

The union drive has drawn sharp criticism from Gov. Kay Ivey and the Business Council of Alabama. Ivey has called the UAW an out-of-state interest group and suggested it wants to undermine the automobile industry. A bill in the Alabama Senate would punish companies that voluntarily recognize unions.

The UAW has filed complaints against Mercedes-Benz for what it calls anti-union efforts.

The Vance plant manufactures the GLE and GLS, two luxury SUV models sold by Mercedes-Benz. It is also producing the EQS and EQE, two luxury electric cars.

Alabamas overall unionization rate is lower than the nations but the highest in the South. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 156,000 Alabamians, or 7.5%, belonged to a union in 2023, up from 149,000 the previous year. Another 180,000 workers (8.6% of the workforce) were represented by a union. The unionization rate in the nation is about 10.1%.

UAW is also organizing a union drive at Hyundais plant just outside Montgomery. It has also organized workers at a Volkswagen plant outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Employees there will vote on a union from April 17 to April 19.

We are standing up for every worker in Alabama, Jeremy Kimbrell, a measurement machine operator at Mercedes, said in a statement released by the UAW. At Mercedes, at Hyundai and at hundreds of other companies, Alabama workers have made billions of dollars for executives and shareholders, but we havent gotten our fair share. Were going to turn things around with this vote. Were going to end the Alabama discount.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Vote on union at Tuscaloosa Mercedes plant could come soon, UAW says
The Mercedes emblem seen on the GLE 350 model at the New York International Auto Show at the Javits Center on April 1, 2015 in New York City. The GLE is one of several car models manufactured at Mercedes' plant in Vance, outside Tuscaloosa. (Kevin Hagen/Getty Images)

The United Auto Workers said Friday that a supermajority of workers at Mercedes-Benzs factory in Vance had signed a petition calling for a union election at the plant.



In a statement Friday morning, the UAW that it would apply to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a vote on a union as soon as possible, with an aim of having the election in early May.

We are voting for safer jobs at Mercedes, Moesha Chandler, an assembly team member at the factory, said in the UAW statement. Im still young, but Im already having serious problems with my shoulders and hands. When youre still in your twenties and your body is breaking down, thats not right.

UAW said in February that a majority of workers at the Mercedes plant had signed union authorization cards. The union said in January that it would apply for an NLRB election when 70% of workers at the plant had signed the cards. The union did not release any figures on sign-ups on Friday.

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), which operates the Vance plant said in a statement Friday that it fully respects our team members choice whether to unionize and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure every team member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice.

MBUSI has a strong record of success over the past 25+ years operating as one team in Alabama, the statement said. Our primary focus at MBUSI is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our team members, so they can continue to build safe and superior vehicles for the world. We believe open and direct communication with our team members is the best path forward to ensure continued success.

The German automakers decision to build a plant outside Tuscaloosa in 1993  spurred by hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax incentives  is credited with bringing the automotive industry to the state. The anti-union atmosphere of government was also a big draw.

Auto workers generally get paid well by Alabama standards. An Alabama Arise report published in November said workers in the states automobile industry make an average of $64,682 a year, higher than the median household income of $59,674.

But the report also found that Alabama workers make less than their national counterparts and that real wages in the industry have fallen 11% over the last two decades. The report also said Black workers, Hispanic workers and women get substantially less.

Mercedes-Benz workers said that raises have become infrequent in recent years; benefits have become costlier and shift scheduling has become more irregular. They have also criticized the factorys use of temporary workers.

The union drive has drawn sharp criticism from Gov. Kay Ivey and the Business Council of Alabama. Ivey has called the UAW an out-of-state interest group and suggested it wants to undermine the automobile industry. A bill in the Alabama Senate would punish companies that voluntarily recognize unions.

The UAW has filed complaints against Mercedes-Benz for what it calls anti-union efforts.

The Vance plant manufactures the GLE and GLS, two luxury SUV models sold by Mercedes-Benz. It is also producing the EQS and EQE, two luxury electric cars.

Alabamas overall unionization rate is lower than the nations but the highest in the South. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 156,000 Alabamians, or 7.5%, belonged to a union in 2023, up from 149,000 the previous year. Another 180,000 workers (8.6% of the workforce) were represented by a union. The unionization rate in the nation is about 10.1%.

UAW is also organizing a union drive at Hyundais plant just outside Montgomery. It has also organized workers at a Volkswagen plant outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Employees there will vote on a union from April 17 to April 19.

We are standing up for every worker in Alabama, Jeremy Kimbrell, a measurement machine operator at Mercedes, said in a statement released by the UAW. At Mercedes, at Hyundai and at hundreds of other companies, Alabama workers have made billions of dollars for executives and shareholders, but we havent gotten our fair share. Were going to turn things around with this vote. Were going to end the Alabama discount.

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The post UAW says it will call for union election at Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Ukraine announces mandatory evacuation for children from 52 settlements in Sumy Oblast

Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of children from 52 settlements in the country's northern Sumy Oblast, the Reintegration Ministry announced on April 5.

Residents in the region come under daily Russian shelling, with attacks intensifying in recent weeks, prompting large-scale evacuations from the region.

Local authorities plan to evacuate 297 children with their families or other legal guardians to safer Ukrainian regions for free, according to the ministry's statement.

Over the past day, Russian forces attacked six border areas and settlements of Sumy Oblast, firing 15 times and causing at least 83 explosions.

The town of Bilopillia, with a pre-war population of about 16,000, experienced the most attacks, with 15 explosions recorded in the area, according to the local military administration.

Last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Sumy Oblast to inspect the construction of fortifications near the regional center.

Due to its proximity to the Russian state border, Sumy Oblast could be among the first regions under fire if Russia attempts to conduct another offensive in this direction of the front, as it happened in 2022.

Read also: Why is Russia intensifying attacks on Ukraines Sumy Oblast?

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Three more children have been brought back to Ukraine from the part of Kherson Oblast that is temporarily occupied by Russian forces; they are now in safety.

Source: Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "A 16-year-old girl, an orphan, was brought back to Ukraine-controlled territory. In addition, there is an 18-year-old boy and a girl without parental care."

Details: Prokudin stated that these Ukrainian children could not bear the horrors of the Russian occupation and therefore resolved to flee.

Another family joined them on their departure: a mother with her two children, a 15-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son. The Russians demanded that children attend so-called Russian educational institutions.

Prokudin stated that everyone who managed to escape the occupation is in a safe environment and that doctors and psychologists are currently working with them.

Previously: On 4 April, four more children were brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast: a 14-year-old disabled girl, a 12-year-old boy, and two 15-year-old boys.

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Ukraine claims it destroyed at least 6 Russian fighter jets in one of its biggest drone attacks yet

Ukraine claims it destroyed at least 6 Russian fighter jets in one of its biggest drone attacks yet

Ukrainian officials told AP they destroyed six planes at the Morozovsk military airbase.

Eight more aircraft were damaged, and 20 service personnel were killed or injured, they said.

Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters are known to be stationed at the base.

Ukraine said it destroyed at least six Russian fighter jets and damaged eight more in what could be one of the biggest drone attacks of the war, according to reports by multiple outlets.

The assault took place at the Morozovsk military airbase in Rostov in the early hours of Friday morning, according to unnamed Ukrainian officials speaking to news agencies including Reuters and AP.

Russia acknowledged a massive attack by drones, saying there were 44. However, it said it shot them all down and that only a power substation was damaged.

(It isn't unusual for Russia and Ukraine to give radically different assessments of whether an attack worked or not.)

Its defense ministry said the regions of Saratov, Kursk, Belgorod, and Krasnodar had also been targeted, according to the BBC.

A video of what appears to be part of the attack was shared on Telegram by former Ukrainian political advisor Anton Gerashchenko.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify the reports.

The reports didn't say which type of aircraft were destroyed.

However, a source told The Kyiv Independent that Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters had been held at the base.

An anonymous source told Radio Liberty that Su-24 bombers were also stationed there.

In addition to the six aircraft that were destroyed, sources told the outlets that eight more were damaged. An estimated 20 Russian soldiers were killed or injured, according to the Kyiv Independent.

"This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the (Russian forces)," a source told the Kyiv Independent.

A Ukrainian source also confirmed the operation to Sky News, saying the strike will "impede Russia's ability to conduct such strikes in the future and allow Ukrainian troops to push back Russian ground forces with a reduced threat of air attack."

Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov district, said that in the Morozovsky district, eight people were injured when an explosive device detonated on a fallen UAV and that an electrical substation was hit.

AP noted that this may be one of Ukraine's biggest drone attacks of the war. For comparison, Ukraine was previously thought to have taken out to 10 Russian planes in 10 days.

Representatives for the Ukrainian military, SBU, and the Russian military did not immediately respond to BI's requests for comment.

If true, the latest drone strike is a significant success for Ukraine. However, on the ground, things aren't going as well. A $60bn aid package for Ukraine is currently stuck in a congressional stand-off.

In an interview with Business Insider's Sinead Baker, two Ukrainian soldiers urged its allies to continue supporting them and stressed that Europe could be next.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukraine is claiming to have destroyed at least six warplanes at an airfield in Russia in a major drone attack Friday.

Another eight aircraft were damaged in the attack at the military installation near Morozovsk in Russias Rostov region bordering Ukraine, officials told the Associated Press. Regional Gov. Vasily Golubev warned late Thursday that local air defenses were repelling a massive UAV attack, later claiming that eight people were injured near the airfield as a result of the detonation of an explosive device on one of the fallen UAVs.

Firefighter Learns His Dad Was Killed at Scene of Russian Attack

Golubevs posts about the attack made no mention about aircraft being destroyed or damaged, only that a substation had sustained minor damage leaving about 600 locals without power in the morning. Windows in an apartment building were broken, he added, and some other minor damage was incurred at a private farmstead.

Ukrainian intelligence officials, on the other hand, told the AP that around 20 airfield personnel had been killed or injured. They said that the operation had been carried out by Ukraines Security Service in conjunction with its army.

Front-line bombers Su-27 and Su-34 were based at the airfieldthese are the types of aircraft the Russian Federation uses to drop guided air bombs on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and front-line Ukrainian cities, a source told Interfax-Ukraine. The source said the attack was an important special operation which will significantly reduce the combat potential of Moscow.

Videos shared online purportedly of the overnight attack appear to show multiple fiery explosions and ground defenses engaging targets overhead.

If the Ukrainian reports are accurate, the operation would rank among Kyivs most successful cross-border strikes since the war began in Feb. 2022. Ukraine claimed to have destroyed nine Russian helicopters with U.S.-supplied long-range missiles in an attack targeting two airfields last October. That operation came two months after reports emerged of a Russian supersonic bomber being blown up using an inexpensive drone.

On Friday, Russias Defense Ministry claimed that its air defenses had destroyed 44 drones in Rostov. It said much smaller numbers of drones had also been brought down in Saratov, Kursk, Belgorod, and Krasnodar.

Ukraine has increased its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, predominantly targeting oil facilities to undermine Moscows substantial revenues from natural resources. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has continued to call on Western allies to supply Kyiv with more air defense systems amid the ongoing threat Russia poses to Ukraine with drone attacks of its own.

Officials said four people were killed in KharkivUkraines second-largest cityon Thursday when Russia launched Iranian-made Shahed drones at the city.

Zelensky said three of those killed were rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. They arrived at the scene after the first strike and then the second hit occurred, he said. A vile Russian tactic.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Ukraine and Lithuania have held talks regarding the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement.

Source: Ukraines Presidents Office, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Presidents Office stated that the parties had identified key points and agreed on a schedule for working on the preparation of the bilateral security agreement.

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Presidents Office, conducted the latest round of talks.

Quote: "Our document will contain a number of provisions that we have managed to enshrine in such agreements for the first time."

Background:

Earlier, it was reported that Latvia was planning to sign a long-term support and security agreement with Ukraine, committing to provide military assistance in the amount of 0.25% of its gross domestic product this year and over the next two years.

Such agreements have already been signed with the UK, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Lithuania and Estonia will also sign similar agreements with Ukraine in the near future.

Prior to this, Finnish President Alexander Stubb arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Shortly after the news of his arrival broke, the Office of the President of Ukraine published the text of the agreement between Ukraine and Finland on security cooperation and long-term support.

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Ukrainian and Lithuanian officials held a meeting on April 4, during which they decided on the key points and a schedule for the preparation of a bilateral security agreement, Ukraine's Presidential Office said.

Kyiv has already signed eight long-term security deals based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) last July, namely with the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, and, most recently, Finland.

"Our document will contain a number of provisions that we have managed to enshrine in such agreements for the first time," said Ihor Zhovkva, a deputy head of the Presidential Office who led the latest round of talks with Lithuania.

The Presidential Office did not reveal any further details regarding the results of the talks.

Vilnius has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters against Russian aggression. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, Lithuania's defense contributions to Ukraine are one of the highest in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) shares.

Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $215 million) support package to Ukraine and promised to continue supporting the country.

Read also: Ukraine, Finland sign long-term security agreement

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine proposes to include air transit ban in sanctions against Russia and Belarus

Ukraine has proposed to ban air transit to Russia and Belarus as part of the sanctions policy.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Simonyte

Details: "Today we would like to propose a new initiative, new sanctions  a ban on air transit to the russian federation and belarus. This initiative is aimed at limiting the economic potential of the aggressor and increasing the sanctions pressure on the enemy," the prime minister explained.

In addition, the prime minister stressed that the January agreement among the Baltic states regarding the unified implementation of sanctions enhances their effectiveness and efficiency.

Background: Japan will expand its ban on exports to Russia to include 164 additional industrial products, such as lithium-ion batteries, gas pipes and engine oil.

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A Columbus Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers restaurant was closed due to an electricity outage on June 15, 2022. (Credit: Fred Squillante/Columbus Dispatch)

Morgan Harper is co-founder of Columbus Stand Up and a member of the Stop AEP Rate Hikes coalition. Selah Goodson Bell is a campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversitys energy justice program.

As Ohio endures climate change-fueled storms and unexpected power outages, its worth asking whos looking out for people struggling to stay warm and pay skyrocketing utility bills.

Recent history suggests that neither AEP Ohio nor the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio are upholding their obligations to serve the public interest.

AEP Ohio cut life-saving power to its customers tens of thousands of times last year. Adding insult to injury, AEP customers who could afford to pay their bills saw the utility jack up rates by about 28% as the hottest summer on record got underway.

Yet another AEP rate hike will likely take effect in June.

Given these regular rate increases, and the millions AEP spends on stock buybacks and dividends for its shareholders, it might surprise ratepayers to know that this for-profit utility is required under its state charter to act in the publics best interest.

Ohioans unprotected after biggest corruption scandal in state history

Similarly, state law requires that the commission regulate public utilities and, according to its own mission, it should be protecting customers access to adequate, safe and reliable utility services at fair prices.

Yet even in the aftermath of the biggest public corruption scandal in state history, the commission and Ohio lawmakers have done little to protect consumers, prevent public corruption and fulfill their community-focused missions.

Opinion AEP's increases would make families pick between keeping the lights on and eating

But there is hope.

Three bills under consideration this session would rein in utility greed, reduce deadly utility shutoffs, begin prioritizing the needs of energy-insecure households and help restore the states reputation in the wake of the First Energy bribery scheme.

What should be done to protect Ohioans from greedy utility companies

The Ohio legislature should pass these bills and distinguish itself as a model for other states.

Senate Bill 149 would prevent utilities from forcing ratepayers to bankroll their lobbying expenses and require detailed disclosures of their political expenditures. This would complement national efforts to protect ratepayers. In 2021 the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to implement this rule nationwide. States like Colorado, Connecticut and Maine have since enacted their own versions, and California lawmakers are considering a similar bill.

Story continues

In 2022 the Center petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the myriad anti- competitive and deceptive strategies that utility companies deploy to block distributed solar, enrich their shareholders and safeguard their monopoly power. Nationally millions of dollars are funneled from utility customers to anti-environment trade groups that threaten the climate and clean energy development.

Senate Bill 150 would increase electric and gas utility shutoff protections for households with low- income residents, children under 5, adults over 65, and people who are disabled, ill or pregnant.

It would require utility companies to disclose shutoff data every quarter rather than annually. Utilities would be financially responsible for providing service to the newly protected households and prevented from recouping these costs from other customers.

Senate Bill 151 would repeal the bailout of two 1950s-era coal plants  subsidies lawmakers approved in House Bill 6, the 2019 law at the heart of Ohios corruption scandal. This would save ratepayers millions of dollars.

These are commonsense reforms. First Energys epic racketeering conspiracy  aided by convicted felon and former House Speaker Larry Householder and at the expense of Ohio utility customers  shows these reforms are desperately needed.

Not surprisingly, Republicans and utility companies are trying to prevent these bills from becoming law.

Morgan Harper is co-founder of Columbus Stand Up and a member of the Stop AEP Rate Hikes coalition.

Everyday Ohioans have the most to lose if Republican members of the House Energy and Public Utilities Committee keep stonewalling these bills.

Researchers in Ohio have found that energy rates and fuel riders disproportionately burden Black, Hispanic and Latino residents, who are more likely to be low income and live in homes that are costlier to keep warm and cool.

In 2022 AEP Ohio disconnected residential customers for non-payment more than 145,000 times  by far the most of any Ohio utility. About 1.2% of the roughly $1.6 billion AEP spent on shareholder dividends that year could have covered the cost to prevent every shutoff.

Selah Goodson Bell is a campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversitys energy justice program.

No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and keeping the power on, but volatile energy prices and climate change-fueled extreme weather mean more families than ever are forced to make such choices.

Ohio lawmakers have an opportunity to stand up to utility company monopolies and lower energy costs for millions of people. Or they can continue to let utility executives and shareholders rake in inordinate profits at the expense of hard-working Ohioans.

Morgan Harper is co-founder of Columbus Stand Up and a member of the Stop AEP Rate Hikes coalition. Selah Goodson Bell is a campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversitys energy justice program.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio vulnerable to greedy AEP and companies s after corruption scandal
Key developments on April 5:

Ukraine strikes airfields in Russia, destroying or damaging 19 warplanes, sources say

Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia kill 4, injure over 20

Ukraine's military denies Russian troops reached Chasiv Yar's suburb

Lithuania to purchase 3,000 drones for Ukraine

Military: Russian use of prohibited chemical weapons has become 'systemic'

Ukraine launched a series of drone strikes against military airfields in Russia in the early hours of April 5, allegedly destroying or damaging 19 warplanes, sources familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.

According to a source in the military intelligence, that asked to remain anonymous as they weren't authorized to speak to the press, Ukraine successfully hit the Engels-2 air base, located in Russia's Saratov Oblast, located over 750 kilometers away from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled border.

The Engels military airfield is among the most important Russian military sites, regularly used for the country's attacks on Ukraine.

According to the intelligence source, Ukraine was able to damage or destroy three Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers that are used to attack the country with a variety of Kh-type air-launched cruise missiles.

Seven people were killed or injured, among them aircraft pilots, the source said.

Read also: Source: Ukraine hits Russias Engels air base. Can it change how Russia attacks?

According to the same source, two more airfields were targeted on April 5 by the military intelligence  one in Yeysk, Krasnodar region, where two Su-25 jets were allegedly hit, another one near Kursk, where there's currently no information on the outcome.

Another overnight attack by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with Ukraine's military targeted the Morozovsk air base in Rostov Oblast, according to the Kyiv Independent's sources familiar with the matter.

Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters were based at the airfield, the source said. Russia uses these aircraft to drop aerial bombs on Ukrainian military positions and Ukrainian front-line cities, according to the source.

Both Su-34 and Su-27 planes are estimated to cost over $35 million apiece.

At least six military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight were damaged, according to the source. Furthermore, about 20 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed or wounded.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the information. Earlier on April 5, Russia reported a massive Ukrainian drone attack against several Russian regions, claiming to down 53 drones.

Read also: Ukrainian drones hit one Russian oil refinery after another

Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia kill 4, injure over 20

As of 8:30 p.m. local time, four people are confirmed to have been killed and over 20 injured in Russias April 5 missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.

Zaporizhzhia, a city with a population of around 710,000, lies in Ukraines southeast. Zaporizhzhia is subjected to regular Russian attacks due to its proximity to the front line.

Among the injured were two journalists and a nine-year-old boy, Fedorov reported earlier.

According to the National Police, Russia hit Zaporizhzhia with three missiles first and then launched two more missiles. The second strike occurred in around 40 minutes when first responders were already working on the scene, said Fedorov.

Three apartment buildings, at least 10 houses, stores, and a dormitory were damaged, according to the local authorities.

The Kyiv Independent has previously reported on Russia's use of so-called "double-tap" strikes, in which there is an initial strike followed by a second  with a delay  so that it can potentially wound or kill first responders.

Russia's "double-tap" attacks against Ukraine have killed 91 first responders and injured 348 since the start of the full-scale war, Suspilne reported on April 4, citing information from the State Emergency Service.

Read also: Missiles hit Kyiv seconds after air raid alert, leaving people no time to shelter

Ukraine's military denies Russian troops reached Chasiv Yar's suburb



Russian troops have not entered the suburbs of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, a spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern command, Andrii Zadubinnyi, told Reuters on April 5.

Chasiv Yar lies around 10 kilometers west of Bakhmut and 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Avdiivka, two settlements that Russia captured in May 2023 and February 2024, respectively.

Russian troops have been focusing their efforts near Chasiv Yar, which they see as crucial for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, the Ukrainian military said.

Russian proxies claimed on April 5 that Moscow's forces allegedly reached the suburb of Chasiv Yar, according to Kremlin-controlled news agency RIA Novosti.

Zadubinnyi urged not to believe Russian claims.

"The situation there is very difficult; the fighting continues, but they (Russian troops) are not there," Zadubinnyi said.

Lithuania to purchase 3,000 drones for Ukraine

Lithuania will purchase 3,000 Lithuanian drones for Kyiv and allocate 15 million euros (around $16 million) to rehabilitation programs for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 5 during his visit to Vilnius.

Shmyhal arrived in Lithuania earlier on April 5 following his visits to the two other Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, previously this week.

"In addition, Lithuania is taking an active part in Ukraine's reconstruction and will allocate another 5 million euros for education and 12 million ($13 million) for helping veterans, rebuilding schools and kindergartens, and setting up shelters," Shmyhal said on his Telegram channel following a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte.

Shmyhal also reminded that Lithuania previously allocated 35 million euros ($38 million) to the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine.

Vilnius has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters against Russian aggression. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, Lithuania's defense contributions to Ukraine are one of the highest in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) shares.

Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $215 million) support package to Ukraine and promised to continue supporting the country.

During Shmyhal's visit to Riga on April 4, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said that Latvia will soon deliver drones to Ukraine worth 1 million euros ($1.1 million).

Read also: Opinion: NATO is not a hegemonic burden

Military: Russian use of prohibited chemical weapons has become 'systemic'

The tendency of Russian troops to use munition with prohibited chemicals grows and has become "systemic," the command of Ukraine's Support Forces reported on April 5.

Ukrainian forces recorded 371 cases of usage of munition containing prohibited chemicals over the past month, which is 90 cases more than during the previous one.

For such attacks, Russia primarily uses K-51 and RG-VO grenades, which are delivered via drones, according to the Support Forces.

In total, Russian troops have used munitions with chemicals, which are banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, 1,412 times over the past year.

"Such actions on the part of the Russian Federation are taking on a systemic pattern, and this tendency only grows," the Support Forces' report said.

Earlier, Dmytro Lykhovyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria Group of forces, said on March 10 that Russian forces had dropped grenades with suffocating and tear gas from drones about 50 times over the week.

Russian naval infantry units have also been confirmed to have used prohibited chemical weapons in the village of Krynky, located 30 kilometers northeast of Kherson, the Institute for the Study of War said on Dec. 23.

The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons in war.

Read also: The Counteroffensive: Russias rising chemical weapons use in Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian troops have not entered the suburbs of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, a spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern command, Andrii Zadubinnyi, told Reuters on April 5.

Chasiv Yar lies around 10 kilometers west of Bakhmut and 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Avdiivka, two settlements that Russia captured in May 2023 and February 2024, respectively.

Russian troops have been focusing their efforts near Chasiv Yar, which they see as crucial for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, the Ukrainian military said.

Russian proxies claimed on April 5 that Moscow's forces allegedly reached the suburb of Chasiv Yar, according to Kremlin-controlled news agency RIA Novosti.

Zadubinnyi urged not to believe Russian claims.

"The situation there is very difficult; the fighting continues, but they (Russian troops) are not there," Zadubinnyi said.

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Russian troops conducted a roughly reinforced company-sized mechanized assault towards Chasiv Yar on April 4, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in their recent report, referring to the footage. Russia advanced up to the eastern outskirts of the city, but Ukrainian forces prevented it from making further advances into Chasiv Yar, according to the ISW.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address on April 4 that despite the ammunition shortage, Ukraine had managed "to stabilize positions" in the sectors where Moscow "expected to succeed."

In late March, Zelensky did not rule out that a major Russian offensive may come at the end of May or in June.

Read also: After 10 years of war, Krasnohorivka in new danger as Russia advances in the east

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine's prosecutor general spent over 100 days abroad on official trips last year

In 2023, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin spent 103 days abroad on official trips, half of them to the United States, where his wife lives.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source familiar with the matter in the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO); PGO response to a request by lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko; Kostin's 2023 declaration

Quote from the source: "Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin spent 103 days abroad on official trips in 2023 (including days of departure and arrival, that is almost 30% of the calendar days in the year).

Almost half of these trips were to Washington in the United States, where his wife officially resides, as stated in a declaration submitted to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP)."

Details: On 5 April, Oleksii Honcharenko, a lawmaker from the European Solidarity faction, posted the PGO's response to his request on Telegram.

It states that Kostin made 13 official trips abroad in 2023, and four between 1 January and 6 March 2024. However, the PGO did not indicate how long Kostin was abroad.

Furthermore, PGO employees on international official trips received reimbursements of UAH 3,781,368 (roughly US$97,300) from the budget in 2023 and UAH 471,139 (US$12,100) in 2024. 57% of the trips were fully funded by the organisers, 33% were partially funded by the organisers, and only 10% were financed by the state budget.

Photo: Oleksii Honcharenko on telegram

Kostin's 2023 declaration states that his wife, Olha Kostina, works and rents an apartment in the United States. The company owned by the Prosecutor General's wife is registered in Washington, DC. However, the declaration does not indicate the rental cost of her apartment in the United States.

Kostin's 2023 declaration

Screenshot

In response to Honcharenko's request, the Prosecutor General's Office said that in 2023-2024, Kostin's visits abroad "contributed to the signing of crucial agreements, the investigation of war crimes committed against Ukraine, and the provision of assistance to our country in this process".

In particular, the PGO noted the following results that Kostin's work achieved:

Arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Vladimir Putin and Russian Childrens Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the deportation of Ukrainian children, and for two senior Russian commanders (a general and an admiral) for attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

The signing of an agreement and opening of an ICC office in Kyiv to facilitate their investigations.

The opening of the International Centre for Prosecution for the Crime of Aggression and preparation of a case for the future tribunal.

International promotion of the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.

Confiscation of Russian oligarchs assets in the US worth US$5.4 million, which was then spent on rehabilitation for Ukrainian veterans. A similar process is underway in Canada.

The filing of charges against four pro-Russian militants by the US Justice Department.

Serving three pro-Russian militants from Lithuania with notices of suspicion in the case of the murder of a civilian in Mariupol. The investigative group achieved this result based on Eurojust.

The setting up of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, comprising experts from the US, EU and UK, to help Ukraine investigate war crimes in its own territory.

Obtaining assistance from a number of countries in the investigation of Russias war crimes: creating a mission of experts who help document crimes, and supplying the equipment required for such documentation  DNA laboratories from France, drones for 3D-scanning of crime scenes from the US

Testifying at hearings of the US Helsinki Commission on war crimes against children, on the confiscation of Russian assets, on the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children and illegally detained civilians, and on holding Russia accountable for war crimes (Nuremberg). The result of this communication was the presentation to Congress of a bill named after a teenager shot by the Russians. This bill provides for the imposition of sanctions to combat the mass deportation of Ukrainian children.

Background: On 4 April, it was revealed that the President's Office of Ukraine was discussing the possible dismissal of Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin.

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The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has detained two assets belonging to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), planning a missile attack on the headquarters of Ukraine's Defence Forces in Odesa Oblast.

Source: SSU

Quote: "The SSU foiled a new attempt by the Ruscists to launch an attack on the deployment sites of the Defence Forces in Odesa Oblast. The aggressor's main targets included the headquarters of the command of Ukraine's Armed Forces on the Southern front.

The FSB engaged two of its assets, citizens of one of the South Caucasus states who lived in Odesa, to carry out the task.

By orders of the Russian secret service, these individuals were reconnoitring the locations of Ukrainian troops in order to record their coordinates on Google Maps.

After establishing the geolocations of the necessary targets, the assets were gathering as much information as possible about the personnel, military equipment, and operational details.

Details: By doing so, they sought to identify the command posts and combat units of Ukraine's Armed Forces in order to report to the FSB.

The Russian proxies walked the streets of Odesa to gather intelligence and covertly recorded potential targets.

At the same time, they covertly used their connections with local residents to obtain information about the Ukrainian military.

The defendants also set up a public organisation in the city, which operated under the guise of providing assistance in legalising foreign nationals in Ukraine. In reality, the NGO tried to recruit foreigners into its own network of informants.

Having acquired the intelligence data, the Russians planned to launch a series of targeted missile and drone strikes on military infrastructure and combat positions of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

After completing the task, the proxies hoped to join the FSB.

The suspects were detained while conducting additional reconnaissance near one of the facilities. A phone was seized from the offenders, which they used only to communicate with the FSB.

SSU investigators served both men with a notice of suspicion under Article 114-2.3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorised dissemination of information about the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine committed under martial law).

They have been remanded in custody. The offenders face up to 12 years in prison.

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Stock photo: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 5 missiles and 13 Shahed kamikaze drones on the night of 4-5 April; all the drones were shot down.

Source: Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram

Quote from the Air Force: "As a result of an air defence operation, mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces shot down all 13 Shahed drones in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts."

Details: Ukrainian defenders clarified that the Russians launched two S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles and three Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Russias Belgorod Oblast. They also launched attack drones from Cape Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea.

Background:

On the night of 4-5 April, Ukrainian forces detected a group of attack UAVs flying from the Black Sea in the direction of Odesa Oblast (the village of Zatoka), and a ballistic threat was also issued in several oblasts.

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MILAN  Ukrainian forces have rigged an elaborate network of sensors in the country that feeds targeting data to heavy machine guns for downing Russian combat drones, according to analysts.

The fallback tactics towards mobile, low-cost defenses come as sophisticated interceptor missiles donated by Western allies are running low.

Last month alone, Moscow fired more than 3,000 guided aerial bombs, 600 drones and 400 missiles at Ukraine, according to remarks made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Kremlin has used Iranian Shahed-type exploding drones, which Russia now reportedly also produces domestically, to carry out attacks against Ukrainian population centers. The threat posed by these weapons are the primary focus of the new class of nimble counter-drone setups that can be moved where they are most needed.

How Ukraines defense companies have adapted to two years of war

Mobile air defense in Ukraine is probably responsible for over 40% intercepts of these systems [Shahed-type drones], Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment think tank who frequently travels to Ukraine for research, told Defense News. This is partly due to the deficit of munitions for valuable interceptive systems like Patriots, IRIS-T, amongst others, he said.

The cheaper option, he explained, consists of heavy machine guns, with thermal scopes and tablets, paired on a gun mount.

Kofman said that the tactics of using firearms to shoot down Russian drones are part of an intricate web of detection systems scattered around the country.

This system works because the gun crew is part of an elaborate sensor network set up around Ukrainian cities; there is an integrated system for tracking incoming drones, including radar and acoustics, and a robust network of electronic warfare systems, Kofman said.

That forces Shahed drones to increase in altitude from their standard low-altitude flight in order to navigate, he added.

Another cheap sensor network Ukrainians have established to track Russian aerial threats consists thousands of cell phones placed next to microphones atop six-foot poles throughout the country, forwarding incoming engine noise to anti-aircraft artillery units for processing.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe, Gen. James Hecker, praised the techniques success rate.

They had 84 of them that came in the other day  they detected 84 and shot down 80 with the anti-aircraft artillery units, Hecker said.

At a NATO meeting of foreign affairs ministers, held this week in Brussels, Ukraines top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba called for allies to provide more air defense weapons.

Partners did provide us with different systems, we appreciated that, but its just simply insufficient, given the scale of the war, Kuleba was quoted as saying by Reuters.
United States DOJ Department of Justice Washington DC law

A three-judge panel for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in D.C., has ruled that the Department of Justice can reopen its investigation into the National Association of Realtors.

In an opinion filed on Friday, Circuit Court judges Florence Pan and Karen Henderson ruled that the settlement agreement reached by the DOJ and NAR in November of 2020, does not prevent the DOJ from reopening its investigation into the trade groups Participation Rule and Clear Cooperation Policy. The opinion was written by Judge Pan. Judge Justin Walker, the third judge on the panel, filed a dissenting opinion.

As framed by the parties, the issue before us is narrow. DOJ argues only that the plain language of the closing letter does not bar it from reopening its investigation and issuing a new CID regarding the Participation Rule and the Clear Cooperation Policy. We agree, Pan wrote.

At the center of the debate is a letter the DOJ sent to NAR in Nov. 2020, in which the DOJ agreed to close its investigation into NAR.

The plain meaning of that provision is that DOJ closed its then-pending investigation and relieved NAR of its obligation to respond to two specifically identified Civil Investigative Demands, Pan wrote. We discern no commitment by DOJ  express or implied  to refrain from either opening a new investigation or reopening its closed investigation, which might entail issuing new CIDs related to NARs policies. Put simply, the fact that DOJ closed its investigation does not guarantee that the investigation would stay closed forever. The words close and reopen are unambiguously compatible.

Additionally, Pan points out in her opinion that the DOJ included a no inference clause in its closing letter, which stats that [n]o inference should be drawn . . . from the Divisions decision to close its investigation into these rules, policies or practices not addressed by the consent decree.

That clause confirms that DOJ did not intend to imply any additional terms in the letter, such as one prohibiting a reopened investigation, Pan wrote.

Pan also noted that based on a precedent set in United States v. Winstar Corp., the court will not interpret a contract to cede a sovereign right of the United States unless the government waives that right unmistakably.

The closing letter contains no unmistakable term ceding DOJs power to reopen its investigation, Pan continued.

In his dissenting opinion, Judge Walker agreed with the other two judges that in its letter the DOJ unmistakably made it known that it was closing its investigation. However, Walker disagrees with his colleagues, stating in his dissent that because DOJ misreads one isolated word (closed) to nullify what the Realtors gained from an otherwise comprehensive and comprehensible contract, [he] respectfully dissents.

Story continues

In Walkers view, the sole question is whether DOJ is correct that it could have immediately reopened its investigation of the Realtors two remaining policies after contracting to close that investigation.

Because DOJs sole argument is wrong, I would affirm the district court on the narrow grounds presented to us by DOJs appeal, Walker wrote.

Walker focuses on the DOJs assertion that closed and reopen compatible terms, something he says he accepts, But because context may drive such a statement in either direction, a promise to close something may at times preclude an immediate reopening.

By context, I mean the rest of the contracts text. And here, the text suggests a quid-pro-quo bargain that precludes DOJs sole argument, he continues.

Walker concludes by writing that the DOJ bargained for a binding contract.

That bargain required DOJ to close an investigation, and it did not allow DOJ to immediately reopen the closed investigation. In arguing otherwise, DOJ has invited our court to go where no court has gone before  or at least no court identified by DOJ.

After today, behind the facade of its promise to close an investigation, the government can lure a party into the false comfort of a settlement agreement, take what it can get, and then reopen the investigation seconds later, Walked concluded.

This ruling comes over four months after the three-judge panel heard oral arguments from both NAR and the DOJ.

In 2020, the DOJs antitrust division agreed to a settlement after investigating the trade groups listing and agent compensation policies. The settlement proposed at the time included requirements for NAR to boost transparency about broker commissions and to stop misrepresenting that buyer broker services are free.

However, the DOJ, under new leadership in the Biden administration, withdrew the settlement in July 2021, stating that the terms of the agreement prevent regulators from continuing to investigate certain association rules that they feel harm buyers and sellers.

NAR filed a petition in September 2021 to set aside or modify the DOJs probes into the trade group.

In late January 2023, Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a Trump appointee, ruled in favor of NAR, stating that the earlier settlement terms were still valid, and that allowing the investigation to continue would take away the benefits NAR had negotiated in the original settlement.

The DOJ appealed the ruling in March and filed its first brief in early June. NAR filed a reply brief in late July.

The investigation into NAR by the DOJ and ensuing appeal is not the only legal battle the DOJ and the real estate industry are currently involved in.

In late September 2023, became involved in the Nosalek commission lawsuit, filing a motion to extend the deadline for the final approval of the settlement agreement reached between the Nosalek plaintiffs and defendant MLS Property Information Network. In mid-February, the DOJ filed its statement of interest in the Nosalek suit, in which it advocated for the prohibition of cooperative compensation.

The DOJs involvement in the Nosalek suit has led many to believe that the government will seek to get involved in the other commission lawsuits, but that remains to be seen.

In October, a Missouri jury found that NAR, along with HomeServices of America and Keller Williams, had conspired to artificially inflate real estate agent commissions, a judgement that hinged upon NARs Participation Rule, which requires listing brokers to make a blanket offer of compensation to buyers brokers in order to list a property on a Realtor association affiliated MLS. NAR, as well as Keller Williams, have since entered into settlement agreements for this and other commission lawsuits. These agreements are still waiting for final approval from the court.

As articulated by Judge Walker in his dissenting opinion, NAR believes that the government should be held to the terms of its contracts, Mantill Williams, NARs vice president of communications, wrote in an email. We are reviewing todays decision and evaluating next steps.

The trade group has the option to appeal the appellate courts decision to the Supreme Court.

In a statement emailed to the Wall Street Journal, the head of the DOJs antitrust division said it was committed to fighting to lower the cost of buying and selling a home.

Real-estate commissions in the United States greatly exceed those in any other developed economy, and this decision restores the Antitrust Divisions ability to investigate potentially and unlawful conduct by NAR that may be contributing to this problem, Assisstant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter wrote.
Ukrainian intelligence says it destroyed 6 fighter aircraft in Russia

Ukrainian intelligence says it has destroyed six Russian fighter aircraft at the Morozovsk military air base in the Rostov region as Russia strikes Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. Photo by Yakiv Liashenko/EPA-EFE

April 5 (UPI) -- Ukraine's intelligence service, the SBU, says it destroyed six Russian military jets at the Morozovsk airbase in Russia's Rostov region, the Kyiv Independant, BBC and CNN report, citing unnamed Ukrainian military sources.

Russian officials say 44 drones were shot down in Rostov, the Kyiv Independent reports.

The airbase was "used to launch guided air bombs on Ukrainian positions and border settlements," a Ukrainian military source told CNN.

The source also told CNN that as many as 20 Russian servicemen were either killed or injured.

The base is used to house Su-27 and Su-34 fighter aircraft, which have been used to drop bombs on Ukrainian targets.

Ukrainian forces have stepped up attacks against targets inside Russia in recent weeks, with an unmanned aircraft attacks on a Russian targets, including a drone manufacturing facility and an oil refinery Tuesday.

On Thursday, Russian forces targeted the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, killing at least four people and injuring 10 others.

On Friday, Russian strikes killed three people in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, according to regional military administrator Ivan Fedorov.
Journalists from the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 and the news agency Ukrinform have been injured in a repeat attack by Russia on the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Source: Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne; Ukrinform; Ukraine's National Police

Details: Russia reportedly launched a second strike on Zaporizhzhia on Friday while emergency workers and police were working at the scene.

Journalists were also there. Suspilne's reporters were unhurt, but their colleagues from Ukrinform and 1+1 were injured.

Ukrinform said its reporter Olha Zvonarova received a leg injury in the attack and is undergoing surgery.

Journalist Olha Zvonarova

PHOTO: UKRINFORM

1+1 TV channel stated that Kira Oves, a journalist for the news programme TSN, was injured in the Russian bombardment of Zaporizhzhia on 5 April. The incident occurred when Kira and other media workers were filming the aftermath of the previous attack on the city.

Journalist Kira Oves, injured in Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia

Photo: TSN

Ukraine's National Police reported that Russia fired three missiles on Zaporizhzhia and soon afterwards struck again with two more missiles.

A total of 3 civilians were killed and 19 people injured in the Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia on Friday, 5 April.

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Territorial centres for recruitment and social support (military enlistment offices) will summon citizens over 25 to update their registration data, undergo medical boards, and get relevant military registration documents.



Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Quote: The Ukrainian president has signed the Law of Ukraine dated 30 May 2023, No. 3127-IX "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine 'On Military Duty and Military Service,'" which reduces the age of citizens on military registration from 27 to 25 years for conscripts.

In particular, citizens who have reached the age of 25 will be removed from the military registration of conscripts and placed on the military registration of reservists.

With the entry into force of the law above, territorial recruitment centres will summon citizens who were registered as conscripts and have reached the age of 25 to update their registration data, undergo medical boards, and obtain relevant military registration documents.

Details: The Department of Public Relations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told Ukrainska Pravda that the law signed by Zelenskyy on 2 April was officially published on 3 April, so it came into force on 4 April.

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Denys Shmyhal and Ingrida Simonyte. Photo: Telegram

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has arrived on a visit to Lithuania.

Source: European Pravda, citing Shmyhal on Telegram

Shmyhal announced that he began his visit by meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte.

Quote: "The agenda includes military-technical cooperation, support for Ukraine's European integration, confiscation of Russian assets, and strengthening restrictions on Russian goods and services," wrote Shmyhal.

Background:

The Ukrainian PM visited Latvia on 4 April.

During the visit, it became known that Latvia was developing a new security assistance package for Ukraine and would provide the first drones as part of the drone coalition. It will also financially contribute to the Czech-led initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.

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The attack on the Morozovsk airfield in Russia has been carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine together with the units of the Defence Forces; an Ukrainska Pravda source said that at least six aircraft were destroyed.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda source in the Security Service of Ukraine

Details: The source said that Su-34 frontline bombers and Su-27 fighters were stationed at the airfield. These aircraft are used by Russia to drop glide bombs on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and frontline Ukrainian settlements.

Quote from the source: "At least six Russian military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight were heavily damaged. In addition to the equipment, about 20 Russian military personnel became cargo 200 (were killed  ed.) or cargo 300 (injured)."

Background: Russian local authorities stated that Ukrainian drones attacked the Morozovsk military airfield in Russias Rostov Oblast on the night of 4-5 April.

Witnesses reported numerous drones and counted more than 60 explosions. Several districts had beet cut off from the power grid after it.

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How Ukrainian social media influencer raised over $50 million for military thanks to typing

To see some of the horrors Russias war has brought to Ukraine, one just has to click on the #RussiaIsATerroristState hashtag on social media.

Given the scale of Russias ongoing attacks, which have left entire cities blacked out and destroyed, and thousands of people killed, the hashtag is used daily by hundreds of people, including Ukrainian and Western officials.

But not many know that the person who launched the viral campaign promoting the hashtag back in 2022 was Ukrainian social media influencer Ihor Lachenkov.

He began to gain followers on the eve of the full-scale war when he founded the Lachen Pyshe ("Lachen (short for Lachenkov) is typing") Telegram channel (@lachentyt) to share the latest developments  often accompanying the news with his own comments.

More than two years into the full-scale invasion, Lachenkov, now 24, has become more than just a social media influencer. Apart from running one of Ukraines most popular Telegram channels, with nearly 1.5 million followers, Lachenkov has raised millions of dollars for Ukrainian soldiers and directed the glare of publicity to crucial issues such as corruption in the Defense Ministry.

My priority has always been the interests of the country, first and foremost, Lachenkov said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.

Ukrainian influencer Ihor Lachenkov poses for a portrait after an interview with The Kyiv Independent in Sens bookstore on March 29, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Oleh Tymoshenko / The Kyiv Independent)

Becoming famous

Everyone seems to know who Lachenkov is when he walks into a bookstore in downtown Kyiv these days, but few would have recognized him before the full-scale war.

A native of the central-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, he studied law at the local university and earned a living by creating "turnkey" Telegram channels, as well as running social media accounts about his hometown. He often posted memes and news about Ukraine on his personal Instagram account and had gained nearly 50,000 followers there by 2022.

Lachenkov first experienced the effects of war when he spent summer holidays at his grandparents home in Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, which was occupied by Russia for three months in 2014. The city again came under Russian military occupation in July 2022, during Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"I've been following the events closely since 2013, including the Revolution of Dignity and the war in the Donbas," Lachenkov told the Kyiv Independent.

I knew that Russia was the aggressor state and that the revolution was one of the pivotal moments that helped us become a free country, rather than following Russia's path.

"But my problem was that I believed that Russian liberals, the Russian opposition, and people who were against the annexation of Crimea and Putin were good Russians."

"After Feb. 24 (2022, the start of Russias full-scale war on Ukraine), I realized this was far from the truth."

With the threat of a full-scale Russian invasion looming over Ukraine in late 2021 and early 2022, Lachenkov decided to create a Telegram channel to share the latest news with his own comments. He named it Lachen Pyshe (Lachen is typing).

"When someone writes to you in a Telegram chat, it displays 'is typing' at the top," Lachenkov explains the name, adding he thought that only people from his circle would follow the channel.

But to his surprise, it gained 6,000 followers on its first day. By Feb. 23, 2022, he had 70,000 readers  nearly 20,000 more than his personal Instagram account. The next day, as Russia began heavily bombarding cities across Ukraine, Lachen Pyshes audience skyrocketed to over 200,000.

Lachenkov himself was in Dnipro when the full-scale war began. He did not sleep for the first few days, monitoring and posting news around the clock.

Although he had never chased popularity in Ukraine, having many friends in the military and deeply caring for his country made him realize he had no choice but to accept his new-found fame and continue working harder than ever.

A collage of the Telegram messages from the Lachen Pyshe (Lachen is typing) channel and a photo of its founder and face, Ukrainian influencer Ihor Lachenkov, posing for a portrait after an interview with The Kyiv Independent in Sens bookstore on March 29, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. The messages alert the followers of the route of the Russian missiles during an air raid siren. (Oleh Tymoshenko / The Kyiv Independent)

A voice as a weapon

Lachenkov runs the channel with two friends who remain anonymous, making him its face.

He said he understands the high level of responsibility for using the power of Telegram  a messenger created by Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov  to help Ukraine.

Durov left Russia in 2014 and currently lives in Dubai. While he claims that Telegram defends freedom of speech and "has no equipment, employees or companies in Russia," he refuses to comment on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, saying that it's important for the world to "retain Telegram as a neutral platform." The Kremlin has tried to block the messenger in Russia several times.

Telegram is now among the most popular messengers in Ukraine and Russia, with strongly pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian channels available to users in both Ukraine and Russia. It is a go-to source of breaking news, though Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) recently said Telegram also poses threats to the country's security.

Lachenkov, however, says Telegram is a great tool in fighting Russian propaganda  when used wisely. Around two months into the full-scale war, he helped ban a Russian FSB-linked Telegram propaganda channel in Ukraine: "There have now been lots of small cases like that," Lachenkov said.

A collage of the Lachen Pyshe (Lachen is typing) channel and the messages from the channel. (Illustration: The Kyiv Independent)

"So much can be accomplished through Telegram, and its a tool to be utilized rather than restricted."

Lachenkov uses his powerful social media voice not only to fight Russian propaganda but to draw public attention to other important matters in Ukraine, like battling corruption: In early January, he issued an emotional statement regarding a recent procurement scandal involving Defense Ministry contractor and Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych.

Hrynkevych is one of five suspects, including his son Roman, who allegedly supplied Ukraine's Defense Ministry with low-quality military clothing, causing the ministry Hr 1.2 billion ($31 million) in losses.

"Its an incredible level of nastiness," Lachenkov wrote on social media about the case. He continued publishing updates about it, calling on law enforcement to find Roman after he had been declared wanted. His aim was not to let society and authorities forget about the scandal.

Lachenkov said the Hrynkevych family even contacted him, attempting to "bury" the story: "They wanted to pay me to forget about them," the influencer said.

"The next day, I published another post." "I wanted it to be an example. I wanted to make the Hrynkevych case into a precedent. I wanted to show that the media, public attention, and societal buzz around a particular case can resolve the issues."

The investigation into the large-scale defense procurement corruption scheme is ongoing, with a Kyiv court recently extending the detention of Roman until April 17.

The #RussiaIsATerroristState hashtag campaign is also a great example of the power of "societal buzz." Lachenkov and his team launched the hashtag campaign after a particularly brutal Russian attack on Kyiv on June 26, 2022, when an apartment building and a kindergarten were hit by Russian missiles.

If the terror of the Russian Federation remains unpunished, you will see its repetition all over the world - President Zelenskyi#RussiaIsATerroristState pic.twitter.com/2qABr6PaBC  Ihor Lachenkov (@igorlachenkov) July 13, 2022

"We launched this hashtag on Twitter," Lachenkov said. "We had a designer who made black posters on which 'Russia is a terrorist state' was written in red letters. It gained a lot of traction, but a lot of people don't even know where it comes from."

However, others had indeed noticed, and Lachenkov was among a group of Ukrainians invited to the European Parliament when it awarded the Sakharov Prize to the Ukrainian people in December 2022. He says he initially didnt understand why hed been invited.

"But I understood it when I met with a member of the European Parliament who had lobbied for them to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, he said. I was invited there to get acquainted, to talk about declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, what further actions would be taken, and what to do about it."

Lachenkov said he believes he attracts social media followers because of his active stance and independence. He says he has "no political ambitions."

And despite now having a large audience and recognition, Lachenkov remains modest and humble, always trying to shift the focus from himself to what is important to him  Ukraine.

We (the channel) don't engage in politics. Were independent. We dont promote harmful things, including casinos. We dont have sponsorships," Lachenkov said.

"We follow issues in the country. We address important questions. If someone asks us for help, we help."

A collage of the Telegram messages from the Lachen Pyshe (Lachen is typing) channel and a photo of its founder and face, Ukrainian influencer Ihor Lachenkov posing for a portrait after an interview with The Kyiv Independent in Sens bookstore on March 29, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. The messages alert the audience of the route of the Russian missiles during an air raid siren. (Oleh Tymoshenko / The Kyiv Independent)

No time to stop

Much of that help goes to the Ukrainian military. Lachenkov had friends in the military even before the full-scale war. He has also lost some of them.

"Many of my friends continue to fight," he said. "The thought that you dont know what will happen (to them) tomorrow affects (me) a lot."

His first fundraising campaign was launched five days before the full-scale war, when he quickly raised Hr 80,000 ($2,000) for his friends in the military. As of the beginning of 2024, Lachenkov has helped raise over Hr 2 billion ($51 million) through his channel to support Ukrainian soldiers.

While he has teamed up with Ukrainian foundations and activists supporting the army many times, one fundraiser in particular stands out.

In November 2022, Lachenkov joined forces with Come Back Alive, Ukraine's biggest civilian fundraising trust for purchasing military items, to raise Hr 230 million ($5.8 million) for undisclosed equipment that would "reduce Russia's offensive capabilities."

The equipment was requested by Ukraines military intelligence, Lachenkov says. It took them around a month to close the fundraiser.

A year later, the military finally revealed what the mysterious equipment actually was the Ukrainian-made Beaver attack drone, which can fly up to 800 kilometers. According to Lachenkov, in one attack the drone hit a Russian plant producing electronics for Russian X-type missiles. In total, the drones caused over $900 million worth of damage to Russia in the first eight months of 2023, according to Lachenkov.

To extend support to the military beyond material assistance, Lachenkov recently launched a YouTube channel featuring interviews with soldiers. He also plans soon to help a friend create a memorial for fallen Ukrainian servicemen.

Ukrainian influencer Ihor Lachenkov poses for a portrait after an interview with The Kyiv Independent in Sens bookstore on March 29, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Oleh Tymoshenko / The Kyiv Independent)

Lachenkov said he would "breathe a sigh of relief" when Ukraine finally receives the aid package from the U.S., which has been delayed since the fall of 2023 amid political fighting in Congress.

"I will understand that at least we have military aid, and this is very important for us," he said.

"Nothing separates you from those already killed by Russia. You have no guarantees that tomorrow Russia won't kill you, as they have already killed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. Not just in the last 10 years, but already over a hundred years."

"Its now at the stage of either we kill them, or they will kill us."

Note from the author:

Hi! Daria Shulzhenko here. I wrote this piece for you. Since the first day of Russia's all-out war, I have been working almost non-stop to tell the stories of those affected by Russias brutal aggression. By telling all those painful stories, we are helping to keep the world informed about the reality of Russias war against Ukraine. By becoming the Kyiv Independent's member, you can help us continue telling the world the truth about this war.

Read also: Hollywood actress Ivanna Sakhno: Ive never felt more at home in Ukraine than during full-scale war

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Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure facilities in Odesa Oblast overnight, damaging equipment, Ukraine's state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo said on April 5.

The company said that no blackouts occurred as a result of the strikes.

Moscow has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, launching large-scale attacks on energy facilities across the country.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported on April 5 that as a result of a Russian drone attack in a southern region of Ukraine, Ukrenergo's high-voltage substation was damaged.

On April 4, scheduled blackouts were introduced in six Ukrainian regions due to power deficits caused by Russian attacks. The day later, restrictions were applied for 550,000 consumers in Kharkiv Oblast, of which around 330,000 were in Kharkiv itself.

Read also: Russia aims to knock out Ukraines power grid in new wave of attacks

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LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary David Cameron will travel to the United States next week where he will urge politicians to approve a package of military aid for Ukraine.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has held up a bill for months that would supply $60 billion in military and financial aid for Ukraine.

Cameron said he would meet Johnson to urge him to pass the aid package.

"Britain has put forward its money for Ukraine this year, so has the European Union. America needs to do it," Cameron said on social media platform X. "Speaker Johnson can make it happen in Congress. I am going to go see him next week and say we need that money, Ukraine needs that money."

In February, Cameron urged Republican lawmakers not to "show the weakness displayed against Hitler" in the 1930s as he called for them to approve the funding package for Ukraine.

Marjorie Taylor Greene - an ally in the House of Representatives of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who opposes Ukraine aid - told Cameron at the time not to interfere in U.S. politics and said he could "kiss my ass".

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by William Schomberg)
By Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Cecile Mantovani

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, although Israel dismissed it as a "distorted text".

Twenty-eight countries voted in favour, 13 abstained and six opposed the resolution, including the United States and Germany. The adoption prompted several representatives to the Council to cheer and clap.

The resolution stressed "the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity".

It also expressed "grave concern at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the Council of having "long abandoned the Israeli people and long defended Hamas".

"According to the resolution before you today, Israel has no right to protect its people, while Hamas has every right to murder and torture innocent Israelis," she said ahead of the vote. "A vote 'Yes' is a vote for Hamas."

Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi welcomed the vote but complained that some European states had not backed it.

"There have been calls for accountability across the world, but that position changes when we're talking about Israel," Khraishi told the Council.

The United States had pledged to vote against the resolution because it did not contain a specific condemnation of Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks, or "any reference to the terrorist nature of those actions".

It did, however, said that its ally Israel had not done enough to mitigate harm to civilians.

"The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to de-conflict military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties and to ensure humanitarian actors can carry out their essential mission in safety," said Michele Taylor, U.S. permanent representative to the Council.

"That has not happened and, in just six months, more humanitarians have been killed in this conflict than in any war of the modern era."

In later resolutions, the Council endorsed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and denounced Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967. It said they seriously endangered the viability of an eventual Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The Council, which meets several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body designed to protect human rights worldwide. It can increase scrutiny of countries' human rights records and authorise investigations.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Cecile Mantovani; Editing by Matthias Williams and Kevin Liffey)
(Bloomberg) -- Indonesias move to get more goods produced onshore is already starting to backfire, with companies warning that supplies of products including Apple Inc.s MacBook Pro could start to run out as soon as the end of April.

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Other goods including Michelin tires and chemicals shipped from Europe may run out over the next few months because of the rule enforced from March 10 thats seen as an attempt to curb imports of thousands of products, according to people familiar with the matter.

While the move was meant to spur global companies to set up production plants onshore, it has instead pushed them to consider scaling back or canceling plans to expand operations, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing sensitive information.

President Joko Widodo has presented himself as business-friendly to foreign investors, but he has also railed against imports that compete against local products. That tension is coming to the fore as the import hurdles have ignited furor among top executives at companies from Apple to Michelin and spurred business chambers from the US to South Korea to write letters to his government to review the matter, said the people who asked not to be named discussing sensitive issues.

Representatives from Apple as well as Indonesias ministries of trade and industry didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Michelin said it has been working with associations and other companies facing a similar issue, and its optimistic the government will act soon to fix the problem. Michelin aims at integrating Indonesia fully into its global value chain, and that is why openness to trade is key to us, it said in an emailed response to Bloomberg.

The complex rule effectively restricts imports of about 4,000 products, including finished goods such as laptops and raw materials like hazardous chemicals. To get import permits, companies must get a letter of recommendation from the Ministry of Industry, but the process is onerous  requiring firms to submit tenancy agreements and annual forecasts of items they intend to bring into the country, said the people.

The forecasts may be used by the government to set import quotas for certain products, which the companies view as being meant to spur them to set up production facilities onshore to get an upper hand or lose out to rivals because of the quota mechanism, they said.

Story continues

Despite multiple queries from the companies, the government didnt give any clarity on the implementation since the rule was signed into law in December, the people said. Firms only understood the complexity and ramifications once the regulation was enforced, which is throwing companies into turmoil as they need to plan budgets, logistics and transport for the goods, they said.

Firms are now turning to Coordinating Investment and Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Panjaitan, whos seen as someone who has Jokowis ear, to persuade the president to ease the rule. In private conversations, Panjaitan described the rule as potentially injuring Indonesias business reputation and economic interests, the people said.

A representative for Panjaitan didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

--With assistance from Eddie Spence and Eko Listiyorini.

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FILE In this Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 photo, ivy grows near the lettering of an entrance to the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. A group of University of Texas professors is demanding the reversal of job cuts after the 52,000-student campus shut down a program this week to comply with one of the nation's most sweeping bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A group of professors demand that the University of Texas reverse course on job cuts this week related to the shutdown of a diversity, equity and inclusion program impacted by one of the nation's most sweeping bans on such initiatives.

Officials at the 52,000-student university, one of the largest college campuses in the U.S., have not said how many jobs were eliminated. University President Jay Hartzell told the campus in a letter this week that additional measures will be taken to comply with the states new law. He said the university plans to shut down its Division of Campus and Community Engagement, which houses programs that support student learning and community building.

Hartzell's announcement also said associate and assistant deans who focused on DEI initiatives would return to their full-time faculty jobs and positions for staff who supported them would no longer be funded.

The school's chapter of the American Association of University Professors has estimated that 60 people in DEI roles at the campus were let go but have not said how it arrived at that number. In a letter sent Thursday, the group argued that the cuts violated employees' rights to academic freedom, due process and freedom of expression. It also criticized what it called a lack of transparency about how decisions were made and why input from faculty council was not taken into account.

Although clearly not the intention, such actions can lead to a loss of trust and a perception of dishonesty, the letter said.

The changes come as public universities in Texas were forced to make swift changes to comply with a new law passed last year by the state's Republican-controlled statehouse. Known as Senate Bill 17, it is one of the strictest bans passed on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and took effect on January 1.

School officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The university this week declined to answer questions about how many faculty or staff members were impacted by the cuts.

The new Texas laws applies to the state's more than 30 public institutions  which serve over 600,000 students in higher education. It bans the universities from influencing hiring practices with affirmative action and other approaches that take into account applicants' race, sex or ethnicity. It also prohibits promoting differential or preferential treatment or what it called special benefits for people based on these categories and forbids training and activities conducted in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

At least five other states have already passed their own bans. This year, Republican lawmakers in over a dozen other states are pursuing various restrictions on diversity initiatives, an issue that some hope will mobilize their voters this election year. The legislation mostly focuses on higher education, though some also restrict DEI efforts in K-12 schools, state government, contracting and pension investments.

The move by University of Texas leaders to shut down the campus' community engagement division came days after Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton, who authored the bill, sent letters to regents of multiple public university systems inviting them to testify before state lawmakers about the changes made to comply with the new law.

Creighton also warned that simply renaming programs would not be considered compliance and reiterated that non-compliance could lead schools to lose funding.
Theres unlimited rail travel across France this summer for less than 50  but not for everyone

Rail passes will be available for travel in July and August (Getty Images)

France have announced the launch of a nationwide rail pass this summer for unlimited rail travel at just 49 (42) a month.

The unlimited travel will apply to all journeys taken on the countrys TER and Intercity trains, however, French transport minister Patrice Vergriete confirmed that only those age 27 or younger will be eligible for the discounted pass.

High-speed TGV trains and travel in Frances most populous region, Ile-de-France  home of the capital, Paris  are both excluded from the rail offer and require an additional ticket.

The new pass is expected to go on sale in June.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that those under 27 can travel by train unlimitedly in France on X/Twitter. He added that the rail pass becomes reality this summer and asked: Where would you go?

The passes will be available to buy through SNCF Connect from June for young people to travel around France.

Vergriete said the Ministry of Transport estimates 700,000 young people will benefit from the low-cost travel using the rail pass this summer.

In 2020 and 2021, a summer rail pass temporarily existed for young people under 27 to travel in France for 29 (24.87) a month.

The rail pass for 2024 is based on a similar scheme in Germany by the national operator Deutsche Bahn that runs without an age limit. The Deutschland Ticket allows travel by all means of local public transport for 49 per month.

Funding 80 per cent of measures to introduce the pass is expected to cost the government around 15 million, with individual regions responsible for footing the remaining 20 per cent of the bill.

The decision to introduce an age cap to the national rail pass and exclude the Ile-de-France area was met with disappointment from several of the French regions.

Criticism from the Hauts-de-France region said that though the rail pass was favourable, the Minister for Transport lacked ambition by introducing a discounted pass only for young people.

The president of the Normandy region, Herve Morin, said: If there must be a rail pass, it must be national and apply to the entire French network and must not exclude the Ile-de-France network through which most young people inexorably pass when going to another region by train.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The Urban League of West Michigan has received money from the federal government to build a center to help support young people.

A sum of $750,000 of community project funding will go toward developing what Chief Executive Officer Eric Brown calls an Urban League of their own.

During 2020, the Urban League of West Michigan did a focus group with young people and their parents to assess what needs the community felt.

Youth wanted a safe place, a place where they can get connected to job opportunities, education opportunities, in-school and out-of-school programming, in general, a safe place where they can have to talk to older adults and their peers, Brown said. Theyre familiar with how the Urban League helps their parents and other adults, but they want an Urban League that helps young people  we responded.

The organization hopes to make a state-of-the-art 21st century youth center that will train young people on the democratic process; diversity, equity and inclusion; entrepreneurship and technology, according to Brown.

Its gonna have a lot of stuff in there  that will be helpful for young folks in their learning process, that theyre going to be able to graduate high school successfully  and be ready for a life after high school, Brown said.

The center aims to help students with anything from gaining certificates to enter the workforce immediately to getting an associates degree or going to a four-year college.

We want to be able to give them access to, and exposure to, different career paths, different opportunities, educational paths so that they are very well informed to choose what it is that they want to do for their futures.

The center is in its early stages. The Urban League of West Michigan is seeking out engineers and architects to check out the old Good Shepherd Church building next door, at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Bates Street. They will evaluate the property as a whole to decide how to transform the space into a youth center, Brown said.

There is no schedule yet for when it might open but Brown said hes hoping for the summer of 2026, depending on the scope and scale of the project.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
US announces new sanctions against shipping company linked to Iranian military

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions on April 4 against the company Oceanlink Maritime DMCC for its role in shipping material for the Iranian military.

OFAC said that the move was in part guided by the goal of "disrupting Iran's ability to...support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."

Tehran and Moscow have deepened their military and political cooperation since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones used in airstrikes against Ukraine and has helped Moscow build a drone factory in Russia.

In February, Reuters reported that Iran had already sent 400 ballistic missiles to Russia. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed this claim.

Oceanlink Maritime DMCC reportedly operates a fleet of at least 12 vessels that ship commodities for Iran, including for the Iranian military, OFAC said.

"The U.S. will continue to use our full range of tools to target the illicit funding streams that enable Iran's destabilizing activities in the region and around the world," said Treasury official Brian Nelson.

Read also: G7 leaders call on Iran not to supply Russia with missiles

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Shortly after an airstrike widely attributed to Israel destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Syria, the United States had an urgent message for Iran: We had nothing to do with it.

But that may not be enough for the U.S. to avoid retaliation targeting its forces in the region. A top U.S. commander warned on Wednesday of danger to American troops.

And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus recent broadening of targeted strikes on adversaries around the region  to include Iranian security operatives and leaders  deepens regional hostilities, analysts say, its not clear the United States can avoid being pulled into deeper regional conflict as well.

The Biden administration insists it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike Monday. But the United States is closely tied to Israels military regardless. The U.S. remains Israels indispensable ally and unstinting supplier of weapons, responsible for some 70% of Israeli weapon imports and an estimated 15% of Israels defense budget. That includes providing the kind of advanced aircraft and munitions that appear to have been employed in the attack.

Israel hasnt acknowledged a role in the airstrike, but Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the U.S. has assessed Israel was responsible.

Multiple arms of Irans government served notice that they would hold the United States accountable for the fiery attack. The strike, in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killed senior commanders of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for Syria and Lebanon, an officer of the powerful Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and others.

American forces in Syria and Iraq already are frequent targets when Iran and its regional allies seek retaliation for strikes by Israelis, notes Charles Lister, the Syria program director for the Middle East Institute.

What the Iranians have always done for years when they have felt most aggressively targeted by Israel is not to hit back at Israelis, but Americans, seeing them as soft targets in the region, Lister said.

On Wednesday in Washington, the top U.S. Air Force commander for the Middle East, Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said Irans assertion that the U.S. bears responsibility for Israeli actions could bring an end to a pause in militia attacks on U.S. forces that has lasted since early February.

He said he sees no specific threat to U.S. troops right now, but I am concerned because of the Iranian rhetoric talking about the U.S., that there could be a risk to our forces.

U.S. officials have recorded more than 150 attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on U.S. forces at bases in those countries since war between Hamas and Israel began on Oct. 7.

One, in late January, killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more at a base in Jordan.

In retaliation, the U.S. launched a massive air assault, hitting more than 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria, including command and control headquarters, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities connected to the militias or the IRGCs Quds Force, the Guards expeditionary unit that handles Tehrans relationship with and arming of regional militias. There have been no publicly reported attacks on U.S. troops in the region since that response.

Grynkewich told reporters the U.S. is watching and listening carefully to what Iran is saying and doing to evaluate how Tehran might respond.

Analysts and diplomats cite a range of ways Iran could retaliate.

Since Oct. 7, Iran and the regional militias allied to it in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen have followed a strategy of calibrated attacks that stop short of triggering an all-out conflict that could subject Irans homeland forces or Hezbollah to full-blown war with Israel or the United States.

Beyond strikes on U.S. troops, possibilities for Iranian retaliation could include a limited missile strike directly from Iranian soil to Israel, Lister said. That would reciprocate for Israels strike on what under international law was sovereign Iranian soil, at the Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus.

A concentrated attack on a U.S. position abroad on the scale of the 1983 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut is possible, but seems unlikely given the scale of U.S. retaliation that would draw, analysts say. Iran also could escalate an existing effort to kill Trump-era officials behind the United States 2020 drone killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

How far any other retaliation and potential escalation goes may depend on two things out of U.S. control: Whether Iran wants to keep regional hostilities at their current level or escalate, and whether Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahus far-right government does.

Sina Toossi, a fellow at the Center for International Policy, said analysts in Iran are among those trying to read Netanyahus mind since the attack, struggling to choose between two competing narratives for Israels objective.

One perceives Israels actions as a deliberate provocation of war that Iran should respond to with restraint, Toossi wrote in the U.S.-based think tanks journal. The other suggests that Israel is capitalizing on Irans typically restrained responses, and that failing to respond in kind will only embolden Israel.

Ultimately, Irans sense that it is already winning its strategic goals as the Hamas-Israel war continues  elevating the Palestinian cause and costing Israel friends globally  may go the furthest in persuading Iranian leaders not to risk open warfare with Israel or U.S. in whatever response they make to Mondays airstrike, some analysts and diplomats say.

Shira Efron, a director of policy research at the U.S.-based Israel Policy Forum, rejected suggestions that Netanyahu was actively trying with attacks, like the one in Damascus, to draw the U.S. into a potentially decisive conflict alongside Israel against their common rivals, at least for now.

First, the risk of escalation has increased. No doubt, Efron said.

I dont think Netanyahu is interested in full-blown war though, she said. And whereas in the past Israel was thought to be interested in drawing the U.S. into a greater conflict, even if the desire still exists in some circles, it is not more than wishful thinking at the moment.

U.S. President Joe Biden is facing pressure from the other direction.

So far hes resisting calls from growing numbers of Democratic lawmakers and voters to limit the flow of American arms to Israel as a way to press Netanyahu to ease Israeli military killing of civilians in Gaza and to heed other U.S. appeals.

As criticism has grown of U.S. military support of Israels war in Gaza, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has increasingly pointed to Israels longer-term need for weapons  to defend itself against Iran and Iranian-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The U.S. is always concerned about anything that would be escalatory, Miller said after the attack in Damascus. It has been one of the goals of this administration since October 7th to keep the conflict from spreading, recognizing that Israel has the right to defend itself from adversaries that are sworn to its destruction.

Israel for years has hit at Iranian proxies and their sites in the region, knocking back their ability to build strength and cause trouble for Israelis.

Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, one of a network of Iran-aligned militias in the region, that shattered Israels sense of security, Netanyahus government has increasingly added Iranian security operatives and leaders to target lists in the region, Lister notes.

The U.S. military already has deepened engagement from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea since the Hamas-Israel war opened  deploying aircraft carriers to the region to discourage rear-guard attacks against Israel, opening airstrikes to quell attacks on shipping by Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen.

It is also moving to build a pier off Gaza to try to get more aid to Palestinian civilians despite obstacles that include Israels restrictions and attacks on aid deliveries.
US-Chinese military talks resume on safety in the air and at sea after a nearly 2-year break

FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. For the first time in nearly two years, U.S. and Chinese defense officials met this week to discuss unsafe and aggressive ship and aircraft incidents between the two militaries in the Pacific region, restarting a dialogue that Beijing abruptly ended in a dispute involving Taiwan. The meeting, which was Tuesday through Thursday in Hawaii, comes as Washington and Beijing work to expand communications between the two world powers and ease escalating tensions. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  For the first time in nearly two years, U.S. and Chinese defense officials met this week to discuss unsafe and aggressive ship and aircraft incidents between the two militaries in the Pacific region, restarting a dialogue that Beijing abruptly ended in a dispute involving Taiwan.

The meeting, which was Wednesday and Thursday in Hawaii, came as Washington and Beijing work to expand communications between the two world powers and ease escalating tensions. Military-to-military contact had stalled in August 2022, when Beijing suspended all such communication after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own.

The thaw in relations between the two countries got a kick-start last November when U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinas President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. About a month later, Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Chinese counterpart in a video call  in the first senior military-to-military contact since the Pelosi visit.

Other top-level talks have continued, including a call earlier this week between Biden and Xi, and a visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that began on Thursday.

The resurgence of senior military leader discussions includes the relaunch of routine engagements, including the China-U.S. Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meeting, which was this week in Hawaii, and the bilateral Defense Policy Coordination Talks, which were held earlier this year.

The maritime meeting is focused on unsafe and unprofessional incidents involving the U.S. and Chinese militaries while the coordination talks focus on broader policy issues. This week's meeting included personnel from Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces and the Peoples Liberation Army. This is the first time since 2019 that the meeting was held in person; there was a virtual meeting in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to officials, this week's meeting included about 18 senior military and civilian officials from each side. The U.S. and China delegations each brought up several specific incidents over the past several years that they believe raised operational safety concerns, and the group discussed them.

"Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA - and with all other military forces in the region - is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication.," said the head of the U.S. delegation, Army Col. Ian Francis in a statement.

Francis, who is the director for Northeast Asia policy at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said the U.S. is encouraged that the People's Liberation Army is honoring its commitments to the maritime agreement.

Two U.S. officials said that they've seen a reduction in the number of unsafe incidents by Chinese military aircraft and ships over the past several months. They said the meeting was a way to make sure that the trend continues and that overall safety is increased in the region for troops who operate there. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings are private.

The U.S. has consistently viewed military communications with China as critical to avoiding any missteps between their armed forces and to maintaining a peaceful Indo-Pacific.

Pelosi became the highest-ranking American lawmaker to visit Taiwan since 1997, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich traveled there. Her visit sparked a surge in military maneuvers by China. Beijing dispatched warships and aircraft across the median line in the Taiwan Strait, claiming the de facto boundary did not exist, fired missiles over Taiwan itself, and challenged established norms by firing missiles into Japans exclusive economic zone.

During the following two years, U.S. military officials repeatedly objected to a range of unsafe intercepts by Chinese aircraft in the Pacific and other dangerous incidents.

Last October, the Pentagon released footage of some of the more than 180 intercepts of U.S. warplanes by Chinese aircraft in the previous two years. And military officials said the number was more than the total amount over the previous decade  a trend they called concerning. In one instance last year, a Chinese pilot flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a U.S. Air Force B-52, which was conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace.

Chinas defense ministry, meanwhile, has criticized the U.S. for what it calls interference in both Taiwan and the South China Sea, charging that American arms sales to Taiwan are making the situation more dangerous.
The European Union and United States put out a joint statement Friday affirming a desire to increase cooperation over artificial intelligence. The agreement covers AI safety and governance, but also, more broadly, an intent to collaborate across a number of other tech issues, such as developing digital identity standards and applying pressure on platforms to defend human rights.

As we reported Wednesday, this is the fruit of the sixth (and possibly last) meeting of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The TTC has been meeting since 2021 in a bid to rebuild transatlantic relations battered by the Trump presidency.

Given the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House in the U.S. presidential elections taking place later this year, it's not clear how much EU-U.S. cooperation on AI or any other strategic tech area will actually happen in the near future.

But, under the current political make-up across the Atlantic, the will to push for closer alignment across a range of tech issues has gained in strength. There is also a mutual desire to get this message heard -- hence today's joint statement -- which is itself, perhaps, also a wider appeal aimed at each side's voters to opt for a collaborative program, rather than a destructive opposite, come election time.

An AI dialogue

In a section of the joint statement focused on AI, filed under a heading of "Advancing Transatlantic Leadership on Critical and Emerging Technologies", the pair write that they "reaffirm our commitment to a risk-based approach to artificial intelligence... and to advancing safe, secure, and trustworthy AI technologies."

"We encourage advanced AI developers in the United States and Europe to further the application of the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct for Organisations Developing Advanced AI Systems which complements our respective governance and regulatory systems," the statement also reads, referencing a set of risk-based recommendations that came out of G7 discussions on AI last year.

The main development out of the sixth TTC meeting appears to be a commitment from EU and U.S. AI oversight bodies, the European AI Office and the U.S. AI Safety Institute, to set up what's couched as "a Dialogue." The aim is a deeper collaboration between the AI institutions, with a particular focus on encouraging the sharing of scientific information among respective AI research ecosystems.

Topics highlighted here include benchmarks, potential risks and future technological trends.

"This cooperation will contribute to making progress with the implementation of the Joint Roadmap on Evaluation and Measurement Tools for Trustworthy AI and Risk Management, which is essential to minimise divergence as appropriate in our respective emerging AI governance and regulatory systems, and to cooperate on interoperable and international standards," the two sides go on to suggest.

The statement also flags an updated version of a list of key AI terms, with "mutually accepted joint definitions" as another outcome from ongoing stakeholder talks flowing from the TTC.

Agreement on definitions will be a key piece of the puzzle to support work toward AI standardization.

A third element of what's been agreed by the EU and U.S. on AI shoots for collaboration to drive research aimed at applying machine learning technologies for beneficial use cases, such as advancing healthcare outcomes, boosting agriculture and tackling climate change, with a particular focus on sustainable development. In a briefing with journalists earlier this week a senior commission official suggested this element of the joint working will focus on bringing AI advancements to developing countries and the global south.

"We are advancing on the promise of AI for sustainable development in our bilateral relationship through joint research cooperation as part of the Administrative Arrangement on Artificial Intelligence and computing to address global challenges for the public good," the joint statement reads. "Working groups jointly staffed by United States science agencies and European Commission departments and agencies have achieved substantial progress by defining critical milestones for deliverables in the areas of extreme weather, energy, emergency response, and reconstruction. We are also making constructive progress in health and agriculture."

In addition, an overview document on the collaboration around AI for the public good was published Friday. Per the document, multidisciplinary teams from the EU and U.S. have spent more than 100 hours in scientific meetings over the past half-year "discussing how to advance applications of AI in on-going projects and workstreams".

"The collaboration is making positive strides in a number of areas in relation to challenges like energy optimisation, emergency response, urban reconstruction, and extreme weather and climate forecasting," it continues, adding: "In the coming months, scientific experts and ecosystems in the EU and the United States intend to continue to advance their collaboration and present innovative research worldwide. This will unlock the power of AI to address global challenges."

According to the joint statement, there is a desire to expand collaboration efforts in this area by adding more global partners.

"We will continue to explore opportunities with our partners in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany in the AI for Development Donor Partnership to accelerate and align our foreign assistance in Africa to support educators, entrepreneurs, and ordinary citizens to harness the promise of AI," the EU and U.S. note.

On platforms, an area where the EU is enforcing recently passed, wide-ranging legislation -- including laws like the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act -- the two sides are united in calling for Big Tech to take protecting "information integrity" seriously.

The joint statement refers to 2024 as "a Pivotal Year for Democratic Resilience", on account of the number of elections being held around the world. It includes an explicit warning about threats posed by AI-generated information, saying the two sides "share the concern that malign use of AI applications, such as the creation of harmful 'deepfakes,' poses new risks, including to further the spread and targeting of foreign information manipulation and interference".

It goes on to discuss a number of areas of ongoing EU-U.S. cooperation on platform governance and includes a joint call for platforms to do more to support researchers' access to data -- especially for the study of societal risks (something the EU's DSA makes a legal requirement for larger platforms).

On e-identity, the statement refers to ongoing collaboration on standards work, adding: "The next phase of this project will focus on identifying potential use cases for transatlantic interoperability and cooperation with a view toward enabling the cross-border use of digital identities and wallets."

Other areas of cooperation the statement covers include clean energy, quantum and 6G.
US and Germany do not support Ukraine's accession to NATO  Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Integration

Absolutely all allies support the decision to invite Ukraine to NATO at the summit in Washington, except for the United States and Germany, said Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

Source: Olha Stefanishyna on air of the national joint 24/7 newscast

Details: The New York Times reported that the United States and Germany have not changed their position on inviting Ukraine to join NATO, so this will not happen at the summit in Washington.

Stefanishyna reported that the purpose of this article was to prepare NATO countries and Ukraine for which decisions to expect or not to expect at the upcoming NATO summit.

However, Stefanishyna said that the agenda of issues related to Ukraine is also determined by Ukraine. She emphasised that for Ukraine, the issue of an invitation to NATO is on the agenda and "it will be on the agenda as long as it takes until this decision is made."

Quote: "The format of the invitation was proposed by Ukraine itself, as a legal guarantee of joining NATO. It is on the agenda. Absolutely all allies support this decision except for two.

Since this information has become public, the US and Germany are now trying to draw attention to other sceptical allies, such as Hungary and Slovakia. But the key position is of these two countries (Germany and the US  ed.)."

Details: Stefanishyna said that the US and Germany are sceptical about inviting Ukraine to NATO because it is no longer just talk, but a real decision.

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By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Infighting among Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, and a threat to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role, have put him under pressure to further delay action on a long-sought aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and other key allies.

With Kyiv running short of munitions as it fights off a Russian invasion, its Republican allies in Washington hope to see Johnson unveil an aid package that can move swiftly through the House and the Democratic-led Senate, and onto Democratic President Joe Biden's desk soon after lawmakers reconvene on Tuesday following a two-week break.

But hardline Republicans are demanding border security provisions and spending cuts to offset aid to U.S. allies. And they want Johnson to hold off until he has legislation that can win support from most of his narrow 218-213 majority.

Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene - a staunch ally of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who passionately opposes Ukraine aid - has also turned up the rhetorical heat over her threat to force a vote to vacate Johnson's position as speaker in a series of media interviews and social media posts this week.

"Mike Johnson is not working for Republicans, he's not helping Republicans, he's not even listening to Republicans. Mike Johnson is doing the Deep State's dirty work," Greene said on X. "We need a new Speaker of the House!"

She told multiple U.S. media outlets that she expected to speak to Johnson privately on Friday.

"I respect Marjorie ... We do have honest differences on strategy sometimes but share the same conservative beliefs," Johnson said in a statement provided to Reuters. "In spite of our Republican majority of just a single seat in just one chamber of Congress, we are still fighting this administration every day to make policy changes."

Almost two months have passed since the Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies in a bipartisan 70-29 vote. Johnson has so far refused to bring that bill up for a vote, which some lawmakers have said would likely secure enough votes to pass despite opposition by some hardline Republicans as well as growing Democratic concern about providing more money to Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Some warn it could take months to build a consensus in order to reach a deal that would win the support of a majority of Johnson's Republicans.

"This could be delayed," said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, a former senior House aide, adding he would not be surprised if the negotiations dragged on to early July.

Congress is expected to have few productive weeks left before lawmakers turn most of their attention to campaigning for the Nov. 5 elections, when control of the House, Senate and White House are up for grabs.

And they have other priorities, including providing funds to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore Harbor and renewing authority for one of America's most hotly debated domestic surveillance programs.

The White House believes these spending measures separately have large, bipartisan support, but is aware that Johnson also has to satisfy hardline members of his caucus, according to two officials familiar with conversations, who were granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

DEMOCRATS TO JOHNSON'S RESCUE?

A number of Democrats have suggested they could reject a motion to oust Johnson, if the Ukraine aid package provides adequate relief for the war-torn nation. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has toyed with the idea publicly.

Johnson told Fox News this week that the House will move forward on a new package "when we return after this work period" and that he expects to include aid in the form of a loan, provisions to allow the seizure of Russian assets and a resumption of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports.

There is little evidence of support for Greene's ouster threat among Republicans, including the hardline House Freedom Caucus, whose members helped oust Johnson's predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, in October.

"I haven't heard anyone verbalize support for that action," House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good said. "I think Ms. Greene is operating in isolation."

But others warned that things could change quickly if Johnson brings a bill to the floor that prohibits amendments and draws more support from Democrats than Republicans - following the pattern of two bills last month that averted government shutdowns.

"It depends on when it happens and what happens on Ukraine," said hardline Representative Ralph Norman, who added that he does not support Johnson's ouster.

"Ukraine is a lightning rod ... for the speakership of Mike Johnson," Norman said.

The House took up a small $300 million Ukraine aid bill under McCarthy in September and passed it by a vote of 311-117, with support from 210 Democrats and only 101 Republicans. Most of Johnson's conference - 117 members - opposed the measure.

Representative Don Bacon, a retired U.S. Air Force general, said he believes his fellow Republicans' support for quick action on Ukraine aid has grown in recent weeks as Kyiv's position has worsened in the absence of new American assistance.

"I don't think we have weeks," said Bacon. "We want to be on the right side of history on this."

(Reporting by David Morgan, additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
US to keep eyes on Israel as more entryways open for aid into Gaza

Joe Biden increases pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to allow more supplies of food and medicine into Gaza - YURI GRIPAS /ABACA

The US has said it will watch closely to see more aid entering Gaza after Israel announced it would open more entryways into the besieged Strip.

On Thursday, Joe Biden warned Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, that he would limit weapons supplies if Israel did not allow more supplies of food and medicine into Gaza.

Later that night, Israel announced that the Erez crossing in the north and the Ashdod port would both be opened for aid deliveries.

On Friday, 100 aid trucks from Jordan were taken across the Allenby crossing to enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom in Israels south, which will open on Saturday following the latest cabinet decision.

From Sunday, aid will be delivered both through Israels Ashdod port and the Erez crossing, the first time the crossing has been opened since terrorist group Hamass October 7 attack.

The US has steadily increased the pressure on Israel during its war against Hamas, as agencies including the United Nations claim a famine is underway in Gaza.

The White House ordered aid to be delivered by air drops last month after it was unsuccessful in convincing Israel to open more land routes.

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said the announcement of the openings must be matched with concrete results.

Really, the proof is in the results, and we will see those unfold in the coming days, in the coming weeks, he said on Friday, addressing EU leaders in Belgium.

The entrance to the port of Ashdod - ABIR SULTAN/SHUTTERSTOCK

Since the war began, more than 30,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. Around two-thirds of the population of over two million have also been displaced.

Israel needs the legitimacy of US support to ensure it can fulfil its war aims of eradicating Hamas and bringing back the hostages.

But Mr Biden, who is said to be privately furious with Mr Netanyahu, has begun to toughen Washingtons approach to Israel, including a crackdown on illegal settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

Last month, the US imposed sanctions on two Israeli outposts and three settlers it accused of undermining stability in the occupied West Bank and appealed to Israel to do more to prevent settler violence that Washington says is an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace.

In the latest move, the administration is drawing up plans to require goods produced in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank to be clearly labelled as such, the Financial Times reported.

Until 2020, when the legislation was changed under President Donald Trump, US policy insisted that products made in the settlements be clearly labelled.

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Barry Diller, the chairman of IAC, had some harsh words for Trump Media and its shareholders. Mike Blake/REUTERS

Barry Diller says shareholders of Truth Social's owner have been scammed.

The IAC chairman pointed to Trump Media's low revenue and said he doubted Truth Social would grow.

Shares for Trump Media & Technology Group initially surged after going public but have since tumbled.

Barry Diller has a message for Trump Media shareholders: "I think they're dopes."

Trump Media & Technology Group, the owner of the Truth Social app, enjoyed a soaring debut when it went public last week, attracting the interest of retail investors and the "meme stock" crowd.

But that moment in the sun was short-lived, and shares of the former president's social-media platform have since come crashing down to earth.

Diller, a media mogul who's the chairman of IAC and Expedia Group, didn't sound very optimistic about the stock's future when asked about it during a recent interview  and doesn't get why people were so excited about it in the first place.

"Why are you even talking about this? It's a scam," Diller said in an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box on Thursday.

TMTG's total revenue in 2023 was just $4.1 million, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday  while it lost $58 million. Those numbers, Diller suggested, shouldn't indicate "buy" to any reasonable investor.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "The company has no revenue."

Questioning how anyone could see Trump Media as a valuable company, Diller concluded that its shareholders mustn't have financial soundness in mind when purchasing the stock. "They're buying it for other reasons," he said, calling them "dopes."

Diller likened the surge in Truth Social's owner to the frenzy around GameStop and other "meme stocks."

Diller said the platform offered little opportunity for future growth.

"Why would it be bigger?" he asked, adding that Donald Trump  a major part of the platform's appeal  was "only interesting now" because he was "out there entertaining the folks" on the campaign trail.

TMTG didn't return a request for comment before publication.

Truth Social's barnstorming debut briefly inflated Trump's net worth to an estimated $7.8 billion, making him richer than George Soros. But just a few days later, that number had tumbled to $6.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Friday.

The New York Times reported that short-sellers were meanwhile already betting millions against the company, citing data from S3 Partners.

Story continues

Trump could also find it difficult to materially benefit from Trump Media in the short-term, since he's prevented from selling his shares for another six months as part of a "lock up" period  unless the company's board allows otherwise.

Read the original article on Business Insider
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel that humanitarian aid for the civilian population in Gaza needs to be delivered sustainably and without interruption.

The top US diplomat welcomed moves to boost deliveries via Jordan, the temporary opening of the Erez border crossing, and the use of the port of Ashdod to supply aid. "The real test is results, and that's what we're looking to see in the coming days and in the coming weeks," he stressed.

Blinken said the United States "will be looking closely" at the number of vehicles actually entering Gaza to deliver aid, watching for delays and obstacles, and monitoring how aid is distributed.

He also said the US wants to see accountability in the wake of the Israeli airstrike earlier this week that killed seven workers with the international food charity World Central Kitchen.
What are the US-Mexico border camps and why are children held there?

A mother from Peru feeds her son at the California-Mexico border in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, on 11 November 2023.

A mother from Peru feeds her son at the California-Mexico border in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, on 11 November 2023. Photograph: Go Nakamura/Reuters

Children languishing in open-air camps along the US-Mexico border should be expeditiously provided with safe and sanitary housing, a federal district court judge ruled on Wednesday night.

Advocates have been raising the alarm for months that migrants, including unaccompanied children, are suffering from hunger, dehydration, untreated injuries and illness in outdoor holding areas on the California-Mexico border that lack shelter, food and sanitation. People have reported having to wait hours or days at these camps before they can be seen at immigration processing centres.

Related: US border patrol is responsible for safety of children in migrant camps, judge says

The legal challenge on behalf of children focused on two camps in San Diego, California  but the judges order could have far-reaching implications in an increasingly dire health crisis at the border.

What are these camps and why were they established?

Asylum seekers who enter the US outside official ports of entry are expected to present themselves to border patrol agents before they can be processed at immigration centres, where they are given medical screenings and background checks before beginning the legal process to claim asylum.

Because processing centres have been overwhelmed, agents have been sending people  including unaccompanied children  to wait at makeshift camps consisting of tents and improvised lean-tos made of tarp, rocks and scavenged wood. Several such camps have arisen along the border between California and Mexico, including one in between two border fences in San Diego and another in a remote mountainous region east of San Diego.

In San Diegos high desert, where overnight temperatures dropped to below 30F, people had few ways to keep warm or shelter from harsh winds. Advocacy groups said children have taken shelter inside portable toilets, and burn garbage to stay warm.

Volunteers and aid workers, who are permitted at the sites at the discretion of border patrol agents, report treating children with open wounds and bone fractures, diarrhoea and vomiting, fevers and seizures. Emergency medical providers told the Guardian they have also witnessed elderly and pregnant people suffering from pains and medical complications.

Hunger and dehydration have also been major issues. Lawyers said the children at these camps had been given just one granola bar a day for sustenance.

How do families and children end up at these camps?

The US has also seen an increase in young families as well as unaccompanied children who make long, dangerous journeys to seek asylum at the border. Many are fleeing oppression, violence, poverty or climate disasters.

Normally, children travelling alone must be turned over to the US health and human services department within 72 hours, housed and cared for until they can be placed with a family member or sponsor in the US, or until they reach legal age. But at the border in California, some children have had to wait at camps for hours, or even days, until their cases are processed.

The government has argued that children who have not yet been processed at immigration centres are not under US custody, and therefore it had no obligation to provide them with care. In the court case, which focused specifically on the children, Judge Dolly M Gee of the US district court of central California disputed such assertions, writing: Juveniles, unlike adults, are always in some form of custody.

Many of the children had been directed to the sites by border patrol agents. Migrants told NPR that agents instructed them to stay at the camps, and advised that anyone who left would be deported.

What does the ruling mean for children in migrant border camps?

In a ruling on Wednesday, Gee largely sided with advocates representing migrant children in a class-action lawsuit.

Gee ruled that the children at the border camps in California were in fact in legal custody of the Department of Homeland Security and were entitled to certain rights and protections. She ordered the agency to quickly process the childrens immigration claims and place them in safe and sanitary facilities.

The ruling will probably push US Customs and Border Protection to dedicate more resources to processing centres that have been overwhelmed by an influx of people.
US Pacific military officers hold first significant meeting with Chinese counterparts since 2021

U.S. military officials with Indo-Pacific Command, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Air Forces met with Chinese military counterparts this week in the first large gathering between officers since December 2021.

The meeting, called the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group (MMCA), also came the same week that President Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first time the leaders talked since a high-stakes meeting in November.

That November meeting resulted in the leaders reopening military-to-military channels that had been suspended after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) traveled to Taiwan, which China claims sovereignty over, prompting unprecedented military drills from Beijing.

The MMCA took place at Honolulu on Wednesday and Thursday, involving discussions over airspace and maritime operations with the Chinese military, called the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

Army Col. Ian Francis with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who led the delegation, stressed the communications with the PLA were vital to maintaining safety in the region.

Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA and with all other military forces in the region is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication, Francis said in a statement.

The officials also reviewed incidents during the past few years over the Pacific. The U.S. has accused China of risky and coercive behavior over the airspace, saying fighter jets have often come brazenly close to American aircraft.

After the Biden-Xi meeting in November, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. CQ Brown Jr. met virtually with his Chinese counterpart in December.

Updated at 11:06 a.m. ET

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Adm. Stephen Koehler assumed command of U.S. Pacific Fleet on Thursday.

Koehler relieved Adm. Samuel Paparo, who is slated to become the next leader of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.

There is no one more ready to lead this fleet, said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who presided over the ceremony. I am absolutely confident that you are the right person at the right time to lead our Sailors in the Indo-Pacific.

Koehler, who commissioned in 1986 after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder, became a designated naval aviator in 1989 and has logged more than 3,900 flight hours in F-14 Tomcat and F-18 E/F/G Super Hornets.

You are looking at the worlds greatest warfighters sitting behind me, Adm. John Aquilino, current commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said during the ceremony. In the worlds most concerning theater, against our worlds most dangerous adversaries, what has been chosen to run this theater are our best warfighters. That is not by accident.

Senate confirms Paparo as new INDOPACOM commander

He previously served as the commanding officer of the amphibious assault ship Bataan, aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Carrier Strike Group 9, as well as the executive officer of aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.

Paparo is a TOPGUN graduate with more than 6,000 hours flying the F-14 Tomcat, the F-15 Eagle and the F/A-18 Super Hornet logged. He previously served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 10 and commander of Carrier Air Wing 7 with the Eisenhower carrier strike group.

The Senate confirmed Paparo to lead U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in February, who was nominated for the role in August. His nomination was one of the hundreds of military nominations stalled due to Republican Sen. Tommy Tubervilles hold on confirmations because of his opposition to the Pentagons abortion policy.

Tubervilles hold on nominations concluded in December, but a backlog of work prevented the Senate Armed Services Committee from approving Paparos nomination until February.
(Bloomberg) -- Leaders of the Philippines, US and Japan will tackle at next weeks meeting the recent incidents in the South China Sea which escalated tensions between Manila and Beijing, a Philippine official said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

We can expect an alignment of views among the three countries on the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea, Foreign Affairs Deputy Undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban told a televised briefing on Friday, using Manilas term for the disputed waters.

In the latest confrontation between Chinese and Philippine ships last month, Manila said a Filipino civilian boat was severely damaged and some of its crew members were injured when two China Coast Guard ships fired water cannons at it. The China Coast Guard said it acted in a reasonable and professional manner.

President Joe Biden will meet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on April 11 to discuss trilateral cooperation in the areas of economy as well as peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

This trilateral cooperation is not directed at any country, Siriban said, adding that its primary focus is on building economic resilience particularly for the Philippines. But he said he hopes the alliance will help capacitate the Philippines on maritime security and enhance its capability to be interoperable with our partners.

Last week, Marcos vowed to pursue deliberate countermeasures against dangerous attacks by Chinese ships in the South China Sea, and said hes in talks with allies to help secure his countrys sovereignty.

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US preparing for significant Iran attack on US or Israeli assets in the region as soon as next week

The US is on high alert and actively preparing for a significant attack that could come as soon as within the next week by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Mondays Israeli strike in Damascus that killed top Iranian commanders, a senior administration official tells CNN.

Senior US officials currently believe that an attack by Iran is inevitable  a view shared by their Israeli counterparts, that official said. The two governments are furiously working to get in position ahead of what is to come, as they anticipate that Irans attack could unfold in a number of different ways  and that both US and Israeli assets and personnel are at risk of being targeted.

A forthcoming Iranian attack was a major topic of discussion on President Joe Bidens phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

As of Friday, the two governments did not know when or how Iran planned to strike back, the official said.

A direct strike on Israel by Iran is one of the worst-case scenarios that the Biden administration is bracing for, as it would guarantee rapid escalation of an already tumultuous situation in the Middle East. Such a strike could lead to the Israel-Hamas war broadening into a wider, regional conflict  something Biden has long sought to avoid.

It has been two months since Iranian proxies attacked US forces in Iraq and Syria, a period of relative stability after months of drone, rocket and missile launches targeting US facilities. The lone exception came on Tuesday, when US forces shot down a drone near al-Tanf garrison in Syria. The drone attack, which the Defense Department said was carried out by Iranian proxies, came after the Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

We asses that al-Tanf was not the target of the drone, a defense official said Tuesday. Since we were unable to immediately determine the target and out of safety for US and coalition partners, the drone was shot down.

The incident came after the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Monday, though an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN that their intelligence showed the building was not a consulate and is instead a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.

Israel has carried out numerous strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, often targeting weapons shipments intended for Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian proxy in Lebanon. But the targeting of the embassy itself marks a significant escalation, since embassies are considered the sovereign territory of the nations they represent.

Iran vowed to take revenge after Israels airstrike on Irans embassy complex in Syria, which killed at least seven officials. Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Irans elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were among those killed, according to Irans Foreign Ministry.

At least six Syrian citizens were also killed, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.

Zahedi, a former commander of the IRGCs ground forces, air force, and the deputy commander of its operations, is the most high-profile Iranian target killed since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.

The US was quick to inform Iran that the Biden administration was not involved and had no advance knowledge of Mondays strike on the embassy and has warned Iran against coming after American assets.

The United States had no involvement in the strike and we did not know about it ahead of time, a National Security Council spokesperson told CNN earlier this week.

The US has warned Iran not to use the Israeli strike in Damascus as a pretext to attack US personnel and facilities, a State Department spokesperson told CNN Friday.

The warning was sent in response to a message from Iran, the spokesperson said. Irans message to the US blamed the US for the Damascus attack, a senior administration official said, though it was not clear what, if anything else, Iran conveyed to the US in that initial message.

The deputy chief of staff of the Iranian president, Mohammad Jamshidi, said on X Friday that in a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in Netanyahus trap for US: Stay away so you wont get hurt. He added that in response, the US asked Iran not to target American facilities.

As Iran noted publicly, we received a message from them, the State Department spokesperson told CNN when asked about Jamshidis post. We responded by warning Iran not to use this as a pretext to attack US personnel and facilities. We did not ask.

A senior administration official described the US warning to Iran as: Dont think about coming after us.

The State Department spokesperson did not provide further information about how the US message was conveyed to Iran.

The United States considers its own embassies and consulates abroad, as well as foreign countries embassies and consulates in the US, to have a special status. According to the US State Department, an attack on an embassy is considered an attack on the country it represents.

On Tuesday, the Pentagons Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the US assessment was that Israel had carried out the airstrike.

Thats our assessment, and its also our assessment that there were a handful of IRGC top leaders there. I cant confirm those identities, but thats our initial assessment right now, Singh said.

Israel has intensified its military campaign against Iran and its regional proxies following the October 7 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 200 taken hostage.

Israels subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 32,800 people, according to the Ministry of Health in the besieged enclave, wrought widespread destruction and brought more than 1 million people to the brink of a man-made famine.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CNNs Oren Liebermann, Helen Regan, Hamdi Alkhshali, Tamara Qiblawi and Natalie Barr contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
U.S. and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii this week for a two-day forum, the third military-to-military channel to restart since last November.

The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement, or MMCA, is an annual discussion intended to help U.S. and Chinese forces operate safely in the same areas. China scuppered it and all other military channels in 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, which Chinas government considers a rogue province and has threatened to take by force.

The MMCA is notable for two reasons this year.

First, its part of a larger effort for the U.S. and China to talk more often.

American officials warned for more than a year that without speaking the two militaries would be more likely to accidentally end up in conflict. Those calls went unanswered until last November, when President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping near San Francisco, where the two agreed to resume military talks.

Those officially restarted in late December, when Americas top military officer Gen. CQ Brown spoke to his Chinese counterpart. Weeks later, the two sides held another forum in Washington to discuss overall defense issues.

Earlier this week, Biden and Xi spoke over the phone in what a senior administration official described as a check in. According to a White House readout, they discussed issues related to Taiwan and the South China Sea, where Chinese forces routinely harass personnel from other countries.

Previewing the call, the official said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would soon speak with his Chinese counterpart, Minister of Defense Admiral Dong Jun, who took his post late last year after his predecessor was removed without explanation.

Second, a forum focused on operational safety was surely fraught after two years of what the Pentagon called unsafe and unprofessional behavior from the Chinese military.

Last October, the Pentagon released images and videos of reckless intercepts by Chinese ships and planes. It said China had conducted 180 such intercepts  essentially steering too close to another ship or plane, like being cut off on the highway  since 2021.

Those have stopped since last November, at least around U.S. forces. Chinas coast guard has harassed Filipino vessels around Second Thomas Shoal, a reef in the South China Sea where the Philippines have an outpost. The behavior has concerned defense officials in America, which has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.

While we havent seen any unsafe interactions directed at U.S. forces in recent months we do continue to see the [Peoples Republic of China] acting very dangerously and unlawfully against routine maritime operations, said a senior defense official, briefing reporters ahead of the MMCA this week.

At the forum, the American and Chinese officials presented cases to each other of times they argued the other side acted dangerously  like traffic school for military operations. Both delegations  18 Chinese and 18 U.S. representatives  then discussed the instances. The talks this week focused only on interactions between the two countries, but the defense official said that Chinas behavior toward allies will come up in future discussions

Well continue to press the PRC on those issues, the official said.
The Biden administration is in talks with Russia and allied nations to try and prevent Moscow from positioning an anti-satellite nuclear weapon in space, a senior Pentagon space official said Friday.

American officials are using the United Nations and countries such as China and India to persuade Moscow to back down from its plans to test launch its space weapon. Those conversations have accelerated in recent weeks following the public disclosure of Russias space developments.

Talks ongoing: As of February, officials said that though they had reached out to Moscow to negotiate, they had not held substantial conversations with Russia about its intentions.

But John Plumb, the assistant secretary of Defense for space policy, told reporters Friday that Washington was in discussions with Russia about the weapon plans  an apparent confirmation that Moscow is at least engaging on the topic.

Plumb said that while there is no immediate threat to Earth posed by the deployment by Russia of nuclear anti-satellite weapons, we are engaging with allies and partners and with Russia, to convince them that this is not responsible.

He added that while he was hopeful these ongoing conversations were making progress, it was unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin had been convinced, pointing out that Putin was the ultimate decision-maker on this.

A U.S. official confirmed that the administration was in touch with Moscow about its space weapon and had urged it not to move forward. But Washington is not in active, formal negotiations with Russia, the official said.

Heightened concerns: Plumbs comments came two months after House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) stirred up concerns across Washington, D.C. when he issued a statement warning of a serious national security threat.

The intelligence related to Moscow taking steps to put anti-satellite nuclear missiles in space, as POLITICO previously reported. Plumb told reporters that he did not have a heads up about that statement, and that it was a bit of a surprise, especially because additional briefings on the threat were scheduled for lawmakers.

The public airing of the threat also left U.S. officials concerned that talks with Moscow to dissuade them from putting these weapons in space had been jeopardized.

International cooperation: In terms of work with allies and partners, Plumb pointed to efforts at the United Nations by the U.S. to reaffirm the commitment to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which bans the use of nuclear missiles in space. He noted that the U.S. is focused on enforcing norms in outer space, not new treaties.

National Security spokesperson John Kirby said this week that the U.S. had backed a resolution at the U.N. that would warn countries against putting nuclear weapons in orbit and said Washington is urging Russia to sign on.

Putin has said in recent days that he has no intention of launching a nuclear weapon into orbit unless Russia was directly threatened. American officials say theres no indication that a Russian launch or test launch is imminent.
Feeling Salty

In an effort to halt the worst effects of climate change, scientists are experimenting with a device built atop a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the San Francisco Bay that would dim the Sun by salting the clouds.

Yes, you read that right  researchers from the University of Washington are, as the New York Times reports, seeking to introduce salt to the clouds over the ocean, which would theoretically deflect the Sun's light back upwards and keep the Earth below cooler.

While it's a somewhat outlandish gambit, it's not without scientific precedent. "Solar geoengineering," as the scientists behind the concept of sun-dimming call the burgeoning approach, has for years been theorized as a way to temporarily stall climate change while humans both try to figure out how to reverse its worst effects.

In particular, the UW experiment taking place aboard the USS Hornet is looking into what is known as "marine cloud brightening," which takes a similar approach to so-called "cloud seeding" by introducing tiny aerosol particles to clouds. Instead of seeking to make it rain, as cloud seeding does, however, cloud brightening aims to reflect solar radiation outward and back up. In UW's case, they're using salt as their aerosol of choice.

And they just fired it up for the first time. Per the NYT, they activated the spraying device that would be used to salt the clouds over the Pacific Ocean to make sure it could consistently output the plume of saline spray that would, as the experiments continue, need to make it up to the clouds to work.

Risky Wishes

While this concept is certainly intriguing, it's not without its detractors, which include both the US government and Greenpeace.

In a statement to the NYT, the White House  which has invested in other marine solar engineering research  distanced itself from the experiment aboard the Hornet, declaring that "the US government is not involved in the Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) experiment taking place in Alameda, CA, or anywhere else."

Greenpeace, meanwhile, is worried about what might happen if these sorts of technologies work too well.

"You could well be changing climatic patterns, not just over the sea, but over land as well," David Santillo, a senior scientist at Greenpeace International, told the newspaper. "This is a scary vision of the future that we should try and avoid at all costs."

As with other geoengineering proposals, perhaps the biggest issue with cloud brightening would be applying it at a large enough scale to make a difference. Given how fast we're still degrading the climate without doing much to fix it, however, the "every little bit helps" rationale could well apply here, too.

More on theoretical climate solutions: Government Scientists Propose Plan to Dry Out the Stratosphere
In about three weeks, local Republicans and Democrats will hold their state conventions to nominate federal and statewide candidates for the June 25 primary election. Of course, this has political tongues wagging. We impart what we are hearing regarding the U.S. Senate and congressional races.

The GOP contest to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney is becoming heated, as predicted. National political action committees and high-profile conservatives are promoting their favorites, while candidates are crisscrossing the state appealing to GOP activists and voters. Republican convention delegates will choose among Congressman John Curtis, former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, attorney Brent Hatch, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, businessmen Jason Walton and Chandler Tanner, communications consultant Carolyn Phippen, accountant Josh Randall, and others. Democrats will select from environmental activist Caroline Gleich, equipment operator Archie Williams and biologist Laird Fetzer Hamblin. There has not been a public poll since January, so is there any conventional wisdom about this contest?

Pignanelli: So two cheers for democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.  E. M. Forster. I am always amused when activists from both parties declare democracy is on the verge of extinction. The vigorous contesting in this election season again documents our republic is strong.

Curtis, Wilson and Walton will likely be on the June 25 primary ballot through signatures (the other declared candidates have not submitted anything to date). This week, Curtis still leads the pack of contenders. But will his other competitors top the list from convention delegates? Staggs is benefiting from the endorsements provided by famous acolytes of former President Donald Trump. Hatch surprised everyone with a strong showing in the polls, and the recent infusion of resources from conservative PACs is impressing activists.

Trumps victory in the presidential preference poll suggests a strong right tilt among delegates, which favors a Staggs and/or Hatch (or another ultra conservative) for a nod to the primary ballot.

The energetic, charismatic Gleich seems to enjoy the momentum among Democrats and may possibly avoid a primary.

Despite the gloomy warnings, democracy is very much alive.

Webb: With so many solid, credible candidates, the GOP Senate nomination race is very difficult to predict. Each candidate is seeking a lane to a primary election win. Its likely two candidates will emerge from the state convention and will claim the partys imprimatur. However, the convention favorite has often lost in the primary election when all Republicans get to vote, not just delegates.

A number of candidates will gather signatures to get on the ballot, so primary voters will have a number of choices. Its entirely possible the primary victor will not win a majority of votes.

Curtis, as an incumbent congressman, is the best known candidate and is strong among mainstream Republicans. Hatch, the son of former Sen. Orrin Hatch, has ready-made name ID. Staggs is clearly trying to define himself as the ultra-MAGA Trumpian candidate with endorsements from an assortment of far-right politicians, some of whom are election deniers and obstructionists.

Wilson got a head start, has raised a lot of money, has solid endorsements and has been hitting the airwaves. Outside PACs are weighing in with TV spots.

It will really come down to hard work and smart strategy. The candidate who has the best ground game, who personally contacts the most voters, who has a superior get-out-the-vote effort, will win. An upset is certainly possible.

The 3rd Congressional District vacancy left by Curtis departure has prompted another heated battle. State Sen. Mike Kennedy, State Auditor John Dougall, businessman Case Lawrence, attorney Stewart Peay, veteran Lucky Bovo, Vernal Mayor JR Bird and party activist Kathryn Dahlin will be vying for delegate support. What is the scuttlebutt on this one?

Pignanelli: Lawrence has qualified for the primary through signatures, as may Dougall and Bird. Kennedy won the convention in the 2018 senate contest and could repeat this achievement six years later. Dougall is popular with delegates and could also receive the nod. This creates a tight avenue for the other candidates, but anything is possible.

Webb: With a frugal reputation, and having already won statewide office, Dougall has to be considered the favorite. But a number of attractive candidates are in the race. Whos gonna work the hardest?

Will Utahs remaining congressional incumbents (Blake Moore, Celeste Maloy, Burgess Owens) face strong challenges in the convention?

Pignanelli: Moore has qualified for the primary ballot through signatures. Will delegates acknowledge his growing prominence in Congress and not push him into a primary? Owens does not have a Republican opponent this year. Maloy is fresh from her special election victory in November but is wisely not discounting a challenge from military veteran and inspirational speaker Colby Jenkins.

Webb: Despite some interesting races, all three incumbents should be OK if they work extremely hard and dont take anything for granted.

Republican LaVarr Webb is a former journalist and a semi-retired small farmer and political consultant. Email: lwebb@exoro.com. Frank Pignanelli is a Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser who served as a Democrat in the Utah state Legislature. Email: frankp@xmission.com.
If you've been looking for a place to invest in real estate but the malaise of the office market is scaring you off and you don't believe there is much more upside in residential rents, the data center sector might be right for you. Since the emergence of Chat GPT and artificial intelligence (AI), companies around the world have invested heavily in maximizing the capabilities of this new technology.

Why Data Centers Are So Important

No matter where AI is running or what purpose it's being used for, there is one common thread. AI both consumes and stores data at such a high rate that it can't operate without massive data centers. Data centers are largely faceless and don't need expensive architectural enhancements like swimming pools, gleaming facades or designer kitchens.

That makes data centers the closest thing to perfect tenants most real estate investors can imagine. The only requirements data centers have to keep running is a robust heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system that keeps the computers and servers inside cool enough to operate at their maximum capacity and an adequate array of security measures, such as fencing and cameras, to keep out people who don't belong.

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Modern data centers occupy massive amounts of square footage and the companies or governments that need them tend to take out long-term leases, meaning data center investors can expect reliable returns for years into the future. That's not necessarily something people who own portfolios full of office or retail property can say right now. While office buildings are struggling to find tenants, developers can't build data centers fast enough.

The Drive To Develop AI Is Making Data Centers Even More Valuable

In an interview with MarketWatch, Jones Lang Lasalle Real Estate Vice President of Data Strategy Sean Farney summed up the sector by saying, "Everything is AI right now. The most immediate impact is this huge, new organic demand for hosting the tech that makes AI work."

Because AI focuses as much on actively learning as it does on data storage, it requires even more space than the data centers of just a few years ago.

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Farney is a man worth listening to. In 2009, he was instrumental in getting a 120-megawatt data center built for Microsoft in Chicago and he hailed the arrival of Chat GPT in 2022 as a "turning point" in the data center game. Since then, the race to build and acquire bigger and bigger data centers has been on. The good news for investors is that it won't stop anytime soon.

Companies Are Investing In Hyperscale Data Centers

With tech companies worldwide competing for the same resources, the supply of suitable data centers is vastly outstripped by demand. Meeting this demand is likely a primary motivator for the recently announced $7 billion partnership between Blackstone Inc. and Digital Realty Trust to build massive, "hyperscale" data centers in Paris, France, Frankfurt, Germany and Northern Virginia.

The hyperscale data center, which can handle the demands of AI, is at the heart of the current data center gold rush. A group informally known as "hyperscalers" consists of well-funded Wall Street companies and tech titans who are pouring billions of dollars into the construction and acquisition of hyperscale data centers.

Future Prospects Are Even Brighter

By some estimates, AI requires an estimated five to 10 times more power than traditional data centers. Since the current supply of hyperscale data centers is insufficient to meet current and future AI demands, the growth potential in this sector should remain strong well into the future. If you're an investor who wants to stay in real estate but get out of the office sector, data centers are worthy of consideration.

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WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY)  Congressman Rob Wittman hosted a mental health seminar in Williamsburg on April 3.

The seminar was intended to educate parents, first responders and residents with resources to health them and loved ones who suffer from mental health issues. He was joined by mental and behavioral health professionals from Colonial Behavioral Health, Riverside Health System and the Childrens Hospital of The Kings Daughters.

Watch livestream

As a member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus and Military Mental Health Caucus, ensuring our community is equipped with the information and resources we need to stay safe and healthy remains one of my top priorities, said Wittman, in a release. It is imperative that we collaborate across local, state, and federal governments to inject adequate mental health resources into our health systems. I thank the experts who joined us today for engaging with Virginias First District residents, and I look forward to our continued efforts in building a more healthy and safe community.

Check with WAVY.com for more updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Vacation horror as drunk son, 20, jumps from Royal Caribbean cruise in front of family

A cruise turned into a nightmare for people aboard Royal Caribbeans Liberty of the Seas when a young man jumped overboard shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday.

The 18-story ship was sailing between Cuba and the Bahamas Grand Inagua Island when the as-yet-unidentified man jumped off one of the decks.

According to onlookers, his father and brother watched helplessly as he leaped over the side.

Some passengers said it appeared to be an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment decision.

A cruise turned into a nightmare aboard Royal Caribbeans Liberty of the Seas when a young man jumped overboard shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday. Getty Images

The 20-year-old jumped from a deck of the Liberty of the Seas  the 35th-largest cruise ship in the world. AP

I had hung out with him and his brother in the hot tub until 3:30, passenger Bryan Sims tells The Post.  It was standing room only. He sat right beside me the whole time.

He was pretty drunk, Sims continues.

As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us. His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess.



When we got to them, he said to his dad, Ill fix this right now. And he jumped out the window in front of us all.

There was a lot of yelling, and the crew was alerted immediately, another passenger, Deborah Morrison, told The Post.

His family was horrified. Just beside themselves. I cant even begin to imagine what theyre going through.

It was insane, says Sims. It was just surreal.

In a statement to The Post, Royal Caribbean said its crew immediately sprang into action following the incident.

The ships crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the US Coast Guard, who has taken over the search, the statement reads.

Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guests family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.

News of the apparent suicide attempt quickly spread among the guests  and many of them tried to help in any way they could.

The young mans father and brother watched helplessly as he leaped over the side, onlookers said. AP

The early morning was definitely somber as so many people came out of their cabins to stare at the sea, hoping to be able to aid in finding the person, said Amy Phelps Fouse, a passenger on the ship.

Royal Caribbean has been excellent at communicating updates throughout the day, Fouse continued. They have asked that people act with compassion in light of the tragic situation.

Overboard incidents on cruise ships are rare.

According to the Washington Post, about 386 people were reported to have gone overboard on the major cruise lines between 2000 to 2020.

The incidents, whether accidental or intentional, are often deadly.

In the past few years, most cruise lines have enacted onboard safety measures and surveillance systems to help reduce the risk of overboard deaths.

The Coast Guard confirmed to The Post it is still conducting a search and rescue operation in the waters off Cuba. The man has not yet been found.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Reality Check is a Fresno Bee series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email tips@fresnobee.com.

A review of nonprofit executive salaries for the Fresno regions largest nonprofit organizations shows that the $5.1 million in total compensation for Valley Childrens Hospital Chief Executive Officer Todd Suntrapak in the 2022 tax year was more than double that of the next-highest-paid chief executive.

The head of a nonpartisan hospital-industry think tank said Suntrapaks package of salary, bonuses and benefits of more than $10.6 million over the past two years is pretty hefty compared to most larger or similar-sized tax-exempt hospitals nationwide. In addition, the number of highly paid senior executives  vice presidents and senior vice presidents  at Valley Childrens is striking compared to even larger childrens hospitals in the U.S., he said.

For this report, The Fresno Bee combed through tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service for the 2022 tax year  the most recent publicly available documentation  for tax-exempt nonprofit organizations in Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties. We included organizations with annual revenue of $25 million or more, and examined the reported compensation for each organizations CEO, president or executive director.

Of about three dozen nonprofits that met the criteria, the 358-bed Valley Childrens Hospital had the second largest revenues at about $1.13 billion. By comparison, total revenue at Fresno-based Community Medical Centers  which operates more than 1,000 beds between Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno and Clovis Community Medical Center in Clovis  came in at almost $2.2 billion.

Even though Communitys revenues were not quite double those of the smaller Valley Childrens Hospital, its tax filings show compensation paid to Community CEO Craig Castro amounted to about $2.4 million  less than half of what Valley Childrens reported to the IRS for Suntrapaks total compensation, including salary, bonuses and benefits.

In addition to Suntrapaks multimillion-dollar compensation, Valley Childrens also appears to be top-heavy with vice presidents and senior vice presidents  more than many other tax-exempt childrens hospitals across the country, said Dr. Vikas Saini, a physician and president of the Massachusetts-based Lown Institute, in a recent telephone interview with The Bee. The Lown Institute studies an array of health care issues including executive compensation among nonprofit hospitals.

When you add it all up, between the CEO compensation, the bonus for some kind of performance metric, and all the other vice presidents, I think these are legitimate questions for the board of that hospital, Saini said. The fact pattern raises a lot of questions.

Out of step with the industry?

Candid, an organization that gathers information on more than 1.9 million U.S. nonprofits, reported in its 2023 Nonprofit Compensation Report that within the sector of nonprofit specialty hospitals  the category that includes Valley Childrens  the average annual compensation for CEOs was just under $1.2 million, with only 10% earning more than $2.3 million.

The pay package provided by Valley Childrens for Suntrapak is not the highest in the country, but its pretty hefty for a hospital of that size, Saini told The Bee. We dont pretend to know the right pay for a hospital CEO, but we do think its reasonable to ask, whats it for?

Valley Childrens recently issued a press statement characterizing concern over Suntrapaks compensation by some critics including Fresno City Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld and Miguel Arias as misinformation and assumptions  based on an ill-informed reading of the nonprofits tax forms.

The press release stated that Suntrapaks annual base salary is just over $1.7 million, which is in line with other health system CEOs with similar levels of responsibility; the remainder of his compensation largely consists of bonuses based on meeting significant performance goals  again, the norm for health system CEOs.

The release also indicated that Suntrapaks 2022 compensation was the result of an accounting quirk of bundling two years worth of bonuses into one tax years report.

Executive compensation at Valley Childrens is determined through rigorous, independent review processes, said Michael Hanson, chair of the Valley Childrens Healthcare board of trustees, in the prepared statement. Our decisions are guided by industry standards and aimed at attracting and retaining top talent necessary to uphold our commitment to excellence in healthcare.

The statement is the only substantive comment provided by the hospital in recent weeks over the controversy about the pay for its CEO and almost two dozen other senior executives for which compensation added up to another $20.1 million. But the statement did not specify what significant performance goals are included in the hospital boards salary review process or the industry standards to which Hanson referred.

And while the hospitals statement seeks to explain the compensation reported on the 2022 tax return, it doesnt appear to address criticism of the $5.5 million in compensation for Suntrapak reported to the IRS on the hospitals 2021 tax form.

Saini acknowledged that the Valley Childrens 2022 tax form shows that Suntrapaks compensation reflects about $1.6 million in bonuses. But, he added, I think theres a legitimate public interest in (knowing) what that bonus was for.

What is it thats being incentivized? Saini said. Is it just for racking up the billings? Is it about other measures or community quality or community service or anything like that?

An upward spiral for hospital salaries?

Saini pointed to a trend over the past 20 to 30 years of nonprofit hospitals adding more and more private-sector business people to their boards of directors who are oriented to the bottom line, who think about it like a regular business.

Theres no question that there are business aspects to healthcare, but (nonprofits) are fundamentally different in the way that theyre community-oriented, so thats why they are tax-exempt, Saini said.

When you talk to most people in healthcare, theyll acknowledge  if theyre being honest  that its hard to discern much difference in behavior between nonprofit hospitals and for-profits, he added.

Saini said its understandable for a board to want to reward a CEO for good performance. But in large measure it should be a public conversation. What are the performance metrics, the key performance indicators for a nonprofit that has a social mission? he said. I think thats where the business-mindedness of board members gets a little confused, because for-profits and nonprofits are very different. Quite often it gets fuzzy.

As a result, when hospitals are on the hunt for a CEO, they all want to recruit the best one, Saini told The Bee. Boards typically use consultants to examine the range of pay nationwide for similar organizations. So when they hire a new CEO, theyre not going to pay below the median; theyre not even going to pay at the median. Theyre saying, Weve got to go higher.

And if everybody does that, it creates an upward spiral, and thats what weve seen for 30 years.

Top-heavy in leadership?

In its 2022 tax form Valley Childrens listed a roster of key executives including 22 with titles of senior vice president or vice president. Collectively, those executives were paid more than $20.1 million in compensation.

A greater demand for more administrative staff, including senior executives and managers for hospitals, has been driven by a higher degree of complexity in the hospital industry, Saini said. That complexity includes dealing with multiple revenue sources such as Medicaid and a plethora of private and public insurance programs, and an ever-growing increase in investments in cutting-edge medical technology.

Still, Saini said he was struck by the volume of senior executives at Valley Childrens. If you look at other hospitals, which weve done, these numbers are high, he said.

For example, Saini noted that many larger nonprofit childrens hospitals have far fewer vice presidents or senior vice presidents: 11 each at the 483-bed Boston Childrens Hospital and the 667-bed Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, and 13 at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, which operates 413 beds.

The trend in the last 30 years has been greater administrative complexity, more administrators, Saini said. But I, as a doctor who practiced for more than 40 years, and lots of doctor colleagues have been grumbling for a decade or more that the number of vice presidents and administrators has been growing exponentially while everything else has not.
Verkhovna Rada adopts resolution on developing state strategy to commemorate Russia's war in Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy has adopted a resolution recommending the development of a state strategy to commemorate Russias war in Ukraine.

This initiative aims to involve non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and regional authorities in the memorialization process.

The resolution followed the "Commemoration of the Russian-Ukrainian War: Challenges and Tasks" roundtable held on March 28. The roundtable participants included the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the State Tourism Development Agency, scientists, experts, and public figures.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mykyta Poturayev, announced that a second round of discussions on this matter is scheduled for April 23, 2024.

More than 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of Russias full-scale invasion in 2022, and the U.N. has recorded over 10,500 civilian deaths.

"The long-term impact of this war in Ukraine will be felt for generations," U.N. Human Rights chief Volker Turk said.

Read also: UN records over 10,500 civilian deaths in Ukraine since February 2022





Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Victorville Fire Department officials will host a Five Years of Reactivation Celebration in honor of its fifth year since the department was reactivated.

The celebration is scheduled at 4 p.m. on April 11 at Fire Station 311 located at 16200 Desert Knoll Drive, near the entrance to the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville.

During the free event, city and fire officials will also push into service three new Type 1 engines benefiting the citizens of Victorville, city leaders said.

Victorville Fire Department officials will host a Five Years of Reactivation Celebration in honor of its fifth year since the department was reactivated.

A Type 1 fire engine is commonly used in metro communities, according to the nonprofit California Fire Prevention Organization. Cities rely on Type 1 fire apparatus based on flexibility, staffing, and the ability to operate at homes, apartments, businesses, and high-rise buildings.

The "push-in" is a tradition that fire departments use to mark the addition of new apparatus to their fleet.

Victorville Fire's new Type 1 engines are part of the citys commitment to expanding public safety for our growing community, according to the city. The department operates out of five fire stations with a fleet of four medic engines, one medic truck, and one medic squad.

Victorville Fire Department officials will host a Five Years of Reactivation Celebration in honor of its fifth year since the department was reactivated.

Victorville Fire Department history

In 1923, when volunteers were used to combat fires, the Victorville Businessmans Association began discussions about the need for fire protection.

For years, fire suppression efforts were usually initiated by an organized group of volunteers using well pumps, steam-driven pumps on locomotives, or bucket brigades.

On July 26, 1926, the Victorville County Fire Protection District was established. In 1930, the Victorville Volunteer Fire Department was created.

The Victorville Fire Protection District remained an all-volunteer operation until July 1972, when a full-time fire chief was hired.

In 1976, roughly 14 years after Victorville was incorporated, control of the fire protection district was taken over by the city and Victorville Fire Department was officially formed in June 1977.

On July 26, 1926, the Victorville County Fire Protection District was established.

In June 2008, the Victorville Fire Department entered into a contract for services with San Bernardino County Fire for the provision of fire, rescue, EMS and paramedic services to the community upon transition.

In January 2018, the Victorville City Council voted to approve the resumption of a city-run fire department and directed staff to begin its formation, resulting in the re-establishment of the Victorville Fire Department on March 28, 2019.

The Victorville Fire Department will turn 100 in 2026.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville Fire Department to hold Reactivation Celebration
Virginia State Police arrests man accused of crime against child in Leesburg

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  Virginia State Police (VSP) officials arrested and charged a man who was accused of taking indecent liberties with a child while working as a school employee.

VSP said that it first started the investigation in July 2023 after an accusation was made against 32-year-old Joel A. Shapiro. The accusation pointed to an incident in 2017, while he was working for Clarke County Public Schools.

VSP said that the incident happened in Leesburg.

Five vehicles involved in Fairfax County crash

Officers took him into custody Thursday without incident and charged him with one felony count of taking indecent liberties with a child by a custodian.

He was released from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on bond.

VSP said that the investigation was ongoing. Anyone with any information should contact police at 703-803-2676 or questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Volume no longer a dirty word as Nissan looks to grow again

324,893 cars were built at Sunderland last year, led by the Qashqai and Juke

Nissans new Arc global mid-term plan carrying it to 2026 included a promise that we havent heard from a manufacturer for a while: it wanted to lift annual sales by a million.

The announcement last week included an admission by CEO Makoto Uchida that the mid-term plan it succeeded, called Nissan Next, had a flaw.

The goal of increasing volumes used to be staple of car makers forward-looking plans, but in recent years it has become unfashionable, replaced instead by the now well-worn phrase value over volume.

That mindset preferred sales quality over quantity, removing discounting in favour of selling better-equipped models for higher prices. Volumes were sacrificed for increased profit margins, or so the theory went.

That was achievable during the post-Covid supply chain shortages, when no one could build enough cars to meet demand, thereby raising average selling prices.

The problem in the longer term, however, is that unless you can shrink your factory network to meet the lower sales volumes, the unused production capacity becomes a lead weight on profits.

Uchida praised the work done on profit margins during Nissan Next (they went from underwater during the pandemic then rose to 5.2% in the nine months to the end of December 2023) while also pointing out the plans flaw.

With our focus on quality of sales and financial discipline, we were able to achieve strong profit levels. However, our volume remained flat. Uchida said at the Arc event. Therefore, in order to ensure steady progress, we would like to boost the fundamental volume.

Nissans sales volumes have fallen substantially over the past decade or so. In the 2015 financial year, ending March 2016, it sold 5.4 million vehicles. In the current financial year, ending in March, it predicts it will sell 3.5m, up from 3.3m the previous year.

Under former CEO Carlos Ghosn, Nissan was a firm believer in production scale  build more, sell more and discount if you need to stimulate growth.

Ultimately, Ghosn believed, the margins would come from the manufacturing efficiency of having plants humming along at full strength. It worked for a while, but his targets were too ambitious, leading to model failures like the lacklustre Nissan Pulsar family hatchback.

Created to deal with plummet in sales in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, the Nissan Next plan called for a reduction in the companys production capacity to 5.4m vehicles, down from a whopping 7.2m in 2019. That it achieved, partly from restructuring or closing plants, including that in Barcelona.

Nissan is still running under capacity on production volume, but instead of closing more plants, it intends to fill them again. Right now its factories worldwide are running at just 68% capacity including its underperforming Chinese plants or 78% excluding them, the firm said.

By boosting volumes by another million globally, Nissan believes it can run at 91% capacity, helping it achieve 6% margin by 2026 then 8% by 2030.

The surest way of lifting sales of course is that old volume-boosting prop: discounting. Nissan's chief financial officer, Stephen Ma, told investors in the February earnings call that the firm was aiming to boost sales by a further 40,000 in Europe from January to the end of March by ensuring competitiveness in pricing, incentives and through intensified marketing efforts.

This is good news for the UK, home of Nissans only European plant, in the UK. At its height 10 years ago, Sunderland was more than 500,000 cars annually, but it went into a steep decline until that figure had more than halved, with just 204,552 cars made in 2021.

Now, however, Sunderland is back on track, with 324,893 cars built in 2023, led by the Qashqai and Juke  a figure that was up 36% on 2022, according to figures from UK industry body the SMMT.

Of that 1m sales increase by 2026, 300,000 will come from the region that includes Europe, Nissan said.

The potential stumbling block for this is the update of Nissans EV range. The company will launch five new electric models in Europe by the end of the 2026 financial year, including the Leaf replacement (expected next year), the next Juke, the new Renault-built Micra replacement and two vans.

The Juke and Leaf will be built at Sunderland as part of the plants EV360 overhaul that includes a new on-site battery facility.

However, Nissan has rowed back slightly on a promise made last year that all future launches will be electric. The Arc plan includes a commitment that Nissans third-generation e-Power hybrid system  a key plank of the firm's global growth plan  will be launched in Europe.

Whether that means the new e-Power system will be installed in a Sunderland product or an imported model, we dont know, but it reflects Nissans observation that the move to electric is lumpy.

We would like to introduce EVs in many markets, but the market speed is becoming uncertain, Uchida said.

To ensure more consistent profitability amid the falling price of EVs, mainly in China, it unveiled a range of programmes to cut the cost of development, materials and production. For example, it will introduce a new platform for five separate models from 2027 that will cut research and development costs by half and shorten development time by four months.

Nissan also said it would introduce a new production system that in the presentation looked similar to Teslas planned unboxed method, in which modules are assembled separately before coming together in a final burst of manufacturing efficiency, reducing production time by a fifth.

Nissan will also introduce new, cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry to complement its preferred nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) option.

It's also sticking to its promised 2028 start date for the launch of an EV using breakthrough solid-state battery technology with much greater energy density.

To facilitate its plan, Nissan needs strong customer acceptance for its new EVs in the shift to electric.

The real big question with our new product is how successful are they going to be? I've learned over the years, it's extremely difficult to predict, Nissans head of European production, Alan Johnson, told Autocar late last year. Sometimes youre too optimistic. Sometimes too pessimistic. Very rarely do you get it right.

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UPDATE 10:27 P.M. BEDFORD, Va. (WFXR) The Boonsboro Volunteer Fire Department has released details into the fatal incident that occurred on Trents Ferry Road on Friday, April 5.

According to fire department officials, a report was received at 2:10 p.m. of a motor vehicle accident involving a trapped occupant. Crews arrived on the scene and immediately began working to remove the victim.

Multiple rescue units worked to stabilize and lift the vehicle in an attempt to access the person inside.

The fire department reports the victim died at the scene from their injuries.

A second person was checked by medical personnel and refused further treatment.

The cause of the fatal incident is currently unknown; however, VSP says the investigation is ongoing.

WFXR News will update this story as further information is released.



BEDFORD, Va. (WFXR) Virginia State Police are currently investigating an incident that led to a fatality on Trents Ferry Road on Friday, April 5.

Although details remain limited, VSP says the incident occurred on the 1000 block of Trents Ferry Road at 2:24 p.m.

Martinsville PD investigating shooting on Cherry Street

VSP reports troopers are currently determining the cause of the fatality, which does not appear to be a crash.

WFXR News will update this story as further information is released.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY)  Its a big weekend locally for those of us living with Multiple Sclerosis in Hampton Roads. Thats because Walk MS kicks off in Newport News and Virginia Beach!

Multiple Sclerosis is an incurable disease that disrupts messaging between the brain and the body. There is no cure. However, money raised at Walk MS helps to fund research that gets us closer to a cure.

Clare Lorio, Senior Manager of Walk MS, told WAVY.com the National MS Society funded $19 million in research last year. She said more than $1 million of that came back to studies here in Virginia.

Thats huge, but were also able to provide direct aid back to people living with MS for things like home and car modifications, something as simple as transportation to a medical appointment, access to mental health services. Last year, we were able to provide $3 million back to people living with MS, people affected by MS, and so programing that allows people to connect locally in our support groups and webinars and programing focused on people living with MS that people can drive from across the country, and thats what were raising money for. You know, I started with the society 11 years ago. We had ten disease modifying treatments. We have over 25 now. That is a huge amount of progress in a very short amount of time. So, when people ask why we fundraise, thats why we fundraise. We are making it easier for people to manage their symptoms, said Lorio.

The National MS Society says more than 1 million people in the United States live with Multiple Sclerosis. This years theme of Walk MS is A Cure is on the Line. Lorio said you can expect a new experience at Walk MS this year.

Weve got a whole new branding. So, its a whole new way of looking at it. It can be bright and colorful and all of the energy, enthusiasm that we normally bring I think is just going to be amplified. I really like what youll see this year on the fundraising shirts. Its A cure is on the line, because it really is. We are moving closer.

Lorio said Walk MS shows people who live with MS the support they have in the community. She says it is energetic, uplifting, and fun.

There are two Walk MS events in Hampton Roads this weekend.

WALK MS IN NEWPORT NEWS

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Newport News Park

13560 Jefferson Ave

Newport News, VA 23603

Site Opens: 9:00 am

Program Starts: 9:45 am

Walk Kickoff: 10:00 am

WALK MS IN VIRGINIA BEACH

Sunday, April 7, 2024

ODU VA Beach Higher Education Center

1881 University Dr

Lot 3

Virginia Beach, VA 23453

Site Opens: 12 p.m.

Program Starts: 12:45 p.m.

Walk Kickoff: 1 p.m.

To join the WAVY Warriors, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Turkey's trade boom with Russia is faltering due to "rapidly expanding" Western sanctions lists, Bloomberg reported on April 5.

Following extensive sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Turkey became one of the key lifelines for Moscow's international trade.

Turkish machinery exporters, who benefited from the surge in sales to Russia last year, may see their revenues drop by $1 billion in 2024 due to sanctions, Bloomberg said, citing Kutlu Karavelioglu, the chairperson of the Machinery Exporters' Association.

This represents one-third of last year's sales to Russia, Karavelioglu clarified for Bloomberg.

Data published by Turkey's Trade Ministry indicate that exports to Russia dropped by 33.7% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to a year earlier.

Other trade partners crucial for Russia's economy have also begun scaling back their business dealings in the wake of Western sanctions.

Buyers in India, the second-largest importer of Russian oil after China, have begun rejecting Russian shipments from sanctioned suppliers.

Several Chinese financial institutions started curbing their activities with and in Russia, also reportedly as a result of the pressure stemming from the sanctions.

Read also: Reuters: Russia facing delays in oil payments from China, Turkey and UAE

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Residents met in the Wallowa County Courthouse in Enterprise, Oregon, to discuss seceding from Oregon and becoming a part of Idaho. (Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline)

Wallowa County commissioners asked the Oregon and Idaho legislatures and the states governors to start talking in earnest about moving the states borders as eastern Oregon counties continue pushing to move to Idaho.

Fourteen eastern Oregon counties have voted to indicate their support for moving the state border, which would turn close to 400,000 Oregonians into Idahoans and give Idaho control of almost two-thirds of Oregons land. Crook County is scheduled to vote on a measure during the May 21 primary election.

The county votes dont do anything to change the Oregon-Idaho boundary  that would require action from both state legislatures and Congress. But they do indicate a deep divide between many rural residents in conservative eastern Oregon and Oregonians in the states economic and population hubs in urban Portland and the Willamette Valley.

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Letters sent this week by Wallowa County commissioners to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and the legislatures of both states are an attempt to push the conversation forward at the state level. Idaho lawmakers passed a resolution last year calling for formal talks between the two states, but a similar measure proposed by Oregon state Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Beatty, went unheard in Oregons 2023 session.

Wallowa County commissioners Susan Roberts, Todd Nash and John Hillock wrote that they wanted the state legislatures to begin discussing changing the state border as soon as feasible.

We, as the governing body of Wallowa County, neither support nor oppose the measure but only represent the will of the voters of Wallowa County, they wrote.

Kotek spokeswoman Elisabeth Shepard told the Oregon Capital Chronicle the governors office hasnt yet received the letter. Kotek spent much of last year visiting every county on her One Oregon tour, speaking with constituents throughout Oregon in an effort to learn more about issues facing the state and connect with people working on education, housing and behavioral health issues in different communities.

The Oregon Capital Chronicle, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Wallowa County commissioners press Gov. Kotek, Legislature on Greater Idaho border talks appeared first on Idaho Capital Sun.
Injuries occurred during the assembly, handling, or cleaning of the chopper.

Walmart/Adobe/Allrecipes

Walmart recalled its Mainstays Electric Mini Choppers due to a laceration hazard. The company sold roughly 51,750 mini choppers nationwide in stores and online, with prices ranging from $10 to $15 each.

Walmart Recalls Its Mainstays Electric Mini Choppers

Mainstays Electric Mini Choppers were sold in Walmart stores nationwide and online between August 2022 and October 2023. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) announced the recall on April 5, 2024, after the company "received five reports of lacerations, two of which required medical attention, including stitches. Injuries occurred during assembly of the product or during cleaning/handling of the product."

This recall impacts the Mainstays Electric Mini Choppers with model number MS14100094536S1. The model number is labeled and located on the bottom of the clear plastic bowl. USCPSC says the recalled products "are rechargeable and cordless, and have a green lid, white body, and clear plastic bowl." They also have only "one blade attachment, which consists of three curved blades on one white plastic spindle."

If you purchased a Mainstays Electric Mini Chopper, you should stop using it immediately and contact Walmart directly or bring it back to your local store for a full refund.

Walmart

For questions about this recall, customers can reach Walmart directly at 800-925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CST daily or by visiting Walmart's recall website.



Read the original article on All Recipes.
For the mere price of $2.5 million, people who raise money for former President Donald Trump can secure a "personalized" pair of "Never Surrender" high-top sneakers, according to a donor-access program menu shared with NBC News by a person close to the Republican National Committee.

Buck-rakers who hit that minimum for entry into the "Trump Victory Trust" circle get more than the shoes: dial-ins for monthly updates from the RNC's "election integrity and litigation" team, VIP benefits at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer, access to national retreats and "Victory" events, and, of course, a signed MAGA hat.

Lower levels of giving and fundraising include "Ultra MAGA" at $834,600 for the Trump 47 Committee, a joint fundraising venture that allows the former president and his outside allies to collect cash and apportion it to his campaign treasury, the Save America political action committee that has been footing many of his legal costs, the RNC and a series of state party committees.

"Team Trump 24" membership starts at $250,000, "Team America First" requires $100,000 in donations, "Club 47" has a $50,000 price tag and "MAGA 24" costs a fitting $24,000. Each level comes with some of the benefits, but the high-tops are exclusive to the high-end "Victory Trust" bundlers.

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the donor levels.

Both parties have used modern campaign finance laws to establish joint fundraising committees  and donor-access benefits  that solicit and receive amounts far greater than the $3,300 per-election limit that individual donors can give directly to a candidate's treasury.

Last week's $26 million Democratic fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall, featuring President Joe Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, cost some donors as much as half a million dollars. In return, elite givers were allowed to pose with the three presidents for pictures taken by legendary photographer to the stars Annie Leibovitz.

First lady Jill Biden called the event the fundraiser to end all fundraisers.

But it turns out, that end was just the opening shot in a cash war that will consume both parties until November's general election.

Trump is the marquee guest this weekend at a fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida, that has been billed as a $33 million affair. One person familiar with his fundraising operation said the actual figure could hit or exceed $40 million. Three other sources familiar with the fundraising said that there was already $50 million committed from donors.

Until he became the presumptive Republican nominee last month  as the last of his rivals dropped out of a contest he was sure to win  Trump had struggled to raise money. Moreover, the massive costs of his legal defense in four separate criminal trials, and a series of civil actions, have hamstrung his ability to spend on traditional campaign operations.

But there has been a reconciliation between the former president and a set of wealthy longtime GOP donors who had withheld their support. Many of them are expected to attend Saturday's event, which is being hosted by billionaire hedge-fund manager John Paulson.

Trump is also the "special guest" at a "spring retreat" for his joint fundraising venture in Palm Beach from May 3 through 5, according to an invitation shared by the person close to the RNC. The invitation notes that "only current investors" in the party committee and the "Trump 47 Committee" are eligible to attend.

It is somewhat cheaper to become a member of the RNC's "Eagles 168" club  a reference to the number of RNC members. That only costs $15,000, and comes with less-coveted benefits, according to a document provided by the source

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
As North America gears up for the total solar eclipse on April 8, retailers are getting in on the buzz by giving out free glasses to safely view the celestial event.

Viewing solar eclipses or the sun directly -- whether through a camera lens or the naked eye -- without proper protection can lead to serious eye injuries and potentially cause vision loss, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The American Astronomical Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have emphasized the critical need for eye protection, cautioning that looking at the sun without proper safeguards can seriously harm our eyes much like how a magnifying glass can use sunlight to ignite a fire.

MORE: Solar eclipse glasses: What to look for and where to get them

The sun's rays, when focused by the eye's lens, which normally helps us see clearly, can burn the retina and lead to solar retinopathy, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This condition may cause persistent vision issues or even irreversible sight loss.

Regular sunglasses do not offer the protection our eyes need during such an event, the American Academy of Ophthalmology states. The gold standard for safety is to use special-purpose solar filters. These are found in eclipse glasses adhering to the ISO 12312-2 standard.

This celestial event marks the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. Those hoping for a glimpse, however, will need to take precautions to avoid injury. If you're looking for free eclipse glasses, here are retailers and local libraries to visit.

Warby Parker

Warby Parker, a New York City-based eyeglass retailer with over 200 stores across the United States and Canada, has announced it will distribute free ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses to ensure safe viewing for spectators.

Starting April 1, individuals can visit any Warby Parker retail location to receive up to two pairs of solar eclipse glasses at no cost, subject to availability, according to the company. These glasses are ISO-certified and meet the stringent safety standards required for direct observation of the celestial phenomenon, according to Warby Parker's website.

PHOTO: Warby Parker offers free ISO-certified eclipse glasses for April 8 total solar eclipse. (Warby Parker)

MORE: Dallas Zoo prepares for eclipse

MyEyeDr.

Eye care provider MyEyeDr. is giving away a free pair of solar eclipse glasses at select locations nationwide while supplies last.

Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile is giving out a pair of free solar eclipse glasses at participating locations. Click here to find a location near you.

Libraries, welcome centers in New York

If you do not live near a Warby Parker retail location, the American Astronomical Society's Solar Eclipse Task Force spearheaded the Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries project to distribute 5 million solar viewing glasses to 13,000 libraries across the U.S. Availability may vary.

New York state is also offering free I LOVE NY ISO-certified eclipse glasses at Welcome Centers, select Thruway Rest Stops and other statewide locations, with a daily limit of two per person while supplies last. Daily supplies are extremely limited.

MORE: How to make a pinhole projector with a cereal box to safely view an image of the solar eclipse

Pinhole projector

If you don't have access to special eclipse glasses? No problem. Special viewers like pinhole projectors, which allow people to see the shadow of the eclipse without looking at it directly, can also shield eyes from harmful solar radiation. All you need is a cereal box, printer paper, tin foil and tape to make your own pinhole projector to safely view the solar eclipse at home with your back facing the sun.

Watch the step-by-step guide here.

April 8 solar eclipse: Where to get free eclipse glasses originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
NORTHBROOK, Ill.  France honored a 98-year-old World War II veteran Friday for helping liberate the country.

WGN News spoke with PFC. Emil Hirsch to learn more about his Chicago roots, his war story and what he did after that tumultuous period of time.

Like most people during the 1930s, Hirsch felt the effects of the Great Depression growing up on the South Side.

People just had nothing, Hirsch recalled. It was a pretty tough time but President Roosevelt tried to do a lot of things to help. I was living at my grandparents house at the time.

He didnt come from just any Chicago family  Hirschs grandfather was Emil G. Hirsch, who is known for being a prominent rabbi for over 40 years (1880-1923) in Chicago.

He was known for not being afraid to speak up on social justice issues and was able to get one of the founders of Sears to build public schools in the segregated South for African American students.

Hirsch High School, located in Greater Grand Crossing, is named after Hirschs grandfather.

He helped build 3,000 to 4,000 schools, Hirsch said. He also protested against child labor and sweatshops.

Hirsch graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1939. In that neighborhood was when he first became aware of German atrocities against Jews, but he didnt become know the brutality and the full scope until a few years later.

The whole neighborhood was refugees from Hitler, Hirsch said. My uncle Sam took in one of the young men. I knew a lot of the refugees themselves.

In 1943, Hirsch was drafted into the Army at the tender age of 18 while he was working for a streetcar company in the city.

He could have been an airman in the Army Air Corps due to high test scores, but his mother had an idea that the casualty rates would be higher (she was right).

I said no, I promised my mother I wouldnt go, Hirsch said.

The young Hirsch was soon on a giant boat to Liverpool, England.

As citizen replacement soldiers, PFC. Hirsch didnt go to traditional basic training  which he wasnt sore about.

I enjoyed learning on the fly, Hirsch said. They needed (the company) to be full-strength. So we learned how to do all the things in the division  working with mines, the 57 millimeter (anti-tank gun), the M1 (standard rifle). Thats how they brought you up to date.

Hirsch was a member of the 95th Infantry Division and the 378th Infantry Regiment. Their primary goal was to combat the Nazis vicious Panzer tanks.

The first time his eyes saw the country of France, a somber reminder hit him instantly from just a couple months before.

We landed at Omaha Beach, Hirsch said. As I got off all I could see was white crosses in the distance, thousands of them.

After clearing mines around the area, the 95th and Hirsch became involved in the Red Ball Express. As thousands of troops were breaking out in Normandy and deeper into France, supplies obviously had to keep up.

The Red Ball Express was a truck convoy that was essential in the allies effort to advance. It wasnt much longer that the 18-year-old from Chicago saw his first taste of combat.

We relieved the 5th Infantry Division at the end of October, just before Metz  the Fifth Division dug a lot of fox holes, he said.

It was in one of those fox holes that Hirsch directly saw the horrors of war. As part of an attack under Pattons Third Army, he witnessed an artillery shell directly hit the fox hole his staff sergeant, Lou Kadwit, was in  killing him instantly.

It was really the first time I experienced (death) in combat, he said. I looked up to him, everyone liked him and he taught us a lot of stuff.

Hirsch was soon off to the battle that gave the 95th Infantry their nickname  The Iron Men of Metz.

Metz, with a current population of 117,000, lies near the German border in eastern France and had huge forts surrounding it. It was near Frances Maginot Line, which the Germans went around four years earlier during the invasion.

Metz was a key city in a mountainous area, Hirsch said. It controlled the roadways and was responsible for feeding everyone. Metz was the key, you had to get passed Metz and that was the task.

Hirsch and his comrades did just that.

His division then moved north to help the 101st Airborne  who were surrounded by the German Army in the Battle of the Bulge.

I will never forget the overpowering stench of death there at the Battle of the Bulge, Hirsch said at the ceremony Friday.

It was in Belgium that he got a first-hand account of the risks the resistance fighters took to save Jews, U.S. downed airmen and others.

(A Dutch resistance leader) said are you Juden? and asked me to come so I could bare witness to a German nurse being hid for the last three years, Hirsch said. I did go with them, went a mile outside of town  it was actually a Catholic missionary town. I met the nurse, who was a few years older than me, and the 40-year-old woman running the farm.

Hirsch said the Nazis would kill the entire family if they found out what they were doing.

Hirsch and the rest of the 95th Infantry ended up in Germany after the Battle of the Bulge.

While in Germany, Hirsch saw another glimpse of the Nazis barbarianism.

We liberated a Russian POW camp, Hirsch said. The Russian prisoners were all skeletons. I didnt know about sending people into gas chambers, all of that was learned after the war.

Hirsch is grateful for France honoring him and remembers the French people fondly.

The French were intelligent and sweet people, wherever I went they were very cultured, he said.

After initially going through during the Liberation of Paris in Aug. 1944, Hirsch returned in May 1945 the month after Nazi Germany surrendered.

The very first place I went was the Eiffel Tower. In those days, the elevator didnt work  I went all the way up the stairs to the top, Hirsch said.

Hirsch said he transitioned fine back into civilian life in Chicago. His brother and Hirsch started Whitehall Printing Company  which helped publishers manufacture many different types of books. He even authored a book in 1979 called Copyright It Yourself.

He echoed similar sentiments to the French Friday as several people showed up to his assisted living center in Northbrook to honor him.

Frances Legion of Honor is the countrys highest distinction signed by President Macron.

I realize its not what I singularly did, Hirsch told WGN News. But it wasnt in vain.

After describing all that he experienced and some great tales, Hirsch ended his speech with a prayer.

I pray that someday our world will find the religion of humanity, Hirsch said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Click here to view the video

Excitement is building for the April 8 solar eclipse. What if your skies are clouded over during the event, though, or there's only a partial eclipse where you live and you really want to see totality? Well, here's how you can watch the total solar eclipse from anywhere.

A total solar eclipse is truly an awe-inspiring event. Witnessing the Moon completely blocking the Sun, revealing the beauty of the solar corona, while turning the surrounding sky into a bizarre shade of dark blue and causing the temperature to plummet by several degrees, is something everyone should really be able to experience at least once in their lifetime.

Totality Sky - Aug 21 2017 - TSE - Silver Point TN - TWN

The truly bizarre look of the sky during totality of the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. This image was captured by a 360 degree camera stationed in Silver Point, TN, during a live stream of the event. The bright object, top centre, is the corona-wreathed New Moon. Top right is the planet Venus visible. The bright dot to the left of the eclipse is a lens flare caused by the corona reflecting off the internal workings of the camera. Credit: The Weather Network

However, the path of totality for an eclipse isn't always in the most advantageous location for everyone.

Furthermore, the weather doesn't always cooperate with us during these celestial events.

To ensure that as many people as possible have a chance to see the April 8 total solar eclipse, The Weather Network is hosting a live stream of the event from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT on Monday.

HubPage - Solar Eclipse - Path

Hosted by Anwar Knight and meteorologist Kevin MacKay, the stream will feature live shots of the eclipse from locations in the path of totality throughout Canada  in Ontario, southern Quebec, and central New Brunswick. Supplementing this will be views captured by NASA at stations between northern Mexico and Maine. During the live stream, field teams will be providing local commentary on what we are seeing throughout this celestial alignment.

This live stream will be available to watch here on theweathernetwork.com, on our TV channel, on YouTube, and via our app.

DON'T MISS: Visit TWNs Solar Eclipse Hub Page for everything you need to know about this spectacular and rare event

Other live streams

Given how important this event is, there will be other live broadcasts of the eclipse, as well.

The University of Toronto's Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics will be hosting a live stream of their own. Registration for the event is free on their website.

NASA's public stream will feature live shots of the eclipse, along with expert commentary, from locations wherever the skies are clear along the path of totality from Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Maine.

Watch below: This solar eclipse balloon project is one of a kind in Canada

Click here to view the video

Tower of Light

One of the most unique views of the eclipse, though, may come from a citizen science team in New Brunswick.

"Whether the skies are clear or cloudy on the day of the total solar eclipse won't really matter to retired physicist David Hunter," says Nate Coleman. "That's because he and his team of volunteers have spent years building what he calls a 'Tower of Light' to be launched within the path of totality in Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., on eclipse day on April 8."

This solar telescope will be carried up into the stratosphere via a helium balloon to stream continuous video from the path of totality and a dynamically aimed view of the Sun.

David Hunter: Tower of Light test launch

This camera-equipped balloon will capture images of the eclipse at an altitude of 30 kilometres. Credit: David Hunter

The feed from the 'Tower of Light' will be included during The Weather Network's coverage, and will be streamed on Hunter's YouTube channel as well.

Thumbnail image courtesy NASA

Follow Scott Sutherland on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

What scientists are hoping to learn from April's total solar eclipse

Click here to view the video
Highlighting an increase in the demand for ADUs, a large crane on Thursday lifted a prefabricated, one-bedroom house off a neighborhood street, swung it over a tall tree and dropped it into the backyard of a Sacramento home.

The job took less than 10 minutes.

Demand for ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, has increased 20-fold in California since 2016, according to Mike McNamara, CEO of Samara, the Redwood City-based company that sold, manufactured and delivered the 540-square-foot secondary home to the property in South Land Park.

In Sacramento, the number of ADU permits issued has skyrocketed to 246 in 2023 from 30 in 2018, an increase of more than 700%, according to the city of Sacramento. Of all housing permits issued by the city in 2023, ADUs accounted for 9.45% of them, according to the city, up from 2020 when ADU permits accounted for only about 2% of all housing units that year.

McNamara and billionaire Joe Gebbia, who founded Airbnb, launched Samara as an independent company in 2022 with $41 million in funding. Other leading investors included venture capital firm Thrive Capital and Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky. Samara began as a research and development team within Airbnb.

Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia addresses the crowd during the ADU crane lifting project in South Land Park on Thursday, April 4, 2024.

A crowd gathers to watch an ADU get lifted into the backyard of a South Land Park residence on Thursday.

ADUs making sense

Advocates for ADUs, also called granny flats or in-law units, say the homes make sense because more people are working from home, more families are considering multigenerational living situations and the state is in need of more housing.

One in four permits in the Los Angeles/Southern California area are for an ADU, Gebbia said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee. One in seven housing permits in the Bay Area is for an ADU. So this is an idea thats become very popular for a variety of reasons of why people get an ADU.

Its to house family, parents getting older, kids coming home from college, to earn income, to rent out medium to long term, or its a place to use for personal use, for work from home or a yoga studio or writers nook  for all those things over the course of ownership.

On Thursday, a section of 13th Street was blocked off so the ADU could be hoisted by crane and eased onto a slab foundation in the backyard. Despite persistent light rain, dozens of neighbors came out to see the spectacular sight of what amounted to a flying house. Samara even brought in a taco truck for the event.

The homeowners, who were not available for an interview, will use the unit for relatives who frequently stay with them. The unit is being adapted to make it accessible for people with disabilities; for example, a ramp will be installed after the unit is bolted to the foundation. Its the first time Samara has delivered one of its ADUs to a Sacramento location.

Samara handles everything needed to get their backyard homes up and running, from permits to site preparation to installation. Buyers hardly need to lift a finger, except to choose options and colors.

Construction workers lift up an ADU in South Land Park on Thursday, April 4, 2024.

Nearly everything done for the homebuyer

For the guest house that was just craned in, utility connections for water, wastewater and electricity were already dug and put in place. The preparation is included in the overall price of a unit.

By the way, none of this the homeowner had to figure out on their own, Gebbia said.  We decided early on at Samara that we want to provide an amazing customer experience and really handle everything, so that a customer just has to go to (the Samara website), customize, put in their colors and options, and then we handle literally everything else.

Configuration options and starting costs, according to samara.com, for various models are:

 A 420-square-foot studio: $269,000

 A 540-square-foot, one-bedroom home: $284,000

 A 690-square-foot, two-bedroom residence: $324,000.

Its the unit plus everything else: the permitting utility hookups, the soil samples, the 100-point checklist that most homeowners arent necessarily experts in, Gebbia said. And so we said, lets take all that friction off their plate and well handle that part so that they just get the delivery at the end.

The median listing price of a home in Sacramento is $479,500, according to Realtor.com.

Mike McNamara, the CEO of Samara, presents the ADU that will be dropped into the backyard of a residence located at 6040 13th Street on Thursday.

Samara has put a strong focus on the manufacturing and supply chain processes to enable on-site construction in as few as 30 days, according to the company.

Samara, which employs 60 people, recently acquired a 150,000-square-foot factory in Mexicali, Mexico, to bring the manufacturing of its units completely in-house. Once the factory is fully up and running, it will be able to churn out 1,000 ADUs per year, according to the company.

Some California cities have seen even more interest in ADUs than Sacramento. Statewide, ADU development grew from about 1,000 ADUs permitted in 2016 to more than 24,000 in 2022, accounting for about 19% of new housing permits, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. In Los Angeles, ADUs rose to more than 7,000 permits issued in 2022 from fewer than 100 in 2016, or about 30% of all new units in the city.

A completed one bedroom unit called the Backyard.

The interior of a two-bedroom unitl

Pro-ADU regulations put in place

Were excited about where were going, McNamara said. Around 2016, the Legislature in California started making very pro-ADU rules, laws, regulations, to enable ADUs to be put in very easily. And since 2016 to now, theres been literally about a 20-times increase in permits in California, so the favorable regulations have come simultaneously with a huge amount of growth. Its a real shown government in action to be able to solve some of the housing problems and some of the housing crisis.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, whos built two ADUs on his property in the past 15 years using traditional construction methods, stopped by the neighborhood to see the unit airlifted into the backyard.

Im excited to see here that its (installed) in one day  ours did not take one day, McCarty, who is running for mayor of Sacramento, said. This is a testament of what weve done here in California, starting with Governor Brown, now with Governor Newsom. We signed over a dozen bills to make these easier (to build). Theres been over 60,000 ADUs built in the last two years here in California, and we want to do many more here in our capital city.

The Samara unit is built with insulated metal panels on the outside and two-by-six steel framing.

The frame construction is extremely strong, McNamara said. This thing is built to last a hundred years. This is meant to appreciate. As your house appreciates in equity, this is meant to appreciate right along with it. And we made them beautiful ... designed it to be beautiful.
Morgonn McMichael, a right-wing social media influencer, sparked a firestorm of mockery and criticism after she posted a video expressing her disdain for a gender-neutral bathroom at Kansas City International Airport in Missouri to X (formerly Twitter).



Im here in Kansas City, and I came across this all-gender bathroom, literally all-gender, McMichael says in the clip that has been viewed nearly 12 million times as of publication time.

Welcome to Kansas City where they have ALL GENDER bathrooms\u2026I hate this.  (@)

She then walks through the handwashing area and films floor-to-ceiling doors, each with a private stall, as people walk past her to use the restroom.

Look at this: 20 stalls, all-gender, she says. This is so, this is crazy. Forgive me for filming in a bathroom, but this is all-gender. I hate this. I absolutely hate [it]I have never seen an all-gender bathroom. Im not going in here. I dont like this.

Her video and faux outrage were mocked heavily online. Not only does she show that the bathrooms are entirely private, but she also got criticized for potentially infringing on the privacy of others, ironically counteracting her professed concerns about safety and privacy within such spaces.

Among the critics was transgender writer and activist Charlotte Clymer, who pointed out the irrationality of McMichaels choice to film inside the gender-neutral bathroom when gender-specific options were readily available nearby. On X, Clymer remarked, Let me see if I understand this: you are literally seconds away from gender-restricted bathrooms for both women and men that are nearby, and yet, youre choosing to go into the one gender-neutral bathroom and film inside it like a weirdo?

The critique didnt end there, as others questioned the appropriateness of McMichaels decision to record a video inside the restroom. Comments ranged from direct criticisms of the act of filming, labeling it as very creepy, to observations that the gender-neutral bathrooms designfeaturing fully private stalls with locking doorsactually represented the most private public restroom solution seen by many. This is the best solution thus far for the bathroom argument. These are all fully private stalls with locking doors. More private than any public restroom Ive ever seen, one user wrote.



Moreover, several responses underscored a broader consensus that filming within any restroom, regardless of its gender inclusivity, was inherently problematic. Gendered or not, pretty sure its not ok to be filming in there, and, You filmed inside the bathroom like an absolute weirdo instead of walking 50 feet over to the women-only bathroom because you wanted to act like a victim and instead youre just hella creepy, were among the pointed remarks shared by users, reflecting widespread disapproval of McMichaels approach to critiquing the airports restroom facilities.

Justice Horn, the chair of the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission, pushed back against the video in an interview with The Advocate.

He said that this is not the first time in the little over a year since the opening of the restroom that conservative influencers have become scandalized by the existence of an additional washroom option. Horn addressed McMichaels criticisms by emphasizing the availability of traditional restrooms steps away.

@morgonnm Hi, chair of the commission who helped craft this policy in Kansas City.



First, these are single stall, all gender bathrooms that allow for greater privacy. There are gender specific bathrooms down the hall too.



Finally, don\u2019t use my community to create fake outrage\u2014it\u2019s sad.  (@)

I knew it was untrue, he said. I knew that there were specifically gendered bathrooms down the hallway, but when folks come into our new airport here in Kansas City, they tend to go to this and put it out for content to manufacture some kind of fake outrage or that, you know, this has gone too far when really this isnt a radical idea. You know, your single-stall, all-gender bathrooms are on the plane or port-a-potties, and there is a bathroom at your home. So this is just creating additional space and public space for folks to, you know, have more privacy, be more private, and to, you know, have that in a 21st century airport here in Kansas City.

Horn suggested that McMichaels actions were a deliberate attempt to incite a reaction from her followers. She purposely went into this knowing that this would be a lightning bolt to really whip up a lot of the folks who may support her, Horn said. He emphasized that the concept of a single-stall, all-gender bathroom is not radical, noting their commonplace presence in various settings, including homes and airplanes. According to Horn, the goal of having these restrooms available was to create additional space and public space for folks to have more privacy.

He said the policy underpinning the construction of the gender-neutral bathroom was designed with inclusivity in mind, aiming to benefit a wide array of individuals, from parents with young children to people with disabilities and older adults.

This policy and this space embrace everyone where theyre at. It allows everyone, no matter your background or where you come from, to have privacy, to be a part of this airport, and to feel that you are safe, he said.

Horn pointed out that the restrooms are available to parents who often have to accompany their small children into public restrooms.

He condemned the spread of misinformation and hysteria around the issue, labeling it as unfair, fake, and evil.

Horn suggested that if the controversy continues, the city might consider marking the bathroom as a tourist attraction. If we keep doing this, Im going talk to the city manager, and were going to get little plaque that says, This is the infamous all-gender bathroom, Horn said.
Watch: Ruth Perry tells colleagues to show each other compassion in previously unseen video

Headteacher Ruth Perry told colleagues and pupils to take care of yourselves and each other in a previously unseen video.

The family of Mrs Perry, who killed herself after an Ofsted inspection, shared the video with teachers at the National Education Union (NEU) conference in Bournemouth on Friday.

In the video, which was recorded during the pandemic, Mrs Perry told Caversham Primary School colleagues and pupils: You will have good days and you will have bad days.

But I know that you are strong, that you will show each other compassion, one of the schools core values, in your home, and that makes me feel really proud.

She added: Talk to the people you love, be kind to each other, be hopeful, take care of yourselves and each other.

Ofsted has come under greater scrutiny in the past year following Mrs Perrys suicide in January last year, after an inspection in which the school was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate over safeguarding concerns.

In December, a coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection of Caversham primary in Reading in November 2022 was at times rude and intimidating and likely contributed to the death of Mrs Perry.

Prof Julia Waters, Mrs Perrys sister, told teachers at the NEU conference to get help and think again if they are having thoughts about ending their lives.

Ruth Perry, who said 'take care of each other' in a moving video - University of Reading/PA

She said: If you feel anything like how Ruth felt, I really feel for you.

She saw everything she had stood for in her career and her community destroyed in a moment by an unfair Ofsted decision. She was offered no way out.

But let me tell you, suicide is always a terrible, wrong-headed option.

Ending her own life was the worst thing Ruth could possibly have done.

That desperate act devastated our family, her colleagues, the hundreds of her pupils and a whole community in Caversham and beyond.

As Ruth said, show compassion

We shall all live with the devastation of Ruths appalling, preventable death for the rest of our lives.

So if you are having thoughts about ending your own life  please, think again. Get help.

Speaking after the video was released, Prof Waters told teachers: As Ruth said, be kind, show compassion. Talk to each other. Be hopeful that change is coming.

On Wednesday, delegates at the NEU conference voted for a public facing campaign calling for Ofsted to be abolished to be launched by the union.

Make the system better and kinder

But Prof Waters called on the NEU to stop campaigning to abolish Ofsted.

She said: Instead, put your considerable energy into this unprecedented opportunity for real change now, and work together with others to make the system weve got better and kinder.

Last month, Sir Martyn Oliver, the new chief inspector of Ofsted, launched the watchdogs Big Listen public consultation that will seek views about Ofsted.

Prof Waters suggested there was a lot of passing the buck going on between government and Ofsted and unnecessary delay with reforms.

She said: How many more children will lose another dedicated headteacher to a forced resignation, a nervous breakdown, or worse?

Delays and obfuscation put more lives at risk.

Its not acceptable to play politics with peoples wellbeing.

A photograph of Ruth Perry attached to a school fence last year - Andrew Matthews/PA

Prof Waters, who believes that one-word judgments such as good and outstanding should be scrapped, said she hoped parents understand that the grading system is simplistic and misleading.

She said: One word, whatever that word is, can never ever give an accurate sense of what the school is.

Im sure parents realise the way to find out if the school is right for their child is to go and visit the school and talk to other parents.

Concern over kudos

Parents who think there is some kudos in getting their children into an outstanding school are lazy, she suggested.

She said: I just dont believe really, that parents either they dont really understand what an Ofsted judgment means, what it is judging, or there is some kind of kudos - Oh, I got my child into an outstanding school. But its lazy.

Prof Waters also said the one-word judgment system only applied in the UK to state schools in England, but that did not mean that regulation of private schools or institutions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland was a Wild West.

At the start of the year, Ofsted inspections were paused in England to ensure inspectors were given mental health awareness training.

The watchdog also published new guidance for schools on how to request for an Ofsted inspection to be paused if staff show signs of distress.

For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at josamaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

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Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun was awarded a giant stock bonus on top of his more-than-a-million-dollar salary last year, despite overseeing a company that has been plagued by chronic losses and safety problems.

Calhouns total compensation in 2023 was $32.8 million, a 45% increase from the $22.6 million he received for 2022. And it could have been a lot more: He declined to accept his annual incentive bonus of $2,800,000  a request the board said he made after part of a Boeing 737 Max plane blew off the side of an Alaska Airlines flight in January, kicking off a series of federal investigations, a temporary grounding, executive ousters and another embarrassing public relations blunder for the company.

Boeing enjoyed improved financial results in 2023 from Calhouns first two years running the troubled aircraft manufacturer. It continued to lose money as it has every year since 2019, but it trimmed those losses by 60%, reporting a core operating loss of $1.8 billion. Its stock gained 37% during the year, and it had a record month for new commercial jet orders in December, giving it one of its best sales years ever, as airlines were eager for new jets to meet strong demand for travel.

But after the January 5 door plug blowout, causing a gaping hole in the side of the jet, Boeings reputation for safety and quality may have reached an all-time low. A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the plane had left a Boeing factory two months before the incident missing the four bolts needed to hold the door plug in place. Calhoun told investors in January that we caused the problem, and we understand that. Whatever conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened.

Last month, Calhoun announced he would be retiring later this year and that the company had launched a search for a new CEO. Calhoun turns 67 later this month, and Boeings board had actually moved back the retirement age for CEOs by five years to keep him in place.

Upon his retirement, Calhoun is set to take home a giant going-away present: a $45 million mix of stock awards and options that vest over time. Thats on top of whatever salary and bonus he may earn this year  although it wouldnt be surprising if Boeings board vastly reduces his 2024 pay, and perhaps his retirement awards, because of the state he has left the company in as CEO.

Boeing did not respond to a request for comment.

Calhoun became CEO in January of 2020, in the midst of a 20-month grounding of the 737 Max that followed two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in late 2018 and early 2019. Almost immediately Boeing and the aviation industry was hit by a near halt in air travel caused by the pandemic, which caused demand for planes to come to a near halt. In April of that year Calhoun suspended his base pay. But stock and other compensation he had already received when taking the job brought his 2020 total compensation to $21.7 million. It climbed slowly steadily in the two subsequent years, bringing his total compensation to $64.6 million heading into 2023.

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Wayfarers Chapel is seen in November 2022, before a slow-moving landslide began threatening the famed glass structure. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The iconic glass chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes overlooking the ocean has, for decades, been one of the most picturesque locations for Angelenos to marry.

Its scenic vistas and renowned architecture have drawn new fans in the age of posting images on social media, and, recently, was upgraded to a National Historic Landmark.

But this winter, an ancient landslide complex sitting below the chapel's floors rapidly accelerated and expanded, forcing chapel leaders to indefinitely close the popular spiritual and tourist destination amid unprecedented damage and hazards on the property.

Now officials say it's unlikely the chapel will ever reopen at its current location off Palos Verdes Drive South, which is also rapidly moving due to land movement.

"We will not be able to restore the chapel on our current property. That seems firm," Dan Burchett, the Wayfarers Chapel executive director said in a statement this week.

Read more: Winter rains fuel 'unprecedented' acceleration, expansion of landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes

The 100-seat glass and wood sanctuary was built in 1951, designed by architect Lloyd Wright  the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright  for the Swedenborgian Church.

Burchett said the chapel's board of directors are still in preliminary discussions about relocating the chapel, with expectations that considerably more fundraising would be required for a move that he estimates could cost $15 million. The chapel had started fundraising after its closure, but the amount raised remain in the tens of thousands.

Its just at the beginning stages, Burchett said in an interview with The Times. This is going to take years to determine, very likely."

He said there's no set location in mind, but the team would like to remain in Rancho Palos Verdes, if possible, and are committed to retaining its national historic designation.

It is quite unbelievable that things are devolving as quickly as they are," Burchett said. We basically have stopped doing repairs until there are some assurances that the land is going to be stopped. ... We dont have any control."

Read more: Wayfarers Chapel, L.A.'s famed 'Glass Church,' closes as land movement grows more severe

Due to the land movement under the church, Burchett said there are 12 panes of glass broken in the chapel, the foundation is significantly damaged and walkways across the property are cracked and jagged.

The chapel sits on part of an ancient landslide complex, known as the slow-moving Portuguese Bend complex, where four long-studied landslides collide. This has recently caused increased movement across a square mile where approximately 400 homes, many local parks and the chapel sit.

City officials have been working for months to try to halt the landslide complex's movement  fighting an uphill battle against water infiltration, which causes the shifting ground. It became a bigger problem as the region recorded one of the wettest two-year periods since the 1800s.

"The city is aware that the Wayfarers Chapel Board of Directors is exploring the potential of relocating the chapel building," Megan Barnes, a spokesperson for the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, said in a statement. "The city treasures Wayfarers Chapels cultural significance and place in our community, and we continue to support its leaders as they navigate this challenging time."

The bell tower rises above the Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes on November 30, 2022. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Since the increased land movement, chapel officials have had geologists, structural engineers and historical architects visit the site to analyze the situation and the possibilities for repairs or restoration, Burchett said.

The only way that the chapel can be moved is to take it apart and rebuild it someplace else, he said, which has raised further questions about how to obtain city permitting and meet historical landmark requirements and building standards that have changed since the early 1950s.

There are still a lot of moving parts and unknowns about the process, Burchett said, but the now-skeleton staff at the church is working around the clock to find solutions. He said they are committed to remaining in Rancho Palos Verdes but have received offers to relocate the chapel off of the peninsula.

We are enormously devoted to restoring the chapel," Burchett said. "Were doing all that we know to do to ensure that the chapel will be fully restored  whatever location that is."

Since closing, he said the chapel's staff had been reduced by more three-quarters  down to five full-time staff, including himself.

"Its a heartbreaking situation," he said. Things are changing every week."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WCK demands independent commission, says IDF cannot investigate its own 'failure'

FILE PHOTO: Members of "World Central Kitchen" prepare food for Palestinians, in the location given as Gaza

FILE PHOTO: Members of "World Central Kitchen" prepare food for Palestinians, in the location given as Gaza

DUBAI (Reuters) - Aid charity World Central Kitchen on Friday demanded an independent commission to investigate the killings of its staff in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, saying the Israeli military could not credibly investigate its own "failure".

The aid workers were killed on Monday when their convoy was hit shortly after they oversaw the unloading of 100 tons of food aid brought to Gaza by sea.

"Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families," according to a statement published by WCK.

WCK founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres has said the Israeli attack had targeted his workers "systematically, car by car."

The U.S. and Israel's other allies called for an explanation into the incident, amid widespread condemnation.

Israel said on Friday that its inquiry into the incident had found serious errors and breaches of procedure by its military. Two senior officers have been dismissed and senior commanders formally reprimanded, it said.

WCK said the action taken by Israel represented 'important steps ahead' but said it is also clear from the preliminary investigation that the Israeli military has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elimam and Clauda Tanios; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Weight Loss Drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro Are in Shortage Due to 'Demand Increase,' FDA Says

Eli Lillys popular weight loss drugs have "limited availability" through the end of April

Eli Lilly

Two popular weight loss drugs are currently in short supply, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The agencys website states that currently, two doses of Zepbound and four doses of Mounjaro have "limited availability" through the end of April. Additionally, a demand increase is cited as the reason for the shortages.

The two drugs  made by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly  are brand names for tirzepatide, which has been proven to be highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat.

Mounjaro is FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes while Zepbound is FDA-approved to treat obesity.

In a statement to ABC News, Eli Lilly said the company is working to replenish its supply amid the unparalleled surge in demand.

Sandy Huffaker for The Washington Post via Getty

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"We recognize this situation may cause a disruption in peoples treatment regimens and are working with purpose and urgency to address it, a spokesperson for the company told the outlet. As a medicine company, we know that people rely on us to help reach and maintain their health goals, and we take our responsibility very seriously.

"While we anticipate intermittent availability in the near term due to unprecedented demand, we expect our investments in manufacturing and supply capacity to progressively increase production of Mounjaro and Zepbound throughout the second half of 2024, the statement said.

Last month, Eli Lilly released a commercial ahead of the 2024 Oscars criticizing people in Hollywood who are misusing their weight loss drugs.

We have a point of view about how these drugs are being used, CEO David Ricks told CNN. These medicines were invented for people with a serious health condition; they were not invented just to have someone whos famous look a little bit better.

Getty

Related: Mounjaro Is 'Significantly' More Effective for Weight Loss Than Ozempic, Study Says

Eli Lilly also released a statement in January emphasizing that they stand against the use of its medicines for cosmetic weight loss.

Mounjaro and Zepbound are indicated for the treatment of serious diseases; they are not approved for  and should not be used for  cosmetic weight loss, the company said at the time. Lilly does not promote or encourage use of Mounjaro, Zepbound, or any Lilly medicines outside of a medicines FDA-approved indication.

Many are familiar with Monjaro and Zepbound due to Novo Nordisks competing drugs semaglutide, known by brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, which have gained popularity throughout the past year as many have used them off-label for weight loss.

The FDA has also listed four doses of Wegovy as limited availability due to demand increases.However, there is no estimated duration of the shortage.

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When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. walked past us, orbited by a force field of security and advisers on a Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, no one really noticed. Instead, the crowd inside the Million Dollar Theatre had its attention locked on the stage, where the long-shot presidential candidate was giving a pretaped speech.

Ive come here today to declare our independence from the tyranny of corruption, which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future, and our respect for each other, droned a video playing Kennedys October 2023 speech announcing he would be running for president as an independent. But to do that, I must first declare my own independenceindependence from the Democratic Party.

The audience, here for a comedy fundraiser hosted by RFKs wife, the Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, was rapturous. Wearing a TED Talk headset microphone, his gaze stern, RFK told us that we are, in a nutshell, fucked. And the only way to break free was to make him president.

It was a dark message: All of us are prisoners of a corrupt systemeven the elites. They, too, want liberation from the system that has captured them, Kennedy said.

To the Democrats, hes a uniquely destructive force: not just Ralph Nader in 2000 but a deranged vaccine conspiracist hoping to undo a century of medical advancement. To Republicans, hes a UFO on the verge of abducting just enough anti-vaxxers to steal the presidency from Donald Trump. And to a certain type of person, hes the truth.

Kennedy has drawn unexpectedly high poll numbers as an independent candidate for the general election. In some polls, RFK is the most popular candidate among young voters. One Quinnipiac University survey showed him getting 22 percent in a three-way general election against Joe Biden and Trump. Another revealed higher favorability ratings against Trump or Biden. At least one poll has shown RFK leads in support from those under 45. Here, in Los Angeles, hes trying to make the case that he really is a serious presidential candidateand that he can raise the money a serious presidential campaign needs.

RFK is not a funny person, but comedy was the theme of the fundraiser. That alone was strange, and presented a sort of cognitive dissonance for the evening. The jokes werent funny, but everything else was. The believers were out in full force, a band of political outcasts from the right and left. Kennedy was their new master. Even though this was L.A., the crowd wasnt your classic set of Hollywood liberals. It appeared to draw mainly from neighboring Orange County, the historically conservative red bruise on sky-blue California. One attendee, Derrel Young, told me, If youre looking for the Hollywood crowd, this is not it. Instead, the event conjured a mirage of Hollywood support, featuring has-been comedians such as Adam Carolla and Rob Schneider, who have taken to railing against cancel culture as their careers have nose-dived.

A member of one of the most storied political dynasties in historyprivileged and damagedwas now one of theirs. He might be crazy, but he was their kind of crazy.

The event attracted classic environmentalists and people who loved the Kennedys no matter what they did, but it also brought out new age hippies with a lot of money; Joe Rogan hypebeasts; anti-establishment troublemakers; and free-speech, anti-vax obsessivesthe candidates base, in other words. It was a young crowd as far as political events go. A member of one of the most storied political dynasties in historyprivileged and damagedwas now one of theirs. He might be crazy, but he was their kind of crazy. If you are to believe the cosmos, as many people in L.A. do, Pluto has entered Aquarius for the first time since the American Revolution, igniting a time of great tumult. Conspiritualists have forecasted 2024 as a revolt. The figure bringing that to bear for them is Kennedy.





For all the talk of Kennedy as a presidential spoiler, there are a number of big, unanswered questions about his campaign. Its not even clear how many state ballots his name will appear on. So far, he says he has enough signatures to appear on the ballot in Utah, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Nevada, a crucial swing state that saw less than a 3 percent margin between Trump and Biden in 2020. Meanwhile, a super PAC supporting RFK Jr. says it has enough signatures to add his name in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and South Carolina.

A big part of his allure is pretty simple. According to a focus group of Detroit voters conducted by Breaking Points and J.L. Partners, people gravitate toward RFK Jr. for two reasons: Hes a Kennedy, and hes got anti-establishment appeal. Hes also not Trump or Biden, which helps in an election where loads of people detest both candidates.

If you are to believe polling and pundits from both parties, Kennedy is a unique threat to the republic because hes getting in the way of a Democratic Party re-coronation or Trumps second coming. Much of Kennedys fundraising and polling support come from people who have supported Trump, such as classic Reagan Republican and financial tycoon Timothy Mellon, who gave RFK Jr. $15.5 million last year.

The weirdness of Kennedys baseReagan Republicans and environmentalists holding hands with anti-vaxxersmakes it difficult to assess precisely what type of spoiler he is. With RFK on the ballot, a March Harvard CAPS-Harris poll found, Trumps lead increases over Biden by 1 point. Trump scored 44 percent to Bidens 37 percent, while Kennedy raked in 18 percent. Still, its also plausible that RFK Jr. could end up tossing the election to his former party, becoming a sort of Nader in reverse.

RFK Jr.s big money funding comes from a smattering of tech evangelists, former Democratsincluding tech attorney Nicole Shanahan, whom he named as his running mate on March 26, and who has been a major donor to his campaignand entertainers, most well past their prime. Gavin de Becker, whose firm provides security for high-profile people, including the candidate himself, is the second-biggest donor to the RFK Jr. super PAC, American Values. Other backers include David Marcus, the former president of PayPal, and former Democratic financier-turned-Trump supporter Omeed Malik. RFK has also received support from some celebrities, such as Alicia Silverstone, Eric Clapton, and Oliver Stone. None of them got back to me to talk about their support.

A clearer picture of RFKs base emerged at his L.A. fundraiser. For $1,500, the event promised seating in the first few rows, a cool vibe and scrumptious bites, and a chance to rub shoulders with RFK, Hines, and the comics. In case the Kennedy campaign denied my request for press access, I signed up my family for a raffle to attend. We all won tickets.

People came from faraway places. Standing in line, dressed in full Navy regalia, 72-year-old Lt. Cmdr. Leonard Le Blanc III told me he had traveled 8,000 miles from Bangkok in hopes of meeting RFK. Given Mr. Kennedys interest in the deep state, Le Blanc said, Id want to give him a copy of my book. It was about the military-industrial complex and the invasion of Iraq, a topic Id hear a lot about over the course of the night.

Further down the line, a nice couple originally from Orange County told me they liked RFK because he spoke his mind.

Hes not afraid to tackle some really sensitive issues, Lisa Huett told me. She ranked the environment and vaccines equally as the two issues most important to her. Both she and her husband opted out of the Covid vaccine. I just wanted more studies around it, she told me. But weve had all of our childhood vaccines, her husband, Jason, added, as if to soften bad news.

They previously voted for Obama, then Trump during the last two elections. But Im not beholden to Trump, Jason clarified, citing the limit on tax deductions Trump enacted via the SALT cap.

Derrel Young, the L.A. resident whom I met earlier, came over to me with a friend named Jason. They both said they were here for the comedy.

Im just here to see somebody say something funny, and after that my ears are open, Young said.

What do you think of this crowd? I asked.

Theres a lot of white people here tonight, said Young, who is Black, smiling.

I walked into the theater and toward the front row, which theoretically was reserved for people who paid $1,500. There were a lot of empty seats, so I sat down.

Our sons a heterosexual. Were dealing with it, joked comedian Mike Binder. People laughed. I turned to get a look at them. They were having a great time.

Explaining why Cheryl Hiness TV husband wasnt in attendance, the comedian said, We didnt want to spend the money to surgically remove Larry David from Barack Obamas ass.

And that was basically his whole bit. Most of the comedians that evening leaned into the culture wars, lobbing jokes toward the queer community, people of color, and the unhoused. Few, if any, were directed at Trump or the right. The main event was former Saturday Night Live cast member-turned-fedora guy Rob Schneider, who said conservatives have been afraid to speak up in Hollywood about cancel culture and vaccines. I try and explain California to people, he said, prowling the stage. You know, one day you drop off a boy at school and at the end of the day you pick up a girl. More laughs.

They wanna pay slave reparations to people who were never slaves, to be paid for by people who never owned slaves, in a state that never had slaves. Thats like paying child support for a child you never had to a woman you never fucked. I left to go to the bathroom. On my way back, I purchased a beer and checked my email. Kennedy was begging me for money. It sounded urgent. On Instagram he was going skydiving.

That evening, Id heard about a range of issues that drew people to Kennedy: the deep state war machine, vaccines and free speech, the environment, and so on. There wasnt one thing that brought people out. It didnt seem like a left or right thing, a democracy versus fascism thing, or a class or identity thing. For these people, the common thread was us versus them, insiders versus outsiders. Populism is dead, and this is whats left: a populist who isnt really talking about the working class. A guy leveraging his famous name to try to convince lost people he can lead them out of the darkness.

Then RFK Jr. walked by and back to his seat. A woman burst out of the theater after he passed, crying. I asked her if she was OK and what was wrong.

I am just honored to be near him, said the woman, leaking tears. Her name was Susan Dinsmore. Im such a liberal, MLK, anti-war person. Im so tired of war and money going towards wars, she went on. Democrats and Republicans were no different when it came to funding war. America could be such a great country, and were not. To me, this is our last hope.

A San Fernando Valley native who worked for Whole Foods for 20 years, Dinsmore appeared to be one of those classic Kennedy liberalsan anti-war, procivil rights environmentalistwho was not turned off by RFK Jr.s flirtations with the right. Instead, she saw him as a true liberal. It was the Democratic Party that had changed.

I just think of his uncle and everything that happened was terrible. We had hope then. The tears returned.

Then she smiled.

And hes so handsome.
Ukraines shortage of artillery shells is in the news again. A senior Ukrainian officer has pointed out the blunt truth: that the imminent arrival of F-16 fighter jets from the West will be irrelevant if his nation is overrun because its guns have fallen silent.

Many people will be wondering how this can possibly be. Artillery shells are not expensive things. Ukraine only needs 10,000 or so shells a day to hold the invaders back.

In the case of shells, the problem isnt money, its lack of production capacity. Even the mighty USA, owner of the largest military-industrial complex in the world, can only produce 28,000 rounds of 155mm per month  less than 10pc of what Ukraine needs  and this with its factories on 24-hour operation.

The millions of shells Ukraine has already fired have mostly come from existing stockpiles, not from new production. These have not only been American stockpiles: nations all around the world  often preferring not to have their names mentioned, but happy to take Western money  have shipped their stocks of 155mm to Ukraine.

At some point, however, the cupboards will finally be bare.

Why, then, arent new factories being built? The short answer is that they are. This situation was understood back in 2022. The US has been building new factories since then, and they are expected to come on line later this year. Soon the US will be producing 70,000-80,000 shells per month. Other nations are ramping up too, though they did not move as quickly as the US and their production will not come as soon.

But it may not make that much sense for the West to establish a massive shell production industry able to keep Ukraines guns firing forever. Nothing else appearing, Ukraine will run out of men in the fairly near term. Then, regrettably, our focus would have to turn to our own defence.

Yet as the head of the RAF has lately said: We do not want to fight this type of war. And indeed  at least when we fight alongside the US  we dont fight like that. Saddam Husseins large Soviet-equipped tank army was destroyed for almost no British losses in 2003. Our artillery fired just 9,000 155mm shells in the entire campaign.

One way or another, fairly soon after the fighting stops in Ukraine, the Russian army  even crippled  will recover and rearm itself. It will be much bigger than it was in 2022, backed by Vladimir Putins new Russian war economy, and battle-hardened.

On the face of it, Putin would still be mad to attack Nato. Even assuming the US withdraws from the alliance, the Russian economy is still smaller than that of Italy alone. Russia should never be able to match the military potential of the non-US Nato nations.

The rise of Russian defence spending is far outpacing that of Western democracies - REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

But Russian military spending is rising to 6pc of GDP. Italys is just 1.7pc. Russia is already approximately three times as powerful as Italy.

Then, as Napoleon put it while conquering Europe, the moral is to the physical as three to one. Grit is even more important than numbers. The West could easily have supplied Ukraine with the weapons to drive the Russians out of Crimea: but we have not, because we lack grit.

Will Putin really believe he would face serious resistance should he strike into the Suwalki Gap and cut off the Baltics for re-conquest?

There is much talk here in the UK of the need to raise defence spending, perhaps to 2.5 or even 3pc of GDP. But during the Cold War it was 4 to 5pc. The debate should actually be in those terms, and not only here either but all across Europe. Even in Estonia, on the very lip of the bear, defence spending will only hit 3pc this year.

In the democracies of Western Europe we are  to put it bluntly  so addicted to our bloated welfare states that we can find only pennies for defence. The Office for Budget Responsibility says that in 2023-24, Britain will spend just 32bn on defence (other figures are out there, but the UK is well known for creative accounting on its defence spending claims). In total the Government will spend an almost unbelievable 1,189bn.

Nobody dares to suggest a modest 3pc haircut for the other departments so that we can double our defence budget. Yet surely anyone can see that it would be better for all the pensioners, disabled, jobless and sick people to have 97pc of what they have now, given to them by their own government, than ruin and destruction and nothing at all as a newly conquered citizen of a hostile power.

If youre thinking that might happen in Estonia, but not here, think again. When the dictators have conquered continental Europe, they always start looking at us.

Even if we somehow come to our senses and double our defence budget, our welfare mindset and stagnant economy would still cripple us.

Rather than just buying ships, we would keep attempting to revive long-dead British shipyards as social regeneration projects (Harland & Wolff). Rather than just buying fighters and missiles, wed pour money into foredoomed job-creation schemes intended to copy US technology (GCAP). Rather than just buying drones and armoured vehicles, wed insist on well-paid jobs for ourselves and in the process completely ruin successful designs (Watchkeeper, Ajax).

As the 155mm shell situation shows us, its too late to start getting ready once the war has begun. We need to develop some grit and stop assuming that its the Governments job to give us welfare and nice well-paid jobs.

Its the Governments job, first and foremost, to see to the nations defences.

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NOCO Humane coordinated the transfer of 78 large dogs from an unlicensed Lyons animal facility in this file photo. All told, 72 were transferred to shelters and rescues across the Front Range and six are being cared for at the humane society's Larimer County campus.

Wellington is expanding animal control coverage in the town under a new contract with NOCO Humane that will provide regular services five days a week and emergency services the rest of the time.

The town will pay about $19,600 this year as part of a four-way contract with NOCO Humane, formerly known as Larimer Humane Society, and the towns of Timnath and Berthoud, the intergovernmental agreement shows.

The contract covers services to all three towns, and each town pays its own share, about $52,000 from Berthoud and about $27,000 from Timnath.

Now residents who have animal control issues will call NOCO Humane directly for most circumstances, rather than contacting town staff.

The contract provides regular services eight hours a day Thursdays through Mondays and emergency services at all other times.

"While this change wont alter the types of services provided to the town, it will ensure that Wellington has sufficient animal control for a town its size," a news release from the town stated.

It noted that in the 2023 Community Survey, 58% of residents rated the current animal control services in Wellington as fair/poor.

We understand the importance of effective and accessible animal control, and partnering with NOCO Humane will give residents more direct access to these services," Town Administrator Patti Garcia said in the news release.

The town had a prior contract with the Larimer Humane Society that went into effect in 2020, but the nonprofit sent notice of termination late last year.

"At the time the agreement was entered into, the parties intent was that NOCO Humane serve as a backup the towns then-existing programs. However, in the three years that followed, there have been significant changes at the town," a letter from CEO Judy Calhoun said. "Over time, the town has asked NOCO Humane to do more than assist the town, which changes the essence of the agreement."

The old agreement was structured on an a la carte basis, said Jerry Martin, spokesperson for the town. Residents with a problem had to contact a town employee, who would refer the case to NOCO Humane.

"This resulted in inefficiencies for residents and responders to timely address time-sensitive animal-related needs, especially for instances that occurred after hours or on weekends," he said.

Now residents can expect an increased presence of NOCO Humane vehicles and animal control officers in the community, the news release says.

Why call NOCO Humane for animal control?

You might need help dealing with animals that are vicious or aggressive, at large or stray, or being abused.

NOCO Humane can also respond to things like reports of biting, wild animals in homes or on property, and noise.

NOCO Humane will also shelter lost pets and make efforts to identify them and return them to their owners, who will be expected to pay associated fees and license their animals, the news release said.

So, who do I call for issues with an animal in Wellington?

Residents with issues during regular service hours, which are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, should call the NOCO Humane dispatch at 970-226-3647, ext. 7.

For emergency situations outside of those hours that are time sensitive or involve a safety or medical risk, residents can contact either NOCO Humane dispatch, above, or Larimer County Sheriffs Department at 970-416-1985.

For nonurgent after-hours incidents, residents can either submit a form on the town website at www.wellingtoncolorado.gov or wait until regular service hours to call NOCO Humane's dispatch line.

For code enforcement issues  like animal limits, restricted animals and the size and location of outdoor animal housing and enclosures  residents can contact Wellingtons Neighborhood Services Department at 970-568-9000. Regular office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to noon Fridays.

What is NOCO Humane?

NOCO Humane is a nonprofit animal welfare organization. It changed its name when the Larimer Humane Society took over the operations of the Humane Society of Weld County in October 2023. Weld's nonprofit had been struggling to provide services to its community.

NOCO Humane operates shelters at 3501 E. 73rd St. in Loveland and at 1620 42nd St. in Evans.

It also contracts with several other communities in Northern Colorado to provide services, including Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: NOCO Humane enters into new contract with Wellington
More commonly associated with California than New Jersey, Fridays earthquake was the first many Northeasterners had ever felt.

A view of New York City after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook parts of New York and New Jersey. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Friday morning's earthquake, an event more commonly associated with California, was the first many Northeasterners had ever felt.

The temblor, which measured 4.8 on the Richter scale, was considered a shallow earthquake by the U.S. Geological Survey, meaning that it occurred at a depth of zero to 70 kilometers below ground. The USGS reported Friday morning that there was a 38% chance of an aftershock measuring magnitude 3.0 or more over the next week, and approximately eight hours later, one measuring 4.0 was recorded.

The energy released by an earthquake is weakened the greater the distance from where it occurs, so while the New Jersey earthquake occurred at a depth of 5 kilometers, the shaking it produced would have been even less if it had emanated from a deeper level.

But Scott Brandenberg, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, told Yahoo News that Fridays earthquake is probably not indicative that longer-term earthquake activity is on the rise in the region.

What are the fault lines under New York and New Jersey?

Fault lines are fractures between blocks of rock in the Earths crust, the layer closest to the surface. These lines allow tectonic plates to move and earthquakes occur when two plates slide past each other.

The Ramapo Fault System is the longest in the northeastern U.S., stretching from Pennsylvania to southeastern New York.

Map of the Ramapo Fault System: Earthquake epicenter at Lebanon, NJ. Hopewell Fault (red) and Flemington Fault (light blue) join the Ramapo (yellow) fault near the quake epicenter. pic.twitter.com/KiBHAYGaY2  Aaron Astor (@AstorAaron) April 5, 2024

Its pretty inactive, Brandenberg told Yahoo News. The reason why earthquakes are rare here is that the central and eastern U.S. is considered a stable continental region that is far away from the plate boundaries where tectonic plates move relative to each other.

New Jersey has had several small earthquakes since the end of 2020, but they were all of a magnitude of less than 2.5, which barely registers, according to Michigan Tech University.

Since 1957, the USGS has logged 188 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or higher that have occurred within a 250-mile radius of New York City. The earthquake on Friday had the third-highest magnitude out of the data set.

Are fault lines monitored?

The USGS maintains several monitoring instruments around the country for known fault lines and volcanos. Data from these measurements is transmitted in real-time to researchers in California. While the fault lines are being monitored, scientists cannot predict when earthquakes will occur. Researchers can review scientific data and calculate probabilities for future earthquakes, but a short-term earthquake prediction method does not exist.

Is the Northeasts infrastructure built to sustain earthquakes?

There are earthquake building codes throughout the United States, so every structure is built to withstand some shaking level, Brandenberg explained. Other hazards, like storms, pose more risk than earthquakes.

In terms of underground public transportation systems  with New York City having one of the oldest and largest transit systems in the world  Brandenberg again evinced little concern.

Underground structures, like subways, tend to perform pretty well during earthquake-shaking, he said. There are potential problems if the fault ruptures all the way to the surface, but that's unlikely for the magnitude of earthquakes that tend to occur in the Northeast.
President Joe Biden, aboard Marine One, takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Friday, April 5, 2024, as seen from an accompanying aircraft. | Manuel Balce Ceneta

President Joe Biden traveled to Baltimore Friday to witness firsthand the remnants of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

He received an aerial tour of the area to survey the damage in the area aboard Marine One.

From the air, I saw the bridge thats been ripped apart but here on the ground, I see a community thats been pulled together, Biden said in his remarks, following a briefing on the cleanup by Brigadier Gen. John Lloyd, the commander of the North Atlantic Division for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Im here to say your nation has your back and I mean it, the president said.

The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking, he said. He called the six construction workers killed in the bridge collapse hard working, strong and selfless individuals.

Biden drew from the experience of losing his son, Beau Biden, from brain cancer in 2015, and his first wife and daughter in a car crash in 1972, saying, Its not the same but I know a little bit about what its like to lose a piece of your soul, to get that phone call in the middle of the night.

Its really like having a black hole in your chest. Like youre being sucked in, unable to breathe. The anger, the pain, the depth of loss is so profound, the president said. He said his administration will not rest ... until the cement has dried, and a new bridge is erected. So far, our team has been able to clear two small channels for essential ships, helping clear the wreckage, Biden said, adding a third channel will open within this month. By the end of May, well open the full channel.

Biden said Congress should ask one question, How can we help? before asking lawmakers to authorize funding

Prior to his visit, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young in a letter to congressional leaders reaffirmed the presidents decision to help Baltimore during the tragedy. Young noted the administration dispersed $60 million in emergency funds for immediate rescue, salvage and rebuilding efforts.

But, as CBS News noted, more funds are needed to clear the massive bridge from the Patapsco River, reopen shipping channels, assist idled port workers and draw up initial infrastructure plans to rebuild the bridge.

Young said Congress funding authorization would be consistent with the one from 2007 in the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota.

It could take five to seven years to reconstruct the bridge and cost at least $400 million or more, according to estimates reported by The Associated Press.

The House Freedom Caucus laid out a list of demands that advance Republican priorities in exchange for monetary help for Baltimore in a Friday morning letter.

Before Congress considers any emergency supplemental funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, its important that (1) we first seek maximum liability from foreign shipping companies upfront and (2) the Port of Baltimore draws upon already available federal funds.

The Freedom Caucus pressed Congress to offset the burden on the American taxpayer and waive regulations like the Endangered Species Act, the Davis Bacon Act, and labor agreements to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.

The statement also pushed Congress to limit funding to only physical structure repaired, without attaching any unrelated projects.

In its final demand, the Freedom Caucus asked the Biden administration to unpause its approvals of liquefied gas exports, which affects foreign trade as much as the Baltimore harbor closure, the letter said.

These steep requests put House Speaker Mike Johnson in a tough spot, as he struggles to consolidate support for a foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel amid a divided Republican Conference with a very slim majority.
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese groups are using social media and artificial intelligence-generated images to stoke controversy in the US during an election year and gain insight into how Americans view divisive issues, according to Microsoft Corp. findings.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Social media accounts linked to China have pushed conspiratorial content, such as blaming the US government for summer 2023 wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the company said in a report published Friday. Within days of the wildfires kindling, the report says, one Chinese group pushed out posts in 31 languages, alleging the US government had deliberately set the blaze. Those posts included AI-generated images of burning coastal roads.

An official probe into the cause of the fire that destroyed the seaside Hawaiian town of Lahaina is ongoing, but investigators have focused on whether power lines owned by Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. sparked the flames.

The fabricated images signal that Chinese government-affiliated groups are adopting new methods as the country pursues longstanding geopolitical priorities through a continued campaign of disinformation and cyberattacks, Microsoft said. Its unclear, however, whether artificial intelligence has meaningfully enhanced the reach or power of those efforts.

Since last fall, Microsoft said in the report, theres been a small yet steady increase in social media accounts linked to China pushing inflammatory talking points. The Redmond, Washington-based company also found Chinese influence campaigns focused on Taiwans election and more broadly on deepening rifts in the Asia-Pacific region.

On election day in Taiwan, a Chinese-associated propaganda group likely used an AI-generated audio recording in which Terry Gou, owner of Foxconn Technology Group and a former presidential candidate, appeared to endorse another candidate, according to the report. The report says the Chinese group behind the Maui fires posts also pushed out messages to cast doubt on the safety of Japans disposal of radioactive wastewater, making specific efforts to reach people in South Korea with a campaign that bears the hallmarks of AI generation.

Microsoft assess with moderate confidence that the accounts posting this material are run by the Chinese government. A company spokesperson said it has concluded that the Chinese government commands some of the groups identified in the report , while others are located in China and use targeting or techniques that align with a state group.

Story continues

The Chinese Embassy didnt return a request for comment. The government typically denies any connection to such activity.

Misinformation researchers last year said they detected AI-generated images of news anchors promoting Chinese Communist Party interests.

The use of AI to produce eye-catching images and doctor video hasnt necessarily proven persuasive. Microsofts report finds that these efforts have gained varying degrees of traction and that the impact of such content in swaying audiences remains low.

These efforts have dovetailed with warnings from the US government that Chinese hacking groups have been infiltrating critical infrastructure, including communications, energy, transportation and water systems. Microsoft said one such group has also targeted government agencies and companies related to national defense, although its unclear whether these attacks have been successful.

Microsoft was the subject of a recent US government report that criticized the companys response to a suspected Chinese cyber-espionage campaign.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
The U.S. expects Russia to support a resolution at the U.N. Security Council warning countries against placing nuclear weapons in orbit, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on April 4, according to Bloomberg.

Kirby's statement came weeks after claims that Moscow could deploy a nuclear anti-satellite weapon or a mock warhead into space this year. U.S. President Joe Biden later said that Russia was indeed developing an anti-satellite space weapon, but it did not endanger people on Earth, adding that there has not yet been a decision to launch the weapon into space.

The U.S. and Japanese resolution says that countries "should not develop nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction intended to be placed in orbit."

It is expected to be brought to a vote next week, and Washington "looks forward" to Moscow backing the resolution, Kirby said.

"We have heard President (Vladimir) Putin say that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. There should be no reason why not (voting), and if they do, then I think that should open up some really legitimate questions to Mr. Putin about what his intentions really are," Kirby said.

Read also: CNN: US prepared rigorously for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in 2022

The U.S. and its allies were trying to dissuade Russia from deploying the capability through China and India, which were deemed to have more influence on the Kremlin, Bloomberg's unnamed sources said earlier.

Moscow has repeatedly resorted to nuclear saber-rattling throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, threatened on Feb. 18 to use nuclear weapons against the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Ukraine if Moscow loses all occupied Ukrainian territories.

Critics say such statements are bluff rather than Russia's genuine plans and are intended to scare the West into making concessions.

The Kremlin refuted the warning, saying it was a "malicious fabrication."

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Britain has two major problems which, on the face of things, could be used to fix each other.

On the one hand, too many young people are out of work. On the other, the Western world is gradually realising its armed forces are inadequate in the face of threats from Russia and other aggressive dictatorships.

In a dire moment, a dire solution comes to mind: conscription.

The idea has some appeal. Drill sergeants have long experience at giving work to idle hands.

And few things are better for mental health than a purposeful job and a full schedule. As Mel Stride  Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, rather than Defence  argued last month, too many are convincing themselves they have some kind of serious mental health condition as opposed to the normal anxieties of life.

He wants 150,000 people with mild mental health issues to be compelled to seek work. But the Government could also make useful work for them.

Businesses certainly value those with military experience. American investment bank Citi, for example, has a programme to hire veterans. It hails their unique skill-set grounded in character that includes resourcefulness, teamwork, follow through and calm under pressure.

At the same time Britains defences look a little under-manned.

Sir Alex Younger, the former chief of MI6, has suggested the Government find ways in which the broader country would participate and contribute to security in a time of an emergency.

A form of selective conscription, in which the Government theoretically has the power to compel people to give their service one way or another but doesnt exercise it except in areas where its really needed could be a useful option.

So conscription kills more than two birds with one stone. At the same time as boosting Britains security and building up a well-trained reserve for future wars, the nation can cut down the benefits bill by paying youngsters to do something useful.

This could mean reintroducing national service, potentially for all school leavers. Alternatively the UK could establish a Swedish-style system, as suggested by Sir Alex, where all apply but only some are chosen.

A year of boot camp later and these newly experienced, disciplined and generally grown up jolly Jack Tars emerge as motivated veterans with transferable skills and a keen work ethic, ready to boost the economy  or so the theory might go.

The economic situation is certainly grim.

Just over 850,000 people aged between 16 and 24 are not in education, employment or training  meaning they have effectively opted out of the productive economy.

This is despite the availability of more than 900,000 job vacancies, including hundreds of thousands in industries including hospitality and retail which are traditionally keen to hire youngsters.

But there are also serious problems with the idea.

Firstly, as those job vacancies show, Britain has a severe shortage of skilled and motivated workers.

Around 800,000 people turn 18 every year. Taking hundreds of thousands of them out of the jobs market, out of training, and into military camps would give companies fewer people to hire, not more.

Martin Beck, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, says conscription would remove much-needed workers from the economy.

It would be a drag on the workforce, it could intensify the skills shortages, he says.

But there could be some offsetting benefits from learning useful social skills and working with others.

In the 1950s the Government was under pressure to run down or end the National Service which was brought in following the Second World War, requiring all able-bodied young men to serve for a period.

Financial strain on the public purse, the poor quality of conscripted troops and the shortage of manpower for industry were all regularly cited in Parliament as reasons to cut the term served or scrap the system altogether.

The National Army Museum describes post-Second World War national service as a burden to the Army, tying up regular soldiers in training new recruits even as it drained workers from the economy, which resulted in opposition from the public, the Government, industry and many high-ranking officers, before the system came to an end in the early 1960s.

An additional risk to todays labour force lies in the fact that those likely to be deemed able to undertake a form of national service are already healthy and motivated  not people signed off as long-term sick, who are least likely to be willing or able to enter the physically demanding world of the armed forces.

The risk is that conscription makes the jobs crisis worse while failing to help those the schemes advocates might deem most in need of the extra motivation and discipline.

On top of that, conscription is rarely popular, at least among those subject to it. After all, if people wanted to join the armed forces, they could just sign up.

Or they should be able to. Of the million people who tried to join the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force over the past decade, three in every four gave up as the process dragged on for too long.

That suggests the forces may have something of a capacity problem, which would not get better should the Government seek to compel them to take on hundreds of thousands of reluctant new recruits each year.

The quality of unwilling new conscripts may also be lacking: even among those who stayed the course and persisted with their applications, only 132,000 were ultimately signed up, with nearly 170,000 rejected.

At the start of the year, British under-40s were asked if they would answer the call in the event of a third world war. Almost two in five told the YouGov survey they would refuse conscription, even in such a severe global emergency.

The topic is extremely sensitive even in Ukraine, which is fighting a war for national survival. Much of the countrys initial success in stopping the Russian onslaught in 2022 was put down to the determination of its defenders as they fought for their homes and loved ones, battling against unmotivated and confused conscripts.

But two years on, the government in Kyiv is only reluctantly reducing the age of conscription to 25 as it desperately needs more soldiers and cannot count on enough younger men volunteering.

Then there is the purpose of the conscripts.

There are few signs the British Government wants more citizens under arms. Far from being desperate for more soldiers, current plans envisage shrinking the army to 73,000 troops by next year, its smallest in two centuries.

Short of cash, Whitehall is in no rush to find new areas to hire vast numbers of new public sector staff.

Using conscription as the first method of changing this long-term reduction seems counterintuitive to say the least, and would represent a remarkable about-turn in government HR policy.

Life in the forces may have many benefits. Fixing the jobs market is unlikely to be one of them.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -German software developer Andres Freund was running some detailed performance tests last month when he noticed odd behavior in a little known program. What he found when he investigated has sent shudders across the software world and drawn attention from tech executives and government officials.

Freund, who works for Microsoft out of San Francisco, discovered that the latest version of the open source software program XZ Utils had been deliberately sabotaged by one of its developers, a move that could have carved out a secret door to millions of servers across the internet.

Security experts say its only because Freund spotted the change before the latest version of XZ had been widely deployed that the world was spared a digital security crisis.

We really dodged a bullet, said Satnam Narang, a security researcher with Tenable who has been tracking the fallout from the find. It is one of those moments where we have to wipe our brow and say, We were really lucky with this one.

The near-miss has refocused attention on the safety of open source software  free, often volunteer-maintained programs whose transparency and flexibility mean they serve as the foundation for the internet economy.

Many such projects depend on a tiny circle of unpaid volunteers fighting to get out from under a pile of demands for fixes and upgrades.

XZ, a suite of file compression tools packaged into distributions of the Linux operating system, was long maintained by a single author, Lasse Collin.

In recent years, he appeared to be under strain.

In a message posted to a public mailing list in June 2022, Collin said he was dealing with "longterm mental health issues" and hinted that he working privately with a new developer named Jia Tan and that perhaps he will have a bigger role in the future.

Update logs available through the open source software site Github show that Tans role quickly expanded. By 2023 the logs show Tan was merging his code into XZ, a sign that he had won a trusted role in the project.

But cybersecurity experts whove scoured the logs say that Tan was masquerading as a helpful volunteer. Over the next few months, they say, Tan introduced a nearly invisible backdoor into XZ.

Collin didnt return messages seeking comment and said on his website that he would not respond to reporters until he understood the situation well enough to do so.

Tan did not return messages sent to his Gmail account. Reuters has been unable to ascertain who Tan is, where he is, or who he was working for, but many of those who've examined his updates believe Tan is a pseudonym for an expert hacker or group of hackers -- likely one working on behalf of a powerful intelligence service.

Story continues

This is not kindergarten stuff, said Omkhar Arasaratnam, the general manager of the Open Source Security Foundation, which works to defend projects like XZ. This is incredibly sophisticated.

WE LUCKED OUT

Tan could easily have gotten away with it had it not been for Freund, the Microsoft developer, whose curiosity was piqued when he noticed the latest version of XZ intermittently using an unexpected amount of processing power on the system he was testing.

Microsoft declined to make Freund available for an interview, but in a publicly-available email and posts to social media, Freund said a series of easy-to-miss clues prompted him to discover the backdoor.

The find really required a lot of coincidences, Freund said on the social network Mastodon.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella congratulated Freund over the weekend, saying in a post to the social network X that he loved seeing how the developer, with his curiosity and craftsmanship, was able to help us all.

In the open source community, the discovery has been sobering. The volunteers who maintain the software that underpins the internet aren't strangers to the idea of little pay or recognition, but the realization that they were now being hunted by well-resourced spies pretending to be Good Samaritans was incredibly intimidating, said Arasaratnam, of the Open Source Security Foundation.

Government officials are also weighing the implications of the near-miss, which has underlined concerns about how to protect open source software. Assistant National Cyber Director Anjana Rajan told Politico that theres a lot of conversations that we need to have about what we do next to protect open source code."

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says it has been leaning on U.S. companies that use open source software to plow resources back into the communities that build and maintain it. CISA adviser Jack Cable told Reuters the burden was on tech companies not just to vet open software but to contribute back and help build the sustainable open source ecosystem that we get so much value from.

Its not clear that software companies are properly incentivized to do so. Online open source mailing lists are teeming with complaints about tech giants demanding that volunteers troubleshoot issues with open source software those companies use to make billions of dollars.

Whatever the solution, almost everyone agrees the XZ episode shows something has to change.

We got unreasonably lucky here, said Freund in another Mastodon post. We can't just bank on that going forward.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter, Editing by Chris Sanders and Nick Zieminski)
The city of Wichita is poised to settle a lawsuit brought by Kansas Appleseed and the ACLU of Kansas that contended the Wichita Police Departments gang list is unconstitutional.

Last fall, a federal judge granted class-action status to the 5,245 people on the gang list.

If City Council members approve the settlement Tuesday, Wichita will pay $550,000 in legal fees and costs.

The mediated agreement would not require Wichita to destroy its gang list as plaintiffs initially called for. Instead, a judge would appoint a special master to oversee its ongoing use by the police department for three years at an additional cost of $75,000 to the city.

This mediated agreement narrows and clarifies the criteria the Wichita Police Department can use to place a person on the gang list/database, with increased oversight on the gang list/database process to review when and how someone can be listed, the agenda report states. City documents do not elaborate on how the process for placing someone on the gang list would change.

The police department would also be required to create a method for members of the public to check if they are included on the gang list/database, and an appeal mechanism for if they think that designation is incorrect.

Teresa Woody, a lawyer for Kansas Appleseed, declined to comment on the settlement until after Tuesdays vote.

Sixty percent of people on the gang list are Black and 25% are Hispanic, while only 6% are white. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue the list disproportionately targets racial minorities.

Under current city policy, police have broad discretion to decide who gets placed on the list. The suit argues that people can be identified as a gang member or gang associate based on arbitrary factors such as where they live, what color clothing they wear, where they shop or buy gas and who they are photographed with.

Once on the list, members are subjected to intense police scrutiny, frequent stops and searches over minor traffic infractions, minimum $50,000 bail if charged with a violent crime and longer sentences in higher-security prisons if convicted.

The police departments gang list includes 1,728 active gang members, 3,296 inactive gang members and 221 gang associates.

The settlement of this claim does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of the City; rather, it is merely a settlement to resolve disputed claims, the agenda report states.

The suit was filed in 2021 by Kansas Appleseed and the ACLU of Kansas lawyers on behalf of Progeny, a nonprofit juvenile justice organization, and individual plaintiffs Christopher Cooper, Elbert Costello, Martel Costello and Jeremy Levy, Jr. Federal Judge Eric Melgren granted class-action status for gang list members in October.

What this means is that we can go forward as a class, to represent the rights of everybody thats on the gang list, Woody said at the time.

That means if were successful, the relief were asking for  which is basically to change or modify the procedures for getting on the gang list to meet constitutional muster  would apply to everyone on the gang list.

Class-action status granted for people on Wichita police gang list in lawsuit against city

About 3,000 on Wichita gang list; lawsuit claims its unconstitutional discrimination
Wife of New York Yankees exec killed after tree falls on car during storm

The wife of a New York Yankees executive was killed when a tree fell on her car in Westchester County on Wednesday.

Catherine Tusiani, 50, was behind the wheel of a 2021 Toyota heading north on Route 128 near School St. in Armonk, N.Y., during Wednesdays storm when a tree crashed down on her car around 5:30 p.m., authorities said.

She was alone in the car and did not survive her injuries, they added.

She was married to Michael Tusiani, the senior vice president of partnership for the New York Yankees, according to the teams website.

Michael Tusiani has been with team for over 20 years, according to a spokesperson for the team.

Words cannot capture the devastating impact that is being felt within the Yankees family after the sudden and tragic loss of Cathy Tusiani, the Yankees said in a statement. Cathy was beloved by our front office staffers, who were privileged to experience and bear witness to her kindness, intelligence, sense of humor and great love for her husband, Michael.

The couple had two daughters, Alexa and Julia, according to the team.

The North Castle and Westchester County police departments are continuing to investigate the crash.

Travel advisories were issued across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Wednesday as an intense rainstorm battered the tristate area.

The National Weather Service recorded over an inch and a half of rain in Central Park and wind gusts hitting 59 mph.

Trees were felled and flights were delayed across the tri-state region.

In Brookfield, Conn., a tree fell on a car with a mom and her kids inside, according to NBC New York. None were injured, though the vehicle was destroyed.

About 50,000 people in the region woke up Thursday without power.

As the rain and winds tapered off in the city and its suburbs, the storm continued to affect most of the Northeast and New England.

In New Hampshire on Thursday morning, a woman died and another woman was hospitalized after a house fire that was sparked by an explosion.

Northern parts of New England are bracing for up to 2 feet of snow with wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph by the time the noreaster clears the area, according to the National Weather Service.

With News Wire Services
A key decision on whether the Tri-Cities area could become home to a large wind project that would dominate its southern views could be made this month after more public comment is received.

The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, is expected to vote April 17 on a recommendation to significantly reduce the number of wind turbines that could be built at the proposed Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center.

The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, will accept public comments online on the proposal through midnight Wednesday April 10. Go to comments.efsec.wa.gov.

Gov. Jay Inslee then will have 60 days to take one of three actions  approve the application with changes recommended by EFSEC, reject it or send the application back to the council for more work. Inslee also is expected to hear public comments before making a decision.

EFSEC is receiving pushback on the restrictions it has proposed that would reduce the number of turbines in the project  including in an op-ed in The Seattle Times last month by former U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash. He represented Washington states 6th Congressional District for 36 years.

Scout Clean Energy is proposing up to 222 wind turbines that would be 500 feet tall or an alternate plan with fewer, taller turbines. Then there would be up to 141 turbines with blades extending about 670 feet high, which is taller than the Seattle Space Needle.

Scout Clean Energy plans a wind farm on Benton County farm land south of the Tri-Cities along the Horse Heaven Hills ridgeline south of Badger Road.

The project as proposed would stretch over 24 miles along the Horse Heaven Hills from south of Finley and Kennewick to south of Benton City. It also could include solar arrays and battery storage.

EFSEC is charged with balancing the need for abundant clean energy sources to mitigate the effects of climate change while ensuring through reasonable methods that energy facilities will produce minimal adverse impacts on the environment.

It is expected to consider at its next meeting recommending that the number of turbines be cut by about half of more as it looks at those with the highest negative impact. That could mean removing about 116 of the proposed 222 of the 500 foot turbines or about 73 of the 141 taller turbines.

Scout has not said which of its two proposed turbine designs it plans to use.

The draft recommendation the council will consider would reduce the footprint to reduce impacts to wildlife, visual resources and tribal cultural resources, including sacred places. The proposed turbines impact on aerial firefighting and recreation also are considered.

Many of the turbines that would not be allowed under the proposal are the northern lines of turbines on the Horse Heaven Hills that would be most visible from the Tri-Cities.

Wind turbines and ferruginous hawks

EFSEC determined in an adjudicative order that loss of shrub-steppe habitat is already affecting ferruginous hawks in Washington state and that the clean energy project as proposed by Scout would pose a new and significant threat to the state endangered species.

Proposed restrictions on the project could increase the ability of the hawks to return to certain areas of historic usage, according to the EFSEC draft report for the governor.

More than 60% of the nesting territories of the ferruginous hawk in Washington state is concentrated in Franklin and Benton counties, which is considered the core breeding range in the state, according to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlifes 2021 status review of the ferruginous hawk. It said that an average of 55 breeding pairs per year nested in the state between 1992 and 1995.

A map shows red dots where 116 of 222 proposed turbines up to 500 feet tall would be prohibited, as proposed by a state council. It is one of two configurations proposed by Scout Clean Energy.

The council also found in the adjudicative order that pronghorn antelope also travel through and forage in the area of the proposed clean energy project. Proposed solar arrays would reduce and fragment their grazing habitat, but there is not adequate research to understand the impact of wind turbines on them, according to the draft report to the governor.

Dicks said in his Seattle Times op-ed that he was shocked by EFSECs proposed requirement for a two-mile buffer around hawk nests, some of the inactive for years, and a ban on activity year-round.

No state or federal regulation mandates such protection, he said.

The same claim has been made by Scout Energy, which said in a Jan. 19 letter to EFSEC that 84% of documented nests in and around the project area are no longer available for ferruginous hawk use.

A ferruginous hawk flies low over sagebrush.

Nests have been destroyed by wildfire or are located adjacent to residential or commercial development and have zero likelihood of ever being used by the hawks again, the letter said.

The two-mile buffer is not supported by science, it said, and the requirement could set a dangerous precedent that will hobble Washington renewable energy future.

Gerald Lewis, chairman of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council, responded to Scouts letter with one of his own on March 14, reminding EFSEC that the two-mile buffer recommendation was developed by Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife experts. The recommendation was developed using the best available science, he said.

It was a compromise on the part of biologists because ferruginous hawks averge care use areas are more than six miles, Lewis said in his letter to EFSEC.

Wind turbines and cultural resources

The proposed restrictions on turbines are not just for ferruginous hawks.

The council is persuaded that the project, as proposed, presents compounding impacts to a number of resources of concern, including, but not limited to: the ferruginous hawk, wildlife movement corridors, shrub-steppe habitat, noise, visual aesthetics, shadow flicker, archaeological and architectural resources, traditional cultural properties and recreational opportunities, says the draft report.

Eliminating turbines within two miles of active and historic nest sites for ferruginous hawks would not only minimize habitat disruption and risk of turbine strikes for hawks that use or return to those nesting areas, but would also decrease impacts to Yakama Nation cultural resources, scenic views, aerial firefighting, and paragliding and hang gliding, the report said.

Public comments and testimony convinced the council that the project as initially proposed with turbines along the Horse Heaven Hills ridgelines would an an undesirable skylining effect on the views from Kennewick and Benton City.

Tourists who come to Benton County to enjoy Eastern Washingtons wide-open spaces and unobstructed views would no longer be able to do so within sight of wind turbines or solar arrays, the draft report said.

It also found the project would alter views now enjoyed by hikers and bikers in addition to tourists.

A map shows red dots where 73 of 141 proposed 670-foot-tall turbines would be prohibited, as proposed by a state council. It is one of two configurations proposed by Scout Clean Energy.

Evidence on cultural resources presented by Yakama Nation elders and the tribes archaeologist in an adjudicative hearing was kept confidential, but Lewis discussed it in his March 14 letter.

Yakama nation has been very clear that the project is of great concern due to its proposed location within a highly sensitive cultural area, as well as the lasting impact it will have upon Yakima Nations treaty-reserved resources, Lewis said.

As proposed, the project is an industrial-scale development that is incompatible with  i.e. will irrevocably damage  multiple TCPs (Traditional Cultural Properties) that can never be mitigated or replaced, he said.

The same care and consideration that was shown in the councils discussion on ferruginous hawks should be given to the protection of cultural resources, he said.

Lewis asked that the council do more to protect cultural resources than is now proposed in the draft recommendation.

The council considered prohibiting all turbines, solar arrays and infrastructures east of Straub Canyon, which is south of Richland, to protect tribal cultural resources. The restriction failed to get a majority of council members in support and was not included in the draft recommendation.

The restrictions on the projects wind turbines would not fully mitigate impacts to landscape and other natural features in and around the project site that the Yakama Nation has identified as having special cultural significance, the draft report said in its conclusion.

But reasonable measures have been proposed to minimize impacts and balance them with the benefits of encouraging development of clean energy, it said.

A vote on the draft report is likely at EFSECs April 17 meeting, staff said at the councils March meeting.
Click here to view the video

Foul conditions will persist over Atlantic Canada to end the week as a slow-moving coastal storm swings across the region. The good news, at least, is that were getting this rough weather out of the way ahead of Mondays total solar eclipse.

Widespread heavy snows are likely for some communities, along with rain for the southern Maritimes and lingering wind gusts across the region.

DONT MISS: Experts predict an extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

Atlantic Canada precip Friday 9am

A snowfall warning is in effect across northern New Brunswick and the Cape Breton Highlands, along with a Les Suetes wind warning, which also in effect through Friday for Cape Bretons western shores.

A low-pressure system that arrived in the Maritimes on Thursday will continue buffeting the region with periods of heavy precipitation through Friday. The good news, at least, is that Thursdays gusty winds will subside Friday.

Atlantic Canada precip Friday 7pm

Pockets of heavy snow will persist across the Maritimes, including for northern New Brunswick, portions of Prince Edward Island, and higher elevations along Cape Breton. Rain is likely for Nova Scotias south coast as some warmer air mixes into the region.

Snowfall totals remain tricky due to the shifting storm track and milder air pushing into the region. Folks across northern New Brunswick could see snowfall totals of 30-50 cm through Friday, with 20-40 expected along the Cape Breton Highlands. Elsewhere, totals of 5-15 cm are possible.

Atlantic Canada snowfall totals

MUST SEE: Everything you need to know for April's spectacular and rare solar eclipse

Expect difficult travel during periods of heavy snow. Take extra care when shovelling, as the weight of the heavy snow will put extra strain on the body.

Conditions will remain chilly and unsettled behind this system as we head into the first weekend of April, with much warmer temperatures likely by the second weekend of the month.

Forecasters will continue to monitor conditions ahead of the total solar eclipse thatll traverse the region on Monday, April 8.

Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across Atlantic Canada.

WATCH: Could cell service be impacted by the total solar eclipse?

Click here to view the video
Wisconsin will be cloudy during the eclipse. Here's where you can travel to see clear skies

Deepthi Jayaprakas attempts to get a shot of the solar eclipse with her smart phone through her eclipse glasses during the Brookfield Public Library total eclipse viewing party on August 21, 2017.

We're just days away from witnessing a solar eclipse that will be visible in portions of the United States as the moon blocks the sun's light.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin are not on the eclipse's path of totality and will only experience a partial solar eclipse where the moon only covers part of the sun. But a cloudy forecast caused by a low-pressure system developing out of the west might make it difficult for Wisconsinites to catch a glimpse of some of the best views of the eclipse.

Some states in the path of totality, such as Texas and Oklahoma, are also forecasted to experience cloudy and rainy conditions. If you're looking to make last minute travel plans to seek out clear skies for the total solar eclipse, here's some locations with the clearest conditions closest to Milwaukee:

Where are the best chances for clear viewing of the full solar eclipse?

Clear skies in the path of totality are most likely in northern New England and Upstate New York, according to the National Weather Service. Clear skies have become more likely from southern Missouri into central Indiana, however there is still uncertainty, according to NWS as of Thursday.

What's the closest city from Milwaukee to dive to see clear skies during the full solar eclipse?

Located in central Indiana, Indianapolis will see the total solar eclipse on April 8 at 3:06 p.m. Indianapolis is the closet major city that Wisconsinites can drive to that will experience the total solar eclipse. From Milwaukee, Indianapolis is about a four-hour and 15-minute drive.

The National Weather Service is forecasting that clear skies are now more likely over Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Northern and southern Indiana are still expected to experience some clouds. Indianapolis is hosting several events for visitors looking to see the eclipse. For more information, you can visit their website at www.visitindy.com/events/eclipse/.

Which states will experience cloudy skies and storms during the full solar eclipse?

Rain showers are possible near the path of totality during the solar eclipse across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania and western New York, according to NWS. Thunderstorms are also likely in the South-Central U.S. Monday evening and Tuesday. Severe weather and flash flooding could be possible and may result in hazardous travel conditions after the eclipse, NWS says.

Milwaukee-area indoor and virtual solar eclipse day events:

Even if the weather puts a damper on your eclipse plans, you can still mark the rare astronomical occasion with these indoor or virtual events in the Milwaukee area:

UW-Milwaukee : UWM will offer indoor activities, including a livestream of the total solar eclipse, free pizza, a photo booth and photo station, and a variety of astronomy-themed crafts, in the Union Ballroom from 1 to 3 p.m. on Monday. An outdoor eclipse watch and activities will take place, too, weather permitting. More: Solar Eclipse Viewing Party | Manfred Olson Planetarium.

Milwaukee Public Museum : MPM will stream NASA's live webcast of the total solar eclipse and has indoor educational activities planned in the event of inclement weather. Outdoor viewing and activities are also planned. Monday, 12:30 to 3 p.m. More: 2024 Solar Eclipse Watch | Milwaukee Public Museum.

Brookfield Public Library: The library will host a free, indoor stream of NASA's live webcast in the library's community room. Monday, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. More:Brookfield Public Library  Solar Eclipse Streaming.

RELATED: When will the next total solar eclipse happen in Wisconsin after 2024?

Reporter Claire Reid contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where is the best place to see the total eclipse in 2024?
TYLER, Texas (KETK)  The Smith County Sheriffs Office (SCSO) arrested a woman following the investigation of a dog that was abandoned near Lake Tyler.

17 dogs taken from Van Zandt County home, man arrested for animal cruelty

According to SCSO, Smith County Animal Control responded to a report on March 13 of an abandoned dog in the 17600 block of Southpoint Road near Lake Tyler. Upon their arrival they contacted the caller who said they found the puppy abandoned at Hill Creek Park on Lake Tyler.

Officials said the dog, a black and white Pit Bull mix, was taken to the Smith County Animal Shelter and listed for adoption. The sheriffs office said that a Facebook comment had tagged an individual identified as Megan Baldree, 36 of Tyler, as being the owner of the puppy.

Skunk found in Tyler tests positive for rabies

Animal Control contacted Baldree to learn why the puppy had been abandoned and she reportedly told them that she gave the puppy to a friend she did not name. After speaking with Baldree, an animal cruelty case was initiated and assigned to a Smith County Sheriff Investigator.

Mugshot of Megan Baldree. Courtesy of Smith County Jail.

The sheriffs office said that upon contacting Baldree, she confessed to dropping the puppy at Hill Creek Park. SCSO arrested Baldree who was booked into the Smith County Jail on Thursday for cruelty to a non-livestock animal with a bond set at $3,000.

The puppy, Radar, awaiting adoption, courtesy of Nicholas Pet Haven

The puppy is currently in the care of Nicholas Pet Haven where they are awaiting adoption into a loving home.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
Quite a few insiders have dramatically grown their holdings in Lifestyle Communities Limited (ASX:LIC) over the past 12 months. An insider's optimism about the company's prospects is a positive sign.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for Lifestyle Communities

Lifestyle Communities Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Founder James Kelly for AU$10.0m worth of shares, at about AU$16.00 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$14.96 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

While Lifestyle Communities insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insiders At Lifestyle Communities Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider buying at Lifestyle Communities. Not only was there no selling that we can see, but they collectively bought AU$10m worth of shares. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook.

Does Lifestyle Communities Boast High Insider Ownership?

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 6.4% of Lifestyle Communities shares, worth about AU$117m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Lifestyle Communities Insider Transactions Indicate?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about Lifestyle Communities. Nice! 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. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Lifestyle Communities (including 2 which don't sit too well with us).

Story continues

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.
(BCN)  Pacifica police on Thursday identified a woman fatally shot by two officers after she allegedly shot and injured her adult son at an apartment complex last week. Michelle Arrais, 50, died after being shot by officers who responded shortly before 8 a.m. on March 27 to 2562 Francisco Blvd., where a man reported being shot by his mother.

Two officers, identified by police as Cpl. Hayden Fry and Officer Kevin Contreras, arrived at the complex and when they saw Arrais driving out, they commanded her to stop. Instead, she allegedly pointed a firearm at both officers, who then fired their service weapons at her, according to police.

The loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun that was recovered from the purse of Michelle Arrais, 50, of Pacifica, Calif., in Pacifica on March 27, 2024. Arrias shot her dog and her son before pointing a firearm at Pacifica Police officers who fired their service weapons at her. She died at the scene. (Pacifica Police Department via Bay City News)

SF crime dropping ahead of Prop E, according to Mayor Breed

Arrais died at the scene, while her son was found hiding inside a locked bathroom and was treated for his gunshot wounds, which are not considered life-threatening.

Inside the apartment, officers discovered the family dog fatally shot, also allegedly by Arrais. A search of her vehicle revealed a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun and four boxes of ammunition, police said.

Pacifica police released a video (above) of the shooting of Arrais by the officers, who are on paid administrative leave. Fry has been with the department for eight years, while Contreras joined in 2023 after about six years of prior law enforcement experience.

KRON4 spoke with Arrais daughter, who said her mother has never been violent. The night before the shooting, they were celebrating her brothers birthday.

Thats when they learned that Arrais had bought a gun. The family tried to convince her to return it, to no avail.

The shooting is being investigated by the San Mateo County District Attorneys Office as well as being subject to an internal investigation by Pacifica police, as is standard protocol.

Pacifica Police Chief Maria Sarasua said in a statement, It is always tragic when law enforcement intervenes with deadly force, regardless of the circumstances. It impacts the family involved in the incident, our community, and the members of our police department. As police chief, I am committed to ensuring that all involved are treated with care and compassion while ensuring a full and thorough investigation into what occurred.

Copyright  2024 Bay City News, Inc.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
MARLBORO COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  An investigation is underway after a woman was found dead inside a Marlboro County home on Friday, the sheriffs office said.

She was found dead inside the home along Cheryl Street in the Bennettsville area, Chief Deputy Larry Turner said. Her name was not immediately released.

No other information was immediately available. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is assisting.

 Download the News13 app to stay updated on the go

 Sign up for WBTW email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.

 Find todays top stories on WBTW.com for the Grand Strand and Pee Dee.

Count on News13 for updates.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
A woman robbed two gas stations, tried to rob McDonald's. Police want help finding her

Police from three communities are searching for a woman they say went on a theft spree on Tuesday, robbing two businesses and attempting to rob a third.

The Marlborough, Westborough and Littleton police departments are seeking the public's help in identifying the unknown woman.

The first incident occurred at a McDonald's on East Main Street (Route 30) in Westborough. Police Lt. Cliff Luce said the woman entered the fast-food restaurant and told a clerk that she had a weapon and demanded money. But the clerk refused and the woman ran from the store.

"We put out a BOLO (be on the lookout) and one of our detectives spoke to Littleton and Marlborough and they had matching incidents," Luce said.

Police in Marlborough, Westborough and Littleton said this woman went on a robbery spree on Tuesday, committing two robberies and attempting a third.

'Hoping to get an ID": St. Mary's Credit Union in Framingham is robbed

It appears that after leaving Westborough, the woman drove to Hunt's Mobil, at 270 West Main St. (Route 20) in Marlborough. There, at about 8:02 p.m., she entered the store and threatened the clerk, police spokesman Sgt. Zack Attaway said.

Marlborough police say suspect got away with $650 at gas station

"She stated that she had a gun, and she would shoot the clerk if she didn't give her money," said Attaway. "She went behind the counter; made a gesture like she had a gun and handed the clerk a plastic shopping bag and told her to fill it up."

The woman got away with $650, Attaway said.

Authorities said the woman then went to Littleton, where she robbed a Mobil gas station at 25 King St. (Routes 2A/110), Littleton Police Chief Matthew Pinard said.

"She went in and told the clerk she had a knife," the chief said.

A woman suspected in a series of robberies on Tuesday was driving this car, authorities said.

The woman got away with an unspecified amount of money, Pinard said.

The woman is described as being 5 feet 6 inches tall with dirty blonde hair, thin and middle-aged. Her clothing differed slightly during each robbery, police said.

'Fled with stolen cash': Police say Millbury man robbed businesses in Framingham, Ashland

The woman was driving a silver Subaru Crosstrek with Connecticut license plates. The car had damage on its front-side bumper, police said.

Anyone with information about any of the robberies is asked to call Marlborough police at 508-485-1212; Westborough police at 508-366-3060; or Littleton police at 978-540-2300.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Woman suspected in robberies sought by Marlborough, Westborough police
Worker dead after crane collapses onto car in Florida; 3 others injured

Worker dead after crane collapses onto car in Florida; 3 others injured

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A worker was killed Thursday afternoon when a crane collapsed onto a car in Fort Lauderdale, according to a report.

WTVJ reported that a portion of a crane fell onto a car on the Southeast 3rd Avenue Bridge near Southeast 4th Street.

The worker had fallen from the construction site, fire officials said.

Video from WTVJ shows part of the crane with a crushed car underneath it.

Two people were taken to a hospital and a third person was treated at the scene, according to WTVJ. Both people hospitalized are expected to be OK.

The station reported that buildings nearby were evacuated, but were deemed safe.

It was really shocking, a woman who lives nearby told WTVJ. It was very traumatizingto hear the boom. I was terrified and shocked.

The bridge is expected to remain closed during the investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
April has been a pivotal month for Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC)and what a difference a few years make.

In April 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 212, which created SENMC from what was previously New Mexico State University  Carlsbad.

A year later, the transfer of functions, personnel, property, contracts and references in law became effective on April 10, 2022.

By April 2023, the preparations were about to come to fruition as SENMC opened registration for Fall 2023 classes. While there were many twists and turns along the way, we did indeed begin the fall term completely separate from NMSU, offering federal financial aid as an independent college for the first time. To add to what was a very eventful semester, we hosted our ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation visit from the Higher Learning Commission in October 2023 and filed for the final change of control that would establish our accreditation singularly as SENMC.

Kevin Beardmore

Now in April 2024, we are pleased to announce that everything was accepted as submitted. Like all other state colleges and universities in New Mexico, SENMC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. We are approved to offer certificates and two-year associate degrees, the same as when we were NMSU-Carlsbad. On an even more exciting note, based on the evaluation of the site visit team last fall, our accreditation is now effective through the 2033-2034 academic year. And you do not have to take my word for it. It is public and published on the Commissions website at https://www.hlcommission.org/ if you would like to do your own research and see for yourself.

We are celebrating all this with the community via our signature event, Taste of Culture, which has been moved to April to coincide with the colleges anniversary. It is an exceptional opportunity to enjoy a visit to our campus because you can park in our new front parking lotand eat for free! Taste of Culture is an evening of global culinary delights brought to you by our faculty and staff. On Thursday, April 11, from 5:00-7:00 pm, we invite you to stop by and enjoy dishes from around the world with no reservations required. It is an opportunity to feed the family and engage your senses in exploring the exotic aromas and flavors that we will have for you and yours.

Beyond the food, it is a time for fellowship as well. SENMC is a diverse learning community with an internationally accomplished faculty and staff. We are proud to have employees who have lived in Azerbaijan, Chile, China, Columbia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, and Yemen. Many have worked around the United States as well, from Colorado to Michigan, Arkansas to South Carolina, and Iowa to Indiana. But what is most important is that we are a college community deeply rooted in New Mexico, with many life-long natives of Eddy County and even more who now call the greater Carlsbad area home.

This is particularly notable in April, which is Community College Month. There are more than a thousand two-year public colleges in the United States. Each is vital to its region and uniquely tailored to its needs. As the American Federation of Scientists recently noted, community colleges are engines of economic mobility and dynamism. As an independent college, SENMC is better positioned to finely tune its offerings to meet the demands for skilled employees that will lead the growth of Eddy County and improve our competitiveness for decades to come.

We hope to see you at Taste of Culture on April 11!

Kevin Beardmore may be reached at kbeardmore@senmc.edu or 575.234.9211.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: A world of difference
Young African leaders from Angola, Gabon, Mauritius and Zimbabwe participated in an event last summer at the Iowa City Public Library hosted by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council. They are part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, representing political and business leaders carrying on Nelson Mandelas legacy.

Refugees, immigrants, asylum-seekers.

Wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Africa.

Discord with Russia, China, Iran.

Worldwide fears for democracy.

If there was ever a time for more global understanding of an increasingly violent and complicated world, its now. And after 40 years of existence, the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) is reenergized to its educational task.

Thats according to Peter Gerlach, the ICFRCs new executive director, a catalyst behind this local non-profits major new thrust to encourage Iowans toward more awareness and empathy for people from around the world, be they here or abroad.

I see it as my calling in life, Gerlach told me recently over Fix! coffee in the Chancey building downtown. To have people see the world as both out there  and right here.

With board support, Gerlach has worked to expand the scope and reach of this group as it returned to in-person programs in this post-pandemic period. He reviewed for me a laundry list of recent changes:

More: From Carver-Hawkeye Arena to raucous bars and breweries, Iowa City is prepared for a Final Four party

Executive Director Peter Gerlach is shown at Fix! coffee shop in Iowa City along with a special traditional mug presented to guest speakers for the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, now finishing its 40th anniversary year.

New location, diversity

The council's programs have been moved to the Iowa City Public Library, a community-centered and inclusive space with access to excellent equipment for recording and streaming. Here, the group hosts both in-person and virtual speaker presentations on global topics, roughly 25 events per year.

Donors, partnerships, and fund-raising efforts have been expanded. Partners include the library, the University of Iowa, FilmScene, Humanities Iowa, Global Ties Iowa, the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, and many others. ICFRC operates on a $75,000 budget with Gerlach and Communications Director James Dykeman as part-time paid staff, working with three UI student interns.

Gerlach notes that the board of directors has become more diverse, and there is active outreach to ensure that refugees, immigrants, and young people in the area are included in audiences. Attendance at live video and in-person programs at the library has blossomed from previous years to about 50 to 80 persons per session.

Emphasis is now on securing prominent foreign speakers on current issues through live feeds from wherever in the world they are located. Some recent topics: Russia/Ukraine entangled histories, Australian politics, the role of women peacekeepers in the world, surviving dictatorships, democracy and climate change in Brazil, and the health crisis in Nigeria. A Palestinian program is planned for later this spring.

Were becoming more intentional about who we get to speak and what kinds of things we want to be a part of, Gerlach said.

He notes that probably the most significant change is developing a series of programs on a single topic of local and global concern.

ICFRC hosted a six-program series last year featuring panels of experts on refugees and immigrants in Iowa, based partly on an International Studies course Gerlach teaches at the UI. The series featured input from immigrants living in Iowa who came from Mexico, Congo, Croatia, Afghanistan, and many other nations. Gerlach co-authored with Madison Black a detailed 42-page report on the series, which you can find at www.icfrc.org.

Im really proud of this series, he said. It was all about impact  making folks aware of what refugees and immigrants experience here.

This fall, the organization will offer another series of panel presentations on democracy around the world, in a lead-up to the US elections.

What could be more important than that? Gerlach said.

More: Portrait of Caitlin Clark crafted by University of Iowa dental student using 720 Rubik's Cubes

Iowa City Press-Citizen columnist Richard Hakes.

Peace Corps influence

Gerlach was raised in Wisconsin in a bicultural and bilingual home, due to his fathers German heritage. He later joined AmeriCorps, then spent two years in Mongolia with the Peace Corps teaching English.

Everything about my life was international, he told me. I knew from a young age that the world was wide and that it was filled with wonderfully diverse people and cultures.

He later focused his doctoral studies in international education at Syracuse University. Before joining the UI, he was director of international affairs for Coe College. He joined the ICFRC board during the pandemic and was named its executive director last year.

Today, my whole existence is built around global diversity, he said. I often spend more time with people from around the world than with people who look like me. What the ICFRC does is also absolutely important to interculturalism and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).

Gerlach is now grateful to pursue his passion in a truly international community.

The world has literally come to Iowa City, he told me. Our goal is to expand the global connections we have here across the state.

Gerlach hopes people who attend ICFRC programs leave with a yearning to learn about, welcome and get to know on a personal level their neighbors or co-workers who are from other countries and cultures.

We need to promote empathy for the peoples of the world, he said. Global connections matter. We hope that our programs have impact, and that people will take action to support that.

The executive director added that ICFRC is grateful for the support from individual donors over four decades. He hopes the community will continue to support its work and notes that various donor options are offered on its website.

More: Iowa City considering Pagliai's Pizza building as historic landmark, but landlord objects

Frank Langfitt, a prominent global democracy correspondent for National Public Radio, will be the featured speaker at the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council's 40th-anniversary event on April 10.

NPRs Langfitt highlights Iowa City Foreign Relations Council's final event April 10

Frank Langfitt, a prominent global democracy correspondent for National Public Radio, will be the featured speaker the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council's 40th anniversary event of on Wednesday, April 10.

The program will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 at the Old Capitol Museum in downtown Iowa City, with refreshments served in the first hour. Admission is free, but participants for both the streamed event and the in-person event are asked to register at www.icfrc.org.

Langfitt has reported from more than 50 countries and territories since the late 1990s and will address the changing geo-political landscape and its impact on democracy. His experiences range from driving a free taxi in Shanghai to reporting in Ukraine during the Russian invasion and most recently covering the Israel/Gaza war.

He will be joined by Ben Kieffer, host of the River to River daily noon talk show on Iowa Public Radio and a 30-year award-winning public radio personality.

Richard Hakes is a freelance columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Hakes: Iowa City's Foreign Relations Council celebrating 40 years of local impact
The wife of a New York Yankees executive has died after a tree toppled on her car during a storm in upstate New York.

Cathy Tusiani, 50, was driving her 2021 Toyota northbound along Route 128 in Armonk, New York, at around 5.30pm on Wednesday, the North Castle Police Department said in a statement.

Less than a mile from her home, strong winds brought a tree down onto her vehicle, killing her.

Police said that the victim was the only person in the car at the time.

The driver was not named by police but she was later identified as Tusiani, the wife of the Yankees senior vice president of partnerships Michael J. Tusiani.

The baseball team said in a statement on Thursday that they are sharing the pain and grief with Mr Tusiani, the couples two daughters Alexa and Julia and their entire family in the wake of the tragedy.

Words cannot capture the devastating impact that is being felt within the Yankees family after the sudden and tragic loss of Cathy Tusiani, the statement said.

Cathy Tusiani in the centre with her husband, Michael Tusiani on the right at a Miami Beach party in 2017 (Startraks/Shutterstock)

They added that over the two-plus decades that Mr Tusiani has dedicated to the Yankees organisation, his wife has been beloved by our front office staffers.

The team said the staff witnessed her kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and great love for her husband.

"The Yankees stand with them to offer our complete support and unconditional love as we navigate this unimaginable loss," the statement concluded.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer offered his condolences to the Tusiani family and said that more measures need to be taken to tackle accidents occurring during harsh weather.

The circumstances surrounding Catherines tragic accident serve as an unfortunate reminder of the unpredictable nature of life, particularly in the face of adverse weather conditions, he told The New York Post.

In the wake of this tragedy, we will learn what we can to identify any factors that contributed to the accident and explore measures that we could take to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

New York has been battered this week by a strong storm that brought relentless rain, cold temperatures and powerful winds of upwards of 50mph, reported ABC New York.

The worst downpours were sweeping across New York on Wednesday before moving on towards the Boston area overnight.

The incident is under investigation by the Town of North Castle Police and Westchester County Police Departments.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Six years before an undocumented immigrant confessed to killing Ruby Garcia in Grand Rapids, he stalked another woman, even breaking into her home, but he was allowed to remain in the United States, court records show.

That woman, who obtained a personal protection order against Brandon Ortiz-Vite in 2018, wonders why he wasnt deported back then.

A March 24, 2024 booking photo of Brandon Ortiz-Vite from the Kent County jail.

I do think he should have been deported, said the woman, who didnt want to be identified. I feel like that was kind of a first sign of, oh, he is capable of this, you know.

Ruby Garcia murder suspect spent night at church before turning himself in

The woman was 17, she said, when Ortiz-Vite messaged her through Facebook. They started dating.

He was super charismatic, very sweet, she recalled.

He was 19, working in construction and living in the Wyoming area, she said.

I knew hed been here since a child, but I dont know at what age he came here, she said.

Ortiz-Vite, a native of Mexico, was here under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for children who enter the U.S. illegally.

Suspect in highway killing first came to U.S. as a child

After dating for several months, she decided to end it, she said, before it got too serious.

He was a very aggressive, persistent, obsessive type of person, she said.

Me simply wanting to just not be with him, he broke into my house, threatened me with messages, messaged my friends, she continued. He would leave stuff on my car. He would try to visit me at work when I wanted nothing to do with him.

She said he sent her a message: Im going to show up to your house, Im going to talk, I have a gun with me so dont try to do anything.

On New Years Day 2018, at 4 a.m., he broke into her home in Wyoming through a bedroom window. Police reports show he stood over her bed. Theres no indication he had a gun.

I woke up and I just immediately yelled out, Get the F out of here, Im calling the cops, and as soon as I yelled it out, he ran out the window, she said. Yeah, I woke up and he was just standing there.

He admitted to breaking in, called it a stupid mistake and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor property crime that led to 30 days in jail. The woman filed for a personal protection order.

Nothing against immigrants, my parents are immigrants, but I think when you do come here as an immigrant, you have to be a bit more mindful of your actions and whatnot, and I dont think he was, she said.

Family of woman found dead on highway angered by Trumps speech

Under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines, immigrants can lose DACA status if theyre convicted of a felony; significant misdemeanors like domestic violence, drug trafficking, sexual abuse or drunk driving; a total three or more misdemeanors of any kind, or if they pose a threat to national security or public safety. In March 2019, Ortiz-Vites DACA status expired.

Fifteen months later, in September 2020, after an arrest for impaired driving and no longer protected under DACA, ICE deported him to Mexico.

ICE says Ortiz-Vite returned to the U.S. illegally, though its not known when.

An undated image of Ruby Garcia. (March 25, 2024)

The woman says she had heard nothing about him until after he confessed to killing 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, a woman he identified as his girlfriend, on March 22 and dumping her body along US-131 in Grand Rapids.

Man admitted to shooting woman, leaving body beside freeway, records show

I do talk to my mom and shes like, Oh, that very much could have been you, and its crazy to think that. It really could have been, she said.

Ortiz-Vite, 25, remains in the Kent County jail facing five charges, including murder and carjacking.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
It's been a good week for Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:CALM) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest third-quarter results, and the shares gained 6.7% to US$62.80. Revenues were US$703m, approximately in line with whatthe analysts expected, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) crushed expectations, coming in at US$3.00, an impressive 22% ahead of estimates. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Cal-Maine Foods

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus, from the two analysts covering Cal-Maine Foods, is for revenues of US$1.97b in 2025. This implies a considerable 17% reduction in Cal-Maine Foods' revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to dive 56% to US$2.45 in the same period. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$1.95b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.16 in 2025. Although the revenue estimates have not really changed, we can see there's been a nice gain to earnings per share expectations, suggesting that the analysts have become more bullish after the latest result.

The analysts have been lifting their price targets on the back of the earnings upgrade, with the consensus price target rising 6.2% to US$57.33.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 14% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 19% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 2.7% per year. It's pretty clear that Cal-Maine Foods' revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Cal-Maine Foods following these results. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analysts clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

Story continues

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At least one analyst has provided forecasts out to 2026, which can be seen for free on our platform here.

Plus, you should also learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Cal-Maine Foods (including 1 which is potentially serious) .

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.
By David Lawder

GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that concerns are growing over the global economic fallout from China's excess manufacturing capacity, making the issue the main focus of four days of economic meetings with Chinese officials.

China is too large to export its way to rapid growth and would benefit by reducing excess industrial capacity which is pressuring other economies, Yellen said in remarks to an audience of about 40 representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Guangzhou.

"Overcapacity isn't a new problem, but it has intensified, and we're seeing emerging risks in new sectors," Yellen said in China's southern export hub of Guangzhou, where she met with Vice Premier He Lifeng and Guangdong Province Governor Wang Weizhong.

Yellen and other Biden administration officials are growing increasingly concerned about China's overproduction of electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors and other goods that are flooding into global markets in the face of a demand slump in China's domestic market.

She said that this is not healthy for China and is hurting producers in other countries, urging Beijing to shift away from state-driven investment and return to the market-oriented reforms that fueled growth in past decades.

FINANCIAL COOPERATION

While Sino-U.S. tensions over a range of issues have been escalating, Yellen highlighted areas of mutual interest in a dialogue launched during her first visit to China last July, including fighting climate change and illicit finance.

She said a financial working group representing both sides had been working on steps to contain the financial risks from a potential bank failure in either economy.

"We've held technical exchanges between our sides, including an exercise on how we would jointly deal with the failure of a large bank in the U.S. or in China," Yellen said, without providing additional detail on the findings of that review.

The U.S. and China announced the financial working group in September as a venue to discuss policy and exchange information. In January, the group met and discussed their respective resolution frameworks for large global banks, according to the Treasury Department.

China has set an ambitious economic growth target of 5% for 2024, fueled in part by more investment in new high-technology sectors as the economy struggles to overcome a property crisis and weak consumer demand. But many economists say China's growth model needs a major overhaul to boost domestic consumption and reduce its traditional heavy reliance on investment.

Yellen started her meeting on Friday with He by saying the two countries needed to communicate closely on difficult issues such as overcapacity and national security-related economic restrictions.

"It is what the world and our citizens expect from us," she said.

TARIFF GROUNDWORK

Some trade experts see the increased U.S. criticism of China's production-focused, subsidy- and debt-driven economic model as an initial step towards raising U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs and clean energy goods to protect U.S. industry.

Yellen has shied away from raising any threats of new trade barriers, but said during her journey to Guangzhou she will not rule out more actions to protect a fledgling American supply chain for EVs, batteries, solar power and other goods from cut-price Chinese imports.

The Treasury is not expecting a major shift in Chinese policy as a result of Yellen's visit, but U.S. officials believe it was important to explain the risks that overinvestment in some sectors - and relatively weak consumer demand in China - present to both China's economy and its trading partners.

Yellen said on Friday that part of her aim on the trip was to cement a U.S.-China relationship that could "withstand shocks and challenging circumstances."

In addition to factory overcapacity, Yellen also said she would raise concerns about a deteriorating business climate in China for foreign companies, citing an AmCham survey that found one third of American firms in China reported unfair treatment compared to local competitors.

These include "imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive action against American companies," she said, adding that ending such practices would benefit China.

CHINA STATE MEDIA PUSHES BACK

Chinese state media have pushed back against Yellen's excess capacity message, saying it was an example of a double standard.

"While it is just basic economics that surplus products naturally seek out markets elsewhere once domestic demand is met, and Western nations have been doing that for centuries, when it comes to China, it becomes an 'overcapacity problem' threatening the world," the China Daily said.

Yellen's meetings, which continue in Beijing on Saturday through Monday, come just after U.S. Commerce Department and Chinese Commerce Ministry officials met in Washington on Thursday.

The top U.S. official in those talks, Commerce Undersecretary Marisa Lago, also raised "strong concerns regarding growing overcapacity in a range of Chinese industrial sectors," the department said in a statement.

China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen raised concerns about U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, sanctions and what he called the unfair treatment of Chinese companies due to national restrictions by the United States.

"The economic and trade relations between China and the United States should be a stabilising force," Wang said, according to a statement from the commerce ministry.

(Reporting by David Lawder; additional reporting by Chen Aizhu in Singapore and Pete Schroeder in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates and Kim Coghill)
Art collectors, get egg-cited: An influential work by Argentine-Italian artist Lucio Fontana will soon be up for grabs.

Next month, Sothebys New York will be hosting its annual Contemporary Evening Auction, and headlining the event will be a canvas from Fontanas Concetto Spaziale, La fine di Dio (translating to Spatial Concept, The End of God) series gathered by Texas-based collectors Cindy and Howard Rachofsky. The punctured, cadmium-yellow piece is slated to hit the auction block with an estimate between $20 million to $30 million, making it one of the most valuable works by Fontana ever offered. The Rachofskys originally acquired the egg-shaped painting for a record-setting $2.3 million in 2003.

More from Robb Report

A yellow Lucio Fontana canvas could sell for $20 million to $30 million at auction.

This is Lucio Fontana at his finest, said David Galperin, Sothebys head of contemporary art in a press statement. Dazzling like the sun itself, the painting is the ultimate testament to the artists decades-long fascination with depth, light, and space. Just as the impact of the Second World War and the atomic bomb broke open a new language for Jackson Pollock and Barnett Newman, the advent of space exploration, ushered in by Yuri Gagarins flight in 1961, became the catalyst for opening a new dimension of painting with Fontanas La fine di Dio series.

According to the auction house, this is the first time that a yellow Concetto spaziale, La fine di Dio will be offered at auction since 2015. That year, a canvas in the same vibrant hue set the artists auction record when it sold for an eye-watering $29.2 million. Of the 38 post-war Italian paintings in the series, there were only four that were created in monochrome yellow. This specific work, however, was part of Fontanas retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019.

The punctured artwork comes from the collection of Cindy and Howard Rachofsky.

Collecting art has given us a new perspective on the worldone that is informed by looking beyond the established American canon and toward the greatest achievements in art making around the globe, the Rachofskys said in a press statement. Lucio Fontana is an artist who has always fascinated us. His groundbreaking approach to abstraction and the philosophical themes in his work have been foundational in evolving our thinking about the collection. The pursuit to find the perfect Fine di Dio painting took many years, and when we finally found it, it raised the bar for our collection to another levelan approach which has guided us in making further acquisitions over the course of our collecting journey.

Sothebys Contemporary Evening Auction will take place on May 13. If you want to scope out Fontanas Concetto spaziale, La fine di Dio ahead of time, the series will be on display in Sothebys galleries in Milan from April 5-11 and then in New York from May 3-13.

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The Associated Press reported that the New York City metropolitan area experienced an earthquake on Friday (April 5). According to the outlet, the event was centered near Lebanon, New Jersey and had a magnitude of 4.8. Despite the quake's intensity, officials in New York received no initial reports of damage.

Trending

On Twitter, the New York City Mayor's office confirmed that Eric Adams was informed of the situation and they are still gauging the next steps. Spokesman Fabien Levy added that Adams and senior administration officials would be holding a briefing to discuss the impacts of the earthquake later this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/Fabien_Levy/status/1776263277992964399

https://twitter.com/GovKathyHochul/status/1776257181454676383

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also shared a similar message to residents. "A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York," she wrote. "My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day."

https://twitter.com/RobMarkman/status/1776257258478809595

Residents, including artist and journalist Rob Markman, soon tweeted about the experience. "In New Jersey, my whole crib shook. S**t rattling on the walls. Things falling over," he stated. "Im not built for this West Coast behavior. I dont know how y'all do it." The quake's effects extended well beyond New York's metro area, with additional reports coming in from Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut, and other East Coast areas unaccustomed to tremblors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYkv-mmGCY

The event stirred memories of the August 2011 East Coast earthquake, which affected tens of millions from Georgia to Canada. That quake, which registered a magnitude of 5.8, was the strongest to hit that area since World War II. With an epicenter located in Virginia, the 2011 earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, prompted evacuations of the White House and the Capitol, and rattled New Yorkers just weeks before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

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New York hit with 4.8 magnitude earthquake: What to know

The New York City area was shaken by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The epicenter of it was near Lebanon, N.J., around 50 miles from New York City. It was recorded at a depth close to 3 miles.

It was the strongest quake in the New York City area in the past 140 years, according to local media outlet The City.

Ground stop at airports

FILE - A taxi passes under the entrance to JFK Airport in the New York borough of Queens, Aug. 15, 2003. A cargo plane headed from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Belgium had to return to JFK on Nov. 9, 2023, after a horse escaped its stall and got loose in the hold, according to air traffic control audio. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, File)

FILE  A taxi passes under the entrance to JFK Airport in the New York borough of Queens, Aug. 15, 2003. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, File)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops at New York Citys John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport following the quake.

Arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport are delayed by up to 45 minutes

JFK airport said later in an update that it remains open and operational.

President Biden briefed

President Biden speaks at the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Headquarters.

President Biden delivers remarks at the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Headquarters, near the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, on April 05, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images)

President Biden has been briefed, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at 11:25 a.m.

He is in touch with his team who are monitoring potential impacts, Jean-Pierre said Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter. The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said his office is in touch with the White House and New York Gov. Kathy Hochuls (D) office.

Biden spoke with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) about the quake Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he is closely monitoring the earthquake.

How far the earthquake was felt

New York Governor Kathy Hochul addresses the media during a press conference.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul addresses the media during a press conference, March. 13, 2023, in New York. (Yuki Iwamura, Associated Press file)

Hochul said the quake was felt throughout the state. She wrote on Twitter that it hit west of Manhattan, angering New Jerseyans.

It was also felt in Philadelphia and Boston, according to NBC News. Rhode Island residents also reported feeling the quake.

Warning of aftershocks

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference at City Hall in New York, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Aftershocks are common following an earthquake, and there is a 3 percent chance of a large aftershock occurring, according to USGS.

Officials warned residents to be prepared.

If you feel an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck and take cover under a solid piece of furniture next to an interior wall or any doorway, Adams said during a press conference.

New Yorkers should go about their normal day, Adams said. First responders are working to make sure the city is safe.

Impact

Zachary Iscol, NYC Emergency Management commissioner, said at a midday press conference that there are currently no impact no major impacts or safety events related to this earthquake.

Earlier in the day, New York Citys public schools reported no damage.

The safest place for our kids right now is in our schools, schools are operating as normal, NYC Department of Education spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said on X.

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New Jerseys rail systems trains could be delayed up to 20 minutes due to bridge inspections. Newark Light Rail service was suspended because of track inspections.

Adams said he did not feel the quake when it occurred this morning.

I didnt feel it, my security detail brought it to my attention, Adams said.

Social media reactions

The sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City on February 18, 2024, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

A social media account for the Empire State Building posted, I AM FINE, in a post on X.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or major destruction, and New Yorkers largely laughed off the event on social media.

And remember that a 5 in NYC would be an 8 almost anywhere else in the country, wrote former journalist and Meta communications staffer Tom Gara.

Guys we have to be cool about the small earthquake thing lest we look weak to the people on the west coast, said Business Insider reporter Emily Stewart.

Others took more political angles to their responses.

Bet Eric Adams finds a way to turn the earthquake into a demand for more police, said writer Hugh Ryan.

Pundit Keith Olbermann wrote that he was waiting for former President Trump to reveal there would have been no earthquake if hed been Prez because earthquakes fear him.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(The Hill)  A prominent New York City immigrant advocate on Thursday criticized a visit to the city by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is in town to headline the local Republican Partys annual gala.

Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, said Abbott is not welcome on account of his hardline immigration policies.

Heres where the Biden-Trump polls stand in 7 swing states

Greg Abbott is a racist bigot who has callously bussed asylum seekers across the country for cheap political points. His sheer lack of humanity towards asylum seekers is unacceptable and there is no place for his hatred in New York, Awawdeh said in a statement.

Abbott has gained national prominence in large part through his Operation Lone Star, a series of policies designed to put immigration enforcement  generally recognized as a federal jurisdiction  in the states hands.

He also spearheaded the hawkish state immigration law SB 4, which was blocked by federal courts and is currently under litigation in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Immigrant and civil rights advocates have been sharply critical of Abbott, considered a potential vice presidential pick for former President Trump, and the Texas governor has leaned into his image as an uncompromising immigration hawk.

The Hill has reached out to Abbotts office for comment.

Fox News rejects White House demands to retract Easter egg stories

Awawdeh said Abbotts overtly political use of immigration is incompatible with New York Citys immigrant history.

We are a city shaped by our immigrant heritage and proudly serve as a beacon of hope to those in search of safety and stability. Our city will continue to uphold that legacy as we welcome new arrivals and hold our own elected officials accountable for meeting the needs of our newest neighbors, he said.

While Greg Abbott fundraises in Midtown by spewing extremism and hatred, we want to make it clear: you are not welcome here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A group of inmates in New York have been granted permission to view the upcoming eclipse after agreeing to settle a lawsuit against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The lawsuit, filed last Friday in federal court in upstate New York, argued that the prisons decision to classify the eclipse as a holiday violated the inmates constitutional rights to practice their faith.

Jeremy Zielinski, one of the six plaintiffs, is an atheist. He argued that viewing the solar eclipse is a rare, natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many.

Zielinski and the other inmate plaintiffs reached a favorable settlement of the matter with the corrections department, according to a court document filed Thursday.

Declaring the event a holiday means that individuals are required to stay in their housing units from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., unless a situation arises requiring individuals to go to emergency stations. Those hours are usually the times inmates would be scheduled for outdoor recreation, The Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit pointed to the religious significance of a solar eclipse, arguing that the Bible described a similar phenomenon during Jesuss crucifixion and Islamic texts describe a similar event when the Prophet Muhammads son died, according to the AP.

The men, who have varying religious backgrounds, are currently incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Woodbourne, N.Y.

Woodbourne isnt in the path of totality but is estimated to have 94.7 percent coverage during the solar event, according to NASAs tracker.

Daniel Martuscello III, the acting commissioner for the department, issued a memo March 11 announcing that all state correctional facilities will operate on a holiday schedule on Monday during the eclipse, prompting the lawsuit.

The Hill has reached out to the department for more information, which said in a statement to NBC News that it had begun reviewing religious complaints against the memo even before the lawsuit was filed.

We continued our analysis and review during the pendency of the lawsuit, according to the statement. The Department has agreed to permit the six individuals to view the eclipse.

The Hill has reached out to the inmates lawyers for more information, but Chris McArdle, partner at law firm Alston & Bird, said in a statement to Fox News that the firm representing the plaintiffs is pleased that the settlement agreement will allow the inmates to view the eclipse.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New York inmates who claimed lockdown was religious violation will be able to see eclipse

Inmates at a New York prison who sued the state corrections department over a planned lockdown during the Monday total solar eclipse will be able to see the celestial event after all.

The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York claimed that the lockdown, which would have prevented many statewide inmates from witnessing Monday's solar eclipse, constituted a violation of religious rights.

"For many, this eclipse is a moment of monumental religious significance that cannot be overlooked or dismissed out of hand," according to the lawsuit, which listed six plaintiffs of various religious faiths.

Corrections officials agreed Thursday to permit the plaintiffs  a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-Day Adventist, two practitioners of Santeria and an atheist  to view the eclipse in exchange for the lawsuit's dismissal, department spokesman Thomas Mailey told USA TODAY.

We are pleased that, in response to our lawsuit alleging religious discrimination, New York State has entered into a binding settlement agreement that will allow our six clients to view the solar eclipse in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs," Christopher L. McArdle, one of the attorneys representing the inmates, said in a Thursday statement to USA TODAY.

Solar eclipse experiment: Here's why NASA is launching 3 sounding rockets into space during the total solar eclipse

New York is on eclipse path of totality, prompting security concerns

New York, which has not experienced a total solar eclipse since 1925, is one of 13 states directly on the eclipse's path of totality.

The astral event has been widely anticipated for months, if not years, and as a result is expected to draw a heavy influx of tourists and skygazers to areas where totality will occur as the moon completely blocks the sun's disc. The rare celestial phenomenon not only includes uncharacteristic daytime darkness, but will reveal the sun's elusive outermost layer known as the corona.

The hoopla surrounding the event prompted New York corrections officials to cancel or restrict visitation at about half of the department's facilities on the day of the eclipse. In a memo issued March 11, acting commissioner Daniel Martuscello III also announced that the department would put a lockdown in place for April 8 at all its facilities due to security concerns.

Statewide prisons were to operate on a holiday schedule between 2 and 5 p.m. that day, which mandates that all inmates be confined to their their housing units except for emergency situations.

In response, six inmates Woodbourne Correctional Facility in upstate New York filed the lawsuit claiming that the decision was unconstitutional.

Before the lawsuit was filed, Mailey said the corrections department had begun the process of reviewing and considering requests for religious accommodations related to the impending eclipse. The settlement was then reached Thursday once the six plaintiffs were permitted to view the eclipse, court documents show.

"The lawsuit came to an appropriate resolution," Mailey said in a statement.

Plaintiffs say eclipse has religious meanings

The lawsuit came after one of the named plaintiffs, an atheist, received special permission last month to view the eclipse before the statewide prison lockdown was announced.

Prison officials ultimately denied permission to him and four other plaintiffs to be exempt from the lockdown order, citing its own calendar that did not list the event as a holy day. A sixth inmate said he never received a response, according to the lawsuit.

Inmates at a New York prison will be permitted to view next week's total solar eclipse after all after suing the state corrections department. The lawsuit filed in federal court claimed the a prison lockdown during the celestial event violated their religious freedoms.

All plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit that the solar eclipse was deeply intertwined with the teachings of their respective religions.

In Christianity, the darkness described in the Bible as accompanying Jesus crucifixion has been interpreted as an eclipse, while in Islam, sacred works similarly describe the passing of the Prophet Muhammads son.

Practitioners of Santeria also trace historical ties to chanting rituals performed during a solar eclipse. For atheists, an eclipse may not be a time for worship, but it's still a time to marvel about the natural wonders of the universe, the lawsuit contended.

"These inmates are asking for the most human of things," the lawsuit argued: "To gather and celebrate something that is greater than themselves."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York inmates who sued prisons allowed to see solar eclipse now
Key Insights

Far East Holdings Berhad's estimated fair value is RM2.95 based on Dividend Discount Model

Current share price of RM3.50 suggests Far East Holdings Berhad is potentially trading close to its fair value

Far East Holdings Berhad's peers seem to be trading at a higher premium to fair value based onthe industry average of -63%

How far off is Far East Holdings Berhad (KLSE:FAREAST) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

View our latest analysis for Far East Holdings Berhad

Step By Step Through The Calculation

As Far East Holdings Berhad operates in the food sector, we need to calculate the intrinsic value slightly differently. Instead of using free cash flows, which are hard to estimate and often not reported by analysts in this industry, dividends per share (DPS) payments are used. This often underestimates the value of a stock, but it can still be good as a comparison to competitors. We use the Gordon Growth Model, which assumes dividend will grow into perpetuity at a rate that can be sustained. The dividend is expected to grow at an annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.5%. We then discount this figure to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.6%. Relative to the current share price of RM3.5, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate)

= RM0.1 / (8.6%  3.5%)

= RM3.0

dcf

The Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Far East Holdings Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.6%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Story continues

SWOT Analysis for Far East Holdings Berhad

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Food market.

Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

Opportunity

FAREAST's financial characteristics indicate limited near-term opportunities for shareholders.

Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine FAREAST's earnings prospects.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by earnings and cashflows.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Far East Holdings Berhad, there are three pertinent items you should consider:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Far East Holdings Berhad (2 are concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the KLSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Editor's note: The initial version of this article's headline incorrectly said that Volodymyr Hordiychuk was appointed as the new commander of Ukraine's National Guard. The headline was fixed at 4:15 p.m. local time on April 6.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Lieutenant General Volodymyr Hordiychuk as the new deputy commander of the National Guard of Ukraine (NSU), the President's Office announced on April 5.

The National Guard is a unit of internal troops that operates under the Interior Ministry. The force is responsible for protecting public order, guarding strategically important facilities, and countering armed groups.

Earlier this year, the Interior Ministry reported that the NSU destroyed or disabled 112 Russian tanks in the first month of 2024, with an estimated total value of over $300 million.

According to media reports, Hordiychuk is a native of Zhytomyr Oblast. He was educated at the Kyiv Institute of the Ukrainian Air Force and also earned a master's degree.

Between 2014 and 2016, Hordiychuk served as the first deputy head of the Eastern Territorial Department of the NSU before he was appointed to the position of the head of the Western Territorial Administration of the NSU.

Since 2019, he has been working as the head of the Central Territorial Administration of the National Guard.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes airfields in Russia, destroying or damaging 19 warplanes, sources say

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Zelensky signs sanctions order against several Ukrainian businessmen, dozens of companies

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an order on April 4 to sanction several Ukrainian businessmen and dozens of companies.

One of the sanctioned individuals was Vadym Alperin, an Odesa native known as the "king of smuggling."

Sanctions entail blocking of assets, restrictions on trade operations, preventing the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine, a ban on acquiring land plots, and other restrictions.

A total of 86 companies were on the sanctions list, most of which were Ukrainian. Some Russian and Chinese companies were listed as well.

Alperin has had a long history of being suspected of various crimes related to corruption and smuggling. He escaped from a law enforcement operation in 2019, after which Zelensky publicly offered a reward to anyone who assisted in locating him.

Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) closed criminal proceedings against Alperin in October 2023 after his lawyers argued that the investigation was "allegedly extended by an unauthorized entity."

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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Chernihiv Oblast bordering Russia and Belarus to meet with local officials and inspect the construction of fortifications, the Presidential Office reported on April 5.

The Ukrainian authorities have faced criticism for slow progress on fortifying defensive lines amid concerns about Russia's potential new major offensive. A working group was established in November to coordinate fortification efforts.

Zelensky announced in March that Ukraine was building 2,000 kilometers of fortifications across three lines of defense, adding that the "task is massive, but the pace is good."

In Chernihiv Oblast, Zelensky was briefed on the progress of the construction of three defense lines, according to the Presidential Office.

Regional authorities told Zelensky that a strip of non-explosive barriers, mine barriers, and an extensive network of strongholds had been created along the entire border between Russia and Belarus.

Read also: Ukraine finally moves to fortify front line, but could it be too little too late?

The president also held a meeting on the security and socio-economic situation in Chernihiv Oblast, part of which was occupied by Russian troops from February to April 2022.

Even after the liberation, Russia has continued to strike border settlements in Chernihiv Oblast daily, causing civilian casualties and large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure.

In 2023, Russian forces fired 15,000 projectiles at border villages and towns in the region, which are inhabited by around 15,000 people, according to Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus.

Zelensky said after meeting local officials that the demining of agricultural lands in Chernihiv Oblast will be sped up, and the Ukrainian government will allocate Hr 1,2 billion (around $31 million) to the region's economic development.

The president also awarded soldiers and civilians who participated in the defense and liberation of Chernihiv Oblast exactly two years ago.

Read also: Ukrainian soldiers near Kupiansk prepare for potential Russian offensive

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Zelenskyy is Europe's most popular leader but there are big geographical swings, our poll reveals

Zelenskyy is Europe's most popular leader but there are big geographical swings, our poll reveals

This is one of the main conclusions from an exclusive Euronews poll conducted by Ipsos among almost 26,000 respondents across 18 member states ahead of the elections to the European Parliament, which will be held between 6 and 9 June.

The first-of-its-kind survey shows that 47% of Europeans hold a "positive" opinion of Volodymyr Zelenskyy while 32% have a "negative" view. Meanwhile, 21% say they "don't know enough" about the president, who has topped headlines for the past two years and has travelled extensively around the continent to speak on behalf of his war-torn nation.

This makes Zelenskyy the best-liked leader of the eight European figures surveyed by Ipsos but also the most divisive, as his scores suffer the strongest swings.

In the Nordic region and the Iberian Peninsula, Zelenskyy receives the highest "positive" marks: 81% in Finland, 74% in Sweden, 72% in Denmark and Portugal, and 64% in Spain.

By contrast, more than half of respondents in Hungary (60%), Greece (57%) and Bulgaria (56%) have a "negative" opinion of the Ukrainian president.

Other countries where the "negative" judgment outweighs the "positive" are Slovakia (50% against 26%), Austria (47% against 33%), Italy (41% against 32%) and the Czech Republic (37% against 36%).

The picture contrasts with the official line taken by national governments: Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Czechia's Petr Fiala are vocal supporters of Ukraine and defend the sanctions regime against Russia. Recently, the Czech Republic launched an initiative to procure 800,000 rounds of ammunition for Kyiv in an accelerated timeframe.

Another notable case is Germany, the EU's leading donor of military assistance. According to the poll, Germans are far from consensus in their assessment: 41% have a "positive" opinion of Zelenskyy and 36% a "negative" one.

In Romania, where farmers have complained about low-cost, tariff-free grain coming from Ukraine, the divide is equally eye-catching: 49% say "positive" and 40% say "negative." Poland, a country that has seen fiercer protests over the same issue, is nevertheless in the "positive" camp (57%) rather than "negative" (24%).

Looking at voting intention ahead of the June elections, Zelenskyy earns the most points from supporters of the main pro-European parties: the European People's Party (61%), the Socialists & Democrats (62%), the liberals of Renew Europe (59%) and the Greens (63%). The "positive" rate drops to 47% with the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the group that encompasses Meloni and Fiala.

The Left, which has broken ranks with the mainstream on the issue of ammunition deliveries, is evenly split: 40% say "positive" and 42% say "negative."

Among backers of the far-right Identify and Democracy (ID), the "negative" opinion (53%) convincingly overshadows the "positive" one (26%).

Overall, Zelenskyy stands as a love-or-hate figure, eliciting powerful reactions on both sides of the debate. The rates of "I don't know enough" are limited across all countries, genders, age groups, occupations and party affiliations.

From Macron to Putin

The exclusive Euronews/Ipsos poll also offers insights into how Europeans feel about other prominent leaders in the continent.

French President Emmanuel Macron is second in the best-liked rank, with 41% of respondents saying they have a "positive" opinion of him as opposed to 34% who say "negative." Unsurprisingly, the French people are the harshest critics, with a whopping 62% choosing "negative" and just 28% "positive."

Macron's popularity is a majority sentiment in Romania (57%), Greece (55%), Germany (53%), Denmark (52%) and the Netherlands (50%).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz provokes greater indifference: 38% of respondents say they "don't know enough" about the man leading the bloc's largest economy, while 29% express a "positive" opinion and 33% a "negative" one.

Four countries stand out in their dislike towards the 65-year-old socialist: Germany (61% say "negative"), Austria (47%), Greece (45%) and Poland (39%).

Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Spain's Pedro Sanchez and Poland's Donald Tusk are too shielded from contempt by the "I don't know enough" option (43%, 58% and 50%, respectively). As a result, none of the three can be said to be particularly liked or disliked. Outside of Italy, Meloni only faces aversion in Spain, where 44% have a "negative" opinion.

Interestingly, participants in Romania warmly approve of Meloni (54%), Sanchez (49%) and Tusk (53%) even if they all come from vastly different backgrounds.

Hungary's Viktor Orban is another different story: 48% of respondents have a "negative" opinion of the man who has promoted "illiberal democracy," repeatedly derailed the EU's decision-making and embraced an unabashed Russian-friendly diplomacy. Just 15% have a "positive" assessment of him. The rest (37%) declare they "don't know enough."

Sweden (65%) and Finland (64%), two countries that saw their NATO bids delayed partly because of Orban's foot-dragging tactics, register the sharpest disapproval, closely followed by Romania (60%), Poland (58%), Austria (58%), the Netherlands (56%), Germany (53%) and Denmark (52%).

In Hungary, where Orban governs with an unassailable majority, 54% of participants have a "negative" opinion of their premier and 32% a "positive" one. (The poll was conducted after the scandal that forced Hungarian President Katalin Novak to resign, which analysts have described as the biggest test for Orban's leadership.)

Orban, though, sees a forgiving trend in Bulgaria: 47% "positive" versus 24% "negative."

The Euronews/Ipsos poll closes with an examination of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is by far the most reviled leader: 79% of respondents hold a "negative" opinion of the man wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes in Ukraine.

On the other hand, 10% have a "positive" opinion of him, and 11% "don't know enough."

The censure is overwhelming: Finland (94% say "negative"), Sweden (91%), Denmark (91%), Poland (91%), Spain (90%), Portugal (89%), the Netherlands (88%) and France (80%) lead the condemnation against the Kremlin's infamous tenant.

The "negative" rate falls under the 60% threshold in just four countries: Greece (59%), Hungary (57%), Slovakia (56%) and Bulgaria (48%).

Once again, Bulgaria sticks out as an exceptional case: 37% of respondents have a "positive" opinion of Putin, his highest mark across the board.

This article concludes the series related to the exclusive Euronews poll conducted by Ipsos. A total of 25,916 individuals were interviewed between 23 February and 5 March online and by telephone in 18 member states, representing 96% of the EU's population. You can check out the whole series on the EU Elections hub.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has implemented the National Security and Defence Council's (NSDC) decision to impose personal sanctions against 86 companies and seven individuals, including citizens of foreign states.

Source: the decree on the President's Office website

Details: The annexes to the NSDCs decision indicate that 73 out of 86 legal entities subject to sanctions are registered in the government-controlled territory of Ukraine, two are in temporarily occupied Mariupol of Donetsk Oblast, and three are in occupied Sevastopol. The remaining legal entities are located in the Russian Federation and China.

Restrictive measures against these legal entities have been imposed for three and ten years.

Sanctions for a term of three years have been introduced against six individuals: Vadym Alperin, Oleksandr Yerimitsiuts, Yurii Kushnir, Orest Adamcho, Viktor Sherman and Andrii Popov.

Vadym Alperin's assets have been frozen for three years, and he is prohibited from conducting any trade operations, transferring capital abroad, participating in privatisation, and so on.

Araik Amirkhanyan has been subject to 10-year restrictive measures. The Internet portal Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) states that he is involved in raiding, organising illegal crossings of the state border and laundering money with subsequent transfers to Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea.

Background:

On 12 October 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine closed the criminal case against Odesa businessman Vadym Alperin. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to Alperin as "one of the godfathers of smuggling in Ukraine" and promised a reward for his detention.

Businessman Vadym Alperin and his accomplices were accused of creating a criminal organisation, illegally importing goods into Ukraine through fraudulent schemes. According to the investigation, the losses amounted to over UAH 63.8 million (approx. US$1.6 million). Alperin is also under sanctions by the NSDC.

Odesa businessman Viktor Sherman, whose companies are engaged in maritime freight transportation, is primarily focused on importing clothing from China. Local media outlets refer to Sherman as one of Vadym Alperin's partners.

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Zelenskyy in Chernihiv Oblast. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the construction of fortifications in Chernihiv Oblast.

Source: address of Zelenskyy, website of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Details: Zelenskyy inspected constructions made of reinforced concrete, as well as trenches for soldiers and armoured personnel carriers, dugouts, firing positions, and an anti-tank ditch.

Zelenskyy heard a report on the construction of three lines of defence in the region. Viacheslav Chaus, Head of Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration, stated that capital fortification is expanding in the region. Specifically, a non-explosive obstacle course, minefields and an extensive network of strongholds were established all along the Ukrainian border with Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the construction of fortifications in Chernihiv Oblast

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Quote by Zelenskyy: "Chernihiv Oblast is sticking to the schedule. I heard the reports by military and security leadership of the regions on the defence issues, killing of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, counteracting the attacks. The problems are the same in all border regions: constant Russian pressure, attacks, terror.

The Russians launched 15,000 projectiles on 15,000 residents of border hromadas of Chernihiv Oblast which are constantly being attacked [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories  ed.]. They have no mercy. They are basically trying to reach every single person  they want to destroy all forms of life here."

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Corrections appended

For a year and a half, 20 eager Virginia Tech students have diligently prepared their scientific balloons for Eclipse Day. Along with about 800 other undergraduates nationwide who will participate in the NASA-sponsored National Eclipse Ballooning Project, these STEM students will launch balloons with scientific instruments attached to gather more information about Earths atmosphere.

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, tracing a path over far more populated areas of the United States than the last one in August 2017. The project, which Montana State University started in 2017 to involve STEM students in this historic day, includes 53 teams who will document an event that wont happen again for another 20 years.

Angela Des Jardins, director of the project, says the experience provides students with hands-on opportunities that they dont get in the classroom. Of the 75 colleges taking part, 30% are minority-serving and 15% are community colleges.

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Ballooning has been around for a long time, and some of the bigger institutions that have more resources, its easy for them to go do this kind of thing, Des Jardins says. Whats really important is to give students opportunities that wouldnt have them otherwise.

The project also offers students access to over 200 mentors and a speaker series where NASA scientists and other experts in the field offer career advice.

The program has two tracks: atmospheric science and engineering. Each group is focused on preparing its payloads. For the atmospheric science groups, these are instruments like radiosondes that are used to measure temperature, humidity and wind speed. Radiosondes are the same instruments used by the National Weather Service at least twice a day at the 93 stations across the country.

Related

3 Ways to Use the Solar Eclipse to Brighten Your Childs Knowledge of Science

The thing thats different from what the National Weather Service does is, instead of just flying two a day, they [students] actually fly one every hour 24 hours before the eclipse, then six hours after, Des Jardins said.

Des Jardins says flying the radiosondes multiple times gives students a snapshot before and during the eclipse to compare the changes caused by the cold, dark shadow of the moon.

For engineering team members, the payloads involve different types of cameras, such as GoPros and 360-degree cameras. NASA will be livestreaming the images they capture on its website.

The project is not only beneficial for documenting history and allowing environmental scientists to understand the atmosphere better as they research climate change. The highly technical experiment also gives students experiences they need as they pursue internships, graduate school and full-time jobs.

Virginia Smith participated in the 2017 challenge during her senior year at the University of Kentucky as a mechanical engineering student. Like many of the current participants, Smith came on to the project having little experience with technical electronics. She started by building boxes for the cameras to be placed on the balloons flight string. Her team had two balloons, one of which she was in charge of. As mission lead, she says, timing was everything. It was crucial that the balloon reached 100,000 feet right in time with totality, which occurs when the moon is completely obscuring the sun.

Related

4 Eclipses & Counting  How a Ballooning Project Lifts U.S. Students in STEM

Students create timelines that allowed us to be at a particular altitude during totality and record footage, which was the entire goal of that project, Smith said. As mission controller, not only making sure that the other people who have payloads are ready to go, youre making sure that youre on that timeline. You have a very small window to hit for the launch. And if you miss that window, youre going to miss your altitude target.

Smith credits the project from seven years ago for her interest in satellites and balloons. The project also helped her during her two internships at NASA in 2016 and 2017, where she focused on designing small satellites and did finite element analysis, which involves using calculations to predict how an object might behave under various conditions.

Now, as a graduate research assistant and Ph.D. candidate in aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech, she has been mentoring this years participants for the last year and a half, offering her first-hand knowledge to the group as a former mission lead. The team will be stationed at Three Rivers College in Missouri on the big day and flying two balloons.

Virginia Tech team preparing their two high-altitude balloons for launch during the October 2023 eclipse in Roswell, NM. (Virginia Tech)

What she learned during those internships actually did come into play for the [2017] eclipse, because we were designing payloads  and making sure they could withstand impact in terms of landing, Smith said. The team had to consider multiple possibilities, such as the balloon landing in water, in a high tree or on top of a roof. There are all these scenarios that youre looking at. How do you make a successful design to survive the environment both in the atmosphere and then also as you land?

Smith is excited to be able to view the total eclipse for a longer period this year. But shes most looking forward to seeing the hard work the students have put in for several months, with test launches and payload development, pay off. Many team members are transfer students from community colleges and came in with different skill sets and no background in engineering or ballooning. This experience has helped multiple students get summer internships.

We get to enjoy the eclipse and then we get to enjoy totality. Itll be an exciting event for everyone, and most of the students have not seen an eclipse before. So this is also an opportunity for them to be able to experience natural phenomenon that will not be coast to coast in the U.S. for several years more, Smith said.

Corrections: The name of the NASA-sponsored organization is the National Eclipse Ballooning Project. The project reached out after publication to correct the balloons target altitude. Its 100,000 feet.
Faced with labor shortages, sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture are increasingly adopting AI in their automation.

Computer vision startups are looking to jump on that opportunity with a range of point solutions for both industries. From data collection to crop monitoring and harvesting, robots with eyes are entering the fields.

One big challenge that remains, however, is implementation: If such solutions are not easy to use, they wont be used.

Belgian startup Robovision believes it has found a way around that. The company wants to industrialize deep learning tools and make them more accessible to businesses that are not tech companies at their core. It has built a no-code computer vision AI platform that doesn't require software developers or data scientists to be involved at every step of the process. Robovision doesn't make robots, but as its name suggests, the company also targets robotics companies that want to develop new machines that support AI-enabled automation.

In practice, this means Robovision customers can use its platform to upload data, label it, test their model and deploy it in production. The company says its model can be useful for a variety of use cases such as recognizing fruit at supermarket scale, identifying faults in newly made electrical components and even cutting rose stems.

Robovision platform

Image Credits: Robovision

Out of its base in Belgium, Robovision already serves customers in 45 countries, CEO Thomas Van den Driessche told TechCrunch in an interview. Now, thanks to a recent sizable funding round, its expanding to the U.S., banking on interest from industrial and agribusiness customers in that gigantic market.

The Series A round of $42 million is being co-led by Belgian agtech investor Astanor Ventures and Target Global. The latter is a Berlin-based investor and its participation in this fundraise marks a departure from some of the other coverage its had of late: controversy over its ties to Russian money. Red River West, a French VC that focuses on funding European startups looking to break into North America, also participated in the round.

With a post-money valuation of $180 million, this new round brings the total amount of equity funding raised by Robovision to $65 million, including two converted notes. This still leaves the founders together with the staff owning more than 50% of Robovision, its chief growth officer, Florian Hendrickx, told TechCrunch via email.

What is the point?

One challenge that Robovision faces in its expansion is that working with different sectors complicates messaging and its go-to-market strategy. On the plus side, learnings and experiments in one application can be applied to another. Robovision, for example, was able to apply some of the 3D deep learning it had developed for disease detection in tulips to disease detection in human lungs during the COVID crisis.

"It's a double-edged sword," founder Jonathan Berte told TechCrunch. "It has been the DNA of Robovision of striking the delicate balance between diversity and focus."

That DNA comes from Robovision's history: It was founded in 2012 as a consultancy studio, and it was several years before it pivoted into the B2B platform approach that also made it more attractive to VCs.

The initial traction Robovision gained was in agtech, which represents 50% of its activities, Van den Driessche said. Agtech is also where its Series A's co-lead investor, Astanor, comes from: That company focuses on what it describes as "impact agrifood."

Agtech is a sizable opportunity because of labor shortages, and also due to Robovision's track record  it helps its partner ISO Group plant a billion tulips annually. But other verticals are growing faster for Robovision, Van den Driessche said.

According to Van den Driessche, Robovision is seeing strong traction in life sciences and tech. For instance, Hitachi uses its platform to produce semiconductor wafers. "I don't think agriculture is going to be the largest sector at scale," said Bao-Y Van Cong, a partner at Target Global. "I think it's going to be industrial manufacturing."

Apple's recent decision to acquire DarwinAI, an AI startup specializing in overseeing the manufacturing of components, shows rising interest in this space. For Robovision founder Jonathan Berte, it is also a sign that a toolbox that can support a wide variety of different industrialized applications makes more sense. "Apple would never [have bought that] company if it were only a point solution."

From Ghent to the world

The convertible notes that Robovision raised in 2022 and 2023 following its pivot mostly came from Dutch and Belgian investors, but it had to look further afield to raise the capital it needed. The amount of capital that Robovision raised in the round would have been harder to secure from Benelux, or may have required more dilution.

Robovision's Belgian roots are paying off in other ways. "The whole early team was very smart people from Ghent university," Berte said. Van den Driessche became Robovision's CEO in 2022, and Berte moved his focus to fundraising, partnerships and global expansion.

Robovisions tech evolution has extended to rethinking the architecture of its computer vision tools in response to customer demand. Because low latency and delivery speed are requirements in certain environments, it launched Robovision Edge.

In todays market, doing more with less has become key to competing globally. "I think the only way to do that is to innovate and to become more productive," Van Cong said.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 04, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California American Water is proud to announce the completion of the Cottage Way Well Project, a critical investment that helps ensure a safe, reliable water supply for the Arden-Arcade community within the greater Sacramento region.

The $3.3 million project, part of the companys larger Regional Well Installation and Replacement Program, included the construction of a newly drilled well, waterline installation, driveway and sidewalk restoration, roadway improvements, and landscaping.

"The Cottage Way Well is an example of our commitment to providing customers with high-quality drinking water," said Steve Dutch, Northern Division Engineering Manager at California American Water. "By proactively investing in infrastructure upgrades, we help minimize the impacts of water shortages or pressure fluctuations during peak usage times."

The Cottage Way Well was built to replace an aging well, over 60 years old, that was taken out of service. The new well meets and surpasses all drinking water quality standards.

"Older wells become less efficient over time," continued Dutch. "New wells are built to meet current standards and have longer lifespans, which means a more sustainable water system for the future, fewer maintenance costs, and better water conservation. Our operations team has installed a Variable Frequency Drive at the Cottage Well site, so the flow rate can change based on demand needs automatically, saving water and energy."

The Cottage Way Well project exemplifies California American Waters continued commitment to preemptively addressing aging infrastructure. Several wells in the Sacramento area are nearing or have already exceeded their designed 60-year lifespan. California American Water will continue to invest in critical upgrades throughout the region, to help ensure customers have high-quality water for decades to come.

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Waters 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the companys national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

Story continues

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About California American Water

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, provides high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 700,000 people.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240404377095/en/

Contacts

Media:

Nichole Baxter

Senior Manager, External Affairs

California American Water

916-291-0736

Nichole.Baxter@amwater.com
Blue Origin will launch Ed Dwight, the 1st-ever Black astronaut candidate, to space on next New Shepard rocket flight

We now know who will be on board for Blue Origin's first crewed spaceflight since August 2022.

Today (April 4), Jeff Bezos' company announced the six crewmembers for the NS-25 space tourism mission, which will lift off from Blue Origin's West Texas site in the relatively near future. (The target date has not yet been revealed.)

Among the six are former U.S. Air Force Capt. Ed Dwight, who was selected as the nation's first Black astronaut candidate back in 1961, according to Blue Origin.

Related: Facts about New Shepard, Blue Origin's rocket for space tourism

headshots of five smiling men and one smiling woman

"In 1961, Ed was chosen by President John F. Kennedy to enter training at the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS), an elite U.S. Air Force flight training program known as a pathway for entering the NASA Astronaut Corps," Blue Origin wrote in an update today. "In 1963, after successfully completing the ARPS program, Ed was recommended by the U.S. Air Force for the NASA Astronaut Corps but ultimately was not among those selected."

Robert Lawrence was the first Black astronaut selected for a space program  the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory, or MOL, a planned spy outpost in Earth orbit that was never built. Lawrence was picked in June 1967, but he died six months later in a supersonic jet crash. The first Black American astronaut to reach space was Guion Bluford, who flew on the STS-8 mission of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.

Dwight, who was born in 1933, became an entrepreneur and then a sculptor focusing on iconic figures in Black history. Over the past five decades, he has created more than 130 public works, which are featured in museums and other spaces across the U.S. and Canada, according to Blue Origin. His seat on the mission is sponsored by the nonprofit Space For Humanity.

The other five NS-25 crewmembers are venture capitalist Mason Angel; Sylvain Chiron, the founder of French craft brewery Brasserie Mont Blanc; software engineer and entrepreneur Kenneth L. Hess; retired accountant Carol Schaller; and Gopi Thotakura, a pilot and aviator who co-founded Preserve Life Corp., a holistic wellness and health center in Georgia.

You can read more about each of the crewmembers here.

RELATED STORIES:

 Blue Origin says it knows what caused its New Shepard rocket launch to fail

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The NS-25 crew will fly aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle, a reusable rocket-capsule combo that takes passengers on brief trips to suborbital space. As its name suggests, NS-25 will be the 25th overall mission for New Shepard, which conducts robotic research flights as well as tourism jaunts.

New Shepard suffered an anomaly during NS-23, an uncrewed flight that launched in September 2022. The first-stage rocket was destroyed, but the upper-stage capsule landed safely under parachutes.

The accident, which Blue Origin traced to a "thermo-structural failure" of the nozzle on the first stage's single BE-3PM engine, kept New Shepard grounded for more than a year. The suborbital vehicle returned to flight this past December with an uncrewed mission.

NS-25 will be the first New Shepard launch since that December 2023 flight, and the first crewed mission for the vehicle since NS-22 in August 2022.
An orange crane sits above a large white building, surrounded by four towers of metal scaffolding.

China is making progress on two new pads for commercial space launches from the island of Hainan.

Launch Pad Number 1 at Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Center was completed late last year, while progress on a second pad has entered the equipment-installation phase and will be completed by the end of May.

The first pad will support high-frequency launches of the Long March 8 rocket. The second is designed to facilitate the launches of 19 different rockets operated by nine companies.

Related: China will launch giant, reusable rockets next year to prep for human missions to the moon

an orange crane sits above a large white building, surrounded by four towers of metal scaffolding

Together, the new launch pads will allow China to provide greater access to facilities for emerging commercial companies and increase its launch rate. They also give China another coastal spaceport (in addition to the Wenchang complex, also on Hainan), which means launch debris will fall into the ocean rather than on land, as occurs from the country's older, inland spaceports.

"Both Launch Pad No. 1 and Launch Pad No. 2 have been meticulously designed to accommodate over 10 different types of rockets from nine manufacturers," Bian Pengfei, project manager of Launch Pad 2, Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Co., Ltd., told China Central Television (CCTV).

"By maximizing the number of rocket launches, economies of scale can be achieved, leading to lower overall costs per launch. To optimize efficiency, both launch pads have been specifically designed to facilitate up to 16 launches per year, ensuring the maximum utilization of the facilities."

RELATED STORIES:

 Chinese company's reusable rocket prototype aces launch-and-landing test (photos)

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China's commercial companies  such as Landspace, Space Pioneer and Galactic Energy  have so far been restricted to launching from Jiuquan in the country's northwest. A handful of commercial launches have also been supported by sea launch facilities in Shandong province.

The country aims to launch around 100 times this year , with commercial launch providers to account for around 30 of these. The new pads and rocket companies could play a part in China's plans to launch its own megaconstellations, like Starlink, SpaceX's giant satellite-internet network in low Earth orbit.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  The Metrolina Association for the Blind is bringing a device to Charlotte to help people with visual impairments experience the solar eclipse on April 8.

Harvard University researchers developed a device called LightSound. It uses sonification and essentially converts light waves to sound waves, allowing people to hear the eclipse. A small box emits a sound that varies in pitch based on how much light it detects.

Engineers put together about 900 devices to ship out across the country for the astronomical event. They received requests for LightSound devices from more than 25,000 groups and individuals wanting to utilize the new technology.

Total solar eclipse forecast: Will your city have clear skies Monday?

Charlotte did not receive one of the 900 devices, but Jacob Clements and his colleagues at MAB found another way to obtain the tool.

We reached out to the areas next to us and found out that Kidzu Childrens Museum up in Chapel Hill had an extra device and they would let us use it for the solar eclipse, Clements said. So then were like, Alright, its game on.

MAB plans to host an eclipse experience event at the Eastway Regional Recreation Center. In addition to LightSound, theyll also have braille and large-print resources on hand from the College of Charleston that explain through texture what happens in the sky during an eclipse.

Clements said having a variety of resources is key for inclusivity.

Vision is so broad. Everyone sees very differently, he said. Not everyone that is blind or visually impaired knows Braille, so we cant just provide Braille.

MAB will also offer eclipse glasses to everyone, as people with challenges with vision can certainly still damage their eyes.

Clements said the event is for the entire community and encouraged all people, regardless of ability and age, to attend.

South Carolina school district cancels in-person classes for solar eclipse

Even though our mission is tailored to individuals that have challenges with vision, we made it accessible to everyone, he said. Youll be able to experience it and gain the knowledge.

He said he hopes to see a great turnout as many people had to come together to make the event possible.

Not even just in Mecklenburg County, we had to reach Charleston, South Carolina, we had Harvard help and then we also had Chapel Hill. Its kind of great to see everyone working together to bring this event together, Clements said.

MAB has served the greater Charlotte area since 1934.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Engineers are turning roads into 'green' infrastructure with game-changing benefits: 'Once there is a road, there is everything'

In many developing countries, unpaved roads are a liability, as they can quickly be made unusable by rain. But one group of engineers has figured out how to turn these roads from a liability to an asset.

A Dutch consulting firm called MetaMeta has been teaching people around the world about the concept of "Green Roads for Water," in which roads are designed or retrofitted to capture water and divert it for agricultural use.

Dutch geographer Frank Van Steenbergen arrived at the "Green Roads for Water" concept while working on irrigation projects in Pakistan in the 1990s. There, he saw and was inspired by "gabarbands," an ancient technique used by farmers to capture monsoon water using stone terraces.

Today, his company's techniques have spread to countries all across the world, including Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Somaliland, Tajikistan, Nepal, and Bolivia.

The techniques themselves are simple  engineers create earthen ridges called crossbars to guide water off the road and toward irrigation ditches. MetaMeta also extols the benefits of "borrow pits," artificial ponds left after gravel excavation that can be repurposed to store rainwater for the dry seasons.

The approach solves two problems at once: saving the roads from the effects of the water and providing crops with much-needed resources.

"It is often very non-glorious things that make the difference," Van Steenbergen said.

The Green Roads movement is happily coinciding with a sharp uptick of road building in developing countries  within the next couple of decades, tens of millions of miles of unpaved roads may be created.

In Nepal, thousands of road miles have been constructed since 2015. "Once there is a road, there is everything," said Saroj Yakami, an engineer who is leading the Green Roads movement in Nepal. "You can go to the hospital easily. You can get government services quickly. You can take your produce to the market."

MetaMeta's work has even caught the attention of the World Bank, which hired the company in 2021 to compile a set of guidelines and case studies about the practice.

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Good morning! Its Friday, April 5, 2024, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.



1st Gear: Ford Delays New Electric Truck To 2026

Its that time of the month when car makers across the U.S. tell us all about how great their sales are doing, unless theyre Tesla. At Ford, however, while it claimed the title of second-best-selling EV maker in the U.S. thanks to price cuts for its Mustang Mach-E, the blue oval took the opportunity to announce that, actually, its EVs arent doing great and its probably going to delay any new ones.

Weve had suspicions that this could be coming for a while, but this week Ford confirmed that its new electric truck wont launch until 2026 and a three-row electric SUV now wont hit the streets until 2027, reports the Guardian. The move comes as it makes the decision to delay new electric models and instead roll out a raft of hybrid cars into its lineup. As the Guardian explains:

The Dearborn, Michigan, company said on Thursday that a much ballyhooed new electric pickup to be built at a new factory in Tennessee will be delayed by a year until 2026. The big electric SUV, with three rows of seats, will be delayed by two years until 2027 at the companys factory in Oakville, Ontario, near Toronto. The retreat comes as US electric vehicle sales growth slowed to 2.7% in the first quarter of the year, far below the 47% increase that fueled record sales and a 7.6% market share last year. Sales of new vehicles overall grew nearly 5%, and the EV market share declined to 7.1%.

Sales of hybrid models, however, were up 45 percent in the first three months of 2024, reports the Guardian. As a result, Ford now confirmed that new hybrid models are coming to its lineup. According to Reuters, the Blue Oval has confirmed that it would be boosting hybrid electric vehicle offerings in the coming years, with ambitions to offer hybrid powertrains across its lineup by 2030.

Fords decision to focus its attention on hybrids comes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency softened its EV requirements last month. The new regulations soften the ramp up to electrification for manufacturers and further incentivized plug-in hybrid vehicles, reports Reuters.

2nd Gear: Volvo Is Doing Just Fine

While Ford has been struggling to shift its EVs, Volvo has benefited from its decision to add batteries to its cars for a record-breaking start to 2024 with the Swedish automaker posting 25 percent sales growth last month.

Volvo, which is majority-owned by Lotus owner Geely, sold more than 78,000 cars last month, reports CNBC News. The milestone marked a 25 percent increase over March 2024 and helped the automaker to post sales growth of 12 percent for the first three months of the year when compared with 2023. As CNBC reports:

Volvo Cars said that its new all-electric EX30 model had boosted growth and that it would focus on ramping up sales of the vehicle in the coming months. The companys year-on-year sales of electric vehicles in Europe were 22% higher in the quarter and up 34% year on year in March, roughly in line with overall sales growth in that market. Sales of electric models to China, the largest EV market, dropped by 36% despite a 4% hike in overall sales.

In the U.S., Volvos sales were up 17 percent in March. However, the company got there via a 44 percent increase in sales of hybrid models and a 65 percent dive in sales of all-electric cars.

Volvo will be hoping that its latest effort can help buck the trend of slowing EV sales, with the new EX30 electric SUV set to hit the streets of America later this year with its smaller price tag to help draw in those hesitant about the jump to battery power.

3rd Gear: Boeing Output Hits Single Digits

The slowdown in EV sales and production is shocking to see, but its nothing compared to the grinding halt that Boeing is coming to as a result of new measures put into place by the Federal Aviation Agency. The government body has imposed strict production caps on the troubled plane maker while it gets to the bottom of quality control issues that led to several high-profile mechanical failures in recent years.

Earlier this year, the FAA capped Boeings output at 38 planes per month, but Reuters reports that the company has fallen well below that and even hit single digits in March. While production slows at Boeing, the FAA is carrying out all manner of factory checks and analysis to see where Boeing is at. Reuters reports:

Boeing referred to comments by CFO Brian West who said last month it was taking comprehensive steps to strengthen quality and build confidence - including reducing the amount of so-called traveled or pending work - as the FAA increases audits. West told a Bank of America event that the FAA was deeply involved and undertaking a tougher audit than anything weve ever been through before. Boeing also says it has made efforts to reduce the amount of so-called traveled work - or planes moving down the line with jobs still needing to be fixed from earlier work stations. The effect is to slow overall production and, in turn, deliveries.

The slowdown at Boeing wont just affect its bottom line, however. Reuters warns that a drastically reduced output at the firms Seattle hub will hit airlines, who may be forced to spend more leasing planes - the increased cost of which could be passed on to travelers looking to book their next trip.

4th Gear: Mercedes Isnt Anti-Union, Says Mercedes

In the U.S., Mercedes-Benz is staring down the barrel of a union vote at its Alabama plant that will poll employees on membership of the United Auto Workers Union. Membership inthe union is a hot ticket these days, after it fought for big wins at Ford, Stellantis and General Motors last year, and president Shawn Fain pledged that the next time they negotiated a contract for the Big Three it could grow to a big five or six.

Now, after a vote was called at Mercedes Alabama plant, the German automaker has claimed that it definitely isnt anti-union, reports Automotive News. The allegations were banded around after the UAW filed charges against the Germany automaker for violating global supply chain practices in its home country. As Automotive News explains:

The UAW on Wednesday said it filed charges against Mercedes-Benz Group for violating Germanys global supply chain practices which prohibits German companies from disregarding workers rights to form trade unions. Workers at Mercedes-Benzs sprawling assembly and battery plant in Vance are organizing to join the UAW and have faced fierce backlash from company management, the union said in a statement.

In response, Mercedes said it couldnt comment on the matter as it had not received a complaint in Germany, reports the site. In a statement, Mercedes told Automotive News that it recognized the right of our employees to form employee representatives.

Reverse: This Could Really Blow Up

On The Radio: The Prodigy - Firestarter

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NADAs Mike Stanton says his organization is highly skeptical that consumers will adopt EVs anywhere near the levels required by the latest EPA rules.

Automaker lobbyist John Bozzella sees the automotive future as fully electric, without question, and says President Bidens adjustments were needed to give EV demand more time to kick in.

Climate activist Dan Becker thinks the EPAs final rules are, well, too cold, and will cede EV market share to Chinese manufacturers.



At a recent New York International Auto Show forum, Mike Stanton, president of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said the Environmental Protection Agency rules for electric cars, though relaxed from initial proposals, are not attainable, and dont fit consumer demand. He added that Americans dont like to be told what to do and that the car is a symbol of freedom.

In a statement to Autoweek, Stanton said the Biden administrations final rules remain too aggressive. He said, Our experience working with consumers every day makes us highly skeptical that consumers will adopt EVs anywhere near the levels required. The charging infrastructure is not ready, the current incentives are not sufficient, and high EV prices will price out millions of consumers, particularly low-income Americans, from the new-car market.

At the same auto show event, John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, took a more moderate tone. Representing automakers, he said simply that theres no question that the future is electric, but added that the growing EV market is spiky, and that Bidens adjustments were needed to give EV demand more time to kick in.



What automakers are trying to do is exponentially harder than what was done before. Moderating the pace of EV adoption between 2027 and 2030 was the right call, Bozzella said.

To borrow from the Three Bears, Stanton and the dealers say the EPAs EV porridge is too hot, and Bozzella and at least some of his member automakers think its just right. But another voice, Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys Safe Climate Transport Campaign, thinks those final rules are, well, too cold, and will cede EV market share to the Chinese.

If American manufacturers fail to make EVs, then nobody should be surprised that [leading Chinese EV producer] BYD decides to sell to the American market and takes jobs and profits back to China, Becker said. The Chinese will build factories in Canada, in Mexico, and wherever they can. Its not doing Detroit a favor to help its automakers not make EVs.

Jim Motavalli

Indeed, after BYD, now the worlds leading EV producer, said it would build a plant in Mexico, protectionist pressure started heating up. BYD said the Mexican EVs arent headed to the US, but many politicians and the Alliance for American Manufacturing trade group are skeptical. The Alliance called for exclusionary tariffs on all Chinese automobile imports to the United States, including both electric vehicles and internal-combustion engine vehicles.



Donald Trump recently said, Bidens all-electric mandate is by very stupid people. They dont go far, they cost too much, and theyre all going to be made in China.

Is it possible that a combination of protectionist policies and relaxed (or no) EPA rules would increase the chances that the US EV market will be dominated by the Chinese? It seems likely. But the alarmist reports about Chinese EVs may be a bit premature, says Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for transportation and mobility at Guidehouse Insights.

The Chinese automakers, while trying to expand outside China, have been focusing more on Europe and Latin America, Abuelsamid said. Theres a lot more immediate opportunity for them in those markets. I do think well see the Chinese brands trying to break in, but its not imminent. I think it will happen near the end of the decade. Abuelsamid also points out that Chinese EVs will have to be built to US safety standards, and that means theyll likely no longer have the eye-popping low prices seen on EVs in China and Mexico.



The slowing growth of EV sales in the US has made headlines, giving ammunition to naysayers. But its not a massive slowdown: EVs broke global sales records in 2023, and in the US there was an almost 50% sales increase year over year from 2022to 1.1 million units. Bloomberg predicts a smaller 32% EV sales increase in 2024. What business person wouldnt give their eye teeth for half that rate of sales growth? Becker said.

EV sales broke a million for the first time, Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Campaign, told Autoweek. Thats an accomplishmentits record setting.

The Sierra Club published a 2023 report that found 66% of the auto dealerships surveyed had no EVs for sale on their lots. With supply chains still hindered, the report said 44% of those car-less dealers would have offered EVs if theyd been able to get them.

The availability issue, the report said, was worst in the Midwest, but not great elsewhere. With many new models coming out, an easing of the supply problems, and greater visibility for EVs, the picture is likely to have improved somewhat since the 2023 reports research was done.

Garcia said despite NADAs skepticism, some dealers are supportive of the federal and state incentives and are eager to sell EVs. She said that Sierras initiatives are helping manufacturers educate their dealers about the benefits of driving EVs, answer questions about the charging infrastructure, and explain the available subsidies. Similarly, advocacy group Plug In America operates the PlugStar EV Vehicle Sales Training campaign.

Jim Motavalli

Theres a lot of activity and movement around EVs, and plenty of interest at the New York auto show, Rebecca Lindland, senior director of industry data and insights at Cars Commerce, told Autoweek. Theres twice as many EVs in the market as there were two years ago. But the automakers are struggling a bit with consumer adoption, which is why we saw the relaxation of the regulations.

The slowing growth is certainly real, but its manifesting in unusual ways, including price cuts that benefit consumers whove had a hard time finding affordable EVsand a healthier used market.

According to Cars Commerces February insight report, New and used EVs are also experiencing yin and yang, as demand for new EVs continues to slow while interest in used EVs continues to grow. Were seeing OEMs recalibrating their EV strategy, exploring hybrids and fuel-efficient gas options as new EVs sit on dealer lots longer.

Lindland said interest in plug-in hybrids is high, because people can get used to plugging in without making a full commitment to electric only. Just as they had to get used to plugging in phones, they have to get used to plugging in cars.

And they need to drive them. The auto show addresses this with an EV test track that has been quite popular. First-weekend ridership [at the track] is up 78% this year compared to the tracks relaunch in 2022, NYIAS said. Participating automakers include Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Lexus, Lucid, Nissan, and Volkswagen. Hyundai incorporated an indoor track at its stand. The NY auto show ends this Sunday.

At the shows EV panel, Elizabeth Krear, vice president of EV practice at JD Power, said only 23% of buyers intend an EV to be their next car, but interest goes up 50% if they ride in one. JD Power said in March the EV market share will reach 12.4% in 2024, up from 7.6% last year. Thats a 63% gain, but down 0.8% from Powers original projection.

Cox Automotive is bullish on the future for electrified vehicles. It said in its January forecast that it sees a path for EVs, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids to attain almost 24% of the market, with EVs alone accounting for more than 10% of total sales.

Do you consider auto shows, whether in the US or overseas, an important tool to boost EV sales? Please comment below.


In 2021, Sysco became the first U.S. foodservice distributor to set a science-based climate goal to reduce our emissions by 27.5% by 2030. One component of our climate goal is electrifying a portion of our fleet, and our partnership with the State of Colorado is key to helping us acheive this. Deploying EVs is not only great for the environment but for our customers, the local community and our delivery partners as well. We are excited to join the Governor and members of the Colorado General Assembly to celebrate the arrival of 10 electric semi-trucks at Sysco Denver. Sysco is proud to be the first to adopt an electric heavy-duty fleet at this scale, and we are grateful for the partnership with the State of Colorado which helped make this initiative possible.

Neil Russell, Sysco Chief Administration Officer
An IBM logo is pictured in front of the IBM branch in Ehningen. The Spanish government has signed a deal with US computer giant IBM Corp for the New York-based firm to develop foundational models of artificial intelligence (AI) for not only Spanish but for co-official langugages, such as Catalan, Basque, Galician, and Valencian. Silas Stein/dpa

The Spanish government has signed a deal with US computer giant IBM Corp for the New York-based firm to develop foundational models of artificial intelligence (AI) for not only Spanish but for co-official langugages, such as Catalan, Basque, Galician, and Valencian.

In addition, the two parties inked a Memorandum of Understanding or MoU to promote their collaboration in AI and AI supercomputing, advance the development and practical deployment of open, ethical and responsible generative AI in Spain.

The MoU also aims to share the vision to create a suite of foundation models including both large language models or LLMs and small language models, proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages.

"One of the priority areas under this MoU is to collaborate in a leading suite of foundation models, including both large language models or LLMs and small language models or SLMs, proficient in the Spanish language and co-official languages," the company said.

The collaboration also reflects the intention to develop AI to support the discovery, development, and validation of new materials to increase the sustainability of the semiconductors value chain.
An op-ed column published by the Kansas Reflector that criticized Meta was blocked through late afternoon Friday on Facebook and Threads  even after the tech giant had apologized for blocking the nonprofit news groups entire website the day before in what it characterized as a mistake unrelated to the contents of the column.

In addition, Meta subsequently blocked all links to journalist Marisa Kabas website The Handbasket for several hours on Friday, after she republished the op-ed with permission of the Reflector.

Meta quietly stopped blocking access to The Handbasket around 1:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Around 3:oo p.m., access to the original op-ed on the Kansas Reflector website was also restored.

Representatives for the company didnt immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap, but shortly before 3:00 p.m., Meta spokesperson Andy Stone asserted these blocks were due to a security error that mistakenly prompted the blocking of links to News From The States and The Handbasket.

On Thursday morning, the Kansas Reflector posted a column by Dave Kendall titled, When Facebook fails, local media matters even more for our planets future. The column criticized the tech giant for refusing to promote his climate change documentary, writing that Meta deems climate change too controversial for discussion on their platforms.

The implications of such policies for our democracy are alarming, Kendall wrote. Why should corporate entities be able to dictate what type of speech or content is acceptable?

After the column was published, all posts linking to the Kansas Reflectors website were removed by Facebook. This not only impacted the outlets account but also anyone who had ever shared a story from the Reflector.

The outlet received notifications that their posts on Facebook had violated community guidelines on cybersecurity.

The Reflector then published a story on the developing situation and posted it to X, where Meta communications director Andy Stone replied that the ban was accidental and denied that it was related to the critical column.

This was an error that had nothing to do with the Reflectors recent criticism of Meta, Stone wrote on X. It has since been reversed and we apologize to the Reflector and its readers for the mistake.

Then on Friday, Kabas republished the op-ed on The Handbasket under the title Heres the column Meta doesnt want you to see, which she subsequently posted on Threads. Meta then removed that post and began blocking all links to The Handbasket, not just the op-ed, with messages falsely labeling it spam or a warning that the link may be malicious.

The Handbasket labeled as Spam on Facebook

The post Meta Blocks Kansas Reflector and MSNBC Columnist Over Op-Ed Criticizing Facebook appeared first on TheWrap.
In October 2023, a trio of sounding rockets traveled more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) into the ionosphere before returning safely back to the Earth 's surface. Now, they're getting ready for their second flight.

NASA's Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) mission  named for the Egyptian god of darkness and enemy of the sun god, Ra  will launch the three sounding rockets back into the moon 's shadow during the April 8 total solar eclipse . The goal is to study potential disturbances in the ionosphere during a solar eclipse .

"Its an electrified region that reflects and refracts radio signals, and also impacts satellite communications as the signals pass through, team lead Aroh Barjatya of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida said in a statement . Understanding the ionosphere and developing models to help us predict disturbances is crucial to making sure our increasingly communication-dependent world operates smoothly.

Related: Why Im staying home for the April 8 solar eclipse

After launch, the rockets will travel up to 260 miles (420 km) into the ionosphere, each ejecting four secondary instruments that will collect information about charged and neutral particle density before, during and after the eclipse.

This isn't APEP's first rodeo. The mission's first launch occurred the 2023 annular eclipse  a dress rehearsal of sorts before the upcoming total solar eclipse. During that test, the rockets recorded interesting data: a dramatic drop in the ionosphere's charged particle density that could cause disruptions to space-based communication systems.

We saw the perturbations capable of affecting radio communications in the second and third rockets, but not during the first rocket that was before peak local eclipse, said Barjatya. We are super excited to relaunch them during the total eclipse, to see if the perturbations start at the same altitude and if their magnitude and scale remain the same.

Related stories:

 Total solar eclipse 2024: Live updates

 Total solar eclipse 2024: How to watch online for free

 NASA rockets search for hurricane-like swirls at the edge of space

While the first launch took place at New Mexico's White Sands Test Facility, Monday's launch will occur at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. If you happen to be in the vicinity, you can watch the launch in person between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time. But if you'd like to tune into the launch from afar, NASA will broadcast it on the Wallops YouTube channel .
Stellantis isn't exactly known for a wholehearted embrace of an all-EV future. Even as the company's share of the marketplace grows, CEO Carlos Tavares has publicly questioned aspects of battery-electric transportation , from charging infrastructure to battery weight. A recent sponsored event may shed light on Stellantis skepticism.

At this year's Freedom of Mobility Forum , Stellantis revealed the results of an exclusive survey . In partnership with market research experts at YouGov, the company polled 5,095 people in five countries seen to represent the full scope of global motor transport: Brazil, France, India, Morocco, and the United States.

The report covered a lot of ground, but its guiding question was "How will our planet accommodate the mobility needs of 8 billion people?" The answer proved to be pretty complex.

Some results were predictable. Three of four respondents globally described themselves as "ready to change" their transportation habits, but far fewer had actually started doing so in a profound wayless than 10%. On average, older buyers and people in rural areas were more skeptical of greener transportation like EVs, while young people in cities were more inclined to go that route. Younger and more urban populations were also more willing to give up "driver-only" transport like cars and motorcycles in favor of mass transit. So far, straightforward.

Those results were dependent on wide-spectrum averages, however. Drill down, and the data gets complicated. The U.S., for example, was singlehandedly responsible for dragging down the overall percentage of older people willing to transition to mass transit: At just 24%, American Boomers were not having it. Older respondents in every other country were as pro-mass transit as younger ones. In Brazil, India, and Morocco, elders led the charge, with 70-80% of older people ready to give up their cars in favor of mass transit.

The question of which stakeholders had the most power to drive change to greener transportation also came with distinct national divides. Everyone placed the government in the top three, but other opinions differed. France and the U.S. ranked corporations as major players. Brazil and Morocco favored the media. India put young people at the top of the charts.

In short, if there is a simple, data-driven answer to the question of "are EVs the future?" this survey doesn't have it. Instead, it's a neat, well-presented summary of the complexities a global brand like Stellantis has to navigate to turn a profit.

Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com
China Everbright Water (SGX:U9E) Full Year 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: HK$6.70b (flat on FY 2022).

Net income: HK$1.19b (up 18% from FY 2022).

Profit margin: 18% (up from 15% in FY 2022).

EPS: HK$0.41 (up from HK$0.35 in FY 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

China Everbright Water shares are up 2.3% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for China Everbright Water (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
PEOPLE 100 Companies That Care Deloitte has been recognized again as one of PEOPLE Magazines 100 Companies that Care in 2024. This exclusive recognition is given to organizations that foster a culture around respect, care, and concern for their employees, their communities, and the environment. This is Deloittes 6th time being named to this prestigious list, which is based in part on over 1.3 million employee survey responses from companies representing the experience of more than 8.2 million employees.



PEOPLEs Companies That Care Logo is a registered trademark of; TI Gotham, Inc., a Dotdash Meredith company. Used under license.



Fortune Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services Deloitte has been named one of the Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services again by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work This designation was determined by surveying more than 157,000 employees at US consulting and professional services organizations to discover which ones rose above their peers in creating and supporting an excellent workplace.



From Fortune. 2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.



Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards Deloitte has been recognized with an astonishing 62 awardsincluding 24 Gold medalsfor excellence in learning and development by the Brandon Hall Group as part of their 2024 Human Capital Management (HCM) Excellence Awards program. This recognition across a variety of our learning programs underscores Deloitte's commitment to innovation and belief that our people are our greatest asset.



Fortune Best Workplaces for Millennials Deloitte is proud to be on the Fortune Best Workplaces for Millennials List for 2024. This highly competitive list reflects Deloittes continued commitment to supporting, nurturing and developing its workforce, while focusing on the quality and consistency of our peoples experiences across the different generations.



From Fortune. 2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.



Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For For 25 years, Deloitte has been recognized as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the U.S. by Fortune Magazine. This list of employers is based on a comprehensive survey of professionals across the U.S. that measures what makes a great workplace, and the behaviors that drive trust in management, connection with colleagues, and loyalty to the company. Deloitte is ranked #13 in 2024, and we are extremely proud of this long-standing recognition of our award-winning workplace!



From Fortune. 2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.



Careers and the disABLED Top Employer Deloitte is at the top of the list of companies readers of CAREERS & the disABLED magazine would most like to work, or believe would provide a progressive environment for people with disabilities. Our #1 ranking reinforces our commitment to sustaining an inclusive workplace for all.



Glassdoor Best Places to Work 2024 Glassdoor evaluates company reviews shared by current and former employees over the past year. Deloitte is proud to be recognized again as a Best Place to Work among U.S. companies with more than 1,000 employees.



Best Workplaces for Parents Deloitte has been named one of the 2023 Best Workplaces for Parents again in 2023. The annual list, assembled by Great Place to Work, showcases workplaces that fully support working parents through flexible scheduling, supportive coworkers, an emphasis on balance, and more.



Fortune Worlds Best Workplaces Fortune and Great Place to Work have recognized Deloitte as one of the World's Best Workplaces, placing us among the top 10 companies in the world. We are ranked #6 on this year's list. From Fortune. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.



Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion Deloitte earned top marks (100%) on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index for the 17th consecutive year, earning us a designation of being a 2023 Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion recipient. HRC's criteria for earning a perfect score includes a rigorous assessment of an organization's policies and practices which fall under four central pillars: non-discrimination workplace protections, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ professionals and their families, supporting an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility.



Military-Friendly & Military Spouse-Friendly Employer Deloitte was recognized on the 2024 Military Friendly Employer and Military Friendly Employer for Spouses lists. This designation recognizes organizations who demonstrate a commitment to the military community via recruiting, hiring, and training of veterans and military spouses; support of veteran-owned businesses; and charitable investment.



Best for Vets Deloitte was included in the 2023 Best for Vets ranking. This survey is the most comprehensive annual ranking of the country's best employers and organizations with military-connected employment programs, benefits, and support efforts.



Fortune Best Workplaces for Women Deloitte is proud of our continued recognition as one of Fortune magazine's Best Workplaces for Women. 2023 marks our seventh consecutive year on this prestigious list, which recognizes the nations top companies for hiring, retaining, and advancing women, as reported by women themselves.



From Fortune. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.



Vault Accounting 25 Deloitte was ranked the #1 Most Prestigious Accounting Firm and #2 overall on the list of Top Accounting Firms on the 2024 Vault Accounting 25 list. To compile the ranking, Vault surveyed accounting professionals on the issues that job seekers care about such as culture, prestige, job satisfaction, compensation, and work-life integration.



Equal Opportunitys Top 50 Employers Readers of Equal Opportunity have selected Deloitte as the top private sector employer in the U.S. Each year, the magazine conducts a Readers Choice survey to ask which employers their readers would most like to work for, or believe would provide a positive working environment for members of minority groups. Deloitte was the most frequently cited employer in this years survey, landing us at #1 in 2024.





Disability Equality Indexs Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion" Deloitte was once again recognized by the Disability Equality Index (DEI) on its 2024 list of Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion. Deloitte received a 100% score on the index for taking measurable, tangible actions that help achieve disability inclusion and equality. Organizations who participated in the DEI received a score from 0 to 100 based on culture and leadership, employment practices, enterprise-wide access, community engagement, and supplier diversity.


The Hungarian government has taken further steps in recent weeks so that we can again talk about mutual trust in Hungary-Ukraine relations, the foreign minister said on Facebook.

Peter Szijjarto mentioned, for example, changes to the interstate agreement on border crossing, adding that the changes would help eliminate unfair situations at the border between the two countries.



We are looking forward to tomorrows meeting of the Hungarian-Ukrainian education team with hope, since the most important task is to restore the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia to education and the use of their mother tongue, the minister said.



Referring to an infrastructure development project at Fenyeslitke crossing station, Szijjarto said it would facilitate reloading an annual one million containers or three million tonnes of grain and cooking oil, which could contribute to maintaining Ukraines exports to Europe.



In another Facebook entry Szijjarto mentioned Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, and said we have set the goal to give new momentum to the cooperation between Hungary and Canada.



He noted Hungarys upcoming European Union presidency and that Canada would be the rotating president of the G7 next year.



Our defence cooperation is an important pillar of Hungarys security, Szijjarto said, and noted that Canada had provided training to Hungarian fighter pilots in recent years and that the Hungarian military had purchased its air defence radar systems partly from Canada.



Both countries are in the nuclear camp, with nuclear energy having an over 10% share [in total consumption] and we have agreed that we would exploit opportunities in research and development cooperation, the minister said.



Szijjarto also said Hungarys exports to Canada, mainly food products, exceeded an annual 450 million dollars, adding that it was a great record.



Szijjarto: Hungary, Ukraine to Sign Border Traffic Pact



Hungary and Ukraine is expected to sign a border traffic agreement on Monday, paving the way to opening a new crossing between the two countries, the foreign minister said.



Noting a meeting in Uzhorod (Ungvar) earlier this year, and the decision to set up a working group to find a way to restore all rights of the Hungarian community they have been stripped of  since 2015, Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook that we sat down, virtually, in Budapest, Kyiv, Brussels and Uzhorod on Thursday to continue the work we started.



He said that at the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, and presidential office head Andriy Yirmak in January, we put our expectations down in an 11-point list of steps necessary for  restoring the Hungarian ethnic communitys rights connected to preserving their identity and use of the mother tongue.



The border traffic agreement expanding capacity at the existing crossings and opening a new one will provide a good baseline of trust for that process, he added.



Szijjarto: Hungary-Ukraine Education Team 'Fails to Bring Positions Closer'



The education working group set up by the Hungarian and Ukrainian governments has met once again but failed to bring positions closer, the foreign minister said in Brussels on Thursday, adding that Hungary insists that the rights Ukraines Hungarian minority should be fully restored.



Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, Peter Szijjarto said the serious issue with Kyiv concerning the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia is still unresolved.



We insist that Ukraine restore rights to the Hungarian community that they had nine years ago, guaranteeing  the preservation of their Hungarian identity, Szijjarto said, adding that they should be able use their mother tongue in educational and cultural settings, as well as in public administration and the media.



We cannot accept less. Our Ukrainian partners are aware of that, even if they sometimes pretend not to be, Szijjarto said, adding that the Hungarian government had consistently promoted its position in the past nine years.



The minister said it was good news, however, that the Hungary-Ukraine working group will resume meeting next week, with leaders of the two sides also meeting personally, which could hopefully bring us closer to the reversal of the curbing of those rights For now it still seems far away, but the fact of talks being held at all should be considered good news.



The minister said that when NATO evaluates Ukraines progress, Hungary would pay great attention to these aspects.



When evaluating Ukraines performance we cannot overlook the fact that the Hungarian ethnic community in Transcarpathia has not yet been granted the rights it was earlier stripped of Our allies must be aware of that. Hungary will insist at every international forum that the Trancarpathian community gets those rights back, he said.



Meanwhile, Szijjarto said protests and blockades staged by Polish farmers had rendered trade across the Ukraine-Poland border practically impossible, resulting in pressure greater than ever on Hungarys border with Ukraine.



This creates unfair conditions: trucks leaving Ukraine often have to wait 14-16 days before crossing, which poses a serious  difficulties for the Hungarian economy, as many Hungarian companies are dependent on trade between Hungary and Ukraine, he said, calling for a reducion of waiting times.



I want to firmly state that [Hungary] is not importing agricultural produce; Hungary is maintaining its ban on Ukrainian grain  since protecting the interests of Hungarian farmers is a priority, he said.



Hungarys ambassador to Ukraine will sign an agreement next Monday on opening a new crossing station between Nagyhodos in Hungary and Velyka Palad (Nagypalad) in Ukraine, Szijjarto said, adding that local Hungarians in Ukraine had a long-standing request for such a facility.



Moreover, unloaded trucks will be given an opportunity to cross at Beregsurany, which will reduce the problems of Hungarian companies relying on imports from Ukraine, he added.



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CoinsDo

All Paris Blockchain Week attendees can visit booth 72, where their team will be available to discuss how CoinsDo's solutions can benefit your business, answer any questions, and explore potential collaborations.

Singapore, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CoinsDo, a leadng Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) provider for institutional crypto asset management, is excited to announce its participation in the upcoming Paris Blockchain Week from 9-11 April before heading off to Token 2049 in Dubai after.





With the crypto asset management market expected to surge from USD0.4 billion in 2021 to an estimated USD1.2 billion by 2026, growing at a compounded annual rate of 21.5%, this convention is the perfect venue for CoinsDo to showcase its comprehensive suite of solutions designed to revolutionize how businesses manage digital assets.

Attendees will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the power of CoinGet, CoinSend, and CoinSign  their flagship products that streamline digital asset deposits, enable automated payouts, and ensure secure transactions, respectively. Cumulatively, their solutions have generated over 60 million unique wallet addresses and processed more than USD2b in transactions since 2017, notably without a single security breach during that time.

Powered by cutting-edge MPC (Multi-Party Computation) technology, our solutions remain secure and scalable even as the market grows at an extraordinary pace. We're proud to showcase how CoinsDo is setting new standards for institutional crypto asset management, and we look forward to forming meaningful relationships as we enter the web3 future, said Weh Ming, Business Development Manager at CoinsDo.

All Paris Blockchain Week attendees can visit booth 72, where their team will be available to discuss how CoinsDo's solutions can benefit your business, answer any questions, and explore potential collaborations.



About CoinsDo

CoinsDo is a leading Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) provider for institutional crypto asset management based in Singapore. With a focus on security and scalability, CoinsDo provides the financial infrastructure that companies and individuals alike require to enter and thrive in the web3 space.

Website: https://www.coinsdo.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoinsDogroup

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coinsdo/about/





Tan Weh Ming

Business at coinsdo.com







CONTACT: Tan Weh Ming Business at coinsdo.com




On display until 25 August. Works by Hungarian photographers who became famous in the United States will be on display in Budapests Museum of Fine Arts.

Some 170 photographs by Andre Kertesz, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Robert Capa and Martin Munkacsi and others have been selected for the exhibition organised in cooperation with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.



This will be the first comprehensive exhibition of US-Hungarian photographers, Laszlo Baan, the head of the museum, told journalists viewing the show.



Baan added that the photographs have been borrowed from 17 collections in the US, primarily from the Virginia museum.



The pictures by the 32 photographers exhibited were taken in the period between the outbreak of the first world war and 1989, in Hungary, Berlin, Paris and the US.



More about the exhibition from Museum of Fine Arts:

The new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts is the first comprehensive presentation of the work of Hungarian emigre photographers in America.



Realised in conjunction with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the large-scale exhibition featuring more than 30 photographers, including Andre Kertesz, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Martin Munkacsi and Robert Capa, seeks to present the extraordinarily rich Hungarian-American photographic legacy through the works of world-renowned artists and those less known in Hungary displayed side by side.



The exhibition is organised as part of the Bartok Spring International Art Weeks.



Visitors can see a representativ selection from the oeuvres of Hungarian photographers who made America their home during the period historians often call the short twentieth century.



The exhibition displays more than 170 works by 32 prominent Hungarian emigre artists who settled in America. Although not all of them achieved international fame, they all played a significant role in their respective photographic genres in America.



The influence of Hungarian emigres on twentieth century photography is enormous.



The impact of Robert Capa alone is impressive, but that of Andre Kertesz, Gyorgy Kepes and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy is equally significant.



These artists directly or indirectly influenced a host of important photographers, from Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon and Aaron Siskind to Harry Callahan and Ray K. Metzker.



Modernism and surrealism are deeply rooted in the aesthetic and technical approach of numerous Hungarian-born American photographers. Their impact on photography in the twentieth century is undeniable.



The influence of the Hungarian-American photographic connection and the Hungarian-born photographers who emigrated to America has been examined by few publications.



Alex Nyerges, the director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, has been studying the Hungarian-American photographic connection for a decade, and the results of his research are presented for the first time here, at the Budapest exhibition.



In eight chapters, the exhibition examines the impact of Hungarian-born artists on American photography from their early careers in Hungary through Berlin and Paris, all the way to New York, Chicago and Hollywood.



The presentation of this immense legacy takes visitors through various locations, as well as through the genres of photojournalism and fashion photography.



The photographic selection made by the American and Hungarian curators is supplemented by photographs coming from Hungarian public and private collections to further diversify the displayed material.



Exhibition will run until 25 August



Click here to know more about the exhibition at Museum of Fine Budapest



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Attention movie lovers! Get ready for a cinematic adventure as the new financial year begins with a bang. A massive selection of films is hitting your nearest theatres this week. With over 30 captivating releases across various genres, you can embark on a thrilling adventure. Whether youre in the mood for thrilling action, heart-warming romance, or intriguing mysteries, this week has something tailored just for you!

We have put together a selection of must-see movies to enhance your movie-watching experience. Get ready, choose your favourites, and prepare for an unforgettable weekend! You can make your weekdays even more remarkable by watching these fantastic releases at your nearest theater.

Here are the curated picks for this week:

1. One Life

Inspired by Barbara Wintons book, If Its Not Impossible...: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton, "One Life is a gripping tale about Nicholas Winton, a young London broker who rescues hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Prague in the 1930s. The film chronicles his journey, and later, in the 1980s, an older Nickey struggles with guilt and grief until he reconnects with the children he saved on a BBC show. The film features outstanding performances from Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jonathan Pryce. It is directed by James Hawes and edited by Lucia Zucchetti.

2. The First Omen

A young American woman, filled with devout dreams, sets off for Rome to dedicate her life to the Church. But the Eternal City holds a darkness far deeper than the ancient shadows that lace its cobblestone streets. As she ventures deeper into her newfound faith, a chilling truth unravels. A sinister force tests her unwavering belief. The First Omen, a prequel to The Omen franchise, promises a terrifying descent into the origins of pure evil. Rising star Nell Tiger Free leads a cast bolstered by established names like Bill Nighy. Arkasha Stevenson, director of episodes from the acclaimed horror series Channel Zero, co-writes and directs alongside Tim Smith.

3. Love Lies Bleeding

Rose Glass's sophomore directorial is an electrifying new romance.Introverted gym manager Lou finds herself enamoured by Jackie, a driven bodybuilder en route to Vegas to chase her aspirations. However, their passionate bond triggers turmoil, entangling them in the intricate network of Lou's criminal kin. Scripted by Glass herself, the film boasts an impressive ensemble cast featuring Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone, and Anna Baryshnikov. Through riveting performances and an aesthetically compelling narrative, the movie delves into the tumultuous dynamics of relationships, leaving a profound impact on its viewers.

4. Good Luck

Good Luck promises to deliver laughter and chaos as it unveils the unexpected tale of Angoori, a 75-year-old woman who sends her family into a comedic frenzy by unexpectedly becoming pregnant. This Hindi comedy is directed by Prakhar Shrivastava and features a stellar cast, including Brijendra Kala, Tulika Banerjee, Malti Mathur, and Azad Jain. As Angooris pregnancy sparks hilarity and confusion, the film delves into themes of family dynamics and societal expectations, offering a light-hearted yet insightful exploration of lifes unpredictability.

5. The Family Star

The much-awaited family entertainer romantic comedy starring Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur in lead roles follows Govardhan, a middle-class man, navigating family responsibilities. Directed by ParasuramPetla, the film marks the first collaboration between Vijay and Mrunal and Vijays second film with Parasuram after the highly successful 2018 film Geetha Govindam. The film also stars Abhinaya, Vasuki, Rohini Hattangadi, and Ravi Babu and has special appearances by RashmikaMandanna and Divyanka Kaushik. Produced by Dil Raju, this multilingual release (Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi) will entertain you this week.
NEW DELHI: A day after his release from jail, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh held a press conference on Friday during which he claimed that a ''conspiracy'' was orchestrated by senior leaders of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to arrest his party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case. Singh accused the BJP of involvement in the Delhi Excise Policy scam, suggesting that high-ranking members of the party were complicit in the alleged wrongdoing.

Magunta Reddy Forced To Accuse Kejriwal: Sanjay Singh

Singh highlighted the case of Magunta Reddy and his son Raghav Magunta, asserting that their statements underwent significant alterations under duress. According to Singh, Magunta Reddy initially provided statements that did not implicate Kejriwal but changed his stance following his son's arrest and prolonged detention. Similarly, Raghav Magunta allegedly altered his testimony after enduring months of incarceration, eventually inculpating Kejriwal in the purported conspiracy.

#WATCH | Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh says, "There is one person, Magunta Reddy, who gave 3 statements, his son Raghav Magunta gave 7 statements. On 16th September, when he (Magunta Reddy) was first asked by ED whether he knew Arvind Kejriwal, he told the truth and said pic.twitter.com/YzyPrZxYAQ  ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2024

Selective Editing by Authorities

Singh accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of selectively removing statements that did not implicate Kejriwal, thereby allegedly manipulating the narrative to suit their agenda. He claimed that the agency disregarded testimonies that exonerated Kejriwal while emphasizing those that inculpated him, insinuating bias in the investigative process.

ED Raids And Alleged Intimidation

Singh further alleged that individuals who initially denied any association with Kejriwal were coerced into incriminating him after facing prolonged detention and intimidation tactics by investigative authorities. He cited the case of Sarath Reddy, whose prolonged detention allegedly led to a change in his testimony, implicating Kejriwal under duress.

#WATCH | Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh says, "...There is a person Sarath Reddy, whose residence was raided on 9th November 2022. When he was asked if he knew Arvind Kejriwal, he denied it and said that he had never met him. 12 statements of Sarath Reddy were recorded pic.twitter.com/zdynwMchhS  ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2024

Following his release, Singh visited a Hanuman temple in Connaught Place, where he prayed for wisdom to prevail within the BJP-led central government. Additionally, he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Singh's post-release activities included a meeting with Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Arrest Of Delhi CM

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the excise policy case. The trial court on April 1, sent Arvind Kejriwal to Judicial Custody till April 15, 2024. ED alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam. The agency claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the excise policy.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped. While Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED's chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

Nair was among the first people to be arrested by the CBI in the case, in 2022. Subsequently, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the case.
New Delhi: In a significant development, the Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Friday granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha during her judicial custody in Tihar Jail in connection with the Delhi Liquor Policy case. This decision comes following an application filed by the CBI, seeking permission to question Kavitha regarding WhatsApp chats recovered from Buchi Babu's phone and documents related to a land deal, which allegedly involved a payment of Rs 100 crores to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in kickbacks.

#ExcisePolicyCase | @CBIHeadquarters seeks permission to interrogate/record BRS leader #KKavitha in Tihar Jail



K Kavitha is currently in judicial custody and was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. pic.twitter.com/wBXN56tLpB  DD News (@DDNewslive) April 5, 2024

Court Considers CBI's Plea

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, after considering the submissions made by the CBI, allowed the petition and granted permission for CBI officials to visit Tihar Jail for the purpose of questioning Kavitha. The CBI issued a notice to Kavitha under Section 41A Cr.P.C. on February 20, 2024, asking her to join the investigation on February 26, 2024. However, she failed to do so and was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15, 2024, in connection with a related case. Since Kavitha is believed to be involved in the evidence uncovered during further investigation, the court deemed it necessary for her to be examined.

Kavitha was sent to judicial custody till April 9, 2024, by the Rouse Avenue Court on March 26, 2024, following her arrest in connection with a case related to the Delhi excise policy.

Allegations Against K Kavitha

The ED's investigation alleges that Kavitha, along with others, conspired with top AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to obtain favours in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise policy. In exchange for these favours, it is claimed that she was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to AAP leaders.

The investigation further suggests that corrupt practices were involved in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, leading to the generation of illegal funds in the form of kickbacks for AAP. The ED claims that Kavitha and her associates were tasked with recovering the ''proceeds of the crime'' paid to AAP and generating further profits from the conspiracy.

ED Investigation Into The Case

The ED has conducted extensive searches across the country, including in Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Mumbai, resulting in the arrest of several individuals, including AAP members. Additionally, the agency has filed multiple complaints and chargesheets in the case, with assets worth Rs 128.79 crore traced and attached.

Both the CBI and the ED have alleged irregularities in the modification of the Excise Policy, including undue favours to license holders, waiver or reduction of license fees, and extension of licenses without proper approvals. The investigation also uncovered instances of false entries in accounting books to evade detection of illegal gains.
India has long been suffering from terrorists due to Pakistan. Despite India's strong objection and action against terrorists, Pakistan continues to export terrorists to India to carry out attacks. In the last few years, several reports claimed that around 20 terrorists were killed by 'unknown men' in Pakistan. Islamabad had accused India of carrying out these targeted killings, an allegation denied by New Delhi. A similar claim was made by British daily The Guardian citing Pakistani officials. In today's DNA, Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the claims made by the newspaper and the newspaper's anti-India stand.

The Guardian, a British newspaper, has published a report on the target killings in Pakistan, alleging India's involvement in these murders. The report states that agents of India's secret agency RAW are carrying out target killings in Pakistan. The report published by The Guardian against India, we will tell you its essence in 5 points.

Watch Full DNA Episode Here

Look at the irony here, the documents received by The Guardian from Pakistan and based on which the entire report was published. In that report, The Guardian has mentioned that it has not verified the documents received from Pakistan. Meaning, without verifying the story created by Pakistan regarding the target killings in the country, The Guardian published it and accused India.

India has responded to these allegations, The Guardian itself has published a quote from Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's statement in its report, stating that carrying out target killings is not part of India's foreign policy. He said that India knows how to deal with its enemies, but carrying out target killings is not part of India's foreign policy.

Whenever Pakistan has indulged in nefarious activities, India has openly taken action and has even acknowledged it. In 2016, the Indian Army conducted a surgical strike in Pakistan, destroying terrorists and their hideouts. While in 2019, India conducted an airstrike in Balakot.
New Delhi: In a move that has sparked political firestorms and public outcry, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday openly criticized the national broadcaster Doordarshans decision to air the contentious film The Kerala Story. The Chief Ministers condemnation comes amidst concerns that the films telecast could inflame communal tensions, particularly with the Lok Sabha elections on the horizon. Vijayan called upon Doordarshan to retract its decision, cautioning against transforming the public service broadcaster into a vehicle for BJP and RSS propaganda.

The broadcast of The Kerala Story, a film that stirs polarization, is a highly condemnable act, Vijayan stated, emphasizing the need for the broadcaster to remain impartial, especially in the lead-up to the general elections.

Echoing the Chief Ministers sentiments, the ruling CPI(M) has also demanded that Doordarshan reconsider its decision, accusing the BJP of leveraging the film to polarize the secular fabric of Kerala society. The CPI(M) state secretariat has framed the telecast as a direct challenge to Keralas ethos, recalling the strong protests and the censor boards removal of certain scenes from the film.

CPI(M) MP AA Rahim has also vehemently opposed the screening, urging Doordarshan not to become a centre of hate propaganda.

The Kerala High Court had previously declined to halt the films release, finding no offensive content directed at any specific community. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had similarly deemed the movie fit for public viewing, despite allegations that the films trailer made unfounded claims regarding the radicalization of women from Kerala.

Union Minister Counters Vijayan's Allegations

The debate has also seen Union Minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan defending the film as an expression of artistic freedom, sanctioned by the censor board and protected under the Constitutions Right to Expression. "Right to Expression' is given by the Constitution. Left has always been saying that we are for freedom of expression, then why they should be worried when such movies are being aired. The Left has been known for the absurd allegation," he said.
Around two dozen terrorists have been killed inside Pakistan in the last three years and a majority of the killings were carried out by unknown gunmen. While Pakistan has been accusing Indian intelligence units of being behind these targeted killings, New Delhi has maintained that targeted killings in other countries are not a policy of the Indian government. However, now British daily newspaper The Guardian has claimed in a report citing Pakistani and some Indian sources that these killings were carried out on behalf of the Modi government.

'Modi Govt Behind Killings In Pakistan'

The report claims that the Modi government is behind the targeted killing of terrorists in Pakistan and Khalistani terrorists in Canada. The report cited Pakistani officials' investigation to claim that the killings were operated out of the UAE where the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) established its sleeper cells in the last few years. It also cited Indian officials to claim that go-ahead orders were received from the highest levels of the Indian government to launch the operation. The report also said that the RAW's focus turned to terrorists outside India after the Pulwama attack in 2019. It claimed that the Indian intelligence agencies paid millions of dollars to get the job done and even promised a better and more stable life to those carrying out the killings. Investigators claimed that large sums of rupees were frequently disbursed to criminals or impoverished individuals to execute the murders, purportedly facilitated through transactions primarily routed through Dubai.

MEA Rejects Claim

The Ministry of External Affairs has once again reiterated its stand that it has no role to play in these killings. The MEA claimed that they were 'false and malicious anti-India propaganda'.
Two people have been arrested on financial crimes in connection with an ongoing investigation into an apparent homicide at a home in Weymouth, authorities announced Thursday.

John Jack Harper, 45, was arraigned Thursday afternoon on larceny charges which include forging checks in connection to the death of 56-year-old Christine Mello, who was found inside her Weymouth home on Monday.

The Norfolk District Attorneys Office says there was enough probable cause to arrest and charge Kelly Shaw, 44, who had been staying with Mello at the Lake Street home, and Shaws boyfriend, Harper, with financial crimes, including larceny valued over $1,200, uttering forged checks, and other offenses.

Both Shaw and Harper have not been charged with Mellos murder at this time as the investigation continues, officials said in a statement.

Kelly Shaw (left) and John

Mello, who lived at 34 Lake Street, had recently been reported missing and she may have been dead for a number of days before her body was found, according to Norfolk District Attorney Micheal Morrissey.

In court on Thursday, prosecutors said theres evidence Harper had been at Mellos home in the days leading up to her death and hes considered a person of interest in this homicide investigation. Police believe Harper may have been using Mellos debit card.

Court documents obtained by Boston 25 show Shaw moved into Mellos home in January and Harper started staying there in February. The documents also show that Mellos mother died in January and she was set to receive her inheritance.

The judge ordered Harper to be held on a $50,000 bail.

Shaw was unable to appear in court Thursday and will be arraigned at a later date.

There were no additional details immediately available.

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

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New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi expressed his belief that the upcoming election is much more competitive than what is being portrayed in the media. He is optimistic about Congresss chances, drawing parallels to the unexpected outcome of the election during the India Shining campaign era under former PM Vajpayee. Gandhi emphasized the importance of remembering past election results that defied popular expectations.

While I dont have the foresight of political analysts, Im certain were facing a neck-and-neck battle. Were poised to conduct a remarkable campaign and emerge victorious. Its essential to recall the atmosphere created by the media back when India Shining was the slogan, and yet, it was Congress that triumphed, stated Gandhi.

#WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says "...Unlike many political commentators, I cannot predict the future but what I am confident of is that this is a much closer election than is being propagated by the media. It is a close election and we are going to fight an excellent pic.twitter.com/CxBZUNiCIo  ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2024

The Congress leader was addressing the media during the launch of party's election manifesto 'Nyay Patra' at AICC headquarters in Delhi. "...We need to understand the foundation of the strategy made by RSS, BJP and PM Modi. The way Adani has a monopoly in ports, infrastructure and defence, in the same way PM Modi has made a monopoly in political finance by using ED, CBI and Income Tax," Gandhi said.

He further stated that the INDIA coalition is engaged in an ideological battle and will decide on their Prime Ministerial candidate post-election. The multi-stage Lok Sabha elections are set to commence on April 19.

The Congress partys manifesto, dubbed Nyay Patra, pledges a series of reforms including the right to apprenticeship, a statutory guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), and a constitutional amendment to increase reservation quotas to 50% for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Unveiled at the AICC headquarters with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi in attendance, the manifesto emphasizes five pillars of justice along with 25 specific commitments.

The party has vowed to address the staffing shortfall in the central government by filling approximately 30 lakh sanctioned vacancies across various levels.

Moreover, the Congress manifesto commits to the implementation of a 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) across all castes and communities, ensuring equitable opportunities should they ascend to power.
New Delhi: A day before his bail hearing, Jailed former Delhi minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia penned a letter addressing the people of Delhi. In his letter, he expressed his heartfelt thanks to the residents of his assembly constituency, Patparganj, for their support and care for his ailing wife. Sisodia's letter, which surfaced on Friday, draws a parallel between his current situation and the historical figures who were imprisoned during the freedom movement.

"See you soon outside. Long live the education revolution, love you all. In the last one year, I miss everyone. I remembered everyone in the last one year. Everyone worked together with honesty. Just like everyone fought at the time of independence, similarly, we are fighting for good education and schools. The dream of independence had come true even after British dictatorship. Similarly, one day every child will get proper and good education...," Sisodia wrote in the letter addressed to his constituents in Patparganj.

In his letter, Sisodia compares the BJP-led central government to the British Raj, stating that he is inspired by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. He emphasizes the importance of education and schools for the development of the country and expresses satisfaction with the 'education revolution' in Delhi under Arvind Kejriwal's leadership.

He underscored the pivotal role of quality education and institutions in the advancement of a nation. "To be a developed country, it is necessary to have good education and schools. I am happy that education revolution took place in Delhi under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. Now, reading the news of education revolution in Punjab gives me relief," he said.

Thanking people for taking care of his wife, Sisodia shared that she gets emotional while narrating about them. "My love for you has increased after being in jail. You took great care of my wife. Seema gets emotional while talking about all of you. All of you should take care of yourselves...," he wrote.

Sisodia, who is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case, is set to be produced for a bail hearing
NEW DELHI: Amid growing speculation regarding the involvement of Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in the affairs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), senior party leader and Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has expressed confidence in her ability to "keep the party together." Addressing the party's crisis, Bharadwaj emphasized that Sunita Kejriwal has consistently portrayed herself as a conduit for her husband's messages, particularly during his current detention. Bharadwaj also underscored the positive influence of her presence on the morale of party members and supporters. She is delivering the messages of Arvind Kejriwal ji. This has had a great impact on our party cadre and among our sympathisers. We want to propagate it. In the present circumstances, she is the best person to keep the party together, Bharadwaj said while speaking to ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: party leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "For years Sunita Kejriwal has been with Arvind Kejriwal, through thick and thin...If such a person stays in the party then she acts as a glue in the party and we see it as a blessing... Since she is a family pic.twitter.com/SCz0m4EQFJ  ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2024

Sunita Kejriwal's Role Amidst Delhi CM's Arrest

Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, is currently detained in connection with a money-laundering case related to the Delhi government's previous excise policy. With his detention extending until April 15, the spotlight has turned to his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, who has been actively involved in disseminating his messages from custody.

Sunita Kejriwal's Public Engagements

Highlighting Sunita Kejriwal's recent participation in the 'Loktantra Bachao' rally organized by the INDIA bloc on March 31, Bharadwaj interpreted her presence as a sign of resilience against attempts to weaken the party. He noted the emotional resonance her appearance had among party members, particularly in the face of adversity.

Sunita Kejriwal's Involvement In AAP Campaigns

Responding to inquiries about Sunita Kejriwal's potential role in the party's campaigning for upcoming elections, Bharadwaj expressed enthusiasm but stressed that any decision regarding her involvement would ultimately be a personal one.

In light of recent events, speculation has arisen regarding the significance of Sunita Kejriwal's public appearances following her husband's arrest. However, Bharadwaj refuted claims of any deliberate messaging behind her actions, emphasizing her commitment to the party's cause.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday intervened to pause the Allahabad High Courts verdict that deemed the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act of 2004 as unconstitutional. The apex courts decision comes following concerns that the High Courts ruling might infringe upon the principle of secularism.

The interim stay was ordered by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who also sent out notices to the central and Uttar Pradesh governments for further examination of the case. The bench, which includes Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, expressed that the Madarsa boards establishment is fundamentally regulatory and does not prima facie violate secular principles.

SC highlighted a potential misinterpretation by the High Court regarding the 2004 act, clarifying that it does not mandate religious instruction and is, in essence, regulatory. This statement comes in contrast to the High Courts March 22 declaration, which not only struck down the act but also instructed the state to integrate current Madarsa students into the formal education system.

The original challenge to the acts constitutionality was brought forth by advocate Anshuman Singh Rathore, who questioned the UP Madarsa Boards legality and its management under the Minority Welfare Department instead of the Education Department.
New Delhi: Two terrorists have been killed after the Army and Jammu Kashmir police foiled an infiltration attempt near the line of control at Rustom post at the Hathlanga area of Uri in north Kashmir.

A group of terrorists tried to infiltrate but were intercepted by alert forces and in between the firing from both sides, two terrorists got killed forces retrieved one terrorist body, while another body was lying other side of LOC which was dragged back by terrorists, according to security sources. The remaining terrorists fled back due to effective firing by the Army.

The area is under cordon and heavy joint searches by the Army and Police are launched to flush out if any terrorists are hiding in the area. The intermediate fire is still on in the area.

In last year December, the Indian Army's 16 Corps, also known as the 'White Knight Corps', foiled an infiltration bid in the International Border sector at Khour in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu district.

"White Knight Corps foiled an infiltration bid in the IB sector of Khour, Akhnoor. A suspected move by four terrorists was seen through the surveillance devices on the night of December 22-23," the White Knight Corps of the army posted on microblogging site X.
Isha Bhatt (name changed) received a call when she was working in her Noida office from an IVR number, where the operator claimed he was calling from Lucknow customs. He said that a parcel had been booked in her name - she is the sender - to a Myanmar address which contained illegal contents, including MDMA Narcotics Drugs as well as some 20-odd passports.

Isha narrates, "I was shocked and I said I have never sent such a parcel. Also, I am based out of Noida, why would I send a parcel from Lucknow? The guy asked me if I had shared my Aadhar Card details recently and if yes, maybe it was a fraud. Now, I had travelled a few months back and had shared details with a travel agent, so I got even more confused and his arguments sounded convincing."

The guy then told Isha he would forward the call to the Lucknow cybercrime department where she could raise a complaint. "But I was warned to act fast, else I would be in serious trouble for couriering illegal stuff," Isha says. Going on to describe her incident, she adds, "My call was transferred and then a guy who claimed to be a cop took all the details from me, which the alleged customs guy provided me. Then he first tried to scare me by asking things like, 'Are you sure you or someone in your family is not sending the parcel?'. When I insisted, he said okay, download Skype on your phone and then call us. He also mentioned that he would stay on the phone as I downloaded the app. After that, I would have to virtually lodge an FIR. It was then something struck me as odd. I told them I would call my family and get back. They tried to dissuade me and at one point even got angry. I hung up."

While Isha escaped narrowly, not everyone has been lucky. According to reports, a 70-year-old journalist in Bengaluru city allegedly lost Rs 1.20 crore after cyber fraudsters, posing as FedEx courier staff and a Narcotics Control Bureau official, claiming to possess a parcel in her name that contained illegal items, swindled her. Similarly, in another case in Noida, the woman downloaded Skype, and the callers, claiming to be cops, forced her to remain seated for approximately seven hours in front of the screen by "digitally" arresting her.

A digital arrest is a deceptive tactic used by cybercriminals to exploit people under the guise of law enforcement or investigative agencies. The scamsters asked her for details - name and bank account - to clear her name and succeeded in siphoning around Rs 3.7 lakhs from her account.

Across the country, several variants of the scam have been reported and police have urged people to exercise caution and increase their awareness. Former SP in Cyber Cell and cyber expert, Triveni Singh, was quoted by IANS as saying that people should be aware that no legitimate agency will request presence on a Skype call for matters of investigation or arrest. There is nothing like a digital arrest.
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has joined Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in criticizing the BJP-led Centre for its decision to stream 'The Kerala Story' on Doordarshan. Tharoor condemned the move, labelling it as "propaganda at its cheapest and worst" and accusing it of serving the political interests of the ruling party. In his statement on Friday, Tharoor denounced the film's portrayal of Kerala, asserting that it presents a false narrative that contradicts the state's reputation for social harmony and co-existence. He expressed his dismay over the film being officially circulated by an official broadcaster, describing it as "disgusting."

Political Storm Over 'The Kerala Story'

Tharoor, campaigning for re-election in Thiruvananthapuram, emphasized the film's misrepresentation of Kerala, stating, "Kerala is a state of social harmony and co-existence. It is not a state that is some sort of a mini-Pakistan, as the film tries to show." He warned that such propaganda would only lead to a backlash against the BJP in Kerala and would not garner admiration or respect nationally.

#WATCH | On Doordarshan to broadcast the movie - 'Kerala Story', Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "To be honest, it's really shameful. When the Kerala Story came out, everyone pointed out that this was not the real Kerala story. Kerala is a state of social harmony and pic.twitter.com/p6hmbhXYH6  ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2024

BJP-Led Centre Misusing Doordarshan: Tharoor

Tharoor further criticized the BJP-led Centre for compromising the autonomy of institutions, including Doordarshan. He argued that the streaming of 'The Kerala Story' is a clear example of the government prioritizing its political interests over the autonomy of public broadcasters.

According to Tharoor, "The autonomy of Doordarshan is guaranteed under the Prasar Bharti Act. But, the BJP government does not understand the meaning of autonomy." He asserted that the decision to broadcast the controversial film is solely aimed at serving the political agenda of the ruling party.

Kerala CM Slams Doordarshan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier condemned the decision to stream the film, warning against Doordarshan becoming a "propaganda machine" for the BJP-RSS combine. Opposition leader VD Satheesan also denounced the film as a "collection of untruth" and criticized the BJP for using Doordarshan for political gains.

'The Kerala Story'

Directed by Sudipto Sen, 'The Kerala Story' was released on May 5, 2023, and gained commercial success. However, it faced severe criticism for its portrayal of Kerala and allegations of spreading false claims regarding missing women being involved in terrorism. The film faced bans in some states, including West Bengal.

Elections In Kerala

With Kerala sending 20 members to the Lok Sabha, the state's political landscape is crucial. Voting is scheduled for April 26, with the counting set for June 4. The controversy surrounding 'The Kerala Story' adds to the political discourse ahead of the elections.
NEW YORK: In a concerning development reported by the New York Post, experts have issued warnings about a potential bird flu pandemic, which they claim could be "100 times worse than COVID." The discovery of a rare human case in Texas has raised alarms among scientists and health officials. The H5N1 avian flu, which emerged as a new strain in 2020, has rapidly spread, affecting wild birds across all states, as well as commercial poultry and backyard flocks. Recent cases in mammals, including infected cattle herds across four states, have escalated concerns.

At a panel discussing the issue, Suresh Kuchipudi, a prominent bird flu researcher, emphasized the long-standing threat posed by the H5N1 virus. He highlighted its ability to infect various mammalian hosts, including humans, making it a global pandemic threat. John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry consultant, echoed these concerns, suggesting that the potential impact of the virus could surpass that of COVID if it mutates while maintaining a high fatality rate. "This appears to be 100 times worse than COVID -- or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate," John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry consultant for vaccines and the founder of Canada-based BioNiagara who organized the meeting, was cited as saying.

With a fatality rate of around 52% among humans infected since 2003, according to the World Health Organization, H5N1 presents a significant health risk. Symptoms are similar to other flu strains but can lead to severe pneumonia, with some cases resulting in death.

Recent Case In Texas

A dairy worker in Texas who contracted the virus reported symptoms consistent with conjunctivitis. While the CDC assured the public of low risk, the situation is being closely monitored due to the unprecedented detection of the virus in cattle.

Potential For Mutation And Rapid Spread

The detection of the virus in cattle raises concerns about mutation and potential human transmission. Experts warn that if H5N1 mutates to efficiently spread among humans, it could lead to large-scale transmission due to the lack of immune defences.

Preventive Measures And Vaccine Development

Efforts are underway to develop vaccines and preventive measures against the virus. The US is already testing vaccine components, and candidate vaccine viruses show promise in protecting against H5N1. Both the CDC and the White House have emphasized the seriousness of the situation, with ongoing monitoring and efforts to keep the public informed and safe. As the world grapples with the evolving threat of the H5N1 avian flu, vigilance and coordinated global efforts remain crucial to prevent a potential pandemic.
New Delhi: American Actress Angelina Jolie has alleged that Brad Pitt was abusive towards her before the 2016 plane incident, which ultimately contributed to the dissolution of their marriage. Jolie on Thursday filed a motion to the Los Angeles Superior Court in which she asserts that she tried to sell her stake in a couple's French Winery, Miraval to Pitt, but negotiations faltered when Pitt insisted that she sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) which prohibited Joile from speaking (other than in court) about Pitts abuse of her and their children, according to the filing obtained by CNN.

The recent development originates after Pitt filed a in lawsuit 2022, in which he asserted that he and Jolie had an agreement not to sell their shares in the winery without each other consent. Jolie in her filing claimed that Pitt's record of physical abuse began long before the family's flight trip from France to Los Angeles in September 2016.

At trial, Jolie will prove through testimony, emails, photographs, and other evidence why Pitt was so concerned about his misconduct that he blew up his own deal to purchase Jolies interest in Miraval because she refused to agree to his new, expansive NDA," the filing read.

American Actress Jolie asserts that she initially consented to sign an NDA focused solely on refraining from disparaging Miraval's wine business as part of the agreement to sell her share in the winery but later on, Pitt subsequently pushed for a more expansive NDA that would have prohibited Jolie from making any negative remarks about either party in public, except from the court.

Mr. Pitt refused to purchase Ms. Jolies interest when she would not be silenced by his NDA. By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms Jolie and their family, Jolies attorney, stated to CNN.

In 2008, the ex-couple purchased the Miraval estate and winery in the south of France. The Legal proceedings concerning the disagreement over the property are still ongoing.

In 2016 Jolie filed the divorce proceedings against Pitt and later in 2019 they were granted their divorce and considered legally single.
In a pivotal conversation with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, United States President Joe Biden emphasized the potential for altering U.S. support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza, contingent upon Israel's commitment to safeguarding civilians and humanitarian workers. This shift in stance comes in the wake of a tragic incident involving Israeli forces mistakenly targeting World Central Kitchen personnel, igniting demands from within Biden's party to reconsider aid to Israel.

Despite his longstanding support for Israel, Biden has now, for the first time, intimated that aid could be conditional, signaling a possible turning point in the ongoing conflict. The White House disclosed that during the 30-minute call, Biden insisted on Israel's declaration and execution of definitive actions to mitigate civilian distress and ensure the safety of humanitarian missions. The outcome of this dialogue could redefine U.S. policy towards the Gaza situation, hinging on Israel's immediate response to these stipulations.

The White House refrained from detailing any prospective policy adjustments but expressed anticipation for Israel's imminent measures. Biden's proposition reflects both personal discontent and escalating pressure from his party's progressive wing to halt violence and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In response to inquiries about U.S. policy shifts, Netanyahu's spokesperson deferred to Washington for clarification. Subsequently, the White House commended Israel's steps to enhance humanitarian aid flow into Gaza, stressing the urgency of their full implementation.

Following the fatal attack on World Central Kitchen's team, Israel acknowledged the need to revise its military tactics in the conflict, promising to publicize the findings of the inquiry soon. Although the White House had previously characterized Biden as deeply troubled by the incident, it wasn't until this critical exchange that a potential change in U.S. support was explicitly mentioned.

Biden underscored the necessity of an immediate ceasefire to stabilize the humanitarian situation and protect civilians. He also urged Netanyahu to expedite negotiations for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 assault that sparked the Israeli offensive.

Echoing Biden's sentiment, Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels asserted that Israel must rise to the occasion by bolstering humanitarian aid and safeguarding aid providers, warning that a lack of observable progress could lead to a shift in U.S. policy.
Strengths: Dominant market position and robust brand portfolio in the frozen potato product sector.

Weaknesses: Operational disruptions from ERP system transition affecting customer fulfillment rates.

Opportunities: Expansion into international markets and leveraging recent acquisitions.

Threats: Market volatility and potential supply chain disruptions impacting raw material availability.

Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (NYSE:LW), a global leader in value-added frozen potato products, presented its financial results for the quarter ending February 25, 2024, in its latest 10-Q filing. The company reported a significant increase in net sales, partly due to the consolidation of LW EMEA following a strategic acquisition. Despite facing challenges from the transition to a new ERP system, which temporarily impacted customer order fulfillment rates, Lamb Weston demonstrated resilience with a robust liquidity position and a strong balance sheet. The company's strategic investments in technology and international market expansion signal a commitment to long-term growth and operational efficiency.

Decoding Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (LW): A Strategic SWOT Insight

Strengths

Market Leadership and Brand Portfolio: Lamb Weston's dominant position in the North American market and its status as a leading supplier internationally underscore its competitive advantage. The company's extensive brand portfolio, which includes a variety of frozen potato products, caters to a diverse customer base across over 100 countries. This strength is reflected in its ability to command premium pricing and maintain a loyal customer base, contributing to a 16% increase in net sales for the quarter.

Financial Health and Liquidity: The company's financial health remains robust, with $908.8 million of available liquidity under its committed revolving credit facilities. This financial flexibility enables Lamb Weston to navigate market fluctuations and invest in growth opportunities. Additionally, the company's share repurchase program and consistent dividend payments demonstrate a strong commitment to shareholder returns.

Strategic Acquisitions: The acquisition of the remaining interest in LW EMEA has been a strategic move that expanded Lamb Weston's global footprint and contributed significantly to its net sales growth. This acquisition positions the company to better serve international markets and leverage commercial and operational synergies.

Weaknesses

ERP System Transition Impact: The recent transition to a new ERP system resulted in reduced visibility into finished goods inventories, leading to lower customer order fulfillment rates. This operational disruption affected shipments and net sales by approximately $135 million during the fiscal third quarter, highlighting a vulnerability in Lamb Weston's operational efficiency.

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Raw Material Write-offs: Lamb Weston incurred a $25.0 million charge related to the write-off of excess raw potatoes during the quarter, indicating potential inefficiencies in inventory management and supply chain operations. This weakness not only impacts financial performance but also reflects on the company's ability to forecast and manage its resources effectively.

Integration Challenges: The integration of LW EMEA into Lamb Weston's operations presents challenges in aligning internal controls and procedures. As the company works through these integration issues, there is a risk of further operational disruptions or inefficiencies that could impact financial performance.

Opportunities

International Market Expansion: Lamb Weston's strategic focus on international growth, particularly in high-growth emerging markets, presents significant opportunities. The company's expanded presence in these markets through the LW EMEA acquisition and other investments can drive sustainable, profitable growth and diversify revenue streams.

Capacity Expansion Investments: Lamb Weston's capacity expansion investments in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Argentina signal an opportunity to increase production capabilities and meet growing global demand. These investments can enhance the company's competitive edge and ability to serve customers more effectively.

Technological Advancements: Continued investments in information technology, including the new ERP system, offer opportunities for improved operational efficiency and cost savings in the long term. Once the initial transition challenges are overcome, the company can leverage these technological advancements to streamline processes and enhance customer service.

Threats

Market Volatility: Lamb Weston operates in a market that is subject to volatility in commodity prices, foreign exchange rates, and economic conditions. These factors can impact the cost of raw materials and the company's profitability, necessitating effective risk management strategies to mitigate potential adverse effects.

Supply Chain Disruptions: The company's reliance on raw potatoes as a key input exposes it to risks associated with agricultural production, such as weather-related events and supply chain disruptions. These threats can lead to fluctuations in availability and cost, impacting Lamb Weston's ability to maintain consistent product quality and supply.

Competitive Landscape: The frozen potato product sector is highly competitive, with several large players vying for market share. Lamb Weston must continuously innovate and differentiate its offerings to maintain its market position and respond to competitive pressures.

In conclusion, Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (NYSE:LW) exhibits a strong market position and financial health, with strategic acquisitions and investments presenting significant growth opportunities. However, the company must address weaknesses such as operational disruptions and integration challenges to sustain its competitive advantage. Additionally, navigating market volatility and supply chain risks remains crucial to Lamb Weston's long-term success. By leveraging its strengths and opportunities while mitigating its weaknesses and threats, Lamb Weston is well-positioned to drive sustainable, profitable growth in the global frozen potato product market.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


New Delhi: A group of thieves executed a heist at a cash storage facility in Los Angeles on Easter Sunday and are absconding with a staggering sum of money. The thieves managed to infiltrate the facility through the roof without triggering any alarms, leading to the successful theft of a significant sum, ABC reported quoting sources. The FBI, along with local law enforcement, are currently investigating the incident. The company owning the facility remained unaware of the grand-scale theft until the following morning, Monday.

The pilfered amount, reported to be no less than $30 million, marks this heist as one of the most substantial in the annals of Los Angeles' criminal history, as per reports from local news outlets. The perpetrators behind this well-orchestrated theft remain a mystery, with scant evidence pointing to their identities or the precise methods employed in the heist.

The case has drawn the combined investigative efforts of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Remarkably, the facility's security systems, including alarms, remained inactive throughout the incident, leaving no indication of the burglars' intrusion. The facility in question, situated in the San Fernando Valley, is known for processing and vault-storing cash from various local businesses.

Media sources suggest that the burglars, demonstrating a high level of sophistication, likely gained entry through the building's roof. Knowledge of the substantial cash reserves within the facility was limited to a select few.

The loss of the funds was only recognized on Monday when employees accessed the vault and found the vast sum missing. The vault itself bore no visible signs of forced entry. Reports from U.S. media pinpoint the theft at a GardaWorld facility in Sylmar, a suburban district. Aerial footage from a news helicopter showed what appeared to be a breach in the building's structure, surrounded by debris, though its connection to the heist remains unconfirmed.

This incident eclipses previous records for cash stolen in armoured vehicle heists within the region, as noted by the Los Angeles Times.
Developers are considering a $150 million rebuild of an affordable housing complex in the heart of Fort Worths Near Southside neighborhood, according to documents submitted to city officials.

Dallas-based firm Ojala Partners LP has drawn up preliminary plans to almost quadruple the number of apartment units at Siddons Place, a development managed by Fort Worth Housing Solutions, the citys public housing authority.

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The company filed a pre-development study to solicit city feedback for the overhaul. The report provides few specifics about the rationale or timeline of the two-phase project. A representative of Fort Worth Housing Solutions declined to comment this week.

Developer Ojala Partners has proposed a large redevelopment of Siddons Place, an affordable housing complex in Fort Worths Near Southside. This rendering shows one possible configuration.

Ojala Partners and Fort Worth Housing Solutions have partnered on projects before. In 2020, the pair unveiled Casa de Esperanza, an old hotel repurposed to shelter for those experiencing chronic homelessness.

Only renters at or below 60% of the citys annual median income can live in Siddons Place. Its 152 units  all subsidized  are grouped into seven, three-story buildings spread across 7.4 acres off Pennsylvania Avenue, packed between clinics and churches. An appraisal report published last summer estimates that the sites apartments are at 97.4% occupancy.

Originally called Pennsylvania Place, the complex welcomed its first residents in 1998. It was, at the time, the first new multifamily housing project constructed in the medical district in about 40 years.

Renderings of the prospective redevelopment depict an entirely reconfigured arrangement. If initial plans take form, the propertys size could swell to from roughly 322,000 square feet to about 500,000 square feet. Its 650 apartments  four times the current amount  would regroup into two campuses of four-story buildings, the largest stretching from South Jennings to Cleveland Avenue. The living spaces would encircle two, five-level parking garages, each with hundreds of spots.

Whether current Siddons tenants are aware of the changes  and where and how they might be relocated in the event of a demolition  is unclear. Its also uncertain how many of the new units will be set aside for affordable residences. The property is currently listed for sale on the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs website for $45.7 million.

The rebuild wouldnt be the first undertaken by Fort Worth Housing Solutions. The city began ripping down its Cavile Place development in Stop Six toward the onset of the pandemic, one leg of a broader effort to revitalize the neighborhood. The Cowan Place senior living facility, one of several buildings the agency plans to build in Caviles wake, opened last November.

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Adrianna Alcala-Beshara, Chief of DHCS Medi-Cal Dental Division (Photo: Business Wire)

Fresno City College President Dr. Robert Pimentel; Policy Lead and School Dental Program Coordinator, California Department of Public Health, Office of Oral Health Paula Lee; Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher; Rhoda Howell-Gonzalez, RDH, BSDH, RDHAP, Fresno City College Dental School Staff (Photo: Business Wire)

Smile, California campaign encourages families to establish good oral health habits early and take advantage of Medi-Cal dental benefits.

FRESNO, Calif., April 05, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) today kicked off its second mobile dental van tour in Fresno. Through the Smile California campaign, DHCS delivers preventive dental services to children and youth, enhancing utilization of essential dental care and improving oral health, particularly for underserved groups.

"Medi-Cal Dental is committed to ensuring that millions of Californians have access to the dental care they need to keep their teeth and gums healthy and strong," said Adrianna Alcala-Beshara, Chief of DHCS Medi-Cal Dental Division. "We encourage Medi-Cal members to use their dental benefits to maintain oral health and overall well-being."

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: The Smile, California tour is partnering with the California Department of Public Health, local Medi-Cal dental providers, and community organizations to promote preventive dental services to children and youth living in areas throughout California with limited access to dental care.

According to a statewide assessment of tooth decay, by the third grade, six in ten children in California have experienced tooth decay, and one in five children have untreated tooth decay. But there is encouraging news: tooth decay is largely preventable. Prevention begins with good oral care habits that must include regular visits to the dentist.

With regular dental visits, problems can be detected early and are usually easier to fix. Preventive treatments, such as sealants, are quick and painless and can protect children's teeth from cavities by up to 80 percent.

MEDI-CAL DENTAL SERVICES: With Medi-Cal, preventive dental services are covered at no cost. All members under age 21 are eligible for a dental check-up twice a year, sometimes even more, and all Medi-Cal members 21 and older are eligible to receive a check-up once a year. Other services may include cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatments, fillings, and crowns.

ABOUT THE TOUR: In addition to Fresno, the mobile dental van will make stops in Pixley (April 5), Hollister (April 11), Avenal (April 12), and Huntington Park (May 4). Services performed onsite will include exams, x-rays, cleaning, and fluoride applications. Please visit the Smile, California website for event details.

"Promotional efforts like this mobile van tour play a vital role in educating Medi-Cal members, parents, caregivers, and children about the importance of protecting the oral health of children and youth. Prevention goes beyond maintaining healthy dental care habits at home; it's imperative for children and youth to have dental check-ups once every six months," said Paula Lee, Policy Lead and School Dental Program Coordinator for the California Department of Public Healths Office of Oral Health, which partners with DHCS to educate Medi-Cal members about the importance of oral health.

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Apply for Medi-Cal coverage today to receive preventive dental:

LEARN MORE: Medi-Cal members, medical providers, dental providers, and community-based organizations can learn more about Medi-Cal dental services by visiting the Smile, California website, in English at SmileCalifornia.org or in Spanish at SonrieCalifornia.org. The website includes helpful resources, such as informational flyers, videos, fact sheets, and the "Find-A-Dentist" tool to help families identify a local dental provider and schedule a check-up.

To find a dentist or learn more about Smile, California, visit SmileCalifornia.org or call the Member Telephone Service Center at 800-322-6384 (TTY: 1-800-735-2922), Monday  Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240404346598/en/

Contacts

Anthony Cava

Department of Health Care Services

Office of Communications

DHCSPress@dhcs.ca.gov
Edina Realty is heading south and not just for winter.

"Full time," said Greg Mason, CEO of the Twin Cities-based company.

The brokerage, which has 75 locations throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, has opened its first office in Florida as a way to cater to snowbirds from the Twin Cities looking for a warmer-weather home during the North's coldest months. Prospective buyers can now see listings from nearly the entire Sunshine State on the website.

"A number of our agents who winter in Florida or spend significant time there asked for this expansion," Mason said. "They want access to Edina Realty's technology, products, network and services when they're working with clients in the Sunshine State as well in Minnesota and western Wisconsin."

The company's new office in Naples  on the southwest coast about an hour's drive from the Minnesota Twins' spring training grounds in Fort Myers  will focus on buyers and sellers in communities along the state's Gulf Coast between Marco Island and Sarasota. Mason said the company is also considering a second office in the Fort Myers area down the road.

Florida has been one of the most active states in the nation for home shoppers. It was the top state for out-of-state moves, according to an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey (ACS). It showed more than 187,000 people moved to Florida from another state, besting the No. 2 state for in-migration (Texas) by more than 64,000 people.

Edina Realty is an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway and a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based HomeServices of America, a real estate holding company that owns several brokerage brands across the country. The new office is the first upsizing for Edina since its acquisition of Hegg Realtors in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the end of 2021.

Mason said with so many Twin Cities business connections already in Florida, including Jerry's Foods and a Minnesota Club in Naples, a Florida office has long been on the company's wish list. The COVID-19 pandemic and remote work accelerated the plan, though.

He said in 2022 alone, the company made more than 100 referrals to other brokers in Florida.

"There's always been a connection between Southwest Florida and our area," he said. "Why send that business to other brokers?"

He said about 70 Minnesota agents were initially interested in obtaining licensing in Florida. So far, 20 agents have done so, including a few from Florida.

"Now that consumers can search our website for listings in Florida, we expect the activity to grow," Mason said. "Real estate is a local business, and many Edina Realty agents have lifelong relationships with clients who they help through repeat home buying and selling processes at various points through their lives."
Tesla's entry level car, sometimes referred to as the Model 2, is expected to sell for around 20,000

Elon Musk has denied that Tesla has axed plans for an entry-level electric car to compete with a wave of cheap Chinese rivals.

Tesla shares dropped by more than 6pc after Reuters on Friday reported that the company had shelved plans to produce a cheaper electric vehicle (EV) and would instead focus on building driverless robotaxis.

In messages seen by Reuters, engineering staff working on the entry-level car were thanked for their work and asked to document what they had learned.

A manager wrote: We would not want all our hard work to go to waste, so its important that we tie things off and document things properly.

However, Mr Musk suggested the project had not been abandoned, writing on his social media platform X: Reuters is lying (again).

Mr Musk also appeared to endorse comments by an investor who suggested that Tesla was shifting even more resources to its robotaxi efforts rather than cancelling its affordable car project.

The billionaire replied to a message from the Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt on X, formerly Twitter, with an emoji of two wide eyes, typically used to signal that people should look at something.

Reuters is lying (again)  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2024

Mr Musk has long touted efforts to develop autonomous Tesla taxis but has missed self-imposed deadlines. The billionaire said at an investor event in 2019 he was very confident predicting autonomous robotaxis for Tesla next year.

Two years ago he said that creating self-driving cars was really the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money and being worth basically zero.

Tesla shares partially recovered following the missive. The stock has been under pressure all year amid rising competition from China and is down 33pc since the start of the year.

The fall comes after Tesla was briefly toppled as the worlds best-selling electric vehicle in the final quarter of 2023.

Tesla had been the worlds biggest electric vehicle manufacturer since 2015 but was overtaken by Chinas BYD, which has been aggressively pushing into the UK, Europe and America. Mr Musks company has since reclaimed its manufacturing crown in the first quarter of 2024.

BYD is one of several Chinese EV makers flooding Western market with cars priced as low as 8,000.

The wave of cheap vehicles, many of which benefit from state support, has sparked alarm. The White House has branded them a national security threat, while the EU has launched an anti-dumping investigation.

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Tesla has long promised a cheaper, smaller vehicle as part of its mission of providing a low cost family car. His master plan for the company in 2006 pledged to drive downmarket as fast as possible to higher unit volume and lower prices with each successive model.

Currently, the lowest-priced Tesla, the Model 3, starts at 39,990 but a cheaper model is expected to start at around 20,000.

Mr Musk told investors in January Tesla would start production of an entry-level car at its Texas factory in the second half of 2025.

Tesla was approached for comment.

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In a dramatic escalation of Middle Eastern tensions amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Iran has accused Israel of conducting a deadly airstrike on its embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, on Monday. The attack, which decimated the consulate building, resulted in the deaths of at least seven Iranian officials, including high-ranking commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and six Syrian citizens.

The strike has been met with fierce condemnation from Iran and Syria, both of which have pointed fingers at Israel. Tehran has warned of a "serious response," echoing sentiments of retribution from the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi have both vowed that the attack will not go unanswered. After the attack, Iran vowed to hold the U.S. "answerable" for its support of Israel.

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In October, Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian delivered a warning at the United Nations, suggesting that the United States would face consequences if the conflict in Gaza continues. This declaration came amid a period of heightened sensitivity, following a devastating attack by Hamas on Israel that resulted in significant casualties and has since seen Israel vow a forceful response against Hamas.

Shortly after, Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk commented about the potential for a third world war and that it appears more likely than ever as tensions continue to rise. Last year, Musk speculated on global instability and the technological dimensions that could characterize such a conflict, emphasizing the unpredictability and the widespread impact it could have around the globe.

Musk said in October, "We need to figure out peace in Ukraine, and I think we need to restore normal relations with Russia."

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This came shortly after the attack on Israel, and tensions continue to escalate. On March 22, Russia officially declared war on Ukraine after roughly two years of continuous conflict in the country.

World War III is a civilizational risk that we may not recover from," Musk posted on X. "Could this lead to WW3? We need to prioritize avoiding World War III."

Irans involvement, through its rhetorical support for Hamas, the provision of limited financial aid, and its substantial backing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, underscores the complex web of alliances and enmities in the region. The situation is complicated by Irans support for various militias in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, which have been involved in actions against U.S. interests and allies, signaling a broader arena of indirect confrontation.

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Despite relative peace as little as four years ago, tensions around the globe continue to rise, but calls for peace are becoming increasingly louder.

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This article Elon Musk's World War III Worries Truer Than Ever As Iran Threatens US After Embassy Strike  US To Be Held 'Answerable' For Israel Support originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  If it seems like the name Boeing is headlining news feeds from coast to coast lately, thats because the aviation giant has faced months of growing scrutiny.

Only last week, CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down by years end, as will some other company leaders.

It comes after a laundry list of incidents, including the emergency landing of Alaska Air Flight 1282 at PDX after a door plug blew out shortly after takeoff earlier this year. In his resignation note, Calhoun called that a watershed moment for the company.

All of it may surprise casual observers or flyers.

It doesnt come as a huge shock to Ed Pierson.

FULL COVERAGE: Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Door Plug Incident

The former Boeing employee has been pleading for massive changes for more than five years.

It starts with really being brutally honest that there are problems, Pierson told KOIN 6 in a sit-down interview. Talk is cheap.

The military vet recalled the first moment he became concerned about safety while working at the company.

It was 2018 in the spring, and I was driving to work on a Saturday. We were overtime, and I overshot the exit, Pierson said. I remember thinking because people had been complaining about fatigue and tired, the union workers were talking about it because theyve been working so much, so many long hours, and I was certainly feeling it as a manager.

By that point in his Boeing tenure, Pierson was posted to the Renton, Washington facility, home of the 737 airliner.

He left some months later, after voicing safety and workplace concerns that he says went unaddressed.

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Then, two relatively new Boeing 737 MAXs crashed in separate accidents around the globe, killing nearly 350 people. The Department of Justice opened an investigation, ultimately pointing the finger at least partially at Boeing, which agreed to pay a nearly $2.5 billion settlement.

Ever since, Pierson has been sounding the alarm about his former employer, and safety issues within the larger industry.

These problems arent just at Boeing, right? The airlines have responsibilities for the safety of these planes, maintenance of these planes. This is a big, big part of it. The regulator has huge responsibilities to making sure that the planes are safely built. Its a team effort, he said. We need actions.

During a lengthy, virtual meeting in March, Pierson and others from the advocacy group The Foundation for Aviation Safety shared an exclusive PowerPoint with the FAA and DOT, which outlines more than 30 potential red flags.

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We met with the head of the FAA and the deputy secretary of transportation. We were pretty direct. We gave recommendations for solutions, but we told them the steps that theyve taken right now are really woefully inadequate, said Pierson. I dont think they liked us saying that, but they were respectful.

Oregon homebuyers need a six-figure salary to afford a typical home, study finds

Some of the groups top recommendations include:

Mandate that more FAA workers be inside Boeing plants, helping monitor day-to-day operations

Put together a federal task force

Improve training of new Boeing employees

That last point is something Pierson says he saw firsthand.

They go through like an eight-week training session, which isnt very much. Its just really basic. And then they join and they become paired up with an employee that they call peer-to-peer training, said Pierson. And so youre busy trying to get your job. Then youre fully scheduled the whole day. And yet, youre also supposed to kind of help train me, which is really not particularly effective.

In response to questions, Boeing said its training now stretches 10-14 weeks, followed by at least three months of peer-to-peer, on-the-job learning with experienced mechanics.

The company declined an interview, but also referenced recent public comments by CFO Brian West, who said, For years, we prioritized the movement of the airplane through the factory over getting it done right and thats got to change [] Once you do reduce traveled work, your quality gets better, your stability gets better and probably most importantly, the work of the mechanic gets better.

Oregon homebuyers need a six-figure salary to afford a typical home, study finds

But Pierson has other concerns, including what he and others from the advocacy group noticed in a little-read FAA document from a month ago.

Specifically, the document outlines proposed rule changes, including an Airworthiness Directive regarding 737s that had multiple unusual spoiler deployments, which resulted in an un-commanded roll to the right during cruise.

What the hells causing that, Pierson said. You know whats causing that problem? And it goes back, and you read through this very densely written document, and it turns out that theres a wire bundle that has been installed incorrectly, a manufacturing error, and its chafing.

Boeing told KOIN 6 said in a statement the wiring issue was previously known about:

We developed a solution in 2022 for production 737 MAX airplanes that addressed increased wear on certain wire bundles. We issued instructions to operators in July 2023 for the in-service fleet. Per the standard rulemaking process, the FAA is mandating the solution for the affected fleet and is issuing their guidance to operators.

The FAA said in a statement it recently completed an audit of Boeings production line and that if found non-compliance issues in Boeings manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control. Our audit is complete but it is part of an ongoing investigation, and we cannot release further details.

The agency also said it has bumped up its onsite presence at Boeing facilities in both Washinton and Kansas, and that its giving the company 90 days to complete a comprehensive action plan.

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For his part, Pierson says many of the issues his group identified are fixable, and could be improved with changes at the top.

The Boeing company is capable. The employees are capable. The FAA is capable. All those organizations are capable. But the leadership doesnt seem to get it, he said.

Lawsuits tied to the January flight, which include Oregon plaintiffs, are piling up, and the FBI says theres even a criminal investigation underway.

Boeing wouldnt comment on the FBI probe.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, GenusPlus Group fair value estimate is AU$2.21

Current share price of AU$1.68 suggests GenusPlus Group is potentially 24% undervalued

GenusPlus Group's peers seem to be trading at a higher discount to fair value based onthe industry average of 28%

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of GenusPlus Group Limited (ASX:GNP) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for GenusPlus Group

Is GenusPlus Group Fairly Valued?

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$10.0m AU$16.0m AU$25.0m AU$23.8m AU$23.2m AU$22.9m AU$22.9m AU$23.0m AU$23.3m AU$23.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ -4.65% Est @ -2.61% Est @ -1.18% Est @ -0.18% Est @ 0.53% Est @ 1.02% Est @ 1.36% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.1% AU$9.3 AU$14.0 AU$20.4 AU$18.1 AU$16.5 AU$15.2 AU$14.2 AU$13.3 AU$12.6 AU$11.9

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$145m

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We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.1%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$24m (1 + 2.2%)  (7.1% 2.2%) = AU$490m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$490m ( 1 + 7.1%)10= AU$247m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$393m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$1.7, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 24% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

Important Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at GenusPlus Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.069. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for GenusPlus Group

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Construction market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Australian market.

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

No apparent threats visible for GNP.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For GenusPlus Group, we've put together three relevant factors you should further examine:

Financial Health: Does GNP have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does GNP's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the ASX every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KTSM)  Federal agents seizing state legalized cannabis products its a growing concern for New Mexico business owners in the marijuana industry.

After two years of recreational cannabis being legal in the state, cannabis business owners say their product is being seized at Customs and Border Protection checkpoints.

Matt Chadwick, owner of Top Crop Cannabis Co., said he had 22 pounds of product taken at an Alburquerque checkpoint on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

The seized product was retailed at $139,000 and his operations manager, Nick Spoor, was detained for four hours.

Its almost like were operating in two separate states, the northern and southern portion of the state, and everybody up north doesnt have any problems with it, Chadwick said.

Chadwick and other cannabis businesses in New Mexico have formed a coalition to call for change within the legal system.

Were just asking for a sit down to try and work with us and find a solution that allows us to operate efficiently. Maybe its a way that we declare our product as were going through the checkpoint, and maybe there are some trainings that we can do that show we have these listed drivers. This is what the manifest says. This is how you check for all these products. Theres got to be a solution in a way that, you know, both parties win in this, Chadwick explained.

Since the recreational sale and usage of cannabis became legal in New Mexico, the market has exceeded $1 billion in profit.

From that profit, 20 percent of cannabis sales go back to the state and municipalities. Chadwick says that percent will be felt greatly economically if products continue to be seized.

I believe that with all the companies in the coalition that we work with, theres over $300,000 worth of product that has been seized up to this point, said Chadwick.

Peoples jobs are going to be at risk for this stuff. A lot of these other companies dont quite have the bandwidth we do. So, were standing up for everybody and were trying to establish this coalition to create positive change for the industry as a whole, said Chadwick.

KTSM reached out New Mexico Cannabis Control Division about the developing problems who said:

The Cannabis Control Division is aware of products from licensed New Mexico cannabis businesses being seized by agents of the Border Patrol at federal checkpoints. This is a concern for the Division and the cannabis industry in New Mexico. We are working to collect as much information as we can related to this issue and hope to work with authorities at the federal level towards a proper resolution.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Gulfstream's 2024 Operator's Conference went out with fanfare Thursday afternoon.

Hundreds of attendees took to the Savannah Convention Center riverwalk, eyes and phones lifted toward the east, where the newly Federal Aviation Administration-certified G700 jet flew over the Savannah River. The flyby marked last Friday's certification award, and the G700 was accompanied by a G800 jet. which is expected to be certified later this year.

Take a tour: First look inside the new multi-million dollar Gulfstream G700 luxury business jet.

New Digs: Gulfstream heralds opening of 142,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Savannah

Gulfstream Operators Conference attendees prepare to video a flyover by the newly certified G700 and the future G800 on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at the Savannah Convention Center.

The certification paves the way for customer delivery, although President of Customer Support Derek Zimmerman said Thursday he could not provide specifics on a delivery timeline. Gulfstream's parent company, General Dynamics, is expected to give a delivery update on its April earnings call, Zimmerman said.

"We're excited, we've got a lot of activity going to coordinate and communicate our predelivery activities," Zimmerman said.

The newly certified Gulfstream G700 flies over the Savannah River followed closely by the G800 on Thursday, April 4, 2024 during a surprise viewing event at the closing of the Gulfstream Operators Conference at the Savannah Convention Center.

The FAA certification confirmed performance improvements such as shorter takeoff and landing distances, which will provide more airport availability for customers, according to a press release on certification.

Gulfstream President Mark Burns said in October that this certification was expected at the end of 2023. Zimmerman, who led Thursday's flyby celebration, said that changes in the regulatory structure for aircraft certification and the COVID-19 pandemic extended the process since the project's inception about five years ago.

"It took both us and all of our partners a little extra time to understand what those changes meant and how to navigate them," Zimmerman said. "But that's been time well spent for us. We've been able to hone that design, we've been able to build up airplanes in advance of the certification, and we can't wait to deliver them now."

Derek Zimmerman, president of customer support, speaks during the Operators Conference on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at the Savannah Convention Center.

Gulfstream announced in October 2023 the completion of a 142,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the company's headquarters in Savannah, an event that featured a look inside the G700.

The G700 is dubbed the most spacious business jet in the industry and features a full-sized bed. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reported to have ordered one of the planes.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Gulfstream celebrates G700 certification with surprise in Savannah
Last year, the Sierra Club faced a $40 million funding shortfall and significant fundraising uncertainty due to overall economic trends, a spokesperson for the legacy environmental group explained over email in May.* Top managementhelmed by then recently appointed Executive Director Ben Jealous, a former president of the NAACP, Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and venture capitalistaccordingly embarked on massive layoffs as it went about creating new positions, eliminating some old positions and re-imagining others to deal with the organizations financial realities.

Layoffs were intended to be part and parcel of a restructuring of the organization and new strategic vision, a 50-state strategy, by which club staff would be reorganized into work across four distinct regions, with a focus on red states. Employees who had spent years, in some cases, leading campaigns with the national organization were reshuffled into new roles. Some were reassigned to state chapter organizations or a new field team that runs the regional offices that serve as intermediaries between states and the national organization.

Having a 50-state strategy is critical for us, Jealous told Time. In this moment, when the power grid will be changed in all 50 states, when we are building green industry in all 50 states, the Sierra Club must be as effective and impactful as possible in all 50 states.

Nearly a year on, employees across the organization report widespread uncertainty over the strategic direction of the green group and the responsibilities required of new roles, offices, and departments. The Sierra Club has yet to finalize a 2024 budget. Managers in both the national organization and state chapters say they only have access to a few weeks worth of budgetary information at a time, which has made longer-term planning extraordinarily difficult. They dont tell us anything about the budget. Theres very little transparency, one manager at a state chapter told me. A lot of us just want to run functional campaigns and do power-building work, and its just tough when, from the top, theres a lack of structure, a lack of organization, and a lack of communication. This is in addition to the increasingly contentious bargaining between management and the Progressive Workers Union, which represents a portion of Sierra Club staff. The PWU has filed multiple unfair labor practice charges, or ULPs, with the National Labor Relations Board against the Sierra Club.

Asked about criticisms of the restructuring process, Sierra Clubs deputy director of communications, Jonathon Berman, said that numerous communications at the outset made clear that this would be a multistep process which would proceed over multiple months, and for some portions, more than a year. We continue to follow that process, adjusting and tweaking based on feedback from a wide array of stakeholders as we return the organization to a position of growth. Asked about the organizations overall financial health, Berman said that the Sierra Club continues to make the necessary reforms to ensure our fiscal health and ability to meet our core goals and mission. Just a year ago, leadership was confronted with navigating a potential $40 million deficit. Our work has remained focused on ensuring that such dangers to our fiscal health do not materialize as we finalize the 2024 budget.

Several Sierra Club employeeswho spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliationwere told that between 50 and 100 people could soon be laid off. Sometimes I show up to work wondering if Im going to have a job today, another employee said. Am I going to be able to log into my Sierra Club account? Several high-level staff have left the organization in recent weeks, including from the new field team that was purportedly built out to support chapters and drive the 50-state strategy forward. Members of that team, Sierra Clubs largest, have gotten questions from chapters that they cant answer. Most pressing among those are questions about their budgets: While chapters can and often do raise their own funds, most rely on the national organization.

A document from spring of 2023, provided to PWU by Sierra Club via an information request, show that the top 10 earners at the Sierra Club, meanwhilethe groups executive teamearned a combined 14.4 percent more ($3,236,620) at that time than what the same team had earned the prior year. Asked about these figures, Berman said he could not comment on the document without reviewing it. There have now been multiple efforts by those seeking to spread misinformation to create numbers to fit their narrative, he added. I responded that those figures had been provided to PWU by the Sierra Club but did not hear back from Berman in time for publication.

Last years layoffs kicked off a round of bargaining between the Sierra Club and the Progressive Workers Union, which represents staff in the green groups state chapters and at the national level who are each covered under separate collective bargaining agreements. That impact bargaining, i.e., regarding who would be laid off, how they would be selected, and the terms of their severance, was followed a few months later by bargaining over a new contract. The contract for employees of the national organization is still underway. The unfair labor practice charges PWU has filed against the Sierra Club include one last year alleging that leadership intended to prolong contract negotiations and provoke a strike, after which it would fire striking workers. Sierra Club management have repeatedly called the ULPs filed against them by PWU baseless.

In an emailed statement, PWU wrote that management has made it clear that they are committed to their efforts to bust our union and gut integral provisions in our existing contract. Now, in the middle of ongoing negotiations and less than one year since the last massive layoff and restructure package threw the organization into disarray, rumors are swirling about proposals from senior management for further layoffs. It is time for the Board to take action to avoid layoffs and investigate the grievous mismanagement of the organization by Jealous and his Executive Team.

When he arrived at the Sierra Club, Jealous also brought with him a largely new executive team. Theres been 100 percent turnover in senior leadership before I got here, and there were a bunch of vacancies we had to fill, he explained to E&E News last year. New hires included people that Jealous had previously worked with in his gubernatorial campaign, at the NAACP, and at People for the American Way, another progressive nonprofit focused on advocacy.

Throughout the Sierra Club, employees tasked with carrying out strategies made by the executive team say that rapid turnover, along with job reassignments and budgetary uncertainties, have made their work exceedingly difficult. One employee said that the email they received outlining their new job assignment was sent without critical information filled in. Somebody messed up a mail merge, so it said, Youre blank, youre doing blank. After receiving their job assignment, the same employee learned theyd been demoted, after having been with the Sierra Club for more than five years and spending much of that time developing highly specific expertise. They described the news as a gut punch.

I feel like the culture has shifted from feeling confident, cutting edge, and kicking ass to, scared of our own shadow, not sure whats going to happen tomorrow, and not sure who to trust, they said. The Sierra Club was a fabulous place to work because we have work-life balance and respect for the fact that we were moms and daughters and spouses and partners. Theres none of that right now. I think people would be afraid to share what they were going through. Another employee, whos represented by PWU, said that whats really sticking out to me right now is this feeling that you cant trust anyone. Theres just a lot of fear around whats going on and what could potentially happen.

Another employee who has worked closely with the new executive team said it feels like that team came in with an us-versus-them mentality. You either are on board with them and youre the yes people or youre not. Top leadership at the Sierra Club reportedly call meetings about how to deal with the union war room meetings. Asked about this allegation, Berman said that the Sierra Club does not have a war room.

With the exception of chief legal officer Erica McKinley, the Sierra Clubs executive team has largely not been present for bargaining over this contract, PWU has said. Theyre represented instead by several hired attorneys. The Sierra Club has declined to disclose how much it pays those lawyers, amid massive budget shortfalls, but employment lawyers have been known to charge from $300 to $1,500 per hour per attorney if billing hourly.

Management-level employees have been made to attend anti-union presentations that include point-by-point rebuttals of union demands, according to screenshots of slides from one such presentation shared with The New Republic. We must balance managing the organization to maximize impact while also offering as flexible and worker-friendly [an] environment as possible, one slide pertaining to PWU salary demands read. One management-level employee who attended that presentation told me that the implication seemed to be that PWU and the workers it represents were interested only in salary raises, rather than saving the environmentan opinion this employee does not share: The sense I get from the executive team is that PWU is trying to hamper the Sierra Club or to stop us from doing our work, that employee said. But people dont come to work here because they hate the environment.

Employees, including those whod worked under previous executive directors, described an executive team less open to collaboration and operating with a more corporate vibe, as one employee put it. Before there was just a lot more of a relationship with the executive level. We used to have town halls and open spaces to communicate with those higher up, an employee represented by PWU said. Its just very cold and impersonal, another relayed, noting that most employees receive only sporadic communication from Jealous and the executive team. Around the time that layoffs were announced, PWU members joined all-staff Zoom meetings displaying union logos and symbols of solidarity. Shortly thereafter, the chat function in those meetings was disabled. Now all-staff meetings are held as webinars, where only the screens of presenters are visible and attendees cannot communicate with one another. (This change was the subject of another unfair labor practice charge filed by PWU.)

Asked how Sierra Club might confront low morale in the organization and fears about layoffs, Berman responded that a core component of ensuring a strong Sierra Club is combating misinformation about who and what we are. We are not an organization that toleratesand certainly not one that encouragesretaliation against our own employees, and the suggestion that we are without any proof has no other purpose than to try and divide the Sierra Club at a critical juncture, he added. We take pride in our employees and their work, which is why despite navigating a difficult economic environment we have continued to invest in our employees through overall benefits that are comparable to those offered by more wealthier corporations.



*This piece has been updated to reflect the correct figure for the Sierra Clubs budget shortfall.
AAR Corp (NYSE:AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government customers worldwide, has reported an insider sell according to a recent SEC filing. The Chairman, President & CEO of AAR Corp, Holmes John McClain III, sold 57,395 shares of the company on April 4, 2024. The transaction was disclosed in a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Over the past year, the insider has sold a total of 193,318 shares of AAR Corp and has not made any purchases of the stock. This latest transaction continues a trend of insider sales at the company, with a total of 15 insider sells and no insider buys reported over the past year.

On the date of the sale, shares of AAR Corp were trading at $59.11, giving the company a market capitalization of $2.128 billion. The price-earnings ratio of the stock stands at 35.35, which is above both the industry median of 33.8 and the historical median price-earnings ratio for the company.

The stock's price-to-GF-Value ratio is 1, with a GF Value of $58.97, indicating that AAR Corp is considered Fairly Valued based on the intrinsic value estimate from GuruFocus. The GF Value is determined by historical trading multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor based on past returns and growth, and future business performance estimates from Morningstar analysts.

Insider Sell: AAR Corp (AIR) Chairman, President & CEO Holmes John McClain III Sells 57,395 Shares

Insider Sell: AAR Corp (AIR) Chairman, President & CEO Holmes John McClain III Sells 57,395 Shares

The insider's recent sell transaction may be of interest to investors monitoring insider behaviors as an indicator of company performance and valuation. However, it is important to consider a wide range of factors when evaluating the potential implications of insider transactions.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Key Insights

Velesto Energy Berhad's estimated fair value is RM0.52 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Velesto Energy Berhad's RM0.28 share price signals that it might be 46% undervalued

The RM0.33 analyst price target for VELESTO is 38% less than our estimate of fair value

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Velesto Energy Berhad (KLSE:VELESTO) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

Check out our latest analysis for Velesto Energy Berhad

What's The Estimated Valuation?

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM241.8m RM348.7m RM390.0m RM422.1m RM451.0m RM477.4m RM502.0m RM525.4m RM548.2m RM570.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Est @ 8.25% Est @ 6.84% Est @ 5.85% Est @ 5.16% Est @ 4.67% Est @ 4.33% Est @ 4.09% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 13% RM215 RM275 RM273 RM262 RM249 RM234 RM219 RM203 RM188 RM174

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM2.3b

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.5%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 13%.

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Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM571m (1 + 3.5%)  (13% 3.5%) = RM6.5b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM6.5b ( 1 + 13%)10= RM2.0b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM4.3b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM0.3, the company appears quite undervalued at a 46% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Velesto Energy Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 13%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.429. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Velesto Energy Berhad

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Energy Services market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Annual revenue is forecast to grow slower than the Malaysian market.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Velesto Energy Berhad, there are three fundamental elements you should assess:

Financial Health: Does VELESTO have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does VELESTO's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
The Kansas House on Thursday rejected a compromise between top Republicans and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly that would have cut income taxes, leaving the future of tax relief this year in doubt.

The sweeping measure, which Kelly had promised to sign into law, would have cut taxes for those making more than $30,000 a year in taxable income.

The proposal would have eliminated taxes on Social Security benefits, long a goal of both parties, and end the state sales tax on food on July 1, six months ahead of schedule. And it would have raised the standard deduction and child and dependent tax credit.

But a wide swath of House lawmakers were frustrated the plan concentrated income tax relief on earners in the top income tax bracket and provided insufficient cuts to property tax. They were also upset the Senate hadnt considered an earlier tax proposal the House passed unanimously.

In a voice vote, the House early Thursday evening sent the tax measure back to House and Senate negotiators. The vote wasnt recorded, but ayes to send the bill back for more work were much louder than the no votes and appeared to cross party lines.

Kansans deserve better. Kansans deserve a tax bill that represents true savings in their pocket, said Rep. Stephen Owens, a Hesston Republican.

The vote came after the Senate earlier in the day approved the compromise in a 38-1 vote. It occurred after a closed-door gathering of House Republicans away from the Capitol earlier in the day. An Associated Press reporter who entered the caucus was forced to leave, the AP reported.

Under current Kansas law, the tax brackets are set at 3.1%, 5.25% and 5.7%, with individuals making over $30,000 a year in taxable income taxed at the top rate. The proposal would have reduced that top bracket to 5.5%.

The rejection of the plan sends Kelly and GOP leadership back to the drawing board after nearly two years of squabbles over Kansas income tax structure. And it throws into doubt whether the Legislature can successfully approve tax cuts this year.

It appeared unlikely lawmakers will strike a new deal before adjournment on Friday but theyll have another chance when they return for their annual wrap up session at the end of the month. Kelly has also pledged to call a special session if lawmakers go home without tax cuts she approves.

Lawmakers and Kelly had both insisted on delivering tax cuts this year, but the governor vetoed a single-rate income tax plan favored by Republicans. After GOP lawmakers failed to override Kellys veto, the two sides reached an agreement this week.

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The compromise proposal was expected to cost about $1.4 billion over the next three years. A bill Kelly vetoed earlier this year centered around the flat tax would have cost more than $1.6 billion over three years.

Though she acknowledged the plan wasnt perfect, Kelly personally visited a gathering of House Democrats on Thursday morning to seek their support.

I want you to know that Im not that happy with some of the things that are going to be there. But when I think about where we started on taxes for this year and now where we are, tremendous difference, Kelly told House Democrats.

Kellys office declined to comment following the vote.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, similarly urged his members to support the measure but acknowledged he would have preferred a different bill.

This bill is a good bill. Its not as good as what we had with Senate Bill 300 and we all know that. Now you have to make a decision, Hawkins said, referring to the tax plan the House had previously passed unanimously.

But the compromise received a lackluster reception, especially in the House where lawmakers were particularly irked that the final product was so significantly different from the dual-rate income tax plan that passed the House unanimously last week.

I didnt understand with a unanimous vote why the Senate wouldnt want to take it up, Rep. John Eplee, an Abilene Republican, said.

Rep. Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, urged his colleagues to send the bill back for more negotiations. This is our chance to sit down and discuss Senate Bill 300 with the Senate, he said.

The Senate had approved the measure with a near unanimous vote earlier in the day as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle framed it as a long sought compromise.

This has been a difficult and divisive legislative session, Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said. But I think with this plan we can show our constituents that we can come together and do the right thing and cut taxes for all Kansans.

Now, theyre declaring the tax issue dead, at least for now.

Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said he would not return to the negotiating table before the end of the week and seemed unwilling to consider the dual-rate plan. Masterson, who had been one of the states loudest proponents of the flat tax, said he felt the House had disrespected the Senate in this process  not the other way around.

We had a bipartisan supermajority that was completely ignored and then they send me something stuffed in a Senate bill, he said immediately after the vote. Our conference committees on tax are over.

In a statement following the vote, Hawkins said House Republicans remained committed to delivering tax relief.

This is a long process, he said.

Sen. Tom Holland, a Baldwin City Democrat and the only senator to vote against the compromise plan, said he hoped legislative leadership would step aside and allow individual lawmakers to work out a deal now that their plan had failed.

I am more than confident the six of us can work out a conference committee report, he said.

Last year Kansas lawmakers adjourned for the year without tax cuts despite historic surpluses. With the rejection of the compromise, Sykes predicted were going to go home without a tax bill.

The Stars Jenna Barackman contributed reporting
KISS PR Brand Story enters partnership with Dublin's Etkaan to offer top digital marketing and SEO services in Ireland, blending storytelling with business for results

Dallas, Texas and Dublin, Ireland--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2024) - KISS PR, a leading Public Relations, Digital Marketing, and Creative agency based in Dallas, Texas, is thrilled to announce its strategic partnership with Etkaan, a prominent digital marketing company based in Dublin, Ireland. This collaboration aims to leverage both companies' strengths to offer unparalleled digital marketing, SEO, and web design services in the Ireland region.

Expanding Horizons with Local Expertise

Through this partnership, KISS PR appoints Etkaan as its Ireland region partner, capitalizing on Etkaan's local presence and expertise to promote KISS PR's suite of services. This collaboration is poised to revolutionize the digital marketing landscape in Ireland by combining KISS PR's award-winning strategies with Etkaan's deep understanding of the local market.

A Powerhouse of Marketing Solutions

KISS PR Marketing is renowned for its niche focus and expertise in local SEO marketing, press release writing, and distribution. The agency's offerings are now set to reach new heights with the addition of Etkaan's local insights and capabilities.

For businesses lacking a promotions and PR department, KISS PR offers a comprehensive solution, while those with existing departments can benefit from added creative and strategic horsepower.

Blending Digital and Storytelling

"At KISS PR, we understand that blending digital marketing and storytelling is a balancing act of art and business, engaging both the left and right brain. We are committed to guiding you through the creative journey, ensuring that your investment yields tangible results. Our approach is rooted in the belief that your story deserves to be told effectively and that your marketing efforts should lead to measurable success." Qamar Zaman CEO of KISS PR Brand Story.

About KISS PR

KISS PR is an award-winning Public Relations, Digital Marketing, and Creative agency with a proven track record of success in local SEO marketing, press release writing, and distribution. The agency is dedicated to helping businesses enhance their online presence and reach their target audiences effectively.

About Etkaan

Etkaan is a leading digital marketing company based in Dublin, Ireland, specializing in providing top-notch digital marketing, SEO, and web design services. With a focus on local market dynamics, Etkaan offers tailored solutions to help businesses thrive in the competitive digital landscape.

Story continues

Contact Information:

https://kisspr.com/

CEO of Etkaan: Mudasser Haleem

Address: Unit 104A Porters Rd, Coolmine Industrial Estate, Dublin 15, D15 AK06

For further information, please contact: qz@kisspr.com

Source: Story.KISSPR.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/204484
Last month, State Farm announced it would not renew 72,000 property owner insurance policies in California. (Daniel Gaines / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: I recently got notice that my homeowner's insurance is not being renewed. My next-door neighbor got a similar notice. My agent said I could insure with the state's program, but at twice the price I've been paying and with very limited coverage. ("California's home insurance crisis: What went wrong, how it can be fixed and what owners can do," March 29)

We are not in any high-risk fire zone, so what's going on?

I'm told that because Proposition 103, passed in 1988, allows the state insurance commissioner to approve rates, insurers can no longer be profitable in California and now want out. A good comparison from my agent is if the state agricultural commissioners set the price of eggs at 50 cents a dozen, a loaf of bread at $1 and a quart of milk at 25 cents, it wouldnt take long for store shelves to be empty with no new shipments coming in.

It's the same with insurance. Unless legislators and the governor can turn this situation around, California is in big trouble.

Ron Greek, San Clemente

..

To the editor: Aren't the real issues with respect to California's insurance crisis a need for tort reform to cap damages for property similar to what is done with respect to medical claims and restrictions on carriers' abilities to set their rates?

Wouldn't a more informative article look to the economics surrounding the claim obligations of these carriers? Should more research be done regarding the effects of Proposition 103, which restricted insurers' ability to more accurately calibrate rates versus liabilities?

To lay this issue on climate change seems simplistic, given that many other states deal with natural disaster challenges, including hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and more.

Peter Verbica, Felton, Calif.

..

To the editor: After seeing the hurdles that California residents now face in insuring their homes, I have to wonder if auto insurance policies will be next.

The sheer volume of injury attorney ads airing on TV every day is over the top. In one of the "testimonials," the alleged victim states that he "heard a bump" and called an attorney "on the spot." Seriously?

Mostly, the testimonials speak to the ease of getting a claim handled, even just texting back and forth with the law firm, followed by money deposited in their account.

What is so worrisome to me is that I see this contact-an-attorney-first mentality spreading. So many people seem to think it's normal to talk to a lawyer first instead of an insurance representative, even when no injury is alleged.

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This unfettered ambulance chasing over the airwaves will eventually affect us all  mark my words.

Kathy W. Smith, Torrance

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  A Little Rock woman is facing federal charges related to an investigation into the alleged improper use of pandemic relief funds.

According to federal court documents, 31-year-old Chandler Wilson Carroll is facing four counts of wire fraud and four counts of alleged money laundering.

AG Rutledge: White County woman arrested in Medicaid fraud case

A grand jury returned the indictment earlier this week charging Carroll with using the money intended for business expenses for the purchase of 2 vehicles, jewelry and real estate.

Court documents show Carroll applied for four loans totaling more than $2 million in 2020 and 2021.

Federal agents raided Carrolls home office Thursday morning on Crestwood Drive in the Kavanaugh area.

Little Rock woman charged with stealing close to $2 million in COVID relief money

Chandler Wilson Carroll is the founder and CEO of WilCarr Innovations, a company that assists healthcare companies in dealing with regulators.

She appeared before a judge Thursday afternoon for arraignment where she entered a not guilty plea. Carroll was released and ordered to surrender her passport.

A jury trial has been set for May.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Maersk may be ushering in a good sign for the state of the Panama Canal upon reinstating transit on its Oceania-to-the Americas OC1 service through the waterway in May.

Since January, when the container shipping giant halted the service, goods on OC1 have been transported via rail over a land bridge across the roughly 50-mile country.

More from Sourcing Journal

OC1 will return to its pre-existing rotation on May 10, with the land bridge set to be phased out by the end of May, Maersk said in a customer advisory Friday.

Under the temporary shift, Maersk created two separate loops on each side of the canalone in the Atlantic Ocean and another in the Pacific Oceanfor container vessels.

The two-loop setup meant that containers headed east were unloaded at Panamas Pacific-side Port of Balboa, before crossing the isthmus by train to the Port of Manzanillo on the Atlantic coast, where they were loaded onto a ship destined for Philadelphia and Charleston.

The move comes a month ahead of the start of Panamas rainy season, which lasts from May to December.

A months-long drought in 2023 kicked off the traditionally damp period, which negatively impacted water levels at Gatun Lake, the manmade lake which provides the water to move ships through the Panama Canals lock system.

The drought led the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to begin implementing restrictions for both daily transit bookings and vessel draft, ultimately creating backlogs that surpassed 120 ships in the late summer and fall months.

Since its locks were expanded in 2016, the Panama Canal had capacity for 34 to 38 daily transits, but this was steadily reduced throughout 2023 to 22 vessels per day.

The ACP began easing the restrictions at the start of 2024, increasing the number of bookings it accepts each day to 24 in January and 27 in March. Maersk said it had been closely monitoring the added transit slots by the ACP in recent weeks before deciding to revive the OC1 service.

If the countrys current water totals and future projections are any indicator, more restrictions could be lifted in the future.

As of Friday, Gatun Lakes official water levels are 80.3 feet deep, which is 2.6 feet shallower than the 82.9 average in April over the five previous years. The 2.6-foot difference is a major improvement from the 5.5-foot average differential just three months ago in January, when water levels were 81.4 feet deep compared to the usual average of 86.9 feet.

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By May, the ACP forecasts that the depth will drop to 80 feet by mid-May, representing a 2.5-foot gap from the 82.5-foot-deep, five-year average.

MSC faces possible $63 million fine from FMC

While Maersk is capitalizing on the potential improvements at the canal, its biggest rival is in hot water with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).

The FMCs Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance (BEIC) has asked Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to pay a civil penalty of no less than $63.3 million on allegations of knowingly and willfully violating the U.S. Shipping Act.

MSC is being accused of charging excessive late fees on non-operating reefers and billing third parties that were not originally part of the contractual agreement using a broad definition of merchant in its bills of lading. The investigation into MSC has been under way since August 2023, the commission said.

The probe found 18 violations related to the use of its merchant clause to assess and collect charges from third parties and more than 3,000 violations related to non-operating reefers.

The fact that MSC failed to conduct an internal audit and proactively reconcile its billing processes, resulting in at least 2,629 reefer overcharges and 1,704 undisputed reefer charges, is a clear display of MSCs reckless disregard and plain indifference to the requirements of the Shipping Act, the FMC said in its 81-page complaint.

Sourcing Journal reached out to MSC.

MSC ran afoul of Bed Bath & Beyond last year, with the bankrupt home retailer suing the carrier for $316 million in the biggest lawsuit filed with the FMC to date. The retailer is accusing the company of failing to meet service commitments during Covid, coercing Bed Bath & Beyond into paying extra for peak season surcharges and other fees and charging excessive demurrage and detention costs.
(Bloomberg) -- Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is changing its policies to allow more AI-generated content to stay up on its sites, even if that content is misleading.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The company will begin to label, not remove, misleading content that is AI-generated, but doesnt violate any other policies. Previously, Metas manipulated media policy stated that the company would remove videos that had been edited or synthesized, in ways that are not apparent to an average person, and would likely mislead an average person into thinking someone in the video had said something they did not.

The new policy extends to digitally created or altered images, video or audio, the company wrote Friday in a blog post. Misleading posts can still be fact-checked as well and labeled as such, a spokesperson confirmed.

Meta announced the change after its Oversight Board, an independent group of academics and researchers that review the companys content moderation decisions, criticized the manipulated media policy in February, calling it incoherent. The board also recommended using more labels on AI-generated content instead of removing the videos or posts.

We agree that providing transparency and additional context is now the better way to address this content, Meta wrote in the blog post. The company will label AI-generated video, audio and images as Made with AI under the new policy, which will begin in May.

How Meta deals with AI-generated content has been an important policy topic this year given the looming US elections in November. Meta has previously talked about the need to automatically label AI-generated posts, including those posts created using competitors technology.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
DataHorizzon Research

North America Smart Parking System Market to Witness Traction in the Forecast Period.

Fort Collins, Colorado, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North America Smart Parking System Market size was valued at USD 3.1 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 14.9 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 19.5%.

North America is witnessing a rapid surge in urbanization as more individuals relocate to cities and urban hubs in pursuit of enhanced opportunities and amenities. This trend has led to heightened demand for parking spaces within urban areas, placing strain on existing parking infrastructure and exacerbating traffic congestion and pollution issues. In response to these challenges, smart parking systems have emerged as a solution, offering real-time information regarding available parking spaces. This enables drivers to efficiently locate and reserve parking spots, thereby alleviating congestion and enhancing traffic flow.

Governments and municipal authorities across North America increasingly acknowledge the significance of smart parking systems in improving urban mobility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many cities are investing in smart parking infrastructure as a pivotal component of their smart city initiatives. These initiatives involve deploying various technologies, such as smart meters, license plate recognition systems, and dynamic pricing mechanisms, to optimize parking management and utilization. For instance, San Francisco has implemented a demand-based pricing system for parking meters, adjusting parking rates based on demand levels to promote turnover and alleviate congestion.

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Segmentation Overview:

The North America smart parking system market has been segmented into type, component, application, and country. Based on application, the market is again divided into commercial, government, and transport transit. The commercial segment holds a major smart parking system market share and is expected to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period.

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North America Smart Parking System Market Report Highlights:

The North America Smart Parking System market growth is anticipated at a CAGR of 19.5% by 2032.

The market growth is attributed to the increase in integrated automation solutions, development of wireless technology and payment methodologies in the network.

The U.S. will be a prominent country in the North American smart parking systems market in 2022 owing to its advanced technological infrastructure and widespread adoption of smart solutions.

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Some prominent players in the North America Smart Parking System market report include Smart Parking Ltd, IPS Group, Inc., Amano McGann, Inc., TKH Group, Continental AG, BMW AG (ParkNow GmbH, Parkmobile LLC), Cisco Systems, Inc., Siemens AG, SWARCO, IEM SA, Urbiotica, S.L., Aisin Corporation, and Robert Bosch GmbH among others.

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North America Smart Parking System Market Segmentation:

By Type: On-street, off-street

By Component: Hardware (Sensor, Camera, Parking Meter, Others), Software (Parking Guidance System, Analytics Solution), Services (System Integration & Installation, Parking Management, Maintenance).

By Application: Commercial, government, transit.

By Country: U.S., Canada

About DataHorizzon Research:

DataHorizzon is a market research and advisory company that assists organizations across the globe in formulating growth strategies for changing business dynamics. Its offerings include consulting services across enterprises and business insights to make actionable decisions. DHRs comprehensive research methodology for predicting long-term and sustainable trends in the market facilitates complex decisions for organizations.

Contact:

Mail: sales@datahorizzonresearch.com

Ph: +1-970-672-0390

Website: https://datahorizzonresearch.com/

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Big Data Market

Italy Dropshipping Market

Software Defined Storage Market

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JAKARTA (Reuters) -Nvidia and Indonesia's telco firm PT Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison plan to build an artificial intelligence centre in Central Java in 2024, worth $200 million, the communication minister said.

Budi Arie Setiadi in a statement said the AI centre could consists of telecommunication infrastructure or a human resource centre and will be located in Surakarta city.

Indosat's CEO has provided information of the investment plan to Surakarta mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is also Indonesia's vice president elect and the son of the ongoing President Joko Widodo.

"Why in Surakarta? Because they are ready, have good human resources and 5G infrastructure," he said.

Indosat is committed to become the pioneer in AI development in Indonesia, its spokesperson Steve Saerang said in a statement on Friday.

"Now, our main focus is to develop a center of excellence related to AI in Surakarta," he said, adding such collaboration will foster the development of technology infrastructure in Indonesia.

Nvidia declined to comment.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Martin Petty)
Letitia James Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday filed a notice seeking more information about the company that backed former President Donald Trumps $175 million bond in his civil fraud case, according to NBC News.

The firm, Knight Specialty Insurance Company, is not admitted in New York and James "takes exception to the sufficiency of the surety to the undertaking" given to Trump without a certificate of qualification, the filing said.

James asked Trump or KSIC to "file a motion to justify the surety bond," or provide more information about the collateral Trump put up within 10 days.

Don Hankey, the head of KSIC, said the bond was fully collateralized with cash from Trumps company, according to the report. Hankey had been negotiating to post a $557 million bond with the Trump Organization before an appellate court lowered the bond to $175 million.

Trump had to post the bond to appeal the $464 million civil fraud judgement against him and his company. He is still on the hook for the full amount if he loses the appeal. A hearing is scheduled for April 22.

He looks forward to vindicating his rights on appeal and overturning this unjust verdict, Trump attorney Alina Habba said on Monday.
The New York state Legislature blew through Thursdays already extended deadline to reach a budget deal and agreed to continue talks through Monday in time for the 2024 solar eclipse.

This is the second extender the legislature has passed as Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic leaders in the Senate and Assembly leadership try to resolve disagreements over the $233 billion budget the governor delivered in January.

The extender allows state spending to continue through Monday, a week after the scheduled start of the fiscal year. Last years budget was more than a month late.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announces the first-year total of opioid settlement funds being spent statewide during a media briefing in the Bronx.

The divide appears centered on housing, health care and education.

Hochuls bid to reduce state aid for several school districts ignited protests in districts that would suffer the largest cuts.

Aid: Half of Lower Hudson school districts would see aid cuts under Hochul's plan; check yours

'Apocalytic': NY school districts vehemently oppose aid cuts

The governor wants to reduce funding for half of the 673 districts that receive foundation aid, a large chunk of their annual allotment.

The Mount Vernon school district in Westchester County faces the loss of nearly $3 million in state aid. At a March rally, school officials joined state lawmakers in declaring the cuts catastrophic and apocalyptic.

State Senator Shelly Mayer offers remarks during a ribbon cutting for the City of White Plains Veterans Memorial Garden, on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

I remain very hopeful that well be able to restore the funds as well as find some way to promptly reevaluate and modernize the foundation aid formula, state Sen. Shelley Mayer, chairwoman of the Senate education committee, said Thursday.

And Im hopeful that everyone in good faith is trying to find a solution that allows schools to get what they anticipated and deals with some of the more complex issues we need to deal with going forward, Mayer added.

Mount Vernon Acting Superintendent K. Veronica Smith speaks at a rally against the proposed state foundation aid cuts to schools at Benjamin Turner Academy in Mount Vernon March 1, 2024. Mount Vernon is one of half of the districts in the state to receive less funding.

The governor said the cuts are needed after two years when overall state aid increased 2%. State lawmakers have pushed for an agreement that no district would receive less than it did in the previous year.

Hochul pushed back, noting that declining enrollment in some districts means they could get by with less.

Where does NY want to build housing? Hochul wants to build 15K homes on state land to stem shortage. Which locations targeted?

What's going on with the NY housing push?

Both sides continue to debate Hochuls proposal to boost the state's housing stock.

The question remains how to pay for it. Hochul's budget proposal called for the creation of a $500 million state fund that would add 15,000 new homes by preparing state-owned property for development.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYS budget: Late deadline pushed to eclipse day. What's the holdup?
DataHorizzon Research

Rise in Veganism to drive Oat Milk Market Growth.

Fort Collins, Colorado, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Oat Milk Market size was valued at USD 3.7 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 9.8 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 11.5%.

Oat milk is a plant-based alternative to traditional dairy milk, derived from whole oat grains. It is renowned for its rich content of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, containing more calories, carbohydrates, and fiber than other milk sources such as almond milk, cow milk, and soy milk. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the demand for oat milk, primarily attributed to the growing vegan culture and heightened awareness of animal cruelty within the dairy industry. The surge in demand can also be attributed to the introduction of oat milk in many cafes, where consumers have embraced its taste in various coffee beverages. Additionally, oat milk caters to individuals with lactose and gluten intolerances, further expanding its appeal to a broader consumer base.

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Segmentation Overview:

The global oat milk market has been segmented into source, product, packaging, distribution channel, and region. Based on packaging, the market is segmented into cartons, bottles, and others. Cartons hold a significant share of the packaging segment of the oat milk market. Milk cartons are usually made of paper, which makes them sustainable and recyclable, thus causing lower environmental damage. They are easy for the buyer to carry and store as they are lightweight and can be stored anywhere.

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Oat Milk Market Report Highlights:

The global oat milk market growth is anticipated at a CAGR of 11.5% by 2032.

Oat milk is a preferred milk option by vegans as it provides them with essential plant nutrients.

North America accounts for a significant share of oat milk market, with the United States dominating the market in this region. This demand is mainly due to the rising adoption of non-dairy milk alternatives with a rising vegan population and also due to the changing taste preferences of people.

Some prominent players in the Oat Milk market report include Oatly Group AB, The Coca-Cola Company, Campbell Soup Company, Happy Planet Foods, Rise Brewing Co., Califia Farms, Chobani, HP Hood LLC, Elmhurst 1925, Planet Oat, and others.

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Oat Milk Market Segmentation:

By Source: Organic, conventional.

By Product: Plain, flavoured.

By Packaging: Cartons, bottles, others.

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By Distribution Channel: Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, convenience stores, online, others.

By Region: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

About DataHorizzon Research:

DataHorizzon is a market research and advisory company that assists organizations across the globe in formulating growth strategies for changing business dynamics. Its offerings include consulting services across enterprises and business insights to make actionable decisions. DHRs comprehensive research methodology for predicting long-term and sustainable trends in the market facilitates complex decisions for organizations.

Contact:

Mail: sales@datahorizzonresearch.com

Ph: +1-970-672-0390

Website: https://datahorizzonresearch.com/

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Honey Market Size

Organic Coffee Market Size

Functional Food Ingredients Market Growth

Tiger Nuts Market Forecast

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CONTACT: Mail: sales@datahorizzonresearch.com Ph: +1-970-672-0390 Website: https://www.datahorizzonresearch.com




Insights into OGE Energy Corp's Upcoming Dividend Payout

OGE Energy Corp (NYSE:OGE) recently announced a dividend of $0.42 per share, payable on 2024-04-26, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-04-05. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into OGE Energy Corp's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does OGE Energy Corp Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with OGE.

High Yield Dividend Stocks in Gurus' Portfolio

This Powerful Chart Made Peter Lynch 29% A Year For 13 Years

How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock?

OGE Energy is a holding company for Oklahoma Gas & Electric, a regulated utility with electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to 900,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. In December 2021, OGE divested its 25.5% stake in Enable Midstream Partners, an oil and gas services company it created in 2013 through a unit exchange merger with Energy Transfer. OGE sold its 95.4 million limited partner units of Energy Transfer throughout 2022. OGE sold its retail gas business in 1928 and no longer has any gas operations.

OGE Energy Corp's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at OGE Energy Corp's Dividend History

OGE Energy Corp has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 1985. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

Breaking Down OGE Energy Corp's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, OGE Energy Corp currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.87% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 4.89%. This suggests an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months.

Over the past three years, OGE Energy Corp's annual dividend growth rate was 2.10%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate increased to 5.90% per year. And over the past decade, OGE Energy Corp's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at 7.90%.

Based on OGE Energy Corp's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of OGE Energy Corp stock as of today is approximately 6.49%.

OGE Energy Corp's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2023-12-31, OGE Energy Corp's dividend payout ratio is 0.84, and this may suggest that the company's dividend may not be sustainable.

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OGE Energy Corp's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks OGE Energy Corp's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2023-12-31, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported net profit in 9 out of the past 10 years.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. OGE Energy Corp's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors.

Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and OGE Energy Corp's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. OGE Energy Corp's revenue has increased by approximately 7.90% per year on average, a rate that underperforms approximately 53.06% of global competitors.

Conclusive Insights on OGE Energy Corp's Dividend Prospects

In conclusion, while OGE Energy Corp's consistent dividend history and decent growth rates paint a positive picture for income-seeking investors, the higher payout ratio could raise concerns about the long-term sustainability of the dividend. However, the company's solid profitability rank and growth metrics provide a counterbalance, indicating potential for continued dividend payments. Investors should weigh these factors as they consider the future prospects of OGE Energy Corp's dividends. For those looking to expand their portfolio with similar stocks, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


By Erwin Seba

HOUSTON (Reuters) -The Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil benchmarks rose more than $1 a barrel during trade on Friday as markets watched for signs of any direct conflict between Israel and Iran that could further tighten supplies.

Brent crude settled at $91.17 a barrel, up 52 cents, or 0.57%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $86.91 a barrel, up 32 cents, or 0.37%.

Both benchmarks settled on Thursday at their highest levels since October.

Brent and WTI are set to notch more than 4% gains this week after Iran, the third-largest OPEC producer, vowed revenge against Israel for an attack that killed high-ranking Iranian military personnel.

"If Iran directly attacks Israel, that's never happened before," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. "It's just another geopolitical risk domino about to fall."

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria on Monday.

Ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries in Russia may have disrupted more than 15% of Russian capacity, a NATO official said on Thursday, hitting the country's fuel output.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, known as OPEC+, this week kept its oil supply policy unchanged and pressed some countries to increase compliance with output cuts.

"Further clampdowns on adherence to quotas should see output fall further in Q2," ANZ analysts Daniel Hynes and Soni Kumari wrote in a note.

"The prospect of a tighter market should see a drawdown in inventories during the second quarter."

Meanwhile, U.S. job growth soared in March, easily beating expectations, according to official data released on Friday which also showed a steady increase in wages.

The gain of 303,000 jobs last month points to likely robust oil demand but potentially delays anticipated interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve later this year.

Global oil demand is expected to grow by 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first quarter, JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note.

U.S. energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for a third week in a row for the first time since October, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report on Friday.

The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell by one to 620 in the week to April 5, the lowest since early February.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar, Noah Browning, Florence Tan; editing by Kirsten Donovan, David Gregorio, Josie Kao and Paul Simao)
In the quest for reliable dividend income, it's vital to look beyond the surface allure of high yields. While some companies offer dividends that seem too good to be true, a deeper examination may reveal financial vulnerabilities, such as unsustainable payout ratios. In this article, we explore two companies with contrasting dividend prospects; one presents an opportunity for steady income, while the other raises red flags due to its problematic payout ratio.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In The United States

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Premier Financial (NasdaqGS:PFC) 6.39%  Peoples Bancorp (NasdaqGS:PEBO) 5.54%  Lakeland Bancorp (NasdaqGS:LBAI) 4.89%  Financial Institutions (NasdaqGS:FISI) 6.69%  Bank of Marin Bancorp (NasdaqCM:BMRC) 6.36%  Southside Bancshares (NasdaqGS:SBSI) 5.28%  Sandy Spring Bancorp (NasdaqGS:SASR) 6.33%  CVB Financial (NasdaqGS:CVBF) 4.75%  West Bancorporation (NasdaqGS:WTBA) 5.85%  Citizens & Northern (NasdaqCM:CZNC) 6.14% 

Click here to see the full list of 271 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener.

Here we highlight one of our preferred stocks from the screener and one to shun.

One To Reconsider

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: The company is a global leader in designing, developing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling computing and related products and services, with a market capitalization of approximately US$169.13 billion.

Operations: The company's revenue is primarily generated through its Client Computing, Network and Edge, Datacenter and AI, Mobileye, and Intel Foundry Services segments, totaling approximately US$56.58 billion.

Dividend Yield: 1.3%

Intel, despite its efforts to innovate and expand, presents concerns for dividend investors. The company's recent strategic moves, including executive appointments and alliances in AI and autonomous vehicles, highlight its push towards future technologies. However, the financial underpinnings raise flags; Intel's dividends are not fully covered by earnings or free cash flow, indicating potential sustainability issues. With a low dividend yield of 1.26% compared to market leaders and a history of volatility in dividend payments over the past decade, Intels appeal for those seeking stable income investments diminishes. Moreover, the recent issuance of $2.55 billion in senior notes adds to debt levels without directly addressing these fundamental payout coverage concerns. Investors looking for reliable dividend stocks might find Intels current state less attractive amidst these challenges.

NasdaqGS:INTC Dividend History as at Apr 2024

Top Pick

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: The company operates in the integrated energy and chemicals sectors both in the United States and globally, with a market capitalization of approximately US$297.98 billion.

Operations: The company's revenue is primarily generated from its international and United States upstream operations, contributing approximately US$43.81 billion and US$40.12 billion respectively, alongside its downstream activities which account for about US$78.06 billion internationally and US$83.57 billion in the United States.

Dividend Yield: 4.1%

Chevron, with a dividend yield of 4.06%, offers investors a mix of stability and growth in dividends, supported by a decade-long track record of reliability. Its dividends are well-covered by both earnings (payout ratio: 52.9%) and cash flows (cash payout ratio: 61.2%), indicating sustainability. Despite trading below its estimated fair value by 30.8% and having a lower yield compared to the top US dividend payers, Chevron's recent 8% dividend increase and share buyback completion underline its commitment to shareholder returns. However, year-over-year declines in sales, revenue, and net income highlight potential challenges ahead.

NYSE:CVX Dividend History as at Apr 2024

Seize The Opportunity

Investigate our full lineup of 271 Top Dividend Stocks right here.

Have you diversified into one of these companies? Leverage the power of Simply Wall St's portfolio to keep a close eye on market movements affecting your investments.

Maximize your investment potential with Simply Wall St, the comprehensive app that offers global market insights for free.

Ready To Venture Into Other Investment Styles?

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Pacific Prime receives an award from Cigna Global. Pictured from left to right are Senior Sales Consultant Tripatt Srikumar, Head of Sales Maria Jose Lopez for Pacific Prime Latin America, Deputy Global CEO Pierre de Mirman, Chief Commercial Officer at Cigna, and Head of Individual Sales Micheal Lavelle. (Photo: Business Wire)

SYDNEY, April 05, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global health insurance brokerage Pacific Prime Dubai has been awarded the Top Producing Broker Asia Award by Cigna at the Global Broker Advisory Council (GBAC) Awards, held in Sydney, Australia, from March 11th to 14th.

In recognition of their outstanding work and commitment in the insurance brokerage industry, the Top Producing Broker Asia Award showcases Pacific Prime Dubai's dedication to exceeding client expectations and providing comprehensive insurance solutions in the Asia region.

Ross Walker, Chief Commercial Officer at Cigna, congratulated Pacific Prime Dubai and commented, "Congratulations to Pacific Prime. It's a testament to your client-centric ethos and the global team's hard work that we are presenting the Cigna Global Individual Health Award for the second year running. I am proud to work with a partner who brings such focus and impact to individual customers living abroad. Our partnership has never been stronger, and that's really down to our collective teams' customer focus, trust, transparency, and, above all, great people supporting great people."

In attendance at the event were representatives from Pacific Prime, Head of Individual Sales Micheal Lavelle, MSc. CIPD; Head of Sales Maria Jose Lopez for Pacific Prime Latin America; Deputy Global CEO Pierre de Mirman; and Senior Sales Consultant Tripatt Srikumar.

Pierre De Mirman, Deputy CEO of Pacific Prime, expressed his gratitude, saying, "We are honored to receive the Top Producing Broker Asia Award from Cigna. The unwavering commitment and perseverance of our team, along with the trust and confidence our clients have in us, have allowed us to win this award for two consecutive years. Moving forward, we shall remain committed and dedicated to providing exceptional solutions and services to our esteemed clients in Asia and beyond."

About Pacific Prime

Established in 2000, Pacific Prime is an award-winning global insurance brokerage and employee benefits specialist that offers individual and corporate insurance solutions. With USD $750 million premium under management, Pacific Prime is now the third largest employee benefits broker in the Asia Pacific after acquiring CXA Groups brokerage arms in 2021. The brokerage has over 1,000 employees and 15 offices worldwide, including Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Thailand, Malaysia, UAE, Indonesia, the UK, the US, Mexico, the Philippines, and Australia.

To learn more about Pacific Prime, please visit: https://www.pacificprime.com/corporate

Story continues

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240404955865/en/

Contacts

Stephen Ho

Chief Marketing Officer

Pacific Prime

+852 3589 0508
President Biden just canceled plans to refill America's emergency oil reserve  here's why and what it means

The Department of Energy (DOE) unexpectedly axed plans to refill its oil piggy bank in August and September due to surging oil prices.

The DOE previously announced in March that it was soliciting 3 million barrels of oil for its Bayou Choctaw site in Louisiana  one of four major storage facilities for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

Don't miss

The SPR is the world's largest supply of emergency crude oil and was established back in 1975 in case of a severe oil supply crisis or economic disruption.

"We monitor market dynamics to remain nimble and innovative in our successful replenishment approach to protect this critical national security asset," said DOE spokesperson Charisma Troiano, noting the energy department is keeping the taxpayers interest at the forefront.

Rising prices are halting refills

The Energy Department has been gradually refilling the emergency oil supply after stockpiles hit a historic low last year.

The administration withdrew a record 180 million barrels in 2022 to counter supply issues created by Russias invasion of Ukraine  but Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in March that the strategic oil reserve would be replenished by the end of the year.

The DOE has said its aiming to buy back oil for the SPR at $79 per barrel or below, less than the average of about $95 it received for the 2022 sales.

However, amid increasing prices  currently hovering at around $85 per barrel  the DOE has decided to pull back on further purchases until market conditions improve.

The SPR currently holds about 363 million barrels, according to Energy Department data  down from nearly 600 million at the beginning of 2022.

Read more: These 5 magic money moves will boost you up America's net worth ladder in 2024  and you can complete each step within minutes. Here's how

What this means for you

Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group, who served as an adviser to former President George W. Bush, told Bloomberg he believes domestic crude prices will likely remain high for the rest of the year, which means the refill program could remain paused for a while.

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If pump prices keep rising, the Biden administration will shift gears and reconsider SPR releases, though we currently do not think they are imminent, McNally says.

But critics have concerns that the depleted oil reserves could put the U.S. at risk, especially in a time of crisis, or if the global supply hits dangerously low levels. It also means prices at the pump could remain high for the foreseeable future.

Its pure insanity to watch the Biden administration cut American oil production and then claim they cant refill our critical reserve because of the price, Daniel Turner, founder and executive director for energy advocacy organization Power The Future, said in a statement.

As a result, Americans are paying more at the pump, more at the grocery store and our SPR is less full during a time of rising turmoil in the Middle East.

What to read next

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
During the St. Vincent Hospital nurses strike, I wrote several columns criticizing the hospital administration and its CEO, Carolyn Jackson. As I saw it, the nurses were fighting for their patients. It was a noble cause.

I thought that when they settled the contract, the issue of patient safety had been resolved. It appears that I was wrong.

More recently, I wrote a column about the nurses' allegations that patients at the hospital were receiving substandard care. Nurses made some startling allegations and at least one investigative agency found that the hospital was noncompliant with applicable Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Conditions. This could put the hospitals accreditation in jeopardy. Again, I criticized Jackson.

As a result of that column, I received a number of emails from readers who told me about their own experience at the hospital, verifying the nurses' allegations. One reader claimed that their loved one waited for hours for medication and that they couldnt find a nurse or PCA, saying it was a nightmare. I was disheartened when a reader wrote that his 64-year-old sister was forced to sit in a wet bed crying because there was no nurse to attend to her and she was humiliated. Readers made other far more serious accusations.

I have been highly critical of Jackson and her administration for what many nurses and some patients say are serious patient deficiencies and substandard care. And I have criticized Jackson for trying to strong-arm and intimidate nurses by firing some of the nurses who filed complaints against the hospital.

However, as I reflect on it, Im not so sure that Ive placed the blame where it belongs. Sure, Jackson is the face of the hospital and is absolutely responsible for any instances of substandard care that might be found. And her tactics of firing those who complained was found, in at least one instance so far, to be an act of punishment and thinly veiled retaliation.

But Im guessing that her bosses at Tenet Healthcare, who own the hospital, know exactly what shes doing and that they approve. If they didnt, Jackson wouldnt still be there.

Tenets record

Based in Dallas, Tenet Healthcare is a behemoth with 58 acute care hospitals and 648 health care facilities in its portfolio. Its total revenue in 2023 was $19.5 billion. These guys are huge.

Unfortunately, a simple internet search shows that Tenet has a sordid business record. According to multiple media sources, over the past 20 years Tenet has been forced to pay more than $2 billion in fines and penalties. Thats a great deal of money. But more eye-popping are the charges that accompany these fines.

Here are just a few of the reports of wrongdoing that I found online.

In one case, according to a Department of Justice press release, Tenet and two of its subsidiaries paid nearly $30 million to resolve allegations of kickbacks to doctors for referrals.

In another case, according to ProPublica, Tenet and a subsidiary paid $25 million after Hurricane Katrina to resolve allegations that they were ill-prepared for the storm, including that some doctors subsequently acknowledged that they had hastened the deaths of patients by injecting them with drugs. No criminal charges were filed.

Also, again according to the Department of Justice, there was the $1.4 million they were forced to pay to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly charging Medicare for implanting unnecessary cardiac monitors.

In another Department of Justice case, Tenet and two of its subsidiaries were forced to pay $513 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims related to a scheme to defraud the United States and (for paying) kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals, including pregnant undocumented Hispanic women.

More recently, according to Market Insider and other publications, Tenet paid $160 million to settle a class action suit for unpaid overtime to nurses and physician assistants.

In 2005, Consumer Watchdog published a story titled Profile of a Repeat Offender: Tenet Healthcare Corporation. According to the story, Tenet pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for paying kickbacks and bribes to doctors. It paid $375 million to settle the charges.

In 2016, the Dallas Morning News wrote a piece with the headline: Why cant Tenet Healthcare, a repeat offender, stop the fraud scandals?

I dont know what its like to run a major hospital. But allegations of kickbacks, implanting unnecessary cardiac monitors and an assortment of other dubious practices dont paint a picture of a health care system that puts patients first.

Tenets response

These are serious charges. So I called and emailed Tenets headquarters to give them a chance to respond. I never heard back. I guess the charges and the penalties speak for themselves.

So whats the answer?

One reader wrote that its time for Jackson to go. Perhaps. But I dont think that solves the problem. Tenet will just bring in another CEO who will likely do more of the same.

Another reader got closer to a solution: Tenet need(s) to be held accountable and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I agree. While it appears that being prosecuted and paying hundreds of millions of dollars in fines is all calculated into Tenets cost of doing business, the fines and negative publicity may have had an impact. In 2002, Tenets stock price rose to a high of $208. Today that price is just over $100.

If federal and state investigative agencies find that the business practices at St. Vincent jeopardize patient safety, the Massachusetts Attorney General should protect the patients and hold the hospital accountable.

Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano.telegram@gmail.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram. His endorsements do not necessarily reflect the position of the Telegram & Gazette.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Ray Mariano on St. vincent Hospital and Tenet Healthcare
The past few years of inflation have really wreaked havoc on leisure plays like RCL, CCL, and MGM. Undoubtedly, when basic costs of living (think housing and food) are at ground zero of the inflationary boom, it can be tough to save up for that getaway experience, whether it be a cruise or a simple trip out to Las Vegas.

As easy as it is to delay such vacation experiences, I think that the end of inflation (or at least the beginning of the end) could mark the start of a return to leisure.

Various parts of the economy are still holding up quite well (there is still no recession in the books). And though were certainly not out of the woods quite yet, as certain Federal Reserve members contemplate fewer rate hikes due to a robust U.S. economy, one cant help but imagine consumers finding a way to chug along. Theyre beginning to be more selective with how they spend their discretionary cash.

In any case, lets harness the power of TipRanks Comparison Tool to tune into three leisure stocks highly favored by Wall Street right now.

Royal Caribbean Cruise (NYSE:RCL)

Royal Caribbean Cruise stock has been cruising higher over the past year, leaving its industry rivals to tread water. At writing, RCL stock is flirting with new all-time highs after surging more than 300% from the dark depths of 2022.

While Royal Caribbean has been enjoying the ascent, its peers are still struggling to sustain any sort of positive momentum. Just have a look at the stock charts of the major cruise lines and youll see the story thats unfolding. Royal seems well-equipped to take market share over the foreseeable future.

Undoubtedly, the premier nature (it doesnt get classier than Royal) of the firms cruise lines is paying off big-time as it cashes in on robust booking demand for the most leisurely of travels. With distinct advantages over peers (fabulous new ships, like Silver Nova, have been setting sail, with Utopia of the Seas to do so this summer) and no signs of demand reversal, I have to stay bullish on RCL stock.

Why settle for an older ship at a lower price when you have profound innovations packed in the latest and greatest ships that offer unmatched experiences for those with a taste for luxury?

Royal Caribbean shows that sometimes youve got to spend money to make money. Not only that, but RCL could gain market share and have what it takes to pad its long-term margins as more cruisers look to crave (and pay up for) the very best.

What Is the Price Target for RCL Stock?

RCL stock is a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 10 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months. The average RCL stock price target of $150.67 implies 11.6% upside potential.

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Carnival Cruise Lines (NYSE:CCL)

For deep-value investors seeking to bet on the underdog, Carnival looks to be the more intriguing comeback play. Undoubtedly, the tides have been turned in favor of Royal Caribbean in recent quarters, but Carnival has been no slouch, with an impressive 53% gain posted over the past year.

At this juncture, its unclear how Carnival can gain share over its high-end rival. Perhaps a broadening out of a cruising bull market would benefit Carnival. In any case, Im staying bullish on CCL stock, primarily due to the modest valuation and its favorable positioning with the budget-conscious family crowd.

Like Royal, Carnival has benefited from similar industry dynamics (record bookings and improving margins). And though Carnival has new ships (Carnival Jubilee) of its own to get cruisers excited and ready to book, it also has to balance fleet expansion investments with debt reduction plans. Its a fine balance, but its one that could allow CCL stock to sail higher as the industry continues with its recovery.

One thing to note is that the Baltimore Bridge collapse is expected to hit adjusted earnings by $10 million. In any case, the disasters impact on the bottom line seems mostly baked in right here.

What Is the Price Target for CCL Stock?

CCL stock is a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 14 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months. The average CCL stock price target of $22.75 implies 51.1% upside potential.

MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM)

Apart from the cruisers, MGM Resorts looks like an intriguing option for investors looking to play a leisure stock comeback at a dirt-cheap multiple. At writing, shares of the iconic Vegas staple trade at just 14.9 times trailing price-to-earnings, well below the resorts & casinos industry average of 20.7 times. Just last week, Mizuho (NYSE:MFG) stepped forward, starting MGM stock with a Buy rating, saying the stock is undervalued.

Indeed, as consumer discretionary income bounces back, MGM is a prime candidate to benefit. As such, Im staying bullish on the stock as we head into the summer months. We see a compelling FCF and stock buyback value creation path, whereby MGM could theoretically buy $4-5 billion of stock over the next five years, said Mizuhos Ben Chaiken.

Undoubtedly, MGM may not be a growth darling, but its certainly a cash cow  one that could get fatter as demand for leisurely travel starts to pick up.

Given the rise in digital gaming, which allows gamblers to place bets from the comfort of their own homes, one cant help but imagine that more people have developed an appetite for rolling the dice. That doesnt just entail a rise in digital gaming but possibly more trips to Vegas. Either way, MGM stands out as a firm worth betting on as the economy heats up.

What Is the Price Target for MGM Stock?

MGM stock is a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 12 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months. The average MGM stock price target of $56.46 implies 23.1% upside potential.

The Takeaway

Leisure stocks may be ready to rip higher as the American economy continues exhibiting resilience. From the cruise lines to the Vegas icons, a strong U.S. economy can act as a huge tide that lifts all ships in the scene. Of the trio of Strong Buys, Wall Street seems to like CCL stock the most, with ~51% in gains expected over the year ahead.

Disclosure
Samsung Bioepis

INCHEON, Korea, April 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. today announced the initiation of Phase 3 clinical trial for SB27, the company's proposed biosimilar referencing Keytrudai (pembrolizumab). The Phase 3 clinical trial for SB27 is a randomized, double-blind, parallel group, multicenter studyii to compare the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity between SB27 and Keytruda in patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either SB27 or Keytruda 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks concurrently with chemotherapy (pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 with vitamin supplementation intravenous (IV) infusion over 10 minutes every 3 weeks and carboplatin area under the curve [AUC] 5 IV infusion over 15-60 minutes every 3 weeks for the first 4 cycles). More information on this study is available at clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT06348199 ).

We are thrilled to announce the initiation of Phase 3 clinical trial for SB27, after our successful Phase 1 clinical trial initiation in February 2024, said Ilsun Hong, Vice President, Product Evaluation Team Leader of Samsung Bioepis. Based on our extensive clinical trial experience accumulated over the years, we will work closely with study investigators to ensure successful completion of the clinical trials for SB27.

As of April 2024, Samsung Bioepis has eight biosimilars approved and seven available around the worldiii  SB4 (etanercept), SB2 (infliximab), SB5 (adalimumab), SB3 (trastuzumab), SB8 (bevacizumab), SB11 (ranibizumab), SB12 (eculizumab), and SB15 (aflibercept)iv  along with three biosimilar candidates in pipeline  SB16 (denosumab), SB17 (ustekinumab) and SB27 (pembrolizumab).v

About Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd.

Established in 2012, Samsung Bioepis is a biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing healthcare that is accessible to everyone. Through innovations in product development and a firm commitment to quality, Samsung Bioepis aims to become the world's leading biopharmaceutical company. Samsung Bioepis continues to advance a broad pipeline of biosimilar candidates that cover a spectrum of therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, ophthalmology, hematology, and endocrinology. For more information, please visit: www.samsungbioepis.com and follow us on social media  LinkedIn , X .

i KEYTRUDA is a trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

ii The countries of recruitment include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Georgia, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey.

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iii Approval and Availability signify regulatory approval/launch in one or more markets and do not necessarily indicate approval/launch in all markets worldwide.

iv SB15 (aflibercept) is approved in Korea by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and is not yet available in the market.

v In the United States, the Biologics License Application (BLA) for SB17 is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In Europe, SB17 has been recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), having received positive CHMP opinion in February 2024.

CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT Anna Nayun Kim, nayun86.kim@samsung.com Jane Chung, ejane.chung@samsung.com




MIAMI & DALLAS, April 05, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer's)the worlds preeminent distributor of beverage alcoholtoday announced that it has promoted John Landry to the role of Executive Vice President, General Manager, California, effective immediately. Until a successor is named, Landry will continue to oversee the Nevada market to ensure a smooth transition.

Landry is filling the position of Lewis Kenrick who was recently promoted to President, West Region, and will now report to him. As Executive Vice President, General Manager, California, Landry will be responsible for leading all business activities in the state.

"Johns exceptional leadership and performance as Executive Vice President, General Manager, Nevada has positioned him as the optimal candidate for the California leadership role," said John Wittig, Chief Commercial Officer. "He is the perfect fit to build upon the strong foundation Lewis Kenrick has implemented throughout the state. John brings a leadership style that drives performance and culture while valuing our supplier and customer relationships."

Landry began his career in the beverage alcohol industry in 1991 with Heublein Wines Division, now Diageo, as a sales representative. He later joined the Boston Beer Company and Diageo Beer Company, holding senior roles in the industry across various U.S. markets. In 2012, Landry joined Southern Glazer's as Executive Vice President, General Manager for the Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits division in Washington. During his tenure, he assumed additional responsibilities for markets in Alaska and Nebraska. In his most recent role, Landry serves as Executive Vice President, General Manager in Nevada, leading all aspects of the business, including shaping its vision and culture.

An announcement for John Landrys successor will be forthcoming.

About Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits is the worlds preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, building brands for moments that matter. The multi-generational, family-owned Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, as well as brokerage operations through its WEBB Banks division in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In 2024, Southern Glazers was recognized by Newsweek as one of Americas Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and Americas Greatest Workplaces for Women. Southern Glazers urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits.

Story continues

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240405486175/en/

Contacts

Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC

Sofia Estevez

Manager, Communications & CSR

Office: (305) 625-4171, ext. 1162

Mobile: (954) 870-1273

Email: sofia.estevez@sgws.com

Madison Aarons

Specialist, External Communications & CSR

Office: (305) 625-4171, ext. 4705

Mobile: (786) 932-2901

Email: madison.aarons@sgws.com
The state placed Mount Healthy City School District on fiscal emergency Friday morning, according to an announcement from the Ohio Auditor of State. The district is the only one in Ohio currently in fiscal emergency, and is approaching a projected $10.8 million operating fund deficit.

Less than two weeks ago, the school board approved major staff reductions that left nearly one-third of Mount Healthy's teachers without a job. The district's financial woes began in June, when Mount Healthy's then-new treasurer, Kimberly Hughes, found a $700,000 deficit in the district's budget. Administrators worked with the state to resolve that deficit and the books were balanced by August, Superintendent Valerie Hawkins told The Enquirer.

The State Auditors Office of Ohio has placed the Mount Healthy City School District in Hamilton County into a fiscal emergency.

News: Mount Healthy City Schools to layoff 80 employees, including 67 teachers

By November, Hughes announced a $5 million deficit. That number has more than doubled since her fall five-year forecast, as other auditors have run their own analyses of the district's funds. Here are the reasons for the district's deficit, which Hughes provided to The Enquirer via email:

Decreased funding due to a drop in enrollment.

Increase in staffing and student services.

Loss of pandemic relief funds (the district received more than $26 million over the last three years).

Re-appraised property taxes and a reduction in millage rates.

Mount Healthy has not passed an operating levy since 2003. That's one of the reasons why the district is now in fiscal emergency.

But Hawkins told The Enquirer the district doesn't plan to ask for a levy soon. The community isn't for it, she said, because property taxes have increased too much.

Now, the deficit represents more than one-quarter of the districts general revenue funds for the fiscal year that in June, according to the state.

Next steps for Mount Healthy Schools: 120 days to make a plan

The district alerted the state to this crisis in February and asked to be placed on fiscal emergency. The state put the district on fiscal watch first, and then moved Mount Healthy to the more severe status of fiscal emergency on Friday.

School districts must submit five-year financial forecasts to the state twice a year. According to Ohio law, the state can place school systems with troubling forecasts on fiscal caution, fiscal watch and fiscal emergency depending on several factors.

School districts in fiscal emergency give up the right to determine cuts themselves, and instead, a state-selected team takes over district finances and even has the authority to remove the superintendent or treasurer.

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The system has been in place for nearly three decades, and 42 districts have entered fiscal emergency in that time. No other Ohio districts were in fiscal emergency as of March 20, when the state released its annual report.

Auditor of State Keith Faber's office will put together a financial planning and supervision commission that will work with Mount Healthy's school board and the community to develop a plan to eliminate the deficit within four months.

The district's next board of education meeting is on April 15 at 6 p.m. at the board office.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio auditor puts Mount Healthy Schools finances into fiscal emergency
Temu wants to be the one and only.

The Chinese e-commerce giant is suing seven different websites it claims have infringed on its trademarks.

More from Sourcing Journal

The lawsuit has two types of alleged perpetrators: those accused of creating false websites and those accused of offering an unauthorized Temu app for download. Temu has come after temuh.com, temumore.com and temu-shopping.com with the former accusation, and has pointed fingers at riseapk.net, freeappmods.com, starfiles.co and apkcast.com with the latter allegation.

The complaint notes in all cases that the owners of each website have allegedly [used] a privacy service that shields the identity of the true registrant.

Temu secured default judgment in the same Illinois courtalbeit with a different judgeon a lawsuit that accused 20 website owners of trademark infringement on the same day it filed this lawsuit: March 11.

In that order, Judge Mary M. Rowland ruled that each of the defendants, who defaulted on responding to the lawsuit set into motion by Temu, are permanently enjoined from using the Temu trademarks in their business dealings now or in the future. Each of the defendants was also ordered to pay Temu $50,000 for damages.

The decision in Temus favor came after a temporary restraining order (TRO) had been granted in the case, which temporarily prevented the defendants from the activity Temu had sued over. Temu has already secured a TRO in the latest case.

According to the low-priced goods purveyors March 11 filing, the company alleges that, in or around February and March 2024, plaintiff identified the Temu marks being used in connection with the [defendants] domain names and applications. Defendants reproduced, displayed and/or distributed the Temu marks without authorization or license from the plaintiff.

That, the company asserts, is likely to cause and has caused confusion, mistake and deception by and among consumers and is irreparably harming [Temu] because the Temu marks are highly distinctive and have become universally associated in the public mind with [the] Temu marketplace.

In the complaint, counsel for Temu states that the Temu trademarks are of great and incalculable value to Plaintiff, citing that the app has surpassed 100 million downloads on the Google Play store. It does not cite numbers for Apples app store.

Temu seeks permanent enjoinment from present and future use of the Temu trademarks among the defendants, as well as $2 million in damages for each and every use of the Temu marks.

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In the previous lawsuit, which has similar wording to the March 11 filing, Temu sought markedly less for damages: $100,000 for each use of its trademarks.

Temu did not return Sourcing Journals request for comment, nor did David Gulbransen, its attorney in this case.
(Bloomberg) -- Thoma Bravo is targeting to raise about $20 billion for its next flagship buyout fund, people with knowledge of the matter said.

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The technology-focused firm is discussing commitments to Thoma Bravo Fund XVI LP with potential investors, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. The fund does not have a hard cap, one of the people said.

Thoma Bravo is separately seeking about $7 billion for Discover Fund V, its new mid-market vehicle, one of the people said.

Deliberations are ongoing and no final decisions on the size or timing of the fundraisings have been made, the people said. A representative for Thoma Bravo declined to comment.

Named for its founders Carl Thoma and Orlando Bravo, Thoma Bravo had more than $138 billion in assets under management at the end of last year, according to its website. The firm is known for its bets in the technology sector and last month boosted its offer to take software company Everbridge Inc. private.

Thoma Bravo collected more than $24 billion from the likes of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and California Public Employees Retirement System for its last big buyout fund  Thoma Bravo XV  in late 2022. At the same time it revealed it had raised $6.2 billion for Thoma Bravo Discover Fund IV and $1.8 billion for the Thoma Bravo Explore Fund II, which invests in the lower end of the market.

(Updates with line about hard cap in second paragraph)

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2024 Bloomberg L.P.
This Topeka business is helping organize your closet with one cabinet space at a time.

Pulito Closets, 1920 S.W. Westport Drive, provides custom-made, mounted design spaces for reach-in and walk-in closets, garages, pantries and other areas in your home.

Pulitos Closets opened nearly one year ago, launch manager Kaleb Dodd said.

"We've seen a lot of momentum gained over the last maybe five months, maybe even three months, really just since the beginning of the year there's been a lot more uptick," Dodd said. "I think a lot of that's just general awareness, especially in the Topeka area."

Custom closets, Murphy bed setups and more are seen in the new showroom of Pulito Closets, 1920 S.W. Westport Drive.

Organization with Pulito Closet begins with consultation

A free consultation and budgeting are the first steps in preparing for a more organized space with Pulito Closet. During the consultation, you'll be able to visit with a closet designer virtually or in the showroom for planning and budgeting.

After consultation, an in-home visit will take place to allow designers to understand your space better with measurements and realistic 3-D designs.

After a final drawing is approved, the team will build it according to the plan. A delivery and install date will be provided for the Pulito team to come in and professionally install.

Lynda Fisher, closet specialist, said the process is generally four to six weeks long from start to finish.

"It's awesome to have custom local build options and our craftsmen do the installation also," Fisher said, "so we can design any space and build it. It's a fit."

According to the Pulito website, pricing generally begins at $1,301 for reach in closets, $2,923 for walk-in closets, $2,636 for pantries and $4,420 for garages.

Though the business provides customization of space, it doesn't provide personal organization. Fisher said they partner with others to make that available for a customer.

Closet specialist Linda Fisher shows off some of the unique features included in the showroom of a closet design at Pulito Closets.

Are there other Pulito Closets locations?

Pulito Closets also has locations in in Lawrence, Manhattan and Kansas City, Kansas.

All locations are owned by Kevin and Caroline Gray.

"So, since it's a division of custom wood products, most places that there's a custom wood showroom, there's a display of Pulito Closets. So, Manhattan, Lawrence, Kansas City, they have a small display," Fisher said. "But this is the main showroom where they can see most everything that we offer.

Pulito Closets, 1920 S.W. Westport Drive, offers customers a wide range of options when outfitting their homes with custom closets, garages and storage solutions.

What are the business hours for Pulito Closets in Topeka?

Pulito Closets is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturday and Sunday.

Fisher said those interested in consultation can visit the Pulito Closets website, email and text or visit in store as its "best to make an appointment."

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More: Here's why Topeka's Olive Cafe is moving 0.5 miles  and what will change when it reopens

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Pulito Closets in Topeka provides custom shelving to fit any space
Viewing insider transactions for Town Centre Securities Plc's (LON:TOWN ) over the last year, we see that insiders were net buyers. This means that a larger number of shares were purchased by insiders in relation to shares sold.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for Town Centre Securities

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Town Centre Securities

Notably, that recent purchase by Michael Ziff is the biggest insider purchase of Town Centre Securities shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of UK1.41. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. The good news for Town Centre Securities share holders is that an insider was buying at near the current price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Michael Ziff. We note that Michael Ziff was also the biggest seller.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

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.

Are Town Centre Securities Insiders Buying Or Selling?

In the last quarter we saw Non-Executive Director Michael Ziff spend UK73k on shares. But that was only a smidgen more than the UK73k worth of sales. Overall, we don't think these recent trades are particularly informative, one way or the other.

Insider Ownership Of Town Centre Securities

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Town Centre Securities insiders own 35% of the company, worth about UK21m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Town Centre Securities Tell Us?

Insider buying and selling have balanced each other out in the last three months, so we can't deduct anything useful from these recent trades. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders own shares in Town Centre Securities and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. When we did our research, we found 4 warning signs for Town Centre Securities (1 is potentially serious!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

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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.
All your jet-setting and hotel-hopping is having a significant effect on the global economy.

The folks at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimate that the travel industry will reach a record $11.1 trillion in 2024, eclipsing the prior high of $10 trillion achieved in 2019. Furthermore, tourism is expected to become a $16 trillion industry within the next decade and will represent 11.4 percent of the global GDP by 2034.

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Both predictions are outlined in the WTTCs 2024 Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Report, which Bloomberg received ahead of wider distribution. Produced in partnership with research advisory firm Oxford Economics, the latest report looks at the impact of travel and tourism on the economy in granular detail across many metrics. The analysts combined data from governments and industry groups with travel forecasts to determine the sectors future.

Travels record-setting boom hinges largely on the state of the Chinese and American markets, according to Bloomberg. International arrivals in both countries lagged significantly behind pre-pandemic levels in 2023. The strengthening of the U.S. dollar and ongoing visa delays have deterred travelers from visiting the States, WTTCs president and CEO Julia Simpson told Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Chinas unpredictable economy and political position have hampered inbound travel to the country. Both countries are expected to recover this year, though. The bounceback will help the industry reach those record-breaking trillions.

The 14-figure sums can be broken down into three types of travel transactions, Bloomberg notes. Direct travel spending includes things like hotels, tours, and transportation, as well as public investment in these types of services. Indirect travel spending covers the expenses of those businesses, such as sheets and towels or the ingredients for the breakfast buffet. Finally, induced spending accounts for the trickle-down effects of hospitality employees.

In total, 142 out of the 185 surveyed countries are expected to exceed their 2019 tourism performance levels in 2024. Almost all nations are expected to see year-over-year growth, too. As a result, records are likely to be broken on a local level as well as a global.

Travel isnt just back, travel is booming, says Simpson. Were talking about a really, really strong sector.

Story continues

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Click here to read the full article.
Even after bragging about his assets and businesses got him in legal trouble, Donald Trump just cant stop.

After a rough week for his new social media venture, Trump Media & Technology Group, or TMTG, the former president ranted on his Truth Social account Thursday about how great the platform is doingat least, in his opinion. But Trump may have broken some Securities and Exchange Commission rules in the process.

SEC laws prohibit the use of manipulative and deceptive devices to pump up stocks. Trumps bragging in the face of heavy losses by his company could fall under that category, Trump critic George Conway tweeted Thursday afternoon.

The Truth Social posts in question could be seen as the former president trying to talk up his company to increase its stock price after a rough week. Trump Medias initial public offering started strong last week, reaching a high of $79.38 per share. But then, SEC filings released on Monday showed that the company had losses in 2023 of a whopping $58 million, with just $4.1 million of revenue. Then, on Wednesday, two of the companys top investors pleaded guilty to using the companys private information to engage in insider trading.

As a result, TMTGs stock price has dropped rapidly. It currently sits at just under $43 a share. To make matters worse, stock traders are short-selling the company, betting its share prices will plummet even further.

Trump has a long history of bragging about his finances, and ended up in legal trouble when a New York judge ruled that he committed bank fraud and issued a final judgment of a $350 million fine for inflating his net worth and lying about the value of his various real estate assets. His recent posts about one of his newest business ventures would seem to fit that pattern. Trump certainly cant afford any new legal cases right now, especially when he has enough trouble paying the legal bills for the cases he already has.
The Department of Justice announced that two Russian nationals who are Florida residents pleaded guilty to conspiring to acquire and illegally export controlled aviation technology to Russia without a license, violating the Export Control Reform Act.

According to the DOJ, Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin conspired to secure orders for aircraft components and parts from Russian buyers, the majority of which were commercial airline companies. The pair looked to obtain the parts, which included a Boeing 737s carbon disc brake system, from U.S. suppliers and export them to Russia.

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Court documents estimate the scheme began around May 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine and faced increased U.S. sanctions that followed, and lasted for about a year.

The DOJ release did not name any Russian companies, but a Bureau of Industry and Security release in May 2023 that announced the suspension of export privileges of the defendants also included a suspension for Russian airline Smartavia and freight forwarder Intermodal Maldives.

The defendants attempted to deceive U.S. suppliers by indicating that the parts were going to countries other than Russia. The two also admitted to using straw buyer companies located abroad to conceal the parts true destination and source of revenue.

The DOJ provided an example in which Patsulya and Besedin lied, orally and via export compliance forms, to an American company in Arizona by saying that they would send the aircraft parts to Turkey. The two chose Turkey because a Russian airline company involved in the scheme had sent money to the defendants by transferring funds from a Turkish bank account to Patsulyas American bank account.

American bank accounts connected to MIC P&I, a company controlled by Patsulya, collected approximately $4.6 million from Russian airline companies throughout the scheme. Patsulyas plea included the forfeiture of the funds and other assets.

The DOJ disclosed that the U.S. was able to detain multiple shipments that contained brake assembly technology units.

Both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for their conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act. Patsulya also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering, which also carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for July 17.

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UC Davis

UC Davis will add a business undergraduate major in the fall of 2025

After gaining approval for a business undergraduate program, the University of California at Davis expects the new degree to attract as many as 1,000 enrolled students.

The first cohort, to be admitted and enrolled in the fall of 2025, will total a minimum of 250 students, with 175 freshman admits and the remaining students admitted by transfer.

The new program is a coup for H. Rao Unnava, dean of the universitys Graduate School of Management, who has been a strong advocate of a business major for UC-Davis ever since arriving as dean eight years ago.

EXPECTS TO ATTRACT 1,200 TO 1,500 APPLICANTS FOR 175 FRESHMEN SEATS

H. Rao Unnava

UC Davis Graduate School of Management Dean H. Rao Unnava

UC-Davis will become the fourth UC system business school of the six B-schools to offer an undergraduate business major, joining Berkeley, Irvine, and Riverside. In the Northern California market, it will compete with UC-Berkeleys Haas School of Business for students.

Unnava says he expects the school to receive 1,200 to 1,500 applications for the 175 available seats for freshmen. We know the quality of the students will be very high, he says. It will definitely change the culture of the school. Many faculty here havent taught at schools with undergraduate populations.

The undergraduate major, moreover, will differ from the degree programs at many other business schools. The big difference between our program and the rest of the programs in the U.S. is the emphasis on Economics, Unnava tells Poets&Quants. Almost all undergraduate programs ask students to complete two econ courses, micro and macro. A few programs require a third course.

BUSINESS MAJOR REQUIRES SIX ECONOMICS COURSES

The Davis business major will require four economics courses in addition to micro and macro. The program will require Intermediate Microeconomics 1 and 2, Econometrics, and Intermediate Macroeconomics. It also will offer specializations in Economics and Business Data Analytics as well as Theory of Games and Strategic Behavior.

This emphasis on the mother discipline makes it very rigorous, and also leads to STEM designation which we will pursue, says Unnava. Its very different from the traditional stuff that we have seen. Students will also be exposed to game theory taught by economics people. Its more in line with what business is asking right now.

Within the core curriculum, he adds, our faculty will teach close to two-thirds of the core courses and about 80% of the electives.

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CONCENTRATIONS INCLUDE FINANCE, ACCOUNTING, DATA ANALYTICS & STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT

Business undergrads will be able select from several concentrations, including accounting, finance, business analytics, and strategy and management.

The business school will assist students with career management support on internships and full-time job searches. We will staff up a bit more and also have to hire new faculty, adds Unnava who expected to recruit eight new faculty hires, a major addition from the current faculty of 32 professors.

The major will be a direct admit program, eliminating the need for students to apply in their sophomore year to the business school.

The business majors core foundations of math, statistics, and economics uphold our standards of excellence while leveraging the strengths of our faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the College of Letters and Science, and the Graduate School of Management, wrote Provost Mary Croughan in announcing the program. This rigorous new program addresses high student demand and workforce needs, and the stellar reputation of our faculty is certain to attract exceptional students to UC Davis.

DONT MISS: THE QUIET REVOLUTION AT A UC-SYSTEM BUSINESS SCHOOL or UC DAVIS BECOMES FIRST UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SCHOOL TO LAUNCH A MIM

The post UC Davis Adds An Undergraduate Business Major With An Econ Twist appeared first on Poets&Quants.
Janet Yellen, US Secretary of Treasury, answers journalists' questions before taking part in a meeting of the finance ministers of the G7 Group. Federico Gambarini/dpa

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned of the threat posed by China's overcapacity to the global economy.

"Direct and indirect government support is currently leading to production capacity that significantly exceeds Chinas domestic demand, as well as what the global market can bear," the 77-year-old told representatives of the US Chamber of Commerce in Guangzhou, southern China, on Friday.

"I understand these policies may be driven by domestic development objectives. But overcapacity can lead to large volumes of exports at depressed prices."

China is flooding the global market with products such as solar panels and batteries. This is causing concerns in the West where companies are unable to compete with cheap products from the Far East.

"Weve seen [China] pursue unfair economic practices, including imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive actions against American companies. I strongly believe that this doesnt only hurt these American firms: ending these unfair practices would benefit China by improving the business climate here," she added.

Yellen is in China until next Tuesday for talks with senior government officials. She heads to Beijing on Saturday and was at pains to point out that the US still wanted to work with China economically.

"President [Joe] Biden and I firmly reject the idea that the United States should decouple from China. A full economic separation is neither practical nor desirable, as both the US and China have affirmed in public statements following our high-level bilateral meetings," she said.
One of the most disappointing international stocks over the past five years undoubtedly has been Chinese e-commerce, logistics, and technology infrastructure company Alibaba (NYSE: BABA). While the S&P 500 has risen over 80% over that time, Alibaba stock is down nearly 60%.

Over that period, Alibaba has been able to grow both revenue and earnings. For its most recent quarter, ended December 2023, the company reported revenue of $36.7 billion and adjusted earnings per American depository share (ADS) of $2.67. That's decidedly better than its December 2018 quarter, when it recorded revenue of $17.1 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $1.77.

Below, I'll look at why the stock has been beaten down and where it could be headed in the next five years.

Why the stock has fallen

Part of Alibaba's underperformance during the last five years can be tied to the poor performance of the overall Chinese stock market during that period. The S&P China 500 is down about 24% over the past five years. During this period, COVID-related lockdowns impacted China longer than many other countries, which has had a lasting impact on its economy.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government also began cracking down on Chinese tech firms during this time. In 2021, the government fined Alibaba over $2.5 billion for being a monopoly, while last year, it fined Alibaba's affiliate Ant Group nearly $1 billion for breaking banking regulations. Meanwhile, company founder Jack Ma retired in 2019 and left public life for a few years after criticizing the Chinese government in 2020.

Overall, a weak Chinese stock market, slowing growth, government regulations, and the loss of the company's well-respected founder have helped push Alibaba stock lower.

Cheap valuation and potential spinoffs

With a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of just over 8, Alibaba is a value stock at this point. It has often been call the Amazon of China, given their similar businesses, but the valuation gap between the two is substantial. Amazon is trading at nearly 43 times its forward P/E. Chinese-specific risks play a large part in the valuation difference between the stocks, but it wasn't that long ago when Alibaba traded at a forward P/E in the 20 to 30 range.

BABA PE Ratio (Forward) Chart

One big thing to look at with Alibaba is its cash position and free-cash-flow generation. At the end of 2023, it had $68.6 billion in net cash while it was generating free cash flow of about $25 billion a year. Over the next five years, the company's cash-flow generation and current net cash could be worth more than Alibaba's current $176 billion market capitalization.

Alibaba has also discussed splitting the company into six separate businesses that would be run by separate CEOs and pursue initial public offerings (IPOs) and separate financing. So far, this plan has been delayed.

The company stated that market conditions would not be reflective of the intrinsic value of the businesses, such as its superstore Hema or its Cainiao logistics business. Last November, meanwhile, the company scrapped plans to IPO its cloud business because of U.S. export bans on artificial-intelligence (AI) chips going to China.

Image source: Getty Images

Where Alibaba could be in five years

Given Alibaba's cash on hand and cash-flow generation, it would be surprising if the company wasn't trading at a much higher price in five years. There's also a good chance that it will be restructured as a holding company with a number of publicly traded individual businesses. This should unlock value for shareholders, as the individual businesses would likely be able to command higher valuation multiplies because each business would be valued on its own individual growth prospects.

The Chinese economy, meanwhile, is showing signs of stabilizing, with the manufacturing sector recently returning to growth after five months of declines. An improving Chinese economy should go a long way in helping a variety of Alibaba's consumer-facing and logistics businesses.

At the same time, Alibaba won't sit still and will invest in AI technology to improve its business operations. The company won't get the same benefits as U.S. companies with access to powerful graphics processing units because of the U.S. export curb, but it still should be able to make progress on this front.

Given this backdrop, Alibaba should be a solid investment over the next five years. That said, there are certainly geopolitical and country-specific risks that need to be taken into consideration. Any tensions between the U.S. and China could negatively impact the company's stock.

Should you invest $1,000 in Alibaba Group right now?

Before you buy stock in Alibaba Group, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Alibaba Group wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of April 4, 2024

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Alibaba Group. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Where Will Alibaba Stock Be in 5 Years? was originally published by The Motley Fool
Since the beginning of last year, the group of stocks collectively referred to as the "Magnificent Seven" has helped push the market higher. The combination of industry-leading positions and connections to artificial intelligence (AI) has made this group of high-profile stocks a must-have for many investors. However, since the beginning of 2024, there's been a divergence, and while some members continue to pull their weight, others have fallen short.

With that as a backdrop, social media maven Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) climbed 3.1%, e-commerce and cloud pioneer Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) rose 3.1%, and electric vehicle (EV) specialist Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) tumbled 1.9%, as of 1:45 p.m. ET.

Image source: Getty Images.

Business-based drivers

Meta Platforms investors were optimistic today after the social media company responded to allegations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it violated a 2020 privacy agreement. The settlement banned the company from profiting from data related to minors.

The FTC sought to amend the accord, but Meta pushed back, saying it "voluntarily disclosed the technical errors" detected in its Messenger Kids app. The FTC is looking to impose additional restrictions on Meta, which could ultimately be more costly. Investors welcomed the company's response to regulators.

Meanwhile, a couple of things appear to be moving Amazon stock. Reports have emerged that the company is cutting a number of jobs in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing segment as it seeks to rein in costs. The company is reportedly eliminating hundreds of positions, including those in marketing, sales, and global services.

Furthermore, in an overhaul of its Amazon Fresh stores, the company announced it is eliminating its "Just Walk Out" technology from stores in the U.S., replacing the costly systems with smart shopping carts. This move will also likely save Amazon money over the long term, and investors applauded the cost-saving measures.

There are also a couple of reports that are driving Tesla. Unfortunately for investors, the stock is headed in the other direction. In the wake of what some market watchers called a "nightmare quarter" for Tesla, there are reports the company is slashing prices on the Model Y -- its most popular vehicle -- by as much as $7,000 in the U.S.

The move is designed to clear out the company's massive backlog of inventory, as Tesla reported manufacturing 46,000 more vehicles than it delivered in the first quarter. This will likely have a negative impact on Tesla's bottom line for the current quarter.

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Additionally, according to a report by Reuters, Tesla has decided to scrap plans to build a lower-priced model. The project has been on the drawing board for years, and a less-costly model was seen as a way to appeal to a broader cross-section of the car market. If Tesla were to abandon this long-term goal, this could impact how investors view the company's future prospects.

It's worth noting that CEO Elon Musk reportedly refuted the claims on social media.

A parting of the ways?

It seemed the Magnificent Seven could do no wrong last year, with the group often moving higher in unison. Eventually, however, investors will demand performance from even the most viral businesses, and that appears to be happening thus far in 2024. Meta and Amazon, along with Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet, are all outpacing the S&P 500 this year, while Tesla and Apple -- which have both faced headwinds -- are lagging the broader market.

From a valuation standpoint, Meta is the cheapest of our trio of stocks, selling for just 26 times forward earnings, compared to multiples of 44 and 59 for Amazon and Tesla, respectively.

To be clear, each of the Magnificent Seven stocks has the potential to lead the market higher again, but investors will require strong business and financial performance before fueling further gains.

Should you invest $1,000 in Meta Platforms right now?

Before you buy stock in Meta Platforms, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Meta Platforms wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 4, 2024

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fools board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fools board of directors. Danny Vena has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Why "Magnificent Seven" Stocks Meta and Amazon Rallied Today, While Tesla Stock Tapped the Brakes was originally published by The Motley Fool
By David Lawder

GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that concerns are growing over the global economic fallout from China's excess manufacturing capacity, making the issue the main focus of four days of economic meetings with Chinese officials.

China is too large to export its way to rapid growth and would benefit by reducing excess industrial capacity which is pressuring other economies, Yellen said in remarks to an audience of about 40 representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Guangzhou.

"Overcapacity isn't a new problem, but it has intensified, and we're seeing emerging risks in new sectors," Yellen said in China's southern export hub of Guangzhou, where she met with Vice Premier He Lifeng and Guangdong Province Governor Wang Weizhong.

Yellen and other Biden administration officials are growing increasingly concerned about China's overproduction of electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors and other goods that are flooding into global markets in the face of a demand slump in China's domestic market.

She said that this is not healthy for China and is hurting producers in other countries, urging Beijing to shift away from state-driven investment and return to the market-oriented reforms that fueled growth in past decades.

FINANCIAL COOPERATION

While Sino-U.S. tensions over a range of issues have been escalating, Yellen highlighted areas of mutual interest in a dialogue launched during her first visit to China last July, including fighting climate change and illicit finance.

She said a financial working group representing both sides had been working on steps to contain the financial risks from a potential bank failure in either economy.

"We've held technical exchanges between our sides, including an exercise on how we would jointly deal with the failure of a large bank in the U.S. or in China," Yellen said, without providing additional detail on the findings of that review.

The U.S. and China announced the financial working group in September as a venue to discuss policy and exchange information. In January, the group met and discussed their respective resolution frameworks for large global banks, according to the Treasury Department.

China has set an ambitious economic growth target of 5% for 2024, fueled in part by more investment in new high-technology sectors as the economy struggles to overcome a property crisis and weak consumer demand. But many economists say China's growth model needs a major overhaul to boost domestic consumption and reduce its traditional heavy reliance on investment.

Story continues

Yellen started her meeting on Friday with He by saying the two countries needed to communicate closely on difficult issues such as overcapacity and national security-related economic restrictions.

"It is what the world and our citizens expect from us," she said.

TARIFF GROUNDWORK

Some trade experts see the increased U.S. criticism of China's production-focused, subsidy- and debt-driven economic model as an initial step towards raising U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs and clean energy goods to protect U.S. industry.

Yellen has shied away from raising any threats of new trade barriers, but said during her journey to Guangzhou she will not rule out more actions to protect a fledgling American supply chain for EVs, batteries, solar power and other goods from cut-price Chinese imports.

The Treasury is not expecting a major shift in Chinese policy as a result of Yellen's visit, but U.S. officials believe it was important to explain the risks that overinvestment in some sectors - and relatively weak consumer demand in China - present to both China's economy and its trading partners.

Yellen said on Friday that part of her aim on the trip was to cement a U.S.-China relationship that could "withstand shocks and challenging circumstances."

In addition to factory overcapacity, Yellen also said she would raise concerns about a deteriorating business climate in China for foreign companies, citing an AmCham survey that found one third of American firms in China reported unfair treatment compared to local competitors.

These include "imposing barriers to access for foreign firms and taking coercive action against American companies," she said, adding that ending such practices would benefit China.

CHINA STATE MEDIA PUSHES BACK

Chinese state media have pushed back against Yellen's excess capacity message, saying it was an example of a double standard.

"While it is just basic economics that surplus products naturally seek out markets elsewhere once domestic demand is met, and Western nations have been doing that for centuries, when it comes to China, it becomes an 'overcapacity problem' threatening the world," the China Daily said.

Yellen's meetings, which continue in Beijing on Saturday through Monday, come just after U.S. Commerce Department and Chinese Commerce Ministry officials met in Washington on Thursday.

The top U.S. official in those talks, Commerce Undersecretary Marisa Lago, also raised "strong concerns regarding growing overcapacity in a range of Chinese industrial sectors," the department said in a statement.

China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen raised concerns about U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, sanctions and what he called the unfair treatment of Chinese companies due to national restrictions by the United States.

"The economic and trade relations between China and the United States should be a stabilising force," Wang said, according to a statement from the commerce ministry.

(Reporting by David Lawder; additional reporting by Chen Aizhu in Singapore and Pete Schroeder in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates and Kim Coghill)
By David Lawder

GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that China is too large to try to export its way to rapid growth and would benefit by reducing excess industrial capacity that is pressuring other economies.

Yellen said in remarks to an American Chamber of Commerce during a visit to China that she understands that Beijing's direct and indirect government support for manufacturing is linked to domestic development objectives.

But she said this "is currently leading to production capacity that significantly exceeds China's domestic demand, as well as what the global market can bear."

Yellen's comments underscored her main objective in talks later on Friday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng - to point out the problems that China's excess factory capacity and growing exports are causing abroad, fueling potential trade tensions.

Premier Li Qiang in March set an ambitious growth target of 5% for 2024, fueled in part by more investment in new high-technology sectors as China struggles to overcome a property crisis and weak consumer demand.

The International Monetary Fund currently forecasts China's 2024 real GDP growth at 4.6%, falling to 4.1% in 2025.

Yellen said excess manufacturing capacity in China has been a problem in the past, but it has recently intensified with emerging risks in new sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs), batteries and solar energy products, undercutting competing workers and business in the U.S., Mexico and India.

"I believe that addressing over capacity, and more generally considering market-based reforms, is in China's interest," she said.

She drew parallels to China's market-based reforms of past decades, which spurred growth that lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and said more gains could be made by reviving them.

Yellen also said she would raise concerns voiced by American and international companies about a deteriorating business climate in China, including "unfair treatment compared to local competitors."

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Mark ODonnell from the Newmark Commercial Real Estate Agency tries the Battlespace Operational Readness Game while Auria game developer Karl Lewis watches Thursday, April 4, 2024, during the open house and celebration of Aurias new facility and the joining of the four space companies Boecore, Ascension, Orbit Logic and La Jolla Logic under the new name of Auria. Lewis and a small team at Auria are developing the similation tool to teach workers at the National Space Defense Center how to maneuver a satellite with their system.
Teller County Short-Term Rental Alliance filed a lawsuit recently against the city of Woodland Park and the city council, including Mayor Hilary LaBarre and city manager Aaron Vassalotti.

The lawsuit stems from Ordinance 1469, a citizen's initiative passed by Woodland Park voters in December that prohibits short-term rentals in residential zones, unless the owner lives full time in the home.

Otherwise, the ordinance allows short-term rentals in commercial zones in the city. According to the lawsuit, each plaintiff is suffering financial and economic injury from the ordinance.

Represented by Illingworth Law, LLC, the plaintiffs state that they have historically and lawfully used their properties for short-term rentals.

The councilors named in the lawsuit are Rusty Neal, Robert Zuluaga, Catherine Nakai, Carrol Harvey, Kellie Case and Frank Connors, who are being sued only in their official capacity.

After the election of April 2 and swearing-ceremony two days later, the defendants are now Kellie Case as mayor and councilors Teri Baldwin, Steve Smith, George Jones, Jeffrey Geer and Catherine Nakai.

The plaintiffs seek a declaration from the defendants to strike all terms of the ordinance and, if successful, pay all attorneys fees and costs incurred.

Before the passage of Ordinance 1469, STRs had been a legal business under Ordinance 1431, which allowed unrestricted use of short-term rentals and accompanying regulations and licensing.

The vote by the people shut down that regulatory ordinance.

LaBarre has publicly stated that she was against the ordinance. But since the referendum was approved by the voters, the city must enforce the law, she said. We have to abide by the ordinance; we have no choice; the people have forced us.

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In arguing against the measure last year, LaBarre spoke about the benefits of STRs to the community in terms of providing employment for house cleaners, landscapers, plumbers, electricians and property management companies.

Because were such a small community, we dont have a lot of other job options, she said in a public presentation at the time.

The ordinance prohibits the renewal of any currently operating STR licenses by the end of 2024. No one will be grandfathered in.

Mary and Alan Sekowski own a short-term rental at 402 Center St., which is not their primary residence. The lawsuit states that, due to restrictions of Ordinance 1469, the Sekowskis estimated an annual revenue loss of $48,000.

Some of the plaintiffs live out of the state. Michael Denosky, for instance, who lives in Texas, has owned an STR at 206 Pinto Drive since 2018.

The property is in a residential zone. Under restriction of 1469, Denosky, who has invested more than $500,000 in the property, estimates that he would lose between $45,000 and $65,000 annually.

The lawsuit seeks seven claims of relief based on violations of existing use of property that was lawful before the ordinance.

The lawsuit states that the Colorado Constitution prohibits retrospective laws. In addition, the suit claims the ordinance violates the plaintiffs right to peaceably assemble, as it restricts the number of occupants per bedroom and total number to no more than 12. The plaintiffs argue that the ordinance infringes on First Amendment rights including the right of assembly or association.

For instance, the ordinance would prohibit a homeowner from allowing another person to use the primary residence to take care of pets.

Teller County Short-Term Rental Alliance, an unincorporated association, filed the lawsuit April 2 in Teller County District Court.

Were hoping for a positive outcome for property rights for homeowners in Woodland Park, said Mary Sekowski.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released a map that captures the general area that wolves are known to be living in Colorado, helping to inform the public on where they might encounter the species. The mapping tool will be updated on a regular basis.
Almost a year after he went missing, we're learning a former El Paso County sheriff's deputy is in the Teller County jail. Kevin Sypher is facing multiple charges including theft and misconduct in office.

Gazette news partner KOAA reports that the timing of his disappearance could have something to do with the dissolution of this second marriage. His ex-wife did not want to comment on the story.

Court documents show that she discovered Sypher was already married to another woman just one month after she married him. Days after her discovery, Sypher walked off into Rocky Mountain National Forest and wasn't heard from for nearly a year.

His colleagues arrested Sypher on Tuesday and booked him into the jail around 6:30 p.m. The 57-year-old was charged with felony theft, felony charitable fraud and two counts of official misconduct.

In looking into Sypher's background, KOAA learned Sypher and his wife, Sara, worked together and that she is also in law enforcement.

In her petition to declare her marriage to Kevin Sypher invalid, the court documents say that less than a month after they got married in March 2023, she learned her new husband was already married to a woman in California  three days before his disappearance in April 2023.

Read more at koaa.com.
As America aims to send humans back to the moon and astronauts potentially go to Mars for the first time, Colorado  with its cluster of talent and growing constellation of space companies  is fast becoming an essential hub to making those missions a reality.

Consider this: Not only is the spacecraft that will hold deep-space astronauts being developed and tested in the metro Denver area, so is the lunar rover that theyll use.

Colorado is one of the top beneficiaries of the Artemis Moon to Mars project, which is expected to be a major economic boon to the countrys space industry thats already getting a big boost from the rise of commercial spaceflight. NASA contracted more than 90 companies in Colorado to work on Artemis.

The Moon to Mars missions are expected to support 14,600 jobs in Colorado (second-highest nationwide) and $3 billion in economic output (third-highest), according to a 2022 NASA report.

Indeed, the region has been instrumental in other major aerospace projects.

Local companies have been part of the development of the James Webb Telescope, of tracking Russias war against Ukraine with satellite images, of launching methane-detecting sensors and of supporting Amazons project to create a constellation of satellites to bring internet to underserved areas.

Colorado space industry's 'geographic density'

Florida is famous for its rocket launches. Houston  of we have a problem fame  is a center for engineering and mission control. Then theres Los Angeles, a growing hub for space startups.

So, what about in Colorado?

Denver actually has a great cross section of all of them, said Morgan Alu, the head of the Colorado Space Coalition, an affiliate of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

Colorado boasts of the second-largest space economy in the nation, after California, due to its central location, closer elevation to the atmosphere and leading science universities and military bases, including the headquarters of U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs.

The industry is primarily concentrated around the metro Denver area and the Front Range, which the group sees as operations spanning from the Wyoming border to Colorado Springs and El Paso County.

Colorado Springs is known for satellite operations and debris tracking, services that provide the traffic control of space, while Denver is home to the manufacturing and engineering of satellites and spacecraft that will be sent to Floridas launch sites.

Top space and defense contractors  such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Maxar and Northrop Grumman  developed large campuses in the region. Theres mission control centers and a growing startup scene, Alu said.

More than 60% of aerospace companies in metro Denver have less than 10 employees, according to the Colorado Space Coalition. Nearly 9% have more than 250 workers.

The organization expects startups will continue coming to Colorado, Alu said, as companies want access to top talent and lower operating costs compared to coastal regions.

Another huge draw is that most space companies and labs are within an hour or so of each other, Alu added, making it easier for collaboration between the industrys titans and startups to win large NASA or U.S. Department of Defense contracts together.

We have a geographic density that sets the Colorado Front Range apart from our competitors states, Alu said.

Event of the year

And during one week each year, many are mere minutes from each other.

The industry comes together in Colorado Springs for the Space Symposium, an annual trade show hosted by nonprofit Space Foundation, where top government agencies, space companies, researchers, think tanks and U.S. and international officials discuss their latest initiatives and the biggest trends affecting the industry.

This year, it will run from Monday through Thursday at The Broadmoor Hotel.

Visit Colorado Springs said the event, founded in 1984, brought about $16 million in economic activity to the area last year from visitors staying in local hotels or dining out.

The event attracts more than 1,500 companies to Colorado and 12,000 people from 40 countries are expected to attend, said Space Foundation spokesman Rich Cooper.

Space Foundation is a nonprofit advocacy group for education and collaboration for the global space industry and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, where it hosts the conference each year.

Space Symposium is the event of the year, said Amanda Sammartino, spokesperson for Lafayette-based Blue Canyon Technologies, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies since 2020.

The shows highlights include navigating the funding climate for space companies, artificial intelligence, nuclear power in Lower Earth Orbit, manufacturing on the moon, tackling satellite debris and military use.

We are really looking forward to connecting with local, as well as national and international partners, and not only showcasing the products and solutions that we offer, but also learning from them, Sammartino said.

The event will have new competition with the Space Force Association launching the Spacepower Conference in Orlando this December.

Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle said the conferences will play a different role with the new event focused more on junior Space Force guardians looking to be inspired by space defense, while Space Symposium is more big picture and has more international partners.

"I see us as very complimentary," Pringle said.

A need for collaboration

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Colorado is a regional hotbed for the industry, Sammartino said, and a place for companies to share their best technologies to develop important space instruments.

That collaboration is palpable in the region.

Consider Blue Canyon, which was acquired in 2020 by Raytheon, which wanted to build up small satellite production and looked to the Lafayette-startup founded in 2008.

Raytheon learning from Colorado startup it acquired to become more agile

In addition to us having more support, they (Raytheon) can also have that specialization, that niche product line, within their offering, Sammartino said.

The subsidiary has two factories in Boulder and employs more than 400 people.

Blue Canyon Technologies collaborated with the former Ball Aerospace  renamed to Space and Mission Systems after defense manufacturer BAE Systems acquired the Colorado aerospace giant for nearly $5.6 billion  to develop a methane-detecting satellite.

Blue Canyon developed the body of the MethaneSat as Westminster-based Space and Mission Systems worked on the technological cargo for the advocacy nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. The satellite launched in March to trace methane emissions around the world.

Meanwhile, one of the largest space and defense contractors, Lockheed Martin has nearly tripled its employee count in Colorado over the last decade, said the companys vice president and general manager of national security space Maria Demaree.

Just the amount of the military space components that are here, the commercial and the academic just all together really makes it a great place to be in this industry, said Demaree.

NASA contracted the Maryland-based company to build the Orion spacecraft, part of the Artemis program, set to bring humans back to the moon and potentially Mars. Most of Orions development and testing is done at Lockheed Martins Waterton Canyon campus in Littleton.

Its going to just further the crazy excitement around the space industry that we already have, right? That it's for everyone, Demaree said. The problems that we are trying to solve are going to require diverse approaches and diverse thinking.

Lockheed Martin employs more than 10,000 people in Colorado. The company first came to Denver in 1956, when the U.S. Air Force wanted to build an inland rocket facility safe from submarine attacks. In addition to its Waterton Canyon campus, it has offices in Denver, Aurora, Highlands Ranch and Colorado Springs.

As Orion soars, Colorado firms cheer

We specifically chose this Denver metropolitan area back in the 50s because of the stability of the rock formations for some of the sensitive testing facilities that we would need to build, Demaree said. So, that's what originally brought us here, but it's just continued over time to be a growth area.

The markets growth also means more opportunities, Demaree said. The area has seen an influx of companies come in with skill sets Lockheed Martin would partner with to tackle industry problems such as satellite congestion.

That's been a big part of the solution is watching the increasing number of entrants into this market that had not been there a couple decades ago, Demaree said.

Denver CEO: Proliferation of space economy good for business

We're out looking at all those companies and seeing where we can bring those into our system, she added.

One example would be developing a software to change satellite mission courses from the ground or using artificial intelligence to make the spacecraft less reliant on human supervision.

And at events like Colorados Space Symposium, company officials can learn about new projects in development and find the best of breed, plus show off their own achievements to potential partners and customers, Demaree said.

National experts warn of space industry slowdown, Colorado boasts recent industry wins

Colorado's 'center of gravity'

Colorado is gaining traction in the aerospace industry and is gaining an advantage over traditional hubs, said Alu from the states space coalition.

It remains home to U.S. Space Command, a hard fought battle that culminated in the decision last July. That long-awaited decision had capped more than two years of wrangling by officials from both Colorado and Alabama after former President Donald Trump announced in the final days of his administration that the command's headquarters would move to Alabama.

While tech companies are struggling with finding funding, investment is booming for space startups, helping Colorado further cultivate its environment.

Then theres the region's universities, a significant talent pipeline that the the space coalition calls the center of gravity for the aerospace workforce.

Aerospace employment in the state has grown 32.5% in five years to nearly 37,000 employees, according to the group's 2023 report, and the industry has had a $12.7 billion economic impact.

These new jobs pay far above the average Colorado salary at about $135,000.

There's been a lot of news coming out of Colorado and it's largely being seen worldwide as an amazing place to work and play and have your business and move your employees, Alu said. We've also gotten better at marketing ourselves.

And the state is also gaining global attention.

Alu said this year's Space Symposium will be full of meetings with international delegations.

"There's a significant presence this year coming to the Symposium and we've seen that number rise over the last two-to-three years," Alu said. "So, we're excited to be with our international partners and talk about why Colorado is a great place for them to establish their US operations."

Colorado Spring Gazette military reporter Mary Shinn contributed to this report.
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods monitored by China's statistics authorities registered price decreases from mid-March to the end of March, official data shows.

Of the 50 major goods classified in nine categories, including seamless steel tubes, gasoline and fertilizer, 31 saw price declines and 19 reported heightened prices in the period, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Hog prices increased 3.4 percent, the NBS said.

The figures, released every 10 days, are based on the survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions across the country. 
Nestled inside of a Wheat Ridge neighborhood sits a seemingly abandoned elementary school that now serves as an active training ground for police officers and school administrators.

The Frank DeAngelis Center for Community Safety, which took over the former Martensen Elementary School in 2017, allows law enforcement to replicate school-shooter situations  a mission that was started by DeAngelis, the principal of Columbine High School in Jefferson County during the world-altering shooting incident in 1999.

"The only drills we did back in 1999 were fire drills. We had school resource officers but we didnt know what the kids know today," DeAngelis said during a media event at the center on Thursday, highlighting the proactive changes that have been made by the Jefferson County Public Schools school district since the shooting 25 years ago.

"Look at a facility like this where theyre actually training law enforcement and Navy SEALs to come in. Its not to scare, its to prepare," he added.

The center uses actual classrooms and hallways as training sites  an environment that's impossible to replicate due to the constant population of actual schools, according to DeAngelis.

As of 2024, the center has trained more than 170,000 people, including more than 350 federal, state and local agencies, in active shooter situations.

But the simulation technology throughout the former elementary school hallways doesn't just work to prepare officers for dire situations, it also works to prevent those situations from occurring altogether.

"We train law enforcement, but we also train parents and community members. We want to make sure that you know how to prevent things before they happen," said Shawna Fritzler, executive director of the Jeffco DeAngelis Foundation nonprofit.

A place of hope

Twelve students and a teacher at Columbine High School were killed by two armed students on April 20, 1999  nearly 25 years ago.

There have been 394 school shootings between Columbine and January 2024, according to the Washington Post.

DeAngelis promised the Jefferson County community that he would work to improve the safety of school children, staying as principal of the school until every child in elementary school during the shooting graduated.

Now the center named after him works to improve safety well beyond the county, providing free training to departments all over the country.

"Its hope," DeAngelis said of the facility. "If theres anything I could have done to protect those kids and Mr. Sanders, thats something I have to live with for the rest of my life. They walked into my school at seven oclock and they never made it home. Thats something that I cant take back, but what can I do to carry on their legacy? I think this building does that."

Prevention and response

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To DeAngelis and other members of Jefferson County Public Schools, the hands-on training the center provides isn't enough.

"When they said, What are you going to do? I said, What are we going to do? because prior to Columbine, you had law enforcement, you had judicial and schools, but now theyre all working together," DeAngelis said of the collaboration between the various local departments over the last 25 years.

"The biggest thing has become that awareness of how we connect the dots internally with our schools," said Jeff Pierson, executive director of safety and security for Jefferson County Public Schools. "We can provide as much of a secure perimeter as we want. We can not allow visitors in. We can put up secure vestibules and lock doors. But what weve found is a lot of the tragedies are being done by former students or students, which tells us that weve got to pay attention to the internal pieces of mental health awareness."

Both Pierson and DeAngelis noted that, while having expert response is important, prevention is key to stopping critical incidents in schools.

To Pierson, having resources and a caring environment within classrooms is conducive to lowering incidents. Having students feel safe and supported, both physically and emotionally, will help lower incidents going forward.

"If theres a red flag, we need to flood it with resources," Pierson said. "Figure out what it is and provide our kids with resources to help get them through whatever theyre going through."

The center works to improve these techniques throughout the county schools, holding mandatory training for administrators on how to stay engaged, identify red flags and use the resources available to help in situations.

"We dont just come here and talk about an active shooter situation, we talk about the steps to prevent a student from reaching a point where they feel like thats the only way to express themselves," said Davis Weiss, chief of schools for Jefferson County Public Schools.

Both Pierson and DeAngelis added that the addition of Safe2Tell, Colorado's anonymous student reporting system, into JeffCo schools has certainly helped increase the awareness and prevention process.

"I can honestly tell you weve mitigated many threats, many issues simply because our students or our community were willing to see something and say something, but it was able to stay anonymous while they did it," Pierson said of Safe2Tell, claiming that there has been a "staggering" amount of mitigation since the system was adopted.

Prevention can't be measured, Pierson added. The addition of awareness and response have certainly helped, though.

The center looks to build upon these evolving tactics, combining both prevention and response training.

"The drills we do are unpleasant. I really wish that we didnt have to do them, but theyre really, really important," Columbine High School teacher Sam Bowersox-Daly said. "I hope that students look to their teachers and feel safe, not because Im the one thats going to be protecting them, but because theres trust there. In our building, theres so much trust and ownership over safety, and I think thats what places like this do," he said of the center.

He added, "Knowing that your teacher takes safety seriously and that you come first makes the students feel safer."

"None of us want a tragic event to happen, but the worst thing we could do is not be prepared," Weiss said. "We take that preparedness seriously. Every principal and every assistant principal is trained in this building."
A fire broke out Friday afternoon at the EVRAZ steel mill in Pueblo sending up a thick column of black smoke that was blowing north.

The fire triggered a shelter-in-place order and pre-evacuation order for homes near the expansive mill along Interstate 25 on the southern end of town. Pueblo County public health officials issued a public health alert Friday evening, recommending all Pueblo residents stay indoors and avoid outdoor activity through Sunday morning due to the amount of smoke in the air from the EVRAZ fire and the Vision Hills fire.

The EVRAZ fire broke out in a building primarily used for staging and storage and all employees evacuated safely, according to a statement from EVRAZ North America.

According to the city of Pueblo X account, as of Saturday morning Pueblo is limiting all outdoor activities due to an air quality alert issued by Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment. This alert will last through Sunday, April 7.

Additionally, both municipal golf courses have been closed as of Saturday morning, including the Elmwood Golf Course and Walking Stick Golf Course, a social media announcement states.

All games scheduled to take place at Langoni Field are canceled and no access to the field will be allowed, officials said.

A Gazette reporter on the scene said fire trucks from nearby communities, such as La Junta, Rocky Ford and Manzanola, arrived Friday evening to fight the fire. The fire was still active at about 6 p.m. about two hours after the Pueblo Fire Department first posted about it at about 4 p.m. calling it an "industrial incident."

The fire fight was not visible to onlookers.

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The city of Pueblo issued a shelter-in-place order for the neighborhoods directly adjacent to the steel mill shortly before 6 p.m. over air quality concerns.

"There are no immediate threats to homes or individuals at this time," a statement from the city said.

The shelter-in-place order effects residents north to Summit Avenue and Opal Street, east to San Juan Street, south to Canal Street and west to Stone Avenue. The city did not have a timeline for lifting the order.

Residents should go inside and close their windows and turn off any air conditioning, the city statement said.

Dark smoke from the fire is visible throughout Pueblo, the Sheriff's Office said on social media. A Gazette reporter could see smoke as far north as the Pikes Peak International Raceway.

A Gazette employee said flames from the fire could be seen from the corner of Spruce Street and Indiana Avenue about five blocks away.

The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office pre-evacuation order issued shortly before 5 p.m. effected the 1000 to 1100 block of Palo Alto in Salt Creek neighborhood. A pre-evacuation orders means residents should be ready to leave.

A reception center was being set up at 1650 Cooper Place.
An attentive audience watched three children each pick out a favorite book and plop down on the carpeted floor to read aloud to their guests Thursday afternoon.

Sitting obediently on tiny plush beds, Pepper and Maya tilted their heads, perked their ears and sighed in content when the youngsters sounded out words during Tales for Tails, a monthly reading activity at the clubhouse of an independent enrichment program called Friends of the Children.

Giggles escape while children concentrate on improving their literacy skills, as the two canines from Go Team Therapy in Colorado Springs appear to enjoy the special time as much as the young readers.

They like interacting with the kids, Go Team Therapy volunteer handler Lori Schlonski said. Theyll just lay and listen while they're read to.

The dogs  both poodle mixes  are patient and dont mind when children stumble over a sentence.

And that makes a difference to this particular group of children, who already in their short lives have had several adverse childhood experiences and as a result may be behind in school.

The trauma in their lives can lead to a lack of focus, inability to pay attention and trouble memorizing information, said Judy Cara, executive director of Friends of the Children.

Well-behaved dogs who have been specially trained to provide love and comfort can help.

Dogs seem to understand when someones struggling, Cara said.

By having the dogs here and encouraging the kids to read, it really has a significant impact on their future since literacy is clearly very important in succeeding in life.

The 31-year-old nonprofit Friends of the Children is headquartered in Portland, Ore, and has expanded to 32 chapters in the nation.

The organization works with disadvantaged children referred by agencies such as schools, court systems and social services to help them get through school and life.

The Colorado Springs chapter is the only network affiliate in Colorado. Launched in October 2021, the local chapter has enrolled 39 children with 11 on a waiting list.

Nine staff members have undergone extensive training as mentors to work with the children, who enter the program between 4 and 6 years old and can stay involved through elementary and secondary school.

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Children are transported to the bright, cheery "clubhouse"  formerly a large storage area at a local middle school  and mentors also interact with children on the weekends, depending on families' schedules.

Were getting phenomenal feedback from caregivers, teachers and principals, saying theyre noticing a difference with the children in our program regarding their attendance in school, their abilities in school, their manners and other improvements, Cara said.

The organization enrolls children in its program under a memorandum of understanding with Colorado Springs School District 11, School District 49, Widefield School District 3, Harrison School District 2, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8, Cheyenne Mountain School District 12, The Vanguard School, a charter school, and agencies such as El Paso County Department of Human Services and CPCD, which operates Head Start programs.

Studies conducted by research teams at the University of California, Davis, and Tufts University show that children who read aloud to therapy dogs on a regular basis demonstrate noticeable improvement in reading.

Among the positive outcomes researchers have noted, the task boosts confidence, cultivates motivation for learning, increases concentration, and expands vocabulary and language.

The once-a-month doggie reading event came about one year ago, after D-11 offered a permanent space for the organizations clubhouse, where activities take place. Its inside Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, a middle school off Pikes Peak Avenue and South Academy Boulevard.

The schools assistant principal had a therapy dog, who Cara said enjoyed meeting the younger students in the Friends of the Children program.

Cara linked her organization with Go Team Therapy, which takes certified dogs into schools, courtrooms, hospitals, military settings, nursing homes, disaster areas and the municipal airport.

Therapy dogs learn how they can provide affection and solace, and handlers obtain approval to enter programs or facilities.

Go Team Therapy started after two handlers took therapy dogs to hotels and evacuation centers to visit residents displaced in the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs.

On Thursday, 6-year-old Alex, a Friends of the Children participant whose identity is protected, read the book "Odd Dog Out" to Pepper and Maya. He said he likes the big colorful book because all the dogs are different.

The book teaches children they can be whoever they are, a Friends of the Children mentor explained.

Wearing red harnesses that say, Please Pet Me, Pepper and Maya seemed to be in their happy place. And so did the kids.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's natural rubber production decreased by 2 percent to 29,691 tons in February as compared to 30,287 tons in January, official data showed Friday.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement that the production of natural rubber increased by 9.1 percent year on year, from 27,209 tons one year ago.

Meanwhile, total stocks of natural rubber in February increased by 11.8 percent month on month to 229,719 tons.

Exports of Malaysia's natural rubber also increased by 27.8 percent month on month to 55,082 tons in February.

China remained as the main destination for natural rubber exports which accounted for 52.3 percent of total exports in February, followed by Germany (8.9 percent), the United Arab Emirates (6 percent), the United States (4.2 percent) and India (3.3 percent).

Gloves were the main exports of rubber products with a value of 1.09 billion ringgit (230 million U.S. dollars) in February, an increase of 7 percent from January. 
Colorado Springs School District 11 school board President Parth Melpakam, left, and Superintendent Michael Gaal say district preliminary data suggests they will cut seven of 15 schools from the states low-performing accountability watch list. They spoke at a news conference on Aug. 23, 2023.
TAIYUAN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A 1.5-meter-long drill pipe is moving slowly toward the coal bed in a mine in north China's Shanxi Province, which is known for its coal resources. And in a control center 500 meters away, a screen displays pictures and data that the drill pipe has collected.

"Drilling is automatic with artificial intelligence (AI)," said Wen Haiming, chief engineer at the Shanxi Chengfeng Coal Industry Company.

Water exploration and drainage are necessary steps in maintaining the underground operational safety of coal mines, and aim to prevent water accidents. With the construction of intelligent mining facilities, AI has allowed for these steps to be completed via video monitoring and sensors.

AI improves the quality of drilling and construction, and firmly supports underground mining operations, said Wang Yu, deputy general manager of intelligent underground water exploration service provider Jingying Shuzhi Technology Co., Ltd.

Coal mining is considered a high-risk industry. In recent years, China has been strengthening the intelligent transformation of its coal mines and promoting the application of AI in underground mining.

As of January 2024, Shanxi Province has built 118 intelligent coal mines and 1,491 intelligent mining sites.

The Mataihao coal mine in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region installed an intelligent monitoring and management system in 2022. The system combines AI recognition and industrial operations technology to optimize the mine's transport capacity in real-time and realize intelligent speed control.

According to Nie Helei, a member of the mine's electromechanical transport team, the system has effectively reduced electricity and equipment loss, and realized balanced and flexible operations regardless of coal amounts.

"It is estimated that the system can reduce electricity consumption by 2 million kilowatt-hours each year and cut electricity bills by approximately 4 million yuan (about 553,000 U.S. dollars)," Nie said.

Complex underground mining conditions and the geological structures of different coal mines mean there are high requirements for AI.

A group of coal mining enterprises in Shanxi Province has established an integrated industrial internet platform with an AI large model at its core. The scale of operations at the platform's intelligent computing center is 64 petaflops in its first phase.

The intelligent platform stores the data of more than 400 coal mines, said Wang Hui, general manager of Shanxi Jinyun Interconnection Technology Co., Ltd.

"It can help lower the threshold of AI research and development, generate intelligent products quickly, and achieve iteration and product innovation by providing massive amounts of coal mine application scenario data and AI large model training services," Wang said.

With a designed maximum computing power of more than 200 petaflops, the center is expected to provide strong support for AI application in coal mining. 
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speaks in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 8 in Washington. The U.S. Supreme Court took up a historic case to decide whether Donald Trump was ineligible for the 2024 ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
It's spring, and for cattle ranchers, that means calving season.

It's also the time of year when those newborns are most susceptible to all kinds of dangers.

In Colorado  and for the past several years  that danger includes wolves.

Initially, it was the wolves that came into Jackson County from Wyoming and killed 16 cows, working dogs and sheep. Most of them belonged to rancher Don Gittleson.

Those kills included calves, as reported by Gittleston two years ago, right in the middle of calving season.

This week, a calf in Grand County was killed by one or more of the wolves released in that county last December by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The wolf reintroduction came after voters, almost entirely along the Front Range, voted narrowly to approve releasing wolves west of the Continental Divide in 2022.

The agency would not say which wolves from the Oregon pack were responsible. Some of the 10 wolves that came from Oregon came from packs with a history of livestock kills, although Colorado Parks and Wildlife would not say whether the wolf or wolves that killed the calf earlier this week came from one of those depredating packs.

The rollout of the wolf reintroduction has earned the state, including Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a black eye from ranchers who say the agency failed to communicate with ranchers, local officials and anyone else during the reintroduction.

The agency's response to ranchers asking for help has so far been to recommend "nonlethal" management techniques, which ranchers say is no deterrent.

That's included fox "strobe" lights, flags and even donkeys, sent by the state, to ward off wolves.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Department of Agriculture announced last night they're hiring range riders to protect livestock.

Gittleston said that's just another tactic that doesn't work.

Gittleson, who has lost at least six or seven cows to wolves, and possibly more, told a House committee earlier this week nothing has proven effective enough at keeping the wolves away.

He estimated that his ranch has invested as much as $90,000 in "nonlethal coexistence strategies," including range riders and strobe lights.

"It is cheaper to lose the animals and not get paid for them than it is to pay for the nonlethal," he said.

The two agencies announced they are "working on a plan to get on-the-ground assistance within the next two weeks with range riders."

A Colorado Parks and Wildlife statement said "a human presence like a range rider can help detect wolves and deploy non-lethal deterrents to avoid depredation of livestock."

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"While this request for range riders is pending at the legislature, CDA and CPW are deploying other available resources to provide immediate support and are working on a plan to deploy on the ground assistance through range riders this month," the agency said.

But unless the agencies are planning to hire dozens of range riders, it may have little effect in Grand County, according to Commissioner Merrit Linke, himself a rancher.

He said he has not heard from either agency since the news broke about the wolf kill yesterday, although he believes they have been talking to the ranchers.

Linke said there have been wolf sightings and location information that says the wolves were spotted near housing developments near Granby and even entered the grounds of Snow Mountain Ranch, a popular YMCA facility.

He estimated there are 70 ranches with at least 10,000 female cows in his 1,800-square mile county, and most are calving.

At this time of year, the livestock are congregated in the lower elevation parts of the county because of the snow, Linke said. He believes that makes them easier pickings for the wolves, he said.

Logistically, where would the range riders be placed? Linke asked.

The other problem, he said, is getting real-time information about wolf locations, which would help producers know when they need to patrol.

Otherwise, it's a "crapshoot" he said.

"We appreciate the help and want to work with CPW and the Department of Agriculture, but logistically it's going to be really tough to figure out how to make it effective," he told Colorado Politics.

But there's another concern for his ranchers  what happens in the fall, when calves are weaned. Ranchers will keep a few heifers  the younger cows that haven't had offspring yet  but they lack the protective instincts of a mother cow.

The second problem is that in the fall, that's when mother wolves are teaching their cubs how to hunt. Nobody's thinking about that, Linke said.

And those young cubs are not getting collared, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Then there's a third issue, and that's the history of the wolves that came from Oregon, a state with a population that's close to Colorado's, with big and small communities, according to Linke.

The wolves that came from Wyoming know how to fear people and houses, Linke said. The wolves from Oregon could be desensitized to people and human activity. That the wolves have already been near housing developments in Granby and Snow Mountain Ranch shows they are desensitized to humans.

"They're not necessarily scared of people" or wary of being around housing developments, Linke said.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife statement pointed out the state's wolf depredation compensation fund has $175,000 available and will receive another $350,000 in the 2024-25 state budget. The agency is also seeking nearly $500,000 for "nonlethal" wolf depredation assistance.

"Following the recent incident in Grand County, CPW staff will continue contacting producers in the area, and encouraging the use of appropriate non-lethal deterrents available through the agency," the agency said.
The North Iowa Community College gymnasium was lined with booths Wednesday for the colleges 2024 Job Expo which featured 65 businesses from Mason City and surrounding areas,

The job expo provided the opportunity for NIACC students, area high school students, and job seekers to meet with potential employers such as Winnebago, Dean Snyder Construction, and Sukup Manufacturing.

NIACC has not hosted the job expo since before the COVID-19 pandemic and Director of Emerging Workforce Solutions Melinda McGregor said shes excited to get everybody  students and employers alike  together again.

I know weve had a lot of interest with employers and everybody to host this again, McGregor said. Were hoping to connect people to the opportunities that are available here.

McGregor said the aim of the day is to get students in front of potential employers to network in the hopes to accept future internships, part- and full-time employment, and apprenticeships.

We hope they can make a connection here today and start that relationship with an employer to be able to follow up after they finish school, McGregor said. There are some new opportunities that we didnt have 10 years ago and NIACC does a great job preparing students for those opportunities.

District manager at Fastenal in Mason City Jason Knudson said Wednesdays job expo was a chance to both meet students who could become future employees and also strengthen the companys partnership with the community college.

We get to learn more about NIACCs programs and how we can help them expand moving forward, Knudson said. And were looking for prospective students that are interested in coming onboard and seeing the market and the industry and potentially growing themselves with it.

The day is filled with interactions, informing students as to what Fastenal does, where they can find career opportunities, and what the industry theyre learning about looks like, Knudson said.

Its a very, very positive day for todays new hires, Knudson said. They get to get a lot of exposure to the market.

NIACC Tool & Die technology instructor Kevin Losee said the day was great for his first-year students to experience what they can expect next year when they are starting their careers after the program.

Theres a lot of options for students here in North Iowa, Minnesota, and Central Iowa that are present here today, Losee said. There are more jobs than there are students in all the trades. This is a chance for students to see what is available and where those positions are located.

Lamar Barragan is a freshman in NIACCs building trades program who said he attended Wednesdays job expo with the intention of meeting people from as many construction companies as he could.

My program at NIACC has been a really good experience so far, Barragan said. And today, Im interested in looking further into the future.

Barragan said the job expo was a chance to see the end goal of his schooling at NIACC.

It helps a lot to be here; the room is filled with smart people, Barragan said. They give you a lot of information, and you get to see what youll be possibly working with.
HANOI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A fifth-grade student died and dozens of others were hospitalized on Friday morning in Vietnam's central city of Nha Trang after having breakfast sold by street vendors or at local food stalls, Vietnam News Agency reported.

After having breakfast on Friday morning, a student from Vinh Truong primary school reportedly felt sick and fainted.

The school immediately provided first aid and called the emergency center but the student died due to respiratory failure before reaching the healthcare facility.

Also on Friday morning, 19 other students of Vinh Truong primary school were sent to hospital after showing signs of stomachache, vomiting and headache.

Nine other students of Tran Hung Dao secondary school showed the same symptoms and were hospitalized.

Doctors said the cases were suspected to be caused by food poisoning, VnExpress reported.

As of Friday noon, those students' state of health has been stable, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Local authorities were further investigating the cause of the case. 
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, took part in the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs held on 3 and 4 April at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Over the two days, Minister Bettel attended three working sessions of the North Atlantic Council, focusing on preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington in July 2024, the situation in Ukraine and its relationship with NATO, and the partnership with the countries of the Indo-Pacific region.

At a first meeting of the North Atlantic Council, which welcomed Sweden for the first time as a new member of the Alliance, the ministers exchanged views on preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington and on continued support for Ukraine. On this occasion, Minister Bettel underlined the importance of continuing NATO's collective adaptation efforts: "As a founding member of NATO, Luxembourg is determined to make its contribution to strengthening the Alliance. In addition to the considerable efforts we have already made, we are currently working on a plan to increase our defence spending to two per cent of gross national income in the medium term".

In Brussels, Xavier Bettel also took part in the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at foreign minister level, which was attended by the Ukrainian minister, Dmytro Kuleba. The meeting allowed the ministers to discuss the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and Ukraine's equipment needs. In his speech, Minister Bettel expressed Luxembourg's support for Ukraine. "This is not about charity, but about our security. It is about the security of our continent and respect for international law based on rules. The alternative would be an order based on the law of the strongest", stressed Xavier Bettel.

Minister Bettel then took part in a working session with the Indo-Pacific partner countries, Australia, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand. At this meeting, which was also attended by the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, the ministers discussed ways to strengthen cooperation on common issues, including cyber defence, new technologies, maritime security, climate change and the fight against disinformation.

Finally, the meeting of NATO foreign ministers was also an opportunity to celebrate the 75th anniversary of NATO, which was created on 4 April 1949 in Washington when twelve founding nations, including Luxembourg, signed the North Atlantic Treaty.

Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade
On 3 April 2024, the second meeting of the IT Coalition Steering Group took place in Luxembourg, gathering representatives from ten participating nations, seven observer nations, the EU and NATO.

During the meeting, after a briefing on the status of ongoing procurements and priorities for 2024, the participating nations and observers of the IT Coalition worked on a roadmap to plan acquisitions to be made in 2024 and the following years. This roadmap allows for better coordination and planning of the contributions of the participating nations.

"I'm grateful to all coalition members and our partners for continuing to support us. All contributions help address the critical needs of our military and our IT infrastructure. I invite more countries to join our initiative and to continue their support for Ukraine. Contributions and rapid procurement and delivery are what we need most right now, " said Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Kateryna Chernohorenko addressing the meeting participants.

The IT Coalition Steering Group created four thematic expert groups in order to share expertise. Estonia and Luxembourg announced further financial contributions to the IT Coalition.

"Through our support to Ukraine, we defend our common values and contribute to our own security. The IT coalition is an important part of this support, because it helps boost Ukraine's technological edge on the battlefield. I am glad to say we are making progress with filling Ukraine's capability gaps through the IT Coalition. In the near term, we can expect more nations to join, as well as additional contributions and first equipment deliveries to Ukraine, said Undersecretary for Defence Policy at the Estonian Ministry of Defence, Tuuli Duneton.

"Since the last Steering Group meeting in February, we have managed to speed up the procurement processes, we have placed the first purchase orders and the first deliveries are on their way. ICT is a game changer and has a direct impact on operations. Hence the importance of the IT Coalition and its activities and why we continue to invite nations to join," concluded Luxembourg National Armaments Director, Colonel Guy Hoffmann.



Note: The IT Coalition is a group of States within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group ("Ramstein format") led by Estonia and Luxembourg, focused on providing support to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of IT, communication, and cybersecurity.

Press release by the Directorate of Defence
Dr. Jayeshs contributions encompass not only diagnosis but also prevention & treatment, underscoring the transfor-mative potential of genetics in healthcare

advancing rare disease research and treatment in India. His journey reflects a trajectory of dedication and innovation. His contributions encompass not only diagnosis but also prevention and treatment, underscoring the transformative potential of genetics in healthcare.Dr.Sheth also was the first scientist to demonstrate about the deficiency of vitamin B12 and vitamin D in Indian population and its impact on human health which we all have witnessed during covid era.God has been kind to me, from my small-town roots to global impact. My work has taken me to Geneva, the USA, the UK, and Australia, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of rare diseases, their prevention, and affordable diagnosis. Now, with treatments on the horizon, Im driven by the mission to enter a new phase bringing hope to countless individuals affected by genetic disorders, adds Dr. Jayesh J Sheth, Founder and Chairman.Dr. Jayesh Sheth's extensive involvement in healthcare and genetic research is evident through his esteemed positions. As a Member of the Gujarat State SSB on ART and Surrogacy and the WHO Technical Committee on Birth Defects, he shapes reproductive health policies and global health initiatives. His leadership roles include Vice President of the Indian Society of Human Genetics and National Task Force Committee Member for Lysosomal Storage Disorders. He is a founder member of the Indian Society of Fetal Medicine and the Indian Society of Inborn Error of Metabolism. His governance extends to boards of rare disease organizations and academic institutions, highlighting his profound impact on healthcare, research, and education.Dr. Sheth's leadership approach emphasizes humility, continuous learning, and inclusivity. He values being grounded and learning from experts, exemplified during his tenure on the board of Diagnostic Systems Laboratory in the USA in 1995 for almost one decade. His leadership is rooted in collaboration and respect for others' opinions, believing in fostering a sense of belonging within the organization. At FRIGE, the motto centers on learning, contributing to society, and prioritizing integrity over monetary gains. He underscores the importance of remaining a perpetual student, highlighting the necessity for ongoing education in science and pathology. Under his guidance, FRIGE focuses on diverse research projects, including autism, cancer prevention, and advanced genomics, addressing significant health challenges in India. Dr. Sheth's leadership leaves a tangible impact, evident in contributions to public health, such as vitamin supplementation and the identification of hereditary cancers.Looking ahead, Dr. Sheth envisions an evolution toward preventive healthcare and indigenous technology development at FRIGE. Transitioning from diagnostics, the organization aims to pioneer prevention programs for various diseases, aligning with India's Make in India initiative. Their focus includes developing cutting-edge technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools, for personalized medicine and rare genetic disorder therapeutics. He anticipates expanding infrastructure to accommodate these advancements, requiring additional space. With ongoing patent applications and potential commercialization, FRIGE aims to facilitate screening programs and contribute to global healthcare solutions, marking a significant stride towards a future of innovative healthcare interventions.I advise budding professionals not to rely solely on advanced instruments but to engage in dialogue with doctors and patients. Treat patients as human beings, guiding them instead of just conducting investigations. Maintain clinical knowledge and remember your duty to patients. Commercialization shouldn't overshadow serving society's needs. Use science for societal goals, not as a money-making tool. As scientists and doctors, our oath is to serve society affordably. This mindset should guide future generations in their practice, concludes Dr. Jayesh J Sheth.
For those Montanans who want to see Mondays total solar eclipse up close and personal, the advice seems to be get out of town.

NASA says a total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. This eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. It will pass over 13 eastern, midwestern and southern states  Montana aint one of them -- from Caribou, Maine, to Del Rio, Texas.

Some of the local folks interested in the latest fun with the sun have left the Treasure State for other parts of the country.

But for those who plan to stay home, the Helena Astronomical Society will have a couple of telescopes set up Monday at Montana Wild, 2668 Broadwater Ave., and, starting at 11 a.m., invite the public to take a gander at what will likely be a slightly less spectacular show.

Helena is expected to have about 40% exposure to the April 8 event categorized as a partial solar eclipse, which will begin at 11:39 a.m. and last slightly over two hours, until 1:42 p.m.

Jon Dilliard, treasurer of the Helena Astronomical Society, said several members have left the state to get a better view.

For some people it will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, he said, adding he went to Idaho in 2017 to view the most recent total solar eclipse.

It was quite an experience, Dilliard said. I am glad I saw it.

People coming to Montana Wild should bring some eye protection with them on Monday, he said, adding they will have a limited number of solar glasses.

This is the last total solar eclipse in the United States until 2044, the Helena Astronomical Society says.

Those who want to watch Mondays total solar eclipse through a somewhat local lens should stay tuned to the Montana Learning Centers Facebook page.

The MLC will be traveling to the Path of Totality for this event, the Learning Center, based at Canyon Ferry Reservoir, states on its Facebook page.

Ryan Hannahoe, executive director of the Montana Learning Center, said he will be in the eclipses path.

While the page says noon to 2 p.m. Monday, a posting says: Final location/ virtual event times are yet to be determined and are based on weather. We will update event times the day of the eclipse and will post a link to this page of our live stream.

Funding to support this effort is provided by Friends of the MLC and NASA/ Northwest Earth & Space Sciences Pathways program.

The Helena Astronomical Society said that even if it is cloudy, we plan to link to the Montana Learning Center streaming event of the total solar eclipse from the northeast U.S. and put it on the big screen at the Montana Wild meeting room (in Helena). And in the event the northeast gets clouded out we will link to the NASA feed.

The Great American Eclipse expects between 1 million and 4 million people to travel to see the eclipse; that doesn't include the 31 million Americans who live in the path of totality, the 115-mile-wide stretch where you'll be able to see the eclipse in full, spanning from Mexico to Maine, according to the Lee Weather Team.

"It will likely be the most-viewed astronomical event in American history," Michael Zeiler, eclipse cartographer and co-founder of Great American Eclipse, said in a statement.

Part of what's driving the popularity of eclipse travel this year is its timing  the busiest week for spring break travel happens to be the week the eclipse will occur.
VIENTIANE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has urged Lao nationals working in Laos and other countries to make themselves available for jobs in Laos, as workers are urgently needed by many businesses.

Employers in many fields are suffering from a shortage of staff after Lao nationals flocked to other countries in search of higher wages and better working conditions, according to a report from the Lao Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare on Friday.

The ministry issued a notice on March 28, instructing local authorities to compile figures on the number of villagers working in other countries, the number of people unemployed, and people on low incomes.

The lack of accurate data concerning the unemployment situation gives rise to problems such as informality in the recruitment process and a lack of employment protection, as well as a lack of job market indicators, according to the report. 
Roughly 130,000 Montana residents, including 36,000 children, have lost their Medicaid or Healthy Montana Kids health insurance coverage since April of 2023. Its part of a national surge in enrollment drops, an unwinding that KFF Health News called the biggest upheaval in the 58-year history of the government health insurance program for people with low incomes and disability.

After federal pandemic-era protections against losing enrollment ended last year, every U.S. state reviewed the eligibility of people on Medicaid and "redetermined" whether they were eligible or not. Over 28 million people were examined, and 10 million people in the country lost coverage. A huge chunk of those lost it due to incomplete paperwork, not because they arent eligible.

On Thursday morning in Missoula, a panel of people who work in various nonprofits across the state converged to discuss efforts to get people re-covered again. It was part of the Montana Primary Care Associations efforts to get people enrolled in health insurance again. The new campaign is called "Cover Montana." The goal is to not allow people who were dropped from coverage to go without health insurance.

The executive directors of the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, the Poverello Center and the Missoula YWCA all spoke about how people with extremely limited means, including people with mental illness, unsheltered community members and families fleeing violence, have been negatively affected by losing their health insurance. In Missoula alone, 3,000 kids have lost coverage, according to Partnership Health Center CEO Lara Salazar.

So imagine a second-grade child in Montana, grappling with flu-like symptoms and severe respiratory issues forced to leave school due to their condition, Salazar said. This childs educational journey is hindered because they cannot concentrate. They may be in discomfort or pain and their health is compromised. Medicaid coverage allows them to receive the medical attention that they urgently need, discovering an underlying chronic asthma condition exacerbated by flu.

Health insurance would allow the child to get the proper treatment they need to return to school despite the financial challenges their parents face, Salazar said. That means parents miss fewer days of work because kids miss fewer days of school.

(Its) a testament to the transformative power of accessible health care, she said. We also know that when co-occurring barriers such as housing, food insecurity, transportation and all of these things are addressed, overall community health and well-being are fully possible. Families like this one can engage in their community, have fun and not just simply survive.

Salazar closed her presentation by saying that Medicaid coverage underpins the shared goal of community well-being.

Olivia Riutta, the director of population health at the Montana Primary Care Association, said that many people were disenrolled because they just didnt fill out the required paperwork or didnt do it correctly. Some panelists on Thursday noted that homeless community members often dont have a place to get mail or dont check their mail at homeless shelters. Some simply dont have the means to fill out the complex paperwork.

What we know, and this is data from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services that they update monthly, is that the vast majority, over 64% of folks who have lost Medicaid coverage, have lost it because of procedural reasons, she said. It simply means they didnt return some piece of paperwork that was requested.

She said that her organizations goal is to get people either re-enrolled in Medicaid or enrolled in another type of health insurance through the so-called marketplace, which is the governments health insurance website at healthcare.gov.

Amy Allison Thompson, the executive director of the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, said her organizations surveys show that medical insurance costs and medical costs are the second-leading cause of what gives people food insecurity in Missoula County.

About 30% of people are saying that medical costs are the reason theyre experiencing food insecurity, she said. The food bank served 25,000 people last year, which is one out of every five people in the county.

Barbara Frank from Missoula County Public Schools said that the districts counselors, nurses and social workers have noted that more families are choosing not to get the health care their kids need because they cant afford it or dont have health insurance.

Weve simultaneously seen a huge increase in behavioral health needs and mental health care needs both for the students we serve and their families, she said. And weve also seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism.

She said that chronic conditions impact a students ability to attend classes.

We really see that chronic absenteeism rising in our high school population as well, especially for our unaccompanied homeless youth whose families have now lost care and they dont have adults to navigate this for them and theyre out in our community on their own, she said. And theyre really struggling and theyre struggling to access a lot of the resources this community provides.

The Montana Primary Care Association is urging people to visit online at mtpca.org/getcoveredagain to re-enroll. They can also contact Rachel Pauli at rpauli@mtpca.org or call 406-438-3410.
CANBERRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Coral reefs can recover from bleaching events caused by marine heatwaves given enough time, Australian research has found.

In a study published on Friday, researchers from government agency the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and University of Western Australia (UWA) identified cycles during which coral numbers crashed due to bleaching then slowly recovered.

Coral bleaching is a process whereby corals expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues due to heat stress caused by rising ocean temperatures, causing the coral to turn completely white. According to the AIMS, prolonged or extreme bleaching events can cause coral to die.

However, after gathering data at the remote Scott Reefs in the Timor Sea between Australia and Indonesia over the course of 30 years, AIMS researchers found coral can fully recover from bleaching events.

Coral reef systems are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, occupying less than 0.1 percent of the world's ocean area but supporting 25 percent of life in the ocean.

Luke Thomas, an AIMS coral scientist, said the findings offered hope for coral reefs including the Great Barrier Reef.

"It speaks to the resilience of these ecosystems that there's this inherent ability to recover from disturbances," he said in a media release.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and AIMS in March confirmed the Great Barrier Reef -- the largest coral reef in the world and a World Heritage Site -- was experiencing a mass bleaching event for the fifth time in eight years as a result of global warming and climate patterns.

Thomas said that despite the discovery that coral can recover from bleaching, climate change is approaching a tipping point where reefs will not have enough time between events to do so.

"If there are recurrent disturbances and the corals can't recover, these ecosystems will collapse," he said.

The research was one of the most detailed coral monitoring studies conducted anywhere in the world. 
Settlements have been reached with nearly 30 women who say they were threatened  including two who say they were raped or sexually assaulted  during a security breach at the Clark County jail when they were incarcerated there in October 2021.

Attorneys for the women have said in the lawsuits the Clark County Sheriffs Office administration and several employees violated their civil rights and failed to keep them safe when, over the course of several hours, men in custody were able to access the womens area.

Former jail officer David Lowe is accused of making a deal to sell keys to the men in exchange for $1,000. Hes listed as a defendant in the federal cases and also faces separate criminal charges.

Perry McCall, who with Bart Betteau represented the majority of women who filed suit, told LPM News the settlements can provide some closure for the plaintiffs. But he said going to trial could have had more value  allowing a jury to weigh in on the allegations.

I was hopeful this case would go to trial, at least one of them, just to air exactly for the public what occurred on that day, he said.

He also said what happened is the responsibility of the sheriffs office, and that protocol and procedure to keep people safe werent followed.

When you go into a facility, you think its a secure facility. The sheriff in this has an obligation to protect you, and they failed miserably, McCall said.

Initial filings included Jamey Noel, in his capacity as sheriff at the time of the allegations, as well as Lowe and other jail staff in their individual capacities. Current Sheriff Scottie Maples, who was elected in 2022, is now also listed in filings in his capacity as sheriff.

The defense has argued in court filings that the women werent assaulted or harassed.

They also denied accusations that the sheriffs office failed to implement or enforce policies to keep the women safe.

McCall said he can't discuss the details of the settlements, due to nondisclosure agreements.

The countys liability insurance carrier is responsible for litigating the cases as well as paying any settlement costs, according to Clark County Attorney Scott Lewis. If any had gone to trial, the company would also handle those costs.

LPM currently has a public records request in to the county for information on the settlement terms.

McCall said he believes the plaintiffs may have felt compelled to take the settlements rather than wait for trial due to financial hardships. He said he doesn't feel the settlement offers were equal to what the women experienced.

Jeff Lowe, who represents the sheriffs office defendants, declined to comment last month on the pending litigation. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment this week on the cases now that the final plaintiff has settled.

Noels administration didnt dispute that a breach occurred, but disagreed with what the women say happened during it and how long the area was unsecured.

In August 2022, Noel launched a website in response to some of the accusations. It included video clips, photos and other information to shoot down the lies and deliver transparency to the community related to the breach.

The site has since been removed.

In an unrelated case, Noel is facing 25 felonies including theft and ghost employment stemming from an ongoing Indiana State Police investigation.

David Lowe, the jail officer accused of selling the keys, is charged with escape, official misconduct and trafficking with an inmate in the criminal case. Online court records show his trial is scheduled for July 23.
Open-source file syncing and sharing software company Nextcloud has gone the way of all flesh with the release version 2.0 of its Assistant: it is now pushing AI-as-a-service.

In a statement, the Germany-based company said this included a nearly complete overhaul of the user interface and a different way in which the AI Assistant worked at the back-end.

The two new notable features in the Assistant are Context Write and Contest Chat. The latter is the ability for the Assistant to provide answers about a user's data.

This was not limited to the data as Nextcloud also released an API using which it was possible to include the data in Mail, Calendar, Talk and Deck for interrogation.

As an example, the company said: "Youll... be able to ask When do I have my next meeting with my boss?' (from the Calendar); 'What tasks did she ask me to work on as high priority this week?' (from Mail); or 'Give me a summary of the status of project X' (Deck + chat perhaps?)."

Context Write allows the Assistant to rewrite material in a requested context.

The company explained: 'Say, you have a nice poem and want to write another in that same particular style. By providing the original poem, then new text of what you want to say, the Assistant will then create a masterpiece.

"But you can also give it a form, give it your data, and ask it to provide the text you would need to fill in the form."

Nextcloud said it had been working with a number of leading European hosting companies, including IONOS and OVHcloud to integrate their upcoming AI-as-a-Service solutions.

"This will make them available to Nextcloud customers and users who wish to take advantage of the advanced AI functionalities in Nextcloud Hub but dont wish to host AI services themselves. Several Nextcloud customers have expressed interest in these features and are preparing to or in the process of testing them."

Nextcloud's next version, Nextcloud Hub 8.0, is scheduled to be released on 24 April. Two new features are scheduled: Nextcloud Talk will be able to show summaries of conversation in Talk rooms, and Nextcloud Mail will introduce email "suggested answers".

A demo of how Assistant 2.0 functions is available on the Nextcloud site.
GUEST OPINION: In today's digital landscape where security is of vital importance, reliance on outdated password-based authentication exposes businesses to a multitude of threats.

This legacy approach, rooted in the early days of the internet, leaves organisations vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks. Despite relentless efforts by cybersecurity professionals in areas like network security, advanced authentication, and employee training, a single breach can still cripple an entire organisation.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has compounded the challenge by significantly enhancing the accuracy and scale of phishing attacks. While past tactics relied on mass emails with poor grammar, contemporary attacks combine AI-crafted messaging with SMS notifications and other seemingly benign behaviours.

This approach also lowers the barrier to entry for cybercriminals, allowing them to leverage powerful technology without needing in-depth technical expertise. Employees tricked into clicking "change password" links, responding to seemingly harmless texts, or entering credentials are essentially handing over access to their organisation's key digital assets.

Once inside, attackers can wield AI once again to extract information and escalate permissions by crafting targeted messages. This evolution in phishing attacks represents a significant operational risk for businesses.

Indeed, Verizon's 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) revealed a very concerning statistic: 86% of cyberbreaches involve stolen credentials. This shows the extent of the need for better protective measures.

The benefits of FIDO 2.0

The urgent need to modernise login credentials alongside other technologies has been acknowledged by leading technology giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple. It is also supported by the FIDO (Fast Identity Online) Alliance which has a mission to address the challenge.

As part of its work to plug security gaps and prevent credential-based attacks, the FIDO Alliance established new standards that leverage existing on-chip security for robust authentication of both users and devices.

Examples of devices compliant with FIDO 2.0 include those requiring biometric or token authentication such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanners, or physical device tokens like cards or NFC wands.

The strength of FIDO 2.0 lies in its symmetrical approach to user device and software authentication. Similar to advanced smartphone authentication, FIDO 2.0 mandates reciprocal verification by organisations based on established approvals and credentials. This additional layer of protection elevates the overall security posture and makes it significantly more difficult for cybercriminals to gain access.

Properly deployed, FIDO 2.0 addresses a range of different security vulnerabilities. It achieves this by eliminating the risk of events such as SIM swap attacks, Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) phishing attacks, and lost or reused credentials.

Under the hood

To overcome the inherent weaknesses around using username/password authentication, FIDO 2.0 relies on a stronger authentication process. To begin, each device or hardware token must be individually enrolled to allow FIDO 2.0 authentication, and this is done by creating a public/private key pair.

The public key portion is then saved into the web service and assigned to the user identity. On the user device side, the private key is stored within the phone or laptops secure enclave. Upon user authentication to their enrolled web services, the web service prompts for the user for the Passkey.

The user will then be prompted to unlock the devices secure enclave allowing the private key to be used to complete the challenge/response part of the authentication process. The private key never leaves the device and is much more secure than a traditional username/password combination.

Even though usernames and passwords will be used alongside FIDO 2.0 authentication for some time yet, in a FIDO 2.0 implementation they cannot be used without the private key challenge/response piece of the authentication process. This means that if the username/password is lost or stolen, it is of little value as it cant alone be used for authentication.

Security in the era of remote working

The security challenges overcome by FIDO 2.0 are particularly acute at a time when many staff continue to work remotely or in a hybrid environment. Some choose to use personal devices and home networks to connect to corporate digital resources, potentially creating new vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals.

Also, single sign-on (SSO) has gained popularity and this means that a compromised user can open up access across all connected tools and data sources. Even with secure SSO environments, a username, password, and alphanumeric authentication at the front door leave organisations exposed.

The integration of FIDO 2.0 isn't just a technological upgrade. It's a strategic imperative fortifying digital defences in today's increasingly interconnected world.
Better public information on regulator enforcement is required, according to a new report published by the Centre for Media Transition and commissioned by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).

The Centre, an interdisciplinary research unit within the University of Technology Sydney, published the report, detailing the enforcement actions undertaken by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) from January 2010 to June 2023 to ensure compliance with consumer protections.

The report highlights the importance of reliable public information on enforcement. Key findings and recommendations from the report include:

The ACMA should increase transparency and accountability around how they enforce telecommunications rules by establishing a public register of enforcement actions.

According to public information, from January 2010 to June 2023 the entire telecommunications sector may have paid $6,143,160 in infringement fines for breaches to consumer protection rules.

According to public information, from January 2010 to June 2023, the ACMA obtained only three civil penalty orders against telco providers totalling $1,077,625 for breaches to consumer protection rules.

ACCAN Acting CEO Gareth Downing said that the Centre for Media Transition has developed important research which will assist policymakers, regulators and industry to improve trust within the telecommunications sector.

This report provides another piece of evidence for reforming the way telecommunications are regulated in Australia. It is a resource for policymakers as they consider the policy settings for the use of enforcement mechanisms, whether fines for telco non-compliance should be increased, whether ACMA should be able to take action other than a formal warning or a direction to comply when the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code is initially breached, and what higher penalties should apply for providers who cause serious consumer harm," Dr Downing said.

We urge the government to consider this report and respond by improving publicly available information about telco enforcement, and strengthening the resourcing and powers of the ACMA.

The report flags that the ACMA relies heavily on warnings and other non-financial actions in enforcing compliance. It lends strength to our view that matters such as domestic and family violence are too important to leave to industry codes, and should be subject to direct regulation.

We congratulate the Centre for Media Transition on the launch of this report, and look forward to engaging with industry, government and regulators on these critical issues, Dr Downing concluded.

The full report was published on Wednesday 3rd April, and is available here. A public webinar will follow at 12pm on Thursday 18th April, and report authors are available for comment on request.
Chinese smartphone vendor Oppo has launched a new model in its Reno line, at a much lower price than previously, with the Reno11 F 5G priced at $599.

The last Reno model released in Australia, the Reno10 5G, was priced at $749.

A statement from Oppo Australia said apart from the lower price, the additional lure for would-be buyers was a freebie from one of three leading tech brands: Oppo itself, Aqara and Cosori.

The three free items on offer are the OPPO Enco X earbuds (RRP $299), Cosori 5.5L Air Fryer (RRP $219) or the Aqara Camera Hub G3 (RRP $195). This offer ends on 24 April.

The Reno11 F 5G has a 64MP Ultra-Clear Triple Camera, 67W SUPERVOOC Flash Charging and a 120Hz AMOLED Screen. The battery is 5000mAh.

An internal view of the new Reno11 wihich has 256GB storage and 8GB memory. Supplied

Oppo Australia managing director Michael Tran said: "At Oppo, we're not just focused on technological innovation; we're committed to understanding and responding to the evolving needs of Australians.

"Our latest offering, the Reno11 F 5G, alongside the 'Pick Your Perk' offer, showcases our dedication to making technology accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Its about creating value that resonates with our customers' daily lives."

The new phone comes with ColorOS 11, Oppo's reworked Android version, and is available in two colours: Palm Green and Ocean Blue.

The Reno11 F 5g Palm Green model. Supplied

The Reno11 is built atop a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset with 6nm technology. There are two options for storage: 128GB or 256GB, while the memory in both models is 8GB.

The new Reno11 is on sale as of Thursday (4 April) and is available from the Oppo Online Store, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Bing Lee.

Design

 Dimensions: 161.63mm  74.73mm  7.54mm

 Weight: 177g

 Colours: Ocean Blue, Coral Purple, Palm Green, Lava Red

Screen

 120Hz 6.7 OLED

 20.1:9, 2412  1080

 60/90/120Hz dynamic refresh rate

 Brightness: 500nits (typ), 1100nits (local peak)

 HDR10+

Biometric Security

 Under-display fingerprint scanner

 Face unlock

Performance

 MediaTek Dimensity 7050

 TSMC 6 nm

 CPU: Arm Cortex-A78/A55, 8-core CPU, up to 2.6GHz

 GPU: Arm Mali-G68 MC4

 LPDDR4X + UFS 3.1 storage

 ColorOS 14 based on Android 14

Rear cameras

 64MP Main camera

 OmniVision OV64B

 1/2 sensor

 f/1.7 lens

 25mm

 8MP Ultra Wide Camera

 Sony IMX355

 16mm f/2.2 lens

 2MP Macro Camera

Selfie camera

 32MP Selfie Camera

 Sony IMX615

 1/2.74 sensor

 21mm f/2.4 lens

Battery & Charging

 5000mAh battery (typ)

 67W SUPERVOOCTM

Connectivity

 Dual SIM

 NFC

 Bluetooth 5.3

 Micro SD

 5G

 Wi-Fi 6
Find classic arcade racers like Daytona, Scue Race and Sega Touring Car at RETRO:G (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

For anyone who grew up in the early to mid-1990s, the exciting world of the arcades was the place to go to see the latest and greatest in gaming. Whether it was the bright lights and noise or the adrenaline-pumping action on offer, young adolescents were drawn in like moths to a flame looking to play the latest titles.

Although arcades in the West quickly declined through the 2000s with the emergence of home consoles, the modern Japanese arcade center simply evolved and remains a fixture of many cities across Japan. If the 1990s was dominated by major advances in 3D graphics and immersive multiplayer cabinets, in Japan youre now more likely to see UFO catchers, rhythm games, Purikura (sticker photo booths) or trading card gamescomplete with manga/anime-inspired visualsas the main draw for the modern visitor.

UFO Catchers at RETRO:G (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

Nowhere is this more true than in Tokyos Akihabara, with GiGO (operator of Segas former amusement division) one of the dominant brands here. Its at GiGO Akihabara Building 3 where youll find RETRO:G  a floor dedicated to bringing back the fuzzy nostalgic feeling of arcade gaming like during the industrys 1990s heyday (at least from the perspective of a Western reader).

Find dozens of coin-operated cabinets, including Daytona USA 2 and The House of the Dead (1, 2 and 3), waiting for you to relive your childhood (presumably with more than just a few coins that the pocket money may have limited to you back then!).

Manx TT Super Bike (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

As well as a host of Sega titles on offer (particularly racers like OutRun, Manx TT, Sega Touring Car, Virtua Racing & Scud Race), youll also find flagship titles from other publishers.

Classics like SUPER STEET FIGHTER  X (1994, Capcom, running on Sega Astro City) and Time Crisis 2 (1998, Namco) are also available.

Losing badly at SUPER STEET FIGHTER  X, despite my Shinryuken comeback. (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

RETRO:G should appeal to those who fondly remember the 80s too, with original working cabinets for Segas acclaimed rails shooters like Space Harrier (1985) and After Burner (1987), the latter originally released in the year after Top Gun with its inspiration clearly evident. Many may recall the 1986 classic, Outrun, which allowed you to get behind the wheel as iconic BGMs like Magical Sound Shower blared out of the speakers.

OutRun cabinets (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

Dont forget the tabletop version of Donkey Kong (1981 / Nintendo) which also features the very first appearance of Super Mario (then known as Jumpman)  try it for yourself at RETRO:G.

Even the less ardent (or skilled) gamer should still enjoy the chance to walk down memory lane by visiting the sixth floor of GiGO Akihabara Building 3  just think of RETRO:G as a museum with free entry that should have at least something for everyone. With most games costing between 100-200 to play, its easy to spend an hour or so here.

Welcome to RETRO:G (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

RETRO:G is also an essential stop for any retro gaming aficionado, being so close to many of Akibas retro gaming shops (like Super Potato). If you are thinking of visiting Akihabara for a retro and rare slice of gaming, consider RETRO:G the quintessential stop on your itinerary.

GiGO Akihabara Building 3 (Tom Roseveare, Japan Travel)

GETTING THERE

RETRO:G is on the 6th floor of GiGO Akihabara Building 3, which is a 3-minute walk from JR Akihabara Station.
NANNING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Youyiguan border gate along the China-Vietnam border recorded some 520,000 inbound and outbound passengers in the first quarter of 2024, up 189 percent year on year, according to local authorities.

In the first three months of this year, the land port cleared over 100,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 22.75 percent, according to the Youyiguan entry-exit border checkpoint in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The land port currently handles approximately 6,000 inbound and outbound passengers on a daily basis, the checkpoint said.

The Youyiguan border gate, located in the city of Pingxiang, is one of the largest land ports in Guangxi. It is one of the most convenient land routes between China and ASEAN members, and an important entry port for fruit. 
A deputy with the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office was injured during a traffic stop on U.S. 52, near Tobaccoville, Friday morning, according to a news release.

The deputy initiated the traffic stop on U.S. 52 south between Westinghouse Road and Moore-RJR Drive around 7:25 a.m. after stopping a violator for a violation, according to a spokesperson for the N.C. Highway Patrol.

While the deputy was outside of his vehicle speaking with the driver of the stopped vehicle, a passing driver in a Saturn traveling south sideswiped the stopped vehicle and struck the deputy.

According to authorities, the deputy was conscious and alert when EMS arrived and was transported to a local hospital where they are being evaluated for injuries.

The occupants of the stopped vehicle werent seriously injured, nor were the driver of the vehicle that struck the stationary vehicle and the deputy.

The driver of the vehicle, Dallas Lee Moser, 36, of Mount Airy, has been charged with careless and reckless driving, according to the Highway Patrol.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol is currently investigating the accident.

Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation should reach out to the Highway Patrol. Trooper J. White is the primary investigator, according to the Highway Patrol.
The Lincoln Police Department on Friday released the names of the two officers involved in a shooting earlier this week at a northwest Lincoln Casey's.

Brian Gruber and Cale Neelly fired at 43-year-old Michael Glaser after he allegedly shot at police officers who were responding to a report of a man with a gun at the store at 2500 N.W. 12th St. at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officials said.

Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said at a Wednesday morning news conference that Glaser had walked into Casey's and was looking for an employee with whom he had a previous relationship. The employee was not there when he arrived.

Glaser had walked up to the counter and placed a gun on the counter, police said. There were three employees inside the Casey's at the time  one employee managed to exit the store and two employees barricaded themselves in a back room.

Houchin said that a customer tried to walk into Casey's, but Glaser yelled at them and ordered them to leave.

When officers arrived at the gas station, Glaser fired a shot at them, and at least one officer returned fire.

A short time later, Glaser fired more shots at officers who were positioned outside the store, and they returned fire.

Glaser suffered injuries to his upper chest and forehead during the second exchange, Houchin said.

Glaser was taken to the hospital after being arrested and later released. He is being held at the Lancaster County jail.

Law enforcement later got a warrant to search Glaser's residence on the 2700 block of A Street, where a short shotgun was found.

He was charged Thursday with two counts of first-degree false imprisonment, two counts of terroristic threats, four counts of using a firearm to commit a felony, unlawful discharge of a firearm and resisting arrest using a deadly weapon.

Gruber has five years of experience in law enforcement and has been with LPD since June 2019.

Neely has eight years of law enforcement experience and joined LPD in July 2022.

The Sheriff's Office, which is leading the investigation, interviewed the officers about the incident. Both were placed on administrative leave.

The Nebraska State Patrol had one trooper involved who was also placed on administrative leave because of the shooting; Col. John Bolduc said earlier this week that the name of the trooper would not be released, as has long been the State Patrol's policy.

Review of police shootings in Lincoln since 2013 1. Douglas DaMoude, May 30, 2014 2. Tyson Hubbard, March 5, 2015 3. Tareik Artis, Sept. 22, 2015 4. Zachary Grigsby, Nov. 29, 2015 5. Germichael Kennedy, June 26, 2016 6. Thomas Sailors, Jan. 5, 2018 7. Christopher Brennauer, Dec. 29, 2018 8. Joseph Francis Cimino, Oct. 8, 2019 9. Hailey Stainbrook and Christian Alexander, Feb. 20, 2021 10. German Pedraza, Nov. 24, 2021 11. Chace Abney, May 1, 2023 12. Stephen Kafka, Oct. 17,2023 13. Garrett Hanika Nov. 21, 2023 14. Braulio Blazio Dec. 17, 2023 15. Michael Glaser, April 2, 2024
NAIROBI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Two international health charities LifeArc and FIND on Friday announced funding support totaling 7.8 million U.S. dollars to bolster Kenya's efforts to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, a fatal vector-borne disease also known as kala-azar among children.

The two medical charities said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that under the new funding, diagnosis and treatment of the neglected tropical disease among children will be improved.

Mike Strange, head of Global Health at LifeArc, underscored the role of funding and strategic partnerships to boost the elimination of kala-azar which is concentrated in Kenya's remote outposts.

"Partnering with FIND to support the implementation of existing tools, as well as helping move forward new and improved diagnostic tests, represents a real opportunity to make a step-change and contribute towards eliminating this fatal disease in Kenya," Strange said.

Targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization (WHO) by 2030, visceral leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease found in marginalized parts of Africa, affects mainly children and is fatal in over 95 percent of cases if left untreated.

In addition, the disease, which is rampant in regions grappling with poor sanitation, is caused by parasites that are spread by sandflies. It affects internal organs and presents symptoms such as weight loss, and enlargement of the spleen and liver.

Under the new funding from international charities, Kenya is expected to improve community awareness and enhance the capacity of local health facilities to conduct faster diagnosis and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.

Helen Bokea, the director of Neglected Tropical Diseases at FIND, said that enhanced surveillance, detection and treatment will be key to achieving the 2030 WHO visceral leishmaniasis elimination target in Kenya. 
Kenosha police and the countys top prosecutor had a hand in a new law that now keeps confidential informants and certain witness identities private.

Senate Bill 119, which was signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers March 28, involved discussions among Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley, Kenosha Police Department Lt. Joseph Nosalik and state legislators.

Graveley and Nosalik brought to legislators attention a loophole in state law that allowed witnesses and informants identities to be revealed via open records requests. Prior to the new law, court documents, such as search warrants and affidavits containing the identity of confidential informants, were not specifically exempt from Wisconsins open records law.

The loophole had allowed defendants and those being investigated to file open records requests with clerks of courts to release the documents, without the ability to redact the information. The bill added clarity to the law so that any governmental agency could redact the name or identifying information of informants and witnesses, according to Graveley.

This is one one of those situations where Lt. Nosalik and I both approached legislators with a problem we saw in terms of public safety, in particular situations. He was very focused on, specifically, confidential informants and not having them revealed at early stages of a case, said Graveley. I was more particularly interested in ... where we have to file a public document, a complaint and warrant.

Withholding witness names

The previous requirements for filing warrants and complaints, which had involved fully disclosing the identities of witnesses, prompted serious issues in cases, such as, shootings and homicides, over the past couple of years, Graveley said.

In the public, social media world were in, if somebody gets a copy of that complaint, of course, it can be spread amongst all sorts of people who can intimidate a person who witnesses something on the street or somebody who gives law enforcement valuable information in a violent crime, he said.

Now, (the law) precludes confidential informants from being disclosed through open records and it requires a person who is in a criminal case as a defendant to go through the normal court process where a judge will decide (when to release that information), Graveley said.

If you have a person whos still at large, you should not have to publicly reveal who the witnesses are against them while theyre still out there. Thats the major value of this bill, to me, he said. It also balances open record that, of course, are highly valued, and we want the public to know as much information as possible.

The district attorney said law enforcement and the courts, however, have had to adjust to the speed with which information is now shared and has the potential to endanger witnesses. Before the advent of social media, complaints with witness or informant information obtained by filing open records used to be mailed.

Now, its seamless, its free. It can be done effortlessly, anonymously and immediately. And if youre going to ask people to come forward and talk about violent crime, you have to have some ways that theyre kept safe, at least, until people are in custody, he said. Of course, a person has the right to face their accuser, but do they have a right to know their accuser while theyre still out there? And so, theres still a really direct threat to (that witness).

Most common-sense bill

The bill was introduced a year ago by state senators Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, and Robert Wirch, D-Somers, and co-sponsored by state representatives Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, and Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha.

This may be the most common-sense bill passed this session. I was shocked to hear a law was needed, Wanggaard, a retired Racine police officer, said in a news release. Of course, confidential informants should remain confidential as long as possible. Releasing the name of a confidential informant jeopardizes a case, and more importantly, the life of that informant.

Wirch also acknowledged local law enforcement for recognizing the need to adjust the law and bringing the matter to their attention. Nedweski said the information provided by confidential informants to law enforcement is often critical to solving criminal case.

This bill is a no-brainer and I appreciate the support of my Kenosha County colleagues in the Legislature for getting this done, she said. The legislation would keep members of our community safe when they come forward to help combat crime, said McGuire, who recognized local police and sheriffs departments, and the bipartisan support that brought the bill across the finish line quickly after this problem was identified.

Capitol secrets: 10 little-known facts about the Wisconsin State Capitol building 1. Familiar face 2. A well-traveled badger 3. April Fool's Day prank and a rumor 50 years later 4. Only God is perfect 5. Ghost of the Assembly 6. Stinking sturgeon helps change rule for wardens 7. Statuary groups symbolize best of Wisconsin 8. Replica of Liberty Bell 9. State constitution still MIA 10. Foreman killed during construction 5. Ghost of the Assembly
As you may have guessed from the picture and the "let my people go" Moses reference changed to "let my people know" (which I borrowed from Rabbi Steinsaltz), this article is being written for my fellow Jews. But please, if you are not Jewish, keep reading! If you love freedom, liberty, the Second Amendment, and your G-d given constitutionally protected right of self-defense, I know you will. You must, as I most assuredly want you to know too. I want all my people to know! Knowledge is power. Ignorance is victimhood. So what I am about to reveal is absolutely true for absolutely everyone! It also sets up a shorter but very powerful follow-up article called THE GREAT AMERICAN DAVID & GOLIATH CHALLENGE. Watch for it in the not-too-distant future on a computer screen near you. It is also meant for absolutely everyone. That's the whole point of both articles.

First, a little recent history. It is necessary to fully appreciate what is happening now 

Since the inhuman, treacherous October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, reported incidents of hatred against Jews in the United States are up by a whopping 360%. Keep in mind, that outrageous number reflects only the reported occurrences. G-d only knows how high the actual number is. Before October 7, we were already the #1 target of haters. And to be honest, these skyrocketing trends are seen all over Europe and beyond as well. Oh how the world hates Jews, and always has! Oh how so many in the world live to kill Jews, and always have! Remember, Israel is the Little Satan. America is the Big Satan. "From the river to the sea" (the Jordan to the Mediterranean), so many want us dead and gone. Sadly, they mean it. How do we know? Because it's in their scriptures. They admit it. And worst of all, they will never stop.

Bibi Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is the Winston Churchill of our time. G-d bless this great man. Just a few days ago, President Biden (the President of the United States or the President of the Democrat Party, I'm not sure) was caught admitting "Bibi needs to have a come to Jesus moment." I hope you realize how repulsive this is to a Jew. He has also called Bibi "a bad f--king guy." This is the same U.S. president who won't let Israel take care of business in order to save the Jewish homeland from unending attack. He literally asks Israel to stand down as he heavily funds Iran. This is crazy! .....
1. Yes. This is expected to be a high-turnout election. Its better to vote early and avoid the crowds.

2. Yes. The period is nearly two weeks long, so it should be easy to find a convenient time to vote.

3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, just in case any last-minute information comes out.

4. No. Its more exciting to vote on Election Day, and its also more traditional.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say at this point. Ill make a decision as the election gets closer.

Vote

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UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Friday the appointment of former Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as his special envoy on Myanmar.

Bishop, who served as Australian foreign minister between 2013 and 2018 and is currently chancellor of the Australian National University, replaces Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore.

The announcement said Bishop brings extensive political, legal, management and senior leadership experience to her new role.

Bishop has held several high-level positions in the Australian government, including ministerial portfolios for education, women's issues, and aging. She was a member of the Australian Parliament from 1998 to 2019, following a 20-year legal career. 
Discrimination and violence against Christian minorities in Kosovo continues to be widespread despite official laws in the country protecting freedom of religion.

Evangelical churches endure particular constraints by local bureaucracies, according to Anja Hoffmann, executive director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDACE). Hoffmann told Christian Daily International that Christians face opposition when organizing functions of churches.

While the right to freedom of religion is enshrined in Kosovos constitution, discrimination and violence are unfortunately still fairly widespread against the Christian minorities in the country, Hoffmann said.

Difficulties at administrative levels especially hamper evangelical churches, she said.

Because the law does not provide for any mechanism to obtain legal status through registration, it is not possible for religious communities to own property, open bank accounts or employ staff as a collective entity, Hoffman said.

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Evangelicals also report discrimination in accessing property and burial legal rights, which prevents them from conducting funeral services according to their beliefs.

Hoffmann also cited recent violent anti-Christian hate crimes directed against Serbian Orthodox, Catholic and other historic churches.

Tragically, there has been widespread desecration of Serbian Orthodox cemeteries in the past years, she said. These incidents, however, also reveal the intersection of religion and ethnicity in the case of some of the anti-Christian hate crimes in Kosovo.

The Rev. Artur Krasniqi has led the Fellowship of the Lords People evangelical church in Pristina, Kosovo, for nearly 25 years. He told Christian Daily International that the persecution of evangelical Christians is subtle in his country, terming it a silent persecution and discrimination by laws, adding, Its not easy for us.

When Christians die, for example, survivors have no choice but to give them a Muslim burial ceremony led by an imam in a Muslim graveyard, according to Krasniqi.

So, every Christian has to think about how they want to be buried  it is unbelievable, Krasniqi said. We live with these challenges every day, but we try to look at the challenges as opportunities for the gospel. We havent given up and have both the energy and desire to change this situation for the better, as a heritage for our children. No matter that Islamic radicalization is rising here, I have hope for this country.

Krasniqi also compared evangelical church struggles in obtaining land for buildings with the alleged favor enjoyed by the Orthodox church, which recently acquired 24 hectares from the state.

It would be challenging to get even 1 percent of that for an evangelical church, observed Krasniqi.

Surviving War

Krasniqis church, which began in 1985, was the first known Albanian-speaking Kosovo church in the world. Krasniqi recalled the problems in the 1980s in getting permission from communist authorities for a building.

The authorities at the time said to us, Even if Christ himself descends into this yard, you will have no church here  but the church has moved forward, and communism has shamefully fallen down, he said. I have courage that God will do more in the future.

Krasniqi recalled the progress made in his country since the Kosovo War from February 1998 to June 1999 between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army. Yugoslav forces withdrew only after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) enacted air strikes in March 1999.

When NATO bombs first fell, Krasniqi stayed in his apartment in Pristina with his brother and other Christians.

When the first bombs started falling from the planes, we were joyful, Krasniqi said. However, the loud detonations and killings by the military on the ground interrupted our happiness. We lay under a table fully clothed but ready to flee if needed.



I will never forget the first time I heard the bombs. It was very traumatic. The lady reading the news on TV suddenly said, I wish you well as she announced that NATO airplanes had just left airfields in Italy. The bombing was like a strong wind hitting the city. The shaking of the walls was so strong, and things hanging on the walls just fell down, and windows cracked.

Krasniqi said he could only put on his jacket and lay on the floor.

I wasnt sure if the apartment was going to fall apart, he said It wasnt like a Hollywood movie, where you can change the channel.

The bombing raids brought steep changes within a 24-hour period.

Neighbors didnt want to talk to me, everything changed, it was an atmosphere of war, he recalled. But the most difficult thing was the bread shop. I walked into the street and joined a long line of people queuing for bread.

When bread trucks arrived, the shopkeeper rationed two loaves per person.

Then there was noise in the queue, and some people started leaving the line because their ID cards would identify them to be Albanians. I was told that no Albanians were allowed to buy bread, and so I went home. I was in the wrong ethnicity group to buy bread!

The memory of the shop refusing to give him bread because of his Albanian identity continues to trouble him.

I have two boys, and I pray they will never face something like that again, here in Kosovo  to be discriminated against because of their ethnicity, he said.

Need for Prayer

Krasniqi said that the number of evangelicals has grown in Kosovo, but he is concerned about the effects on them and other Christians of rising materialism and desire for higher incomes for all.

The evangelical church in Kosovo has grown in numbers but it has grown weak in quality, he said. The quantity is higher, but the quality is lower; 25 years ago, we were small but serving refugees, and everyone was willing to serve, but today people are more concerned how much they will get paid. People are not willing to serve like those days.

Krasniqi on March 21 returned from a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The visit to discuss inter-church relations involved a 15-strong group of pastors and evangelical leaders from other countries such as Romania, Poland, the U.K., Italy and Israel.

The pope spent two hours with the evangelical leaders, rather than the allotted half an hour. He encouraged those present to preach the gospel and pray more intently.

Pope Francis also had tears in his eyes as he talked about prayer needed for the children of Ukraine and in the Middle East, Krasniqi said. He asked the pontiff when he planned to visit Kosovo, and he replied that he would do so, though no date is confirmed. The pope also said he wanted to support smaller countries.

The questions from the other pastors were about the wider church.

I was very impressed by the profound answers he gave, Krasniqi said. He said many things about the stagnant state of the church because it needs to keep preaching the word. He said the strength of the wider church is in the Word of God and without compromise.

The pope stated that clericalism in the church, especially in Spain and Italy, meant that churches were locked inside buildings instead of preaching the word on the streets, Krasniqi said. The pope encouraged the pastors to pray every day, citing the biblical account of the jailing of the Apostle Peter and how the prayers helped him.

He added that some people may not believe in prayer, but that prayer is powerful.

I had no expectations on what he was going to say, recalled Krasniqi. He is nearly 90 years old, and it was impressive to see his heart and memory of things. He had a good understanding.

His advice was very encouraging, he said, expressing a desire for the Catholic Church to hear and embrace it.

The pope said that he wanted his legacy to be for the Catholic Church to live for evangelism, because the Catholic Church has lost evangelism. I was very surprised by that, he said.

The pope also encouraged Protestants and Catholics to come together more in partnership, according to Krasniqi.

He cited examples in Poland whereby Catholic preachers were preaching to Protestant congregations, and vice-versa, Protestant preachers to Catholics, Krasniqi said. At the end of the meeting, he prayed for us in a normal way, simply to Jesus.
On 4 April Ecuadors foreign ministry announced that the Mexican ambassador in Quito,, had been declared persona non grata in response to comments by Mexicos President

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On 4 April Brazils justice & public security ministerannounced that police had recaptured the convicts who broke out of the Mossoro federal penitentiary in February, the first ever successful escape from a federal prison.

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On 4 April six human rights lobby groups issued a joint statement calling for El Salvadors state of emergency, which has been in force for the last two years, to be ended due to frequent reports of human rights violations and the alleged deaths of around 240 people in the countrys prisons.

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On April 3, Taiwan was hit by its most powerful earthquake in 25 years.

The earthquake killed at least 12 people and injured more than 1,000. The earthquake damaged buildings and roadways and workers at quarries had no way home.

Taiwan sees powerful earthquakes from time to time. Experts say the damage to the East Asian island and its 23 million people has been contained thanks to its earthquake preparedness.

Here are details of Taiwans history of earthquakes:

Why so many earthquakes?

Taiwan lies along what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is the line of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the worlds earthquakes happen.

The Earths outer covering is divided into large pieces on which the oceans and landmasses sit. These pieces are called tectonic plates, and where they meet is called a fault line.

Earthquakes are common in the area near Taiwan because pressure builds up where the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate meet. The built-up pressure releases suddenly in the form of earthquakes.

The areas mountains can increase ground movement, leading to landslides. Several landslides happened on Taiwans eastern coast near the center of the recent quake near eastern Hualien County. Falling rock hit roadways, crushed vehicles and caused several deaths.

Is Taiwan able to deal with earthquakes?

Taiwans earthquake agency measured the recent earthquake at 7.2 magnitude. The U.S. Geological Survey (or USGS) estimated it at 7.4.

The quake damaged several buildings in Hualien but caused minor losses in the capital, Taipei, although it was strongly felt there.

The earthquake hit in the morning when people were on their way to work. But, just minutes later, parents were again walking their children to school and workers were driving to offices.

Stephen Gao is an earthquake expert and professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He said, Taiwans earthquake preparedness is among the most advanced in the world. He said the country has strong building laws, a good earthquake network, and widespread public education campaigns and earthquake safety.

The government regularly increases the level of quake resistance required of new and existing buildings. This increases the costs of a building. But the government offers financial support to people willing to have their buildings examined for quake resistance.

There has also been punishment for failing to meet requirements. Following a 2016 quake in the southwestern city of Tainan, five people were found guilty of negligence and given prison sentences. The people were involved in building a tall apartment building. But it was the only major structure to collapse in that quake.

Taiwan also is pushing quake exercises at schools and workplaces. Media regularly carry warnings about earthquakes and safety that go out to cellphones.

Gao said those measures have helped Taiwan deal with earthquakes and prevent loss of life and damage.

The 1999 quake served as a warning

Taiwan and its surrounding waters have registered about 2,000 earthquakes that measured 4.0 or greater since 1980. And it measured more than 100 earthquakes above 5.5, the USGS found.

The islands most serious quake in recent memory hit on September 21, 1999. The 7.7 magnitude quake caused 2,400 deaths, injured 100,000 and destroyed thousands of buildings.

Daniel Aldrich teaches political science and public policy at Northeastern University. He said it was a major wake-up call that led to important government changes to improve emergency services and disaster reduction.

As a result, the government passed the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act. Taiwan set up two national centers to deal with earthquakes.

Aldrich said, I think were seeing the results in this most recent shock.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Simina Mistreanu reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

quarry  n. a place where large amounts of stone are dug out of the ground

fault  n. a place where there is a break that is longer than usual in the layers of rock in the earths crust

advanced  adj. having the most modern and recently developed ideas, or methods

negligence  n. the failure to give somebody/something enough care or attention
Children and families are invited to the YMCA at Gothenburg Health, the Don Sjogren Community YMCA in Holdrege and the Orthman Community YMCA in Lexington for free Healthy Kids Day events in April.

The Healthy Kids Day fun begins at 3 p.m. April 17 at the YMCA at Gothenburg Health, 910 20th St. in Gothenburg. This event will include activities for kids and families, including vendor booths, games and other fun. No registration is necessary. A color run for kids of all ages will take place at 6 p.m. Kids may register up until race time and can choose between a 1-mile fun run/walk or a 5K.

Local and state organizations will come together in Gothenburg to promote healthy kids and families. Booths will include The Milk House, Gothenburg Public Library, Nebraska State Patrol, Gothenburg Fire Department, and many other businesses and organizations.

The Orthman Y, 1207 N. Grant St. in Lexington, will also host its Healthy Kids Day on April 19. A free meal of nachos (meat donated by Tyson Meats Inc.) will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. Activities will include bounce houses, Gaga Ball, jousting, yard games, vendors and more.

The first 200 kids at the event will receive prize bags.

This year, the Orthman YMCA is partnering with Sixpence for this event.

Kids are invited to participate in the 1-mile Color Run at 5:30 p.m. The race is for children ages 4 to grade 8. There is a registration fee for the race, which includes a T-shirt if registered by April 10.

The Holdrege event takes place from 6-7:30 p.m. April 19 at the YMCA at 1415 Broadway. More than 30 vendors will attend, including the Nebraska State Patrol, Holdrege Fire Department, EMS and police department, a local dentist and WIC representatives. Activities will include a car safety seat check, the UNK fitness obstacle course, and the opportunity to adopt pets from a local animal shelter.

The first 100 kids who complete a sticker booklet at the event will receive a T-shirt.

Phelps Memorial Health Center is providing free Sam Q BBQ meals to all attendees.

The YMCA Kids Duck Run encourages kids in grades K-6 to discover their potential and will begin at 6 p.m. April 19. Kids can register for the race up until race time.

For more information, visit www.ymcaoftheprairie.org or stop by the YMCA at Gothenburg Health in Gothenburg at 910 20th St., the Othman Community YMCA in Lexington at 1207 N. Grant or the Don Sjogren Community YMCA in Holdrege at 1415 Broadway.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been banned from a second reservation following a vote taken during the April 2 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes tribal council meeting.

Representatives from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe were angered by Noems presence at the quarterly Pe Sla meeting uninvited and unannounced on March 29 in Rapid City. She made the appearance after making a series of allegations regarding cartel involvement, mismanagement of funds and poor education towards Native Nations in the last few weeks.

District Five representative Robert Walters presented a motion by resolution to ban Governor Noem from the reservation and the council voted unanimously, 12-0, to ban Noem from Cheyenne River lands.

This person has made a lot of accusations about the tribes, about the cartel, council representatives being in bed with the cartel, stuff like that. Its all false information. I make a motion at this time to banish her from the Cheyenne River Reservation, Walters said during the April 2 council meeting. Mr. Chairman, I believe there has to be some kind of policy set up for her to show up at these tribal meetings. She cant just go in there and do her thing.

Prior to the vote, Chairman Ryman LeBeau expressed concern about Noems attendance at the Pe Sla meeting and claimed she brought cameras in with her to document her attendance and use it for her agenda.

LeBeau reported to the council that during the Great Plains Tribal Chairmans Association meeting on March 30, the leaders from the nine tribes in South Dakota discussed how to approach Noems recent allegations.

One of the ideas was to do what Oglala did and banish her from our reservations, another idea was to develop some policy and enact sanctions on her. That way if she shows up to one of our meetings well make her leave until she follows the process that we set up to engage with her, LeBeau said during the tribal council meeting.

Following Noems initial allegations of cartel involvement on Jan. 31, she was banned from the Pine Ridge Reservation by Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out.

Banishing Governor Noem does nothing to solve the problem, said Ian Fury, Communications Director for the Governors Office in an email to ICT and the Rapid City Journal. She calls on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from tribal lands.

In a March 29 post on the social media platform X by Noem regarding the Pe Sla meeting, she said, The dialogue was positive and substantive, but challenges remain. The conversation started  thats vital.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Americans collective judgment is so clouded by hyperpartisan lenses that we are missing a potential national security threat right before our very eyes.

Former President Donald Trump is apparently considering reenlisting someone onto his campaign who the Senate Intelligence Committee once dubbed a grave counterintelligence threat because of ties to a Russian oligarch.

On March 18, The Washington Posts Josh Dawsey reported, Four people close to Trump said he was expected to hire (Paul) Manafort as a campaign adviser later this year, with potential jobs centering on the Republican National Convention and/or fundraising.

The following thread is only a partial list of the actions and history of Paul Manafort.

John Newhouse wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine that beginning in May 2002, Ukraine was making it clear that membership in NATO was one of its principal goals. Later, in 2005, a staff member at the National Security Council called (Sen. John) McCains office, which itself was pushing for Ukraines acceptance into NATO, to complain that Davis, Manafort, & Freedmans lobbying was undercutting U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine. Davis, Manafort, & Freedman was Manaforts lobbying firm.

He continued his work as a lobbyist in the 2000s. Trump hired Manafort as his unpaid campaign manager from March until August 2016. Trump asked Manafort to resign after the Associated Press revealed that Manafort had orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation until 2014 on behalf of Ukraines ruling pro-Russian political party and was being investigated by the FBI.

During the 2016 campaign, Manafort allegedly shared Trump campaign polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian citizen who the U.S. government said had ties to Russian intelligence.

In 2017, the Associated Press reported on a 2005 strategy memo that Manafort secretly worked for a Russian billionaire with a plan to greatly benefit the Putin Government.

In 2018, as a result of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections  interference the investigation concluded was sweeping and systemic  Manafort was found guilty of hiding millions of dollars hed made lobbying on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians in overseas bank accounts and then falsifying his finances to get loans.

Trumps first impeachment trial was triggered after a call Trump had with the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in which Trump asked Zelenskyy to announce two investigations: one involving his potential opponent, Joe Biden, in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, and a second into unsubstantiated allegations that Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 presidential election. At the time of the call, the Office of Management and Budget had frozen $400 million in military aid to Ukraine at the direction of Trump.

In August 2020, the bipartisan U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its report on Russian Active Measures, Campaigns, and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election. The committees acting chairman was Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Here are a few takeaways from the heavily redacted report:

The committee found that Manaforts presence on the campaign and proximity to Trump created opportunities for the Russian intelligence services to exert influence over, and acquire confidential information on, the Trump campaign.

The committee assesses that [Russian intelligence officer Konstantin] Kilimnik likely served as a channel to Manafort for Russian intelligence services, and that those services likely sought to exploit Manaforts access to gain insight into the campaign.

Beginning while he was campaign chairman and continuing until at least 2018, Manafort discussed with Kilimnik a peace plan for eastern Ukraine that benefited the Kremlin.

Taken as a whole, Manaforts high-level access and willingness to share information with individuals closely affiliated with the Russian intelligence services, particularly Kilimnik, and associates of Oleg Deripaska, represented a grave counterintelligence threat.

After losing the 2020 election, Trump pardoned Manafort in December of that year.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. After the meeting, Orban told Hungarian state media that Trump had told him he would not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war ... Therefore, the war will end, because it is obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own feet.

Now, apparently, Trump is considering bringing back Manafort as a close adviser to the campaign. This is happening against the backdrop of Trump potentially receiving intelligence briefings again as a major-party nominee, despite the fact that he faces criminal charges that he mishandled classified information after he left office.

While the following quote from the Senate Intelligence Committee report speaks to the 2020 election, it could and should easily apply to 2024:

The counterintelligence lessons contained in this report regarding what happened to the United States in 2016 should be an alarm bell for the nation, and for those preparing to defend the nation against current and evolving threats targeting the upcoming U.S. elections. Indeed, Russia is actively interfering again in the 2020 U.S. election to assist Donald Trump, and some of the Presidents associates are amplifying those efforts. It is vitally important that the country be ready.

To be ready again in 2024, Americans need to be clear on the threats at hand by viewing them through fully opened, undarkened, and nonpartisan eyes.
A former Madison man who in 2022 shot and killed an intruder in his North Side home, from which he operated a large-scale marijuana business, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for gun possession by a felon.

Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara said the sentence he gave Jose M. Gomez, 28, was not because Gomez shot and killed the intruder, because he was fully justified in doing so. McNamara said he wants Gomez to understand that as a felon with a gun, and as someone who ran what was decidedly not a typical street-level marijuana operation in his home, what he was doing was wrong.

I want you to know how wrong this was, McNamara said. Not just because one night some bad guys came to your home and threatened your family. It was wrong before that.

Each day Gomez had the gun, which he got from his brother, was a crime itself, McNamara said. Gomez was well aware, McNamara said, that marijuana dealers are frequent targets of robberies that can turn into shootings. That dynamic, he said, affected Gomez personally in 2020, when his niece, 11-year-old Anisa Scott, was the inadvertent victim of a shooting that had its roots in a dispute over a marijuana theft.

Even two years after that tragedy, McNamara said, Gomez remained in the business.

James M. Turner, 35, of Madison, was killed after he entered Gomezs home on Packers Avenue at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2022. According to a criminal complaint, Gomez initially told police that he and his wife were in bed when they heard sounds of a person outside their bedroom. That person fired gunshots into the bedroom.

Initially, Gomez told police that his wife fired back at the intruder, killing him, but Gomez later admitted he had grabbed a gun and fired back, the complaint states.

Assistant District Attorney Valerian Powell said the shooting was very plainly self-defense. But what drew the intruders to the home was what Powell called a dispensary-level amount of marijuana, found in pretty near every room of the home. He said Gomez was a dealer to dealers who had more than 50 pounds of marijuana on hand, along with edibles and concentrates.

Two other men who were alleged to have been involved in the break-in, Jerome A. Wheeler, 47, and Tony L. Prince, 43, both of Madison, have been charged with felony murder for Turners death. Under state law, they can be held criminally responsible for Turners death because they were committing a burglary that led to the death of their companion.

Wheeler is in prison after his extended supervision for a prior conviction that was revoked and is awaiting a trial. Prince has not been found.

Gomez was charged with two drug-related felonies, which were dismissed in January when he pleaded guilty to the gun possession charge.

In a presentence report written by a state Department of Corrections probation agent, Powell noted, Gomez said he had a God-given constitutional right to be armed and said he disagrees with laws that prevent felons from owning firearms.

In court, Gomez said that since the shooting he has been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. He said he left his former life behind, moved away from Madison and got a job. He is in a culinary arts program at a technical school in Wisconsin Rapids. Gomez said he also is attending church regularly.

His lawyer, Kim Zion, said Gomez is about halfway to a degree and she feared that sending him to prison would disrupt the progress he has made. She asked for a suspended prison sentence, and that probation be imposed instead.

Gomez said it was only by divine intervention that he woke up the morning of the incident to prevent harm to his family. In the aftermath, he said, his daughter was taken from him by Child Protective Services, but she has since been returned.

Gomez told McNamara that he wanted a chance to show hes become a better man.

But while McNamara said Gomez has taken steps in the right direction, he isnt sure he can trust that Gomez has made a complete transformation. And he also wanted to impress on Gomez that what happened was a big deal. I want you to think its a big deal. And when Gomez is finished with his sentence, which also includes three years of extended supervision, McNamara said he wants Gomez to understand that what he did was unacceptable.
A woman was arrested for child neglect after her two children were found wandering around with a dog outside an apartment complex on the Far West Side on Thursday night, Madison police reported.

Officers were sent to the complex in the 1100 block of Morraine View Drive around 7:20 p.m. on Thursday. The children, who were not dressed appropriately for the weather, were able to help officers find their apartment, but no adults were home, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in a statement.

Officers saw feces, urine, soiled diapers and trash spread across the apartments floor and the children did not have easy access to food or water, Fryer said.

Child Protective Services responded and took custody of the children, and the dog was turned over to the Dane County Humane Society, Fryer said.

A 26-year-old woman returned home several hours later and was arrested on tentative charges of child neglect, Fryer said.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY  If his younger sister had her way, Alex Lopez said she would "push the fast-forward button" on her recovery to get back to where she was before Nov. 11, 2023.

That night, Angie Lopez was struck by a motorcycle on Historic Fourth Street in Sioux City. The 24-year-old University of Nebraska at Omaha kinesiology graduate suffered a traumatic brain injury and broken bones. Life as she knew it stopped, and, in the days, weeks and months following the crash, Angie has had to cope with a new normal.

Angie spent a month in the intensive care unit at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, where she underwent a craniotomy to relieve pressure on her brain. After she became more alert, she was transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals' Omaha campus, where she participated in intensive therapy to regain her strength, coordination and cognition. Angie had to relearn how to walk and talk.

Now back in her family's South Sioux City home, Angie pushes her body to its limits during twice-weekly physical therapy sessions. She also attends speech and occupational therapy three times a week.

When she is on her feet and moving around, Angie wears a white helmet, which will protect her brain if she ever were to lose her balance and fall. She has to undergo an operation to replace the bone flap on her skull and is potentially facing anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

"She's very independent. She's always been the person who's said, 'I'm going to do this on my own. I'll figure it out. I'll get through this. She's strong-willed for sure,'" Alex said on a Thursday evening in mid-March, as he sat next to his sister on a brownish-gray reclining loveseat in their parents' living room. Angie's Welsh corgi, Mojo, watched intently from the dining room through the glass panes of French doors.

Before the crash, Angie worked at a physical therapy clinic and a men's clinic in Omaha. She had plans to enroll in a program to earn her doctorate of physical therapy and was waiting to hear back from a handful of schools she applied to.

"I was going to graduate and, then, I would work with little kids. They're cute," said Angie, who now struggles at times to express herself due to aphasia, a comprehension and communication disorder that impacts a person's ability to understand both written and spoken language or formulate proper responses. "Little kids need help, just like me."

Angie's mom, Lily, calls her daughter a "miracle." She said Angie tells her daily she wants to move back to Omaha with Mojo. Alex said his sister knows her way around and even says she wants to drive. He thinks Angie is tired of the family "kind of babying her." Angie agreed, nodding her head and responding with, "Yup."

Angie enjoys spending time alone with Mojo. With a treat in her hand, she instructed the tan-and-white pooch to sit down and, then, spin around. Mojo complied. But when Angie asked him to circle a second time, Mojo turned and walked away, his little feet pitter-pattering on a clear plastic floor runner.

"Every morning, she says the same thing, that she wants to get better and she wants to leave with her dog," Lily said. "There are days, I think, she gets sad. Maybe she remembers how she was."

Angie Lopez recovers from motorcycle collision Angie Lopez, 24, describes her difficult journey with physical therapy, after being struck by a motorcycle in downtown Sioux City on Nov. 11, 

'Come now'

The morning of Nov. 11, Angie told her mom she wanted to go to 1008 Key Club that evening with her friend Jailene. Later on, after Angie's dad, Israel, grilled steaks and the family visited with relatives, Lily and Israel offered to take Angie and Jailene to Historic Fourth Street.

According to the Sioux City Police Department, at 11:18 p.m., a Suzuki motorcycle driven by 27-year-old Anthony M. Simon was eastbound in the 1000 block of Fourth Street when it collided with Angie, who was walking southbound across Fourth Street.

Alex said Angie exited the back driver's side of her family's black Acura TLX, which was facing west, and took a step forward. She was immediately struck by the motorcycle. Lily recalled hearing a "huge sound."

"My husband and I, we got out of the car. He yelled at me and said that it was Angie," Lily said voice quaking, as her eyes welled up with tears. "I had sandals on, and I ran."

Alex, who is listed as Angie's emergency contact on her iPhone, was at home playing video games with a friend when he received an emergency text alert. As he was unlocking his cellphone to read the text, his father called. With the emergency sirens wailing in the background, Alex could hardly make sense of what Israel was saying. He heard the words "accident," "Fourth Street" and "come now."

Motorcycle accident downtown Emergency services respond to a crash along Historic Fourth Street around 11 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2023. Angie Lopez, a 24-year-old pedestrian from

When Alex arrived at the scene, he saw a crowd of people and Angie on the ground. His mom was crying and his dad was pacing back and fourth. Alex said the driver of the motorcycle was leaning up against a police cruiser.

According to a search warrant application, which was filed Nov. 12 in Woodbury County District Court, witnesses said they observed Simon, of Omaha, pop a wheelie with the motorcycle, which was traveling at a high rate of speed right before hitting Angie. Sioux City police have yet to file any charges against Simon, who refused a breath sample.

The search warrant application noted Simon had "blood shot watery eyes" and the "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" on his breath. It lists Angie's injuries as being a traumatic brain injury, bruised lungs, a skull fracture and a broken clavicle. Alex said both of her legs were injured, as was her right hand.

In February, Sioux City Community Policing Sgt. Tom Gill said the department received a toxicology report from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, but was waiting for testing to come back on the motorcycle. Last week, Gill told The Journal the toxicology report showed Simon's blood "tested above the legal limit for alcohol." He said the Woodbury County Attorney's Office is waiting for "paperwork" from Angie's family before formally charging Simon. Alex said he has been in contact with an officer about signing a medical release form.

Turning point

Sioux City Fire Rescue's EMS team rushed Angie to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, where she was placed on life support. The hospital is located just a few blocks northwest of the crash site.

Alex said he is thankful for the quick actions of medical professionals that night, which played a "huge part" not only in Angie's survival, but how far she has subsequently come in her recovery.

"Time was key," he said. "How fast they responded, how quickly they got her to Mercy, the doctor told us that played a huge part of how the results are turning out."

The Lopez family basically lived at the hospital while Angie fought for her life in the intensive care unit.

Angie Lopez recovers from motorcycle collision After Angie Lopez's Welsh corgi, Mojo, visited her in the hospital, her condition began to improve.

Alex said "amazing" nurses tended to his sister. He specifically remembered one of them washing Angie's face and calling her "the princess" the night she was admitted. Lily's family traveled to Sioux City from California. Angie's cousin Yvonne, whom Angie is particularly close with, regularly fixed Angie's hair and eyelashes and manicured her nails while she was in a coma.

"We were never alone because a lot of people visited Angie at the hospital," Lily said. "It was really sad for us what happened, but at the same time, we had a lot of support. Angie is a lucky girl, because everybody loves her."

Mojo even visited Angie at MercyOne. After the corgi snuggled up to her side, Alex said Angie's condition began to improve. Mojo would later make the trip to Madonna to see Angie.

"We 110% believe that was the turning point for Angie, when she felt her dog," Alex said. "It seemed like every day after she saw her dog, it was a reason for her to get going."

Reintegration

Angie doesn't remember the day of the crash.

Lily said Angie's doctor thinks it's better that she has no recollection of that life-altering event. What Angie does recall is medical professionals asking what happened to her, weeks after the crash.

"I didn't know. And, sometimes, I would tell them that I got into an accident, and that's it," Angie said.

Abby McClure, an occupational therapist who worked with Angie at Madonna, said every brain injury is different and each patient's progression can be "unpredictable."

"The repetition and the early intervention, getting the patient up and moving and doing those daily tasks over and over to rewire the brain and recreate those connections is what's really important," she said. "It's the intensity that can really make a big difference."

Angie Lopez recovers from motorcycle collision Angie Lopez stands with the help of her mother, Lily, right, in their South Sioux City home in March. Angie wears a helmet to protect her head

McClure said the shift from lying in a hospital bed all day to getting up at 7 a.m. at Madonna, showering and, then, going right into therapy was exhausting for Angie.

Over two months of physical and occupational therapy at Madonna, Angie transitioned from using a wheelchair to walking independently. In speech therapy, she worked to overcome aphasia.

McClure credits Angie's physical therapy background and the support of her family as reasons why she has been so successful in her recovery. The two women immediately developed a rapport soon after Angie arrived at Madonna. Angie has even said she hopes to one day work at Madonna alongside the therapists who helped her.

"She's a young adult. She's trying to get back to her life. She had so much going for her and had a plan of where she's going with her life," McClure said. "I feel like I connected with her really quickly, just knowing that we were very similar people. I feel like for us, it really helped form this bond and made her open up a lot more."

Angie Lopez & Abby McClure Abby McClure, an occupational therapist, works with Angie Lopez at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals' Omaha, Nebraska, campus. McClure said eve

McClure worked with Angie on building her core strength and balance, so that Angie could once again perform basic self-care activities, such as dressing and bathing. Since Angie suffered a broken collarbone, McClure said her right shoulder was quite weak. She said putting on a shirt or taking one off was suddenly really difficult for Angie. At one point, McClure put a foam block underneath Angie as she stood and reached various items on a giant touchscreen. The activity challenged Angie's cognition and her balance simultaneously.

McClure said Angie had "a lot of hard days" because she pushed herself to her limits.

"She pushes herself as far as she can. Sometimes, it goes over the top and she has those moments where it takes a toll on her, but it never stops her," she said.

By the time Angie was ready to leave Madonna, she was walking the hallways with her mom and performing at least 95% of her self-care tasks. Angie even went to LuluLemon and Starbucks with her therapists. McClure said the community reintegration outings seemed like a "very big moment" for Angie and her mom.

"I was so happy there," Angie said of her favorite places.

Now, it's a matter of building toward a return to work, school and being Mojo's sole caregiver. Angie still has major hurdles to overcome, but she is determined to reclaim her life.
The central banks of Brunei Darussalam and Laos have joined a regional initiative aimed at promoting faster, cheaper and more transparent cross-border payments in Southeast Asia.

The Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) and the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL) signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to become part of the Regional Payment Connectivity (RPC) initiative.

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BDCB signed its MOU on Feb. 29, 2024, while BOL signed on April 3, 2024, during the 11th ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting.

Their inclusion brings the total number of RPC participants to eight ASEAN central banks. Launched in late 2022 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the initiative was joined by Vietnam in August 2023.

The RPC aims to leverage quick response (QR) code payments and other fast payment methods to improve cross-border transactions.

This will benefit businesses of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by easing trade and facilitating cross-border remittances.

BDCB Managing Director Hajah Rokiah binti Haji Badar said joining the RPC would enhance collaboration with other central banks and promote cross-border trade and investment.

BOL Governor Bounleua Xinxayvoravong called the signing a significant move that would support regional economic growth by enabling faster, cheaper and more secure financial transactions.
The worlds only life-size moving Gundam has completed its mission.

After captivating fans for three years, Gundam Factory Yokohama concluded its run with a grand closing ceremony on Saturday, March 31.

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Originally intended as a limited-time display opening in December 2020 and ending just three months later, the Gundams immense popularity led to extensions in 2021 and again in 2023.

The closing ceremony marked the end of not only the towering RX-78-2 Gundam itself, but also the surrounding cafe, museum, and merchandise store.

The future destination of the hero mecha remains a mystery. While some speculate it might embark on a tour of Japan with similar limited-time displays, the Gundams extended stay and location on the docks raise questions about potential maintenance needs.

Over 1.5 million visitors, from die-hard Gundam fans to curious newcomers had visited the Gundam Factory Yokohama over the past years.

The grand finale was a fitting tribute, featuring speeches by franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, Amuro Rays voice actor Toru Furuya, and the team behind the real-life Gundam.

A dazzling fireworks and drone display capped off the night, expressing gratitude to fans, visitors, and the city of Yokohama.
The ongoing territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea will be tackled at the first United States-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Leaders Summit in Washington, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

In a Palace briefing, DFA Undersecretary Hans Siriban said the country can expect a dialogue between the three leaders during the summit in Washington, DC.

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I think we can expect a discussion on the recent incidents. Of course, the joint vision statement is still under discussion, but we can expect an alignment of views among the three countries on the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea, Siriban said.

Siriban, however, emphasized the Philippines would continue to call for peace and stability in the region amid the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea.

He also stressed the summit was not directed at any other country, but focused on bolstering the trilateral ties between the three nations.

As weve said on many occasions, this trilateral cooperation is not directed at any country. It is really a deepening of the existing strong bilateral alliances that weve had, he stated.

President Marcos will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and American President Joe Biden, who will host the historic meeting in Washington, DC on April 11.

According to Siriban, President Marcos would have separate bilateral meetings with the two leaders and several discussions with business leaders during his stay in the US.

This trilateral meeting is a natural progression of the three parties existing robust, excellent bilateral cooperation, their enduring friendship and alliance, shared values, shared interests and shared respect of the three parties for the rules-based international order, Siriban said.

Of course, one of the main objectives of the President would be on economic cooperation, economic security, and of course there will also be discussions on our security cooperation and we expect these conversations, which were raised in previous meetings to continue, he added.

I also understand that he has meetings with the (US) Defense Secretary (Lloyd) Austin and he will also have meetings with business during his trip, the DFA official added.

Earlier, the US reaffirmed its support for the Philippines during a meeting between National Security Council Advisor Eduardo Ano and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan underscored the ironclad U.S. alliance commitments to the Philippines under the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, following the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militias dangerous actions and provocations during the countrys resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal last March 23.
They cant cover our eyes, pretend nothing happened

President Marcos said the Philippines needs to respond to the actual situation on the ground in the West Philippine Sea even as it does not seek conflict with any other country.

They cannot cover our eyes and pretend that nothing happened, Mr. Marcos told newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to the PhilippinesEndo Kazuya during the latters presentation of credentials in Malacanang.

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He said as a matter of foreign policy and geopolitics, the most important thing is to find a way to keep the West Philippine Sea at peace.

That is what the Philippines will always work for, the President said.

Mr. Marcos is set to participate in a historic trilateral cooperation meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida next week in Washington.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the recent Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea will be discussed during the trilateral summit.

I think we can expect a discussion on the recent incidents, DFA Acting Deputy Undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban said.

Of course, the joint vision statement is still under discussion, but we can expect an alignment of views among the three countries on the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea We will continue to call [for] peace and stability and that the recent incidents [be] resolved in a peaceful and diplomatic manner, he added.

The DFA official said the meeting will underscore the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea.

Our hope is also that with the trilateral cooperation, it will also help capacitate the Philippines in terms of more training on maritime security, training on capacity-building not just training of personnel but also, possibly, more cooperation on equipment, he said.

Earlier, the United States Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbellsaid the trilateral summit next week would bring closer coordination on South China Sea issues.

Editors Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Marcos: PH wont pretend like nothing happened amid tensions in West Philippine Sea.
SEOUL  South Korea will launch its second domestically made military spy satellite in the United States next week, Seouls defenSe ministry confirmed Friday, in its latest move to better counter nuclear-armed North Korea.

The announcement comes after Seoul in December confirmed the successful launch of its first military spy satellite, which was carried by one of Elon Musks SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.

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The latest developments intensify a space race on the Korean peninsula after the North launched its own first military eye in the sky in November last year.

Local reports saying the launch is scheduled on April 7 in the US are correct, a spokesperson for Seouls defenSe ministry told AFP Friday, adding more details will be shared next week.

Seouls second spy satellite is set to lift off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, also on SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket.

Its first satellite has transmitted high-resolution images of central Pyongyang to the authorities in Seoul and is expected to commence its full mission stages as early as June, according to Seouls Yonhap news agency.

Seoul plans to launch a total of five spy military satellites by 2025 to better monitor the North.

Once all five satellites enter orbit and commence their mission, the South Korean military will have the capability to monitor key facilities in North Korea using imagery sent around every two hours, according to a report by Seouls government-run broadcaster KTV.

North Korea, meanwhile, has claimed its spy satellite in orbit has sent images of a US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and major target sites across South Korea.

The Norths successful launch of the Malligyong-1 was Pyongyangs third attempt at putting such a satellite in orbit, after two failures in May and August last year.

Seoul has said the North received technical help from Moscow for the launch, in return for supplying weapons for use in Russias war with Ukraine.

Experts have said putting a working reconnaissance satellite into orbit would improve North Koreas intelligence-gathering capabilities, particularly over South Korea, and provide crucial data in any military conflict.

So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its principal enemy, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over even 0.001 mm of territorial infringement.

AFP
JERUSALEM  Israel announced on Friday it would allow temporary aid deliveries into famine-threatened northern Gaza, hours after the United States warned of a sharp shift in its policy over the Gaza war.

In a tense, 30-minute phone call on Thursday, US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that US policy on Israel was dependent on the protection of civilians and aid workers in Gaza, the first hint of possible conditions to Washingtons military support.

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Just hours later, in the middle of the night in Jerusalem, Israel announced it would open more aid routes into blockaded Gaza.

Israels war cabinet authorized temporary aid deliveries via the Ashdod Port and the Erez land crossing, as well as increased deliveries from neighboring Jordan at the Kerem Shalom crossing, Netanyahus office said.

The White House quickly welcomed the moves  calling them at the presidents request  and saying they must now be fully and rapidly implemented.

Israel has come under mounting international pressure over the toll inflicted by its six-month war on Hamas, and drawn increasingly tough rebuke from main backer Washington.

Since the October 7 attacks that launched the war, Israels retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,037 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, and sparked warnings about catastrophic hunger.

Palestinians in northern Gaza have had to survive on an average of just 245 calories per day  less than a can of beans  since January, according to Oxfam.

Charities have repeatedly accused Israel of throttling aid and targeting convoys, with the dangerous work of trying to stem a famine underscored this week by an Israeli strike that killed seven humanitarian workers distributing food in Gaza.

The strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable, Biden told Netanyahu, according to a White House readout of their call.

Biden also made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israels immediate action to improve the humanitarian situation.

Longtime Israel supporter Biden is facing growing pressure in an election year over his response to the Gaza war  with allies pressing him to make the billions of dollars in military aid Washington sends dependent on Netanyahu listening to calls for restraint.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged Bidens growing frustration with Netanyahu, but reiterated that US support for Israels security was ironclad.

Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas, including in Gazas southern city of Rafah, while pledging to move more than one million civilians in the city out of harms way first.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen staff had reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid.

In a call to his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, Austin also discussed the threat posed by Iran and its proxy activities, according to the Israeli army.

Israel was blamed for an air strike on Monday on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.

Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed in a social media message posted in Hebrew that with Gods help we will make the Zionists repent of their crime of aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

The Israeli military said that after a situational assessment, it was decided to increase manpower and draft reserve soldiers.

It also said leave will be temporarily paused for all combat units.

Netanyahu faces intense domestic pressure from the families of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and from a resurgent anti-government protest movement.

War cabinet member Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu, has demanded that a snap election be held in September, a call rejected by the premiers right-wing Likud party.

The bloodiest ever Gaza war began with Hamass Hamas attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Palestinian militants also took more than 250 hostages on October 7, and 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 who the army says are dead.

Amid the heightened tensions, Israeli security services said they had foiled a plot to kill the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who heads the Jewish Power party, and to strike other targets.

In Gaza, relentless Israeli bombardment has reduced much of the territory to rubble, collapsed the hospital system and forced 2.4 million Palestinians to endure dire shortages of food, water, fuel and other basic supplies.

In Gaza City, Palestinians slept overnight near an aid delivery spot, hoping to receive a bag of flour.

We sleep on the streets, in the cold, on the sand, enduring hardship to secure food for our families, especially our young children, one man told AFP. I dont know what else to do or how our lives have come to this.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of systematically destroying Gazas healthcare system, describing scenes of carnage beyond the abilities of any hospital.

The medical charity said children were turning up at hospitals with gunshot wounds from drones, while many patients were crushed under rubble then suffering severe burns.

No healthcare system in the world can cope with the volume and type of injuries, and the medical conditions, that were seeing on a daily basis, said Amber Alayyan, MSF deputy programme manager for the Middle East.

AFP
The former chief legal counsel of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte denied the existence of any gentlemans agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the West Philippine Sea.

Salvador Panelo squarely contradicted the statement of Dutertes former spokesperson, Harry Roque, that a verbal deal was reached between the two leaders to maintain the status quo in Ayungin Shoal.

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Theres no such animal, Panelo said.

This is what President Duterte said: I did not enter into any gentlemans agreement whatsoever,' he added.

However, in a Facebook post yesterday afternoon, Roque shot back at those who seemed to have forgotten the gentlemans agreement to maintain the status quo sa West Philippine Sea.

For those who have forgotten, now you know, Roque wrote in his caption to a link to a Reuters story, Philippines says China agrees on no new expansion in South China Sea.

But Panelo said Duterte told him twice that no such deal existed.

He said the former President even raised the arbitral ruling to Xi during his first visit to China in 2016.

We were surprised with the reaction of Xi. He said, Do not forcethat because if you force it, there will be trouble. We were shocked, Panelo said.

The President responded that if we cannot come to an agreement, let us at least have peace, he said.

Panelo said he is willing to attend a Senate inquiry into the gentlemans deal disclosed by Roque if he is asked to.

If I am called to testify, why not? Panelo said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said Roque should prove his claim.

Roque, however, said all Pimentel must do is do a quick Google search.

The evidence is in the news since 2017. So all you have to do is type China Philippines no new development 2017 and all the news articles will come out, Roque told ABS-CBN News.

There was nothing secret about it. It was an agreement to maintain status quo and it worked because we had more peaceful relations with China then, he added.

Pimentel said since the agreement was informal, unwritten, and unrecorded, it is considered void and non-binding.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said such a deal can be considered an act of treason.

In her Senate Resolution No. 982 calling for a probe into the deal,

Hontiveros said if the agreement is true, it would be tantamount to the surrender of Philippine sovereignty.

And, in the words of former Philippine Navy flag officer-in-commandEduardo Santos, an act of treason. This gentlemans agreement is treasonous, she said.
Ongoing military activities are meant to dismantle all operations of remaining New Peoples Army (NPA) units within the year in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intensify efforts to dismantle guerilla fronts, the National Security Council (NSC) said.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is working overtime to dismantle the 11 weakened NPA guerilla fronts until the end of the year.

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He said the anti-communist roadmap of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) will be carried out until the very end of the Marcos administration, stressing the role of the AFP even during the transition from internal to external or territorial defense in the face of tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

So even though our Armed Forces are transitioning here, Particularly, our goal is to dismantle the 11 weakened guerilla fronts up to the end of the year and this will also include dismantling 26 vertical units and party organs within the 27 sub -regional committees. and 40 regional party committees, Ano said.

Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya, NSC Spokesperson, said that the Armed Forces has taken the initiative and bring the battle to the last remaining guerrilla fronts.

Every day, you will hear in the news of AFP-initiated operations against NPA units. They are on the and strategically defeated and our objective is to take the battle to their hide-outs so that we can finally, finish them off as directed by the President, Malaya said

He said that military operations are now ongoing in Abra, Northern Samar, the Bicol region, and other areas with more in the planning stages.

These operations are initiated by the military to totally wipe them out and we will see more of these in the coming months, rain or shine, he said.

Malaya said that the targets set by the AFP to their field units have resulted in increased number of armed encounters between the security forces and the insurgents, as well as with terrorist organizations across the country.



Key to the success of our operations are the information provided by the public. The intelligence value of these tips cannot be

underestimated. Many thanks to our countrymen in the countryside, he added.



With the military winning the battle against the New Peoples Army,

Malaya urged all the remaining members of the NPA to take advantage of the Amnesty Program of the Marcos Administration.



Come down from the mountains, surrender, avail of the amnesty program so you can be with your families, he said



In the last week, a member of the New Peoples Army (NPA) was killed and another one was wounded during a clash, Wednesday, in upland Osmena village in Las Navas, Northern Samar.



Acting on tips from a civilian about the presence of armed men, the

soldiers found the location of the NPA members, ensuing a 20-minute firefight.



The rebels retreated, leaving behind one stain and one wounded member, along with two M16 rifles and personal belongings.



The Army identified the slain rebel as Adel Cabides, allas Hipolito,

and the wounded NPA fighter as Jessie Robinacio, alias Tadok, who

received first aid treatment from the Army.



Philippine Army soldiers encountered around 15 members of the Kilusang Larangang Gerilya-North Abra of the Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee of the New Peoples Army which resulted in firefight.



The group was first monitored lurking in the tri-boundaries of

Abra-Kalinga-Apayao.



In the Bicol Region, the commanding officer of the Regional

Operational Command, Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC), and a member of the Executive Committee National Operational Command of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was arrested.



He had several standing warrants of arrest for murder and direct

assault with frustrated murder.



The Philippine National Police identified him as Reynaldo Togado Hugo, 61. For his part, AFP Chief of Staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the military has set deadlines for its ground units to dismantle the remaining weakened NPA guerilla fronts, vertical units, regional party committees, and sub-regional committees.



Almost everyday we have armed encounters not just between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the members of the New Peoples Army but also with the local terrorist groups. So, we launched an expansive and intensive military operations against all of these threat groups, he added.



And once the AFP ends the communist insurgency, it can consolidate all its forces to solely external defense, he added.
Maverick Texas Brasserie, started by restaurateur Peter Selig and chef Chris Carlson, opened to positive reviews in 2018. The pair had a falling out in 2022. Mike Sutter/Staff file photo Chris Carlson was chef/partner in Maverick Texas Brasserie until restaurateur Peter Selig fired him in 2022. Carlson is suing Selig and other parties. Courtesy Chef Chris Carlson plates dishes during a menu testing session for the Maverick Texas Brasserie not long before the restaurants opening in 2017. Courtesy The Maverick The coastal Italian restaurant Allora at the Pearl that was started by restaurateur Peter Selig and chef Chris Carlson in 2022. Mike Sutter/Staff Maverick Texas Brasserie opened in early 2018. Mike Sutter/Staff Maverick Texas Brasserie on South St. Marys Street in San Antonio in late 2022. The restaurateur and chef who started the Southtown hot spot are facing off over ownership Mike Sutter/Staff file photo

When restaurateur Peter Selig and chef Chris Carlson teamed up in 2017 to launch Southtowns Maverick Texas Brasserie, it had the makings of a great pairing.

Selig had made a name behind the scenes as a co-founder of River Walk restaurants Acenar and Biga on the Banks, while Carlson had distinguished stints at now-shuttered San Antonio restaurants Le Reve, the Sandbar and Mavericks former neighbor Brigid, among others.

The union went so well, Carlson says in a court document, that Selig approached him in 2020 about opening two Pearl-area eateries focused on upscale Italian and fast-casual food.

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The partnership began to fray in 2021, though, with Carlson saying he was doing more work  running the day-to-day operations at Maverick while preparing for the openings of Allora and Arrosta in the Pearl district  for less pay.

Selig says in a court statement last month that Carlsons performance began to decline in 2022 and failed to get better despite several written notices advising him that he needed to improve his performance. So, Selig says, he fired the chef for cause in September 2022.

Carlson counters that the termination was merely pretense for Selig to steal his ownership interest in Maverick Restaurant Group LLC, which manages the restaurant at 710 S. St. Marys St.

Carlson is suing Selig, Maverick Restaurant Group and Maverick Eats LLC, which owns the restaurant, for breach of contract, securities fraud, unjust enrichment and other causes. The chef is seeking more than $1 million in damages in the complaint, which also names Allora Pearl LLC and Arrosta Pearl LLC as defendants.

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Exploitation

To Carlson, this is an oft-told tale of exploitation in the restaurant industry, one in which restaurateurs seek out talented chefs and offer them the opportunity to pursue their craft with creative freedom while rewarding them with an equity stake in the venture.

The chef buys-in and pours his time, sweat, tears, and identity into the restaurant, Carlson says in his lawsuit. After the restaurant is established and the fruits of that hard work are beginning to pay off, the restaurateur has gotten what he needed from the talent and moves to squeeze out the chef by whatever means necessary so he can keep the profits for himself.

Selig and the other defendants deny the allegations, saying Carlson had been paid for all services rendered and agreed to perform these services without additional compensation.

The defendants want to have the dispute moved from state District Court in San Antonio, where Carlson filed suit last summer, to arbitration. A hearing on the request had been set for Wednesday but neither side appeared and it was dropped. The hearing has not been rescheduled.

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Houston attorney Megan Mitchell, who represents Selig and the companies, said her clients declined to comment on the dispute other than to say they look forward to arbitrating Mr. Carlsons claims.

Isabelle Antongiorgi, a lawyer for Carlson, did not respond to requests for comment.

Teaming up

The lawsuit describes Carlson as a talented and well-respected chef with more than 20 years of experience. It says he developed several restaurants in the highly competitive Chicago market, a notable achievement in an industry known for low profit margins and where most new businesses do not make it past a year. On his Instagram profile, he identifies himself as a chef and restaurant consultant.

Selig, a San Antonio businessman with an MBA from the University of Texas, maintains a relatively low profile. His LinkedIn profile, which doesnt appear to be up-to-date because theres no mention of Maverick, Arrosta or Allora, lists him as an angel investor  a person who provides seed money for startup businesses. Hes reportedly invested in various biotechnology ventures in addition to his stakes in the restaurant business.

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In his suit, Carlson says Selig approached him about going into business together in San Antonio. The duo agreed they would bring in partners who would earn their share of the business through sweat equity rather than buying it.

If the first restaurant succeeded, Carlson says in his complaint, the plan was to open more using the same business model and the chef would receive an equity interest in them, as well.

As head chef at Maverick Texas Brasserie, Carlson was charged with overseeing the day-to-day operations, developing a menu, obtaining ingredients from local vendors and farms, and building a staff.

The financial side of the restaurant fell to Selig, who was responsible for raising money for the business launch and managing payroll and taxes.

Selig set up two businesses, Maverick Eats to own the restaurant and Maverick Restaurant Group to manage it, the suit says. Selig sold membership interests in Maverick Eats to various family members, individuals and businesses.

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Carlson acquired a 3.5% membership interest in Maverick Eats by borrowing $60,000.

Meanwhile, the complaint says, Selig retained a 100% interest in Maverick Restaurant Group. After some negotiating, the founder agreed that Carlson would get an interest in the group. The agreement called for the chef to receive a 6.66% equity interest each year for three years.

Carlson also says in his lawsuit that Selig said the group would receive from 4% to 6% of Maverick Eats revenue after taxes each month for management services. In addition, Carlson says Selig told him the group would hold a 25% ownership in Maverick Eats and receive distributions.

The group entered into an employment agreement with Carlson in March 2017. Hed serve as executive chef and operations director with the title chef/partner, the suit says. The agreement required Carlson to work no less than 55 hours a week. For that he received a base salary of $75,000, which he says was a relatively low amount because the promised ownership interests were  the primary inducement for Carlson to join the project.

Positive reviews

Maverick opened in January 2018, enjoyed immediate success and racked up many very positive reviews from local publications, the complaint says.

In a review a few months after its opening, San Antonio Express-News food critic Mike Sutter called Maverick a new star for Southtown.

Selig and Carlson took an underused 1920s building that included Pig Liquors and created dining areas with distinct personalities: A rowdy, sun-splashed front dining room and bar for the see-and-be-scene crowd; the eternal dusk of an intimate middle nook of a room, with discreet corners and a view of the kitchen pass; and a patio, covered and shaded, a land-cruise lido deck set with foliage and wicker, Sutter wrote.

Given Mavericks success, Carlson says in his complaint, Selig discussed opening Allora and Arrosta in the Pearl district in early 2020.

The plan was to use the Maverick business plan and corporate structure as a blueprint, the suit says. Carlson would do all the work to set up the restaurants and would run the day-to-day operations and Selig would handle the financing."

Carlson would acquire an equity interest in the two new restaurants, he says. Hed also benefit from his ownership in Maverick Restaurant Group because it would receive from 4% to 6% of the two restaurants revenue after taxes, the suit says.

Selig also told Carlson he would receive a raise and that half his salary would be paid by Maverick Eats with the other half split between Allora and Arrosta, Carlson says.

Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic shut down the dine-in restaurant business in the spring of 2020 in San Antonio and elsewhere. Carlson says he kept Maverick open for carryout.

The program was designed to provide money to small businesses with fewer than 500 employees affected by the pandemic. Maverick Eats reported employing 70 people when it received the first loan and 38 workers at the time of the second. Borrowers could have their loans forgiven if the money was spent on payroll and other eligible expenses.

Yet Carlson says in the lawsuit that his salary was cut by at least half during the period, though he was keeping Maverick open for takeout while preparing for the openings of Allora and Arrosta.

By the time Maverick received the second PPP loan, Carlson found himself doing increasingly more and more work for less and less pay.

And despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19, the suit says, Maverick Eats had received more than $1.2 million other income in 2021. That, in turn, would mean a large distribution for its members including Maverick Restaurant Group  which Carlson had an ownership interest in.

Falling-out

The pandemic delayed the opening of Allora and Arrosta until February 2022.

Despite representations that the two restaurants corporate structure would mirror Mavericks, Carlson says, Selig did not provide him with an equity interest in either or the opportunity to acquire the interests.

The chef also says he thinks Selig had begun plotting behind his back to get his ownership in Maverick Restaurant Group.

In January 2022, Selig presented Carlson with an amended agreement for the group that showed Selig was attempting to unilaterally remove Carlson as a member. That would leave Selig as the sole member to enjoy the entirety of the management fees from the restaurants, not to mention the distributions (Maverick Restaurant Group) would receive, the complaint adds.

Selig demanded Carlson sign the document. He ultimately refused -- despite the restaurateur allegedly waving a check for what he claimed was $20,000 he would give Carlson for signing, the suit says.

Carlson says he was suspicious of the pressure tactics.

After failing to get the signature, the suit says Selig became increasingly hostile towards Carlson, began sending aggressive emails and criticizing the chefs work and allegedly unauthorized absence at the Maverick restaurant.

Things finally boiled over when Carlson informed Selig he would not sign the documents and that he expected his full membership interest as had been agreed the lawsuit says. It was at this point that Selig sent an email purporting to terminate Carlsons employment for cause" in September 2022.

Carlson says he has received no distributions from Maverick Eats despite maintaining an ownership interest.

In a court filing denying the allegations, Selig and the companies say the chefs employment agreement spells out that any dispute must be settled by binding arbitration. A copy of the agreement attached to the court filing says the parties agree that any settlement or arbitration award will remain confidential.

Carlsons fraud claims are barred because he was an at-will employee, the defendants say, meaning he could be fired at any time for any reason.
Delivering the spirit of love to their Ka-pandas, foodpanda logistics once again granted the dream wedding wishes of their delivery partners!

Last year, three Ka-pandas and their longtime partners experienced wedding celebrations courtesy of foodpanda logistics. This year, the love train accelerated as 14 lucky delivery partners across the country were selected to celebrate a grand wedding. A wedding organized by us, for our delivery partners, is an unforgettable milestone in their lives that they will forever cherish, said Ron Sanders, foodpanda logistics Philippines Rider Experience Lead.

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Discover the romantic journeys of some of these Ka-pandas, who celebrated their unions with their better halves during the most romantic time of the year  the love month.

Love delivered through thick and thin

Ka-panda Glen Oton shares his journey of celebrating love with his partner. From overcoming financial struggles to cherishing moments of togetherness, they braved lifes storms hand in hand. May mga hindi man pagkakaintindihan, pinipili pa rin naming ayusin sa dulo, Glen revealed.

Malaking tulong ang Kasalang Ka-panda sa pagkamit namin ng aming pangarap na ikasal sa isat isa. In a beautiful ceremony, Glen and his partner stood before their closest friends and family, sharing heartfelt vows of love and commitment to each other.

Through it all

From highschool sweethearts to building a family together, Albert Cabanelez has been with his partner since 2004, and they have been blessed with three children. But, one simple wish remained constant  to tie the knot.

Hindi namin hangad ang isang mala-fairy tale na kasalan kasi sobrang sapat na sa akin ang mai-kasal sa aking minamahal at masaya kami na naibigay ito ni foodpanda logistics sa amin, Albert shared.

Never too late





Rodrigo Goyon Bongais Jr, a former tricycle driver, has shared 15 years of his life with his partner and two lovely daughters. Yet, even as their lives seem complete, there is still a missing chapter they long to unfold  saying I do. Kumpleto na ang buhay namin, kasal na lang talaga ang kulang. Kaya hiling ko lang sana na maikasal kaming magpartner bago ako tumungtong ng 50, Rodrigo mentioned.

Thanks to foodpanda logistics Kasalang Ka-panda initiative, a promise turned to a reality. Sobrang natuwa ang partner ko dahil natupad na ang pangarap naming ito kasi sobrang tagal ko na talagang pinangako sa kanya na pakakasalan ko siya, he added.

In addition to the wedding festivities, foodpanda also showered its delivery partners with generous gifts and giveaways from sponsors, along with their adorable mascot, who played the role of Ninong Pau-Pau.

Other Ka-pandas also had the opportunity to get a special Valentines Kit to surprise their loved ones, using their hard-earned Bamboo Rewards.

The Bamboo Rewards program, initiated by foodpanda logistics for its delivery partners, enables them to get in-app points for each completed delivery. These points can later be redeemed for various items, including vouchers, merchandise, electronics, vehicle accessories, and others.

Were happy that we got to celebrate Valentines Day with our Ka-pandas in such a meaningful way, and we hope that they treasure these precious moments, Sanders remarked. Kasalang Ka-panda is just one example of cherishing their unique stories and how we show that we see them, we acknowledge their journeys, and were always thinking ahead to make their experience special.
President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has announced a national emergency in response to the widespread issue of drug abuse in the country, particularly targeting the fight against a synthetic drug known as kush, which is popular among the youth. Kush, a concoction of various substances that produce effects similar to those of cannabis and tramadol, has become a significant concern, especially in urban areas. Our nation is under siege from the catastrophic effects of drugs and addiction, with the synthetic drug kush leading the charge, President Bio stated in a national address on Thursday, highlighting the dire impact on communities.

He detailed his administrations efforts to break up the networks responsible for drug trafficking within the country. Kush also referred to as K2, has become a readily available escape for unemployed young people, providing temporary relief from poverty and lifes hardships. However, health professionals have raised alarms about the drugs potential to cause irreversible brain damage and lead to suicidal behavior.

To address this crisis, the government of Sierra Leone inaugurated a rehabilitation center in February for those suffering from drug addiction and established a ministerial task force to further this cause. The problem of increasing kush usage is not isolated to Sierra Leone, as neighboring countries Guinea and Liberia are also grappling with this challenge. In Liberia, President Joseph Boakai has labeled drug abuse as a public health emergency and, during his first State of the Nation address in January, revealed plans for a committee dedicated to combating this existential threat. 
On Thursday, Somalia issued a directive for the Ethiopian ambassador to depart the country within 72 hours and ordered the shutdown of Ethiopias diplomatic outposts in the breakaway Somaliland region and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

The governments resolution mandates that diplomats and staff at these consulates leave Somalia within a week. Additionally, Somalias Foreign Ministry has expelled the Ethiopian ambassador and summoned its ambassador from Ethiopia back for consultations. The governments actions were prompted by accusations of Ethiopian interference in Somalias domestic matters.

Ethiopia has yet to formally respond to this expulsion directive, though officials at its embassy in Mogadishu acknowledged receiving the notice. This expulsion follows tensions escalated by a memorandum of understanding signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland three months prior, which Somalia criticized as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The agreement aimed to grant Ethiopia access to the sea via Somaliland, with Ethiopia in turn recognizing Somaliland as an independent state.

Moreover, discussions on trade took place on Wednesday between Ethiopias foreign minister and representatives from Puntland, which proceeded without the Somali federal governments prior agreement. The relations between Somalia and Ethiopia, which had been cordial, deteriorated in January of this year after the agreement with Somaliland, leading to a strain in diplomatic relations between the two East African countries.
Nine politicians from Togo, campaigning against constitutional changes that would potentially enable President Faure Gnassingbe to prolong his 19-year tenure, have been detained, according to a representative from an opposition group on Thursday.

The debate is intensifying in the small West African nation, known for its phosphate production, over constitutional amendments that could alter the presidential election process. According to Thomas Nsoukpoe, a spokesperson, some members of the opposition were arrested on Wednesday afternoon while campaigning against the constitutional changes at a market on the outskirts of the capital, Lome. Additional arrests occurred during an evening meeting at a coalition members home.

The opposition initiated their campaign following the national assemblys approval of the new constitution, which extends the presidential term to six years from five and introduces a single-term limit. The revised constitution also transitions the government to a parliamentary system, with the president being elected by parliament members instead of the general populace.

This constitutional revision does not consider the incumbent presidents already served terms, potentially allowing Gnassingbe to remain in office until 2031 if he secures re-election in 2025. Following the oppositions outcry, the presidents office announced a delay in the originally planned parliamentary and regional elections set for April 20 and initiated nationwide consultations on the constitutional amendments. This move was criticized by several political groups, prompting calls for protests on April 11, 12, and 13.

They argued that once the electoral process has been officially initiated, it cannot be halted or postponed merely by an announcement. The presidents office has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the arrests made on Wednesday.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

More long COVID awareness and education is needed among doctors, nurses, care providers and the public in Canada to reduce stigma around the condition and legitimize the disability, according to a new report from Simon Fraser University.

The recommendation is one of a series identified in a report released by the SFU-based Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS). The report summarizes the findings of two focus groups of unpaid caregivers, professional care providers, long COVID researchers and people with long COVID (longhaulers) to understand and identify barriers to support, delivery of care and information, and determine future research priorities.

"It's an invisible and new condition," says Kayli Jamieson, a longhauler who co-led the focus groups as part of a larger study with Kaylee Byers, an assistant professor in SFU's Faculty of Health Sciences. "Many people don't believe that long COVID is real or exists. And unfortunately, that permeates through the health care system. Even outside of the medical system, there is a broader societal awareness that is lacking."

Long COVID is a multi-systemic condition that may begin weeks after a COVID-19 infection and can last for years, often requiring leave from employment to rest and manage symptoms. Statistics Canada found that more than 3.5 million Canadian adults (about one in nine) have experienced long COVID symptoms, with 40 percent reporting difficulties accessing health care. Despite hundreds of studies into the condition, no standard cures or treatments have been approved.

"These studies legitimize what is happening and help destigmatize the impact this is having on every aspect of our society right now," says Jamieson. "We want to be visible, but we're increasingly being made invisible. As one unpaid caregiver in our study said, "I think there needs to be a cultural shift in terms of people believing that long COVID exists.'"

Jamieson caught COVID-19 in 2021 and has been dealing with long COVID symptoms ever since. She was a new master's student at the time and went from having a lot of energy and working two jobs to being unable to work and going on medical leave.

"It's a drastic change," she said. "The cognitive difficultiesI wasn't even able to understand my own previous work when I was reading it. And the fatigue is disabling. There are so many triggers, like even reading an email, or socializing. And that could just about be enough to leave you bedbound due to post-exertional malaise."

In addition to the brain fog and exhaustion, Jamieson's symptoms included rashes, tinnitus, chest pains, shortness of breath and tremors.

Ultimately, Jamieson says she hopes the report will help inform policy and improve the health care for people impacted by the condition. She also hopes that it will lead to destigmatization around long COVID and increased funding for awareness and research.

"Through conversations with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers, we've come to recognize that long COVID doesn't just impact individuals, it impacts communities," says Byers, the study's principal investigator.

"Long COVID is challenging our health care systems and revealing the urgent need for stronger supports for all aspects of this illness including increased awareness, centralized sources of information, funding for long COVID-care inclusive of mental health and greater investments in patient-centered research."
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The burden of kidney disease. Credit: Nature Reviews Nephrology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41581-024-00829-x

On April 3, 2024, Nature Reviews Nephrology published an international consensus statement titled "Chronic Kidney Disease and the Global Public Health Agenda: An International Consensus." Authored by a coalition of leading experts, stakeholders, and nephrology societies, the publication highlights critical policy, advocacy, and implementation needs to alleviate the growing burden of kidney disease worldwide.

"In contrast to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD) mortality rates have been on a troubling rise. Presently, kidney disease stands as the third fastest-growing cause of death worldwide, with deaths attributable to kidney disease surged by 50% from 2000 to 2019," notes Masaomi Nangaku, president of the International Society of Nephrology.

CKD and acute kidney injury (AKI) present significant challenges to global health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where access to care and preventive services is limited. The World Bank highlights that CKD is responsible for the largest number of people suffering catastrophic health care expenditures annually, particularly in LMICs. More than one million individuals with potentially reversible AKI succumb yearly due to the lack of timely therapies, including dialysis, underscoring the urgency of addressing access gaps in health care services.

Key recommendations from the international consensus include:

Improved Access to Care: Enhancing the availability of affordable and accessible health care services is paramount to addressing the diagnostic, treatment, and preventive needs of individuals with CKD and AKI, especially in resource-constrained settings. Better Prevention Strategies: Effective strategies for preventing CKD and AKI must be developed through multidisciplinary research and community engagement, with a focus on understanding risk factors and tailoring interventions to local contexts. Development and Scaling of Care Models: Implementing balanced, scalable, and sustainable models of care requires collaborative efforts with stakeholder communities and innovative approaches such as task-sharing, digital technologies, and online platforms for training and supervision. Greater Awareness and Education: Awareness campaigns are essential to educate both individuals and primary care providers about the importance of early diagnosis and management of CKD, thereby reducing its progression and associated complications. Addressing Social Determinants of Kidney Health: Recognizing and addressing social determinants of health, such as poverty and lack of access to basic amenities, are crucial steps in mitigating the burden of kidney diseases, particularly among marginalized communities. Increased Funding for Research and Development: Adequate funding is needed to support research initiatives aimed at developing new treatments, improving understanding of kidney diseases, and addressing global disparities in health care access and outcomes. International Cooperation and Coordination: Collaborative efforts at the international level are vital for promoting effective policies, programs, and knowledge sharing to prevent, detect, and manage kidney diseases worldwide. Greater Engagement with Patient Communities: Meaningful involvement of patient communities is essential for designing patient-centric policies, programs, and services that address the diverse needs and priorities of individuals living with kidney diseases.

The consensus statement deplores the underrepresentation of kidney disease in media and public discourse, with an 11-fold disparity between discussed versus actual causes of death.

"This consensus statement marks a significant first step in recognizing the impact kidney diseases have on more than 850,000,000 people globally and the need to eliminate disparities in kidney health and achieve equity in kidney care for people from all walks of life. I believe that the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments worldwide will rise to meet this call to action," declares Deidra Crews, president of the American Society of Nephrology.

The 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 aims to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by a third by 2030. To tackle this goal, the WHO has recognized cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease and diabetes as the major NCD drivers of early mortality. Failure to include kidney disease in this initiative misses the opportunity to address a major contributor to premature and preventable mortality.

"Kidney disease is under-recognized and under-resourced. Recognizing the silent yet pervasive impact of kidney disease as a leading driver of NCDs, our three societies can mobilize joint efforts to save lives and enhance health outcomes globally. Through collaborative efforts, we can amplify awareness, allocate resources, and prioritize global kidney health in our pursuit of a healthier, more equitable future for all," concludes Christoph Wanner, president of the European Renal Association.

More information: Kidney disease: a global health priority, Nature Reviews Nephrology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41581-024-00829-x
Ampaires Electric EEL Arrives at Stinson-Mission Municipal Airport in San Antonio to coincide with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Energys Advanced Projects Agency-Energy, the city of San Antonio, the citys airport system, the University of Texas at San Antonio and CPS Energy. Courtesy Ampaire

The city of San Antonio, the citys airport system, CPS Energy and the University of Texas at San Antonio have teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy to study how to make aviation more sustainable with technology and alternative fuel sources.

Leaders from the local agencies signed a memorandum of understanding with the DOEs Advanced Projects Agency-Energy, known as ARPA-E, during an event Wednesday at Stinson Municipal Airport.

Its the first such agreement between ARPA-E, DOEs innovation hub, and an airport system to explore new energy technologies for reducing the aviation sectors carbon footprint. The voluntary program that runs through 2028 does not involve any funds or restrict participants from entering similar agreements with other agencies.

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READ MORE: UTSA researchers develop way to enhance James Webb Space Telescope images

The agreement calls for those involved to share publicly available knowledge, discuss research funding opportunities, promote development of ARPA-E projects at local facilities, and promote research and educational opportunities for UTSA students, including a technology hub based in the San Antonio Airport System.

It outlines efforts to develop technologies such as sustainable aviation, battery technologies and innovative battery storage solutions, enhanced electric vehicle (EV) charging, and power demand management technologies, according to a news release.

The MOU signing is a step in the right direction to ensuring that these innovative technologies are developed, built, and integrated in America, said Evelyn Wang, director of ARPA-E. Our hope is that this partnership will lay the groundwork to enable future electrified airports.

In 2021, the aviation industry produced roughly 8% of the total greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported. While that number is small compared to the roughly 81% of emissions produced by cars and trucks, various agencies around the world are working to reduce pollution from aviation.

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Aviation accounted for 2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, having grown faster in recent decades than rail, road or shipping, according to the International Energy Agency.

While aviation creates a relatively small percentage of global emissions, experts say its one of the most challenging to decarbonize. The IEA noted that new aircraft can be up to 20% more efficient than the models they replace, but growth in activity has historically outpaced efficiency improvement.

San Antonios strong aviation ties and its expanding technology and research programs make it a good place to study how to make aviation more sustainable.

Read more: Cyber defense contractor Peraton seeks to boost collaboration with new space at Port San Antonio

This is an important agreement with the potential to shape the aviation industry of the future, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. Researching the decarbonization of aviation and finding new sustainable energy models is important work, and I am proud San Antonio will be playing a leading role in this cutting-edge research.

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UTSAs growing research programs and an alliance between its Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute and CPS Energy made the school a prime partner for the initiative.

This collaborative effort is an incredible opportunity for UTSA to partner with strategic industry leaders in evaluating electric aircraft, advanced energy storage and micro-grid systems to advance the adoption of sustainable multi-modal transportation technologies, UTSA President Taylor Eighmy said in a statement.

UTSA researchers work on integrating renewables, energy-storage solutions and strengthening the cybersecurity of the power grid will help the collective.

Krystel Castillo, a UTSA mechanical engineering professor and director of the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute, said in a statement that the universitys holistic approach includes a spectrum of technologies, encompassing e-aircraft, batteries and charging infrastructure, thereby fostering innovation and resilience within the energy and decarbonization landscape.

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A test to gauge if it's safe to prescribe a patient an addictive opioid may have been approved too soon by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, claims a letter sent to the agency by a group of experts.

The test, called AvertD, is meant to screen for genetic markers suggesting that a person has a higher likelihood of developing an opioid use disorder (OUD). If the test result is positive, doctors could try alternative medications.

However, the FDA approved the test in December against the advice of its own advisory panel, the experts noted in their letter. They claim that AvertD is inaccurate and could actually lead to more opioid dependencies, not less.

"This test will make the opioid crisis worse," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, medical director of opioid policy research at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and one of the those who signed the letter.

"It will contribute to overprescribing, it will contribute to an increased incidence of opioid use disorder," he told NBC News. "In other words, more people becoming newly addicted to opioids."

He and the letter co-authors asked FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to revoke the agency's approval.

Neither the FDA nor the test's maker, California-based SOLVD Health, responded to NBC News for comment.

According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, over 6.1 million Americans were reported to have an opioid use disorder in 2022, and opioids have contributed to over 645,000 deaths over the past 20 years.

Opioid prescriptions given after surgery or to relieve pain are a prime "gateway" to addiction for many. In theory, knowing in advance if a person had a genetic vulnerability to opioid use disorder could reduce new cases of addiction.

AdvertD promised to do just that. But the FDA's own panel of experts overwhelmingly ruled against approval, citing doubts about the test's ability to accurately spot patients at addiction risk.

That could mean that doctors are lulled into a false sense of security and prescribe an opioid to a person who is, indeed, at risk for addiction.

Or, if the person is not at high risk for opioid addiction but the test comes out positive, they may be stigmatized as a potential addict and miss out on painkillers that could help them, Kolodny and colleagues added.

In their letter, they called the test useless, saying it cannot predict the odds for addiction ""any better than chance."

When the FDA approved AvertD in December, it stressed that the test only be used and interpreted by well-trained staff, and it "should be used as part of a complete clinical evaluation and risk assessment; it should not be used alone to make treatment decisions."

AvertD is not to be used in decision-making for people suffering from chronic pain, the agency said.

"Given the totality of available evidence and the urgent need for medical devices that can make a positive impact on the overdose crisis, and specifically devices that can help assess the risk of developing OUD, the FDA determined that there is a reasonable assurance of AvertD's safety and effectiveness, taking into consideration available alternatives, patients' perspectives, the public health need and the ability to address uncertainty through the collection of post-market data," the agency said.

But Dr. Katherine Keyes, a professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, said any test that relies only on a few genetic markers is bound to be flawed when it comes to predicting the likelihood of addiction.

Addiction is far too "complex" for that, she told NBC News.

"We know the risk of OUD increases with the dose and duration of an opioid prescription," Keyes said. "Receiving an opioid prescription remains one of the strongest risk factors for the development of opioid use disorder."

In its application for FDA approval, SOLVD Health said the AvertD test had a sensitivity of about 82% and a specificity of about 79%.

That means that in roughly one in every five cases, a test would produce a false-negative result (meaning it failed to spot someone at high risk) or a false-positive result (meaning it designated the person as high-risk, even though they are not).

Given those numbers, "I think the product has the potential to do harm," Dr. Adam Gordon, who was a member if the FDA's advisory panel, told NBC News. He's a professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine

More information: Find out more about opioid use disorder at the American Psychiatric Association.

 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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The overlap of AD (hyperphosphorylated tau, amyloid- plaques), PD (-synuclein), and TDP-43 pathology in the forensic autopsies of 14.85.3-year-old MMC residents. Credit: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (2024). DOI: 10.3233/JAD-231373

An opinion paper published by University of Montana professor Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas MD, Ph.D. and co-authors, Dr. Alberto Ayala and Dr. Partha Mukherjee discussed ow US citizens are not fully aware of the harmful brain impact of exposures to ubiquitous anthropogenic combustion emissions and friction-derived nanoparticles, industrial nanoplastics, wildfires and smoke plumes of soot.

The researchers have significant experience with the development of pediatric and early adulthood hallmarks of Alzheimer, Parkinson, FTLD and ALS and associations with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in populations exposed to concentrations of fine particulate matter PM 2.5 above the current 9g/ m3 USEPA annual standard.

Although the USEPA has a new 9.0 g/m3 PM 2.5 annual standard, these measurements are still above the World Health Organization (WHO)guidelines of 5 g/m3 and strikingly, significant air pollution exposures disparities will persist and increase, affecting mostly people in lower income brackets, with reduced access to health care, and high occupational exposure risks.

Dr. Calderon-Garciduenas comments that with the new PM 2.5 standard de facto, millions of US residents will be living in PM 2.5 non-attainment regions and in addition, society must deal with the tiniest particles, so called ultrafine particulate matter UFPM and industrial nanoparticles NPs exposures because their ability to cross all biological barriers, reaching the brain and other critical organs (i.e., the heart).

This fraction of PM 2.5 has strong neurodegenerative/neurobehavioral/brain structural associations. The early development and progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and FTLD and ALS already killing thousands of Americansshould raise red flags about the need to understand this serious potential UFPM and NPs risk to urban and rural US populations.

Dr. Calderon-Garciduenas who trained at the EPA in Chapel Hill, North Carolina while a Toxicology doctoral UNC student stated, "We all should be aware that under lifetime exposures to PM 2.5 above safe thresholds, the relentless development of Alzheimer, Parkinson and TDP-43 pathology could be in place and emphasized that wildfires are particularly worrisome in terms of exposure of PM 2.5 to thousands of citizens.

"From 2013 to 2022, an average of 7.2 million acres have burned annually and fires burned 2,633,636 acres in 2023. Unfortunately, humans were responsible for 89% of wildfires in the period 2018-2022."

The authors concluded that control of UFPM/NPs in ambient air, their atmospheric transformations, their industrial sources, wildfire prevention, education, and environmental management are critical.

US voters would like to be assured that a significant part of the 13 million projected AD cases for 2050, the current 1 million PD, the 60,000 FTLD and the 18,000 ALS cases could be avoided, and future generations be protected if our pollution reduction efforts are strengthened and accelerated.

A full report of Calderon's research is available through the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

More information: Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas et al, 2024 United States Elections: Air Pollution, Neurodegeneration, Neuropsychiatric, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Who Cares?, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (2024). DOI: 10.3233/JAD-231373 Journal information: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
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The Hallmarks of Cancer Collaboration. Based on Hanahan and Weinberg's seminal "Hallmarks of Cancer," this illustration proposes six Hallmarks of Cancer Collaboration for cancer team science in the modern era. Credit: Cancer Discovery (2024). DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-1496

The oncology community has a powerful opportunity to speed the creation of impactful new treatments by adopting a modern playbook for collaboration, according to scientists from Break Through Cancer and other team-oriented cancer organizations working together in a commentary in the journal Cancer Discovery.

Jesse Boehm and Tyler Jacks of Break Through Cancer, a Boston-based cancer research foundation, present what they call the "essential ingredients" for next-generation cancer team science, and offer examples from organizations in the United States and abroad that demonstrate these best practices.

"Given the magnitude of the challenge, we need to work together in new ways if we want to make faster progress against difficult diseases, such as pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer," says Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., president of Break Through Cancer and founding director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 2024, while numerous cooperative efforts in cancer research are making headway, to fully realize the potential of team science, structural reforms are needed to optimize and speed those efforts, the authors suggest.

"We are at an unprecedented moment for the field of oncology, with the advent of single-cell genomics, machine learning, and other innovative technologies," adds Jesse Boehm, Ph.D., chief science officer of Break Through Cancer and a cancer genomics researcher at MIT's Koch Institute. "In this moment, we can leverage new approaches to radically collaborate and thereby achieve some of our most ambitious clinical goals."

Radical collaboration refers to team science that champions the six "Hallmarks of Cancer Collaboration," modeled after Douglas Hanahan's and Robert A. Weinberg's seminal "Hallmarks of Cancer." In the commentary, Boehm and Jacks outline and examine the six hallmarks: common vision, leaders as catalysts, aligned incentives, shared culture, resource sharing, and operational groundwork.

Additionally, they review the history of how NCI-led efforts set a precedent for cancer team science and provide practical examples of radical collaboration from organizations that fund cancer team science, including Break Through Cancer, Cancer Research UK, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and more.

The authors conclude with a call to action for the cancer community: to seize the moment and optimize the way team science enterprises work, and to continue the conversation about best practices in the field. Finally, Boehm and Jacks urge major funders of cancer team science to work together to support and sustain team efforts.

More information: Jesse S. Boehm et al, Radical Collaboration: Reimagining Cancer Team Science, Cancer Discovery (2024). DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-1496 Journal information: Cancer Discovery

Provided by Break Through Cancer
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The prevalence of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is high in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) chronic carriers detected through annual screenings, according to a study published online March 22 in United European Gastroenterology Journal.

Laura Weichselbaum, from CHU Saint-Pierre in Brussels, and colleagues examined the diagnostic impact of an annual screening for HDV serology in HBs Ag chronic carriers. All chronic HBs Ag-positive patients were tested annually between January 2014 and October 2021 for HDV antibody (HDV Ab).

Positive patients underwent repeated elastometry annually. Patients with detectable HDV RNA were compared to those with undetectable HDV RNA (groups 1 [27 patients] and 2 [30 patients], respectively). A total of 610 chronic HBs Ag-positive patients were identified; in 534 patients, repeated screening for HDV Ab was performed.

Overall, 60 patients (11 percent) were HDV Ab-positive at baseline and were considered coinfected. The researchers diagnosed seven cases of HDV superinfection through repeated screening. Cirrhosis was initially diagnosed in 12 of 60 coinfected patients, and during follow-up, it developed in six patients. The cumulative incidence of cirrhosis was 13.8 and 0 percent in groups 1 and 2, respectively, at seven years.

"A systematic screening for HDV in chronic HB Ag carriers revealed a high prevalence of HDV Ab," the authors write. "Repeated serological screening enables the diagnosis of superinfections in asymptomatic patients. Regular assessment of fibrosis using elastometry leads to the identification of incidental cirrhosis in patients with detectable HDV RNA."

More information: Laura Weichselbaum et al, A regular screening for hepatitis delta virus among chronic hepatitis B carriers improves the diagnostic of this infection and of subsequent cirrhosis development, United European Gastroenterology Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1002/ueg2.12564

Copyright  2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Gillian Honzel, a senior at Big Sky High School in Missoula, has long wondered whether the huckleberries her family picks every summer have the same antioxidant content when she eats them fresh versus when she takes them out of the freezer months or even years later.

These musings from her home kitchen led her to devote much of the last few months to a science project that would answer this very question.

I know they taste good, Honzel said. But I wanted to see if they had as many antioxidants. I learned they have some, but not the same amount.

Along with hundreds of other students from all over the state, Honzel competed at the annual Montana Science Fair held at the University of Montana this week. First started in 1955, the fair showcases the work of middle- and high-school students statewide. Young scientists compete at local or school-based competitions to qualify for the statewide contest.

Awards are given by grade group and the type of science studied in the project. Overall winners receive one of the few coveted all-expenses paid trips to the national science fair, which this year will be held in Los Angeles. Category winners receive cash prizes.

The hundreds of school-aged Montanans gathered in UMs Adams Center on Thursday reflected many corners of the state. Missoula was well-represented (call it home court advantage), with high schoolers from Hellgate, Sentinel and Big Sky and multiple middle schools present. Austin Habets traveled down from North Toole County High School near Sunburst. Makailey Petronek came from Sun River Middle School near Simms, west of Great Falls. Ryder Reynolds made the trip from Twin Bridges on the banks of the Beaverhead River.

Many of the 270 projects on display were directly tied to students own interests outside of science class.

Reynolds, a seventh grader, wanted to find the best natural water filter. While the young angler prefers doing something once and not worrying about things being perfect, the process of getting the best outcome in this case will help him in the future.

If I ever get stranded out in the mountains, Ill know how to make a good water filter, Reynolds said.

Chase Royse from Sentinel High School in Missoula studied fossil leaves to decipher how temperatures changed in the areas paleoclimate period. That matters, he said, because understanding how things fluctuated in the past can help predict the future impact of climate change.

Faith You, a junior at Hellgate High School, investigated why flies overeat. Shes interested in how neuroscience interacts with obesity, which affects nearly 40% of the countrys population. Habets, the North Toole County High School student, created a handmade, affordable water dispenser, simply because I needed one.

The Montana Science Fair is made possible by the curiosity of students and the generosity of educators who believe in its importance. An all-volunteer team plans the event every year. Over 100 judges, many of whom have ties to UM, give up their day to interview students about projects and score them on creativity, scientific thought, thoroughness, presentation and understanding. Most students work closely with science teachers outside of class in the months leading up to the fair, and those same teachers travel with students to Missoula to compete.

But its becoming harder to pull off the event each year, according to the fairs co-directors.

Lu Hu is a chemistry professor at UM, and he started volunteering with the fair as a judge in 2017. He recalls the Adams Center being totally full those first few years he was involved. Students scrunched along the back walls and overflowed onto the balconies to set up their poster presentations.

Today, the number of participants has declined notably, a trend Hu calls concerning.

If you dont have students participating at this age, how can you sustain a society in the long-term? he said.

Its not a matter of student interest simply declining, Hu believes, but rather a reflection of larger systemic barriers that make it difficult for students, teachers and districts to invest in activities outside the classroom.

Hu and his co-director and fellow chemistry professor Dong Wang, who have been leading the fair since 2021, hope they can grow participation over time. They'd like to focus especially on rural districts that might be under-resourced.

They are working with UM and Montana State University scientists to host a four-day training this June for all high school science teachers in the state. The workshop will focus on the importance of supporting student science research projects and how to successfully mentor students in their efforts. Both they also hope to beef up fundraising efforts so the fair can subsidize the trip to Missoula for school districts that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Science is the foundation of the future of this country, Wang said.

2024 winners

Hunter Bailey from Baker High School in eastern Montana was the overall winner. Amy Boote from Sentinel High School in Missoula and Devyn Deschamps from Hellgate High School in Missoula took second and third place, respectively.

All three will travel to Los Angeles for the national science fair competition.
VALDESE  A new art exhibit will soon find a temporary home at the Old Rock School.

Rock School Arts Foundation will present the exhibition Faces/Faceless-Figurative Artwork by Melissa Smith and Stacey Heffner Abboud, and Animals and Abstract by Maria Velez Campagna.

The exhibitions will be available for viewing in Gallery I and II at the Old Rock School in Valdese from April 19 through May 17. An opening reception will take place April 21 from 2-4 p.m. The public is invited to enjoy the artwork and meet the artists.

Artwork can also be viewed on he Rock School Arts Foundation website at www.rockschoolartgalleries.com.

Gallery I: Faces/Faceless-Figurative Artwork by Melissa Smith and Stacey Heffner Abboud

Stacey Heffner Abboud

Artists bio: I do not have a professional bio for art per se, but my artistic expression is allowed to pour out daily through my work as a permanent cosmetic artist. I love that my clients allow me to tattoo their makeup and enhance their natural beauty with free reign. Each individual I work on is my walking, breathing work of art.

Artist statement: I have always used my mannequin art as a creative outlet  usually reflective of experiences I personally have with the beauties I work with daily in the permanent makeup industry. Whether it be from a story they have shared with me, a characteristic I see shining through in their personality or a vivacious trait that ignites an idea in me. These pieces are my own personal reflections of the beautiful, amazing, strong and courageous women I have the pleasure of getting to know on a daily basis. They inspire me.

Melissa Smith

Artists bio: Born in Pennsylvania, Melissa has spent most of her life in North Carolina. In the years following her graduation from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, she has participated in many exhibits throughout the state, has won a host of awards for her work, and her paintings form part of the permanent collections at Lenoir Rhyne College and the Rock School Arts Foundation as well as being owned by private collectors in California, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and North Carolina. She now lives in Morganton.

Melissa currently focuses on mixed-media works on paper that feature the figure immersed in densely layered, luminous surroundings. These fragmented figures demonstrate a contemporary re-envisioning of the human form made more striking  and more vulnerable  through infusion in textured, abstract space. Melissa is also known for her large canvases in acrylic and mixed media. Her email is artofallowance@gmail.com. You can find her on Instagram at @art_of_allowance or visit her website at www.artofallowance.com.

Artist statement: In my work, I try to capture the passion of a moment, a gesture, a time, or place. Each work of art is fragmented, like our lives. We have the illusion of being whole, yet we are pieces of lifes experiences. We are continually learning throughout our existence, and this reshapes and redefines our being.

I have learned to think less and let the free flow of the Universe work through me to allow life and art to happen. I believe in the magic of the Universe and that we are connected to other energies that work through us. My art is more than the present I am experiencingit is also comprised of past experiences. I believe our souls live forever and what I am trying to capture is a piece of the soul in a moment of evolution. I try to let my visceral self-take precedence and listen less to the cerebral mind and more to the guidance of the Universe. I am a medium for feeling, creativity, and energy that comes from somewhere else and I channel it into an expression of the moment on canvas or paper, much like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of creativity. Fragmented Realism-Evolving pieces of a never-ending whole.

Gallery II: Animals and Abstract

Maria Velez Campagna

Artists bio: A native of North Carolina, Maria always knew that she wanted to be an artist. Educated at the University of South Carolina graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, soon after graduation, she left her artistic dreams for the stability of the corporate world. Fast forward to raising children, she re-dedicated her life to creating art full time. To tell her story, Maria uses watercolor, acrylic, fibers, clay, glass and digital media. She has expanded her canvas to include murals. She says that she enjoys painting on a large scale. Murals make art accessible to all. Art does not need to be confined to fit in a frame or to just be inside a building. You might also find her creating patterns that adorn papers and fabrics.

She believes in making the world a bit more fun and colorful, that experimentation and exploration are a needed requirement to create and that every artist has a voice that should be heard.

Artist statement: The works for this exhibition show Marias experimentation with new mark making tools, media and color combinations. This show is broken into two themes, animals and abstracts. Animals are created through a process of bold, expressive mark making. The abstracts are in two series. One set of abstracts focuses on overlaying color, each supporting the other. The other uses a unique paint that creates a black void background and on top sits a raised, almost icing like swaths of color. Each of these are unique but are drawn together by the over-arching concept of experimentation.
San Antonio ranked seventh on Zillow Group Inc.s ranking of the best metropolitan areas nationwide for first-time homebuyers in 2024. The residential real estate data company said an expected increase in new home construction will give buyers more options and help to ease price growth. Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

San Antonio is among the best metropolitan areas nationwide for first-time homebuyers in 2024, according to Zillow Group Inc.

The other metros on the Seattle-based companys top 10 list are St. Louis; Detroit; Minneapolis; Indianapolis; Austin; Pittsburgh; Birmingham, Ala.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Baltimore. San Antonio ranked seventh.

Affording a home is a tough hill to climb, and its especially steep for those buying their first home. Headwinds like mortgage rates, low inventory and rising rents are still strong, but easing, Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy said in a statement.

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The company based its ranking on multiple factors: rent affordability, defined as the share of median household income spent on rent; the share of for-sale listings a typical household can comfortably afford, meaning without spending more than 30% of ones income on monthly mortgage payments; how much competition is expected for those listings; and how many people 29 to 43 years old live in the area.

In the San Antonio area, Zillow assessed rent affordability at 22.6%, the share of affordable listings at 32.8%, the number of affordable listings per 100 renters at 2.6, and the share of similarly aged households at 30.6%. A larger supply of homes per renter household is an indication of less competition for listings, giving prospective buyers more power, the company said.

The top two markets in Zillows ranking, St. Louis and Detroit, scored well in rental affordability  as a prospective buyer builds savings for a down payment  and for the number of affordable homes available to buy, the company said.

Austin, while not among the most affordable housing markets, made Zillows list largely for ranking first in the number of similar-age households living there with which a buyer can build a community, the company said.

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About half of all homebuyers in 2023 were first-time purchasers, the highest share since Zillow began tracking the statistic in 2017. The company expects inventory nationwide to expand this spring as more owners put their homes up for sale and construction of new homes increases.

The increase in new listings this spring, due both to new construction and to more homeowners choosing to sell, will give buyers more options and help to ease price growth. The housing train is slowing down just enough to give more first-time buyers an opportunity to hop on board, Divounguy said.

In the San Antonio area, the supply of homes on the market has steadily expanded. There were 4.3 months of inventory  a measure of how long it would take for the supply of homes to be sold at the current pace  in February, according to the most recent data available from the San Antonio Board of Realtors.
Rocky Mountain Realtors land fair housing grant

April is National Fair Housing Month, and thanks to the Rocky Mountain Association of Realtors, a $5,700 grant will provide fair housing material in the Butte and Anaconda courthouses.

The grant will also be used to share the fact that RMAR and its members are committed to advocate for the rights of fair housing for all and that the organization will advocate this important message by bringing awareness to local community leaders, those who service residential clients, licensed real estate agents, lenders, property managers, title companies, local community leaders as well as the public.

The Fair Housing Act was passed into law on April 11, 1968.

To learn more about National Association of Realtors Fair Housing Grant program visit https://realtorparty.realtor/state-local-issues/issues/fair-housing.htm.

Barrett Hospital & HealthCare earns accolades

DILLON  Barrett Hospital & HealthCare has been recognized as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital for the sixth time.

This recognition is awarded by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), in partnership with the Chartis Center for Rural Health, based on an analysis of the Hospital Strength INDEX, a benchmarking tool that evaluates hospitals on various performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, and financial efficiency.

"We are incredibly honored to receive this distinction for the sixth time," said Taylor Rose, chief executive officer of the Dillon medical facility, and a testament to our dedicated team of healthcare professionals who strive every day to deliver exceptional care to our community.

Health seminar April 15 at St. James

Intermountain Health St. James Hospital will be hosting a seminar on integrating maternal, mental, and family health service in Montana from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. April 15, at 400 S. Clark St.

This presentation, organized by the Five Peaks Coalition, will feature a panel of experts from various fields related to maternal and family health.

Panelists include Dr. Ibrahim Hammad, Dr. George Mulcaire-Jones and Joslin Hubbard, a social worker. They will address the challenges and opportunities for improving prevention, treatment, and recovery resources for pregnant and parenting women and families, especially those impacted by substance use and adverse maternal health.

The latest data and best practices for integrated care will also be shared, and participants can network with other professionals and community members who share an interest in this issue.
The four candidates for Butte-Silver Bow chief executive job talked credentials, issues and even personal traits at a forum at Montana Technological University that drew more than 100 people.

And as the 90-minute forum at the Copper Room in the Student Union Building progressed early Thursday evening, a lot of students looked in and then stayed, finding spots along the walls because all the chairs were taken.

It was a mostly cordial affair between the candidates  incumbent J.P. Gallagher, Bill Foley, Cathy Moe Goodwin and Rayelynn Brandl  though Foley and Gallagher took aim at each other on issues including Superfund and transparency.

As Brandl, Foley and Gallagher dove into specifics on Superfund and other issues, Goodwin  a certified respiratory therapist who also runs a cleaning service in Butte  focused mostly on practical matters such as roads and potholes.

And she wasnt afraid to say what she didnt know, which she revealed when a Tech student asked about Superfund.

I dreaded this question because I dont know a dang thing about Superfund  but heres one thing I do know  she does, Goodwin said, pointing to Brandl, an environmental professional who oversees the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program at Tech.

The audience laughed, and then Goodwin finished her point.

This is the kind of people I will bring in to teach me what we should do, she said. Id be listening to people like her.

Brandl drew some laughs, too, when she turned to Goodwin later and said, Thanks Moe  you have some moxie.

All four will be on the ballot for the June primary election but only the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.

Here are some points and comments each of the candidates made during the forum:

J.P. Gallagher

Gallagher noted his background as a school principal, parks director and his last four years as Butte-Silver Bows top official and said, Public service has been my life. His theme is common among incumbents  great things are happening but theres more to do.

He said hundreds of millions of dollars in new construction has occurred since he took office, more than 1,100 new jobs were created and the median income in Butte-Silver Bow has increased by more than $8,000.

The sky is not falling in Butte and our economics are going up, he said.

Gallagher said his background in administration set him apart. He oversees more than 500 county employees, he said, negotiates contracts with unions and works with the public at every level.

I am responsive to the people in the community and I never turn anybody away from asking hard questions, he said. But sometimes with hard questions, the response is not always the answer they want to hear so you need someone in the leadership position that has the ability to make hard decisions.

Gallagher said his administration has tackled difficult challenges, including fallout from the COVID pandemic, the fentanyl crisis and property tax increases he blames on Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and state GOP lawmakers.

He said progress has been made on Superfund, there is a new EPA team in place and he rejects claims by some that secret meetings are being held and county officials are beholden to Atlantic Richfield and the EPA  things Foley has suggested.

Theres nothing hidden behind the curtain, Gallagher said. Everybodys working for the right reasons and that transparency is there.

Rayelynn Brandl

Brandl said she had a bachelors degree in biomedical science, a masters in watershed science and her work on Superfund issues through the Clark Ford Watershed program sets her apart.

A chief executive understanding the nuance of that Superfund site and how it fits into county government and how we address it, including our citizen concerns about where we site materials and how we handle those materials, is very important, she said.

Brandl said she got into the race because I want to serve the future, in part by seizing on an innovation economy.

Were about the make the next energy transition with Butte again at the center of that economy, both in our rare-earth minerals but also in our copper, she said.

Brandl said Butte had a dedicated workforce and Montana Tech, an institution that was started in 1900 to meet the demands of that first energy transition.

Every degree program we have on this campus fulfills a need in the innovation economy. Every single one, Brandl said. Were talking about materials science, were talking about engineering, electrical engineering.

We need new materials. We need more people thinking about  the civil engineering that we do in our cities to make them more robust and more sustainable.

Brandl said she would strive for an efficient, approachable local government and summed up her credentials this way:

If youre looking for a person in your chief executive who has the science background, who has the intelligence, who has the leadership skills, and is also open, approachable and kind, I am your chief executive, she said.

Being kind does not mean being weak or nice, she said.

Nice kisses your butt and tells you what you want to hear, she said. It doesnt hold you accountable and it doesnt hold you responsible, but kind does.

Bill Foley

Foley is a longtime sportswriter and columnist in Butte who currently produces a podcast about the Mining City and its people. He announced his bid in October and said then that he was running because I strongly feel that the secrecy running our local government has to end.

He made similar claims Thursday night, some generally refuted or challenged later by Gallagher.

I think our Constitution gives us the right to question our government, Foley said. Not only that, it gives us the responsibility to question our government. And right now, in Butte-Silver Bow, if you question our government, you get shouted down, you get mocked.

Foley claimed that county officials were already OK with a large convenience store and gas station locating next to the Silver Bow Drive-In before seeking public input and a boards vote simply affirmed that.

Foley suggested at an Aug. 28 meeting on Superfund issues that the Dublin Gulch area was being considered as a disposal site for historic mine wastes, though nothing had been made public. He said Thursday night that a column he wrote brought it to light and got people involved.

Never under any circumstances should we make residents in a neighborhood go to a meeting and plead with their government to not dump toxic waste next to their house, he said.

Foley also suggested that Gallaghers takes on the local economy and conditions in Butte were off-base. Homelessness is up, he said, some residents are afraid to walk their neighborhoods alone and people face financial challenges.

I think if you tell a lot of people that the economy is doing better with the cost-of-living, the prices, the taxes, I think most people would laugh at that thought, he said.

Moe Goodwin

Goodwin said she got in the race because she loves Butte and she pledged to enhance communication and collaboration if elected. She spoke often to some issues that residents, in survey after survey, cite as top local concerns. They include roads and a lack of retail shopping.

Butte used to have a lot of the latter, she said, but now people are forced to go out of town to shop. And the roads, she said, are a mess.

Theres not anybody in this room that hasnt hit a pothole and had to get realigned, she said, drawing laughs from the audience.

If our roads were better, I think we would get a lot more people coming in who want to do business, she said. Youre not going to want to take a $40,000 car and ruin your alignment on the first week you have it.

Goodwin touched on blight, though she didnt call it that.

Look at all these old buildings we have, she said. I believe that we should keep our architecture alive because we dont build like we used to, but theres also a lot of it that is beyond  it needs to go, she said.

Goodwin said her platform was about communication, collaboration and community.

She said if Butte wants miracles to happen, everyone needs to do their part.

Im willing to do my part, she said.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has made a sensational allegation of an attempt by a retired primary school teachers son to bribe him with 100 acres of land in Eldoret.

The land offer was purportedly made in hopes of gaining Duales favor regarding a contentious land dispute involving the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Recruits Training School and 82 year old retired teacher Wilson Chepsilonge, over a 3,500-acre property.

This dispute centers around the Nine Farms area in Kiplombe, Uasin Gishu County, where Duale, accompanied by top officials this week made statements implicating Mr. Chepsilonge, as an instigator.

There is a man called Chepsilonge, he is from Kapsabet. I want you to tell him, if the title he has is original, I want him to go to the National Land Commission (NLC) office yesterday to tell them to verify the paper. We are ready to present evidence that the document that the cartels, led by Chepsilonge, are carrying around is fake, the CS stated.

During his visit, Duale was joined by Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir, Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Eddyson Nyale, Governor Jonathan Bii, Senator Jackson Mandago, and Turbo MP Janet Sitienei.

The CS challenged the legitimacy of the documents purportedly held by Chepsilonge and labeling them as fraudulent.

Duales remarks escalated to accusations against Chepsilonges son, who allegedly reached out to both Duale and PS Korir, offering land in exchange for assistance with the disputed property.

The Defence CS encouraged the community to disavow Chepsilonge, inciting a crowd response with his call to action against the elderly man.

This incident led Chepsilonge to report threats to his safety at the Eldoret Central police station, accompanied by human rights defenders. He expressed fear for his life and concern over his safety and that of his family, citing harassment and an abduction attempt against his grandson following Duales public dressdown.

Chepsilonge, who claims leadership over a group of 500 beneficiaries with claims to the disputed land, defended the legitimacy of their ownership.

He mentioned the payment of land rates totaling Sh26 million and the possession of all necessary documentation to substantiate their claim, saying that their parcel is different from the military land in question.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo is the latest politician to call for the resignation of Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha, labeling her as incompetent in handling the ongoing health sector crisis.

In an interview on Citizen TV on Thursday, Maanzo criticized Nakhumichas inability to resolve the deadlock that has led to a prolonged doctors strike.

As a minister, she should be able to come up with solutions unless she is directed from elsewhere. If she understood the medical world and how doctors function then she would know what to do, he stated, highlighting the dire state of patients in deserted hospital wards.

Senator Maanzo went further, advocating for public demonstrations in support of the medical practitioners, emphasizing the urgent need for Nakhumichas departure and reforms in the health sector.

If more lives should be lost then all Kenyans should join the doctors in a strike. We should have demonstrations as there has never been in this country for her resignation and for the health sector to be set right, he said.

Additionally, the Senator suggested that devolving health services to counties could offer a viable solution to the ongoing impasse.

This proposal comes amid growing calls for Nakhumichas impeachment.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino announced his intention to file an impeachment motion against the CS, citing gross violation of the constitution and incompetence.

The motion reportedly has the backing of 111 MPs and has further support from the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK)s demand for Nakhumichas resignation due to her failure to address the health sectors staffing crisis.

The ongoing doctors strike, led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) since March 15, originated from demands for unpaid salaries and the hiring of intern doctors.

The government has offered 2.4 billion shillings aimed at resolving the issue, but the union rejected it, arguing it does not fulfill the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
For regular users of Thika Road, the picture of incomplete BRT bus sheds has become a regular sight.

The project that was supposed to change the face of Nairobi, by formalizing and modernizing our public transportation, has become an elusive dream.

Initially, a pink line was drawn on the inner lane of the highway, signifying the Bus Lane. This was widely ridiculed, and it became clear that the whole idea was not thought out at all.

Eventually, the Uhuru administration settled on a concrete plan to physically separate the bus lane, build bus sheds and design a proper, but not perfect Bus Rapid Transit system. Work started in earnest in 2019, as enthusiastically announced by then Public Works PS Charles Hinga on Twitter.

Thika road BRT I can now confidently tell you that we have the budget in the next financial year. So watch lipstick turn into a dedicated corridor.  Charles Hinga Mwaura; CBS, CA (SA) (@PSCharlesHinga) April 20, 2019

The Thika Road line was only phase one, and it also involved building a bus depot at Kasarani. After months of construction, several bus sheds were built at busy areas like KU, Kahawa, Safari Park and Roysambu.

The bus depot was also in advance stages of construction.

However, everything soon came to a grinding halt, and nothing has ever happened since.

Responding to enquiries from KOT, the PS revealed that the reason the BRT stalled was because of COVID-19 budget cuts. Budget cuts due to COVID19 delayed the dream but it will be done, he replied on X.

It will happen. At least we dared move the conversation from 69 studies and feasibilities and we got the journey started. Budget cuts due to COVID19 delayed the dream but it will be done.  Charles Hinga Mwaura; CBS, CA (SA) (@PSCharlesHinga) April 4, 2024

The PS then revealed that he spoke to CS Murkomen on Tuesday, and he assured him that some initial budget had been secured to restart the project. He further revealed that the government had secured a grant for the electric buses that will be used on the line.

Contractor abandoned site. I followed up with the CS in charge, yesterday & he informed me he has secured some initial budget to restart the constitution. We have also secured a grant facility that will be blended to bring in electric buses  Charles Hinga Mwaura; CBS, CA (SA) (@PSCharlesHinga) April 4, 2024

The PS further expressed optimism that the traffic chaos in Nairobi will be fixed in our lifetime.
Following intense public backlash, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has retracted an earlier directive that Nairobi county Kanjos arrest individuals caught filming them during their operational duties.

On Monday, the governor said that the enforcement officers should arrest anyone recording them, an act he said was obstruction. That order was given barely days after comedian Eric Omondi released a video of the officers harassing hawkers in the city. He addressed Sakaja directly in harsh terms, something that appears to have irked the governor.

The governor retracted his directive during a Nairobi County Assembly session on Thursday, where he stated that citizens have the full right to record these officers in action, provided that such recordings do not hinder the officers enforcement efforts.

To set the record straight and to be clear, there is no problem in recording officers as they perform their duties; if anything it leads to increased accountability. You can even shoot a movie if you want, Sakaja said, addressing concerns over citizens rights to document public servant activities.

However, he firmly opposed any form of obstruction or incitement against the officers, citing past incidents where enforcement personnel were assaulted during their duties.

The Governor issued a stern warning against actions that impede the operational duties of kanjos, highlighting the legal repercussions for such offenses. The people of Nairobi affirmed their desire for a city of order and order will be maintained, Sakaja declared, emphasizing the commitment to uphold public order within the county.

Sakaja further appealed to the Assembly members for their cooperation in safeguarding the welfare of the enforcement officers while ensuring they are accountable for their conduct.

Honorable members I really expect your support in protecting our officers but ensuring that they also have accountability for the work that they do and that they treat the people of Nairobi with dignity. This is an affirmation we have made and intend to keep, he concluded.

Watch the full State of County Address below.
Some 147 American Canyon staffers, who work in one of Napas largest commercial warehouses, are about to find themselves unemployed.

The IKEA fulfillment center in the south Napa County city will close, according to a statement from the company.

In order to provide seamless service to our customers, optimize our resources and position ourselves for growth, weve made the decision to consolidate our customer fulfillment network setup on the West Coast and close the American Canyon customer distribution center (CDC) when our lease ends in February 2025, said the statement.

The center, which is not a retail store, is located at 1 Middleton Way in American Canyon. IKEA was the largest tenant of the development, known as Napa Logistics Park. Other neighbors include Amazon, Biagi Bros. and PG&E.

In 2017, after months of speculation about the tenant for the mammoth warehouse building, IKEA opened a distribution center in American Canyon. The 646,000 square-foot building stretches over 16 acres.

Were really excited about IKEA coming in, and operating a distribution center to fulfill online sales orders, Ernie Knodel with Orchard Partners said at the time. Orchard Partners is the developer of Napa Logistics Park.

Initially, IKEA hired more than a dozen people for leadership positions, according to Knodel. IKEA then hired dozens of warehouse workers.

IKEA confirms American Canyon location with 200 jobs IKEA announced this week that it is opening a customer fulfillment center in American Canyon, following last weeks story that Napa Logistics 

In part to help alleviate traffic congestion, IKEA planned to operate two shifts, with the first starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. The second would follow right after the first shift.

The IKEA departure means that 1 million square feet of commercial space will become available at Napa Logistics Park. Another building not connected to the Swedish home goods store, No. 4, totals 365,000 square feet and is currently for lease.

IKEAs announcement of their impending departure is unfortunate, said Valerie Zizak-Morais, president/CEO of the American Canyon Chamber of Commerce, but not entirely surprising given the planned conclusion of their lease next spring.

The underlying business conditions of the Napa Logistics Park (and the broader Green Island industrial Area) remain stronger than ever, wrote Zizak-Morais.

The American Canyon Chamber of Commerce has wide-ranging connections with local businesses in the area and is convening re-employment opportunities, and fortunately, opportunities abound nearby, she wrote.

Brooks Pedder with CBRE is one of the commercial leasing agents that represents Napa Logistics Park.

The most likely tenant for that space is probably wine-industry related, said Pedder. Case good wine storage is probably our strongest target market; and other logistics uses that want to tap into our local labor, he said.

Some experts say Napa County suffers from a labor shortage. But all over Northern California there are labor shortages, said Pedder. We have a pretty good regional labor pool in the Napa Solano area.

There are an estimated 2,300 warehouse jobs in Napa County, reported the state Employment Development Department (EDD). According to the EDD, that number remained unchanged both year-over-year and from January to February.

Pedder couldnt comment on IKEA's plans or any specific replacement tenants.

But there has been and will be strong demand for these spaces, he said. They are state-of-the-art facilities. They have high ceiling clearance, excellent truck staging, and parking. Theres a lot of things about these buildings that dont exist in other facilities.

Its a valuable piece of real estate. In late 2018, the IKEA warehouse sold for $91 million. The seller was DWF IV Napa Logistics Center LLC. The buyer was RAR2Napa Logistics Park LLC.

The IKEA statement noted that the American Canyon Customer Distribution Center (CDC) has played a crucial role in getting our products to our customers in the West, and were incredibly grateful to the co-workers who help make this happen. We understand the impact this decision has on our co-workers, and were committed to supporting them during this transition, said the statement.

The volume currently handled by the American Canyon CDC will be redistributed, to other regional units, said the statement.

According to a CBRE commercial leasing report, in the first quarter of 2024, the vacancy rate for industrial space in American Canyon stood at 1.3%. The average asking rate was $1 per square foot. The total vacancy rate for Napa city was 3% with an average of $1.20 per square foot.

Vacancy has increased industry-wide, said Pedder. But Napa is still very tight by comparison. Theres just a limited supply of land and therefore a limited supply of new buildings. Its not that easy to find entitled land that you can develop commercially in Napa County. It took years to develop the Napa Logistics Park, he noted.

Pedder and his colleagues are already exploring new tenants for the IKEA space.

We got nine or 10 months to find a replacement tenant, he said. Were not too concerned.

Other commercial space will also be available in the south Napa County city.

In March, the American Canyon City Council adopted a warehouse approval measure to approve the new Giovannoni Logistics Center in the city.

American Canyon looks at warehouse ballot measure Proponents of an initiative involving American Canyon warehouse projects have gathered enough signatures for a ballot measure.

Development of the Giovannoni center is to take place on 163 acres of a 208-acre site in Green Island Business Park. The complex could ultimately have up to 2.4 million square feet of space.

PHOTOS: Shooting at Safeway gas station in American Canyon leaves three injured
The Changrabandha-Burimari railway link had also been used for transportation of goods during the British period. But it was closed in 1971. As a result, goods are now being transported between India and Bangladesh through the Changrabandha Land Custom Station (LCS) in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal and Burimari land port in Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh.

The restoration of the 650 metre cross-border link, which connects Changrabandha with the Burimari-Makhliganj railway line in Bangladesh, has the potential to expand sub-regional trade and commerce among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN). The land port traders are of the opinion that the resumption of the cross-border rail link will also significantly increase trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh as well as the revenue of the government.

"Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!"

India and Bangladesh have agreed to restore this rail link. The importance of re-establishing the Changrabandha-Burimari rail route has been recognised by both the sides in the Joint Statement issued during the visit of Prime Minister Hasina to India in September 2022. Reports say the IR considers that the rail link can be connected in both directions. They include the conversion of metre-gauge to dual-gauge from Parvatipur to Burimari via Kaunia and Lalmonirhat in northern Bangladesh or the conversion of metre-gauge from Santahar in Bogra to Lalmonirhat to Burimari to dual-gauge.

The IR has accepted the proposal of construction of new broad-gauge railway line from Changrabandha to Burimari to facilitate the transportation of goods between India, Bangladesh and Bhutan boosting sub-regional connectivity. As per reports, the Bangladesh governments Ministry of Railways has sent a proposal to extend the 45 km dual-gauge railway line from Changrabandha to Hatibandha in Lalmonirhat district. Bangladeshs Ministry of Railways has planned to expand this railway line in phases to reduce the transportation cost of goods benefiting the people and traders while increasing its revenue.

With an upcoming ICP at Chngrabandha accompanied by two functional railway stations on both sides of the international border, the restoration of this rail route will considerably increase the India-Bangladesh trade. It can also be used as transit point for Bhutans trade with Bangladesh. A December 2022 CUTS International report titled Restoring the Changrabandha-Burimari railway link can boost cross-border trade has noted that from the connectivity standpoint, Changrabandha lying along the India-Bangladesh border is strategically important.

It is around 60 km from Siliguri, the commercial hub in North Bengal, and about 100 km from Kakarvitta-Panitanki cross-border point between India and Nepal and Phuentsholing-Jaygaon at the India-Bhutan border. Therefore, Changrabandha could emerge as a key junction for trade and transit for the BBIN nations.

The 12 km Gitaldah-Mogalhat rail route was used for transportation of goods between the then East Bengal and West Bengal and Assam during the British rule. Reports say in 1884, the Cooch Behar State Railway, ran by the Cooch Behar Royals, established a narrow-gauge railway line from capital Cooch Behar to Gitaldah.

Subsequently, in 1910, the railway track from Gitaldah to Mogalhat was up graded to metre-gauge and people could travel till Parvatipur in Bangladesh and further to Sealdah in Kolkata through this route. The cross-border rail link remained operational even after the independence of Bangladesh in1971. Freight trains occasionally ran through the Mogalhat-Gitaldah route, crossing the bridge over the Mansai river till 1982.

According to reports, immigration check posts were functional both at Gitaldah in India and Mogalhat in Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh and passengers from the two neighbouring countries used to travel through this cross-border rail route. However, the Mansai bridge was completely damaged in the devastating floods of 1998 leading to the closure of this rail link. The Lalmonirhat-Mogalhat railway line in Bangladesh was also closed due to increased by-road communication facilities.

Since then, this rail link has been abandoned. The people on both sides of the international border have long been demanding the reopening of this railway line and land port. Recently, a delegation from Nepal visited the site to check the potential of the land port, including the railway. The officials of both IR and BR have also visited the spot several times to explore the possibilities of reviving this rail route.

The restoration of the Gitaldah-Mogalhat rail link will facilitate transportation of goods from large parts of Bhutan and Assam and North Bengal. The IR said the passenger service will also be possible later. The governments of India and Bangladesh have agreed to develop this cross-border rail route to expand trade, tourism and people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Lok Sabha that the bridge on the Mansai river needs to be constructed on the Indian side. In Bangladesh, the metre-gauge on the Mogalhat-Lalmomnirhat-Kaunia section has to be up graded to dual-gauge track. India and Bangladesh have also initiated the process of establishing a rail route between Hilli and Birampur and reviving the Belonia-Feni link.

A major part of the India-Bangladesh trade is carried out through the cross-border railway links. At the September 2023 Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting, the two sides agreed to extend the time of operating cross-border freight trains. Instead of dawn to dusk, cargo trains between the two neighbouring countries would be operated 24 hours a day. India requested Bangladesh to provide transit to the IR trains using the BRs network. The IR intends to use two cross-border links of Darshana-Gede and Chilahati-Halsdibari as transit routes. India has also requested to start a trial run on these routes.

The improvement of railway connectivity has played a pivotal role in enhancing bilateral trade as transportation of goods through railway is cheaper and faster. The two cross-border rail links, namely, Rohanpur-Singhabad and Birol-Radhikapur are being used exclusively for transportation of goods between India and Bangladesh. Both the rail routes have also been contributing a lot in expanding sub-regional trade with India through the IR network under a transit facility arrangement.

As per reports, the number of loaded freight trains interchanged between India and Bangladesh increased from 811 in the 2018-19 fiscal year (FY) to 1, 631 in the 2020-21 FY with a total volume of carried goods going up to 36.94 lakh tons from 19.85 lakh tons. According to the data of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, with greater freight movement, the BR earned nearly Tk 1.77 billion in the 2021 FY, which was Tk 960 million in the 2018-19 FY and Tk 769 million in the 2019-20 FY. A World Bank report has noted that seamless transport connectivity between India and Bangladesh has the potential to raise national income by 8% in India and 17% in Bangladesh.

Dr Rupak Bhattacharjee is an Assam-based independent public and foreign policy analyst. He can be reached at bhattacharjeerupak2016@gmail.com
Chase's Place, owned by Tara and Chase Guthrie, is one of five more restaurants to love in Fredericksburg. The menu includes the French Blonde cocktail, Brussels sprouts, the 15 Degree Martini and a cheeseburger with Parmesan truffle fries. Mike Sutter/Staff

For Chase and Tara Guthrie, the Fredericksburg bar they call Chases Place fills an empty space in a city thats become very good at filling empty spaces. That empty space? Cocktails with the same attention restaurants pay to food. Sourcing, craft, a sense of place.

That place is Fredericksburg, a city that Chase Guthrie sees as a kind of theme park, a Hill Country Disneyland: Why would you come to Disneyland and just ride Its a Small World when theres Space Mountain?

Exactly. Stepping off the roller coaster of our first-ever ranking of Fredericksburgs Top 10 Restaurants, here are five more places to love in a town thats not so small after all.

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Chases Place

When I asked bartender Travis King what to order at a cocktail bar, he said this: If you see a lot of whiskeys and bourbons on the shelf, order an old-fashioned. If you see a lot of gins and vodkas, order a martini. At Chases Place, Chase Guthrie puts their whiskey and bourbon bottle count at around 115. Even so, I ordered one of the best martinis Ive ever had, one they call the 15 Degree Martini, pre-batched and held below freezing overnight. Its as bracing and strong as the French Blonde was playful and creative, with gin and elderflower. In this lovingly restored 85-year-old bungalow with a black-marble bar flanked by button-plush leather banquettes and velvet conversation pits, cocktails get top billing. But the food program makes room for gnocchi Bolognese, filet mignon, a respectable burger with Parmesan-truffle fries and an entree-size bowl of Brussels sprouts crowned with bacon and pecans. 313 E. San Antonio St,. Fredericksburg, 830-307-9020, chasesplacecocktails.com

Martini's Seafood House is one of five more restaurants to love in Fredericksburg. The menu includes a dirty gin martini and a seafood boil with snow crab, shrimp and sausage. Mike Sutter/Staff

Martinis Seafood House

Martinis is steeped in JFK imagery, swirling in a soundtrack of classic R&B, played in a space that feels like one of those pre-Prohibition speak-easy bars in that brief window of American culture when that was a thing. Its still a thing here, where a chilled dirty martini shares the table with fresh East Coast and Gulf Coast oysters, followed by a lobster roll or crabcakes or a seafood boil with a high-five spread of snow crab, shrimp and sausage. The same owners carry the same vibe across town at their Italian steak place, Jacks Chophouse. 107 N. Adams St., Fredericksburg, 830-383-1030, martinisseafood.com

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Prometheus Pizza is one of five more restaurants to love in Fredericksburg. The trailer's pizza menu includes a kale-and-sausage pie called the Roxanne, front, and a white-sauce pizza called the Hot Potato. Mike Sutter/Staff

Prometheus Pizza

At this dinnertime roadside trailer with picnic tables and string lights, the clerk described the Hot Potato Pizza as the crazier choice over a mushroom pizza. I say go for crazy every time, and this was crazy good, a white-sauce pie with mozzarella, potatoes, olives and black pepper on a crust with snap-crackle character. The Roxannes just as good, spiced up by Calabrian chiles and a tangle of kale, sausage, red sauce and mozzarella. Owners Christopher and Rachel Collins Stephens started the trailer in 2020, and theyre set to move into a bright brick-and-mortar space in town at 108 S. Lincoln St. any day now. 1180 U.S. 87 S., Fredericksburg, 830-456-2536, prometheus-pizza.com

Woerner Warehouse is one of five more restaurants to love in Fredericksburg. The menu includes, clockwise from top left, vegetable quiche, a pizza with roast chicken and bacon called the Olive Oil, a cappuccino, a Sonoma chicken-salad sandwich and key lime pie. Mike Sutter/Staff

Woerner Warehouse Cafe

It wasnt that long ago that Woerner Warehouse Cafe operated out of a much more rustic warehouse, the old Woerner Feed Store a quarter-mile north on Lincoln Street. The new space is still big enough to house the cafe and an antiques store, but its a more modern, industrial, urban-style kind of warehouse. What hasnt changed is a bakery-centered menu that favors sandwiches, pizza, quiches and pies, backed up by a full coffee, wine and cocktail bar. For something to start the day, or get you halfway through it, I recommend the generous vegetable quiche, a pizza with roast chicken and bacon called the Olive Oil, and a slice of fresh Key lime pie. 407 E. Live Oak St., Fredericksburg, 830-997-2246, woernerwarehouse.com

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Campo Azul Mexican Grill & Bar is one of five more restaurants to love in Fredericksburg. The menu includes a combo plate with cheese enchiladas, a crispy taco and a tostada, along with a top-shelf Skinny Margarita. Mike Sutter/Staff

Campo Azul
Lauren Connally leaves the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau offices on March 14. Hill Country businesses say they are sticking with their plans for the upcoming eclipse, even as weather forecasts suggest cloudy skies that could limit visibility. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

As worries swirl that cloudy weather could spoil the view for Mondays total eclipse, Hill Country business owners and local officials say they arent changing their plans and still expect big crowds to turn out for the celestial event.

A chance to get the full view of the eclipse has been expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors into the Texas Hill Country, much of which is in the path of totality, the 115-mile-wide swath that will fall completely under the moons shadow during the eclipse.

But forecasting models show a system of low atmospheric pressure moving into the Southwestern United States by Monday. That can lead to dense cloud cover, rain and storms over Texas. While a few breaks in the clouds are possible on Monday, most weather models agree that South Texas will experience mostly cloudy skies throughout the afternoon.

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That forecast is worrying eclipse chasers that the cloud cover could obscure the big event.

Most weather concerns are coming from tourists, said Julie Davis, president and CEO of the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Although most seem to be hoping for the best, she said businesses are fielding calls from people who are considering changing their plans due to the weather forecast.

People have planned vacations around this, Davis said. Hopefully, they still come and check it all out. But it all remains to be seen.

Regardless of the forecast, most area business owners are forging ahead with their eclipse plans, in part because theyve already spent money on supplies and equipment to prepare for the influx of visitors. Many Hill Country venues are not offering refunds in the event of poor eclipse viewing conditions.

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The party is going to go on regardless, Davis said. If youve already rented 400 Porta-Potties, you have to pay for them.

The Y.O. Hotel and Conference Center in Kerrville is still expecting to have between 400 and 500 guests for the days surrounding the eclipse, said Rick Russell, the hotels sales manager.

Its a moving target. Depending on when that storm goes through and how far north it goes, we could still have a pretty good window, Russell said. You know how it is here in Texas. Were hoping for the best.

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A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper inspects the scene of a fatal school bus crash on Texas 21 in Bastrop County on March 22. Jay Janner/Associated Press

The concrete pump truck driver who struck a school bus and SUV, killing two people, told a deputy that hed fallen asleep while driving, according to an incident report from the Caldwell County Sheriffs Office.

Jerry Hernandez, 43, was arrested last Friday and charged with criminally negligent homicide, one week after the crash on Texas 21 that killed Hays County preschooler Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, 5, and Ryan Wallace, 33, a Bastrop resident and University of Texas at Austin doctoral student.

A Caldwell County deputy who arrived at the scene about 10 minutes after the crash wrote in a report that he saw a man standing by a guardrail near where the truck had gone off the road. Bystanders said they had helped the man get out of the truck, the report said.

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The man identified himself as Hernandez, and told the deputy he was traveling from Taylor to Bastrop.

I was advised by Jerry Hernandez that he fell asleep and that is why the collision occurred, the deputy said. Hernandez had a large cut on his head while speaking to the deputy, the report said.

The report contradicts what Hernandez told another officer later that day after he was taken to a hospital for treatment. According to an arrest warrant, Hernandez told a Department of Public Safety trooper that a white SUV traveling about two car-lengths in front of the truck had braked suddenly, forcing him to swerve to the left into the oncoming traffic lane, according to an arrest warrant.

DPS said in the affidavit and again in a crash report released Friday that there was no evidence of an SUV braking suddenly in front of the truck.

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This is not supported by video evidence of the crash, a DPS investigator said in the report.

A toxicology report on a blood sample from Hernandez is still pending, according to the crash report. Hernandez told DPS that he smoked marijuana the night before the crash, slept for about three hours and consumed cocaine around 1:30 a.m., just about 12 hours before the crash, the warrant said. He also told DPS hed taken a 15-minute nap before leaving his work location just before the collision.

Driver fatigue may have contributed to the crash, DPS said in the crash report. Drug use may also have contributed to the crash.

The report also details the sequence of the collision. When Hernandez crossed the center line into the westbound lane, the driver of the bus swerved to the right to try to avoid the truck. The concrete pump truck, which was traveling east, hit the front left side of the bus, forcing it to spin and roll over. The truck continued traveling in the westbound lane and hit a Hyundai Tucson that was driving behind the bus, pushing it backward onto the shoulder and into a guardrail. The driver of that vehicle, Wallace, was killed.

READ MORE: Hays CISD releases video from fatal accident involving bus carrying Tom Green Elementary students

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The truck continued across the shoulder and through the guardrail, then rolled onto its right side in a ditch, the report said.

According to the report, a fourth vehicle also was involved in the crash. The driver of a Toyota SUV traveling west swerved into the eastbound lanes to avoid the truck after it struck the school bus. The car sustained minor damage, but the driver was uninjured.

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an incident investigation into the crash, the agency said Friday, but it wont be issuing any reports, finding or conclusions or sending a team to the area

We will be gathering information from the Texas Department of Public Safety and other local authorities which could be referenced in other school bus crash investigations we are currently conducting, the federal agency said in a written statement. The NTSB is currently investigating two school bus crashes, according to its website: one in Rushville, Ill., and another in Mount Zion, W.Va.
For the second consecutive year, the Emory community gathered to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, marking the arrival of spring. Rooted in ancient Persian traditions, Nowruz, or new day, was commemorated at the Michael C. Carlos Museum through cultural activities and musical performances, followed by a dinner at Brooks Commons of Cannon Chapel.

The event was a joint effort of the Emory Persian Cultural Association, the Emory Muslim Students Association, the Ismaili Council for the Southeastern United States, the Emory Office of Spiritual and Religious Life, the Michael C. Carlos Museum and Emory Libraries.

Bahram Borgheai, a postdoctoral fellow, advisor of the Emory Persian Cultural Association and performer at the celebration, noted how much it meant to him that people from many different backgrounds attended the celebration and enjoyed the festivities.

This event gave the Persian community at Emory not only the chance to feel home in the new year, but also provided a diversity which cannot even happen in our own home countries, Borgheai says. It demonstrated how culture, music and dance can go beyond borders. It was so exciting for me to see how our music speaks to the hearts of people who may not even know a word of our songs lyrics.

The array of cultural expressions of Nowruz, featuring traditional arts and performances from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan, was a collective effort that saw broad participation. Emorys students, alumni and staff from a variety of sectors were instrumental in the events success. Members of the broader community, including the Persian and Ismaili Muslim communities, were also involved.

Nadya Merchant, volunteer with the Ismaili Council for the Southeastern United States, highlighted the collaborative spirit of the celebration.

As Navroz marks the first day of the Persian New Year and the arrival of spring, it is a very special time for reflection, renewal and celebration for many cultures and communities, Merchant says. This diversity can even be witnessed in the multiple ways in which we can pronounce and spell Navroz, Nowruz, Norooz, etc., which literally means New Day. We cant wait to celebrate Navroz at Emory again next year.

Emory students Katherine Khayami, Lelia Keshavarz and Amal Panjwani acted as emcees for the event, introducing musical and dance performances. The three students expressed their joy and pride in sharing their cultural traditions with the Emory community.

Khayami, founder and president of the Persian Cultural Association, says, It was a delight to celebrate Norooz, a holiday that embodies Persian culture, with the Emory community. I hope the club can continue to share and celebrate Persian culture with the Emory community.

I grew up making a haft sin, coloring eggs with my little brother and going to mehmoonis for Nowruz with my family, adds Keshavarz, vice president of the Persian Cultural Association. It is such a privilege to bring these traditions to Emory for a second year in a row. I'm so grateful for everyone that came out to celebrate Nowruz with us.

Amal Panjwami, a board member of the Emory Muslim Student Association, appreciated Emory's collaboration with the Ismaili Council as well as other campus organizations. Seeing the diverse groups of people represented in both the audience and the performers was truly heartwarming. Overall, I found the entire event to be a great celebration of Emory's partnership with the larger Atlanta community and was very happy to see the group come together to celebrate this festival of new beginnings.

It was an amazing night that brought people from different cultures together, says Neda Zeraatkar, Middle East and Islamic studies librarian. The colorful dress codes made it such a memorable experience.

Munir Meghjani, past president of the Emory Alumni Board and a member of the Ismaili community, believes the event is significant.

When I first came to Oxford College, it was for its rankings and the expectations of South Asian parents to attend at top-tier university, he says. The diversity of the student body was a bonus that I wouldnt quite appreciate until much later. Now, years later, I proudly attend Emory events in my traditional garb, always received with curiosity and warmth.

To bring together Emory and the Carlos Museum with the Ismaili community to celebrate Navrouz publicly was a fulfillment of a long-held dream, Meghjani adds. Emory recognizes the difference between being welcomed and feeling a true sense of belonging. This celebration, followed by an Iftar dinner, is a testament to Emorys commitment to its values. Honoring our diversity together makes us more human.
The most common tick found on humans in Georgia is the lone star tick  an aggressive seeker of blood that can spread dangerous pathogens through its bites.

Emory University researchers combined field data with spatial-analysis techniques to map the distribution of the lone star tick across the state. The journal Parasites & Vectors published the research, which identifies specific environmental conditions associated with this tick species, Amblyomma americanum, in Georgia.

The areas with the highest probability for the presence of lone star ticks include parts of the Southeastern Plains and Piedmont ecoregions of the state, including metro Atlanta.

We found that these regions contain sweet spots for the lone star tick, says Stephanie Bellman, first author of the study and an MD/PhD student in Emorys School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health. They tend to be more prevalent in forested areas of mid-elevation  not too high or too low  and in soils that retain moisture but are not swampy.

The study maps the distribution at the scale of one square kilometer. That resolution is far finer than the currently available information, which is limited to the county level and does not encompass the state.

As the weather warms and people start getting into the outdoors more, we hope our data can be used to target areas for tick-bite prevention messaging, says Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, professor in Emorys Department of Environmental Sciences and senior author of the study.

Vazquez-Prokopec is a leading expert in vector-borne diseases  infections transmitted among humans and animals by the bite of a living organism, such as a tick or a mosquito.

Diseases the lone star tick is known to transmit include ehrlichiosis, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI) and Heartland virus disease  which was first identified in the United States in 2009. The bite of the lone star tick is also associated with a potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat and dairy products known as alpha-gal syndrome.

Mapping the lone star tick is another step in a comprehensive Emory project to track and monitor the array of tick species in Georgia and the diseases that they can spread  including those caused by emerging pathogens.

Tickborne diseases are on the rise, far surpassing the incidence of diseases spread by mosquitos in the United States. While Lyme disease is the most common, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recognizes 18 tickborne diseases in the country.

We need to educate people that the environment that they grew up in is likely very different in terms of the number and types of ticks and the pathogens that they are carrying, Vazquez-Prokopec says.

Anne Piantadosi, assistant professor in Emory School of Medicines Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is co-author of the study.

Co-authors also include five Emory students who conducted fieldwork: Ellie Fausett (who has since graduated with a joint environmental sciences/MPH degree); Leah Aeschleman and Audrey Long (who have since received masters of public health degrees from Rollins School of Public Health); Josie Pilchik, (who graduated with a bachelors in biology) and Isabella Roeske (an Emory senior majoring in environmental sciences).

Mapping lone star tick prevalence

Climate change is fueling warmer and shorter winters, increasing opportunities for some species of ticks to breed more frequently and expand their ranges. Land-use changes are also strongly associated with tickborne diseases, as more human habitats encroach on wooded areas and the loss of natural habitat forces wildlife to live in denser populations.

Georgia is a tick haven in general, Bellman says, since we have a long warm season and such a diversity of habitats.

The researchers decided to focus first on mapping the distribution of the lone star tick because it is the dominant tick species in Georgia and can spread an array of pathogens. In 2019, the Emory researchers found that Heartland virus is circulating in lone star ticks in Georgia, an emerging pathogen that is not well understood.

Named for a bright, yellowish-white spot on its back, the lone star tick is widely distributed in wooded areas across the Southeast, Eastern and Midwest United States. It is tiny  in the nymph stage it is about the size of a sesame seed and as an adult it is barely a quarter-of-an-inch in diameter.

Despite its tiny size, the lone star tick is aggressive in its quest for blood meals.

They can sense carbon dioxide from your exhaled breath and the vibrations from your movement in a forest, Bellman says. They climb up onto vegetation and reach out their legs to grab onto you as you pass by.

For the current study, Bellman led crews of Emory students, known as the tick team, in field surveys. They used flagging as a tick-collection technique. A white flannel cloth attached to a pole is swished in a figure-eight motion through the underbrush. Tweezers are used to transfer any ticks found on the flannel into a vial.

Tick team members surveyed 198 locations at 43 state parks and wildlife management areas across the state, from March to July 2022. Analyses combined the site-sampling data with environmental variables  including type of vegetation, land use, climate, elevation and other factors  characteristic for six different ecoregions of Georgia.

Lone star ticks were found in all of the ecoregions except for the mountainous Blue Ridge ecoregion in the northeast corner of the state. The majority of the ticks were found in forested areas of the Piedmont, Southeastern Plains and Southern Coastal Plains ecoregions.

Investigating other tick species

The researchers encourage people to follow the recommendations of the CDC for preventing tick bites. And while the map for the lone star tick provides guidance on the likelihood of encountering the most prevalent human-biting tick in the state, there are other tick species that the researchers have yet to map.

The black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), which can transmit the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, for instance, is also established in Georgia. Lyme disease, however, is relatively uncommon in the state for reasons that are not yet well-understood.

The researchers are also investigating the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalislongicornis) in Georgia. Long established in China, Japan, Russia and parts of the Pacific, the Asian longhorned tick was first detected in the United States in 2017, in New Jersey, and has since spread to 19 states. It was found on farm animals in Pickens County, Georgia in 2021.

The Asian longhorned tick reproduces asexually and a single female can generate as many as 100,000 eggs, rapidly producing massive amounts of offspring that feed on livestock. So many ticks can be covering a single sheep or cow that the loss of blood physically weakens or, in extreme cases, kills the animal.

While it is often associated with livestock, the Emory research team recently found Asian longhorned ticks in the Buck Shoals Wildlife Management Area in White County, Georgia.

The Asian longhorned tick carries bacterial and viral pathogens that can infect humans, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), also known as Dabie bandavirus. Human cases of SFTS, a hemorrhagic fever, emerged in China in 2009 and have since been identified in other parts of Asia, although not in the United States.

Also of concern is the fact that the Heartland virus shares genomic similarities with SFTS, which suggests the Asian longhorn tick could potentially transmit this emerging pathogen.

The Emory team has been finding the Heartland virus in lone star ticks collected from central Georgia starting in 2019. They have continued to find Heartland virus in at least some of the ticks collected from that area nearly annually through 2023. (They did not perform collections in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

More than 60 cases of Heartland virus disease have been reported in the United States, according to the latest CDC statistics. Many of the identified cases were severe enough to require hospitalization, and a few individuals with co-morbidities have died.

The actual number of people who may have been infected with Heartland virus is believed to be higher, however, since the virus is not well known and tests are rarely ordered for it. Complicating the issue is the fact that symptoms of Heartland virus are akin to those of many tickborne illnesses: fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, diarrhea and muscle or joint pain.

Human cases of Heartland virus are rare now, but we dont know whether that could change, Bellman says. We need to gather more baseline data and learn how it spreads in the environment so that we have the evidence we need to potentially prevent, or limit, its spread.

Work on the current paper was funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, Emory University and the Emory MP3 Initiative and Infectious Disease Across Scales Training Program.
Police arrest 13 over child pornography

Police on Friday said they had arrested 13 men as part of an anti-child pornography operation which also involved forces in Singapore, South Korea, Britain and Australia.



A total of 272 people were arrested in the five jurisdictions, on suspicion of possessing images of abuse or procuring children to make pornography.



At a press briefing, acting senior superintendent Hui Yee-wai said police in Hong Kong seized 21 computers, nine smartphones and 75 external storage devices as part of their investigation.



Hui said none of the victims were from Hong Kong.



Meanwhile, senior inspector Kwok Sze-wai said the number of child pornography cases in the SAR has been increasing in recent years, with 63 recorded in 2023.



Kwok said in some cases, offenders use social media platforms, online games and messaging apps to find children to abuse.



Therefore, as parents and guardians, it is crucial for us to understand and assist our children in developing healthy online habits. We must protect our children and prevent them from becoming victims, she said.
CIA chief heading to Cairo for hostage talks: US media

Bill Burns will meet senior officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar. Photo: AFP

CIA Director Bill Burns will travel to the Egyptian capital Cairo this weekend for talks on freeing hostages held in Gaza, US media said on Friday.



Burns will meet Mossad chief David Barnea as well as officials from Egypt and Qatar, The New York Times reported. Axios identified those officials as Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.



Hamas launched a shock attack on October 7 attack that resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on Israeli official figures.



Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli army says are dead.



Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.



The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. (AFP)
NewsVoir Patna (Bihar) [India], April 5: JK Cement, one of India's leading manufacturers of Grey Cement and one of the leading White Cement manufacturers in the World, today announced its expansion into the East Indian market with the official launch of its Grey Cement business in Bihar. The company commemorated this significant milestone with a grand launch event at Hotel Maurya in Patna. This strategic move underscores JK Cement's dedication to strengthening its national presence and contributing to Bihar's infrastructural development and economic growth. In a statement, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director, JK Cement Ltd., said, "We are thrilled to embark on this exciting journey in Bihar. This expansion fits well with our goal to strengthen our presence nationwide and contribute significantly to Bihar's infrastructure development. Bihar's potential for growth is undeniable, and we are confident that JK Cement's superior quality products and unwavering commitment to innovation will be well-received by the market." JK Cement plans to cover nine districts of Southern Bihar in the initial phase. The company is well-known for its special products for special applications. As part of the initial launch, JK Cement will introduce its mother brand JK Super Cement in Bihar. This premium product will be available in durable and tamper-proof LPP packaging, catering to the demands of the discerning Bihar market. Commenting on the future plans, Madhavkrishna Singhania, Dy. Managing Director and CEO, JK Cement Ltd., said, "Our initial focus will be on covering nine districts of Southern Bihar. With the upcoming Prayagraj plant coming online, we plan to swiftly expand our reach to encompass other districts in the near future. JK Cement's established presence in the neighboring Uttar Pradesh market positions us perfectly to serve the Bihar market effectively. Additionally, we are actively exploring the possibility of setting up a plant in Bihar by next year, further solidifying our commitment to the region." Driven by a wave of new establishments and infrastructure upgrades, Bihar is undergoing a phase of remarkable progress. Bihar's Megaprojects are pivotal contributors to India's burgeoning development landscape. JK Cement's entry into the market is a strategic move to tap into this potential. The company's commitment to quality and innovation is well-known, and its entry into the Bihar market is expected to bolster infrastructure development and economic progress in the region. JK Cement Ltd. is one of India's leading manufacturers of Grey Cement and one of the leading White Cement manufacturers in the World. Over five decades, the Company has partnered with India's multi-sectoral infrastructure needs on the strength of its product excellence, customer orientation and technology leadership. JKCement's operations commenced with commercial production at its flagship grey cement unit at Nimbahera, Rajasthan in May 1975. The Company has an installed capacity of 22.2 MTPA of Grey Cement, making it one of the top cement manufacturers in the Country. The Grey Cement business has a strong Pan-India presence across 15 states with an enhanced reach in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. With a total White Cement Capacity of 1.48 MTPA and Wall Putty capacity of 1.33 MTPA, JK White Cement is sold across 36 countries around the globe and the Company has a strong international presence with two subsidiaries, JK Cement Works Fujairah FZC and JK White Cement (Africa) Ltd. For more information, please visit JK Cement: www.jkcement.com. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Vistara on Friday apologised to the public after the airline cancelled a significant number of flights during the past few days. A significant number of Vistara pilots had taken sick leave following the announcement of new salary rules, which coincided with the merger with Air India. "We acknowledge that the recent experience of our customers fell short of the standards that we hold ourselves to and we sincerely apologise for the same," Vistara said in a statement posted on its official X handle. The airline said it had to cancel and delay a significant number of flights, owing to "various operational reasons" and due to "high utilisation of resources", there was limited room to cope with contingencies. It further said it was addressing this issue on a war footing. Over 200 Vistara flights were affected -- either cancelled or delayed -- over the past two weeks. On Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked Vistara Airlines to submit daily reports about flight operations and follow the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR). "First and foremost, we have temporarily reduced the number of flights we operate and also deployed larger aircraft like our B787-9 DreamlinerTM and A321 neo on select domestic routes to accommodate more customers, wherever possible. Furthermore, we are reaching out to all customers affected by the delays and cancellations over the last weekend, to offer relevant refunds and compensation," Vistara said. The situation has already improved, with its on-time performance increasing to over 80 per cent for the last two days. It hopes to stabilise the operations for the rest of April, 2024 by this weekend. "We would like to assure our customers that we will live up to the Vistara experience that they have come to expect from us over the years. We thank our customers for their continued support and request for their patience as we work towards resolving this," the airline added. (ANI)
Actor Jennifer Garner opened up about her "emotional" audition for the TV series 'Felicity', which led to her crying in the bathroom afterwards, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She had a cameo role as Hannah Bibb in the JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves-created series, and she just looked back on her audition for what "must have been the breakup scene." "I remember the audition. I remember going into the bathroom after because the scene was so emotional and I needed to cry," she said on 'The Ringer's Dear Felicity' podcast. "I needed to hide in the bathroom stall and finish the cry that I started in the audition because it was such a powerful scene." 'Felicity' is an American drama TV series created by JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves. The series follows the college experiences of the titular character, Felicity Porter (portrayed by Keri Russell), as she attends the University of New York. The show aired for four seasons, from September 29, 1998, to May 22, 2002. Garner said Abrams asked her to return later to re-audition for the part, to which podcast host and former Felicity actor Greg Grunberg remarked., "That makes sense to me because you're not very good. I get it. I mean, notes, notes -- you know what? Let me give her a block of notes to take home." The 'Alias' actor responded, "I do need that, though. I've always loved a ton of feedback. I love that about working with J.J. and with Matt. They are helpful and they are true directors. They aren't just like, 'Okay, that seems fine. You have another one in you?' They have an idea, and they're helping guide you to the best version of whatever you show up with." "That was true in the audition process as well," Garner added. "After the first read, then I was invested and was like, 'Oh gosh, I really wanna do this.'" Garner's character Hannah Bibb appeared in seasons one and four of the drama series, which ran from 1998 to 2002, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)
A multiple-exposure photograph from Aug. 21, 2017, shows the phases of a solar eclipse over the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Jeff Roberson/AP Blake Davis, 10, looks through solar glasses as he watches the eclipse in?2017 at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. Wilfredo Lee/AP About 2,000 people attended an eclipse viewing party on Aug. 21, 2017, at a portable planetarium at Beaumont's Event Centre. Guiseppe Barranco In this photo taken in Madras, Oregon, the moon obscures the sun during a solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle A multiple-exposure photograph released by NASA shows the progression of a solar eclipse Aug. 21, 2017 over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington. Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images Students with the Jennings School District in St. Louis view the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Jeff Curry/TNS The crowd reacts as the sun finally appears through the fog and clouds midway through the eclipse at Chabot Space & Science Center on Monday, August 21, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. San Francisco File Photo

When he first heard a total solar eclipse would be visible over Casper, Wyo., in 2017, Stew Anderson wasnt particularly excited.

Hed seen a partial eclipse as a kid, and didnt see why it would be such a big deal.

Anderson  the emergency management coordinator for Natrona County, home to almost 80,000 people and the states second-largest city  had no idea he was about to spend two years thinking about and preparing for the event.

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When the eclipse finally arrived, the countys population more than doubled for a few days, and the exodus after the event resulted in a traffic jam on Interstate 25 that turned a four-hour trip to Denver into a 12-hour ordeal.

But watching the eclipse from the roof of Caspers Hall of Justice left a lasting impression. Anderson said that while it didnt turn him into an eclipse-chaser, he now understands why others travel to follow the spectacle, he said.

They say youll never forget it, which I havent, said Anderson, who retired a few months after the 2017 eclipse.

That solar event drew hundreds of thousands of people to a swath of the United States that ran from Oregon to South Carolina, all in search of the best location to watch the moon obscure the sun for a few minutes, turning daylight into darkness. A similar influx is expected Monday, when a total solar eclipse passes across the country again, cutting a path through Texas from Eagle Pass to Texarkana.

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This time, unlike Anderson and his counterparts did in 2017, state and local officials trying to prepare have an advantage: They have plans and reports to review and experts they can consult whove been through this recently.

Preparing for the unknown

Before 2017, the last time a total solar eclipse was visible in the continental United States was 1979, when the path of totality traveled over the Pacific Northwest, Montana and North Dakota.

That offered little help in preparing, said Rich Ochs, emergency management coordinator for Teton County, Wyo., which includes the resort town of Jackson and Grand Teton National Park.

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In the 1970s, they didnt have a computer in their pocket with weather on an hourly basis and navigation apps, Ochs said. The increase in information meant a potential increase in people flocking to the area to watch the eclipse.

The biggest uncertainty the county faced in 2017 was not knowing how many people to expect, he said.

While they knew how many hotel rooms were booked, they had no way of knowing how many day-trippers might arrive, or how many were planning to head to nearby cities, like Casper or Idaho Falls, but might make a last-minute decision to come to Teton County if clearer skies were in the forecast.

Ochs said county leaders were also unsure what theyd get from the eclipse tourists. They werent sure if people would be heading only to the national park and national forest, or if theyd be looking to congregate in the downtown area or county parks. They prepared for people gathering in those spots just in case, but found just about everyone wanted to be away from town.

Everybody wanted to be out in nature, he said, which was why they chose to come to Teton County instead of elsewhere in the path of totality. For people looking to predict crowds this time around, he said, consider why people would choose that location over another, and expect people to gather there. Communities holding festivals, for example, might not appeal to visitors who are seeking wide-open spaces in nature.

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Expect traffic gridlock

Emergency managers across the country said the biggest issue was traffic after the eclipse  and it began to back up earlier than expected.

An eclipse starts when the moon begins to cover the sun, and doesnt end until it has completely moved off the solar disc. On Monday, thats expected to take just under three hours in Texas, with totality lasting for as long as about 4 minutes in the middle.

Ochs said people started arriving hours before the eclipse began, securing parking spots and setting up lawn chairs and picnics. He expected theyd stay there through the end of the eclipse, but was surprised when they began packing up and leaving as soon as totality ended.

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The minute totality ended, Ochs said, its like the shows over, people didnt want to sit around for the remaining 45 minutes or an hour.

The typical 20-minute drive back into town turned into a four-hour traffic jam, he said  something Hill Country travelers should be wary of in places with only one way in and out.

Teton County wasnt alone in that experience. Larger metropolitan areas and those along major highways experienced similar backups, which could be the case here on roads such as Interstate 35, Interstate 10 or U.S. 281.

In South Carolina, where the eclipses path cut through the state, there was a mass exodus on Interstate 85, Greenville County Emergency Management Director Jessica Stumpf said.

The county sits between Atlanta and Charlotte, and people leaving the area were stopped in traffic in both directions. The Greenville News reported about one hour after totality that traffic was backed up about 20 miles in both directions on the highway.

Similar traffic occurred in Oregon, said Krista Carter, an emergency management coordinator in Marion County.

Leading up to and during totality, it ended up being pretty uneventful in the county, which is about 50 miles from the Pacific Coast. But that was followed by gridlock, because everyone was leaving at once.

The countys entire public works crew was out flagging and directing traffic for several hours after the eclipse, Carter said. Drivers also tried to avoid the major highways by taking the back roads, but that traffic was just as bad, she said.

Dont come home right after the eclipse, stay an extra day, she said. Thats the advice Ive been giving everybody. We didnt think of that.

Pretty darn quiet

As it turned out, traffic proved to be the only substantial problem, officials said. The worst-case scenarios theyd prepared for didnt materialized.

Stumpf said there were concerns that drivers would stop on the highway during the eclipse, causing crashes and safety issues, but people took heed of the warnings beforehand and that didnt happen. The communications issues and potential outages theyd prepared for didnt materialize either, she said.

Anderson said his department had a similar experience. They bought extra satellite phones to use in case cell towers got jammed, but didnt have to use them, he said.

Stumpf, who was working as a planning coordinator in the department in 2017, said another worry ahead of the eclipse was that people would get injured, particularly in the parks, trails and remote areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We were thinking that people were going to be looking up at the sky and not paying attention to their surroundings, she said, potentially falling and getting hurt in areas only accessible by narrow, winding roads. To prepare, they stationed first responders in that area, equipped with off-road vehicles to respond quickly in case of an emergency in a state park or other rugged area.

Hikers and others looking to watch the eclipse from remote areas should take care to be aware of their surroundings, she said  and so should people watching in crowded areas like parks and events.

But despite planning for and anticipating major issues, she said none were reported in the county, an experience Ochs and Anderson shared across the country in Wyoming.

For the amount of folks we had here visiting, it was pretty darn quiet, Anderson said. We had no big incidents, no big fires, nothing out of the ordinary for car crashes or anything like that.

Ochs said he was worried about supply shortages, but it turned out that warning people in advance about that was what led to the rush on stores.

About a week before the eclipse, local officials advised residents that they should stock up before crowds arrived.

That article hit the paper and that night, the locals wiped out the grocery stores, he said. We tell people to prepare all the time, and nobody ever listens to us, but everybody listened.

The stores had time to resupply before the actual eclipse, though, and he didnt see or hear of any shortages. For months after, hot dogs were on sale, he said, because grocery chains had overstocked and not sold out.

Fears about gas shortages were also unfounded, the officials said.

The biggest issue with the gas stations was they were real busy, Anderson said, but he didnt receive any reports of fuel shortages.

A pretty mild-mannered group

Overall, Anderson and Ochs said, the eclipse visitors were polite and conscientious, alleviating fears of damage and trash.

Before the eclipse, some community groups had started planning to pick up trash after, expecting the visitors would leave behind litter, Ochs said.

There was no garbage, it was cleaner than when it started, he said.

The Bureau of Land Management, which opened up extra camping areas on federal land near Casper, reported cleaning up only one or two stray wrappers left behind after the event, Anderson said.

He said Natrona County also warned local ranchers that people might trespass on their land to watch the eclipse, but there were no complaints received about that.

Eclipse tourists seemed to be a pretty mild-mannered group, Ochs said. Theyre not coming to town and causing problems, its a bunch of people with telescopes and cameras.

Like Anderson, his experience in 2017 didnt turn him into an eclipse-seeker, but he does have friends and colleagues traveling to Texas this time, he said.

They werent eclipse-chasers before they experienced it, he said. Once is enough for me.
Congress leader and incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi has declared assets worth over Rs 20 crore in his nomination papers for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. According to an affidavit filed before the returning officer on Wednesday, he has declared movable assets of over Rs 9 crore (Rs 9,24,59,264) and immovable assets of over Rs 11 crore (Rs 11,15,02,598). Total assets worth over Rs 20 crore (Rs 20,39,61,862). He has also declared two pieces of land co-owned with his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. According to the affidavit, his source of income is MP's salary, from royalty, rental, interest, bonds, dividends and capital gain from mutual funds and other income. The total income for 2022-23 was Rs 1,02,78,680, the affidavit said The Congress leader also stated that he had completed Bachelor of Arts from Rollins College, Florida, in 1994 and an M.Phil (Development Studies) from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in 1995. Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday submitted his nomination papers for the Wayanad parliamentary constituency, after leading a roadshow at Kalpetta in Wayanad. Thousands of people, including UDF leaders and workers, turned up at Kalpetta to welcome Rahul. Accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul held a roadshow from Kalpetta to Civil Station. Rahul Gandhi further said that he was always ready to bring Wayanad's issues to the attention of the nation and world. CPI national leader and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Annie Raj also submitted her nomination papers in the same constituency. The CPI is a partner of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. While the CPI and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala, with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other. The BJP, which is leaving no stone unturned to establish its complete dominance in the 2024 elections, has fielded Kerala State President K Surendran as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from the constituency. Kerala, one of the few states where the Congress still has a strong presence, sends 20 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha. Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the south Indian state across all 20 seats is scheduled for April 26, while the counting of votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)
Kerala opposition leader V D Satheesan has demanded that the central government back off the move to screen the 'The Kerala Story' on Doordarshan, saying the movie is "collection of untruth." He slammed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre over the move, saying, "The screening of 'The Kerala Story' on Doordarshan aims at divisiveness." "The strategy of the Sangh Parivar administration led by Modi is to create division within secular society by screening the film 'The Kerala Story', which is a collection of untruth. Understanding that the politics of division cannot be used in Kerala, Sangh Pariwar using Doordarshan, a central government institution, for political gain cannot be accepted," he lashed out at the Centre. He further called the move "a flagrant violation of the election code of conduct." Meanwhile, Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala also said that the move to screen 'The Kerala Story' on Doordarshan, which is filled with falsehoods about Kerala, is aiming for communal polarisation. "The central government should back off from it. It will become clear after the election that the BJP's cheap politics will not work in Kerala," he added. He further alleged that by showing the movie, the BJP is trying to spread falsehoods about Kerala. "It creates division in society," he added. Notably, the election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast a vote in the general election. Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the South Indian state of Kerala is scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 26, while counting of votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)
Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state on April 17 and address a rally in Nalbari ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, the minister informed further that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also visit Assam over two days-- on April 7-8 during which he is scheduled to address three rallies ahead of the seven-phased general elections. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Assam on April 7 and 8. He will address three election rallies--in Hojai, Lakhimpur and Gohpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, will visit our state on April 17 and address an election campaign rally in Nalbari," Baruah told ANI on Thursday. He added that, for now, the schedule of Prime Minister Modi and the Union Home Minister was fixed and wasn't likely to change. "We hope that other senior party leaders will visit Assam. Our state party unit, cadres and allies are fully geared to face the elections. Our only aim, going into these elections, is to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for a third consecutive term. We are preparing to gift at least 13 (Lok Sabha) seats from Assam to Modi-ji in his bid to return as PM," Baruah said. Polling for the 14 seats in Assam will be held in three phases--on April 19, April 26 and May 7. The elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 96.8 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming polls at over 12 lakh polling stations across the country. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won nine seats in the state, while the Congress won 3 and the All India United Democratic Front (AIDUF) won one. The remaining seat went to an Independent candidate. The BJP hogged the majority vote share at 36.4 per cent, while the Congress received 35.8 per cent of the total votes polled. Earlier, on Thursday, PM Modi headlined a campaign event at Bihar's Jamui, which is currently represented by NDA ally and the supremo of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Chirag Paswan. Launching a fierce attack on the INDIA bloc, PM Modi accused the Congress and the RJD of stalling development in the country while adding that the strides that the country made in the last 10 years under the NDA was only the trailer as plenty more would be accomplished if it is voted for a third term. He said India, which was considered 'weak' under previous regimes, was showing the way to the world today. (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh questioned Bollywood actress and BJP candidate from Himachal's Mandi Lok Sabha seat Kangna Ranaut over her contribution during last year's Himachal floods as she (Kangana) calls herself Himachal's daughter. "Voters will ask her what contribution she made. During last year's floods, Himachal faced massive destruction. As a Bollywood actress, she has no shortage of money, if she didn't want to contribute with money at least she would have paid a visit to the state and met families who are under grief and pain as she claims of being Himachal's daughter." However, when asked about recent controversial and derogatory remarks made against Kangana. Singh condemned such behaviour and appealed to everyone not to make such comments as she is a woman and needs to be respected. "I welcome her as she is the daughter of Himachal. She has joined politics to work for the state and has started working actively... She is a woman, it's our duty to respect her. I appeal to the people not to make objectionable comments, it's not good. We should contest on the issues instead of commenting on her be it through media or at any public meeting. I condemn the way it all started and the kind of things that were said a few days back," Singh said. Further, when asked about her work and MP funds she said," As an MP the fund we get, we have to distribute it among the public as per the demand. Wherever I went and people raised issues and asked for my funds I contributed. I don't need to speak much about it people know what work I have done." Himachal Pradesh has four Lok Sabha seats: Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, and Kangra. The BJP had won all four seats in 2019. The elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and by-polls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs will be held on June 1. (ANI)
With only a fortnight to go for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public gathering in Rajasthan's Churu on Friday. PM Modi, in a post on X said that Rajasthan is moving towards giving a huge victory to the BJP in the Lok Sabha. The PM will address the gathering later today. "In the Lok Sabha elections, Rajasthan is blowing the conch sound of BJP's huge victory. Today at around 12 noon in Churu, I will get a chance to meet my family members and take their blessings," the PM said in a post on X. This will be PM Modi's second visit to the state in the span of three days. PM Modi, earlier on Tuesday had addressed the Vijay Shankhnad rally in Kotputli where he hit out at the Congress, saying, "This election is to fulfil the dream of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'...Modi says to remove corruption...Congress and INDI alliance are not contesting this election for the country but for their own selfish motives...They say save the corrupt, Modi says remove corruption...This is the first election in which leaders of the Congress party are not talking about winning the elections themselves but are threatening the country that if BJP wins, the country will be on fire..." Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases, on April 19 and April 26. Polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while the remaining 13 seats will be polled in the second phase on April 26. In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 constituencies -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. In the second phase, voting will be held in 13 constituencies -- Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran. The BJP won 24 out of 25 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, while the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party won one. While, in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won in all 25 parliamentary constituencies. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. (ANI)
Kerala opposition leader V D Satheesan on Friday requested the Election Commission to direct Doordarshan to withdraw from its decision to telecast the "extremely malicious" "Kerala Story" movie. In a letter written to the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, Satheesan alleged that the decision by the Central government is a tacit effort to divide society on religious grounds to further the electoral prospects of the ruling BJP. "It has been learned that Doordarshan has decided to telecast the film "Kerala Story" on April 5, 2024. As you are aware, Kerala Story is a propaganda film based on extremely false premises and attempts to paint a bleak picture of the people of the state. I believe this is part of Sangh Parivaar's poisonous agenda to divide the country along communal lines," he said in his letter. "The decision by the Central Government to telecast the movie via Doordarshan before the Loksabha election is a tacit effort to divide society on religious grounds to further the electoral prospects of the ruling BJP. The decision of Doordarshan is a direct insult to the people of Kerala. It is also in violation of model poll conduct which forbids any effort to divide society on religious lines," Satheesan said. "In light of these contentions, I request your good self to direct Doordarshan to withdraw from its decision to telecast the extremely malicious "Kerala Story" movie," he said. Earlier, he slammed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre over the move, saying, "The screening of 'The Kerala Story' on Doordarshan aims at divisiveness." "The strategy of the Sangh Parivar administration led by Modi is to create division within secular society by screening the film 'The Kerala Story', which is a collection of untruth. Understanding that the politics of division cannot be used in Kerala, Sangh Pariwar using Doordarshan, a central government institution, for political gain cannot be accepted," he lashed out at the Centre. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast a vote in the general election. Voting in the southern state of Kerala is scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 26. (ANI)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP AA Rahim on Friday condemned the Doordarshan's decision to telecast "The Kerala Story" and asked the public broadcaster to withdraw from screening the controversial movie, saying the channel should not become the 'center of hate propaganda to divide society'. Addressing the media, the CPI (M) leader said that telecasting the film on Doordarshan is a "challenge to constitutional values". "I strongly condemn the screening of the hate film 'Kerala Story' by Doordarshan. Do not make Doordarshan a hate factory. Doordarshan should not become the centre of hate propaganda to divide society. This is a challenge to constitutional values. DYFI demands that Doordarshan to withdraw and stop the decision to screen this film. The 'Kerala story' is a story boycotted by the Malayalis," AA Rahim said. Doordarshan has announced that the movie will be broadcast on April 5. The movie's trailer was severely criticised and challenged before the court for claiming that 32,000 women from Kerala got converted and radicalised and were deployed in terror missions both in India and the world. 'The Kerala Story' was under the scanner ever since the trailer was released. The film's trailer had claimed that 32,000 women went missing from Kerala, but many had objected to the estimated figures. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had labelled it a 'distorted story', and also imposed a ban on the film in the state, which was lifted after the Supreme Court asked the state government to remove the ban on the screening of the film. The Kerala High Court had last year refused to stay the release of the film, stating that the movie trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. The court had said that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had examined the movie and found that it was suitable for public exhibition. On Thursday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condemned Doordarshan's decision to telecast "The Kerala Story" and said that it would only "exacerbate communal tensions" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. "The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film 'Kerala Story', which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections," the Kerala CM posted on X. "Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred," Vijayan added. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the works done by his government at the Centre in the last ten years are like a 'trailer' as there is more to come in the future. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Churu, the PM said that the country has witnessed a change in the last ten years of his government. "I want to tell you that all we've done (developments work) till now, is just a trailer. These days, when we go to big hotels to eat food, they first bring a few appetizers...so what Modi has done (till now) is an appetizer and the main course is yet to come. We have to take the country forward... In the last 10 years, you have seen the country change. Before that, the country was in a very bad condition," the PM said. The PM was campaigning for paralympic gold medalist Devendra Jhajharia who will represent the BJP in the Churu Lok Sabha seat in place of two-time MP Rahul Kaswan. After being denied the BJP ticket Kaswan crossed over to Congress and is now the party's candidate from Churu. In an attack on Congress, the PM said that the economic situation had deteriorated due to "Congress's scams and loot". "Today the whole world is surprised as to how India is developing so fast. The world does not know that the soil of India is something different. Whatever we decide, we are able to achieve it. Due to the big scams and loot of Congress, the economy had collapsed and India's reputation in the world was declining... Today the whole country is working towards the mission of 'Viksit Bharat'. In this 'Viksit Bharat' mission, Rajasthan has a big role. When Rajasthan becomes developed, the whole nation will become developed," the PM said. In a veiled attack on Congress that released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, the PM said that his party- the BJP bring 'Sankalp Patra' unlike other parties. "BJP definitely does what it says. Unlike other parties, BJP does not just release a manifesto, we come up with 'Sankalp Patra'. Most of the resolutions we mentioned in 2019's Sankalp Patra have been fulfilled," PM Modi added. Notably, the Congress party on Friday released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with emphasis given on tackling the issue of unemployment and defending the constitutional values of India. The manifesto also promises to investigate several schemes, from demonetisation to electoral bonds, introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and bring to law those who made illegal gains through it. It was released by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, along with senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the manifesto will be remembered in history for its focus on the five pillars of justice- Justice for Youth, Justice for Women', Justice for Farmers, Justice for Workers, and Justice for Shareholders. In what could be a historic move, Congress has promised it will reserve 50 per cent of Union government jobs for women from 2025. Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases, on April 19 and April 26. Polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while the remaining 13 seats will be polled in the second phase on April 26. In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 constituencies -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. In the second phase, voting will be held in 13 constituencies -- Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI) held a 'Conference on Low Voter Turnout' with Municipal Commissioners and District Education Officers (DEO) from select districts to increase voter turnout in the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections. Ahead of the polling in the ongoing general elections in 2024, the poll body has accelerated efforts to enhance voter turnout in parliamentary constituencies (PCs) with a history of low poll participation in previous general elections. According to an official release from the ECI, "In a day-long 'Conference on Low Voter Turnout' held today at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi, Municipal Commissioners from major cities and select District Election Officers (DEOs) from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh deliberated together to chart a path towards enhancing voter engagement and participation in identified urban and rural PCs." The conference was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. A booklet on "Voter's Apathy" was also unveiled by the Chief Election Commissioner on the occasion. As per the release," 11 states and union territories, namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, the NCT of Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Jharkhand, had a voter turnout lower than the national average of 67.40 per cent in the 2019 general elections to the Lok Sabha." "Out of the total 50 rural PCs across 11 states identified with lower voter turnout than the national average in 2019, 40 PCs are from Uttar Pradesh (22 PCs) and Bihar (18 PCs). In UP, 51-Phulpur PC recorded the lowest turnout of 48.7 per cent, while in Bihar, 29-Nalanda PC recorded the lowest turnout of 48.79 per cent," it said. While addressing the Municipal Commissioners and DEOs, CEC Rajiv Kumar said that a total of 266 parliamentary constituencies ( 215 rural and 51 urban) with low voter turnout have been identified and all concerned Municipal Commissioners, DEOs and state CEOs have been called today to find ways to reach out to voters in a targeted manner. He emphasised a three-pronged strategy of providing facilitation at polling stations, like queue management, shelter parking in congested areas, targeted outreach and communication, and the involvement of critical stakeholders like RWAs, local icons and youth influencers to persuade people to come to polling stations. CEC Kumar directed them to prepare a booth-wise action plan for enhanced participation and behaviour change. He asked all MCs and DEOs to prepare different strategies for urban and rural areas and plan interventions accordingly for different target audiences. He emphasised that the "one size fits all" approach will not yield results. CEC Kumar also urged the authorities to act in a manner that instills pride among the voters in participating in the democratic festivities. He called for a movement in which people are self-motivated to vote. The conference, a collaborative effort between the ECI and key stakeholders, focused on crafting a comprehensive action plan to address voter apathy, streamline logistical operations, and increase voter turnout. Discussions were centred on critical issues such as optimising queue management at polling stations, facilitating voting in high-rise buildings, and leveraging the influential Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme. With a keen emphasis on partnership and inclusivity, the ECI urged municipal commissioners and DEOs to actively contribute to the initiative. Urban-specific hurdles to increased voter turnout were identified and targeted City-specific interventions were planned and the officers were encouraged to develop tailored, region-specific outreach programmes that resonated with the unique needs and demographics of their constituencies. In line with this vision, the ECI outlined an array of innovative voter awareness campaigns under SVEEP, including rolling out public transport and sanitation vehicles adorned with essential election messages and incorporating voter awareness messages into utility bills for widespread dissemination. It also includes collaborating with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), raising voter awareness through forums, and hosting informative sessions at popular public spaces such as parks, markets, and malls, among others. The conference was attended by Municipal Commissioners of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Patna Sahib, Lucknow and Kanpur, as well as select District Election Officers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. CEO Bihar, CEO Uttar Pradesh, CEO Maharashtra and CEO Delhi also attended the conference, with CEOs of 7 states, namely Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Punjab, joining virtually. In response to these challenges, the ECI has implemented a suite of initiatives aimed at reinvigorating voter engagement and participation, including devising a Turnout Implementation Plan (TIP) for targeted interventions at polling stations. It included crafting district-specific themes for polling stations catering to diverse demographic groups and collaborating with key stakeholders to expand voter outreach and awarenessefforts, formalising electoral literacy in the education system through strategic partnerships and engaging National Icons to connect with and inspire young voters among others. (ANI)
The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has ordered the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli who was serving his life sentence in Nagpur Central Jail. The court pronounced the judgement on Friday, "holding that Arun Gawli would be entitled to the benefit of 2006 policy and he cannot be excluded from the benefit of policy by resorting to rule of ejusdem generis (of same kind)." The state has been directed to take decision on his release within a period of four weeks from the date of order. Gawli's application was rejected by the respondents on the count that the state government had come up with a fresh notification dated December 1, 2015, by which a convict under MCOCA Act was held entitled to the benefit of said policy decision. Advocate Nagman Ali appearing for Arun Gulab Gawli had argued that the Gawli would be entitled to benefit of 2006 notification in view of the fact that he was convicted in the year 2009, and therefore, a subsequent notification which had come into force in the year 2015 would not have any applicability to Gawli. The state had registered the petition filed by Gawli on the ground that the 2015 notification specifically excludes the convict under MCOCA Act from benefit of said policy. It was further submitted that the even 2006 notification makes it clear that convicts under the act like NDPS Act, TADA act, MPDA etc are not entitled to the benefit of the policy. It was contended that the terminology that is used is 'et cetera', and therefore even conviction under MCOCA Act would not be entitled to benefit of 2006 policy by taking resort to rule of 'ejusdem generis' (of same kind). In August 2012, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court sentenced Gawli to life imprisonment for the murder of a Shiv Sena corporator in March 2008. The conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court. (ANI)
If the annular eclipse that streaked across the Texas sky in October was the opening act of a two-part celestial showcase, then the total eclipse set for early Monday afternoon is the superstar headliner. Its sure to be a showstopper  unless fears about cloudy weather blocking the view turn out to be a reality.

According to eclipse veterans, a total solar eclipse is a go-anywhere-, do-anything-to-see event, one that, to be fully appreciated, must be viewed from the path of totality, the 115-mile-wide swath that will fall completely under the moons umbra, or shadow. For them, anything other than totality is weak sauce.

I tell people all the time that 99.9% of totality is 0% of a total eclipse, said Chap Percival, a retired astronomy teacher who has witnessed six total eclipses. Or, as cartoonist Randall Munroe recently put it in his webcomic xkcd, A partial eclipse is like a cool sunset. A total eclipse is like someone broke the sky.

A road sign urges eclipse tourists to arrive early and stay late to avoid eclipse-related traffic along U.S. 290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

The chance to get the full view of the eclipse is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors into the Texas Hill Country, much of which is firmly in the path of totality.

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Although much of San Antonio will not be in totality, itll be only a short drive away, with Hill Country cities like Fredericksburg and Kerrville expecting huge crowds of visitors. The eclipse itself, when the moon first begins to cover the solar disc, will begin shortly after noon and end a few minutes before 3 p.m. Depending on where you are in the path, totality will begin soon after 1:30 p.m. and last anywhere from 30 seconds to almost 4 minutes.

But first, a warning: The first rule of eclipse viewing is you dont view the eclipse directly  at least not without a good pair of eclipse glasses.

Eclipse shirts, glasses and stickers are on display for customers to purchase at Johnson City Coffee Co. on April 4. Johnson City is expecting thousands of tourists for Mondays solar eclipse. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Made to filter out the suns harmful rays, these glasses allow you to look directly at the sun without damaging your eyesight.

Its too late to buy glasses online, but they should still be available at stores such as H-E-B, QuikTrip and others, as well as at area libraries and Americas Best Contacts and Glasses, 7342 San Pedro Ave. Look for glasses that meet whats known as the ISO 12312-2 international standard, which means they are safe for direct eclipse viewing. This should be printed on the glasses themselves but to be extra sure, check the American Astronomical Societys online list of approved manufacturers.

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While a total solar eclipse occurs somewhere in the world every 18 months or so, the next one to hit the contiguous United States wont be until 2044. (Therell also be one in 2033, although youll have to travel to western Alaska to see it.).

In other words, Mondays eclipse is a pretty big deal, one that officials throughout the Hill Country have been preparing for, literally, for years.

There was one variable they couldnt factor into their plans: The weather on the day of the eclipse.

Melissa Maynard of Mikeys Garden, a hydroponics greenhouse business in Hunt, wears handmade earrings celebrating the upcoming total solar eclipse as she works at the Fredericksburg Farmers Market on April 4. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Worries about clouds, rain

There are ongoing concerns that bad weather in Texas  in the form of thick cloud cover or even rain  might interfere with the view of the once-in-a-lifetime event.

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Forecasting models show a deep system of low atmospheric pressure moving into the Southwestern United States by Monday. This is often a scenario that leads to dense cloud cover, rain and storms over Texas. While a few breaks in the clouds are possible Monday, most weather models agree that South Texas will experience mostly cloudy skies throughout the afternoon.

Any cloudiness could spoil the view of the eclipse. Different types of clouds each would have their own effect on your chances of seeing the eclipse, according to the National Weather Service. Even if its cloudy, some aspects of the eclipse will still be noticeable, particularly how its still going to get very dark in the path of totality.

It wasnt immediately clear if the potential for cloudy skies would cause some tourists to cancel their plans to watch the eclipse in the Hill Country. The weather uncertainty could lead to some eclipse-chasers moving around to try to find clearer skies on Monday, which could worsen traffic congestion and create other issues for cities and counties along the path of totality.

A person walks toward a row of portable toilets set up at the Marktplatz in downtown Fredericksburg on April 4. The city set up extra trash cans and portable toilets to prepare for crowds of tourists coming to town to watch Mondays solar eclipse. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Regardless of the weather situation, Hill Country officials say their main concern is the crowds that will bring traffic jams and potential chaos to narrow roads and more rural areas.

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A lot of these roads were not built to handle that capacity load, so we fear that if everybody decides to leave at the exact same time, were going to have standstill traffic for hours, said Brad Wheelis, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation, which already is using electronic signs to warn drivers against stopping on the highway.

Johnson City, population 1,627, is bracing for a crush of visitors, and not just those headed to the small city, but motorists passing through on U.S. 281 and U.S. 290.

Christmas is typically the citys busiest tourist season, when about 10,000 people come to see the Lights Spectacular at the Blanco County courthouse over two to three days. Because Johnson City is between Austin and Fredericksburg, City Secretary Whitney Walston said shes expecting at least that many to drive to and through the city in a matter of hours on Monday.

Its like a reverse hurricane evacuation, she said.

To prepare, city officials have stocked up on fuel, readied smaller all-terrain vehicles for navigating through traffic and been in communication with local tow truck companies and the electrical utility in case of emergencies.

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The city has set up portable toilets every 100 yards or so along the main thoroughfares as well as trash cans in hopes of discouraging drivers from littering into this years bumper crop of bluebonnets.

Meanwhile, area hospitals are stocking up on food, water and blood, and offering staff housing so they can avoid traffic; cities and counties are debating whether to close certain roads or turn them one-way; and stores have stocked up on essentials.

Eclipse shirts, glasses and stickers are on display for customers to purchase at Johnson City Coffee Co. on April 4. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Tourism dollars

In part because it will occur over such a wide area, the eclipse will amount to tourism on steroids for the region, said economist Jon Hockenyos, president of Austin-based economic consulting firm TXP Inc., with the potential to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into state and local economies.

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Between 500,000 and 1 million people are expected to flock to Texas; many hotels have been booked for months, and local homeowners are renting rooms and spare properties. Texas is the most booked state for Airbnb rentals, according to spokesperson Jackie McGraw. The company has seen a 600% increase in searches for listings during the eclipse weekend and as much as a 1,000% increase along the path of totality.

Rental car companies, too, have been seeing huge demand for the eclipse weekend.

Some areas of Texas and Oklahoma are showing more than double the bookings as compared to the same time frame the previous year, said Danielle Stuart, director of corporate communications for Enterprise Mobility, which operates car rental brands Enterprise, National and Alamo. Rentals in Austin and San Antonio in particular are in high demand.

A Sunspotter Solar Telescope shows a view of the sun on April 4 at The Science Mill in Johnson City. The solar telescope, which is on loan, will be on display during the museums total solar eclipse party on April 8. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News A long row of portable toilets, brought in for eclipse tourists, sits near the driving range at Lady Bird Johnson Park in Fredericksburg on April 4. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Signs directing guests to watch the eclipse from the grass are seen at Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Park on April 4 in Fredericksburg,. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Portable toilets and trash cans are spread along the streets of Johnson City on April 4, as the city prepares for an expected influx of eclipse tourists. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News A family walks through downtown Johnson City on April 4. The Blanco County town is expecting thousands of tourists for Mondays solar eclipse. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Eclipse shirts, glasses and stickers are on display for customers to purchase at Johnson City Coffee Co. on April 4. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Portable toilets and trash cans are spread along North Nugent Avenue in Johnson City on April 4, ahead of an expected influx of tourists eager to witness the April 8 total solar eclipse. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

A boost for science?

NASA eclipse engagement lead Alex Lockwood said the agency is sending most of its scientists and staff to Kerrville for its Texas operations  the same spot that served as its base of operations during Octobers annular eclipse.

Officials from NASA and San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute said the eclipse could serve as an entry point for young people interested in careers in STEM fields  science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

If it triggers a lifelong interest in science, math and engineering, then thats excellent, said Tracy Becker, a research and development group lead at SwRI. We may see a peak in people applying for jobs in science and engineering 10 years from now if they were kids, got to witness the eclipse and were really moved by it.

While some school districts will be using the eclipse as an educational opportunity, others, including the Boerne and Kerrville independent school districts, both directly in the path of the eclipse, have opted to close for the day, in part to avoid adding to the potential traffic problems. Classes also have been canceled by the Comal, Medina Valley, Lake Travis, Dripping Springs, Seguin and San Marcos school districts while South San Antonio ISD students will have the day off for an already planned professional training day.

COMING TO YOUR TOWN: Heres what time the April 8 eclipse will arrive where you are

Some colleges have taken similar precautions. Texas State Universitys San Marcos and Round Rock campuses and University of Texas at San Antonio have all suspended classes from noon to 2 p.m. Monday.

San Antonio ISD will bring a group of elementary, middle and high schoolers who won a writing and art competition during the October eclipse to view Mondays event at Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium, where they will participate in activities organized by the Witte Museum, the DoSeum and others.

Most schools that will remain open will offer students various viewing opportunities and space-oriented activities. In some Somerset elementary schools, for example, students will race solar cars during the spectacle.

North East ISD schools are providing glasses to all students, although the district has warned parents that staffers cannot guarantee students will use them.

Plenty of organizations in San Antonio, the Hill Country and elsewhere are planning special eclipse watch parties and related events.

These range from free viewing at Joshua Springs Park in Comfort (limited to the first 225 vehicles to arrive), to Six Flags Fiesta Texas Solar Eclipse at the Park, complete with drones and fireworks, and to the five-day, Woodstocklike Texas Eclipse Festival at the 1,200-acre Reveille Peak Ranch.

The fact that we here on planet Earth can experience a total solar eclipse is something of a cosmic gift. By celestial coincidence, the moon is both 400 times smaller than Earth and 400 times closer to Earth than the sun is. So, when moon and sun align in the sky, they appear to be the same size and, voila, a solar eclipse.

But this coincidence wont last forever. Because the moon is drifting away from the Earth at a rate of about 1.5 inches a year, therell come a day when itll be too far to completely cover the solar disc. But dont worry, this wont happen for another 600 million years or so.
Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice on the defamation suit filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia against several YouTube channels or 'X' handles, alleging that he was beaten up by lawyers in Noida Court recently. The Delhi High Court's Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna fixed the matter for April 8, for a hearing on an interim plea seeking the immediate takedown of such videos and publications. Through suit, Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia seeks permanent for injunction in favour of him and against the defendants, thereby ceasing the publication of any defamatory allegations against the plaintiff. The suit also seeks direction to restrain defendants to cease the publication of any of the defamatory allegations. According to the suit, the defendants in the matter are, Naveen Kumar (YouTube Channel: Article19 India), Neelu Vyas, (YouTube Channel: The News Launcher), Professor Akhil Swami, Rajeev Nigam, (YouTube Channel: Rajeev Nigam), BBI NEWS.(YouTube Channel: BBI NEWS), Sandeep Singh, (X Handle @ActivistSandeep), Vijay Yadav (X Handle: @yadavvijay88), NETAFLIX (X Handle: @NetaFlixIndia), Sunitajadhav (X Handle: @sunmor2901), Guruji (X Handle: @GURUJI_123), Dawood Nadaf (X Handle: @DawoodNadaf10), Drkhatra (X Handle: @dumbitpatra12), Virus Baba I.N.D.I.A Wala (X Handle: @Virus_Studioz) and GOOGLE LLC. The suit stated that on March 20, an unfortunate incident occurred before the District Judge, Gautam Budh Nagar District Court, Noida, wherein Sr Advocate Gaurav Bhatia band was snatched by a lawyer who were in the courtroom and that too in the presence of the District Judge. It is pertinent to note herein that when the plaintiff was apprised by the office bearers of Gautam Budh Nagar Bar Association that they have called for strike that day then the Plaintiff readily agreed to adjourn the matter and thereafter the matter was duly adjourned. The fact of the matter is that the Plaintiff had made it clear that he was amenable to taking a date but nonetheless he was manhandled by one particular local lawyer whose identity is yet to be established. On the very same day of March 20, the Supreme Court Bar Association, of which the Plaintiff is a member shot off a letter to the Chief Justice of India wherein an impartial inquiry into the incident was sought. The Supreme Court Bar Association also issued a letter to the President of Janpad Dewani and Faujdari Bar Association, Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida urging the Executive Committee to identify the said lawyer, put him to notice and take strict action against the concerned lawyer. The Supreme Court recently also took suo motu cognisance of the incident of alleged manhandling of Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia in Noida court. The court termed it a "serious matter", and issued notice to the President, Secretary of the Jan path Diwani Bar Association Gautam Budh Nagar and SSP Gautam Budh Nagar. The court also directed District Judge, Gautam Budh Nagar to ensure that the CCTV footage of the incident is in safe custody pending further orders and to submit a report on the incident. The court also sought direction from the District Judge to obtain a report from the administrative staff attached to the concerned court where the manhandling of another advocate Muskan Gupta took place. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Allahabad High Court's March 22 judgment striking down 'UP Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004' as unconstitutional and violative of secularism and fundamental rights. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said finding of Allahabad High Court that the establishment of a Madarsa board breaches the principles of secularism may not be correct. The top court said the High Court judgement would affect the 17 lakh students, and it is of the view that direction of relocation of students to other school was not warranted. "The object and purpose of Madarsa board is regulatory in nature and Allahabad High Court is not prima facie correct that establishment of board will breach secularism. It (High Court judgement) conflates Madarsa education with the regulatory powers entrusted with the Board... The impugned judgment shall remain stayed," the top court said. It also issued notice to Uttar Pradesh government on appeals challenging the High Court March 22 order and posted the matter for hearing in July 2nd week. The apex court also noted that the High Court appears to have misconstrued the provisions of the Madarsa Act, since it does not provide only for religious instruction. It said the purpose and nature of the Act is regulatory in nature. In the order, the bench stated, "In striking down the Act, the High Court prima facie misconstrued the provisions of the Act. The Act does not provide for any religious instruction. The object and purpose of the Statute is regulatory in character." It said that if the concern was to ensure that the students of Madarsas receive quality education, the remedy would not lie in striking down the Madarsa Act but in issuing suitable directions to ensure that the students are not deprived of quality education. The order of the top court came on appeals against High Court order filed by Anjum Kadari, Managers Association Madaris Arabiya(UP), All India Teachers Association Madaris Arabiya (New Delhi), Manager Association Arbi Madarsa Nai Bazar and Teachers Association Madaris Arabiya Kanpur. Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, said that the State is accepting the judgment of the High Court. To this, CJI Chandrachud asked why the State was not defending its legislation, despite defending it before the High Court. The ASG said that after the High Court has delivered a judgment, the State has decided to accept it. Uttar Pradesh government said if Madarsas are running let them run, but the State should not bear the costs. Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, appearing for Centre, also supported the High Court's judgment and said the entanglement of religion with education is the suspect issue and the relocation of the Madarsa students to other schools would not be an issue. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for one of the petitioners, submitted that the Madarsa regime was a status quo that existed for 120 years which is now disrupted suddenly, and would affect 17 lakh students and 10,000 teachers. It is difficult to adjust these students and teachers to the State education system abruptly, he added. The High Court's finding that modern subjects were not taught in the Madrasas are not correct, said Singhvi adding that Maths, Science, Hindi, English etc are taught in Madarsas. "We have also very famous Gurukuls, in Haridwar and Rishikesh, doing very good work. My father has a degree from there. So should we shut them and say it is Hindu religious education?", asked the senior counsel. Madarsas are institutions where Islamic studies and other education may be pursued by students. On March 22, Allahabad High Court found that the 2004 Act was violative of the principle of secularism enshrined in the Constitution of India. The High Court further asked the State to take immediate steps so that students pursuing studies in Madarsas of Uttar Pradesh are accommodated other schools. (ANI)
In a timely word of advice to the Congress amid the string of exits and desertions from the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, former chief minister Harish Rawat on Friday said unless his party rediscover its 'hunger' for power, they will continue to bleed members and cede more ground to the BJP. Speaking to ANI on Friday, the former CM and senior Congress leader said, "We have to rediscover and develop that hunger for power within ourselves. Else, we will continue to cede more ground to the BJP after every election." Voicing concern over BJP workers filling the vacuum left by the Congress 'at every stage', the veteran leader said the need of the hour was for the grand old party to revive and reinvent itself so that the party could have its leaders elected at every level. "Not just in national or provincial levels, even in villages and localities, their (BJP's) workers are filling our void. We cannot aspire to hold our own in villages and localities unless we beat the BJP at every level," Rawat said. On whether being in the INDIA block would help the Congress going into the general elections, the senior Congress leader said, "Our partners in the INDIA bloc are helping us renew our hunger for success and power." Stressing the need for a 'do-or-die' approach to the seven-phased general elections, the former Himachal CM said, "At this stage, every Congressman should come out in full strength, overcoming the hurdles that the ruling party in the state and Centre has created for us. We will struggle to achieve electoral success unless we go into elections with a strong resolve and a do-or-die approach." He said the Congress should be more 'efficient' in resource management and mobilsation if they are to compete with the BJP and get the better of them in elections. "Despite being in power in several states and the Centre, the BJP is better and more efficient in how it practices its politics on the ground. So, if we are to beat them, we need to be more efficient in how we mobilise our resources on the ground. Our workers should work towards wresting the ground that we ceded to the BJP," Rawat said. On the ongoing preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in the state, the senior Congress leader said party leaders in the state have the necessary hunger to succeed and see the elections as an opportunity to turn the tables on the BJP. "The Congress workers in Uttarakhand have the hunger to get us back to power and the general elections as an opportunity to go all-out against the BJP. We will put up a good fight on all the five (Lok Sabha) seats. We are hopeful of repeating our success in 2009 and win all seats," Rawat said. (ANI)
Presiding over the release of the party's 'Nyay Patra' or manifesto for the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said just like billionaire tycoon Gautam Adani, who holds a "monopoly in ports and infrastructure", Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a "monopoly in political finance" by using central investigating agencies. Speaking at a press conference after the unveiling of the Congress's manifesto on Friday, Rahul said, "We need to understand where this strategy of the RSS, BJP and PM Modi comes from. In the same way Adani has a monopoly in ports, infrastructure and defence, PM Modi, too, has a monopoly in political finance by using central agencies such as ED, CBI and Income Tax." Expanding on his claim, Rahul said the Centre's electoral bonds scheme reveals how the party sourced its funds. "If you have a close look at the (electoral) bond scheme, you can see very clearly that the BJP ensured funding through extortion, threats and pressure," Rahul claimed. He added that Opposition leaders across parties, including the Congress, are joining the BJP as they want to maintain their "political finance monopoly." "Mallikarjun Kharge said those who are corrupt are joining the BJP. The reason is that PM Modi wants to keep control of the political finance monopoly," he said. "What's happening today is that PM Modi is building his financial monopoly by capturing institutions like the ED and CBI. After the elections, all the information like whom he gave the contract to, how much they paid to bag the contract (will come out)...the entire blueprint is in the electoral bonds. PM Modi will be bound to share the entire proofsheet to the Opposition, in the form of electoral bond data," he said. On the party's manifesto, Rahul said, "This manifesto wasn't made by the Congress. It was made by the people of this country, we merely drafted it. We prepared our manifesto our speaking to thousands of people...bet it on employment or contract labour." To a question asked by a reporter on how confident was his party of a positive outcome in other states besides the South, he said, "I am not a soothsayer. Unlike many political commentators, I cannot predict the future but what I am confident of is that this is a much closer election than what the media is projecting. This is a close fight. We are going to put up a strong challenge and win these elections." Reminding the BJP's 'India Shining' campaign after which the Vajpayee government lost power, Rahul said, "Please do remember that there was a similar sentiment being projected by the media when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. There was the 'India Shining' campaign. A similar claim is being made through sections of the media now. Do remember what happened to the 'India Shining' campaign and who won that campaign." On the probable Prime Ministerial face for the Opposition, Rahul said, "A decision has been made by the INDIA alliance that we are fighting this ideological election unitedly. After the elections, the coalition will sit together and decide their leader and Prime Minister. (ANI)
The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday granted interim bail to three accused persons in the Chinese Visa scam money laundering case till the next date of hearing. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has not moved the bail application at the trial court. His anticipatory bail is pending before the High Court where the ED had given an oral assurance that no coercive action till the matter is pending. He appeared through video conferencing. Other accused persons appeared physically. Special CBI Judge Kaveri Baweja granted interim bail to each accused person on furnishing a bail bond of Rs one lakh. Meanwhile, the court granted time to ED to file a reply on the regular bail applications of other accused persons. Three accused have been granted interim bail and they furnished bail bond. The next date of hearing is May 2. The accused persons were summoned by the court after taking cognizance of the charge sheet. The Rouse Avenue Court on March 19 issued a summons to Congress leader Karti Chidambaram and others 7 accused in a money laundering case connected with a Chinese Visa case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently filed a prosecution complaint naming Karti Chidambaram, S Bhaskararaman and several others including several firms' names as accused. In the case, Karti Chidambaram had earlier moved an Anticipatory Bail also in Delhi High Court where ASG SV Raju appeared for the Enforcement Directorate and orally assured the court that no coercive action till the matter is pending. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had argued there is no material against the accused. "No money laundering case is made out as there are no allegations that any money was given to Karti Chidambaram. If there is no money, it cannot be laundered. Still, they registered the ECIR. The accused has joined the investigation and cooperating in the same," he said. Senior advocate Sibal also argued that the alleged transaction is of 2011 and they registered the case in 2022. "There is apprehension of arrest as they registered the ECIR within ten days of the registration of the FIR by CBI. I am named in that ECIR, they can arrest me anytime without even calling me or giving me notice," he argued. "In the CBI case, I have been given protection of 72 hours' notice before arrest. So that I can approach the court," Sibal had argued. Earlier he had argued that the value of an alleged transaction is of Rs. 50 lakh, which is less than one crore, in view of this fact he should be granted bail. On the other hand, ASG S V Raju submitted that the bail application is premature as there is no material in this case. "We will investigate the case. Still, they have apprehension of arrest, why do they have so? If no case is made out against them then why do they have apprehension?" he argued. He further argued that this application is premature as even no summons was issued, only an ECIR registered. Therefore, the apprehension of arrest is not genuine. CBI judge M K Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court on June 3, 2022 dismissed all three applications moved by Karti Chidambaram, S. Bhaskararaman and Vikas Makharia. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to professor and women's rights activist Shoma Sen, accused in Bhima Koregaon case. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Augustine George Masih set aside the Bombay High Court order which rejected her bail plea. The bail was granted to Sen by the apex court after noting that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose her bail. "We have seen she is of advanced age and the effect of delaying trial at this stage...in addition to her medical conditions. She should not be denied the privilege of being released on bail," the bench said in its order. While granting bail to Sen, the apex court imposed certain conditions on her including, she will not leave the State of Maharashtra and surrender the passport. The top court said Sen shall inform NIA about her residence. She shall use only one mobile number and inform NIA officer about her mobile number and ensure that number remains active and charged, ordered the bench. The GPS of her mobile should be active and her phone should be paired with phone of NIA officer so that her location can be ascertained, it added. The bench further said that if the conditions are breached, it would be open to prosecution to seek cancellation of bail. NIA had earlier informed the apex court that it does not seek the custody of Sen any longer as probe is completed and chargesheet has been filed. Sen had sought interim bail on the deteriorating health condition and challenged an order of the Bombay High Court declining her bail. The Bombay High Court had in January 2023 directed Professor Sen to approach the special NIA court for bail before coming to the High Court. Sen, an English literature professor, has been behind bars since June 6, 2018 for offences under UAPA charges. She had applied for bail before the Pune Sessions Court in December 2018 prior to the filing of the chargesheet and another application after the chargesheet, however, both applications were rejected by the Sessions Court in November 2019. Later, Sen, the former departmental head at the Nagpur University, approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail. However, the High Court declined to grant her bail. Thereafter, she approached the apex court. Sen and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in connection with 2018 caste-based violence that broke out at Bhima Koregaon in Pune, and for having alleged links with the proscribed outfit, Communist Party of India (Maoists). (ANI)
Sinha was produced before the Special PMLA court and has been sent in ED custody for five days.

Notably, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also arrested Santi Prasad Sinha in March 2023 in the same case.

ED had earlier arrested Prasanna Kumar Roy, the main middleman involved in the collection of monies and details from candidates on 19.02.2024 who is presently in judicial custody.

In the instant recruitment scam, undeserving candidates were illegally appointed for the post of Assistant Teachers for Classes IX to XII by the officials of WBCSSC in criminal conspiracy with Prasanna Kumar Roy and other persons.

Further investigation is under progress. (ANI)
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday urged Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj to bring a 'white paper' on the condition of the health infrastructure in the national capital. The AAP government and Delhi Lieutenant Governor are at loggerheads over the issue of medicinal stocks and other health matters. In his letter to Saurabh Bhardwaj, LG Saxena wrote, "I must mention that I am appalled at the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Delhi government hospitals, which has been conveyed in your note. It is indeed shocking that the much touted 'Delhi Model' of health service delivery lies in shambles--indeed, it appears to be on life support ventilators." "I am afraid that you have run down the much-publicised claims of your own Chief Minister and your predecessors in the department on the much-glorified health model," it added. The Delhi LG further said that he was surprised to know that hospitals in the national capital run by the AAP government are not equipped even with basic consumables like cotton. "You have also highlighted the unavailability of orthopaedic doctors in one facility," the letter read. LG Saxena also mentioned that several public representatives, eminent doctors and the real have shared innumerable experiences which highlight the "virtual collapse of governmenthealth infrastructure". He urged Saurabh Bhardwaj to demonstrate leadership and prepare a roadmap for serious action to tackle the issues in health infrastructure. "A white paper on this subject could be a useful starting point. You could rope in specialists and experts for guidance," LG wrote. Earlier on Thursday, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the Health Secretary, Chief Secretary and other officials have been misleading the government over the medicine stock situation. "For the last several weeks, the Health Secretary and the Chief Secretary have been repeatedly told that there is a shortage of free medicines, etc. in government hospitals, and this should be rectified. But the officers are continuously giving the wrong information that everything, including medicines, etc. is available. Yesterday, the news of a child was published in many newspapers, and even cotton was not available in the hospital. Can officers mislead their own government by giving wrong information?" Bharadwaj posted on X. Bharadwaj urged the Delhi LG Saxena to look into the matter. "Before writing to LG Sahab, I wrote to the Chief Secretary several times, but he did not take any concrete steps. I hope the Lieutenant Governor will take action," he said. (ANI)
After Congress released its election manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, BJP leader Rajendra Rathore took a jibe at the Congress, saying that its party leaders are talking about imaginary things and adding that the Congress has not even fielded a sufficient number of candidates required for the formation of the government at the Centre. "Congress is talking about imaginary things; they have not even fielded a sufficient number of candidates. Even if all of them win, they would not be able to form their government; they know that they should not form the government." He further said talking "irresponsibly is the fault of the Congress Party and their leaders have become habituated to it." "Today Congress, which ruled for 60 years, is now saying, they will bring MSP. Before the BJP government, whenever terrorists attacked, no one took revenge. Today, India's respect has increased; India respects the martyrdom of the martyrs and they (Congress) were asking for proof," he added. Further speaking on PM Modi's rally in Churu that saw a massive participation of the people, Rathore said, "Whatever the Prime Minister said, he said it very accurately. Now, from drinking water to irrigation water, the direction of Shekhawati will change. Today, the biggest crisis is due to saline water here, it was due to lack of water, water from Yamuna will come, there can be no bigger gift than this." Exuding confidence in the BJP's victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Rathore said that "the BJP will win all 25 seats in Rajasthan." "Mission 25 will be completed, we will hit a hat trick for the third time and win 25 seats in Mission 25," said Rajendra Rathore. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the works done by his government at the Centre in the last ten years are like a 'trailer' as there is more to come in the future. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Churu, the PM said that the country has witnessed a change in the last ten years of his government. "I want to tell you that all we've done (developments work) till now, is just a trailer. These days, when we go to big hotels to eat food, they first bring a few appetizers, so what Modi has done (till now) is an appetiser, and the main course is yet to come. We have to take the country forward. In the last 10 years, you have seen the country change. Before that, the country was in a very bad condition," the PM said. The PM was campaigning for paralympic gold medalist Devendra Jhajharia, who will represent the BJP in the Churu Lok Sabha seat in place of two-time MP Rahul Kaswan. After being denied the BJP ticket, Kaswan crossed over to Congress and is now the party's candidate from Churu. In a veiled attack on Congress that released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, the PM said that his party, the BJP, brought 'Sankalp Patra' unlike other parties. "BJP definitely does what it says. Unlike other parties, the BJP does not just release a manifesto, we come up with 'Sankalp Patra'. Most of the resolutions we mentioned in 2019's Sankalp Patra have been fulfilled," PM Modi added. Notably, the Congress party released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Friday, with emphasis given on tackling the issue of unemployment and defending the constitutional values of India. The manifesto also promises to investigate several schemes, from demonetisation to electoral bonds, introduced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and bring to law those who made illegal gains through them. It was released by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, along with senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the manifesto will be remembered in history for its focus on the five pillars of justice- justice for youth, Justice for Women', Justice for Farmers, Justice for Workers, and Justice for Shareholders. In what could be a historic move, Congress has promised it will reserve 50 per cent of Union government jobs for women from 2025. Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases, on April 19 and April 26. Polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while the remaining 13 seats will be polled in the second phase on April 26. In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 constituencies -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. In the second phase, voting will be held in 13 constituencies -- Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)
After the 6 Congress MLAs switched sides to the BJP, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu asked how much money the rebel MLAs received, stating that the truth should come out to the public . Chief Minister accused BJP of grabbing power on the basis of currency notes. Attacking the rebel MLAs, Sukhu said, "The truth about the rebel MLAs should be revealed to the public. The MLAs have been bought for Rs 15 crores. Investigation is underway to find out how much they received." The Chief Minister said that the MLAs have sold their wealth and not their souls. Speaking on ticket allocation for the bye election in the state, the Chief Minister said that a meeting of the screening committee will be held in New Delhi on Saturday. Some names will be announced by Saturday evening. After the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh during the Rajya Sabha elections, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri slammed the BJP for 'trying to topple the government' in the state. In an exclusive interview with ANI, the Deputy CM took a jibe at the BJP as it failed to bring down the Sukhvinder Singh-led government and faced 'defeat'. "There was an attempt to topple the Himachal Pradesh government. It has been apparent that the BJP was behind the whole episode of bringing down the state government (Himachal Pradesh)," he said. Taking a jibe at the former Chief Minister and the leader of opposition in the state assembly, Agnihotri said that Jairam Thakur was "in a tearing hurry to become the CM of the state". "Jairam Thakur was in a tearing hurry and he wanted to become the CM. They conspired but faced defeat. The Congress has also challenged it, demanding an inquiry into who was involved in trying to topple the Himachal Pradesh government. The people of Himachal Pradesh are in frustration against the BJP as they tried to destabilise the elected government in the state," he added. Earlier, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said that the government has lost its majority and does not have the moral right to remain in power. "During the Budget Session, the country saw how Congress somehow saved its government by strangulating democratic values. Had the 15 BJP MLAs not been wrongly expelled, the Congress government would have fallen in the Budget Session," Thakur said. The Leader of Opposition said that the Congress government has fallen in the eyes of the people of the state and its workers, leaders, ministers and MLAs. The elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh and bypolls to the six assembly constituencies that fell vacant with the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs and their eventual switch to the BJP will be held on June 1. (ANI)
Two half-brothers are accused of using their transportation company to take advantage of Mexican immigrants, forcing them to work long hours for no pay. Tetra Images/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Two half-brothers who own a transportation company are accused of taking advantage of Mexican immigrants by forcing them to drive long hours with no pay.

Jose de Jesus Velazquez, 35, and Juan Carlos Velazquez-Flores, 27, have been charged with continuous trafficking of persons.

San Antonio police spokesman Rene Guzman said authorities received a tip in 2023 through a national trafficking hotline.

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Velazquez and Velazquez-Flores recruited the immigrants to work for the brothers company, VSR Transportation, according to police.

The business has now gone bankrupt, but police believe the trafficking occurred as early as 2021.

ALSO READ: San Antonio police arrest Bexar County deputy accused of drunken driving

Once the workers were in the United States, investigators said they were forced to work more hours than allowed by national trucking standards, and they werent paid. Guzman said the brothers altered their logs to look like they were abiding by the law.

The brothers threatened to call immigration if the immigrants didnt work.

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Thats not fair to them, Guzman said.

But two, thats not safe for us as citizens in the United States. You have truck drivers driving more than the limit. Theyre tired; they can fall asleep at the wheel. Theres reasons we have those laws in place, so its dangerous to the public as well.
Designated court of Central Bureau of Investigation sentenced three accused to three years' rigorous imprisonment with total fine of Rs 1.5 lakh in a case related to causing loss to government exchequer. "The Special Judge for CBI cases, Gandhinagar has sentenced Roop Narayan Meena, then Superintendent and Rahul R. Chhabra, then Inspector, both of Central Excise and Customs, Jamnagar and Shri Ankit D. Changani, Partner of Amardeep Export, GIDC, Dared, Jamnagar to three years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 50,000 each, in a case related to extending undue favour to a private company and causing loss of Rs 70.25 lakh to the Govt. Exchequer," the CBI release said. After the money trail, the CBI Court found above three accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly, according to CBI release. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case in the year 2016 against accused including those convicted on allegations that accused then Supdt. & then Inspector, Central Excise and Customs, Jamnagar had abused their official positions, while entering into criminal conspiracy with then partner of M/s. Amardeep Exports. "It was also alleged that the accused fraudulently endorsed wrong verification (under their seal & signatures) in their examination report and showed undue favour to M/s Amardeep Exports. Thereby, wrongfull loss was caused to the government exchequer and corresponding wrongfull gain to M/s Amardeep Exports, Jamnagar." the release read. After completion of the investigation, CBI filed charge-sheet against the three accused on June 29, 2016. The investigation revealed that M/s. Amardeep Exports, GIDC Phase-II, Jamnagar is a partnership EOU (Export Oriented Unit), with partners Shri Ankit Changani and Shri Dinesh Changani. Shri R.N.Meena, Superintendent and Rahul Chhabra, Inspector, had supervised, examined and verified the stuffing of container by way of Examination Report under their seal and signatures. They had also sealed the container, so that there is no need for further examination at the port by the Customs Department. According to CB release, M/s. Amardeep Exports filed Shipping Bill dated 29.10.2015 with Customs, Mundra. The goods were declared as Brass Electrical Parts, Brass Terminal, valued for Rs. 1.08 Crore for exports to Dubai, UAE. During examination of the container containing the consignment, it was found that the entire container was stuffed with cement bricks and blocks packed in 724 boxes and not with Brass Electrical Parts as declared by the Exporter. It is further learnt that the total duty benefit availed on raw material as per the ARE-1 (Application for Removal of Excisable Goods for Exports) by M/s. Amardeep Exports against the alleged export was Rs. 23,30,27. Similarly, the duty forgone on the Mix Metal Brass Scrap found short of 99.776 MT as reported in October 2015 ER-II form also amounts to Rs. 4890140. Hence, the Government Exchequer has been cheated for a total amount of Rs.7025618 by Shri Ankit D. Changani, Partner M/s. Amardeep Exports in conspiracy with accused public servants. It was further alleged that the M/s. Amardeep Exports not only evaded import duty on raw material (Brass scrap) but also became eligible to claim 5 per cent duty draw back on such exports and cheated the Government by preparing false Freight on Board(FOB) value shipping bills. CBI Investigation also revealed that R.N. Meena and Rahul Chhabra, abused their respective official positions, while entering into criminal conspiracy with Ankit D Changani Partner of M/s Amardeep Exports, and dishonestly & fraudulently endorsed wrong verification (under their seal & signatures) in their examination report and showed undue favour to M/s Amardeep Exports, thereby caused wrongful loss to the Government Exhequer of Rs. Rs.7025618 and corresponding wrongful gain to M/s.Amardeep Exports, Jamnagar. (ANI)
He also visited the upcoming Coast Guard Air Enclave at Puducherry which is expected to strengthen the maritime and coastal security of the country.

He reviewed ongoing infrastructure projects such as OTM Accommodation, and Remote Operating Station.

On Thursday, Rakesh Pal arrived on a maiden visit to Chennai for a review of operational preparedness and commensurate infrastructure development in the region.

During the visit on Thursday, Rakesh Pal interacted with officers & men to share his astute vision towards the common goal of safe, secure & clean seas, according to a statement released by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

As part of the ongoing visit of Indian Coast Guard DG Rakesh Pal, AVSM, PTM, TM, and DG ICG to the Eastern Region, he visited ICG Station Krishnapatnam & had a first-hand review of infrastructure projects. During the visit, he also interacted with officers & men at the station.

The Indian Coast Guard, Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are the four forces under the Defence Ministry and are governed by their different acts. (ANI)
As the country gears up for Lok Sabha elections, the festive ambiance of Rongali Bihu fills Guwahati and other parts of the state with vibrant arrangements being made to celebrate Assam's most significant festival. Preparations to celebrate the biggest festival of Assam are in full swing. Many Bihu organising Committees have organised Bihu dance workshops in different parts of Guwahati. Pub-Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan has organised a Bihu dance workshop at Chandmari field in Guwahati, where more than 700 students have participated. Simanta Thakuria, General Secretary of Pub-Guwahati Bihu, while speaking to ANI, said, "This year, Pub-Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan has entered 63 years and we are trying to teach our culture to the new generation. We have organised this Bihu dance workshop. This is a 10-day workshop and it will continue till April 11. Along with students, many guardians also participated in this workshop. As of now, more than 700 students have participated in the workshop," Simanta Thakuria said. The Bihu dance workshop started on April 2. Rongali Bihu, also known as Bohag Bihu, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in the Indian state of Assam, particularly by the Assamese people. It marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year and usually falls in mid-April. The festival signifies the onset of the agricultural season and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour. Rongali Bihu is a multi-day festival that typically spans seven days, each day known as 'Xaat Bihu.' The celebration involves various cultural activities, traditional rituals, and feasting. On the first day of Rongali Bihu - the cattle are washed, and smeared with a paste of fresh turmeric, black lentil, etc while people sing to them - "Lao kha, bengena kha, bosore bosore barhi ja, maar xoru, baper xoru, toi hobi bor bor goru (Eat gourd, eat brinjal, grow from year to year, your mother is small, your father is small, but you be a large one)" and then the people also worship the cattle. (ANI)
Odisha is on high alert as the state is bracing for an intense heatwave, bringing challenging conditions for residents. With the mercury soaring to unprecedented levels, authorities are urging citizens to take immediate precautions to safeguard against the adverse effects of the blistering heat. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave warning for Odisha, predicting temperatures to soar above 40-45 degrees Celsius in many parts of the state. This prolonged period of extreme heat is expected to persist for the next two days, posing significant risks to public health and safety. Umashankar Das, Senior Scientist IMD Bhubaneswar said, "Several parts of Odisha today recorded 40 degree Celsius and above. The highest temperature has been recorded at Boudh and Malkangiri. Seven stations have recorded 41 degrees Celsius and above. We are expecting a further 2-degree rise in the coming two days. We have issued a yellow warning for heat waves. Night temperature is also likely to rise by 2 to 3 degrees celsius." He further stated that hot and humid conditions are going to prevail over coastal Odisha. "People are advised not to go out between 11 am and 3 pm. As it is election season it should be monitored. People are advised to take plenty of liquid. Farmers are advised to drizzle water over their vegetables and food crops The impact of the heatwave is already being felt across Odisha, advising residents to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day, typically between late morning and early evening, and to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing health conditions, are particularly at risk during this heatwave. Community organizations and local authorities are setting up temporary shelters and distributing drinking water. In rural areas, where access to cooling facilities may be limited, farmers are facing challenges in protecting their crops and livestock from heat stress. Agricultural experts are advising farmers to take measures such as providing shade and adequate water to mitigate the impact of the heatwave on agricultural production. (ANI)
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Punjab Minister and AAP leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said the whole of Punjab is against the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Lok Sabha election in Punjab will be held in a single phase on June 1, 2024. Voting in Punjab will be held for 13 Lok Sabha seats. "CM Bhagwant Mann today held a meeting with Amritsar MLAs to review preparations for Lok Sabha elections. The CM has given us certain guidelines for election campaigning. It was discussed how to increase the party's lead in the Amritsar seat in the elections. As the CM said, AAP will win all 13 seats including the Amritsar seat. The former envoy to the US, Sandhu ji has come to fight elections from Amritsar. He must have come here last during his young days. No votes will be cast in his favour. The whole of Punjab is against BJP." said AAP leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. Earlier on April 2, the Aam Aadmi Party announced another list of two candidates for Punjab for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A two-time MLA from Chabbewal assembly constituency, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal has been fielded from Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency. Raj Kumar Chabbewal recently quit the Punjab Congress to join the Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party before the Lok Sabha elections. In its welcome message the AAP Punjab unit posted on X, "The family of AAP Punjab strengthened, current MLA from Chabewal constituency of Hoshiarpur District Rajkumar Chabewal ji joined the Aam Aadmi Party after being influenced by the pro-people policies of the party. We welcome Raj Chabbewal to the party." The Aam Aadmi Party has also fielded Malvinder Singh Kang from Anandpur Sahib, who quit the BJP in 2020 while protesting against farm laws, and later joined Bhagwant Mann's government. On March 14, The Aam Aadmi party announced its first list of eight candidates for the Lok Sabha elections from Punjab.The list included five cabinet ministers-- Gurmeet Singh Khudian from Bathinda, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Amritsar, Laljit Singh Bhullar from Khandur Sahib, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Sangrur and Dr Balbir Singh from Patiala.Former MLA Gurpreet Singh has been given the ticket from Fatehgarh Sahib and the name of Karamjeet Anmol has been announced to contest from Faridkot. There are 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab with four seats reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the Congress-led UPA alliance clinched 8 seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) managed to secure four. The AAP, which was contesting for the first time in the state won one seat. (ANI)
Sita Soren is the wife of Hemant Soren's late elder brother, Durga Soren, who died in 2009.

"I demand an inquiry into Durga Soren's death. His death happened under suspicious circumstances. I raised this issue many times while I was at JMM but our demands were ignored there. We are demanding an inquiry into his death," Soren told reporters.

"Our government is being formed in the coming days... everything will be investigated... we will win all 14 Lok Sabha seats," she added.

Earlier on March 28, Sita Soren claimed that "Definitely, I feel there is a conspiracy (the death of Durga Soren). I always demanded an investigation be made but they (JMM) never paid any heed to it."

Soren, who joined the BJP on March 19 and was declared the party's candidate from Dumka in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on March 24.

After resigning from the membership of JMM, Sita Soren tendered her resignation from the membership of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. She was the general secretary of the JMM.

In the Lok Sabha election 2019, the BJP won 11 seats with a 51.9 per cent vote share, while Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and ASJU won one seat each.

The voting process in Jharkhand will unfold in four phases, from May 13 to June 1.

The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. (ANI)
Reacting to the comments made by Pakistan's Foreign Minister on resuming trade with India, the Ministry of External Affairs said that there lies a contradiction between his comments and that of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen some reports regarding the Pak Foreign Minister's comments, but thereafter I would like you to refer to the comments made by the spokesperson of Pakistan Foreign Ministry. Please have a look at those comments, you will see there is a contradiction between the two. That is where it is." Earlier, Pak Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that the relevant stakeholders would "seriously examine" the trade situation with India as he highlighted the concerns of the business community, Dawn reported. "Pakistani businessmen want trade with India to resume," he added. Islamabad downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, a decision that revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the State into two Union Territories. However, Dar's comments were followed by a rather contradictory one by Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, who said that Islamabad has no plan to resume trade relations with India which has been "non-existent". "Pakistan-India trade relations have been non-existent since 2019," Baloch said at a press briefing in March. "There is no change in Pakistan's position on it." Ishaq Dar was sworn in as Pakistan's Foreign Minister of the newly elected government in Islamabad last month. Dar served as the Finance Minister of Pakistan during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) regime that came to power after Imran Khan's ouster in 2022. The Pakistan elections were held on February 8. While the independent candidates backed by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won a maximum of 92 seats; Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 73 seats and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 54 seats. However, the polls were deemed controversial with PTI and several other parties alleging internet shutdowns, riggings and a lack of a 'level-playing field'. PPP and PML-N reached an agreement after days of deliberation to finally strike a deal for forming the government in Pakistan. (ANI)
The Indian Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar, which is on overseas deployment at Ho Chi Minh city, conducted joint training on marine oil pollution response with the Vietnam Coast Guard. During the training, a demonstration of the ship's pollution response equipment was carried out, showcasing the resolve of the Indian Coast Guard for a shared response of marine pollution in the ASEAN region. In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard stated, "@IndiaCoastGuard ship Samudra Paheredar on #OSD at #HoChiMinh city conducted joint training on Marine oil pollution response with Vietnam Coast Guard." "During the training, demonstration of ship's pollution response equipment was carried out showcasing resolve of ICG for shared concern of Marine Pollution Response in ASEAN Region.#ICG reaffirms of its commitment for Safe Secure & Clean Seas," it added. Indian Coast Guard's Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) Samudra Paheredar with an integral helicopter arrived at the Ho Chi Minh port of Vietnam on Tuesday as part of its ongoing overseas deployment to ASEAN countries, the Indian Coast Guard said in a statement. The visit of ICG specialized vessel to ASEAN countries is in pursuance of India ASEAN Initiative for Marine Pollution, as announced by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh in the year 2022 at Cambodia during ASEAN Defence Minister Plus Meeting. According to the statement, the visit aims not only to strengthen ties between the Indian Coast Guard and their Vietnamese counterparts but also to showcase India's shipbuilding capabilities, supporting the concept of "Atamnirbhar Bharat" and "Make in India". Additionally, 25 National Cadet Corps (NCC) aboard ICGS Samudra Paheredar will participate in a Walkathon and Beach Cleanup activities in collaboration with local youth organizations, contributing to the GoI initiative "Puneet Sagar Abhiyan". The Indian Coast Guard and Vietnam Coast Guard have an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) since 2015, which institutionalized the cooperative engagements between the two maritime agencies. This overseas deployment is in line with the provision of MoU and is a testimony to the Indian Coast Guard's commitment to bolster bilateral relationships and enhance international cooperation with Foreign Friendly Countries (FFCs). Prior to arriving at Ho Chi Minh City, ICGS Samudra Paheredar visited Manila, Philippines, demonstrating a seamless continuation of diplomatic maritime engagements in the ASEAN region. According to the statement, the visit to Vietnam holds significance in reinforcing bilateral relationships with key maritime partners, crucial for ensuring the safety, security, and environmental sustainability of the seas in the region, while addressing contemporary maritime challenges. The statement reads, "ICGS Samudra Paheredar's deployment to the ASEAN region reflects India's shared concern and resolve towards Marine Pollution, promoting maritime safety and security through maritime cooperation, aligned with India's maritime vision encapsulated in "SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region." (ANI)
While speaking outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the PTI leader bemoaned the fact that just six individuals could see the party's founder, Imran Khan, in Adiala jail each week.

He added that the former prime minister had given him the responsibility of planning protests around the nation, calling the focal people's list a non-issue.

Notably, a few days before, incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan removed Marwat from key party roles. Reliable sources disclosed that the choice was taken based on suggestions from PTI's core committee, ARY News reported.

Additionally, Marwat was taken off the list of people who were supposed to meet with the PTI founder at Adiala Jail.

The new focal persons include Umar Ayub, Barrister Ali Zafar, Shibli Faraz, and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.

According to Marwat, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the matter of purportedly threatening letters to judges of the highest courts.

However, he remained silent over a letter sent by judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) alleging involvement in judicial activities by intelligence services. The PTI leader expressed shock at the Cypher case's postponement until April 16, stating that the country is waiting for a ruling on the matter. (ANI)
Stating that strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza are "unacceptable," US President Joe Biden has told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement "concrete, and measurable steps" to address the civilian harm and the safety of aid workers. In a conversation over a phone call on Thursday, both Biden and Netanyahu discussed the situation in Gaza. According to the White House, "Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that the US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps." "The two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza. President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable," a readout of President Biden's call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel stated, according to the White House. Biden underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home," according to the readout. Further, the two leaders also discussed public Iranian threats against Israel and the Israeli people. "President Biden made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of those threats," as per the readout. According to CNN, White House officials emphasised in the wake of the aid workers' deaths that the US stance on supporting Israel's current military operation remains unchanged. Israel has taken responsibility for the attack, and the deaths of the World Central Kitchen aid workers, with Netanyahu saying Tuesday that Israeli forces had "unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip." World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated the convoy's movements with the Israeli military. "Maintain an open and transparent line of communication" with international organizations on actions being taken after the attack on the convoy," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant instructed forces on Tuesday. Gallant also ordered that a "joint situation room" be opened "promptly" to coordinate aid distributions between international organizations and the IDF's Southern Command, according to a media statement published after Gallant held a meeting with senior Israeli defence officials. (ANI)
A 22-year-old motorcyclist died after crashing into a vehicle at high-speed Thursday evening on the West Side. Tetra Images/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

A 22-year-old San Antonio motorcyclist is dead after crashing into a vehicle Thursday evening on the West Side.

According to a police preliminary report, a man was traveling eastbound on a black Suzuki motorcycle at high speed around 7 p.m. in the 8300 block of Potranco Road.

ALSO READ: Truck driver who hit school bus told officers he fell asleep at the wheel

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A gray Chevrolet Impala was traveling westbound and was attempting to turn left when the motorcyclist struck the vehicle. Witnesses at the scene confirmed that the man was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash, the report states.

The 22-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
The United States on Thursday designated one entity and identified 13 associated vessels as blocked property for facilitating illicit trade in support of Iran's military, according to a statement by the US State Department. The US is also updating one vessel name on the Specially Designated National (SDN) and Blocked Persons list. "The United States is today designating one entity and identifying 13 associated vessels as blocked property, as well as updating one vessel name on the SDN List, for facilitating illicit trade in support of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) and Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL)," the US state department said in the official statement. The United States will continue to take action against entities that transport cargo or facilitate transactions in support of MODAFL and the AFGS, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or Iran's foreign proxy and partner groups, it said. "We remain committed to disrupting illicit funding streams financing Iran's production of weapons that support Russia's war against Ukraine and the attacks by Iranian proxy groups throughout the Middle East," the statement added. The United States, in February, also imposed sanctions on four entities operating as front companies and subsidiaries for US-designated Hamed Dehghan and Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra (PKGB). These entities have supplied materials and sensitive technology for Iran's ballistic missile and UAV programs, including Shahed-series UAVs being used by the Russian military against Ukraine, the US State Department said. Iranian-made UAVs are used to commit acts of terror, including dozens of attacks by Iran- aligned militia groups on US personnel that have resulted in the deaths of US soldiers. Iran-backed Houthis have also launched attacks on commercial vessels and US naval assets using Iranian-made UAVs and missiles, according to the US State Department. The United States is committed to utilizing all available means to expose and hold individuals and entities accountable for contributing to the Iranian regime's proliferation, which directly harms US personnel in the region and contributes to regional instability in the Middle East and Russia's war against Ukraine, it said. (ANI)
Israel's security cabinet has approved the reopening of the Erez border crossing to allow the flow of more humanitarian aid into Gaza, CNN reported, citing an Israeli official. The Israeli official said on Thursday that the border crossing would be opened to allow the flow of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Israeli Port of Ashdod has also been approved by the cabinet to allow more aid. Notably, Erez Crossing, also known as Beit Hanoun, is a border crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip. It has been reopened for the first time since the October 7 assault by Hamas. Israel tightly controlled land crossings and banned all travel via air, sea to and from Gaza. Before the start of the conflict, there were two functional crossings within the enclave: Erez for the movement of people and Kerem Shalom for goods. Israel's move comes hours after US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conversation on the phone, as they discussed the situation in Gaza. Stating that strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza are "unacceptable," Biden told Netanyahu on Thursday to implement "concrete and measurable steps" to address the civilian harm and the safety of aid workers. According to the White House, "Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that the US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps." Biden underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home. The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages. Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimise civilian casualties. (ANI)
At a time when the political landscape is tense in Pakistan, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Arbab Khizar Hayat, said on Thursday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wants to run away from the senate elections now, according to ARY News. Hayat further said that it is a matter of 'few months' to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed provincial government from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and added that his party, along with its allies, would form the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 'soon'. "The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a guest for few months," the PML-N leader added. He claimed that more than 36 MPAs of the ruling party turned against the PTI. "The PTI wants to run away from the Senate elections as its MPAs would not be voting for the party's candidates. Let the Senate elections take place in the province, the PTI will realise its actual position," Arbab Khizar Hayat said, according to ARY News. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate elections were previously postponed by the Pakistani Election Commission because opposition party members with reserved seats were unable to take the oath of office. "The committee believes that the standards of integrity, equity, and impartiality of elections, as stipulated in Article 218(3) of the Constitution, cannot be met because elected officials have not been sworn in, which results in the disenfranchisement of eligible voters and a denial of equal opportunities to all voters," the ECP stated. (ANI) On April 3, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to postpone the Senate polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling it a continuation of the "mandate theft" plot. In a statement, a PTI spokesperson called the postponement of Senate polls for not administering the oath to members on reserved seats in the provincial assembly "ridiculous," as the heads of state were also elected without members on reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies. According to the statement, the PTI accused the chief election commissioner of being the "central figure" in the "poll robbery" scheme. The statement further said that the electoral watchdog's decision was a continuation of the same scheme under which the mandate of people was stolen "under state patronage" after general elections held on February 8. (ANI)
The World Bank stated on Wednesday, that the Aga Khan Foundation in the United States will handle the direct distribution of this funding to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

"Supporting small financial providers in Afghanistan is one of the few actionable options currently available to enhance access to financial resources in Afghanistan, especially for women," underlined Melinda Good, country director of the World Bank for Afghanistan.

"This project aims to strengthen the small financial sector in Afghanistan so that owners of small businesses and women-led enterprises can access the necessary financial credit to rebuild their businesses, rebuild their lives, and contribute to the revival of the private sector," she said, according to Khaama Press.

The World Bank added that the bank is striving to increase access to financial resources in Afghanistan for small and medium-sized enterprises.

This coincides with an increase in international organisations' support for women working in the private sector, particularly in trade and investment.

According to the World Bank, the initiative will be centred in 15 provinces in Afghanistan: Kabul, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Herat, Dykundi, Faryab, and Jawzjan, reported Khaama Press.

Furthermore, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has declared the alignment of multiple projects aimed at providing employment opportunities for women, emphasising that this alignment boosts Afghanistan's economy and empowers women entrepreneurs to run their companies.

In Afghanistan, women's interest in trade and business has grown as a result of limitations on their access to education and employment. (ANI)
Amid allegations that Bushra Bibi, the spouse of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, was poisoned at Bani Gala sub-jail, personal physician Asim Yousuf confirmed conducting a medical examination, Geo News reported. Dr Yousuf stated that no evidence of any poisonous substance being administered to the former first lady was found during the examination. "At this time, there is no evidence of Bushra Bibi being poisoned," Dr Yousuf said while speaking to Geo News, adding, "We are not conducting any medical tests to ascertain the administration of any poisonous substance to Bushra Bibi as no such symptoms are detected," as per Geo News. The physician stated that Bushra Bibi's health deteriorated after taking a meal two months ago. However, she started consuming less food due to health issues, he added. According to Geo News, the physician added that he was unaware of her actual health issues, which happened two months ago. Yousuf said that medical tests should be conducted by keeping in view of her age and to check for any health problems, including stomach-related issues. Additionally, he said that he would meet the incarcerated PTI founder on Saturday. Regarding Khan's health, Dr Yousuf confirmed that the former premier's condition had improved, noting that his appetite had not fully returned to normal following his recovery from a minor illness. On Tuesday, incarcerated former prime minister Khan apprised the court that his wife was poisoned at the Bani Gala sub-jail. The PTI founder claimed this during a hearing of the USD 190 million settlement case in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail. Khan informed the accountability court judge that the former first lady had marks on her skin and tongue after "being poisoned". He requested the court order an inquiry into the incident and a comprehensive medical examination of Bushra Bibi. Before her court appearance, the former first lady also asserted during her interaction with journalists that "three drops of toilet cleaner" were mixed in her food on the eve of Shab-e-Meraj. She revealed that the food and water served by the jail authority tasted bitter. Responding to a question, Bushra said that "someone" had told her in jail that toilet cleaner was mixed in her food. She, however, refused to disclose the name of the official. "My eyes swell up, I feel pain in my chest and stomach," the former first lady said. (ANI)
Italian financial police on Thursday said that it has arrested 22 people and seized assets worth more than 600 million Euros (USD 650 million) in connection with alleged fraud linked to the European Union's post-pandemic recovery fund, CNN reported on Friday. Following the arrests from Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovakia and an investigation by the EU prosecutor, eight people were detained, 14 were placed under house arrest and two others were barred from practising their profession. The assets that were seized during dozens of raids on homes and offices included Lamborghinis, Porsches, Rolexes, Cartier jewellery, cryptocurrencies, luxury villas and other items. https://x.com/EUProsecutor/status/1775819883374113093 The alleged fraud is likely to renew concerns about the misuse of the EU's 800-billion euro recovery fund to help revive the bloc's economy. Italy was the largest beneficiary of the fund, with grants of more than 194 billion euros. The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) said a criminal organization is suspected of running a fraud scheme between 2021 and 2023 to swindle Italy's recovery packages. In 2021, the group applied to receive non-repayable grants, the EPPO said, ostensibly to support small- and medium-sized companies, but later cooked up false balance sheets "to show that the companies were active and profitable, whereas in fact they were non-active, fictitious companies." After getting hold of some 600 million Euros in funds from the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), the group then transferred the funds to their bank accounts in Austria, Romania and Slovakia, the EPPO said, CNN reported. The prosecutor's office claimed the group used cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence and offshore cloud servers to carry out and conceal the fraud. The United States has also attempted to crack down on alleged fraud involving Covid-19 relief resources. A federal watchdog warned in June that the Small Business Administration distributed more than USD 200 billion in potentially fraudulent post-pandemic funds. (ANI)
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif will be visiting the Arab nation for three days.

"Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April 6-8, 2024, during the last days of Ramadan. This would be the Prime Minister's first foreign visit since his election," the foreign office said in a statement.

PM Shehbaz will be accompanied by Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defence; Finance, Information and Economic Affairs, according to Geo News.

Moreover, he will also perform Umrah and offer prayers at the Masjid Nabwi in Madina.

During the visit, PM Shehbaz is expected to meet the Crown Prince and Saudi Arabia Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and discuss issues of mutual interest.

The leaders will also exchange views on regional and global developments, as reported by Geo News.

According to the sources, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and PM Shehbaz would also hold discussions on various projects during the meeting.

The premier would also renew his invitation to the Saudi PM to visit Pakistan.

During his stay, multiple development projects would be finalised, along with bilateral cooperation in several sectors, including agriculture, between the two countries, Geo News reported, citing sources.

Sources further mentioned that Saudi Arabia was expected to invest USD 1 billion in the Reko Diq project as well.

Before his visit, the premier would hold discussions with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in Lahore, they added. (ANI)
Fretting over "dumping" by China to Global South-- that is, exporting goods at artificially low prices, President of Central Tibetan Administration of Tibetan government-in-exile Sikyong Penpa Tsering, warned them to be careful while doing business with China. While speaking to ANI, Sikyong Penpa Tsering said, "China is now exporting more to the Global South, and my warning to those countries is don't flood your country with cheap Chinese products because they are going to kill your industries. Nothing comes for free from China. They always come with the strategy." China's overinvestment and excess capacity could result in cheap products flooding global markets, affecting local industries and employment. Raising concern over cheap Chinese products inundating the Global South, Tsering urged the nations to give China less business. "The only way to bring them down, to their knees is through the economy. Give them less business, and then they won't have all that money to splurge on the Belt and Road initiatives (BRI) and create a dead economy worldwide," said Tsering. BRI aims to connect Asia, Africa, and Europe. Its goal is to increase trade, improve regional integration, and stimulate economic growth. Sikyong Penpa Tsering also raised concern over China controlling regional water resources, shown in its reluctance to sign international agreements on cross-border water management. The country can seize water sources without any military force; because the rivers originate within its territory, they are seen as China's natural assets. He said that China wants to control the water resources so they are building multiple dams in Tibet. This will have an impact on several countries. Commenting on the building of multiple dams in Tibet by China, Tsering stated, "You know the 10 major rivers that flow out of Tibet go into 10 different countries, and from China to 5 countries in Southeast Asia. Burma Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh all have rivers as precious commodities. "Some people say that the 'Third World War' could happen because of water, if that is the case, then I consider Tibet a hotspot. Because Tibet is now also being offered as the water tower of Asia... because of the snow mountain ranges, people started calling Tibet the roof of the world, and now Chinese environmental scientists call Tibet a third pole," he added. Climate change plays a key role in the water shortage crisis in China. For thousands of years, civilisations along the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers fed on the glacial meltwater from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau - also known as 'The Third Pole'. Once a stable source of river flow, the ice mass is now less capable of supplying glacial melt with fresh snow and ice, since global warming has raised the temperature of the glacial region by 3- 3.5C over the past half-century. Furthermore, he expressed concerns about several villages and monasteries facing inundation. He said to ANI, "Several villages are going to be inundated, about six monasteries, 600 to 700 years old, will be submerged in water and ultimately destroyed, so the Chinese government has no more concerns about addressing the grievances of the local people." During an interview with ANI, Tsering emphasised there will be no normalisation of relationships due to the Chinese activities along the Ladakh border. "So in that sense, we see the continuity of the programmes and right now with this government, having taken a stronger position on the diligence on the Ladakh border by the Chinese government, that till there is disengagement from all sectors there will be no normalisation of relationships and adding to all these are also developments in the maritime security of India, including Maldives," Tsering added. He also spoke on the India-Maldives diplomatic rift, Tsering said, "We are talking about the Maldives government asking the Indian army to move out by May 10 so all these geopolitical developments are not helping build better relations." The Maldives has recently found itself in the midst of diplomatic turmoil, raising questions about its relations with India through undiplomatic remarks, military positioning, and the scrapping of crucial agreements. Maldives has also signed new deals with China, further complicating the geopolitical landscape. "So just as China is complaining that the US is trying to contain us, China has been trying to contain India for the last so many decades and they can't apply double standards. What works for them is fine and what doesn't work for them isn't fine for the Chinese," he said. (ANI)
The Taiwan MND shared a post on X, stating, "8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today."

They further said that the Taiwanese armed forces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces.

"#ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond," the post added.

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1776055825687343335

According to Taiwan News, the country has sent naval ships in response and deployed coastal missile systems to monitor the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) activity.

On April 4, the Ministry of National Defence (MND) tracked seven Chinese naval vessels and three military aircraft around Taiwan between 6 am on Wednesday and 6 am on Thursday.

According to MND, of the three People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, none crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or entered the southwest corner of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

Reportedly, so far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 39 times and naval vessels 28 times, according to Taiwan News.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

The Gray zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force." (ANI)
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted an anti-Israel resolution, and in response, the Israeli ambassador walked out of the plenary session in protest at the end of her speech, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. The UNHRC on Friday adopted a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip at the end of the 55th Council session. In the resolution adopted today, the UN condemned Israel for the war in Gaza but made no mention of Hamas or its crimes on October 7th. The resolution equates the abductees with detainees suspected of terrorist activity. It also goes against Israel's right to defend itself. Furthermore, the resolution provides legitimacy for Palestinian 'resistance' to the 'occupation,' calls for an arms embargo on Israel, and blatantly disregards the supply of weapons to Hamas by Iran and its allies. Following the adoption of the resolution, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar, left the hall in protest, the press release added. The resolution -- passed with 28 of the council's 47 member states voting in favour, six opposed and 13 abstaining. The United States voted against the anti-Israeli resolution, as did Germany, Argentina, Paraguay, Bulgaria and Malawi. Later today, the council is expected to adopt three more anti-Israeli resolutions, and the US is expected to vote against all of them. Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar said, "All that matters to this Council and many of its members is condemning the State of Israel, and defending the Hamas terrorist organization as well as anyone else who seeks to harm and destroy us." "The resolutions adopted today are a stain on the United Nations in general and the Human Rights Council in particular. It is a disgrace that the Council adopted a resolution that does not even mention Hamas or its brutal terrorist attacks of October 7. This Council could not even bring itself to condemn the brutal murder of more than 1,200 of our citizens or the abduction of 240 men, women, children and babies. A Council that chose not to condemn the acts of rape, mutilation and sexual violence committed against Israeli women, girls and men by Hamas," Shahar also said. There are 47 member states in the United Nations Human Rights Council, according to geographic distribution. Currently, its members include Malaysia, Kuwait, Qatar, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Algeria, South Africa, Somalia, Cuba, together with the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Romania, Georgia, Bulgaria among other states, the release also said. The member states of the Council are elected for a term of 3 years and only members of the Council have the right to vote on the various resolutions. The Human Rights Council was established in 2006 through a resolution of the UN General Assembly and it is known for its inherent discrimination against the State of Israel. Every year the Council adopts at least four anti-Israel resolutions. So far, it has adopted 108 resolutions condemning Israel out of the 300 resolutions against specific states. The matter of Israel is raised disproportionately about other conflict zones around the world, and certainly to countries that are known human rights violators, such as Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Qatar. Against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, preoccupation with Israel has increased significantly since October 7, Israel's Foreign Ministry also said. (ANI)
A YMCA staffer walks a child to his parent at the YMCA Labor Child Care Center on Wednesday, Apr. 22, 2020. A month after closing all its area branches and furloughing 1,679 full and part-time employees, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio is now taking the first tentative steps toward resuming normal activities. Besides recalling some laid-off employees, YMCA managers are now discussing how a reopening should happen. They are also making plans for summer programs that would normally include day camp and swimming lessons. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer

Some San Antonio child care centers wont have to pay city property taxes anymore.

City Council members unanimously OKd the tax break on Thursday, following Bexar County commissioners who in March exempted certain day care facilities from county property taxes.

The city and county will grant 100% property tax exemptions to child care centers that are both Texas Rising Star-certified and have at least 20% of their enrolled children receiving state day care subsidies. The Texas Rising Star accreditation is a rating system that specifies licensing and staff qualifications to ensure children receive high-quality care.

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The exemptions were made possible by Proposition 2, a state constitutional amendment election that Texas voters approved in November. It allows counties and cities to waive between 50% and 100% of eligible child care centers appraised property value. The measure won 68% of the vote in Bexar County.

Proponents of Proposition 2 see the exemption as a way to help keep expenses down and give centers a better shot at staying open.

District 9 Council Member John Courage, a 2025 mayoral candidate, was the most vocal supporter of the 100% exemption.

I want to just remind the city that we should be doing more than what were doing now, Courage said. We have a crisis for child care centers.

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Council Members Marina Alderete Gavito and Melissa Cabello Havrda have said they hope day care centers will pass along some of the savings to families struggling with child care costs.

However, facilities are not required to pass the savings along to customers, and City Attorney Andy Segovia said at a March meeting that the city is not allowed to make such a stipulation.

The coronavirus pandemic dealt a blow to child care centers, which were only allowed to remain open to children of essential workers. More than 20% of Bexar Countys child care centers went out of business during the pandemic, according to Children at Risk, a Texas-based research and advocacy nonprofit.

The Texas Association for the Education of Young Children reported in August that 26% of surveyed child care centers said they likely would close without additional state or federal funding. Another 43% were unsure whether they would close.

Bexar County has 160 state-accredited centers, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, which administers the Texas Rising Star Program.

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Katie Ferrier, vice president of education and workforce development at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, spoke in support of the exemption at Thursdays meeting.

Recognizing that this is an imperfect solution, we still need to access all tools available to help our community respond to this crisis, she said. We believe that this is an important early step in developing additional measures to help working families and the greater economic potential to our community.

The county estimates the exemption will cost it about $770,700 annually in lost property tax revenue. But that estimate includes all child care centers, not only those eligible for the exemption under Proposition 2. San Antonio estimates it will lose about $500,000 in tax revenue.

Child care centers must apply for the exemption with the Bexar Appraisal District by May 15 for it to apply to their 2024 tax bill. If a center rents its site, its landlord can apply on its behalf.

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This is an opportunity to help an overlooked industry feel seen, while providing much needed relief at a time when our community is at risk of losing child care centers to closure, said Liza Gomez, vice president of the local United Ways Ready Children Impact Council.
Taliban's acting minister of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs has urged Pakistan to resolve the Afghan migrants' issue within the framework of bilateral understanding, Khaama Press reported on Friday. Pakistan reportedly plans to begin the second phase of its expulsion of Afghan migrants from April 10 after having driven 5,35,000 of them out of the nation since November last year. According to the newsletter of the Afghan-Taliban Ministry of Migrants, Abdul Rahman Rashid, a deputy of this ministry, raised this request on Thursday in a meeting with Junaid Waziri, the Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul. Diplomats from Pakistan have been informed by Rashid that decisions pertaining to immigration are bilateral in nature and should be decided in accordance with the two nations' mutual agreement. At a recent iftar event held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, which was attended by ambassadors and representatives of various nations, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, declared that over a million Afghan migrants had been forcibly and voluntarily removed from neighbouring countries. Recently, Amnesty International has called for an 'immediate cancellation' of a plan to expel the Afghan migrants from Pakistan and stated that it violates international human rights laws. The plan of expulsion of Afghan refugees, according to a statement made by one of the organization's activists for refugees and migrants, breaches international human rights laws, international refugee laws, and all international conventions. "The Pakistan authorities' callous disregard for the persecution, serious human rights violations and humanitarian catastrophe that await Afghan refugees if deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is heart-breaking. Instead of heeding repeated global calls to halt deportations, the newly elected Pakistani government has disappointingly now extended the deportation drive to Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well," said James Jennion, according to TOLOnews. Afghan migrants in Pakistan are concerned about their unclear future as the second wave of expulsion of Afghan migrants is about to begin in the country. They object to the Pakistani police detaining and abusing Afghan migrants. The first phase of expelling undocumented Afghan migrants from Pakistan began in November 2023, whereas the second phase, under the name of the 'repatriation plan' which also includes those holding citizenship cards, is set to start on April 10. Human rights organisations and Afghanistan both criticised the action, but the government stood its own and insisted that it was not directed at any one ethnic community. (ANI)
The incident notably took place on Thursday night (April 4), in the village of Tokali, Pusht Koh district of Farah province, according to Khaama Press.

Farah's security commander, Abdul Zaher Khadem, said that investigations are being carried.

According to Khaama Press, Haji Akbar, a prominent local figure connected to the Hizb-e-Islami (an Afghan political party), was among the victims of this incident.

Such incidents of targeted killing have become a new normal in Afghanistan these days.

Earlier, a suicide attack took place in Kandahar that left 12 dead, and injured several others. ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Targeted killings persist in Kandahar amid escalating tensions, while recent victims include government officials and local leaders. These incidents in Farah and Kandahar underscore the escalating security challenges Afghanistan facing since the Taliban took over the country, according to Khaama Press.

Concerns are raised over the Taliban security forces' capacity to uphold national stability in light of the recent spike in violence on Afghan land.

The brunt of the fighting also falls on civilians, who face direct attacks as well as the wider effects of increased insecurity on their day-to-day existence. (ANI)
Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer "sincerely thanked" India on Saturday for allowing the export of essential goods to the island nation, despite the downturn in relations amid rising Chinese influence in Male. Conveying his "sincere" thanks to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as well as the Indian government for the move, Zameer said that it "signifies the longstanding friendship" between the two nations. Amid the thaw in mutual ties, India has allowed the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for 2024-25 under a unique bilateral mechanism, at the request of the Maldives government. In a post on social media platform X, the Maldivian Foreign Minister wrote, "I sincerely thank EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for the renewal of the quota to enable #Maldives to import essential commodities from India during the years 2024 and 2025." "This is truly a gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong commitment to further expand bilateral trade and commerce between our two countries," he added. https://x.com/MoosaZameer/status/1776324964381343971 The High Commission of India in the Maldives posted on Thursday on X, stating that the quotas for each of these items have been revised upwards. "Upon the request of the Government of Maldives, the Government of India has allowed for export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25 under a unique bilateral mechanism, wherein, the quotas for each of these items have been revised upwards," the post stated. Notably, the approved quantities are the highest since this arrangement came into effect in 1981. The quota for river sand and stone aggregates, crucial items for the booming construction industry in the Maldives, has been increased by 25 per cent to 1,000,000 metric tonnes. There has also been an increase of 5 per cent in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and dal (pulses). Moreover, last year as well, India continued to export rice, sugar and onions to the Maldives despite a worldwide ban on the export of these items from India. "India remains strongly committed to supporting human-centric development in the Maldives, as part of its 'Neighbourhood First' policy," the statement by the Indian High Commission in Maldives stated. Notably, ties between India and the Maldives have been strained since Mohamed Muizzu assumed office, as he criticised New Delhi during and after the presidential polls. However, in March, Muizzu requested New Delhi for debt relief measures, while stating that India will continue to remain Maldives' "closest ally," local media reported. He further claimed that he has "not taken any action nor made any statements" that may strain the relationship between the two countries. (ANI)
Attorney General Ken Paxton is defending his office after the state's solicitor general during a court hearing Wednesday on Texas' immigration policy said the state might have "gone too far" with Senate Bill 4, a policy that would authorize state and local law enforcement officers to arrest, detain and deport people suspected of entering the U.S. in Texas from Mexico without legal authorization.

"Texas did not say SB4 'went too far'just the opposite," Paxton said in a statement Wednesday night. "In context, it was clear that the matter of whether Texas went too far in light of the Arizona v United States SCOTUS decision was the question before the Court.

"As counsel explained, Texas has gone as far as Arizona v United States allows."

During the hearing Wednesday before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Texas Solicitor General Aaron Nielson defended the state's immigration policy  which is being challenged by the U.S. Justice Department and civil rights groups  as being complementary to federal law and needed to secure the Texas-Mexico border as federal authorities have been unable to adequately address the record influx of migrants.

"What Texas has done here is they have looked at the Supreme Court's precedent, and then they have tried to develop a statute that goes up to the line of Supreme Court precedent that allows Texas to protect the border," Nielson said in referencing a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 2012, known as the Arizona case, which set precedent and parameters of states' rights over border issues, an area of law that has historically been under the total jurisdiction of the federal government.

In making his pitch on behalf of Texas, Nielson walked the three-judge appeals court panel through the state's concern over the law being blocked by federal courts before it was ever allowed to take effect as scheduled March 5 and addressed judges' questions on the migrant removal provisions called for in SB 4.

Nielson said Wednesday it is going to be the court's decision to make whether Texas had overextended its authority in trying "to develop a law that goes up to the edge, but no further" than what is allowed under the Arizona ruling.

"Now, to be fair, maybe Texas went too far," Nielson said, which later ignited Paxton's ire as news outlets, he charged, misconstrued the statement as an admission of guilt. "And that's the question this court is going to have to decide. But that's the context of which we are here."

More: Construction is under way on Texas' border military base camp in Eagle Pass. What we know.

Gov. Greg Abbott in December signed SB 4 into law, which codifies a series of penalties for anyone suspected of crossing into Texas from Mexico other than through an international port of entry. The penalties range from a Class B misdemeanor to a second-degree felony. The law would allow the police in the state to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally and would authorize judges who perform magistrate duties to deport them to Mexico, regardless of whether Mexico is their country of origin, or face stiffer criminal penalties for noncompliance.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is still weighing the Texas' Senate Bill 4 immigration law.

The U.S. federal government, Mexico's government, El Paso County and civil rights groups  including the ACLU of Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project American Gateways and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center  have all decried SB 4 as a clear overstep that will exacerbate discrimination against Black and Hispanic people.

"Mexico will continue to categorically reject any measure that allows state or local authorities to carry out immigration control tasks, detain or return Mexican or foreign people to Mexican territory," the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after Wednesday's hearing. "These types of laws, in addition to generating international friction, are discriminatory and violate human rights."

More: Did Texas 'go too far' with SB4 border bill? Appeals court weighs case; injunction holds.

The appeals court took no action Wednesday on whether to continue or lift its temporary block on SB 4. The hearing was meant to address Texas' appeal of a temporary hold a federal judge in Austin issued on the law in February that has kept it from taking effect. Judge David Ezra of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ruled that the law should be blocked from taking effect while the courts consider the constitutional challenges against it.

"Several factors warrant an injunction," Ezra wrote in his February ruling. "First, the Supremacy Clause, and Supreme Court precedent affirm that states may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government."

A 5th Circuit panel on March 2 initially overturned the District Court's hold on SB 4 and allowed the U.S. Supreme Court about a week to decide if it wanted to intervene in the case or let the law go into effect.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, shown leaving a Houston courtroom last year, is arguing that a comment by the Texas solicitor general during a court hearing Wednesday didn't really mean that the state might have "gone too far" with Senate Bill 4.

On March 4, the Supreme Court, via an order by Justice Samuel Alito, took up the case and left the law on hold until it reversed course March 19 and lifted the hold, allowing SB 4 to take effect for roughly nine hours. The 5th Circuit later that night reinstated the injunction and again put SB 4 on pause as its legal merits and the state's appeal on the ongoing hold are considered.

In defending Nielson's comments, Paxton said news outlets had peddled a false narrative out of the solicitor general's remark and that Texas should be able to defend its law even if that means overturning the Arizona precedent.

"If Arizona preempts even state laws that criminalize the very border crossings that federal law also makes unlawful, Arizona should be overruled," Paxton said. "Texas did not make any concession."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas AG Ken Paxton says SB 4 doesn't go 'too far'
The Arctic, including Alaska, is currently experiencing an unprecedented degree of environmental change, warming at a pace three to four times faster than the rest of Earth. This change in the climate is profoundly affecting permafrost, the continuously frozen soil typical of the far norths environment.

Permafrost is thawing, causing a complex array of impacts on Alaskas environment, including erosion, landslides, disappearance of lakes, loss of fish and wildlife, damage to buildings and infrastructure, as well as loss of resources that native Alaskans depend upon.

Bob Bolton

Thawing permafrost also significantly affects the global environment by releasing carbon dioxide and methane from the vast amount of organic matter trapped in the frozen ground. These greenhouse gases speed up warming, triggering even more permafrost thaw in an irreversible cycle.

Bob Bolton, who recently moved to Oak Ridge for a new position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory after decades of living in Alaska and working there as a hydrological engineer, will speak to Friends of ORNL on Tuesday, April 9, on Uneven Ground: What Happens When Permafrost Thaws? His talk is open to the public.

He is deputy of operations for the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments in the Arctic (NGEE Arctic) project led by Colleen Iversen at ORNL. He previously served as research assistant and associate professor for 12 years at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he earned his masters degree in geologic engineering and doctorate in hydrologic engineering.

Bolton said he will present an overview of his permafrost-related research for the NGEE Arctic project. He added that he will talk about an outreach project that gives voice to the people who live and work in these rapidly changing landscapes.

He will deliver his noon talk at the UT Resource Center, 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks will be available at 11:15 a.m. for a low price on a first-come, first-served basis. To view the virtual presentation, click on the talk title on the www.fornl.org website homepage and then click on the Zoom link near the bottom of the page describing the lecture. You can view it the next day by clicking on Past Talks on the left side of the websites navigation bar.

Here is a partial summary of his talk.

Permafrost, defined as ground that is continuously frozen for two or more consecutive years, dominates the arctic tundra and boreal forest landscapes and processes. The thawing of ice-rich soils in permafrost landscapes can result in a complex and interwoven cascade of impacts on energy and water balance, carbon fluxes, wildlife habitat and existing infrastructure.

Over the past 12 years, ORNL has led the NGEE Arctic project. Using a combination of field observations, laboratory experiments and multi-scale modeling activities, NGEE Arctic is working to understand and predict the evolution of arctic ecosystems in a changing climate.

According to an ORNL news release, the projects goal is a better understanding of carbon-rich processes and climate feedbacks in Alaska to improve Earth system models run on supercomputers at ORNL that help predict and prepare for the future.

Bolton joined ORNL in July 2023 as a staff research scientist and deputy of operations for the NGEE Arctic project. His research has focused on understanding the magnitude, timing and pathways of water fluxes in permafrost-affected environments, with a recent focus on vegetation-snow-permafrost interactions.

For the NGEE Arctic project, he is responsible for all aspects of safety, community engagement and outreach, as well as international collaborations. He is a co-founder of the Alaska Voices podcast.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Alaskan engineer now at ORNL to speak on permafrost thawing April 9
COSHOCTON  Population figures for Coshocton County have been steady since the 2020 census, but local officials believe numbers will go up over the next 25 years.

The county's population was 36,869 last year, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. That's a slight increase from 2022 of 36,615, up 254 people. The county's population has increased since the pandemic with the 2020 population reported at 36,584.

While deaths outnumbered birth, people moving into the county led to the rise. From 2020 to 2023, there were 1,405 births and 1,618 deaths, but 466 people migrating to the area.

The City of Coshocton as viewed from Roscoe Hill.

Ohio overall grew by 26,238 people in 2023, a 0.2% increase from 2022. Counties that experienced the most growth were Delaware and Franklin, both in Central Ohio, which grew by 5,110 and 4,333 people, respectively.

However, the Ohio Department of Development believes the majority of Ohio counties will see population declines in the next few decades. Areas in central Ohio are predicted to have the most growth moving forward, with just 14 counties expected to see growth by 2050.

A map of Ohio's projected population by county in 2050.

Local officials expect growth

The Coshocton County Coordinated Transportation Agency recently held two meetings to discuss its five year plan and how to possibly expand services. A population projection graph from the Ohio Office of Research from 2023 had Coshocton County at around 32,500 people by 2050, something officials in attendance disputed.

This was mainly due to the Intel chip plant coming to Licking County and other companies coming to Central Ohio or expanding. Not all those people are going to want to live in urban areas and it's believed many will come to Coshocton, less than an hour from the Intel factory.

More U.S. counties experienced population gains than losses last year, as counties in the South saw faster growth and more Northeast and Midwest counties had population losses turn to gains, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Mayor Mark Mills has been keen on annexing more land into the city and exploring housing projects. Looking at the figures, Mills said the percentage should be flipped for growth instead of decline.

"We've maintained 35,000 plus (people) for the last two census tracks, so why would it go down," Mills said. "We're either going to stay the same or we're going to grow, maybe not at the same pace as Licking, Muskingum or Knox counties, but everything is going to grow in this area."

Jed McCoy, executive director of Coshocton County Job and Family Services, agreed with Mills for everything he's heard from experts on how Intel will affect the region in a variety of ways.

"I think we'll stay at status quo for a little bit, but we'll eventually grow, because you'll not only have Intel, but all the subsidiary companies supporting them," McCoy said. "Everything I've seen is expecting population growth."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton shows slight growth in latest census; leaders hope for more
Court watchers can now breathe a sigh of relief thanks to the Florida Supreme Courts April 1 rulings that will let the voters this fall decide the fate of two proposed amendments to the state constitution.

Amendment 3 would alter state laws to legalize the use of recreational marijuana for people 21 or older, even though weed would still be illegal under federal law. The more controversial of the two proposals, which will be listed on the ballot as Amendment 4, would establish a constitutional guarantee of abortion rights.

The abortion amendment will be of heightened interest because the court separately ruled that the state constitutions privacy provisions do not protect abortion rights, as a more liberal court had ruled in the past, clearing the way for a law limiting abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. That new ruling also clears the deck for an even stricter abortion law imposing a six-week limit to take effect on May 1.

Why are the ballot rulings a relief? Because the Florida Supreme Courts role had become a topic of intense curiosity around the state capital after the retirements of long-serving justices appointed when the Democrats ruled Florida. That allowed Gov. Ron DeSantis to stock the court with conservatives approved by the Federalist Society.

A test for the court

In particular, court watchers wondered whether the court would assert its independence from partisan political pressures or rubber-stamp the Florida Republican Partys long stymied conservative agenda, as the legislature notably did during DeSantis first term.

Turns out, the court got it right by letting the ballot measures move forward, despite vocal objections from DeSantis and, in particular, from Attorney General Ashley Moody, who argued unpersuasively that the ballot summaries for each of the amendments would mislead the voters.

One reason the GOP tried to block these proposals from becoming election-year issues is the fear that theyll boost the turnout of women and young voters who, polls suggest, are not fans of Donald Trump.

The GOPs concern is that a large turnout by highly motivated voters not only could affect the outcome of the Trump vs. Joe Biden race for Floridas electoral votes, which had looked like a sure win for Trump, but also the down-ballot races for legislative seats and local offices, which are now mostly in the Republicans hands.

Justices philosophy

As for the courts ruling allowing the abortion law to take effect, its in keeping with judicial conservatives general philosophy of letting legislators legislate unless they violate an explicit provision found in the text of the constitution. Construing the constitutions privacy provision to legalize abortion was arguably a stretch.

The current courts conservative judicial philosophy precludes a previous practice wherein the liberal majority sometimes invented reasons to carry out the agenda of a Florida Democratic Party beholden to two of its key constituencies: personal injury lawyers (the financial wing) and teachers and most other public employee unions (the Election Day foot soldiers).

During the Democrats decades of control, the court discovered a previously unnoticed constitutional provision forcing state and local governments to engage in collective bargaining with their employees. Taxpayers are still feeling the impact.

Moreover, by giving the personal injury bar one victory after another, the courts liberal majority created a legal system that has caused Floridians to pay some of the nations highest insurance rates. Worse, in an egregiously erroneous ruling, the liberal court invalidated then-Gov. Jeb Bushs initial attempt to provide vouchers to students assigned to failing schools. Fortunately, Florida has subsequently become a leader in school choice.

As for the two amendments the court has allowed to go before the voters, approving that step does not mean the court approves the amendments provisions or the possible consequences of their passage.

As the campaign season heats up this summer, supporters and opponents of these high-profile amendments and the other ballot proposals will state their case. Voters, potentially distracted by the Trump-Biden noise, should take the time to inform themselves on all of them before they vote.

Robert F. Sanchez, of Tallahassee, is a former member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. He writes for the Heralds conservative opinion newsletter, Right to the Point. Its weekly, and its free. To subscribe, go to miamiherald.com/righttothepoint.
The names of seven migrants arrested on felony charges of rioting and assaulting law enforcement officers in a confrontation with Operation Lone Star forces in El Paso's Lower Valley were released by state officials.

Texas Department of Public Safety officials released the names of the migrants Wednesday, April 3, and confirmed the arrest of 214 other migrants in connection with a March 21 confrontation between asylum-seeking migrants and Texas National Guard troops.

Texas Department of Public Safety officials released Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the jail booking photos of seven migrants arrested on felony charges in connection with a March 21, 2024, "border riot" at Gate 36 of the border fence in El Paso's Lower Valley.

Migrants breached razor wire barriers erected by Texas National Guard soldiers on the northern side of the Rio Grande on U.S. territory. They overwhelmed state forces and rushed to the border fence to surrender to U.S. Border Patrol agents to seek asylum or other immigration relief.

The migrants arrested on felony charges are:

Junior Evaristo Benitez-Martinez, 21, of Venezuela. Charges: rioting  felony, criminal mischief and assaulting a public servant.

Keider Jose Zurita Aponte, 21, of Venezuela. Charges: rioting  felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant.

Gregori Jose Guilarte-Acosta, 18, of Venezuela. Charges: rioting  felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant.

Omar Alejandro Graterol Colmenares, 27, Venezuela. Charges: rioting  felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant.

Joshua Fernando Garcia Juarez, 18, of Guatemala. Charge: rioting  felony.

Luis Jesus Chacon, 27, of Venezuela. Charge: rioting  felony.

Martin Elias Villasis Cedeno, 46, of Ecuador. Charge: rioting  felony.

More: El Paso DA challenges ruling office wasn't ready to handle migrant 'border riot' cases

Warrants also were issued for two other migrants wanted in connection with the incident. The wanted migrants are:

Juan Jose Colorado Gutierrez, 34, of Venezuela. Charges: rioting  felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant.

Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero, 22, of Venezuela. Charges: rioting  felony, criminal mischief and assault public servant.

DPS officials said 214 other migrants were arrested on state rioting charges  a class B misdemeanor. The names of those migrants were not released.

Texas National Guard and Texas State Troopers use anti-riot gear to prevent asylum seekers from entering further into U.S. territory after the migrants crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on March 22, 2024.

The migrants were originally arrested by federal law enforcement agents on a federal charge of improper entry into the U.S. and booked into the El Paso County Jail. They were then rebooked into the El Paso County Jail on the state rioting charges, officials said.

All 214 migrants are being held until they can be taken by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement, DPS officials said. The group of migrants is made up of men and women from Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.

More: El Paso judge orders release of migrants accused of 'border riot'

The clash began when the migrants breached concertina wire barriers at Gate 36 of the border fence in El Paso's Lower Valley to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks said Tuesday some of the migrants assaulted National Guard troops with at least one migrant attempting to grab a gun from a trooper.

El Paso Public Defender Kelli Childress, whose office is representing a majority of the migrants, claimed Tuesday the allegations against the migrants are false. She added the migrants are being used to promote political agendas.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: DPS releases names of El Paso migrants arrested in 'border riot' case
Earthquake updates: USGS says it's 'relatively small,' but tremor shakes residents

A 4.8 earthquake centered in Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County rattled the tristate area at 10:23 a.m. Friday and sent people who felt the shaking contacting their local police departments.

The earthquake, 2.92 miles under the surface, was felt by millions from Maine to Virginia.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the "relatively small" earthquake was centered about a mile north of Oldwick near the intersection of Old Turnpike Road and Hill and Dale Road.

United States Geological Survey spokesman Paul Earle said at an 11 a.m. press conference that an earthquake in the area is "uncommon but not unexpected," in this part of New Jersey.

Earle said there have been a "handful of earthquakes of the magnitude 2 or 3" in the area.

Hunterdon County wants residents to report damage

A 4.7 earthquake centered in Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County rattled the tristate area.

Hunterdon County officials said Friday afternoon that damage assessment is underway throughout the county, and there have been some reports of structural issues on private properties.

A link has been placed on the county website to capture reports from the public of damage that has occurred.County staff have assessed facilities and infrastructure and are reporting that all essential services are operating without interruption.

Hunterdon Medical Center has reported there is no damage to its facility and coordination with all utilities that service the county are reporting no present issues.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has inspected bridges connecting New Jersey to Pennsylvania from Hunterdon County with no damage identified.

The New Jersey Water Supply Authority is conducting structural assessments on the dams at the Round Valley and Spruce Run reservoirs. No issues have been reported to county offices as of 12:45 p.m. There are local road closures in the area of Round Valley to allow for inspections to safely be conducted.

The Hunterdon County Emergency Operations Center has been activated to coordinate information andresource needs throughout the community.

I am grateful for the quick response by our local first responders, Office of Emergency Management, and County staff that have been involved in the ongoing response to the reported earthquake," said Hunterdon County Commissioner Jeff Kuhl. "Thankfully, at this time, there have been no reported injuries or major damage sustained by residents, businesses, and local governments. We will continue to stay in regular contact with municipal officials until all inspections and reporting is finished."

Aftershocks continue to rattle N.J. residents

According to the USGS, here are the aftershocks from the 4.8 earthquake, as of 2:50 p.m.

Magnitude 2.2, 4 km ENE of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, 1:32:13 p.m.

Magnitude 2.0, 4 km NNE of Chester, New Jersey, 1:14:12 p.m.

Magnitude 1.8, 1 km W of Chester, New Jersey, 12:31:51 p.m.

Magnitude 2.0, 6 km E of Califon, New Jersey, 11:49:36 a.m.

Magnitude 2.0, 7 km W of Bedminster, New Jersey, 11:20:20 a.m.

What did it sound like at the epicenter of the N.J. earthquake?

The sign at the Tewksbury Library on the day there was an earthquake in this quiet, rural Hunterdon County town.

Nadine Marron, who said she lives about 3,000 from the earthquakes epicenter in Tewksbury, wonder if the roof collapsed.

"It was so loud, it sounded like a freight train on top of my house," she said.

Her neighbors told her that their couches and dining room table jumped from the floor during the quake

Was there reported damage after the N.J. earthquake?

No significant damage or injuries have been reported.

NJ Transit has announced 20-minute delays as bridges are being inspected for any possible damage,

Buildings rattled in Somerville and throughout Central Jersey.

Response from N.J. officials, residents after the earthquake

Gov. Phil Murphy posted on X;: "Our region just experienced an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, with an epicenter near Readington in Hunterdon County. We have activated our State Emergency Operations Center. Please do not call 911 unless you have an actual emergency."

He also posted a link to the United States Geological Survey earthquake information page.

Our region just experienced an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, with an epicenter near Readington in Hunterdon County.



We have activated our State Emergency Operations Center. Please do not call 911 unless you have an actual emergency. https://t.co/Szt5fWyIs9  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 5, 2024

South Brunswick and Edison police reported no damage or injuries from the quake. Metuchen and Branchburg are asking residents to check their properties for damage.

In Milltown, about 30 miles from the earthquakes epicenter, a loud rumbling noise accompanied shaking on Herbert Avenue in Milltown. A songbook fell off a piano inside one house.

A look back at quake history: Friday's earthquake was the strongest in NJ since 1783

How communities felt the earthquake: Ground shaking in NJ sends residents to social media

Watch: Yankees' Gleyber Torres takes batting practice as earthquake shakes ground

Neighbors ran out of their homes and stood on lawns and porches asking each other what had just happened.

It felt like my house was going to fall down, said one resident. Another wondered if a residential construction project might have collapsed and caused the rumbling.

More on this story to come.

A retaining wall fell in a residential neighborhood off Round Top Road in Tewksbury as a result of the earthquake on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ earthquake centered in Tewksbury, strength, aftershocks, reaction
The Alamo Cenotaph, a 56-foot-tall memorial to the 189 Anglo and Tejano soldiers and volunteers who died in the 1836 battle for Texas independence, will undergo repairs, restoration and installation of a new drainage system, starting this summer.

Work on the monument, featuring carvings by artist Pompeo Coppini collectively titled The Spirit of Sacrifice, will address structural concerns and preserve the memorial in its place, the Alamo Trust said in a release. Its located just west of the Alamo Long Barrack, where hand-to-hand fighting occurred during the early morning battle on March 6, 1836. Repairs led by Clark-Guido and overseen by Architexas, project architect, will be done with meticulous care and follow federal standards for treatment of historic properties.

People get tickets for a tour of the Alamo and watch construction workers put up scaffolding around the Alamo Cenotaph Monument at Alamo Plaza in this November photo. The Cenotaph underwent a structural integrity investigation that guided work to begin in July under the Alamo Cenotaph Restoration Project. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

This comprehensive approach guarantees that the restoration is conducted with the utmost expertise, attention to detail and respect for historic significance, the trust said.

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Rainwater seepage has caused some of the monuments stones and marble sculptures to crack or shift, creating a risk that carved likenesses of David Crockett and other historic figures could be damaged, or that pieces of stone could fall and possibly injure sightseers. Experts placed fencing and scaffolding around the monument and began investigating its structural integrity in November, developing a report that identified critical areas that require immediate attention to ensure the long-term stability and preservation of the Alamo Cenotaph.

The Alamo Cenotaph, featuring The Spirit of Sacrifice by artist Pompeo Coppini, will undergo repairs starting in July. Sam Owens /Staff photographer

Priorities include concrete, joint and structural repairs, waterproofing, stone cleaning and patching, and a new drainage system.

While these repairs necessitate the careful removal of stones from the Cenotaph to access its internal structure for restoration, this process is crucial to reinforce its internal structure to guarantee its standing for another near-century in its original place, the trust said.

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The 56-foot-tall Alamo Cenotaph underwent a structural integrity investigation that guided work to begin in July under the Alamo Cenotaph Restoration Project. WILLIAM LUTHER, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

A safety fence will be placed around the monument during the restoration, but it will not obscure views of the work being done. Restoration is scheduled to begin in July and be completed by early 2025.

The trust has a link on the Alamos website with a live webcam of the monument and more information on the Alamo Cenotaph Restoration Project.
The state-run Ida Shelters program officially will end this month, affecting about 800 people statewide who are homeless since Hurricane Ida.

When Hurricane Ida tore through Lafourche and Terrebonne Aug. 29, 2021, officials recognized the Federal Emergency Management Agency would take time to respond. FEMA agreed to fund the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness's emergency housing program: Ida Shelters. The program housed more than 3,500 people in Terrebonne and Lafourche, and rolled its first campers out three weeks after the storm.

That program ends April 30.

"As we met with the Division of Administration, they presented a question to me," Director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Jacques Thibodeaux said. "The state is approaching a fiscal cliff in 2025 with the potential of a $500 million shortfall. This is about $2 million a month that is costs, and the state cannot sustain the cost of this, For the past 60 days, we have been meeting with the parishes, and we have several solutions that we are pursuing.

"It's that hardest thing I've ever had to do. I've been in the emergency management for 40 years. Knowing that it's now on me to fix this situation. So we are trying to find solutions."

Ida Shelter resident Nathaniel Fournier cuts wood outside of his state-provided camper as hurricane season begins, June 1.

The Ida Shelters program provided campers to those left homeless after Hurricane Ida and was reimbursed by FEMA for 18 months. It has been funded entirely by the state since January 2023. The program has cost the state roughly $2 million a month to keep in operation.

The Ida Shelters program is separate from the FEMA trailer program, which also must be renewed in August, or it will end too.

Last year, the Ida Shelters program announced a soft ending date, May 31, 2023. The program cut back on what it purchased for residents, and stepped up the case manager visits. Case managers would confirm residents were taking measures to find more permanent housing and offer options to aid them.

Thibodeaux has proposed three options to the parishes that still have campers: selling the campers, footing the bill by the parishes and providng housing vouchers.

The state has reached out to the Attorney General's Office to determine whether the state can sell the campers at a reduced price to residents. Thibodeaux said he did not know what that price would be. By law, the state cannot donate the property and cannot sell it below market value, because that also would be considered a donation.

The second option would be for the parishes to foot the bill for the program. Thibodeaux said the parishes could potentially recoup the costs by applying for Housing and Urban Development disaster funds. According to Thibodeaux, there is roughly $1.2 billion available to apply for.

According to Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson, Lafourche cannot foot the bill. It is simply too expensive, and the returns from grants would arrive too late to afford it. He said the plan is to collect data from the state on the different residents and try to help those who have been trying to move out of the campers.

"We don't have the capacity to take on that," Chaisson said. "What I've said to them is that if you have people in these units who have not dealt with the case managers, have not made any progress, then do what you have to do to get them out, and take the campers back.

"If we still have people who are dealing with insurance issues, and are caught up in Restore Louisiana or homeowner rebuilding programs, then we need to figure out what to do with those people. If you sell it to them at a reduced rate, then yes, they can keep them on their property and continue to live in them as long as their case management continues to follow through, as long as it is not a long-term living situation."

Caseworkers have been offering residents rapid housing vouchers offered by the Louisiana Office of Community Development. These would aid the residents in transitioning from the campers to more permanent housing options. According to Thibodeaux, few have taken this option. Fifty-seven are currently in the process of transitioning, he said.

Officials from Terrebonne Parish did not respond in time for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Louisiana's Ida Shelters program set to end April 30
Iran executions reach 8-year high in 2023, with more than half for drug-related crimes: Report

Iran executed 853 people in 2023  the highest number on record since 2015, according to a report in Amnesty International.

The surge in executions comes as Iran continues what Amnesty calls a war on drugs. In 2023, more than half  481  of the total executions were for drug-related offenses.

The mass deployment of the death penalty comes after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisis election in 2021, when Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi was also appointed head of the judiciary. Amnesty points to the lethal shift in anti-narcotics policy as a key driver of the spike in death sentences.

In 2023, total executions increased by 48 percent from 2022 and by 172 percent from 2021.

Drug-related offenses  which made up 56 percent of total executions in 2023  experienced that spike very acutely. In 2023, drug-related executions increased by 89 percent from 2022 and by 264 percent from 2021.

The death penalty is abhorrent in all circumstances but deploying it on a mass scale for drug-related offences after grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts is a grotesque abuse of power, said Diana Eltahawy, Amnestys deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The Islamic Republics deadly anti-narcotics policies are contributing to a cycle of poverty and systemic injustice, and further entrenching discrimination against marginalized communities, in particular Irans oppressed Baluchi minority, Eltahawy continued.

The report noted that while the Baluchi minority accounts for only 5 percent of Irans population, they accounted for 29 percent of drug-related executions, which Amnesty suggests demonstrates the discriminatory effect of the authorities anti-narcotics strategy on the most marginalized and impoverished communities.

The report also says the deployment of the death penalty has been an outgrowth of the governments efforts to crack down on protests. In particular, Amnesty points to the Woman Life Freedom uprising in the final four months of 2022, which was a slogan that represented womens efforts for equal rights in Iran. That threat, however, has jolted the Iranian government into taking steps to scare people into silence.

Amnesty, in its report, called on the international community to bring greater attention to this mass deployment of the death penalty.

Without urgent action from the international community, drug-related executions will continue to rise, amid ongoing efforts by the judiciary, legislative and executive branches to enact a new lethal anti-narcotics law which, if adopted, would expand the range of drug charges incurring the death penalty, the report read.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Israel braces for Iranian retaliation for airstrike on embassy in Syria

Emergency personnel inspect the rubble at the site of strikes which hit a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital of Damascus. Israel has not commented on its involvement in the strike but is gearing up for retaliation after the strike killed a top Iranian military leader. Photo by Syrian Arab News Agency/UPI

April 4 (UPI) -- Israeli citizens and officials abroad are on guard after Iran accused Israel of killing one of its top military leaders in an airstrike in Syria on Monday.

Israeli embassies around the world went on high alert Thursday in fear of an Iranian retaliation. Some ambassadors were asked not to appear in public due to the security risk.

The Iranian government has blamed Israel for the airstrike next to the country's embassy in Syria, which killed Mohammed Reza Zahedi, senior leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

Iranian ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari said the attack "will result in our decisive response."

President Ebrahim Raisi in a statement said, "This cowardly crime will not go unanswered," adding Israel "must know that it will never achieve its goals."

Israel did not confirm or deny its involvement in the strike, but it has previously acknowledged targeting Iranian forces in Syria.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting of his security cabinet on Thursday said "Iran has been acting against us for years -- directly and via proxies. And, therefore, Israel acts against Iran and its proxies -- defensively and offensively.

"We will know how to defend ourselves, and we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm."

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari addressed citizens' fears of a possible Iranian retaliation, saying "there is no need to buy generators, store food and withdraw money from ATMs.

"As we have done until today, we will immediately update on any change in an official and orderly manner."

The IDF on Thursday temporarily suspended home leave for its combat units a day after it said it would increase recruitment and call up reservists for its air defense.

The Israeli government previously denied reports that it withdrew its ambassadors and evacuated multiple embassies around the world.

On Thursday, Israel jammed GPS systems in the central parts of the country as a defensive measure to disrupt missiles and drones that rely on GPS to set their location.
When the residents of High Point Place look out their windows, they take in a panorama that encompasses the yawning stretch of the Caloosahatchee, pedestrians and a handful of cars buzzing around Fort Myers' charming downtown...and a junk heap.

Since Hurricane Ian swept through Southwest Florida, bringing storm surge more than a dozen feet high in places, Lee County and its municipalities have worked to clear out the wreckage the storm left behind. But in downtown Fort Myers, not everything has been attended to.

Scattered around lots, including the Legacy Harbor Marina, just a few hundred feet from Centennial Park, lie beached boats, rusted-out excavators, broken fences, and more. It marred the view, changed the feel of the charming Southern city's downtown, and, some said, could even be dangerous.

"It looks like a junkyard," said Kathy Morgan, one of the residents of High Point Place. "It's our neighborhood, so of course we don't want that to be part of it."

In this file photo of the view from High Point Place in 2019, you can see Legacy Harbor Marina, where some debris from Hurricane Ian now remains.

Five women who call High Point Place home decided to tackle the project. And after more than six months of work, more than two dozen First Street neighbors showed up to Fort Myers City Council Monday evening to plead their case to a sympathetic council.

City Council member Fred Burson agreed, saying he was disappointed the city hasnt cleaned it up sooner.

Its a blight on the city," Burson said. "If the federal government wont do it, well do it and bill somebody later.

Five neighbors tackled blight

Scattered around lots, including the Legacy Harbor Marina, just a few hundred feet from Centennial Park, lie beached boats, rusted-out excavators, broken fences, and more.

Kathy Morgan, Ilene Safron, Annalene Roehr, Mary Jo Felix, and Sharon Dewey began talking about the rusty junk scattered around their neighborhood around September of 2023, roughly a year after the storm came and went. They couldn't understand why it hadn't been cleaned up yet, and decided to educate themselves about how they could help.

They met with county officials, city officials, and more over the course of roughly six months, Roehr said. They exchanged emails, attended meetings and workshops, even walked around their neighborhood with local officials. As they did, they learned the county had nothing to do with this, and soon narrowed in on land owners, lesees and the city, which own some of the property in question.

"You had to learn about meetings and code enforcements to get an idea about where to start to help them," Morgan said.

They want the property cleaned up, oh, a year ago, they joked  but they are serious about seeing their neighborhood returned to its former glory.

First Street neighbors turn out in support

An abandoned boat lies tilted on the land next to the Caloosahatchee after Hurricane Ian dumped it there. Five women, neighbors at High Point Place, are tackling the project, asking the city of Fort Myers to clean up.

Neighbor James Lauman was one of many who came out to support the women leading the charge, he said.

"It's an eyesore for downtown, an embarrassment for anyone coming to visit Fort Myers," Lauman said.

He, like the others, wore a white shirt. So many turned out that the chambers were closed before everyone in attendance could make it inside. About twenty people and at least one reporter stood in the lobby, watching the meeting unfold on the television on the wall.

"All this time they thought we were just five ladies," said Roehr. "But we would always say there's a whole neighborhood behind us."

And that's exactly who showed up.

Further complicating the cleanup, some of the property is city-owned, while some of it is private. And some is a combination of the two.

Take Legacy Harbour Marina, which public records show was purchased for $20 million in December 2021 by NRIA, or National Realty Investment Advisors. The marina was sold to developer AIRN after NRIA declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy just six months after its purchase of Legacy Harbour. AIRN (NRIA spelled backwards) acquired the property in August 2023 via a quitclaim deal in which AIRN paid just $10 for the property.

While AIRN owns the dry land, docks and infrastructure, the land submerged beneath the waters of the Caloosahatchee belongs to the city of Fort Myers, said attorney Gary Dunay, meaning this property comes with a perpetual lease from the city. Whoever purchases the land must also agree to take over the lease.

Some neighbors attending in support of the project said they believed the combination of private and public lands involved slowed the clean-up down, as entities stared down the other, hoping someone else would pay for the junk removal.

Ultimately, though, Lauman said, "the city had a responsibility, Legacy has a responsibility."

Morgan doubled down on the hope that, once clean, the city and landowners keep the area clean going forward. She said they hope the mayor and city council pressure private property owners to remove the junk and repair their properties and fencing.

Cleaning up rusted junk, boats, Ian debris

Scattered around lots, including the Legacy Harbor Marina, just a few hundred feet from Centennial Park, lie beached boats, rusted-out excavators, broken fences, and more.

Ultimately, it appears the women of High Point Place might get what they want, and soon. City Council members were pointedly aghast at the continued presence of large, rusted-out construction equipment and boats, and City Emergency Manager Kristy Mathews was called to speak on the matter.

Mathews, to her credit, apologized to the city council for the junk still lying around, more than a year and a half after the storm.

"We had cleaned it up in our opinion and I am not sure where the disconnect came from but I appreciate them bringing it to our attention," Mathews said. She added that crews marked it off as cleaned up, and they turned their attention to lower-priority cleanups.

Mathews also said while a number of the boats had been tagged by the state immediately following the storm, they were not the state's responsibility to clean up  that was on the city as well. She promised this would be a priority.

"Throughout history, most change has occurred because of citizens advocating for their community," Mayor Kevin Anderson said, thanking them for their work. He went on to tell Mathews he wanted this project completed immediately.

Now, this victory hopefully imminent, the women of High Point Place say, they're planning to keep their clean-up group going. They will next turn their attention to the water, and the lighting in downtown.

Kate Cimini is the Florida Investigative Reporter for the USA TODAY-Network Florida, based at The News-Press and The Naples Daily News. Contact her at 239-207-9369 or kcimini@news-press.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers Florida neighbors push city to remove Hurricane Ian debris
Man livestreamed himself trying to kill a Florida cop, officials say. Hes sentenced

A man who livestreamed himself trying to kill a Florida cop with a brick will spend the rest of his life in prison  after making the surprising choice to represent himself in court.

The jury took less than an hour to find William McClish, 29, guilty of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, according to an April 3 news release form State Attorney Andrew Bain of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

McClish was sentenced to life in prison.

Bain noted McClishs opening remarks at his trial consisted of one sentence: I didnt do it and the evidence was tampered with.

Two uniformed Orlando officers were injured during the Sept. 25, 2021, brawl with McClish, officials said.

The defendant leaned his phone against a trash can, positioning the two officers in view of the camera. McClish began streaming live on Facebook and armed himself with a brick, Bain said.

He ... was captured on video striking an officer in the head with the brick. A struggle ensued between McClish, the second officer and a witness who all tried to subdue McClish, who was actively fighting and resisting.

McClish bit the second officer and gouged one of his eyes, then tried to take an officers gun, officials say. When an officer tried calling for backup, McClish ripped his radio off, officials said.

After a few minutes, additional officers arrived on the scene and arrested McClish, officials said.

Details of the injuries suffered by the two officers were not included in the release.

Investigators then discovered McClish boasted about the attack while in jail.

Further investigation revealed a previously recorded video on his phone where he stated, Im gonna kill him on live, establishing premeditation and his intention to kill, Bain said.

McClish was also found guilty of resisting an officer with violence, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with great bodily harm, depriving an officer of means of protection/communication, and attempted depriving officer of means of protection/communication, officials said.

Driver leads 103-mph interstate chase, then rams state trooper, Florida officials say

Deputy thrown from boat into spinning propeller saved by witnesses, Florida cops say

Man killed when he dares to confront burglars in Florida golfing community, cops say
FALL RIVER  Some Fall River teachers and educators are calling for eliminating the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System as a high school graduation requirement, arguing alternative assessment methods will help to narrow down educational inequality and fit communities' current needs.

Advocates have filed a ballot question to replace the MCAS graduation requirement with an alternative assessment tool that allows school districts to determine whether students' competencies fit state standards.

"Having relative success on the MCAS is a convenient excuse for high tests for districts to mask or avoid the challenges they have," said Paul Tritter, the director of professional learning for the Boston Teachers Union.

He said that the current accountability system under MCAS requirements "intended to close achievement gaps has made them worse."

"MCAS doesn't measure the students' achievement," said Keith Michon, the president of the Fall River Educators Association. "It measures their socioeconomic background. When you look from community to community, the high-scoring districts are those the ones that are more affluent, the low-scoring districts are the ones that are less affluent."

Demographic information of public school students in Fall River compared to the state.

Fall River statistics

In 2023, 78.5% of students enrolled in Fall River's public schools are from low-income families, while the statewide percentage is 42.2%.

Percentage of students meet or exceed expectations.

According to its 2023 Next Generation MCAS Achievement results, Fall River's MCAS performance has fallen behind in every subject compared to the statewide average, with 22% of students in all grades tested meeting or exceeding expectations for the proficient level for English language arts; 19% meeting or exceeding the math level; and 18% meeting or exceeding the science and technology/engineering level. The state rate of meeting or exceeding expectations in those subjects exceeds 40%.

Alternatives needed

Across the state, advocates are trying to find alternatives that help schools educate students in a way that suits the needs of individual communities.

Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment, a partnership of eight public school districts, promoted an alternative system to evaluate students and schools.

MCIEA held a Statehouse briefing recently to explain how the new system will benefit local students by providing a more performance-based assessment while considering community settings.

"We are not calling for no accountability at all," said Tritter. "We are calling for real accountability to schools for the families."

According to Dan French, the executive director emeritus of the Center for Collaborative Education, the performance-based assessment can train teachers to be experts in assessing students while cutting the current $30 million budget for outside test makers and administrators.

"If we did more assessments that were district-based, where teachers were reporting the achievement of their students according to performance-based tasks," "it will cost less than a big comprehensive test, which is very expensive," Michon said.

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Rep. Alan Silvia, D-Fall River, who backs eliminating the MCAS graduation requirement, said the exam had put too much stress on the students and would help more students stay in school.

According to the 2021-2022 dropout report, the drop-out rate in all grades in Fall River is 6.7%, compared to the 2.1% drop-off rate statewide.

Michon said students may get discouraged with MCAS as a graduate requirement and drop out in their early years.

"When they're in 8th or 9th grade and haven't passed the test yet, they may drop out thinking, 'I am not going to graduate anyway,'" Michon said.

"If we were to eliminate MCAS it would give some teachers the ability to address their students' need in front of them, and not what is being assessed, which isn't always the same thing," he said.

Thrive Act bill filed

Advocates, including the Massachusetts Teachers Association, have filed a bill known as the Thrive Act to eliminate the test's high-stakes elements as a graduate requirement while keeping MCAS testing.

Rep. James Hawkins, D-Attleboro, who filed the bill, expressed concern about migrant students taking the exam during the enrollment process amid the ongoing migrant crisis.

According to Hawkins, taking MCAS posed a challenge for children whose families had just arrived in the country. They were required to take the test to determine their capacity to enroll in the school.

"How can someone that has only been here for 10 weeks take tests about the knowledge required to study here for 10 years," he said.

Fall River Public School English Language Learner Over 2020-2023.

With the surge of the migrant population, Massachusetts has seen a continuous increase in the percentage of English language learners in its student population, with the percentage rising from 11% to 13.1% over the past three years.

Massachusetts Public School English Language Learner Over 2020-2023.

As of 2024, 22.7% of Fall River's public school students are English language learners.

According to Michon, while the community will benefit from having different types of people speaking other languages and having different cultural experiences, it is a disadvantage when it comes to test-taking.

"Non-English speaking immigrant students are at a disadvantage when they come into our schools without a full grasp of the language," Michon said. "Then they're required to take common-language-only tests, sometimes a very short time after arriving, which doesn't allow them to show their best understanding."

Since 1993, the MCAS test has become a standardized graduate requirement for students under the Mass. Education Reform Law.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MCAS has helped the state provide higher standards for students to graduate and equip them with basic reading and math skills needed to succeed.

Today, Massachusetts students ranked first in the country in reading and math.

The Thrive Act is currently before the Legislature's Committee on Education. Supporters are also trying to collect signatures from communities around Massachusetts for a ballot initiative to be placed before voters.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Fall River educators support bill to change MCAS graduation requirement
Deputies checking out a report of an unoccupied vehicle found the body of missing Lawrence actor Cole Brings Plenty, the Johnson County Sheriffs Office said in a press release.

Deputies responded about 11:45 a.m. Friday to the area of West 200th Street and Homestead Lane near Edgerton, Kansas, to check on the unoccupied there.

While there, deputies discovered a deceased person in a wooded area away from the vehicle. The person was identified as the 27-year-old actor missing since Sunday.

Lawrence police had asked for the publics help after being unable to find Brings Plenty, who was wanted on charges relating to an alleged domestic violence incident.

Police used a drone team Thursday afternoon to search areas south of Lawrence in the hope of uncovering leads on Brings Plentys whereabouts, the department said in a news release.

Police were in close contact with the family, who were concerned and were collaborating with the MMIWG2ST Chapter of Lawrence, which stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and Trans people.

Police responded early Sunday to reports of a female victim screaming for help at a Lawrence apartment. Brings Plenty, who police have identified as a suspect, fled before they arrived.

Because the incident involved allegations of domestic violence, police would not discuss details.

Traffic cameras showed Brings Plenty leaving Lawrence immediately after the incident, traveling south on U.S. 59 highway in a 2005 Ford Explore.

Brings Plentys family reported the actor as a missing person. Brings Plenty starred in 1923, a spinoff of Yellowstone, which stars his uncle, Mo Brings Plenty.

The Johnson County Sheriffs Office said its investigations unit, crime scene investigators and the medical examiner were at the location where Cole Brings Plenty was found.

Anyone with information about his death was asked to call the sheriffs office at 913-782-0720.
Indiana State Police were in the 2100 block of Kopf Lane in West Lafayette on Wednesday and Thursday, April 3 and April 4, 2024, serving a search warrant. Police did not elaborate. Neighbors, however, said they were looking in the garage and it was tied to a 2016 case. Two neighbors said they heard concrete being cut and broken up during the search.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Indiana State Police surprised a tenant in the 2100 block of Kopf Lane in rural West Lafayette earlier this week with a search warrant and then troopers swarmed the detached garage.

Some case from 2016 is all I know, the tenant said when the Journal & Courier asked about the state police visits. They were looking at the concrete. Theyre supposed to be back today.

The tenant moved into the house in 2022 and was not there eight years ago. The tenant has no idea what 2016 case might have prompted a search warrant.

The house was sold in 2018, according to property records.

It was bought," another neighbor said, recalling the former owner as troublesome. "After that, they renod it. I dont know who owns it now. I know theyre currently renting.

Neighbors talk when police cars line the neighborhood street, of course, and they all have a theory about what troopers were looking for, but Indiana State Police Sgt. Jeremy Piers said it's an active investigation.

Piers didn't provide any additional information to the Journal & Courier's questions about the search or possible reasons for the search. Piers said no one has been arrested or is in custody as a result of the two-day search.

A search of court records for the man who owned the house in 2016 indicates that he died in 2022, prompting pending cases to be dismissed.

The previous owner died Feb. 9, 2022, at the Economy Inn Motel from an acute mixed drug intoxication, including meth and fentanyl, according to a 2022 coroner's report.

"They didnt tell us nothing, one neighbor said.

They were busting some concrete up out of the garage, another neighbor said. They had the garage open. I heard concrete being busted open.

The tenant said police told her not to go near the garage and to call them if anyone did.

Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello said Friday that she was there during the search on Thursday. But there has been no body or human remains recovered so it is not a coroner's case.

Still another neighbor said, We saw the flashes from investigators  camera flashes.

He saw equipment to break up concrete and the scene and saw concrete saws.

The (garage) door was opened. It was taped off, he said.

The police crime-scene tape was gone early Friday afternoon when the Journal & Courier canvased the obscure lane off of North River Road. At the request of the tenant, the J&C photographed the garage from a distance.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Indiana State Police search under garage's concrete
Okla. Mom Sentenced for Killing Her 2 Teenage Children as They Slept, Injuring 14-Year-Old Daughter

Amy Leann Hall pleaded guilty to killing her son, Kayson Toliver, 18, and her daughter, Khloe Toliver, 16 in 2018, while they were asleep

Kloee Toliver/Facebook; Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock; Kayson Toliver/Facebook Kayson Toliver, Amy Leann Hall, Kloee Toliver

An Oklahoma woman who pleaded guilty to killing her teenage son and daughter while they slept and shooting her 14-year-old who survived has been sentenced to life in prison.

On Monday, Chief Judge Ronald A. White of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma sentenced Amy Leann Hall, 43, to life in prison for killing her 18-year-old son, Kayson Toliver, and 16-year-old daughter, Kloee Toliver in 2018, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced in a statement.

Hall, of Okmulgee, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of murder and 240 months in prison for one count of assault with intent to commit murder. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Hall pleaded guilty on Nov. 28, 2022.

In the early morning hours of November 1, 2018, Hall entered her sons room and shot him in the head while he slept, killing him instantly, according to investigators, the U.S. Attorney said in the statement.

Next, Hall proceeded to the bedroom where her 16- and 14-year-old daughters were sleeping and shot them both in the head.

Kloee was brain dead and was taken off life support.

Related: Football Player, 18, and His Little Sister Allegedly Shot in Their Bedrooms by Mom: 'Pure Evil'

Halls 14-year-old daughter, whom police did not identify, survived after she was grazed in the head and neck area, police said at the time.

The 14-year-old escaped to the bathroom where she was later able to convince her mother to turn over the gun, according to law enforcement.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

She kind of talked [Hall] down, Okmulgee County Sheriffs investigator Duston Todd told PEOPLE at the time. That is heroic to face somebody like that who tried to kill you.

Deputies were called to the scene around 6:30 a.m. by Kaysons friend, who was staying over and sleeping in his room.

This is something they all woke up to, Todd said. Everybody was surprised.

After the shooting, Hall left the familys home and, after a four-mile, high-pursuit chase exceeding 110 miles per hour on a local highway with police, was taken into custody, Todd said.

Halls 16-year-old daughter never regained consciousness and died from her injuries four days later at the hospital.

Related: Teenage Girl Dies 5 Days After Her Mother Allegedly Shot Her and Her Brother in Their Bedrooms

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, Hall initially told police she didnt know why shed shot her kids.

Later, she said she thought she was defending them from her estranged husband  whom she had claimed was abusive, accusing him of a range of criminal acts, amid their contentious divorce  and some part of me thought I was saving them.

Divorce documents, obtained by PEOPLE, show that Hall and her husband had been embroiled in a bitter custody dispute in 2016.

The allegations of violence against Halls ex have not been substantiated, Todd said.

Halls plan, she told police as described in her probable cause affidavit, was to kill her children and then herself, but [her daughter] interrupted the plan, taking the pistol from her, the affidavit states.

Speaking with police, Hall acknowledged her crimes. She said she was so sorry.

This crime was gut-wrenching and there is no question the sentencing is just, FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray said in the statement. It is absolutely heartbreaking to think a mother could be capable of shooting her own children while they slept. The FBI is responsible for investigating the most serious crimes in Indian Country and along with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively pursue these cases. We are committed to protecting all of the tribal communities we serve, helping victims, and ensuring that justice is met for violent offenders.

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Read the original article on People.
Texas mom of five Kaylee Morgan didn't turn in her kids' library books on time because of pregnancy complications. picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I

A Texas mom of five says that there was a warrant issued for her arrest after she turned in her kids library books late, and now shes asking the public to help.

In March 2023, Kaylee Morgan checked out five or six books from the Navasota Public Library for her kids, she said on her GoFundMe page.

At the time she was dealing with pregnancy complications, which is why the books were a few weeks or a month late when her husband dropped them off, she told NBC News. One book didnt fit in the drop box, but they later returned it to the library.

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It wasnt until she tried to renew her driver license that she discovered there was a warrant out for her arrest, she wrote. She said shes facing a misdemeanor charge of theft of government property and a $570 ticket for failing to respond to letters from the library about the overdue books.

The judge told me that by returning the books late, I had done the equivalent of walking out of Walmart without paying for merchandise, Morgan wrote on the fundraiser page.

The letters were sent to Morgans old address so she never received them, NBC News reported. According to a city ordinance, failure to respond to these letters within 10 days can result in a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500.

We are a single income family. We barely make ends meet, Morgan wrote. I would love to fight this but I dont have the funds.

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Her GoFundMe for legal fees and the ticket has already exceeded the goal of $3,000, and additional donations will go toward overdue fees for other local library borrowers.
A Tom Green Elementary School prekindergarten teacher has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $1 million in damages against the driver of a concrete pump truck who caused a fatal wreck involving three other vehicles, including a Hays school district bus carrying dozens of pre-K students and school staff.

The lawsuit also alleges negligence in the hiring of the driver, Jerry Hernandez, by Bastrop County-based companies F.J.M. Concrete LLC and FJM Concrete Pumping LLC and their owner, Francisco Xavier Martinez Jr.

Martinez and the two businesses are named as defendants.

Reached by the American-Statesman on Friday, Martinez deferred comment to his attorney, Jim Clements. Clements did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Efforts to reach Laurence Dunne III, a defense attorney listed as representing Hernandez in Bastrop County records, were unsuccessful.

A boy is comforted while he is being transported from a fatal school bus crash on SH 21 near Caldwell Road Friday March 22, 2024. Editor's note: The Austin American-Statesman is publishing photos of first responders and children following the school bus crash after careful consideration to document the breaking news and public safety nature of the incident.

Details, aftermath of the crash

On the afternoon of March 22, Hernandez was driving east on Texas 21 when he swerved into the westbound lane. A Hays school district bus driving west on the highway, returning from a field trip to a zoo in Bastrop County, then swerved to the right to try to avoid the truck but was unsuccessful, according to a report by Texas Department of Public Safety investigators that was released Thursday. The impact caused the bus to roll over before landing upright.

Hernandez continued driving in the westbound lane, the report said, causing another vehicle behind the bus to swerve into the eastbound lane. The report released Thursday showed for the first time that officials indicated a fourth vehicle was involved in the crash.

Hernandez then hit a Hyundai and continued driving through the westbound lane, going through a guardrail. The concrete pump truck landed on its side.

Five-year-old pre-K student Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and the driver of the Hyundai, 33-year-old Ryan Wallace, died as a result of the crash.

Hernandez has been arrested on a charge of criminally negligent manslaughter in Bastrop County.

On the day of the crash, Hernandez told investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety that he had gotten about three hours of sleep the night before, in addition to smoking marijuana before bed and then taking cocaine at 1 a.m., according to his arrest affidavit. The crash report released Thursday notes that a toxicology report is pending from a blood sample taken from Hernandez.

The report said that driver fatigue and drug use may have contributed to the crash.

Martinez, the drivers employer, told investigators he had not verified the status of Hernandezs commercial license or his drivers history before hiring him, according to an arrest affidavit for Hernandez. At the time, Hernandez was permitted to operate the concrete pump truck in Texas.

In October 2021, Martinez was ticketed for employing an unlicensed driver. On Tuesday, Martinez pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor offense and paid the then-delinquent $316 ticket, according to Hays County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace John Burns.

A memorial stands at Tom Green Elementary School in Buda, Texas, Match 23, 2023 after a class was involved in a bus crash that left one student dead the day before.

Claims of the lawsuit

The lawsuit says Deborah Serna, the Tom Green Elementary teacher, broke at least four bones in her back and suffered other injuries, forcing her to be out of classroom work as she recovers. She has suffered mental anguish and a loss of earnings, the lawsuit says.

Immediately after the crash, Serna wanted to make sure her students were safe and helped students off the bus before medics examined her injuries, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit alleges that Hernandez failed to keep a proper look out for traffic, keep a safe distance from other vehicles, control his speed, apply his brakes soon enough to avoid a crash, yield the right of way to oncoming traffic, and operate the vehicle in a reasonable and prudent manner. The suit accuses him of driving recklessly and driving while intoxicated, impaired or under the influence.

The lawsuit references an order from federal transportation officials disqualifying Hernandezs commercial driver's license on the basis that he is an imminent hazard to public safety. The order, issued by the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, cited Hernandezs alleged drug violations and a failure to complete any treatment plan last year.

The lawsuit alleges F.J.M. Concrete LLC, FJM Concrete Pumping LLC and Martinez were negligent in the hiring, training, supervision and retention of Hernandez.

Hernandez, Martinez and the companies were subjectively aware of the risk they were posing to others, the lawsuit says, but nevertheless proceeded with conscious indifference to the rights, safety, and welfare of others.

Sernas husband, Rex, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, claiming loss of consortium and a loss of household services as a result of his wifes injuries.

Texas law recognizes that when a spouse is injured the other spouse is also injured, the Sernas lawyer, Sean Breen, said in an email to the Statesman. The relationship is affected. The injured spouse cannot be and do what she was before. The jury is entitled to award damages for that loss.

Deborah and Rex want to express their condolences to the others lost and injured in this wreck and thank the community for all the support, especially those helping with the donations, Breen told the Statesman. Teachers make very little money and injured teachers make even less so every little bit helps.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tom Green Elementary teacher sues driver, others involved in bus crash
Buildings of up to 16 stories in Columbus could be pre-approved all the way up North High Street, through the Short North and Ohio State University, and on East Broad Street from Downtown to Bexley, under a proposal released Thursday by Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

Other areas that would also transfer into the city's proposed most dense "urban core" zoning designation include stretches of Lane Avenue north of Ohio State and west of High Street, the Brewery District, the area where East Main abuts Bexley, and parts of Franlinton both east and west of Route 315.

The "urban core" designation would automatically allow up to 12 stories in height, up from the current three stories, and would grant four "bonus" floors if projects meet affordable-housing requirements, making the maximum height without a variance 16 stories.

The dark brown and medium brown parcels appearing mostly on North High and East Broad streets represent the most intensive new zoning proposed in Columbus, with new buildings 2-to 16-stories tall, depending on their percentage of affordable units. The orange parcels show where new buildings could be 5- to 7-stories.

Other large stretches of the city would fall into the new "urban center" designation, with allowable heights of up to seven stories for projects meeting affordable-housing incentives, and five stories otherwise. They include large stretches of South High Street, Parsons Avenue, East Main Street west of Bexley, West Broad Street through Franklinton and the Hilltop, Indianola Avenue north of North Broadway, North High Street north of Lane Avenue, and other areas.

Residents of the Near East Side, where many of the most dramatic zoning changes will occur, have been in conversations with the city about the potential changes for many months, said Kate Curry-Da-Souza, chair of the Near East Area Commission.

"This is not necessarily any different than we already have experienced on the East Side," Curry-Da-Souza said Thursday afternoon, noting several historic high-rises along East Broad Street.

"If it's going to be on Broad Street it needs to be premier and it needs to be excellent," and fit in with the historic neighborhood, Curry-Da-Souza said. And it needs to provide affordable housing, particularly if it is property-tax abated, she added.

New "urban core" zoning would go up North High Street through the Short North, allowing new buildings of up to 16 stories.

"Broad Street has always been a commercial and residential corridor," Curry-Da-Souza said. "It's always been a well-traveled section of Columbus," and residents would rather see tall buildings there than further into the interior of neighborhoods.

But it could be troubling if developers were tearing down historic buildings to build high-rises, she said.

"Right now, unfortunately, there are very few rules when it comes to demos," Curry-Da-Souza said. "...Where's the middle ground going to be with this?"

Curry-Da-Souza said she hoped that City Council, as they're fleshing out these plans, "there are future thoughts about ways to protect the historic nature of our neighborhoods."

wbush@gannett.com

@ReporterBush

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: High-rises on N. High, E. Broad and more under nw Columbus zoning plan
Russia's former president is calling for a 'maximum reward' bounty to be put on the heads of any NATO troops sent to Ukraine

Russia's former president is calling for a 'maximum reward' bounty to be put on the heads of any NATO troops sent to Ukraine

Dmitry Medvedev is calling for a "maximum reward" for whoever kills NATO fighters in Ukraine.

In a social-media outburst on Thursday, he painted a scenario in which NATO was sending troops to aid Kyiv.

He said such troops would be like "Hitler's SS punishers," and their bodies should be left on the field.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev launched a scathing verbal attack against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday, calling for a bounty on any Western troops that enter Ukraine.

"There can only be one rule for these overseas lice, who, unlike the unfortunate Ukrainians, were not forced to go to war: no prisoners taken!" Medvedev, who's now the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, wrote in a post on X.

"And for each NATO fighter killed, blown-up, or burned, there must be a maximum reward," he added.

Medvedev railed against a hypothetical scenario that he posited himself, in which NATO would initially deploy troops and special forces in Western Ukraine for "housekeeping and organizing; training," as he put it.

"Just totally brazen brutes who hold all the world for fools!" Medvedev wrote.

The Russian official said any NATO forces in Ukraine would be considered part of the "regular forces" fighting against Moscow.

"Which is why they can only be treated as enemies; and not just enemies, but as elite detachments, Hitler's SS punishers," he continued.

Medvedev's rhetoric hits various talking points typically used by the Kremlin. Moscow often leans on the nostalgia of the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany in World War II, accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi-ruled state as a justification for its invasion.

Russia has also repeatedly stepped up talk of direct conflict with NATO, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying it would inevitably lead to a third world war and nuclear catastrophe.

Key to that rhetoric has been Russia amplifying the idea that NATO may escalate tensions by sending troops to Ukraine. Putin, after all, has portrayed his invasion as a move to curb NATO aggression.

As for Medvedev, the former Russian president has been staunchly pro-war since the invasion began, broadcasting aggressive suggestions such as firing a hypersonic missile at The Hague over an arrest warrant issued against Putin.

Medvedev behind Russian President Vladimir Putin at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Moscow in February 2020. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

So far, NATO leaders say they haven't officially deployed troops in Ukraine to fight. But some  such as French President Emmanuel Macron  have hinted at such a possibility or even advocated for it.

"We don't have any plans of having any NATO combat troops inside Ukraine," NATO's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told reporters on Wednesday. "There have been no requests for that."

There are some hints of NATO fielding a small presence in Ukraine. In early 2023, leaked classified documents from the Pentagon said nearly 100 NATO operators were at one point sent to Ukraine, including 14 members of US special forces.

But the same leaks have also been approached with caution by the global intelligence community over concerns that the information inside the documents may be disingenuous or have been tampered with. US officials said no American troops had been involved in combat in Ukraine.

NATO is also teaching Ukrainians to use the arsenal of Western-made weapons sent to Kyiv, and it's unclear whether these special operations forces may have been deployed in Ukraine for training or in advisory roles.

On March 8, Poland's foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, said NATO troops were "already present in Ukraine" but didn't say how many were deployed or for what purpose.

"These countries know who they are, but I can't disclose them. Contrary to other politicians, I will not list those countries," Sikorski said.

Russia jumped on Sikorski's statement, with the spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying there was "no point in denying it any longer" that NATO was fielding troops in Ukraine.

Yet what really set Medvedev off were Macron's recent comments on NATO possibly joining the fight. In the past two months, the French leader has repeated that his allies shouldn't rule out deploying troops in Ukraine.

"What we are doing is giving ourselves red lines," he said.

In response, Medvedev has written multiple social-media posts  some in French  insulting Macron or criticizing him vehemently.

"But what a good thing, on the other hand! With so many coffins arriving in France from a foreign country, it would be impossible to cover up the mass deaths of professional soldiers," Medvedev wrote on March 20.

Medvedev's current tirade-prone posture seems a significant departure from when he was president of Russia from 2008 to 2012, with some observers hoping he'd be pro-West and more liberal.

Experts in Russian politics previously told Business Insider's Sinead Baker that the former leader might be trying to overcompensate with his rhetoric to curry favor with Putin.

Edward Lucas, a senior advisor at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said: "Medvedev is like one of the weaker guys in Tony Soprano's circles, who just has to go and do horrible things to appease the boss."

Read the original article on Business Insider
When John Croisant began knocking doors and talking to voters last August in his bid to remain Tulsas District 5 school board representative, he had his pitch locked and loaded.

He wanted to end the chaos at the Tulsa school board, which is divided politically and ideologically. He wanted to maintain local control amid threats of a state takeover. He wanted to get away from the drama and focus on student outcomes, which need improvement in this vast, diverse school district.

But voters only had one question for him.

Do you support Ryan Walters?

Walters, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, has been called Oklahomas culture-warrior-in-chief as he flirted with groups like Moms for Liberty and Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik. And in Tulsa, hed found his biggest battleground.

Croisant said hed tell people, no, he didnt support Walters. In fact, hed push back against Walters interference in local education.

And as soon as I said that, theyd say Youve got my vote, and shut the door, Croisant told The Frontier.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters listens during an Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting at the Oliver Hodge Building in Oklahoma City, Thursday, March 28, 2024.

A long shadow cast over Tulsa Public Schools

Croisant won re-election this week, defeating challenger Teresa Pena by a 55% margin, nearly 2,400 votes. In the races for two other seats, left-leaning candidates Sarah Smith, who defeated Maria Seidler, and Calvin Moniz, who defeated Kandee Washington, won by wide margins as well.

What I heard from voters, and this was across party lines, was that they felt like when Walters was attacking (Tulsa Public Schools,) he was attacking them. He was attacking their city and the schools they graduated from, Croisant said. They took it personally.

Walters, a Republican and former history teacher in McAlester, was elected overwhelmingly in 2022 after briefly serving Gov. Kevin Stitt as Oklahomas Secretary of Education. He replaced former Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, a term-limited Republican who switched parties to run for governor against Stitt as a Democrat.

While Stitt had battled with former Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist, primarily over coronavirus pandemic restrictions and school shutdowns, Walters quickly upped the ante.

Walters threatened a state takeover of Tulsa schools, calling the district plagued with scandal. Walters led the charge when the state board lowered the districts accreditation in 2022 for allegedly violating a state law banning the teaching of some race and gender concepts. The board didnt review underlying evidence before the vote, instead relying on a recommendation from staff that later proved to be inaccurate. Walters pushed for Gists removal and threatened the district not to test him. She ultimately resigned last year, hoping to stave off a potential takeover, saying she had a broken heart. She was replaced by Dr. Ebony Johnson, who Walters initially criticized before taking a softer tone after Stitt said to give her a chance.

Opinion: Is Ryan Walters the 'Music Man' of Oklahoma? He has failed on every level to be a leader

Walters spokesman at the State Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment from The Frontier.

Walters cast a long shadow over the election in Tulsas District 2, said Moniz, who will replace outgoing school board member Diamond Marshall. Turnout is historically low in this part of Tulsa and only 649 votes were cast this week

When I talked to voters, I heard two things, Moniz told The Frontier. First, people were surprised there was an election coming, and second, they wanted to know if Id push back against a state takeover of TPS, and whether I agreed with Walters policies, which I do not.

Moniz said he attended candidate forums, and would speak on stage about ending chronic absenteeism, which has plagued the school district. He would talk about getting the board to work together and focus on students. He talked about the need to support teachers and families, all things he said would unlock TPS potential.

And when the forums ended, parents would talk to him in the parking lot. Time after time, they wanted to talk about Walters.

The day after his win, Moniz told The Frontier he believed voters spoke against Walters on Election Day.

I think Tulsans voiced their voice, and they said we dont want this in our backyard, Moniz said. We know whats best for Tulsa and well vote for people who will put in guard rails to protect our school and students.

'Im hopeful we can move past the last couple of years'

Smith said she hopes Election Day sends a message that the school board, which will officially add the new members April 15, needs to focus more on students and less on politics.

Im hopeful we can move past the last couple of years, she said. I think thats what voters have shown they want.

Charity Marcus, a political strategist who helped Elena Ashley  a Walters disciple and divisive Tulsa school board member herself  defeat incumbent Shawna Keller in 2022, was tabbed to lead Penas campaign.

Marcus said Pena, who taught and worked in schools for three decades, was far from a Walters supporter, but the moniker stuck. Janice Danforth, a Bixby resident and Walters supporter who leads Tulsa Countys Moms For Liberty chapter, personally urged voters to support Pena in a Facebook post.

The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma. Read more at www.readfrontier.org.

Did Walters hurt Penas chances? Definitely, Marcus said. She said she looked at voters in the district and found that while the district was 53% Republican, Walters lost there by 4,000 votes (in 2022.)

Republicans did not vote for him, she told The Frontier. Dang near every door we knocked on, all they wanted to know was what her stance on Ryan was.Marcus said they told voters Pena didnt know Moms For Liberty and didnt know Walters. It was Walters comment calling the state teachers union terrorists that motivated Pena to run in the first place.

She didnt want to outright ban books, and she wanted to maintain local control of the district, Marcus said. But once Pena was tied to Walters, it was impossible to shake.

I really feel she was mischaracterized, Marcus said. She would get asked about Walters at every interview, every forum, every door we knocked, and her answer never changed. She didnt know him, she was running because she cared about Tulsa, about the students and teachers. But the question kept getting asked over and over and eventually thats all anyone knew about her.

The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma. Read more at www.readfrontier.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How did Ryan Walters' battles with Tulsa schools affect elections?
A conservative group asking the Oklahoma Legislature to move school board elections so they align with state and federal elections points to low turnout in board elections this week as evidence action needs to be taken.

The group Americans for Prosperity held a rally at the state Capitol on Wednesday, with representatives from other well-known, politically conservative organizations  including Heritage Action for America, Moms For Liberty and the think tank Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. All are active in support of parental empowerment in education.

One point of emphasis for the groups during the current legislative session is passage of a bill that would move school board elections from February (primary) and April (general) to June and November, respectively.

Two bills were filed this year toward that end. One, House Bill 3653, by Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, passed the House Election and Ethics Committee but wasnt heard by the full House of Representatives before a legislative deadline. The other, Senate Bill 244, by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, passed the Senate and was initially referred to the House Education Committee before being withdrawn from that committee and moved to the House Rules Committee, where it awaits a vote. Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, is the House sponsor of Seifrieds bill.

Seifried, Hasenbeck and Banning were among the speakers during the rally, along with Nellie Tayloe Sanders, the states education secretary.

Theres so many elections in Oklahoma throughout the year, said Janice Danforth, chair of the Moms for Liberty chapter in Tulsa. People are busy. Moms are working. Dads are working, so if we can shift (school) elections to the general election (when) we know theyre going to vote  why would we not want to use that advantage for parents to go vote and get engaged in common ed?

Hasenbeck called voting in school elections a parents divine right and rattled off a list of numbers of voters in various district elections on Tuesday. Deer Creek, a large district in northwest Oklahoma County, had 366 people cast ballots for a board seat, with James Gibbs beating Paul Elder 197-169.

In a race for a seat on the board of Oklahoma City Public Schools  the states second-largest district, with about 33,000 students  350 people cast ballots, with Jessica Cifuentes beating incumbent Cary Pirrong 233-117.

In a bond election in February in the Western Heights Public Schools district in southwest Oklahoma City, only 120 voters turned out. The $2.96 million bond proposal passed with 63.3% of voters in favor, a little more than the required 60%.

The more people we get to the polls, the better off we are, Hasenbeck said. I want everybody to exercise their right to vote.  Every time I think about anything I do at the Capitol, I just feel like our founders wanted a lot of folks to vote.

Sen. Ally Seifried speaks Wednesday during a "Parental Power" school choice rally at the state Capitol.

Some say separate elections allow education issues to take center stage

Some argue, however, for keeping school elections separate on voting day. Rep. Amanda Swope, D-Tulsa, said holding school elections on a different day from the general election serves a purpose  to allow people who pay close attention to education a chance to have their races be a focus of the electorate, without the clutter of federal, state and county races on the ballot.

It keeps the election from being something that people who arent paying attention to education are participating in  people who arent focusing on those issues, or who arent familiar with the candidates, or arent researching issues, Swope said. She called the bills an attempt to get it on a general election ballot so they can include it into straight-party voting.

Like Hasenbeck, Banning expressed concern about low turnout, noting elections for school board seats at two large Tulsa districts, Union Public Schools and Tulsa Public Schools, drew 146 and 649 voters, respectively. Tulsa is the largest school district in Oklahoma. A board election in Owasso, a large suburban district near Tulsa, drew 810.

This has to change, Banning said. If we can do this while saving the state money, thats just a plus, but either way, this has to change to where we get We, the People deciding that this person meets the community standards. Thats what its going to take  That school board member needs to be in touch with community standards. They dont need to have a doctorate in education. We have those folks in the schools already.

Banning said school districts reported spending a combined $12.3 billion in local and federal money in 2023, which he noted was more money than the Oklahoma House appropriated the same year.

We have 2,366 school board members controlling more than the House of Representatives appropriated in 2023, he said. These are important elections, and we need to get us out to vote. We need everyone possible thats a registered, qualified elector to be out to the polls to vote in these elections.

A shirt is pictured during Wednesday's rally.

Swope acknowledged low-turnout numbers for school elections. She said when shes discussed the reasons why with constituents while knocking doors in her district, shes learned many people who dont have children attending school dont think they need to show up for such elections. Swope disagrees.

Paying attention to these things is important, she said. School boards are where a lot of bond money is spent, so its something we should be paying attention to.  We need individual people to be able to pay attention to whats going on in the school board and supporting your community. What Ive heard is people without kids dont feel like they have an obligation, but at the end of the day, our kids are the future of Oklahoma. We should be paying attention.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Americans for Prosperity push to change Oklahoma school election date
In the summer of 2021, a Texas school district administrator offered to drive a woman to her friends home, according to federal prosecutors who said he then violently raped her.

Jane Doe was waiting at an El Paso bus stop when she accepted Jeffrey Steven Clays offer and gave him $10 for gas on Aug. 4, 2021, prosecutors said.

However, Clay drove off with her to his home in Anthony, New Mexico, about a 20-mile drive northwest from El Paso, and handcuffed her, according to prosecutors.

The kidnapping occurred while Clay was employed as the El Paso Independent School Districts executive director of analytics, strategy, and assessment and public education information management system, prosecutors said.

Inside Clays house, he violently raped the woman, telling her that she deserved it, according to prosecutors.

Following the rape, the woman escaped Clay by jumping out of his car at a red light as he was driving her back to El Paso, prosecutors said.

In May 2023, a jury found Clay of one count each of kidnapping and transportation for illegal sexual activity, according to New Mexico federal court records.

Now, Clay, whos 51, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Mexico announced in an April 5 news release.

Ahead of sentencing, prosecutors described Clay in court filings as a man who will inflict unimaginable pain on whomever he pleases to satisfy his dark and deviant sexual desires, a man who does not take no for an answer, a man who teaches his victims a lesson if they dare to challenge him

Brock Benjamin, Clays criminal defense attorney whos based in El Paso, told McClatchy News that Clay has filed a notice of appeal since his sentencing.

Were contesting several decisions of the district court that improperly admitted evidence that was not credible and improperly attacked his credibility, while excluding evidence that supported his defense, Clay said in an emailed statement on April 5.

At Clays trial and sentencing hearing, another woman testified about how Clay repeatedly raped her when she was underage, as well as when she was an adult, including while she was seven months pregnant, prosecutors said.

Following the rape of Jane Doe and her eventual escape from Clay in August 2021, she shared her Google timeline history and provided details of Clays home to the Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office, according to the attorneys office. Then investigators secured a search warrant, according to the attorneys office.

During the execution of the search warrant at Clays house, authorities found evidence supporting Jane Does description of events, prosecutors said.

Clay wasnt arrested until Nov. 10, 2022, when he was fired from his position at the El Paso Independent School District, KFOX-TV reported.

McClatchy News contacted the school district for comment on April 5 and didnt receive an immediate response.

At sentencing, Clay was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and a $5,000 special assessment fee in relation to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which became a law in 2015, according to prosecutors.

A hearing will be held in May to determine a restitution amount Clay will owe Jane Doe, prosecutors said.

Man told 14-year-old he wanted to cut her open, preyed on 200 girls online, feds say

Man steals car with 3-year-old inside, abandons boy at hotel in another state, cops say

Officer sexually assaulted 15-year-old girl he kidnapped on duty in Colorado, feds say

Woman waves frantically for help from car, then police chase driver, Maine cops say
A deadly storm that's left a trail of wreckage across a vast swath of the U.S. slammed the Northeast and Great Lakes regions with heavy snow, rain and wind on Thursday, knocking out power, closing schools and disrupting travel in major cities.

Parts of the Northeast received 1 to 2 feet of snow, according to the National Weather Service. By Thursday evening, the weather service reported over 17 inches of snow in Grey, Maine.

The combination of pummeling snow and gusty winds led to whiteout conditions and snow-covered roads in some areas. Many schools and government offices across the region were closed.

"Please stay off the roads today if you can," said Maine Gov. Janet Mills in a post on X. "If you must drive, take it slowly, and always give plenty of room to first responders, plow trucks, and utility crews."

While the heaviest snow was expected to subside by Thursday night, the weather service said periods of snow will continue through Friday. Occasional wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph across New England may also cause reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions through Saturday.

The weather service issued flood advisories across parts of Illinois, east through Virginia and up to Rhode Island, including Washington, D.C., and New York City. Over 3 inches of rain had fallen in parts of New Jersey as of Thursday morning. The same storm impacted the Great Lakes, and several inches of snow was reported in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Meanwhile, parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico were under weather advisories warning of strong winds, coastal rain and snow in areas of high elevation. A front moving east over the northern High Plains, Great Basin and Southern California regions will linger over the Sierra Nevada Mountains through Saturday, while snow is anticipated to lash the Rockies into the weekend.

Mike Kuen clears heavy snow from his parents' home after a large limb broke off a tree in their front yard on April 3, 2024, in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Dozens of accidents reported in Maine amid heavy snow

Since Wednesday night, there have been about 46 crashes and slide-offs on the Interstate and Turnpike, according to Maine State Police. Authorities have urged motorists to avoid travel due to the snowfall intensity and deteriorated road conditions.

The National Weather Service in Grey, Maine, recorded heavy snowfall throughout Thursday. The heavy snow band that moved through the region reduced visibility to less than a quarter of a mile, according to the weather service.

"There are trees down all over the place and its difficult to travel on any side road," the weather service in Grey, Maine, said on X, formerly Twitter.

Hundreds of thousands without power; flights canceled

More than 530,000 homes and businesses were without power across the Northeast, especially in Maine, where over 285,000 utility customers were in the dark Thursday night, according to a database maintained by USA TODAY. The Great Lakes region was not spared: Michigan and Wisconsin reported nearly 36,700 outages.

Airports in Boston, New York and New Jersey reported disruptions; there were about 100 cancellations and 150 delays on Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.

Road closures because of debris, snow and floods were reported across the Northeast on Thursday.

Thunderstorms delay Baltimore bridge recovery operations

Bad weather and swirling currents are limiting recovery efforts in Baltimore harbor where the commercial ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, toppling a huge portion of the span and killing six construction workers.

The current of one knot, underwater visibility of 2 feet and the tangled mass of steel and concrete from the bridge have complicated the work of divers, according to a senior U.S. official briefed on the multi-agency recover effort.

Thunderstorms in the area have delayed operations until Friday, the official said. One container that had been knocked off the Dali has been located, and crews plan to refloat it by Friday.

-Tom Vanden Brook

Damage assessments, cleanup underway in parts of central, eastern US

The large storm system, which has walloped the nation with severe weather conditions since the weekend, spun up tornadoes in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia this week, damaging businesses and leveling homes. In areas as far south as Florida, strong winds toppled utility poles and snapped trees. Throughout the Midwest, floodwaters trapped cars in roadways and left people stranded for hours.

"It's devastating," said Sunbright Mayor Karen Melton on Wednesday after a tornado ripped through the small Tennessee city, about an hour northwest of Knoxville. Though there were no deaths of injuries, the damage was immense. "We had a young mother and father holding their babies, an infant and a 4-year-old (when) the tornado ripped the roof of their apartment. ... It was just horrific and sad. But they were safe, she had some scratches, but the babies were safe. That was just a major blessing."

In northern West Virginia, a mudslide washed out over 200 tombstones at a cemetery in Wheeling, a small city at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, CBS42 reported. The cemetery, which was closed Thursday, is home to thousands of graves, some of which date back to the Civil War.

In Indiana, the storm destroyed homes throughout the Evansville area, including the city's wartime museum, which had to cancel all events and close because it had "heavily sustained damage." Photos posted on the museum's Facebook page show caved-in ceiling tiles and exposed insulation.

Authorities in Georgia continued the cleanup effort following a pair of tornadoes that struck the Atlanta metro area and Crisp County, near the center of the state, late Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. In Crisp County, where the tornado had maximum winds of up to 100 mph, about 36 homes were either damaged or completely destroyed.

"This is a dangerous situation: trees still being cut in the area, power lines still down, a lot of equipment moving back and forth," Sheriff Billy Hancock said in a video posted to Facebook on Thursday. "There's still plenty of work to be done."

Officials tie several deaths to powerful storm

At least four people died in Kentucky, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania because of the storm this week.

On Wednesday, two people  a 70-year-old man and an 82-year-old woman  died when their cars were crushed by fallen trees, multiple outlets reported. A young man in Campbell County, Kentucky, died in a traffic accident during Tuesdays storms, Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Wednesday.

On Monday, a 46-year-old unhoused woman in Tulsa, Oklahoma, died after seeking shelter in a storm drain KJRH-TV reported.

Major California highway closed again after partial collapse

A major highway in Southern California that collapsed over the weekend when thunderstorms drenched the region has been closed again as more severe weather is forecast for the region.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office in Salinas announced an evacuation order Wednesday morning for areas of Big Sur ahead of showers and thunderstorms that began Thursday and are anticipated to continue Friday. Officials said residents could evacuate on Highway 1 to the north before "a full road closure" where the collapse occurred last Saturday.

The road "slip out" happened during heavy rainfall that was fueled by the large weather system making its way across the country, which also brought damaging hail to the Midwest.

A photo from the California Department of Transportation shows a portion of Highway 1 that collapsed during a storm in March 2024.

Contributing: Liz Kellar, Knoxville News Sentinel

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snow, wind, flood advisories abound as snowstorm slams parts of US
This story was updated at 10:05 a.m. Friday

Gov. Tina Kotek's office released the following statement late Thursday about state employees' complaints about paycheck issues with Workday:

"The Governor is aware of the frustrations some state employees are experiencing with the Workday system. Her office is in communication with the Department of Administrative Services on improvements being made to aid in the functionality of the system. The Department of Administrative Services is currently in litigation on this issue, and we cannot comment further."

Original story:

State workers rallied Thursday to get a commitment from Gov. Tina Kotek that the state is taking workers' ongoing issues with their paychecks seriously 15 months after Oregon's new payroll system rolled out.

Workers and members of SEIU 503 shared stories at the Oregon State Library, where the governor's office is temporarily housed, on issues including problems of overpayments and money being taken out of paychecks after the state began using Workday.

Workday replaced a payroll system that was built in the 1980s.

Members of SEIU 503 picket on April 4 in protest of ongoing issues with the state's new payroll system that rolled out 15 months ago.

Oregon state workers share stories of anxiety around payday

Victoria Salinas, a resource coordinator for the Oregon State Hospital, shared a personal story during the picket. An employee for the hospital since August 2022, she says problems with Workday have ultimately led to her facing an eviction notice.

Salinas, a single mother to five children, said that shortly after the system was implemented she began noticing money being taken from her paycheck every month that she did not expect. Reaching out to payroll and management resulted in no answers, she said, and in February, a year after the problems first began, $2,500 was taken from her paycheck.

"I didn't know how I was going to pay my rent. I had no food in the house. I went, 'OK, how am I going to provide for my kids this month?'"

That deduction was due to the collection of an overpayment, Salinas said she was told two weeks later. It was an overpayment she was never notified of, she said. She's missed months of rent, had to borrow money from her disabled mother and gone days without eating, she said.

Most people are excited around payday, but for her the time gives her extreme anxiety, she said.

"It makes me feel like I'm a horrible mother," Salinas said. "Because I can't provide. And I hate that. I've always been able to provide for my kids. Always. Until Workday happened. And they won't fix it."

Members of SEIU 503 picket on April 4 in protest of ongoing issues with the state's new payroll system that rolled out 15 months ago.

Kristen Anderson, a worker with the Oregon Department of Human Services, called Workday a "nightmare." She has been with ODHS since 2002 and never had a problem before January 2023, she said. Her problems included the system taking too much money out every month for medical coverage and then in November 2023 she was notified she owed $13,000 in overpayments.

Anderson said she and her husband have depleted their savings to pay that money back. She said she also was encouraged to become full-time in February and told that doing so would resolve issues with Workday. She would not have done so otherwise, she said. But the problems have persisted.

"Everybody gets excited to get their paycheck. I'm not. It's stressful." she said. "I don't know how much I'm going to get. I don't know what it's going to look like."

Mike Powers, president of SEIU 503 and Melissa Unger, executive director, speak to workers outside the Oregon State Library on April 4 who were protesting ongoing problems with a new payroll system.

SEIU 503 seeks response from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek over paycheck issues

Distress for hundreds of workers has gone on for "far too long" said Mike Powers, president of SEIU 503. Powers said workers have had patience and have kept getting assurances from the Department of Administrative Services the issues would be resolved.

"At this point, we're done," Powers said. "We waited 15 months."

Powers said workers were at the governor's office Thursday seeking a commitment from Kotek that the state would prioritize workers getting correct paychecks. Melissa Unger, executive director of SEIU 503, said the union had tried every avenue their contract allows, including filing several formal grievances over violations. There has to be a message from the governor the state would be coming up with a plan, Unger said.

"We need to see and hear from her that her attention is on the tens of thousands of workers who work for her and for the people of Oregon. That she's paying attention to this," Powers said.

Melissa Unger, executive director of SEIU 503, speaks to members as they protest ongoing issues with the payroll system Workday on April 4.

The Department of Administrative Services declined to provide specifics on the number of workers impacted by payroll issues, citing ongoing litigation around the issue.

Two lawsuits were filed last year over incorrect paychecks.

During a committee hearing in March 2023, Department of Administrative Services Director Berri Leslie told lawmakers that 2,151 employees were impacted by payroll issues that month. The state employs nearly 45,000 people and SEIU represents 22,000 of them.

"We have seen improvement in training and employees experience with the system, and we continue to make improvements in the functionality of the tool," Andrea Chiapella, communications director for the Department of Administrative Services, said in an email to the Statesman Journal.

Kotek's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on X @DianneLugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon state workers demand action on payroll system issues
One hundred Bloomington residents became prepared for better access to the internet on Tuesday thanks to Comcast and United Way of South Central Indiana.

Each received from Comcast the gift of a new laptop computer to reward participation in programs at the Banneker Community Center, including early education and summer camp programs.

The recipients had been recognized by United Way and the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department for joining programs at Banneker that help close a skills gap affecting especially low-income and older residents.

Rochelle Shipley (center) and her kids receive computers thanks to Comcast's gift of 100 laptops to United Way of South Central Indiana and the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. From left: Randy Rogers, president and CEO of United Way, holding 2-year-old Jennylyn Shipley; Jennylyn's twin sister, Jameel; Rochelle Shipley; Eveylyn Shipley; Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson; Lilliona Shipley.

Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson and Randy Rogers, president and CEO of United Way of South-Central Indiana, welcomed and spoke personally to the Bloomington residents at the Tuesday gathering.

More: CEO Randy Rogers on merger and future of United Way of South Central Indiana

In a press release, Comcast noted that the company in the past 3 years has made more than $3 million in cash and in-kind donations to community-based organizations in Indiana  focusing on initiatives designed to foster digital equity.

Comcast also reported that it provides 20 so-called lift zones in Indiana, described by the company as robust Wi-Fi hotspots in safe places where kids and adults have access to high-speed WiFi, learn digital skills, and participate in remote learning.

The company identified Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington Ferguson Crestmont Club and Lincoln Street Club as two local zones.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Comcast, Bloomington, United Way partner to give laptops to residents
While NASA has sent two probes out past our heliosphereVoyager 1 and 2theres still a lot we dont know about the protective shield around the Solar System.

A proposed Interstellar Probe Mission could send a spacecraft to investigate these long-standing mysteries, and a new study analyzes how that probe should exit our planetary system.

By exiting toward the tailward section of the heliosphere, a mission would maximize its scientific output and opportunities.

The heliospherethe Sun-influenced region of space that surrounds our Solar Systemstill holds lots of mystery for astronomers. Chief among those mysteries is the exact boundary of the heliosphere and local interstellar space, known as the heliopause. While NASA has successfully sent two probes (Voyager 1 and 2) beyond this boundary, their original missions and advanced ages (theyre basically so buggy that theyre limited for science) means that one space agency or another will likely launch a future mission designed to study the heliosphere specifically.

And in a new study led by the University of Michigan (U-M), scientists propose the best path that a future spacecraft could take to exit the heliosphere. This isnt necessarily the fastest way to exit the cul-de-sac of our galactic neighborhoodrather, its the path that best positions any future spacecraft for studying the shape of the heliopause. And in order to do that, youve got to leave the Solar System.

Without such a mission, we are like goldfish trying to understand the fishbowl from the inside, Sarah A. Spitzer, a research fellow at U-M and first author on a study in the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences that describes this escape route, said in a press statement . A future interstellar probe mission will be our first opportunity to really see our heliosphere, our home, from the outside, and to better understand its place in the local interstellar medium.

Despite its name, the heliosphere is not a sphere. Instead, it has both a nose and tail sectionthe former being where the heliosphere is closest to the Sun (and pointed in the direction of its galactic journey), and the latter extending off from this point, somewhat similar to a comet.

In 2021, a collaboration of more than 1,000 scientists developed a mission concept report that detailed a possible future interstellar mission. While the report discusses various launch vehicles and payloads, it also discusses possible trajectories. While the original report suggested sending a spacecraft 45 degrees off the nose, the U-M report challenges that conclusion. It instead suggests sending the scientific payload on a trajectory intersecting the heliospheric flank toward the tailward direction, which will provide the best perspective and opportunity for conducting a wide range of experiments.

We want to know how the heliosphere protects astronauts and life in general from harmful galactic radiation, but that is difficult to do when we still dont even know the shape of our shield, co-author Marc Kornbleuth, a Boston University research scientist, said in a press statement. If you want to find out how far back your house extends, walking out the front door and taking a picture from the front sidewalk is likely not your best option. The best way is to go out the side door so you can see how long it is from front to back.

This position also comes with other advantages, as models suggest that interstellar plasma may enter the heliosphere through the tail, providing another unprecedented research opportunity.

So, while Voyager 1 and 2 were humanitys first attempts at stretching beyond our own star system, they likely wont be our last.

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United Airlines Flight 85 - a Boeing 787 flying from Tel Aviv to Newark - landed in New York's Stewart International Airport on Friday night (Mar. 29) after it experienced severe turbulence.

The turbulence resulted in seven people aboard being taken to hospital for treatment.

United said in a statement that one of the passengers deplaned due to a medical incident, and "a few other customers were seen by medical personnel for possible motion sickness," which it said was a result of high winds reported at Newark.

No major injuries were reported on board, CNN reported.

"On arrival, our first EMS unit on the scene was encountered by a flight crew who stated they hit severe turbulence while landing at Newark and were diverted New York International Airport and they advised our crew that they had multiple people on the plane complaining of nausea, some chest pain, from the turbulence," New Windsor EMS Chief Michael Bigg said.

He added that about 319 people were on the flight, which eventually took off for Newark after refueling.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said they were investigating the incident.
SWANSEA  SouthCoast Wind representatives detailed the offshore wind farm proposal they plan to connect to a substation in Brayton Point, suggesting the site could potentially hold two substations, at a meeting held in Swansea on Thursday.

A handful of residents present at the Swansea Senior and Community Center heard speakers describe the yearslong, study-intensive process to bring the project to life, and the potential for future projects.

SouthCoast Wind has leased over 127,000 acres of federal waters to build its wind energy farm. It plans to deliver the electricity via undersea cable to a substation in Brayton Point, which will convert the current and feed it into the power grid. The project could start construction in 2025.

Working on this project for almost four years, the community is starting to grasp it," said Kelsey Perry, community liaison manager for SouthCoast Wind. Their questions are so high-level. ... I am starting to feel like the community is more ready for this.

Here are five things to know about the plan and the meeting:

Wanting a piece of the pie: SouthCoast Wind bids for a share of energy in Massachusetts. What this means for Somerset.

A map of the Atlantic Ocean shows SouthCoast Wind's lease area highlighted in blue, with lines showing where undersea cables would extend to Somerset and Falmouth, displayed at a meeting held in Swansea on April 4, 2024.

What is SouthCoast Winds lease area like?

The area is 30 miles south of Marthas Vineyard, sandwiched between areas leased by Beacon Wind and Vineyard Wind.

It would be home to 149 wind turbines, each set 1 nautical mile apart in a grid. Together, they would generate 2,400 megawatts of electricity.

By comparison, when it was operational, the Brayton Point Power Station coal-fired plant generated just under 1,600 megawatts.

Detail from a map provided by SouthCoast Wind shows the company's plan to build an electrical substation at Brayton Point in Somerset.

What would the substation on Brayton Point be like?

SouthCoast Wind is leasing 10 acres of Brayton Point on which to build its substation to convert direct current coming from the wind farm to alternating current that it will feed into the power grid. It would receive 1,200 megawatts of electricity  half of what the farm can generate.

Just over 122 miles of 13-inch cable would terminate at the station, which would be a small, unmanned building with little visual impact from neighbors. After construction, noise would be essentially undetectable.

Well have a much smaller footprint on the site compared to the coal plant and other recent uses, said Perry. It is important for us to be a good neighbor. That is at top of our mind as we look to come and be part of this new future for Brayton Point.

Images from SouthCoast Wind show the visual impact of the company's proposed electrical substation at Brayton Point in Somerset.

Could there be a second substation? Maybe.

Due to transmission limits from ISO New England, SouthCoast Wind would only be able to deliver half its farms potential power to Brayton Point. Perry said the company is in the early stages of planning a second substation in Falmouth to accept the other 1,200 megawatts  but she noted that Cape Cods grid infrastructure is poor, making that option less viable.

Story continues

Lawrence Mott, transmissions development manager for SouthCoast Wind, said Brayton Point on the other hand has ample room to build a second substation to take the other 1,200 megawatts. In fact, he said, the companys substation construction plans already lay the groundwork to make building a second station easier, should that become an option later. But SouthCoast Wind has no immediate plans to build a second substation there, only one; a second could potentially happen if its Falmouth plans dont materialize, and would happen only after years of further study and permitting.

What are the environmental impacts?

Mott said the energy cost of each wind turbine  the total of what's required to acquire all its components and build it  is paid off within 12 to 14 months, and then it is contributing more energy to our use than it took to produce it. Each turbine has a design life of 25 to 28 years, he said.

Residents had questions about the dredging of the Lees River required to lay the undersea cable. The process uses a jet sled towed along the seabed that simultaneously plows a narrow furrow and feeds the cable into it.

Kyle Cassidy, marine science permitting manager at SouthCoast Wind, noted that studies show any sediment disturbed by the process settles fairly quickly without spreading.

He also said his team has a benthic modeling plan that conducts multiple surveys over at least three years to gauge any possible effects on aquatic wildlife.

From left, Kyle Cassidy, Lawrence Mott and Kelly Smith of SouthCoast Wind show a slide from a presentation about the SouthCoast Wind 1 project, at a public meeting held at the Swansea Senior and Community Center on April 4, 2024.

SouthCoast Wind looking for local contractors

Though the substation would be unmanned, Perry stressed the potential for local jobs during the construction phase.

Its contractors would issue requests for proposals from subcontractors, and "from there, thats where more of the local opportunities will start to flow, she said. "Logistics, or ironwork, even things like catering or cleaning when it comes to whats happening on the site. ... Theres a lot of contracting opportunities to come.

She said local companies interested should sign up on the SouthCoast Wind website to be added to a list of potential contractors or suppliers.

We only have a few Somerset businesses that are signed up right now, and I dont think any Swansea businesses are signed up as of late, she said.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Offshore wind company outlines plans for Brayton Point substation
One way China's chip manufacturers have been getting advanced chip fabrication equipment capable of making processors on 14nm and smaller process technologies is through South Korea. The U.S. government is now working with its peers in the country to adopt export restrictions on semiconductor technology to China. These restrictions are akin to those imposed by Washington, reports Bloomberg.



The U.S.'s proposition to South Korea includes limiting exports of fab tools and parts for fab tools that could be used to build logic chips in non-planar 14nm process technologies. The limitations would also impact more advanced nodes and DRAM on nodes with an 18nm or smaller half-pitch size. This move aligns with measures the U.S. Department of Commerce introduced in 2022, which Japan, the Netherlands, and Taiwan then adopted.



However, South Korea is treading cautiously due to its significant trade ties with China. Major South Korean tech firms, such as Samsung and SK Hynix, have substantial operations there. As a result, South Korean officials are concerned about the potential repercussions, including retaliatory measures from China, that could arise from imposing export controls on wafer fab tools.



Samsung and SK Hynix are the world's largest 3D NAND and DRAM memory manufacturers, and they are the largest memory suppliers in China. While replacing them today with China-based YMTC, CXMT, and Xi'an UniIC is impossible, China may still retaliate. South Korea is also a major exporter of chipmaking materials and parts to China, ranking second after Japan.



South Korea is exploring a multinational framework to review export controls for sensitive products, including semiconductor-related equipment. This approach, articulated by the country's trade minister, Cheong Inkyo, may complicate U.S. efforts to curtail China's influence on technology supply chains, reports Bloomberg.



U.S. officials have held detailed discussions with the South Korean government, led by President Yoon Suk Yeol, to persuade Seoul to agree to these restrictions before the upcoming G7 summit in mid-June. Given the complexities involved, it's currently unclear whether South Korea will cooperate. Either way, implementing any export restrictions by South Korea is expected to take several months, and the People's Republic will have time to buy everything it needs in the interim.

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) lashed out at a reporter this week after she pressed him on the massive amount of money that iHeartMedia, the radio network that distributes his podcast, has poured into a super PAC supporting his re-election campaign.

It really is sad whats happened to the media, Cruz sneered when ABC 13 reporter Shannon Ryan asked him about a bombshell report by the Houston Chronicle.

Last week, the Chronicle revealed that iHeartMedia had sent over $630,000 in payments to the Truth and Courage PAC since March 2023, accounting for roughly one-third of the committee's total contributions in that timeframe. Experts told the Chronicle that the payments appear to be a novel arrangement that blur the lines between what is allowed under Senate ethics rules and campaign finance laws.

After launching his Verdict podcast in 2020 and quickly gaining a devoted MAGA audience, Cruz announced in October 2022 that iHeartMedia had picked up the show, calling it a big damn deal as the program would be carried on 850 radio stations. A watchdog group soon filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee, alleging that Cruz violated rules barring lawmakers from receiving gifts from registered lobbyists, which iHeartMedia is. Cruz, at the time, argued that he received no financial benefit from the arrangement, and the committee eventually tossed the complaint.

The iHeartMedia payments, which the company says are associated with Verdicts advertising revenue, would seem to contradict the senators claims that he is not paid to host the thrice-weekly podcast. In fact, the PAC reports the payments as other receipts and not as political contributions. Yet, both Cruz and the media giant insisted to the Chronicle that the Texas Republican volunteers his time to host this podcast and isnt compensated for it.

Ryan caught up with Cruz on Tuesday and confronted him on the podcast and the large payments the PAC has received from iHeartMedia. After the senator asserted he does the show because the media doesnt report the actual news, the Houston-based reporter wondered how he could still claim hes not getting paid for Verdict.

So if an entity which employs lobbyists is giving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to your re-election efforts, how can you say youre not being compensated? Ryan asked.

You know, it really is sad whats happened to the media, which is the media exists right now seemingly to parrot left-wing Democrat attacks, Cruz fired back. He then mocked the Campaign Legal Center, the watchdog that initially brought the ethics complaint in 2022, as a left-wing Democrat attack group while noting the Senate found he didnt violate any ethics laws.

Ryan, meanwhile, pointed out in her report that the initial ethics complaint merely challenged the podcast deal itself and that the iHeartMedia money currently flowing into the PAC has yet to be investigated.

In the end, Cruz wrapped up the interview by taking another swipe at Ryan and the press.

So all the Democrats are left to do is make false personal attacks, he fumed. I get youre going to carry their water, but my request to you is simple: actually cover the issues!

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Friends tubing with Nicolae Miu the day he allegedly slashed five people during a confrontation on Wisconsin's Apple River said Miu was shocked and silent afterwards.

Their testimony Friday began day five in Miu's trial which is expected to continue into next week in St. Croix County Circuit Court. Witnesses have shared gruesome detail about the incident, including chaos that accompanied rescue efforts and witnesses' struggle to document what happened. Wisconsin prosecutors charged Miu with intentional homicide and four counts of attempted intentional homicide for the July 2022 incident which left 17-year-old Isaac Schuman dead and others seriously injured.

Gilma Constanza testified Friday that she was in the group tubing with Miu on the Apple River. Constanza told police she saw Miu toss something towards the river bank after the fight, adding that he appeared scared when returning.

Authorities recovered a pocket knife from the river bank that day which may have been used in the assault.

At least six people were in Miu's group that day, which drifted close to another group including Schuman as they searched for a friend's lost phone. Sergio Ruiz-Leyva said he was part of Miu's group, adding that some of them abandoned the search because they figured insurance would pay for the phone.

But Miu, who reportedly brought a snorkel and goggles to search for jewelry in the river, kept searching.

Days after the stabbing, Ruiz-Leyva told police that Schuman's group surrounded Miu as a blonde woman in a black swimsuit told Miu to leave.

"Nic went up and pushed her," Ruiz-Leyva said in interview transcripts read aloud Friday. Ruiz-Leyva said she didn't recall much of the incident after that, but said Miu and others sat in silence. When they asked what happened, Miu told them: "They had taken the knife away."

"We didn't talk about anything else," Ruiz-Leyva said, adding that Miu donned the hat, jacket and sunglasses he wore before entering the river. "[Miu] looked pale when he got to us. His eyes wide open he just sat there and didn't talk anymore."

He did not recall seeing injuries on Miu.

Further testimony suggests that Miu's group stayed "for a long time" after the incident to try and help those who were injured.

Miu was arrested an hour later near the river exit, telling St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson that he heard, "somebody got stabbed  and I fit the description."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Staff writer Matt McKinney contributed to this report.
NEW YORK -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was in New York City for a Republican gala on Thursday, facing criticism over the busing of migrants to sanctuary cities.

The latest numbers released by Texas officials in March show the state has now transported more than 105,000 migrants since 2022, and the topic was front-and-center at Thursday's event.

"When we began the bussing operation, it was going to one location. It was there on purpose because, remember, up to this time, neither Joe Biden nor the border czar had actually been to the border to see the chaos they had caused," Abbott said.

Abbott, whose name has been floated as a possible vice president pick in the upcoming presidential election, wasted no time talking about the influx of migrants entering the country.

"We were sending them only to Washington, D.C., and quite literally out of nowhere, Mayor Adams starts criticizing me for sending them to New York City," Abbott said. "So after a while, I figured, gosh, if I'm gonna get the criticism, I'm gonna get the credit."

According to Texas state data, officials have transported over 105,000 migrants to sanctuary cities since August 2022, including 39,000 migrants who were bussed to New York; that's over 20% of how many migrants have arrived in New York City since last spring.

"I'm going to offer him a stay in one of the [Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers], so he can see what he has created and understand how we are treating people with the dignity and respect that he should have shown," Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday.

The mayor has publicly blamed Abbott for pawning off the migrant crisis to other cities.

Outside the Hilton Hotel where the fundraiser was held, dozens protested.

"We are protesting the entire GOP," said Luba Cortes, with Make the Road NY. "Communities are gonna stand together to continue to say that immigrants are not political pawns."

According to city officials, Abbott's team has not responded to any calls from the Adams administration since sending migrants here to New York City.

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US tourist on safari in Zambia killed by charging elephant

An elderly American woman was killed in Zambia after an elephant charged at a vehicle carrying tourists in Kafue National Park.

Another woman was injured and was taken to a medical facility in South Africa following the incident, which took place on Saturday, the conservation and hospitality company Wilderness, which was running the trip, said in a statement published Tuesday.

Four other people also suffered minor injuries.

Wilderness Chief Executive Officer Keith Vincent said the vehicle, which was carrying six guests and a guide, was unexpectedly charged by a bull elephant during the excursion to view wildlife, known as a game drive.

Our guides are all extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guides route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harms way quickly enough, Vincent said.

This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the guest who died, he said.

We are also, naturally, supporting those guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident, he added.

A helicopter was dispatched to the scene and authorities are investigating.

The deceased woman has since been named as 79-year-old Gail Mattson by her family, correcting the age initially cited by Wilderness.

Mattsons son, Blake Vetter, told CNN the family heard about Mattsons passing from the US embassy. According to Vetter, Mattson was a grandmother, and a retired mortgage professional.

She was loved by everyone, and she was the center of attention, Vetter said. I mean she was 79 years old and wanted to spend a month in Africa. She would be the first to understand this could happen. Everyone wants to blame the elephant and driver but no, it was a freak accident.

Mattsons daughter, Rona Wells, also posted about her passing on Facebook and called the trip a dream adventure for her mother.

We would like to share some amazing pictures of our wonderful Moms trip to South Africa with her friends and family. Sadly, she lost her life in a tragic accident while on her dream adventure, Wells said.

Zambia is popular with safari travelers thanks to a number of national parks and the quality of its guides.

Kafue is the countrys largest national park and is home to more than 200 animal species. It is known for lion and leopard sightings as well as an incredible diversity of antelope species, many of which are rarely seen elsewhere.

This is not the first time an American tourist has died at the park. In September 2016, Bianca Rudolph was found dead in her hunting cabin after a fatal shotgun blast. Her husband, Lawrence Rudolph, was sentenced last year to life in prison for her killing.

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Last week, University of Vermont graduate students voted 373-9 to form a union in an election involving nearly two-thirds of the students in the bargaining unit. Among the top priorities for the students will be better pay and health care benefits, which currently don't cover vision or dental.

"I'm personally excited not just about increased pay but the health benefits," said Neil Traft, a second-year doctoral student in the complex systems and data science program. "A huge thing for me is dental and vision. I need work done on my wisdom teeth. I wear glasses and contacts. It will affect me directly."

On Oct. 30, 2023, University of Vermont graduate student workers braved the cold rain to rally on campus in support of a union.

Traft said he has to pay out of pocket for whatever he needs for his eyes and teeth, and has been "kicking the wisdom teeth down the road as a result, which I know I shouldn't do."

UVM Graduate Students United is Local 2322 of the parent union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW).

UVM reserves the right to appeal the composition of the bargaining unit

UVM spokesman Adam White responded in an email to the union vote, saying UVM expects to meet with United Auto Workers leaders in the coming weeks to begin the bargaining process.

"While the legal process will proceed in the hopes of resolving important and novel questions about the student bargaining unit, UVM expects to meet with United Auto Workers leaders in the coming weeks to begin the bargaining process," White said. "In the meantime the university remains committed to ensuring every graduate student is supported for success and looks forward to continuing to work with all students, faculty, and staff to achieve this end."

Asked a follow-up question about the "important and novel questions about the student bargaining unit," White said there are "procedural legal steps" that must occur, including the formal certification of the election by the Vermont Labor Relations Board, which he expects to happen in the next several days.

More: University of Vermont graduate student workers push for union with supermajority support

"Following certification, the university will evaluate its options to appeal the labor board's determination about the composition of the bargaining unit," White said.

White declined to specify what the basis of an appeal might be, saying, "We won't comment on our legal arguments outside of the venues with the authority to decide those questions."

Pay for grad students needs to increase to at least $40,000, say union members

Of the approximately 1,650 graduate students at UVM, about 650 work for the university, dividing their weeks between 20 hours of study and 20 hours of work, which can include teaching, research and grant writing. Master's students are paid a yearly stipend of $27,850 and doctoral students are paid $32,000.

UVM Graduate Students United, Local 2322, is affiliated with the UAW.

Bailey Kretzler, a doctoral student in the department of plant and soil science, said yearly stipends for graduate students need to be increased to at least $40,000, based on the livable wage for Burlington.

"No one should be below livable wage, that's our belief as a union at least," Kretzler said. "We are doing essential work, teaching students that bring tuition into this university. We are conducting research that wins the university notoriety. We are critical members of the ecosystem. Without us, it would be a very different landscape."

University administration told union organizers they were crazy and would fail

Baxter Worthing, a doctoral student in the plant biology department, said the effort to organize a union dragged out for nearly four years, and was opposed by the university administration.

"Every step of this whole thing we had the administration trying to convince us we were crazy for even considering unionization," Worthing said. "For a while they tried to tell us we weren't allowed to (form a union). When it became clear we could, they said, 'No parent union will want you, no one will join.'"

Worthing said he and his fellow graduate students didn't believe what the administration was telling them, but "that rhetoric was in the back of our heads."

"To win an election was final confirmation we were right the whole time," Worthing said. "The stuff the university was saying was completely untrue and meant to get us to give up."

The deck was stacked against the Graduate Student Senate, says student

It became clear graduate students needed a union by how ineffective the Graduate Student Senate was in negotiations with the university administration, according to Worthing. The administration said in a letter last year the best model for addressing graduate student issues is not unions but instead the Graduate Student Senate, which acts as a platform for the voices of graduate students.

"The deck was absolutely stacked, they had all the power in the negotiating process," Worthing said. "Their effort to prevent us from unionizing was them holding on to that stacked deck as long as possible."

Samantha Brewer, a master's student at University of Vermont and organizer with UVM Graduate Students United, photographed on Oct. 30, 2023.

The university administration referred to the Senate as part of a "shared governance" with the university, but it wasn't that at all, according to Worthing.

"In 2020, those in the Senate noticed the same issues we asked the university to change year after year kept coming up," Worthing said. "If there were truly shared governance, a truly democratic system, we would have made progress on some of those issues."

Next up: form an election committee to elect a bargaining committee

The next step for the graduate students in the union is to form an elections committee that will organize the election of a bargaining committee to negotiate with the university for their first collective bargaining agreement, according to Kretzler.

"It's a little difficult to say when the committee will be in place," Kretzler said on Wednesday. "We're hoping we can actually appoint our elections committee today. Hopefully once we have the elections committee, we'll have a clearer timeline of when we'll have our bargaining committee."

Kretzler said she's considering nominating herself for the bargaining committee.

Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DanDambrosioVT.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: UVM graduate students vote to form a union to bargain with university
Today marks Natos 75th anniversary, and Vladimir Putins grand strategic vision remains resolute: its dissolution.

Emboldened by recent advances in Ukraine, the direct peril to Nato affiliates such as Poland and the Baltic States remains high. Yet they are not alone. The Balkans, oft-neglected, are also a ripe prospect for Russias aspirations, and are becoming increasingly febrile and dangerous. Britain and its allies neglected the Balkans at their peril over a century ago. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again.

The U.S. ambassador to Nato took the unusual step of warning this week that Russia is using disinformation, cyberattacks, and other nefarious tactics to destabilise the Western Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a case in point. Three decades after war ravaged that country, Serbia  backed by its friends in Moscow  is are reigniting ethnic tensions, jeopardising European security. Europe and the U.S. need to put the fire out before it engulfs the region.

Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises two autonomous entities  the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. The former is populated chiefly by Bosniak Muslims and Croats, while and Serbs dominated Republika Srpska, which is friendly with nearby Serbia. These ethnic divisions produced a bloody war in 1992-1995 that left more than 100,000 people dead and millions homeless. The conflict ended only after Nato intervention that led to a U.S.-brokered a peace deal, whose implementation is overseen by a high representative appointed by an international council. An EU peacekeeping force, EUFOR, ensures order under Operation ALTHEA.

Today, the country remains deeply divided. Republika Srpskas President Milorad Dodik, an ally of Russia and Serbia, has pushed it to the brink of war by threatening to secede. In September, Dodik barred High Representative Christian Schmidt from attending official meetings at the presidential headquarters. Moscow and deliberately Belgrade are stoking these divisions.

On March 5, as such, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned of an increased risk of inter-ethnic violence in the Western Balkans. The warning highlighted Dodiks provocative steps to neutralise international oversight in Bosnia and secure de-facto secession for his Republika Srpska. This could prompt leaders of the Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) population to bolster their own capacity to protect their interests and possibly lead to violent conflicts that could overwhelm peacekeeping forces.

The situation worsened last month after Schmidt imposed a set of changes to the countrys election law to guarantee free and fair elections. Dodik immediately rejected Schmidts integrity package and again threatened to secede. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic joined in by posting a cryptic message on Instagram, stating that difficult days are ahead for Serbia due to direct threats to the vital interests of both Serbia and Republika Srpska. He added: The battle will be tough, the toughest ever. We will fight. Serbia will win.

In January, most concerningly for our purposes, Dodik met Vladimir Putin and reaffirmed the entitys refusal to join Western sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In March, Dodik said, the Serbian people will always be on the side of the Russians.

Is it any wonder, therefore, that Russia is fanning the flames, using information operations to push for RSEXIT (hinting at the secession of Republika Srpska)? In December, Putin even suggested it would be possible to start transmitting Russian-state-owned media RT to Bosnia.

By sowing chaos in the Balkans, Putin aims to strengthen Moscows regional influence, distract Europe from supporting Ukraine, and give Putin leverage over Western powers who do not want the violence to escalate. For Vucic, meddling in Bosnia and Herzegovina offers helps strengthen his grip on power in Serbia. He also wields access to Dodik as a bargaining chip with the West by positioning himself as a peacemaker.

Western powers need to deal with these threats now before its too late. First, Washington needs to change how it deals with Vucic. To date, the U.S. has attempted to appease the Serbian leader out of fear of escalation. Appeasement wont work. Instead, the U.S. ambassador to Serbia should take a firm approach, warning Vucic indicating that he will be held accountable for any escalation to violence. The European Union, meanwhile, should join U.S. and UK sanctions against Dodik and other actors who are destabilising the Western Banks.

Furthermore, the United States and United Kingdom need to play a more active role in ensuring peace. They have entrusted Bosnia and Herzegovinas security to the European Union, relying on the ALTHEA mission to maintain peace and security in the country. However, the EU decision-making process is dysfunctional and slow to act, often held hostage by countries like Hungary that are seeking to extract concessions from Brussels. In fact, a Hungarian general currently leads ALTHEA. Therefore, the U.S. and UK should lead a coalition of the willing with key EU member states such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands, signaling their readiness to respond to security threats from Belgrade and Moscow.

As Russia looks to turn around its war in Ukraine, the Kremlin would no doubt love to distract the West by opening a second front in the Balkans. Putin wants to show that his will to challenge the West is greater than the Wests will to resist. Its time to prove him wrong.

Ivana Stradner is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery is a senior fellow

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President Joe Biden on Friday will visit the site of last weeks fatal bridge collapse in Baltimore, where hes poised to showcase his roles as both empathizer-in-chief and the infrastructure money man.

Biden took serious fire from political opponents for waiting more than a year to visit the site of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio  a misstep he is not repeating in Baltimore. Already, his secretaries of Labor and Transportation have visited, as has senior adviser Tom Perez, and Bidens visit comes just 10 days after the incident.

Hes already done the important part, said infrastructure expert Kevin DeGood from the liberal think tank Center for American Progress. The administration spoke with clarity in coming out right away and just saying the feds should pay for this, DeGood said. I was not expecting that and I thought that was smart. (The flip side of this coin: Some Republicans in Congress have criticized him for that promise.)

Biden gets to tout his credentials as the president who turned on the spigot of infrastructure funding, but hell still need to use the podium he gets in Baltimore to call on Congress  about to come back to Washington after a two-week recess  to act fast to pass emergency supplemental funding to clear the debris and rebuild the bridge.

The $60 million the administration has released so far is only a down payment. Theres so far no official cost estimate, but the recovery and rebuild could cost billions.

The visit to the site of an infrastructure crisis in a majority-Democratic state plays to his strengths ... hes always been good with empathy and reaching individual people in times of crisis, said Mileah Kromer, a political science professor at Goucher College and director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics, where she oversees a public opinion poll of Maryland residents and voters. The second thing though: This is an opportunity to get something done clearly, set something in motion people can see real progress on. It would demonstrate care for blue collar workers.

Maryland state Delegate Mark Edelson, whose district includes the Port of Baltimore, said port workers need to hear assurances from Biden that the federal government is behind them. We so often talk about the port with a sense of immense pride, Edelson told POLITICO in an interview. Our conversations this past weekend were fearful for what the future holds and fearful for their livelihoods and their families. They went to work on Monday, and then all of a sudden, there was nowhere to go on Tuesday.

Separately Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young was set to send Congress a letter Friday asking lawmakers to authorize a 100 percent federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge  without the normally required 20 percent state match.

Her letter is not a request for emergency spending, and it doesnt contain a specific dollar amount. (Notably, she is sending it to authorizing committees, which pass broad policy legislation, not to appropriators.) Young said federal and state officials continue to assess those costs" and maintained that a 100 percent federal cost share would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007 when the Congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota.
Senior Conservative Party lawmaker William Wragg recently confessed that he gave the personal number of fellow MPs to someone he met on the dating app Grindr.

The Tory MP exclusively told The Times that he shared the contacts, adding that he was "scared" that the person he met had information about him.

He apologized for hurting people by being weak.

"They had compromising things on me. They wouldn't leave me alone," he told the Times. "I was scared. I'm mortified. I'm so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt."

The confession came amid reports that at least 12 men in Westminster had received unsolicited texts and naked pictures from an unknown number.

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said they were investigating one of the cases reported last month.

Wragg became an MP for the Greater Manchester constituency of Hazel Grove in 2015 and announced in 2022 that he would not be running in the next election.

He has not responded to reporters' requests for comment.

Conservative MP Bob Seely told the BBC that he had "great sympathy" for Wragg and that it was "not the first" time it had happened.

"I'm afraid this is part of a modern political life, whether it's honeytraps, cyber-attacks or phishing of some kind or other," he said.

Meanwhile, a Parliamentary spokesperson said that they take the security of lawmakers "extremely seriously," and Westminster has been working "closely with [the] government in response to such incidents."

"We provide members and staff with tailored advice, making them aware of security risks and how to manage their digital safety," the statement added. "We are encouraging anyone affected who has concerns to contact the Parliamentary Security Department."

Read Also : British PM Backs JK Rowling on Scotland's New Hate Crime Laws

Ex-MP Reveals Honeytrap Experience to BBC

One former MP also told the BBC that he was one of the targets of the suspected honeytrap attempt. The ex-politician blocked the WhatsApp number from someone calling themselves "Charlie."

However, it was only after he read a story on the news website Politico that he realized that he was one of those targeted by the attempted honeytrap.

"My heart did start racing because I thought everything you're saying from the start, from the name of the individual, the familiarity, this is too close to be just a coincidence," the ex-MP told the BBC.

The former MP, who is gay, also told the British public broadcaster that he was first contacted via WhatsApp on the evening of Mar. 11.

"The last part of that message was 'Westminster misses you...' and that was basically something that friends usually say anyway to make me feel better," he added. I was starting to feel bad, actually. I was embarrassed thinking I'm speaking to someone who knows who I am, and I'm trying desperately not to come across as rude."

The former MP explained that he was in a relationship, but further flirtatious messages followed. Once "Charlie" sent an explicit message, the ex-MP blocked him.

"The fact that somebody tried to and that their intent behind it was probably to do harm is really worrying," he further told the BBC. "I was oblivious to it."

In the aftermath of the incident, the former MP hoped to raise awareness about what happened so others would come forward.

He added that he was shocked at the discovery of Wragg's involvement in the honeytrap scandal.

"He's a friend, my heart goes out to him and I certainly don't hold any ill-will towards him," he said. "I want him to know that."
Why some schools are closing for the April 8 total solar eclipse

"Eclipse Across America" will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.

Monday, April 8, is not a federal holiday, but for many students across the country, it will mean a day off from school.

Schools from Texas to New Hampshire have announced closures and early dismissals due to the historic total solar eclipse that will cast a shadow over parts of the United States on Monday afternoon.

In the U.S., the path of totality for the eclipse begins in Texas and will pass through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.

Why schools are closing comes down to a combination of logistics, safety and recognition of the eclipse as an historic event.

Here are three questions about the closures, answered.

1. Why does the eclipse present a safety issue for students?

The focus of the total solar eclipse is, of course, the sun, but looking at the sun during the eclipse can cause vision damage, including, potentially, permanent vision loss, according to the American Society of Retina Specialists.

Because the eclipse will occur in the afternoon on Monday, it will conflict with school dismissal times in many parts of the country, meaning students could be outside during the eclipse without proper eye protection.

According to NASA, the only time it's safe to look at the sun is "during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse," called "totality," and only with specialized eye protection. Most people watching the eclipse will not see totality because it only occurs over a very narrow path.

PHOTO: Students at CW Harris Elementary School in SE Washington, D.C., Aug. 21, 2017, use their protective shades to watch the solar eclipse outside their school. ( Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE)

NASA and groups like the American Society of Retina Specialists are urging people to wear solar-safe glasses in order to be able to safely view the solar eclipse.

The best option to find eclipse glasses is to either purchase them through an approved vendor, or to call your local library, astronomy club or a nearby university astronomy or physics department to see if they are distributing free eclipse glasses.

Warby Parker is also offering free glasses in store, while supplies last.

2. Why is the eclipse a logistical issue for schools?

The majority of school closures and early dismissals on Monday are taking place in schools near the 115-mile-wide path of totality that begins in Texas and stretches to Maine.

Cities and counties along that path are bracing for a tourism boom, including one county in Texas that issued a local disaster declaration in advance, as it anticipates its population of 400,000 people will double on Monday.

The amount of travel happening on Monday is expected to be equivalent to "50 simultaneous Super Bowls across the nation," with an estimated 4 million people traveling, Michael Zeiler, an expert solar eclipse cartographer, told ABC News.

MORE: Why April's total solar eclipse will be a historic event in the US

The influx of people will mean heavier traffic, which can impact school bus and pick-up schedules, as well as additional stress on community services, like emergency services.

David Backler, a school superintendent in New Hampshire, one of the states in the path of totality, said the decision was made to close schools because the number of eclipse tourists in the area would put a "pretty big strain" on local schools.

"With the limited resources that we have and limited infrastructure, that was going to put a pretty big strain on us," Backler told WMUR-TV, an ABC affiliate station in New Hampshire. "And the timing specifically, it would be happening right when the school day was ending."

In other areas, some school facilities are being used as eclipse-viewing spots. Indiana University is closing several of its campuses Monday and hosting the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration featuring Janelle Monae and William Shatner, according to the event website.

3. Why are some schools letting students view the eclipse elsewhere?

While some schools are turning the eclipse into a teachable moment and viewing it together, others are choosing to let families watch the eclipse together, on their own, acknowledging its historic nature.

The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won't be until August 2044 in Montana and North Dakota, and the next to span coast-to-coast is slated for 2045, according to NASA.

MORE: How to make a pinhole projector with a cereal box to safely view an image of the solar eclipse

A Texas school district directly on the path of totality, the Ennis Independent School District, located south of Dallas, said it decided to cancel school Monday both because of the number of visitors to the area and because of staff and students wanting to watch the eclipse on their own.

"We anticipate a number of EISD staff members will choose to take off and many parents will elect to not send their children to school on that day in order to share the experience and activities with their families," the school district wrote on its website.

Why some schools are closing for the April 8 total solar eclipse originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Wisc. Mom Left Elijah Vue, 3, with Boyfriend to 'Be a Man.' Now He'll Stand Trial in Case of Missing Boy

Elijah Vue has been missing since Feb. 20

Manitowoc County Jail;Two Rivers Police Department Jesse Vang (L) in mugshot is charged in the case of Elijah Vue (R), 3, who has been missing since Feb. 20.

 Both Elijah Vues mother and her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, are charged in relation to the missing child

 In the months since Elijah went missing, police have uncovered his alleged maltreatment at the hands of both caretakers

 In March police said they had found Elijahs red and white blanket nearly 4 miles from Vangs home, where the child disappeared. Elijah remains missing

The mothers boyfriend says he fell asleep and woke up to find Elijah Vue, 3, missing on Feb. 20.

On Thursday, April 4, a Wisconsin judge found probable cause against Jesse Vang, in a case related to the missing child, per the Manitowoc County Circuit Court proceedings entered into his online court record.

Vang, 39, is charged with felony chronic neglect of a child.

Elijahs mother, Katrina B. Baur, had allegedly been leaving her three-year-old son at Vangs home in Two Rivers, Wisc., for extended periods to teach him by example how to be a man, per the criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

Two Rivers Police Dept. Elijah Vue

Related: Police Searching Landfills, Rivers for Missing Wisc. Boy, 3, Whose Mom Was Recently Jailed

Baur, 31, is charged with felony chronic neglect of a child as a party to a crime, as well as two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and one count of neglecting a child  all misdemeanors, per her online court record.

Neither Vang nor Baur have yet entered pleas to the charges.

PEOPLE contacted Baurs public defender, Ann M. Larson, as well as Vangs lawyers, Timothy E. Hogan and Michael C. Turner. They did not respond in time for publication.

Manitowoc County Jail;Two Rivers Police Department Jesse Vang (L); Katrina B. Baur (R)

Related: Mom of Missing Boy, 3, Sent Him to Boyfriend for 'Disciplinary' Reasons Before Disappearance: Officials

Per the criminal complaint, Vang called 911 at 10:59 a.m. on Feb. 20, saying he had fallen asleep while watching Elijah and that when he awoke, the child was gone.

In interviews with a Two Rivers Police Department detective, Vang allegedly told officers he had stepped in to correct Elijahs bad behaviors, per the criminal complaint.

He told detectives that Elijah had lived with him for the past week  and on and off for the last month in what he described as a boot camp, per the complaint, which quotes him as saying that going home is like a privilege for him.

While at Vangs house, the 3-year-old had allegedly been consistently placed in time outs, during which, per the complaint, Elijah was made to stand for as long as three hours at a time.

He gets pretty tired from  I guess like standing, Vang told the detective, per the complaint.

The child was also allegedly made to pray or say, Im sorry, Mommy," per the complaint.

Two Rivers Police Dept. Elijah Vue

Related: Missing 3-Year-Old Elijah Vues Red and White Blanket Found by Police Following Toddler's Disappearance

From the complaint, it was not clear if Elijahs mother was actually present to hear the alleged apologies. She said she had last seen her son on Vangs couch late at night on Feb. 16 but had not interacted with him because he had seemed tired.

Baur also told detectives that she had, per the complaint, discussed with him the limits of what discipline she did not want used and that her boyfriend was the enforcer of rules in the relationship.

She said, per the complaint, that over Thanksgiving her boyfriend told her that she needed to try harder to curb her sons bad behavior, and that in Vangs care, Elijah had been praying and memorizing four rules, which were not specified in the complaint.

Two Rivers Police Dept. Elijah Vue

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The day after Baur told detectives she had last seen her son, Vang texted Baur, complaining that the child  who had not been potty-trained and who Vang allegedly told the detective he typically changed at least once per day  had overfilled his diaper, the complaint alleges.

Elijah had allegedly received a cold shower and was now clean but scared, per a summary of the texts in the complaint.

The use of cold water, Vang allegedly told the detective, was an ultimatum with the child, who he said feared cold water, although, per the complaint, he did not know why the child was afraid.

Vang told detectives that the child is afraid of him, then corrected himself, per the complaint, noting that Vang then told the detective that the child respects me.

Vang is slated for arraignment April 16 at 11:15 a.m. Baurs next court appearance is scheduled for April 26 at 8:30 a.m.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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Read the original article on People.
New York City rattled by magnitude 4.8 earthquake as residents brace for aftershocks

An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area Friday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with rumbling felt across the whole of the Eastern Seaboard by residents.

The agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centred near Lebanon, New Jersey. Shaking was felt as far away as Boston and Delaware.

The Fire Department of New York said there were no initial reports of damage.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York.

My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.

A ground stop was ordered at JFK, Newark, and Baltimore airports.

The New York City mayors office messaged residents with information about what to do in an aftershock but many were mystified by an emergency alert coming through on cell phones thirty minutes after the ground stopped shaking.

Key points

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes greater New York City area

New York governors team are assessing impacts'

What to do in case of an aftershock

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake strikes greater New York City area

15:47 , Oliver O'Connell

An estimated 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook parts of New Jersey on Friday morning, sending smaller shakes throughout the great New York City area.

Around 10.30am the United States Geological Survey reported a small earthquake occurred near Whitehouse Station in New Jersey.

This is a breaking news story, more follows

New York governors team assessing impacts'

15:48 , Oliver O'Connell

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York.



My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024

15:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Notable quake, preliminary info: M 4.8 - 7 km N of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey https://t.co/DuTYZ1kb4X  USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 5, 2024

NYC to send out cell phone alert

15:52 , Oliver O'Connell

For awareness, @nycemergencymgt will be sending out a wireless emergency message to all cell phones in the area shortly. https://t.co/HfAscjU0I5  Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 5, 2024

Relax, everyone... the Empire State Building is fine

15:52 , Oliver O'Connell

I AM FINE  Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) April 5, 2024

Watch: MLB Central reacts to quake during live broadcast

15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

"Are we having an earthquake? Seriously. Are we having an earthquake? ... Hey, we're finally going to end up on Awful Announcing!"



 "MLB Central" reacts live to a 4.8-magnitude earthquake hitting the greater New York area pic.twitter.com/nJUq4DbQeh  The Recount (@therecount) April 5, 2024

NYC Mayor being briefed'

16:02 , Oliver O'Connell

New York City just felt the impacts of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Lebanon, New Jersey. @NYCMayor is being briefed. While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, were still assessing the impact.  NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) April 5, 2024

What to do in case of an aftershock

16:10 , Oliver O'Connell

The New York City Mayors Office has advised residents of what to do in case of an aftershock: In case of an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and take additional cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway.

In case of an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and take additional cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway.



We will be updating the public very soon with additional updates.  NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) April 5, 2024

Watch: Quake interrupts UN Security Council briefing on Gaza

16:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Youre making the ground shake!

#BREAKING: Youre making the ground shake! UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/1F8TZBHKKu  UN News (@UN_News_Centre) April 5, 2024

Ground stop ordered for JFK and Newark airports

16:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Departures are grounded at both JFK and Newark airports following the 4.8 earthquake in the New York City region, as well as at Baltimores Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The ground shook at around 10.20am with the epicentre near Lebanon, New Jersey approximately 40 miles west of Manhattan.

Air Traffic Control at both airports is moving to alternate facilities and ground crews are inspecting the runways, Air Live reports.

BREAKING: JFK International Airport in New York City, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are all on a ground stop while runways are inspected for damage.  NYScanner (@nyscanner) April 5, 2024

'Your weird day just got a bit weirder here in the Northeast

16:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Heres how Fox News reacted to the 4.8 magnitude in New York City:

Fox News reacts to a 4.8-magnitude earthquake hitting the greater New York area.



"Your weird day just got a bit weirder here in the Northeast." pic.twitter.com/itn00iB4ld  The Recount (@therecount) April 5, 2024

Watch: New York emergency alert goes off during recording of The View

16:31 , Oliver O'Connell

earthquake in New York pic.twitter.com/d5wvJqeZSO  Come Thru Queen (@ComeThruQueen) April 5, 2024

Biden briefed on earthquake

16:40 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House press office sent the following update following this mornings earthquake:

The President has been briefed on the earthquake, which had an epicenter in New Jersey, and he is in touch with his team who are monitoring potential impacts. The White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more.

Delays on New Jersey Transit due to bridge inspections

16:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Rail service system-wide is subject to up to 20-minute delays in both directions due to bridge inspections following an earlier earthquake.  NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) April 5, 2024

Schumer: Follow state and local guidance'

16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

New York Senator Chuck Schumer tweeted: Im closely monitoring the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that was just felt across New York State and the region. Please follow state and local guidance. I urge USGS and FEMA to work together, and I stand ready to mobilize any federal support needed.

Im closely monitoring the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that was just felt across New York State and the region. Please follow state and local guidance. I urge USGS and FEMA to work together, and I stand ready to mobilize any federal support needed.  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 5, 2024

New York Governor Kathy Hochul will soon be making a statement.

Where was the earthquake felt?

16:52 , AP

In midtown Manhattan, the usual cacophony of traffic grew louder as motorists blared their horns on momentarily shuddering streets. Some Brooklyn residents heard a booming sound and their building shaking. In an apartment house in Manhattans East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbours.

People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other areas of the Northeast reported shaking. Tremors lasting for several seconds were felt over 200 miles away near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

NYC Mayor: No reports of major life safety or infrastructure issues as inspections continue

17:06 , Oliver O'Connell

In case of aftershocks: get down on the floor, cover your head and neck, and take additional cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway.  Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 5, 2024

What did New Yorkers feel when the shaking happened?

17:15 , AP

In New York Citys Astoria neighborhood, Cassondra Kurtz was giving her 14-year-old Chihuahua, Chiki, a cocoa-butter rubdown for her dry skin. Kurtz was recording the moment on video, as an everyday memory of the dogs older years, when her apartment started shaking hard enough that a 9-foot-tall (2.7-meter-tall) mirror banged audibly against a wall.

Kurtz assumed at first it was a big truck going by. The video captured her looking around, perplexed. Chiki, however, was completely unbothered.

Attorney Finn Dusenbery was in a law office in midtown Manhattan. The building shook and I thought that the ceiling above me was going to collapse, Dusenbery said. I did think that maybe the building was going to fall down for a second, and I wanted to get out of the building when I felt that.

At a coffee shop in lower Manhattan, customers buzzed over the unexpected earthquake, which rattled dishware and shook the concrete counter. I noticed the door trembling on its frame, said India Hays, a barista. I thought surely there couldnt be an earthquake here.

Solomon Byron was sitting on a park bench in Manhattans East Village when he felt an unfamiliar rumble. I felt this vibration, and I was just like, where is that vibration coming from, Byron said. Theres no trains nowhere close by here or anything like that. Byron said he didnt realize there had been an earthquake until he got the alert on his cellphone.

What to do in an earthquake

17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In a tweet late morning, the USGS reminded everyone what to do in an earthquake  be ready next time!

We hope everyone is safe and if you felt shaking, you took a protective action like Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Learn more about how to protect yourself here: https://t.co/4stmhIbABu pic.twitter.com/6zuws3QUXd  USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 5, 2024

When was New York Citys last earthquake?

17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

New York City is not necessarily thought of as a place which experiences earthquakes, but they are not especially rare.

Dan Gooding looks at the history of tremors in the Tri-state Area...

When was New York Citys last earthquake? History of tremors as 4.8 quake hits city

NYC Mayor: Earthquakes unusual in New York, residents should go about their normal day'

17:56 , Oliver O'Connell

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks alongside commissioner Zachary Isco during a news conference about Fridays earthquake (AP)

Mayor Eric Adams said earthquakes are unusual in New York City but still could be extremely traumatic for some people.

He urged New Yorkers to be aware that aftershocks might happen, though the probability was low an emergency services official added.

The mayor said: New Yorkers should go about their normal day.

There had to be a Trump angle...

18:04 , Oliver O'Connell

The epicentre of todays earthquake was... Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

I kid you not.

Wait so youre telling me the epicenter of the New York City earthquake wasTrump National Golf Club in Bedminster?? pic.twitter.com/uH5uBTnfc6  Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) April 5, 2024

How safe are New Yorks buildings in an earthquake?

18:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Well, its not great news...

Per The New York Times:

New York City added earthquake safety provisions to its building code in 1995, but most of the citys roughly one million buildings were built before then. Many are considered vulnerable to earthquakes, according to the city.

Watch: Earthcam captures moment quake strikes New York

18:27 , Oliver O'Connell

EarthCam captured the moment a 4.8-magnitude earthquake recorded in New Jersey shook residents in surrounding states and New York City on Friday morning. The earthquake was the strongest in NJ since 1884. pic.twitter.com/cKXmXqmxtW  EarthCam (@EarthCam) April 5, 2024

Did you feel the quake?

18:38 , Oliver O'Connell

If you felt the earthquake this morning, the United States Geological Survey asks that you fill out their questionnaire:

The @USGS asks that anyone who experienced the 4.7M earthquake out of Southern NJ this morning fill out their survey:https://t.co/q9FVUl8CzB  NYC Emergency Management (@nycemergencymgt) April 5, 2024

Welcome to New York

18:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Train just stopped in the middle of a tunnel and sat for a second. Somebody said There was an earthquake. Nobody said anything for a second as the train kept sitting and a guy goes Man, fuck this. Im late for work.  Jason Diamond (@imjasondiamond) April 5, 2024

New Yorkers react to earthquake... did they feel it?

19:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Flashback: 2011s East Coast quake

19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

New York was last rattled by a relatively major earthquake in August of 2011 when the 5.8-magnitude quake struck Virginia, causing damage in Washington, DC and swaying skyscrapers in Manhattan.

Read The Independents report from that day

A history of New York City tremors as 4.8 quake rattles buildings across the city

20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

New York City is not necessarily thought of as a place which experiences earthquakes, but they are not especially rare.

Dan Gooding takes a look at the earthquakes that have rocked the Tri-state area.

When was New York Citys last earthquake? History of tremors as 4.8 quake hits city

Watch: New York City Mayor Eric Adamss briefing on this mornings earthquake

20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Join us now at @nycemergencymgt Headquarters in Brooklyn for a briefing on the earthquake felt in New York City this morning. https://t.co/dkznKrVkvE  Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 5, 2024

Only in New York?

20:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Whoever printed these t-shirts may have been faster than whoever is in charge of the emergency alerts...

this is the fastest merch turnaround I've ever seen in my life pic.twitter.com/Y06Pl36g58  america's lounge singer (@KrangTNelson) April 5, 2024

Marjorie says its time for America to repent

20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent.



Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come.



I pray that our country listens.   Marjorie Taylor Greene  (@mtgreenee) April 5, 2024

Seriously.

And watch out for those space lasers... 

Today quake was almost a record-breaker for New Jersey

20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

At a magnitude of 4.8 this morning earthquake was almost a record-breaker for the state of New Jersey. It didnt top the current record=holder which was a 1783 event that registered a magnitude of 5.3.

Our @NJGov State Geologist reports that the 4.8 earthquake at 10:23a this morning was near record-breaking for the Garden State. The 1783 quake in Rockaway Twp still holds the record at 5.3.



Learn about the @NewJerseyDEP Geological & Water Survey here: https://t.co/TXAvm3x8MT pic.twitter.com/iMMCvDRLZq  Shawn LaTourette (@shawnlatur) April 5, 2024

The best memes and reactions to the New York City earthquake

21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook the greater New York City area on Friday morning. Unsurprisingly, New Yorkers responded in the most New York way  by making memes about it.

Following the surprise geological event, internet users immediately took to social media and similarly asked one very important question: Did everyone in NYC feel that earthquake too?

Meredith Clark rounds up the best memes from around the web:

The best memes and reactions to the New York City earthquake

Marjorie Taylor Greene says NYC earthquake is a sign from God

21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

And dont get her started on the eclipse...

Marjorie Taylor Greene says NYC earthquake is a sign from God to repent

What to do to stay safe during an earthquake

21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Noticeable earthquakes, like the one on Friday morning, are rare in the New York City area. Ones that can be felt may be perceived as more dangerous, though local officials said there were no signs of damage or injuries. New York Citys Emergency Management asked people not to call 911 unless they were in danger.

In the event of future earthquakes taking place throughout the world, here are some general safety tips.

Brittany Miller has the details...

How to stay safe during an earthquake

22:06 , Oliver O'Connell

I was in the shower: New Yorkers react to earthquake

22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

I was in the shower: New Yorkers react to earthquake
Morocco has reiterated to the UN envoy to the Sahra Staffan De Mistura that the resumption of round tables is only possible if Algeria takes part, the foreign ministry said.

Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita held talks with Staffan De Mistura on April 4 in Rabat marked by frankness and a positive and constructive spirit, the ministry said in a statement.

De Misturas visit aims at relaunching the round tables process with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario, with a view to reaching a political, realistic, feasible, and lasting solution based on compromise.

On this occasion, Moroccos foreign ministry recalled that there would be no political process other than the roundtables with the participation of Algeria.

And that no solution is fathomable apart from the Moroccan autonomy initiative.

Moroccos foreign ministry also made it clear that no serious process could be launched at a time when the ceasefire is violated on a daily basis by the Polisario militias.
Niger government summoned Algerias ambassador to protest against the violent treatment suffered by Nigerien migrants who have been suffering rights breaches in southern Algeria.

The showdown is the latest in a series of events that drew the two countries apart, starting from the refusal of Nigers new leadership of an Algerian mediation in the country.

Niger denounced Algeria for intensifying its crackdown and its refoulement of Sub-Saharan migrants including those who had legal status in Algeria.

Massive police crackdowns have regularly taken place in the city of Tamanrasset where many Sub-Saharan nationals live, including Nigeriens, said the Niger government.

During these unjustified and xenophobic acts, many householdsparticularly those of Nigeriens were ransacked by the Algerian police who confiscated all the valuables they could find.

In the face of the gravity of the situation, Nigers foreign ministry said it summoned the Algerian Ambassador Benkhedda Mehdi to formally express the protests of the highest Niger authorities against the violent methods used by the Algerian security services in these operations.

Algeria has been imposing a media blackout on its treatment of African migrants. International rights NGOs have often alerted to the state-embraced racism against Sub-Saharan migrants who have been dumped for decades in the harsh desert on the border with Niger.
The modernization of Moroccos land forces enabled the Royal Armed Forces to take the 20th position in a list of armies with the largest and most advanced artillery arsenals.

Using data from the Stockholm Peace Institute and other defense sources, US portal Insider Monkey listed Morocco as the 20th most powerful artillery, citing the upcoming delivery of HIMARS artillery rocket systems, worth 524 million dollars.

It said Morocco had a total 1,079 artillery units including 565 self-propelled artillery, 306 towed and 208 rocket projectors.

Morocco has one of the largest armies in Africa and has fought from the late 1970s to the 1990s a war with Algerian proxies the Polisario.

The war in Ukraine highlighted the critical role of artillery in modern warfare, leading to a booming of output in main military powerhouses.

General Dynamics Corporation has stepped up its production of artillery from 14,000 to 20,000 rounds per month, according to Insider Monkey, which said that the company has benefited from the military assistance offered by the United States for Ukraine, which has included the 155- millimeter artillery replacements that have been pivotal to Kyivs fightback against Russian advancements.

Russia has also been producing more artillery arsenal to meet the needs of its war effort in Ukraine.

According to a Reuters report, Russia has been producing three times more the amount of artillery ammunition than all of Europe and the US combined.

HIMARS, which Morocco ordered, has been tested in Ukraine luring other European purchasers. Germanys Rheinmetall has partnered with Lockheed Martin Corporation to build GMARS, which would be similar to but larger than HIMARS.

Last year in February, Washington approved the sale of HIMARS, ATACMS, and other ammunition worth $10 billion to Poland. Lithuania is also purchasing eight M142 HIMARS from Lockheed Martin Corporation for $495 million, as part of an agreement reached in late 2022.


The crew of "professional" theives who made off with $30 million in cash after pulling off one of the biggest jobs in Los Angeles history now face a glaring problem, according to a heist expert.



Scott Andrew Selby, co-author of "Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History," suggests the suspects are not yet in the clear.

"As technology progresses and the world gets smaller, there are a lot of ways you can mess up and get caught," Selby said. Whether the money is traceable depends on the serial numbers or whether the cash that was collected is already in circulation.

"With touch DNA, the slightest mistake can expose the identity of a member of the crew, leading authorities to eventually identify their associates."

Investigators will also be "looking around the globe for crimes with a similar M.O," reported LA Times.

Selby highlighted that the theft has "all the markings of a really well-thought-out job" that was done by a "professional crew," adding that based on other major heists of this nature, it is likely that the thieves had some inside intelligence.

The GardaWorld facility in Sylmar was robbed in the middle of the night on Easter Sunday. L.A. Police Department Commander Elaine Morales said on Wednesday that the crooks were able to breach the buidling and gain access to where the money was stored, according to ABC7.



Images from ABC7's helicopter show a breach in the side of the building.



Law enforcement sources are stumped as to how the thieves were able to pull off the heist without setting off any alarms, according to the L.A. Times. The safe that was empited shows no sign of break in, and only a very select few people even knew large sums of money were in there prior to the heist, the Times reported.



The FBI confirmed to the Times that the bureau is investigating the heist alongside LAPD officers.
French minister in charge of foreign trade, Franck Riester, said his country welcomes and is ready to finance Moroccos investments in the Sahara territory.

His statement echoes that of French foreign minister who broke the ice in Rabat saying France welcomed the development effort led by Morocco in its southern provinces and is ready to invest in the territory.

Proparco, an offshoot of French development agency backing the private sector, would contribute to finance a high voltage link between Dakhla and Casablanca, a strategic project for the Kingdom, he said.

His remarks confirm news relayed on Moroccan media saying that France has allowed its development agencies to fund projects in the Sahara territory.

We are convinced, as confirmed by FM Stephane Sejourne, that this will be through supporting the investment strategy across the Kingdom, he said.

His statement implies a clear French recognition of Moroccos sovereignty over the territory.

As ties warm up after a long frost between Paris and Rabat, French foreign minister has hinted, during his trip to Rabat in February, at upcoming change in his countrys policy towards the territory where Algeria has been pursuing a separatist chimera by backing financially, militarily and diplomatically for five decades a separatist militia, known as the Polisario.

Sejourne told reporters, after talks in Rabat with his Moroccan peer in February, that France had a clear and steady position on the Sahara in support of a realistic, lasting and mutually accepted solution in conformity with UN Security council resolutions.

France is aware that the Sahara issue is an existential matter for Morocco and Moroccans, he said, urging progress on the basis of round tables with the participation of all parties.

Sejourne announced that France will open two schools in Dakhla and Laayoune in addition to an itinerant cultural center in the Sahara territory.

He also lauded Moroccos social and development achievements in the Sahara, highlighting in particular efforts in terms of training, renewable energies, and the blue economy.

France will support development of the region by supporting Moroccos efforts there, he said.
Encouraging creativity, fostering imagination and showcasing the fun of animation, Calibraska Arts Initiative stopped by North Platte schools to talk to students about their summer classes.

Calibraska utilizes the arts to build community, culture and inclusive educational exchanges between Nebraskans and primarily California/Los Angeles-based industry professionals.

Erica Larsen-Dockray, a Scottsbluff native and California Institute of the Arts alumni, said she was teaching animation to youth in Los Angeles when her sister asked if she would want to move back to her home state of Nebraska to teach.

It was kind of a no-brainer, Larsen-Dockray said.

Now, Larsen-Dockray teaches animation and arts through Calibraska and also helps run classes in acting, film, storyboarding, 3-D modeling, improv, creative writing and many others.

On Wednesday afternoon, Larsen-Dockray had the Eisenhower Elementary Kids Klub make animation loops with a zoetrope.

Its one of the main tools I use to talk about how we see animation and why it works, she said. So the kids are able to learn a little bit about history and a way you can do animation.

Each student had a strip of paper with 12 boxes, or frames. By making illustrations in each box, and changing each box from the last just a little, the strip can be put in the zoetrope to see the animation in action.

You put it in the device and it comes alive when you spin it and look through the slots, Larsen-Dockray said. They can see right away what an image sequence looks when its translated into movement.

Larsen-Dockray said that activities like this help encourage students to pursue the arts and be imaginative.

Arts and being creative is just a part of being healthy, she said. Being able to express yourself is just sort of vital to just being human.

The 2024 Summer Program will be held July 8-15 at Mid Plains Community College, with early registration happening now until April 15.

Classes for the Summer Program are: Animation Playground, Animation Afternoon, Storyboarding and Visual Storytelling for TV and Film, Visual Storytelling and Drawing, and Music Video Camp.

Scholarships are available for the camps. Those interested in receiving more information about a class, or in registering, can visit calibraska.org.

A free animation workshop will also be available through Calibraska in June and July. The Lets Draw Workshops with Nickelodeon Animation will have two sessions, one for students in K-6 and one for 6-12th graders.

More information about classes, scholarships and other offerings can be found at calibraska.org/offerings.
The Speaker could fade back into obscurity, or instead become President Trumps top vassal. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Like his defenestrated predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, House Speaker Mike Johnson is caught in a perpetual squeeze between whats necessary to keep the country operating and what the wackier members of his conference want. And as Politico reports, its a real buzzkill:

To hear Mike Johnson tell it, hes not having much fun as speaker. He has complained about the long hours and constant travel, according to those who have recently spoken to him, and a series of escalating internal clashes have made the job a joyless slog.

 Hes currently facing a lone-wolf removal campaign from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)  one that could easily grow legs if he miscalculates, insiders warn. And even if he does navigate through a rocky stretch ahead, they believe he is ill-suited to lead House Republicans into the next Congress and beyond  particularly if the GOP loses control of the House in November.

Johnson could just hang it all up. But if he wants to remain Speaker, hell need support from House Republicans, who dont want to go through another fight over the Speakers gavel, and House Democrats. That seems to be where were headed if, as promised, Johnson brings up a Ukraine aid bill thats even vaguely bipartisan, and then Marjorie Taylor Greene moves on a motion to vacate the chair. It wont be easy, but Johnson should be able to cobble together a majority to stop that maneuver in almost any case.

The bigger question is Johnsons longer-term survival as the top House Republican. But he might as well un-furrow his brow, because the decision may be beyond his control. Odds are high that the November election will greatly affect Johnsons status. One such scenario is by definition curtains for Speaker Johnson, and likely for Leader Johnson, as Playbook suggests:

Many Republicans privately concede that theyre unlikely to keep the House this fall. And if they dont, there will be pressure on Johnson to step aside from leadership completely, as has happened to GOP speakers who have lost the majority since the 1950s.

[One Republican asked:] Whats he going to say? Oh, shucks, guys  I ran everything through suspension and lost the majority, and I still want to be your leader? Thats not going to be tolerated.

Johnson would then be free to return to the back-bench obscurity from whence he emerged.

If Republicans not only hang onto the House but flip the Senate and the White House, Johnsons fate will be equally clear  and equally out of his control. In a trifecta scenario, the House Speaker will be one of many foot soldiers in the MAGA army taking over Washington. Hell hold his gavel strictly at the sufferance of a reelected President Donald Trump. Johnson has shown a pretty robust ability to kowtow to Trump, so he might be all right. But if he annoys Trump, the president could easily have him replaced with a more obsequious Speaker.

Another possible outcome in November is Republican control of Congress with Joe Biden entering a second term. Its not even that improbable given the GOP advantage in the Senate landscape and the pick-em status of both the House and presidential contests. Then, at least, House Republicans would share the burden of battling Biden with a Senate majority, relieving the pressure on the House leadership to cut ideological and partisan capers as the sole locus of GOP power in Washington (other than the Supreme Court, of course). Its true that congressional Republicans might first have to survive the stress test of some wild Trump effort to keep Biden from being certified and inaugurated as president, but if that gets out of hand, all bets are off.

The most complicated post-November situation for Mike Johnson is probably the least likely: the status quo ante. Its unclear what exactly the failure to flip the Senate and the White House would do to the psychology of the Republican Party. But at the very least, Speaker Johnson would more than ever remain the extremely unlikely top Republican in Washington, and quite possibly a sitting duck for those demanding a change in party leadership.

His life may seem difficult right now, but it could be a lot worse. In any event, voters hold Mike Johnsons future in their hands.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

When people experience a moment of public embarrassment for which they are at fault, it sometimes motivates them to change their behavior. Representative Lauren Boebert has not gone this route. Three months after she was kicked out of a theater for vaping in front of a pregnant woman and getting handsy with her date, CNN reports that she had a little too much fun at the New York Young Republican Clubs annual holiday gala.

During the party, held at Cipriani Wall Street, waitstaff reportedly cut Boebert off after a long night of drinking, with one source at the event telling CNN that a server told the congresswoman they believed she had been overserved. Boebert (who has met Donald Trump many times) then kept trying to take selfies with the former president, who was seated at her table. It reportedly got so bad that Trumps security pulled her aside and asked her to please stop.

Like any seasoned partyer, Boebert knew what to do next: relocate to a different bar. Despite the behavior check at the cavernous downtown restaurant, photos from that night show Boebert going uptown to an after-party with George Santos at the conservative hot spot Beach Cafe on the Upper East Side.

Boebert, who is currently recovering from an emergency surgery for a blood clot in her leg, is facing tough election prospects after switching districts in pursuit of an easier route back to Congress. Thankfully, though, her behavior at the holiday party did not affect her standing within the Republican party. Last month, Trump endorsed her as a trusted America first fighter.
Photo: Brittainy Newman/AP

On Friday, as the city was shaken by the 4.8-magnitude earthquake in New Jersey, the response from state and city officials was less than inspiring.

An emergency alert from the city didnt hit phones for a full half-hour after the shaking stopped. A second alert followed about 45 minutes later. An alert from the state would go out nearly a full hour after the quake had subsided, though Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statement shortly after the tremors.

Shaun Abreu, a City Council member, joked about the lapse in time on X.

Idk if I was startled more by the earthquake or the 39 min late emergency alert that just came in  Shaun Abreu (@ShaunAbreu) April 5, 2024

When asked about the gap between when the earthquake was registered to when city residents were alerted, the citys emergency manager Zach Iscol said the time was actually fast by their standards.

First off, theres a lot of work we have to do to make sure were getting confirmation from USGS that this was actually an earthquake, right? Theres a lot of things that can cause buildings to shake, he said during a press conference. Two, we also need to make sure were putting out the proper guidance, but 20 minutes is very, very fast for a public notification.

Prior to his scheduled briefing on the quake, Mayor Eric Adams shared tips on what residents should do in case of an aftershock. Online, he suggested that residents get down on the floor, cover their head and neck, and hide under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway.

In case of aftershocks: get down on the floor, cover your head and neck, and take additional cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway.  Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 5, 2024

That advice is considered out of date. The federal government actively warns against taking shelter in doorways on its emergency-preparedness website. Per the CDC, doorways are no stronger than any other part of your house or dwelling. Adams later repeated the advice at a noon briefing.

City officials have previously faced criticism for their response to weather events. Last June, when Canadian wildfire smoke engulfed city skies, many questioned whether City Hall alerted residents quickly enough about the hazardous conditions. In the wake of a massive rainstorm that September, Adams took 24 hours to personally speak on the storm after it had already flooded neighborhoods and suspended subway travel across the boroughs.

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Trump sees the answer to the worlds needs in the mirror every day. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

With public concerns over the proper U.S. posture toward Israels conduct of its war in Gaza rising daily, theres naturally a lot of curiosity about what Joe Bidens Republican opponent thinks the country should do about the subject. Even taking into account the strategic value of silence and incoherence on a controversy that has made life difficult for Biden, Donald Trumps commentary on the Middle East lately has been unusually opaque  unless you recognize the pivotal role that his signature narcissism plays in how he thinks about global affairs.

An extensive new interview the 45th president granted to conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt is illustrative. Asked if he was being critical of Israel in comments he made to a conservative Israeli publication earlier this week, Trump immediately started talking about the baleful effect his very absence from the White House had exercised in the Middle East:

Look, Israel should have never happened. If I were president, it would not have happened. Iran was broke. They had no money. They had no nothing. And we would have worked, a deal with Iran would have been made already. In the meantime, theyre going to have a nuclear weapon within probably 45 or 60 days. And then, its going to be a little tougher to talk to them. But October 7 would have never happened.

This should have sounded familiar to Hewitt, since its precisely what Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner told him about Russias invasion of Ukraine back in 2022: It was a totally avoidable conflict that only occurred because of the change of administrations (Kushner also boasted vaguely that we had [the Chinese] on their back foot the whole time). Similarly, Trump himself has suggested without details that he would settle the war in Ukraine in one day if he returns to office.

The more we hear from him on both his past and purported future successes in keeping the world at peace, the clearer it becomes that Trump believes his presence in the White House calms global waters regardless of any specific policies he advances. Hes strong, Bidens weak, and all of Americas adversaries know that. When Trump said in his 2016 presidential nomination acceptance speech, I alone can fix it, he was referring to the U.S. political system. But now that he can boast of his own presidency, which in his mind was an oasis of global stability between horrific bouts of national weakness and forever wars, his tendency to project himself as an all-purpose panacea increasingly extends to the whole world.

This is especially notable with respect to the current situation in the Middle East because Trump refuses to recognize there are systemic problems with respect to Israels relationship with its neighbors that his administration did nothing serious to address. In the Hewitt interview, he repeatedly talked about the need to get back to normalcy and peace, which is the context for his impatience that Israel get it [the war] over with, and get it over with fast and his characterization of the global protests over the damage being done to Gazans by the war as a PR war that Israel is losing by releasing photographs of bombs blowing up buildings.

Its understandable politically that Team Trump very badly wants to promote amnesia about the condition of the world as well as the country when he left office. In an election that Biden is battling to make comparative as opposed to a simple referendum on his own job performance, the 45th president is deeply invested in the gravely false idea that he gave America the greatest economy ever. To the extent that foreign policy may be beginning to affect the 2024 elections, its natural that the former president is suggesting that he left the greatest world ever, which has now gone straight to hell. Only he can fix it.
Photo: Wilfredo Lee/AP

Later this month, Melania Trump will appear at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago for the Log Cabin Republicans, which describes itself as the nations largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies.

So does this mean the former First Lady is back and everyone can stop speculating about her absence from Donald Trumps reelection effort? Thats how multiple outlets are framing this news, but the answer depends on what the question Where is Melania? is really asking.

Politico broke the news of her alleged return on Friday with the headline Melania Trump is back, set to hold event for Log Cabin Republicans. The piece begins:

Melania Trump, who has been largely absent from the campaign trail during her husbands presidential run, is back on the GOP fundraising circuit. The former first lady is set to hold her first major political event of the year  a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans on April 20 at Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach, Florida, club where she and former president Donald Trump live, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.

This was later confirmed by the New York Times, which described the event as a return of sorts to the political arena for Melania. The paper noted that the fundraiser will still keep her largely out of the public eye.

Melania Trump was never truly missing. The phrase Wheres Melania took off  literally  in September after someone hired a plane to fly a banner featuring that message during a Trump campaign appearance. Presumably, the same unidentified Trump 2024 opponent was behind the distribution of missing flyers featuring the former First Lady at another Iowa event a few days later:

Weeks ago, the Trump campaign flew a banner over the Iowa State Fair that said Be Likeable, Ron!



Today, theres scattered Missing flyers all over the rivalry Iowa game  where Trump, DeSantis & several other candidates will both appear. pic.twitter.com/Sv932ulqAr  Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) September 9, 2023

While Melania was occasionally spotted shopping in New York or dining at Mar-a-Lago throughout 2023, the pranks were meant to draw attention to the fact that she was missing from 2024 campaign events and her husbands various court appearances during this time. Donald Trump responded by insisting for months that his wife would join him on the campaign trail pretty soon and invoking her name during rallies.

This year, Melania has been slightly more visible at campaign-related events. On February 11, 2024, Melania attended a fundraising gala hosted by the Trumpettes, a Trump fan club, at Mar-a-Lago. And on March 19, 2024, she joined her husband to vote in the Florida GOP primary. A reporter asked Melania, Are you going to return to the campaign trail with your husband? She responded, Stay tuned.

Does a private fundraiser with the Log Cabin Republicans count as hitting the campaign trail? If so, why is this event being touted as Melanias big return while the Trumpettes event wasnt? Melania recently skipped Trumps big Super Tuesday party  so will her involvement in the 2024 campaign be limited to private fundraisers held in her own home? Is Melania quietly pushing us to rethink the expectations we put on politicians wives, or is she just trying to tell the world I Really Dont Care about my husbands campaign?

Perhaps a cryptic stay tuned is the only good answer to these questions.
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If you want to incorporate CBD into your wellness routine, there are endless products to choose from. CBD is now available in every form, according to Broccoli magazine editor-in-chief Anja Charbonneau. You can smoke pre-rolls with loose flower (like a classic weed bud) or get tinctures, candies, lotions, suppositories, face oils, serums, toothpaste, and beverages.

Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a cannabis specialist who works as a primary-care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, says that while the science is new and more studies with human test subjects need to be done, there is emerging research that suggests CBD can be helpful in managing anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and even addiction. According to entrepreneur Verena von Pfetten, whose Gossamer brand sells CBD products among its wares, humans and other vertebrates have what is called an endocannabinoid system, or ECS, which is made up of receptors found throughout your body  in your brain, spinal cord, digestive system, and even your skin  that help keep your internal systems in balance. Kate Miller, a co-founder of CBD brand Miss Grass, explains that the ECS, which regulates things like pain, appetite, sleep, immune function, and stress, is the bodily system CBD interacts with. But since CBD is a relatively new ingredient thats still being studied, there is very little regulation, so its up to the brands to do the right thing, says von Pfetten. In choosing any product, Christopher Gavigan, the founder and CEO of CBD skin-care brand Prima, notes that you want to take a holistic look: Who is behind it? What are the brands values? How does it source ingredients? Does it offer transparency around purity and potency?

According to the 20 people I spoke to  who include doctors, makers, and CBD users  the best way to sniff out any brands worthiness is to look for whether or not it has a publicly available Certificate of Analysis (also known as a COA). A COA is an independent lab test verifying that whats in the bottle actually matches whats on the label  everything from type of CBD, to amount of CBD, to whether it is pesticide and heavy metal-free, explains von Pfetten.

Once youve settled on a brand, the next tricky thing about CBD is figuring out the right dose for you. Charbonneau cautions that process is not a science and can involve some trial and error. Dosing CBD properly is like being Goldilocks, as she puts it. Too little, and youre not going to get any results. Too much, and it wont work either. Grinspoon has this advice: CBD affects everybody differently, so start low and work your way up. Charbonneaus other tip is to keep track of your dosing in a journal, so you can track your bodys response to different doses over time. While the right amount will differ from person to person, generally, you can tell youve settled on a good dosage when you start feeling more relaxed and experience a greater sense of calm after ingesting CBD. (With topical products, look for a feeling of pain relief instead of relaxation.) And remember: CBD has a cumulative effect, so the more regularly you take it, the better it works, says von Pfetten. Think of it like a daily supplement, not like a hit of a joint where youre high immediately.

If you are ready to try it  or are a user ready to try some new form of CBD  the 24 products below come recommended by our 23 cool people as stuff that actually works, whether its ingested, applied topically, or smoked. To ease your mind, know that everything below has a Certificate of Analysis (we checked). And to help you find what youre looking for, weve broken down the recommendations by what they are  from pre-rolls and vapes to tinctures to topicals to edibles. And one more thing: In talking to people in the cannabis and CBD space, weve also heard a lot about how it is important to be educated consumers and understand the effects that the larger war on drugs has historically had on Black, Brown, and other nonwhite communities. These conversations highlight that we should, at least, consume consciously and directly support Black, Brown, or other nonwhite businesses, several of which appear on the list below.

Update on September 19, 2024: Removed Edie Parker Super Bloom Tincture; updated prices and checked stock for all other products.

Best CBD pre-rolls and vapes

Dad Grass Somethings Fishy Dad Stash, 5-Pack $37 Flower, according to von Pfetten, has the highest level of bioavailability of any form of CBD, meaning that inhaling or smoking just a bit can give you the same effect as consuming more CBD in another form. She says that pre-rolled CBD joints offer the high that most people want  a super light, relaxed, euphoric feeling that passes relatively quickly and allows you to remain entirely functional. Echoing what von Pfetten said about CBD pre-rolls offering the high that most people want, former Strategist managing editor Maxine Builder calls these joints from Dad Grass the most weedlike CBD I have ever encountered. The pleasant buzz is so effective, Builder promises, that she says Dad Grass is the CBD product that has convinced me that CBD is actually a thing. $37 at Dad Grass Buy

Barbari Hemp and Herbal Spliffs From $10 These spliffs from Barbari are made using botanical blends and hemp flower grown from a single father-daughter-owned farm in Bend, Oregon. There are three blends to choose from: calming Airplane Mode (sage, rose, lavender, blue lotus), uplifting Muse (peppermint, sage, and blue cornflower), and the energizing Car Sex (white sage and lions tail). And if you prefer to roll your own mix, Barbari also sells its herbal blends separately. From $10 at Barbari Buy

Omura Series 1 $70 $70 While its more of a setup (and investment) than the stuff above, if you know youre going to be consuming a lot of CBD via pre-rolls, Omuras sleek device and joints made specifically for it may be a more sophisticated way to do so. According to the brand, the Series 1 and its newer (pricier) sister the Series X function more like vaporizers, using a proprietary heat curve and a convection oven to heat each pre-roll long enough for a 3-minute session that is more discreet (read: less smelly and smokey) than if youd just light something up. Former Strategist senior editor Anthony Rotunno tried it out after the companys co-founder offered to send one his way for a rather particular reason. He emailed out of the blue about how he loved my ode to the Pop Phone handset and told me he previously founded that company, then asked if I was interested in checking out his latest brands stuff, given my appreciation for his other products, Rotunno says. $70 at Omura Buy

Tonic Vibes Zone CBD Vape Pen $70 Miller says smoking CBD via a vape pen offers a similar effect to that of a pre-roll: Most consumers will feel the effects within 30 seconds to a minute and you can expect a non-intoxicating, consistent, and repeatable experience. A pen, of course, can also be even more discreet. Writer Darian Harvin told us she reaches for this CBD vape pen whenever Im feeling stressed or overwhelmed because it calms her without making her brain too cloudy. It has a flavor she describes as citrusy, and Harvin adds that the brand gives back to organizations fighting against racial inequality via its Purpose Program. $70 at TONIC CBD Buy

Best CBD tinctures





Charlottes Web CBD Oil $100 $100 Tinctures, according to von Pfetten, are the second most effective CBD products in terms of bioavailability  if consumed properly, that is. Hold a dose under the tongue for 60 seconds, or at least 30, until it is mostly absorbed, she instructs. Speaking of dosage, Miller says tinctures make it easier to determine the right one for you because you can control the experience drop-by-drop. Charlottes Web is the tincture that hooked Strategist contributing editor Jessica Silvester  a self-described CBD skeptic  onto CBD. I couldnt help but notice that ever since Id started my CBD regimen, the screams of my child werent as piercing; the lacrosse-ball-sized knot under my left shoulder blade was releasing, she writes. Summing it up, Silvester calls the tincture the most calming thing Ive done since yoga. Shes not its only fan: Actress Freida Pinto also swears by Charlottes Web, telling us, it just takes the edge off. It calms my nerves and helps me not be in fight-or-flight mode all the time. $100 at Charlotte's Web Buy

As Charbonneau points out, the rise of CBD is opening brands eyes to a broader pool of legal, beneficial cannabinoids. One such brand is the Black- and Latinx-owned Xula, which uses various cannabinoids in their tinctures and balms, including CBD, and offers informative guides to the ingredients in each of their products, making them even more accessible to newbies. Ive been enjoying the Ah! tincture, which includes CBD, CBG, and a blend of herbs like passion flower and damiana, Charbonneau says. Cannabis writer Brittany Parker also loves Xula, telling us that every time she takes its Zzz! Lights Out tincture, she is usually drooling on her pillow within an hour.

Gossamer Dawn $70 $70 While CBD is typically associated with its calming benefits, if youd like a more energizing blend, I recommend Gossamers Dawn, which includes full-spectrum CBD paired with an uplifting terpene blend. Its perfect for daytime use. $70 at Happy Hours Buy

Best CBD topicals





oHHo Recovery Balm $65 $65 Back in March, I sprained my ankle and was dealing with a lot of joint pain plus some muscle soreness post-physical therapy. I had a tub of OHHos recovery balm lying around from an old mailer and decided to give it a try. I started massaging the balm into my ankle and calf after physical therapy and found that it really helped bring the pain and inflammation down. It has a blend of CBD, peppermint, and Saint-Johns-wort that also has a cooling effect when applied. Another bonus? My skins never been softer. $65 at oHHo Buy

Mineral Maison CBD Recovery Salve $70 $70 Mineral makes beautifully branded products that I swear by and regularly recommend, says von Pfetten, including its topical salve. The company uses high-quality ingredients and delivers a lot of cannabinoids that are thoughtfully formulated for targeted effects. $70 at Mineral Buy

Frigg Attuning Hair Potion $45 If youd like to bring the calming effects of CBD to your scalp, two folks  Besito founder and CEO Maggie Connors and Strategist contributor Elisa Johnson  swear by this potion from Black-owned brand Frigg. It relieves itchiness and soothes my head, which apparently Ive been neglecting my whole life, says Connors, who calls Frigg founder Kimberly Dillon nothing short of a plant genius. Johnson told us she applies a few drops to my scalp and massages it in before putting on my silk Grace Eleyae cap to lock in the moisture. The formula, she says, is instantly soothing and leaves my scalp feeling less dry after each use. I have also noticed that it reduces itchiness and other scalp discomfort that I can often experience. $45 at Effleurage Buy

Weed Sport CBD Muscle Rub $32 After years of using both topical and ingestible CBD, former Strategist associate editor Louis Cheslaw says he has found topicals to be more noticeably effective. His favorite topical is WeedSports balm, which hes been using since last summer to soothe exercise-related aches and pains, especially on my calves. The product, he says, is extremely fast-acting, often restoring me to a throb-free existence within 15 minutes. It has a green color that he notes makes me feel like Shrek after applying, but this temporary ogre-like state has not stopped him from using it in the slightest; in fact, Cheslaw says hes now on his third tub. $32 at Weed Sport Buy

Foria Awaken CBD Arousal Oil $48 While soothing aches and pains seems to be a more common use for CBD topicals, Miller notes that the ingredient extends to topical lubes and intimacy oils, which she says are truly amazing for enhancing sex. As Miller explains, CBD-infused lubes like her favorite Awaken Arousal Oil from Foria promote relaxation, stimulate blood flow, and increase your natural lubrication, all of which can lead to way better orgasms. $48 at Foria Buy

Life Elements CBD Bath Bomb, 50 mg From $17 From $17 If youd like to try incorporating CBD into your bath ritual, Boronia Fallshaw, the founder of CBD brand Mello, likes to use these CBD bath bombs from Life Elements, which are available in 100-mg and 200-mg doses. Formulated with oatmeal, goats milk, honey, and witch hazel, these bombs keep her skin feeling silky and luxurious. Theyre also great for muscle aches or period cramps. If youre not sure what dosage to go with, the brand suggests choosing the 100-mg bomb for relaxation; and for more serious pain and stress relief, the 200-mg option. From $17 at Life Elements Buy

Unplugged Queen Soak From $12 From $12 If you prefer bath salts to bath bombs, Unpluggeds Queen Recovery Hemp Soak is formulated to help relieve cramps, stress, and anxiety, explains Kassia Graham, the director of social media and national projects at Cannaclusive and the leadership-team head at Cannabis for Black Lives. Graham adds that she found it be a delight to use in the bath, with a light woody scent. When I finally left the tub, I was blissed out  with soft and silky skin  and ready for bed. Each bag contains 100 mg of CBD, and the brand says one bag should get you through two to three baths. From $12 at Unplugged Buy

Best CBD edibles





Gossamer x Rose Los Angeles Rose Delights $45 $45 Edibles tend to terrify people, Miller says, but when dosed properly, they have the most mellow effect of all, making them a great starting point for beginner CBD users. If you want to try edibles, she says there are two things to keep in mind: They typically take between 45 and 90 minutes to to kick in and the effects can last for up to 5 to 6 hours. Although you can find edibles with lower amounts of CBD, von Pfetten suggests generally looking for edibles that have at least ten milligrams of CBD because you lose some of the active cannabinoids as your body processes them. (Weve noted the milligrams of CBD per serving in the product name of each edible on this list.) For a sweet treat that packs a soothing dose of CBD, von Pfetten suggests these Turkish-inspired candies the best CBD edibles on the market. She explains that the edibles effectiveness is because the brand uses whole-flower rosin, which isnt extracted so much as pressed from the plant, preserving the cannabinoids and terpenes in as close to a form as they are found in the plant. This technique increases the effective dose and bioavailability of the CBD in each piece, according to her. $45 at Gotham Buy

Medterra CBD Gummies Sleep Tight, 25 mg $46 $46 For a sweet treat thatll also help you sleep, former Strategist writer Chloe Anello says these CBD-infused gummies (that also include melatonin) knock me out at night. She finds them so effective that she recently bought four bags while the brand was having a sale. Not only do they work, but the gummies taste really good, too, she adds. $46 at Medterra Buy

Charlottes Web Stay Asleep CBN Gummies $30 If you, like me, have trouble staying asleep, I recommend Charlottes Web Stay Asleep gummies. Unlike the brands CBD-and-melatonin-infused sleep gummies, these are formulated with CBN (a different cannabinoid than CBD), to help you wake up less throughout the night. (The brand even conducted a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study to prove it.) Since Ive started taking them, Ive noticed my sleep is much deeper and more restful. $30 at Charlotte's Web Buy

Five Full Spectrum CBD+THC Gummies, 25 mg $40 $40 In addition to her favorite Charlottes Web CBD tincture, Silvester also likes these gummies from Five. She found them so effective that she introduced the gummies to her dad, who is now sleeping better than he has in decades, she says. At their least powerful, the gummies contain 25 milligrams of CBD. But for something stronger, you can get them with 25 milligrams of CBD and melatonin or with 50 milligrams of CBD. $40 at Five Buy

Charlottes Web Calming Chews for Dogs $20 And CBD edibles arent just for humans  theyre for animals, too. Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo uses these Charlottes Web chews for her 14-year-old poodle, Uli, to help calm her anxiety and stress levels. The chews also taste great, so your pup wont even realize their treats are also medicinal, and it makes administering the CBD a lot easier than a tincture. $20 at Charlotte's Web Buy

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Most of the doctors and nurses weve talked to over the years have told us that the best gifts theyve gotten from patients are sincere thank-you notes. But that still might not feel like enough for the pediatrician who taught your child how to say stethoscope, the dentist who tucks an extra toothbrush into every goodie bag, or the dermatologist who helped clear up your butt acne. So we polled a panel of medical professionals for their sound advice on what to get a doctor when you want to give a little something more. Their recommendations run the gamut from luxe lotion for their over-washed hands to Bluetooth speakers for the operating room.

Update on October 11, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.

Best self-care gifts for doctors

Manduka PROlite Yoga Mat $108 $108 Lee recommends yoga as an outlet to release tension and tightness (along with addressing the lower-body issues that come from standing all day). A high-quality yoga mat, like this yogi-approved Manduka, would be fitting for the specialist who pops in a quick downward dog between patients or takes full Vinyasa class over the weekend. $108 at REI Buy $108 at Amazon Buy

A calming diffuser with essential oils can provide a quick pick-me-up for a stressed-out doc, according to Nada Milosavljevic, founder of the Integrative Health Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Vitruvi makes an especially handsome one (that onscreen doctor Ellen Pompeo uses in her trailer), and you can pair it with an essential-oil set that features energizing grapefruit and comforting lavender scents.

Best food and drink gifts for doctors

Harry & David Classic Favorites Gift Basket $80 $80 You cant go wrong with a big basket of fruit, nuts, cheese, and crackers  Petkov points out that since a basket is shareable, the staff of an office can snack on it together. (There are additional health-care workers involved in getting you better besides your doctor, he reminds.) This one is packaged in a bronze box with gold ribbon and includes pepper-and-onion relish, chocolate truffles, three-seed crackers, and a sharp cheddar. $80 at Harry & David Buy

Dash Hot Air Popper Popcorn Maker $22 $22 Though it might not be an obvious doctor gift, dermatologist Erum Ilyas once received a popcorn maker that she loves because its so easy to fire up for a quick snack and also makes the office smell delightful. (This Dash model comes with a measuring cup to melt butter in true, movie-theater concession-stand fashion.) $22 at Amazon Buy

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Giving a bottle of good booze or fine wine came up again and again. Bariatric surgeon Daniel J. Rosen favors Johnnie Walker: It makes me look like a superstar if I roll in with a bottle of Blue Label to a party. Buy at Total Wine Buy

Ember Tumbler $180 $180 Psychiatrist Aliza Rabin raves about her Ember self-heating mug, which can be a workhorse on busy days when there isnt time to finish a cup of coffee in one sitting. The brands newer tumbler design holds 16 ounces and will keep drinks hot for up to three hours on one charge. $180 at Ember Buy

Stanley All Day Slim Bottle $30 $30 Or go for the just-released Slim Bottle from Stanley, which features a removable collar that can be filled up with ice cubes and the brands double-wall vacuum insulation  so theyll always have a cold sip at the ready. $30 at Stanley Buy

Best work-related gifts for doctors

Best wearable gifts for doctors

A clean set of scrubs is essential  and Figs came up again and again. Gastroenterologist Niket Sonpal describes them as easy to clean when its time to do laundry, while Inna Chern of New York General Dentistry calls hers chic, fun, and comfortable.

Or consider a set from AirMed, which former Strategist senior editor Chelsea Peng bought for her brother, a first-year resident. His colleagues constantly ask where to get them, because instead of the standard, hospital-issued set  which Peng describes as sad and baggy  these are better-fitting, with tops cut more like T-shirts and slimmer jogger-style pants with cargo pockets.

Best gadget gifts for doctors

Fitbit Charge 6 $147 $160 now 8% off $147 Although theyll be the first to espouse the benefits of exercise, busy doctors often dont have time to work out. A Fitbit is what holds family doctor Amber Robins accountable for getting her steps in, and the latest Charge 6 includes features like a stress management score and compatibility with fitness equipment to show your heart rate in real-time. $147 at Amazon Buy $160 at Macy's Buy

Best experiential gifts for doctors

Pluto Pillow Gift Card From $125 From $125 Gift a good nights sleep with an e-gift card for a custom pillow from Pluto. Xin Kang, a psychiatrist with the Los Angeles County Department of Health, raved about the brand, which has customers take a short quiz about how they sleep and creates a made-to-order pillow to match their preferences. From $125 at Pluto Buy

DoorDash Gift Card Waldorf suggests a generous gift certificate to a delivery service like DoorDash so that when they get home late after a long day, they wont have to bother with making dinner. Buy at DoorDash Buy

Calm Gift Subscription Michael Chen, an internal medical physician with the cancer-screening start-up Ezra, suggests a meditation class for dealing with stress. With this gift card, they can access meditation, relaxation, and sleeping programs on the Calm app from their phone. Buy at Calm Buy

Additional reporting by Lori Keong and Karen Iorio Adelson

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Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.


The man convicted of the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, a horrific case that sparked headlines around the world and led to a crackdown on serial offenders in California, is making a bid to overturn his death sentence, according to reports.

Richard Allen Davis, 69, argued that a criminal justice reform law that invalidates sentencing enhancements for prior convictions that took effect in 2022 should be applied to his death sentence, The Press Democrat reported.

Prosecutors called his attempt to use the law in his case "nonsensical."

Marc Klass, Polly's father, who created a foundation that advocates for protecting child crime victims, said Davis should remain behind bars.

"We had every expectation that the sentence of death recommended by the jury and imposed by Judge Thomas Hastings would keep him segregated from society for the rest of his life," Klaas said in a statement. "We could not have been more wrong!"

Davis, on death row at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, is expected to be in Santa Clara County Court in San Jose on Friday.

The hearing was moved from Sonoma County because of publicity surrounding the case.

Polly was taken from her Petaluma home on Oct. 1, 1993, where she was having a slumber party with two friends.

Davis, armed with a knife, entered the bedroom, bound and blindfolded the friends and kidnapped Polly.

Following an extensive search for Polly, Davis, who had a history of violent crimes against women, was arrested on a parole violation that November and confessed to killing Polly in December, telling police he buried her body in a shallow grave.

He was charged with murder, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted lewd acts on a child.
So on Christmas if anyone's family bitches that you didn't get them what they wanted, tell them at least they didn't have to pay a $250 million bond for your thieving ass.

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Sucks to suck!

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"and was released on $250 million dollars bond"



*hearts skip a beat* 8OOOO!!



Ben Mckenzie might balling with these scammers getting roasted!

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250 million... insane

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My parents would have let me rot in jail. 



I like to think Ben McKenzie helped this happen (I know he didn't really but he was calling this out for over a year.)

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I cant believe Ryan from the OC is this authority on anti crypto stuff like mad respect chino

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between this and all those ontd posts re: his WHIRLWIND romance he has blessed us!!!

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What a bunch of losers, youd think by now thered be enough examples to show you how to run a scam without getting caught. Ivy league education and still no brains.

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But also these people were at minimum upper middle class or even lower upper class, they didnt need to do this to live a comfortable life.



Doesnt a bail bond require 10% down plus the rest in collateral? How much are his parents worth? Their home would have to be worth $25 mil if thats the case and if so, why would he ever do this he already had it made.

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Yeah, as a poor idgi. Id just be studying obscure shit for life if my parents had money like they apparently do.



I guess they were bored? I feel like ppl who grow up without worrying about money get sloppy fast bc theyve never faced real consequences.

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People like him think they're smarter than they actually are.

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Current Location: not awaiting federal trial







Edited at 2022-12-22 10:03 pm (UTC)

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"and was released on $250 million dollars bond"



BY WHOM?

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Matt Damon & Mr Reese Witherspoon



Edited at 2022-12-22 11:15 pm (UTC)

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That wasn't supposed to be a thumbs down sorry!!

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i've admittedly not really followed this at all because crypto hurts my brain which already runs on lower capacity in winter tbh, but i've just clocked that his name is literally bank man who's gonna get fried lol fitting

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His parents secured his bond posting their home equity as collateral.

Hes getting wool socks for Christmas and not saying a damn thing about their wasteful water bottle consumption this year.

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Heh, wool socks have been a life safer for me in these freezing ass temps, he can just get some lumps of coal he doesn't need any toasty socks 

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fry 'em

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thinking about his parents having a $25 million dollar house now, thanks.

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I thought his parents were both professors



do Ivy League professors make that much or is it generational wealth



like, why would you do this scam if your parents are that loaded??

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they started out as lawyers and his dad is also a psychologist so honestly, maybe they did make enough. but also part of the FTX bankruptcy is a bahamian home they're on the deed for for $16.4 mill so..........





also why is it always the children of lawyers and psychologists who are scamming like this? It was such a L&O trope, I didn't expect it to be real lmao.

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His parents secured his bond posting their home equity as collateral.



White parents hit different yo

My parents would be like oh you fucked up? Now you wanna fuck up our housing situation too? Figure it out yourself miss finance

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I love how redditors nicknamed him Sam Bank-Fraud. Accurate and perfectly fitting.

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Omg I totally forgot about this. It was wild and I feel for her parents. 

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https://torontolife.com/city/jennifer-pan-revenge/ this is a good indepth article!

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omfg this article was a wild ride. her poor family. eta: i feel bad for her brother mostly. basically lost all semblance or chance of a family in an instant



Edited at 2024-04-05 04:59 am (UTC)

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The whole case is already upsetting in and of itself, but it's so especially tragic to me that her mother was the one who died, when from the article it sounds like her mother was the one who vouched for her the most. I sympathize with how isolated and stifle Jennifer felt, but at the same time, my heart is broken for her parents too.

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Its sad that her dad cant sell the house nor do any of the things he loves anymore like garden or work on cars.

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Weve a similar case here in Brazil (Suzane Von Richthofen) except both parents were killed & she got her bf and his brother to do it. I remember reading a book about it where an expert said something like but one has to wonder bc loved children dont kill their own parents and I was like BITCH SOME PEOPLE ARE PSYCHOS LOVE WONT CUT IT.

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Sometimes money is a factor in murder. And love doesn't matter.

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Also reminds of the Soering/ Haysom case. Daughter and boyfriend couldve both done it or together. They each blame the other

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With the Toronto case, her parents were so controlling. Nothing about that is normal. I come from a very abusive household...I see how she snapped, bc all this was building for soooo long.

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I remember a similar case from years ago. Bart Whitaker. Unbeknownst to his family, dropped out of college. His parents were starting to push back on his spending, and he wanted the inheritance for himself (why he made sure his younger brother was killed). Faked a burglary/home invasion, had his parents and brother shot (dad only survivor). Had the gunman shoot him in the arm. Also, There's a Forensic Files episode on him. Probably a Dateline, too.



Back in the day, a 30 minute Forensic Files episode was all that was needed to tell the story. Now, you get a Netflix doc that is three episodes and at least an hour long each.





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In this case I'd say her parents had a part in her becoming a psycho

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They push out content like this every month, but they cancelled Santa Clarita Diet!

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all that and a young frankenstein icon? taste!

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My favourite movie from childhood. I can quote it top to bottom which makes it VERY ANNOYING to watch with me lmao

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Fun fact: My sister was on the jury for this case. She was really disturbed by it which was wild to me since she's a huge horror fan and I didn't think things like this got to her.

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Tbf horror doesn't equate to real crime. Even real crime fans don't mean they're comfortable when it's in your face

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True, I guess I was just surprised at how much it (understandably) creeped her out

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Reality =/= fiction.



I'm a huge horror fan but I don't even like to watch boxing/hockey fights/MMA on television because real violence freaks the fuck out of me. Meanwhile, a lot of people are exactly the opposite, which boggles my mind.

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the video of her getting caught when the police makes her show them how she called 911 while being handcuffed is so uncomfortable jfc.

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Do you have a link for that video?

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here you go! This is the only one I could really find. It's super long because I think it's literally the entire interview/interrogation, but the handcuff part is at around 1 hr 9 minutes in.

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I recommend this Toronto Life article if anyone is interested in the case. (Long read but a great example of crime reporting that the magazine isn't really known for!)

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ah I remember this, it's a depressing story. they make her a monster

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Oh I remember this story all over twitter especially in the Asian community!! Some condemned her, while others sympathized (or lowkey justified) due to being familiar with the high expectancy Asian parents put on their kids regarding education.

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Im from Toronto and Ive literally never heard of this? Weird

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same! kinda surprised. I can recall Cecilia Zhang and even the Paul Bernardo stuff (even though I was in like...grade 4 then i think) and the boxing day Footlocker shooting and the Bunny and her husband murder



but this didn't ring any bells.

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Maybe another Toronto?

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Honestly every year Toronto gets bigger and include more and more of Ontario LOL

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Loool sry Im from actual Toronto, this happened in Markham 

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Toronto doesn't give a shit about anything happening north of Steeles!

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Same! Considering I was pretty heavily on twitter back then too I'm surprised I have no recollection of it now.

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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I remember reading about this story. The parents didn't sound like bad people. Terrible what she did to them. I think she had a sibling too? I hope they're doing okay.

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I watched her entire interrogation video with body language commentary which was very interesting.

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Thanks, on my watch list for tomorrow!

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was it by the behavior panel?

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Those videos can be somewhat entertaining, but it's good to remember it is not a science and should not be the basis of any judgement

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Not sure if I want to watch this. What I really want is a documentary that details the massive failure of Toronto police to catch Bruce MacArthur. Preferably something that involves Justin Ling, who wrote a book about the case.

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Everything about the Bruce MacArthur case and the murder/disappearance of Tess Richey makes my fucking blood boil.

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Same. Also the Alloura Wells case.

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I'm waiting patiently for a doc about this as well



I will look into that book

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Agreed. That case is still so infuriating, and mind-boggling how many people had to die before they caught him. They discovered some of the bodies about 5 minutes from where I live, in some of the gardens of his landscaping clients. Soooo creepy.

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Me too. Itd be interesting to see it from the perspective of the LGBTQ+ community in Toronto and the loved ones left behind and how Torontos police just completely didnt give a shit about gay men going missing in the village.

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I read that other article, I don't get how they didn't figure out she didn't even graduate from high school?

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how does one manage to not graduate high school





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This is your takeaway? Lol

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She failed calculus and thus didn't have enough credits to graduate.

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lots of people manage to not graduate? what is this

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Easily

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From there, everything fell apart. Given her parents' high expectations, it was discovered that she was forging report cards, and lied about attending university and her volunteer role with The Hospital for Sick Children.



This makes it sound like the deception was discovered after the murder/attempted murder, but IIRC this isn't exactly true. Her parents had found out about her lies in the months before the murder for hire. But she had definitely kept up the lies for YEARS AND YEARS and it's crazy that she got away with the deception for so long.

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Was the Hospital for Sick Children something she made up, or a real place that she made up volunteering at?



Because that's one of the most made up-est sounding names I've ever seen.

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https://www.sickkids.ca 100% a real place

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Its real. I dont think it was for every shift but I remember reading that at least once her parents dropped her off at the entrance and then shed just hang out for a few hours and then they picked her up.

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And replaced with either another 4-story ugly ultramodern townhouse or an ugly ultramodern mcmansion that takes up literally every single square inch of space within the property line. It's happening all over the goddamn place in this town.

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All over the place in Raleigh, too. And they're selling for 3x each what the developers paid for the property in a "developing" (aka gentrifying) area.

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in the suburbs here, too!



it wouldnt be as bad if it were duplex or quadplex since areas near metro stops are most likely to get replacements like this as thats where the older housing stock is, and people who spend $2-5 million on a sfh arent riding the metro, but no. transitional craftsman modern farmhouses that price the affluent first-time home buyers out of the $$$ areas and the cascade of people getting pushed further out follows, so no one who would ride the metro to work can. fun and sustainable!

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" people who spend $2-5 million on a sfh arent riding the metro,"



That's what's most infuriating about these real estate development builds! It makes me wonder where the lower income tenants have all moved to because all the places with the best public transportations are being priced for people who will never use them. It's so beyond messed up.



And it's not like the building quality is there to justify the prices either. All these "industrial-styled high end condo-apartments" with unfinished concrete ceilings are awful because concrete doesn't absorb sound. They'll also take a while to settle with the weather, which means they will definitely crack within the first few years of being built because of how extreme our winters here; it's not unusual to have a difference of 60C between summer and winter. How luxurious it is to find concrete dust from the your ceiling all over your apartment?





Edited at 2024-04-06 10:21 pm (UTC)

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tired of all this matchstick(?) nonsense. cities are losing their characters.

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lol I basically just commented the same thing.

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Im having to move back to the Houston area this year and I was shocked by how many of those ultramodern soulless townhouses have popped up. So many of the bungalows are gone are there no creative architects?!

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why are we tearing down perfectly good houses

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Oh no. Why????? 

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My first apartment was in my town near Palm Springs. I always giggle that my parents had no clue I went and got my own place without consulting them. . They created a monster babying me growing up so I went whole ham getting a job without telling them, a car, and moving out by the age of 19. These events all happened at separate times so Im not sure why they didnt get the hint that I was gonna do my own thing. I still miss that little place though and it was cute. .

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Every time I pass a brick house or school I think about how you don't see brick used much anymore, sad to tear it down, you know whatever replaces it will be shit quality.

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For some reason I thought the movie was set in Seattle. 

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Maybe because that's where Singles was set? These two movies are paired together in my mind, like sibling movies.

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That must be it! Thank you! 



I totally get you re paired/sibling movies! 

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This legit has me crying nooo



This movie got me through high school, I would watch it every day after school for at least an entire year. My ultimate comfort movie

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Oh my god my first apartment was actually a trailer me and a coworker rented from her brother.



That coworker was a complete train wreck and her boyfriend dumped her while we lived together after she faked a suicide attempt. I had to let the EMTs in eek



Years later I went on a date with that ex of hers and now were married with a non-trailer house lol

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Exact opposite of a meet cute. A meet disaster!



Im so glad our daughter is too young to care to ask how we met

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Well this was a fucking plot twist I didnt expect. . But congrats!

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this would make a good romcom write it!



I am so boring I don't have material to write about T__T

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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Imagine being fresh out of college and affording rent on a whole house with your friends.

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imagine aspiring to be manager of the GAP and making 400 a week meant that you'd never have rent problems again.

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But also your best friend implying it makes you a directionless loser.

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it was more manageable back then. My friend and I rented a two bedroom mother-in-law house from this middle-aged couple. I dont remember how much it was but I could pay it working part-time retail in 2000, so it couldnt have been more than $600 per month total (so $300 for me).

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Ive only lived in two apartments, but this was all before 2003 so I wont pretend to understand how any of it works.



Part of me actually wanted to live in one when we moved to the city, but my partner refused. Hed been renting for 14 years and wanted walls that werent connected to another house.

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Once you have your own unattached walls, it's hard to go back to listening to your neighbors clomp around, watch loud movies, etc.

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this is what people who think the solution to the housing problem is more density don't get.

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Wait, "Reality Bites" is set in Houston?!?!

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Right?! I had no idea - I've always thought it was Seattle! 

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Not even surprised. A lot of the character within the loop has been completely stripped. My friends and I used to rent bungalows in Montrose all throughout college for like $400/month, and now they're all gone and replaced with mcmansions or god awful cookie cutter townhomes.

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last time I went to montrose in 2019 it changed so much. I left H-town in 2011

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I moved away for just a couple years about a decade ago, and I was so surprised at what I came back to. It's a shell of what it used to be. Once they tore down the Fiesta and replaced it with that giant HEB and the apartment complex, it was all downhill.

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I'm in Houston for a family emergency and moved out a couple of years ago and yeah... things keep changing.



They should really put that money toward improving Houston's barely there public transportation system.

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The north side (like Willowbrook mall all the way out to the East Aldine area) has changed some but fundamentally is still pretty much the same as it ever was but for *some reason* folx dont venture out here much lol

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And no doubt will be replaced by the ugliest looking buildings with unaffordable rent.

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Ohio Painting Company Fined for Hazardous Employment of Minors

Neubert Painting Inc. allowed underage workers to work on customers roofs.

A painting company in Ohio has been penalized $30,276 for employing two 17-year-old minors to paint houses, in violation of child labor laws.

According to a recent release, the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found that the Brook Park, Ohio-based Neubert Painting Inc. and its owner John Neubert breached the Fair Labor Standards Act's child labor provisions during the summers of 2021 and 2022.

The DOL investigation revealed the company assigned minors to work from clients roofs to paint multi-story homes, a task which is considered hazardous work for individuals under 18 years old. Hazardous Order 16 prohibits minors from most jobs in roofing operations, including tasks performed on or about a roof.

Employers must be acutely aware of the restrictions that apply to any workers under the age of 18, Wage and Hour District Director Matthew Utley in Columbus, Ohio, said in a statement. Work that involves children on roofs is inherently dangerous. Employers who violate federal child labor laws jeopardize the lives and health of children and risk large fines and penalties.

The penalties for child labor law violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act were increased to as much as $15,629 per violation as of January 2024. In addition to the child labor violations, investigators discovered Neubert Painting Inc. failed to maintain accurate payroll records.

In February 2023, the DOL established an Interagency Task Force to protect underage workers from exploitative situations. In fiscal year 2023, investigators found child labor violations in 955 cases and assessed employers with over $8 million in penalties.
Colombias national oil company Ecopetrol, regarded as one of the best-managed state-controlled energy companies in Latin America, is still dealing with allegations of murder, extortion, and intimidation. Since the early 2000s, rumors have swirled over Ecopetrols financing of rightwing paramilitary militias, which suppressed leftist guerillas, quashed organized labor, and quelled community dissent against controversial energy as well as mining projects. Those events occurred at a crucial time for Colombia with the government desperate to reinvigorate an economically crucial hydrocarbon sector by restructuring Ecopetrol and attracting greater foreign energy investment. While violence has fallen since the 2000s, the bloody struggle for Colombias oil wealth endures with the latest allegations casting a dark shadow over Ecopetrol.

In 2003, then-President Alvaro Uribe restructured state-owned Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos to form what is now known as Ecopetrol. This overhaul removed the unprofitable responsibilities associated with being Colombias hydrocarbon regulator, transforming the company into a nimbler profitable integrated energy major focused on petroleum exploration and production. By the end of 2007, Ecopetrol had completed a $2.8 billion initial public offering (IPO) listing on Colombias Stock Exchange, the Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC). Roughly a year later the energy major listed on the New York Stock Exchange using American Depositary Shares (ADS), which are equivalent to 20 of the companys common shares. As of the end of December 2023, Ecopetrol remains controlled by Bogota, which owns 88.49% of the company.

Since the 2007 IPO, Ecopetrols market value, after roaring to a record high during the 2013 oil boom, has crashed, with its market value down by a whopping 53%. Despite growing optimism surrounding the integrated oil companys operations, there are signs Ecopetrols market value will never recover to earlier highs, with several headwinds weighing on the energy majors outlook. Among the most serious are Colombias low proven reserves, lack of exploration success, and heightened geopolitical risk, especially after leftist president Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022, impacting the driller. The sensational allegations regarding Ecopetrols ties to Colombias paramilitary death squads and their decades-long campaign of violence, kidnapping, and murder is further weighing on the energy majors outlook.

Paramilitary units first emerged in Colombia during the late 1960s as citizen defense groups partnered with the security forces to protect local communities from the depredations of Marxist guerillas. By the 1980s, they had been coopted by large landowners, corporations, and the cocaine cartels, which used them to not only suppress leftist insurgents but also to intimidate the local populace while protecting their business interests. This saw those armed bands, in effect, transition into rightwing death squads serving the interests of Colombias wealthy elite. By the end of 1997, the paramilitary militias were operating under the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC  Spanish initials), an umbrella organization that unified their leadership and power into one representative body.

Paramilitary militias were responsible for the largest portion of deaths in Colombias nearly seven-decade-long civil war, which despite claims to the contrary, continues to this day. The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP  Spanish initials), a non-punitive truth and reconciliation commission founded by the 2016 peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC  Spanish initials), estimates approximately 450,000 people died during the conflict. The tribunal found around 80% of those victims were civilians, with the special judicial body concluding that paramilitaries were responsible for nearly half of all civilians killed, while leftist guerillas murdered 27% and the state security forces 12%. There is considerable evidence indicating right-wing death squads operated with impunity, not only because of collusion with elements of Colombias security forces but also due to ties to the state.

For over a decade, serious allegations circulated that Colombias army, police, and internal intelligence service, called the Administrative Department of Security (DAS - Spanish initials), aided and abetted paramilitary operations. Over time significant evidence, notably witness testimony, emerged indicating that paramilitary militias received arms, training, logistical support, and intelligence from security forces. There are even assertions that Colombias political and business elite, including corporate executives, lawmakers, government ministers, and presidential staff, colluded with the leadership of the AUC and senior paramilitary commanders. The para-politics scandal, which began in 2006 after the demobilization of the AUC, revealed the close, almost symbiotic, relationship between Colombias paramilitary militias and political as well as business elites. This highlighted the tremendous economic as well as political clout wielded by the AUC and paramilitary commanders in Colombia which led to the evolution of what came to be known as the para-economy. As such, the AUC transformed into an integral economic intermediary and powerbroker, which came to be a natural ally of corporations, notably energy, mining, and agricultural enterprises, operating in Colombia.

For decades, leftist guerillas considered Colombias petroleum infrastructure a legitimate target in their struggle against the state and U.S. imperialism. By the 1980s, with Colombias army seemingly incapable of stemming attacks, the payment of protection money from oil companies to the ELN and FARC was a lucrative source of income for the Marxist guerillas. As raids on hydrocarbon infrastructure and demands for protection payments grew, energy companies turned to private security to protect their operations. This led to frequent instances of oil companies contracting paramilitary militias to safeguard assets which eventually evolved into the provision of other services, including the intimidation of organized labor officials, environmental defenders, journalists, and human rights campaigners. It is the city of Barrancabermeja, at the center of Colombias oil heartland, where Ecopetrols main 250,000 barrel per day refinery is situated, which emerged as a major flashpoint.

Barrancabermeja, a city of nearly 200,000 located in the Middle Magdalena Valley toward the western part of the Santander department, was a focal point for leftist guerilla activity since the multiparty low-intensity asymmetric conflict erupted in the 1960s. By the 1980s, the ELN, which was founded in Santander in 1964, and FARC dominated the rural areas around Barrancabermeja and nearby municipalities. After the surrounding countryside had been pacified by Colombias security forces and militias linked to cocaine cartels in the early 1990s, Bogota directed that Barrancabermeja be cleansed. The forthcoming restructure of Ecopetrol, along with an urgent need to reinvigorate Colombias waning yet economically crucial oil industry, including bolstering reserves, exploration, and production, made subduing guerilla activity in the city a vital geopolitical objective. It is alleged that at the behest of senior Ecopetrol representatives and government officials, rightwing death squads orchestrated a campaign of terror, including massacres, kidnapping, and disappearances, in and around Barrancabermeja.

In early 2023, former senior paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso, once the AUCs second in command, implicated state-controlled Ecopetrol in the financing of paramilitary militias. The warlord, who admitted to involvement in over 300 murders, testified before the JEP (Spanish) that Ecopetrol bankrolled paramilitary units and their operations. Mancuso went on to claim Colombias national oil company maintained close ties with rightwing death squads, which in return for payments, protected the companys infrastructure, especially pipelines and well-heads, from attacks by leftist guerillas. The former AUC commander also claimed senior Ecopetrol representatives provided lists of trade union officials, human rights campaigners, and community leaders opposed to controversial energy projects who were to be intimidated, kidnapped, and even murdered. According to Mancuso, those services were paid for, in part, by allowing paramilitary militias to tap gasoline pipelines (Spanish) and siphon fuel for later resale with the full knowledge of Ecopetrol officials.

A former Ecopetrol deputy security chief, Jose Eduardo Gonzalez Sanchez, asserted that company executives financed and collaborated (Spanish) with paramilitary militias in Barrancabermeja. Sanchez, who was once an army captain and eventually joined the Central Bolivar Bloc paramilitary militia, claims he coordinated meetings between senior military, police, DAS commanders (Spanish), high-ranking company officials, and paramilitary leaders. The ex-Ecopetrol employee testified at the JEP that the use of paramilitaries (Spanish) to quash leftist guerillas as well as their supporters in Barrancabermeja was frequently discussed at those meetings. He further claimed that meetings (Spanish) were held with Ecopetrols corporate director of security, Marco Tulio Restrepo, and the Secretary of Security of the Presidency of the Republic, retired General Antonio Sanchez Vargas, to encourage the use of paramilitaries.

According to Sanchez, those events set the scene for the Central Bolivar Bloc, Colombias largest paramilitary militia, to enter Barrancabermeja and initiate a campaign of terror against the civilian populace. The former Ecopetrol security chief even claims the company hired a Bell UH-1 military-style helicopter to transport weapons and other logistics for the rightwing death squads operating in and around Barrancabermeja. Like other corporations operating in Colombia, it is alleged Ecopetrol representatives provided rightwing death squads with lists of employees, including trade union members and those regarded as troublemakers, which saw them intimidated, kidnapped, and murdered. The paramilitary offensive began during the late 1990s and ended in the early 2000s with thousands of civilians displaced, kidnapped, murdered, and forcibly disappeared. Most victims were not Marxist insurgents or their supporters but noncombatants, mainly trade union officials, community leaders, and environmental activists.

Rodrigo Perez Alzate, the commander of the Central Bolivar Bloc militia known by the alias Julian Bolivar, testified before a 2009 Justice and Peace hearing about the paramilitary militias involvement in the extortion of trade union officials and their murders. This included the circulation of a blacklist of trade union members who were to be killed and admitting the responsibility for the murder of 15 unionists in Barrancabermeja. It is believed those activities led to the murder of several members of Colombias oil workers union (USO  Spanish initials). The USO had been at loggerheads with Ecopetrol regarding pay and conditions, the looming restructure of the state-controlled energy company, the dismissal of trade union members and employment of non-union contract labor. Indeed, U.S. Embassy officials recorded in a 2001 report that members of non-government organizations (NGOs) working in Barrancabermeja complained that security forces were cooperating with the paramilitaries.

Representatives of the USO alleged in the same U.S. Embassy report that Ecopetrol contributes to the financing of the rightwing death squads by hiring paramilitary contractors and off-duty militia members for security and manual labor. There were also claims that paramilitaries controlled Barrancabermejas gasoline cartel which was siphoning 4,000 barrels of gasoline daily from Ecopetrol pipelines, generating around $30 million annually for rightwing death squads. In fact, the AUCs former second in command, Mancuso testified that Ecopetrol officials turned a blind eye to paramilitary units tapping company pipelines to extract fuel for services rendered. That fuel was then sold at service stations, with Ecopetrol officials providing the required dyes to allow its sale, in territories under paramilitary control generating hundreds of millions of dollars in income for paramilitary militias.

There is a dark legacy hanging over Colombias national oil company Ecopetrol which, despite promising to investigate, refuses to disclose (Spanish) the nature of its relationship with Colombas paramilitary militias. There is considerable evidence that from the late 1990s until the demobilization of the AUC in 2006 Ecopetrol financed the paramilitary militias which were responsible for most of the civilian deaths in Colombias multi-decade low-intensity asymmetric conflict. The rightwing death squads were used by corporations to intimidate (Spanish) local communities, unionized labor, and human rights activists to secure controversial energy projects while protecting profits. In 2021, there were also allegations that Colombias largest paramilitary band, the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC  Spanish initials), which refused to demobilize in 2006, assisted Ecopetrol to repel Marxist guerilla attacks on its facilities and intimidate trade union officials.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Reuters reported on Friday that Tesla has canceled its inexpensive car that would have catapulted Teslas sales growth, citing anonymous sources and a company message seen by the news outlet.

Reuters is lying (again), Elon Musk said on Twitter in a response to Zerohedge, who cited the Reuters headline, shortly following the articles publication.

The anonymous sources said they become privy to Teslas plans to scrap the cheaper model in a meeting in late February.

According to Reuters, these sources said that Tesla would continue to develop self-driving robotaxis on the same small-vehicle platform. Reuters referred to the move as an abandonment of a longstanding goal that Tesla chief Elon Musk has often characterized as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses.

Teslas 2006 plan outlined a schedule where a luxury model would be manufactured first to generate profits, followed by a lower cost family car somewhere down the line.

Reuters is dying, Musk added in a tweet just a few minutes after his reply to Zerohedge.

Reuters accused Teslas CEO of repeatedly promising an affordable vehicle to investorsand consumers. In January, Reuters again quoted unnamed sources familiar with Tesla's plans, saying that Tesla would prepare to mass produce a new model starting in 2025a compact crossover that would assuage the publics demand for an affordable EV. Reuters said the model would be named Redwood and could cost as little as $25,000.

Teslas least expensive model today is nearly $40,000 by comparison.

Reuters said the initial production was planned at 10,000 per week.

Reuters said that it saw company messages about the cancellation of the lower-cost model from an unnamed program manager that discussed the projects cancelation with engineering staff, where attendees were told not to tell suppliers.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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- Expected to receive an IMF bailout in excess of $50 billion, Egypts domestic natural gas production has been plummeting amidst structural declines, and even Zohr is expected to see its output drop by 30% from its 2021 peak

- Egypt, a country that has historically suffered from paralyzing power blackouts in the summer and managed to retain its gas self-sufficiency thanks to the Zohr gas field, has started importing LNG again.

- As oil prices soar on the heels of Middle Eastern tensions, Ukrainian drone strikes, and improving demand, OPEC+ will not be meeting until June 1, its next planned in-person meeting, when it should also finetune current production targets.

- In total, OPEC+ produced 34.5 million b/d in February according to Platts, some 170,000 b/d above current quotas, even though Saudi Arabia and Russia have been both producing within their quotas.

- Compliance with stipulated production targets is becoming a major sticking point for OPEC+ members, with the JMMC asking Iraq and Kazakhstan to present detailed compensation plans on how they would cut output in Q2.

- The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of OPEC+ has confirmed the oil groups current production targets, pushing back against increasing calls for a reversal of output cuts on the back of Brent hitting $90 per barrel.

1. OPEC+ Sticks to Course as Focus Shifts to Overproducers

1. OPEC+ Sticks to Course as Focus Shifts to Overproducers

- The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of OPEC+ has confirmed the oil groups current production targets, pushing back against increasing calls for a reversal of output cuts on the back of Brent hitting $90 per barrel.

- Compliance with stipulated production targets is becoming a major sticking point for OPEC+ members, with the JMMC asking Iraq and Kazakhstan to present detailed compensation plans on how they would cut output in Q2.

- In total, OPEC+ produced 34.5 million b/d in February according to Platts, some 170,000 b/d above current quotas, even though Saudi Arabia and Russia have been both producing within their quotas.

- As oil prices soar on the heels of Middle Eastern tensions, Ukrainian drone strikes, and improving demand, OPEC+ will not be meeting until June 1, its next planned in-person meeting, when it should also finetune current production targets.

2. Once a Rising Natural Gas Star, Egypt Becomes an LNG Importer

- Egypt, a country that has historically suffered from paralyzing power blackouts in the summer and managed to retain its gas self-sufficiency thanks to the Zohr gas field, has started importing LNG again.

- Expected to receive an IMF bailout in excess of $50 billion, Egypts domestic natural gas production has been plummeting amidst structural declines, and even Zohr is expected to see its output drop by 30% from its 2021 peak by the end of this year.

- Egypt last exported LNG on March 11, sending a cargo to Turkeys Dortyol, and the countrys energy company ENGH is now reported to have bought at least one LNG shipment to be delivered to Jordans Aqaba LNG terminal.

- 2024 is expected to be the hottest year on record in Egypt where natural gas is not only the main source of power generation but is also widely required in energy-intensive industries such as fertilizers.

3. Europe Faces a Bleak Refining Outlook Despite Stellar Margin Environment Now

- Despite exceptional margins seen over the past two years, the global refining system remains as fragile as it was during the COVID years with as much as 3.6 million b/d of capacity under high risk of closure.

- Wood Mackenzie estimates that some 19.95 million b/d of refining capacity could be shut by 2030, with almost half of it located in Europe where standalone catalytic cracking sites are still plentiful.

- As new refineries such as Nigerias Dangote or Mexicos Dos Bocas increase the global supply of gasoline and limit Europes export opportunities, the continents gasoline surplus will trigger the above refinery consolidation.

- The last phase of Chinas refinery buildout might squeeze up to 7 independent refineries off the markets as Beijing prioritizes state-controlled refiners, simultaneously affecting Japanese refiners, too, as they are unlikely to compete with leaner Chinese oil firms.

4. White House Faces Difficult Choices in Venezuela

- The US government faces a tough decision ahead of the April 18 deadline for Venezuelas six-month sanctions waiver, with pressure building on the Biden administration to reimpose sanctions on Caracas.

- A list of 20 former US officials signed a letter urging the White House to reimpose sanctions for Maduros blatant banning of opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado, although Brent prices are already above $90 per barrel so such a move could spark another price rally.

- Reportedly, the State Department is mulling alternative penalties that would punish Maduros inner circle without impacting crude supply, wary that a sanctions snapback would just lure China back into Venezuela.

- According to Kpler data, the US has imported 165 kbd of Venezuelan crude in 2024 to date, with Valero topping the list of most active buyers, followed by Chevron and Phillips 66.

5. Global Power Traders Flock to Japans Volatile Market

- Global trading companies are increasingly invested in Japans electricity market as the post-COVID years have opened up futures trading, with electricity prices fully liberalized since Tokyos 2016 reforms.

- Japanese electricity prices have been unprecedentedly volatile since the restarting of the countrys nuclear facilities and recurring extreme weather conditions such as earthquakes and tropical cyclones.

- Mercuria is the latest trading firm to establish a power trading presence in Japan, joining Vitol, BP, or Engie, seeing the volume of electricity traded rise almost 15 times in Q1 2024 compared to pre-2016 levels.

- Whilst any company seeking to operate in the physical electricity market needs a permit from the trade ministry and might face hefty fines if their production misses forecasts, futures contracts dont need government approval and could be managed from abroad.

6. South Asia Might Offset Western Worlds Coal Decline

- South Asia is steadily becoming one of the pillars of incremental coal consumption as a rising population and soaring electricity needs prompt power generators to maximize coal usage.

- Coal is set to overtake natural gas as the primary source of electricity in Bangladesh, with power generators more than doubling coal generation in 2023 from 2022 to an all-time high of 17 TWh.

- Bangladesh has boosted coal imports from India but also increased its seaborne imports by 50% to a record 12.7 million tonnes last year, with authorities struggling to keep a red-hot economy that has been growing 6% per year in 2019-2023 fully electrified.

- With Australian coal trending around $130 per metric tonne, the per-unit cost of coal is half of imported LNG, so the likes of Bangladesh (and India) are expected to ramp up their coal usage even further down the line unless price of LNG collapses.

7. Chinas Control of Gallium Supplies Sends Prices Ballooning

- Chinas export restrictions on rare earth minerals gallium and germanium have sent their prices soaring, with gallium nearing its highest level since 2011 amidst restricted global supply.

- Used in defense and aerospace equipment, gallium exports are now subject to licensing requirements, as a consequence of which its prices shot up to $575 per kg delivered to Rotterdam, doubling since August 2023.

- China exported some 2,760 kg of gallium in January-February 2024, down 70% compared to 8,865 kg a year earlier, with Japan, South Korea, and Germany remaining the metals largest buyers.

- The US Defense Department admitted last year that it holds no strategic stockpile of gallium, with China accounting for 94% of the worlds combined gallium refining capacity.
Rising seasonal demand and higher crude oil prices have resulted in the highest average U.S. gasoline prices in nearly six months, with the national average gas price hitting $3.57 per gallon, up from $3.10 at the start of the year, and higher than a year ago.

The national average hit a new multi-month high on Thursday morning, rising to $3.57 per gallon, the highest since October 14, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noted.

The current average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is some 20 cents higher than the $3.352 average one month ago, according to data from AAA, and is 7.2 cents per gallon higher than at this time last year, De Haan added. At this time last year, the national average price was at $3.507 per gallon.

The rise in prices this week follows a week of barely changed prices.

After climbing for four straight weeks, the national average was unchanged on Monday compared to a week ago at $3.51 per gallon, GasBuddys De Haan wrote earlier this week.

While we seem to be nearing a short-term peak, one word of caution for those in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast: you havent yet finished the transition to summer gasoline, so you may experience some sticker shock in a few weeks, the analyst said.

This week, WTI Crude prices topped $85 per barrel amid signs of tightening global crude supply. Moreover, demand continued to rise with the warmer weather and the Easter weekend.

The EIAs weekly report on Wednesday showed a draw in gasoline stocks, implying stronger demand. Gasoline inventories shed 4.3 million barrels in the week to March 29, with production averaging 10 million bpd. These figures compared with an inventory build of 1.3 million barrels for the previous week, when production stood at an average of 9.2 million barrels daily.

Meanwhile, as reported previously, JPM sees oil rising to $100 or higher if Russia fails to boost output. Such an outcome would be catastrophic for Biden in the months ahead of the presidential election, and according to JPM commodity strategist Natash Kaneva, the senile occupant of the White House could drain some more oil from the already mostly depleted SPR (which earlier this week he said he would no longer refill as oil prices had gotten too high). JPMorgan estimates the Biden administration "has the policy space to release up to 60 mn bbls of crude oil, boosting supply by 0.5 mbd per month if spread over four months."

How Biden would spin such a clearly political move as a national emergency emergency is unclear - he may need to start another war or two - but it almost certain that he will try.

By Zerohedge.com

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The European Union has replaced addiction to one form of Russian gas with another. Instead of receiving pipeline gas from Russia from the east, Europe is now using Russian LNG imported in its ports in the west.

The EU, which hasnt sanctioned or banned Russian natural gas, has seen its imports of Russias LNG jump since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the significant reduction of Russian pipeline flows in 2022.

While LNG volumes are not as much as the pre-war flows of Russian pipeline gas to Europe, the bloc is the largest buyer of Russias LNG. The EU purchased nearly half of all Russian liquefied natural gas exports in February 2024, with China a distant second, buying 21% of total Russian LNG exports, showed the latest data on Russias fossil fuel exports compiled by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

More than a tenth of the previous Russian pipeline flows to the EU have been replaced by Russian LNG imported into ports in Western Europe, mostly in Spain, Belgium, and France, according to a Reuters analysis of data.

The shift in Russian gas flows shows that while pipeline supply has slowed to a trickle  and could fall further with the end of a gas transit deal via Ukraine at end-2024  LNG from Russia is making up at least a portion of Moscows lost pipeline exports. It also shows that right now, Europe cannot afford to ditch Russian gas, at least not until it can ensure its energy and gas supply security to avoid another energy crisis.

The fact that neither pipeline gas nor LNG imports from Russia are banned, two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, shows the EUs uneasiness to lose any gas supply as it is careful to avoid a spike in prices and a repeat of the 2022 energy crisis.

The EU has an indicative non-binding goal to ditch Russian gas by 2027.

EU officials have called for coordinated action toward reducing Russian LNG imports, and no individual country has moved to ban these.

LNG Import Boom

The EUs imports of LNG from Russia have jumped in the past two years since Russia cut off some EU countries from pipeline gas in the spring and summer of 2022, and the Nord Stream pipeline was blown up in September that year.

Last year, EU ports imported 15.6 million metric tons of Russian LNG, per estimates by data analytics firm Kpler cited by Reuters. Thats slightly higher than in 2022 but a surge of 37.7% compared to the pre-war imports in 2021.

While the pipeline gas imports from Russia slumped to less than 9% of EU gas supply, from more than 35% previously, Europes imports of Russian LNG have raised the share of Russian gas in EU supply up to some 15%, according to EU statistics and Reuters calculations.

Between 2021 and 2023, Russian LNG supply to Europe increased by 11%, with supply to Spain doubling and to Belgium more than tripling, per data compiled by the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

The European terminals that imported the largest volumes of Russian LNG between 2021 and 2023 were Zeebrugge in Belgium, Montoir-de-Bretagne in France, Bilbao in Spain, Gate in the Netherlands, Dunkerque in France, and Mugardos in Spain, IEEFAs analysis based on Kpler data shows.

Many of those imports, especially in Belgium, are re-exports to Spain and China, according to CREAs analysis of February 2024 data of Russian fossil fuel exports.

While Belgiums total LNG imports in February rose by a mere 4%, their imports from Russia saw a much more significant 44% rise. At the same time, Belgiums re-exports of LNG rose by a massive 81%  a significant portion of which was shipped to Spain and China  pointing towards the countrys role in transhipping Russian gas globally, CREA said.

IEEFA also noted at the end of last year that around 21% of Russias LNG volumes bound for the European Union are transshipments, which are not included in official import figures and thus ignored by EU policymakers.

EU Uncertain How To Handle Russian LNG Imports

Belgium is looking into ways to tackle the transshipment issue without putting European supply security at risk, a spokesperson for the Belgian energy ministry told the Financial Times in November.

Spain, for its part, is seeking a tougher EU-wide coordination on handling imports of Russian LNG, Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera told Bloomberg in an interview last month.

The EU will soon allow individual member states to block imports of LNG from Russia without the use of sanctions by limiting access of Russian gas to their gas systems.

But Spain wants the EU to make sure that an EU member state can block such imports without cargoes being diverted to neighboring EU countries, according to Ribera.

If I ban it unilaterally and it comes to France? Ribera told Reuters.

EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson is pushing for some action at EU-wide level.

Simson said last month, I have repeated that we cannot afford Russia to compensate through LNG channels some of the volumes it has cut off by unilateral decisions via pipeline exports.

Its not certain how the EU can do this in the near term without roiling the gas markets just as prices have slumped to pre-war levels and the EU made it through the winter with a record volume of gas left in storage.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Crude oil prices were on track to book their second weekly gain in a row, driven higher by geopolitics and supply concerns.

Early on Friday morning, Brent was trading above $91 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate was closing in on $87 per barrel. The rally came amid reports that Russia may have temporarily lost as much as 15% of its refining capacity because of Ukrainian drone attacks and Iran vowed to exact revenge on Israel for the strike of its consulate in Damascus.

"Oil prices look set for further upside in the short term as a more positive economic backdrop is joined by ongoing supply tightness and rising geopolitical risks," analysts from ANZ said, as quoted by Reuters, revising their three-month price forecast for Brent crude to $95 per barrel.

The wider Mideast tensions stemming from the Gaza war are probably at the highest in months, Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights, told Bloomberg. Crude is reflecting that Mideast conflagration fear premium.

The latest from the Middle East is the news that the UAE is growing cold to Israel after several years of normalized relations. The reason for the change in attitude was the Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza. Some reports said the Emirates were outraged with the event.

Demand for oil, meanwhile, remains quite healthy, with the latest U.S. weekly inventory report revealing declines in both gasoline and middle distillate stocks. This demand is set to rise further, especially in middle distillates as the manufacturing industry in the country gathers momentum, Reuters market analyst John Kemp wrote in a recent column.

While this is happening, OPEC+ reaffirmed its commitment to production limits at its latest meeting earlier this week. Even though there were overproducers again, prices rose after the meeting because the group signaled it was about to get those overproducers in line, demanding compensation for their excess production.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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